Equestria's Peril

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Land They Should've Known
Chapter 2: A Date With Royalty
Chapter 3: Settling in
Chapter 4: Countdown
Chapter 5: Heros Are Made
Chapter 6: Shadows of the Past
Chapter 7: Friend or Foe
Chapter 8: Bury Your Feelings
Chapter 9: Reunion
Chapter 11: ...Isn't Always Your Friend
A Rediculous Filler Chapter
Chapter 12: When All Seems Lost
Chapter 13: In the Aftermath
Chapter 14: The Long Way Home
Prologue: Fateful Beginnings
Chapter 10: The Enemy of Your Enemy...

Chapter 1: The Land They Should've Known

Alright everyone, here we go...I would like to take this time to say that this story has no real pre-planned route, but don't worry I still want to be senseful and consistent with it. As always, enjoy.

"But sire, how do you plan to overthrow her? Celestia may not appear very threatening, but her power is something to be reckoned with." A brawny, but shadow like creature stated, as he stared at his ruler who sat upon a crumbled old throne chair, chipped with age.

"I know of her potential, captain...her parents displayed it to me many millennia ago." Revered the tyrant, recalling his past defeat. "This time however, will be different." He said in an ominous, scraggly voice. "I will take this world as my own."

"What do you plan to do sire? With the upmost respect, we have too little of an army to launch any kind of attack. These accursed plains have made sure of that." The shadowy captain looked around seeing the near desolate, burnt, sunken landscape that they were forced to call home.

"Our armies are enough to decimate the gaurds of that damned palace at the least!" The giant mass of darkness wrapped in a blood-red cloak turned his black hand to a fist at the mention of the very place.

"And the princess'?"

"I have found a way to possibly distract or maybe even weaken her." He grinned widely under his ragged hood, "After she is preoccupied, I will be reunited with my tablet, and my power will be endless once more."

"What do you have planned?" The captain said with little emotion. The shadow lord chuckled.

"Have you ever heard of a destructive, feral race known as humans?"

Somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest

All Daniel could do at first was stare straight up at the blue sky, through a mass of trees. His vision was blurred, and his head pounded. After a minute or two, he began to bring himself to his feet, staggering a bit.

" What the fuck?" He looked around only to be welcomed by more trees in every direction. A small clearing with no obvious path was to his right. He stumbled once, but found his way into the clearing. He stopped for a moment to think back, trying to figure how he ended up in the middle of a damn forest. His eyes widened as a thought came to him. He glanced back at the spot where he had woken, but didn't see his friend anywhere.

"KELLY?!" Daniel called out, but no response. Something made a click-like noise, drawing Daniel's attention behind him. A small creature, about half the size of Daniel was gawking at him, but the animal was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It had the head of a lion, what appeared to be bat wings, petruding from behind, and 'IS THAT A SCORPION'S STINGER?!' Daniel thought, both shocked and amazed.

"Uhh..." Daniel was too awestruck, and somewhat frightened. He couldn't think of his next move. The thing just kept staring at him like a housecat eyeballs a ball of yarn. The small creature barely shifted its eyes, resting it's gaze just past Daniel's shoulder. Losing the creatures stare, Daniel slowly moved back and did a cautious 180. His face bumped into something fuzzy, yet monsterous in size. Again, Daniel moved back and tilted his head upward only to see a spitting image of the baby creature...ten times bigger.

"Mother of God..." His voice caught in his throat. If Daniel was a cartoon character, his pupils would've dialated into pin heads. The beast gave a low growl, and peered at the medium sized snack. Not expecting resistance, he slowly raised a forepaw, ready to swipe at Daniel. Daniel's brain finally kicked in, 'DUCK!' His mind jolted. Daniel widened his stance, and dodged the incoming swipe. Shortly after, he took off in an adrenaline fueled sprint, right past the massive predator. The manticore didn't have time for another assault with his paws, instead he slightly pitched his body and swung his poisonuos tail at the fleeing meal in an attempt to trip him.

Daniel tried jumping over the manticore's second attack, but the beast's tail was too elevated; the tip of Daniel's shoe caught it. He came down hard and scraped his right arm, but he was too distracted by fear to care about the pain and wasted no time in scrambling back to his feet before taking off once more, mere seconds before the manticore could impale him where he lay. He had never ran this fast in his life, the feeling was exhilerating, almost like flying. But Daniel couldn't get caught up in it, he had to bob and weave trees, hop over roots, and find some way out, all the while, he could hear loud thuds of massive paws behind him.

His feet lost connection with the ground as he found himself tumbling down a small slope. When he came to a rolling stop, he was on a dirt path, with an exit just a foot-ball field's length away. He picked himself up for the second time, making the condition on his injured arm worse. Moments after he took off, a groundshaking thud thundered behind him, followed by a deafening roar. Daniel knew it was in vein, but he screamed anyway.

"HEEEEELP!" The unshaded daylight was a welcoming portal to safety, and Daniel was less than fifteen feet to freedom. "Almost..." He said breathless, but it was no good. His upper body bathed in the open sun while pain soared through his left leg, the monster had dug its claws through his pants and caught him near the heel. Satisfied, the manticore slowly dragged Daniel back into the shrouds of shade.

"RRAAAAAHHHHH!" Daniel's fear was replaced with burning frustration. He used his free leg to kick at the manticore's paw, making him let go. He crawled for a good two feet until the beast casually flipped him over, and held him down. Daniel no longer had the strength to struggle. He was winded from sprinting, and the pain from his injuries were starting to take effect. The creature grinned, pleased with his catch, and readied his stinger. Daniel cringed, and closed his eyes in defeat. A single tear ran down his cheek as he waited for death. He blacked out before he could embrace it.

"Ohh, my head..." Kelly groaned as he came to. His head obviously ached, but it wasn't just from the sudden twist of time and space; he was hanging upside down. He felt his face getting heavier from the blood rushing there, and strained to look up. His left foot was caught between two small branches forking off of a larger branch. He looked down, there were a few more branches below, but none close enough to reach. Judging the ground, he was suspended most likely thirty feet in the air. His eyes began to water from the reverse gravitational pull, and he was becoming anxious trying to pull himself up.

"C'mon dammit, almost." The shift in his body weight began to wear on the thin branch. *SNAP

"Aw, cra-" was all he could mutter before he began his comical decent. "WOAAHH-OOF!" Kelly smacked two wide spread limbs, slowing his fall as he tumbled ten more feet to the unforgiving ground. He hit the grass like a brick, landing on his side and knocking the wind from his lungs. A purple unicorn was exiting from the base of the tree just as the tall alien creature ate the dirt.

"AAH!" The unicorn jumped back and her horn glowed as she began casting a defensive spell. She cancelled the spell after a few seconds, watching the weird being rock back and forth holding it's side with it's...hooves? "Um...hello? Are you...okay?" Kelly didn't hear her. His ears were ringing and his entire body ached.

He managed to mouth the words "Son of a bitch," but couldn't bring any sound to them, due to his lack of air. He soon rolled onto his back, regaining his breath, but coughing rather violently. The unicorn assumed it couldn't speak since it had ignored her. Either that, or it was just being rude.

'Then again,' she thought to herself. 'Whatever it was just took a nice dive out of the top of my house.' She noticed the leaves, and various twigs scattered around the creature. She edged towards it slightly, inch by inch, trying to get a better look. Kelly brought himself up with his arms and sat with one knee up and the other leg straight out. He looked down until he could breath normally, then gave a quick glance at the purple unicorn. He looked down again, only to do a jerky double-take, almost falling over, and startling the horned pony.

Kelly put his weight on his hands, his eyes like saucers, bewildered at...a purple horse...with a dark blue mane accompanied by a pink stripe...and...a horn on it's forehead! The unicorn tried once again to communicate.

"Heelloo, aarree yoouu injuurredd?" She exagerated her lip movement, hoping the creature would comprehend better. Kelly's brain caught up with him as he squinted and realized he was trying to lipread a horse. His ears still rang like church bells. The unicorn gave a confused look as the alien shook it's head, and used one of it's...smaller appendeges to clean out what she assumed were ears.

"Aarr, make it stop." The unicorn tilted her head. 'So it can speak,' she thought. The ringing sensation soon went away, and Kelly found himself awkwardly staring at the purple horse while she returned the gaze. He then remembered trying to lipread it, and out of pure curiosity, he simply said "Hi?" She put on a smile, trying to show that she was friendly.

"Well, hello." Kelly's mouth dropped, he then chuckled a bit and said without thinking,

"It talked." He eyed the creature with a dumbfounded expression. "You talked." Kelly felt no emotion except shock. No joy, no gleeful realization that he was in the wonderful planes of Equestria. Nothing like that. The trip from his world to this one had taken one toll, aside from all of the physical abuse of course. It had taken his memories. Kelly still knew who he was. He knew his address, he remembered his family and his friends, in fact he still retained all of his past experiences. All except for the fact that he was a Brony. Whatever had caused the memory wipe had taken all recollection of anything My Little Pony related. His surroundings, and the fact that he was talking to none other than Twilight Sparkle herself, were entirely new to him.

The thought of where Daniel might be had yet to cross his thoughts. That chain of thinking was occupied by the fact that he was conversing with a freakin' horse! Twilight looked around. It seemed like she was still the only one to stumble upon this thing. Her better judgment would've advised against inviting an alien into her home upfront, but she was too curious for her own good, and her intuitive mind got the better of her.

"Can you stand? Would you like to come in?" Kelly gave her another dumbfounded look, then glanced at the doorway leading into the tree.

'Might as well,' he thought. 'It's the least this oversized toothpick could do after dropping me on my head, so to speak.' Kelly stopped to ponder if that might be the reason why he was seeing a technicolored talking horse, but he quickly dismissed it as he stepped inside, clutching his ribs.

Kelly seated himself on a couch that would be way too small if he were to lay on it like a bed. He grunted as the side of his torso throbbed

"Can I get you anything, maybe something to drink?" Kelly gave a simple answer.

"Water would be nice...please." He said, trying to be a polite geust. He heard the sound of a sink, and watched awestruck as the horse came back with a glass of water...levitating in front of her! He could make out the faintest purple aura dancing around the beverage, the same glow covered the unicorn's horn. She 'handed' him the drink, and he grasped it out of the air. "How did you do that?" Now it Twilight's turn to wear a confused face.

"Do what?"

"The glass..." He pointed at the drink in his hand. "...It was floating." She smiled, gaining amusement by impressing the creature with such a simple feat.

"It's just magic." She said plainly. Kelly raised a brow.

"Magic." He said with a skeptical tone.

"Yeah, watch." Twilights horn illuminated as she used her teleporting spell several times, before returning to the place she originally stood. She looked at him expecting more coo's of amazement. To her delight, Kelly just stared again, until he half smiled with a chuckle and started rubbing his eyes with one hand as if he had a migrane.

"So..." He began. "You can talk, use telekinesis, and teleport." Kelly said in monotone while still rubbing his eyes. Twilight was going to say something, but was interrupted. "What the hell did I eat?!" Kelly spoke loudly finally opening his eyes. Twilight was taken aback by his statement.

"What? What do you mean?" Kelly stood and started pacing, cupping his hands around his head while he spoke.

"What do I mean?! I am talking to a h-no, a UNICORN! Who can levitate crap, and teleport. What more needs to be said?" He calmed down during the last sentence, the pain in his ribs flaring up again as he sat down and gave a long sigh. He looked at the glass of water he'd put down, and noticed he hadn't even taken a drink yet.

"Okay, look. I suppose I can understand your frustration. I've never seen your kind before, and you've obviously never seen my kind before." Kelly was drinking his water in thirsty audible gulps, then set it down shaking his head.

"Oh no, we have horses where I come from, they just don't talk or use magic." He said in a flat matter-of-fact tone, followed by a weak laugh. Twilight shot him a surprised glare.

"Mute ponies, who don't use magic...interesting. What about pegasi?" Kelly raised both brows.

"What? Did you say pegasi?" Twilight looked away.

"Oh, thats right, you're new here."

"Pegasi?" Kelly repeated. "As in horses with wings?" Twilight gave a slow nod. Kelly began rubbing his eyes in the same fashion as before. "Wow..." Something in Twilight's brain clicked.

"Wait, it seems as though you've never been to a place like this, but if thats true, then how are you aware of unicorns and pegasi?"

"Where I come from, unicorns and pegasi are nothing but mythilogical creatures." 'Wow,' Twilight though. 'I sure made the right choice inviting him in. If what he says is true, then were gonna have quite a bit to talk about. That is, if he cooperates.' Kelly interrupted her thoughts.

"Where am I?" He asked blankly. It took her a moment to process such a simple question.

"Um, Ponyville." Kelly looked away, seeming as if he was lost in thought.

"This...town is Ponyville?" Twilight nodded. "Does it reside within a country?" Twilight nodded again.

"Equestria." Kelly squinted. 'Equestria...why does that sound so familiar?' Twilight returned the favor of interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh my, please forgive me, I haven't even introduced myself." Kelly looked up. "My name is Twilight Sparkle." Kelly stopped himself from giggling. He was never really good with names, but with a name like 'Twilight Sparkle,' he probably wouldn't forget anytime soon.

"Name's Kelly." Kelly instinctively held out his hand. Twilight smiled, assuming it to be similar to a hoofshake. As they shook, each thought silently to themselves.

'Whatever the hay he is, he's got quite the grip.'

'...She almost feels like a marshmallow...' After they were properly aquainted, Twilight felt it was necessary to get to the real reason why she invited him in.

"Listen Kelly, I consider myself somewhat of a scholar, and of course well-read." Kelly observed the home, and realized that almost every inch of it was a library. He was about to throw in a sarcastic 'no shit,' but he held his toungue. Kelly never really took pleasure out of being unpleasant for no reason. Twilight continued. "And I was hoping that with your permission of course, I might ask you a few questions. Y'know, gain a little insight on your species." She put on a cute grin, and her eyes visibly twinkled. Kelly actually thought it was kind of adorable, even if he was in this FUBAR situation. He thought about it for maybe five seconds.

"Sure, what's the harm?" Twilight was overjoyed.

"Yes, this is great! I get to begin an entirely new study from Scratch! Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!" Kelly smiled, he liked her enthusiasm. "So, Kelly. Would you be so kind as to stand please." Kelly did as he was asked, but winced at a sharp pinch from his side. "Are you alright?" Kelly nodded after rubbing his ribs.

"I'll be fine, the worst it's gonna do is bruse." Twilight levitated a parchment and quill. She scribbled at the top Physical Traits of the she paused.

"I'm sorry, what species are you?"

"Human." He replied with a small shrug. She deadpanned, and looked at him.

"Did you say human?" He nodded a couple times, and Twilight's thoughts went to a certain mint green unicorn, who in fact had an obsession with this very creature.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"No, but there's somepony I think the whole town's gonna owe an apology to." Kelly had no idea what she meant by that, but decided not to worry about it. Twilight finished the title on the parchment, and began observing her specimen, starting at the head. "Okay, the given subject stands at maybe, six feet or so?" Kelly confirmed with a nod, she was pretty much dead on. Twilight jotted down her first notes and felt almost intimidated by his height. Kelly towered a good three feet above her. She made a comment about his light peach colored 'coat,' and Kelly corrected her, telling her it was just skin.

Kelly had a 'mane' of moderately short dark brown hair, and seemed like the bangs were just barely spiked. He had a dark shade of green eyes, and his jaw was evenly rounded. He was slender, but had noticable muscles.

"Yeah, got into the habit of lifting weights a couple years back." He said expecting admiration. Then he remembered he was talking to a horse...still. Kelly wore a white T-shirt shirt with some patterns on it, along with light blue jeans, and white and black tennis shoes. Twilight asked if she could examine his torso, and legs; Kelly complied. The examination took about ten minutes as Kelly named off muscle groups where she inspected. Finally, they had gotten to Kelly's feet, and Twilight jotted a final note of the five smaller 'toes' that resembled 'fingers,' but were not quite as opposable or handy...except for standing.

Twilight re-read her physical, and gave an approving smile just by how much information she already had. Kelly sat back down and waited patiently, waiting for her to say something. But he felt it was justified that he got to ask at least one question about the colorful town he saw outside of the window.

"Is it just horses that live here?" Twilight brought the parchment down, revealing her face.

"Well, not exclusively. We have some donkeys who reside here, and maybe some cows who live a bit further out, but the majority would definitly be ponies." He nodded, showing that he understood. "Oh, but for the record, we prefer the term ponies over horses." Kelly shrugged, noticing no actual difference. But he cooperated.

"Alright, whatever." After Twilight finished reading her own work. She grabbed a new parchment and dipped her quill.

"If it's okay with you, I have a few questions."

"Shoot." He said with a blank face.

"Alright, but before we begin, could I ask what you were doing on top of my home?" Kelly looked away, trying to think of a reason, but honestly, he had no idea how he'd gotten up there. He looked back at Twilight.

"Twilight, please believe me when I tell you that I have absolutely no clue how I woke up dangling from a tree." But her reaction gave away the suspicion that she thought he was hiding something. He tried harder to convince her. "Trust me, you really think humans make a habit out of napping in trees, when most of us aren't even that acrobatic. I'm fairly sure you saw that little act I put on. Y'know, the one where I nearly busted my kidney." Twilight's eyes softened. Kelly had yet to give her a reason why he would mislead her.

"Okay, I believe you." He breathed in relief. "But you don't have any recollection of what you were doing before you woke up?" Kelly looked down, his mind was still hazy, as he struggled to collect his memories, just before he arrived in Ponyville. Before he could give an answer, the door of the library was hastily swung open as a yellow coated, pegasus with a light-pink mane burst through the door.

"Twilight! You have to come quick! I rescued what seems like a primate, but-*GASP" She froze in place, eyes locked on Kelly who was now standing, startled by the sudden intrusion. Twilight rushed to the pegasus, making sure she didn't fly off screaming in fear. Kelly's presence had to remain a secret to the other resident's of Ponyville. Otherwise, her research might be in jeopardy. Kelly took time to notice that even though this new pony had burst in here obviously distrought, her panicked words were just audible.

"Fluttershy, it's okay. He's not going to hurt you. He's actually really nice." Fluttershy gave Twilight a look as if the unicorn were crazy, then brought her gaze back to the bipedal creature. Kelly stared back, and suddenly...he felt a strange feeling as his thoughts ebbed away. He began to lose himself in the mare's deep expressioned blue eyes. When he had first watched the show, Kelly immediately fell in love with Fluttershy's character. Her kindness, and shy personality tugged at his little Brony heart. Needless to say, she was his favorite, and he hoped one day that he could meet a girl exactly like her.

Now here he was...ready to meet the real Fluttershy. Possibly one of the most unimaginable and breathtaking moments in his entire life. But the moment was wasted, all because he couldn't remember a damn thing. Twilight motioned to Kelly, telling him to come introduce himself. He took notice and walked forward, but never took his eyes off of the pegasus. Twilight closed the door as Kelly took a knee, now eye level with Fluttershy.

"Hello," he said in a hushed voice. Fluttershy tilted her head down, as a tuff of pink hair partially covered her face. Kelly was struck by the same emotions he had when he first saw her on the show, and couldn't help but smile. He cautiously held out his hand. "My name's Kelly. What's yours?" Fluttershy slightly brought her head back up.

"Um...I'm Fl..." She stated her name, but not quite loud enough.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, smiling warmly at the pony's timid behavior.

"Flutter....Fluttershy. My name's Fluttershy." Kelly let his hand back down, but wasn't offended, he thought it rather cute that she wouldn't meet his eyes for no more than a second.

"Fluttershy huh? That's a really sweet name." Even though he was intrigued by her, he thought to himself, 'after meeting this pony, irony has taken on a new meaning.' Fluttershy blushed at the compliment with the faintest of grins, and said just barely over a whisper

"Um...thank you." She looked at him with a sideways glance, and he thought he felt his heart beating faster. He wasn't sure why yet, but this pony had managed to make him feel happy almost instantly. Fluttershy then looked at Twilight who was standing to her left, waiting for the two end their introductions. She shook her head, remembering why she was here.

"Twilight! You need to come with me to my cottage! There's a creature there that I rescued from a manticore...and it looks alot like him!" Fluttershy nodded her head toward Kelly. "Just with a shorter, darker mane." Kelly stood back up, eyes wide.

"Daniel! Aw man, I completely forgot about him!" Both mare's looked at him puzzled.

"Wait, you know who it is?" Asked Fluttershy.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah." He then looked at Twilight. "And that reminds me what happened just before I woke up here. Me and my friend Daniel were hanging out at my house. We got bored of playing Xbox, so we went to watch T.V." Of course the mentioning of these strange devices just gave Twilight more unaswered questions, but she kept silent and let him continue. "Although, I can't remember what we were watching, it wasn't shortly after that, there was this...intense light coming from the middle of the room. I have no way of explaining what happened after that point. It just got brighter, and louder too. It got so bright, that we had to shield our eyes. It wasn't long after that that I just...passed out."

Both of the ponies listened with obvious amazement, and didn't know what to say after he finished. "And I'm just now realizing that my best friend is missing. God, what the hell is wrong with me?" Twilight stepped forward.

"Don't blame yourself Kelly, it sounds like you've been through a lot. The stress if this whole situation just had you distracted, thats all." Kelly appreciated her reassurance, but still felt a pang of guilt.

"Um, excuse me." Fluttershy stepped in. "But...just what exactly are you and Daniel...if you don't mind that is."

"Were humans. I've been informing Twilight on humans since I arrived here."

"That's right," said Twilight. "Their a really interesting race. They have a lot of similarities to monkeys, but can stand upright on their feet, and have a firm grasp on intelligence. They lack fur, and unfortunately can't use magic or fly..." Twilight would've rambled all day, but Fluttershy had to interrupt.

"Um...Twilight, I'm reeaaly sorry, it sounds like you learned alot about them...a-and I'm happy for you...but...the human...at my cottage."

"Oh, of course!" She turned to Kelly. "Kelly, would you mind waiting here while I help Fluttershy? There's lots of books to read, and Spike-" Kelly frowned.

"What? No. I'm coming too." Twilight gave him a stern look.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Who knows how everypony's gonna react if they see you. They've never seen a human before." Kelly looked around.

"C'mon, surely you can think of something." Twilight, pondered for a second, until she headed upstairs and returned with her bedspread and sheets.

"Remember Kelly, all fours." Twilight reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah I know. This is rediculous." Before Kelly started walking, he thought he had seen something out of the corner of his eye behind the house next to Twilight's. His gaze rested upon a dark figure looking around the corner at him. When their eyes met, the shadowy silhouette scooted away out of his line of sight. Kelly felt unsettled, but brushed it off as just another resident of the town, or something.

"Well I'm sorry, but Fluttershy was getting frantic and you yourself insisted on coming." The two ponies, and the human covered in the bedspread and sheets, walking on all fours, were making their way through town towards the bridge that headed to Fluttershy's cottage. Kelly stayed behind Twilight and Fluttershy watching where their hooves went without revealing his face. Kelly heard a third pony's voice as he stopped behind Twilight.

"Hey guys, whats up?" The voice was slightly rough, but feminine.

"Oh! Uh...hi Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy responded meekly.

"Where you guys goin'...and who the hay is that?" Dash pointed a hoof at the clutter of covers. Twilight smiled at the pegasus.

"This is my cousin. He's visiting me from Canterlot." Dash cocked her head sideways.

"And hes wearing your bedspread because..." Usually Twilight would've fumbled trying to think of an excuse, but this time she had one prepared. She motioned toward Rainbow Dash to lean in closer, so Kelly couldn't hear.

"Well, you see, the thing is..." Kelly strained to listen. He wanted to know what her fib was. "...Hes just really, really ugly." Kelly scowled, and wish he hadn't heard. Fluttershy barely giggled. Dash wasn't entirely convinced, but she was going to be late for cloud duty, so she shrugged and said her goodbye's. Twilight and Fluttershy did the same, and the trio continued over the bridge.

"You really couldn't think of a different lie?" Twilight was slightly embarrased that he'd heard her.

"It worked didn't it?" None of them said anything else until they stepped inside Fluttershy's house.

"Whoa." Kelly took the sheets off to a mass of woodland creatures eyeballing him.

"Yeah." Twilight stood next to him. "Fluttershy loves and cares for virtually every living creature. Her cutie mark is proof of that."

"Wait, you said beauty mark, right?"

"No not beauty, cutie mark." Kelly was going to facepalm, but he was starting to become passive of all of the 'girly' things this world flung every which way.

"And, just what is that?" Twilight turned to reveal her mark.

"It's what defines a pony's special talent or personality...something that makes them unique, and it's usually earned during fillyhood. Mine represents my love for magic and science alike." Kelly related Twilights mark to that of a twinkling star. "Do humans not bear cutie marks?" Kelly laughed.

"Nope, can't say we do." They heard Fluttershy from the other room.

"Um...guys, he's in here." Kelly and Twilight entered to find Daniel asleep on a bed way too short for him, his legs hanging over the foot of the bed. A wrap of gauze bandaged his right arm, and left calf.

"What happened to him?" Kelly asked.

"A manticore got a hold of him. I was just tending to my chickens, when I heard a loud roar that was really close to the entrance of the forest." Fluttershy pointed to the mass of trees outside the window. "I got scared...but didn't think much of it until I heard somepony scream for help. I rushed to see what was happening, and when I got there, Daniel here was pinned down by a manticore." Fluttershy's voice grew slightly louder as she told of her bravery.

"Don't mean to interrupt, but whats a manticore?" Kelly pondered. Twilight answered.

"It's a fearsome predator. It has a lion's upper body, gargantuan bat-like wings, and a scorpion's stinger."

"Jeez..." Kelly screwed up his face trying to imagine the clusterfuck of an animal. Fluttershy continued her story.

"Anyway, the manticore was just about to...kill him...and of course I couldn't just stand by and watch a defenseless creature be killed! I didn't know why the manticore was there in the first place. They don't usually wander so close the the entrance of the Everfree. I tried reasoning with him, but when he got aggressive...I was forced to use...the stare..."

"The stare?" Kelly asked.

"I didn't want to! It was a last resort!" Fluttershy acted as though she'd committed a crime.

"'The stare' is one of Fluttershy's special talents. She can put animals in a trance-like state, and and even sometimes command them."

"Huh...that's actually pretty cool Fluttershy." Kelly admired the timid pegasi's bravery. Even if it was something he'd never expect her to do.

"Oh...really...it was nothing." Fluttershy brought her voice back down to her usual pitch.

"And he's been asleep since then?" Twilight walked over examining the bandages.

"Yes. When the manticore had returned to the forest, I brought him back here. He was really heavy, but I couldn't just leave him there. He was bleeding pretty bad from his foreleg, and hindleg. I stopped the bleeding and patched him up, but he has yet to stir." Twilight started to pace.

"Well we need to help him wake up. maybe he can help me get more insight for humans." Fluttershy objected.

"I don't know Twilight...he's still hurt...I'm not even sure if he can walk properly."

"It's okay, Fluttershy. If we can at least get him to the market in town, I can just teleport us to my house."

"You can teleport others too?" Kelly asked intrigued. Twilight gave him a curt nod. "Heh...'beam me up Scotty.'" Kelly joked to himself. Both ponies looked confused as he chuckled. "It's nothing...human joke." They shrugged.

"I don't know about this Twilight."

"Please Fluttershy." Twilight begged. "This is the findings of a new species in Equestria! I want to learn as much as I can from them." Fluttershy still looked uncertain. "Pretty please?" Fluttershy sighed.

"Okay Twilight, but only because it means so much to you." Twilight bounced around in glee.

"Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"But how do we wake him up?" Fluttershy asked. Without saying anything, Kelly walked towards the bed, and stood over Daniel. A smirk spread across his face. He then turned his back to the bed, and plopped himself hard on Daniel's stomach, using his butt. He bounced back to his feet as Daniel started sputtering and wheezing. Fluttershy put a hoof over her mouth, and Twilight yelled.

"Kelly?! What the hay?!"

"What?! He does that crap to me all the time!" Kelly retorted, defending his actions. Once Daniel could catch his breath, he mumbled.

"You asshole..." He didn't open his eyes, but knew exactly who he was talking to. He coughed a couple more times before he spoke again. "Dude, Kelly. I had the weirdest dream."

"Oh, yeah? Well don't open your eyes unless you want things to get a lot weirder." Daniel, did in fact open his eyes, and sat up.

"What do you me-" He stopped mid-sentence, and stared at the ponies that stood next to his best friend. He rubbed his eyes furiously, but the unicorn and pegasus were still there when he checked again. He then noticed the gauze on his arm, and a slight stinging sensation in his calf. Kelly was the first to start explaining everything he knew. Soon Twilight and Fluttershy chimed in, and all three of them took turns telling Daniel about Ponyville, how Fluttershy saved him, Equestria, who the ponies before him were, cutie marks, etc.

Once they had brought him completely up to date he shook his head, stood up and rubbed his temple. His knee started to buckle from his calf injury, but he took some weight off of it and stood properly. Upon examination, Twilight noticed Daniel was a few inches taller than Kelly, and had a bit more bulk. His 'mane' was just a bit shorter than Kelly's and was pushed up in the middle from his forehead all the way back His eyes were a medium brown, and his facial features were similar to Kelly's. His skin tone was slightly darker. He was wearing a black T-shirt, with jeans that were similar to Kelly's. On his feet were mostly black sneakers, with small shades of white. Daniel didn't recognize Twilight nor Fluttershy. His mind had been effected the same way as Kelly's.

"I'm dreaming." He said blankly, not addressing anyone in particular. Kelly put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"Daniel...as your friend for four years, please, don't do the whole denial thing. I need you to come to terms that you are not dreaming." Kelly wore the most serious looke he could muster. Daniel wasn't sure what to think, he just thought about what his friend told him. "Besides, if you were dreaming, this wouldn't hurt." Kelly then smacked his fist into Daniel's shoulder, bringing his punch all the way through to make sure Daniel felt it.

"Ow!" Daniel wasn't expecting the assault, but quickly returned the favor with a jab to Kelly's midsection.

"AH! MMM...dude...dont hit me there! That's where the bruise is!" Kelly backed up and lifted his shirt to reveal a decently sized yellowish mark on his side.

"Oh my." Gasped Fluttershy. "Here, lemme get you something for that." She returned later with an ice pack. "Here you go." She said with a warm smile. "Just hold this on there for a bit."

"Thanks Fluttershy." He smiled back, and caught her blush.

"Kelly." Daniel started in. "How the hell did we get here?" Kelly turned to him.

"Don't you remember that strange light in the living room?" Daniel recalled trying to escape the blinding aura just to lose conscieneness only moments later. He then told everyone that the next thing he remembered was waking up in a forest, only to be near mince-meat for the manticore that Fluttershy had described.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Twilight asked.

"Go where?" said Daniel.

"Back to my house. I was hoping you and Kelly could help me with my research on humans." Daniel looked skeptical. But Kelly reassured him.

"C'mon man, she's a nice gal. Besides its strangley enjoyable being able to explain your entire species to someone. Makes you feel like a genius." He wasn't being serious with the last sentence, he was just trying to get Daniel to laugh.

"Didn't you say we should try to remain inconspicuous?" Daniel asked Twilight. Twilight gave Fluttershy a nod.

"*Sigh, I'll go undo my bed..."

"Keep moving you guys, if we run into Rainbow again, I don't think she's going to buy my 'cousin' story a second time." Daniel asked Kelly what she was talking about, be he told him not to worry about it. "I can see the market from here, were home free." Twilight had spoken too soon. Just as they were nearing the first stands, Daniel's leg started acting up.

"Nnng." He stifled a loud grunt, and tried to correct his stumble. But in the process, he bumped into Kelly, causing him to catch his foot on his own disguise and trip, and causing himself to recoil and fall flat on his back. The sheets flattened beneath them like picnic blankets, and they were now fully exposed. Kelly attempted to quickly get up and recover himself, but to no avail. Both humans stood to find dozens upon dozens of eyes locked onto them like heat-seeking missiles. Twilight gave a quiet "Oh no," and bowed her head, knowing her chance at getting to have even one of her 100 questions answered was gone...just like that.

The humans couldn't do anything but stand like museum artifacts, as each and every pony and stallion gawked, never blinking. A blood curdling scream could be heard throughout the entire market...

man...feels like this first chapter took an eternity, but maybe thats because it was mostly just dialogue and stage setting for Kelly and Daniel. I hope you guys don't mind that too much. I promise, once we get further into the story, it will get much more exciting!

Chapter 2: A Date With Royalty

The Shadow Messenger climbed the scorched rocks, and dead plants, praying for mercy that his master didn't end him where he stood after delivering his unfortunate news. The Dark Lord came into view, and as if on cue, a bolt of lightning struck in the background illuminating the blood-red sky and black swirling clouds. The Shadow Master grinned as he watched his minion approach. He was ready for the satisfaction of being told of how the humans he'd summoned had put his enemies in a state of emergency, allowing him a window of opportuniy to reclaim his sieged tablet. The messenger stopped, and dared not approach any further until his master allowed him to do so.

"Step forward." He motioned a bony dark finger. The puny shadow was only good for sending and recieving news and messages. He wasn't tall and built like the Shadow Soldiers or Behemoths. "What news do you bring?" The Dark Lord was now smiling uncontrollably. Finally, he would endulge in the suffering of Celestia and her subjects.

"Well m-m-master..." The messenger studdered with overwhelming fear. "...I-it seems that the...humans you brought here...a-a-aren't as...um...vicious...as you originally...thought." The Dark Lord's smile quickly dissolved, and he gestured for the messenger to continue. "And there seems to be a-a-another issue...um...n-now I may be m-mistaken but...there was only o-one human when I was...spying." The Shadow Master's clothes began to animate, and sway in anger.

"How is this possible?"

"I-I'm sorry...master...b-but I saw no other humans! Just the one!" The messenger sounded as if he might burst into tears.

"The book is full of LIES!" He shouted. His tattered robe illuminated red, and began to thrash violently. His eyes glowed an eerie orange, and a black flame rose from his shoulders and back, matching his ebony body.

"PLEASE MASTER...FORGIVE ME! I ONLY WANTED GOOD NEWS TO BRING!" The messenger waited to be engulfed in total darkness, and welcome his death. It never came. He opened his eyes to see his master walk over to a book laid on a stack of debris, his cloak hiding his feet, giving him the illusion of hovering. Seething with rage, he grabbed the book and clenched it tightly. The title read,

Monsters of Wonder : Studies of the Human Race

But the title soon became wisps of ash along with the rest of the book, as the Shadow Lord steadily burned it with his black inferno. The smolding embers fell like fireflies, and the enraged tyrant fixed his gaze on the messenger. The small shadow trembled so fearfully, he thought he might die of fright before his master could torture him. The dark tyrant soon towered over the helpless minion, and grasped him by the cloth of his brown hood. He brought the messenger up to his own face, hidden in darkness by his glowing-red hood. The messenger began to wail uncontrollably, spouting incoherent apologies. The Dark Lord's hood returned to a darker shade of red, his orange eyes faded, and the flames that danced around him extinguished. The cries of the messenger stopped, and his master laughed almost maniacally.

"Do you take me as such a FOOL to spend all these centuries plotting, and not have a back up plan?" He stared into the messenger, his gaze almost burning a hole into him, until he let go, and the small shadow fell and landed awkwardly. "While the humans were a longshot, I have something else prepared, something more...fail-safe." He extended his scrawny arm completely and pointed to a group of foot hills and mountains in the distance. "Tell the Captain to light the urns for the assault on Ponyville. Our time...has arrived." The messenger instantly stood, new vigor coursing through his shadow body, realizing he would live another day.

"Uh, yes! Yes! Right away Lord Ferindher! Thank you Lord Ferindher!" The messenger took off, not wanting to let his master down a second time.

After the small shadow was out of his sight, Ferindher returned to the place where he had scorched the book of human studies. He walked past the ashes, and reached for an object that shone with a dull blue light. It was a shard of some kind.

"So the human has befriended the town it seems. Well, this thing brought it here, perhaps it can send it back." Ferindher channeled whatever strength he had into the shard, but after using his power to summon the human here, he did not have enough to reverse the deed. "I suppose it will have to wait until I've restored my power." Ferindher scowled and resumed his thoughts as he sat down on his beaten throne watching the horizon. The sun would be up soon, and by midday, his armies would begin their march to Equestria. "Celestia will fall, and her subjects shall aid in the rebuilding of my empire."

Ponyville : One Week Earlier

Carousel Boutique

"Oh, Spiiiike." Rarity called.

"Yes, m'lady," Spike obediantly marched ready to do anything for the love of his life.

"Would you be a dear, and hand me that case with the amythists, I'm just putting on the final touches to my dress for the Gala." The Grand Galloping Gala, was one of the most prestigious paries a Pony could have the honor to attend. It was just six days away, and Rarity was determined to blow everypony away with her choice of fashion this year.

"Right away Rarity!" Spike zipped over to the case that rested on a counter next to an array of ribbons, thread, and a sewing machine. He was about to head back to his crush, when he noticed a group of ponies gathering in the market, as if some kind of meeting had been called. "What's going on out there?"

"Hm?" Rarity trotted to the window next to spike, and noticed two strange figures standing in the middle of the crowd. She squinted to try and see them better when at that moment, her and Spike heard a shattering scream from one of the ponies outside. They looked at one another with a frightened expression plastered on their faces. Then, simultaneously they headed out the door to investigate.

Sugarcube Corner

"ORDER UP!" Pinkie Pie bounced to the counter and back to get the cupcakes. She set them in front of the waiting stallion. "Here ya go mister! These ones are made special, cause the twins helped out alot." The stallion flinched as he saw one of the cupcakes was embedded with a binky. "Oops, sorry." Pinkie removed the binky and popped it back into Pumpkin Cake's mouth. She smiled at the frosting that was left on it.

"Alrighty, lets see. That'll be eight bits please." She smiled from ear to ear. The week ahead was laid out perfectly. She would get to help Applejack with repainting her shed, pull pranks with Rainbow Dash, plan a picnic with her friends, and to top it off, the Gala was less than a week away. She was also determined to fit a random song somewhere in that busy schedule, but nothing came...yet.

The customer reached into his saddle bag and brought out eight small gold coins, but when he turned to give them to Pinkie, she was staring out of the kitchen window with her mouth open in disbelief. "Is everypony having a party without me?!" The customer was getting impatient.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" But Pinkie ignored him, as she thought she saw two new visitors in Ponyville...but they didn't look like ponies at all. 'That doesn't matter!' She thought. 'Everypony deserves a welcome to Ponyville party.' Pinkie also wanted to get to the bottom of not being invited to a party in the market. "Excuse me! Miss?" Pinkie zipped back to the counter.

"You're good at foalsitting, right?" She asked him, forgetting that Mr. and Mrs. Cake were just in the other room.

"Uhh...I..." A scream could be heard from outside.

"Wow! It sounds like their having the best time out there!" Pinkie shuffled, eager to go outside and join in the fun. "The twins are in the kitchen, thanks again!" Pinkie bolted out of the door, leaving the stallion in a state of pure confusion. Mr. Cake walked in and sighed.

"I can get that for you."

Just outside of the market

"This has probly been one uh the best harvests ah ever did see. Wouldn't ya say so Big Mac?"

"Eeyup." Bic Mac nodded as him and his sister Applejack pulled two carts that consisted of multiple apple delicacies, as well as some freshly picked green, yellow, and red apples.

"Ah'm really glad Pinkie asked ta help with the shed. It woulda taken ferever if it were jus you an me." Big Mac frowned.

"Are ya sure her an that one Ranibow Dash ain't gon paint mah mane pink again?"

"Don't worry 'bout that big brother. Pinkie promised she wouldn't do nothin' like that this time." Big Mac huffed, but he trusted his sister. As they were about the turn the corner of the path to the market, a terrifying cry echoed through the town, and both Applejack's and her brother's ears pricked up in alarm. "Leave tha carts fer a bit, somepony's in trouble!" They unharnessed thier yokes from the apple carts while Big Mac left his around his neck. The two work horses took off towards the source of the scream.

Every pony there, including the humans, looked around trying to figure out who the scream had come from. Kelly could see some of the ponies and stallions clearing a path, making way for a light green blur that had the intent to maul the two bipedal beings with love. Kelly and Daniel saw the unicorn for no more than a second before she pounced, using Kelly as a landing cushion. Dust flew up underneath the blankets as Lyra stood on Kelly's stomach and pushed her muzzle into his face.

"OHWOW! OHMYGOSH! THEY ARE REAL! YOU LOOK SOOOO COOL! WHATS YOUR NAME? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? WHATS IT LIKE BEING HUMAN? MAN, THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!" Her eyes were so wide and up close, Kelly thought her stare might swallow him whole. She brought her head up and raised a hoof, sweeping it along the crowd. "I FREAKIN' TOLD YOU ALL THEY WERE REAL! NOW WHOS LAUGHING?!" Lyra got off Kelly, and skidded to a stop in front of Daniel. She examined his short black hair.

"I reeeeaaally like your mane!" She smiled at Daniel, waiting for his response to her compliment.

"Um, thank you?" Lyra started giggling uncontrollably and her face turned a bright red. All at the same time, Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and even Rainbow Dash appeared at the scene.

"What in tarnations goin' on here?" Applejack was the first to speak

"YES! I'm not too late! Why didn't anypony invite me?" Pinkie whined.

"Oh my...what are those things?" Rarity pointed a hoof at the humans, one standing, and the other dusting itself off.

"Apparently their Twilight's 'cousins'." Dash frowned, untrusting of these weird creatures.

"Please, everypony, let me explain." Twilight pleaded. Fluttershy remained quiet while murmurs of intrigue and fear rippled through the crowd.

"Look at those hooves."

"Doesn't that kill their backs?"

"They don't look very friendly."

"They're bald all except for their mane."

"They look funny." Pinkie laughed, and snorted like a pig. "Let's make it a 'Welcome to Ponyville slash weirdest looking creature in Equestria' party!"

"Twilight, what the heck is going on?" Spike said, but his voice was drowned out by the chatter of nearly everypony in the market. Small arguments even broke out disputing whether the humans were friendly, if they should be turned in to the Princess, and a few other insignificant topics. Dash had to yell, so her voice could be heard over all the others.

"Why were you hiding them Twilight?!"

"Twilight, your friends with these things?!" Rarity added.

"Did they come from tha Everfree?!" Applejack shouted. Daniel's head spun, everyone around him was either shouting, arguing, or both. He couldn't think straight. He turned to Kelly who was being shelled by more questions from Lyra. He closed his eyes tight. He had to take control of the situation.

"QUIET!!!" He screeched as loud as he could. The market was dead silent. Even Pinkie had stopped bouncing. Lyra sat as if she was given the command to. All eyes were on Daniel, and he felt a trickle of sweat on his forehead. He despised public speaking. "Listen all of you. My name...is Daniel, and this is my friend Kelly. We are humans." There was a long pause as Daniel struggled to think of what to say next. "Whatever you might think of us...please know that we are not here to hurt anybody." Some of the ponies raised a brow. 'That must mean anypony' they thought.

"Where did y'all come from?" Applejack spoke. Daniel turned to her, and felt something strange within himself, much like Kelly had felt when he saw Fluttershy.

"Um...were from...planet Earth?" Daniel wasn't sure how to answer. He at least didn't think he was on the same planet anymore.

"Ooh, ooh! You mean just like 'earth' ponies?" Pinkie asked, bouncing towards Daniel, and meeting his eyes in between hops. Pinkie Pie had always made Daniel uneasy when he saw her on the show.

"She's smiling all the Goddamn time. You know she's just bottling up whatever anger comes over her." Kelly tried explaining to Daniel that Pinkie was happy so often cause she enjoyed hanging out with her friends, which just happened to be everyone. "She still creeps me out..." It also didn't help that one of the few episodes Daniel had seen included 'Party of One.' Now Daniel was becoming uneasy with her since his personal space was being invaded.

"Um...not exactly...it's just what our planet's called." He nervously stepped back, putting some distance between him and Pinkie. Rainbow Dash was glaring daggers at the humans.

"You say you have no intentions to hurt us, but why should we believe you?" Dash scoffed. Twilight spoke up.

"He's telling the truth Rainbow. I found Kelly earlier today, and not only didn't he act hostile, but he even allowed me to study him." Dash crossed her hooves, still not convinced, but remained silent.

"Excuse me darling," Rarity was addressing Daniel. "But whatever did you do to yourself?" Daniel raised his bandaged arm for all to see.

"Apparently I was attacked by something called a manticore." There were a few gasps, and mumbles of awe and concern.

"I-its true..." Fluttershy said barely above a whisper. "I had to save him...and hes not a bad person..." Fluttershy was lightly dragging a hoof along the ground.

"Just what is going on here?" A new voice spoke with authority. The crowd parted to reveal a cream coated earth pony with a silver frizzy mane.

"It's the Mayor," some of the ponies in the crowd stated. The Mayor's eyes rested on Kelly and Daniel, but before she could speak, Twilight and her friends filled her in on everything Daniel had told them.

"I see." The Mayor wore no obvious expression, and just studied the humans a moment longer before she said, "The Princess must know of this immediately. Ms. Hooves, are you here?" Just as she asked, a gray coated, blonde maned pegasus hovered over to the Mayor. Kelly took notice of her appearance, and took a knee to whisper to Twilight.

"Who's that...and...why are her eyes like that?"

"Thats Derpy Hooves, she's a nice mare. As for her eyes, nopony really knows, but she can see well enough...kinda. She's the mailmare here in town." Kelly looked somewhat disgusted.

"Really? Is that like the town's idea of a cruel joke?" Twilight didn't bother to answer, and Kelly stood again.

"Reporting for duty Mayor!" Derpy brought a foreleg over her head in a saluting fashion.

"Ms. Hooves, I need you to form a letter based on these human's presence here in Ponyville and deliver it to the Princess. Perhaps she might know more about them."

"They even have a Princess?" Daniel looked to Kelly, but Twilight responded.

"Yes, Princess Celestia. Shes the ruler of this land, and presides in Equestria's capitol of Canterlot. She faced towards the city on the mountainside, while Kelly and Daniel followed her gaze. Daniel put his face in his hands.

"A pony...Princess...Kelly, this place is going to be the death of me, and its not because of the wildlife."

"You can count on me Mayor!" Derpy took off for the post office.

"As for you two," The Mayor turned to Daniel and Kelly. "In the meantime, I believe there's a vacant home on the edge of town. Your welcome to stay there until we can sort this out."

"That won't be necessary Mayor." Twilight stepped forward. "They can stay with me for the time being." The Mayor raised a brow.

"Are ya sure 'bout that Twi?" Applejack objected. "You'de be willin' to let'em sleep in yer house?" Twilight nodded.

"These two are just as decent company as anypony else. I trust they have no faulty intentions whatsoever." Twilight was determined to show that nopony had any reason to be scared of Kelly nor Daniel.

"I agree with Twilight." Fluttershy added. "They kinda look intimidating, but their actually nice once you get to know them." Fluttershy started awkwardly scraping her hoof on the ground again, but gave a warm smile to the two she defended. Kelly and Daniel felt really happy that they had gained the trust of some of the ponies they met. Maybe they could make some great new friends if anything. Kelly gave a wry smile.

"Thank you Twilight, Fluttershy. That's means a lot."

"Yes, thank you guys." Daniel added, smiling as well.

"Well, s'ppose if you gals trust'em then ah can too." Applejack trotted up and held out her hoof. "Names Applejack, nice to have y'all." Kelly and Daniel gave their thanks and shook. " And this here's mah brother, Big Macintosh." At the mention of his name, Big Mac smiled and nodded at the two humans, and they returned the gesture.

"I'm Pinkie Pie! Oh, I just know that we'll be the best of friends! We'll throw lots of parties, play lots of games! I wonder what kind of games humans play? Do you guys like tag, or pin the tail on the pony? Ooh, ooh, I know! I'll go get my party can-" Applejack put a hoof to Pinkie's mouth.

"Easy does it sugarcube." Daniel was still unsure about Pinkie, but he smiled to her anyway. Kelly got a kick out of her hyper antics, and said he couldn't wait to play with her. At this, Pinkie lost it, and Kelly laughed even harder.

"Ahem, Rarity...charmed." Kelly and Daniel shook once again. "Its lovely to have you boys, but we might need to do something about that attire." The boys looked at each other followed by their clothes.

"I'm Rainbow Dash : fastest flier in Equestria." The arrogance in her tone was all too noticable, but the humans were still impressed by her swift maneuvers. "Maybe I misjudged you guys, you seem cool." Daniel shrugged.

"Don't sweat it."

"Yeah, its all good." Kelly and Daniel were glad to get the formalities out of the way. Now they wouldn't have to sneak around town like a couple of fugitives.

"Well that settles it then, you two are officially welcomed to Ponyville. I must return to City Hall, and perhaps check in with Derpy about that letter. Good day everypony." Everyone gave their goodbyes to the Mayor and the humans, some even stopping to shake hooves with them. Lyra gave each one a hug, thanking them for their existence. She was a rather obsessive pony, but it felt good to be loved for what you are...literally. After the market had dispersed, all who remained were Kelly, Daniel, and the elements.

"Me an Big Mac best be gett'n along. We've still got some apples ta sell."

"I'm finally off cloud duty, so I'm gonna head home, see ya guys."

