The Legend of Spike: Dragon Quest

Chapters

Ponyville at Dawn
The Afternoon Before it Happened
The Night that Hawk's Nest Fell
The Refugees
Arrival of the Dragons
Enter the Dragon King
Preparations
Interview with the Dragon
Sidequests and Setbacks
A Night of Treachery
Rarity's Discovery
The Flute and the Harp
Rescuing Rarity
Fillydelphia
The Truth
The Trotan Dragon
The Dragon Graveyard
Between Father and Son
Attack on Ponyville
The Sea Cave
Return to Charlock
Gremlins in the Castle
The Final Offering
The Pantheon of Evil Spirits
A Grandfather's Gift

Ponyville at Dawn

Spike awoke to the sound of dresser drawers being opened and closed. The sleepy dragon cracked open a green eye and looked about his bedchamber. When he looked to his side, he discovered that his wife was absent. He then looked to the window to see the rays of the morning sun just barely peeking over the rooftops of Ponyville. The purple dragon groaned, annoyed that he had to wake up so early, but he knew that today was an important day.

With a yawn, the dragon raised himself up from his extra large bed and stretched his limbs, his joints popping. After arching his back like an overgrown cat, Spike spreaded his leathery, green wings before making the bed. In order to accommodate his large frame, the bed was the size of a pool. Spike didn’t really care for the extra frilly bedspread or the excess of decorate pillows. Seriously, what’s the point of a pillow if you’re not allowed to use it?

After making the bed, Spike left the bedroom and headed down the hall to his daughter’s room, where he would certainly find Rarity helping Amethyst pack for her trip. The main hallway of Carousel Boutique, along with the rest of the building, had been renovated many times due to Spike’s increasing size over the years. When he and Twilight Sparkle first arrived in the small town, he was no larger than a foal. But now, he was young adult dragon and was over forty feet long. Princess Celestia herself only came up to his shoulder. The clothing store was now one of the largest buildings in Ponyville, rivaling town hall and Twilight’s crystalline tree castle in size. The residents of the town have nicknamed the purple and pink building with gold trimming “Carousel Palace.”

When Spike came to Amethyst’s room, he snaked his large head through the pony-sized door. Though the hallways, the master bedroom, and the other important rooms were large enough for Spike to navigate, others were still too small for him. With his head and long neck in the door frame, Spike spotted the two most important ladies in his life organizing suitcases on the bed. Rarity, Spike’s wife, was an alabaster Unicorn mare with sapphire blue eyes and violet mane. Her cutie mark was three baby blue diamonds and she wore red horn rimmed glasses. Spike grinned to himself as he admired his wife’s beauty.Years had passed and she still looked as pristine and flawless as the day he had first laid eyes on her. Her stunning appearance was the envy of mares half her age. The only thing that showed her age was the large silver streak in her mane and tail. However, Twilight Sparkle speculates that this feature was a lingering side effect from the time she was possessed by the Nightmare Forces.

Their daughter, Amethyst Opal Jade, was an unique creature. She was a Kirin, a hybrid of a dragon and a pony. She was pony in shape, but had draconic traits. She had a purple mane like her mother, but her body was covered in shiny, white scales. Her hind legs were hooved, but her front legs were that of a dragon. Her forehead was adorned with a single horn like a Unicorn, but hers was more rugged and she had a row of rounded purple spines running down her back. Her tail was long and reptilian, but ended in a tuft of hair that matched her mane. Like other ponies, she a had a cutie mark; a small, heart-shaped ruby wreathed by six smaller, round amethysts.

“I did pack the purple kimono?” Amethyst asked urgently as she looked between the set of suitcases.

“No, I did,” Rarity told her daughter. “It’s in the blue case along with the matching jewelry.”

“Oh, good,” she sighed with relief. “Then I believe that’s it. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything.”

“Maybe you should make a checklist,” Spike chuckled, alerting the two to his arrival. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Dad,” the Kirin greeted as she trotted over to place a kiss on Spike’s large, purple-scaled cheek.

“Good morning, darling,” Rarity also said as she too went over to kiss her husband. “I apologize for not waking you earlier, but you looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Spike offered as the ladies resumed the final bag check.

“Not at the moment, but we will need your help carrying the bags to the station in a little bit,” Rarity explained.

“In that case, I’m going to get some breakfast,” Spike said as he pulled his head back out of the doorway.

“I’ve left some gems out on the table for you,” Rarity told him as he exited the room. “But do be quick about it. We have to be there in less than half an hour.”

“Okay.” When Spike went downstairs to the dining room, he discovered a bowl sitting on the table filled with topazes, rubies, and emeralds. Spike licked his lips at the mouth watering spread and plucked a sparkling ruby out of the cluster.

As Spike munched on the gems, he thought about Amethyst’s upcoming trip and couldn’t help feeling proud of her. She would be traveling to Fillydelphia to attend the Draconic New Year Festival held in the city’s Dragon Town district. Many important ponies and dragons would be in attendance, including Spike's friend Dragon Lord Ember, leader of the wild dragons of Equestria. As the daughter of the Dragon Prince of Equestria and the granddaughter of the Princess of Friendship, Amethyst was a member of the Royal Family and a princess herself. Since Amethyst just recently turned eighteen, Princess Celestia thought it would be appropriate for her to oversee the proceedings and welcome Lady Ember as her first official duty as a Princess of Equestria. It was also fitting because, as a Kirin, she was the living symbol of harmony between ponies and dragons, just as the city of Fillydelphia itself.

It a great victory for peace for two very different species such as the equines and the dragons to be able to live together in the same city. One species was a race of gentle, peace loving herbivores while the other were gigantic, firebreathing, treasure hoarding monsters that ate everything, including little ponies. Although dragons have been living in Fillydelphia for almost a century, they weren’t always accepted by the ponies.

As Spike saw for himself when he was still but a baby by dragon standards, the civilized dragons of Dragon Town were subjected to prejudice and discrimination, often being used as scapegoats whenever crimes were committed or accidents happened. It was only when Spike went with Princess Luna to investigate mysterious fires that did the relations between the ponies and dragons begin to improve. While the Fillydelphia Police Department were all too eager to blame the dragons and put them under a curfew, Spike proved their innocence by revealing the true culprit; a fire snail. It also helped the dragon’s public image when they helped to rescue ponies caught in burning buildings that were caused by said snail.

With the civilized dragons’ cleared name and their heroism proven, the relationship between the two cultures had greatly improved over the past quarter century. This festival was not only an important dragon holiday, but the realization of a dream started a long time ago. It all started centuries ago when Princess Celestia made a peace accord with the King of Dragons.

Beware the Dragon King...

These words echoed in Spike’s mind, causing him halt mid bite and look down at the topaz he was about munch on. A melancholy look formed on his face as he studied his reflection in the yellow gem. The words which he had remembered were among the last his late mentor, Aurum the Golden, had said to him before he passed away. Aurum had taught him how to master his abilities as a dragon and had left Spike his enormous wealth of treasure. The most important gift he had given the younger dragon was a magical orb that contained the elder wyrm’s memories. Thousands of years worth of knowledge and experience was contained within the glowing crystal. Spike had once tried to peer into the orb, but quickly got lost in the labyrinth of thoughts.

He had asked his mother, Twilight Sparkle, to have a look at it to see if she could organize the information contained within. Twilight loved studying and cataloging data, so the purple pony princess was more than eager to help her draconic son with the orb. A few weeks had passed and Spike’s half-siblings report that their mother was spending all of her spare time devoted to decoding the orb’s secrets. Well, that and another mysterious project she has been working on. Apparently, she was playing it close to the chest because wouldn’t tell anypony exactly what it was. Anytime someone would ask her what it was, she would say it was just a question she needed to answer and then would quickly change the topic.

Regarding Aurum’s final warning, Spike didn’t need to worry about the Dragon King or any other dragon that would want to claim the deceased dragon’s hoard as their own. The treasure was securely hidden in Aurum’s island lair and the only ones that knew of its location was Spike, his family, and their closest friends. As long as the secret was kept between them, the dragons won’t go looking for it. Even if the dragons discovered that Aurum was dead and had left his treasure to Spike, the peace accord prevented them from invading.

“Spike!” Rarity’s voice called from upstairs, drawing Spike out of his thoughts. “We’re ready to go!”

Spike looked at the topaz one last time before popping it into his mouth and headed to the staircase where he saw Rarity and Amethyst descending with the suitcases suspended above them by their magic. Placing the heavy bags onto Spike’s back, they made their way out the door and headed to Ponyville Station. As they walked, Spike noted the changes to the small town since the time he had moved there from Canterlot. Most of the buildings were still wooden with thatched roofs, but the newer ones were made of bricks. Many of the dirt roads had been paved and the population had grown considerably. The fact that the humble little settlement was the home of the Princess of Friendship and the Elements of Harmony drew ponies to it and boosted its economy. It was no Canterlot or Manehattan, but it was no longer seen as some backwater town filled with hick ponies living in the shadow of the kingdom’s capital.

As Rarity, Spike, and their daughter approached the train station, they saw ponies already boarding the Friendship Express. Standing by the train, there was a group of ponies that were waiting for them to arrive. Recognizing them immediately, Amethyst smiled and ran past her parents to greet her best friends. There was a blue Unicorn mare named Midnight, who was the daughter of Twilight Sparkle. Like her mother, she had a pink stripe in her dark blue mane and tail. Her eyes were yellow and her cutie mark was a crescent moon with a six pointed star. She was Spike’s half-sister, making her Amethyst’s aunt. Spike noticed that their brother, Evening Star, was absent, which didn’t surprise him. Evening Star was the Captain of the EUP and took his responsibilities very seriously. The purple Pegasus was probably running drills with his father, Flash Sentry. Spike also noticed that Twilight wasn’t there either.

Spike frowned with slight concern at his mother’s absence, but then heard the unmistakable laughter that belonged to Pinkie Pie’s crew. Spike’s frown immediately disappeared after hearing the infectious peals of laughter. Sure enough, the dragon spotted the pink party pony bouncing excitedly up and down with her daughter, Surprise. Every time she would bounce up, she would use her wings to flutter back down. Surprise, unlike her Earth Pony parents, was a Pegasus with a cream colored coat and a curly, golden mane. Aside from these differences, Surprise greatly resembled her mother. In fact, Pinkie Pie was still filled with such youthful energy that the two could pass as sisters. Also jumping up and down with them was Pinkie’s husband, Cheese Sandwich.

Standing next to Ponyville’s premier party planning family were Thunderbolt and Posey. Thunderbolt was the son of Rainbow Dash and Soarin and Posey was the daughter of Fluttershy and Big Macintosh. Thunderbolt was gray with a mane that was shades of blue and white and dreamed of being a Wonderbolt like his parents. Posey looked exactly like her mother, except she was an Earth Pony instead of a Pegasus, and her cutie mark were of three pink flowers rather than three pink butterflies. The two had started dating a year ago after the kidnapping incident with the changelings and were quite happy together. Like Midnight, their parents were also noticeably missing.

Coincidently, Surprise was also dating another child of an Element of Harmony, Sour Apple. Spike spotted the large, green Earth Pony over by his mother, Applejack, and his younger sister, Apple Seed. Spike understood that they all wanted to see Amethyst off to her big event, but it was a school day, and Apple Seed should be in school like Pinkie’s other daughter, Cherry Pie. But then he noticed their rather grim expressions.

“Oooh! I’m so excited for you!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, distracting Spike.

“Yeah! You get to organize an entire festival!” Surprise added cheerfully, waving her fore legs to emphasis her point. “I’m so jealous!”

“Calm down, Surprise,” Amethyst laughed. “I’m not organizing anything. Auntie Celestia just wants me to smile, wave, and say a few words. You know, princessy stuff.”

“Yeah, but you are going to be the one running the show,” Thunderbolt pointed out.

“It’s going to be up to you to make sure that everything is perfect,” Surprise continued, her voice getting louder with each excited word. “The union between two culture hangs in the balance!”

“The result of this festival will determine if the hard earned peace between dragons and ponies will be maintained,” Pinkie said, joining in with her daughter’s rant, the two alternating in speaking. “If anything goes wrong, then centuries worth of progress will be undone…”

“...and dragons and ponies will be at odds once more…”

“...and the harmony will be undone…”

“...creating chaos, anarchy, and civil unrest…”

“...resulting in riots and eventually open war in the streets that will cost many lives…”

“And it will all be your fault!” Pinkie and Surprise shouted together, leaving Amethyst visibly shaken after the torrent of words.

“Pinkie! Surprise! Enough! You’re frightening her!” Rarity scolded before turning to her daughter, running a reassuring hoof through her mane. “Don’t worry, dear. Everything will be fine.”

“What they just said is highly improbable,” Midnight told Amethyst, narrowing her eyes at Pinkie and Surprise, who smiled back sheepishly. “An extremely unlikely worst case scenario at best. Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will go fine. Just remember, we’ll be there too. Just try to enjoy your few days of sightseeing before the festival. There is so much to see in Fillydelphia: the Harmony Bell, Fillydelphia Zoo, the Museum of Art! Ooh, the list goes go on!”

“And you’ll be staying with an old friend of mine, Mina,” Spike told his daughter. “She’ll take good care of you.”

“And we’ll all arrive in time to be with you for the festival,” Rarity added.

“Thanks. I know this will be a great time,” Amethyst said with a smile, her confidence restored. She then looked over to Thunderbolt and Posey and asked, “Hey, where are your folks?”

“Mine are at headquarters,” Thunderbolt explained. “The other day, they said something big was going to happen within the Wonderbolts and they had to be there this morning.”

“Is Spitfire finally going to retire?” Surprise asked.

“I don’t know,” Thunderbolt replied with a shake of his head. “I mean, there’s not that many of Spitfire’s original lineup left. They did say they’ll have something important to tell me when they get home.”

“And my parents...” Posey began to say, but then hesitated and then looked at her hooves with a downcast expression. “...Well. My mother had another doctor’s appointment this morning.”

“Oh, dear,” Rarity gasped. “Is it… that again?”

“I think so,” Posey said gloomily. “What else could it be?”

“I’m sure everything will be okay,” Thunderbolt reassured his marefriend, placing a comforting wing across her shoulders. Posey gave a small, sad smile, but didn’t say anything else on the matter.

Seeking to change the subject, Rarity looked about and noticed that Applejack was wearing saddlebags, in which were three tickets. “Applejack, will you, Sour, and Apple Seed be accompanying Amethyst to Fillydelphia?”

“No,” Applejack told her friend. The farm pony cast a glance to her children, who looked back at her with apprehension. “We’re headed for Manehattan.”

“Manehattan? To visit Babs or the Oranges?”

“Ah wish,” Sour Apple muttered unhappily.

“No,” Applejack said again before pulling a letter from her bag and passed it to Rarity, who took it in her blue magic and read the piece of parchment. As she did so, Spike and Amethyst peeked over her shoulder to see what it was for themselves. Their eyes widen with disbelief as they went over the contents of the letter, the other ponies growing silent for they already knew what the message said. Even Pinkie and Surprise quieted down as they knew it was no laughing matter.

“Am I reading this correctly?” Rarity asked incredulously. There was a sudden burst of smoke, causing the ponies to cough. Rarity fanned the black cloud away and looked to her husband, who was literally fuming with anger. “Spike, please, control yourself.” Looking back to the orange farm pony, Rarity continued. “How can this happen? How could he be free?”

“Didn’t he get twenty years?” Spike growled, more angry black smoke rising from his nostrils. Applejack didn’t respond immediately, but placed the letter back in her pack instead. “How long has he been out?”

“Two weeks,” Applejack told everypony.

“I can’t believe Princess Celestia didn’t say anything to us,” Rarity exclaimed. “We should have been informed about something as important as this.”

“She told me,” Applejack informed them, maintaining a tone of restrained rage. Everypony looked at her in disbelief, shocked that the Element of Honesty would have kept something of this magnitude a secret.

“Good heavens, Applejack! Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Ah was gonna, but Ah had to figure out how Ah was gonna tell mah youngins first. But then,” she paused to pull another letter out of her bag. “Ah recieved this in the mail yesterday. It’s from him sayin’ that he wanted to see the three of us.”

“You can’t be serious. After what he did, you’re actually agreeing to see him again?”

“He says he’s changed. He wants to see the daughter he’s never met.”

“And you believe him?” Rarity asked, gawking at her friend.

“Of course not!” Applejack vehemently denied. “Princess Celestia even offered to make a life long restrainin’ order preventin’ him from ever seein’ me or mah children ever again!” Her expression then softened and she exhaled. “But you know her. She wants me to at least to agree to see him one last time and talk things over to see if he really has changed before Ah make a decision. She says if that he has, he should have some visitation rights.”

“I don’t like it,” Spike growled.

“Ah don’t like it either, but Ah guess the Princess is right. Ponies can change. Discord is proof enough for that.”

Rarity looked over to Sour Apple and Apple Seed and asked, “And what about them?”

“He wants to see them both, but Princess Celestia said that only Ah have to meet with him.” Applejack looked to her children and smiled sadly at them. “Ah told them not to come, but they insisted that they be there for me.” Applejack smirked and tussled Apple Seed’s brown mane. “Stubborn like their mother.”

“The apples don’t fall far from the tree,” Pinkie Pie quipped, earned a giggle from everypony.

“All aboard!” called the voice of the conductor.

“Ah guess we better be gettin’ on. Right, Amethyst?” Applejack said to the Kirin.

“At least I’ll have company on the way to Fillydelphia.” Amethyst smiled as she and the Apple Family boarded the train. After taking their seats, she opened the window and waved. “I’ll see you all in a few days!”

“Have a good time with Mina!” Rarity called to her daughter as the train came to life with a loud hiss of steam. There was a rumble and the pistons and rods came to life, the wheels of the train beginning to rotate.

“We’ll see you at the festival!” Surprise shouted as the train began to pull away from the station. The collection of friends waved as they watched the train head over the hills, disappearing over the horizon with a cloud of steam trailing behind it.

As Spike walked down the stairs of the platform with the others, he turned to Midnight and asked, “Hey, Midnight. Where’s Mom? I thought she would be here for sure. Ya know, this being Amethyst's first princess duty and all.”

“When I woke up this morning, she was already headed out the door,” Midnight explained. “I asked her where she was going, and she said that she had something ‘crucially important’ to discuss with the other princesses.”

“Any idea on what could it be?” Spike asked, somewhat concerned about Twilight’s reported behavior. Being raised by the studious mare, Spike knew that there was no stopping her when she was in full blown obsession mode.

“I’m not sure,” Midnight said with a shrug. “It has to be her mystery project. She was carrying all of her notes in her saddle bag when she left. Maybe now she’ll let us in on what it is when she gets back.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Hey, Midnight!” The siblings turned to see Surprise standing with Thunderbolt and Posey. “We hadn’t have breakfast yet. Wanna join us?”

“I’ve already ate, but I’ll join you anyway,” Midnight said back to the cream colored Pegasus. Before leaving with her friends, Midnight turned back to Spike. “Oh, before I forget, I have a message for you. Last night, Mom finished working on the orb. She said you can swing by the castle and pick it up.”

“Okay. Thanks, Midnight.” After parting ways with their friends, Spike and Rarity headed towards Twilight Sparkle’s Castle. The purple and gold palace rested within the branches of a blue, crystalline tree that was created by the Tree of Harmony, the source of all harmony in Equestria. When the castle first appeared, there had been some debate on what to call it. It was eventually given some gaudy name like “Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle,” then later changed to the "Castle of Friendship," but most just called it “Twilight’s Castle.”

Opening the large, double doors, the dragon and the Unicorn entered the castle, the only other building than their own home that Spike could actually fit inside. As they made their way to Twilight’s study, they walked down the blue tiled floors of the halls. On the purple and blue walls were depictions of trees, waterfalls, and other nature scenes. The high vaulted ceilings were supported by pillars that were covered with glowing crystals of many colors that illuminated the halls. The windows and doors were made of green crystal and were framed with gold and bronze. Though the castle was certainly befitting the Princess of Friendship, it didn’t exactly fit Twilight Sparkle at first, but with the help of her friends, she was able to make the castle a home over the years.

Entering through another set of doors, they came upon a room filled with bookshelves and tables cluttered with notes and laboratory equipment. Out of all the rooms in the castle, this one fitted Twilight the most. From their original home in Canterlot to Golden Oak Library in Ponyville, Twilight was always the happiest when she was surrounded by books.

Resting on the table before them was the very orb that Spike saught. It was the size of a large beach volleyball and the crystal ball glowed with a golden light that radiated from within. As he walked up to it, a feeling of reverence and respect overcame him. This was his former master’s most precious gift and it contained a priceless treasure: knowledge. Taking the orb into his claw, he could already feel the magic surging from within. Deciding to see for himself the results of Twilight’s work, Spike closed his eyes and concentrated on the orb.

Within his own mind, Spike was transported to another world. All he could see was a golden light. When he had first tried to access Aurum’s memories, Spike found himself within a hurricane of sounds and images. When he tried to ask a question, it only worked with limited success. He had asked the orb something simple, like what it knew about gems. At first the words and images came in clear, but soon Spike’s mind was flooded as the facts and tangents that were related, somewhat related, or even barely related just came on coming.

As Spike’s mind adjusted to the light, an image came to view. Spike found himself standing in an all gold version of the library he left his physical body in, except the rows of bookshelves seemed to go on forever. When Twilight used her magic to organize Aurum’s collective thoughts and memories, she had shaped them to resemble something she was intimately familiar with. Growing up in libraries, Spike also felt at home.

Then Spike noticed that he wasn’t alone. Looking down his side, he saw that Rarity was with him. She must have placed her hoof on the orb too, pulling her into the mental world as well. She looked around at first, taking in the sight before looking back up to her husband.

“Quite the sight, isn’t it?” Spike asked.

“Indeed. Very impressive,” Rarity agreed. “I can’t imagine how Twilight managed to make all of this with her magic.”

“It was relatively simple...” a voice responded, causing the couple to look down the golden library and see a desk. “...but very time consuming.” At the desk, a gold-scaled, baby dragon was sitting down in a chair with his claws patiently folded atop of the desk. Spike and Rarity stared at the tiny dragon in amazement and then made their way to the desk. As they got closer, they noticed that the baby dragon resembled a young Spike greatly, aside from his color and he had two bumpy protrusions on his head that were budding horns. The baby dragon waved a claw to the shelves behind him and continued, “I did most of the work. She mostly just made the structure of the library and made me to sort the ‘books.’ After all, who better to categorize the thoughts of Aurum than Aurum himself.”

“A-Aurum?” Spike stammered, his heart leaping. “Are you really Aurum?”

“Yes and no,” the golden dragon said with an apologetic smile, rising from his chair to stand before his guests. “You know as well as I that the real Aurum is… no longer with us. No, Twilight, after making this place took what she knew about Aurum along with memories contained within this seer stone and combined them with her memories of you when you were her number one assistant. Once I was made, she charged me with the task of filling and maintaining this place.”

“So what do we call you?” Rarity asked politely.

“If you wish, you may call me Aurum,” he responded with a curtious bow.

“Oh, he’s so darling!” Rarity cooed, rubbing “Aurum’s” little head. “I’m tempted to take you home with us!”

“That is very kind of you,” the mental construct laughed. “But I am afraid that I am bound to this mental plane.”

“Aaaw. That’s too bad,” Rarity pouted. “But I guess we have the orb, so we can visit you any time we want.”

“Now then, how may I help you?” Little Aurum asked as he sat back down at his desk.

“Well, we were just taking a look and seeing what Twilight did with the orb,” Spike explained.

“I see,” the construct hummed understandingly. “The library is always open. Be sure to come and visit if ever you need help.”

With another flash of golden light, Spike and Rarity found themselves back in Twilight’s castle. After looking around and checking to see if they were really back in the physical world, they headed back to their own home with the orb.

“It was so strange to see Aurum as a baby,” Rarity commented.

“I know. I only knew him as a gigantic, ancient dragon.” With the image of the baby Aurum fresh in his head, Spike started to laugh. “I didn’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing him so small.”

“He was just as cute as you were when you first came to Ponyville,” Rarity giggled, causing Spike to blush with embarrassment as he recalled being a wingless, chubby, infant dragon that still slept in a basket at the foot of Twilight’s bed.

*****

Pacing along the blue and white tiled floor of the throne room in Canterlot Castle, Twilight Sparkle went over the information she and her fellow princesses had discussed. All four of the ruling Alicorns were in attendance. Princess Celestia, the white Princess of the Sun and the senior Princess, sat upon her throne atop of the dias, looking down worriedly at her former pupil. Princess Luna, the navy blue Princess of the Night stood by her sister’s side, their ethereal manes flowing in a magical wind. At the foot the dias, walking up to Twilight, was her sister-in-law, Cadance, the Princess of Love. She placed a hoof adorned with a gilded horseshoe on Twilight’s shoulder, ceasing her pacing.

“Twilight…” Cadance said unsurely. Twilight looked from the floor up to the pink pony princess. After becoming Alicorns, the two had grown taller over the years. Twilight and Cadance were almost as tall as Luna, but were still nowhere near Celestia’s impressive height. However, they both lacked the astral manes of the Diarchs of the Sun and Moon.

“I’m alright, Cadance,” Twilight sighed. She then looked up to Celestia and Luna. “It’s just…”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Luna finished for her.

“Yes.” Twilight once more lowered her head briefly, before turning back to Celestia. “Are you absolutly certain about this?”

Princess Celestia arose from her throne and descended the steps of the dias with Luna, embracing Twilight with her wings along with the other two Alicorns. “No, Twilight. I am not. Luna and I are old, but even we have no experience concerning this matter. We’re not sure how this will affect you or the others, but just know this; everything will be okay.” When Twilight didn’t respond, Celestia continued, “I always knew this was a possibility, but to what extent this will affect each one of you, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“What should I tell them?” Twilight finally quietly said.

“The truth,” Luna urged her.

“But what is that? That we don’t know?”

“They have to know of the possibilities and the ramifications thereof.”

“We can tell them together if you want,” Cadance offered.

“Thank you, but I think it would be better if it was just me,” Twilight declined.

“Very well. We will trust your judgement in this matter,” Celestia conceded. “Just remember that we’re here for all of you.”

