Minty Image

Chapters

Prologue: A Very Minty Xmas - Part 1
Prologue: A Very Minty Xmas - Part 2
Chapter 1: I bet you thought this was Twunkle Woosh Adventure
Chapter 2: It's time to get moving, it's time to get going, adventures always great
Chapter 3: No Thanks! There are no rainbows in the forest!
Chapter 4-1: Meet the G4 ponies!
Chapter 4-2: Meet the G4 ponies!
Chapter 4-3: Meet the G4 ponies!
Chapter 4-4: Meet the G4 ponies!
Optional Chapter 1-1: Rarity's story
Optional Chapter 1-2: Rarity's story
Optional Chapter 1-3: Rarity's story
Optional Chapter 1-4: Rarity's story
Optional Chapter 1-5: Rarity's story
Optional Chapter 1-6: Rarity's story
Chapter 5-1: The magic of modern medicine
Chapter 5-2: The magic of modern medicine
Chapter 5-3: The magic of modern medicine
Chapter 5-4: The magic of modern medicine
Chapter 5-5: The magic of modern medicine
Chapter 6-1: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?
Chapter 6-2: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?
Chapter 6-3: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?
Chapter 6-4: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?
Chapter 6-5: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?
Chapter 6-6: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?
Optional Chapter 2-1: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 2-2: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 2-3: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 2-4: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 2-5: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 2-6: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 2-7: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 2-8: Wysteria's chapter
Optional Chapter 3-1: Skywishes' chapter
Optional Chapter 3-2: Skywishes' chapter
Optional Chapter 3-3: Skywishes' chapter
Optional Chapter 3-4: Skywishes' chapter
Optional Chapter 3-5: Skywishes' chapter
Optional Chapter 3-6: Skywishes' chapter
Chapter 7-1: To the badlands!
Chapter 7-2: To the badlands!
Chapter 7-3: To the badlands!
Chapter 7-4: To the badlands!
Chapter 7-5: To the badlands!
Chapter 7-6: To the badlands!
Optional Chapter 4-1: Lily Lightly's chapter
Optional Chapter 4-2: Lily Lightly's chapter

Prologue: A Very Minty Xmas - Part 1

Prologue: A Very Minty Xmas - Part 1 (Chapter Split + edited)

"This day is going to be perfect" hissed the Changeling Lord as he prepared for his final victory, and ...

********

Hey, wait! I think we are getting ahead of ourselves... We first need to go to a happier Ponyville: a frillier Ponyville. A more G3 Ponyville!

********

"It's today!!!" Shouted a certain mint green Earth Pony as she awoke from her sleep with a start, her eyes staring straight forward at nothing in particular. She had just came to an extremely important realization, and just had to wake everyone up! It was, after all, the second most important day of the year. Ok, the first most important day of the year, for Ponyville, was the first rainbow of the season. But, rainbows were more of Rainbow Dash's thing. 'I need to tell all the others!!!' She eagerly decided as she took off, full gallop, to see Rainbow Dash.

Now, normally Rainbow Dash's house would be a breeze to find: it was a very unique house with its the shooting stars, and... of course... rainbows. Heck! It even had a rainbow extending from the tippy top of her roof to her mailbox. Except, for some reason, today it was hard to find. It certainly was dark, for some reason...

"Rainbow Dash it's today!" The green pony with the striped pink and white mane shouted, standing right next to the prissy earth pony's floating cloud, and rainbow bed.

"Darling... go back to bed, the rainbows aren't even out yet," the cyan pony with the well groomed rainbow mane responded sternly. "And I don't wish to be disturbed, until they are!"

"Oops... I guess Rainbow Dash is feeling grumpy today." Minty whispered to herself, nervously. "Best leave her be! But don't worry Pinky is always raring and willing to seize the day," Minty said, announcing her change of plans as she galloped full speed out of Rainbow Dash's room to get to Pinky's, only stopping once to remark to herself how dark it was that day. It was the middle of the afternoon... right?

But not to worry: Pinky's house was also really easy to find. After all, there weren't too many houses in Ponyville that had a giant hot air balloon shaped tower.

"Pinky it's today!!!" She shouted, standing at the base of the pink pony's extra pink bed.

"Hurray!!!" Shouted three voices in unison, somewhere, causing both Minty, and the strangely groggy looking Pinkie to look around for the sources of the voices.

"Gee Minty, I know Christmas is important to you, and all," Pinky replied to the early wakeup call, with a chuckle. "But you are aware that it's three in the morning, right?" She said as her voice got softer and more serious like she was talking to herself.

"Oh... right..." Minty said sheepishly, blushing slightly. She probably should have guessed that the moon wasn't in the middle of the sky during the day... "I'll bug you later then, " she announced sheepishly, on the way out, "after all so much Christmas to prepare for".

Now Christmas was important to the pony known, in Ponyville, as Ponyville's 'Green Machine', though she never could figure out why. Maybe it had to do with the fact that her symbol stood for her love of sharing holiday joy? Or maybe it was because her birthday just happened to be in December? But all she could tell you, for sure, was that all that Christmas mirth just made her feel better, funnier, and more... more... more... Minty. And, oddly enough, she wasn't really a pony with a passion, or symbol, for making people laugh... It was just that she was at her best when those around her were in a good mood.

Now there was still a few hours till everyone would be up, but there was still plenty of holiday decorations that could be put up! Even though she had almost all the decorations for the season. Having already put up garlands of pine hung with lights, stars, hearts, and socks all over her place. Heck, she'd even gone so far as to have hung a bright cheery candle over her mantle, and a giant festive pile of socks right in the middle of her table.

********

The Next Morning

*********

'Minty. Minty. Minty! You can't expect to decorate for Christmas when it's still dark outside!' Thought Pinkie, giggling to herself, as she started out towards the tallest tree in Ponyville. 'But she does have a good idea, though! We need to get an early start if we are to make this the greatest Christmas in Ponyville.'

And, thankfully, everyone else had the same great idea, and were all busy finishing up the decorations on Ponyville.

She gave a friendly wave, as she passed by Wysteria, Forsythia, and Valenshy, who were busy finishing the decorations on the flower shop. It just warmed the bottom of her heart so much to see her pony pals taking such joy in the season. And though Minty may have liked Christmas, and Rainbow Dash excitement and fashion, this pony just loved seeing her friends enjoying themselves.

And whom should run into her, literally, but her old friend Minty.

"Heya Pinkie!" The green pony said, a goofy smile squarely on her face. "Now that I can definitely say that today is Christmas Eve!" She said, giving only a moment's pause, before... "Is there something that you need me to do? Decorate the castle? The sweet shop? Oooh ooh oooh... The tree again right?"

"That's ok Minty," Pinkie replied, kindly. "I actually don't know what I need from you yet, and I'm sure that your house looks great... and super festive! So why don't you go and have some fun?" She asked giggling to herself. "I hear Sparkleworks, and Sky Wishes are going sledding... Heck, if you hurry, you still might catch Loop-de-la ice skating... Doesn't that sound like fun?" She said with a giggle in her voice like she was addressing a small child. Some ponies would have found this funny, considering that Pinkie was actually the younger of the two, by one month. "And I don't mean to hurt your feelings," she said, sounding slightly more serious. "But, you remember what happened the last time you tried to decorate a tree, right?" she said her voice switching to more of a gentle sarcasm.

"I know... I know... " The vibrant green pony responded, her mood becoming a little depressed, having remembered what happened the last time she tried to decorate a tree. And how she'd somehow ended up breaking all the ornaments, including those that weren't in the bag of ornaments she fell on.

But not one to stay in a sour mood long, Minty shook her head vigorously and, unabated, continued her Christmas quest. "C'mon Pinkie!" She pleaded with the pink earth pony. "it's almost Christmas and so much needs to be done! And the Extra Special 'Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane' isn't even made yet! Please! I want to make this Christmas extra special, especially since this is the first year we will be joined by our pegasus friends!"

The pink pony sat down and thought for a few seconds, before finally responding: "You know what you could try, Minty. Why don't you go and see if Cotton Candy needs any help with the Cafe?" She asked, volunteering something. "And if you hurry maybe you can get a candy cane from her," she continued, with a friendly chuckle.

"Great idea Pinkie!!!" Ponyville's 'Green Machine' responded as she rushed off towards the Cafe... galloping the whole wrong direction.

"Um Minty!" Pinkie shouted, futilely attempting to get the green pony's attention. "The cafe is that way!" She shouted, pointing in the opposite direction. The green pony, of course, was already too far gone. "Yep Minty's definitely feeling especially Minty today!" The pink one said to herself with a smile. "Hopefully this won't cause a problem later, " she said in pity for the green pony, her head hung down.

*********

So off to the Cotton Candy Cafe Minty galloped, as fast as her legs could take her. The good news was that, despite her getting a little lost a moment ago, it wasn't that hard to find the Cotton Candy Cafe, even for her. It was easily recognizable, after all, and had an absolutely perfect view of the lake. And if it wasn't already obvious what it looked like, It had a giant sign that hung from just above the door that brazenly read 'Cotton Candy Cafe' in English. Why English? Because it would be silly to use hieroglyphics to write signs, after all!

And no sooner had the green pony reached the cafe, then it started to snow. "WOW!!!" She exclaimed to herself, her eyes growing wide. "This is great, nothing beats a white Christmas," she continued, practically shouting her thoughts. Now every pony loved snow, just like every child loves snow, with all the fun things you can do in it. And when combined with the previous night's snow, it ensured that this will definitely be a white Christmas.

"Great isn't it?" Volunteered a smiling Cotton Candy, through the cafe's half front door, a Candy Cane tightly clenched in her hoof.

"Heya Cotton Candy, you need any help decorating for Christmas?" Minty asked curiously. "By the look of it, it looks like you're going to hoist up Santa... and I just love that guy!" Said Minty to the pony with the cotton candy symbol, whose countenance suddenly dropped.

"No. No. No. I'm good..." Cotton Candy replied, shiftily. "Because... Um... Moondancer will be here any minute to help!... And... She's... um... going... to help!... Yah! That's right! She's going to help!" The pony continued nervously, with a really phony smile, her eyes darting around wildly. 'And Besides I'd rather you not help decorate after what happened last time' Cotton Candy thought when she remembered the last time Minty had tried to help 'decorate', and had, instead, succeeded in making Rainbow Dash and Sunny Daze mortal enemies, vowing never to speak to each other again! Ok... 'Never' actually meant only six weeks, but, this time, she wasn't taking any chances. "Why don't you have a candy cane while you wait for hot cocoa?" The light pink earth pony said, sticking the candy cane out again.

"Yum! hot cocoa sounds tasty!" Said the mint green wonder. 'But I should help anyways seeing how busy Cotton Candy is, and I can help fix and straighten things for her' she thought to herself.

Luckily, Cotton Candy was in luck because, while Ponyville's Green Machine was thinking of 'helping out', Moondancer arrived, having just finished decorating the surf shop.

"So Minty, you came to see me and Cotton lift up the Santa display?" Moondancer asked, curiously, looking over at the green pony.

"Sure thing Moondancer!" The green pony responded, with an eager nod. "But don't you want me to help?" She asked the grey earth pony, hoping that maybe she'd need some help instead.

"Nah," she replied, with a shrug. "I can handle it, Minty. I mean, that's what these two arms of mine are for, right?" She said, with a chuckle. "Besides it looks like Daisyjo, and Peachy Pie could use some company!" Moondancer said as two ponies, a purple pony with a blond mane and a twin flower symbol, and a pink pony with a pink and white mane and a peach symbol, approached from the road leading to the castle.

"Hey Cotton Candy, you still handing out candy canes?" Asked the peach themed earth pony.

"Sure thing, Peachy Pie!" Cotton candy replied, handing the second candy cane to the pink earth pony. "Minty over there has already finished hers, and while you do so, you can watch Moondancer and I do the annual 'Lifting Of The Santa'," she said, heading back into the Cafe to assist Moondancer with the annual Lifting of the Santa.

And what a sight it was, when, as the twin ponies, one on each side, lifted the display up, it actually started waving at the ponies, who both looked in awe from the window outside.

"These things get more and more elaborate every year!" Daisyjo commented with a laugh.

"Yeah, I know right!" Minty replied, with a eager chuckle. "Isn't it great!" She continued, a smile growing from ear to ear, "I just wish I could be like him bringing presents, and friendship, and socks and togetherness, and love, and socks like him! I mean what would Christmas be like without Santa?"

"Ok people," Cotton Candy said, putting up the closed sign up in the window, and closed the door behind her. "Pinkie's probably done helping Rainbow Dash decorate Apple Spice's house by now; and you don't want to miss the carols do you?" She said, starting down the road. "I know that's where I'm off to!"

And, just like that, the shop was closed, and would stay closed until after Cotton Candy, Sweetberry, and Triple Treat had finished cloistering themselves to make this year's Extra Special Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane. The very same candy cane, that would go on the tippity top of the tallest tree in all of Ponyville! And, it was said, down in Ponyville, that the candy cane's bright glow was how Santa Clause found Ponyville every year, and some ponies even believed that the brighter the friendships in Ponyville, the brighter the candy cane would glow.

"Come on Cotton Candy!" Minty exclaimed, closely sticking to the pink earth pony, like glue. "You've got to let me help you make the Extra Special Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane this year!" She begged and pleaded with the cafe shop owner, who remained stoic. "You wouldn't let me help you with the shop, and I'm just begging for ways to make this an extra, extra, special Christmas in honor of our friends the really real for real pegasus ponies!"

"Sorry Minty no can do! You recall what happened the last time you tried to help with stuff that goes on a tree, right?" Cotton Candy asked, recalling full well the events from last time Minty tried her hand at decorating, even if Minty didn't. How the broken ornaments had led to Sparkleworks and Sweetberry pigging out on all of the cookies and sweets for the Christmas party that year. Resulting in everyone else not having any. And, as a result, it had taken the two mares two long years, and a whole lot of icky tasteless 'healthier cookies', to lose all that weight. "And besides, you know that the cloistering of the candy making ponies is as big a tradition as the Extra Special Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane itself." As she closed the doors and headed off to the tree.

"I should head there myself, don't want to miss any more Christmas fun!" Minty reminded herself, as she headed off the wrong direction towards the tree.

*********

'I could've sworn I was going the right direction!' The green wonder thought to herself, as she passed Scootaloo's house, which sat in the branches of a large tree at the edge of town. 'Oh well gives me time to think of all the great stuff I'm going to do to make this Christmas extra super special.' She continued.

Looking back, it had been a remarkably fun year in Ponyville, what with the first successful surprise party they'd ever given to the wise, and witty, Kimono. And then there was the friendship ball, with their new friends: the pegasus ponies. And finally the extra special Princess Promenade. And she could already tell that something extra super special-licious was going to happen this Christmas, or her name wasn't Minty!

... Which it was...

The green pony took a quick glance at her surroundings, and noting a set of Roman columned buildings, decided that she had obviously gone the wrong direction.

"I guess I went the wrong way?" She said to herself, with a chuckle. "Though I should've guessed that after I passing The Teapot Castle, and Storybelle's Story loft," she said to herself, 'Maybe if I go down this way?' she thought, with a smile.

Sadly that wasn't the way either, as it only led back to the Cotton Candy Cafe where Cotton Candy, Triple Treat, and Sweetberry had happened to have cloistered themselves to make the Extra Special Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane, in secret. And by the sound it it, Cotton Candy seemed to be having a heated argument with the other two:

"Oh why does this happen every year!?" Exclaimed a frustrated Cotton Candy.

"Because, making the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane is a Ponyville tradition!!!" Replied Sweetberry, very patiently, her normal primadonna attitude conspicuously absent for the holiday.

"Oh no they don't sound happy at all!!!" Minty said to herself quietly, as she rested her front two hooves on her face.

"Well it's not very fun!!!" Cotton Candy retorted, in frustration, sounding like she'd finally given up on it all.

'Oh dear...' Had her brand of loony zaniness finally caused Sweetberry to give up on Christmas, all together? No!! She shook her head... It couldn't be! She was just imagining it!

"How can you say that? I love this part of Christmas!" Replied Triple Treat sounding shocked, and hurt.

"Oh no it's getting worse!" Minty said to herself, feeling physically ill all of a sudden. "I need to do something to make things better. Maybe I can do jokes, it worked when I goofed everything up on activity day?"

Their conversation continued while Minty plotted a strategy to bring the Christmas Joy back to the little group of candy makers without being chewed out for eavesdropping or snooping on the secret Candy Cane creation ritual, before their arguments made her any sicker.

Luckily, while she was still thinking, the bakers seemed to resolve their disagreement themselves, and the next part of the conversation sounding better:

"Hmm... what flavor and color are we going to make this year?" Asked Cotton Candy.

The other two continued their conversation, leaving Minty just relieved that they were done arguing. Though, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. Why was that, anyway?

"Add some mint, and you have pinkie-mint!" Exclaimed Cotton Candy, mischievously.

"Wow!" The other two bakers exclaimed, in unison, being very enthralled with the idea. "Pinkie-mint it is!"

'Wow! Now I know what this year's Extra Special Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane is going to be!' The green pony thought to herself, with enthusiasm, feeling like she'd somehow managed to sneak a present early. 'Though, I'd Better go before they catch me out here! And besides, this whole scare has me thinking how important it is to make everyone feel better this Christmas!'

Truth be told the goofy green pony not just preferred to see the best in things, but it made her feel physically ill when her friends didn't share her enthusiasm. The absolute worst was when her friends were angry, or frustrated at her, which was an awful lot.

But that all being said, she had other things to think about, and seeing that she was at the Cotton Candy Cafe, she knew just where to go from here!

Ok... Or she normally would... Just not today... And who can blame her? You know, it being Christmas and all? And she'd better hurry, and find her way to Christmas Tree before everyone finished Caroling, and she missed it!

*********

So, naturally, it wasn't too long before the mint green pony finally did find her way onto the correct road...

Ok! In full disclosure, normally, even Minty, didn't have this bad a sense of direction. But, for some reason, her mind was especially preoccupied with all the Christmas wonder this year. And, maybe the eggnog didn't help, either?

And, right in front of her, it looked Sparkleworks, Sunny Daze and Sky Wishes were already hard at work making a snowman! And it looked like they were doing a great job too!

'Wow that looks like a lot fun!' Minty thought to herself, with a smile. 'I bet they are putting extra super special care into making that snowman perfect,' she added, already rolling up her sleeves, mentally, to help.

On the other hand, though, the trio actually looked like they were doing ok. The snowman's head had already been reshaped to a less comical proportions; a beautiful carrot used on the snowman as a nose; and Sparkleworks had placed coal on the snowman's face to act as its eyes and mouth, as quick as a ninja.

Suddenly, Sparkleworks came to an extremely import conclusion: "Hey we need to get over to big tree! Pinkie is about to make her Christmas speech!" She shouted, motioning for the other two ponies, who quickly trailed behind, all three at full gallop.

Speech!? Shoot! That could only mean one thing: she had already missed the carols and was about the miss Pinkie's speech! What was she going to do?

She did the only thing she knew how. "Hey everyone!" She shouted, unable to reach the others as they quickly pulled away. "Wait for me!" The green ditz shouted as she came running up to join her friends. Sadly they didn't seem to hear her, and we're getting away and... was she hearing crinkling?

There definitely was, as the nose of the poor snowman took that opportunity to simply just fell off! She gave a sigh. It seemed the snowman was having the same lousy Christmas Eve she was. But, it was extremely fortunate, for the snowman, that she was here to lighten it's mood, with her antics.

"How can you smell the sweetness of Christmas without a nose?" She said with a chuckle to the snowman, carefully grabbing the carrot with her malleable hoof. And once she had a strong hold on the carrot, carefully squeezed the carrot in her pastern so that she could get an even firmer hold on it. And carefully placing the carrot back on the snowman's face. "Perfect!" She said, stopping for a moment to admire her work. Ok not quite, she decided, having placing her hoof on her chin, for a second to think. "Oh... OK, maybe not. Maybe the head is a smidge to the left?" She said, having to make everything was perfect after all.

It didn't take her long to come to the definitive conclusion that the head was most definitely not perfect! And that it most certainly had to be, so naturally, she tried to correct it by scooting the head a smidge in the other direction. Now, normally, even the goofy pony 'with no fear', as someone said about the tree debacle a couple of years back, would have known not do anything so silly; but she was obsessed with making everything extra special perfect for Christmas this year. After all, all that Christmas mirth was so addictive, and Minty was hooked!

She grunted, in utter dismay, as she helplessly watched the snowman's head fall off. Leaving her with a sudden, and unquenchable, wave of anxiety. Oddly something about this whole situation seemed strangely prophetic... "Uh Oh!" She exclaimed to herself, having noticed the blunder. Luckily her Christmas joy returned when she realized that the head would simply go right back into place, if only a little deformed. "Merry Christmas!" She said to the snowman making like Santa for a second, as she used her sock to make sure the head stayed 'perfectly straight', even though the snowman's head was anything but straight.

Nonetheless, she desperately needed to gallop off at full speed if she was going to enjoy some of the Christmas festivities.

*********

'Holy Smokes Pinkie has already started talking!' Our heroine thought to herself, having finally arrived at the traditional Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane placing ceremony. Fortunately, though, it looked like Pinkie had only just finished awarding Rainbow Dash with some kind of medal. If Minty were to guess, it would be that the medal was probably for Rainbow's role as the Christmas host the previous year. Of course she couldn't be sure, because, sadly, the only place she could find to stand was way in the back. 'Curses, how can I hear Pinkie's speech if I'm stuck back here?' Minty thought to herself.

Ahead of her stood the tree, which was richly decorated with decorations that everyone had donated, each one with their symbols on them. as well as plenty of baubles, tinsel and holly.

"Now," Pinkie said, loudly clearing her throat for her speech, and taking a glance off to the side at the large scroll that Desert Rose held in her hoof. "Ever since we can remember," she announced loudly, for all to hear. "We have been making, and then placing the Very Special Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane at the tippy top of the tallest tree in all of Ponyville. This Candy Cane is sprinkled with magical glowing dyes so Santa can see through all the clouds and make his way to Ponyville on Christmas Eve!" She said, turning around to face the crowd with a quick hop.

'Gosh she's hard to hear from back here, but it sounds like the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane is important!' Minty thought, stifling a chuckle. 'No wait, of course it is!... I almost forgot in all this Christmas cheer!' She thought to herself, more eager to see it then ever! And although she couldn't hear Pinkie's speech, she could hear Thistle Whistle warning another Pegasus pony about how dangerous clouds could be.. And just like that.

"My Friends:" Pinkie announced, raising her left front hoof to point at something in the distant air. "This year's Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane!" She shouted, probably as a cue for two of their new Pegasus friends: Cloud Climber and Honolu-loo to came through a cloudbank carrying the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane.

Oh it was a sight to behold, and not just the awe inspiring glow of the Candy Cane, but also the majestic pegasus ponies that carried it in, on a big beautiful basket.

"It's the best and the very brightest!" Exclaimed Sunny Daze as she put on her sun glasses, mainly for effect. After all, she was a pony with a deep love of the sun, and she was used to its bright light.

"It's the here comes Christmas Candy Cane!" Shouted everyone, in utter awe of the masterpiece that the bakers trio had concocted this year.

Blast it all! The mint pony thought to herself. It sucked being behind everyone for what was probably the totally best-est Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane ever! "Where is it? I can't see it!" Minty exclaimed as she started climbed on both Moondancer and Sunny Daze shoulder's, causing both to look back at her in surprise. "Wait can I climb on your shoulder?" She asked, noticing the bemused expression that both ponies shot her. "Is that it? Is it here yet?" She exclaimed, in haste, as she struggled to see that magical Candy Cane. This bummer of a Christmas was already starting to melt her poor mind. "Oh wait! I can smell it!" she said finally getting a whiff of the best Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane ever! "But I can't see it!" She quickly commented, desperately pushing her way through the crowd of her friends, to desperately trying to get a sight of the artifact. "Oops sorry, was that your foot?" She asked, feeling nauseous suddenly. "Oops... Sorry!"

"Oh! Hi Mints, thought that was you!" Replied a smiling Sunny Daze; quickly recovering her cool. "Hey nice sock!" She said trying to make small talk.

"Thanks." Minty said, her good Christmas spirits returning. "They're one of my favorites," she said with a giggle. "Of course I do love my green socks the best... Or maybe my silver sparkle socks are my favorite?" She asked herself, hovering the bottom of her front right hoof under the bottom of her chin, in a sigh of the deep and profound thoughts that were travelling through her head. "But I really like my rainbow socks or my glow in the dark socks," she said, making a confession. "Of course I love all my socks!" She said getting more giddy with each passing sentence. As the pony known for 'Fun in the sun' stood by patiently and pretended to listen.

"But Mints you are only wearing one," replied Sunny Daze looking concerned. To some it may have sounded like an obvious statement, but when it came to minty and her 'episodes' it was never a bad idea to point out the obvious.

"Oh well. I had two of course, but I gave one away for a very special reason!" She replied, still giddy, as she contemplated how she was going to use it to make a perfect Christmas this year.

"And to make it extra special this year, I've asked one of our new friends to put it on the top of the tree!" Pinkie continued with a speech that almost no one was listening to.

And, at this point, Star Catcher came out from behind the clouds looking especially majestic, long forgotten pegasus magics making the very clouds around her glow. And, with her standing at least a foot or two higher than any other pony around, and with wings at least twice as large as those of any other pegasus, they knew about, she was quite a sight.

"There you go Star Catcher, please put this in the place of honor!" Asked Pinkie, of the pegasus.

"Consider it done." Star Catcher replied with a majestic but very eager tone. Picking the extra large candy cane up single hoofed, making it look light; and, in contrast, It took the other two pegasus ponies to put it into place.

"And it is done." Continued the larger pegasus as she lifted the wrapping off the Candy Cane causing it to gleam with a mysterious light. "Merry Christmas everybody!"

"Santa will see Ponyville for sure!" Minty exclaimed with confidence that her Christmas was now right back on track!

And with that, Pinkie decided it was time to finish their Christmas preparations, and with some final words of encouragement: "Ok ponies! We have to string some lights, bake goodies, and decorate our trees. Let's get busy! It's almost Christmas!" She shouted, and with a wave of her left hoof, ponies scurried everywhere to put the last minute touches on everything.

This left a certain unoccupied green pony with a chance to take a good look at the candy cane one more time. "Perfect!!!" She exclaimed, to herself, before thinking about how it could be more perfect than it already was. Maybe a smidge to the left? Or a scootch to the right? She asked herself, tilting her head contemplatively, as it absolutely spun with ideas.

A thought occurred to her. Maybe this would be her gift to Ponyville? The one fine deed for Christmas she'd been wanting to accomplish since three the night before? Yeah! She thought to herself, rearing slightly. She was going to make that candy cane perfect! It would be her gift to Ponyville! A gift, mind you, that was far more helpful than anything she had done up till this point. But the question remained? Where to place it? How was she going to make it actually perfect? Higher? Lower? It would definitely have been easier if one or two of their flying friends were around, but they had all already gone off with Pinkie to help her finish decorating. Leaving Minty all by herself, as everyone else had left too.

No! If she was going to do this right, then Minty would have to do this herself. 'The balloons are right there, after all,' she reminded herself, staring at the brightly colored objects, that sat there, just ripe for the taking, 'How hard could it be, right?' She asked herself, as she galloped towards her favorite balloons. "And it has to be just right for Santa to see," Minty said, reassuring herself that she should, indeed, 'fix' the candy cane herself, instead of waiting for someone else to show up.

Now everyone in Ponyville knew that Minty could do many things well including: seeing the good side in things, being funny, and livening up the world, but, alas, flying was definitely not one of them. And later, that same day, all the reason that was needed to get all the ponies to forget the Christmas catastrophe and search for their friend was: 'she Minty isn't she? And she's flying a balloon!' Minty's balloon flying was so legendarily bad that Kimono had sworn to never get within seven miles of any balloon flown by Minty, even before the last time she had been foolish enough to let Minty take her anywhere by balloon.

Nonetheless, she was still going to try to 'fix' the candy cane herself, solo, from a hot air balloon! And 'try to' were the key words. "I wish I was a better pilot!" Minty silently wished to herself, as she flew around like a drunken fish. "Maybe I could ask Santa for some lessons?" She asked herself with a cheerful chuckle, having overshot the tree the first time. The next time by, she attempted to grab it, and missed it, instead knocking the candy cane more off center. But was she deterred? Never! Undeterred in her efforts, she continued. This time successfully 'placing the candy cane back to center', and, instead, knocking the candy cane off the tree, for a second, in the process. 'Whew that was close! I don't know if that could be any closer!' Minty thought, having fortunately grabbed the candy cane mid flight. She placed it back on the tree 'balanced perfectly'.

Now, one would think that this would be a sign to quit while she was ahead, but not so for the mint one, who decided that the candy cane was still far from perfect. And what could possibly go wrong now? She just needed one final tiny tap to fix it!

... And one more tap did not 'fix it', instead sending it falling off the tree ...

"Uh oh... Uh Oh... Oh No!!!" She exclaimed loudly as the candy cane spun in the air, in slow motion, falling to its impending doom.

"Do over!!! Do Over!!! Please tell me that didn't happen." Minty exclaimed, watching the catastrophe, and the inevitable 'crash', happen in slow motion. Next step in the recovery process? Denial: "Maybe it's less broken than it looks?" The pony asked, hoping that it wasn't as bad as it looked. "Oh No!!! It's more broken than it looks!" She exclaimed, in utter, utter, despair. It was most certainly worse than it looked...

At this point, she, predictably, started panicking "What am I going to do? I broke the special, priceless, one of a kind, bright, shiny, candy cane into a million crackly bits!!" She shouted, almost breaking into tears where she stood. This was not good. Not good at all. No Candy Cane meant no Santa and then everyone was going to be soooo mad at her! And, then, they would all be sad! And she hated it when everyone's spirits dropped. Sadness made her woozy, agitation nauseous, and things got even worse when ponies started getting mad! And what could possibly make ponies more upset then Santa not coming, and Christmas being cancelled?

And, if that was bad enough, she, herself, had just, single handedly, ruined it for everyone! What was she going to do? She stopped herself, mid panic. She'd come up with something! She just had to stop and think. Maybe she could find someone who could help?

... But how would she tell them, without them getting angry at her?

Prologue: A Very Minty Xmas - Part 2

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 1: I bet you thought this was Twunkle Woosh Adventure

Auroras are not supposed to appear this far south, and Twilight knew it. And such she continued to stand there, noodleing the strange occurrence; after her friend Rainbow Dash had left, promising to return "faster than lightning" if she was needed.

"Ok... Twilight think. What causes Auroras?" Twilight asked herself, trying to remain calm -- despite the loud voice in her gut crying for her to do otherwise. Though, she gained quite a bit of control of her fears and anxieties since the whole Smarty Pants debacle; she still sometimes suffered with them. It didn't help that since her ascension, she had been suffering from a condition Celestia had nicknamed "Divine Intuition".

"Ok... Causes of auroras, think Twilight: Particles affecting the planet's magnetic field.... Unlikely, it wouldn't cause an explosion, and it usually only happens in the high atmosphere, or much further north."

"The refraction of solar radiation off Equestria's magnetic field... Still too far south." She continued, getting concerned.

"Ok, could it be interference by a solar body? Except, I'd have seen a rogue solar body; and it still wouldn't explain that explosion Rainbow saw." She said, her mind starting to race... Why did this thought trail give her a migraine? (it was like something in her subconscious didn't want her going down this rabbit hole.)

"Ok... relax, I don't want any more of those migraines. It's because my mind is racing.... Ok... Think Fetlock Holmes, if you eliminate all the logical possibilities... Interference from another dimension? Once again, no explosion. And I would've heard from the Princess if that were the case." She said, her mind threatening to race again, and her "divine intuition" was beginning to act up, on top of everything else.

"Magic?" Actually that made sense, but what could produce anywhere near that level of magic? Even fully powered up with all the pony magic in Equestria (including the 4 princesses), Tirek couldn't even produce enough magic to do what she just saw.

"Ok, do what the princess taught you, Twilight: give in to your divine intuition...." She thought, trying to calm her thoughts.

"Once the visions start, then kick in your magic training. Detect the source of the magic..." Unfortunately, as soon as she started to close in onto the nature of the magic, she received an unimaginable migraine, that almost floored her.

"Ok... Haven't had one... like that since the night before my brother's wedding.... Maybe I should get the other princesses to help me on this one...." She thought, struggling to stay up (almost fainting at least twice), until the pain finally started to pass. "No... The others are busy, and I can handle this. I just need to get home, get something to help with this migraine, and then get some books." She thought, her head still throbbing, presumably from her failed magic detection attempt.

********

"Minty!! Minty!!!! MINTTYYYYYY!!!!!!!" Pinkie was still screaming at the top of her lungs. As her balloon was being carried away by the stout and regal pegasus.

Behind her, A beam of green light shot up from the gully, forcing every pony to cover their eyes.

Pinkie just about lost it for the 7th or 8th time that day: "No!!! Minty is down there!!! We have to rescue her!!!" She screaming, snorting and stomping (going, once again. feral).

Star Catcher was just about to respond, when the beam of light slowly dimmed. With a smile, she replaced her original, planned statement, with a new statement: "Consider it done."

As everyone got closer, the smoke finally started to clear; revealing a sight that one couldn't believe, had one not seen it themselves: the gorge was gone, replaced with a crater. The water that had once formed a lake at the bottom of the gorge, instead flowed around the edges of the crater, creating an island at the bottom center of the crater.

"Shall we see how your friend is doing?" Star Catcher asked the pony in the basket she was carrying (now shaking like a leaf.)

"Minty please don't be broken! Please don't be broken!" Pinkie begged, as if pleading with a higher power.

Poor Pinkie was, at first, too terrified to look. She was probably more terrified of what laid before her, then anything else she had ever been afraid of. Even messing up her next party by burning the cookies (she occasionally had this "cookie dream", where she was trying to prepare for a party, and ruined everything -- including the cookies). Definitely, more so then that time with the campfire story (you know the one where Rainbow Dash told that storm story -- and what was worse was that this time she knew that even if the nightmare went away, her friend might not be there!)

"Minty please don't be broken!!!" She pleaded again (thinking of all the parties she would make to make up for whatever she had done wrong.) At first, she didn't want to look (she really, really, didn't want to look); but, in the end, curiosity got the better of her.

At first glance, she was relieved: "Oh Minty, you're ok!" As she saw a pair of green legs and hooves, and a three mint symbol. Unfortunately, her joy was short lived as she began to get closer, and could see her friends barrel, arms and head.

"Oh dear darling! The poor darling!" Rainbow Dash chimed in first. "She looks like she's in very bad shape." Rainbow continued, noticed that, instead of Minty's normal green barrel, she had a green band around a greenish black barrel, and a pair of misshapen wings (and don't forget the holes in her legs and hoofs -- I'm sure Rainbow Dash won't.)

"Oh no!! Minty's broken!! We have to do something!!!" Pinkie shrieked, looking at her friend's face (still complete with giant, pitch black muzzle), and the horrifying bump on her head (also known of as a horn -- a crooked horn, thank you.)

"Oh Dear... Pinkie, you and I need to help her." Rainbow said, taking charge. "The rest of you darlings: find a place to land, the winds are much too strong to stay out in, darlings." Rainbow Dash cautioned.

"Oh dear Pinkie, we may need to prepare for the worse." Rainbow said, in her calmest voice. As she, and Pinkie, started to land their balloons in the freshly made crater.
"Minty, are you... feeling dashing, darling?" Rainbow Dash asked.

After a few seconds, Pinkie started to whimper (suppressing the urge to weep), when she heard a pained laugh and a voice: "Heya... Pinkie... Did we find Santa yet?"

Pinkie's face lit up (probably brighter then the glow of the, now broken, Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane.) "Don't worry about it Minty, we just need to get you somewhere safe." She said, with her usual laugh (forced, of course -- don't worry.)

"Star Catcher and Cloud Climber, darlings. Help me take..." Shouted Rainbow Dash, Looking around for a minute, before seeing some of the mint pony's balloon left. "This balloon... Help me slip it under Minty, darlings." She continued. "Be extremely careful darlings, she's fragile (like a rainbow darling.)" Rainbow said, the wheels in her head turning. "Make sure she won't budge, she mustn't be moved or slid. It would make her condition worse."

Pinkie, Rainbow, and friends, took great care in slipping the balloon under their wounded friend (yeah this was not such a great idea, but the only other choice was leave her there to... Well.... Ehem... -- and that wouldn't be rainbows darling, rainbows!)

"Star Catcher, help us find a place to land, if you could. It's unsafe to stay out in these winds, darling."

"Consider it done." Star Catcher replied. And the trip was back on.

"Don't worry Minty!" Pinkie said, with a chuckle, looking down at her friend being carried (very carefully) on the fragments of her broken balloon, carefully strung out between Pinkie and Rainbow Dash's baskets.

********

"Dear! Twilight's back!" Shouted an exuberant Twilight Velvet, to her husband.

"So, how did your sky watching session go?" Asked Twilight Velvet, of her daughter. "Did you get to see Neighly Bop's comet?" She ask eagerly, before noticing her daughter holding her head.

"Are you ok dear?" She asked, with apprehension. "You look ill!" She exclaimed, with concern.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine. It's just a little headache, nothing to be too worried about." Twilight responded.

"Little headache? It looks like more than 'a little headache'... Oh dear... But I thought you had got past those after Luna expelled that horrible Queen Chrysalis. And now there they are again." She said, with dismay. "If you want, I can call doctor Hoof back in for you. He did such wonders getting your mane and coat back into shape after whatever awful thing that horrible Chrysalis did to you! (To this day, Twilight never forgotten the horrible shedding. And it took 6 months for it all to grow back.)"

"Mom! I'm fine, besides I'm more worried about Equestria right now mom! Look outside the window just to the west of the Crystal Empire, and tell me what you see?" Twilight responded.

"Wow it's beautiful. I can't say I've seen an aurora this far south, though. Is that what I'm supposed to see?" Velvet asked.

"That's just it. There isn't supposed to be any auroras this far south, and Rainbow said it was preceded by an explosion." Twilight said, clarifying the situation.

"That IS interesting dear." Her father said as he finally arrived. "And I'm sure you will get to the bottom of it, but first let's get something to eat. Your brother and his wife are dropping by in a few minutes, and your mother has spent hours trying to get everything perfect!" He continued, with a reassuring smile.

"Speaking of Tirek." He said, with a chuckle as a knocking was heard at the door. "I'll get it." He said.

Unfortunately, at the door was not Shining armor and wife, but instead a smiling Celestia.

"Your majesty!" He said, bowing as low as he could. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit?" He asked.

"What, I can't enjoy a little time with my faithful student, a fellow princess of Equestria, and this, her lovely family?" She said, with a warm smile and a waving motion.

Just behind her, trying to poke his head through the door, was a scowling Prince Blueblood. And he was none too happy about the sky exploding and ruining his garden party! "Aunty, please go and tell that lazy brat to go ahead and fix the sky! That aurora is ruining our view of the Faust constellation!"

Celestia, just rolled her eyes at the childishness of her "nephew" (52 times removed -- though possibly more than that, Celestia lost count at some point.) And said, with a smile (and a well hidden smirk) "Fine! I'll talk to Twilight."

"You do that aunty, and tell that lazy good for nothing to do something! Like zap it with their rainbow power, or something!" Blueblood said, with a scolding tone.

"Ok but you'll have to sit out here with Twilight's family." (Truth be told, despite his outbursts, he kind of had a childhood crush on the mare. Apparently her extended family and his family had some kind of feud of sorts going on, though -- feuds... Nasty dirty business, and Blueblood hated dirty...)

"Gulp.... Hello Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle..."

"Hello Blueblood."

********

"Star Catcher, darling. The winds are not getting better darling, why don't we park here?" Rainbow Dash asked of her majestic friend.

"I'm sorry, but it just wouldn't be safe to park here, especially with Minty like she is." Star Catcher calmly replied.

"Maybe we should try Santa's new workshop?" Minty asked, with a pained giggle.

"Santa's new workshop, darling?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah that big scary crystally building over there." Minty replied. "That's got to be Santa's new workshop!"

"Oh no, I don't think that's Santa's workshop Minty." Pinkie replied, with a giggle. "That screams more spooky wizard, than Merry Christmas!"

"No thanks! there are no rainbows in giant scary crystally buildings, darling!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"Wow, that sounds like what you told me about my walk in the forest!" Pinkie Replied, giggling again.

"Because forests don't have any rainbows either, darling, thank you!" Rainbow replied, with indignation.

"'Sides dudes. I think that's Santa's workshop over there!" Sunny Daze, interjected.

And it truly was, even the second time. All mystical, and Christmassy. The giant bear, the elf shoes, the whole nine yards. It truly was a magical holiday themed utopia (just don't say that to the elves, they wouldn't agree, just watch all those Christmas specials from the 80s if you don't believe me.)

All the ponies could do was watch in awe.

"Hey that must be where the elves live!" Said Sparkleworks, pointing to a building shaped like a pair of elf shoes.

"And that must be where they make cookies!" Remarked an astonished Triple Treat.

"And they make their own sugar?" Said Sweetberry in surprise, normally she used berries to sweeten her baked goods.

Others began to chime in, seeing sites such as the workshop, and Santa's house.

Sadly, in the middle of their mirth the situation began to weight on everyone.

"So 'Dash, you think we're gunna be able to find Santa? Or you think... Mintyee will...." Sunny began to say, fighting to keep her lip from quivering at the thought of her friend's fate.

"And what do we do if he isn't home?" Asked Cotton Candy, pulling along side. "We might not have a Christmas this year, and worse..."

"I'd rather not think about it, darlings. If need be, we'll come up with something dashing. And I'm sure Santa will be home, darlings!" Rainbow started replied, being very careful not to be heard by her passenger below.

"What's... everyone talking about?" Minty asked, wheezing a little.

"Oh.. nothing darling." Rainbow lied. "We just were anxious to see Christmas Xanadu, darling! And we were just hoping you could join us."

"I hope he's there, I don't like the look of that bump on Minty's head, and when did she get really for real pegasus wings?" Sparkleworks joined in as everyone started to park. "And why do they look so messed up?" Sparkleworks shook for a second, in fear. "And what's wrong with her arms and hands?" She continued, her frown growing.

"I don't honestly know darlings, and trying to think about why makes my head hurt, darlings." Rainbow replied, carefully setting her balloon down so as not to disturb her, or Pinkie's passenger.

"Now if you don't mind, we'll be off finding Santa, for Minty." Pinkie chimed in, with a laugh. Looking for a second at the pony (thing) below; begging to see Santa. "Ok Minty, we'll bring you too." She replied, with a smile and a chuckle.

Sadly, the answer came when Rainbow Dash, looked at the door. And not a very helpful one.

"It's a note, darlings." Rainbow said.

This, of course, forced everyone to join in: "It's a note!"

"Yeah, it's definitely a note. It's definitely an important note!" Thistle Whistle said, sarcastically, whistling at the end.

"Very funny darling, let me read what it says." Rainbow replied.

Rainbow Dash's eyes moved up and down the paper she was holding in her hoofs, which were squishing like she had invisible palms. Before her expression dropped like a lead balloon (and not the one the MythBusters got off the ground, either). "Darlings, he says he's not home, that he's sorry he missed us, and that he will be back Christmas morning!"

"Great! Just great!" Thistle Whistle said, whistling at the end. "We came all this way for nothing, and Minty is looking worse than ever!"

At that point, the mint pony chimed in, as best she could; crying, as much from sadness and pain. "Santa is gone! I'm so sorry. I ruined Christmas for everyone! I didn't mean it! it was an accident!" She choked out.

"Oh, darling, we know!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"We know Minty!" Sparkleworks said, joining in.

"And you and Thistle are more important to us anyway. We'll have other Christmases, but we can't find another you." Sweetberry joined in the encouragement session.

Star Catcher started to speak, disappearing a little against the snow: "Minty, you came all the way up here to give us back our Christmas. You've brought us to the most magical place of all. Don't feel guilty."

"Do you mean the North Pole?" Sunny Daze asked.

"No your heart." Star Catcher continued. Carefully pointing to the mint green ponies heart (without touching it, of course.)

At this, the ponies did what they always did, and gathered together for a good hug. Many of them needed it, as the melancholy was getting the worst of them.

Strangely as they did, a light strong light glowed, not just around them, but also the castle back home.

"Guys! Minty's glowing!" Pinkie said, looking at the sick pony below her glowing eerily in tune with the light being let off.

The ponies all gathered around to see their friend glowing, looking more like herself.

"Did we just imagine that whole bump and wing thing?" Pinkie asked, rubbing her eyes with her hoofs.

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Sweetberry chimed in, before making the mistake of touching their friends arm; who immediately winced in great pain.

"Oh dear darlings, her breathing is better, but she's still broken!" Rainbow said, with dismay. "We have to get back to Ponyville!"

"Look everyone, the clouds are clearing up." said Thistle Whistle. "And the wind is stopping!"

"That's odd, darlings, I have deja-vu; but I don't recall Minty being so badly hurt." She said, shaking her head to clear out the errant thoughts.

"Well now that the clouds are clearing up. Maybe we should head back home? It's still Christmas, and Minty needs help!" Pinkie said, trying to maintain her positive attitude (this was something she always strived for, for some reason, to be the voice of optimism.) "I bet 'cha 'the wisest pony in the land' can help!"

"Consider it done." Replied Star Catcher, starting an odd song about Christmas, for some reason.

********

"So Twilight, you saw an explosion? and then?..." Celestia started asking.

"Rainbow Dash saw the explosion, but we both saw the aurora." Twilight corrected.

"Ok, fair enough. So your 'divine intuition' started acting up at that point, correct?"

"Yes, correct." Twilight replied.

"Did you try to detect the magic and it's source?"

"Yes, but the moment I did, I started getting a horrific migraine, probably the second worst I've ever had." Twilight said.

"Next to the one right before the wedding?"

"Correct, it was almost as bad; no sooner did I start trying to sense the source of the magic, then I was almost floored by an immeasurable headache." Twilight said. "It was like something inside me didn't want to know the source of the phenomenon."

To which the princess stood there with a dour expression, before looking away. "I'm sorry Twilight, I failed you back there."

"What do you mean princess? Do you know what caused the explosion?"

"No Twilight, the wedding. I failed to see what was happening right before my eyes. If Queen Chrysalis had taken you away the night before, or would have been devoting her forces to conquest (and feeding) instead of silly triumphs... You and your brother would have been long gone (and she still parishes to think what would have happened to Applejack's brother.)" Celestia said, walking towards the edge of the balcony. "

"Strange thing is... Part of me tells me that was the plan, at least it originally was. I don't know what changed her mind, though I'm glad it did." Twilight responded, contemplatively.

"That day I learned of the student I betrayed, and almost lost another...." Celestia lamented. "And you two are not the only ones I've failed..." She thought, with a sigh. "Nevertheless... It's Hearth's Warming Eve, no more of this sadness. Let's see if I have more luck detecting the source of this magic." She said, leaving her mouth a jar; and lowering herself into a squat, with her front legs bent and back legs fully extended, as if listening to the wind talk (which was odd, considering her element was the sun.)

"You were right, it's definitely magic alright. And a lot of it...." Celestia continued. "What could produce that much magic though? Even Tirek couldn't produce that much magic." Celestia said, standing in the same position. "Twilight, we may be dealing with a very powerful dark entity here. Nevertheless, I want you and your family to enjoy your Hearth's Warming Day, so I'll be conferring with Luna to determine what course of action to take. But I may need you gathering some data for me from your library, and possibly the forbidden archives at our old castle (thank goodness Tirek left the golden oaks alone, otherwise we would have needed a #savetree.)" Celestia finished, before starting back into the house.

"I'm sorry princess, but you are hiding something from me, I can sense it." Twilight said, trying to avoid sounding unruly. "You have an idea what happened, but don't want to share for some reason."

"As I said before, my faithful student and friend. I want you to enjoy Hearth's Warming Day. Besides what I sensed made no sense. The amount of magic given off would make Queen Chrysalis look like a gnat, even with all your brother's love."

"What do you mean Celestia?"

"I'm coming in, I brought my favorite kind of cake. You should join us Twilight for dinner Twilight; your brother and Cadance are just arriving now!"

********

"Look. I can see Ponyville!" Pinkie shouted, enthusiastically. The whole trip had been a real bummer for her (and everyone else for that matter.)

The good news was that the tree was there to greet all the returning ponies. And the glow from the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane was visible to guide them home.

"Wait, darlings, wasn't the tree toppled?" Triple Treat asked, "And didn't Minty wreck the candy cane?" She continued.

"Sorry...." Said Minty, gurgling as much as she was coughing.

"That's ok Minty..." Pinkie said, chuckling to hide her dismay; before a light turned on in her head. "Hey, she did!... You don't think?" Pinkie trailed off.

The tree was covered with ornaments, and socks filled with goodies.

"Minty, are those your socks?" Pinkie asked, inquisitively (she could have sworn... Nah...)

"Minty, darling, your socks? How darling of you..." Rainbow chimed in. "I know how much you liked them, is must have been a big sacrifice for you."

"Hey... dudettes, didn't Minty leave those inside? I remember waking up, just after the tree crashed, and I noticed there was one of Mintyee's socks hanging from my mantel." Sunny Daze.

"Hey! that's right!" Pinkie said again, recalling just after their little conversation, earlier that night.

"Wow! Thanks Minty!" Sparkleworks finally chimed in, herself. "You put some great gifts in these socks!" Looking at a candy cane, and a small sparkler that she pulled out of the sock.

"Gee... Wiz! Thanks guys!" She said, before coughing again furiously. "But I didn't put anything in the socks! (except for their brushes; some though, she just left on the mantel.) They were just empty socks! And I couldn't have filled them; because I was at the North Pole, remember?." She continued.

"Then it must have been Santa." Star Catcher said. With everyone else quickly joining in as well.

"But that means... That Santa found his way here anyway? Maybe it wasn't the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane that allowed him to find his way here but..." Pinkie said, stopping when she noticed something in her sock (didn't she get the green and yellow polka dotted sock?) "Hey! Santa left us a note." She continued, preparing to read the note out loud.

"Ahem.... I'm sorry Minty isn't feeling well, I gave something to your friend, Kimono, that should help. P.S. I like the sock idea. I hope she doesn't mind if I use it again next year... Santa." Pinkie said, scanning for missing words. "Oh and... P.P.S: Ho Ho HO! Merry Christmas."

"Santa left us something?" Rainbow asked, her hope finally coming back. "How positively dashing! We should go see our friend Kimono then, darlings!" Rainbow continued before looking at Pinkie. "Would you help me transport Minty, Pinkie darling? But remember, she's fragile like a rainbow!"

********

"What do you mean I'll have to leave the day after Hearth's Warming Eve, egghead? You promised me I'd get a few more days. I have Wonderbolts Derby tickets for Friday with Lord West Wind!" Rainbow said, fuming, her arms crossed. "I was going to clean up! Maybe get something nice for the half-pint!"

"Oh you mean. Winning the heart of Lord West Wind?" Rarity asked, hiding a smirk. "And I thought you didn't like that kind of thing."

"Shut up!" Rainbow screamed, looking peeved.

"Relax Rainbow! She was just being catty 'cuz she wanted more time to attend some hoity toity gala." Applejack replied. "Faust knows, I wanted to attend apple con Canterlot this year!"

"I do not!" Rarity denied, eliciting a smirk from the farm pony.

"'Course not sugar cube." Applejack replied. "You just wanted to 'sell your product' is all."

"Somewhere my previous self is walking around." Said Pinkie, whooshing around at high speeds. "And she's sad, and..." She said, gasping for a second. "I'm not there to cheer her up!!!"

"You got any idea what the hey she's talking about?" Rainbow asked, getting a chorus of head shakes from the other ponies. "And you wanna know where Twilight is? She said she would explain all of this."

"Hey anyone know where Discord went?" Rainbow asked, looking suspicious. "Fluttershy?"

The yellow pegasus with the triple butterfly cutie mark, simply apologized under her breath. "Sorry... I haven't seen him since the sky exploded."

"Say again sugar cube?" Applejack asked, trying to be as soft as possible as to get her friend's attention.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him since the aurora. We were having a picnic together with some of Celestia's animals and all of a sudden he got all serious and walked off. And he looked all sad too..." Fluttershy continued.

"Discord? Serious? I never thought I would hear those two words together!" Rainbow Dash responded, laughing at her own joke.

"Yeah, he's never all serious, he's more like whoosh, let me do something random... and fun!!!" Pinkie responded.

"And anyone still seen where the hey the princesses are?" Rainbow reiterated.

Right on queue four princesses entered the room.

"Sorry about that guys. Celestia wanted to share the details with me first." Twilight confessed, with a frown. "Do you want to explain it, or shall I princess?" She asked, her teacher.

"Allow me this time, my little pony." Celestia started. "Earlier this evening, some kind of magical disturbance."

"Twilight and I have both attempted to detect the source of the anomaly, and I have discovered something interesting while doing so.

"I believe we have more changeling activity. Powerful changeling activity! Making what Queen Chrysalis did at Shining Armor's wedding look like child's play." Celestia said, giving everyone a minute for her statements to sink in.

"Queen Chrysalis? You mean that hombre that tried to kidnap Twilight and tried to change my brother into a monster like them?" Applejack asked. "Good thing she relented at the last minute and decided to tie him up instead. Otherwise I perish to think what would'a happened to him... Might've, himself, become one of those nasty buggers. You mean she got some kinda upgrade after that whole Secretariat Comet incident?"

"Yes, but I believe that she's not what caused the aurora last night, and that the one who did is much more powerful then Chrysalis ever was." Celestia responded. "Why they have acted now, we don't know. It may be that they were forced to defend their lives, or are now making a move for control of the hive. We don't know." She said, hiding a frown. "And neither one can end well, my little ponies."

"Therefore Luna and I wish for you to return the day after Hearth's Warming Day to Ponyville, and begin preparing defenses for another possible changeling attack." Celestia continued her dissertation.

This was not good news for the ponies, as they had narrowly averted disaster last year when Chrysalis tried to replace all the ponies in Ponyville with her hive; for another attempt at Twilight (yeah, she said it was to talk, till she tried to steal Twilight's power, and they all perish to think what she was planning for Apple Bloom, and friends.) Why she was so fascinated with Twilight, though, they never knew.

"Twilight will be spending most of her time in our old castle in the archives, as well as her library looking for any information we can find on the hive, and its origins." Celestia continued. "Because, up until now we always assumed there was, but one hive. Now if it was possible there is another Queen, then there may be another hive. Or we may be dealing with a rogue agent; something we believed impossible, until now."

"Hey that's good and all princess, but I've got non-redeemable tickets for the Wonderbolts Derby! (She was going to clean up at betting and win something for the squirt, like she said earlier -- at least that's what she told herself as she was planning an addition to her house!)"

"I'm aware of your date with Duke West Wind. But fear not, I've informed him already that I need you for vital royal business. I've already purchased three tickets for next month's Wonderbolts Derby in Cloudsdale (one for Dash, one for Lord West Wind, and one for Scootaloo -- of course.)"

"You mean THE Wonderbolts Derby. THE big one?" Asked Rainbow Dash, her wings fluttering slightly with excitement.

"Do not worry my little ponies, I am already planning on how to make it up to the rest of you (she's thinking AppleCon South, and maybe getting some new outfits for royal events from a certain store.) You are dismissed, have a merry Heath's Warming Day." Celestia said, waving cheerfully. "Does anyone want cider? or maybe bakes goods." She said, calling for her royal guards, to bring in a delightful spread.

********

"Kimono, darling, could you do me a favor and COME OUT HERE!!!" Rainbow said, in a shrill voice. "We need you, darling. Minty has gone and hurt herself, quite badly this time, and I..." She said, as she started to sob (Pinkie was on the verge of doing the same, but was trying desperately not to.)

"Hello, my friends." Said a smiling Kimono as she walked out, under the rotunda. "Isn't it a little late for a visit?" She asked. "Santa's letter warned me that you might pay me a visit though..." She continued.

"Oh thank goodness, darling, our friend Minty has hurt herself really bad; and, even though she's looking better then she was, and the darling's condition is starting to get dire again..." Rainbow, reiterated.

Kimono just nodded, before stepping over next to the minty pony. "Hello my friend. How do you feel?"

"Sore..." Minty said, with a burdened chuckle.

"Let me take a look my friend." Kimono said, before looking over the green pony; tapping her in a couple of places. "What have you done to yourself my friend?" She asked, rhetorically.

"She went to find Santa, because she broke the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane. But she ran off before I could tell her I was going to join her..." Pinkie started sobbing. "And then she crashed her balloon, and fell into a lake..." She continued before she just ran off. "I'm sorry Minty!!! I failed you!!!" Crying loudly as she sped off, into the distance.

Minty shuddered a little bit... As did Rainbow...

"Oh, my friend. It would seem that your friend Pinkie cares, a lot, for you." Kimono said to Minty. "Don't worry, I'll get Pinkie in a minute. Santa gave me something that should, at least, buy us some time." She continued, bringing out purple sock, that had been left on her mantel.

"What is it, Kimono darling?" Rainbow asked Kimono, as she looked at the odd colored, bubbling, liquid in the bottle. "Is this what Santa mentioned in his letter?"

"It is, Rainbow. The wind tells me that this potion increases the life force of the one drinking it." Kimono responded.

"What does that mean, darling?" Rainbow asked, looking puzzled.

"It means, Rainbow, that she should feel better. The problem is, unfortunately, with her injuries it will only keep her condition stable." Kimono continued. "And to make matters worse, I have but three doses: one for tonight, and two others."

"Well, darling, can't you get more?" Rainbow asked.

"Unfortunately, Rainbow, I cannot. Breezie sneezes, and rainbow berries, I have plenty. But I haven't any heart's desire, though I'm sure it's a flower; and I don't even know what an ali-corn (she said, pronouncing it phonetically) even is, though I guess it's some kind of bird. And I can't find reference of either in any book in the Ponyville library." Kimono said, looking somber.

"Then, darling, I shall find it!" Rainbow replied. "I know everything about rainbows, darling, and I know a pony who knows everything about flowers." Rainbow said, thinking out loud. "And spike!!!" She remembered. "Maybe it's in one of his books?"

"Unfortunately, Spike won't be back until the day after Christmas, and I worry if we have to travel far to get the ingredients." Kimono cautioned. "Though I wouldn't leave tonight, as I believe the winds will pick up again." She said, stooping down for a second into an odd position: her mouth gaping open, and her front legs bent. "The wind says that tomorrow will be easier to travel. 'Plus it's easier to travel by light instead of dark.'" Quoting wisdom to her friend.

"Now, my friend, please drink. This should help." Kimono asked, of her green friend. "I promise, I made sure to add some peppermint." She said, carefully giving some of the bubbling potion to the weakened pony.

"Wow! It does taste like peppermint!" The mint pony said, suddenly sounding a lot better. "Thanks Kimono!"

"You are welcome my friend." Kimono responded, before looking over to Rainbow Dash.

"This reminds me of the day I first met you." Kimono said, nostalgically. "She didn't look very good that night either. Though neither did you or Pinkie..."

"Oh, darling, I think you're imagining things. I've lived here a long time. Why I remember that time... Who was that darling again, darlings? Sweetberry? First came to Ponyville. Yes, I, Pinkie, Scootaloo, and her sister: Cherry Blossom? Were playing dress up and then a storm... No that can't possibly be right..." Rainbow said, holding her head. "Perhaps I need to call it a night, darling, it is late after all. And a lady needs her darling sleep, darlings."

"But of course." Kimono replied. "I shall retire then to the library, and see what I can find and...."

"HOLD EVERYTHING!!!" Pinkie screamed. "I get another letter from Santa, in my sock!"

"Another letter?" Rainbow and Kimono both asked at once, looking at each other. "How do you know it's from Santa?"

"Well, for one thing, it says 'Ho! Ho! Ho!' at the bottom, see!" Said Pinkie, pointing to some writing at the bottom of the letter.

"What else does it say, darling?" Rainbow asked.

"Well...." Started Pinkie. "It says: 'Dear Pinkie, I forgot to give this to you earlier. My bad. I hope this map will be of use to you. Consider it a second Christmas gift from me for my best helper ever. Santa.'"

"But I have one question." Pinkie said: "I don't recognize any of this writing. How is Santa sure it's a map?"

"Let me take a look?" Asked, the wisest pony in the land. "Interesting, it looks like it is a map, but I don't understand any of this writing. It looks like Hieroglyphics. How indeed?"

"Hmm..." Rainbow puzzled. "Maybe, that darling Puzzlemint could help. She loves this kind of thing, darlings."

"We could, but she might be in bed already." Kimono said. "Maybe we should look at this tomorrow...."

"Wait, darlings, are you sure you can't read this? it says Lady Rainbow pretty clearly up here." Said Rainbow Dash, pointing at a couple of symbols at the top.

"Hmmm... Lady Rainbow." Pinkie responded. "Sounds like a pirate name, is this a treasure map. And what does a treasure map have to do with Minty?" Pinkie continued, sitting for a second to think.

"Oh, I doubt it, darlings. But I can only imagine if she was, darlings. She must have been some kind of fashionable pirate, looting fashion shops up and down the French coasts." Rainbow said. "But no, I don't think so darlings.... And this circled word is... Can... Ter.... Lock.... Canterlock. I wonder...." She said, before she stopped dead with a splitting headache.

"You ok Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked, breaking from her thoughts.

"Oh I'm fine, darling." Just a little headache. "But I don't know why. But I'm sure we can find this alicorn bird there. And maybe someone that knows something about Heart's Desire..." Rainbow said, taking a minute to message her head with her hoofs (squished into a funny shape, don't worry.)

"Oh then, we should probably bring Wysteria, since she knows everything about everything about flowers. Oh and Star Catcher too, if any pegasus can get us there, she can!" Pinkie said, her head slightly tilted, at a thoughtful angle.

"But, I must figure out the beginning of this darling map first, darlings." Rainbow said, scanning up and down. "Ok... hmmm..."

"Wait Rainbow, I've seen that before." Pinkie said pointing at a spot on the map. "That's that spooky chrystally place."

"And so this circle must be us, darlings. Oh wasn't Santa darling enough to help us out with our starting point, darlings!" Rainbow said, feeling quite chipper. "We'll start out in the morning, Minty, Wysteria, you and myself." She said motioning to Pinkie.

"Isn't travelling dangerous? especially when you are broken?" Asked Pinkie to Rainbow, showing concern.

"No I agree, darling. But we don't know how long it will take to get to this Canterlot and back, and we've only got potion for two days. I fear we have no other options." Rainbow said, looking down at the map, so as not to face the obvious. "Good news is that I think this is south darlings, and we should be good to go tomorrow morning first thing. Till then, good night darlings."

"Wait Rainbow, which balloon will we be taking?" Pinkie asked.

"Why the big one with the balloons attached at the top." Rainbow replied.

"And at the bottom?" Pinkie asked, knowingly.

"Yes, it's the only one we have that can safely seat three ponies and with a strong pegasus, like Star Catcher pulling, we can seat four. "Now good night, darlings." Rainbow said as she left, the way she came.

"Wish for the best, my friend." Kimono said, to a peacefully sleeping Minty. "Tomorrow will bring either great fortune, or great catastrophe (and only a limited amount of Christmas mirth, sadly.)"

********

"Your Majesty, s...." Said a very strange looking changeling colt, staring at a very large throne, on which stood a changeling monarch.

"Don't call me that, Solanaceae, just call me majesty. Or high exalted one!" The changeling on the throne hissed.

The room was dark to begin with as it was chosen in one of the lowest points in the hive. And for this meeting everything was done by candle light. Except that fewer lights were chosen then necessary, making the room quite dark. Except for the throne that was lit up with a black light giving it an eerie effect.

"Tell me foal." The 'High and exalted one' said, inquisitively. "Any word on this evening's astronomical event?" He asked, looking at the young colt, whose head was unnaturally bald, completely lacking a mane (something uncommon even among changelings).

"Your highness, a few of our scholars, and a couple of scientists might have found something out. Right before they met an unfortunate demise." The young colt said, looking genuinely sad. "The explosion, was definitely caused by magic, and a lot of it. The aurora is interference from another dimension."

"Tell me Solanaceae, does this mean we might have new allies?" Changeling lord asked, with genuine glee.

"No my lord, it was changeling magic."

"Changelings from another universe?" Their majesty said, their countenance turning sour, not liking where this was going.

"Except the signature was from our universe." Solanaceae responded, as the changeling monarch flew into a rage, picking up a life sized statue of themselves and throwing it against a wall, completely smashing it (and the wall too).

"Are you telling me, there's another changeling around. One with enough magic to smash a hole in a dimensional barrier? And it's not from another dimension? Do you want to try again? Solanaceae?"

"I'm sorry ... majesty. But it's the truth."

"Do you know what level of magic would be required for such a feat?"

"Yes, ... exalted one, such a level of magic would make Celestia look like a gnat. Only a Changeling Princess, Queen, or King could produce such magic."

"... And if they aren't from another world then..." The started gnashing their teeth again, picking up a knife with their magic. "Do you still want to go with this line of reasoning?" The changeling monarch replied.

"Yes, your majesty, I earned my position as the head of your league of assassins by my wit and perceptivity. And this is what I believe the truth to be."

"WRRRRRAAAARRRRRR!!!!!" The changeling monarch roared, sending the knife within inches of the young colt. Before breathing in to calm themselves down. "You are lucky that my plans are so close to fruition." They continued. "Only one pony could have done this then."

"You mean... The lady?"

"Yes. But how she survived after your predecessor assured me of her death, I will not know; I suppose she is slippery after all. Solanaceae! You must rectify this mistake for the good of the hive. She will only act as a cancer to hive unity and purpose."

"Of course, my ...." A low growling could be heard, as Solanaceae quickly corrected himself. "Majesty..." As he quickly excused himself to return to his duties.

"Remember colt of what will happen if you fail." The changeling monarch hissed.

"I will be reduced back to being a drone?"

"You wish your fate would be so fortunate colt... No... it will be much worse, and much more final. Remember this!" The changeling Monarch cautioned.

"He should be glad... That his predecessor was more successful with Princess Larva.... Otherwise I might be needing a new set of assassins."

Chapter 2: It's time to get moving, it's time to get going, adventures always great

"This reminds me of the day I first met you...." Kimono's words continued to ring in her head. "What did that darling Kimono mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, herself, struggling to get some sleep before the next day's adventure. "I've always lived in Ponyville, ever since I was a newborn cutie. Pinkie, Scootaloo, Cherry Blossom, Toola-Roola, Cotton Candy?, Cloud Climber?, and I.... No wait.. that can't be right...." And why wouldn't these blasted un-rainbowy headaches stop? Even her super comfortable cloud and rainbow themed bed wasn't helping her sleep (she usually slept like a dream, after all the bed was, in fact, soft as a cloud.)

After some very unfashionable and un-rainbowy tossing and turning, sleep finally came (sometime around three in the morning.) She finally managed to get to sleep, and started to dream.

********

"Oh I remember the day, that darling, Sweetie Belle first came to Ponyville!" She thought, nostalgically (about a pony she never met.) "Oh yes, such a rainbowy day." She thought, listening to the sounds of the birds singing with glee (obviously about her beautiful scarf.) And the sun was nice and warm, and definitely not hot! She stood inside the cardboard box, waiting for her cue. She would come out, in force, just as everyone readied their cameras. And then she would astound them all!

But instead she found herself running through a hallway. The walls were covered in a gross green slime. And what? Was she in a giant bee-hive? What was with all the combs? She was definitely in a hurry, for some reason (and Rainbow was never in a hurry!) But there she was, running with all her might. She had to escape him! Who was him? And why did she need to escape him? And why was her box so completely, utterly, non-dashing?

There it was! Her cue! She came busting out of the cardboard box, just as planned. To utter fanfare by her crazed fans! (Ok, she went a little overboard there -- these were, after all, her friends.) She stood for a minute, striking poses.

What an excellent chance for her to show off her budding skills as a fashion designer. And she looked the part, complete with an exquisite design she came up with for her scarf! One that went so well with the rest of her colorful (yes! Very colorful) ensemble. "Be sure to get my good side!" She said, launching into the rest of her giddy rant. "No wait... they are both good sides!" She continued, feeling very proud of herself.

And her fans didn't let her down! Showering... her scarf... with praise. Thinking about it hurt her for a second, but the show must go on. And she was going to impress them yet! Her rainbow eyes (yes she really did have rainbow eyes.) Glowing with a mixed pride. Yes she would win them over, not just to her beautiful scarf, but to her own beauty as well! Sadly the sky, which had been perfect until then, suddenly had other ideas.

"Quick into my playhouse!" Pinkie shouted, in fear, as torrential rains started.

"But my scarf!" She whined, as her chance to be beautiful flew, swiftly, away.

"Leave it!" Pinkie cried, as she grabbed the pony by the tail, and pulled her into...

She was in the hive again. That dreadful, un-rainbowy, hive. She didn't know why, but she had to hurry... There was no time to lose. If they wanted to hurt her, then they must also want to hurt... No!

That word in her head, no it was much stronger then hurt... ki.... What does that horrible word even mean? And who wanted to ki.... hurt her? And where was she going? She just knew that... Someone... Someone close to her... Was in dreadful trouble...

This was the fifth, disgusting, dirty, slimy hallway she ran through. Why did she have the feeling she knew where she was going? If they laid one hoof on ether of them. She, herself, would make sure to finish them even if it was the, absolute, last thing she did!

She had to get to her... both of them... before it was too late! But who were they?

It rained, and rained, and rained some more... And when they thought it was going to finish... It continued. She stood sadly, watching her dreams get soggy, while her friends watched with boredom. What had she done to deserve this? As she watched, helplessly, the rain finally came to a slow stop. Maybe she could recover (what was left of) her scarf, and her pride.

As she was preparing to go out. The most amazing thing: two fully developed rainbows came out at once (even in G3, this would be unusual.) And as they started to converge. Something began to come into being....

Instead of the miracle (of life?), she stood facing... someone... angrily. "What have you done to her!!!" She screamed, at the ugly, unfashionable bug pony in front of her. Listening to a small voice wheezing, and struggling to breath. "Fix her right now or I'll!!!" She said to the bug pony. "I'll make you pay!!! So help me Faust!!!"

Who was Faust? And why was she yelling at a bug pony? (One that looked nothing like a Breezie.) And who was this young foal she heard wheezing in pain?

The creature before her looked funny. Definitely pony, but also very feline, complete with whiskers. And very old by the appearance. She also looked like she didn't give one thought about Rainbow's complaints, or threats.

"You'll do what? You are talking to Belladonna, one of the four great assassins of the hive. And for hive unity this foal is to.... well...." She grinned, her pupils distorting into slits, purring a little at the thought. "My witching potion, has increased my power, and is now a similar potion is sapping hers... It'll just be a matter of time." She said, dodging an attack from the infuriated Dash. "The queen will think it was malnutrition. Something not uncommon in a hive starved for love..." She finished, hissing a little bit as she grew to two or three times her size, in an instant.

"But enough of this tete-au-tete. You have been declared an enemy of hive order, and something must be done about that..." She started to attack, confident in her ability to beat her opponent (She must have been a blowhard, because she started to blow out a whirlwind. )

Too bad Rainbow Dash was ready, and waiting for that moment... At least, she got the strong feeling she was....

And at that moment, she was back to seeing the rainbows converge... As the two rainbows converged in the sky, a light began to glow from between them. And inside a cloud of magic, a form began to take shape. It was definitely equestrian, and it had a bump on its head... No a horn! It had a horn! That could only mean that it was a unicorn! She was, however, very unhappy that it was getting the attention and not her! Her dreams were now rotting in between her hoofs, the star: her scarf a mess, and her "spectacularific fashion party" a forgotten concept.

All the coos and caws out of everyone just made it worse! This was her chance! Her opportunity to shine! Her opportunity to demonstrate... something... gone! How dare this... this... this... Sweetie Belle make a mockery of her. She would give Sweetie a piece of her mind.

Except it wasn't sweetie Belle.... Instead, a strange looking pony stood before her cooing on the ground...

And like that she was back in that beehive again. And she was standing there, proud of herself... "So much for the all mighty assassin of the south: Belladonna!", she thought, as her adversary now stood, hissing and whining, with her head stuck in the wall. Alas, she would be out soon. And if she and the other got together, it would spell real trouble. But first she needed to help... Minty!

Wait? The foal is Minty? And who else is in trouble? Why does she think someone else is in trouble?

That foal, before her, couldn't be Minty... Could it? It didn't look like Minty, it was a bug pony, and a very ugly, unfashionable one. And yet it was... She was... And she was... was... was... NO!!! She had to do something... but what!? "Princess stay with me!!!!"

********

Rainbow awoke with a start. The face of that poor baby bug pony... She looked just like Minty does now... She was wheezing and trying to cry... But she couldn't... "Oh Minty! we have to do something for you, darling, we need to find these al...al... alicorns before it's too late!" She whined, having trouble separating her fevered nightmare from reality.

"I suppose I shan't do much more sleeping, darlings..." Rainbow said. "It's about eight, or nine anyway. I need to get Pinkie, Wysteria, and Star Catcher. We mustn't waste time. The longer we wait, harder things are going to be for everyone." She thought, gulping slightly.

Rainbow Dash didn't leave Ponyville much, certainly not on adventures. The most adventurous she got was her off-again-on-again hobby of riding rainbows (with the occasional balloon ride in there for good measure.)

First she would stop by Pinkie's, then Kimono's and she would meet Wysteria along the way. The darling was always tending the castle flower beds at this time of day. And keeping busy was a great way to keep oneself from getting sad or melancholy (and that kind of thing led to early wrinkles! And she didn't want to look like her mother -- at least not yet!)

"Rainbows wait for no one, darling." She said to herself, as she closed her door (they didn't really lock those things in G3, never figured out why...) "Shall I be on my way?"

"Sup Rainbow?" Asked a smiling Sunny Daze. "Kimono fix Mints up or she still feeling bad?" Sunny asked, sympathetically.

"The poor darling still isn't feeling much better. Looks like we are going on an... Adventure to find some place called 'Canterlot' to get ingredients, darling." Rainbow responded, valiantly preventing herself from choking on the word "adventure".

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sunny said with a sigh. "I had hoped that she would be feeling better, especially after seeing Kimono." Sunny said, looking off into the distance, remembering something. "Especially how she helped you, Pinkie, and Mints when you first showed up into town."

Rainbow responded, with a puzzled look. She had always been here in Ponyville, she had a dream last night about one of her adventures as a new born cutie (at least between all that un-rainbowy, icky bug pony stuff.)

"Walk with me darling, I need to fetch Pinkie, and Wysteria, and I'm hoping to catch up with Star Catcher, before she and the other Pegasus Ponies leave." Rainbow said, with a nervous smile. "And I could use a darling friend with a sunny outlook. No pun intended darling."

"Sure thing Dash... " Sunny responded. "I was hoping someone else was up, but most of the others are sleeping in after last night. Bummer!" Sunny continued. "I wanted to go skating, or maybe get into a snow sled. I had so many bodacious ideas!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, darling, but I'm curious: why are you up? I know why I am, but wouldn't you prefer to be in bed?"

"Nah Dash! Sleep is good, and all, but the sun's my thing. And fun in the sun is my personal gift." Sunny responded. "You seem nervous though, Dash, what's up?"

"Well my darling friend, it's Minty, she's got me worried stiff. And I've been having nightmares to boot."

"Wow dash! Didn't think you got those." Sunny responded. "And I certainly didn't think one'd get to you." She continued, with a wink. "You are normally the like second or third most level headed person we have here. Guess that whole Minty thing is really getting to you. My advise though, is just to keep cool. It'll all blow over eventually." (says the pony who holds the most records for pony summersaults.)

"Sorry about that, darling..." Rainbow said, apologetically. "I shall try harder. Now where could Wysteria be at this hour. She is usually up rain, shine, or high water for her flowers (sometimes literally.)" Rainbow said, with curiosity. "I hope she's all right..."

"Don't know dash, maybe she slept in? Or maybe she's sick? You should ask around if you need her that much, Dash."

"So tell me darling?" Rainbow asked, as she started to leave the surfer mare behind. "What did Kimono do for us when we first got into town?"

"Don't you remember Dash? You were all like sick, and junk. And Pinks and Mintee were barely breathing? Then Kimono did something and the next day you guys were looking totally awesome!" Sunny said, her voice growing more faint.

********

"Pinkie Pie! It's today!" Rainbow called out standing over Pinkie's bed to the sleeping pony. Who promptly sat up, dropping the Ragetty-Anne doll she was holding (yes they had those in G3, just watch StarSong and The Magic Dancing Shoes if you don't believe me.)

"Rainbow...." She said, with a yawn. "I know this trip to Canterlot is important to you, but shouldn't we wait until we are less tired?" She said, her smile eternally glued to her face. "I mean you might fall asleep and we might get lost." She said, sarcastically, with a laugh. "And I don't think getting lost will help Minty at all!" She said, dropping her smile for a second, and putting on a serious expression.

"No, and you are fully right darling. I, myself, would normally advise the same, but we don't know how long this trip will take. And remember we have two nights of medicine, including tonight. And then on the third night... Do you understand me, darling?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Pinkie said with hesitation (she felt this was a foolish move, and it probably was; but desperate times call for desperate measures.) "But I really, really, don't think this is a good plan. We're both exhausted. I mean how can we guide a balloon if we are tired?" She said, frankly.

"Now darling, we need to be on our way. We need to get Minty from Kimono's place and I still have to locate Wysteria and Star Catcher!" Rainbow replied.

********

"Kimono darling, could you come out here please?" Rainbow asked.

A very bedraggled, and shaggy Kimono came out under the Rotunda. Her mane messy, and her eyelids drooping.

"Hello, I trust you slept well?" She asked. "And that you are here to pick up my friend Minty?"

"Darling, any word on Alicorn feathers, or Heart's desire?" Rainbow asked, eagerly awaiting a positive response.

Instead the "Wisest Pony in the Land" looked away, with a sorrowful expression. Biting her lip for a minute before speaking. "No I'm sorry Rainbow Dash. The ingredients remain a mystery to me. Despite looking through every book in our library (and Storybelle's story loft too -- though Storybelle wasn't too happy to be woken up at two in the morning with someone snooping through her books.) " Kimono relied, with a sigh. "I have been watching our dear, dear, friend Minty. And I can say that I've done all I can without more potion."

"Of course, darling. Have you seen Wysteria, she wasn't tending her flowers this morning. Something she always done, even if dead on her feet (after all flowers are like friendships, that require love and attention.) And I'm starting to worry."

"No I'm sorry, dear Rainbow Dash. I have not... Perhaps...?" Kimono started before being interrupted by a screaming, barely coherent Daisyjo bursting in.

After a couple of attempts to get her words out, Daisyjo finally managed to get out some (barely coherent) words. "Oh Kimono, thank goodness your awake! I went to see Wysteria, and she's feeling dreadful. She tried to take off Spike's flower this morning (she wore it the day before in honor of Christmas) and now it won't come off!" Daisyjo cried, almost incoherently. "First Minty now Wysteria!!!" She wailed.

"Relax, my friend. Recall you've had scares before. (She and Rainbow Dash had helped the poor pony the last time she had a scare in her garden -- they forget what it was that she saw, but it most certainly wasn't the monster she thought it was!) We will deal with it together. Tell me other than her most precious flower being stuck, what else is she experiencing?" Kimono said, reassuringly.

"Oh Kimono, she's got a terrible bump forming on her head, like she hit it on a lamp or something. And she's got rock hard cramps in her side, just above her arms." Daisyjo replied, trying to avoid getting frantic.

"Hmm..... Let me take a look at her." Kimono replied, in her most serene voice. "Sadly there shall be no sleep for me this morning." She said to herself, as quietly as she could. "Once again, my help is needed!"

"Rainbow! Pinkie! Feel free to take my friend, Minty, with you. I put her in your able hands." Kimono, continued, with a calm, almost meditative smile.

"I'm sorry, darlings, but I need Wysteria. We simply must have somebody that understands flowers. And the Breezies are hibernating till spring." Rainbow protested, sternly. She knew she had a friend to help, and she needed someone who knew flowers (and flowers were Wysteria's thing.)

"I'm terribly sorry Rainbow, but she can't possibly make it. She might not even..." Daisyjo started to sob, again. Before apologizing repetitively.

"Nonsense, darling! I'm sure she'll be fine!" Rainbow said, reassuringly. Putting her hoof on the sobbing ponies shoulder. "But maybe you or Desert Rose could help? Or maybe Desert Blossom or?"

"I'm sorry Rainbow, but I'm certain the only one, if anyone at all, that would know anything about this Heart's desire is Wysteria. Except, maybe, Spike. But he's gone until after Christmas." Daisyjo replied, apologetically, sobbing slightly when she mentioned her friend. "AND WYSTERIA!!!!" She started weeping again, at the mere mention of the name.

Rainbow Dash, sighed slightly on the inside (a lady doesn't sigh, after all.) She would have to do without. "Pinkie, be a darling, darling. And help me get minty out into the basket of the balloon, darling!... Carefully!" Rainbow said, cautiously. "I want to take a minute to see if I can find our darling friend, Star Catcher, darling."

********

Pinkie decided to get some sleep while waiting for Rainbow to return. She did eventually get to sleep; But not for long! As Rainbow shortly returned.

********

"So, Rainbow, you feeling better?" Pinkie asked, with a laugh. "I bet Star Catcher's on her way right now!"

"Actually, the darling isn't coming either. No one has seen her since last night..." Rainbow said, looking away, decidedly melancholy.

"Oh Rainbow!" Pinkie said, sympathetically, remaining, as always, the eternal optimist. "There are other Pegasus ponies: Thistle Whistle, Cloud Climber, Coconut Grove, even Honolu-Loo. We'll figure out something!" She said, trying to reassure her friend.

"None of them have the nerve darling. Remember the darlings are shy. And without Star Catcher, they just don't have the heart, darling." Rainbow replied, looking somber. "They refuse to leave town without Star Catcher. Plus they all want to help Sky Wishes, that poor darling. She's worried sick for her darling friend's safety, darling."

"Well maybe we could wait for a while?" Pinkie replied, sitting on her haunches, her legs sticking out, and her hoof planted firmly on her lower lip. With her head tipped in a contemplative direction. "I mean if we wait maybe she'll show up, or maybe Kimono can find a way to get Spike's flower out of Wysteria's hair?"

"Darling. There's just no time!!!" Rainbow replied sternly, before hopping into the balloon. "We don't know how long it will take to get to this Canterlot, and we only have two more nights of potion, including tonight. We mustn't wait any longer, especially considering that starting at night would be quite dangerous." Rainbow cautioned. "Remember Minty's flight last night?"

"Ok..." Pinkie said, uneasily. "But don't blame me if we get in trouble." She sad to herself, as silently as she could, as she hopped into the balloon, and helped Rainbow release the moorings.

********

The trip started, well enough. North to the site of last night's catastrophe, and then through the hole in the sky (don't worry, no one blames Minty for destroying the sky.) And then towards the "spooky evil-wizardie crystally place" till they almost reached it. Followed by a sharp turn right.

********

Basically a non-eventful start. Shall we see what our G3 friends are doing?

Yes we can!

********

"Do you have any three's?" Asked Pinkie to a very groggy looking Rainbow Dash, sitting on the other side of the basket, keeping one eye on her deck, one and one eye on Minty.

"No, darling. Go fish." Rainbow replied, looking grumpy. "Hopefully we will reach this Canterlot soon. I'm getting tired of these games of 'Go Fish!' darling." Rainbow said, looking over the side of the basket for a second. It was good they picked the biggest balloon in Ponyville (normally able to seat up to four comfortably, just watch Twinkle Wish Adventure.) Because they would be doing a lot of sitting. "Judging by the distance to the southward turn, I should guess, if we stay on course we should reach this Canterlot tomorrow afternoon." Rainbow replied, to an unasked question from her pink companion.

"Well, I thought I was having a lot of fun." Pinkie replied with a chuckle. "Besides Rainbow, if you need I can always do a squink to find out our next activity!" She said, with levity in her voice.

"No darling, let's save your squinks for later. You know how much a true squink takes out of you, darling. (And we're talking a full on, Lady Bug Jamboree squink, not some stupid, implied, weak sauce Princess Promenade squink either!) And we want to have it if we need it." She said, sighing. "I hope we get there soon." Rainbow said, with another sigh. "Do you have any Sevens?"

"Hmm...." Pinkie said, observing her hand. Followed, by her lifting a card, and then putting it back in. "Oh this one is the one! I feel it!!!" Pinkie said, looking at the card. "Oh nope..." She said, with an innocent smile. "Go Fish!"

"How unfortunate...." Rainbow Dash replied, with a sigh.

********

"I don't get it, Pinkie, darling. None of the stars are where they are supposed to be, and none of these constellations make any sense at all. Orion should be over there, and Virgo over there. And they are both gone. And the north star, is just plain gone! Darling." Rainbow said, looking exasperated. "How are we supposed to readjust our route without the compass stars, darling?"

Pinkie sat there for a second. Resuming her thinking pose (sitting on her haunches, her legs expanded out straight, parallel to the ground; her forearms and cannons facing upwards, with the bottom of her hoof touching her lower chin; and her head tilted slightly to the side.) "I know this sounds crazy, but maybe we are near the south pole? Have you checked for the Southern Cross?" Pinkie replied, inquisitively.

"Good thought, darling, but the map shows that spooky chrystally, un-rainbowy, place in the north east corner of the map. So most likely we aren't in the southern hemisphere, and even if we were..." She trailed off, looking at the sky. "The Southern Cross is gone too." Rainbow continued, with an exasperated sigh. "We'll have to be careful the wind doesn't shift our path, and hope that we get there in a timely manner." She said, her face showing a little worry.

"You don't suppose we will run into any really real for real pegasus ponies out here do you, Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked.

"I doubt we will, Pinkie, darling, you know how shy they are! And this is a long way from Butterfly Island." She continued with a sigh, looking at their sleeping mint color friend. Before going back to searching the stars. She was quickly interrupted by a frightened Pinkie.

"Oh Rainbow! Look at Minty. She wheezing again." She said, feeling her friend forehead. "And she's burning up... " Pinkie continued, her countenance dropping sharply.

However, her spirits quickly returned. "The medicine! She need her next dose!" Pinkie said, her smile returning. "Don't worry Minty we'll fix you right up."

"Darling, please drink some Kimono's potion." Rainbow said, giving the next dose to her friend.

The results were almost immediate. Upon drinking, her temperature started returning to normal, and her breathing started to become less labored.

"And this, dear Pinkie is why I need to know how to find our way to Canterlot, darling!" Rainbow said to her friend.

"Thanks again guys." The mint pony finally chimed in. "I was feeling really bad there for a second.

"No worries, darling. Now please go back to sleep. You need your energy. And Pinkie and I will be looking for this Canterlot."

********

"Pinkie, darling! I think I should take the first watch darling. Then I'll wake you up when it's time to switch." Rainbow said, to a yawning Pinkie Pie. She didn't know why she did. But it just didn't seem right that her friend would do this while she was tired. Of course, Rainbow wasn't ready to sleep just yet after last night's nightmare.

"Soon enough, we should be starting to see a giant mountain. That should be our final destination." Rainbow said, yawning fully. "Maybe I shouldn't have taken first watch... It just seemed wrong for a growing person, like that darling, Pinkie, to be taking the first watch."

Rainbow kept a vigilant watch, over the balloon as it slowly passed through the skies on its way to Canterlot. After a few hours though, she began to get groggy. "Darn it... I wish I had brought more of my things. Maybe some nice tea..." She said, battling drowsiness unsuccessfully...

********

"It's today!" She said, as she got up from her rainbow bed, in a start. "I simply have to get out there and get the others!" She continued to herself, grabbing her scarf in a hurry. "I need to get Scootaloo, Cheerilee, Star Song, Sweetie Belle, and of course, Toola-Roola. Today is Pinkie's birthday!" She said, rushing out the door in a hurry. She would Rush to Scootaloo's place, then Star Song's, and hopefully meet the others before Pinkie wakes up!

She ran out the door, shutting it behind her as she left...

"Tell me doctor, am I crazy? Is it time?" She asked, panting slightly, of an older pegasus stallion, whose dark brown hair had grayed along with his light brown coat over time.

"Yes, it would, quite, appear to be. Don't ponies normally tell by instinct, though?" He asked, smiling a little at his own wit.

"Hardy har har Doctor!" She exclaimed, the obvious becoming more obvious. "Remind me? Whatever did I see in you?" She asked.

"Perhaps, it was my wit? Or maybe my good looks." He said, coughing a little. The old stallion wasn't in the shape he used to be. "So why that shape?" He asked.

"What other shape is there?" thought Rainbow Dash to herself. "And what does he mean? And why do I feel I should know him?"

"Scootaloo! Wake up! It's today!" She said, shouting in her friend's window. The dear always tended to oversleep. "We have to hurry! Pinkie Pie wakes up shortly after the sun! And we need to hurry if we are going to be the ones to wake her!"

"Oh, come-on Dash! It's not like she's going to be any less surprised!" Scootaloo, replied with a chuckle. The dear always had an attitude ever since they were very young. So different then her sister.

Dash stood out there, her patience thinning. Before she heard a voice at the door. "Don't worry Dash, here I am!" She said, with a chuckle; the other thing, besides her attitude she was known for.

"Thank goodness, we have to hurry!" She said, as she started off. Scootaloo galloping ahead, as she frequently did (sometimes she used a motorized scooter to scoot ahead, but not today.)

She had a sense that she was glad she didn't experience... whatever it was... that she just went through. She could tell that her mane was a mess, and she didn't even want to look down at her beautiful tail. "Was it supposed to be this hard doctor?"

"Well, my lady, it normally is..." The old stallion said, with a chuckle. "I guess that's why most of your kind are born from eggs... It's much easier!!" He said, laughing at his joke, before he broke into another coughing fit.

"Don't leave me in suspense, doctor. Let me see the bundle of joy!" She said to the older stallion wearing a damper suit and tie.

She walked up slowly to her friends bed, Scootaloo trailing behind. "Remember Scootaloo, we want to wake StarSong gently. You know how sweet she is!" Rainbow said to her friend, who was fighting a mischievous grin.

"StarSong: It's today." She said, softly as she could, to her lightly sleeping friend; who sat up slowly. "Remember it's Pinkie Pie's special day and we all wanted to surprise her! And you promised her a song!" She said to the purple pegasus.

"Oh course Rainbow Dash! I love to sing!" she said, doing a pirouette in the air. "We should get going though. Pinkie always gets up with the sun, and that means we don't have much time!" StarSong said, with a gleaming smile.

"Remember, we'll meet Sweetie Belle, Toola-Roola, and Cheerilee outside of Pinkie's house!"

"Oh my lady, your late husband, Bubble Burst, would be so pleased!" The elderly "doctor" said with glee. "It's a girl! your line is secure!" He said, holding back both pride and jealousy. "You know, I always hoped that it would be the two of us; but sadly nature decided otherwise..." He said, looking away.

"And I bet you thought it couldn't happen." She said with a grin at the stallion. "But as you can see, even nature can be tricked, if necessary." Looking at the "doctor" standing there blushing. "Well, do be a darling, and bring her up to where I can see her!"

"Pink. Pink. And more Pink!" Pinkie said, talking to herself in her sleep.

"Pinkie Pie!" Said Rainbow Dash, tapping her friend on the shoulder. "It's today!"

"Pink?" Asked Pinkie in surprise, what was everyone doing in her room? "What are you doing in my room Rainbow Dash?"

"We're here to help you celebrate, of course!" She replied. "Because Pinkie Pie! It's your special day!" She said, as a rainbow slowly crept through the room.

"Well here you go, my lady. I hope you are proud!" The doctor said handing a small new-born cutie over to her.

The foal she gently held against her barrel was the spitting image of a new-born cutie Pinkie, except for the fangs, the tiny shriveled wings, and the itty-bitty horn. "Pinkie? Wait why am I holding baby Pinkie? If that's baby Pinkie, then who am I?" Rainbow thought, her dream once again turning to the weird. "Doctor, could you do me a favor, darling, and let me see myself and my foal in that mirror?" She asked the doctor happily obliged, rolling over a large, Elizabethan mirror.

Sadly Rainbow didn't like what she saw...

********

"I'm mama Pie?!?!?!?!?!"

********

"YAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" She woke up screaming (something she tried to avoid at all costs, as a lady doesn't scream!)

"Oh darling! I had the most, un-dashing, un-rainbowy dream imaginable?" Rainbow replied, shivering a little at her last fright!

"Let me guess..." Pinkie said, her voice getting suddenly deeper, and a lot more serious. "You dreamt you were mama Pie?" She, continued, only slightly miffed.

"Sorry about that Darling!" Rainbow said, apologetically. "I've been having nightmares since the accident, darling. Weird, bizarre, nonsensical dreams. Ones that always end up with me waking up in a freight."

"Oh Rainbow!" Pinkie said, her chuckle restored. "Remember what I learned from my nightmares: 'No matter how bad a dream you are having, your friends will always be there in the morning!' And we'll figure out something. Minty will be fine!" She said, trying to restore her friend's spirit.

"Oh, of course Darling!" Rainbow said with a half-hearted smile. "Of course!"

********

"Now let me see, darling. How long did I sleep?" Rainbow said trying to examine the position of the moon and the stars.

"All night long, more or less." Pinkie said with an innocent smile.

"Darling, why didn't you wake me?" Rainbow said, trying to avoid sounding as miffed as she was.

"Well because I woke up shortly after you went to sleep, and I figure we didn't stray very far, because I was watching the balloon, and I figured I could keep track of it too. I wasn't very sleepy anyway." She said, hiding a yawn.

"Darling, you know that isn't true. And how can we be sure we are still heading the right direction? I mean the darling stars don't seem to know where they are supposed to be, darling. And tonight's our last night of potion!" Rainbow said, starting to sound very miffed.

Below, Rainbow started to hear a whimpering.

"I'm sorry guys. I messed you guys up, and broke the sky... And we missed Christmas!!! And now you guys hate each other!!!"

"Oh Minty." Pinkie said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, you, and the sky will be fine! And think of it as an adventure." She said, giggling slightly. "Besides, no one can stay angry at me for very long!" She said, with a playful chuckle.

"Besides, if we weren't helping you, we would never see the desert, or that cloud city." Pinkie said, continuing her pep talk, with a reassuring smile.

"C.C.C.C.C.C.C.LOUD CITY?! DESERT!?" Rainbow said, her face suddenly losing its blue colors. "Let me see!" Rainbow said, looking over the side of the basket. "Darlings that's not good. we've been traveling all day, and we missed Canterlot completely. How did we even miss it darlings, it's a huge mountain?" Rainbow said, looking trepid.

"Oh that? super large mountain? giant castly thing?" Minty asked, smiling. "Yeah, I could see it from here. we passed right by it last night, while you both were asleep."

"MINTY!!!!" Both Rainbow and Pinkie said, raising their voices. Before Pinkie, fighting against all emotion and common sense, spit out a smile.

"Yeah, Minty." Pinkie said, with a sarcastic overtone. "That was kind of where we were going." She said, with her signature chuckle. "And we kind of missed it..."

"OOOOHHHHHHH!!!!! But we can find it again? Can't we?" Minty asked the other two ponies innocently.

"I think so, darling..." Rainbow replied. "Judging the location of the desert and La... Loss Peg-a-sus. We want to head that way." Pointing her hoof out the basket towards the north east. "Then we'll cut north towards the center of this large forest, right here... And we should reach Canterlot, just in time!" Rainbow said, wiping her brow with her hoof, as she stood on her back hooves, with her front hooves squishing to hold the map tightly.

********

Once again, the journey continued, uneventfully. With the exception of a local weather patrol, that immediately fled the other direction when they saw the G3 ponies coming, screaming something about dinosaurs, mutants, or changelings, or was it all three? (Pegasus ponies are shy after all, darling!)

Shall we see what they are doing now?

YES WE CAN!!!

********

"Behold, darling, a full house!" Rainbow said, with a smile: she would finally get the first rainbow berry slice come The First Rainbow of the Season!

"Oh dear, but Mama Pie said poker was a mean game, and that I should never play it!" Pinkie said, looking cheesed (she wanted that slice of pie!)

"Yes, darling, but if we play another rousing game of Go Fish, you will be fishing for the deck over the side of the basket, darling!" Rainbow replied, her forearms, cannons and hooves folded, crisscross apple sauce.

********

"How's Minty holding out?" Rainbow asked, hoping she would look better tonight then last night.

"Still broken." Pinkie replied. "It's just about time for her potion." She said, grabbing the potion; as right on time, their passenger's symptoms returned.

"Quick Minty drink up!" Pinkie said. "I'll make you feel better."

"Thanks guys! But how much longer we going to be up here?" Their passenger, asked getting stir crazy.

"Well, darling, if all goes well. Tomorrow morning we will be over this large forest on the map. Then it's a straight shot to Canterlot. And we should arrive with time to spare.

"Oh good!" Pinkie said, smiling.

"But remember darling. We need to make sure to take our shifts. This time, I suppose I should sleep first. Then we'll switch." Rainbow said, this time, her hoof was on her lower jaw.

"Makes sense to me!" Pinkie said, smiling again (giggling only slightly).

********

"Oh such a dashing day!" She said to herself, impressed with next week's look. "I always want my outfits, fun and new." She said to herself, with a chuckle.

Course she had another reason to be chipper: "I hope my friends remembered my special day! And that they got me specialarific new outfits!" She said to herself, giddy with the thought.

"I need to find something extra dashing to wear!" She said to herself, looking through her store. "Wow! That bow will be simply dashing in my hair! That way I'll look my best when Pinkie, and the others come to wish me the best on my special day!" She said, filled with glee. Wait... didn't Razzaroo normally do the parties? And what about the birthday book? And why was she saying silly things like "specialarific"?

At that point, as she was still admiring herself in the mirror; whom should come in, but her good friend Cheerilee! And she looked extra especially happy today!

"Wow!!! Cute bow!!!" she said, with a smile (of course it was a dashing bow! She chose it, after all!) "There's a huge package for you in the center of town! it's from Paris, you know, in France!" She said, standing up on her back hooves, with her barrel at a ninety degree angle to her legs, waving her arms. "You should really come to pick it up!"

Of course Rainbow barely heard this as she was already halfway out the door. "Wow!" Rainbow thought, smiling ear to ear. "Someone must really like me, if their getting me fashion from the fashion capital of the world!!! (or at least Europe -- or so I've been told)" She continued thinking, her smile growing. "I should see!" She thought, rushing out to the town square; unaware of bow, which flew out of her hair, on the way out.

"Another delightful day in the wastelands." She suddenly finding herself saying, with a sigh. "Nothing much ever happens, and nothing probably will...." She said, trailing off. A dragon's wing suddenly appearing around her to deflect some kind of a sowing needle (someone was trying to end her with fashion!)

"Show yourself!" She said, filled with outrage.

"Too bad it wouldn't matter! You won't be able to see me anyway." A voice said from somewhere. "Good thing, I used to be a Praetorian Guard." The voice continued. "Otherwise, I might be concerned about facing 'Lady Rainbow' (also known as the Rainbow of Darkness, The Black Rainbow, and The Rainbow of Doom.)"

Suddenly a whirlwind was raised from somewhere deflecting another needle.

"Yes, too bad indeed." She said, with a smirk, or at least that's what she thought. "Too bad royalty can see Praetorian guards! Now show yourself, or I'm going to show you for you!"

A shower of needles came from all directions. But once again, a pair of large eagle wings blew them away. "I'm warning you! I don't know who you are assassin, or who sent you, but I don't like myself or my family being threatened!"

"Too bad, I always liked you! But I've been paid fabulously to get rid of you!" The assassin said, revealing his male voice: she was being hunted by a stallion!

"Tell me, it was the princess wasn't it?" She asked. Princess? Do my voice mean like Wysteria? But why would Wysteria want to hurt her? No! It wasn't Wysteria, but who was she talking about?

"You'll wish it was Celestia!" The voice hissed, as a shower of needles sent her underground. Did she just have dog paws? "Phytolacca is the name, by the way. It doesn't matter, though, because you'll never last long to remember it." He said, smirking as another shower of needles came within inches of her body. Did she just shrink for a second?

"It's time to end this!" The stallion suddenly became visible. Yet why did she get the sense that, to anyone else, he would be invisible?

As she approached the box, she heard it giggling. "Oh I just know where this is going!" She thought to herself, with a mischievous smile. "It's giggling!" She said, herself giggling slightly. Waiting for the inevitable.

And they didn't disappoint! Her friends came pouring out of the box. With joyful wishes for her "special day"! (In some countries also known as a "Birthday".) Star Song, doing mid air summersaults with joy. Wait where was Minty? Where was Razzaroo? The birthday book? Sunny Daze? Sparkleworks? Wysteria?

Pinkie showered her, her style, fashion, and flare with words of encouragement. And then brought the most beautiful rainbow out of the box with a gesture.

This stallion, Phytolacca, was planning an attack, and she could tell it was a doozy! Too bad, she was just a little too fast for him, or rather she had, most likely, worn him down a little. And a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere, making the air stink of something un-rainbowy.

"So glad, you're alive!" She said, her vision changing a little, like her pupils were narrowing. "What are you aiming for, nave?"

"Oh I'd love to tell you, except that for hive unity I've been paid to... How shall I say this... Remove you from the hive!" He said, smiling, despite the hoof now firmly planted on his throat.

"If you try to hurt me, or my family ever again! I will! I will!!! Well I don't want to say!!!" She said, frowning mightily.

He just smirked. "No.... THE PRINCESS!!!! MY DAUGHTER!!!!" Her stars!!! What was she talking about? She needed a look in the mirror.

Only a beautiful , fashionable, beautiful pony wasn't staring back. Instead standing before her was an ugly, unfashionable, un-rainbowy, nasty, horrible, reprehensible bug pony!

********

"AIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She woke up with a start. What a dreadful nightmare!

"Oh yeah! Glad you could join us!" Pinkie said, giggling at her own sarcasm. "The nasty mean clouds from Christmas? Yeah they kind of decided to pay us a visit!" Pinkie said, getting suddenly more serious. "They came in when we started over that forest you pointed out on the map. I'm not really sure why."

"I can't talk now, darling. I need to prevent this balloon from being popped by those spooky spiky clouds, darling!" Rainbow said, replying to a question that wasn't asked.

"Yeah Rainbow, please try to avoid those branches! Those trees think we are the kind of fun balloon you wanna pop!" Pinkie said, cautioning Rainbow.

"Can't talk now, darling! The branches are trying to rip us out of the sky!"

"Hey guys? What's the problem?" Minty asked, now awake again. "I'm sure everything is fine. Just a little further, and we'll be in Canterlot, and Santa will be there, and ... Did someone hear hissing?"

"AIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

Chapter 3: No Thanks! There are no rainbows in the forest!

Chapter 3: No Thanks! There are no rainbows in the forest! (aren't you glad this wasn't called "Bulk Biceps Dumbell house surprise!")

"Did someone hear hissing?"

"AIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

********

"Sweetie Belle! Oh Sweetie Belle!" Pinkie shouted, thinking her friend was either distracted, or busy. She understood though; if she invited everyone over then, she too, would be very busy! (She had nightmares about messing up parties because she had too many things to do!) "I suppose I'd better knock." She thought, with a smile, knocking once more. "I've been knocking, but no one is answering!" She asked, wondering where she had heard herself saying this before.

No response. "Did something happen to sweetie Belle?" She thought. "I mean she wouldn't invite us unless she was planning to be home, right?"

"Let me try!" Scootaloo volunteered. "I'm a good knocker!" She said, before tapping on the little unicorn's door. Once again to no response (and she was none too happy about stepping in it she'll have you know.) "Open up! Hello!!!" She shouted, knocking again.

"Oh dear, maybe we should go in? She must be late with party prep, and we should help her!" Pinkie thought, just as the door opened on its own. Drawn open by a strange force (but sadly not unicorn magic, only a dunce would think unicorns could cast magic without wands.)

Behind the door wasn't the inside of a gumball house, but instead the inside of a beehive. The lighting looked different too, as if moving from a cartoon into reality (or maybe a black and white movie into a color one.)

"Ok... that's strange!" Pinkie thought. "Why's Sweetie's house look like some stinky smelly cave?" She asked herself, as she felt drawn to the scene inside.

"Oh, who is that pretty girl?" She asked herself, as she stepped in and looked at the tiny pink ball in front of here. "Wait? That's me!" She thought to herself, caught off guard. It looked like herself as a newborn cutie except, of course, for the tiny shriveled crooked horn, the tiny wings, the tiny muzzle, and the fangs (Pinkie bet that the cute little filly must have had a devil of a time finding a good dentist.)

The poor thing was crying, something outside spooked her (hopefully it wasn't Sweetie Belle.) Why could she sense that something bad was about to happen?

"Strange, why would Sweetie Belle invite us to her home if she isn't home?" StarSong asked, puzzled.

Pinkie shook her head. "That was weird... Like... That one birthday... (Why does she have the impression the whole town got turned pink, including Minty?)" For a second, it was like everyone was talking, but she was having trouble processing it. Cheerilee, and StarSong were reading from a note, and then everyone rushed upstairs; but she really wasn't sure why.

"That's right! Sweetie Belle left a note for us to help find her!" She said, her spirits returning. "What fun! I bet the next clue is in her bed room!" She started smiling, ear to ear. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" She said, giggling as she ran up the stairs.

Was she back in the room she started in? Apparently so! There was that poor foal! Still sobbing away! Apparently she was missing her mama (Pinkie knew the feeling!) She reached over, instinctively to put her hoof around the foal, only to find that her hoof went straight through it.

As she was pondering this, an elderly (and very ugly), bug pony came in and gave a not very pinkalishish smile to the young one! She began to pull out some kind of a crystal ball. Was she going to tell the foal's fortune? But why then was she smiling that way?

Pinkie could feel it, even in her dreams, like her very life was being pulled out of her. Like she was being prematurely aged. When suddenly.

"Leave her alone!" A very large, and very angry bug pony came flying in at full speed, head butting the mean old witch. "I've had just about enough of this! Undo whatever you did!" The bug pony demanded, her rainbow mane wafting in the breeze.

"Or you'll what, I sucked out most of her youth and life force now, she's basically an old mare!" The witch said, with a chuckle. "I could trap her in the realm of dreams if you wish? Or maybe fill her last few moments with nightmares!"

"I suppose I shall have to fix this." The pony said. Wait... was this Mama Pie? Why did she think this? And why does she have deja-vu? "Let me guess, she had to be removed for hive unity!" The pony said, condescendingly.

"Of course!" The witch smirked. "And because I'm growing old, and need life force, magic and youth to keep myself young, beautiful and powerful!" She continued, beckoning for the Rainbow bug pony to attack her.

"Hurry! Mama Mama Pie! She's in deep trouble!" Pinkie screeched, only to find herself not being heard. "You have to do something!" She shouted, as she started galloping with all her might....

Arriving a moment later in Sweetie Belle's bedroom.

"That's interesting? Why do I get the impression I was just in a spooky smelly cave?" She thought to herself, shaking her head.

"Wow!" Pinkie thought, surprised Sweetie Belle's "Pony team" had already discovered two clues without her. She stood there, saddened for a minute, she always wanted to be in on fun. And she certainly wasn't having any this dream...

"The next Clue can be found!" StarSong read. "On what goes down...."

This, suddenly, seemed very familiar for Pinkie. She felt that she already knew where the clue was -- for some reason. "Hey guys, I think I know where the next clue is." Pinkie said, smiling and giggling, her inescapable mirth returning. "It's on the elevator!" She said with a smile.

"Hey I wanted to say that!" Scootaloo said, frowning and scowling. A second later: "Fine..." She, said with a mischievous giggle, "I'll let Pinkie do it since she's missed out on so much!"

Except the elevator didn't go down onto the ground floor... But instead... "Oh great... back to the beehive...." Pinkie sighed to herself, briefly. "At least I'll find out how this ends!" She thought, giggling to herself.

The standoff continued, between "Mama Pie" (or so Pinkie wanted to call this strange bug pony), and the witch. They circled each other, until "Mama Pie" was in front of the young delicate pink foal, then she launched forward, kicking the witch in the face before she had time to think, let alone act.

"And this is what happens when you hurt the princess, or my family! I certainly hope, you were paying close attention. They don't call me The Rainbow of Doom for nothing." The bug pony said, as her rainbow mane hung loose, almost hovering against an invisible breeze.

Sadly, the old witch, only laughed. "So what! Your daughter is finished, and by the looks of things so is the so called 'princess'!" She smiled. "And I think my friends have arrived, and together, we shall as surely take down 'The Lady', as my name is Mandragora!" The old witch crowed to herself.

She could feel the pain from here... Was she blacking out? Or was it the poor foal blacking out? "Mama Pie!" She cried, hoping that "Mama Pie" would hear.

"Oh dear! stay with me!" The bug pony, cried out, bathing the two foals she was holding, wrapped in each wing, with a beam of green light.

Was it just her, or was Mama Pie looking a lot older, and greyer?

"Oh thank goodness, the two of you had me frightened!" The much older Mama pie exclaimed. "We need to get out of here. It isn't safe!"

"Too bad you won't be leaving today!" said an older female bug pony, "I already have the party planned for you, and I would hate if you left now!" She said, with a smirk.

"Wake up you must! In your friends health, I have no trust!" Said a voice in rhyme, as everything suddenly went to stars.

********

"Oh dear! That must have been some Party!" Pinkie exclaimed to herself. "How long was I asleep?" Pinkie asked herself, as the stars slowly started to clear. Before her was standing some kind of stripey pony. "Oh hello there! My name is Pinkie Pie!" She said with a quick giggle before a sharp pain in her side put an end to the laughter. "Ouch... That smarts..." She said to herself before continuing. "I don't believe we've met before: what is your name?"

"Pinkie Pie doesn't remember my name? I feel such shame!" The zebra said with a smile. "Don't you recall, Zecora, the evil enchantress? Who would cook you into a stew if you looked into her eyes for more than a moment or two!" The zebra said, her face darkening, ever so slightly, as it apparently became obvious to her she wasn't being recognized.

"No sorry, should I?" Pinkie asked, her face dropping.

The zebra stood there a second, baffled. "'She does evil dances', which are certainly not prances?" The zebra said, hoping for a flash of realization; one that never came. "Perhaps I should get Twilight. She might be able to shed some light."

Nearby she could hear the sounds of a pony grunting in the next room. "Darlings, did someone catch that rainbow I was riding? I think the darling got away!" They said, sounding disoriented.

Yup, that was definitely Rainbow Dash.

"Oh it sounds like Rainbow Dash is awake, maybe I should check on her crash?" The zebra asked, with a smile. "We must also see to your friend, for I fear she is close to her end."

"Oh dear, I don't think she had any time to answer my questions..." Pinkie thought. "MINTY!" She exclaimed, remembering what she was questing for. "I have to talk to that... Whoever that was... Maybe she can help us get to Canterlot." She said to herself, before trying to rise. Sadly nothing in the pony wanted to rise, and every bone and muscle in her body told her as such. But the pink pony was resilient, to a fault, when it came to her friends.

"So you don't recall Zecora, even a little at all?" The stripey pony/wise shaman was talking to a dumbfounded looking Rainbow Dash. "Oh dear, it's like she's never been here." The zebra thought to herself.

"Terribly sorry darling, I just don't seem to recognize you, darling... Zecora isn't it, darling?" Rainbow replied, pulling the name from the Zebra's sentences.

The wise shaman, sighed inside. There was appearances to keep after all. And she preferred to keep her feelings well hidden.

At that point, Pinkie stumbled in, wishing with every fiber of her being she did not.

"You should not stand. Or the pain will reprimand!" Zecora replied, with pity.

"I'm terribly sorry... Zecora... But I need to know how long I was out. My friend hurt herself really, really, really badly! And, if we don't get to Canterlot, and get feathers from an Ali-corn bird and heart's desire, to make Santa's potion, then she will...." Pinkie said, struggling to keep her smile -- She blamed herself, as much as Rainbow did. But it was important for her to be the voice of optimism, even when her friends were being less then reasonable (she was the only one that didn't want to go deeper into the "stinky smelly cave" back with the Promenade, but decided her friends Wysteria, and Zipzee needed her.)

"A potion, you say? How much for it did you pay?" Zecora asked, hiding a bemused smile.

"Pay? Oh no, Santa gave it to Kimono as a Christmas gift, when he learned that Minty hurt herself." Pinkie said, her smile starting to drop. "But we have to hurry, or tonight... she'll... she'll...." Pinkie said, starting to cry a little.

"Those masks!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, holding her head in her hoof (she was having another one of her headaches.) "That one means 'hello: I know divination'. And this one 'welcome: I make healing potions!'" Rainbow said, looking at the masks that Zecora took in to be cleaned.

After a moment of holding her head, trying to wait out the migraine she was experiencing; Rainbow Dash continued talking. "She's a Zecora! They are an ancient and powerful order of shamans!"

"I hear what you are saying, Rainbow Dash, but she said her name is Zecora!" Pinkie replied, puzzled. What was Rainbow Dash talking about, and why didn't she say "darling", or "that's so dashing" even once?

"No, Pinkie, she took the name because it comes with her title!" Rainbow Dash replied. "In the world, there are only four, and by the looks of the masks, and the number of rings around her neck, she's the most powerful, and influential, of the four... Or she, at least, should be..." Rainbow replied, holding her head a little longer as the migraine finally passed.

"You ok Rainbow Dash? First the bad dreams, and now migraines?" Pinkie asked, fighting to restore her smile.

"Yes, I think so, darling, but I really don't know what I was saying. I apologize, Zecora, darling." Rainbow said, to the shaman, apologetically.

"No need to apologize, you speak like the wise! The words you say are true, there is sight beyond sight in you!" The Zecora said, with a bashful smile.

"Oh great! You know potions?" Pinkie asked. "Maybe you can help us!" She continued. "You see we have this potion recipe..." She said, looking around for it... "Uh Oh!!!"

"Uh Oh!? Darling?" Rainbow asked, with apprehension.

"I forgot the potion ingredient's list! It's back in the balloon!" Pinkie said, with horror.

"Oh dear Pinkie! Darling! That's a very Minty thing to do (Don't worry, I won't remind her of the time she forgot tea for the World's Largest Tea Party) We need that recipe... Maybe Zecora has it?" Rainbow said, hiding a slight agitation.

"Sorry the balloon was lost, and everything that was left, had to be tossed." Zecora said, lowering her head in shame.

"Hmm..." Pinkie said, sitting on her plot, in her usual thinking pose, frowning slightly. She thought, and she thought, and she thought, till her thinker was sore! (Maybe, just maybe Christmas was a little bit more! -- oh wait... sorry, wrong story.) "Oh of course!!! A squink!!!" Pinkie said, with glee. "That's how we'll discover the missing ingredients list!" She said, with glee. "But it'll take a lot of magic! You should join in too!" She said, to Rainbow Dash, and Zecora.

"A squink? What magic is this, that an earth pony can cast without being tragic?" The zebra asked, with a curious expression.

"Why darling, it's how Pinkie thinks! First the darling squishes... Then the darling winks... Then, the darling thinks..."

********

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. What she was hearing from her wise shaman friend didn't make any sense. "How could another Pinkie and Rainbow Dash just show up?" She asked, in surprise. "Did you give one of them a potion to make sure they aren't a changing?"

"Yes, a potion for the Pinkie one, the green one is too sick, and the rainbow one won't eat or drink, not even a tick." The wise shaman replied.

"And she didn't turn back?" Twilight asked, what was she dealing with here?

The Zecora just shook her head. All the failsafe potion, that she and the Princess of Friendship came up with, appeared to do was darken her coat a little.

"And this potion they came up with. You said, it was definitely zebric, in origin?" Twilight asked.

"From Zebran the wise it came, for them to know it is a shame!" The zebra replied.

"But how did they get it?" Twilight asked, shaking her head.

None of this made any sense. Who were these strange ponies, and why did they suddenly show up? And how did they know forbidden Zebra magic. Twilight, and the wise shaman stood there for a few minutes.

Finally Twilight chimed in. "Let me go ahead and take a look at them!"

The moment she walked in, she could see three ponies; all three looked like they were in various states of injury. Till the moment she saw Pinkie and Rainbow Dash's faces...

"Gadzukes! Rainbow Dash did a horribly dangerous and unorthodox stunt! And she sheared off her wings, and caused her muzzle to swell up to ten or twenty times its normal size! And..." She screamed to all three ponies in the room, who all looked at her with puzzled expressions. Then she remembered something. "Oh that's right... These aren't my Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie." She replied, blushing in embarrassment.

"Excuse me! Darling! I don't do dangerous, or unorthodox!" Rainbow said, with indignation. "Except, of course, for the occasional sledge race, darlings! But that's only because I sometimes get competitive!"

Twilight fought hard to hold off laughter. It was weird hearing Rainbow Dash talk like Rarity (well kind of like Rarity anyway.) "So 'Rainbow Dash', Zecora tells me you need one of my feathers for a potion for your friend. Please, do tell me more." Twilight asked, in her most regal tones.

"Well... The thing is, Minty here broke the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane! And so without it, Santa couldn't find his way to Ponyville!" Pinkie started, before Rainbow Dash could speak.

"Santa? Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane?" Twilight thought to herself, her eye brow quirking. "Ponyville, but I live in Ponyville!" She said to herself, under her breath. Were these ponies lying?

Pinkie cocked her head to the side, was she not being understood? She continued though, only when Twilight beckoned her to do so. "And so I recommended she fetch Santa, but I meant the two of us together." Pinkie continued. "But she decided to go out on her own! And..."

"Sorry about that Pinkie!" Could be heard from a rasping green pony in the corner. The potion would wear off soon, and they knew that it would be bad when it fully wore off. "I didn't mean to break the Candy Cane! Or ruin Christmas."

"Sorry about that Minty! It wasn't you, it was me..." She said with a frown. "I should have said things differently, and I shouldn't have gotten so mad over the Candy Cane!" She apologized (possibly for the hundredth time.)

"Don't worry about it, either of you. I need to hear the rest of the story." Twilight asked, commandingly.

"Ok, so Minty decided to fetch Santa, all on her own -- and we all know how bad of a flyer she is!" She said to the princess standing before her, with a giggle.

"Except I don't know how bad a flier she is!" Twilight protested to herself, only to be interrupted by rest of the story from the pink pony.

"And well, she fell into a ravine, and broke herself really bad. But Santa dropped off some kind of magic potion that he said would help her get better. But Kimono only had enough potion for two days, and needed ingredients to make more!"

Twilight stood there dumbfounded. What was this pony talking about? Maybe she wasn't a changeling spy after all? Because, if she was, then she was the worst spy ever!

"It fills me with fear, that even you cannot make their rantings clear." Zecora replied.

"It's ok...." Twilight said to the Zecora. "Alright Pinkie, I shall help, but promise me you won't use these feathers for evil!" Twilight said, knowing full well this was a pointless gesture -- if the pony before her was, indeed, evil (I mean obviously she didn't see new born cuties, because then... oh wait sorry....)

"Oh great! You have an ali-corn bird handy?" Pinkie asked, her smile returning full force, and growing rapidly!

Twilight looked at her funny: she thought an alicorn was a bird? "Yes, I do; because, I am an alicorn! And a princess of Equestria!" Twilight responded.

Pinkie stood there confused for a minute. "You're a princess too? Oh wow! Spike and princess Wysteria crowned Rainbow Dash, Sunny Daze, Minty, and I all princesses at the Princess Promenade!"

Twilight looked at her cross eyed: Spike crowned her a princess? What is she talking about?

"Oh, wow!" She said, thinking, for a second, about the second part. "Alicorns must be another name for really real for real pegasus ponies! Wow, Rainbow Dash, did you hear that we could have saved this whole trip!" Pinkie said with a wall to wall smile. "Oh wait, do you mind if we borrow some of your feathers miss...?" She asked innocently.

"Twilight Sparkle... And you may. But first I must ask, do you have any other questions?"

"About anything?" Pinkie asked, with a smile.

"Of course. I'm well read in many subjects!" Twilight said with pride. "You look and sound like you are out of sorts, and maybe I can help you out!"

Pinkie, sat there for a second, she had so many questions to ask. But first, she hoped to help this ali-corn princess, like she was offering to help them. "Well first of all, can I help repay you by getting you something for that nasty bump on your head? Some ice maybe?"

"First of all, that isn't a bump on my head... It's a horn!" Twilight responded, with confusion, had these ponies never seen a unicorn before?

"A horn, darling? Ponies with horns... Really!" Rainbow Dash said, with indignation. Feeling like she was being pranked.

"An alicorn is a really real for real pegasus pony with a horn?" Pinkie asked, innocently.

"Actually the horn represents unicorns, because I now represent all three tribes." The princess said, starting to trip in a lecturing mode. "But actually, I was originally a unicorn, before I ascended."

"What's a unicorn?" Pinkie asked...

"Three tribes, darling?" Rainbow asked, surprised. "You mean pegasus, pony, and breezie?"

Twilight stood there, dumbfounded her mouth gaping so wide open a train could pass through it. "You don't know what a unicorn is? And you haven't heard of alicorns either?"

Pinkie just shook her head.

Twilight was about to explode into flames of anger when the wise zebra put a hoof on her shoulder. "After the potion they drink, rest will do well for them, I think."

"Ok fine... Choose some of these, I believe they needed to be removed anyway." Twilight said, with a sigh.

********

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Equestria....

********

"What in the hay are you doing Pinkie?" Rainbow asked, a combination of pity, and aggravation.

"Well you see. I got a droopy tail, twitchy eye, itchy hoof combo (in that order)! And that means somepony is going to have a birthday! And then immediately after I got a itchy hoof, twitchy eye, droopy tail combo (in that order)! And that means somepony new is coming to town! And by the feel of it, they are going to arrive in five days, thirteen hours, twenty six minutes, and .... thirteen, twelve, eleven... Dang it! I keep getting the second wrong!" Pinkie responded.

"Ok whatever!" Rainbow said, putting her hoof in the pink party ponies mouth to hush her. "But why do you need to build this humongous... whatever this thing is?"

"It's because I haven't celebrated...", Pinkie stopped for a second, as if listening to an invisible voice from somewhere in her body... "Thirteen of her birthdays, give or take 20 or 22, and I have to make up for lost time!" Pinkie responded, surprisingly nonchalantly. "That and she's used to big parties! And so I needed to make this one, birth-iversary big!"

"Whatever you say Pinkie. Say what's that new doctor doing? Looks like he's headed into the Everfree."

"Wow!!! The new pony must be at Zecora's place. I can do some subtle surveillance and find out what I need to make the perfect party!" Pinkie responded with a smile, rushing off in what looked like some kind of silly spy outfit. "Unseen and unheard!" She yelled, at the top of her lungs.

"Yeah... That'll work..." Rainbow said to herself, rolling in midair in laughter. "Unseen... And unheard..." She said, barely able to breathe.

********

Sadly, it's hard when you're sore, and have nothing to do, and Pinkie was experiencing both, in spades. So she decided to sit on the floor and look out the window, hoping to see something interesting. And after a short while she did. A strange pony wearing some kind of ninja outfit hung from seemingly nowhere, looking at her with some strange binoculars. "Oh! excuse me!" Pinkie said, looking at the small window. "Zecora, a ninja seems to be here to see you! Shall I let her in?"

"Dang it! I've been discovered! Abort! Abort! Abort!" The pink pony in the ninja outfit responded. As she raised her self back up on an the wire hanging her from somewhere or another.

"Well then... Let her in, darling!" Rainbow Dash responded. "Maybe the darling, has brought something nice. And besides, darling, ninja's have good fashion sense! After all black is the new black, darling! It's simply rainbows! (Yes the potion Zecora gave them for their pain seemed to have fried Rainbow Dash's brain slightly! -- But don't worry, she'll be as good as new shortly.)

"Oh dear! They seem to have left... Sorry for bugging you Zecora!" Pinkie said, with an embarrassed blush.

"Oh no worries, it's probably just Pinkie Pie, trying to be subtle and sly. She's most likely just passing by." The wise Zebra responded. "The potions is done, she should drink some."

"There's another Pinkie Pie? Wow! The world really is a small place!" Pinkie said to Rainbow Dash, giggling at the absurdity of the statement.

********

After a few minutes, a slow clopping could be heard outside, and then a knock on the door.

"Ahh, the doctor finally arrived." Twilight said with a smile. "He can take a look at all three of you!" She said, looking at the three otherworldly ponies, in various states of brokenness. "And give us an idea what needs to be done to make you feel better!" She said, with a gleeful smile.

As promised, Twilight opened the door to a very surly looking older stallion. The first words out of his mouth were less then kind. "Tell me again, who you need me to see this far out in the Celestia forsaken Everfree Forest?" He said, with a scowl, as he limped in.

"For you hours ago I requested, as Twilight here has attested!" Zecora said, her anger showing.

"Actually that was the other doctors! I was busy, fixing my fellow doctor's incompetence. I still can't believe they couldn't diagnose Sunny Morning's Disorder!" The doctor said, scowling.

"Wow! Sunny Morning's Disorder? I heard of that one while looking for the Cutie Pocks! Doesn't it occur though in one out of every three hundred million or so ponies?" She asked.

"Yes, and so it should have been obvious! And, as for the Cutie Pocks, I bet they wouldn't be able to diagnose them either... Now what is it that you need me to see? And why couldn't you take them to me! I'm a busy stallion!" He replied with a scowl.

"No wonder they sent him here for a few months. He probably drove the other doctors in Manehattan crazy!" Twilight exclaimed silently to the zebra, who smiled ever so subtly.

"I heard that!!! You are lucky I could be drawn away at all! I've been very busy, and frankly no one believed her... " He griped, pointing at Zecora. "Silly story that she had three wounded ponies out here..."

"Careful!" Twilight cautioned, as calmly as she could. "You are talking to a close friend, and a hero of Equestria."

"Well excuuuuuussssseeee me Princess!" The doctor replied. "Fine, let me take a look at them. But tell me first how and where you found them?"

"On my hovel they crashed, and they and their balloon they trashed!" The zebra replied to the grump of a doctor.

"Heh..." He said, guffawing at some snappy joke in her internal monologue. "Well let me take a look at all three of them." He said, warming up his horn.

********

"Ok, you wanted to hear the results princess?" He said, with a somber face. "Here it is: the pink one will be fine, only a few scrapes, bruises, and possibly a bruised rib, she's lucky for someone who fell from that height."

"The blue one has a broken rib, a few sprains, and a bunch of scrapes and bruises, but she should be fine if she takes it easy a few weeks. I've already given her basic treatment. Just make sure she doesn't do any strenuous work until that rib has had a chance to mend some!"

"And keep those wounds clean on both of them!" He cautioned.

"And the green one?" Twilight asked.

"Not good, apparently she's took a terrible fall at terminal velocity a couple of days ago. She's lucky that she isn't two dimensional, let alone having survived even this long. Perhaps if we could have gotten her to the hospital, but even then..." He said, looking away. "I'm sorry, but it's better if she stayed here. Perhaps if these ponies were using real medicine instead of witch craftery..."

"Witch craftery? You dare make a mockery?" Zecora said, with a frown. "I'll show you a thing or two, I'll make her as good as new! A new potion I have, a hope from my native land!"

"Heh." The doctor replied, smirking. "If you succeed then I should quit my job!"

"How about for their treatment you pay? On the final day?" Zecora said with a smirk, as if catching the old loudmouth in a trap.

"Heh. Sure thing. I'll pay for their treatment out of pocket." He said with a smirk, certain of himself.

********

"Discord, you have been found willfully violating the terms of your parole!" Shouted, the new captain of the guard -- eager to demonstrate that he was, in every way, as much a stallion as his predecessor. "Are you willing to come back with me to Canterlot for judgment!?" The amber pegasus demanded, in question form.

"Say what sonny? I'm kind of hard of hearing!" Said 'Granny Discord', as 'she' looked pathetically at the angry stallion, holding a very, very, large horn to 'her' ear. "You'll have to speak louder! I'm hard of hearing."

The stallion grunted angrily, and approached the former god of chaos, and promptly yelled into the horn: "Discord! YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND WILLFULLY..." Before being interrupted by his muzzle suddenly being taped shut.

"I can hear you just fine, thanks!" Said a peeved Discord, returning to his regular form. "You can tell the princesses that I intend to cause no further chaos!" He said, grabbing a glass of chocolate, drinking the glass, and then throwing the milk away, causing an explosion. "Ok... Other than that!" He said, with a chuckle. "That's a classic!"

"No you have no option! Celestia has demanded your return to Canterlot! And I won't rest until you are brought to justice."

"Because I took a couple of days vacation away from Ponyville? Sheesh Brad! Are you feeling inadequate?" Discord said, with a sly smile.

"Don't call me Brad! My name is Flash Sentry!" He said, growling.

"Relax Brad? When did you go from debonair to being 'Equestria's Policepony'? You upset because you upstaged yourself? You stole Twilight's heart from you?" He said, smirking from ear to ear. "Or maybe you are just tired of hearing how much better old Shiny was?" He asked, his face suddenly resembling Shining Armor's.

"You shut up! Your mind magic won't work here! And..." He said, trying (unsuccessfully) to walk on his back legs like a monkey.

"And I think it is..." Discord said, snapping his fingers, breaking the spell, and causing the Captain of the Guard to fall down with a crash. "And tell Tia that I can't go back!"

"Even for me?" Asked a yellow pegasus slowly approaching him. "I got really upset when you left... And I was worried that you no longer wanted to be my friend." She said starting to cry.

Discord, looked away trying to avoid eye contact. "I can't go back! Especially not for you!" He said, trying to keep from looking in any way upset.

"Why Discord do you hate us now?" She asked, crying again.

"No, it's just that... Well I... Can't say." He said, opening a rift in the form of a padded door. "Now... It's better if I leave."

"Did I do something?" Fluttershy asked, grabbing his hoof. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"And, my dear, what if it wasn't you, but I that did something? And how would you feel if you didn't like what I had to say?" He asked. "What if, I had indeed, committed a deed that was really bad?"

"In that case we'll deal with it together!" She said, with a smile.

The old god of chaos, blushed slightly. "Very well, I shall return, but promise me that you won't be mad at me when you find out..." He said to himself, with a false sinister chuckle.

********

"So you're saying this nasty smelling potion is going to help Minty feel better?" Pinkie asked, cringing a little at the look and smell of Zecora's potion.

"Yes, it's like the potion I used for chipped teeth, but I'm hoping these alterations will cure what lies beneath."

"Oh wow! You must be really good at potions Zecora!" Pinkie replied with a smile. "Will it hurt at all?"

"Sadly for this great gain, she will have to experience, deep pain..." The wise Zecora said, looking away sadly. This was not really what she wanted to tell the eager pink pony.

"Don't worry, darling!" Rainbow said, this time being the one to exude the confidence. "If Zecora feels she needs that potion, then I think she should take it. Minty's strong, Pinkie, the darling can take it! Believe me darling! I know these things!" Rainbow said with a smile, as if trying to reassure a child.

Zecora slowly walked towards the green pony. Now, having given her Kimono's potion earlier, it was time to give the mint pony her own. "Drink it all quick, this potion should do the trick."

"Ok!" Ponyville's green machine said, before chugging the strange brew. "Yuck, it takes like Sunny Daze gym socks!!! (Yes, Sunny does indeed have a pair, somewhere, and I'm sure Minty gave them to her as a gift!)" She said, before the potion began to take effect. Sadly the effect was probably the most painful thing she had ever experienced.

"Oh, darling, it's hurting her! You simply have to do something, darling!" Rainbow said, with dismay.

"Sadly, there is little I can do. The potion's effects must follow through!" Zecora said, with a somber expression.

"Please darling! Be ok!" Rainbow pleaded.

"Hmm... that's odd. Did both of their eyes just go green?" Pinkie asked, with curiosity. "Guess I'm just seeing things?" She thought to herself, unsure of what she was seeing.

Almost immediately the green pony stopped shaking, and started to breath normally. "Oh wow! I guess the potion only hurts for a minute!" Pinkie thought with a smile. "Zecora is really, really good at this! I really, really, really should congratulate her!"

"That's interesting the pain went away, shorter than I expected it to stay!" Zecora said, with a smile. "Now all three of you to bed! Tomorrow, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, you will get ingredients for me in my stead! You friend, however, in bed must stay!"

********

"What a day!" pinkie said, yawning fully. "I hope Minty get's better soon. Then I'll have to plan a makeup Christmas or something..." She said, drifting off, into what would hopefully be a pleasant sleep.

********

"I remember the day I first met Scootaloo." She said to herself, wistfully -- chuckling only a little. "The sun was shining, and the day was perfect (well most days in Ponyville were perfect, but I won't tell her otherwise, if you don't.) It all started with tea... well a tea party anyway..." She said to herself, travelling back into the past. Wait, didn't she meet Scootaloo later on? Yes, wasn't it that scooter party with Breezie, and Flitterflutter?

"I should get the tea set out for Sir. Cuddles, Mr. Quackerton, and myself. It's a wonderfully pinkalishish day for tea!" She said to herself, setting the faux tea set on her little table. Complete with a (luckily) empty tea pot. "There, now for the guests of honor!" She said, placing a stuffed bear, and a rubber duck on the table 'above their seats'. Before sitting down herself. "Even back then I had a certain amount of skill making parties completely utterly perfect!" She thought to herself, as her voice boomed over the scene.

She pretended to take a sip of tea, and looked over to the toy duck. "It certainly is a pinkalishish tea party, don't you think so Mr. Quackerton?" She listened closely to the toy duck -- which of course, sat there and did nothing. "Quite right! I couldn't agree more!" She said to herself, enamored with her own imaginary praise. "What do you think Mr. Cuddles?" She asked the bear, hoping for some more 'praise'. Strange, what did she play with as a newborn cutie, she was sure it didn't have a goofy name like Mr. Quakerton, or Sir Cuddles!

After a second Mr. Cuddles responded (ok, he didn't really. He's just a bear guys!) "Quite right. I couldn't have said that better!" She said to herself. "Not to worry, my friend Cheerilee will be here shortly." She said, boastfully.

After a short time, the doorbell rang (the one that Mrs. Pie probably installed to go with the rest of the play house -- she probably believed in either permissive parenting, or smothering with stuff.)

After a short crawl over, she found that her mother had already opened the door.

"Pinkie Pie, your friend is here to see you." She said, with a soft voice, and a loving smile.

However, instead of Cheerilee behind the door, there was some kind of bee hive. "Mama Pie? Where'd you go?" Pinkie asked, suddenly becoming nervous. "I suppose she has to be there in the spooky beehive..." She said, gulping.

"Too bad you won't be leaving today! I already have the party planned for you, and I would hate if you left now!" Said an older bug pony, wearing some kind of wheeled contraption strapped to her barrel. Followed closely behind, by a strangely feline bug pony, and another pitch black bug pony with a pitch black mane.

"Mistress, Dulcamara, leave this to me! I've got the three of them handled just fine!" Said an angry Mandragora. "Just look at the pink one! Doesn't she look older and more frail then even you?"

"Oh, of course, dear Mandragora, I fully trust in your ability to finish these three, but I just want to make sure the job is completed successfully: you know how sly Lady Rainbow can be..."

"Ok... I think it's time to go!" The bug pony with the rainbow mane exclaimed, quickly grabbing the small pink pony in her other wing.

"You know what?" Pinkie asked herself. "This seems familiar, have I had this dream before?" Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as all four bug ponies quickly began to circle 'Mama Pie'.

"Oh Cheerilee brought her little sister with her, Pinkie, isn't that wonderful!" Said, a smiling Mama Pie. All of a sudden she was back in her play house. And standing before her was a baby Cheerilee and Scootaloo.

"Yay! Yay! Wonderful!" Said the tiny foal Scootaloo, seemingly mocking Mama Pie.

"Wonderful..." Said Cheerilee, with a deadpan voice, obviously less then enthused about the interloaper. "My mom made me promise to take her along. I hope you don't mind." Cheerilee said, upset about having this interloper in on their tea party.

"Of course not! The more the merrier!" Pinkie responded with a chuckle. "So you gunna introduce me?"

"Sure." Cheerilee responded. "Pinkie Pie, this is Scootaloo. Scootaloo, this is Pinkie Pie."

"A pleasure to meet you. Would you like to join our pinkalishish tea party?" Pinkie asked with a smile. "It'll be a lot of fun!"

"Party?" Scootaloo asked, before launching into the air, before a crash resounded throughout the air. "I guess we should see if she's ok." Pinkie asked, giggling. "Maybe a tea party isn't the best idea right now!"

She started walking over, but didn't make it far, before...

"You know... I had hoped to make this job appear like a double starvation, and an unfortunate stroke. But it looks like you're unwillingness to face facts has forced me to take measures into my own hands, Lady Rainbow."

"Ok... If I attack one, the rest will join in, and I can't take all four of them. And further, the only way out would be through the door... Unless..." Lady Rainbow schemed to herself.

"When I give the word, each of us will attack in order, with the others providing support. Sadly we'll have to evaporate whatever remains...." The old bug pony said to herself, with a morbid smile. "Now Lady! I'll be merciful -- seeing as you are a hero of the hive -- I'll use a powerful unicorn spell to finish things quickly: I may be old and frail, but my magic is as powerful as anypony's." She said, standing against the wall that the old rainbow bug pony wanted to egress through.

"Oh... As is mine, worry not." Lady Rainbow said, with a smile.

"You are bluffing, I can see it in your smile. I suspect most of your magic has been used..." She said, her form suddenly changing to that of an older unicorn (except for the wheeled contraption). "To keep those brats alive! You've gone weak and senile in your old age Lady..."

Lady Rainbow didn't waste any time in showing just why she was given so many titles (Rainbow of Doom, Rainbow of Darkness, The Dark Rainbow, Lady Colorington -- oh wait... That was someone else!) Sending a beam of solid magical energy through the wall (and sending a rabidly cussing Dulcamara out said hole in the wall -- not to be confused with the show by the same name!)

"Quick, little ones, we must leave!!!" The rainbow manes bug pony said, with urgency.

Was she moving with the bug pony? Was she flying further away?

As they were flying away, a blond maned blue eyed bug pony stallion walked in. "What are you waiting for! Squash her!!! What do I pay you for!!!?"

Why did he make her legs all wobbly?

"Watch out Mama Pie!" Pinkie said, as a large needle caused a small knick in the plot of 'Mama Pie', which had become solid rock for a second.

"Horse apples... That was probably poisoned..." She said, starting to wobble a little in flight.

"Please Mama Pie be ok, the children are sick!!! They need you!!! I need you!!! I miss you!!!" Pinkie screamed, awaking with tears in her eyes.

By the sound of things in the other room, Rainbow was having another one of her nightmares. "I guess this must be the nightmare season." Said Pinkie to herself, with a smile. Before drifting quickly back to sleep.

********

"You look half asleep, did you manage to sleep without a peep?" The wise zebra asked Pinkie with a smile.

"Not so well, I've kind of been borrowing Rainbow Dash's nightmares the last two nights." Pinkie said with a frown. "But I always go straight back to sleep, because I always remember that no matter how bad the dream, my friends will always be there in the end!" She said, recovering her smile.

"That's a sweet sentiment, use it to your betterment." The zebra said with a smile. "So, wake Rainbow Dash you should, and get these ingredients; if you would!"

"Oh wow!" Pinkie said, with a large smile and boundless enthusiasm. "A puzzle hunt! I love a puzzle hunt. Too bad Puzzlemint's not here right now! She's love to join in."

"That's a good way to think, grab the ingredients on the list, and bring them back to me for a twist!" She said, laughing slightly.

"Sure thing! Did you hear that Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said, enthusiastically. "You get to join me on a puzzle hunt! We just need to get all the ingredients on the list, and bring them back!"

"Of course, darling." Rainbow said, yawning a little. "We'll fetch them right after we eat."

"You ok Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked, with trepidation. "Are you still having nightmares."

"Unfortunately, darling, but not to worry, I'm sure as Minty gets better, they should go away."

"Maybe a brew, to help bring good sleep to you?" Zecora asked. "But I'll need a few things more, that cannot be bought from a store."

"Ok, darling." Rainbow Dash said, as she started to leave. "This should be easy, and Minty will be better in no time!"

Zecora's face darkened. "Remember, you pony folks, stay on the path, the woods are not a joke!" She warned, as harshly as she was able.

********

"So how do you feel my green friend? Does your pain continue without end?" Zecora asked of the mint green pony, carefully laid out on a guest bed she had borrowed from Twilight. "Also you look sad, do you still think your friends are mad?" She continued, looking at the green pony, now carefully casted up all over to make sure none of her broken bones moved out of place.

"Well, gee Zecora, it's like I keep messing everything up. I didn't mean to mess up Christmas, I just wanted to make everything perfect."

"And it upsets you that you put your friends to such trouble? Perhaps you should think double?" Zecora sat down with a smile. "Your friends are happy to help, with or without a yelp. But since you are stuck here with me, and I have no ingredients, you see. Maybe a story from my past?"

"Oh wow!" Ponyville's green machine responded, starting to sing a song. "Come on everybody, lend your little ears!"

"Of what are you singing my green friend? It certainly, causes my ears much ringing!" Asked the wise shaman, surprised in the odd song coming out of her guest's mouth.

"It's the song we always sing for story club, right before Storybelle's symbol rotates, and she tells us a super fun story!" She responded, with a huge smile, before continuing to sing. "Gather round, gather round! I promise you my dears."

Zecora just looked bemused, these strange ponies were, indeed, unique. They reminded her of innocent children, much as she had once been.

"It's the most amazing story! We're ever going to hear!" Minty finished singing (somewhere a windmill symbol on somepony's flank started to rotate, for some reason.)

"I tell a tale of old, of a place far away, where this story is told." She said, putting a special log onto the fire, throwing up smoke. "In the village of my birth there was much mirth, for wiser than the chief's son, there was almost none. So to become a Zecora he would learn, and this duty he would never spurn." She said, as the smoke took the shape of a young zebra.

"Wow, is that you?" Minty asked, with an innocent smile.

Zecora blushed a little, embarrassed for the, naive young pony. "He was not me, but we were very close, you see!" She reared up onto two legs, and waved her arms a little. The smoke began to take on a distinctly feminine form. "But there was also a slave girl, alchemy to her did unfurl. Even without a coach, her skills were above reproach." As the zebra in the smoke began to throw objects into a caldron, which brought forth a brightly colored smoke.

"However, her skill with the arcane, soon was to become her bane!" The smoke showed a scene of a kind mother, trying to stop the child, who refused to do so. "Her knowledge of magic, had made her life tragic. The village was alarmed, certain that she intended them harm." The mother, and a stallion male were taken away by an angry crowd. "She did not share her family's grave, for the chief's son intended, her to save!" Zecora continued, before clearing her throat, and speaking in a stallion's voice. "An enchantress I do not see, instead greatness in her, I forsee!"

"Her master feared for his life, and of her intentions, he jeered! For, to him, a murderer she appeared!" Zecora said, in her voice again, before switching back to a male voice. "Let us be coy! for us she intends to destroy! She thinks, she has been wronged, and that in the grave we belong! Why else, of alchemy would she learn? Except that for our end, she yearn!"

But the young chief's son was not impressed. "You speak as one who deceives, for our ancestors harm from your family received! I speak of our families jinn that stole the shadows from our kinn! And of our lives he shook, as our strength he took!"

"Why does it you amuse? Of me, treason to accuse? My ancestors you all should trust! Perhaps, your history, you should adjust!"

"Silence I demand! For violence I cannot stand!" Said an old stallion, walking up from behind the crowd. "I will determine her will, whether she wishes good or ill!" Everyone immediately stopped, for this was the Zecora of the East, the protector of all the zebric tribes.

"So, what did he decide?" Minty asked, eagerly.

"Both under him would learn, so that one the Zecora of the east would return!" Zecora said, blushing a little. "We became great friends, sadly over the title it would end!" She said, looking away sadly. "But now you look tired! Of the rest of the story, later you may be inquired!"

"So did you know either of these two person's? And what does it have to do with me?" Minty asked, curiously.

"This is the earring of a slave, on this my story is engraved!" The zebra said, to a vacant expression from the earth pony. Ok she would have to spell it out. "Don't like your ears fail, for what you have heard, was my tale!"

"Wow! But that means, that you lost your family to..." Minty said, going from happy to sad, in a flash.

"Are we so different? Sometimes meaning well is not sufficient. But your outlook is not so bleak. There is a reason your Cutie Mark is unique! If you don't give up, and find your way. I'm sure you will be happy on your final day."

********

"Wow! Rainbow Dash, we already have almost all of the ingredients! This puzzle hunt has been super fun!" Pinkie said, with a smile; if there was one thing, besides doing something she hadn't done before -- and parties -- that she loved, it was puzzle hunts. "So all we need is this thingy..."

"Ahh yes... Zecora called that Timberwolf's bane, darling! But it appears that we can't get it without going off the path. And you remember, darling, what Zecora said about that." Rainbow said, in a warning fashion.

"Yeah, you're right. Except, it's just over there. I think I can get some and be back superfast, and then I'll have won the puzzle hunt!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "Now I'll just start over there." She said, trotting towards the flowers. A low growling could be heard.

"Oh... I almost forgot to put on my gloves. 'Make sure to wrap it well, if improperly prepared, a poison if touched'." Pinkie said, putting a pair of improvised rubber gloves over her hoofs. "That's odd... Why does the air smell like stinky eggs?" She asked herself.

"Darling, get out of there!" Rainbow screeched, as a pack of strange wood creatures approached her friend.

"Oh dear... Nice doggy!" Pinkie said, with a nervous chuckle. grabbing the flower in the glove, and wrapping it carefully in the paper Zecora gave them. "Let me put this in the bag... then we can play." She said, putting the flower in the bag, and slowly backing away.

"I'm on my way, darling!" Rainbow shouted, galloping as fast as she could, feeling the pain in her damaged ribs the whole way.

"Nice doggy..." Pinkie said again, reaching out to pet the creature; only to barely avoid her hoof being bitten off. "Ok... maybe we'll play later, once you're feeling less grumpy..." She said with a nervous chuckle, backing away, only to find she was now surrounded by the creatures.

"Darling! Hold on! I'm coming!" Rainbow started screeching, absolutely panic stricken. "I've got to do something, the darling needs my help." She told herself, as her migraine began to flare up again.

What happened next, was like auto pilot. She leaped right into the center of the circle along with Pinkie, and just started staring at the strange golems. Their eyes glowed a strange green light.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, I'm pretty sure they don't care... But thank you for trying." Pinkie said, gulping. "I think we might be in trouble!"

Rainbow couldn't hear her friend, she was acting entirely on instinct. "YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!!!!" She shouted; as the golems, strangely started to obey, whimpering and whining in fear, as they fled deeper and deeper into the forest.

"Wow Rainbow Dash, how did you do that!?" Pinkie asked, surprised.

"I don't really know, darling..." Rainbow responded, her migraine returning.

********

A burping could be heard all through the golden oaks, as a certain dragon belched out a letter. The parchment was sealed with a royal seal, meaning this was an official letter.

"Twilight! It's a letter to you... From the princess!" Spike said, perplexed. "Aren't you doing that whole journal thing now?" He asked.

"Oh goody, maybe she's found something out about the phenomenon from a few nights ago." Twilight said, with stars in her eyes.

"Alright." She said, reading the letter, word by word carefully, scanning up and down the pages for a few minutes, followed by a disconcerted expression on her face. "Changeling scouts have been reported moving outside of Los Pegasus, and the army is on the move headed due north of Canterlot."

"North of Canterlot? Isn't the capital Canterlot" Spike asked, surprised. "Are they trying to attack the capital from behind?"

"No, They apparently skipped the capital entirely. Apparently they are headed north of Canterlot..." She said, with a puzzled expression. "They have to be planning to attack the Crystal empire. But what would they want in the Crystal... My Brother!!!" Twilight said, getting agitated, and dropping the letter. "We should get everyone together and..."

"Celestia says, 'You and your friends are ordered to remain in Ponyville.' " Spike replied.

"Remain in Ponyville? Why?"

"I don't know... But it's right here in black and white..." Spike said, cowering from what he was sure would be another Alicorn explosion.

"Why would she want us to remain here when my brother is in danger?" Twilight asked. "Unless... does she think we are in danger as well? Or is it possible that the cause of that aurora is here in Ponyville?"

Chapter 4-1: Meet the G4 ponies!

Chapter 4: Meet the G4 ponies!

Rainbow Dash yawned loudly, rising slowly from her sleep. "Such a darling, rainbowy day!" She exclaimed, with a smile. Zecora's potion had done wonders for her sleep (not to mention the dream catcher -- from the old country -- that the old shaman had given her; claiming it would "ward away bad dreams so that you will, no longer, scream!") No more nightmares and no more weird dreams just happy, dashing sleep.

"It's today!" Rainbow said to herself, greeting the day with a warm smile. "I suppose I should go wake up that darling, Pinkie!" She said to herself, thinking about all the activities she had planned for the day. Maybe she would see if she could finally get some work done on a nice hat or a scarf for their darling host. Or maybe she could make a kite or two -- she had, after all, been meaning to resurrect her kite shop (and her kites, back home, were getting a little dusty right now.) Of course, she was sure Zecora had some more things for them to fetch from the forest; nevertheless she was feeling eager to get out -- despite the fact that there are no rainbows in the forest.

Rainbow, gingerly walked over to the pile of blankets on the other side of the small room they were in, and gently tapped her friend on the shoulder. "Pinkie: it's today!" She said, with enthusiasm. "We should go see if, our darling friend, Zecora is up, darling." She said, smiling to her friend as she started to stir.

"Rainbow!" Pinkie said, with a yawning sigh. "It's too early to be getting up! And I'm pretty sure you're not a morning person!" She said, sarcastically, before finally getting up -- she was tired, but not that tired. The good news for her, though, was that her nightmares had gone away at about the same time that Rainbow's had. This meant, of course, that no further action had needed to be taken -- and she was just happy to be dreaming about pink, pink, and more pink again. So after another yawn, she opened her mouth. "So Rainbow Dash, you think Minty's doing any better?" She said, with a smile.

"Well, Shall we see, darling?" Rainbow asked, with effervescence, as she pointed towards the other room. "Let's see if that darling, Zecora, is up!"

Walking into the other room, they could see the old Zecora was, indeed, already stirring, and was preparing some kind of a oat porridge in the cauldron. "Hello! I'm surprised you're up already; I was certain your eyelids would be heavy." She said, with an understated smirk.

"Well, darling, I thought I would get the day started, early!" Rainbow said, with a sunny smile. "So that I could possibly get our, darling, errands done early, and I could have some time to do something special for you, our darling host!"

The old shaman gave an understated smile. "Ahh! So my potion did its job! You sleep, now, like a log!" The old shaman said, her smile turning into a smirk.

"Oh yes!" Pinkie said, with a giggle. "And Rainbow's feeling more like her 'darling' old self." She said sarcastically, gesturing extravagantly, with a giggle.

"Oh, darling!" Rainbow said with a gesture and a chuckle, waving a hoof herself. "So Zecora, darling, what are you fixing? It smells dashing!" She said, smiling at their host.

Zecora smiled. "I've fixing oats, I hope you are hungry as goats!" She said, with a smirk.

"So, darling!" Rainbow said. "What do you need us to fetch for you today, darling?" She said, with a smile. "I'm looking forward to getting out of the hut!" She said, with enthusiasm.

"Oh! And I'm hoping to make a fourth puzzle hunt victory!" Pinkie said, smirking at Rainbow Dash. "Puzzlemint will be so very impressed!" She said, with a smile.

"Oh no chores today! In the hut you will have to stay!" Zecora said, with a smirk. "The doctor comes today, and with your friend you all should stay!"

Pinkie smiled ear to ear. "Does that mean?"

Zecora nodded. "You're friend is doing well! But only the doctor, for sure, can tell!"

"Ok!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "That sounds Pinkie keen! So when is the doctor going to arrive?" She said, enthusiastically.

Zecora smiled. "There's just enough time for our breakfast to heat, and if we hurry, to eat!"

********

After a short while, a clopping sound could be heard in the distance, as the old doctor approached. "Ready or not here I come." He said to himself, with a deep, deep, frown. "This had better be important! I had hoped not to ever have to set hoof back into the Celestia forsaken Everfree Forest ever again!" He said, approaching the door. He decided to loudly rap on it. "Either 'Princess' Twilight had better be right, or the body better be buried deep!" He said, rolling his eyes. "Bumpkins!"

The old zebra smirked to herself, silently, before opening the door. "Do please come in! The patient lies within!" She said, beckoning with her hoof.

"Oh shut up!" The old doctor scowled, giving the zebra the stink eye. "Let me see the body doctor Frankenhoof!" He said, lightly pushing the zebra aside. "Where have you buried her?"

Zecora's eyes showed a little agitation for a second, before she smirked again, subtly. "She's in my bed! Maybe -- " (The zecora had been, naturally, sleeping on the floor, but she hoped that once the green pony was better, never more!)

The doctor interrupted her, with his own smirk. "Maybe I'd like to see the body instead!" He said, showing himself to the shaman's bed. "Let me see how badly your ooga-booga magic has failed!" He said, walking over, expecting to get a dreadful smell, instead a voice could be heard.

"So doctor! When am I going to get out of here! It's boring, and I can't play chocolate checkers, and I can't stand on my head!" The mint pony said, with a frown. "And there's no green anywhere! Everything is brown!"

For a second, the old doctor was actually speechless. Maybe his diagnosis was flawed? It had to be! The only other option was that he was wrong about the witch doctor's abilities, and he wasn't about to do that!

In any case, he had a patient to examine. "Well this is going to tickle!" He said to the mare, firing off a spell to get an idea of the pony's state. Much to his chagrin, it appeared that she was healing well. Bone transforming from bone chips and powder, to almost fully healthy tissue. Maybe there was something to the Zecora's magic after all.

"Actually I'm impressed." He said, choking out an uncomfortable smile. "It looks like she's healing quite well."

The Zecora only smirked.

"Well the good news, for you then, is that I'm going to send the colts to take her to Ponyville General, so we can finish her up there." He said, his smirk returning. "I think tomorrow, or the next day, I'll have the knuckleheads come here to transport her somewhere less spooky." He said sternly.

"Are you sure it's ok for him to take Minty away?" Pinkie said, with apprehension. "I mean you're doing such a good job, Zecora!"

"I think it's for the best, or my hut's resources she would, eventually, test." The zecora said, with a frown. "It's not, for her, good to sleep in a hut. She should sleep anywhere but!"

"Yes, darling, the doctor just wants to make sure she's going to be ok!" Rainbow said, with a reassuring smile. "Besides, darling, she needs to some space to be herself --"

"And more green!" Pinkie said, to herself, with a chuckle.

********

Zecora smiled. "So what do you contemplate, as you sit and vegetate?" She asked her green friend, still wrapped in bandages.

"Hey Zecora, I know you said that I shouldn't be upset, but I am anyways. I was just thinking about what I did to everyone's Christmas -- not just once, but twice!" Minty said, with a frown -- sobbing silently.

"It's ok to be sad, but of much you still have to be glad." The wise Zebra responded.

"I suppose..." Ponyville's green machine said, with a smile. Followed, by a stray thought. "That's it!" She said to herself, her smile growing into an ecstatic grin. "We'll do Christmas all over again! We'll have a do-over Christmas! And we can decorate, and Cotton Candy can make coco! And Sweetberry can make more cookies, and Twinkle Twirl can bring everyone back together for carols!" She said, with enthusiasm.

The Zecora only waved with her hoof.

"Yeah I know it'll be hard, cause Christmas was a week ago." She said, with a chuckle. "But we could make it Christmas in January! And I could go on a dangerous adventure to find Santa again! And I could bring him back and -- "

Zecora smiled slightly, and spoke with slight sarcasm. "I don't believe this is a good plan, is this not how you ended up in a jam?"

"Ohhh!!! Right!" Minty said, with a smile. "Well maybe I'll go on a non-dangerous adventure to find Santa! And I'll make sure to bring Pinkie along this time! And we'll find Santa, and he'll make it Christmas again!" She said, with glee, mentally stamping her hooves together. "Oh... wait!" She said, stopping her own thought process. "But how will I do it if I'm still sick, and won't I be weak for a while?" She said, with a sigh.

The Zecora only winked. "If you promise to be safe, more potions I will make with haste! You know what would make the best gift -- "

The green pony smiled. "Of course! I know exactly what you mean!! I can give everyone Fruit Cakes! Right?" She said, with glee, once again planning gifts for everyone.

The Zecora simply shook her head, with a bemused smile.

"Socks?" Ponyville's green machine asked.

Zecora simply smiled, keeping her laughter to herself.

********

"You ok Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked, with a frown. "You've been looking out the window all afternoon." She said, looking at the most fashionable pony in Ponyville sitting like a lump twiddling her hooves -- looking like a sad sack.

"I should be happy, darling, I really should!" Rainbow said, to Pinkie, with a frown. "But I keep getting the feeling that what happened to that darling, Minty, was all my fault!" Rainbow said with a sigh. "And then it just had me thinking about my oh so un-dashing nightmares, darling!" She frowned again. "Truth be told, I feel like they've been trying to seep out for days, despite the darling potion that, that darling, Zecora gave me!" She said, shifting her seating position. "And I feel like I've been just horrible to you too!" She said to the pink pony sitting beside her, apologetically.

"Oh Rainbow!" Pinkie said, trying to figure out what her dashing friend meant. "I have no idea what you think you did wrong, but I forgive you." She said, with an honest smile. "Remember: 'after Christmas, we'll just laugh and laugh! Can't stop Christmas from coming!'" She said, to Rainbow -- shaking her head -- hoping to remind her not to worry (and parrot some wise words she said to her Mint green friend, a little over a week ago.)

"I suppose, darling." Rainbow said, reluctantly. "I think some sleep will also help." She said, laying down in her pile of blankets, while Pinkie went to her pile on the other side of the room.

After a short time, Rainbow began to sleep. And despite three days of Zecora's better efforts, the dreams came anyway.

She found herself, walking along the road out of Ponyville, accompanied by her friends, Cheerilee, Scootaloo, StarSong, Toola-Roola, Sweetie Belle and, of course, Pinkie Pie. She could tell the clouds were lifting, allowing today, to be positively perfect. For whatever reason, Pinkie had decided to blindfold everyone for some surprise, she was planning to show them outside of town. For some reason, in her dream, it seemed like a good idea to walk forward wearing a dusty old blindfold, walking along towards lord knows what.

"I can't see a thing." StarSong said, with a smile. Eager to find out what surprise Pinkie had in store. "I hope it's something super fun!"

"Me neither!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed innocently. "I should've brought cookies!"

"Pinkie Pie! Where are you taking us?" Cheerilee asked, barely avoiding a case of the giggles.

After a short while, Pinkie began to speak again. "Just a little further!" Pinkie exclaimed, causing everyone to speed up slightly.

"Ok! Stop!" Pinkie said, causing Scootaloo to stop suddenly. Causing Cheerilee to bump into her, followed by Toola-Roola, StarSong, herself, and finally Sweetie Belle.

Everything was starting to go black! The poison was starting to move to its final outcome, despite her better efforts. Wasn't she just blindfolded? "I have to do something! Dulcamara and the others are on their way, and I'm in no condition to fight any one of them, let alone all four." She said, with a sigh. All of a sudden, her vision returned, only to find herself, staring eye to wall with some kind of magical barrier. She was, once again, a scary, unfashionable bug pony -- she could sense it. But there was no time for that now as behind her, quickly catching up, were the meanies from her other dreams. She had to move quickly, but how do you move through a brick wall? "How do I move through a wall Discord set up to keep ponies out?" She found herself asking, herself. "I'm guessing it's to ensure Minhoof-Tierhoof will remain desolate forever!" She lamented. "Even if I enter, I won't make it, but maybe the children can."

Dulcamara could be seen quickly approaching, in full changeling form.

"I hope this will work!" She said to herself. "Imagine this barrier! What is it missing? Change your magical energies to move in sync!" She said to herself.

"What's she up to?" Dulcamara asked herself, out loud. As she peered down on her old rival, Lady Rainbow. "She's attempting a transformation with that poison rushing through her systems! What a fool. And why that ridiculous form?" She asked, as the rainbow maned changeling began to shift into a fashionable cerulean changelicorn version of herself -- complete with pastel rainbow mane.