"Yes, I really must get back to work on our dresses for the Gala. Ta ta."

"I should head home too. Its nearly dinnertime, and Angel Bunny gets really reeaally cranky if hes not fed."

"Alright then. Spike, Kelly, Daniel, and I are heading back to the Library. The Princess will no doubt want an audience with you two right away, but if its no trouble, I'd like to ask at least a few questions before she takes you off my hooves." Kelly and Daniel said they didn't mind and everyone left the clearing of the market. Everyone except Pinkie Pie who put on a sad face.

"Awwwww...but we didn't even get to play."

"You live in a library?" Daniel looked around with a questioning look.

"After everything you've seen today, a library as a home surprises you!" Kelly brought his arms up emphasizing the massive amount of events that have taken place. They both walked over to Spike who was sitting on the couch, while Twilight was preparing dinner.

"Sup little dude." Kelly said as he plopped on the couch.

"Oh, hi guys...what were your names again?" Kelly and Daniel re-introduced themselves, Spike did the same.

"So Spike," Daniel started. "You know what we are, but what exactly are you supposed to be?" Spike stood, and raised his chin in pride.

"I'm a dragon, a fierce firebreathing predator." Spike did his best hiss, and struck a pose. He couldn't wait to show how terrifying he was. Maybe these humans would provide the respect he desired for being a fearsome beast. The two started grinning, and giggling

"No offense man, but you're pretty...tiny for a dragon." Spike scowled and looked at Kelly with the intent to maul.

"Oh Yeah?! I bet I could take you!" He charged at Kelly, claws first. Kelly casually held up an arm, and held Spike back, who continued to just run in place.

"Calm down small fry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"C'mon, I'll show you a thing or two ya oversized chimp!" Kelly and Daniel chuckled

"Spike, don't take it to the heart. You might not be a fearsome dragon now, but one day if you work at it, I'll bet even the largest manticore will tremble in fear at the sight of you." Kelly had to calm him down somehow.

"You really mean that?"

"Yeah dude, just think, Spike...king of the dragons." Danel added in. Spike put his claws together, and his eyes gleamed at the thought of being one of the most awesome sights Equestria had ever seen.

"Wow, that would be soooo cool. Then I could show those jerky teenage dragons whose boss." Twilight called from the kitchen.

"Dinner!"

"Thanks again for making us dinner, Twilight." Kelly said.

"It was no trouble."

"Yeah, but would it be okay if I...took the daisies off?"

"You dont like daisies? Would you prefer lilies?" Daniel chimed in.

"Humans can't really digest flowers."

"Oh...well I have some fruits or veggies if you can eat those." They nodded at the same time, and Twilight returned with a basket of assorted fruit. Daniel spotted a certain crimson round delicacy, and for a split second lost control of his actions.

"I FUCKING LOVE APPLES!" He shouted as he greedily grabbed the red juicy treat. He was just about to bite down when he saw Kelly facepalming and Twilight and Spike eyeballing him in shock. "Uh...heh...sorry about swearing. I just...really like apples." Daniel could feel his face growing red.

"Um, its okay. Just please don't make a habit of it." Twilight tilted her head toward Spike, and Daniel nodded frantically. After a few moments of silent noms, Daniel spoke up again.

"Hey dude, does your phone have any charge?" Daniel asked Kelly.

"Yeah, I think so." Kelly pulled out his touchscreen and pressed the power button. "Its 6:26 (pm) and I've got four bars left on my battery. How about you?"

"My phone's fully charged." Then Daniel got an idea. He spoke it before thinking about what he was actually implying. "Hey! Why don't you call your grandparents, and tell...them..." Daniel suddenly realized how rediculous the notion was, but before he could rebuke it, Kelly gave him a look that said 'surely your not serious.'

"Oh Yeah, lemme just get a hold of my service provider, and check if I get coverage across alternate realities."

"It was an honest mistake...dickhead." Daniel muttered the last word under his breath, trying not to corrupt the baby dragon.

"What is that thing for Kelly?" Twilight was eager to learn. Kelly guessed that Equestria was void of modern technology. He didn't bother going into apps or the internet. He put it as simply as he could.

"It allows us to call each other, and communicate from long distances." Twilight didn't look impressed.

"What makes it so different from sending parchment's?" Daniel answered.

"We can hear each others voices through them, so the exchange of information is much quicker." Now Twilight was intrigued.

"Fascinating. Do all humans have one?"

"Most do, but they're pretty expensive." Idle chit chat consumed the rest of dinner, and when they had all finished. They gathered in the living room.

"Spike would you please grab a parchment and quill? Kelly, Daniel, would you kindly take a seat?" Everyone did as they were asked. Spike nodded to Twilight, showing her he was ready. But before Twilight could get a word an edge wise, she was yet again interrupted. The door to the library smashed open as two burley stallions wearing body armor entered armed with steele spears. Everyone jumped in surprise, and the stallions eyes landed on the two hostiles.

"There they are! Sieze them!" The two guards charged the humans, and shoved their spears to the alien's necks without touching them. Kelly and Daniel put their hands in the air the same if someone was aiming a gun at them.

"Wait! Please don't hurt them!" Twilight pleaded. Daniel gave Kelly a stern look mouthing through clenched teeth, 'We can take these wimps.' But Kelly shook his head mouthing back, 'No, let's just see what they want.' Daniel wanted to show these tiny horses just what a human could do when cornered, but even he knew it wouldn't be good in the long run if they started a brawl.

"Twilight Sparkle," the guard holding a spear to Daniel started. "Her Majesty has ordered you to gather the other five elements, and seek an audience with her. As for these two..." His gaze met Daniels with pure hatred. Daniel returned it with just as much intensity. ..."They are under arrest for the endangerment of Ponyville."

"WHAT?!" Kelly shouted. "We've done nothing to hurt anyone here!"

"SILENCE!" The guard in front of Kelly commanded. Kelly was seriously considering Daniel's method.

"Twilight, say something!" Daniel said. She was just about to vouch for them when the guard interrupted.

"What she has to say doesn't matter. These are direct orders from the Princess, and they will be executed." The guards proceeded to cuff their hands. They worked just like human cuffs, except two extra clasps dangled from their wrists that would've been used for their hindlegs. The sun was setting as they escorted the humans to the enclosed barred carriage.

"This is bullshit." Kelly objected.

"Silence!" The guard behind him gave him a light kick, knocking him into the carriage, and onto his stomach. Before taking off with the prisoners, one of the guards approached Twilight.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to them, right?" Twilight had known them for only half of a day, but was genuinly concerned.

"They'll be put in a holding cell, until you and the elements arrive. The Princess demands an audience in her throne room. There, she will interrogate the humans, with you six present to listen as to why they are dangerous."

"But that's simply not true! They're no danger to anypony!"

"I'm sorry Ms. Sparkle. I am simply following orders. The Princess would like the meeting to be tonight. Please gather the elements and head to the entrance of the town. A charriot escort will be waiting for you." Without another word, the guard strapped himself to the carriage next to his partner, and they took off towards Equestria's capitol, with Kelly and Daniel in tow. The boys felt themselves being lifted in the carriage. They looked out of the bars to see the ground being left far behind. It was their first flight in Equestria...straight to a jail cell.

Chapter 3: Settling in

Just a warning...near the beginning, the chapter's a bit...dark, and the dialouge is a bit more raunchy...have fun!

"They just barged in and arrested them?!" Fluttershy panted as her and her friends rushed to the charriot.

"Yeah, they told them they were under arrest for the endangerment of Ponyville."

"But, ah don't understand. They did nothin' wrong from what ah could see."

"What does the Princess want us there for?" Dash asked as she flew overhead.

"The guard told me she wants to explain to us why their dangerous. I still don't see how she's going to do that."

"Wow, after this I'm gonna have to put together a 'Welcome to Ponyville slash weirdest looking creature in Equestria slash got to meet the Princess on their first day here' party." Pinkie said all in one breath.

"Oooh. All this running is terrible for my hooficure." Rarity whi-I mean...complained.

"Rarity focus. Kelly and Daniel need our help!"

"Your right Twilight, they seemed to be behaved gentlemen. I just hope whatever the Princess wants with them, that she'll listen to reason."

"Don't worry, I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding." Fluttershy said as they neared their escort.

"You have to listen to me, there has to be some misunderstanding!" The guard simply ignored Kelly as he pushed him into the cell with Daniel close behind. They removed the cuffs and locked the door.

"You two will remain here until further notice."

"Enjoy your stay." One of the guards said with a smirk. Daniel glared at him with fire in his eyes. The guards left, leaving the boys in musty candlelight.

"Welcome to Ponyville alright. This is just fan-fuckin'-tastic." Daniel spat, as he sat with his head down.

"Don't worry dude, I'm sure Twilight and the others are on their way right now to settle this whole matter."

"They're only coming cause that Princess bitch told them to."

"Hey! If Twilight was kind enough to open her home to us, then I know she'll stand up for our case. I bet the others will too."

"Please." Daniel rolled his eyes. "She only let us stay so she could ask us questions, and...dissect us or whatever." Kelly frowned at him.

"Okay, A. you're a sick-minded kid. B. you're wrong. Twilight's not like that, and niether are her friends." Daniel stood.

"Why are you so sure of them?! You've only known them for a few hours!" Kelly looked to the door the guards had exited through.

"I can't explain it. Its just that...I have a good feeling about them. Somehow I know their good peo-...ponies. I trust that they'll try their best." Daniel wanted to argue otherwise, but he knew Kelly had a strange knack for surrounding himself with the right crowd. His instincts when it came to trusting others were usually correct.

"I still think we could've kicked their asses." Kelly turned to him.

"Oh yeah, then what? Run away? To where? The next town over...if there even is one. Or no, I know, how about back to the forest?" Kelly pointed at Daniel's bandages. Daniel just rubbed his arm and looked away. Kelly sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. But if you ask me, I think we've made the best of a fucked up situation." Daniel looked around the cell, and scoffed.

"I'd hate to see what you'd call the worst." There were a few minutes of silence. "Whats this Princess' beef with us anyway?" Kelly shrugged.

"I don't know. She's probably worried for her citizens, seeing as how a couple of creatures that have never been seen here just suddenly popped up out of nowhere." Daniel rubbed his wrists where the cuffs had chafed.

"Well shit, all she had to do was ask." A few more minutes passed. "Y'know, we've been missing for hours now. Our families are probably worried sick."

"Maybe, but what can we do about it? We don't even know how we got here, let alone how to get back."

"Maybe that almighty Princess can help us there." Kelly wasn't sure why Daniel thought that, but he didn't press it any further.

"Yeah, maybe." Niether spoke again. After several more minutes, the doors to the dungeons creaked open.

"The elements have arrived. Follow us to the throneroom, and no funny business." Kelly and Daniel were cuffed once again, and walked in front of the guards where they could keep an eye on them, and directed them to Celestia's throne. The guards opened a large detailed door and the boys were met with a long red carpet leading to the center of the room where Celestia resided. She was larger than the other ponies the boys had met, and probably stood about as tall as Kelly. Her mane seemed to flow in a non-existent breeze, and consisted of several colors like Dash's, but brighter.

Next to her sat a very dark coated pony, with hair that slowly whirled to the side in the same fashion. Only her hair was literally the night sky. Daniel gawked when he thought he saw the big dipper in her mane.

"Bring the prisoners forth." Celestia instructed. The boys walked down the carpet, and saw Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie standing off to the side prepared to listen to the dangers the human posed. "Before we begin, me and my sister Luna must finish with the dusk." Both her and her sister's horns began to glow, and as they did, the boys noticed the sun setting faster than usual. They could make out the faintest stars. Celestia sat on her throne, with her sister close by. Both Princess' remained still, studying the humans.

Both boys stood awkwardly, constantly shifting their eyes down, then back to the Princess.' They soon saw that the Princess' possessed both a unicorn's horn, as well as a pegasi's wings.

"Have any of you ever seen one of them before?" Celestia was addressing the elements. They all nodded.

"We met them earlier today."

"No, I mean before you met them. Have you ever seen a human before?" Now they were shaking their heads. "Have you ever heard of a human before?" Again, they shook their heads. "There isn't much you need to know. Besides the fact that their extremely dangerous." Celestia never took her eyes off of the boys. "Luna, if you would." Luna began levitating a green and yellow book to her sister, and Celestia took over the magical influence. She brought the book over to Twilight.

"Monsters of Wonder : Studies of the Human Race." Twilight stated the cover out loud. "By Star Swirl the Bearded." The mane six gathered to eye the novel as Twilight skimmed the pages.

"Long ago, during one of his travels, Star Swirl had documented a strange finding on the outer reaches of Equestria before it was even founded, thousands of years ago." Luna was giving the lecture. "They were very unintellectual beings, but Star Swirl was intrigued and continued to do research over a few days. He recorded their social habits first." Celestia continued from there.

"He became incredibly interested when he heard that they could speak Equestrian. Granted, not fluently, but just well enough in short abridged sentences. He overheard them call themselves 'humans,' and hastily recorded his finding of a new species. He couldn't be happier, he would return home with a legendary document to publish." Luna took over.

"But he discovered on the second day, to his horror, that these humans included...woodland animals...and livestock in their diet." The mane six gasped and looked to Kelly and Daniel. Daniel looked at each of them, not sure how to defend himself. Kelly looked at Fluttershy, betrayal in her eyes. He felt like his heart might shatter.

"Its just...a natural human function." Daniel spoke up.

"Well, it is not something we would expect...or tolerate from a somewhat civilized race, no matter how semi-intellectual." Celestia retorted. "Predators, and vicious monsters such as the ones in the Everfree perhaps, but a species that can forge a community, and thrive from understanding...it just doesn't make sense to us why they would include flesh in their diet."

"Savages." Luna whispered, but Kelly had heard her.

"Star Swirl was appalled, but conducted further studies." Celestia pressed forward. Twilight had already set down the book; there wasn't a whole lot to read. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight were fixed on the Princess,' intend on hearing everything that incriminated the very friends they had come to defend. Dash glared at the humans without facing in their direction, while Fluttershy silently cried distraught over the fate of those poor woodland critters.

"The humans also waged war...quite often. On the third day, Star Swirl recorded witnessing four minor conflicts with a neighboring colony, with bloody aftermaths, all in one day. He said it was one of the most heartbreaking sights he was ever so unfortunate to see."

"What were the fights about?" Rarity asked with a serious tone.

"He was never able to determine that." Luna answered. "It didn't seem to be about anything significant. After the battles were over, they just...left the bodies to rot. No honor, no burial, just meaningless death." She wore a look of pure dread. The ponies faces were almost void of color, imagining all of the decay.

"The last thing he put down were how extremely territorial they were, right after they chased him off and nearly killed him of course." Celestia finished the grim history lesson.

"We are sure these cretens are no different aside from the way they dress." Luna scoffed

"We have names." Kelly was getting fed up with being put down. Luna showed her teeth, and was just about to use her Royal Canterlot voice when Celestia stopped her.

"State them." She said blankly.

"Kelly."

"Daniel."

"Well, Kelly and Daniel; would you like to explain why you are so far from your vicious tribe?" Luna asked.

"Were not from any tribe. And we speak 'Equestrian' just fine." Daniel answered.

"Well if your not from one of those tribes, then how did you get here?" Celestia pondered. Daniel answered again.

"That's what we'd like to know. The last thing we saw was a light, before we woke up here." Celestia nodded at Daniel's arm and leg.

"What are those injuries from?" Daniel was getting tired of having to explain his wounds.

"Manticore." The Princess' looked slightly stunned.

"You withstood a manticore on your own?"

"Ha. T'was a newborn at best." Luna taunted. Daniel ignored her comment.

"No, it looked fully grown, and it would've killed me...if it hadn't been for Fluttershy." The shy pegasus was wiping away the last of her tears.

"I want to scan your memories." Celestia stated. The boys deadpanned.

"Scan...our memories? You can do that?" Kelly asked. Celestia nodded.

"If what you say is true, then I should find no recollection of affiliation with the humans that preside far from Equestria. I may even be able to find out how you ended up here." Daniel and Kelly looked at one another, but they didn't have much choice. If they refused, it would just make matters worse than they already were. They nodded, and Celestia stepped down towards them. "Hold still." She instructed. As her horn glowed and hovered between them, all three of their minds were fused together as Celestia began her journey through their psyches.

She began on the day Daniel and Kelly had met. Daniel had moved from someplace called 'Florida', and to the place where Kelly presided; 'Washington.' She began cycling through the months asking the boys different questions about their surroundings.

"Can't the others hear us?"

"No, our minds are temporarily intertwinded. Simply think, and I will hear you." The boys explained the fundamentals of their school, their families, their various passtimes...until Celestia came upon an unsettling sight. "Those humans...are in a box? And their...slaughtering one another?!" Kelly and Daniel recognized multiple memories at once, consisting of Call of Duty, Gears of War, and several other violent games they now wished they hadn't played. Celestia began to break the link.

"Princess, WAIT!" Daniel pleaded. "Don't tell the others, I swear we can explain clearly what you are seeing." Celestia knew these humans weren't like the ones in Star Swirl's book...she gave them a life line.

"Proceed." She said in a grim tone. Kelly and Daniel did their best to explain how the humans Celestia saw weren't real, but were just fictional characters like those of a story book, and that they were feeling no pain whatsoever. That is was all just for entertainment purposes.

"That's just sickening."

"Were sorry Princess, but I swear on my life that me nor Daniel have ever truly taken the life of another human." Kelly confided. Celestia said she didn't understand why this would entertain anypony, but as she delved deeper, she found something she didn't expect. Love and care. While the humans still obtained primal notions, they also vesseled friendship and understanding. Not just for each other, but others that they saw at school, and their families as well. Aside from the humans in the box, there was no blood, no killing, no hate. They seemed to live neutral, content lives, all without chaos. Perhaps...there was hope for them.

Celestia had finally made it to February of 2012, where she began seeing frequent gaps in their memories; mostly Kelly's.

"Why can't I view these thoughts?"

"I...I don't know...I think this happened when me and Daniel arrived here. I can't remember what goes here..." Celestia soon brought herself to the moment just before the boys had began watching 'T.V.'

"How 'bout Family Guy?"

"Nah...seen this one a million times, and I don't even think I'm exagerating."

"What about Regular Show?" Soon after that, there was yet another gap. After the blank momory parted, Celestia saw Daniel and Kelly looking into an increasingly bright light.

"W-whoa...uh, Kelly...w-whats it doing?"

"What do you mean, is it...fixed? W-what the fuck?!" Celestia watched as the light became harsher.

"The hell did you do?!"

"Nothing! I just checked to make sure all of the cords were still in place!" Celestia had to strain her eyes to see what was happening.

"C'mon, c'mon! Outside!" Seconds later, the thought process in their world ended.

"Thats all we remember. In terms of getting here anyway." Without warning, Celestia broke the link and the boys blinked their eyes open. She returned to her throne and sat, studying the humans again, but with kinder eyes.

"What did you see sister?" Celestia thought for a moment, wondering if it would be any use to tell of the bloodshed that went on within, a 'T.V.' only to disregard it as false death.

"I saw...families...and vast friends. Something that until this point, I thought meant nothing to humans. These two are not the same as the ones we have read about. Their world is gentler, and peaceful. I believe they're to have good in them." Luna wasn't so ready to accept them as her sister was.

"But are they not carniverous?" Luna ventured.

"We are." Daniel responded.

"Then how do you plan to live amongst us? Your place is in the wild."

"We don't eat ponies." Kelly glared at Luna. "Besides, how can you prosecute us using a book that is centuries outdated, and doesn't even relate to our world where humans are obviously more advanced than the ones here."

"Does you kind not wage war?" Luna countered. Kelly hesitated.

"Well...yes, we do. But...You have to understand. Humans, even since the beginning of our very existence have always fought. Were destructive by nature, our planet is overpopulated, in retrospect its all just going downhill." Daniel took over.

"There are over six billion people on Earth, and resources are scarce. There are an insane amount of diversities including, the way people are governed, religion, ethnicity. Sometimes people will fight because they simply don't like someone based on their differences." Then Kelly spoke.

"There is nothing we can do to stop our kind from waging war, but if it makes it any better, neither of us have ever directly been involved in the major conflicts that happen on our world. Were simply bystanders who can only hear about it, then just move on with our lives. I've already told you, we have never taken a human's life.

"What about a pony's?" Rainbow Dash blurted.

"No, Dash. We have never killed...or even wanted to kill a pony. This I swear." A moment of silence crowded the air.

"I believe him." Rarity said. They all turned a confused gaze to her. "The Princess looked at their memories, and told us she saw no cruelty in their past. I think they deserve a chance."

"Daniel." Applejack addressed. "Ah want ya ta look me in the eye, and tell me that y'all have never taken a pony's OR a human's life." Daniel had never felt so 'on the spot,' but he had to keep his head, he needed to show he was not guilty of these accusations.

"Applejack...please, I have done. No. Such. Thing. Do I look like a murdurer to you?" Applejack watched his eyes, but couldn't find the slightest hint of deception. She gave a sigh of relief, and at first Daniel thought he had failed.

"Ah believe you." Her warm smile sent a soothing sensation through him. She then looked to Kelly.

"I promise you Applejack...all of you, I would not do anything like that." He stared hard at Applejack, afraid to move in case she might take it as a sign of nervousness. She looked at Luna. "Princess, ah don't think they're dangerous. Even yer sis thinks so. Please, give them a chance." Luna was hesitant, but she trusted her sister's judgement, and the humans appeared to be being sincere.

"Very well. It seems we may have been wrong about you after all. We...apologize for jumping to conclusions." The boys smiled. Hopefully this was the last time they were misjudged. "What do we do sister? Can they live amongst our subjects?" Before Celestia could answer, Daniel spoke up.

"Wait, what about helping us get home?" Celestia looked down. She only hoped this would not enrage the humans.

"I am sorry. How you appeared here is still unclear. I saw the light that supposedly brought you two here. However, I do not know what it was or why it happened. With that said, I...do not know how to help you. I'm sorry." Kelly and Daniel were crestfallen. Now they had no known way of getting home. They were stuck in Equestria...indefinitely. "Although, I can't aid you in returning home yet, it would only be just to have some of my finest scholars look into the matter. Perhaps our archives may provide the solution."

"Thank you Princess." Kelly was glad to have the ruler of this land on their side.

"If you wish to stay in Ponyville, you may...However..." The boys snapped to attention, waiting to hear the conditions. "We need to briefly discuss this...carniverous activity." Daniel eyed her suspiciously. "I believe it would be best if you could refrain from consuming meat during your stay here." Kelly made a 'thinking' face, while Daniel stood there and looked insulted. Daniel didn't want to speak his thoughts...there would be ALOT of swearing involved.

"I'm sorry Princess, but were going to have to come to some kind of compromise." Luna's eyes began to glow.

"HOW DARE YOU! WE GIVE YOU OUR HOSPITALITY, AND YOU WILL NOT EVEN AGREE TO OUR SIMPLE TERMS?!" Her voice blasted their ears, and the boys slowly backed away. Again, Celestia signaled for Luna to stand down.

"And just how do you plan to do that?" She looked right at Kelly who had made the suggestion. He took a moment to think.

"I don't know how to convince you other than the fact that meat is one of our major food groups, and diet necessities. I know it sounds revolting to all of you, but we need protein to stay healthy. If I could change that I would...but i can't." The room was quiet for a good minute while Celestia thought it over.

"I think I have an idea, but I'm not sure if you'll like it. If you want meat, then you will have to hunt for it. The Everfree Forest houses creatures that may be to your liking." Daniel flinched, and looked at his leg.

"There's gotta be a different way."

"I'm sorry." Celestia held up a hoof. "Its the only reasonable answer. You can have your protein, and none of my little ponies need to be around to see it."

"Seems fair..." Kelly frowned, but accepted the terms. Daniel looked away, fearful of going back into the forest.

"I believe the next thing to settle are the housing arrangements. None of the homes we have are meant for human vacants though."

"I'll be happy to house Kelly." Twilight spoke up. The Princess nodded.

"Very well."

"Can I stay with Applejack?" Daniel didn't look before he leapt, and was blushing when everyone turned to him.

"Ah s'ppose thats okay. Besides, ah could always use an' extra hoof at the farm." Daniel was overjoyed that Applejack had agreed.

"Good. The final issue is the matter of earning your place in our community."

"You mean like a job." Kelly stated.

"Precisely."

"Ah can compensate Daniel here fer his help with the orchards." Kelly was thinking things over.

"Since I'm staying with Twilight, I guess I could help her with librarian duties such as checking out books, delivering them, retrieving them, etc." Twilight nodded her thanks, and the Princess' saw no harm in it.

"It is settled then." Luna declared.

"Wonderful. Guards, you may remove their cuffs."

"Thank God." Kelly sighed. They rubbed their sore wrists yet again.

"Its funny," Celestia began. "I had brought you two here, planning to banish you to the sun." Daniel and Kelly deadpanned, not sure if she was joking or not. "And now here I am, welcoming you." Her smile was sincere, and her eyes were now soft. "I'm actually happy we could see this through without much confrontation. These kinds of problems are not common here. I apologize for any distress this has caused you."

"Its fine Princess, we all make mistakes." Kelly was just glad to no longer be treated like a hostile. A smirk showed on Daniel's face.

"Yeah, you're just a Royal fuck up." Some of the ponies put a hoof to their mouths, while Kelly drove his elbow...very hard...into Daniel's ribs; making him double over.

"Pleeaase excuse him Princess. He's still just butt hurt about the whole 'wrongful arrest' thing." Celestia raised a brow.

"Its fine. I suppose I can appreciate human humor...as crude as it may be."

"I guess we'd better be going. It'll be dark soon."

"Before you go, I would like to introduce myself and my sister. My name is Princess Celestia, goddess of the sun, and this is Princess Luna, goddess of the moon." Luna nodded towards Kelly, her cold gaze replaced by friendliness.

"It is an honor to meet you both, I only wish we could've met on...stabler terms." Kelly smiled playfully. Daniel was rubbing his gut, but nodded to the Princess' before departing to the door with Kelly and the elements.

"Twilight, could i speak with you for a moment?" Celestia called.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up." The rest left for the charriot, as Twilight approached her mentor.

"Twilight, I trust these humans completely, but just as an extra precaution; at the end of each day for the next week, I would like a report from you detailing their behavior."

"You can count on me Princess. I trust my reports will be pleasing." Celestia gave her thanks.

"Now go, the sun has set."

"I swear to God Daniel; one day that smart ass mouth of yours is gonna get us killed."

"You know it was funny." Kelly rolled his eyes. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

"I know man, but we'll find a way ho-"

"I almost lost my meat-eating privileges. I'm not turning into no hippie." The mane six grimaced.

"Dude! Don't be insensitive!"

"Sorry guys." Daniel apologized.

"Its okay." Pinkie said. "I just imagine if somepony told me I couldn't eat cakes anymore!" Pinkie shuttered at the thought.

"Besides Daniel, not eating meat doesn't really make you a hippie."

"THATS EXACTLY WHAT A HIPPIE WOULD SAY!" Daniel pointed a finger at Kelly.

"I'm truly sorry about the whole carnivore thing guys."

"It's okay Kelly, you explained yourself well enough." Rainbow Dash confided. "Nopony here blames you." Daniel's eye twitched.

"Why can't you just say nobody?" Daniel said, irritated.

"What...why does it matter?"

"I'm just saying, whats wrong with saying nobody?"

"Whats wrong with saying nopony?!"

"Am I a pony?!"

"Well...no..."

"There ya go."

"C'mon you two." Twilight tried being the voice of reason. Kelly noticed Fluttershy had been looking at him for quite some time, and when he turned to meet her eyes, she quickly looked away. Kelly wasn't sure why, but the fact that she was shunning him just tore him up. 'I'll talk to her tomorrow.' He thought.

"Are we there yet?" Now all Daniel needed was the whiney tone.

"Why?"

"I kinda have to pee." Kelly facepalmed.

"Here we are, Sweet Apple Acres. Its more rewardin' ta look at in the daytime." Daniel trailed Applejack as they followed the dirt path to the gate leading to her house. "Ah don't really have a spare bed, but we got a perfectly good couch. It'll just be fer one night, tomorra I'll make some sleepin' arrangements in the shed. More room that way."

"Thanks Applejack, this is really too much."

"Don't mention it. Its the least ah could since you were honest with me." She quietly led him to the living room, careful not to wake her sleeping family.

"Hey, Applejack. Why does everyone keep calling you and your friends 'the elements?'"

"Whew, thats a story fer daylight pardner. But trust me, its a good one." Daniel shifted until his body could fit on the miniture sofa. Applejack returned with a blanket. "'Night, Daniel."

"Good night, Applejack."

"Yep, Spike's already asleep." Twilight trotted down the stairs to find Kelly reading about the three pony races. "You can read Equestrian as well?" Kelly nodded, not taking his eyes from the book.

"I figured since we could be stuck here for...who knows how long. I might as well educate myself on how this place works. Hell, you've got books on just about everything." She sat next to him on the couch, and sighed.

"I know it seems like I'm driving this into the ground, but would it still be okay with you if I asked some questions about your world?" Kelly grinned.

"Don't worry Twilight, I'd be happy to answer your questions."

"Thanks...again."

"Can I ask you one? Why does everyone keep calling you guys 'the elements?'"

"Its kind of a long story, you sure you wanna hear it?" Kelly nodded several times and set down his book. Twilight started by telling him of the first time she came to Ponyville.

"Wait, you got an assignment...to make friends...?" 'If only our school was that easy.' She told him about the Summer Sun Celebration, and her predictions of the return of Nighmare Moon; Luna's alter ego. She told about how without her new friends, she never would've defeated Nightmare Moon, and described how each earned their individual element. Twilight killed a good fifteen minutes with her tale.

"Wow, so you guys are like heros...er...heroines around here." Twilight scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah, I guess. There was also a second time we had to harness the power of the elements, but I'll save that for tomorrow." She yawned.

"Well, I'm gonna turn in. Not sure what I'm gonna do tomorrow though."

"If you'd like, you can go with me to Rarity's. I have to go get a book she borrowed."

"Alright, sounds cool."

"Follow me, the spare bed is upstairs." Kelly brought up his legs to fit under the covers.

"Good night, Kelly."

"Good night, Twilight."

6 Days until the attack

"Oh mah gosh, he looks so weird! Can ah play with'em, huh Applejack can ah?" Daniel woke to find a yellow filly with with a red mane accompanied by a bow staring at him; awestruck by his apperance. Applejack walked in shortly after.

"C'mon now Applebloom, he's probly had a rough first day here, don't be botherin' the poor fella too much."

"Oh no, its fine Applejack. She seems cool." Daniel sat up, and gave a wide stretch.

"Well, alrighty then, you two get aquainted. Breakfast is almost ready." Daniel could almost smell the bacon and eggs. Oh, wait...bacon...'thats right' he thought. 'If I want meat, I'm gonna have to go hunting with Kelly.' The young filly broke him out of his trance.

"Hey mister, mah name's Applebloom, whats yers?" Her drawl was just like Applejack's

"Um, my name's Daniel, and I'm a human." Applebloom waved a hoof.

"Yeah, yeah Applejack told me that already. Where did ya come from though? Are there lots uh fillies there? Do ya wanna play later?" The barrage of questions continued until they got to the breakfast table.

"Alright Applebloom, jus wait til after breakfast ta ask more questions. Ya gotta eat lil' missy."

"Okay..." Daniel couldn't stomach all that breakfast had to offer, but at least he was able to have some toast, and applesauce. When he finished eating, he looked at his clothes and cringed.

"Applejack...would it be asking too much if I...could use your shower?" Daniel shyed away as he asked, but Applejack chuckled.

"'Course ya can. After yer done, ya mind comin' out to help with some applebuckin'?" Daniel's head snapped up.

"AppleWHAT?"

"Applebuckin." This time, he heard clearly.

"...Oh." Daniel blushed.

"Anyway, ah'll meetchya out later."

"Thanks for letting me use your shower, Twilight."

"No problem. I'm getting ready to head to Carousel Boutique, wanna come along?"

"Sure, gotta get used to the town I guess."

"Great. Spike, we'll be back later." As they walked down the dirt streets, Kelly caught several cautious glares in his direction. "What's going on? I thought everyone was used to me and Daniel by now."

"News travels fast Kelly. I wouldn't be surprised if a good hooffull of ponies heard about the arrest last night."

"Fantastic." They turned a corner while Kelly was busy looking around taking in the old rural landscape. He wasn't watching where he was going, and his hand brushed against the flank of a pony by the name of Berry Punch.

"AH! Pervert!"

"I'm sorry! It was an accide-" Berry Punch delivered a mild but swift kick...right to the no-no zone. Kelly went down hard, and Berry Puch walked off with a 'hmph.' Twilight rushed over.

"Are you okay?" Kelly tried to answer, but all that came out was a wimper, and some groaning. He remained in the fetal position for quite a while, and Twilight was beginning to wonder if he was just milking it. "C'mon, she couldn't have kicked you that hard." Kelly looked up with a disgusted frown.

"Does...the word...fertility...nng...mean anything to you?" Realization hit Twilight like a brick.

"Oh...my gosh, I am so sorry! How can I help?! Uh...can you stand?!"

"Its...its okay, just...give me a minute." He finally gathered himself, and managed to hobble to his feet. "Lets just...go." Now he was sure to have some kind of reputation around town. They soon arrived to Rarity's, with Kelly stumbling every now and then, making a painful face.

"Twilight, Kelly. Lovely to see you. I assume you're here for your book dear?"

"Thats right."

"I'll just be a minute, I'm putting the finishing touches on Fluttershy's dress for the Gala." At the mention of her name, Kelly made a mental note to go see her after they were done here. "Excuse me darling, but aren't those the same clothes you wore yesterday?" Kelly looked at himself.

"Hm? Well, yeah. I didn't really get a chance to bring a change of clothes."

"My, that will just not do. Please, allow me to make you at least one change of attire."

"Oh, no, really. I don't want to trouble you."

"Oh, it'll be no trouble at all, I insist." Kelly did like the thought of not having to wear the same clothes every day. Who knew how long he'd be here.

"Well, thanks. Thats really kind of you."

"Here is your book Twilight."

"Thank you Rarity. How many dresses have you completed?"

"I have yours and mine done, Fluttershy's is next. Oh, and Kelly, I'll need to measure you so I can proportion your clothes, if your not busy. 'I guess I can go see her later,' he thought. He nodded. "Wonderful."

"Guess I'll catch up later Twilight."

"Okay, you two have fun." She waved bye on her way out of the door. Kelly stepped up on the pedastal, as Rarity grabbed her measuring tape.

"So Rarity, tell me about this Gala."

"Hey AJ! Hey Danny!" Pinkie Pie bounced through the orchards towards Applejack carrying baskets of apples, and Daniel, who was busy picking them. He was trying his best not to inhale the entire basket in his hand.

"Howdy Pinkie. Ready ta get ta work?" Daniel descended the ladder.

"Yep, I can't wait!" Pinkie grinned wildly.

"Whats going on?" Daniel asked.

"Pinkie was gonna help with paintin' the shed, you wanna help?"

"Definitely." Daniel was really enjoying his time with Applejack already. They got right on it. Daniel began on the trim, while Applejack was repainting the broad walls. Daniel made his way around a corner of the shed to find Pinkie already done with one side. A detailed painting of her and her friends embedded in her artwork.

"How did...you..." Applejack nudged him.

"Theres no explainin' her. She's just...being Pinkie Pie." Daniel just looked at the pink mare with semi-understanding. He checked his phone, it was almost one in the afternoon when they had finished. "Thanks fer yer help Pinkie, tell the Cakes I said howdy."

"Okie dokie lokie. And Daniel, you and Kelly have got to come to Sugarcube Corner sometime. We've got muffins, cupcakes...regular cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, doughnuts, *GASP! Oh yeah, and you're party! I completely spaced it! I'm sooooo sorry, gotta run." With that, she...bounced back towards town.

"Thanks again Rarity, you truly live up to your element." Kelly waved out the door.

"It was no problem at all, I'll have some new duds ready for you tomorrow. Oh, and tell Daniel if he wants a new set to stop by my place." Kelly stepped outside, and found himself with nothing to do. He thought of going to see her, and the thought excited yet cast a sense of dread over him. He wanted her trust back, so he didn't have a choice. He walked at a slow pace, thinking about what he was going to say.

Kelly saw the familiar cottage from yesterday, and climbed the steps. He knocked...and waited. The door opened, but no one was behind it.

"Hello?" Kelly peered inside, but still didn't see anyone. Then, he heard a rapid thumping, and brought his eyes to the ground. There, stood a white rabbit, with a rather impatiant expression. "Um, hi. Is Fluttershy home?" The rabbit just shook his head, and nearly slammed the door shut. "Well..." Kelly craned his neck as he thought he heard singing just around the house. He stepped down the stairs and walked around to the back of the cottage to find Fluttershy hovering next to some of her birds. She sang a soft melody, and her birds mocked her octaves.

She brought herself around and met his eyes. He waved sheepishly, but she descended back down to earth, and didn't return the gesture. Kelly clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the dirt. He had completely forgotten what he was going to say. His feet moved him forward before he even realized it. Kelly stopped a few feet away, and Fluttershy sat down, refusing eye contact. "I'm sorry..." He barely went above a whisper. "I...I just...its just...how I was brought up...and...I know its something awful to all of you. But..." Fluttershy gently brought her head up. "Please...I'm...trying to find the right words..."

"What kind of animals?" Kelly was almost startled by the fact she was speaking to him.

"Huh?"

"What kind of animals...did you guys have to eat?" Fluttershy felt tears welling up. Kelly carefully considered his response.

"...Only bigger animals. Y'know, predators...only the ones that had a chance...rrr...what I mean is-"

"No small defenseless ones?"

"No!...No...no defenseless creatures..." Kelly struggled to decide if he should tell her he had had beef before, but since cows supposedly co-existed with ponies, it was probably for the best that he didn't. He hated himself for holding back the entire truth, but he hated the thought of Fluttershy never forgiving him even more. 'Why do I value her like this?' Kelly couldn't help but question his feelings. "I promise when me and Daniel go hunting, that we'll not dare harm any small defenseless animals."

Fluttershy couldn't stand the thought of any creature being killed, no matter how dangerous. Though, she felt more eased at the fact that Kelly and Daniel wouldn't hurt any animals like the ones she cared for. Kelly put a knee to the ground "Please forgive me?" Fluttershy was surprised by his sudden request, did he really regard her that highly? She wanted to believe that even though he needed meat to stay healthy, his heart was in the right place, and that he was in fact a good friend. She hesitated, but smiled soon after.

"Of course I do." Kelly felt relief wash over him like a tidal wave. He chuckled and went in for a hug. Fluttershy squeaked at the unexpected notion, but returned the embrace after Kelly sighed and whispered

"Thank you." They let go of each other, and awkwardness began to set in. "I should probably go find Daniel, if were gonna catch something, we'll have to leave kinda early."

"Oh, well, anytime you'de like to stop by...your more than welcome." Kelly felt comforted by her hospitality.

"I will be very sure to do that!" Kelly called as he jogged off with a wave to find Daniel.

"That's as sharp as you could get it?"

"Get off my back, I had to use an edged rock, okay." Daniel was holding his makeshift spear, as him and Kelly carefully treaded through the forest. "Applejack told me as long as we stay close to the path, we shouldn't run into the more...unruly inhabitants." Daniel had been able to remove the gauze earlier that day.

"Got it." Daniel stopped and pointed to a squirrel gnawing on an acorn.

"There! You think I have a clear shot?" Kelly followed Daniel's index, and flung his arm in front of him.

"No!" He said almost shouting, scaring off the rodent. Daniel gave him a frustrated look, but Kelly made sure his face was stern. "I promised Fluttershy we wouldn't hunt any small defenseless animals." Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I think Applejack also mentioned there would be wild boars though."

"Next time we'll bring some rope, so we can make a snare trap...or something." Neither boys had much experience in hunting. They both knew it would take some tremendous luck to catch something on their first try. Kelly checked his phone; almost 6 pm and three bars left on the battery. While he was putting it away, Daniel signaled for him to halt.

"Look there." Daniel had called it. Not too far ahead behind some shrubs was a wild boar, but it was much larger than the boys had anticipated. They went into a prone position. "How do we do this?" Kelly looked at the wandering boar, thinking up a plan of attack.

"Okay...I'm gonna sneak up on it, and jump onto its back while trying to hold it down by the tusks. At that precise moment, you're gonna have to come in and finish it. Your sure that things sharp enough?" Daniel made a mocking motion of pricking his finger and sucking on it. Kelly slowly inched forward in a low crouch.

"You know this is incredibly stupid." Daniel teased.

"I know." Kelly was just a couple feet away now, shrouded by tall flora. He counted to himself. '3...2...1...'

"HIIAA!" He pounced the large hog, but barely got a grip on the tusks as he landed awkwardly on its back.

"AAHH!" Daniel charged, but was far too slow. By the time he emerged with his stick, the boar was bucking and dancing wildly in an attemp to shake off the offender. Daniel shifted left and right trying to anticipate the boar's movement. Kelly clung to its back for dear life. Soon Daniel found himself laughing hysterically at the sight of the boar spinning every which way, with his friend being jolted like a rag doll. It was almost like something out of a cartoon rodeo.

"YOU DUMBASS! THIS THING IS GONNA KILL ME!" Kelly was nearly ready to give up, when in it's thrashing movements, the boar ran head first into a nearby tree. The sudden stop snapped Kelly's hands from the tusks, and he too, smacked his head on the same trunk before rolling in the opposite direction of the dazed hog. Kelly's vision whirled, it didn't even feel like he was lying down, everything was distorted. He got a clear enough perspective to see that the beast had regained its senses, and was aggressively scraping its hoof against the forest floor, preparing to charge. "Uh oh."

He was incredibly dizzy, but stood as the boar began it's assault. His mind raced, he was so worked up from the thrill of riding a giant hog that common sense had all but abandoned him. He planted his feet firmly and put his hands in front of him in a foolish attempt to test his strength. The boar only picked up more speed as it pounded the ground with every step. Suddenly, Kelly saw a friendly haze intercept the beast's path. The monster staggered to a halt, and let out an earsplitting whiney squeal. Kelly shook his head and could now see the jagged stick Daniel had crafted jutting from the inner midsection of the hog. The beast did a 180, facing Daniel. It was going to charge for the second time, but every movement only agitated the wound, leaving a hefty trail of blood. The boar slowed, and finally gave in. Daniel had gotten lucky, his strike was fortunate enough to peirce it's heart.

Both boys were speechless, and kept trading glances with each other, and their catch. They started laughing in astonishment that their first time at this had been a success.

After dragging their kill to a clearing close to the dirt path, they began work on a spit. They weren't certain on how to keep the meat fresh, so they had to work fast. They eventually built it high enough to hover the hog over the flame.

"Thank God for cub scouts." Daniel mused. They spent a while there cooking the meat, and picking out the best places to start eating. All the while, they killed time telling each other what they did today. Daniel told Kelly of the other half of the elements victory against Discord, while Kelly told Daniel of the Gala that was about five days away, and how he should go see Rarity if he wants a change of clothes. Oh yeah, and his little run in with Berry Punch. Due to their unpreparedness, not to mention inexperience; the meal...wasn't exactly five star. But now they had a spit, and would eventually find better ways to trap their food.

Just before they were ready to leave the forest, Kelly started laughing which began as small chuckles, but gradually grew louder making Daniel laugh along with him. "Whats so damn funny?" Kelly held his ribs while massaging the part of his head that had greeted the tree earlier.

"In the last thirty hours or so, I've fallen out of a tree, been kicked in the nuts, and most likely have a concussion." He paused, and looked at his surroundings. "This place...is really something." Daniel nodded in agreement as they trekked out of the woods to a setting sun.

Chapter 4: Countdown

"Let the conventional meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, come to order." Scootaloo announced.

"But Applebloom isn't here yet."

"She's taken long enough, were just gonna have to start without her." Scootaloo shrugged. As if on cue, Applebloom came bursting through the clubhouse entrance.

"Sorry Ah'm late, I had to finish up mah chores." Applebloom was shaking with excitement. "Y'all are never gonna believe this, but theres a new kind of animal in Ponyville! Ah met one of'em this mornin'." Scootaloo listened with interest, while Sweetie Belle seemed passive.

"Oh yeah, Rarity told me about them. I don't really see the big deal. The way she described them, they just sound like apes who can stand upright...and talk."

"What are they called Applebloom?"

"Hewmens." Appleblom's pronunciation was a bit off.

"That gives me an idea!" Scootaloo hopped down to join her friends. "Maybe these hewmens can help us get our marks." Applebloom tapped her hoof on her chin.

"Ah don't know Scoots, ahm not even sure if they've earned their marks. Believe it er not, but they always wear clothes everywhere they go. Ah havn't gotten a chance ta see what their special talent is."

"Isn't that terribly uncomfortable?" Sweetie Belle asked, reluctantly intrigued.

"Ah never cared much fer it."

"We gotta at least ask'em!" Scootaloo was getting antsy, she wasn't going to pass over any opportunity to earn her mark.

"Alright, we'll see how they can help, but not today. We've got other crusading business to attend to." Sweetie Belle then took the stand. "So who volunteers to tell Rarity I lost the 20 rolls of fabric we borrowed?"

5 Days until the attack

Kelly slowly opened his eyes, but refused to get up. His legs were stiff from having to curl them up in order to compensate for the pony-sized bed, he was up pretty late answering Twilight's questions, and Spike snored...like a sailor. The night hadn't been all bad. Kelly enjoyed astonishing his pony friend with the wonders of technology, hence the questions she was asking. He discussed everyday machines such as television, and radio. He avoided video games for an obvious reason.

It wasn't long after, he got onto cars, planes, and other motor subjects. Kelly was no mechanic, the best he could do was go into was how the motors operated, and what the use of each machine was. It was almost one in the morning when she put her quill away for the night.

"Kelly, are you awake?" Kelly pulled the covers over his head and grumbled as if he was 7 again having to get up for school. "C'mon, you promised to help me out with running the library remember?"

"Five more minutes." He said in a nasally tone.

"Sorry mister, rise and shine." She yanked the covers from him with of wisp of her magic. Kelly shielded his eyes from the sudden light, and sat up. His hair was sticking in every direction. "Nice bedhead", she giggled. Kelly smiled and pushed his hair back down.

"Alright," Kelly stretched. "Whats my first task master?" Twilight nodded toward the stairs.

"For now, you could help me sort the books I've scattered about the past few days." After a quick shower and breakfast, Kelly got started on his duties. He spotted Spike.

"Dude, you seriously need to invest in a mouthpiece, or chinstrap, or something." Spike raised a brow, unknowing of his sleeping habits.

"How's your head by the way?" Spike asked. Kelly rubbed the back of his skull.

"Only hurts when I touch it, no brain damage so thats a good thing." He gave a thumbs up. "Hey Twilight, after I'm done here, I think I'll go see Rarity about those clothes."

"While your at it, could you drop this off at Sugarcube Corner?" She levitated a recipe book to him. "Pinkie sent me a letter really early this morning asking for it."

"Can do." He organized the last novels, patted Owlowiscious, and made his way to Pinkie's place.

"Whaddya mean you haven't earned your cutie mark?! Look at how big you are!" Scootaloo was amazed to see somepony so mature in age, and still be a blank flank. Her and Applebloom had joined Daniel on his way to Rarity's.

"I'm sorry girls, but its not that I haven't earned one; humans don't get cutie marks...ever." 'Unless they decide to get an ass tattoo.' He finished silently.

"Well then how'r ya 'spposed ta know when ya've found yer place in life?" Daniel shrugged as they passed over a bridge.

"You just...do school for freakin' years, until you're finally done and then you have to worry about finding the right job, if you did well enough in school of course."

"Its kinda like that here, but not so hectic."

"Well, since yer goin' ta Rarity's, can we tag along a while longer? We gotta tell Sweetie Belle that this was a big ol' goose chase anyhow." Daniel nodded, and they made their way into town. Some of the ponies waved to Daniel, while others just gave him an uncertain glance. The two fillies and the human walked up to Carousel Boutique as Daniel heard a familiar voice calling to him.

"Daniel, whats up?" Kelly was approaching holding a red book. He smiled at Scootaloo and Applebloom. "Who's your friends?"

"Kelly, this is Applebloom, Applejack's little sis. And this is her friend, uh..."

"Scootaloo." She answered for him.

"Awww you guys are so adorable." Kelly leaned down and ruffled their manes. Applebloom blushed but Scootaloo squirmed away.

"I ain't cute, I'm tough just like Rainbow Dash." She stood as tall as she could, and put a hoof over her chest. Kelly stood again.

"You guys goin' to see Rarity?" Daniel nodded.

"I'm gonna see if she finished with those clothes yet."

"You went and saw her yesterday?"

"Yep, right after we..." He paused remembering the young ponies close by. "...Y'know." Kelly and Daniel's activity in the forest was secret to all except the Princess' and the elements. They figured it was best to keep it that way.

"Well I was on my way to Sugarcube Corner, but I guess I can pick up my clothes too." Daniel knocked and the response from inside sounded somewhat irritated.

"Come in." The four entered to see a distraught Rarity pacing around; her hair slightly frizzled.

"Everything okay?" Kelly asked. Rarity's eyes softened.