The Afternoon Before it Happened

“Grizelda! Time for lunch!”

“Okay, Mommy!”

Gilda the griffon smirked as she watched her young daughter running back towards their home from playing outside with her little friends. She just couldn’t get used to it. She, who was once the toughest, coolest, most hardcore griffon around was now “Mommy.” Looking back at it, it amazed her how life can be unpredictable. One day you can be living in the slums of the ruined Kingdom of Griffonstone and then, out of the blue, two ponies that you had previously deemed as lame could show up and turn things around. By following their example, Gilda led the way to restoring the kingdom back to its former glory through the magic of friendship. More importantly, Gilda was able to reconcile with her first friend, Rainbow Dash.

However, there was still a long way to go to completely rebuild the kingdom. After all, Canterlot wasn’t built in a day. Despite the long road still ahead of the griffons, great progress had been made. The little town that Gilda now resided in was proof enough of that. The town of Hawk’s Nest was located in the mountains of Northeast Equestria, on the border of the Griffon Kingdom. Towns like Hawk’s Nest were built to improve trade between the two nations. Before, the city of Trottingham was the only city of note that had both a substantial pony and griffon population, but now there was a number of new settlements popping up along the northern coast.

Due to the mountainous terrain and the steep cliffs, Hawk’s Nest was more accommodating for flyers. Therefore, the pony half of the population was exclusively Pegasi. The houses were of griffon architecture, complete with perches. Despite being a newer settlement, it had a blossoming population. Over the past twenty-odd years, many foals and fledglings have been born. Even Gilda had been blessed with one of her own.

“Mommy, can my friends stay for lunch?” Grizelda asked, looking up at her mother with her best begging face, opening her yellow eyes as much as she could and sticking out her little beak in a pout complete with a slight quiver. Gilda smirked as she looked down at the adorable faces of the manipulative fledglings and foals.

“Oh, alright. Just be sure to wash your talons and hooves first.” Gilda laughed to herself as the children cheered and ran inside the house. As Grizelda ran to wash up, the hooves on her hind legs clip clopped on the wooden floor. The child was a hippogriff, a cross between a pony and a griffon. Her front half had the brown and white feathers and wings of an eagle, her front legs equipped talons. Her hindquarters was equine, her brown coat matching her feathers and her white tail matching the feathers on her head. Grizelda lacked a cutie mark, not due to inability, but rather her young age. There were a few older hippogriff children and they had received their cutie marks. There was also a local chapter of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in Hawk’s Nest, and Grizelda was a proud member.

With her daughter being a hippogriff, it meant Gilda’s husband was a pony. He was an archeologist by the name of Tenny Field. Tenny had a blond mane and an orange coat, and his cutie mark was of a shovel. Originally, he was from Ponyville and he had a sister who was also an archaeologist, but she had been missing for many years.

Gilda had met Tenny during an excavation in the Abysmal Abyss in hopes of recovering the lost treasures of Griffonstone. He was paired up with Gilda during the dig, and they found that they worked great together. They both had a snarky sense of humor and enjoyed heckling each other as they worked. They made a game of it by taking turns as they insulted each other alphabetically. If one of them repeated a name for a letter twice in a row, the other would win and they would start over.

“Hey, kids! Scones are ready!” Gilda called out as she placed a plate of her famous pastries on the dining room table.

“Oh, boy!” one of the children cheered.

“Thanks, Mrs. G!” another said.

“Thanks, Mommy!” Grizelda cheerfully mumbled with her mouth full of food, crumbs sprinkling out onto her feathers.

“Enjoy.” Gilda left the kids to their meal and went into her husband’s workroom. There she found Tenny amidst all the relics and artifacts he had collected and restored. Currently, he was opening crates from an excavation in Old Trottingham a month ago. “Hey, Zit Butt. Lunch is ready.”

“Thanks, Air for Brains,” the Pegasus replied.

“Aha! My point!” Gilda gloated.

“What? It is not!” he protested.

“Yes it is. You used that one for ‘A’ last time.”

“I did? Oh well, you win this one.”

“So watcha got there?” Gilda asked, nodding to the crate Tenny was currently opening. Tenny showed her by pulling a shining sword from the crate, the reflected light dazzling Gilda with its immaculate beauty. “Oh, wow! Tenny, that’s awesome! Did you restore it back in Trottingham?”

“No, and that’s the amazing thing. I found it like this!” he explained, holding the blade flat in his front hooves. “It was buried under rubble in the old castle along with other old stuff. Judging by the age of the surrounding artifacts and by how much dirt and dust was layered on top of it, it must be centuries old. And judging by the style of the sword, it may even be older. I mean pre-Equestria old; a relic of the Unicorn Kingdom.”

“But that would make it thousands of years old!” Gilda marveled as she studied the blade. The silvery metal was unblemished by rust nor was it tarnished in the slightest. The gold that was set in the fuller and the Alicorn-shaped crossguard looked as though it was polished just that morning. When the light shone on the two rubies set in the center of the crossguard and in the pommel, they glowed as though they were on fire. “There’s no way it could be that old looking like this.”

“And yet it is,” Tenny replied. “But that’s not the strange part. I’ve tried to identify the metal it’s made of, but it isn’t made of any known metal to pony or griffonkind. But here’s the kicker.” He placed the sword on the table and reached back into the crate. “We were testing out the hardness of the blade…” There was a heavy thud as Tenny placed a rugged brick on the table. “...and this happened.”

Gilda inspected the brick and saw that its rough surface was worn from weathering over many years exposed to the elements. However, the brick had been cleaved cleanly in two. Gilda picked up the two pieces, looking back and forth between them and the sword. “It did this?”

“It cut through it like a hot knife through butter, and there is not even a scratch on the blade.”

“An unbreakable sword with gold and rubies. It must be worth a fortune!” Gilda exclaimed at the prospect.

“No kidding. The day we found it, these two Unicorns showed up and started snooping around. They saw the sword and started acting very weird. They offered to trade for it with all sorts of stuff, most of it worthless fakes. When I told them to buzz off, they offered a ton of bits for it, saying that they needed it for their boss, but I knew they were full of it and told them again to beat it. I had a feeling that they were up to no good, so I kept an eye out for them that night. Good thing too, because we caught them sneaking around our camp that night trying to steal the sword. We kicked their butts and chase them off. I didn’t think we’ll be seeing them again anytime soon.”

Placing the two halves of brick back on the table, Gilda thought about the treasure her husband had brought into her home and about the possibilities it could bring.

*****

After saying goodbye to Applejack and her children, Amethyst found herself in the middle of the Fillydelphia train station. She had been told that a dragoness by the name of Mina would be there to greet her, so she looked about the crowded station, but didn’t see any dragons anywhere. If Mina was anything like her father, she shouldn’t have any problem spotting her. An adult dragon should tower over a crowd of ponies.

As her luggage was wheeled out to her on a cart, Amethyst began to think that no one was coming to meet her. Then she heard a feminine voice call out from the crowd, “Princess Amethyst?” The Kirin squinted her eyes and peered once more into the sea of faces. She then saw bipedal figure emerge from the crowd. Amethyst was surprised to see that the voice belonged to a dragon that was no bigger than anypony else. According to her parents, Mina was about their age, but the dragon running up to her looked as though she was still a teenager. Amethyst had also been informed that the civilized dragons were very different from their wild counterparts, but she had never expected this.

“You must be Princess Amethyst. I’m Mina. It’s honor to meet you, Your Highness,” the dragoness greeted the white Kirin with a low bow, nearly prostrating herself on the ground. Mina had mahogany red scales with blue, curved horns and underbelly. Curiously, she had flowing pink locks of hair on top of her head.

“Thank you, but you don’t have to bow. And please, just call me Amethyst,” the Kirin blushed, a little embarrassed by the display. She could see that they were already gaining stares from bystanders, some of them whispering to each other. As both a princess and a Kirin, Amethyst was used to being stared at, but she would rather not cause a scene in the middle of a train station. The last thing she wanted was to be swamped by ponies clambering for a photo op or an autograph.

“Sorry,” Mina apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. “It’s just that you’re a princess and all. Come on, I have a carriage waiting for us.”

Despite Amethyst's protests, Mina insisted on wheeling the cart of bags to the carriage and loading them herself. The driver then pulled the carriage down the road towards Dragon Town. Along the way, Amethyst gazed up at the skyscrapers towering above the busy streets. She had been to Manehattan with her mother for fashion shows, so she had seen skyscrapers before, but they were always impressive to look at. Fillydelphia may not have been as big as Manehattan, but it was still one of the largest cities in Equestria.

After rounding a few turns, Amethyst noticed that the architecture of the buildings had noticeably changed. Instead of metal and concrete high-rises, the buildings in this district were a combination of primitive, rugged, stone buildings and arches and pagodas of Neighponese design. What caught Amethyst's interest was that, instead of ponies, there were dragons walking the streets. Some wore a few articles of clothing, others were shopping in the open market, and mother dragons were wheeling their tiny hatchlings around in strollers. Despite their reptilian appearances, these dragons were just like anypony else, and like Mina, these dragons were far smaller than she expected.

“Um… Mina? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are all the dragons here so… small?” Amethyst asked carefully, as so not to offend her host.

Instead of being of being offend, Mina laughed. “Well, it would be kinda hard to live in the big city if we all were the size of houses.”

“I guess you’re right,” Amethyst chuckled in turn. “But how is every...dragon so small?”

“Magic,” Mina explained with a casual shrug. “Since we didn’t want to live like those barbaric animals, our inherent magic made us smaller.” The only response from Amethyst was a raised brow. Seeing the confusion on her face, Mina elaborated. “A dragon’s magic allows them to change their size depending on their desires. Normally, us dragons only grows larger with age, allowing us to guard our hoards. Immature dragons can grow prematurely into mindless, rampaging beast if they are exposed to greed too soon.”

“That’s happened before to my dad,” Amethyst said. “Luckily, my mom was able to snap him out of it.”

“But all dragons, either through normal growth or greed growth, become large, selfish, hoarding monsters,” Mina snorted with disdain. “It’s them that give us hardworking dragons a bad name. That’s why we’re here; to give up greed and live in peace with the ponies.”

“But my father grows like a normal dragon, but he isn’t wild.”

“Your father is a special case. He managed to harness his inner power without being consumed by it.” A blush formed on Mina’s face, making her burgundy scales even redder. “I really admire him. He’s a hero and prince. He’s helped save Equestria many times, allthewhile being a dragon! He’s dragonkind’s biggest celebrity. Oh, I only wished that I asked for his autograph earlier. Now it would be too weird.”

Amethyst giggled at the older female’s hero worship of her father. Seeing the Kirin laugh made Mina blush harder and then laughed at herself. "And what about Lady Ember?" Amethyst asked. "She's the leader of the wild dragons that live within Equestria, and from what my dad says she's actually quite nice."

"I hope so. If she is anything like Spike says she is, then this festival will surely improve relations between ponies, civilized dragons, and wild dragons," Mina said excitedly.

"And if one of the Dragon Lords becomes friends with Equestria, then maybe the other Dragon Lords around the world will too!" Amethyst added, sharing Mina's optimism. As they dreamed of the future, the carriage came to a stop in front of a comic store.

“Looks like we’re here,” Mina announced as she hopped out onto the sidewalk. After helping Amethyst unload her bags, she paid the stallion pulling the carriage and guided the princess towards the store.

“You run a comic book store?” Amethyst asked, looking at the comic books in the display windows.

“Yeah. I know it’s not much, but…”

“Do you have ‘Flashfire?’” Amethyst asked hopefully.

“Do I? That’s my favorite!”

“And how about ‘Watchponies’ or ‘the Trotting Dead?’”

Mina grinned, and placed an arm around Amethyst’s shoulders. “Kid, I have a feeling that we’re gonna get along just fine.”

*****

Applejack walked down the sidewalk of a less savory neighborhood in the city of Manehattan with her children following closely behind. The orange mare pulled out the letter once more and reread the address. After looking at a street sign, she pressed onward to the dreaded destination. The thought of seeing him didn’t sit well with her, but she knew she had to get it over with. The sooner, the better. Like pullin’ off a bandage.

“The end is nigh!” Applejack let out a startled yelp as a face appeared before her and started ranting. As Applejack backpedaled away, Sour Apple pulled Apple Seed protectively to his side. The family had been stopped by a stallion wearing a white robe along with a contingent of other ponies wearing matching robes. On the front of their vestments was the insignia of a smiling bat. “Equestria will end in flames! Lord Hargon has spoken! The dragons have already unleashed their wrath upon the changelings and Equestria is next! It is a sign from our god, Malroth, who will cleanse the world of the unworthy and his mouthpiece, the High Priest Hargon, shall lead us to a new golden age!”

“Uh… okay,” Applejack said cautiously as she and her children walked around the robed ponies. “We’ll keep that in mind, but we have somewhere to be. Come along, youngins.”

“Sister, won’t you and your children join us?” one of the mares pleadingly asked, blocking Applejack’s path. “The world is going to end and the only way to be saved is by following our Lord Hargon’s teachings. We’re needed to repopulate the land after the cleansing has happened. Please, join us for your children’s sake!”

As the mare leaned closer to Applejack, the farmer held out a firm hoof to hold the impassioned mare back. “Ah appreciate your concern, but Ah can take care of mahself and mah own. Sour Apple. Apple Seed. Hurry along now.”

Waiting until her children had cleared the swarming zealots, Applejack removed her hoof from the mare’s chest and walked backwards away from the cultists to make sure they wouldn’t try to follow them. The robed ponies stood in a row on the sidewalk, staring at the Apples as they hurried away, but didn’t follow. Convinced that they wouldn’t pursue them, Applejack turned and quickly trotted to catch up with her children.

“Who were they, Ma?” a shaken Apple Seed asked as Applejack came to her side.

“Don’t y’all worry none,” Applejack dismissed as she tussled her daughter’s brown mane. “There’s a bunch of ponies in the big city that are nuttier than a squirrel’s supper. Best steer clear of them.”

“Oh, okay Ma.” Apple Seed stuck close to her big brother for the rest of the walk. Since the other day, she had been both excited and terrified to go on this trip. On one hoof, she would get to see the big city. On the other, she might have to see him. She had always been curious to know what he was like or what he even looked like. Her mother had removed most of the pictures of him from the family photo album, but there were a few of him in a group photo that Applejack couldn’t throw away. She had seen these pictures before, but seeing a picture of somepony was different from seeing them in person.

Apple Seed saw that her mother had come to a stop in from of a dingy apartment building. Looking up at the near crumbling building, the filly’s lingering curiosity to meet him were instantly quelled. What kind of a pony would want to live in a place like this? As they entered the lobby, she saw a pair of gruff, older looking stallions sitting in creaky chairs listening to music on an out of tune radio. A pile of dark bottles rested beside them and she could see cockroaches scurrying about on the floor.

Applejack looked at the names penciled in on the mailboxes to confirm that this was the right place before turning to her children, who were gazing around the ramshackle establishment with disgust. “Sour Apple, stay here with Apple Seed. Ah’m going up to see him. Ah shouldn’t be gone for long.” She paused right before she reached the stairs and turned back. “Don’t touch anythin’.”

Taking a deep breath, Applejack ascended the stairs to the second floor. She walked down the hallway, passing numbered doors on her way. The one she was looking for was at the end of the hall. The distance seemed so far, but it felt as though she was being pulled to it far too quickly. Much too soon for her taste, she found herself standing in front of the door with her hoof already in the air, poised to knock. She looked at her raised hoof, it trembling as though she was about to touch something vile. Bracing herself by taking in a breath and closing her eyes, she knocked on the door, the sound echoing throughout the empty hall.

Whether it was only a few seconds or if it was a few hours, Applejack couldn’t tell, but eventually she heard the sounds of hoofsteps on the other side of the door accompanied by the sound of a lock opening. The door creaked open and Applejack came face to face with a stallion. While Sour Apple had inherited his coloring from the late Granny Smith, his younger sister obviously took after this Earth Pony. Apple Seed’s mane was the same color as his and her light orange coat was a mixture of her mother’s and this stallion’s tan coat. The only thing that was certainly Applejack’s was Apple Seed’s green eyes.

“Applejack!” the stallion cheerfully greeted. The mare didn’t share his enthusiasm.

“Hello, Cider Barrel,” she muttered, a deadpan expression frozen on her face.

Cider Barrel looked out in the hallway, looking for somepony. “Where are the kids?”

“Downstairs.”

“Aren’t they coming?”

“Eenope,” Applejack adamantly told him. “Not until you and Ah have a few words, then Ah’ll decide if y’all can see ‘em.”

Cider Barrel scowled and opened his mouth to say something, but clamped it shut again once he realized there was no use in arguing. “Won’t you come in?”

Applejack and Cider Barrel sat in silence across from each other at his small dining room table. While Cider Barrel was carefully going over what he would say in his head, his ex-wife stared directly at him with a semi-glare. Occasionally, her hard gaze would pan to the tiny apartment she found herself in. Amazingly, it was relatively clean compared to the rest of the complex that should have been condemned a long time ago.

“I’m happy that you agreed to meet with me. So… How’s the farm?” Cider Barrel awkwardly tried to break the ice.

“Fine,” she snorted in response.

“And how’s Big Macintosh and Fluttershy?”

“Fine,” Applejack repeated with more force.

“Did Pinkie Pie ever have that second foal?”

“She did.”

“Oh, good. And what was it?”

“Are y’all goin’ to just yammer on or do you plan on gettin’ to the point sometime today?” Applejack impatiently asked, the sudden rise in her voice causing him to flinch.

“Alright. I’ll cut to the chase; I want to be a family again.”

Applejack let out a quick, mirthless laugh and said, “If y’all dried that one out, Ah could use it as fertilizer.”

“I’m telling the truth!” he pleaded his case, but then Cider Barrel shrank back as Applejack slammed her front hooves on the table as she rose to berate him.

“You want to be a family again?” she repeated incredulously. “You never wanted a family in the first place! You said it yourself, or were you so drunk that night that you can’t remember tellin’ me that as you started beatin’ me! The only reason why you married me in the first place was because Ah wouldn’t let you have a ride in my saddle until you did!”

Cider Barrel cringed uncomfortably underneath Applejack’s unrelenting, hateful gaze. Though she was still seething, he mustered up enough courage to speak up. “I’ve changed, I swear! Being in prison gave me time to think, and I’ve realized what was really important to me. Give me another chance, and I’ll prove it.”

“Do you really expect me to take you back after what you did to me and Sour Apple? If it wasn’t for him, you coulda killed me and Apple Seed! You caused me to go into labor prematurely! Sour Apple, an eight year old colt, had to deliver his own sister all by his lonesome! He was practically mute for ten years afterwards! Because of you!”

After venting her righteous anger, Applejack panted until she was no longer fuming, but she remained looming over him with her hooves firmly planted on the table. He waited for her to either say or yell something else at him, but when she didn’t, he continued. “Look, I know that I was a mess. I was an alcoholic, abusive adulterer. I admit that, but I’ve found a new lifestyle and changed my ways. While I was on the inside, these ponies opened my eyes to the way things were. I’ve found religion, AJ.”

“Good for you,” Applejack sarcastically muttered, sitting back down. “And don’t call me ‘AJ.’ But I can’t take you back. Not after what you did.”

“Applejack,” he corrected himself. “I really have changed. I haven’t had a drop since that night, and Lord Hargon been teaching us…”

“Hargon?” Applejack interjected, raising a brow at the name. “You mean you’re with those nuts outside?”

“We are not nuts!” Cider Barrel suddenly exploded with fury. When he saw that Applejack had braced herself and looked ready to fight back, he quickly tried to reel his emotions back in. He may have gotten the better of her that night eleven years ago, but she was heavily pregnant then. If he tried something now, he would learn firsthoof why she is considered one of Ponyville’s top athletes. “Lord Hargon has revealed the truth to us; the world is going to end.”

Applejack rolled her eyes at this claim. She didn’t know who this Hargon guy was, but the world wasn’t going to end anytime soon. As the Bearer of the Element of Honesty, she and her friends would make sure of that. Besides, they had the ponies that controlled the sun and moon on their side. Not only that, but they also had the Spirit of Chaos. He was reliable...ish.

“The rabble may laugh, but the signs are there,” Cider Barrel warned. “The dragons shall rise up against those incompetent princesses and Equestria will be burnt to ash. It’s the final sign! After that, the almighty Malroth will come and cleanse this world of the filth that inhabit it. And from the ashes, a new world arise, and Lord Hargon will lead us to the way of true harmony! And I need you and the kids to be a part of that new world. Lord Hargon says we’ll need to repopulate the world after the great Malroth purges the unworthy, so we need all the mares and foals we can get.”

If Applejack’s brow rose any higher, it would go through the roof of the tiny apartment. She had heard all that she needed to hear and wasn’t in the mood for anymore ramblings about the end of the world. She rose from her seat and headed towards the door, leaving Cider Barrel at the table.

“Applejack? Where are you going?” he asked as he got up and rushed after her. She ignored him and opened the door. “Wait! Applejack! The order needs you and our children!”

Applejack stopped mid step and turned around to face Cider Barrel. “And that’s the problem. You just said the order needs us, not you.”

“Well… uhhh… of course I meant…” he tried to cover, but she wasn’t having any of it.

“This is goodbye, Cider Barrel.”

“Wait! Let me see my daughter! I have a right to see my daughter!” He furiously demanded.

“No, you don’t,” Applejack denied. She marched up to him and looked him in the eye, causing him to step back until she had him pinned against the hallway’s wall. “You and your group are too dangerous to let her be around, or anypony else for that matter. You go on about the end of the world and how the ‘filth’ will be cleansed. Ah assume you’re talkin’ about other ponies, am Ah right? You say that you need us, but it’s only for your doomsday cult’s cause. You don’t really care about us. You’re just pushing some loon’s agenda.”

“How dare you speak of Lord Hargon like that?” Cider Barrel growled. “He knows what’s best for this kingdom, not those useless, pampered sows that currently sit upon the throne.”

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have done more for Equestria and other lands than your Lord Hargon could ever possibly hope to dream of. They have maintained harmony in Equestria and defended its ponies for thousands of years. And with them as mah witnesses, you’ll never come near me or mah children ever again. Ya hear me?”

They locked eyes in a battle of wills, both of them determined to win. Cider Barrel gritted his bared teeth in a snarl, but Applejack didn’t back down. With her green eyes glaring daggers up at him, his inner fire was smothered and he surrendered. “...Yes.”

With a flick of her blond tail, she march down the hall, leaving him to slump to the floor, a silent rage building up inside of him. He looked up from the floor to the staircase that she had just went down with hatred. In his heart, he vowed that they will join Lord Hargon, whether they liked it or not.

“Sour Apple. Apple Seed. Come along now. We’re leavin’.” Apple Seed looked to the staircase and saw her mother make her way towards the door. Along with brother, the filly quickly followed in suit.

“What happened?” Apple Seed asked. When her mother didn’t answer her, she asked her again, “Ma, what happened?”

“Nothin’, sugarcube. We’re goin’ home,” Applejack replied before muttering to herself. “This was a waste of time. Ah knew he wouldn’t have changed.”

*****

In the dungeons beneath the royal palace in Canterlot, a Unicorn stallion sat in his cell. The dungeons were reserved for criminals that were enemies of the state yet weren’t dangerous or evil enough to be banished to Tartarus, the moon, or inside a stone statue. His once pristine, white coat had become matted and his disheveled, royal blue mane draped over his eyes as he stared at the cold, stone floor of his cell. It had been a year since his fall from grace, yet the memory of that day was still fresh in his mind. He had once been a prince; a pony of great influence, but now, he was nopony. For his crimes against Equestria, he had been stripped of his title and had been locked away, condemned to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Though he had betrayed his own family, Princess Celestia made sure to visit him often. She had hoped that one day that he would see the error of his ways and that he could be reformed, like Princess Luna, Discord, or Sunset Shimmer. So far, her attempts of reconciliation have only been met with hostility and rejection.

The prisoner’s ears perked when he heard the echoing sound of keys being jingled and a lock opening down the dungeon corridor. It wasn’t meal time and it was too soon for Celestia’s regularly scheduled visit. Curious, the incarcerated stallion walked up to the bars and craned his head in order to get a better look at whoever was coming to see him. At first, he only heard hoofsteps, but then two guards came into view. Behind them was a hooded pony. From what he could tell, the cloaked pony was a Unicorn with a cerulean blue coat. The two guards came to a stop and stood on either side of the cell as the hooded Unicorn walked up to the bars.

“Greetings, Prince Narcissus,” the mysterious stallion said to the prisoner.

“Who the blazes are you?” the untidy inmate asked distrustfully, looking his visitor up and down. There was a reverberating bang as one of the guards struck the bars with a spear.

“Mind your tone, insolent whelp!” the guard barked. “You are in the presence of…”

“It’s alright,” the hooded pony intervened with a raise of his hoof. Turning back to the disgraced prince, he replied, “I am a just friend.”

“Alright, ‘friend,’” Narcissus sneered. “What do you want?”

“Oh, no no no,” the pony laughed. “It’s not about me. It’s about how I can help you.”

“Help me? How?”

“How would you like to be free?” the pony offered.

“Yeah right,” Narcissus scoffed. “And how do you suppose to get me out? Unless you haven’t heard, I’ve been sentenced to life, and I don’t think Celestia is going to let me out anytime soon. And if you plan on breaking me out, it won’t do any good. These guys are here to keep me in.”

“It’s simple; you open the door and walk out,” the hooded Unicorn explained.

Narcissus laughed earnestly and the cloaked stallion patiently waited for him stop. “And how do you suggest I do that? All Unicorn prisoners and visitors have their magic disabled while they’re in here.”

“Tomorrow, the anti-magic field will be deactivated.” The cerulean Unicorn nodded to the guards on either side of him. “These two will then escort you out and get you to a safe location.”

Narcissus looked at the two guards and then back to the stallion before him. He didn’t know how, but this strange pony managed to convince members of Princess Celestia’s unwaveringly loyal guard to betray her. “Okay, but how will we make it out of the castle? Even with these two, the other guards will surely report us to Celestia.”

“Don’t worry about them,” the visitor reassured. “They’ll be preoccupied with more… urgent matters.”