Dulcamara motioned the other three assassins to circle the other two sides of the runaway princess as well as her escape from above. "It's over now!" She said, cockily. "This blight on the hive ends now!"

"I hope this works!" Not Rainbow said to herself, pushing against the wall -- which seemingly began to wrap around her. This, however, proved to be a mistake, as even in her dreams, she could sense how much this hurt. She could feel her everything crying out with a feeling like she was being burned alive. But she had to hold onto the foals at all costs! They had to make it through, even if she didn't!

And just like that, she was blindfolded again, smelling StarSong's plot (not the most pleasant thing ever!)

"I promise you the best day ever, didn't I?" Pinkie asked, with a smile, and a giggle, taking a breath to speak again.

However, instead Scootaloo responded back sarcastically, as she always did. "You did! But it's a dud!" She said, sounding very upset (and none too confident of Pinkie's best day ever!)

"Well maybe you should think again!" Pinkie said, with a smirk. "Because you may now remove your blindfolds!" She said, with indomitable enthusiasm.

Of course she had to do as Pinkie requested, tossing off her blindfold -- to an inky blackness.

"Were you expecting something?" A strange mix-and-matchum-up creature inquired. "Standing over her shoulder.

She looked around, why was this place so empty. And who or what was this creature standing over her? And was it even real?

"I bet you are wondering why this place is so empty? " The creature said, with great pride. "Well I just finished a season, and so the place had to be closed for renovations!" It hissed. "You see I have a cycle going on here! And every pony plays their part for the better of -- " He said, waving a rainbow over his head. "Discordtopia!" It said, with a smirk.

"Discord!" She hissed, talking to a pony she had never met. "You're supposed to be a giant lawn ornament! You can't be real"

He simply smirked, ear to ear -- laughing slightly -- wrapping himself around her, and putting his claw on her shoulder. "Hey babe! Here I'm as real as I need to be! And I wouldn't be so haute, considering that you three are trespassers here! " He said, suddenly dressed like Barney Fife. "Maybe this would make my point! You see your little friends over there!" He said, opening a view port through the black sky where they just entered.

Outside, Dulcamara was seething. "Unacceptable! The Lady shall not get away again!"

"Relax!" Said a young Solanaceae, finally joining his mentor, and the other assassins."How could we even get in there? And to top it all off, it looks to me like she just got turned into space dust! I feel we can safely leave now!"

"NO!" Dulcamara hissed. "She's in there somehow and I'm going after her!" She said, concentrating her energies. "There's someone in there that somepony loves! And I'll take their form." She said, transforming into an odd looking Puzzlemint with a small snout.

"Now watch what happens when she tries to sneak her way into 'Discordtopia'!" The draconequus hissed. "This should be great!" He said, suddenly wearing nothing but fifties 'three-d glasses', and holding a bucket of tofu. "Oh wait..." He said, looking at the box of 'healthy foods' he was holding in his claw. Frowning slightly, he snapped his claw. "Now! This should be great!" He said, suddenly holding, instead, a bucket of popcorn (with extra artificial butter).

"Now I simply need to push my way in!" Grunted Dulcamara, as she spoke her last words, beginning to push. In a split second, something that looked like the flashing of a bug zapper could be seen all the way from Canterlot.

Rainbow looked on with horror. "What just happened to her!" She shrieked, about ready to vomit. "What did you do to her?"

Discord chuckled. "You see: " He chuckled. "That's what happens to intruders!" He smirked. "Now I don't know how you three managed to break into my little universe egg, but I think you should be leaving the same way!" He chuckled. "Unless..." He said, holding his claw to his face in a thinking pose -- his face contorted into a very sadistic expression.

"Whatever it is! I want no part of it!" Rainbow grunted, trying to hold her cool, despite the raging poison. "So if you will excuse me!" She said, trying -- unsuccessfully -- to walk away.

A buzzing sound came out of Discord's mouth, as he was suddenly dressed like Alex Trebek. "I'm sorry that answer is... incorrect..." He said, holding out an answer card. "The correct answer is:... 'I'm going to join the G3 phonies'." He said, now appearing again, as himself -- materializing from the darkness, grin first, chestier cat style.

"You see I have this giant game of ' Ponyville Adventure Game' -- " He said, holding up a tin box with a pink celebration castle, a rainbow road on it, and pictures of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Toola-Roola, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Cheerilee, and StarSong on it. "And I have assembled all of the pieces, from Abra-ca-dabra to Yours Truly -- and even some not even on the list." He said, holding up miniatures of all of the ponies from Breezie Blossom, Unicornia, Butterfly Island, and Ponyville -- and even places beyond, including some she had never met.

"Actually! Shouldn't there be only seven pieces? I mean there are only seven on the box!" Rainbow Dash said, with sarcasm, looking for a way out.

"Actually this is the deluxe edition complete with background ponies without any name!" He said, grinning ear to ear. All of a sudden, Discord shook violently, gasping horribly. Before melodramatically opening his mouth. "But I seem to be missing four very important pieces!" He said, holding up a Star Catcher miniature, a Pinkie Pie miniature, a Minty miniature, and a Rainbow Dash miniature. As he melodramatically held his claw to his head. "However will I survive! Whatever shall I do!" He said, borrowing Rarity's fainting couch. "Oh wait!" He said, looking at the Star Catcher piece. "I never liked this piece anyway!" He said, throwing it over his shoulder, as it exploded violently.

After a few seconds, his expression grew ominously sadistic. "But wait! I see three perfect actors." He said, waving over the Rainbow Dash, and the two bug pony foals under each of her wings. "That would be perfect for these roles!"

"I mean here's a green one!" He said, pointing at bug foal Minty. "The pink one." He said, pointing at baby bug foal Pinkie. "And the Rainbow one! So basically you three are going to take those roles."

"Don't you know imitation is ! -- " Rainbow started, trying to dissuade the mad lord of chaos.

"Yeah I know! The best form of flattery! So time is Chaos!" He said, ripping the foals from under her wings using magic. "Shall we get started!"

As he began to slowly close in, she shrieked. "You leave them alone!" As she releasing a beam of almost all the magic she had.

He simply held out his claw, and the magic beam blew up into baskets of glitter.

"Oh Rainbow Dash! We already have a Sparkleworks! See!" He said, holding out the real full sized Sparkleworks -- her face still distorted in terror -- as well as the miniature. "So you can skip the audition, because we don't need another!" He said, before Sparkleworks -- and her miniature -- disappeared back into the darkness. "And because you are supposed to be an earth pony now, you don't need those wings or that horn!" He said, her horn and wings disappearing with a snap of his paw.

He tapped one hoof against each foal's head, causing them to slowly lose their color.

"No!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "You leave them alone!" She hissed, charging at him with all her might. She might not have magic or flight, but she could, and still would, fight. She could barely trot though, because she was so dizzy from the poison...

"Stay with me Rainbow!" He said, with a chuckle. "I don't want to have to wait around another thousand years or two for another stand in to be found!" He said, laughing uncontrollably to himself. "So why don't you have a seat!" He said, as the aether beneath her, swallowed her legs, preventing her from moving.

"Now let me show you a funny little trick I stole from a very handsome stallion somewhere!" He said, chuckling at all three ponies, as he began to rhyme (on a dime). As the foals began to be forcibly morphed into a form (Ok Pinkie just lost her teeth, and her shriveled wings and horn -- but Minty wasn't so lucky.)

"Let's have some fun!
after all, my day's just begun!
Of love you won't feed!
Of Brains you'll have no need!
Your body contort!
Your mind will distort!
In G3 you'll stay!
Oh happy day!"

********

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Rainbow screamed, as she awoke with a start, seeing only a field of green before her eyes. Her everything hurt, and it felt like her body was full of electricity.

On the other side of the room, Pinkie began to stir. She yawned, loudly, before looking over to see what the matter was. What she found, was Rainbow Dash, looking outside the window depressed, rocking back and forth. "You ok Rainbow? I heard you scream." She said with a frown, before yawning noticeably. "And it woke me up!" She said, sounding slightly agitated.

"I'm terribly sorry, darling. I just had another nightmare!" Rainbow said, with a sigh, looking out. "And now I'm thinking about how long it's been since I've seen -- let alone ridden -- any rainbows, or made a new outfit, or anything." She said, sighing. "And everything was going along so dashingly too!"

Pinkie frowned, before going into reassurance mode. "Remember Rainbow!" She said, waving her hoof. "Bad dreams come and go! But -- "

"True friendships remain!" Rainbow said, her frown unmoved. "I know, darling; but, right now, I'm having trouble believing that myself!" She said, sighing.

Rainbow rocked for a few more minutes before turning over, and attempting to go back to sleep.

Pinkie sat there for a second, thinking. "Maybe Zecora could help!" She thought to herself, walking over to the next room. " Zecora would know what to do!" She said to herself, expecting to find the Zecora asleep. Instead the zebra was sitting up, listening to Pinkie's green friend snore.

"What brings you up so late? Were you the one who's sleep wasn't great?" She asked, with a frown.

"No!" Pinkie said, with a sigh. "That was Rainbow Dash." She said, looking at the Zecora again. "She just had another nightmare."

Zecora sighed, and looked puzzled. "I had hoped, her bad dreams, my dream catcher would snare. But apparently, her sleep, will be difficult to repair." The wise zebra said, thinking to herself. "Tell me, what does your friend like to do? Name to me, more than a few!"

Pinkie sat down on her plot, her legs jetting out. Taking her normal thinking position. "Well she likes Rainbows! Lots and lots of Rainbows! And she knows everything about rainbows!" Pinkie said, as the wise zebra nodded, instinctively. "Oh and designing things! And she loves to help decorate, and help stage our events -- though party planning is more my thing. She's been the host more than once."

Zecora was still nodding, but it was obvious she was waiting for something else she could use.

"Oh and fashion! She adores fashion! And painting her nails! (Oh wait that was another Rainbow Dash)"

At that point, Zecora's face lit up, as the wheels in her head began to form a plan. "For now, please sleep. I have a plan, your friend's nightmares not to repeat!"

********

Pinkie woke up the next morning. It had been a pretty uneventful sleep. Yeah, she had had a strange dream, where mama pie was carrying her through a wall, but overall a reasonably good sleep. Rainbow, though, looked like she was still in a bad mood. "You ok, Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked, with a concerned frown. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Oh, darling, I'm fine." Rainbow lied. "I'm still stewing about that dream from last night though!" She said, with a frown. "I simply can't believe the dreams I've been having." She said, looking away, her frown deepening. "So undashing!" She said, looking downwards.

As she was talking, though, Zecora showed up, furnishing a smile. She winked discreetly at Pinkie. "Rainbow Dash, there's no time to mope! You've got to have hope. You've been here a week! It's time to earn your keep!" She said, brining out a list of things she needed. "This list I need you to heed. I have a few ingredients, from Ponyville, I need!" She said, as all three ponies faces filled with confusion.

"Darling, we have to go all the way back to Ponyville, but it's three days by balloon, darling!" Rainbow said, trying to divine what the Zecora meant.

"No it's nearby, as long as by the path you travel by!" She said, giving them a map. "Follow this map, and you won't need to pull the route to Ponyville out of a hat." She said, continuing her rhymes.

"Oh! Of course!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "This town must be named Ponyville too! It really is a small world!" She said, to herself -- remembering the map they once had.

As Rainbow scanned down the list, her face filled with delight. "Oh Darling!" She said, looking as enthusiastic as Pinkie. "You need a 'Nightmare Night' costume, darling! Now, darling, I don't know what that is -- but I'm certain that it means there's a boutique in town! How rainbowy ravishing!" She said, restraining her desire to stomp her hooves in glee.

Zecora smiled. "Remember you pony folk, the forest is not a joke! Stay on the path, lest you need to beat the beasts back with a staff!"

Rainbow nodded. She remembered the timberwolf attack a few days before. And planned not to repeat it.

Excusing themselves, they started to travel down the road, towards town. However, it quickly became obvious that they didn't know where they needed to go, or how to get there.

"Darling!" She said to Pinkie. "Are you sure we are going the right way?"

Pinkie shook her head slightly, squinting at the map. "I think so! But I'm not certain. I'm having trouble reading this map!" She said, with a frown. "I hope I figure it out soon!"

********

After a few minutes of wondering around, Rainbow Dash began to become exasperated. "I'm concerned, Pinkie darling, I can't seem to find this other Ponyville anywhere! Do you think we misread the map, Pinkie darling?" She said, with concern.

Pinkie just smiled. "I think we did!" She said, with a giggle. "Though, I see a clearing, maybe we can look at the map again!" She said, looking off into the distance for a minute before pointing to an clearing in the forest (near some really beautiful blue flowers, that they were told to avoid.) As they got closer, Pinkie smacked her lips. "Yup! Definitely a clearing!" She said, peeking out from between a break in the trees. "Oh and there's someone's house up there!" She said, with a smile. "Maybe we can ask them where Ponyville is!"

"Oh that sounds like a dashing idea, darling!" Rainbow said, with enthusiasm. "We'll ask the darling, and maybe they can help!" She said, crossing a bridge. "Oh what a darling bridge! And just look at that darling little Château!" She said, taking the view in. "It's so dashing!" It was certainly nice to get out of that hut and out of that dark, spooky, old forest -- and Rainbow Dash could feel it.

As they walked up, Pinkie smiled. "So who do you think lives here?" Pinkie asked, contemplatively. "Maybe a sporty person like Scootaloo, or maybe someone fun like Storybelle!" She said, thinking about some of Ponyville's other ponies.

"Well shall we find out, darling!" Rainbow said, as she slowly started to tap on the cottage's door. "Hello! Darling! Is anyone home?" She asked, as politely as she could, wondering if anyone was home (too bad Scootaloo wasn't around: she's a good knocker!) She wondered, if maybe they should leave and find someone else?

After a few seconds, however, their patience was rewarded, when they could hear hoof prints approaching and a soft spoken voice calling out. "One minute please. I'm coming." The voice said, followed by hoof steps.

"Oh well! She sounds like a nice person!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "She'll definitely be able to help!" She said, with glee, as the door opened slightly.

A butternut yellow pegasus with pink hair slowly peered through the opening. "Hello?" She said anxiously, just below her breath, before seeing, what she thought was her Rainbow Dash's symbol. "Oh. Hello Rainbow Dash." She said, a smile slowly materializing on her face, as she preceded to open the door further. She immediately, however, regretted it, as all she got out was the words "What brings you? --" Before screaming at the top of her lungs in abject terror, and freezing in place for a second (if you listened real quietly you could hear goats bleating.) Finally, she managed to rush back behind the safety of her door, loudly babbling something about Rainbow Dash hurting herself doing one of her dangerous and scary stunts, causing her muzzle to swell up in size like 50 times, cutting off the circulation to her brain! Causing her to become a zompony!"

"'Zompony' Huh?" Pinkie said, sarcastically to her friend. "Maybe you scared her slightly?"

Rainbow Dash waved her hoof. "Oh darling! You know I'm not a zomb-whatever! I don't eat brains, darling! That would be un-dashing!" Rainbow dash opened her mouth to try to convince this strange yellow pegasus not to be worried, however she had already quickly flown behind the door, and locked it behind her -- adding something to her previous rant about Pinkie doing her 'I bet you can't make a face crazier than this' face and her face getting stuck that way! Causing her to go crazy!"

"And apparently my face is the 'I bet you can't make a face weirder than this' face." Pinkie said, chuckling to herself. "Maybe I should talk to her, and see if she's ok!" Pinkie said contemplatively. "But I don't think it will be easy!" She said to herself, in her signature thinking pose. "She's pretty nervous! I haven't seen anyone that nervous of anything, since that time when Thistle Whistle visited during Ponyville's cloud jamboree!"

"That won't be necessary, darling!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "I'll talk to her." She said, lightly tapping on the door again. "I'm sure that when I explain, she will understand that I didn't mean to hurt her with -- whatever it was I did!"

Pinkie just nodded.

A frightened voice shrieked from inside. "Go away! There's nopony home! No brains here!"

Rainbow Dash's face simply dropped, as she stood there utterly speechless. Her ramblings did remind her of Thistle's though! (Albeit with less whistling!) Maybe she should try a different tact?

However, while she was contemplating her next move, Pinkie decided to chime in. "Oh let me talk to her!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "So um... Hi!" Pinkie said, innocently. "I know Rainbow can be kind of scary! -- "

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted. "I am most decidedly not scary, darling!"

Pinkie just waved to her, discreetly. "See! Just like that! But she's actually quite harmless, and really friendly!" She said, like a mother to her child. "And all she wants to do is be your friend! And maybe make you a nice scarf!" She said, emphasizing the last sentence.

After a few minutes of trying to coax the nervous yellow pegasus out, Pinkie could hear some gulping, and a soft voice calling out from behind the door. "Hello?" The voice said.

"Oh! Hi!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "I'm sorry if we scared you earlier! We are just new to town, and we were trying to find out where town was!" She said, with a blush. "You see, we kind of got lost and -- "

The pegasus slowly opened the door. "Oh hello Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash!" She said, with a nervous smile. "What do you need? I thought Rainbow Dash weren't returning from her trip, with Scootaloo and Lord West Wind, to Cloudsdale until this afternoon. Is Tank sick or something?"

Rainbow stood there confused. "Oh darling! I think you have me confused with someone else!" She said, with a smile. "I'm actually here to get some supplies for Zecora, who's been busy helping my darling friend, Minty."

"Oh ok." Fluttershy said, looking slightly more confident. "I thought for a second you were my friend, Rainbow Dash, and that you had hurt yourself doing one of scary stunts, and had turned into a zompony."

Pinkie, resisted the urge to giggle. "Oh no! She no zombpony! In fact she's just fine, and fashionable!" She said, imitating Rainbow Dash for a second. "So what's your name?"

"Who me?" The Pegasus asked. "I'm Fluttershy. And you are Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, correct?"

"Oh! Yes! That's correct!" She said, with a giggle. "I'm so glad you chose to open up! I would have had trouble talking to the door instead of you!"

Rainbow Dash decided to interject herself. "I'm so very sorry for scarring you, darling. I only meant to ask you for directions to Ponyville."

"Oh I think I can help you with that. " Fluttershy said, with a smile.

"Why thank you, darling!" Rainbow said, politely. "But what made you finally decide to open up?"

"I'm not really sure." The pegasus said, nervously. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh darling, I didn't mean to upset you." Rainbow said, blushing. "I just was curious what finally coaxed you out of your shell? Maybe we can use it to help our, darling friend, Thistle Whistle through her fear of clouds!"

"I don't know either." The pegasus replied. "I was ready to flee into my basement, and then suddenly I wasn't scared anymore. Like magic! And it just felt like my fear simply vanished. I think it's because your Pinkie is really persuasive!"

"Oh I am?!" Pinkie said, with a self gratified smile. "I always feel my best when the other ponies around me are happy! And I've always had an unnatural ability to make friends, and ponies feel good about themselves!"

"Kind of like our Pinkie?" The pegasus responded.

Pinkie just shrugged her withers.

********

After a few minutes, and some more small talk, they were back on the road again.

"Ok, darling. Let's look at the map again." Rainbow said, starting to get tired. "Are we getting close yet?"

"I don't know. We've got to be close though!" Pinkie said before, what appeared to be, her poofy haired mirror image meandered out from behind a bush. Pinkie froze for a second. Was she staring face to face with herself? (albeit darker, poofier, haired self.)

Rainbow Dash, put her hoof on her chin. "Hmmm... This does seem familiar, doesn't it, darling?" She thought to herself. But wasn't she on a slide last time?

Pinkie cocked her head, her mouth agape. Her reflection did the same. "That's odd, a mirror in the middle of the path?" She thought to herself. waving her hoof, in an unnatural manner. Her duplicate did the same. "That can't be right, can it?"

She turned to the side slightly to look at her own symbol in the mirror. It was definitely still there, but why was her reflection's hair so unruly? She took great care in make sure her mane was positively perfect. And she was sure her muzzle was bigger than this!

She turned to her other side, holding her hoof up -- her double, once again, mirrored her movements. "Definitely strange!" She thought to herself. "Maybe someone wants to distract me again?" She asked herself, facing forward, and raising her other hoof -- a confused expression still glued to her face. "If I didn't say better, this is supposed to be Minty!" Once again her double kept pace. "Ok! This time I can feel it!" She thought to herself, bending her front legs -- smirking fully -- this time her double failed to keep pace -- giggling manically instead.

Pinkie stood there, her own mouth fully agape. And her mind full of puzzlement (Not to be confused with Puzzemint -- that's a different pony.) This was weirder then if it had been a mirror! And why did she want to say 'Minty! Minty! Minty!' even though Minty wasn't even here?

Her double continued to laugh for a minute, before something in her brain appeared to break, as her face suddenly changed expression, and her double launched herself, hovering in mid air, for a full minute and a half. "HUURRRRRGGGGG!!!!!!" She screamed, at the top of her lungs, before speeding off rapidly.

"What do you think that was about Darling?" Rainbow Dash asked, her migraine temporarily returning. "And why did it seem to very familiar?"

Pinkie simply shook her head. "Oh.... I don't really know." Pinkie said to herself. "Definitely puzzling!" (Sorry there was no frosting on her hoof to lick off this time!)

Rainbow Dash responded. "Indeed, darling, but why ever do you think she ran off like that?"

Pinkie thought for a second, before responding. "Maybe she was late for an important meeting or something?" She said, thinking some more. "Or maybe she forgot her cookies in the oven! I still have those nightmares occasionally!"

"Maybe Darling!" Rainbow said, to herself.

********

"Oh! So this is Ponyville!" Pinkie said, with a smile, walking along, looking at streets she had never seen before. "It looks so very different from ours!" She said, taking in the sites. "For one thing: there are almost no hearts anywhere!" She said, her smile dropping slightly. "I even miss them a little!"

"Well not to worry, darling!" Rainbow said, encouraging her friend. "Minty will be better soon, then we can go back to our Ponyville!"

"Oh that sounds great!" Pinkie said. "The Winter Wishes Festival is only a week away! And I'm hoping to win the decoration contest this year!" She said, with a smile.

"Oh of course, darling!" Rainbow said, feeling competitive. "But you will have to beat me, of course! So I wouldn't get to eager, darling! Because I never, ever lose!"

"Oh! You're on!" Pinkie replied, feeling more chipper. "Maybe we should ask someone where to find Heart's Desire, because I think we're kind of lost. She said, looking around, feeling suddenly surrounded in a sea of strange ponies.

"I suppose, darling!" Rainbow said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "And do you think that I'm crazy when I think everyone is talking about us?" She said, suddenly noticing an orange earth pony with green hair, talking to another pony -- pointing at the two of them.

"Oh! I don't know." Pinkie said, with a smile. "I think you're imagining things!" She said, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, in any case, darling. I think we should find someone who -- " She said, talking for a second, before running into an amber earth pony, with a dark amber mane, and an hour glass cutie mark, knocking him down. "Oh I'm terribly sorry, darling!" Rainbow said, apologetically. "I wasn't watching where I was going and! --" She said, trying to help the earth pony up, by grabbing his hoof with her mutant hoof.

"Ouch! That's not quite the way to do that!" He said, struggling against her grasp.

"Oh! Sorry, darling!" Rainbow said, apologetically.

"No! It's mine!" He said, with a suave smile. "I wasn't watching where I was going and... and... and.... and... and... and..." He said, his face starting to show abject panic.

"You ok, darling?" Rainbow said, concerned as to why this pony was acting so odd. "You look like you've seen a ghost." She said, before looking him over for a second. And shaking her head. "I apologize for asking this, darling, but have we met before somewhere? You seem familiar to me?"

He started to back away. "Oh no! M...m....mmmmm..my name is Time Turner, and I don't believe we've been introduced." He said, starting to turn away.

"Ok, darling! My bad." Rainbow said, with a smile. "But would you mind telling me where I can find Heart's Desire, darling?"

"Oh certainly." He said, trying to cover his face with one hoof, and his cutie mark, with his tail. "Ask Rose, she has a store down by Sugar Cube Corner, just down the road there." He said, before rapidly speeding away.

Rainbow dash sighed. "Is it just me, darling, or is everyone in a terrible hurry here in this Ponyville?"

Pinkie just shrugged. "Maybe they're all late for Story Club or something?"

"Maybe, darling." Rainbow said, taping her hoof on her chin. "Though that man did seem familiar! In any case we know where to go." She said, starting off, down the road.

********

The sights! The smells! The stores! Rainbow was feeling uncomfortable, but no longer! Just the look of the storefronts reminded her of the store fronts back home. All she needed now was a boutique! But in any case, she had work to do, and nothing would distract her.

"So where did Time Turner say we could get Hearts Desire again?" Pinkie said, putting her hoof on her chin, while walking along. "He said there was a pony around here we could buy it from, right?"

"Yes, darling! I think her name was Roseluck, darling! You know, like our Desert Rose!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "I hope that darling Wysteria is doing alright, darling. She was feeling under the weather when we left!" Rainbow said, frowning for a second.

"Well! I'm sure she's ok now!" Pinkie said, to her friend. "But I think it might have been just Rose. What I'm wondering, though, is where her store is?" Pinkie said, looking at the words on one of the store fronts, with a frown. "I still can't read this writing! It's like we've entered another country!" Pinkie said, with a sigh.

"Yes! It's strange, darling! It's like no one reads English here!" Rainbow said, with dismay. "Maybe we can ask someone?" She said, noticing a pink earth pony, a green mane and a white flower cutie mark, staring into one of the store fronts.

Rainbow gingerly walked over to the earth pony. "Excuse me, darling!" She said, with a friendly smile. "I'm looking for Rose's place, and I was wondering, if you could give me directions, darling!"

'Why sure, Rarity!" She said, with a calm voice. "It's just over there." She said, pointing at another store front. "You looking to get something for this evenings date with -- " She started turning around, her face contorted in terror. "The horror! The horror! Rainbow Dash has been exposed to Poison Joke, while doing one of her outrageous stunts, and it's changed her into -- "

"Oh, darling!" Rainbow said, waving with her hoof. "Whatever do you? --" She asked, noticing suddenly that the other pony has disappeared into a cloud of kicked up sand. "That's interesting!" She said, to herself.

"Yes, very strange!" Pinkie said, licking some icing off her hoof, that had been left when she tried to order a pastry from a nearby cart. "For some reason they act really odd when they see us!" Pinkie said. "Do you think they're planning a birthday surprise for me? Like that time that Minty -- " She said, suddenly realizing she had remembered something with clarity that never happened. That birthday, she was thinking about, never happened, right?

"In any case, darling!" She said, walking up to the storefront. "Maybe we can ask Zecora later." She suggested to herself, as she walked up to a cream pony, with a raspberry mane, and Desert Rose's symbol. "Excuse me, you're rose, correct darling?"

"Yes, that's me!" She said, turning around with a smile. "What can I do for you Rarity, are you ready for your date with that stallion from House Ivy, what was his name?" She said, before getting a good look at 'Rarity' -- her face suddenly contorting with terror. "The horror!" She said, fidgeting with her door. "Rainbow Dash has hurt herself, doing one of her dangerously outrageous stunts, and it's knocked her feminine side loose! And now she's going to steal all the flowers in town to catch up on 18 years of being a girl!" She said, with horror, still trying to force her door open -- why wouldn't it open?

"Excuse me, darling!" Rainbow said, firmly. "But I believe you have me confused with another pony!" She said, approaching the counter. "As you can see, I'm clearly different then this 'Rainbow Dash', and I've certainly never been called Rarity!" She said, frowning slightly.

Rose took a few breaths, practically hyperventilating, before she could calm down. She stood there for a second, staring the other pony up and down, before. "Yes, I suppose you're right!" She said, with a blush. "You don't have wings, and your cutie mark is different, after all!" She said, apologetically. "So what did you need?"

"Well, darling! I'm looking for Heart's Desire. And some..." Rainbow said, looking at her ingredient list. "Easter lilies."

"Wow! Heart's Desire huh?" Rose said, getting closer. "What do you need it for?" She said, with a playful expression on her face.

"Well, darling!" Rainbow said, oblivious to Rose's desire to peer into her love life. "These are so Zecora can make a potion for my sick friend. You see she hurt herself a few weeks back, and --" She said, looking at Rose who was now looking sullen.

"I was hoping they were so you can impress the stallion of your dreams!" Rose said, frowning.

"Oh, darling! I wish!" Rainbow said, blushing a bright red. "Sadly not! There are just so few eligible stallions in my town. I haven't had any luck getting the ones I'm interested in to notice me."

"It's that way here too!" Rose said, sighing wistfully. "And all the good ones are spoken for!"

"But you best not give up, darling! I have my eyes on a couple! (Just watch Twinkle Wish and, you too, will understand the mystery of the one guy!)" Rainbow said, with a smile. "And one just came to town last spring. His name is Kenbroath."

Rose looked at Rainbow Dash, with a confused expression. "Kenbroath! That's an interesting name!" She said, getting closer. "Tell me more!"

Rainbow simply blushed. "No. Sorry, darling!" She said, turning away with a bright shade of red on her cheeks. "I've said enough! Zecora gave me these to pay with!" She said, handing over a couple of bits, her face still a bright red.

Rose, carefully prepared the items on Zecora's list, giving them back to Rainbow Dash, a mischievous grin on her face. "So you won't tell me anymore?" She said, hoping for more gossip.

"Sorry, I've said enough darling. Kenbroath is a close friend, and the princess mentor of a friend of mine, and I really would hate for him to get wind of this." She said, frowning slightly. "Besides, I really should be on my way to collect radishes for Zecora's potion."

For the first time all conversation, Rose frowned. "I'm sorry! The only place is the bazaar, and they are all out!" She said, looking sad.

"Oh! That's a disappointment, darling." Rainbow said, with a sigh. "Is there hopes I can pick them up from anyone?"

"Well, you could ask Twilight Sparkle. I saw her leaving the bazaar before I arrived. Maybe she got some?" Rose responded, still looking skeptical.

"Well! It's worth a try, darling!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "I apologize, but I'm new to town, could you point me to her house?"

"Sure!" Rose exclaimed. "She's in the Golden Oaks! I'll give you directions." She said, smiling.

"Excellent, darling!"

"Of course." Rose said, remembering something. "You could try Pinkie Pie, or Applejack." She said, with some enthusiasm. "They might also have something."

"Pinkie?" Rainbow said, with a flummoxed expression. "Isn't she standing right here?" She said, pointing to Pinkie.

Rose just about fled back into her store, before she realized: this was a different Pinkie Pie. "Nope! Different Pinkie. Course she might be hard to find at this time of day, as she's probably helping other ponies to smile!" She said, with a smile. "Applejack might be out at her stall selling apples."

"Thank you, darling!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "But how about directions to this Golden Oaks first! I've met Twilight before, and Zecora needs me to return a book to the Golden Oaks for her." Rainbow said, picking a book up out of her saddlebag (with her bare hoof, of course -- what else would she use to pick it up?)

"Ok!" Rose said, with a smile, as she started to give directions to the town's old library.

Pinkie, meanwhile stood there puzzled. It's amazing how many similarly named ponies they had run into! And now another Applejack, and Pinkie Pie (that must have been the pony she ran into earlier). Maybe it is just a small world, after all!

********

Sometimes a pony just needs to fly, and for Rainbow Dash, now was that time. If it wasn't bad enough that she had to end her date with Lord West Wind early due to some knucklehead concessionary giving the squirt bad hay blintzes. But, no sooner had she gotten back to Ponyville and explained things to Mrs. Gold Heart (she was none too happy that the half-pint got sick -- seeing as she already felt Rainbow was reckless, and irresponsible -- go figure!). Then, upon finishing her talk, she found out that some grey ditz messed up what should have been a very simple weather schedule; and she, therefore, had to work triple time on her day off to make up (and she hated to work straight, she preferred to work in spurts -- but not today.)

Finally, to add insult in injury, she started getting reports that there was another her in town (actually it was more like ponies were glad that the swelling in her muzzle had gone down, and her wings were still attached.) And what's worse, this pony was girly, and fashionable -- two things she was decidedly and intentionally not!

So fly she did, hoping she could either find this imposter, or find someone who had. After a period of time her temper began to recede, and she thought about working quadruple time on that weather schedule. Fortunately, for her temper, she caught sight of Fluttershy, who was heading out towards the bazaar.

"Hey Fluttershy!" Rainbow shouted from above. "You have a minute?" She said, looking from behind the cloud to see if anyone was watching her. It took a few minutes of subtle hints before her old friend from flight camp could notice her.

"Oh hey Rainbow!" Fluttershy said quietly, with a smile. "What's going on?" She asked quietly.

"Hey Fluttershy! You better be on the lookout! There's an imposter on the loose -- and she's trying to ruin my good name!" Rainbow said, with a scowl. "I can't believe she's all out there talking, and acting like Rarity! Makes me mad!" She said, fuming.

"I'm sorry." Fluttershy squeaked, cowering slightly.

Rainbow sighed, scaring her friend wasn't her goal. She just got so angry sometimes. "I'm sorry 'shy! It's just I'm so angry!" She said, with a scowl.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But other than that, how did your date with Lord West Wind go?" Fluttershy asked, inquisitively.

"Awesome! Just like me!" She said, with pride. "Lord West Wind is pretty awesome once you get to know him, and I was primed to win a fortune at the derby." She said, her face turning sour. "That was, of course, till the short stack got sick!"

"Oh my!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "What happened!"

Rainbow's face darkened. "When I find the dork that made those bad blintzes I'll give him a hoof to chew on!" She scowled. "The squirt got some bad blintzes, and we had to leave in a hurry." Rainbow said. "To top it all off, the weather team kind of goofed the weather today."

Fluttershy smiled. "I was wondering why it was sunny instead of partially cloudy, as was originally planned." She said, chuckling. "By the way, Rainbow. I'm glad your face is looking better! I was worried for a while there that you hurt your face and muzzle, and became a -- " She said, gasping slightly. "Zompony!"

Rainbow groaned. "You too shy? That wasn't me!"

Fluttershy apologized again quietly. "Sorry about that Dash! I didn't mean to upset you. I just forgot that she wasn't you and --"

"You saw her!" Dash said, suddenly filled with enthusiasm. "Where did she go?"

"Oh!" Fluttershy squeaked. "She went to see Rose to get some supplies for Zecora."

"Great!" Rainbow Dash screamed, already zooming across the sky at high speeds. "I can give imposter a piece of my mind!"

********

"Oh!" Pinkie said, looking carefully at the street signs. "I think we're getting close to Twilight's place." She said with a smile. "It's kind of hard to tell, though, where the right place is, because all the signs are messed up." She said, tilting her head slightly. "Maybe its..." She said, walking within a few feet of a tree. "Over here!" She said, enthusiastically. "Oh Rainbow Dash! I found it!" She said, with a smile.

"Oh darling! Let me see!" Rainbow said, herself becoming enthusiastic. This was her chance to really meet one of this Ponyville's princesses. And she didn't want to miss the chance (last time they met, she was kind of indisposed.) "Are you sure, darling?" She said, her face dropping. "This hardly seems fit for a princess. Remember: Spike specifically chose the Celebration Castle for Wysteria's place while she was princess!"

"Oh yeah! I know!" Pinkie said, contemplatively. "But I'm pretty sure this is Twilight's place!" She said with certainty. "I agree, I was totally expecting a giant sparkly crystally tree castle thing!" She said, her face going straight. "Instead of a regular tree with a book sign." She said, frowning.

"Yeah I know!" Rainbow Dash said, trying to console her friend. "But maybe they haven't had a chance to renovate the place yet, darling! She has been a princess less than a year, after all!" Rainbow said, forcing a smile. "Maybe it's on the schedule for later!"

"Oh I suppose!" Pinkie said, not believing her friend's words -- but smiling anyway. "In any case, we should probably bug Twilight about the radishes!"

"Yeah, I suppose we should, darling!" Rainbow said, lightly tapping on the door. "Do you think she's home, darling?" She said, trying to peak into a nearby window.

After a few seconds, a familiar alicorn opened the door. "Hello? The sign says open, so you can feel free to --" Twilight started, before getting a good look at the two ponies. "Oh hi Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie! What brings you here to the Golden Oaks?"

"Why hello, Twilight!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "Rainbow and I came by to return this book that Zecora borrowed." She said, grabbing the book from Rainbow Dash, and handing it to the Princess of Friendship (AKA the Princess of the Ponyville Library!)

Twilight smiled. "Great! And just on time!" She said, looking at the checkout time on the book. "Spike!" She shouted, for her 'number one assistant'. "Could you take this book back to section 4, subsection 34. Thank you!" She said, handing the book to her eager assistant. "So girls, do you have a library back home in Ponyville?" She asked, trying to make small talk.

"Oh yes!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "It's run by Kimono, and it's a lot bigger than this one." She said, looking around.

"Great!" Twilight said, with a smile (and having mixed feelings about the Golden Oaks being smaller then that other Ponyville's library.) "So do you girls like books?" She said, once again making small talk.

"Who me?" Pinkie asked, with a chuckle. "Yeah a little!" She said with a smile. "But what I really like are stories! I am, after all, one of the four members of Ponyville's story club -- along with Minty, Sunny Daze, and Storybelle! I did tell you about Storybelle, correct?" Pinkie said, with enthusiasm -- she could still remember the story from last spring, it was one of her favorites to date! "And have you heard of a story called Two for the Sky? It's one of my favorites!" Pinkie said, giggling slightly.

Twilight shook her head, no. She hadn't heard of that story.

"Oh! Too bad!" Pinkie said, disappointed. "I think you, Kimono, and Storybelle would get along so well!" She said, as Rainbow nodded politely. "Seeing as you are all really smart!" Pinkie said, her smile returning. "Though that doesn't mean I don't like books." She said, contemplatively. "I just don't find them as fascinating as fantasy stories." She said with a smile. "Though that does remind me of the time Butterscotch, and Sunny Daze found those glasses that literally made books come to life!" She said, giggling at the thought. "Kimono asked them to put them in the Ponyville museum instead!" Pinkie said, whimsically. "Can't say I disagree though, books are interesting enough as they are."

Twilight was fascinated. She liked fiction and fantasy, as much as the next pony, but really preferred to expand her mind with heavy reference materials and magical guides. "So why do you prefer fantasy Pinkie?"

"Oh it's just that I can get away from my every day adventures, and embark on grand adventures!" She said, with a smile. "Though I read more than just fiction." She said, starting to blush. "When no one is looking, sometimes I take a peek into the romance section." Pinkie said, starting to get a full blush.

"Interesting." Twilight said, starting to contemplate what book she would give the pink pony for her birthday (well she didn't know it was today, otherwise she'd have it already.) "And you Rainbow Dash?"

"Well, darling! I mostly prefer books on fashion, and design." Rainbow said, with a smile. "It's the best way to come up with new ideas and to really impress your friends with something new!"

Twilight frowned slightly. "Too bad! I have some books here that you would love. Sadly Rarity has them all checked out right now!"

Rainbow smiled, reassuringly. "No worries, darling! I'm sure this Rarity has a good reason for them! If she's also into fashion, then she sounds like just the sort of darling pony that I would like to meet!"

Pinkie stood there thinking for a second. Finally she remembered something she wanted to ask. "Excuse me, Twilight, but you wouldn't have gotten any radishes on hand, would you? Zecora needs them for Minty!"

Twilight frowned. "Sorry, the vender says he ran out last week, and won't have any in stock for a while!"

"Such a shame, darling." Rainbow said, with concern. "Zecora needed some really badly."

Twilight simply shrugged.

Pinkie's face suddenly lit up. "That's it!" She said, hopping slightly. "A think-a-squink!" She continued with enthusiasm.

"A squink?" Twilight said, her face filled with wonderment. "What's a squink?"

"Oh darling. Sadly you'll just have to wait, and see." Rainbow Dash said, with a smile. "Our friend Fiesta Flair tried to explain it to Tink-a-Tink-a-Too, but all it did was confuse the darling." She said, starting to gesture to her pink friend, who was bobbing back and forth, her back legs fixed, while she hopped back and forth between her front hooves -- making sure to wave her hair generously.

"That's interesting." Twilight said to herself, mildly amused. "Is this like Pinkie sense or something?" she asked, unaware of the magical dandruff beginning to fly.

The pink pony began to gallop in a small circle, as if chasing a small plane.

"You see, darling. First Pinkie Squishes." She said pointing to her friend, who bent her knees and hips slightly for a minute -- causing her to bend forward -- before resuming bobbing. The pixie dust beginning to thicken.

Finally, as the pony stood still, a visible pink fog began to form over the pink ponies head, as a cartoon style thought bubble began to visibly form. Several dozen boxes of radishes sat in a small pyramid in the cloud.

"What in the!" Twilight exclaimed -- this was definitely not just a Pinkie Sense kind of thing.

"Quiet darling, she's only getting started! And I said this would be easier to show, then to explain, darling."

"Then that darling, Pinkie, winks!" Rainbow said, as her pink friend turned her head, her eyes wide opened, and performed an exaggerated wink. Before one more quick bob -- this time back into a thinking position.

"Then, darling!" Rainbow said, with finality. "Pinkie thinks!" She said, as the thought bubble formed, once again. This time showing a scene.

"Ahh, darling! Apparently that pony over there has several boxes! And he's at some kind of darling merchant's gathering!" Rainbow said, as the image showed a brown pegasus ,with a blond mane, and a blue hat kicking a bunch of boxes of radishes further away from view under his stall.

"Hey! That's Crafty Crate!" Twilight said, with a scowl. "He told me he was completely out! And apparently it happened.." Twilight said, disbelieving what she saw. "This afternoon! (She knew that because the celery merchant, the next stall over, wasn't supposed to get more until that afternoon.)"

"In any case, darling!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "And there you go, darling! A Pinkie Squink."

At that point it was like a bell went off in Twilight's head. "How'd you do that!" She said, shaking Pinkie, causing her thought bubble to pop! I want to see that again!" She demanded, to a puzzled expression from the pink pony.

Twilight was, however not deterred. "Spike did you see how she did that?! That was amazing!" She said, with complete and utter astonishment. "She cast divination magic! Very, very, powerful divination magic! Princess Celestia powerful divination magic! Without so much as a pair of wings!" She said, screaming with enthusiasm into Spike's face.

"Yes." Spike said, deadpan. "I heard you the first time!" He said, crossing his arms. "What's so special about Pinkie doing weird stuff? You remember the whole Pinkie Sense incident, don't you?" He asked, reminding Twilight of the obvious.

"This isn't the Pinkie Sense incident!" Twilight said, with agitation. "This is real! Honest to Celestia arcane magic! Cast by an earth pony!"

"So?" Spike asked.

While the two continued to argue back and forth, Pinkie finally piped up. "I'm sorry Rainbow!"

Rainbow looked quizzically back at her friend. "For what?" She asked.

"For doing the squink. Mama Pie told me never to use it as it's very powerful." Pinkie said, starting to sob quietly. "And she said to only use it in emergencies." She sighed, feeling found out. "Ok! So I used it at the Magical Musical Show! But no one was coming together for the Magical Musical Show, and the music was really, really, bad!"

"Oh, darling!" Rainbow said, reassuringly. "I'm sure, wherever she is, that she doesn't mind!" Rainbow said with a smile. "We desperately need those radishes for Zecora, so she can fix Minty up!"

"Yeah, I suppose!" Pinkie said, as Twilight started to materialize from behind her.

Twilight's ear was twitching, and her eyes were bulged, and kind of crazy."So do you mind doing another squink?" Twilight asked. "I'd love to do more research on it!"

"Umm! Maybe later Twilight, darling!" Rainbow said, excusing the two of them. "We really have to be going!"

"Yeah! That sounds like a good idea!" Pinkie said, with urgency, as the two of them flew out the door.

"Oh dear! It's like she never saw a squink before!" Rainbow said, with sorrow.

"Yeah! She does seem eager though." Pinkie said, giggling slightly.

"Yeah! I suppose so!" Rainbow said, smiling to her friend. "In any case, I think we know where to go! We just need to find a pony that can give us directions!"

********

Pinkie approached a pink earth pony, with blond hair, and a trio of white flowers, with confidence, hoping she could give the directions that Pinkie was looking for. "Oh! Excuse me, miss." Pinkie said, with a smile. "But could you tell me which way it is to the bazaar?" She said, with a friendly smile.

The pony looked at Pinkie for a second, like she was about to give her directions, before pointing down a street -- with fear in her eyes -- quickly panicking, and galloping off into the distance, at top speeds, shrieking something about "The horror! The horror! Pinkie was involved in one of Rainbow Dash's radical stunts, and hit her head, causing her muzzle to explode (literally!) And now she thinks she's psychotic!"

"Oh dear!" Pinkie said, looking at Rainbow solemnly. "That's like the 27th person today!" She said, with a frown. "I don't know why everyone's so grumpy today! But it is really upsetting me!" She said, about to cry.

"Oh yes! I know, Pinkie darling!" Rainbow said, with a sigh. "It's like no one has seen us before!" She said, thinking for a second. "Or maybe they think we're someone else?" She said, unsure of what she was saying. "In any case, she did point down that street, maybe we'll find this 'bazaar' there!" Rainbow said, with determination.

"Well shall we try?" Pinkie said, with a smile, as she started off in the last direction she was pointed into.

"I suppose!" Rainbow said, with a smile.

After a couple of minutes, a city of stalls began to emerge.

"I suppose the darling pointed us in the right direction, after all!" Rainbow said, with relief. "I thought, for a second, that the darling might have pointed us the wrong way!" Rainbow said, looking to the side.

"Well, see!" Pinkie said, her smile returning. "I told you everything was fine!" She said, reassuringly (despite how she felt a few minutes before!)

"I suppose darling!" Rainbow said, feeling slightly better. "Do you suppose that might be the pony from your squink?" She said, suddenly pointing at one of the merchants.

"Oh I'm sure it is!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "Excuse me sir!" She said, walking over to the store clerk. "I was wondering if I could buy some radishes from you!" She said, smiling ear to ear.

"Well you're wrong!" The store clerk scowled, his face covered in agitation. "I don't have radishes! Now go away!" He said, motioning with his hoof.

Pinkie frowned, her squinks were never ever, ever, wrong! She couldn't be wrong this time could she? She decided to continue her question. "I hear what you are saying, but I got it in a squink, and my Pinkie squinks are never, ever wrong." She said, with a smile. "Maybe you have just one or two I can buy, or borrow?" She said, sheepishly. "You see they are for a sick friend, and we need them to help make her feel better!"

The merchant simply looked on uninterested. "Maybe, theoretically, if I actually had some -- which I don't -- you could have one, for say 50 bits!" He said, with agitation.

"Oh! That's too high!" Pinkie said, looking serious. "Zecora only gave us 5 bits for radishes, and our friend really needs us! And Zecora's been so kind to us, I couldn't dream of spending more money then we absolutely need to!" Pinkie said with a smile. "And it would be really nice and friendly if you could sell us some. Maybe I could help you out somehow, like maybe throw a party or something?" She said, trying to barter with the stingy merchant.

After a couple of minutes of Pinkie trying to convince him to help, the merchant had had enough. "SHUT UP YOU DAUGHTER OF A DAME!!!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

This caused Pinkie to start sobbing, uncontrollably. No one had ever acted this way to her before. And she didn't know what that phrase meant, but she could tell it wasn't kind at all. And all she wanted to do was help her friend.

Rainbow's head began to ache something fierce, and she started to fill up with a bottomless rage. It was like someone had insulted her sister, or mother, and the more she thought about it the more angry it made her. She rushed up to the counter, standing on only her back hooves, and started rebuking the merchant, her hoof deforming slightly to form a slight bulge where a finger would be.. "Now see here, darling! That was the single most unrainbowy! Undarling!... Undashing!!! Thing I have ever had the mis-opportunity to hear in my entire life!" She said, wagging the bulge in her hoof back and forth in a chastising manner.

Her vision began to be clouded by a bright green light, as she found her strength leaving her, and she was forced back onto all four hooves. But it didn't stop her rant, in fact, the more sick she felt, the more angry she felt, and the more angry she felt, the stronger the field of green became. "I'll have you know, darling! Pinkie isn't causing any trouble! She's just trying to help her friend! And we'd be more than happy to pay for those radishes, if you weren't so stingy!" She demanded, feeling like she had put her hoof into the light socket. "In fact, all she wants to do is be your friend!" She ranted, with a scowl.

Meanwhile, around the time that Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash first set hoof into the bazaar.

Applejack just stood there listless. Business was horrible today, despite the fact that she almost always did well on days like today. She could only guess why. Maybe it had something to with the day's weather debacle? "Sure is slow n' stuff today. Ain't it Mac?" She asked her brother with a grin as he passed by, probably getting supplies for one of the farm's fixit chores.

"Eyup." The stallion responded. "Sure 'nuff." He said, contemplatively.

Just about when she was thinking of quitting for the day, her sister rushed by.

"Hey sis!" Apple Bloom said, with enthusiasm. "Can I borrow some bricks an' mortar?" She said quickly, hoping her sister would just say yes.

"Ah' 'spose." Applejack said, scratching her head. "But what 'cha need 'em for?" She asked, thinking her sister was up to something.

"Ahh man!" Apple Bloom said, with a scowl. "Y'all won't let me do anything!" She said with a scowl, getting close enough to her sister to stare at her in the eye. "Y'all just don't want me earning my cutie mark! That's all and!" She said, starting to sniff.

"Why y'all wear'in perfume?" She asked, with confusion. "You never wear perfume!"

"Well maybe I'm just try'in to put mah best hoof forward for the customers!" She said, belligerently.

"Or maybe you're trying to impress somepony!" Apple Bloom said, looking at her sister, who was sweating slightly, biting her lip.

Apple Bloom just smiled cattily -- this was the chance to force her sister to let her get bricks and mortar so they could build a citadel and be CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS WAR LORDS YAY!!!!! "So who is it?" She asked, with a smirk.

"Maybe it's..." Applejack said, her eyes darting around, trying to spit out a lie. When that didn't happen, she always had plan B. "None of your business!" She exclaimed.

"Uh huh!" Apple Bloom said, getting ready to spring the trap. "Or maybe it's that brown stallion that looks kind'a like mah brother!" She said, getting real close to her sister's face. "You know, the one you always give free apple's too! What's his name? Creme Brulee, or somethin'?"

Applejack started to shake violently. She wanted to lie, but neither her nature or element would permit it (the last few times she tried, the results were hilarious.) "Fine!" She said, looking defeated. "Y'all can go and get them bricks and mortar! I have to get back to work!" She shouted.

"Thanks sis! You're the best sister ever!" Apple Bloom said, with a smile.

Applejack simply sighed, she knew this was going to be coming up again, and she was not pleased at all about it. Truth be told, she did like the stallion, but she really didn't want her sister butting into her business -- especially after the last time Apple Bloom and her friends attempted to play match maker!

Meanwhile, in the distance, somepony shouting could be heard.

"Darling! Please reconsider! This is extremely important, and I simply won't abide this undashing behavior!"

Applejack simply face hoofed. What was Rarity fussing about this time? It must be a doozie! Just listen to her yammer. "What do you s'pose has that mare all in a tizzy this time?" She said trotting over -- was it her something giving her mane the frizzles? Or did the stallion call her ugly or somethin'.

"And darling, where do you get off saying unkind, unrainbowy things like that?" The mare said, now having to hold herself up by propping her front hooves on the stall.

The more the mare talked, the worse her headache. Was everything starting to go green? And she just got more and more angry.. how dare anyone talk this way about her...

All of a sudden, she was snapped out of it by a hoof tapping her shoulder.

"What's the matter Rarity? You sound..." Applejack said, to the mare, holding her hoof on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, darling?" Rainbow said, her headache slowly subsiding. "I think you have me confused with someone else, darling."

"Great Horny Toads!" Applejack shrieked in shock. "Rainbow dash hit her head doing one her dang fool stunts, and caused her muzzle to swell in size 30 times its normal size; and it cut off the blood flow to her head, and now she thinks she's rarity!!!!" She said, in horror, trying to drag the cyan mare away from the stall. "Don't worry 'Dash ah'll get ya to the hospital right quick!" She said, with urgency.

"Excuse me, darling! But I think you have me confused for someone else!" Rainbow said, with concern. "But, I do feel like I need to ask, how do you know my name darling?" Rainbow said, with surprise. "When I don't even know yours!" She said, with a sigh.

"Holy smokes! It's worse than I thought!" Applejack shouted, in horror. She needed to get Rainbow Dash to the doctor now before the swelling in her head becomes fatal!

"Actually she's ok..." Pinkie said, winking slightly. "And no, I'm actually fine, my muzzle is always this big!" She said, answering Applejack's question before it could be asked.

"Umm... Ok... if'n you say so pinkie." Applejack said, scratching her head. "But why's pinkie talk'n like that fer?" She thought to herself, feeling completely befuddled -- did Pinkie and Rainbow Dash's counter parts somehow find their way through Starswirl's mirror from the world with that other Sambra? (She wondered if he was still evil, or if the other Princesses found a way to bring back his true nature.)

"So Rainbow -- do you mind if'n I call you Rainbow? What's with all the catawallen?" Applejack asked. Wondering why Rainbow of all ponies was yelling at Crafty Crate.

"Oh, darling my friend hurt herself a few days back, and that wonderful darling, zecora has been making potions to make her feel better!" Rainbow said, looking sorrowful. "But she needs me to get radishes for her potion." Rainbow said, looking into Applejack's face.

Applejack simply shook her head -- swallowing a chuckle. It was distracting to hear Rainbow Dash talking like Rarity.

"But your friend Twilight said everyone was out! But luckily Pinkie's squink discovered that this darling man has them." Rainbow said, starting to get angry again. "But he refuses to sell for any reason, and I simply can't comprehend why, darling!"

Applejack swallowed the urge to snicker, it was like some kind of joke to her that her friend rainbow dash was talking like this (it was like the polar opposite of everything she stood for).

"But anyway, darling. She asked really quite politely, darling. But all this un-darling man did was insult her -- in the least dashing way possible! And frankly, ..." Rainbow ranted, filling with anger again.

"Applejack" Applejack responded, it felt weird reminding Rarity Dash of her name, after all both Rainbow Dash and Rarity knew it so well (all three of them were kind of frenemies, and rivals in their own ways.)

"Applejack, darling!" Rainbow corrected herself. "I'm quite beside myself!" She said, feeling like she needed to punch the merchant.

Applejack simply held her back, and began to talk. "Let me talk to old Craft Crate, Rainbow." She said, with a wink. "Now Crate, y'all know it isn't nice to call people names! S'des these are friends of mine!" She said, sternly. "Couldn't you do me a solid, and help them out lik'n I've helped you out." She said, reminding the old pegasus of some of the things she did for him when he was first starting business in the town (like his whole failed delivery service -- which ended when ten tons of junk fell on Twilight's head, though she should've respected the power of Pinkie sense!)

"You know it doesn't work that way apple!" Crafty Crate shouted at the orange earth pony. "And I've said to both of them a hundred times I don't have any!" He said, lying to the element of honesty's face.

"let me guess, Crafty!" Applejack scowled, sternly. "Saving them till the price goes up?" She said, shaking her head with disappointment. "Well can't force you ta' sell and all, so Rainbow, Pinkie and I'll go elsewhere!" She said, ripping the two G3 phonies away from the stall. "Sure we can find someone willin to sell theirs!" She said, starting to smirk at the pegasus, as she started to pull a shaking rainbow dash, and a very sad looking pinkie away, and started to trot off.

"Though, I guess it would be right neighborly of me to mention that I won't be sellen y'all any cider this year!" She shouted, with conviction as she was starting to walk out of earshot. "Guess Rainbow dash here'll finally get a chance to get some!" She said, remembering all the times Rainbow wanted to try the cider only to realize that Pinkie, or Mr. Rich was getting most of it. "Seeing as I'll make sure ta' be out when you come to buy." She said, reminding him of the ten or twenty barrels she made available for him to sell in the late fall, and early winter.

"Wait, applejack!" Crafty Crate said, apologetically. "Maybe we can work something out?" He said, on the verge of begging.

"I'm listenin." Applejack said, with a smirk. It was time this jerk understood what came from picking on her friends.

"Double the going rate!" Crafty Crate said, bringing out one of his hidden boxes of the vegetable.

Applejack simply shook her head, beginning to show her displeasure even more openly. "Well guessen ah should mention to granny that we won't be sellin you any cider this year -- cause' y'all dishonest, and you know how she treasures honesty!" She said, with a scowl, and a frown.

"one and a half times the going rate." Craft Crate said, half bartering, and half begging.

"All of a sudden, I wonder if'n Mac still has a secret shinin for pinkie!" Applejack said, giving a silent apology to her brother! "Would be bad for you if'n he still did -- after y'all went and insulted her!" She said looking away scornfully, as she talked!

"fine the normal rate." The old pegasus said, looking defeated.

"I can make that work" Pinkie said, with a smile. "Thank you Applejack!" She said, politely. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up!" She said, with a giggle.

"Remember Dash!" Applejack said, with an honest smile. "You run into any more trouble, just let me know! Ya'hear!" She said, waving to Dash on her way back to her cart. "Don't be a stranger Dash!" She said, with a friendly smile.

Rainbow smiled, reluctantly. "Of course, darling!" She said, as she started trotting away, sadly. "What happened there?" She thought to herself, with a sigh. She almost never got angry, and certainly never this angry! And what was with her eyes. Was she going blind? But what blindness comes with a field of green vision?

Pinkie frowned. She didn't like to see Rainbow upset. And when the yesterday had started so well, she sighed.

********

"Have a good day and come again! Ya' hear!" Applejack said, with a smile as Cheerilee left, holding a nice large bag of apples in her mouth. "Ahh it's good ta make ponies happy!" She said channeling her inner Pinkie. "Ah' —" She started saying to herself, before being knocked down by a cyan blur.

Getting up, and knocking off the dust, Applejack scowled at her cyan friend.

Rainbow responded by smiling and blushing apologetically. Finally she launched into a question. "Hey AJ!" Rainbow said, starting to scowl. "You seen an imposter me running around?" She asked her friend, with a frown. "She's been running around besmirching my good name!"

Applejack simply responded with a mighty smirk. "Color me impressed! Ya'all know the word 'besmirch'!"

Rainbow blushed, with embarrassment. "Yeah! Twilight's been allowing me to borrow some books for the next Wonderbolts Reserve test, and!" She said, stopping for a second, her whole body freezing into a strange expression. "HEY!!!! We're not talking about my grammar! We're talking about that imposter me! She's all like 'I'm Rarity, darling! But I look like Rainbow Dash!' And it's making me look like a fool!"

Applejack sighed. "Ah'm glad that ya'all ain't talkin' like Rarity no more! Ah really am!" She said, face hoofing. "But ah can't see like yer all getting worked up about ponies comparin' ya to Rarity when they all go an' claim all kind-a' things about the ponies y'all date?"

Rainbow sighed, Applejack made a good point. "Yeah! I've heard most of those stories, and they do drive me crazy! But this is about my image! My cool!" Rainbow said, forgetting what she had just learned. "I mean what would the squirt say if she thought I'd been going around acting like Rarity? And what would the Wonderbolts think?" She asked in horror. "You have to help me Applejack! We have to stop her before it's too late.

Applejack smiled, rolling her eyes. "Look ah think ya'll be just fine!" She said, with a blink. "But fer now I have apples ta' sell! So either ya' buy some apples or head out, and ah'll help ya find this 'imposter' later!" She said, with a wink.

Rainbow Dash was furious. This was serious! This was not some disaster! This wasn't just some lies about her love life! This was her cool! This was her image! "RARRRRR!!!!!!!" She shrieked in absolute complete and total frustration. She'd have to find that imposter Dash on her own!

Applejack simply smiled to herself. She was certainly glad that the swelling in Rainbow's muzzle went down quite a bit. She certainly hoped though that this whole incident would teach Rainbow not to do those dang fool stunts!

********

Rainbow Dash stood there, holding her head. Everything still felt off, and she didn't know what happened back there, but the mere fact it happened upset her greatly. She almost never lost her temper, at least not like she did back there. There was still some green in her range of vision, but it was slowly receding. "So Pinkie, darling, what is the next thing on Zecora's list, daring?" She asked, trying to resurrect her smile.

"Umm!" Pinkie said, her voice protesting slightly. "I don't think I can. I guess, apparently, I'm going somewhere…" Pinkie said, as she was being carried away by her counterpart. "Um… I guess I'm going to see you later Rainbow Dash!" She said, with a slight frown.

"Oh!… Ok!" Rainbow said, still suffering from a migraine. "Whatever you say, darling." She said, with confusion watching her pink ball of fur being carried away by another pink ball of fur. "I suppose that I wasn't invited to that party." She said to herself, with a sigh.

In a blink and a flash, Pinkie found herself in the dark, spooky basement of a building somewhere. "Oh wow! It is spooky down here, and stinky too!" Pinkie lamented, holding her nose slightly.

"Oh course!" The poofier Pinkie said. "Where else would we celebrate your birthday party! It's cupcakes sheik!" She said, with great enthusiasm. "It's the perfect party for a straight haired me!"

"Oh… Ok!" Pinkie said, with hesitation to her manic counterpart. She was actually grateful someone was celebrating her birthday, but she wasn't sure why her birthday was being celebrated in a spooky stinky basement. And was that a slab over there?

As if answering her question the pinker haired Pinkie responded. "It's my basement! And here a slab! And Rainbow Dash is on it!" she said, getting ever more enthusiastic, to the point where it was starting to get creepy. "Don't worry!" She said, talking to the fourth wall, while holding her hoof to her mouth. "She's not really on it! She's made of cake!" She said, to the fourth wall. "And the fur comes from the fur the sheds doing her dangerous and unorthodox stunts! And the feathers come from my secret stash of feathers that I've been stealing from Rainbow's bed for years!" She said, with a huge smile.

"Say what!?" A pegasus Rainbow Dash said, protesting, all of a sudden finding herself standing in the room. "And why am I the one up there on the slab!?" She said, feeling distressed and agitated. "In fact, why am I here in the first place!? I have an imposter to find!"

The manic Pinkie stared at her Rainbow Dash, looking none too happy. "Shhh!!!" She loudly exclaimed, motioning to her lighter manned counterpart. "I'm having a party for a psychotic, straight haired me!" She said, with enthusiasm, rushing upstairs, and zipping back quickly with a very large knife.

She turned to her straight haired, G3 counterpart. "Here's your machete, now make sure to take the hooves off the cake first!" She said, with enthusiasm. "They're made from marzipan." She said to her G3 counterpart, holding one hoof to her mouth, and whispering slightly. "Sorry, I don't have the supplies to make a Pony suit today, but I have a lot of Fluttershy's knitting wool!" She said, with glee.

The G3 looked at the large knife, and gulped slightly — holding the machete as if it was made of plutonium. "Ummm…." She said, frowning anxiously. "Ok! I don't think I'm old enough to be handling this!" Pinkie said, sarcastically.

The poofie haired Pinkie smiled, undeterred. "Ok!" She said, manically. "Maybe something a little more kid friendly then!" She countered, her enthusiasm unceasing.

Suddenly two Pinkies, and a pegasus Dash were standing in main room dining area of the Sugarcube Corner.

The straight haired Pinkie barely had time to scratch her head before her poofie haired counterpart unceremoniously shoved a stick in her mouth. "Ewwww! Yuck!" She exclaimed, grabbing the stick with her hoof, and spitting loudly.

"And here's your blind fold!" The poofie Pinkie volunteered, with enthusiasm. "And here's the piñata!" She said, throwing the blindfold on her calm double (it's like payback for her Ferris Wheel adventure!)

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, with displeasure, as the speedster dash looked at the piñata. "Why does the piñata look like me?! And how the hay did we all get here?" Rainbow asked with displeasure, feeling uneasy that her friend used her not just as the cake, but also the piñata.

"Shh...." Rainbow's Pinkie exclaimed loudly, to her Rainbow Dash. "It's my psychotic straight haired double's party!" Pinkie said, twitching slightly. "And all her friends are here!" Pinkie said, motioning to Rainbow 'Darling' Dash, as well as all of the manic Pinkie's Ponyville friends.

"What am I doing here again, darlings?" The fashionable Rainbow Dash asked, in utter surprise. "Should I be out getting supplies, or something, darlings?" And why does that piñata look like me?" She asked, in confusion, looking at the piñata version of the tomboy Dash. "Why Darling, you do look familiar!" She said to her tomboy counterpart. "Have we met before?" She asked, looking over every inch of the other Dash.

But before either Rainbow Dash could continue, the calm Pinkie chimed in. "Oh, Pinkie! It's a pinkalishish party! It really is. But could I get something nice and quiet for my birthday, like a nice quiet tea party? I simply adore tea parties!" She said, putting her hoof to her mouth to think. "Or maybe I could explain to you all the proper way to inflate a balloon? (Don't ask, she actually did that one birthday.)"

The wheels in the poofie Pinkie's head began to turn. "WOW!!!" She said enthusiastically, her mind beginning to move at high speeds. "We can totally have the world's largest tea party! And we can drag out a bunch of one time characters one final time! And then we can pretend that they never, ever, ever, existed at all! And some pony will suddenly change their voice permanently! I vote Rainbow Dash, because who talks that way anyway!?" Pinkie said, looking at her speedster friend, at the end.

"Hey!" The Wonderbolt wannabe Dash barked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Darling!" The designer Dash protested. "I take umbrage at that remark, darling!"

"Shush!" The sugar rush Pinkie protested. "And then we can drag a forty minute episode out indefinitely with an endless parade of pointless musical numbers! And drink out of 2-d paper cups! And then someone can forget the tea!" Pinkie said, starting to bounce in place. "But who?" She said, stopping to think for a second (but only a second!) "I know!!!! Trixy: because she messes everything up!" Pinkie said, rushing into the kitchen to bring out sweets.

Meanwhile: somewhere in Equestria a changeling drone felt strongly that someone was insulting them: "HEY!!!!! Trixy does not mess everything up!" She shouted, in utter incredulity.

Meanwhile back at sugar cube corner. Pinkie was happy at the fact that her darker counterpart was going to do something nice and quiet for her birthday. "That sounds like Pinkie keen fun! Oh wait…" She said, a question coming to mind. "But then why did you do the whole gasping thing?" She asked of her dark haired duplicate.

The frenzied Pinkie took a deep breath before responding. "Why: because first I thought that Rainbow dash had had another bodacious crash, and caused her muzzle to expand oh 3.1415 times pi or so times! But then I realized that you couldn't be me! And Rainbow Dash never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever dresses in style! Ever! So I added two plus the square root of a bowl of oatmeal, and then divided by the height of the Washington monument, and then added the height of the Lincoln memorial and multiplied it by the average cost of living in Canterlot! And then I added -1492 and I got cheese! And that made me realize that this couldn't be me, me, but had to be... another me." She said, pausing for a second. "One that I hadn't met yet! And it was a straight haired me! And that meant that I just had to tailor my party for a crazy me! And then we need to have a welcome to Ponyville party later tonight!" The Pinkie said, practically as one sentence, with more enthusiasm then the G3 pony had ever seen before.

"Oh!… Ok…." Pinkie's G3 double said, her head spinning visibly.

********

And Ponyville's own party planner was true to her word, throwing a shindig that truly was ' birth-iversary' big for her.

About halfway through, she finally got to ask a question of Twilight. "Oh Twilight!" Pinkie said, with a grand smile, in eager anticipation of the 'grand sundress' that Pinkie said her friend Rarity would make later for her. "This has been a truly Pinkie keen party!" She said with a smile.

"Well I'm glad." The princess of friendship said. "I'm actually surprised. This is also probably the most toned down party Pinkie has ever frown."

"Well actually." Pinkie said, with a blush. "She had a couple more out stated parties for me, but I kind of found them a little different! And this party is perfect! What would have been more perfect is if my friend was feeling better!"

Twilight nodded. "Well she does know how to throw the best parties! It is her special ability after all, signified by her Cutie Mark!"

"Cutie Mark?" Pinkie said, with a tilt of her head. "What's that?"

Twilight was completely perplexed. "You don't know what a Cutie Mark is?"

Pinkie simply shook her head. "No, not really!"

Twilight was puzzled, how could she have a cutie mark and not know how to get one? "Well, what were you doing when you got yours?"

Pinkie smiled, innocently. "I've always had this one, ever since I was a newborn cutie. I think Mama Pie put this design on my diapers even."

Twilight sighed. What strange place did these ponies come from? "Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

Pinkie nodded. "Well, when I heard you were some kind of special horned pegasus princess. I was kind of expecting you to live in a giant crystally tree palace place instead of a book tree."

Twilight smiled. "Yeah! My rule as princess has been pretty unusual." She said, with a reluctant smile. "I thought for a while we might lose the good old Golden Oaks during Tirek's attempted coup. But luckily, in the middle of our fight, he turned north and went towards the crystal empire instead." She said, with a smile. "It's a long story, but one that, I think, is worth telling."

"So there I was. Stuck in a rock." Twilight said, with a blush (so much for perfectly controlled teleportation.) "The powers of four alicorn princess will do that to you, you know?" She said to the new pink pony, who simply shook her head.

"Nope, sorry." Pinkie responded.

"Yeah I suppose you wouldn't." She said, with a blush and a chuckle. "In any case! Tirek came by, complaining that I had 'something that belongs to him'. So, after a pethetic attempt to fly away -- that resulted in me facing him face to face -- I did the only smart thing, and teleported back to the oaks." Twilight said, with a smile. "Turns out panic is a good teacher when comes to learning magic." She said, with a blush.

"In the end, I was staring face to face with him through my telescope, watching him power up a magical death beam --" Twilight said, remembering it clearly "and then, as I was preparing to teleport away with what little I could." She said, interrupting her own thought train.

"He just suddenly stopped his attack, and then left, rambling something about 'not being tricked a second time by my distractions -- not after what happened in Canterlot!' apparently he found some kind of powerful magic source to the north, supposedly more powerful than the combined magic of four alicorns. And then, just like that, he just started to march north."

"So he just gave up and left?" Pinkie asked. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, he didn't really give up." Twilight said, with an embarrassed blush. "Instead, he just decided to use my friends as a bargaining chip in 'a trade: my friends lives for my magic!' In the end, I couldn't refuse." Twilight said, shaking her hoof slightly. "Of course, after we got our rainbow powers, we had to face him in the frozen north -- it was quite a fight!" She said, with a chuckle.

Suddenly Pinkie's hyperactive alter-ego materialized, out of a book shelf. "That wasn't what happened!" Pinkie said with a smile.

"Actually: there you were watching Tirek power up his death beam. And then he's all like -- " Pinkie said, rearing up to two hooves, and making a high pitched whirring sound as she motioned with her hooves from an invisible horn. "And then you were all like 'uh oh'! And you teleported out only with Owlowiscious right before the library went 'whoosh'!!" She said, waving her hooves to the word 'woosh'. "Then you were all like 'gasp'! And the library was all like a crater! And then you were all like GRRRR!!!!! And then the music was all like -- " Pinkie said, before making a hi-pitched electric guitar riff. "And then you fought! And he was all like -- " Pinkie said, rearing up, and using her front hooves for 'horns'. "Now I understand what your fellow princesses have done." She said, her voice suddenly getting very deep and dark. "And then you had a battle too epic for a kids show then he was all like 'It seems we are at an impasse' and then he totally used your friends as bargaining chips. But everything else was the same. Oh except you battled him in the middle of the forest or something -- because Tirek totally hates trees, or something!" She said, sounding like she'd been drinking too much coffee.

Twilight and Pinkie just looked at each other, puzzled as to what Pinkie's alter-ego was going on and on about.

********

"Pinkie, darling, that was an absolutely Rainbowy ravishing party!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "But I simply must be going, darling; I have a few more ingredients to get before the day is done, darling. Zecora needs only a couple more things, including a costume for something called 'Nightmare Night' -- which I have never heard of before, is it anything like Halloween?" She asked with a smile, starting to turn around to leave.

"Hold it!" Another Rainbow Dash barked. "You aren't going anywhere!" She barked, her back arched, her wings extended, and her fur standing on end. "So you're the one who's been making a foal of me!"

"I'm sorry, darling?" Rainbow said, with a confused expression. "Whatever seems to be the matter darling?" She said, smiling innocently.

"That!" The other Rainbow Dash said, belligerently. "You going around making me look like a foal talking about 'fashion' and 'Rainbows' and 'FASHION'!" She exclaimed, practically head butting the fashionable earth pony, before she stopped, starting to cry. "H...h....h....how dare you do that to me!" She sobbed. "What will the squirt say, and all the kids when they think their idle is a softy?" She said, half sobbing, and half scowling. "What will the Wonderbolts think? They...they might not think I'm tough enough!"

Rainbow Dash frowned, herself crying. "I'm terribly sorry about that, darling! I really didn't mean to make you look bad!" She said, as she put her hoof on the other Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "But it isn't any easier on me! For some reason every pony treats me as if I'm some kind of frightful monster! And I don't even know why! It's like they see my beautiful muzzle and my perfectly normal hooves, and they panic! Saying something about 'me hurting myself doing dangerous stunts', and it hurts me too Darling, because I only rarely become completive let alone trying anything dangerous! Darling! I don't even enter the forest!"

The other Rainbow sighed, and just started to leave, sobbing some more. "And now I sound like G!" She lamented.

"Stop!!" Rainbow shrieked. "Please don't be sad, darling! I shall be leaving soon and when I see you hurt, it's like I'm hurting myself! And I don't wish to do that!" She said, with a sob. "I'll endeavor to do the best that I can, darling, to make you look good!"

The other Rainbow simply fled out the door sobbing. "Just go away!" She shrieked.

"Whatever do you suppose that was about, darling?" Rainbow asked Applejack, with a sigh.

"Why don't you relax, an' go 'bout yer business!" Applejack said, with a frown. "I'll ask Rainbow what's crawled into her saddle." She continued, starting out the door. "Rainbow is normally the kindest pony y'all ever meet! But every once in a great while she gets some dang fool idea in her head." Applejack said, with a sigh, leaving through the door.

********

Instead of wasting your time showing Rainbow Dash and Pinkie going shopping for more stuff. How about we watch Twilight try to squink! Yes we can!

"Ok Spike! Let's take it again from the top! Maybe you need to describe it like Rainbow Dash did!" Twilight said, looking slightly frazzled.

"Relax Twi!" Spike said, with agitation. "what's the big deal!"

Twilight snorted slightly. "The big deal is: we could be on the verge of a breakthrough in magic!" Twilight said, with enthusiasm. "Real, effective earth pony magic! Not just Earth Pony magic no better than a bag of fertilizer. Real, powerful Earth Pony magic."

Spike shrugged. "And?"

"And, what's more is that, it's a divination spell at least as powerful as our alicorn divine intuition, but so simple a thirteen year old Pinkie can cast it!" Twilight said, with stars in her eyes. "Think of the possibilities if I could master this spell!" Twilight said, starry-eyed -- just before she lost her confidence slightly, thinking on all her previous attempts that day. "Assuming I could only figure this out!"

Spike simply shrugged. "you aren't going to be happy until I go ahead and act as narrator for your little attempt are you?"

Twilight simply gave him a squee, and a huge smile.

"Ok! Fine!" Spike sighed. "Let's do this!" He said, putting on his best accent. "What we need is a Twilight-a squink!" He said, deadpan, doing a really bad Mexicolt accent.

"Is this part really necessary?" Twilight asked.

"Well!" Spike responded. "You weren't sure why this was failing: so you wanted to do THE WHOLE BIT. So we're doing THE WHOLE BIT."

"Ok!" Twilight moaned. "I'll do a think-a-squink!" She said, deadpan.

"A squink?" Spike asked, for Madame le Flour, who had been kindly loaned by Twilight's Pinkie for just such an occasion. "Yeah It's ~~Pinkie's~~ Twilight's way of solving a problems!" He said resuming his 'Mexicolt' accent. "Here-a she goes!"

"Is that my cue?" Twilight asked, looking puzzled.

Spike simply repeated himself, looking very agitated. "Here-a she goes!"

Twilight started bobbing back and forth, hopping between her two front hooves, her two back hooves firmly planted. Trying to wave her mane. Instead her mane ended up in her eyes, and when she tried to start turning around... well guess! "WH...WH...WHOA!!!!" She said, falling off camera. "When did we even install this basement!?"

Coming back within view, she asked Spike a question. "Any stars?"

Spike started to nod.

"Other than the ones I'm seeing?" Twilight asked

Spike shook his head.

"Ok!" Twilight screamed. "Let's try again! From the top!" She said, shaking her head --her eyes slightly off kilter.

"Here she goes." Spike said, in his normal voice deadpan.

"With the accent!" Twilight responded, not sure what she was saying (maybe it was all the head trauma of falling down a couple of flights of stairs.)

"Fine!" Spike groaned. "And here-a she goes!" He said, holding a claw to his mouth facing parallel to 'Madame le Flour'.

Twilight once again did the bobbing motions, followed by a few quick spins (running around an invisible chair.) Before bending her front hooves slightly.

"First-a Twilight squeeshes!" Spike said, in the faux accent, as Twilight's front hooves slipped slightly. "And then she splits!" He said, deadpan, looking at his older sister/mother figure doing a splits on her front hooves -- with her back legs extending parallel to her body, and her front legs at ninety degree angles to the plane of her body -- in a position that would be comfortable only for a biped. "Ouch!" He exclaimed quietly to himself.

"Any luck?" Twilight asked, her voice much higher than normal.

Spike simply shook his head!

"RARRR!!!!!" Twilight shrieked, being heard all the way from outside.

After a few minutes (and some ice), Twilight was ready to try again (it's good news alicorns are so durable, or that might have hurt!)

"You sure you want to do this Twi?" Spike asked, with a sigh. "You're only going to be hurt again!"

"No! Now it's personal!" Twilight hissed. "I'm going to do this even if it kills me!" She said, with determination. "Now start again!"

Spike opened his mouth, and raised his claw.

"With the accent!" Twilight hissed, before any words came out of the dragon's mouth."

"Fine! Here-a she goes!"

By this point Twilight had the first part memorized: the bobbing, the hair, the circles.

"First-a Twilight squeeshes!" Spike said, watching Twilight take up the ludicrous position, before resuming the bobbing portion of the program.

"Isn't something to supposed to happen right now?" Spike asked, with light sarcasm.

"Quiet!" Twilight barked.

"Fine!" Spike said deadpan. "Then-a she blinks!" Spike said, with 'the accent'.

"Ahhhh!!! My eyes is stuck!!!!" Twilight said, her eye stuck in an exaggerated blinking position, and her head bent at an unnatural angle. "Ahhhh!!!! Spike help!!!" She shrieked, in mortal terror.

"Ok!" Spike said, stifling a chuckle. "Ok this is going to hurt slightly!" He said, with a chuckle, grabbing her head with his claws.

It's said, down in Ponyville, that the resulting scream could be heard all the way from Fluttershy's cottage.

"Man!!! You stink at this!" Spike said, crying like a baby, feeling like he was on the verge of rolling on the floor with laughter. "Maybe we should --" He started, before being quickly interrupted by Twilight.

"Accent!" Twilight barked.

"Fine! Here-a she goes!" He said, deadpan, with a muffled sigh.

The next part should be familiar by now. Twilight bobbed, and then spun.

" First-a Twilight squeeshes!" Spike said, dead pan.

Twilight resumed bobbing.

"Then-a she blinks!" Spike said, waiting for catastrophe, when none came, Twilight resumed, bobbing, before turning to the side.

"She might actually do this!" Spike thought to himself, with wonder. "And then-a she theenks!" He said, as Twilight stood, in a thinking position, her eyes closed.

"Shouldn't there be sparkles or something? And like a giant pink thought bubble or something?" Spike asked himself, suspecting something.

Twilight quickly shushed him. "It's happening! I can see it! The secret ingredient to Pinkie's award winning 'oh my goodness, it's extra sugar-rific fudge brownie cookies'!" Twilight said, in a state of denial. "It's vinegar! She adds it to all her recipes! And this is the part where she get's kidnapped by an anthropomorphic fox who's angry about her winning first place every year, while he only get's second!" She said, her denial becoming clear to all.

"Umm Twi!" Spike said, alternating between concern, and raucous laughter. "I think you've picked up the wrong channel or something!"

Somewhere in Canterlot a light roaring could be heard. "RARRRR!!!!!!!"

"QUIET WE ART TRYING TO... HOW DO WE SAY THIS? SLEEEP" Luna barked, out her window.

Meanwhile back in Ponyville.

"I don't get it Spike!" Twilight moaned, from her bed. "I got everything perfect! I can learn spells simply by seeing them once!" She whined. "So why can't I figure out this stupid spell!" She said, burying her head in her pillow for a second.

"Maybe it's like Changeling magic or something?" Spike said, speculating.

"Unlikely Spike, Changeling magic is based on absorbing and redirecting emotional energy. That doesn't help with divination. And besides, if that were the case then I could still do it!" She said, feeling supremely confident. "I am after all, Mrs. Magic Pants!" She said, with pride.

Spike shrugged. "Don't know then. Is it like chaos magic or something?"

********

"Well, darling! That party certainly was dashing!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "I apologize, Pinkie Pie darling, I almost forgot that today was your special day!" She said, causing a rainbow to snake across the sky, and smash a window in city hall.

"That's ok Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said, with a chuckle. "It's hard to remember anyone's special day without the Birthday Book!" She sighed. "I miss Razzaroo!" She said, wistfully. "Hopefully we'll be able to return to all our friends soon."

"Oh, I know darling!" Rainbow said, putting her hoof on her friend's shoulder. "But this Pinkie was pretty good at it too!" She said, with a smile. "Albeit, a little less practical then, that darling, Razzaroo." She said, still missing the original.

Rainbow started skimming up and down the list. Did she forget anything? She had to have forgotten something, but what it?

Pinkie glanced over her shoulder. She started pointing down the list. "We have that!... We have two of those -- I got extra!... You almost exploded getting those!..." She said, ribbing Rainbow Dash slightly. "I think we have all of these!" She said, with a sarcastic smile, and a giggle.

"Very funny, darling!" Rainbow said, motioning at her friend. "But seriously, I'm having trouble finding what isn't on the list." She said, checking her list twice and thrice.

"Well maybe I can help you search? I wouldn't want to leave you in the lurch!" An old zebra said, approaching the two of them.

"Oh Zecora! hi!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "So how's it going?"

"Do you have the ingredients I seek?" The Zecora said, with a smirk. "Or will it take all week?" She said, winking at the two ponies.

Pinkie smiled back, this was her kind of humor. "We have them right here!" She said, with enthusiasm. "I'm sorry about taking so long!" She said, blushing slightly. "I kind of held myself up, because I, apparently, got wind of my own special day." she said, smiling slightly -- feeling very confused in her own words.

"Ah yes my Pinkie I see, a distraction she can, undeniably be!" The old zebra said, closing her eyes slightly. "But I'm certain your party was a sight to see!" She said, smiling slightly.

"Oh it was!" Pinkie said, feeling very exuberant, but after a second, she had to ask about the ingredients. "So, um... Zecora!" Pinkie said, with hesitation. "We've been looking over this list, and we're trying to figure out if we missed anything."

The zebra looked up and down the list, before giving an understated smirk. "One more ingredient I seek!" She said, with a smile, holding a hoof to one of the lines on the paper. "Please Rainbow Dash, take a peak!" She said, smiling again.

Rainbow never did figure out why she could read these bizarre hieroglyphics (I mean why didn't any one here write in English, like they did back in her Ponyville?) In any case, it appeared the writing was for a costume, for something called Nightmare Night -- that was right! She looked at that line earlier.

Zecora, continued, sensing that the rainbow earth pony would be listening. "I need a costume for Nightmare Night, with which to give the children a fright!" She said, practicing her nightmare night voice for a second.

Rainbow Dash was intrigued. Did that mean that someone around here sells cloths? Maybe a clothing shop like the one she owns back in her Ponyville (ok when she wasn't maintaining her kite store.)

Zecora smirked slightly, she could see exactly the spark in Rainbow's eyes that she was hoping to see. "Miss Rarity owns the shop you seek! Inside the Carousel Boutique, you should take a peek!" She said, pointing off into the distance.

Rainbow smiled. A boutique! She thought to herself, feeling, for the first time in days, like an exuberant school girl. "Of course, darling! That sounds rainbowy ravishing!" Rainbow said, completely forgetting about her earlier issues at the bazaar. In fact, she could already imagine all the outfits that they must have. She might even get a chance to look at some fine French -- or maybe even Parisian fashions! "Oh fashion, darling, that sounds so dashing!" Resisting the urge to fly off towards the boutique. Thinking about her fashion shop back in Ponyville -- and all the fashions she might find at this shop.

In the end though, her mental parade stopped, when she remembered her green friend. "And what about Minty, darling?" Rainbow said, with concern. "Is she ok?"

"Early tomorrow to the hospital she heads! Here in Ponyville, tonight, you should rest your heads!" Zecora said with a smirk; watching, as on cue, her Pinkie materialized. This might be a good friend for this alternate Rainbow and Pinkie to get a little of themselves back.

"You two should stay with me! It'll be like a sleepover! We'll do each other's hair! And we'll talk about boys!" Zecora's Pinkie said, with her usual enthusiasm. "I mean that Pokey Pierce is hot!" She babbled with enthusiasm. "But don't go for him! He's mine!" She said, winking ostentatiously.

"Oooh!" That sounds like fun the straighter haired Pinkie replied. "Too bad Cherry Blossom, Cotton Candy, Kimono, and Razzaroo aren't here! Their all excellent story tellers!" She said, thinking about her friends. "We could have a story party!"

The fluffy haired Pinkie responded, with a confused expression, followed by a volley of words. "Don't you mean Cheerilee, who happens to be Scootaloo's sister? She's an excellent storyteller! And I don't know who these other two ponies are."

Rainbow's Pinkie looked on in awe, not just at her poofy haired counterpart's seemingly insurmountable ability to talk, but also in the fact that her words were both very familiar and yet strangely confusing -- all at the same time. "Pardon?" She asked, blushing slightly. "But do you mind if -- " She said, before being carried away by her darker haired clone.

"Oh dear!" Rainbow said. "The darling forgot about me!" She said, with a sigh. "Oh well!" She said, rubbing her hooves together -- thinking about fashion again. "I'll really enjoy looking at the newest fashions!" She said, galloping out the road.

********

"Oh darling!" Rainbow exclaimed to herself. "Simply dashing!" She said, looking at a large shop on the top of a hill, with awe (nonsense, darling, carousel shaped buildings are perfectly normal in my Ponyville -- have you looked at the Tea Pot Castle, Pinkie's place, my fashion shop, or, even, my humble abode?) What filled her with awe, was the sight of another clothing shop. She served as Ponyville's premier, and only, fashion designer, and half time event planner (and, yes, she was still planning to resurrect that kite shop, don't worry darlings!)

She just didn't have the nerve to face another fashion designer right now, fashion was her thing -- it would be weird to meet another fashion designer. So instead, she peered into the windows. The insides were very different then her own shop back in Ponyville. While she kept all of her designs out in the open, for all to see, the owner of this establishment only kept a few choice designs out in the open -- and another scant few on a nearby rack. What was even odder was that this Ponyville's shop was outfitted with tents to protect the privacy of the patrons (and apparently some of Rarity's in progress pieces.) As with her shop, this boutique had a large folding mirror front and center that could be used to demonstrate their newest creation. The Carousel Boutique was definitely a lot larger then her fashion shop was, but also definitely less open.

She had considered just leaving, despite her enthusiasm, but she was on a mission (it didn't hurt that she was intrigued by the fashion choices, saddles? Definitely unique. And was that a corset she saw? She had one back at her fashion shop too, but her's looked very different!) In the end, she just couldn't resist taking a look.

As she walked inside, a bell went off over the door. After a few seconds, she began to become concerned -- could this Ponyville's premier fashion designer be out? "Do you suppose the darling might be busy?" She thought to herself, looking around slightly. "Well, maybe I'll see if I can locate the darling costume myself!" Rainbow Dash thought to herself, trying to be helpful -- before rubbing her hooves together at a possibility. "Of course, it'll give me a positively dashing opportunity to see what else is available besides the very few outfits she left out for public view." She thought to herself with a smile.

First though, she dutifully walked over to a rack of outfits that had been left out for customers to view. The outfits were so different than the ones that she made back in Ponyville, which were more suited for bipedal use then for quadrupedal use. "Now how do you suppose the darlings are supposed to stand in one of those?" She asked herself, looking at a couple dresses, which were exquisitely fitted for a quadrupedal form. "It certainly looks fetching." She remarked to herself, in awe. "But how would it look when someone stands up on their own two feet?" She asked herself -- thinking about her own designs.

There was one thing she could say: this Rarity's choices in outfits were superb. Albeit a little loud, she preferred her outfits simple. This of course reminded her of the dress her friends: Cherry Blossom, Pinkie, Toola-Roola, Triple Treat, Coconut Cream, and Scootaloo had made her for her special day... Except they couldn't have! She hadn't met the really real for real pegasus ponies until last summer, and her special day is in May! The headache returned with a vengeance, and everything started to go green. But she wasn't going to let it get to her! Not now -- not when she was so close to fashion nirvana! (She wanted to see what this Rarity kept under wraps, and what marvelous designs she had in her closet -- she also wondered why she hadn't shown up yet?)

After a minute or two, the fog started to clear, her strength returned, and she started to feel better. "Much better!" She thought, to herself, peeking under the curtains. "I'm hoping for something that will wow everyone back in Ponyville!" She thought to herself -- temporarily forgetting about Zecora's costume -- and becoming increasingly bold in her search. Everything in here was so different, so original, so colorful -- it really was a breath of fresh air to find someone as interested in fashion as she was.

She realized that she really shouldn't be peaking in the closet -- she really shouldn't! But It really was like taking a peak for the Christmas presents before they've been wrapped -- she knew she shouldn't, but she was going to anyway. She was still surprised that she hadn't run into the owner of this establishment yet; she wondered what the owner could be up to.

********

Rarity loved her parents; she really did! But every once in a while! She moaned quietly. "Oh Rarity, could you be a doll for us and pick up Sweetie? You're father's business needs him urgently in Baltimare, don't-cha-know! And we need someone to look after Sweetie!" Her mother had said, with her lower unicornian accent. So naturally they left Sweetie with her again! The day before a very important order for Hoity Toity of all ponies! Why did she even still take his orders again anyway? She supposed because he was the client that really got her star rising, and he was a very rich and important client to boot.

She sighed, Sweetie had apparently run off to join her crusader friends sometime between the school house and the boutique. And without telling her! Oh well! It was for the best, she'd chastise her sister later, but for now she didn't need the distractions, anyway.

As she approached the shop, she noticed to her dismay that the door was wide open. Either Sweetie had returned earlier than expected, or she had company. The second was apparently true, as she saw a pony in the middle of her showroom.

The plot was definitely a female's -- this might be an opportunity to make a quick sale. "I'm terribly sorry for keeping you madam. But I'd love to welcome you to the Carousel Boutique where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique." She said, dragging out her store's catch phrase to the mare. "Is there anything I can --" She said, before she looked aghast at the mare staring at some of the dresses from her downstairs closet (she kept her old gala dress in there for nostalgia purposes, and she'd rather not have some stranger touching or looking at her things without permission!)

"Excuse me madam! I'd rather you not look at, or touch anything that isn't out on the -- " She said, starting to get a good look at the mare.

"Rainbow Dash!" She exclaimed with horror. "What are you doing here! And why are you snooping in my closet! Is this some kind of prank?" She stated, growing ever more belligerent. "Well if it is, I would rather you not -- " She said, as Rainbow Dash turned around.

"I'm terribly sorry, darling!" Rainbow said, with an apologetic blush. "I know it was not dashing of me to be snooping in there! After all, darling, a lady never sticks her nose where it doesn't belong. And I just wanted to say --" Rainbow Dash replied, her wings seemingly gone, and her muzzle increased in size like 14 or 15 times.

"WAOH! HO HO HO!!!" Rarity shrieked -- temporarily forgetting about Rainbow's transgression. "Rainbow Dash! What happened to your beautiful muzzle? Did you have an accident while doing one of your unnecessary and dirty stunts?" Rarity said, as calmly as she could -- thinking about all of the injuries and dirt Rainbow created while doing her stunts.

"Excuse me, darling!?" Rainbow said, with agitation. "Darling, Why does everyone think that I'm into horrible and dangerous 'stunts'! With the exception of my one time sledging I don't do dirty, and I don't do dangerous, or outrageous, or anything else, darling!" She said, her head starting to pound.

Rarity frowned. Rainbow must have hurt herself doing one of her dirty and unnecessary stunts! And it caused Rainbow Dash to think she was her! How dreadful that someone as dirty and uncivilized as Rainbow Dash would be -- inadvertently -- hurting her good name! But at least, while Rainbow was in touch with her feminine side. "I'm sorry for insulting you, dearie!" Rarity said, with a smile. "But you're still beautiful on the inside, right?" She said, trying to comfort the now-non-pegasus.

Rainbow Dash laughed, in a polite and ladylike manner. "Oh darling! I see what the problem is here!" She said, mentally smacking herself. "You have me confused for that pegasus!" She said, with a smile. "No I'm actually quite different, darling. And I'll have you know my muzzle is small, and beautiful, darling!" She said, standing on only her back two hooves to shake hooves with this Ponyville's fashion person. "And you must be Rarity! I heard you were into fashion, darling!"

"Why yes I am." Rarity said, confused as to how this other Rainbow Dash bent her front leg joints like that, or what she was intending. But she needed to get to Hoity Toity's order. "So what do you need, dear?" She asked, with a forced smile.

"Well I originally came to pick up Zecora's costume for nightmare night, darling!" Rainbow said, with a smile. "But then I just couldn't resist taking a look myself!" She said, with a blush. "And I apologize, darling. "

Rarity sighed, she shouldn't give this strange pony too much trouble. She didn't leave many designs out, after all, and she really should've been back at her shop -- too bad she was picking up her sister from her parents, on short notice, again. "Well I suppose, but could you at least wait for me to come back before snooping around my shop?" And what was this new Rainbow Dash talking about? There was no costume order for Zecora -- she makes her own costume every year (not that Rarity didn't want a chance to do it herself, mind you. It's just that Zecora wouldn't won't allow it -- something about pride, and tradition.)

"Of course, darling! I lost my manners there for a second. It's just everything is so interesting, and different here then back in my shop." Rainbow Dash replied, blushing in embarrassment.

"You own a shop too?" Rarity asked, making small talk (it was almost unheard of for an earth pony to go into fashion design -- their lack of magic made it difficult to do the tasks that went into designing fashion, all requiring a fair amount of dexterity.)

"Why of course, daring!" Rainbow said, with pride. "I'm Ponyville's premiere fashion designer, and half time event organizer." She said, thinking about not just her own shop, but last year's Christmas, this year's friendship ball, and every year's celebrations for the First Rainbow of the Season.

"Ponyville?" Rarity said, raising an eyebrow. "But I'm Ponyville's premiere designer!" She said, with a frown -- how dare this charlatan claim to be the premiere fashion designer in the same town as her business!

"Huh." Rainbow said, with confusion -- how can they both be the premiere fashion pony in Ponyille? "Maybe there's more than one Ponyville?" She asked, herself confused.

"Well, in any case." Rarity said, with a forced smile -- she was NOT going to become territorial like that barbarian pegasus Dash. "Did you see something that interested you?" She asked, politely.

"Why, of course, darling!" Rainbow Dash said, with enthusiasm. "I saw this darling pink, yellow, and purple dress!" She said, pointing to Rarity's gala dress. "Why a darling would look just like a princess in that dress." She said, wistfully, suddenly thinking about Kenbroath. "But, alas darling! the colors wouldn't go well with my mane and coat!" She said, with a sigh -- her plan to impress the young dragon evaporating before her eyes.

Rarity smiled, maybe she'd put Hoity Toity's order off a little longer (but not that much longer!) "Well, what about this one? It's made for my friend, who also happens to be named Rainbow Dash. It would fit you smashingly, and it should go with your rainbow mane spectacularly." Rarity said, feeling as proud of her earlier accomplishment, as the day she first finished it.

"Oh I see what you mean, darling. It would go perfectly with that other Rainbow Dash, and the only difference in our mane colors is a more pastel tone in mine." She said, with a smile. "But, darling, it's a little too brash for me! I prefer my outfits to be more feminine!" She said, not wanting to feel like a tomboy.

"I suppose so." Rarity said, thinking for a second. She really wanted to help, she really did, but there simply was no more time today! If she waited any longer she might not get that order done (and it was a doozie) "I would love to do a fitting -- I really would -- but I really need to get this order done for a very important client tomorrow, and --" She said, starting to notice the time.

"An order, darling!" Rainbow said, with enthusiasm. "I can help, darling! It would give me an excellent opportunity to see another fashion designer in action!" She said, with enthusiasm, secretly hoping Rarity would say yes.

"Oh no, darling! I could never!" Rarity said, with a frown. "I don't know how good you are with fashions, and I could never impose on you!" She said, with hesitation. "Besides, I wouldn't want anything to go wrong with this order! This client is awfully picky, after all!" She said, trying to discourage the rainbow pony from trying to 'help'.

"Nonsense, darling!" Rainbow said, standing steadfast. "I believe I have one of my favorite hats and scarf's in my bag." She said, grabbing a couple of things from her saddlebag. "That gives me an idea! What if, tomorrow -- after this order -- we hold a festive hat party?" She said, with a smile (why did this idea sound familiar to her?) "We could get all of your friends, and I could get my Pinkie, and we could all have a competition for whose design is the best!" She said, with a smile, dragging her favorite hat and scarf out of her bag.

Rarity sighed. It was a terribly good idea, but she strongly suspected that Twilight would over think it, and Rainbow and Pinkie wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to make it work. Nevertheless: "We can certainly try." She said, smiling warmly (if with hesitation.) In any case, despite the fact that her choice in clothing designs was childish, it demonstrated basic competency -- and she seemed to have more then a little enthusiasm. And this strange Rainbow Dash did definitely think like Rarity -- and Rarity had to admit, that with Sweetie visiting, well! "I suppose you can help, if you really insist." She said, with hesitation. What was she getting herself into? "But I get final say on everything, agree?" She asked.

Rainbow nodded, with glee.

In the end though the rainbow themed, and self proclaimed fashionista, demonstrated at least a basic competency, and a never-ending source of passion. Perhaps Rarity would be able to finish this order after all, despite Sweetie's visit. And by the looks of things, she might have time to spare!

That was, until, the door could be heard slamming open below, and hoof stomps could be heard thundering up the stairs.

********

The hoof prints started thundering up the stairs. Finally a voice could be heard shouting from down the stair slightly from Rarity's work room. "Rarity!" Sweetie shouted, from downstairs. "I'm grabbing some of my things!" She shouted galloping up the stairs. "I'm going to have a sleep over at the clubhouse!"

Rarity sighed, this was not going to be a fun conversation. "I apologize Rainbow." Rarity said, sighing again."Why don't you take a short break? I think I need to talk with Sweetie." She said, as she started over to the stairs. "Sweetie! We need to talk for a minute!" She shouted across the floor, towards Sweetie's room.

"In a minute Rarity!" Sweetie shouted, at the top of her lungs. "I'm packing!" She shouted from inside her room, apparently trying to leave before Rarity could think about it.

"No!" Rarity shouted, showing slight agitation. "We shall talk right now! I don't appreciate you running off without permission and --" Rarity shouted, with great agitation, right up to the point where her sister interrupted.

"You never let me do anything!" Sweetie shouted, to her sister -- slowly and noisily clomping towards the door. "All you care about is your orders! And looking good -- I still haven't forgotten about my fifth birthday party!" She shouted, slowly opening her door.

"Excuse me, darlings." Rainbow asked, leaving Rarity's room behind. "Is something the manner." She asked with apprehension -- she wasn't used to seeing ponies argue like this. "I apologize for the intrusion, darlings, but -- " She started saying, until the moment she saw the young unicorn -- it was like something blew up in her head. Was she feeling angry about a scarf and her most specialishish dress up party ever? Suddenly she was looking at the youngest of her six only friends just before the wishing festival. "Oh Sweetie Belle." She said, with a girlish giggle, as she saw the young white unicorn. "What brings you by my shop today?" Why did her head want to burst, and why was she talking so childishly? And why did she suddenly think this was her shop? "While you're here, you want to bake something nice for Rarity and me?" She asked, with another giggle. "Your baking is simply dashing!" She said, her voice two octaves higher than normal.

"See Rarity!" She said, glaring at her sister. "I am good at baking!" Sweetie said, to her sister with glee -- and at least a little delusion -- as Rarity face hoofed (Sweetie was the only one, that Rarity knew of at least, that could burn juice!) "But, anyway, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and I really need to go!" Sweetie said, feeling belligerent. "We have IMPORTANT CRUSADING to do!"

"Scootaloo's here too?" Rainbow said, with a smile. "Did her sister Cheerilee show up too?" She said, giggling. "Maybe we could have another sleepover! And she could tell ghost stories again!" What was she talking about? Cheerilee was a unicorn -- and how did she even know that? And she certainly wasn't Scootaloo's sister! Wasn't Cheery Blossom Scootaloo's sister?

"You ok Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked, as Rainbow began to wobble a little bit. "Do you need to take a break?" She asked, wondering why her new assistant and her smashing accent had been replaced by this absurd valley mare?

Sweetie Belle just smiled innocently. "She's down stairs! WAITING ON ME!" She said finishing with emphasis. "Along with Apple Bloom!" She said to her sister."Why don't you say hi!?" She said, turning to the other Rainbow Dash, with a smile. "Scoots is a big fan of yours, Rainbow Dash!"

"Oh she is?" Rainbow Dash tittered. "I'll have to say hi then!" She said, staggering down the stairs, surrounded by a strange aura.

"What do you think that's about?" Sweetie asked her sister. "You don't suppose something is wrong with Rainbow do you? I've never seen her act like a goof like this before." She sound frowning. "Scootaloo might have trouble with this." She said, with concern.

"I don't know!" Rarity said, with concern -- forgetting temporarily about Sweetie Belle's pending punishment. "Maybe I should fetch Twilight!" She said, looking at the green aura beginning to swirl around the earth pony.

Rainbow could see Scootaloo, and a small yellow earth pony filly with a red mane, right outside the door. "HI!" She tittered. "How's it going Scootaloo!" She said, giggling slightl. "You planning another sports party?" She asked, continuing to talk strange.

"Rainbow Dash?" The young pegasus asked, almost afraid of what she was seeing. "You ok?" She asked, looking at the profound lack of awesomeness in the area. "And why is your muzzle so big?"

"An yer looking a little green!" Apple Bloom, the small yellow earth pony asked, her face filled with concern.

"Why of course, Scootaloo! And I'll win the race again, just like at the last sports party!" She giggled, her mind seemingly divorced from reality. Rainbow stood there, her head spinning. Sports party? Scootaloo had never had a sports party before! And since when did Scootaloo become a really real for real pegasus pony? What's worse was not just that her head felt like it was going to explode, but that the whole world seemingly was being eaten by a field of pure green.

"You ok Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked again, this time sounding slow and warbled. "And what happened to your wings?"

Why did she know Sweetie? What kind of pony was she? She was a unicorn, of course, just like Rarity? Rarity? Why was that name familiar. The more upset she became, the more everything hurt. Wasn't Rarity supposed to be pink? When were they supposed to meet?

"Girls get behind me!" Twilight screamed, inaudibly -- suddenly galloping up from a nearby street (not that Rainbow could see, everything was being consumed by Blarney king of green!

"What's wrong with Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked, again inaudibly.

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom said, joining in. "Ah've never seen her act this way before!"

"That's not our Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cautioned. "And I don't know what's happening, but I can tell it's bad!" She shrieked as a green aura began to expand from around the fashionable earth pony.

Scootaloo just sighed in relief. "I'm so glad!" She said, with a smile. "I thought Rainbow Dash had become lame like Rarity for a second!" She said, blushing as the white unicorn peaked her head out from within earshot.

"Hey!" Sweetie protested to her pegasus friend. "My sister is not --" She said, ducking as a bolt of magic whizzed past, turning a nearby tent into a scale model of friendship castle (the purple one, not the pink one.)

"Twilight!" Rarity shrieked. "You need to protect the boutique! I have an important order to finish!" She said, in terror.

Another bolt of magic caused a tree to uproot itself, and start tap dancing.

"Why'd she turn that tree turn into Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom asked, with a smirk.

"It's getting worse!" Twilight lamented. "I need to do something fast, or things could get very ugly!" She shouted as more bolts shot out, causing one building to float in mid air -- upside down -- another one to sprout girly heart designs everywhere -- and pink, lots of pink! (basically becoming a G3 building), and another one turned a rock into a cactus.

A thought occurred to her, what was the spell Celestia used when she had her magic burst? But was an earth pony even capable of a magic burst? Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out.

All Rainbow felt was someone putting a hand on her shoulder, before everything descended into the inky blackness.

********

Early the next morning

"So this is where the lady has been hiding." A blond haired, blue eyed changeling stallion hissed to himself. "Captain Raphanus!" He shouted, with conviction. "Where are you?"

"You beckoned prince Vladímir?" The changeling captain responded, with devotion. "What do you need?"

The prince of the changeling's pointed out at a swirling bubble of magic, with a gaping hole sticking out the side. "Apparently we've found the lady's hiding place." He said, with great rejoicing. "Gather the forces, it's time to eliminate the hive's number two enemy."

"Oh course, your majesty!" Raphanus dutifully responded. "Your sister's enemy will be eliminated here and now!" He said, with pride, an enemy of the hive's queen is an enemy of all members of the hive.

But as the captain started to gather the forces, the nearby changeling prince chimed in. "Oh and captain!" He cautioned.

"Yes majesty?" Raphanus asked. "What is the matter?" He asked, with great concern to what his master was requesting.

"Nopony will be permitted to feed, and no converts will be made on this mission!" Vladímir cautioned.

"Pardon?" Raphanus asked, filled with confusion. "What do you mean nopony will be permitted to feed? We always feed at the end of a mission, unless one of the fluttering ones is found and --"

"No, commander, there will be no feeding!" Vladímir responded, giving emphasis to 'no feeding'. "The whole town has been poisoned with the Lady's imperfections! And feeding on anything will only poison the hive!" He said, his zeal showing.

"Wait... The lady?" Raphanus said, shaking slightly. "You mean The Lady? The infamous traitor? The Rainbow of Darkness? The undoing of the hive? The Rainbow of Doom?"

"Yes: the one and only!" Vladímir responded, waving his hoof. "And as such the town will be treated as if one of the fluttering ones had been located. Gather up all the ponies, and bring them to me! I shall decide an appropriate fate!" He said, standing tall. "And anypony caught feeding is to be treated as if they, themselves, were one of the fluttering ones!" He said, with zeal. "Now go and gather everyone, and I shall decide the proper ending to this story!"

With a wave of his hoof, the changeling forces were off. Buzzing through the hole, and onto unsuspecting, innocent ponies.

********

"So you seem to be under the weather slightly?" Asked a smiling Doctor Horse of his patient. "What seems to be the matter?"

"I'm not sure, darling." Rainbow said, with a sigh. "I've been having conflicting memories, and nightmares for days." She said, remembering al her strange dreams, and her conflicting memories. "And, then, suddenly I started seeing green, and the next thing I know, darling, I wake up here."

The doctor turned to the nearby princess. "And you say she had a magic burst?" He said, turning to the princess.

Twilight nodded. "Yes doctor! I know it's hard to believe, but the mayor can attest, to the fact, that I spent all afternoon yesterday trying to undo the effects of her magic bust."

The doctor looked at the princes of friendship skeptically. "A magic burst? You realize she's a regular earth pony, right? (ok except for her muzzle, and her mutant hooves, but those don't cause magic bursts.)"

Twilight sighed. "Yeah I know, but it's the only logical explanation." She said, speaking with authority.

The doctor sighed himself. "But that's not possible. if she was a unicorn, It's very much a possibility -- you, yourself, have had at least a couple since visiting Ponyville. And it's conceivably possible if she was a pegasus -- albeit only theoretically possible -- but there's no possible way that magic bursts can happen with earth pony magic. It's not biologically possible!" He said, trying to diagnose the possibilities. "Let alone the fact that their magic is grounded in the earth itself! Let me test another theory, though!" He said, bringing out a glowing crystal.

Twilight shuddered, feeling ill. She knew what this was -- she'd, in fact, wished she had some days ago, when these ponies first visited, but she couldn't get her hooves on them. It was a very rare kind of gem enchanted with a very powerful spell meant to uncover changelings.

"Oh darling, what is that? And why do I feel ill?" She said, as her body began to spasm, and her eyes began to turn a solid neon green color -- her pupils disappearing entirely.

The doctor was forced to throw the crystal to the ground -- as it began to glow a neon color, and suddenly became blazing hot -- watching in terror, as it shattered before him. Green magic began to shoot out of the fashionable earth pony. The doctor's face began to contort in terror. "Nurse!!! Get an inhibitor stat!" The doctor shrieked, ducking a bolt of magic.

The nurse rushed in, carrying an inhibitor intended for a unicorn's horn. Unfortunately there was no way it was going to fit anywhere on the earth pony. This was not going to be easy!

********

The attack had gone swimmingly, as this had been the single most docile group of creatures that the captain had ever seen. They barely ran, and never fought. All they did was cry and whimper -- maybe hide in obvious places -- like small children!

The other three teams had been sent out to gather the earth ponies, the pegasi, and a tribe of very off looking breeizes, who seemed to all be segregated into separate small villages. What a strange group of ponies!

He, himself, however, had been sent to bring in the unicorns, and had fully expected them to attempt to use their troublesome magic -- instead, they didn't even seem to know what magic was.

It was all quite pathetic. He really, really, wished Vladímir would have let them feed, so many delicious emotions here, and so much tasty despair, and desperation. But was too terrified to do so -- Vladímir kind of had a negative tolerance policy towards ponies going against his orders (he tended to react negatively when ponies came even close to disobeying his orders -- and woe to the one that actually did!) Oh well, this made him a very effective commander (he expected perfection of his troops, and he usually got it). And that, in turn, made him the new darling of the tribe -- especially after the wedding debacle last year -- where the queen, herself, literally broke under pressure and was, basically, reduced to being a pathetic clown (and not a funny one either.)

In the end, the only thing that impressed him was the unique architecture these unicorn's had developed -- far away from Canterlot's watchful eye. In the end, though, he had the last three unicorn's located -- two adults and a very young filly (or maybe even a foal.)

Oh the first two tried a pathetic barricade using their own bodies, and a door. Luckily they finally saw reason and allowed him entry. The last one was a tiny filly, with a woefully underdeveloped horn -- maybe it was because she was so young? In any case, she was trying to stop him and his army of changelings -- the very same that had defeated Celestia's mighty army the year before during the wedding debacle -- with a child's toy.

He turned to two of his men. "Grab the two by the door! I'll grab that pathetic filly." The captain smiled to himself. "Another operation completed successfully, maybe I'll be promoted into the praetorian guards this year for my great victories!" He thought to himself, full of confidence.

All that silly filly could do was wave a toy wand like she was some kind of 'wizard' or something. "Oh what are you going to do with that worthless toy?" He taunted, feeling ever more confident -- this was, after all, the only pony that remained. "Cause me to laugh to death?" He said, as the filly tossed the toy into the air with all of her might.

It flew up, rotating in the air.

Captain Raphanus, laughed raucously. "Oh wow! She's going to impress us with her 'wand throwing skills' boys!" He said, howling with laughter.

However, the laughter was ephemeral, as all three unicorns, in the room, disappeared, one by one, into puffs of smoke.

"What?! NO!!!!!" He shouted -- his changeling telepathy beginning to go wild -- as, all across the hive invasion forces the same cry could be heard. Breezies, unicorns, earth ponies, even pegasi, gone -- disappeared into thin air. One drone even lost an arm when the pony that he was holding in said arm disappeared into a puff of smoke. "This is not good! What am I going to tell Vladímir?" He asked himself, shaking violently.

********

Vladímir stood there, fuming violently. "What do you mean, you can't find one pegasus, earth pony or unicorn?" He asked, ready to blast somepony where they stood. You see Vladímir didn't fail, and he didn't permit any of his men to fail either. And this had increasingly made him the pride of the hive, compared to his sister's two abysmal failures. His horn started to power up, filled with green changeling magic. "Now commander, tell me again: where did all the ponies go?"

Captain Raphanus gulped, this was going to be bad -- he was lucky if he was even permitted to be reduced to a drone after this. "They all just vanished sire. One of the unicorn's used some kind of artifact to cast some kind of a group teleportation spell."

Vladímir frowned, and began to bark. "I don't believe that for a minute! Even the most powerful unicorns can't teleport more than a handful of ponies at a time! And they must all remain within close proximity -- not hundreds of miles apart! And you expect me to believe that some odd little unicorn just performed teleportation magic that Celestia can't?"

The commander didn't know what else to do but tell the truth. "It's the truth sire! The unicorn used some kind of unknown magic and --"

The changeling prince simply scoffed. "Gather up all commanders!" He barked. "We have traitors in our midst. " He said, demanding that the entire invasion force be brought forward.

"And those forces that are digging under the castle sire?" The captain asked.

"Let them finish! We'll interrogate them later." He said, giving the death eye to his commander. "And you'd better hope they find something promising!"

After a short time, all the commanders had been gathered. The prince looked over them all with disdain. "How is it that the best trained force in the hive simply loses track of hundreds of ponies? Do some of you feel sympathy? Did some of you want to disobey my order not to feed? Or maybe -- " He said, his eyes narrowing. "Some of you are traitors against the true ruler of this hive? Maybe you have visions of putting somepony else in power?" He said, looking over the group.

As he spoke, one of the commanders grew more and more agitated, until finally. "How dare you speak this way! It's not any of us that is a traitor, but you 'prince' Vladímir! You betray the true Queen of the hive! Queen -- " He said, before disappearing bug zapper style into a beam of light released from the prince's crooked horn.

Vladímir seethed, and his face was contorted into anger. A strange smirk crossed his mouth. "Interrogate everypony!" He demanded. "Some in our ranks don't believe that this hive's ruler is legitimate!" He said, with zeal. "Yes! I believe that some on this force want to discredit the ruler of this to put another into power!" He said, passionately.

After a short while a dozen "traitors" were rounded up. And the prince made another proclamation. "Bring forth commander Raphanus! It's time for his judgment."

"Yes sire!" The changelings shouted, in unison.

"Do you know why you are here?" The prince bellowed, looking at the thirteen changelings before him.

All thirteen shook their heads.

"You have all been found guilty of treason against the crown of the changelings! Plotting our downfall, presumably to put crown on to the head of The Lady! And all of you have been found guilty of impeding and preventing the work of the hive for your own slanted aims!"

Commander Raphanus began to shake violently. "But sire I've done no treason!"

"Maybe not!" the prince replied. "But you still failed! And at your level, failure is not permitted! Take them away and --"

The new commander, commander Laevigatae, approached the changeling princess, shaking furiously. "I apologize, majesty, but we couldn't find any trace of the ponies sire. They appear to have gotten away.

The princess was not more agitated than ever. "Then why did you return? Did you take joy in telling me that they couldn't be found? Are you a traitor as well?"

The new commander shook ever so slightly. "I apologize, majesty, but I do have good news."

"It had better be! Or I will, once again, need to find a new commander!" The changeling lord hissed.

"Yes! Majesty: while digging under a purple castle in the earth pony village, we found this." She said, opening a box containing a crown. The crown looked like a tiara, except for the onyx black gem in the middle, which contained the images of a wand, and a moon. "There were five other artifacts as well, but we're still exhuming them." She said, with a great deal of apprehension.

The prince's mood suddenly improved, as he licked his lips. "You are fortunate Raphanus, that your men are much more successful then you." He said, smiling greatly. "Take the 'commander' away, and demote him to private. I think he has become too comfortable in his position of authority -- and maybe being commanded will remind him to take more care in his work!" The prince said, with a sarcastic smirk.

Chapter 4-2: Meet the G4 ponies!

Optional Chapter 1: Rarity's story (not to be confused with Brain's story!)

For a moment everything was covered in a thick cloud of magical smoke. Then all she could see was stars. Finally, as the fog started to clear, she found herself in an alley somewhere. This definitely wasn't the Crystal Castle, and it certainly wasn't anywhere in Unicornia.

Where was she and how did she get here? Where did Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes go? And the princess book? And the wand? She started asking herself, getting ever more frantic.

"Excuse me madam, but there's no loitering allowed at this location." Said a large winged hornless unicorn dressed in some kind of armor, interrupting her panic attack. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave!" He said, stamping his foot, and muttering something to himself about vagabonds.

"Of course sir, sorry about that!" She said, stumbling out in a haze. Did that odd winged hornless unicorn not recognize her? And where was Rarity?

"Oh no! Rarity!" She screamed to herself in fright, suddenly realizing where she was and what happened. "I have to find her!"

********

Some time earlier.

********

"And then they lived happily ever after!" Cheerilee said, tucking in the little pink unicorn that had recently come under her supervision and mentoring, closing the door quietly on her way out.

It had been only a few days since this year's Crystal Rainbow Princess had been chosen to begin her training, under her watchful care -- and Cheerilee was already at already at work mentoring the young pink unicorn for the job. Sadly, much work had to be completed for this year's Princess Rainbow Ceremony, in the spring. It was good that she was so much easier to convince to go to bed then she normally was: Cheerilee had a whole night's worth of work ahead of her.

Normally, by this point, they would, already, have the ribbons and banners ready; but things were put in a kerfuffle last year, when the flower's didn't get pollinated at a reasonable time -- for some reason (maybe the pollinators got districted with some silly promenade or something?) This meant, of course, that she couldn't start on this year's Princess Rainbow Ceremony when she normally would. And, of course, this meant she had to re-plan almost everything.

"Better get a cup of tea! This is going to be a long night." She said to herself, quietly, as she sat down at her desk, a pencil and paper handy. "So because the flower's didn't grow on time, then that means that the wreaths didn't get made; and that means that banners and ribbon's got thrown off by three months. That means that..." She said, trailing off as she turned her focus to her work.

The planning went on well into the night. Sometime around midnight, though, the purple unicorn -- and the most senior among the four unicorns that brought the rainbow every year -- decided that she needed another cup of tea.

"Ok, just a couple of minutes for the tea to steep, and then back to the planning." She yawned. "Hopefully I can get this done in time to get a little sleep." She said, right as a blinding light could be seen in the sky to the north, and a booming crash.

"Wow! That was interesting!" she said to herself, with astonishment. "That definitely doesn't happen every night." She said, grabbing her tea and returning to her room.

She threw herself into the job she had done for most of her life, preparing for the First Rainbow of the season and the Princess Rainbow Ceremony. However, shortly after returning to her work, a loud shriek could be heard booming throughout the castle: "Not without you!"

"That sounded like Rarity!" Cheerilee said, with some concern. "I'll probably regret this, but I should check on her." She said, trotting off to the little foal's room.

She hovered close to the door for a minute trying to determine if it was safe to enter before deciding to open the door carefully, in case the young foal was still asleep. The young foal was, indeed awake and sitting up on the side of her bed, sobbing uncontrollably -- hiccupping between sobs.

"You ok, Rarity?" She asked the young foal, with concern. "I heard you screaming, and I wanted to see if you were ok."

"Oh Cheerilee, I had the most horrible nightmare! It started as such a nice dream about super fun rubber balls, and then things went really, really, bad." She said, hiccupping.

"Here! Let me come closer, and you can tell me all about it." She said, sitting down next to the young filly, on the side of the bed.

"Oh Cheerilee! I failed you!" She said, between sobs. "I let you and Unicornia down! I could've saved you both! But I failed!"

"There! There!" The older unicorn said, putting her front leg around the filly. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know if I want to!" She said, looking away, her eyes full of terror. "You'll probably hate me!"

This didn't sound like the normally cheerful filly at all. Where was all the talk about just having fun? Where was her eternal laughter?

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Rarity. I just thought that it might make it easier on you if you let it out. Are you worried about being this year's Crystal Rainbow Princess?"

"No! Well maybe! yes?" She said, uncertain of how to unload her feelings. "I don't know!" She said, her eyes full of anxiety.

"Well! Why don't you start by telling me what you dreamed?" The purple unicorn said, with her best smile.

"Ok, well basically I was dreaming about super-fun rubber balls! And then all of a sudden, it was different." She said, her eyes puffy from crying, but it looked like she was starting to feel better. "But then it was like I was here, in Unicornia. And there was two other people, whose names I can't remember, and you." She said, starting to cry again. "And we were all happy, and then everything started to go wrong. First everything started to vanish." She said, her voice getting ever more hysterical.

"And then everything was gone! First whomever it was took away Lily, and then Brights Brightly, and finally Whistle Wishes and Unicornia and everything!"

"Who took them away?" Cheerilee asked, hugging the young unicorn closely. "Wow! whatever it is she dreamed about really got her worked up."

"I don't know!" Rarity squealed quietly. "I can't remember! I don't want to remember!" She screamed.

Cheerilee just held the filly still for a second. Maybe she should go?

After a few minutes, though. Rarity began to talk again. "It was the darkness! But there was someone in it! And it was whistling and laughing!" Rarity said, sobbing. "Laughing at us!" She said, shaking violently. "And then it was going to take me! And the others! And you too!" She said, starting to sob again, hiccupping a little.

"Who is she talking about? The other unicorns?" Cheerilee thought to herself. "And why is she convinced that the others and I are going away?"

"But I used the wand to teleport away; but you demanded to stay behind! You said it would be safer if you stayed behind!" Rarity said, looking up into Cheerilee's eyes. " I should have forced you to come with us! I failed you! I let you down! And whoever it was took you too!" She exclaimed, starting another round of hiccupping and sobbing -- this time into her mentor's chest. "And I tried to stop it, I tried to fight it to bring you back, but I failed!!! I failed you!!! And now you're going away! Never to be seen again! POOF!!! "

"There, there!" She said, in her most motherly voice, hugging the sobbing filly tight. "It'll be ok! I promise you, it's just a nightmare! You're fine! See!" She said, gently putting a hoof to her chest. "And I'm still here aren't I?"

"Yeah, I suppose." She said, starting to calm down.

"And I promise you: you haven't failed me! And I'm not going anywhere! And we'll be together, at least as long as you remain Crystal Rainbow Princess!" Cheerilee said, trying to comfort the hysterical filly.

"You promise? Cheerilee?" She asked. "But aren't you still angry about me failing you? And letting you down?"

"I promise! And look: you haven't failed me. I'm still here, and so is Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes!" She said, with a smile. "And everyone else is fine to!" Cheerilee said with a smile, one more time. "Now you feel better?"

"Sure, but could you sleep in here with me tonight?" Rarity asked, looking anxious.

"Sure, I'll grab my sleeping bag, and some pillows. And I'll join you in here." Cheerilee said, trying to comfort the little filly. "I guess I won't finish that work tonight..." She thought, frowning on the inside. "Just means more work for tomorrow." She contemplated to herself, with a sigh.

********

Today.

********

A clamor could be heard outside the castle as a seemingly endless rain of strange bug ponies descended upon the unsuspecting unicorn city. At first the unicorns tried to introduce themselves only to be greeted with violence -- one unsuspecting green unicorn with a smiling cloud symbol got bucked in the gut as she tried to introduce herself. Quickly panic ensued as unicorns scattered far and wide -- fruitlessly trying to escape the inevitable.

Meanwhile at the top of the hill.

"Rarity! Rarity! Where are you!" Cheerilee called out in desperation. "We have to get out of here now!" She shouted, upturning pots, and throwing over tables. Oh where had that unicorn run off to? And at the worst possible moment.

"Brights Brightly!? Whistle Wishes!? Where are you! We need to find Rarity and get out of here now!" She screamed, swallowing her panic at the last second.

"It's no use!" Said Brights Brightly! "They're everywhere! What do we do Cheerilee?"

"I don't know..." Cheerilee said, swallowing more panic. "Whistle Wishes, we have to find Rarity and get the wand. It's out only hope!" She said, before realizing something to her horror. "THE WAND!!!!"

"No! No! No! This can't be good!" Why was she so sure that that silly filly was going to try to touch the wand? No! She was certain that silly filly was going to try and use the wand! "She's not ready to touch the wand! She doesn't even know the Princess Twirl yet!" Cheerilee said, in panic, hearing Lily Lightly screaming just outside the castle.

"Brights Brightly! Block the door, at least for a few minutes!" Cheerilee said, desperately, knowing that Brights Brightly wouldn't be able to hold the door closed for long. "We need all the time we can get!" She said, galloping as fast as her legs would carry her, hoping to get to the wand and the Crystal Dome, before it was too late. Hoping all the way that she was wrong.

"No! No! No! She's still too young, and with all those nightmares she's been having she might try to do something dangerous! And it'll all be my fault!"

Sure enough, coming under the dome she could see her young student opening the box where they kept the magic wand. "No Rarity! Don't touch that!" She said, in horror.

"I'm sorry Cheerilee, I have to!" The filly unicorn said, with resolve. "I can't lose you again!" The young unicorn continued, her face unflinching. "I'm not going to let anyone down again! Not you! Not Brights Brightly! Not Whistle Wishes or Lily Lightly or anyone!"

"Um guys... they're coming!" Shouted Whistle Wishes as she tried to keep the doors shut with her body. But It wasn't long before the doors started to budge, causing Cheerilee to join her blue unicorn friend in holding the doors shut with their own weight.

Rarity began to wave the wand, not once, nor twice, nor even thrice.

"Rarity! What are you doing!? That's not how you do the Princess Twirl!"

"I'm not doing the Princess Twirl Cheerilee" Said Rarity, with a frown. Looking straight into her mentor's eyes. "I'm going to teleport everyone this time!" She said, steeling her resolve.

"What are you talking about Rarity? You've never used the wand before. You don't know how dangerous it is!" Cheerilee said, her face saying no as loudly as it could, as the young unicorn started to shake in pain -- still desperately holding onto the wand.

Instantly Cheerilee, who had been watching this scene in horror, began to lunge forward to stop her young mentee, letting go of the door.

"Cheerilee! The door!" Shouted Whistle Wishes as the door flew open, sending Whistle Wishes flying into the floor.

"Bravo! That is some tasty despair, and desperation, out of you." Captain Raphanus said, with a smile. "I should probably have forced my way in earlier. But..." He said, with a sadistic smile. "Too bad I'm not permitted to feed!" He said to all three unicorns in the room. "Grab the two by the door, I'll grab that pathetic filly." He said, turning to his soldiers.

"Cheerilee!" Said the young unicorn with a frown, and a dazed expression, forcing herself to continue moving despite the excruciating pain she was feeling. "I'll save you!" She shouted, her eyes springing back to life.

All Cheerilee could do was scream in terror as these horrible predators grabbed her and started to drag her away.

"Take them all to the base camp!" Captain Raphanus commanded. " Vladímir will decide their fates. And nopony is to feed unless given an order by Vladímir himself!"

The changeling captain looked at the small filly, the only free unicorn in the room, and started to laugh. She looked so pathetic, desperately holding onto a child's toy in her mutant little paw -- desperately trying to help her worthless friends against the inevitable. "Oh what are you going to do with that worthless toy? Cause me to laugh to death?" Said the changeling captain as the filly tossed the wand up into the air with everything she had, crumpling onto the ground, unconscious -- or worse.

"Oh wow! She's going to impress us with her 'wand throwing skills' boys!" Captain Raphanus said, howling with laughter -- just before unicorns (and all other kinds of G3 pony, for that matter) started to disappear into puffs of smoke right before his eyes.

********

"Well another day, another bit." Cheerilee said to herself, with a sigh. She could just sense that today was going to be one of those days. Most days were good for her, and she really did like her job. But every once in a while...

"Here Ms. Cheerilee! Let me help you with that bag." Said a exuberant young white unicorn. "Wow it's heavy!" She said, dropping the bag on the ground with a crash.

"Well.. there goes today's science lesson." Cheerilee said to herself with a sigh. The young unicorn just stood there with a 'sorry puppy dog expression'. "It's ok Sweetie Belle, I can take care of this." Cheerilee said, feeling defeated. She didn't want to upset the filly, after all, she just didn't want to change her lesson plans for the afternoon.

"Let me help you with that!" Said an tomboyish, young pegasus, ripping her saddle bag off. "Wow!" The young unicorn said, taking a quick peek at the contents of the bag. "The homework answers are in here! Score!"

"Scootaloo, please stay away from those!" Cheerilee chastised. Those answers were for her eyes only, and she was pretty sure that the young pegasus didn't do her homework today.

"Sorry 'bout breaking yer plant thing-a-ma-bob! Maybe I can use this potion I got from Zecora to!" The earth pony of the trio said, mulling through her saddle bag.

"Girls! Girls! GIRLS!!!!" Cheerilee said, and eventually shouted, trying to get their attention.

"Yes, Ms. Cheerillee?" Asked all three young ponies said, suddenly materializing before her, all doing the puppy dog eyes.

"Girls, I appreciate your help! I really do! But I've got everything well under hoof." She said, breathing a little, to calm down. These were her precious little flowers, and she was going to make them grow! "What brings you girls up at this hour? I didn't expect you to arrive until just after class started?"

"Well I wanted to Ms. Cheerilee, but Rarity said that this was the perfect opportunity for us to be..."

"Oh No! Here it comes!" Thought Cheerilee, trying to hold her ears as tight to her head as she could.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER: TEACHER'S PETS!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYY!!!!!!!" Shouted all three girls in unison, at the top of their lungs.

"Well great!!" Said Cheerilee, a fake, but quite convincing smile plastered to her face. "Why don't you come with me, and help me set up for today's lesson?"

"Sure thing Ms. Cheerilee!" Said all three crusader's in unison.

"I've got dibs on her bags!" Shouted one girl

"I've got dibs on the bugs!" Shouted another

"I've got dibs on..."

"Girls! Girls!! GIRLS!!!!" She shouted, all three girls turning their attention to her again. "We'll all work on it together."

"Why don't you help me with this," Cheerilee said, pointing to one thing. "And you help me with that." She said pointing to another. "We're almost at the school house anyways." She said, approaching the old red school house -- hoping that no more havoc would be wrought. "Ok, now stand back while I open the door, and!"

"Girls!" she shouted, being suddenly sent spinning in circles by the three exuberant youngsters.

After a few seconds, she regained her composure (or at least she thought she did).

"Well lookie here!" She said to herself with a smile. "Somepony is eager!" She said, seeing a tiny pink unicorn, laying on the floor near the chalk board, with the most beautiful rainbow mane, and tail (and with a giant mutant muzzle.) Her horn was still not fully grown in, meaning that she couldn't be more than six -- most likely she was five or less.

"Wake up little one! I'm glad you could come in early, but it's not good to sleep out here! " She said with a smile. The little one wasn't waking up. "Where are your parents?"

"Are you ok?" She asked, her face showing concern, as the dear didn't respond. "Oh dear... She's barely breathing." Cheerilee remarked, checking the filly's breathing, which was labored at best.

"Girls! GIRLS!!!!" Cheerilee shouted, looking for the tiny bullets that had mowed her down earlier. "Now where are those Crusaders when I need them?"

The little one started to stir, just a hair. Barely looking up, she glanced for a second at the teacher's Cutie Mark. "Ch.... Cheerilee?"

"Oh thank Celestia she's still alive." Cheerilee thought to herself, glad for small miracles. "Girls where are you?" She shouted, hoping the three overeager fillies would materialize again. "I think now would be the perfect time for you to earn your Cutie Marks as: Cutie Mark Crusader Ambulance drivers!" She said, hoping to get their attention, wherever they were.

"I'm sorry Cheerilee, but I had to use the wand." The filly said, looking distraught. "I couldn't lose you again!" She said, her eyes starting to close again.

"How does she know my name, or is she talking to somepony else?" Cheerilee thought, trying to avoid looking like she was going to panic -- she was a teacher after all, and panic might send the little filly further into shock. "It's ok dear. I forgive you." She said to the little one, in a comforting voice. "Now why don't you stay awake, and we can talk about stuff! Maybe I can teach you something?" She said, hoping to prevent the filly from passing out. "Where were those blasted crusaders?" She asked herself again, in the privacy of her own mind.

Suddenly a sound could be heard behind her of a wooden scooter, and a small red cart being dragged through the school doors, knocking them off their hinges, and practically out of the wall. "Sorry about that Cheerilee!!!" All three crusaders said, blushing slightly.

"That's ok girls." She said, once again swallowing the urge to face hoof. "Their recklessness may be just what this little filly needs." Cheerilee thought to herself, looking at the small filly.

"Did somepony say the needed CUTIE MARK CRUSADER AMBULENCE DRIVERS!!!" The crusaders asked with huge smiles.

"Sure! Girls, please get this little one to the hospital as quickly as you can!" Cheerilee said, begging the one thing, of the crusaders, that made the least sense. "Faust have mercy on all of us..." She thought to herself. "What horror have I unleashed on you Ponyville!?" She thought to herself, her face filled with terror.

"You coming with... with us Cheerilee?" Asked the little one, barely awake.

"Yes." She said, staring in the child's baby blue eyes. Was there a two highlights in there? And was one of the highlights a yellow star? Weird... "I'll be along in a second." Cheerilee said, mustering her most convincing smile. "I just have to get somepony to stand in for me." The filly's eyes started to glaze over in horror, like she had just said something that spoke straight into the filly's nightmares. "I promise! You'll see!" She said, looking the filly straight in the eye, and speaking with all the conviction she could muster. She had no idea why the filly was so horrified of her saying she would catch up. However, she had no more time to press the issue any further.

"She's in bad shape!" Said Scootaloo, quoting a movie she had seen somewhere. "We have to move NOW!" She said, taking off like a rocket, ripping the doors completely out of the wall. "Sorry about that Cheerilee!" The three crusaders said, as they flew off, at high speeds, into the distance (With Sweetie Belle making ambulance sounds along the way to the hospital.)

Now she had to face hoof... But the face hoof didn't last long, looking down she saw something odd. "And what did she have here?" She asked. "Some kind of toy wand? Maybe the little one dropped it." She speculated out loud. "I'll hold onto it for you, for safe keeping!" She said to herself, as if speaking to the little one that just flew out the room -- carried in a cart by three hyperactive fillies.

********

"Ok girls." Said a very agitated doctor, with a stethoscope for a Cutie Mark, as they sat in his office. "What did you do to her? Hit her with that cart? Fall on her while being Cutie Mark Crusader paratroopers?" He said, waving his front hooves around, jazz-hands style."Maybe you tried out another potion? I heard about that whole Cutie Pox incident!" He said, accusatively, looking at Apple Bloom directly.

"We didn't do nutting! Honest!" Said Apple Bloom, looking uneasy. "We found her this way, and when Ms. Cheerilee comes in, she can go and vouch for us!"

"Well we'll find out, because I guess that must be her now!" Said the doctor, giving the girls the stink eye once again. "And where is that blasted new doctor anyway?"

"He's in the Everfree overseeing the transportation of a patient." Said a nurse, with a heart Cutie Mark.

"Why does he need to be there for that?" The doctor snarled.

"'Because they'll get it wrong, and I'll have to pick up the pieces!' He said, I think." Replied the nurse, dripping with sarcasm.

In the room, a small intercom started to ring. The doctor walked over, in a huff, and picked it up. "Doctor Stethoscope, a Ms. Cheerilee is here." The nurse on the other end said clinically.

"Excellent!" He said, with an accusatory smile. "Bring her in, maybe she can fill us in on what these three hooligans did!"

"Hooligans!?" Shouted Scootaloo, her back arched, her fur standing on end, just itching for a fight. "Say that again! I dare you!"

"Hooligans!?" Whined Sweetie Belle, starting to cry. "We're not hooligans!" She said, balling like a young foal.

"HOOLIGANS!!!! When mah sister hears that!" Apple Bloom said, with a scowl. "You'll be sorry!" She Exclaimed, belligerently, sure her sister would eventually show up to defend her -- and then the doctor should watch out!

********

Cheerilee staggered out into the strange stone streets, looking for something familiar -- anything familiar -- but nothing seemed to make any sense. Why did all the ponies look so different, and why didn't anyone recognize her?

"Excuse me. Hello there--" She said, speaking to a young unicorn, and her foal.

"Don't look Diamond Eyes!" The mother responded, putting her hoof over her foal's eyes. "It's some kind of deranged crazy pony!" She said, with disdain (don't blame her, Cheerilee must have looked really odd with her oversized horn and muzzle.)

"Why will no one talk to me?" She asked herself, swallowing the desire to start crying. As the senior of the four unicorns that brought the rainbows each season, she'd have sworn someone would recognize her. And where did Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes go? Did those horrible bug ponies take them away? She had to find everyone fast. She had to hurry and...

"Oooffff..." She said, bumping into a pair of unicorns. "Oh I'm terribly sorry." She said, blushing through her purple coat. "I'm looking for someone. And I wasn't paying enough attention to where I was going."

The pair just looked at her, with an expression that screamed both agitation, and condescension.

"Anyway, have you seen her? She's this year's Crystal Rainbow Princess." Cheerilee asked, as politely as she could.

"And we care why?" The female of the pair finally spoke. "You bumped into us, and nearly caused my husband to rend his shoulder. You are lucky we don't take you in on charges!"

"Did she say this year's princess?" The stallion asked to the mare accompanying him, both laughing at the absurdity of the statement, with a haughty demeanor.

"Yes, she's a small pink unicorn no more than five years old, and she has rainbow hair." Cheerilee said, desperate for help.

"Pink? Princess? She must be thinking of Cadance, dear, and she's obviously deranged!" The male of the pair said, his voice starting to crack again. "The Princess certainly doesn't have 'rainbow' anything!" He said, laughing harder than before. "And she's certainly older than five!"

"Yes, this year's Crystal Princess: Princess Rarity." Cheerilee said, finishing her request.

"Princess Rarity!" Said the female, breaking out into laughter. "This mare is clearly on the bottle." She said, holding onto her husband 'lest she fall over with laughter'.

"Well, ms--" Started the male, swallowing chuckles.

"Cheerilee, sir." Cheerilee responded, now frowning. Why did these ponies make light of the Crystal Rainbow Princess? Didn't they know if she wasn't found then there would be no rainbows this season? (And all the color would disappear from the world -- ok only in G3 world.)

"Yes, quite. Ms. Cheerilee, you need to have an audience to talk with the princess. Bumpkin..." The male responded, swallowing another laughing fit. "You can't approach a princess without one!"

Had they found little Rarity already? But why would she, Rarity's mentor need to jump through hoops to see her? Cheerilee simply stood there baffled.

"Yes, and to get one of those by knowing the princess." Responded the female.

"No... That can't be right. I was just at the Crystal Castle, and Rarity cast a spell, and I need to find her." Cheerilee said, about to break down.

"Obviously inbred." Said the male, snickering to his female counterpart. "Just look at that muzzle of hers!"

"And that horn!" She said, laughing raucously, as the two of them headed off. "Come on Jet Set, we simply must be going, we have real, non imaginary things to do and ponies to find!"

********

"Any luck doctor?" Asked Doctor Stethoscope, of his colleague, who was busy browsing through every medical book at his disposal. "Apparently the teacher confirms their story. They had nothing to do with the filly's sickness." He continued, while he waited for the other doctors to arrive.

After a couple of minutes, half the floor's faculty came streaming in. Half the doctors having run every test they could think of on the strange pink filly who's condition continued to worsen.

"Huh... I was sure... Oh well! Let's run over the tests we've run." One of doctor Stethoscope's colleagues said, bringing out a board covered in writing.

"It couldn't be hypothermia, her temperature is too high for that, but might start dropping soon, if we don't figure this out." Replied Doctor X-ray, nervously adjusting his glasses.

"She's not malnourished, though we're waiting on blood tests to finish to see if she has a vitamin deficiency." Said a nurse, brining in some paperwork requested by the Doctor Medicine Stamp.

"Did our scans find any foreign bodies in her system?" Asked Doctor Health chart, to the nurse who was still in the room.

"No! Doctor. And it looks like her enlarged muzzle is genetic, and not due to swelling. We think it's a non serious genetic disease, probably a family trait." The nurse responded, with a frown.

"Doctor Pathology Report. Did any of the symptoms match any disease we have on record?"

"Nope partner." Said a doctor with a cowboy hat. "And none in the blood work either." The doctor responded, looking down.

"Ok! Her condition is quickly worsening, we need a reason, and we need one fast! Ponyville General prides itself in not losing patients! And I intend to do everything in my power to keep it that way!" Said a frowning doctor Horse. "So I need you all to buck up, and help me think!" He said, with a smile, trying to encourage the other doctors in the room.

"Have you checked her magic levels?" Asked, a doctor as he slowly entered the room, his hooves clopping the whole way.

"Look Doctor, I'm sure you fancy yourself the smartest doctor in the history of medicine! But I'm sure that we won't find anything by checking her magic levels! For one thing: if she had no magic she wouldn't be able to render a Cutie Mark and she's, by far, the youngest pony I've ever seen to have one." Said a scowling Doctor Stethoscope, convinced the newcomer was a fraud.

"Oh so you must have already run the test then?" Asked the surly old doctor, convinced that an important test was being skipped.

"No we haven't! But if she had too little magic we'd know by simply looking at her, and if she had too much, she'd be running a fever, or she would be experiencing horrific headaches." Doctor Stethoscope replied, matter-of-factly.

"Run! The! Tests!" The old doctor responded, commandingly.

"It's not safe for the patient! She's not in good shape, and getting worse by the second." Doctor Stethoscope replied, reminding his 'colleague' of the obvious. "She might not be able to take the loss of blood." Replied Doctor Stethoscope.

"Ok! Well I'll be tending other patients then, the new one should be arriving now and I want to make sure those blockheads don't botch the delivery." He replied, with a haute voice. "You can tell me what those results say." He said shaking his head -- with names like Doctor X-Ray, Pathology Report, and Stethoscope, he could tell they were winners.

"Fine! Nurse, run the test for doctor superiority over there! I almost hope he's wrong for a change, if it wasn't for that fact that it's the only lead we have!" Said Doctor Stethoscope, with a sigh.

********

"Aunty, I don't see why you had to go to the Crystal Empire personally." Blueblood whined. "We could've been caught... OR WORSE!!!" He continued stating, in an exasperated tone. "Who knows what those rapscallions would've done!" Blueblood said, with an eye twitch. "And I'm too important to -- "

"Look Blueblood, I suppose you are right." Celestia said, with a hidden sigh. "But in this matter I needed to take liberty: I almost lost my little ponies twice to those monsters, and I won't do so again." Celestia replied, looking solemn.

"Yes, and your student too." Blueblood said, deadpan. "Couldn't you've sent Kibitz, or Twilight instead?" He chastised, his ego showing. "Shining Armor! He would certainly be able to handle this!" He said, before remembering the obvious (well that wedding was... um.... just a bore anyway!) "That's right he's taking care of your niece." Blueblood said to himself, blushing slightly. "Well maybe Flash... Whatever his name is!" Blueblood said, his confidence never shaken.

"Yes, Blueblood, I could have." Celestia admitted. "But I felt it better to do it myself, to keep my little ponies' spirits up!" She said, with a smile.

"Then why did you have to bring me along? How would Canterlot survive without my guidance?"

Celestia rolled her eyes (and rolled them a second time for good effect.)

"We're arriving in Canterlot now, your majesty." Interrupted one of the two pegasus guards, who was guiding the chariot. "You have a meeting in a half hour with your royal scheduling advisor, and then another with your minister of defense." He said, reminding the princess of her afternoon's schedule.

"Thank you, my good sir." Celestia said, looking out the chariot. Which elicited a silent, but approving whiny from the guard.

"Celestia, you need to learn to stay here where it's safe! Just look at all that rabble out there." Blueblood said, with a wave of his hoof. "They need our loving guidance! I mean, for one, look at that purple unicorn." Blueblood said, pointing specifically at an odd looking pony below, standing in the middle of an island -- ponies avoiding her on all sides. "Poor, inbred, pathetic soul. Her and her giant muzzle! How does she eat? And her enormous horn! How would she live if we didn't take care of her?" He said, blissfully unaware of the odd look on his "aunt's" face.

"Did you say purple unicorn? Giant Muzzle?" Celestia asked, her face growing ever more pale by the second. "Triple pink flower Cutie Mark?"

"Yes, that would be the poor soul." Blueblood briefly acknowledged, unaware of what his "aunt" just finished saying, before continuing on his preplanned rant. "You see Celestia, we care for all these lesser ponies. And it involves not getting ourselves in danger."

"Guards, I thought I saw something down there, could you circle and take us lower?" Celestia asked her guards, politely -- looking over the side of the chariot intently.

"Yes, your majesty. But would Kibitz approve?" One of the guards asked, as afraid of the Princess' brusque advisor as the Princess herself.

"He'll be fine, I just thought I saw something." She said, with a smile. "I hope you don't mind, but I really would like you to take it lower." She said, smiling again.

"Yes, your majesty." The guards responded, dutifully.

"What, in the hay are you doing?" Blueblood complained, in abject terror. "We have important meetings!" Blueblood asked, once again exasperated.

"It couldn't be!" Celestia said, under her breath. "Guards, I wish to land right here!"

"Are you sure, your majesty?" The guards asked, inquisitively. They knew better then to doubt their majesty though.

"Yes, I certainly am, good sirs." Celestia replied, with a reassuring smile.

"What are you doing aunty?" Blueblood asked, as if his aunt had finally lost her marbles. "This is highly unorthodox!" Blueblood said, with an expression of horror on his face.

"Yes it is!" Celestia said, under her breath, motioning down with her hoof.

********

"So Doctor Stethoscope: what was the results of the test?" The old doctor said, returning from Minty's room -- smiling a sarcastic smile as he asked. He quickly noticed the immediate wince on his rival's face.

"0.000 milli-swirls of magic" (That's approximately -163.92 Platinas in Old Equuish Measurements, for those of you that aren't hip! Or 0.000 Jewels for you scientific types!)

"Say again? I think my ears aren't working!" Doctor Stable asked, leaning in forward -- pretending to be deaf.

"She has no magic... None..." The doctor said, hanging his head apologetically. "You were right, Doctor Stable! And I was wrong! I should have run the magic test earlier." Doctor Stethoscope, said with a defeated sigh.

"Wait... She actually has no magic, I thought for sure it was..." He said trailing off. "Stupid!" Doctor Stable said, chastising himself. "That complicates things greatly!"

Doctor Stethoscope, quirked his eyebrow, was this the first time that 'wise' old Doctor Stable was openly wrong? He wondered what Doctor Stable could have thought it was, but there was no time for that. "And it's the only thing that makes sense." The doctor replied. "So where did all her magic go? And how do we get it back?" The doctor asked, the wheels in his head already turning on the problem.

"The answer is easy: we need a donor, and now!" Doctor Stable replied, looking both belligerent and recalcitrant all at the same time. "And we need to prey to Celestia, Luna, and Faust (and probably Megan, Danny, and Molly too!) that whatever caused her to lose her magic doesn't happen again!"

Running over to the intercom, Doctor Stethoscope jammed down the button. "Nurse, see if you can get that teacher back in here! We need to know if she saw anything else." He said, hoping beyond all hope, that the mulberry earth pony Cheerilee could shed some light on this enigma.

"Meanwhile, we need to find a compatible donor, and fast!" Doctor Stethoscope continued. "And not knowing her family, and magic type, is not going to help!" (You see magic compatibility is usually determined by magic samples or, baring those, family history and magic type.)

********

Cheerilee looked up to see a chariot approaching with two unicorns in it: one winged, and one not winged. "Do I dare bother them? Most of the people I've been meeting today don't seem to care about the princess at all..." She asked herself, in her mind. After a few seconds to build her resolve, she decided to approach the strange unicorns before her.

"Excuse me!" She said, approaching the chariot — despite her better judgment — trying to avoid expressing the desperation she was beginning to feel. "I seem to have lost--"

"somepony close to you?" Celestia asked, interrupting the pink unicorn's mentor -- who was now desperately swallowing a deluge of tears -- with a glowing smile. "I think I might be able to help you with that!" She said, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes (which seemed to be aimed directly at Blueblood.)

"Aunty, you can't seriously be thinking about letting his riffraff in this chariot? She looks inbred, and deranged!" Blueblood said, backing as far away from the strange purple unicorn as he could, while still remaining in the chariot. "She'll attack us in our sleep!" Blueblood continued, intentionally speaking as loudly as he could.

"Blueblood!" Celestia chastised him, with a hurt shame in her eyes. "Is this how an heir of Princess Platina reacts when he sees one of his little pony's in need?" Celestia said, sighing to herself. All she could do was ask herself where she went wrong. It hurt her that she had failed to uphold the promise she made to Clover regarding Platina's family all those years ago. "Now Ms...." Celestia started, looking at Rarity's mentor, her smile returning.

"Cheerilee" Cheerilee said, her face softening a little.

"Cheerilee, please step in here." Celestia said, motioning with her hoof. "And I'll have somepony drop by to assist you finding them!" Celestia said, this time motioning with a wing.

"Oh thank you!" Cheerilee said, her voice filled with relief. "I knew someone in this strange city cared about the Crystal Princess!"

"Crystal Princess?" Blueblood said, once more with disdain -- getting a well hidden, but obviously agitated look from his 'aunt.' "What kind of nonsense is she spouting now!" Said an exasperated Blueblood to himself. "Don't blame me if we both end up at the wrong end of a cupcake party!" He said, pretending it was under his breath.

********

"So Rainbow Dash! How's it going." Said Twilight, with a smile. "I thought I'd bring you some high fashion magazines that Rarity let me borrow!" She looked down through the stack; one of the magazines, which Rarity fought tooth and nail to keep -- saying that it was the most important, and one she needed imminently "for important fashion research" -- had the headline: "dressing to impress: win the stallion of your dreams!"

Twilight resisted the urge to face hoof, these magazines almost seemed designed more to melt a mare's mind, then grow it -- nevertheless, she was a strong believer in reading. And Rainbow did really seem to enjoy Rarity's fashion magazines.

"Oh thank you, darling! These magazines look dashing!" Rainbow said, with a smile that was both extremely exuberant and extremely polite, at the same time. Before her smile started quickly fading.

"Is something wrong Rainbow?" Twilight asked, she knew besides rainbows, and riding them, fashion was like her third favorite thing -- and she wasn't expecting her joy to wear off so quickly.

"I'm sorry, darling! I really am!" Rainbow said, apologetically. "But for some reason I swore I recognized a young... unicorn filly." She said, after some thought, remembering something from her past. "And she looked like she was in trouble and I'm deathly concerned." Rainbow said, her eyes imploring Twilight for help. "I don't know why, darling, but I'm certain that little filly get's in more than everyone's share of trouble!" She said, her eyes glowing neon green, and her body shaking violently. Another magic burst came shooting out from her body, which was absorbed by the inhibiter around her neck and the custom bed she was now confined to.

"Rarity!" Rainbow said, remembering something a pony she swore she never saw before. "She is a darling friend; whom I met when she accidentally warped herself away from Unicornia -- which I've never heard of before -- with magic." Rainbow Dash said to herself, confused -- when would she stop getting these migraines? And why whenever she had one did it always result in her remembering something she shouldn't, first the Zecoras, now this Rarity unicorn.

"Strange, I thought you never met a unicorn, before yesterday?" Twilight asked, confused, referring to her meeting, the other day, with Twilight's Rarity and her sister.

"Neither did I." Rainbow said, with a sigh. "And yet, darling, I remember the whole adventure vividly: from her entering the sweet shop; to chasing her in that cart; to her splashing me with mud; to camping out in the woods; to losing my colors; to the First Rainbow of the Season. It's all very confusing, darling! It's like I'm reliving events that I never lived in the first place!"

"Well hopefully the doctors can figure something out." Twilight reassured the dashing earth pony. "They think maybe these memory issues of yours are, somehow, related to the magic bursts you've been having." Twilight said, with the most convincing smile she could muster. "In the meantime, I'll talk to the doctors about the filly, and see what I can find out for you."

"Yes! Please darling! That would be quite dashing!" Rainbow said, looking relieved. Asking herself, why was she so concerned about this filly in particular.

********

"Hello!" Shouted a young unicorn, as she tapped, lightly at first, on one of the guest room doors, then forcefully. "Celestia sent me to see how you were doing!" She shouted, not sure if she was being heard.

She contemplated shouting as loudly as she could, before remembering her instructions. "Remember, Begonia, this pony is special to me, and she lost somepony close to her: so try to be as kind as you can." Celestia had told her. The senior princess out of four, though didn't stop there. "Get to know her! Find out what she's been up to! Ask her how she's feeling, and why she's so upset! Find out how she got to Canterlot! And do let me know what you find out, I've been very concerned!" Begonia sighed, the princess gave her an important assignment -- it wasn't without perks, however. "With the exception of the delegation for the Griffon Empire, which leaves tonight. This will be your only assignment." This, of course meant that the assignment was extra important.

"I hope she hurries up!" Begonia thought to herself, looking at the position of the sun outside. "I have to tend to that delegation from the Griffon Empire as well!" She thought, calming herself with a sigh.

After a few minutes of tapping her hood on the ground, she decided to knock again. "Are you ok in there, Ms. Cheerilee?"

After a few seconds, the door opened, and before her was a very odd looking purple unicorn, with an oversized horn (not abnormal for Canterlot mind you, but everywhere else in Equestria), an enormous muzzle (ok that was definitely odd anywhere), and triple flower Cutie Mark. Her green eyes were puffy, and it looked from the doorway like her pillow was soaked. It appeared that the carpet had been moved out of alignment, probably from frequent pacing. And was this strange unicorn walking around, effortlessly reared up onto her hind legs?

"I apologize, if I got you at the wrong time, Ms. Cheerilee! But Celestia wanted me to be sure you were prepared for your formal audience with her!" She said, with the biggest smile she could muster. "You've been given the very last audience of the day, and then Celestia wishes you to join her and her sister for dinner." She said, with her best smile, all while wondering what Celestia saw in this pony -- she knew better then to ask the princess, though. "This is, of course, a great honor! And I was instructed to make sure you looked your best."

"Certainly." Cheerilee said, formally. "Will you come in?" She said, gesturing in with her left hoof; her right hoof distorted around the doorknob, allowing it to grip. Her wrist, and hoof eventually wrapping around the rest of the knob -- like a viper.

Begonia looked down for a second; she could tell this pony was upset, and Celestia did instruct her to attempt to cheer the pony up if necessary. "So Celestia tells me you lost some pony close to you. How are you holding up?"

"Actually I'm supposed to be mentoring her in how to be the rainbow princess. Some mentor I turned out to be!" Cheerilee said, looking down morosely. "I should've never left that wand where she could find it. Now Lord knows where she is! And it's all my fault! I've let her down!" Cheerilee said, on the verge of breaking down into tears.

Begonia looked around, this mare is obviously upset, but what should she say to her? Maybe she could try putting things in perspective. "Did you do everything you could?"

"Well yes, but-" Cheerilee responded, still feeling despondent.

"Then I'm sure she'll understand!" Begonia said, with a smile. "And I'm certain Celestia right now is thinking of ways to help you find her!"

"Oh thank you!" Cheerilee said, smiling largely for a second, hugging the nervous unicorn hardily. "I've just been beside myself with worry. What if she's hurt? What if she never forgives me? What if those monsters that attacked my village took her away? Or worse!" Cheerilee said, her mood starting to fail again.

"Wait... Monsters attacked your village?" Begonia said, surprised by what she heard. "Best not to worry the mare further!" She thought to herself. "Well! Try not to worry about it. Let's get you dressed for your audience with the princess. She said, trying to distract Rarity's mentor onto other matters.

********

"Well Ms. Sparkle. I'd love to tell you more about Ms. Rainbow Heart. But patient privacy rules clearly state." Doctor Stethoscope said, as if quoting directly from the rulebook. "That only friends and family can enter." He continued, with a frown. "And I won't break patient confidentially even for a princess." He reiterated, this time with authority.

"But what if I can help?" Twilight asked, undeterred -- normally, she was a stickler for the rules, but when it came to her friends, Celestia herself be darned.

"Hello again, princess!" Said a haute Doctor Stable, as he entered the room. "You can't help, unless you can find a suitable magic donor for her." He said, raising tone for a few words, so as to be clearly heard by his colleague. "As you can see, she's running a little empty!" He said, opening the door. "And her condition is not good."

Doctor Stethoscope, swallowed a horrified gasp. "Why haven't you been fired, and stripped of your medical license yet?"

Doctor Stable, just smirked. "Because maybe, unlike you, I'm irreplaceable!" He said to his fuming colleague. "Now maybe, theoretically, 'The Princess' over here could use those 'magical' princess powers and get as many unicorns as she can together! And we can find out if anyone in this no-horse town is compatible with this foal."

Doctor Stethoscope, swallowed another horrified gasp. "You can't just give out information like that, this is for patient safety and!"

"Quiet, Stethoscope. Some rules have to be broken, sometimes, in order to save a patient's life." Doctor Stable responded, in a harsh voice.

"Or maybe, what you are doing is not so much saving lives, as being reckless!" Stethoscope replied, feeling his colleague had become a little too comfortable.

"Well maybe I can just transfer some of my magic to her?" Twilight asked. "It worked when Luna, Celestia, and Cadance transferred their magic to me for safe keeping!"

"Well, maybe you and the princesses can just trade magic around like candy to each other, using your 'magical' princess powers! 'oh hey, I'm running low on magic! No Problem: here's a giga-swirl to tide you over until next week!' But the rest of us have limits!" Said a sarcastic Doctor Stable, feeling self righteous in the superiority of his intellect.

"But Tirek, absorbed everypony's magic just fine?" Twilight countered, trying to keep clinical.

"Yes! But are you insinuating that this little, innocent harmless pink ball of fur is a DARK LORD?" Doctor Stable countered. "No! We will do this my way!"

"Sorry, no offense your majesty!" Doctor Stethoscope countered, clinically. "But what ~~the jerk~~ my colleague is trying to say is: given an amount of magic smaller than their own inherent magic, any kind of magic can be converted and absorbed. However, if a too much incompatible magic were to be given a patient." Doctor Stethoscope said, looking down at the little Pink unicorn, and gulping. "There could be... complications."

********

Begonia tried to calm the nervous Cheerilee, by engaging the strange mare in small talk; while she picked an appropriate dress. She would also, of course, need to talk about the finer points of etiquette. "So any luck finding your special somepony?" She asked, hoping to kick things off.

Cheerilee froze for a second. "What is she talking about?" She thought to herself. "Oh! You mean a boyfriend!" She said, the light turning on for a second. "Oh No! There are so very few eligible bachelors to begin with, and my work is far too important to take any time off from!" Cheerilee said, with a smile. It's not that she hadn't dated a stallion before, it had just been a very, very, long time.

"Ahh yes! you remind me of somepony with that whole 'I can't meet ponies, I've got too much to do!' Thing you have going on!"

"Who would that be?" Cheerilee asked, curious to know if Begonia was talking about herself.

"Princess Celestia." Begonia replied. "Oh yes! She says it's because she represents her little ponies -- and is, as such, married to the nation! But I think, the truth is, that she worries that, if she takes too much time off, then everything will go to Tartarus around here! I think she hasn't taken a vacation within my grandmother's lifetime! And I think to this day, she still sneaks out for hair and beauty appointments!"

"Yes, that does sound familiar." Cheerilee said, with a chuckle.

"This one will work well for you, I think!" Begonia said, with a huge smile. "I think it might even have some of the eligible stallions taking an interest in you!" She said, smirking to herself at the thought. "I might even get one for myself." She thought to herself, smiling all the way.

"So tell me more? How'd you and little... Rarity get split up?" She said, forgetting the little filly's name for just a second. "And how did you find your way to Canterlot." She said, pulling a light blue dress with pink trim from some of the ones they had on hoof, and a light blue tiara with a emerald inset. "Now let me get some measurements on you, to make sure it fits well!"

"What is there to say?" Cheerilee said, staring down at the ground. "Rarity's been having nightmares since that explosion on Christmas Eve!" She looked away, feeling it was all her fault.

"Ok... That must have been the same day as Harthswarming eve..." Begonia thought to herself. Why did the mare keep saying strange words like "everyone" and "person" instead of "everypony", and "pony"? And why did she keep getting the names of the holiday's wrong?

"And it's the same horrible one! Apparently, Brights Brightly, Whistle Wishes, and Lily Lightly, along with Unicornia disappear into the darkness." She said, looking down. "And then, even I disappear into the darkness." She said, sighing. "And the dear is convinced, every time she has that dream, that she let me down." Cheerilee said, speaking with some grief. She apparently felt as much guilt as the filly did. "So when our village got attacked by bug ponies today." She said, looking away.

"Changelings... But why there? And why not the Crystal empire?" Begonia asked herself. "Wouldn't that make more sense?"