"Forgive me, I've just been so busy, and things haven't been much easier since Sweetie Belle misplaced most of my materials."

"Is Sweetie Belle here?" Scootaloo spoke up. Rarity grumbled.

"Sweetie Belle, your friends are here, oh and do come meet those gentlemen I told you about." Hooves clopped down the stairs, as a smaller white unicorn with purple and pink swirly hair trotted over to the humans. She'd gotten some kind of idea what they looked like based on her sister, but as she got closer, her eyes got wider. They towered over her like a colossus.

"Hi there." Kelly greeted.

"Hi." Sweetie Belle squeaked with excitement. If she were a dog, her tail would be wagging. "Wow, you guys are cool looking." Kelly and Daniel smiled at each other. Sweetie Belle looked at her friends. "Hey, girls. So, did you ask'em?" Scootaloo, and Applebloom frowned and looked at each other.

"Sorry Sweetie Belle, turns out hewmens don't have cutie marks at all." Appleblooms ears dropped. So did Sweetie Belle's, but she seemed to like these two anyway.

"Yeah, sorry." Daniel shrugged.

"Aw, its okay. Hey! You guys wanna play?" Sweetie Belle hopped.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle, they're probably really busy at the moment." Rarity interrupted, still trying to find some spare fabric.

"Not me. We got most of the work at the farm done yesterday, so Applejack gave me the day off." Daniel giggled at Sweetie Belle's reaction.

"Well, I would but I have to take this book to Pinkie Pie. Oh, and Rarity, if you tell me what you're missing I can stop by the market and pick it up for you."

"Would you? Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" Kelly waved it off.

"Its the least I could do since you made me a whole new change of clothes."

"Here, let me give you some bits. Just get ten rolls of fabric. That should be enough for now concerning yours and Daniel's attire, as well as the remaining dresses."

"I can take these three off your hands. I've got nothing else to do." Daniel gestured to the crusaders. Rarity sighed with relief.

"You two are angels! Thank you so much, and as for your clothes, they should be done by the end of the day." Kelly said his goodbyes and headed back onto the dirt street. Daniel and the crusaders headed around back, when suddenly Scootaloo pushed against Daniel's shin and shouted.

"TAG! Your it!" All three of them took off giggling, and Daniel gave chase, laughing as well.

"Oooh, the first time a human shows up in Equestria, and the Princess has them arrested." Lyra scowled, and took another sip of her milkshake. "Are you sure you didn't see them at all yesterday?" Bon Bon, Lyra's roommate gave her a sympathetic look.

"Sorry Lyra, I wasn't in town for very long. Besides, the Princess must have had a good reason to take them in. Who knows, they could've been dangerous." Lyra slammed her hooves on the table in frustration.

"But you saw them, they were friendly! They even let me hug them." Lyra sighed, remembering their touch.

"I know your upset Lyra, but hey, at least you can say you were right all alo-" Bon Bon paused, squinting past Lyra. Lyra turned to see what her friend was staring at. She immediately jumped down knocking her milkshake from the shaded table, and ran full speed toward Kelly. Kelly caught her out of the corner of his eye, and recognized right away who it was. He yelped and brought up his arm to protect himself while holding the book in the other. He lowered it after hearing the overzealous pony skid to a stop in front of him, her face frozen in a gleeful smile.

"H-hey Lyr-"

"OH I'M SO HAPPY SHE DIDN'T BANISH YOU GUYS!" Lyra was almost tearing up as she gave Kelly yet another unexpected hug. "Wait..." She let go. "Wheres Daniel?"

"He told me he was gonna hang out with Applebloom and her friends, but hes doing just fine if thats what you mean." Kelly noticed Bon Bon slowly walking up to join Lyra. Lyra did a lightning quick 180.

"Bon Bon, you know Kelly right?" Bon Bon nodded, but kept eyeing Kelly suspiciously. "Kelly, this is my best friend Bon Bon." Kelly held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you." Bon Bon hesitated, but shook.

"Likewise."

"Oh, man, this is so cool! We can be awesome friends, and you could tell us stories about where you're from, and it'll just be the best thing ever!" Kelly was beginning to like Lyra, she was like one of those friends who enjoyed every moment of being around one another. Kelly was the same way.

"That sounds like a good time Lyra, but I've actually got to run this book to Sugarcube Corner. I'm helping out Twilight while I'm here." Lyra's ears drooped, and her heart sank.

"Y-you mean you're not gonna stay?" Kelly felt apprehensive about his words.

"Oh, no, its not...I mean, well yeah, but..." He took a deep breath. "Its just that...our families don't know where we are...and I'm sure they're really worried about us, y'know." Lyra still felt down, but she understood why he might think about returning to wherever it was he was from. "Hey, it'll be alright." Kelly took a knee, and placed his hand under Lyra's chin. She snapped her head up and looked at him with woe in her eyes. "I promise before me and Daniel leave, that we'll spend some time together. We can do whatever you want. How's that sound?" She smiled letting a few tears flow, this time with joy. She went in for a third hug, and Kelly gladly returned it.

"Excuse me." Bon Bon spoke, and Kelly stood up again. "But, if its not too personal, could you tell us why you and your friend were arrested a couple nights ago?" Lyra glared over her shoulder.

"Bon Bon!" Kelly held up his free hand.

"Its okay, I can tell you." He gave the short version explaining the outdated book, and the Princess' mislead judgement towards him and Daniel.

"So who's Daniel staying with?" Lyra asked.

"He's with Applejack, helping her around the farm." Bon Bon was content with his explanation.

"Well, I'm glad to say that you seem like a kind individual to me." Kelly smiled.

"Glad to hear that another pony isn't iffy about us. Were kinda low on trust around here y'know."

"Give them time, it'll pass." Kelly gave his thanks and waved goodbye. Finally, his destination came into view. He had caught a glimpse of the bakery before, but upon direct observation, it was almost calling his name and telling him to dig in to the foundation. Hansel and Gretel came to mind. He walked in to find Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sitting alone at one of the dining tables.

"Sup guys?" Dash and Pinkie waved back, but were gossiping, and giggling while giving periodic glances at Kelly. "Um, I brought that recipe book you wanted Pinkie."

"Awesome, just put it in the kitchen please." They continued to huddle and grin mischievously. Kelly set the book down, came back into the dining area, and crossed his arms.

"Okay, what are you two up to." They gave him a look that said, 'whatever do you mean?'

"Should we tell him?" Dash asked Pinkie. Pinkie nodded.

"Maybe he can help us pull this off." Kelly chuckled.

"What, you guys gonna rob a bank or something?" Pinkie shook her head.

"We're gonna pull off the most super duper prank Ponyville has ever seen!" Kelly's face lit up. Although he didn't do them very often, a good prank always gave him butterflies.

"Ooh! Ooh, can I get in on this?" Dash raised a brow.

"Really? Between you and Daniel, I kinda took you for the more mature one."

"Eh, I know how to have fun." Kelly smiled devilishly. Both ponies agreed and filled him in on the details. "So who are we gonna get?"

"We haven't decided that yet." Kelly rubbed his hands together maniacally.

"I know the perfect victim."

"Come out come out wherever you are..." Daniel was stalking around looking for the fillies. After almost a straight hour of tag, he was thankful they could play something less exhausting. "Where the hell could they be?" He asked himself. There weren't that many places to hide, and it was still daytime. "I bet they're hiding in town."

"Hey Daniel!" Daniel turned to see his friend jogging towards him from the entrance of town, crossing a small bridge that arced over a creek.

"Kelly? What are you doin' out here?" Kelly caught up to his friend.

"I came to find you. I'm all done with that delivery, and I got those rolls of fabric for Rarity, so I wanted to show you something before I went back to Twilight's house."

"I don't know if I can, I'm looking for Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Were playing hide and seek." Daniel wiped his forehead. "I'm tellin' you dude, those fillies are dynamos."

"This won't take but a second. It has to do with catching our food." Daniel looked around.

"Okay, but real quick." Kelly beckoned Daniel to follow as he made his way back toward the bridge. Once they crossed, Kelly waved Daniel over to the edge of the creek.

"Look, the water here is just deep enough for fish to come through. I bet if we can make some spears like the one you made, we can catch some, tak'em to our spit, and have a glorious feast." Kelly extended his belly and patted it a few times.

"Don't you think its a little too close to town?"

"We'll just have to come here when no ones around." Daniel noticed Kelly was looking around while he said it. He leaned down a little further to examine the rushing water. Then, it dawned on him. Kelly told him he promised Fluttershy that they wouldn't hunt smaller defenseless animals, and now he was suggesting fish? He was just about to turn around and question his friend, when a sudden clap of thunder boomed just a few feet away, making him scream a swear and almost fall into the creek. He put his back to the water to locate the deafening sound, but instead was met with a laughing Pinkie Pie hiding behind a rock, followed by a blueberry pie to the face. He stumbled back, as the crusaders aided in his tumble down the slope and into the cold water. Kelly ran over to the edge in tears from laughter, but he pulled himself together long enough to dump a sack full of chicken feathers on his soaked pal.

He threw the sack down to him afterwards and ran towards the group of ponies who all took part in the gag, each one of them falling over and holding their guts. Kelly had never laughed so hard in his life. They all began to grow quiet as Daniel brought a feathered hand back over the edge, and slowly brought himself up onto the grass. Pie crust dripped from his hair, and feathers plastered his body, a few of them dropping off as if he were molting. They soon stared at him in silence. His face told them that 'pissed off' was an understatement. He eyed each and every one of them...slowly. His gaze stopped on Kelly. Silence.

Daniel slowly smirked, and pointed a finger at him. "You...you are fucking dead." He mouthed the swear, minding the young ones. Kelly smiled and got to his feet cautiously backing away.

"You just need to calm down there." Daniel took a single step towards him, his shoe squishing from the water in them. He then took off in a full sprint, and Kelly turned and ran, laughing his ass off. The ponies giggled while the two tried to juke each other, as they ran in circles. Daniel eventually got a hold of him, and put Kelly in a headlock. He scooped a handful of pie from his noggin, and smeared it on his friend's face. Kelly sputtered and laughed at the same time. He wriggled free, and sweeped Daniel. Kelly then jumped on top of him, and put him in a leg lock.

"You better have washed that nasty rat hair this morning!" He spat out pie and continued giggling. Daniel was laughing as well, and tapped out. The two lied on the ground catching their breath and occasionally chuckling when they looked at each other. "You guys are the best." Kelly sat up and pointed to his pony friends. Daniel sat up after him.

"Okay, you conspired against me, now you have to help me get him back." Daniel nodded at his friend. Dash and Pinkie laughed.

"Fair enough."

"Yeah, you're next." Scootaloo teased. Kelly stood up.

"Well, Twilights probably wondering where I'm at, so I'd better get going." Daniel was still shaking feathers off of himself.

"Wait." Pinkie called. "Do you guys wanna come with us on a picnic tomorrow? Its supposed to be really nice out." Kelly smiled widely, happy to have new friends like these. Daniel was starting to feel the same.

"I'd love to."

"Same here."

"Awesome!" Pinkie cheered. Kelly waved goodbye

"Okay, we'll see you later, dude. Thanks for helping out." Dash called.

"Hope we can hang out again soon." Sweetie Belle yelled as Kelly dissapeared from sight. All five of them trotted up to Daniel, who was busy ringing his shirt out.

"Were gonna have ta hose ya down when we back ta the farm." Applebloom mused.

Meanwhile

"Okay chickens, time for your afternoon feed-OH MY!" Fluttershy rushed over to her bare poultry. "What happened to your feathers?!"

Kelly stopped by Rarity's to pick up his clothes, and she thanked him again for his errand. Daniel stopped by shortly after and recieved his new duds. He would need them now. Kelly spent a majority of the rest of the day reading books on Equestrian history, the way Equestria works that are controversial to his world.

"Wait...you guys have to clean up winter yourselfs?!" Twilight nodded.

"Why, don't you?" Kelly just shook his head, dumbfounded.

"The seasons just...change on their own." Twlight made a quick note of that. When she was out of earshot. Kelly said to himself. "And I thought shoveling the driveway was a bitch..."

Applejack couldn't help but fall over laughing as Daniel walked up; hair dry with crust in it, and clothes still damp with a few remaining feathers.

"What in the hay happened ta ya?"

"Kelly happened."

Kelly told Daniel everything he had learned from Twilight's library when they hunted that evening. Daniel was moderately interested, but seemed more worried about catching food.

4 Days until the attack

Today wasn't much different from yesterday. Daniel helped out by watering the crops, and pruning any trees that needed it. Kelly helped Twilight move a new heavy shipment of books into her already massive collection. Both kept themselves busy until lunchtime. Twilight laid out the checkered picnic blanket, and naturally Pinkie brought most of the dessert. Rarity was dressed elegantly with an impressive sun hat. Applejack brought multiple apple treats, sending Daniel into a drooling fit. Even Spike was there, sneaking desserts.

They sat and talked about the sunny weather, about how the humans were enjoying Ponyville, and Twilight even shared some of the things she learned from asking Kelly questions. Everything was...peaceful.

"Its so nice to take a break from the dresses. All I have left to do is yours Applejack."

"Thank ya kindly Rarity." The cowpony tipped her hat. Twenty minutes went by, and the boys found themeselves looking around observing the scenery. Kelly began to get lost in it all. His new friend's voices began to fade to the back of his mind as he slowly eyed the landscape from the small hill. The green hills that stretched into majestic mountains, the rural town that was just a ten minute walk away, seeming to sit tranquil in the light of the sun; each ray illuminating the straw rooftops, and creating a feeling of divine peace in the small community.

He brought his gaze to Canterlot, watching the town hang over the mountain side, but still maintain it's posture, proving it's determination to thrive among this land as a single powerful society. The water seemed to fall in slowmotion, leaving the city with a final farewell; something Kelly and Daniel would have to do. The thought...saddened him. His heart began to beat faster, and his eyes darted back from the gleaming city, to the homely town, not wanting to miss a moment of either. He took a deep breath...and remembered.

Daniel took in everything, the warm feeling he got from this place was almost overwhelming. He looked down, and squinted as his mind began to fill the gaps, like completing a massive puzzle. The...moment...when Kelly had told him...about...the show...'THE SHOW!' Daniel almost blurted out loud. His head snapped up, and he looked at his friend. Kelly had a sense of unimaginable happiness in his smile as he seemed to see something that Daniel couldn't. 'I bet he remembers too.' Daniel thought. Daniel looked at the main six who were each starting to glance over at Kelly, not realizing a single tear was running down his cheek.

"Uh, Kelly? Are you okay?" Twilight asked, standing up to walk over to him. Kelly didn't hear her, he was living in his own world for that moment as he truly comprehended where he was. A hoof on his shoulder made him turn his head, but his eyes were still clouded by astonishment, and unbelievable joy. Fluttershy was becoming worried. And Applejack stood to assist Twilight. However, there would be no need as Kelly met Twilight's eyes. and wiped away the tear. He looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time, and soon did the same to the others. He looked at Daniel last, and his friend just stared back wide eyed. He gave Kelly a single nod, and Kelly knew he could remember as well.

He looked at Twilight again who was still anxious with worry.

"I...I'm okay, its just...this place." Kelly looked at the gorgeous landscape again. "Its just...beautiful..." Twilight mimicked him and looked around. He was right, if you took time to really look at Equestria, it was indeed breathtaking. Twilight looked at him with a final hint of concern. "I'm fine...it just...got the better of me." Kelly could feel his cheeks burning from his display of emotion.

"Oh, thank goodness." Fluttershy smiled. The rest of the picnic went on normally. Dash performed a few new tricks and everyone cheered her on. It wasn't long after that they packed up, and headed home.

"You remember don't you?" It didn't need to be asked, but Kelly asked anyway. Daniel stopped before he bit down, and eyed Kelly questioningly. "Don't play dumb, you remember the show." Kelly stared intentivley, and Daniel sighed setting down his morsal.

"Yeah...yeah, I remember. I remember you telling me about it, I remember us watching it just we before we...became a part of it, and everything in between." Kelly showed his teeth as he grinned.

"Isn't it great?!" He stood up. "I can't believe were actually here! This. Is. Equestria!" His shouting scared off the birds in the trees around them.

"SHHH! You're gonna attract a predator or something." But Kelly continued to hop around, as he pumped his fist in the air, and laughed uncontrollably.

"This is just...wow." He was now at a loss for words.

"You know we can't tell them about this." Daniel bacame solemnly serious. Kelly stopped his merry rant.

"Well duh, do you have any idea how hard that would be to explain?" Daniel agreed and picked up his cooked meat again. "I still can't believe this." Kelly was still smiling ear to ear.

"Kelly..." Daniel's friend looked up. "You know...we can't stay here. As soon as Celestia finds a way for us to go home, that we have to leave...right?" Kelly's mood shifted to the polar opposite of the previous one. He wasn't sure whether to feel sad, or angered ny this.

"Yeah...I guess." He took a half-hearted bite.

3 Days until the attack

"How goes the research?" Celestia's royal scholars stood before her.

"Forgive us your highness, we have cycled through the archives endlessly, but have found no direct connection to your description of the human's appearance." Celestia's crown hung low along with her head. "But..." She brought her attention back. "We have found something that comes the closest to any possibility of this kind of situation." He hovered a brown book to the Princess. "Mind you Princess, this finding is but a hunch; nothing more." Celestia read the cover.

Shard of the Traitune

On the front was an illustration of a faded blue crystal, with what seemed to be a running crack down the middle. She shuffled throught the writings as her scholar explained. "This book tells of a shard that was created long ago by an alien race who harnessed the power of both science and magic to create this crystal. Were not sure what their motives were, but apparently when a significant energy source is channeled through it, it can be used to jump between realities, or even summon others from their worlds. At least, thats what is says in the book."

"Do we have any idea where it might be?" Celestia closed the book. The scholars each shook their heads. "And this is the only lead you could find?" The scholars each nodded in succession. Celestia sighed. "Tell the others to begin research on this shard. Its very plausible that this object is the reason Daniel, and Kelly are here."

"Your highness, are you sure? This talk of jumping to other universes seems a little...farfetched." Celestia lowered her tone. "Like you said, its our only hint to any kind of solution at the moment."

"Very well, we will begin looking over this shard." They bowed, and walked towards the door.

"One more thing." The scholars came to a halt. "Why is there a crack in the shard?" The head scholar turned.

"In the book it reads 'only with both pieces of the crystsal, can the success of a desired spell be realized.' In other words, there are two pieces to the shard, and the use of one piece without the other ends up with...mixed results." Celestia hovered the book back to her subject.

"Understood, and thank you for your discovery." The group bowed again, and left. Celestia studied the letters her pupil had sent her. "At least theres no need for urgency. The humans seem to be behaving themselves quite well. Twilight regards them both highly." Celestia took a minute to think. "I believe their patience deserves a reward."

"Hey, Twilight, where have you been? You were gone when I woke up." Twilight had a newspaper over her head.

"Just had to take care of a quick errand, until I found this." Twilight started laughing when she handed him the paper. Kelly read the front page.

"'New sasquatch creatures living amongst ponies?!'" Kelly scowled. "'These bipedal aliens showed up in Ponyville just days ago, but have been given permission to be a part of Equestrian society. While how they arrived is yet to be uncovered, these hairless monkey-men appear to be friendly. But, how long until one of them itches a primal scratch, and goes on a rampage?'.............are they being serious?!" Twilight chuckled.

"Looks like you guys are all over Equestria now." Kelly chucked the slander over his shoulder.

"Pfft, typical journalists." Spike was taking inventory of quills, and parchments when he held his stomach, and his cheeks puffed out. "Whoa, Spike, are you gonna be sick?" His maw opened releasing a puff of green flame, and a very audible belch. The flames swirled into a miniscule vortex, and a parchment poofed into existence. Twilight read it over once, then turned to Kelly.

"Kelly, listen to this!

'My faithful student, for the cooperation and patience of the humans, as well as your letters praising them for their value to the community, and behavior. I, Princess Celestia, would like to cordially invite them along with your friends to this years Gala. I am also happy to announce that in the meantime, we have found a lead that may be the solution to returning the humans home. I will send the next letter once we have uncovered more. On behalf of Canterlot Castle, we cannot wait to see all of you and your new friends at the Gala.

Sincerely, Princess Celestia'

"Isn't that great? Seems you guys have done enough to earn her trust, and attend one of the best celebratios of the year." Kelly was honored to attend the Gala with his new friends, but he wasn't sure how he felt about going home just yet.

After helping AJ with the morning errands, Daniel spent his free time playing with Applebloom. The little filly loved hanging out with him, and he enjoyed her playful company too. During the late noon, Kelly arrived at the orchards to tell his friend about Celestia's letter. Twilight stopped by Rarity's to ask if she could make some suits for the boys.

"Oh...well...I suppose I can take one more day to prepare for the Gala..." Kelly and Daniel made time to hang out with Lyra, just as Kelly had promised. She had brought herself to act more like a friend to them rather than a crazed fangirl. Later that night, Twilight was asking Kelly about human biology, and how it differed from ponies. She felt a bit sheepish about tackling a certain topic, but she also felt she'd known him long enough, and was good enough friends with him to bold this subject.

"So...Kelly..." He was fiddling with his phone, but put it away at the mention of his name. "Um...uh...in terms of....um...reproduction..." She was starting to blush, and Kelly raised a brow and grinned. "How...would you put into...um...context...how that...works for...humans." Kelly could've reassured her, and given her a straight answer. But this was a one time opportunity to really pull her leg. He put his hands in front of him and leaned back.

"Whoa, Twilight. Look, were good friends, and...you're cute n' all but..." Now her entire face was crimson. "I don't really know how that would work out." She dropped her quill and parchment.

"WHAT, NO! T-THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT! I MEANT HOW DO YOU HUMANS DO IT?!" She was pacing frantically, her muzzle still flushed. Kelly was laughing to himself. "AND TO THINK THAT I WOULD...WITH YOU?!" Now Kelly was feeling a bit put down.

"Twilight-"

"OF ALL THE LUDICROUS NOTIONS!"

"Twilight?"

"BY CELESTIA, JUST THE THOUGHT!"

"TWILIGHT!" She stopped and eyed him, realizing what she was saying. "I was joking." He wasn't laughing anymore, and just gave her a sarcastic stare. You'd think it wasn't possible, but she blushed even more. Embarassment flooded her as she realized she had pretty much harshly rejected him...if he were serious that is.

"Oh...right...a...joke..." She forced a smile and cleared her throat. "I uh, think thats good for tonight." She put away her supplies, and yawned. "Well, goodnight." She trotted up the stairs as Kelly gave a single wave.

"Am I really that unattractive in pony standards?"

2 Days until the attack

"Hey, Daniel, could y'all gimme a hoof with this here apple wagon?"

"Sure thing AJ." He grabbed the other end of the handle by the front of the wagon and lifted it.

"After yer done here, y'all should go see if Big Mac needs help with that plow again. We really need ta get that thing replaced." Daniel was about to respond when a bouncing pink equin appeared over the horizen, catching his attention. Daniel and Applejack set down the cart and waited as Pinkie bounced towards them with a basket tied to her head and her pet alligator Gummy floating, with the aid of some balloons alongside her.

"Hi, guys!" She stopped in front of them and leaned down for them to take an envelope from the basket. "Its an invitation to a special party in the park!"

"Whats the occasion?" Daniel asked beggining to open his letter.

"I can't tell you that silly. Its a surprise."

"There are an awful lot uh invitations in there, Pinkie."

"I know, isn't it great? The whole town's gonna be there!" She hopped and a stream of confetti shot up behind her with no logical way of getting there. "Well, I gotta hand out these other letters, the party's at six tonight. Bye bye." She bounced away as Daniel and Applejack waved her off.

"What did you think of Zecora?" Daniel shrugged, he'd only seen Zecora once in the show, and they had run into her earlier today in town.

"She seems cool. Kinda paranoid of us."

"Well where shes from, danger's kind of an everyday thing. Even the Everfree is safer...in a sense." A moment of silence was drawn. "You excited?" Kelly asked Daniel as they walked down the empty marketplace. Pinkie had insisted that the boys be the last to show up.

"Kinda, I'm actually more excited about that huge get together at the castle tomorrow. Did you see Rarity's work on our suits?!"

"She is good at what she does. My suit fits me better than the one I have at home." The boys laughed, and crossed a bridge bringing them to the entrance of the park.

"Theres...no one here." The boys walked a little further while looking around. The sun was starting to set, and daylight would soon leave the park.

"Hello?" At that moment, dozens upon dozens of colorful heads showed from the the bushes, benches, and trees, all shouting.

"SURPRISE!" The boys jumped, but smiled as their new friends came up to greet them. The main six welcomed them to join the festivities, while a white unicorn with purple sunglasses set a record on her turntable.

"LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Music blared as every pony present started to dance in their own spastic fashion. Kelly and Daniel bobbed their heads to the beat, but stopped to look at the banner that hung over their heads. They both read it out loud.

"Dear Kelly and Daniel, enjoy your 'Welcome to Ponyville slash weirdest looking creature in Equestria slash got to meet the Princess on the first day slash sorry this took so long to put together' party!" Followed by a smiley face. They both just stared in wonder.

"How the...?" Kelly muttered.

"She fit the whole damn thing on one banner." Daniel chuckled. Rainbow Dash nudged them both.

"C'mon you two, lets go!" The party went on for quite a while. The boys went around greeting everyone they ran into, and occasionally danced to a song or two.

"Is that...cider?" Daniel asked examining some the their beverages.

"Drunk ponies...that is hilarious." Kelly joked. As the party went on, the boys began to loosen up. Kelly took some time to talk with Fluttershy, while Daniel preferred AJ's company. Of course Lyra and Bon Bon were there, happy to see they were having a good time. Kelly was dancing around in a goofy fashion, until he bumped into a familiar pink pony with a grape on her flank. He instinctivley cupped his hands over his crotch. She laughed.

"Hey there frisky, welcome to Ponyville." She smiled at him, and resumed dancing. Kelly did the same. He wasn't sure if it was the thrill of the party, or the one sip of cider, but Kelly wanted to perform a song that only he and Daniel knew. He walked up to the DJ who called herself Vinyl Scratch, and made a request.

"Yeah, I suppose we could do that, besides, this party's for you and your friend after all." Kelly pulled out his phone and frowned...it had died. "The music is on that tiny thing?"

"Yeah, but it has no charge left." His arms drooped.

"Here, lemme see it." Kelly held the device up to her, and her horn illuminated. within seconds, his phone beeped at full battery.

"Thats awesome!" He thanked her for her help, and proceeded to plug it into the amplifiers. "C'mon Daniel, it'll be fun. Besides, don't you want to show these ponies how to rock out?"

"I don't know Kelly, I'm not much of a singer." Daniel was hesitant about Kelly's idea of fun.

"You are never gonna have another chance to show Applejack how awesome you are at something."

"Yeah I will, I'll sing tomorrow."

"Yeah right." Kelly dragged Daniel onto the stage in the center of the park, and handed him one of the two microphones. Everypony was gathered beneath them, unsure of what they were planning. Kelly glanced at Vinyl, and signaled to her. She nodded back, and pushed her muzzle against the touchscreen, selecting the song he had picked out. A quiet guitar played from the speakers, and was soon accompanied by a drum beat. The music became slowly louder as Kelly tapped his foot and brought the mic to his mouth. Daniel felt a sudden rush of confidence, and did the same. They sang along with the lead singer, but made sure their voices were more elevated.

If I had to
I would put myself right beside you
So let me ask
Would you like that?
Would you like that?

And I don't mind
If you say this love is the last time
So now I'll ask
Do you like that?
Do you like that?

No!

Something's getting in the way.
Something's just about to break.
I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane.
So tell me how it should be.

The ponies had never heard alot of music like this, (excluding Rainbow Dash) but they still seemed to enjoy the energy that came from it, and the two party animals who were singing along with it.

Try to find out what makes you tick.
As I lie down
Sore and sick.
Do you like that?
Do you like that?

There's a fine line between love and hate.
And I don't mind.
Just let me say that
I like that
I like that

Something's getting in the way.
Something's just about to break.
I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane.
As I burn another page,
As I look the other way.
I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane.
So tell me how it should be.

Now everypony was getting into it, whooping and cheering for the boys, and dancing like crazy. After the boys sang the final chorus, they were met with wild cheers, and a 'WAY TO GO,' from Vinyl.

"Thanks to Breaking Benjamin for their awesome songs!" Daniel pumped his mic into the air. Nopony knew who or what that was, but they cheered anyway. Kelly and Daniel hopped down from the stage, and Kelly gave Vinyl a last thank you before retrieving his phone. The main six approached them.

"That was awesome you guys!" Dash yelled.

"A little rough for my tastes, but a grand performance nonetheless." Rarity smiled.

"I knew this party was a great idea!" Pinkie bounced with glee.

"Ah must say, wherever y'all are from, ya got a keen taste in music." Applejack bumped her hoof to Daniel's fist.

"You guys rock. Woohoo." Fluttershy said with quiet enthusiasm. Kelly gave her a wry smile, and she happily returned it.

"That was pretty fun to watch. I'm actually looking forward to writing to the Princess about this." Twilight concluded.

"Glad you guys thought so." Daniel said.

"C'mon, the party's not over yet!" Kelly ran back to the cheering crowd.

The night before the attack

"Lookin' spiffy Kelly." Daniel gestured towards his friend's tux.

"As do you sir." Kelly replied in a sophisticated manner. The charriot ride from Ponyville to Canterlot was by ground travel this time around. The boys sat at the front passenger alongside Spike while the girls were inside the charriot conversing. "Looking good Spike."

"Thanks, its nice to have someone to talk to during the ride. I'm also glad that even if the girls don't want to stick together like last year, then I still have you guys to hang out with."

"You bet little dude." Daniel fake punched Spike's shoulder. When they arrived, the humans were greeted with mixed glances from the the Canterlot ponies.

"They look even stranger than the Princess percieved them to be." Were one among other whispers the boys could hear. Their stop approached, and the boys including Spike, climbed down to open the doors for the girls. They stepped out and Daniel whistled.

"You guys look great." Kelly added along with Daniel's gesture. Each of them greeted the Princess at the top of the carpeted stairs that lie just before the main hall.

"Kelly, Daniel, wonderful to see you both." Kelly bowed, and Daniel hastily did the same.

"Wonderful to see you your highness." Kelly felt rediculous that he was talking like this, but ignored it. The girls said their hellos and the group wandered to the ballroom. It was quite a sight for the humans. There was live music, piano pieces accompanied by the divine sound of a cello, and the decor was impressive. The boys spent most of their night trying to find their way into a group of higher class ponies, and see if they could join in on their conversations. To their approach though, a group would awkwardly disperse, not wanting to interact with the strange creatures.

"Forgive them." Celestia suddenly appeared next to Daniel, almost making him spill his punch. "They're just...frightened by what they don't understand." Daniel nodded.

"Don't worry, humans would act the same way if an intelligent alien showed up on Earth out of nowhere." Daniel noticed Rarity was arguing with a white stallion with a blonde mane across the room.

"Well, if it isn't miss temper tantrum." Blueblood stuck his nose in the air and smiled at his own criticism.

"Oh, please." Rarity rolled her eyes. "The day anypony can stay level-headed around a disease like you, is the day I sprout wings and call myself an alicorn." Blueblood huffed.

"You disrespectful, uncouth, Ponyville rubbish-" Daniel crossed his arms and stepped in front of Blueblood.

"Is there a problem here?" he eyed the snobbish stallion harshly.

"And just who are you supposed to be?" Blueblood made a disgusted face at the human. Daniel scowled.

"Right now I think I'm the guy who's gonna have to take you outside to settle something if you don't stop harassing this lady here." He leaned in close to Blueblood, and popped his knuckles. The stallion shrank back, intimadated by the human's promise. He fumbled with his next words before sheepishly smiling and heading to the closest door.

"Thank you, Daniel. That was indeed valiant." Rarity hugged him.

"No problem, he seemed to be in due for an attitude adjustment."

"You've never heard of the wonderbolts?!" Rainbow was astounded. Of course Kelly knew who they were, but he had to play dumb for the sake of not mentioning the show. "C'mon, I'll show you." Dash led Kelly by the hand, as they stood outside of a velvet rope. On the other side were three ponies in blue jumpsuits. Their leader, Spitfire was busy greeting everypony that wanted to talk. Dash's ears drooped. "Their the most awesome fliers in Equestria. I came this close to having a real chat with them last year, but they were too busy." Kelly leaned down, and brushed her mane with his hand.

"I'm sorry Rainbow. If you wanna know what I think, I think if you keep practicing what skill you already have, and strive to be great, then its only a matter of time until they notice you. Who knows, maybe even one day you could become their leader." Dash looked up and smiled.

"Heh, thats probably aiming a little too high, donchya think?"

"No." Kelly answered with complete sincerity.

"You...really think I could?" He simply nodded with a warm smile.

"I believe you could, you have unreal talent." Dash put a hoof around him.

"Thanks Kelly, that really helps."

This was it, her attempt last year had failed, but this time it would be different. This time, she would get everypony there to smile.

"Okay, here we go..." She took a deep breath. "Say hello to my not-so-little friend!" Pinkie shouted as she pulled out her famous cannon. She grinned widely and lit the fuse. Some ponies looked on in wonder, some actually took cover, and most facehoofed recognizing the hyper mare. The cannon boomed, and splashes of sparkles, confetti, and streamers darted everywhere covering anyone nearby with party favors. Kelly shook streamers from his head, and laughed.

"YEAH! Party with Pinkie! WHOO!" Pinkie cheered with him, but the ballroom fell silent. Soon another cheer could be heard. "Yeah, rock on!" Daniel shouted.

"YEE HAW!" Applejack added. Soon the others joined in the rediculous fray. The humans, the elements, and Spike were the only ones taking part in the noise, but it was fun regardless. Celestia and her sister Luna stood in the doorway watching them, and laughing to themselves.

The next morning

"Look, the urns are lit. It is time." The shadow soldier, and his comrades looked into the cages of the beasts they had stolen from Tartarus just nights ago. One of the soldiers wiggled his shadowy finger at the bars, and a vicious snarling responded when a rabid wolf-like creature pressed its hideous muzzle against the cage.

"Stop teasing it! Do you want it to turn on you before we get to Ponyville?" The soldier responded.

"I figured the more enraged they are, the more devestating the attack."

"Were not looking to kill off the entire town. Ferindher made it perfectly clear he wants a state of emergency, not a bloodbath." The soldier nodded his understanding, and the band of dark warriors mounted their vile steeds.

"Celestia shall have her hooves full." One of them chuckled as they began their ride to the peaceful settlement.

Finally! Things are gonna start gettin' real! Hope you guys are enjoying thus far.

Chapter 5: Heros Are Made

Fluttershy gently removed the blankets from herself, and stretched. Last nights Gala had outshown last years by a landslide. After tending to her flowing mane, she gathered up her indoor animal friends for some breakfast.

"Slow down, we don't want a tummy ache do we?" She cooed at the various small animals who were greedily inhaling their morning banquet. Fluttershy had gotten up a little earlier than usual, and in return could see the entirety of the sun just cresting over the hills. She sat on her sofa and sighed wispfully at the view. Her ears shifted when she thought she could hear distant screaming. Without warning, Rainbow Dash came crashing through her front door, startling the animals, and Fluttershy beyond belief. She wasn't quite winded, but still muttered in breaths.

"Fluttershy! Ya gotta...come quick...Ponyville...UNDER ATTACK!"

"Spread out! Make sure to spare a few houses! Do not lose control of your flesh dingo! And do NOT. Be taken prisoner!" The leader commanded as they approached the entrance bridge. "You." He pointed to a random recruit. "Pick out one, and only one casualty." His voice held no remorse, and his dark comrade smiled giving a slow nod.

Daniel's dreams were easeful. He had gone back to the picnic just a few days ago. The sights were so serene, that his subconscience felt the need to re-live it. His friend Kelly sat a couple feet away, chewing his PB and J, and laughing alongside the others to one of Rainbow Dash's jokes. Daniel was happy to be here again. But something was wrong. He seemed invisible to everyone, no one ever glanced in his general direction. He looked at Applejack who was busy fixing her hat as it sat sideways on her head. He smiled, and said something to her.

...............................

She didn't ackowledge him, and after a second attemp, Daniel realized...he couldn't even hear himself. He tried putting his hand in front of him, but when he felt himself raise his arm, there was nothing there. He rotated a non-existent palm. He swore he was moving, but it was like he was restrained at the same time. Daniel looked down, and would've gasped if it were possible. Nothing. Nothing below his sight but the edge of the blanket where he should have been sitting. He started to panick, and began pleading for an explanation, but everyone just continued with their own topics.

"Kelly?" Daniel looked woefully at his friend, who seemed to blatanly tune him out. "Kelly?!" Daniel was scared, stupified, annoyed, and frantic all mixing into a mess of an emotion that he had never experienced. His worries were overwhelming him. "KELLY! LOOK AT ME DAMMIT!" He streched his arm to prod Kelly, but he was nothing but a ghoslty spectator. Was this what it was like...to be a spirit...trapped in limbo? Daniel pushed the thought away. He wasn't dead! How did he get like this? Why wasn't he physically there?! His heart would've skipped a beat as he heard his friend say.

"You guys would've loved my friend, Daniel."

Daniel jolted in his makeshift bed that Applejack had made for him. He looked around and saw the rays of dawn glowing through the cracks of the shed. Daniel patted his torso, and brought up his appendages to examine them. 'Thank God it was just a dream.' But what a disturbing slumber. Why on earth would he dream something like that! Daniel shook his head, and imagined the nightmare literally falling out of his ears. He got dressed and was planning on heading to the house to shower, but was stopped by Applejack who was standing at the shed door, ready to open it just as Daniel did so.

"Oh, morning AJ." He rubbed his eyes, unaware of the horrific look Applejack was wearing.

"Daniel! Ya hafta come with me ta Ponyville RIGHT NOW!" Her urgency snapped Daniel to attention.

"What? Why, whats wrong?"

"A'll explain as we go. Come on!" She took off in a full gallop, and Daniel soon caught up. Having four accelerating limbs gave Applejack an edge on running, but the human's legs were much longer, and just as durable. They sprinted side by side. "Rainbow Dash stopped by not too long ago. She said that monsters were attackin' tha town! At first, ah thought she was full of horseapples, but she SHOWED ME! Look!" They came to a halt on a hill that gave them a bird's eye view of the town. Smoke ascended from two or three homes, and faint cries for help could be heard.

Daniel had never seen anything like this happen on the show. He wanted to sum it up to a freak accident, but AJ had insisted on Dash's story. Again, Applejack darted towards the chaos that was ensuing, as Daniel readily followed. As they neared the bridge that seperated the town and the path to AJ's farm, Daniel and Applejack halted to an ebony figure with reddish brown robes, mounted atop a snarling rabid dog-like creature held obediantly by reigns, and holding a torch. It cackled a deep choked laugh before reaching up, and setting the nearest roof ablaze. Applejack stood mouth agape. Just like the humans, she had never seen these kinds of creatures before. Anger quickly ebbed into her mind, and she made a mad rush for the dark figure eager to punish him for such a malicious deed.

"Applejack, WAIT!" Daniel cried as he took off after the enraged pony. His shout alerted the shadow soldier, who turned to face the orange mare. Applejack could feel fear welling up, telling her to stop, but this monster had no place burning down somepony's home like that. She gritted her teeth, and leaped intent on knocking the assailant off of its demonic steed.

"This one seems to have a death wish. I'll happily grant it." The soldier said under his breath. He waited until the freckled equin was in mid-flight, when he unsheathed his blade that camouflaged with the rest of his black body. He held it up, and in front of him like a lance; expecting to effortlessly impale the small horse. Applejack caught sight of the deadly object, and tried to twist her body around to avoid certain death. She curved herself enough for the sword to slightly graze her just above her flank. Applejack landed awkwardly with a thud, as blood trickled from the cut. She stood as quickly as she could, but found herself at a dangerously close distance to the shadowy figure.

The flesh dingo dripped foam from its jaws, wanting nothing more but to sink its mishapen teeth into the soft prey's hide. Only the figure riding it kept it from doing so. The soldier laughed and brought his sword above his head.

"Consider it an honor to be the first to die in the name of Lord Ferindher." Applejack winced at the pain near her haunches as she tried to scurry backwards. The shadow laughed once more before swinging his arm down, but his hold on the weapon was lost as he felt a tremendous force knock him off of his mount. Applejack regained her balance as she saw Daniel lying on top of the vile shadow, his fist reared back.

"You SON OF A..." Daniel didn't bother finishing, as he began wailing on the shadow's face. Black droplets formed on his knuckles acting as blood. The shadow felt solid, but his consistency was slightly softer than skin. The soldier soon countered by catching one of Daniel's punches, and delivering one of his own. Daniel tumbled away as the shadow shifted to retrieve his weapon. Daniel shook his head from the blow, and located the evil form crawling to obtain it's lost blade. He wasted no time in picking the shadow up by its robes, and slamming it into the very building it had set fire to. The soldier was just smaller than Daniel's figure but only weighed about a hundred pounds or so.

Applejack watched on in amazement as her human friend wrestled and struggled with the dark being against the side of the house, both flaunting trying to get the better hold on one another. Her attention was altered as she heard a low growl. She turned her head to see the now free-to-roam flesh dingo slowly advancing while licking its decayed lips.

"Spike! Stay indoors! Me and Kelly will handle this!" Twilight slammed the door to the library, and locked it with her magic.

"Twilight, wheres Rainbow Dash?!" Kelly asked, standing a few feet away from her.

"She went to go warn Applejack and Fluttershy!" She had to yell from the noises of panic rising in the town. Kelly looked for the source of the chaos. He watched as two dark figures riding what looked like a zombie dog, set fire to a house. He could hear the cries from the family inside. 'How can this be happening?' He thought. 'Nothing this morbid has ever happened on the show.'

"Twilight!" Kelly put on an authoritive tone. "Can you douse those flames with your magic?!" She shook her head.

"I cant cast ice magic!" Kelly could hear the screams getting louder.

"Okay...then...Oh, go around and tell everyone to evacuate to the fields! I've gotta get that family out of there!"

"Kelly!" He turned, and saw a look of desperation, as if she were going to object. "Just...be careful." Kelly smiled.

"Don't worry about me, just get everyone to safety!"

"What about the attackers?!"

"Avoid them if possible, I'll see what I can do about them!" Kelly's voice faded as he made his way to the burning building. The door was locked. He got a running start and slammed into the frame with all he had. It started to give away. After a second attempt, the door splintered off of it's hinges, and Kelly fell onto it. He stood and noticed the flames spreading from the ceiling to the floor. The ponies inside were still crying for help. "Upstairs." He bolted to the staircase, and began to sweat from the excersice as well as the rising heat from the fire.

Smoke was forming lowering his visibilty, and choking him. "HELLO?! *cough...WHERE ARE YOU?"

"In here! PLEASE!" He could he a mare's voice projecting from the next door down. He crouched to keep from inhaling any more of the toxic vapor, and opened the door. In the corner of a bedroom stood a stallion, and presumably his wife, who was trying to comfort a small crying foal. They both looked up and gasped, expecting another pony perhaps.

"COME ON, COME ON! We have to get you outside!" The husband looked to his wife and nodded. They slowly moved toward the human, taking notice of the creaking and weakening floors. Once they were in the hall, Kelly cursed under his breath as he saw the steps now completely engulfed in flames. A portion of the house collapsed, as Kelly put a protecting arm over the trio. The mother was starting to sob, fearing for her baby's life. Kelly looked over the railing. It was a decent drop, but there was no other way down. He kicked the rail guards off to shorten his fall. When he was down, he looked at a zig-zagging passage of fire to the front door. The family was looking down at him from the upper floor.

"Can you jump down?!"

"I think we can make it!" The father responded.

"I can't jump down while holding the baby!" The mother protested. Kelly anxiously looked at the exit...it was going to cave soon.

"Throw him down!" The mother looked at him as if he were insane, and pulled her child closer to her. "Please, trust me! It's the only way down! I won't let any harm come to him!" The mother still looked uncertain, but her husband put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. The flames were enclosing on them.

"Please, dear. It's our only option." The mother, tear stricken, looked at Kelly who had his hands out, ready to recieve the precious bundle. She gripped her baby with her teeth, and looked intentively at the human. She hesitated, and released the child. Kelly got underneath the bundle and cradled it like a football.

"Okay, now you two! Come on!" Kelly stepped back so that they had room to land without being too close to the fire. The couple hopped down, and they heard the creaking of wood, succumbing to the flames. "RUN! COME ON!" Kelly was already halfway to the exit, as the couple trailed him. Fresh air was welcomed as Kelly stepped down from the porch, still holding the foal close to him. The parents emerged from the scorched home, coughing from the smoke and covered in soot. The mother was crying of relief and joy as Kelly handed her her bundle, who was now calmed and quiet.

"Thank you..." She hugged Kelly, and he gladly hugged back.

"Of course. But you have to listen. Twilight Sparkle is rounding up everyone, and evacuating to the fields outside of Ponyville. Are all three of you okay to go there?" The father nodded.

"We'll be fine, and thank you." Kelly smiled at him, but the father's expression changed from gratitude to a look of horror. He was eyeballing something behind the human and Kelly quickly turned to look. The dark figure from before was but ten feet away casting a glance at the family, then at the human. His mount was snarling incoherently.

"It seems Ferindher somehow made a mistake about you useless humans. No wonder the flesh dingos were needed." Kelly had no idea what this thing was talking about. Who the hell was Ferindher? He couldn't remember him from the show. Kelly would have to figure this out later though, this asshole had to be dealt with. He looked back at the family and motioned for them to leave. He then looked at the shadow, and scowled.

"I don't know what the hell you are, but your not leaving until some questions are answered." He brought a foot back, and clenched his fists. The shadow just laughed.

"You don't have to worry about catching me, I'm not going anywhere. Serk told Ryed only one casualty was allowed, but I suppose you could be an exception, human." The beast he rode on growled as if it were agreeing with him. The dark soldier unsheathed his weapon, and commanded the flesh dingo to charge. He closed in on Kelly fast taking a swipe at him, but Kelly had rolled away just in time. He frantically searched for anything he could use to defend himself properly, but the best he could get was a broom that laid not too far from the now collapsed home. The soldier brought the flesh dingo around, ready for another attempt.

Kelly held the broom like a staff, and waited for the second attack. When the soldier came within range, Kelly swung at the rider, but the shadow snickered, and chopped clean through the wood, removing the bristles. Kelly recoiled, and was left with a stunted stick. He balanced himself, and contemplated his next move. 'Lets see how well he fares without that fucking dog.' The soldier was through playing around, and moved in for a finisher. Kelly brought the stick behind him, but just as the soldier was in range, he swung low; tripping the flesh dingo and dismounting the shadow.

Kelly smirked at his successful blow, but the moment was short lived. The shadow stood with his blade still in hand, and the flesh dingo was now free to act upon it's primal hunger. Kelly shifted his view back and forth, trying to pick out the greater threat. He slowly backed away, and decided it was best to escape somehow. He made a mad dash down the middle chucking the mutilated broom stick at the shadow, who tried to intercept. He cleared the soldier, but turned to find the rabid dingo pouncing; bloodlust reflected in its eyes. He pivoted and brought his left arm up, shielding his neck.

The dog bit down on Kelly's wrist, making him yell out in pain, and anger. The monster had him on his back as he thrashed to get free. Kelly put his right hand up to the dingo's throat and pushed up releasing the beast's jaws from his bleeding wrist. The flesh dingo dripped froth from it's maw as it struggled for another taste. Kelly desperately tried to plant his foot under the dingo's underbelly to kick it off, but the rabid beast twitched violently forward towards his throat. Kelly looked up just past the monster to see the shadow standing over him with both hands grasping the hilt, ready for the death strike. Kelly thought he could see a glimmer of a grin under it's hood as he waited for the sword's edge.

Kelly brought his attention back to the flesh dingo as an white flash bucked the shadow away.

"Rarity!" He exlaimed still wresting with the rabid dog. The weight of the monster left him as another friendly face tackled it with unreal force. "Pinkie!" Kelly scrambled to his feet, and saw Rarity backing away from the angered soldier. He noticed the sword was lying where the soldier was standing over him. The dark being crept towards the unicorn.

"Stay away, you ruffian!" She sounded confident, but the shadow still advanced. He was just about to close in on her when the human stood between him, and revenge. Kelly was wielding his blade, and pondered whether he should run and thrust it into it's original wielder. 'How would Rarity or Pinkie even react to me killing something?' His thoughts vanished as he heard the shadow speak.

"You win this time...human." He drew the last word out slow and menacingly. Rarity glanced at Pinkie who was lying on top of the flesh dingo. The monster snapped its jaws and growled, but Pinkie scowled and growled back, almost sounding like a dog. She took a deep breath.

"YOU DON'T HURT MY FRIENDS YOU BIG MEEEAAANIIEE!!!" Her voiced boomed right into the dingo's face pushing it's ears back. The monster actually look frightened by the pink mare's assertiveness. Pinkie let it up still giving it a mean glare as the dingo backed away...wimpering?! The shadow that Kelly had warded off jumped onto the beast's back, grabbed the reigns, and retreated to the exit of Ponyville.