“Who are you?” Narcissus asked again, astounded by the conviction of this stranger.

The hooded Unicorn only smiled and said before turning to leave with the two guards, “Like I said, I’m just a friend.”

The Night that Hawk's Nest Fell

“See you later!” Surprise called out as she waved goodbye to her friends as they all went their separate ways. After their breakfast together at Sugar Cube Corner, the teenagers sat together and talked about the going ons in their life. Midnight talked about her current assignments from Princess Celestia and Thunderbolt talked about his Wonderbolts training. They spoke excitedly of the upcoming Draconic New Year Festival that Amethyst had gone to oversee and how they couldn’t wait to attend. They talked about Apple Seed, Cherry Pie, and the Cutie Mark Crusader’s exploits and gossiped about what would happen between Applejack and Cider Barrel. Posey, however, remained relatively silent as her friends conversed, only saying a few words at a time. Before they realized it, a few hours had passed and it was the afternoon. With everypony having errands to attend to, the four friends left the bakery and headed back to their homes.

“See ya, Surprise,” Thunderbolt bid the cream colored Pegasus farewell before turning to his marefriend. Seeing her distraught state and knowing what was currently happening with her parents, he walked alongside of her and asked, “Hey Posey, do you want me to walk you home?”

“Would you?” she whispered meekly as the two headed towards the cottage that was located between the edge of town and the border of the Everfree Forest. Originally, she thought she ought to walk home by herself in order to have time to think, by she felt that having somepony with her just to keep her company might do her some good and give her the strength she needed.

As they walked, Thunderbolt would look over to Posey and see her looking down at road. It didn’t take a mind reader to know what was she was thinking; her mother’s doctor’s appointment. It has been the same for the past fifteen years. At least once a year, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh would go to the doctor’s office and she would come home in tears. She would be inconsolable, refusing to see anypony and locking herself away in her room for days at a time. Thunderbolt didn’t know why she kept doing it herself.

The other Element Bearers, however, understood perfectly, for they all were mothers. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had two children. Rarity only had one due to the fact they Kirins were hard to conceive. Rainbow Dash had one and that was enough for her. Counting Spike, Twilight Sparkle had three! So why did Fluttershy, the most motherly and nurturing of the six mares, only have one?

Posey knew all too well the answer to that question, and she blamed herself for it. Fluttershy wasn’t frail, but she was more delicate than her friends. When she was in labor with Posey, there were complications and the delivery wasn’t as smooth as the doctors would have liked. Both mother and foal were ultimately fine, but it took some time for Fluttershy to fully recover.

A few years had passed and she and her husband decided that they wanted to have another. It was something they had agreed on even back while they were dating. They wanted a house full of foals. Three, four, five, six, maybe even seven! Fluttershy wanted to have as many as she could! But after a year’s worth of estrous cycles and Fluttershy still wasn’t pregnant, they knew something was wrong. A visit to the doctor revealed that the complications during Posey’s birth had caused serious damage to Fluttershy and that she might not be able to bear children ever again. At first, the filly Posey didn’t understand why her mother would come home crying every time she went to see the doctor, but as she grew older, she figured it out. She had made her mother infertile, and despite Fluttershy’s reassurance that it wasn’t her fault, Posey hated herself for it.

When Posey and Thunderbolt came to the little bridge in front of the cottage, they stopped. The roof was covered with vegetation and there were multiple birdhouses and animal burrows surrounding it. The little critters and birds that the family cared for were all sitting on the frames of the windows, peering in to see what was happening. Posey sighed heavily, already knowing the almost certain answer.

“Do… Do you want me to…” Thunderbolt started to asked uncertainly.

“Thank you, but no,” Posey quietly declined. “I think it would be best if it was just us for right now.”

“Right,” he conceded. “Do you at least want me to walk you to the door?”

“That’s okay. I can handle it from here,” she told him and then leaned forward to give him a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you anyway.”

The gray Pegasus blushed and then cleared his throat. “You’re welcome. Just remember, I’m here for you. We all are.”

“We know.” With that, Thunderbolt took to the sky and zoomed away, leaving behind a streak of blue and white behind him. Posey gratefully smiled up at the sky where her coltfriend had been then turned to the house with a heavy heart. She knew it would do no good to procrastinate, and her mother would definitely need to be comforted, even though Posey believed herself to be cause of her mother’s sorrow.

Even before she reached the door, she could hear her mother’s crying coming from inside. Each heartbreaking sob drive a dagger of guilt into Posey’s own heart and tears started to form in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, for she needed to be strong for her mother. Taking in a breath, she opened the door and saw her mother sitting on the couch, her face buried in her father’s chest.

The red Earth Pony stallion held his wife, running a hoof through her long, veil-like, light pink mane. The mare in his fore legs was nigh identical to Posey. Both had the same soft yellow coat, teal colored eyes, and their manes were cut in the same style. Even their cutie marks had the same coloration. Aside from the fact that Posey was an Earth Pony and her mother was a Pegasus, the two looked so similar that the two could be mistaken for identical twins.

“Mom?” Posey hesitantly asked from the doorway, alerting her parents to her arrival. Hearing their daughter, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh looked at the young mare. Her face revealed, tears could be seen running down Fluttershy’s face. Nonetheless, she sniffled and smiled at her daughter. Seeing Fluttershy cry could make just about anypony cry themselves and Posey was no exception. The tears she had been holding back flowed freely, and her parents each held open a fore leg invitingly. Posey didn’t hesitate and rushed into her parents’ embrace, the three of them holding each other as they sat in the middle of the living room.

“It’s okay, baby,” Fluttershy hushed her child. “Everything is okay.”

*****

Midnight was in her room sitting at her desk, a quill writing away as it was animated by the Unicorn’s yellow magic. Sitting on a perch by the desk was an old, brown owl that was busy napping. As Midnight worked on her notes, there came the unmistakable, electrical popping sound that accompanied the teleportation spell from elsewhere in the castle. The sound alerted Midnight and woke the sleepy owl.

“Hoo?” the owl hooted confusedly as he blinked his large eyes and rotated his head to look around the room.

“Sounds like Mom’s home, Owlowiscious.” Midnight smiled and placed her quill down. The aging owl hooted contently as he went back to snoozing. Leaving her room, Midnight went in search of her mother. A short walk down the hall led her to Twilight’s study, where she found the lavender Alicorn Princess unpacking her research notes and placing them back onto the desk.

Hearing the door open, Twilight looked up and said, “Oh, hello Midnight.”

“Hello, Mom,” Midnight returned the greeting as Twilight continued to unpack and organize her papers. “I saw Spike this morning. I told him he could drop by and pick up the orb.”

“Oh, okay,” Twilight muttered as she continued to file her notes away. Midnight waited for her mother to say something else, but when she didn’t, Midnight furrowed her brow. The Alicorn obviously had a lot on her mind, telling by the worry lines on her face. When Twilight had set her mind on something, she would never let it go until she had it figured out. Since she wasn’t in obsession mode, then that meant she and the other reigning Alicorn Princesses must have come to a conclusion. But if that was the case, then why did Twilight look so distracted?

“So?”

“Hm? So what?” Twilight asked, looking back up.

“What did Auntie Celestia, Luna, and Cadance have to say? You know, the ‘crucially important’ thing you had to discuss with them? The thing you’ve been working on for months?”

“Oh, that. I… um…” Twilight’s eyes darted around as she thought of what to tell her daughter.

“Is it something you can tell me?” Midnight asked. “Because if it’s confidential, I’ll understand.”

“No, no. It’s not confidential,” Twilight told her, shaking her head. “It’s just… sensitive information. I’m still trying to process it myself.” Twilight took in a breath and exhaled in the relaxing method that Cadance had taught her years ago. “It involves all of us: me, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash. It even involves Cadance and Flurry Heart. Maybe even you and your friends.”

“Is it something we should be worried about?” Midnight asked, concerned for her family and friends’ well being.

Twilight smiled and dismissively shook her head as she said, “No. It’s just something we all might have to be prepared for in the future.”

“Well, what is it?”

“I rather discuss it with the other Element Bearers first and see what they think. And since Applejack is travelling today, I think it’s best that I wait until tomorrow.” Looking to change the subject, Twilight looked around the study and spotted a mirror. It was the same magic mirror that served as the gateway to the human world. It also reminded Twilight of her daughter’s current project. “But enough about my research. How’s your thesis coming along?”

“Let me show you.” Midnight ran out of the study and returned shortly with her stack of research notes. On her back, the still sleeping Owlowiscious was teetering as the Unicorn set up an experiment. She levitated the owl onto a desk and placed a mirror in front of him. Taking one last quick look at her notes, she prepared a demonstration for her mother. Clearing her throat, she began. “Okay, ever since our run in with the changelings last year, I’ve been fiddling around with the Soul Sight Spell.”

“Uh-huh…” Twilight said slowly, cautious as to where her daughter was going with her presentation. Twilight had invented the spell years ago in response to the whole “Canterlot Wedding Fiasco” in order to reveal hidden changelings, but shelved the spell due to it working too well. Not only did the spell allow the user to see the telltale auras of every living thing that identified what they really were, but it also allowed them to see into the subjects’ hearts and minds, revealing their deepest secrets. Twilight understood that this spell could be dangerous in the wrong hooves, but Midnight had come across it and was able to use it to expose the changelings when they once again plotted to invade Equestria.

“Don’t worry. I understand the potential risks involved with this spell. That’s why I reworked it.” Midnight’s horn activated and the mirror’s reflective surface glowed yellow. Once the spell had been casted, Twilight and Midnight looked at the mirror, but only saw their own reflections looking back at them.

“See anything?” Midnight asked.

“No,” Twilight replied while shaking her head. If it was supposed to be the Soul Sight Spell casted onto a mirror, Twilight expected to see the yellow and magenta auras of her daughter and her own souls.

“Exactly. It doesn’t show a viewer’s soul nor does it expose their deepest secrets,” Midnight pointed out what Twilight could already see.

“But what does it do? Right now, it looks like any old mirror.”

“I’m glad you ask. Onto the demonstration! Please turn your attention to the subject,” Midnight directed, pointing to Owlowiscious. Hearing Midnight’s excited voice, the owl hooted as he woke back up. He then hooted in surprise as he saw Midnight’s glowing horn pointed straight at him.

“Midnight, what are you doing?” Twilight asked, half-panicked.

“Don’t worry. It just a basic transfiguration spell. You don’t mind, do you Owlowiscious?” The old owl huffed indignantly, but hooted in allowance. In a flash of yellow magic, the owl was gone and a pink flamingo was sitting on the desk in his place. The bird looked down at his colorful body and then squawked annoyedly at his new appearance.

“That’s a good look for you, Owlowiscious,” Twilight snickered while Midnight suppressed a laugh of her own. The transformed owl squawked again and placed his wings on his hips in irritation. “Okay, that’s enough. Change him back before he gets too mad at us.”

“Owlowiscious, could you please turn your attention to the mirror?” Midnight asked, gesturing back to the enchanted mirror. Instead of a pink flamingo, Owlowiscious saw his old owl self looking back at him in the mirror. Owlowiscious fanned his pink wings and turn himself around, the owl reflection mimicking his movements.

“Impressive, Midnight,” Twilight remarked as she admired the results of the spell.

“Oh, but wait, that’s not all!” As Owlowiscious continued to study his true form in the mirror, his altered shape began to glow. The flamingo’s long neck, legs, and curved beak shrank and his feathers returned to their natural brown color. In an instant, the spell that had been placed on the bird had been undone and he was an owl once more. Relieved to be in his proper shape again, Owlowiscious hooted a sigh. “As you can see, the mirror reveals the true form of anypony… or bird… it reflects. Mirrors like this can be used to undo curses, dispel illusions, and even see through invisibility charms. They could be placed in high security buildings to prevent thieves or impostors from sneaking in.”

Twilight clapped her hooves together in an applause and congratulated her daughter by saying, “Bravo, Midnight! You took my Soul Sight Spell and turn it into something practical! This a great accomplishment for you and for magic! I’m certain Celestia could use this to great effect!”

“T-Thanks, Mom,” Midnight blushed as her mother hugged and showered her with praises.

“I’m so proud of you! You’re well on your way to earning your wings!” As Twilight said this, Midnight thought of the possibility of becoming an Alicorn. There were currently five Alicorn Princesses in Equestria: Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Twilight Sparkle, and Flurry Heart. Celestia and Luna, the Princesses of the Day and Night respectively, were the only two that were born as Alicorns. Midnight’s mother and aunt were born as normal ponies but ascended to Alicorn status by performing an outstanding feat. Cadance, who was originally an orphaned Pegasus, became the Princess of Love when she undid a villain’s love-stealing curse. It was later revealed that she was the lost heir of Princess Amore of the Crystal Empire. Twilight Sparkle, Midnight’s mother, was a Unicorn and protege of Princess Celestia. Ever since she became the Princess’s prized pupil, she had been groomed to become the Bearer of the Element of Magic and eventual a princess herself. After coming to Ponyville, defeating many villains, and resolving countless friendship problems, she became the Princess of Friendship when she completed Starswirl the Bearded’s unfinished spell. Cadance’s daughter, Flurry Heart, was the first Alicorn born in millennia. It was an unusual case, as Midnight and her older brother, Evening Star, were born as a Unicorn and a Pegasus as Twilight and Cadance were.

With a family legacy to live up to, Midnight wondered if she had truly earned the honor of becoming the next Alicorn Princess, but doubt darkened her thoughts. Each of the princesses before her have performed great feats, defeated mighty foes, and proven their leadership abilities. Sure, Midnight may have been clever and created new spells, but she had yet test her mettle. Sure, she and her friends may have survived their encounter with the changelings, but it was Spike’s victory, not hers. Ever since that unfortunate ordeal, she wondered if her parents would ever give the chance to prove herself. Sure, she had been given princessy duties ever since she came of age, but they were purely ceremonial, like the festival that Amethyst had gone to oversee. When she addressed these concerns to her mother, Twilight had told her that she felt the same way when she first became an Alicorn. She also repeated the words of wisdom that her fellow princesses had shared with her; the time will come for her to do her part.

As Midnight pondered her future, Twilight Sparkle also reflected on the words she had just said. Her daughter was too distracted to notice, but a pensive expression had come across Twilight’s face and she began to wonder if she had said the right thing. Destiny was truly a confounding subject.

*****

After a day of cloudbusting and training, Thunderbolt flew over the fields outside of Ponyville. Celestia’s sun lowered towards the western horizon, painting the sky shades of orange and purple. Floating above the fields was a house made of clouds, streams of rainbows running of the sides. The house was built in the traditional Pegasi fashion, complete with a dome room and supported by pillars.

As the gray Pegasus landed at the front door, a feeling of anticipation gave him the sensation of having butterflies in his stomach. His parents had told him that they had something important to discuss with him when they got home, and the possibilities have been running through his head all day. Thunderbolt had trained all his life to become a Wonderbolt like his parents and it was his dream to be able to fly with them one day. He practiced diligently, gone through the Wonderbolt Academy, and even aced the test to be accepted into the Wonderbolt Reserves. Maybe today will finally be the day!

Entering the house, Thunderbolt immediately sped through the foyer and flew up the spiral staircase up to living room. There, he found his parents waiting for him. They were sitting next to each other on the couch, no doubt talking about the whatever it was they had to tell their son. Thunderbolt’s mother was the one and only Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and the Element of Loyalty. Like her name suggested, her mane included the full spectrum of color and her coat was a sky blue. Soarin, his father, was a very pale blue and his mane was a navy blue. Thunderbolt’s mane was a combination of his parents, being different shades of blue and white. Also like his parents, his cutie mark was of a lighting bolt. Unlike his mother’s blue, yellow, and red or his father’s gold, his mark was blue and white.

“Thunderbolt, you’re home,” his father stated when he saw him fly up the stairs. “Good. Have a seat. We have something we need to tell you.” After Thunderbolt sat down in a chair across from his parents, Soarin continued, “Spitfire got promoted.”

“Really?” Thunderbolt replied. His excitement somewhat deflated. He was hoping the news involved him somehow, but it seemed to only affect the Wonderbolts’ staff. Spitfire had been the captain of the team of aerial performers for over twenty years, but now that was going to change. There were usually two ways somepony left the Wonderbolts; retirement or promotion. Being a professional, high speed flier was very tasking on the body and most Wonderbolts retire from active duty by the age of forty. Rainbow Dash was in her mid-forties and Soarin was pushing fifty.

“Yes, she’s taken an administration position higher up in the EUP,” Soarin elaborated.

“Does that mean you’ll take her place as captain?” Thunderbolt asked.

“No, I’m not. I was offered the spot, but I turned it down.”

“What!?” Thunderbolt exclaimed. “But Dad, you’re the most experienced member on the team now! You’ve been Spitfire’s second-in-command for years! Nopony is more qualified than you!”

“Spitfire took the desk job because it was either that or retirement. Princess Celestia has noticed that she’s been slowing down and she’s right. Her body can’t take much more of the high speed stunts. But she had a good run.”

“Yeah, she outlasted Rapidfire and Fleetfoot,” Rainbow Dash added. “The only original members of the team from when I joined were her and your father.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why you’re not going to be captain,” Thunderbolt said to his father.

“That’s because I’m going to be retiring as well,” Soarin explained. It felt as though a brick had been dropped in Thunderbolt’s stomach.

“But… But… You can’t retire!” Thunderbolt protested. “We were going to fly together, the three of us!”

“Come on. We fly together all the time,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“I’m talking about in a stadium, flying in formation in front of thousands of cheering fans!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled and said, “Calm down, kid. I was only pulling your leg.”

“Huh?” Thunderbolt gaped, suddenly confused and somewhat insulted of her mother taking the crushing of his dream so lightly. Then he noticed that his father was also smirking. “Am I missing something?”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Soarin laughed. “And you didn’t ask who was going to be the new captain.”

“Who…”

“Me!” Rainbow Dash announced as she flew up into the air, too excited to let her son finish asking the question.

“You!?” Thunderbolt exclaimed in shock. “But Mom, you’re almost as old as Dad! You’d be retiring soon anyways!”

“Who ya callin’ old?” Rainbow Dash asked while crossing her fore legs and raising a brow, offended at the suggestion that she of all ponies was “old.” “I haven’t slowed down a bit. In fact…” In flash of prismatic light, she sped around the room at an incredible speed. With the same outstanding agility, she flew literal circles around her son, creating a miniature tornado around him. Thunderbolt let out a startled shout as he was twirled around by the multicolored twister. She then returned to her seat, leaving her son a dizzy heap on the floor. “I’m still getting faster! I ain’t quitting anytime soon!”

“Okay… I get the point...” Thunderbolt muttered, his head wobbling as he tried to regain his composure. After coming back to his senses, he asked, “But what about our plan? You always said that we’ll fly together someday. You promised!”

“Yes, I know,” Soarin acknowledged. “That’s why I spoke to Princess Celestia. I told her that I would stay on for one more year, helping your mother adjust to her new role on the team and to help train our newest member.”

Rainbow Dash, beaming with pride, held up a letter and gave it to her speechless son. Thunderbolt looked at the envelope that bore the Wonderbolts’ official seal and then up to his parents. “Y-You mean… I’m… I’m….”

“A Wonderbolt,” Soarin finished for him. Thunderbolt held the letter in both hooves, trembling.

“This. Is. So…” he whispered in a shaky voice. With a burst of boundless energy, he flew around the room, rivaling Rainbow Dash’s earlier display. “...Awesome!”

Watching their son dart across the room, Rainbow Dash leaned over to Soarin and said, “I think I had the same reaction when I made the team.”

*****

Night had settled over the land and the inhabitants of Hawk’s Nest had begun to retire to their beds. In her home, Gilda carried Grizelda to her room. The little hippogriff was already asleep in her mother’s fore legs, exhausted from running and flying around with her friends all day.

“Here we go,” Gilda whispered as she placed her daughter down on the bed and tucked her in. She then placed a plushie of Zapp, Grizelda’s favorite heroine, in the filly/fledgling’s talons, who instinctively clung to the stuffed toy. Seeing her daughter snug as bug in a rug, Gilda smiled and quietly closed the door behind her as she exited the bedroom.

The house was dark save for a light coming from Tenny’s workroom. Walking in, she saw the Pegasus still at work, inspecting his relics while writing down notes.

“Coming to bed, or are you gonna play with your new toys all night?”

“I’m coming. I’m just finishing up here,” Tenny explained as he continued to write. Gilda didn’t wait for him and headed towards their bedroom. As she walked, the griffon stopped when she came to the window, her brow furrowing as she looked out into the night. She saw that the branches of the trees swaying violently. She hadn’t noticed it before, but she could hear the wind howling like a Timberwolf. The wooden walls of the house then shook with the force of the wind, the windows rattling.

More like a pack of Timberwolves, Gilda thought, growing uneasy.

“Something wrong?” Tenny asked as he walked up beside Gilda, having finishing his work for the day. The couple watched together as the trees continued to whip about outside. “Was there a storm scheduled for tonight?”

“No,” Gilda answered, shaking her head. Even if there was a storm scheduled, there would have been reminders for one of this size. Investigating, Gilda and Tenny open the front door and peered outside. Apparently, they weren’t the only ones that were confused by the unscheduled windstorm. The griffon and Pegasi residents of the town shielded their faces as they looked skywards, but they didn’t see dark storm clouds rolling in. In fact, the sky was fairly clear, the stars twinkling above them.

With her eagle eyes, Gilda spotted something up in the sky. A dark shape was circling above the town, growing bigger as it spiraled downwards. As it descended, its speed increased along with the intensity of the wind. Recognizing the unmistakable silhouette, Gilda’s yellow eyes widened and her pupils shrank to pinpricks in horror. In her disbelief and terror, she whispered a word, “Dragon.”

“What?” asked Tenny, not hearing her over the roaring wind.

“Dragon!” Gilda shouted as she pulled Tenny back in the house. With a crash that shook the town, a massive red-scaled beast landed in the street. As the dragon straightened itself, the ponies and griffons uttered horrified gasps as they backed away from it. The dragon scanned the town with its large, maroon eyes, a wave of panic overcoming everypony and everygriffon its gaze fell upon. Taking in a deep breath, the dragon reared on its hind legs before crashing back down in a fearsome roar. The citizens screamed in terror as they scurried off the streets and back to the shelter of their homes. Lights came on in the other buildings and windows opened as the sleeping inhabitants were alerted to the commotion. The drowsy citizens were in for a rude awakening when they saw the red dragon snarling at them, causing them to slam their shutters close.

As Gilda and Tenny hid the behind the feeble shelter of their wooden door, they heard a tiny, whimpering voice. “Mommy, what’s that noise?” Looking down the hallway, Gilda saw Grizelda standing at her doorway, clutching her Zapp doll for comfort. Gilda rushed from the door and scooped the small hippogriff up in her fore legs. “I’m scared.”

“Gilda, we’ve got to get out of here!” Gilda nodded to her husband and followed him while still holding on to Grizelda for dear life. The family ran to the backdoor of the house and slipped out into the night, being careful to avoid the attention of the monster that lurked in the streets. They ran between the buildings, not wanting to take flight until they had cleared the town. Other families were dashing down the back alleys and they joined with them in their evacuation, parents leading or carrying their foals and fledglings while keeping their heads down.

As they ran from cover to cover, Gilda could hear the shouts of stallions and the battle cries of griffons as the flew overhead to confront the invader and defend their home. Pausing to sneak a peek, Gilda saw that the dragon had cracked opened a house like a pistachio. The ponies inside screamed and ran out, the dragon paying them no attention as it rummaged through the ruins. The dragon looked up when it heard the challengers approaching and snorted in disdain. With a strong beat of its gray wings, the dragon generated another gust of hurricane-strength wind. The ponies and griffons strained to fly against the wind but were overcome by its insurmountable strength and were blown clear across town like leaves in an autumn breeze. Snorting smoke in satisfaction, the dragon went back to its searching.

As Gilda, Tenny, and Grizelda neared the edge of town, escape seemed to be in their grasp. Spreading their wings to take off, they sprinted towards a clearing just past the town’s limits but skidded to a stop when the store in front of them exploded into splinters as a blue dragon landed on top of it. As the second dragon dug through the timbers, the evacuees scattered and ran down different streets to escape this new threat.

Gilda panted as she and her family sought another escape route, but there was another crash and a green dragon also appeared. She froze in place and stared in disbelief and exasperation as there was yet another dragon blocking their way. The green dragon smashed into someone else’s home and began pick it apart like the other two dragons.

“Three dragons? How can there be three dragons!?” Tenny panted. Dragons were solitary creatures and only came together for the dragon migration during the breeding season. To have three dragons sharing a raid was unheard of.

The trio of dragons continued their raid, tearing every building they came across in two. Looking around, all Gilda could see were chunks of wood being tossed about and scared ponies and griffons screaming as they fled from their crumbling homes. There was nowhere they could run without being spotted by one of the dragons, but then Gilda noticed that they were paying no attention to the denizens of Hawk’s Nest. In fact, the dragons weren’t taking anything from the wreckage. After searching one house, they would move on to the next. It was as though they were looking for something.

Before she could take off, Gilda heard a crashing noise and spun around to see that the red dragon was standing over her home, gripping it with his claws. The wood splintered and the windows shattered beneath the intense pressure.

“Our home!” Gilda shouted in anger. She started to pass Grizelda to Tenny and growled, “Take her! I’m gonna…”

“Going to do what!? You can’t fight that thing!”

“But!” Gilda started to protest. “What about our home!?”

“What about our lives!? Forget it, it’s gone! Now, come on!” When Gilda looked back to the red dragon that was defacing her home, Tenny grabbed her by her fore leg and pulled her along.

With the dragons preoccupied with their wanton destruction, the citizens took to the sky, Gilda holding her daughter close to her. Discretion was no longer an issue, for the dragons weren’t after them. As they flew away, Gilda looked back to what remained of her home. Hatred and heartbreak filled her as she looked down at the dragons. The red dragon let out a triumphant roar and held his claw to the sky. Hearing their partner in crime, the blue and green dragons stopped what they were doing and went to see what their comrade had claimed.

Gripping the object in its claw, the lead dragon looked to its brethren and spoke in a booming, guttural voice, “We have it! Let us return to the master!”