"She used the magic wand. I don't know how she even knew about it. I haven't even shown it to her yet! And I certainly didn't teach her the teleportation spell she used." Cheerilee said frantically, starting to cry. "I should have never let her touch it! Now Lord knows what's happening to her! And what's worse! What's even worse! Is that she probably thinks she let me down again! When it was really I that let her down!"

"There! There! You can't live in the past! And if you did everything you could!" Begonia replied, jotting down some final measurements to send to the royal dress maker -- this would have to be a rush job.

"And what if I didn't do everything I could have! What if I could have done more!" Cheerilee shouted, sobbing. "She could be gone and it would be all my fault!"

********

"I bet you all want to know why I’ve asked Twilight to gather you all here?" Asked a surly Doctor Stable to a room packed with unicorns (apparently Twilight can pack a room if she wants to!)

"Yes, I was wondering that, please! Thank you!" Asked Rarity, as politely as she could. "I have very important dresses to finish, and I would rather be at the boutique, unless I have a good reason to do otherwise, of course!"

"Well, we have a very sick filly in there, clinging onto life, and we need a magic donor, or else…" Said Doctor Stable, trailing off.

"Don’t you have systems for that, dearie?" Rarity asked, wincing a little bit at the poor filly's plight. "I mean, can’t you find a donor in your systems?" She asked curiously.

"We would! If she had… say… MAGIC!!! Or records." Doctor Stable replied, sarcastically to the fashionable white unicorn, causing her to pull back a hair. "And to make things worse, a lack of magic means taking a magic sample is just plain out."

Rarity sighed. She had important business to attend to, but felt that she should help if she could. "Oh, very well. But only because of the circumstances." Rarity said, with a sighing again. "Shall we get this over with?"

"So basically, because of the odd circumstances: instead of normal, reasonable, medicine, we’ll be using an old ooga-booga test that they used before modern medicine came into vogue." Doctor Stable replied, belligerently, feeling this was probably the worst test possible -- that being said, they were running out of options, and time was of the essence. "We will be teaching each one of you a spell, which you will cast in the presence of the filly. If done right, we will see an effect ranging from nothing to an arc of magic between your horns. The bigger the effect, the stronger the compatibility of your magical energies." Doctor Stable said.

"We are looking for 90% compatibility or more; however, even if, we decide that, you don’t match, you may be asked to remain, if you have come close enough. Otherwise we will be sending you home."

"Ok. First: Lyra Heartstrings." Doctor Stethoscope said, motioning to a green unicorn with a harp cutie mark. "Please step into the next room." He said, opening the door, and motioning the green unicorn through.

"Excuse me, Doctor Stable." Twilight said, approaching the old doctor. "After Lyra, could I take the next turn? I have important business to attend to and --"

"Actually Twilight." Doctor Stable said, in an unusually polite tone. "Doctor Stethoscope and I were talking, and we feel that it would be best if we didn’t use you."

"And why not?" Twilight asked, befuddled.

"Between the strange diseases you’ve suffered in the past, such the magical shedding at the wedding -- oh and that whole Dragon Flu incident." He said matter-of-factly. "And the fact that you have very high level of magic, even before your ascension… Well…" He said, before his sarcastic smile started to return. "We, basically, think that since your magic is a whole lot stronger now, that, if we attempt to use it then, your magic will blow her horn clear off!"

Of course, Twilight left in a huff, muttering something about "taking this all the way to Celestia's desk!"

********

Begonia entered the audience chamber as quietly as she could -- making sure to close the large door as quietly as she could. It appeared that Celestia was correct in telling her that her audience with the delegation from the Griffon Empire would be brief.

She could see Celestia holding her "I’m important face", while Luna was angrily arguing with the crown prince (in the Royal Canterlot Voice). Complaining, something, about a lack of respect.

Begonia had expected this important diplomatic summit to last a while. And that she would have to wait until Celestia noticed her and could politely excuse herself. Instead she found herself coming in only to be passed by the Griffons angrily removing themselves — swearing something about repercussions.

"Kibitz! I think we should take a couple of minutes to cool down after this delightful exchange!" Celestia said, winking at the unicorn, now standing as far away from the stage as she could. "I know Luna certainly could!" She said, winking at her sister in the most noticeable way possible.

"Tis Lies!" Her sister shouted, snorting. "WE SHALL SMITE THESE GRIFFON SWINE WITH OUR JUST WORDS, AND..." She shouted (in all caps), pulling out a giant... "BATTLE HAMMER!"

"Yes, I see what you mean, your majesty. We shall take a few minutes break, and then reconvene." Kibitz said, sighing (he knew full well Celestia had other plans in mind, but he wasn't about to bug her about them. Besides, everypony knew that when Luna broke into Old Equiish, it was time to take a break!) "But be aware! We have only a short while, there are quite a few things still left on your schedule before nightfall!"

Celestia nodded at her advisor, before turning to Begonia. "Walk with me." Celestia said, to the awaiting Begonia.

"Of course, your majesty." Begonia replied, following Celestia back through the large doors and into the hall.

"So tell me, my dear Begonia! How's she holding up?" Celestia asked, with a frown, looking out one of the ornate windows that filled the castle's hallways.

"About as well as can be expected." Begonia replied, taking a peek out the window, herself. "Apparently Cheerilee's village -- I think she called it 'Unicornia' -- was attacked by changelings, and her young mentee used powerful magic to teleport everypony to safety. " Begonia said, matter-of-factly.

"Interesting... I wonder what Queen Chrysalis is up to." Celestia said, under her breath. "I certainly thought she would be attacking the Crystal Empire. And how could Cheerilee even show up? And what reason would Chrysalis have to attack Cheerilee and Unicornia in the first place?" Celestia said, continuing to talk to herself under her breath.

"You ok, your majesty?" Begonia asked, with a concerned demeanor. "You normally reserve my services for ponies you have suspicions of. Are you concerned that this isn't your friend?" Begonia asked, trying to swallow her suspicions.

Celestia looked around, and over both her shoulders. "No, my dear Begonia. I believe this is the real Cheerilee!" She said, her voice dropping just a little to ensure an inside tone.

"Then my apologies, you majesty." Begonia apologized, formally. "Do you mind if I speak out of turn again?" She asked, hesitantly -- but couldn't resist asking the question.

Celestia waved her hoof. "Go ahead, I don't mind!"

"Has your friend betrayed Equestria?" She asked the princess, desperately trying to figure out why Celestia had assigned her to the purple unicorn.

"I wish, that it had been her that had betrayed me..." Celestia said to herself, under her breath. "No Begonia, she's been nothing if not loyal!" She replied.

"Then why are you so concerned then, your majesty?" Begonia asked, completely baffled.

"Oh Begonia, maybe I'm just concerned because I know the pain of losing somepony close to me?" Celestia asked, innocently (demonstrating why she was the poker champ of Canterlot 400 years running.)

"I suppose, your majesty." Begonia replied. "But I'm not sure I believe you." She said, with fervor. "Certainly, wouldn't Sweet Heart be a much better choice?" She asked, with hesitation, fearing how the princess might respond. "This Cutie Mark, stands not just for empathy, but also discernment. And hers is certainly exclusively empathy!" She said, wondering why she was picked for a simple 'pick-me-up' mission when a much more qualified pony was available.

"And maybe, I think you'd be the perfect pony?" Celestia said to Begonia, as if trying to reassure somepony.

Begonia only looked back, as if she was being lied too, but eventually relented. Maybe she had something special only Celestia could see.

"And you would be concerned too if you knew what I knew." Celestia said to herself, under her breath. Looking back solemnly. "I suspect a certain Draconequus has been violating his parole!"

********

"Ok Lyra! That’s good enough." Doctor Stethoscope said, with exasperation. "Lyra Heartstrings: 0%" He wrote on a piece of paper (underlining a couple of times.)

"Hey Doc, you forgot to put a ten in front of that zero!" Lyra said, with an enthusiastic smile.

"No actually, he means zero!" Said Doctor Stable chiming in. "You may leave." He said, loudly motioning the unicorn away.

"Next up: Dinky Doo. Please step forward." Said, Doctor Stethoscope, motioning the small violet unicorn child into the room.

"Woo hoo!" yelled the child’s mother, from outside the window. "That’s my girl!" She said, crashing into the outside wall.

"Please keep it down!" Scolded Doctor Stable. "This is a hospital! Not a sideshow!" He shouted through the window next to the indented wall.

Dinky looked at the little filly, and then back at Doctor Stethoscope, with a puzzled expression.

"You looking at her muzzle?" The doctor asked, as softly as he could.

She nodded back.

"Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. We’ll figure out what happened to her when she recovers." Stethoscope replied. "I know she looks different, but she would be in a very bad shape without your help." He said, looking into Dinky's eyes with his most convincing smile. "Now I have a super simple spell for you to try!" He said, hoping she'd be able to cast this spell. "Just visualize a wire traveling between your two horns — that both of your horns are touching."

After a few seconds a very thin arc flowed between the two horns, then fizzed.

"Good, let’s go back to your mother." The doctor responded in an enthusiastic voice. This might be a good start after all!

She nodded.

"So?" Asked Doctor Stable.

"87%, but she might be a little young for a magic transfer." Replied a concerned Doctor Stethoscope, to his colleague quietly.

"We’ll chalk her up as a maybe." Said Doctor Stable replied, taking notes on a notepad.

"Next up: Rarity!" Doctor Stethoscope said, beckoning to the fidgety fashion designer -- who was starting to lose her patience after waiting so long.

"Very well." She said, rapidly regaining her composure, as she entered the room with Doctor Stethoscope. "I suppose if Sweetie has to do this, then so should I!" Rarity said to herself, reminding herself of the chore.

"Did you see mommy! They chalked me up as a maybe!" Dinky said to her mother, bouncing enthusiastically.

"My little muffin is a little Star Swirl!" She pronounced, racing her to her daughter to hug, and running into a wall instead.

After a few minutes, Rarity returned, looking exasperated. But quickly regained her composure, when she returned to the room.

"And how does the prima donna stack up?" Asked Doctor Stable, with a smirk -- probably hoping that she either scored very well or very, very, poorly.

"Rarity Unicorn: 85%" Doctor Stethoscope relied, to his colleague. "Not as good a fit as the Doo filly, but definitely old enough for a magic transfer."

"Ok. Chalk her up as a maybe." Doctor Stable replied, his smirk growing by the second.

"But, darlings, I have urgent work to finish! And I’m certainly not above 90%. And, as much as I want to help the dear, I really need to get back!" Rarity said, on the verge of panic. "I have an urgent order that needs to be in Vanhoover by tomorrow afternoon!"

"You aren’t going anywhere, except for the maybe line! Stand over there!!" Shouted Doctor Stable chastised, suddenly losing his smirk and getting very, very, serious.

Rarity looked at Doctor Stethoscope, with an apprehensive expression. Her face begging him to let her go.

"Sorry about that, Ms. Unicorn." Doctor Stethoscope frowned. "But considering the circumstances, and my colleague’s temperament." He said, now playing good cop. "I’m concerned about what ~~the grinch~~ my colleague will do if you leave. " He said, with an apologetic smile.

"Uggg… Quite!" Rarity whined, wishing for her fainting couch.

********

"So, how are you holding up, my little pony?" Celestia asked, with a concerned smile, sitting across a long rectangular table from a quietly sobbing purple unicorn. "You must feel dreadful." She said, pouring a cup of tea for the two of them, and levitating one of the cups over to the senior member of the rainbow quartet -- who's eyes promptly turned into saucers.

"How did you do that?" The purple unicorn asked with shock.

"Do what? Celestia asked, with a soft smile.

"How did you cast magic without a wand?" She asked, in shock.

The ageless alicorn smiled, cryptically. "Oh! That's just one of my special talent's!"

Luna quirked an eyebrow. "But sister? Why dost that not tell her that all unicorns can cast magic as such?" She said, her eyes speaking with profound skepticism.

The princess of the day returned by giving a firm glare, her eyes motioning at her neighbor across the table.

Her sister returned a quizzical expression, herself pointing with her eyes.

Finally Celestia gave her an expression that might as well be her eyes shooting daggers. Finally giving a firm expression that almost screamed 'later'. "Oh Luna!" She said, chuckling softly. Her face, once again softening turned to her guest. "As I was saying. You must be deafly worried about poor Rarity."

Cheerilee paused for a second, her head buzzing with questions. How did the princess already know Rarity's name? Did Begonia tell her, or did she just know about this year's Rainbow Princess? And how did she cast magic? Did she just do that using her horn? No she couldn't have -- she must have had a wand, right? In any case, she decided to answer the princess' question. "I'm holding up the best I can. I just feel like such a failure." Cheerilee said, starting to cry. "And what's worse is that it seems like no one around here seems to know much, or care about this year's Crystal Rainbow Princess." She said, choking on all the tears she was swallowing.

"I for one, think you are doing fine." Said the princess with a reassuring smile. "And I apologize for my little ponies, sometimes they can be thoughtless." The Princess said, sipping her tea -- which was held in her magic -- her face darkening slightly (probably thinking about her "nephew".) "They just don't understand how special young Rarity is!" She said, looking off into the distance.

"And what' s worse, is that everyone acts as if I'm crazy." Cheerilee continued, staring down into the teacup she was holding, by its handle, in her distorted hoof.

"They also sometimes react poorly, if they see somepony different." She said, swallowing a sigh. "I received a letter a couple years back regarding a zebra, that was causing quite a ruckus in Ponyville." Celestia said, wistfully, remembering the letter that Twilight had sent the day she met Zecora.

"That's odd, because everyone back in Unicornia looks like this." Cheerilee said, with a perplexed expression. "Do you get these kinds of reactions? I've never seen a winged unicorn before. Maybe you could give me advise?"

"Well, my little pony, I'm kind of an exception." The princess said, blushing. "They instinctively see me differently, like I should be their leader. Among other things..." She said, muttering quietly to herself on the last part. "But don't worry, dear Cheerilee, I am already doing everything in my power to find young Rarity." She reassured the young pink unicorn's mentor.

"Have I told her Rarity's name yet?" Cheerilee asked herself, again; after a few seconds shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm just glad I found someone else that knows about this year's Pink Unicorn Princess. It's a real shame, since she's been Pink Unicorn Princess since the fall equinox -- and then there was the whole induction ceremony. And to top it off, everyone had to vote on her. How could no one know all of a sudden? Have they all forgotten? Or do they all just not care?"

Celestia looked at the perplexed purple unicorn for a second; and, as if trying to change the conversation, asked a question. "So tell me, besides young Rarity are there any other ponies you are mentoring?"

"No, Rarity is the only one this year." Cheerilee responded, her face softening. "I mentor a new blue unicorn every five years, and a new yellow unicorn every three years -- I've had to mentor all three at least once."

"So, Cheerilee, how long do you serve for?" Celestia asked.

"A purple unicorn is chosen for life, and is mentored by the senior of the blue and yellow unicorns." Cheerilee responded. "Someone needs to mentor the others, thus the purple is considered the second most important unicorn of the four, with only the pink unicorn being more important."

"So how long have you been serving?" Celestia asked.

"About thirteen years, give or take. I believe Whistle Wishes is the third blue unicorn I've trained, and Brights Brightly is the fifth yellow unicorn I've trained."

"And do you mind, if I ask what your cutie mark stands for?" Celestia asked.

"My emblem? I think it stands for my love of flowers, but it's hard to say! I've had it all my life!"

"That is intriguing." Celestia said, not as surprised as her sister, who was sitting right next to her. "So tell me, how did you like the dress that Begonia and I chose for you?"

"I truly liked it, princess. But how did you know I liked Emeralds?" Cheerilee asked, politely, wondering how this princess, whom she never met, was so well acquainted with her.

"Oh... You look like somepony who would like emeralds." Celestia said, with a smile, with a twinkle in her eye (once again! This is how she stayed the queen of poker, despite being only the princess of Equestria!)

********

"Ok!" Doctor Horse spoke up. "Where are we at?" He asked the collection of doctors, once again assembled in the room.

"Nowhere!" Replied Doctor Stable. "We have three or four maybes and a ton of no-gos. And we are basically out of time."

"Well... What do we have then?" Asked Doctor Horse, attempting to hide his concern.

"Well..." Said Doctor Stable, his sarcastic voice blaring again. "Lyra Heartstrings: birds egg. Dinky Doo: 87% -- maybe. Rarity Unicorn (who was still sulking in the maybe line): 85% -- maybe. The rest of the Unicorn family: 72% -- mother, 60% -- father, and 77% -- younger sister." He said, starting to hold the list of unicorns in a demeaning manner. "Do you want me to continue?"

"Look doctor, we've got a life on the line -- and we can't accept no for an answer. What else do we have?" Begged Doctor Stethoscope.

"Ok! You asked for it. Amethyst Star: 82% -- maybe. Minuette: 74%, Royal Pin: 25%. Oh and here's two young colts and a filly. Snips: 33%, Snails: 67%, Diamond Mint: 10%. Do you still want to continue? There's no compatible pony in this whole Celestia forsaken town!" He said, throwing up his hooves in disgust, before proceeding to trot out the door.

"He's a jerk, but I don't believe I've seen that reaction before." Said Doctor Stethoscope to the doctor beside him. "Do you think that the old jerk has a heart in there somewhere?"

"Maybe. Let me think for a second, maybe I can figure something else out. I mean we have a couple of valid maybes -- maybe I can find a way to use one of the two of them? Why don't you try to find Doctor Stable."

********

"Blow her horn off!" Twilight pouted to herself returning to the library. "Maybe I can show him some magic that would blow his off! And where does he get off talking about a princess of Equestria this way? Celestia's personal student! And the Princess of Friendship no less!" She fumed to herself, opening the door causing it to hit the side of the tree.

"Spike I'm back!" She shouted angrily, slamming the door behind her. "And I'd like to write a letter to Princess Celestia!" She shouted angrily, looking around. Where did that dragon go?

"Oh Twilight, glad to have you back!" Spike responded. "The princess sent like five letters while you were out, and..." Spike continued, trailing off as he looked at Twilight's face. "Let me guess, bad day?" He said, with a smirk, as his sister/adopted mother snorted out of her nose. "Remember what the Princess says Twilight: 'nightmares are born from bad feelings.' So even though you look hilarious, I should say don't be angry and blabbity blabbity blah!" He said, waving his claws around, wildly.

"Fair enough." Twilight said fighting to regain her composure. "But do you believe it! we have a sick filly, who is dangerously low on magic and doctor smartier-than-thou has decided that I, a princess of Equestria, should just go home! 'Too much magic!' He said. 'Blow her horn off' He said!" She said, in a sarcastic mocking tone. "I'll figure out some way to fix this and shove it right in doctor 'superiorities' face!"

"Sorry to hear that!" Spike said, trying to comfort his surrogate mother/sister. "Can't you guys just use your rainbow powers like you did after that Tirek incident earlier this year?" He asked, an idea occurring to him.

"No!" She said, shaking her head violently. "That's very powerful magic, and I don't know how it'll react." Twilight said, waving her hooves. "It really could blow her horn off!"

"Didn't you restore all that magic that Tirek stole using it though?" Spike asked, not convinced.

"Yes, but that was spread over all of Equestria! Not one pony." Twilight said, with panic apparent on her face. "And number two, we aren't returning stolen magic here! We are trying to give her body's magic reserves a boost!" Twilight corrected her number one assistant.

"Sounds the same to me!" Spike said, crossing his arms.

"Well! You would be wrong! Didn't you read the book I got for you four birthdays ago on advanced spell craft, and magical mysteries?" Twilight asked, once again baffled.

"Um... No!" Spike said, with a smirk. "Should I have? I prefer lighter reading for my bedtime stories!" He said, sarcastically. "Not giant monster textbooks! I mean who wrote that thing? Starswirl the long winded? (Somewhere Starswirl the long winded rolls in his grave!)" The baby dragon said, holding a claw against the side of his mouth, and pointing with the other, sarcastically.

After a few breaths, and a couple of trips to the fire extinguisher. Twilight decided that it would be better to read Celestia's letters. "So Spike, show me those letters!"

"Kay! Here you go!" He said, handing her a stack of letters, all sealed with Celestia's seal, but none of them were using official paper.

"Must be a personal request." Twilight said to herself, confused. Normally the princess used official paper. "Let's take a look here." She said, as she began to scan the letters.

The first couple of letters read easily enough. "Ok, apparently the Changelings and 'my mother' didn't attack the Crystal Empire, but rather a small village to the west of the Crystal Empire." She said before stopping. She looked up from the letter, looking quite puzzled. "But the only village west of the Crystal Empire is Vanhoover, and that's a fair amount to the south also." She said, unfurling one of her maps on an flat surface. "Also why not the Crystal Empire?" She said, desperately trying to get into Chrysalis' head.

She continued reading the next couple. "Apparently they don't know what happened to the denizens, but some apparently escaped, including an old friend of Princess Celestia's." Once again she stood there dumfounded. Another friend, and apparently one close enough to write a letter about; but why hadn't she ever heard of this friend?

She started on the final letter. "Apparently she was looking after a very young filly, but the filly got lost in the attack, and Celestia was hoping I had seen her." Twilight said, scanning down to the description. "She's a filly, no more than five, with a pink coat, blue eyes, a rainbow mane and tail, and a... Heart and rainbow Cutie Mark..." Twilight said, remembering something.

"Spike! Take a note!" She shouted to the young dragon, who dutifully took out a quill and scroll

********

"So, you taking a couple of minutes?" Asked Stethoscope of his colleague, sitting outside the hospital, on a bench taking a drink of something very powerful.

"Go away! can't you see I'm done for the day!" Stable replied, powering up a very powerful pain killer spell. "So I'm leaving things for 'the doctors', while I treat my pain."

"That leg injury never healed properly did it?" Asked Stethoscope, trying to make small talk.

"Some never do!" Replied Stable. "Especially when they aren't treated in a timely manner" He said, nursing old grudges. "But didn't I tell you to buzz off!?"

"I suppose you did, but I think if I'm quiet I can sit here a few minutes." Stethoscope said, hoping that time would get the old grouch to open up.

"No you can't! Read my lips bumpkin: 'GO AWAY'! You think: 'Oh I'll talk to the doctor and make him feel better, then he'll be all lovey dovey happy fun-times -- just like everyone else in this Celestia forsaken town!' Well It doesn't work that way!" Stable snapped back. "It never does!" He said, hanging his head in shame.

Stethoscope simply shrugged and sat down a few paces further away. And just waited. After a few minutes, a soft sobbing could be heard.

"So doctor, you want to --" Stethoscope said, hoping he could get his colleague to talk.

"No! Now GO AWAY! And let me drink away my failure in peace!" Stable said, actually starting to sob.

"Doctor!" Stethoscope chastised. "We all lose patients! Heck, you've lost at least a few!"

"Yeah, but never like this. Normally they are dead on arrival or we never figure out what happened in the first place. I've never had a patient where I've found the root of the problem, and they wound up dead!" He sighed. "And worse yet! It's as much my failure as it is anyponyelse's! Normally I'm the smart one surrounded by nincompoops!" He lamented.

"Well there's a first for everything. And she's not dead yet!" Stethoscope responded. "Why don't you come in, and we'll use some more unorthodox and reckless medicine -- maybe we'll save a life yet!" He said, hoping his colleague would buck up, and get back on the horse (so to speak.)

"Very well." The other doctor replied, spilling his beverage into the bushes -- before walking back into his job.

********

"You can't just barge in here!" Shouted Nurse Redheart to the angry alicorn, who insisted on seeing the doctor, rain or shine -- her ear twitching slightly.

After a couple of minutes, an old doctor returned from outside, his hoofs clopping loudly. "You need something princess?" He asked, with a chuckle, which was responded to by an angry glare, and a snort, from Twilight.

She stood there for a minute, looking exceedingly agitated, but then her features suddenly dropped when she looked at the doctor's face. Finally she opened her mouth. "Could I please take that test! She needs help! I can feel it!" The princess said, with a sigh. "Please let me try! I can tell you're desperate, and I couldn't live with myself, if I didn't try!"

The doctor sighed, and tuned to his nurse."Don't worry, I'll let her in this time." He said, his signature smirk returning. "Sometimes rules have to be bent or broken." He said to Nurse Redheart, with a reassuring smile.

"Very well doctor. But you are aware how unorthodox this is." Replied the nurse. "I mean visiting hours are over, and --" She said, before the doctor put a hoof to her face.

"I'm aware." The old doctor said, waving a hoof at the nurse. The doctor turned to Twilight and smiled his most genuine smile. "Ok Princess, let's see what you can do! But remember! We are only going to test you! Don't try anything stupid!"

Twilight just nodded, and smiled. "Rainbow Dash, let me see if I can help out your little friend." She said to herself, quietly.

After a few minutes the old doctor slowly opened the door, only to see his some of his colleagues already in the room. "Ok! Give me a recap, what is the patient's state?"

"Not good. Doctor Horse has taken a few of the other doctors to scour not just the hospital's library, but the general library as well -- looking for anything they can find. Meanwhile, little Rainbow Heart's condition continues to deteriorate! Her temperature is starting to fail, as is her respiration, and heart rate. She has only a half hour or so at most." Doctor Stable replied, lowering his head a little. "If only we had more time!" He lamented.

Twilight looked at the little filly, slowly failing, and frowned. For a second, it seemed like she was standing there hashing something out with herself, muttering slightly. Finally, she put her hooves together (her eyes going slightly wonky). She had decided! "Please, let me run the test!" Twilight said, holding Celestia's smile. "I think I can pass it." She continued, powering up her horn. "Celestia, please let this work!" She thought to herself.

"Ok, but I want you to take it easy princess, you probably have more magic in that horn then all of the unicorns in this room combined." Doctor Stable said, casting a suspicious eye. "And remember her condition is very fragile!"

Twilight nodded, with a smile. Appearing, at first, to be casting the detection spell.

"Ok, step back! We'll see how compatible this princess really is." Doctor Stable said, worried about what rainbow-friendship alicorn magic would do.

Her horn, which had previously been glowing slightly, started to glow more and more visibly, and then started to spark at the end.

"What in Tartarus name is she doing!" Shouted Doctor Stable, starting to panic. "There is no way she's casting the magic compatibility spell!"

Slowly the sparks grew in size and shape, and a small ball of light began to appear at the tip of the princess' horn as her eyes started to glow a blinding white.

"What in Celestia's name is she doing!" Shouted Doctor Stethoscope. "Orderlies!" He shouted, scrambling to get the orderlies in there as fast as he could.

The ball of light separated itself from the princess' horn, and began to float in the air for a few seconds, before colliding with the filly's small undeveloped horn.

"WHAT IN TARTARUS NAME POSSESSED YOU!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" Shouted Doctor Stethoscope, visibly shaking and seething. "DID YOU THINK FOR A SECOND WHAT THIS MIGHT HAVE DONE TO THIS ADORABLE FILLY! YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST --"

"What my colleague means to say is: you dunderhead! You knucklehead! You meathead! You oaf! What were you thinking? Did I give you permission to start throwing around your alicorn magic?" Doctor Stable joined in. "I would have let you cast that spell, but only once I was sure it would be safe. She was clinging to life before. She couldn't handle a massive bolt of Celestia knows what magic!"

"Nurse Redheart!" Doctor Stable said, pressing the intercom button. "Princess know-it-all decided to do something stupid! I need the other doctors in here stat!"

"I don't think that will be necessary doctor!" Twilight said, smiling ear to ear, as something in the bed below began to stir.

"Oh wow! I can see stars! That was unicorn fun! Let's do that again!" Shouted the hyper active filly, her Cutie Mark, glowing an almost neon color. After a few seconds, the young unicorn started falling back to sleep.

"Nurse, could you check on her stats! I need to walk princess magic-pants out of here!" Doctor Stable scowled. "Check her magic levels while you are at it."

"Very well doctor." Nurse Redheart responded.

"Let me join you as well." Doctor Stethoscope said.

********

Grabbing the princess by the shoulder, Doctor Stethoscope dragged her outside -- till both of them were a few feet from the hospital. Then without a second thought, the doctor opened up.

"Ok! What was that about!? What possessed you to do use magic we didn't condone! And a magic transfer no less!" Doctor Stethoscope ranted, before grunted belligerently. "Didn't I tell you that we weren't going to transfer magic to her without our permission. Do you know what could have happened to her?" He stated, sternly. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't call the police on you right now!"

Twilight blushed, and hung her head. "I'm sorry. I had originally come in to yell at doctor 'superiority', but the moment I entered the room, I could feel palatable despair and helplessness; and I just had to do something! Anything!" She said, looking very sorry.

"Look Twilight." Doctor Stethoscope said, with a sigh. "I understand what you getting at. But we, as doctors, have to be extremely careful with our patients. And I know Doctor Stable's methods are usually unsound and ridiculous! But there are risks that even he won't take!" He said, trying to see if the princess understood. "And even if it works like you want it too, there's no telling that the same trick will work again, or even if it would be a good idea. She may even have complications that we don't understand."

Twilight just looked away, she wasn't sure what possessed her, but she just felt that she had to act.

The nurse started to walk out into the courtyard. "Doctor! I think you need to see this! And bring the princess with you! She needs to see this as well!"

"Ok! See Twilight! There may be complications!" Doctor Stethoscope said, repressing a desire to growl.

********

Rarity looked on with abject terror! What were those horrible bugs? And why were they hurting everyone? She wouldn't lose them again! No! Not like last time! "I won't let you down this time! I'll save everyone this time, Cheerilee! Not just me, but you, Lily Lightly, Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes! I'll save everybody!" Rarity thought to herself.

She waved the wand once, twice, thrice. No this would only teleport her! She needed to save everyone!

"Rarity! What are you doing!? That's not how you do the Princess Twirl!" Cheerilee called out with abject horror.

She waved it a fourth time, a fifth time, a sixth time! She started to see stars. But she had to keep going. If she threw the wand now it would teleport the monsters too!

"I'm not doing the Princess Twirl Cheerilee" She said, with a frown. "I'm going to teleport everyone this time!"

"What are you talking about Rarity? You've never used the wand before. You don't know how dangerous it is!" Cheerilee said, weeping as she talked.

"I'm sorry Cheerilee!" She thought to herself. "I have to do this!" Seven! She hurt everywhere. Eight! She could barely move. Nine! Everything started going black. She just hurt all over, and just struggled with all her might to hold onto the wand. All she had to do was throw the wand! But why was everything so dark, why did she hurt so much?

Cheerilee lunged forward in desperation, losing hold of the door.

"Cheerilee! The door!" Shouted Whistle Wishes, in panic, as the door was forced open.

"Bravo! That is some tasty despair, and desperation, out of you." Captain Raphanus said, with a smile. "Too bad I'm not permitted to feed! Grab the two by the door, I'll grab that pathetic filly. Vladímir will decide what to do with them!" He said, grinning sadistically.

"Cheerilee!" Rarity shouted, gathering all her available strength. "I'll save you!" She tossed the wand with all her might to activate the spell. Then everything went to black.

All of a sudden she could hear someone talking to her. Who was it? She sounded older, even then Cheerilee?

"Wake up little one! I'm glad you could come in early, but it's not good to sleep out here!... Are you ok?"

Who was talking to her? She was just so tired and weak. All she could do was look up at their symbol. it was three flowers, that was Cheerilee's symbol! But it looked different for some reason.

"Ch.... Cheerilee?" She asked, barely able to talk.

Was this Cheerilee? Why did she look different? And why was her symbol different. Was she still mad at her for borrowing the wand?

"I'm sorry Cheerilee!" She lamented, feeling really sorry for disobeying her mentor. "But I had to use the wand, I couldn't lose you again!" She said, her eyes starting to close again. She was just so very, very, tired.

"It's ok dear. I forgive you." Cheerilee said, or was it even Cheerilee? "Now why don't you stay awake, and we can talk about stuff!" Not Cheerilee said. "Maybe I can teach you something?" She would love to learn something! If only she wasn't so very tired!

"Girls, please get this little one to the hospital as quickly as you can!" Cheerilee said.

"You coming with... with us Cheerilee?" She asked, barely awake. She just wanted to sleep so bad.

"Yes." Cheerilee said."I'll be along in a second. I just have to get somepony to stand in for me." It was just like Cheerilee in her dreams.

She knew that she wasn't going to come with her! She had failed, Cheerilee was going away again, and there was nothing she could do!

"I promise! You'll see!" Cheerilee said, with conviction.

"Please don't lie to me Cheerilee! Please!" She said, her eyes closing again. Everything went to black again.

She her horn kept tingling and itching. Like when you shuffle your hooves over a carpet and then touch a metal doorknob.

She could see a light in the distance, and then suddenly it felt like the sun touched her horn. And it was like she finished drinking a giant glass of hot cocoa! And her symbol felt like it was hot as an oven.

And all of a sudden the light was gone, and there was stars instead -- Super, extra, fun stars!

"Oh wow! I can see stars! That was unicorn fun! Let's do that again!" She shouted, at the funny stars, before she started to get tired again. She would just sleep for a moment...

"Excellent!" Said a male voice. "Her condition seems to be stabilizing!" Talking to somepony.

"She seems to be waking up." Said a female voice.

"Cheerilee?" She thought to herself. "Is that you?"

She started to open her eyes, and the stars started to clear. Behold her was what appeared to be a purple unicorn.

It was Cheerilee! It had to be! "Cheerilee?" She asked. "Is that you! I'm so sorry for using the wand! I didn't mean to use it! It was just that everyone was in trouble! And I couldn't lose you or Lily Lightly or Whistle Wishes or Brights Brightly ever again! Never again!" She said shaking her head.

"Wand?" Cheerilee asked. Except, as the stars finally cleared away, it wasn't Cheerilee, but a winged purple unicorn. Why was her muzzle so small? And why didn't her hoof have a heart on it? "Could you explain please?" Not Cheerilee asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I thought you were my mentor Cheerilee! You see I lost her when the funny bug ponies attacked Unicornia! Except they weren't funny bug ponies! And I got lost and!" She said, stopping for a second. "My name is Rarity! What is yours?"

"Why this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and my name is Doctor Stethoscope. So Rarity is your name, correct?"

"Yeah! That's my name!" She said, smiling ear to ear. Oh she could tell today was going to be extra fun! If only she wasn't so dang tired.

"Well! Miss Rarity, you gave us a really big scare there!" Doctor Stethoscope chastised her. "You have to be careful when casting magic, especially magic you don't understand. Using too much magic at once is very dangerous! Especially at your age!" He said, looking into her eyes, in some kind of parenting mode. "You have to be careful to only cast spells that you are up to and to never cast too many spells at one time. Especially at your age!" Stethoscope said, ever ready to lecture ponies in the proper way to live healthfully.

"It's not my fault! I wanted to save everyone from scary mean bug ponies!" Rarity responded, crossing her hooves in an unnatural manner.

"Fair enough, but why don't you tell Twilight and I what happened, and I'll see if I can locate your guardian, or this Cheerilee." Stethoscope said to the small pink unicorn. "Cheerilee, Isn't that the name of the teacher?" Stethoscope said to himself, under his breath, in confusion.

********

The next morning

********

"Rarity! Come back here with that tray table!" The nurse said, the horror apparent in her voice! "The doctor doesn't want you out of bed for a couple more days!" She shouted chasing after the precocious child skating away on a table meant to bring her breakfast.

The filly skated down the hall, cheering gleefully. As a couple of orderlies joined the nurse in the chase. "Rarity! This is incredibly unsafe! Your condition is still very unstable and Doctor Horse would have our necks if you hurt yourself again!"

The filly just cheered, as she started to fly down a flight of stairs -- riding along on top of a cart. After a couple of flights, the filly separated from the cart, and started going a different direction then the cart.

However the filly's flight didn't last long before she, and the cart both were grabbed by a spell activated from one of the doctor's horns.

"Come here young filly!" A grumpy voice rasped. "You're lucky I'm in a decent mood today." The doctor said, carrying the young filly in his magic, as his hooves slowly clopped along the tiles.

"Ahhhhh!!!" The filly said (blissfully unaware of what was grabbing her -- but instead painfully aware that her joyride had suddenly ended), sounding disappointed for a few precious seconds, before starting to giggle riotously. "Sometimes I get the giggles!!"

The doctor just rolled his eyes. There was a reason he usually worked with late adolescents and adults.

"Young filly!" Said Nurse Redheart in her sternest voice. "What do you have to say for yourself! You could've hurt yourself bad!"

"That was unicorn fun! Let's do it again!" Rarity said, giggling wildly.

"I say let's not do that again!" Scolded the doctor.

"Doctor." Nurse Redheart said, her expression puzzled. "I thought this was your day off, what brings you in bright and early?"

"Well apparently the 'princess of friendship' located this young filly's guardian/'mentor', and I was hoping she could shed some answers on the filly's condition." Doctor Stable said, with an ominous expression on his face.

Nurse Redheart just shook her head. "Do you still want me to get the teacher as well?" She asked, being unable to find the teacher later the previous day.

"Maybe later. For now I want to find out if I need to be calling FPS on this 'mentor'? Or if little Rarity over there decided to take another joyride -- mayhap a magical one." The doctor said to the nurse quietly, scowling all the way. "I'm also hoping she can help us figure out if the filly has a history of illness that would explain her condition yesterday."

"Umm.... Doctor... A Cheerilee is here to see you!" One of the nurses said over the intercom.

"Great! Bring her in! I'm in half a mind to call FPS to meet her here!" He said, to the nurse, his temper showing.

"And somepony else... too..." The nurse said, her voice sounding shaky.

"Look if it's 'princess' Twilight Sparkle, tell he she's done enough damage for two days! And that she should come back tomorrow!" Doctor Stable said, snorting slightly.

"No! I think you should show her in... She wants to see little Rarity..." The nurse said, getting quiet.

"Mare!" He shouted at his nurse, angrily. "You can tell the 'princess' that she's not needed here! And that she should go away!" He said, stamping with his good legs.

"Oh, I understand completely." Said a serene voice over the intercom. "But would you mind a different princess visiting your patients?"

The doctor suddenly lost all color in his face and muzzle. "Sh.... Show her in..." He said, shaking violently. "Show them both in..."

********

"Heya girls." Apple Bloom said, with an enthusiastic smile. "You figured out yet how we're gunna get our Cutie Marks?" She asked the other two members of the crusaders, who had just joined her.

"Not yet!" Sweetie Belle Squeaked. "But I've come up with a few excellent ideas we can try after Twilight Time." She said, holding a piece of paper, with the words 'top secret' written in large red letters.

"Let me see!" Scootaloo said, with eagerness, snatching the piece of paper out of Sweetie's mouth.

"Hey! Those were supposed to be a surprise!" Sweetie squealed, looking angrily at her friend.

Scootaloo, looked through the list, and then frowned. "Maybe they should have stayed that way. These ideas are pretty bad." Scootaloo said, dropping the piece of paper.

"Well I thought they were pretty good!" Sweetie said, pouting. "What do you think Apple Bloom." She said, grabbing the paper, and giving it to her other friend.

"Well..." Apple Bloom stated, looking through the list with a frown. "They're... interesting." She said, lying through her teeth (hey only Applejack represents honesty!)

Sweetie Belle just sighed, feeling deflated.

"Common girls, buck up!" Apple Bloom said. "Maybe Twilight'll teach us something useful for Twilight time that will finally earn us our Cutie Marks." She said, opening the door. They had been doing Twilight time for a while, and had learned lots of cool things, but nothing that would help their cutie marks appear.

Only, instead of Twilight standing there to greet them, as she normally did. She was rushing around babbling something about a "wand" to herself.

"So... Um... Twilight. Do ya mind us showing up for Twilight time?" Apple Bloom asked, as politely as she could; noticing the princess flying by at high speeds.

"Um. Sure thing. I'm just looking for some books on something. You girls have a seat. I'll be right with you." Twilight said, galloping around at top speed. "I just remembered a book I was recently reading; which pertained to something that came up in a conversation." Twilight said, pulling books off the shelves, seemingly at random.

All three young fillies let out their loudest sighs -- this wasn't going to be much of a Twilight Time at this rate.

Sweetie just sat there for a second. There had to be some way she could prevent this Twilight time from being a bust, but how? Wait, did Twilight leave a book on her table? Maybe it was a book of magic!? Maybe they could earn their Cutie Marks as CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MAGIC WIELDERS YAY!!!!

The book looked very brittle. She recalled that Twilight told her that some books had to be opened with magic. Too bad she wasn't very good at magic yet. She hoped that she had enough skill to lift a book though.

The book hit the floor thunk, and promptly opened somewhere in the middle. In the middle stood odd creatures. They had yellow-pink coats? Or were they just bald? And was their coat different and furrier on their body then on their heads? No wait! Those were cloths (she knew from living at the Boutique most of the time.) Too bad she couldn't read the words, these strange bipeds looked really fascinating.

"What, in the hey are you looking at over there, so intently?" Scootaloo asked, looking over at her friend, curious of what the white unicorn was looking at with such intent.

"I didn't break the book!!! It was already broken to begin with!" Sweetie said, panting in panic, and stepping between Scootaloo and the book.

"Relax Sweetie, it's me!" Scootaloo said. "What are you looking at anyway?" She asked, sliding the unicorn out of the way, and staring down.

"It's these funny creatures in this book." The little white unicorn said, with a chuckle. "I mean why are they all reared up like this? And why are their front legs bent that way? Wouldn't they fall down and break their knees?" She asked, thinking about all the times she tried to stand on only her back legs for any length of time.

Scootaloo shrugged. "Maybe they're mutants like those three new ponies that showed up a few days ago?" She asked, looking over to her friend, who had joined her in looking at the picture of the bipedal creatures.

"Maybe, but why are they all wearing clothes?" Sweetie asked innocently (it's not that ponies didn't dress up, it's just they didn't dress up quiet to the level these bipeds did.) "Are they all fashion forward like my sister?" Sweetie asked, thoughtfully, tilting her head and holding her hoof in a thinking position.

"girls!" Twilight scolded. "Please step away from that book. It's extremely old and brittle, and shouldn't really be touched without magic." She said, gently pushing the two crusaders away from the book with her magic.

When released, the three girls just stepped away a pace or two.

Sweetie knew that this would probably start a rant, or get her in trouble; but she couldn't push the question out of her mind. "Twilight?" Sweetie asked. "What are those strange creatures in your book? And how are the reared up like that ? And why is everypony clothed like that?"

Twilight stood there frozen for a minute to smirks of glee from the young girls, who hoped they might have, inadvertently, just dodged a bullet. "Well, come over here, I always like to broaden young ponies horizons through learning." Twilight said, with a smile. "And I can see why you were curious Sweetie, this book is fascinating!"

"You girls see: the book calls these creatures 'minotaur-apes'; and they were , up till my trips beyond the mirror, believed to be a myth." Twilight said, activating rant mode. "I've come to learn that these creatures are called 'humans', but these two creatures:" She said, pointing at the two creatures with pointed ears, and another two smaller creatures with pony like ears (in about the same position), a large nose, and a large beard. "I have no better name for. Some of the legends I read, when I visited the other world for the second time, called these creatures 'Elves' and these ones 'Gnomes', but I can't be certain, my knowledge of their language is sketchy at best."

"So Twilight, what is this book anyways?" Apple Bloom asked, approaching the book and pointing straight down. She, like the other crusaders, was fascinated in these strange creatures -- they looked like the monsters granny used to show in some of the old story books she used to read the filly.

"Wow! Excellent question." Twilight said, with a smile. "You girls are learning fast!" She said, with a squee. "What you see before you is one the tales of Starswirl the long horned!" She said, with a growing smile.

"You mean that old unicorn you are so gaga over?" Scootaloo asked, unimpressed. "The one with the bells?" She asked, swallowing a chuckle.

"No! That's Starswirl the Bearded." Twilight said, with agitation. "This is his distant ancestor." Twilight responded (I mean isn't it obvious to anypony with eyes that these are different ponies!)

"So how old is this book anyways?" Apple Bloom asked, her curiosity continuing to be peaked. "I mean, I don't think I've seen a book like this before! And don't we have like archive magic or somethin for books like these?"

"It's actually a 117th reprint from the end of the second age of an earlier book from the beginning of the second age, and represents the oldest known surviving book in all of Equestria." Twilight responded. "It's so old the protection spells on it are almost entirely shot. So I would appreciate it if you touched the book with caution!" Twilight cautioned, hoping to keep the crusaders from their normal mischief. "I found it last week in one of the hidden libraries in the old castle." She said, remembering the hidden archive they found during renovations. "And I don't know if there is another." She sighed, knowing that this was the only half-way salvageable book in that part of the archive.

"Can I read the rest of the series?" Sweetie asked innocently, hoping to hear more information -- maybe something cutie mark related.

"Sorry girls. The rest of the series has been lost to time -- though I'm hoping the other books might be in the old castle somewhere as well." Twilight responded, with a sigh -- she could only hope. "Such a shame, this is the fifth of fourteen books in the set that chronicles Starswirl's adventures (the long horned, not the bearded) among the pegasus tribes. This chapter deals with an exchange between the pegasi and the decaying fragments of an older human kingdom spanning back into the first age -- most likely destroyed during the series of catastrophes that ended the first age, and brought an end to the first unified pony kingdom."

"So if these here 'hew-mans' were so important then why'd they all go and disappear?" Apple Bloom asked, curiously. "I mean and why'd we have no records of them?

"Nopony knows." Twilight responded. "They only appear in legends from the second age; and up until Sunset Shimmer made her little trip through the mirror, we didn't even know what they looked like." Twilight responded. "And truth be told, we thought they were just myths. However , this book seems to suggest that they once had a civilization, here in Equestria, at some point." Twilight said, thoughtfully. "As for why they disappeared? We don't know. Maybe Discord removed all traces of them during his short reign?"

"So where'd they come from?" Apple Bloom asked. "Did they come from the mirror like Sunset Shimmer? Or they get here some other way?"

"Actually no, they couldn't have." Twilight responded matter-of-factly. "That mirror wasn't created for another couple of thousand years at the point this book was written, let alone the original."

At this point Scootaloo's fascination had begun to be engulfed by her short attention span, and she wanted to see if they had any information, or pictures, of the legendary deity of the pegasus tribes. "So they got any pictures of Danny The Joy Bringer in here?" Scootaloo asked, trying to grab the book from Twilight's magic. "I've been hoping Ms. Gold Heart will take me to Cloudsdale to see the old tribal shrine! But she says there's no money for that! Sad thing too, 'cause it's said that the first time a pegasus touches his wings they will get their biggest desire -- and I know what mine is!" She said, imagining herself finally flying, with Rainbow by her side.

"Scootaloo! Don't touch that!" Twilight shrieked as the top of her lungs in horror. As the pegasus started fumbling pages of the old book with her hooves -- causing a page to not just separate from the book, but also to split in half depth wise (such is the jinx of the crusaders.)"

Twilight first started crying uncontrollably, then started to smoke, and finally almost caught flame. However, after a short period of hyper ventilating, she waving her hooves: She was ok. But she had to fix the book now or it would be too late! And she just had to hope that her book restoration magic was strong enough (yes! There are some problems even the Alicorn Element of Magic can't fix.)

Twilight fixed her stance, and activated her most powerful restoration spell. After a few seconds it appeared nothing was happening, and Twilight began to give up. However, her continued efforts weren't in vain as both of the two halves of the single page, magically, pasted themselves in the book. This caused Twilight to smile! This was going to happen! She was going to fix an ancient book! But, sadly, her hopes began to be dashed as the two halves of the page didn't fuse back together.

"I'm going to need to use full power for this." Twilight said to herself, not giving up. She powered up her magic as close to her limits as she could, and promptly blinded everyone in the room with a burst of pure magic. However, the page's fragments still didn't fuse back together. Instead pictures and writing began to appear on the two pieces. The halves of the page were, in reality, two pages that had been fused together for some reason.

"A'm blind!" Apple Bloom screeched in horror, fumbling wildly, before the darkness and stars finally started to clear away (she was glad, of course, 'cause glasses are fer nerds!)

"Sorry about that girls." Twilight said, sheepishly. "I guess I got a little eager there." She said, looking at the book. Strange: she didn't notice the two pages glued together before? Was something done to the book magically at some point? Or was this an error in the printing?

"Hey it's the hyoo-mens again!" Sweetie Belle Squeaked. "But what are they holding in their hoof-thingies, they look kinda like toy wands!" She said, pointing to odd objects, held in the pink creatures misshapen hooves.

The tall human was holding a very long thin wand with an orb at the top of the wand, that was so tall they had to hold it with both hooves. And the creature appeared to be beckoning an object to move with jet black magic.

The tall human with the pointy ears was holding it's barrel with one hoof, and a small wand with the other. The wand was glowing a familiar color blue, and it looked like some kind of spell was being performed off page.

The short human with the pony ears, big nose, and a large beard was holding a simple wooden stick, and was casting some kind of spell, which caused leaves to swirl into a cyclone.

"Interesting, these wands don't appear to be toys though." Twilight said to herself, sitting down to think for a second. "I wonder..." She thought. "Maybe that wand Rarity mentioned had something to do with her condition!"

Twilight started to read the words on the new pages for a second, fascinated with her theories, before realizing.... "Oh... I'm sorry girls. It's Twilight Time, and I want to know what you've learned this week!" She said, beckoning Scootaloo forward.

********

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Cheerilee asked, passing a couple of nurses, who bowed low to the ground before her passing. "Did I do something wrong? Everyone's been giving me odd glances since I stepped into the hospital."

"Actually Cheer... My little pony... It's me who's getting the odd glances. Ponies instinctively treat me as royalty, and add to that the fact that I rarely appear here in person; and well!" Celestia said, with a blush. "And all the guards don't help!" She said, with a laugh, motioning discretely for the dozen guards following her to back up another pace or two.

"That must be really hard. "Cheerilee said, with reservation. "I can't imagine if everyone acted this way towards little rarity." She continued, a tear starting to flow. "It must be really hard! I can't imagine how lonely it must be! Little Rarity would be crushed!" Cheerilee said, swallowing tears once again, she really took an extra shine towards this particular pink unicorn, and worried for her like a daughter.

"You know Cheer... My little pony, it's not good to swallow tears or hide your feelings. Especially when you are worried! A student of mine once told me that no matter how dark things get your friends are always there for you!" Celestia said, smiling. "Do you have any friends that can help you?"

"Well there's Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes." She said, with a sorrowful sign. "I wish I knew where they were."

"I'm certain we shall find them." Celestia said, her voice changing slightly. "Ahh! here we are, room 312. Doctor Stable said he would meet us here." She said, talking as she normally would.

"So... Um.... Princess... What brings you here?" Doctor Stable said, fighting every fiber of his being telling him to bow and scrape. "Don't you have business back in Canterlot?" He said, with a restrained frown (holding himself aloft by sure will power.)

"Yes, I suppose. But, I find it useful to visit my little ponies every once in a while." Celestia lied. "Besides, Cheerilee here was in trouble! Could I as a princess stand by and do nothing?" Celestia said, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Uh huh..." Doctor Stable said, not believing a word he was being told, but being afraid to say so. "So how do you plan to help anyway?"

"I'm here to vouch for her. I believe a certain doctor was going to call FPS." She said, using her divine intuition, and some of the things the doctor had screamed over the intercom. "And I'm here to tell him that won't be necessary!" She said, with a mischievous smile.

The old doctor gulped -- busted like Benjamin Bunny.

"Besides, I thought I'd mention to the same doctor that it isn't good to openly disrespect a princess without good reason." She said, smirking openly, twisting the knife slightly.

"Fine!" The doctor said, his hooves clopping against the floor. "Here you go." He said, opening the door. "Here's the little pink..." His face dropped, as if screaming only one thing: 'not again'. "Empty room! Orderlies! She ran off again."

"Oh dear!" Cheerilee said, her ears dropping, her heart filling with fear. "Sh... She..." Cheerilee stuttered, falling down to her knees. "I can't believe that she would --"

Celestia frowned for only a second, before cracking a smile. "Don't worry my little pony. I've got this one." The alicorn said, displaying her most reassuring smile. Her horn started to light up. "I'll be right back." She said, disappearing into a bubble of magic for just a second -- before returning with a little pink unicorn clenched in her muzzle by her neck.

"AHHH!!!!!" The little pink unicorn whined. "It wasn't my fault! It was boring in here and --" She said, stopped with she saw Cheerilee.

Celestia simply gave a motherly smile, and a nod. "Cheerilee, do you --?" She started, before being interrupted with the blur of a purple unicorn throwing herself around her mentee.

"Oh Rarity! I was so worried about you!" The purple unicorn said, propelling her front legs around the little pink unicorn, in a monstrous hug. "Please don't use the wand without my permission again! I thought for a second that you had--" She said, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry Cheerilee!" Rarity responded, crying herself. "But I had to do something! I thought I was going to lose you again! And you were in trouble and--" She said, barely able to get out the words before Cheerilee interrupted her with a gentle touch of her hoof to the filly's muzzle.

"I know. And thank you for that. But please let me know first! You had me worried sick!" Cheerilee replied, her eyes starting to dry.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this wonderful moment." The old doctor said sarcastically. "But I have important questions that I need answered!" He said, stamping his good hooves against the ground. "And there will be no touching moments until they are!" He stopped for a second, before motioning out of the room. "Would you too be so kind as to join me in my office?" He said, opening the door. "Thank you!"

********

"Ok Sweetie, your magic is coming along nicely! You actually have a potential in there, you just need some instruction." Twilight said, thinking maybe she was wrong about Sweetie's talent being singing -- oh well, she could bring some more advanced magic books next week, and maybe some music books while she was at it. "I'm impressed with how all three of you are progressing!"

"Thanks Twilight! My parents were worried my magic would never grow in!" Sweetie responded, as Scootaloo winced a little. "But I'm glad it did! Now that I have it, I can't imagine what life would be like without it." She said, beaming. Scootaloo winced again, this time more visibly.

"So... Um... Twilight..." Scootaloo said, tapping Twilight with her muzzle -- desperately keeping her cool. "I'm learning a lot about basic mechanics, and how to repair stuff... But I was, kind of, wondering if we could, maybe, do some flight training? Maybe see if we can do something about getting my wings in order?" Scootaloo responded. "You know so I can... um... Join the Wonderbolts or something?" She lied slightly.

Twilight sighed silently; every time she thought the child had figured out she was judged by who she was instead of what she could do, the questions kept coming back. "Didn't Rainbow talk to you about this?" Twilight asked. "That, you know, 'you're cool just the way you are!'?"

"Yeah I know." Scootaloo sighed. "But it just doesn't seem fair." She said, looking down. "I'll never truly be like Rainbow Dash if I can't get these wings started."

Twilight thought to herself, she wasn't sure how best to respond. She really had hoped that Rainbow and Scootaloo had the filly's insecurities beat by now. Maybe she needed to remind Rainbow Dash to be spending more time with her 'honorary sister'. "Didn't Ms. Goldheart look into this for you Scootaloo?" She asked, returning a reassuring muzzle.

Scootaloo shook her head. "These no money in the budget. She does what she can, but she's really just hoping -- as much as I am -- that they will grow in on their someday." She said, her voice beginning to fill with anger and desperation. "And I'm sure that I should be able to fly! I can just sense it with ever fiber of my being!" She said, desperately holding back her tears. "But nopony will let me try! Instead they just tell me that I'm 'cool just the way I am'! Why doesn't anyone care? Why won't they even try!? Why can't I want more? Why can't I aim higher!" She ranted, finally unable to stop until the world understood how she felt. "Why do I have to be happy with less!" She said, the waterworks breaking. "I understand I don't need to fly! That I'm cool without it! But please I want to be sure I can't fly before I give up on my dreams!" She said, stomping her hooves. Apparently she must have talked with Ms. Goldheart about the issue again.

Twilight frowned, maybe the child was right. "Tell you what! Let's start spending some of our Twilight time on your flying problems, would that make you feel better?"

Scootaloo just nodded. "I would like that very much!" She said, the tears still slightly falling.

"As would I!" Said a smiling mulberry earth pony, as she entered the room. "I apologize for interrupting your Twilight Time!" She said, with a smile. "But I almost forgot to bring in your homework! I also need to drop by the hospital and drop this off." She said, smiling gracefully, holding the wand she had picked up yesterday. "The doctor told me little Rarity was feeling slightly better, and I wanted to get this back to her." Cheerily said, handing a few papers to each crusader.

Twilight's eyes grow as large as saucers for a second. She recognized the style of that toy wand. "Ms. Cheerilee, could I see that toy wand for a second?" Twilight said, apologetically.

"Sure thing!" Cheerilee replied, handing the wand to Twilight, curious as to why the princess of friendship was interested in a child's play thing.

Twilight simply held the wand in her mouth, and began to wave it. The wand glowed a light raspberry color, as the large statue in the center of the library began to move around.

Sweetie looked on in surprise, noticing Twilight's horn didn't light up -- even a little. "How'd you use telekinesis like that without using your horn?"

"I think I have a theory, but I need you to help me Ms. Cheerilee." Twilight said, motioning for the mulberry teacher. "Could you please hold this toy wand in your mouth?"

"Sure." Cheerilee said, grabbing the pink wand in her mouth. Why did Twilight need her to hold the toy want in her mouth? What was she up to?

"Ok now point the wand at that statue." Twilight said, motioning at the statue. "Now imagine it moving, and wave the wand towards the pedestal."

"Mmmcay." Cheerilee said, sounding confused. However, she decided to do what the princess requested and closed her eyes, imagining the statue moving; before waving the wand in the direction she wanted the statue to go. Almost immediately the wand and statue both began to be engulfed in a green aura. The statue moved, at the command of the wand sitting itself back on the pedestal.

All three crusaders sat there with their mouths gaping wide open. Looking at each other. This was an untapped cutie mark opportunity. They knew exactly what they needed to do. "You thinking what a'm thinking girls?" Apple Bloom said quietly to the others, her and scootaloo both having mischievous expressions on their faces (and Sweetie Belle having a clueless one.)

"Go back home and do our homework?" Sweetie squeaked, innocently. "I mean we have all this new homework, and --"

"Nah! I'm thinking we pay this Rarity a visit!" Apple Bloom said.

"You mean my sister!" Sweetie said, with an innocent squee. "We can make it a homework party together, and have a Cutie Mark Crusader sleep over and --"

Scootaloo put a hoof on her muzzle. "Or maybe we can borrow that wand and be--"

"Girls! Whatever it is you are plotting stop it now!" Twilight chastised. "I won't have any plotting in Twilight Time! Unless, of course, it's plotting to learn!"

"OHHHH!!!!!" The girls whined. They were so close to planning their next crusade too!

"Well girls!" Cheerilee said, with a large smile. "Be good, while I head off to the hospital!"

"How about I join you this time Cheerilee!" Twilight said, starting to follow the mulberry teacher out the door. "I want to check on the young filly as a favor to a friend anyway!" She said, with a smile.

Cheerilee just nodded, her face filled with confusion. "Certainly, your majesty." She said hesitantly.

********

"So Cheerilee, tell me, how did you lose little rarity?" The doctor asked, looking suspiciously at her, practically trying to stare into her soul. "Inquiring minds need to know!" He said, sitting comfortably at his desk (his chair suspiciously higher than the two other chairs in the room, causing him to appear to tower over whomever was sitting in the other chairs.)

Cheerilee, pulled back slightly. "We were attacked by nasty bug ponies, and so Rarity used the magic wand to teleport everyone away." Cheerilee said, looking away sadly.

The doctor stomped as hard as he could against the desk with his hooves. "You expect me to believe that that small pink fuzz ball somehow managed to not just cast magic, but to do so without the use of her horn?" He fumed. "Unicorns simply can't cast magic before adolescence: period! They don't have enough magic!"

Cheerilee stood there puzzled. Has this doctor never heard of a magic wand before? And why would age matter?

"Doctor!" A nurse said over the intercom. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, and a Ms. Cheerilee are here to see you sir."

"Tell her to -- " The doctor started, before looking at Celestia, who seemed to be giving him some very strong queues without so much as changing her facial features. "Come up here and join us." He said, blushing a dark red. "So where were we?" The doctor said, pretending to think for a second. "Ahh yes! You still want to tell me that somehow a three to five year old unicorn cast a powerful teleportation spell without the use of her horn? And somehow used up every last milli-swirl of her magic in the process?"

"It's the truth sir!" Cheerilee responded, looking devastated. "I foolishly left the wand where she could get it, and when Unicornia was attacked by mean bug ponies, she used it to teleport everyone to safety. But what's this about using all her magic?"

The doctor face-hoofed, maybe the problem here wasn't neglect -- but stupidity. "So let me guess? That cutie mark of yours stands for gardening? And you've never needed magic to perform your special talent?"

Cheerilee stood there befuddled for a second. What does he mean by 'special talent'? And what's he talking about when he's referring to a 'Cutie Mark'? "Oh! You mean my symbol. But why do you think it means anything? I've always had it!"

"Does it have something to do... I don't know!? WITH YOUR SPECIAL TALENT! THE THING YOU WERE BORN TO DO!" The doctor responded. "You know the thing that you did! That made the 'symbol' appear!!!"

Cheerilee simply shook her head. "I don't know what you mean. I was chosen to mentee the other three unicorns because I was the only purple unicorn in Unicornia with a particular skill in mentoring and process. My favorite thing to do is bring the first rainbow of the season."

Celestia smiled, for some reason, as the doctor face hoofed -- she was hopeless.

There was a knock on the door. "Nurse Kind Heart said we should meet you in your office." Said a voice on the other end of the door. "Do you mind if we come in?"

"Oh please come in Twilight!" Celestia volunteered. As the doctor, wisely, kept quiet this time.

Twilight opened the door slowly at first, then quickly when she saw her old teacher. "Celestia, what brings you here today?" She asked. "Don't you have important business to attend to?"

"Oh nothing too important!" Celestia lied. "And I'm sure Kibitz wouldn't mind, since I'm just helping one of my little ponies in need." Celestia said with a smile and a twinkle (oh and she lied, he minded a lot!) "Besides, I need to get out among my ponies every once in a while." She reiterated for the third time today. "So what brings you here, my faithful... oops... my fellow princess of Equestria?"

"Well Cheerilee here." Twilight said, pointing to the mulberry earth pony, not the purple unicorn. "Came to return little Rarity's wand." She said, with a reassuring smile to the mulberry Cheerilee.

The earth pony Cheerilee bowed low to the princess Celestia, and stayed that way for minutes -- practically frozen in the bowing position.

"Don't worry, my little pony!" Celestia said, putting a hoof to the earth pony Cheerilee's muzzle, beckoning her to rise. "You see, Cheerilee here and I are glad that you take such good care of your students!" Celestia said, pointing at the unicorn Cheerilee. "And even those that aren't your students!" Celestia said, turning her head to the tiny pink unicorn's door, before giving a reassuring smile to the earth pony.

"So you must be Cheerilee!" The mulberry earth pony said to the purple unicorn of the same name. "Rarity was terrified to death, thinking that she had lost you. And I almost didn't have the heart to send her ahead to the hospital while I made arrangements for a substitute." She said, with a frown. "It was like, you leaving her was something out of a nightmare. Course I can't imagine how terrified I would be if I got separated from my family at that age."

"Well thank you for helping her!" The purple unicorn Cheerilee said, with a blush. "I was really worried that something happened to her!" She said, with a smile. "Course I'm actually her mentor, not her mother." She said, blushing again. "Thank you though. Sometimes I worry that I'm starting to get old! I'm already in my twenties, and all!"

"You're very welcome! There's a reason I took up teaching!" The mulberry teacher said, with a smile. "I just can't stand to see a small filly, or colt hurt or alone! And I can't imagine doing anything other than teaching!"

"So the filly did have a toy wand." The doctor said, sarcastically, looking at the wand, sticking out of the teacher's bag. "Now I need to know how you have neglec--" He started before being interrupted with the daggers Celestia was throwing from her eyes. "urr... How she lost her magic."

"I think I can answer that." Twilight said, with a beaming smile. "This wand is extremely unique!" She said, making a motion with her hoof.

Celestia looked on, her face openly showing concern. "Please explain, Princess Twilight. It looks like a regular filly's toy to me."

Twilight shook her head. "It isn't." She said, thinking for a second. "Maybe, It would be best to explain it this way!" Twilight said, motioning for the mulberry Cheerilee. "Cheerilee, please pick up the wand like you did back at the library." She said, motioning at the wand.

"Certainly." The school teacher responded, hesitantly, picking up the pink wand with the golden star tip in her mouth.

The other Cheerilee stood there puzzled, why didn't she pick it up in her hoof? Why did she use her mouth?

"Ok Cheerilee, now let's try a more difficult spell!" Twilight said, motioning in a circle. "Wave the wand in a circle three times, and imagine yourself moving from here to the other side of the room. Then toss the wand up. But make sure to only toss it up lightly!"

"Ok." Cheerilee said nervously, as she began to wave the wand. The wand was covered in a green aura, and upon throwing the wand in the air, the teacher and wand disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear on the other side of the room.

The sensible old doctor almost fainted where he stood."H...H....How did you do that?" He stuttered. "Is this some kind of trick?"

"Yes, how indeed?" Celestia said, smirking widely. "Please tell the dear doctor Twilight! Though he probably knows the answer already." She said, winking discreetly at the doctor.

"Well, last month I found an old book in your and Luna's old castle." Twilight said, before getting a nod of understanding from the senior princess. "The book was from the end of the second age, but appears to be a reprinting of a book from the beginning of the second age, or possibly even in the interregnum between the first and second ages."

"And what does that have to do with the cost of tea in --" The old doctor said sternly, before being interrupted by a smiling glance from Celestia.

"Ehem!" Twilight continued. "As I was saying: the book contains descriptions of creatures, that have not been seen or heard from since the middle of the second age, if not the end of the first. And have, up until my trip to that other world to stop Sunset Shimmer, been heard of only in legend. However, until I discovered this ancient artwork." She said, opening the book. "We didn't even have correct descriptions!" She said, pointing at the page. "You should recognize these creatures by their fairy tale name: 'minotaur-apes'!"

"Wow! That's fascinating!" Said the mulberry teacher with a smile. "But what do these creatures have to do with the wand?" She asked, tilting her head.

"I'm glad you asked this question." Twilight said. "These creatures, in the other world, were called 'humans'. Technically that may not be the correct name! However, I will use the term anyway, as it describes them well." She said, before motioning to the rest of the page. "The other two tribes on the page are not, in fact, 'humans'. They are instead two entirely different tribes; basically they are to humans what unicorns and pegasi are to earth ponies."

She stopped for a minute, to see how far she had lost the other ponies in the room.

"In any case. I'm calling the other two kinds of humans: 'Elves' and 'Gnomes'." Twilight said. "As that was the names I found of similar mythological creatures, while reading the other world's fairy tales." She said, taking a breath, before continuing. Pointing to the regular bipedal 'minotaur-ape'. "Now, unlike unicorns: these creatures have no means to direct and channel magic. And unlike ponies, these creatures have no magic of their own at all! And no ability to channel the magic of the earth, or the arcane."

"Fascinating!" The doctor said, sarcastically. "But then what does this have to do with little Rarity losing her magic. And how much more of my precious time do you intend to waste?!"

"I'm almost done." Twilight said, with a smile, before continuing. "So a couple of student's I'm training managed to discover a missing page chronicling their magic and how they used to channel it, back when they still roamed old Equestria." She said, with a smile.

"Basically normal human magic, as I've dubbed it, must gifted by a higher source; sparing a very precious minority of a very precious minority capable of pulling it from the earth itself. This is why their wands are long like this. It allows them to draw more of their magic source." She said, stopping to think of an example, before continuing. "Kind of like a lightning rod."

Next Twilight gestured to the smallest of the three sets of humans (or 'minotaur-apes' as the book called them.) "Gnomes, as I call them, have a close connection to the earth, and can easily channel its energies. So their wands are designed to pull the magic of the planet itself. So, basically, a Gnomish wand is a human wand, except that instead of drawing higher magic, it is drawn from the planet."

Celestia smiled. "When you say, 'higher magic', do you mean arcane magic my fellow princess?" Celestia said, playing the teacher for a second.

Twilight nodded. "It's the closest translation I could find. Apparently they use a magic source different from arcane magic, and even the magic of the planet and the weather. I tried to decipher the meaning, but I couldn't figure out exactly what the book meant, at this time!" She said, frowning for a second.

"But here's the applicable part." She said, pointing to the humans with the pointy ears. "The elves, as I have dubbed them, have magic and can, unlike gnomes and humans, draw from arcane sources -- just like a unicorn. But they have no means to control or channel it." Twilight said, with a smile.

"So what you are telling me is that the child has an ancient wand from the ooga-booga age! And it allows her to manipulate the fairy dust that --" The doctor started before his voice suddenly lost all volume (as if a mute button was hit somewhere.) To silent laughter from the senior of the two princesses in the room.

"But anyway!" Twilight said, in exasperation. "Unlike Humans or Gnomes: their wands aren't about drawing in from a magic source, but rather drawing and channeling their own, innate, magic."

The purple unicorn looked on in horror. "That's terrible! So every time someone uses that wand some of their magic is absorbed, till they have none?"

Twilight put her hoof to the purple unicorn's face reassuringly. "No! Like any unicorn, she'll slowly recover her magic, it's no different than her using her horn to cast a spell. The difference is that the wand can, unlike a unicorn's own horn, draw out all of her magic. But only if she's over using it."

The unicorn puzzled for a second, before the gravity of what had been said fully took over; use her horn? She could use her horn? The purple unicorn looked down sadly. "So it's my own fault. I almost k--" She started, weeping silently.

"Don't think that!" Twilight said, with a frown. "Think of it as her trying to protect you at all costs." Twilight said, putting a hoof around the weeping purple unicorn. "She's just trying to help you! It's just that she lacks sound judgment. And you didn't mean for it to happen, it was just bad luck."

"Ok!" The purple unicorn said, sighing.

"Maybe it would be best if you took Rarity's mentor to the guest quarters, Ms. Cheerilee!" Celestia said to the earth pony. "I think she needs to rest. " Celestia said with a smile. "I guess the mystery is solved, you can go back to work doctor." She said, waving at the doctor dismissively.

"Fine!" The doctor said, his voice restored. "I guess that's that then!" He said, brushing himself off with his hoof.

"Twilight I have to go back to Canterlot, but let me discuss something with you for a minute." Celestia said, looking around to make sure everypony had left or was leaving.

"Sure!" Twilight said, waiting for the doctor to leave the room. "Now what did you need?"

"Twilight! I want you to start visiting not just that other Rainbow Dash, but also young Rarity, I sense something special about her, and not just because we are old friends."

"Wait!" Twilight said, a light coming on. "What do you mean old friend? She's only five."

"You'll understand, in time, Twilight." Celestia said, with a mysterious smile. "But for now I need you to trust me that I sense something special about her separate from that."

"Sure! I'll visit her and Cheerilee (the purple one not the mulberry one) tomorrow when I visit Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, ever ready to please.

"Excellent." Celestia said, with a smile. "I know I could count on you Twilight! Guards, we should be on our way!" She said, with a smile, gesturing to the guards. "I'm sure Kibitz will kill me for breaking my schedule." As she started to leave with her entourage.

"Excellent!" A nurse said, as the princess passed. "Apparently, soon enough, I'll get a chance to get rid of not just Lady Rainbow, and Princess Larva; but also Lady Rainbow's spawn and the traitor princess, Amaryllis, too -- if I should even call her that." She chuckled to herself, sadistically.

********

"So girls, how you think we're going ta' earn our Cutie Marks today?" Apple Bloom asked, looking down at their ever growing list of cutie mark attempts.

"Well I thought we could try being Cutie Mark Crusader Ballet Dancers?" Sweetie Belle said, making a wild guess.

"Dancing sound cool!" Apple Bloom said. "We could try that!" She said, with a smile -- imitating a dance pose.

"Yeah, dancing sounds very cool!" Scootaloo said with a smile, shortly before her face went dark and serious. "But ballet sounds stupid!" Scootaloo chided, avoiding any thought in her head that said otherwise. "What else do we have? And no Discord this time! He was no help at all last time!"

"Well what if we went and checked on that new filly?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Rarity said, that she heard from that other Rainbow Dash, when she went to the hospital to retrieve ~~her guide to landing the perfect stallion~~ her research materials, that they have a small filly in the hospital, no more than five, that already has her Cutie Mark."

"Wow! Maybe She knows some secret to getting her cutie mark we don't! " Scootaloo replied, with exuberance. "Maybe we should ask her how she did it! But no cutie mark story please! I have heard enough of those sappy stories to last me a lifetime!"

"Plus." Sweetie said thoughtfully. "Isn't she the one with the wand that Twilight and Ms. Cheerilee were talking about yesterday afternoon?" Apple Bloom asked. "Maybe we could borrow her wand and become."

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: PRESTIDIGITATORS YAY!!!!" The girls screamed (once again in all caps), taking up odd poses.

"Let's do it!" Scootaloo said. "But first we need a way into the hospital!" She mused, thoughtfully chewing on a pencil. After a few seconds, she spoke again. "And I think I know just the way! Come with me!" She said, looking at some equipment from their failed attempt to be 'Cutie Mark Crusader's Mountain Climbers' (yay!!!)

********

"So maybe we could do something nice and safe -- like use the front door?" Sweetie squeaked, nervously. She was pretty sure the orderlies wouldn't like the three of them coming in a third story window.

"Nah!" Scootaloo said. "You know they won't let just any pony visit this other Rarity!" Scootaloo remarked. "After all two Rarity's is too many, if you ask me! And besides." Scootaloo said, blushing slightly. "I, kind of, wanted another chance for my Cutie Mark in parkour!"

"Didn't we try that already? And didn't you crash into the bathroom while spike was in the bath?" Sweetie Belle asked, nervously. "Didn't Twilight say our parents' had to pay full price for that window?" She said, cocking her head for a second, she knew she was forgetting something. After a couple of seconds she remembered. "And didn't we get banned from the library and Twilight Time for a month?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo said, blushing again. "But I'm certain I'll get it right this time! And even if I don't it'll be awesome!" She exuberantly proclaimed. "I hope Rainbow Dash is watching!" Scootaloo thought to herself, with a huge smile.

"Ok Girls! It's agreed!" Apple Bloom chimed in. "Scootaloo gets another chance at parkour, and we all get another attempt for our Cutie Marks as:"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: SUPER SPIES!!!" All three fillies shouted, at full volume.

"Ok, so what's the plan girls?" Apple Bloom asked, quietly, looking around to make sure nopony was looking.

"Well! You see this saddle pack?" Scootaloo said motioning to the bag attached to her flank. "I have like a ton of feet (Celestia's foot, not King Richard's!) of rope in here! I'm going to run up this wall, get in through (or maybe crash through) an open third story window, and then drop this rope down and we can all climb up!"

"OR maybe we could go in the front door?" Sweetie said innocently, looking at the front door, and motioning explicitly.

"Nah I'm with Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom groused. "Applejack never lets me do nuttin!" She continued, pouting (just a little.) "And a'm sick and tired of it! I say we do somethin' awsome! Somethin' that'll get us our cutie marks!"

"She's putting the safety helmets on your head again isn't she?" Scootaloo asked. Her sister had been having anxiety problems, probably related to letting her go or something -- and had taken it upon herself to keep her sister safe from life. And Apple Bloom kind of resented it (especially when her sister had given her a dulled spoon to prevent her from poking herself with it. And to this day, she doesn't know where, and how, her sister bought that many safety helmets!)

"Yeah!!!" Apple Bloom shouted. "And it's drive'in me crazy! It's probably from that there magic burst situation with that phony Rainbow Dash!"

"Yeah I hated that one! She's all like 'I'm an earth pony!' and 'I'm into fashion darlings!'" Scootaloo said, pouting as she started to back up a few paces to get a sprinting start. "She like some Rarity impersonating Rainbow Dash wannabe! Makes the real Rainbow Dash look bad!" Scootaloo said, with a pouty face as she began to gallop at top speed towards the building. "I don't like it one bit!"

"Wow! I think she's actually going to do it!" Sweetie squeaked with excitement. "I thought she was going to mess up for sure!" Sweetie said, hearing a muffled "HEY!!!" from somewhere around the second floor.

"Ah didn't think so either!" Apple Bloom said as the pegasus was somehow now jumping from narrow window cell to narrow window cell on the third floor. "But you think she's gunna be able ta --?"

A loud crashing sound could be heard all the way from the ground below, but strangely no alarm went off.

A dazed Scootaloo called from the third floor. "Told you I could do it! Now if only I could fly then I'd definitely be Wonderbolt material! Isn't that right Apple Bloom!" She said, pointing at a tree. "Was Rainbow Dash looking?" She asked, with an exuberant smile that could be seen three floors down.

Both fillies just shook their heads. After a few seconds, Apple Bloom gulped loudly, and opened her mouth. "Ok! Ah suppose we should be'a climbin' now." She said, looking around nervously, before asking herself a question. "I wonder why we ain't being swarmed with orderlies by now?"

********

The changeling's wispy peppery black mane waved for a second before falling flat against her body. "Don't be afraid!" She said with a smile, to the cowering nurse. "I've been ordered not to feed, and that includes your youth and magic." She said, her black eyes staring into the nurse's soul. It did her good to see the look of pure terror burned into the nurse's face. "Good thing you don't see my true form, only what I want you to see of me!" The changeling said, laughing that her mind magic allowed her to use her true form and still look like another pony.

The nurse shook, looking like she was trying, and failing to form words.

"Such a shame, I was hoping to cut a few years off my life -- maybe increase my magic some more! What's also a shame is that I'm supposed to let you go unharmed when my mission completes!" She said, to the fainted nurse. "Apparently my master wants all of Equestria to know what happens to those who betray the hive!" She said, with glee, as a loud crash resounded from somewhere.

"I suppose somepony will have to see what that's all about! 'Nurse Kind Heart thinks it came from--'" She said, looking at a room listing. "Rainbow Dash's room. And look, Princess Twilight Sparkle is visiting today." She continued, laughing wickedly.

"Oh don't worry!" The changeling hissed to the fainted nurse bound in the corner. "I want you to remember everything just as it is! See my master isn't the only one that likes to leave somepony behind to witness their brilliance!" She said, grinning wistfully. "Consider this my calling card! I always leave somepony as a witness to my acts! So all know of what happens to those who cause trouble for the hive!" She said, licking her lips. "Somepony is nearby, and apparently they are filled with all kinds of tasty terror!" She said, soaking in the ambient emotion.

There was a gasp heard somewhere, and some light talking.

"Apparently we have interlopers!" She said, scanning around the room, with her eyes. What she didn't notice was three small fillies slipping between her legs. "Ah ha!" She said, pulling a box away from the corner only to find an empty rope hanging out the window. "Apparently they got away!" She said, with a shrug. "I hope they hurry back! I'm looking forward to an audience!" She said, with a toothy grin.

"Well off with me! They probably won't arrive in time anyway!" She said, with a sigh, closing the door behind her. "Guessing fillies by the smell of it! Don't foals these days know not to meddle in an adult's business!"

********

"That was a close one!" Sweetie Belle whined. "We have to warn Twilight!" She said, with conviction. "She's in danger! And we have to do something!"

"What I don't get is why the changlings are back. Didn't Twilight already kick Chrysalis' sorry--" Scootaloo said, before being rudly interrupted by Sweetie again.

"And why are they after Princess Twilight?" Sweetie asked, with a puzzled expression. "And wouldn't there be easier places to get her, if they wanted?" She said thinking for a second. "Maybe they actually want somepony else?" She said, hesitating on every word.

"Maybe! Doesn't matter though, because we're going to go out there, and show that phony who's boss! Scootaloo style!" Scootaloo said, with buzz of her wings, and a huge smile. "You like it? It's an ode to Rainbow style! Rainbow Dash will be so happy when she hears it!" She said, buzzing again.

However her exuberance was short lived, as Apple Bloom finally spoke up. "We have to hurry! We might not have much time! So we have to warn Twilight quickly: so here's the plan girls!" Apple Bloom said, thinking for a second, and drawing on a piece of paper she found somewhere. "Ah'll go warn Twilight! Sweetie, you go and find an orderly or a cop! Scootaloo, find a doctor, or somepony else on this here floor that can help!"

Scootaloo scoffed. "Maybe I should warn Twilight, and you find a doctor or nurse!" She said, with a scowl.

"Fine! Ah'll go find somepony!" Apple Bloom said with a sigh. "But remember we hafta hurry! Ah don't know how long we have till this here assassin completes her job!"

All three crusaders nodded. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: CRIME STOPPERS ARE A GO!" They said in unison, running off in three different directions.

********

As Sweetie Belle ran down to the first floor, she noticed one of the orderlies. He was standing there with a dazed expression -- babbling incoherently.

"Oh Bright Eyes! You came back to me! I knew you would come back!" He said, crying, and nuzzling empty space. "The guard said you didn't make it! But I knew you would return!" He said, weeping to a pony that wasn't there.

"Excuse me sir!" Sweetie said to the stallion. "We have a situation." She said, biting at his leg, only to elicit absolutely no response.

After a few seconds the stallion spoke, still staring ahead at nothing. "Sorry little filly, but I'm off duty!" Said the stallion, still wearing a uniform. "And my wife is here to see me! Please bother somepony else: the two of us want some alone time!" He said, with an amorous expression.

"Who's he talking about?" Sweetie asked, with a perplexed expression. "Maybe I can find another orderly that can help?"

She started to run down the hall at full speed. Maybe somepony will take notice and chastise her and she could explain everything? After a few seconds though, she managed to find another orderly, but the result was still pretty undesirable. "Excuse me sir!" She said, trying to get his attention.

"I've finally achieved it! I'm rich! Rich!! RICH!!!! I'm as rich as Filthy Rich!" The orderly said, celebrating seemingly nothing, staring blankly ahead. "I can quit this job, and spend more time with the wife and foals!" He said, making it rain with invisible money.

"But sir! We've got a problem and!" She said, the more she tried to get his attention the more distant he seemed to become. "I was hoping you could -- " She said, only stopping when she realized that he wasn't listening in the slightest. "This isn't good! i hope Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are doing better!"

********

"Sick!" Apple Bloom said passing another room.

"Sick!" She said, passing another.

This was getting aggravating! The nurses were all missing, as were all the doctors. "Where did everypony go?" Apple Bloom asked herself. Wasn't the hospital normally buzzing with activity at this hour?

She'd tried practically every room on the floor; finally, huffing and puffing ,she opened the door to a room with a small pink unicorn, and an older purple unicorn.

"Are you ok little girl?" The older purple unicorn asked. "Is something the matter?" The unicorn asked with concern. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes, ms. --" Apple Bloom started, before being interrupted with the answer to her unspoken question.

"Call me Cheerilee, just Cheerilee." The older unicorn said with a smile. "What's going on?"

"Hello Cheerilee." Apple Bloom said, still gasping for air slightly. "A bad person got on the floor, somehow, and she's planning to hurt Twilight, and the others. And ah'm looking for somepony that can help, but everyone is either sick or missing!"

"Oh dear!" Cheerilee said, with concern. "Why don't you tell me where this is! And I can take a look, and see if I can help!" She said, pulling a long rod out of her saddle pack.

Apple Bloom looked for a second. "Ain't that one of the wands that Twilight showed us in Twilight Time?" Apple Bloom asked, in surprise.

"Yes, but I got it when I took over a long time ago as the purple unicorn member of the Rainbow Quartet." Cheerilee said, with a smile. "Now Rarity, please stay here for a minute where it's safe! I'll be back in just a minute!"

"No!!!" The child screamed, shaking her head violently. "The last time this happened I lost you: you told me to go on ahead, and the you never caught back up! I left you behind, and I lost you! And I won't do it again!"

"Rarity." Cheerilee chastized, in a calm voice. "That was your dream. That won't happen in real life! Trust me!" She said, with a smile, her face full of resolution. "I'll be fine! Honest!"

Rarity's eyes just screamed 'Don't leave me! Please!' As she sat there, practically begging for her mentor to stay.

Cheerilee just frowned, her eyes filled with resolve. "Tell me where this is. Meanwhie, you keep looking for help!"

Apple Bloom shook her head "c'aint I help too?" She asked. "A'h gotta stop them! Maybe it's how I'll get mah Cutie Mark! 'Sides it twouldn't be right to let some old meanie pick on Twilight!"

"I'm sorry!" Cheerilee said, shaking her head. "But neither of you can come! It would be better if I did this alone! I'm sure your parents would never forgive me if you got hurt!" She said to Apple Bloom, who simply frowned, sadly (Cheerilee didn't know what happened to Bloom's parents.) "And there are plenty of purple unicorns that can be trained, but only one you!" She said to Rarity, frowning vehemently as she galloped off. In this distance she could hear both filly's whining. "I wish Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes were here!" Cheerilee said, silently to herself. "They would be a big help right about now!" She thought with a sigh.

********

"How are you feeling today Rainbow?" Twilight asked, as she walked in the room. "You getting stir crazy?" Twilight asked, with a sincere smile. "I brought some more books on fashion that you can borrow! Maybe this one on..." Twilight said, surpressing a gak. "On Canterlots..." Twlight rolled her eyes. "Latest fashion trends!"

"Why thank you darling! Some more fashion books would be so dashing! And as for your other question, I am getting a little stir crazy, sadly. The doctor keeps the distance I can move from my bed to a minimum, darling. And they won't let me do anything without this, unrainbowy, thing around my neck, darling!" Rainbow replied. "At least Minty is looking a lot better. Apparently the darling doctor is hoping to remove her casts, and send the three of us home after they figure out what's wrong with me, darling."

"Well at least Pinkie could come to visit." Twilight said, pointing to the straight haired Pinkie, with a smile. "And me too." She said, eagerly.

"Yeah! It's been kind of lonely without you." The other pink party pony said. "The good news is the cakes have been kind enough to lend me a room while I wait for you two to recover. And that other Pinkie has been working hard to keep my spirits up." Pinkie said, with a frown. After a short while, she turned it into a smile. "I'm glad to hear that you and Minty are doing better. Ponyville's been boring without Minty and Rainbow spicing things up." Pinkie said, her smile dropping slightly, and her countenance becoming serious. "I've even been trying to convince that other Pinkie to let me hold a friendship ball! Everyone will have such pinkie keen fun! But she says that balls are no fun at all." She said frowning. "Something about a gala! But I think nothing is more fun than a friendly ball!"

As she was saying that, there was a knocking on the door. "Oh my!" Pinkie said, with a bewildered expression. "I wonder who that could be?"

"Come in!" Twilight exclaimed, as Nurse Kind Heart entered the room, holding a bottle of pills.

"Hello dearies!" Nurse Kind Heart said, with a compassionate smile. "And Twilight too!" The nurse continued. "How fortunate! I'm so glad you're visiting! It saves me having to track you down!" She said, her smile changing slightly.

"What's the matter?" Twilight said with apprehension. "What do you need to track me down for?" She asked, with puzzlement.

"Oh nothing much dearies. It's just that Doctor Horse and I think that Rainbow Dash's condition may have been caused by some kind of rare illness in her fairy cords -- and we feel that we should give all of you something to try and rid you of it -- just in case it's contagious!" The nurse said, heading over to the mint green pony's bed.

"One for you first, then one for Rainbow! Then finally Twilight and Pinkie." The nurse said, with a pleasant smile.

"Actually nurse, could I get a second opinion?" Twilight asked, her face turning suspicious. "I've read a lot of books on magic, and magical diseases -- I've even had one or two! But I've never heard of a disease that can affect the fairy cords before! And I worry that the doctor made a hasty diagnosis." Twilight said, with a frown.

"Oh! Of course dearie, but the longer we wait the worse her condition becomes. And you might already have it to! And I'm sure the princess wouldn't appreciate it if we let you get sick!" She said, as she began to reach out with the pill.

Twilight blocked her hoof, with magic. "I really want a second opinion first! Minty's condition is not great, and I trust Doctor Horse; but I really would feel better getting a second opinion!" Twilight was face hoofing on the inside; why was she second guessing two trained medical professionals?

"Very well dearies. I'll get the doctor! But I think that maybe --" The nurse said.

"Twilight! That nurse is a fake!" Screamed Scootaloo, running into the room, arching her back in a belligerent position.

Twilight responded immediately by putting up a magical shield.

"It would be better if you slept!" The nurse continued, her eyes glowing a strange light, just a split second after Twilight put up a magical barrier around herself.

"Scootaloo! RUN! Get out of here!" Twilight screeched in horror, blasting the filly with a teleport spell designed to warp her to a random position elsewhere on the floor.

"Oh well! That's wasn't necessary!" Snarled the nurse, speaking with an old mare's voice. "I would have let that filly go, once I got rid of you and the other three traitors!" She said with a smirk, being engulfed in green magic.

"Traitor?" Twilight asked, with confusion. "What did you do to the other two!" Twilight said, on the verge of using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"They're just sleeping for a minute! You should be as well!" The changeling hissed, displeased that her first spell had failed. "But I guess an alicorn princess can resist most magic assuming they are prepared for it. Maybe a different tact?" She hissed, preparing her next move.

"There will be no different tact!" Twilight snarled. "You won't try anything!" Twilight shrieked powering up a spell.

"Too bad you won't use your magic on regular ponies! Just ask Longhorn!" She said, with a smirk. "After all, I'm 'not magical', and you might hurt me!" She said, with a grin.

"Oh watch me!" Twilight said, powering up her horn. "Let me put an end to this and then I'll find out what Queen Chrysalis wants with these three!" She said, shooting off a powerful spell.

The Changeling laughed maliciously. "Got you!" She said, as she lifted an orb out of her saddlebag. Suddenly, both her eyes, and the orb, started to glow an odd color.

********

The next thing Twilight knew, she was in bed. Spike was standing guard over her, his face full of tears, and he looked tired from constant fretting.

"Good morning Spike! What bring you up so early?" Twilight asked with a smile. "You don't normally get up until later on!"

Spike simply frowned, and looked away, scuffing his foot. "No you're up late!" He responded back, his face filled with anger. "You've been asleep for three months Twilight!"

"Was I gone that long?" She asked herself, confused . Why would she be asleep for three months? Suddenly the answer became obvious/ "That assassin's magic! How are that other Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash doing? And their friend Minty?" Twilight asked, fearing the worst. "Did the assassin get them like she wanted to?"

Her number one assistant was more than willing to oblige. "She cost some kind of sleeping spell on you. If you'd been a regular unicorn you would have been asleep for 75 years!" He said, frowning deeply. "Lucky you!" He said, sarcastically, waving his claws around. "The princess of friendship is awake! And only after three months!"

"You're dodging my question!" Twilight said, accusingly. "Where are they?"

"Gone Twilight! And our Pinkie too!" He said, covering his mouth as soon as he said the second sentence.

"Gone?" Twilight asked. She paused a few seconds, fearing the answer to her next question; but it had to be asked. "What do you mean gone? Did they go home already?"

"No Twi!" Spike said, his voice raising. "Gone!!" He scuffed his foot, and snorted fire from his nose. "Forever!" He said, looking away in disgust. "Pinkie blamed herself for the loss of Pinkie and her friends -- apparently something to do with her fallout with her parents! Nopony even knew she was devastated until it was too late!" He said, looking out the window. "I think the cakes are still looking for her replacement!"

Twilight frowned. "Where'd she move to? Maybe I can bring her back!"

Spike just shook his head. "Good luck! Hope you have a Ouija Board!"

Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. This simply couldn't be accurate, you can't defuse laughter this easily! Pinkie's spirit couldn't be snuffed out that easily! But it all seemed so real!

"Rarity?" Twilight asked. "How's she holding up?"

Spike frowned and shook his head. "She and Scootaloo returned and tried to save everyone! They managed to save you!" He said, looking away again, and starting to walk away. "But at an extremly high price!" He said, his face growing ever more agitated. "At least they can keep the pinkie's company!"

Twilight frowned, this all didn't make sense. "What about Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom?" Twilight asked, hoping someone fared better.

"It's funny! It's not till somepony is gone that you realize what you really lost!" Spike said, walking away with tears in his eyes, hugging a stuffed Sweetie Belle that Rarity had given him before she left town. "Our Rarity couldn't take it and left town. Everyone else started to leave one by one afterwards."

"You didn't answer my question! What about Apple Bloom!" Twilight asked. This all has to be a bad dream! It couldn't be real!

"Remember! ' If you'd been a regular unicorn you would have been asleep for 75 years!' That's Apple Bloom right there! At least she won't have to find out about her friend's fates!" Spike said, trying to push past Twilight.

What about Applejack?" Twilight asked, cutting in front of the dragon as he tried to leave the bedroom door. "She has to tend to Sweet Apple Acres! She has to still be in town! And if her sister's asleep, then she can't move!" She said, with a laugh at her own impeccable logic, as if she just got a one up on fate.

"She's still in town Twi, but she probably doesn't want to speak to you!" Spike said, with a huff. "Celestia knows: now that you are awake I don't either!" He said, pushing her aside with every ounce of draconic strength he had. "Consider this my resignation!" He snarled, grabbing a sack of things he had set beside the door.

Twilight was crushed. Why was everyone acting this way! It just broke her heart. Did nopony care about the elements anymore? Did nopony care about their friendship?

********

The princess stood there babbling incoherently about her friends, while the other three ponies slept quietly wherever the stood or sat.

"Well, too bad I'm not allowed to feed, or take anything. There's a lot of youth and magic in this room, and some very beautiful emotions." The changeling shrugged. "Oh well , Mandragora!" She said to herself. "Time to finish the hive's business. I'll get what I want soon enough!" She said, with a smirk, planning her next move.

"I had originally been instructed to use Belladonna's witching potion, but apparently I'll have to do what I prefer to do: take what I want, by force!" She said, licking her lips with glee. "Too bad I can't use my orb!" She said, looking at her orb longingly.

Using some of her magic, she created a blade of pure magic. "Perfect for dealing with princesses!" She smirked, sadistically. "Now who should I start with?" She said, looking at the four ponies in the room, with a sadistic smile. She raised the object, eager for the outcome.

"How about you leave them alone!" A shouting voice boomed from outside, and a powerful blast wind sent the assassin flying.

"Who dares interfere!?" The assassin asked, losing her cool.

"I do!" Shouted a purple unicorn, reared on only her back hooves, and wielding a long, heavy, rod with an orb at the end. "Why are you being so mean?" She asked, with displeasure. "What did they ever do to you?"

"Mean!?" The old changeling said, laughing riotously. "This is my job, and these -- " She said, waving her hoof at the four other ponies in the room. "Are traitors, and deserve this!"

"Who says?" The unicorn said, waving the wand again. Causing the floor to shake violently, and creak like it was going to collapse. After a short time, she began to wave the large rod again. "Please can't we all talk it out like friends?

The assassin simply remained unfazed. "I say!" The changeling said, her orb glowing again. "And let me show you what comes of having friends!"

"Cheerilee!" Screamed a small pink filly, staring in horror from just outside the room.

********

Cheerilee fluttered her eyes. Wasn't she just in a hospital somewhere? Why was she back in Unicornia? Next to her were Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes. In front of her, the Crystal Carriage was being cleaned by three unicorns, each one holding a soapy cloth and was standing next to a bucket of soapy water.

Cheerilee stood there puzzled, staring ahead blankly. Didn't she live through this already? No she couldn't have! So why did she feel like she did? She was certain, that she never did this before! Right?

"It's so beautiful and pink! Everything is so pretty!" Whistle Wishes said, remarking on the splendid job that had been done to decorate for the Rainbow Princess Ceremony, breaking Cheerilee's concentration. After a short period of time, Whistle Wishes started to canter over to the Crystal Carriage.

"You ok Cheerilee?" Brights Brightly asked, with a smile, to her friend who was standing there, utterly befuddled. "You seem confused! Remember: we have to get Rarity." She said, with a chuckle. "The First Rainbow of the Season is happening any day now! And we need to have Rarity ready and under the Crystal Dome before the fourth shooting star shoots over the horizon!"

Cheerilee shook her head. Yes! This seemed familiar, this must have been what she was doing! "Oh! Of course!" She said, blushing slightly. "Thanks Brights Brightly! I don't know what came over me!" She said, with a smile, wondering where her head had been at.

"Don't worry about it!" The yellow unicorn said, as she and Cheerilee trotted off to join their blue friend by the carriage. "We all get confused sometimes! You must have been deep in thought!"

Cheerilee simply nodded. "Excuse me?" Cheerilee asked, trotting over to the three unicorns standing over at the carriage, with a smile. "Have you seen Rarity?" She asked, as the three unicorns stopped their work and put their cloths down for a second to think, before shaking their heads violently.

"Come on! Let's go look for her in the castle!" Cheerilee said, on auto pilot. Didn't she say that before? Somewhere at some point? And if she did then... Oh No!!!!!

"Come on! She's back in the ballroom! (not to be confused with the ball-room, where the unicorns kept all their giant, colorful, rubber balls!)" Cheerilee said, her eyes glazed in horror.

"Are you sure Cheerilee?" Brights Brightly said with a concerned frown. "I mean, how can you be so sure she's in the ballroom?"

"I've never been more certain of anything!" Cheerilee responded -- panic showing on her face -- racing out ahead of her two friends, who simply looked at each other in confusion.

"What's up with Cheerilee?" They said to each other shaking their heads.

"I've never seen her like this before!" Brights Brightly said to her friend.

"Neither have I! I wonder what has her so concerned? Rarity's probably only hiding again!" Whistle Wishes said, responding to her friend, as Cheerilee galloped off into the distance.

"I have to hurry!" Cheerilee said to herself, in horror. "She's playing with the wand!" She said to herself, as if remembering what happened next.

"Rarity stop!" She shouted, slamming the door open, only to see her young mentee disappear, along with the wand into a puff of smoke. "I'm too late!" She said to herself, staring at the ground.

"Where's Rarity?" The other two unicorns asked, as they slowly caught up.

"Gone!" Cheerilee said, still looking down -- this time sobbing quietly. "I was still too late!"

"Still?" The other two unicorns asked, looking at each other with perplexed expressions. "What do you mean still, Cheerilee?"

Cheerilee didn't answer, opting to put her head between her hooves instead.

After a short time, search parties were organized, and every unicorn was enlisted to search for the missing princess. However, neither hide nor hair of her was found anywhere in Unicornia.

Cheerilee, upon hearing the news, simply excused herself to her room; where she was eventually found, by her friends, sitting on the floor, shaking violently.

"You ok Cheerilee?" Whistle Wishes asked. "You look upset! Could I get you something? Maybe a smoothie, or some juice?"

Cheerilee just shook her head, sadly. "Can you keep a secret Whistle Wishes?" Cheerilee asked, looking around. "I have something I think I need to tell you!" She said, frowning.

Whistle Wishes simply nodded, her face still having a befuddled expression.

"I had a horrible day dream just before Rarity disappeared! Or maybe it was a vision! I imagined that someone attacked Unicornia, and that Rarity and I got separated! And then to make matter worse..." Cheerilee said, starting to sob. "She was almost gone forever and it was all my fault!"

"Well no need to worry about that!" Whistle Wishes said, confidently. "She's probably still here in Unicornia somewhere, and even if she isn't we'll find her! She's probably out playing somewhere."

"I hope so!" Cheerilee said, cheering up slightly. "I'm just so, very, worried!"

A short while later, after it had became obvious that the filly was not in Unicornia, a council of the senior unicorns was called. The topic of discussion was their little runaway princess.

"Time is running out!" Cheerilee lamented, as the first shooting star passed the sky. "We've looked everywhere in Unicornia! She's not hiding this time! She's gone!" She said, with a sigh. Wait a minute! This discussion sounds familiar! As the discussion went on, it became more obvious that she was reliving something. A fact that, Surprisingly, actually helped a little, but not very much. Why did she feel such dread? Was this what Rarity was feeling when she was having her nightmares?

"We have to search outside of Unicornia!" Cheerilee said, on auto pilot.

Whistle Wishes, and Brights Brightly immediately, and enthusiastically, volunteered to join the search for the lost filly as well. Cheerilee was always glad to have their help, especially when she was troubled.

"The three of us will go out and look for her then! We must move quickly!" Cheerilee said. "I would worry for her safety otherwise!" She thought, with a frown. Why was she so sure this would work out with only a near failure, and yet on the other hand was convinced that this would turn out bad?

After an afternoon of searching, it began to became painfully obvious, that the little pink unicorn was not going to be easy to find. At this point, Cheerilee began to become more and more frantic.

"She has to be nearby! She's in this woods somewhere!" She said to herself, almost not making camp for the night. "We have to find her!"

"You ok Cheerilee?" Whistle Wishes asked. "You've been off all day! You have got to be tired! You have to sleep!"

"I'm sorry, Whistle Wishes!" Cheerilee said. "I swore I've done all this before! And though I'm sure it turns out ok, I keep getting the, sinking, feeling that something very bad is about to happen!" She said, frowning, anxiety beginning to show on her face.

"Do you want me to stay up with you?" Brights Brightly asked.

"No I'm good!" Cheerilee said. "You need your rest!" She started saying, before finding the other two unicorns already fast asleep.

She tried to smile, but found anxiety was too heavy on her heart to do so; so she decided to lay down for a while, but was still unable to sleep. After a short time, she began to sing a song: "I'm low..." She started, hesitating a second for a response that never came. "To go!.." She sang again, with the same response. "We're far apart! " But her song felt somehow wrong. Like Rarity should be singing it with her, but wasn't. "Shouldn't Rarity be singing this song too?" She asked herself. "Something is very wrong!" She said, galloping over to a bush, that she suddenly recalled as being important -- for some reason. She had to find Rarity before it was too late!

Behind the bush were some three hornless unicorns, and a tiny dragon. All four were laying in their sleeping bags, in various levels of listless sleeping. Weren't they supposed to come out from behind that bush and surprise her after the third shooting star, but just before the fourth?

"Where's Rarity?" Cheerilee asked herself, beginning to panic. "Shouldn't she be with them?" She said, almost at a shout. She didn't know why, but she was sure Rarity was supposed to be with them.

"Oh Darling!" The rainbow one said, waking up for her listless sleep, with a start. After looking at the unicorn for a second, her face contorted into a very sorry expression. And finally she, hesitantly, opened her mouth. "You must be one of little Rarity's friends!"

Cheerilee looked up, her eyes drenched with tears. "Rarity? Have you seen her? She another unicorn like me, but smaller and pink!"

"Oh darling!" Rainbow Dash said, looking away. "I'm so very sorry, darling! But you see!" She said, choking on each individual word. "I have some very bad news, darling. Please sit down! This won't be a very dashing story!"

A Pink pony walked alongside her friend, who was quietly joining the purple unicorn in sobbing. "Yeah, you see --" The pink pony started, waiting for the unicorn's name, while holding back tears herself.

"Cheerilee." Cheerilee said.

"Cheerilee, there was an accident!" Pinkie said, now holding back sobs. "Rarity was distracted by a butterfly, and fell into a river! Rainbow, Minty and I tried to rescue her, but fell in ourselves! The Breezies tries to rescue us but --"

Cheerilee's face turned dark. "Oh no!" She said to herself. "She can't be!" She shouted, as the third shooting star streaked across the sky. "She's ok! You saved her!" She shouted, her head aching.

"No I'm sorry to say!" A small dragon joined in. "But Rarity... Well she... went over the falls, and well... Didn't come back up!"

"NO!!!!!" Cheerilee shrieked, as the fourth shooting star streaked across the sky. "I've failed just like before." She shrieked as all color began to disappear around them.

In her head, she could hear a male voice laughing manically. "Oh I'm kind of getting rid of this world and all its inhabitants! But don't worry I'm going to replant it elsewhere! And all you G3 phonies can live there! Course I'm going to need new vessels for you and a nice scenic location!" He laughed, wearing an artist's smock. "But first I have to finish tearing this world down! And that means that little pink nuisance, and the other stragglers need to go!" He smirked, disappearing into an empty smile. "I like this world! It'll be the perfect setting for my new theme park: Discordtopia!"

********

Cheerilee stood there, on two hooves motionless, ranting and pleading incoherently for little Rarity's safety.

"Well, the filly and the nurse will act as my witnesses." She said, cackling to herself -- yeah she was bending the rules slightly, and she was sure that Vladímir would be none too happy (she was banking on him getting over it -- though that was far from a bi-gone conclusion); and someone had to be made an example of! No one tries to make a fool of the her and live! "Maybe I'll take a little something from this meddler myself." The old witch chuckled, raising the orb to the purple unicorn. The orb glowed a purple color. "Interesting! That's new. I can't absorb her youth! Maybe a change in vessel would be useful." She said, with a chuckle. "Perhaps this new magic might be a fun change." She grinned. "I should give this vessel a try!"

The orb began to change its glow to a neon black color. As the witch chuckled.

But she wasn't chuckling long. Practically as soon as she lifted the orb, a miniature pink horn poked her right in the plot.

"Ouch!" She screamed, losing hold of the orb for a second. "You unruly brat! How dare you attack the assassin of the west: Mandragora!"

"I won't fail Cheerilee again! And I won't fail anyone again!" The small pink unicorn hissed, her eyes filled with tears, as she hobbled between the changeling and her mentor. "I don't know what you were going... going to do! But I can't let you do it! Not again!"

"Oh how sad!" The old changeling said, pretending to show alligator tears. "Maybe I should help you join her!" She said, bucking the little unicorn into her mentor, causing the little pink unicorn's wand to fall out of her mentor's pack.

Little Rarity stood up dazed, much to the surprise of the changeling assassin.

"That should have floored you permanently!" Mandragora hissed. "Maybe this body grows old and frail. One final spell should do it and then -- " She said, looking over at the Rarity's mentor. "I'll switch to something newer."

"No! I won't let you!" Rarity screeched, grabbing a hold of her wand, and spinning it wildly.

"Heh! Captain Raphanus warned me of that toy!" Mandragora chuckled. "I'm not going to let you use it!" She said calmly walking over, and picking her orb from the floor. "Now maybe a demonstration of my powers would help? Maybe I take something from you --." She started right before the little unicorn, who let out a screech of pain right before the wand would be tossed, and crumpled to the floor -- the wand dropping at her hooves.

"Rarity!" Cheerilee screamed in terror, seeing her nightmares in one eye, and her nightmares playing out before her in the other. "Rarity! Please don't go!"

"Looks like she's falling to pieces!" She said, as the little pink unicorn changed to monochrome colors, and started to disappear. "I would say you were lucky to even partially break free of the spell I put you under, but apparently you awoke only to see your nightmares made reality!" She said, laughing riotously.

The unicorn started vanishing, until even her horn disappeared into nothingness.

The assassin watched the last bits of the tiny unicorn disappear into nothingness , laughing riotously, before turning back to Cheerilee. "Heh! Well so much for that distraction." She said, laughing manically. "Shall I take my new vessel!" She said, lifting the orb to the purple unicorn's head.

Cheerilee could feel her soul being forced out of her body.

********

She tried to use the spell, that Cheerilee said she shouldn't use. She knew she shouldn't, but she had to use the spell! Cheerilee needed her! But from the moment she started, she knew it was a mistake.

After the first wave, it felt like every muscle in her body begging her to stop. The second wave caused waves of darkness. The third wave just caused unimaginable pain.

She screamed out; knowing for sure that, that horrible meanie, would do something dreadful to Cheerilee. She was going to hurt Cheerilee! She had to do something! But she couldn't even feel her horn anymore! She wanted to throw her wand, but she wasn't even sure her hooves were even there anymore! Then everything seemed to fade into light...

She was no longer in the hospital anymore, was she even in Unicornia? or Ponyland for that matter? As she wandered around, she bumped into a small wingless, hornless pony, with a light orange coat, and a golden blond mane. Her symbol was a golden apple.

"Hello there! I'm princess Rarity!" She said, with a friendly smile to the new pony. "I've never met someone my age before! What's your name?" She asked with a glowing smile.

"Hello Rarity!" The little earth pony said, with a smile. "I'm princess Golden Apple! I'm so glad to finally meet you!" She said, doing a little dance.

"Give the dear a minute!" Said a smiling majestic pink unicorn, with a red mane and tail, and a heart symbol; followed closely behind by a red unicorn stallion with a rainbow mane and tail, and a rainbow symbol. "I bet she's confused!"

"So glad to meet you again Rarity!" Said the male of the pair. "I don't know if you remember us!"

The pink unicorn stood there for a second, remembering something from so long ago it was ridiculous. "Mama? Papa?" But she didn't remember a mama Rarity, or a papa Rarity, yet she was sure that's who these strange ponies were.

"Oh you do remember! Splendid!" Said the father. "I apologize dear, if we had just been there for you."

"I know dear!" Said the mother. "But we failed to protect you from my brother, who desired a position as the pink unicorn lord, and spared no trouble to get it!" She frowned. "The spell was supposed to vaporize you." She said, frowning slightly. "But somepony must have had special plans for you, because instead you ended up in that other Unicornia." She said, smiling a smile mixed with guilt. "I wish we had been able to join you." She said, frowning again. "But in the end, those unicorns were so kind with you! Raising you as one of them." She stood there for a moment, stewing on her own thoughts, before sighing. "And then when that horrible Discord attacked, we were again unable to protect you. We watched from here as he stuffed you and everyone else in that horrible egg of his to repeat the last thirteen years of your lives endlessly -- until he had absorbed enough entropy from your world to continue his insane plans!"

"I forgive you mama and papa!" The little pink ball said, with a smile. "But who's this?" She asked.

"This is Princess Golden Apple." Rarity's father said, sternly. "Discord stole her vessel to use as your body when he planted his universe egg in Equestria! What we don't know is if it was because your uncle left you with none, or if all of the ponies from your world needed a new vessel, after he destroyed your world the first time!"

"Am I... gone... papa?" Rarity asked with a frown.

Her father just frowned.

Her mother looked at her father, with hurt in her eyes. She just nodded. After a few seconds, her face picked back up. "But don't worry! We will all have such fun together, as a family again!" She said, with a mixed smile.

Rarity just shook her head. "I'm sorry mama! Papa! But Cheerilee is in trouble, and needs me! Unicornia needs me!"

Her parents smiled. "How badly do you want to help dear?"

Rarity looked perplexed.

Somewhere a soft voice asked her. "Do you wish to return? We need guardians for your world, and you would be perfect to be one." The voice turned sad. "You would however not be able to return for some time if you accepted. Is this something you would be ok with?"

Rarity turned to her parents, and frowned. "I'm sorry mama! I'm sorry papa! But I feel I need to do this! Cheerilee needs me! And Lily Lightly, and Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes, and Unicornia itself! I have to go! I won't let everyone down like I did before -- a long time ago!"

Her parents smiled bitter, but proud smiles. "We know dear! We are proud of you! Do your parent's proud!"

"I'm sorry we just met, and I have to go already!" Rarity said, frowning at the little orange earth pony.

"It's ok! I'm just glad to have met you!" She said, with a friendly smile. "And I'm sure we'll meet again someday! I'm sure of it!"

A voice boomed. "Then Rarity of Unicornia, you leave at once! I'll grant you powerful magic, but it must be used to heal, or to purge evil and must be used for no other purposes!"

"I promise!" Rarity said, frowning. "Will you help me?"

"I will!" The voice said.

********

"Heh! Well so much for that distraction." Mandragora said, laughing manically. "Shall I take my new vessel!" She said, lifting the orb to the purple unicorn's head.

Cheerilee could feel her soul being forced out of her body.

Then suddenly, a blinding light shone out of somewhere. And all of the pain that Cheerilee was feeling, suddenly just went away. "What's going on? Where is that light coming from?" Cheerilee asked, closing her eyes at the blinding light. But it didn't feel dangerous, in fact, it felt friendly.

Meanwhile, it looked like the old changeling wasn't as fortunate, as she convulsed in pain, and foamed at the mouth. "GAHHH!!!! Alright! Who is it now! Who dares interrupt me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs shaking violently. "Who's... Who's there? How dare you attack me! And how dare you think, that you can hurt the Assassin of The West!"

Cheerilee shocked at horror, at first. But then her horror started to turn to delight. Inside the light, a small horn appeared. Then a pony started to materialize. "Rarity!" Cheerilee shouted with delight, her nightmares starting to disperse. The pony before her started to regain her regal pink and rainbow colors, then her symbol. Finally, her new wings began to materialize, attached at a circular point between her shoulder and withers (she didn't look any taller though, sorry.) She couldn't believe her eyes, did her young mentee have wings now? What happened to her? Was her mane waving around uncontrollable -- even more so then normal?

The filly began to speak, but another voice boomed. "Sonambra!"

"Quiet!" The old changeling demanded. "No one is allowed to use my full name!"

"For six sins even seven I would forgive!" The voice boomed, from between the filly's lips.

"How dare you stand in judgment of me! I am one of the hive's top assassin's I've brought down pony princesses and griffon kings!" She protested charging her orb.

"The souls of those who's youth and vigor you have stolen cry out for justice! And those whose lives, you have taken, cry out for justice for their shed blood!"

"You don't have the power! I've taken down whole nations! I was one of the seven that ended pony civilization at the end of the first age!" She said, her orb and eyes both glowing a wicked light.

The filly stood there unfazed. "You, still, do not repent of the evil you have committed! Even after more time has been given, to you, then whole nations and peoples!"

"Silence!" She said, screaming violently and pounding the floor. "I will not be mocked by a foal!"

Twilight shook her head. What was going on? Was that other Rarity the strange alicorn standing before her? What happened to her, and why was Cheerilee frozen there. The assassin! What's happening to her!

Mandragora stood there shaking. "You... You... You can't judge me you are just a little, worthless, pink fuzz ball, and I'm the hive's number two assassin!"

"Enough!" The voice boomed, as the little filly's horn charged a bright white light.

"Oh I get it!" Mandragora scoffed, regaining her confidence. "Your power is a night light! What are you going to do you little! -- "

And in a second there was only a hole in the floor where the changeling stood, and singe marks. Rarity crumpled down to the ground, unmoving.

At that minute, fourteen royal guards, fifteen policeponies, and a colt scout troop busted into the room.

"Hey guys I brought help!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I thought you would need help and... Where'd the bad pony go?"

"Actually Sweetie!" Twilight responded with bemusement. "You just missed her!"

"Dang it!" Sweetie cried. "Me and the other girls were hoping for our cutie marks as CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: EPIC ACTION HEROS!"

"That's ok. Let me check on little Rarity over here." Twilight said, with a smile.

"Rarity's here?" Sweetie squeaked, hoping her sister would be impressed. "Oh that's right." She blushed, feeling embarrassed. "Other Rarity." She sighed, scuffing her hoof, with agitation. "I was hoping it was my sister!"

"Rarity!" Twilight said, impressed. "That was some really impressive magic!" Twilight said, with enthusiasm. "I didn't know you had it in you." She said, poking the filly, who suddenly popped back to life.

"Wow! That was unicorn fun! Let's do it again!" She said, with a smile. "I was all like gone! And then whoosh I was going towards the light! Then my parent's talked to me! And then someone offered to help me 'become a guardian or something'. And then here I am!" She said, bouncing up and down.

Twilight stood there perplexed. "Do you even remember the spell you just cast?"

Rarity shook her head. "Sorry Twilight. Someone said they would help, but I guess I kind of got distracted!" She said, blushing a little.

"What just happened here!" Doctor Stable came barging in, filled with chagrin. "I swore, for a minute, I could run a marathon without my legs hurting, and I wake up to find myself standing in the hallway full of all kinds of pain!" He said, scowling at everypony.

"Ummm..." Twilight said, with a blush, I'll explain everything. "But you might want to sit down! This will be a long one!"

********

"So basically! I was under changeling voodoo mind magic then!?" The doctor snarled. "That explains a lot!" He said, griping again. "That kind of stuff seems to follow you around princess!" He said, looking a the purple princess of friendship.

"Great! So I'll be on my way!" Twilight responded. "I need to check in with princess Celestia about Equestria's newest princess!" She said, pointing at the young pink alicorn, asleep on the floor from exertion. "And I don't think I'm need here so I'll be on my --"

"And no! You won't!" The doctor stamped. "You won't go anywhere! Not until I've had a chance to check all three of you out! As well as every other doctor, nurse, and patient in this Celestia forsaken Bushwoolies nest!"

"Fine!" Twilight said, impatiently. "But I believe I am ok!"

"Why so impatient princess?" The old doctor asked his newest patient.

"I have to report this back to Celestia!" Twilight stated eagerly. "Not just did another alicorn suddenly materialize out of nowhere (luckily it was pink and not red and black, because Faust knows what would happen if Equestria got any more red and black alicorns!) But a princess of Equestria was attacked by a changeling assassin! This could count as an act of war by the hive! And Celestia needs to ---"

"Shove it princess!" The doctor chided. "I'll take a look at you first." He said, pulling out some equipment.

After a dozen or two dozen different tests, psyche tests, and magical examinations Doctor Stable sighed, as he once again was defeated. "It looks like you are right again princess!" He sighed. "But I'm none too happy! I'm sure that assassin did something to you! But I don't see any symptoms."

Twilight smiled. "I'm glad you are so thorough doctor!" She said, looking at the other ponies in the room. "But the others need you."

Twilight looked back. "So how is everypony?" She asked.

"Well it looks like Rarity's little 'ascension' has fixed her magic problems -- at least for now! I'll want her in here for another week to be sure she doesn't have another magic failure."

"And Cheerilee?" Twilight asked.

"A week as well." He replied. "I want to know if there are any remnants of the assassin's magic, and I want to make sure her psychological health is stable before she and the filly start gallivanting off to Celestia knows where."

"And physically?" Twilight asked.

"Their all fine, except for Minty, and Rainbow Dash, of course. Their conditions precede our little attack."

"And how long will they be in for?" Twilight asked, calculating arrival and travel times.

"A couple of days to a week, at least! I still don't know what's wrong with Dash, and I can't, in good conscious, let Minty go until we are certain everything has finished setting." He replied.

"Excellent!" Twilight exclaimed. "Enough time for me to go to Canterlot and back."

"Princess! There is no way I'm letting you --" The doctor started, before the princess sped into the sunset. "Never mind!" He said to himself, with an exasperated sigh.

********

"Thank you for taking the time to fly up here to Canterlot princess Twilight." Celestia said with a smile. "So tell me what happened after I left."

"Well basically an assassin came, and tried to attack that other Pinkie and Rainbow and myself." Twilight said, with a sigh. "And up until now Ponyville has been so safe." She said to herself, lamenting where her neighborhood had gone to.

"I see." Celestia said, looking on into the distance. "And you think you were the target?"

"Actually..." Twilight said, looking away from her teacher. "I think Minty, Pinkie, and Rainbow were. I was just a lucky hit. Though I can't figure out why somepony would want to get rid of three wacky ponies like them: a klutz, a pony obsessed with pink and parties, and a fashion pony obsessed with rainbows."

"Do you have any guesses why they want you four gone?" Celestia asked. "And who would want them gone for that matter?"

"I'm not sure." Twilight said, looking away again. "I think they want me gone because I'm a princess of Equestria. But the other three wouldn't seem to be a threat to Chrysalis, in the least."

"I see! I'm sorry I wasn't there to help." Celestia said, looking like she was feeling guilty again. "Worry not, though, my fellow princess! I shall be assigning more guards to Ponyville to make sure this doesn't happen again!" Celestia said, smiling. "But I'm assuming this was not why you were here in person."

"No actually it's what happened during the attack." Twilight lectured. "One of those odd ponies ascended." She said, with a frown.

"But that's impossible! Luna, Cadence, Twilight and I are supposed to be the only ali -- " Celestia said under her breath. "That is interesting. And other then the political ramifications. Why not just send me a letter."

"Well I was kind of hoping you could help mentor her, as she's young yet to be an alicorn."

"Who ascended?" Celestia asked, her face going dark.

"Rarity." Twlight responded.

Celestia stood there both ready to burst into laughter, and filled with utter astonishment. "I thought for sure it would be someone else: Cheerilee, or maybe..." Celestia started under her breath. "Actually Twilight, I think it would be best if you mentored her. I have full faith in you my faithful ex-student, and fellow princess of Equestria. "

"Are you sure, Celestia, wouldn't you or Luna be a better teacher?" Twilight asked, unsure how to put this question.

"I know what you are saying, my faithful student, but there will come a day when you will want to train another pony, and you need to start sometime!"

"I know, but she exhibited magic I've never seen before, it was a brilliant white, and after she cast it she had no memory of doing so. Maybe it was a magic burst?"

"Magic burst..." Celestia said with a sarcastic smile. "That sounds familiar!" She said, looking at Twilight, and smirking. "Then who better to teach her then the element of magic?"

"Yes, but I've never heard of blinding white magic before, how did she get her hooves on it?" Twilight asked, ever curious. "White magic could be borrowed magic, but this as way to powerful to be borrowed from anypony in the room, or even any combination of ponies."

"How a little unicorn got her hooves on that kind of magic I don't know. Can she use regular unicorn magic?" Celestia asked with a smile, dropping a hint.

"No. Not without a wand." Twilight responded, with a sigh. "I'm not sure how to teach a unicorn with no idea what a horn even is, let alone how to use it."

"I have full faith you'll figure out a way!" Celestia said, with a reassuring smile. "And you'll know just where to start." Celestia said, winking at her former student. "Trust yourself, I think you are the only pony that can take the job. But maybe have her mentor join in! I'm sure they'd work better together! And maybe it would make it easier to help little Rarity learn!"

********

"Ahhh!" Rarity whined, being pulled away from the three crusaders, by Twilights's magic. "But I was having fun being a -- "

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER: TAXY DRIVER!!! YAY!!! " All three crusaders shouted, joined in by the little pink alicorn.

Only to be obsconded by Twilight's magic. "But that was unicorn fun!" Rarity complained, as Twilight dragged the fledgling alicorn away, scowling slightly. "It's not my fault! The hospital was boring and they made me lay in bed for a week, even after I got these super fun wings." Rarity said, flapping her wings as hard as she could, before shooting off, out of Twilight's magical grasp, like a bullet, and almost crashing into the library -- before being captured in Twilight's magic again. Rarity really wanted to know how the older alicorn did it so easily, she could just imagine how fun it would be to light up her horn like that, and sling spells like a regular Merlin! But, alas, she could only cast spells with a wand -- or at the appointed time during the rainbow ceremony.

"Oh Rarity!" Cheerilee said, shaking her head, all the while holding a playful smile. "Don't you want to learn to control your new magic?" Cheerilee said, cheerfully. "I mean I never even knew before today that I could use my horn for magic! Let alone how to do so!" She said, hoping the child would catch her enthusiasm.

"I suppose." Rarity said, with a smile to her mentor. "But then we'd have to learn about boring stuff like where the first rainbow of the season comes from, or how to do the Princess Twirl." She said, pouting, despite the smile on her face.

"Oh come on! It'll be fun! Twilight even decided to have me join in!" Cheerilee said, with enthusiastically.

"Ok!" Rarity said, giggling. "But I want to see you try too!"

After a few minutes Twilight had finished dragging her new protégé to the library. "Ok! To start with. Let's talk about the basics of unicorn magic." Twilight said, starting to drone on, much to the fascination of Rarity's mentor. However the little one seemed a little distracted (That silly Rarity. She just loves to play with caterpillars! Click on Rarity to make her blow… air to keep the caterpillar floating. See how many times you can float a caterpillar before the… time runs out. -- oh wait, sorry!)

Twilight looked at the rainbow colored caterpillar with horror. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!" She said, doing a little dance. "Quick Spike! Get the net! We need to get this bug out of here!"

"Aw!!!" Rarity exclaimed. "You're no fun at all!" She grumbled.

"Sorry about that!" Cheerilee said, to Twilight, with a blush. "She's more of a hands on learner."

"Ok!" Twilight said, looking through her notes -- throwing half of them over her shoulder. "Maybe we can try tailoring the lecture slightly? Maybe a song or..."

"A rap!!!" Twilight's Pinkie said, materializing suddenly out of a clock, wearing a comically oversized pair of sunglasses and a crudely bedazzled giant novelty "S" attached to her neck by a oversized chain with torus shaped links. "It totally didn't work on Rainbow Dash but it's totally going to work this time and --!"

Twilight just looked at her friend in confusion. "Pinkie? Why are you dressed like that? Where'd you even find that outfit?"

"I have no idea!" She said innocently. "But it seemed to be the perfect outfit to do 'The Unicorn Magic Rap' in!" Pinkie responded, with enthusiasm.

"Um Pinkie... Ok!" Twilight said, apprehensively.

"Well, back in ancient times, there were Wonderbolts of old --" Pinkie started, bringing in a beat box, and a turntable.

"Hold it Pinkie! We're talking about unicorn magic, not the Wonderbolts!" Twilight responded, starting to feel a migraine coming on.

"Oh! I don't have a rap for that!" Pinkie said, innocently. "Would you like me to rap about them instead?" She said, with fully caffeinated enthusiasm. "No wait! What do the Wonderbolts have to do with Unicorn magic? You've got to learn to concentrate Twilight!" Pinkie said, at a mile per minute.

Twilight just about exploded into flames, only to hear cheering from the small alicorn in the room.

"Yeah! That's unicorn fun!" Rarity responded. "That was fun! Let's do that again!"

"Ok!" Twilight responded, her face contorted in horror. "She's like a mini alicorn pinkie -- Celestia help us all!" Twilight thought to herself, using her hoof for a second to think. "Maybe we need a different tact!" She thought to herself, a mischievous smile forming below her twitching ear.

Twilight gestured for the pink alicorn's mentor to come over. "Cheerilee, why don't we have you perform a basic levitation spell for Rarity. Once she learns that we can try more advanced unicorn spells, and then segue into her alicorn magic!"

"Ok! Sure!" Cheerilee responded, with a smile, pulling her rod out of her saddlebag.

"Actually Cheerilee, I was talking about with your horn, not your wand." Twilight responded, feeling the migraine again.

"Twilight! I know what you're saying, but I only know how to use my horn to call the first rainbow of the season. But can only do so under the crystal dome, and only after the four shooting stars have fallen -- on the day of the first rainbow of the season." Cheerilee responded, blushing slightly. "It's involuntary."

Twilight looked puzzled back. "Just levitate an object over using your magic."

"Ok!" Cheerilee responded. "But how can I do that without my wand?"

Twilight stood there befuddled. "A unicorn of her age doesn't know how to use her horn? Do Brights Brightly, Whistle Wishes, and Lily Lightly also not know how to use their magic?"

"Ok!" Twilight thought to herself. "Maybe we need to have her and Cheerilee join the crusaders for Twilight time. Maybe a unicorn her age will be more instructive!" She thought, a sneaky smile reappearing on her face.

********

"Ah you sure we's sup'post to do it like this?" Apple Bloom asked, desperately trying to keep reared up while wearing roller skates on only her back hooves. Eventually falling down on her plot.

"Yeah! It's unicorn fun!" She started effortlessly rearing into an unnatural angle, with her barrel sitting at a 180 degree angle to her legs.

"Hah! You guys are lightweights!" Scootaloo lied, not wanting to be out shown by the young (girly) pink alicorn. "Easy peeeaassssyyyy!!!!!" She said, skating violently, her wings buzzing like a bumble bee to keep her steady. "One... WOAH!! Two.... WHOA!!!! Threesiee.... AHH!!!!!" She said, skating down a hill and into a building. "I'm ok!"

"Wow! This is easy!" Sweetie said, roller skating on her back two legs, like a natural. "I think this could work! We'll finally get our cutie marks in --" She said, right before Scootaloo slammed into her, and sent both of them careening into a building.

"Wow! Let's do that again!" Rarity said, with glee, splashing around in a mud puddle she had falling into a moment before, while the other crusaders were busy dating the dirt, or the sides of buildings.

"Rarity." Cheerilee said, trying to get the young alicorn's attention as she walked up. "We're supposed to be joining the girls today for Twilight Time, and we still need to catch up on your lessons before the Princess Rainbow Ceremony, and the first rainbow of the season!"

"Ok!" The pink child responded, with an innocent smile.

"Ok! Let all go together." Cheerilee said to the crusaders, picking Apple Bloom off the ground. "Maybe if Rarity's been paying attention she can do the princess twirl and summon the Crystal Carriage!" Cheerilee said with a smile. "Our Crystal Carriage is nice and wide! If you were here we all could wide!" She started singing a strangely familiar ditty, smiling to the crusaders, before turning to Rarity. "Rarity, do you remember yesterday's lesson?" She said, enthusiastically.

"Nope!" She said, innocently, with a smile. "Don't remember a thing!" She said, with an innocent smile.

"Ok..." Cheerilee said to herself, her smile dropping faster than a rock. "I'll need to go back over that again, and we still need to get into the crystal dome and the shooting stars." She said to herself, with a sigh. She almost forgot she was behind this year, and time was growing ever shorter.

********

"Ok girls!" Twilight said, with a smile. "Let's see what you learned this week." She said, glancing at the newest member of Twilight Time, with Celestia's smirk. "But first, do you have any questions?"

Sweetie shot up her hoof. "Why's Rarity here? She's already got her cutie mark, and she's a princess!" Sweetie asked. "Shouldn't she be in her own kingdom making laws or something?"

"Well I'm glad you asked that question Sweetie Belle. You see even princesses need to learn a thing or two. Rarity's just here to learn magic, like you are, Sweetie Belle!" Twilight said, with a smile, hoping that her speech inspired the pink alicorn to join in with the other three students.

She was, sadly mistaken. Rarity was instead crawling on the ground, her bones bent at a funny angle, crawling on the ground like a baby bi-ped, mimicking the motions of a rainbow worm with a hat on its head.

"AAAHHHH!!!!" Twilight screamed. "It's back again! Spike! Get the net!" After a few minutes, and half of a library destroyed (and spike captured twice or thrice.) They managed to round up the tiny critter.

"AW!" Rarity whined, frowning slightly. But only for a second or two.

"Ok!" Twilight thought. "Avoid lectures at all cost!" Twilight's face dropped. "This is going to be a LONG Twilight Time!"

"Ok Sweetie! Maybe you can start by showing off some of the magic I've taught you!"

"Ok!" The small white unicorn beamed. "I've been really practicing, and I think I can lift something a little heavier now!" Sweetie said. "Like this book!" She said, hoping to impress the other ponies in the room. She took a few seconds to look at one of Twilight's heavier resource materials, with apprehension, before trying to lift it.

The filly struggled for a minute, her horn glowing a dull green aura. And for a second the book did rise, only to fall down with a crash.

"Ahhh!" She whined.

Twilight smirked, apparently the crash got the attention of a certain distractible unicorn, who was previously sitting in the corner watching a leaf fall from a nearby tree.

"Don't worry about it Sweetie, try again!" Twilight said, trying to encourage Sweetie.

"Ok!" She squeaked, smiling ear to ear. "Here we go again."

"Remember Sweetie, concentrate on the book. Magic responds to intent!"

The book once again started to lift again, as the young white filly struggled to keep it aloft. Until a shout could be heard coming from the other side of the room, causing the book to crash against the floor again.

"Wa hey! That looks like fun!" Rarity shouted, smiling ear to ear. "Let me try!" She said, pulling the wand back out again.

"Where did you get that!" Cheerilee chastised. "You aren't allowed to touch it until I've -- " She started, before being interrupted by Twilight, who was ready for the little alicorn -- this time.

"That's ok Rarity, but how about we try without a wand, like Sweetie, ok?" Twilight said, stealing her Cheerilee's signature smile, for a second.

"But how can I do magic without a wand?" Rarity asked, sitting down confused, the bones in her front hoof bent at odd angles allowing her to firmly plant her hoof against her chin.

"Well, maybe I can give you a few pointers, if Sweetie won't mind." Twilight said, looking over at the small white unicorn.

"I don't mind." The sweet white unicorn said, stumbling around, with her eyes bouncing around like a pair of joke glasses . "I need a break anyway!"

"Ok Rarity! Try concentrating on the broom! Remember focus! Determination!"

Rarity nodded, and began to put all of her concentration into... "Isn't something supposed to happen Twilight?"

"You sure you ready to give up already Rarity? Your horn hasn't even lighted up yet!" Twilight said, with a reassuring smile.

"Lighting up. You mean like Lily?" Rarity said, breaking out into the giggles. "Sometimes I just get the giggles!" She said, remembering something funny from seemingly forever ago.

Twilight stared at Cheerilee, who motioned back, shaking her head, apparently answering that question would take a longer explanation. "Similar, but different." Twilight said, dodging the question. "Here, maybe let's try something different." She said, looking at the wand, idea's popping into her head.

"Are you sure this is safe Twilight?" Cheerilee asked, with apprehension, getting an uneasy idea what Twilight was thinking.

"Yeah. Don't worry." Twilight said into the purple unicorn's eyes with conviction. "I think I know what I'm doing." Twilight said, smiling reassuringly at Rarity's mentor.

"Ok Rarity! Let's try out something new!" Twilight said with a pleasant smile. "The wand draws magic out of its user and directs it... Maybe I can..." Twilight thought to herself, the plan beginning to come together.

"Ok!" Rarity said, with a smile. "That sounds like fun!" Rarity said, at the thought of 'something new'.

Twilight looked at the wand, and grabbed some tape, that spike had carelessly left out in the open -- she would have to talk to him later about that; but for now she was thankful he left it out.

"That tickles!" The young alicorn in the room said, filled with the giggles. "But Cheerilee said I shouldn't use the wand until I've learned the princess twist." She said, with apprehension.

"Well then. Go ahead and try the twist for me!" Twilight said with a smile. "Why don't you show it to me then!"

"Ok!" Rarity said, waving the wand in the strange and mysterious motions of the infamous ritual. First in figure eights, then finally circles before pointing the wand (currently duct-taped to her horn) into the air.

Cheerilee just frowned. "I couldn't teach it to her without nearly ending all rainbows for a year!" She thought, remembering something long forgotten. "And Twilight teaches it to her in an afternoon!." She thought to herself, with a frown. "What good am I at all?"

Meanwhile across town.

It had been a bad year for Suri "Buttonbelle" Polomare. First, 'her' best line ever had been resoundingly undressed by "hotel chic", and then her assistant had abandoned her -- leaving her all alone, and without even a trophy to show for it. From there her career had circled the tanks. Apparently ponies were now more interested in her assistant then her. And, on top of it all, nopony worth talking to wanted to give her the time of day calling her a "petty thief" and a "fraud". She had even been forced to return to a hick town like Ponyville, and take a demeaning job selling insurance

But not to worry. She just needed a little capital to kick start her business again, maybe, with some sweet talking and a sob story, she could "borrow" some more fabric from Rarity; she considered that idea with a luxurious smile.

Ok, first pony on the list: "Rich, Filthy." Great! She'd rob him blind! Then she'd have enough money to buy the Carousel Boutique, or maybe she could just retire stinking rich.

Ringing the doorbell, she expected one of the hired help to answer, but instead the stallion himself did. "Excellent!" She thought to herself, rubbing her hooves together mischievously. "This must be an off day for him! Why else would he answer himself?" She had to hit while the iron was hot. "Why hello Mr. Rich! My name is Suri Polomare!"

"Why hello Suri! I remember you from my wife's sowing circle." Filthy said, with a pleasant smile that quickly dissipated upon the mentioning of his wife.

"Why yes, I believe I did!" Suri responded. "How is the dear?" She asked, hoping that his earlier response would be doubled.

"She left us a few years back. Poor Diamond never really recovered." He frowned. "And has become a little bit of a troubled foal." He said, looking like he was racked with guilt.

"Why that's horrible." Suri said, crying crocodile tears. "Then it's good I dropped by! You see I'm with Flim-Flam insurance! And as you can see you never know what's ahead! And that is why --"

Rich's face dropped like a stone, and he looked like he was about to throw her off his property personally. "Look dear, I understand what you're trying to do and I don't need insurance!" He fumed. "I know you need to eat, but I don't need that junk. Almost nothing ever--"

Out of nowhere, a white and diamond coated monstrosity came flying out of the sky, and landed right on Suri, before traveling on towards the library.

"Was it just me or was that carriage driven by two ducks? Weird!" He said, looking at the carriage pass by. "How did they even move it, their feet don't even touch the ground!" He said, looking confused. "Maybe you have a point dear! You never do know what kind of horrors await us! Suri? Suri?" He asked the former fashion champion, now KOed on the ground (Don't worry, she was back to her normal horrible self -- to quote Willy Wonka -- in time for lunch.)

Meanwhile back at the library..

"Good! So that's what a 'crystal carriage' looks like!" Twilight said, with a half-hearted smile, as the carriage drove up, and through a wall. "Now Rarity? Did you feel something in your horn when you did the princess twirl?"

"Sure did!" Rarity said, enthusiastically. "It made me want to giggle!"

"Ok!" Twilight said, so can you try to make your horn feel the same way?"

"I can try!" Rarity said, concentrating on her horn. Which, after a few minutes of trying slowly started to glow a light pink aura (but not before burning out a couple of times first.)

"Great!" Twilight said. "Now try to hold that feeling for a couple minutes. Then I'll show you something... fun... you can do with your magic!"

"Cheerilee, would you or Sweetie like to try again?" Twilight asked, looking to the two unicorns in the room.

"Nah! Let Cheerilee try first." Sweetie said, messaging her head. "I'm still a little dizzy from earlier." She said, her pupils being on opposite sides of her eyes, giving her a very odd -- muffin loving pegasus like -- expression.

Twilight blushed. "Sorry about that Sweetie, sometimes I get a little eager." She said, with a smile, putting a reassuring hoof on the filly's shoulder.

"Ok Cheerilee, try concentrating." Twilight said, to the adult unicorn. "Remember unicorn magic is brought out by concentration and dedication! You need to visualize what you want!"

"But Twilight, I don't know how to cast unicorn magic without a wand, except when under the Crystal Dome, and only after the fourth shooting star!" Cheerilee rebuffed, feeling unsure of herself.

"Maybe, or maybe you have it in you! See Rarity and I can use our horns just fine, and the first rainbow of the season isn't for another three or four months!" Twilight said, levitating an object over to Cheerilee to demonstrate.

Cheerilee stood there befuddled.

"Yeah, I've been studying the books you brought with you." Twilight said, holding a book Rarity had managed to bring with her when Rarity cast the teleportation spell the first time. "And I've learned a lot about your customs in Unicornia, and your job Cheerilee."

Cheerilee just frowned. Could Twilight have already learned as much about the job of Crystal Rainbow Princess as her? What was she needed for?

Twilight's countenance dropped. "Oh Cheerilee, cheer up! I didn't mean to upset you! You should be proud of the work you've done!" She put on a reassuring smile. "Just give it a try! Concentrate, and imagine that the object in front of you is moving! Concentrate your magic through your horn!"

Cheerilee stood for a few minutes, motionless, before just frowning.

"Let's try the same trick that worked on Rarity!" Twilight said with a smile, watching Rarity amuse herself by causing her horn to spark on demand.

Taping the wand to the mentor's fully grown horn was a lot easier then the young filly's undeveloped horn. And after a couple of minutes she smiled. "Ok! Do the princess twirl!"

Cheerilee nodded, attempting to smile. She started to do the odd motions of the ritual, tapping the wand against a table to abort the spell at the end.

"Interesting!" Twilight said, smiling. "That's very interesting. Now did you feel something in your horn?"

"Not really!" Cheerilee frowned. "Let me try again though."

Cheerilee changed her stance, and furled her brow. After a few minutes, it looked like she was going to have an aneurysm, before she frowned, and just started walking away.

"Come on Cheerilee! You can do it!" Rarity said, smiling at her mentor. "Just concentrate, just let your magic flow!" She said, getting more and more eager. Her horn started to change its glow color from pink to white. "You can do it Cheerilee! You just have to!" She said, before freezing, unable to control the terrifying beam of white magic, that was being emitted from her horn.

"Girls stay behind me!" Twilight cautioned, as she ripped all three crusaders from their corners of the room, placing them behind her. "Let's hope this works!" She said, her own horn glowing. After a few minutes, the dust started clearing.

"Good thing! That was a dud huh Twi'!" Apple Bloom said, with a smile.

"Actually." Twilight said, blushing. "It wasn't a dud."

"So you blocked it with one of your radical shield spells then!?" Scootaloo asked, getting eager. Making an explosion noise.

Twilight shook her head no. "I didn't block it with a shield either."

Sweetie just frowned contemplatively. "If it wasn't a dud, and you didn't block Then what happened to it then?" Sweetie Belle asked, starting to feel anxious.

"It was too powerful to block so I simply sent it somewhere else. Doing so took a heck of a lot of magic though." She said, looking away. "I'll be ok though! It's a good thing alicorns have so much magic to work with!"

"Sorry Twilight!" Rarity said. "I don't know what happened, I just wanted to cheer Cheerilee up!" She said, frowning slightly.

"No worries Rarity!" Twilight said, with an honest smile. "I'm here to teach you, and it proves that your alicorn magic is still working. We just need to learn how to use and control your natural unicorn magic first, then we can try controlling the strong stuff!" Twilight said, encouraging the filly to keep going.

"Why did her horn go all wonky like that then?" Sweetie Belle asked, worried it would happen again.

"It's her alicorn magic, it reacts to emotions, and is extremely strong!" Twilight said, her smiling remaining. "Sometimes, even I have trouble controlling it. And it doesn't help that I'm not 100% sure what her connection is yet." Twilight said, blushing. "Celestia speculates that all of us alicorns represent and control a primal force of Equestria."

"Sorry about that Cheerilee!" Rarity said, with a frown. "Cheerilee?" She asked looking around. Where had her mentor gone?

********

What happened to that burst of white magic? Well let me give you a hint!

The other Rainbow Dash fluttered her eyes. That must have been some party Pinkie had thrown. The last thing she remembered was eating one of her pastries. Oh that's right! It had been laced with something, and then Pinkie had hit with a frying pan!

Ok no problemo all she had to do was... Loosen the ropes that tied her to this blasted slab... Ok! This was not going to be a good day!

Walking in from upstairs, not Pinkie gazed on with a sadistic smile, and empty eyes. "I'm just missing a few pieces for my new wardrobe." She said, her ear twitching. "Maybe you'd like to donate!" She said, taking out a scalpel. "It'll be fun!" She said, her voice almost turning demonic.

"Ummm.... Pinkie, maybe I should go! You know practice and all that!" Rainbow said nervously, trying fruitlessly to struggle out of something. She looked around nervously! She needed a distraction, or it was about to get very, very painful! "Hey Pinkie! Did you hear that? The cakes must be back! So I'd better be on my way, so if you'll just LET ME GO!" She shrieked, hoping Pinkie's usual brand of stupidity would take over.

However, not Pinkie, was not impressed. "And end this fun party?" She asked, walking to the center of the basement and turning away from the Rainbow color pony to grab something sharp, and probably quite painful.

Rainbow looked on, sadly. Was this the end of the cool? Was this the end of Rainbow Dash? She asked herself, starting to hear a loud whining sound from somewhere. "Hey Pinkie what's that sound?" She asked, once again hoping for a miracle.

Pinkie just smiled, turning back to the rainbow pony, trotting closer and closer, before raising her scalpel and then...

She was gone! In a flash of white light, replaced by a crater, sitting at the bottom of a hole that extended all the way through Sugar Cube Corner.

"So..." Rainbow said, talking to the crater, trying to check her watch (it's tough to check your watch when you're tied to a slab!) "How much longer before the cakes return?" She asked herself, with a frown. "I hope it's a short delivery!" She said, with a sigh. "Maybe I could start shouting? Yeah, but that would make me sound like a dweeb!" She sighed to herself.

Now back to the story!

********

"It's best, if I leave." Said Cheerilee to herself, sobbing violently. "She's better off with Princess Twilight, then with me. Twilight will teach her how to use her new magic, and will keep her safe -- all I would do would be to hold her back." She said, leaving the library behind.

"Going somewhere?" Asked a cerulean pegasus, with a very long rainbow mane, and a pair of oversized rainbow wings."

"I'm sorry, ..." Cheerilee asked the strange hornless, winged, unicorn.

"Rainbow Dash!" The pegasus responded back, looking very agitated.

"But I should be leaving." Said, Cheerilee, trying to get away before anyone noticed she was missing.

"Yeah... Not going to happen!" Said a cheesed Rainbow Dash. "I have no idea what this is about, but it seems my rainbow powers are acting up today, and apparently they want somepony to speak with you!" She said, taking a fighting pose. "So, seeing as it's a loyalty issue. I feel obliged to do what they ask!"

"Well, tell them I'm terribly sorry, but I really should be going and..." Cheerilee started, trying to hurry past the colorful pegasus (feeling extra colorful at that moment.)

"Darling! Since when did the Cheerilee we all know, and love become a coward?" Asked Rainbow Dash, her voice suddenly changing. "Didn't you promise her you would be there for her? Didn't you promise her you would protect her? Or were you just lying to her, darling?" Asked Rainbow Dash?

"R... Rainbow...?" The purple unicorn said, shaking violently. But Rainbow is still in the hospital. Who's this pony who's talking to her?

"Shush... I'm speaking, darling!" Said Dash, not speaking for herself. "The, darling child needs you, and you are just going to walk away? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"I'm the reason our world ended in the first place! I remember it from the nightmare that assassin showed me! She would be much safer without me!"

"Pishaw, darling, are you listening to yourself? You sound daft!" Cheerilee's Rainbow said, through the other pony. "And, I believe, she met her end separately of you, despite your noble sacrifice. Wouldn't she prefer it if you met it together?"

"But she has Twilight now, she's a true princess! And she can teach her to use her magic. And I can't!"

"And didn't you teach her the Princess Twirl? Just in time to get the first rainbow of the season out -- despite her running away? And you think that a princess, no matter how regal can replace you, darling?"

"Maybe not..." Said Cheerilee, looking down. "But it'll be better for her! And she'll..."

"Hate you for it for as long as she lives! I'm certain of this, darling!" The other pony proclaimed. "Have you considered what would happen to her, if she were still just a regular unicorn, darling?"

"I don't know..." Cheerilee said, thinking for a second. "They'd give her a place to live?"

"No Darling, she'd be adopted, probably by someone far away from Ponyville -- either one! Certainly far away from Unicornia!"

"But that'll be fine right?" Cheerilee said, still steeped in self doubt.

"Hard to say, darling. I certainly know who'd she'd prefer. Maybe I can adopt her to keep her here in Ponyville." Rainbow said, for the other voice. "Hey! Don't speak for me!" Rainbow said, for herself, chastising the voice. "Oh you'd love her, darling. You're both firebrands, and you've been looking to adopt -- 'the squirt', I think." Said the voice arguing with the one speaking for it. "Hey! That's my secret! Don't go spilling it to her! It's supposed to be a surprise for the Squirt! You know for her birthday or something!"

"I suppose, she's right." Rainbow said, making a point. "I bet I'd know who she'd prefer be her mother." The other Rainbow resumed. "Maybe someone that already thinks of her as a daughter?" She said, pointing her words at Cheerilee. "And do you know what she's doing right now, darling?" The voice asked, inquisitively. "Let me show you." The voice said, levitating Dash, and the purple unicorn up to a window.

As they approached, they heard sobbing. "Cheerilee, you going to leave me again? Did I mess up again, just like back at the Princess Festival? Did the darkness take you away again?" She said, as she began to sing a strange song about from the unicorn.

"I'm lost,... Nowhere,... It hurts.." The new alicorn sang to herself, as if expecting someone to join in.

"To know, We're so apart!" Cheerilee responded, speaking to herself. "That song..." Said Cheerilee, remembering something long forgotten. "I remember that song..."

"As do we all, darling." Not Rainbow said. "Do you think I could sleep through her singing it?" Not Rainbow said, looking at Cheerilee with rebuke in her eyes. "Do you want to know the Cheerilee I remember, darling?" Not Dash said, using Dash's mouth.

"The darling that went all the way down a dangerous mountain, in the middle of the night; and slept on pine needles and rocks!" Not Dash continued. "She went outside, and helped her young ward, and friend with her case of 'the giggles', even though she preferred to be inside planning for the night's festivities."

Cheerilee began to cry, she remembered all this, and yet she wasn't sure why. And even other memories came seeping back, born from parts of her memory long gone.

"Ahh yes, darling, you do remember!" Not Rainbow said, with a smile. "Now I guess, by the looks of things, my time is up. But Darling, you've been given a second chance, and I want you to think about what you are going to do with it?" She said, looking serious. "Are you going to run away, afraid of how things ended, or are you going to make things as good as they were, and better, then in the good old days?" She said, Dash's transformation slowly wearing off.

"So Cheerilee, apparently whoever it is had a mouthful for you. So you going to do the right thing, or are you going to run away again?" Rainbow asked, deciding to keep pressing her not selves questions.

********

"I'll be good I swear!" Rarity said, sitting on the floor sobbing. "It's just like my dreams! Except this time she just walked away!"

"What makes you think that?" Twilight said, reassuringly. "She just probably walked out for a minute." She said, looking into the small alicorn's eyes. "She'll be right back! I'm sure of it!"

"You are?" Rarity said, looking up, a faint smile on her face.

"See!" Twilight said, with a smile, as the door started to rattle. "I knew she'd be right back!" She said, trying to hide any uncertainty that she, herself, had.

A familiar purple unicorn, slowly walked through the doorway; looking very apologetic.

Rarity just looked up, tears still flowing. "Where'd you go? I was so worried!" She said, rushing up for a hug from her mentor.

"Sorry about that Rarity." Cheerilee said, with an apologetic smile. "I just had to go out and think a few things through." She said, looking down towards the floor. "Say, how would you feel if we made our mentoring relationship into something a little more long term?"

"What do you mean?" The ADHD alicorn asked.

"Well! I was thinking: since we can't find your mother. How would you feel if I became more than just your mentor? Of course, we would need some help from the princess over here -- if she wouldn't mind." Cheerilee asked with a smile. "We want to make it official after all!"

********

Solanaceae cowered. It would not be, at all, easy to explain what happened to the changeling monarch. That the second best, if not the best, assassin in the hive just got taken out by a unicorn, barely more than a foal. And worse still, not just the lady, but princess Larva, and even princess Amaryllis just slipped through his hooves.

The changeling monarch still sat at their thrown. The room remained dark, except for the line of torches that led up to the throne. A large light, resembling a sun sat above the throne, illuminating the throne.

"Explain something to me Solanaceae: how is it, that I am not just missing an assassin, but that the lady and that traitor Amaryllis still live?" The older changeling hissed.

"I apologize, your majesty --" The young changeling started, quaking violently.

"And, did we not have a plan for Amaryllis to be, finally, removed from my hair? Was not the spell supposed to finish her?" The monarch stated, with dissatisfaction. "And yet she lives! Not just through it, but also despite the valiant efforts of my second best assassin!"

"There were... complications... Amaryllis' ascension we expected, but we didn't expect a nascent alicorn to be present." Solanaceae stammered. "Certainly not that a hyperactive pink foal was one!"

"This sounds like excuses!! You know how I feel about excuses!!! 'Nascent alicorn'... I don't care if the child was Celestia herself! How could my assassin easily stop Celestia's prized pupil only to be defeated by a worthless foal?" The changeling at the throne hissed. "Maybe the problem wasn't the foal, or my assassin but you Solanaceae! You think I've forgotten how you were trained by the lady, before her leave of the hive! But, sadly for you, I have not!"

"I apologize, your majesty. I have utilized all of my resources to find the lady and her spawn! They will not last long!"

"For your sake, I would hope so! Otherwise I will find somepony who can! My plans are in motion, and my failed hunt for the lady has uncovered some objects that reek of Discord." The changeling lord hissed, starting to smile. "This will allow me to consolidate my hold over the hive, and perhaps Equestria as well! And you had best hope you are on the right side when that happens."

"Of course your majesty! I will do anything it takes to h--" The young assassin started.

"You'd better! apparently not just anypony can use these objects. Therefore I must find, and enlist, those who can! Let us hope that you can find those ponies that can wield these artifacts, before my agents find them all, or you are finished Solanaceae!" The changeling lord said, waving their hand. "Be gone with you!"

"Things just got more difficult! I have not just a lady and two princess to depose! But I also need to locate ponies who's inner magic will resonate with Discord's! And worse still I have to convince them to join our cause!" Solanaceae sighed. He was finished!

Chapter 4-3: Meet the G4 ponies!

Chapter 5: The magic of modern medicine (also known as Rainbow Rōcks)

It was all like a bad dream, she wasn't even sure she was the same pony for a second. "Why of course, Scootaloo! And I'll win the race again, just like at the sports party!" Where was her style? Where was her pizzazz? Where was her darling accent? Why did she sound like a vapid valley girl instead of her proper, and elegant Hungarian accent? And why was she even talking about sports parties? This wasn't her Scootaloo, why did she think it even was?

Her head felt like it was going to explode. She'd been having this problem since Minty's little accident on Christmas, but it just got worse, and worse, and worse! Oh dear, was Pinkie also having these? Or, that darling, Minty? Or was she the only one cursed with this? In any event here she was with her eyes filled with green, and her head feeling like it was in the process of exploding.

Why were all the ponies around her looking at her like that? They all began to back away, asking her questions with concerned faces? All the ponies around her were talking to her, but she couldn't understand them. Their voices sounded slow and tinny. Why couldn't she understand them? Why was she increasingly unable to see them?

"What's ... wrong ... Dash?" A young pegasus said, whom she, for some reason, mistook for her Scootaloo. She wanted to call out, and say she's ok; but she was unable too. All she could do was watch on, losing ever more control of her faculties.

"Ah've ... seen her ... this way before!" A young earth pony said. Why couldn't she understand them? Why did nothing make any sense? Why did she both want to giggle and cry at the same time?

Her headache kept getting worse and worse, and her field greener and greener, until she felt a hand touch her shoulder, or was that someone's hoof?

The next thing she knew, she awoke in a hospital room. Staring at the most tacky green ceiling. And she didn't even want to get started on the blue walls. What was this: Minty's house? And was she wearing the most frightful green outfit? In the corner she could see Twilight talking to a unicorn with an amber coat, and a dark brown mane -- sporting the symbol of some kind of medical something or another. What were they talking about? She heard her name coming up a lot. "Did she hit her muzzle on the ground during the accident that took her wings?" She hated being stuck here, especially when she and Rarity were on the verge of completing a work of brilliance. "No! This is not my Rainbow Dash, it's another one -- Yes I'm not crazy!" The doctor held his hoof to her mouth. "Shh... She's waking up!"

The doctor walked up wearing the most convincing smile. Maybe she was imagining things? "Hello again Rainbow Dash! So you seem to be under the weather slightly?" The doctor asked, with a chuckle. "What seems to be the matter Rainbow Dash? Trying another one of your reckless stunts! You remember what happened last time right? Are you suffering from a bad case of lazy-pony-itus again?" He said, with a sarcastic smile.

She would need to talk to that really real for real pegasus Rainbow Dash! That pony was making as much a mockery of her good name as the pegasus felt she of hers. Nevertheless, she should answer the doctor's question. "I'm not really sure, darling." She said, with a sigh. "I've been having the worst trouble remembering things, and when I do my memories make no sense, like I'm remembering for three different ponies." She said, beginning to feel the migraine returning. "And then, I suddenly start seeing green, and the next thing I know, I'm in here!" She said, starting to remember all the episodes yesterday, and the migraines before that. "And what's worse is that I've been having these for days, darling! But never before! I'm almost thirteen, darling!"

The doctor and Twilight looked at each other, both mouthing the words "almost thirteen?" The statement seemed absurd as the pony before them was almost as tall, if not slightly taller than Twilight's original unicorn form.

Rainbow continued, unaware of what the doctor and Twilight were saying. "There's no reason for me to be suddenly having these kinds of problems!" She said, with belligerence -- she didn't want to be here, she wanted to be out with that Rarity finishing her masterpiece! Or maybe out shopping for more fine fashion to bring back to her shop in her Ponyville! But what else was she going to do, she collapsed into a heap right in front of her new friends -- how embarrassing!

The doctor only chuckled. "So what stunt were you trying to do when you hit your head?" He asked, ribbing his patient, before turning to Twilight -- his face filled with skepticism. "So you say this isn't our Rainbow Dash, but rather an earth pony?" He said, to vehement nodding from Twilight. "And furthermore that the reason she's here is because she suffered a magic burst?" He said, looking at Twilight, as if she should be the one being checked out.

Twilight, however, was undeterred. "Yes doctor! Just as I said, the mayor can back me up! I spent the better part of yesterday trying to undo the after effects of her magic burst!" She said, her tone starting to get a little more sharp, as the doctor seemed to express ever more cynicism.

The doctor turned to her, and gave her a sour expression. "A magic burst? You realize she's a regular earth pony right?" He said, inhaling for a longer rant.

Twilight shook her head. "Yeah I know what you are thinking, but it's the only logical explanation!" She said, increasing the authority in her voice. "And from -- "

The doctor held his hoof to her muzzle. "But that's not possible!" he said, speaking the words slowly and fully enunciating each one. "If she was a unicorn, I could fully buy it -- after all you've had more than a few over the years, from what I've heard, and cases of magic bursts in powerful unicorns are well documented! I might even buy it if she was a pegasus." He said, taking a minute to start cleaning his glasses. "But then only theoretically so. Remember magic bursts require a built up of magic! And earth ponies pull their magic from the same source they channel it too!" He said, walking over to the other side of the room -- behind the curtain -- and taking a look at the note on the bed (it said Minty, and included what they knew of her condition and history.) "This means that either they don't have any magic, or they have properly grounded magic -- they can't have one but not the other!" He said, returning to the side of the bed. "This makes the buildup of magic necessary to produce a magic burst impossible."

Twilight remained ever vehement. "But she did doctor!" She said, practically begging the doctor to believe her.

The doctor sighed -- only because this was a princess. "Ok!" He said. "I'll take your word for it, but before I do so, Let me test one more thing though." He said, leaving the room behind for a couple of minutes, before returning with a strange crystal. "Now Rainbow." He said, looking into the earth pony's eyes. "I'm going to hold this crystal up in front of you. You shouldn't feel anything." He said, holding one hoof next to some kind of panic button.

She stared at the crystal for a second. Was this crystal supposed to check her harmonic energies or something? Maybe make sure her Feng Shui was in balance? She continued to wonder until the waves of shooting pain started. "AHHHH!!!!" She started screaming uncontrollably -- it felt like that crystal was going to rend her body in half! "Oh darling, what is it?" She asked, begging the doctor -- with her eyes -- to take that horrible thing away. "And why do I feel ill?" She asked, feeling like her head was starting to explode again.

The more pain she got, the more something hidden in her head began to reveal. Before her she saw scenes from her dream. The chimera again, the bug foals. A voice began to taunt her in her head, speaking a rhyme.

"Let's have some fun!
After all, my day's just begun!
Of love you won't feed! -- "

"NOOOOO!!!!!" She screamed, feeling like she was going to die.

Slowly but surely the crystal began to glow an eerie color, changing color from a light blue to a dark blue to a bright red. Before long steam started to rise from it.

"OUCH!!!" The doctor shouted, as he was forced to throw the crystal to the ground, shattering it before his eyes.

If she could she would apologize, saying how sorry she was. Instead she was sitting there, her vision filled with green, and her head practically exploding like an over-ripe melon hit with a sledge hammer.

In her blurry field of vision she could see the doctor and Twilight scrambling around, for some reason. What was going on? Why were they reacting this way? Why couldn't they tell her what was going on? Could she even tell herself what was going on?

finally she felt the tap on her shoulder again, and everything began to clear up. Why were all these ~~horned ponies~~ 'unicorns' horns glowing? Were they doing something to her? And why was the orchid colored nurse with the mulberry mane holding that tiny little ring in her mouth? Why wasn't she carrying it in her hooves like a normal pony?

"Ok..." The doctor sighed. "This is not going to work." He said, turning to the princess. "I guess you were right about the whole magic burst thing." He said, blushing slightly, rubbing his hoof against his other leg -- this was unheard of and medically impossible, wasn't it? "Now could you maybe go and see if you can find an inhibitor in those books of yours, at the Golden Oaks, that can fit an earth pony?" He said, with a frown.

Twilight simply nodded, galloping off at high speeds. It looked like she already knew where she was going to get one from.

The doctor could tell right now that today was going to be a pain in the neck. He wondered if he should have taken that vacation week after all (he was sure his wife would have preferred it that way.)

********

This was most assuredly not the way Rainbow wanted to spend her day: waiting in a hospital room for observation, while waiting for the doctors to come back with lord knows what. Rainbow sighed, apparently she was supposed to stay in this tacky, sad, little room while the doctors found something called an inhibitor that would work on a regular pony -- like her.

Every few minutes a doctor or three would barge into the tiny little room to "siphon off" her "extra magic", she wasn't even aware she even had any magic to begin with! And she certainly didn't know why it needed to be "siphoned", or even what that had to do with her headaches!