"AND DON'T COME BACK!" Kelly shouted pumping the dark sword in the air. "Thanks, you guys. If you hadn't shown up..." Kelly felt no need to finish.

"Well, what are friends for?" Rarity smiled, but still shivered from what just took place.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Pinkie pointed to Kelly's bloody wrist.

"I'll be fine, we need to make sure theres no more of those...things running around. Did you guys see Twilight?" Rarity nodded.

"She said you had stayed behind to help somepony, so we came to make sure you were okay."

"Okay, well..." Kelly looked at the sword, and held it in front of him. "I've got this now, so I think I should be okay. You two head to the fields with everyone else." Rarity shook her head.

"Were not leaving you alone dear. Look what almost happened." Kelly sighed. There was no time to argue.

"Okay, but promise me you'll be careful. The last thing I want to see is you guys getting hurt." Pinkie bounced up to him.

"Don't worry Kelly Belly, we'll be careful. Now lets go get those party poopers!" 'Kelly Belly, huh. geuss thats my nickname.' Kelly snickered, as they looked around for any more attackers.

"APPLEJACK, HANG ON!" Daniel called as he forced the shadow against the house.

"Don't worry 'bout me Daniel, ah can handle mahself!" Applejack was circling around with the flesh dingo, waiting for it to make a move so she could buck it right in it's ugly mug. The thing was barely larger than her. The beast zig-zagged and lunged, but AJ waited until it was just close enough to put her hind legs forward, and kicked harder than any apple tree she had ever bucked before. Her injury stung, and protested against the harsh movement, but she ignored it. The dingo let out a high pitched whine, and shook it's head from the blow. Applejack wasted no time in putting on another layer of hurt as she charged and used her head to ram the beast right in the side, sending it sprawling, and gasping for air. The flesh dingo admitted it's defeat, and took off around the building, howling in pain. Applejack looked at where Daniel was brawling with the dark figure, but he wasn't there. She saw the soldier lying motionless next to the house.

"That asshole's out cold." He said as he walked up to her. His lip was busted from one of the licks the shadow got on him, and he limped slightly from a low kick. Daniel was also holding the sword that the soldier had used to hurt his friend. "We need to move, now. We have to find the others." Applejack didn't really pay any attention to what he said. Her eyes darted frantically for an explanation.

"Why?! W-what are they?! Why are they doin' this ta Ponyville?!" Daniel put his hand on her shoulder, and she looked at him. She was on the verge of tears.

"It's okay. We just need to make sure everyone's alright, and check if there are more of these guys." Daniel gestured toward the unconscience shadow. He hugged her to make sure she was comforted.

"Okay, lets go." They left the area, and called out to anyone nearby who might hear them. Daniel saw several more shadows riding about and acting like pyromaniacs, but they took off on their demonic mounts before he could get near them with his new weapon. After a short while, they ran into Kelly who was accompanied by Rarity and Pinkie.

"Daniel! Applejack! You're okay!" Kelly set down his sword, and gave his friend a hug.

"What's been going on, how did this happen?" Daniel asked. Kelly picked up the sword again.

"I couldn't tell you, we ran into some...dark dimented person, who was riding a demonic rabid dog."

"Look, it's Rainbow Dash." AJ pointed to a cyan pony flying towards them.

"Guys! You're okay!" She folded her wings, and landed next to the group.

"Rainow Dash, what did you see from the sky?" Kelly asked.

"I saw a herd of creeps riding out of Ponyville. Are they the ones who caused this?!" They all nodded.

"Me and Pinkie helped Kelly chase one off." Rarity stated.

"I beat the shit out of one near one of the bridges." Daniel smiled.

"Applejack, are Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith safe?" Dash asked.

"They're safe n' sound on the farm, and if any of those things go there, Big Mac can handle'em."

"Okay good, Twilight has gathered everypony out in the fields. She sent me here to put out the fires." Dash immediately began flying in small circles around some nearby flames, engulfing them in a vortex and snuffing them out. Kelly looked around.

"Does anyone know where Fluttershy is?" A faint shriek could be heard from far away.

A few minutes earlier

"Spike, help me do a head count and make sure everypony's here. Ms. Mayor, we could use your help in gathering their attention and settling down." Twilight and her assistant took down attendance of the evacuation while the Mayor calmed the fretful crowd. "Okay, besides Rarity, Kelly, and Pinkie Pie, everypony seems to be accounted for except...Daniel, and the Apple family." Twilight looked around for her pegasus friend. "Rainbow Dash?" Dash swooped in front of her.

"Yeah?"

"Can you and Fluttershy go and see if the missing ponies, and humans are okay? And after that, you should use your wing power to choke out some of those fires." Dash put a saluting hoof to her head, but was dead serious.

"Gotcha, come on Fluttershy!" The canary pegasus timidly followed her. Twilight looked back at her list.

"Wait a minute. Were also missing Scootaloo!" Before she could tell her pegasi friends of the absent filly, they were long gone. Dash and Fluttershy yawed back and forth scanning the roads for their friends. Dash noticed a group of humanoid figures leaving the town in the opposite direction of the Everfree Forest. She wanted badly to go after them, but she needed to make sure her friends weren't hurt...or worse.

"Oh, my!" Fluttershy uttered as she angled away from Dash, and flew towards a cowering filly. "Scootaloo!" She called, but not quite loud enough to hear. The orange filly flinched when Fluttershy landed next to her, but smiled as she recognized who it was.

"Fluttershy!" She half laughed half cried. Her eyes were red from tears. "I'm s-scared. I wanna get out of here!" She wailed running up to Fluttershy's leg. Fluttershy put her hoof around her.

"I know sweetie. Don't worry, Twilight had everypony gathered out in the fields." A house noisily gave way, scaring Scootaloo further. "C'mon, lets go." But instead of jumping onto Fluttershy's back, Scootaloo screamed loudly and hid behind the adult pony. Fluttershy looked to see what had frightened her. Her eyes dialated into small orbs when a terrifying dog-like creature spotted them, and eyed them with hunger. Fluttershy froze. This thing was nothing like anything she'd seen before. Not even the most fearful monster in the Everfree amounted to how grotesque this thing appeared.

"Stay behind me." She whispered. Fluttershy had no choice but to use her stare to save Scootaloo and herself. Her eyes grew wide, and commanding, as she took an authoritive stance. The flesh dingo stopped its advance and fell under her command. Fluttershy held the hypnotic gaze and silently commanded it to stand down. As she peered deeper into it's soul, she could see the pain it endured during it's time in Tartarus, and it broke her concentration. She closed her eyes for the tiniest moment, but it was just enough for the demonic dingo to break free of the trance, and resume it's approach. It almost seemed to crack a grin as it would be seconds away from the orderve, and the main course. Fluttershy squeeked as her second try failed.

"YOU GET AWAY FROM HER!!!" Fluttershy looked to see Kelly run faster than she'd ever seen him move and slam his body weight into the predator. She also took notice of the black sword that he held in his right hand. "Go! Run!" It took a moment for her to realize he was talking to her.

"C'mon Scootaloo!" She guided the filly over to where more of her friends, as well as Daniel, emerged from around the corner. Kelly stepped to the side to avoid a lunge from the dingo. He brought his sword up, and sliced at the mutt, cutting it around one of it's hind legs. The beast ignored the trauma, it was too starved to care. Kelly shuffled backwards as it snapped at his legs. He waited for the right time, and kicked the demon across the face, making it stumble back. Before it could pick itself up, the flesh dingo found itself pinned down as Kelly planted his left foot hard on it's side.

The beast snarled in protest, but couldn't get free. Kelly felt pitty for what he was about to do, but this wasn't a creature he could spare without putting his friends in danger. He grasped the hilt with both hands, and positioned the sword in a downward stabbing motion.

"RAAAAHHH!" He screamed as he plunged the shadowy steel into the helpless creature's neck, misplacing his aim which was for the heart. The damage was done though, as the dingo began to bleed out. It gave a final low growl, and it's bloodshot eyes closed as it gave in to the mortal wound.

Several minutes had gone by by the time Celestia had shown up with her guards as well as the captain, Shining Armor.

"Where's Twilight?! Is she okay?!"

"I'm right here big brother." Twilight emerged from the crowd of ponies forming back into the crippled town.

"Oh, thank Luna." He brought his sister in for a loving hug. "So, what the hay happened here?"

"Were not entirely sure. It was just this morning that these dark figures riding those awful mutts attacked Ponyville! I am at a complete loss for any kind of motive." Shining Armor turned his attention to Kelly and Daniel sitting on a porch a few yards away.

"Are those the humans everypony keeps talking about?" Twilight nodded.

"From what I hear from my friends, those two were incredibly heroic during the assault. AJ told me that Daniel saved her from one of the attackers, and busted him up pretty good. Fluttershy said Kelly put himself in danger to save her and a filly named Scootaloo." She pointed to the appropriate human as she named them.

"Quite comendable." Celestia approached the pony and stallion.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight respectfully bowed.

"Hello Twilight, my star pupil. It sounds like it was the right call keeping those two around." She gestured towrds the boys. "I only regret not being here sooner. Nopony was..." Twilight quickly shook her head.

"No, princess, the town is in bad shape, but everypony made it out okay." Celestia let her tension fall.

"Good, good." She surveyed the town. Rainbow had already put out the blazes, and rebuilding the homes would take some time. The Mayor finished negotiating with her advisors, and approached the Princess.

"Your majesty, I believe it would be best if we housed those who lost their homes at City Hall. Theres more than enough room, and they'll be well provided until we can restore Ponyville." Celestia smiled.

"Very well, I am going to assign some guards here for a lengthy period to ensure this doesn't happen again if these attackers decide to return." Celestia, Twilight, and Shining Armor trotted up to Kelly and Daniel. The humans stood as they approached. "I want to personally thank both of you for what you have done today. You may have only been here for a short time, but you still showed loyalty, and courage during a time of crisis. Without your actions, it makes me shudder to think what could've happened to some of my little ponies."

"And I want to thank you, Princess." Kelly began. "I'm glad that you made the decision to let us stay, and become good friends with the elements. I am more than willing to risk my life for those I care about." Daniel wasn't sure how to feel. He had never cared much for the show or it's characters (save, Applejack) but now that he was there...with them...they were real...they were his friends. How was he not to care in some way.

"I'm thankful too." Daniel said. "While I'm still worried about how we'll get home, these ponies have showed me and Kelly hospitality that I wish I could repay easier than just manual labor."

"And ya have." AJ walked up with the other elements.

"Yeah, you guys are like...my bestest best friends FOORREEEVVVEEERRR!" Pinkie happily smiled.

"You boys are true gentlecolts in my eyes." Rarity added.

"The way you guys took on those creatures. So...awesome!" Dash squished her face up with her hoofs.

"Thank you Kelly...for protecting us." Fluttershy stood next to Scootaloo, who ran up to Kelly and gave him a hug.

"Yeah, thanks." Twilight gave her thanks as well, and her brother approached the humans.

"Thank you for keeping my sister and her friends safe. I'm Shining Armor by the way." The boys shook his hoof.

"Twilight's your sister?" Daniel asked, and Shining Armor nodded.

"You two have more than earned your place here in Equestria, you may be humans, but as far as I'm concerned, your just as important to me now as any of my little ponies." Celestia stated. Kelly almost fell over from pure joy. He was accepted by these ponies as well as Celestia herself. This was a day he would never forget. He gathered everyone nearby in a group hug.

"Best. Day. EVER!" The ponies were surprised by his sudden eccenrtic behavior, but giggled at his excitement.

"Your majesty." A grey coated guard appeared before the Princess. "Everypony is back in town, those who were injured are being treated at the hospital, and reconstruction crews are starting on the damaged homes."

"Splendid." Celestia then looked at the humans. "Are either of you injured?"

"We were, but Fluttershy took care of that." Celestia nodded.

"Good."

"Theres something else Princess."

"Yes?"

"It seems we have a prisoner." Celestia raised a brow.

"I thought the attackers fled?"

"We found him lying in front of one of the houses. Looks like he got left behind." Two more guards carried the still unconscience shadow in front of the humans, the elements, and the Princess. Celestia eyed him with as much hatred as she could muster.

"AWAKEN!" She shouted. Her magic jolted the soldier violently, and brought him to look up drowsily. "What is your name?" She said in a grim tone. The soldier muttered something inaudible. "SPEAK UP!" She levitated the dark being and pushed him back onto the ground.

"Ryed." The shadow rasped.

"Why have you and your men attacked my subjects?" The shadow laughed.

"Because we were ordered to."

"BY WHO !"

"That...your majesty." He said mockingly. "I will not tell you." Celestia's eyes faintly glowed.

"Unless you wish to be aquainted with the sun's surface, you will tell me who sent you!"

"Well then, it looks like your going to have to do just that. I'm not speaking a word to you."

"As you wish." Celestia said in a monotone voice. Her horn emmited a red glow, and the soldier was engulfed in the same color aura.

"Princess, wait." Daniel spoke up. The princess stopped her banishment spell, and looked at Daniel puzzled. "I bet we could get him to talk." He then looked at Kelly.

"You mean like interrogation?" Kelly said with a hint of surprise. Daniel nodded. Kelly looked at the shadow, and frowned. He didn't feel any remorse for the being. It had tried to hurt...even kill some the ponies that he cared a great deal for. From the looks of it, it was nothing more than the embodiment of a cruel, evil, individual. Hell, it was even made of pure darkness. "Alright. Princess, if you or anyone else here don't want to see this, you don't have to." But the ponies stayed, curious of the human's plan with the shadow. "Would you like to do the honors?" Daniel shrugged.

"Sure, I already messed him up once, I have no problem doing it twice." Kelly walked over and picked the shadow up from behind, and held it's arms behind it's back. He stood it up only to kick it's calfs, bringing it to it's knees.

"W-what are you doing?" The shadow asked in a worried tone.

"You are gonna tell us who sent you." Kelly said, as his friend stepped in front of the prisoner and cracked his knuckles. The soldier recognized him immediately.

"You..." it said.

"Thats right, me." Daniel responded before bringing a sharp hook across the shadow's face, making the ponies gasp. "Now tell me who sent you!" The shadow was silent for a moment.

"No..." Daniel planted another punch in the same fashion.

"We can play this game all day pal." Daniel waited for what the prisoner had to say, but it sat in complete silence. Daniel drove his knee into the shadow's gut, as Kelly released it, letting it fall over wheezing. Kelly then leaned down.

"Look, we don't take pleasure in doing this, but you did just try to kill our friends and all, so this is going to keep up until you tell us what we want to know." The shadow laughed loudly.

"Nothing you do to me can even compare to what Ferinher will do if I betray him." The shadow choked on his own breath as he realized his mistake.

"Ferindher?" Kelly and Daniel said in unison. Celestia's face went pale when she heard the shadow speak it's leader's name.

"One of the other shadows mentioned that same name before." Kelly stated.

"KILL ME!" The shadow screamed, making the humans jump back. "Kill me, PLEASE!" Everyone froze, not knowing what to do. The shadow jumped up and shoved Kelly out of the way to retrieve the black sword that lie on the ground from earlier.

"Stop him!" Shining Armor commanded. Several guards bolted after the shadow, but not before the dark being could grab the weapon, and turn it on himself. The black sword peirced Ryed's stomach as he doubled over and fell to his knees. The guards stopped pursuing and everyone stared in horror as Ryed took his own life. Labored breathing could be heard from the soldier, followed by a dying gasp. It tooks a few minutes for the shock to die down, and when it did, Kelly looked at the Princess who still couldn't believe her ears.

"Is everything okay, Princess?" She didn't respond directly. She had the 'thousand-mile stare', and muttered.

"Ferindher..." Twilight was curious.

"Princess...who's Ferindher?" She still didn't aknowledge anyone talking to her, and added.

"Impossible..."

"P-princess?" Celestia snapped to attention, and had the look of utmost sincerity.

"Shining Armor. You and your men finish up here. Please dispose of that shadow, and return to Canterlot. There is something I must tell the elements and humans." Shining Armor saluted.

"Yes, your majesty." Celestia looked to her student.

"Twilight, we will go to your home to discuss this matter. I fear Equestria may be on the brink of something catastrophic if Ferindher truly has returned."

"But Princess, who exactly is this Ferindher fella?"

"All in good time, Applejack. Twilight, lead the way."

"Alright, we'll rest here for now. I do believe the attack was a success." Serk looked approvingly at his men.

"Ha, those ponies never saw it coming."

"Haven't felt that destructive in a while."

"Can't believe that damn human took my sword."

"HOLD IT!" Serk shouted. "Where. is. Ryed?" Everyone looked around, and uneasy murmuring filled the clearing.

"Maybe he just fell behind."

"I...don't see him anywhere." Serk's expression was grim.

"He must have...been captured." One of the shadows spoke up.

"No! We don't know that for sure! M-maybe he was killed during the assault! Yeah, thats it!"

"It doesn't matter..." Serk said souding depressed. "He's missing, and we all know Ferindher is going to assume the worst."

Chapter 6: Shadows of the Past

"Twilight, my student, lock the doors, and shut the windows. Everypony gather around. What I need to share with you is of dire importance, and must remain a secret amongst us and only us." The sun goddess seemed edgy as the elements and humans sat in front of her. The dim lit room made for an unsettling atmosphere in Twilight's home. Fluttershy noticed Kelly messing with his bandaged wrist.

"Oh...um...try not to mess with it. That could agitate it more." Kelly smiled at her.

"I know, it just stings thats all."

"Okay, Princess, the library is secure." Twilight curtained the last window, and joined the semi-circle. She then looked at Spike who was still on the upper floor listening in. "Spike, I think you need to go." Spike's arms fell in dissapointment.

"Aww, but I wanna hear this too, it sounds exciting!" Celestia gave him a stern look.

"Please Spike, this is not something you need to hear, mind you it is a serious matter." The Princess almost sounded motherly. Spike crossed his arms and pouted.

"I wish everypony would stop treating me like a baby." Twilight levitated him to the door.

"Sorry, Spike, we'll catch you later. Why don't you go see if you can help around town?" Spike, shrugged, and left; of course with no intention of actually obeying this time around. The group then looked once again at Celestia.

"So what could be so bad to talk about that we havta swear secrecy Princess?" Applejack sounded apprehensive at the thought of having to lie.

"A dark part of Equestrian history that has been kept secret since I was very, very young." Celestia spoke with her eyes closed.

'I don't believe this,' Kelly thought. 'How much could there be outside of the actual show?!'

'Heh, I bet alot more people would watch MLP if it were anything like this morning.' Daniel echoed in his head.

"But, Princess, Equestrian History is one of my most fruitful studies, and the most tramatic event I've ever read was the emerge of Nightmare Moon. I've never even heard about this...Ferindher character."

"That, Twilight, is because this perticular event was not set in ink, it was never recorded in history. We presumed Ferindher to be dealt with for eternity. It seems we were wrong."

"Just who is this Ferindher?" Rarity chimed in. The Princess let her head hang low, and she gave a long sigh.

"I will tell you all of Ferindher's disturbing legacy, and how he was defeated, but I must emphasize that none of you tell anypony. This was a time of war, something that Equestria had never dealt with before, something my parents had to face for the first time. It was decided for the better that such depressing chronicles should not echo through the generations to come, that instead it should fade into the background, until it was nothing, not even to be considered a mare's tale." Now everyone was intrigued, this promised to be quite the story. The main six, and humans leaned forward and were silent, signaling the alicorn to continue.

"Twilight, you of course know of the time that Discord ruled, and Luna and I used the elements to subdue him and gain control of Equestria once more?" Twilight nodded. "Well, what took place beforehoof is what aided Discord in his temporary position; the end of a war." She said grimly, and paused dramatically. "The war...against Ferindher." Twilight's eyes gleamed. She found it difficult to hold back her excitement to learn about a major conflict that no book could tell her about. Celestia went on.

"Years before Discord appeared a distant, but cruel tyrant; Ferindher, held domain over a land that is much different from Equestria's serenity, quite the opposite in fact. It's a realm of sorrow, and decay, and it seemed fitting for the way he ruled his kingom. During these times, my parents were the rulers of Equestria while Luna and I were being taught the fundamentals of leadership. Word of Ferindher's presence far from our home were brought to us by rumors from the Griffin and Dragon providences. We paid the rumors no mind, but soon came to call him the Lord of Shadows."

"How long had he been ruling?" Dash asked.

"Nopony knows for sure, but he presided within a castle much like Canterlot's only his was darker; literally and fuguratively. Apparently, he could manifest power from the very darkness around him, the most efficient opportunity being nighttime, though at the time, we did not know this. It took great lengths of time and energy for him to draw enough power to create his...subjects."

"You mean those meanie party poopers who came to Ponyville all-" Pinkie then proceeded to punch the air and make a few growling noises. Celestia promptly nodded.

"Ferindher created servants to renovate his castle and the land around him, soldiers to build a military regime, and by speculation a few other monstrosities. It wasn't long after his power and population grew that he got a hold of an old tablet that held an evil essence within it. It's origin is still unkown. This tablet granted Ferindher more power than he had hoped to achieve over the next century."

"Oh, my...just how powerful had he become?" Fluttershy wimpered. Celestia grimmaced.

"Powerful enough to launch a full assault. Among his shadow subjects, he created spies to overwatch the different providences; Equestria included. Our quiet and peaceful way of life seemed to be an easier target to Ferindher rather than the Dragons or Griffins. Needless to say, we were not prepared."

"Tarnation..." Applejack muttered.

"The attack was swift, but the royal guard was able to hold them back long enough to evacuate...most...of the citizens." A tear ran down the Princess' cheek. Twilight trotted up to her mentor and comforted her with a hoof. Celestia smiled at her kindness.

"Then what?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"We were losing. Along with the soldiers, there were also hulking beasts that seemed almost...mindless. Their destructive tactics were so careless, that they injured guards and shadows alike, perhaps a mishap in Ferindher's creation. Many towns were still being built back then, but Canterlot had been his main concern."

"But why, why would Ferindher just pounce completely unprovoked?!" Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. Celestia simply shrugged.

"To spread evil, greed, power lust, or it might just be all of those and more. Ferindher is a monster born from darkness and hatred, suffering is probably just another joke to him." Celestia stated with no kindness in her tone.

"But Canterlot wans't lost to'em was it?" Applejack said getting back on track.

"No, he came close, but no. A stalemate soon swept from the territory between Equestria and his kingdom. I...can't recall what we called his land. Few battles were fought directly, most of the time small skirmishes would ensue with little to no casualties. For the moment we were able to hold our own; Ferindher underestimated us. This went on for almost a year. It was during then that my parents were contemplating putting themselves on the frontlines in hopes to bring an end to the conflict. The only thing that stopped them from doing that any sooner...were my sister and I. After we could safely return to the castle, they discussed it almost every day, and every day Luna and I would plead, cry, and beg them not to go. I'm sure you can understand why."

"You didn't want to lose them..." Rarity said with tears in her eyes. Celestia was also starting to cry as well.

"Soon they had no choice. Too many brave ponies and stallions had lost their lives, and if they didn't intervene, it was only a matter of time until Ferindher got what he wanted. They...they said they'd be back soon and left, but my sister and I knew better. They had rushed our final leadership lessons for a reason. Within a few weeks, the stalemate was pushed all the way back to Ferindher's castle...and...and my parents had to...m-make sure Ferindher was dealt with p-permanently." Celestia's voice was starting to break up a bit, and tears were freely flowing.

"They conjured the powers of the sun and moon, and used them to create a beam of energy to crumble Ferindher's foundation along with Ferindher himself. B-but...attacking our home...and taking innocent lives wasn't good enough for him...in a l-last ditch effort...Ferindher used the power of the tablet...to infect...my parents with a deadly dark magic. A magic that grips your body...a-and slowly drains away your life." She was audibly sobbing now. The ponies were doing the same. Pinkie cried the loudest as her mane and tail hung straight and flat. The humans kept their eyes closed tightly in empathy for the Princess, and in hatred for Ferindher. Droplets were also streaming down their faces.

"Ferindher was stopped, his armies and castle fell, but at the cost of our parent's lives. The commanding guards who fought alongside them retrieved the acursed tablet, and prepared a charriot to bring back mother and father, so they could be properly buried. Before they could return, Discord took the opportunity to take Equestria as his own. With few guards to stand in his way, he was met with minimal opposition. Luna and I were so distrought by the news of our parents that we...couldn't bring ourselves to stop Discord before he took over." Celestia ceased her tears, and her voice grew angry. "It was all Ferindher's fault, he brought so many centuries of peace and serenity to an end simply because he could not control his own avidity. Mother, father...That was the only day that I had wished Ferindher had survived...so that I may end him myself." The alicorn's words reeked of loathing.

Uneasiness settled amongst the ponies, and Kelly. Never had Celestia spoken with such venom in her words. One by one, the main six shared their grief, and sympathy for the Princess with either a gentle hoof, or a warm hug.

"So, if Ferindher has returned, then what do we do?" Twilight's question actually brought Celestia's attention to the boys.

"You two." The Princess addressed calmy. The humans stared back at her. "Neither of you have said a single word this entire time." Celestia brow elevated. The boys looked at each other; Kelly was the first to speak.

"It's just that...I've actually been wondering why you would tell us about all of this." He gestured to himself and his friend.

"Yeah, and I've just been really focused on what you were saying. I guess I never would have thought something so morbid could happen to a place that seems so...innocent and carefree." Daniel added. Celestia nodded in understanding.

"The reason I have told you two about these events is because; after your selfless actions this morning, you have shown me that I can trust you." Celestia smiled once again. "You have also showed me that perhaps...you may be able to help us." She said in a questioning voice. The humans shared a puzzled glance. "Of course, you do not have to if you do not wish. This will no doubt be a very dangerous matter that some I fear...will not return from."

"So you mean become like a royal guard?" Kelly asked.

"In a sense, you would be trained by our finest warriors and given a place to stay among the barracks perhaps. You both have proven your strength, and it seems Equestria could use all the help it can get."

"I-I don't know what to say." Daniel stuttered. He sounded more surprised than excited. Kelly only took a few seconds to think about it. After all, he was a brony, and what kind of brony wouldn't do all that they could to protect their friends.

"Princess Celestia, I accept." Kelly proclaimed as he stood up. Daniel stood after him, but was still unsure. He wasn't a brony, at least not as much as Kelly. But Kelly was his pal, he would stick with him through the roughest times, and give as much support as he could. Besides, even if he didn't care for the show, that factor seemed pretty insignificant now that he was friends with the elements.

"Me too, I'm ready to help." Celestia stood and approached the humans. She gave each of them a teary smile, before embracing them both.

"Thank you...I will not soon forget your courage." The elements each gave their thanks as well for the human's determination.

"So what do you want us to do?" Dash asked.

"I will return later today with each of the elements for you to safeguard. I only need each and every one of you to stay vigilant alongside the royal guards."

"Shouldn't tha guards know what their watchin' out fer?" Applejack pondered. Celestia put a hoof behind her head.

"I suppose I forgot to mention that some of the guards might have knowledge of Ferindher, but they were sworn to secrecy upon initiation much like all of you here today." The Princess began to exit the library right before she gave a final statement. "Twilight, whenever you can, keep me up to date with any new suspicions, or activity that might lead back to Ferindher. Kelly, Daniel; I will speak to the guards of your decision, and prepare a charriot to Canterlot right away. Please meet me at City Hall in about an hour."

"Si, señorita." Daniel joked. The alicorn blankly stared for a second, but shrugged it off.

"Come here, Derpy!" Kelly held his arms out wide to squeeze the grey pegasus before he departed for Canterlot.

"Awww, how long will you guys be gone?" Kelly broke the embrace.

"Not sure, we have to be trained to help you guys better if anything like this were to happen again." Daniel was busy giving farewells to Lyra and Bon Bon. Within the week, the humans were no doubt incredibly popular and liked by virually everypony in town.

"Don't worry everyone, we'll be back soon! Stay safe!" Daniel called as he waved and stepped onto the charriot, with Kelly following. The ponies waved bye and wished the humans luck in Canterlot as the charriot was lifted from the ground; bound for Equestria's capitol.

Later that evening

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both sputtered laughter as they munched cupcakes, and contemplated possible pranks to pull next week. Sugarcube Corner was a good place to hatch ideas for the duo. Dash finished her pastry, and shot Pinkie a worried look.

"Hey Pinkie...you know who...sounds pretty serious about his plans for Equestria. I mean, Celestia's parents couldn't even..." Pinkie's smile dissapeared, but quickly returned as she put a hoof around her cyan friend.

"Dashie...as long as we've got each other and the elements of harmony, no stinky shadow pooper could ever rain on this parade!" Pinkie proceeded to juggle cupcakes around in hopes to cheer up Dash. It worked. Dash laughed at Pinkie's antics.

"Y'know Pinkie, you might be annoying sometimes, but you really are a ray of sunshine too."

"Aw, thanks Dashie! I-HEY!" Dash laughed even harder at Pinkie's delayed reaction. Pinkie did an over the top backflip. "Hey, how do you think Kelly, and Daniel are doing right now?" Dash put a hoof to her chin.

"Well considering they get to hang out at Canterlot Castle, kick it with royalty, and get special training from the best fighters among the royal guard...I'd say they're having the time of their life."

Meanwhile

Daniel slowly began to pick himself up as he spit out the dirt that flew in his mouth upon impact.

"C'mon human, I was told your kind was stronger than this. This is just sad." Daniel's trainee taunted him.

"Ease up Meta Shroud, you've humiliated him enough as it is, now how about training him?" A second guard by the name of Chival Glow scolded his fellow guard; pausing his own battle with Kelly, who wasn't faring so well either.

"Calm down, Chival, he knows I'm just messing with him." Daniel stood, and took a powerful swing at his teacher. Meta easily dodged his sloppy technique and parried with a smack to the head, knocking Daniel over again. All four had been training with basic wooden swords as to make sure no one was hurt...too bad. "You've gotta get a solid stance before you put so much power into one attack, human." Daniel just groaned in response. Kelly finally climbed to his feet, and shook his head from being 'punch' drunk.

"This time, I'll attack and you see if you can dodge and parry, like Meta had done." Chival instructed. Kelly shook his head a final time, and prepared for Chival's assault. Chival and Meta were both unicorns, and since unicorns could manipulate weapons in such a way other ponies could not; not to mention other magical powers, they were usual the most useful in combat. Chival swiftly moved to Kelly's right, but pivoted and stepped to the left in an attempt to fake him out. Kelly wasn't ready, he brought his sword up to Chival's original direction, and didn't have time to bring the wood blade across his body to block his teacher's change in direction.

The wood thwacked Kelly's side, and he stumbled back trying to regain his footing. Chival took advantage of his unbalanced student, and knocked him backwards with a forceful thrust. Kelly just lie on his back, groaning in pain and frustration.

"Oh, fuck this." He cursed under his breath. Daniel had picked himself up once again, and this time waited for Meta to make a move. Meta smirked and dashed straight forward. Daniel was expecting a full front attack, but to his dismay the sword that moved alongside Meta vanished into thin air, making Daniel lower his guard in confusion.

"What the-" Daniel felt agony vibrate from the back of his skull, as the timber weapon reappeared from behind him. He fell to his knees and shouted. "Hey! That was a cheap shot!" Meta laughed.

"Is that what your gonna say when the enemy buries his weapon in the back of your head?" Daniel just grunted in obvious annoyance.

"Alright you two, I think thats enough for one evening. And don't feel bad, this was your first day after all." Chival wrapped his magic around Kelly's weapon, as Meta did Daniel's.

"We'll meet you guys in the dining hall later." Meta called as he and Chival left the training grounds. Battered, and bruised, Kelly and Daniel reluctantly followed the unicorns inside moments later.

"This shit sucks." Daniel groaned.

"I know, but just wait. We could probably learn alot from these guys. remember, it's for our friends." Daniel rolled his eyes, but agreed anyway. Kelly chuckled. "Still think we could've kicked their asses a week ago?"

"Hey, that was different. Those guards were pegasi, not cheap shot unicorns." Daniel playfully countered.

Alright guys, this will be the last update until late July or early August. I'll be back from Missouri on July 26th, so somewhere around there. As always hope you guys like it so far, and don't forget to look over to see if I missed something in case I didn't catch it. Thank you all so much for the support, you guys are awesome!

Have a great summer!

Chapter 7: Friend or Foe

Applejack's hooves, head, and hind end ached. Her hooves; from a long day of Applebucking, hind; from the cut she had sustained earlier that morning, and head from all she had absorbed in one day. Despite her nerves, something else lingered in her mind. A kind of...sadness, though she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. Her thoughts wandered from one topic to another until it rested on Daniel. She glanced at Canterlot Castle from her orchard and thought about him even more. She didn't admit it out loud, but Applejack did in fact, miss him. She missed his help around the farm, how good he was with Applebloom, and even his crude sense of humor every now and then. In the past week, he had spent the most time with her telling her about himself and Kelly, listening closely anytime she told him about herself and her friends.

Even though her and Daniel were completely different biologically, she still managed to find common ground with him and become good friends. AJ didn't even realize how much she enjoyed his company until he was gone.

"He'll be back, don't you worry." She consoled herself.

"So she finished, and he says, 'Babe, that was great, and as I promised I'll do whatever you ask. So, she replies..." Daniel then picked up his glass of milk, and filled his cheeks without swallowing. He delivered the punch-line, "Kish me," he gurgled as a small amount of milk dribbled down his chin. Kelly sat next to him in the dining area reserved for the royal guards. His face was in his palm for the longest time, embarrassed by his dirty-minded friend. Some of the guards groaned in disgust, others chuckled awkwardly. A female guard shook her head dissaprovingly, while Meta Shroud fell out of his chair, laughing.

"Humans certainly have an...interesting sense of humor." Chival commented.

"Well, Meta sure seemed to enjoy it. Daniel, I think you and him were meant to be sparring buddies." Kelly slapped his friend on the back as he finished his own drink, despite the innapropriate joke.

"Revolting." An unknown voice spoke. Most of the guards, plus both humans brought their attention to a scowling pegasus guard with a small scar above his right eye.

"Ah c'mon, Plexis. It was just a joke." Meta defended his student. Plexis gave the dark-coated unicorn a mean look before grunting, and excusing himself.

"I think it's safe to say I've lost my appetite." Plexis grumbled as he left the mess hall. Kelly gave Chival a perplexed look.

"Don't worry about him, it's nothing personal toward Daniel. Plexis never cared much for other species; humans included I suppose."

"Any reason why?" Kelly ventured. Chival shrugged.

"Ever since he was initiated a few years back, neighboring species were always just a threat to him. My guess is he grew up in a bitter environment, and vents that anger at races other than his own...mostly anyway."

"And that scar?" Daniel spoke up. Chival shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, he doesn't like anypony to mention it so...I don't know...maybe another time."

"It seems like the only good reason to keep him around is because he's one of our best aerial fighters." Meta stated.

"Just try your best to avoid him." Chival finished, and both humans nodded.

"I am gonna be sore in the morning." Kelly climbed into the semi-comfy mattress and massaged his training indused injuries."

"Hey! I just thought of something." Daniel bolted upright. "What are we gonna do about meat?" Kelly quickly sat up and shushed his friend since other beds with snoozing guards weren't far from them.

"I don't know. Let's just wait until tomorrow and ask Celestia what to do about that." A couple minutes went by, but slumber was the last thing on either of their minds.

"What do you think Fluttershy's doing?" Kelly voiced his thoughts. Daniel grinned in amusement.

"Probably sleeping. Awwww maybe she's thinking about you too." Daniel cooed and mocked his friend by making kissing sounds. Kelly's face grew red hot.

"Shut your mouth!" He retorted a little louder than intended.

"Why don't you both shut up?!" A sleep deprived guard bellowed a few beds away.

"G'night...loverboy." Daniel taunted and closed his eyes. Kelly sighed and did the same.

The following morning was started with a very early wake up call. The humans wanted nothing more than to sleep in, but taking on the responsibilty to protect Equestria was too heavy a burden to be put off.

"Go get some breakfast, and meet us on the training grounds in about an hour." Meta was clear to the point and left the humans to plan their day. Kelly reached for an apple but stopped when he noticed a hay sandwich not far from it. His eyes shifted back and forth to the fruit and the sandwich.

"Hmm...maybe I'll just try it." He grabbed the bread and examined the straws between them. Smelling it didn't really tell him whether he should try it or not. It simply smelled...like fresh hay. He took a catious bite, as if the sandwich might explode. Daniel just stared at his curious friend, giggling. Kelly felt the bread mix in with the dry straws. The taste wasn't really satisfactory, but it also wasn't what he expected. After a few seconds of cringing he searched for a place where he could reject his food. He spat out the bite in a nearby waste basket, as Daniel approached him; laughing mildly.

"What? Horse food not to your liking?" Kelly smiled.

"Nah, it's great. Here try some." He pushed the bitten morsel to his friends mouth.

"I think I'll stick with my apple." Daniel started to walk off, but stopped and turned to his friend.

"Careful, you might start growing hooves soon."

"Hilarious." Kelly rolled his eyes.

"It was, wasn't it."

Twilight let out a ferocious yawn as she descended the stairs of the library.

"Good morning Owlowiscious."

"Who."

"Morning Spike, your up early." Spike was busy making breakfast.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep real easy last night, and I couldn't go back to sleep once I woke up. Y'know...considering." Spike didn't have to finish.

"Yeah, I do. Don't worry though, that's in the past. Next time we'll be ready."

"I sure hope so." Spike replied half-heartedly. Twilight practically inhaled her breakfast. She wanted to get right to work on getting Ponyville back on its feet.

"I'm going to City Hall to check up on housing arrangements, and I'm going to survey some of the repairs around town so I'll be gone for a while."

"Ok, don't worry about things here, I've got it all under control." Spike reassured.

"Good to hear, number one assistant." Twilight left with some quills and scrolls leaving Spike to look for something to do around the house. He was distracted though. Yesterday's unexpected attack wasn't the only thing on his mind. He had in fact heard everything that Celestia had told the elements and humans. It was daunting to the baby dragon to think that something so sinister could intrude upon his, and his friend's peaceful lives in Ponyville. He regretted eavesdropping.

"I hope Kelly and Daniel can help us stop this."

"Who." Spike raised his brow at Twilight's pet.

"Kelly and Daniel. You kno-...ah geez." Spike soon went back to work.

"Hello, Mayor. How is everypony doing?" Twilight prepared to document the first report.

"Well, here's a list of some of the families whose homes were lost. We have a few reports on injuries that need to be monitored, but nothing too serious..." Twilight kept up easefully; scribbling down information in an organized manor. After the Mayor had given her knowledge, Twilight gave her thanks and was off to evaluate the damage in town. There wasn't a significant difference since she last saw the town, but repairs were coming along smoothly. After determining some blueprints, and repair models, she estimated it would take two, maybe three weeks for repairs to be finished. Twilight did what she does best by utilizing different ponies for construction jobs.

Earth ponies were mainly responsible for creating foundations for the floors of the homes. Pegasi were tasked with completing the walls and roofs when necessary, and unicorns were busy with transporting supplies such as lumber, bricks, shingles, etc. Twilight was just finishing up on some calibrations when her unicorn friend spotted her.

"Twilight, darling! How are you?" Rarity trotted towards her lavender friend.

"Oh, hello, Rarity. I'm doing okay I suppose. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm coping, despite recent events. I'm on my way to see Fluttershy at the spa." Twilight gave her friend a confused glance.

"Now? I mean, do you really think this is the best time?" Rarity frowned, unaware of how out of place her plans seemed.

"Just because one goes through a horrific episode does not mean one should just throw all priorities of glamour out of the window. Besides, I've been helping. Why just earlier, I hauled some lumber alongside some unicorn gentlecolts." Twilight gave rarity an unconvinced look.

"Rarity, the only time I ever saw you do any heavy lifting was with that rock that Discord tricked you into believing was a diamond." Rarity scowled.

"How many times must I say, never let us speak of it again." Still, Twilight wasn't buying it. "Okay, so maybe I just walked with them and told them they were doing a marvelous job, but, I still helped." Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled as she did so.

"I should be getting back to the library, it's almost noon."

"Indeed, Good day, my dear." Twilight gave a farewell, leaving Rarity to pick up the pace since she was once again running late.

Fluttershy sat quiet as a mouse reading one of her favorite magazines: Mare's Health. It wasn't soon after the bell rang indicating someone had arrived.

"*Huff* Sorry I'm late again *Huff* Fluttershy."

"No worries Rarity. I just can't believe you have manicures on the mind when so much has happened recently."

"Yeah, Twilight thought the same thing, but if you ask me, a day here is just what we need to unwind and forget about our troubles."

"I suppose." Fluttershy said meakly. The two approached the desk, and ordered the usual treatment for each. It wasn't until they both sank into the mud when Rarity was feeling gossipy.

"So, how are things at the cottage?"

"Oh, wonderful. I'm really happy those monsters didn't come near my animals. Angel Bunny is still...difficult at times, but I do my best."

"Thats good." Rarity glanced at the ceiling, conjuring another topic. "Hey, Rarity..." The white unicorn glanced back at her friend, almost surprised.

"Yes, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy looked down, searching for the right words to continue.

"Have...you ever had...somepony...um...like...you?" Rarity didn't make any noticable reaction to her friend's question. She took a second to try to understand exactly what Fluttershy meant.

"Do you mean somepony having...feelings for me?" Fluttershy nodded. "Well, um. Perhaps there have been instances where somepony has taken a liking to me. I do recall drawing the attention of a handsome colt in high school. We had quite the fling him and I."

"W-was he obvious about his feelings towards you?" Rarity put her hoof to her chin.

"At first he wasn't. However, after we got to know one another, he began to be most affectionate."

"What did you like about him?"

"Well, he was handsome as I said before. He was always sweet to me, and he did have somewhat of an eye for fashion." Rarity was going to continue, but she felt compelled to ask why her friend why she would want to know all of this. 'Perhaps Fluttershy has her eye on a stallion!' Rarity pondered. This thought forced a grin to cross her face. "Darling, do tell, why are you so interested?" Fluttershy sank back even further and mumbled.

"Oh, it's...it's nothing. I'm sorry."

"Oh dear, I'm not upset or anything. I just want to know one thing."

"Y-yes?" Rarity grinned even wider.

"Is there a special somepony for you?" Rarity giggled, anticipating Fluttershy's answer. Fluttershy blushed brightly; overcome by embarrassement.

"Uh...well...it's just that..."

"*GASP* There is somepony! Who is it?! Who is it?! Do I know him?!"

"Well, it's kind of complicated..."

"C'mon, c'mon tell me!"

"I-I don't know Rarity. I'm not even entirely certain if-"

"Tellmetellmetellme!" Fluttershy sighed and closed her eyes.

"I think...and this is not for sure but...I...I think..............Kelly might like me." Fluttershy brought haste into the final words. Rarity's smile dissapeared. On the outside, she looked to be in mild shock, but on the inside, she felt bubbly at what was probably one of the juiciest peices of gossip she had ever heard. Her smile returned.

"Really? What makes you think that?" Fluttershy opened her eyes, amazed by her friend's subtlety.

"Well. Remember when him and Daniel first got here, and we found out that they were omnivorous?" Rarity cringed at the memory.

"Yes, I do."

"When I found out that humans hunted little woodland creatures, it was heart-breaking, and I wanted to say something to them, but I just couldn't find the right words so I decided to just avoid them if possible. But, it wasn't until the very next day that he came to my cottage to talk."

"What happened?" Rarity leaned in.

"He seemed...upset that I wouldn't talk to him. I felt like maybe he wanted to resolve it, so I asked him what kind of animals he had eaten. He told me that him and Daniel had never killed any smaller creatures. I was relieved to hear that he only hunted animals who could defend themselves. When I looked at him, he had this expression...like...when your really happy to see somepony...I don't know, it's pretty hard to explain."

"The way he looked at you gave it away?"

"Not really. Soon after that, he pleaded for my forgiveness. I felt so bad at that point for shunning him. I had no idea that he cared so much about what I thought. Of course, I had to forgive him, and when I did...he hugged me." Not even telling Rarity that the boutique had been ransacked would be enough to tear her away from Fluttershy's story.

"Yes, go on!"

"I wasn't sure what to do. Eventually, I hugged him back and he held the embrace for a good while. After we stopped, he told me he had to go but that he would like to visit sometime. I still thought it was strange how quickly he warmed up to me, but he seemed nice so I said he could."

"Did he?"

"Oh yes, very often. We talked alot. Angel Bunny was a little jealous of the attention I think, but Kelly's company was joyful."

"What did you two talk about?"

"We talked about where he was from, and I told him about what I do, and how I earned my cutie mark. He was really interested in learning about me mostly."

"That settles it. He likes you." Rarity declared.

"A-are you sure...I mean, don't you think it's kind of weird that he would have feelings for me?"

"Well, yeah. I see your point. Don't you think there might be a good reason for it though? He's kind to you right?"

"Oh yes. He's very very sweet."

"And he enjoys listening to what you have to say?"

"I belive so."

"He might not be a stallion, but at least he can talk, and shows these kinds of emotions just like us."

"I...guess." Silence lingered for a short time.

"Do you like him?" Fluttershy was expecting something like that at any time, but the question still managed to catch her off guard.

"I...uh...well..." Fluttershy could feel her cheeks burning again.

"Yes? No?"

"I don't know..."

"Do you mean...theres a possibility?!"

"I don't know!" Fluttershy elevated her voice slightly, but sank back as she did so.

"Darling, I know it's strange, but what if you took a leap of faith?" Fluttershy felt even more conflicted with her friend edging her on.

"He's a completely different species..." She replied, barely audible.

"If he were a stallion, would you?"

"...I...think I might."

"See, you do have a 'thing' for him."

"Rarity, please...I..." It took a second for Rarity to realize how uncomfortable she was making her friend.

"Oh my, Fluttershy. I'm so sorry, I didn't know this would be upsetting for you. I've just never heard of you liking anypony."

"It's okay, really it is."

"Forgive me?"

"Of course, Rarity." The subject was dropped, but still stuck in the pegasi's mind. It was around one in the afternoon when the two finished their day at the spa, and said their farewells. Fluttershy was now worried about two things: how she would handle her new human friend liking her (if he really did). Plus, how was she going to cope with all of her friends knowing about this, because as much as she trusted Rarity, even Fluttershy knew that mare couldn't keep a secret for long.

After yesterday's quick session, Chival, and Meta thought it would be best to work on defensive techniques first. Both humans were making similar progress, but after walking away with fresh cuts and bruises, it was apparent that they still had much to learn. Kelly was making his way toward the mess hall for lunch with Daniel shortly behind; angrily mumbling to himself.

"C'mon, man. I know it's aggrivating, but we'll get better."

"Yeah..." Was all Daniel said, not wanting to vent his anger towards his friend. Kelly took a sharp turn straight around a corner just down the corridor from the mess hall when he accidentally collided with Plexis. Plexis stumbled backwards from Kelly's superior size, as Kelly tripped and fell to the side of him.

"Crap, I'm sorr-"

"WHY DON'T YOU LOOK WHERE YOUR GOING?!" Plexis took an offensive stance over the human.

"Back off Plexis! I said I was sorry!" Kelly put his hand on his knee and began to stand up, but not before Plexis could butt him with his head and knock him back on his seat. Kelly glared daggers at the pegasus. He wanted nothing more than to return the favor, but decided against it. Kelly watched Plexis carefully as he attempted to stand up a second time. About this time, Daniel had rounded the corner.

"Do you humans have the sight of a cave bat?" Plexis taunted.

"Pfft...asshole." Kelly swore.

"Excuse me." Plexis scraped the marble floor. Kelly wanted to stay quiet, but he was being pushed, so to speak.

"You heard me!"

"Just don't bother with him, dude." Kelly hardly ever heard Daniel be the voice of reason, but took his friend's advice. "C'mon, let's go." Both humans walked past the fuming guard, but Plexis was already sick of their presence in the castle, in Canterlot, in EQUESTRIA! He didn't trust them as far as he could buck'em. To him, they were nothing but a danger, just like those damn griffons and dragons. If they thought they could smart-mouth him and get away with it, they had another thing coming. He scraped his hoof a couple more times, selecting his target. He figured if he could take down the bigger one, the other wouldn't even think about messing with him.

Plexis charged and closed in on Daniel , just before the human could react to the sound of clopping hooves right behind him. Plexis dug his head right into Daniel's side, igniting agony in a bruise from training. Daniel shut his eyes tight and took a quick deep breath. He was already pissed off from training, and not only had this little bitch fucked with his friend, but now he was straight up assaulting him. He opened his eyes not even a second later, and only saw red. Daniel let out a yell of pure anger that echoed down the corridors and beyond. He turned on the pegasus and brought both his hands in a clenched ball down on the stallion's head.

Plexis was wearing his armor but could still feel the impact from the human's force, giving him an instant headache, and enraging him further. Daniel felt pain pulse through his wrists from slamming Plexis' armor, but ignored it as he charged the small horse. At this proximity Plexis didn't have time to take off and swoop in to retaliate, instead he attempted to do a 180 and buck the human right in his gut, but Daniel had closed in quick enough to wrestle the pegasus to the ground.