The subservient dragons unleashed a roaring cheer and the red dragon took off, the others following him. Gilda, her family, and the other residents of Hawk's Nest hovered in the sky as they watched the three dragons flew southeast, the direction of the dragon lands. With the dragons gone, the citizens of Hawk’s Nest flew back down to what used to be their homes.

The town had been small, no bigger than Ponyville back in the day. With so few buildings, none of them had been untouched by the dragons. Those with the least damage had a wall missing or the roof peeled off. The worse, like the one the blue dragon had landed on, were nothing but heaps of wood, stone, and straw.

Gilda came to what used to be her home. The structure had been cleaved in two, each half lying on its side. It looked as though a giant lumberjack had brought his axe down on it and split it like a log. Gilda could hear little Grizelda sniffling against her chest, so she ran a taloned hand through her daughter’s feathers. Tenny walked over the broken boards and grabbed something from what used to be their living room. It was a picture frame. The glass had been cracked, but the picture of the three of them was still intact. Tenny sighed as he looked down at the family portrait before placing it back down.

Looking at the ruins of the town and then to the others, Gilda did a headcount. Thankfully, everyone was accounted for and the injuries were minor. Though their homes had been leveled, it could have been much worse. Though a few first aid kits had been scrounged up, the wounded wound need better medical attention and relief would be to be provided for the now homeless citizens.

“Everyone, listen up!” Gilda called out, gaining everyone’s attention. “We’re heading out!” There were cries of protests, the devastated citizens reluctant to abandon their homes. “We can’t stay here. We need food, shelter, and medical supplies.”

“Where are we going?” Tenny asked.

“To Canterlot,” she explained as she unfurled her wings. “The Princesses need to know what’s happened. If we leave now, we’ll make it there by morning.”

The Refugees

The next morning, Spike’s body jerked as he awoke. He opened his green eyes and quickly looked about the bedchamber. The only thing he saw was the first rays of daylight shining in through the window. He then felt movement at his side and looked down to see Rarity shifting in her sleep, disturbed by his sudden movement. Spike sighed with relief and lowered his head to once again curl around his sleeping wife.

He tried to fall back to sleep, but the dream he just experienced had him completely awake. Instead, he admired the sleeping beauty snuggled up against him. Her mane was tousled and she had on an sleeping mask. Spike draped a wing over her protectively and brought her in closer to him.

He had the dream again. The same dream that had haunted him for years. He was but a young wyrmling when he first experienced it when he had been whisked away to a parallel dimension. In that alternate version of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle and her friends had never met and thus never discovered the Elements of Harmony. When the Nightmare Moon of that world had returned, it was up to Spike to recover the Elements and free Princess Luna from her corruption.

Of all the trials he had gone through to recover the Elements, it was the Trial of Laughter that had ironically haunted Spike the most. During the trial, he was shown a future where everypony he cared about had grown old and died while he remained young. Over the years, Spike had come to terms with this inescapable fact of life and learned to make peace with his fate and the fate of his friends and family. However, he would still have his recurring nightmare and it would temporarily shake his resolve. Not for long, but long enough to cast a shadow over his day. The only cure for it was to take solace in the comfort of lying curled up with his wife and to cherish the time they had been blessed with.

As Celestia’s sun continued to rise, Spike decided that he might as well get up and make his wife breakfast in bed; a nice little surprise to show Rarity how much he cherished her. Spike uncurled himself and carefully crawled off the bed as to not disturb Rarity. The Unicorn mumbled unconsciously in protest as her giant teddy bear left her, but otherwise remained silent as Spike made his way out of the bedroom.

As he reached the door, a glint of golden light caught his eye. At first, he thought it was the sunlight, but as he turned his head he saw Aurum’s orb resting on Rarity’s dresser. Looking back to the window and the sleeping Rarity, Spike figured it was a little too early for breakfast and that he had some time. After the dream he had, he really wanted to talk to someone, but he didn’t want to wake Rarity yet. Taking the orb from its place on the dresser, Spike quietly closed the bedroom door behind him as he went downstairs.

Spike descended the staircase and entered the living room of Carousel Boutique. Taking a seat on a large floor cushion made custom for his large frame, Spike held the glowing orb in his claw and activated its magic. Spike found himself whisked away from his living room and into the mental projection of a library. As the library materialized, the magical construct of the young Aurum appeared sitting at a desk.

“Welcome back, Spike,” the mental projection greeted.

“Hey, Aurum. Do you have a minute?” Spike asked.

“Time has no meaning to me, Spike,” the image of Aurum explained. “I exist to provide you information. Now, how may I help you?”

“Well, I had the dream again and I just wanted someone to talk to,” Spike told him.

“Based on the information I have, I assume you are referring to the dream wherein you see your friends succumb to the passage of time.”

“Yeah, that’d be the one,” Spike confirmed with a melancholy sigh. “Look, I know I shouldn’t dwell too much on what I can’t control and I should appreciate the time I have with them. I understand that. I really do. But… it still hurts, you know? I was just wondering if you ever had the same problem.”

“I understand,” Little Aurum said as the bookshelves of memories began to shift around them. Once the shelves had settle, the small dragon climbed a ladder and retrieved a book from the collection. Placing it on the desk, he opened the tome and flipped through the pages until he came to the image of an elderly mare lying on a bed surrounded by a group of Kirins. It didn’t take long before Spike realized that he was looking at the final moments of Aurum’s long departed wife, Fiore Rosa. “When Aurum and Fiore Rosa started a life together, he had the same fears. They knew that he would outlive her and it did hurt when he lost her.”

“But how did you deal with losing her?” Spike asked.

The book then closed and little Aurum returned it to its place. The shelves shifted again and he grabbed another memory book. Within this one was the image of ponies screaming and buildings burning. Continuing with his narration, the construct Aurum said, “It was painful, but Aurum found solace in the love and support of his descendants. It was only after the Kirins were driven to extinction that gave into his grief and he drove the ponies that took his family from him from his island. After his fury subsided, he would come to regret his action, knowing that his Rose would not have approved of his actions. For centuries, he brooded in his cave until you came along and gave his life new meaning.”

“That’s a long time to live with regret,” Spike commented. “I promise you, I won’t let that happen to me. Life is too short, or too long in my case, to live with regrets.”

“That is true. Life is only as good as you make it,” the little Aurum surmised. The two dragons sat in silence for a moment as the dark shadow of fear that plagued Spike was once again driven away by the light of happiness. “So, what are you going to do now to make this day and the many that will follow a good one?”

“I was thinking about making Rarity breakfast in bed.”

“That will be nice. It is the little moments that make up a lifetime of happy memories.”

“And maybe I’ll go see Twilight later. After all, she did go to see Celestia and Luna yesterday about something important. I might as well go and see what’s up. According to Midnight, she was in full obsession mode over whatever it is. Just like the good old days. Back when it was just me and her.” Spike hesitated, his brow furrowing in contemplation, and then said, "You know, Aurum, that reminds me of a regret that I have that I need to resolve.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I grew up with Twilight, and though it took us years for us to realize it, she was already my mother. However, there was something you said to me before you… ah… left us. You told me that you saw me as a son. It made me realize that I felt the same.”

“Spike…” the construct Aurum started to say.

“Yeah, I know it’s kind of late to say, but you were there for me during a difficult time. You guided me as I searched for Rarity. You helped me as I grew wings and became an adult. You taught me the secrets of dragon magic. If that doesn’t make you my father, then I don’t know what does.”

“Please, Spike. Do not mistake me for the real Aurum,” the construct interrupted him, giving Spike an apologetic look. “I may have all of his memories, but that does not make me him. I am only a magical construct; a reflection of the dragon you once knew. I am just a glorified recorded message.”

“Yeah, I know,” Spike sighed despairingly. “I guess I just wasn’t ready to lose him. He told me that I was like a son to him. I only wish I returned the favor.”

Spike looked downcast at the golden floor of the mental library, but then felt a small claw on his arm. He looked over to see that the phantom Aurum smiling up at him sympathetically. The little dragon reassuringly said, “I am sure that he knows.”

“Thanks,” Spike said, returning the smile.

“Anytime. Remember, you have been blessed with so much. You have a wife, a child, and many wonderful friends. Go now, you have a breakfast to make.”

That got a chortle out of Spike and he shook his head with amusement as he ended the enchantment. The golden library vanished and Spike found himself back in the living room of Carousel Boutique. Looking out a window, he saw that the sun was now peeking over the rooftops of Ponyville; breakfast time. He placed the glowing golden orb on an end table and headed to the kitchen, but before he could reach it, Rarity came rushing down the stairs. She ran to one of her full length mirrors of her apparel shop as a brush glowing blue with her magic ran through her mane.

“Good morning, Rarity,” Spike greeted his wife, eyeing her curiously. “So, what’s the rush?”

“I’m being summoned by the Cutie Map,” she explained, pointing to the flashing blue diamonds on her flank as she applied her mascara. “So I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed,” Spike told her, a little upset that his plan was going to be spoiled.

“Aww, that’s very sweet of you, Darling,” she cooed as she planted a grateful kiss on his lips. “Maybe some other day, but I have to hurry. Twilight already has to be waiting for me and I still need to finish doing my hair and makeup.”

“I’ll come with you. I was planning on going over to Twilight’s anyway.” After Rarity finished beautifying herself, the couple made their way over to the crystalline tree castle. Upon entering, they found Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy already waiting for them, their cutie marks also flashing.

“I apologize for the wait,” said Rarity as she took her place around the magical map of Equestria. She sat down in the throne that bore her cutie mark and Spike laid down behind the small throne that he had outgrown years ago. “But I simply must make myself presentable before heading out for the day.”

“It’s okay, Rarity. We’re all here now,” Twilight dismissed.

“Even though we had to wait for twenty minutes,” Rainbow Dash remarked snidely under her breath. Twilight scoldingly shushed her before returning their attention to the map. With all the Element Bearers present, copies of the six mares’ cutie marks floated off of their flanks and flew to the map, spinning around the model of the kingdom. The mares and the dragon leaned in closer, anxious to see where to they were being summoned. Twilight was especially excited. So rarely the map summoned all six of them at the same time. Whatever the mission was, it must be urgent to require all of them. Maybe it was some sort of vile villain that would require them to use the might of the Elements of Harmony’s “Rainbow Power” to vanquish.

Rainbow Dash hovered above her throne in excitement. She hoped it was some sort of monster so she could kick its flank. Pinkie Pie was on the edge of her seat. Missions like these always had a big party afterwards. Unlike Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy hoped it was no more than a friendship problem. Fighting villains and monsters wasn’t her cup of tea. For the dependable Applejack, it didn’t matter what the mission was because she would be there to do her duty regardless of what it entailed.

They paid close attention as the cutie marks’ swirling came to a stop over the Everfree Forest. They all made confused sounds, casting glances at one another to see if one of them had an explanation. They waited to see if the floating marks would move elsewhere on the map, but remained in orbit over the mysterious forest.

“The Everfree Forest?” Applejack remarked. “How the hay are we supposed to find a friendship problem in there? That’s like findin’ a needle in a haystack.”

“Maybe Zecora needs help with something,” Pinkie Pie suggested.

“Or maybe there’s a wounded animal that needs our help,” Fluttershy added.

“Or maybe it’s another run of the mill monster that needs to be taught a lesson!” Rainbow Dash eagerly said, pounding her hooves together.

“Well, whatever it is, we need to investigate it,” Twilight concluded.

“But Twilight, the Everfree is so big and mostly uncharted,” Rarity pointed out, waving a hoof to the expanse of trees on the map that laid to the south of Ponyville. “And it’s full of dangerous monsters. What if we run into a manticore or a chimera?”

“Don’t worry, Rarity. I’ll keep you safe. I’m a dragon!” Spike boasted as he flexed a bicep. “I’m scarier than anything we’ll come across in there.”

“What about an Ursa Major?” Applejack asked with a smirk, cutting down Spike’s bravado.

“Well, yeah… But…” Spike admitted sheepishly.

“Or what about that green dragon we ran into?” Twilight reminded him.

“Or what if an eldritch abomination breaks the interdimensional boundaries that shackle it to its abyssal prison and rips through the fabric of time and space to bring a new era madness and agony to our world!?” Pinkie Pie ranted, hopping up in her seat on her hind legs and raising her front hooves above her head, waving them about spookily to emphasis her frantic point.

Everyone else present in the room gawked at the pink mare’s idea before Twilight Sparkle told her, “I think that is worse case, and highly improbable, scenario.”

“But it could happen,” Pinkie Pie cheerfully insisted in a singsong tone as she sat back down.

“Ludicrous ideas aside,” Rarity said slowly, casting a questioning look at Pinkie Pie before addressing the others. “There still is the matter about where to start.”

Twilight thought for a moment and then spoke up. “I think Pinkie Pie had a point.”

“About the eldr… the whatchamacallit?” Rainbow Dash asked, surprised by the notion.

“No, I mean about Zecora,” Twilight clarified. “If anypony would know what’s going on in the Everfree Forest, it’ll be her.”

“I reckon that’s a good enough a place to start as any,” Applejack shrugged. The farmer then rose from her seat and started to make her way to the door. “Best go see what’s goin’ on.”

Everyone began to follow the orange Earth Pony, but a voice stopped them before they reached the door. “Hang on a second.” They turned around to see that Twilight was still in her seat. “There’s something important I need to tell you all.” This statement prompted the other five mares and the dragon to return to their seats around the map. Once they were all settled, the Princess of Friendship continued, “As you may know, I went to Canterlot yesterday to discuss the findings of my research with the other princesses. What we found out was kind of… big.”

“What do you mean ‘big?’” Rainbow Dash asked. “Is it something bad?”

“Not necessarily,” Twilight said unsurely. “But it has the potential to change everything.”

“Golly, Twilight,” Applejack remarked. “Y’all makin’ it sound like the end of the world or somethin’. Don’t tell us y’all are dyin’ on us.”

Hearing this, Twilight let out quick outburst of laughter, but the tone of it didn’t sound quite right to the others. It seemed to have a hint of irony laced into it. “No, I’m not dying,” Twilight dismiss the idea. She then open her mouth to explain, but the words got stuck in her throat. She sat there mouth agape, eyes darting back and forth as she tried to cough up the information.

“Well, don’t leave us in the dark, darling. What is it?” Rarity asked.

Twilight sighed and then apologized, “I’m sorry, you guys. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you since yesterday. I had what I would say all planned out in my head, but now… I can’t remember how I was going to say it for the life of me.”

“That’s alright, sugarcube,” Applejack reassured, offering her friend a supportive smile. “Take yer time and it’ll come to you.”

“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Fluttershy timidly spoke up. “But since Twilight has something important to share with us, I also might as well share something. I could go first and give you more time to think. That is, if that’s okay with you, Twilight.”

“Oh no, please do,” Twilight told the yellow Pegasus.

“Okay then. Also yesterday, I went to the doctor’s…” They all knew what Fluttershy was referring to, and they listened intently. but before she could say another word, she was cut off by the sound of belching and a flash of green flame. They all looked to Spike and to the letter that had materialized from his dragonfire. The purple dragon took the letter in his claws and read it.

“Uh, Twilight. You really need to read this,” Spike told the lavender mare, holding the letter out to her. She took the letter in her magenta magic and quickly scanned its contents. As she read, her eyes widened and she went over the information again to make sure she had read correctly.

“What does it say, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“Princess Celestia needs us in Canterlot immediately,” Twilight urgently reported.

“But what about the map?” Pinkie Pie asked, pointing to the cutie marks that were still floating over the Everfree Forest.

“It’ll have to wait,” Twilight told her. “There’s been an attack.”

*****

Princess Celestia paced about the throne room of Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna watching her with concern. Also watching the Solar Princess was Prince Flash Sentry and his son, Prince Evening Star. The younger of the two Pegasi stallions had his father’s blue eyes and mane, but his coat was the same shade of purple as his half-brother, Spike. Like his Uncle Shining Armor, he was the Captain of the Guard and wore the purple armor that signified his position.

The doors of the throne room opened and Evening Star saw his mother along with her friends hurrying inside. “Princess Celestia,” Twilight exclaimed as she ran to the taller Alicorn. “We came as fast as we could. What has happened?”

“Twilight, I’m glad you all could make it,” Celestia greeted the Element Bearers and Spike. “Come with me.”

They were lead to a large ballroom where the Grand Galloping Gala was held every year. However, instead of finding a party, they found a room filled with destitute ponies and griffons. Cots had been laid out for them and palace servants were distributing food to the weary refugees while nurses and physicians that had been brought over from Canterlot Hospital were busy applying bandages.

“What happened?” Twilight asked, shocked by the sorrowful sight. “Where did they come from?”

“These are the residents of Hawk’s Nest,” Princess Celestia explained.

“Hawk’s Nest?” Rainbow Dash asked, recognizing the name of the town. “But that’s where…”

“Rainbow Dash!” they heard a familiar voice call to them. Looking over to the source of the voice, they saw a griffon that they knew flying towards them.

“Gilda!” they all exclaimed, Rainbow Dash flying to greet her oldest friend. The griffon was holding her hippogriff daughter in her fore legs who was asleep from the flight to Canterlot. With one fore leg, Gilda hugged Rainbow Dash while cradling Grizelda with the other. “Gilda, what happened? Are you alright? Is everyone alright?”

“There’s a few with some bumps and bruises, but we’re mostly okay, luckily enough,” Gilda told the cyan Pegasus. “We were attacked by…”

It was at this moment that the sleeping Grizelda opened her eyes and looked up. She saw her mother talking to ponies that she recalled seeing before. Aside from Rainbow Dash, she couldn’t remember their names, but she remembered that they were her mother’s friends. She also saw the tall ponies that her mother had told her were princesses. Behind them was large, scaly creature that looked like the things that had destroyed her home. The young hippogriff shrieked in horror and cried at the top of her voice, “Dragon!”

The ponies surrounding the child flinched from the scream of terror and all of the ponies and griffons in the room looked to an astonished Spike. A collective gasp filled the air and the refugees did their best to put as much distance between them and the dragon as possible. Fledglings and foals cried and adults began to raise their voices in fear and anger. Those who were still able bodied stood protectively between the dragon and their children and their injured. As the angry citizens of Hawk’s Nest formed a defensive line, Spike cautiously backed away, confused by the sudden hostility towards him.

“What’s a dragon doing here!? Are we under attack!?” a panicked voice came from the mob.

“Isn’t anypony going to do something about it!?” another questioned.

“The children! Won’t someone think of the children!?” an overly passionate mare wailed.

“Enough!” a voice like thunder echoed over the din of the mob, halting their approach. Princess Luna stepped forward from her elder sister’s side and stood before the homeless Pegasi and griffons. “Will everypony and everygriffon please calm down? This is Spike, the Dragon Prince of Equestria. He is not your enemy!” At the compelling force of the midnight blue Alicorn’s voice, the mob backed away and returned to their cots. However, Spike could see that many were casting distrustful glares at him.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“It’s okay, Grizelda,” Gilda soothingly said to the trembling child in her fore legs. “He’s not here to hurt us. Tenny, could you take her?” The griffon passed her daughter to her husband, who took Grizelda back to their setup in the ballroom. Turning back to her friends, she explained, “Sorry about that. But after last night, they’re not too keen on dragons.”

“What happened? Did a dragon attack your town?” Twilight Sparkle questioned.

“Try three,” Gilda huffed, grumpily crossing her fore legs as the sight of her home being ripped asunder was brought back to her mind.

“Three?” Twilight marveled. “But… But… That doesn’t make any sense! Dragons are solitary by nature! They only come together for…”

“Their migration. We know,” Gilda finished for her. “But there were three, and they completely demolished our town!”

“But why? Why did they attack your town?” Fluttershy asked.

“They’re dragons, Fluttershy. Thievin’ and lootin’ is in their nature,” Applejack offered as an explanation. Remembering their company, she blushed and smiled sheepishly at the purple dragon standing right beside her. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Spike replied, brushing it off with a shrug.

“But what about the peace accord?” Twilight asked as she turned to Celestia. “It should have prevented an attack like this.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Celestia regretfully said. “It is not as much of a peace accord than it is a non-hostility agreement.”

“Wait, I’m a little confused,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “I’m not exactly an expert on Equestrian law or a history professor. What is this ‘non-hostility agreement?’”

“Long ago, back when Luna and I were still new on the throne, the King of Dragons came to Equestria. He discovered that Equestrian soil was rich with gems and gold and he coveted the wealth of our kingdom. Once a dragon desires a treasure, they obsess over it until they take it for themselves. Fueled by greed, he attacked Equestria and raided its cities until Luna and I confronted him. Even with our combined strength, he was a mighty foe.”

“The three of us battled until we all were at the brink of collapsing with exhaustion,” Luna verified. “We were fortunate that he came alone or else we would have fallen.”

“Dragons are proud creatures, but we finally were able to make him yield to us,” Celestia continued. “With him at our mercy and fearing that he would only return with more dragons if he was allowed to leave, we agreed to spare him under the condition that he or any army that he raised would never come to Equestria with the intent to steal or to do its inhabitants harm.”

“But how do you know he will keep his word?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “Any how do you explain the attack on Hawk’s Nest or any other time a dragon caused trouble?”

“True, a defeat like that would have undoubtedly wounded the Dragon King’s immense ego, and a dragon could harbor a grudge for millennia. But as the king of his race, he holds himself to his Dragon’s Code. If the Dragon King makes a vow, he will honor it, even at the cost of his boundless pride.”

Celestia’s mention of the Dragon Code reminded Spike of the time Applejack saved him from Timberwolves and he had foolishly promised to serve her forever. Though knowledge of dragons and dragon culture was still largely unknown to ponykind back then, the young Spike had read legends about noble dragons that conducted themselves according to a code of honor. Not wanting to be like the barbaric dragons he had encountered before, the then young Spike crudely wrote down his own code on a notecard and promised to live by it. Even though he had made it up, his self imposed honor code felt vitally important to him. Maybe it’s a part of a dragon’s ego. If they somehow violated their code, even the more brutish members of their species, it would damage their self image. It was like a dragon version of a Pinkie Promise. So, even after an embarrassing defeat to two pony princesses, the Dragon King would not break his promise, even though the memory of his defeat would fester and boil within him, his wrath and resentment growing exponentially over the countless years.

“Unfortunately, the accord does little to prevent a rogue dragon from crossing our borders and stirring up trouble from time to time,” Luna dryly remarked. “All the accord says is that the Dragon King does not condone their actions and that we are free to defend ourselves and expel them from our lands.”

“So this could all be a random occurrence?” Twilight hopefully asked. “An isolated incident?”

“I hope that is all it is,” Celestia wearily sighed. “For I dread to think of the implications if otherwise.”

“But they were searching for something,” Gilda announced. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna snapped their heads to look at the griffon, their eyes fixed intently on her.

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked with rising anxiety.

“Well, they were tearing through each house, but they weren’t taking anything. No gold. No gems. Nothing. But then one of them said that they found it and that they were taking it to their ‘master.’ And then they just left taking nothing else.”

“They… weren’t raiding for treasure?” Luna asked, taken aback. “But were searching for something in particular?”

“What did they steal?” Celestia asked, taking a step closer to Gilda.

“I don’t know,” Gilda admitted. The six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the dragon muttered in confusion while the Princesses looked to each other in concern. It was clear; the Dragon King had organized this attack. But for what end?

The answer came in form of the sound of horns. Alerted by the noise, the ponies and the griffons looked about in alarm. Princess Celestia looked to the door as she heard it opened and saw a Unicorn guard running across the light purple and white tiled floor towards her. “Your Highness! A flight of dragons is approaching from the southeast!”

Arrival of the Dragons

Only once in a pony’s lifetime could one hope to witness the Dragon Migration, the only time where hundreds of these fiercely territorial creatures could tolerate one another’s presence long enough to come together for their mating season. Since they lived for thousands of years, what would be an annual event for most other species only occurred every few decades. Like observing a comet, researchers, historians, and anypony else curious enough would travel to locations along the known migratory routes to witness the might and majesty of these beings in flight. The last migration was just over a quarter-century ago and the next one wasn’t expected until quite some time.

The ponies of Ponyville had been given notice well in advance so that they might be prepared and not panic when hundreds of dragons flew over their town. Though the dragons would have no interest in them, many ponies understandably found the idea of having multiple, giant, fire-breathing reptiles undesirable. Like Fluttershy, most of the residents of the town took shelter and hid until it was all over. A few of the braver ones snuck a peek through their shutters. Only the bravest dared to watch from outside, most notably Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, but even then it was from the safety of trenches they dug.

On this particular morning, there had been no warning. Nopony, not even Princess Celestia or Princess Luna foresaw it. The ponies had awoke and went about their day like any other day, unaware of what was coming.

Apple Seed and Cherry Pie were already at school, Cheerilee welcoming her students to her class for a new day of learning when they heard it. When the windows of the schoolhouse began to rattle, the teacher and her students left their desks to look out the vibrating panes of glass. Sour Apple was in the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres bucking apples when the branches of the trees began to whip wildly in the wind, the rustle of the leaves sounding like the angry buzzing of millions of bees. Holding onto the stetson his mother gave him, he gazed up through the treetops in hopes to see what was causing the whirlwind. Posey was tending to the animals at her family’s animal sanctuary when the critters started to chatter in a panicked frenzy. She tried to calm them down, but they could sense that something terrible was coming.

“Here you go, Thunderbolt,” Surprise said with a wink as she served breakfast to the gray Pegasus at Sugar Cube Corner. “A plate of Triple Berry Pancakes for our newest Wonderbolt.”

“Thanks, Surprise,” he said, his mouth watering at the stack of pancakes, fruit, and whipped cream. Before he could take a bite, his ears twitched from hearing an odd noise. It was deep and heavy, like one of Vinyl Scratch’s bass cannons, but it had an irregular pattern, like it was coming from multiple sources. The way it rumbled like thunder and made his bones shake made him think of a stampede of buffalo from Appleloosa. “Hey, Surprise. Do you hear that?”