Twilight had left some time ago for her princess duties, promising she'd return that afternoon with something to keep her busy. She certainly hoped it wasn't a book from that Darling Doo series that the alicorn kept going on and on and on about (ok Rainbow got the name dead wrong, but it didn't really matter to her, she liked books about fashion, not action) -- it sounded like a total bore, and contained no fashion or Rainbows! Of course, she'd still accept the gift, even a boring book is more interesting than sitting around locked in a tiny room with nothing to do -- she didn't even have any supplies with which to make clothes!

Sometime around seven AM, she could hear hoofsteps outside. And the sound of her door unlocking. Yeah she knew she shouldn't investigate, but it beat the pants off waiting around for the doctors to return. Maybe if she opened the door quietly, and didn't disturb anyone -- then she could take a peek.

Outside the door, a strange pegasus pony could be seen wandering around -- wearing a dour expression. He had the same symbol as that Time Turner pony she had met the other day, and an obviously graying version of his amber coat, but the similarities stopped there, his coat -- though once amber -- had significantly grayed with age, his mane appeared to have mostly gone bald on top, and his hair was long wispy -- and appeared to be carefully brushed back, so as to hide his baldness in back. While Time Turner was young, this stallion appeared to be quite old, and wrinkled -- nearing the end of his days.

And in the second, she recognized him. It didn't seem possible! This looked just like the pony from her dream. But it couldn't be right? Also weren't symbols unique to ponies? So why did this pony have the same one as Time Turner. And the pony in her dream was old -- if he even existed at all -- he would be dead by now, right? She closed the door, her head starting to buzz again. But by the time she opened it again, he was long gone. How could he have vanished in the scant few seconds she had the door closed for? And who was he? Why did she get the impression he wasn't supposed to be at the hospital? And for that matter, why was he snooping around? And why did he disappear? What was he looking for? And why did her door unlock? She asked herself, closing the door again with a sigh.

After a few minutes ,the door began to move again -- and voices could be heard arguing behind it. "Didn't we lock this door this morning?" A stallion asked. "Yes we did doctor, I'm certain of it!" A kind female voice said. "Then why is the door unlocked? She could have gotten out, and those magic bursts of hers could have hurt somepony very, very, badly!" He said, with agitation. "I know doctor." Said another female voice. "But there's nothing we can do about it now! We'll just have to make sure that the lock is working on this door, and utilized next time."

The door opened slowly. And Doctor Stable, and two nurses entered the room. "Sorry about earlier, I don't believe I've properly introduced myself, Ms. Dash: my name is Doctor Stable." He said, with a kind smile. "You gave us quite a scare with that magic burst you had this morning! Are you feeling any better?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Not really, darling! My head is still bugging me, and I swore I saw the strangest thing just before you arrived." She said, thinking about the odd pegasus.

The doctor smiled. "Well you can tell me all about it, in a minute. Let's see if this inhibitor will help you with your headaches, and those meddlesome magic bursts." He said, pulling a large metal ring out of his saddlebag. "Nurses, could you hold her steady while I attach this, thanks?" He asked, while the nurses lightly held her.

He turned to a third nurse. "Could you be so kind as to see if you can find that special bed we talked about?" The nurse nodded before racing off.

"Now this might hurt for just a minute." The doctor said, apologetically as he put the metal ring around her neck, and clamped it in place.

Hurting for just a minute was an understatement. She felt like her whole body was going to tear itself, limb from limb. She started to feel the green coming back, before the pain suddenly stopped, and her headache started to clear. Thank goodness!

The doctor smiled slightly, apparently noticing that her headache had cleared. "Well it looks like that is already helping. You know most unicorns would consider this punishment, as it prevents them from using magic -- but it looks like, for you, it's just what the --" He said, chuckling at his own pun. "Doctor ordered. Now let's see if we can find out what's wrong with your muzzle." He said, with a smile.

He began to feel and prod around her muzzle, apparently looking for something. And he started asking odd questions like: "Have you been having any stuffiness recently?" And "Have you had any pain in your teeth?" And "Has anything bit you in the muzzle recently."

She puzzled to herself. Why was he taking such an interest in her beautiful muzzle? And for that matter, why was everyone's muzzle so much smaller then hers?

The doctor appeared to swallow a sigh. "Well, let me check one more thing!" He said, with a smile. "Could you open your mouth please? I want to take a look around inside, and at your gum line." He said, with a sincere expression, and a hint of perplexion.

"Certainly, darling!" Rainbow said, with a smile.

"Excellent!" The doctor said, looking around in her mouth, and feeling around; before having her close her mouth, and looking at her gum line. After a few seconds, his face began to contort slightly. "Nurse, could you come over here a second?" He asked, turning to the nurse.

"Certainly doctor." She said, dutifully, walking over. "What do you need me to look at doctor?"

"Well, could you take a look here, and tell me what you see?" He said, having the nurse look at the curved side of her muzzle near her incisors. "I just want to make sure I'm not crazy here."

"Of course doctor!" She said, looking around, touching at Rainbow's gums. "That is interesting doctor!" She said, with concern. "Her wolf teeth seem awfully large, especially for a mare, and I don't know what to make of these teeth over here -- I don't believe I've seen any like these before. I'm not a dentist, but shouldn't there be a gap in between these two sets of teeth?"

"Yes, nurse, this is what I'm confused about. If she was a changeling, then I would expect to see large fangs, and a normal earth pony certainly would have smaller wolf teeth -- a normal mare wouldn't have any. And I'm pretty sure these odd teeth don't belong here at all."

The doctor turned to her. "So tell me about your wolf teeth, have you seen a dentist before about these?"

Rainbow quirked her eyebrow. Why were they so interested in her canines? "Excuse me darling, I believe those teeth are called canines -- not wolf teeth -- and I believe that they are used to... Well I don't know what they are for... I suppose they are there to poke food... Like unruly broccoli or something, darling!"

The doctor sighed. This day just kept getting weirder and weirder. "Ms. Rainbow Dash. Do you mind if we schedule an appointment to get a dentist in here later? I want to make sure that your muzzle swelling isn't due to any abscesses. And I want to see if they know if we need to remove these extra mutant teeth -- especially those enlarged wolf teeth."

Rainbow sighed. She had no idea why the doctor was acting this way. Her mouth was completely normal back home! And the dentists raved about her oral health! In any case, she felt she should ask about the pegasus.

"Excuse me, darlings. But do you normally have visitors at this hour?" She asked, with a smile. "I saw a strange pegasus this morning, right before you arrived. And I wanted to know --"

The doctor frowned. "I think you are mistaken Ms. Dash. Visitors aren't allowed at this hour, and if somepony was wandering about just before our arrival we would see him."

"I suppose so! After all -- " Rainbow said, her head starting to spin. She could feel another memory coming on. "Ponies that fly? Now really, darling!" She said, her head beginning to ache again. She could see the green again, for only a second -- and could feel tingling in her neck. After a few frightening minutes, though, the sensation ceased.

"Oh, darling!" Rainbow said. "That was frightful. What just happened!"

The doctor frowned. "Another magic burst, apparently we do need the special bed as well." He said, with a sigh. "Unfortunately, this means that you will need to be bedridden for a few days, until we can find the source of your magic bursts." He said, hovering close to look at the necklace. "It looks like the inhibitor held -- just barely though. It might behoove me to find another one -- just in case!"

Rainbow frowned. Bed ridden!? Because of her Rarity would never finish her order! She was a horrible friend! No! She had to get out of here! She had to help Rarity. She started to open her mouth. "Couldn't I just -- "

The doctor shook his head. "No! Ms. Dash: this is non-negotiable! We can't have you leaving when we can't control these magic bursts! You will have to stay here a few days until we can!" He said, with a stern expression.

"I suppose!" She said, waiting for him and the nurse to leave. She would just have to wait until they got out of range -- then she would find a way out of this trap, and back to the boutique. There's no way she would let Rarity, or fashion itself, be hurt by her absence! And she really couldn't be as sick as they said, right?

********

There was a problem, of course, with finding her way out: which way was out? I mean, it's hard to understand the basic layout of a hospital when you don't have any back home. They didn't even have a doctor back in Ponyville, let alone a hospital (of course this was natural considering that she could count on one hoof the number of times someone got hurt any worse than a scrape or a bruise -- and Kimono always had potions and salves for those.) Of course, she knew better then to enter the doors with the big bold red symbols. So how was she going to get out? Maybe she should try going downstairs? She guessed she was on the second or third floor, after all.

Seeing a bunch of nurses and doctors descending on the floor below -- and the sound of panicking echoing from somewhere within the hospital. She asked herself one very profound question: should she go back to her room? It was number twelve wasn't it? Yeah that sounded about right!

No! She should continue on! She must continue on! Rarity needed her, after all! The boutique needed her! Fashion itself needed her! And she would not let them down! Not while she still breathed -- lord willing! It was at that point that, she asked herself a very important question: when did I get so dramatic? I mean really, darling, I -- along with Pinkie and Kimono -- am one of the thinking ponies!

On the floor below she could see three young fillies towing a fourth in what appeared to be a red wagon. Wait just a second! She recognized that filly -- which was quite impossible, seeing as she had never met her before! But she was certain of it! She was the princess of... somewhere or another! Oh that's right Unicornia! And she was a good friend! And the Crystal Rainbow Princess! But what was she doing here, and why did she look so sick?

Huddled around little Rarity were the three fillies from yesterday: Scootaloo -- whose sister was Cheerilee--; Sweetie Belle -- the small unicorn who was born when two rainbows collided during her spectangularishish outdoors party, and the town baker --; and that young pony filly -- what was her name? Apple Blossom or something. No that can't be right! But this couldn't be her Scootaloo, and she hadn't seen any unicorns before Twilight's friend Rarity! Certainly not any Sweetie Belles! And the town baker was Sweetberry! So what was going on? And why was little Rarity here? Why did she even know this ponies name? And why was she so sure they had met before? Her mentor Cheerilee -- who was definitely not Scootaloo's sister (that was Cheery Blossom) must be worried sick! Had the little foal run off and get herself lost again? Or worse had she run away and gotten herself hurt?

The more she thought about the questions, the more her head hurt. She knew another one of those 'magic bursts' would be on the way if she didn't stop. But she couldn't! Why did nothing make any sense! She was sure that her memories of Sweetie Belle were phony, and she was certain that half of her memories of Scootaloo were bad, but she was certain Unicornia and Rarity were real! But there was no possible way she could have seen either of them yet! And she was sure everyone back in Ponyville would back her up on this and --

"All right!" A very gruff Doctor Stethoscope said, having his nurses push the three fillies off towards the elevator. "I need to know what happened here! And why this young foal looks like a wreck!

"We didn't do nuttin'! Honest!" Apple Bloom said, her face filling with ire. "Ah' promise! An' since mah sister is honesty --" She said, trying to defend her good name (which was hopeless considering how tarnished their names had become through all of their crusading.)

"We'll see about that!" The doctor said gruffly. "Nurses! Take this filly to the ER!" He said, motioning for two of his nurses: a yellow earth pony with a light blue mane, and a orchid earth pony with a mulberry mane. "We need to find out what's going on and quickly!" He said, motioning with his upmost urgency.

"Yes doctor!" Said two of the nurses in unison. 'What were their names again?' Rainbow asked herself. 'Oh that was right: Sweetheart, and Snowheart'. But if they were near-by then that means that probably --

"And you are supposed to be back in your room!" Said an agitated doctor Stethoscope, standing before her -- stamping his hoof. "I've already talked to Doctor Stable about your condition and you supposed to be in your room." He said, motioning sternly with his hoof. "Not wondering around my quiet and well run hospital like some kind of ninja intruder!" Doctor Stethoscope continued, scowling at the fashionable earth pony -- remembering the time that Rainbow's pegasus equivalent had decided to sneak into the hospital to read a book on that Daring Doo pony (obviously a bad influence!)

Looking around, for a second, Doctor Stethoscope absconded Nurse Redheart. "I apologize, nurse, but could you do me a favor and escort Ms. Dash back to her room -- while I find out what these three 'little angels' did to my newest patient?" He said, looking down at the Scootaloo, and friends.

The nurse frowned for a second, either out of pity -- or because of her many duties. "Of course doctor. I'll make sure she gets back to her room."

The doctor smiled, slightly relieved. "Good! Make sure she stays there too!" He said, thinking about the antics her pegasus equivalent would certainly be up to at this point. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll be talking with these three fillies." He stated, his scowl returning -- especially when he noticed that the three fillies had attempted to back away quietly.

Rainbow sighed as the nurse began to slowly herd her away from the door and freedom -- the door growing smaller and smaller before her. While doctor led the crusaders -- as they were called, apparently -- away for 'interrogation'.

********

"You are supposed to be in bed young lady!" The nurse chastised the multicolor earth pony, as she motioned Rainbow back through the door to her room. "We can't have you wandering around the hospital! And the doctor really doesn't feel it prudent for you to leave your bed right now."

"I hear what you are saying, darling -- I really do." Rainbow said, as politely as she was able (which was pretty politely.) "But I still don't see why I'm supposed to stay in bed when this, whatever it is -- " She said, pointing to the ring around her neck."Seems to be doing its job."

The nurse sighed. She really hated to get tough with the patients, their friends, and visitors; but sometimes tough words had to be spoken. "I apologize Ms. Dash! I really do! But the doctor's orders are the doctor's orders. And he's concerned that the inhibitor is only mostly doing its job."

"Inhibitor!" Dash thought to herself. "What could that be?" She thought, completely baffled as to why something would even be called that. "What is an 'inhibitor', darling?" Dash asked the nurse, with apprehension. "And how can it be 'only mostly doing its job'?"

The nurse shook her head. It always surprised her how some ponies missed out on what should be common knowledge items (just ask the frequent foal mother that came in for testing -- unaware of the obvious mechanics of how she got that way. Or the 'extreme sports pony' that she had to treat at least once a week.) "An inhibitor is an artifact used to dampen or completely block unicorn magic. It's normally worn around the horn. " She said, motioning with her hoof like there was an invisible horn above her head. "And is usually used to prevent unicorns from hurting themselves or others with their magic. I've never seen one used on an earth pony before." She said, changing her stance slightly. "You are lucky we found one. Apparently the one you are wearing is an artifact from the interregnum between the third and fourth ages -- a relic of Princess Platina's Kingdom."

"An antique, darling?" Rainbow asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Whatever was it used for?"

The nurse rubbed one of her front legs against the other -- this was going to be hard to explain. "You see... it was used to prevent unruly earth pony surfs from farming, basically a punishment for rebellious surfs."

"Oh dear!" Rainbow said. "Could I get one a little less... um... spooky, darling?" She said, swallowing the horror she was beginning to feel in her heart.

"I wish, but this is the only one of its kind we know of. We are ordering another from an artisan in Vanhoover and we may not get it for a few days." She said, putting her stern face back on. "And we were lucky to even get this one! Apparently your friend Twilight got it from a pegasus author friend of hers, of all ponies! So we need to be extremely careful with it!"

Rainbow sighed. She supposed there might not be a way out of this. "But that still doesn't explain why the bed is special darling, couldn't I just wear this spooky -- something or another, and go about my business?" She said, looking at the boring bed in the corner. "It is, after all, only a normal bed."

The nurse sighed, she expected this question. "Actually, Ms. Rainbow, this isn't a normal bed. It's frame is made from Loadstone, which absorbs magical energy. We had to have an artisan make this specially for you."

"Why so, darling? Isn't this 'inhibitor' or whatever it's called good enough?" She asked, with genuine curiosity.

"Unfortunately not." The nurse said, with a frown -- she normally preferred her patients active whenever possible. But this was kind of a special case. "Your magic bursts are too powerful for either the inhibitor or the bed to handle on their own -- and if you were to have a magic burst without both, it might break one or the other."

Rainbow was shocked, she felt like she was being called fat or something. "But darling, certainly unicorns don't have this problem?" She asked, feeling like she caught the nurse by surprise.

The nurse simply shook her head. "Unfortunately, they don't --but you definitely do. You see, judging by the strength of your magic bursts, you might be the second most powerful pony we've treated here -- next to the princess of magic herself."

"Pardon, darling?" But I don't have magic. "And I don't believe regular ponies have any either -- certainly not the way you describe."

The nurse shrugged. "That's a fair assessment, but it's not quite accurate. You see, we say earth ponies have more magic, but it's more like their magic is well grounded." She said, checking to see if the vibrant earth pony was paying attention. "Their magic comes from the ground, goes through their heart, and is channeled back to the ground, and is almost exclusively used for the purposes of cultivation of plant matter."

"Then if I'm grounded, certainly that means that I should be ok to go." Rainbow said, feeling hopeful -- maybe she could get back to the boutique.

"Sorry but no go. Somehow you are receiving magic from the earth, but can't vent it. Eventually it vents itself, however it can -- through a magic burst. This normally happens with unicorns, because they have no vent other then spell casting." The nurse said, obstinately, she was not going to let her patient do something to hurt herself.

********

The rest of the morning passed pretty non-descriptly for Ponyville's fashion pony, and she slowly began to forget about her sighting of that odd pegasus earlier that morning. But she didn't forget the sight of her friend Rarity -- whom she had never seen before. Why was she so interested in some odd little unicorn? The more Rainbow thought about the little unicorn, the more she remembered.

"I try and I try, but I can't deny -- the truth is I aye AYE!!! I just want to have fun!" The tiny foal sang, falling plot first into the mud, splashing around a little -- giggling wildly. Rainbow was none too happy about being splashed with mud, and thought the filly was acting awfully juvenile. Problem? This never happened! It absolutely never happened, right? She wasn't crazy, right?

The next lines also came clearly: "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"Again!!!" She had said, fainting for only a second or two. Problem: part of her said that she didn't even know what a unicorn was, and had never met any! So why did it come to her so clearly when she met her counterpart, in fashion, here in this Ponyville?

She sighed. This was all going to by mysterious, wasn't it.

She had been given a stack of books to read, most of them involved that Dashing Doo pony that she found to be quite a bore -- she had no idea why the doctors were so sure she'd be interested in anything so juvenile!

After a few minutes, her ears twitched -- she could hear Twilight talking to a doctor outside -- something about her memories. Had they been talking to Zecora? Did she say something?

As the suspense was about to kill her, she heard the doorknob begin to turn, and the door begin to open. At the other end was Twilight, waving to one of the doctors. She appeared to be carrying some more books in her saddle bag (Rainbow Dash, and her friends preferred suitcases handbags, or backpacks, of course -- but whatever worked!)

"So Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said, comfortingly. "How's it going?" She asked, rhetorically.

Rainbow simply shrugged (like a human, of course.) It had been kind of a bummer day for her, and it had hardly begun. And what was worse was that she may have even more coming.

Twilight got a twinkle in her eye. She apparently had something that she thought would help. Rainbow hoped it would. The thought of being bedridden for days with nothing to do was hardly appealing. "I thought I 'd bring you some high fashion magazines that Rarity let me borrow!" She said, looking down at a saddlebag full of magazines and books with the most intriguing outfits on the cover.

At the top of the stack was one with a mare wearing a very interesting outfit -- with the caption: 'dressing to impress: win the stallion of your dreams!'.

Rainbow started to beam. "Oh thank you darling! These magazines look dashing!" She said, already thinking about that article (maybe she could use it to get that dragon stallion Kenbroath to finally take notice of her -- all that dragon seemed to think about was all the princess rules he was trying to pass on to Wysteria. No she was pretty sure the dragon wasn't in love with her flower loving friend, just obsessed with all his little rules -- not that she wouldn't mind following some of them if they could get closer.)

Sadly though, no sooner had she started to greedily look through the covers of the fashion materials (why were none of these outfits cut for use when standing in a bi-pedal fashion?) Then she started to remember the morning's drama. She couldn't tell Twilight about it, could she? And Twilight would definitely think she was daft if she did tell her.

Twilight, however, had the first words. Her face dropping, and her countenance beginning to show concern. "Is something wrong Rainbow? Are these not the magazines you were looking for?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Oh no, darling! These magazines are great!" She said, her mind turning again -- for only a minute -- to that one about stallions (she would get a good look at that later, maybe they can give her hints on how to get the eye of the draconic stallion as well.) "But this morning I saw them wheel in a pony I swore I recognized: a young... unicorn filly. -- "

********

So as Twilight raced off to find out the condition of little Rarity, Rainbow Dash was left with nothing to do again (well not quite, she had a mountain of fashion magazines to read, and for that she was eternally grateful.)

Unfortunately, her door had been locked on the way out to prevent her from leaving -- again. But she supposed she really couldn't blame them with all those episodes she had been having. The bed and the collar seemed to do the job though, and her magic bursts were more or less under control.

As she was taking a break between two magazines, to think about when she'd get to try out some of the things she'd learned, she heard someone playing with the door again. She was surprised, she hadn't expected to see or hear from the doctor yet.

"Are you there doctor, darling?" She asked, trying to figure out what was happening to her door. Strangely enough, no one answered. "Do you mind if I open the door?" She asked, expecting the door to be locked -- instead the door was wide open. "Well that's interesting?" She said to herself. "Maybe the doctor is going to let me walk around a little! How dashing!"

The moment she opened the door, she saw that strange Time Turner running around again. Except it couldn't be Time Turner, he had the same mark, coat, and mane color. But his mane was curled, and he had the most dashing hat and scarf. Why did she think this was the same pony as Time Turner? Heck why did she think this was the same pony as that fictitious pegasus from this morning. Maybe she'd ask him why he was here!

"Excuse me, darling!" She asked, with caution. "You look familiar, darling! Have we met somewhere before?"

He didn't answer. She gulped slightly -- how best to get his attention? Maybe she needed to tap him. "Excuse me, darling!" She asked, tapping him on the scarf, pulling his scarf off by mistake.

At first it didn't appear like he even noticed his scarf in her hooves; but eventually he started to turn around, scowling at first, until he saw her face. He started to smile -- like he had met an old friend -- but this only lasted a second before...

"Darlings! Darlings! Your attention please!" Rainbow said, holding the scarf with her hoof distorting like she had not just a palm, but an invisible thumb as well. "We've arrived at the time in our festival where we name the pony who has been the best friend ever." She announced to all 'ponies' in attendance. "For helping us all dance in the clouds, the winner is.... Twinkle Twirl, darlings!" She said -- presenting the scarf to 'Twinkle Twirl' -- entirely unaware of what she was saying. Wasn't this from the fall before last? Yes, it had to be! The friendship ball! She felt the energy again, and everything glowed green in waves.

Time turner returned her gesture with a frightened expression, before racing down the hall. "Rainbow! Run!" He shouted, as he disappeared into thin air. She did as commanded, as she escaped back into her room -- the green slowly fading from top to bottom.

Looking in the bathroom mirror, she noticed the worst. The inhibitor had been damaged, and had more than a few visible cracks. Oh the doctor would not be happy when he saw this! But she was more curious as to who that pony was, and why she'd thought three different ponies in the last couple of days were the same pony.

********

The extra mobility that she had received since the last pony had showed up was quite dashing. The door had been mysteriously unlocked since just before the arrival of that last strange pony -- or maybe because of that strange pony? And this meant that she could peek out the door at the goings on, or maybe sneak over to where they kept the books -- yeah, she preferred fashion, but romance would do in a pinch (on her last trip she found this darling romance book that she would try reading later -- having something to do with a forlorn lover waiting by the sea for the love of her life -- Francesco or something. It reminded her of someone, very personal to her.)

Over the course of the afternoon she could see a parade of unicorns coming and going, with various expressions -- some happy, some angry, some belligerent, and some positively charitable (even Twilight's Rarity passed down the hall with the some of the others.) Maybe this had to do with her little Rarity? (she could hope.) Nevertheless, she still had yet to see Twilight. She did feel lucky though, on the other hand, that she'd also been lucky enough not to see the doctors again (though she had to keep at least one eye open for the nurses -- since they were out in force since her last escape.)

She sighed, still no word on little Rarity, and she was beginning to run out of magazines. She might start one of the books Twilight gave her. though (the one she was thinking of starting was about the fashion history of some place called Manehattan -- she wondered, though, if it was, at all, related to Manhattan.)

As about that point she could see Twilight flying by in a huff. She looked concerned, her face frowning direly -- had something happened to little Rarity? Or worse yet, Minty!? Rainbow was secretly hoping the mint pony would have been dropped off around the time that old angry doctor first showed off (even though she could be a nuisance from time to time.) She supposed they must have doing yet another checkup on the poor pony.

The concern in Twilight's face, though, quickly started to melt, as her features began to become flustered. She was angrily ranting something to herself about 'blowing somepony's horn off.' She shook slightly, and her ears were twitching randomly -- and was it Rainbow Dash, or were her eyes dancing around wildly, and blinking at odd intervals?

"Darling!" Rainbow asked, as loudly as she dared -- hoping Twilight would notice. Twilight though didn't seem to notice.

Rainbow sighed. Maybe she's lost her thoughts again. "Twilight, darling! Is something the matter?" She asked, slightly more loudly. Twilight still didn't seem to notice though -- walking slowly down the hall towards the stairs, shaking her head vigorously.

Rainbow contemplated shouting again. She began to breath in, ready to start shouting -- her concern growing by the second, childish and unladylike, though it was. She didn't get the opportunity, however, as her decision was made for her when the orchid earth pony nurse with the mulberry mane started to walk by (Sweetheart was her name, if Rainbow recalled correctly.) And she was pretty sure that none of the nurses or doctors wanted her head sticking out into the hallway, and away from her specially made bed.

Rainbow galloped back to her bed, as fast as she could, and threw herself under the covers. On the other end of the door, she could hear the nurse muttering. "Well gee: I swear I left this door locked! Good thing Rainbow didn't seem to notice -- she can be a little fast and loose with the rules, if I recall correctly." The nurse said, muttering to herself from behind the door (thinking about another Rainbow Dash.)

Rainbow waited there, with baited breath, as the nurse began to turn the knob. Would the nurse notice the damage to her inhibitor? Or would she get lucky this time?

The nurse didn't appear to notice, as she stuck her head into the door, smiling honestly. "Why hello Ms. Dash! Staying out of trouble I hope!" She said, speaking in a comforting manner. "Hopefully you have enough reading materials!" She said, blinking -- remembering all the shenanigans the last time a Rainbow Dash was here.

"Why, of course! Darling! And I have more then enough to read for the day, thank you darling!" Rainbow said, with an honest smile -- not wanting to tell the nurse she'd been wandering around, or that she had been trying to locate all the odd ponies she'd seen running around. She did consider asking about her friend Minty, and that darling foal Rarity -- who she was still convinced she should know nothing about.

"By the way Ms. Dash." The nurse said, breaking the news to the cerulean earth pony. "The doctors have decided to assign your friend Minty to the other bed, in this room." She said, with a smile. "Hopefully this will help with some of your homesickness!" She said, with a comforting smile. "And hopefully prevent you from needing to get out of here!" She said, winking at the events from earlier in the same day.

********

Rainbow sighed. Apparently Minty would still need a couple more weeks in the hospital, despite her miraculous recovery (the doctors were still marveling that she was still breathing after her accident -- let alone how quickly she had recovered.) Naturally Rainbow, of course, wasn't supposed to go anywhere until her condition improved -- with or without her green friend's recovery.

She normally found the green pony to be kind of childish, but her antics were very helpful today in keeping the clouds at bay. She had apparently started to plot some kind of a makeup Christmas (in January) -- and was already talking about putting up a eight foot candy cane (and making a new Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane.) She was also making plans for all the gifts she would give everyone -- this time she was determined not to 'give everyone dumb old socks again' (though Rainbow suspected she would, considering how much she loved those things -- though she had, on the other hand, given Pinkie advise, as she recalled, about how 'you can never have too much of something you love!')

Unfortunately, her patience was beginning to wear out -- not so much with her green friend's antics, but with the fact that she was almost out of reading materials yet again! She did still have that romance book, but it was pretty much it -- that and the history of high fashion (which sounded much more dashing than it actually was, and even so she was about 90% finished already.)

She sighed -- she was certain the nurse had successfully locked her in, and she was none too happy. She was certain she heard the door lock, quite some time ago, to prevent her from wandering -- of course, this didn't prevent her mind from wandering. Was she just imagining the three times that strange pony was wondering about? And why was she convinced that three drastically different looking ponies were the same pony? Was she crazy, or was something fishy going on? But even if she wasn't crazy, how did she keep running into them, and why her? Why not the doctors, or the patients? Why -- ?

Rainbow shushed her green friend, who was still plotting 'how to make up for messing up Christmas'. For some reason she swore she swore she heard the door being unlocked. She slowly walked over to the door, walking on only her back two legs (a nervous habit she suffered sometimes), and reached out with her front leg, her hoof distorting around the doorknob slightly. She would --

"What are you doing Rainbow Dash?" Minty said, with an innocent smile. "You planning to go on a walk?" She asked, with a smile. "Wait... Wait... Wait... wouldn't that be hard with us all locked in?"

"Why darling!" Rainbow said, with an anxious smile. "I thought I heard someone open the door, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy." She said, wondering if she was, indeed, crazy.

"Ok!" Minty said, with a vacuous smile. "Makes sense to me and -- " She said, thinking about it for a second. "Wait! Why would someone open the door, when we are both supposed to be locked in here 'for our own safety'?" She said, starting to mull over the situation. "Wouldn't that go against what they wanted?"

Rainbow sighed. This would be difficult to explain and -- "Hey! Darling! The door is open!" Rainbow said, with joy -- as the door knob turned with ease. She could go back to her favorite pastime of watching the day's goings-on. Except the thought once again occurred to her. Why would the door be open?

Minty, following Rainbow's example, celebrating herself "Perfecto!" She shouted, stopping herself in the middle of a musical montage -- that she couldn't perform due to her wounds. "But wait? Why would the door be open?" She asked, apparently curious as well.

"I'm not sure, Minty darling!" Rainbow said, her face filled with concern. "I think it has to do with these sighting I've been having of a mystery pony." Rainbow said, fully expecting to see the pony the moment she opened the door.

"A mystery pony, huh?" Minty said, the wheels in her head spinning again. "Hey! Puzzlemint likes mystery's right?" She asked Rainbow honestly. "She does right?" Minty said, frowning with uncertainty.

"Why of course, darling! But what does that have to do with our mystery pony?" Rainbow asked, wondering where her friend's thought train got derailed again.

"Well I thought a mystery pony would be the perfect gift for Puzzlemint for Christmas! Especially if it's a stallion!" Minty said, with enthusiasm. "Hey! What if we teamed the two of them up for a puzzle hunt? I mean, she loves mysteries!" She said, breathing for a second, growing ever more certain that this would be the perfect gift for her puzzle loving friend. "She would have a ton of fun! And she could help us figure out who the mystery pony was! " Minty said, thinking of the possibilities.

Rainbow sighed. Her overeager friend had a point. It would be very nice to have a smart pony like Puzzlemint here -- especially considering her love of puzzles and mysteries! Sadly Rainbow was pretty certain that they would have to do without!

In any case, Rainbow gulped. She'd have to open the door sooner or later, and maybe her mysterious friend wouldn't be around this time. She gulped again, putting her hoof back on the knob and slowly turning it using her invisible palms -- the door squeaked open. Her heart beat wildly as she slowly looked out the door -- luckily this time the hallway was empty. "Perfecto darling!" Rainbow said, to herself.

"Perfecto!" Minty said, once again, joining her friend's enthusiasm.

Unfortunately her joy was short lived as she saw the one pony she wanted to see the least trudging down the halls. It was the angry old doctor (Stable was his name, she thought) -- and he looked positively horrid.

This was bad! He'd see her for sure and then he'll probably follow through with that threat to tie her to the bed and --

He just passed by, completely unaware of what was happening nearby. He just continued to walk, shaking his head -- sobbing slightly. He was followed, close behind, by a very concerned looking doctor Stethoscope.

"I wonder what the matter could be?" She thought to herself. What could be distracting the doctors so? Once again she, instinctively, began to worry about little Rarity -- but not just her, all her friends, especially her disaster prone green friend, the next bed over. Could something have happened to make the grumpy old Grinch actually look sad? She stood there contemplating it (probably longer then she should), when she saw that Time Turner pony walking down the halls. It was definitely Time Turner this time, no doubt in her mind. But what was he doing wandering around here? Weren't visiting hours over, and who could he be visiting.

The pony seemed to be wandering the halls for some reason -- glancing around nervously. When asked by nurses (the doctors had all disappeared for some reason, she didn't know where they went, or why -- just that they all went racing downstairs a few minutes before -- with various amounts of panic on their faces), his answer was always the same: "I'm just here to fix the clocks in the hospital, ma'am. Make sure they are running on time!" Of course he said it in the most darlingly suave way possible -- it made even her knees wobble slightly.

But Rainbow was determined, she was going to confront him this time confab it! She just had to step out and confront him! "Excuse me, darling! But for some reason I've got the strange notion that you've been in and out of here all day, could you please tell me --? " She asked, as the pony started to sweat, and gulp slightly.

"Well you see -- " He said, his voice suddenly sounding oddly English. He, however didn't have time to finish his 'explanation' before --.

Another headache, and more strange lines. She suddenly found herself pulling on an invisible string to pull down an invisible bucket -- thus bowing an invisible Rainbow. She looked over her shoulder as her mouth let go of the invisible rope -- causing the invisible rainbow to come undone, forcing her to run after the invisible bucket. "Please be careful Raz darling! Watch where you are stepping! You know how delicate a rainbow can be!" She said, sitting on her plot -- her legs going straight out criss-cross-apple-sauce style.

'Razzaroo' spoke for only a second, unheard by anyone but the rainbow earth pony. Predictably, green shot out from everywhere again. Rainbow could only hope that the magic burst would still resolve itself -- despite the fact her inhibiter was damaged. Fortunately it did, but not before shattering off her neck in the most un-rainbowy sound imaginable.
"Ehem!" Nurse Redheart said, none too happy! "Ms. Dash! What are you doing out of your room, and away from your bed and --" She said, beginning to notice the shattered remains of a very old antique earth pony inhibitor sitting all around the fashionable pony. She grimaced slightly, putting her serious face on. "Ms. Dash! This is not acceptable! The doctor sequestered you to your room for your own safety!" She said, ushering the earth pony back into her room. "And that inhibitor was not just extremely old and very valuable -- but one of a kind! We'll be lucky to find another relic like it anywhere in Equestria!"

Rainbow sighed. "But darling, could not we simply just make a new one?" She asked, formally. "I mean, darling, you certainly made some blue prints, or something -- right?"

The nurse shook her head. "There's nothing else like it in Equestria, and the knowledge of how to make them was lost! While we did make specs, we don't have many ponies that would be qualified to make one! The good news is that we managed to find somepony that can, indeed, make a new one. The bad news, Ms. Dash, is he lives all the way out in Vanhouver, and we will be lucky if he can be here this week!" She said, her most serious face showing. "Let alone the time necessary to make one!" She said, sighing -- she hated to get tough with the patients, but sometimes one must use a heavy hoof with stubborn patients like Rainbow Dash (yeah wrong Dash, but give her a break -- they both look really, really, similar.) "Ms. Dash! Do I need to tie you to your bed to keep you out of the hallway?" She said, reminding the more adult of the two Dashes not to act like her speedster counterpart.

"I'm sorry, darling!" Rainbow said, with a sigh. "I've just been seeing the most mysterious ponies, that I recognize for no discernible reason, and --" She said, trying to explain -- she didn't know why, but she felt she had too. Maybe it helped to as a cry for help.

The nurse, though, simply shook her head -- either in disbelief or misunderstanding. Could she transfer away from Ponyville, and all the Dashes?

********

Rainbow looked at the door, as she had done so many times today -- she longed to go back watching the hospital's goings-on's, however, the nurse made sure to lock the door on her way out; and as such, Rainbow was stranded in her room (she was already hoping that weird Time Turner pony would turn back up soon, and help her out of here.) The good news was that she had ample reading materials for the purpose of making it through the day (counting the romance novel she managed to apprehend earlier that morning.) Hopefully tomorrow Twilight would come by with some more books -- and maybe some materials she could make fashion with. If she was lucky, even this Ponyville's Rarity might show up too! Rainbow felt just horrendous about leaving the fashionable Rarity hanging -- hopefully the unicorn managed to finish that order without her!

Rainbow sighed slightly as she finished her second to last book: 'the history of fashion in Manehattan' -- which she had just made it to the part on something called the 'neighties' -- had been a lot more interesting then she had initially imagined. "Apparently this Manehattan is as much a fashion metropolis as Manhattan is, darling!" She said, with a smile (but naturally nothing can hold a candle to Paris -- she suddenly felt angry at her dream: how dare her friends get her hopes up for fine French fashion, and then pull it back in front of her!) --

"Oh wow!" Minty said, with enthusiasm. "I don't know why, but it reminds me of that Raggedy Ann and Andy scratch and sniff story that Pinkie likes so much!" She continued, grinning slightly. "You know the one where they end up making friends with a Snitznoodle -- whatever that is -- and eat air sandwiches YUM!!!" She said, thinking about food suddenly (despite the fact that she had just eaten.) The good news is she seemed to be satiated as the energy peaked around the late evening.

Rainbow Dash sighed, finally reading that story. Her only book left was the romance novel (and she didn't see another interesting book in the whole bunch of books that the hospital kept on that cart of theirs when she checked earlier.) But as it's said: 'idle hooves are Tirek's playground!' (or something like that.) And her mind began to wander. I wonder how Twilight and that poor darling poor little Rarity are doing? She asked herself, as the door slowly but surely went click again. "Hmm... I wonder what darling keeps doing that?" She asked herself, checking the door -- it definitely opened again. "I wonder what my chances are of opening the door and running into one of the fifty Time Turners I keep running into today?" She asked herself.

In the end, however, curiosity got the best of her -- as she slowly opened the door. And, to her misfortune, playing out before her, was the old adage 'speak of Tirek and he will come' (or something similar, these strange ponies and their odd colloquialisms!) Twilight began to walk down the hall with the angry doctor. She didn't look angry, but Rainbow could tell she hid both dying agitation and growing apprehension (she didn't know why though! It was like she could just taste Twilight's thoughts and feelings -- it was eerie, in its own way!)

Rainbow really badly wanted to know what was going on -- but knew that she shouldn't ask while that angry doctor was walking around (at least not if she wanted to keep her mobility.) So naturally, she did the only thing she could: She sighed! She was definitely having trouble concentrating on her book through the growing worry -- was it her or was feeling oddly empathetic all of a sudden? And was it just her or was she worrying about that little unicorn again? Why was she so convinced something very bad was happening to the child? Had she gone psychic or something?

After a few minutes she could hear a pair of doctors shouting very loudly down the hall. Was it possible that came from Rarity's room. "Oh dear!" She thought to herself, narrowly avoiding another magic burst. The shouting had to have come out of Rarity's room! "That darling, Rarity, must be in trouble!" She thought to herself. "I've got to check on her!" She said, racing towards the door again.

Furthermore, to add to her anxiety, she opened her door to see Twilight being dragged away by the ear. "You're lucky I don't call the guard!" The doctor chastised her. "Have you ever considered what you just did!? You could have done irreparable damage!"

Rainbow knew it would work poorly, but she just couldn't live with herself if she didn't ask. "Excuse me, doctor darling!" She said, sliding her muzzle and face out from within the door that she had opened a minute before. "Could you tell me what happened? Is that, darling, Rarity ok?" Rainbow asked, with apprehension. "Please let that doctor darling be in a mood to answer my question, instead of asking his own!"

The doctor just shook his head -- her one track mind turning to her disregarding of his orders. "The door was locked for a reason! And you are supposed to be in bed!" He said, starting to become agitated at more than just the reckless princess. "And from the appearance of it: you've already broke your inhibitor!" He said, looking at the lack of the inhibitor around her neck. "And I won't have you breaking your bed too! We'll be lucky if we can even find another!" He said, with dismay. "Though the artisan promised to rush, we still might not get it for a couple more days -- even if he got it done tonight!" He said, shaking his head again.

Rainbow sighed, is this where he executed their threats of forcing her to stay in bed? Will she be even denied the ability to visit the tiny bathroom that had been attached to her room?

The doctor just shook his head. "You're just lucky I'm in a foul mood!" He said, with a scowl. "I'm going to pretend I didn't see this; if, and only if, you just go back to bed!" He started to walk away with the princess. "You're lucky I'm more angry at princess smarty pants over here!"

Rainbow, however, stood firm. "What happened to that poor little darling, Rarity!" She said, her lip beginning to quiver. "Is the darling ok? I just suddenly got the most dreadful feeling that something horrible had transpired, darling!"

The doctor scowled, looking at the princess. "We'll see!" He said, frowning competitively. "Princess 'smart plot' over here may have broken her!" He said, looking at Twilight before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Why is it nopony wants to follow simple instructions anymore!?" He asked, stepping back so that he might look at both Rainbow and Twilight, with consternation; before he, once again, started hauling the princess down the hall.

Rainbow moaned silently, she wasn't going to be able to read that romance book at all was she!? The good news, though, was that a sudden a feeling of relief began to wave over her. Had something good finally happened? Or had she finally gone nutty?

As she looked out the door again, she could see Nurse Redheart galloping down the hall at high speeds. Had something bad happened? Rainbow still couldn't tell, though, whether or not her serious expression was a good one or a bad one. But as she was contemplating this fact, Twilight and the doctor returned. Wasn't the doctor throwing her out? And why were her emotions beginning to go crazy? What was going on? And how had she managed to avoid the 'Eye of Nurse Redheart'? And what was the chance she was going to --?

She started to ask, stopping when she could, once again, hear knocking on the door. And a voice calling out to her. "Rainbow!... Rainbow!!!... Are you there?"

Rainbow was certain this was probably that strange Time Turner again (he was probably to disappear again as soon as she opened the door!) But she was completely in a state of mind to take a risk. "One minute, darling!" Rainbow said, opening the door -- which had remained unlocked since it mysteriously unlocked itself a few minutes earlier.

"Do you wish to see how your friend is doing? Time Turner asked smiling mischievously -- well she thought it was Time Turner anyway! The stallion definitely looked like Time Turner -- down to his symbol (the locals called those things cutie marks, apparently) -- except for the fact the pegasus turned earth pony was now a unicorn! The unicorn's mane was cut short and combed into some kind of a ridiculous mop top. Furthermore, he looked like a pony who had been prematurely aged, and was wearing the most delightful bow tie and suit coat.

"Excuse me, darling!" Rainbow said, with apprehension. "I know I sound crazy, but you remind me of four other ponies that have visited today!" She inquired, with a sigh. "Please tell me that you are not going to just up and disappear on me again, darling!" She said, practically begging him to tell he what she wanted to hear.

The doctor put on an uncertain expression -- like she asked a question that he really, really, didn't want to answer. "There's no time to explain now." He said, dodging the question brilliantly. "Come with me please!" He said as he beckoned down the hall. "If you are worried about your friend, then we'll only have a short window to see her!"

Rainbow nodded uncertainly. Had something truly catastrophic happened, or was Time Turner talking about the short breaks between nurses and doctors? She nodded dutifully, closing the door behind her as she left the room. "I shall be back in just a moment Minty, darling!" Rainbow said, formally. "Just wait patiently! I just want to check on a darling friend of ours!" Minty would've nodded, if she could (the doctor's had her pretty bandaged up.)

"Ok!" Time Turner said, beckoning down the hall. "Follow me!" He said, as they approached room number forty seven.

"How much farther is it, darling?" Rainbow asked with apprehension. "You said it would just be a little while some time ago!" Thinking of the fact that a pony she swore she never met had just let her across a rather large hospital floor.

"Just a little further." He said, starting to trot more quickly.

"Is something the matter, darling? Or are you just trying to lose me?" Rainbow asked, starting to feel her competitive side reemerge.

The doctor smiled. "And we are here!" He said, motioning at a door. "Would you do the honors Dash?" He asked, chivalrously.

Rainbow gulped, as she opened the door slowly. Peering inside the room she could immediately see two doctors, Nurse Redheart, Twilight, and a tiny pink unicorn filly with a rainbow mane and tail, and a heart and rainbow symbol. She knew already which pony it was, and used every ouch of her strength not to shout her knowledge. The little unicorn was undeniably her friend: Rarity!

But ecstasy was quickly tempered when she noticed the foal's condition (that and the fact she had never met the pony or her kind before!) She turned to that odd Time Turner pony and asked the question at the top of her mind. "Is Rarity ok, darling?" She asked, unsure of what he was trying show her. "And will she be ok, darling?"

"You'll see." He said, pointing his hoof at the pony as best he could. "Just watch." He said, hiding a smirk.

Rainbow frowned. Was she being mocked? And if not then why was this pony smiling at her?

Inside the room, the nurse was looking some kind of medical doohickey. She looked at the machine's beeping display for a few moments before her face turned upward sharply."Excellent!" She said, a smile beginning to make itself well known from her face. "Her condition appeared to be stabilizing!" She said to the doctor -- who countenance also started to immediately improve.

"This is excellent news!" The doctor said. Turning to the nurse for a moment to share a self gratified smile. " -- "

Even Twilight joined in on the mirth as she turned to the doctor, a smile of her own shown across her face as the filly's eyes began to flitter. "Shh..." She said, holding a hoof near to her mouth. "She seems to be waking up!" Twilight said, apparently not wanting to scare the foal who would probably be disoriented, or something.

Rainbow turned to Time Turner, crying with joy slightly. Why was she even crying? She didn't even know this pony, right? These thoughts seemed to be countered by her own words. "Oh this is great news, darling!" She said turning to Time Turner -- or at least a decent facsimile. "Cheerilee will be so happy!" She said, suddenly realizing that she was talking about another pony she never met before, yet could remember clearly -- Cheerilee, a purple unicorn, one of the Rainbow Quartet, and little Rarity's mentor. And the strange memories caused the green to appear again. Everything! The memories jus wouldn't stop! Was she about to d --

"Where do Rainbow's come from?" Phantom Minty half sung (remember she was back at the hospital room. So this definitely couldn't be her!)

Rainbow felt dutifully required to explain her knowledge -- in song. "They are made... well, somewhere... I imagine it's not here!" She sung, feeling uneasy as she did so. Didn't she have this conversation at some point before? And why did her head hurt so much? The green kept growing, till she could feel the magic burst starting. What had she done to deserve this? Were her memories all tainted? It wasn't even fair she didn't even know if these memories were even real!

To her left the strange Time Turner unicorn frowned significantly, before grabbing a strange device in his mouth (it she didn't know better she would have sworn it looked like a screw driver), and began to wave it at her head. After a moment of sharp pain -- the migraine and associated field of green just vanished, as quickly as it had appeared.

Rainbow stood there in astonishment, her mouth dangling slightly. "Darling!" She said, turning to the unicorn standing next to her. "How did you do that?" She might be it! This would be the treatment for her condition that she had been looking for! Maybe she could finally get out of here and back to the boutique and --

Like that her moment of ecstasy was over. "Introoder!" Shouted a grey earth pony filly nurse with a long black curled mane. "Rainbow Dashshs hash left her room again!" She shouted, trying to get a hold of the orderlies. "And the intruder helpedth her to escape!" She shouted, as a few more nurses barreled down the halls.

Despite the circumstances the young nurse kept a smile on her face. "I'm going to escort you back to your room Ms. Dash!" She said, with a bemused expression before turning to a couple of, rather large, minotaurs. "Orderlies, could you please escort --? " She asked, before being interrupted with the fact that the intruder had suddenly vanished -- and was nowhere to be found.

Rainbow sighed. She was once again being escorted back to her room. She guessed that she would either be tied to her bed this time, or put under strict surveillance. And that was so not dashing!

The nurse turned to the orderlies. And speaking as sternly as she was able. "Escush me gents, but could you keep an eye on Ms. Dashshs Room to make sure she stays in there? Thanksh!"

The orderlies nodded, with one shepherding Rainbow Dash down the hall, and the other one going to get a few books from the cart.

Rainbow supposed she might keep her mobility but would, apparently, not be going anywhere unsupervised for a while.

********

Rainbow sighed. The bed was undeniably less comfortable then her cloud themed bed at home, which was as soft as -- well a cloud! She resisted the urge to punch the pillow in a feeble attempt to fluff it. As that behavior would be positively un-dashing. At the same time she found it hard to blame herself: whatever it was that Time Turner had done was now wearing off, and that was causing her magic bursts to resume. And now with every burst her bed had began to creak and groan uncontrollably. Rainbow worried that the nurse was right when she said the bed would break if it wasn't for the inhibitor. And to make matters worse she couldn't sleep with these dreadful migraines.

So she decided to see if she could do the one thing they would still let her do: look out the window. How many more days would it take before their specialist could make a new inhibitor so she could finally start sleeping again?

Sometime around 1:00 am a dark blue nurse with a white mane, and a gold cross cutie mark nurse came in. "Good evening Ms. Dash!" She said, warmly. "By the looks of things you're magic bursts have been giving you some trouble." The nurse said, grabbing something out of her saddle bag.

Rainbow looked at the ring. It looked like a sight for sore eyes: "Is that another inhibitor, darling?" She asked, with a smile. "But I thought -- " She said, stopping when the nurse held a hoof to her mouth.

The nurse smiled. "Apparently we managed to get it much earlier than we expected. I suppose you would like me to try it on now?" The nurse said, holding the object near the earth pony's neck to see if it would fit. After a few seconds she nodded. "Ok this might hurt for just a minute!" She said, as she began to attach the ring to the earth pony's neck.

Rainbow grunted, wanting to shout as the object, did indeed, hurt for a second. The good news is that the pain began to subside along with her migraines. She might be able to sleep anyhow. Despite the fact that the bed here wasn't anywhere near as soft as her bed back home.

After a few minutes she finally managed to drift off to an uneasy sleep (though she would talk to the doctors in the morning about getting a cloud bed like the one she had back home -- especially if she was, indeed, going to be here a while).

In her waking moments she would have expected another odd memory with her friends Sweetberry, Scootaloo, Cherry Blossom, Pinkie, Toola-Roola, and Coconut Cream (or whatever they called themselves in her dreams.) Instead, she wasn't even sure she was herself.

Inside a room was a bug pony filly, sobbing violently. Her cerulean mane covered her face as she sobbed into it. "Why!... Why did they do this to me!" She sobbed, beginning to shake one of her hooves. "I thought they were my friends!"

Rainbow looked on, sadly. What could she do? What could she say? "Maybe Chrysi simply needs to hash things out with her friends!" She thought to herself, the sound of her thoughts booming off audibly for all to hear. "Maybe all they need for her to yell at them! I know how much good it always did me!"

The young filly's eyes darkened and her face took on a deservedly dark tone. "Maybe I should teach them a lesson about friendship!"

Rainbow stepped back, shaking violently.

"Is this what you really think?" Said the voice booming behind her. "Is this how much you value friendship?" She turned around to find a blue eyed red pegasus with a fiesta colored rainbow mane.

For some reason it cut her to the quick. "No! I assure you I had no idea Sky Runner! I just thought they would talk it out! I had no idea what she had planned for them!"

The pegasus looked at her wrathfully. "And my sacrifice? Does it have the same value to you?" She said, her voice booming. "Do you approve of your niece stealing her friends freedom and their consciousnesses?" Thunder boomed brightly in the background, obscuring her view of the pegasus. "What did they ever do to her worthy of this?" The light slowly dimmer revealing the pegasus again, but this time she looked horrifying to say the least. It looked like -- well she couldn't even describe it! Like she had gone to war, and never returned.

"No! I would never approve of it! I would never condone the conversion of her friends --!" Rainbow said, in horror. As if pleading with her friend. "They did nothing worthy of that fate!"

"And yet what she did was worse still!" Said a voice booming behind her. She turned to find a silver unicorn with a purple mane and a red stream traveling down said mane. She was surrounded by an orange earth pony with a blond mane, a yellow earth pony with pink hair, and a pink pegasus with blue hair. "Take a close look! This is what your cousin did to her friends!"

Rainbow shrieked as she looked at their deplorable conditions. They looked worse off than Sky Runner was.

"You did nothing to stop your monster of a niece! And now look at us!" They moaned, looking like they had been in the ground a while. "Is this what you think of friendship! -- "

"Or are you no better than they are?" Moaned a white pegasus with blond hair, looking old and prematurely aged. "I fared better then my friends, but remained scarred for life! And this was her compassion because of how 'kind' I had been to her! Why did she do this to us!? And why was I the only one who returned! She was our friend! Why'd she do this to us?! It didn't even matter whether or not we were in our right minds when we did so!"

"I'm sorry!" Rainbow wailed, hiccupping slightly. "I had no idea! I swear! I'm so sorry!!!"

Behind her a regal voice boomed. "ENOUGH!!!!!"

She looked around to find what made that sound, but in the end she saw nothing. The horrible scene continued around here.

"I gave my life for you Princess Auroras! And how do you repay me!!!" The pegasus ghost moaned, with an unearthly voice.

"ENOUGH!!!" Shouted the regal voice, unheard. "Enough! Please!!! Stop!" The voice begged, becoming ever more desperate.

"Please no! Please! I'm sorry!" Rainbow shouted, waking up with a start.

********

"Tough night?" Celestia asked her sister, chortling slightly at the look of her rumpled mane, and the fact that the princess of the night looked more fatigued than usual. "Canterlot get attacked again? Or, maybe, have the nobles finally found out about your little night court?" She asked, hiding another chuckle behind her hoof.

Luna snorted. "Thou wouldst think it funny? Wouldst though not?" She said, scowling at her sister. "Hast thou other jokes for us to laugh at?"

Celestia just about fell over laughing, she only talked in Old Equish when she was upset, or addressing her subjects. "Let me guess, trying to find another pet again?" Luna looked at her with agitation. "Or maybe the monsters give you grief and --?"

Luna looked at her sister, looking ever more exasperated, before inhaling slightly. "SILENCE!!!!" She barked, invoking the Royal Canterlot Voice (the whole works including smoke, fire, and wind). "Dost though think it amusing that thine sister hath lost her touch? I canst hear our subjects now: 'Oh Celestia never loses her touch! Not like that Luna!' Mark mine words! They shalt talk about me behind mine back!"

Celestia looked on sadly -- this was unusual. She had definitely seen her sister this upset before, but never about failing at her work (as she recall her sister's original fall was because of her feeling like her work wasn't being respected) "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, looking solemnly at her sister. "Maybe I can help?"

"What doth there be to talk of!" She said, looking down -- her hoof rubbing against the table slightly. "Sister, we art losing our touch!" She moaned. "We couldst not banish the nightmares! We couldst not enter our little ponies dreams."

Celestia chuckled. This was the most absurd thing she had ever heard her sister say. "You think you're losing your touch because of one bad night?" She smiled, shaking her head. "And Faust knows that I've had a bad day or three over the years!"

"No!" The alicorn of the night responded. "Not just one night!" She said, looking on distantly. "I've had this problem nearly every night since Hearth's Warming Day!"

Celestia sighed. Maybe her sister had a point. "How many of our little ponies has this been occurring to? Why did you not mention this earlier?"

Luna sighed. "We hoped that we couldst deal with this on our own! We wert reminded of father in his final days." She said, swallowing her tears lest she cry like she did back at their old castle when she was separated from the nightmare that she had borne all those years before. "Two plus a new one last night." She said, shaking slightly.

"Well: tell me about last night? What happened?" The older of the two sisters asked.

The younger sister nodded, taking a deep breath before repeating verbatim the odd occurrences of the night before. Her first stop was Ponyville -- the bearers home town of all places -- she had been there almost every night since Hearth's Warming Day, and yet somepony's nightmares continued, unabated. She'd been trying to get into their dreams but remained unable even to enter -- let alone intervene. This time she was going to get in if it was the last thing she did!

The dream continued to play itself out -- apparently a pony in the hospital (it made sense). So naturally she attempted to dream walk in -- only to find out that her entry was aggravatingly barred again. But she was not going to let go of the issue, the stronger the nightmare the easier her entry would be, and the nightmare was reaching a crescendo -- and at just the right time she might be able to force her way in (sad that she had been reduced to this, she normally entered with such ease. Normally she only showed up so rarely in dreams because of the fact that she was only one pony.)

"We shalt intervene this time Tiberius -- so help us Faust!!!" She shouted, to her pet possum (who remained in the waking world), as she started pushing against the seemingly impenetrable walls of the dream. As she expected, the pony trapped within was begging for help, and the walls finally started to budge (it didn't hurt that the princess was throwing every last ounce of magic she had at the problem.)

Inside she could see a white unicorn with a rainbow mane, blue eyes, and a rainbow colored star cutie mark. She was standing before six zomponies, and a very sick looking pegasus! Each one of the ponies took their turn to yell at the white unicorn, who sobbed uncontrollably.

It was time for her to step in. The problem is that she remained unable to intervene, and remained incorporeal.

"Why'd she do this to us! It didn't even matter whether or not we were in our right minds when we did so!" The old shriveled white pegasus moaned.

The white unicorn began to cry uncontrollably, starting to hiccup.

Luna could sense a familiar relationship between the white unicorn and the red pegasus. Was this nightmare due to some kind of hidden guilt? No! she didn't sense foul play. Did she fail to do something she felt she should have? Furthermore Luna could sense the white unicorn felt guilt towards the other ponies. Why? In any case it was time to step in.

"ENOUGH!!!!!" Luna shouted, powering up her horn to blow away one of the nightmares. To her horror the nightmares remained, and her presence was barely noticed.

The nightmares continued to rebuke her, as the unicorn continued to sob.

"ENOUGH!!!" She shouted again, channeling her magic again -- this time no pony even noticed.

She tried again and again, each time becoming more and more desperate.

She began to beg the dreams."Enough! Please!!! Stop!" Becoming ever more desperate.

In the end the unicorn awoke. She was defeated again. Curses.

"So Luna, you spoke of another pony?" Celestia said, with concern. "Do you know who it was?"

Luna shook her head. She didn't know. "All I knowest sister is that the nightmare comes from Appleloosa. We sensest the nightmare forces at work, but we canst not find any traces of them."

Celestia looked on with dismay. "Are you sure? We destroyed the nightmare forces last year once and for all, when we banished the nightmare from Rarity."

Luna shook her head. "I knowest not, I beleivest it's not the same nightmare. But I can sensest it's malevolence."

Celestia scowled: first exploding skies, then her old friend Cheerilee appeared from nowhere, and now the nightmares reemerge suddenly. Was her Equestria finally coming to an end?

********

"Um Discord?" Fluttershy asked anxiously. "Is... Um... Is this really necessary?" She said, cowering slightly, looking up at Discord sitting in a very expensive looking giant golden sphinx -- and wearing more than his unfair share of gold -- held up by a few dozen stallions.

"That's fine, my dear! I just thought that, if I had to leave the house then, I would bring a grand precession along!" He said, walking down a set of steps in the front of the sphinx. "Ok boys: you can take five!" He said, talking to the stallions, who disappeared into a puff of smoke along with the sphinx and his golden jewelry.

"So... Um... Discord!" Fluttershy said sheepishly. "I'm so glad you could come along!" She said, blushing slightly. "Market days can be really rough sometimes."

Discord smiled enigmatically. "Why certainly! So shall I haves a conversation with Mr. Crates fors you!" He said, resembling a bad rip-off of a bad untouchables movie from the forties.

"No. That'll be ok." The pegasus said, gulping slightly. "So... Um... Discord. I don't mean to be a bother, but when are you going to tell me about whatever it was that caused you to run away... if it's not too much trouble." She said, squeaked slightly -- maybe she was getting a little too eager to ask, but the draconequus had been avoiding the question for days.

"Well, my dear." Discord said, changing to himself, for a second. "That would, indeed be too much trouble. So I would appreciate it if you would butt out." He said harshly, causing the pegasus to start crying.

The lord of chaos sighed ostentatiously -- he would have to deal with the issue sooner or later anyway. "Perhaps, for you." He said, smiling sweetly. "But only you." He said, putting a finger to her muzzle kindly.

Fluttershy puzzled for a second, silently. Why was the draconequus acting so normally all of a sudden? What was so difficult for him to talk about that he had to keep it bottled up? And why was he so uncomfortable about doing so?

The draconequus' eyes darted around for a second, before his face gained a pained anxiety. "That can't be good!" He said, under his breath. Suddenly shrinking seventeen sizes.

A strange pony approached them doing some odd kind of summersault, wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses. "Yo! How's it goin' girl friend!" The white earth pony said, standing on only her front legs, her legs parallel to her barrel, and her head staring out perpendicular to said barrel. Her legs hanging out to the side in a strange fashion. "So. Um. I was wondering if any of you would know the way back to Ponyville!" She said, staring at Fluttershy and Discord with her purple eyes. "You see I kinda got lost somehow on the way to my friend 'Steria's, somehow, and I was hopin' that one of you two might help! Names Sunny by the way!"

Discord's face turned pale, as he quickly turned away, fidgeting with something. "I'm sorry I'm not here right now, could you please leave a message!" He said, as an audible, machine like, beep came from somewhere!

Fluttershy looked on with a funny expression. What kind of name was Sunny? And how is she standing like that, isn't that uncomfortable?

The earth pony with the enormous muzzle looked at her, as if noticing her confusion. "Sorry 'bout that! That's short for Sunny Daze -- see I kind'a like to shorten people's names it's my way of making friends!"

Fluttershy held out her hoof apprehensively to shake it. The white earth pony did a half summersault before landing right in front of the butternut pegasus. "Hello." The pegasus said, gulping slightly. "My name's Fluttershy."

"Great! Nice to meet you 'Shy, mind if I call you 'Shy?" The white earth pony said, shaking her hoof slightly.

"Um... Actually I would prefer if you called me --" The pegasus started, being unable to finish before the white earth pony with the smiling sun cutie mark continued, unabated.

"Great! 'Shy it is!" She said, with a slight giggle, her hoof distorting around the pegasus' hoof as she gave the pegasus a mighty hoofshake. "Sorry 'bout giggling like that! It's just your name reminds me of a pony I know back in Ponyville! 'Cept you look and act way different then she does!" Sunny said, her enthusiasm infectious. "Speaking of which: your friend over there looks familiar for some reason." She said, getting a serious expression. "Do I recognize you from somewhere?" She said, talking to the draconequus.

"Ack nein mächen. Mein name ist Verner fon Discord! Vorld famous rocket zientist! Und I think dat I haf nefer met dü bevore!" Discord said, in a really, really, really, really, atrocious German accent -- while wearing a really ridiculous white wig, and gaudy oversized puffy white mustache from the fake mustache emporium (you know the same place Lord Blueblood goes to shop for his cheesy fake mustaches -- you know for when he's feeling especially villainous.)

Fluttershy chuckled -- what silly joke was that draconequus making this time (that draconequus was always full of them.) "Nah. His name is Discord, and he's a friend of mine, and he's not normally this shy." She said, laughing some more. "Come on Discord!" She said, nudging him slightly with her hoof. "Say hi!"

The lord of chaos shook his head vigorously, pretending he was part of a coo-coo-clock display -- which suddenly materialized in the center of town.

"Huh." The earth pony said, shaking her four-color yellow, pink, orange, and purple mane slightly. "I swear I recognize you from somewhere Discord, can't place where though?" She said, getting a really close look at him. For some reason she felt like she was going to get goose bumps, in the end though her nature took over. "In any case --" She started, probably preparing for more small talk, or maybe to suggest a game.

Discord gulped again, using a crayon that he picked up from somewhere to paint the color in his face back in. "You were trying to find you way back to Ponyville right?" He said, quickly interrupting Sunny Daze. "And you want to FIND YOU WAY BACK TO PONYVILLE! RIGHT!?" He said, emphasizing parts of the sentences.

Sunny Daze shook her head. That was right! "Right on! Thanks Discord!" Said the earth pony surfer mare. "So anyways. I was on my way to check on my friend 'Steria." She said, putting her hoof on her muzzle, and getting a thinking pose. "You know, she's been sick since Christmas, so I was going to go and get her some sweets from the Sweet Shop!" She said, bringing a strange rainbow colored piece of cake out of her bag.

Fluttershy looked at it in awe. That looked very odd, what kind of pastry was that? She have to ask Pinkie later, but it definitely looked tasty.

"And then these groady bug ponies attacked, and totally started taking everyone." Sunny said, frowning -- some agitation showing in her face. "So I tried to tell them that being nasty ain't nice! But they ended up taking me too." She said, getting up on only her back hooves, and motioning like she was being carried away by her front hooves. "When suddenly there's like smoke everywhere, and next think I know I'm in the path of the --" She said, contemplating for a second (probably thinking of the train time.) "4:15 train to some place called 'Fillydelphia'. Naturally, of course, I got out of the way for them." She said, giggling -- motioning like she was somersaulting away from 'the train'. "But they still wanted to know what I was doing on the tracks." She said, matter-of-factly. "So I told them I was looking for Ponyville, and they pointed me off this way." She said, pointing at the town. "'Cept I think I must've gone the wrong way as I don't see Ponyville anywhere!" She said, consternation appearing on her face.

Fluttershy looked on with great discomfort. What happened to this unfortunate mare's muzzle? And did she have a heart for a highlight in her eyes? That didn't make any sense! And what was this about their town being attacked by bug ponies, was Chrysalis being a meanie again? And why didn't she think this was Ponyville? She kept asking herself, in her head. In the end, she just had to ask. "Excuse me... Um... Sunny Daze -- " She started asking, apprehensively.

"Just call me Sunny' 'Shy! No reason to get all formal!" She said, with a giggle, doing a summersault. "My friends don't call me by my full name! Especially not my BFF Sparkleworks!"

"Um... Please don't call me 'Shy, my friends call me -- " Fluttershy started, before being interrupted gain.

"No problem 'Shy! You worry too much!" The mare known for having the record on most pony summersaults said, with a giggle -- motioning slightly. "You have to lay back a little!"

Fluttershy sighed, she wasn't going to get through to this mare was she? "So... Um... Sunny. Why do you think this isn't Ponyville?"

Sunny chuckled. "Cause all the buildings are gone. Where's the Cotton Candy Cafe? Or the Celebration Castle, the Twinkle Twirl's Dance Studio, the salon, or the surf shop?" She asked, chuckling some more -- either distracted, or feeling she had wasted enough of that strange pony's time. "Don't worry 'Shy! I'll figure it out yet. See you later." She said, somersaulting into a gallop.

Fluttershy giggled herself. "Please don't call me ''Shy'!" She yelled at the rapidly retreating earth pony, before turning to Discord, who seemed to be swearing bullets -- shaking like a leaf. "You ok Discord!"

"Yes!" Discord lied. "Everything is fine!" He said, suddenly dressed like Mr. Rogers. "It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood!" He said, lying to her face. "So we can go and get those turnips... Or something!" He said, his claw shaking slightly.

Fluttershy started crying. She had had enough of the draconequus sudden dishonesty and all of his newfound secrets! "I thought you were our friend! Why won't you talk to me! Why do you keep lying to me!" She said, starting to gallop away at high speeds. "Don't you trust me!"

Discord sighed. Even if he smoothen things over he would probably be sleeping in the Everfree tonight! To make matters worse he was on the verge of losing the one thing that he 'reformed' for. And he'd certainly lose something far more important than a friendship if he didn't talk. But would he lose it if he did?

********

Rainbow yawned. Another tough night! Could anything put a stop to these blasted nightmares? Not her own dashing nature, not Zecora's magic, not even the spooky jewelry the doctors gave her! She just wanted to know what it all meant. She meant that she had had plenty of dreams in the past but only a few were remembered vividly -- meanwhile she could recall, in great detail, every last dream since Minty's accident with profound clarity. Rainbow sighed, jealously. Minty, meanwhile seemed to unaffected, giggling innocently, and probably still plotting her makeup Christmas -- blissfully unaware of what she or Pinkie had been experiencing.

Rainbow smirked, maybe her odd luck from yesterday was still working -- it was, naturally -- and the door was once again, mysteriously unlocked. Unfortunately, this time that fact wasn't going to be too helpful as there were now orderlies stationed at her door to make sure she didn't stray too far from her bed again. Rainbow considered using some very colorful words, but decided against that as it would be not terribly dashing! Instead she just sighed on the inside again -- guessing she wasn't going to be going anywhere. The good news, though, was that she had just enough of that romance novel left to last her until Twilight arrived.

About mid morning, she could hear a clamor outside, as both orderlies hit their plots against the door as they scrambled to quickly bow, for some reason. She wondered what the occasion was.

She peeked out the door, discretely hoping her ~~captors~~ guardians wouldn't notice. Walking down the hall, past her room, was a purple unicorn, with a pink mane, and a three flower symbol pass by. "Cheerilee!" Rainbow said to herself (wondering how she even knew that name -- especially considering that she hadn't seen the unicorn before. Wasn't she thinking about Cheerilee the other day too?)

Her head started to hurt, the magic burst was definitely coming! It just got worse when Star Catcher passed by. Wait a minute! That couldn't be Star Catcher -- for one thing it was a pegasus unicorn, while Star Catcher was a pegasus! Secondly, with the exception of the coat, the pegasus unicorn looked nothing like Star Catcher? She just blushed with embarrassment, upset that she confused the strange new pony with someone else. That is until another magic burst: dash it all!

"Ukulele gaily strums! Bongos keep the beat! Any song we play becomes oh so strong and sweet!" Sung the phantoms in her head. "Music is meant to be -- shared by one and all!" They sang as she started dancing to the phantom beat along with a few of her friends (who were only visible to her.)

"Oh wow! Rainbow Dash! That looks fun..." Minty said, with a giggle -- carried away by her friend's excitement. "Wait! Wait! What are you dancing to?" Minty asked innocently -- beginning to realize that something odd was happening -- all while watching her friend make a fool of herself.

"Dash it all!" Rainbow whined to herself, as the inhibiter started to clear the fog again. "This is another fine time for my magic bursts to act up! I suppose if I had any chance of convincing the orderlies before, I do not now!" She thought to herself. Oh well, maybe she could convince the orderlies to let her see her friend Cheerilee. "Excuse me sirs -- "

"If you don't go back to bed I'll break your -- " The minotaur orderly said, with a gruff tone swallowing the conclusion of that rhyme. "if you don't sleep then I'll -- " He said, stopping short of quoting his father (growling slightly at the training in 'assertiveness' he received since his birth.)

"Understood, darling." Rainbow said, with a sigh -- she guessed she was stuck here again. She waited a few seconds, then decided -- against her better judgment -- to try again. "I am sorry, darlings. But would you mind if I went ahead and left to see my friend! I am very worried about her, darling, and --"

"Don't apologize when you can criticize!" Said the second orderly angrily. "Dang it! I'm quoting dad again!" He groaned to himself.

Rainbow supposed that would be a no! Especially when the orderly picked her up, and returned her to bed himself -- don't worry, he was given the riot act later. It was all very demeaning -- especially when her legs worked just fine, thank you.

The good news is she still had her romance book to read -- which she happily dug into. But after a few minutes she sighed, because it was turning out to be a smidgen racy for her tastes. When was she ever going to be out of here? For that matter when was Minty ever going to get out of here?

She tried to listen to the door, as quietly as she could (so as not to be heard by the orderlies.) At least she still had the goings-on at this hospital to help pass the time. Especially when Twilight went by her room with a toy wand (she had managed to open the door a crack a little earlier while the guards were distracted (when 'someone tried to block they showed them that they rocked! ')

Rainbow looked at the wand twice, it's nature quickly beginning to bore its way into her recollection. No! That was Rarity's wand! She said, beginning to see a scene play out in her mind's eye. "Hang on! It's going to be a bumpy rainbow ride!" The voice echoed in her head. What was with these memories, and was it just her or were they getting worse instead of better! Despite the ugly jewelry she was forced to endure.

Phantom Pinkie giggled mindlessly in her head. "What are you doing under all these clothes?" She asked, as rainbow 'came up from under the pile of cloths.

"Oh, dressing up to get some fun ideas for a dress up party!" She said, giggled to herself vapidly, all the while talking to phantom pinkie. This was all extremely demeaning! And why did she always forget who she was during one of these?

Her roommate sighed. "And I didn't get invited at all!" She said, with a sigh. "Only party I got invited to was the sports party!" She said, uncharacteristically with a whine.

Rainbow Dash looked at her friend, being shocked out of her burst. "Huh what? Minty darling? Whatever do you mean?" She asked, suddenly wondering if her friend knew what she was talking about.

"Well you got together with all four of your new friends --Cheerilee, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Toola-Roola -- and didn't invite Wysteria, Sunny Dazy, or anyone -- even me! I was really sad." She said, sobbing quietly. "Were you guys that angry that I messed up Christmas? I'm sorry Rainbow! I'll do better next year!"

Rainbow looked at her cross-eyed. "But Minty, darling. You didn't mess up Christmas until this year! Remember!?" She said to her friend -- who's words made no sense. And yet why did her words ring with such truth?

********

"So what's got you so happy?" Spike said, shooting a glare to his mother/sister figure. "You finally got that 'huge crystally tree thing' that that weird Pinkie was talking about?" Spike said sarcastically, chuckling to himself the whole time.

"She said that she knew she could count on me!" Twilight replied ecstatically, sounding more like an exuberant schoolgirl then the princess of friendship. "Do you know what this means?" Twilight said, getting eye to eye with 'her number one assistant', and pressing her hooves against his lips.

"You did a good job?" Spike replied, his voice deadpan.

"No! It means I impressed her! And now she'll give me even more tasks." Twilight replied, falling back into her overeager student mode. "Even more importantly: I discovered something about Equestrian history that even Celestia didn't know!" She said, with literal stars in her eyes.

"Whoopty doo!" Spike said, rolling his eyes. "You're a regular Daring Doo." He said, deadpan. "So 'Daring', you going to help me sort these books?"

Twilight smiled, always glad to see her number one assistant living up to the title and getting interested in the library. Lord knows it was just about all she had besides a seemingly pointless symbolic title (not that she didn't like the title, just that she felt like she could only be described the term fifth wheel princess.)

A slow knocking could be heard at the door.

Twilight sighed patiently -- did anypony bother to read her open sign? "Hey Spike?" Twilight asked, trotting over to the door. "First that other Rainbow the other day, now somepony else. Do you think we need to get a new open sign?" Twilight said, beginning to turn the handle with her magic. "Maybe see if I can enchant it to light up." She said, tilting her head in a thinking pose. "You can come in. It's open." She said, before she turned her head to see the princess standing before her.

"Princess!" Twilight said in horror, quickly bowing deeply. Starting to stammer violently.

"Sorry about that!" Twilight said, blushing with embarrassment. She always expected the most of herself, even under normal circumstances -- but this was her personal teacher, and one of the god princesses of Equestria no less! This made it all the much more difficult -- and sometimes she just plain forgot that that were equals -- let alone that the princess preferred informalities out of court. "So princess, I thought you had returned to Canterlot? Didn't you say Kibitz was going to give you trouble?"

Celestia smiled like a doting mother. "Can't I meet with my fellow princess of Equestria once in a while and have tea or something?" She asked, her smile showing the signs of a smirk in the corners (the princess just wanted a break, or maybe the whole day off -- Luna could handle the hordes of angry nobles demanding handouts for at least as long as it took for her to have some tea.)

"But doesn't the princess have --?" Spike started asking before being shushed by her sister, who had a very earnest expression on her face.

"Quick Spike! Get the tea set! " Twilight said, with earnestness. "And the Platina Grey tea out!" Twilight barked, galloping over to the kitchen as quickly as her legs could take her.

Celestia rolled her eyes, and giggled slightly. "Oh Twilight! Is this really necessary?" She asked herself, with a smile. "Twilight!" She said, snapping her ex-student out of her panic. "Relax! Just sit for a minute! Let young Spike handle it -- I'm sure he can!" She said, winking at the young drake -- who nodded and winked in return.

Twilight nodded (unaware of the signal sent between teacher and number one assistant), holding her chest for a minute while relaxing. "Sorry Princess." She said, bringing the tea makings that she had already gathered to the table. "So what brings you here?" She asked, nervously -- biting her lip slightly.

"Well first of all Twilight." She said, pouring some of the mixture into the cup and taking a sip. "I thought I would congratulate you on the progress you've made, not just as a princess, but as a pony!" She said, thinking for a second. "I mean not many ponies can came up with new magic!" She said, smiling to her former student proudly (of all of her students Twilight had been, by far, the most successful.)

"Thank you." Twilight said, with a blush. "But it was your idea to give me Star Swirl's unfinished spell. I mean: I couldn't have done it without your gentle nudge!"

Celestia stopped, obvious confusion showing on her face. "Unfinished spell? I didn't give her any unfinished spells!" She thought to herself. "Didn't she discover new magic all on her own! How else could she get to astral plane to ascend?" Celestia thought to herself anxiously -- all the while putting on her poker face. "Why, of course, my faithful student! You are most welcome! But do you mind if I ask to see the book? You know to.... um.... check your answers!"

"Sure!" Twilight said with a eager smile, walking over to a locked box that she kept in the corner. "Give me a minute to unlock the box, and get the book out." She said, fidgeting with the lock on the box, as knocking could, once again, be heard on the door. Twilight sighed. "Spike, could you get that for me?" She asked, giving up her magic for a second and resorting to stomping on the lock with her hoof. "I'm a little busy here!"

"Certainly." Spike said helpfully. "Though I doubt it's --" He said, staring hopelessly at the pony at the door. "Rarity!... You are looking beautiful today!" He said, floating slightly as he hovered behind his crush.

"Why thank you, Spike!" Rarity said politely. "Do you know where Twilight is?" She asked, looking around zealously at the shelves around her.

"Sure!" He said, in a spacey voice, pointing at Twilight mindlessly. "She's over there! Can I get you anything? Like maybe a --"

"No, Spike! That will be fine." Rarity said politely, again, walking past the smitten dragon. "I'm terribly sorry to disturb you and .... the princess." She said, gulping slightly -- even now she sometimes had trouble being around the living legend without getting uncomfortable. "But -- " She said, steeling her resolve. "But I need those books, that you borrowed, back, Twilight! I need them for ..." She said, trying to come up with a convincing lie. "Um... Important fashion research!" She said -- trying very hard to not tell Spike or Twilight that she really wanted them for her date that night with a terribly eligible stallion from house Ivy.

"Sorry Rarity." Twilight apologized, pulling the book out of the box. "But Rainbow Dash is still holding on to it. If you want, you can go down to the hospital and see her, maybe they'll let you in before visiting hours, if it's so important!"

"And I shall!" Rarity said, with zeal. "I mean, what would that tomboy need with --? Oh that's right! That other Rainbow Dash!" She said, with a blush. "So ... what brings you here today, princess?"

Celestia continued to hold onto her poker face. "Well I was just asking to take a look at that spell I had Twilight finish last year!" She said, with an innocent smile. "I mean I want to double-check her answers ... You know to make sure she did a good job!" Celesta said, lying unconvincingly -- for a change.

"Oh yes, quite!" Rarity said, with a smile. "The one that made her an alicorn princess." She said, tilting her head in recollection. "I felt bad losing the only other unicorn in our group. But, I suppose, it was for the best. You can't imaging the dreadful problems she was having with shedding! And ghastly headaches! But what brought it up just now?" She asked, curious to know what could be going through the all-wise princess' head.

"Oh, no reason." Celestia said, hiding a smirk, and an eye roll. "Just wanted to see if I could use the spell for other purposes." She lied as Twilight began to walk over with the book. "You know like ... um... to create another Sombra! Or something!" She said, as Twilight exclaimed in the other room. "Thank goodness Twilight this was getting uncomfortable!"

"Here it is!" Twilight said, with a smile, showing the book to her teacher. Eagerly awaiting her former teacher's praise.

"The Swirlnomicom!" The princess exclaimed in pure horror. Twilight and Rarity both looked at the princess with puzzled expressions. Celestia gulped, and opened her muzzle again. "I mean, that's the book I gave you! I'm just so glad to see it." She said, hoping that Twilight's normal fan girl mindset would block her from realizing the truth. "So... um... do you mind if I see the spell?" She asked, with a smile that screamed 'give me the book!'

"Certainly!" Twilight said, dutifully opening the book to the page with last year's spell. "And I even left your note in the page!" She squeaked passionately. Giggling giddily -- didn't Celestia look soooo impressed!

"This is an amazingly bad forgery!" Celestia said to herself, under her breath. "What made Twilight even think I wrote this?" She said to herself, turning to Twilight, and started to scan the page. "Yeah -- she's right! It's definitely 'asking her to complete the spell', but which spell?" She asked herself, quietly -- scanning over the page.

She only needed to get halfway through the spell, though, before she knew exactly which spell it was (and she wished she didn't.) "THE UNICORN DEATH SPELL!!!" She squealed in pure terror. "WHERE DID YOU GET THIS SPELL AND THIS BOOK TWILIGHT?" Celestia shouted at her student violently, looking like she had just seen a team up between Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Tirek, and the Flim Flam Brothers.

The princess quickly recovered, though. And spoke again. "I mean..." She said, trying to come up with a lie. "I should be honest with you." She said, using the patented Cutie Mark Crusader Pout. "I came to remind you that it's almost time for your ... um... yearly physical." She said, hoping both Twilight and Rarity would buy it. "I mean it would be horrible if one of the princesses of Equestria became sick!"

Twilight smiled, obliviously. "Of course!" She said, whipping out a scroll and a quill from somewhere. "I'll schedule an appointment with the doctors as soon as I can."

Celestia frowned, steadfastly. "No I think it would be best if my personal physician saw you tomorrow because ... Only he knows the ins and outs of... um... alicorn physiology." She lied unconvincingly.

"Ok!" Twilight exclaimed obliviously. "I'll start over on a new scroll then." She said, walking into the next room to get another scroll.

"Ok!" Rarity said, frowning. "You can trick Twilight, but not me! What's this about a 'unicorn death spell'? And why are you so afraid of it?"

Celestia sighed, this was generosity and she needed to know. "Sit down Rarity, this is going to be hard to explain." She said, as Twilight walked into the room. "Twilight? Could you get me some things from the quills and sofa's store?" She said, hoping to send Twilight off on an errand. "It's very important that I get them, and I'm very busy!"

"Of course!" Twilight beamed, rushing out the door -- not asking what the 'things' were.

"You were saying?" Rarity asked, making sure the princess didn't renege on her promise.

Celestia sighed. "It's forbidden magic that raises the caster's magic five thousand fold." She said, using her horn to beam the image into the room. "Remember last year when your sister couldn't even make her horn light up?" She asked, waiting for Rarity to respond.

"Of course!" Rarity said, with recollection. "The poor thing couldn't even light up her horn. Mother, Father and I were worried sick!"

"Well if she had chanted these words." Celestia said, as an illusionary felt Sweetie Belle began to read words out of a book. "She would have become more powerful than me." She said, as the image was suddenly dressed like Star Swirl, moving whole planets with a wave of her hoof.

"Splendid!" Rarity responded, imagining the possibilities. "So why don't we -- " She started asking, wondering why they didn't teach it, only to come to a realization. "Wait a minute! Why is it forbidden then?"

Celestia grimaced, sighing noticeably. "When the spell begins to fail..." She said, her horn glowing to a scene of the felt Sweetie Belle exploding into confetti.

"Oh!" Rarity said, with a grimace, eating the terror she suddenly felt. "Isn't there something we can do?" She asked, worried for her friend.

Celestia shrugged. "I don't know." Celestia said, frowning noticeably -- what had her student done to deserve this? First an attempted kidnapping by her angry ex-student, then a crown napping by another angry ex-student, now the Uncorn Death Spell! Was it her? Was she the one bewitching Twilight with bad luck? Or had she just abandoned Twilight like ... -- "I don't even know why it would cause her to ascend. All of my other students that got their hooves on this spell... Well.... They turned into confetti." Celestia said, using a euphemism. "Let's wait until my doctor has looked at her."

Rarity frowned. "I should tell the darling. She needs to know!" Rarity said, starting to walk out the door, before being held tight by the princess' magic.

"No!" Celestia commanded. "I don't want Twilight to worry needlessly! We'll keep this matter to ourselves! At least until my private physician has had a chance to examine her!" She said, watching Rarity open her mouth to protest. "I'm serious Rarity! I order you not to tell Twilight!" She commanded again, on the verge of using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"Why?" Rarity asked, taken back at the princess' sudden boorish behavior. "Wouldn't we want Twilight to know?"

The princess sighed. She didn't know if she would have an answer to that question.

********

The rest of the week for Rainbow wasn't much better, first some horrible pony decided to try to hurt Pinkie, Minty, and her (well, there was a stronger word for what they tried to do, but Rainbow perished to use the word.)

And no sooner then she had awoken, then, to make matters worse, she had heard that that horrible pony did something to little Rarity, and she was now forced to endure gaudy pegasus wings to perpetually clash with her regal unicorn horn -- it just wasn't natural!) Finally to her great consternation --

The old doctor turned to the nurse. "So have I finally lost my mind, or do your readings say what mine do?" The doctor asked, scrapping his hoof against the ground slightly. "I mean I tested her thoroughly just over two weeks ago, and her bones were powder! She should have been buried six feet under (Celestia's not King Richard's) days ago!"

The nurse shrugged. "Doctor Stethoscope checked too, but it looks like we were all wrong!" She said, with a very pleased smile. "Either that or the zebra's 'ooga-booga' medicine did the trick!"

If the doctor could have, he literally would have shot daggers out of his eyes. He turned to the nurse violently, taking a lecturing tone. "I DON'T DO WRONG!"

The nurse shrugged nonchalantly -- as if to say 'and maybe this time you did'.

"And the witch doctor's medicine won't work because she doesn't have the proper university training! In fact, I'm not sure why Celestia hasn't sent her to jail!" The doctor said, venting steam at his being (temporally) bested by a folk medicine expert.

"Why would that be?" Minty asked, innocently. "Her medicine tastes like pepper mint! And she's really nice!... Hey! I should get her something for Christmas too!"

The nurse rolled her eyes -- at both of them. "It's a mystery doctor!" She said, with a pleased smile. "In any case, I'll let you make the case doctor." She turned to the mint pony. "And wasn't this Christmas a few weeks ago?"

Minty started to open her mouth, but the doctor put his hoof in front of her face to stop her. He sighed, and turned to the mint green disaster. "Let me guess: make up Christmas?" He said, to eager nodding from the green pony. "I should have guessed." He said under his breath. "In any case, you are in luck ms. Minty." The doctor said, coaxing his smile out of hiding. "It looks like your bones have healed miraculously, and I believe it's safe enough to release you today -- so long as you keep those wounds clean, and don't do anything strenuous!"

"Do you hear that, Rainbow Dash!" Minty said, with glee. "We'll be going back to Ponyville soon!" She tried to shake the doctors hoof only to find that he hadn't removed the casts yet. "Oops...! Well once you've taken these casts off anyways!" She said, with a smile.

The doctor simply shook his head. "In any case, I'll be getting hold of your pink friend to see if she can pick you up. Hopefully she has found accommodations for the two of you until I can release Rainbow Dash!"

The gears in Minty's head stopped cold. "Wait... What do you mean 'until I can release Rainbow Dash'? Weren't you waiting on me to get better to release us?"

The doctor sighed and shook his head sadly. "No. Unfortunately Rainbow Dash has her own problems that must be addressed before she can be released into her own recognizance." He said, with a frown. "And those problems are getting worse not better."

"What do you mean doctor? Did I break Rainbow Dash too!" Minty said, starting to sob quietly. "I didn't mean to! I swear!"

"No! You didn't break her! But her condition does baffle medical science -- an earth pony with magic bursts! How can that even happen? And furthermore her condition has steadily worsened, while yours has quickly improved! Celestia knows if she was a unicorn we would have been forced to perform a keratotomy, but how can one justify the removal of all four of a pony's legs?" He looked down, feeling inadequate again.

Rainbow sighed. This all sounded very bad, and very ugly. And why did that horrible word 'kerat...' -- Oh! She couldn't even think it -- scare her so much?

Minty, though, stood up for her friend. "If Rainbow's not going anywhere! Then I'm not going anywhere!" She said, with defiance. "I won't mess anything else up! And I won't leave her behind!"

The doctor only sighed. "Minty! Minty! Minty! The hospital is for sick ponies, and you are not sick! Allowing you to stay needlessly could expose you to some very bad diseases! Nope... Won't do!" He turned his head to the nurse. "Nurse, could you fetch ms..." He said, looking at a clipboard he had left on one of the counters when he entered. "Pinkie Pie, and tell her that her friend Minty is ready to be picked up?"

"Which one?" The nurse asked, in confusion. "You mean the puffy one that holds all the parties in town? Right?"

The doctor thought for a second. "Yes... Wait... No!!!!" He swallowed a growl and a scream. "Just get both! It's time Ms. Minty was going!" He said, ushering the nurse out of the room.

********

The doctor had had Pinkie drop by the same day to pick her friend up. And she ended up having to stay with Twilight (the poor soul, the bookworm didn't even know what she was getting herself into.) Because the cakes didn't have room for another (that and Twilight's Pinkie had been temporarily been banished to another room, after yelling at her Pinkie because some stallion -- Pukie Pulse, or Cheesie Toast or something -- took a shining after her, and Twilight's Pinkie was none too happy about that.)

So just like that Rainbow was alone again -- this felt like it wasn't just happenstance, it felt like a curse! And due to the incident that Minty, Pinkie, and her had had a few days back they doubled the number of orderlies that were watching her room. And she was just begging to get out, especially as she, once again, ran out of reading materials. Maybe if she asked really, really, really nicely, the orderlies would let her step out for a minute.

"Excuse me, darlings." Rainbow said, politely, trying the door. "I have been terribly stir crazy, and I was wondering, darlings, if it would be ok for me to step out for just a minute?" She asked as politely as she could. To no response. "Darlings?" She asked cautiously, trying the handle as the door slowly creaked open.

Standing before her was that strange pegasus again -- the one with that Time Turner's symbol. He looked much the same as he did before, his hair still grey and balding in front, and still long and wispy in back. His coat still graying. Rainbow Dash sighed -- why did she still think she recognized hem -- maybe this time she could confront this strange pony! "Darling, I apologize if I sound too up front, but what brings you here?"

The pegasus only smiled enigmatically, walking into the room.

Rainbow slowly backed off anxiously.

********

"Some days..." Twilight lamented to herself. She'd been training the young foal, and her mentor for only a couple of weeks in the use of magic, and, though she loved the responsibility, some days she just hated being 'Twilight Sparkle: Teacher for a Day'!

It quickly became obvious that the little one (who hilariously shared the name of Twilight's prissy friend) would be very magical someday -- especially after her boon -- that was assuming that Twilight could keep her focus on the task at hoof -- so far it took a miracle (and some very creative teaching methods) for her to even teach the filly how to feel her own native magic.

And then to make matters worse little Rarity's new magic tended to activate dangerously (for everyone) at the most inopportune of times. But the good news was that once the filly learned a trick she would pick it up with passion -- she could tell by the fact she could see a bright pink light radiating from across town on most nights (Twilight was currently working on levitation, a unicorn's most basic spell.)

Her mentor, meanwhile, was a source of endless consternation. It wasn't that the mare was stupid or anything (she was just almost as smart as Twilight was, but not quite), and the problem certainly didn't seem to be a lack of desire to learn or a lack of concentration (she seemed to be as earnest about learning as anypony), it was just that she seemed clueless on how how to cast magic without a wand. And after all these weeks the best she managed to get was sparks (out of the horn that adorned the head of a full grown mare.) And Twilight could tell the mare's confidence was shaken.

Twilight sighed, she'd figure out a way to get through to the two of them eventually (maybe Pinkie was right about that rap, ignoring the fact that it wasn't the Unicorn Magic Rap, but instead was the Wonderbolt's Rap instead.)

So she decided today, after training the two, to take a break and bring that alternate Rainbow Dash some more books on high fashion that she had brought in from the royal Canterlot library (she knew the 'fashion pony of Ponyville' was short on them, and it was one of the few perks she had as 'the fifth wheel princess'.)

"Now which room was it?" Twilight asked herself, looking at the door numbers -- waiting for her memory to kick in. After tilting her head in thought for a second it came to her. "That's right room twelve." She exclaimed, trotting off to the room her Rainbow Dash had held for a few days a while back. "I think it should be right over here." She said pointing her hoof down a hallway. "I hope Rainbow Dash will like these books on the history of -- " She started saying, before gasping in horror.

She had expected to see four minotaur orderlies eagerly standing guard over the room. Instead she found four sleeping minotaur orderlies.

"Wake up!" She shouted commandingly a few times, finally shaking one of the minotaurs fiercely, in desperation -- trying to get their attention, but they seemed to be out cold.

"Not good! Not good! NOT GOOD!" She shouted to herself, looking around in terror, and stomping violently. "I have to get the doctors..." She said, thinking for a second. The problem with that plan was that this situation demanded immediate action, and even if she did act immediately, she might already be out of time. She weighted her options carefully for a second, before recklessly deciding to run into the room horn blazing. Upon further contemplation (and upon flying into the room at full gallop) she considered that she could be galloping into a trap, but the good news of her decidedly Rainbow Dashian decision was that there was no one that could take an alicorn princess in battle -- at least not anyone that would likely be using any kind of tact or secrecy (let's face it Sombra, Nightmare Mood, The Dazzlings, Sunset Shimmer -- oops she was good now --, Tirek, and even Chrysalis would probably have destroyed the hospital by now, and that assassin earlier simply got lucky -- and let's not forget Discord would probably have the place floating upside down spewing out hot cocoa or something.)

The scene was as pretty much as bad as she imagined, Rainbow was standing in the room, with a blank expression, and her eyes were a solid radioactive neon green color. Hovering over her was an odd looking pegasus with some kind of odd device in his muzzle and, what appeared to be, Time Turner's cutie mark. Twilight guessed that whatever happened to Rainbow Dash was probably caused by said device (but she would have to run some tests to be sure.)

"THOU SHOULST STAYEST AWAY FROM HER!" Twilight commanded fiercely. She smiled, and winked slightly. "Wow! I'm getting really good at the Royal Canterlot voice! In fact, I've been practicing it since my battle with Tirek. How'd I do?" She asked of the pony.

He simply shrugged, turning to Twilight nonchalantly -- the object in his muzzle beginning to glow. "I'm terribly sorry princess but I think it's better if you forget! --" He said, the object glowing more brightly. "I mean it's for both your and the lady's safety. I certainly hope you don't mind." He continued, as the device began to turn and whir.

"Doctor! Please stop!" Rainbow shouted, pleadingly. "She's a friend! Just let her watch! Whatever is wrong with me she can hear too!" She shouted to the pegasus. "I trust her to keep whatever secret it is that I'm holding!

The doctor shook his head soundly, continuing to power up the device. "Now this will cause a temporary headache and permanent memory loss. Let me know if you have any constipation, migraines, or your head explodes!" He said, with as much humor as he was capable of mustering.

"Please! I beg you!" Rainbow shouted. "Don't do this!"

He sighed loudly. "You'll wish you hadn't begged." He said, under his breath putting one hoof on the princess wither and pointing the device at Rainbow Dash's head. "Very well!" He said, as Twilight only had time to gasp.

********

She felt disoriented, especially as she began to look at the landscape.

"You need to stay close!" The old pegasus warned. "It's not safe to wonder too far in the subconscious mind! Believe you me, doing so can result in dreadful consequences."

"What kind of 'dreadful consequences'?" Twilight asked, turning to him with curiosity. "I mean it's only the mind and -- "

"Believe me, you don't really want to know." The pegasus responded, morbidly.

Twilight just gulped, and nodded dutifully.

********

"But wait a minute!" Rainbow's mint friend said, shaking her head in disbelief -- a thought just having occurred to her. "I didn't! I mean I hung them inside and --" She said, pointing at one of the houses -- gasping slightly at the end.

Rainbow ran up to her klutz of a friend, smiling graciously. "You gave us your precious socks darling?" Rainbow said, supportively holding one hoof up to get slightly closer. "How darling!" She said, feeling truly gracious that her friend would give up so much to make up for her Christmas mistake.

Twilight meanwhile turned to the doctor. "This must be a memory correct?" She said watching the scene unfold. "I mean there's no way we could have gone back in time."

The doctor nodded silently -- pointing his hoof at the goings-on. "Just watch."

"By the looks of things this must be right before the accident that sent them to Ponyville." Twilight said, with confidence. "I can tell by the fact that it's winter."

The doctor shook his head. "No! This is what would have happened if there was no accident."

Twilight looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean? Would have? How can this be a memory if it's what was supposed to happen?" She said trying to divine what the stallion was talking about. "Is this like the memories of some other dimensional Rainbow Dash?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not in this particular case, but we simply must be moving on! We won't find the source of her magic bursts here!" He said, pushing Twilight along slightly. The scene fading into the darkness behind them.

********

"Darling!" Rainbow said -- taking a midnight stroll -- before watching, in horror, at the sight before her. "What are you doing digging in the dirt? Aren't you are a princess now, darling?"

"Yes!" Wysteria snapped. "And I hate every minute of it!" Wysteria said, sadly. "I can't dig in the dirt, or sniff, or water my plants -- or anything! And I just hate it." She said, crying softly.

"But darling! You are a princess now!" Rainbow said, frowning with concern. "You should be happy darling! I mean every little girl wants to be a princess, darling!"

"And yet I'm miserable." Said the purple earth pony. "I can't even eat my food normally, Spike has me using thirty different spoons." She said, starting to weep. "THIRTY!!!!" She said as her eyes shot wide like saucers. "Oh! I've never been so miserable in all my life!" She shouted angrily, going feral for a minute -- stamping violently (something that Rainbow didn't even know Wysteria was capable of.)

"Oh darling!" Rainbow said, crying softly herself -- giving her friend a platonic hug. "Go talk to that darling! Spike seems like a darling dragon! Maybe, if you talk to him, he'll understand."

"I hope so!" Wysteria said anxiously. "Could you come with me though? I really need the support." She said, shaking slightly and giggling nervously.

Rainbow was legitimately surprised, she had never seen her friend this way. But she was never afraid when it came to helping her friends -- just ask Daisyjo. "Why certainly, darling!" Rainbow replied eagerly. "I'll bring Pinkie and Minty as well!"

"Wow!" Twilight said. "Thirty spoons?" She said, turning to the doctor with an eye roll. "She's exaggerating right?" She exclaimed, deadpan.

The doctor shook his head. "Not even close! If anything she was not going far enough!"

"You're kidding right?" Twilight said, looking at the doctor. "And how do you even know any of this?"

The doctor simply pointed further into the fog.

Before her she could see Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Minty, this new pony... what was her name? Wysteria, and another pony arguing with a very small blue dragon.

"No I don't want food! And I don't want to sleep!" Wysteria finally announced, strongly. "I want to sniff the flowers, and I want to water my plants, and I want to dig in the dirt!" She said, suddenly breaking into a variation of the royal Canterlot Voice. "WE WISH TO BE US AGAIN!" Something that surprised Twilight, where'd she learn that?

The dragon sniffed violently, and opened his mouth condescendingly. "Princess! Princess! Princess! We all know that isn't possible! You are a princess now! And it's time you started acting like one!" He said turning to Rainbow, Pinkie, Minty, and the other pony. "And princesses have neither friends nor equals! It was decided the moment you touched that flower! Now if you four would be so kind as to leave! We have important princess training to continue!"

Twilight gasped. "Is their Spike really this big of a jerk?" She said, unable to separate her spike from theirs in her mind.

The doctor shook his head. "Not if things were working the way they are supposed to. But something went very wrong this cycle -- and I'm not sure that even I can fix it this time." He said, frowning softly. "Might cause problems though..."

"And what if she no longer wishes to be a princess darling!" Rainbow demanded. "What if we want someone else to be princess instead?"

"Ahhh!!!" The dragon said with enthusiasm. "A coup!!!" He shouted eagerly, beginning to walk towards the door. "Well then! Come along girls! We shall crown the new princesses:" He said, motioning for the five ponies in the room with him. "Princess Pinkie! Princess Rainbow Dash! And Princess Sunny Daze!" He started dancing off eagerly. "To the procession!" He shouted eagerly.

Twilight just shook her head silently. "And I'm guessing by the discerned lack of stallions occurring in these flashbacks that this must be Heathspike." She said, with disgust. "What does Rainbow see in him?"

The doctor turned away. "Under normal circumstances a whole lot! Even under these warped circumstances -- I feel bad for both of them." He turned to Twilight again. "But we must be on our way! He said pointing at a hole that materialized. "Down we go!" He said, pushing the princess down said hole, before jumping in himself.

********

"Excellent plan, Starcatcher." Rainbow said, smiling enthusiastically. "If your darling friends are too shy to come to our party, then we'll bring the party to them!" Rainbow said, grabbing a beautifully decorated layer cake from their new pegasus friend and handing it to a yellow pony with green eyes, and an aqua and purple mane.

As they flew on by. The doctor pointed at the three. "Star Catcher, Rainbow Dash, Meadowbrook. Only two are important, do you know which?" He said, turning to Twilight, who shrugged her withers.

********

"No Darling." Rainbow said to her pink friend, pointing at where she wanted the banner -- not where it was. "More to the left." She said, as Pinkie strained against the forces of gravity. "More! More!" She said, as Pinkie fell off the ladder, dragging the banner down with her. "Perfect!" Rainbow said, with good cheer.

"Hope you brought a book Princess!" The doctor said, lounging comfortably. "We've just started falling!" He said as the friendship ball fell slowly out of range.

********

"But six charm bracelets will be sixtacular!" Sparkleworks said, rearing playfully. Behind her and Razzaroo a pony slowly and gracefully entered the cafe.

"Hello my darlings!" Rainbow said, entering with style and grace, tilting her head up slightly -- like the diva she was -- waving her head slightly to show off her impressive rainbow mane.

"Introducing the one the only Rainbow Dash!" The doctor said as they passed by. "Oh lady! What has that monster done to you!"

"Say again?" Twilight asked, surprised by his sudden emotionality.

"You'll see! I promise!" The doctor exclaimed, blushing slightly.

********

The scenes quickly started to speed up as they flew past.

"How I adore painting my nails!" Rainbow Dash sang imagining herself holding up two different viles of nail polish, one in each hoof, while swiveling around in a bar stool (unfortunately due to being inside her mind, Twilight could see the whole scene.) Around her was a colorful sea of nail polish canisters.

"ARGGG!!! I'm blind!!!!" Twilight shrieked in horror -- at the horrible misshapen wraith before her. "What happened to Rainbow Dash?"

********

"Ok let's dig in!" Scootaloo shouted eagerly.

"It'll be simply dashing!" Rainbow said, not sounding a thing like herself.

"Was this something that really happened?" Twilight asked as they passed by. "This or those horrible scenes with the mutant foals? Or the Ferris Wheel? Or the (Twilight couldn't stop laughing at this concept) gumball house?"

The doctor shook his head. "Diseased memories created by an outside force. The last real memory we saw was before the whole 'painting our nails' moment." He said as both he and Twilight shook in horror.

Finally he shushed her. "The ones to come are real memories, well real and yet not real. I'll let you decide the why." He said, smirking slightly. "They are Rainbow's real memories and yet they aren't Rainbow's memories. You wouldn't understand if I explained it anyway." He said, as the princess frowned -- 'she wouldn't understand', what a ego nut.

********

"Minty:" Rainbow said, looking proud of her friend's moment of brilliance. "throwing Pinkie Pie a surprise birthday party is an absolutely darling idea, darling!" Rainbow said, with graceful exuberance, putting one hoof to her chest, her eyes closed.

"We need balloons and, .... " A pony said as Twilight and the doctor fell out of the scene. "Wait, where was Razzaroo, isn't she the one that throws their parties?"

********

"Hey that's Rarity! And Cheerilee!" Twilight said, as their fall slowed. "And Pinkie, and Minty are over there! And Heathspike." Twilight said, with surprise. "But isn't Heathspike a jerk?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not here! This was what was supposed to happen after the Hearth's Warming disaster that was never supposed to happen. " He said, pointing towards the four unicorns. "Watch!"

While he was doing that, Twilight took a look at her new Rainbow friend, and noticed with shock that the Rainbow earth ponies mane and eye colors were completely gone making her look old and feeble. "What happened?" Twilight asked, of the doctor -- pointing at the wreck of Dash. "Why's Dash all old and grey?"

"The charming 'Rainbow Princess' over there -- "He said pointing at the pink foal. "Failed to cast the spell in time to bring the First Rainbow of the Season, so there will be no rainbows of any kind that year."

Twilight gasped. "So that's what Cheerilee was 'mentoring' her in." She frowned. "That must be why she took it so personally that she couldn't help the filly."

The doctor simply smiled. "Won't matter in a second! Watch!"

"Now who's not listening!" The foal said, earnestly -- causing her mentor to turn around, reluctantly smiling -- she give it one more ready to try once more, if only for her sake.

The unicorns gathered in a circle once again, this time causing the foal's pink magic to activate, which caused her tiny shriveled husk of a horn to grow to full size. The other unicorn's horns quickly joined in -- as if following the pink pony's lead.

"So that's what Cheerilee's color is!" Twilight said, watching a blue light shoot out of the old purple unicorn's horn. "But why did Rainbow want us to see this?"

"who knows." The doctor asked. "Maybe she just wanted us to see that Rainbow?" He said. "Or maybe she felt for the filly."

The cerulean earth pony mouthed some words about the beauty of the rainbow, as Twilight and the doctor sped by, falling towards a black pit.

"In a minute that won't matter!" The doctor said, his voice getting dark. "Kiss happy Rainbow Dash goodbye! It's almost time to meet the lady!" He said, with sorrow apparent.

********

Suddenly it was as if they fell out of the light into the darkness, as -- practically in a line -- the colors shifted from bright and cheerful to dark, muted, and moody. Before everything suddenly came to a stop.

Twilight began to glance around "What happened here? Why's everything so dark and gloomy?" She asked, turning once more to the doctor. "You seem to know what's going on!"

The doctor held up his hoof to stop her. "You'll see." He said, pointing ahead. "Just watch!"

Before she could see a distorted scene before her of a changeling with a rainbow mane talking to what appeared to be Discord. Twilight puzzled, why is this scene in Rainbow's memories? And does Discord have to do with anything?

The doctor shrugged, nonchalantly. "You wished to see! And now you are! This is what happens when two ponies share one mind!" He said matter-of-factly. "Or maybe it's one pony with the memories of two. In any case we'll see."

Twilight looked at him in confusion. What did he mean? And why does he insist in talking in riddles? Was she wrong when she supposed he knew more then he pretended?

Around them, time moved in reverse in spurts.

Ahead they could see a scene of a rainbow maned changeling trying to race away from four other changelings -- her flight was quickly becoming more erratic, had she been hurt? Above the changeling's head a needle flew missing her by mere inches. Giving chase were four other changelings, one having the same style of wheelchair cart as one of the ponies she met during the exchange -- what was his name? Stellar Eclipse?

She could barely make out the voices of the attackers. "Phytolacca you seem to be losing your touch! You should've been able to split a needle length-wise from twice this length!" An older vaguely feline changeling said, talking to a middle-aged changeling stallion with a long thick grey mane. "Maybe I should take over this job? I should have just enough witching potion to finish her off!"

He retorted. "Who said I didn't hit exactly where meant to? The goal, Belladonna, is to force her down right here!" He said, pointing ahead with his hoof. "At that location we should be able to surround The Lady on all sides, and finish her quickly! My poison has ensured it! I just want a little extra insurance." He said, showing his fangs.

The changeling in the wheelchair cart smiled sadistically. "Excellent work Phytolacca! We might finish The Lady yet! But we must be weary! The Lady seems to be extremely hard to squash!"

Twilight gulped, and looked on with awe. Was it just her, or were these four changelings trying to do away with the fifth. Did that make any sense? Didn't the changelings all think with one mind, save their royalty? And what could the rainbow maned changeling do to deserve this treatment?

Time began to fly backwards again, skipping again to a dark room.

The rainbow maned changeling barged in to see, what looked like that other pinkie -- except she had a tiny shriveled horn, tiny shriveled wings, and as she wept she showed tiny fangs -- being attacked by one of the assassins from earlier in the dream. One that looked very familiar to her. Yes! It was the assassin that attacked Minty, Pinkie, Rainbow, and her earlier! What was her name? Oh that was right Mandragora!

Twilight stopped and checked her eyes. This didn't make any sense. Was that other Pinkie a changeling? But why was the only part of her that looked like one was her wings and horn, and why were they so small and shrimpy. Was she a failed conversion? Or was she just bad at taking a form? And why would Mandragora be turning her old like that? Why would the assassin want her gone?

The doctor smiled, and turned to her. "Curious aren't you?" He asked, as Twilight nodded, watching with intent as the rainbow maned changeling came in and began to do battle with the assassin. "Before you ask: no she's not a convert, nor a failed conversion. Heck, she's not even a full changeling!"

Twilight quirked her eyes. 'Not even a full changeling!' Was that even possible? Wasn't it biologically impossible -- ? She started asking, before the doctor gave her a nudge.

The doctor smiled mischievously. "You'll see!" He said, pointing as time began to quickly reverse again.

Suddenly time slowed again as Twilight could see the rainbow maned changeling rush into a room containing another one of the assassins, a distinctly female looking one -- what was her name again Belladonna? And she appeared to be doing something -- with a nefarious looking liquid -- to a small, lightly green hued changeling foal.

Twilight squinted her eyes. Why did she feel like she should know that changeling?

"Looking at the foal are we?" The doctor said, winking slightly. "You probably shouldn't recognize her, her name was 'Princess Larva', and she went to the fields long before you were born -- or at least that's what her mother thinks!" He said, smiling enigmatically at Twilight.

Twilight looked startled for a second, turning to the doctor. "Who's her mother? And why would another changeling want to hurt one of their own foals, was she a burden on the hive?"

The doctor shrugged. "I can only speculate. But you should know her mother -- she keeps claiming to be yours."

"You mean, Chrysalis?!" Twilight said, in horror. "But why would she want to do away with -- "

"Who can say? I don't think she did though. Especially since she legitimately wept for the foal, thinking it was malnutrition."

Twilight turned to the rainbow maned changeling. Pointing to her with her hoof. "Who's she then?"

"That would be Chrysalis aunt, Princess Auroras. And that makes her the foal's great aunt." The doctor replied.

"But why is she defending the foal, or maybe why is she the only one defending the foal?"

The doctor smirked. "Just wait a minute and we'll see."

Time began to flow by more and more rapidly, slowing down less and less until suddenly it stopped at a pony that looked a lot like that other Pinkie Pie, except for her blue eyes, and bright pink mane (which was closer to her Pinkie Pie.)

Twilight shielded her eyes for a minute from the miracle of birth -- to riotous laughter from the doctor. "Having trouble are we?" The old doctor said, laughing again.

Twilight turned, to see the foal, which looked remarkably like the pink filly from the hive earlier. She turned to the doctor. "She's the same foal from the hive isn't she?" She asked the doctor who nodded. "Let me guess? The mom Pinkie Pie over there is really the rainbow maned changeling?"

The doctor nodded again. "You are astute!" Twilight nodded, with pride. "And that makes her and princess larva?"

"First cousins once removed." Twilight said, confidently. "But you still haven't answered whether or not she's a changeling too, and if not what is her nature!" The doctor shook his head -- he wasn't going to say just yet. In the background 'Mom Pie' was talking to a pegasus stallion. Twilight gasped. "That stallion is you! You're a changeling aren't you!"

The doctor shook his head, with pity. "Wrong Princess! But good try. I'll explain when the time is right." He said, as time started to reverse again.

This time rapidly, with scenes and figments streaming by at rapid speed to the point where the images slowly started to form together into a blur until finally it was just a bright white light, which seemed to explode from a point.

Standing before Twilight was the rainbow maned changeling. Her coat held a slight blue, and the band around her barrel was a bright blue. Her rainbow mane and tail had rainbow colors closer to her rainbow dash then the comical pastel hues that that other Rainbow Dash had.

The changeling sighed. "Hello Twilight!" She said, looking down sadly. "I guess you are looking for answers?" She asked, hesitantly, shaking heavily.

********

The changeling waved her hoof, her joints and hoof bending in an unnatural manner.

Before Twilight stood a small changeling filly that looked suspiciously like the grown changeling pony mare.

The filly slowly opened her mouth and, as if orating before a crowd, began to speak. "I've always liked Rainbows!" She said, smiling softly. "They represent freedom." She said, sighing slightly at the scene that began to emerge behind her.

A young changeling foal with rainbow hair sat listlessly before her mentor, an older changeling drone (with about the same amount of character.) The old drone stallion tapped his ruler mercilessly against the desk near the small foal. "Wake up!" He demanded. "The queen has commanded that you be trained properly!" He shouted, almost mindlessly. "Do you know why?"

The foal shook her head politely (swallowing a mischievous grin.) She obviously had better things to do and places to go then the tutorship of professor Chitin.

"Princess!" He said, waking her up from what he considered to be another day dream. "When the queen died then it'll be your job, as her one and only daughter, to lead the hive forward! And to do that you must learn!" He said, waiting impatiently a few minutes. Finally shaking his head he trotted over, grabbed a very large stack of books; and unceremoniously slammed the stack on the desk. "You will be expected to read each and every one, princess."

Time appeared to fast forward, but only a period of months. The foal sat on the throne, while her mother sat nearby, her eyes glued to the foal like a hawk, carefully and fully critiquing her every action.

"Auroras! Honey! You should have decided in favor of the higher noble in this situation, he will be much more important to securing your rule then the lower noble will be." The queen responded coldly. "Beside the higher noble is a pure changeling up to at least fifteen generations, while the other noble is one quarter convert, and to top that off his grandfather was originally of the drone class."

"But mommy!" The foal protested. "The lower noble was right!" She said, with zeal.

The queen shook her hoof violently, resisting the urge to use violence. "And they won't help you move this hive forward after my passing!" She stated angrily. "And nonsense like rainbows and freedom won't help!" She said, rebuking her daughter. "Maybe you have too much of your father in you! She said, ushering a few members of her praetorian guard in. "Gents!" She commanded. "Please remove all pony items from my daughter's room! And her collection of colored rocks! Apparently rainbow's are too big of a distraction for her!"

The foal cried, as the guard left dutifully, gathering a few more of the Hyperion guard to assist.

Once again, the foal stood before Twilight, and orated again. "One of those rainbow's was a gift for my mommy! And you know what she said when she heard that it had been discarded: 'Good! If you are going to be queen someday then you need to get rid of these notions! I'm glad they got rid of all that nonsense!'"

The foal fell to her knees, sobbing violently. "Mommy! Don't you love me?"

In this distance, her mother looked away, almost looking sad. "Princess: you have your duties, and you must learn what it means to be a true princess!"

Time began to pass again, as Twilight could see the foal before her quickly grow into an pre adolescent filly -- around the age of the crusaders.

"Greetings gents!" She said, as she approached her mother's room, holding a flower in her hair, and another in her saddlebag -- both obtained from the lands of the ponies to the north. "I wish to see my mother."

The guards glared at her, and crossed spears. "The egg containing your sister is about to hatch, and nopony is permitted entry until after incubation has completed."

"What do you mean?" The filly asked, looking at the guards. "My mother is in there! As is my sister! Shouldn't I be there for the joyful occasion."

"No!" The guards groused, as the sound of the egg finally cracking could be heard from the other room.

From the crack in the doorway, she could see her mother, and step father, as well as the queen's adviser inside the room.

The adviser's face lit up as soon as he saw the result of the birth. "Excellent, my liege!" The advisor said, taking a careful look at the newborn foal. "Good news, my queen: It's a girl -- your line is secure!"

The queen's husband's face lit up as well. "Excellent! What should we call her? Our daughter! Our one true daughter?!"

The queen's countenance dropped. She frowned looking down. "She is to be called Amethyst! She is now first in line of inheritance and..." She said, swallowing tears. "Auroras is to be disowned, stripped of title and inheritance, and is now to be a bastard!"

The advisor smiled widely. "This means that since you have given birth to a purebred changeling with your true husband that you no longer need that worthless daughter of a convert." He said, feeling high and mighty at the queen's 'right thinking' "What are we to do with her?" He asked, smiling sadistically at the older princess, who he could see through the crack in the door.

Hearing these words caused the rainbow maned changeling -- who Twilight just learned was called Auroras -- to gulp violently -- shaking violently -- as the color quickly drained from her face. She had heard about what happened to the children whom the hive dubbed as bastards. She heard that they could use the same process that transformed ponies into changeling converts to transform intelligent changelings into mindless drones.

She started backing away scooting along the floor backwards as her legs lacked the strength to stand. She had also heard that sometimes, in the hive, unwanted relatives simply disappeared never to be seen again.

One of the praetorian guards grabbed her, dragging her towards the door.

Inside the door she could hear the her parents and their advisor discussing her fate.

"What do you want done with her then, majesty?" The old advisor asked eagerly -- probably already savoring the fate he had planned for the young ex-princess.

The queen, who had been moping -- despite the joyous event, began to speak. "She is to be sent to boarding school with the unicorns!" She proclaimed.

Both the advisor and her father turned their heads in disbelief. "Boarding school? Are you ok, your majesty? Don't you mean -- ?"

The queen turned to them, her face getting stern. "You heard me: she is to be sent to boarding school! And if you wish to remain in my employ then you are not to ask again!" She barked, furiously.

Her husband turned to his wife, the queen. "But my queen! She is the daughter of a half convert, and the child of an illegitimate coupling and --"

"No buts!" The queen commanded, on the verge of using what would later be called The Royal Canterlot Voice. "I am well aware that I shouldn't, but I will anyway!" She said, ushering the guards, and her daughter in. "Just get her out of my way! And nothing more! OR YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO US!!!" She shouted, causing her husband and adviser to cower in fear.

The guards opened their mouth. "Am I to find a unicorn for her to replace, majesty?"

The queen shook her head vigorously. "She is to find her own form! It's time she stopped living with her head in the clouds, thinking about rainbows, and learned the truth of our kind." She said, ushering the young princess Auroras into exile among the unicorns.

********

Twilight turned and gulped, the night before the wedding, when 'her mother' was still contemplating kidnapping her and taking her to the hive, 'her mother' had said, that this practice was usually reserved for weak babies, in times of famine. Basically the changelings would dispatch a pony, and replace it with their own foal, who would grow up not knowing who or what they really are until they were collected, and returned to the hive. 'Her mother' even claimed that that's what happened to Twilight, calling her something asinine like 'Amaryllis'.

The filly turned to twilight, looking at her sadly. "Mother said I was supposed to dispatch and replace a pony, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it." She said, sobbing softly. "I just couldn't do it!"

Twilight looked on in awe. A changeling with a soul? Are there actually kind changelings out there? Are there some that aren't just petty predators?

The filly raised her hoof, her face turning red. "No wonder I can't be queen! I'm weak! Just like my father! I'll never be a true changeling and nopony would ever love a fraud like me!" She said, her eyes closed, and her changeling horn glowing as she slowly began took on a form. "Instead I took my memories of the ponies, and the phony unobtainable images of beauty that the ponies' stallions used to hide when I passed by -- as well as my own hopes and dreams to take on the form of a fake pony -- to go with me: a fake changeling!" She sighed, looking at her horn -- now a twisted unicorn horn.

"Unicorns represent the mystical powers of the arcane, and the hidden powers of the mind." She said, orating as from a stage -- before turning her face again to Twilight and frowning -- unable to say whatever it was she wanted to say to Twilight.

The scene slowly transitioned to the outsides of an old school. Twilight had seen paintings of the school from the end of the interregnum. This was what Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns had looked like before the beginnings of her reign -- and before Discord's brief reign of the land.

Before Twilight stood the changeling Auroras in her unicorn form: a white unicorn with a rainbow mane, blue eyes, and a rainbow colored star cutie mark. Surrounding her, on all sides, were all manner of young unicorn fillies and colts. Each one mocking her in turn. Others chose the opportunity to push her around, or knock her legs out from under her.

The changeling stood defiantly, but her will seemed to slowly crack, as tears began to form in her eyes. She was muttering something softly, but the words didn't seem to come out.

One of the oldest stallions of the group: a young member of the Moonstone clan chimed in. "If you want this to stop Auroras, then stop being such a lousy unicorn, and cast real magic!" He demanded, ordering some of the stallions to begin tossing objects at her with their magic with a twist of his hoof.

"Please stop!" She said, sobbing slightly -- her horn completely unable to do anything but spark slightly.

"What a complete waste!" Said a young unicorn stallion from house Diamond Glow. "She can't even cast basic magic!" He said, turning his head down, and shaking it melodramatically. "How can she possible represent this school for anything?"

The unicorn from the Moonstone clan turned to his friend. "I know!" He said, laughing haughtily. "I even heard she was a princess somewhere!"

The other unicorn joined into the laughter. "How did a worthless unicorn like this even get into Platina's school for talented mages anyway?" He asked, beginning to walk over to the young princess Auroras. "Nepotism?"

Auroras turned to the two, defiantly. "I can cast magic you can't even believe!" She said, boastfully. "I just can't it under pressure!" She said, unable to catch a piece of rotten fruit that was lobbed at her by one of the students.

Shining Glow, the unicorn from house Diamond Glow, turned to his friend Sunstone, the unicorn from house Moonstone, and ribbed him slightly with his shoulder. "Just can't do it under pressure! Oh! Of course! I'm sure everypony will believe that!"

Both unicorns started laughing, this time riotously. "Maybe we should teach you something about magic!" They said, charging their horns. "Watch and learn!"

" But despite my pessimism there were a few kind unicorns around!" The voice of Auroras beamed through the scene -- which had suddenly stopped. "I'm reminded of regal majesty, a kindred spirit of mine, and the only unicorn who seemed to know, or care what was happening to me!" The voice said, with sadness.

"I think that's just about enough!" Since a unicorn in the distance, who's voice immediately caused the crowd to part. "Can't you see the poor dear is doing the best she can." The pitch black unicorn said, her purple eyes practically peering into the souls of the two stallions.

"But Regal Majesty! She's an insult to our school!" They said. "She'll make a joke of this school!"

"Tut Tut Tut!" She exclaimed, her purple mane blowing in the wind. "And maybe the problem is that you've scared the dear impudent?" She said, her muzzle scrunching slightly. "Now why don't you all head to class!" She said, motioning with her hoof, causing the crowd to quickly scatter. She turned to the young changeling turned unicorn. "So how do you feel my dear?" She said, with pity. "Hopefully those ruffians didn't hurt you too badly!"

"Ok." Auroras said, hiding her tears. "I'm ok -- I think!"

"I'm sorry about them." She said, with a gentle smile. "I may be a bastard child, but ponies fear what my mother would do to them none the same."

The changeling filly turned in awe. "Who's your mother -- " The filly asked, stopping when it became obvious by the older unicorns face that she had touched a nerve.

Regal majesty looked to the side, sighing on the inside. "Queen Platina. The queen of the unicorn tribes, and 'ruler of all she surveys'!" She said, sarcastically. Did Regal Majesty have some kind of issue with her mother?

"And your dad?" Auroras asked, in awe. "Are they afraid of him too?"

"We don't speak of him." Regal Majesty retorted. "Not that mother knows anyway, I've heard speculation of every eligible unicorn in the country, and even some outlandish claims such as commander Hurricane. In the end, I suspect, I got my mother's eyes and mane, and my father's coat -- what little good that is!" She said, wanting a piece of the deadbeat.

Time flowed forward again, a few months -- even possibly a year or two. The changeling turned unicorn sat side by side with the bastard daughter of the princess. Both sighing due to bad news from their respective homes. So the two of them sat a comfortable distance from the other, watching the sun slowly sink, along with their spirits.

Regal majesty turned to her friend, frowning deeply. "So you thought about what you're going to do after boarding school?" She said, after spending much deliberation on her own future. "You know that's where they send nobles children to disappear, right!?" She said, getting up to walk away. "It's not like after we finish here that we'll be expecting much fanfare. Most likely all I can expect is to be married to some deadbeat noble, and shipped off to 'rule' some far away hamlet."

Auroras shook her head. "I think mother still loves me! And I'm certain she'd never do anything cruel like that!" She said, lying to herself. "I'm certain that she'll find a place for me when I return home! I just don't know what it is yet!"

Regal majesty turned, and sighed. "And so why did you stay here during the fourty-seven day Hearth's Warming season celebrations? Instead of returning to your family?"

Auroras sighed, the unicorn was right on that count. She still had the letter from the queen: 'you are not permitted to return at this time. Any attempts to do so will be treated as a mark of treason against the hive itself.'

"In the end, I got out of my unfair share of trouble thanks to that unicorn." The voice said, fondly. "She was honestly the closest thing I had to a friend, and certainly the only unicorn I can recall meeting that showed any kind of true friendship to me." She said, recollecting some of the magic training they had done together. "And honestly her support pushed me on to become a fairly proficient spell caster." The voice said, slowly panning out to the filly. "But in the end she couldn't protect me from everything, and those who'd wish me harm like Shining Glow and Sunstone simply learned to bide their time until the bastard princess wasn't around."

********

The filly -- this time appeared again, as a young adolescent. "The pegasus represent the freedom of the wind, and the ferocity of the storm." She orated, looking off into a growing peep hole into her life. "Of the three tribes, they are the warriors." She said, staring off at herself, sandwiched between the walls of the school, and six angry unicorn stallions -- led by her arch rivals, Shining Glow and Sunstone.

"Please!" The filly begged. "I have to get to class." She pleaded, further squishing against the wall.

"And I think you should be banished to Butterfly Island with all the pegasus tribe's rejects!" Shining Glow said, laughing arrogantly. "But we can't both get what we want!"

His friend joined in, giving him their signature hoof shake. "Scorn! Scorn! Sugar warn horn!" They said, bumping horns.

Sunstone finally opened his mouth (Auroras fully expected it to happen eventually.) "You know, girl, you are a disgrace to this school!" He said, threateningly. "So I think I'm going to ask, as nicely as possible for you to leave!" He said, sharpening his hoof against the cobble stones. "So are you going to leave like a good little filly." He said, his voice filled with superiority. "Or am I going to have to eject you forcibly?" He said, starting to laugh again.

"And how about you leave her alone instead?" Asked a fiery red pegasus who's blue eyes seemed to peer into the stallion's souls. "Unless you want to fight with me?" She said, shaking her fiesta colored rainbow mane defiantly.

Some of the smallest unicorns of the group gulped slightly, but their nerves quickly returned when their two ring leaders spoke.

"What are you even doing here?" Shining Glow asked, haughtily.

"Yeah! Shouldn't a brutish pegasus like you be off with Hurricane's little outfit?" Sunstone asked, joining his friend.

"I think she got confused, and lost her way!" Shining glow said, causing both unicorns to laugh raucously. "You know how stupid these pegasus ponies can be especially with their weak little eyes." He said, intentionally causing his eyes to separate, each looking at opposite directions.

"Certainly!" The other said, poking at her wings. "Oh she looks unhealthy too! Her and her broken worthless wings -- maybe she was sent here because she didn't fit in with her people, you know I've heard stories about what happens to pegasus ponies who can't fly!" He said, snickering sadistically to his friend. "So why don't you get a clue and run along!" Sunstone said dropping a none too subtle hint.

"Before you get yourself hurt!" His friend said, motioning her along -- with a strong sense of superiority.

The pegasus pony only smirked, confidently. "And I think I'm here to fight all six of you!" She said, trotting forward slowly, causing some of the stallions to back off. That only caused her smile to grow, as her confidence appeared to only increase. "Any of you macho stallions want to test their metal against a battle hardened pegasus?" She asked, doing a fake lunge at Sunstone who flinched slightly.

"But... But... But... You... You're just a mare!" One of the stallions stammered, anxiously. "We... We... We... We can take you easy!" He said, charging.

The pegasus didn't even flinch causing the stallion to stop cold, and start to back up. "Heh!" She said to herself, outright. "And I don't even mind that you're all stallions!" She said, smirking sadistically. "In fact, I more than just think that a mare like me can take you all: I KNOW THAT I CAN!" She yelled, causing the smallest stallion to high tail it and run away, was it just Auroras, or was there a slight dull sheen to the cobble stones?

The pegaus turned to the five remaining stallions. "You want to know why?" She asked, the next smallest pegasus, that was starting to shake like a leaf.

"W... Why?" He asked, cowering back as she stuck out her neck to remain eye to eye with him.

"Because, in pegasus ponies, the ferocity of the mares is MUCH higher than that in the stallions!" She said, beginning to chase the smallest stallion against the wall -- causing him to flee at a ninety degree angle and away from the pack.

"Don't think so?" She asked the four remaining unicorns. "Why don't you four come and test that theory?" She said, with a cocky grin -- causing the third stallion to walk away, his head stuck down sullenly.

"Come on!" She grinned again. "I'll even let you get the first hit!" She said, flaring her wings and sticking her neck back as to make her chest stick out prominently (and motioning at it with one of her wings.

"Or are you chicken?" She asked, Sunstone and Shining glow. "Come at me!" She said, in a sultry tone.

"We... We're certainly not chicken! Isn't that true Mystic Star!" Shining Glow said, turning to find his friend had disinvaporated -- metaphorically speaking.

Sunstone gulped. "Maybe we should leave Shining Glow? I... think... we've demonstrated Auroras' need to leave! ... Aptly enough!" He said, running off.

Shining Glow stood there, cussing violently. "This isn't over! It's not over or either of you!" He said, beginning to back off -- well aware he couldn't take the pegasus in a fight, especially if the pampered 'princess' joined in the fray. "I'll be back! And you'll all be sorry!" He shouted, to his friend who had left -- doing his hoof shake all alone. " Scorn! Scorn! Sugar warn horn!" Before quickly fleeing off into the school, whimpering like a wounded dog.

Only once she was certain that the six unicorns were out of range of both sight and sound, did she crumple into the ground, nervously. "Whew!" She exclaimed to herself. "I've never been so frightened in all my days!" The fiery pegasus with the fiesta rainbow mane exclaimed with relief.

"You can come out now." She said, with a motherly voice to the cowering changeling turned unicorn -- still plastered nervously to the wall. "I won't hurt you." She said, beckoning the filly out like a nervous fowl -- walking backwards slightly.

The changeling filly looked at nervously for a minute, before opening her mouth. "Thank you so much!" She said, to a simple nod from the pegasus, and a smile that said 'you're welcome' in a very concise manner. "My name is Auroras, and what's yours?"

The pegasus stood up, chest puffed, wings fully extended, head up high -- exuding boundless confidence (which she wasn't really feeling right now, but she definitely put up a good show.) "Names Sky Runner!" She said, making sure to give her name full effect before continuing. "I'm a transfer student from Commander Hurricane's camp for the young officers (also known as the Hurricane school for gifted fliers.)"

The young unicorn changeling looked her in disbelief. Why was she here then? Pegasus ponies can't cast unicorn magic.

The pegasus met her at the pass. "It's kind of a unification experiment -- not that I agree with it, but you know a young pegasus like me has got to do her duty to the greater good of the unit!" She said, dutifully, breaking into laughter by the end. "But seriously!" She said, taking her own advice. "If those stallions so much as even look at you the wrong way again let me know! And I'll happily turn their faces into the same mush that they have for brains!" She said, smiling earnestly, and causing the young changeling to smile gratefully.

"But why?" Auroras asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to stay out of dirty affairs like this? Aren't you worried it'll make ponies think you're a meddler, or a tattle, or something? Won't they hate you?"

Sky Runner simply blew a raspberry. "And who says I care?" She said, watching the filly changeling's eyes grow to the size of dinner plates. "Besides! I kind of consider this my mission in life! Thing about it is, I lost my father to some monsters when I was still too small to remember him and because of it I have made it my purpose in life to protect the innocent!" She said, regaining her heroic pose. "Kind of like a super hero!"

The scene froze for a second, and the filly spoke to Twilight. "Truth be told, Twilight: I quickly figured out that Sky Runner's father was taken away from her by my mother, and transformed into a drone! She was the youngest of five -- and my older half sister, if you include myself." She said, sighing sadly. "I don't think she ever figured it out... well not before it was much too late to matter! I have always wondered if she would have been such a close friend if she had found out!"

She said, disappearing into the darkness, as the scene resumed.

"Weren't you scared?" Auroras asked, her blue eyes trying to peer into the pegasus soul. "I mean they were six of the biggest and most magical unicorns this school has!

"Of course!" She said, honestly. "But truth be told I wasn't going to let them hurt you! 'Sides I was more angry then scared!" She said, scowling slightly. "Insults about a pegasus' wings and eyes are like the worst possible insults for them! It's because a pegasus eyes and wings are the very things that make us so special, it would be like you losing your horn, or an earth pony losing their legs!" She said, shaking angrily, her hoof tightly pressed against the building. "Good thing I kept it together!" She said, smiling again. "If it had come to a fight I might have had trouble protecting myself -- let alone the both of us against those stallions! (No matter how much I believed I could!)"

"The truth be told -- " The young changeling mare orated. "Her words were prophetic."

********

Time flew forward again, this time only a short period. The young changeling mare appeared again before Twilight, and opened her mouth to orate again.

Before Twilight was a scene of a violently sobbing filly Chrysalis -- her pillow covered in tears. . "Why!... Why did they do this to me!" She sobbed, beginning to shake one of her hooves. "I thought they were my friends!"

Just outside the door, peering in silently Twilight could see the face of Aurora's unicorn form -- looking much older --, her face filled with concern and despair. All she could do was shake her head, and shed a few tears herself -- at the cruelty of pony kind.

The young mare opened her mouth, and began to narrate a voice over above the scene. "I felt for Chrysi -- I really did -- especially when I found out that her friends had been turned against her by that horrible Celestia!" The voice said, swallowing tears as it spoke. "But in the end I could never consent to her methods! Nor approve of 'the justice' she enacted on her ex-friends!" The voice over said, watching an Auroras leave in disgust at something that happened off screen. "Never ever could I approve of what she did! And every time I have even considered so much as attempting to justifying her methods -- " The voice said, trailing off. "All I can see is Sky Runner, lying on the floor -- " The voice said, weeping at a memory that began to materialize in front of her. "Motionless and missing her wings!"

"Please! Just go away!" She said, begging of her old adversaries Sunstone and Shining Glow to just go away. "What did I do to you?" She said, quivering quietly, being reduced to cowering quietly in the corner of her own room.

She swallowed violently as her adversaries and their four big friends (probably hired thugs) slowly approached. "What will Regal Majesty say when she finds out?" She said, desperately.

The stallions smirked evilly. "Oh she won't even know!" They said, approaching her slowly -- savoring every moment. "Sunstone pulled some strings and had her expelled! We'll save the details as you won't care what they are in a second!"

She started to scrunch against one of her own walls. "What will Sky Runner think?" She said, scraping her back hooves against the wall.

"Oh she knows who you are, girl! Just like the six of us!" Shining Glow said with glee. "I made sure to leak the news to her, so she's probably off somewhere sobbing about her daddy!" He said wiping fake tears off his eyelids. "Your kind took him away." He said, causing the changeling unicorn's face to pale. "And now --"

"Please just go away!" The young mare cried. "I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry! Now please just go away! I beg you! I'll do anything!"

The stallions shook their heads. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt? And besides It's time for justice." They said, ordering their four giant friends forward. "You've been picking on us long enough!"

Sunstone tapped his hoof on the ground signaling his four big friends to advance forward, grabbing Auroras, and twisting her around so her face faced the corner, and her plot faced Sunstone.

Shining Glow gloated evilly. "But your kind feeds on love!" He said, smiling disingenuously. "So we're simply going to give you your fill!" He scoffed, stamping his goons to put pressure on her front legs so she'd bend them slightly.

He reared up ominously. "Now smile! Because -- " He started saying, causing Auroras to flinch internally. However, instead of the inevitable, she could hear heavy wheezing. This caused the stallions to let go, all turning around simultaneously.

She reluctantly did the same -- feeling both terrified of what stood before her, and hopeful.

Standing before her was her friend Sky Runner -- never before had she been so happy to see the pegasus.

"Oh Sky Runner -- " She started, before the pegasus shouted at her.

"Run!!!" She shouted to her friend, zipping in front of the sole stallion still standing between the changeling princess and the door -- turning in mid flight for a quick buck that caused him to fly back slightly. "Run Auroras!" She shouted, causing her friend to nod automatically as she started galloping at top speed. "And don't look back!"

Auroras hesitated at the door. "But Sky Runner! Your father! It's my fault! I'm not a unicorn! I'm a -- !" She shouted.

The pegasus only smiled, lovingly -- like one would smile to their sister.

The voice chimed in again. "To this day, I suspect that Sky Runner knew -- at that moment that we were half sisters -- and she knew what happened to her father and she didn't seem to care!" It said, beginning to weep. "But she came to my aid anyway! And at what a price!" The voice moaned. "Those goons had already told her that I was one of the 'monster ponies' that took away her father -- and yet she didn't seem to care? Did she really accept me as a sister, or was it merely her desire to protect?"

The voice stood silent for a minute, with the scene frozen as well.

The princess of friendship appeared to be sobbing slightly, having as much trouble seeing the cruelty of pony towards pony as the changeling princess did. She turned to the doctor. "When are these endless flashbacks going to end?" She begged, on the verge of having a flare up of her rainbow powers.

The doctor remained cold and calculating. "They can't yet! It's time that Rainbow learned the truth." He said to Twilight coldly. "As long as she continues to pretend that she's that alternate Ponyville's Rainbow Dash (you know, 'the glamour girl of Ponyville') she'll never be able to stop these magic bursts!"

Twilight turned to him, thinking he was talking about her Rainbow Dash.

The doctor shook his head. "Not your Rainbow Dash, Twilight. The other Rainbow Dash." He said, with a sigh.

The voice continued sobbing, before bravely continuing their oration. "As I ran away, I could hear her last words." The voice orated.

Before Twilight the scene began to resume.

Sky runner turned to one group of three stallions, pasting them to the wall with one mighty flap of her wings. She turned around, causing a small whirl wind to do the same to the second group -- as Auroras finally fled out the door of her own room.

Behind her she could hear the stallions chuckling, as the pegasus' voice spoke confidently. "You want a piece of somepony? How about me!?" She said, trotting between the stallions and the door. "You mooks wanna dance?" She said, as the stallions began to rise feeling quite cocky now. "You want to know why in the rock paper scissors of war pegasus magic beats unicorn magic?" she said, flaring her wings and puffing her chest -- her face filled with rage. "Come and get it!"

Shining Glow smirked. "And you shall! It's time an example were made of those who make a mockery of this school!" He squeaked, tapping his hoof tenderly, causing the other stallions to circle the pegasus. "And you'll pay for head butting me in my stallion place!"

The pegasus stood defiantly, none the less. "How about you dance with this!? I'll show you why the pegasi are Ponyland's warriors!" She said, propelling herself forward, flooring Sunstone with a quick head butt to the head.

The other five stallions remained confident though, powering up their horns.

Twilight heard the pegasus voice very softly -- as if she was speaking from far away. "I'll show you what kinds of warriors we pegasi are!"

Princess Auroras spoke again, her face contorted in horror. "Even here -- even now -- I have suppressed the memory of what those stallions did to Sky Runner! And I refuse to show it to you!" She said, turning to Twilight. "Do you know what it felt like to see my friends gruesome and lifeless form being dragged away from before my eyes?"

Twilight shook her head, sadly.

"If it wasn't for my friend Regal Majesty, I would have given up and hated all unicorns long ago!" She said, turning to Twilight, her face contorted in rage. She sighed though, her anger giving way to sadness. "But then I would have ended up like my sister or Chrysi!"

"In the end none of those six stallions got what they deserved! Instead their rich and powerful parents pulled some strings and had them only disowned and banished to Earth (the earth pony territories, not the planet.) I wouldn't be surprised if Sunstone and Shining Glow's descendants don't exist to this day -- blissfully unaware of the blood stains on their family's hooves!" She said, giving one last snarl.

********

The young mare stood up again before Twilight. Her temperament returning. "But what I really want to be is an earth pony!" She said, wistfully. "The earth represents kindness. It represents love. The represents growth. And, most importantly, the earth represents family."

The young mare stood staring out a window at the earth pony surfs below, working the fields. They worked together as family.

The voice pushed her hoof, revealing the scene below. "Mommy I can't do it!" The young earth pony colt whined, holding up a very dead flower. "I'll never raise my flowers like you and daddy do!"

The colt's mother gently muzzled him. "You'll get it someday!" She said, with an affectionate smile. "I promise!"

The colt's face frowned in concern, and dismay. "But what happens if my magic never grows in? What If I end up doing something other than working the fields?"

The mother's face smiled. "Then we'll support you whatever you do!" She said, picking up the dead flower, which slowly sprang to life. "And I'm not concerned yet! I think your magic just needs to grow in more!" She said lovingly.

Meanwhile, Twilight could hear the words that echoed in the changeling's head.

"Lady Auroras,

We have decided to respond to your letter, by informing you that your request to return to the hive has been denied. We simply have no resources or space available for you, at this time. You may make another request at a later time to request an appeal.

Prime Minister Wormwood."

The changeling princess sighed to herself. This must have been the hundredth rejection that she had been given by the hive. "Why mother? Don't you love me anymore?" Auroras thought to herself, on the verge of tears. " -- " Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by her teacher.

"Miss. Auroras." The teacher groused. "Are you looking out that window again?" She said, chastising the young mare. "Those earth ponies are surfs -- their lives will never amount to anything!" She said, closing the drapes, scoffing at the ponies below. "And if you keep doing the staring out the window then neither will you!" The teacher said, hitting the desk with her ruler, and returning to the chalkboard.

The young changeling sighed sorrowfully.

"But how could I not?" The young mare asked, turning to Twilight. "I mean look at them! They were all friends! They were all family!" She said, starting to sob. "All of my friends were now gone! I lost Sky Runner to those misfits, and Regal Majesty to child birth." She stopped for a second, tilting her head contemplatively. "I believe it was a stallion from the surf class -- I believe the family name was 'Unicorn', or some other such non-descript thing."

"So there I stood." The changeling said, turning to her past self looking at the drapes questioning whether it should have been herself, and not Sky Runner that those goons caught. The voice continued. "Studying pointless unicorn magic!" She hissed, with agitation. "And do know what the answer was every time I requested to return home?" The voice asked Twilight.

Twilight sighed, having just finished the letter. "The answer was always no?"

Auroas nodded. "Correct! The answer was always no! Did the earth ponies ever do this? Did the earth ponies ever abandon their children? Did they put their positions and self interests before their families? NO!" She shouted, apparently at her mother. "Why did mother get rid of me? Why did she abandon me? Was it because I don't have the actively feed like the rest of the hive, and instead fed on ambient love? Was it because I was born to the wrong father?" She asked Twilight, her eyes screaming in anger. "Why? What did I ever do wrong? All throughout my childhood I fought hard to be everything mother wanted and more! And how did she repay me?" The changeling asked, as a cascade of scenes came flying by. "She banished me as soon as my half sister was born to the 'right father'! And that wasn't even the worst of it! If she'd acted the way towards me, that was expected of her, then I'd have left this plane long ago! Or worse: I'd have been turned into a drone!" She said, the scene growing hazy, and returning to the school.

The changeling's voice boomed over the scene. "In the end I had had it! I spent the rest of my time studying either long forgotten spells and forbidden magic, or staring out the window and dreaming -- dreaming that I had been born an earth pony instead of a blood sucking changeling!" She said, as her past self looked out the window.

Out the window Twilight could see the same earth pony family from before. The colt raced up to his mother, muzzling her eagerly. "Look mommy! I did it!" He said, holding up a small plant. "I made it grow! All by myself."

"Oh that's so great dear!" The mother said, eagerly. "I knew you could do it! See there was nothing to fear!"

The colt turned. "I'm just so glad you supported me! And never gave up on me!"

The mother smiled, lovingly. "Even if you never made anything grow I would still love you! And I would never have given up on you!"

The colt smiled to his mother, thankfully.

As this heartwarming scene progressed, Princess Auroras turned to Twilight. "Do you wonder now why I wished to be one of their kind instead of my own?" She asked, angrily.

Twilight nodded, smiling as much as she was able.

"In the end I learned magic that even the likes of Celestia and Luna have long forgotten." She said, before turning to Twilight with an inquisitive expression. "Did you ever hear of a unicorn spell known as 'winking'?"

Twilight shook her head, she had never heard of this, except in legends that had been passed on since time memorial. And certainly no unicorn she knew even had a vague idea what it meant to wink.

The changeling frowned once more. "I thought so." She said, winking her eye slightly. "And do you know what it was all worth? Nothing!"

********

The doctor sighed, and rubbed his eyes as time slowly slipped forward again.

Before Twilight stood a mare about Twilight's age. The mare's eyes were filled with confusion and wracked with guilt. "Was our kind wrong and the fluttering ones right?" She asked Twilight -- who simply shrugged her withers. "Was the first queen simply leading those that followed her into the pit?" She asked, expecting no answer to come. "Were the fluttering ones, in fact, right to turn their backs on their own kind and try to survive away from the warmth and light of the sunstone?" The voice asked rhetorically.

Twilight looked on with a puzzled expression. Fluttering ones? What could she be talking about? Why did the phrase sound familiar? And why did she immediately dislike them?

Time slipped forward slightly more. The scene changed to the mare talking with a unicorn with Time Turner's symbol -- who slipped her a letter. Twilight guessed that he was probably really a changeling, like the princess. Auroras' voice could be heard booming over the scene. "Upon graduation I learned from a subordinate/confidant of mine that my earlier fears might have been justified." The voice boomed as her past self took the letter, and indignantly crumpled it and trampled it with great intent under her hoof -- before sitting down and weeping silently.

After sobbing for a few minutes quietly, she packed up her few meager possessions before writing a new letter and handing to the fake stallion. "Please send this to mother. Tell her that I wish to participate in one of the hive's many campaigns, and that I regret not being able to return at this time."

Time passed forward some more.

The mare turned to Twilight. "Naturally there was only one choice." She said, pausing for emphasis. "I led an expedition into the dragon territories. And in that Faust forsaken place I remained through Platina's waning years of life and into her children and grand children's lives."

"Wait!" Twilight exclaimed, interrupting the exposition -- puzzling slightly. "How old are you?"

Auroras sighed, painfully. "Older then Chrysalis, older then her brother, older then her mother Amethyst. Older, even, then Celestia." She said, looking like she felt that she was older then dirt.

Twilight's jaw just about dropped. "How?" She asked, wondering if this was even possible. "Don't changelings only live 1000 years, give or take?"

Auroras blushed, looking like she hated herself. "It's some forbidden magic that I learned while at that worthless university." She said puffing her chest slightly. "Basically as long as I feed some of the love energy that I feed on into the spell I'm basically ageless." She said, thinking about all her lost years. After a few seconds, she sighed again. "It turned out that my unique ability to feed off ambient emotional energy long after adulthood turned out to be very handy when on expedition in draconic territory."

Twilight looked at her cross-eyed. "Why? What difference would it make?"

Auroras sighed. "Basically dragons are a lot like changelings in that they don't really love." She said, pausing for a second. "And to make matters worse they don't really experience any other emotions either -- other then greed, anger, hatred, and perhaps envy." She said, turning to Twilight again. "Do you know how hard it is to feed on love when their idea of love is more like longing after other dragon's body like it was meat?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not much!"

Auroras smiled. "Exactly! So in the end we had to feed on whatever little scattered emotion they gave off." She frowned, tapping her hoof nervously. "Any normal changeling would starve in such a place, and that was my unique skills were so useful there." She said, with a smile. "Fortunately, In the end, I also received some chances to use the magic that I had learned at that worthless university." She smirked. "In the end though, it allowed me to bring heroic victories against vastly superior forces, against insurmountable odds." She said, beaming with pride, before her countenance dropped.

Before her Twilight could see a scene of a mail mare nervously handing a letter to Auroras, who was dressed in a fine suit of armor. She promptly proceeded to stomp said letter into the ground -- and ordered that the letter be set ablaze.

Auroras turned to Twilight again. "Do you wonder why my mother hated me? Here was why!" She said, showing the letter to Twilight.

Twilight read the letter. To her dismay it was written by the now Queen Amethyst and stated that their mother had passed on and pronounced that Amethyst not Auroras was to be the new queen. Furthermore it stated that she and her men had been pronounced as traitors to the hive and were not permitted to return home under any circumstances -- ever.

"In the end, though, I brought victory and a favorable treaty to the hive against the dragons. The treaty had stated that the dragons were to give up all claims on the bad lands, and the land that flutter valley used to reside, and in exchange the changelings were to stay out of dragon territory. This was considered, of course, a great victory." She said, as her younger self stood side by side with her sister, the queen, to great fanfare from the hive. "and from that victory is where I earned the nicknames 'Lady Rainbow', 'The Rainbow of Doom', and 'the Rainbow of Darkness'." She said, looking away again. "And the nicknames multiplied from there! But in the end, it was only after that moment that I was allowed to return home -- and even then I was treated as an outsider within my own hive, and amongst my own people." She said, as her younger self could be seen asking something of a noble changeling who promptly scoffed, and walked past her -- making sure to bump her with his shoulder as he passed.

The princess sighed. "In the end though, this wasn't the end of my dismay. Because I was passed up in succession when Chrysalis' brother Vladímir was born, and again when Chrysalis took over as queen after her mother's death. Meanwhile I was sent to endless wars against the dragons, the griffons ,the deer, the bears, and so on and so forth -- endlessly." She said, as before her showed a collage of battles between changelings and various nations, up and including Sombra's Crystal empire, the eagle aerie and zebric kingdoms.

"But was never permitted to return to the hive for any length of time, or serve in any capacity." She said, as her younger self stood before the hive, kicking the ash at the hive as she left.

The mare opened her mouth, in disgust. "I hereby leave this hive! Abdicate my so-called position and leave! Hopefully never to return!" She said to herself, powering up her horn to take a new form.

********

Auroras turned to Twilight again. "But what I really want to be is an earth pony!" She said, her voice filled with sadness. "The earth represents kindness. It represents love. The earth represents growth. And, most importantly, the earth represents family."

Before her Twilight could see an earth pony with a blue coat, a rainbow cutie mark, and a vibrant rainbow mane walk into the Ponyville of Applejack's parent's youths. The earth pony turned to a pink earth pony stallion -- her face blushing heavily. "Excuse me, sir. But I was wondering if you knew of anypony looking for a designer or event organizer?" She said, swallowing harder the more she looked at the stallion. "I know it's not my special talent, but I was hoping to get away from some bad memories from my past, and I was hoping a small town like this would be a -- " She said, tittering like an idiot. "Good place to start over."

He smiled at her, and opened his mouth jousting playfully. "You see something you like?"

"Whatever do you mean?" She said, with a bad case of Rarity would call 'the giggles'.

"Oh no worries ma'am. If you want, you can help me out! I've been looking for an assistant in my party planning, and I could give you a shot for a few days -- you know to see if you'd be a good fit." He said, with an honest smile.

"Thank you sir." She said, bowing politely as he began to walk away.

She turned to Twilight -- as if talking through the third wall. (Pinkie would be very upset, that's her thing!) "A handful of years before Princess Larva was born and several, several, years before you were born Twilight --"

The mare showed a scene of her standing at a lake, closing her eyes and imagining something as her body began to take a shape. "I grew disillusioned with the hive, and decided to live among the earth ponies -- as I had always dreamed! And I even took the shape I had been developing in my mind's eye since my childhood -- basically the form of my dreams!" She said, as the green magic began to clear -- revealing the form Twilight had seen just a minute before. "A blue earth pony with vibrant rainbow hair, and a rainbow cutie mark -- the original shapes and colors of my father, except, mind you, that he was a pegasus!"

Twilight looked around the scene before being pulled back by a surly doctor. "Didn't I tell you not to wonder off?"

"It looks familiar doesn't it?" Lady Rainbow asked.

Twilight nodded, looking out at what might have been the house Granny Smith showed in her presentation (yes, being a princess had its advantages -- as she could see the family appreciation speeches herself.)

"This is your Ponyville -- at least what the town looked like in your parent's generation." She said, looking around wistfully at the memories. "It was a lot smaller then it is now! That apple child -- what was her name?... Ah Apple Bloom! Her grandmother was a relatively young mare, having just had her children, and the town had barely established itself."

The changeling mare waved her hoof, the scene transitioned to a scene of her and the pink stallion from earlier standing before the alter. "In the end." She mused to herself. "I ran into, and eventually married the stallion of my dreams, a young event organizer named 'Bubble Burst', and a dead ringer for his niece -- your Pinkie Pie." She sighed wistfully. "I loved that stallion..." She said, looking on sadly. "And still do!" She said, turning to Twilight. "And that's why what happens next upsets me so. But the good news is that he left a little somepony with me before..." She said, sobbing slightly, unable to finish the sentence.

Twilight turned to her perplexed. "But don't changelings give birth through eggs? And isn't a pony, changeling pair impossible?"

The old changeling simply winked. "Sometimes, if need be, even the special bond between two ponies can be tricked, Twilight! And yes, even biology, with magic, is also not infallible, if need be!" She said, turning to the scene again, stamping her hoof violently as the scene began to shift.

Auroras stood before Twilight in her blue earth pony form -- but only for a minute -- before three large griffons and a small griffon filly angrily pushed her onto her plot. "Get out of our way lameo!" They demanded, dragging along a small griffon filly. "Come along Grizelda! I think we got our discount for that awful party that stallion threw!"

Auroras stood up, defiantly, and opened her mouth. "Whatever do you mean?" She asked, her face growing pale. "Did something happen back there?" She asked, as two of the griffon's continued on, happily ignoring her.

The patriarch of the clan, a graying Griffon with a thinning top opened his mouth. "Oh boo hoo!" He said, mockingly. "Was that your husband?" He asked, pretending to cry. "Well he threw my Grizelda the most absurd coming of age party! Therefore I had no choice but to take a 'five four claw discount'!" he said, clutching his golden talons angrily. "Now come along!" He said to the other three griffons. "And you!" He said, turning his beak to the pony formerly known as Lady Auroras, his face showing a tiny shimmer of what might have been guilt. "You'd best take care of him! I think I got a little bit ruff!" He said, looking down, but only for a second.

The rainbow of doom turned to Twilight, looking dead inside. "In the end, though, I seem cursed to lose those I love!" She said, as the scene suddenly cut to her looking at her bulging belly in the mirror -- with a sigh. "I lost my beloved husband right before the birth of my child. Apparently the family of griffons either didn't like the coming of age party he organized for them, or decided that they wished not to pay (I never figured out which.)"

"In the end, though, I managed to convince an old subordinate of mine whom I granted sentience to assist with the birth." She said, turning to Twilight.

Behind Twilight, she could see an old pegasus assisting with the birthing process -- the very same pegasus that was standing right next to her!

The doctor chuckled humbly. "That would be me." He said, to Twilight, admiring his double. "One of the special abilities of my clan is returning from near death experiences by a kind of living reincarnation. Needless to say, on one of my rebirths, I was captured and converted into a changeling." He trotted over to the ghost of the lady, and bowed humbly. "The lady here granted me my freedom from a mindless existence as a drone; and upon rebirth back into my pony form, I kept my old changeling horn, and use it to power my device." He said, speaking of the device he had used on Rainbow Dash earlier.

He turned to the lady, and frowned slightly. "I haven't forgotten your kindness, and suspect that the other mes haven't either." He said, turning away from the lady. "But in the end I wished it had been me and not Bubble Burst that you picked to be your special somepony!"

Auroras sighed, mischievously. "In the end it couldn't be helped. Remember 'a lady can never choose who she loves'." She said, winking softly. "But in any case, in the end my little princess was born, a half pony. I decided to call her Carolinae -- my little pink rose." She said, starting to sob. "Maybe it's time we wrapped this discussion up." She said, sighing to herself. "Course now she's called Pinkie Pie." She stopped for a second, as Twilight started to protest. "Not your Pinkie Pie, of course." She said, to a sigh of relief from Twilight. The lady stopped to think, before continuing. "Course she wasn't the first half changeling in the hive -- that honor went to one of the children of my sister, I never found out which though." She said, tilting her head to think. "I'm sure I'll figure it out though, eventually, don't worry!"

Twilight thought to herself. "Could Queen Chrysalis be the half changeling? Or do I have 'an uncle' or 'an aunt' somewhere? This might be the key to stopping Queen Chrysalis madness once and for all!" She thought, a smirk growing as Twilight started to formulate a plan.

Lady Auroras turned to the doctor. "Of course, that was where I got the idea that a half changeling could even be born -- though it involved magicks that I could barely speak of, and anypony -- except, perhaps Star Swirl -- could even imagine!" She sighed, as the scene started switching back to the hive. "In the end, though, I made the unfortunate decision to return to the hive, once again. And of course you saw the rest, Twilight." She said, as it felt like all three ponies were beginning to rise. "Someone very powerful in the hive wants me gone! And not me, but also Larva, and my own daughter, Carolinae -- though I can't fathom why!" She said, in disgust. "And to escape them, I ended up fleeing into Discord's little Universe egg."

Twilight gasped, is this what Discord had been trying to hide all week? But he's reformed now and they forgave him a long time ago, so why would he feel the need to hide from this past?

The scene continue to rise as Twilight could see that alternate Ponyville beginning to move again. "The monster transformed me, my daughter, and my Great Niece into the forms you see before you!"

She grunted in pain. "He tried to destroy my mind, and remove all traces of my true self -- to leave me somepony I never was -- and I had no choice but to lock myself, and my memories away -- where his magic couldn't reach! But in the end, it prevented me from being there for either of my children -- and yes! I count poor larva, though she's actually my great niece, as my child! I tried to play Mama Pie, Mama Dash, and Mama Cherry Blossom as long as I could! But in the end I let both Larva, and Carolinae down!" She began to break down into tears. "Why is it I'm cursed to betray and lose those I love!? Why is it I'm stuck as a bad facsimile of an earlier pony!" She said, cursing her current form. "But then, on the other hoof, why does it feel so right? Why does it feel like I should have been born as her!" She began to cry anxiously as the scene began to distort. "Twilight! I don't know why, but I worry my friends from Ponyville are in trouble! Please check on them Twilight!" She said, the voice echoing as the doctors device slowly whirred to a stop.

Twilight was back in the room, and the doctor was nowhere to be found. Where'd he disappear to? Was it just an illusion did she only think she --

Twilight didn't have time to finish that line of thought, though, as Rainbow stood before her -- her face a pale white. "Has my whole life been a lie, darling? Who am I?" She asked, looking at the few things she loved from Ponyville -- a very fashionable hat, and scarf. "It has, darling!" She said, in horror. "I have simply been lying to myself, darling!" She said, throwing the hat on the ground, and hopping on it fiercely. She turned to Twilight and began to look away."Don't look at me, darling! I'm a monster! A rainbowy ravishing monster!" She said, in abstract horror.

"Ok Twilight!" She thought to herself. "Your friend's in trouble! You have to say something to help her." She thought, saying the first thing that came to her mind. "You're not a monster!" Twilight said, honestly -- giving a reassuring smile.

"Oh thank goodness, darling!" Rainbow said, relieved. "But what is a changeling, though, darling? I know that is what I am, but what, exactly, is a changeling?"

Oh Twilight said, chuckling nervously. "A love eating monster."

Rainbow fainted then, and there -- right away.

********

"Any luck?" Solanaceae said, turning to the two remaining assassins under his authority. "We have to find those that the artifacts resonate with." He said, keeping two of the artifacts -- one with a wand and moon symbol, and one with a black shimmering sun symbol -- and dividing the other four between his two remaining assassins.

"And what is that to me?" Belladonna purred. "You would be the only one in trouble! And maybe I'd be next in line." She said, batting an object around with her hooves.

"Yes, and then you'd have Queen Chrysalis and K -- Prince Vladímir snooping around your business all the time." Solanaceae countered.

"Well I think it's a great idea." Phytolacca said, licking his lips. "I'd love to see what these artifacts do when they find their ~~victims~~ bearers!" He said, with a sadistic smirk, lobbing a small needle over his shoulder, which promptly skewered a small fruit fly that had the misfortune of flying in the same room as he was standing.

He stared for a second at the crown with the moon and wand symbol, and smiled eagerly -- like a child who sneaks downstairs to take a look at their Christmas presents. "And apparently one of the bearers lives in our very hive!" He said, pointing the way -- with his body -- like a dog. "You'd best run after them Solanaceae before Belladonna or I get moving." He said, grabbing his collection of needles, and smirking evilly. "You don't need any incentive do you?"

"Not really!" Solanaceae said, smiling nervously -- he hated when Phytolacca had one of these days! He really, really, did!

********

"The great and powerful changeling is happy to serve the queen!" The drone said as she trailed behind Solanaceae mindlessly. He had got her to come alone willingly by telling her that she was needed for a special mission for the hive. "What is it that the queen requires?"

"You'll see!" Solanaceae said, bowing before the elaborately lighted throne -- complete with ancient runic writing passed down since the days when the fluttering ones still lived in Flutter Valley.