"NO! STOP!" Kelly rushed over to the two brawlers and attempted to pull them off one another, but every time he got close enough he was met with an unintended fist, foot, or hoof, knocking him back. "STOP GODDAMMIT!" But in the midst of the anger and violence, neither Daniel nor Plexis could probably even hear him. Daniel tried to get a balanced hold with his knees as he relentlessly wailed on any spot Plexis was void of armor. Plexis used his wing strength to overpower Daniel as he kicked and punched the human anywhere he could. Kelly was about to try and seperate the two again until he heard more guards approaching down the hall.

"CHIVAL! HELP!" Kelly called out to his mentor who was already galloping towards the commotion. Once the unicorn was there, his horn began to illuminate as two flashes of light popped, making the brawling human and stallion dissapear. About a second later, two more orbs of light flashed as the 'gladiators' reappeared.

"What in Torturous is going on here?!" Chival demanded.

"This motherfucker attacked me!" Daniel shouted.

"These humans CANNOT be trusted!" Plexis cried. Not sure who to listen to first, Chival turned toward his student.

"What happened here?" Kelly gave Plexis a quick scowl.

"Me and Daniel were on our way to get some lunch when I accidentally bumped into Plexis. I tried to apologize, but he wouldn't listen to reason, so we just ignored him. We were about halfway down the hall when he rammed Daniel from behind."

"And that's how the fight started?" Kelly confirmed with a nod. "Plexis, is this true?" Plexis didn't give a clear answer, he simply grunted and looked away. "Plexis, I know how you feel about other species, everypony knows. But Kelly and Daniel are not the enemy."

"Maybe not to you."

"Plexis, you and I both know that if Ferindher has returned, then we need all the help we can get to stop him, these humans are no exception."

"Just wait, Chival. You won't be so happy about their so called contribution when they stab you in the back."

"And just what makes you think we would do that?" Kelly asked.

"Carnivorous, ill-tempered, dangerous, walking catastrophes is all you are. No better than griffons or dragons."

"Daniel." Chival addressed. "Because this was self-defense on your end, I'm not holding anything against you. But if at all possible, try to avoid any more major conflicts. These are the kinds of mishaps that will interfere with your training.

"Yeah, yeah." Daniel was starting to cool off.

"Plexis, I'm afraid I'm going to have to mark this assault on your record." Plexis rolled his dark blue eyes.

"Whatever."

"Everypony back to your posts. You two might want to go get that lunch while you can, the next session starts at 3 o' clock." The humans nodded. "Plexis, go about your duties, but I'm keeping my eye on you." Chival, along with a few other guards left, beckoning Plexis to follow. Plexis turned to leave with them but stopped, and turned his head to where he could see the humans out of the corner of his eye.

"You two may have everypony else fooled, but I can see right through you. If you plan on staying here..." He faced forward. "...You watch your flanks." He left to catch up with the other guards.

"Ooooh, scary." Daniel mocked while wiggling his fingers. Kelly giggled at his mimicry.

"C'mon, let's get some grub."

Need your opinion on something guys...romance tab, yes or no?
nothing too cloppy of course. Tender stuff.
Tell me what you think in the comments.

P.S. Its great to be back!

Chapter 8: Bury Your Feelings

You wanted romance...you got it...

Somewhere in the Badlands, outside of Equestria: 3 days after Plexis and Daniel's fight

The silence had become unbearable at this point, but no one dare break it as Ferindher led his dark army across the unfamiliar planes that seperated his ravished kingdom, and the foundations of Equestria. The journey from Ferindher's home to Canterlot was roughly a week's travel. It was mid-morning as the rapid thud of the flesh dingo's paws pounded the dirt. Aboard their backs were Serk and his men, who had been trekking for what seemed like an eternity. Still, even if it had taken the rest of his life, it would have been too soon to tell Ferindher how Serk lost track of one of his men; most likely allowing Celestia to know of Ferindher's survival. Ferindher and his army came into view. Serk thought he might have an anxiety attack.

"Welcome back, Serk. I assume everything has gone according to plan." Serk didn't look at his master, as he desperately tried to find the right words to tell Ferindher what happened. Even after days of thinking, he didn't know how. Ferindher took immediate notice of his henchmen's behavior, and did a head count. "You appear to be missing someone." Serk started to breath eratically. Ferindher being so calm over such a significant mishap made him even more fearful for his life. "I am also going to assume whoever is not with you was either lost, fled, or killed on your way back here." Serk found it ironic that just a few days ago, he had said that Ferindher will assume the worst. Then again, maybe his master was being sarcastic. Wind rustled their black and brown cloaks while Serk fumbled for a response.

"I...I-" Serk felt his own weight leave him as he was lifted into the air by a massive hand. His heart jumped to his throat as he met Ferindher's glowing, hate-filled eyes. Black flames danced along the shoulders of his now red illuminescent cloak.

"I give you one SIMPLE priority, and you can't even keep track of your own MEN?!" Ferindher bared his mishapen teeth at the trembling soldier. "WHEN DID YOU LOSE HIM?!" Even the surface of the sun felt like a safer place for Serk at this moment. "TELL ME WHEN YOU LOST HIM! NOW!!! Serk wanted to lie, he desperately wanted to decieve his lord and tell him that Ryed was killed by wildlife, or fell down a gorge, or...died of an infection. Serk wanted to lie to keep his own life. However, he also knew that sooner or later, Ferindher would find out the truth. Whether it be by Celestia knowing of their plans, or one of his own betraying him. He knew that when Ferindher did find out the truth, whatever he had coming to him now would be done to him a thousand times worse in the future. Serk chose the easier way out, he chose honesty.

"W-we...lost him...when...we attacked...Ponyville." Ferindher brought the soldier even closer.

"Missing, or dead?" Serk wimpered.

"M-m-missing." That was it, Serk's final words. Ferindher growled quietly, but brought the growl to an enraged shout as he gripped Serk tighter, and tighter. The shadowy soldier could feel the very life being drained from him as a darkness unkown to him invaded his body and sapped his strength. Serk screamed in agony; Ferindher made sure this was anything but quick and painless. After the last dying, and haunting breath, Ferindher dropped his deceased shadow. Serk landed with a thud as the squad that had accompanied him slowly backed away, resenting the same fate. Ferindher calmed down, but not while contemplating whether to destroy the others who had been just as careless as Serk. He decided against it. No matter how much he thought they deserved it, it had taken too long to build an army this size only to kill off too many of his own men.

"So. What happened?" The shadow lord addressed the small group. One of the soldiers in the front hesitantly dismounted his dingo and took two cautious steps forward.

"We...we did everything just as you told us. But...we were met with...unexpected...resistance."

"Are you saying the Princess' intervened?"

"No...it wasn't any of the ponies. It was the...the...humans...that you brought here." Ferindher could feel his anger building once again. This time it was directed at the meddling monkeys rather than his minions.

"THEY'RE HELPING THEM?! WHY?!" The shadows as well as the dingos shrank back further.

"We don't know, sire. It seems they have befriended them." Ferindher's voice grew to an ear splitting level.

"I brought them here! I spawned them to this realm! They should be serving ME!" Ferindher's cloak seemed brighter than the sun itself, and the flames emmitting from his back and shoulders almost lashed at the clouds. The clearing was silent once again as Ferindher's army waited for him to gather himself. Ferindher closed his cadmium eyes and let out a long exhausted breath. "It would appear my original plan has turned on me. And with one of you missing during the assault, Celestia more than likely knows that I have survived." Uncomfortable murmurs rippled through the waves of shadows behind Ferindher.

"What do we do now?" A lone voice asked among the crowd.

"This is what we do!" Ferindher boomed, hushing his army. "Celestia by now is most likely alerted to my intentions. The element of surprise is no longer among us. When we arrive to take Canterlot, they will be ready for us. If we want to breach their defenses, we're going to need help."

"But, sire. We've already tried consolidating with the dragons, and the griffons."

"Not them." Ferindher held up his hand for silence. He scouted the crowd for his top officer. "Captain." A large shadow stepped forth and bowed. "Take a group of five and find the broken queen. She is desperate. She will not refuse our help." The captain thought it was strange to ask the broken queen to aid them since they were about to destroy what her and her kind thrived off of. However, he knew better than to question his master.

"Consider it done."

"Good, we shall set up here, and wait for her response." The captain rounded up some men, and borrowed the flesh dingos for the long ride. Others immediately began fortifications and sleeping arrangements. While these creatures were merely just dark essence and shadows, they still felt hunger, and fatigue like any organic being. The only difference was that the shadows could not perish from malnutrition or other neglectful behavior. They only felt the pain that came with famine and sleep deprivition. Only by a tragic end could a shadow shake hands with death. Ferindher looked on in the distance, catching the slightest view of the first mountains bordering Equestria.

"After the royal Princess' fall, those humans shall be the next to die."

Canterlot Town Square: Around noon

It had now been four days since Kelly and Daniel had begun their training. It had taken some time to perfect basic defense tactics, but the boys were learning quicker every day. Daniel had eventually worked up the time to address the princess about their 'nutrition' predicament. Celestia allowed the boys a ride to the everfree every other day to feed themselves. They had no choice but to agree since they were both starting to feel nautious from the lack of protien. After their first night there, Daniel was beginning to have the same reoccuring nightmare of the picnic. The previous night had been different. That night he had been with them at Twilight's library, but no one still paid him no mind.

Daniel and Kelly took in the amazing structures that Canterlot had to offer. Most ponies gave them cautious glances, and questionable looks, but the boys had gotten use to that. Kelly took notice that Daniel was staring at the ground as they walked. He looked troubled.

"Hey Daniel, is everything okay?" Daniel snapped out of his funk.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Just...thinking about Applejack." Daniel lied.

"Is that right? Now who's love sick?" Kelly mocked. Daniel felt like changing the subject.

"Sure was nice of Shining Armor to give us the afternoon off and check out the town."

"Yeah, well we have been training hard. I think I've finally figured out how to parry all of Chival's attacks, even the magic ones."

"When do you think we'll get real swords?" Kelly put his hands together and bowed.

"Not until you are ready, Daniel-san." Daniel chuckled, and turned his attention to a familiar cyan pegasus.

"Hey look, it's Rainbow Dash! C'mon, Mr. Miyagi." Kelly returned the laugh and followed his friend. "Hey, Dash!"

Rainbow turned to find the humans she was searching for.

"Oh, there you guys are. Whats up?"

"Alot is up actually. It's great to see you." Kelly held out his fist, and Dash returned it with a bump of her hoof. Daniel did the same.

"It's good to see you two also. Everypony's been missing you guys. Alot." Dash seemed to be hinting something with the word 'alot', but the boys didn't take notice.

"How is Ponyville by the way." Daniel asked.

"Were managing. Some of the homes are just in need of some roofs, while others are still being repaired along the walls and floors."

"And the girls?" Kelly added.

"They're good...for the most part. Twilight's been overworking herself trying to make sure Ponyville is restored as neatly as possible. It took some convincing, but Rarity's helping with moving supplies. Pinkie Pie bakes goods for the workers and ponies who are staying at City Hall. And I've been helping with construction, and keeping a watchful eye for...you know who." Dash left out two specific ponies for a reason. The boys gave each other a confused glance before returning to Rainbow.

"What about Fluttershy?"

"And Applejack?" Dash stifled a giggle.

"Oh, they're fine." She said simply. Kelly raised his brow.

"O...kay then."

"How's the royal guard bussiness treating you?"

"It's pretty nice actually. You have to wake up pretty damn early, but me and Kelly are both getting along in training."

"Yeah, and despite the gruff schedule, and atmosphere of the barracks, everyone's really nice." Kelly glanced up to see a scowling pegasus pass overhead, and continue on towards the castle. "Well, almost everyone."

"What do you mean? Who was that?"

"That's just Plexis. Don't mind him."

"What's his problem with you?"

"His problem is with both me and Daniel. He doesn't trust us since were humans, I guess."

"Does he give you guys alot of trouble?"

"Funny you should say that. Wasn't it just...three days ago I scrapped with him?"

"That's sounds about right. Daniel here actually got in a fight with him...after Plexis rammed him of course."

"Ha! Did you kick his flank?" Daniel chuckled and crossed his arms.

"I like to believe I did."

"I don't know. It seemed pretty evenly matched." Kelly teased.

"Yeah right! If Chival had taken his time, Plexis would probably be off duty right now, waiting to get out of the infirmary." Dash smiled.

"Well, it's good to hear you two aren't lacking excitement during your time here. When do you think you guys can come back." Kelly cocked his head.

"To Ponyville, you mean?" Dash nodded.

"Umm...I'm not really sure. You think we should see about that?" Daniel shrugged.

"I guess. I also think we should seek another audience with the Princess and talk to her about going home." Daniel added.

"Don't worry, dude. I'm sure if she finds anything else out, she'll let us know." Daniel gave his friend somewhat of an angry glance.

"Anything else. You mean you already knew about a way home?" Kelly shifted nervously.

"You mean I didn't tell you?" Daniel shook his head but kept the same look. "Well...it was like a week ago. The Princess sent Twilight a letter saying that she found a possible lead on how to get home. I guess she wasn't entirely sure if it was the solution since the letter read that she would look more into it."

"Why have you been keeping this to yourself!" Kelly was stunned by how upset his friend was getting.

"I didn't keep it from you intentionally. It's just been in the back of my mind."

"Oh, bullshit! I know why you didn't tell me!" Daniel was going to explain Kelly's reason, but stopped himself, and looked at Dash, who was in awe at the two friends fighting. Daniel sighed, and walked off towards the castle.

"What was that all about?" Kelly turned to Rainbow.

"Can't really say. I'm definitely gonna talk to him about it though."

"Well, it was good to see you guys, regardless. I'm gonna head back to Ponyville."

"Cool. Be sure to say hey to everyone for us." Dash hovered into the air.

"Good luck with your 'lover's quarrel.'" Dash teased. Kelly smirked.

"Will do. Try not to crash into too many mountains on the way back." Kelly had seen his fair share of Rainbow's wipeouts during his time in Equestria. Dash laughed.

"Later." She zoomed off in a spectrum haze. Within a minute, she was clear of the gates of Canterlot and soaring down towards Ponyville. Rainbow still found it amusing that both humans had possible crushes on her friends.

After Rarity's spa day with Fluttershy, she had run into Applejack later that same day, and sparked up a conversation with her about the humans. Rarity still had Fluttershy and Kelly on her thoughts, so she asked AJ about her take on the boys. She was pleasantly surprised to hear how the work pony missed Daniel greatly, and how they spent time together much like Kelly and Fluttershy had. Applejack never hunched towards Daniel liking her, but the way she talked about him was enough to convince Rarity that Daniel had something for the orange mare.

After a couple days, it was almost killing Rarity not to speak of her assumption of the human's feelings. She soon found her chance when Rainbow Dash mentioned visiting them in Canterlot. Rarity had filled Dash in on what she thought was true. At first, Dash was somewhat disgusted at the possibilty, but hearing about how the humans had treated her friends; even if they did have feelings for them, the boys were good guys at least. So far, Dash was the only one Rarity had told.

Rainbow giggled again, and thought mainly about Daniel. She had alot of time to think about the humans since her trip from Ponyville to Canterlot was about fifteen minutes. (Ten if she really put some effort into it.) But Daniel had something about him that she liked. His mellow and care free attitude, his athletic prowess, she even admired his styled mane.

"Heh, maybe I should ask him out." She joked. At the same time, Dash couldn't help but get a nagging feeling in her gut that part of her was serious...

Later that Evening

"Nice dodge!" Chival conplimented soon after Kelly hopped his wooden blade and rolled away from Chival's second attack.

"Thanks. Lets see if I can say the same." Kelly grinned and crept toward Chival. Chival widened his stance and hovered his weapon to and fro, ready for his student's assault. Kelly stopped moving for a couple seconds. He then rushed forward, giving Chival little time to react. Kelly swiped horizontally, as Chival brought up his sword to block. Kelly's attack had just enough power to break through Chival's defense. He kept himself from staggering after swinging as hard as he did, and reared around for a vertical slash. Chival knew he had no chance to block this one, and instead, teleported behind the human, ready to deliver his counterattack. After multiple times of falling for this old trick, Kelly anticipated Chival's movements.

The human heard the familiar 'pop' of magic behind him. He had practiced what he would do in this situation many times on his own. Kelly didn't bother reacting with his weapon, this time he pitched his body left, and brought his right leg up. The human delivered a rough kick to the Unicorn's front, knocking back about three feet. The kick was actually strong enough to make Chival gasp for breath.

"Resourceful." He smiled. They both took a minute to see how the other two were faring. Meta was progressively getting angrier each time Daniel was able to dodge or block one of his moves. Daniel had long since found a way around cheap teleporting sword attacks. Meta grunted in annoyance as he circled around his student while delivering a lightning quick thrust. Daniel held his ground, but as soon as he parried the thrust, he moved in on his teacher. Meta; with no weapon in front of him to defend himself, was helpless to Daniel's one two attack. The one being a sword swipe, and the two being a hefty punch to Meta's side.

For the humans, seeing their teachers struggle in combat like they had on their first day was a very pleasurable reward.

"I don't know about you Chival, but I'm just about done being knocked around." His unicorn friend chuckled.

"Well, they have grown wise to the way we fight, and they're picking up some neat tricks of their own.

"I don't know, I could go for some more." Daniel said while wiping his brow.

"Nah, I think two training seesions in one evening is good enough. Glad to see you're both improving." Chival rubbed his chest. "We're gonna go wash up, we'll see you two in the mess hall."

"Kay, see you there." Kelly was going to say something to his friend, but didn't have much chance as Daniel quickly left the training grounds.

The boys ate a very quiet dinner while the rest of the guards visited and joked around them. Every now and then someone would bring up the human's performance in training, but Kelly nor Daniel paid much attention. After getting enough to eat, Daniel stood up to leave. Kelly still had some food on his plate, but stood the same time his friend did, intent on catching him in the hall. Daniel turned the corner and proceeded down the hall, while Kelly quickly caught up and turned him around.

"What's your deal?" Kelly scowled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that crap, what are you so pissed off about?" Daniel burned a glare at his friend.

"You know what! You not telling me about a way back!" Kelly rolled his eyes.

"I didn't deliberately keep it from you! And besides, we don't even know if what she found out will even help us, it's just a hunch for now!" Daniel sighed, and turned away. Kelly's eyes softened. "Do you really want to leave that bad?" Daniel took a moment to think.

"I don't know."

"Well, what? Is this place too...girly...or something."

"No."

"You don't like it here at the castle?"

"I don't know."

"What then?!"

"I don't know!" Kelly stood motionless, but still held his stare. Daniel sighed again, and turned around. "For the past few nights, I've been having these stupid dreams."

"About what." Concern was in his voice.

"I...I'm not sure. It's like...sometimes it's at that one picnic. You remember, the one we had like a week ago." Kelly nodded.

"Go on."

"Well, usually it starts out, I'm hanging out with you guys. And by 'you guys' I mean you, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and everyone else. So, were all talking, and laughing, and having a great time, but it doesn't take long for me to notice that...no one's talking to me. I mean...no one's even looking at me. It's like I don't exist." Kelly's interest was peaked. "Usually after that, I try to get your attention, but...when I try...it's like I'm a ghost or something. I reach my arm out, and I can FEEL myself reaching my arm out, but...when I do, there's nothing there."

"So, it's like your actually non-existent." Daniel confirmed with a nod.

"Then I start to panic y'know, I...I don't know what to do, I start...freaking out! But still, no one can hear me, or see me. I can still hear all of you though. You. You talk about me usually, like...you've always known me. The only difference is that...it's as if I never came with you. Usually, I wake up after that." Kelly waited to make sure his friend was finished. He then approached Daniel and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know why you would dream something like that up, but you shouldn't stress yourself over it. It's probably just anxiety getting the better of you. We've had alot on our plate since we got here." Daniel shrugged.

"I suppose. And this is definitely not something that would trouble me this much, but the dream keeps coming back. I hate it."

"I don't understand though, these dreams are why you want to go home so bad?"

"I don't even know anymore. I'm not a brony, so I don't even know what I want." A minute of silence went by. "What do you want to do?" Kelly frowned.

"I know it sounds really selfish, and stupid, but...if given the choice...I'd rather stay." Daniel scoffed.

"You're a brony, what did I expect?"

"I'm sure almost any brony wants to come to equestria." A few quiet seconds went by. "So, you don't want to stay?" Daniel knew his answer should have been 'no'. But there was something keeping him from answering directly. He could only give another half-hearted...

"I don't know..." Kelly began to walk away.

"I guess we'll see how that all turns out if Celestia finds us a way home. Oh, and Daniel. If these dreams become serious, just know that I'm here for you, okay?" Daniel smiled.

"Thanks, man."

"You got it."

Plexis had only heard a portion of the human's conversation, but continued to listen in.

"I don't understand though, these dreams are why you want to go home so bad?"

"I don't even know anymore. I'm not a brony, so I don't even know what I want." A minute of silence went by. "What do you want to do?"

"I know it sounds really selfish, and stupid, but...if given the choice...I'd rather stay." Plexis heard Daniel scoff.

"You're a brony, what did I expect?"

"I'm sure almost any brony wants to come to equestria." A few quiet seconds went by. "So, you don't want to stay?"

"I don't know..." Plexis could hear one of them approaching the corner, then stop.

"I guess we'll see how that all turns out if Celestia finds us a way home. Oh, and Daniel. If these dreams become serious, just know that I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thanks, man."

"You got it." Plexis quickly walked off, not wanting any suspicion to rest on him.

"I knew they were hiding something. I don't know what a 'brony' is, but somehow those two knew about Equestria before they even got here." Plexis smirked, but it immediately vanished. "I'm going to have to see what else they know before I can do anything about this. Those humans won't be here for much longer."

Land of the Changelings: Around Midnight

The Captain and the other shadows were weary from a full day's ride, but with the aid of the broken queen, they would have strength in numbers which was something they needed to overpower Canterlot. As the group approached the intrance to a dark grove, they were halted by dozens of changeling followers ready to protect their queen from intruders. Some of the shadows began to unsheath their weapons, but the Captain held up his hand, signaling them to stop. Even if the changelings would never go as far as murder, he knew they would be run off by the shear quantity of attackers. Plus, they needed the queen's help.

"We are not here on aggressive terms, we come in peace." The changelings looked at one another, but understood what the shadow was saying. "We wish to speak with your queen. We have a proposition for her." He was met with more confused looks. "I understand that you all have been deprived of your life source. We have a solution to that, but we must speak with the queen." A few changelings began exchanging opinions. They didn't communicate in any recognizable fashion, they grunted, and hissed at one another until they came to an agreement.

The Captain watched as a few of them entered the grove, most likely to consult the queen of their arrival. A couple minutes passed as the changelings reappeared, and cleared the way for the shadows to enter the grove. The flesh dingos snapped hungrily at the insect like pony creatures, but the shadows made sure they obeyed and stayed true. Soon the group entered a mossy room with a large changeling resting on a very large tree root, acting as a throne; the queen.

"Welcome, Captain. My children tell me that you come with a proposition to help us with our...famine."

"That is correct." The queen stood, and her ravaged wings flapped angrily.

"In my domain, you will address me as your highness."

"I've got a much better name to address her by." One of the shadows wispered. The Captain didn't take kindly to her demanding attitude, but he remained calm.

"Of course...your highness." Chrysalis sat again.

"Much better. So tell me, what exactly are you? I have never seen your kind before." The Captain knew exactly what she meant, but decided to answer in a different manor.

"We are sworn enemies of Celestia, much like yourselfs." The mention of the Sun Goddess made Chrysalis' blood boil.

"I see. Might I ask what your plight with her is?"

"She has something of ours."

"And how exactly do you plan to get it back, surely this is not your only battalion."

"No, your highness. We have an entire army ready to attack Canterlot within a few days."

"What do you plan to do after you take Canterlot?"

"Simple. We eliminate the Princess', and take back what is ours."

"You plan to...kill Celestia?" The Captain simply nodded. "And the citizens?"

"They shall be spared." Chrysalis sat and thought. With the royal sisters gone, no one would stand in her way to take Equestria for the sake of her subjects. Perhaps that meddlesome Twilight, and her friends may be a problem, but they would be able to detain those six, just like last time. A certain couple crossed her mind.

"There are two others that should be dealt with if you want my aid. Shining Armor, the captain of the royal guard. And Princess Cadance, his wife."

"So you will help us?" Chrysalis squinted.

"How come your army alone cannot take Canterlot?"

"We suspect that Celestia may know of our plans. With your help, we can overrun them even if they are prepared."

"And you'll leave the rest of Equestria to me and my children?"

"Canterlot...is all that we want." the Captain lied.

"Are you the leader of this army?"

"No, your highness. We rule under the Master of Shadows, Lord Ferindher."

"Then tell your Lord Ferindher that he has gained my help. Tell me when and where to meet your army, and my children and I shall be there, ready." The Captain chuckled quietly.

"Excellent."

Two days Later

Twilight was just in the middle of reading over some results for the town's reconstruction when she heard a knock at her door. She could hear the pitter patter of her assistant hurrying down the stairs.

"Don't worry Spike, I've got it."

"Okay." He replied before heading back up. Twilight opened her door to find Rarity with a very very goofy grin plastered on her face.

"Oh, good afternoon Rarity. You look rather...jubilant today."

"Hello, Twilight. Mind if I come in?"

"Of course, come on in." Twilight gestured her in with a hoof.

"How are you today, darling?"

"Well today's a pretty good day, town repairs are coming along smoothly. Alot of ponies have been able to return to their homes. I bet we could finish repairs long before I anticipated."

"Yes, I was glad to see that alot of homes were finished on my way here."

"And those blankets you made really gave those at City Hall a much easier time."

"I was more than happy to help, dear." Twilight returned to some of her notes.

"So what brings you by today? Need a new book?" Rarity giggled.

"Nope."

"Came to see Spike?"

"Not today." A faint "Awwwwwww" could be heard from upstairs. Twilight was beginning to catch on.

"Came to gossip..." she said in a monotone voice. Rarity gasped.

"How did you know?!" Twilight deadpanned. "Well since you brought it up..." Twilight groaned.

"Rarity, I don't really have time for-"

"Oh no, Twilight! I know what your thinking, but this is actually kind of important." Twilight looked at her friend, unconvinced.

"How so?" Rarity cleared her throat, she was going to ask the same question she used to begin the discussion with the other elements. Twilight would be the last to hear.

"What is your take on Kelly and Daniel?" Twilight wasn't sure exactly what Rarity meant.

"Um, they're good friends, and I do enjoy their company."

"What about Kelly specifically?" The only reason she asked is because Kelly had been staying with her. Twilight leaned toward what Rarity was getting at, but still wanted to clarify.

"What do you mean?" Rarity giggled again.

"You know, what's he...like?" Twilight didn't want to believe it, but at the same time, she couldn't keep her cheeks from glowing red.

"Rarity! You don't mean?!"

"What? I just asked-"

"Trust me, I know what your talking about, but...why?! Why would you ask me if I...like him?!"

"Wellllll, it's just that I talked to Fluttershy a few days ago, and she told me that she has this strange notion that Kelly...has feelings for her." Twilight's jaw dropped. "And then I talked to Applejack. She said that she had the same feeling about Daniel towards her. And the way she talked about him, it was almost as if she had a thing for HIM." Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Are you sure you heard them right?"

"Twilight, a lady has instincts. I think it's quite obvious that these boys have some kind of deeper feeling for Fluttershy and AJ."

"But, that CRAZY! I mean, it doesn't make sense!"

"Well, what do you think of them?" Twilight fumbled for an answer.

"Wha-...I...well, Kelly's a very thoughtful, helpful, and kind person. But, I don't even know what...attractive is in human standards, so how could I even form an opinion?!" Rarity shrugged.

"I suppose your right, Twilight." Rarity motioned towards the door. "But if you ask me, I'd say for humans, they are quite...dashing...in their own way." Rarity opened the door. "Toodaloo." She called, as she left the library. Twilight took a moment to take in what she just heard. She laughed to herself as a result. She then walked over to her drawer where she kept all of her written documents. Near the bottom, she pulled out the several parchments that cataloged everything Kelly had told her about his species, and his home. She read them over. As she did, Twilight couldn't help but feel sad that he wasn't there for her to talk to. She thought about what he might be doing all the way at Canterlot. She even went as far as to wonder if she ever crossed his mind.

"Ah, no!" Twilight tried to think about something else. What Rarity had said was possible, but it was pretty abnormal at the same time. Twilight glanced out of her window at the City. Parts of it gleamed in the daylight. She couldn't help it, no matter how odd she thought it was. She missed him. Twilight sighed, and said to herself.

"He'll be back, don't you worry."

"Who'll be back?"

"AAAHH!" Spike's presence made Twilight jump out of her coat. "Nopony!" She said hastily. Spike just scratched his head in confusion.

"O...kay."

Gotta tell ya, this romance stuff is kinda fun to write...
Hope you guys enjoyed.

Chapter 9: Reunion

"Great news you guys! Princess Celestia got your latest training report this morning, she says you two are ready for a full initiation!" Shining Armor had been instructed to inform the humans of their achievement, and bring them to the throne room. He expected a more ecstatic reaction, but instead was met with mild excitement.

"Cool..." Kelly started.

"...So, what exactly does that mean?" Daniel added. Shining Armor laughed.

"Doesn't mean anything important, just that you get your vey own weapons, and you get to go back to Ponyville. You would normally get your own custom made armor, but none of our blacksmiths could get your...design quite right." Kelly took off like a rocket.

"AWWWWWWW YEAH! We get to go back to Ponyville! Swwweet!" Daniel's enthusiasm was divergent.

"What kind of weapons do we get?!"

"You'll just have to come and find out." Shining teased. Cadance accompanied her husband, and approached the boys.

"Congraulations, both of you, I'm sure everypony back in Ponyville will be proud. I know we sure are." Kelly smiled.

"Thanks Cadance, we promised to help however we could, and that's just what were going to do."

"C'mon, we don't want to keep everypony waiting." Shining beckoned for them to follow. The group was quiet on the trip to the great hall, which wasn't too far. The large double doors that seperated them from the throne room gave the boys an odd sense of acquisition.

"You two, wait at the door once we step inside." The boys nodded. Shining opened the doors with his magic, as him and his wife walked side by side down the welcoming carpet. Once they were out of earshot, Daniel did a quiet cat-call.

"He's a lucky guy." Kelly gave a look of shear unapproval.

"Be quiet." The boys both stood with their hands behind their back, unsure what to expect. They soon heard the Sun Goddess call on them.

"Daniel, and Kelly. Please step forth." They complied, and was apprehensive once all eyes were on them. Not only were the royal sisters present, but with them were Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance. To the side were Chival Glow, and Meta Shroud; silently commending the boys for their hard work. And lastly was a small crowd of guards to bear witness to the ceremony. Despite all of the attention, Kelly and Daniel neared the first steps, and stood patiently for what was next to come. Celestia looked to her sister, and they nodded in succession.

"We have brought to this castle countless brave, and noble guardsmen. Each one a living symbol of Peace in Canterlot, and an even greater embodiment of Justice throughout Equestria. On this day, we add two brave souls to our ranks. Under the wise, and encouraging mentorship of Chival Glow, and Meta Shroud; these two have blossomed from pages to knights. Kelly and Daniel." The boys brought their attention to her. "Under the celestial rays of the sun, and the lunar light of the moon, do you solemnly swear to stand by Equestria in times of peace, and conflict?" The human's hearts were racing.

"We do." they answered in unison.

"To aid your fellow protectors, and strive to withhold a safe haven amongst yourselfs, and the citizens of this country?"

"We do."

"And if the time ever comes; to risk your life for your fellow guardsmen, as well as the citizens of Equestria?" Kelly looked at Daniel, who returned the glance with a blank expression. Daniel turned back to the Princess, and Kelly soon did the same.

"...We do."

"Then by the royal chain of commendation, I, Princess Celestia." Luna stepped forward.

"And we, Princess Luna."

"Hereby decree Kelly and Daniel to be the first human Equestrian guards." The boys expected cheering to ensue, but there was still the last part of the ceremony. They watched in awe as the sisters powered their magic to an almost blinding level. A strong flash followed, and when the light had gone, two swords levitated in front of the alicorns. Daniel squinted to get a better look, but there was no need as the blades glided slowly to them. They stopped a couple of feet in front of them.

"These weapons are a mark of thy strength, may they protect thee, and thy friends in times of danger." Kelly reached for his sword, and examined it all around. It had a polished sky-blue hilt accompanied by a golden cross guard that curved slightly upwards. On each end, a single amethyst stone was embedded. The blade was straight at about three and a half feet, and had a strong medieval aura to it. The lustrous finish glittered brightly by the sun light coming through the window.

Daniel's weapon was distinctly different in multiple ways. The hilt was a subtle crimson followed by a straight, but rounded silver cross guard. Instead of amythist, the guard was embedded with two turquoise stones. The blade was roughly the same length as Kelly's, but was shaped almost to the replication of a katana. The finish was darker, but still held a gleam from the rays in the window. Both humans spotted something at the very base of the pommel. Kelly's bore the same symbol as Celestia's cutie mark, while Daniel's was fastened with Luna's.

"These swords are very special. They are a stepping stone for your persistance in combat, as well as a gift from us."

"A gift?" Kelly asked.

"Yes. When it was easier to say no, and wait everything out, you two chose to help. You chose to hone your talents, and utilize new skills in our favor. You gave your time and effort for our sake, when you had no real need to. I admire your noble nature, and by your actions, I am glad to have renewed faith in your kind." Kelly smiled at his friend, and Daniel smiled back, humbled by Celestia's words. Surprisingly, Daniel was the one to respond.

"Princess, it was an honor to help in any way we could, and we thank you for everything in return." Kelly nodded at him, and gave a friendly pat on the back.

"I'm still not a brony." Daniel whispered.

"Fair enough."

"We cannot extend our thanks enough." Luna responded. "But it's not just the gift that makes these blades special. Thy sword is enchanted." Celestia took over.

"They are yours to take wherever, but they will never encumber you when not in use." The boy's silence, and expressions told Celestia to explain. "You can summon them at your will, and dispell them just the same."

"How do we do that?" Kelly asked.

"Thou arst not unicorns, but with practice, it shall soon become second nature." The boys studied their swords, trying to make them dissipate as the Princess' had said.

"Imagine dropping them, or the hilt leaving your grasp. If you can imagine that you do not feel them, they will vanish at your command." It sounded easy, but pretending that something your touching isn't actually there took some mental practice. Finally, with a bit of patience the weapons evaporated into a small poof of light, and the humans snickered in astonishment. "Well done. To bring them back, you must simply imagine them within your grasp, which should prove much easier." Celestia was right. In only a few seconds, they were once again holding their blades after a similar flash of light. "Very well done, and with practice, it should become easier each time." Kelly gave the air a slow swipe.

"Thanks again, Princess'."

"The next reward would tradionally be thy armor, unfortunately, we do not posess the proper means of fitting thee. We apologize." The boys were about to reassure her, but Celestia spoke up.

"Instead, we can only offer the spell that we bestow upon all full initiates."

"This spell will strengthen thy resolve, and give thou the resiliance of a hardened warrior." Of course, the boys didn't know entirely what she meant, but stayed quiet as the sisters powered their magic once again. The light from the spell was not as intense as the last, but much more communal. Both Kelly, and Daniel could feel an increasing pressure on their bodies as the spell enveloped them. Whatever weariness or fatigue that ailed them was instantatiously gone. They could feel a renewed energy course through their veins. A final moment of stillness, and the colorful cloud from the enchantment dissapeared. No one said a word as the humans gathered themselves, and examined each other.

They looked no different, but sure felt different. The spells effects, coupled with their new abilities, led them to believe that they could take on anyone, or anything.

"Feeling rejuvenated?" Celestia chuckled.

"You don't know the half of it." Daniel commented. Some of the guards shifted uncomfortably from the informality, but the sisters took no offense.

"We have now reached the climax of this ceremony. As the co-ruler of Equestria, I speak on behalf of myself and the fair ponies of this land; thank you, both of you." Kelly nor Daniel was sure of what to do next, so they did what felt appropriate. Each took a knee, and bowed respectfully. The cheering then ensued. The boys stood as multiple guards; including their former mentors, swarmed them with congrats, and hoof/fist bumps. Once the noise had settled. Daniel looked at the Princess'.

"So what happens now?" Celestia smiled.

"Now, you return to your friends in Ponyville. Be prepared for anything Ferindher might have in store for us. In the meantime, we shall keep searching for a solution to send you home. There is a train departing for Ponyville very soon, Shining Armor, Chival, and Meta will guide you to the station."

"Alright, let's go, Kelly."

"Right behind you."

"Wait." Celestia called. "Before you go, take this." She levitated a book to Kelly. He took hold of the spine and read the cover.

Shard of the Traitune

"This book is the only lead we have so far as to how you got here. I've been meaning to send this to Twilight, but have been occupied with stationing protection across Equestria. Ferindher could attack from anywhere."

"I'll make sure she gets this, don't worry."

"You have my appreciation. Safe travels to Ponyville." With that, the boys waved their goodbye, and departed from Canterlot Castle.

Plexis watched from one of the guard towers as the humans made their way to the station, accompanied by their teachers, and the Captain of the Royal Guard. He cursed to himself for not finding a way to expose whatever secret they were keeping from everyone. Even if they weren't in Canterlot, he still saw them as a threat. He wouldn't be able to follow them, but the very first chance he got, he would reveal their true colors, and prove to everyone just how deceitful they were.

"Hey Chival."

"Yeah?"

"You never did tell us how Plexis got that scar."

"Oh...well, it's not that big of a deal, but he sure treats it like one."

"Why, what happened?" Kelly pressed.

"Griffon." Was all he said.

"A griffon did that to him?" Daniel chimed in.

"Yep, a couple of years back."

"It was during a meeting with one of the Griffon Ambassadors. We were discussing a territory dispute. The griffons were claiming that ponies had been using parts of their land to document creatures that do not inhabit Equestria. It was an outrage since not only were the accusations false, but it does not contradict the treaty to study foreign creatures on neighboring lands. Only when that land is being indefinitely occupied, or a secritive settlement is made by another race does it become illegal. Anyway, it had only been a month or so since Plexis had been fully initiated, and of course he was as enthusiastic as ever to come along to settle the dispute. In retrospect, I should've objected to him coming along, since Plexis didn't care for other species even before this incident. We met with the Ambassador at the Griffon Kingdom. I don't think you need me to tell you we weren't exactly honored guests."

"So you were there." said Kelly.

"I was."

"So what happened next?" Shining spoke up.

"I never even told you about this, Captain?" Shining shook his head. "Well, we met the ambassador, as well as a few of their guards to bring this matter to a civilized close. The griffons weren't going to have any of that though. Any time our own representative tried to get a word in edgewise, she was either interrupted, by the ambassador, snide remarks from the guards, or even direct insults from both parties. I myself wanted nothing more than to buck each one of'em; make them swallow their teeth, but I knew if I did that, then any hope for quick closure was lost. I could see Plexis visibly fuming from each demeaning word from the griffons, but I paid him no mind, thinking he had enough sense to stand down. Mistake of the century."

"He went for it." Shining commented. Chiva laughed.

"Oh, he didn't just go for it, he went after the ambassador himself. He almost had him too, but one of the griffon guards intervened just in time. Everything was downhill after that. We almost went to war because of his short temper, and attitude towards other species."

"And it was that fight where he got that scar?" Daniel asked.

"Yep, the griffon that stopped him from harming the ambassador caught him right above the eye; only made Plexis even angrier."

"And he's been a grouch ever since." Meta added.

"At least we won't have to worry about him back in Ponyville." Kelly spoke as he skimmed the pages of the shard's book. Moments after Chival had finished his story, the five guards had arrived to the station.

"We're here." They could hear the conductor from one of the cars.

"All aboard for Canterlot to Ponyville, I repeat all aboard for Canterlot to Ponyville. We will be leaving the station shortly."

"And not a moment too soon, c'mon, Daniel." Once they approached the steps, the boys turned to give what might have been their last farewell to the captain and their former teachers. "Thank you Chival, for everything."

"Don't mention it, it was an interesting experience training a human. You handle yourselves well."

"Thanks, Meta. It was fun kickin' your butt." Meta snickered.

"Ha, you remind me of me, you know that. Take care of yourselves, look out for each other." Daniel nodded.

"Safe travels you two, say hi to Twily and her friends for me when you get back."

"Sure thing."

"Oh, and you might want to put those away for now." Kelly and Daniel looked at the intimidating tools they were still carrying around.

"Oops." They said together, right before making their weapons dissipate. The magic act was met with some murmurs from the ponies boarding the train. The train whistle screeched, as the boys waved bye and found their seats. The train wasn't crowded, but there was a decent number of passengers. Kelly took a window seat, and his friend did the same, sitting across from him. Kelly was about to begin skimming through the old book again until something caught his eye. An dark coated mare with an even darker mane was making her way through the car; her lavender eyes searching for a place to sit. She was also carrying what looked like a cello case.

"Daniel, check it out, it's Octavia." At the mention of her name, Daniel immediately whipped around to scope her out. The cello case made it easy to find her. Among most of the background ponies, Octavia was one of Daniel's favorites. He would never say why, but Kelly assumed it was her taste for refined music that he liked so much. Much to his delight, she approached the humans with a gentle smile.

"Hello, gentlecolts. Might I ask is this seat taken?" Daniel smiled back, teeth and everything.

"It is not, ma'am."

"May I?"

"Of course, you can put your cello next to me, if you like." Kelly offered.

"Why thank you." Octavia placed her intrument in the seat next to Kelly's, and took her own seat next to Daniel's. The whistle sounded a few more times, before the familiar 'chug' of the train's acceleration could be heard. Octavia was clear to a topic.

"My name is Octavia, it's lovely to meet you both."

"Likewise, I'm Kelly."

"Name's Daniel, the pleasure is ours."

"So, you are the humans everypony's been talking about." Daniel chuckled.

"Yeah, apparently were famous all over Equestria."

"Well, I suppose being the only two of your kind, never seen by pony eyes will do that." Kelly looked up from his book.

"So, are you just visiting Ponyville?"

"Oh no, I live there with my friend, Vinyl."

"Vinyal Scratch?" Kelly already knew this, but he was getting pretty good at playing dumb.

"Yes, you know her?"

"We've seen her around town, and said hi. But when we had that party the night before the gala, she played some pretty great music."

"Oh, yes, she told me about that. I was away in Canterlot at the time with my ensemble. We were preparing for the gala. In fact now that I think about it, you two were there, were you not."

"We were." The events that followed the night of the gala induced a moment of silence. Kelly spoke up.

"Octavia, were you in town when..." The ash mare sighed.

"No, I was still in Canterlot. I was preparing to leave just that morning, when I noticed multiple guards heading towards Ponyville. Then...I saw the smoke." Octavia lowered her head. "I was beyond worried, and even frustrated when they told us that transport to Ponyville would be delayed until the situation was under control. A couple of hours later, we got word that the fires were intentional, but nopony was seriously injured. Once I was there, I ran as fast as I could to check on Vinyl. We share almost no similarities, but we've been friends for so long."

"I know that feeling." Kelly glanced at Daniel.

"Was your home okay?"

"There were minor damages, but it could've been much worse, Vinyal was okay as well. It was later that same day that I started hearing ponies talk about the newcomers who stayed to rival whoever caused the fires. I assume that was you two." Both humans felt sheepish.

"Yeah...it was nothing though." Daniel said modestly.

"I don't think it was nothing. I believe that was bravery, and I also believe that not alot of ponies I know would have done the same in your position. My friend, and our home was saved because of your deeds.

"It was the right thing to do." Kelly said matter of factly. Octavia gave a wry smile.

"Nonetheless, thank you, both of you."

"Hey guys, where's the fire?" Lyra called to the elements as they hurried towards the train station. The form of her question caused them to stop, and give her a cold stare. "Sorry, poor choice of words. What's the rush?"

"Danny, and Kelly belly are on their way back from Canterlot! Isn't that just so unbelievably, undeniably, unconditionally awesome?!" Pinkie zipped around crazily as she spoke.

"REALLY?! Bon Bon, I gotta..."

"Go ahead, they'll be happy to see you too." Bon Bon chuckled. Without another word, the elements plus one ecstatic unicorn galloped to the station. It was around four in the afternoon once the whistle could be heard approaching the stop. Kelly, Daniel, and Octavia were among the last to depart the car.

"Thanks for keeping us company on the ride back."

"Of course, if I see you two around, don't be strangers." She waved them off.

"Bye Octavi-OOF!" Kelly's farewell was cut short by Lyra. Daniel, was about to start laughing at his unfortunate friend, but not before Pinkie could do the same to him.

"Hey guys!" Lyra squeaked. Kelly groaned.

"Just like old times huh, Lyra?"

"Get offa me Pinkie." Daniel growled.

"Oopsy, sorry. Lyra did it so I thought I should too." Pinkie giggled. The rest of the ponies greeted them soon after.

"How was Canterlot? Did you get to see the Princess'?" Twilight questioned.

"It was good, not as good as Ponyville of course. Oh, and Twilight, Princess Celestia told me to give you this." He handed the book over.

"What is it?"

"Remember the letter she sent talking about a possible way to send us home, well this is that lead."

"Amazing, I don't have this book either, I must be slacking."

"What did y'all learn while you were there?" Daniel looked at Kelly, and grinned. Both boys held their hands out almost as if they were reaching for something. Raised brows surrounded them until two quick flashes of light danced around their hands, with their weapons visible, they both did a goofy pose trying to be as dramatic as possible. Mixed reactions followed. Some gawked in amazement, others snickered at their abnormal behaviour, but all were full of questions.

"How did you do that without magic?"

"Where did you get those?"

"Can I hold it?"

"When will this chapter be over?" Everyone looked at Pinkie, utterly confused.

"What do you mean chapter?" Dash said.

"You know, like a chapter in a book, only it's not really a book, it's more like a really really really really long peice of paper with words on it. Actually, it's not even paper, but it is white like paper, and instead of a pencil, the words come from this rectangle with letters on it. You know, I bet those letters get really tired of being pushed over and over and over, cause I know I would. Pushing other ponies isn't very nice...what was I talking about? Oh yeah!" Pinkie's rant continued, but the others had lost interest.

"It's good to see you boys."

"Good to see you too Rarity." Kelly replied, then looked to Fluttershy, who blushed upon eye contact. He happily walked over. "Hey Fluttershy, how have you been?" She didn't shrink back, but blushed a little more.

"Um...good, and you?"

"Well, Canterlot was fun and all, but I'd rather be down here with you guys." Fluttershy smiled.

"Those swords are...scary...but neat."

"Oh yeah, they were gifts from the Princess'. Aren't they sick?" Fluttershy was perplexed.

"Can swords get sick?"

"No, I mean sick as in awesome."

"Oh...well then...yes." Daniel hoof bumped dash, and went to talk with Applejack.

"Sup, AJ. How's the family?"

"They're doin' just fine. Applebloom won't stop goin' on about seein' ya though." Daniel chuckled.

"Looks like I'll have to make up that lost time once we get back to the farm." A moment of silence was broken as a beat could be heard from somewhere. The music was around everyone, but there was no real source for it. Pinkie began to sing.

"It's time to celebrate, and welcome our friends back. It's been too long since we've hung out, so lets get things back on track-c'mon EVERYPONY!" Daniel hung his head low, and sighed. Kelly gave no second thought in joining in on the random melody. Applejack snickered, and nudged Daniel.

"Welcome back, partner."

Chapter 11: ...Isn't Always Your Friend

"But thou cannot go!" Celestia cried following her parents down the the hall; her sister in tow.

"Please, mother!" Luna's eyes were red with tears. Their mother halted, and gave a quiet sigh. She couldn't stand to hear them like this, but she and her husband's minds were made up. She turned to face the young Princess'.

"...Dear?" Their father was unsure about waiting any longer.

"Go on ahead...Tell the guards we shall be there momentarily." She responded sadly. Her husband curtly nodded, and glanced at his daughters. He looked away before they noticed the water forming in his eyes. Their mother looked at them once again, and smiled. "Have I ever told thee how proud we are, of both of you." The Princess' could only sniffle, and hiccup in response while they nodded. "Dos thou know why?" Luna wiped away a running tear, but both waited for her to continue. "Because thou art kind, thou art generous, and thou art simply the best daughters we could ever hope for." She tilted her head towards the hallway her husband had walked, indicating that she did not mean the royal "we". The sisters calmed down a bit, but kept up with their pleas.

"Thou can't go! What if you, and Father...don't come back?" Their mother frowned.

"But if your father, and I do not give aid, more countless deaths are sure to ensue."

"But there MUST be somepony else who can help!" Luna cried. Her mother shook her head once, and let a single tear flow.

"Our magic may be Equestria's final salvation."

"Thou didn't answer us." Celestia spoke up. "What if...thou doesn't return?" Celestia then closed her eyes tight; forcing out the droplets that settled in her lids. Their mother was quiet. She knew very well that they may not return from ending this war, and she realized that her children knew that just as well. She couldn't force herself to say goodbye, though, not as long as there was a chance that they would be together again. She kept hope in her heart that she and her husband would return. She leaned closer to them, and nuzzled them close. She spoke in a voice softer than silk.

"Just know that whatever may happen, it does not matter. Thou father and I love thee with all of the harmony in the world, and as long as that bond stays strong, as long as thou never forgets that...we shall never be apart. That, my dears, is what truly matters." Every fond memory came flooding back to the young sisters, and they distracted their grief with each joyful moment they had spent with their parents. For that instant, they ceased the tears, as their mother gave each of them a tender kiss on the head.