“I feel that,” she responded, also taking notice of the distant sound. Leaving his breakfast untouched, Thunderbolt went outside and saw that the ponies running their stands in the market had also taken notice. As he hovered above the ground, he realized it couldn’t be a stampede because he could feel the disturbance even though he wasn’t touching the ground. Dismissing the idea of stampede, he then looked to his beating wings and noted the noise they made when they flapped. Seeing the correlation, Thunderbolt’s heart began to beat faster and he flew above the rooftops. As he cleared the chimneys and roofs, he was greeted by the blinding sun. Squinting his eyes, he saw the outline of something hiding in the sunlight. He shielded his eyes with a hoof and then his jaw dropped when his eyes adjusted.

Midnight busy writing down notes at her desk when she too noticed the disturbance coming from outside. Placing down her quill, she made her way over to the glass doors that exited to her balcony. Stepping out onto the balcony and leaning over the railing, Midnight looked down at the streets below to see ponies coming out of their houses or leaning out of their windows to stare skyward. Turning her head to see what they were looking at, Midnight yelped and jumped back as a gray and blue blur zoomed past her.

“Dragons!” the blur, which had the voice of Thunderbolt, yelled as it sped away. The ponies barely had time to scream before the sound of the leathery wings was directly overhead. Midnight dove back into the palace and covered her head with her hooves as a green scaled dragon flew directly over the palace, shaking the crystalline castle with its passage. Midnight was about to stand up and go back outside but covered her head once more when an orange dragon also flew by. It was then followed by brown dragon and then by a red, then a yellow, then a black, then a teal, and many others.

Summoning the courage to stand back up and daring to go back onto the balcony, Midnight saw dragons of all colors flying over her hometown. She shielded her eyes against the unbearable wind created in the dragons’ wake. During the Dragon Migration, the dragons flew high above the town, but now they barely cleared the castle. With each downbeat of their massive wings, a powerful gust of air would rock the buildings to their foundations. Food stands were toppled and blown down the cobblestone streets. Ponies that were caught outside were swept off their hooves and clung onto lampposts, door frames, or anything bolted down in order to prevent being carried away in the breeze.

Midnight could only stare in wordless amazement and terror as the dragons flew over Ponyville and made their way to the Everfree Forest. It was quite a sight to say the least. There was little that was more awe inspiring or more terrifying than seeing a flight of dragons so close. In her dazed state, Midnight wondered how or why so many dragons had appeared. She knew better than most that the next Dragon Migration wasn’t due for many years.

Many dragons, hundreds by Midnight’s estimation, had passed over Ponyville and were now circling over the forest like great flock of oversized vultures. With the dragons no longer overhead, the air began to settle once more. A cautious calm settled over the town and the ponies collected themselves off of the ground and came out of their hiding places to assess the situation. They were unhurt, but were terribly shaken up and disoriented by the experience. Some righted their overturn carts and stands while parents comforted their frightened foals.

“Midnight!” The blue Unicorn looked away from the dragons to see a contingent of Pegasi Royal Guards from Canterlot flying towards Twilight’s Castle. The guards were armed with spears and were led by Flash Sentry. When her father landed, Midnight rushed to met him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Dad,” Midnight assured the orange Pegasus. “What’s going on? Why are there dragons here?”

“I don’t know,” he told her. “But we have to be prepare for an attack.”

“An attack!?” Midnight exclaimed. “But what about the Dragon/Equine Peace Accord!? It clearly states that- Gah!” Midnight cried out in pain and covered her ears as did everypony else when an unbearable pressure assaulted their eardrums. The Pegasi guards fell out of the sky and Midnight and family struggled to stand. As before, the noise of gargantuan wings flapping came from the east. Through tear-filled eyes, Midnight looked up to see the sun go dark. At first she thought it was Luna performing a solar eclipse, but then saw that the shadow was moving across the sky. A gasp escaped Midnight’s throat as she saw that the shadow belonged to the largest thing she had ever seen. She had read that dragons never stopped growing throughout their incredibly long lifespans, even exceeding an Ursa Major, but she never imagined she would ever see one.

Even as it flew over the forest, the sound of each powerful beat of it wings could be heard in the distance. The relatively smaller dragons parted and made way for the colossus, which landed in the heart of the Everfree Forest. The other dragons continued their circling overhead as Midnight wondered why would a dragon be interested in the forest. Other being filled with all sorts of magical monsters and not abiding by the other laws of nature, the only thing of importance about the forest was that was home to the ancient castle where the Royal Alicorn Sisters once lived. It was there where Midnight’s mother and her friends discovered the Elements of Harmony and where the Tree of Harmony, the source of all peace and harmony in Equestria, was located.

“The Tree!” the Unicorn Princess frantically shouted. “The Tree of Harmony! The Elements! It’s landed right where the old castle is located!”

“You’re right!” Flash Sentry agreed, also recognizing where the largest dragon had landed. The Prince Consort looked over the railing to the soldiers that were holding a hoof to their aching heads as they wobbly stood back up and ordered, “On your hooves, stallions! Pick up your weapons and fly! Fly!”

The armored ponies obeyed their commander’s orders and followed him to the sky, headed towards the ancient castle and the dragons. Seeing her father head straight towards the creature that created a hurricane with the force of its wings, Midnight called after him, “Father, you can’t fight that thing! You’ll be killed! Are you listening to me!? Father!”

She was about to run after him, but Flash Sentry turned around to call back to her. “No, Midnight! Sworn Duty, keep her safe!”

“Yes, Your Highness,” confirmed a jade coated guard, who landed by the blue mare.

“But… But…” she stammered in protest but the lieutenant's wing draped over her, leading her back inside. Sworn Duty shook his head at her, and then she looked back helplessly to her father as he and his soldiers flew on to confront the dragons. She knew that the Tree of Harmony had to be protected, but also knew that her father stood no chance against a foe such as this.

Flash Sentry was also aware of this fact. As he and the other Royal Guards approached the castle, they gripped their spears tighter with their hooves. Looking at the bronze weapon he carried and then to the scaled beasts before him, it felt puny in comparison. A dragon’s hide was nigh impenetrable and their weapons far outclassed their own. Each dragon was equipped with claws that could easily dig through a solid rock and teeth that could crush diamonds. Even if they had brought Unicorns, it would benefit them little for dragons had a natural resistance to magic and the more learned of their kind could cast spells just as easily. Above all was the dragons’ most infamous trait; dragonfire. With one burst of their super heated, magical fire breath, an entire squad could be reduced to ash.

Flash Sentry could see the largest dragon rising over the forest’s canopy. As Midnight had proclaimed, it was hunched over the castle. Its scales were a deep, royal purple and a triple row of blood red spikes ran down the length of its spine. The middle row of red spikes, along with its wings, was webbed with golden, leathery skin. Even with its back towards the Pegasus, Evening Star could see that its head was adorned with multiple, thick, crimson horns. With one clawed hand, it gripped to the side of the castle, crumbling the stone masonry under its massive weight. With the other claw, it reached down into the ravine that surrounded the castle. The clawed hand was thrust into a cave at the bottom of the moat, feeling about the inside of the cave in search for something.

“Charge!” Flash Sentry commanded as he darted towards the titanic dragon. He knew they only had a fool’s hope of succeeding in stopping the attempted theft. The members of the EUP were trained in strategies designed to counter dragon raids, but they only accounted for one dragon and certainly not one of this size.

Before the squadron could reach the purple dragon, a red dragon with a gray underbelly and wings blocked their path and roared at them. Spears flew at the red dragon, but bounced harmlessly off its plated stomach to the forest below. Unimpressed by their fruitless attempt of an attack, the dragon raised a scaly brow at the stallions. While the unarmed soldiers swooped down to retrieve their weapons, the next line of guards prepare another volley. Before they could throw their spears, a blue dragon with magenta wings and belly scales swooped over them, throwing off their balance as they hovered in the air, and a green dragon with yellow wings swooped down below and cut off the other soldiers before they could reach the trees.

The three dragons circled around the Royal Guards, preventing them from escaping. Flash Sentry and the guards closed in together, covering each other’s backs while looking in every direction for a way out. Even if a few of them got past the three dragons corralling them, the other dragons were already being to form a perimeter around them. Flash Sentry’s heart sank; he had foolish led his stallions into battle against an insurmountable force with no hope of victory, and now they faced certain doom.

He then heard the sound of stone and and earth crumbling and turned to see the massive, purple dragon raising itself on its hind legs. Even with them in the air, the Pegasi craned their necks to look up at the towering figure. The dragon spread its golden wings to its full span, which was nearly a third of a mile across. It raised a clawed hand to the sky and unleashed a deafening roar in triumph. Flash Sentry gaped at the dragon’s prize; the Tree of Harmony! Dirt fell from the roots of the bluish-purple, crystal tree, its glowing white, crystal ball-like ornament dangling from the branches.

Clutching the magical tree in its grasp, the purple dragon looked to the ponies that dared tried to stop it from claiming its prize. Its chin, cheeks, and nose were adorned with facial spikes and golden ear frills fanned out from the side of its head. Flash Sentry stared back the dragon, determined not to show fear and to accept his fate with dignity. The accompanying guard followed their Prince’s example and faced their captor. As the giant dragon stooped down and stretched his long neck forward, Flash Sentry began to nervously sweat as he was faced with the glare of those fiery, red eyes.

*****

Back in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle watched on as Evening Star rallied the rest of the Royal Guard. Her husband had already left to secure Ponyville and to make sure that their daughter was safe, but she didn’t know what the dragons would do. If they decided to attack, there was little that Flash’s team could do to stop them. The Princess of Friendship fretted as she watched the soldiers organized themselves into formation.

Rainbow Dash was already in her form fitting Wonderbolt uniform and Soarin was with her with the rest of the squadron of elite fliers. They and the rest of the Pegasi guard were to be the first responders while the Unicorns and the Earth Ponies would stay and protect Canterlot. Even with all of the Pegasi guard backing her, Twilight feared for Rainbow Dash.

As for the rest of Twilight’s friends, they stood to the side of the of the castle’s great hall looking on anxiously. Aside from Fluttershy, none of them could fly, and Fluttershy was no soldier. The yellow mare also had an overwhelming phobia of dragons. She was already going out of her mind at the thought of there being dragons so close to her, her pink mane frazzled and her eyes bloodshot. She screamed and her trembling legs locked, toppling over on her back when she felt something touch her back, but it was only Applejack. The farmer had only meant to place a comforting hoof on her timid friend, but she nearly caused her to faint.

The doors opened and Celestia and Luna made their way across the red carpet, headed towards the castle’s main gates. The EUP snapped to attention and Evening Star quickly trotted over to the Alicorn Sisters, keeping pace with the Princesses. “Your Highnesses, the guard has been assembled. We are ready to confront the…”

“No, Prince Evening Star,” Celestia silenced him. “None of you are equipped to face this foe. Luna and I shall go.”

“Your Highness, I highly advise against that,” Evening Star tried to dissuade the white Alicorn. “There are only two of you and there are hundreds of them. You can’t possibly fight them all!”

“Your concern is duly noted,” Luna told him, a steely expression on her face. “But this nonnegotiable. You and the Pegasi will accompany the Element Bearers back to Ponyville.”

“But what about you, Princess?” Applejack asked. “Y’all not seriously thinkin’ of takin’ them fire breathin’ monsters on all by yourselves, do ya?” She then turned to Spike again. “No offense.”

“None taken,” he replied. “At least let me go with you. I’m more qualified than anyone else to face them.”

“No, Spike,” Celestia quickly shot his proposal down, stopping to face him. “I need you to stay here. If who I think it is is out there, then I want you nowhere near him.”

“The Dragon King?” Twilight asked, dreading the answer.

Celestia nodded her regal head and answered, “If it is him, then Spike would stand no chance. Remember, the Dragon King has the power to control the mind of any dragon. You would only be giving him another soldier for his army.” Spike gulped at the thought of being forced against his will to serve such a tyrant. Rarity, seeing his distress, nuzzled against him. “We will try to resolve this peacefully.” Celestia then turned to her former student. “Twilight, if we fail, then it will be up to you. You and the others need to get back to your castle and activate the Element’s power. It’s the only thing that can stop them.”

“I understand.” Twilight dutifully responded. “Come on, girls. We have to make it back to Ponyville!”

“I hate to bring this up,” Pinkie Pie spoke up, flexing her left fore leg. “But my Pinkie Sense is going off. My knee is pinchy.”

“Pinchy knee? But that means…” Twilight’s eyes darted about as she recalled the different signs of Pinkie’s strange precognitive ability. When she remembered, her violet eyes widened and her pupils shrank. “Something scary is about to happen!”

Right on cue, the terrifying sound of roaring came from outside of the castle. Everyone stood attentively, looking to the roof and listening for any other sound. Then they heard the distinct sound of wings flapping, growing louder as they approached Equestria's capital. The sound of wings was shortly followed by the sounds of Canterlot’s ponies screaming in terror as the dragons undoubtedly approached.

“So much for the peaceful approach. Secure the castle! Prepare for combat” At Evening Star’s order, the Royal Guard prepared to rush out of the great hall. Heavy thuds could be felt coming from outside, causing Twilight to look out of a palace window. A large shadow swooped by, causing Fluttershy to shriek.

“Wonderbolts, time to take off!” Rainbow Dash called to her squadron, lowering her goggles over her eyes.

“No, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia stopped her, blocking her path before she ran off. “You and the others need to get to Ponyville.”

“But the fight is out there!” Rainbow Dash protested, pointing out of the window.

“It’s our only chance. Follow me!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll buy you time,” Soarin told his wife, their team nodding in agreement. Despite her objections, Rainbow Dash nodded back and joined her friends in following the Princesses. Seeing Rainbow Dash and the others run down a corridor, Soarin led the Wonderbolts in the opposite direction.

As Evening Star raced out on to the castle ramparts, he saw that a number of dragons had already landed. Most were perched on the peaks of Canterlot Mountain, looking down at the city and its inhabitants like overgrown hawks searching for prey. Some were climbing up the side of the mountain, compromising the skydocks. Any escape attempt by zeppelin or hot air balloon was now impossible. Looking to the city’s outer wall, Evening Star could see that the dragons were already there, looking over the wall at the scurrying ponies. Like the skydocks, the train station at the edge of the city was inaccessible.

Ponies in the streets dove out of the way as dragons landed in the intersections, blocking the roads and towering over the various stores and restaurants. More dragons landed in the parks and gardens where there was more room for their massive bodies. Picnic tables, benches, statues, and fountains were crushed or knocked over as the dragons moved about, their wings and swishing tails toppling everything in their path.

With the bridges and ramparts connecting to the city walls and defense towers cut off by the invaders and the streets filled with mobs of screaming ponies, the only position available for the Royal Guard was the castle itself. The soldiers ran across the bridges to the castle’s spires, aiming their weapons at the dragons. Horns glowed, arrows were notched, swords drawn, and spears were at the ready. They waited for the dragons to make their move on the palace, but the wyrms held their position, only snarling at ponies that came too close to the city gates.

This isn’t an attack, Evening Star assessed. It’s a siege. The air vibrated, Evening Star’s teeth rattling from the intense pressure. Looking up, he couldn’t believe what he saw was heading straight towards the castle.

As Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike followed Celestia and Luna, they too felt the turbulence. The stained glass windows vibrated in their frames and the walls shook as something big landed outside. With no time to waste, Celestia used her magic to open the large double doors that led to the room reserved for ceremonies. Royal weddings and coronations were held in this room, and its large, open windows gave view to the city, which was now infested by dragons. The roars and growls of the magical beasts could be heard along with the panicked screams of the populace. As the ponies and the one dragon in Canterlot aligned with them ran inside, they skidded to a stop when they saw figures standing on the balcony behind the altar on the far side of the room.

*****

Meanwhile, beneath the castle, the two guards that were assigned to the dungeon to watch the sole prisoner walked down a dimly lit stone corridor and opened the heavy wooden door. The two Unicorns came to the security station that all new inmates and visitors had to pass through. There was an archway, within it was a magical, electric blue field. The two stallions nodded to each other and activated their magic. The device’s humming ceased and the blue field dissipated, leaving the security gate empty.

In his cell, the former Prince Narcissus looked to the ceiling. His visitor from yesterday had told him that he would be released and wondered if tremor he felt was a part of the so called escape plan. A whirling chime caught his attention and he looked up to his horn. The blue, magic disabling spell swirled off of his horn, relieving a slight pressure that had been present ever since he had been forced through the accursed field. With his magic unlocked, Narcissus smirked and focused on the lock to his cell. With a simple spell, the lock flashed blue and the barred door swung open.

As he stepped out of his cell, Narcissus froze when he heard the door at the end of the corridor open. He smirked when he saw the same two guards from yesterday. Confidently, he marched up to the pair with his head held high. Though he had been stripped of his title and his appearance was unkempt, he still carried himself with an arrogant air.

“Gentlecolts,” he addressed the guards.

“Follow us, Your Highness,” one of them urged. “We’ll take you to Lord Hargon.”

“Lead the way,” the smug Unicorn gloated, glad to finally to be free.

Enter the Dragon King

Twilight Sparkle watched as the figures backlit by the outdoor sunlight walked through the high, vaulted arches that led out to the balcony. She, Celestia, and Luna prepared their magic while Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Spike took combative stances. When the figures crossed the threshold, they saw it was only Flash Sentry and his entourage of Pegasi guards. The squad walked down the steps of the altar and stood in a row before them.

“Flash!” Twilight cried with relief as she canceled her magic and ran to her husband. She hugged him, burying her face in his chest. “Thank goodness you’re alright. I was so… Flash?” When he didn’t react to her embrace, she looked up to his face to see a vacant expression. “Flash, are you okay?” She waved a hoof in front his, but his eyes remained unfocused. She looked to the other guards for an explanation, but they all shared the same blank look on their faces.

“What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked. She went over to one of the frozen soldiers and also waved a hoof in his face. “Why are they acting like this?”

“It’s like they’re…” Rarity commented as she too observed their odd behavior. “...enchanted.”

“The dragon-spell,” Spike announced, recognizing the enchantment. A little known secret about dragons is that they had the insidious ability to hypnotize their victims. Anyone who looked a dragon in the eye or even listened to their beguiling voice was at risk of falling under their spell.

Before anyone else could question how this happened, the spellbound Flash Sentry stepped away from his wife and finally spoke in a hollow voice, “The Dragon King approaches.”

Princess Celestia’s fears were confirmed; the Dragon King had in fact returned to Equestria. The normally calm and collected Alicorn Princess stiffened with unease as she heard a clunk coming from the balcony outside. It was the sound of wood striking tile accompanied by footsteps. The hypnotized Pegasi parted and stood at attention on either side of the room length red carpet, allowing the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the Royal Alicorn Sisters, and Spike to see the shadow of a horned figure darkening the archway.

As the figure drew near, Rainbow Dash snorted and pawed at the ground with a hoof aggressively, chomping at the bit to attack at the unwelcomed guest. Before the cyan Pegasus could spring into attack, Princess Celestia whispered, “Rainbow Dash, you and the others get behind me.”

“Huh? Wha...” uttered the Pegasus, confused by the order.

“Applejack, if you please,” Celestia requested of the orange Earth Pony as she, Luna, and Twilight lined up at the base of the steps.

“On it,” Applejack said as she clamped down on Rainbow Dash’s multicolored tail with her teeth, a preemptive move to prevent her overzealous friend from doing something she would regret, and pulled her back.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash protested, but was ignored as the Dragon King walked onto the head of the altar. What walked in wasn’t at all what everypony was expecting. Instead of the towering colossus, the dragon they saw before them looked like the teenaged dragons that Spike, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had encountered during the Dragon Migration, being about the same height as a minotaur. His scales were purple and he wore a dark violet robe with high white collar with a yellow and orange fringe. From his neck hung a golden medallion with a ruby set in the center. His head and horns were covered by black wrappings, leaving only his face exposed and he held a wooden staff in his left claw that had been carved to resemble a dragon's head, complete with sparkling bloodstones for eyes. With every step he took, he would strike the tiled floor with the staff, creating an echo.

The Dragon King looked at all of the faces before him, his eyes slowly panning left to right. His nostrils flared as he sniffed and then a forked tongue flickered out from between his fangs, tasting the air. “You all smell of fear,” he sneered with a deep yet strangely charming voice. His eyes found Fluttershy, who was shaking like a leaf. He grinned, baring his fangs at the frightened Pegasus, and said, “It is delicious.” Fluttershy gave a whimpering moan and swooned from fear, Pinkie Pie catching her before she collapsed onto the floor.

“Dragon King Ryuo,” Princess Celestia addressed the robed dragon, taking in deep breaths to calm her already shot nerves.

“Princess Celestia,” the Dragon King returned the greeting. “It has been far too long. And Princess Luna, I heard that you had returned. I welcome you back,” he said with mild surprise, turning to the younger of the two sisters. Luna stiffened when the Archwyrm spoke to her, glaring daggers at him. His red eyes then panned over to Twilight Sparkle. “Oh, what do we have here?” Twilight Sparkle fought the urge to run as the tall figure walked down the steps to her and took a hold of her muzzle with his clawed fingers and studied her. “Another Alicorn? How adorable. Tell me, is this one yours, Celestia?”

“No,” Celestia simply said.

“No? Hmm… Oh well.” Uncomfortable with his claws on her face, Twilight slapped them off of her, causing the Dragon King to chuckle. “My, what a feisty little one.”

“Enough of this, Ryuo! Release them at once!” the Solar Princess demanded, stamping a gilded shoed hoof.

“As you wish.” At the Dragon King’s words, the collection of Pegasi blinked at looked around confused.

“Wha… What happened?” Flash Sentry asked dizzily as he wobbled about. Seeing him coming to his senses, Twilight ran to Flash once more and hugged him.

“Ponies. So easily manipulated,” the Dragon King scoffed.

“You know, I thought the ‘King of Dragons’ would be a lot bigger than this,” Pinkie Pie whispered to Rainbow Dash as she helped a woozy Fluttershy up.

“Would you prefer that I came as I truly am?” the Dragon King asked over his shoulder, hearing what the pink pony said. This caused Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity to quickly shake their heads. Dragon King Ryuo snorted black smoke and smirked before looking back forward, causing Rainbow Dash to growl. She really wanted to teach this lizard a lesson.

“On second thought, you really rock the ‘evil sorcerer’ look,” Pinkie Pie nervously chuckled.

“What do you want, Ryuo?” Celestia challenged, her patience worn thin.

“I want him,” the Dragon King motioned to Spike, giving the younger dragon a mysterious smirk. “You must be Spike, the famous ‘Dragon Prince’ of Equestria. I have heard much about you and how it was you that annihilated Chrysalis. Most impressive.”

At this, Twilight and Rarity stood fearlessly in front of their dragon. “You’re not going anywhere near him!” Twilight declared, driven by her motherly instincts.

“He is MY Spikey Wikey!” Rarity adamantly proclaimed. “And he has no business with the likes of you!”

“On the contrary, he and I have much to discuss,” the Dragon King contradicted.

Stepping out from behind Twilight and Rarity, Spike faced the Dragon King. “It’s alright. I know why he’s here. You’re here for Aurum’s treasure, aren’t you? He warned me that other dragons would come.” The Dragon King raised a brow at the inquiry. “Look, leave everyone else out of this. ”

“Is this what all of this is about?” Rarity demanded. “Treasure?”

“So, Aurum the Golden has passed,” the Dragon King mused. “How unfortunate.”

“Wait… You didn’t know about Aurum’s death?” Spike asked.

“And that he left Spike all of that gold and jewels?” Pinkie asked before clasping her hooves over mouth after realizing what she said.

“I do now,” the Dragon King grinned. “But that is not why I am here.”

“Regardless of why you’re here or why you want Spike,” Celestia interceded. “You have threatened my subjects and invaded our kingdom! Or have you forgotten?”

“I have not forgotten!” he roared, licks of red flame seething out between his fangs. “For thousands of years, I have not forgotten.”

“Then why have you broken the pact?” Luna questioned.

“Did I now?” the Dragon King cryptively growled, narrowing his red eyes at Celestia. There was something about his expression that gave her pause. It was a knowing look, like there was a terrible secret that the two of them shared. She began to fear that he discovered the truth. But how was it possible? Aside from her, nopony now lived who remembered it, and it happened during Luna’s banishment.

“What are you talking about?” Luna asked for her sister. “Just last night, your forces laid siege to the town of Hawk’s Nest. The ponies and griffons of the town reported that three dragons attacked them unprovoked. Their homes have been destroyed and they are being treated for injuries as we speak. They say that something was taken from them. What did you steal?”

“I was disarming my opponent before I made my move,” Ryuo vaguely explained, causing everyone to look around at each other in confusion. “Oh, so you do not know. I am disappointed, Celestia. To let such an important matter slip past you. How careless.”

“That doesn’t change the fact you invaded Equestrian soil,” Celestia said, trying to retake control of the situation. “It was you who broke the pact.”

“Oh, I was not the one who broke it,” he darkly told the Princess of the Sun. He then pointed one clawed finger at her. “You did.”

Everypony looked to the white Alicorn, who flinched at the accusation. Hearing this claim, Luna scoffed, “Don’t be absurd. Celestia would never do such a thing.”

“Would she not? There is your proof; a captive,” he announced, pointing back to Spike with an accusatory claw.

The younger dragon cringed at all the unwanted attention he was receiving from the Dragon King. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash turned the King Dragon’s gaze from him to her. “Back off, sulfur breath! Spike is one of us!”

“Yeah, Spike isn’t a captive. He’s family,” Pinkie Pie cheerful added, hugging the dragon in question.

“Then tell me, where did Spike come from?” the Dragon King asked, raising a brow.

“Spike was given to me as an egg,” Twilight answered, stepping forward. “Before that, he was in the care of Princess Celestia.”

“And do you know where she obtained the egg?”

Twilight looked to Celestia, but the elder Alicorn looked ashamedly down at her hooves. Shaking her head, she answered, “No, I don’t.”

“And yet you claim that he is ‘family,’” the Dragon King sneered, his words stinging Spike’s pony family, Princess Celestia most of all. “Pitiful. You truly are sheep: thoughtless, easily manipulated, and blindly follow your rulers.”

“Hey! That’s offensive to sheep!” Pinkie protested, but no one paid heed to her objection.