He stopped anxiously and bowed deeply. "Majesty! I bring you one of the one of those who resonate with the artifacts of Dicord's rule!"

"Silence!" The changling lord bellowed, causing all to bow low. "Enough with the formalities Solanaceae! Show me the one who resonates! And bring to me the artifact!"

"Of... Of course lo -- liege!" He said, pushing softly of the drone with one of his hooves. "I bring you the changeling convert who resonates with the symbol of black magic!"

"Good! Come forward!" The changing liege bellowed. "Come and speak with your ruler!"

"Of course, majesty!" The drone said mindlessly. "I am proud to serve the -- "

"Of course you are!" The high and exalted changeling said, unenthusiastically. "Just like we feel through the hives channels that you wish to return to your ridiculous and piteous fuzzy form!" The self proclaimed ruler of the changelings said, moving king's knight's pawn forward one. "And I, as the true ruler of the changeling's offer to you a trade: your old nature in exchange of an important service for me!"

"But the great and powerful changeling is happy the way she is!" The great and powerful changeling said, moving queen's pawn forward two.

"Oh pish posh! I know you secretly desire to return to that ridiculous fuzzy creature you were before!" The powerful changeling asked, moving King's Bishop's pawn forward by two. "I mean you have to be aware that you are not really a true changeling, but a piteous unicorn? Correct?"

"No! The great and powerful changeling is happy only to serve the queen!" She said, earnestly moving the queen.

"Then you would be happy to serve the king!" The changeling bellowed -- checkmate.

The great and powerful changeling made a otherworldly shrieking sound. "You betray the hive! You betray the queen! I shall have to report you and -- "

The changeling lord's horn glowed brightly -- bathing the room in green light. "No it is you that betrays the hive by betraying it's one true ruler! I have given you a deal that is beyond benevolent! And yet you refuse to accept! Nay!!! ~~I~~ The hive will not accept such treachery! You will accept and you will like it!" The changeling said, his horn glowing a crimson red color as ice poured into his veins. "And you will put on this crown! And you will take my deal! And you will obey your superior!" The changeling shouted, their eyes glowing eerily.

"Of course." The great and powerful changeling said. "The great and powerful changeling is happy to do nothing but serve her liege." She said, putting the crown on. She began to scream violently as magic began to spew out of the crown in waves visible even to the naked eye.

The changeling lord turned to Solanaceae. "If she's finished then you are Solanaceae! Remember that!" They said, their face filled with vitriol.

"Of course, majesty! But what will happen to her?" Solanaceae asked, anxiously. "Will you really keep your word?"

"I always keeps my word!" The changeling liege retorted. "But, in the end, it's up to the artifact, Solanaceae. I have a feeling it will return her fur. After all, a drone is not what it desires either!"

Throughout the hive drones started to foam at the mouth and collapse.

"What's going on!" Chrysalis shrieked, from her bath as all of her attentions suddenly fell over shaking violently. "Who dares attack the hive! Does Celestia with another war? Because I'd happily oblige her! I still haven't forgotten how she turned my friends against me! And how she stole my daughter away!"

After a few minutes, the shaking started to cease.

The Solanaceae's superior gloated happily. "And you see Solanaceae the trinket follows my orders! As you should!"

"Of course, your majesty!" The element of black magic said, staring at her form in one of the fine mirrors the changeling overlord kept around. "The great and powerful Trixie wishes nothing more than to make the one true king of the changelings happy!" She said, with a light smirk, and a dishonest expression in her eye.

"You see Solanaceae, nothing to worry about! She's thinking in her right mind already!" He said, turning to his lead assassin. "You have done well Solanaceae! But I have not forgotten your failure earlier! You had best bring me the next bearer as well, or you will be finished! Do you hear me!"

Solanaceae nodded dutifully. "Worry not, my lo -- liege! The second artifact begins to resonate! I shall take Phytolacca and Belladonna and find it with haste!"

"Good!" The changeling monarch bellowed, waving their assassin away with their hoof. "Now be gone with you! I have need for Phytolacca soon! I feel that a chance has now arrived to have our justice, not just for our humiliation back at that strange town, but also for the end of Mandragora!"

Chapter 4-4: Meet the G4 ponies!

Chapter 6: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

Discord frowned. "This dream again!" He said to himself, with a sigh (nowhere near his kind of favorite dream), as the dream proceeded around him, with remarkable order and clarity (something he detested profusely!)

His dreamself frowned, tired of father going around everywhere "deleting worlds as unworthy." What a load of crock! And do you know how interesting that was? Not at all! Sure it was all good fun at first: "Zap you're gone! Zap you're gone! You're outta there! See you never -- because you've been deleted!" But in the end, all that happened is you got was silent, empty, final, and boring! IT WAS BORING!!! He was tired of it!

So when he heard that his father had run into a world that was basically broken and unstable -- disobeying it's own basic rules. An idea came to his head a deliciously devious, chaotic idea! And what an idea it was! (Excuse his Cheshire Cat smile, he's just happy to be here.) What if he turned this world into his own little sandbox? What if he were to, say, put all the pieces back into the box? And then, perhaps, he could play the game over and over and over and over again!

Heck! Maybe he could replay this world's last thirty years or so over and over again? (For all that chaos, ok... and for the lols of it!) And, he could let the system's inherent brokenness feed it with infinite entrope. Heck, if he wanted, he could even extend the timeframe by a couple of years by appending something very unique at the end.

But why should the system be the only thing to enjoy the fun of infinite entrope? What if, instead, he were to put part of his essence into the system to grow? Now Discord was crafty, and had already heard legends of artifacts out there that could defeat his kind. But with objects of infinite entropy and boundless chaos... He would be invincible! He could rule like a titan or a g -- The thought made his dreamself giddy. He could absorb all the beautiful entropy created by endless repeated destruction of the world into his little artifacts, and watch them grow -- chi chi chi chia world!

And everything went better than expected! The inhabitants didn't even put up a fight -- well with a couple of noticeable exceptions. But nevertheless, he would finish resetting the world shortly, and, what was better was that, it had been easier than he had expected. Well... all except for the throwbacks still out there, who just couldn't get with the program, all standing there... mocking him!

Silver Glow, a blue pegasus with blue eyes a blue mane with white tinsel and a starscape cutiemark.
Star Catcher, a white pegasus with especially large wings, blue eyes, a tri-color blue, white, and pink mane, and a giant pink heart for a cutie mark.
Rarity The Unicorn, a tiny pink unicorn, with an undersized horn, a pastel rainbow mane, and a heart with a rainbow swirl for a cutie mark.
Minty, a mint green earth pony with a pink and light pink mane striped mane, and trio of mints for a cutie mark.
Pinkie Pie. a pink earth pony with a light pink mane, and a trio of balloons for a cutie mark.
Lily Lightly, a purple unicorn with a tri-color light pink, pink, and purple striped mane, and a blue and pink two-tone tail, blue eyes, and a pink lily flower with a blue stem for a cutie mark.
Skywishes, a pink earth pony with striped dark pink and purple mane, green eyes, and a kite and butterfly cutie mark.
Wysteria, a purple earth pony with a striped purple, white, and pink mane, green and yellow eyes, and a set of wisteria flowers for a cutie mark.
Rainbow Dash, a blue earth pony, with a rainbow mane and tail, and a cutie mark of a rainbow arching between two clouds.
Kenbroathe Gilspotten Heathspike, a tiny blue scaled dragon with a purple mohawk, and an orange underbelly.

Dreamcord laughed raucously. Of all those that had ever had the audacity to challenge him, this was the most pathetic collection of losers, and rejects, imaginable!

His laughter turned into a bellowing laughter as he opened his mouth to speak -- turning to the pink earth pony, known as Sky Wishes. "You had one! Just one!" He said, holding up a single talon. "Of your 'special wishes'." He said, pointing at Lily. "And you wasted it on her!" He said, with disgust. "You don't even know her!" He shouted, with a fake rage. "Why? Because she only appeared in one movie! ONE!!!! And you weren't even in it!" He said, shrugging his claws.

"No! Lily's our friend! I had to help her!" Skywishes said, defiantly.

Dreamcord resumed bellowing. "You G3 phonies are so ridiculous!" He exclaimed, with a raucous laughter. "And that's why I like this world! That's why this is going to be Discordtopia!" He said, shrinking down to her size, and putting a claw on her shoulder -- the other claw waving off into space. "You know you could have brought back somepony you are actually a friend with... like..." He said, running through his collection of figures -- which materialized into thin air. "Ahhh! Twinkle Twirl!" He said, holding up a Twinkle Twirl doll (or maybe a Twinkle Twirl Action figure... Or figurine?... Or maybe collectible?)

"No! Twinkle Twirl!" Sky Wishes shouted, in horror, her symbol beginning to glow violently. "I'll bring you back! I promise!" She shouted, as her eyes began to glow one color. "Discord! I'll bring her back by stopping you!"

"Stop me!" He bellowed. "And how do you intend to do that my dear?" He said, saying the phrase 'my dear' with a certain amount of sarcasm. "You're out of your 'special wishes' my dear, and then -- to make it more difficult for you -- your idea of how to stop me is to try to bore me to death with meaningless prattle." He said, wearing a old timey american school boys outfit -- complete with dunce cap.

"No!" Sky Wishes shouted -- feeling the uncontrollable urge to wish -- a wish that she just had to scratch, kite or not! "I wish. I wish. I wish!" She cried, an aura appearing around every inch of her, from head to tail.

Dreamcord snickered circling around her -- wearing a pair of Sunny Daze's oversized sunglasses. "You know you need a kite for that, right?"

"No I don't!" Sky Wishes retorted, as something began to happen. "I can feel it! Be patient, Twinkle Twirl! You'll be back soon!"

"Oh? And how might that be?" He asked curiously. "And, for that matter, what makes you so sure you can even stop me at all?" He said, losing his smile -- looking at his watch. "You know I'm on a tight schedule here!" He said, playing a game of solitaire with a deck that suddenly materialized. "I need the place ready to put into the universe egg before father wakes up, or else!" He said, with urgency in his voice.

"Because I wish we had the power to stop you!" Sky Wishes shouted, as Rarity, Wysteria, Lily Lightly, Star Catcher, Silver glow, and herself all started glowing, jewelry slowly forming around their necks (or on top of their heads for the pegasi.)

"This is unusual" Dreamcord said, with a frown. "And -- " He gasped suddenly looking like the white rabbit, complete with old timey watch. "I'm late!" He said, growing back to size. "It's time to finish this -- " He pronounced, powering up his best magic. " -- And -- Hey what's with the jewelry?"

"I have another wish!" Sky Wishes announced. "I wish for the return of our friends!" She shouted, the eastern yin-yang symbol on her necklace glowing faintly.

Star Catcher smiled, a tiara slowly materializing on her head. "The most special wishes are the ones you share with your friends." She said, the sun symbol on her tiara beginning to glow with Sky Wishes' zeal.

"Please Discord stop this." Wysteria begged, the star symbol on her necklace glowing vibrantly. "There's no reason to be mean. We're all friends here in Ponyville."

"It's not unicorn fun to lose those you love!" Rarity pronounced, growling slightly -- showing her canines -- the heart symbol on her necklace glowing in sync with the others. "Bring back Cheerilee, and Whistle Wishes, and Brights Brightly." She asked, her usual smile replaced by a mighty frown.

"It's not too late to be friends." Lily pronounced, the flower symbol on necklace glowing wildly.

Dreamcord chuckled. "Oh I'm sooooo scared!" He shouted, pretending to shake in fear. "More worthless platitudinous nonsense!"

"Discord." Star Catcher said her voice chiming melodiously. "Your reign of cruelty is at an end. Are you ready Silver Glow?" She asked, the sun symbol that sat in the center of her tiara glowed melodiously.

"I'm ready!" Silver Glow said, fiercely. "Let's bring back Coconut Cream and the others!" She shouted, as the moon symbol that sat in the center of her tiara started glowing in sync with the other pegasus' -- albeit a much fiercer color.

"Oh what are you going to do now?" Discord asked, mockingly. "You planning to bore me to death?" He said, with a yawn, suspending himself, in mid air (sipping from a slurpee, just lying there... Sipping on a slurpee...) "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a world to put back into it's box and into the nice easter egg I had planned." He pronounced, suddenly wearing a pair of nineties three-d videogame glasses, a pair of power gloves, and an outfit that looked remarkably like neo's outfit from the matrix.

"Star Catcher, shall we shut his mouth?" Silver Glow asked, exuberantly.

"Consider it done." Star Catcher responded, as a pastel colored rainbow shot out of the artifacts heading straight for the giant draconequus.

"Psychedelic!" Remarked the monster, still playing around -- this time, his stare distant and his hair ruffled. He was wearing a shirt with a distinctive five leaved plant on it and was holding a purple mushroom with black eyes, and a skull on it. "Radical!" He said, as the pastel rainbow landed.

The draconequus stopped laughing then and there, making blood curdling screeches behind the wall of light.

"Oh darlings!" Rainbow dash said, elatedly. "It's over!" She said,with finality. "Though, I almost feel sorry for the darling!" She said, sympathetically, feeling sorry. "Poor darling! All he wanted -- "

"Well I wouldn't be!" Said the draconequus sadistically, a blood thirsty expression showing on his face, as the light began to clear. "In fact, since you said that! You'll be the first! Darling!" He shouted, looking vaguely like Zha Zha Gabor. "And then you two!" He said, pointing at Star Catcher, and Silver Glow, who now sported a pair of horns to go with their wings. Although the spell, was unable to vanquish the monster, it was able to shrink the draconequus considerably -- and also greatly diminished his powers -- that being said, the beast didn't lose much of his swagger, as he still towered over his opponents by three or four times their height.

"Oh dear!" He said, looking at Star Catcher, and Silver Glow. "This simply won't do!" He said, dressed like a stuffy british noble. "You are broken!" He said, turning his attention to the other four bearers, who were now glowing even more vibrantly than before. "And if I don't hurry! I'll lose four more of the pieces of my board game! And I simply won't permit that!" He shouted, getting a fierce expression.

"Quick! While he's vulnerable!" Rarity shouted. "We have to do this for Cheerilee and the others!" She shouted, her signature smile still long gone. "We can do it!" She shouted, with confidence.

However, her words were unheard by the pegasus, who quickly turned tail and ran. "He's invincible!" Star Catcher shouted, turning and flying away, in panic, like a frightened child -- flapping her giant wings as fast as they could go.

Suddenly the mood of everyone, along with their jaws dropped like stones, as all the ponies could do is watch in horror as the usually cool Star Catcher cracked like a chipped pot.

"Star Catcher! Come back! Please!" Wysteria shouted desperately, for her friend to return, as she began to disappear into the darkness. "We have to ...."

"No Wysteria!" Rarity shouted angrily. "I won't let you get way with this! Not like you did with Cheerilee!" She shouted, also disappearing, herself, into the inky darkness. "And Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes, and ..."

"No! Not again!" Lily shouted, panicking herself (trying to run, but finding that her movements led her nowhere), as she too started to fade back into the darkness. "We're doomed! I'll never get to giggle until my horn glows ever .... "

"I wish! I wish! I wish!" Sky Wishes shouted, making one final wish, as she faded away, herself, into the inky darkness. "I wish that our friends would eventually return! And that I would have the power to protect them! ... "

"Oh dear!" Pinkie said, crying. "What will we do?" She asked, looking at Silver Glow for guidance.

"Don't worry girls!" Dreamcord stated, his smile, and jovial mood returning. "You're next! But... Since I'm a draconequus of my word! As promised: you first darling!" He shouted, pointing at Rainbow Dash, only to watch in bemusement as the tiny blue dragon disappeared instead -- having jumped in front of his finger.

"A sacrifice play?" He smirked -- dressed like a coach. "Pointless!" He said, laughing mightily. "I call foul on that play!" He shouted, blowing on his whistle.

"What are we gunna do?" Minty shouted, with a frightened expression. "We don't stand a chance. We're all doomed!!!"

Silver Glow frowned. "Maybe..." She said, trailing off as her horn began to glow. "Or maybe not!" She exclaimed serenely, as Pinkie, Minty, Rainbow, and her disappeared into a bubble of light.

Discord's voice chimed over the scene. "I'm going to have to tell them eventually... Especially if they all keep rematerializing..."

**********

"Rainbow Dash!" Shouted the doctor for the third time, this time singsong, having been unable to get the attention of his patient the first two times.

Rainbow shook her head. "Sorry about that, darling. Good eveni -- " She said, shaking her head slightly, with a blush, looking out the window, which was obviously more morning then evening now -- and, at that moment, having realized that she had lost track of time.

"Morning." The doctor replied, deadpan -- correcting his patient, who seemed to disoriented.... Most concerning...

"Oh sorry." Rainbow responded, looking out the window to verify what she was told. "Morning then, doctor darling." She replied, with a smile, looking out the window -- her blush growing.

"Have you been up all night? " He said, freezing for a second. Strange! This scene seemed very familiar to him. Maybe he should make sure she'd finished her reading materials and wasn't going to try to sneak back into the hospital by night, again...

"A little, darling..." Rainbow said, with a frown. "I've been practicing some of the exercises that Twilight gave me to help control my magic, doctor darling, and I kind of lost track of time." She said, blowing out the firefly lantern, that she had been using for the task.

The doctor frowned. Ok that explained the disorientation -- though he should warn her not to do that. "Please be mindful of that, Rainbow Dash. Remember that stress seems to exasperate your condition, and, even if it didn't, a lack of sleep is never a good thing..." He said sternly, adjusting his glasses. "However, In any case, -- " He said, his voice becoming less harsh. "I'll be quick." He said, his frown turning into a proud smile. "Congratulations, Rainbow Dash. We're checking you out of the hospital." He said, tilting his head back slightly.

Rainbow returned a smile. "Oh that's excellent news, darling. I'll be sure to have my things ready for later today -- so that I'll have time to find out if the young lady ever gets reunited with her darling Francesco?" She said, eagerly -- it was great to be finally leaving this tacky, horrible, unrainbowy room. And she can spend the morning packing what few things she had brought with her, and --

"No." He said, shaking his head, his smile unmoving. "Right now." He said, with a smile that made Rainbow very uneasy.

"Right now, darling?" She asked, in surprise -- and fear. "As in, 'right now' right now?" She asked, as the doctor opened the door for Nurse Sweetheart and Nurse Snowheart.

"'Right now' right now." The doctor said, eagerly as the two nurses rushed in, Nurse Sweetheart dragging the wheelchair behind.

What came next could only be described as a flurry of activity that sounded more like a bar fight, and looked more like a dust storm.

"Unhand me, darlings!" Rainbow shrieked. "This is so very unrainbowy!" She cried, as the bandages around her broken ribs were removed, and her hospital gown forcibly returned. And she was relentlessly shoved into the wheelchair.

"But, darling," Rainbow Dash protested, over the back of the wheelchair, as the nurse started to push. "Now I'll never get to know if the maiden somehow escaped from the clutches of Francesco's treacherous brother Antonio!" She said, with horror, and nurse Sweetheart started dragging the wheelchair out the door.

"Now, take it easy, Rainbow Dash." The doctor said, with glee. "And remember to try to get a full night's sleep." He said, with a smile, as the nurses dragged Rainbow out of the room. "And if you need to finish that book -- please go bug Twilight this time, instead of sneaking back into the hospital!" He said, his face growing stern. "Thank you."

"Have a good day!" Said nurse Snowheart, waving as the other nurse unceremoniously dumped the wheelchair she was sitting on right out the front door. The door shutting behind her.

After a few seconds the door opened, revealing nurse Snowheart again, who was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide a frown. "Please remember to see us immediately if symptoms return." She cautioned her former patient, who nodded back -- she would do that, but, of course, the nurse hoped that she wouldn't need to.

The nurse shook her head. Rainbow's recovery had been nothing short of miraculous, going from being a dead mare to fully healed -- which had, naturally, left her doctors slightly baffled. Doctor Stable almost didn't want to let her go, for fear that this was only a temporary recovery. However, In the end, he let her go (after only a couple of days of observation.) Because, after all, the hospital is for the sick, not the well. Plus, the nurse suspected, that it hurt his pride to let Rainbow go without, himself, knowing the cause of her condition.

Nopony ever did find, let alone apprehend, that odd intruder -- and, as a result, the prevailing theory that swept the hospital was that he had something to do with her condition. In any case, though, they had to let her go, with the hopes that her condition wasn't just in remission as the doctor feared.

Ok! The nurse thought, stealing her nerves, back to work with her!

**********

Meanwhile, Rainbow sat there wondering how long it would take for Twilight and Pinkie to return to tell her where she was staying, on this, their final night in Ponyville. And also, for that matter, what she was going to tell her friend/daughter. It just felt weird! On one hand, part of instinctually knew that the pink pony was merely just one of her closest friends -- and definitely not her relative. However, on the other hoof, thinking of her as her daughter just felt so right! Rainbow snarled, actually starting to get furious, for some reason. Curse that Dripcord -- or whatever his name was! Messing with her head is definitely not rainbows!!!

But contemplation quickly started to transform into worry, as she began to contemplate all the people who would be affected by this.

First of all there was the matter of, that darling, Pinkie... How would she explain that there was no Mama Pie, at least as Pinkie knew her, because she was Mama Pie? Would her pink friend take it well? Or would she get upset? (This wasn't the always-chipper-always-happy-super-goofy-not-at-all-cupcakes Pinkie Pie! NO! This was the prone-to sarcasm-can-get-angry-super-serious-does-a-lot-of-thinking Pinkie Pie!) And, for that matter, would the pink pony even believe her? (after all, her story was really unbelievable.)

And then there was the matter of Minty... Was there a Mama Minty out there, somewhere, crying her eyes out for her lost loved one? Would Mama Minty even remember her? And would Minty be happy to meet the mother she never knew she had, or would it only serve to upset the darling? Then there was the question of whether this sudden realization would break the green pony yet further! And how would the mint pony handle it? What would she think when she found out that it was Rainbow who disciplined her throughout her childhood, not Mama Pie? Or would she feel betrayed to be abandoned by Mama Pie as well?

And then, if that wasn't bad enough, there was the matter of their whole lives being a lie. A life intended for -- and lived by -- another pony. How would Pinkie, and Minty handle that? Heck she wasn't sure how she was going to handle it! And, to make matters worse, she wasn't even sure if she believed what she saw with her own eyes -- let alone what she would be saying! So how could they be expected to believe it, especially because it would just be her word?

And what would their friend's say? Would they think Rainbow was crazy? Or would they believe her and be angry, because she had been impersonating Rainbow Dash all these years? And then there was the matter of whether or not they would still be mad about Minty kind of making a mess of Christmas? And that was assuming that everyone was still ok? Twilight had said that she had heard from little Rarity that something bad had happened. What if something bad happened to her friends? She asked herself, her mind a twitter with questions.

Of course, that would be the moment that Pinkie chose to show up. Of course, it was probably for the best, though, as all that thinking was probably going to exasperate her condition (Twilight and the doctor had both taught her some basic magic exercises to help control her magic levels, but it didn't mean her condition was fully fixed, and if she wasn't careful it might rear it's ugly head again.)

Rainbow waved to her pink friend, however it was the straight haired pink party pony that got the first words. "Why hello mom!" She said, giggling slightly, giving a playful smile. "Oh! I'll never get used to saying that!" She said, with a playful wink, to go with her smile. "I mean, I've always thought of you as my friend and..." She said, just noticing her friend's face fall. "Are you ok Rainbow?" She asked, noticing that her friend's face had gone a ghastly white. "Oh dear.... Did I upset you?" She said, a sorry expression forming on her face.

"How... Did.... You find out, darling?" Rainbow asked, trembling like a leaf. "Please don't be angry, daling!" Rainbow said, a horrified look on her face, fearing what her friend, who frequently mentioned how much she missed Mama Pie, would think to learn that not just was Mama Pie not dead, but was, in fact, standing right before her. "I'm so sorry!!!" She exclaimed, falling onto her knees, breaking down into tears -- her hooves covering her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you, darling! I didn't mean to abandon you darling! I really didn't!" She said, bending her arms and hooves into a begging (or praying) position.

"Oh Rainbow!" Pinkie said, crying herself. "Please don't be sad!" She begged and pleaded, giving her friend a nice big hug. "I know you never meant to hurt me." She said, looking her friend in the eyes, her own eyes showing sincerity. "It's just the way things turned out!"

"Do you mean it, darling?" Rainbow asked, her face still red from crying. "I mean after all you've been through... How much you've missed Mama Pie?"

"Oh Mama Pie! I could never be mad at you!" Pinkie said, weeping tears of joy. "I've just missed you so much!" She continued, swallowing slightly. "Besides, Twilight said that some mean guy called Dipcolt cast some spell on us, so that you weren't yourself when you abandoned us." She said, to her friend. "Though, by the sound of things, we're better off this way anyways." She said, smiling warmly.

"Thank you darling!" Rainbow said, her smile slowly returning. She paused for a second, pondering something that Pinkie had told her. "So Twilight told you, darling?" Rainbow asked, with a puzzled expression. "I guess, at some level, I'm kind of surprised." She said, feeling slightly betrayed. But in the end, though, she figured that Twilight probably either did it unintentionally -- either that or Minty had overheard something again, as she was in the habit of doing, and as a result Twilight probably had to spill the beans. In the end, maybe it was probably ok, because she was worried what the pink pony would think anyways -- though it hurt her heart some, being unable to be the person to do so. Her face changed, as the topic of discussion slowly shifted, a question remaining. "Weren't you staying with that other Pinkie?" She asked, with surprise -- certain that Pinkie would've stayed with the other Pinkie, because of how well they got along.

Pinkie frowned. "They kind of had to move me in with Twilight after my little argument with the other Pinkie." She said, solemnly. "She actually got over it really quick, but the Cakes thought it would be better if I stayed with Minty, and Twilight instead." She said, her smile returning. "Not that I can blame them, this town probably isn't ready to handle Minty yet." She said, with a sarcastic smile -- giggling again, probably already imagining the mischief an unaccompanied Minty might get into.

"Oh of course, darling!" Rainbow said, with a slight giggle in her voice, motioning with her front leg. "So I guess we have been here long enough." She said, to her friend. "Shall we go and talk to Minty?" She asked, getting out of the wheelchair -- which was quickly repurposed behind her. "I suppose we've probably kept her waiting long enough, darling!"

"Makes sense to me!" Pinkie said, nodding in agreement. "Shall we go see Twilight?" She asked, with a smile.

"Of course, darling." Rainbow said, eagerly. Of course!"

**********

"Twi!" Applejack shouted, racing into the room. "Could ya read this fur me?" She said, presenting a letter to Twilight. "'Cause I'm not sure what ta do, -- " she said, frantically. " -- but ah know one thing fur sure: we have ta do something!" She said, with dismay. "'Cause it sounds like things ah're going crazy down there in Appleloosa! And ta' make matters worse! King Longhorn has shown back up again!" Applejack said, making sure to put extra venom into the mention of the bull's name. "We should rush down there an! -- " She said there sternly, just praying that the princess would agee.

Twilight shook her head. "We can't, Applejack! It's not that I don't care about the poor ponies of Appleloosa, but Celestia has personally commanded us to stay in Ponyville until further notice -- twice."

"Ah why not Twilight?" Applejack asked, in dismay. "We've always dropped everything ta help ponies in need! Why not now?" She asked, getting in Twilight's face, and snorting angrily.

"Look Applejack! I feel for them! But Queen Chrysalis is on the move, yet again!" Twilight said, wondering why they didn't post a proper guard over her after that whole Secretariat Comet incident. "And, now, I have a foal alicorn with an unbelievable amount of magic, to teach, running around, that still can't even cast the most basic unicorn spells!"

"Fine!" Applejack said, snorting angrily. "But could ya at least read mah cousin's letter?" She asked, shoving the letter in Twilight's face.

"Sure!" Twilight commented, scanned down the letter, dutifully -- a smile gracing her face.

"Cousin,

What I'm about to say might come off a mite crazy, but stick with me. I promise that everything I say is the honest truth!" The letter said, the darkness of the writing said that the apple used a little extra force when writing it -- probably due to the seriousness of whatever he felt he had to say.

Twilight skimmed down further, the pony went into copious amounts of details about life in Appleloosa, and the harvest. He talked about the sheriff being out of town. More details about relatives and the daily life of the town's ponies... (Leaving Twilight to wonder if she should be reading this letter at all, seeing as she was basically intruding on the Apple's privacy right now.) Finally...

"An so I went chasing after the varmint, and no sooner had I caught them then; but what should I see upon removing the stolen hat and poncho? A horn and a pair of strange looking wings. That's right! I found myself a regular princess (that's right, although, I thought she was a he because of her giant square muzzle and general size, she's actually a she.)"

Twilight read, her face going pale. "Another?" Twilight she exclaimed, with bewilderment to something she read. "Is this even possible?" She asked herself. "I mean Cadance and I, I can fully understand, but now we have that tiny unicorn filly turned alicorn, Rarity, and now..." She thought, reading the letter. "How can we possibly have another nascent alicorn? How could she possibly ascend? And when could she possibly have ascended?" Twilight stopped. "Wait... Giant muzzle?... Strange looking wings?... Could it be possible?"

Twilight scanned down the letter further. Apparently the alicorn was extremely emotionally fragile, apparently refusing to be called princess -- and apparently unaware -- or unwilling to admit -- that the ponies of Equestria instinctively called them princesses.

Braeburn continued. "Last night, Wysteria had some doozie of a nightmare, and it caused her magic to go crazy. I have no idea why though, all I know is that it had to do with her being a princess, and her friends leaving her." He said, continuing to speculate. After a few seconds came another interesting tidbit. "She claims to be from Ponyville, and that her village was attacked by changelings (now this I believe, as it's the only thing that makes any sense, but, on the other hoof, there ain't no way she can be from Ponyville!) And I think that -- "

"Wait!" Twilight thought, scanning up the letter. "Ponyville!... Attacked by changelings?..." Twilight thought, with dismay. "Could she be from the same Ponyville as Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity? Could she have something to do with them? Especially with that muzzle, and those wings -- " She thought to herself, putting two and two together " -- just like Rarity!" She thought, to herself, contemplating her options. "I'll ask Rarity about her during Twilight time," she said, to herself, having reached a decision. "Meanwhile I should send a letter to Princess Celestia. She might be able to figure out what's going on." She thought to herself, considering her strategy as well as multiple backup strategies -- and really wishing that she had agreed to go to Appleloosa, with Applejack.

"Spike!" Twilight yelped, causing the dragon to snap to attention. "I need this letter sent to Princess Celestia immediately!" She said, quickly scribbling out a letter. "Apparently another nascent alicorn has been discovered, and by the sounds of things, she's having trouble with nightmares, and emotional instability -- both very bad things for an alicorn to have (she cautioned, remembering some of the stark warnings the princess had given her, about losing control of her own emotions.) So could you send these two letters to Princess Celestia!" She said, attaching Braeburn's letter to her own.

"Gotcha!" Spike said, breathing fire to send the letters.

"Now we wait!" Twilight said, impatiently -- hoping for a quick reply from the princess. "But first: -- " She said to herself, reopening her mouth to shout. "MINTY!" She called up the stairs, causing the green pony to come running down -- covered mane to hoof in garlands, and looking like a crusader (covered in pine needles and tree sap.)

"What is it Twilight?" She said, with an enthusiastic smile. "You need something?" She said, as she stood on only her two back legs -- her left front hoof pointing straight up in the air. "By the way? I was wondering what you'd like for Christmas? Do you want anything in particular that Santa can bring you?" She asked, probably trolling for gift ideas for Twilight.

Twilight smiled, and giggled slightly. "'Santa' huh!" Twilight said, rolling her eyes, who, in the hay, was this 'Santa Claus', anyway? "Well before I tell you, could you tell me if you know anything about a pony named 'Wysteria'?"

"Why of course Twilight!" Minty said, smiling. "She's one of my friends, and -- "

"Great!" Twilight said, shushing her for a second. "Tell me all about her!" She said, with a big smile -- and slightly spooky smile --, levitating over a mug of tea.

**********

"Hello! Minty, daring!" Rainbow said, as she walked through the door into the golden oaks, making sure to wave her mane ostentatiously. "How are you feeling, darling?" She asked, opening the door, expecting to find catastrophe, and instead found her green friend sipping a cup of tea along with the princess.

Rainbow walked up the stairs, before coming back down again -- blinking her eyes a few times to make sure that they were seeing what she thought they were seeing.

"Oh Minty!" Pinkie said, with a giggle. "You haven't messed anything up while we were gone did you?" She asked, teasing her friend lightly -- while surreptitiously looking around the room to see if she could find what the green pony broke.

"Oh of course not Pinkie!" Minty said, with a smile. "I was very careful not to! Especially since I was planning for a make up Christmas!"

"So why are you and Twilight having tea?" Pinkie asked, with a smile. "I thought for sure you'd be tied up in some garlands, or something." Pinkie said, with a giggle -- joshing her friend lightly.

"I did but... Ooof..." She said, stopping when the princess of friendship gave her a surreptitious nudge with a broom. "I mean... I didn't have time to!" Minty said, obliviously. "Because Twilight wanted me to tell her all about Wysteria." She said, with a grin. "So I've been telling her all about her, and her love of flowers, and the Princess Promenade -- she seemed especially interested in that flower that Spike gave her..." She said, with a chuckle. "Though I really don't understand why!"

"Wysteria? Twilight darling?" Rainbow asked, with curiosity. "Why would you need to know about Wysteria?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Twilight sighed... Busted... "Well Rainbow." She said, trying to think how to minimize it. "She kind of appeared in Appleloosa about three weeks ago, and the letter was sent the morning after. But apparently the Equestrian Post office in Dodge Junction held onto it for about a week and a half. And apparently she's... um... (how to put this without scaring everypony? She's a princess now? No not good.) Changed! And she's apparently been having nightmares about being a princess -- and I need to know why!"

"Oh I can answer that!" Pinkie responded, not noticing that Rainbow's face had gone pale. "When she discovered Spike's flower --" Pinkie said, not noticing Twilight taking special interest. "-- and put it into her hair." She said, with a frown. "He kind of put her into a kind of princess boot camp, and basically told her that she wasn't allowed to be around anyone, or to have friends, or to do... well... basically anything!" She said, looking slightly perturbed at the memory. "Not to mention telling her that she, basically couldn't be herself!"

Twilight frowned, that might explain why she didn't want to be a princess (was it possible she was suffering some kind of cutie mark derangement syndrome -- like she and her friends suffered at the gala?) But how did she find out that she was a princess? ... Sompony must have have run into her before Braeburn, and made a remark about her being a princess!

Meanwhile, Rainbow grown ever more pale, and began to look very concerned. "Oh dear! The poor darling was deathly ill the day we left! I can't imagine how she'd be now." She said, looking really sorry.

She began pacing. "I can't even imagine what she looks like now, for that matter! And, now I feel terrible, darling, that I couldn't be for her, darling." Rainbow said, sounding like she was on the verge of a breakdown. "And the pains she'd been having in her sides! Ever since Christmas."

Twilight quirked her eyebrows -- 'pains she'd been having'... very interesting! Didn't little Rarity's nightmares start at Christmas? And, by the sound of it, Christmas must have been when Wysteria started ascending. But the question that needed to be asked was: why Christmas? Did it have something to do with Minty's accident? But how? And, more importantly, why?

Pinkie continued, in the background -- putting her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Well Rainbow..." Pinkie responded. "I understand how you feel, but you and Minty weren't much up to going anywhere until just now." She said, giving her friend a hug. "But we can see how she's doing now if you want."

"Actually, darling." Rainbow said, with a frown -- unable to handle the melancholy anymore. "I think it would be better if we went home to Ponyville instead, I need to check on the place." She said, steadfastly resolving something in her head. "But first the three of us, and Twilight need to talk!" She had to tell them the truth -- no matter how much she didn't want to.

"What are we going to talk about?" Minty asked, with a chuckle. "Christmas? Or maybe who's birthday it is?" She said, eagerly. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! This year's promenade!" She said, imagining how Wysteria (who she had forgotten was sick in her exuberance) was going to top last year's princess promenade.

"No, darling." Rainbow said, shaking her head. "But first, Twilight." She said, turning to the unicorn -- her face growing stern. "I really need to know why you told Pinkie about our true relationship?" She said, with a surprising amount of sternness. "I feel this was a betrayal of trust, darling! And I want to know why you did it!"

Twilight frowned, looking away. "I actually didn't mean to tell her." She said, with an apologetic expression. "She was kind of told by Minty, who overheard me talking to the doctor about your condition, late at night." She stammered. "The doctor was giving me advice on how best to help you three, and I guess we didn't notice her trotting down the stairs." Twilight said, with melancholy.

"I see..." Rainbow said, solemnly, her feelings hurt -- but, on the other hand, what could she do? It was an accident, and she was sure that Twilight and the doctor meant well, Minty just kind of had an ability to mess things up. "Well... I guess that's ok, darling," she said, with a sniffle. "But I would really have prefered to be the one to tell them." She said, crying softly. "She is, after all, my daughter, and Minty is my great niece, after all!"

Twilight noded, softly -- feeling bad about breaking her friend's trust, even if accidentally as that was the best way to lose a friend's trust FOREVER!!!! She looked around, uncomfortably, was her Pinkie already standing around, watching her -- menacingly!... (Maybe she should check the grandfather clock?) Luckily the mare was nowhere in sight! Twilight thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Oh Rainbow!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "You can tell me now, Rainbow Dash, darling." She said -- imitating her friend/mother --, with a chuckle, waving Rainbow on, encouragingly with her hooves. "I will even pretend that I didn't hear Minty." She said, reassuringly. "So please tell me!" She pleaded, her smile growing serious. "I think it would make both of us feel better!"

"You would do that for me, darling?" Rainbow said, feeling better. Having finally gotten her chance to set things right. "Bless you, Pinkie darling!" She thought to herself, her eyes filled with tears. "Even for you failure of a mother?" She said, as Pinkie noded lovingly.

"Especially for you!"

Lady Rainbow smiled -- this was her chance at redemption, a chance to fix everything. "Pinkie?" She asked, reobtaining the attention of the pink pony (all part of the ritual.) "May I talk to you about something?"

Pinkie nodded, with a smile -- making believe that she hadn't heard Minty. "Yes, Rainbow?" She said, acting along with a soft giggle. "What do you need?" She said, with a smile -- Rainbow needed this, and she was happy to give it!

Rainbow turned to Minty. "Minty? Could you come over too?" She asked, to her green friend. "This involves you too, darling!" She asked, hoping her green friend/cousin would comply. "If it's not too much trouble, darling." She said, sounding more like Fluttershy, and less like Rainbow Dash.

"What cha need Rainbow Dash?" She asked, innocently -- her mind already rocketing past what was going on around her. "I thought we were going to talk about you being -- " She started saying, obliviously -- her mouth being quickly closed by Twilight's magic, who wanted, herself, to make sure that Rainbow got her opportunity to set everything right.

"Let Rainbow speak." Twilight said, with a bemused smile. "She's got something important to say." She said, with a wink. To a smile and a nod from the green pony, her smile looking almost mischievous.

"Thank you Twilight, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile to her purple unicorn friend. She gulped slightly, opening her mouth. "So Pinkie... Minty... Darlings!" She said, getting everyone's attention. "I have something to tell you, and it might sound a little crazy, but it's the truth, darlings!" She said, anxiously -- hoping that they didn't respond in the way she feared they would.

She turned to Pinkie. "To start with." She said, hesitantly. "Mama Pie wishes to send her apologies for not being there for you, Pinkie darling!" She said, with a frown -- tears starting to form in her eyes. "She feels horrible, because she let you down!" She said, gulping -- her lip quivering. "I can't do this." She said, covering her eyes with her front hooves, and starting to trot away.

Pinkie nodded, with a smile -- letting her friend let it all go. "Please Rainbow! You have to do this." She said, sternly. "You need to do this!" She said, motivating her friend to push on.

Rainbow nodded, and gulped silently. "And Minty." Rainbow said, turning to the mint green pony. "I don't know how to put this darling, but I shall anyway."

"Yes Rainbow?" Minty responded, with her goofy smile. "What do you need to tell me?" She said, standing on only her back hooves -- her legs parallel to her barrell, holding herself up by her front hoof, which was planted against a wall -- jutting out ninety degrees against her barrell and hanging straight out from her side.

"Mama Pie wants you to know that she loves you dearly, and always thought of you as one of her own -- even though she was never your mother!" Rainbow said, starting to feel relieved to let it all out -- despite the fact that she was ready to break down again, but she swallowed, and continued.

"Why's that?" Minty said, obliviously. "Did she contact you from the great beyond?" Minty said shaking. "Is she a g...g...g...ghost?" She stammered, shaking in fear. "Did she show up? Is she here right now?"

Rainbow frowned, sometimes her friend's enthusiasm could be exasperating -- causing her to jump to premature, or even brash decisions. "Yes!" Rainbow replied, patiently. "She's here right now!" Rainbow said, hoping her friend would pick up on the clues, but continued to look on vacantly. "She even with us in this room."

"Is she an angel?" Minty said, with confusion -- she couldn't be an angel! "No wait! She's behind you right!" She said, to sea of eye rolls.

"Because I am mama pie!" Rainbow announced, for all to hear. Sometimes that pony bugged her! But in the end, she loved her anyway. Minty was Minty, after all! The goofy, adorable, overeager lump of a pony.

"Ohhhh...." Minty said, with an extended gasp. "Who could have ever guessed?" She said, finally putting the puzzle pieces together.

Twilight rolled her eyes, she'd already seen first hand how dense the green pony could be. Like the time she tried to use some poison joke that Twilight had been experimenting on for one of her wreaths. The next day, she woke up with more of a floral mint hue (a horror to the mint green pony)... Oh... And as a Stallion... As Twilight recalled Spike was making jokes for weeks about that... What did he call ~~her~~ him? Spear... something? Oh well!! It didn't matter... Well... Except for the fact that it broke the green pony's mind for another whole week!

"Now it gets worse, darlings." Rainbow said, beckoning for her friends to sit down. "The next part gets even weirder, darlings!" She said, turning around so she couldn't see their faces (she just couldn't bear it if she did.)

"What is it Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie said anxiously, hearing something she had never heard before. "What else is there?" She said, in surprise (hiding the horror she felt) she didn't hear anything else from Minty, and was worried what else there could even be.

Rainbow bit her lip. Which was going to be easier to start with? 'We are disgusting bug ponies!' Or maybe 'we aren't really Pinkie, Rainbow, and Minty?' "This is going to sound even weirder, but Twilight can back me up on this one." Rainbow said, pausing for a second -- hoping Twilight would jump in, for her.

Rainbow hesitated again. Unable to bring herself to drop the hammer.

"Let me guess." Pinkie said, with a frown. "You aren't Rainbow Dash, Minty's not Minty, and I'm not Pinkie?" She said, solemnly.

Rainbow nodded, sadly. "Did Twilight tell you that as well?" She asked, the anger coming back -- not just at the continued perceived betrayals of her trust, but also at herself because she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"No." Pinkie said, shaking her head, feeling sad for Rainbow. "I had a lot of nightmares when we first arrived in Ponyville, and in all of them I wasn't me, but someone else." She said, waiting for Rainbow to confirm or deny what she said.

Rainbow nodded. "You always were a smart one." She retorted -- feeling relieve that Twilight didn't betray her trust -- again --, and that she didn't have to reveal the truth. "That's the truth, darlings, and to make matters worse, we aren't even regular ponies." She said, to a sea of dropped jaws. "We are nasty bug ponies that feed off of love... Except for you Pinkie." She said, to Pinkie's relief.

"Oh! I was so worried!" Pinkie said, remembering her dreams. This was such good news! She couldn't even begin to imagine if she was some kind of horrible love eating monster! --

Rainbow sighed. "You're half bug pony." She said, watching Pinkie immediately faint, like she did when Rarity splashed mud all over her.

Twilight sighed. "I'll get her to the bed." She said, heaving the earth pony in her magic. "I think that was, apparently, too much too soon." Twilight said, apologetically, feeling she shouldn't have encouraged Rainbow to go so far.

**********

After a few minutes, Pinkie began to stir -- still looking disoriented -- with a really sorry expression on her face. "Have I just been using my pony friends all my life?" She said, looking down -- unwilling to leave the bed that she had been placed in. "Have I just been using Sunny Daze, and Sweetberry, and Razzaroo? Have I been stealing something from my friends every time we had a party?" She said to herself, self doubt and confusion swirling through her mind. "Was I taking from them instead of giving when I showed them the proper way to blow up balloons? Am I an ugly monster like the ones in my dreams?" She asked, her face filling with dismay, and her mind with inky darkness. "Am I going to go feral someday, and jump Sunny Daze while she's doing pony summersaults, or Sweetberry while she's baking, or Razzaroo while she's planning a party? Of course it could happen while -- "

"You ok Pinkie, darling?" Rainbow asked, coming up the stairs, followed closely behind by Twilight. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, darling." She said, with dismay. "I just thought that it would better to tell you, then not, darling." She said, firmly -- though still apologetically, looking down. After a few seconds, she nodded her head, and approached her friend to give her a reassuring hug.

Instead, Pinkie shook her head, crying into a pillow. "Don't come near me!" She demanded, her pink face turning red. "Who knows what I might do to you!" She whined. Crawling away from the other two ponies. "Who knows what would happen if you got too close to a monster like me!" She shouted, violently.

"You aren't a monster Pinkie!" Twilight said, with a reassuring smile. "You shouldn't think that, Pinkie!" She said, firmly. "It isn't true!"

Pinkie shook her head. "I feed on love Twilight!" She retorted, firmly. "I'm probably doing it now! I'm sucking you dry till you don't have any love left -- and you become an ice hearted monster! A monster just like me!" She said, breaking into uncontrollable sobs.

Twilight shook her head. Should she tell Pinkie the good news first, or the news that would make her a better pony?

Twilight shook her head again -- that was a silly thing to be debating. The poor thing was struggling enough! Twilight decided, coming to her senses. She didn't need a friendship lecture, no matter how much Twilight wanted to give one. What she needed was someone telling her that it would be ok.

"You don't feed on love Pinkie!" Twilight said, telling her outright.

"But don't mutant bug ponies feed on love?" Pinkie replied, confused. "And I thought you said I was a mutant bug pony?" She said, seething slightly -- wondering if Twilight was just leading her on.

Twilight opened her mouth. To explain, but Rainbow got the first word in. "What she means to say is that, because you are half bug pony then you can feed on food like regular ponies -- not love. And I am not sure that you are even capable of extracting love in the same way." Rainbow said, with a smile. "I just think you're half bug pony nature manifests itself in making you extra empathetic, and giving you the ability to share your emotions with others, and it tends to make them see things your way, and be extra eager to please."

"But what about you and Minty?" Pinkie asked, with concern. "Don't you feed on love."

"I don't know, darling." Rainbow shook her head. "I certainly hope that we don't have to actively feed if we don't choose to. I would like to think that, right now, we have been feeding off the ambient love energy that the ponies are giving out, like I did in my dreams -- instead of actively robbing them of what belongs to them -- but even if that isn't the case, darling, Minty, we shant hurt them unless we choose to; and I shall endeavor never to do that." She said, with a smile -- causing Pinkie's smile to slowly reappear. "And I'm sure that that darling, Twilight, can find a way to help." She said giving a trusting smile to Twilight.

Twilight opened her mouth to talk. "And even if that wasn't the case. Let me ask you a question, Pinkie." She said, sternly -- her face getting extra serious.

"Ok?" Pinkie said, her Pink face still beet red from all the crying she had been doing. "What do you want to know, Twilight?"

"Pinkie." Twilight reiterated, sternly. "Do you feel like a monster?" She asked, rhetorically. "Do you wish to hurt your friends?" She asked, the pink pony -- intending to make a point.

"Well no." Pinkie replied, hesitantly. "But what wouldn't I still be a monster if I went around hurting them unintentionally?" She asked, still not sure she believed Twilight.

Twilight sighed. Pinkie had her there, but the point still had to be made -- the pony had to be made to understand. "Was your goal to hurt them?" Twilight asked again, even more firmly than before. She waited for the pink pony's response. "Is that something you set out to do?"

"Well no but..." Pinkie rebutted, being shushed by Twilight.

"Then you're not a monster, and I'm sure your friends will forgive you!" She said, with a smile. "You just have to believe in yourself!" Twilight continued. "In the mean time, I'll talk to Zecora and see if we can come up with a potion for the three of you that will allow you to feed without taking another pony's love. Would that make you feel better?"

"Yes please!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "But what if we do it unintentionally?" She asked, doubt creeping back in.

"Zecora and I will come up with a solution to that too." She said, with a smile (of course, she'd have to go and talk to the zebra later on, but at least it seemed to put the pink pony at rest.) "In the meantime." She said, turning to Rainbow Dash. "Have you thought about what you three are doing next?" She asked, to see how much thought the blue pony had put into their plans.

"Yes, darling." Rainbow said, frankly. "We need to see what those horrible monsters did to Ponyville." She said, flatly. "And we have to see for ourselves what happened to all our friends, including the unicorns that I don't remember meeting!" She said, firmly. "Well... up until now." She said, blushing slightly. "I'm a little worried," She replied, looking at her friends, and frowning slightly. "if both Wysteria and Rarity ended up at strange places... Then what happened to the others?"

Twilight nodded happily. "Let me send another letter to Celestia telling her everything I learned about Wysteria from you, as well as your conditions -- if you wouldn't mind. " She said, with a smile -- eliciting a nod from the three G3 ponies in the room. While she was at it, she should also request that the princess find the other ponies. " I'll also ask her if she could spare some guards to help you get safely to your Ponyville." She said, planning the letter to make sure she got every possible detail in there.

"Ok, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile. "Hopefully everyone is ok." She said, her mood slowly recovering. "And I hope that this Princess Celestia can help!"

Twilight nodded. "I hope so too." She said, to Rainbow, raising her voice. "Spike! I need you to take a letter."

"Ok!" Spike said eagerly, appearing in a puff of smoke -- out of, seemingly, nowhere. "What is it you needed me to say?" He asked, quill in claw (and parchment in other claw!)

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight narrated to the dragon, who put the quill to the parchment, focusing intently on every word that came from the princess' mouth.

**********

Belladonna purred, licking her lips. "So our pppprrrray has hidden themselves in this sad little hole?" She said, with a smile, eagerly awaiting the hunt. "But how do we plan to fetch the second bearor without Star Swirl's mirror?"

Solanaceae smiled. "Leave that detail to me." he said, with a smirk. "If Star Swirl can turn a mirror into a portal -- then so can I!" He said, winking to the other two changelings -- slightly overconfident in his 'vastly superior changeling magic'.

Phytolacca smirked, sharpening one of his needles against his horn; licking it for effect. "I'm just hoping the chosen bearor doesn't come willingly." He said, with a smirk, throwing the needle against a wall, causing it to crumble.

"Careful!" Solanaceae cautioned, sharply. "That wall belongs to the hive -- and we don't condone the wanton destruction of hive property."

"I suppose." Phytolacca replied, like a child who was just told that they couldn't have that second helping of ice cream. He stamped his hoof for a while, making like he was dancing.

"Quiet!" Solanaceae ordered, his horn glowing vibrantly. "I'm trying to repeat a spell that has only been accomplished twice before." He said, with a frown -- his horn glowing multiple colors as he cast spell after spell.

"So are you going to cast that spell or not?" Phytolacca said, impatiently. "I mean I have ponies to meet, -- " he said, with a sadistic smile. " -- and alicorns to hunt," he said, under his breath, already planning revenge for the hive's little failure at that other strange town (well failure other than the collection of some magical goodies, but Phytolacca didn't much care for magical MacGuffins.)

Solanaceae started swearing -- sweating profusely. If he didn't succeed, and his boss was forced to intervene, then he could kiss his position good-bye (and possibly other things as well -- including, possibly, his head.) No! He had no other choice! He had to get this portal open! He would prove that the changelings were superior to any pony, and that he was superior to any changeling! He decided, practicing a trick he learned from the lady while he was still training under her (and he hoped it worked, because if it didn't...)

Belladonna hissed. "So are we going to get this show on the road, or not?" She said, contemplating her own search for the pony that had the misfortune of humiliating her back at that strange town (and she would make that pink pony with the wishing cutie mark sorry!)

The changelings began to shout at their leader, louder and louder -- causing his face to scrunch, and his expression to become more angry.

Solanaceae, finally, gave a sharp grunt -- about ready to scream at the childish ponies. Come on! He knew how to do this! The lady taught him this trick -- heck she showed it to him! He had to do it! He just needed a magic burst, that was all! He thought, his face scrunching with effort as he concentrating on his magic, forcing it into his horn. He concentrated on his thoughts, trying to force a magic burst by forcing them, making them race and whirl.

After a few seconds, he could hear raucous laughing from his two compatriots. "It looks like our leader is going to have an aneurysm." Belladonna said, with a mocking chuckle, cleaning her face with her hoof.

"Well it looks like we are getting another new leader!" Phytolacca said, dancing with enthusiasm. "I guess the lady didn't teach Solanaceae all her tricks after all!" He said, laughing maniacally. "I vote me for new leader!"

"Shut up!" Solanaceae shouted, finally losing control of both his temper, and his twisted horn, as the magic burst he had hoped for arrived. "RARRRGGGGG!!!!"

The mirror warped, and bend -- making horrible noises, slowly taking on a translucent color, before revealing an alien landscape covered in strange buildings for a second. Before shattering violently, into a million tiny crinkly bits.

Solanaceae sweared, like a sailor -- as he was now covered in cuts and nicks, and more than a small amount of pain.

"Well if you don't succeed!" Phytolacca said, with a smirk. "Try! Try again!" He said, taking a step out the room to plan his extracurricular activities.

**********

Twilight smiled eagerly, having received the response to her second letter surprisingly promptly (much more promptly, in fact, than she expected.) The funny thing was, even as a princess, she still sometimes still suffered from a kind of fangirl syndrome towards her second mother.

"Ok Spike!" She said, diligently, making sure to look her best. "Do I look like I'm presetable enough for a meeting with the princess?"

Spike sighed, slapping his head. "You realize she isn't here right!"

"Yeah I know." Twilight said, blushing slightly. "I forget sometimes." She said, with a smile. " I just, so badly, want to impress her!"

Spike rolled his eyes with viger. "And you realize that you're a princess too right?" He said, with a smirk. "So you don't have to do the whole fangirl thing!"

"Sure!" Twilight said, blushing again -- she hated to admit it, but he had a point! "So Spike!" She said, to the young drake. "What does Princess Celestia have to say?" She asked, eagerly, hovering closer to the young dragon then he liked.

"Actually it's not Celestia." Spike said, in surprise. "It's...." He stammered, his eyes going as wide as saucers. "From Princess Luna!"

"Princess Luna?" Twilight said, in amazement. "As in 'Princess Luna' Princess Luna?" She asked, in surprise, Luna never wrote, and never, ever, gave orders.

Spike nodded, vigorously. "The one and only!" He said, shocked himself.

Twilight quirked her eyebrows. "But why would Luna be sending me a response instead of Princess Celestia?" After all --

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Maybe she'll say in the letter."

Twilight nodded. "That actually makes sense." She said, sheepishly. "What does Luna say?"

Spike shrugged. "Shall we find out?" He said, his eyes scanning up and down the scroll.

"Greetings Princess Twilight, (we shall save you the customary formalities)

We have received your second letter, and wish to send condolences to the pony formerly known as the Changeling Princess Auroras -- currently known as Rainbow Dash.
We only became aware of her friend's plights because of Princess Rarity ascension -- and wish to inform her that we are currently working tirelessly to locate them. So far, we have located most of them, though a few still remain lost, including Wysteria, whom, we are now aware -- thanks to Princess Twilight Sparkle --, has been located somewhere in Appleloosa; Lily Lightly, Whistle Wishes, and Brights Brightly, who have been taken into custody in Unicornia under the pretense of being spies for Equestria (this is why Princess Celestia is unavailable to respond to this letter, as she has been forced to go there personally to negotiate their release.), Sky Wishes -- whose whereabouts remains unknown. We have also yet to locate any of the Breezies (not to be confused with the ones that you met earlier this year, the Breezies I speak of look very different than those), or Heathspike, whom we are tirelessly searching for.

As for Wysteria, we thank you for informing us of her ascendance -- this is both exciting, and very troubling news. However, we are also greatly dismayed by her nightmares, and her growing instability (as you are aware, Princess Twilight, if an alicorn's temperament becomes unstable or they are exposed to a negative emotion that is too strong or too large, then very, very, bad things can occur -- just ask ourselves.) And, as such, we now plan to go to Appleloosa immediately to escort her back to Canterlot (we had originally planned to make arrangements for Braeburn to escort her here.)

So as a result, we are going ourselves (much to Kibitz dismay.)

As for Rainbow, Pinkie, and Minty, I believe it would be most prudent for them to see what has become of their village, though I suspect they will not appreciate what they see. And as such, we have appointed some of your guard to the purpose of escorting them there -- I believe you are very familiar with one of them: one Flash Sentry." The letter said, causing Twilight to blush slightly -- she kind of liked Flash, though she wasn't sure if it was Flash she liked, or if she was still feeling that crush she had on Flash's counterpart, Brad. Nevertheless, the letter continued. "We believe this is prudent as you do not seem to need as many guards as my sister had originally anticipated -- she saw a vision of a grand castle for you and your friends, and the center of a new kingdom, however this has appeared to be only a dream.

We must reiterate, Princess Twilight, that you are to continue to stay in Ponyville, especially since the queen's plan to eliminate her aunt has failed -- and she will, as such, most likely be looking for somepony else's blood instead. And, furthermore, you are also to continue Princess Rarity's training, as the small alicorn has at least as much magic as any of us -- and about as much control over it as a newborn foal (we do not know why the foal princess ascended, but she did and it is our responsibility to make sure she lives up to her new position.)

Finally Princess Twilight, we wish to invite you to this years Grand Galloping -- "

Twilight rolled her eyes. There was no way in Equestria that she was going back to that Celestia forsaken event -- not even for Princess Celestia....

Ok! She changed her mind, for the princess she would do this! Though she really didn't know why.

**********

Solanaceae grinned, they said he couldn't do it! They said he didn't have it in him! Well he just proved them all wrong! He did it! He opened the gate -- and all it took was a bronze mirror (the most magical kind of mirror), a magic burst or four, and numerous tries -- although he was quite certain that even Star Swirl, himself, wasn't this successful when he cast the spell.

A thousand years ago, give or take a century or ten.

"I did it Celestia!" The aging unicorn stallion said, with a beaming smile -- as the mirror in front of him warped, and bent, an alien world showing, instead of his reflection. "And on my first try no less!" He said, puffing out his chest in pride at his latest accomplishment. "Of course, -- " he said, his face growing serious. " -- I suppose that, using a bronze mirror would have made this trick foal's play, but I feel that the extra clarity of glass will allow us to better observe without intervening." The unicorn said, in a moment of clarity. "And that is an excellent thing.

Back in the present.

"Whoopty doo!" Phytolacca said, unimpressed. "Should I give you a medal or something?" He said, giggling slightly. "So whom should go through first?" He asked, giving a mischievous glance at Belladonna. "It would have to be somepony expendable! Somepony that isn't wanted, and won't be missed." He said, pointing at his fellow assassin with his tail. "Hmm...." He said, taking a thinking pose. "I wonder who that could be?"

"Quiet!" Belladonna hissed, swiping her hoof at the giggling Phytolacca -- who dodged agily. "Well, I think that, maybe, it should be somepony stupid and gullible!" She said, with a sarcastic smile, to her boss. "Somepony that doesn't really belong here!" She said, indignantly.

"Silence! Both of you!" Solanaceae shouted, grumbling angrily -- and cursing slightly. "You're squabbling is driving me crazy!" He said, his mane starting to get ruffled.

They didn't stop, starting to quirrel louder.

"Well maybe you should go first! You're nothing but an ugly old Mule!..."

"Well you're nothing but a waste of space! An undignified lout who has no business being in the hive ... let along one of its great assassins!"

"You know what I think? ..."

"SILENCE!!!" He shouted, at the top of his lungs, stamping his feet violently. "You will both listen to me as I'm talking!" He commanded, using the pseudo royal semi-canterlot guardian voice. "Now sit down and shut up!"

"Wow!" Phytolacca giggled, his face growing serious. "I remember that one." He said, switching from the face of a maniac, to an almost sorrowful expression. "Dad used to use that one on me all the time." He said, his voice trailing off. "But oh well..." He said, his mood bucking back up. "So what do you need boss?" He said, with a serious expression.

Solanaceae smiled. "I think it's time for ~~commander~~ Raphanus to be given a chance to redeem himself." The assassin lead said, this time, himself, getting slightly sadistic. "Go and fetch him, Belladonna." He said, plainly, motioning for the lowest ranked assassin to do the dirty work. "Use force, if necessary! Just make sure he gets here!"

"Very well..." She hissed, her voice getting soft. "But I'll remember this slight once I have enough witching potion to bring about regime change!" She said, leaving the room. "Treat me as an underling will you!!!"

However, after a few minutes, she returned, dragging a trembling Raphanus by the tail. "The mouse didn't want to play." She said, as her pupils dilated, flattening like daggers. "So I had to convince him to show." She said, with satisfaction-- looking kind of like a cat that just caught a mouse.

"What... What is it that you want?" The ex commander said, anxiously -- trembling slightly. "I apologize for my failures, but haven't I paid enough for them?" He asked, stuttering slightly. "Can't I just suffer in silence?"

"Oh commander." Solanaceae said, with a wink. "Don't you want to be a commander again?" He said, making sure to get good and close to the commander.

"Well yes sir." The young changeling responded, hesitantly. "But the prince said." He said, before being hushed by the assassin head.

"Don't worry about the prince." Solanaceae said quietly, with a wink -- making good and sure to look him in the eye. "I'll put in a good word for you if you complete this one task." He said, with a reassuring smile. "... Maybe he'll even reinstate you."

"What is it sir?" He asked, apprehensively. "What... What... What do you need?" He asked, wondering what he was signing himself up for.

"Why it's simple." Phytolacca replied, giggling himself. "So simple that even you can do it." He said, winking again. "Just walk through the mirror... Nothing more."

"Walk through the mirror?" The ex captain asked, with confusion. "Are you sure that's all?" The changeling asked with dismay. "There's nothing else?"

"Yes! Just walk through, and then turn around and walk back!" Phytolacca said, with a mischievous smirk. "Simple right?"

"I suppose so." the captain replied, gulping as he carefully stuck the tip of one of his hooves through the mirror (though he was expecting to touch the bronze surface.) "Just walk through?" He repeated himself, anxiously.

"Oh come now?" Phytolacca said, with exasperation as he used his back hooves to buck the ex captain through the mirror.

Phytolacca smirked, again. "Oh and captain!" He shouted into the mirror was the captain slowly transitioned between universes ('an improvement' that Solanaceae made 'fully intentionally'.) "Do make sure to take careful note of what lies beyond!" He shouted, putting his ear to the mirror to see if he could hear any blood curdling screams.

When after a few seconds he couldn't hear any, the assassin looked down, and walked away sadly. "I was really hoping that the mirror would've failed the first time." He said, scuffing his hoof against the ground. "Oh well!!! We have a bearor to find!" He said, grabbing some of his things, and doing a cannonball through the mirror.

**********

Twilight blushed, looking at her old crush. "Hello Brad..." She said, uncomfortably. "So... Um..." she said, looking away -- her cheeks reddening slightly. "How's things going."

"Well... You know..." Flash Sentry said, himself looking away -- his own cheeks reddening slightly. "I've been busy... You know... With... Guard stuff." He said, awkwardly now. (Don't think he hadn't noticed her call him 'Brad'! He hadn't even been to that other world before, and he already hated his counterpart! Especially since his counterpart had stolen Twilight from him! But don't worry! He had a plan to win her back! A plan so secret that I'm not allowed to talk about it! No siree bob! -- Ok maybe his talk of plans was overrated... But Flash was still determined!)

"So... Um... What brings you here?" Twilight asked, uncomfortably, already knowing the true answer. It was more difficult to talk to the pegasus then she thought.

"Well... Um..." The Pegasus replied. "I'm here to escort Lady Rainbow, her great cousin, and her daughter to that alternate Ponyville." He said, motioning to the chariot, that had already been filled with a giggling Pinkie, and an eager Minty. "We're just waiting for Lady Rainbow." He said, calmly -- hoping she would show up shortly.

"Oh I can't wait!" Minty said to Pinkie, with a smile. "We get to ride on a chariot!" She said, eagerly. "And it's being driven by two really real for real pegasus ponies!" She said, getting a careful look at her guards, and blushing noticeably. "And stallions to boot!" She said, turning quickly away -- the red in her face growing more obvious (they didn't have that many stallions in their Ponyville, and so it was kind of an odd experience for the mint green pony.)

"Really real for real pegasus ponies?" The guards asked, looking at each other -- exchanging confused expressions, what were these strange ponies talking about?

"Don't worry." Twilight said, calming down for a minute. "I'll get her!" She said, looking to the door of the library, waiting impatiently.

"Rainbow!" She shouted towards the library, waiting for the earth pony's response. "Are you ready to go yet?"

"In a minute, Twilight darling!" Rainbow shouted back."I have a few more things to pack and then we can be on our way!" She shouted back, to sounds of rustling coming from inside. "Remember Twilight, darling, perfection is never ready -- it just... happens!"

After a couple of minutes, Twilight blushed with embarrassment, giving out a nervous giggle -- glancing back and forth between Flash Sentry, and the other two guards, and the library. "One moment please." She said, quickly galloped back into the library. "I'll... be... right back!" She said, with an embarrassed smile.

"So? How long do you think they'll take?" Minty said, with an oblivious smile.

"Well..." Pinkie said, thoughtfully, chin to bottom of muzzle. "Rainbow does have a habit of overpacking. she said, remembering the trip to Unicornia that she had never actually done.

What could heard next was arguing. "But darling! I need all these things! How would I ever survive without them!" A pony that sounded a lot of like Rainbow said, defensively. "I mean to say, darling, what if we need them, and they simply aren't around?"

"You don't need them! This isn't a vacation!" A pony that sounded a lot like Twilight said, sternly -- like a principle to an unruly student. "Your home might not even still be there!" She said, putting a hoof to her mouth, with a blush -- that was probably a poor thing to leak. "And, besides -- " she said, resuming her lecture. " -- there's no way all those suitcases can fit into that chariot!" The voice said, even more sternly.

"Oh! I know, darling." The voice said, starting to get sad. "But I was hoping to bring something back to my friends, and your darling Rarity has left me with so many darling gifts, it would be a shame to leave them all behind!" The voice said, apparently feeling sorry to be leaving her friend already.

"Well you'll be coming back to get them!" Twilight's voice boomed over the sounds of midday. "But you'll have to wait until you get back from that other Ponyville!" The voice said, starting to get soft again.

"Couldn't I carry one small handbag!" Rainbow's voice begged, desperately. "I carried it in my dreams about going to some dragon's home Whimsey-something-or-another! So it should be ok right!?" The voice shouted, trying to appeal to Twilight's sensibilities.

"Um! Rainbow!" Pinkie shouted, politely -- at the library. "Whimsey Weatherby!" She shouted, correcting her friend.

"No! Not even that!" Twilight's voice said, beginning to sound agitated as Rainbow's voice continued to argue with her. "And if you don't head out there right now I'm going to use my magic to make sure you get there!" The voice shouted, as the sounds of a stamping hoof could be heard.

"But daring!" The voice argued, before scuffling could be heard, and Rainbow shot out a window of the library landing into the cabin of the chariot.

"Ouch!!!" Rainbow exclaimed sorely. "I hardly believe that was necessary, darling!" She shouted, with agitation, looking back at the library. "You could've just asked!" She said, to a faint chuckling by Pinkie.

"Well..." The pink pony said, with bemusement. "She kind of did, darling." She said, chuckling slightly -- winking at her friend.

"I suppose so, darling." Rainbow replied, waving her hair back and forth, ostentatiously. "I suppose so." She said, crossing her front legs

Flash chuckled silently in front of them. "Well do you wish to go ladies?" He said, gallantly.

Rainbow frowned. "Couldn't I grab a thing or three first?" She asked Flash Sentry -- hoping that he would say yes, where Twilight didn't.

"Sorry Rainbow." Flash said, with a sigh -- it didn't feel very gallant to say no, did it? "I think Twilight's right in this case! We should be carrying as little weight as possible, in case we have to leave in a hurry." He said, remembering that the town had been attacked by changelings.

Flash smiled, and winked. "But don't worry ladies! We'll be there and back before you know it!" He said, chivalrously.

"Why of course." Pinkie said, with an odd smile, looking at the stallion. "Shall we be on our way?" She asked, battering her eyes slightly.

**********

Belladonna looked on. She didn't know why, but she hated these strange bipeds, or rather, she couldn't remember why. She stood there, trying to remember why.

Till it finally occurred to her when a group of three humans passed by: an older blond female, a younger redhead male, and the youngest of the brood, another blond female -- all with blue eyes.

"Ahh yes!!!" This is why I hate these creatures. She said, recalling the scene. "She reminds me of the one who ruined me!" The old changeling said, with a frown. "The one who ruined Rep!"

She had ample witch weed potion (or witching potion as she called it.) That is, until her incompetent assistant let the Bushwoolies escape -- which invariably, left her no choice but to look elsewhere for a source of labor to make her witching potion (an otherwise time consuming, and dangerous, process.)

So naturally the nearby pony kingdom came to mind. A kingdom whose inhabitants were peaceful, timid, and otherwise easy to manipulate (especially when their queen wasn't around, which was when they were especially vulnerable.) And seeing that their deity unicorn queen was m.i.a., she lept at the opportunity, whipping up a doozie of a snowstorm -- and in the middle of spring no less -- with the purpose of captured those ponies in a giant ball of ice and snow, a task she more or less accomplished, sadly, having to use most of her remaining witching potion to do. Oh well, she felt quite proud none the less, sucking in a snow ball filled with the pathetic, whimpering, collection of quadrupedal creatures -- creatures soon to man the machines necessary to produce her witching potion.

That was until SHE showed up! The blond female with the blue eyes! That female human wh -- (Tut tut tut! Temper! Temper!)

"Ok Rainbow! Do your stuff!" She shouted, brandishing an artifact that summoned a rainbow which not just blew away her clouds and snow, but also knocked her onto her back, not just once but twice.

Things quickly disintegrated from there, until she was left dangling over a vat of her own witching potion -- begging for mercy from those ridiculous quadrupedal creatures!.

But today she would change things! She would change it! She could get revenge on that girl and --

"Remember Belladonna!" Solanaceae said, sternly, putting a... What were these weird things? They were like hooves, but much more flexible, with strange things dangling off the edge... Anyway, he put his weird hoof thing on her wither. "We are here to fetch the bearer for our employer, not revenge!" He said, pushing her towards the door. "Save your personal vendettas for later."

"I suppose so!" The old changeling said, looking more like a cross between an anthropomorphic cat and a fairy princess. "But let's hope we find our pppprrrray quickly -- otherwise I can't guarantee anything!"

"Fair enough!" Solanaceae replied, with a smile. "We'll split up! And signal the others when you locate the target." He said, creating a small ball of magic in his finger. Apparently his kind kept their magic, even in this weird world -- a very useful thing! Despite the fact that they were relatively odd looking, looking more like fairies and less like humans.

"Sounds fair to me." Phytolacca replied, with a chuckle. "But hopefully you don't mind if I play with our mark a little bit before I turn them over?" He said, getting scowls and head shakes from his colleagues. "Oh come on guys! Can't a stallion have a little fun?"

"No!" Solanaceae replied flatly, his eyes turning fierce. "We want to enter and leave without being seen! The goal is to not have Celestia getting word of our movements until it's too late." He said, grinning malevolently.

"Fine!" Phytolacca replied, crossing his arms. "These creatures do have some interesting expressions they can do." He thought to himself with a chuckle (for those who are wondering: it's easy for master actors like the changelings to pick up the movements and motions of the humans, and it didn't hurt that one of the three already was well aware with the intricacies of bipedal movement.)

**********

"So where are all those strange creatures that we saw earlier?" Phytolacca asked, inquisitively, turning to his leader. "Did they all run away?"

"Unlikely." Solanaceae replied, carefully peering into the windows of the building -- looking for signs of life. "I doubt they even suspected anything, either. But I'm not sure, though, is where they went -- or why. Maybe they hibernate during the day and --? "

"Hey!" A large muscular bipedal stallion said, walking up from behind. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the day?" He asked, the rather large nose ring, that he was wearing, glowing in the light. "Do you have your hall passes?" He asked, crossing his arms, an authoritarian expression on his face.

"Hall passes?" Solanaceae asked, with curiosity.

"Yeah!" The large male replied, amplifying his voice, for effect. "This is a closed campus! And that means that you can't just leave the campus during the middle of the day!" He groused, poking one of the assassin's in the chest with his finger. "And truancy is not permitted at any time!"

"Truancy?" Phytolacca replied, laughing wildly. "So this is a school?" He said, with a chuckle. "Fascinating!" He replied, concocting a plan.

"If you laugh at me, then I wrath -- " The male started, before breathing in. "Remember your anger management classes, Iron Will -- besides these are only students." The male thought to himself, starting to count.

"Terribly sorry!" Solanaceae replied, taking on a very sad expression. "But we're new at this school, and we seem to have gotten the hours wrong." He said, scuffing his feet. "So maybe just let us go this time, and we'll find out which classes we are taking and..." He said, giving a silent signal to his partner, which was returned by his partner.

The old stallion gave out a deep belly laugh. "THAT old excuse again." He said, cuffing his head, with his hand. "Oh come on? You think I'm really that stupid!" He said, grabbing both changelings by the shirts. "You two boys are coming with me to see the principal." He shouted, not seeing the needle the onyx assassin was juggling in his hand.

Phytolacca smirked at his leader. "Principal huh?" He thought, putting the needle back in his pocket and sending a telepathic message to his young leader. "This should be interesting. You must be working on a plan, though I don't know how the old bat is supposed to help us find the bearer."

"Oh you'll see." Solanaceae thought, with a smirk -- sending his response to his friend. "Not originally, but, now, I think I already have a feeling I know how we are going to find the bearer -- you don't become leader of an elite group of assassin's such as ours without knowing something of the outside world -- and even if I'm wrong, then we can get some leverage -- incase they get cold hooves."

"Oh! Ho! Ho! Ho! You are a smart one." Phytolacca exclaimed with glee, eliciting a confused expression from the hall monitor.

"What kind of mischief are you two up to, anyway?" The hall monitor asked, once again having to count to control his temper."I don't like mischief!" He said, his voice giving a guttural growl.

"Oh you'll see..." Phytolacca said to himself, quietly. "You'll see..."

**********

"Hmm..." Belladonna said to herself. "My pppeeerrrray is within my grasp." She said, noticing that the necklace, that she was holding, beginning to glow an eerie light. "She must be that way." She said, pointing in the direction that caused the necklace to grow the most brightly. "All I have to do is -- "

"Home Ec teacher Catrina?" A voice came from behind, causing the assassin to jump slightly -- trying to embed her ~~claws~~ fingers in the ceiling.

"What do you want?" The assassin shouted furiously, turning around to find out who was speaking to her.

Behind her stood an old woman with peach skin, and greying hair, the last few pink strands of it still, barely visible, turning to the old witch -- the woman's dress containing a large and very distinctive quilting patch. "I thought you retired decades ago?" She asked with glee, her yellow eyes looking the assassin up and down. "What brings you back to Equestria High?" She asked, trying to make small talk.

The old witch wretched -- how dare this old goat bug her while she was in the process of finishing the work of the hive! Maybe she'd have to show her what comes to those who pestered her! A little swig of her witch weed potion and --

"Though you really shouldn't be wandering the halls without a permit." The old woman said, insistently. "Vice principal Luna would have my hide if I didn't -- "

The witch did a doubletake, carefully putting the vile of witching potion back down below her neckline. "Vice pppppeeerrrincipal Luna?" The old witch sneered, eagerly -- perhaps she might have some fun this mission, after all. "Why, terribly sorry about that mrs -- ?"

"Patch..." The women said, her face dropping in a mix of sorrow, and concern. "You don't remember me Catrina? I was your student, back, in the day, before you were fired by Principal Majesty." The old woman said, with melancholy. "Poor thing, must have been hard, it was the same year that you lost Rep..."

Belladonna snarled quietly. Yes she recalled now. She hoped, to this day, that Majesty burned for that indignantly! And for her role in Rep's end! And, of course, the ponies would pay dearly for her loss! Of course she should also probably thank old Majesty, it was after Rep's passing that she realized just how transient and fragile love could really be. "Oh well." She said, with a fake smile. "These things happen, so no hard feelings." She said, dishonestly. "Though I really should find Luna, I've been rehired -- you know, I had to get reemployed... the economy and all that."

"Oh yes!" The old woman agreed. "I've been forced to do the same. The grandchildren want me to retire, but I just can't..." She said, with a frown, her voice trailing off. "I'd go broke if I did." She said, sadly. "But good luck, Catrina, Luna should be over there, -- " She said, pointing down the hall. " -- take the third hall, -- " She said. twisting her wrist to point right. " -- then the second right, then she should be the fourth door.

"Oh of course." Belladonna said, with a sneer. "I'll go and talk to her for you, and we'll meet later to reconnect." She lied -- figuring her counterpart was probably long gone, and when the senile old mare figured it out Catrina would be long gone -- target in hoof.

Though it was fortunate that her mark was nearby -- because she'd be able to have a talk with them after she finished with 'Vice Principal Luna'. She sneered again -- after all, Tirek's work is never done.

**********

"You two sit there!" Iron Will demanded, sternly -- pulling out his wrestling voice (the middle aged man still loved to wrestle in his free time, like he did when he was a young man -- to this day, it still made him feel young again -- though, these days, he was forced to spend his time mostly teaching PE, and giving pep speeches -- a necessity as his age was slowly starting to get to him.) "Principal Celestia will be with you shortly."

"So are we going to wait for the old bat?" Phytolacca said, with incredulity. "I mean I have better things to do than wait around for some old dinosaur to show up.

"Hush..." Solanaceae said, taking a careful listen to a conversation between the secretary, and Iron Will. "I want to hear this."

"What do you mean Principal Celestia won't be back from her meeting for a few more minutes? I found two delinquents out there, slinking around, and skipping the classes." He shouted, with a scowl, his hand pounding on the desk. "I demand that something be done about this!" He said, his face scowling a bit with anger. "We've let too much slide as it is! Don't think the students didn't notice how we let little miss. sunshine get away with tearing the front off of the school." He continued, before his face turned softer and more satirical. "Oh lay off of her Iron Will. She said she was sorry." He finished with a falsetto.

"I know, Mr. Will." The secretary responded, calmly. "But there's nothing we can do, the Principal has to finish her meeting with Superintendent Tirek, -- " she said, calmly, her hands and arms raised in a shrug. " -- it's vital to getting the funding we need to finish repairs to the school that we needed after that whole... Demon incident!" She said, looking around uncomfortably. "So you see, Mr. Will, that the delinquents will simply have to wait." She said, with an overstated shrug.

"Fine!" The man said, with a sigh -- proceeding to walk away. "But I can't stick around her, -- " he said, sternly -- taking another look at his watch. " -- my lunch break is over in a couple of minutes, and I need to be in class at that point."

"So it would appear that 'the principal' won't be back for a few more minutes." Solanaceae said, stroking his chin with his hand. "Maybe now would be a time to look around for our mark." He said, pointing to the principal's door. "Would you mind doing the honors?" He said, turning to an eager Phytolacca.

"You mean by breaking and entering?" Solanaceae's fellow assassin said, with a smirk. "Oh and spying at private records?..." He asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Why certainly!" The assassin responded, with glee. "Allow me!" He said, starting to giggle manically. "But I would recommend that you don't stand a pawn's, rook's or bishop's move from the door -- just saying." He said, as he took a small sewing needle and chucked it at the lock -- causing the needle to enter the hole with a surprising amount of accuracy.

After a few minutes, sickening sounds could be heard coming out of the lock as the needle bounced, and rebounded around in the lock -- moving and warping metal as it bounced around. Eventually causing the door knob to fell clean off with a loud clanking.

"Gee..." The older of the two assassin's responded, with a chuckle after hearing a clunk that, quite frankly, should have woken the dead. "I would've expected the secretary to come running with a loud sound like that."

"Oh she didn't hear a thing." Solanaceae responded, with a smirk. "When I heard the sickening sounds coming from the object around her head from feet away (who knew that Principal Celestia's secretary was a fan of heavy metal pop r&b rap viking rock fusions?), I knew she wouldn't be able to hear anything we did." He said, pushing the door open, gently.

"Gee..." Phytolacca said, with bemusement. "I'd expect there to be pictures on this wall." He said, examining the wall right inside the door. "In fact, I may have been right, it looks like something used to hang here to boot," he said, touching the wall and comparing the dust levels at one location vs the other.

"Don't worry about the old crow's portraits of her ex." The senior of the two assassin's said, pointing at a few filing cabinets. "I need these opened!" He shouted to his fellow conspirator, pointing at some filing cabinets.

"Got it!" His fellow assassin said, using a couple of needles to pick the locks.

Solanaceae gave Phytolacca a baffled look, and pointing to his collection of needles.

"What?" The other assassin responded. "Were you expecting me to waste more of my magic on a couple of filing cabinets?"

Solanaceae nodded, still surprised that the other assassin wasn't using his signature ability.

"Look! It would be a waste of my magic, and besides." He said, with a chuckle. "I learned this trick stealing some of the placement tests for the EUP guard to impress daddy with my test scores." He said, with a chuckle. "How do you think I became one of Celestia's royal guards? Merit?" He laughed, getting a knowing nod from his compatriot.

"Shush!" Solanaceae said, pointing to the cabinets. "Turn them upside down, and find anypony with any connection to this symbol!" He said, showing the other assassin a picture of the necklace that Belladonna was currently holding onto.

"Naturally!" The other assassin said, as they both began to pour papers and documents onto Celestia's office floor.

After a couple of minutes Solanaceae gave a squeal of glee. "Just as I suspected!" He said, with a smile, turning to his assistant, who was now covered in papers. "Take a look at this, and tell me what you see on her shirt?"

He shrugged, the symbol on the girl's shirt wasn't all that special. "It's a picture of a sun! What's so special about that?" He asked, nonchalantly. "I thought I saw one of those weird bipeds with a skull on his shirt." Phytolacca said, with a lack of interest.

"Look more closely." Solanaceae replied, putting the picture of the necklace next to the school portrait.

"It's the same symbol." Phytolacca said, in utter surprise, a theory beginning to form itself in the assassin's mind. "Then that means that we need to find out the whereabouts of mrs..." He said, trailing off as he read the name at the top of the file. "Sunset Shimmer..." He said, with a smirk, pulling out a needle. "So all I need to do is look at the class registrations in the filing cabinets in the next room and -- "

"Why is lock to my office's door laying on the floor?" An older female asked, standing in the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently. "And why are you two snooping around my office instead of being in class!" She asked, with incredulity (was she looking at more bullies? Blackmail? Or, were these two acting as paparazzi for their blog?) She looked down at the file in the onyx human's hands -- a file she recognized intimately. "And why do you need to know where Sunset Shimmer is at this hour?" She asked, walking up towards the two assassin's, her looking of agitation slowly growing.

"Sorry principal." Solanaceae replied, dishonestly, giving his best fake apology face. "I'm sorry, you were right! We were trying to find out some dirt we could get on her as revenge on her for blackmailing us back at... the... um...." He said, thinking of a decent excuse. What kinds of holidays might these bizarre creatures celebrate?

"Winter Promenade?" The principal asked, a smirk gracing her face.

"Yeah!" Phytolacca replied, quickly. "We were angry about her... um... blackmailing us right before the Winter Promenade and ... "

"Phytolacca!" Solanaceae quickly shouted, his face filling with terror. "She made that up! There is no Winter Promenade!" He said, immediately seeing through the teacher's rouse.

"Smart boy!" Celestia responded. "You aren't from this school are you?" She responded, getting serious -- her body slowly backing towards the door, and one of her panic buttons.

"Horse Apples!" Solanaceae responded, swearing like a sailor -- his fairy wings unfurling as he took a quick jump back.

The principal's face lost all color as she staggered back, on the verge of fainting. "You aren't even from this world are you? You're from that other world, like Sunset and the Dazzlings aren't you?" She said, turning to run -- forgetting all about her panic button.

Solanaceae and Phytolacca looked at each other, sharing a quick smirk, as the other changeling unfurled his wings, and they both took belligerent stances.

Solanaceae gave a sadistic smile, feeling invigorated, his chance finally coming to do battle with the counterpart of one of Equestria's deity princesses. "I guess, Celestia's counterpart is just as perceptive as she is..." He continued, raising his hand, and pointing a finger at the fleeing principal. "Too bad, I suspect her counterpart isn't a quarter as magical," he announced, his advantage soon to play in his favor.

**********

Belladonna smirked. Yes! She needed to see Vice Principal Luna... You know... To get her hall pass, and assignments! And not at all to have revenge on the hated princess' counterpart!

"Excuse me young lady." Belladonna said, talking to a purple and aquamarine haired student, with mulberry eyes, and fuchsia skin. "I'm looking for the Vice Principal's office!" She said, with a false benevolence. "You see I'm going to be hired as the new home ec teacher, and I needed to finish my paperwork." She lied.

The student gave an uninterested expression -- baring the fear that showed in her eyes -- looking up and down 'the teacher's' form carefully.

"Is something wrong, deary?" 'The teacher' purred. "You feeling uncomfortable?"

"No." The student replied deadpan. "I just... Have to go... To the bathroom... The vice principal's office is over there." She said, pointing calmly, at the office, pausing frequently 'to think'.

"Of course." The witch said, with a glimmer in her eye. It was a good thing she brought her witching potion, because, as she suspected, the child was going to pull in just the ponies she wanted, and needed. But first, she had an appointment with the vice principal. She thought, with a glimmer in her eye.

Apparently all the rubbish -- or students, as they called themselves -- had decided to clear out, which was ok with Belladonna, she didn't really want all those ruffians in her way anyways.

She walked over, and carefully tapped on the vice principal's door -- concocting an elaborate excuse as to why she had been sent there. A sinister smile growing in the meantime (oh this would, most certainly, be fun!)

"Excuse me." She purred, waiting for the vice principal's response. "I know you weren't expecting me for a few more days, but I'm the new home ec teacher, and the district has ordered me to show up a few days early for my orientation."

Luna opened the door slowly, showing her serious face. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't been informed of a new home ec teacher. " She said flatly -- closing the blinds (for maximum effect) -- her face showing no small amount suspicion.

"Well I was told to show up this morning!" The changeling assassin purred, slowly entering the door -- where she could drop all pretenses. "So maybe we should go into your office, and... discuss things!"

"Very well." The vice principal said, walking over to her phone -- and making sure to put one finger on the panic button. "So tell me more about 'you being hired' mrs..." She said, before stopping -- her face growing pale as she began to recognize a form she hadn't seen since kindergarten -- it wasn't possible! It just couldn't be! She retired years ago! And to make things even more spookie, Luna was certain that the old teacher had already passed on!.. Years ago!

"Home ec teacher Catrina?" Luna said, in abject panic. "You got fired while my sister and I were in training pants for larceny, theft, extortion, and the abusing of child labor laws." She said, spouting off a laundry list of offenses. "... But mostly because we have no need for home ec any more! Besides, home ec is sexist!" She said, stammering like she'd seen a ghost.

The old cat smiled, her pupils dilating into the shape of daggers. "Then maybe I should make this quick." She smirked, taking a swig of a vial full of a foul smelling liquid that hung from around her neck. "Are you ready to battle now?" She asked, the principal of the night, whom, at this point, was backing away slowly. Belladonna was certainly glad, at this point, that she drank some of her witching potion, because she knew, for a fact, that this would be a difficult battle! After all, this was the princess of the night! And she was, by far, the most crafty and battle hardened of Equestria's four princesses; she was, after all, the best warrior of the four, striding over the other three in battle, like a titon!

Her plan, therefore was simple! She'd throw a fake blow -- using only a fraction of her energy, and then -- ...

She floored the vice principal with the quick jab. There was no dodge! No fight! No nothing, one quick blow that immediately floored her.

"Gee...." The changeling said, in confusion. "That was... alot easier... Then I was expecting." She said, her eyes as big as plates, as she examined her paw, with awe. Did she just do what she thought she did? Did she just floor the Princess of the Night's counterpart with but one blow? "I didn't even get to use the vast magics of my witching potion." She said, with disappointment.

Belladonna frowned. That was a let down for her. Oh well! Maybe she could take her disappointment out on the vice principal or --

"Sunset! Vice principal down!" A pink human with bright pink hair cried, making siren sounds, dragging a child's red wagon behind her -- that the assassin had no idea how she obtained.

Belladonna smirked, as the six human children approached, and the necklace she held started glowing violently. Apparently she was right to let that student go -- she did, after all, do exactly what Belladonna wanted, and brought the bearor right to her.

**********

Phytolacca turned to his boss, his eyes filled with disdain. "What do you mean you just put her to sleep? This is our chance to rid ourselves of the hated Celestia! Our chance to be the heros of the hive!" He said, with anger, and profound disappointment.

"No!" Solanaceae said, shaking his head, sternly. "This wasn't the real Celestia -- only her counterpart -- and I'm worried that destroying this world's Celestia would disobey Star Swirl's fourteenth law of cross dimensional travel.

Phytolacca used his hand to fake the bantering of the senior of the two assassins, lip syncing the words like he was part of a boy band. "Yeah... I know!" He said, deadpan. "The one where we can cause both universes to collide ... blah blah blah! End of the universe! Possibly all universes! Yakkity Yakkity Yak!" He said, unconvinced. "Are you sure we can't finish her?" He said, grabbing another needle, and pulling it back for a quick chuck..

"No!" Solanaceae commanded, grabbing his compatriots' hand and needle in his magic. "Finishing her would only serve to alert Celestia to our plans! And we have to find five bearers including Sunset first!" He said, motioning down the hall. "Now come along!" He commanded his colleague -- pulling him with his magic.

"Meh!" Phytolacca said, unimpressed. "It just won't be the same!" He moaned, looking at his hands. "Oh well! Let's find Belladonna!" He shouted eagerly, still hoping for a fight.

"I'm actually surprised." Solanaceae commented, with a frown. "I had expected Celestia's counterpart to be less of a pushover!" He said, with disappointment, looking at his feet. "Oh well!" He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Belladonna should know about this Sunset -- and I'm sure our liege will be very impressed with how quickly we completed this mission!" He said, putting some pep into his step.

"Oh I think she already does!" Phytolacca giggled, as a scrambling could be heard nearby. "Apparently Sunset decided to find us." He said, with a smirk. "And I do hope that she and her friends put up a fight!" He said, with the giggles. "I was looking for something to do!" He said, racing out into the hallway.

**********

Applejack frowned, looking down at the crumpled body of the vice principal -- her hand crumpled into a tight fist. "When teh dazzlings, of all people, told us that teh vice principal was in trouble..." She said, with a slight blush. "well ah cain't say ah believed them at first. But apparently the proof is in teh puddin'." She said, giving the look over to the assailant. An old women with fairy wings that kind of looked like an anthropomorphic cat. "She's an ugly one ain't she." Applejack said, giving the monster a look straight in the eyes.

Rainbow scoffed slightly, her face remaining fierce despite what would normally be considered a passable joke. "I'd still make sure we keep a pair of eyes to look around, incase the dazzlings decide to jump us from the lockers or something." She said, pointing to Pinkie. "Pinkie: why don't you and Fluttershy keep an eye open, incase the dazzlings 'return to help' or something?"

"Sure thing!" Pinkie said, dutifully, snapping to attention. making like a night watchman on an old sailing vessel (tipping to a 75 degree angle, and all.)

Sunset frowned. This was worse than she thought! Not only were these monsters quickly able to take down the vice principal, but they had apparently already transformed to boot (she could tell the moment she saw the creature's wings jutting out.) She sighed to herself silently -- her mind filled with self doubt -- Maybe she should have brought the book after all? But Aria had been so insistent that they hurry, saying, emphatically, that she had seen some strange people wandering around, and that one had already assaulted her (mind you, she probably exaggerated somewhat, but she did have revenge to think about, after all.)

"So." Applejack whispered, turning to Sunset. "Yah think we can take 'em?" She whispered as softly as she could.

"Of course!" Rainbow whispered, with conviction. "All we gotta do is have Sunset help us with that whole Anthro-Rainbow-beam thing and we'll take her down easy!" She said, mimicking a pair of horse ears with her hands. "We won't even have to break a sweat -- ten seconds flat!" She said, waving her hand in a line -- it took more than a super spooky D-grade movie monster to scare the one... the only... Rainbow Dash!

"Ah hope so!" Applejack said, apprehensively -- lacking both Rainbow Dash's confidence, and bluster. "Ah hope so!"

"Quick girls!" Sunset commanded. "Get close to me!" She ordered, sounding much more confident than she really felt. "I really wish Twilight were here! She'd be able to do this easy, and I'm not sure I have it in me!" She thought, fighting very hard not to keep her face from dropping.

A song played in the background "Honesty... Kindness... Laughter..." As the girls puffed out their chests, and prepared for the anthro transformation and ...

"Pinkie? Could you knock that off please dear?" Rainbow asked, with agitation turning to Pinkie. "That music is starting to get on my nerves!"

"Sorry!" Pinkie said, with a blush, putting her boom box away.

"Now where were we?" Sunset replied, as they went back to their positions waiting for the inevitable... Earth shattering! Villain squishing! Evil stopping! Burst of ... Nothing...

"Wowwee!" Pinkie said, eagerly. "I'm all anthro! I have ears and a tail!" She said, with a huge grin. "Now this is the part of the movie where we form the heart, and then blast with an orbital rainbow blast of friendship and send her packing!" She said, waiting for a second. "Any second now...." She said, still filled with denial. "And it's a beauty!"

"Uh Pinkie..." Fluttershy said, frowning slightly. "I don't think it worked." She said, still looking like herself, shaking like a leaf. "I think we might be in trouble!"

"Oh you girls had me for a second!" Belladonna said, her face growing fierce. "I was having flashbacks. And I don't like rainbows!!" She said, still shuddering at the words of the Megan (also known as the tribal deity of the unicorns) as she summoned her rainbow with the words 'Do your thing Rainbow!' Belladonna growled, showing her fangs. "And I don't like flashbacks!" She said, her eyes dilating into the shape of daggers again, and her claws extending. "Now are you going to hand over the bearer quietly? Or am I going to have to get rough." The old changeling assassin said, with a smile -- her anger being redirected into a sadistic mirth, and she pointed her claw at Sunset Shimmer.

Applejack, glanced and Rainbow Dash, and nodded -- they had to do something, no matter how stupid it really was!

Rainbow returned the nod, and started sprinting face first at the trained assassin. "I can do rough!" She said, with confidence. "I'll show you why I'm the queen of the rugby, and football teams! (American football, though she prefered the non-American version -- also known, in america, as soccer.)

"Sunset run!" Applejack shouted, herself running towards the trained assassin -- throwing herself at the monster.

Sunset nodded, and started sprinting down the hall the other way. "I'll be back for you guys as soon as I can contact Twilight." She said, somberly to herself. "Please be ok! Twilight would never speak to me again if you weren't!" She said to herself, with a frown, the tears starting to flow down her cheaks.

"That was a pointless gesture." Belladonna purred evilly, taking a deep breath, and blowing a whirlwind at point blank range of Rainbow and Applejack, sending them both flying into a wall.

"Did that hurt?" She purred, as both girls staggered back to their feet -- pained looks on their faces. "But don't worry!" She said, with a chuckle. "If it didn't then I can simply blow harder!" She said, taking a good breath in, incase she wanted to blow out another whirlwind. "And don't worry about being left out!" She said, turning to the other girls. "There's a lot more where that's coming from!" She said, taking a break to give a strong laugh from her belly. "Of course, you can make it stop if you turn her over to us." She said, gleefully -- by now certain that Sunset's friends would be feeling betrayed, and would happily hand her over so that she could go back to her pony hunt.

"Never!" Applejack wheezed slightly as she talked, still defiant. "We'll never give her over to the likes of ya'll!"

Belladonna smirked. "We'll see." She said, walking over, putting a claw to the human's chin. "Though I wouldn't be so sure of that!"

**********

Sunset sprinted, running down the hall. However, her trip only made it as far as the principal's office, before a javelin came flying out of nowhere, landing mere inches from her feet.

"Going somewhere?" A balding teenager with onyx black skin, and a pair of fairy wings said. "You wouldn't be trying to get in contact with princess Twilight would you?" He said, with a chuckle. "My boss wouldn't like that!" He said, waiting for emphasis before putting his hand to his mouth. "Actually!" He said, in a pretend whisper. "Please try!" He said, pointing to his boss, who was carrying an unconscious principal Celestia by the neck. "That way my boss has an excuse to get rid of that meddlesome Celestia's counterpart." He said, with a morbid glee. "You know... that kind pony who took you in and then promptly abandoned for power..." He said, getting shocked look from Sunset. "You don't think we can't pull out biographical information, if we need?" He said, with a chuckle, fumbling a needle out of his bag. "You belong with us!!!"

Sunset frowned, looking back, she could see her friends being thrown around like rag dolls by the first assassin. And standing between her and her locker were two more -- one, though looking no older than this dimensions crusader's, gave off the aura of one who was surprisingly magically adapt. She could try running around them, though she might have trouble squeezing through. Maybe there was another way? Hopefully she learned something from those soccer lesson's Rainbow gave her when they became friends for real.

The child opened his mouth, showing a pair of fangs. "I wouldn't even think of running Sunset, if I were you..." He said, growing serious. "You see!" He said, laying out his demands. "For each minute that we are forced to wait for your surrender, we will make sure that one of your friends..." He said, intentionally trailing off. "Well... It won't be pretty." He cautioned -- trailing off again. "Do you get the point?"

Sunset frowned, what was she going to do? On one hoof she absolutely had to contact the princess -- both worlds probably depended on it! But on the other hoof, what would happen if they weren't bluffing? What 'consequences' did these horrible ponies have in store for her friends? She thought, her mind starting to go feryl slightly -- dropping back to pony terms, something she hadn't used in years.

In the end, Sunset had to take a risk, her friends were making a huge sacrifice -- knowing what they were getting into -- and Twilight was the only one who could help, and Sunset knew it. So it was decided, Sunset would get Twilight. She just had to hope this maneuver worked! She held her breath as she sprinted towards the taller of the two monsters, practicing a trick she learned from dash -- first breaking into a full sprint, and then sliding between the legs of the bigger of the two changelings.

Sunset looked on as the two monsters stood behind her. But her wonder quickly ceased as the cries of her friends brought the reality of the situation to her mind. So she did the only thing she could -- she sprinted towards the locker as quickly as she could.

Solanaceae scowled -- starting to make chase, only to be stopped by one of his fellow assassin's needles. "Why'd you let her go?" He scowled to the other assassin. "We can't let her get away! What if she brings the princess into this (and not just Twilight, but one that actually knows what they are doing.)

"Oh she's not going anywhere." The other changeling said, with a chuckle. "How long do you think half the time between here and her locker is?" He shouted, raising his voice more the further Sunset got away.

The assassin head shrugged, five minutes tops.

"So!" He shouted, making sure she could hear him as she ran down the hall. "I'll give her four minutes to return, before I start doing permanent damage to her friends." He said, with a chuckle. "Shall we see how Belladonna is doing?" He replied, walking towards the vice principal's office, making sure to drag the principal behind him (for insurance, incase something actually went wrong.)

**********

Belladonna purred with glee, watching three bearers frozen in fright, one lying on the ground -- wheezing in pain -- and one more held precariously from her hand. Oh it reminded her of a moment, oh so long ago.

"Do you surrender? I want Sunset, and I won't leave without her!" He said, with a chuckle. "The hive has a mission for her!"

"NO!" The three remaining fools shouted, defiantly.

"Very well!" She purred, deciding to have a do over of her great defeat, this time for a position of authority. "Then I want you to be my slaves!" She shouted, holding up Rainbow by one hand, and ... nothing in the other...

The answer of course was obvious. "What... the... hey is she even talking about?" Applejack asked, with a wheeze -- staggering to get back to her feet.

"NO!" Pinkie shouted, getting into the act, her voice starting out low and then raising, before dropping again. "Hey everyone why aren't you joining in?" She asked, motioning for everyone else to join in. "We're all supposed to shout NO all at once, and we need to do it low to high and then back to low again for emphasis! It'll be great!"

Everyone, including the assassin stared at her, wondering what she was talking about. Had the girl gone mad?

"If I spare the Rainbow, will you be my slaves?" She asked, holding Rainbow Dash over a trashcan. Gee? This moment was getting a little too familiar wasn't it?

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted, angrily. "Why am I the bargaining chip here?" She wheezed, angrily. "Why can't Rarity, or Pinkie be the bargaining chip for a change?" She shouted, not really expecting an answer.

"Has the dear lost her mind?" Rarity asked, looking on in puzzlement -- and at least a little concern.

"NO!" Pinkie shouted, once again, joining in the act (her voice doing a bad impression of Sandy Duncan's.)

This time joined by Rainbow Dash. "I'm not going to be your slave! So let me down!" She shouted, starting to kick at her captor.

"Then say goodbye to Baby Moondancer!" She shouted, dropping.... nobody... nowhere...

"Oh..." She said, looking around cluelessly, before a a blush finally crossed her face -- having realized her mistake (yeah maybe she got a little too eager to rewrite history.) But not to worry! She'd fix it with this part! "Then say goodbye to Rainbow Dash!" She said, dropping Rainbow in a trashcan.

Hmm... alot less epic then she hoped... Maybe back to the old plan she sighed to herself.

"Give me Sunset!" She shouted, swiping her claw, intending to give someone a nasty cut -- though it only got halfway before the other two assassin's arrived, and the senior (and younger of the two stopped her claw with his magic.)

"Uh! Uh! Uh!" Phytolacca said, with a chuckle. "We're giving Sunset four more minute before we start finishing them." He replied, looking over his motley looking resistance. "How about you keep the authorities out of our way." He said, with a smirk. "They'll probably be arriving soon." He said, to his feline cohort, with a smirk. "Though I was hoping to be the one to stop them..." He said, with a shrug. "I guess nothing beats Belladonna and her witch weed potion for stopping crowds." He said, turning his head to the side.

"Fine." She whined. "But you two had better bring her back." Belladonna moaned, once again feeling imposed upon. "I'll have to bug Starlight Glimmer when I get back! I think it's time to demand a cutie mark upgrade!" She thought to herself, with a chuckle.

"Oh we will!" Phytolacca said, with a smirk. "WE will." He said, turning to the five element bearers. "So who wants the next turn? I'd be more than happy to play if anyone is interested!" He said, checking to see if anyone was interested. "No one?" He said, turning his head down, with a loud sigh. "I was really hoping that someone would want to fight!" He said, changing to a shrug. "Oh well!" He said, turning his head to the side.

"Whatever shall we do?" Rarity said, with a frown. "Just look at Rainbow and Applejack!" She said, looking at her friends -- neither of which looked like they could take any more. "There is no possible way they can take any more." She said, seeing Sunset Shimmer racing down the hallway towards them, an open book in her hands. "But maybe there is something I can do." She said, walking gingerly towards the assassins -- making sure to sway her sides in a certain way.

"Excuse me gents." She said, gracefully. "But I certainly couldn't help but notice that you have absolutely fabulous wings -- " She said, deceitfully, hoping to grab the two males' attentions.

"Dear princess Twilight," Sunset wrote hastily in the diary as she sprinted towards the office.

"If you get any closer." Phytolacca warned. "I might have to force you to back off." He warned, smelling a rat -- though his face looked like it smelled a girl.

"Oh come now gents." Rarity replied, with a chuckle. "I couldn't help but look! I've just always dreamed of having wings like those." She commented, trying to feel one of the changeling's wings, giving Sunset a silent but noticeable wink, causing him to shake slightly -- a blush materializing on his face. "Certainly there's no need for violence, Sunset has a whole nother minute or two and -- "

"It's Sunset Shimmer! I have urgent news that -- " She started writing, before being unable to finish, as the book was short out of her hands by bolts of lighting from somewhere.

"Sorry!" The old cat said, with a laugh. "Did that lightning get too close?" She said, with a sinister smirk. "But I don't appreciate you disobeying orders!" She hissed, her eyes changing again.

"Phytolacca!" She shouted to her companion. "Sunset's tried to contact princess Starplot!" She shouted angrily. "What do you think we should do?"

"Oh ho!" Phytolacca laughed, with realization, his face dropping like a stone -- the goofy smile that had been growing on it hastily vanishing. "You were trying to trick me?" He said, evilly, causing Rarity to back up.

"Well... you see... I...." Rarity stammered, trying to regain her composure.

"Uh uh uh!" The changeling said, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Maybe a lesson should be given." He said, as he sent four of his needles flying.

Rarity gave out a shriek, cowering violently imagining the gaping hole she would have -- only to realize something. She was ok!

She felt herself up and down. Thank goodness she was ok! She could only imagine what the monster could have done to her!

At least she thought she was ok...

Well she had no noticeable cuts, or scrapes... Or bruises! So she had to be...

So what was that monster aiming at? She asked, coming to another realization. Was it just her, or did she feel a breeze? And did those two male creeps have a goofy expression on their faces.

"Oh dear!" She thought, as she fainted in place.

"She ain't gunna like that when she wakes up" Applejack said, with a frown, struggling to rise again.

"The boss doesn't want me to do away with her so I killed her fashion!" He said, with a chuckle. "So any of you want round two?" He chuckled, pointing the needle at different people. "Come on? No one!" He said, his chuckle turning to a belly laugh again.

Applejack finished staggering to her feet, and starting staggering towards the monster again.

"You ready to surrender Sunset." The monster asked, seeing Sunset's face contort with indecision.

"Don't give up Sunset!" Applejack grunted, a split second, before she fell back to the ground -- a pained expression on her face, as one arm held the other.

"Applejack! Your arm!" Fluttershy gasped, in horror.

"Now are you ready to surrender, Sunset?" Solanaceae asked again.

"Don't do it!" Applejack groaned, staying put this time.

The other girls started to join in.

"I wouldn't recommend that!" Solanaceae cautioned, with a chuckle. "The girls can't take anymore, and I don't recommend that you push it any further!"

"Weh just need to stall them a little longer, till the gate closes, then we'll be able ta handle ya at any point." Applejack said, thinking of the strategy that stopped the dazzlings for thousands of years.

Solanaceae laughed. "Too bad that won't work!" He said, lifting up a finger to lecture. "You see, Twilight's not the only one who can open and close the gate at will!" He said, wagging his finger at his opponents. "And worse case we can come again at some time that you won't expect!" He said, with a chuckle. "When you or your friends will be most vulnerable, Sunet!" He said, looking at Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. "Or we could simply take our frustrations out on your sisters, or someone's number one fan." He said, zipping up to Rainbow Dash's side, and standing cheek to cheek with her.

"Why you!" Rainbow shouted, as well as she could. "How dare you threaten the squirt!"

Solanaceae sighed. "Tut tut tut!" He said, pointing to Phytolacca, who raised another needle. "I wouldn't recommend interrupting me while I'm giving my demands." He shouted, pointing at a fly on one of the walls -- that was quickly impaled by the needle. "Now this could all be put to an end if Sunset came along, then we would have no more use for you, or this world -- and we could be on our way." He said, pointing towards the school's exit. "So what do you say Sunset?"

"Sunset would never!" Fluttershy said, with an unusual amount of confidence, speaking up for the battered looking Rainbow Dash. "She would never give up and -- "

"I give up." Sunset said with a defeated frown, looking down. "I'll go! Just leave my friends alone!!" She begged, falling to her knees. "I've failed them! The deserve a true friend like Twilight, not me!" She said, giving up.

"Sunset?" Rainbow asked, with dismay. "You aren't going to go with these guys."

Sunset frowned. "I have no choice." She said, walking forward, as the two changeling assassin's put their arms on her back. "I can't let them hurt you any longer!"

"But what about you?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know!" Sunset said, as she slowly walked out the front door, the three assassin's surrounding her. "I don't know..."

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, her hair looking flatter than normal. "Get help for Rainbow, and Applejack! (Oh and Rarity too! I totally forgot about her and -- )" She said, her expression growing fierce. "I'm going to have a word with those meanies!" She announced, sprinting after them.

Phytolacca chuckled. "One of the gnats wants another round." He said, raising his final needle. "Shall I?" He asked, before his arm was stopped by his boss.

"No need!" Solanaceae responded, as he pushed Sunset through the mirror in the school's statue. "We'll be long gone before she gets here." He responded, pulling on his fellow assassin's arm.

"Fine!" The assassin whined. "I have an alicorn to find anyway." He said, with a chuckle.

As the last assassin began to crawl through, the gate began to shimmer, and close.

"Oh no!" Pinkie said, angrily. "I'm not letting you get away that easily!" She shouted, looking kind of deranged herself. "You're going to pay for this!" She shouted, straight at the statue, and into the gate -- just as it closed.

**********

Twilight gave a nice hearty smile; pleased, with herself, that she was finally starting to get the knack for teaching magic. And, to make things even better, it looked like young Rarity's magic training was starting to move along -- meaning that, now that the foal had mastered levitation, Twilight could start teaching her other spells (though it helped that the foal was surprisingly earnest, well... once you could get her to concentrate, of course -- instead of goofing off, or being distracted by one of the thousand worms that somehow seemed to materialize out of nowhere, all the time.)

And she hoped that she might now be able to train the young alicorn in some more advanced kinds of magic (she had not yet found the kind of spells that the young alicorn would be casting, though. Well, you see, normally, a unicorn only learns one or two tricks, in their lifetime, based on their special talent, but the little foal seemed to have no end of tricks that she could, at least, attempt. And this left Twilight unsure of whether it was because of the fact that she had no real talent -- because a talent for loving rainbows made no sense --, if it was because she was an alicorn -- which made more sense, but seemed like a flimsy theory --, or if it had something to do with the strange nature of these odd ponies. Of course there was always the possibility that it had to do with her talent being in magic, like rainbow magic, or something -- she should ask Dash for some weather making lessons for the foal -- assuming she could get either one of the two of them to sit still for any period of time, at all.)

Meanwhile, her mentor/mother (Cheerilee had gotten the adoption papers just that morning, and was already asking Twilight to help her get them laminated, for all to see), was another story, having, just now, figured out how to activate her horn (Rainbow, of course, was to thank for that -- daring Dash, not darling Dash.)

Earlier that week.

Rainbow Dash giggled gleefully, as her newest prank began to take shape. Soon her favored target would be right in position -- right where she wanted her.

And you know what was even better? The prank was sooo simple that even a foal could perform it! And amongst the cheapest that she'd ever attempted. All it took was one cloud that she had 'borrowed' from the weather team, a couple of lightning bolts (that she had bought for a steal from crazy Cloud Hopper's used lightning emporium.) And a lot of time.

Rainbow giggled, feeling her mirth. This was a doozie of a prank, and it was sure to leave both her and her target in stitches (and Pinkie, were she here too.) But first, she had to shush herself, lest her mirth give off her position, because her target would be here any minute and --

"What ahr you up ta Rainbow?" Somepony below asked, blowing her concentration. "Ya ain't tryin' another one of yer dang fool stunts are ya?" She asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

"Me?" Rainbow asked, with a false innocence. "Never!" She said, barely containing the giggles."I was just... Um... Testing this cloud..." She said, pretending to look around in the innards of the cloud -- her head sticking through it! "Yeah!... Testing this cloud! To... um... make sure it's working correctly!" She lied, poorly.

"Uh huh..." Applejack said, looking the cloud up and down. "Then what's all the lightning fer?" She asked, getting a glimpse of Rainbow's stockpile.

"I'm... um.... using them... to.... um.... defend the cloud!" Rainbow said, sweating slightly, and looking around nervously. "That's right! Defending the cloud! In case of... Invaders! They're everywhere you know!" She said, with a fake conspiratorial tone. "Just looking for clouds to jack! But I won't let them!" She exclaimed 'bravely'.

Applejack shook her head, having rolled her eyes enough already. "Who they fer?" She asked, becoming more serious -- pointing at the lighting bolts.

"Nopony!" Rainbow Dash lied, 'smoothly''. "I already told you! I need my lightning bolts in case of cloud snatchers!"

"Rainbow!" Applejack responded, sternly -- her face scrunching slightly..

"Ok!" Rainbow said, bowing her head. "Derpy!" She said, honestly -- maybe she could still fudge the reason. "This is for her being an insult to the disabled ponies everywhere!... And I won't stand for it!" She responded, fervently -- puffing out her chest. "It's high time somepony told her not to be insulting to disabled ponies everywhere!... And I think that ..." She said, eliciting a head shake from the apple.

"Uh huh..." Applejack said, a smirk starting to appear on her face. "An' you just want to zap her!"

"I just want to zap her!" She said, pausing awkwardly, doing a few double takes. "Dang it!" She shouted -- feeling like she had been caught. "No... I mean that I was planning on -- "

Applejack's smirk now grew like a garden weed. "Ya wanted ta prank her didn't ya?"

Rainbow Dash continued. "Pranking her and ... " She said, before grunting loudly -- foiled again. "Yeah! I want to prank her." She admitted, loudly -- hoping that the apple pony would finally go away. "So will you go now?" She begged, seeing the grey pegasus approaching from below -- holding onto a box of baked goods.

Applejack nodded. "Fine! But could ya do me a favor, and not do it so close ta my cart?" She asked, politely. "Ah'm worried 'bout ya scarring off my customers!" She said, firmly -- with a smile (having, finally, given up on talking any sense into the pegasus.)

"Fine!" Rainbow said, hastily moving the cloud -- as the grey pegasus approached ever closer. Ok now she was --

"Hhhheeeeyyyyy RAINBOW Dash!" A hyper voice shouted at the top of their lungs.

"YAAHHHH!!!" Rainbow shouted, hopping slightly -- having been startled. "Pinkie!" She shouted, angrily. "Not now!" She shouted, sternly. "I'm trying to pull a prank on Derpy here! And everypony insists in getting in my way.

"Oh you mean her?" Pinkie asked, pointing at somepony singson, as the grey pegasus moved under the cloud.

"Dang it!" Rainbow shouted, quickly hopping on the cloud to release the lightning it held within. She would succeed at this prank yet! Shout decided, hopping up and down on the cloud, hoping to catch her at the last minute, and ...

"Rarity." Cheerilee said, calmly. "The rainbow ceremony is approaching soon, and it's now more important than ever for you to take your training seriously." Cheerilee lectured her mentee, with a smile. "It's up to us to bring the first rainbow of the season." She said, with a smile. "Otherwise ... " She said, bumping into a grey pegasus with blong hair, and a bubble symbol (or cutie mark, as the natives called it.)

"Oh sorry!" She said to the pegasus (picking herself up the ground, and helping the pegasus pick up her things), who simply smiled, and nodded knowingly -- a knowing expression gracing her face.

"Unicorn foals and fillies can be quite a hoofful can't they?" She said, with a slur, and a smile. "I have two of my own and ... " She said, as a bolt of lightning came down and struck the large purple unicorn right in the horn -- causing her to fall over.

"YAARRRRGGGG!!!" The unicorn shouted, shaking violently along the ground -- her coat smelling of smoke.

"Pinkie!" Rainbow shouted angrily. "You made me miss and... " She said, suddenly stopping -- realizing something, as she slowly started to look beneath the cloud.

"Oh." Pinkie said, with a frown. "Yeah, and you kind of hit somepony." She said, with dismay. "Maybe you should work on your aim." She said, starting to bounce away singsong.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh Dear!" Rainbow shouted, stomping violently. "I'm terribly sorry." She said, kicking the cloud away -- so as to hide all evidence of her prank turned bad.

"Are you ok?" Rainbow asked the purple unicorn, who was just now getting up -- her oversized eyes suddenly resembling the grey pegasus ponies.

"Wow that was a surprise?" She said, sounding dazed, moving her head woozily. "Was Rarity abusing the magic wand again?" She asked, holding her temple, with her hoof.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh Dear!" Rainbow said again, looking around in all directions, including straight up. "Are you ok?" Rainbow asked, anxiously. "My name is Thunderlane and ... " She lied, hoping the new pony in town wouldn't recognize her.

"Rainbow Dash?" Cheerilee asked, suddenly recognizing, what she thought to be, a familiar form (so much for Rainbow calling herself Thunderlane.) "When did you grow those weird looking wings, and why are there five of you?" She asked, her horn glowing like a lightbulb -- the pink alicorn foal giggling at the absurdity of the situation. "And why's my head glowing?" She asked, finding herself blinded by that light. Where was that thing coming from?

"It's not your head glowing silly!" The tiny Rarity said, with exuberance.

"Yeah! It's your horn." Pinkie said, joining in -- giggling along (didn't she bounce off just a minute ago?) "It's glowing like a nightlight." She said, holding a marshmallow over it by a stick (where'd she get it? Why -- isn't it obvious? -- she has stocks of them all over the city, in case of marshmallow emergencies!)

"My horn?" Cheerilee asked, looking up at the glowing thing on her head. "So that's what that feels like." She said, with a bashful smile. "It definitely hurts doesn't it..." She said, fainting onto the ground in a heap (back at the hospital, the doctor was none too happy to hear about the Rainbow's reckless prank.)

And now in the present.

The good news was that the accident gave her something that Equestrian unicorns take for granted (from birth), a fifth sense of what was happening to their horn.

The older unicorn, of course, had immediately started trying, in earnest, to learn the ins and outs of her previously unused appendage (even borrowing books of unicorn magic theory, and advanced magic from Twilight.)

Twilight was correct in her assessment of the purple unicorn, she did remind Twilight a lot of herself -- and not in a good way, having worn herself out a few times trying, unsuccessfully, to cast spells (in this case levitation) that she wasn't ready for.

On the other hoof, could Twilight blame the older unicorn? Cheerilee did, after all, feel a sense of duty to the young pink unicorn, and her training (and Twilight suspected that she didn't want to be left behind by the foal that she was supposed to be training.) However, Twilight found herself, once again, chastising the older unicorn, who had worn herself out trying to use all her magic to lift a half pound metal orb (Twilight had given up on using small household items with the older unicorn, as she tended to break objects instead of lift them.)

"Cheerilee!" Twilight said, sternly. "You need to use less magic when trying to lift small objects! You only need a little."

"But Twilight." Cheerilee said, with confusion. "You tell Sweetie to use all her magic."

Twilight sighed, Cheerilee meant well, but she, frequently, thought too much for her own good. "Yes, but she has a lot less magic than you or Rarity do."

"But you tell Rarity the same." Cheerilee said, tilting her head in a thinking pose.

"Yes." Twilight nodded, preparing her follow up lecture. "But, although, her alicorn magic is a lot more powerful, it's also a lot less focused, meaning that for every jewel of magic she uses that reaches her target, a thousand or ten end up floating off into space. Meanwhile your focus is much, much, much better." She said, nonchalantly, causing the older unicorn to fall to the ground, in dismay -- her energies spent, and her head spinning.

"I'll never understand magic." She sobbed in dismay. "How can I train Rarity properly if I don't understand magic? How can I properly raise her as a unicorn -- "

"Alicorn -- " Twilight retorted, falling back into her old habit of not accepting errors in her friend's speech patterns.

" -- as an alicorn if I don't understand magic." Cheerilee said, with deep dismay -- feeling completely inadequate, and wondering if she should have just stepping out, and gone back to Unicornia.

"You know Cheerilee." Twilight said sternly. "You have to be less hard on yourself." She said, feeling like she was speaking to her own inner demons. "The world doesn't rest on your shoulders, and you shouldn't feel that it should!" She said, looking the other unicorn in the eyes. "Besides." Twilight said with a smile, now that she had gotten the purple unicorn's attention. "Your training is coming along nicely!" She said, lifting the other unicorn's head with her hoof. "Do you remember how long it took Rarity to get this far after she first learned to activate her horn?"

"It took her two weeks before you gave her first lesson in magic." Cheerilee said, contemplatively. "But ... "

"Yes!" Twilight said, with a nod. "You started researching basic magic (albeit a six year old's guide to magic) all on your own!" Twilight said, with a smile. "Besides." She said, an idea occurring to her.

Twilight turned to Rarity, who was sitting nearby, occupying herself by using her horn to move bookcases around (much to Twilight's chagrin, as she would need to reshelve all those books later, and probably put the bookcases back into the wall.) "Could you do me a favor, and toss one of those books on advanced magic to your mother?" She asked the young unicorn, who gladly complied -- giggling with glee all the way at this opportunity to use her magic.

The young alicorn's magic, though, still remained unpredictable, as the book came flying towards the purple unicorn at dangerous speeds.

The purple unicorn cowered, putting her muzzle against her barrel, and blocking her eyes with her hooves. However, instead of a thump, nothing happened. "Rarity!" Cheerilee said, sternly, the worry and dismay apparent in her voice. "You need to be careful with your magic." She said sternly. "You know how dangerous it can be when you lose control and -- "

"Cheerilee!" Rarity said, bouncing up and down with glee. "Your magic!"

"What about my magic?" Cheerilee asked, with apprehension -- afraid to look up from the position she suddenly stood in.

"It's ok to look up." Twilight said, reassurishinly. "Your instinct kicked in." Twilight said, with a smile.

"It did?" Cheerilee asked, looking up just above her field of vision to see a book hovering there, covered in a blue aura. "How did I do that?" She asked, in amazement, wondering how she did it? It just felt so natural, somehow -- and yet she couldn't quite reach down and feel it.

"Instinct." Twilight said, with a smile. "I do feel sorry about the teaching method though." Twilight said, with a frown. "I really shouldn't have used that method, but I was worried that you would give up otherwise." She said, turning away from the purple unicorn in dismay. "And I just knew that if you did it once you could do it again." She said, with optimism.

"What kind of method?" Cheerilee asked, with a frown.

Twilight sighed, looking down sadly -- the memories replaying themselves in her head. "The unicorns and pegasi of old weren't as always as tolerant as they are now." She said, with a deep frown. "And some unicorn families still follow the old regime. As do more than a few of the pegasi families." Twilight said, her tone going dark, and her expression stern. "For example, in those families that still follow the old ways, if a pegasus is having trouble flying then their parent's leave them on a cloud until they either fly, or it evaporates. And unicorns..." She said, remembering the fierce arguments that she'd used to overhear between her parents and grandparents -- during the period before the magic test, when her aptitude for magic remained academic only. She'd even remembered one or two of the lesson's her grandparents had given her when her parents were away on extended business (and she could still recall all the bumps and bruises she got from her grandparent's 'teaching methods'.) "... sometimes throw objects at their young to try to force their magic to activate via their self defense instinct."

"I understand." Cheerilee said, with a smile. "I kind of needed some sense knocked into me anyway." She said, her countenance returning.

Twilight lifted her hoof, prepared to give a lecture about just how dangerous this teaching method was -- but Cheerilee didn't need to hear it.

"And I promise that I will never do anything mean, stupid, or reckless like that." She said, giving Twilight a wink. "Ok Rarity?" She said, turning to her daughter/mentee. "You ready to go?"

"Ok Cheerilee!" Rarity said, carrying half the book's in the library, as well as half the library's many statues (she'd be carrying out the other half of the books and statues, but Twilight had wisely hidden them after the previous day's lesson.)

"Umm... Rarity!" Twilight shouted at the young alicorn. "Could I have those things back!?" She asked, loudly -- chasing after the rainbow haired pink foal alicorn.

"Awwww!!!!" Rarity sighed. "It's not my fault!" She said, dropping to the ground, with a pouty expression. "This new magic is soo much fun and..."

"Oh Rarity!" Cheerilee said, shaking her head, stenly -- it didn't have quite the same effect as she was having trouble containing her smile. "You know how much Twilight prefers her books where they are.

"I suppose." Rarity said, with a frown -- handing the massive pile of things back to Twilight, who grunted slightly under the magical load (apparently the eager young foal was getting better at this!)

Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes. "Oh and Rarity! Cheerilee!" She said, with a smile. "I want you both here for Twilight time tomorrow." She said, eagerly. The reason was simple, as Twilight still found it useful to have the young alicorn join the crusaders for Twilight Time, because she found that it was much easier to train the exuberant young alicorn if another young unicorn was around for her to learn with -- even if they both tended to be kind of excitable. Nevertheless, this was not without it's pitfalls, as the young alicorn crusader, herself, definitely caused at least as much havoc as the other three crusaders combined.

However, Rarity wasn't the only one that benefitted from the expanded Twilight time, it seemed that Cheerilee also to learn a lot from watching Sweetie's magical failings -- not to mention Rarity's.

"So see you tomorrow!" Twilight said, waving with a smile. "Ok..." Twilight thought to herself. "They're gone now. Now maybe I can get these books back onto the shelves, and get some work done and -- "

"HHEEEYYY Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, hanging down from the top of Twilight's door frame -- making monkey sounds, in between fits of giggles. "What are you up to?"

Twilight sighed. "Hey Pinkie." She said, deadpan, knowing full that she wouldn't have the quiet time to finish her work now (and wondering what she did to incur the wrath of the original Pinkie.) "What do you need?"

"Not much Twilight!" Pinkie said, with a wink. "I just wanted to see if Cheerilee was still here!" It's almost her one-week-magic-versery!" Pinkie said, shaking with excitement. "And I was hoping to give her an invitation!" She said, holding an invitation in her hoof somehow.

"Actually Pinkie -- " Twilight started, before being interrupted by the pink pony.

"Oh! Good point Twilight!" She said patting Twilight on her head "I almost forgot about Rarity's ascentionverary later this week!" Pinkie said, in horror. "I simply have to get some more party supplies before it's too late!" She shouted, jumping off into the distance. "I simply can't leave Rarity out!" She shouted into the distance. "There's no time to waste!" She shouted, breaking into a bounce. "I have to get ready for Cheerilee's adoption party! Oh! Oh! Oh! And her adoption-versary!!!"

"O.... Kay...." Twilight said, scratching her head with a quill, that was held in her magical field. "What was that all about?" She asked, inquisitorial -- feeling like she was in complete mystery.

Twilight took a second, to attempt to make sense of it all, then before shaking her head. "Oh well..." She thought, moving the books a few at a time back into place -- shaking her head frequently while doing so. Rarity could still definitely be a hoofful -- no wonder Cheerilee was kind of a basket case.

Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes -- her face starting to show bemusement. After all, this was Pinkie, that she was thinking about. Who could understand her?

In any case, she still had to return all the things that the little alicorn had carried away with her (yeah, it took a while longer for the filly to pick up magic, then Twilight had anticipated -- but, once she did, she took after it like a duck to water.)

Twilight looked through the collection of things still left on the ground. Amongst which was the book that she used to communicate with Sunset.

Twilight sighed, this was probably the last thing she wanted lying there. She meant: what if there was a problem in that strange world? What if Sunset was in trouble? Or what if some other ancient evil like the Dazzlings suddenly showed up and Sunset wasn't able to get a hold of her?

Nope! This was entirely unacceptable -- and Twilight knew it! "Oh well!" Twilight said to herself, picking the book up with her magic, and quickly skimming through the pages to look for damage -- as she was getting to the last page she read, a thumping could be heard downstairs, like somepony was breakdancing (or maybe falling on a treadmill.)

"Spike?" She shouted, down the stairs -- that led into her lab. "Is that you?" She asked, her heart starting to beat faster. "You'd better not be pulling a prank on me!" She shouted, slowly walking down the stairs, the panic growing with each step -- powering up her horn.

As she opened the door to the basement laboratory, she noticed something odd: a pony sprawled out on the floor. She frowned vehemently, silently steeling her resolve, and swallowing. "Who's down there?" She shouted, her fear slowly turning into anger -- who dared intrude on her personal space without her permission? "What are you doing down there?!" She shouted down at ....

"Pinkie Pie?!?!" She shouted, in utter astonishment, rushing down the stairs, at top speed -- her anger turning back to fear for her friend. Didn't the pink pony leave, just a moment before? And how did she get down into her basement without her knowing? And why was the pink party pony's hair deflated? And what happened to her? Why did she look so hurt!?

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked, approaching the pink pony, who was covered in bruises and scrapes (Twilight didn't know that they had come from her trying, unsuccessfully, to trott.) "Are you ok?" She asked of the pink pony, who's eyes quickly shot open -- a crazed expression on her face.

"What did you do with Sunset!" She shouted, leaping like an angry dog at the alicorn princess, and completely catching her off guard.

"Give her!!!! BACK!!!! NOW!!!!" She shouted, trying to kick Twilight, pathetically, with her front legs and hooves -- and trying, unsuccessfully, to gum her with her teeth (yeah, she wanted to bite, but ... flat teeth.) "Or I'll... I'll... Well you don't want to find out! You horse... mutant.... thing!!!" She shouted, her voice filled with venom and vitriol.

Twilight gulped, had her friend gone mad? "Pinkie!" Twilight shouted, as calmly as she could. "What are you talking about?" She said, trying to dodge her friend's flailing, by moving her head. "It's me Twilight!" She shouted, wondering if Discord had decided to do an encore of his return party, a couple of years back.

The pink pony looked back with a lost expression, tears welling up in her eyes. "Twilight?" Pinkie asked, in confusion -- as if a cloud was clearing up. "Is that really you?" She asked, confusion and disbelief in her voice. "Is this your true form?" She asked, her stare distant.

"Huh?" Twilight asked, in confusion. "Pinkie? What are you talking ab..."

"Is this your world?" Pinkie asked, falling in a lump, the tears flowing down her face. She had failed Sunset! Now Lord knew what became of the girl!

"Yes, it's our world!" Twilight said, wondering what was going through her friend's head. "You've..."

"Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, in utter despair. "They kidnapped Sunset, Twilight!" She said -- trying desperately to crawl off Twilight -- her anger turning into a waterfall of tears.

"What do you mean 'they kidnapped Sunset'?" Twilight asked, with a gulp. "Who kidnapped Sunset?" She asked of her friend's counterpart (Celestia was not going to be happy to hear this... Especially not after that whole alternate Sombra adventure!)

Upstairs the book began to glow, the writing beginning to appear on it, in Fluttershy's handwriting, appearing off the last fragments that Sunset wrote. "Twilight! Help! Fairies stole Sunset!"

**********

"Going somewhere?" Asked the lowest assassin on the totem pole to her higher ranked counterpart. "Shouldn't you be here when Lord Vladímir places the artifact around that pathetic unicorn's neck?" She asked, a sadistic expression on her face, as she proceeded to clean her face with her front leg.

"Uh huh..." Replied Phytolacca, nonchalantly -- a small amount of perturbation. "And I'm guessing you'll be watching the ceremony from your cauldron in that weirdo town you constructed north northwest of Manehatten!" He said, with a smirk, receiving the scowl he was hoping to receive from his counterpart.

"You know?" He asked, looking off distantly, his eyes darting towards the other assassin, a mischievous glint in them. "I wonder if the Queen, or Vladímir is happy with the idea of you forcing that witch to help you turn regular ponies into mindless drones." He said, getting up close to his female counterpart, and tapping her on the side.

"How is that any different than what the hive normally does?" She asked, stammering defensively.

"Oh... I don't know." He replied, nonchalantly. "Maybe because YOU AREN'T CHANGING ANYPONY INTO A CHANGELING!!!" He mouthed loudly, causing her to stumble back -- waving her hoof a him, and trying to shush him. "No! You just use some weirdo magic to steal their destiny, and strip them of their minds..." He said, tapping her on the shoulder. "Or should I say... Not you, but that pony -- yes pony -- witch that you have in your employ!" He said, as his compatriot's face exchanged it's normal expression for a kind of lost expression.

"Well you see..." Belladonna said, struggling for words. "I can exp -- "

"No need!" Phytolacca responded, with a smirk. "I won't talk about 'Our Town', if you don't talk about my princess hunting!" He replied, with a smile. "Agreeable?" She said, with a smirk -- having, once again, put one over on his compatrate.

Belladonna gave him an angry scowl. "And your two emblems?" She retorted, in question form.

Phytolacca scoffed back, waving at her with his hoof. "No need to even worry yourself with that," he said, turning around. "I've already found the bearers of one of my two, and arranged a meeting with Prince Vladímir." He said, with confidence, puffing out his chest.

"And the other one?" Belladonna replied, quirking an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about that." He said, putting a hoof on her wither. "I have our newest pony member -- and former drone -- out searching for it. She'll find my fourth bearer for me, and I can collect them once I finish my princess hunt." He said, stretching his wings, and flying towards a window. "So don't worry about it!" He shouted, feeling cocky, as he flew out a window.

Belladonna scowled angrily. She wasn't going to allow herself to be outshone by this pretender -- that was a fact! And she already had suspicions of whom her first bearer could be! (Of course she wouldn't act on those suspicions until the mare outlived her usefulness! She couldn't allow the prince to become too powerful too quickly, after all!)

**********

"Ok girls." Flash Sentry said sternly to his three passengers -- standing what used to be Breezie Blossom, at least they thought it used to be Breezie Blossom (it was hard to tell through all the devastation) -- before allowing them to disembark. "We have no idea what happened after your friend Rarity left Unicornia, so there's no telling what shape it could be in." He remarked, motioning to the two stallions who lowered to let the three earth ponies off.

Flash Sentry turned to the other two guards, taking charge. "Now, gentlecolts, I want you to fly a pattern overhead, and if you see signs of trouble -- or I give the signal -- then you are to arrange for an emergency pick up." He commanded, causing the colts to nod dutifully.

"Ok ladies, should we go?" Flash said, with a smile. "Could you lead the way, I'm not terribly familiar with the layout of your area," he said (much preferring to be the one to lead the way through this potentially hazardous terrain.)

"Why, of course, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile.

"But!" The pegasus stallion warned sternly. "Stay nearby me, incase I need to act in your defense," he stated, having brought four kinds of crossbow, two long swords, a short piercing blade, two samurai swords, and a war hammer.

Pinkie looked at him with a shocked expression -- the anger and hurt apparent on her face. "But Ponyville's a really safe and friendly place!" She said, sternly, her temper actually firing up.

Flash sighed, looking down, sadly. "That was before the changelings attacked." He said, the memories beginning to flow. Mommy! What's going on! ... No! Stay back! Mommy! What's with your wings? I didn't think earth ponies had wings like yours!... Run Flash! Run and don't look back!... What can't I stay, what the worst they will do... Don't ask!... Just trust me!... A Fluttering one has been detected, all units cease any and all feeding, any and all drones from this town are to be dispatched, prepare for --

"Darling?" Rainbow asked, causing the pegasus to shake his head. "Darling? Are you ok?" She asked, having noticed the pegasus holding his head against a toppled tree.

"I'm fine." Flash said, with a faux smile -- milking a false confidence, for all it was worth. "It's no big deal!" He lied. "But needless to say, whatever they did to your town is probably not going to be pretty!" He said shaking his head. "We'd best be going."

The scene at Breezie Blossom was less than pretty, Pinkie found one half of one of the topiaries that the Breezies had painstakingly carved out (in this case, a sculpture of giraffe carefully carved out of a bush) in two pieces, one in the lake, and one near the stumps of a few trees that had been cut down.

"Oh dear!" Pinkie said, with a frown picking up the pieces of one of the breezies houses (which had been constructed from a hollowed out flower.) "I hope no one was here when they stepped on this house." Pinkie said, in dismay -- a tear starting to crawl down her cheek. "Why would anyone do this."

If Flash could have distorted his hoof into a closed fist, like a G3 phoney, then he would have -- the memories streaming into his head again. Mama! Mama!... Why are you motioning me away mama!... It's a foal, somepony grab him!... Our orders are, upon discovery of a fluttering one, that no drones are to be made, nopony is to feed, and that there are to be ... Tiny Flash ducked his head as a sea of changelings were sent flying by one mighty flap of her mother's weird wings. Her wings weren't like any normal pegasus, and they looked nothing like the the changelings' wings? So what were they? They looked almost like moth wings and --

"Darling?" Rainbow said, causing the pegasus to shake his head. "You spaced out again, " she stated, in concern. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"Terribly sorry about that." Flash said, with a frown, shaking his head for good effect. "My mind was wondering..." He said apologetically. "It's no way for a soldier like me to act at a moment like this," he said, with a sigh. "Not how a soldier should act at all..." So why was it all he wanted to do?

"Well very well then, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile. "But if you need to talk, darling, I would be more than happy to do so," she said, joining her pink friend, who had wandered off, despite dire warnings from Flash.

"Oh dear..." Pinkie said, having walked past what must have been the fifteenth or twentieth Breezie house she saw crushed under foot (this one originally carved out of a summer gord.) "This is terrible," she said, wondering further and further away, just looking at the horrors around her. "Who would do something mean like this? And why?"

Flash shook his head. Remember Flash! Don't badmouth them behind their backs. "The Queen can be ruthless when she wants to rid herself of something," Flash growled, actually sounding angry, for the first time... Ever! "Mommy!" Tiny Flash said, having returned from hiding in the woods for three long days. "Are you still there?" He asked the pile of... He wouldn't want me to say... but suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty... His little town along the border of the everfree, burnt to the ground.

"But what would the Queen have against the Breezies houses?" Pinkie asked, having experienced the horrors of the world, for the first time.

Flash shook his head... He could only guess... If only he could have been there! If only he had been strong enough to defend his mother then she wouldn't have d...

"Let's keep moving, darlings." Rainbow said, motivating the four ponies, all of whom looked either dejected, furious, or defeated. "Ponyville should be just over this br -- " She said, looking at the bridge, that was no longer there -- with the view of the large purple castle... (or pink after repaint for Pinkie's birthday, that never happened) That no longer existed...

"Oh dear..." Rainbow exclaimed, quickly joined by Pinkie, who gave a very similar response!

**********

"Is anypony still there?" Mini Flash asked, looking at the burned and destroyed ruins of his village. The whole village had been wrecked, and as best he could tell all the ponies ... well... no drones were made that day, and no ponies were standing there when he returned. And the ground had been salted to ensure that nothing would grow there again (the search team later confirmed his worst fears, the only ponies that remained... on this plane... were him and the town drunk, who had hidden themselves in a cider barrel.

"Hello?" Asked a guard in gold armor. "Is any pony still around?"

"I'm here!" Shouted mini Flash, panic stricken on his face -- as he raced towards the guard. "I've lost my mother, and I can't find her! Please help me!"

The guard nodded, a sorry expression on his face. "Let's take a look."

Flash shook his head, everything about this reminded him of his home. How many ponies were lost here? He asked himself, his anger slowly turning into a sense of melancholy -- his hoof mentally held in a violent first.

"Oh dear!" Pinkie said, with a defeated expression, as she looked at the shambles of her two story balloon themed house. Apparently, not just had someone torn it down to the ground, but they dug a hole under it... for some reason... All of her prized possessions had either been looted, or destroyed, and she was none too happy about it. "Why would someone do something so mean, and thoughtless?"

Things weren't much better for Rainbow Dash, who had run off at about the same time as Pinkie -- both leaving Flash Sentry in their dust. Her house had also been raised to the ground, as had the tiny kite shop she kept behind her house. "Oh dear..." Rainbow said, with dismay. "Without my kite shop, however shall I sell those kites now?" She asked, shaking her head. The memories from her non frilly life coming into her head. "Lady Rainbow! One of the fluttering ones has been discovered in this town!... Well, captain! You know what needs to be done then!" Oh... She just wanted to shake her head. Was this how those that she fought felt? Had she, really, been this big of a monster? Was it possible that that horrible pony, Discord, had done her a favor when he took her memory away of that wretched existence?

Minty raced past the Sweet Shop... Or rather what was left of it!

Not good! Not good at all! She thought to herself, shaking her head. Everything was wrecked, and broken! But why?

Wait! Maybe there was still hope! Maybe the Blommin' Blossoms Shop was open!... Nope... Gone...

Maybe the Twist and Style Petal Parlour! Minty bet that once Daffidazey fixed the monsters doos all of Ponyville would be completely out of doo doo... Hmm... Wait... Didn't Daffidazey say that at some point? Oh well! Her shop was most certainly... Razed... To the ground... Minty frowned. This was depressing. But don't worry, dear fans! She wasn't depressed for long!

Why? Because Minty was not deterred! And wouldn't be defeated this easily! Something was not broken! Ponyville had too many great places and cool shops! Something was fine! It had to be! The hat store? Nope... The Wonder Waves Surf Shop!... No... Super Sundaes Ice Cream Parlor... Was she kidding! She didn't even need to look.

She thought to herself with a frown! Counting the town's attractions, one at a time... She knew! The Celebration Selon! They already broke the Petal Parlour, and since the Salon was redundant then they must certainly... ... ... ... ... Destroyed it twice...

Ok... What about the Boutique? Nope...

Twinkle Twirl's dance studio? Nope IT WAS GONE TOO!!

She shouted to herself with a whine, on the verge of going ferril. They were gone!!! Everything was gone!!!!

Was anything sacred? Heck the cotton candy cafe had been torn down (Cotton Candy would be sooo depressed to see this, and the sign left buried half in the dirt.) "Dang you!" Minty shouted, herself finally going farril. "You maniacs!! You squished it up!!! Dang you!!! Dang you all to..." She paused for a second, where was she going with this? "Where should they be danged to again?" She asked herself, trying to remember the rest of the quote from the movie that they had watched like ten weeks ago. Dang you all to the Rainbow Wishes Amusement Park? Yeah! That had to be it! "You maniacs!!! You Squished it up!!! Dang you!!! Dang you all to the Rainbow Wishes Amusement Park!!!!" She shouted angrily... Speaking of which! Maybe it was still there? The green mare could hope! And with everyone gone, and everything squished... Well? Maybe she could get in for half fare!

**********

Flash sentry was finished, it was time to go! He just had to leave, lest he lose what was left of his sanity! This was why he joined the guard! He joined it so those monsters would never do to anypony else what they did to him and his town! He bowed his head in shame -- a lot of good he had done for this town... "I'm sorry mommy!" He said, with a frown -- on the verge of breaking down. "Am I really helping anypony?" He asked, wondering what use he had been. Since joining the EUP he had quickly risen in ranks -- always hoping to make more of a difference, to set things right -- eventually raising all the way to the rank of royal guard. He frowned, realizing that no sooner had his meteoric rise finished with him on top, then he had been immediately been reduced to Twilight's personal criar, a position he lothed (well he loved the princess, but he hated being the worthless guy who's only purpose was to shout that she was arriving -- he wasn't even allowed to defend her, that was somepony else's job.) Should he quit the guard? Was he just wasting his, and everypony else time? But what about the promise he made that day? What about the promise he made the day his cutie mark appeared? His promise to protect? His promise to be halfway across Equestria in a moment's notice? Was it a lie? Was everything a lie? Was his own cutie mark a lie?

"Darling?" Rainbow asked, having returned from the remains of her place -- her face filled with sorrow. "It looks like you are suffering as much as we are, darling." She said, standing on only her back legs, and putting one hoof on his withers. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean, darling, you don't know us or our town, darling -- as much as I hate to admit it."

Flash shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it!" He said, with a frown. "You wouldn't understand." He said, lowering his head, and looking at the ground.

"Let me guess, darling, you feel loss as well, someone you know?" Rainbow retorted, trying to get him to open up.

"My town," he stated quietly, the dams beginning to break. "I lost my town and my family to these monsters."

"Did they turn them into horrible mindless drones?" Rainbow asked in horror -- thinking about the ponies shambling along as mindless zombie bug ponies.

"No!" Flash exclaimed, shaking his head. "They were gone, the only thing I ever found from the inhabitants of my village were my mother's wings." He said, remembering the bottle he put over his mantle, containing those wings to remind him of his promise.

"Wings like yours?" Rainbow asked, in horror.

"No!" Flash replied, shaking his head. "Her wings were very unique."

"You don't mean they looked like a moth's, or butterflies'?" Rainbow asked, in horror -- a thought occurring to her, the lady coming to mind.

Flash nodded. "I never saw wings like those on a pony before that day, or after it," he said, turning to walk away -- having knocked her arm off his wither.

Rainbow held her head, every fiber of her being wanting to turn against him. In the end though, her new identity was stronger than her old one. "I'm sorry to hear that, darling." Rainbow said, with a sigh. "It seems to be an ancient instinct left with our kind since our creation." Rainbow said, starting to walk away. "If we see a fluttering one, or a traitor, then we have to get rid of them and any that harbor them, and that meant your whole town."

Flash looked away, himself fighting his own instinct. "Let's get out of here," he said, wanting to walk away. "Everything is gone... And -- "

Pinkie galloped in, her voice filled with glee. "Don't worry!" She said, with a chuckle. "Everything else maybe gone, but I found one building still standing!" She said, motioning to a pretty nondescript pink house, with hearts everywhere. "It's Minty's house!!!"

"Oh that's excellent news, darling!" Rainbow said, her joviality returning. "That's excellent news, indeed, Pinkie darling! Now all we have to do is show Minty and -- " She said, as a butterfly landed on top of the house.

The house quickly crumbled right where it stood.

"Oh dear..." Rainbow said, her eyes wide like saucers, and her mouth hanging wide open.

"What are we going to do now?" Pinkie asked, her own mouth hanging wide open, and her own eyes as big as saucers.

"What's everyone going?" Minty asked -- having returned from the ruins of the amusement park --, galloping up herself. "Did you find all the slime and gunk that Flash was describing?" She asked, as Pinkie just started pointing at the ruins of Minty's house.

"What's over there?" Minty asked, looking all around. "Can I ask twenty questions?"

"Your house, darling!" Rainbow said, in utter horror -- stammering as the last remaining piece of her Ponyville stood in ruins on the ground.

"Yeah..." Minty said, tapping her muzzle with her hoof. "It's a dump..." She said, motioning with her hoof.

**********

Apple Bloom scuffed her hooves angrily. Why did Twilight have to add Cheerilee to Twilight time?! She asked herself, internally, her face going red. Things were going so well when it was just the three of them! Heck! Even little Rarity didn't throw things off that much (and she was kind a fun fourth crusader to add to the team), but Cheerilee... Did she even understand the first thing about magic? All she did was take up valuable Twilight time trying and failing, pitifully, to cast basic spells! And then she spent the rest of her time feeling sorry for herself.

Apple Bloom screamed to herself, silently, finding a small rock to kick around. Maybe that'd be a good way to deal with her frustrations! She thought, starting to kick the rock arround.

Yeah Twilight said, that she'd make it up to them by giving them an additional Twilight Time each week, so that she could give everypony more time (she promised that even though the time would be divided that everypony would have more time than before), but Apple Bloom wondered why it was even necessary in the first place. She meant, why couldn't Cheerilee get some somepony-else's time, and leave Twilight Time to the Crusaders, and Rarity. She asked herself, passing Fluttershy's cabin behind.

Oh well! If Twilight wouldn't give her any time today for her potions, having opted instead, to look at Scootaloo's wings, and Cheerilee's magic training (well technically all three unicorns magic training, but that wasn't how Apple Bloom saw it at the moment.) Then she'd go and see the old shaman, herself, she decided, giving the rock a good kick, and sending it hurtling against the exhaust pipe of a nearby cart. The rock bounced off the red hatched roof of the pretty non-descript cart, before knocking off the sign that hung off the front from a pole (that kind of looked like a magic wand, and a star scape.)

"Uh oh..." Apple Bloom said to herself, uncomfortably. "Ah guess the owner ain't gunna be to happy if'n I destroyed their sign." She said, trotting over to the foot of the cart to see how bad the damage was.

The sign definitely looked heavily damaged, and, to make matters worse, it looks like it might have hurt the base of the cart on the way down.

Apple Bloom gulped slightly. "Maybe ah cain fix it?" She asked herself, trying to grab the sign in her mouth -- only to have it snap in half. "Yeah... Ah ain't gunner be able ta fix it." She said, bowing her head in shame, maybe if she wasn't being so dang grumpy over having to share Twilight's time, then maybe she wouldn't have broken that poor pony's cart.

"What aim ah going ta do now?" She asked, desperately -- her methods proving futile.

"Well maybe Trix... I can help?" A voice said, from behind her.

"Ah suppose, but ya promise not ta tell the owner that ah went an' messed up their sign, right?" She asked, apologetically -- her bow sagging along with her ears and smile.

"Mum's the word. " The azure pony with the light blue mane said, making a zipping motion with their front hoof. "So what happened, little filly?"

"Ahh shucks..." Apple Bloom said, apologetically. "Ah was just so angry 'bout something..." She said, partially dodging the question. "That ah decided to kick this rock... 'Cept that ah didn't see this here cart here." She said, scuffing her hooves. "An' I kinda wrecked it..."

The unicorn smiled knowingly. "Sounds like jealousy." She said, with a smile, levitating the fragments of the sign up in her magenta colored magic. "A new pony came to town, and you're worried they're going to take your friends from you?" She asked, as her horn glowed a brighter and brighter red color, the sign beginning to fuse together.

Apple Bloom nodded. "It's Cheerilee... Not mah teacher, but this other Cheerilee! She's so slow! Why'd she have ta go and ruin Twilight Time..." She said, cupping her hoof over her mouth -- that was a lot more than she wished to reveal.

"Said too much." The unicorn said, with a wink, the sign finally restoring itself to it's original shape.

Apple Bloom nodded nervously. "Yer not gunna tell anypony right?" She asked, nervously, dropping to her knees, and holding her hooves against the azure unicorn's cloak.

The unicorn just smiled and nodded, and the sign was placed back in it's proper place, her magic aura returning to a magenta hue. "There much better!" The unicorn exclaimed, taking a second to make sure the sign looked it's best. "The great and ... I can't have this sign looking like a mess when I reach my destination, now can I?" She asked, wiping the sweat off her brow with a handkerchief she pulled from within the carriage.

"Wait?" Apple Bloom asked, uneasily. "This carriage belongs to you?" She asked, starting to back off, uncomfortably. "Ah'm sorry!! Ah really ahm!! Ah -- "

The unicorn simply held up her hoof. "There's no need for that! See!" She said, pointing up at the sign. "No harm, no fowl!" She said, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Thanks, ah guess." Apple Bloom replied. "But why ya goin' through the Everfree anyways?"

The unicorn smiled. "How else was Trix... I... supposed to get from Dodge Junction to Vanhoover?" She asked, with a smile.

"The railroad?" She asked the unicorn, who simply shook her head, and pointed at the cart. Apple Bloom nodded, she might have a point. "But weren't ya worried 'bout all the scary monsters, and that no pony that has ever entered has left, alive?" She asked, giving into the hype given the forest for a second.

"Oh... The Great And Pow... I think that's not a problem!" She said, uprooting a tree in her magic, and putting it back into it's place -- upside down."Not for a top level mag... experienced traveller like the... myself, " she said, with a wink.

"Ah still feel bad 'bout the sign though." Apple Bloom said, hanging her head. "Is there any way ah can make it up ta ya?" She asked, scuffing her hoof.

"Well there is one way." The unicorn said, with a twinkle in her eye. "There might be one thing you can do for me?"

"What is it?" Apple Bloom asked, nervously.

"Well, " The unicorn said, tapping her hoof on her muzzle. "I have some tricks I want to try out for my show, and I was hoping somepony could give Trix... me an honest opinion of them?" She said, with a glimmer in her eyes. "Would you mind giving me an honest opinion of the tricks I'm planning for my show in Vanhoover?"

"Ya like a magician or somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked, curiously, her fear beginning to subside.

"Well... More like a show pony." She replied, pulling a deck of cards from the cart, as well as a funny necklace, with a plain golden symbol at the front.

"What's that fur?" Apple Bloom asked, pointing to the necklace.

"Well, you see, It's a... device that will allow Trix... me to find the perfect magic act!" She said, nonchalantly. "I bought it from a curio shop!" She said, pulling it near the earth pony filly, causing it to glow a pretty rainbow light. "Legend has it that when Trix... I find the perfect trick, then it will glow, and bathe the world with a beautiful glow."

"Well, that does sound like fun." Apple Bloom said, with a smile.

"Oh it will be..." The unicorn said, ominously. "It will be...."

"Say again?" Apple Bloom said, checking her ears. Did she just heard what she thought she did?"

"How about a trick? On me!" The unicorn said, her magic transforming from magenta, and back to red, as the aura wrapped itself around the cards.

**********

"Ok Woodburn?" Applejack said, a clipboard stuck to her hoof (as if, by magic), and a pencil in her mouth. A long list of names went down the clipboard like "Holly", and "Filbert", all with checks by their name.

"Fine." Stated the stallion of the family, with confidence, looking the tree up and down. A proud look on his face, as he started to move towards the next tree.

"Woowee!" The orange apple exclaimed, herself feeling very proud. "The trees look like they're in great shape this year!" She said, hopping slightly. "Ah think we're gunna have a heck of a harvest this year!" She exclaimed, enthusiastically. "Ah can just feel it!" She said, with glee, a spring in her steps. "So who's left ta check?" She asked herself flipping through the clipboard.

"Guess the eastern field, an' some of the trees in the northern field." Mac said, contemplatively.

"So at the current rate we should be finished in no time!" Said the orange pony, rearing with enthusiasm.

After a few seconds she turned back, a thought occurring to her. "So where'd ya think 'Bloom ran off ta?" She asked her brother, who simply shrugged his withers. "She was 'supposed ta come an' help us with the ins-pection. Ya don't 'suppose she was held late do ya?"

Her brother shrugged his withers again, and quietly shook his head, slightly. "Probably nothin' ta -- "

"Hey Applejack!" The young filly said, racing up to her sister. "Ah jus' say the most amazin' thing ~~on mah way to Zecora's~~ on mah way back from Twilight Time!" She said, bouncing up and down. "Ya jus' have ta see!" She said, trying to pull her big sister by the leg (holding the leg in her teeth.)

"Hold yer horses Apple Bloom!" Applejack said, with surprise. "What's all the hootin' and hollerin' about?" She asked, trying to figure out what all the hubbub was about.

"There's a magician in Ponyville, an' she's really, really good!" Apple Bloom said, with a level of enthusiasm that was normally reserved for Pinkie. "An' ah wanted ta go see her show, can ah? can ah? can ah?"

"Magician huh?" Applejack said, tapping her muzzle. "Ah don't know! We have alota things ta do! An' the inspection?"

Apple Bloom scuffed her feet. "But she's leavin' tonight! An we're gunna have all winter ta finish those inspections!" She said, with agitation.

"Sorry 'Bloom." Applejack said sternly. "But we have too much ta do, an' there's no way that yer gunna convince me ta go!" She said, putting her hoof down, and taking an immobile position.

"But Applejack!" Apple Bloom cried, giving her sister the whole nine yards including the water works, and the dreaded squee.

"No!" Applejack said, seemingly unimpressed. "Ain't gunna happen! Ain't no way ya gunna -- "

**********

Applejack sighed, how did her sister manage to drag her into this one? She asked herself as she found herself being dragged along by the smaller filly as she cantered her way towards the makeshift stage.

"Hey?" Applejack thought to herself. "Don't this look familiar?" She asked herself, as she strode up to the back of the crowd. "Ah cain't say ah've seen that before, cain ah?" She thought, to herself, squinting her eyes slightly to get a better look at it, and --

"Wow Trix... I was not expecting to put up a show today!" The magician exclaimed, in surprise, over the crowd. "Let alone to have so many ponies in attendance, and for that Trix... I am so very pleased!" She said, her hat glowing the same crimson red that her horn was. "Thank you!" She said, with a humble bow (Applejack smiled, always a good sign! She was definitely not going to be that blowhard show off that that magician from last year was... What was their name? The Great and Powerful Presto? Nah that wasn't it!) "Perhaps a small trick is in order!" She said, humbly, pulling a necklace out from behind the stage, and showing it to all the ponies in the front row, before slipping it back behind her. "I will be using this magical artifact to judge applause levels today! The brighter, the better!" She exclaimed, with a smile. "And if anypony thinks there's mind magic here then I would be more than happy to surrender it for testing." Everypony shook their heads, that was fine -- besides, maybe a little illusion might make this show better than the one last year... After a few seconds the magician smiled. "Could the great and pow... I request a volunteer please?" She shouted out, taking her time to survey the crowd. "You in the back!" She shouted, pointing at Time Turner. "Could you come forward please?"

The earth pony pointed at himself, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Hey!" A voice shouted to Applejack from behind, a small amount of anger in their tone.

"Dash?" She asked, whipping around to see the pegasus floating behind her with an agitated expression, her front legs crossed, and a large scowl on her face. "What are ya doin' here?" She asked, expecting the pegasus to asleep, or working on the weather. "Ain't ya 'supposed ta workin' on teh weather?"

The pegasus groaned slightly. "I would, but that 'magician' -- " she said, raising her front hooves in air quotes when she said the word 'magician'. " -- here keeps moving the clouds over city hall, and it's setting our schedule pretty far off," she said, tightening the crossing of her front legs. "If she doesn't knock it off then I might actually have to work today!" She said, sticking her tongue out at the magician.

"A pegasus performin' magic?" The apple asked, doing a double take.

"No! A unicorn!" She shouted, shaking her hoof, with rage. "And --"

"Ah unicorn that cain perform weather magic?" Applejack asked, sceptically, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know right?" Rainbow asked, nonchalantly. "Wouldn't believe it either it I wasn't having to put up with it!" She said, being interrupted by the pony on stage. "And I wish she'd stop! The weather is pegasus territory!... AND MORE IMPORTANTLY!!! BEING AWESOME IS MY TERRITORY!!!!" She shouted, hoping the magician would hear.

The magician, however, didn't seem to notice, or care, about her neigh-saying. "And now he shall return in triplicate!" The magician shouted, as three Time turners appeared from the puff of smoke.

"Great wickering stallions!" The first time turner shouted, turning to the other two.

"This is not physically possible!" Shouted the second, turning to the magician. "How could you have possibly done this!?" He said, turning to the magician, as the third Time Turner shrugged, looking baffled, himself.

"Why magic, little ponies. For you see The Great And Pow... It's a trick, and you know what they say about good magicians and their tricks." She said, holding a necklace up in front of her, which didn't glow in the slightest.

"Is it just me, or does somethin' seem familiar about this one?" Applejack asked, turning to Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah!" The pegasus admitted, turning to the apple. "Like I should be mad at her or something!" She said, her face flinching, in anger for a second. "Blue unicorn mare, loud announcing voice... You don't think it could be -- ?"

Applejack shook her head. "Couldn't be! If it was she'd be shouting up and down about how great she'd be by now!" She whispered to the pegasus.

"Please! May I choose three members of the audience to come forwards to see if they can figure Trix... My trick out!" She asked, looking over the crowd. A sea of hoofs flew up as all kinds of ponies from all throughout the crowd raised their hands to get in on the act.

"Hmm..." The magician said, with a delighted smile. "So many to choose from... Whom should Trix... I pick?" She said, her hoof coming detached from her body, and planting itself on her muzzle, in a thinking position.

"So who you think she's going to pick?" Asked Pinkie, loudly enough to be heard by the entire audience. "OOH! OOH! OOH! Pick me! Pick me!" She shouted to the magician, who seemed to be ignoring her.

"Great horny toads!" Applejack shouted, practically jumping out of her skin. "When did ya'll show up?" She asked of the pink pony.

"Oh silly!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "I've been here the whole time. "Wait... " She said, shushing the apple, and the cyan pegasus. "This is the best part! She's about to pick Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts!" She said, as the magician pointed her hooves at three ponies (her disembodied hoof temporarily splitting in half) one in the back, one in the middle, and on one of the sides -- bringing forth a light blue unicorn mare with a dark blue and light grey mane and an hourglass cutie mark, a light cream unicorn with a pink mane and a triple star cutie mark, and a yellow unicorn with a cerulean mane and a triple heart cutie mark.

"Ok!" The magician said, with a smile. "Please tell Trix... me, if you can figure out my trick!" She said, her disembodied hoof pointing at the trio of time turners, her other hoof holding her necklace aloft while all three of them passed by, the necklace glowing almost imperceptibly.

The magician gave a smile. "Any luck?" She asked the three unicorns with a mischievous smile.

The three of them shook their heads.

"Well worry not!" She said, with a wink. "It wouldn't be a very good trick if it was understood anyway!" She said, waving her disembodied hoof over the three Time Turners, causing two to vanish in a puff of smoke. "I guess I have no more use for them!" She said, as her hoof suddenly reappeared in its proper place.

"I suppose." Replied Lemon Hearts with a smile. "But I bet if Twilight were here then she could figure it out."