"We're waiting, Princess." Ferindher taunted. Celestia was on the verge of panic. She looked at the humans still in his grasp. Two loud clangs echoed as they no longer had the strength to hold their weapons. Each second that passed, they hung more limply, slowly being suffocated by the dark magic.

"Stop this, PLEASE!" Twilight screamed with tearful eyes. Ferindher chuckled as the human's eyes slowly closed. Celestia had to do something.

"FERINDHER!" She shouted. The tyrant slowly turned his head. She gave him a harsh glare, then lowered her head "...You...you win." The elements gasped. "I'll give you the tablet."

"Sister, NO!" Luna objected, but Celestia wasn't finished.

"IF...you let them go as well." She notioned to the boys. Ferindher returned his attention to them, then back to her. The humans would've said something to convince Celestia not to surrender, but every sense in their being had been dulled to a near death-like state. Their bodies were numb, vision blurried, hearing strained to an incomprehensible muffle, they had no way to tell what was happening around them.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to comply, Celestia. You see, these insects no longer serve me any purpose, and they surely wouldn't be of any help to you, or your poor subjects." Ferindher jerked his arms, and a thick black mist engulfed the boys again.

"That's not true!" Fluttershy detested as loud as she could. Celestia raised a hoof, shushing her, and spoke to Ferindher once more.

"If you believe they are of no help to us, then you have no reason to kill them." She tried to sustain her composure. Ferindher didn't cease the dark magic, but instead erupted in laughter.

"Oh, kind Celestia, when have I ever needed...a reason?" The humans hovered over death. "This is your final chance to surrender my tablet."

"DON'T DO IT PRIN-" Rainbow was interrupted by the cold steel touching her neck. Celestia looked to her sister, but Luna was wearing an unreadable expression. Luna knew Celestia cared for her, and her ponies more than anything, and would also do anything to protect them. The alabaster Princess lowered her head and clenched her teeth in anger, and defeat. She could think of no other solution that would spare her subjects.

"Okay..." She muttered, and turned around. Her horn slowly began to form magic energy. One of the shadows grunted in distrust, and was ready to break the deal, but Ferindher silently commanded him to wait. The shadows watched the elements, to make sure none of Celestia's magic aided them. With the tiniest flash, a two foot tall stone tablet floated in view. Celestia hadn't bothered opening the enchanted seal to the sinister archives where dangerous artifacts, and treasures like this were kept. Instead, she idly pulled it from the archive by her magic alone. The tablet was blanketed with countless centuries worth of dust, and residue. Written on the stone was a language unkown by humans, and ponies alike.

Ferindher was awe-stricken as he rested his sunken eyes on the only chunk of stone that seperated him from ultimate power. After all the years of trying to find the way to restore himself, the time had finally come for him to be supreme yet again. Ferindher was enveloped in the tablet's sight so, that he hadn't realized he had stopped his torturous execution of the humans. He turned and walked slowly, releasing the humans as he did. They slumped to the hard floor, unmoving; seemingly lifeless. As the shadow lord grew closer and closer, Celestia became more and more aprehensive about her decision. She moved the tablet behind her figure, causing Ferindher to stop and glare suspiciously.

"Release them first." She nodded to the elements, and her sister. Ferindher growled impatiently.

"You are in no position to make demands." As soon as he finished speaking, a blinding light emitted from the doorway. A loud, but brief scuffle could be heard where the shadows held the elements hostage. Ferindher whirled around to see the comotion, but had to shield his eyes from the harsh light. After another moment, the beam faded to reveal a few of the shadows slain, and the others backing away. Next to the doorway were the elements now accompanied by Shining Armor, Cadance, and a platoon of guards. Now free to use magic, Twilight wasted no time in teleporting Daniel and Kelly to them. Both boys still lay motionless, but upon putting her ear to their mouths, she swore she could still feel the slightest warmth of breath.

"They're...alive!" Her words shook with worry, and joy alike. Celestia was overcome with numbing relief, but had forgotton what she was holding behind her back. Ferindher's robe instantly flared hot red, as he used some of his last energy to deal a devestating attack. He brought his back hand around and stopped it inches from Celestia. As soon as his hand halted, a lightening quick vortex of pure dark force exploded in a vague warping sound, sending the sun goddess sprawling into the far wall with a sickening thud.

"NOO!"

"PRINCESS!"

"TIA!" The stone tablet, now free from Celestia's magic, seemed to fall in slow motion before noisily meeting the floor. Ferindher was only a few feet from redemption.

"At last..." He took a step forward.

"WE SHALL DESTROY THEE!" Luna's eyes exempted a pure white gaze, as she attempted to stop the shadow lord. Chrysalis was doing her best to slow her down.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Shining bolted past the elements, and struck down another shadow as the dark being tried to hinder his advance. Ferindher grasped the tablet in his bony black hand. Luna's mixture of fear, rage, and adrenaline channeled into her horn, violently pushing the Changeling Queen aside. Shining was advancing quickly on Ferindher, while he prepared to attack.

"...my power..." Ferindher clutched his robe, and pulled it away; still concealing his face, but revealing his body. His being was made up of similar looking stone tablets that fit together almost like a puzzle; each one engraved with different symbols and writing. One blank space was visible.

"NO!" Shining Armor, and Princess Luna shouted. The tip of their horns burned with hostile magic as they made a final push to stop the shadow lord.

"...returns." Ferindher placed the missing piece. Luna and Shining were only within arm's reach when a deafening explosion of pure darkness put their effort in vein. Shining landed awkwardly on his back, while Luna found her balance, and skidded to a stop. Ferindher engulfed himself in a black vortex, while his strength slowly returned. He could feel every inch of his body becoming more potent, and revigored. The raw power of darkness was undescribable, and Ferindher enjoyed every second of it. Cadance rushed past the elements as well, coming to the aid of her husband.

"I...I'm okay." He stood shakily. Ferindher cackled, as the dark vortex grew, acting like a mini tornado. Ferindher's laughing became deeper; demonic even. The windows of the throne room shattered, and light objects that weren't tied down were swept around and around by the artificial wind. Celestia's senses were coming back to her.

"The elements!" Appljack shouted above the noise. "We need to get them!" No one argued, but wasn't ready to leave right away.

"What about them?!" Rarity pointed to the barely concious humans. Twilight lifted Kelly into the air, and told Rarity to do the same for Daniel. Once they were ready, they bolted for the door, but was halted again by Ferindher's influence. An ebony force field kept them from exiting physically, and even magically.

"You're not going anywhere." His voice echoed with an eerie whisper.

"Were trapped!" Even Pinkie was out of ideas. The wind in the room continued to rampage, but Ferindher revealed himself from the evil magic. His hands had become somehow darker, and twisted into feirce looking claws. He also appeared to have grown slightly, and his hood now glowed with multiple shades of red. His eyes could peirce even the most unyielding material. With a twitch of his finger, he could make the darkness around him bend to any shape, form, or purpose.

"Once again, I am supreme." He spoke in a way as if several people were speaking along with him. Celestia took notice of a shimmering object dancing along the floor. Chrysalis, along with the others were speachless at the presentation of Ferindher's restored power. She remembered however, the deal they had made.

"Ferindher." She addressed. The shadow lord squinted at her, as if he were wondering why she was still there. "I have held up my end of the bargain, now end Cadance and her husband." Ferindher's stare narrowed even more.

"I do not take orders from you, bug." Chrysalis' eyes widened.

"I am not ordering you around! I am telling you to hold your word!" Ferindher turned his whole body to face her.

"These two are no threat to me now. It's the Princess' I must rid myself of." Luna slowly backed away, and watched her sister struggle to stand.

"But..." Chrysalis stopped herself. "Fine, it seems those two interfering no longer matters. As long as my children have the rest of Equestria as their own..." Ferindher scoffed.

"What are you talking about, you insignificant pawn." Chrysalis was taken off guard.

"NO! I could care less what befalls those two, but you are not going back on leaving Equestria for me and my subjects!" Ferindher smiled, and looked at his right hand, the captain.

"Is that what you told her?" The captain chuckled. "Nicely done." Chrysalis was fuming, but was cautious about provoking Ferindher due to his new state.

"This is...unacceptable. My children need this land." Ferindher pretended to not hear her.

"You have been most helpful my dear, now you may leave." Chrysalis could no longer hold back her anger.

"I don't think so, Ferindher." Ferindher turned to her again, but this time began advancing slowly.

"The time to defy me has now passed. However powerful you may think you are, I can gaurantee you, you will be no match. Equestria is now mine, and frankly, I don't really feel like sharing. Now, leave." Chrysalis clenched her teeth. She went against the thought of attacking him herself, but she also didn't want to risk her children's lives against this tyrant. While Ferindher's attention was on Chrysalis, Luna had made her way to her sister.

"Tia! Tia, art thou alright?!" Celestia grunted in pain, despite her response.

"I-I'm alright." Luna took notice of a certain crystal that her sister cradled.

"Is that..."

"...The shard that the scholars brought back? Yes." Celestia's horn began to glow. "If Ferindher really used his piece like he said, and if the book is true, then..." Luna watched to make sure Ferindher was still occupied with the changeling queen.

"But, sister, without both pieces, the results of using the shard could go wrong in some way!"

"It's the only way out for everyone here." Celestia calmy responded. Luna's voice carried panic, but she kept a low tone.

"Can't thou just use thy magic?!" Celestia shook her head.

"My fight with Ferindher, plus that last blow, really did a number on me. I...don't think I could transport everyone at once." Luna hung her head low.

"And our other subjects?" Celestia began to cry at the thought.

"I will try to get you and I outside the castle to start rounding up guards, and citizens. It's more helpful than dying here by his hand." Luna was still hesitant on relying on the shard.

"Tia..."

"We must do what we can for our ponies, sister. Ferindher has already won by obtaining the tablet...for now." Luna sighed. "We must find another way to stop him...even if it means...temporarily giving up Equestria." Luna was quiet for a while. The elements, plus Shining and Cadance were watching the Princess'.

"What are they doing?" Cadance asked.

"I don't know..." Twilight replied. Ferindher continued to threaten the stubborn queen.

"This is your final chance to leave, for you and your...children." Chrysalis felt a pang of fear, but refused to show it.

"We are not leaving until we recieve our fair share!" She rebutled, determined.

"You'll be lucky to leave with your LIVES at this point!" Ferindher hissed. He was about to end the conversation for good, until a small glimmer of light caught his attention. He glanced left to see Celestia powering up a crystal that mimicked his own. It didn't take him long to figure out what she was doing. "NO! YOU'LL NOT ESCAPE!" The dark lord bellowed. Ferindher swiftly conjured a dark ray that would almost instantly sap the life from the sun goddess.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!"

"PRINCESS!"

"LOOK OUT!" Celestia closed her eyes slowly.

"Everypony...........I'm sorry." She whispered. Luna was quick to act by jumping in front of her older sibling. However, no one would know exactly what happened to them after that, for everyone had vanished, save Ferindher, and his shadows. Celestia's magic had not been directed at the Queen, but even she had disappeared. Ferindher had yet to exact full revenge...

Shining Armor's head spun, but his state of dizziness soon faded. Upon inspection, he realized he wasn't too far from Ponyville. He looked around again, but couldn't find his wife, sister, or anyone else who had been in the throne room.

"Twily?! Cadance?!" Silence... "Princess Celestia?! Princess Luna?!" Silent still. He looked up to see the Castle of Canterlot slowly being enveloped in a shroud of dark magic. The sky was unusually ominous, and foreboding, and the sun was going down. Or at least, it was setting, yet as the time went by that Shining found his way to ponyville to evacuate everyone, the sun had not shifted since he appeared outside of the castle. He decided to worry about it later, he needed to get as many ponies to safety as he could before Ferindher minions could do them any harm to them. An enraged howl could be heard all the way from the castle. The sound made Shining's spine tingle. "I have to hurry."

Ferindher threw open the front entrance of the castle, and descended the steps into the street. His fury was submissive as he was pleased by the decent number of slaves his shadows had gathered. Most of them trembled, and cried, while Ferindher grinned to himself. As he examined the beings who would help him rebuild his empire, a certain familiar guard caught his eye. The renewed shadow lord approached him, as Plexis lashed out in anger.

"You SCUM! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE! I'LL-I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!" Ferindher laughed, and took a knee.

"So strong in spirit, yet so misguided." Plexis was ready to deliver more verbal abuse, but only coughed and sputtered on his own words. "Now surely you don't believe the blame is all on me. What about those meddlesome humans?" At that moment, Plexis could feel something sinister slowly overcoming him. "Don't they have their own vendetta in all of this?"

"I...they...yes." Plexis felt as if the words weren't really his.

"They brought this on your friends, the ones you protect, your dear Princess'."

"Yes...yes...it's all their fault." Ferindher grinned widely.

"If not for them, you would all still be safe and secure in your little beds by now. They just couldn't help themselves, I suppose." Plexis felt an odd sensation burning inside of him.

"Yeah...YEAH! They have brought this on everypony!"

"That's right. Now then, what are you going to do about it...my...little...pony?"

Fluttershy blinked, but drifted off again. It only felt like a few seconds later that she opened her eyes once more. She felt light all over. Only until she shifted, did she feel her weight come back to her. The canary pegasus stood, and examined the ground around her. Everything was unfamiliar. Not even the trees that surrounded them resembled the forest of the Everfree. There was nothing to indicate where she was, but Fluttershy soon noticed a few of her friends lying not far from her.

"Oh, my!" She quickly went to their aid. "Girls? Girls?!" There was no response, but it seemed they were only sleeping. After a while Fluttershy had located everyone, including Spike. Everyone except the Princess', Twilight's brother, Cadance, and the humans. She searched for a little while longer unitl she stumbled upon two colorful blobs. They were...ponies...or more specifically stallions. She was cautious to approach them since she definitely didn't recognize them.

"These two weren't with us in the throne room." She was surprised to see that they were full size stallions, but bare of cutie marks. After a moment of careful examination, Fluttershy looked closely at their manes. Her eyes shot wide open, and she backed away. "It...can't be..."

A Rediculous Filler Chapter

Just a fun chapter I had in mind. This has nothing to do with what's currently happening in the story, I just wanted to write this while I figured out where this story would go next. Enjoy.

Both boys gawked in amazement at the device before them. Their wide eyes shifting back from Twilight, and the black electronic.

"I don't believe it..." Kelly muttered. Twilight giggled at their bewilderment.

"Surprised?" She smiled.

"How in the hell did you get an Xbox here?!" Daniel asked. Twilight answered his question by levitating a book to him. Daniel read the title out loud.

How to Traverse Parallel Universes

Daniel looked at Twilight, then back to the book. "Well, that's damn convenient."

"Why did you bring this here?" Kelly said while examining the cords, and controller.

"Research, of course." She waited for a response, but Kelly just continued to inspect the device, dumbfounded.

"You want to watch us play it?" Daniel raised a brow. Twilight nodded. "But...we don't have a T.V."

"Oh, is that what you call those things?" The lavender unicorn then trotted into the living room of the library, and pointed her hoof to a nice new 72" flatscreen. The humans slowly crept toward the television, jaw's dangling.

"Holy shit..." Kelly subconciously swore.

"Oh yeah, and everypony else wants to see too!" She announced excitedly. As if on cue, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and the other elements, even the royal sisters entered the library. Kelly and Daniel shared uneasy looks. "Alright, is everypony here?"

"YEP! Can't wait to see what one of these things can do!" Pinkie hopped ecstaticly.

"I sure hope this is worth missing my nap." Dash frowned.

"We are delighted to indulge in your alien pastimes." Luna commented. Still the boys wore worried looks.

"And look, I can easily use my magic to substitute whatever powers these things." Upon saying so, Twilight wrapped the Xbox, and T.V. in a purple aura, and they immediately powered on. The logo spun on the screen, and emitted the familiar hum as "Xbox 360" appeared on-screen. The superior audio and video quality compared to simple prejectors made the ponies coo in amazement. Even still, the boys were uneasy.

"What's the matter with y'all? Ain't ya excited to show us what this here contraption does?" They glanced at each other again.

"Well...that depends. What game did you bring?" Daniel asked.

"This one. Supposedly, it's fairly new." Twilight levitated the rectangular case to Kelly. He cringed as he read the cover.

Resident Evil 6

"What's wrong, is that one no good?" Rarity pondered out loud.

"No, it's not that...it's just that...well...it's pretty voilent." A part of Kelly did want to play it just to see what everyone would think, but at the same time, it didn't seem like the best idea.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Princess Celestia already explained everything." Fluttershy softly reassured. Kelly was taken aback.

"A-are you sure. Casue I'm not talking like little fist fights or verbal abuse voilent. This is more on the level of intensity, gore, and dismemberment voilent." He stated holding up the game.

"Like Fluttershy said, Celestia already explained everything." Twilight spoke up. Kelly looked at the ground, unsure.

"Hey, if their cool with it, then I'm down with some RE:6." Daniel smiled. "Besides, we never got a chance to play it before we ended up here." Kelly sighed, and looked at the curious group.

"This is your last warning." He opened the case.

"What are you, a royal guard?! Just play it!" Dash said impatiently. Kelly shook his head, and shrugged as he opened the disc tray.

10 minutes later

"No! I played as Sheva, so you're playing as Helena!" Daniel shouted.

"You know what, FINE! Helena's hotter than Sheva anyway!" Kelly rebuttaled.

"Hey! Hey! What are those?!" Pinkie pointed to Helena's...breasts. "How come you guys don't have those?" The boys facepalmed.

20 minutes into the game

Leon, and Helena continued the search for the girl named Liz. Her father accompanied them around the campus. As the duo opened a sizable double door, they were met with a person quickly appearing from the left.

"OH SHIT!" Daniel jumped. Kelly was quiet but jumped as well.

"God, it's just that girl."

"Man, I almost blew her head off." Daniel laughed AJ shifted.

"Can y'all actually do that if she had scared ya good enough?" They looked at one another.

"I'm not sure, but I doubt it." Kelly answered.

"Well, now that doesn't make much sense." Applejack replied. Daniel shrugged.

"Alot of games tend to be that way..." Leon, and Helena continued on with Liz, and her father. Although Liz didn't appear to be doing so well.

"Is she going to be okay?" Fluttershy spoke up. Kelly turned around.

"I don't know...I think she might be infected with the uh...C-virus or something. But, don't worry, remember it's just a game."

"Okay." She replied quietly. Soon, though, Fluttershy's worry was to be reckoned as the four boarded a cramped elevator. A cutscene ensued. Liz entered, coughing erratically. Her father spoke.

"It's going to be okay, Lizzie. You're going to be okay." Liz looked slowly to her father.

"Dad..." She rasped. The ponies were getting a little choked up, while Daniel and Kelly anticipated what might happen next.

"We're almost there." Her father tried to comfort her. Liz gave one more look to her dad, before succumbing to the infection. "...Liz?" He checked for vitals, but found none. He then slowly began to sob. The ponies were doing the same. Kelly shook his head.

'Geez, this was a terrible idea.' He thought. The father's sobbing then turned to coughing, and wheezing. Seconds later, the elevator light burned out.

"The power!" Helena whispered in worry. The boys noticed how quiet their spectaters were now, they were watching intently, eager to see what would happen.

'Hmm...maybe they're actually getting into it...'

"Uh, Kelly, do you hear that?" Everyone could faintly hear feral snarls, and crunching noises.

"Oh no..." Leon, and Helena switched on their flashlights to find Liz devouring her father. The ponies gasped in horror. Liz very slowly looked at the players.

"Crap, SHOOT HER!" Daniel shouted.

"I'm trying!" But before the players could control of the situation, Liz pounced onto Daniel.

"AAHHH! GET HER! GET HER!" Twilight cried.

"I'm trying, I'M TRYING!" Kelly struggled to get a clear shot with his light. *POP* he caught her in the shoulder. Liz released Daniel, but not before swiping Leon away, and grappling Kelly. "DAMMIT, she's going after me now!"

"Nooo! C'mon, YOU CAN DO IT! Daniel, GET HER!" Pinkie joined in.

"It's okay, I can shake her off!" Kelly waggled the left stick of his controller frantically. After a brief struggle, Helena wrestled on top of Liz, and placed the barrel to her forehead.

"THERE, NOW SHOOT HER!" Dash screamed. Kelly wasted no time in pulling the trigger. Leon, Helena, Kelly, Daniel, and the ponies all sighed in relief.

"Though this 'game' is...questionable...I suppose it can also be quite the thrill ride." Celestia commented. Kelly couldn't believe his ears. They were actually coming around. Daniel's shouts interrupted his thoughts.

"What the hell, are you kidding me?!" He bellowed as the elevator doors opened, welcoming numerous zombies to swarm them.

1 hour and 30 minutes into the game

Complete chaos covered the streets of Tall Oaks, as Kelly and Daniel fought their way through the avenue.

"They're just...everywhere..." Rarity said, astonished at the number of enemies the boys were dispatching. Finally, they made their way to a gas station where other survivors were holed up.

"Y'all need to help them!" AJ cried.

"We know, were on it." Daniel answered. The boys made quick work of most of the zombies around the station, while the characters in-game exchanged dialouge.

"Alright, I think we got this." Kelly smiled. About that time, the camera turned it's focus to the street where the players had come from. Within seconds, a speeding armored vehicle came careening down the road, and straight for Kelly. "HOLY CRAP!" With no knowable reaction command, Helena was brutally smashed between the vehicle, and the building. The ponie's jaws dropped, while Daniel giggled. The screen glowed crimson, and the ponies read aloud. "You Are Dead."

"You are dead?" Luna snickered. "The game actually has to tell you that? We thought it was pretty obvious." Daniel continued to chuckle.

"Damn, that sucks, man." Kelly put down his controller, and pointed angrily at the screen.

"THAT WAS BULLSHIT! It didn't even give me a chance to get out of the way!"

"C'mon now, let's not blame the game here." Daniel teased.

"Ah, shut up."

4 hours into the game

As intently as they were watching, everyone could silently agree that this game just couldn't be put down. Kelly and Daniel had successfully made it to China in Leon's campaign, and had just escaped some rather disturbing creatures in the market. They wound up in what appeared to be a slaughterhouse of sorts.

"Good job, you two." Fluttershy praised. Kelly smiled.

"Just glad we got away from those...turd monsters...I don't even know." Kelly hung back, looking for ammo and other supplies, while Daniel hastily pressed forward. He rounded a table right next to a meat grinder, and got the surprise of his life when another monster like the ones they had just encountered grabbed him, attempting to force him into the grinder.

"AAAHH, NOO!" Daniel waggled the left stick just as the prompt appeared.

"Oh no, not another one!" Twilight bit her hoof nervously.

"Kelly! Shoot it!" AJ ordered.

"I'm going to! I have to get to him first!" He arrived, and followed up by unloading an entire clip into the monstrosity. It had no effect. "What the hell! It's not working!" Kelly even tried meleeing the creature, but to no avail.

"I can't look!" Pinkie pulled her frizzy mane over her eyes.

"It's alright, I got this!" Daniel stated as he survived the struggle. What he didn't count on was there being a second reaction prompt, in which he reacted too late. "Wha-OH SHIT! I missed it!" The camera then cut to an overhead veiw of the monster slowly forcing Leon's head into the grinder. The ponies went wide-eyed as gore, and chunks splattered. Kelly put his hand over his mouth. Daniel casually dropped the controller, and commented. "Yep, that's my brains..." The camera then moved to a side view of the monster leaning further, and pushing Leon's entire being into the blades. As it did so, the monster went in with him.

"Oh...my...God..." Kelly said, muffled by his hands. After the screen once again displayed "You Are Dead," Kelly giggled in shock. "Wow......that....has got to be the most brutal death I have ever seen in this franchise." Daniel shook his head in disbelief.

"Yep...I'd have to agree." After a moment of silence, Daniel picked his controller back up for another go, but soon felt something tear it away from his grasp. Luna was using her magic to take it. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" The moon Princess rotated the device, examining it. She then smiled at Daniel.

"We are going to show thou how it is done."

Thanks to all my followers, fav's, and readers in general. And a big thanks to Daniel, for being such a good sport, and friend. Have a good one...

Chapter 12: When All Seems Lost

The once vibrant blue sky that hung over Canterlot had now turned to a foreboding blood red. The sun, and moon just halted, and were stagnant, facing one another, each halfway cresting over the opposite horizon The planes grew dark. The shadows had spread faster than a virus. Most were able to escape, but some were not so lucky. The Royal sister's fates: undetermined. The elements: vanished. Everything had transitioned so suddenly, one would wonder 'what hope is there?' Even when the light fades, hope still lies within darkness. For where there is darkness, there is light, and where there is light, there is hope. There is always hope.

"NO! ...........K THI..............IS IS NOT HAPPE.............!" Kelly's hearing faded in and out. It sounded like Daniel was having a panic attack.

"......you hav..........ng to be oka..........!" Someone was with them, a woman?

"Twiligh...........e up Kell...........handle this." Were they talking about him? Kelly felt conciously awake, but his body refused to move. He then realized how exhausted he suddenly was. he felt like he could sleep for an entire day.

"K...y?" He could barely feel someone prodding him. His eyes were slightly opened, but it was like looking through the murkiest water. Only blurriness, and distortion.

"....unbeliev....................razy........AMMIT!" He could hear his friend again.

".........lease..........wake u............" Kelly gave his best effort to respond, but the most he could do was jerk his body sluggishly.

"Oh............going to.......?" More people? Kelly was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He could now hear a bit better than before.

"I'LL CALM DOWN ONCE..............ORMAL SELF!" Daniel shouted. Kelly's eyes opened a little more, but his vision was still misconstrued.

".....guys, he's waki.......up!" Kelly could see more people approaching him. For some reason, it almost made him panic. "..elly? Kelly?" He looked up to see a lavender haze standing over him. As time went by, he could feel his nerves rebooting. He tried to speak.

"...I...I..." Without warning a sharp pain contracted through his body, starting from his feet to his temples. "AAGH!" The jolt of pain finally sharpened his senses, but lingered in his legs, and his arms. With his vision restored, he took a few long breaths, and made a second attempt. "T...Twilight?" He felt her nuzzle his cheek.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" He didn't turn his head, but only moved his eyes to look around, since the energy or sensation in his muscles had yet to return.

"Twilight...what happened...is everyone...okay?" His words were somewhat breathless. Twilight looked away from him.

"Well, everypony here is okay." She looked back at him. "We don't know whats happened to the Princess', Spike, Cadance, or my brother."

"JUST STOP! I'll calm down on my own!" Kelly could hear Daniel, but was facing away from him.

"Y'all keep on rantin' and stumblin' like that and yer gonna hurt yourself!" Applejack barked at him.

"What the hell is that kid going on about?" Kelly chuckled softly. Twilight backed up to give him some space.

"Um, perhaps it'd be best if you saw for yourself." She smiled nervously. Kelly blankly stared for a few more seconds. When he tried to roll over, a tingling sensation tickled his entire body, like one might feel when their hand is asleep. He ignored it, and forced his tired limbs around. His arm flopped back onto the ground, and caught Kelly's attention immediately. When he first saw it, he figured he was still delirious, and blinked while shaking his head. When he looked again, nothing changed. His entire arm was a deep blue, and he lacked fingers. Now unsettled, and a bit disturbed, he looked ahead to find his friend.

Instead of the familiar troublemaker he had known for so long, a bright red stallion could be seen stumbling about, and snapping angrily at anyone who got near him.

"For the last fucking time! I Don't need your-WHOOA!" Daniel clumsily tripped over his own hooves, and faceplanted into the dirt. Applejack rolled her eyes, and casually trotted over to him.

"Ah told ya so." Daniel clenched his teeth in humiliation.

"Stow it." He wobbily stood. AJ got in his face, angered by his attitude.

"Now don't y'all start with me! In fact, ah actually have a bone to pick with you! Both of ya!" She turned her glare on Kelly. Rarity hadn't said a word, but spoke up for the boys.

"Now, Applejack, we all agreed that we would make the time to sort that out, but now is not that time." Kelly guessed they were reffering to the boys knowing about Equestria, as well as them before they had arrived.

"NO, Rarity! All were doin' is sittin' here 'til Rainbow finds out where we are! If ya ask me, ah think now is the best time to find out what that demon was talking about!" She confirmed his suspicion. Kelly stretched and flexed his muscles trying to make the feeling in them return. He then pushed himself up with his forelegs.

"OW! ugh..." As he moved, the pain returned mildly. Regardless of his new appearance, he pushed himself onto his hind legs by instinct, but lazily fell back onto all fours since trying to balance on four hooves was a chore, let alone two.

"Can you stand okay?" Fluttershy asked him. Kelly stood completely still, while his limbs wobbled. He shook them to get rid of the shakiness, and was already making better progress than his friend, who was still having trouble coping with his transformation.

"I don't believe this." Kelly whispered to himself.

"How the hell are you doing that?!" Daniel's frustration grew as he struggled to even stand still.

"It's not that hard, maybe if you'd stop freaking out." Kelly just stared at the ground as he responded, and was still mentally processing what was happening.

"How do you CALM DOWN?! We are PONIES, and apparantly, we are also LOST!" AJ was getting fed up with the former human.

"Will ya stop thinkin' 'bout yerslf fer two seconds?! We're all in trouble here, and who knows what's happened to everypony else!"

"Just drop it, Applejack." Kelly intervened. "When he gets like this, there's no reasoning with him. It would be best to just leave him be for now." The orange mare gave him a cold look, but only huffed in response. Daniel fell over once again, but didn't attempt to get back up. He sighed in exasperation, and defeat. "How on Earth did we get this way!" Kelly looked to Twilight, desperate for an answer.

"It had to have been the shard." She answered quietly.

"The shard?" Kelly repeated.

"Yes. That book that you brought me, it explained everything related to the shard fragment that Celestia's scholars had found. The book told that although these shards have the capacity to perform magical feats, without both pieces together, then the outcome can sometimes be...undesirable." Kelly understood, but was still trying to process everything.

"So what you're saying is, the Princess used the shard as a last-ditch effort?"

"Yes, and It must have twisted your DNA somehow, and turned you and Daniel this way. It's not for certain, but it is the most likely explanation."

"Well that's just fan-fuckin'-tastic!" Daniel bellowed. Kelly was ready to try walking, until he spotted his clothes on the ground where he had awoken. Immediately, his face was burning.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Rarity took note of his blush. Kelly responded by sitting, and shying away. Stallion or not, being outdoors and in the nude felt unbelievably disconcerning. He nodded to his wrinkled casual wear.

"Oh...well...don't worry, I'm sure you'll get use to it." Rarity didn't sound too reassuring, but Kelly gave his thanks anyway. He glanced past Twilight, and saw Pinkie sitting in a patch of leaves.

"Is Pinkie okay?" He asked.

"She's just a little down-hearted right now, thats all." Fluttershy answered. "I'm gonna go cheer her up." Though she was sad, Pinkie's hair was still conformed to it's cotton candy style. Kelly then looked around. They were in a forest that almost mimicked the Everfree, but not so dense, as many patches in the trees would be able to let light in. That thought brought a question to him.

"Do we know how long we've been here?" Twilight shook her head.

"No, and what's worse, there doesn't seem to be any change in the time of day. We've been awake for a while, but from what I can see, the sky has not changed color, though it is probably next to night time."

"Ah still wanna know what's up with you two!" Applejack spoke up. "What was Ferindher talkin' about when he said that y'all had known about us, and Equestria for months?!" This time, Twilight didn't say anything, she looked at Kelly intentively. Kelly cringed, and looked at Daniel, who was now slowly standing.

"Kelly?" Rarity prodded, also wanting an answer. Kelly stood again, much more confident in his posture, but scared of how to explain.

"I...I don't..."

"You want to know how we knew?" Daniel clumsily walked towards them with annoyance in his tone. "Because where were from, you're all just a make-believe cartoon." There was no remorse in his words. His cruel bluntless, and insensitivity set Kelly off.

"Daniel, shut the FUCK up!" Daniel glared at his friend with fire in his eyes.

"You are so lucky I can't walk straight."

"HOLD ON A MINUTE!" Applejack interrupted their squabble. "Did you just say...make-believe?"

"Yep." Daniel responded, uncaring. AJ looked at Twilight confused.

"Are you being serious? Kelly, is he serious?" Twilight asked. Kelly desperately tried to think of a gentler way to explain. He lowered his head in shame.

"Okay...so...you know how you have projectors?" Twilight nodded, remebering the one she had showed him a while back. "And Twilight, you remember me telling you about how we have the same kind of thing, just more advanced?"

"Yes." Kelly paused for a while, then continued.

"Well, alot of the things that you all do, like being around one another, or even adventures that you go on. We can see all of that." He waited for a response before continuing.

"I...I don't understand." Rarity chimed.

"I know...it's...really hard to explain." No one spoke for the longest time. So far Twilight, AJ, and Rarity were the only ones to hear this revelation. Fluttershy, and Pinkie were out of earshot, and Dash had yet to return.

"What do y'all mean you can see us?" AJ pressed on. Kelly made sure he answered first to keep Daniel from saying something that they would both regret.

"Ever since Twilight first came to Ponyville, that's when we've been able to watch your adventures."

'Speak for yourself, I've only seen a few episodes.' Daniel thought to himself. The three mares looked concerningly at one another.

"This is...quite the baggage." Twilight said blankly.

"Ah don't know if ah believe him or not." AJ was skeptical on such a direct confession. Kelly sighed, having to prove his words.

"Applejack, remember the lesson you learned when you went to that rodeo. The one you were going to win in order to repair town square." Applejack looked at him in mild disgust. "You were ashamed that you didn't get first place, so everyone had to come looking for you-"

"Enough." She stopped him. Kelly could feel guilt welling up inside him.

"Applejack...I'm so sorry. I know this is alot to take in, but please...don't be mad. Please." She looked at the ground. Then to Daniel, who returned the look with a sign of disgrace. When she looked back at Kelly, she didn't seem angry at all. Kelly could only guess it was a mixture of confusion, and sadness. "Daniel, say something." Kelly urged. Daniel squinted.

"What the hell do you want me to..." He stopped when he took a long hard look at AJ. He glanced at his friend, and Kelly gestured for him to speak.

"...Applejack. I...I'm sorry for what I said, but what Kelly says is true. I can't imagine how this must sound to you, but please, I...we...never meant to hurt you." Kelly was relieved that his friend had come to his senses. She looked at him with what Daniel hoped was sympathy. Still her emotions were somewhat unreadable. "Applejack...please..." Daniel proceeded to walk towards her. AJ closed her eyes.

"I'm gonna go check on those two." The farm pony dragged herself towards Fluttershy and Pinkie. Daniel halted, taking the hint. Twilight approached Kelly, and all Kelly could utter was.

"...I'm so sorry."

"How could you keep something like this from us?" She sounded more hurt rather than furious. The overwhelming guilt was making Kelly tear up, forcing him to looked away. Twilight left him soon after to be with herself. Kelly sat, unable to move. The damage that had been done made him want to disappear until he could compose himself. To his dismay, Rarity trotted up to him.

"Rarity." Daniel wanted his friend to be left alone. Rarity silently tried to tell him that she was not prepared to lash at him, but Daniel was wary of what she would say.

"Kelly?" He looked at her with a single tear staining his fur-covered face. She smiled at him, trying to show him she wasn't upset. Kelly looked at the ground.

"I never wanted things to get this bad, Rarity, I swear!"

"It's okay." She touched his shoulder. "It's okay." She repeated.

"No. No, it's not."

"Listen. I want you both to know, that I do not think any less of you. I don't know how or why something such as what you've said could be possible, but in the short time I have known you two...I just know that you are not bad people." Kelly shook his head, despite her sincere tone.

"How can you just shrug this off?" Rarity frowned.

"I can't really. It still bothers me of course, but...I know that if we all let this go too deep instead of worrying about the real problem, then what can we do to stop Ferindher?" Kelly could vaguely see her point.

"We have to make this right." Kelly proclaimed.

"If you want to make this right, then you'll give them time. Daniel, I'm sure AJ is more shocked than she is angry. Just give her some space for now. In time, she will forgive you." Daniel seemed unconvinced.

"Yeah...I hope you're right." Daniel responded meekly.

"Pinkie, Dash...and Fluttershy still don't know." Kelly added, then closed his eyes. Rarity helped him to stand again.

"Well, if Applejack isn't busy telling them, then maybe you should wait until they're ready as well as you."

"She's going to hate me." Kelly said blankly. Rarity knew who he meant, and that what he said wasn't true, but couldn't think of the right words to help him see otherwise. "What about Twilight?"

"Like I said, this is big, and it's left quite the shock, but I know that neither of you never meant for things to turn out like this. I won't dwell about how you two know about us. You are our friends now, and that's what matters. As for Twilight, she just needs time to think too." No one said anything for a moment. After Kelly pulled himself together, he spoke.

"Rarity...I'm so sorry...and...thank you." She smiled at him.

"Right now, we just have to worry about where we are." Daniel slowly made his way over to his friend.

"Hey, what do you say we get used to our new selves while we wait for Rainbow to get back?" Kelly looked at the sky through the trees.

"Um...sure...that sounds good."

Luna did her best to coddle her sister, but Celestia had fallen into a funk, now that she had let Canterlot slip through her hooves, as well as the citizens that weren't able to escape. They had been walking for an unclear amount of time, since they had not focused their power on shifting the celestial bodies yet. Spike at first had been distraught due to being seperated from Twilight, but after Celestia had managed to sooth him, he had fallen asleep on the alicorn's back.

"You cannot keep blaming yourself sister!" Luna was gentle, but direct.

"Of course I can, I was their Princess, and I let them down." Celestia looked away from her sibling.

"No. Thou did what you could. Besides, not all is lost, we were able to evacuate most of our subjects, and surely Twilight Sparkle and her friends made it out."

"But with Ferindher at his full power, we have no way of reaching the elements."

"We will think of something, sister." Luna concluded before falling back to check in with Shining Armor. The royal Princess' along with Shining were making their way out of the boundaries of Equestria's to escape Ferindher's grasp. With them were a large amount of citizens from multiple settlements. They were leading them anywhere that was safer until Celestia could find some way to fix this mess. "How is everypony?" Luna asked worried of the answer.

"Well, we have a few smaller families that weren't able to grab alot of essentials before we left. Most are fatigued from walking, and our remaining guards are on all sides to make sure we're not attacked or nopony wanders off." Luna frowned, but reminded herself that things could be worse.

"How much further can we go until we need to rest?" Shining turned back to see countless tired faces, and worn out fillys and colts.

"Not very far." He spoke somberly. Luna nodded in grief.

"I'll let her know." She then left Shining to his thoughts. The Captain glanced sadly back at the herd of ponies.

"Cadance...please be okay." Luna caught back up with her elder sister.

"We need to rest soon." At first, Celestia showed disapproval, but reconsidered once she saw how miserable her subjects were. She was reluctant to comply.

"...Okay. We'll take shelter at the entrance of that gorge." She nodded to a narrow passage that curved away a few hundred feet down. "Get guards on both ends to look out for wildlife, or shadows...if they're still searching."

"Yes, Tia." About a half hour went by once everyone was settled in somewhere. They all took the opportunity to get some needed sleep, since the sun should have set hours ago. Once everything was maintained, Luna lay next to her sister. "Now would be the best time to move the sun, and make way for the moon, so that everypony can properly rest." Celestia looked at the orange sky, a refreshing sight compared to the red sky that now haunted Equestria's Capitol.

"Agreed. Perhaps Twilight, and her friends will see. It will let them know that we're okay. I only wish I could be sure of their well being." Luna nudged her.

"Do not worry, we shall find them. They can handle themselves, along with the help of the humans." Celestia felt better to have her sister by her side through this.

"Good night, Luna."

"Good night, Tia."

No one said a word as everyone anticipated Dash's return. Twilight, and Applejack had found places to lie down, but could not catch any sleep. Fluttershy, and Pinkie decided to lift their spirits, and pass the time with endless games of tic-tac-toe. Rarity had been aiding the boys with getting use to being stallions. Kelly didn't really mind being this way, but after they had only been able to use their swords with their mouths, not to mention the lack of simple motor skills, he was starting to miss fingers, and the limit of two legs. Daniel on the other hand was fed up with it the moment he woke up. He had considered asking Twilight for a way to reverse it, but ultimately deemed that as a bad idea. After a grueling thirty minute wait, everyone could faintly hear the flapping of pegasus wings.

"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity searched the sky throught the leaves. Rainbow nearly startled her when she appeared suddenly from the trees, and did a final flip before landing. All at once, everyone trotted towards her, waiting patiently for the news. Rainbow stretched her tired wings, and had a melancholy look about her.

"I'm sorry everypony. I flew as far as my wings could take me but...nothing looks familiar. I just...don't know where we are." Everyone hung their heads low, and tried to hide their panic. Daniel was the first to speak.

"So, what do we do?" Before anyone could suggest their next action, Twilight used her magic to part a large number of branches.

"Look!" Everyone could now see the faintest horizon, as well as the sun sinking out of view. "The sun is setting! The Princess' are okay!" The mixture of being hopelessly lost, and the Princess' condition produced a hardly enthusiastic cheer.

"Well then, I guess the only thing we can do now is get some shut-eye." Pinkie noticed the moon slowly climbing the darkening sky, and surprised the others with her semi-serious tone.

"Now that you mention it, I am pretty bushed." Rainbow, didn't bother asking about the boy's secret. For the moment, she had forgotten about it, and soon found a soft patch of grass to lie down on. "It's not exactly a fluffy cloud, but it'll do. Wait, what am I thinking?!" The cyan pegasus then soared past the trees and rested on a luxurious cloud overhead.

Fluttershy looked around to see Kelly taking the grassy patch for himself. He caught her gaze.

"Oh...did you want to sleep here, Fluttershy?" She shook her head, and flew upwards to join Dash. Daniel had begun pacing, and was becoming noticably unhinged.

"But, what are we gonna do about food? Or hygiene? How are we even going to know where to GO?!" Pinkie zipped over to him.

"Stop worrying yourself, Danny. We can figure out what to do in the morning." Daniel wasn't convinced.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man! This is bad!" Pinkie tried again.

"Just...think about something that makes you smile." She said with a wide grin.

"Pinkie, please. I'm...I'm just gonna go to bed." Her smile faded.

"Okie dokie...um. Don't worry, things will turn out okay."

"Yeah..." He replied half-heartedly. After the light of day had vanished completely, everyone was fast asleep. Kelly, and Daniel had different grass clearings to sleep on. Twilight slept by herself next to a tree stump, a magic blanket of leaves covered her. Pinkie slept a little ways between Daniel and Kelly, and snored in a goofy manor. Rarity was the last to have fallen asleep since she had made an attempt to tidy up the small piece of Earth she had chosen. Applejack used her hat to cushion the surface of a moderately smooth rock. The warm summer weather made sleeping outdoors that much more bearable. Kelly stirred in his sleep. Prior events, along with the returning guilt of keeping the secret that he did agitated his subconscience. It had been years since he had had a legitimate nightmare.

He tossed all the way around once, and mumbled frantically. The touch of a hoof on his side finally jolted him awake.

"WHA-no, I'm sorry!" He blinked rapidly, slowly realizing his dream had only been just that. "God..." He muttered. He then squinted in the darkness to see who had disturbed him. His gaze softened when he saw a pair of soft blue eyes staring back. "...Fluttershy?" She took a step forward, and then bowed her head timidly.

"Um...can I lay next to you? Rainbow Dash's snoring woke me up." Kelly wore a confused look, and wondered if he was lucid dreaming.

"Um...yeah, of course." He scooched over to where Fluttershy's entire frame could rest on just grass, and no dirt.

"Thank you." She folded her forelegs under her, and laid her head on her hooves. Kelly slid over a few more inches, scared to even touch her. Fluttershy sighed deeply.

"Good night." Her voice soothed him so, that he could barely say anything back.

"Um...good night." He slowly closed his eyes, and drifted between awareness, and the dream scape. Time seemed to slow down, but fly by at the same time. His nerves shifted him awake yet again as he felt the canary pony place her tail over his torso. Her face was much closer to his, as he felt her steady breathing on his cheek. He briefly pondered how much time had gone by. The clash of overwhelming happiness, and shock made him wonder if he should move. He wondered if she had meant to come this close, or if she had just been turning in her sleep. He kept his eyes on her for a few minutes. Having made up his mind, he then smiled to her, and laid his head back down to where their muzzles were just barely touching. Sleep found him almost instantly, and for the remainder of the night, all of the bad dreams had gone far far away.

Chapter 13: In the Aftermath

The bright morning sun had come sooner than expected; the intense light groggily waking everyone. Kelly rolled and stretched realizing that Fluttershy was no longer beside him. Daniel cautiously stood, forgetting most of the basics of being a stallion. Almost at the same time, a ravaging headache echoed in the boy's heads followed by a wave of pain that pulsated through their bodies.

"AAGH!" Kelly put intense preasure on his skull, and slumped down. Daniel clutched his ribs, and did the same. Rarity trotted to Daniel, while Fluttershy attended to Kelly.

"What! What's the matter!" Rarity asked, helping Daniel to stand.

"God. I must've slept wrong. Damn morning cramps." He responded indirectly.

"I sincerely doubt that's the problem." Twilight stated, examining Daniel, and then Kelly. "Think about it. You two have undergone a very major and sudden tranformation, something I thought to be physically impossible. The drastic change in your molecular structure accompanied by such raw magic and energy is bound to have it's nasty side effects. I can't say how long they'll be around, but you might have to anticipate more of them." Twilight looked at the clouds overhead. Rainbow Dash was the only one asleep now. "Rainbow! It's time to get up, we're going to figure out what our next plan of action is!" No response. "...Rainbow?"

"I'll go get her." Fluttershy offered as she ascended. Kelly walked over to Twilight.

"I think the first thing we need to tackle is food." His stomach growled in agreement.

"Well that's not a problem. There's more than enough grass and-"

"She's not there!" Fluttershy unintentionally interrupted. Everyone gasped.

"What! She's not there?!" Twilight echoed.

"No. She's gone!" Pinkie Pie then proceeded to pull a magnifying glass from behind her back.

"Dashie's missing! We've gotta find her!" Her blue eyes were enlarged by the augmented lens. She stopped, and everyone froze as some nearby shrubs began to rustle. Kelly and Daniel summoned their weapons, but could only hold them awkwardly in their mouths, and literally made it a pain in the neck to swing them. The bush shifted even more, and everyone expected the worst. Anything could be living where they were at.

"You guys talkin' about me?" A familiar tone put them all at ease as Rainbow appeared from the vegetation.

"Rainbow Dash, you're okay!" Pinkie squeaked.

"Well yeah. I got up early so I could go round up a nice breakfast. I'd seen alot of apple, orange and banana trees, plus some berry bushes when I scouted the area last night. Now we can have some variety besides grass." She smiled proudly as she lowered the fruity banquet from her wings. The boys dispelled their swords.

"Thanks Dash! This looks great!" Kelly commented.

"Yeah, now we don't have to revert to cud-chewers." Daniel added.

"Aw, c'mon, grass ain't that bad." Applejack had already begun chowing down to get an early start. "Besides, I'm no biologist, but now that y'all are stallions, ah reckon you might warm up to...whatever it is humans can't eat." Daniel looked at her unconvinced.

"See these apples?" He pointed his red hoof. AJ looked at him funny.

"Uh...yeah."

"See this grass?" She frowned, waiting for him to make his point. Daniel then used his hoof to draw a ">" in the dirt with the apples on the left side. The orange pony rolled her eyes as Daniel picked up one with his mouth. Kelly scanned the various fruit.

"Banana's? How would I get the peel off?" Rarity looked over the yellow snacks.

"Whatever do you mean? If the banana is just ripe enough, sometimes the peel is the best part." Kelly cringed as she consumed the source of potassium along with it's casing.

"I think I'll just have some berries." He opened his maw to scoop up a few, but stopped. "Wait. Are these even safe to eat?" Twilight popped one in her mouth using magic.

"It's fine. They're just wild cherries." Kelly thought it was strange how Twilight nor Applejack seemed to linger on last nights news, but kept his inquiry to himself. Each of them morseled something different, and saved some for lunch.

"Kelly, Daniel. Could I borrow your attire for a tick?" Rarity smiled, and the boys just shrugged.

"Sure." The fashionista then used her magic to weave their shirts into a makeshift basket, able to hold the fruits Dash had gathered. She used one shirt to hold the fruit, and the other to house the boy's shoes, socks, pants, and...unmentionables.

"Wow. Resourceful." Daniel complimented. Fluttershy gulped as thirst began to set in.

"I...if I might make a suggestion, um, I think we should look for water next." Kelly nodded his head in agreement as Rainbow chimed in.

"I think I had seen a small lake somewhere last night. I'll head out again, and come back once I've figured out the direction."

"And what are the rest of us to do?" Rarity asked.

"What else is there to do other than plan ahead." Twilight stated matter-of-factly. "Once we've rehydrated ourselves, the very next thing to worry about is getting home." The group seemed unsure of Twilight's outlook.

"But, what about the others who were with us, the princess'...your brother?" Pinkie asked.

"Still, we'll need to find an immediate way back to Equestria. We would only be getting ourselves more lost if we aimlessly searched for them. Besides, the shard could've dropped them off anywhere. We won't need to worry too much as long as the princess' are there with them."