“I have a score to settle with the false idols you worship,” Ryuo announced. “They presumed to stand between a dragon and the spoils of his conquests. They humiliated me, forced me to relinquish my claim, and presumed to bound me to their ridiculous terms.” With each word, the King Dragon’s voice rose in intensity until he was seething. He gripped his staff, the wood creaking under the pressure of his iron grasp. At the height of his anger, the Dragon King closed his eyes and inhaled sharply through his nostrils, recomposing himself by exhaling. “But I am willing to ignore their past trespasses… for today. Instead, I have come for him,” the Dragon King said, referring to Spike. He then pulled an old scroll from his robes and unrolled it.

There was an audible gasp and everyone looked to Celestia, whose eyes widened with recognition. “How…” she whispered.

“How did I come across this? That is not important. What is important is that your ‘perfect’ Princess concealed the truth concerning the death of a dragoness and stole her only surviving egg.” The Dragon King snarled and threw the scroll at Celestia’s hooves, who stared at it in disbelief. Using her magic, Twilight picked up the scroll and read its contents. “You told me that it was an avalanche. A ‘natural disaster.’ Were those not your exact words? Did you think that you could conceal this from me!? Do you take me for a fool!?”

“This… This says that there was a mining accident…” Twilight said, hardly believing what she was reading. “There was an explosion, causing a landslide. The rescue team discovered…”

“A dragon’s nest,” Celestia remorsefully confirmed.

*****

Princess Celestia stood before the still body of the dragoness. Her scales were pink and her spines were a minty green. Her eyes were closed and a tranquil expression was on her face. If Celestia didn’t know better, she would have thought that the female dragon was only sleeping. However, the poor dragoness’s body was buried underneath large boulders.

Once word had reached Canterlot of the disaster, Celestia came at once to help with the rescue operation. Using her magic, she had cleared the debris sealing the trapped miners inside. After they were safe, Celestia went to inspect the damage the explosion had caused to the surrounding environment. The shock of the explosion had caused an avalanche, and to Celestia’s horror, she saw spines sticking out from the pile of rocks on a ledge just below the mine.

Adding to her dismay was that when the rocks were cleared, she discovered fragments of eggshells alongside the dragoness. In Celestia’s mind, she could picture the dragoness awaking to the cacophony caused by the explosion and looked up to see the falling rocks. Knowing there would have be no time to flee, she would have tried to shield her eggs from the avalanche with her own body. Celestia was initially relieved to discover that all of the miners had survived, but that peace of mind was now lost. A mother had died trying to save her unborn children.

Celestia bowed her head in respect of the dead, but a glimmer of color caught her eye. Looking further down the cliff, she saw another ledge. On it was a lone, purple egg with dark spots. Celestia gasped and quickly flew down to the egg. Maybe there was still time. Landing by the egg, she looked down at it with hope. She pressed an ear against the egg’s smooth surface and listened, but heard nothing. There was so stirring, no sloshing of embryonic fluid, and the egg was cool against her cheek. The egg was dead.

To be certain, Celestia levitated the purple egg with her golden yellow magic to scan it for any sign of life. When her magic touched the embryo within, she found it underdeveloped. The genetic material was there, but never had the chance to form into a baby dragon. Either it was a bad egg that the dragoness had pushed out of the nest or was knocked out by accident in its mother’s panic and died without its mother’s warmth.

When Celestia’s magic touched the egg, a connection was made and she was whisked away into a vision. The moon with the silhouette of a mare on its surface was high in the sky, four stars slowly drawing closer to it. Then there was a flash of magic and the purple egg hatched, revealing a baby dragon. There was a foal, Celestia couldn’t determine if it was a colt or a filly, but she did see another flash of light and a cutie mark of a magenta, six-pointed star appeared on its flank; the symbol of the Element of Magic.

Celestia came out of the vision and stared at the egg floating in front of her, processing what she just saw. The Alicorn looked up to the sky. It was nearly time for her to lower the sun and to raise the moon, the same moon where her sister was imprisoned. The four stars that would aid in her escape were still a great distance from it, but over the years, they have been making their way across the sky. At some point, maybe a few years before the return of Nightmare Moon, a gifted pony will come and hatch the egg.

Looking back at the egg, Celestia knew it would require powerful magics to breathe new life into an underdeveloped dragon egg and cause it hatch, much more than a little foal should be able to summon. But this foal, whomever they may be, was destined to bear the Element of Magic. If anypony could hatch this egg, it would be them. Celestia knew that the most powerful of the Elements of Harmony could only be brought forth when all the other Elements were present. That meant that there must be others destined wield their power.

“Luna,” Celestia spoke to the sky. Overcome with emotion, tears trickled from her eyes. She finally found the means to free her dear sister from the corruption of Nightmare Moon. At least some good would come from this tragedy. She would keep the egg safe until she found that chosen foal. But how to find them? She had a school for gifted Unicorns. Every year, many hopeful Unicorn foals came in hopes of being admitted into the school of advanced magics. Every applicant had to take an entrance exam to evaluate their magical prowess. Maybe she could use the egg as part of the exam.

A terrible thought occurred to Celestia. A dragon had died within Equestria’s borders and she was taking the only surviving egg. If the Dragon King ever knew about this, he would surely retaliate, even if it was truly an accident. Long had Ryuo held a grudge against Celestia for his prior defeat, held back only by his word. This could set off a powder keg and it was only a matter of time before word of the dragoness’s death reached the Dragon King. He will be furious regardless, but maybe he could be placated if he thought it that was an avalanche that caused the mining accident and the death of the dragoness and not the other way around. Of course, the miners, the rescue team, and anypony else involved had to be sworn to secrecy and the Dragon King could never know about the egg. It felt dishonest to deceive him like this, but Equestria would be doomed otherwise, and not just from Nightmare Moon’s return. If Celestia didn’t do this, her sister would return from her banishment to find nothing but the ashes of what used to be Equestria.

*****

“...and the egg is to be sent to my School for Gifted Unicorns to be used as part of the entrance exam,” Twilight finished reading the document. “I am confident that whosoever shall cause the egg to hatch shall be the pony destined to bear the Element of Magic. Signed, Princess Celestia.”

Spike felt uneasy. He had always wanted to know where he had came from and who his mother (well… at least the dragoness who had laid his egg) was and if he had any siblings. His egg had been a dud and it was Twilight’s magic and life force that formed the baby dragon within and gave it life. However, hearing that his other “mother” and his siblings were dead made his legs weak and he sat down on his haunches, a troubled expression on his face.

“You see,” the Dragon King broke the silence. “Princess Celestia should have never given you his egg. She took it for herself and used it as a piece in her little game. For this deception, I proclaim any agreement we had null and void.”

“Please understand, Ryuo,” Celestia begged. “What I did was for the greater good. He was the key to saving Equestria.”

“You speak as though it was of any consequence to me,” Ryuo glowered. “The problems of your kingdom are solely your own.”

“How can you say that?” Ryuo looked over and saw it was Twilight that had spoken. Despite the shock of learning the truth of Spike’s origins, the lavender Alicorn still stood by her mentor. “Didn’t you hear what I just read? If it wasn’t for Princess Celestia’s gift of foresight, the entire world would have been in jeopardy! Nightmare Moon. Discord. Tirek. If we hadn’t discovered the Elements, they, along with a number of other villains we’ve faced, would have conquered the world or worse!”

“They were no threat to me. If they were, I would have slain them,” the Dragon King dismissed, causing everypony blanched at his claim. “All that matters is that I am no longer bound by the pact, and you no longer have the means to stop me. Your Princesses...” He waved a claw in the Alicorns’ direction. “Even with their combined strength, they cannot defeat me. I was young and tender when we first did battle. But now I am old and strong. Your army…” He waved to Flash Sentry and the Pegasi. “Insignificant compared to the might of mine. And most importantly, you no longer have the Elements. Scorn! Cobalt! Mire!” Three of the dragons perched over Canterlot took flight and headed towards the balcony. They were same three dragons that had attacked Hawk’s Nest and had intercepted Flash Sentry’s team before they could stop the theft of the Tree of Harmony. The red dragon was carrying the magical, crystal tree, flanked by the blue and green dragons.

“The Tree of Harmony!” the Element Bearers exclaimed when they saw the dragon’s plunder. The six Elements of Harmony sparkled from the branches of the tree, each one of them a gem resembling their respective Bearer’s cutie mark. Pinkie Pie’s Element of Laughter was a balloon-shaped, baby blue sapphire. The ruby lightningbolt was Rainbow Dash’s Element of Loyalty. Fluttershy’s Element of Kindness was represented by a pink sapphire shaped like a butterfly. Applejack’s Element of Honesty was an Apple-shaped gem ironically colored orange, and Rarity’s Element of Generosity was a four sided amethyst. The magenta gem six-pointed star in the center of the tree was Twilight’s Element of Magic.

“What have you done!?” Luna yelled.

“Ryuo! We need the Tree of Harmony!” Celestia tried to reason with the Dragon King. “It maintains the order that keeps our world in balance! Without it, everyone and everything will be in danger, including you!”

“I would be inclined to believe you…” The Dragon King then leaned closer to Celestia and scowled. “... if you were not a thief and a liar! Without your precious Elements, the lot of you are powerless to stop me!”

“That does it!” Rainbow Dash broke free from Applejack’s grasp and bolted at the King of Dragons. Before anyone could stop her, the Wonderbolt swung a hoof at the Dragon King’s scaly face. Instead of wiping the smug look off of his face, her hoof made contact with the wooden staff he was carrying. Before Rainbow Dash could take another another swing, The Dragon King used his staff to flip her out of the air. She landed with an “oof” at the Dragon King’s feet and grunted as the butt of his staff struck her, sending her sliding across the tile like a hockey puck.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack shouted as she helped her friend off of the floor. Taking Applejack’s hoof, Rainbow Dash got up and growled.

“Come on, girls! Formation!” Twilight ordered, prompting her friends to stand by her to activate the powers of Harmony. They closed their eyes and held the heads up high as they waited for the Rainbow Power to be bestowed upon them. The six Elements glowed brightly on the tree, their magic coursing through the branches. The red dragon holding the Tree of Harmony squinted his maroon eyes at the light and the blue and green dragons backed away from it cautiously. Even the Dragon King seemed nervous. The six mares waited, but nothing happened. Opening their eyes, they saw that the rainbow colored light emanating from the tree was flickering. Twilight could sense that the tree was losing power from being uprooted from its place in the heart of the Everfree Forest. The blue and purple crystal surface was already losing its magical glow and luster. Seeing that the all powerful magic of the tree was waning, the Royal Alicorn Sisters charged their horns, ready to blast the robed dragon with their magic.

“I would reconsider that course of action. Behold.” Turning with a swish of his violet robe, the Dragon King pointed to the large windows that overlooked the city. A deep, rumbling noise emanated from the Dragon King’s throat and his pupils narrowed to thin slits. Outside, the dragons straightened themselves and stood at attention, their pupils also becoming slits. The Alpha Dragon raised a claw and his subordinates reared the heads back and breathed streams of dragonfire into the air in a spectacular display. The air rippled and shimmered from the intense heat and the ponies in the city below screamed in terror, believing that their time had come. Each dragon’s fire was a different color, making the light from the flames paint the city in a rainbow. It would have been beautiful if it wasn’t for the horrifying fact if the dragons were aiming down the entire city would have been destroyed that instant. The Dragon King then lowered his claw and the dragons aimed their heads at the city, ready for another blast of fire.

Seeing the imminent danger her subjects were in, the golden yellow aura disappeared from Celestia’s horn followed by the blue aura surrounding Luna’s. With the Alicorns standing down, the Dragon King’s rumbling growl ceased and the dragons stood at ease once more. The terrified citizens uncovered their eyes and warily peeked around, wondering if they were still alive.

“Now that is a pity,” the Dragon King sneered. “How now shall you challenge me? I have the weapon. I have your ‘precious’ Elements. And now…” The Dragon King narrowed his eyes at Spike. “Spike shall come with me.” Hearing this, Spike’s friends put themselves between him and the Dragon King. Once again, the Dragon King’s pupils became razor-thin slits as he muttered the deep, bass growl. Spike’s green eyes widened and his own pupils contracted as a strange force took a hold of his mind. His mind started to go blank, being replaced by the irresistible mental commands of the Alpha. Come to me, the voice in his head commanded. Spike legs shook and began to move on their own.

“Spike?” Rarity asked, stunned as she watched her husband submissively walk towards the Dragon King, his head bowed. The alabaster mare stood in front of the brainwashed dragon and placed her hooves on his right shoulder, trying to stop him. Despite her best efforts, the much larger dragon kept on walking. Determined not to let the vile brute take her husband away from her, she pushed harder against him. The only thing this accomplished was that she was being pushed back across the floor, her hind hooves skidding across the tile. “Spike! Somepony help me!”

Joining her, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy also tried to stop Spike. Pinkie and Fluttershy latched onto his hind legs while Twilight held onto his tail with her magic. Applejack used her strong, tree-bucking legs push against the center of his chest and Rainbow Dash shoved against Spike’s other shoulder.

“Spike! Listen to us!” Twilight said as she strained to pull Spike back. “You have to… fight it!”

“He’s messing with… nuh… your head!” Rainbow Dash grunted.

“Spike, please stop!” Fluttershy began to cry.

“Don’t let him take you from us!” Pinkie pleaded as she was dragged across the floor.

“Consarnit!” Applejack muttered. “You gotta fight it, pardner!”

“What’s it… look like… I’m doing?” Spike groaned through gritted fangs as he tried to stop himself, his body shaking as he tried to regain control. Concentrating, he summoned all of his willpower and pushed back against the force compelling him to move towards the Dragonlord. As he did, the voice in his head quieted until Spike pushed it out of his mind. Free from the Dragon King’s telepathic control, Spike’s knees buckled and he panted as he nearly collapsed like a marionette whose strings were cut.

“You… broke free… No dragon can resist my command,” the Dragon King stated, blinking in disbelief. Resuming his deep, rumbling growl, the Archwyrm once again tried to take control of Spike’s mind. Spike once again cringed at the mental assault, but found it less intense than before. On the other end of the mind battle, the Dragon King found his hold on Spike spilling and the young wyrm was able to shake it off once more. There was something special about this young wyrm, and it only confirmed the suspicions of the intrigued King of Dragons. Grinning, the Dragon King whispered, “Interesting…”

There was a feral roar and the ponies ducked as Spike leaped over their heads at the robed dragon. Determined not to let the Dragon King take over his mind again, Spike charged at the smug, draconic autarch. Green flames erupted from the sides of Spike’s maw and his pupils contracted into razor thin lines in his bloodlust. He could faintly hear his friends trying to call him back, but he was set on taking the Dragon King down.

As Spike raced across the ceremonial hall, the Dragon King raised a claw that was surrounded in his flame colored magical aura. Before Spike could pounce the Dragon King, rings of purple, blue, and red magic materialized around Spike’s body and closed in on him, constricting his body. Spike uttered a startled yelp as he fell to the floor, limbs locked. He tried to move, but his bodied felt as though he had a staring contest with a cockatrice. He recognized this spell. Aurum had used it on Spike as part of his training to become a dragon mage. All he had to do was concentrate and break the bonds that weighed him down. But it would take some time, time in which the Dragon King could use to retaliate.

Lying on the cold floor, Spike managed to roll his green eyes up at the staff carrying dragon. The Dragon King looked triumphantly down at the paralyzed dragon and raised a claw. Spike braced himself for the excruciating pain that was sure to follow. A feminine gasp caught his attention and he struggled to move his paralyzed head to see that Rarity was being pulled away from the others and floated across the room, levitated by the Dragon King’s magic. The alabaster mare flailed about and uttered cries of protest until she reached the outstretched claw of the Dragon King.

“What do you think you are doing!? Release me at once!” Rarity demanded as the Dragon King’s clawed digits closed around her neck, dangling her over Spike’s frozen form. The Dragon King held the struggling mare over Spike, making sure the dragon at his feet saw what he had in his clutches.

“...Rar…” Spike strained to say, doubling his efforts to free himself.

“You care for her, do you not?” the Dragon King asked Spike in a low, threatening tone. "Then I will take her along as well. To keep in trust until we shall meet again." Looking up at the Princesses, Element Bearers, and Royal Guards, he held Rarity out in front of him. Rarity curled her limbs up against her body, helplessly hanging from the scruff of her neck while the Dragon King continued in a loud, authoritative voice. “Listen well, all of you. I grow weary of our little game. I have been merciful by not burning your miserable kingdom of insects to the ground. I could retract that kindness if you desire.” To drive his point home, he shook Rarity slightly, who whimpered.

“No! Please, don’t hurt her,” Princess Celestia begged.

“Fear not. No harm shall befall the damsel,” Ryuo told them before looking back down at Spike, who was still working on breaking the spell placed on him. “Provided that Spike here surrenders to me and declares himself my loyal subject.”

“Don’t do it, Spike!” Rarity shouted from the Dragon King’s grasp.

“He will surrender to me if he wishes for you to be returned to him,” threatened the Dragon King. He looked Spike in eye, holding the stare before turning away. “However, I am not without reason. Therefore, I give you one week to decide.”

“Rar…i...ty…” Spike weakly said, raising a shaking claw, red and purple sparks of restraining magic crackling off of the scales, as the Dragon King walked back onto the balcony with his wife.

“Let her go!” Twilight Sparkle shouted as she and the others ran to stop him. They came to a stop when he suddenly spun around.

“I return in seven days and I shall finish what we began ages ago. I shall unleash my vengeance upon your nation! Your cities shall burn, your castles shall fall, my dragons shall feast upon the ponies, and we will take your treasures for ourselves. Equestria will be nothing more than a memory,” the Dragon King unyieldingly declared as he stood on the balcony. He then pointedly glared at Celestia. “That gives you a stay of execution. Until then, farewell!”

In an explosion of dragon magic, a fiery tornado swirled around the Dragon King and Rarity. The ponies backed away from the magical vortex, shielding their faces from the intense wind that it generated. From within the swirling magic, they saw the silhouette of the Dragon King grow. They watched on in horror as the shadow ascended far above them and took on a more imposing shape. The tornado of magical aura dissipated with the flap of mighty wings and the true form of the King of Dragons was revealed to them. The ponies backed away from the dragon looming over them, Fluttershy fainting once more from seeing her greatest fear realized. Even Celestia and Luna were intimidated by the Dragon King’s overwhelming size. He had grown considerably since they had first met.

“Come, we return to Charlock Castle,” came the thunderous voice of the Dragon King. At their king's command, the red dragon began to carry the Tree of Harmony away from the balcony. The white orbs hanging from the branches swayed and one of them broke off, landing on the balcony with a clatter. It bounced and rolled along the tile until came to a stop at Twilight's hooves. When the red, blue, and green dragons flew away with the Tree of Harmony, the rest of the dragon army followed behind them. Spitefully, the Dragon King flapped his wings to disorient the ponies before him.

As the Dragon King took off, Spike managed to break the magical bonds that had been placed on him. The red, blue, and purple seals of ancient magic flew off his body like shattered glass. He ran to the balcony, where his friends were collecting themselves off of the floor. High above them, Rarity could be seen in the spaces between the Dragon King’s fingers.

“Rarity!” Spike called out to her.

“Spike! Help me!” she shouted from her scaly prison. Her voice was drowned out by the deafening noise of flapping wings and faded as she was carried away over Canterlot Mountain.

Author's Note

A special thanks for Dinodrake for the artwork of the Dragonlord's wizard form. Check out his artwork on DeviantArt.

Preparations

“Must we use real gems for the banquet?” Amethyst looked over her shoulder to see the mayor of Fillydelphia complaining to one of his aides as they inspected the menu for the upcoming festival. He was a portly Earth Pony stallion with a light gray coat with his orange mane slicked back. Ever since Mina had introduced her to him that morning, the mayor had been finding any excuse to whine and gripe about how much money was being spent on the Draconic New Year Festival and would find ways to cut corners. “Do you have any idea how much rubies cost?”

“Oh, come on, Mayor Skinflint,” Mina called back to the grumbling pony. “It’s only for one dessert. It’s not like the entire banquet is going to be made of gems.”

“Besides, this is supposed to be a cultural exchange between ponies and the dragons,” Amethyst added. “We’re trying to cater to both demographics and help them understand one another. This is a special occasion.”

“Yes… of course,” Mayor Skinflint said to the Kirin Princess with a forced grin, but his face immediately fell when an aide held a clipboard in front of his sweaty face. “Confetti costs how much!? It’s just paper!”

Amethyst frowned at the mayor, but felt Mina nudge against her. Waving the complaining stallion off, the burgundy dragoness said to Amethyst, “Bah, ignore him. This is party, isn’t it? We need to go all out!”

“That’s what Pinkie Pie would say,” Amethyst chuckled. Turning their attention back to the preparations, they could see the modern-primitive streets of Dragon Town being decorated for the festival. Lines of red, orb-shaped lanterns were hung over the streets from the roofs of the stone buildings, pagodas, and the arches. Both dragons and ponies were working together to build life-sized floats of wild dragons that groups of performers would wear as they danced down the streets. Already the performers were practicing their choreography.

Seeing the ponies of Fillydelphia working side by side with the civilized dragons lifted Amethyst's spirits. Dragons and ponies working together, laughing and becoming friends; this was the Princesses’ hope for this celebration. Old prejudices and fears would be forgotten and centuries worth of negotiating and planning would finally be realized. If everypony and everydragon was having such a good time preparing the festival, Amethyst could scarcely wait to see the actual event.

“How much for fireworks!?”

Well… almost everypony was having a good time.

“Okay, the banquet is covered,” Amethyst announced as she looked to a checklist she was carrying. “Now let’s see… The decorations; check. The parade; check. The food; check. Now on to the music.”
“Right. We have…” Mina began to say, but then the sound of rushing wind caught everyone’s attention. The ponies and dragons that were preparing the festival stopped what they were doing and looked to the west. In the distance, the panicked sound of screaming was heard coming from the streets of Fillydelphia.

“What in the name of Celestia?” Mayor Skinflint asked but then he and his aides gasped and ducked for cover as a flight of dragons emerged over the city’s skyline and flew over Dragon Town, headed for the sea. Amethyst and Mina stared up at the sight of the massive wild dragons above them. Growing up in Dragon Town, Mina and many of the her fellow civilized dragons had never actually seen their primal kin. Even though she was a dragon herself, a twinge of fear ran down Mina’s spine.

In the center of the pack was a dragon that was many times the size of its companions. With each flap of its wings, a powerful gust of wind would beat down upon the streets of Fillydelphia. Though it moment was brief, Amethyst thought she heard a familiar voice crying out from one of the giant dragon’s clutched claws.

After the flight of dragons had passed over Dragon Town, the ponies and dragons emerged from their cover and watched the wild dragons head over the Celestial Sea. Amethyst and Mina stood together as she looked on in amazement and confusion. Before either one of them could speak, one last dragon, smaller than the others, darted overhead in pursuit of the others. Though he was far above them and was quickly pulling away, Amethyst squinted her eyes and recognized the smaller dragon.

“Dad?”

“What is going on?! You! I demand an explanation for this!” Mayor Skinflint demanded as he marched up to Mina and Amethyst. The dragon and the half-dragon looked to each, but neither knew how to respond. Instead, it was a passerby that spoke up.

“It is the sign!” a robed stallion declared as he and other robed ponies walked down the street, earning him the attention of the mayor.

“What sign? What are you babbling about?”

“Lord Hargon has prophesied that the dragons were to be the heralds of the end,” the lead robed pony elaborated. Mayor Skinflint wanted to scoff at the hooded stallion, but the shock of seeing the swarm of dragons just moments ago made him hold his critical tongue. “And now the end has come! The dragons shall bring ruin to Equestria, and our god, Malroth, shall come to cleanse the world! Come, my brothers and sisters! Leave this abominable festival behind and join us! You cannot trust the dragons! They will only bring death and ruin! Save yourselves and join us! Join Lord Hargon!”

After hearing the anti-dragon propaganda, Mina looked about the street at the ponies and dragons preparing for the festival. The dragons were obviously offended by the words of the zealot and many looked around nervously at the ponies. With the sudden appearance of the larger dragons, Mina could see that the spokespony’s words were influencing the other ponies. They were frightened and the only explanation they had was that the dragons were to blame. Already Mina could see the fear and mistrust in their eyes. A grave realization occurred to her as she remembered the old prejudices against her kind. In a few moments with only a few words, this “Lord” Hargon and his minions would undo all the progress that had been made over the past twenty-six years.

Mina looked to Amethyst with concern but saw that the white Kirin was gazing to the east, the direction the dragons had gone.

*****

Off the coast of eastern Equestria, Spike was flying as fast as his wings could carry him. The Dragon King had his wife and was heading back to the dragon lands with her. Though he was an adult, he was still considered young by dragon standards. His elders were much larger than he was, therefore much stronger and their wings could carry them farther with each flap than his wings could. However, he was determined not to lose them. If he could follow them all the way to the Dragon King’s lair then maybe he could then think of a way to save Rarity.

As he flew, he heard a voice on the wind. He ignored it, focusing only on the sight of the king-sized dragon that was pulling farther and farther away with each passing second. If he stopped now he would lose them. Again, the voice called out to him, “Spike!”

When he ignored it again, there was a flash of magenta light and Twilight Sparkle materialized in front of them. Her wings were flared and she held out her fore legs to act as a barrier. Spike stopped suddenly to avoid flying into her and the two hovered in the air facing each other.

“Spike! Will you stop?!” Twilight panted from pursuing him all the way from Canterlot.

“Don’t try to stop me,” Spike said as attempted to move around her while trying to focus in on the shrinking images on the horizon, but Twilight blocked him again. “Outta the way! I’ve got to…”

“Do what? Go rushing into the Dragon King’s lair without a plan?” she pointed out the very obvious flaw in his reckless plan, or lack thereof.

“I’ll think of something.”

“You’ll think of something,” Twilight incredulously repeated. “Like what? Go and take on hundreds of dragons many times your size at once?!”

“But… Rarity…” he lamented as he looked from his mother back to the now barely visible dragons.

“I know, Spike. I’m worried about her too, but we need to think this through. If you faced the Dragon King now, all by yourself, you will lose. Now, come on. We need to get back to Ponyville. The Dragon King has given us seven days to work with and we need to make them count.”