A strange expression came over the magician's face, as nopony could tell if it was a mischievous gleaming, or an expression of rage appeared in her eyes.

"Hmm..." Said the magician with a smile. "Then perhaps some of that skill has rubbed off on one of this Twilight's other friends." She said, pointing to the unicorn trio. "Is there any other friends of this Twilight Sparkle in the audience?"

"Twilight Sparkle?" Mouthed Applejack to Rainbow Dash. "How'd she know her name?"

"Probably 'cause she's a princess or something!" Exclaimed, Rainbow, unimpressed. "Doesn't matter." Rainbow Dash said, using her wings to prop herself up, her arms crossed. "'Cause there's no way you're going to catch me up there!" She said, with agitation.

"Then ah'm going ta go up!" The smallest apple said, rushing to the stage -- eliciting a look of pure shock from the older apple.

"Wait!" She shouted galloping as far as she could, before she was blocked by the crowd. "'Bloom come back here! Ya hear!"

"Why greetings again." The magician said, with a smile to the young apple. "What brings you back Apple Bloom?"

"Well ah was hopin' ta show your show ta my sister and friends." She said with a smile. "But..." She said, her smile dropping. "Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle don't seem to be here right now." She said, with a frown, her ears drooping.

"Well worry not!" The magician said, with enthusiasm. "For the great and power... I shall show you another trick." She said, her hat glowing an even brighter color. "For behold! From the mists, The Great and ... I shall summon Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo!" She shouted, as Rainbow's prissy unicorn materialized right above Rainbow Dash, landing, hoof first on the startled pegasus, and the other two Crusaders materialized next to Apple Bloom on stage.

"How did I get here?" Asked Scootaloo asked, in bewilderment, the scooter she was riding, suddenly nowhere to be found.

"Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!" The apple said, with enthusiasm. "Ah'm so glad ya could make it! Ah was worried ya wouldn't be able ta show!" She said, bouncing up and down, slightly -- her smile completely restored.

"Actually..." Sweetie said, looking around anxiously. "I'm kind of glad." She said, her ears dropping. "Rarity wanted me to test another outfit of hers..." She said, quietly, her cheeks blushing slightly -- causing knowing grunts from the other two crusaders.

"Well worry not as Trix... I shall perform another Trix... trick!" She announced, pulling back out a deck of cards, that she kept in the cart (the same deck Apple Bloom had seen earlier.) "Behold as..." She announced one of the nearby buildings shifted position, carried along by her magic. "I... move that building!" She announced to thunderous applause, her necklace glowing faintly as she held it next to the crusaders.

"Oh dear?" Rarity asked herself, looking discombobulated, having suddenly, and without knowledge, left her shop (and her new outfit, that she was working on, nowhere to be found.) "Wherever am I?" She asked, as a groaning could be heard from somewhere. "And why do I feel like I have fallen on something?"

"Mmmmmet mmmmm mmouuta here!" Somepony groaned from somewhere, causing Rarity to look around in all directions.

"Say again?" The prissy unicorn asked, with a puzzled expression. "Could you please speak louder dearie?" She asked, hoping the pony would speak up.

"Mmmmmet mmmmm mmouuta here!" The voice reiterated, louder this time.

"I can't understand you dearie?" Rarity asked, looking around. Was he just hearing things? Could somepony be playing a trick on her? "You know it's not nice to play childish pranks on some pony!" She announced, looking completely unamused.

"Get me outta here!" The pegasus shouted, throwing Rarity off with a fair amount of force.

Rarity grunted, sounding disgraced and disrespected. "You could have asked dear." She said calmly. "And I most certainly would have complied," she said, waving her mane gracefully, from side to side.

Rainbow Dash simply gave a grunt, her eyes rolling in frustration.

"So I have a question." Rarity asked, looking uncomfortable. "Why are our sisters, and Scootaloo up there with that braggart Trixie?" Rarity asked, alternating between bewilderment and dismay. "Should we go up there and -- "

"Trixie?" Asked Rainbow Dash, and Applejack to each other, their faces growing pale.

"Maybe ah should go an' check on 'em." Applejack said, cantering towards the front -- pushing against the crowd, attempting to separate them, so she could pass through.

Trixie gave a smile, seeing the older apple come forward. "And behold the cards reappear from beyond." She said, as the deck of cards that she caused to vanish earlier, suddenly reappeared -- on fire, and smelling of brimstone.

The crowd broke into applause as everypony motioned to join the magician yet again.

The magician shook her head. "Trix... I am sorry, but I couldn't possibly -- " She started saying, being unable, at the end to speak over the crowd.

"ONE MORE TRICK!!! ONE MORE TRICK!!!" The crowd started chanting, their sound level rising as the magician began to leave stage.

"I can't possibly." The magician said, with a smile. "I have held the weather team long enough." She said, with a smirk as Applejack cantered into view. "And besides, I run low on magic... So I must bid you ado!" She said, taking a bow, and removing her hat. "For how can I possibly put a show worthy of all of you ponies like this?" She said, her magic turning from red, and back to pink.

"ONE MORE TRICK!! ONE MORE -- " The crowd announced more loudly, unwilling to take no for an answer!

"Hold it right there, ya sidewinder!" Applejack shouted,, in a huff. "What'cha up ta!" She shouted, looking at the unicorn cross eyed. "Ya ain't tryin' nothin' are ya?" She asked, looking up and down the unicorn for signs of treachery (and keeping one of her eyes on her rope, in case the unicorn got ideas again!)

"Why heavens no..." The magician replied. "Trixie simply wishes to regale her audience with her vast magical acumen." She said, sounding like herself again.

"Uh huh..." The apple said, half in a mind to show her a thing or three (and probably forgetting about the last time she tried to outshine the show pony.) "An' ya ain't gunna wrap anypony up with their own rope, and stuff an' apple in their mouths are ya?"

Trixie shook her head. "Why heavens no!" She replied, nonchalantly. "And Trixie won't be trying that ursa story again, thank you!" She said, continuing to walk off. "It's spent!"

"Uh huh..." She said, noticing the necklace that the unicorn was holding up towards her with her pink magic. "An' what's the jewelry for?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Why it's an applause-o-meter." The unicorn replied, with a shrug. "But Trixie seems incapable of activating it." She said, turning her back on the earth pony.

"Maybe it's 'cause yer a fraud!" The apple replied angrily. "An the thingy knows it too!" She said, walking in front of the unicorn. "Ah'm sure that ah cain act-ivate that there -- "

"And maybe you or your two friends think you can activate what Trixie could not!?" Trixie asked again, tooting her own horn as loudly as she could.

Applejack growled silently. Cog sarn it! That unicorn was practically asking for it! Well.. Maybe she could try her trick again? Maybe this time Trixie wouldn't interfere. "Maybe ah cain!" Applejack shouted, leaping to the stage, rope in hoof -- ready to show her trick. "Assumin' ya don't sab-eo-tage meh again!" She shouted, glaring right in the unicorn's eyes.

Trixie gave a hurt expression. "Trixie promises that she shall do nothing of the sort." She said, holding her necklace near Applejack. "Now show Trixie what you can do!" She said, with a smile. "And if you can activate the applause-o-meter, then Trixie shall apologize to this whole crowd, and quit magic in shame." She said, making one last verbal jab.

"Okeh!" The apple replied. "But keep yer eyes an this one, 'cause it's gunner be quick!" She said, trying one end of a large lasso to her tail, and rotating it, first around her legs, and then lifting it over her head.

The unicorn gave a bemused chuckle.

Before snapping the large loop to a perpendicular angle to herself, and jumping through it a couple of times as it shrank, before finally throwing it up into the shy, and grabbing an apple from a nearby tree.

The unicorn chuckled, she'd seen this before -- apparently the earth pony had no new tricks in her trictionary, and was straight old school --, but nevertheless, the crowd still ate it up. The necklace glowed slightly, but not as much as she thought it might -- maybe she was on the right track?

"Top that missy!" Applejack said, with confidence, her head lifted, her eyes closed, and her legs crossed.

"No need!" She said, with a bashful smile. "My job is to entertain the crowd, and you've done an excellent job of doing so." She said, starting to walk off again. "Not to mention showing your skill. There is no way that Trix... I can compete with your skills." She said with a humble smile.

"Say what?" The apple said, baffled -- didn't something come next? "That's it? Yer just gunna walk off?" Why did this victory over the boastful unicorn feel so hollow?

"Yup." The unicorn said, nonchalantly. "Trix... My work here is done, and the neck... applause-o-meter doesn't glow.." She said, bringing her necklace back. "So... Unless a unicorn wants to try their hand at something, then Trix.. I shall be off." She said, using her magic to begin to pack up her stage, bathing it in a bright red aura. "It's too bad there are no unicorns with style in this crowd." She said, throwing her voice next to Rarity, who wasn't about to bite. "Maybe somepony with real style and sophistication could make it light up..." She said, with a sigh, laying it on more thickly. "But all the ponies here appear to be hicks and bumpkins." She said, whispering right in Rarity's ear, causing the prissy unicorn to nash her teeth slightly -- bristling at the named she felt were being levied on her.

Rarity grunted, angrily -- unsure she liked where the blue unicorn was going with this. "Oh no." She said, calmly, shaking her head. "I shall not fall for that one again!" She said, herself walking away, slowly. "There is no way you shall convince me to make a fool of myself before all these fine ponies again," she said, motioning over the crowd.

"I suppose." Trixie said, herself walking off again. "Besides, with Suri out of town, there's no real fashion types here anyway."

"Suri?" Rarity said, halting suddenly, her face showing a poorly hidden agitation. "As in Suri, Suri?" She asked, making sure her ears, and head, were clear.

"Yup" Trixie replied calmly. "Whom else would Trixie speak of, but the lion of Manehattan! Suri -- " She started saying, but was unable to finish as Rarity interrupted her.

"As in the one who tried to steal my line and pass it off as her own?" Rarity asked, sweat breaking on her forehead as she struggled to keep her cool, her lips puckered together in a very odd expression.

Trixie shrugged -- maybe.

"Well..." Rarity said, trotting quickly backwards, in an almost cartoonish fashion. "Maybe I can show you one thing." She said, her magic pulling the curtain off its pole. Wait? Did this seem familiar to her at all?

A whirlwind of cloth covered the unicorn, obscuring the fashion metamorphosis that was occurring.

"Oh well! A unicorn needs to have style!" Trixie said, with a smirk, as Rarity emerged from whirlwind of fabric she wrapped herself in -- a new outfit on her body, and fine new style for her mane.

Rarity looked cross eyed. "... A unicorn's not a unicorn without grace and... beauty...?" She said, wondering if she should start cowering. Was this the part where she ended up having to shave her mane off again?

"And isn't she beautiful crowd?" Trixie asked, the necklace hovering over the unicorn -- glowing about the same level as it did for Applejack. "Please give her a round of applause." -- still not it!

"Why... Thank you?" Rarity asked slowly, in confusion, as she stumbling off. Wasn't this the part where something bad happened? And why did it feel like a let down? Wasn't she supposed to be happy about silencing the brute?

"Ya ok Rarity?" Applejack asked, quietly -- some concern showing on her face.

"I think so." Rarity replied, quietly. "But is it me or is Trixie not feeling like herself today?" She said eliciting a shrug from the apple.

"Ah don't know." The apple said, cautiously. "Ya don't 'spose she's up ta something do ya?" She asked, wondering if she should be fighting or running.

"I have no idea." Rarity replied, cautiously. "Though I think I shall keep this look for my date with lord Azorica tonight." She said, thinking about the noble stallion from house Ivy that she had managed to convince to take her on a second date that night, at the fanciest place in Canterlot (ok she was supposed to stay in Ponyville... But this was lord Azorica Ab Ivy -- was, probably, the most fashionable stallion in Equestria! Well... at least the most eligible and fashionable stallion, in Equestria, anyway!)

"Does anypony else want to show off a skill?" Trixie asked, standing up on the small portion of the stage that remained. A sea of hooves raised, but the one she really wanted to raise seemed to be leaving instead. Her face grew a grinchy smile, and her eyes twinkled. "Maybe you!" She said, pointing, with her hoof, at a white unicorn mare with a rather large horn, and a purple and light purple two color mane, and a heart and swirl cutie mark.

"Me?" The unicorn asked, her green eyes glowing with a slight enthusiasm. "But I don't know what to do?" She said, with trepidation.

"Worry not!" Trixie replied, confidently. "I'm sure that any trick you do would greatly please this audience!"

The unicorn thought for a second, and spoke again, her voice chirping in enthusiasm. "Do you mind if I show you how to bake?" She asked to the magician, who nodded in consent. Was it just Applejack, or did Trixie keep looking over at Rainbow Dash?

"Yes! Please show Trix... us your skill with baking!" Trixie said, turning to the unicorn. "Impress us all with your confectionary talents!"

"Bake?" Groaned Rainbow Dash, in dismay, suddenly stopping halfway out of the crowd. "SHE'S GOING TO BAKE!?!?" She asked, at the top of her lungs, freezing in place.

An angry call went up from the crowd. "Shhhhh!!!"

"But won't we need some spices and other baking things?" Asked the unicorn innocently, noticing she had none on hoof.

"Worry not!" Trixie said, as a bunch of stuff fell from the sky, including a foal's mini oven, a spoon, a few bowls, some spices, some sugar, and a bunch of flower.

"Why thank you!" The unicorn replied, greatfully. "This should be everything I need!" She said, gratefully, a fair amount of enthusiasm in her voice.

Rainbow Dash grunted angrily, her face contorting into a deep frown. "She's going to show us how to bake? That's her trick!?"

Applejack shrugged. "Ah guess so!" She said, nonchalantly. "Course not everypony can show the kind of tricks that you do," she said, reminding her friend of the realities of things (though she worried that would reactivate the pegasus bluster, and Applejack really... really... really! Didn't want to get an earful of how awesome Rainbow was for five or six straight days!)

"So first we're going to dump in the flower and the spices." The white unicorn said, dumping the dry team into the bowl -- feeling entirely in her element now.

"Oh wow!" Trixie said, with a smile. "Fashinating!"

"Oh I know!" The unicorn replied, feeling so alive. "Then we're going to add the wet stuff." She said, eagerly, pouring the wetworks in. "Then..." She said, pulling out a spoon (as Rainbow's mouth dropped.) "We're going to stir." She remarked stirring the mixture -- Rainbow Dash's head rotating along with the motion of the spoon, her expression getting more and more agitated.

"Is this over yet?" Rainbow asked, covering her eyes with her front legs.

"Then we're going to let it cool for a minute." The white unicorn responded, contemplating on the minutia of her recipe (she did, after all, give her friends a lecture on how it important it was to follow a recipe!) "Well... if I had a refriger-- "

POOF -- a refrigerator materialized out of seemingly nowhere.

"Thank you!" The white unicorn said, to the blue one. "That's exactly what I need."

"Was there ever any doubt?" The blue one said, with a smirk.

Rainbow groaned, starting to play with her eye lids. "This is SOOOO BOOORRRRINGG!!!" She groaned to herself, even louder. This might even be worse than the times Rarity made her help out with fashion!!! Why was she even still here? She could have left like five times already!

"Ok!" The white unicorn said. "Now we stick it in the oven... Umm... If I can find enough space, that is..." She remarked, as her tray of cookies bumped against the oven door revealing itself as being 10 sizes too big to fit. Her face blushed as she just now noticed that the oven was a little too small.

"Worry not!" Trixie said, gesturing with her hoof -- her face turned to Rainbow Dash. "Trix... I shall fix this for you!" She remarked, as the oven glowed a red aura, and began to grow twenty or thirty times it's normal size.

"Thanks!" The unicorn said, gently. "Now I'll be able to fit all my cookies in the oven!"

Trixie smiled, herself looking exuberant (or was she? Somepony might have sworn they could see a sneer creeping up her face.) "Ok now! This is fascination! Please show Trix... the crowd what happens next!" She said, dancing in anticipation.

"Ok!" The unicorn replied. "Now we bake for twenty or thirty minutes, or until golden brown and -- "

"Enough!!!" Shouted Rainbow Dash -- having finally had enough boredom --, flying up onto stage, at top speeds, and giving a flying wrestling kick to the oven -- sending it into the stratosphere (her black belt showing.) "This is the most boring! Most ridiculous trick, that I've ever had the general misfortune of watching!!!" Rainbow shouted, angrily. "And you should be ashamed of yourself!" She said, chastising Trixie. "After an awesome show like the one you just had, how could you do something to us like this?" She shouted, snorting slightly.

"Very well." Replied Trixie, lifting her necklace. "Then please show the crowd a trick." She said, as the necklace began to glow a vibrant color.

At that moment Rainbow forgot that she promised herself that she wouldn't show that blowhard any tricks! "Ok!" Replied Rainbow Dash, with confidence. "But you asked for it!" She shouted, starting her trick by taking off at a full speed, and flying straight into the blades or a windmill -- rotating along with the blades for quite a few cycles, as they rotated at hundreds of times their normal rotation rate. Before allowing the motion of the blades to cause her to be flung upwards, and through multiple clouds.

As her momentum began to wear off, she posed in front of the sun for a second, for effect, before flinging herself back towards the earth, going straight downwards, and back through the clouds, causing her to be chased by a sea of tiny water droplets. she finally hit the blades of the windmill again, and once again rotated with the motion of the blades for several cycles, before being flung straight back towards to the stage -- coming to an abrupt stop, right next to Trixy -- the tiny droplets finally catching up enough to make contact, and forming into an impressive Rainbow.

"Wow!" Trixie said, taking a close look at the necklace. "And that must be why they don't call you 'Rainbow' and 'Dash' for nothing!" She exclaimed, with a smile, breaking the pegasus' cocky expression.

"Hey!" She shouted. "That's what I was going to say," she exclaimed, angry that Trixie was stealing her thunder, again! That'll show that blowhard!!!

"And Trix... I apologize." The magician said, apologetically bowing her head. "But you simply must tell Trix... the crowd your secret!" She said, enthusiastically, getting good and close to the pegasus (the necklace was definitely glowing, no doubt.) "How are you so awesome today! It's like you are even more awesome then usual... if that's even possible!" She said, calmly to the pegasus, facing the crowd, and motioning her hoof over the pegasus.

The pegasus scoffed. "No more than usual!" She said, crossing both sets of her legs in pride.

"Have you been doing anything new to make yourself more awesome?" She asked the pegasus, undeterred.

The pegasus shook her head. "Nope! Just being me!" She said, waving her hoof in a straight line. "No sweat!"

"Well... " Trixie asked, inquisitively. "Have you had problems with all that awesomeness getting to your head, and giving you a thick head?" Trixie asked, prying deeper into the pegasus psyche, a determined look growing on Trixie's face.

"Nope!" The pegasus said, shaking her head. "And I never, ever let anything get to my head!" The pegasus replied, puffing out her chest. "I am, after all, just that awesome!"

"Are you feeling more treacherous than usual?" Trixie asked, with a confused expression -- was she wrong with her theories? But if so then why was it glowing so vibrently?

"Nope! Couldn't be more loyal!" Dash replied, boastfully. "In fact maybe, when I'm done, I'll perform more acts of heroism!"

Applejack gave her a sour grapes expression. "An' then Mare-do-well will show up again!" She cautioned.

"Oh... Right!" Rainbow said, sheepishly -- reminding herself not to do that again.

"Feeling larcenous?" Trixie asked, starting to sound anxious, sweat forming on her forehead.

"What are you getting at?" Rainbow asked, suspiciously. "You trying to say something, Trixie?" She asked, starting to feel insulted.

"litigious?" Trixie asked, starting to sound desperate.

"I don't even know what that means?" Rainbow said, quirking an eyebrow -- Trixie trying one of those Twilight egg head things on her?

"Licentious?" Trixie asked, in utter desperation.

"What are you implying!!!" Rainbow asked. Ok! Trixie was definitely trying to say something, and Rainbow didn't understand, or like whatever it was!

"You unusually interested in the stallions?" Trixie asked, in utter desperation, her theories melting before her head -- the word she wanted to use probably too big for the pegasus' vocabulary.

"Hey! That's none of your business!" Rainbow scoffed, having half a mind to either buck the unicorn, or fly off in rage. How dare that fraud insinuating something about her and Lord West Wind! They were only dating! Nothing more! (Well at least until the 'I do's and then... well... She couldn't say...)

"Rainbow Dash is shy around stallions!" Trixie said, with a straight face, having come to a stark realization about the, normally boastful pegasus, -- alas, not the realization she was hoping to find.

"Shut up!" Shouted the mare, her face growing a bright red -- opting to fly off at high speeds, instead of breaking the unicorn's muzzle. Muttering something about how she wasn't fine, and that she had found Lord West Wind ok!

"Hmm..." Trixie remarked to herself, with a smirk. "Maybe Trixie knows where to continue her search for the next bearer?" She said, to herself, looking at the necklace, which had just now stopped glowing from the pegasus' presence.

**********

Belladonna sighed. This would be a whole lot easier if she waited for Phytolacca to return from his senseless alicorn hunt. She sighted to herself in exasperation. "Just like a stallion!" She thought to herself, stamping her foot with disdain -- what made the stallion even think that there was even a sixth princess to be found? Let alone in a humdrum place like that tiny apple town -- what was it's name again? Lemonaloosa? Appleville? Oh! It didn't matter! He was wasting his time and the hive's resources on the pointless witch hunt!

Oh well! In the end, this was all the better for her! Because, if she found the next bearer before he did, then she might increase her standing in the hive, even becoming the second (or even first) among the hive's elite assassin's, and this was a very good thing indeed!

The problem? The artifact responded to an element of harmony, and a pegasus no less! And it was going to be hard to spy on her, especially when she lived in a cloud house hovering right over the middle of town! (good thing changelings had wings, otherwise she might have trouble getting up there!)

And following her around for the next three days wasn't revealing much, except that that fool Phytolacca was completely right about his Princess theory, and completely wrong about his level of strength -- a mistake Belladonna vowed not to repeat! Yes! This called for one thing, and one thing only! A cutie-remarking! But that would have to come later. For now, she had to get into Rainbow Dash's Cloudominium, but how would she best get in there?

She could try to convince that rube Twilight to cast a spell on her to make her invisible? Nah... There was no way in Queen Rosedust's name that she was going to talk to that phony princess! Maybe should have Trixie cast an invisibility spell on her and... No! And let that fraud share her glory! No! Of course, she could get one of the pretorian guard to help... Heck, she was sure that her beauty would convince them to assist her in her cause -- she thought to herself, posing in her true changeling glory in front of a mirror, which promptly shattered into tiny crinkly bits...

Ok fine! Maybe she needed to find another way...

Hmm... she thought sitting around. How could she possibly convince the pegasus to let her in. She could change form to somepony the vain pegasus loved, like Lord West Wind... No! Then she might start asking questions... Maybe a close friend like Fluttershy? No! She was not going to take on that ridiculous form! Somepony from the weather team? Thunderlane maybe? No! She wouldn't let a stallion into her house, it would make her look bad, and besides -- once again, she might ask questions! Spitfire? Close... But she had a better idea, she thought to herself, tilting her head in a thinking position.

**********

"Come on Cheerilee, you can do it!" Cheered Twilight, with a smile, as the purple unicorn struggled to lift the small metal ball, sweat dripping down her brow.

"I don't know Twilight! This ball feels like it's made of lead!" She shouted, a blue aura forming around the ball, which progressively grew brighter and brighter as the unicorn used more and more of her magic.

"Relax Cheerilee." Twilight cautioned. "You'll never succeed in this spell if you get worked up like that! Remember: resolve, concentration, and determination!"

Cheerilee grunted, the magic beginning to warp and distort the ball, before the ball finally lifted off the ground, and went flying through the ceiling of the room, and the ceiling of the upstairs, finally flying out of the tree and landing in the town's bowling alley, knocking down all ten pins.

Twilight gave a false smile. "Good start!" She said, the smile holding steady. "See! You're getting better." She said, with confidence, not wanting to upset the unicorn mare, who was probably having trouble today because she spent all of the night before studying time travel magic. "Shall we take a break, and then I want to see how you're doing Rarity!" She said, with a smile to the pink alicorn who started bouncing around eagerly.

"But I want to see Cheerilee try again!" She said, eagerly. "Because that was unicorn fun!" She exclaimed, standing under the hole.

Twilight gave a smile, this gave her an idea to get the unicorn to concentrate again. "I think she needs a break right now." She said, sternly. "But how I can give her another try if you concentrate on today's lesson, in teleportation ok?" She said, eliciting an upset nod from the exuberant alicorn.

"And -- " Twilight said, hearing a knock on the door of the Golden Oaks. "I wonder who that could be?" She asked, slowly opening the door to reveal a pegasus mare with a hot pink coat, a yellow mane, blue eyes, and a trio of candles for a cutie mark.

Twilight frowned, apologetically. "May I help you?" She asked the pegasus, with a frown. "I don't mean to trouble you if you are here to learn, but I'm currently in the middle of a lesson right now, could you come back later?"

"I'm terribly sorry." The pegasus said, with a frown. "But my name is Best Wishes, and I really need to pick up a specific book on the wonderbolts, and I couldn't find the book I was looking for in the Cloudsdale library!" She said, her voice trailing off. "And without it, I'll never be able to have the perfect party for my niece without it!"

"A party?" Asked Twilight in surprise. "What's it about?"

"Well, if you must know." Said Best Wishes calmly. "It's a wonderbolts of old themed party, " She said, with an eager smile. "You see, we were all going to go out and wear the original wonderbolts' uniforms, and my husband was going to dress as Colonel Purple Dart, and I was going to dress as General Firefly, and then after the party we were going to -- "

"Ok!" Grunted Twilight, face hoofing -- too much information!... Much too much information! "I might have the book you are looking for, but the last user might have left it... A little bit bright..." She said, with a sigh, she was still trying to magically remove all the highlighting that Rainbow left in that book on the wonderbolts.

"Hmm..." The pegasus said, skimming the book, a disappointed expression slowly forming. "Could I get something with less caricatures of you?" She asked, holding up one of the pages that Rainbow had painted a caricature of Princess Twilight in.

"I suppose." Said Twilight, with a grunt -- the wheels in her head turning. No! She was not going to be defeated by a library request! "I suppose there is one more book that we have that you could look at -- and it's the only other one we have that Cloudsdale doesn't," she said, tapping her muzzle with her hoof. "But it's kind of old, " she said, with a frown.

"Could I see it?" Best Wishes asked, politely. "Maybe this is the book I'm looking for?"

"Well... I suppose..." Twilight said, reluctantly. The writing on the book was a little bit dated, considering that it was written shortly before Twilight was born. "But..." Twilight said, with a sigh. "If you insist."

"Yes please." Best Wishes responded, taking a begging position. "My husband would be so happy if I got everything perfect!" The mare begged to Twilight. "You know how frisky the wonderbolts make him and -- "

"I suppose..." Reiterated Twilight, reluctantly (intentionally cutting the pegasus mare off mid sentence.) "But..." She said, sneezing slightly. "It's kind of dusty."

"Can I see?" The pegasus asked, grabbing the book from Twilight. "This might be the one!" She said, blowing on the book, and causing a thick layer of dust to go flying into the room.

"Was that... *ACHOO*... Really necessary?" Twilight asked, sternly -- this pegasus didn't have any respect for books!"

"Sorry..." The pegasus said, blushing slightly. "But...." She said, skimming towards the end of the book, a twinkle blooming in her eye. "I think this might be just the book I need." She said, bowing formally to the princess.

"Well great!" Twilight said, with a forced smile. "Do drop in again, but please do so when we are open." She said, politely.

"Sure." The pegasus said, bowing. "Sorry about that, but you are such a life saver, Princess Twilight!" She said, walking out the door, a smirk growing on her face.

"Ok, Rarity, let's try that teleportation spell." Twilight said, with a smile. "Then we'll let Cheerilee take another try, ok?" She asked, hoping to get the mini alicorn to pay attention to this very important lesson.

**********

Rainbow Dash stood in her Cloudominium, steaming quietly. How dare that Trixie insult her like that! She meant: first she goes and insults her, then she starts insinuating that she did something untowards with a stallion. How dare that two bit hack make accusations like that!

But, of course, it was always like that! For some reason being a strong mare meant that Dash was either some kind of filly-fooler, or some kind of predator just looking for stallions to... Oh It just made her want to scream!

She needed to cool down for a minute, lest her temper get the better of her! She thought to herself, putting down the necklace with G's feather that she had been wearing all day, on her dresser, as she needed to take a shower to wash off all the shame she had just been subjected to! And she'd make sure to play a doozie of a prank on that horrible pony, at the first possible opportunity.

A knocking could be heard at her front door. That had better be important! She thought, a cartoon frown showing on her face, as it scrunched like a raisin (kind of like that time that Tank had to hibernate through the winter...)

"I'm coming!" She shouted, as she cantered, quickly, towards the door.

After a couple of seconds the pony knocked louder.

"I'm coming already!" The pegasus groaned, sounding more agitated. "Hold your horses!"

Grasping a hold of the doorknob in her magnetic hoof grip, she slowly pulled the door open. "What do you want!" She shouted at the pegasus behind the door... "... GENERAL HIGH FLYER!!!" She said, in shock, performing a hasty, and sloppy, salute. "But I thought you had retired four years ago, something about the onset of dementia!"

"Well as you can see." The stallion said, in a squeaky, almost alien voice. "I am most certainly fine."

"Well what brings you here tonight, General?" Rainbow Dash asked, shrieking silently, her exuberance at seeing a real Wonderbolts general standing at her door.

"Do you mind if I come in, Rainbow Dash?" He asked, holding a strange necklace up, which glowed brightly, but not as much so as before. "That's interesting...." The general said, to himself, under his breath.

"What's the necklace for, general?" Rainbow asked, wondering why the renowned 'super stallion' of the wonderbolts was holding up the most girly necklace that she had ever seen.

The general's eyes became wide as saucers before he started looked around, obviously looking for ponies listening in. "It's got a magic detection spell, Dash. Being a pony like me, you can never be too careful! Because spies and enemies of Equestria are everywhere!" He exclaimed in his squeaky voice. "We can't be too careful!"

"OH MY GOSH!!!" Rainbow said, scrunching her face with her hooves. "YOU MUST BE HERE TO TELL ME SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT!!!"

The general held his hoof up to shush her. "Please be quiet, mrs. Dash, I'm here to tell you something top secret, and I can't have ponies finding out." He said, motioning at the door. "Could you let me in?"

"Sure thing!" Rainbow said, with enthusiasm, opening the door wider. "Please come in general."

"Thank you Dash!" The general said in his raspy, squeaky voice. "Do you mind if I sweep your house to make sure there is no eavesdropping magic around?"

"OH MY GOSH!!!" Rainbow said, with unbridled enthusiasm. "HE WANTS TO SWEEP MY HOUSE!!!" She exclaimed, with stars in her eyes, as the general went around, sweeping the different rooms -- carefully looking for 'eavesdropping spells'.

"Do you see that tank?" Rainbow said, practically prancing. "There's a wonderbolts sweeping my house for magic!" She exclaimed, feeling high and mighty. "Most likely so he can tell me about a secret mission!" She beamed, as the general headed upstairs to the living areas. "I can't wait to tell Lord West Wind!!!"

Meanwhile upstairs.

The 'general' started sweeping up and down the floor. "She didn't resonate at the same level when I came to the door, and that means that she must have been wearing something from somepony who would." The 'general' thought to themselves, contemplating if they needed to start turning stuff upside down.

They shook their head -- there was no way that they could do that without Dash noticing. No! Instead, they needed to hurry! They had to find it before Dash became wise!

After a few minutes of sweeping up and down the floor the 'general' was on the verge of giving up. Where could Dash have hidden it? Could they have been wrong about Dash resonating with the object?

Dash slowly rose the stairs. "So general?" Dash asked, with a slight squeal. "Did you find any eavesdropping magic?"

"Not yet!" The general stated plainly. "But I swear I detected one when I was watching you at that magician's show earlier today.

"You were in the crowd general?" Rainbow asked in surprise, and shame. "I wish I'd noticed you!" She said, bowing her head, with a look of disappointment.

"I apologize, Dash." The general said, in his squeaky voice. "But I couldn't make contact while you were possibly under the effects of an eavesdropping spell!"

Dash nodded, with a sad expression. "I'm sorry to hear that." Why would somepony be snooping on her, and why? Did they not want her to be a wonderbolt?

"So, let me ask again." The general said, plainly, their voice sounding more natural. "Were you wearing anything at that demonstration?"

Dash nodded, pulling the necklace with G's feather, that she had put on her dresser right before the general showed up. "Only thing I can think of is this necklace, with G's feather."

The general gave a smile. "Let me take a look at it then," he said, holding his magic detection charm up to the feather, causing the charm to glow violently, becoming hot to the touch.

"Ouch!" The general shrieked, a female voice coming out, as the charm dropped to the ground.

"You ok general?" Rainbow asked, in dismay. What the hay just happened? And was it her or did the general just exclaim with a mare's voice?

"Don't worry, Dash!" The general said, motioning with his hoof, and picking back up his charm. "I'm ok! But I'm going to need to take that necklace back to HQ for analysis!" The general said, his face became stern. "I also need you to tell me about this 'G', and if she'd have any reason to be snooping on us!"

Rainbow shook her head, her expression looking deeply hurt. "That's from my ex-friend Gilda." Rainbow said, stamping her hoof. "Curse you G Why would you do this to me! Why would you be spying on me!" Rainbow thought to herself, in disgust.

The general frowned. "I'm terribly sorry Dash to reveal this to you, but I really need you to do this! I can sense how eager you are to join the Wonderbolts, and sometimes for the Wonderbolts, we need to take hard stands."

Rainbow frown widened, as she was crying on the inside. "It was my ex-friend Gilda, she's a griffon, who couldn't accept my new friends, and betrayed me."

"Betrayed huh..." The general said, in a female voice, tapping his chin with his hoof. "Tell me Dash, do you know where she is now?"

Rainbow shook her head, still weeping on the inside. "No I don't, general! But if I did then I'd -- "

The general stopped her, putting a hoof in front of her. "That's no way to talk, Dash! She used to be your friend, just remember the good times!"

"I suppose!" Said Dash, wondering why G was suddenly ruining her chance at being a wonderbolt, and how she managed to get an eavesdropping spell on one of her old feathers.

"Don't worry!" The general said, picking up Gilda's feather. "I'll do a full investigation into this 'Gilda', and we'll find out why she's been eavesdropping on you! And then in two weeks I shall return to give you your mission!"

Rainbow nodded sadly, as the general walked back out the front door. Maybe she would make that shower extra long.

She sighed, closing her door, only stopping for a minute, as a strange sound filled the air. Was it just her, or did she hear cackling coming from somewhere?

**********

"Maybe we should think about a good run, brother?" Flim asked, turning to his brother. "I'm pretty sure I don't -- "

"Want to be a changeling." Flam responded, finishing his brother's sentence. "And I'm pretty sure the good ponies of Equestria won't be buying a whole lot of cider from us if we look like that." He said, pointing ostentatiously at a peeved commander Raphanus.

"Will you two please shut up?" The commander bellowed.

"Oh touchy!" The brothers exclaimed in unison.

"Well look." Flim responded, with a sly grin. "If you want to be a -- "

"Grump about it." Flam said, continuing his brother's sentence. "Then we'll be --

"On our -- " Flim started saying.

"Would you both please shut up!" The commander bellowed, starting to hyperventilate. "Nopony is going to feed on anything today! And we won't be making any drones!" He shouted in the brother's faces. "The prince simply wants to discuss business!"

"Why didn't you -- " Flam replied, with a greedy smirk.

"Say so -- " Flim replied, making a ribbing motion with his knee.

"Earlier!!!" Both brothers shouted in unison, pushing the commander towards the well lighten chamber at the end of the hall.

The commander groaned noisily, wondering if maybe he should have stayed a private.

Ahead stood the prince's chambers, which were well lighten from the light of a stone that had been placed over his elaborate throne (probably to emulate the ancient sunstone that the royal family still owned.)

"Wow!" Flim brother said, ribbing his brother Flam.

"And they say we oversell things!" Flam replied to his bother, with a bemused smile.

Before them stood the changeling prince, his blond mane blowing against an invisible wind.

"Greetings little ponies." Vladímir said, with a smirk. "And welcome to the hive, " he said, motioning all around him. "My hive!"

"Well it's very nice -- " Flim said, backing away.

"To see your hive, but we simply must be -- " Flam said, his face flush, as his back turned to the changeling prince.

"Going." The brothers said, starting to hightail it out of there, and.

"I'm sorry, but this won't be permitted!" The prince said, stamping his hoof -- causing the large double doors to slam shut, right in front of the brother's faces, causing them to smash their faces against the giant, oversized door.

"So what do you need us for?" The brothers asked, in unison, both of their faces screaming for mercy.

"Why it's simple!" The prince replied, with a smile. "I'm here to talk about a business arrangement."

"Well I do like business." Replied Flam to his brother, with a smirk. "What kind of business arrangement?" He said, coming up with an exit plan.

"I need you to perform a very basic task for me!" The prince replied, nonchalantly, waving his hoof around. "Nothing the two of you can't handle, " he replied, with faux trust, and confidence.

"But if it involves us becoming icky changelings like you!" Flim said, pointing at the two changelings that the prince was using as his foot stools. "Then I'm sorry, but we are out."

"Oh no!" The prince said, with a chuckle. "Why would I want to pollute the hive with your tainted blood?" The prince said, causing the brothers to look at each other with confusion. Was he planning on removing their heads or something?

"Then what do you need us for?" Both brothers said, in unison.

"I simply need one of you to put this jewelry on." The prince said, bringing forth a necklace with a large red apple emblazoned upon it.

Flim looked at Flam, as both brothers started to swallow chuckles at first, and then to laugh out loud. "That's a good one!" Flim said, his face turning red with all of his laughter.

"Ok... Why do you really -- ?" Flam started asking, looking arround, the tears from his riotous laughter still streaming down his face.

"Need us here!" Both brothers asked, looking around for signs of deceit. Were they on one of those reels where they play pranks on stupid ponies?

Vladímir scoffed, looking very perturbed. "HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT I!!! THE RIGHTFUL -- " He started shouting, causing both brothers to snap to attention. He took a breath to calm down, before dropping back to his normal charismatic voice. "I mean... There's no trick here!" He said, trying to sound as sweet and innocent as possible. "I just want you to try this on for me!" He said, having the drone bring the necklace closer. "Doesn't even matter which brother puts it on."

"I don't know..." Flim said, with a false reluctance. "It looks pretty girly! And we are, after all, stallions' stallions."

Flam nodded in agreement. "It is pretty girly!"

The prince gave him a scowl back. "Then, maybe, would this change your mind?" He asked, having another changeling bring forth a fortune in both bits, and rare jewels.

If one didn't know better, one could swear they saw both brother's eyes turn into bits for a second.

"Well maybe we've been too hasty." Flam said, with a generous smile. "It wouldn't be so bad to put that girly thing on!" He said, facing his brother. "It might even look good on us!"

"Well it would look quite fetching with your mustache!" Flim replied, trying to hide his enthusiasm.

"Yes, and if you simply put it on then you can collect your payment, and you be on your way." The prince replied, his patience just about exhausted.

"Yes, I guess we shouldn't keep the gentlecolt waiting any longer." Flam replied, putting on the necklace, with a gulp as multiple changelings started to surround the brothers (you know, in case they got cold feet...)

What followed next could not be described in words except by the phrases pain, and screaming.

"Excellent." Vladímir replied, with a smile, putting the tips of his hooves together. "The artifact reacts to them! Phytolacca did an excellent job." The prince replied, causing an angry expression to appear on Solanaceae's face -- as he felt he wasn't getting the validation he was expecting.

"Feel disappointed?" The prince asked to the top of his two remaining assassin's. "Then get me the last three bearers, before I lose my patience!" He shouted, using his magic to toss his assassin out of his room with magic.

The brothers slowly raised back to their hooves, their expressions distant, and their eyes glowing a weird color.

"Ahh brothers!" The prince said, as the two forms slowly rose, smelling of smoke and covered in charred fur. "How do you feel?"

"Never felt better!" Lied Flim.

"Like a million bucks!" Lied Flam.

"Excellent!" the prince said, beckoning the some of his drones. "See to it that the brothers are treated like royalty in their new chambers, and please leave the brother's pay in the same room, please!" He commanded of the drone, who nodded dutifully. "They shall make excellent assets, along with that former drone Trixie, and that Sunset... whatever-her-name-was." He said, with a smirk.

Three down, three to go!

Optional Chapter 1-1: Rarity's story

Optional Chapter 2: Wysteria's chapter (New and improved: now with 200% less Heathspike!)

Wysteria smiled, rising slowly from her bed, and taking a nice long, wide stretch. "It's today!" She said, the familiar line to herself, that all the ponies used when they got up. It had already been an interesting night, with Minty running around like a crazy pony for some reason (course she didn't blame Minty, she always got eager at Christmas and besides being goofy, Christmas was kind of like her special thing!)

And what a day it was, Christmas Eve. And a beautiful one to boot, with a beautiful pristine fresh snowfall, and more on the way. And, of course, Pinkie had all kinds of fun last minute tasks planned, and she'd finally get to decorate the flower shop -- and maybe there would be enough time for her to go sledding or skating! And, of course, there would be carrols, and the hanging of the Extra Special One of A Kind Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane! And tonight: Santa was coming! And she was secretly hoping that, maybe, Spike would return today. Yeah he'd been kind of a bad person/dragon the last spring when he was 'training her to be a princess', but after she was 'deposed in a coup by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Sunny Daze', he became an outstanding and upright guy.

Oh it was going to be a wondrous day! And a wondrous day, like Christmas calls for one thing! An extra special flower for her hair. "That's right!" She thought to herself, looking at the flower that she had been saving next to her nightstand for just such an occasion. The very special flower that she got from Spike last spring -- the one that started the promenade. The strange thing is that it looked, and smelled even better nine months later then it did before -- and it was so beautiful that it practically glowed.

"I'll just put you in my hair." She said, to the flower, gently cradling it in her hoof, as she gingerly put it into her hair. "Oh you'll look so beautiful up there!" She said, to herself, brandishing a sweet smile. "Well I best be going." She said to herself, softly as she left the house, closing the door behind her. Nothing but good could come out of the day.

********

Braeburn frowned, apparently all kinds of horse apples hit the fan whenever sheriff Silverstar had to leave town, and today seemed to be no exception.

Apparently the Sheriff had been called away by some high falutin bureaucrat back in Canterlot to make a report of his management of the settlement over the last couple of years. Lord knows Braeburn -- as well as everypony else -- had hoped he didn't have too, but funding was running short, especially because of how many trees they had to chop down last year to make peace with the buffaloes (and apparently as a result they didn't make as many bits as they needed to to trade for the supplies they needed, and well, something had to give.)

And to make matters worse, there had been murmurings from the town drunk that there was a purple alicorn, with 'a bunch of flowers for a cutie mark' running around town. This, of course, was ridiculous because there were only four alicorns, and the only purple one was still in Ponyville. And she certainly didn't have no sissy flowers for a cutie mark!

But it all just added to the general anxiety that was, already, going around. And, like most small towns in Equestria, the town had never needed too much of a reason to get whipped into a panic.

So naturally, today, even more trouble started.

The crowd stood around, anxiously, growing ever more impatient with the town elders, and it's mayor.

"But major!" Cried a grey stallion, with a light Mexicolt accent. "This is unacceptable! Ju're just going to let someponies just waltz off with my signature Poncho without even so much as a basic search party?" He shouted, frantically. "I means: how can I be called the Poncho if I have gots no Poncho?" The stallion, griped, becoming ever more agitated. "The varment done stoled it right out from under me! And worse still he had the guts to gives me this ridiculous calling card!" He shouted angrily, pulling out a piece of paper with some kind of illegible graffiti on it.

"Look!" The mayor said, calming down the crowd that was beginning to become agitated. "We have bigger problems! I've heard that King Longhorn and the Cattle Rustlers have somehow escaped from the hoosegow, and they're out looking for blood! Apple Blood! And so: as much as I want to look into this, we're one sherriff short, and we need every able bodied stallion to be ready for the worst and -- "

"Mayor Law!" Another stallion cried out in a Mexicolt accent. "Some varmints just ran off with my sombrero!" He shouted angrily. "What are you going to do about it mayor!!!" He shouted, pulling out the thief's calling card, a piece of paper with that odd graffiti on it.

At this point the crowd began to panic.

"Oh no! We have a maniac on the loose! Hide anything that isn't nailed down!"
"No it's the Cattle Rustlers they're already making themselves at home!"
"No the buffaloes! They aren't happy with just some of our trees! They want the whole town!"
"It's Nightmare Moon! She's returned!"
"It's aliens, they've -- "

Braeburn let off a loud whistle, and pointed to the mayor. "Let the mayor speak! Ah'm certain he'll come up with something!" He said, bowing slightly, as the mayor thanked him.

"Relax my little ponies! There is no Nightmare Moon, and no aliens! And I'm sure King Longhorn isn't here yet!" He said, mingling with the crowd. "You just need to relax!" He said, sternly, speaking over the crowd. "Look! If it would make things any better, then I'll organize a posse to look for the varmints!"

A cheer rose from among the crowd. The mayor would fix this! He'd ride out personally with his number two and three men and --

"Course I'm going to need some volunteers!" The mayor said, matter of factly, to a sea of jaws dropping. "Look!" He said, chastising the mob. "I need to be planning for the possibility of King Longhorn and his men coming here in search of revenge! I can't have our best stallions off searching for petty thieves!" He sighed, as the crowd began to whip back into a fervor. "And I have to be here to organize the town defenses, should the worst occur!"

"Where's Canterlot?"
"We've been abandoned by Princess Celestia!"
"No it's worse! Somepony finally got her and --- "

Braeburn let out another quick whistle, and animatedly stamped on the ground. "Ah volunteer!" He said. "Anypony want to join meh?" He said, enthusiastically, looking arround at the crowd (and probably fully expecting them to soak up his enthusiasm, and join in -- sadly... He was out of luck!)

In the crowd there was a great murmur, and then a deafening silence.

"Fine!" He said, with a defeated sigh. Probably asking himself just what he had gotten himself into! "Ah'll do this ahll by mahself!" He shouted, stamping off -- sighing again. Sometimes a stallion needs to do what a stallion needs to do!

********

And naturally, as always, Christmas Eve didn't disappoint. No! From the decorating of the flower shop, to decorating the town with the poinsettias she had been growing all year long. Everything was just so green and beautiful! And fragrant! But why poinsettias? Because, silly, they represented Christmas, of course! That and she never, ever, needed a reason for more flowers! They were, after all, her special thing -- and she loved them so!

But, even so, Christmas wasn't just flowers! No, silly, there were, also, the carols -- which Triple treat led everyone in an impromptu round of. And, afterwards, the Candy Cane hanging ceremony. And what was even better was that? Why another round tomorrow! Led by Twinkle Twirl, the reigning queen of the carol, herself, who would lead them in another round or three.

Oh and then there was the positively magical placing of the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane -- and, of course, Sweet Berry, Triple Treat, and Cotton Candy had really outdid themselves this year! Oh, she felt sorry for anyone who couldn't be there, because it showed so majestically!

Sadly, she ended up leaving early -- during the ceremony -- inspired to finishing planting all the poinsettias that she had left to plant! And that was ok with her, because flowers! Flowers! Flowers! That is if she could find enough to decorate the town.

And then Minty decided -- that crazy rascal -- to play Santa this year, probably in honor of the real santa, or something, and left behind a really delightful purple sock with a flower pattern on it for her, which she appreciated terribly -- not that she wore socks mind you, but anything related to flowers was a good thing in her book.

Unfortunately, things started to go very wrong sometime around ten o'clock, when there was a horrible crash that woke her up. And it appeared, to her horror, that some horrible person had hurt the Christmas Tree, knocking it over -- but what horrible person would be so cruel as to do that?

Of course, the answer came quickly. When, apparently, Minty felt so bad about breaking the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane earlier that day (apparently in the festivities, no one noticed) that she decided to go flying on her own, out in the freakish storm that seemed to be brewing. I guess she must have been really shook up about ruining Christmas by preventing Santa from coming. Why else would she do it? Because she was a very poor flier (and she knew it), and even an experienced flier like Pinkie Pie, or Rainbow Dash, would avoid flying in a storm like that one!

Even so, it was only natural that Pinkie would organize a search and rescue party (her and her parties) to go searching for the poor misguided green pony. And the whole situation left Wysteria deeply worried (though by the look on Pinkie's face, she was worried worse) seeing as it was well known that the Minty was a very poor flyer (just ask Kimono, Minty transported her via balloon to her birthday surprise party), and to make matters worse she was flying alone -- in the storm (a storm so big and scary that even experts like Pinkie and Rainbow would think twice about doing so.)

But what were they going to do? Were they going to leave their mint green friend to her fate in the cold darkness? WHY CERTAINLY NOT! NOT ON CHRISTMAS!!! Besides, what were they going to do with her house and all her green stuff if she went away? So, although, Wysteria was slightly upset that she hurt the tree, then she would go too! Why? Because Minty needed their help! And Wysteria wasn't about to let her down! So into the storm and off to the north pole they flew, hoping to find Minty along the way.

The good news was that they found her in the knick of time -- hanging treacherously from her balloon (which was tearing off at the top), with the pegasus sent to search for her, Thistle Whistle, bound by its ropes. Even so, the good news stopped there, as it became obvious that Pinkie, who had sent her balloon into a dangerous dive to catch the green pony in mid fall, had arrived too late! And it left them with nothing they could do but watch in horror, as their green friend fell from her balloon and into the lake -- at terminal speed. Oh it was horrible! She couldn't bear to watch, opting instead to cover her eyes in horror! Leaving her with nothing but the urge to vomit! Oh it all made her felt so ill! Never the less, no one seemed anywhere near as hurt as Pinkie did, who just kept ranting "Please Minty don't be broken!" at the top of her lungs. Oh, It all just broke Wysteria's heart!

And then, just when everyone was on the verge of a good cry, Thistle Whistle and Star Catcher started to pull everyone away. How could they do this? Why would they do that, when Minty was over there -- in the cold unforgiving waters? And the more they cried and moaned, the faster their pegasus friends pulled them away! Why were they doing this? Did they hate Minty? Had something bad happened to them? Of course the answer came, like a bolt of lighting (well more like a pillar of light), when a pillar of light came shooting out of the lake. Leaving everyone pleasantly surprised, that noone went blind. And the sound the pillar of light made?... Well it was really scary! Wasn't that pillar coming from the spot where Minty fell in? Oh dear! Was she still ok down there? Or had even more bad luck befall the unfortunate pony?

The answer would come when, as the light started to clear, and it quickly became obvious that the gully was no longer there! Heck, the pool was gone too! But, the good news was, as if due to some Christmas magic, their green friend was still there, lying at the bottom of the pool. Well half of her anyway! The other half was weird looking, and black. It had misshapen pegasus wings, and some kind of a really jagged something or another sticking out of its head! It was all just a really horrifying sight -- Wysteria had to close her eyes, and look away again! And, to make matters worse, the misfortune didn't end there, as she began, almost immediately, to feel an itch in her head -- as if something was scratching her head!

And did the bad things top there? Oh! No! No! No! Minty's voice began to echo out of that strange black form! At least, she thought it was Minty's voice! Heck! The creature had her flank and symbol! But was it even possible that that was Minty? It had to be! But that only let other questions! Like, what did that explosion do to her? And how badly hurt was she? And was it even possible that she was black from the burns that explosion caused? Or was something else wrong with her -- like a witch's curse, or something? Oh dear! They had to find a safe place to treat Minty's boo-boos! But where? Maybe they could find Santa's workshop? Of course! They had to! That would be the most obvious place! And maybe Santa was still home? Maybe he could help out?

Truth be told, it was the most obvious place. The problem? Santa was no longer home, having already left for the day! Oh dear! What were they going to do? And, make matters worse, Minty's condition was getting worse not better! And it just left Wysteria starting to blame herself! Apologizing about everything! It just wasn't right! All she could do was sit and contemplate -- she was, after all, never much of a talker, preferring quiet days with her flowers to the rambunctious fun that some of the other ponies prefered.

Rainbow, of course, (as always) knew what to do! She started to encourage the green pony -- following up by giving her a careful hug. And, at that moment, the warmest light beamed from somewhere. Leaving everything feeling just so loving and kind, and warm! Heck! Even the flower in her hair agreed, giving off a pleasant warmth itself!

Oh how she wanted to stay forever in this magical, Christmassy place! But that they had to go home! Because, for one thing, they couldn't just stick around with Santa gone! Minty's condition may have been better (she looked like herself, not like a half burned mess with bug features), but it was still horrible! And getting worse again! So they had to rush home! Kimono (the Wisest Pony in the Land) was the only one who would be able to help now! And then, to make matters worse, the most horrible thing happened: their kind friend Star Catcher started making fun of their green friend! Singing something about 'the magic of christmas', while their friend was in such horrible straights. On the other hand, Wysteria didn't want to blame her, as she looked kind of ill herself (maybe it was just Wysteria's eyes, but, for a second, Star Catcher even looked practically translucent.) Maybe she wasn't feeling well herself? Of course she was feeling ill too! That was the only thing that made sense! After all, Star Catcher was a kind, and majestic pony! Yeah! That made sense! After all, all of them were feeling bad! Heck! She seemed to be starting to get a slight headache from the pressure -- at least, that's what she hoped it was!

But at least, despite all the bad news, Santa still came through! Having somehow found his way to Ponyville, even without the Candy Cane -- probably led there by their shining friendship! And boy did he bring the Christmas magic with him! Having fixed the tree, and leaving really generous gifts! Heck, Santa even moved the socks that Minty left behind, filling them with goodies! Even hers!

Oh it was really magical! Her sock was just filled with so many beautiful, and fragrant, freshly picked lilies and tulips. It left Wysteria just so overjoyed, even bringing a tear to her eyes! (She just loved flowers so! Especially when they were picked fresh, and smelled so beautiful! And Santas were both!) And it was really sweet of him to give her these particular kinds of flowers. I mean he was practically calling her a princess (in a good way, not in a bad way like Spike had last spring!) Because both tulips and lilies represented royalty -- and lilies were, in fact, the symbol of the French crown!

"Oh wow!" Her friend Daisyjo exclaimed, seeing Santa's gift for her. "Santa must really like you!" She said, cracking a smile. "He only left me some bulbs and gardening supplies!" She said, ribbing her friend lightly.

Wysteria shrugged. "Maybe it's a joint gift?" She said, having every bit as much faith in Santa now as she ever had in the past!

"Maybe!" Daisyjo responded, sniffing the flowers herself (Daisyjo was Ponyville's number two gardener and, as such, shared quite the comradery with Wysteria.) "Nice flower in your hair, by the way!" She said, pointing at Spike's flower. "How do you make it glow like that though? Did you cover it in dyes -- like Triple Treat, Sweetberry, and Cotton Candy did the Candy Cane?"

Wysteria looked at her friend crosseyed. "What do you mean? This is Spike's flower from the promenade!" She said, getting up onto only her hind legs (standing like a bi-ped), her hooves on her hips. "And I would never do anything horrible to a beautiful flower like this, like covering it in dyes!?"

Daisyjo shrugged. "Sorry about that!" She said, sheepishly. "It just caught me by surprise! Especially considering how old that flower is!" She exclaimed, giving the flower a closer look. "I mean, I've never had a flower last even a tenth as long!"

Wysteria simply shrugged uncomfortably -- why was her head tingling like this? It felt like her whole scalp was itching now! And she felt some minor discomfort in her forehead. Maybe she needed to go to bed? Yeah that must be it! It was, after all, probably after three in the morning!

So while the rest of the ponies were out enjoying the shared wonder of what Santa left behind, she yawned tiredly, and headed off to bed. Having almost forgot something important! (in fact, she had even done so one before this evening!) She needed to get Spike's flower out of her hair! Why? Well, because, if she left it in her hair, then she might hurt it! She thought to herself, trying to gently pull the flower out of her mane.

Unfortunately, It wouldn't budge. And, to make things worse, the harder she pulled, the more it felt like she was trying to pull her scalp off!

"Ouch!!!" She shrieked in pain as she pulled less gingerly. That flower just really didn't want to leave her head! What was she going to do now?

"Please come out?" Wysteria begged the flower -- worried that it didn't realize what could happen if it didn't come out of her hair. "If I leave you there I might squish you while I sleep!" She pleaded, tugging harder. All it did was make her feel like her ear was going to tear off.

She sighed, feeling defeated! This was one stubborn flower! Maybe she should sleep with it in? After all, maybe it just wanted to keep her company for just a little while longer? She thought to herself with a chuckle.

"Good night flower!" She said, talking to the flower that still, stubbornly, remained attached to her mane.

********

Braeburn grumbled to himself. Except for the greeting of new ponies to their fine little town of APPLELOOOOOOSAA he never, ever, took point on anything -- let alone chasing after dangerous desparattos. And yet, somehow, this time, he done it to himself! So there he was, searching every last nook and corners of their town for the thief (even under the outhouse -- not much fun at all!)

He sighed, frustration starting to rear it's ugly head. If he were a thief, where would he be right now? Dead cactus gulch? probably not -- too far away! Scorpion gulch? Unlikely. The bad lands? Nah too far south!

Maybe he'd be living with the buffalo? Nah! They didn't like thieves any more then the good people of Appleloosa did! Especially considering that, for a while, felt that the people of Appleloosa had stolen their lands from them!

No maybe... Nah? And then there was the 'small matter' of him not even knowing what this hombre looked like! So, then, how was he supposed to find them? He asked himself, standing outside the Salt Block ('the town watering hole'.) He stood there, stamping his hoof. He supposed that they might be in the saloon. Except for the fact that he never went to places like those, something he promised his mother in her final days. He sighed noticeably, hanging his head, contemplating whether he was a stallion of his word, or if the occasion deserved an exception. But while he was weighing his options, the decision was made for him. when, inside the saloon, he could hear some indiscriminate shrieking from a female voice -- probably one of the saloon girls. Followed by a clamor, as a tall drink of water came racing out of the saloon, galloping at high speeds, his hoof wrapped unnaturally around some pastries.

"Braeburn! There ee ees! There's the thief!" The saloon's purveyor shrieked, pointing his hoof at the fleeing varmint -- pushing the orange apple slightly, with his other hoof. "There he goes! After heem!" He shouted, pushing the apple slightly.

"Ah'm an mah way!" The yellow apple replied, springing into action -- chasing after the thief as fast as his legs could carry him. However, whomever this varmint was, they sure were speedy. Now Braeburn wasn't a rodeo pony like his cousin Applejack, but he still fancied himself built from good strong apple blood! And even so this thief laughed at him, galloping like lighting -- all the while only running on only three hooves, the last one, somehow, holding all his loot.

It was definitely the thief, as the varment was obviously wearing Poncho's poncho (it was, kind of, one of a kind!), and Sombrero's sombrero! And it looked like the thief must have had a bum hoof as they were somehow holding all those pastries with their hoof and pastern wrapped around them (like a viper) -- all unnatural like. Course the hombre also seemed to have a bum back, as they had a huge hump sticking out of the poncho in back (almost making them look like a pegasus -- cept, of course, the bulge was in all the wrong places for that) -- causing the poncho to ride up almost to their cutie mark.

But despite it all, the thief was surprisingly agile, as he ducked and dodged almost as well as Jackie at the rodeo! And yes, for those of you who didn't know, it was obvious the thief was a stallion, I mean he had a large square muzzle just like one. And believe you Braeburn, the hombre was bigger than cousin mac and, other than the princesses, they didn't make mares that big!

So this meant that Braeburn's work was cut out for him, so -- and it looked like, naturally, that there was only one option to keep up with the thief -- and that was to plow straight through the obstacles the thief circumnavigated.

Braeburn hoped, beyond all hope, that he brought his rope, because he might need to see if he still remembered (let alone was able to perform) any of those rope tricks Jackie showed him. Otherwise he was going to have trouble catching the thief, especially if they made it into scorpion gulch!

********

Wysteria yawned quietly, as she rose, stretching slightly. "Good morning flower." She said, sweetly, greeting the small flower which had, up until now, remained forcefully glued in place. "I hope you are doing well." She said to the flower, feeling it necessary to waddle over to the mirror to get a closer look at it. Why did everything hurt so badly today? And if it wasn't bad enough that she was still suffering from that migraine that had suffering with since the early morning, she now had the fiercest pain in her shoulders as well! (It felt like a cramping pain that seemed to came in spurts.)

Oh well! At least her little passenger still looked good! In fact, if anything, it positively glowed, looking really beautiful sitting Right next to the giant lump on her head!

GIANT LUMP ON HER HEAD?!?!?!

"Oh dear." Wysteria exclaimed, trying to rear up onto two legs to get a better look, only to find that the pain in her shoulders prevented her from doing so.

But she was not going to give up! No! Not in the slightest! She just had to rear up through the pain. "Urrrg!!!!" She exclaimed, tears in her eyes (and her teeth gritted in a not very appealing manner.)

So naturally, to finish the deed, she was forced to brace herself with one hoof! (Yes bracing was good!) So, there she stood, one hoof bracing herself against the wall -- in a shameful display -- and the other touching the bump. It was hard as bone! Was it possible that she had hit her forehead at some point, and didn't know it? No! Of course not! But what else could explain how big this bump was? Of course, it could also be a doozie of a zit, but there was no redness, and it didn't really hurt all that much to the touch. So what was it then? And why was it so big and ugly?

And that, of course, made her glad that there was no one around -- because this was very embarrassing! And the shock would have been even bigger, had she been a pony like Sky Wishes, Scooter Sprite, Coconut Cream, or Twinkle Twirl who prided themselves in their dancing ability -- that wasn't to say that it didn't still hurt her pride slightly, being unable to rise to a standing position.

And as the morning went on the pain in her sides simply got worse. And was it just her, or did it feel like her head was on fire too? (as if the crippling pain in her back wasn't bad enough!)

Then, as time dragged on, ever more slowly, it grew harder, and harder, and harder still to move around, and soon, all she wanted to do was sleep. What was going on? Maybe she should see if she could stumble over to Kimono's? No Minty's in a lot worse shape! She shouldn't impose! Maybe she should just rest a while? Yeah! A couple of hours sleep would fix it right up!

After a couple of hours, she could hear a knocking on her door, and the voice of her friend Daisyjo. "Wysteria!" She called, her voice showing some concern. "You feeling ok?" She said, knocking on the door. "I was expecting to see you out watering your flowers this morning (After all, in g3, with a little love and care flowers bloom year round), but you never came out. Are you sick?"

Wysteria sighed, uncomfortably -- not wanting to worry her friend by having her see Wysteria like this. Nevertheless, Daisyjo was a close friend of hers! "Come in." She shouted, as loud as she was able. "The door's unlocked. Feel free to come in."

Her friend wasted no time in opening the door, and proceeded to walk up close to the bed, and hover over it like a concerned mother. "How are you feeling?" She asked, with great concern. Suddenly noticing that Wysteria hadn't taken the flower out of her mane, she asked another question. "And why's your flower still in your hair? Aren't you worried about squishing it?"

Wysteria sighed, not sure how to phrase the whole situation. "It's nothing really." She said, quietly. "I've just got the nasty headache, and my sides and back hurt something fierce!" She said, trying to rise, but being unable to because of the pain. And to demonstrate the validity of her claims, she grabbed the flower in her hoof, and tried to yank it (unsuccessfully.) "Also I've tried removing that nice flower, but it won't come out!" She said, with a frown. "And I'm starting to get concerned!"

Daisyjo frowned, not knowing what to say (flowers were her thing, not medicine!) "Maybe we should get you to Kimono!" She said, trying to pull her friend out of bed by the arm. "She might know what's going on! And maybe she can help you with your flower!"

Wysteria got up for a second, her body finally responding, but her legs feeling extremely wobbly, before collapsing into a heap -- apparently only experiencing temporary success.

"Oh dear!" Daisyjo cried, in shock, turning around to see her friend crumpled in a heap -- panic flaring on her face. "Can you get up?" She asked, her voice jittering. "I can't get you to Kimono if you can't stand!"

Wysteria shook her head. "No! I can't seem to get anything to move right! I'm sorry." She said, almost accepting her fate.

Daisyjo started walking around her friend, her frown getting deeper and deeper. "That bump on your head looks really, really, bad! And those look like some nasty cramps!" She said, tapping Wysteria's back, and shaking her head. "Please try to get up!" She exclaimed, starting to sob violently. "Please Wysteria! Please!"

"I don't think so!" Wysteria said sadly. "I just can't do it!"

"Don't worry!" Daisjo said, starting to shake. "I'll think of something!" She shouted, pacing violently -- her mind racing faster then she could process her thoughts. After a mere moment she opened her mouth again. "I'll be right back with Kimono! She'll know what to do!" She said, with renewed enthusiasm, galloping out the door -- as fast as her legs would carry her -- leaving the door wide gaping open behind her. "Don't worry! I'll be right back!"

"Ok!" Wysteria said to herself, lying on the ground -- like a lump. Maybe she could count the floor tiles?

After a few minutes of futilely trying to stand up, Wysteria sighed. Maybe Minty wasn't the only one who was in trouble! Maybe she should have seen Kimono, when she had a chance! She sighed, maybe she should cry out for help?

She pondered her dilemma for more than a few more minutes, until Daisyjo, at last, came back, ranting incoherently. "Don't worry Kimono! Wysteria's on her way!" She said incoherently to her friend, hovering supportively. "Can I get you anything? Like a pillow, or some water, or -- "

"Give her some space." Kimono said, with an understated smile, as she slowly walked in the door. Her hair appeared to be frazzled, and there were obvious bags under her eyes. "I apologize, Wysteria!" she said, with a muffled yawn. "Minty's still feeling under the weather, and I spent most of the night helping her!" She said, approaching the purple earth pony with the tri-color purple, pink, and white mane, and took her sweet time looking at Wysteria from top to bottom before finally opening her mouth. "So tell me Wysteria, how long have you had these cramps for? And do you remember doing anything to cause that nasty bump on your head to appear?"

Wysteria attempted to shrug, but the horrible back pain she was feeling wouldn't permit it -- opting instead to shake a head, an act that made her a little dizzy. "I don't really know." She said, with a frown. "I had a pain in my head last night but no bump; and the bumps on my side are brand new."

Kimono stood for several minutes, thinking carefully. "And the flower? How long has that been there, are you experiencing any itching."

"No not really, Kimono." Wysteria said, with a smile. "Besides, this flower is a real cutie." She said, with an infatuated smile. Her face dropped a little, with a hidden sigh. "Except for the fact that it won't come out of my hair any more."

Kimono stood there for a second -- her mouth gaping open. "Yes..." She said, an invisible wind blowing through her mane. "You wore that flower last spring at the Promenade..." She said, contemplatively. "And yet, it still looks good as new..." She said, curiously. "In fact, I would say, it positively glows." She said, listening once more to the wind. "I think the three conditions might be related..." She said calmly, grabbing one of Wysteria's kitchen knives, her hoof distorting around the handle. "I believe that this flower's magic might be interfering with your own." She said, raising the knife towards the purple earth ponies head. "I'm afraid that I have no option but to remove it." She said, looking straight into the earth pony's two tone green and yellow eyes -- her own eyes filled with determination.

Wysteria shook her head now, struggling to get away from her friend. "Find another way!" She exclaimed furiously, her face growing angry. "That poor innocent flower didn't mean any harm! And I won't let you hurt it!"

Kimono stood up on only her back two legs, her front legs on her hip point -- using her most serious angry face (normally used for when ponies were being inconsiderate in the library.) "I'm sorry Wysteria! But it's the only way." She said, grabbing the flower with one hoof, and raising the knife with the other. "You shall understand, my friend after I -- "

"YOU SHALL DO NO SUCH THING!" Wysteria said, her voice booming like lightning. "THIS FLOWER IS TO BE LEFT ALONE!" She said, blushing. Where did that come from?

Kimono stepped back, with a look of pure shock and at least a little surprise. "But Wysteria, we're worried about you. What happens if your condition continues to worsen? Rainbow, Pinkie, and Minty have already left town! The storm is still really bad, and We have no one else who's good enough with a balloon to get you help outside of town, in a storm like this!"

Wysteria shook her head. She wasn't going to comply. "Find! Another! Way!" She reiterated, firmly.

Kimono sighed, shaking her head -- contemplating other possibilities. She could try a potion, but that wouldn't fix the root of the problem. Nevertheless, if Wysteria didn't want her to remove the flower then she wouldn't force her, no matter how misguided Kimono felt she was being. "Let me mix up some herbs then." She said, mixing up a foul smelling concoction. "Drink this, if you could." She said, smiling politely at the purple earth pony. "It should increase your body's own magic, and will hopefully allow your body to expel the foreign magic." She said, putting the dreadful looking black potion to the earth ponies mouth. "Now please drink quickly!" She said, as the earth pony quickly quaffed the foul mixture -- gagging more than a few times. "Hopefully this will be good enough."

********

Braeburn panted slightly -- keeping up only by pure force of will. He'd never seen a pony with this much stamina. Heck he wasn't sure that he'd ever seen buffallo with such stamina. And wouldn't be surprised if even Princess Celestia herself had as much stamina as this hombre! So it meant that If he had any chance of catching this hombre, Braeburn needed to stop him here and now! But how? He meant, a tough hombre like this wouldn't give up without a fight! And he certainly didn't seem interested in giving up!

Looking at the sign in the distance pointing to Cactus Ridge gave him an idea: maybe he could convince the hombre to go the wrong way, and then corner him at the ridge? The bonus was, Braeburn guessed, that with that bum hoof and hunchback that this strange stallion might have trouble fighting a tough stallion like him (well, at least he hoped!)

But how could he trick this strange stallion into taking the wrong route through Scorpion Canyon? Maybe one of Jackie's old tricks? Yeah! The one she used to herd things, he thought to himself, with a vibrant smirk as he poured on the gas (well, just enough to run to the hombre's left.) Much to his surprise, the thief started to gallop right.

Braeburn actually blushed. He was fully expecting the thief not to fall for such an obvious trick -- or at least to try harder to go left, anyway. Either that ludicrous trick actually worked, or the thief wasn't very good at reading; either way it was good news for Braeburn! Soon enough the thief would start running through a narrow gully, and right up against the ridge. And from there he'd either have to surrender to Braeburn or fight -- a fight, that Braeburn was certain, the thief couldn't win.

And sure enough, there the hombre went, right through the gully, and right up against the ridge -- leaving them cornered. And, for the first time since he saw the thief, Braeburn could finally slow down a little and let himself recover (which was a good thing as his legs -- all four of them -- were killing him!)

He stood a fair distance from the thief, incase he did decided to charge Braeburn, and asked the thief one final question. "Ya ready to surrender, hombre?" He asked, putting on his most serious expression. "Or ya wanna fight?" He asked, preparing for the showdown in Cactus Ridge.

The thief looked at Braeburn, with their devious green and yellow eyes, which were filled with an absolutely terrified expression that made Braeburn almost want to let them go -- almost! The thief opened their mouth, and made like they were talking, but Braeburn couldn't hear them say anything.

Braeburn looked on. Was he wrong, and where they actually going to surrender after all?

After a few seconds the thief reared up onto their back two legs. Braeburn smiled -- ok fight it is! Braeburn braced himself, preparing to rear up in the traditional art of fisticuffs, but before Braeburn could so much as blink, the thief jumped some number of feet into the air.

"Dang it!" Braeburn exclaimed -- in disbelief. "That was a doozie of a jump!" He said, as the thief rose higher and higher, propelled by their inpony jumping powers. And, to make things more complicated, If they got away now, then Braeburn would never catch them! No! He had to stop them here and now! And there was only one way now! Only one hope! By Faust, he hoped that his lasso skills were still any good (or maybe that he inherited something from the same source as cousin Applejack!)

He tried jackie's signature trick roping, and her award winning quick throw, and sent the lasso flying like lightning. And to his glee, he roped the varment perfectly, catching them clean around the barrel -- excellent! Now there was no way he wouldn't be --

CARRYING HIM AWAY!

What was this thief, a pegasus or something? couldn't be, but how could they jump like this if they weren't? But if they were then why didn't they take to the air a long time ago? (Sadly there was no time to speculate because hombre jump good.)

********

Wysteria yawned tiredly (a poor night's sleep will do that to someone), and attempted to get up (note the word 'attempted'.) Apparently not just did Kimono's potion not fix the issue but, if anything, the pain was worse today than it was yesterday! Nevertheless, she wasn't going to let this stop her! No! Today, she would press ahead! Today she was on a mission! Today, she had her flower friends to take care of! And she wouldn't let them down again!

And that meant that today she would ~~jump~~ ~~hop~~ ~~rise~~ ~~crawl~~ slither from bed and tend to her flowers! So ~~jump~~ ~~hop~~ ~~rise~~ ~~crawl~~ slither she did -- all the way to the mirror! Taking a page from yesterday, she carefully used her front legs to prop herself up so that she could see her face.

Not just did the bump on her head still appear to be there but was, in fact, even bigger than before. And worse still, her bump now had a small white spot at the top. Oh no! It wasn't a bump! It was worse than a bump! It was a zit! "A horrible, disgraceful, distasteful, horrible ugly thing! Ooh... I can't even say it! Oh! No! You don't!" She said, chastising the horrible nameless thing -- and dragging herself over to the medicine cabinet to get any anti zit products that she could find. It was hard, because she could swear the cramps on her side were even worse then yesterday! In fact, a quick feel of them, with her hoof, revealed that they were even bigger and lumpier than before! But she couldn't abandon her flowers! Not again!! And she certainly couldn't leave her house with that ghastly eyesore on her forehead!

so she gathered up as many items as she could, wrapping them in her hoof and wither, and crawled to the mirror. She grabbed the zit-b-gone magic cream, and tried to open it (it's hard to open bottles like those with only one hoof.) Only to find that she didn't have enough hooves to apply it! Well... unless she wanted to get onto her belly and apply it to one hoof -- how would she get back up to the mirror when she finished? And --

Where did her flower go? Spike's beautiful flower! It was gone! Poof! Vanished into thin air! That was it! The final straw! If it turned out that Kimono took it away then she would give her a piece of her mind! And there was only one way to do that! She would have to drag herself out the door, and find Kimono, and ask her point blank if she'd taken her flower! And for her sake the answer better be no! Or she'd be forced to give that woman a piece of her mind -- or, maybe rather, try to, as moving seemed to be a challenge.

After more than a few unsuccessful attempts to drag herself out the door -- being stopped by the terrible pains she experienced all over --, she had only one option left to her. And she perished to do this but. She opened her mouth, anxiously, preparing for the loud sounds that would come out of her mouth. "HELP!" She shouted, as loudly as she could -- hoping someone would hear her. "Is anyone there!?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing! But she wasn't going to give up! Why wasn't she going to give up? Well, because she wasn't a pony that gave up easily, that was why! Oh! And also laying at her doorstep wasn't a great way to spend a day! So she covered her ears, and tried again. "HEY!!!" She shouted, louder -- practicing the shout she used to get the ponies attentions back before the promenade.

Still nothing... She frowned deeply -- desperation starting to set in. what was she going to do now? She guessed there was only one option. 'If at first you don't succeed...'

After a few attempts her voice was just about shot. Was anypony going to come to her aid? Did anyone care? Was anyone out there to help her -- other than Sunny Daze? ... SUNNY DAZE? ...

"Sorry 'bout that 'Steria! I didn't hear you." She said, with an embarrassed smile. "You feelin' under the weather?... You need some help?"

Wysteria simply nodded, sadly. "I can't seem to get up, and my flowers need me." She sighed. "could you get Kimono for me? And see if there's anyone around with time to help tend my garden?"

"Don't worry 'bout it 'Steria!" Sunny said, with a smile. "I've got time to help you with your flowers, girl friend." She said, smiling honestly -- eliciting a frightened expression from the flower pony. The fun-in-the-sun-holds-the-record-for-most-pony-somersaults pony was the one that was going to help with her garden? Wysteria shuttered in fear. Sunny Daze responded to her friend's anxiety by smiling reassuringly. "Trust me, 'Steria! I'm sure I'll do a good job girl!" She said, with enthusiasm, turning around again halfway out the door. "Heck! I'll even get 'Mono for you!" She said, galloping off, again, with a serious expression -- the expression of someone on a mission (ok it would have had more effect if she wasn't either somersaulting her way there, or walking on her front hooves, upside down.)

Wysteria nodded. "Thank you." She shouted, gratefully, as the white earth mare raced out of range. Wysteria's thoughts turned, leaving her suddenly worried about what evil she had just unleashed on her beautiful gardens (and whether or not the surfer mare would even remember to get Kimono.)

Her fears were partially assuaged when, after a few minutes, her friend Daisyjo came racing in -- as fast as her legs could carry her. "Are you ok Wysteria?" She asked, her face wrinkled in concern. "I heard from Sunny Daze that you were still not feeling well! And I just started to imagine the worst!" She said, starting to hyperventilate.

"Relax." Kimono said serenely, slowly following the earth pony into the little house. "It will do Wysteria no good for you to panic." She said, chastising the blue pony with the blond mane. "Now please go to the kitchen, and I shall get you when I finish." she said, pointing at the kitchen with her hoof -- taking her stern stance.

"So." She said, walking around the purple earth pony. "You're still having trouble, I presume." She said with a frown, resisting the urge to pinch the bump on Wysteria's head with her hoof. "And I presume that my potion did not fix your issues." she said, looking at Wysteria's head a second time, a pleased expression starting to creep up her face. "Though it did seem to free you of young Spike's flower."

Wysteria gave her a sour expression regarding the flower, before giving a defeated sigh. "Sorry," she said, with a frown, feeling worthless. "I don't mean to be a nuisance..."

"No it is I that should be sorry." Kimono said sadly. "I should have guessed that this would happen." She said, before putting on a fake smile. "Shall we see what troubles you?"

"Sure." Wysteria said, sorely. "The bumps on my side are much worse now, and the bump on my head actually appears to be an enormous zit." Wysteria said, slowly pointing at the zit on her forehead.

Kimono's frown turned to a hopeful smile. "Well perhaps there is something I can do about that." She said, feeling the zit good and well with her hoof, muttering silently. "... Interesting... What is your nature friend... It doesn't feel like an infection... This head almost feels like bone..."

********

Yeah... apparently Braeburn didn't quite have the same level of acumen with the rope as his cousin Applejack -- and it showed. Where as she would probably have stopped this varment cold by now (hog-tying them in well under a minute), instead he was the one who was stopped cold -- being dragged along, as he stubbornly held onto the rope for dear life (hoping beyond all hope that all the extra weight he'd been meaning to lose would stop -- or slow -- the thief somehow.)

Braeburn could scarcely guess what force kept this hombre going -- only that he was capable of not only dragging a fully grown stallion along at breakneck speeds, but he was capable of doing so without being slowed down in any discernible fashion.

And was it just him, or did the thief keep looking back at him with an expression of stark terror as they ran along? Braeburn would have scratched his mane, had the circumstances been different. Shouldn't the thief be laughing at Braeburn's dreadful condition? Oh well! In the end it didn't matter, because, there was no way that Braeburn was going to let go or giving up! No! Not in the slightest!

"Ok Braeburn!" He thought to himself. This stallion might move like a steam driven locomotive. But there had to be a way to stop him, because there was no way he could show his face in AAAAPPPPLLLEOOSA again without catching this hombre... So that only left the question of how!

"Ok first plan." Braeburn thought to himself. As he dangled helplessly. "Hold on for dear life an' hope the hombre wears out."

Problem? The hombre didn't really slow down, and after a nasty set of rope burns all over (even in some places that Braeburn would rather me not speak of) which were caused when the jostling of the rope caused by the thief jumping a short rock formation caused Braeburn to roll around helplessly for much longer than he was willing to admit (involving plenty of both log rolls and somersaults) before finally getting wrapped up in his own lasso (curse this five strand hemp hanging rope that he bought, for cheap, from a traveling scam artist with an axe to grind! Now he was coming along whether he wanted to or not! Maybe he should have listened more closely when Jackie told him about the proper rope to use for hogtieing!)

Another problem? Up ahead was cactus gully and he guessed being dragged along by his belly through there would be a mite painful!

"Ok! New plan!" Braeburn thought to himself. "I roll to mah feet and plant them as deep as ah can as suddenly as ah can!" He thought, hoping to maybe use the hombre's own momentum against him to maybe flip him prone, so Braeburn could finally subdue him!

Excellent plan! Right down to the part where the thief literally started carrying Braeburn and a hunk of dirt, about the size of a full grown stallion, that he was, now, standing on. Leaving Braeburn surfing a giant hunk of dirt along the country.

Did anything slow this hombre down? Braeburn asked himself, beginning to be filled with otherworldly terror -- what level of Tartarus did this nightmare spring from? Could even Molly or Faust stop this hombre? Let alone him! What chance did he have?

He sighed a slight sigh of relief, noticing something. Maybe he had a chance, after all! The hombre was finally starting to pant! This was great news! This meant that his dogged persistence was finally paying off! Now hopefully he would remain in one piece long for it to matter! things were finally looking up...

Right up to the point where the thief looked back again, their mutant two color green and yellow eyes looking back at him filled with mortal terror!

The thief put his neck down, and charged forward with all his might

"Well here we go agaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!" Braeburn shrieked, as he and his hunk of dirt continued to be dragged along, at breakneck speeds.

********

Wysteria yawned slightly, rising much more easily than the last couple of days. "Oh wow!" She exclaimed to herself. "Kimono's second potion did wonders!" She felt great, like a million bucks! And, better still, she finally felt like she was able to rise out of bed normally -- though she wondered how she ended up with her legs sitting over the base of her bed. Had she slid down the bed over the course of the night? Impossible! Plus how could she have done that if her head was still at the bed's head?

However, despite the eerie feeling in her chest, she decided to press forward -- there was no time for fretting about that now! And why? Because this morning she could finally care for all of her flower friends! (Oh how she missed them so!) Heck with everyone sleeping in, she might be done before anyone gets up! And, after that, maybe she could start planning next year's Spring Promenade -- or maybe open the flower shop again! And maybe after she got back from her garden she could get herself some cereal, or maybe pancakes, or maybe sneak one of Sweetberry's cakes -- or five -- because she felt absolutely famished! It was a very funny thing, because she was normally almost never hungry (one of the reasons that she was one of the thinner ponies in town.)

"Oh well." Wysteria said to herself. Attempting to walk out the door on only her two back legs, as was the custom in Ponyville, only to find that she was now too tall to do so. "What in the?" Wysteria wondered, being forced to duck down to squeeze through the door (and doing the old fallback of pushing the door open with her hoof.) "Naughty door!" She said, chastising the mean door as she squeezed out. "It's not nice to shrink on people!"

But at least the town's flowers were still nice to her (and it looked like they missed her as much as she missed them.) And to top it all off, it looked like Daisyjo had done a wonderful job doing both their jobs (at least as well as she could considering that she was only one pony!) And Wysteria could tell by how well she had maintained the gardens, she would definitely have to thank Daisyjo later.

And it looked like Sunny had done... an... ok job. She thought, comparing the ~~disastrous~~ work that Sunny had left behind to the absolutely beautiful job that Daisyjo had done. Oh well! All she had to do was fix some of Sunny's more obvious mistakes. Wysteria sighed, the mare meant well, but there was apparently a reason her thing was 'fun in the sun' and not gardening.

Wysteria sighed, feeling incredulous. How could one pony have made everything so wrong? Oh well, she shouldn't be so mean. Sunny didn't have to help her, and she was a huge help while Wysteria was sick, after all -- not to mention that she did the best she could; and regardless, Wysteria only had one more bed to look into and...

IT LOOKED HORRIBLE!!!!

Wysteria frowned, angrily, guessing that her sun loving friend had either gotten distracted halfway through and started somersaulting, or she simply just didn't know what she was doing (Wysteria guessed the second.) No! No! Where were these mean thoughts coming from? Sunny was her friend! Sunny would never let her down! And then there was, of course there was always the possibility of... gasp... rodents!

"Oh dear!" She cried, pleading with the flowers. "Please be ok!" She gingerly cupped one in her hoof. Oh dear! It was all squished and wilted, it might already be gone to be big garden in the sky. "Oh dear! It's all my fault!" She thought to herself, with melancholy. "It only I hadn't gotten myself sick!"

"Please be ok!" She cried out to the flower, pleading with it to be ok. She just cradled it with her hooves, her eyes closed, just hoping. "Please oh please be ok!" She cried, closing her eyes and dropping to her knees to mourn for her green friends.

After a couple of minutes she was done weeping, it was time to -- hey! She couldn't believe her eyes! Not only was the flower in better shape than she thought it was, but the whole garden looked wonderful -- like at The Spring Promenade. Heck, maybe Sunny didn't do as bad a job as Wysteria thought? Heck, the whole garden was looking good. Maybe she should ask the girl to help more often!

Speak of the devil... Whom should show up? That was right! Sunny Daze! And she looked really sorry. Wysteria was mystified as to why. Seeing as she did such a good job (leaving Wysteria apologizing inside for being so mean to her!)

"Hey 'Steria, I'm glad I ran into you..." She said, apologetically, sounding and looking unusually sincere (the mare usually prefered to go with the flow, and normally didn't get worked up, so you know this must have been serious.) "I kinda wanted to apologize 'bout your garden. See..." She said rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. "I kind of messed up and... I'm sorry 'bout that." Sunny said with a frown. "I kinda --"

"Don't worry about it." Wysteria said, with a kind smile. "You did a fine job. See?" She said, waving her hoof at her garden. "In fact, I might have to ask you to help more often." She said as she trailed off, going home for eggs and bacon and milk and cereal, and maybe a cake or five.

Sunny looked at the Purple earth pony with a puzzled expression. What was Wysteria talking about? "I swear I wrecked this garden yesterday." she said to herself, taking a close look at the flowers and wondering if she should bring in Puzzlemint -- because she was pretty sure she messed the garden over, real good, the other day. "And is it just me or does 'Steria look different today?" She said, staring blankly into the distance, deep in thought.

Wysteria felt relieved, her life was slowly returning to normal. And it was so great to be back to her flowers -- especially after how much of a bummer the last couple of days were (especially Christmas, which she spent in pain, instead of enjoying Santa's gifts.) But, oh well! She was feeling better now, and she was hungry as a horse!

She walked up to the door of her house, and eyed it cautiously. Was the door still feeling like a bully? Or had it finally grown back to full size? Maybe she should go ahead and walk in the door on all fours? (you know, just in case.)

So she demeaned herself by opening the door with her hoof, and opted to push it open, while remaining on all fours, and ... bumped her nose against the door frame.

"Ouch!" She shouted in pain. What in the? Had the door shrunk again!

"You mean old door!" She cried, cradling her sore nose with her hoof. "Why are you being mean?" She asked, looking at the door incredulously. She swore she got through just fine by dropping to all fours not more than an hour or two ago! Oh well! In any case, she should take a look in the mirror and see how badly the door hurt her nose.

She sighed, lowering her head to walk in the door (how very sad...) Once behind her own door, she closed the door carefully behind her, and walked over to the mirror.

She looked back to chastise the door -- with an agitated face. "See door! I haven't grown at all!" She said, snidely, admiring her face in the mirror -- before realizing that she was still on all fours. Was it possible that she had actually grown? (Of course, maybe her house could have shrunk... That was a scary thought!)

She took a second to admire herself (well as best as she could, seeing as standing on only two hooves would probably make her miss the mirror entirely.) Finally she looked on her head to see if the zit was still there... Not just was the zit was still there, but it wasn't a zit. It looked like the tip of an ice cream cone, and it was about as tall as one of her eyes -- and about the same diameter. She felt it with her hoof, and it was hard like bone -- in fact, it felt like bone! What in the? What was happening to her?

She turned to the side to admire the bumps on her sides. Except they weren't bumps. For one thing, she saw little tufts of feathers sticking out of her skin. And was that a little tip of bone sticking out of her side? What was going on? What had happened to her to cause her to start turning into a freak!

Wysteria gasped in horror. There was only one logical explanation for what was going on -- and it was not exactly what someone would call logical.

"OH NO! I'M MUTATING!!!!" She exclaimed to herself in pure and unadulterated panic. Before fainting dead away -- hitting the floor with a thud that could be heard from outside.

********

Braeburn sighed, hurting all over. What was it going to take to stop this hombre? He spit rocks out of his mouth -- his last attempt to stop the thief by galloping the opposite way around a rock formation only ended in him carrying the rock formation with him (apparently the old con artist wasn't lying about the strength of that rope!)

"Ok!" He asked himself. "Where are we at?" He thought, looking for landmarks that he could use (he had to find his way back home somehow), and he guessed that, by the way the thief moved, they would be seeing mount Canter pass on their right any second now.

Braeburn was beginning to wonder if the thief's mother dipped him in the waters of Tartarus at birth, or something; because it was becoming increasingly obvious that the thief just couldn't be stopped! Not by rocks, or dirt, or Celestia -- heck! He wouldn't be surprised if Molly and Faust themselves couldn't stop this hombre! Yup! That was right! Nothing could stop the thief! No nothing! Don't even think that could stop him! Because it couldn't stop him! Not even --

The thief tripped on a rock while galloping along, causing them both to go flying forward and finally crashing into a wall. Braeburn, fully expected the thief to start running again, or to charge at Braeburn, but instead the thief simply laid there, motionless. Braeburn couldn't believe his eyes -- were tears actually streaming out of the thief's eyes?

Braeburn got up, and wearily wobbled over to the thief -- his everything hurting like the dickens! (And not just from having galloped halfway across Equestria.) At the moment, It looked like the thief was done running, and wouldn't fight -- but he could change his mind at any time, and Braeburn knew it!

He stared directly in the thief's large two color green and yellow eyes -- ready to give the thief a final piece of his mind. "We don't take well to thieves over here in AAAAAPPPPPPLLLLLLEEEEEEOOSA!!!" He stated sternly, looking the thief straight in their eyes (which looked back, sadly.) "An' that sombrero belongs to somepony else, so ah'll be taking back that sombrero!" He said, angrily ripping the Sombrero off the thief's head. He fluttered his eyes off and on for a minute or two -- was he even seeing what he thought he was? Laying before him wasn't the earth pony that he was expecting to see, but instead a unicorn -- seriously some bookworm unicorn spent the better part of a day beating an experienced rodeo earth pony.

Braeburn was surprised, because, among the kinds of ponies the unicorns were almost universally the least athletic, and, to top things off, the thief looked like a bookworm not an athlete, too boot. So it came as a great surprise that a unicorn could commit super-pony acts of athleticism. Nevertheless, Braeburn wasn't going to let this hombre get into his head -- he had to take back poncho's poncho before the thief got ideas.

"Ahhh! A big city unicorn! Well I ain't going to let you take advantage of the good ponies of AAAAAAAAPPPPPLLLLEEOOSA!!!" He said loosening the lasso, knowing full well, that if the thief wanted to run, he could now. "So ah'm going ta take back Poncho's poncho!" he said, starting to pull the poncho back.

Braeburn expected to see a scorpion cutie mark, or maybe a sword -- instead it was the symbol of some kind of a flower. What was the hombre -- some kind of a gardener? (Guess that explains the life of a bandit... Not much use for a gardener out here.) Good question though was, didn't unicorns usually have the symbol of a star or a gem or something for their cutie marks? Oh well, he needed to get Poncho's poncho back so he gave a quick yank, and yanked the poncho off the hombre's back, head and wings.

HOMBRE'S WINGS!?!?!?

********

Wysteria frowned, staring into her mirror for an extended period of time. She almost couldn't stand the sight. And over the last week her mutations had just gotten worse, and worse, and worse, precipitating frequent, almost hourly appearances from Kimono.

Things had been bad seven days ago when she first noticed that she was mutating, but they were much worse now.

At first it was just tufts of feathers, and a small bone, but over the course of the week, two neverending creasantlike rods of bone grew out of her back, behind her shoulders. Bringing with them large, finger like strands of feathers. Each finger like strand was longer than the last until the fourth finger came out, which was blessedly shorter than the others, as each fingerlike wingtip tore out of her back -- more painfully than the last. Finally, the rod ended, along with the fingers tapered into a small shell like object at the end. She had wings now!! Really real for real pegasus pony wings! What was going on? Had someone been experimenting with magic again? (Like Minty and the mystery mask, or Sunny Daze and those glasses, or even Kimono and that Christmas wand?)

Over the course of the days, the wings weren't the only thing that grew. The bump on her head also slowly grew into some kind of white bone-like icecream cone. The long spiralled object slowly drilled its way out of her head, slowly and painfully. It looked, kind of like a ice cream cone except that it was bone white, and was constructed of bone, not cookie. It grew out the top of her forehead, between her ears, like that artist that Pinkie met while on a walk in the woods last summer, (except that the artist's bump was phony.) What did the artist call that thing again? Wysteria asked herself. That was right! She called it a horn! Wysteria had a horn?!?!?! Oh no! she was getting a horrible horn! Like a deer! She panicked, running in circles, ranting in abject panic. She was mutating into a really real for real pegasus deer! Whatever was she going to do? (yeah, she was irrational, but a horn the same height as you head, and the same diameter as your giant mutant eyes drilling itself out of your skull, and tearing through your skin? Well... It does not lead to rational thinking!) Finally the color of the horn slowly changed in color from a white bonelike color to more of the same shade of purple as her coat (once again, unlike the artist whose 'horn' was a much darker blue then her coat.)

So, out of increasing embarrassment and shame, she spent her time hidden in her house, only allowing Kimono -- who grew increasingly more concerned over time -- to visit her.

Wysteria's condition seemed to defy all reason, and laughed at all treatments -- as any medicine given to the purple pony served only to speed up and exasperate the process. Eventually all Kimono could do was give her medicines and creams to ease her pain, and cleanse the holes where the wings and horn had tore themselves out of her body.

"What is happening to you, my friend?" She asked, scouring the library day in and day out for some kind of an answer. But none came! Eventually Kimono was forced to throw up her hands. "i'm so sorry Wysteria! I couldn't figure it out!" She said, lowering her head in defeat. "The only one who might know is Spike! After all, it was his flower that caused this!" She said, mentally shooting daggers at the small blue dragon. "Not to mention that he has access to books, somehow, that neither I, in my library, nor Storybelle, in hers, does." She said, hiding her disgust at the dragon who had made Wysteria's life so miserable last spring, and was now doing so again.

It was if Spikes flower had changed her somehow... And Kimono was none too happy!

********

And at that point, Braeburn's brain simply broke, causing him to shake violently.

What had he just done? He just chased, and hogtied a prince of Equestria! Heck! This could be counted as assaulting a deity of Equestria! "Oh no! The hombre's an alicorn! Ah'm doomed!" He thought to himself, trying to determine what he was going to say!

He meant? What was he going to do? How was the prince going to respond? This could be classified as high treason! There was a punishment for that! And Braeburn desperately wanted to have every part of himself remaining right where they were.

"Ok Braeburn." He thought to himself. "Think positive! Maybe things ain't as bad as they look!" He thought trying to avoid the all consuming panic that was starting to swirl. "Maybe this was a test? Maybe the prince wanted ta test our compassion an -- " His face paled. He just chased a prince 'with a bum hoof and a hunchback for miles, and hogtied said prince over a poncho, a sombrero, and some bread.

Braeburn's knees resumed wobbling violently. What was he going to do? Would apologizing be enough, or would he need to grovel? That should work -- except for the fact that the prince was still there bauling away like a child. Maybe the prince wanted to make sure they were going to go for broke for truth, justice, and the rule of law? Ummmm.... 'chased a prince with a bum hoof and a hunchback for miles'! And he still had not forgotten around the part where he played 'sidewalk surfer' with a chunk of rock under his feet (yeah... Didn't make justice in Appleloosa look too competent, did it? And that was exactly what filled the orange pony with terror!)

Maybe he should try running now! 'Cause if he started running now, then maybe he could get a good foot or two before the prince banished him to the moon or something!

Ok! Positives! Maybe this is an evil prince! That would explain the common thievery! Yeah! Celestia would be here any second and --

WHO WAS HE KIDDING HE'D BE A POTHOLE LONG BEFORE THAT POINT!

Now what Braeburn meant to say was "Your majesty, your subject wishes to subject himself to your merciful judgement, and humbly requests the return of all items taken in tribute from your humble servants, in exchange he will submit willingly to your most generous judgement." What he actually said, looking at the tall alicorn stallion and his square muzzle was. "Puh... puh... puh... puh... puhpuuhpuhpuhpuhpuhpuhpuh... prince...." Yeah not terribly smooth, he thought as he started bowing deeply.

However, mid breath, a very soft female voice came out of the ~~stallion's~~ mare's mouth -- one that kind of reminded Braeburn of his cousin's friend Fluttershy's voice. "Please don't call me that!!" She begged, starting to cry violently. "I don't want to be a princess! I just want to be me!" She cried out, sobbing more loudly than before. "It's depressing and boring to be a princess! And they can't have friends, or sniff, or water their plants, or dig in the dirt, or organize events, or do anything!" ~~He~~ She said, weeping violently.

Oh great! Now Braeburn needs to add defamation of a PRINCESS to his list, because he just called the princess a prince, and so Braeburn did the only thing he could do. "...Cess!" He finished hoping the senorita didn't notice (also not to mention being in complete confusion, because he was absolutely certain that this was a stallion -- though this didn't appear to be the case.)

And, worse yet, it turned out that the princess (yeah, apparently, not prince -- princess) didn't much appreciate being called by her title as she started weeping uncontrollably while babbling something about 'just wanting to be my'...

Oh Horse Apples! Braeburn cussed, to himself. Maybe he should reconsider the turn tail and run option?

********

Wysteria sighed, looking at the long spiraled monster horn on her head, and the really real for real pegasus wings that ripped their way out of her body this week. What was she going to say to the others? What was she going to do? Where was she going to live now that she was a pegasus? Would she have to live with them? Or could she still even live in Ponyville? Her head was just full of questions, and the more she thought about it, the more melancholy she became. A then there was the fact that she hadn't been able to tend her garden since the changes started in earnest, and now she was too self conscious to do so,

While she was thinking to herself, she could hear a knocking at the door. Did she have the heart to answer? Or would she pretend she was asleep? Of course she could just pretend that she wasn't home! She shook her head! That was no way to treat any of her friends! Maybe she should answer it and --

"Are you home?" Daisyjo said, shouting through the door, her voice showing concern. "I've been so worried about you!" Did Wysteria hear her sobbing in concern?

Wysteria frowned. She felt really bad! She really did! But she couldn't face her friend looking this way! She simply couldn't bear to do it! Not like this! What would her friend think? And what would she say? Wysteria looked back at her wings -- they were so hideous! She hated those ugly wings and that horrible horn! And she would give anything to rid herself of them.

Therefore, one course of action remained. She would remain quiet, and hoped that Daisyjo would think she was gone! She held her breath, hoping -- desperately -- that her friend to leave. Was this what she had come to?

But Daisyjo didn't go away! Instead she called out more loudly, her sobbing was so loud that it could be heard even in the house. And her voice was absolutely permeated her voice, and panic -- as she started to beg desperately for Wysteria to be ok. The pony called out, becoming ever more frantic. "Are you ok? You haven't been tending your gardens in days, and I'm beginning to imagine the worst!"

Wysteria sighed, Daisyjo was a good friend, and she'd been very helpful with her gardens while she was ~~mutating~~ sick. Maybe she should swallow her pride and come out and take her medicine. No! She couldn't do it! She couldn't be seen this way -- she thought to herself, breaking down into tears.

She sat down, unable to move, as Daisyjo's voice became ever more frantic.

Outside, she could hear Kimono's footsteps. "Hello Daisyjo." Kimono said, outside, coming to Wysteria's rescue -- she said calmly, bringing peace even to the fearful purple pony. "Wysteria's is still feeling a little under the weather and is, as a result of her condition, feeling a little self conscious -- but I'm sure she'll be out after I have a chance to borrow some of Spike's books. I bet one of them contains the solution to her little problem." She said, looking forward to Spike's return the next afternoon (originally he had promised Christmas day, but pushed his return back till a week and a half after Christmas, for some reason.)

Outside she could hear Daisyjo leaving. "Sorry to hear, that you aren't feeling well. And I just wanted to let you know that no matter what happened to you that all of us are your friends, and that you don't need to feel self conscious." She said, trotting away, sadly.

Wysteria frowned, maybe she would sleep, and hopefully, when she woke up tomorrow everything would be better -- or so she thought, as she slept on her side because of the giant wings that stuck straight out from her shoulders...

********

The next day didn't bring much good news and, in fact, it did exactly the opposite, bringing only more trouble. When, in the early morning, the skies were filled with a sea of odd flying bug ponies, and the air filled with the buzzing of their wings. They were the strangest things, that looked like a cross between a pony and an insect (well with the strangest and tinyest muzzles), and they lacked the warm smiling faces that characterized the ponies of Ponyville ponies, as well as their warm friendly attitudes and faces, opting, instead to keep a mean and surly demeanor.

To say that events were any better in Ponyville would be to deceive oneself, as they were no better than those in Unicornia (and if anything, might have even been worse.) The only difference was how quickly everyone figured out there was a problem (It didn't take Puzzlemint to figure out this one -- what with the bugs accosting all ponies in sight, and definitely when they were not afraid to use force, even if not necessary.)

"Nopony is to feed, and all ponies are to be taken alive!" Ordered Captain Raphanus, reminding his men of their unconventional orders (normally raids were conducted against the fluttering ones, but usually none of them were taken alive.) "This order comes straight from Prince Vladímir and any changeling that disregards this order is to be sent to be liquidated!" (Another unconventional order, the forces of the hive were never prohibited from feeding before -- except for those places corrupted by the fluttering ones, or traitors from the hive.)

The ponies of Ponyville, who very quickly began to smell a rat, and immediately took the most logical course of action: panic. However, running was futile (a G3 pony escape a trained changeling warrior?... Forget about it!), and ponies in Ponyville weren't all that good at hiding (a blue earth pony with yellow hair, and an ice cream cone for a cutie mark tried, unsuccessfully, to hide behind a potted fern.)

Some were caught in the streets, others fled indoors, only to discover, much to their dismay, that trained changeling warriors don't knock! (They simply bash doors off their hinges instead of knocking -- not that it would have made a difference, G3 ponies didn't normally lock their doors -- frequently preferring to push them open to using the door knob.)

"Do not let anypony escape!" The captain exclaimed. "Lord Vladímir does not permit failure!" He hissed, pointing towards the Cotton Candy Cafe. "Leave no stone unturned." He said, laughing heartily. "How pathetic. They simply run, or hide piteously -- they don't even consider the fight option. I almost feel sorry for these creatures!... Almost!!"

"Hello." Cotton Candy said anxiously, standing behind the cash register, and greeting four -- rather large changeling drones. "So." She said, in her squeaky voice. "Would you like some rainbow berry tarts, or maybe, would you prefer something to drink?" She gestured subtly with her shoulder as all four warrior stood there distracted by her statements (probably staring at the seventies jukebox that sat unused in the corner by a window.)

"No!" One of the warrior drones stated mindlessly. "You are to be taken to Prince Vladímir for judgement. And he shall decide your fate!"

"Well gee!" She stated, waving the bottom of her hoof at the drone's face, with a smirk as Sky Wishes snuck out a back window -- unnoticed by the drones. "How about a free sample?" She said, holding out a plate. "And maybe I can regale you with one of my stories, and maybe we forget this whole business, and be friends?"

"Incorrect, we feed on love and friendship!" The drone retorted. "And feeding has been explicitly prohibited for this operation by direct order of the prince! So please, do as you have been instructed, and turn yourself in for judgement."

Cotton Candy sighed. "I hope Skywishes is right about her special wishes working this time! Heck, this had better work overwise everyone's in big trouble!" She said quietly, mentally turning her head to the fleeing earth pony. "Here's hoping your special wishes allow us to get out of this one!" She muttered, as the changeling drones carted her away.

Meanwhile, back at Wysteria's place...

"What's going on out there?" Wysteria asked herself, as she heard frantic shouting nearby, and endless amounts of loud buzzing. "Maybe I should see what's going on?" She asked, before freezing at the door, still unable to face Ponyville, in her current state -- she just couldn't do it! She just couldn't leave! She was too self conscious! She thought, beginning to cry in terror. She didn't know what it was, but whatever it was, it sounded bad!

Outside she could hear frantic knocking, and Daisyjo's voice -- which was shaking in terror. "Wysteria we really need to go!" She shouted nervously. "There are ugly, mean bug ponies everywhere. And they are taking everyone!!!" She shouted, her voice getting ever more frantic. And before long, struggling could be heard outside, and a scream from Daisyjo.

"Oh no!" Wysteria said to herself, in dismay. "Daisyjo's in trouble!" She shouted, fear for her friend finally overcoming her insecurities as she bolting out of the house. "I'm coming!" She shouted, terror present in her voice.

Before her stood her friend Daisyjo, being carried away by weird bug ponies with tiny muzzles. The moment Daisyjo saw her friend, her eyes went as big as saucers. "Wysteria? Is that you?" She said, hardly recognizing her friend.

Wysteria just nodded sadly -- turning to the bug ponies. "Umm..." She said meekly. "Could you please let her go?" She asked politely.

"Negative!" The changeling drone replied. "She is to be brought to Lord Vladímir for judgement. Please surrender yourself, alicorn, for judgement before the prince's great black throne."

Daisyjo responded. "What are you talking about, she's not 'alicorn'! She's Wysteria!" The pony said, increduously -- angry at the disrespect being handed to her friend.

The drone responded mindlessly. "Very well then, Wysteria, the alicorn, please submit yourself to Lord Vladímir's noble judgement." He announced, motioning the changelings that currently restrained Daisyjo forward.

"Please stop." Wysteria asked kindly. "Please stop being such a meanie!" She begged, shuttering and cowering as the changelings moved forward, fearing what they would do to her. But instead of the inevitable crash... nothing happened...

Wysteria removed her hooves, uncovering her eyes. Had something happened to the monsters? Indeed, it had, as two drone's wings were bound in multiple places by ten or twenty foot flower stems. And another got a face full of dandelion seeds, causing them to run blindly into a building. A fourth was crying out in pain, as their legs and lower body were completely covered in brambles.

What was happening? Were the flowers responding to her emotions? Rediculous!... Absurd!... Right?

The drone with the brambles still attached, rose back to his hooves, gritting his teeth. "All changelings in range please come to our aid! A nascent alicorn has revealed herself, and is resisting Vladímir's righteous judgement! Drop all other quandaries and give aid." He said, as a large group of changelings chasing Skywishes ceased, allowing her to continue chasing after two kites.

Half of the changelings in Ponyville descended on the horned pegasus. "Please surrender to the noble judgement of Prince Vladímir, alicorn, you are greatly outnumbered." They chanted, each in order, as they were attacked and neutralized by the army of flowers, that Wysteria didn't even know she had.

Wysteria frowned. "What are you talking about? And what did we ever do to you?" She cried, stamping her hoof on the ground in a temper tantrum -- going temporarily feril. After a few seconds, the ground where her hoof stamped was now a giant crater. What was happening to her? The earthquake toppled half of her pursuers over, the other half were tangled in ivy that grew out of the crater.

"Daisyjo please run!" Wysteria cried, as afraid of herself, as she was the bugs. Daisyjo nodded sadly -- leaving her friend hesitantly, and only after much cajoling from Wysteria -- as she started to gallop away, frantically.

Behind her she heard crazed laughter. "Oh wow!" Cried a disembodied voice. "When the K -- Prince sent us here, I thought it was going to be another boring mission, with all kinds of mediocre queries, and meaningless busywork!" The voice said, like it was crying due to how much laughing it was doing. "But apparently, instead, I get to take on a princess!" It said, their enthusiasm apparent in their voice.

Wysteria went pale. Endless scenes of her 'princess training' came to mind, and her slow isolation, as her list of acceptable places, people, and things got ever shorter. "p...p....please -- " She stammered. "Don't call me a princess please." She begged. "I just wanna be me." She cried, her innocent smile returning.

"Heh..." The middle aged changeling stallion with the greying mane exclaimed, as slowly began to seemingly materialize out of thin air. "And I wanna be king, but we don't all get what we want." He said, levitating five long needle like objects in his magic. "And face it girl!" He shouted, sharply. "You are a deity of Equestria and that makes you a princess!" He said, crossing his front legs (the flapping of his wings keeping him upright.) "Like it or not!"

'Princess': the word hurt even worse the second time. It reminded her of Spike. "You were the first to touch the flower, and that makes you a princess -- whether you like it or not."

"Nooooooo!" She shouted, feeling the rage growing -- for some reason. What was this horrid feeling?

"Yessssss!" The changeling mocked, readying his first needle. "But since you are in denial!" He hissed. "I'll give you till I run out of these needles to wake up and fight..." He smirked. "And then I start hitting organs." He reiterated, with glee.

The first needle whizzing by, seemingly aimed poorly -- despite the training of the assassin --, missing her completely.

She gasped in horror. Trying to run -- only to find that the changeling was already right in front of her route of escape.

The changeling shook his head, angrily. "Too slow!" He exclaimed, wrinkled his nose. "Are you kidding me? Where is that deity like speed? Your super pony strength?" He frowned, feeling deprived of his epic victory. After a few seconds his demeanor changed, giving into a hellish rage. "Do you mock me, princess?" He asked, feeling very disrespected. "Or are your powers still asleep?" He asked, teleporting by her head, and wispering in her ear. "What will it take to wake you up?" He asked, returning to his original position, and sending the second needle flying -- which missed her by a lot less (apparently the first shot had been intentionally wiffed.) "Next one will be closer still!" He said, voicing a certain amount of agitation.

In the distance, Skywishes was being chased by an oddly feline changeling.

"Please stop!" Wysteria begged. "What have we done to hurt you?" She begged to a shrug from the assassin. "Why are you being so mean?"

The changeling smirked, sending the third needle flying, which missed her by mere inches.

"Wysteria! Wysteria! Wysteria!"The assassin remarked, his smirk turning into a sadistic smile -- his fangs showing. "This is my job!" He remarked, shrugging his withers, once again held upright by the flapping of his wings. "Oh and it's fun!" He said, sharpening his next needle on a rock. "Got to get these things good and sharp!" He remarked, taking a careful look at his needle.

Wysteria felt herself beginning to become frantic, she felt a tide of anger growing in her head. "STOP!" She shouted, her eyes growing crazy. "CEASE THAT THIS INSTANT!!!" She demanded, growing ever more angry by the moment.

In the background, Skywishes, wrestled in the changeling's magical grasp, trying to pull her first kite out of a tree.

"The princess begins to stir." The changeling hissed. "But she still refuses to do anything!" He announced rhetorically. "What shall we do?" He asked the princes, with a smirk. "Oh I know!" He exclaimed, enthusiastically. "I'll make her madder!" He shouted, with glee, sending another needle flying. "Oh and princess!" He said, his tone turning serious. "If I don't get a fight... well... then I will be extraordinarily disappointed -- and then I'll have to take my disappointment out on you friends!" He smirked, as Wysteria winced, causing the needle to miss -- if she hadn't have moved then it would have hit her dead on,

"You...You...you... you knock that off!" Wysteria stammered, shaking violently, feeling a new emotion -- blind rage. "Or you'll be sorry!" She exclaimed, her pupil color beginning to change from green and blue to a blood red color -- a eerie red aura beginning to materialize around her.

In the background Skywishes managed to grab hold of her kite. And mouthed some words very deliberately.

"Last chance princess, next one takes off that tumor that you call a wing!" He said, setting the fifth needle to fly. "I suppose the prince said to take everypony alive," he said, with a shrug. "But, of course, our kind has an inherent hatred of Celestia and Luna, so maybe he wouldn't mind..." He said, his voice containing a mix of sadism and anger.

The needle grazed her wing causing a very small cut -- causing Wysteria to cry out in pain.

"Heh!" He exclaimed, sounding like he'd finally had enough. "Apparently you won't wake up," he said, turning to her, and speaking sternly -- his eyes growing wide. "So I'll have to take my disappointment out on your friends!" He said, looking at Skywishes, in the distance.

All Wysteria could feel was blind rage, and another new feeling for her -- hatred...

The changeling sent a sixth needle flying -- aimed straight at her wing. An apple tree sprang up in an instant to take the blow.

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN OUR FRIENDS, AND HURT THIS BEAUTIFUL FLOWER!!!" She bellowed, feeling her body begin to float.

The changeling smiled manically. "It's coming!!!" He exclaimed, readying his seventh needle.

"What am I thinking!" Wysteria exclaimed in her head -- her eyes returning to normal, and the aura receeding. Suddenly feeling like her symbol was on fire -- as it glowed strongly.

The changeling chucked the next needle, which was aimed at her heart. It never even came close as she disappeared into a puff of smoke...

"Nuts!" The changeling exclaimed with disappointment, stamping his foot. "We'll have to finish this later!"

********

All arround Wysteria smoke billowed and swirled, not that she could hardly notice, as she had passed out from the horrible burning pain that was emanating from her mark some time before. She awoke, sometime later, to find herself in the middle of an odd apple orchard, somewhere.

"Where am I?" She asked herself, looking around -- none of this looked familiar at all. A narrow river passed through one side of the orchard, and a vast mountainous desert extended into the distance.

"Oh dear!" She said to herself, in puzzlement."Where am I? This looks nothing like Ponyville, and I don't see Breezie Blossom, or the woods anywhere!"

She began to fret, and that caused her to feel slightly sick. "Ok... Wysteria relax!" She exclaimed to herself, taking a moment to center her mind. "I just need to find someone who can give me directions back to Ponyville!" She exclaimed, taking solas in that fact, at least. "I'm sure that if I look real carefully I'll find someone, as I'm sure that someone lives around here! I mean there's always some random house around somewhere." (She said, thinking of some of the odd houses and cottages that could be found even fair distances away from civilization -- sometimes even in the middle of the woods.)

And over the ridge, in the distance, she could see, what looked like some buildings.

"Oh maybe someone lives over there, and they can tell me where I am!" She said, galloping over with glee.

In fact, she was in luck, as she could see a ~~mare~~ stallion approaching.

It appeared to be a brown earth pony stallion (she could tell by the shape of the face) with a pickaxe symbol.

Wysteria gulped, continuing to feel self-conscious about her wings and horn. "Maybe I should hide these?" She thought to herself. "No!" She thought, shaking her head, and gathering his confidence. If she was ever going to get over her self-consciousness about her horn and wings, then she would need to face him.

"Um... excuse me sir." She said, cautiously approaching the brown stallion, wearing a fine vest and pretty non descript farmer's hat, which was currently being used to hide his wispy blond mane, which had begun to go white. "But I'm looking for Ponyville, and I was wondering if you had seen it."

"Howch dare they throw me ohut of the schaloon without giving me schome water to drinhk!" He said, his empty toothless mouth opening, his lips covered in salt, as he stumbled around, drunkenly -- his voice as much full of agitation as bemusement.

Wysteria frowned, maybe he didn't hear her. But she hated so to shout! But she might have to. She tapped like she did back at the promenade intro. "HEY!!!" She shouted -- her voice echoing off into the distance --, stamping her hoof -- the whole orchard rattling and shaking with each tap.

"Woah!!!!" The stallion shouted, as he was thrown up and down by literal waves of earth. "Schomepony need schomthing?"

"Ah yes I -- " Wysteria started saying -- having finally got the stallion's attention --, before the eyes on the stallion went wide like saucers as he glanced back and forth continuously between her horn and wings -- his usual clueless expression replaced by an expression of mortal terror, and a folding of hooves.

"Ah'm scho schorry Princshesch! Ah'll schober up I promish!" he shouted, drunkenly, as he started to waddle and scrape his way back towards the buildings in the distance, making like he was Paul Revere. "It'sch hard to believe but A Princshesch is in town!"

"Oh dear!" Wysteria said, crying again -- feeling utterly defeated, her efforts to fight her self consciousness coming crashing down in front of her face. "It's my ugly wings and horn!" She sobbed. "I have to hide them!" She exclaimed, starting to formulate a plan. "They scared that poor man off..."

********

"Oh Horse Apples!" Braeburn screamed to himself mentally. Just what had he gotten himself into? The ~~prince~~ princess still laid there, weeping her eyes out. What was he going to do? He was sure that she was probably not going to be happy with him.

There was only one thing to do. The only thing Braeburn could do! He bowed low -- as low as he could, lowering his front legs, and crouching his head against the ground in a full bow. "Ah'm terribly sorry yer majesty. Ah didn't know that yah were ah princess, and ah apolergize for causin' ya to crash into the side of a mountain, ah promise that I didn't mean ta!"

Unfortunately this didn't seem effective as the princess seemed to cry worse. "Please don't call me that! I just want to be me!" She bauled, sounding more desperate. "Being a princess is horrible!"

"Ok!" Braeburn thought to himself. "Ok! new plan! I bow and scrape lower!" He thought, bending down to a full kneel. "Ah'm terribly sorry majesty! I didn't mean ta chase ya halfway to Mount Canter, and fer mah im-pew-dance, ah apologize! Ah promise ta do everything in mah power ta make up fer my misdeed's against yer majesty!" He said, hoping to ingratiate her majesty.

Yeah pretty much as effective as before (if not even less so.) Yup... Even less so! She appeared to be bauling even worse, and her voice sounded even more desperate than before. "Please don't call me that! I'm not a princess! I just want to be me!" She said, begging more fiercely, her voice growing ever more desperate.

Ok! Braeburn was in deep! He was up to the tip of his cowboy hat in trouble. Ok! new plan. He would bow and scrape all the way till he was laying flat against the dirt -- bowing as low as he was anatomically able. "Ah'm terribly sorry for hogtieing y'all and ah wish to make amends in any way I can! Ah promise, yer majesty! Please fergive yer foolish subject, and ah -- "

The mare sounded even more upset, and desperate -- her pupils starting to change from green and blue to a blood red. "Why are you apologizing! Why do you hate me! Why do I have to be a princess! Why can't I just be me!" She shouted, thorns slowly growing from the ground. "Why do you want to force me to be a princess!"

Braeburn shook violently, apparently apologizing wasn't helping, and apparently she didn't want to be called what she was -- no matter how much he was trained to call her a princess or a deity. Therefore, only one option remained. "Ah'm terribly sorry! Ah didn't mean ta upset you, yer m...! Please fergive meh! Ah have a reunion to attend, in fifteen moons, and ah don't wanna be squashed like a bug! So what can ah do to make it up ta ya!"

She looked on in puzzlement -- vacillating from anger to complete confusion, what was he talking about? "Why do you think I would 'squish you like a bug'?" She said, her voice filled with a mix of sorrow, offense, and confusion.

He frowned. "Cause I chased ya half way to Mount Canter, hog tied ya barrel with a five hemp strand hangin' rope, an' caused ya to get squished against a wall!"

She looked at him shivering in fear, and frowned -- starting to shiver herself. "Please don't do that! I don't mean any harm!" She cried, bauling some more -- but alot less desperately. "I'm scared!!" She cried, in utter confusion and desperation. "Why's everyone afraid of me!?" She asked, never experiencing this before... ever! "Why does everyone hate me now!? Is it these horrible wings and this miserable horn!?" She said, falling down onto her plot, with her legs jetting out in front of her perpendicular to her barrel, and her tail running out the opposite direction -- her face cupped in her hooves, which distorted slightly to bend to the contours of her face.

Braeburn frowned, apparently he wasn't the only one afraid, apparently the princess was alone and afraid as well. And he couldn't abide a mare being left alone, afraid, and vulnerable like this! No! This offense to her would be corrected! "Ah'm terribly sorry pri -- " He swallowed the word that came from every fiber of his being, and forced himself to use another, his body shaking violently in opposition to the act. "ma'am. Ah didn't mean ta upset ya!" He said, leaning in, with a smile. "And I apologize fiercely pr -- " There it was again... "ma'am for being un-neighborly towards y'all. So could ya forgive me?" He asked, putting his hoof out for her to bump in a traditional greeting.

"Ok." She said, her pupils quickly returning to normal, but the rest of her eyes remained a blood red (from all the crying), and her face was still covered with tears and filled with sorrow. She reared up onto only her back legs, standing there effortlessly, her legs standing at a one hundred and eighty degree angle to her barrel. She reached out her hoof, the joints in her front legs bending all unnatural like, and cupped her hoof around his -- her hoof distorting to facilitate the motion. And she shook his hoof up and down -- bending his leg and hoof in relatively uncomfortable ways. A smile slowly started to creep up her face. "Oh I'm so glad we can be friends now!" She said, her good spirits returning. "My name is Wysteria! And what is yours."

Braeburn smiled. "Mah name is Braeburn, it's nice to meet you pr... Wysteria!" He said, leaning in again to give her a nice close smile (his body still shaking from the swallowed use of the word 'princess'.) "An' ah'm glad to meet you." His smile quickly turned into a frown as he recalled that he had some tough business to attend to. "Ah'm terribly sorry pr... Wysteria, but I need ta know why ya went an' stole Poncho's poncho, and Sombrero's sombrero!" He said, sternly. "Oh... An' all that bread?" He said, pointing to the bread that now lay scattered across the plains.

"Steal?" She said, her face showing fear and confusion. "I didn't steal these! I went to borrow them to hide this horrible horn, and these miserable wings, " she said, her voice sounding confused. Didn't they read her notes? "But they weren't home and so I left a letter explaining that it was an emergency, and that I was borrowing them for a couple of days!"

Braeburn looked on in awe. So that was what that weird graffiti was all about. "An' what about the bread pr... Wysteria?"

Wysteria frowned. "Well I went and grabbed a bunch that was lying out, and asked the man behind the counter if I could purchase them from him." She said, grabbing some kind of a tri-fold bag from somewhere and brought out weird slips of paper with some really weird looking faces on them that looked like a mix between a monkey's face, and a minotaur's face (and hairless to boot! -- Well except for it's bizarre mane! -- It was so disgusting and ugly, It almost made Braeburn want to throw up!) "But instead of answering my question, he started yelling at me, and started chasing me saying I was a thief or something." She said, crying again. "I didn't mean to steal anything! All I meant to do was purchase it, but instead I scared him for some reason. And then I got scared and ran away! I'm so sorry!" She said, starting to cry again.

Braeburn sighed, this pony really needed help. Not just was she scared, and alone, but also, apparently, utterly broke because whatever varment gave her that 'currency' stuff needed to be sent to the hoosegow.

Braeburn frowned, oh he was going to regret this but...

"So what brings you to town pr... Wysteria?" He said, with an honest smile.

"I don't really know. I was at home, and then these nasty bug ponies attacked, and then everything disappeared in smoke, and then I appeared here, and I don't know where I am!" She said, starting to cry again. "I'm scared!" She reiterating, crying into her hooves some more.

Braeburn frowned, apparently the changelings were back to their old games. And apparently they attacked her town no less. "Could I get the name of your town?" He asked, reading the map of Equestria in his mind.

She nodded. "Yeah, I come from Ponyville." She said matter of factly. "And I, actually, came into town to see if you could give me directions back home."

Braeburn frowned, and shook his head on the inside.It wasn't that he didn't believe her story -- it was the only thing that made any sense. It was more that he didn't believe the town she claimed to be from -- that part was absurd. Most likely the mare's town was attacked (not something that was unreasonable, as he had heard rumors, from the sheriff, of some of the movements of the changeling forces, as of late) and the stress probably caused the poor thing to ascend (believe you Braeburn, those wings and horn were bizarre, but one hundred percent authentic!) And, guessing by how she felt about both her wings and her horn, she was an earth pony -- so if her magic were to activate unpredictably like Jackie's friend Twilight's tended to do, then she might be a little confused -- especially if this was a long range teleportation, which tended to scramble the caster's mind among other things (including drive the caster into the ground.) And what was he even talking about? He was a gardener, not a wizard! All he knew is that the dear wasn't lying, that she was an Alicorn, and she couldn't possibly be from Ponyville! Course it still begged the question of why Ponyville? And how had she heard of the town? Maybe a letter to the town was in order, because maybe pr... Wysteria had relatives in Ponyville.

Question still remained though of where she should stay until Sheriff Silverstar could return and they could get to the root of this enigma.

"So pr... Wysteria. Do you have any place to stay until I can get a hold of someone who can help you get home?" He asked, though he suspected, by the innocence of the mare, that he already knew the answer.

She nodded,with an innocent smile. "Actually, I was just planning to ask all the nice ponies of your town until one let me stay with them for a few days."

Braeburn frowned, and shook his head, vigorously -- terrible idea! Even though she looked kind of like a stallion, an innocent mare like her was an easy mark (especially once somepony figured out that she was really a she), and even Braeburn had to admit that some of the fine ponies of AAAAAPPPPPLLEEEELOOSA were actually not, at all, as fine as he boasted they were! Plus, then, there was the whole matter of them thinking she was a thief again -- he'd rather she not experience frontier justice first hoof, thank you. He frowned again, gulping slightly, granny was probably going to skin him and send him to the glue factory for this (he knew if his mother probably would if she was still on this plane), but sometimes a stallion has got to do what a stallion has got to do. "Well if you need somewhere ..." He said, skillfully avoiding the 'p' word! "ta stay Wysteria, then y'all can stay at mah place fur a spell." He said, removing his hat and using his magic to adhere it to his hoof, lowering it to his chest for a spell.

"Thank you." She replied innocently. "That's very nice of you." She said, smiling gratefully, but only for few seconds, before it quickly started to sink. "But if I stayed at your place, then wouldn't I be a bother?"

Braeburn quickly swallowed a chuckle -- if that had been a problem, then she'd have already been one a long time ago, what with him having to chase her halfway to Mount Canter. Of course he wasn't going to let her know that, though, as the she seemed fragile enough already. "Nah! No trouble at all." He said, with a smile. "Course we're going to need to return Poncho's poncho, and Sombrero's sombrero!" He said, counting the 'stolen items' in his hooves. "Oh and that bread." He said, with a wink, remembering the bread suddenly.

Wysteria looked at the poncho, and sombrero, longingly, before looking back at her wings -- a self conscious expression forming. "But -- " She started saying, until Braeburn put a hoof to her muzzle, nodding knowingly.

Braeburn smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry." He said, taking off his coat. "Ya'll can borrow my coat and hat." He said, sticking his hat, as best as he could, over her horn -- it was kind of a rough fit, especially with how large her horn was, and he was sure ponies would ask why she was wearing her hat at quite that angle.

But the trickier business was trying to figure out how to squeeze his vest over her wings. "Could ya -- " He said, grunting at the vest refused to get anywhere remotely near her back, let alone her front. "Maybe -- " He said, at the wings sprung back, sending him flying a couple of feet. "Fold your wings?"

"Fold?" Wysteria said, with a confused expression. "These wings can flap, but I don't think they fold..." She said apologetically -- blushing slightly.

Braeburn looked at her cross eyed. What did she mean don't fold? "Ya mind if I take a look?" He asked, to a nod from the alicorn (oh his mother was probably rolling in her grave again.) First off, the wings were connected at the wrong dang position -- on her back, over her withers instead of on her upper flank where they should be (that already meant that her wings weren't going to fold like Jackie's friend Fluttershy -- let any other pegasus in Equestria --, that's for sure.)

He gave a light press at various points in the wings, looking for where the joints were, until he could figure out where you folded them at (this would have been easier, had he been a pegasus.) He found the wings only bent slightly (to about a ninety degree angle or so) in the outermost third of the wing -- right under the finger like tips, which themselves jutted straight out perpendicular to her barrell and perpendicular to her legs -- and in the conch shaped bump at the base or her wings, basically making Wysteria's wings natural position -- that's right! Straight out from her back like a tower.

"Ummm... Wysteria..." He said, blushing with embarrassment. "Ah can hide those wings, but it ain't going to be comfortable!" He said, already contemplating what he was going to have to do. Ah think we should visit mah friend Poncho first, so's we can get you into something a little more comfortable." He said, bending her wing tips into their lowest possible position, and bending her wings at their single pivot as low as they would go -- effectively trying to wrap her wings around her barrell, instead of folding them -- as Wysteria gave an uncomfortable expression, which alternated between pain, discomfort, and it tickling.

********

"Now Wysteria!" Braeburn cautioned to the purple alicorn with the wisteria cutie mark. "When the other ponies look are you, they're gunna think you're a stallion." He said, with a sly wink. "Just don't talk, and let them think that!" He said, formulating his plan. He would tell them that his cousin had dropped in unexpectedly when he was in Dry Gulch looking for the thief, after the thief got away, and that he was going to be taking care of 'his cousin' for a few days. It was the perfect plan! Ponies would start to ask tough questions if he had a mare staying with him, but nopony would even bat an eyebrow if his stallion cousin was staying with him.

"Braeburn! Amigo! Come ins!" Poncho said, with enthusiasm. "It looks like the hombre gave you some troubles!" Poncho said, grabbing a chair -- and taking a careful look at all the bruises, bumps, and scrapes on the earth pony stallion. "Please have a seats!" He said, motioning at a couple of chairs that he kept near by. "So did ju manage to bring back my poncho?"

Braeburn smiled mischieviously, pulling the poncho out from his saddle bag. "Here it is!" He said, to great relief from Poncho.

"So didju manage to catch the thiefs?" Poncho asked, looking at Braeburn anxiously -- worried about a repeat visit later.

Braeburn frowned. "Nope! The thief got away while ah was chasing him through Scorpion Canyon, but I doubt he'll be back." He said, with a smile. "Ah scared him off pretty good."

Poncho winked back. "Ju lying." He said, with a wink, and a smile. "I cans tell by how much snot the thief knocked out of you." He said, whistling at a couple of Braeburn's bigger scrapes. "Though I guess you're probably right that he's done stealing from us, now that he's at Dry Gulch," He said, with a smile. "So I guess that he's their problem now." He said, noticing something moving just outside the door -- Braeburn brought a friend? "So ju going to introduce me to your friend?" He asked Braeburn, with a smile.

"Well actually." Braeburn said, blushing slightly. "That's mah cousin, an' I was hoping you could try h... him out for a poncho," he asked, as politely as he was able, holding his hat to his chest solemnly.

Poncho smiled eagerly. "Certainly amigo." He said, motioning Wysteria in. "Come in amigo! Any cousin of Braeburn's is a friend of mine!"

Wysteria stepped in slowly, and nervously, not sure what made her most uncomfortable, her wings, the way her wings were 'folded', or the how the tacky vest was, very poorly, keeping them hidden.

"Wow!" Poncho said, whistling slightly. "Jour Cousin is huge!" He said, looking 'the stallion' up and down. "I think he mights be bigger than your giant red cousin -- what was his name -- amigo?" Poncho said, stamping his foot slightly.

Braeburn smiled. "Macintosh..." He said, finishing the old stallion's sentence. "Though we ahl call him Mac!" He said, with a smirk. His face turned serious. "Now Poncho," he said to the stallion, as sternly as he could. The stallion nodded back. "can you keep a secret?" He said, walking over to Wysteria -- putting one hoof on the vest, that he had lent to the alicorn.

"Sjur!" Poncho said, with a smile. "I won't breathe a word to anyone."

"Ok!" Braeburn said, sternly. "But remember y'all promised!" He said, reminding the stallion of his word, and unbuttoning his vest -- which was immediately sent flying against the ceiling by the sudden, and rapid unraveling of wings.

"Wow!" Poncho said, with a bemused expression. "Mudj be the black sheeps!" He said, with a smirk. "Now let's get you fitted for that ponchos amigo!" He said, pulling some measuring tape from the wall. "So tell me hombre what's your name?" He asked, as Wysteria turned to Braeburn, diligently following his instructions to her.

"He's kind of shy." Braeburn replied. "So I'm sure he wouldn't be surprised if he isn't ready to speak yet."

Poncho smiled. "Of course." The pony replied, with a suspicious smile. "But with wings like those I would understands." He said, sticking out his tongue and winking slightly. "So Braeburn what's his name."

"Um it's um..." Braeburn said, searching for a name. 'Fuji Apple', 'Jack fruit', 'apple flower', 'apple bud', 'White Cherry', 'Mandrine Orange', ... "Um..."

"You ok hombre?" Poncho said, quirking his eyebrow. "You need the doc to look atju head?" He said, walking circles arround the apple, and leaning in to get a close look at all the bumps and shiners on the earth pony's head. "How many hooves ams I hjolding up?" He asked, holding up one hoof.

"No! Ah'm fine!" Braeburn said, smacking the stallion's hoof back.

Poncho's face held a concerned expression. "Then what's his name?" Poncho asked, pressing the issue. "You having trouble remembering amigo?" Poncho asked, with worry showing on his face, looking up at down, again, at all the doozies on Braeburn's head -- resisting the urge to whistle at some of them.

At this point Braeburn's apple pride began to emerge. "Ah can remember his name just fine! It's Wysteria! Poncho!" He said, immediately puckering his lips, and slamming his mouth shut. Dang it! That's the one piece of information he didn't want to give out.

"Wow! That's a mare's name!" Poncho said, ribbing Braeburn slightly. "Guess that's why ju didn't wanna say his name." He said, turning to Wysteria. "I bet ju got beat up a lot in the schools before jour growth spurt a amigo?" He asked, looking at Wysteria with a mischievous smile.

Now was Wysteria's turn to shoot her mouth off. "Well actually I was well liked in school, and everyone wanted to be my friend because Flowers! Flowers! Flowers!" She said, with enthusiasm jumping up onto only her back hooves and throwing her front legs up.

Poncho fell back, in utter surprise at the tone of her voice, falling to his flank -- suddenly staring right between her legs. "That ain't no hombre! That's a seniorita!" He said, on the verge of fainting.

"Ah cain explain." Braeburn said, with a nervous twitch. "You see..."

"No need amigo." Poncho said, regaining his composure. "I knew jour mother when I was just a young stallion." Poncho said, with a smile. "And I figjured that she wouldn't --"

"No, your wrong!" Braeburn proclaimed. "That's mah cousin!" Braeburn lied, hoping desperately to dissuade the stallion of what he just saw. "And ~~she's~~ he's just staying with me for a couple of days."

Poncho nodded, winking cattily. "Uh huh amigo." He said, pulling up to Braeburn's left, and putting his hoof on Braeburn's shoulder. "And is it normal for jur stallion apple cousin to be a pegasus mare widj a flower cutie mark?"

Braeburn gulped. "She's... um... mah... mah... mah cousin... in law... to ... um... Cousin Apple Bud!" He lied poorly. "Yeah that's right!" He said, his eyes darting around the sides of his eyes at mind blowing speeds.

Poncho winked, giving up the issue for now. "Well I suppose ju...r cousin can't choose he loves! Right Braeburn!" He said, tapping Braeburns bruised ribs with his shoulder. "Don't worry, Braeburn!" He said, with an honest smile. "Jur 'cousin' is in good hooves!"

********

"Ok!" Braeburn thought to himself. "It could be much worse! Poncho's kind of an outsider like the town drunk so. nopony will take him too seriously. We just have to be more careful with sombrero!" He thought, holding the sombrero. The old stallion was, after all one of the town elders, and mayor long ago at the town's founding. He just needed to make sure he didn't say too much.

"Jello!" Said the old stallion, who was missing his signature sombrero that normally adorned his head -- revealing his mane... or rather lack of mane. "So!" He exclaimed, looking Braeburn up and down. "I'm guessing the thief got away!" He said, looking at the young stallion, who looked like he'd been run over by the train that went by town once a day.

Braeburn, simply nodded sadly.

"Jwell no matter!" He said smiling greatfully. "J...You did the best you could!" He said, looking away sadly. "We'll get that varmints as soon as the sheriff returns from Canterlot." He said, looking at his balding head in a mirror. "Djo I was really hoping that dju would be able to gets back my sombrero!" He said, with a sigh.

"An' who said ah didn't!" Braeburn exclaimed, bringing said hat out of his saddlebag.

"Excelent!" The old stallion said, with a smile. "I knew I could count on d...you!" He said, happily placing his namespace hat on top his brow. "This deserves a favor!" He said, with great enthusiasm. "Name something!" He said, giving Braeburn a grateful hug. "Anything! And I'll see if I can get it for you!" He said, dragging out some very valuable vintage wine that he had been saving. "Course regardless! We should drink to your success!" He said, pouring out two glasses. "So what do d...you need?"

Braeburn smiled, blushing slightly -- scaping one of his front hoofs against the other front leg. "Ah was kind'a hoping y'all could, maybe, get ah new hat fur my cousin." He said, motioning Wysteria in. "Ah ran into him while ah was in Dry Gulch, after that varmint got away, and ah was hoping ah could get him something to remember the fine city of AAAAAAPPPPPLLLEEEEEOOOSA by." He said, motioning at one of the display hats on the wall.

"But uv course!" Sombrero said, with a smile. "Take off that hat amigo so I can get dj...you sized!"

Braeburn frowned, swallowing slightly. "Actually before my cousin does that, could I ask you for another favor?"

"Another faj.. favor?" Sombrero said, with a smirk. "I d-only planned on giving you one, but why not! This is, after all, a moment of celebration! What dju you need my friend?"

"Ah was hoping you could keep what's under the hat between us." Braeburn said, blushing slightly. "He's kind of sensitive about it." He said, putting one hoof to his mouth.

"But of course." Sombrero said, pulling the hat off Wysteria's head slowly. "I fjigured it was at kind of an odd angle." He said, as the hat slowly revealed the long spiraled horn benief. "Wow!" He said, whistling loudly as the horn's full size was finally revealed. "That's a long one." He said, looking at the horn -- which was at least as large as the alicorns head. Sombrero smiled. "A fine horn for a fine stallion." He said, with an honest smile. "Heck! That might be bigger than that prince's horn. Djwhat's his name? Blue-something or anodjer! Nevertheless, the apples are a family of almost all earth ponies -- even cadet branches like the oranges, and the peppers. So I can see with a horn like that why you would be anxious." He said, to silent nodding by the earth pony turned alicorn.

Sombrero took some careful measurements, taking careful care to note the size and shape of the horn versus the pony's head. "I may have just the hat for you amigo." He said, with a smile. He turned to Braeburn. "Don't worry! Dju... Your cousin's in good hooves!" He said, getting a tape measure from one of his desks. "And I'm sjorry 'bout leaving you with that hombre." He said, turning to Braeburn, with a frown -- which caused Wysteria, in turn, to wince slightly. "I had no idea that djat old snake was so toughs!" He said with some agitation -- not noticing the growing frown on Wysteria's face. "Course I hopes that now that he's gone that he'll stays their problem."

Wysteria winced noticeably -- having finally had enough silence on the matter. "Well maybe he's done stealing, now?" She asked, to a stunned silence. "And maybe he never meant to hurt anyone in the first place?" She asked, causing Braeburn to wince noticeably -- Things just got a whole lot harder!

Sombrero winked his eyes a few times, rolling his head in a double take. "What jdid you say amigo?" He said, looking Wysteria in the eyes.

"Well maybe he's done stealing and -- " She said, before noting that the old mexicolt stallion had turned and walked over to Braeburn with a bemused expression on his face.

"Stallion huh?" He said, with a smirk, and a wink. "What's the amiga's name Braeburn? Djur friend?"

Braeburn frowned. "Well ah guess ah've been found out. That's my cousin in law Wysteria." He said, his face turning red.

"Oh ho!" Sombrero said, hiding his smile behind a faux sternness. "'cousin' huh?" He said, putting a hoof on Braeburn's wither, and making sure to get his face good and close to Braeburn's ear. "Well, Braeburn, I think 'your cousin' could do better! Because, frankly, she might, possibly, be the ugliest mare I've ever seen." He said, ribbing Braeburn playfully. "No worries though. I can guess why you wanted us to think that she was a he." He said, smiling slightly -- thinking about Braeburn's mom. "Don't worry though, by the time I'm done, she'll look like the princess 'your cousin' probably thinks she is!"

********

Braeburn had been surprised by how fast the word had spread. And what was even more baffling was that, after he had finished with Sombrero that he was still completely able to get away with calling Wysteria his 'stallion cousin', but, by nightfall, he had been forced to completely abandon the narrative, as word had spread quickly, too quickly, that 'his cousin' was actually his mare 'cousin in law'. Luckily, at least, as of that moment, Poncho and Sombrero had kept the matter of her wings and horn to themselves -- which was good because Braeburn didn't really want ponies putting two and two together (especially with how terrified the mare seemed to be of the p-word -- not that he could imagine why.)

And even Sombrero's silence on her horn didn't do much to help protect her from the whistles and catcalls that some very inconsiderate ponies were giving her. The good news, however, was that, for now, the mare's shield of ignorance did seem to keep her safe from the worst of it. Though, he fully suspected that the mare did, however, notice at least some of the silent stares and whispering (though he didn't know if it was because of her being shy, or if she had an idea what was being discussed.) He suspected that, to make things worse, the mare normally prefered to quietly fade into crowds -- using her words sparingly -- rather than to stick out of them! (And if ponies knew about her princess status, she would definitely stand out -- no doubt in his mind.)

And then there was the matter of the disapproving looks he was getting; both from the old mares and stallions that knew his mother -- and probably felt he was making a mockery of her, and their honor -- and the young stallions who 'felt he could do better'. And then, what was worse was that, all of them were wrong -- and this was precisely why he wanted them thinking of her as his 'stallion cousin'. Oh well! That opportunity was passed now!

And then there was the fact, that, if anypony were to get a look under her sombrero and poncho, at those wings and that horn -- odd and distorted though they were --, they would automatically feel the insatiable need to bow and scrape -- Celestia knew that he still did, and that it was taking every ounce of his willpower not to bow and scrape, even just thinking about those things. And he strongly suspected that she would probably take all the bowing and scraping poorly.

Oh well! In any case, this wouldn't matter, because the sheriff would be back in a few days, and they could sort out this mess, at that point. Maybe he could get the word out to Celestia or maybe get some letters out to someponies who could help. Of course, he could always get her on the next train -- somewhere. Though, it all gave Braeburn pause. Why hadn't deputy Bronze Star shown back up yet? Were the meetings back in Canterlot really going that poorly?

In the end, though, he didn't have time to wonder long before Cherry Strudel, an old friend of his mother's, showed up. And he, most certainly, appeared none too happy. How could Braeburn tell? He could tell, just by the look of him! Though the stamping, snorting, and ranting was a very strong indication! The stallion walked up to Braeburn giving him his very most disapproving glare -- and making good and sure to get right in his face. "What would yer mother think, if'n she saw you like this?" He snarled, with a frown, pointing, vigorously, at the mare standing next to Braeburn. "For that matter, what would yer pa think?" He said, slobbering slightly, his attention turning back to the departed apple mare. "Oh that mare was the epitome of style and grace! A beacon of morality! A paragon of virtue! She was just such a shining example to us all!" He said, looking up -- probably hoping to be better heard by the pony he was talking about. "And just look, at what you've done to her name! You and that dame have soiled her beautiful name." He said, with tears in his eyes, which were both shooting daggers at the young mare.

Braeburn grunted silently -- starting to seathe slightly. He was normally not a pony who got mad, but, in this case, he might make an exception! How dare that stallion drag his poor departed mother into this! And how dare he make these unfounded accusations and insinuations about somepony who had taken refuge under his roof -- accusing him was one thing, but accusing that poor innocent, lost mare, was a whole nother thing!

"Oh dear." Wysteria said, with a frown. "What did he do? He seems like such a nice person to me? And what does 'dame' mean?" She asked, with concern showing in her voice. "I don't believe I've heard that word before." She said, innocently -- obviously unaware of what was being leveled at her. "And it sounds mean, and scary!" She said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm not scary right?!"

Cherry turned back to Braeburn, his face showing even more anger. "And apparently you are taking advantage of this poor innocent -- " He said, making sure to stick his muzzle closer and closer to Braeburn's face.

That was it! That was the final straw! He had heard this man fling his accusations long enough! It was time for Braeburn to give this blowhard a piece of his mind! "Sir! How dare you say such things! And insult, not just my honor, but the honor of -- " He started saying, before he got drowned out by a ruckus emanating from nearby.

"King Longhorn is coming!" The town drunk shouted at the top of his lungs, running through town. "I done saw them! There I was, down up at Saddlesore Ridge -- trying to get away from the bottle -- and I done saw them movin' camp! Plain as day." He shouted to all who would listen, only to have them avoid him at all costs. Most ponies just shook their heads in pity at the poor old coot.

He turned to Braeburn, desperately trying to get his attention. "Braeburn! You have ta' believe me!" (That would be hard as the pony had a history of telling tales.) He said, stepping up to Braeburn, and trying to hold himself up by the pony' withers. "Ah saw him! He's here! And he's lookin' for somepony ta k-- " He started saying, before noticing that nopony seemed to believe him. "Ain't nopony listening! Ah'm not lyin' he's here!" He shouted, expecting something... even whispers. Instead the ponies turned away, returning to their day to day existence.

Cherry Strudel rolled his eyes -- and interrupted the old geezer. "You've done been on the bottle again -- haven't ya'all!" He said, switching his berating partner from Braeburn to the old coot. "How many have ya had already today?"

"Ah swear!" The old guy said, with conviction. "Ah haven't had one since I done sawd the princess!" He said, with an honest expression. "And I done sawd Kind Longhorn! And if nopony believes me then I'm-a hightailin' it outta town!" He said, making for the rails in utter panic. Screaming "The cattle rustlers are coming!" At the top of his lungs -- until he finally galloped out of earshot.

Cherry Strudel and Braeburn both traded puzzled expressions, this had to be another one of the old codgers stories right? He couldn't possibly be telling the truth this time? Right?

********

"So, Wysteria, this will be your room, while you're staying with us in AAAAAAAAPPPPPLLLLEEEEOOSA!" He said, motioning at the door, of what would normally be his room. His face dropped the moment that he peaked into the room. "But first." He said, with a blush -- having just now realized something. "Ah need ta check on somethin'." He said, rushing into his room -- making good and sure to close the door behind him (at least he thought he did.)

What followed, soon after, was a flurry of activity (and what sounded like the sounds of heavy equipment in a construction zone.) After a few minutes he wiped his brow -- satisfied in the quality of his work, and the smoothness of his save. "Good thing ah remembered mah room." He said, with relief. "Ah would be mortified if ah had a mare seein' mah messes." He said, blushing slightly, until a shadow cast itself upon a nearby wall, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. "She's right behind me, ain't she." He thought, turning around, very slowly -- fully, and apprehensively, aware of what was probably back there. "Oh... hello Wysteria!" He said, his face turning red. "So... um... how long ya been standin' back there?" He asked, awaiting her response. Maybe she wasn't there long?

She smiled. "Not long." She said, innocently.

"Really?" Braeburn asked, hopefully.

"No... Not really," she said, with a blush, and a playful smile -- causing the apple to bow his head in shame. "I was standing there the whole time."

Braeburn frowned. "Sorry bout' that, ah wasn't expecting company -- especially not by a ... mare." (Ha! Take that instinct! There was no way he was going to use the p-word!) "And ah apologize 'cause things were a mite messy! And ah wanted to fix it before ya had ta see it." he said holding his hat to his chest.

"Oh that's ok!" She said, smiling slightly. "It's no worse than Spike's place! In fact, it reminds me of his room -- well.. maybe with less books than his, and more other stuff, but still similar." Wysteria responded.

"Spike?" Braeburn asked, doing a double take. "Ya mean that little pet dragon of Applejack's friend?" He asked, to familiar nodding from the alicorn. "The little purple one that visited with them last year?" He said, the wheels in his head turning -- could it be possible that, maybe, she was from Ponyville after all? (Especially if she knew Spike -- after all, not many dragons live in Equestria.)

She nodded, up until the point where Braeburn said the words 'last year'. "Yes, well except for the part about him visiting last year." She said, matter of factly. "Because he was sleeping under the castle last year." She said, causing Braeburn to shake his head on the inside. "And actually he's blue, not purple!"

Braeburn sighed. Everytime he believed the princess' Ponyville talk was real, she said something to change his mind. Though, he was really wondering, at this point, if she could indeed, come from Ponyville -- but then why were memories all mangled? Could that have been caused by the changeling attack? Maybe, after she went to bed, he would go and see if Mr. Saltworthy had any dragon's fire left. Because maybe it was time to send an emergency letter to his cousin Applejack!

"But, Braeburn?" She asked, looking out into the only other room, in the place. "Where are you going to sleep?" She asked, with concern. "You only seem to have one bed and one room. Does that mean that you will have to sleep on the floor?" She asked, her face growing ever more concerned.

He smiled, reassuringly. "Don't you worry none! Ah'll probably just sleep an the floor." He said, beginning to close the door behind him. She looked at him disbelievingly. He smiled, reassurinly. "Ah'll be fine!" He said, winking on the way out. "It's better fur mah back anyways, an' ah'll see you in the morning!" He said, managing to coax a smile back onto the mare's giant muzzle.

"Wait!" She shouted, causing him to turn around. "Why don't you just sleep in here with me? This bed is more than large enough for the two of us. And that way you won't get cold." She said, looking guilty. "I mean I really don't want to inconvenience you!"

Braeburn chuckled -- a stallion and mare alone in the same room and the same bed? Yeah, not a good idea! Besides, he'd already angered his dear departed mother enough already -- "Oh, that won't be necessary!" He said, with a thankful smile. "Ah'm awfully grateful for the offer, but ah'd feel better if you were comfortable." He said, with a smile -- which quickly turned into a frown upon closing the door behind me. "Such an innocent mare!" He thought, feeling his anger slowly kindling again. "When I find the hombre that turned her mind to scrambled eggs, then ah'm going to scramble their face!" He thought, tapping his foot with great enthusiasm -- secretly, imagining his hoof stomping the face of the no good hombre that hurt her into the dirt.

Wysteria pulled the sheets up as high as she could, making sure to snuggling in as fully as she could, it was a bit harder -- especially considering the fact that she wasn't used, just yet, to sleeping on her side or belly as the wings wished. Oh well, sleep came quickly, and easily -- giving her a nice respite from the day. She smiled happily; hopefully she would wake up tomorrow, and everything would be normal again.

********

In the middle of the night she woke up with a start, hearing a thumping below -- and someone bellowing Santa's signature phrase. Wait! Santa's catch phrase? In Minty's voice? Below!? Was it possible? Was she back home? Oh she simply had to find out! She popped open her eyes. Oh it was true!! It was all true! She was back in her own room. Looking down only brought more good news! She really was back home! She could hardly believe it! There she was, lying in her own bed!

Could it really be true? She wasn't sure, but there was only one way to find out! She lept out of bed, and galloped straight out the door. What she saw below filled her eyes with wonder -- she almost couldn't believe what she saw! But it was true! Oh it was! It really, truly, was her house -- her beautiful purple flower themed house! Everything was exactly where she had left it Christmas Eve -- including Spike's flower! It had been just a nightmare! A horrible, terrible, miserable nightmare!

And do you what would go with this wondrous moment? A beautiful flower! And most beautiful one she had was right there! So naturally she took the flower and put it into it's proper place, in her hair, at the front of her head. Oh how wonderful! Now that everything was back to normal she could resume her normal gardening rituals, and she could help Daisyjo with her garden again, and she could go back to playing chocolate checkers with Sparkleworks! Oh it just made her so giddy -- especially considering how bad her week was!

Oh she just hear the fire burning in her chimney! The festive Christmas fire! Wait... Christmas fire? She killed the fire before she went to bed! So why did she think she heard a fire? She turned around to verify that she hadn't imagined it! Strange -- she thought she could smell smoke, and hear popping! Oh dear! Had something bad happened downstairs? However, taking a look out her door revealed nothing, but the color of her Christmas lights, and a smell of incense. Was she imagining things? So why would she still smell smoke and hear the sound of popping, when nothing seemed to be on fire?

Oh well! She could start her planning for the next spring promenade, with all of it's flowers! Flowers! Flowers! And what was even better was that she wouldn't have to be in that nice Braeburn's way any longer. It really was turning out to be a Christmas miracle!

She rushed up to her bathroom to look in the mirror. And it just got better! Her monster horn and wings were gone! Her nightmare was over! Up until the point she heard a sound...

"Princess! Princess! Princess!" Spike said, rebuking her from behind. "Rule 37: a princess never stays up past her bedtime!" He said, causing her to turn around -- her face going pale.

How did Spike get into her home? And, more importantly: when did spike get into her house? And why, in heaven's name, was he in her bathroom? Of course, in the end, the fact that he was was beyond debate, as there he stood, claw wagging, plain as day. And he looked none too happy!

"If you are going to be a proper princess, then you need to follow the rules." He said, chastising her, with emphasis. "Imagine what would happen if you didn't!" He said, with a shutter.

"But Spike! I thought we both agreed that everyone was a princess now, and we didn't need all these rules!" She said, feeling betrayed by a dragon that she thought was her friend.

"I'm terribly sorry, my dear, but that is impossible!" He said, as she suddenly found herself back in the top floor of one of the towers of the friendship celebration castle -- a place she still couldn't enter, due to all the bad memories! A place also known as 'her royal chambers!'

"Why would everybody be a princess? Not just anybody can be a princess." Spike lectured, dryly. "Especially not Sunny Daze!" Spike said with a noticeable shudder.

"No!" She shouted, dropping down to her knees to beg Spike -- the neverending barrage of images flowing through her head. "Please! I don't wanna be a princess! I can't stand all these rules! I just wanna be me!" She begged, remembering her eating lessons with all of the spoons, and all of their 'proper alignments'.

She could still remember his words: "Princess! Princess! Princess! This is a tabouli, and requires the tabouli spoon -- and the tabouli fork! And the alignment of the pudding spoon is all wrong! When eating a tabouli: the pudding spoon must be held at an one hundred seventy five degree angle! And this is obviously at a one hundred seventy six degree angle! Please try again!" She began to shake in fear, panic starting to set in.

But the tiny blue dragon wouldn't relent, shaking his head, and wagging his claw. "Princess! Princess! Princess!" He said, taking a snooty tone. "That is simply impossible now!" He said, chastising her like a small child. "The moment you put my flower on you became a princess! And now, to add to that, your body has grown the proper accoutrements, thus making your princessification inevitable!"

"Spike, what are you talking about?" She shouted, growing ever more frantic. "What accoutrements?! What do you mean?" She asked, the panic attack slowly growing worse! "Isn't there anything we can do?" She begged, her pleas falling on deaf ears.

Spike shook his head -- as if unaware of what she was saying. "Just take a look my dear." He said, snapping his talon. "Oh ladies in waiting!" He shouted to Tiddly Wink and Tra-La-La, who flew up, with vacant expressions on their faces -- smiling like something out of the village of the darned. "Wait no longer!" He said, with his own smile -- motioning at Wysteria. "The princess requests a mirror!"

"Sure thing!" Both breezies shouted in unison, flying over with a hand mirror, that they had procured from a nearby room. "Here you go!"

"Oh I'm so glad we can be of use to princess Wysteria!" Tiddly Wink said, to Tra-La-La. "She's so lucky! And I'm just so glad I got this splendoricious opportunity!" She said, giddily, rubbing her hooves together.

"Here you go princess!" He said, eagerly holding up the mirror. "So as you can see -- " Spike said, his voice fading behind the murmuring of her own thoughts -- which grew ever more chaotic.

"No! It can't be!" She shouted, falling to her knees -- right before her was that horrible horn and those miserable wings, not just back, but bigger than ever. "No! I don't wanna be a princess." She shouted, beginning to back away, dragging her plot along the ground behind her.

Spike shook his head again. "Princess! Princess! Princess! When will you finally understand? You are a princess, you simply need to learn to live with it!" He said, turning his back to her, as he grabbed something off a desk. "Ahh! This is it!" He said, eagerly -- turning, once more, back to face her. "But don't worry my dear!" He said, with an honest smile.

"I don't?" She said, sniffing slightly, her smile slowly returning. Had her friend the nice Spike came back? Did he have something to help? Wait! Maybe he had something that could fix this? Oh how splendid!

"Yes!" He said, waving his claw. "Because!" He continued, causing to draw more closely -- her heart filled with hope.

"Because?" She said, eagerly, her smile grow like one of her plants.

"Yes! Because I brought this new princess book back with me!" He said, causing her mouth to drop in dismay. "And it's even bigger and more princessy then the other one!" He said, pulling out an enormous book, that was almost as big as she was. "Oh! All the princessing we will be doing! All the new rules you can be following! Won't that be wonderful!" He said, sounding like an enthusiastic schoolboy.

Wysteria stood there, panic had turned to hope, and now blind rage, as her fear and panic continued to grow and spread. "NO!" She shouted, stamping her hooves, causing everything to tremble like lighting. "I HATE BEING A PRINCESS! I JUST WANNA BE ME!" She said, turning from begging and pleading to demanding as fight or flight took over.

"Oh pshaw!" Spike exclaimed. "You don't know what you want!" He said, speaking like an adult talking to their rebellious child. "Eat something! You'll feel better!" He said, the words sounding familiar to her.

Wysteria felt herself dying inside, as fear and panic began to mix with rage. She HAD to make this stop! She couldn't be a princess! Not again! If she had to be a princess again, then it would be the end of her! There was only one option! She hated it, but all of a sudden it seemed like not just the only option, but also the best one! "NO!" She exclaimed, smirking wickedly. "I don't plan to eat something! I won't be a princess, and do you know why?" She asked, getting in the dragon's face.

"And why is that?" The dragon responded back, remaining unfazed.

"Because I quit!" She said, waiting eagerly for the inevitable. "That's right! I quit, now you can go back to sleep for another thousand years, and leave me alone!" She said, her smirk growing ever darker, expecting to see him get woozy, and fall over like last time. "That's right! I don't care! I'm through!" She said, enthusiastically, crossing her front legs definitely. "Now leave me alone, and never come back!"

Instead of the reaction she was expecting, the dragon simply laughed a high pitched laugh -- one that sounded more like a wicked witch then his normal stuffy noble laugh. "Oh Princess! You can't quit! It's much too late now! The princessformation is too advanced!" He said, causing her smile, and all her mirth to suddenly stop; and just as suddenly, as she suddenly found herself standing amongst her friends --towering over them, at double the size of the next tallest pony. Her hair floated in the wind, blowing against an unknown force.

"I'm sorry Princess Wysteria!" Sunny Daze said. "But you're totally a princess now and totally more important then we little ponies are!" She said, disappearing.

"Guys don't you recognize me?" She asked her remaining friends, her eyes filling with tears. "It's me Wysteria!" She asked, in vain.

"Don't worry princess! We won't let you down!" Pinkie said, as she, Minty, and Rainbow Dash disappeared.

"NO! Come back!" Wysteria cried out as her friends disappeared one at a time. As Spike simply stood there in the ground laughing louder, and louder, and more, and more wickedly.

"NOO!!!!!!!!" Wysteria shouted, as she felt herself being shaken.

"Wysteria! Wake up!" Braeburn shouted over her dream. "WAKE UP!!!"

"Say what?" Wysteria asked, waking with a start. "Where am I?" She asked, finding her head and chest dripping in sweat. Standing over the bed was her new friend Braeburn, and his face looked like he'd just been chased by that monster in Daisyjo's garden.

"Ya'all must have had one heck of ah nightmare!" Braeburn said, beginning to calm down. "Ya'all was shouting like a banshee, and yer magic was going all wonky -- causing flowers and thistles ta shoot up everywhere, and the ground was shake'n like the dickens!" He said, as she began to cry.

"Oh Braeburn! It was horrible! I was me again! But then Spike came, and he turned me into a princess! And took them away from me!"

Braeburn glanced back with confusion and concern. "Who did he take away?" He asked, with concern, desperately trying to comfort the frantic alicorn.

"My friends!" Wysteria wailed back, the tears streaming again. "He took them all away! Every last one! And then he left me all alone! And I couldn't do anything! And he had a million rules for me to follow!" She wept, beginning to hiccup. "I miss my friends so!" She said, weeping desperately, the rest of her words becoming incoherent.

Braeburn frowned. 'Spike caused her friends to leave'? Why would she think that? And why would she be having a nightmare of all her friends being taken away? Could she have been abandoned by her family? But why? And why would her friends have abandoned her? Could something have happened to separate her from her friends? Didn't seem right! Somepony's friends and family turning on them like this? But why would somepony, anypony -- especially somepony's family -- turn on a princess like that? Where these unicorn or earth pony supremacists or something? Didn't seem to be the case, so what happened here?

In the end, he was glad that the local bartender, Morton Saltworthy, had promised to give him a bottle of dragon's fire, if he came in first thing in the morning, because it looked like he was going to definately need to send that letter. Maybe he needed a princess to help him here? As he was in over his head! And, to top things off, he had no idea how to detangle the mares mangled memories.

Braeburn smiled. "Ya feeling better?" He asked, kindly turning to the alicorn. "Or would ya like somethin' to drink?" He said, smiling warmly.