"But what if they're not? The shard might have been generous enough to keep us together, but can we really be for sure, concerning the others?" Kelly asked. Twilight paused for a moment to think.

"...I suppose that's true. Okay, at the possibility that the others are not grouped together, once we at least know the route back to Equestria, then we'll make the time to see if they're somewhere out here." Everyone seemed contempt with that aspect covered. Fluttershy was the next to speak.

"But...how will we know which way is home if we have no clue where we are?" She began to scare herself.

"Don't worry Fluttershy, we'll see about that once were watered, and once we've found a better place to shelter." Daniel wore a surprised look.

"Y'know, you all are unusally calm about being totally lost in a forest with limited food, and water. If I was by myself, I would probably have a melt down."

"Well, the most important thing right now is ta keep our heads. If we started panickin', then we'd be gettin' nowhere, fast." Applejack reassured. Daniel shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"Okay then, Rainbow, we'll wait here while you scope out that water source." Rainbow Dash bolted straight up.

"Alright, back in a flash!" She zoomed off without another word. The rest of the group glanced around at each other, waiting for someone to speak.

"Ah guess I'll go find some more fruits to take with us once Rainbow gets back." AJ stated as she chose a direction at random.

"Okay, but make sure you take note of certain landmarks, or pay attention to the sun so you know the way back." Twilight patronized.

"Ah know what ah'm doin' Twi." She said as she disappeared in the trees. Kelly and Daniel sat and looked around. Pinkie was now looking as joyful as ever talking to Rarity, while Fluttershy had hovered to a distinct tree to mingle with various birds. Twilight locked eyes with Kelly as he turned his head to her. He was expecting a sour look, but instead made her out to be saddened. He could no longer tell if it was from what she had found out, or if everything happening so fast was just getting to her. She broke the stare, and began to pace. He knew he had to talk to her.

"Can you believe this is happening?" Daniel interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?" His friend looked at him, then to the ground.

"Can you believe this is happening?" He repeated.

"Well...as much as I don't want to..." Kelly shrugged.

"Things have gotten so out of hand. How did it get like this?" Kelly thought Daniel was acting strange.

"What do you mean?"

"This is a kid's show. How could we be here, and have something like this happen." Daniel kept his voice to a whisper. "I mean, this shit is dark. They've just lost pretty much everything. I don't get how..." Daniel didn't how to continue, so Kelly did for him.

"I get where you're coming from, and honestly I don't know how or why this is happening either." Neither was sure why this was just now being brought up. It seemed kind of delayed, but surfaced now that they were faced with such a daunting obstacle

"If we're here, then can anyone who watches the show see us?! Is this just...another episode?!" Kelly took note of his friend's worries, but didn't want to think about that.

"Look, I can't say for sure what our presence here will affect on a larger scale, but what I can say is that we ARE here, and we've grown to know these ponies personally, as they have to us. Whether our being here is by fate, or coincidence, or what it affects is not significant to me. Were here. And we are here for them." Kelly nodded in the element's direction. "I don't want to think about how this could ever relate to the show. It hurts my brain." Kelly joked.

"Yeah, maybe this isn't the show at all. Maybe...maybe we're in a demension where cartoons are reality, a...and what we know as 'reality' is actually fantasy. Or maybe were still in the same universe, only we're lightyears away from our own...galaxy! Maybe somewhere in vast space, there are places where things like this exist." Kelly nudged his friend to stop his brainstorm.

"I wouldn't try so hard to make sense of it. I don't think you're getting anywhere." Kelly smiled. Daniel smiled back, and stood.

"I'm uh...gonna go see if AJ needs help gathering food." Kelly stood as well.

"Alright, I guess I'll go see how Twilight's doing." Daniel smirked at Kelly.

"Careful dude, women are unpredictable." Kelly rolled his eyes playfully as Daniel trotted in the direction Applejack had gone moments ago.

Everyone remained silent for the majority of the dawn. Once they were ready to head out, Luna approached her sister.

"Sister, have you thought about where we are to go?" Celestia looked at her younger sibling, unsure if she would approve of the answer.

"...We're bound for griffon territory." Luna went wide-eyed.

"The Griffon Kingdom?!" Celestia hushed her to talk low. "But why?"

"To ask for help." She replied bluntly. Luna made a disgusted face.

"And what makes you so sure that they'll oblige? We're not exactly on the best terms with them."

Celestia frowned. "I know. But we don't have much of a choice. There is no way we can defeat Ferindher on our own, now that he has his full power back. The dragons of this land aren't exactly an organized government, or a cooperative race for that matter, and asking for their help would probably create more problems than it would solve. I stayed up late thinking about this, and I believe the griffons are our best bet to creating a formidable force against Ferindher." Luna took a moment to consider her sister's judgement.

"...Okay, I'm with you, but what about everypony else?" Celestia was reluctant, but knew she would have to inform everyone eventually.

"The families, guards, and other ponies were still shaken up from having to leave everything behind. I wanted to wait until they had calmed to tell them where we are heading."

"When will that be?" Celestia took a moment to think.

"It will be a day or two until we reach the borders, so I think the best time will be tonight, or tomorrow morning. I may have to tell them sooner if they become uneasy about our direction." Luna looked behind her.

"Should we inform Captain Armor?" Celestia glanced back at Twilight's brother talking with one of the guards.

"You may, but tell him to wait for me to announce it to everypony else." Luna nodded. As she made her way to the captain of the royal guard, she silently dismissed the guards around him.

"The Captain and I just need a moment." Once the other guards had gone, Shining came to attention.

"What is it, your highness?"

"Your Princess, my sister has informed me that we are..." Luna was cut short by frightened gasped rising from the back of the crowd. Soon all of them spotted the creature that had caused the stir.

"Dragon!"

"There's a dragon overhead!"

"Everypony stay calm!" Guards tried their best to keep everyone contained, but panic was taking over, as most assumed the beast had already spotted them. Celestia boomed over the commotion.

"HALT!" As she commanded, the ponies stilled themselves, as the sun goddess used an ancient spell to bend the light around them to a frequency that cloaked them from the high-flying predator. Celestia knew that is was uncommon for dragons to hunt ponies as prey, but wasn't too keen on taking her chances. They waited quietly as the massive creature continued on it's way.

Daniel had been walking for about a minute or so, and had expected to find Applejack sooner. He was ready to start calling her name until he thought he could hear faint sobbing. He slowed his pace, and treaded quietly, trying to pinpoint the noise. The crying became slightly more audible as he rounded a large boulder. He spotted AJ's tail, and soon found her weeping with her hat in her lap. His heart sank.

"Applejack?" His voice startled her, and she jolted upright, hastily wiping away a running tear. Daniel felt embarassed for seeing her like this, and the feeling was mutual for the farmpony. They stared each other down a while longer until AJ spoke.

"Wh...what are y'all doin' here?" Daniel shifted uncomfortably.

"I just came to help you gather some food. Are...you okay?"

"Ahm fine!" She snapped. Daniel felt a pang of anger by her harsh remark.

"Well...fine. I'll just...go back the way I came." He turned around with a scowl. He made it a few steps when he heard her speak again.

"...No! Wait." AJ didn't usually rely on others for emotional support, then again she wasn't usually this distraught either. "I uh...ah'm not...okay." Daniel's mood softened, and he turned back around. "Ah...ah miss my family. And I can't stop worryin' about 'em." She sniffled, and continued as Daniel walked towards her. "Ah know ah should be hopin' for the best, but ah just can't help but expect the worst. Now ah'm makin' a complete mess of myself doin' so." Daniel sat down in front of her, only a couple of feet away. Applejack wiped away another tear, but didn't make eye contact.

"What if somethin' happened to'em? What if Big Mac wasn't able to protect'em? It's just tearin' me up inside, ah just don't know what to do, Daniel!" More tears were beginning to form. "Ah just don't know what to..." She was cut short as the former human wrapped his arms around her, and held her close. AJ was startled yet again, but didn't pull away. Daniel closed his eyes tight, and hugged her even tighter. His embrace steadily calmed her down, and she soon returned it. Neither said a word. They just traded warmth for the longest time, and both were afraid to break the hug. Eventually, Daniel spoke.

"They have to be okay, Applejack. They have to be." She moved back to look him in the eye. "Your family needs you to stay strong. We will find our way back to them. They will be okay." AJ was fully aware that Daniel couldn't be for sure, but his reassurance was something she needed. She thanked him by embracing him a second time.

Kelly inched toward Twilight who was fully aware of his presence.

"Something you need?" He stopped in his tracks.

"I...just wanted to make sure you were holding up okay." His words were uneasy.

"Well I'm fine. Just coping." Kelly thought getting closer was a bad move, but he went for it. He walked up beside her, and sat next to her, but kept his distance. Twilight took notice of his behaviour. "What? Are you scared of me?" She didn't add much emotion to the question, she just seemed to want to know. Kelly fumbled.

"I um...just thought...you'de be mad...or something." Twilight looked at him, confused.

"I'm not mad. I'm just..." Instead of finishing, all she did was sigh. Kelly was having trouble handling the tension.

"Twilight, please, please don't be upset because of me. I know I betrayed your trust, but I'm not about to let any of you do this alone. Daniel either." Twilight was a little happier to hear him try to mend their friendship. "I don't want things to be this way. I don't want you to think that I don't care. I just...don't..." She stopped him by shushing him with her hoof. She looked at him, watching him closely. After a moment of silence, she gave a gentle smile.

"I don't want things to be this way either, Kelly." She looked away, then back to him. "I saw you two last night. You and Fluttershy." Kelly instantly cringed, and blushed. "I know you care a lot for her, and that gives me peace of mind on what kind of person you are, and more importantly, what kind of friend that you are." Kelly's crimson cheeks faded. "I know you're a good guy, so I forgive you...and Daniel." Kelly smiled widely, and felt as if a boulder had been lifted off of his back. He was going in for a hug, but stopped himself. Twilight giggled, and put her hoof on his shoulder. "No more secrets?" Kelly chuckled back.

"No more." Twilight then did the honour of hugging him, and Kelly was more than happy to return the gesture. After they parted, Kelly's joy quickly faded.

"What's wrong?" Kelly shook his head, and sighed.

"Rainbow, Pinkie, and...Fluttershy still don't know." Twilight tried to think of something to ease his mind.

"Well, Applejack, Rarity, and I can tell them." Kelly quickly dismissed the thought.

"No, no...It has to come from us; Daniel and I." Twilight understood his choice.

"Then at least let us be there when you do tell them. I don't want them to think less of you guys for this. You've been great friends ever since I met you, and just like you, I don't want this to change any of that." Kelly greatly appreciated her support.

"Thank you, Twilight.......thank you." They both glanced around, unsure of what to do next. "Um, I think I'll go check on everyone else. Y'know, make sure they're doing okay." Twilight nodded hastily.

"Oh, okay." Kelly stood, and wandered towards Pinkie, and Rarity. Twilight bit her lip.

"Hey, um...Kelly?" He stopped, and turned.

"...Yeah?" She looked away from him, and bit her lip again. She froze up for a moment. "...I-its nothing. Nevermind." Kelly cocked his head.

"Oh, um...alright then. Take care, okay." Twilight frowned and nodded. She hated herself for not being able to tell him how she felt, even now that he was a stallion. The only reason she had held her toungue was because of his liking of her friend, and the way she saw it; if she did tell him, she didn't want to make him feel like he had to choose, or put him in any kind of awkward disposition, assuming the fealing could be mutual. Regardless, it was gnawing at her to keep this to herself, even if she did it for his sake.

No matter how bright the early morning sun had been, it wasn't enough to peirce the harsh clouds that blanketed most of Equestria. Overnight, almost every settlement had fallen due to the unrelentlessness of the shadows. Cadance had awoken just outside of the Canterlot walls when the shard had been used. She knew there wasn't much time before the shadows descended upon her. She took whatever leniant time that was given to her to round up the ponies who hadn't been captured...or worse. She had made it out of Canterlot with one family, and a few other ponies. Afterwards, they made their way to Ponyville hoping to round up more citizens, but they weren't quick enough.

Upon arrival, Cadance noticed two school aged fillies being shackled by the shadows, she recognized them as two of the three flower girls from her wedding. She did her best to follow them without being seen, and took note of where they were being held. After her and the ponies with her got a nights rest far away from town. She told the group that she was determined to help the young ponies escape.

"I'm heading into town to see how I can help them."

"But what about everypony else being held there?" Cadance felt her eyes water.

"I won't be able to pull off a stunt like that, there are soldiers everywhere. Besides, they're only children, and I would rather take a shot at helping them instead of doing nothing, and just moving on. The princess' are out there somewhere probably worrying about us. Once we rally with them, then we might have a better chance at helping everypony else. Until then..." No one spoke against her. "I might be a while, I'm going to have to wait until the right time to free them, and make it back here. If anything is to happen, and I don't return, I want you all to stay here, and hold out. There is plenty of vegetation, and it will be best if your close by once we conquer this demon." Cadance was confident in her words to defeat Ferindher. "Be vigilant, and keep each other safe."

Cadance cautiously made her way to a now sinister, and ominous Ponyville. The sight of a once vibrant and lively town turned to morbid, and evil made the skin under her fur crawl. After a grueling time of scouting, and patience, she finally spotted the fillies from last night. They appeared to be hauling dark stones used for forging or fortifying, simply being used as pack mules against their will. Cadance's blood boiled. She could not believe that anything so vile could exist to cause this. It almost made her miss the changeling queen, and her schemes. A long while went by before the fillies were allowed a water break. Cadance saw this as the opportune moment to strike. Two shadow soldiers accompanied the girls to make sure they didn't attempt to escape, not that they would get far with shackles on. While the young ponies lapped water from the stream. A faint pop could be heard in the distance. One of the shadows drew his sword.

"What was that?" A split second later, a fast traveling, and violent amount of magic energy sent the soldier sprawling across the stream, and tumbling yards away. The other drew his weapon as a colorful alicorn bolted towards him. She waited until she was close enough to teleport behind him. However, although she possessed potentially great magic, her practice in the art wasn't well enough to pop up where she had planned. Cadance had reappeared right next to the soldier, who responded quickly with a horizontal slash, cutting her foreleg. Cadance flinched, but was still able to kick at the assailant. To her dismay, the shadow shuffled back, and retaliated with a second swipe.

Cadance gave another go at her transportation spell, and this time, she hit her mark. She caught the soldier off guard with a painful jab of her horn, followed by a swift blast of magic. She turned to the frightened fillies, and corroded the shackles with another spell. She then noticed that the first shadow had regained himself, and was making his way back to them at an alarming rate.

"Quick! Get on!" Cadance ordered.

"Okay!" Applebloom, and Scootaloo wasted no time in hopping aboard the alicorn. Once they were secured, Cadance thrusted into the air, but stayed low as not to alert other shadows in the town. The two soldiers cursed, and shouted incoherintly, as Cadance snickered at her successful rescue mission. Once they were half way back to the safe haven, Scootaloo spoke up.

"Hey, you're Princess Cadance!" She said with excitement.

"Yep, and you are two brave little fillies."

"Thanks so much for saving us!" Scootaloo felt ecsatic at the feeling of flight, even though it wasn't on her own.

"Um...princess. Where are we going?" Cadance slowed her pace, noticing that no one was following them.

"Someplace safe. There are a few others there as well." Applebloom beamed.

"Is mah sister there? Is Applejack there?!" Cadance remembered the farm pony from her wedding, and recognized the name as one of the elements.

"I didn't know Applejack had a sister." Cadance's face was grim. "I'm so sorry, but...no. I haven't seen your sister since yesterday. I'm sorry." Applebloom's heart sank. She didn't bother to ask about Big Mac or Granny Smith since she had seen them captured alongside her, but were seperated soon after. "So you know my name, what are your names?"

"Applebloom."

"I'm Scootaloo." Cadance smiled to comfort them.

"Well it's very nice to meet you both, and don't worry, we'll get you settled in once we make it back to the others." Cadance also knew that they would need to move quickly now that the soldiers would be aware of a vigilante close to town. They would also need to be quick if they wanted any hope of finding the princess'...and possibly her husband.

Daniel, and Applejack had returned with a generous amount of food to take with them. Kelly had been joking around with Pinkie, and Rarity to lighten the mood. Fluttershy had mostly kept to herself, and the animals. A short while later, Rainbow had returned at last.

"I'm back!" She announced alongside a backflip. Everyone got up to ask her about the water situation.

"So what's the story?"

"Yeah, did you find that water?" Dash scratched her foreleg nervously.

"Well, here's the thing." The others were already hesitant to hear the news. "I did find it, buuuut...it's on the opposite end of a wide gorge, so..." The group traded glances.

"How wide are we talking, exactly?" Rarity chimed. Rainbow smiled sheepishly.

"Oh...not too bad...just a few hundred feet or so..." The others gave an exhasperated sigh. "It's not all bad, I mean, it is crossable."

"How so?" Kelly asked.

"Theres a path big enough for you guys to descend. If we find a sturdy bridge, or maybe another trail from the bottom of the ravine, you should be able to make it to the other side, no problem." Dash shrugged it off as a cakewalk.

"Pfft...easy for you to say miss 'I-can-just-fly-over-it." Daniel muttered to himself, not fond of the idea.

"Well, if it's our only shot at water, then ah say we give it a go. Besides, ah'm startin' to feel a little tickle in mah throat." AJ rubbed her neck.

"Then it's settled, is everyone ready?" Twilight looked to see nodding heads. "Alright, Rainbow, lead the way." And with that, the group set off to begin their long trek home.

Chapter 14: The Long Way Home

Rainbow led the way towards the gorge as the rest of the group followed close behind. The forest around them was quiet except for the occasional noises from the exotic creatures that lived there. Kelly carried his shirt, which in turn held the food they had gathered since this morning. Daniel also carried his own shirt filled with his and Kelly's other clothes. The aches that the boys experienced came in short waves but were none the less painful. Kelly had gotten used to walking on four legs after a short while. Daniel had as well, despite it taking him a bit longer. He was still not too fond of the aspect of being a pony and made it clear every so often.

"Being this short sucks!" He mumbled angrily.

"Quit whining, it could be worse." Kelly chuckled.

"Oh, screw you and your glass-half-full crap." Daniel retorted.

"You're not very nice, you know that?"

"Not to you." Daniel retorted with a smirk.

"You two squabblin' back there?" AJ turned her head.

"What better way to pass the time?" Kelly joked.

"Speaking of which; hey Rainbow, how much farther is this gorge?" Twilight called out.

"We should be there pretty soon."

"Hey, you guys wanna play a game?" Pinkie suggested bouncing happily.

"What kind of game, dear?" Rarity asked

"Well we could play I spy, or we could play the picnic game, aaaaaaand OH! We could also have a race, then we could get to the gorge faster! Though I guess Dashie would be able to beat us pretty easily soooooo..." Pinkie trailed off. "Ooh, I know I know, let's sing!"

"Let's not and say we did." Daniel quickly objected but Pinkie continued anyway.

"99 gallons of milk on the wall, 99 gallons of milk! Take one down, pass it around, 98 gallons of milk on the wall!" Pinkie noisily continued; her voice echoing through the trees occasionally scaring away a few critters. Daniel began to fake sob trying to cover his ears with his hooves. Kelly didn't let Pinkie's singing annoy him, instead he just pinned his ears back trying to reduce the noise. He snickered and looked back at Daniel.

"Being a stallion isn't so bad, look at what I can do." Kelly giggled childishly as he flopped his ears up and down.

"Just shoot me." Daniel cringed.

It didn't take long for the dragon to lose interest and move on, allowing Celestia to remove the spell and continue forward. As her and her subjects trailed on, Luna caught up with her sister once again to talk.

"I informed Shining Armor of our plan."

"Good, once we find another place to rest, you and I will everypony else know as well."

"Sister..." Luna began another topic. "What shall we do about finding the elements and the humans?"

Celestia looked to her sister with a disheartened expression. "I don't know. For all we know they could be captured or seperated... or worse." Celestia lowered her head.

"But Tia, they could be okay! Perhaps they got away once you teleported us out of there."

"One can only hope." Celestia replied quietly. "Whatever the case, I pray that they're looking out for one another."

"If you're happy and you know, clap your hooves! *clop clop* If you're happy and you know it, clap your hooves! *clop clop* If you're happy and you know it than your smile will surely show it, if you're happy and you know it clap your hooves! *clop clop*" Pinkie skipped to her own tune and hadn't let up for a couple of hours by now. She had sung everything from nursery rhymes to the song that never ends, and Daniel was at his breaking point. He crept up to Twilight, avoiding Pinkie as if she were on a manhunt for him.

"Please please please, for the sake of all that is good in the universe as well as my shriveled, dying sanity. Make. Her. Stop." Daniel pleaded.

"What do you want me to do?" Twilight asked.

"Anything!"

"Don't you worry Daniel, Ah'm on it." Applejack fell behind and reached into Kelly's basket-folded shirt. "Excuse me there, partner." She pulled out a sizeable apple and casually stuffed it in Pinkie's mouth. The hyper mare crunched the apple, and grinned.

"Mmmm. Thanks, Applejack." She said with a mouthful.

"No, thank you." AJ responded, relieved by the silence. Kelly smiled as he saw Fluttershy moving to walk with him.

"Hey, Fluttershy."

"Hi." She replied softly. "So, how are you holding up?"

"Can't complain." Kelly shrugged.

"Gotten use to your um... body yet?"

"For the most part, still I'd feel a lot more useful if I was human. I mean, I can't hold anything with my hooves, just walking took a while to get use to, and if for whatever reason we have to defend ourselves, using my mouth to swing my sword hasn't proven to be easy."

"Well... um... I think you look... nice." Fluttershy ever so slightly blushed upon saying so.

"Oh, well, thank you." Kelly glanced away, humbled by her compliment. He shook his head realizing he hadn't returned her concern. "So, how are you holding up?"

"I'm okay, I'm just worried and scared for everypony." Fluttershy frowned.

"I understand, but don't worry, Daniel and I are going to do all we can to help."

Fluttershy instantly brightened up. "Thank you. You and Daniel have been good friends since day one, I'm glad we can count on you guys." Kelly was happy to hear that from the shy pegasus but at the same time, a familiar guilty feeling ate away at him. He wondered if he should just tell her right now or wait until they had some time alone. He couldn't stand keeping this from her.

"Hey, Fluttershy?"

"Hm?"

Kelly bit his lip, completely unsure of how to begin. "Um... I... Daniel and I..."

"Hey! I think this is it!" Rainbow called out from the front as they finally emerged from the trees and found themselves staring out into a wide trench. With the sun directly overhead, everyone squinted to see what waited on the other side. The land wasn't as green and lush, but instead looked more like a vast savanna. "Once you guys get across, there should be a fresh water lake around there somewhere."

Daniel cautiously peered over the edge. A few pebbles shifted from the ground and tumbled down the side of the ravine. It took about ten seconds for them to reach the bottom, making Daniel gulp anxiously. Kelly walked up to his friend and smirked.

"Hey buddy, doing alright there?"

Daniel silently nodded.

"You're not scared are ya?" Kelly teased.

Daniel stepped away from the edge and puffed out his chest. "I ain't ever scared." He boldly proclaimed.

"Didn't think so, pal." Kelly chuckled. "C'mon, the sooner we find a way down, the sooner we can drink."

"Sure, assuming we don't fall to our death." Daniel whispered to himself.

Applejack walked along the edge while Rainbow hovered over the gap trying to find a trail down.

"Can you see anything?" AJ asked.

"There was a slope a little ways back, but it was much too steep." Rainbow answered and continued to scan the edge. After a few minutes, they found a narrow but stable trail that branched from the edge, allowing safe passage down.

"Ah think this might do the trick." Applejack nodded.

Twilight was the first to try it out. With enough patience and caution, this trail would work well enough to find their way to the bottom. "Okay everypony, watch your step and just take it slow."

Daniel followed behind her. "You know, just because I'm a horse now, it doesn't make that 'everypony' thing any less annoying." Applejack stepped onto the trail after Daniel, followed by Kelly, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Rainbow and Fluttershy hovered close to them as they made their way down. The trail itself was rigid but there was plenty of room from the wall of the gorge to walk casually. Pinkie snickered and stopped for a moment, then proceeded to stick her head out over the edge and drop a ball of spit. She watched in amusement as the saliva fell all the way to the bottom.

"Eeeeww, Pinkie." Rarity wore a disgusted look.

"Aw, c'mon, I couldn't resist." The group continued down as the trail zig-zagged and wound around, now heading in the opposite direction but still going downwards. After a few minutes, they were about halfway down. Kelly carefully moved past Applejack and Daniel to catch up with Twilight

"Hey, Twilight." He greeted. "So I figured, after we get water, what will be our next move?"

"Well if we can, we should try to figure out where we are exactly, then we can work on finding our way back to Equestria. After that, we should look for the Princesses."

"Alright, seems like a plan."

Daniel quickened his pace a little and smiled mischievously. He positioned himself between the wall and Kelly, and lightly bumped his friend. He immediately grabbed Kelly and pulled him back towards him yelling out. "Saved your life!"

Kelly could feel his heart nearly leap out of his chest as what felt like a miniature heart attack, made his blood freeze. "Jesus Christ, Daniel! Are you trying to kill me?!" Kelly glared.

"What are you talking about, I saved your life." Daniel snickered and did a light jog past Twilight.

"Someone's gonna need to save you here in a minute." Kelly squeezed past the unicorn, trying to catch his troublemaking friend.

"Guys, will you knock it off?!" Twilight shouted, but Kelly and Daniel ignored her. Daniel turned and grinned at Kelly backing away in a defensive stance.

"I'm warning you, back off." Daniel playfully threatened. With his attention on Kelly, Daniel stumbled on a large rock and into the opening of a large hole in the side of the trench.

"Whoa..." Kelly took his eyes off of Daniel and stared in amazement at the gaping cave. The ceiling was roughly twenty feet high. It didn't take long for Twilight and the others to catch up and find the massive cave as well.

"What a formation." Twilight keenly observed.

"My... What do you suppose could be in there?" Rarity stopped to gawk as well.

"In a deep, dark, scary cave? I'd rather not find out." Fluttershy spoke up.

Rainbow Dash peered hard into the blackness. Something about the shape of the cave was familiar. It wasn't until she spotted a pair of eyes and heard a faint hiss that she realized this cave was the same shape as the ones in ghastly gorge.

Her eyes shot wide open. "Get out of there! MOVE!" Dash shouted her warning as a large quarray eel crept from the opening and eyeballed the group hungrily.

"Oh... crap..." The boys said in unison.

"RUN!" Dash yelled again. The eel took a snap at Daniel who was the closest, but Daniel jumped backwards in surprise, stumbling over his hooves and back onto the trail. Kelly intinctly summoned his weapon, but Twilight urged him to move.

"You can't fight it, GO!" She yelled, convincing Kelly to dispell his weapon and help Daniel up. The eel lunged again, this time knocking Daniel and Kelly away from the trail and almost over the edge. The eel now seperated Twilight from Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie. It slithered toward Applejack while Kelly and Daniel struggled to pull themselves up. Rainbow distracted the beast with a swift buck in the face.

"C'mon, this way!" She taunted as she circled around. The eel hissed and snapped at the cyan pegasus, but Rainbow's agility was more than enough to outmaneuver the predator. Fluttershy took advantage of it's distraction to help Kelly up from the edge while Applejack hurried in aiding Daniel.

"Everypony, go!" Twilight ordered. Everyone except Rainbow Dash continued down the trail. Dash waited until her friends were at a safe distance from the eel, she then stuck her tounge out at it and followed them down.

Twilight slowed a bit and turned around. "Is everypony okay?" No one answered as a look of shock adorned their faces.

"Twilight, behind you!" Rarity yelled. Twilight turned to see yet another quarray eel poking it's crimson head out of it's nest. Her pupils shrank as the eel went in for the attack. Twilight's horn glowed brightly as her quick thinking saved her. She teleported out of the way and on the other side of the eel. The eel looked around momentarily in confusion, but soon spotted the rest of the group. Daniel summoned his weapon and stared the eel down, it wasn't long after that the eel lunged. Daniel jumped as high as his legs would allow, landing successfully on the predator's head and delivering a swift slash at the beast's face. The eel screeched in shock and pain and reared it's head back, allowing the others to move past.

Daniel had no way to grip the giant eel and was sent sprawling against the wall of the gorge and back over the edge.

"DANIEL!" Kelly sprinted over to the edge where his friend had dissapeared.

"Do ya see'em?!" Applejack looked as well.

"Down here!" Daniel called out from a lone branch that jutted from the rocky slope.

"I've got him, you guys just keep moving!" Dash zoomed to grab Daniel from the branch.

Rarity and Pinkie caught up with AJ and Kelly while Fluttershy assisted Rainbow in carrying Daniel. The eel screeched once more in frustration before eventually slithering back into it's nest. Dash and Fluttershy dropped Daniel off with everyone else and sat down to take a breather.

"Will y'all be more careful next time?!" AJ shoved Daniel. "Ya nearly went head over hooves all the way to the bottom!"

"It was all I could think of! Besides, we didn't have many options of getting past it!" Daniel defended himself.

"Everyone calm down." Kelly stepped between them. "We're all fine and we're nearly to the bottom anyway."

"Good, the sooner we can get out of this dingy chasm, the better." Rarity added, fixing her frizzled mane.

"I hope we get to do something like that again, that was fun!" Pinkie hopped around, unfazed by the recent event.

"Let's go, we shouldn't wait for too long since it's most likely well into the afternoon." Twilight stood and continued down the path. The group followed closely behind and was quiet for most of the journey. Kelly gasped in pain as another wave of agony rippled through him and Daniel did the same soon after.

"You guys okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's just the side effect, it'll pass." Kelly reassured her.

"We'll try to work on figuring out a way to get you two back to normal, but after we find a safer palce to do so." Twilight spoke up.

Cadance had been leading the small group of ponies away from Ponyville since noon. With the recent rescue, there was no safe place near Ponyville where they could hide, so now they were traveling, uncertain of where to go or what to look for; all she knew was that they needed to keep moving if they wanted to ensure safety. Applebloom caught up with Cadance.

"Miss Cadance?"

"Please, just call me Cadance." She smiled to the filly.

"Um, Cadance, are we going to look for mah sister?"

Cadance frowned and looked ahead. "Applebloom, I... I don't know how we would, we don't know where she is."

"Well she wasn't in Ponyville when all this happened, so maybe she's with the Princess'." Applebloom tried to remain optimistic."

"I hope so, little one. If so, then we'll definitely keep an eye out for the Princess'. Just try not to worry too much" Cadance was having trouble taking her own advice as her thoguhts traveled to Twilight. Wherever they were, she hoped that they were safe and in good company.

After another half an hour of treading the winding passage, the elements and the boys stepped onto the bottom of the rocky gorge. A strong draft howled along the walls and floor of the trench sending a chill up their spines.

"Alright, now we need to find a passage up the other side." Twilight trotted over to the opposite wall.

"Preferably one without quarray eel nests." Dash added. The group combed along the wall, searching for a stable trail up the side. Rainbow spotted a path and did a quick scan of it from bottom to top to make sure they wouldn't run into any trouble. She was ready to head back to the others when a lone figure standing on the path caught her attention. An equine like stranger stood peering at Rainbow, their robe covering most of their body and face. Dash noticed a black and white stripe pattern running along the stranger's lower legs near it's hooves. She slowly hovered over to the them.

"Zecora?" Dash addressed, wondering why her friend from the Everfree was all the way out here. Upon hearing that name, the stranger looked harder at the pegausus and spoke.

"Zecora! Unajua Zecora?" The stranger sounded similar to Dash's zebra friend but her tone was slightly lower. The stranger removed her hood and spoke again. "Je, umenisikia?" She spoke in her native tounge, but when Dash looked perplexed she tried again. "You are not from around here, are you?"

Now able to understand her, Rainbow shook her head. "No, my friends and I were trying to get to the lake that's on this side of the gorge. We were just about to head up."

"You mentioned the name Zecora, did you not?"

Rainbow simply nodded. "Yeah, are you friends with her?"

"I'll tell you what. Let's go meet your friends and I can take you all back to my hut. The lake isn't far from it and I wouldn't mind the company. Afterwards, we can get to know each other."

Dash was hesitant to agree, since, of course she didn't know much about this stranger.

"The reason is that it's not exactly safe here or in the savannah in particular." The zebra explained.

"...Okay, I suppose we could use some help." Dash reluctantly agreed.

"Oh, yes, my apologies. My name is Akili."

"Rainbow Dash, nice to meet you."

Prologue: Fateful Beginnings

Authors Note: This is my first attempt at a fanfic...ever. But I am still open to constructive criticism, and tips. Thank you and enjoy!

Finally! The school year had come to an end. Kelly had just finished his senior year of High School, with his best friend Daniel, who was but a year behind him. Kelly had been a devout Brony since his 18th birthday last February. It didn't take him long to blow past the whole 'why am I enjoying this' phase, but as soon as he did, he couldn't wait to tell Daniel all about the strange appeal that the show had to offer.

"What? Are you being serious?" had been Daniel's only response.

"Yeah, dude seriously, it's a really decent show!" Kelly responded, still giddy about getting to express his newfound love for ponies. It only drew Kelly in further when he had found out that the same person behind cartoons like the Powerpuff Girls, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, (Lauren Faust) was also responsible for televising MLP. Not to mention Tara Strong, who during her career voiced dozens of characters that Kelly had grown up with.

"You do realize that its meant for little girls, right?" Daniel stated with a raised brow.

"Well, sure." Kelly hesitated and gathered his thoughts. "But its not like one of those baby shows that talk down to you...y'know, like Dora." Daniel just gave him an unconvinced stare. Kelly had only seen the first few episodes of the first season, but he continued on, describing some of the "actiony" scenes that were embedded within the cuteness of the show. Daniel just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Whatever man, I thought you were weird before..." So the two continued driving home. Kelly dropped Daniel off at his house, but not before Daniel could give him one last dissapproving head shake.

"Just wait until he sees it for himself," Kelly thought as he pulled away from Daniel's driveway. Months had passed since then, and in that time Kelly had caught up on all episodes. He had talked Daniel into watching a few since it was really the only way he was going to convince Daniel just how good it was. Even though he'd never admitted flat out to enjoying the show nor being a Brony, Kelly knew in some way or another, Daniel had a fondness for it in his own way. He even ventured to claim that if he was a Brony, his favorite pony would be Applejack. Kelly, feeling bold, asked why Applejack was his favorite. Daniel just glared, silently saying, 'dude, be thankful that I just admitted to liking a midget horse.' Kelly smiled, taking the inaudible hint.

Daniel, and Kelly had known each other for almost four years, and the one thing that they did most together was play Xbox LIVE. Both had a wide array of games from Call of Duty to Dark Souls, and everything in between. But this was one of those few days when one would visit the other to play splitscreen, or go outside if they got bored. Today, Daniel was at Kelly's. It was around 3pm, and after repetitively getting pissed at Gears of War 3, they both decided it would be much less agrivating to enjoy some T.V. Since they were home alone, they had the flatscreen all to themselves. Only problem was that there were a thousand channels...but nothing to watch. *sigh, our generation.

"How 'bout Family Guy?" Kelly said as he flipped the channel. Daniel recognized the worn out episode right away.

"Nah...seen this one a million times, and I don't even think I'm exagerating." Kelly continued to channel surf.

"What about Regular Show?" Daniel simply shook his head. Aside from MLP, he never really cared for cartoons in general. As Kelly strolled through the movie channels not even stopping to see what was playing, his brain finally clicked and he gave Daniel a mischivous grin. Daniel returned Kelly's goofy smile with a loud groan, and let his head fall back as if he had just completed an enormous chore.

"No...way, I've already watched the two episodes for this month." Kelly through his arms up and limply slapped them back onto the couch in frustration.

"You do realize at that rate, its gonna take you..." Kelly paused to do some calculations, he then continued, "...at least more than two years to catch up, and thats not even counting season three!" Kelly gave Daniel a stern look, as if this menial information was supposed to convince him. Daniel stubbornly refused again. Kelly however, had a fool-proof tactic...persistance. After a short while of jokingly begging in a whiney high pitched voice, Daniel finally caved.

"ALRIGHT, DAMN DUDE!" Kelly wore a grin of victory. He then brought up the DVR and scrolled through the forty-six recorded episodes. Daniel face palmed at the rediculous sight, while Kelly thought to himself 'collection's almost complete.' Kelly made a face at the dozens of episodes as if he were taking a test, making sure to carefully choose one that Daniel might like.

"AHA! Here we go." Daniel looked between his fingers to see what fresh hell he would have to endure.

"Applebuck Season." Daniel said in a monotone voice.

"Yep." Kelly blankly responded. He looked at Daniel and began to move his eyebrows up and down in a hinting manor. "It's all about your favorite ooooone." Kelly said, making the final word sing-songy. Daniel groaned again, regretting ever mentioning his liking of the orange mare. The opening scene played with Applejack and her brother Big Macintosh.

"Well aren't we just Mr. authoritive voice." Daniel scoffed at Big Macintosh

"Well, he is pretty much the strongest earth pony on the show, physically at least."

"It's stupid." Daniel pouted, not knowing what else to say. The scene subsided, and brought along the opening song. Kelly, at first hadn't cared much for the song. But after hearing it at least fifty times, he'd grown used to humming along, or sometimes even singing in rhythm with the tune. "Oh, God...this fucking song." Daniel cringed. "Can't you skip it?" Kelly gave Daniel an almost serious look, and muttered,

"No..." Daniel slumped even lower in his seat. Then, just as Twilight's balloon landed in Ponyville, the image on the screen seemed to fade out, and left nothing but white noise.

"YES! There is a God!" Daniel almost left the ground as he stood and threw his arms up, whispering "thank you." Kelly just stared at the screen in wonder.

"Its...never done that before." He stood to go examine the T.V. and cable box, but as he was doing so, Daniel started to fumble with his next words.

"W-whoa...uh, Kelly...w-whats it doing?" Kelly peeked from behind the stand the television was on.

"What do you mean, is it...fixed?" Kelly looked to see an illumination other than the one coming from the television. It progressively grew brighter, and louder. "W-what the fuck?!" He backed away to his seat, but continued to stand.

"The hell did you do?!" Daniel asked in a worried tone.

"Nothing! I just checked to make sure all of the cords were still in place!" The noise resonating from the light grew loud enough to the point where the two boys were almost shouting.

"C'mon, c'mon! Outside!" Daniel screamed. Kelly didn't respond, but moved to follow Daniel out of the front door. But as soon as Daniel could get a grip on the knob, everything thing around them was engulfed in a blinding light. Kelly and Daniel felt the sensation of being flung helplessly over a great distance. As the sudden G forces were slammed onto their bodies, both of them could feel themselves slowly slipping into unconscienceness.

Sweet! Prologue completed, and even sooner than expected, I'm not the fastest typer, but I'll do my best to regularly update the story. Thanks guys, hope you enjoyed so far

Chapter 10: The Enemy of Your Enemy...

Wow...hope you guys like long chapters. Just think of it as me making up for being gone for 1/3 of the summer.
P.S. For those who aren't into the drama...please stick with me til the end.

"HA, bitch! Told you I could hold my breath longer!" Daniel had no problem boasting in a vulgar manor as his friend came up for air seconds later.

"You're such a cheater, I bet you waited a few seconds after I dived!" Daniel pushed his hair back and laughed.

"I don't know what your talking about." Kelly pushed his hair back as well, and turned around.

"I do believe Pinkie's the ref. Pinkie, did he cheat?" To the human's dismay, Pinkie had vanished. "Uh, Pinkie? Where did ya go?" As soon as Kelly had asked, The hyper mare made her reappearance with a loud whistle. As all attention was brought to her, she paced the edge of the lake, adorning a black and white referee uniform. She sounded the whistle once more.

"That's a foul on Daniel" She spoke with playful authority. "Penalty: intentionally delayed start. Consequence: five minutes in the time out booth." The boys looked around. There was no time out booth, in fact the only thing there other than the humans and Pinkie was Twilight, passively scribbling notes. Kelly paddled over to her part of the bank.

"Whatchya doin' there?"

"Documenting. Didn't know humans could swim."

"Can't ponies swim?" Twilight giggled.

"Can't say it's a hobby of mine, but I can doggy paddle." They shared in a laugh. It was the day after Daniel and Kelly had returned from Canterlot. Niether had done much for the rest of the day, besides practicing their sword summoning. Twilight had spent the rest of the evening studying the book Kelly had delivered. The next morning, the boys had met up at the market bringing on a welcoming crowd of a portion of the town. It was there that they agreed to take the afternoon off at the lake.

"I was going to see if humans could breath underwater, but seeing as how you lack gills, along with your breath holding competition..." About this time, Daniel had swam up with a mischiveous grin.

"Oh no, humans can totally breath underwater, watch." Before Kelly could get in on Daniel's intentions, he was unforgivingly dunked. His flailing arms were the only thing visible as Daniel kept hid head down. After a moment of panic, Kelly was able to resurface, sputtering and choking. Daniel was busy making his escape.

"I hate it when people do that shit! You're gonna fucking get it now!" Daniel was a fast swimmer, but in his laughing fit, a generous amount of lake water splashed down his gullet, giving Kelly the chance to get back at his trouble-making friend. Kelly dove a few feet behind Daniel, opening his eyes for barely a second so he could see. Daniel coughed a couple more times before he remembered that he was being chased. He was about to make a break for the bank, when suddenly a swift whoosh caused him to lose the only decency he had in the water.

"Oh, you son of a bitch." Daniel tried kicking at where his friend might be, but instead his feet only met H2o. He rotated around, and around, glaring at the water. Kelly emerged near the edge, and pulled himself out. His boxers still covered him, while his right hand held Daniel's dignity captive. "Alright, Kelly...fun's over, you can give'em back now." Kelly rubbed his chin.

"Hmmmm...nah." Pinkie trotted up to Kelly, no longer wearing the ref costume.

"Are those Danny's pants?" Daniel answered for him.

"Yes they are, and Kelly's going to be wearing them around his NECK if he doesn't give them back!" Kelly snickered.

"I don't think your in much of a position to be making death threats, friend."

"You think I care? I'm like a broken Xbox, I don't play no games!"

"Whats the big deal?" Twilight joined them. "We hardly ever wear clothes. Why is it so bad for humans to be naked?"

"BECAUSE WE DON'T WALK ON ALL FOURS!" Daniel was getting impatient. "GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN BOXERS!" Kelly wanted to milk it a little longer.

"I don't know. Maybe if you tried asking nicely..."

"Oh my God, I'm gonna kill you." Kelly stretched the elastic.

"Damn, maybe you should lay off of the sweets for a while." Daniel was going to counter, but could only utter a strange squeak sound.

"The fish...are...NIBBLING!!!" Kelly lost it. He rolled on the ground, holding his side as the grass clung to him. Twilight and Pinkie laughed due to giggles being contagious. After a while, Twilight floated Daniel's boxers back to him. He grumbled his thanks.

"Man, I'm starving." Kelly commented as Twilight and him entered Sugarcube Corner. "Why is it that I always feel so hungry after swimming?" He thought out loud.

"Well, it's suspected that the cool tempurature of the water causes your body heat to decrease, which in turn releases various hormones that are made to suppress appetite." Twilight grinned sheepishly, while Kelly just gave her a blank stare. "Oh...was that retorical?"

"Hey guys, over here." Spike called to them from one of the booths. With him were the rest of the elements and Daniel. They all had made arrangements to eat out together.

"How is everyone?" Kelly asked as he tried to adjust to the small chair.

"Busy." Dash answered. "But Ponyville is looking as good as new. A few more homes need roofs, but that's about it."

"Things are A-okay at tha farm. Applebloom's been absolutely bonkers since Daniel here got back."

"How were things at the castle, darling?" Rarity chimed.

"It was okay. Gonna miss Chival though, he was an alright dude."

"Yeah, and Meta. He was cool too."

"Who are they?" Pinkie asked, digging in to her hay morsel.

"Our teachers." Daniel answered.

"Are dey da ones who gave you guys dose cool swords?" Spike said with a mouthful of gemstones, courtesy of Rarity.

"No, the princess' gave us those. Oh, and Twilight. I forgot to tell you yesterday, but your big bro says hi."

"Delightful, was he doing okay?"

"Yep." Cue the awkward silence.

"Soooooo, Daniel." Applejack addressed. Daniel had finished his meal, and was already working on dessert. "Did ya miss us while y'all were gone?" Daniel paused mid-bite, and glanced sideways at the farm pony. He simply answered.

"...Yeah." Then took his bite. Rarity's eyes glittered.

"What about you, Kelly? Did you miss us?" If he had listened closely, he would've heard the tease in her tone.

"Uh...well...yeah."

"How much?" She battered her lashes. Rainbow Dash caught on, and tried to hold back a snicker. Kelly didn't look directly at her, but still wasn't sure how to answer.

"I... uh...what do you mean?"

"It's nothing, dear. Just curious." Twilight knew all to well what her friend was doing.

"Rarity, stop it. Your making him uncomfortable."

"I most certanily am not. I was just curious, that's all." Dash was still laughing to herself.

"Hey, Daniel." Daniel was eyeing Rarity with suspicion, but looked over at Dash. "Didn't you miss Applejack the most?" She wasn't exactly aiming to be subtle. Daniel hardened his stare.

"What are you getting at?"

"Stop it, both of you." Twilight intervened.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Dash defended herself.

"You both know exactly what your doing. Just drop it!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Rarity knew she was found out, but still played it off. Kelly and Daniel exchanged looks of uneasiness, and confusion, while the three continued to argue.

"What is happening?" Kelly mouthed. Daniel shrugged, wide eyed.

"What are you guys even talking about?" Spike shared his thoughts, but was unheard. Nobody took notice of Fluttershy blushing. Pinkie joined in the debate.

"Aw, c'mon Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash don't mean any harm. They're just poking fun at the possibility of ..." The other ponies frantically moved their hooves up, down, and across their necks; signaling her to stop. "...Kelly having a crush on Fluttershy, and Daniel-" Twilight forced her hoof to Pinkie's mouth. Nothing could prepare Kelly for Pinkie's words, as his eyes shot wide open, and involuntarily inhaled what was supposed to be his next bite. He pounded his chest with his fist, trying to free his airways. He hacked a few more times before dislodging the food, and breathed normally. He held his breath altogether as he looked around the table. All of the ponies, including his friend, were watching him closely either to make sure he was okay, or to see if his reaction would give away the suspicion Pinkie had just revealed.

Kelly froze like a deer in headlights, his eyes the only thing moving as he traded stares with everyone around him. Each questioning face made his cheeks burn hotter, and brighter. His heart beat so fast, that Kelly was afraid the others might hear it due to the choking silence. He immediately began to persperate visibly, and was at much more than just a loss for words. He looked at Daniel, and at that moment, could only think of one statement that would take the spotlight off of him. He shot a pointer at his friend, and yelled.

"Daniel likes Applejack!" Daniel dropped his food, as well as his jaw. He sat there flabbergasted for a short time. Once he gathered himself, he shot back angrily.

"YOU MOTHERF-...I...I DO NOT!" Daniel noticed now that the attention was indeed on him. Applejack spoke to him with more confusion in her tone, rather than excitement.

"Do ya really?" Daniel turned to her, and panicked.

"What?! I...I" Daniel returned the accusing finger to Kelly. "Kelly wants to kiss Fluttershy!" Kelly shrunk as everyone looked at him once more. He wanted to deny it, and was just about to. However, his brain didn't cooperate with his mouth. Danieil's words, mixed with the need for a quick response tripped him up.

"SO WHAT IF I DO?!" His words bounced back to his ears, and he covered his mouth. He looked at Fluttershy who's expression held a mixture of shock, and embarrassment. Her look made his guts knot up, as he stood to leave, humiliated beyond comprehension. He practically shoved the doors on his way out, while Daniel caught up to him.

"Kelly! Kelly, wait!" Kelly stopped a few yards from the steps, and rubbed his forehead in aggrivation. "Hey, listen. I...shouldn't have said that..." Kelly held up his hand.

"No! No...no, it was my fault. I panicked, and blurted the first thing that came to mind. That was my fault." Daniel walked to stand beside him.

"It's alright, but...why did you admit that you wanted to kiss her?" Kelly scoffed to himself, and began to pace.

"I DON'T KNOW! I just...I was going to say something else...but...I DIDN'T!" He stopped pacing, and let out a frustrated grunt. "What now?!"

"Excuse me, boys." Rarity poked her head out. "Is everything okay?" She stepped down to join them.

"Yeah, were alright." Daniel answered. Rarity smiled to him, and trotted over to Kelly.

"Kelly?" He turned to her, expecting some kind of ridicule. "Did you mean what you said?" Again, Kelly could feel his stomach tighten as the preassure was on him once again. He turned away from her.

"Please, Rarity...I...just don't. It's rediculous." Rarity circled him to meet his eyes.

"Why? Because your a human?"

"Exactly." Kelly answered, but recoiled by how harsh he sounded. "Look, I just...I don't want things to change. I love having Fluttershy as a friend, and this whole crush thing...I could tell you how much it embarrasses me, but I can't even imagine how badly it embarrasses her."

"But you do have feelings for her?" Kelly sighed in annoyance.