Twilight lowered her fore legs and flew up to Spike. Taking one of his large hands with her hooves, she gently started to pull him back towards home. Looking back towards the direction the Dragon King went once last time, Spike hung his head in defeat and followed Twilight back home.

*****

In Twilight Sparkle’s Castle of Friendship, the Element Bearers and their children sat around the round table in the throne room. Applejack sat on her throne holding Apple Seed, gently caressing her brown mane as Pinkie Pie similarly treated Cherry Pie. After the scare Ponyville endured that morning, the school foals were released to be with their families. Across the table, Big Macintosh and Posey were comforting an overstressed Fluttershy. The timid mare had come face to face with her greatest fear and had been trembling uncontrollably ever since.

“I can’t believe it’s gone.” Everypony looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was staring at the table. Said table used to project a map of Equestria from its white surface, but without the magic of the Tree of Harmony, the table was bare and its surface had become gray and lifeless.

“Ah can’t believe they took Rarity,” Applejack added.

“Poor Rarity,” Pinkie Pie sadly said, her curly mane beginning to deflate.

“Don’t worry, Pinkie,” Soarin reassured as he and Thunderbolt stood by Rainbow Dash. “I’m sure Spike will get her back.”

“You alright, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked, concerned for her friend.

“I’ll be okay,” Fluttershy replied, barely above a whisper, as Big Macintosh held her hoof.

Midnight, who was standing by her mother’s empty throne, looked to the throne that bore Rarity’s cutie mark. The young princess worried for her kidnapped sister-in-law, but she also was concerned for her father. The last she saw of him, he was heading to face the Dragon King. At her side was Sworn Duty, the soldier that her father ordered to keep her safe. He had removed his helmet, revealing his cropped white mane.

The sound of the throne room’s doors opening caught everypony attention, everyone turning to see Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Flash Sentry, and Evening Star entering. Behind them, Spike’s long neck snaked in. With so many ponies in the room already, the dragon elected to remain out in the hall. Lying down, his head dropped to floor with a defeated flop, a depressed look on his long face. From seeing Spike’s reaction and the fact that Rarity wasn’t with them, it was clear that she was still in the clutches of the Dragon King.

“Dad!” Midnight rushed across the room and hugged her father.

“I’m fine, Midnight,” Flash Sentry reassured her. He then looked to Sworn Duty and said, “Thank you, Sworn Duty.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Once Twilight Sparkle took her seat at the table with her family at her side, Celestia and Luna stood on either side of Spike’s moping head. With her magic, Luna placed the white orb onto the table and said grimly, “This is all that is left of the Tree of Harmony.”

“So… what do we do now?” Apple Seed asked. “What’ll happen to Mrs. Rarity?”

“I’ll tell ya what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna save Rarity and kick some dragon butt!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, slamming her hoof down on the table, the impact causing the orb to roll across the surface.

“How?” Sour Apple dryly asked.

“Yeah, Rainbow, what are we supposed to do? Go rushin’ in with our hooves flailing and expect them to beg for mercy?” Applejack questioned. “We’re kinda outta our league here.”

“Well, we certainly won’t get her or the tree back with that kind of attitude,” Pinkie Pie retorted.

“Focus, everypony,” Twilight spoke up. “We have seven days before the Dragon King returns. We need ideas, not bickering.”

“Princess Celestia, surely you and Princess Luna can beat this Dragon King,” Thunderbolt said to the Alicorns.

“He said that the two of you couldn’t beat him. Is that true?” Applejack asked.

“It has been a long time since we did battle with Dragon King Ryuo,” Celestia explained. “It was during the early years of our reign, and he was much smaller back then. We were barely able to subdue him back then.”

“So you can’t beat him,” Thunderbolt disappointedly stated.

“Not necessarily. He may have grown more powerful over the ages, but so have we,” Luna clarified.

“If it comes to it, Luna and I will challenge him to a duel. Even though he did gather an army, his pride won’t allow him to refuse,” Celestia explained.

“What if Cadance and I joined you?” Twilight suggested.

“No,” Celestia quickly denied. “Ryuo may be a proud creature, but even he would not agree to a four against one battle. It would only encourage him to use the full force of his army.”

“Then just let me join you. It might give you the edge you need to defeat him.”

Celestia shook her head and said, “No, Twilight. Not only do I not wish to place you or Cadance in harm’s way, but I fear what the collateral damage will be.”

“Collateral damage?” Midnight asked.

“The last time we did battle, we caused great damage to the surrounding land. With our powers strengthened over the eons, a battle between the three of us would be catastrophic.”

“There might not be an Equestria left by the time the battle ends,” Luna clarified before turning to Twilight. “Do you recall your battle with Tirek?”

Everypony understood what the Princess of the Night meant. When the Centaur, Tirek, had stolen the magic of countless ponies and Discord, the Spirit of Chaos himself, it was up to Twilight to stop him. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance had bestowed their power upon the then still recent Alicorn and she was able to battle him to a stalemate. With their fighting, they had leveled a section of the Everfree Forest, rending the earth, creating craters, and almost brought down an entire mountain. To this day, site of their battle retains the scars they caused.

“I see your point,” Twilight admitted. “But if you cannot...”

“Then I trust you to do what is best for Equestria,” Celestia finished for her. “You and Cadance.”

“Hey! That’s it!” Pinkie Pie suddenly announced, causing everypony to flinch. Even Spike raised his head off the floor from the shock. “Cadance and Shining Armor still have the Crystal Heart! It took out King Sombra the first time, why not Mr. Big, Scaly, and Scary?”

Though the ponies started to excitedly and hopefully chatter, Celestia told them, “The Crystal Heart doesn’t work like that. It reflects the happiness and love of those that surround it, creating a protective barrier. However, you do raise a valid idea. With the Crystal Heart, along with the protective spells of Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, Princess Flurry Heart, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunburst, the Crystal Empire is now the safest place in all of Equestria.”

“After today’s event, I anticipate that many will elect to flee to the safety of the Empire,” Luna elaborated. “The Crystal Heart must remain where it is. It is our last line of defense.”

“Okay, so all we got is that if Celestia and Luna can’t beat him, we all run for cover in the Crystal Empire as the rest of Equestria burns,” Sour Apple joylessly stated, lowering everyone’s spirits with his pessimistic analysis of the situation.

“But… But that can’t be all we can do!” Thunderbolt protested.

“And what would you have us do, Thunderbolt?” Luna questioned. “Send our army, which includes you might I add, to face the dragons head on only to meet certain death? We can’t allow that. I can’t allow that.”

“Can this help?” Surprise asked, everyone turning to see that she was holding up the white orb.

“No, Surprise, I don’t think it can,” Twilight sighed, looked defeatedly down at the table. Then a look of hope appeared on her face and her eyes widened as she remembered something. Raising her head back up, she announced, “But I know what can!” She hopped from her throne ran around the table to Spike, who was watching her intently. “Spike, I need you to get Aurum’s orb.”

“On it!” Spike confirmed, understanding what she had in mind before running out of the castle to retrieve the seer stone from his home. In a few short minutes, Spike returned to the council room and placed the glowing gold orb on the table. Her horn glowing with magenta magic, Twilight casted a spell on the orb and a translucent image of young golden dragon was projected above the table.

“How may I be of service?” the construct of Aurum’s personified memories asked as he materialized.

“Aurum, we need to know of a way to defeat the Dragon King Ryuo,” Twilight requested. Hearing this, the projection looked worried, fearful even.

“So, he has returned to Equestria, has he not? Please wait,” he told them as he reentered the orb. After a few moments, the illusionary dragon reemerged and reported, “I have information, but it is of events that occurred before the birth of Aurum.”

“That’s okay. Just tell us anything you know,” Twilight encouraged.

“Very well. According to legend, in the days of Dragon Queen Xenlona, the predecessor of Dragon King Ryuo, the Demon Sorcerer Zoma escaped from Tartarus with the aid of Orochi the Traitor. Orochi was a Dragon Lord that believed Xenlona was too kindhearted and thus too weak to be the ruler of the dragons and sought to usurp her. After she had bested him in combat to retain her throne, Orochi used forbidden magics to summon Zoma. Through his dark covenant with the demon, Orochi became an abomination with many heads and Zoma unleashed a plague amongst the dragons.

“Though dragons have a natural resistance to magic, this curse was of an otherworldly origin. Many wyrms perished due to this plague, and it would continue afflict our kind for generations. It is the same illness that would eventually claim the life of Aurum.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Twilight sympathetically said to the image of Aurum. “Does this pandemic still affect the dragons?”

“Mercifully, no,” Aurum’s memory assured, putting their minds at ease. “The plague was quite common for many generations, but it has faded over the centuries. Aurum thought he had seen the end of the plague, but it appears that he too was infected. Fortunately, the curse died with him. Unfortunately, Xenlona was the primary target of the curse and became gravely ill. With the Dragon Queen incapacitated and many of her subjected dying, Orochi and Zoma took control of her castle.”

“How did anyone ever stop them?” Spike asked.

“That is vague to me,” Aurum’s construct told them. “All I know is that it is said that it was four ponies that used the power of sunlight and rain to create a rainbow to banish Zoma back to Tartarus. Also, the lead pony forged a sword of orichalcum that was gifted to him from Xenlona to slay Orochi. After that, she used the remaining life she had to lay her last egg: Ryuo.”

“What is orichalcum?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Orichalcum, also known as oricon, is a metal of legendary hardness,” Twilight explained to her cyan friend. “It is one of the few metals strong enough to…” Twilight paused as a realization dawned on her. “...to pierce a dragon’s hide!”

“So yer sayin’ we need to find some ‘ori-chal-cum’ and make a sword out of it?” Applejack asked.

“No,” the golden figure shook his head. “Orichalcum is exceedingly rare. I suggest you find the sword itself. However, I know nothing more on the matter.”

“Thank you, Aurum. That will be all. You’ve been most helpful,” Twilight thanked.

“It was my pleasure,” the magic hologram said with a bow before disappearing back into the orb. With Aurum’s avatar gone, the ponies and the dragon began to discuss the information they just received.

“So what now? We go find a sword that even he knew little about?” Rainbow Dash asked, irritated by the lack of information. “Where do we start? How do we find it?”

“Yeah, and what was with that ‘rainbow’ stuff he was talking about?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Was he talking about the Elements of Harmony?”

“Couldn’t be. The Elements of Harmony were discovered by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Twilight reminded, gesturing to the two elder Alicorns. “Besides, they and the Tree of Harmony in clutches of the Dragon King.”

“They’re not much use to us there,” Applejack remarked. “Maybe we can find the sword and then sneak into his lair. Do we at least know that is?”

“Yes we do. The castle of the Dragon King is located on Charlock Island in the dragon lands,” Celestia told the farm pony before turning to Midnight. “Do you have a map of the lands surrounding Equestria?”

“Yes. I’ll go get it,” Midnight announced as she left to retrieve the map. The blue Unicorn returned shortly carrying a large rolled up map and a thick book in her yellow magic. Unfurling the map, she placed it on the round table, everyone leaning over it. To the southeast of Equestria was a group of volcanic islands. In the center was an oval shaped island with a small peninsula extending from the northeast corner.

Pointing to the island, Celestia said, “Here it is. Charlock Island. It’s a volcano with high cliffs with the summit on the northwest part of the island. The castle barely fits the description. It is mostly a hollowed out magma vent with some architecture applied at its entrances.”

“A direct approach would be unwise,” Luna analyzed. “You’ll be seen if you tried to enter from the main entrance. It would be best to travel around to the eastern peninsula and sneak in from there.”

“That’s fine and all, but what about the sword?” Rainbow Dash.

“That’s why I brought this,” Midnight told her, opening the large tome that she had placed on the table. As she flipped through the pages, she said, “Aurum’s story sounded familiar. Let’s see… Ah, here it is. ‘The Legend of Erdrick’.”

“Who’s Erdrick?” Thunderbolt asked.

“He was a knight from the Unicorn Kingdom from long before Luna and I assumed the throne,” Celestia told him, recalling the legend herself.

“It says here that he and three other ponies joined together to face a great evil,” Midnight summarized the text. “Though the names of his companions have been lost to time, it says that each one came from one of the three pony tribes, one of the earliest accounts of the three nations working together. Erdrick, wielding a magic sword, slew a monster with many heads. The notes here say that the original text claimed it was a dragon while later scholars argue it was a hydra. Some suggest even a dragon-hydra hybrid.”

“Orochi,” Spike identified the monster in question.

“I think we can assume it was,” Midnight agreed.

“What about this ‘Zoma’ character?” Posey asked.

“Hhmmm… Doesn’t mention him by name, only as ‘the Archfiend’,” Midnight scanned the text. “It does mention a Baramos, but that has been declared a misidentification with a lesser demon. But it does mention that Erdrick, along with the three, used the gifts of each tribe to create a magic rainbow to smite the Archfiend.”

“But Mother said that the Elements wouldn’t be discovered until much later,” Evening Star pointed out.

“The Elements of Harmony may be the most powerful magics in all of Equestria, but they are not the only source of magic,” Luna told him. “Do not forget that the founders of Equestria defeated the Windigos with the Fire of Friendship.”

“Luna is right. The Tree of Harmony may be gone, but the power behind it can never be extinguished,” Celestia resolutely declared.

“We may not have the Elements, but we still represent them,” Twilight enthusiastically added. “This is no different from the time we had to give them back to the Tree. As long as we stand together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish!”

“Aw yeah! Now you’re talkin’!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “So, what’s the plan?”

“We need to find these ‘gifts’. They worked in the past, maybe they can work for us now. Midnight, does the book say what they are. More importantly, where do we find them?”

“Yes. It says that when the Unicorn used the light of the sun and the Pegasus used the rain from a cloud, it created a rainbow that the Earth Pony caught in an amulet created from a gilded wreath with a diamond in the center,” Midnight summarized. “The amulet then unleashed a dazzling light which critically weakened the Archfiend, allowing Erdrick to finish him off with his sword. It says here that after the defeat of Archfiend, the amulet was given to Erdrick by his companions as a symbol of their gratitude for his leadership. It was buried with him in his tomb located in what is now known as the Unicorn Range.”

“Great. So we know where the amulet is, what about the sword?” Evening Star asked.

“After Erdrick’s death, the sword was passed down through the Unicorn Royal Family as an heirloom. Its last known location is Trottingham Castle.”

“Then we’ll start looking for it there,” Twilight concluded.

“So, we’ll grab these two then all we need some sunlight, add a little rain, and boom! No more Dragon King! Easy peasey!” Rainbow Dash confidently boasted.

“No. Not easy peasey,” Twilight interjected. “Don’t forget, we’ll be going outside Equestria, where the weather works differently than it does here. We’ll be at the mercy of the elements, hoping that there will be rainworthy clouds in the vicinity.”

“I have a solution to that,” Celestia announced. “In Cloudsdale, there is a relic known as ‘the Staff of Rain’. It was invented to create rainclouds if ever there was a severe drought and more rain was needed. You’ll need to go to the Cloudsdale Museum speak to the curator about borrowing it. As for sunlight, you want to be able to activate the amulet at anytime. I have something in mind for that.”

Hearing this, Luna looked to her sister with surprise and asked, “You mean the Sunstone?”

“Yes, I do.”

“What’s the Sunstone?” Midnight asked.

“When Luna was on the moon, I took on responsibility for both sun and moon. Shortly afterwards, I came to realize that if ever both Luna and I were incapacitated, ponies would need a way of moving the sun and moon. Before Luna and I, it took many Unicorns working together to move the celestial bodies and it was very taxing on their magic, causing magic fatigue very quickly. With this in mind, I created the Sunstone and Moonstone. It would allow a Unicorn to harness the power of the sun and moon respectively while reducing the strain on their magic.”

“Okay then, we need the amulet, the sword, the staff, and the Sunstone,” Twilight listed. “We’ll work faster if we split up.”

“I can get the Staff of Rain. If it’s up in Cloudsdale, you’ll need a flyer to get it,” Rainbow Dash volunteered. She then looked to Fluttershy and asked, “What do say, Fluttershy? Up for a little trip back to the home town?”

Everyone looked to Fluttershy expectantly, who was looking about nervously to Big Macintosh and Posey. After sharing a concerned gaze with her family, she ultimately said, “This all sounds so scary, but I’ll do it. For the good of Equestria. As long as I’m with my friends, I know that everything will be okay.”

“That’s the spirit, sugarcube,” Applejack supportingly cheered.

“Excellent. The staff is covered. Now what about the amulet itself?” Twilight asked.

“If it’s up in the mountains, then leave it up to me,” Applejack told her. “Ah’ll hike up there and get that doohickey before two shakes of a ponytail.”

“Alright. Pinkie Pie, will you go with her? Two sets of eyes looking for the tomb is better than one,” Twilight suggested.

“Yes sir, ma’am, sir!” Pinkie saluted.

“Luna and I will return to Canterlot,” Celestia announced. “In the wake of this attack, much has to be done. I’ll retrieve the Sunstone and return shortly.”

“Good, then Spike and I can get the sword,” Twilight announced.

“Hey! What about us?” Surprise protested.

“Yeah! You’re not thinkin’ of leaving us out!” Apple Seed shouted. “We’re commin’ too!”

“Absolutely not!” Applejack adamantly declared. “Y’all are stayin’ here in Ponyville.”

“Aawww, but Ma!” the little filly whinned.

“No buts! You and Sour Apple need to tend to the farm while Ah’m gone. Is that understood?” she firmly ordered, staring pointly at her elder child.

“Yes’um,” Sour Apple complied, knowing not to cross his mother.

“Come on, Surprise and Cherry. Mama has world saving to do,” Cheese Sandwich told his daughters as he ushered them out the door.

“Aawww,” the sisters moaned as they hung their heads in disappointment.

“Posey, don’t be upset,” Fluttershy told her daughter, who was starting to cry. “Everything be okay. My friends will look after me, and your father will look after you.”

“I know, Mom,” Posey sniffled. “Just be careful.”

“Well, I’m coming along too!” Thunderbolt boldly stated, causing everyone to stare at him. “I’m a Wonderbolt now, and it is my duty to serve Equestria!”

Before Rainbow Dash or Soarin could tell him otherwise, Spike said, “You’re absolutely right.”

“I am?” Thunderbolt asked, shocked at the lack of resistance.

“He is?!” Thunderbolt’s parents asked at the same time, shocked at what Spike said.

“Of course, and I have a very important mission for him,” Spike continued. “Thunderbolt, I need to go to Fillydelphia and find Amethyst. I want you to keep her safe. Is that understood?”

“What? Guard duty? But I…” the gray Pegasus started to protest.

“Hey, you said it yourself. You’re a Wonderbolt now,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk, seeing where Spike was going with this.

“And you just received an order from a Prince of Equestria,” Soarin added.

“That’s right. And you wouldn’t defy a royal order, would you?” Celestia teasingly asked.

“That wouldn’t look good on your record at all,” Luna also said.

“Okay, I get it. I’ll do it,” Thunderbolt exasperatedly huffed.

“That’s ‘Yes, Your Highness’!” Evening Star barked, enforcing protocol on his friend and fellow soldier.

“Yes, Your Highness!” Thunderbolt saluted before flying off to do his duty.

“I’ll return soon,” Celestia said as she and Luna teleported back to Canterlot.

“Okay, girls. Time to get moving. We’ll meet back here once we have the objects and head to Charlock Island together,” Twilight stated. With everypony in agreement, the Element Bearers headed off, ready for their next adventure. “Come on, Spike. We have packing to do.”

“And we have preparations of our own. We need to raise the security across Equestria and be prepared for another attack,” Flashing Sentry said to Evening Star.

“Especially now that the Tree of Harmony is gone. Without it, the wild magic of the Everfree Forest could run rampant. Who knows what else could happen!” Midnight pointed out.

“She’s right,” Evening Star agreed with his sister. Along with the eastern coast, we need to secure Ponyville. It’s on the front line for an assault from anything that could crawl out of the forest.”

“Right, let’s go, son. Sworn Duty, making sure the Princess remains safe here,” Flash Sentry ordered his lieutenant.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the jade Pegasus soldier confirmed. With that, all that remained in room was Midnight and Sworn Duty. As they looked to each other, Sworn Duty offered a friendly smile and a courteous nod. Midnight smiled back but couldn’t help but feel resentful that she now had a foalsitter.

*****

Once the Princesses returned to Canterlot, Celestia walked down the halls of the palace to fetch the Sunstone from the artifact vault. She asked her sister, Princess Luna, to make an official statement explaining the situation to the masses. Ever since the invasion that morning, concerned citizens had been lining up at the castle gates demanding answers. Due to the less than discreet nature of the dragons, half of Equestria would already know about the attack on Hawk’s Nest, the theft of the Tree of Harmony, and the abduction of Princess Rarity, and the other half would undoubtedly also know in a matter of hours. The last thing Celestia wanted was a nation-wide panic.

However, there was something that Celestia had to know first. Floating alongside her in her magic’s golden aura was the scroll containing the official report on the accident that claimed the life of Spike’s birth mother. It should have been locked away in the Royal Archives, yet Ryuo had somehow obtained it. What troubled the Alicorn was that the Dragon King obviously didn’t come across it himself. Somepony must have given it to him.

Celestia arrived at the entrance to the archives and saw the guards stationed on either side of the doorway who saluted in her presence. As she gazed upon them, the awful feeling of suspicion passed through her mind. Pushing it aside for the moment, she entered through the doorway and walked up to the counter. The elderly smoky purple Unicorn mare wearing spectacles that sat behind the counter noticed her most important guest and arose from her seat.

“Your Highness!” the clerk addressed Celestia. “How can I help you?”

“Mrs. Rolodex, you can help me by telling me how this…” Celestia placed the scroll on the counter before the mare, “was taken out of the archives without my knowledge.”

Shocked, the spectacled mare adjusted her glasses and pulled out a large logbook. She then checked the identifying code on the scroll and flipped through the pages while stammering, “I-I-I don’t know, Your Highness. No document is checked out from the archives without me knowing it, and royal approval is needed to even enter the restricted section.”

“Please, check it for me anyway.”

“Yes, Princess.” After a few moments, Mrs. Rolodex stopped on an entry in the logbook and read the information. “I don’t know what to say. The last one to check this particular scroll out was you, and that was almost a year ago.”

Princess Celestia knew exactly which date the mare referred to. Every year on Spike’s birthday, she would read the scroll as she reflected upon that day for it was also the day of the Sonic Rainboom, which is arguably the most important date in recent history. However, a year was still too large of a time gap. She would need to narrow it down if she was to get to the bottom of this.

“There’s only one way to be sure. I need to see for myself.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Mrs. Rolodex accompanied the Princess down the many rows of bookshelves to the far wall of the archives, where they came to a stairwell that led down to the restricted section. As before, a pair of guards stood guard over the entrance. When they saw the chief archivist and the Solar Princess approaching, they unlocked the gate to the restricted section and opened the door to let them pass. As Celestia headed down the stairs, she cast a glance at the two guards, her previous suspicions returning.

Once they entered the restricted section, they found the bookshelf with the matching code labeled on the scroll. As they located the exact spot where the scroll was supposed to be, they found it empty.

“I swear, Your Highness, I have no idea how anypony got it out of here,” Mrs. Rolodex pleaded.

“I believe you, Mrs. Rolodex.” Princess Celestia placed the scroll back into its place and asked, “How often do you take inventory of the records?”

“We do it by section; one per week,” the nervous clerk explained. Anticipating the next question, she pulled out the logbook once more and flipped through the entries. “This section was last checked… last month. See, there’s my signature.”

Celestia looked at the mare’s name scribbled down on the page and nodded. “Does anypony else have access to the archives? Any other clerks?”

“Yes, the assistant clerks and the guards. We’re here from morning till night, and then it’s just the night shift guards.”

“I see,” Celestia mused. “Mrs. Rolodex, I would like a list of everypony that has checked out material from the archives since that date along with a list of all of your staff and any guard that was on duty here from that date till now. Keep this confidential, and report your findings only to me or Princess Luna.”

“Yes, Princess Celestia,” the clerk bowed as the Alicorn left to get the Sunstone for Twilight.

Interview with the Dragon

Early in the afternoon, Twilight stood outside of her crystalline tree palace alongside her friends and Spike, ready for their next adventure. Rainbow Dash was already hovering in the air as she waited for Fluttershy to say her goodbyes to Big Macintosh and Posey, Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down excitedly beside Applejack, and Spike was standing beside Twilight as she went over the pairs’ directions and instructions. The five mares had their customized saddlebags on and had packed them with any supplies that they might need along with a map.

Along with their families, Princess Celestia was there to see them off. The Solar Princess also had an ornate, white chest with gold trimmings. The latch of the chest was shaped like Celestia’s cutie mark of the sun. Celestia walked to her former pupil and used her magic to open the chest. The six adventures leaned forward expectantly, but then recoiled and squinted their eyes as a bright flash of light emanated from the opening box. As their eyes adjusted to the light, they looked again to see a glowing orb that was partially encased in stone that acted as a base.

Using her magic, Twilight took the orb from the chest and held it by its stone base on her hoof, her friends looking over shoulder to get a better look. As she gazed at the fiery orange glass surface of the Sunstone, she saw that the source of the golden light was an image of Celestia’s cutie mark in the center of the orb. The longer the purple Alicorn held the Sunstone, the more she felt a warmth spread through her body. It was a comforting sensation that remind her of taking a nap in the sunlight on a warm summer’s day.

After basking in the magic of the Sunstone, Twilight placed it in her saddlebag and said, “Thank you, Celestia.”

“You’re welcome. And please be careful,” Celestia urged them all.

“Don’t worry, Princess,” Applejack told Celestia. “We’re just gonna fetch some fancy doohickeys and be back by sundown.”

“Nevertheless, be on guard,” Celestia reiterated. “I fear that there are other forces at work; forces that are conspiring against us.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be careful,” Twilight reassured, though she wondered who this mysterious threat could be. In the back of Applejack’s mind, something resounded. But before she recall what it was, she heard Twilight ask, “Is everypony ready?”

“Ready!” Rainbow Dash answered without hesitation.

“Uh, yeah. Ready,” Applejack responded, her train of thought interrupted.

“Ready, Freddy!” Pinkie Pie rhymed.