"Some grape juice would be nice." She said, hiccuping slightly. "If you don't mind." She said, shivering slightly.

"Sure." He said, with a smile, turning to walk out the door. Of course juice wasn't something he would be drinking after a dream like that, but whatever.

Wysteria frowned, opening her mouth, once more -- her voice filled with concern, and uncertainty. "Braeburn?"

"What is it?" He asked, turning around with a comforting smile. "Do ya need somthin' else."

"Would it be ok if you stayed in here with me tonight?" She asked, like a frightened child, causing Braeburn to frown anxiously -- rubbing his right hoof against his left leg.

Ok. What was he going to do? He had a feeling that she would probably be unable to sleep if he didn't. But if he did, his mother would probably haunt him forever (and, probably, with good reason.)

"Please mr. Braeburn." Wysteria begged and pleaded -- probably still seeing whatever she dreamed about. "I'm scared!" She said, like the small child who needed to sleep in theirs parent's bed after a nightmare.

He sighed, maybe if he slept on the floor -- but he was risking an awful lot. Especially if ponies found out -- or worse still, his worst parts got the better of him. In the end, though, he decided to take the risk (Maybe he could pull it off, especially if he could keep himself busy finishing that letter!)

********

Luna took flight rushing through the dreamscape at top speeds -- one of her little ponies was suffering terribly, and it was her job... (nay her duty!) To do everything in her power to assist them! Well, assuming that she arrived on time (she hated it when she was late, especially after the week's failures.)

In the distance, she could see the dream unfolding before her -- it appeared that her little pony was suffering dreadfully from nightmares, and was shouting desperately (which broke the Princess of the Night's heart.) As she drew closer, the dream began to come into clarity -- at least the details of this dream could be seen from the outside, unlike that poor pony in Ponyville. Perhaps if she stayed and watched, then she would be able to find out something that would allow her to unravel the mystery of this pony's torment.

Before her, she could see a pegasus. "Ahh..." She thought. "Must be a dream about flying..." Problem? it Wasn't a pegasus before her eyes! No! Instead it was another alicorn! Luna stopped in astonishment. Why would her little pony be dreaming that he...? no wait... that was a she! Why would this little pony be dreaming that she was an alicorn? And, for that matter, why was she so afraid of them?

Did not all the subjects love their princesses of moon and sun? And for that matter, wouldn't she wish to be a princess, like them? So why was she so afraid? And, for that matter, Luna had never, once, in her two thousand year reign run into a pony that had nightmares about being a princess! (Well maybe not entirely, Sombra probably had nightmares of them, but certainly never of being a prince/princess.)

As Luna watched on, the ponies oppressor began to come into focus: a small blue dragon with a purple mohawk. The tiny blue dragon reminded her of Twilight's little dragon son/brother. Luna fluttered her eyes, in confusion. This little pony's oppressor was Princess Twilight's son/brother Spike? No! That was impossible! Of this she was certain! So why did the little dragon look like a blue version of Princess Twilight's little dragon? Or was it all merely a coincidence? And for that matter, why did she get the impression that something very fishy was going on? For instance, why did she get the impression that she recognized that dragon? And another thing, why was it that the ponies fears didn't seem to stem from the teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite creature standing before her, and Instead seemed to stem from a sense of betrayal? And why? Was it possible that this purple alicorn knew the baby dragon that stood before the Princess of the Night, in this young pony's dream? Or was this a creation of her own imagination? In either case, the question still remained of what this little blue monster had to do with her being afraid of being a princess? Was Luna dealing with mental imagery? Did the dragon represent power and authority? The forces of nature? Of Tartarus?

In any case, the dream grew darker, and the pony's mood more desperate! There was no more time for Luna to think, or speculate, as it was now time that she intervened! This nightmare had gotten out of control, and there was no more time to wait! She had to intervene, and only afterwards could she resume her contemplations! The time had come! Her horn glowed as she began to pierce the dream walls. She looked at the scene, and began to look for an object that she could replace in the dream's continuity. Her spell would drill into the dream, and it's walls would crumble allowing her entry. Well... normally... Except this time, once again, it didn't!... Ok!... Undetered, she decided to take another course of action! She would force her way in. She decided to gallop at the dream's walls at full speed -- only to find herself crashing into the wall that separated the dream from the dreamscape.

Luna sighed, mentally face hoofing. Again? This was the second time that night that she had found her entry into a dream blocked. And it appeared that the pony couldn't hear her -- as if things weren't difficult enough already. This, to the princess of the moon, represented a catastrophe! Not just did it make her doubt her own magic, and her life's calling, but it also meant that there would be nothing the princess of the moon could do but stand by helplessly, as the dream continued to get worse, and worse. Leaving Luna to mourn for the young pony as their dream turned to take a turn for the worse, as the poor pony's friends began to disappear into the dreamscape one at a time.

No! She would not accept this! She had to get in! And she would! So help her Faust! At this point Luna made a promise to herself, this poor pony, and Faust herself! She would gain entry -- even if it was the last thing she did!

"ENOUGH!" She shouted, using her full powers to blow away the foul blue beast. The source of this ponies sufferings would be stopped, and through his defeat Luna would gain entry into this nightmare! The beam of magic left her horn, and struck the beast and ...

Nothing occurred! Nothing! Nothing at all! However, it was not for not, as the true nature of the dream began to take hold as the blue nightmare began to laugh wickedly.

Luna's face began to pale, and her knees began to wobble. "No! This canst not be!" She shouted out of panic. "The nightmare is dispelled! Nightmare Moon is no more!" She shouted, feeling herself grow cold. This couldn't be Nightmare Moon! They dispelled the nightmare when they drove it out of generous Rarity! It was gone, blown into tiny bits! It would never rise again! But it had to be right?

Luna stopped to think, calming her mind, and clarifying her thoughts. No! This couldn't be Nightmare Moon -- for, if it was, then she would know immediately, due to the connection they shared. But that left another question, that begged to be asked: if that wasn't Nightmare Moon, then who was it? And, for that matter, why did she feel was the insatiable need to flee? What manner of nightmare was this? What manner of creature was out praying on their little ponies' dreams! No! She must awake! She had to warn her sister! She had to tell her now!

"CELESTA!" She shouted, running down the corridors, rudely ejected from the dreamscape. "CELESTIA! SHE'S BACK!" She shouted, like a scared filly. "THE NIGHTMARE IS BACK!" She shouted, playing Paul Revere. Shouting as she galloped down the halls, like a mad pony, until she literally ran into a very unhappy Kibitz.

"Luna!" Kibitz barked, looking very perturbed. "You need some rest!" He cautioned, giving the lunar alicorn some unwanted advice. "I don't know what happened during your dreamwalk; but it's time for Celestia to rest! If you are going to act this way, then you are obviously going to achieve nothing more tonight!" He barked, dragging her down the hallway by the tail. "I suggest you take a break." He said, with a frown. "Maybe find something else to occupy yourself with."

Luna frowned, thinking about things. After a second she nodded -- she must have been imagining things? Maybe all the pressures of modern rule were, indeed, getting to her."I suppose." Luna responded, going into denial. "It was just a nightmare..." She said, trying to convince herself. "Yes! You were just imagining that dreamwalk." She said, walking away nervously -- struggling with what she swore to be the truth.

So why didn't she believed herself? Why did she believe a nightmare had been born?

********

"What do ya mean 'I don't have any dragon's fire left'!? Ya said that ya had plenty last night!" Braeburn said, his voice containing a fair amount of agitation. "Ah really need that dragon's fire!" He shouted at the local bartender, Morton Saltworthy, feeling the pressure. He had planned this since that letter since the purple alicorn had mentioned Applejack's friend Twilight's pet dragon, but Wysteria's nightmare last night had lit a fire under his hooves, and now he felt he had to get this letter to Celestia (via his cousin Applejack), as quickly as possible.

"Well I apologize monsieur, but apparently I was meestaken about that." The old bartender said, with a frown. "I thought that I had some of thees, but apparently not so." He said, calmly, using a key to open a locked cabinet to reveal a set of empty shelves. "It may also be possible that the theef, or one of my dancers 'borrowed' it for their own purposes." He said, shrugging his withers. "What do you need thees for so badly anyway?" He said, quirking an eyebrow. "Certainly this cousin Applejack can wait, can she not?" He asked, turning to go back to his work.

"Actually..." He said, with a frown. "It's urgent. Ah need to git in contact with her." He said, with a blush, rubbing one of his front legs against the other.

"Let me guess, monsieur." Morton said, his face remaining unmoving. "Eeet has to do with the thief?" He said, pouring a drink out for one of his customers.

Braeburn frowned. "Kind of..." He said, with a frown. "But ah really don't want ta say anymore."

"But, of course." Morton replied, knowingly. "However, I fail to see the need to request the elements over a petty thief, no matter how badly he hurt you." He said, looking at all the bandages, bumps, bruises, and cuts on the apple -- possibly a bruised or broken rib or two.

"Ah suppose." Replied Braeburn -- not wanting the reveal the real reason: he was dealing with a very emotionally disturbed alicorn. This greatly complicated things... What was he going to do now? And how was he going to help the poor dear, if he had no idea how? However, in any case, the best course of action would be to leave his mouth shut for down, lest things get complicated for the dear.

"Of course, monsieur." The bartender replied, with a faint smile. "I can still send your letter, if you wish," he said, calmly. "I can even send thees free of charge," he said, with a wink. "Would thees do?"

Braeburn nodded, reluctantly. What else was he going to do?

********

The next couple of weeks moved along relatively quickly, with him spending most of his nights on the floor of his own room (also known as the guest room.) It wasn't so much that he wanted to (he had originally planned to sleep on the couch, but the alicorn's constant nightmares had resulted in him spending a lot of time there instead) And apparently having someone else in the room seemed to ease her nightmares (after the third or fourth night, he noticed that being in the room seemed to prevent the nightmares from occurring, was it possible she had fears of abandonment or something?)

Which, of course, made things more difficult. Especially, as he started to find the mare kind of pretty (though that may have had more to do with the fact that she was a princess, or the time of year -- hard to say for sure.) Which, of course, left him desperately searching for things to keep himself busy with at night (he was now starting to talk about his childhood in his 'catching up' letters.) In the end, though, it all felt worth it to keep the mare happy. Hopefully Applejack could get somepony that could help.

The Irony of it all, was that all of her nightmares had to do with her being a princess, something about 'princess training' (though the whole concept was lost on him -- not to mention that he was pretty sure that AJ's friend Twilight didn't have any princess training.) And as a result, had left his mother's house kind of a jungle (literally, there must have been forty-five different kinds of trees, bushes, and shrubs piled up around his house.) And, admittedly, it made his neighbors kind of agitated.

"So, first you trick that innocent dear! -- " Old Cherry Strudel gripped, pointing -- with his hoof -- to one of the many large tropical trees. "And now you make a mockery of yer old mother's house!" He shouted, with indignation. "Yer mother cared about her house, instead of turning it into some kind of jungle," he shouted, poking Braeburn with his hoof.

"Ah understand Cherry." Braeburn said, apologetically, holding his hat to his chest (he couldn't tell the old man that his guest's nightmares seemed to cause out of control surges of her earth pony magic, resulting in this mess.) "Ah'll try to get them cleaned up quick as ah can."

"Ah hope so!" The old stallion retorted -- turning away. "And ah hope you ah're done exploitin' that innocent young filly," he said, with disgust.

"Of course sir." Braeburn replied honestly -- bristling on the inside that this old coot was making these unfair assessments about him.

The old stallion sighed, and trotted off -- muttering to himself angrily.

"I'm terribly sorry, Braeburn." Said a sobbing Wysteria, trotting up slowly. "I really didn't mean to do this to you," she said, with a frown. "I had no idea that I was going to cause them to hate you," she said, sobbing some more -- beginning to trot off.

"Oh Wysteria." Braeburn replied to her, with a smile. "Ya haf to ignore old Cherry, he kin git a smidgen crotchety at times -- ah think it's 'cause he had a crush on my mom, in his youth, and he get's a smidge protective of her," He said, with a chuckle -- putting a hoof on her wither.

"I suppose," He said, calming down a little. "Is there something I can do to help?"

"Nothing." Braeburn said, with a smile. "Unless you can tell all the plants here to go away." He said, with a chuckle.

Wysteria chuckled back. "But I kind of like them," She said, looking at the jungle. After a few seconds, she nodded her head reluctantly. "But I can try, though."

Braeburn did a double take. "What do ya mean, 'try'?"

Wisteria frowned. "I made them appear, so maybe I can make them go home," she said, staring at the forage. "Could you all go home?" She asked of the forage. When nothing happened, she frowned. "Please!" She begged.

Braeburn stared for a second, feeling like he was going to laugh at her pitiful attempt, up until the point where her horn, along with her eyes, started to glow a neon glow.

"PLEASE FRIENDS!!!" She shouted, tears of pain flowing from her eyes. "GO HOME!!!! YOU'RE MAKING THINGS HARD FOR MY FRIEND BRAEBURN!!!" She shouted, in the Royal Canterlot voice, causing storm and wind to spew -- throwing Braeburn up against his own home.

When the plants didn't respond, she began to look uncharacteristically agitated. "WE COMMAND YOU!!!" She shouted, her pupils changing from their normal green and yellow color, to a blood red. "DO YOU DISOBEY THE ORDERS OF YOUR QUEEN!!!" She commanded, beginning to go ferryl.

"Wysteria! Relax!" Braeburn shouted, begging her to stop.

The alicorn practically jumped out of her skin for a second. "I'm sorry Braeburn," She said, with a frown. "I don't know what got into me." She said, walking away again.

"relax Wysteria!" Braeburn said, with a reassuring smile. "Ya just don't know how ta control yer magic yet!" He said, making sure to look her in the eyes. "I'm sure ya'll figure it out soon enough."

"But Braeburn." She said, with a frown. "How can I be casting magic? Regular ponies can't cast magic! Only unicorns." She said, with self-doubt -- suddenly recalling little Rarity, and Cheerilee from the foggy depths of her memories (but why did she remember these ponies she never met before so vividly? And why did she know to call them 'unicorns'?)

Braeburn frowned. How should he put this? "Well yer special." He said, with a smile. "Yah have a gift," He said, pointing at the trees. "Ya just have to learn to control it."

"I suppose," she said, with a frown.

"Why don't ya go in and git something to eat." Braeburn said, with a smile. "Ah'll finish out here." He said, thinking about whether he should be using a shovel, a hoe, an axe, or a machete to clear out the jungle.

Wysteria frowned, walking away, sadly. Braeburn frowned, knowing that he'd have to talk to her again in a minute, he just had to get a path cleared back to his house first.

Within a few seconds, a puff of smoke and fire emerged, above his head, slowly forming into the shape of a sealed scroll -- which promptly hit him on the head.

"That's odd," He said, to himself. "Where'd this letter come from?" He asked, looking the odd parchment up and down.

Sealing the scroll was an odd golden seal -- it looked like a moon. Could this be in response to the letter he sent to his cousin? He frowned, it had to be, but who would have a moon for their seal?

He slowly opened up the scroll, reading the top few lines.

"From the desk of her majesty, Princess Luna, princess of Equestria,"

"Well as a stupid question." He said, to himself, with a frown -- fully expecting to be responded to by Cadance, Twilight, or Celestia, instead of Celestia's crotchety sister Luna. "So what do ya want?" He said, curiously, reading down further.

"We have received word from our fellow princess of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle, and your cousin Applejack -- who sends you her regards --, that you have come into contact with a previously undiscovered nascent alicorn, and we wish to send both you, and her our greetings, and to inform you that you are to treat her as you would any princess of Equestria."

Braeburn smiled. "Well have that under control," he said, to himself, with a chuckle. "What else ya want ta tell me?"

"And we wish to thank you for working so hard to assuage her emotional distress, and to get word to us as quickly as you were able -- "

"Thanks." Braeburn said, with a blush, and a chuckle.

"However..." The letter continued, the writing becoming slightly more jagged (the brainwashing diplomatic letter writing lesson that Celestia gave her beginning to wear off.) "Thou fool!!! Thou noodle noggin!!! Why didst thou not take more steps to get this vital information to us sooner! Thou hast taken it upon thyself not just to endanger her, but all of Equestria!"

Braeburn gulped -- he might be in trouble now.

"We are, therefore, going to be coming to Appleloosa, forthwith! Thou art to meet us in front of the train station in exactly forty four hours, and, In the mean time, thou art to keepest her as calm and comfortable as possible! Furthermore, and this might seem counterintuitive, thou art to do thine best to discourage her from using her magic, as much as possible!" The letter demanded, written with a discernable greater amount of passion.

Braeburn frowned, this was an interesting development. He was expecting his cousin and Twilight to show up, as was customary, instead of The Princess of the Night.

"Failure to comply with these clearly written instructions will be considered treason against the crown of Equestria!

With love, Princess Luna." The letter demanded, before exploding into flames.

Braeburn gulped. "Wysteria!" He said, rushing back indoors. "How would you like a meal out! On me!" He said, eagerly (well, more like anxiously) trying to smile as much as he was able, and more.

********

Meanwhile, in the badlands.

Phytolacca looked around with enthusiasm, tapped his hoof impatiently, waiting for his contact. "That drone had better come on time," he snarled to himself, just about at his wits end. "And he had better have seen what it told the collective it had seen. Or else -- " He snarled, making sure to test the accuracy of his use of weaponry on the word 'else'.

After a few minutes, a newly converted drone came flying in (probably from the changeling's last raid on a nearby village) -- moving robotically towards his superior. After a few minutes, he came to a stop before the high level assassin, bowing to his changeling superior.

Phytolacca returned a smirk -- what a stoodge. "So, did you manage to find the princess?" Phytolacca asked, turning to the drone in front of him. "Did ya? Did ya? Did ya?" He repeated, like an excited five year old -- making sure to jump up and down excitedly on each exclamation of 'ya'.

"While searching for food for the hive." The changeling drone nodded mindlessly. "We encountered an old stallion wandering through the desert. Brief interrogation determined that it would be unsafe and unwise, for the hive, to feed upon him due to instability. We, instead, we decided that it prudent to release him, but not before interrogating him further, and -- "

"And?" Phytolacca asked, impatiently -- growing tired of this discussion (he did, after all, have a princess to find.) "What does this have to do with the princess?" He asked, impatiently, practicing his throwing by tossing a needle against a nearby stone, causing it to rickoshea off a ridge, before taking the top off a distant cactus. The changeling gave a sadistic smile -- and a quick stamp of his hoof. "Just missed... It was supposed to take the flower off the top..." He chuckled, turning a death glare to the drone.

The drone continued, mindlessly. "He was babbling something incoherently about seeing a princess in his town," the drone replied. "We believe that he was telling the truth, though we can't say for certain; because of his mental instability," he continued, seemingly unaware of the growing smile on the assassin's face.

"And that town is?" Phytolacca asked, licking his lips -- maybe round two was coming soon (after all, he was eager to meet Equestria's newest princess, away from her compatriots or any guards.) He started jittering excitedly. "Don't leave us in suspense!!!" He shouted in the drone's face, which remained straight -- causing the assassin to frown.

"Appleloosa," the drone responded, robotically. "However, Phytolacca, didn't the queen command us? -- " The drone started saying, before being shushed by the middle aged assassin.

"Don't worry about our queen," the assassin cooed, putting his hoof to the drone's mouth. "It's not your job to think..." He hinted, with a smirk. "It's mine!" He said, patting the drone on the head with his hoof. "Now be a good mindless drone, and tell the queen, and Vladímir that I was forced to dispatch a princess of Equestria as part of my mission, for the hive, " he said, with a smirk -- agitation beginning to show through his demeanor.

"The orders that we were given do not match those that -- " The drone started, rebuking the assassin.

"Sssshhhh..." The assassin cooed, grinning at the drone. "I have higher orders." He said, throwing a needle straight at the drone, hitting them squarely on the head. After a few seconds of violently shaking, the drone silently stopped moving, and fell to the desert floor. "And I can't have you interrupting my plans." He said, with a smirk, flying off towards Appleloosa. "I'm coming princess!!!" He shouted. "Be ready!" He said, hoping that the princess would have more fight than last time.

**********

"So boss?" Jersey Shore asked, holding up a tightly bound and gagged deputy Bronze Star (who currently looked more like a mummy then a deputy.) "What we going to do with the deputy?" He asked, with genuine curiosity. "I mean we can just let him go, can we?" He asked, contemplating the quick chase by the cavalry that would, inevitably follow.

"Why we're going to let him go." His boss replied, with a false courteousness -- and a faux smile. "After all, we've detained the deputy long enough." He said, shedding a fake tear for the three weeks they had 'detained' the deputy after he had discovered their little encampment, by accident. "How does that sound?" He said, disingenuously, to the deputy.

"Let him go boss?" One of his minions responded. "But wouldn't he tell the sheriff about us?" The minion asked, contemplating his noose size.

"Of course he will, he's a deputy after all." Longhorn said, intending to be ironic. "But, unfortunately, -- " He said, with a snicker. "-- he's going to miss the sheriff's return this afternoon." Longhorn whispered into the deputy's ear, holding a hoof to the deputy's neck. "Do you understand?" He asked, holding his hoof within punching distance of the deputy's face.

The deputy politely nodded, his face looking slightly pale -- muttering some words (or maybe pleas) that couldn't be understood through the gag he was wearing.

"Good!" The big steer said, with a chuckle -- pointing to one of his men to free the deputy. "What time is he arriving?" He asked, turning back to the deputy. "I don't want to be late after all," he said, with a sneer -- making good and sure to extract the original planned arrival date, from the deputy (with force, as necessary.)

"That's a great idea!" Doc Holstein replied, to his boss. "We can be there to meet the sheriff, before anyone else in town even knows he's coming." He said, starting to imagine the possibilities.

His boss nodded, a cruel smile showing across his face -- glad to see his men taking a passion in their employment, for a change. "And then the town will be ours," He continued, with a chuckle. "Heck! We should call it Canter Creek Two," he added, getting onto his brand new goat (the old one kind of abandoned him, after his imprisonment. "Come on boys! We ride!" He shouted, gathering up his gang for their ride into town. "We have a sheriff to meet!!!"

**********

"So is this Luna nice?" Wysteria asked, her friend Braeburn quietly. Hesitating slightly, at the prospect of meeting someone new -- especially a princess (although, she kind of knew, now, how her friends felt, when she was a princess temporarily -- and she hoped to never be again.)

"Well...." Braeburn said, with a chuckle. "Of course she is!" He lied, remembering all the legends about her, and having heard the stories of the last nightmare night the princess attended from some of his cousins, during the last apple family reunion. "She's really... really... friendly!" He said, with a disingenuous smile (hoping the naive young mare wouldn't notice.)

"Oh that sounds nice." Wysteria responded, with a smile. "I wanted to meet another al-i-corn, ever since you mentioned her to me yesterday," she said, sniffing some of the local flora. "Oh the flowers are so nice here!" She chuckled to herself -- using her hoof to gently straighten one of the flowers. "There! All better!" She said, cooing to the flower. "I'll love helping this place to be as nice and green as Ponyville!" She said, returning her focus to Braeburn.

Braeburn frowned, figuring that Luna was probably not going to permit that -- probably opting, instead, to take the princess back to Canterlot for proper training, or something. Of course he didn't dare tell her that, and --

His thought process derailed as he started to notice a relatively uncomfortable feeling. What was with the hot breath? Was somepony breathing on his shoulder? Well that wasn't very neighborly!

Braeburn frowned, maybe he should ask them to stop. "Excuse me gent." Braeburn said, turning around. "But could ya do me a favor, an' not breathe on my shoulder ..." He said, finally getting a good look at the five large bulls who were standing behind him. Causing him to give out a silent gasp (well it would have been a full gasp if he hadn't been putting his hoof in his mouth.)

"Why certainly!" The old bull cooed, drinking full and well of the panic that he saw welling up in the apple's face. "No worries!" He said, disingenuously. "We're just here to meet someone. And then, after they arrive, we'll be on our way... well... for a while..." He said, with a faux politeness.

"Oh course..." The apple replied, trying, very hard, to hide the fact that he was sweating bullets -- not just from Longhorn and the bulls, but also his emotionally fragile friend (whom he figured that telling about the angry, blood thirsty bulls was probably not a smooth plan.)

Braeburn turned to Wysteria. "Wysteria?" He asked, waiting for her to turn to him -- maybe he could convince her to leave without clueing the bulls onto his plan.

"Yes Braeburn?" She asked, with an innocent smile. "What's going on?" She said, entirely unaware of what was going on.

"Could ya do me a favor, and go an' tell Sombrero that mah hat is kind'a lookin' sad. An' that I need a new one?" He asked, hoping she would take the message.

"But your hat looks fine." She said, still unaware of what was going on. After a few seconds, the eco bulb finally started to light up. "Oh! You want to talk to your friends privately?" She asked, thinking he wanted to gossip or something. "I'm sure whatever you want to tell them, you can tell me too!"

When it became obvious that she wasn't getting the message, Braeburn frowned, 'dropping his hat, by mistake', and made good and sure to step on his hat real hard.

"Too bad!" The old bull cooed. "And your hat was looking so nice too!" He said, bunting a nearby water barrel into a nearby building. "Or was..." He stated, with a smirk -- stamping on Braeburns hat a time or two more. "And I think he should totally see this," he said -- motioning 'politely' at the purple alicorn (whom he thought was an earth pony) --, starting to lose his cool. "You understand?" He asked the apple, his voice dripping with animosity -- his hoof sharking vigorously.

"Oh... of course..." The apple replied, starting to sweat. "Ah wouldn't want her to miss out.. an all this... fun..." He said, giving his best fake smile.

"Why are you sweating Braeburn?" Wysteria asked, starting to notice her new friend sweating bullets. "Is something the matter?" She asked, in concern.

"You don't know?" The old bull responded, starting to laugh raucously. The alicorn shook her head. "Well you will!" He said, waiting, patiently, for the five twenty-five train from Ponyville.

Five twenty-five came and left, and finally around five thirty, the five twenty-five pulled into the station.

"All right boys!" Longhorn shouted, ordering his men to get into position. "He'll be getting off any second now," he said, rubbing his hooves together, for effect. "You know what we're going to do right?" He asked of his men.

"Yeah! We're going to beat him up!" Shouted Jersey Shore, with a chuckle -- holding up his hoof.

Wysteria held her hooves to her muzzle, in horror. Beat him up? That wasn't very nice! Why would they want to beat anyone up?

"Oh and kid..." The bull said, to Braeburn, without even turning around. "You'd better not be planning to run!" He said, tossing another water barrel into another building.

Braeburn gulped, wondering who the outlaw was waiting for (hopefully nopony he knew or cared about, thought he bet the old bandito probably was.)

As the last passenger left, and the train pulled away, a discerned sense of frustration flowed through the air.

Causing all four of the bulls to turn their attention to their boss. "Where's the sheriff?" King Longhorn lowed vigorously, filling the air with dread.

"I don't know boss?" Angus (Mcsteer) responded, nonchalantly. "Maybe he got delayed and had to get on the next train? Maybe if we wait till the next train -- "

King Longhorn gave an even longer, and louder low. "Or maybe that lilly livered 'deputy' told him!" He shouted, in a blind rage. "And after he promised not to!.. And now the cavalry will be here any minute now!" He shouted, looking around -- violent intentions showing in his eyes (and an obvious desire to find someone to blame for this affront.)

"But what are we going to do boss?" Jersey Shore replied. "Should we flee again, and see if'n we can find another town?" He asked, as all the bull's minions turned their eyes to their boss for further instructions.

The loud cursing and screaming from their boss was enough for the gang to realize that that was not an acceptable answer to their boss -- who had no intentions of running like a coward (at least without some kind of vengeance first.)

"Hey boss." The orange one continued -- suddenly noticing something profound. "You notice he has an apple cutie mark?" He asked, looking at Braeburn's flank -- eliciting a hiding action from the stallion, involving him covering his flank with his tail, and hiding behind a pole.

"Apple?" King Longhorn replied, turning to the apple. "Did you say apple?" He asked, recalling his earlier imprisonment, and the meddling relative that started it all.

"Yeah boss." The orange one replied. "You think he's related to that other apple?"

"Quite possibly." The old steer responded, his mood slowly returning. "Maybe we can still have revenge." He thought, taking great joy in sticking his two failures square on the head of an apple.

"'Revenge'?" Wysteria responded, with a confused expression. "Isn't that kind of mean?" She asked, quietly -- a curious expression on her face (this was something new to her, something she understood only on a purely intellectual level.)

"Nonsense." The old steer cooed, giving the apple a quick bunt into the side of the train station. "We're just playing!" He said, sarcastically to the alicorn. "So why don't you be a good earth pony stallion and mind your own business! Heck maybe you should go do some stallion things like buck trees." He said, motioning with his hoof. "Well... Once I finish with your friend!" He continued, deciding that 'the stallion' should be here to see this.

"Really?" She replied, as the bulls began to kick the apple around between them. "This seems like awfully rough fun? Why don't you guys play tea party, or with dollies?" She asked, trying to act as negotiator, a role she usually took while organizing and managing the spring promenade.

"'Dollies'?" King Longhorn laughed, his agitation beginning to show. "Why would we want to do that?" He asked, with disgust. "And, for what matter, what kind of yellow bellied, lily livered stallion says stupid things like that?" He asked, bringing his hoof back into position. "Do you need me to help you look any uglier than you do now?" He asked, with disgust.

"Wait boss!" Angus responded. "It's not polite to hit a lady." He continued, naively shaking his hoof.

"That's a mare?" King Longhorn said to himself, doing a double and triple take. "That can't possibly be a mare!... I mean... Shut up Mcsteer!" Longhorn responded, pushing Wysteria over, who began to cry and sob like a little child who had been punched in the face.

"Why are you so mean?" She sobbed into her hooves. "What did we do to you?" She cried, wondering why he was being such a bully.

Longhorn started to laugh. "She's crying!" He laughed to himself. "Boo hoo!" He said, with a chuckle, making faux crying motions -- feeling much better now.

After a few seconds, a thought occurred to him. "Ok! Little ponies, you know the drill!" He said to her -- making sure she got 'her bit's worth for the show'. "Food and water in the bag!" He said, to a confused expression from the alicorn.

"But why would I do that?" She responded, still crying fiercely. "You've been nothing but a big meany! Why should I share my food with you?" She asked, resolve showing in her eyes.

"Oh... And that outfit too!" Longhorn replied, motioning to his men. "That sombrero and poncho would look so good on me!" He said, laughing at the mare's pitious resolve.

"Please!" Wysteria begged, desperately. "I don't want to take off this hat, and this coat."

"I apologize profusely." Angus (Mcsteer) responded. "But this is how it is when the boss gets into this mood." He said, pulling off her poncho to reveal a pair of ridiculous looking pegasus wings. "It's just the way this works!"

"Wow!" Doc Holstein said, whistling at the odd looking pegasus wings. "Who knew a pegasus lived in a hick town like this." He said, pulling off her sombrero to reveal an oversized unicorn horn, the size of the alicorn's entire head.

"Well that's odd." Buffalo Bull said. "I thought Luna, Celestia, and that purple one were the only princesses." He said, blinking his eyes a few times.

"Please don't call me a princess." Wysteria cried, shaking in horror -- everyone could see her wings and her horn! She had to cover them up... Before, otherwise, everyone would find out that she was a princess. She couldn't have the whole promenade disaster! Not again! Everyone was all confused and lost! Everything was all muddled and broken! And oh the flowers! She couldn't take it! She just couldn't!

"You forgot about that other one... what was her name?... Oh yes! Cadance" Angus restored. "And I didn't think there was a fifth princess either." He said, with a polite chuckle.

"I don't want to be a princess!" Wysteria pleaded, desperately. "I just want to be me!" She begged, actually wrapping her arms around one of the bull's hooves.

King Longhorn started laughing maniacally. Oh this was golden! He had a princess right where he wanted her! This would be a double revenge! Heck... Maybe this would be his road to riches as well!

"I think we broke her!" The orange bull said, backing away -- nervously. He wasn't sure he liked the boss this way.

"No!" King Longhorn replied. "Take her with us!" He said, concocting ransom plans. "A princess is very valuable!" He said, pointing at the alicorn. "And we've got ourselves a doozie!" He said, with great glee.

"No please!!!!" Wysteria begged, shaking violently -- her pupils changing color from green and yellow to a blood red. "I don't want to be a princess!" She begged, crying again. "I'll do anything!"

"Yeah boss!" The orange bull continued, chuckling sadistically. "You should give her the royal treatment, and -- " He said, up to the point where his boss' hoof hit him squarely in the face, like a ton of bricks as King Longhorn gave him a quick bunt into a building.

"Quiet!" The head bull shouted, his anger returning (again.) "The would ruin her value!" He cooed, into the orange bull's ear. "I'm looking for a princess' ransom!"

"No! Please! no!" Wysteria cried -- images of spike's princess training flowing into her head. Lonely... Empty... Monotonous... Worthless... She was worthless... All she could do was sit around and look pretty... All while her friends failed... While they needed her!!!

"But boss." The orange bull continued. "If you marry her then she'd be your queen. You are 'King Longhorn', after all!" He said, getting another bunt.

The bulls continued their banter, laughing to each other, and passing princess jokes.

But all Wysteria could hear was 'princess... blah blah blah... princess... queen... blah blah blah... She's a princess..." No!!! She would help her friends!!! She wouldn't allow another spring promenade to become a disaster!

"Ahhh..." The yellow one responded. "Ya broke her boss!" He replied, as the alicorn stood there motionless, like a statue -- a vacant expression plastered across her face.

"I do that to all the ladies." King Longhorn replied, with a chuckle (not noticing the red aura slowly creeping up the alicorn, starting with the alicorn's hooves. "Just ask Moo-re-ella!" He said, with a chuckle. "In any case, shall we go and finish our 'friendly game' with the apple?" He asked his minions, rhetorically, returning to kicking the apple around.

All Wysteria could do was watch in horror as those monsters used her poor friend Braeburn for a soccer ball. And all she could do was stand there like a statue!!! No!!! She wouldn't fail her friends again!!! This year would have a spring promenade!!! And it would be perfect!!! There would never be another year without flowers again!!! And she was no longer going to be a worthless princess!!! She would be a ... She would be something more... She thought, as she slowely blacked out -- her mind giving in to madness.

King Longhorn gave a quick kick, sending Braeburn sliding into... a bush?... What in the hay?

"Where did that bush come from?" He asked, angrily -- feeling thwarted by the unwanted intruder.

"I don't know boss." The orange one replied. "I swear there wasn't any here a minute ago." He said, trotting up to give the bush a good look.

"Excuse me gentlemen?" An assertive female voice raised from among the crowd that had gathered to see the roucas at the train station.

"What do you want?" King Longhorn replied, angrily -- turning to see who it was, that was interrupting him. "This had better be important!" He growled, impatiently. "I'm a busy steer!"

"Do you wish an audience with Princess Wysteria?" The voice asked, seductively.

"Audience with Princess Wysteria?" King Longhorn asked, angrily, looking for which pony to hit next. "I don't need no stinking audience?" He said, raising his hoof.

"Shame..." The voice said, revealing a be-fanged Princess Wysteria standing behind him. "Oh well! She's indisposed anyway." The voice replied, with a chuckle. "And not that you could have one anyway! Because you are a meanie!"

"What do you mean?" The orange bull replied. "What do you mean indisposed? You're standing right in front of us!"

"But if you wish!" The voice continued, seductively. "QUEEN NIGHTSHADE WILL STAND IN JUDGEMENT OF YOU!!!" A loud voice boomed from Wysteria's lips -- bringing with it wind, and thunder.

"Shut up!" The lead steer shouted, charging at the alicorn, only to be stopped by being uppercutted suddenly when a cactus sprung up from the ground, right below his face.

"How dare you dishonor your queen!" ~~Wysteria~~ Queen Nightshade replied indignantly. "Don't you know it's proper to bow and kneel before the queen of all that blossoms and grows!" Her voice thundered -- her face scrunched in incredulity.

The steer lowed violently, punting the cactus with his hoof. "You daughter of a -- "

The queen grunted in outrage. "You dare speak, or act this way in front of a queen! And I can't condone such treatment of a beautiful flower!" She said, stamping her hoof on the ground, causing ivy to shoot out of the hole. "You hate flowers! Don't you!" She said, pointing her hoof at the lead bull.

"What are you talking about g-- " He said, choking on the last word as a sea of ivy and vines wrapped around his neck. "Fill her full of lead!" The lead steer begged, hoarsely, as the vines wrapped around him, from horns to hooves -- starting to constrict.

The goons dutifully agreed, attempting to pull out their weapons. They, however, didn't get that far before their weapons were wrapped in vines, themselves, and yanked out of their hands.

"How dare you!" The queen shouted, herself growing ever more angry. "Flowers detest violence!" She shouted, with indignation. "And nowhere in the princess book is this kind of behavior permitted!!!"

After a few seconds, she smirked. "I know what the problem is," she said, her smile growing like a weed. "It's obvious! There's no denying it anymore! You hate flowers too! Admit it!" She shouted, with outrage. "But don't worry," she cooed, her mood suddenly looking better. "I know of the perfect punishment for ruffians such as you who hate the rules of being a princess, and proper edicate, and flowers!" She said, stamping again -- causing more vines to rise out of the ground. "The flowers will show you how to love!!!"

The vines quickly wrapped themselves around two of the remaining three desperados -- entombing them.

"I'm out of here!" Shouted Angus Mcsteer, running away in utter panic. "I'm sorry!" He shouted, galloping away in pure, unadulterated, panic. "Please forgive me!"

"How dare you try to run away from your judgement!" The queen shouted stamping her hoof as the last set of vines grabbed the white steer by the hoof, and started hauling him back towards her. "I stand in judgement of you! And the flowers will teach you how to love!"

"Please!" He begged, in horror, to 'the queen'. "We give up!"

"Excelent!" She said, with a holier than thou smile, her hoof distorted into a clenched fist. "Then you accept your punishment like a proper gentleman." She shouted, as the vines started to squeeze.

"Please Wysteria!" Braeburn shouted, hoarsely -- staggering, slowly, to his feet. "Let them go!" He stuttered, in horror. "They've had enough!" He said, stepping between 'the queen', and the bulls.

"You betray your queen?" She asked, angrily turning to Braeburn -- looking like she felt betrayed. "They hate flowers! And princesses! And worst of all... process!" She moaned, raising her hoof.

"Look at them, Wysteria." He begged, with a frown. "You're hurting them!" He shouted, looking into her eyes.

"And they deserved it!" She said, pointing at the damaged buildings. "And just look at what they did to those flowers," she said, looking at some of the nearby flora. "They must be punished!" She said, with zeal.

"But they're hurt! They can't take anymore!" He pleaded, on all fours. "You're not a monster!" He shouted, hoping to snap her out of the deranged state she seemed to be in. "You love flowers and friends," he begged. "Please... Let the authorities take care of this."

"You dare betray you queen," she replied, indignantly. "Do you wish me to judge you too?" She asked, stamping her hoof. "Because I will gladly do so!"

"If you must," he responded. "But ah don't think you're a monster," he responded, as the vines started to grow towards him. "An' ah don't think ya have this in ya!" He said, as the vines came to a stop just short of his muzzle.

All of a sudden, it was like a light turned back on in the alicorn's eyes, as they started to fill with tears, as she backed off slowly. "I'm a monster!" Wysteria moaned, the aura starting to recede. "Stay away from me!" She shouted, in fear, as her eyes slowly returned to normal -- the vines falling limp to the ground.

"Ahh Wysteria." Braeburn said, approaching you. "You're just confused! I'm sure Princess Luna -- "

"Don't come near me!" The alicorn begged -- backing away from her orange earth pony friend --, taking a look at reflection in one of the water barrels, as she passed by, before turning around and galloping, at full speed, off into the desert.

Luna shook her head, flying down from above -- a disdainful expression on her face. "Thou couldst not have kept her calm, even for a few days," she said, with agitation. "And what do we see upon our arrival, but the poor foal's flank."

"Sorry princess..." Braeburn retorted, with a frown, bowing deeply. "Ah wasn't expecting company..." He said, motioning at the bulls, who were all busy gasping for air, and feeling very pathetic.

"This doth complicate much," she replied fear showing in her face. "If she falls to the nightmare she hath begot then she might be difficult to restore." Luna said, debating whether to use the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Not to mention the damage that she will wrout..."

**********

Phytolacca stomped his hoof violently. "Dang it!" He shouted to himself, with a chuckle. "Just missed her!" He said, watching from within the crowd as the purple flower alicorn fled off into the distance. "Well off we ... " He started exclaiming -- laughing to himself all the way. Well, that is until he saw the princess flying in -- causing him to cuss loudly. "That complicates things!" He exclaimed with a crazed laughter. "I'd better get the lead out!" He chuckled to himself, starting to race off -- stopping after a yard or two. A thought having occurred to him. "Wait... We can't have that meddlesome princess getting there first, can we?" He said, powering up his horn.

Nope wouldn't do! He couldn't deal with two princesses! Especially not a battle hardened old bat like Luna! (Well and the legion of guards she probably had trailing close behind.) What did that mean? It meant that he'd have no choice but to employ a trick he'd learned while still in Celestia's employ as one of her guards.

Ahh the guard! He hated that so! Well, maybe he should be fair... He had loved it once upon a time... Well, that was until... He'd get to that later.

Like most foals from changeling families, he had been planted into an Equestrian family to insure against the starvation that frequently plagued the hive proper -- and to plant a proper hunger for the love those foolish ponies put towards their families. And, boy, had his mother had chosen well. planting him in one of Equestria's premier military families. A family known for the oodles of generals, captains, and military high muckety mucks that rose from it. So naturally, his parents (both biological, and adopted) had chosen his course early: he was to be one of the princess royal guards -- and he was to do whatever was necessary to obtain it.

Now, it wasn't that the family didn't love him, no he was very well cared for. It was more that they were so garsh darn driven and formal (oh how he hated formal!) But he was, nevertheless very eager to please (so very different than now when he was the sadistic, crazy, old curmudgeon.) And, he was proud to say, he was more or less successful in achieving his goal -- having passed his entrance test by... various methods.

Of course, by bad luck, his real mother had waited until the day before his induction to reveal the truth, of his birth, to him (not that he and his parents didn't already know -- he kind of tended to have transformation accidents as a child -- kind of a bed transforming kind of thing --, often ending up waking up as his father, or mother, or uncle, or the dog.) However, he was not ready to admit the truth -- not yet. He still had duties to complete, and the family honor to uphold (not that he didn't enjoy his job, especially when they eventually put him in charge of discipline, a job he enjoyed endlessly.)

So why did he leave? He'd give you an answer in the form of the royal proclamations that he was endlessly forced to give: "hear ye! Hear Ye! Introducing her boring majesty, queen cake flank -- princess of equestria, duchess of canterlot, high priestess of the bathroom, blah! Blah! Blah!" And if that wasn't obvious, then he'd happily tell you: It was boring and bland! He meant, how many boring events could he attend? With meaningless formalities, and fat, boring, nobles? How many boring tributes and pointless processions?

No! He'd left that miserable mess! He didn't even stop to feed! He just fled out the window when nopony was watching, and never, ever, ever, looked back (well maybe not like that, he did sometimes lie awake at night wondering if he did the wrong thing, to run away, and leave his foster family wondering whether he was alive or not -- though it always evaporated when he performed his duties for the hive.)

Nevertheless, and he diverges, you don't work in the guard, or for Celestia, as long as he had without learning a thing or three. And today that thing was just the spell: a mind numbing spell -- almost undetectable (although, sadly, quite temporary), that he frequently used to cause his top rivals to stumble, and falter, during promotion tests -- ensuring his advancement.

But why cast a spell that would only cause confusion for a minute or two? Why to get a head start, of course! He didn't need to get far ahead, just far enough to get to the new princess first -- so he could finish their battle!

He laughed to himself, out loud, as his horn powered up. "Hope you don't mind too much princess!" He laughed, firing off his spell. "I never liked you anyway..." He said, flying off into the desert -- paying close attention for the emotional vibes that the new princess was giving off (quite loudly.) "I'm coming princess! Hopefully you're ready to fight this time!"

**********

Wysteria ran, in a full fledged panic, through the sands and the cactuses -- a sea of brambles blooming (from seemingly nowhere) and growing behind her. She had to get away! She had to get away from everyone! She couldn't stay! Not after she'd transformed into a monster! She could see it, when she fled out of town. Her dainty canines had transformed into terrifying fangs, and her beautiful yellow and green eyes had transformed a horrid, and monstrous, red.

What was even worse was that, even now, she could hear the voice hissing in her head -- begging her to return to "deal justice to all", and to "show everyone the love of flowers". The voice mocked her, telling her that she had "no choice but to be a princess" and that "she should act like one"! She shook her head it couldn't be true! It just couldn't be! She didn't want to be a princess! She just wanted to be her!

For that matter, she couldn't give in! She couldn't allow it to hurt anyone else! Not like it had hurt those poor cows! Not to mention what she almost did to poor Braeburn.

The voice called back, whispering in her eye. "Those cows hurt your friend Braeburn badly! Who else showed you the kind of kindness that he did!? And they beat him senseless! Please let me come out! I'll bring justice to all! And the deserts will bloom like a rose!"

"Shut up!" She shouted, crying vigorously. "Why are you lying to me?" She asked, as her eyes began to feel heavy, the hot desert, and all the running made her feel dizzy. All she wanted to do was sleep. Maybe she was far enough away... Maybe she could rest for a second?

"Why don't you sleep for a second?" The voice hissed. "A little rest would do you well!!" It said, in a sultry, as vines began to grow up around her.

"No." She said, tiredly, closing her eyes, as the vines began to form a cocoon. Unable to keep her eyes open, any longer.

"And I shall awake, and begin my reign as queen of all that blossoms and grows." The voice hissed merrily.

**********

Luna sighed, collecting her senses. "Oh stupid, thou Princess of the Night!" She sighed to herself, slowly coming to a realization of what had occurred minutes before. "We should have guessed that we weren't the only ones who wanted to find the new princess," she said, to herself, with agitation. "So we shouldest have put up an adequate shield," she said to herself, shaking her head discretely.

"Who would want ta find her?" Braeburn asked. "And why?"

"Probably the same naive that sent a different assassin to hurt princess Twilight." Luna said, pulling the earth pony aside. "And as to why..." Luna replied, sternly. "Thou wishest not to know.

"Somepony wanted ta hurt Princess Twilight?" Braeburn said, with a frown. Wasn't that cousin Applejack's friend? "But why would they want ta do something downright un-neighborly like that?"

Luna shook her head. "We knowest not why they didst want to hurt her, but there is no time to discuss this further, young Wysteria's nightmare stirs yet again." She said, with urgency. "We mustest move with haste, for time is of the essence."

"How do ya know that her nightmare is stirring again?" Braeburn asked. "Can ya sense it or something?"

"Yes and no, her nightmare resonates with ours." Luna said, shaking slightly. "Further," she continued, motioning the earth pony forward (and further away from the crowd) with her wing. "We can sense that it has not actualized yet, but seekest to do so by transforming her form into something more appropriate; and to wrest control of her body and will, in the process."

"Should ah get a search party?" He asked, with a frown. "Ah mean, with the whole town, we could find her right quickly!" He said, resolutely, turning around towards the crowd.

"No!" Luna shouted, forcefully. "We shalt go alone," she said, her own resolution visible, for all to see. "Even our legion of guards wouldst be in great peril should the monster, itself, become fully actualized." Luna replied, shaking her head. "But worriest not little pony, for we goeth forth, with great force of will, to fixeth thine misdeed." Luna said, loudly -- using her 'royal voice'.

"Please Luna." Braeburn begged, bowing deeply, his hat held closely to his chest. "Ah messed up, an ' ah have to be the one ta fix this somehow," he said, practically begging the princess to let him go.

Luna shook her head, again. "Thou foal! Facing a nightmare, like this one, alone, without the elements or alicorn magic, will serve only to hasten thine untimely end," she said, flapping her wings -- preparing to lift off.

"No," he shouted, galloping right into her path. "Ah messed up, an' ah have ta fix this somehow!" He shouted, his resolve showing. "Please let me go!" He shouted, ever the louder.

Luna shook her head, her stern appearance remaining uncracked. "If thou doth wisheth to enter her sleep, then perhaps we have something thou canst do," she said, sternly (was it Braeburn, or could he hear some tiny amount of bemusement in her voice?)

"What's that?" Braeburn responded, feeling his mood return. "Is there something ah can do!" He shouted, impulsively. "Ah'll do anything ta help her!" He said, putting his hooves on her withers, bowing deeply.

Luna smiled pleasantly (a skill learned during her attempts to) "Perhaps," she said, tapping her hoof on her chin. "But tis risky."

"Please!" Braeburn begged. "Ah'll do anything," he reiterated.

"Very well." Luna replied, politely. "She sleeps now, her consciousness fading for the nightmare's rise. Perhaps she could still be reached by a dreamwalk."

"Great!" Braeburn said, with a smile. "But what do ya need me for?"

"Art though a quick learner?" Luna asked, concocting a plan. "If thou art, then, perhaps, tis something thou canst do!"

Braeburn shook violently, what was the princess planning?

**********

"Oh princess!" Phytolacca chuckled to himself, laughing at the pitiful vine cocoon that the princess had enshrined herself in, which was itself, surrounded by a sea of brambles (sleeping beauty style.)

The changeling started start laughing maniacally. "I've found you!" He said, with a chuckle, preparing his weapons by dipping them in the most powerful poison he had available to him (the juice from the berries of a certain plant that was known to be toxic, even in miniscule amounts, to even the largest of dragons.) He sighed, longingly, taking a moment to admire his work, and to plan the placement, and orientation of the trophy that would soon be appearing on his wall... Ahh... it was a refreshing thought. However, enough of that! But back to business! "And if you think that that's going to stop me time time..." He chuckled, throwing the knife at the cocoon. "You've got another thing coming!" He shouted -- for maximum effect -- as the knife slammed into the cocoon, with force, creating a gaping hole in it.

The changeling assassin listened carefully, cupping his ear to listen very closely for sounds of pain and gurgling. However, much to his chagrin, those sounds never came -- eliciting a very sad frown. He looked down -- his face filled with shame. He had missed! Something he almost never did! However, sighs quickly became shakes when, instead, a scream of pain, a scream of pure rage -- which caused the earth to shake -- could be heard as the vines exploded in all directions (revealing a very peeved ~~Wysteria~~ Queen Nightshade -- apparently unhurt and untouched, but extraordinarily angry -- her eyes not just blood red, but glowing a neon color, and her fangs showing, hungering for blood.)

"WHO DARES ASSAULT THE PRINCESS OF ALL THAT BLOSSOMS AND GROWS!!!!???"
Queen Nightshade bellowed aloud, her voice overflowing with incredulity -- her eyes darting around, desperately searching for the one who dared attempt to hurt her.

A whistling sound (and the sound of a mischievous laughter) could be heard through the silent desert afternoon as another knife went flying through the air -- stopping only when it collided with a tree that suddenly sprang up, protecting it's master: the princess.

"Dang it!" Phytolacca chuckled to himself, manically -- his second attack foiled. "I guess I underestimated the strength of that vine cocoon," he chuckled to himself, a little anger showing through. "And thought it was just chitin," he said, tossing yet another knife out, which rebounded off the tree sent to stop it, against a rock, and then finally embedded in a second tree that sprang up,suddenly, to stop it. "Dang it! I didn't use enough force! (Guess I was trying too hard not to damage that beautiful face...)" He said, solemnly.

The alicorn nightmare gave a very incredulous expression. "WHO DARES ASSAULT US AND PREVENT US FROM UNDERGOING OUR BEAUTIFUL TRANSFORMATION! YOU SHOW NO RESPECT FOR A QUEEN!" Queen Nightshade shouted, violently -- causing vines to shoot up from the ground, searching vigorously for her assaulter. "SHOW YOURSELF!!!!"

"You can't see me?" The changeling said, laughing a mocking laughter. "Well too bad!" He shouted, tossing a needle -- intending to rebound it four times this time, before embedding itself in the alicorn's side. The problem? It didn't make it five feet before it was grabbed by a vine, which sprang up out of seemingly nowhere.

The queen chuckled back -- a very self assured laughter. "You think you're so smart don't you?" She asked the invisible assassin, who simply shrugged, and returned his own laugh. "You think we will permit you to try these sneaky tricks?" The queen asked, giving an angry frown, none too happy about the mocking laughter, and not having received the proper amount of scraping. "So be it!" She shouted as weeds sprang up all around her, spewing out pollen -- in a hellish scene.

"Heh!" The assassin said, sneezing quietly, wondering why 'the queen' thought she could stop him with pollen "She wants me to sneeze to death?" He thought, laughing quietly to himself "You can't see me if I don't wish to be seen," he said, mockingly, with bellowing laughter. "Remember, I'm a member of the praetorian guard! And that makes me invisible to all but the royal family! And even then they can't see us, only detect our presence!" He said, tossing two more knives, one after the other -- deflecting off each other somewhere in mid flight, with the intend of defecting a few times before reaching their target. The problem? The sea of bamboo which sprang out of the ground, stopping both knives.

"We don't need to see you!" The queen chuckled, as some of thorns that grew around her shot up towards the assassin, just being barely dodged, and only by a valiant effort (well not completely dodged, as the thistles still gave the assassin a fairly nasty cut, and more than a few nicks -- all of which led to a fair amount of bleeding.)

"Heh!" The changeling chuckled, still feeling confident. Heh! She missed him by a mile! This was such a great time to rub it in!"Nice try!" He said, giving a mocking sigh, and speaking like he was giving a participation trophy to a very small child. "But remember!" He said, 'instructing the princess in proper perspective.' "I'm invisible!" He shouted, proudly.

"We don't need to see you to hurt you," the queen said, enthusiastically -- feeling quite proud of her flowers, and at least a little bit haughty. "Our friends tell us wherever you hide!" She exclaimed, pointing her hoof at the hole in the layer of pollen. "And now!" She shouted, bearing her fangs. "You do too!" She exclaimed -- loudly -- pointing to the trail of blood following the assassin around.

"Wow!" The changeling shouted, feeling fully invigorated. "You've really woken up princess!" He said, proudly, releasing a shower of needles at the princess (all of which ended up embedded in a thick forest of bamboo.) "But you don't become the second best assassin for nothing!" He snarled, sending out another shower -- this time spread out over a large area so as for some to make it through (though the end result was the same.)

"DO YOU SURRENDER!!!" 'The queen' snarled. "OR DO YOU CONTINUE TO FUTILELY RESIST!" She snarled, sending out her own shower of thorns and thistles which came shooting out from under her feet -- most which were narrowly dodged by the nimble assassin.

"Shoot!" The assassin said to himself -- his frustration and impatience starting to come out. "The princess of the night will be here in mere moments! And this princess just won't face reality and go down, like a good defenseless princess!I mean she can't possibly be this tough can she?" He said, plotting his move. A mischievous twinkle entering his eyes. "Perhaps, all I need is something that can get through her plants!" He thought, using some of his magic to light the next needle on fire. "Too bad my poisons will burn up, but maybe I can keep my damage contained," he said, sending his burning needle flying. It was a suboptimal solution which would burn away the poison, and ruin his trophy's pelt. But... Oh well! Sometimes desperate actions must be taken, if one is to ensure victory!

The needle flew towards the princess, as was customary so far in this fight, and was stopped by suddenly materializing foliage, as before, this time, though, the foliage was set ablaze, a fire, which quickly spread to all of the other plants. The first burning needle was followed by dozens of others, all ablaze, quickly turning the battlefield into an inferno -- causing the queen to let out a grotesque scream, containing mostly rage and vitriol.

Phytolacca smirked, now was his chance! The foliage was gone, and there would be no new foliage coming -- not with all the fires going on! "Heh! Checkmate!" He exclaimed sending the final poisoned needle flying. "This one should do the trick!" he thought to himself, with a chuckle, waiting for the screams and gurgles he'd been waiting for all fight.

After a few seconds, he could, indeed, hear a scream. "Heh!" He exclaimed to himself -- having, finally succeeding in obtaining his trophy -- now was the time that he could finally settle down, having accomplished his grim deed. "Got her!" He said, feeling better -- having ended the hardest part of his mission for the day. "That was much tougher than I thought, -- " he thought to himself, with a smirk. Now all he would have to do is come up with an explanation that would ease the Queen's mind when she asked him what he was doing. Nevertheless, " -- but I still succeeded! Yeah! Number ~~two~~ one assassin! I -- " He exclaimed to himself, being stopped when strange sounds started to emanate from the smoke that was left behind from the unquenchable fires.

Unfortunately, his enthusiasm was short lived, as, from out of the slowly dissipating smoke, a loud scream could be heard -- but not the scream pain that the assassin was expecting. Instead, the scream was a scream of pure rage, which rose slowly from out of the smoke. The sad truth became even more obvious as the smoke cleared to reveal an earthen wall, that had been quickly constructed, by a mere thought, by the very angry alicorn. "... No... It can't be!" The assassin mouthed to himself, his confidence beginning to falter.

"How dare you hurt these beautiful flowers!" She exclaimed, shouting like a street pastor, cupping the charred remains of one of her flowers, in her hoof. "I think I know what the problem is!" She said, coming to 'a realization'. "You hate flowers don't you?!" She shouted, inquisitorially, her words and tone sounding unhinged. "But don't worry!" She said, a crazed expression growing on her face. "We'll fix that!"

"Actually," the assassin replied, nonchalantly. "I don't care for them much, thank you... I more prefer to eat alfalfa, or hey... Maybe some processed grains! Thank you!" He said, thinking quickly. He had only one choice left, dare he use it? No he couldn't! It would be much too powerful -- he would ruin his trophy! And Vladímir would never forgive him for tipping both his hand, and one of the hive's top secrets here. On the other hoof, what could he do?

~~Wysteria~~ Queen Nightshade gave an angry howl, sending a sea of meat eating plants shooting out of the ground. "I will teach you to love flowers! They will teach you to love again!" She shouted, as wave after wave, after wave, of thistles and thorns shot out of the ground (not to mention pony eating plants and killer ivy.)

"Shoot!" The assassin exclaimed, having just narrowly survived the last wave (and not without a fair amount of physical damage). This spell would totally turn his trophy into a pothole (not to mention expend all of his magical energy), but he had no choice. He would have to cast that spell...

Now the spell itself was very simple, more a combination of a few basic spells (the teleportation spell, various levitation spells, his accuracy spell, and a throwing spell.) The real spell here was a actualization spell to materialize (seemingly from out of nowhere) a massive array or knives, needles, darts, scythes, stars, and all other manner of sharp throwing objects that he kept de-actualized, for just such an occasion. The execution was very simple, he started casting his actualization spell to summon objects fifty or sixty at a time and throw them, teleporting around as quickly as he could. The concept? 'The queen' would never know where the darts were going to come from, and 'her friends' wouldn't either. He'd either find a whole in her defenses (and her earthen wall), or the multitude of thrown objects would pulverize it into dust. The sad news was that once they started getting through the spell (which couldn't be stopped, once started, until he ran out of objects or magic -- so he guessed it was a little more complicated than just a regular teleportation spell) they would probably paste the princes...

Oh well...Sometimes a changeling must do, what a changeling must do! He frowned, taking a look at what he had on hand, and considering what he had de-actualized.... He didn't have anywhere near enough things if he had to pound her earthen wall down... (Of course, it could just be panic speaking, but he wasn't sure! And he also wasn't sure that he could actually beat her this time -- and this was probably the first time he'd ever had this feeling, even in his time as a royal guard!) So he did the only think he could think of. He gathered everything he had available, and started casting the actualization spell. Finally he gathered any sharp throwable objects he could find, like rocks, sticks, and stones. Hopefully, this would work -- especially once Luna showed up! He'd have nothing left if he didn't finish this before Luna arrived, and he might, actually, have to flee on hoof.

He frowned vehemently as he started the second spell, teleporting as quickly and randomly, as he could -- eventually the pure magical momentum started throwing him in and out of the magical plain more quickly then his eyes or mind could keep up with his teleportations. At which point, he started the final portion of his spell sending showers of objects flying at pin point accuracy, with each teleport.

At first the plants stopped the objects, as before, but after a while the alicorn's magic couldn't keep up (and neither could the plants.) Bringing a smile to the changeling's face.

Unfortunately, the earthen wall held firm, engulfing the alicorn on all sides. But the assassin remained confident as wave after wave of objects started to pound at the earthen wall, that protected the princess -- causing the battlefield to slowly be covered in a cloud of dust.

After several tense minutes, the changeling's magic finally ran out, as his teleports slowed to a stop. The battlefield was oddly quiet, eliciting a cocky laugh from the assassin as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Heh!" He exclaimed. "I finally did it!" He shouted proudly. "I'm as strong as any princess! Heck! I'm more powerful than any princess.!"

So proud of himself was he, that he couldn't even hear the sound of laughter, and manic ranting that was rising from the dust (well not until Queen Nightshade started to materialize, unphased, and unhurt.) "I will teach you to love!" She shouted, manically. "The flowers will teach you to love!" She shouted, surrounded by a sea of stone.

All the changeling could do is look on in horror. What made him think he could take on a deity? He turned vainly attempting to flee in abject panic (his right mind returning for the first time in years.) He had to get out of there at any cost! If only he had enough magic for a teleport!

Finally the queen let out one more laugh, knowing that 'justice' was at hoof, before stamping her hoof , which caused the earth beneath her to rend. Our of the chasm came a sea of vines, which all shot out, grabbed the flailing assassin -- and preceded to pull him into the ground (whose final "NOOOO!!!" Sounded a lot like Sombra's cry.)

"There!" 'the queen' exclaimed, feeling vindicated, having rid herself of 'the flower hater'. "That meanie! That flower hater! He got just what was coming to him!" She stated with pride, puffing out her chest.

Luna frowned, having finally emerging from her hiding spot. She had hoped that the assassin would last longer, or probably that the nightmare wouldn't be so powerful -- unfortunately, she was wrong on both counts (the good news was that he prevented the alicorn's transformation, and she was grateful for that.) And this, basically guaranteed that she would have no choice but to face the nightmare now. And this meant that it was vital that young Braeburn had arrived, or would soon arrive in the sleeping alicorn's dream, otherwise there might be trouble. Especially, due to the fact that, she wasn't sure that even she could take the monster on all by herself -- especially not with her hooves tied (due to the fact that she couldn't, in right mind, hurt an innocent like this Wysteria...)

Such a shame... This was not going to be easy...

**********

"Art though a quick learner?" Luna asked, an eerily mischievous smile crossing her face. "T'would only require but a quick spell from us!" She said, her horn starting to glow a dark blue color.

Braeburn gave a gulp, as he started to back away slowly -- what had he gotten himself into? Could he reconsider? Maybe she was right about her being the only pony who could fix this!

"Calm down thou... What was the modern word?... Ah! Yes!... Wuss... This willst not hurt thou any!" Luna replied reassuringly, seeing the earth pony's eyes growing wide -- as her horn glowed a darker and darker blue, the aura around it expanding. "And our guards will takest thou somewhere safe whilst thou takest this dreamwalk!"

Before Braeburn could even contemplate what was going on, everything went blurry, and he found himself standing out in an empty starscape.

"Hello?" He shouted, off into the darkness. "Luna?" He shouted, looking around violently, desperately searching for the princess. "Is anypony here?" He shouted, starting to wonder off -- panic creeping in.

Around him countless dreams played out against the walls of the starscape, and not just the dreams of those who lived in Equestria, dreams from the inhabitants of Griffonia, Zebrica, the dragon territories, and countless others.

Behind him a translucent Luna appeared, holding him back with some of her magic. "We recommendest that thou not wonderest far," she warned him, strictly. "T'would not be wise."

"Why's that?" Braeburn responded, curiously -- wondering if he should have kept his mouth shut in the first place.

"For one thing, -- " she said, stepping in front of the earth pony. " -- this plane contains many wonders and more than a few perils, young Braeburn." The princess retorted, fashioning an object from the dreamscape, in her phantom hoof. "Wondering off would not be advisable," she said, lobbing the object into the void -- which promptly fell off into the ether (like it was just thrown off a cliff.) And no thud was ever heard.

Braeburn gave a gulp. "Then what do you need meh fer?" He asked, with a puzzled expression. "Ya seem ta have this under hoof," he replied, beginning to run his hoof against the back of his head.

"Normally t'would be our privilege, and our duty." Replied shadow Luna, with a defeated sigh. "But we suspect that the only way to help young Wysteria is to prevent her from transforming, ourselves," she said, worried that she had atrophied some during her long imprisonment, and that her well deserved title of monster fighter was now overrated. "And that means that we must keepeth the monster busy, -- lest the monster discover thine presence, and counter attack -- therefore, we needest thou to enter young Wysteria's dream, and reason with her for us," she said, giving him a confident smile. "We believe in thine ability to accomplish this task, young Braeburn."

"Ya mean I just need to walk into her dream, and talk ta her?" Braeburn asked, with perplextion, thinking about how easy this mission seemed to be (heck it almost sounded fun.) "But how do ah find her dream?" He asked, looking off into the vastness of space, and into the numerous dreams that lay before.

"Excellent question, young Braeburn." The princess replied with a smile."But worry not! We shallt leave part of our magic with you to guide you to her dream, and to give you instructions once there -- if we art able --," she stated, taking a breath. "However, entering her dream maybe more complicated," she continued, preparing her next statement.

"Not that simple?" Braeburn replied, in astonishment. "But ain't ya a princess?"

Luna shook her head, sadly. "Yes, but for some reason we canst not enter." Luna said, with a sigh. "We knowest not why. But we're sure that as her friend, thou willst be able to find a way!" She said, a compass materializing from the ether, summoned by her magic.

"Ya think so?" He asked -- feeling apprehensive, one of the deity princesses of Equestria couldn't enter her dreams, what hope did he have?

"We hopest so." Luna replied, now followest, thou, this compass," she said, tossing him the compass. "Its needle will pointest you to where Wysteria's dream lies."

Braeburn nodded, dutifully (all while wondering what he had gotten himself into, and hoping that he was going to come out with all his limbs intact.)

"Good," she replied. "Now I must leave, for time is of the essence," she continued, disappearing into the ether.

"Well..." Braeburn sighed. "It's time, fur me ta get goin'..." He said, with a long gulp, staring into the starscape, the compass pointing off into the distance.

**********

Luna hid her dismay behind a poker face, if things came to battle, it would be far from easy.

However, perhaps, another option remained open to her."Perhaps, just perhaps, there is another way, oh princess of the night..." She thought to herself. "Maybe the pony within can still be rationed with..." She thought, hoping that the flower alicorn's nightmare was of a different nature than hers. Maybe, all she needed to do was greet the alicorn warmly, and tell her to stop. "GREETINGS TO YOU, FELLOW PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA!" She said, in the royal canterlot voice, floating (full wind and storm) towards the purple alicorn. "WE WISHEST TO GREET THOU, ONE PRINCESS TO ANOTHER! "

"Oh splendid!" ~~Wysteria~~ Queen Nightmare responded, a vacant expression on her face. "Have you, too, come to bow down to the queen of all that blossoms and grows?" She said, with glee, expecting her moon themed counterpart to bow down before the smaller flower alicorn.

"Actually -- " Luna replied politely, fighting very hard not to lose her cool. " -- We, your fellow princess, and equal have come to greet you in the name of Equestria and -- "

Queen Nightshade scoffed, proudly. "EQUAL?!" She shouted, in a variation of the royal canterlot voice. "HOW DARE YOU: A MERE PRINCESS REFER TO YOURSELF AS EQUAL TO A QUEEN!!!"

Luna chuckled politely. "But though are not a queen... Equestria has no queens..." She said, her own inner demons beginning to show themselves (twas her own jealousy that gave birth to her nightmare in the first place.) She shook her head, not now Luna! "Thou art not a queen, but a mere princess, like us..." She said, in her softest voice, politely correcting her -- despite her every desire to shout the alicorn's head off.

"How dare you speak this way to us!" The purple nightmare alicorn responded, angrily. "We are a queen!" She hissed, taking a belligerent posture.

Luna chuckled, a little bit of anger showing this time. "THOU SHOULDST KNOWEST BETTER THAN TO SPEAK AS SUCH TO THINE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!" She said, breaking into the royal canterlot voice, an old habit that she'd hoped she had broken -- despite the fact that was exactly what she was doing now.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THIS WAY TO US!" The purple alicorn snarled, growing ever more belligerent. "DO YOU HATE FLOWERS, DON'T YOU?!!!!" She snarled, angrily. "THIS IS YOUR FINAL CHANCE!!!! BOW TO YOUR QUEEN -- OR FACE THE PUNISHMENT FOR TREASON!!!" The 'queen' demanded, forcefully.

Luna gave a loud grunt, the loose fragments of her own nightmare trying to be reborn, and her pride starting to show it's face. How dare this upstart talk to the princess of the night this way! She swallowed a growl. "Remember oh princess of the night: the nightmare has clouded her mind, and tries to take full control. We must be patient with her." She thought to herself, starting to consider her battle plan, as negotiations were failing much too fast.

The purple alicorn bared her fangs -- her patience running out. "What is the hold up?" She said, haughtily at the seeming weakness of the princess."Did I not say this was your last chance? Why don't you bow to the queen of all that blossoms and grows?"

Luna's face crumpled in rage -- finally losing her temper -- how dare she! "ENOUGH!!!" She shouted, hastily, causing the earth to shake for miles. "THOU HAST INSULTED THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!!!! CEASE YOUR RIDICULE NOW OR -- " Luna said, covering her face with her hoof, what had she just done?

The purple alicorn looked on with disdain. "How dare you! It's obvious now!!! There's no other explanation," she said, calmly. "You hate flowers don't you!" She exclaimed, stamping her hoof, and sending up a wall of ivy -- which was quickly obliterated by one shot of the blue alicorn's horn.

The blue princess face-hoofed mentally -- as she blew away another wave of thistles using her magic. So much for diplomacy... Hopefully either the nightmare wasn't as strong as she looked, or that the princess of the night's greater experience would prove superior.

**********

Braeburn looked down, then up again. The compass was definitely pointing right into the images before him. This must be Wysteria's dream.

Ahead of him stood a sea of odd looking ponies. Either Wysteria had a lot of stallion friends, or everypony from her town had an odd muzzle like hers (he guessed the second.) The ponies of the town seemed to be standing around, mindlessly going on and on about how awesome their princess was. This made Braeburn frown, as their 'princess' stood weeping in the tower -- begging them to be her friends again..

Braeburn frowned, he had no idea she felt this way! Was this what it was like, for her, when she was going through that 'princess training' before? Could this be why she was such an emotional wreck? He asked himself, wishing that he had done more before... But what more could he have possibly done?

"Ok..." He thought to himself. "Maybe ah can just push mah way in." he thought, pushing on the scene, softly at first, and then harder -- no such luck. Shoot! What was he going to do? And was there anything that could be done? He sighed, wondering if her was defeated -- if even Princess Luna couldn't get in, then what hope was there for him, a mere mortal stallion?

She started to weep harder, a miniature blue spike holding her back, and whispering some kind of nonsense in her ear -- causing her face to lower.

"Wysteria!!! Wysteria!!!" Braeburn shouted angrily, pounding hard on the surface of the dream. "Don't listen ta that dragon!!! Please let me in!!!" He shouted hoping somepony would take notice. Please Molly, Faust, let this work!

From the tower, Wystera began to stir. "Braeburn?" She asked, looking around. "Is that you?" She asked, wondering if her ears could be playing tricks on her, a smile creeping it's way back onto her face. "Where are you?"

"It's me!!!" He shouted louder, hoping to get her attention. "Let meh in!!!" He shouted, this time unheard. Shoot! Molly! Faust! Somepony! Please let him in!

The apple sighed, feeling defeated. What now? "No!" He thought to himself, shaking his head. "Ah'm gunna get in, like it or not nightmare!" He thought, shouting louder. And even when that didn't work, he kept slowly raising the volume -- hoping something would happen!

Inside the dream, a strange green pony, with a striped pink and light pink mane and a triple mint cutie mark began to stir, and cluelessly walking over, bumping into a two dimensional door that had materialized, in the dream, right next to her.

Minty looked at the door crosseyed. "When did this get here?" She asked herself, looking around. "Pinkie?... Rainbow Dash?..." She asked, wondering if her friends knew what was going on. Shoot! They weren't there. Did she dare look at the door?

She got a gleeful expression as the thought crossed her mind. Maybe she was supposed to find out what was behind the door. She meant that whomever was behind the door was really, super, loud. Maybe they were important? "Hello?" She asked, the door. "Is anyone there?"

Braeburn smiled -- maybe his prayers had been answered? Maybe he could reach her yet? "It's me!" Braeburn shouted, with reckless abandon. "Could ya let me in? Ah have ta see Wysteria!" He demanded, eliciting a confused expression from the green pony.

"Ok!" The green pony responded innocently -- her front hoof wrapping around the door knob like a viper, as she was held up by only her back two legs. "Give me a minute to -- " She said, starting to turn the doorknob.

She didn't get a chance to finish, before a pink earth pony with a light pink mane, and triple balloon cutie mark approached her, with a serious expression -- and a plastered on smile. "Minty! Minty! Minty!" The earth pony,who looked eerily like his cousin's friend Pinkie Pie, said plainly -- her face resembling the one a mother gives when lecturing their child. "We're figments of Wysteria's diseased mind, and we're not supposed to be opening wierd doors," she said, waving her hoof around. "Ok?" She asked, eliciting a nod from the green pony's head, followed by a confused shake of her head.

"What do you mean?" The green pony asked, in utter confusion. "What's a figment?"

Pinkie gave a giggle, like her friend was telling a funny joke. "Remember Minty: you are fictional," she said, with a chuckle -- putting a hoof on the green pony's wither. "And you can't open doors that don't belong to the dream!"

"But Pinkie!" The green one responded -- desperately. "There might be someone important behind the door, like the President of the United States, or the Pope... Or the Dalai Lama!" She said, with a gasp. "Or someone cool like a movie star, or a professional athlete... Or a civil lawyer with a cease and desist!!!!"

"Um Minty..." The pink one replied, with a concerned expression. "That wouldn't be -- "

"Or an insurance salesman!!" Minty replied, with a smile. "Please Pinkie! You have to let me open the door! If I don't get a chance to open the door -- " she said, shaking in horror, " -- then I might never learn the truth of the Book of Mormon!!!" She said, falling on her knees, practically begging Pinkie to let her open the door. "They might want to discuss the bible with me!... And give me a cool lighthouse book, or something!!!"

"Fine..." Pinkie said, with a bemused sigh, rolling her eyes. "Go ahead, " she said, a trace amount of pity in her voice. "But don't blame me if -- " she started saying, before she was rudely interrupted by her green friend.

"Great, Pinkie!" Minty said, with a bright smile. "I won't let you down!" She said, opening the door. "Hello! Guys!!! I'm ready to discuss the bible with you!"

"Umm..." Braeburn said, rubbing one hoof against the other. "Ah don't want ta talk ta you 'bout the book of Moron, or whatever it was, but -- " he started saying, but before the mint green pony could shut the door, he stuck his hoof in it. "Ouch!!!..." He shrieked in pain."But could ah talk ta the princess?" He asked, a pleading expression showing in his eyes. "It's important!"

"Ok!" Minty shrugged. "She's over there in the tower! But Spike says she's not supposed to get any visitors, -- " she said, rebuking him, valley girl style " -- ok!" She said, nodding her head. "But why don't you go down to the Cotton Candy Cafe? It's right that way -- next to the drawbridge to the castle that Wysteria's in and -- "

"Thank you! ... Ah mean... Ok!" Braeburn replied, nonchalantly. "But ah only need ta talk to her fer a minute, would that be ok?" He asked.

"Sure!" Minty replied. "But I'd better this close this mysterious 2D door and -- " She replied, getting interrupted by a motion from the orange earth pony, who stuck his hoof in the door again.

"Actually," he said, resuming the rubbing of one hoof with the other. "Could ah have ya leave the door open?" He pleaded politely. "Ah have a friend that's arrivin' soon, an ah want her to be able ta get in..." He said, remembering the warning Luna gave him to leave her a means to get in, should he get into the dream. "Ah mean... So she won't miss out on any of that .. Um... Cake... and... stuff...."

"Ok..." She said, with a smile. "But now I'll never get that C&D now!!!" She said, bowing her head solemnly, a sigh coming out of her mouth...

**********

Luna sighed, this nightmare was every bit as tough as she had initially feared, forcing her onto an endless defensive, as the nightmare launched wave after wave of thistles, thorns, and killer plants, with no obvious end in sight. And to make matters worse, Luna suspected that, if the alicorn drew her power from the earth itself, as she feared, then the nightmare could become even more powerful still (perhaps even more powerful then the princess of the night, as the earth was much closer, and much bigger, than the moon was, or ever could be.)

That being said, as it stood, she could still quite easily take the nightmare (despite it's quickly growing powers) -- well, at least that would be the case, if her hooves weren't tied trying to avoid hurting her little pony. Curses! Why were her scruples acting up now? She certainly had no problems with them before!... She thought with a frown.

And to make matters worse, any spell that she could cast that was capable of breaking through the nightmare's wall of plants -- let alone her wall of earth -- would undoubtedly hurt (or worse) even the hardiest of alicorns. And this meant that Luna was forced to stay on the defensive, dodging volley, after volley, of projectiles (all of which were summoned by a nightmare whom, unlike the princess, had no problem playing for all the marbles), and increasingly more than just the occasional chunk of earth (the nightmare's power just kept growing, and it had only just started to figure out that it could pull from the earth for power.)

Luna sighed! She had to go on the defensive first! Well... At least until her plan came to fruition, at which point she could finish this. Assuming the exertion wouldn't wear out the grunting Luna first, who would, at the current rate, only serve to wear herself out, if this battle continued as it did now. Hopefully her plan would work the way she imagined it -- though she starting conceiving of alternatives if things went wrong (maybe the rainbow power? No! Too powerful!)

Another wave of plants bit the dust, followed by an attempted headbutt from the purple nightmare.

Luna dodged to the left, with a smirk (smirking was the best option now, for she had learned over many battles not to let the enemy see you sweat -- lest their renewed confidence become your undoing.) She would have to continue to wait. But how could she continue to stall with the waves of plants becoming ever bigger and more impressive (the last wave took a full power blast, and all she did was hit the enemy's earthen wall.)

Ok what were her options? Play for keeps now before the nightmare could become too powerful? No! She would hurt the innocent, not to mention Braeburn, if he had made contact with the sleeping Wysteria's dream. A sleeping spell? The nightmare was too powerful now. Summon the elements? They no longer existed, as they were restored to the tree of harmony, and even if they weren't, it would take them too long to get here!

Another wave of thorns were shot up as well as some unnatural looking plants. This batch actually made contact, or would have, had her shield not been put up at the last possible moment. Though the princess still beared a scratch a two from her near failure.

This battle was beginning to turn against her! She had no choice! She had to do something urgently! But what? She grew ever more desperate, what option was left to her? She asked herself having to shoot up like a rocket to dodge another wave of plants (which almost grabbed her by the hoof, for a split second on the way up, and would have completely ensnared her, weren't it for her blowing the tops off them with a beam from her horn.) The princess bowed her head in shame. She had to do it!... But dared she? There was no way Celestia would approve!

Luna sighed there was only one option if she had only chance to win: she had to slow these plants down -- she had to weaken the nightmare. And there was but one way to do that: something she had vehemently promised Celestia, the day she returned, that she would never do again...

She would have to block out the sun...

**********

Celestia stamped her hoof impatiently, she had been in Unicornia for a over a full week, and was only, just now, being given audience with the pink unicorn lord: Prince Red Sword (well technically red, not pink, but the prince didn't let that technicality stop him from declaring himself pink unicorn lord, and the leader of the four unicorns that ruled over Unicornia.)

She sighed, her voice changing slightly -- becoming calmer, and more serene. "Only for you, Lilly Lightly, Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes," she said shaking her head (she meant: to call her reception in unicornia cold was a gross understatement, and she was sure that any hay for brains unicorn, that could, would do far worse than merely hurting her.) "But worry not, my dear friends: I shall bring you back -- consider it done!" She said, silently, nodding her head.

"Are you concerned princess?" Kibitz asked, wondering why the princess was muttering to herself in an odd voice -- an incredulous look starting to grow on his face. "You know how far this puts us behind on your schedule? Right?" He asked starkly -- reminding the princess that she had other duties, and shouldn't be here on some fool's errand. "Let alone how unorthodox this all is!" He stated, looking anxiously around at the sea of angry unicorns that they walked by -- wondering if they should have brought more royal guards (as it was rumored that when prince Red Sword and Celestia talked, they talked as equals -- two deity rulers, one Alicorn, and one Unicorn.)

"I'm aware Kibitz." Celestia replied, with a frown -- herself well aware of the validity of her vizier's complaints. "But lives are on the line, and these are every bit as much out little ponies as any others are," she said, firmly -- doing something unusual for her, going against her vizier's wise advice (it was a very invigorating experience for her.)

"I suppose." Kibitz replied, reluctantly -- knowing better than to bug the princess when she was in this state of mind. "But you have so many duties that we haven't yet even got to! Couldn't we have our customary ambassador do this business? You know! That Blueblood chap," he said, reminding her that they normally sent Celestia's 'cousin' to handle negotiations with the unicorn lords of Unicornia.

Celestia gave her vizier a smirk. "I suppose, but Prince Red Sword has demanded that I show up in person for negotiations for the return of 'my spies'," she said, giving her vizier a wink, and reminding him of the nature of negotiations here (and, probably, just enjoying the act of sticking her finger in her advisers face for all the over scheduling of her time he had done over the years.) "Not to mention that Red Sword is hoping to get more trade concessions in exchange for pony lives, and you know how accommodating of his demands his 104th cousin, Blueblood, is," she said, walking past the numerous portraits of Red Sword that the prince had lined up on the castle walls.

"I suppose," the vizier responded, calmly. "And I suppose prince Red Sword wants some revenge for Equestria's failed invasion of Unicornia, a few decades back, that occurred as part of The War of Unicorn Succession," he replied, thoughtfully (one of several wars that had occurred over the millenniums since Celestia's ascension to the throne where she tried, unsuccessfully, to extend Equestria's harmony -- and hegemony -- over the original unicorn kingdom -- ending eventually with her giving up and consigning herself to simply meddling in their politics.) "Oh and trying to support his sister's claim on the throne by force of arms," he said sternly (Celestia had tried to reassure Prince Red Sword's sister's claim on the throne after he had usurped it, and promptly changed the succession and election laws of the kingdom -- as well as the length of rule -- from one year, to a lifetime. Sadly, the result of her failed invasion was obvious... The poor pink unicorn still lived in exile in Canterlot, an outcast among the unicorn nobles there -- the rightful princess of Unicornia, living in exile in a foreign and hostile land, without her kingdom.)

"I suppose." Celestia said, with a smile, looking out the window. The sky was beautiful, and the day was relatively warm for this time of year (or any time of the year this far north.) That was, until the moon slowly rose over the sky, covering the sun in the middle of the day (resulting in an early night.)

Why would luna cause a solar eclipse? Had she gone rogue again? Hadn't her sister promised never to interrupt her day again? And didn't they agree to schedule eclipses only for special occasions and ancient rituals? Didn't her sister promise never to bring eternal night again? Could it be possible, that she had fallen back under the control of her nightmare? No that was impossible! Luna would never let that happen! And, for that matter, she would have sensed it if Nightmare Moon had returned. So why would Luna do something like this? Why would she break their agreement... Unless.. Celestia's face winced, a slight terror showing.

LUNA WAS IN TROUBLE!!!

The princess started to leap out the window -- she had to get to her sister, before it was too late! Only to be stopped by her vizier grabbing her tail in his magic.

"Are you going somewhere?" His vizier asked sternly. "I haven't the foggiest clue as to why you're so worried! But I'm sure Luna's ok!" He said, putting a hoof on her wither, and motioning the other back towards the Prince's chambers. "You have work to finish here! And I'm sure if there was trouble, than she'd send us a letter via dragon's fire," he reminded his princess -- doing what he did best, keeping her on the task at hoof. "Remember what Prince Red Sword said he would do if 'negotiations' weren't carried out for 'the spies'," he said, stuffily.

"I suppose..." Celestia responded -- reluctantly... "I suppose..." She said, looking out the window, a slight sorrow showing. Had she failed her again? Had she failed again?

**********

Queen Nightshade gave out a pained shriek -- her body shaking violently, and her face scrunched in a pained expression. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS!!!" She exclaimed, in horror, as her flowers started slowly wilting in the moonlight. She cradled them, crying desperately -- whispering gibberish in their ears. Her frown growing rapidly as it became more and more apparent that her wall of flowers would no longer grow or expand. "YOU MONSTER!!!!" She shouted at Luna, bearing her fangs -- desperately attempting to scratch the Princess of the Night with her hooves. "TAKE THAT HORRIBLE OBJECT AWAY AND LET MY FLOWERS BLOOM!!!" She demanded, attempting (unsuccessfully) to bite at the princess of the night, like a rabid dog.

Luna shook her head, with pity, at the laughable scene. "I'm sorry, but this, I canst not do!" She said softly, whispering into the purple alicorn's ear. "Wysteria, thou must seest the truth!!!" She said, once again attempting to reach the alicorn (originally earth pony) within. "Please! The nightmare trickest though!" She shouted, begging to the alicorn. "Listen to me! I hath stood where thou standest! And I, too, hath suffered from the yoke of a nightmare! Thou mustest resist!" Luna said, hoping to speak to the wisteria themed pony. "Thou must cast it out!" She shouted, hoping to motivate the pony to fight the monster that was controlling her.

"SILENCE!!!!" The nightmare shouted, feeling incensed -- the Royal Ponyville voice emerging. "WYSTERIA IS GONE!!! I, QUEEN NIGHTSHADE, SHALL MAKE THE DESERT BLOOM LIKE A ROSE!!!" She shouted, sounding unhinged -- as the winds and thunder bellowing wildly.

Luna shook her head. "Thou speakest nonsense nightmare! Doest thou listen to thineself?" She asked, softly -- a faint amount of pity in her tone. "Is this not a misuse of thine power?" She asked calmly -- her eyes suddenly growing fierce. "Release thine grip over gentle Wysteria, nightmare!" She demanded, fiercely. "Letest her speak!" She shouted, trying the spell that worked so well to loosen the control her nightmare had on Rarity (it would probably be a lot less effective without five elements, but should still be quite effective, especially if the alicorn within was beginning to resist.)

This time, however, the spell did nothing -- and not a peep could be heard from the alicorn within (either she was not fighting, or the nightmare was still powerful for the Princess of the Night to speak through.)

Either Way, all it served to do was make the nightmare angry. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THIS WAY!!!" The nightmare shouted. "OUR FRIENDS SHALL TEACH YOU RESPECT!!!" She shouted, summoning another wave of thistles and thorns -- only to find that they wouldn't grow, or would grow extremely slowly (just as Luna had planned.)

Luna gave a smirk. "Having trouble nightmare?" She mocked back. "Wishest thou to surrender? Simply release gentle Wysteria and -- " She demanded forcefully, hoping the nightmare would see reason.

"SILENCE!!!!" Shouted the nightmare, her face turning a beet red. "WE SHALL TEACH YOU RESPECT!!! FOR THERE ARE FLOWERS THAT CAN BLOOM EVEN AT NIGHT!!!" She snarled, uncracking, and far from giving up. Her horn powering up, to summon another wave of doom.

Luna frowned slightly. "Steady thyself, oh princess of the night... We must prepare ourselves for she comest yet still..."

**********

Braeburn swallowed hard, running past the crowds of mind rotted ponies yammering on endlessly about 'how great it was that a princess was in town' -- and right into the castle (it was surprisingly easy, to get past the crowds, considering how mindless they seemed to be.) And considering how easy it was to sneak past the ponies then this should be no problem!... Right? Wrong!!!... Well not entirely: the problem? He could hear Wysteria crying from the tower, tormented by the most annoying little voice. But he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how to get up there (somepony would think there would be a stairwell or a hallway behind the drawbridge? But no! There was a ballroom there instead.) However, a careful examination of the ballroom reviewed good news: the mirror, which stood behind the stage, could be moved to reveal another room (despite not looking that way.) The bad news? It only led to a dressing room -- not a stairwell. And, to add to the confusion, he got the impression that there should be a kitchen somewhere in the ballroom, but no such place seemed to exist -- weird!

Meanwhile, the ramblings of the monster upstairs, caused Braeburn's temper grew shorter and shorter, as the beasts ramblings continued to grate on his last nerve -- and to drive the earth pony a little batty. He started to gnash his teeth as the poor alicorn's desperate calls grew ever more fervent, and the little blue pest's rantings grew ever more absurd.

"This chair is at entirely the wrong angle!"
"And this crown simply won't do! You're wearing it all wrong!"
"Remember your posture princess!"

But how did he get up there? And why did this castle remind him of the castle that M.S. Escher (Murakoz Stallion Escher) built? Oh he knew why!... Nothing made any sense at all!

Ok... So the most obvious route of entry, the drawbridge, led directly into a ballroom -- with absolutely no way out. Ok, so did he dare search around back? Or would that serve to only end up running on the underside of a stairwell instead? Of course, he could run up two flights of stairs and end up in the same place he started at! And it was always possible, that there was no other entrance anywhere, and that somepony had to give him access again!

The good news was that he knew just the pony, and she was right over there! He thought to himself, looking at the very pony that gave him access in the first place, just sitting across the drawbridge. And talking to her would probably allow him to put this debate to an end -- his new green friend: Minty.

"Hey'a stranger!" She said, with a vacuous smile. "Isn't princess Wysteria the best?" She said, enthusiastically -- waving her hooves around. "I mean she's all like a princess, and we're all commoners who are below her and I made the greenest of the green float and -- " She started rambling, leaving Braeburn unsure if she even knew what she was talking about it. "Except it kind of got messed up when I built it on the other side of Pinkie's Pinkest of the Pink float..." She said, with a nervous chuckle.

"Uhm... Yah...." Braeburn replied, playing along. "Isn't.... she... the... best..." He said, with a disingenuous smile, rubbing his hooves together, and trying to play natural. "So how would somepony get into her chambers, if they wanted to.... Ya know... ta shake her hand, or ta give her fan letters... or something... " He lied, piteously (carrying along the apple propensity for being terrible liars) -- a thick coat of sweat covering his brow... "Gosh..." He thought to himself in horror. "She's gunna find out now!" He thought, his smile growing ever more forced, and his sweat more obvious."There ain't no way she's gunna fall for this utter huey!" He might have to make a break for it, because she would figure it out any second... heck... he could just hear the horrible otherworldly shriek that would be coming out of her muzzle already, and ...

"No! Silly!" Minty said, with a friendly smile -- correcting her friend's silliness. "We aren't allowed to see the princess: she doesn't have any friends or equals!" The mint pony said, obliviously. "At least that's what Spike keeps saying!" She stated, with an unquenchable enthusiasm. "But you really should take a bath!" She said, holding her nose. "All that sweating isn't good for you!" She said, with a friendly smile. "You can probably borrow the one in Wysteria's tower, it's the the closest one." She said, motioning to the tower with the alicorn sitting in it. "And Wysteria probably wouldn't mind!"

"Yeah... that... sounds... awesome... so... um... how do I get there?" Braeburn asked, once again sweating violently.

"Oh silly!" The green pony said, waving her hoof at him. "You know where it is! Just take the stairs around the back, and then run across the top level counterclockwise -- you can't miss it!" She said, motioning with her hooves. "It's right behind her chambers in the room with the butterfly door!" She said, continuing to prattle on -- unaware of what she was saying. "Good luck! And don't worry! -- " She shouted, as he started galloping around the tower. "I get lost sometimes too!... No wait... Was there a closer bathroom? Oh well! He'll figure it out!... Good Luck!"

**********

Luna's eyes widened suddenly, as she could feel the mare's dream begin to open up to her (her connection to the dream realm showing.) This meant that Braeburn had, indeed, been able to get in, and would soon be in contact with the alicorn within. And this meant that Wysteria wasn't gone just yet, and, more importantly, that the monster hadn't won just yet.

And, of course this meant that, if the monster got wind of Luna's plans then she would, most certainly, put her full effort into thwarting them -- and she hadn't trained the orange earth pony yet in the intricacies of dreamwalking -- let alone the safety precautions that had to be taken to protect one's mind while doing such.

Luna frowned, fiercely. There was, but one, logical conclusion. The nightmare had to be distracted! For there was no way that Luna could allow her to figure out what was going on. Because if Luna failed and the nightmare did find out, then the orange pony would be doomed!

"But how, oh Princess of the Night, should we keep the monster from learning of our plans? What can we possibly do to keep her in the dark of young Braeburn's actions?" She thought, dodging an invasion of night blooming cacti and thistles. A twinkle came to her eye as a thought occurred to her -- and a plan began to be formed.

"How dare you block out our flower's previous sunlight!" Queen Nightshade hissed to the blue alicorn. "How would you feel if I blocked out your access to the moon!" She shouted, summoning an invasion of Japanese Honeysuckle -- something that should be impossible without the sun, but apparently the nightmare's powers continued to grow.

Luna dodged the vine like flowers that the Nightmare intended to strangle out the princess' access to the moon's light (literally.) "We likest it just fine." Luna taunted, with a wink -- hoping to keep the nightmare's attention. "This way we canst fightest thou in the shade." She shouted, blasting a beam from her horn, which was quickly blocked in the alicorn's earthen wall. "And for that, we thankest thou! It wast getting hot under the moonlight! Not to mention the sunlight behind the moon!" Luna smirked -- drinking up the nightmare's growing frustration. Of course her smirk began to fade as she watched the nightmare's face, and actions -- it wasn't enough! She needed something more to keep the nightmare busy! "Perhaps, oh princess of the night, it's time to go on the offensive!" She thought to herself, taking to the air. "Come demon!" The princess shouted, flapping her mighty wings -- causing a gale force wind that threatened to blow the nightmare clean away. Unfortunately, it didn't, serving only to make the nightmare angrier -- just as Luna had planned.

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN YOUR QUEEN!" The nightmare bellowed, angrily -- her hooves remaining firmly planted to the ground. "COME DOWN AND FIGHT YOUR QUEEN ON FAIR TERMS!!!" She shrieked, stamping her hoof, like a spoiled filly, futile, her plants being unable to grow tall enough in the moonlight to come anywhere near the princess of the night.

"WOAHH!!!!!" The queen nightmare shouted, stamping -- herself going ferrill. "STOP DOING THIS TO YOUR QUEEN!!! IT ISN'T FAIR!!!" She shouted -- in full Royal Ponyville Voice -- ferociously stamping her hoof, sending hunks of dirt and stone flying up at the princess.

"Apparently... " Luna sighed to herself. "She learnest with haste." She said with dismay, hoping that Braeburn was going to be able to get to the princess on time (because the battle wasn't getting any easier, and she had yet to see the full extents of the nightmare's power.) The good news, though, was, for now, that the nightmare either shared Wysteria's lack of knowledge about her wings and horn, or was deadly afraid to leave it's element (the earth) -- either way, it was a very good thing for the princess.

**********

Braeburn raced around the castle, forced to endure the continuous nonsense that spewed out of the monster's mouth (hoping and praying, the whole way, that he could find a way to make that miserable little devil stop talking!)

"Tut tut tut Princess! You can't dust! A Princess does not dust!"
"Princess! You can't sniff the flowers! Princesses don't sniff!... Except... they do smell lovely!"
"You can't leave the tower! A princess doesn't leave her royal chambers except for royal business!"
"Don't read that book! Princesses don't read books! -- Except the princess book, of course!"
"You are a princess! Live with it! You will never be anything else!"
"The moment you touched the flower you became a princess! You have no choice but to act as one!"

Now Braeburn was an anomaly, in his family, that he kept a close control of his apple temper (probably one of the few gifts that his dearly departed mother had left him with.) But, nevertheless, he was well on his way to smacking that little blue monster, in the snout, right here and right now...

The monster continued to babble as Braeburn rushed up the back stairway. "Wysteria! Ah'm comin'!" He shouted, galloping down the small hallway, full bore. "Ya don't have ta be alone any longer!" He shouted, hoping she heard him, as he quickly approached her chambers.

And in the distance, his heart picked up as soon as he could hear the sound of her voice. "Braeburn? Is that you?" Wysteria asked, looking around to find the source of the call (this was probably the first time, 'in weeks' that she had heard someone use her name.)

"Yes! It's me!" He replied, hoping she could hear him over her tormentor. "Ah've come ta talk ta ya!" He shouted, even louder -- despite attempts by the blue demon to speak over him.

Unfortunately, he didn't think he was heard, anymore, as, at that point, the little blue troublemaker spoke up, again. "It simply couldn't be princess." He replied, nonchalantly. "You are simply hearing things!" The monster snarled, snutilly. "He's not coming up! For the simple reason that he's beneath you: remember, the rules, and repeat after me -- " He said, wagging his claw.

"Princesses don't have friends or equals." Wysteria said, in consort with the miniature dragon -- a deep frown covering her face, and a look of profound sadness in her eyes -- her depression levels growing towards their limit.

"Good princess," he said, with a smile. "Now go back to your princess training." He said walking towards the hallway -- a piece of chalk in his claw, and a holier than thou expression on his face. "I'll be seeing to something and -- " He said turning around, having stepped just outside the door to the princess' chambers.

"Git out ahv mah way ya little blue demon!" The orange earth pony said, knocking the tiny blue dragon out of his way using his front hoof -- causing the tiny blue monster to fall face forward onto the ground. "Ah have an audience with the princess -- whether ya'll like it or not!" He shouted, rushing past the wretched blue creature, who was still picking himself up.

"Why I never!" The dragon snarled, turning around onto his back, sitting up with an incensed expression on his face.

"Wysteria! It's me Braeburn!" He shouted, running into the earth ponies suite. "Ah'm really here! And ah don't plan on goin' anywhere!" He said, a relieved smile showing on his face.

"Braeburn?" Wysteria said, in shock. "But aren't you down there?" She asked, pointing to his duplicate chanting with the other mindless drones.

"What do ya think?" He asked, eliciting a small smile from the alicorn. "Wysteria!" He cried desperately. "We have ta talk!" He said, applying gentle pressure to her leg, with his hoof. "None of this is real! Some kind of spiritual doohickey is tryin' to take over yer mind and turn yer head inside out!" He said, reaching over to give her a reassuring hoof.

"A magical doohickey like me?" The little dragon asked, in a strong female voice, a manic laughter bellowing from the dragon's mouth. Causing both ponies to turn around in horror.

**********

Luna narrowly dodged a beam of magic from the nightmare's horn. Yup! The nightmare was definitely learning. And although her magic still remained nowhere near The Princess of the Night's (especially after cutting off the supply of sun for her 'friends'), things might become more difficult and more difficult if her power kept growing -- not to mention that this fight might become more interesting still if the nightmare would/could fly, but, nevertheless, Luna would take any blessing she could get. She swallowed a sigh, if only she could use her true power right here and right now before the nightmare actually became a threat to her.

"COME DOWN HERE! HOW DARE YOU MOCK YOUR QUEEN!" The nightmare shouted (in full royal canterlot voice), firing off a volley of magic beams -- followed by a sea of poisonous fungus spores, and a series of rocks fragments, that shot from the ground.

"We, your princess of the night, apologize for this -- our little pony." Luna replied, politely (practicing her quiet speaking lessons.) "But for this we canst not comply... We apologize..." She said, mercilessly mocking the nightmare -- so as to keep the monster too upset to think too hard about the intruder in her victim's dreams.

"Enough! You meanie!!!" The nightmare shouted sounding more like Wysteria, and less like the nightmare -- could it be?

Luna gave a smirk, it looked like Braeburn had succeeded in making contact. Hopefully he would soon succeed in more.

The nightmare looked unamused. "What are you smirking about!" She shrieked, shooting off a very impressive bolt of magic, which fizzled about halfway, when the nightmare starting holding the top of her head, with her hooves (her arms bent at really funny angles, the nightmare standing on only her back hooves.) "RARRRR!!!!! What's.... What's... What's happening to me!!!" She shrieked, a look of pain in her eyes -- as her eyes switched rapidly from blood red, to it's natural two color yellow green color. "What's wrong with me? Why is my head hazy!"

"Yes!" Luna thought to herself, with enthusiasm. "It's working! Braeburn has made contact!"

"What are you doing to us!?!?" The nightmare shouted, shooting a very impressive beam of magic (one, even the battle hardened princess might be well to fear.) Well... had it not fizzled about a third of the way to the princess. "RARRRRGGG!!!!" The queen shouted, holding her head, with her hooves. "Why do we hurt so!? What is hapening to us!?!?!?" She shouted -- sounding less like the confident malicious Queen Nightshade, and more like the shy earth pony turned alicorn.

Luna gave a smirk. "Checkmate nightmare!" She shouted, with glee, taking great joy in the fact that the nightmare was slowly starting to fail. This battle was now all but won! And winning was simply a matter of keeping up the heat until Wysteria began to stir, and could regain control over her faculties.

The nightmare shuttered, before regaining her composure. "I know what you're trying to do..." She said, with a smirk -- causing the princess to do the opposite. "You're trying to trick Wysteria!" She snarled. "You're trying to convince her to leave us!" The nightmare shouted at the blue alicorn. "But you won't succeed! It'll be but a minute, then I'll expunge the -- " She said, preparing to move from back inside the alicorn's dream (her eyes rolling back in her head.)

However, Luna wasn't about to permit that! Having decided, instead, to press the attack harder, fighting to win (or atleast put up an excellent facsimile thereof.) Thus preventing the nightmare from concentrating on her own dream walk (or the nightmare equivalent, anyways.)

"Will you ease up fool!" The nightmare growled, dodging a beam of magic from the princess. "How can we sweep our floors if you keep attacking us?" She asked, dodging another intentionally poorly aimed attack by the blue alicorn.

"That's the plan nightmare!" Luna said, whispering in the nightmare's ear as she flew right by her head. "We plan to keep up until we finish this fight," she shouted, flying just out of the nightmare's range. "And there is naught thou canst do about it, nightmare!"

The nightmare stomped her feet, going ferrill for a second -- feeling not terribly impressed with this turn of events. "WE SHALL NOT PERMIT IT! WE WILL MAKE THE DESERT BLOOM LIKE A ROSE AND NO ONE SHALL STOP US!!!" The nightmare shrieked, flapping her wings, and taking a wobbly flight. Element or not, fears or no... She would fight this blue pretender in the skys.

**********

"A magical doohickey like me?" The little dragon asked, in a strong female voice -- a manic laughter bellowing from the dragon's mouth -- as a thick purple smoke slowly rising from the ground, engulfing the dragon -- causing both ponies to fall back in horror.

"Spike! What's wrong with you?" Wysteria asked, with deep concern, holding her hooves to her face. "What's happening to you?" She asked in utter confusion. "Did I do this to you somehow?" She asked, recoiling in abject terror -- as her blue friend began to disappear into the smoke, a collection of vastly conflicting memories flowing into her head. Was this her friend, or her oppressor? Why couldn't she remember clearly? Why did part of her call him her dearest friend, and the other part wanted him gone permanently? And why was she so afraid of whatever was behind the smoke?

Braeburn frowned, putting his hoof on her wither, trying to push her towards the door. "Ya gotta trust me Wysteria! That ain't yer friend!" Braeburn said, with dismay -- fearing that he would lose his friend again (and he refused to let that happen ever again!) "It's an imposter! Some kind'a monster's pretendin' ta be yer friend! And it wants -- " He said, desperately, being unable to speak as the nightmare cast a spell to temporarily mute him -- breaking into a shout, itself..

"Silence mortal!" The nightmare exclaimed, indignantly. "I only want what's best!" She exclaimed, puffing her chest self righteously. "I simply want to make Wysteria the queen that she was always meant to be: Queen Nightshade!" The nightmare hissed, completely obscured in the smoke. "I just wanted to punish the evil, and make the desert bloom like a rose!" She shouted, zealously -- her sense of righteousness hurt by this misguided fool (and she refused to suffer fools lightly.)

"Ya monster! Stop lyin' to her!" Braeburn demanded, angrily, fighting desperately to regain his speech (coughing, and gagging the whole way) -- pointing an accusatory hoof at the monster. "Stop tryin' ta take control of her!" Braeburn grunted out, taking his best fighting pose (despite the fact that every fiber of his being told him to run.) "She doesn't -- "

"Silence!!!" The nightmare roared, the smoke beginning to clear. "She is a princess! And she shall act like one! Our destiny was decided the moment that we touched the flower!" She said, pointing to Spike's flower, which was suddenly sitting in the purple alicorn's hair. "And now we shall make it a reality!" She hissed, as the smoke began to clear around what used to be the blue dragon, revealing an alicorn with a morbid purplish red color for her coat, a field of thorn plants for a cutie mark, blood red eyes, and long sharp fangs (the kind used by apex predators to rend their prey limb from limb.) "Even now you resist the urge to call her princess! Why Braeburn?" She asked the earth pony, who simply shook -- an expression of panic on his face. "Why do you lie to yourself? Why do you lie to her!?" The Nightmare hissed into the alicorn's ear, suddenly materializing next to her head. "You can't hide from the truth forever!"

"Braeburn?" Wysteria asked in tears -- turning to her friend. "You're going to abandon me too? I don't want you to go! Please don't call me princess!" She cried, a look of betrayal on her face. "You're just like everyone else aren't you?" She screeched in utter hopelessness, falling to her hooves. "Why?" She moaned, quietly. "Why do you hate me?"

"And that is why you need me?" The nightmare hissed. "Give up! That's why you need us!" He whispered, causing the earth pony turned alicorn to nod dutifully -- a vacant expression appearing on Wysteria's face.

Braeburn scowled, furiously. "Ya liar!" He shouted, working up the will to fight. He turned to Wysteria apologetically -- who turned her head, unwilling to look back. "Sorry Wysteria, an ah know that every fiber of my being wants ta call ya that, -- " He said, as his alicorn's friends eyes continued to gush out tears of grief. "But!" He said, turning to the nightmare, the fight in his eyes growing fiercer. "Ah ain't gunna! Because she's mah friend! And if she don't want ta be a princess then ah ain't gunna make her!" He shouted, charging at the nightmare. "So if ya don't shut up -- then ah'm gunna make ya!" He shouted, continuing to gallop blindly forward -- Braeburn would save his friend! No matter how high the cost! And no matter who he had to fight to do so!

The nightmare started laughing wildly -- bemused at the orange pony's utter foolishness (a bemusement that didn't last long before it was covered in indignation.) "You dare approach your queen this way? We shall make you pay!" She shouted, raising her hoof and summoned a sea of thorns and cacti -- which... stopped just short of the earth pony's face -- as time arround the nightmare slowly ground to a halt, leaving the nightmare, and her flowers, frozen in place.

"Braeburn!" Wysteria shouted -- turning back to her friend, in surprise -- the trance the nightmare put her in broken by the sight of her friend in danger. Meanwhile, the orange earth pony staggered backwards, a look of mortal terror materializing on his face -- the gravity of the situation beginning to become apparent. "Are you ok?" Wysteria exclaimed, rushing up to her friend. "That was so scary!" She said, wrapping her hoof and front leg around him. "I was so worried about you!"

"It's ok, Wysteria." He said, with a reassuring smile. "See ah'm ok, ya don't have ta worry any more!" He announced, his face growing ever more sincere. "An ah won't call ya princess, no matter what!" He said, putting his hoof on her wither. "Ah know how much ya don't wanna be called a princess." He said, turning an evil eye to the lying daughter of a dame before him.

"Thank you." She said, with a genuine smile. "I don't want to be a princess! I don't want everyone bowing down to me, and avoiding me! I just wanna be friends." She said, embracing him more closely. "I want to be useful! I want to sniff flowers! And I want to dig in the dirt! And I wanna be me!"

"Well! Molly as my witness, ah promise never treat ya like a princess, unless ya want it!" He said with a smile, before turning again to the nightmare, who remained frozen in place -- ranting like a mad mare at somepony. "But ah think we should go 'fore she wakes up." He said, motioning into a small break between the nightmare and her sea of death, and the door.

"Why's that?" Wysteria asked innocently. "Can't we talk ta her, and make her understand how mean she's being?" She said, with confusion as the earth pony applied a slight amount of pressure to her wither. "I mean how mean could she be? Maybe she just needs someone to talk to her and be her friend!"

Braeburn frowned. "Ah'm pretty sure she ain't in a listenin' mood right now." He said, motioning at the sea of doom that stood frozen before him. "An it ain't like us talkin' ta her is gunna make some disembodied cowpony voice talk 'bove our heads sayin' something 'bout how 'Queen Nightshade knew that trying to forcibly take possession of ponies' bodies was wrong, but sometimes the right thing is just not terribly appealing!'" He said, applying some pressure. "Now we best be goin' 'fore she wakes up!"

"Ok." Wysteria said, reluctantly, as they rushed out the door. "But why?"

"Ah'll tell ya on the way out, Wysteria, 'cause I don't want ta be here when 'the queen' wakes up." Braeburn said, with apprehension. "Ah hope nopony other then that green pony is watchin' the doors, otherwise we might have trouble getting outta here."

Behind him the nightmare began to twitch.

**********

Luna darted to the side, gracefully dodging a bolt of magic from the enraged nightmare alicorn -- stifling a laugh, as the nightmare apparently had atrocious aim when agitated. The bad news, though, was that the nightmare was now fighting (despite losing the sun that fed her plants) at around Nightmare Rarity's level, if not a little more powerful -- with no sign of slowing down, just yet. The good news? Being away from her element (the earth) made the alicorn as dangerous as a kitten, and her blind fury prevented her from either interfering with Braeburn, or being a threat to the princess of the night -- just as she had planned it. Now all she needed Braeburn to do was to convince Wysteria to fight the nightmare, and reestablish control over her own body (a task that might be easier said then done.)

In the meantime though, she had another dodge to do, as the monster began to fire off her magic more rapidly (beginning to create worries that the monster might use up all of Wysteria's magic, leaving her with none to work with, and adding yet another thing for the princess of the night to worry about.)

And to further complicate matters, now the monster was willing to take the air, and that meant that Luna couldn't get away from the nightmare's attacks as easily (naturally, she would permit the nightmare's flight for now as it's inexperience with the motion seemed to force the monster to monopolize their concentration on it, rather than Luna, or Braeburn.) And another silver lining in the situation was that due to the monster dividing its attention that the nightmare's aim wasn't very ...

A bolt of magic struck the princess squarely on the wing, causing her to crash into the ground (well maybe not crash, she landed hoof first, causing a nasty crater.) "Foalish princess of the night!" Luna said to herself, with a frown. "Why didst thou get cocky?" She said, staggering to her feet, the nightmare slowly descending from above.

"Now foolish pretender!" Queen Nightshade snarled. "Thou shalt pay for thine treason!" She said, powering up her horn. "Thou shalt pay for thine hate of these beautiful flowers!" She scoffed, summoning a wave of vines that entombed the princess of the night -- the aura arround her horn growing stronger and stronger, and more and more morbid. "Now that that has been resolved." The nightmare sneered. "It's time to deal with that interloper!" She said, her eyes starting to roll back in her head.

Now an outsider (or the uninformed) would think that it was over and that Luna had... well... I can't say. But she was, after all, the Princess of the Night, one of the deity princesses of Equestria. She wasn't going to be stopped by some stupid vines, no matter how viciously they pressed against her.

And, for that matter, she had to! She had a duty to er little ponies, who were in deep trouble, not to mention Wysteria and Braeburn! And she wasn't going to let her little ponies down! Not even the strange looking ones!

But why would Braeburn be in any danger? Well, dreamwalking could be dangerous if you didn't know what you were doing because harm occurring while dreamwalking -- if somepony wasn't prepared to handle it... well... can you say serious psychological damage? Or worse? And Luna wouldn't have any of that! Besides, with Luna gone, precious little would stop the nightmare's rampage, especially with the elements gone. Maybe the elements could use their rainbow power? Though, she suspected, that they would be as hesitant as she was lest they hurt (or worse yet, vaporize) an innocent pony -- and nopony wanted to do that. And then there was the time that it would take them to arrive.

And then, ultimately... There was her pride! She wasn't about to be the princess that went to the glue factory because of some stupid vines! She just wasn't going to do that! Not going to happen!!!

The vines began to warp and bulge as Luna's magic pushed against them, causing them to warp and bulge, eventually exploding out in all directions. The princess of the night's eyes glowed a red, and the wind bellowed around her as she spoke. "DOST THOU THINKEST THAT THOU CANS'T DESPATCH US THIS WAY NIGHTMARE?" She shouted, the rage building to the same level as that unfortunately nightmare night... that she wished not to think of again... "THOU DAREST MOCK AND DEMEAN THINE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT? WE SHALT ... " She stopped herself, this was not the right attitude, this was the kind of attitude that gave birth to her own nightmare. And she wouldn't have a second! (After all, nightmare's were like children... but worse!!! So a alicorn had, at most, one if it all possible!)

And then, to make further dampen her enthusiasm, there was the matter that the nightmare stopped moving... Luna gasped. She must have retreated into her own mind... This was very bad news for Braeburn, and quite possibly herself as well...

**********

"Hello there!" Braeburn's new green friend said, with smile. "So you find the bathroom all right?" She asked, walking over, and taking a good wiff. "Ahh..." She sighed, with an honest frown. "You couldn't find it!" She said sadly (but not for long, as she bucked up quite quickly afterwards.) "But not to worry! You can use the bathroom at my house, its -- "

"Nah..." Braeburn said, politely -- looking further back into the castle, anxiously. "Ah didn't find it, but ah'll just take care of it... when... Ah... git... home... Yeah! When ah get home." He lied, pathetically.

"Well ok!" The mint green pony said, politely. "See you later Braeburn!" She said, waving to Braeburn, exuberantly. "See you later Wysteria!" She said, waving to the purple alicorn.

A countdown could be heard somewhere in the background. "Wait... Wysteria?" She asked, angrily. "Braeburn? Why are you taking Wysteria out of the tower?" She said, breathing in to give an otherworldly shriek. "You know she's kind of a princess now and shouldn't be leaving the castle!!"

"Well... Um... Ah... Well... Ah.... Was going to get some cakes from... um..." He stammered anxiously, sweating profusely. Ok... Think Braeburn think! What cake place do you know of? Did Wysteria mention any cake places? What about that place his cousin Applejack kept talking about? Ice Cube corner... or something... "Ta... Umm....."

"Oh of course!" The mint pony said, striking her head with her hoof. "Sorry about that! I forgot about 'Double Cake Tuesday'! You must be trying to take the princess to the Cotton Candy Cafe for 'Double Cake Tuesday'!"She said, with exuberance.

"Yah.. Um... Double Cake Tuesday..." Braeburn lied, uneasily. "So... The princess an' I'll just git goin' and..."

"No wait..." Minty said, filling Braeburn with fear. "Today's Wednesday! Silly!" She said, with an honest smile. "But don't worry! I'll just run ahead, and tell Sweetberry that you forgot! You know -- I forget all the time and she always let's me have it anyways!" She said, rushing off -- leaving Braeburn standing there befuddled. "By the way Braeburn!" She shouted, growing ever more distant. "You really should take a bath! All that sweating can't be good for you!"

Meanwhile... Back in the royal chambers...

The nightmare began to grind back into action. Slowly at first, and then quickly. Muttering to herself angrily. "How dare this peon treat his queen this way!" She muttered to herself, as thorn bushes quickly began to spring from the earth. "How dare he attempt to flee from the righteous judgement of the queen of all that blossoms and grows!" She shouted, as an explosion of plants shot up from the floor, literally blowing the turret of the tower clean off.

"Uh oh!" Braeburn said to himself, in horror, as the purple castle that once stood behind him, no longer did so -- having exploded in all directions -- an angry blood purple alicorn standing in the center of, what used to be, the ballroom. "We've gotta go," he said to his purple friend, with urgency. "Ah dont' think we wanna be this close ta the nightmare right now," he said, applying light pressure to his friend's wither.

"What's going on?" She asked, in confusion, wondering why her friend was being so pushy.

"That!" Braeburn responded, pointing to what used to be the castle.

"Oh dear!" Wysteria said, holding her hoof to her mouth. "Who did that?"

"I did!" Replied the nightmare, with sadistic glee, rising from the ruins of the dream celebration castle. "I did it out of righteous anger!" She shouted, eliciting no small amount of shaking from the other two ponies. "Because your friend, here, was trying to strip us from our rightful place as queen of Ponyville!" She said, motioning to Wysteria's mindless friends who approached mindlessly, blathering about 'the princess that was in Ponyville'.

Wysteria happily galloped over to her baker friend, greeting her warmly. She would definitely recognize her! And Sweetberry was always so friendly! She was sure to finally stop treating her like a princess, and treat her like a friend instead! Sadly the pony didn't respond, opting instead to continue babbling about how great it was to meet the princess.

"Please Sweetberry! It's me!" Wysteria shouted, in despair to her dark pink coated friend, staring directly into her blue eyes. "Don't you recognize me? It's me! Wysteria?"

The purple and green maned earth pony with twin strawberries for a cutie mark shook her head mindlessly. "We should, most certainly, have a special celebration of our princess' presense. Sweet!"

"Please Cotton Candy!" Wysteria said, turning to her pink coated friend with the blue, pink, and white tricolor mane. "Please tell Sweetberry that we're friends! And that I'm no more important then she is!" She begged, hoping that the talkative pink earth pony would talk some sense to her occasional partner in cuisine. Instead the pink pony, too, was unresponsive.

"Yeah isn't this wonderful!" The earth pony with the cotton candy cutie mark, her blue and pink two color eyes staring off blankly. "we could totally do that instead of the spring promenade!"

"Please!" Wysteria begged, hoping somepony would listen, but they all seemed clueless. Why'd she listen to Braeburn? Now she wouldn't even have the spring promenade now! She'd lose the thing she loved most: her flowers and -- "

"Silence!" Braeburn snorted violently, snapping the earth pony out of her trance -- and causing both the nightmare, and Wysteria's dream friends to turn their heads towards him. "How dare ya do this to Wysteria!" He snorted, stamping at the ground, with his hoof. "How dare ya do this ta her friends! How dare ya turn her friends 'gainst her!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, charging headfirst at the nightmare -- plowing straight through thistle and thorn, vines, and even trees. "Bring back her friends, an' apologize fur what ya've done ta her castle!" He snorted, galloping forward -- resolving that nothing the alicorn could throw would stop him.

"You dare challenge your queen? -- " The queen shouted, unphased by the earth pony's foolishness. " -- You dare make claims about Wysteria's 'friends'?" she exclaimed, causing the earth to bellow and shake. "A princess has no friends or equals! And the sooner she realizes this -- the better!"

"But I don't want to be a princess!" Wysteria cried, falling to her knees (yeah, her legs suddenly bent like a bi-peds.) "Please!" She cried, her eyes begging for mercy.

"STOP IT!!!" Braeburn shouted, angrilly, turning to Wysteria. "Ya don't have to be a princess! It don't matter what this monster says, or even that little blue dragon!" He shouted, kicking aside the vines that the nightmare sent to snare him. "HECK!" He said, with furocity. "It don't matter even if Celestia, herself, says ya haf to! It's time ya stood up and said that this ain't what ya want ta do!"

"Really?" Wysteria asked, bucking up. "Is this the truth!"

"It is!" Braeburn said, to chuckling from the monster behind him.

"What platitudinous nonsense!" The nightmare shouted -- surprised that a mere earth pony had such success against her plants. "Is it not your training? Nay! Is it not your very nature to call her as such!? Your nature betrays you fool! It demands that an alicorn like Wysteria to be your princess! Nay! even more!" The nightmare chuckled, with glee. "The very dreams of you lesser ponies betray your nonsense boy! We have seen it every night since our birth, as we have wondered the dreamscape!" She shouted, sending the vines forth to wrap around the orange earth pony. "And now it's time that I put your nonsense to an end!" She said, as the vines slowly covered his head.

"Braeburn!" Wysteria shouted, holding her hooves against her mouth -- shaking slightly. "What are you doing to him?" She asked, with horror -- as the plants wrapped tighter around her orange friend.

"I'm making him shut up, so that he is no longer capable of filling your mind with nonsense!" The dark Wysteria said, sternly. "And once he's gone you will have no choice but to -- "

"Please Wysteria! Ignore her.. ya... ya need ta help them! yer friends are -- " Braeburn struggled to speak, somehow being able to choke out words.

"Quiet mortal! It's time that she acted like the deity queen she -- " The queen nightmare shouted, zealously being interrupted only by her purple counterpart -- all the time wondering how this orange pony was still speaking.

"QUIET!!!" Wysteria shrieked, causing the vines to release, and retract. "IT'S YOU WHO ARE SAD!!!" Wysteria's voice howled -- as the vines slowly started to wither. "WHERE ARE YOUR FRIENDS? DO YOU WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS FOREVER?" She shouted, her voice booming like a megaphone. "IS THIS WHAT YOU THINK IS JUST? IS THIS WHAT YOU THINK OUR FRIENDS ARE FOR?" She asked, pointing to her friends slowly disappearing. "WELL I DON'T WANT ANY OF THIS!!!"

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" The nightmare shouted. "I'M THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO'S SPEAKING THE TRUTH! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THIS WAY!!!" She shouted, sending her vines to attack... well... herself...

**********

Luna frowned, panting slightly, how much more energy did this monster have? And how could it continue to fight while performing a dreamwalk? And, for that matter, how much longer would it take Braeburn to convince the purple alicorn within to fight against the nightmare? Was it possible that he had failed? Would she need to do the very thing that she had been fighting so hard to avoid? Would she need to banish the alicorn, in hopes a method to free her could be found in the future? But where do you even banish an alicorn, whose element is the earth and who shares a connection with a whole kingdom of living things? She pondered to herself, missing the obvious happening right below her.

Vines creeped up the alicorn's legs, locking her in place. Causing the princess to curse violently -- how did she keep missing the obvious? She asked, struggling futilely against the vines, that continued to creep up her frame, and responded to magic levied against them.

That was it! innocent or not! Luna could no longer play easy on the alicorn! She had to finish this fight before the beast could become any more powerful! She had to end this, no matter the cost! She had to... unwrap her hooves... somehow...

Assuming she could somehow free herself from these vines, at all.

"IT'S OVER IMPOSTER!" The nightmare shouted, with glee -- temporarily switching back from the dreamworld. "YOU'RE FINISHED!!!" She shouted, as the vines began to wrap the princess of the moon, who continued to be unable to free herself, like a mummy.

Now sadly, I can't quote the sea of words that came out of the princess' mouth -- but I can assure you that they aren't fit for young ears (or anyone under Methuselah's age, for that matter.)

The nightmare laughed maniacally... as the vines began to wither. "YOU'RE FINISH NOW YOU WILL NO LONGER!!!" She shouted, suddenly noticing her 'friends' starting to wither. "NO!" She shouted -- staring angrily off into space -- as she started to argue with herself -- her eyes switching from blue red to yellow and green in a rapid pattern.

"IT'S YOU WHO ARE SAD!!!" Boomed Wysteria's normal voice from between her lips -- who was apparently battling the monster, from within (at least in word.)

The nightmare shook her head belligerently -- shaking her hoof. "I'M THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO'S SPEAKING THE TRUTH! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THIS WAY!!!" Shouted the nightmare back, responding to her kinder half. She was apparently not going to give in easily... This might require the dreamwalk that Luna had originally planned.

Luna gave a smile -- resisting the urge to have a laugh at the nightmare's misfortunes. This, however, was excellent news! "Wysteria!" Luna shouted, trying to reach into the purple pony's mind. "Thou must fight the nightmare!" She said, powering up her horn, for a dreamwalk. "Tis a fight that only thou canst win!" she said, with a smile as the nightmare remained motionless, meaning that the monster was now on the defensive (even inside her own mind) -- just where the princess of the night wanted it. Luna gladly brushed the last of brown, withered, the vines off. "Braeburn has done it! I guess our trust in our little pony was warranted, after all!" She exclaimed, to herself, activating her magic, making final preparations for her dreamwalk. "Now it's time, oh princess of the night, to assist young Wysteria, and young Braeburn in banishing the monster!" She said, contemplating how best to banish a creature that exists in an alicorn's psyche. Maybe she could banish the monster to the moon within the dream world? Or, perhaps, she could lock it under the earth? In any case, it was time to move -- and move she would!

She lit her horn, concentrating on the magics of the night - feeling for the purple alicorn's presence on the astral plane (a sad fact: dreamwalking was always easier at night! But oh well! She was more than just a mere princess, and she would not allow the sun to impede her mission!) Hoping that the purple alicorn's mind would open up to her.

Within a flash, she could sense the opening -- Braeburn had, indeed, succeeded in opening the way. This meant that the road was open into the alicorn's dream (for the first time... well... ever!)

**********

"PLEASE GO AWAY!" Wysteria shouted, in full Royal Ponyville voice, beckoning her dark self to leave, "I DON'T WANT OR NEED YOU ANYMORE!" She snarled, actually showing her teeth. "YOU'VE CAUSED ENOUGH HARM!!!" She shouted, belligerently, on the verge of using physical force (something that never believed was even in her.)

The nightmare simply chuckled, summoning a sea of thorns at her normal half. "YOU SPEAK NONSENSE!!!" She shouted, calling the winds and the rain. "THOU ART DESTINED TO BE A PRINCESS!!! THOU SHALT ACT AS ONE!!!" She shouted, motioning to her kind side -- sending a sea of plants flying towards her.

As Wysteria cringed, hopelessly, the plants dutifully obeyed their kind master, and parted from around her -- leaving her unscaved.

This caused an angry snarl and a stamping of hooves from her counterpart, who turned to her plants, ferociously chastising them. "How dare you disobey a direct order from your queen!" She shouted to her green minions -- pointing all the harder (probably hoping her energy would kowtow the reluctant plant matter.) "Now finish her, and her meddling friend!!!" She shouted, causing the plants to advance forward.

Finally seeing her plants obey caused the 'queen of all that blossoms and grows' much glee! She chuckled, manically, as they moved forward... That was, until they stopped -- having moved only precious inches... "Why do you disobey?" She cried, like a small child, at her plants disobedience -- stamping like a two year old having a temper tantrum over the toy their parent's wouldn't buy them. "Don't you like me any more?" She shouted, ranting and rambling -- giving over a childish shriek and an ear blowing wail. "Why! Why! Why!"

Wysteria sniffed slightly. "Now you know how I feel," she said, sticking her hoof out to the nightmare (like they would always do when a pony comes to their senses. She would talk to the pony and they could be friends!) "Let's be friends and -- "

"Silence!!!" The nightmare hissed -- hitting the princess' hoof with hers. "Thou art a princess! Now actest as one!!!" She shouted, her voice booming like thunder. "Why don't you finish your foes?" She frowned, more certain than ever that her counterpart was no longer capable of being a competent queen. "Now you!" She shouted, turning to her plants. "Why dost thou disobey a direct order from thy queen?" She shouted, destroying some of her own precious plants with her magic.

"Hard to say?" A soft voice said, materializing out of what used to be a vase (kind of a tight fit, but Luna was used to this kind of thing.) "Perhaps the problem, oh nightmare, is that thou pittest these plants against their true ruler?" She hinted softly, trotting right over the brambles towards the kind alicorn (the brambles evaporating into thin air upon her mere touch.) "And that you try to pit their true master against her true kind nature?" She said, turning to the nightmare. "Knowest not, the plants, this fact as well?"

"Shut up you pretender!" The nightmare shouted to the blue night princess. "You should know better than to speak to your superior this way!" She shouted, summoning a few long vines, which she attempted to use as a whip -- not that she got very far as the plants disappeared into thin air.

The nightmare stomped up and down, going ever more ferryl. "Why didn't that work?" She asked, angrily. "WHY! WHY! WHY!!!" She screamed, angrily, stamping ferociously, and hopping up and down -- and wailing like a two year old who wanted something they weren't allowed to have. "We are more powerful than you! And we demonstrate as such!" She shouted, summoning all her magic to summon a sea of bamboo...

Which all quickly fizzled into nothingness...

The morbid purple nightmare alicorn snarled, powering up her horn. "I don't care if you've turned Wysteria against me!" She shouted to both Braeburn, and The Princess of the Night. "I don't care if you've turned my plants against me!!!" She shouted, discharging a terrifying beam of magic from her horn. "I'm still more powerful! You only have the tiny, distant, lifeless moon!" She shouted, a self satisfied expression growing on her face. "But I control the vast energies of the planet itself!" She snarled, as the beam hit Luna dead on (who didn't dodge, for some reason.) "Do you think we have not learned much about ourselves during our slumber inside that foolish child, Wysteria?" She said, calming down to the comforting sight of Luna disinvaporated.

Well... Not quite...

A laughing could be heard echoing from the room, as the smoke drawn up by the magic assault began to clear. "This maybe true." Said Luna, nonchalantly, unscaved, unhurt, and without even the hint of smoke. "And yet nightmare, thou drawest no power here in the world of dreams!" The Princess of the Night shouted, with bemusement. "Dost thou still wish to push forward?"

"No!" The nightmare shouted angrily. "Thou liest!!!" She shouted, taking flight -- only to find herself grounded by the princess' horn, which ripped her out of the sky, and slammed her against the earth. "Let us go!!!" She shouted, with an unworldly voice. "We are more powerful! We are more regal!! We are more princessy!!" She shouted, flailing uselessly -- desperately trying to break herself free of the grip of Luna's magic.

"It's over nightmare." Luna said, relenting one final time. "Do you surrender?" She asked, stooping down to get down at the nightmare's level. "We shall give thou, but one more chance!"

"Never!" The nightmare spit. "And soon Wysteria will realize the truth! That she has neither friends nor equals! Only subjects! And that she has no choice but to rule over them as a proper iron fisted ruler!" She demanded, firing off her horn one final time.

A shot which luna effortlessly blocked with her pastern. She turned to Wysteria. "It's time young princess of all that buds and grows." She said, softly to the kind alicorn. "We must seal away this abomination so that she can no longer threaten our little ponies." She said, holding out her hoof. "Dost thou wish to help us?"

"Must we?" Wysteria asked, with a frown. "She looks all sad --" She said, regretfully. " -- and all she wanted was to make me a real princess, just like Spike."

Luna shook her head. "And she almost choked five outlaw bulls, dragged one changeling assassin into the black abyss, and tried to take possession of your body." She said, quietly, making sure to use her best modern equestrian accent. "And let's not even think of what she would have done to our little ponies." She said, a regretful tone in her voice. "Besides, Wysteria, she doesn't really exist... Well... she does and she doesn't... But mostly she exists only because of you -- and only as a part of you. It's best, for everypony, if we seal her away where she can cause you, nor our ponies no more harm."

Wysteria frowned. "Are you sure we have to?"

Luna frowned, nodding her head. "We are sorry, our little pony, but this is for the best!"

Wysteria nodded, belatedly. "Ok..." She said, with a guilty expression. "Can you show me how?"

"Of course!" Luna said, walking over to the purple earth pony turned alicorn. "We shall help thou..." She said, powering up her horn. "Consider this the beginning of the training pr... I will give you to help you control all your new powers."

**********

"Lord Solanaceae!" Shouted a drone, galloping up to the lead assassin as quickly as they could.

"What is it?" The senior assassin asked, impatiently. "I have urgent business with prince Vladímir!"

The drone nodded, mindlessly. "I understand, my lord." The drone said, bowing to his superior. "But this news is extremely important to the hive."

"And that is?" Replied the assassin, rolling his eyes. What possible news, of any import, could come from a drone?

"Another nascent alicorn has appeared, -- " The drone said, causing the color to disappear from the head assassin's head. Hadn't Phytolacca gone searching for a princess? " -- and the hive collective has lost all contact with one of its drones, as well as the assassin Phytolacca." The drone stated, cautiously -- not noticing the assassin's eyes darting around desperately. "We can't even sense his location, and that can mean only one thing." It said, pointing it's hoof upwards.

"Horse apples!" The assassin cussed -- wondering if he could prevent this knowledge from getting out, by eliminating the drone now. "This is very bad news." He said, remembering that he had already lost his right hand mare, the assassin Mandragora, to a nascent alicorn filly. "Vladímir will not be pleased," he thought, to himself. shaking his head -- especially considering that he still had to tell the prince that they still had no idea who the sixth bearor might be (Belladonna swore up and down that she knew who numbers four and five were, and he was sure she wasn't lying -- but it was infuriating that she still refused to give any hints as to who she thought they were.)

Maybe if he mixed the bad news with good news then the changeling prince might take it better? He shook his head. Who was he kidding? The next question his lord would certainly ask was if he had the hive's revenge already planned. And the answer to that was currently no... Not with one of Equestria's deity queens hovering about (especially since Vladímir had explicitly stated that the princesses weren't to be disturbed until he gave the word of his impending final victory over the tyrant princesses of Equestria.)

**********

Luna frowned, having gathered the three ponies -- who were all now awake -- back to a room she had rented in town for the night (well technically she only rented it in case she needed it, but right now it looked like she did.)

"Guards." The Princess of the Night said, to the royal escort that she brought with her, all the way from Canterlot. "Would you ensure that the pr... Wysteria, Braeburn, and I are not disturbed." She said, feeling obliged to keep Wysteria's secret secret, at least a while longer (and plenty of forbidden mind magic on the town's folk also helped, though she suspected her sister was going to banish her to her room for a few weeks for doing that.)

"Very well, princess." the guards said, dutifully, taking a vigilant stance -- fanning their batlike wings across the doorway (while two more kept guard over the window of the rather small room to ensure no looky-loos bugged the princess via the back way.) "But wouldn't you want a bigger space, your majesty?"

Luna shook her head, impatiently. "The space shalt do fine guards." Luna said, finally breaking back into her native accent. "It beest, indeed, small, but a small room shall suffice, for our needs." She said, hoping to convince her guards to leave her already.

"Very well, princess." The guards repeated -- eliciting a relieved sigh from Luna. A sigh that didn't last long. "Do you need us to prepare your chariot for your return to Canterlot, your majesty?"

The princess shook her head, stamping one hoof (on the verge of shouting at her guards.) "Not yet. We needest discuss business with the pr... young Wysteria."

"Very well." The guards nodded. "We shall disturb you no longer." They said, finally returning to attention -- not hearing the sigh of relief that came from the moonlight princess.

Wysteria sighed, remembering the breezies were forced to act while they were her 'ladies in waiting'. How she almost broke up the three of them forever -- and barely prevented the destruction of that year's ~~Spring Promenade~~ Princess Promenade in the process.

Luna returned a reassuring smile. "We can guess what thou thinkest, " she said, putting a reassuring hoof on the purple alicorn's wither. "But worry not! They are free to come and go as they please, and, for their service, they handsomely rewarded." She said, softly -- putting a hoof to the other alicorn's ear. "Plus they consider it not just their joy and duty, but also a great honor -- and a matter of pride -- to serve in this capacity."

"I hope so." Wysteria replied, with a faint smile -- still not fully convinced, but completely willing to believe the princess.

"So tell us, gentle Wysteria." Luna said, in her very softest voice. "What plannest thou now?"

"I didn't really think about that." Wysteria said, dropping to a strange sitting position, with her lower legs jutting straight out, and her back perpendicular to her legs. Her hoof sitting firmly on the chin of her oversized muzzle. "I'd like to find my friends, and return to Ponyville." She said, thoughtfully -- contemplating different options.

Luna shook slightly -- trying very hard not to be seen. Shortly before she got to town, she had received a letter from Flash Sentry, stating that Wysteria's Ponyville was long gone -- and a total wreck. "Hast thou considered training in thine new magic?"

Wysteria shook her head. "Not really. Should I?" She asked with confusion. "I certainly dont' need it when I return to Ponyville, right?" She asked, staring into Luna's eyes. "I mean I won't get attacked by any more bugs right?" She asked, herself suddenly feeling a small amount of terror.

Luna frowned, this conversation was not going her way. "Worry not of 'the bugs'." She said, waving her hoof, reassuringly. "They will trouble you not... However, unfortunately, upon thine ascension, thy magic has been amplified greatly, and connected to the very planet itself -- as well as its fauna. T'would not be wise to continue without learning how to control thine magic -- especially after almost cercumming to thine nightmare." She said, reminding Wysteria of the condition that she just barely escaped from.

Wysteria looked back, with a puzzled expression. "But isn't it gone for good?" She asked how much more she would have to suffer because of these stupid wings, and this ridiculous horn.

Luna sighed. "No... Tis only sleeping, bound within thine psychi." She said, considering that they used a binding spell to bind the monster within Wysteria's dreamscape. "And twill return if thou learnest not to control thine magic."

"Ok..." Wysteria said, with a frown. "But can I return to Ponyville, and learn there, with my flowers?"

Luna shook her head, sadly -- unwilling to go into great detail, lest the pony's condition resurface at an inconvenient time. "Tis not possible," she said, looking away.

"Why not?" Wysteria asked, sadly. "Why can't I go back to Ponyville?"

Luna frowned -- keeping her eyes and face out of sight of the other alicorn in the room, sadly. "We'd rather not discuss the matter right now, please trust us pr... our little pony." She said, putting a reassuring hoof on the purple alicorn's wither -- and choking out a smile. "We shall tell thee, when the time is right, and we promise thou that thou will yet see thine home again!" She said, begging the purple alicorn to trust her.

Wysteria sighed, sadly. She suspected something was up, but decided to trust the blue alicorn's judgement. But what did she mean by 'we shall tell thee when the time is right'? Did something happen to Ponyville? In the end, though, she shook her head -- Ponyville was probably fine. "But can I stay here with Braeburn while I learn?" She asked, looking for the second option (if she couldn't go back to Ponyville, maybe she could stay with Braeburn? She had, after all, become kind of sweet on the orange apple.)

Luna frowned, as the normal answer would be no -- however, she suspected that the earth pony wouldn't do well being transplanted to stuffy Canterlot, especially if some noodle brained paparazzi got wind that there was suddenly a fifth princess (and a second purple one to boot), while looking into Luna's new student. Plus maybe this was for the best, there was less chance of her being prematurely discovered this far from the royal seat of Canterlot.

"Very well." Luna said with a smile -- opting to skip the 'we need a formal ascension, because ponies will treat you as royalty now regardless' seach, for obvious reasons (why the speach? Well the two princesses had tried many things early on to not take the title, in the beginning, but were forced, in the end, to live within the prison of endless bureaucracy -- mainly because their little ponies wouldn't leave them alone unless Luna and Celestia became their princesses.) "However, our guards will see to it that his place is made appropriate for a pr... for you!" She said, with a smile, motioning in one of her guards, and whispered something in his ear. "Could you make sure there is enough rooms in Braeburn's abode for two ponies to sleep comfortably, in different rooms?"

Wysteria gave a smile. "Oh thank you Luna!" She said, eagerly. "You won't live to regret this." She said, shaking Luna's hoof, unnaturally, with hers.

Luna frowned, she already did. "However, young pr... Wysteria. Thou must visit us at Canterlot, until our sister returns from Unicornia." She said, sternly. "Only then canst thou return here."

Wysteria frowned, beginning to fret. How long was she going to have to stay in this Canterlock? Would she be all alone again?

The princess, sensed her dismay. "Worry not." The Princess of the Night continued, pointing out the window towards the town. "Thou canst bring Braeburn along, and t'will only be for a short while!" (Luna hoped it would be only a couple of days, not a few weeks.)

"Ok." The purple alicorn replied belatedly.

"Now!" The Princess of the Night responded, having dispatched the nitty gritty of the situation. "Please rest here for the night, while we guard your dreams," she said, to the two tired ponies. "We shall depart in the early morn," she said, preparing to lower the sun, and raise the moon.

**********

It took about another week for the most senior of all of Equestria's princesses to return -- but return she did, bringing along three very tired unicorns (and an agreement for trade concessions to Unicornia, and an agreement never to meddle in Unicornia's affairs again -- an agreement, that, Celestia planned to disobey as soon as she was able.)

And so the matter came up of what to do with Equestria's newest princess (as well as the young filly alicorn that was still causing mischief in Ponyville.)

"Could you wait for us outside, Wysteria?" Celestia asked, gently, motioning for her guards to escort the three unicorns, and the purple alicorn out of the room. "Please enjoy the feast we have prepared for you, and your friends, Lilly Lightly, Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes, in the dining room, " she said, with a smile (food was, along with sweets, a great comfort to Celestia when she was feeling down.) "We shall be joining you shortly," she said, with a smile, motioning the four ponies away so she and her sister could discuss mattersm, in secret.

Wysteria nodded, as she was escorted out of the room, and to the, rather large, dining room, in the other room.

"So..." Celestia said, turning to her sister. "She doesn't remember anything?"

Luna shook her head. "She rememberest nothing in that timeline post Christmas, except for the friends that she met," she said, with a certain amount of concern. "And even then, she remembers the unicorns only vaguely."

"Perhaps for the best." Celestia said, with a smile. "She has it hard enough already," she said, trotting over to a window. "So tell me, Luna. Is it true that our little Wysteria was stricken with a nightmare?"

Luna nodded."Yes sister, and that is why we thought that it was best that we trainest her in the use of her magic," she exclaimed, waiting for the inevitable blow-up from her sister. "Now! We knowest that thou hast disapproved of us taking students but ... "

Celestia shot her sister a reassuring smile. "Oh No! I fully understand!" She said, drinking up the fact, that her sister's mouth practically dropped to her hooves. "After all, only you and the element of Generosity, Rarity, would have any experience in this matter -- and she would probably be a poor teacher of alicorn magic."

Luna shot her sister a puzzled look. "Didst thou say what I thought thou hast said?" She said, checking her ears. "That we canst be her teacher?"

"Yes." Celestia nodded. "You should be her teacher."

Luna did a double take. "Art thou sure? Normally, when thou diggest in thine hooves... "

Celestia smirked. "You didn't just spend two weeks in Unicornia doing 'hard negotiations'," she said, thinking of all the waiting she did, only to end up doing more waiting, followed by being berated, and then all the fierce arguing. The good news, though, was that she brought Lilly Lightly, Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes back to Canterlot. "Besides... Twilight already has her hooves full, with two new students..."

Celestia paced around the room, before returning to her initial position, and faced her sister. "So do we know why Wysteria ascended?"

Luna shook her head. "T'was something to do with young Heathspike's flower," she said, plainly. "We figurest that it reacted against her magic, or t'was an alicorn lily."

Celestia frowned, resisting the urge to pace. "First Rarity, now Wysteria..." She said, lowering her head into a thinking position. "You don't suppose..."

Luna looked back at her sister, she normally never got a chance to see her sister stumped like this. "Discord's last legacy?"

Celestia nodded. "It's possible."

"Perhaps." Luna replied, contemplating the beginnings of her vast memory. "But.. does that mean that?"

Celestia nodded. "Lilly has a lot of magic to begin with, but no control. As I recall she used to think that her horn glowed due a genetic mutation, and that it was responding to her emotions." She said, asking her guard for a stronger drink. "But, I believe that, all that excess magic is what causes her horn to glow like that."

Luna frowned. But wasn't that horn what made her special? Why do you think it was excess magic? Was her head aching?

Luna frowned, turning away again, sternly. "I shall have one of my best teachers tutor her in the basics of unicorn magic, and then we shall stage a 'test for my school' to see if our theories are, indeed, justified," she said, fully justifying her reputation as a chess player (with ponies' lives.) "If she is what we suspect then it'll happen due to the stress of the test, or her magic will act up in power."

Luna frowned. "And, I suppose, t'would be advisable to locate young Sky Wishes, post haste."

Celestia nodded. "That's the plan..." She said, crafting a letter for the captain of her guards. "Guards! Get me the dragon fire! This letter needs to be sent to Princess Cadence immediately!"

**********

Solanaceae stood before his master's door, cowering slightly -- wondering if he dared enter, or if he would turn around and go hide.

Of course, those that work for prince Vladímir don't get the luxury of hiding when summoned -- as the door opened slowly.

The prince's throne was even more ostentatious than before, and his presentation louder.

"Come forth Solanaceae of the south, your prince has requested your presence!" The prince's crier shouted loudly. "Come forth to meet with your lord," he cried, loudly -- doing what the princess had requested of him, drawing all eyes to the prince's throne.

The assassin sighed... Oh how He hated this part! "I bear news regarding your search for the elements Lord!"

"Is it good news?" Asked the young prince, giving the assassin a disapproving look (maybe even a threatening one.)

"Of course!" The assassin said, hesitantly. "As your majesty is aware, three bearers have already been located, and my left hand assassin, Belladonna, has informed me that she has located two more." The assassin said, confidently -- hoping his lord wouldn't ask more questions. "I will spare no resources in the locating of those two bearers, as well as the third."

"Excelent." His lord replied enthusiastically. "Meanwhile, I, too, bring great news. I have heard word that one of the largest, and most influential, of all unicorn houses might be interested in joining our cause -- assuming that we are willing to do away with that deadbeat 'prince' of Equestria."

"That is good news sire." The changeling said, hoping to quietly excuse himself.

"Of course." The changeling prince said, with pride. "As I had planned! And as I had negotiated! It's only a matter of time now!" The prince pouted. "They have agreed to join our cause once that joke Blueblood is gone. And that means that, once we have done so, we will have enough power to finally deal with the pretender to the throne!"

"Well then your majesty, I shall be going to personally supervise the search for ... " Solanaceae said, starting to leave.

"Of course." The prince said, a twinkle coming to his eye. "But let me ask a question first?"

"What is it sire?" The changeling asked, snapping to attention. "What is it that you need?"

The prince shrugged, nonchalantly. "Where's Phytolacca?" The prince asked, suspiciously. "Shouldn't he be here to celebrate his capture of Sunset Shimmer?"

The assassin gulped. "Well... you see sire..."

"He's gone isn't he?" The changeling prince asked, boisterously. "He was dispatched by another nascent alicorn?"

"Yes sire." The assassin said, solemnly -- bowing his head. "But how did you know?"

"Never forget Solanaceae!" The prince replied, angrily. "There is nothing in the hive that escapes my sight! Now you had better find the last three bearers fast, or you are finished!!!" The prince said, ordering his guards to carry the assassin out of his sight, having him literally tossed out of of the room.

"I hope that assassin hurries... for his sake! My allies in Equestria don't accept failure! And neither do I!!!"

Optional Chapter 1-2: Rarity's story

"Well, " he replied, like a professor, despite the confused tone he used while doing so. "Your mark gives you your special talent, and prevents you from -- "

The pink earth pony shook her head, laughing as she did so, like a sister correcting her little brother. "No, silly! The mark doesn't do anything!" She replied, with a chuckle, waving her hoof. "It just symbolizes my love for wishing, and kites!" She replied, pointing her front hoof at her flank. "And there no way for that to make you any more special, than any other pony!"

"Huh..." the grey unicorn replied, leaving to think about some things.

**********

"Starlight Glimmer, " a changeling drone droned, forcing open the door to her little house. "Belladonna requests your presence at her mansion, " it demanded, foolishly requesting her to visit that monument to inequality that was the dwelling place of her captor -- a captor she would someday depose.

As the boswazi changelings practically drug her along, she could only begin to tell how her fellow ponies had been oppressed by that cougar, that the changelings had put in charge of her town. Instead of being plain and equal, instead they looked sick and tired, having been forced to work endlessly to mine, gather, and concoct that horrid substance that their overlord was so addicted to. And Starlight wanted no more part of it.

However, any thoughts of sedition were immediately greeted by belligerent growling from her 'chaperones'.

Also suspiciously absent from her normally cordial collection of ponies were her closest confidant, Double Diamond, and a pegasus they had enlisted recently, Night Glider, and, for both of whom, she could only assume the worst. And she would have to speak to her oppressor about that. Maybe after she performed the dirty deed, she would be in a place to impose some terms...

However, no sooner had they opened the door to the mansion that the changeling called 'her humble home', then the changelings got the first word.

"Are you upset about losing your puuurrriiends Double Diamond, and Night Glider?" She purred, swishing her tail like a feline.

"No! We are all friends here in -- " Starlight responded, being quickly interrupted.

"Even Double Diamond?" She asked, a sadistic expression embracing her face. "You seemed to take quite the fancy to him?" She said, batting her eyes, and cradling her hooves together, like a star struck filly...

Starlight blushed, shaking her head. She couldn't yet embrace equality, not as long as other ponies hadn't yet, and this meant that she was as fallible as any pony, and, as a result, she'd taken a special fancy for the dashing earth pony, who looked good even drained of his colors in equality, however, she couldn't let on as it was toxic for her herd to think as such.

"Well, " the changeling purred. "If you do a good job on the task I give you, then maybe you, and the other ~~slaves~~ assistants, can take a good month break?" she purred, in the pink unicorn's ear. "How does that sound?"

Starlight shook her head, did she dare even consider this crooked deal? Could she even consider anything that tyrant demanded, or offered, after what she'd done to Double Diamond?

The changeling gave a sadistic smile. "Of course, if you're not sure, " she replied, with a melodramatic voice, "I could give everypony double shifts instead?" She purred. "And you can go back to reeducation?" She purred, taking extra care to emphasize the word 'reeducation'.

Starlight almost fainted, she wanted no part of that horrible chamber, it's purpose was the teaching of equality not conformity to the tyrant queen! "Wh...Wh...What's your task?" She stuttered, finding herself, once again, short of words.

"Excellent!" The changeling purred. "Your task is actually quite simple," she stated, doing laps around her prey. "I need that cutie remarking!" She reiterated.

Starlight swallowed the urge to shriek, this request was affront to everything she stood for, to the 'Staff of Equality' itself! How dare this tyrant even request such a thing! Not just did cutie marks only lead to inequality, but she was requesting to become more unequal... by design! And it was an insult to her. "But the Staff of Equality can't be used this way!" She snarled, angrily showing her teeth at the monster, a bad habit she picked up while on the road with a group of diamond dogs, during her research.

"Then find a way!" The tyrant hissed back, her back arching like an angered cat, her front left hoof ready to strike. "Or you can join Party Favor, and Sugar Belle in the mines! Mining ingredients for my witching potion!" She snarled back. "How do you feel about that!" She snarled back.

"No! Please!" The pink unicorn begged, she'd die down there, and then what would happen to equality?

"And, you can spend your time in reeducation while you aren't in the mines!" The changeling said, driving the point home!

"Ok!" Starlight shrieked back, feeling utterly defeated, not sure if ~~her magic~~ The Staff of Equality could even be used that way.

The changeling eagerly licked her lips, probably drinking of her fear, and desperation. "Then you have one week!" She shouted, the drones putting an hourglass on the granite counters that adorned the mansion. "Don't let me down!" She stated, confidently. "Because if you do..." she said, intentionally trailing off. "Then I have no use for you!" She shouted, stamping her hoof for her guards. "Take her away to contemplate the complexities of cutie re-marking ponies, in reeducation until she learns the place of ponies like her in Vladimir's grand new hive!" She said, as the pink unicorn was dragged away kicking and screaming.

"But you promised me -- " the unicorn protested on her way out the door.

"Well, " the changeling boasted sadistically, "I changed my mind!"

**********

Celestia shook her head, another one of those daydreams. She'd been having them for almost two thousand years, every time she'd doze off during the day, usually during the last thousand years, when she'd been handling both the day and the night shifts.

Usually she'd see an odd pink earth pony, whom, she swore, seemed oddly familiar, and yet she'd sworn she'd never met her before.

Sometimes the pony would be sitting around, making wishes for her friends. Other times she would be flying a kite, or dancing with her friends. And occasionally, in her nightmares, she'd be attacked by Discord, as many of her ponies over the centuries had been.

In past years, while she was still in Starswirl's employ, she'd spent a lot of time investigating the pony, thinking that maybe she was reaching her via a dreamwalk. But what pony, besides herself and Luna, could still be around for a thousand plus years?

Starswirl had always speculated that maybe it was some kind of figment from her lost past. That maybe her soul was reaching out to something, or someone, across the divide. Ironically it had been that speculation that had inspired him to start his interdimensional mirror research.

And, very occasionally, she dreamed that she was a large white pegasus, and that she and the pink pony with the kite cutie mark were the best of friends. And strangely, it felt so natural.

But in the last couple of decades, she had seen the pony a lot more, and she was in trouble. It felt odd, but she had to help, for some reason. Ironically, the same thing had happened right before little Rarity had shown up, the pink pony was in trouble, and she had to help.

Little Rarity... The more she heard the name, the more familiar it sounded... It was just like the pink earth pony... Was it possible that she knew the pink pony? But why, and from where?

She had to admit, she kind of dozed off while waiting for the Unicornian delegation to arrive, she'd been working both the day and night shift, so Luna could have the opportunity to finish teaching her new protegee the basics of her alicorn magic, and some basic controls for her mood, lest the nightmare that she had given birth to return.

Once again, she could see the pink pony, and she was a wreck, locked in a dark room, in some kind of deep trouble.

And then, it returned to her, like the two halves of her mind coming together, and it became clear for a second. "Skywishes?" She asked, hoping to get the pony's attention.

The pony looked around, looking lost, for some reason she couldn't quite get in contact with her old friend.

"Can you hear me Skywishes?" She asked, again, and the pony started turning, towards her. "Can you hear me, my little pony?" She asked, turning her back, as the pony turned towards her. She couldn't face her little pony right now, not after she'd failed her earlier.

"Is that you, Star Catcher?" Skywishes asked the princess.

Celestia frowned, resisting the urge to cry. "I'm sorry, my little pony, " she said, softly, the tears starting to fall, it was an excellent thing that she turned away from her old friend, lest Skywishes know that her princess of the sun had failed her.

She gulped, and continued to speak, in her softest voice. "But we can't talk now, just trust that Star Catcher still cares about you, her old friend, and is desperately trying to find you -- " she said, being awakened by a male voice.

"Wake up princess! The delegation from unicornia has arrived early." Kibitz said, waking her from her brief slumber. "They wish to finish discussions of our concessions for their release of Mrs. Lily Lightly, and the others."

Celestia sighed, "of course, " she replied to her advisor, as they left the throne room to meet with the unicorns in the ceremonial chambers.

"Oh guards?" She said, turning to the two large pegasus guards that guarded her chambers.

"Yes princess?" They responded.

"Please obtain some dragon flame for me, if you could, " she asked the guards, who both nodded in agreement. "I need to write a letter to Commander Sentry."

**********

"The hive mind is peace! Individuality is a lie!" The loudspeaker shouted for the millionth time, if she could, she'd make Belladonna pay... If only she could only get her hooves on that changeling mare.

The voice droned to a stop as the door creaked open, revealing a rather large changeling stallion guard. "Your time is up, Mrs. Glimmer, " he said, forcibly grabbing her in his magic, and dragging her along. "Lady Belladonna demands your presence at her home!"

"Please!" She begged desperately, her eyes still being crazy after a whole week of 'reeducation'. "I need more time!" She whined, being neither willing, nor able to use ~~her magic~~ The Staff of Equality to perform a 'cutie remarking'! Yeah, some ponies would claim that she didn't try, but the truth was that she didn't know how (ok... not that she wanted to, anyway.)

Her tormentor approached while she was still a ways off, almost floating over, as if on a bed of her own magic. "Are you ready?" She purred eagerly, her tail standing straight up, like a dog with dominance issues -- how'd she even do that?

"Please, Belladonna!" Starlight begged. "I really need more time!" She begged, falling down on her back hooves, assuming a proper grovelling position.

The changeling's expression did a one hundred and eighty, from enthusiasm, to utter frustration, her face rapidly changing color from red to orange to purple to polka dot to plaid. "You've had long enough! My blank is flank, and demands a mark!" She hissed, practically pouncing on the unicorn.

"Please!" The pink unicorn begged, desperately, falling onto her face. "I can't do it yet! I don't know how!"

"Try it now!" The changeling demanded, grabbing Starlight Glimmer in a choke hold, with her magic, and lifting her three feet into the air. "Or I'll throw you into my vat of witchweed potion!" She hissed, showing her back teeth.

"No... Please..." The unicorn stuffed, gasping for air, as the changeling's magic pressed ever tighter against neck.

"Do it or else!" The changeling growled, her eyes going wide.

"I'll... try..." Starlight, gasped, her face beginning to change color.

"Good!" Belladonna said, releasing the unicorn from her magic, who fell like a stone to the ground. "She can learn her place in the hive!" The changeling crowed, gesturing her hoof at the pink unicorn, who would probably be returning to reeducation later. "Guards, bring in the pony with the wishing mark! It's time for a cutie re-marking," she announced to the guards, who dutifully left, in quick succession, getting stuck in the door, as four of them attempted to squeeze out at once.

**********

Party Favor sighed to himself, another day, another collection of odd ingredients thrown into the bubbling, swirling vat of green glop. He sighed, this can't be good for him, and was certainly not what he signed up for when he had originally accepted Starlight's offer of 'equality'.

He trotted over slowly, and unceremoniously dumped the contents of his cart into the swirling pool of gloop.

A whip snapped violently, sent in motion by a rather large changeling guard. "Hurry it up!" He snarled. "This is a worksite, not a resort!" He shouted violently. "Do you want to find out what happened to your friend Double Diamond?" He asked, shaking the formerly blue earth pony, in his magic.

"No sir!" He said, giving his legendary 'crazy eyes'. This was definitely not what he signed up for. And Celestia knows, Nightglider, and Double Diamond definitely didn't, he thought, a tear dropping silently. And that was all the more reason to rethink his current arrangement. Now it wasn't that he didn't mind so much being a mindless puppet of equality... he really did (... ok... he didn't so much) but days like today he dreamed of what it would be like if he had his mark back. And he supposed he could say something, but that would mean him returning to 'reeducation', and he really didn't want to have to do that...

And, on days like today, he sometimes wished he could have his mark, even just for a moment... He just wished --

**********

"Has the guest of honor arrived yet?" Belladonna asked amorously at 'Rep', or rather the changeling confidant that she'd assigned to the task of impersonating her old consort.

"Not yet..." he said, stopping for a moment, his face looking very uncomfortable. "Katrina..."

He eyes became slits. "Then hopefully they'll hurry up, Rep, " she snarled. "Every moment I'm delayed is one less wish I can grant myself!" She hissed to herself silently.

"Well, I'll hurry them, then... " 'Rep' said, pausing again, his face turning a more reptilian shade of green. "Katrina..."

"Excellent, " she purred, amorously. "I know I could could count on you, Rep!"

"Oh course..." he said, doing his best impersonation of the lizard he'd seen only in very old replicas of very old replica pictures, and heard of only in the memoirs of a senile old mare. "You can count on me!"

"Excellent!" She purred, as 'Rep', being a stallion of his words, dragged in a very sorry looking pink earth pony with a pink and purple mane and tail, and a kite and butterfly cutie mark.

"Ahhh.... " she purred. "The guest of honor has arrived, " she exclaimed, approaching her pink 'friend'. "So how are you feeling, my little pony?" She asked 'eagerly', savoring her victory.

"What do you want?" Skywishes asked, her eyes still red, and cheeks still puffy from crying. "What did I do to -- ?"

"It's nothing personal, " she replied, nonchalantly. "I simply wish to have your mark!" Belladonna exclaimed, interrupting the earth pony, with a hiss.

"Cast your spell witch, or you're finished!" Belladonna hissed, turning to the vibrant pink unicorn.

Starlight looked back, steeling her nerve, if ever she was going to fight her oppressors for the free--

Belladonna growled, sensing that her marionette was trying to snip her strings.

Starlight nodded robotically, her spirit finally broken, and most of her fight now gone. "I'm sorry..." She said, turning to Skywishes, as her horn began to power up, the staff beginning to glow.

Starlight began to sweat, it felt like the mare's mark was practically glued on. In all of her uses of her cutie de-marking spell, had never happened before...

Skywishes whimpered, in pain, it felt like her mark was on fire, as it began to glow violently. Like something was resisting the Witch's spell, and the more the witch cast it, the worse it became...

Starlight's horn began to glow violently, and the staff of equality began to smoke, as she did battle against the, normally, submissive mark on the pink earth pony's flank... Forget a cutie remarking, she might not be able to even perform a cutie demarking.

The room was bathed in an aura of light green magic emanating from the pink earth pony's body, which now glowed a neon color.

**********

Party Favor frowned, another strike with a pickaxe to the wall, he had no idea what Starlight and her changeling 'friends' could possibly be mining for, and, at this point, it didn't really matter.

His oppressors whipped again, causing him to whinny in fear. It all made him wonder if Starlight was lying to him the whole time, that the paradise she was offering was anything but...

