My Little Pony: Stone and Metal

   Upon entering the castle, Twilight felt comfort in seeing nothing was wrecked. Well, there WAS only many books scattered all over the library floor, but that was pretty much it. "Other than the mess in the library," Twilight said, "I think the interior of this place is unscathed." She managed to find a book that had a topic on magic like this. Research was a hobby that Twilight enjoyed greatly, and it didn't take long before she found a page discussing Pygon magic. "Here it is!" she beamed, "This page should tell us everything we need to know. Too bad it doesn't talk much about how Pygon create more Pygon." "It would be hard for you to understand how it's done," said Gourd, "There's dark magic involved, as well as foul concoctions and nightmarish gadgets applied to a writhing animal opposed to being cured of its flesh curse. Let's just say it's not a pleasant sight for you." "Go any further into detail, and I'll throw up," Twilight groaned. "If it makes you feel better," said Gourd, "You DO get a treat afterward." "Don't even bother telling me what Pygon consider a treat," snapped Twilight.

   Reading onwards, Twilight stumbled upon a picture of a strange gate. "What kind of door is this?" she wondered. "I've seen that gate at the entrance to the Crystal Empire," said Cadance. "Oh, yes," Gourd told them, "Those gates require pygon power to open." "Do you know how we can acquire this power?" Twilight asked Gourd. "Yes," the Pygon head answered, "We use that power for our work. We store it in relics we call 'seeds'." "There might be some in our own houses," Twilight said, "We better search them." Each of the friends found a seed in each of their homes; Twilight found hers under her throne. Rainbow Dash found one hidden behind her Daring Do book. In Applejack's house, it was in the stove. Pinkie found a seed under her bed, And Rarity found one in the bathroom(for whatever unknown reason). As for Fluttershy, she manage to find a seed in one of her birdhouses, and yet she found something else in there too: a smaller Pygon. She was a little nervous of what it might do, but much to her confusion and relief, it didn't want to hurt her. Instead, it just hopped up onto Fluttershy's mane and snuggled her. "For a Pygon, you sure are cute," said Fluttershy.

   Later, outside Ponyville Town Hall, Everyone gathered around and showed their seeds. "Yes," said Twilight, "That should be enough." Then, a small audible sneeze could be heard. It came from Fluttershy's hair. "What've you got there, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight. "Well," the yellow pegasus confessed, showing off her little friend, "I may have found a companion of my own." "Fascinating," smiled Twilight. "Oh yes, a Pygoid," Gourd said, almost cringing at the sight. "So you know about these little guys," Smirked Twilight. "You're darn right I do," replied Gourd, "They had appeared recently. There's only one thing I actually LIKE about them; they cannot be plagued with flesh." "They don't have an animal form?" Asked Applejack. "And they don't serve any purpose to Pygon," answered Gourd, "They cannot obey any of the emperor's orders." "I just found this one in my house," said Fluttershy, "He look cute to me." "Yes, of course," Gourd said, "But TRUE Pygon are not cute; that's just a word used to infantilize the subject. These creatures are only another strain of Pygon."

   They had to get to the Crystal Empire by train. Fortunately, Twilight managed to buy a few tickets for the train that will take them to the kingdom. By the time they reached Twilight's castle for supplies, They spotted a Pygon twice as tall as any normal one. It started to attack, but Twilight Sparkle stunned it with a magic blast. The monster got enraged by the second magic missile, and rushed forward to strike, but was then giving a full blast of magic from Twilight. The behemoth fell to the ground and then broke apart, just like Cadance's Pygon form. This time, it revealed a Unicorn with a red and yellow mane and tail. She stood up, wobbly and stupefied. Recalling her time in the human dimension, Twilight had already recognized the Amber pony's face. "Having a little trouble getting up there, Sunset Shimmer?" she asked her, jokingly. Sunset giggled at Twilight's little wisecrack, but quickly cowered when she saw what Twilight was carrying. "It's alright," Twilight said, "He won't do much of anything at this state." "Yeah," agreed Rainbow Dash, "It's just a..." "...A Pygon head," Sunset Shimmer finished, "I was worried the curse would come for me." While a little insulted, Gourd kept his cool. "Pygon is not a curse, it is a gift from Father Darkness." "Do me a favor and leave this conversation with the ponies that can walk," Twilight told Gourd with a scowl. "I have a feeling all of Equestria's been infected by the Pygon already," Sunset Shimmer said, feeling much sorrow. "Every creature of flesh and bone," said Gourd, "have had their Pygon glory restored from one coast to the other." Sunset Shimmer told them that another goliath Pygon has seemed to conquer the Crystal Empire.

   Twilight and her friends got on the train to the Crystal Empire allowing Princess Cadance and Sunset Shimmer to tend to Ponyville as best they could. Before the train departed, Twilight saw ponies she knew all too well. With the Ponyville Colossus defeated, the Pygon curse has been lifted from everypony who lived in Ponyville. Of course, it was clear to Twilight that confusion would turn to depression should they see what had become of their home. But Twilight still felt happy for them because it too was obvious that one watertight remedy for anguish was hard work and it wouldn't take long for everypony there to set to the task of fixing their town, their entire home built afresh. To the Crystal Empire they would go, their task yet to be done.