"...Yeah." Rarity placed her hoof on his side.

"I...want to apologize. I had my suspicions, but never in all of my days did I think it was actually true. I am so very sorry. On behalf of myself, and Rainbow Dash as well."

"Let's just forget about it. Yes, I know...everyone knows now, but I just want things to stay the way they are. For Fluttershy's sake." Rarity knew it was impossible to just forget about it, but she would do her best to make sure her friends saw it his way. She still had one more person to make amends.

"Daniel." He looked from Kelly to her. "Please forgive Rainbow and I for our inconsiderate behaviour. It was supposed to be for fun, but instead...it brought on all of this confusion."

"It's okay." Daniel looked at the ground, and smiled. "In fact, now that it's...out there...it's actually kinda funny when you think about it." Kelly took Daniel's statement as a form of forced optimism, but he figured that perhaps it was for the best. As long as he didn't make too big of a deal out of it and laughed, maybe this whole episode would work itself out.

"You know what, man. I think your right." He smiled, and let any kind of embarrassement roll off of his shoulders. "C'mon, we can't let something like high school drama ruin this night, let's head back in."

"That's the spirit!" Rarity cheered. The three climbed the steps to conclude their evening, but Daniel and Kelly both knew that this was not over as easily as that. Sooner or later the moment would come again to reveal their true feelings, and nothing; not even all the time in the world would be enough to prepare them.

Needless to say, the remainder of dinner had been bluntly awkward. The boys made attempts to joke about the ordeal, but the magnitude of the revelation was still pretty thick. Daniel, of course had been constantly preassured by AJ at the farm; being asked if he really did like her. After a dozen attempts to dogde the question, he finally caved, and admitted his guilt. Upon said admission, she looked even more perplexed than she had been before, and left Daniel to his business. Daniel cursed, and officially joined Kelly in the thought of things returning to normal. The next morning, Daniel was met with a grinning Applebloom.

"Hey there, Applebloom."

"Hiya, Daniel." Daniel looked around.

"...Need something?" Applebloom giggled.

"Nnnnope." Silence set in.

"...Alright...well, see ya."

"Bye." As they parted, Daniel swore he could hear an old, but all too familiar tune from the filly. "Applejack n' Daniel sittin' in a..."

"Of course she knows." Daniel grumbled. Over at Twilight's, Kelly was just getting ready to head out to find Daniel. Twilight called to him just as he touched the handle.

"Are you going to see Fluttershy?" He tried not to presume that she was teasing him.

"No, I'm gonna go hang out with Daniel."

"Oh, okay. Have fun."

"Later." He closed the door, leaving Twilight with her thoughts. The reason she had asked was that she wasn't sure how she felt about his feelings toward her friend. Rarity had already explained to them that the boys wanted no more talk about their deeper emotions, and that they wanted things to just stay the same. With that knowledge, it wasn't exactly caution that made Twilight wary. It was something else entirely.

Daniel crossed the small bridge that seperated the farm and the town, happy to get away from the tension that he felt now everytime he was around one of his pony friends. Rarity seemed to understand their position the best, so he thought it was best if he went to see her. Before he could run into the majority of townsfolk, the sound of rushing wings could be heard overhead.

"Look out below!" Instead of diving out of the way, Daniel's first instinct was to look up, and sure enough, a stalling Rainbow Dash was mere yards away from collision. Knowing there wasn't enough time to move, Daniel just tensed up, and braced for impact. A loud thud, accompanied by an "OOMPH" placed Daniel on his back with Dash dizzily sitting on him.

"Seriously, of all the places to crash land." Daniel wheezed. Dash snickered.

"Look on the bright side, you cusioned my fall."

"Always happy to help." Daniel replied sarcastically. Rainbow stepped off his torso, and Daniel sat up. He rubbed away the pain in his gut, and they locked eyes. Dash instantly forgot what she was going to say next, so instead thought of the most nagging topic.

"Soooooo, you and Applejack, huh?" Daniel growled, stood up, and continued walking.

"What part of 'forget about it' don't you understand?!" Dash was hesitant to follow, seeing as how angry he was already.

"Aw, c'mon. How is it not going to be on our minds?! I mean, I'm not trying to say you or Kelly are wrong for liking my friends, but..."

"Then why is it such a big deal?!" Dash deadpanned.

"Um...your humans, and their ponies." Daniel stopped and spun around.

"Well in that case, forget about what we said!"

"It's not that simple!"

"Why the hell not?!" Dash's wings unfurled.

"Because I like YOU!" First it had been Kelly, now it was Dash's turn to put her foot in her mouth. The anger in Daniel's face was replaced with shock, while Rainbow's was turning crimson. She brought her wings back to her side, while Daniel uttered.

"Y-you do?" His reaction made it seem like it was a pleasant surprise, rather than an outrage. Rainbow had expected the latter. Neither could say anything else as they stared motionless. Daniel barely smiled, and was ready to say something again, until he heard someone calling to him.

"Daniel, there you are!" It was Kelly. Once he met up with his friend, he noticed the cyan pegasus. "Uh, hey...Rainbow Dash." Dash delayed a response, as if she almost hadn't heard him.

"Hey, Kelly. Were you looking for Daniel?" She knew he obviously was, but was still trying to process what had just happened.

"Yeah. Hey, Daniel, you wanna come with me to the fields?" Daniel finally took his eyes off of Dash.

"Uh...um...sure...let's go. I'll see you around, Rainbow." Daniel turned to leave, and Kelly did the same as he said bye as well.

"Bye, Dash." Rainbow paused again before replying.

"Bye...guys." After a minute or two of walking, Kelly struck up a conversation.

"What was that about? As if I didn't know." Daniel chuckled.

"I know what your thinking...and your half right."

"Huh?"

"I'll tell you later."

Kelly didn't know whether to be amused, or worried.

"So she did the same thing I did last night?" Daniel smiled, and nodded. "Wow, insane. And what did you say?" Daniel's smile faded.

"I didn't really say much back, I thought it was pretty awesome to hear her say that, but I didn't want to show it." Daniel quickly changed the subject. "Hey, why did you want to come out here again?" Kelly grinned at what he was about to say.

"Believe it or not dude, but I think I need a small break from ponies." If Daniel's jaw wasn't attached to his face...

"Mother of God it's the end of the world!" Daniel through his arms high in the air. He then brought them back down to grab his friend, and shake him. "Who are you, and what have you done with Kelly?!"

"Get off of me you big ox!" Daniel laughed, and let go.

"Now, I'm use to name calling, but OX?! That's just taking it too far."

"Don't worry, next time I'll make sure it's vulgar and hateful."

"I should hope so." They stopped on the crest of a hill, and sat down. The warm sun hung high in the noon sky while the boys took the time to truly relax. "Lemme guess, the reason you need a break is because..."

"Of this stupid...crush...or...I don't even know what to call it!" Daniel slowly reclined, and rested his head on his hands. He would have shared the same feeling, but something was making him come around. The anxiety, and worry he felt inside was slowly being replaced by acceptance.

"Y'know what I think?" Kelly turned around.

"What?"

"Maybe things aren't so bad." Kelly brought his body around with his head.

"What do you mean 'not so bad'?" Daniel sat back up.

"I mean...what if we just went for it? Tried to make something of this?" Kelly grimmaced.

"Your not suggesting what I think you are."

"Yes, I am."

"Why?!" Daniel shrugged.

"If we were still on Earth, and not here, you know I would have a much different mind set; but, Kelly...what if Fluttershy likes you back?" Kelly groaned impatiently.

"You think I haven't considered that? It's just that, I don't want to risk it."

"You never know until you ask." Kelly glared at his friend.

"And if she doesn't?" Daniel scooched closer to console his friend.

"Then you don't have to wonder anymore. No more what if's, no more uncertainty. In fact, after were done here, I'm going back to the farm to find out how AJ feels."

"What about Rainbow Dash?" Daniel brought his eyes to the grass, and was momentarily quiet.

"If AJ doesn't feel the same, then I think Dash would be awesome. If she does...yikes. Can't say I've ever had girls fight over me." Kelly smacked the ground, and stood up.

"That's why this bugs me so much! They shouldn't be fighting over you! That's only going to hurt their friendship! I'm telling you, NOTHING good can come of this!" Daniel got up to calm Kelly.

"Easy, I was joking...I don't really think they would fight over me. Well..." Daniel thought it was best if he left it at that. Kelly calmed down and pinched the bridge of his nose in thought.

"Just...be careful about what you say, okay?" Daniel smiled.

"Don't worry, things will get better. Are...you going to ask Fluttershy?" Kelly looked up at the sky, examining the clouds, as if they would provide an answer for him.

"I...don't know...maybe." Daniel stood up, and walked over to him.

"Look, I'm not trying to preassure you, I just think that maybe all of this drama can be avoided if we take a leap of faith." Kelly scoffed.

"And if your wrong, it could take this stage act to a whole new level."

"Well, now that they know, we won't get anywhere by just ignoring it. Hey, now that I mention it, how do you think they caught on?" Kelly facepalmed.

"If I had to guess, it's probably my fault. Everytime I meet a girl that I like, I end up playing the super nice guy, making my feelings toward them super obvious, which in turn makes everything a super fucking mess."

"It doesn't always make things a mess...just this time." Kelly turned and glared at his friend again. Daniel twiddled his fingers. "Alright alright, maybe I made it pretty obvious too...happy?" Kelly turned back around, and was quiet.

"...I'll think about talking to Fluttershy..." Daniel felt relief wash over him.

"Good, you have to get this thing off your chest."

"...Yeah." Kelly said indirectly. Daniel quickly bolted to his friend.

"Hey, I know what'll take your mind off of things!"

"What's that?" Kelly turned to see Daniel jump away from him, and summon his blade. A smirk plastered on his face.

"A little practice session." Kelly eyeballed Daniel, thinking he was crazy, but began to like the idea. He conjured his own weapon.

"Alright, I'm game." Daniel twirled his sword, and they circled each other.

"How about...the first to lose their head loses." Kelly rolled his eyes.

"I've got a better idea, how about we not try to kill each other, and just fight until we get tired." Daniel sighed.

"You're so boring." It wasn't soon after that their blades clashed from the first attack, making sure not to swing too hard in case the other failed to block or dogde. As their weapon's edges continued to meet, a certain canary pegasus watched from overhead, hidden by the clouds. Below her, hidden in the trees were two more creatures, studying the humans for a different dark purpose.

"There it is...Canterlot." Ferindher hissed. His army halting behind him to gawk at the cliffside city. Queen Chrysalis soon crested the hill they had stopped on, her army following as well. They rested on the plains northwest of Ponyville as to steer clear of the small settlement. "Crysalis." Ferindher addressed. "You spoke of a plan to thin out the resistance in Canterlot." Crysalis hovered over to Ferindher with her mishapen, and torn wings.

"I have sent two of my changelings to scope out the humans you spoke of. They will use their identities to warn the ponies of a false threat, in turn calling aid from Canterlot." Ferindher laughed in anticipation.

"And that's when we strike." Crysalis nodded.

"Simple, but a trustworthy approach."

"What if the humans find your changelings?"

"They will retreat back to me, but that shouldn't happen until Canterlot is already vulnerable." Ferindher grunted, and they were quiet for a while. Chrysalis spoke again. "If I may, what exactly does Celestia have that is yours?" Ferindher gave her a sideways glance from under his hood. He squinted, and spoke a cryptic response.

"A piece of myself."

Twilight was as busy as ever with her study of the book of the shard, but each minute that Kelly was gone, she took time to think about what she would say to him when he got back. It scared her to think that it might only make things harder for him, but she had to say something. She was just ready to put the book down for a short break, when her assistance doubled over, and gave a loud belch.

"A letter from the Princess?" Twilight grabbed the scroll with her magic, and removed the seal.

"What does it say, Twilight?" Twilight read out loud.

My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

It is with great pleasure to announce that after many days of searching and scouting, we have actually uncovered one of the two shards needed to send Kelly and Daniel home. My scholars report that it was found among the very outskirts of Equestra, and they will soon resume their search for the second half. As of now, our top minds are anylizing it, and discovering it's properties. I will keep you up to date with any news regarding these mysterious gems. Best wishes to you, and your friends.

Your loving mentor,
Princess Celestia.

Twilight beamed with joy.

"Spike, this is incredible! Oh, Kelly and Daniel are going to be so happy!" Spike shared in Twilight's excitement.

"This is great! You want me to go find them?" Twilight shook her head.

"No, he should be back soon." As if on cue, Twilight could faintly hear someone crying out for help. As the voices got closer, she learned that they weren't pleas for help, they were warnings. It was Kelly and Daniel's voices. "Spike, c'mon!"

"I'm coming!" Twilight rushed out of the library to see both humans running down the street, yelling.

"Everyone, it's Ferindher's army! They're here!"

"They're south of Ponyville, we need to warn the guards!" Twilight teleported in front of them, and they stopped, eyeing her strangly.

"Daniel! Kelly! What happened?!" The boys gave each other a quick glance, then returned to the unicorn.

"It's Ferindher, his shadows are just south of Ponyville! Alot of them!"

"We need as many guards as we can get!" Twilight remembered that the majority of the guards stationed in Ponyville had returned to Canterlot, since virtually all the repairs were finished. If the boys were right, then they would have to call them back. Twilight then realized the boys were making a huge mistake.

"What are you doing running around saying his name?!" The boys glanced at each other again, unable to explain themselves. "Come to the library!" Nopony who had heard the boys knew what they were talking about, so it didn't seem to raise too much alarm. Twilight passed it off as she led the boys back to her house. She opened the door, and beckoned them in. "Alright, now that we're ALONE, what is going on with Ferindher?" Daniel started first.

"We were just checking out the areas around town when we saw alot of Ferindher's men. They're just south of Ponyville, they'll be here any minute!" Twilight was instantly worried, but something about Ferindher bringing his whole army to attack Ponyville in broad daylight didn't add up. However, Twilight didn't have time for second guesses. If Ferindher was as close as the boys said he was, then they needed to act fast.

"Spike, take a letter, quickly!" Spike, having heard the urgency, zipped to the nearest blank parchment, and dipped a quill.

"Ready!"

"Dear Princess Celestia, Ponyville is in need of immediate assistance. Kelly, and Daniel have reported sighting Ferindher's army south of Ponyville. Their plan of attack is yet to be known, but from the sound of their desired approach, it may as well be a full frontal assault. Please dispatch as many guards as you can spare to aid us when they arrive. Awaiting your approval, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." She nodded to the baby dragon, signaling him to send it. Spike inhaled deeply, and expelled the letter in a puff of green fire.

"It's on it's way!"

"Good." The humans shared a sinister grin, and nodded to one another. Kelly, Daniel, can the go and warn the few guards we have left in town. Everypony needs to be ready when they get here. Niether said another word, and turned to leave; mission accomplished. Twilight watched as Daniel opened the door, and stepped outside. Kelly wasn't far behind. She knew the response from the Princess would arrive any second, she also knew that now the humans would be in the middle of the fray if Ferindher does attack. She shuddered at the thought of what might happen to them. If this were to escalate into war, then she might not get another chance to do this. She ran up to the door, and called out.

"Kelly, wait!" Both humans turned around, not knowing exactly who she was talking to. After a few seconds, the one she had her eyes on assumed it was 'Kelly.'

"Y-yeah?"

"Don't go yet, there's something I need to tell you." Kelly looked frantically at Daniel, and Daniel shook his head.

"I can't, I need to go." Twilight stepped closer, anxiety getting the better of her.

"Please, this is important." Kelly looked at Daniel again, and Daniel grunted.

"Make it quick!" He said, barely audible. Kelly turned back around to see Twilight motioning him to come back inside. He sighed, and hesitantly entered.

"What is it?" He asked impatiently. Twilight had the perfect chance, but didn't know how to start.

"Listen...I know that we haven't known each other for too long, and you guys hate to talk about it, but..." Spike interrupted.

"Twilight, the Princess wrote back."

"Not now, Spike!" Kelly was getting uneasy. The longer he spent here, the chances of him getting found out increased. Twilight paused to gather her thoughts. "Kelly, at first I wanted to ignore it but, after what you guys said last night, I feel compelled to just...let you know." 'What is this crazed pony talking about?!' Kelly thought to himself. "I've spent alot of time thinking, and I want you to know that...I care about you..." Kelly's eyes went wide, whoever this human was, this pony was pouring her heart out for him. To the imposter, it was delicious. She blushed visibly, and continued. "Kelly, I..." She was interrupted by the opening of the library door.

"Twilight, I'm back." Kelly turned to close the door, while the imposter froze in place. Twilight froze as well, shifting her gaze back and forth from one Kelly to the other. Kelly realized he was still holding his sword, and dispelled it. "Anything happen while I was-" He stopped midsentence, and gawked at his clone. Spike dropped the Princess' parchment, unable to comprehend what was happening. No one spoke, until the real Kelly shook his head clear, and pointed.

"Who...who are you?!" The imposter had learned the name of his doppelganger, and was quick to respond.

"I'm Kelly! Just who are you?!" Kelly lowered his brows in anger.

"Are you now? Well let's see you do this you little phony!" Kelly held his hand out, and called his weapon back. He then rotated his arm to where the tip of the blade was pointed at the clone. He was a good distance away, and had no intention of killing him. He just wanted to see if he could inimidate the look-a-like. Twilight slowly stepped away from the Kelly she had been talking with. Her horn glowed, ready to attack if she had to. Kelly with his sword, took a step forward.

"Well?" The imposter tried to mimick the human's ability, but to no avail. He was panicking for a way to prove he wasn't a fake, but found no possible way to. With any hope to stay incognito gone, the imposter surrounded itself with a green circular vortex that climbed from the floor to the fiend's head. Where Kelly's double once stood, now was a hissing dark coated pony-like creature. A jagged horn jutted from it's forehead, and it's hooves were littered with multiple holes, and gaps.

"A changeling?!" Twilight cried. The exposed foe unfurled it's almost transparent wings. It beared it's fangs, and hissed as it took flight, and escaped through one of the upper windows. Kelly ran back outside to chase it down, but was dissapointed to see it fly off into the clouds, and vanish. Twilight followed him out, and scanned the sky. Kelly willed his sword away.

"Twilight, what the hell was that?" She gave up her search, and looked at him.

"That was a changeling. Their pony-like creatures that feed off of love, and do this by copying someone's form. I haven't seen one of them since the royal canterlot wedding." Kelly didn't feel the need to ask questions about the wedding, since of course he already knew all about changelings.

"Why was it disguised as me?" Twilight replayed in her mind what the imposter had told her.

"You...er...it told me that Ferindher, and his shadows were here, and that we need immediate assistance from Canterlot!" They continued their conversation as they re-entered the library.

"But, I haven't seen a single trace of any of those shadow guys since they attacked over a week ago." Twilight began to pace.

"It doesn't make sense, what purpose did those changelings have to fool us like that?" Kelly sat down.

"There was more than one?"

"Yes, a second one disguised as Daniel. They were both running about shouting that Ferindher had arrived." Kelly looked down as he thought.

"Could...these changelings be working with Ferindher?" Twilight stopped pacing, and gasped loudly.

"Oh, NO! Their warning must have been some kind of decoy! If the changeling queen is working with Ferindher, then that's why they were here!" Twilight whipped her head around, searching for her assistant. "Spike!" Spike came to attention, still clutching the Princess' response letter. "We need to send another letter, ASAP!"

"On it!" Spike dropped the royal scroll, and quenched his quill, while grabbing a new parchment. Twilight didn't even wait for him to be ready.

"Princess Celestia, it turns out that Kelly and Daniel who had previously warned me of Ferindher's wherabouts, were none other than changelings disguised as the humans. It is under heavy speculation that their motives were to give us false information possibly to aid Ferindher in some way. It is imperative that you call off the calvary bound toward Ponyville. We will continue to investigate, and update you however we can." Twilight waited for the feathers of the quill to be still. "Okay, send it!" Spike didn't waste time wrapping the letter. Under the urgent circumstances, he sent it as is.

"What do we do now?" Kelly asked.

"I want you to go find Daniel and bring him back here, I'm going to wait until the Princess writes back, and figure out what to do next."

"Alright, he said he was heading back to the farm, I'll be quick."

"Be careful!" Twilight called to him as he bolted out of the door. She turned to watch Spike, and noticed he was smiling. "What's with the grin?" Spike folded his arms.

"You do realize this means that you can't give me a hard time anymore about liking Rarity, right?" Twilight's cheeks glowed, realizing Spike had been there when she had opened up to the imposter.

"C'mon, Spike, there are more pressing matters at hoof."

"I know, I'm just-HMMPH." Spike's stomach rumbled, and a mild burp brought a new letter to appear before them. Usually Twilight waited for Spike to read it, but instead removed the seal with her magic, and read it herself.

Twilight,

I am sorry to say that the platoon of pegasi guards have already departed hastily from Canterlot. Since they are some of our fasted flyers, it would be advisable to send the pegasi guards I have stationed in Ponyville to intercept them, and inform them of the situation. I cannot concur what the changeling's role is in all of this is, but we shall also be on the lookout for any suspicious activity from them. It would be wise to check Ponyville's perimeter as well to ensure Ferindher is indeed not there. The guards here are on high alert, and I will inform Shining Armor, so that he may protect Canterlot using his magic. We shall keep you updated further when the time comes.

Twilight sat down and thought hard of what to do next. Spike, go tell Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie to meet us back here."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to look for Rainbow Dash, and tell her to intercept the guards on their way to Ponyville. You tell her the same if you happen to see her. I'm also going to make sure Applejack comes back with the boys. Once were back here, we'll decide our next move."

"What about checking around Ponyville?"

"Right, I'll find the guards stationed here, and tell them to check the outskirts of town." Twilight was ready to leave, but noticed that she had spoken openly about the shadow lord in front of Spike. Her assistant didn't seemed worried enough to ask questions, so she decided not to waste time pursuing it. With that Spike, and Twilight left, locking the library up as they did so.

Ferindher, and Chrysalis were now dangerously close to Equestria's capitol. They had managed to stay out of sight by staying northwest of the city. However, hiding an army was not a lasting task. If the changelings didn't return with news soon, they would be seen before they could even attack.

"Where are they?!" Ferindher grew impatient. If Chrysalis, and her minions were the cause of his failure, he might just consider ending them right there. Chrysalis scowled, she did not know just what Ferindher was capable of.

"They'll be here! Be patient." They sat dormant for several minutes before Chrysalis heard the flapping wings of her children. The changelings descended in front of them, and addressed their queen with incoherant noises.

"They say that Canterlot is presently vulnerable, and that we must act now!" Ferindher turned his head to the Castle, and smiled widely.

"Finally..."

The sun was dropping to the horizon once everyone had gathered back at the library.

"Alright, were all here Twi. Now what?" Applejack began.

"Now we decide how to handle our situation. I believe Ferindher is trying something, since those changelings were here to mislead us."

"Yeah, I talked to one of the guards before I got here, and they said there was no sign of him anywhere around town." Daniel concured.

"What do you think he might be attempting, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"That I don't know, but we have to remain vigilant!"

Elsewhere

Dash soared furiously to stop the guards, and tell them of the changleing's deception. She had been blazing for about five minutes, and expected to catch sight of the platoon at any moment. Soon, she spotted a decently sized group of armored pegasi, not too far off of her path of flight. She yawed to the left, and called out.

"HEY, WAIT! STOP!" Some of the guards took notice, but were under strict orders to assist Ponyville with no distractions. They stayed true, flying even faster than before. Dash circled around, and went into full gear. "HEY, LISTEN TO ME!" One of the guards turned his head as they rocketed towards the town.

"Sorry, miss. Were under strict orders to aid Ponyville in a potential attack, we don't have time to chat!" Dash got right beside them.

"No, you don't understand! Ponyville isn't in danger, the warning was a false alarm!" Some of the other guards chimed in.

"What do you mean 'false alarm'?!"

"Leave it! We cannot just turn back on the word of one mare!" Dash swore under her breath.

"The warning came from changelings disguised as the humans who have been helping us, we believe their working with Ferindher! YOU HAVE TO STOP!" The first pegasus who had spoken to her stopped dead, and squinted at Dash.

"I thought I recognized you." Rainbow cocked her head, confused, and noticed a small scar above the guard's right eye.

"Your that one guy who thought Kelly and Daniel were untrustworthy."

"And your friends with those exact humans." Plexis shot back. The other guards slowed, and called behind them.

"PLEXIS, what in tartarus are you doing?! We need to go, NOW!" The bitter guard ignored them, and stared the cyan pegasus down.

"Those two traitors gave us false information. I knew they couldn't be trusted!" Dash sneered.

"What do you have hay growing out of your ears?! I said they were changelings disguised as them!" Plexis scoffed.

"Plexis! Ponyville is in DANGER!" Still he ignored his fellow guards.

"I wouldn't be surprised if those two are working with the changelings!" Dash couldn't believe her ears.

"You're INSANE! Whatever you have against my friends, you need to let it go, and all of you need to head back!" Some of the guards had hovered back to the two, fuming.

"PLEXIS! WE NEED TO LEAVE! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Finally, Plexis turned back around, and was ready to press on to Ponyville. He turned to give one last glance at Dash, but as he did, he noticed something near Canterlot. He visibly focused, and Dash turned to see what he saw. The commander barked another order. "Dammit, Plex...is." He saw it as well. Soon everyone was gawking at what seemed to be a growing dark blob covering part of the capitol. As they watched they could see the mass break up into smaller segments.

"Changelings..." Dash uttered.

"Maybe we should head to Canterlot! If the danger isn't here in Ponyville, then it could be there instead!" Pinkie understood the sincerity of what was happening.

"It would also be a good idea to get ahold of the elements." Fluttershy added.

"Daniel, and I can stay here, and keep an eye on things while your gone." Kelly offered.

"Daniel, can y'all help Big Mac make sure Granny, n' Applebloom are safe?" Daniel summoned his weapon.

"Of course."

"Wait, what about Scootaloo?" Fluttershy spoke up, remembering the last time the orange filly was left alone.

"Her, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle have a clubhouse don't they? I bet she could be there. I'll go see if I can find her, and take her to the farm." Kelly responded.

"Sweetie Belle is out of town with mother, and father, so she should be safe."

"Alright, Kelly, and Daniel have jobs to do, the rest of us will wait until Rainbow Dash returns. Fluttershy, I'll need you and Rainbow to pull a charriot for the rest of us, so we can get to Canterlot quicker. The guards should have one we can use."

"Got it." Daniel hastily made his way to the farm, while Kelly followed, ready to seperate to get to the clubhouse. Lyra waved to them as they made their way through the park.

"Hey, guys! What's going on, I heard Ponyville was in some kind of danger!" They both stopped, but Kelly prompted Daniel to go on ahead.

"Were on our way make sure the Apple family is safe, and to find Scootaloo." Lyra noticed Kelly was clutching his sword tightly.

"D-did something happen?" Worry was in her voice. Kelly turned to leave.

"No...not yet. Be on the lookout for anything, and be safe."

"Okay..." She replied as he took off again.

Rainbow had done what she was sent to do, but never had she expected for the changelings to return. Her heart beat a mile a minute in her chest as she neared Ponyville. The others would need to know about this. She slowed her descent as she came upon the library, but a quick glimpse inside confirmed no one was there. She continued combing the roads until she found her friends talking to the guards stationed in Ponyville.

"Are you sure you'll be able to pull it?" Twilight was getting frantic.

"Yes, yes, but we need to hurry, Canterlot is under attack!" Dash swooped down to join them.

"Guys, I'm back!"

"Oh, good, now we can go!" Rainbow bolted up to Twilight.

"Twilight, the guards are on their way back to Canterlot, but the city is under attack!"

"I know, we saw once we got out here." Spike had come with them, and belched loudly as yet another letter came into view. He removed the seal.

"The letter just tells us what we already know." Twilight teleported on top of the charriot.

"Then we need to leave! Rainbow, you and Fluttershy-"

"Wait!" Spike interrupted. "It's not just changelings...Ferindher is there too." Multiple gasps ensued, and everyone stood in shock from the news. Twilight closed her eyes, and took a moment to think.

"Okay..." she sighed. "New plan. Daniel, and Kelly are coming with us." Applejack stepped forward.

"But what about Applebloom, n' them?!"

"If Ferindher is in Canterlot, then he's dangerously close to his source of power. If he gains it back...I don't even want to think of the possibilities." Applejack hesitated, but nodded in agreement. "I'll teleport to the farm to get them, everypony else, get ready to leave." Twilight charged her magic for the distant jump. She felt her body being pulled through nothingness, and could feel her mass return as she opened her eyes in front of AJ's house.

"Twilight?" Daniel pondered. "What are you doing here?" She shook her head from the spell.

"Is the Apple family okay?"

"They're inside." He pointed at the house.

"Where's Kelly?"

"Here I am!" Twilight turned to see Kelly coming out of the orchard holding Scootaloo. He was out of breath by the time he got to the house. "Okay, Scootaloo, just head inside and stick close to the Apple family, alright?"

"mm hm." She trotted inside, and closed the door.

"Twilight, what's going on?" Kelly asked.

"You both need to come with us!" They looked at each other.

"To Canterlot?"

"Yes, Ferindher is there, with the changelings!" The boys squinted to see that the mountainside city was indeed swarmed by a black bog. "Stand next to me."

"Huh?"

"Just do it!" The boys jogged to stand by her, and watched as her horn illuminated brightly. Twilight had to put everything she had into this one. Going all the way from the town to the farm was one thing, but going back with two others took alot more concentration. After almost half a minute of preperation, the unicorn, and the human appeared back at the carriage. Twilight fell over from exhaustion.

"Twilight, are you okay?!" Kelly kneeled down. She shakily stood back up.

"I'm fine...is everypony ready to go?"

"We'll be pulling the charriot." One of the guards spoke.

"Whatever, as long as we get there." Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, and the humans climbed onto the aerial wagon. Spike followed them, but Twilight intervened.

"No way, Spike. This is way too dangerous for you to come along." Spike's anger quickly grew.

"No, Twilight! If there's even a chance I can help, then I'm coming too!"

"But your just a baby dragon!"

"And I always will be if you keep TREATING me like one!" Spike was persistant in his case, and time was running out. Twilight tried to see things from his perpective. "I'm tired of always being left behind!" Twilight sighed in defeat.

"...Okay..." Spike began to climb onto the charriot as Twilight put her hoof on his shoulder. "...But don't make me regret this." Spike's brows lowered.

"I won't."

The mayhem that covered the streets could be seen clearly as the charriot neared the capitol. Changelings, soldiers, and raging shadow monsters know as behemoths barreld through the cities defenses. Dash, and Fluttershy flew alongside the wagon. Fluttershy broke into tears from seeing the ponies and guards that were injured below.

"By Luna..." One of the guards muttered. Twilight hollered from the charriot.

"You need to get us to the castle! Ferindher will be making his way there!" 'If he isn't there already.' She silently added.

"You got it, Miss Sparkle!" The guards charged for the stairs to the main hall, but were hindered by a swarm of changelings who had spotted them. "Look out, here they come!" A few zipped by, laughing, while the others slammed into the guards; cutting them with their jagged horns, and causing them to lose altitude. The pegasi tried to buck a few that passed by, but the encumberment of the wagon made it difficult to manuever. "We can't hold all of them off!" The boys slowly stood to get their balance, and grabbed the sides of the wagon with one hand, while clutching their swords with the others.

"Ready?" Kelly called.

"Yep!" Daniel responded. The swarm came in for another blitz, but was met with a little more resistance from the humans. The boys swiped at the attackers as they passed the wagon. Dash turned to chase most of them away. Daniel swung viciously at one of the creatures, tearing it's wing, and grounding it.

"YEAH, take that you little bitch!" Some of the changelings took note of the enemy on top of the carriage, and charged. Reinforcements swarmed them like bees to honey.

"There's too many of'em!" Kelly yelled as he swung his blade wildly, striking one of the little pests every few seconds. Dozens of the creatures forced their weight onto the guards. They flung helplessly trying to rid themselves of the extra weight.

"We can't...keep going!"

"Look, we're almost there!" Pinkie yelled, while she loaded her party cannon for battle.

"We're going down! Hang on!" The humans dispelled their weapons, and crouched to get a better hold on the charriot. Kelly held onto Pinkie, and Rarity, while Daniel clutched Twilight, Applejack, and Spike; both making sure no one was ejected before they hit the ground. They braced as the wagon smashed into the gravel, splintering the wheels, and lopsiding the ride. Kelly lost hold of the wagon, and fell off the side along with Rarity, and Pinkie. Daniel lost his grip, but slid off of the back along with everyone he tried to shield from the impact. Dust exploded from the wreckage as it continued to skid, and flip. The guards had unfastened themselves just in time to not be caught in it. Everyone groaned from the sudden stop, but eventually picked themselves up.

"Oh my goodness, is everypony okay?!" Fluttershy landed, running to check on her friends. Daniel stood, rubbing the back of his head. Kelly put preassure on his ribs, while attending to his friends. If it hadn't have been for the Princess' spell, he probably would have been dealing with some fractures. Rainbow had finished clearing the area above them, and landed to join them.

"Is anypony seriously injured?!" Dash called.

"I don't think so!" Fluttershy answered doing a swift analysis. Twilight stood, and looked to the castle. The stairway entrance was just a bit further down the road.

"C'mon, we have to keep moving!" The guards who had brought them here approached them. They all took notice of the changelings closing in on them. Kelly and Daniel brought their weapons back once they saw several shadow soldiers approaching as well.

"We'll hold them off while the rest of you get to the castle!" One of the guards barked.

"Are you sure?!" Daniel asked. The guard smiled.

"There's four of us, it's hardly fair...for them."

"Alrighty then, let's get goin'!" Applejack called as she booked it for the steps. The rest of the group followed as the sounds of battle could be heard behind them, followed by the sound of pursuing enemies. Twilight twirled around to fire off a force spell. The spell halted several changelings, but had a lesser effect on the shadows. One changeling was able to slip by, and get a hold of Rarity.

"AHH! Lemme go you vile beast!" Spike huffed as he let out an audible yell, accompanied by a liberal flame; scorching the attacker. Rarity nodded her thanks, and they pressed on. As soon as they neared the steps, a massive wall of changelings blocked their path, and hissed in delight. The group looked to see several armed shadows boxing them in from behind. The elements plus Spike took a fighting stance to the changelings, while Daniel, and Kelly raised their swords to the shadows. Slowly, the enemies crept until the humans, and ponies were back to back.

"We are getting into that castle." Spike taunted. The changelings giggled.

"Laughable." One of the shadows retorted.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this." Kelly scowled, ready to put an end to the shadow's tormenting ways. Another soldier chuckled. A third one lunged, as Daniel caught his blade. They locked strength, until Daniel overpowered it, knocking it back, and heavily kicking a second attacker. Kelly shifted backwards dogding a horizontal swipe before he countered with an attack of his own, locking them in a power struggle of their own. The ponies had better standings with their fight considering there were more of them. Not to mention the changelings weren't able to mimick them since it would be too much confusion for the shadows. Dash had no trouble clearing out the pony imposters until one of the shadows caught her wing.

"ARRGH!" Rainbow landed hard, but quickly stood to face the assailant. She waited for him to swing before rolling out of the way, and bucking at his legs. The shadow moved around her attack, and grabbed her other wing. Dash flapped furiously, but couldn't loosen his grip, as he raised his sword. Daniel saw what was happening, and used one hand to lower the closest shadow's weapon, followed by a swift punch to the face. Free of the fiend, he charged the soldier.

"NOOO!" He shouted right before burying his weapon in the soldier's back. The dark being gurgled in pain, and dropped his own weapon. Daniel removed his blade, as sleek black liquid stained the metal of his tool. The shadow fell with a thud. Dash shook her wing free of the pain, and looked at Daniel with grateful, but cautious eyes.

"Thanks..." Daniel nodded, and returned to the fray. Spike, along with Twilight's help, used her magic mixed with his fire to make a fiery projectile that effected changeling and shadow alike. Kelly thrashed about until he reached behind him and flung the changeling that had attached itself to his back. He then ducked under a deadly swipe, and came up to guard his side from the same attacker. With it's sword away from it's body, Kelly drove his knee into the soldier's gut, and finished it with a slice of it's neck. Black ooze ran down it's cloak. while some of it sprayed onto Kelly's shirt. The creature fell to it's knees, and dropped to the side. However, it seemed like for each shadow the humans injured or killed, three more showed up. Changelings retreated only to call for more to come. The best thing they had to be thankful for was that none of the larger shadows had joined in yet.

Daniel held off a shadow and a changeling, while another foe put a gash in his midsection, making him stumble back. The elements were pushing for the stairs with everything they had, but their efforts became even more useless as changelings poured in. Dash had sustained a minor wing injury, Fluttershy had done her best to stay clear of anyone, but had a small cut on her foreleg. Pinkie had attracted alot of attention with her cannon, and bore several bruises. Kelly had swung too early at several shadows, and couldn't recoil in time until he took a deep cut to his left arm. The group was quickly running out of room, and slowly being overrun.

"Twilight, can't you teleport us?!" Kelly shouted as he used his sword as a barricade.

"No, not all of us...I...I'm too weak!"

"What the fuck do we do?!" Daniel screamed in anger. But as he did so, a bright beam from an unknown source swept away most of the shadows, and changelings. A second beam differently colored took care of the rest. The group turned to see two Unicorn guards standing in front of the steps. Their own swords levitated next to them.

"Chival!"

"Meta!" The humans exclaimed.

"Glad to see your still alive." Meta said with his unique tone. They didn't have much time to catch up, the shadows and changelings were recovering.

"We have to get to the throne room!" Twilight shouted.

"And you might want to hurry, whatever's left of our defenses in the walls is helping The Princess' stop Ferindher and the changeling queen." Chival spoke.

"C'mon, we need to hurry." Daniel said holding his side.

"We'll hold these little bucks off while the rest of you stop them." Meta grinned.

"Will you be okay?" Kelly asked.

"Don't worry, you did learn from the best after all."

"Now GO!" Chival ordered. The group made haste down the corridor towards the main hall, while Chival Glow, and Meta Shroud stood ready at the steps. The soldiers and changelings inched forward.

"Been a while since we've seen any real battle...huh, friend?" Chival smiled.

"Yep...much too long." Meta smirked.

"You won't win, Ferindher. Your nothing without that tablet." The shadowy king kneeled in ehxaustion, while several of his followers backed away, injured by the guards that stood by the royal sisters, which included Plexis. Luna was locked in a momentary battle with Chrysalis, until the changeling queen had to back down.

"I...did not...come this far...to be stopped now..." Ferindher breathed. His power was slightly dampened, but he wasn't finished yet. He launched himself into the air as dark magic, and flamed covered his hands. His cape became blood red as he swiped at the sun goddess. Chrysalis took the chance to focus another beam of energy at Luna, but Luna met it with a dark shade of blue magic. Again, the shadows, and guards met in the middle of the room as metal clashed, and echoed off of the walls. The throne room had become a warzone. "I know the tablet is in here somewhere, Celestia! I can feel it's energy!" Rage pulsed through the alicorn.

"You'll perish long before you ever recieve that cursed stone!" Ferindher shouted again as he directed a large ball of black energy at Celestia. Celestia had just recovered from dogding his last assault, and absorbed a fragment of the attack.

"TIA!" Luna cried.

"I'm okay, sister!" In Luna's distraction, Chrysalis charged, and knocked her from her stand next to the throne. Luna picked herself up, and angrily hovered into the air. Her eyes glowed brightly, and her shouts drowned out the sound of clanging metal.

"THY SHALL PAY FOR THAT!" The series of battles continued. Ferindher could feel his stored power depleting. To his dismay, he wouldn't be able to regain his tablet through sheer force, Celestia was simply too powerful. One of the guards fell from a mortal wound.

"NOO!" Celestia cried out. Her very being burned with so much hate, it was almost painful to experience. She knocked Ferindher away with a swift force spell, hoping to give herself enough time charge a much more...permanent one. Ferindher took advantage of her emotions, and struck her with a direct attack. Her magic ceased.

"Yesss, let your anger fester, let it guide you." Ferindher laughed, only enraging Celestia further. She stood to attack again, when she spotted her student along with her friends, Spike, and the even the humans, in the doorway behind the Shadow Lord. Her eyes grew wide in fear.

"NO! You all must leave, now!" Ferindher immediately turned to find the six ponies, dragon, and humans, gawking at him. To new eyes, Ferindher was quite intimidating. His cloak covered his entire body, save his hands, and he stood nearly twelve feet tall. He grinned underneath his shrouds.

"So your the little traitors." He hissed, eyeing the humans.

"So your Ferindher." Kelly said in monotone. Ferindher growled. The fighting had stopped upon the group's arrival.

"That's Lord Ferindher to you, cretin."

"Blow it out of your ass." Daniel taunted.

"What does he mean 'traitor'?!" Plexis spoke. Ferindher looked at the pegasus, then to his shadows.

"Sieze them!" He pointed to the group of nine.

"NO, Twilight, GO!" Celestia yelled. The boys took the front with their weapons raised, but as they prepared to skew the soldier's they soon found themselves grasping their heads in pain. Neither could do anything to stop the agony while the soldiers surrounded Twilight, and her friends. There were enough shadows to put a blade to each of their necks.

"NO!" Celestia charged her horn more in anger than for the purpose of a spell. Ferindher wagged his black finger at her.

"Ah ah ah...If you try anything, I give the word." One of the shadows chuckled and touched the cold steel to her student's neck. Hopeless to do anything, Luna had no choice but to let Chrysalis subdue her.

"Ferindher, leave them out of this." Celestia pleaded. Ferindher just snickered, and maintained control over the human's minds.

"Would you like to know why these two are traitors, little pony." He addressed Plexis. "Because I brought them here." He reached into his cloak to reveal the other half of the shard that resembled the one Celestia's subjects had discovered not too long before. "I brought them here to aid in my quest for my tablet. I thought they had potential to serve me. Instead, they helped you wretched creatures!" Both humans were still paralyzed with pain, but managed to voice their thoughts.

"YOU?! Your the reason were here?!" Daniel shouted.

"That shard IS what brought us here." Kelly added. Ferindher paced.

"I was hoping you were as feral as the book had described, but now that I get a good long look at you, you don't seem the least bit threatening." Twilight remembered what the book had said about needing both crystals for the desired spell. 'That explains why Ferindher didn't get the humans he wanted!' She thought to herself.

"Tell me Celestia, do you even care for these primitive wastes of life?"

"FUCK YOU!" Both boys shouted. Celestia stayed quiet. She didn't want to make it seem as though she didn't care enough to say so, but she shuddered at the thought of what Ferindher might do to them if she said yes.

"I see, then I suppose they're of no use to either of us." Ferindher clenched his fists, and the humans screamed in pain.

"What arst thou doing to them?!" Luna cried.

"Bringing their psyches to the darkness." The ponies could only watch as Ferindher delved into their thoughts; a painful intrusion for the humans. "Your name...Kelly...what a senseless name..." Ferindher approached him. "Interesting, it seems you hide a deep longing for the one named...Fluttershy. And for quite some time too."

"That's no secret." Kelly managed to say.

"You've held these feelings for months...and you have no idea how to handle it. Ahh, I see you have the suspicion that she likes you back." 'How is that possible?' the ponies thought. 'They haven't even been here for a single month.'

"Please...stop..." Kelly pleaded, still pushing his temples, trying to get rid of the pain. "Get out of my head, you son of a bitch!" Ferindher grinned.

"You don't want to accept things either way since...she is a pony...intriguing. The fear you hold pleases me, too bad I'm inclined to destroy you both." He turned to Daniel, but held control over both of them. "You have something tucked away as well...Daniel" He channeled his dark magic, as Daniel screamed in agony. "You've kept this one locked away for a little over a week it seems. Your not sure if you should leave this place, or stay when the time comes. You use to believe this should have been Kelly's blessing, and that you should have been left out. Now your not sure...oh...the dreams." Daniel growled, and held his weapon tight. What Ferindher found next concluded his conjecture that the humans knew of this land before their arrival.

"You know of this place...both of you...even before I had summoned you here. You had wanted to see this place before, and meet all of these pitiful ponies." He pointed to Kelly. All of the ponies looked at them in curiosity, and deliberation now that they had been found out. Plexis in the worst of ways, had found out what the humans had been hiding.

"I knew they couldn't be trusted!" He snarled.

"Kelly...Daniel...what is he talking about?" Fluttershy asked somewhat fearfully.

"Boys...is this true?" Rarity added hesitantly. The humans looked at them with woeful eyes, unable to find a way to explain themselves.

"It won't matter much longer anyway. Even if you had served your purpose, I no longer need either of you. However, before I kill you, I would like to put on a spectacle for all of your so called friends here."

"Don't you dare hurt them!" Celestia was just as eager to find why they had been hiding something as significant as this, but even so, they had helped her and her subjects before, and wasn't ready to stand by and watch her nemesis toy with them.

"Oh no worries, Princess. I won't be doing anything to hurt them. They'll be doing that themselves."

"NO!" Twilight was just about to intervene when the soldier over her snarled a warning.

"If I see even one spark from that horn..." The others chuckled.

"This is going to be fun."

"I wonder if they'll stick each other at the same time."

"You're all sick." Spike whispered. Ferindher came even closer to the still struggling humans. He hovered each hand over them.

"Let all the fear...uncertainty...all of the pain...let is grow...let it fester. Your apprehension of your feelings...your indecision of your true home...let is take you...embrace it." The boys fought his influence, but he had shown them for what they knew, and had exposed all of their reverences, and ambivalence. All of these emotions were what Ferindher needed to indoctrinate them. Kelly took hold of his sword, and tried to advance on the shadow king, but Ferindher's power over him would not allow him to. Instead he turned to his friend, and raised his blade. Daniel shouted in defiance, and got closer to the tyrant than his friend had, but after a short struggle, he was soon facing Kelly in a fighting stance.

"I'll even motivate you further. The prize for the victor is the honor of dying by my hand." Ferindher chuckled.

"Daniel! I...I can't move!" Kelly shifted, but his body wouldn't respond.

"I can't either!" They moved closer, forced to fight to the death.

"Don't make them do this!" Rainbow cried.

"Why not, my dear? It's all in good fun." Ferindher smiled. He raised his hand once more. "You...may begin..." Both Kelly and Daniel could feel their final strands of free will sapped away by darkness, as they lunged at each other.

Applebloom sat on the porch next to her brother, while Scootaloo was helping Granny Smith in the house. She looked on at Canterlot, and noticed the black haze had died down some. The setting sun painted the horizon a warm orange. Applebloom turned to her brother.

"Is Applejack gonna be okay, big brother?" Big Mac looked away from the city, and smiled to his filly sister. She returned the smile with a scared frown. He brought her closer.

"Your big sis is a tough one. I have no doubt she, and her friends will stop whatevers happening. I have faith in her." Applebloom then smiled back.

"Yeah...ah have faith too."

"That's good, lil sis...that's good."

Daniel winced as Kelly caught him on the leg, and returned it with a bash from the pommel of his weapon. Both boys were trading blows, and becoming weaker.

"Ferindher! STOP THIS!" Luna cried.

"Do not fret, it shouldn't be much longer." They locked swords again, as Daniel gained some ground on his friend. Kelly let Daniel press his weight forward before shifting back, and kicking his friend off balance. Daniel fell forward, while Kelly regained his footing.

"I'm sorry! This...isn't me doing this!" Daniel stood.

"I know! I'm trying to fight it too!" Daniel rushed him, and Kelly blocked his front, but Daniel wasn't prepared to strike, instead, he rotated his weapon around Kelly's and disarmed him. He then brought his knee up, but Kelly was just barely able to step back from it. Daniel took a mad swing at his friend. Kelly, having no way to block; manuevered aroung his swipe, and clutched his friend's arm while kicking his sword out of his grasp. They stood hand to hand. Ferindher could feel his stored power quickly slipping away. He had to end this now.

"Enough...this is taking too long!" He silently commanded them to stop, and released them from his phychic hold. The humans stumbled, bloody and tired from fighting. "Even under my command, you manage to dissapoint me."

"Gladly." Kelly spat. Ferindher glided over to them, and wasted no time in hoisting them into the air by their necks.

"NO!" The ponies cried, thinking Ferindher was ready to kill them then and there. Instead he held them, slightly choking them. The humans kicked their feet, and grabbed the tyrants bony wrists, trying to give themselves leverage.

"I'm through playing games. Give me the tablet!"

"Never." Celestia scowled. Ferindher sighed impatiently.

"If you don't hand it over, these humans aren't the only ones who will be dying because of your stubbornness." The sisters watched as the soldier's brought their blades even closer to the element's throats. One of them grabbed Spike from the group, and held him in the air. Celestia glared at the tyarant.

"You will pay for this..."

"No, I believe your the one who will be paying, my dear. The tablet, or your precious subjects?" As he spoke, slithering black smoke crawled along his arms, and into Daniel and Kelly. He was ready to finish them much like he had done to Serk. The boys could feel the darkness pusle through their bodies. It made every movement they made a chore, as they screamed in pain once again. They felt themselves slipping away, succumbing to the black nothingness. It was a feeling worse than drowning. Ferindher eyed Celestia with anticipation.

"Well, sovereign of the sun...it seems you have a chioce to make..."

.................I swear I never intended for this chapter to be that long. I anticipated maybe 7,000 words...HA!