It made him almost want to say: 'to Tartarus with equality! I want my mark back!' But he had to remember, Starlight had given him a gi--

"GET BACK TO WORK!!!" The guard shouted, at the top of his lungs. "I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT WE DO WITH LOLLYGAGGERS!!!" The guard shouted, now whipping at the grey earth pony, with vigor.

That was it! He had had enough! He just wished, even for a little while, that he had his mark back, just to know what it felt like! That he could have his friends back!

He wished for his mark back, and he wished more than anything that...

**********

Changelings, and ponies alike shook their heads, some less dazed than others. The founder of equality lay on the ground, in a heap, her 'Staff of Equality' split cleanly in half (well it was only just a worthless piece of wood, after all), her horn smoking, and her body looking like she'd been on the bad end of an explosion.

The only pony still standing was a very shiny looking pink earth pony, who now glowed an odd lime color, a aura which covered every inch of her square body. Her mark, which remained firmly planted, now glowed a brighter neon white color, then ever, and at this point,looked like it might consume her whole body. It felt, to the earth pony, like her whole flank was being consumed by fire...

"What's going on!" She shrieked in terror, feeling like the very world was crumbling around her, as faint voices began to seep into her mind.

Belladonna was the first to get up, as a horrifying thought crept into her mind. "No!" She shouted, desperately, giving a terrified shriek, as if more concerned, with her thoughts, then what was happening around her. "THE VAULT!!!" She shouted, galloping out of the chamber at high speeds. "I HAVE TO SAVE THE FAULT!!!"

Inside the vault, changelings began to scramble as the seal that contained the tiny town's marks began to strain, and warp.

"Tell me they're still there!" Belladonna shrieked, arriving just in time to see cracks beginning to form on seal around the door. "No! No! No!" She shouted, repeating herself, as her glorious experiment beginning to come undone.

**********

Party Favor took another glance, was it possible?! No! It couldn't be!... Sure enough... A quick inspection verified his feelings... The equals sign was still there... So why did he?

He took another look, yeah, the equals sign was still there, but it wasn't the only thing there! Sitting on top, of the equals sign, was a phantom version of his cutie mark, a balloon animal, and confetti... Was it even possible? Had he gone mad?

He gave a shrug, even if he had, It was nice to see it again. Heck! He even be happy, at this point, if it were an illusion! He'd almost forgotten what the real looked like.

And you know what was even weirder? It felt like his real mark was calling out to him, wanting to return home...

Just like he wished...

**********

"Please stop!" Belladonna pleaded to the cracks which now littered the vault, growing and expanding like a virus through the magic wall. "NO! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!" She shouted, futily pouring her magic into the seal. It was too little, too late, though, as the cracks quickly continued to grow, finally shattering the magic force that kept thousands of cutie marks contained, sending them flying every which way, back to their original hosts.

"NO!!!" Belladonna shouted, stomping the ground with her hooves, like a crazed mare. "Somepony will pay for this!" She promised the world itself. "And I won't rest until whomever was behind this is punished accordingly!" She shouted, fearing the loss of her source of witchweed potion.

**********

Skywishes stood there, her whole body feeling like it was being consumed in a fire, and it felt like the world, itself, was wrong! Like everything she knew, and loved, was phony. The voices that had started so soft, right after the explosion, were now slowly becoming louder, and louder, now becoming a continuous soft hum within her head.

She held her head with her front hooves. What was happening? It kept getting louder, and now she had the worst migraine. What was happening to her!? Star Catcher where --?

A soft voice shouted in her head, a voice she hadn't heard in months now, and one which, it felt, like she hadn't heard in years. "Run!" Star Catcher(?) Shouted, waking the earth pony from her stupor.

"Now is your chance! Be free!" The voice shouted, encouraging her to escape from the small basement, under the bakery, that they were holding the ritual in. "Flee into the wilderness!" The voice begged. "Help is on the way! Consider it done!"

"Star Catcher?" Skywishes asked, trying to ascertain the nature, and identity of the voice that had been calling out to her.

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " the voice said, sounding discernibly different. "I can't help you now!" The voice said, sounding less regal, and more motherly. "But don't worry! Help is on the way!" The voice said, suddenly reminding her, of Mama Skywishes. "I promise!"

**********

Flash made the thousandth lap around Manehattan. Had Celestia been mistaken, when she said she knew where the lost pony might be? Was her deity vision clouded when she said that there was a secret village just to the metropolis' northwest.

He vigorously shook his head. How dare he even think about questioning one of Equestria's ruling deity princesses. Nevertheless, he could resist the questions that kep seeping into his mind. Questions like: what could have happened? And, worse still, was it possible that he was... ?

He barely resisted crumpling into a fetal position where he flew.. Celestia couldn't be wrong.. But that meant... Frightful images fluttered to his mind along with nightmares, that haunted his dreams, of the ghastly wraith of his moth-- No! He promised himself that night at that other Ponyville! He would never fail anypony ever again! So long as he had breath, he would never allow another pony to meet the same fate as his mother!

And he had sealed the deal, on his hooves, he wore the traditional spiked horseshoes of his tribe, and, on his wings he wore the unconventional weapons of Equestria, that his fallen colleague had left behind! He was decked out for war!

If he could not flatten his opponent under his horseshoes then he would seal their fate with the blades on his mighty wings... And if all else failed, his spear would not!

He would find Skywishes, and he would destroy whatever evil force that held her there, even if it were the visage of Dark Lord Tirek, himself!

He made a wish, wishing that Skywishes was still ok, and another that he would be able find her in time.

He felt a tingling, from somewhere, like something was reaching out for him...

Hopefully the wishes he made on the altar to Danny the Joybringer, as he passed through Cloudsdale, would be granted.

In the northwest, a blinding flash of light, and, what looked like lightning, filled the day sky. "What in the hay?" Flash asked himself. Had his wish been granted?... He steeled his nerve, and turned towards the light... There was only one way to find out.

Maybe Celestia wasn't so crazy when she said that she sensed something around Manehattan. Hopefully his second wish could still be granted.

**********

All she could do was run. She had to keep following Star Catcher's last instruction, and keep running. It was the only thing that was keeping her sane. Her symbol felt, at this point, like it would burn her rear clean off, any second now. And, the voices in her head kept getting louder, and louder. It felt like every wish that was made, every idle hope, every wish on a star, every futile well wish, and every fleeting desire kept streaming into her very soul, demanding her attention, demanding her action. And not just good wishes, but bad wishes, fair wishes, foul wishes, conflicting wishes...

She could sense every last one, she could hear everyone, she could feel everyone, she could even taste everyone.

... She had to keep running, if she ever stopped running, then she would go mad.

She shook her head, and pushed forward harder, wishes became ever stronger and more vivid...

A middle aged amber business pony with dark grey mane and tail cursed at one of his business rivals. "Business is one thing, but this is jus' personal!" He cursed to himself, shaking his head. "Some days I jus' wish they were gone!!" He thought, incredulously. How dare he act this way! And after he'd extended his hoof, in friendship, with an extremely generous offer!

A group of earth pony supremacists sat together just seething. "How dare those narwhals keep us down, did you hear what they thugs did to that foal?" They hissed, after all, when would the guard ever have justification to use force? Especially on their kind.. After all, they had been keeping the earth ponies down since forever! "I just wish they and the feather dusters were gone!" The loudest the the group remarked, assuaging his pent up frustrations in a barrel of cider. "I wish they'd get what's been coming to for what they've been doing since platina's day when earth ponies were treated no better than iron tools!"

Somewhere, a young foal looked up at the first stars in the sigh. "I wish daddy would return!" She cried, wishing on the brightest star she could see, her eyes full of tears. "I know mommy said he had gone to the fields, but I know he's out there!" She begged, the star. "Please! I wish daddy would come back!"

A lonely old stallion threw a coin into a well. "I'm growing old, well! Please let this be the year I find my mare!" He said, with a silent frown. "I'm so tired of being alone!"

A very young filly looked up into the sky, sending a prayer upwards, and looked back at the deplorable shriveled masses that she called her wings. "Please!" She begged, the skyword forces. "I wish I could fly! The I could find my family! And I could actually be like Rainbow Dash!"

And thousands upon thousands of others flowed through her mind, first in the present, then in the future.

A stallion looked through his accounts sadly, shaking his head. If the fourth quarter didn't improve then they would probably lose the family farm to those new Pegasus sky farms... They'd had the family farm since antiquity... Since before the city had even existed... He gave a sigh... He'd already lost his brother to those blasted feather dusters, as he opting to put on fake wings instead of continuing the family legacy. He shot a wish to the sky itself hoping, somewhere, maybe, out there, Molly, and Faust were listening. "Ah wish, even if fer a moment, this-here farm could be as even half as successful as it was fer grandma 'Bloom!" He wishes, rubbing, what felt like, his last two bits together.

Even voices from the past! "I wish this endless winter would end!" A shabby looking earth pony, who was dressed in sackcloth said, digging through the barren icy dirt. "We don't even have enough for ourselves, let alone our pegasus and unicorn overlords!" He moaned, gnashing his teeth over his empty belly. "I wish they'd stop being such stuck up jerks!" He whined.

Skywishes stopped, and help her ears, with her hooves, desperately crying for the voices to stop. "Please stop wishing!" She begged. "I can't take it all!"

An orange earth pony mare a blond mane and tail, whom she was sure didn't even existed here in this world shed a tear over her two foals, neither of whom existed in either of their worlds. "It tain't fair!" She cried out, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Ah jus' wish ah could hold them in mah hooves, even just fer a moment!"

A pegasus that vaguely resembled her friend Rainbow Dash cried out for deliverance from a deranged pony that looked vaguely like her Pinkie, neither of whom existed in this world. "I just wish I could survive the night!" She cried out, in terror, as the Pinkie approached, an instrument of terror in her mouth...

"What's happening to me!?" Skywishes screamed, feeling like something wanted to spring violently out of her sides, like she had to escape into the sky, despite the fact that she didn't have the wings to do so.

"~~I weesh I could still remember what eet means ta live, what it was, I used to love,~~ " her friend(?), ~~Fiesta Flair~~ said, or maybe didn't say... She couldn't say, for sure... "~~Ey weesh that Toola Roola would starts~~ painting ~~again,~~ " she said, sad about someone who simply never was. So why did it feel like she was...

It felt like her head was on fire, like something wanted desperately to pop out, like she had to reach out with her mind towards the ~~pony~~, but with what? She cried out in pain as she reared up, and pushed ahead, in terror, trying to ignore the continued wishes as the ghostly grey versions of her friends ~~Storybelle~~, and ~~Puzzlemint~~, who never existed haunted her mind. As well as a ~~real real pegasus pony~~ she never met, and never was, ~~StarSong~~.

And the voices didn't stop there, ever growing, calling from everywhere!

"I want to be president!"

"No I do!"

"More government!"

"Less government!"

"More regulation! We'll make things safe and fair!"

"Get the government out of my life!"

The voices, they weren't even ponies anymore! And none of them could agree on anything!

And the voices became louder from there, no longer beckoning her, now demanding her...

"Please no more wishing!" She cried out, falling to her knees, and finally collapsing in a heap...

**********

A spark went through Celestia's head, one of her little ponies was in trouble, and though she knew which one... But she had a problem...

"And at seven, we have another meeting with general Averis about the Griffin's treaty with Unicornia, and -- " Celestia's advisor replied, going down the schedule.

She couldn't be there in pony, but...

"I apologize, Kibitz, " Celestia replied, holding her lower barrall. "I need a minute, " she replied, her voice growing soft.

"Oh?" Celestia's advisor asked, his face growing white, as he stared at the princess lower barrell, the color draining out of his coat...

"Yes, " Celestia grunted, looking like she would vomit. "I think it was something that happened in that alternate Sombra's -- "

Kibitz fainted, in a heap.

"And I hope I learned something from my sister, " Celestia said to herself, with a mischievous chuckle, as she turned back to her fainted advisor. "I'll feign ignorance when he gets back up, and he'll think it's old age..." She said, turning her attention elsewhere. She wouldn't have long...

"Let's hope this works, " she continued, her voice changing to more of a serene tone. "I can sense you are in trouble, Skywishes, I'll be there soon, even if not in person, consider it done!!!" She said, closing her eyes, her horn glowing vibrant colors.

**********

Even while unconscious, the voices continued to get louder, and louder, in her head, till Skywishes soon found herself in a semi-lucid sleep, suddenly wanting to grant everyone's wish, no matter how absurd, no matter how contradictory, she just wanted to grant them all... No... She HAD to grant them all, and it just tore her up inside that she just couldn't, no matter how much she wanted to.

Somewhere, there were sparks, and smoke.

"Hello?" Skywishes asked, searching around, through the darkness. She swore someone was talking to her... She had to be crazy!!!

"Who says?" A voice said, or should she say, her voice said? Except it wasn't her voice. So who's voice was it?

"What do you mean?" She asked, spinning around in circles, as she searched to find the source of the voice.

"Skywishes!" The voice cooed, reminding her of the way Papa Skywishes used to talk to Mama Skywishes, the morning after a long night of drinking hard cider... "I just want to help!" The voice cooed, the smoke growing in the background. "Let me help you, Skywishes!" The voice cooed, in her ear. "Let me be born!"

Skywishes looked around, growing ever more frantic. "Who said that?" She said, her eyes darting around... That wasn't right. "I mean! What did you mean!?" She said, shuddering, even here. "Ohhhh!! You know what I mean!"

"I do!" The voice replied, suavely. As a thick smoke started to descend. "Let me show you how, " the voice cooed, reminding her of whenever Papa Skywishes was about to go on one of his many business trips... Strange... This never happened before, right? "What are you afraid of Skywishes?" The voice asked, sounding sad. "I can help you! Together we can do it, Skywishes! We have the power!" The voice purred.

"What do you mean?" She replied curiously.

"Don't you feel it?" The voice asked calmly. "You really can grant really extra special wishes now!" The voice replied, confidently. "You can forget extra special wishes! Because, soon we'll have the power to grant everyone's wishes!" The voice said, seductively.

"Skywishes?" Another voice echoed, in her head, bring drowned out by the sounds of wishing voices. "Can you hear me?"

"But how?" She replied, to the first voice, curiously. "How can we grant their wishes if even the wishes, themselves, disagree with each other?"

"Of course!" It replied, nonchalantly. "We'll simply create worlds where each conflictory wish comes true!" It replied, making her almost want to believe.

Skywishes shook her head, that didn't sound right. "But wouldn't that mean that some people's wishes weren't coming true?"

"Nonsense!" The voice replied, sounding oddly confident. "We'll use our power to it's fullest extent, and --"

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " replied a voice, that sounded a lot like Star Catcher's voice, if a fair amount more confident, drowning out the first voice. "But down that route lies sadness, " the voice said, its white hoof flattening the smoke and fire, a slight pained sound echoing through the darkness. And, just like that, with a wave of her front hoof, the wishing voices temporarily silenced.

"Who... are... you?" Skywishes asked, both in awe, and astonishment. The pony reminded her so much of Star Catcher, and yet so different. For one thing, she was like twice as tall, and equipped with something Star Catcher never did: a horn. Wait.. why did she know that was a horn?

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " Star Catcher said, her voice booming out of the strange pony's mouth, looking away sadly. "You probably don't -- "

"Star Catcher?" The pink earth pony responded, her face turning purple, showing the abject horror that was in her heart. "What did you do?" She asked, the expression coming out. "How did it happen to you?" Still not right. "I mean... What happened... Ooohhh! You know what I mean?"

"I do, and we have important matters to discuss, " a ghostly version of Star Catcher said, standing next to Skywishes' other side. "But first, I wished to apologize, if I hadn't abandoned you, my friends, back at Butterfly Island, then this would have never happened..." She continued, reticently.

Skywishes, shed a tear, some frightening images beginning to come back to mind. These images... they all had to be a bad dream, right?

'But you weren't the only one I failed, ' the white horned pegasus thought outloud, turned away, a strange looking horn gleaming at the top of her head. 'Like I failed you, Luna, ' he thoughts said, a tear falling between her legs. 'If only I'd been stronger, if only I'd noticed sooner, maybe you would've been spared that fate.'

'And not just her, ' her thoughts betrayed her, as she continued in her series of regrets. 'Maybe if I'd been more loving, ' the bizarre horned pegasus continued. 'Maybe I wouldn't have lost you too, Starlight Twinkle, but I lost you too... to my own temper... Is that how I lost you too Luna? Where are you now, my ex-student?'

Before Skywishes had time to think, the horned pegasus stopped talking, turning rigid, like a statue, as the ghostly Star Catcher began to speak again. "I promised to grant your wish that we'd be together no matter what happened, " she said, with a frown. "Well, I guess, not me... and not you... But I still feel bound, " she said, turning away. "But how can I fulfill it now?..." She asked, taking a few paces away from her old friend.

It hurt her heart to see her friend acting this way. Star Catcher was more than just a friend to her, she was almost like a mother, like a second Mama Skywishes, and it hurt her to see her friend acting this way. However, she wasn't upset for very long even in this state of sleep, as an intense the pain began to seep into Skywishes' very marrow, as she felt both her heads and sides burning, like giant zits were popping out of them...

The white pegasus unicorn. 'Maybe I'm incapable of keeping my promises, ' she thought, out loud, the tears flowing some more. 'If only I'd been more understanding, maybe I wouldn't have driven you away, Sunset, ' she continued, taking a few more steps away. 'I hope that you are enjoying your new life through the mirror,' she replied, taking some steps away to Skywishes.

Skywishes was stunned, how was she hearing her friend's thoughts? And how was Star Catcher talking to her, in her dreams? Was it more really real for real pegasus magic?

Star Catcher, bent down to talk to her friend. "I failed you Skywishes, and then I changed my name and my face to cement it... can you forgive me, Skywishes?" Pegasus-unicorn Star Catcher said, bending down. "And I left you for lost..."

Star Catcher grew rigid as the other Star Catcher spoke...

'And I couldn't notice that my own niece and my students brother were off, ' the pegasus unicorn continued. 'If Chrysalis had been in a sound mind then she could have absconded with Twilight, and I would have been none the wiser, and Twilight would have been gone forever...'

'And then the monster almost cost Applejack her brother, and my niece her husband...' the pegasus-unicorn thought out loud, turning away again. "I'm sorry Skywishes, why did I think I could help you?" She asked, finally opening her mouth. "I'm a total failure..."

"But you're still my friend!" Skywishes replied... Not quite right... "I mean, I trust you!" She said, still not right... "I mean, you did the best you could.... Ooohhhh! You know what I mean!"

The ghostly Star Catcher frowned again. "No, Skywishes," she said, shaking her head. "Where was I for any of those thousands of years of Christmases you were forced to relive? Where was I during our home's final moments?" She asked the pegasus who only stammered. "All the times you were forced to relive our darkest moments... I'm sorry, Skywishes, I'm a failure..."

**********

"Bring me that traitor, Glimmer!!!" Belladonna howled, her face turning a vibrant shade of red. "I want her here! NOW!!!" She hissed, her eyes practically burrowing through the empty wall that used to be 'The Vault'.

"Yes, ma'am!" The drone guards, responded, as a unit, as the marched out of the cave, in perfect lockstep, followed, nearby, by the guards from the sentient Changeling warrior class, and, finally, more than a few of Belladonna's personal guard.

"You have until the count of twenty to bring her back!" The assassin hissed, sending her remaining guards flying with a errant whirlwind, that suddenly flew out of her open mouth.

And true to form, the legion of guards returned, their query bound, and an inhibitor crudely shoved onto her horn, and all in half the time allotted, by their mistress.

The unicorn started her 'mistress' in the eyes and, defiantly, opened her mouth. "I'm finished doing your dirty work!" She stated, calmly, looking her mistress straight in the eyes. "Do whatever you will, but I won't betray equality any longer!" She continued, making good and sure to get all every last of 'her final words', as she relegating herself to the inevitable.

The changeling reacted in a differently, then Starlight expected, bellowing in laughter, instead of exploding into one of her usual fits of rage. "Do you think I'm going to let you return to re-education after this?" She hissed, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Starlight gulped, but her resolve remained firm. "Send me to the mines, I don't care!" She replied, defiantly. "I quit!"

"After you let both my slaves, and their marks escape?" She replied. waving her front left hoof.

Starlight would've shrugged, if she could.

"No!" The changeling shouted. "Now I'll have no choice, but to apprehend that mark myself!" She cried, motioning two of her guards to come forward with a necklace with the symbol of a single distant diamond like star, and two wisps of smoke travelling from the central body. "I'm through with you, Starlight!" She growled, motioning the guards closer.

"Wh...what are y...you going to do?" Starlight replied, suddenly afraid of arcane magics she could feel rising from the necklace. What would it do to her, if she wore it... Would she turn to stone? Would it cost her her so--?

"Your last hope, Starlight, " the changeling assassin replied, nonchalantly. "You'd better hope this works, or I'll feed you to the timber wolves!!!" She exclaimed, motioning to her guards, who quickly slipped the necklace around Starlight Glimmer's neck.

"Please! No!" Starlight cried out, desperately. "I'm too important to d-- "

"Heh!" The changeling scoffed, as the unicorn futilely struggled against the magic flowing into her. "So, in other words, my slave, you like everypony equal, so long as you are their superior!" She continued, finding further amusement, in the delicious irony. "We could've been such good friends, Starlight if you had been born a changeling instead of a nasty, dirty, inferior pony!" She shouted, as the guards, clasped the clasp, finishing the placement of the necklace.

The unicorn disappeared in a cloud of darkness, which streamed from the black light gleaming from her eyes..

"Heh, maybe I wasn't right after all, " the changeling lemented, as the fog started to recede. "Oh, well, plenty more ponies -- " she said, stopping when a figure slowly trotted out of the slowly receding darkness.

"Heh!" The changeling scoffed. "Maybe not!" She exclaimed, proudly. "Bring her back to the hive while I finish my business with Skywishes!" The changeling exclaimed, as she galloped out 'in search of her prey'.

**********

"I'm sorry, Skywishes, " the ghostly Star Catcher said, with a deep frown. "Apparently our meeting ended sooner than I had foreseen, " she exclaimed, as Sky wishes awoke, with a start to loud shrieks emanating from somewhere nearby.

"Where, are you wish granter?" Belladonna shouted, in a blind rage. "You can't hide from me forever!" She shouted, the bolts of lightning streaming from her eyes and into the sky.

Skywishes cowered under the rock she had fallen asleep under.

"If need be, I'll cover you in snow!" The changeling shouted as the magic she shot into the sky, slowly covered it in a covering of thick clouds. And a quick breath sent the thick storm clouds spreading in all directions.

"Please Star Catcher!" Skywishes began to wish. "Wherever you are, please help!" She shouted, sitting on her flank, her front legs straight, her eyes closed and her head in a praying position. "I wish -- "

Another quick blow into the clouds caused them to release a torrential blizzard fit only for the yak version of Tartarus.

"I wish the storm would stop!" She begged, Star Catcher.

And the storm stopped as suddenly as it started.

"Ahhh!" Belladonna purred, her tail swishing. "The mouse must be closest then I thought!" She said, feeling very satisfied. "And her wishing powers are even more impressive than I ever could have imagined!" She exclaimed, her eyes turning to slits. "And it's all closer to me now than it's ever been!" She shouted, shooting lighting, once again, towards the sky.

The feline changeling took a deep breath, and sent a whirlwind, which began to shape the landscape, pulverizing everything in it's path.

"I hope you're happy!" The changeling hissed. "I had to use half my witching potion to do this, " she growled. "So I plan to make you pay for every last molecule of it, in blood!" She announced, a blood thirsty expression on her crazed face.

Skywishes cried out again. "Please Star Catcher! Help!" She shrieked, rearing up, in terror. "I wish the whirlwind would stop!"

Untold thousands, and millions of butterflies descended, their vary wings flapping against the whirlwind, disrupting its flow, something normally only a pegasus could perform.

'That wishing power should be mine!' The changeling growled to herself, experiencing a mix of both utter frustration, and total ecstasy. 'Only I deserve to command such power!'

Sky Wishes cowered, continuously wishing, at this point, that Star Catcher would show back up. A secret fear began to creep into her mind, that her friend wouldn't be returning...

Meanwhile, the changeling gave a sadistic smile. "Come out, little mouse!" She purred, loudly. "If I don't find you, then I'll be forced to find your friends, and family, and punish every... last... one of them for this!" She purred, sadistically. "After all, I need somepony to restock my supply of witching weed."

Skywishes cowered in place, not sure what to do. She wanted to cower in place, but part of her wanted to face the bully, like Mama Skywishes always recommended. But what should she do? What if that meanie got back at her by hurting her friends? And where was Star Catcher, for that matter? "Please! Star Catcher help!!!" She shrieked again.

**********

Celestia woke from her dream walk in a start, her mane and tail covered in a thick layer of sweat. Apparently she didn't even come close to Luna's mastery of the dreamwalk, and even after impersonating her sister for over a thousand years while Luna sojourned on the moon. "Oh guards!" She exclaimed, calmly, calling for her guards attention, who quickly rushed in to join her in her chambers.

"Yes, princess!" The twin snow white pegasus guards, both looking very galant in their gleaming gold uniforms, stated, in unison.

"Could you please prepare my chariot?" She requested, calmly. This was so against protocol, it was ridiculous, but, at this point, her nerve was beginning to falter, as it became plain that Commander Sentry might not arrive in time, and she further feared that he wouldn't be stallion enough to handle the fiend from Equestria's past, that she was now beginning to sense. "I have another old friend to find, " she stated, not wanting to let her findings, on the monster's awakening slide.

The guards shook their heads, in unison. "I'm sorry, your majesty, but Kibitz has ordered us not to let you leave again today, and to remind you, that you should finish your duties instead."

Celestia hung her head sadly. He'd probably sick the maids on her again if he found out that she was trying to flee again, and there was no way in Tartarus that he'd let her even think about taking on Katrina -- one of the seven beings then single hoofedly ended the first great unified kingdom, at the end of The First Age.

She thought for a second, maybe she'd try a different tact. "But... But... But..." She begged desperately, hiding her sneaky smirk, behind a wall of tears. Every once in a great while, these kinds of tricks would cause one of her more loyal guards to crack...

But she never got to find out, as a third guard came streaming into the room, interrupting her attempt at sympathy, his helmet in his hoof, as he kneeled, on one knee.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but I bring horrible tidings, " he replied, a look of dismay on his face. "Word finally arrived from one of our more remote villages.

Celestia turned her head, calmly, not letting her dismay be shown. "And what was that?" Celestia asked, sadly. Apparently bad news came in sets.

"They were apparently attacked a week ago by changelings, " he said, solemnly.

Celestia quirked an eyebrow. "How did it take so long, my little pony?"

"We're still investigating majesty, " the guard replied, with a frown.

"How many of our ponies did we lose?" Celestia asked, sadly. "And how many of our ponies did those monsters turn into monsters like them?"

"The good news, your majesty is that only one pony is missing, " he replied, calmly. "Apparently Commander Strong Armor of the EUC Equestrian Special Forces Unit saved all but one member of their village, a pink earth pony with a kite cutiemark."

"I see, " Celestia replied to herself, contemplatively. "That's good news," the princess replied, half in relief. "I have but one more question."

"What is that majesty?" The guard replied back, curiously.

"Are you sure it was Commander Strong Armor, my good stallion?" Celestia asked back, doing a dang good job of hiding her concern.

The stallion replied back, in confusion. "That's what the villagers said, your majesty, why do you ask?"

Celestia looked down. "Because the commander has been deceased for five years, having given his life for the safety of Equestria in a botched operation against Queen Chrysalis."

"Then who saved the village?" The guard replied back.

"I don't know..." Celestia replied, cryptically. "Crysalis... What are you up to?" She asked herself, under her breath. "And what does Skywishes have to do with it?"

She turned to her guard. "Could you write get me more dragon's fire, please?" She asked her guards. "And a scrying mirror as well, I need to get back in contact with a couple of ponies, including Commander Sentry."

"Understood, " all three guards said, in unison. "But what's the scrying mirror for?" They asked.

"Don't worry about that, gents, " she replied to the guards, with a smile, and a wave. "I need it to get two old friends back in contact..."

**********

"Star Catcher!" Skywishes cried out, cowering under a rock. Between the pains in her sides, the endless wishing voices screaming in her head, and the unceasing terror caused by the monster shooting lightning out of her eyes a few yards away, this felt like the worst day ever. "Please help!!!" She cried out, wishing with all her might that the majestic pegasus would finally show her face.

"Come out! Come out wherever you are, pony!" Belladonna roared, pulverizing sides of mountains, with her whirlwind breath, after just another sip of her witching potion. "I grow tired of playing!" She hissed. "And if you won't willingly surrender your mark!" She howled, her eyes growing into daggers. "I'll rip it off your flank myself, with my own two claws!" She cackled, looking down at her hooves, as she contemplated the horrors she planned to perform on the pony that humiliated her, mere hours ago.

"Skywishes! Over here!" Stated a serene voice, from the darkness behind Skywishes.

"Star Catcher?!" The pink earth pony exclaimed, loudly, overjoyed to see her old friend here. "Is that really you? Are you really here!"

"I am!" Star Catcher replied, calmly. "But -- "

The monster outside launched another onslaught onto the nearby hills and mountains.

The pegasus gave a dismayed look at the monsters destruction, and gave a dismayed expression. "Quickly, Skywishes!" The white pegasus continued, motioning deeper into the rocky alcove. "Over here!"

"Where have you been!? I've been so worried!" The pink earth pony exclaimed, the words jumbled in her head. "I mean I've been scared!" She paused, still not right. "Oooh! You know what I mean!" She said, reaching over for a friendly hug...

... only to pass through the white pegasus ...

"I'm sorry, my friend, " the pegasus said, with a frown. "But the magic the monster used to constitute me is fading, " she said, looking away. "I don't know how much longer I have..."

"What do you mean?" Skywishes responded, sadly -- she just found her friend, again, after so much time, she couldn't lose her again!

"I mean that I am Star Catcher, and yet I am not, " the pegasus responded. "When the monster that trapped you, and my other friends in our world, found out that the real Star Catcher, had escaped his grip, he decided it was a waste of time to follow her, " she said, turning her back. "So, instead, he made a phony, and now that our world's magic is leaking out, my form has begun to fail."

"What's wrong Star Catcher?" Skywishes responded, now crying slightly.

"Without the magic another pony loaned me, we would never have this chance to talk, " she said, as a lightning bolt came just short of the place they were hiding. "This is where I, unfortunately, have to say goodby..."

"No!" Skywishes shouted, angrily, her voice distorting. "I won't permit it!" She shouted, her head and shoulders feeling like they were ablaze. "I just need you to help me with this wish, like you always do!" She shrieked, as hot white flames began to shoot out from her forehead, and from just behind her withers.

The pegasus shook her head, sadly. "Is this the way you want me to see you this one last time?" She asked, calmly.

The tears rolled down Skywishes' face, as she turned to the pegasus. "But -- "

"Is this what you want me to see, when I say goodby the final time?" The pegasus asked, sadly.

Skywishes shook her head. "Well..." She replied, calming down. "No... But without you, and your butterflies, my wishes just won't be quite as special..."

"Let me tell you a secret, Skywishes, " the pegasus said, a smile growing on her face, as she darted her head around like she was about to reveal a deep secret. "My butterflies, and I help some, " she whispered in the pink pony's ear. "But you do most of the work, Skywishes!" She replied, with a smile. "You have a real gift."

"What do you mean?" Skywishes replied.

"Let me explain then," the pegasus replied, softly. "How many of those wishes, on the day, that I first met you, did I and my butterflies really grant?"

Skywishes thought for a moment. "Only a couple, right at the end."

"Exactly, " the pegasus replied, serenely.

"You mean I --? " Skywishes responded, being rudely interrupted by the loud roar of a giant changeling...

Or at least she looked almost like one...

The changeling's face now carried a cat's whiskers, and instead of hooves, she had claws now...

"There you are! " ~~Katri~~... Belladonna roared, showing her fangs. "How dare you try to hide from me!" She roared, looking at the little crevice the pink earth pony had hide in, and shaking her head.

"Did you really think you could hide from me in such a sorry place?" She hissed, sounding less amused, and more furious. 'Though, it pains me, to admit, that I didn't see you sooner...' she thought to herself, realizing that she didn't see something so obvious when she was mere yards away, especially under the growth effects of her witching potion. 'This must be the effect of her talent!' She thought, her jovial mood returning, as the perfect excuse came to mind. 'I simply must have this power!' She thought, licking her ~~claw~~ ~~hoof~~ paw...

The tyrant took a good mouthful of air, in order to summon the whirlwind again, and began to blow.

Skywishes cowered, prepared for the worst...

And...

Nothing happened...

A ghostly figure of a pegasus-unicorn stood in the way, taking the brunt of the spell.

"Run, Skywishes!" The ghostly white pegasus-unicorn said, her ephemeral lightblue, green, blue, and purple mane and tail blowing in an invisible breeze. "I'll keep her distracted!" She announced, defiantly. 'I'm sorry, Skywishes, my fellow princess... but you can't handle her yet...'

"But... " Skywishes replied, not wanting to leave her friend. And what did she mean, fellow princess. Did she mean like Wysteria? But she never found a flower like Wysteria's...

"Celestia..." the unicorn-pegasus said, in Star Catcher's voice.

"But she's going to hurt our friends!" Skywishes announced, nervously. Did she just say 'our'?

Belladonna shook her head, sadly. "Oh Celestia... an avatar..." she lamented, feeling at least a little disrespected. "Such an pedestrian spell?" She said, feeling very disappointed. "You couldn't face me like a mare, " she announced, bemused at how weak the pony princesses had become. "Queen Majesty would have dropped everything to come out here and help 'her little ponies'!" She said, putting extra emphasis into 'little ponies', as she mocked the old queen who had barely bested her generations before, and at a very steep, and utterly final price...

"Oh don't worry!" Celestia said, her poker lessons paying off again. "Luna and I will have a chat with you later, so don't worry!" She bluffed, being probably too old and fat to handle the tyrant right now, at least without the help of the elements, or the bearers and their new rainbow powers.

"No!" Skywishes said, defiantly. "I won't let you hurt my friends, or anyone else, anymore!" She said, sitting cross legged on her plot, as she lowered her head in a praying position. "I wish... I wish... I wish I had the strength to stop her!" She announced, her mane beginning to blow on it's own, and her mark glowing so brightly that it's colors vanished into a vibrant white, which eventually covered the whole pony's body.

"Consider it done!" The translucent pegasus said, putting her hoof on Skywishes' head. "Consider this, my final wish granted, a special gift to you..." she said, with finality. "My closest friend, Skywishes!"

Belladonna took another deep breath, and prepared to fire off another hurricane, this time her strongest.

The illusionary Celestia nodded to the illusion, this would hurt in the morning, but Commander Sentry would be here soon...

"I'm tired of running! I'm tired of being afraid!" Skywishes shouted at the tirant, her voice changing. "I'm tired of everyone's wishes being crushed into dust..."

"Skywishes..." the white illusion, Said, disappearing into the light. "I can lend you my power!" She announced, as her light disappeared into the pink earth pony's body. "Please help our friends!"

**********

Scootaloo looked out the window, her eyes 'sweating a little'. it was bad enough that Diamond Tiara had redoubled her attacks since the scavenger hunt, the previous week, concentrating on Scootaloo's secret sore spot: her wings. And that was, oddly enough, even after Diamond, and her lacky, Silver Spoon, had won the scavenger hunt, something about the crusaders 'making fools of them', and 'subjecting them to icky blue grass music!'

And then, to make matters even worse, Twilight's new apprentice had joined Scootaloo, and Twilight, for 'flight training' yesterday after she, apparently, decided to try her hands at flying by jumping out a second floor window -- and onto a convenient hay barrel (but it wasn't her fault, the pegasus ponies made it look so fun!)

And you know what was even worse? She was already out performing Scootaloo, it just wasn't fair! She'd just started trying to fly with those mutated monstrosities, on her back she called 'wings' whereas Scootaloo had been fighting hard, and working hard, her whole life to fly. It just wasn't fair!

Scootaloo looked up, once again, towards the heavens, wishing, just once, that Mrs. Gold Heart would let her visit the tribal shrine... Even just once! Then she'd be able to make the wish she really wanted... "I wish I could fly, like Rainbow Dash!" She cried, wishing on a star, begging Danny, and Faust above to grant her her heritage -- to grant her the skies. "Then maybe I could be as awesome as her!" She thought, the creeping doubts showing their heads again... What if she never flew? Would she really be a real pegasus then? Would her friends leave her behind? Would she never see Rainbow again? Would Rainbow become a bolt, while her biggest fan remained grounded?

A flock of butterflies flew by, attracted by her wish on their way from Lord knows where... to somewhere, nearby...

Suddenly, the orange pegasus filly's eyes felt heavy, as she began to hallucinate, or at least it seemed that way, as she swore she saw multicolored butterflies begin to engulf her. Slowly she fell asleep where she stood, falling in a heap on the floor next to the window.

An outsider, without proper insight, might swear that they heard an ethereal voice speaking over the night's silence. "Consider it done!" 'the voice' replied, with a slight rasp.

Meanwhile, the orange pegasus dreamed, peacefully, of flying high, with her brand new wings, not yet feeling the throbbing pain that started in her sides...

The butterflies continued along, but not for long, as they were drawn, inexplicably, back into town and towards somepony's mansion.

Inside a small pink filly shook silently, she'd won hadn't she? But then, why was her new mom so agitated with her?

"Diamond tiara!" Her 'mother' announced, scrunching her face, as she stuck her muzzle up at her own daughter. "Explain to me what happened to you!?" She asked, sounding snooty as ever. "Explain what happened between you and those BLANK FLANKS today!" She shouted, closing the gap between her and her 'daughter'.

"Look mom!" Diamond Tiara replied back, in protest. "I won didn't I!?"

Her 'mother' shook her head. "You mean: won by a technicality!" She fired back, feeling thoroughly unsatisfied. "You basically LOST to those BLANK FLANKS!" She announced. "And that WAS with the top rated investigator that I bought for a goodly number of bits!" She hissed.

"You mean the one that da-- " Diamond retorted back, receiving a smug expression in return. "And I didn't lose!" Diamond continued. "So leave me alone, 'mother'! I put those blank flanks, in their place, and -- "

"Failed to demonstrate our superior breeding, so after the concert tomorrow, you will be grounded, young filly, until -- " Her mother announced, feeling that her daughter was goofing around, instead of fulfilling the family legacy.

"But 'Mo--'!" Diamond protested back, fighting back the tears that wanted to flow. Tears that she had to keep under wraps, or her mother would give her an even worse punishment for 'showing weakness'.

Diamond Tiara's body continued to shake, this would have never happened when her real mother was still around instead of Spoiled Milk!...

That mare would never be Spoiled Rich! No matter what her father said! She would always be Spoiled Milk, to Diamond!

She quietly opened the door, and quietly clopped down to the private Molly shrine, that the family kept below.

"Molly!" She wished, touching the orange earth pony filly, with her luxurious blond mane. "I wish, again, please restore old mom to me!" She begged, the tears, now quietly flowing. "I don't like Spoiled Milk!" She cried out, her hooves still touching the gold statue. "I just wish she could be as nice as mother used to be!" She cried out.

The butterflies floated, in place, silently, as an idea, occurred to them. A group of them sailed off towards the house of a transplant from Trottingham, who suddenly got the idea that he should try running against Diamond in the upcoming election.

A ~~brown~~ light orangish-brown earth pony colt with a ~~dark brown~~ orange mane slowly clopped through town kicking a stone, as he went along, pondering his most recent failure.

"Psst..." The filly, that caught his eye had scoffed, at his piteous attempt to woo her, by singing along to game sounds on his Joy Boy (™). "Button!" She stated, calmly, looking down at him. "You have to give it up!" She said, trying to let the persistent colt down, as easily as she knew how. "You're not going to impress me with your childish antics!" She stated calmly. "Come back when you get a real game system... and a future!.. Remember! Cheezie Puffs!"

"So much for being persistent, Gibson..." He stated, with a snarl, suddenly wondering if his brother pranked him again, or if this was another one of his brother's 'great ideas'...

As he clopped along, a sound could be heard from down an old alley.

"Psst..." The voice said, not being heard the first time.

The colt continued to grumble, as he continued to clop along the street.

"Psst..." The voice said louder, and the tone harsher.

"Who's there!?" The colt cried, looking around, for the source of the sound.

But when it became obvious that the source of the sound was nowhere in sight, he continued on.

"PSSTTTT!!!!!" The voice exclaimed loudly, causing the colt to wheel around towards the alleyway.

"Hey boy!" The voice exclaimed, having finally gotten the young colt's attention.

The colt pointed, at his chest, with his hoof, with an inquisitive expression.

"Yeah, you!" The voice replied calmly. "You look like a colt, who needs some help!" The voice continued, calmly.

"Like what!?" The colt replied, suddenly noticing the source of the noise, a bright red sea pony, with a brown mane, and a brown muzzle.

"Like this here wishing -- " The sea pony, replied, back, being interrupted, about half way.

"Hey!" The colt replied back, enthusiastically, dancing slightly, in place. "A sea pony, you guys are super rare around here!" He continued, with a smile.

The sea pony, gave a nod, from the small wading pool, he was sitting in.

"But wait..." The colt replied, his eyes squinting, as his face grew increasingly suspicious. "But why aren't you singing!"

The sea pony sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Ya got five bits, lad!?" He continued, letting out a boisterous laugh. "Ug ug gug gug gug gug!"

The colt laughed along, not sure what the joke was, but not wanting to be left out.

"No! I'm serious, lad!" He replied, his face growing stern, as he gave the colt an iced stare.

"Fine!" The colt replied flipping five bits into the pool.

"Ok!" The seapony replied, suddenly, becoming extremely eager, as some stage lights, and loud music turned on. "Shoo-be-doo doo doop-doobie-doo Shoo-be-doo doop doobie-doo!" He sung, enthusiastically, tap dancing, with his tail, to the loud stage show music.

"So, did you like it, lad!?" The seapony asked, turning back to the colt.

"Meh--" the colt replied, shaking his hoof back and forth.

"Ehh, everypony's a critic!" The seapony replied back.

"So what's this about a 'wishing'?" The colt asked back, curiously.

"Well, what you see, behind me, lad, " he said matter of factly, "is a real, honest, for truly, wishing well!" He replied, eagerly. "And definitely not a scam to make you part with your bits!" He said, giving another healthy laugh. "Ug ug gug gug gug gug!"

"Ok!" The colt replied back, eagerly -- maybe this was the answer he needed to his love life problems.

"And there's definitely NOT two of my employees sitting at the bottom, waiting for you to throw your money in, if that's what yer asking!" He said, his voice, giving a nervous laughing tone.

"But I wasn't asking that!" The colt retorted.

"Good!" He replied back. "So that'll be five bits!" He replied, slyly. "... You know... for the service -- "

"But Mr. Crab -- " a squeaky voice cried out, from... 'somewhere', and was quickly silenced.

"Quiet Sponge-- "

"Heh heh..." The seapony replied back, nervously. "Been practicing me ventriloquism.." He said, with as nervous laugh.

"Ok!" The colt replied, throwing in five bits, and closing his eyes to make a wish.

No sooner did the bits hit the bottom of the well, then the sea pony, and two of his friends took the well with them, and hightailed it as fast as they could flop along.

"I wish, even just once that I could show Sweetie, even just once that I'm good enough to be her friend, " the ~~brown~~ light orangish-brown earth pony with a ~~brown~~ orange mane said, making his wish.

A flock of butterflies flew by, the most beautiful he'd seen in years... Well, if colts liked that kind of thing...

"I'll do that..." A voice said softly, in the wind. "I mean I'll help..." The voice stammered, flummoxed. "I mean... Oooh! You know what I mean!" The voice said, making the colt feel like he was cool, for once. Maybe there was a way where he could show the filly that he had more of a future then unemployment checks, and cheezie puffs!

Somewhere far away, at another time...

It was over! Her Kindnesty had been temporarily dethroned, and it was time for some of her yellow and pink butterflies, like the rest of her brightly colored avatars, to return to the place, from which they came, at least until her power was restored onto her.

Well, except for the silent voice, that sounded not all that different from Her Kindnesty's, was beckoning unto them to come. Somepony else needed them, at least for a moment, and it looked like they needed to do some traveling, to meet them...

But first, there was one more piece of business that they could perform, for their new friend, on their way over.

Little Strongheart knew it was wrong, but she was still curious about pony Braeburn, and though her chief had been very supportive earlier, he was no longer -- having forbid her to ever set hoof anywhere near that pony settler town again, under threat of banishment. She just wished that Chief Thunderhooves, and pony Silverstar would just be reasonable, if even for a moment...

Silverstar returned to his office, drink still in hoof. It was amazing how hard it was to outdrink what he had seen earlier! What was that boy thinking, kissing that buffalo! What was he thinking!? How could he have been so supportive of something so unseemly!

A flock of yellow and pink butterflies, flew by, coming within mere inches of his --

The sheriff's face turned a crimson red, as he quickly staggered to his hooves, a murderous expression on his face. "YOU!!" He shouted, pointing his hoof, at the little monsters. "YA DID SOMETHIN' TA MAH HEAD, AND MADE ME THINK THAT COLT SHOULD BE KISSING A CELESTRIA DANGDED BUFFALO!" He shouted, grabbing the nearest 'whacking instrument', he could find -- in this case, a shotgun, held by it's barrel...

The butterflies, effortlessly, remained one step ahead, as the pony flailed around with the butt of the shotgun, like a madpony.

Finally, they flew out his window, but that didn't prevent him from making one last swing, slamming the shotgun's butt again a wall, partially denting the weapon, and sending a cascade of boxes tumbling down, upstairs.

"Dag nab it!" The sheriff shouted, throwing his hat to the ground. Now, not just had he narrowly avoided repeated madness, but he's knocked down some of his things.

He quickly cantered back, checking to see if he accidentally knocked down the boxes he kept the memories of his wife in.

"Dog narb it!" He shouted, looking through the pile of broken things. "Those stupid butterflies done made me break the one box I REALLY cared about!" He shouted, noticing that, sure enough, he'd knocked down the one box he actually cared about most, and broke most of his most cherished items.

He sifted through the broken tea pots, the broken fine china, various yellowing pictures, that reminded him of better times, before finally stumbling on a picture of a very young looking him, as well as a buttercup unicorn with a brilliant blond mane -- him in his only suit, and her in a very expensive looking wedding gown.

He sighed, looking down. "Sorry, Solar Flare!" He announced, looking down sadly. "I dun goofed with yer colt..." He said, his face growing sad. "An' after I promised ya, on yer death bed ta make a fine stallion of the boy..." He said, remembering the grotesque scene from earlier that day. "An' I turned him into a buffalo lover!"

He daintily picked up the picture, and put it to the side, searching through the pile for anything that was still in one piece.

Towards the bottom of the pile, he found another picture, this one of his father, a brown earth pony, with a dark brown mane, Alderman Goldstar, looking very perturbed, as he stood by an effeminate orange unicorn, with a blond mane, looking like he had been kidnapped by a group of cultists.

"Pa never did approve..." The old sheriff said, with a sigh, as he looked at the visage of his father, in the old photo.

"'Course neither did yours, " he said, turning to Solar Flare's father, in the photo.

He remembered his father's first words, upon finding out who his wife was going to be. "Look 'Star!" He said, with a scowl. "Ain't no way I'm gunna allow a narwhal into the family!" He continued, belligerently.

Course her father was more of the same. "Oh dear..." He said, turning to his daughter. "I had no idea this 'Silverstar' was a dirty mud pony..." He continued, with a hasty chuckle. "Not to mention well below OUR station..."

"Where did ah go wrong!" He asked himself, staring at the photo. "That mah son would do something so ugly!" He said, with a frown.

A pink butterfly flew by, as the sheriff carelessly tossed the photo out the window, as his father's words echoed in his head. "Ain't no way Ah'm gunna allow a narwhal into this here family! That's disgusting boy! You know what they did to our ancestors!?"

Meanwhile in another place, the chief did more of the same, empty bottle of hard cider at his side and salt in the circle, as he burned shaman's incense. He knew that drinking in excess was reserved, along with these herbs for the shamans, but Shaman Shinystone had gone ahead of their stampede to prepare the dance of the equal moon, and he needed the ancestor's advise right now! Not at the dance!

"Ancestors!" He prayed, sadly. "Whitecoat!" He asked, in particular, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath of the blend, that silences the mind and allowed it to tune into the spirits. "Tell me what I need to do about your daughter!" He said, with the same frown he had given the night before their short lived war with the Appleloosans.

A collection of yellow and pink butterflies flew by, disappearing into the fog, as the old chief could swear he heard the words of his father, Ironhorn to his brother, Whitecoat, the day after Little Strongheart had been conceived -- though they didn't know it just yet. "You dishonor our tribe, Whitecoat!" He chastised his son, waving his hoof in the young bull's face. "You know that outsiders can't be brought into the tribe without the proper rituals!" He said, raising up, and bowing his head, to show his horns. "Not to mention that she is of a family of poor character!" He lowed. "No son of mine is going to marry a girl of such a profession!"

The chief bowed, sadly. What was his brother trying to tell him?

A rainbow maned pink earth pony shadow ~~trotted along, her head buzzing with thoughts~~ (which would be ridiculous considering that shadows don't have thoughts, in their head, because, after all, they never were...) "~~What did StarSong mean, when she talked about~~ Believing~~?...~~"

~~She looked around, and sighed.~~ Why was in moments like these did she want to paint again... ~~Something about those~~ phonies ~~from earlier made her~~ wish~~... She~~ wished ~~that she knew, even for a moment, what it was like to~~ paint ~~again...~~

As if answering her questions, a flock of yellow and pink butterflies passed by, coming from somewhere, on their way off to somewhere, lest they obtain Entropy's bad graces by overstaying their welcome. After all, this was the fastest way from where they came, to where they were going, and by the feeling of it, they were needed urgently.

But these butterflies were odd, they reeked of... Skywishes... But wasn't she over there? The pink shadow ~~thought~~, ~~looking over at~~ another shadow, who ~~waved back~~... (Which made the whole scene, once again, absurd, as you can't look over at something that never was... And you certainly can't wave at nothing... Well unless you were completely mad as a hatter... And, for that matter, how can something that never was look, or wave in the first place?)

~~She shook her head~~. Weird... Why did she still swear then that Skywishes was present....

And did she leave a present? She asked herself, noticing something... unusual... sitting on the ground

A pristine easel, and canvas sat on the ~~ground~~, alongside a paintbrush, and pallet, why did they feel so familiar, so inviting? She never existed, so she certainly never used those before, so why did she so badly want to paint a picture...

Entropy shook her head, she would need to have her avatar drop by to speak with this new princess later, she didn't, much, appreciate ponies leaving junk around in their nice clean oblivion...

Oh well... Entropy would let it slide this time... But only for a time... After all, the joy it brought was infectious...

**********

The avatar of the Princess of the Sun vanished in a soft whimper as ~~Katrin~~ Belladonna's claws passed cleanly through her it, quickly dispelling it.

"Heh..." The half changeling purred, standing straight up on her back hooves, a long cat-like tail replacing her normally holey changeling tail. "Too bad I couldn't have fought the real celestia, " she purred, licking her claw. "That might have been more rewarding!"

She shrugged, having decided to turn her attention back to other matters. "Oh well..." The changeling purred, to herself, looking back at the quivering mass in the crevasse. "Where are you, little mouse?" She asked, showing her mouth full of incisors. "It's time to fffffiiinish our trrransaction!" She purred, satisfied with the hunt.

Inside lay Skywishes, now completely translucent in a white light, her body twitching violently, as a long pink horn now slowly drilled its way out of her body, and long crescent like wings did much the same from her back.

"Verrry interesting!" She purred, to herself, sharpening her new claws against a rock. "Too bad I don't have time to fight any more princesses, " she exclaimed, crossly. "Half the EUC is probably already here, " she hissed, arching her back. "Or will be here soon!" She yawled, raising her claws, her eyes becoming like daggers.

The young ~~earth pony~~ alicorn didn't move, instead sitting there, looking like she was asleep, as the changeling-lioness licked her lips. "It's time -- " She purred, bringing her claw back, for a good swipe...

An orange blur quickly descended from the heavens, in a sub-sonic dive that, though impressive, was probably never going to put the rainboom to shame.

"My prrrrr -- " The Changeling purred, in slow motion, licking her lips as her claw moved within inches of the newest alicorn.

The spikes on Flash Sentry's front hooves hit the mountain sized beast at top speed, sending her crashing into the ground, bouncing off of it, spinning a dozen times, and finally colliding into another nearby cliff.

"Ouch!!!" Flash shouted, gritting his teeth, in pain, as he struggled to get back to his hooves. "Basic physics, Flash..." he exclaimed, chastising himself, while simultaneously hoping, beyond reason, that nothing was broken. "For every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction..." he howled, taking a few steps to ensure all his limbs were still reattached, and checking whether or not they were still in one piece. "You should know something about that..." he sighed, experiencing a twinge of frustration at himself. "You teach physics, and math to the recruits..." the stallion replied, having realized that he, once again, had let his heart lead rather than his head.

"That hurt!" Bella donna howled, quickly getting back up onto her back ~~legs and hooves~~ legs and claws.

Flash grunted slightly, in dismay at how quickly his opponent had recovered. He may have just picked a fight he couldn't win... Though he guessed it was a better than that of his counterpart: being turned into a zombie puppet... twice...

"Do you wish to play too, mouse?" Katri... the assassin purred, giving the pegasus a good slam with her claw, sending him flying... right into her other hoof...

"Ouch..." was the only word the guard said, as his body was sent flying again, this time for a spin.

The lioness purred, as she batted the interloper around between her paws. At this point, the only part of her that still remained changeling was her ears, front legs, and barrell. The monster chuckled, gleefully, having decided that she'd only mess with this mouse for a moment more -- she had bigger pray to catch.

Flash grunted, as he shifted his body, transferring the energy into a spin, straightening out his trajectory as he slashed at the giant monster with the ridiculous, cumbersome, instruments he had strapped onto his precious wings. At this point, he hoped that his old comrade, Water Spout, was watching down from above, that strike was for him!

Flash puffed out his chest proudly. He would avenge his fallen friend's blood, on the monsters that... ended... him...

Katrina-donna dodged gracefully to the side, and pounded him, like a nail, into the ground.

"How dare you!" She hissed, arching her back again. "How dare you think you are stronger than me!" She howled, taking another quaaf of her witching potion, which was now three quarters gone, and preceded to pin her prey against the ground, with one paw, as she raised the other paw, and aimed it's claws for his throat.

"Say goodby pony!" She roared, swiping her paw to --

"I wish she'd stop!" Exclaimed a voice from the gully, setting millions of translucent butterflies aflutter, picking up the assassin, and dropping her on the ground... hard...

"Who dares -- ?" The assassin roared, her face turning pale when a pink ~~earth pony~~ alicorn trotted out of the gully, her butterfly and kite cutie mark remained, but the rest of her had changed. No longer a cowardly little earth pony, now she was a graceful alicorn. And with her new powers came a growth spurt, leaving her body a fair amount taller, even before you talk about her new wings, which stood unfurled, like a tower, from her shoulders. Her long winding horn sat on top of her head, as long as the entirety of her head.

**********

"Wow! That's unicorn fun!" Rarity giggled, jovially, her mind being distracted from her lessons again, the teleportation spell she was casting being unceremoniously cancelled, and sending her crashing down on Twilight, instead transporting her to the next floor of the library. "Cheerilee, can't you feel it?" She asked, turning to her ~~mentor~~ mother. "There's someone new to play with!"

Cheerilee looked back puzzled, what did Rarity mean?

Wysteria howled, in pain, as Luna canceled the spell she was casting on the purple alicorn to allow her to tap into the thoughts, and emotions of her nightmare, Queen Nightshade, who still remained safely sealed within herself. "Wh.. What's this horrible feeling, Luna?"

Luna frowned, she could feel it too, apparently another nascent alicorn had now shown itself in Equestria... "She should count herself fortunate..." The alicorn said, to herself. "Her nightmare aborted before it could be born..." She remarked, feeling the pain as the remnants of her nightmare reacted to the end of another.

Celestia sat on her chair, asking for the fourth bag of ice from her servants... This would probably ensure another round of rumors... She decided, with a reluctant sigh. And that was on top of the fact, that she could probably already read the next day's headlines: 'Princess of the Sun pregnant?' And to make matters worse, there was the matter of what she would tell Kibitz, and her advisors. After all, she, certainly, wasn't about to tell her advisors that she'd just disobeyed Kibitz orders.. in avatar form...

And on top of it all, she sensed something that made her blood run cold. Something, she was sure the others could too... A nascent alicorn had just ascended...

And a powerful one to boot...

"Spike!" Twilight howled, rushing out of the library... And then right back into it... Having realized that she had just run past her number one assistant, while trying to find her number one assistant...

"Yes, Twilight?" Spike said, cheerfully pulling out a quill and scroll.

"Oh, good.." Twilight replied, with a blush. "I guess you know me well..." She remarked, with a bashful chuckle, and a slight blush, as she cleared her throat.

"Ok, " Spike replied, nonchalantly, placing the quill against the scroll. "What's going on your todo list?"

"Not a todo list, " Twilight said, shaking her head. "A letter to the princess..." she said, direly.

"Princess?" Spike asked, curiously, taking the quill from the scroll for a moment. That was odd.. Twilight almost never wrote a letter to the princess now, opting to see her in person, or to handle the matter herself... It must be something big...

Twilight nodded, knowingly. "I suspect another alicorn just ascended..."

"Shiney!" Cadance howled, suddenly rising to her hooves, as she rose from her throne. "Get my armor!" She exclaimed, her voice growing cold.

"What's going on, Cadance?" The unicorn asked, a fearful expression on his face, as he admired the full set of armor that his wife was having the guards hastily assemble for her. Cadance never, ever, wore her armor now, even when going into battle... Heck! Not even against King Sombra and Nightmare Rarity had she worn her armor. Not even one piece!

"I sense a new alicorn, and a broken heart..." She replied, eerily. "If I don't hurry then there's no telling what might happen..."

Professor Shadow Star shook his head. Why was he still even bothering to train this purple reject in magic, again? He meant: if she couldn't even comprehend even mundane spells like levitation, then there was no way she could even hope to pass the stringent entrance exams that were required for entrance into ~~the princess'~~ his prestigious school of magic. After all, this purple disaster with a raptor's face couldn't even cast basic magic...

Heck with it all! The professor decided, as he slowly turned arr --

The unicorn gave an unearthly scream of pain as her horn began to react violently to something, and -- the horn, itself, not an aura -- to glow violently, looking more like a reactor going into meltdown, then a unicorn's horn.

"Make it stop!" Lilly begged, burning her hooves whenever she tried to touch her horn. "Please! Professor! Make it stop!!! It hurts!!!"

The professor looked on, utterly afraid, as he scrambled back, scooting his plot behind him, and up against the closest wall, and covering his face, with his hooves.

"What's going on!?" The professor asked, in utter horror. "What kind of magic does this unicorn wield!?"

**********

"Please leave him be!" The alicorn said, her voice taking an unusual tone... She stopped for a moment.. "I mean! Don't hurt him!!" She said, pausing a second time. "I mean leave -- " She sighed, breathing in. "Ooohhh! You know what I mean!" She exclaimed, defiantly.

"I don't, and I don't care!" The feline responded,with a haute expression. "You may be a princess!" She exclaimed, taking another quaaf of her potion, which, in turn, changed her front legs into gruesome arms... "I'll rip that cutie mark off your flank, even if it's the last thing I do!" She howled, lunging for the attack.

"I wish you would stop being mean!" The alicorn 'wished' back, accidently making a random 'wish', causing unimaginable pain to course through her body, as her horn fire off a beam of pure magic.

The feline howled in pain as the beam connected, pushing her back, and six feet into the mountain itself.

"That hurt!" She roared, brushing her exquisite robes off, as she stood back up, taking part of the cliff with her. "You'll pay for this!" She exclaimed, drinking the rest of decades of hard harvested witching potion, as her form completely shifted from changeling to more of a minotaur's... well... if minotaurs were half lion instead of half cow...

She looked down at herself, and meowed in utter disgust. "No!" She meowed. "How dare you do this to me!" She exclaimed. "You broke my superior form!" She incredulously shouted, having been a changeling since the days of queen Flutter Heart herself. "You shall pay for this!" She hissed, lunging forward.

"I wish -- !" The alicorn said, preparing another wish, only to have the feline's claw bash her head into the ground.

"No wishing!" She howled. "I worked hard for that superior... and ageless... form!" She hissed. "And you took it away! I'll make you pay!" She purred, batting the alicorn around, like a ball.

"Leave her alone!!!" Flash Sentry shouted, having staggered to his hooves. "I won't condone this any longer!" He shouted, flapping his wings more on instinct then design, sending a hurricane forward, a hurricane of pure wind magic, which, once again, sent the assassin flying.

"What was that!?" Flash asked himself, in shock.

"The überflutter!" Katrina replied, again standing on her hooves. "I thought we missed a colt back at Sunnyville!" She hissed, lunging forward.

"What do you mean?" The pegasus asked, as he, once again instinctively flapping his wings, and again sending Katrina flying.

"Just that, little boy!" The feline replied, standing up again. "I knew that that fluttering one had to have had a spawn..." she growled. "They always do, like cockroaches!"

"Fluttering -- ?" Flash asked, being knocked out of the air by lightning from the assassin's eyes, and held, face first, in the dirt by one of Katrina's paws.

"Yes!" She purred. "Traitors of the hive who didn't accept Discord's gift, and instead left their ancestral homeland, and their precious sunstone for a life of imminent demise..." she purred.

... "Except some of them survived..." She purred, nonchalantly, raising her other paw. "Until -- "

"I wish -- !" Skywishes exclaimed, standing to her hooves, her face looking stern.

"And I wish I had your symbol!" The changeling hissed, sadistically, a dreadfully devious idea coming to mind, as the alicorn froze in place.

"No.. I..." She replied, stammering... She had to obey... It was a wish... "But..." She couldn't... She just couldn't... "You're... mean..."

"Yes!" The changeling purred, with finality. "I wish I had your mark!" She repeated, this time boldly. "Now give it to me wish giver!"

"No!" Flash replied, freeing himself partially from the paw. "Skywishes! Please don't!" He pleaded, gasping for air, as the assassin pressed her paw in harder, attempting to grind him back into the earth.

"But!" Skywishes' voice said, growing dark. "Do I have to?" She asked, the sparks and smoke materializing in her head.

"I wish you wouldn't!" Replied a third voice, arriving on the scene, a pink alicorn with a long vertical tricolor violet, rose, and gold mane.

"I'm so confused!" Skywishes replied, looking around, her love of wishes betraying her, along with her own body, which demanded an answer to every wish made everywhere.

Belladonna purred... "Two princesses, and a fluttering one in one day!" She purred, proudly. "Maybe they'll make me queen of the hive instead of Chrysalis!" She purred, going in for the kill.

"Not this time!" Cadance replied, holding up a glittering crystal object.

"Is that?" Katrina replied, seeming uncertain around the crystal object her opponent was holding up.

"it is!" Cadance replied, proudly.

At first the changeling took a few steps back, but when it became obvious that she was in no immediate danger, her face changed, from an expression of unimaginable terror, to one of hysterical laughter. "Do I look like an umbra to you, pony?" She purred, wondering what she ever could have been afraid of, in the first place.

"We'll find out!" Cadance replied, remaining bold, as she bend down, connecting with her crystal ponies. "Be strong and hold out hope so that the witch Katrina can never return!" She exclaimed, as the crystal object began to gleam, and spin,

"Even if I were!" The minotaur-lion replied, fearlessly. "There's no way that object is powerful enough to -- " she replied, as the light from the crystal pillar sent her, once again, slamming into a wall.

"No!" The cat roared defiantly, as she struggled against the troublesome light. "You won't finish me that way!" She growled, gritting her fangs as she stood up, and began to walk forward, trembling at the unimaginable weight of the magic that was pounding against her.

"Make that two!" Crystal-Sentry said, flapping his wings again, instinct again taking over.

Once again, the changeling's plans were foiled as she, once again, slammed against the stone wall. "This isn't the end!" The cat roared, desperately fighting against the magical assault that was waged on her that threatened to tear her form apart.

"It's not going to be enough!" Flash said, beginning to panic.

"No!" Cadance replied, shaking her head. "Hold out hope!" She replied, optimistically. "The crystal heart won't work if we lose hope!"

"I wish that Katrina wouldn't hurt anyone any longer!" Skywishes announced, sitting on her flank, her front legs straight out, her head bowed, and her wings jutting straight out of her back.

Skywishes' eyes turned a translucent white as a ghostly Star Catcher flowed out of her body followed by a sea of multicolored butterflies.

"NOOOO!" Katrina shouted, as the magic forged of two alicorns, and... whatever Flash was... washed over, causing her to disappeared in a flash, not even leaving dust behind, as Skywishes collapsed into a heap.

"Shall I take her back to Canterlot?" Flash Sentry asked the princess, who shook her head.

"Allow me, Commander Sentry, " she replied with a smile. "I need to discuss this matter, with Celestia anyway, " she continued, waving her hoof over the former earth pony's wings and horn. "And I suspect if she's anything like me, it'll really suck when she wakes up and the primal force of wishes itself starts demanding her attention!" She whispered, to herself, under her breath. "And we really don't need somepony like Applejack, or Rarity to be turned blue again... " she said, with a chuckle.

**********

"So, how is she handling it?" Asked a quiet voice, approaching Celestia from behind.

"Hello, Cadance, " Celestia replied, nonchalantly. "About as well as you did, at first, I suppose, " she replied, burying her head her head in the window, 'taking a closer look at the maze below'.

"I see, " Cadance replied, sadly. Her ascension had been a dream: she had warmed the heart of that cold hearted witch, and earned her wings. But it quickly went south mere hours after her ascension, when she started introducing herself to her little ponies.

At first, it was like a soft hum. The faint sound of a piccolo, or a violin. But, quickly the sound began to grow.

She had looked around multiple times for the band that was seemingly following her around, wherever she went, only to find out that there was none in sight.

And it got weirder as the day went on. What had started as the faint sounds of the violin grew, being joined by harps, lyres, and lutes, castinets, and drums, and... It just got worse and worse till it sounded like a cacophony.

She tried ignoring it at first, but over the course of the day, it just grew louder, and louder, till she was forced to cover her ears with anything she could find... But it just wouldn't stop, till she just about fainted on the spot.

And even the night didn't stop the sounds. The sounds of an arguing couple down below were joined by the sounds of a screaming cat.

The sound of a pony's hopes being crushed, like nails on a blackboard. And, that wasn't even the beginning if the range of sounds she was hearing.

She had been forced to beg her personal physician for some kind of spell for her to sleep, a spell he had initially turned down, thrice, because of her age, only to give in as things became worse.

"So you think Skywishes feels it too?" Cadance asked, her head turning towards Celestia's, who continued to 'intently' stare out the window.

Celestia nodded, a look of concern actually visible on her face, something that was extraordinary for the ageless poker player.

"Do you think that pink filly Rarity, or Wysteria feels it too?" Cadance asked her aunt.

Celestia shrugged. "Rarity derives her alicorn magic from a different source then the rest of us, so I don't know -- and if she is, she seems to be handling it remarkably well. And as for Wysteria, I don't know... She might be filtering out the voices of the earth, and it's flowers, considering that she was originally an earth pony."

"What about you and Twiley?" Cadance replied back. "Did either of you have this problem?"

Celestia shook her head. "Unlikely, my niece. Our problems are different than your's. The primordial force of the sun is distant, and only one object, " she replied, turning around. "And Twilight can probably filtering out the clatter from the primordial force of magic without even realizing it, considering her special talent, and the fact that she was originally a unicorn... " she continued, putting a hoof on her niece's wither. "And I'm sure, her friends, the other elements help, themselves bearing the burden. As I'm sure Skywishes' friends will..."

"So?" Cadance asked, turning to her aunt. "Who's going to train her in her magic?"

Celestia looked away, trotting away, slowly. "That's what I'm trying to decide... I'm not sure I can face you now, Skywishes... Not like this..."

**********

"I'd like to thank you for joining us, my fellow princess," Celestia replied, with a smile, turning to her ex-student.

"I'm glad to be here, but didn't you say I should stay in Ponyville?" Twilight asked her mentor, who simply shrugged back.

"Why don't you go and play, Rarity?" Celestia asked, her voice sounding a lot more serene than normal, as she turned her head to talk to the pink Pinkie alicorn that was making laps around her hooves.

The miniature alicorn cheered, and started making a break, for the door, flapping her oversized wings for take off.

"Now Rarity! -- " Her mentor/mother warned, calmly, not being heard, in the least, by the miniature alicorn, as she started to run, stretching her wings out, for maximum lift (a rookie move that Twilight had taught her, to get her started.)

Twilight nodded, unable to speak, though her mind thought volumes. 'Are you sure about that princess?' She asked, herself, mentally, unwilling to question her old mentor.

As if aware of what she was thinking Celestia nodded, waving the miniature unicorn on her way. "It'll be fine!" She replied, to Twilight, in her normal voice, as the alicorn flew out of the room, quickly chased by her ~~mentor~~ mother.

'Are you sure?' Twilight's quivering lips said, not quite moving as she feared what the miniature hyper-active alicorn would do now that she was liberated from her 'super boring duties'.

Celestia only waved her hoof, a mischievous expression on her face. "How much trouble could she possibly get in?" Twilight's old mentor asked, waving her hoof again.

After a moment, the two princesses in attendance were joined with the other two princesses of Equestria.

Celestia turned to Cadance, and gave a nod. "Cadance, " she said, turning to her sister, and opened her mouth. However, no words came out, instead an explosive beam of pure pink magic, which blew a gaping hole through a wall, as well as the echoes of a loud shout.

"It wasn't my fault!" The foal shouted, loud enough to be heard even from here.

"I see her magic focus is getting better, " Celestia said, turning to her old student, who now wore a bright red blush.

"Yeah, I've been teaching her some basic unicorn magic," she said, her face unmoving, and the blush still set. "I was hoping that the focus required to learn spells would kind of help her with her control..." she said, nervously.

Luna gave a bellowing laugh. "Ahh, as with thou, our sister!" She exclaimed, turning to her sister.

"Celestia had trouble controlling her magic too?" Twilight asked, in astonishment.

"Ahh, my student," Celestia replied, with a chuckle, waving her hoof around, dismissively. "We shall discuss this at a later time," she replied, turning to her sister.

A lightning strike was followed by the young alicorn reappearing, in their midst.

"It wasn't my fault, " she said, unabashedly. "This spell is just so much fun, and -- "

"We see thou has experimented with other kinds of magic!" Luna said, turning to Twilight, who blushed again.

"Yeah, I... kind of... got over eager..." she said, looking down. "And taught her some basic teleportation... But I kind of wasn't expecting her to be able to cast it right now..." She said, hissing between clenched teeth.

"Run along, Rarity, " Celestia exclaimed, again, with a chuckle, as the foal once again galloped out of the room, at high speeds. "I'm sure Cheerilee is probably already getting worried about you," she said, being unheard by the foal. "Speaking of which," she said, turning to Twilight. "How is the mare's training coming?"

"Well," Twilight said, proudly, puffing out her chest. "She's mastered basic levitation, and has made great strides in the basics of unicorn magic," she replied, nonchalantly.

"Tis a shame that... circumstances... meant that she had such a late start, " Luna replied, with a frown, turning to her sister. "So sister," she said, turning again to her sister. "As much as we loveth this tetatet, sister, " Luna replied, growing stern. "Why hast thou summoned us, " she said, her her face turning to her sister, a suspicious expression, adorning her face. "Tis well past our bedtime, and we assumest thou wishest not to bore us over pleasantries!"

"Indeed, " Celestia replied, her face growing serious.

"Let me guess, " Luna replied, sternly. "This hast much to do with our newest nascent alicorn?"

Celestia nodded. "And this, Twilight, is why I needed to pry you away from Ponyville, even in this time of great need, " she continued. "And why I needed to know how Rarity's and Cheerilee's training was coming."

Twilight frowned, looking down, his lips moving, but no words coming out, as she grappled with her inner fears of letting her mentor down.

"I see, " Celestia replied, frowning for a moment. "Rarity's a hooffull?"

Twilight nodded. "But actually I'm more concerned about Cheerilee, " she replied, as another beam of magic flew through the west wall.

Celestia nodded, a bemused smile crossing her face.

"And then there's the matter of Twilight time, " she continued, contemplatively. "And how I... kind of... promised Scootaloo, that I'd take a look at her wings for her, after they suddenly (and painfully) grew in two nights ago, " she replied, tilting her head.

Celestia gulped noticeably. Apparently the primordial forces of wishing must have had another 'conversation' with Skywishes when Celestia wasn't watching... And that probably meant that she was still suffering from the wishing voices in her head...

"And I... kind of... inadvertently... promised her... flying lessons with Dash... " she said, with a nervous blush, scuffing her hoof against the ground, her ears flattening against her head. Dash would probably yell at her later...

All eyes turned to Twilight, before returning to Celestia.

**********

Discussion continued on, into the morning, with Luna taking frequent breaks, as she teleported back and forth from one of the guest towers to reposition her solar body.

"I know Twiley's busy, " Cadance replied, with a smile, motioning her hoof over Twilight. "But what about you, aunt?" She asked, turning to Luna. "You know how to deal with nightmares!"

"We assume thou meanest the aborted nightmare we felt a few nights prior?" Luna replied, stopping to think for a spell, finally shaking her head. "T'would not be wise, " she said, her face growing stern. "First of all, Queen Nightshade comprehendest much of both her unicorn, and pegasus sides, whereas Princess Wysteria handlest neither with ease, " she said, almost looking sorry. "Furthermore, we fear that if her nightmare were to stir again, that it wouldst reestablish control within mere moments, " she said, with finality. "Furthermore, we feelst it best for us to give her our undivided attention, lest such an event occur."

Cadance shook her head. "But you're the only pony in the room with any understanding of nightmares, it's not like I -- "

Luna smiled, lovingly. "Thou lackest confidence, Cadance, " she replied, calmly. "Two words, our beloved niece, by adoption: Fractured Crystal"

"But, Luna, that was another world, " Cadance replied, shaking her head. "And another Cadance!"

"We understand, " Luna replied. "But we wishest thou comprehendest, that thou shouldst not underestimate thine ability, " she replied, raising her knee. "Thou hast much empathy insidest thou, and for but one decision goest thou not, also, likewise." She continued. "And remember, furthermore, we art not... known... for our empathy, " she continued, nonchalantly. "Hense, our decision that t'would be most wise to impose on one that understandest such forces..."

"What about you, aunty, " Cadance said, turning to her aunt. "You don't have a student right now, "

Celestia looked away. "I'm not sure I can face her right now, " she said, under her breath.

"What did you say?" Cadance asked her aunt.

"Why, nothing, dear, " Celestia said, with a smile, her poker face showing again. "I just think that you should be the one to teach her, as your interactions with your element, love, more closely mirror her interactions with her element, wishing, then mine does."

Luna frowned, a disapproving expression appearing on her face, nevertheless, her muzzle remained shut. Finally, after a moment, she opened her mouth. "Cele dost have a point, Cadance, " she replied. "No matter, how flimsy it may be," she said, under her breath.

Cadance looked at Luna in surprised, she never used the word Cele, except diminutively, for rare moments when she thought her sister was being especially childish. Just as Celestia never used the diminutive form of Luna's name, Lulu, usually as an insult when she wanted to get her sister's goat.

"Which reminds me, " Celestia said, turning to Twilight. "There's another reason for this meeting," she said, her tone becoming particularly dire.

All heads turned to Celestia. "Twilight, Luna, " Celestia said, turning to Twilight, and Luna, in turn. "I'll need to borrow both of your students, Rarity, and Wysteria, in about two weeks, " she stated, cryptically.

"Why do you need them?" Twilight asked, in befuddlement.

"I'll explain later, my fellow princess," Celestia responded back. "It's time I tested a theory," she stated, turning to Luna.

"Also, Luna, " she stated, formally. "Let's schedule that test for Lily Lightly for three weeks from today, it's time I tested a different theory."

Luna nodded, cryptically.

"Hey... Um... " Twilight responded nervously.

"Yes, my student?" Celestia responded back.

"Can anypony tell me what's going on?" Twilight responded back, immediately slapping her hoof on her muzzle.

"In due time, Twilight, " Celestia responded back, calmly. "In due time."

**********

"Are our benefactors here yet?" A unicorn stallion, who was covered in a thick cloak, asked, one of the two unicorn mares who were with him.

"Not yet, Alpha -- " the mare responded back, also wearing a cloak, only to be hushed by the stallion.

"Somepony's coming..." he said, his horn glowing under the cloak. "I think it might be our benefactor!"

"Greetings Terr -- " A jet black unicorn, who's mane and tail were surprisingly missing, responded back, chuckling at the sight of the other three unicorn's getting defensive.

"And you might be?" The stallion responded back, ready to show this interloper the magical might of his ancient family -- the true heirs of Platina's crown.

"Solanaceae, " the unicorn responded back, taking on his true form, a jet black changeling noble, without a mane of tail to speak of. "And I'm sorry to say that you've been abandoned by the so called queen of the hive."

"Oh?" The stallion replied back, unimpressed with the changeling's lie.

"Very well then, " the changeling responded, with a chuckle. "Don't believe me? How about an alternate deal?" He continued.

"I'm listening..." The stallion responded back, calmly.

"Very well, you wish your family title back, and Platina's crown, do you not?" The changeling responded, curiously.

"And your way is better than the seven step plan we have working right now?" The stallion responded back, with an air of superiority.

"My master has a meeting place assigned for you three months from now, he's explain then, " the changeling responded, nonchalantly. "And I promise that that deceiver Blue Blood, who stole your family's title will receive an appropriate punishment."

"Let me see your deal, and then we shall decide," the stallion responded back.

"Indeed, we shall..."

Optional Chapter 1-3: Rarity's story

"You see, darling..." The cyan pony stated, as calmly as she could, her body shaking almost invisibly.

"Quit stalling!" Chrysalis demanded, snorting angrily. "I can tell, just by the scent!" She announced, pointing to her muzzle with one of her front hooves. "Those are definitely Larva's pheromones!" She shouted, stamping her hooves. "Now I demand to know what you did!"

Rainbow took a calming breath. "I did nothing, darling, " She replied calmly. "You see, darling..."

"Quit stalling!" The queen snarled. "Your lies won't help you here! A mother never forgets the scent of her daughters!" She shouted, calling for her praetorian guards.

The queen gave a very sinister expression as five of her burliest guards began to materialize, from seemingly nowhere.

"Now," the queen hissed calmly. "I'll ask you one final time!... What... did... you... do... to.... her!!!" She snarled, her face growing red.

"Well, you see, darling -- " Rainbow replied, only getting a few words in before the queen stopped her.

"SHUT UP!" The queen hissed, her eyes growing green. "How dare you, and your dame of a daughter practice your fiendish necromancy on my precious daughter!" She announced, seizing the green pony, by the neck, in her magic.

"Um... excuse me..." Pinkie interrupted, calmly. "Ummm.... I don't mean to interrupt, but -- " The pink pony continued, quietly.

"Then don't!" The queen shouted, causing the pink pony to step back a step. "I see that clueless expression on her face!" She said, using her hoof to motion her hoof over the green pony's face, who continued to gasp in her magical grasp. "You did something to her mind!" She shouted, her eyes growing an unnatural green for a changeling. "You poisoned her mind against me!" She continued, conspiratorially. "But we have the means to free her mind from your spell Auroras!!!"

"But darling!" Rainbow protested, one final time. "Chrysi! -- "

"Just like you did Amaryllis!" The queen continued, pointing at her guards, who dutifully snatched up the cyan and pink earth ponies. "But you'll regret bringing her back to me!!!!" She shouted, at the top of her lungs, stamping her hooves for her elite guards to grab the intruders. "And now you'll wish that I had continued to think of her as dead!!!"

The queen turned to her guards. "GUARDS!!!!" She shouted, pointing her hoof to the door. "Take my aunt and her spawn to the dungeons!!! I'll decide what to do with them later!" She hissed, finally releasing the green pony, who lay on the floor gasping for air. "Take my daughter to one of the cocoons! We have to get her out of this ludicrous form, before she sticks that way!" She demanded, as her personal guard picked up the clueless green pony like a solid piece of wood, and carted her out the door.

"But queen!" Her captain of the guard protested. "She's well over sixteen, she would have changed back, if she could..."

The queen held her muzzle with her hoof. "How you dare even imply that, you foal!" She shouted at her guards. Such utter ineptitude!!! How did she end up surrounded by such utter failures? Was she the only sane pony in this whole hive? "Just take her to the cocoons..." She demanded, stamping her hoof.

"Yes, my -- " The guards responded, all snapping to attention, including those now detaining Rainbow, and Pinkie.

"Just do it!!!!" The queen shouted angrily, causing a crash, as the legion of guards, once again. tripped all over themselves, literally, to complete her request.

"Yes... my queen..." The captain of her guard replied, under his breath, his hoof shaking silently, his thoughts well hidden...

**********

"What's that?" Wall Flower asked, turning to his compatriot, Cyprus Blossom, as a suspicious clopping sound echoed down the long hallways. "Do you hear a gallop?" He asked, craning his ear to hear the loud tapping sound as it progressed slowly down the long twisting hallways. Towards them.

"Nah!" Cyprus Blossom replied, shrugging his withers. "It's too slow, it almost sounds like somepony's -- " He remarked, being interrupted mid sentence by the approach of the prince who slowly emerged from behind the corner, his hooves dragging behind him, as they occasionally clopped against the floor as he shifted sadly along, his head held low. Maybe that's where that noise was coming from?

The prince looked up, and returned a timid smile as he, apparently, tried to put up a strong act for his sister, who was having another one of her, now infamous, episodes...

"Is my sister, the queen, available for an audience?" The crown prince asked politely, to the guards, granting the two stallions the undue respect of a courteous bow. "I heard that our precious aunt had returned, miraculously, from the great beyond, and I wanted to join her, and my dear sister, the queen, in the most joyous moment, " he said, trotting between the two guards.

The guards frowned sadly, turning to each other, before hesitantly crossing the doorway with their wings. "I'm sorry prince, " the guards replied, in unison, diligently following their duty. It was such a shame that the hive was now plagued with a mad queen while her perfectly rational brother was reduced to performed meaningless diplomatic errands.

"But your sister wishes to be left alone," they continued, their voices quivering slightly, "and has commanded that no more visitors be permitted today," continued the senior of the two, his face slightly forlorn.

"Oh, I'm certain, that you can let me: her loving brother in, " he said, tenderly, putting a hoof on the guard's wither. "I mean, who else could possibly be there to comfort her, of not me?" He asked, pleading with the guards to give him entry. "After all, are we of one mind?" He asked, stating the obvious. "Won't you please reconsider?" He asked, stooping down so low as to drop into a begging position.

If only the queen weren't more vehement. Her brother was doing everything in his power to help his sister. But... Orders were orders! "I'm sorry, my prince, " the guard responded. "But the queen is in mourning, and wishes not to be disturbed?" They said the stern tones in their voices returning.

The prince gave a befuddled expression, his form becoming rigid. "I don't mean to pry, my good stallions, " he said, formally. "But why would she be mourning, when her beloved aunt, the hero of the hive, has returned, from the dead, to us?" He asked, the concern showing on his face. "Could she--?" He asked, shaking his head 'it was improper to make such implications of their leader, no matter how sick she appeared.'

The guards shrugged, few who lived in the hive even still remembered the half drone princess, with the rainbow mane and tail, but the stories about that they had heard about her were less than flattering.

The prince gave a dismayed smile. "Couldn't you bend the rules, for me, just this once?" He asked, softly, looking the two stallions straight in the eyes, softly.

The guards shook their heads. "We're sorry, our prince, but the queen has commanded us, and we are unable to disobey, " they said, firmly, their wings now pointing down the hall.

"Very well, " the prince said, with a frown, as he trotted down the hall, his head hung in deep despair. It was a shame his mad sister was in charge and not the good prince...

The prince's back hooves slipped behind him as he slowly proceeded down the hall...

**********

Stupid hive mind! Not just had that dame of an aunt of hers, just now, ruined her day, but she would be even further behind in ~~her~~ the hive's work. Why? Because her stray thoughts might leak into the pea brains of those silly drones, and throw her nice organized hive into complete chaos.

Heck! She would probably be more productive in her sleep!

... Except that it would make it just that much harder to shield her thoughts from the numbskulls while she was sleep.

And it didn't help that that the general displeasure of a visit from her old dead dame of an aunt was filling her head with old memories... Chrysalis was sure of it.

She snarled, as she started to recall the last time that wretched old jane had dared darken her beautiful organized hive: the night her first daughter had passed on, or at least she'd thought at the time.

Of course, the development had not been that big of a surprise, the poor thing had been sickly and weak since birth, a common birth defect that had been passed down, off and on, through the family -- a mark of true nobility (or at least that's what they told the commoners.) And the hive couldn't seem to gather the required amount of love to keep her healthy. Leaving her, the queen, to watch in melancholy as her daughter's condition slowly deteriorated, her decline only accelerating quickly upon The Lady's return to the hive, along with her wretched mutant of a daughter.

And of course, the seeming inevitability of the bad news didn't make it any easier, as an old dinosaur from her grandmother's days had been the one to break the news: Prime Minister Wormwood.

"I'm sorry, my queen, " the old geezer stated, with dismay. "But your first daughter, Princess Larva, ..."

"Spit it out you old geezer," The queen hissed. "I don't like being awakened at this hour."

The old catcher straightened himself out, and took a quick breath. "Of course...."

"Now get on with it..." The queen demanded, drowsily.

"You daughter, Princess Larva, ..." the codger continued. "Has left for the eternal fields, " he said, with a frown.

What followed next was a riotous rout of laughter. "You've gone senile, old man! There's no way that any daughter of mine could pass on now," she boastfully exclaimed. "Where's that caretaker that I put in charge of her care?" The queen asked. "She'll be able to set you straight you old dinosaur," she said, her composure returning. "Now where is that old bat, Madragora?" The queen asked, desperately.

"She left the hive, along with Phytolacca, Belladonna, and Dulcamara, in pursuit of your aunt, who fled the hive, along with her daughter," the old fart replied. "They suspect that your aunt had something to do with her demize."

"What!!" She had exclaimed, being unwilling to accept the outcome, and, of course, a full investigation had been launched, into the matter. And, in the end, it was decided that the culprit was malnutrition, not her aunt, though doubts still plagued her mind, even to this very day. Not that it mattered, as Dulcamara successor, Solanaceae, verified the pass of his former mentor (or at least that's what he thought.)

And her luck only got worse from there.

**********

"Bad news, highness, " her advisor had stated, once again, waking her at a late hour. "But apparently, the foster parents your brother had suggested to you weren't as ... fit... as your brother had supposed they were, " the old stallion explain, with a prune like expression. "And your foal has... died... of malnutrition!" The stallion said, covering his head, with his hooves, as he anticipated a barrage of flying objects.

It just seemed like she had been cursed when it came to foals, a fact her brother had brought up endlessly...

And things had seemed so upbeat, at first, when it seemed like the gods had finally heard her pleas when a second foal was born healthy, after a seemingly endless series of stillbirths.

And not just, had she completed her royal duty, for the hive, but that her brother had found the perfect host family, loving, stable, and prone to stillbirths, saving her the morbid actions that her mother had been forced to undertake, upon her birth.

Sadly, this foal too seemed cursed as it's family abandoned it to die in their petty war with each other...

The queen shed a silent tear...

Starving her poor foal...

But not to worry, she grabbed justice by the horns, brought it home. And all it required was a few changeling imposters, a bribed judge or two, and a couple of 'well meaning' bureaucrats. Heck, even the treacherous lady's old apprentice, a young and upcoming mage of the hive, Solanaceae, had demonstrated his loyalty, to the hive, by throwing in a few spells at the time.

And as the cherry on top of her shake of revenge, the last she heard those two tightwads was that they were in locked in the tower in Canterlot, charged with first degree murder, their family name was a laughing stock, and a mark of shame, and their precious wealth was in the hooves of their first foal.

And that, friends, is what comes of those who mistreat the queen's foals.

**********

What followed next was another long spell of miscarriages, and stillbirths, before her third, and final foal was born. And her reputation in the hive, was not, having fallen considerably during her rash of failures, with the rumor that she was sick, or cursed, or something, causing her star to set slightly, and her brother's star to rise.

The good news was that before her 'precious brother' could become too much a threat, her third foal, Amaryllis, was born, 'healthy' (or at least as 'healthy' as any of her foals had been to date.)

And, she, having been dubious after her last foal's mistreatment had passed on her brother's less than helpful assistance, and had put her new prime minister Artemisia on the job. And, in a show of her superior intellect to her brother, had already assigned her foal to the perfect host family (down to the optimal time of birth, and demise of their young foal.)

The switch was made, and from there, she simply had to sit, and wait... sixteen long years... Well... Not completely sit, and wait... She had a bad habit of meddling to ensure the foal's safety, despite her advisor's wishes, and better judgement. Something about her mother's experiences, in a failed attempt to infiltrate Canterlot, in preparation for a changeling invasion -- an invasion she would attempt some day.

And at the end of sixteen years, the perfect opportunity presented itself. She'd managed to get her hooves on a princess of Equestria, and put her daughter's 'brother' under her power.

And from there, things worked exactly as expected. Replace her daughter's 'brother's' bride -- check. Butter her daughter up with kindness -- check. Learn the ins and outs of being 'Princess Cadance' -- check. Aid her daughter's 'deteriorating condition' with some 'healing magic' -- check. Convince her daughter, that the lug she called a 'brother', to take a 'nap' -- check. Obtain the dear's 'brother', to act as act as food for the hive (well the dear did need something to help her with the adjustment back to hive living) -- check. Obtain two changelings of the infiltrator class to cover her escape with her daughter and her daughter's 'brother' -- check.

Spirit her daughter, and that ridiculous stallion away in the dead of night...

...

Not check...

What was she thinking? What was going through her head when she decided to jail her own daughter? In a cage? What gave her the idea that her own beloved daughter had been poisoned by pony imperfections? What even gave her such a ludicrous idea?

And, furthermore, why would she drag her daughter to the wedding the next day as some kind of trophy? Pure pride? Utter foolishness?

Why all the triumphs? Why did her daughter need to see the superiority of her own troops? Weren't her mares and stallions supposed to be feeding? Why did she have them making laps? Just because she felt superior? What came over her?

So naturally by the time that pesky Luna showed up unexpected, her troops were in utter disarray, exhausted from 'showing their superiority' by marching the parameter of Canterlot in decuple time.

She still had one chance though, she'd have to flee with the cage (a cage she, once again, had no idea why she decided to stick her own flesh and blood in.) The bad news?

"Flee my children!" The queen shouted, in panic, having beat one princess, but lost to another. Wasn't this supposed to be a distraction for her real plans?... Why did she even care whether she won or lost?... "At least I'll keep my prize!" She shouted, lifting the cage. "You have -- "

"Ouch!!!" A voice screeched loudly, as a clang could be heard against the ground, and two thumps were heard shortly after.

"Thou hast lost demon!!!" The 'princess of the night' exclaimed, as she and her disheveled army were sent catapulted into the heavens.

**********

The queen paced the floors, maybe something could have been done...

And maybe kidnapping her friend's sisters, and threatening 'bad things' if they didn't arrive, in three days didn't help, either. But she desperately needed a chance to talk some sense into her daughter, and the only way to do so while she was under Celestia's protection was to draw the dear away from that dangerous old tyrant.

And the Secretariat Comet supplied the perfect opportunity, providing only marginal boosts to pony magic, but unimaginable boosters to her own magic. She'd be able to subdue the dear, and drain enough of the love energy that she'd so that she could finally safely bring her back home.

But it didn't come out right... She threatened to steal her own daughters magic, and emotional energy -- a punishment normally used to rid the hive of unwanted nobles...

On her own daughter...

No... Instead of talking sense into her she attacked her, threatened her, betrayed her daughter's trust, and tried to 'convince her to join them' like some f-grade rheel villain.

And it didn't get better when it came to the crusaders... She looked like a mental case, threatening three small fillies, and proclaiming the end of Equestria... Consuming blood in their presence... She shivered in utter fear, they didn't even eat regular food, they ate emotional energy... What could possibly have been buzzing through her head?

And, to make matters worse, she didn't want to do any harm to Amaryllis' friends, or family. She simply wanted to do was drive a wedge between them so she could bring her daughter back, then she'd let them go... Honest... But it certainly didn't sound that way, at the time... Nor would it have looked that way from their viewpoint...

And so, her final chance slipped through her hooves...

Were the episodes just the result of stress, as her advisor's claimed, or a form of growing madness as the nobility conjectured... She didn't even know anymore...

**********

A few months later.

Bzzzt.... "And, like that..." A voice echoed in her head, did somepony with independent thoughts forget to shield them?

"The queen has no heirs!" The voice giddily boomed, it's voice steeped in it's own treason.

She awoke, with a start, and turned her head to her chamber doors. Could something have happened to Amaryllis? "Guards!!!" She shrieked, at the top of her lungs demanding the dullards' immediate presence. One would think that, with their hive mind that they would already know that she wanted them before she asked, but nonetheless...

And this had been steadily getting worse since the wedding, though it was most likely due to the incompetence of her brain dead minions. Of course it could always be pressure as her ladies in waiting had claimed, but...

"Where are my guards?" She howled, the dullards still not showing themselves. Where were they? Where was her daughter?

"My queen?" Squeaked the pathetic and cowardly tones of a so called stallion.

"Oh, " she purred back. "I'm glad you could make it out so quickly, " she said, sultry in the guard's ear.

"Of course, my queen, " he replied, stoically, his body rigid like a plank.

"Good!" She shouted, full volume in his ears. "And I could have been assassinated five times in the time it took for you to arrive!"

"We apologize, our queen, " he replied, the sweat dripping down his face. "But the prime minister has briefed us of an incident, and -- "

"And you treasonous dogs forgot to inform your queen?" She snarled, in the fool's ear.

"We are sorry, your majesty, but it involves your daughter, and --" He replied back, hesitantly.

"My daughter?" The queen asked, visibly shaking. "What... About... My... Daughter...?" She asked, putting her hoof on the guard's face. "I need to know!" She begged the stallion, her voice, for the first time, in years, sounding as vulnerable, as she felt.

"Shouldn't we wait for your prime --?" The stallion asked, being interrupted, mid sentence.

"Ho, no, " she replied. "I sensed treason in the hive, and it could be the guard who wishes not to inform their queen." She announced, opening the floodgates, to the hive mind, projecting images, of this traitor, in chains.

The guard shook his head vigorously. "No, majesty, I promise on my honor that, -- "

"Then... tell... me..." she said, pulling in again.

"But, majesty, your -- " The guard announced, his voice getting very shaky.

"Guard!" She shouted, turning to the other. "Take this traitor to the oubliette! While I decide an appropriate punishment for high treason.

"No please majesty!" He begged, halfway out the door.

"Oh?" She replied, 'curiously'. "You wish to talk to your queen?" She asked her guard, who nodded back. "Then... tell... me... what... happened?"

"Very well, " the guard responded. "At oh-twenty three and three quarters hours, your daughter, crown princess Amaryllis, vanished from the hive collective..."

"And the praetorian guard I assigned to her?" The queen replied, belligerently.

"Vanished as well, " the guard replied, hesitantly. "We can only assume the worst..." He said, covering his face with his hoof.

The queen just started laughing, riotously. "You mean to tell me that you fools not just lost my precious daughter, but also some of my best stallions?" She asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

The stallions started laughing along, with the queen, almost by instinct.

After a minute of riotous laughter, the queen opened her mouth again. "I don't find your joke funny..." She said, her face turning red. "So I'll give you one more try... What... Happened... To... My... Daughter.... Amaryllis...?"

The first stallion opened his mouth again. "I'm sorry my queen, " he said lowering his head. "But -- "

"NOO!!!!" She shouted, violently, her eyes flashing an odd green color as an unearthly shriek could be heard emanating from the queen's mouth, as it would seem that she'd just lost another foal.

She turned to the second guard. "Take this foal away!" She commanded, pointing to the first guard. "His eyes need to be corrected, in the oblette," she said, a toothy smile appearing. "Because, we both know that my daughter Amaryllis is very much alive!" She replied, sadistically.

"That won't be necessary, my good stallion," Chrysalis', Vladímir, brother commanded, coming in unannounced. "I'm sorry dear sister, " he said, putting a hoof on her wither, which was quickly flicked off. "But I could feel the bad news even before you did..." He said, putting his head to hers, only to pull it back, when she tried to bite at it. "Your daughter..." He said, his voice choking and cracking. "Is gone..."

"Quite, foal..." She replied, the tears starting to flow.

"But worry not, sister," he replied, ostentatiously. "Maybe we can talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about..." The queen replied back, barely containing the sobs.

"Maybe I can make you feel better?" Her brother replied back, softly.

"I don't need comfort," the queen hissed back, her eyes flashing green again. "Now begone all of you!"

The prince shook his sadly, putting one hoof on one of the guards withers as he motioned both towards the door. "It hurts my heart to see her this way," he said, sadly. "This is the third one she's lost already... Maybe she's just unlucky, or... infertile?"

And you know what was even worse? Not just had that Celestia murdered her third daughter, and her guards, but that she had, somehow, replaced the poor child with a ridiculous alicorn imposter. If only she'd been able to save the child when she wanted to the first time...

She really did feel like a failure of a mother...

**********

"All right, that should be enough!" The most senior guards, Kali, shouted, gesturing her hoof to the other three in the room. "We just want to drain out enough of the princess' love energy to break that ridiculous transformation, not rid the hive of the wayward princess," he shouted, pointing his crooked horn at the cocoon, firing off a volley of magic.

"Ok!" Shouted, Carduus, the next in line to the two other guards in attendance. "On three!" He shouted, powering up his horn.

"ONE!...." Carduus shouted, the other two powering up his horn.

"TWO!..." Carduus shouted, the most senior guard, Kali, powered her horn up again.

"THREE!...." Carduus shouted, firing off his horn, in unison with the other three guards.

The pod split open, and slowly vomited out a very slimy looking green pony -- who was now covered in an extra thick layer of green slime.

Yes... not just did the princess' transformation not break, but instead all it seemed to do was depress her, her normally bouncy mane lay flat against her body, her tail tangled and frayed.

The least senior of the three guards, Onopordum, gave a long and protracted gulp... "The princess didn't change back..." she said, shaking slightly, her nerves utterly shot. She turned her heads to the other three. "

"Well...." the last guard, Notobasis, said nervously. "Maybe... The queen made a mistake?" She asked, hesitantly.

The other three turned their heads to her, their faces covered with utter terror...

The queen didn't make mistakes... And even when she did nopony was stupid enough to say as such...

Kali gulped as she trotted over, and carefully touched her horn to the green pony's head, and fired off a changeling detection spell, hoping that it wouldn't spark...

It sparked...

What followed next was a cacophony of expletives coming simultaneously from all four guards.

"What are we going to do, lady Kali?" Notobasis asked, feeling a lot less emboldened. "The queen's not going to be happy?"

"Well..." Onopordum responded, frequently looking over his wither towards the exit. "Maybe... She transformed back..." He said, tapping his muzzle contemplatively with his hoof. "Incompletely?" He said, combing through her mane. "Maybe she has a horn... hidden... under all that hair?..." He asked, the combing growing ever more desperate.

"That tickles!" The green giggled, her attitude did a sudden one hundred and eighty degree turn.

"It's not here..." Onopordum responded, turning back to the other three.

"Maybe her wings are still there?" Carduus replied, desperately as he galloped across the room in a matter of seconds and started combing through the green pony's coat, searching for some traces of her wings.

When the eight ball returned 'outcome unlikely', Notobasis decided to join in, desperately checking all four of her legs for the signature holes that littered a changeling's legs.

"No dice..." She said, turning back to the senior of the four, Kali. "What are we going to do, my lady?"

Onopordum turned to his immediate superior, and gave a prolonged gulp. "Do you want to tell the queen, or should I?" He asked, hoping that the lady would take the heat instead.

"Rock... Paper.... Scissors...?" The senior praetorian guard said, nervously.

What followed next was a series of games of Odd Man Out, Evens and Odds, Janken, Rock Paper Scissors, and a series of other games, ultimately culminating in a 'unanimous' agreement that the second in command, Carduus should be the one to break the news.

**********

The queen snarled to herself, quietly. 'How long can it possibly take those dullards to release my daughter from that -- ' She thought to herself, her thoughts finally being interrupted by a soft tapping on her royal doors.

She gave a sadistic smirk as she paused, for a moment, before answering the door, sending a message to the lazy pony that had taken their sweet time to bring her, hopefully good, news on that warped monstrosity that was her first daughter.

And once she'd decided they'd waited long enough, she started to made a slow trot for the door. After another minute, they tapped again, this time more loudly. "Are you ok, my queen?" The stallion, at the other side of the door, asked anxiously, now showing, finally, proper fear and reverence for their queen.

"I'm on my way, " she replied filling her voice to overflowing with sweetness and honey, as she continued her slow trot.

"Very... well... my queen, " the stallion replied, his voice shaking noticeably, he was probably standing out there shaking like a leaf.

Finally when she had decided that he had suffered long enough, and hopefully learned his lesson, she slowly opened the door. "Sir..." she paused, mid sentence, pulling his name from the pudding-like aether that was the hive mind. "Carduus," she said, angry that this foal could hide the news of her from her, but not his continued fear. "Do you bring good tithings on my daughter, or are you foals unable to handle even the most mundane of tasks?"

The stallion stood at attention, though the queen suspected that if he could, he would be shifting his hoof around, anxiously.

"Well?" She purred in a sultry voice. "Are ya gunna tell me, or not?" She purred at the stallion, building up for the kill.

The stallion nodded silently.

"Well?" She asked, 'playfully'. "Cat got your tongue?"

"I'm sorry to inform you, my queen but, as we feared. Your first daughter, Larva, remains stuck in -- " The stallion started, getting only halfway through his speech before he was interrupted by the queen.

"That ludicrous form... " the queen hissed angrily, competing her guard's sentence, her eyes beginning to glow an odd shade of neon green.

"And we are unable to break her transformation, " he said, solemnly. "It's very possible that she can't be changed back to her --" he said, sweating as the queen looked ever more agitated at his words, until she finally interrupted him, sticking a hoof in his face.

"Take... that... back... " she hissed, her expression turning blood thirsty. "My daughter can, and will, change back!!" She said incredulously. "You foals simply aren't trying hard enough!!" She howled, this time forgetting to shield her thoughts. "I'm surrounded by utter incompetents!!!" She said, poking her hoof harder into her guard's muzzle. "Now go back and try again!!!"

"I'm sorry, my queen, " he replied solemnly, his full will turned to staying calm, and not panicking. "Our magic simply isn't able to break whatever spell, that was cast on her, that keeps her in that form, we're sorry..."

"You will be!" The queen replied, with an eerily sadistic tone. "You will be!" She repeated herself. The lady had to have foreseen this, she had done something sinister to her daughter, to save herself!

Carduus gave a protracted swallow.

"GUARDS!!!" She shouted, summoning a legion of guards to the room. "This pony is a traitor to the hive, and is to be taken to the dungeons while I decide an appropriate punishment for his crimes against me and my family!!"

"But... my queen!!!" The guard pleaded, halling on his withers. "We tried the best we could! Please --"

The queen gave an angry snort followed by a sadistic smile. "And who's fault is that?" She asked, 'nonchalantly', shrugging her withers. "maybe you should have thought of that before you committed high treason by committing your feeble assassination attempt against my daughter!" She announced her unguarded thoughts travelling through the hive like lightning.

"Please my queen! -- " Carduus futilely begged.

But the queen was uninterested, making instead like the queen of hearts. "TAKE HIM AWAY!!!!" She shouted for all to hear, her face a dark red color, her voice booming throughout the hive.

"But my queen?" Her captain of the guard announced nervously. "That was a member of the Praetorian guard, and a senior member of one of the noble families and -- " he pleaded, hoping the queen would see reason and follow the ancient laws of the hive.

The queen started laughing maniacally. "I see!" She shouted, holding the bridge of her nose with her hooves. "This is how wide the treason spreads!" She said, the laughter quickly dieing. "Then off to the dungeons with you too!!!" She shouted, holding her bridge, her eyes slowly returning to normal.

She turned her face to the other changelings in the room who stood around dumbfounded, their eyes wide open, and their mouths gaping wide. What's everypony standing around for?" She asked turning to the crowd of guards who quickly wheeled into action doing anything they could think of in a blur of cacophonous motion. Finally she turned her attention to one of her younger guards. "You..." she said, commandingly.

"Me?" The guard asked, fiving a long gulp, afraid that she would be joining the other two in prison.

"Yes you!" The queen said harshly, her patience growing thin again. "Take my beloved daughter back to her old room, if you could," she said with a smile.

"Yes my queen, " the guard replied, giving a quick salute and cantering out the door,

"Oh and Desert Grove," the queen said, with a smile, forcing the guard to wheel around in utter panic, " I hope you have more success the Carduus did!" She said, ominously. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with my aunt..." She announced as the guards finally cantered, and galloped their way back out the door.

**********

"So... Um..." Pinkie said, softly, turning to her friend/mother. "What are we going to do now?" She asked, with a frown. "I mean Mama Minty is a heck of a lot meaner than I expected her to be..." She said, looking down.

Rainbow held her head in her hooves. "I know, darling, and yet part of me isn't surprised," she said, the tears softly flowing down her cheek. "I'm truly sorry, Pinkie, darling... I never should have dragged -- "

A faint squeaking could be heard as a rather large, and rusty, door somewhere, in the distance, was forced open, and footsteps could be heard, ever more loudly, descending stone steps.

Eventually loud footsteps could be heard approaching as a male bug pony with scraggly blond hair could be seen approaching the cell door. The pony looked on, giving a sour expression, and bowed apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry about this, aunty, " he said, imitating those super valiant knights from the fairy tales that Pinkie liked to read. "I simply don't know what got into my sister," he said, with a frown. "I suspect she had another breakdown, though, " he said, with a sigh.

"She's been having a lot of those since her first foal disappeared, and they've just got worse as her bad luck has gotten worse," he said, motioning for one of the five guards that followed him to open the cell doors. "For some reason the poor dear seems cursed when it comes to her foals," he said, with a frown. "Very unfortunate, " he reiterated, shaking his head.

Rainbow stopped for a second. 'Foals? What is the darling?... Oh! Babies' She thought to herself, her confusion slowly lifting, and a frown replacing it. "Maybe I shall have to have a talk with the darling later, then," she said, her voice taking a serious tone.

"I suppose, " he said, sounding displeased... with something. Maybe his sister's misbehavior? "Well, would you please step back so that my stallions, here, can let you out, my dear aunt?"

Rainbow bowed, politely, and took a few steps back. "Of course, darling," she said, a graceful smile gracing her face.

"Excellent, " the charming prince said, as he pointed his be-holled hoof at the steel cage door. "Give my stallion's a minute and they can take care of those pesky bars for you, " he said, with a kind smile. "And then I can show you to your room," he said, making wild motions at the guards.

"Why thank you, darling," Rainbow replied, thankfully. "Chrysi seems to be in a very bad mood, today."

"Yes, I suppose, " he replied, as his stallions finished unlocking the door. "She has been acting awfully erratically recently," he replied, with a frown. as the door squeaked open.

"umm thanks, " Pinkie replied, her face turning an odd shade of red, as the stallion passed by.

"You are... welcome," he replied, suavely, with an enigmatic smile.

Though, for some reason, Rainbow could swear he was frowning.

"In any case, " he said, sternly. "Do you ladies mind if I show you to your new room?" He asked, giving them an ostentatious bow, his hoof gesturing up the stairs.

"Oh... Of course..." Pinkie replied, politely, her face turning an odd shade of red, again, as she waved her hoof against her face. She turned to Rainbow Dash, and whispered something, silently, in her ears. "Is it just me, Rainbow, or is something hot in here?"

Rainbow replied with a frown as the stallion walked ahead. "I'll take your word for it, darling," she whispered quietly in the pink pony's ear.

"So," prince Vladímir said, turning to face Rainbow Dash. "Aunty, " he said, curiously. "I've been wondering something, if you don't mind me asking?"

"And what's that, darling?" Rainbow asked, turning back.

"Well, I'm wondering if you're upset that your sister was made queen even though you were the older of the two?" He asked, as the slowly ascended the long winding stairway that led into the dungeons.

"To be honest, darling, " Rainbow replied, facing straight forward. "I can't say that I really care anymore, I just want to know why she went and attacked my home and my friends," she said, her face turning stern.

"I'm surprised," he replied, nonchalantly. "You don't care that you were passed over for somepony less qualified, simply because you weren't deemed as pure as you should have been, by the powers that be?"

Rainbow shrugged her withers. "I suppose so, darling, but actually -- "

He gave a stern frown. "Aunty?" He asked, coming to a dead stop, at the top of the stairs. "Are you going to let her walk all over you like that?" He asked, a fair amount of anger coming into his voice. "Did you notice how she mistreated you, her own aunt, and a hero of the hive?"

Rainbow shook her head.

"How she locked you in the dungeon, and threatened your life?" He continued, his displeasure becoming obvious, at this point.

"But darling, " Rainbow protested. "I'm sure she didn't wish to hurt us, she only wanted -- "

Vladimir shook his head, angrily. "I'm sorry aunty, but I think you've been in the dungeon too long! Your sister has treated you very poorly,... and not just you but all your friends as well, " he pointed out. "... Like Skywishes," he continued, gesturing for a couple of nearby drones, and a commoner. "Excuse me, gents."

Rainbow Dash froze in place, for a moment. how did --?

"Yes, your majesty?" The drones responded, mindlessly. "What is it that you require."

"Excellent," the prince responded back. "Do your duty and please escort the lady out of this dismal hallway, and back to her old chambers, please."

"Does not compute, majesty, " the drone responded back, mindlessly. "The queen has forbidden entry to that room as it's been purposed as a memorial for her second foal, princess -- "

The prince shook his head, in disapproval. "I'm sorry, aunty, " he said, sadly. "But this is the first I've heard of this!" He continued, shaking his head. "And I fear my sister never got over the death of her second foal, " he replied to his aunt, with a frown.

"I understand, darling, " the cyan earth pony replied back.

"I'll speak to my sister later, " he said, turning to the drones. "Now please escort the lady back to her room!" He exclaimed, forcefully. "It was hers, after all, " he replied sternly.

"But darling, I can simply use any -- " Rainbow Dash replied back, getting a hoof in front of her face.

"Silence!!!" He bellowed. "How dare you turn down my compassion, it was my sister's fault that her poor foal died, so -- " he shouted, his face blushing. "I apologize, aunty, but I wouldn't feel right allowing you to receive any more abuse from my misguided sister, " he said, his valiant smile returning, and Pinkie's face turning red again. "And I'm sure she'll understand once I have a moment to speak to her, ok?" He said, winking at the two mares.

"Are you sure, ... " Rainbow stopped for a second to recall the stallion's name. "Vladímir, because it sounds to me like -- ?"

The stallion shushed her with his hoof. "Trust me!" He said, putting on a very sincere face. "And don't ask any more because I won't take no for an answer, and I won't allow you to bear any additional load! You are our guest, after all," he replied, giving Pinkie a special wink.

"Ok!" Pinkie replied, giggling slightly.

"Very well, darling, " Rainbow replied. "Since Pinkie's game, but I will do so only under protest."

"Excellent!" He said, stamping his hoof against the floor. "I'm sure, once I explain things my sister, she will be more then happy to allow you and your, " he said, coughing slightly. "Sorry... The hive and it's dusty slimy floors..." He said, with a frown, his hoof against his muzzle. "Your bundle of joy, " he said, reiterating himself. "To occupy that dusty, depressing old chamber, " he said, with a smile. "Ok aunty?"

**********

"Are you sure it's going to be ok if Pinkie and I stay in this room, Vladímir darling?" Rainbow asked, morosely. "It looks like my niece took a great deal of care in making this room a memorial..." Rainbow said, giving a sour expression as she touched some kind of monument in the middle of the room with her front right hoof, and discovering, to her horror that it was covered in a thick layer of dust. " and -- "

As if to answer her question, a very perturbed Chrysalis came galloping, a murderous expression on her face.

"Would anypony care to tell their queen why this traitor is allowed into the third most important chamber in this entire hive?" She hissed, tossing daggers at the three drones that her brother had enlisted to move the G3 phonies into their ~~old~~ new chambers.

"Understood, our queen, " the drones repeated in unison. "But your brother -- " they said, mindlessly.

"I wish he'd stop meddling," the queen said, with a frown, turning to her brother, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"AND YOU!!!" The queen shouted, turning to her aunt. "What are you doing in my daughter's room?" The queen snorted, furiously. "How dare you soil my daughters room!" She shouted, getting in her aunt's face. "Do you seek to humiliate me any further, aunty, like you did to me as a foal?"

"I apologize, darling, " Rainbow replied, sadly. "Your brother had assured me that -- "

"Silence!" The queen shouted, stamping her hooves over and over. "How dare you mock your queen!" She demanded, sounding more like a spoiled child, then the queen of the changelings.

"I'm sorry, darling, " Rainbow replied, solemnly. "I understand your frustration, and I apologize for everything, " she asked, putting out her hoof in friendship. "And I wish to make it right!" She exclaimed, raising the hoof of friendship. "Sp, do you mind if we bury the --? "

"Silence! How dare you talk this way to the queen!" The queen howled, stamping her hooves. "GUARDS!!!" She shouted, partially deafening all the guards already in the room. "GUARDS!!!!" She shouted again, frustrated that the guards in attendance didn't move more quickly. "WHERE ARE YOU!!!" She shouted, again. Where were her legion of loyal guards? Where were her drones? Where were the praetorian guard?

"GUARDS!!" The queen shouted again, undeterred, once again stamping her hoof. "WHY WON'T YOU FOALS MOVE!!!!"

Rainbow held the bridge of her nose for a moment, her eyes shifting, and her expression growing cold. "Have you considered that you might be losing control over the hive, Chrysi?"

The queen gave an unearthly shriek, her eyes glowing an odd color. "Lose control of the hive! The queen?" She asked, about ready the strangle the cyan earth with her bare hooves.

~~Rainbow~~ gave an exasperated sigh. "Then explain why two drones were acting so undronishly, preferring your brother's orders to release me and to give me your daughter's room?" She asked, raising a hoof in an oddly normal gesture.

Chrysalis returned an odd expression. "Wha.. Wha... What do you mean? What other explanation is there?..." She said, stuttering up a storm. "It's just the nature of drone! You know, pony imperfections!..."

~~Rainbow~~ started laughing. "Do you really believe that Chrysi?" She asked, shaking her head. "You never have before!" She asked, her tone growing cold. "That seems to me like you're giving excuses!"

"Quiet!!!" The queen shouted, stamping and snorting. "I can throw you in the dungeon right now if I wanted?"

~~Rainbow~~ pinched the bridge of her nose, again. "Have you heard yourself talk, Chrysi? You don't sound like yourself, " the earth pony said, with a sigh. "And, by the by, did we ever have the drones acting up before?"

Chrysalis, gave a frustrated shrug, and looked away. When were these guards going to do their bucking job!

"I seem to not recall such a thing in my sister's lifetime, or my mother's, for that matter!" ~~Rainbow~~ continued, calmly.

"Well... Maybe you just didn't notice..." Chrysalis replied, not sounding terribly regal.

"I suppose that makes sense, " the earth pony replied sarcastically. "Though, I don't recall hearing of a drone referring to themselves as 'great and powerful' before," she said, nonchalantly. "Though, I could have just forgotten!"

"QUIET!!! Maybe you're memory's bad, you old nag!" The queen retorted. "I've had enough of this discussion."

"Ladies!" A male voice squeaked, futilely.

"Face it, Chrysi, " ~~Rainbow~~ restored back, her face growing red. "The commoners don't follow your instructions, nor do your drones!!!" She said, raising her front right hoof. "That can mean only one thing:..."

"Don't you dare go there!" The queen shouted, stamping and cursing.

"They don't know who their real queen it!" The cyan earth pony continued, calmly.

"Ladies!" The stallion begged again, standing between the two shouting mares, a sad expression on his face, his lips upturned at the edges.

"And here's another possibility aunty, and it's all so obvious in retrospect: " Chrysalis said, gnashing her fangs, her face turning a strange shade of red. "That's right, aunty!" She said, pointing an accusatory hoof at her aunt. "I've seen right through your act: you poisoned them against me!"

"Is that what you really think?" The cyan earth pony replied, shaking her head, sadly.

"After all, this didn't start until you came here!" The queen retorted. " -- "

"And 'the great and powerful changeling?'" The earth pony responded.

This time the queen didn't respond, instead continuing her rant. "And let's face it, my daughter finally shows back up after how many decades? Suddenly returning from the dead, " she said, her eyes watering slightly. "And what do we find? She's the size of a mare, with the body of a filly, and the mind of a foal!" She said, making like Pony Wright. "Just like you wanted it -- my fake changeling half drone aunt!" She shouted, accusatorially.

"Sister!" A male voice said more sternly.

"And isn't it all that more convenient? My drooling nutcase of a daughter who's an unfit to rule! A complete moron! How convenient!" She exclaimed, with a sarcastic smile. "How convenient for my scheming aunt who's been plotting to take over the hive since before I was born!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Maybe, darling, maybe... I hate to agree with myself, but that seems a bit presumptuous, darling."

"Oh and look, you show up just after I lost one of my best mares, and my second best stallion!" The queen said, poking her hoof into her aunt's hide.

"Darling, do you honestly believe that I had something to do with it?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

The queen nodded her head, ostentatiously. "And how then do you explain the mysterious disappearance of my third daughter, Amaryllis? Coincidence 'darling'?" The queen asked.

Rainbow pointed her hoof at herself. "Me? Darling, that's absurd."

"I don't think so? How else do you explain a fully grown changeling disappearing from the hive mind, and it's sight?" the queen said, plainly, her eyes turning an almost neon green. "I bet you buried the body in the frozen north where I, " she said, sobbing violently. "Where I couldn't find her to bury her properly!"

"Darling!" Rainbow begged. "Listen to yourself!"

The queen held her hoof against the bridge of the of hose, messaging it fully. After a few moments, she tapped the side with of her head with that, her expression turning apologetic, though her words didn't seem to follow. "I apologize that you saw me that way... I suppose you brought the worse out in me..." she lied, feebly.

"Well I do!" Vladímir replied sternly. "It's obvious to us all that you lost control, my sister!" He said, getting in his sister's face. "All the pressure has finally gotten to you! Maybe it's time a more capable changeling took control! A more pure -- "

"Silence Vladímir!" ~~Rainbow~~, and the queen, shouted, in unison. "The adults are discussing important matters here!"

"But aunty!!" The stallion whined, his veneer chipping some. He stood there stuttering for a few moments. "She... mistreated you.... and accused you of murder!"

~~Rainbow~~ gave an exasperated sigh. "No buts, young stallion!!" She said, like a mother talking to her young foal. "I don't care if you were born first, or how 'pure' of a changeling you are!" She said, calming down some. "How can you possibly act as queen, if you are a stallion?"

"B -- " The stallion opened his mouth, the cyan mare sticking her hoof in front of it, shushing quietly.

"Darling," Rainbow said, calmly. "I'm sure your darling mother had a reason, " she said, giving the stallion a smile.

"But aunty!" The stallion protested. "It isn't fair!!! It's bias against males!!" He shouted, stamping his hooves. "I was passed up for a job which I was better qualified for, simply because I was male!!!" He shouted, stamping in circles. "It simply isn't fair!!!"

Both princesses turned to each other, speaking in unison. "Quiet Vladímir!"

"Look aunty!" The queen exclaimed, the queen's expression turned angry again. "I'm certain you had something to do with what happened to Larva, and once I prove it..." she said, wiping her neck with her hoof, and tapping her hoof on a nearby wooden table.

Rainbow returned a sorrowful expression. "Chrysi, darling! Listen to yourself talk!" She said sadly. "And we haven't even yet talked about my home, darling!"

The queen's eyes turned a neon green again. "Quiet! I'll fix what you did to my poor daughter yet!" She shouted, her eyes changing a bright neon color. "In fact some of my infiltrators have already found the perfect princess trainer for my daughter!"

Rainbow quirked her eyebrow. 'I wonder who that darling could possibly be?'

**********

Gilda sighed, holding her beak, with her paw. Why did she have to go back to Lame-estria, with all it's frauds, and phonies again?

Didn't they treat her poorly enough the last two times? Especially, her so called friend, the biggest lameo and flip flop of all? The one pony, who despite being her best friend, abandoned her, like her own parents did, for a bunch of losers... Losers who had just finished subjecting her to the biggest pig party of all time! And what was even worse? Her own best friend sided, with them, against her! After they attacked her, and made a fool of her, claiming that she, Gilda's friend, had posted all those 'pranks'.

No way Dash had anything to do with those lame pranks! Stinkie Pie probably set them up! So why was Dash defending her? Did Dash really care more about that pink menace, then her own friend?

Gilda shook her head. She didn't need these lameos! No way! She'd simply get this delivery done, and then be back on her way to Griffonstone. The delivery she was only making because her grandfather had demanded it. And that was only because some lameo pony spent an absolute buck ton of money buying a ludicrous amount of scones. But why would anygriffon want to buy one hundred eighty four thousand, seven hundred, sixty five, and a half scones? (especially when they had a nasty habit of snapping someone's beak, instead of filling them, when chewing on them -- and that was not to mention that her grandfather's scones were the best...)

Oh well! She didn't care of some lameo pony had a death wish, her grandfather's were the best, and the sooner she sold some scones, the sooner she could leave Griffonstone.

Oh did you think she didn't argue with Grandpa Gruff? No! She argued back fiercely, because there was no way she was going back anywhere near these lameos!

Of course, Grandpa Gruff had insisted! Because one hundred eighty four thousand, seven hundred, sixty five, and a half scones were a lot of scones, and the dope's bits would be more than enough to fund their operation for a whole year... and not just claw to beak like they normally ran the operation... no! Really fund their operation. (what a total dweeb! Why would anygriffon, or anypony for that matter, want that many scones, and why all at once? But, then again, maybe it was better not to ask too many questions... )

She shrugged now that her temper had cooled some, their taste may be questionable, but their money was definitely still good! And who knows, maybe she would have some bits left to get something nice for herself while she was in dumb-questria!

Oh... and it didn't hurt that the argument had, kind of, got out of hand, and resulted in the old griffon throwing her out for a couple of days. Something about "no refunds!" It would be funny, if it weren't so aggravating! What a complete joke her grandfather could be some days! (Especially when he was having one of his rants, all of which she was forced to pay for...) Oh well! If she was to ever get out of the dump that was her home then she'd need to sell sell sell.

She took another look at the map. Apparently her destination wasn't too far from home, just to the northwest of some dump called 'Manehattan'.

Except... it looked like this place might even be a bigger dump... I mean, who puts their town in the middle of the mountains, in the frozen north? (heck they didn't even have snow up here) How do these lame ponies even eat? And how did their utter stupidity not lead to an early demise? Oh well... 'Remember Gilda... Give the lame ponies their lame scones and then get back to Griffonstone...' She thought to herself, making a lap from above.

Maybe she should leave? These place looks like a total dump, and --

"Welcome!" Stated a pretty stupid looking dark grey pegasus with a snow white mane, an equals sign for a cutie mark, and a bizarre, mindless smile -- the smile was the absolute worst part.

"Well! Thanks for sending out the welcome mat..." Stated the griffon dryly, putting a claw in front of the pony's face. "Now -- "

"Welcome!" Stated a brown pegasus stallion with a dark brown mane, and an equals sign for a cutie mark.

"Welcome!" Parroted Gilda, in a mocking tone. "Now -- "

"Wel -- " Started stating a second pegasus stallion, with a peach coat, and a two color green and light green mane, also with an equals sign for a cutie mark -- weren't these lameo ponies supposed to all have different marks?

"Whatever!" The griffon stated angrily, sticking a paw in the mind numbed pony's muzzle. "I get it! I'M WELCOME!!!" She stated angrily, on the verge of giving one of these bozos a good whack.

"Welcome!" Repeated, the brown pegasus, his creepy smile unchanged.

"You better stop saying that or -- "

"You must be the visitor from Griffonstone, " the brown pegasus stated, plainly.

"No duh Fetlock!" The griffon replied, angrily. "Now why don't you show me to the bozo that bought -- "

"Please come in!" The peach pegasus stated, over the griffon. "Our founder is expecting you!" He said, speaking through his eerie smile.

Ok... maybe living in exile away from her grandfather, in a cardboard box wasn't so bad? Did she really want to spend any more time with these weirdos then she absolutely had to? NO!! She couldn't allow herself to be spooked by a bunch of goofs! She just had to finish this delivery, so hopefully sometime soon she could go live somewhere that didn't suck! "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" She said already bored of these kooks. "Show me to the old bat already!" She barked, angrily.

"Oh dear!" Exclaimed the dark grey pegasus mare with the snow white mane. "Somepony sounds awfully touchy!" She exclaimed, her bizarre smile still glued to her face. "In our little town --"

"Right... Right..." Gilda replied, dismissively, waving with her hoof towards the biggest losers that pony kind had ever burped out before. "Now can I get rid of these scones and be on my way?" She asked, grabbing the dark grey pegasus mare's neck in her paw, and holding her up slightly -- a definitive challenge while one was flying...

"She'll be very happy to see you!" The dark grey mare continued, Gilda's paw still firmly attached to her neck. "But I must warn you!" She wheezed "But nopony that has ever visited our -- "

"Blah! Blah! Blah!" Gilda false talking with her claw, releasing the pegasus, whose smile didn't seem tarnished in the least. "Scones!" She exclaimed, pointing her tail at the, rather large, batch of supplies she was lugging around.

"Of of course!" The brown pegasus stallion replied, eagerly. "But our founder won't be able to accept the delivery until tomorrow morning." He said, creepy smile still glued to his face (were these weirdo ponies possessed by aliens or something?) "But until then please enjoy our happy little town!"

"Oh goodie!" She replied, waving her paws jazzhands style. "Why can't you lameos simply just take the stupid scones and? -- " She shrieked, roaring in the brown pegasus' face.

"Oh no!" The brown pegasus replied, waving her hooves like a scolding parent. "That would require taking initiative, and that only leads to -- "

"Ok! Ok!" She replied, holding the bridge of her beak. "I'll stay the night! Now JUST SHUT UP!!!" She shouted in the pony's face.

"Excellent!" Replied the peach pegasus stallion. "But, of course, you'll first have to hear our song: come out everypony!" He shouted, dragging out a mob of brain dead zombponies.

"Ohhh!!!!" He shouted, starting the praise of nonsense. "Life is so grand in Our Town -- "

"SHUT UP!!!!" The griffon shouted, angrily. Causing all the ponies to pause.

The three pegasus ponies looked at each other, a look of terror in their eyes, but only for a second.

"Maybe she needs to see the light?" The grey pegasus mare said, to the other two. "Maybe she needs to lose her cutie mark, and be branded by equality, and -- "

"Don't have one." Gilda said, crossing her paws, her tail pointing at her blank flank (she was a griffon, not a lame pony -- after all)

"Oh..." The brown pegasus said, turning to the other two, his smile actually cracking... Maybe they should speak to their founder? But she said not to be disturbed, only that the griffon was to be escorted to her house.

That night...

The griffon beat her head against a wall. How long was she supposed wait in creepsville? And how many more of those goofy smiles could she handle? She meant that ponies were lame and boring, but these lameos took lame to a whole new level of lameness. And how come these dumb 'founder' could be bothered to pay her dumb bits, and accept her scones? "So why can't I drop off these stupid scones already?" She asked, angrily turning to this town's 'founder'.

"Oh patience!" The 'founder' had said, finally dragging herself in, well after dark, with that same nutty smile apparently on her face. "You'll understand in due time!" She remarked, with a wave of her hoof. Did something about her smile seem almost sneaky? Gilda didn't like sneaky!

"Blah! Blah! Blah!" She said, fake talking with her claw. "And if this about that cutie mark nonsense that your kookie friends keep going on about!" She said, pointing with her claw at her blank bird flank "See no cutie mark, " she exclaimed, pausing for a second. "griffon!" She said, waving her claw over her body. "Now can I Please? -- "

"Oh no!" Starlight Glimmer said, her eyes going wide for a second. "We can't just let you go yet, -- "

The griffon quirked her eyebrow in confusion. "And. for another thing, I thought you lameos did your own baking 'cause outside goods bring superiority and junk..." She said, parroting the nonsense these dumb ponies spouted.

"Don't judge me!" Starlight Glimmer shouted, in a nervous monotone, her smile completely shattering, as drops of sweat streamed down her brow. "I mean to say -- " she grunted out, her cadance barely returning.

"Whatever!" Gilda replied, rolling her eyes, as the Pink goof left. Grandpa Gruff was right -- she needed to watch that temper (especially if she was going to make sales and get out of that dump she lived in.) It wasn't like...

Wait? Was there something actually vibrant passing through this grey and lifeless dump? (Heck! Even the ponies here were grey and lifeless.)

Wait? Could it be? What would she be doing here?

She shook her head, and rubbed her eyes. It couldn't be! Could it?

The pony passed by again, conversing with somepony, the bright colors in her mane still visible -- even in the dark.

It had to be! She'd recognize that traitor's rainbow mane anywhere!

Wait... Wait... Wait... She had to be imagining things! Dash would never --

"And you know what's even better Pinkie?" That traitor Dash, boisterously boasted to Stinkie Pie. "We sure put one over on dumb old G!" She said, making sure to shake her flank ostentatiously when she said the word 'G', her voice taking a mocking tone.

"Yeah!" Pinkie said, giddy as a schoolgirl. "Now she's stuck in equals-ville!" She said, bouncing around, eagerly. "And you know what's even better?" She asked, turning to Dash.

"What's that Pinkie?" Dash asked, her eyes positively wet with tears, as she rolled around in raucous laughter.

"She'll never get out of here!" She said, positively floating in laughter. "All those 'super fun', goofy cultists won't ever let her leave!" Pinkie exclaimed, her body being propelled up and down with all of her laughter.

"I knew it!!!" Gilda shouted, the tears of anger and beginning to stream down her face and beak. "It was Stinkie Pie!"

"It's almost as funny as that super fun pig party I came up with!" Pinkie exclaimed, to that traitor Dash, who just nodded along, so full of herself -- just like in flight school.

"Yeah!" Dash said, the tears of laughter still flowing, as she gasped for breath. "You should have seen G's face when all those pranks blew up in her face!" She giggled, the tears now flowing freely. "Priceless!!!"

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed, in agreement. "She looked like a total joke!"

"Yeah! I know right!" Dash said, finally standing back up. "I practically laughed my hooves off! Especially when she lost her cool and made her look like the total dweeb WE ALL KNOW SHE IS!" She exclaimed, extra loudly.

"So much for my 'friend' Dash!" Gilda cried, her face turning a dark red, her face filled with outrage. "How dare she do this do me!" She hissed.

"Are you looking out the window?" Starlight Glimmer asked, curiously, as she returned to the room. "You know that this seems like you are -- "

"Shut up!" Gilda shouted, pushing past the pink unicorn, knocking her over. "I have to speak with Dash!" She shrieked, smashing the door off it's hinges behind her.

"Hey Dash!" Gilda shouted, flying out the door, and stopping inches in front of the cyan pegasus. "I wanna have a word with you!"

"Ahh Gilda!" Rainbow replied, incredulously. "You came here to finally apologize, to Pinkie here, for being such a jerk to her?" Rainbow demanded, nodding her head, seriously, her arms crossed, as she hovered in place.

"How dare you!" Gilda snarled. "She made a fool of me!" She growled, getting in the pegasus face, the tears beginning to stream down her face. "You two were busy boasting just now -- "

"Yeah!" Pinkie said, putting a hoof around Dash's wither. "What a meanie mean meanie!" She continued, beginning snicker. "Didn't you like my super fun party, and all my great pranks!" She exclaimed, with a wink.

Both the cyan pegasus, and the pink earth pony began to simultaneously point at the 'rube' of a griffon, pointing and laughing.

"THAT'S IT!!!" Gilda shouted, her temper finally completely breaking. "FRIEND OR NOT!!!" She shouted, charging Dash, at full speed, knocking her over. "IT'S TIME SOMEGRIFFON KNOCKED SENSE INTO YOU YOU DWEEB!" She shouted, going in for the pounce, her claws, both front and back, knocking the cyan pegasus out of the air, and pinning the pony down, against the ground.

She raised her paw to strike.

"Oh really?" Dash asked, a smirk growing on her face. "I thought you wouldn't hurt your friend 'Dash'?" She asked, her eyes beginning to glow a bizarre green color as the griffon suddenly found herself completely frozen in place, utterly drained, and barely able to talk.

"W... Wh... What... Did... You... Did you... Do to me Dash?" She gagged, the words barely squeezing out of her mouth.

"Not much..." 'Dash' said, with a shrug, as she began to be engulfed in green light, before finally revealing her true nature: a utterly bald (both mane and tail) changeling colt, with a slight green tint in his black chitin. "Just a very simple spell to binds a pony's magic," he said, with a smirk. "Any questions?"

"But... I.. ain't... no... lameo... pony...." Gilda wheezed, finding her body doing little more then shaking.

"Maybe so." 'Pinkie' purred, as the dark green magic began to spiral around her, causing her to reveal her true nature. "But my magics are still quite effective," the oddly feline changeling stated, pushing the griffon to the ground. "And without your magic, griffon, " she said, licking her lips. "Movement might be a bit difficult," she purred, leaning down to speak into the griffon's ear. "If not impossible!" She lamented, sarcastically. "Too bad Solanaceae can only cast this particular spell from a very short range," she said, shrugging her withers.

"Wh... Why don't you say that to my face?" The griffon grunted, defiantly.

"Oh hoh!" Solanaceae said, with a catty chuckle. "A sassy one!" He said, his cheeks actually blushing slightly. "And so many questions." He said, putting his hoof on the bottom of her beak. "You actually want my answer?" He asked, his voice getting extra kind.

She spit on his hoof, being unable, still, very much, unable to move.

Solanaceae frowned, slightly, as he quickly withdrew his hoof. "Shame..." He said, his nostrils flaring. "So suffice it to say: we needed to get you somewhere where nopony would miss you, so that we could test you to see if this would work, and you could be convinced to join our ranks!" He said, holding up a very girly necklace, with a blank circle for the symbol.

"B... B... But... But I ain't no girly pony..." She grunted, angrily.

"Doesn't matter to me," he replied, with a shrug. "Maybe your mind will change when you wear this.

"B... But... I... I... Ain't wearin'... no girly..." She groaned, trying, futilely, to struggle away from the girly jewelry.

"No choice, my ppprrrraaayyyyy!!!" The feline changeling, purred, stroking the griffon's head with her hoof. "Now wear the tacky jewelry like a good little birrrrrrdie!" She purred, walking back over to her boss. "It'll all be over quickly," she chuckled, grabbing the necklace from her boss, and approaching again.

For once, the griffon's face distorted in mortal terror, her breathing increased, as she struggled futilely. "N... No!!! St... St... Stay away you dweebs!" She squawked, like a chicken.

"Dweebs?" Solanaceae asked, in hysterical laughter, his eyes beginning to get wet. "That's a laugh!" He said, tapping his hoof on the ground. "Besides, Belladonna's associate Starlight Glimmer was more then happy to devote her resources to helping in the search for ultimate equality..." He sneered.

"Why... Why.... Why you!!!" The griffon grunted, struggling to even move her head, and neck, as the feline-changeling assassin slipped the necklace around her neck, clasping the clasp.

"The equality of the rule of the changeling king!" Solanaceae announced, raising his hoof to the skies.

"No! No! No!" The griffon shrieked, her eyes glowing a morbid dark color. "ARRRRGH!!!!" She shouted, in utter pain, as lightning rained down from above on the griffon, blanketing the whole village in a bright light.

As the light began to clear, the griffon remained.

"Excellent, " Solanaceae announced, proudly. "Number four!" He said, shaking his associate's hoof (though she was more reluctant to.) "Only two more!" He said, turning to the griffon, who slowly started to stir. "So how are you feeling Gilda?" The lead assassin asked.

"Hrrrummmppph....." The griffon replied, turning away. "Why don't you show me that boss of yours already..." She said, sounding bored. "Talking to you two bozos is a waste of my time..."

**********

"AHHHHH!" Discord exclaimed, giving an unearthly shriek as he took a good stretch. "What a beautiful day... " he announced, turning to face the camera. "For chaos!" He said, causing an explosion of nonsense behind him as a deck of a thousand cards exploding behind him, followed by some squab roasts, and the Trix Rabbit -- who was quickly stuffed into a giant hat. "Silly rabbit: crossovers are for the Donald!" The draconequus announced, chastising the rabbit.

He took a step ahead. "Maybe I should do that whole 'blue flu' scam again, and -- " He said to himself, with a chuckle, finding himself, suddenly face to face with Princess Twilight.

The draconequus gulped nervously, grasping at he collar that was suddenly on his neck. "Umm..." he exclaimed giving an exaggerated gulp. "I mean... Been there long Twilight?" He asked, 'smoothly', suddenly dressed as a greaser. "I mean: 'B'!" He said, pointing his talan at Twilight, a pair of sunglasses sitting, loosely, on his face.

Twilight messaged her bridge with her hoof, with her hoof, seemingly unaware of the 'blue flu scam'. "Discord," she announced sternly. "We need to talk!"

"About what, Twilight, my second bestest buddy?" He asked sleeping comfortably on a cloud. "Do you need something to drink?" He asked, poofing up a nice fru fru drink.

"Comfy?" He asked, puffing an oversized pillow, that suddenly sat under Twilight, who was suddenly reclined in a very large easy chair.

"Actually, Discord -- " Twilight stated, being suddenly interrupted by an angry pink blur.

"Discord!" Shouted the pink pony in a demonic voice, the flames of hades, which appeared from seemingly nowhere, burning behind her head.

"You can't prove that I broke that pinkie promise! It could have been any beautiful six foot tall hunk of a draconequus..." Discord protested futilely, interrupting the pink blur, who now floated inches from his head.

"Okey dokey lokey!" The pink pony announced, bouncing away about three feet before stopping in mid aid, an absolutely befuddled expression on her face.

"And you!" He shouted 'angrily', the sounds of clown noses squeaking as he turned to Twilight. "Aren't you supposed to be training that little pink ~~menace~~ alicorn in magic today?"

"Actually she's up in Canterlot, today, with her mother, Cheerilee," Twilight responded nonchalantly. "Celestia says she needs them for the day, for some reason.

"Twilight Time?" He responded back, a sad trombone playing behind him.

"No, that's tuesdays, thursdays, and every second friday!" Twilight responded clinically.

"Well nice to talk to you, then!" Discord said calmly, as he stepped into his shriner car. "We'll -- "

"Hold it right there, buster!" Twilight shouted, grabbing him in her magic. " -- "

"Yeah!" Pinkie shouted, the flames, just now, being put out by a squad of brave firefighters. "I have a beef with you!" She announced, her tone still slightly demonic. "Some pony named Sweetberry suddenly showed up yesterday, and promptly ran the cakes out of Sugarcube Corner boasting at how 'supreme' her baking was!"

"And what does this have to with me?" The draconequus said, sweating bullets. "Remember that lesson about 'jumping to hasty conclusions' -- "

"Actually, " Twilight replied, tapping her muzzle with her hoof. "I think you are thinking of the lesson -- "

"And if that wasn't bad enough!!" Pinkie moaned, sounding even more upset.

"It gets worse ?" Asked the draconequus, sweating literal bullets.

"Uh huh!" Pinkie squeaked cheerfully... She stopped for a moment. "I mean... grrrr....!" She exclaimed, remembering that she was angry. "And then some pony named Cotton Candy showed up, and bored all the cakes' customers to death with her endless babbling... I mean, can you imagine a pony that just won't stop talking, going on, and on, and -- "

"I can't imagine, " Discord replied, snapping his finger, causing a large metal mask to materialize over the pink pony's face, muffling her continuing banter. "I'll simply have to go down, and have a word with the mayor!" He stated, angry, turning around to walk away, only to find that his path was blocked by the pink monster.

"And you know what's even worse?" Pinkie asked, the mask, suddenly, nowhere in sight (Rats!)

"Oh?" Discord replied, 'nonchalantly'.

"Yeah!" Pinkie replied, bouncing around the draconequus. "And some pony named Razzaroo suddenly showed up, and stealing all my pony birthday celebrations!" She announced, with a snarl. "And not to mention my new pony greetings! And I've had it!"

"Fascinating, " replied 'Spock-cord'. "Perhaps it's some kind of an interstellar entity, I shall endeavor to speak with the mayor, about this phenomenon!" He said, pulling a bar of soap out of a pocket that materialized out of thin air. "Geordi beam -- " he said, pausing between each word.

"Hold it buster!" Twilight said, trapping him in a magic bubble. "And you know what's even weirder, " she stated, putting her head against the bubble. "They all have weird muzzles... Just like Rarity, Cheerilee, that other Rainbow Dash, and that other Pinkie, " she sneered, looking directly in Discord's face. "I... wonder... how.. that... could be?"

Discord gave a silent gulp, he knew where this was going. "And that, dear Twilight, is an excellent question, " he said, in a gravelly voice. "But, I'm not sure how you are defining the word 'have', I should go back to my advisors, and have them write a carefully written statement delving further into your definition of 'to be', " he said, walking off again.

"Well, it seems to me that you are avoiding the question, Discord, " Rarity said, pulling the monster with her magic. "And I simply think that you are acting very suspiciously," she continued, formally. "And, though, I know that we should trust you as a friend, I think you aren't being completely honest with us, dear, " Rarity said, with a frown.

"Well.. that is to say..." The draconequus said, dodging the question, did he have to tell them now?

"And I need to know why some odd earth pony named Daffidazey has decided to invade my shop, and is giving everypony the most absurd hair cuts, it's like the poor dear is nearsighted!" Rarity stated, calmly, tilting her head delicately, as she spoke.

"Well..." the draconequus studered, talking in slow motion. "You... see... I?" He said, a wind up key on his back running down.

"Umm..." Fluttershy interjected, having just trotted up. "Guys..." She squeaked quietly.

"Look, Discord, " Twilight said, with a frown. "I learned something from Rainbow when I was trying to help her, and I think you know more then you are saying, " she said, loudly. "Remember! It's not healthy to keep secrets from your friends."

"Can I ask you a question?... if it's not too much trouble..." Fluttershy squeaked, cowering in herself.

"Oh wait..." Discord said, holding an old fashioned audio horn to his ear, putting the thin end of the device in Fluttershy's mouth. "I think Fluttershy's trying to talk to us," he said, getting into a 'listening positon'.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, just now noticing the butternut pegasus.

"Yes, Fluttershy, " Rarity said, encouraging her friend. "What is the matter, darling?"

"Well, I was trying to let angel have some sun, but that weird pony from a couple weeks ago is back, and she's kind of tanning herself in Angel's favorite spot, " she said, uncomfortably. "Sorry..." she apologized, turning away, only to have a rabbit kick at her leg. "And I was hoping you can ask her to leave... If it's not too much trouble..." she said, putting her hoof to her head. "What was her name again?" She said, pausing to think. "Sunny... Sun... " She said, searching for the name. "Sun--"

"Why 'Sun-day Funday', of course!" The draconequus said, trying to change the topic of conversation again.

"No that wasn't it," Fluttershy said, contemplatively, her rabbit making elaborate motions. "No! That's right, her name was 'Sunny Daze'."

"Twilight's face grew pale, she'd heard that name before already, " she turned to the draconequus again. "Would you care to explain?"

"Well... I... Um..." Discord replied, his claw pulling out his 'collar', as he spoke. "That is to say..."

"DISCORD!?" All five ponies asked at once.

"Fine..." the draconequus said, feeling defeated. "Let me start from the beginning..."

**********

"And you think you can train princess larva in the proper behavior of a princess?" The queen asked the blue drake, as she sat on the great stone throne, the original throne of queen Flutterheart -- the first changeling queen.

"Worry not, fair queen, " the blue drake said, with a humble bow, making the queen want to vomit... what a stuck up, arrogant... "For I am an expert at training princesses, " he said, dragging a large green book with a purple tiara, and a blue wand with a purple star on it, a book which was almost as large as the drake himself. "And my princess book will teach the princess the specifics of a princessy life, " he asserted, giving the queen another bow.

'And this is the princess trainer my infiltrators located?' The queen thought, rolling her eyes. "So tell me, Kenbroth, why did you leave the protection of those wretched ponies, and their absurd 'Crystal Empire'?"

"Why because I heard that there was a princess in desperate need of princess training, " he said, with a chuckle. "Besides... The prince I was training finally decided to take lesson number four thousand seven hundred sixty five to heart..." he admitted, remembering the scene all ready.

Earlier...

"Prince! Prince! Prince!" The drake said, shaking his claw. "What are you doing?" He asked, staring down at the prince below.

"Spike!" The prince shouted, in frustration. "What in the hay are you doing in my bathroom?" He growled, quickly covering himself up. "I'm taking a bath!"

The drake shook his head. "Prince... Prince... Prince... Rule seventy four: a prince is always busy, except when he's obtaining favors..."

Shining shook his head. "And rule seven of Shining Armor's rules: A clean husband makes for a happy wife, now please come back later, " he begged the drake, his voice cracking slightly.

The drake shook his claw. "Tut! Tut! Tut! Prince, overbathing will throw off your humors, " he said, with a sigh.

"And not bathing enough will ensure I sleep on the couch, " the prince responded back, in protest. "Now get out! I need a break!"

"A break!" The drake huffed. "There's no time for that, my prince, we have many things to get done today, and -- "

"Spike! " he said, massaging his bridge. "Could you please leave, I don't need you to be a helicopter 'mentor', and I'm starting to lose my temper, and I really need a moment, and -- "

Healthspike shook his head. "Temper, temper, prince! And you simply must consider your health, and -- "

"EXCUSE ME, GUARDS!" The prince asked, shouting in exasperation. to the guard by his door. "CAN YOU PLEASE ESCORT HEATHSPIKE BACK TO HIS ROOM?" He shouted, sternly. "I'LL SPEAK TO HIM AFTER I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO COOL DOWN!" He shouted, taking slow breaths. 'Remember, Shining, yelling at Heathspike isn't good, no matter how crazy he's driving you.'

"Very well, " a platoon of purple crystal pegasus guards, their elaborate semi transparent crystal armor shining beautifully as they spoke, in unison, nodding their heads. "Please master Heathspike, let's return to your room."

"Splendid!" The blue monster said. "We seem to be making excellent progress here!" He sound, proudly. "I might even say that we are on the verge of a breakthrough!"

The prince gave a sigh. "Please keep Heathspike out of my private quarters until Cadance can return, please, " the prince sighed.

"Oh! So commanding!" The drake shouted, enthusiastically. "My work here is all but done, " he said, proudly, as the guards ushered him back down the hall. "But whom shall I train next?" He asked, deciding his next venture, it was too early for him to go back to sleep!

"Hey Master Kenborth Gilspotten Heathspike, " one of the guards whispered, in his ear, "I might have the perfect pony for you to train, and she's already so anxious to meet you," the guard responded, with a mischievous smile.

"Oh!" The dragon replied, feeling quite intrigued. "Do say?"

Back in the present...

The queen gave a sigh. "Are you sure, that you are a princess trainor, Sir Heathspike?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow,.

"Of course, " the drake said, bowing slightly. "Or it is not I, Kenbroth Gilspotten Heathspike, who am at your service!"

The changeling queen rolled her eyes. "And tell me, drake, what makes me think you can train my daughter in being a proper changeling princess?" She asked, curiously, having just lost a fifth princess trainor to her first daughter, and on the verge of losing a sixth.

"Why it's simple, my queen, " the drake replied, formally. "For one thing, " he said, holding out a claw. "I descend from a long line of royal dragons."

The queen quirked her eyebrow, that was an interesting thing to hear, the dragons usually lived in hordes, instead of kingdoms, and the Kahgen, certainly, never risked their young, like this.

"And secondly, I have taken on a dozens of students before over my thousand year life, " he stated, his pointer talon pulling on the second talon in his left claw.

On the other hand, if he, really, had experience, learning at a dragon's hooves might be useful in making a true predator out of her squishy green daughter.

"And thirdly, I have this: " he said, holding up an oversized green book with a rather tacky looking tiara, and a wand that looked like something out of a cheap fashion show. "It's my princess book," he said, proudly. "And it has all the rules we need to make a proper princess out of her."

And it could be said that, in that day, the sound of a pin dropping could be heard miles away from the hive, as everypony stood around with their mouths gaping open.

"Are you certain about him being a princess trainor?" The queen asked, turning to her infiltrator, who only buzzed his wings.

"Well, " the drake said, cheerfully, interrupting the queen's discussion, before her infiltrator could respond. "I've simply adored this tetatet, but when am I going to meet the dear?"

The queen broke out laughing. Was somepony messing with her? She asked herself, her face turning red, because this joke wasn't funny!

"Very well, " she said, showing one of her fangs. "Oh guards, would you please meet me in the princess' room?"

The guards nodded dutifully, their faces smirking almost imperceptibly.

After a few minutes the blue drake was ~~dragged~~ ushered into a rather plain chamber, which was surprisingly slime free, for a changeling hole.

The room was light, as many of the nobles chambers were, by candlelight. Inside lay of series of tacky floats, made out of very sorry looking flowers that had, presumably, been scrounged up from the area surrounding the badlands, though, one had to ask, how they found them in the middle of February, or whatever it was they called it in Equestria.

The queen gave herself a face hoof, and opened her mouth to speak, but the drake responded first. "Why Minty, " the drake said, with bemusement. "What are you doing here?" He asked curiously. "Shouldn't you be back in Ponyville?" He asked, walking up to the mint green pony, and doing laps around her.

The mint pony gave a goofy giggle, presumably out of embarrassment.

"And a better question, is -- " the green pony's mother asked, as calmly as she was able. "What in the hay is this c... stuff...?" She asked, her beet red face smiling uncomfortably.

"Why it's for this year's very special 'Princess promenade' of course!" The green pony replied, with a hearty chuckle. "Duh!"

The queen looked at her guards, a look of utter befuddlement on her face.

The guards raised his right front hoof, shrugging it nonchalantly.

"And what does that mean?" The princess' advisor asked, returning from a short date with a bottle of the hardest cider he could get his hooves on.

"You know, 'The Princess Promenade'!" She replied, eagerly, waiting for a sea of agreement.

After a few moments, she continued, looking a lot more serious. "You know?" She asked, receiving instead a sea of head shaking. "It used to be The Spring Promenade, until Spike showed up, and made Wysteria a princess, and then we turned it into the Princess Promenade, " she said, with a chuckle.

"Spike huh?" The queen said, turning her eire to the drake. "Tell me more?"

"Well, " the green pony said, taking a long breath. "First we make floats, and then we decorate the castle, ... " she said, explaining the event, in gory details to ponies that were no longer listening.

"And why are my guards dressed in these ridiculous outfits?" The queen asked, noticing the tacky dresses that her guards were now wearing.

"Yes, quite princess, " the old changeling stallion, who had been training the princess asked. "And these tacky floats?"

"Well, " the green pony said, taking a breath. "Because it's the Princess Promenade and that means... " She continued, breaking into song.

"Hip hip hurray! Today's the day! The day that everyone's a princess!" The green earth pony sang, pointing to one of the guards, and bringing the changeling mare forward. "Come forward princess changeling guard number 7!" She said, motioning the guard up.

"Well I always wanted to be a princess!" The guard chirped.

"Come up princess changeling guard number 5!" She shouted, summoning a, rather large, stallion guard forward, who was still dressed in full body armor.

The queen stood there, utterly paralyzed, probably coming up with a good way to punish the princess' current 'princess trainor'!

"Come forward changeling guard number 3!" She announced, motioning another changeling up.

"Me?" The mare asked, pointing at her upper barrel, with her hoof.
"And you can be a princess too!" She shouted, motioning off towards an invisible audience behind the fourth wall.

"NOOOO!!!!" The queen shouted, her face growing a ghostly white, her mane and tail standing on end. "You can't be a princess!" She shouted, at the first guard.

"Ahhh...." The guard moaned.

"And you can't be a princess!" She shouted, at the top of her lungs to the second guard.

"Meh..." The stallion said, nonchalantly. "I'm ok with that! I'd be kind of uncomfortable as a 'princess'."

"And you can't be a princess!" The queen shouted, to the third guard, who looked down, sadly.

"And none of you can be princesses either!" She shouted, motioning over the fourth wall. "The only ones who can be princesses -- " She said, angrily, being interrupted by the blue drake, who was wagging his talon around.

"Or princes!" He stated, calmly.

"Ok..." The queen snarled back. "Princesses and princes, are me and my children!"

"But Mama Minty!" The green pony protested. "That's not a very fun arrangement!"

The queen gave a belated sigh, she had to be patient with her daughter, after all, her wicked aunt had had years to warp and melt the poor dear's brain into a steaming cesspool of nonsense. It wouldn't be something that could be fixed in an instant.

She turned to the princess' trainor. "You are dismissed Wisdom Tree, " she said, turning to the tutor, that had apparently already sped off in utter madness... The sixth one so far.

"And you!" She said, turning to the drake, her face growing dark. "You have a week to turn my daughter back into a real princess, or I'm going to have to make sure the hive gets its fill with you!" She said, her face giving off a decidedly sadistic expression.

The drake gulped. "To become one of you, I suppose?" He asked, nervously.

"Oh... You'll wish that's what we'll have done when we finish!" She said, with a toothy smile...

"Oh?" The drake replied.

"Oh yes..." She replied. "We'll drain a lot more then your love..." She continued, walking towards the drake, who backed away slowly.

"O...h...?" He replied, sweating profusely.

"Let's just say we'll 'transform you into a walking skeleton'!" She said, getting her mouth right up against his ear, and making loud sucking noises. "Get it?" She cooed, in his ear.

"Of course..." The drake replied, nervously.

**********

"So yer tellin' meh, " Applejack, said, stoically, her face taking a stern tone usually reserved for when ''Bloom was misbehavin'.' "Dat that yah ran inta a world that was inherently unstable, an' chaotic filled ta the brim with en-tra-py?"

Discord nodded his head, playing some kind of prehistoric looking off white box in his claws. "It was a cancer on the multiverse... or something... and was, as such, scheduled for demolition..." He said, nonchalantly.

"An' ya ', and yer family 'del-eet-ted it'?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow, and pausing for a moment. "Ya know, 'fer everyponies protection'?" She said, trying to figure out what she was just told. "'Cause of it's in-stab-ility, due ta all the conflictin' wishes?"

"Something like that... Well usually, " the draconequus responded, sounding like a proper Trottingham gentlepony, a monocle in his eye. "And I already did."

"So did yer 'del-eet' it, or not?" The apple pony said, in utter befuddlement.

"Just not this time, " the draconequus replied, cryptically.

"What yer mean, 'not this time?'" Applejack replied, quirking her eyebrow again. "Ya cain't just get rid-o a world an' not git rid of it, it don't make no sense!" She continued, getting in the draconequus face.

The draconequus fixed his collar again. "You see, wasn't as bad, as usual, and it involves cycles, and us keeping our memories across cycles, and -- "

"Don't worry about it Applejack, " Rarity said, putting a hoof on her friend's wither. "I'm more concerned about something else he told us, " Rarity said, turning to their friend Discord. "Tell me about those objects you said you buried there."

The draconequus gave a nervous chuckle. "You see, I wasn't exactly reformed at the time, and all I knew was that even if I corrupted all six of you, you could find a way to come back, and that harmony kind of sucks for my kind, and I kind of... " he stammered, uncomfortably.

"What did you do, Discord?" Twilight asked, her tone stern, yet still calm.

"You see I originally thought of inoculating myself against harmony via -- " he said, trying to distract the dialog.

"DISCORD!!!" All six of the other ponies said, in unison.

"And I kind of made elements of disharmony," he said, really quietly. "You know... to consume the world's endless entropy, " he continues twiddling his claw, and his paw.

"Could you please speak up, darling?" Rarity asked, formally. "I didn't really get that."

"And I kind of made elements of disharmony," the chaos deity reiterated, really quietly.

"He said that he made elements of disharmony!" Pinkie replied. "Though I think the canon name is 'elements of chaos'!" She continued, bouncing up and down, wildly.

"'Elements of disharmony'?" Twilight said, facing the other ponies. "Why don't I like the sound of that..."

"Well there's nothing to be afraid of, " discord said, with a high pitched chuckle that made him sound like he'd been possessed by a extraequestrial space spider, or been dipped in some very bad acid. "It's only a problem if somepony were to find them, then, depending on their will power, they'd either become a sock puppet for my sinister former self, or gain control of my power from the inside, " he said, coolly motioning his paw along a straight line, wearing an atrocious wig which gave him the most rediculous looking head of red hair. "No big!"

"No big?" Twilight said, angrily. "That's extremely 'big', Discord!" She snorted. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Discord twiddled his talon and claw. "I was kind of worried that you guys, especially Fluttershy, would think I was still bad, " he said, turning away from the other ponies.

"Ahh, Discord, " Fluttershy said, giving him a soft nuzzle. "I would never think you're bad, " she said, in a gentle voice.

"Why thank you, my dear," he said, his face turning a slight red.

The rest of the ponies joined in, giving him statements of agreement, and soft nods.

"Excellent!" He said, with a smile.

"Ok girls!" Twilight said, turning to the others. "I'll go back to the library to pen a letter to the princess, and then we -- "

"Oh and Twilight, " the draconequus said, twiddling his limbs. "If anyone comes asking about me relapsing slightly, and taking up a gig in crank phone calls, and telemarketing -- "

"DISCORD!!!" All six ponies shrieked, in unison.

"Oh, and I certainly didn't ring Rarity's doorbell 74 times yesterday!" He said, with a chuckle. "Only 75 times..."

"That was you!?" Rarity shrieked.

**********

"So, " the changeling lord said, with a greedy chuckle. "Even in her failure, Belladonna came through for me, " he said, turning to their last remaining assassin, as they gently fondled the last artifact. "You see, Solanaceae, " he said, his voice dripping with murderous intent. "My loyal assassins can succeed, despite Celestia's meddling, " he said, pointing an accusatory hoof at his last assassin. "Unlike you, oh slave of the departed lady."

The colt only looked down, bowing more deeply.

"But worry not, for I am merciful and will give you one more chance!" The changeling lord said, putting up their hoof. "For I have intel that leads me to believe that the last bearer is currently hiding under Celestia's roof, in Canterlot!" He announced. "Prove your loyalty by bringing them back here!" He commanded, pointing to his last assassin. "Otherwise, you are finished Solanaceae!"

The changeling colt nodded nervously. "Yes, my lord!"

"Good!" The changeling lord announced. "And soon I shall be all powerful!" He shouted, bursting into boastful laughter.

Optional Chapter 1-4: Rarity's story

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Optional Chapter 1-5: Rarity's story

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Optional Chapter 1-6: Rarity's story

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Chapter 5-1: The magic of modern medicine

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Chapter 5-2: The magic of modern medicine

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Chapter 5-3: The magic of modern medicine

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Chapter 5-4: The magic of modern medicine

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Chapter 5-5: The magic of modern medicine

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Chapter 6-1: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

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Chapter 6-2: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

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Chapter 6-3: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

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Chapter 6-4: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

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Chapter 6-5: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

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Chapter 6-6: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

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Optional Chapter 2-1: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 2-2: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 2-3: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 2-4: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 2-5: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 2-6: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 2-7: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 2-8: Wysteria's chapter

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Optional Chapter 3-1: Skywishes' chapter

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Optional Chapter 3-2: Skywishes' chapter

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Optional Chapter 3-3: Skywishes' chapter

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Optional Chapter 3-4: Skywishes' chapter

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Optional Chapter 3-5: Skywishes' chapter

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Optional Chapter 3-6: Skywishes' chapter

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Chapter 7-1: To the badlands!

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Chapter 7-2: To the badlands!

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Chapter 7-3: To the badlands!

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Chapter 7-4: To the badlands!

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Chapter 7-5: To the badlands!

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Chapter 7-6: To the badlands!

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Optional Chapter 4-1: Lily Lightly's chapter

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Optional Chapter 4-2: Lily Lightly's chapter

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