“I guess I’m ready, too,” Fluttershy said.

“I’m ready,” Spike said, a fierce determination in his voice.

“Alright then, let’s go!” Twilight ordered. She and Spike took off, flying northeast towards the city of Trottingham on the Griffish Isles. Applejack and Pinkie Pie ran off(or hopped along in Pinkie’s case) to the Unicorn Range to the northwest while Fluttershy followed after Rainbow Dash as they flew to Cloudsdale. As Celestia and the family of her chosen heroes watched as they departed, Celestia’s thoughts were filled with dread. She wondered who could have betrayed all of Equestria and to what end.

*****

Meanwhile in Fillydelphia, Amethyst sat in a chair in Mina’s apartment over the comic book store. After the sudden and unexpected appearance of the dragons that morning, the whole city was in a tizzy. After recovering from his initial fear, Mayor Skinflint had immediately halted the festival preparations and sent everypony and everydragon home. In his own words, he also said that the festival would be postponed until he had time to deal with the crisis on his hooves. Amethyst didn’t personally know Mayor Skinflint and had only heard about the complicated history of the inter-species relations of the ponies and dragons of Fillydelphia, but by judging Mina’s less than cheerful mood, things were not looking hopeful.

The mahogany dragoness was leaning against a windowsill, looking out at the streets below her apartment. She hadn’t said much since they returned to the apartment, only the occasional melancholy sigh or pessimistic quip. Though she looked young, Mina was actually about fifty years old, old enough to remember the prejudices against her kind. She remembers when the inhabitants of Dragon Town were placed under curfew when a fire snail had burned down a building and the dragons had received the blame. Though there wasn’t any direct evidence that a dragon caused the fire, the police immediately accused them of being the culprits. With the scare from that morning, all eyes will be turned toward Dragon Town in suspicion.

It’s only a matter of time before Mayor Skinflint locks down Dragon Town or locks us all up, Mina gloomily thought as she rested her head on her arms. She then noticed a Pegasus flying towards her street wearing a flight suit. “Hey, Amethyst, there’s a Wonderbolt coming our way!”

“A Wonderbolt?” the Kirin princess asked, rising from her chair. Going to the window, she recognized the uniformed stallion. “Thunderbolt?”

The gray Pegasus landed right outside the comic book store and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Mina and Amethyst opened the door and the latter said, “Thunderbolt! What are you doing here? And you’re a Wonderbolt!”

“Yeah, I just got accepted,” Thunderbolt said while smiling, proud of himself. Remembering his assignment, he cleared his throat and took on a more professional attitude. “And I’m here on official business. May I come in?”

“Of course. It’s an honor to have a Wonderbolt here in my home,” Mina told him while trying to hide her excitement from having a member of the famous aerial team in her store. They led him upstairs where they could continue their conversation.

“So what’s going on? Why were there wild dragons here in Equestria?” Amethyst urgently asked.

“The Dragon King has declared war against Equestria,” the Wonderbolt explained seriously.

“What?!” the females exclaimed in shock. As the royal delegate for the Draconic New Year Festival, Amethyst was taught about the ancient pact between ponies and dragons, and she remembered Aurum’s warning about the Dragon King.

“Amethyst, you might want to sit down,” Thunderbolt told his friend. Still shocked from the news, Amethyst looked at her friend with confusion. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

*****

Rarity blinked her eyes and slowly raised herself up, looking around as her blurry vision cleared. There was a gap in her memory and she tried to remember where she was and what happened to her. The last thing she recalled was being forcefully flown across Equestria towards the southeast. She concluded that she must had fainted during her abduction.

Rarity looked down to see that she was laying on circular stone platform. Her vision cleared, she looked over the platform’s edge and gasped once she saw that she was in a monstrous cavern that was easily large enough to fit the City of Canterlot inside it. What caught her attention though was the fact that below the platform was a sea of treasure. Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and countless of other types of jewels sparkled from the mounds of gold, silver, and platinum coins. A collection of statues, tapestries, and other ancient relics of fallen kingdoms adorned the alcoves and walls of the cavern. The treasure hoard was easily equal or greater than that of Aurum the Golden.

Above her there were various grottoes and cavities in the cave’s walls. Dragons of all colors looked down at her, their piercing, reptilian eyes following her every movement. Rarity’s reaction to seeing so many dragons staring at her was to scurry as far back as the platform would allow her.

“You are awake,” a voice echoed from behind her. Startled, Rarity spun around and saw a long walkway connecting the observation platform to a stone dais at the end of the cavern with a gilded throne perched upon the summit. The arms of the throne were shaped like claws and the back a dragon’s head. Sitting upon the throne was the King of Dragons himself. He was in his smaller form once more and was reclining in his seat, resting his chin on a fisted claw while twiddling with his wooden dragon scepter in his other claw. Lying upon his lap was a shining sword. “Welcome to my castle.”

Rarity rose to her hooves and stared at the Dragon King that had taken her hostage from across the chamber, putting on a stern face to show that she would not be intimidated by him. Seeing that the Unicorn wasn’t sobbing or attempting to beg caused the Dragon King to raise a brow at her.

“What, no blubbering? No attempt to plead or bargain for your freedom?” he mocked, chuckling to himself. Rarity only response was to turn her nose up at him and huffed. Seeing his captive act so haughtily made him chuckle again, this time loud enough for her to hear. “What do you think of my collection? Impressive, is it not? Do you like my newest addition?”

He pointed to his right. To the side of his throne was the Tree of Harmony, the crystalline tree now gray with its magic depleting. Rarity gaped at the dying tree but otherwise remained silent. The Dragon King frowned a bit, his amusement diminished a smidgen. He gestured to the stone platform on which she sat on and asked, “What of your accommodations? Are they to your liking?”

To this, Rarity turned her back to him and sat down on the cold, hard floor, her eyes closed and her nose still upturned. Now she was deliberately trying to ignore and annoy him. Seeing this disrespectful behavior, Dragon King Ryuo snarled a bit, took the sword in his free claw, and rose from his throne.

“Now you are behaving like a child,” he growled unamused as he descended the stairs of the dais. “Will you say nothing?”

“I have nothing to say to a brute like you,” Rarity finally answered, breaking her silence.

“But I have many questions for you,” the Dragon King retorted as he walked along the elevated walkway, headed towards the platform. “And I hope to have them answered.”

“Then you will be wasting your breath. I will not tell anything that you might use against my friends and family,” she defiantly told him.

“Who said anything about that?” he asked. “I merely want to have a conversation.”

“You don’t fool me. I know all about the dragon-spell. You’ll try to bewitch me into revealing all that I know about Spike.” Since she had her back turned to him, she didn’t see his brow raise when she mentioned the dragon-spell.

“Oh, course not. I see you are far too clever for that,” the Dragon King complimented with a smirk. Rarity briefly turned her head once she heard his voice, for he had arrived at the platform and was standing right behind her. “Let us begin with your name. There is no harm in asking your name, is there?”

The mare turned back away from her captor, but after a moment, she simply said, “Rarity.”

“See? That was not so difficult. Well, Rarity, I commend you for your bravery. Not just anyone can speak to me with such resolve. Not only that, but you compose yourself very well for one that is being held against her will.”

“It’s not my first time,” she murmured, recalling the past times she had been held hostage.

“Is that so? Then you must be quite the adventurer to have found yourself in such a situation so often. I can only imagine the dangers you must have faced by yourself. Or perhaps you are just incompetent.”

“I’ll have you know that I am quite capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much! However, I’m fortunate to be blessed with such wonderful friends. We have faced many challenges, and we always overcome them together. This will be no different. My friends will save me, and we will stop you!” she declared, hoping to intimidate her captor.

Dragon King Ryuo nodded along to her words and said, “Perhaps. The lot of you are very devoted to one another. I have witnessed that. I also noticed that you were in the company of royalty when I arrived at Canterlot. Combined with your poise and your eloquent manner of speech, I deduce that you too are a pony of importance. Certainly not a commoner or of the gentry. Nobility at least, or even a royal yourself. Yes, that has to be it. Why else would you be so closely associated with the Princesses of Equestria and Spike, the Dragon Prince? What was it that you called him? Your ‘Spikey Wikey’ if I recall. There is also the way you and that one Alicorn, the one that claimed to be his ‘mother’, placed yourselves between me and him. You were willing to fight me to protect your dear friend.”

“Spike isn’t just a friend; he is my husband, and I would do anything to defend him!” she passionately told him.

“Husband…” Ryuo repeated, this revelation giving him pause. He then grinned victoriously at her and gloated, “My my. That certainly explains your devotion to him and does make you a princess indeed.”

Rarity gasped and covered her mouth, horrified by what she just said. She was unwittingly blabbing on and on about her friends and her dear Spike. “H-How…”

“Dragon-spell is my native tongue,” he answered her unspoken question, relishing the mortified expression on her face. “If I so desired, I could have you revealing all of your most intimate secrets to me.”

“Then what’s stopping you? Why the small talk? Why all this show of force? You could have destroyed of us all right then and there at the castle. Why did you kidnap me and give Spike a week to surrender?”

“It is because he was able to resist my command. You see, I have no intention of harming Spike. Since I could not command him to return with me and trying to take him by force could have damaged him, I chose to use you for you seemed important to him. It appears I chose correctly,” he said with a fanged filled grin.

“You… You’re a monster…” she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

He humphed and replied, “That is a matter of perspective.”

“Well, try looking at it from my perspective for once,” she challenged. “You terrorized a village, stole the Tree of Harmony, kidnapped me, and are threatening to kill innocent ponies!”

“Innocent? Innocent of what?!” the Dragon King roared a challenge, striking the bottom of his staff on the stone floor, creating a loud noise which rang throughout the hollowed volcano. The noise stirred the observing dragons, each of them waiting to see how this would turn out. Rarity herself tried to stand firm, not wanting to show weakness to this apex predator. “Your Princess is a thief, and your kingdom harbored those murderers for years. In my eyes, you are all guilty!”

“Look, Your Highness,” Rarity cautiously said in an attempt to calm the angered Dragon King. “I know what happened to that dragoness and her eggs was tragedy, but it was an accident. Those miners didn’t mean for it to happen, and even if you wanted them brought to justice, they too are long gone. I honestly believe what Princess Celestia did was for the best.”

This statement earned her a none too pleased look from the Dragon King, but she continued anyway. “If it wasn’t for Celestia and Twilight, Spike wouldn’t have hatched. He’s alive because of their actions! If he didn’t hatch, the Elements of Harmony would never have been found, and evil and chaos would have spread all over Equestria and, eventually, the entire world! What’s more, Spike is a hero in his own right.”

Hearing the last part of this claim, the Dragon King was listening with interest as the Unicorn continued. “He helped saved the Crystal Empire. He selflessly rushed into danger alongside us when we needed him. He destroyed the Changeling Hive when our children were taken from us. He scared off an entire army of minotaurs with a single roar!”

“Impressive,” Dragonlord Ryuo hummed.

“But he is more than just a hero and a fighter. He is a faithful friend, a devoted husband, and…” Rarity stopped herself from saying, “a loving father,” for she feared how the Dragon King would respond if he learned that she and Spike had a child. How would he react to a Kirin? Would he see her as an abomination and seek to eradicate her? Would he try to take Amethyst captive to use against Spike as well? “...and he is proof that dragons and ponies can live in peace.”

“Even when your so-called ‘peace’ is a lie fabricated by Celestia?” the Dragon King remarked bitterly. “What price did she have to pay for this peace? What blood did any of you ponies have to pay? Not only was my dignity sacrificed to you insufferable equines, but also a dragoness and her eggs. Now tell me, do you believe that to be an even trade?”

“N-No… But...” Rarity meekly responded.

“No indeed. I fully intend on collecting on the debt your kingdom owes me; the life of a pony for every drop of her blood and for every moment of life the children were denied.” Rarity wanted to object, but the enraged tone of his impassioned speech and the way he was angrily waving the sword about forced her to be silent lest his wrath be turned upon her. “There is a price to be paid for those that dare to cross me. Come, let me you show you.”

With a twirl of the Dragon King’s staff, Rarity was seized by the dragon’s telekinetic magic and pulled along the walkway as the Dragon King walked back towards his throne. With the Unicorn floating behind him, the Dragon King would point with sword in his claw to various artifacts that adorned the lair’s walls and nooks. “That is the war hammer of the Boss Troll. As a sign of feigned fealty, he presented me with a mirror. What he failed to tell me that it was a magic portal which he and his band used to enter my castle in an attempt to steal from me. I caught them in the act and roasted them on the spot.

“That is the skull of the Arimaspi that interrupted my raid on the Griffon Castle of Opinicus. It too desired the treasures of the griffons, and due to its interference, the griffons were able to evacuate with most of their treasures, leaving behind a measly bounty. As compensation, I took the head of the Arimaspi.” Seeing the polished skull of the gigantic, cycloptic creature sent a wave a nausea through Rarity.

“And those are the pelts of a pack of ichneumon,” the Dragon King said as he pointed to the furs of creatures that Rarity didn’t recognize hanging on the cave’s wall. “During one Dragon Migration, these vermin snuck into the nesting grounds and stole dozens of eggs. The mothers were devastated and outraged once they discovered that their eggs were devoured by those loathsome weasels. I was present at that migration, and we feigned sleep the next night. When they foolishly decided to return for another night of raiding, we were ready for them. We caught them and skinned them alive.

“You see, my dear, everyone that has crossed me has met with death,” Dragon King Ryuo said as they came to a stop at the foot of the dais. To emphasize his point, he stabbed the walkway with the sword, piercing the stone without resistance. Rarity stared at the sword and its golden Alicorn crossguard, amazed by the blade’s cutting power. Leaving the sword embedded in the floor, the Dragon King stretch forward his now free claw and a chest floated from one of the trophy alcoves to him. Opening the chest, the King Dragon sifted through its contents. “It will be the same for your kind. Their deaths are long overdue, especially for Celestia. She took what was most precious to me, and she will suffer for it.”

“Your pride isn’t worth the genocide of my fellow ponies, and the wealth of Equestria was never yours in the first place!” Rarity yelled in a hopeless attempt to make him listen to reason.

“Not all treasure is silver and gold, my dear,” he cryptically whispered as pulled as he pulled a collar from the chest. “Ah, here it is. I have a present for you, Princess Rarity.”

“Oh… Um, thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” Rarity nervously said as she eyed the ominous looking accessory. It was a studded leather strap with a skull and crossbones buckle. Knowing the Dragon King, Rarity assumed that nothing good could come from such a fiendish looking object and certainly didn’t want to wear such a gaudy thing.

“Oh, but I insist.” Rarity tried to pull away from the Dragon King and the creepy necklace, but his magic was causing the thing to float towards her. The collar wrapped around her white neck and fastened, the buckle locking in place. Afterwards, Rarity was released from his telekinetic grip and immediately tried to undo the necklace with her hooves, but it wouldn’t come off. She tried to activate her magic to take of the collar, but the blue aura around her horn fizzled out almost immediately. Whatever the necklace was, it was blocking her magic! “The cursed magic of the necklace will nullify yours, and the wearer cannot remove it by their own power. It will also allow me to track you wherever you go if the idea of escape ever crosses your mind. Welcome to Charlock Castle.”

As he ascended back to his throne, Dragon King Ryuo waved his scepter and Rarity was pushed back by his magic to observation platform. After coming to a stop, Rarity pawed at the accursed collar once more to no avail. Giving up, she slumped to the floor in defeat. As she laid on the hard, stone floor, she reflected upon the words her captor spoke. A certain phrase had caught her attention and she mulled over it, trying to decipher what the Dragon King had meant. Not all treasure is silver and gold, my dear.

Sidequests and Setbacks

The Cloudsdale Museum of Pegasi History wasn’t as large or prestigious as the Canterlot Museum of Equine History, but it did host a number of ancient relics recovered by the one and only Darin Do. This fact had Rainbow Dash acting like a filly in a candy store as she darted between the exhibits and displays, excitedly chattering as she admired the famed artifacts. Fluttershy appreciated historical items of interest as much as the next pony, but she had to roll her eyes at her friend’s overenthusiastic behavior as they waited for the museum’s curator.

“Omygosh omygosh omygosh!” Rainbow Dash shouted, clasping the sides of her face with her front hooves as she bounced on her hind hooves in front of a suit of armor. The armor was white and gold with large, pointed shoulder and leg guards. “Do you know what this is?!”

“It says it right there…” Fluttershy responded, pointing to a plaque beneath the breastplate, but her friend was too lost in her fanfilly mode to hear what she said.

“This is the armor of Prince Fujita! Daring Do found this in Daring Do and the Tomb of the Prideful Prince!”

“You sure do have an eye for antiquities,” a voice chuckle, the mares turning to see and older yellow Pegasus stallion with a light brown mane. He was wearing a tweed jacket, and his cutie mark was a chisel. “Hello, I’m Professor Field, the museum's curator.”

“I know who are. You’re Tenny’s father. Gilda’s told me about you,” Rainbow Dash said, containing her previous excitement.

“Then you must be the famous Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy,” the professor deduced.

“Famous? I don’t know about that,” Fluttershy meekly responded.

“Oh, come now, Mrs. Fluttershy. Don’t sell yourself short. My daughter-in-law has told me all about you and how you and your friends have saved Equestria countless times. You’re heroes and I would be remiss if I, as a historian, did not know what you have done for our land. This is a great honor for me.” Hearing this, Rainbow Dash beamed with pride while Fluttershy shrank from all the praise. She was never one for the spotlight. “So how may I be of service to you?”

“We need to borrow the Staff of Rain. Princess Celestia told us you might have it,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Oh,” the curator exclaimed, surprised by the unusual request. “Um… Follow me. We’ll discuss this more in my office.”

The pair followed Professor Field through the museum until they came to a door that had his name printed on it. He opened the door, inviting them into the office. There were file cabinets and bookshelves against the walls, little knickknacks and trinkets adorning them. His desk had a stack of papers on it along with a framed picture. The picture depicted a younger Professor Field with two foals, a red filly and an orange colt. Rainbow Dash recognized the colt to be Tenny Field and guessed that the filly was Renny Field, who had disappeared some twenty-odd years ago. Behind the desk was a display shelf with a staff resting on it. The shaft was blue and swirled at the top into a dark gray headpiece that resembled a storm cloud with two yellow lightning bolts protruding from it.

“Is that it?” Rainbow Dash asked as the professor sat down at his desk.

“Yes, it is,” he confirmed.

“Great! Can we have it?” she asked, already thrilled from finding the staff so easily.

“No,” he flatly told her, stunning both mares with his refusal. “I’m sorry, but the Staff of Rain has been in my family ever since my great-grandfather recovered it over a hundred years ago, and it’s an important part of Pegasi history.”

“You don’t understand. We’re here on official world saving business. We need that staff. Princess Celestia’s orders,” Rainbow Dash explained before trying to reach for the staff behind the professor.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Dash, but I can’t just give you the staff!” Professor Field objected as he blocked Rainbow Dash.

“Look, we really need it! Don’t you know what happened this morning? Equestria was invaded by dragons, and we need the staff to stop them!”

“Yes, I know what happened… but…” the professor looked to the staff in his care conflicted. “That staff is very important to me and my career as a historian. If something was to happen to it…”

Rainbow Dash placed a hoof to her face and sighed exasperatedly before calmly saying, “Okay, what if I was to promise that nothing bad will happen to the staff? We’ll bring it back in one piece. We just need it to defeat the King of Dragons.”

Hearing this, Professor Field groaned and looked fearfully to his prized possession, anything but reassured. Seeing his distress and her companion's less than tact approach, Fluttershy intervened.

“Allow me,” the yellow Pegasus told her friend before softly speaking to the distressed professor. “Professor, I know you’re worried about the staff, and I completely understand. But we… no, Equestria needs the Staff of Rain. I don’t know what will happen, but I can promise you that we’ll do what we can to keep it safe, and we are willing to compensate for your loss if something was to happen to it.”

“We are?” Rainbow Dash asked, only to be silenced by a look from Fluttershy.

“Is there anything we can give you as collateral while we borrow it? Anything you want?”

The professor sat down at his desk again, looked at the papers on its surface, and cleared his throat. “Well, there is something I’ve been trying to acquire for some time; the Silver Harp of Garin Silverharp. He was a famous Pegasus musician during the Classical Era.”

“Okay, okay. If we get the harp for you, can we borrow the staff?” Rainbow Dash asked, mildly annoyed.

“Yes,” Professor Field finally agreed. “But there’s a problem. I haven’t been able to get it myself because it’s located in Garin’s tomb in the catacombs beneath Canterlot.”

“C-C-Catacombs?” Fluttershy stammered, her optimism diminished by the idea of a subterranean mass grave.

“This that all? Pssh, no big deal! We’ll be in and out with the harp in no time!” Rainbow Dash boasted.

“But Mrs. Dash, the Canterlot Catacombs is a labyrinth. That’s why I haven’t been able to find it myself. I’ve already been down there three times and haven’t been able to locate Garin’s grave,” the professor explained. He then twiddled his hooves and embarrassedly admitted, “And I’m afraid of the dark.”

“Bah, we can handle the dark, can’t we, Fluttershy?”

“Catacombs…” Fluttershy whimpered, not liking where this quest was taking her. As the mares left the office, neither they nor the professor noticed the bat-like creature that was peering in through the window. It cackled a high pitched laugh before flying away.

*****

On the edge of the Everfree Forest, a company of the the Royal Guard led by Evening Star was standing watch over the enchanted forest. When Twilight Sparkle and the other Bearers of the Elements of Harmony returned the Elements to the Tree, much of the wild magic of the forest had been tamed, making the forest less ominous and foreboding. Without the Tree’s magic, a creepy fog had descended upon the forest. The howls of Timberwolves could be heard from the depths of the forest, and the guards were waiting to intercept anything that might come out.

The zebra shaman Zecora had elected to temporarily take residence in Ponyville. Even when the Tree of Harmony was protecting the forest, it was still home to many dangers and only Zecora was brave enough to live within its borders. However, not even she was brave enough to remain in her hut with the potential risk lurking all about. The last time the forest was without the magic of the Tree, she was forced from her home by an overgrowth of plunderseed vines. Though the vines were destroyed when the Elements were returned to the Tree, Zecora wasn’t taking any chances.

The inhabitants of Ponyville remained in their homes and many of the businesses were closed. Surprise and Cherry Pie were upset that they had to be cooped up in their house while their mother got to go on an adventure. Sour Apple was busy keeping an eye on the farm and his little sister. Sweet Apple Acres also bordered the Everfree Forest and Evening Star had a squad posted there to ensure his friends were kept safe. For safety reasons, Big Macintosh brought Posey and their animals to the farm so that the Apple Family could all be under one roof.

In Twilight’s Castle of Friendship, Midnight was sitting at a desk in the study with a pile of books stacked in front of her. As the blue Unicorn read the contents of one of the books, a pony approached her from behind. The princess was too preoccupied with her research to notice the approaching hoofsteps.

“I have the books you requested, Your Highness” a voice announced, causing Midnight to yelp in surprise. Recovering from the shock, she realized it was only Sworn Duty and turned to see that her outburst caused the soldier to drop the books he was carrying.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized as she left her desk to help him pick up the books. As they gathered up the scattered books, their hooves briefly touched, causing the two to gaze at each other. Midnight blushed and broke eye contact. Though she originally didn’t want somepony following her around constantly while her father and brother secured Equestria’s borders, Sworn Duty was proving to be quite helpful. Her family trusted him, so she figured that she could too. Besides, she thought he was kind of cute.

“So, what were you reading?” he asked to make small talk as they placed the books on the table with the rest.

“I was doing more research on the Legend of Erdrick,” she explained as she sat back down. “Everypony left so quickly that I didn’t have time to do much other than find where the amulet is located. I was getting to the part about Erdrick’s tomb.”

“What does it say?”

“Let’s have a look…” She went over the contents of the page, her brow furrowing as she read. “...Oh dear.”

“Is something wrong?” he asked, seeing her concern.

“I didn’t see this part before,” Midnight told him, suddenly fearful for Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “Erdrick’s tomb has a guardian.”

*****

“Come on, Applejack! We’re almost there!” Pinkie Pie called from up the trail before prancing off, humming along to a tune in her head. “La la la, lalala lala la la. La la la, lalala lala la la.”

Applejack stopped at an overlook in the mountain trail and pulled out the map Midnight made for them to verify their position. The Unicorn Range ran through western Equestria, with Vanhoover on one side and Ponyville on the other. From the ledge on which she was standing, Applejack could see Canterlot Mountain in the distance with the royal city rising from its side. To the north, she could see the floating city of Cloudsdale and home to the south.

“I found it! Come on, it’s over here!” Hearing Pinkie’s voice caused her to look from the sight of Ponyville back to the rocky trail only to be met with a pair of blue eyes. Applejack flinched at the sudden invasion of her personal space and took a step back as the pink pony ran ahead and pointed around the bend. “It’s just up there!”

Trotting to catch up with Pinkie, Applejack rounded the corner to see that the path led to a crevasse between two peaks. Applejack took the lead and entered the fissure with Pinkie following behind her. As the pair walked through the narrow passage, Applejack recalled the conversation she was having with her friends that morning.

“Hey, Pinkie. What do ya reckon Twilight was gonna tell us this mornin’?” Applejack asked. “Ya know, before the whole dragon invasion business.”

“Huh, I don’t know,” Pinkie replied honestly. “But she did make it sound awfully important, didn’t she?”

“And what about Fluttershy? She was gonna say something too.”

“Oh, that? I already know what that’s about,” Pinkie Pie claimed.

“Ya do? Did she tell ya?” Applejack asked, stopping her in tracks to turn to face Pinkie Pie.

“Nah, she didn’t tell me anything, but I think it’s pretty obvious.”

“Well, don’t leave me hangin’. Out with it,” Applejack demanded.

“Ah-ah-ah! No spoilers!” Pinkie Pie denied, waving a scolding hoof teasingly.

“Ya right,” Applejack conceded, turning back around. “Fluttershy will tell us when she’s ready.”

As they continued to make their way through the fissure, they saw sunlight coming from up ahead. Following it, they came to an opening that led into a clearing. It was a circular enclosure about twenty feet wide surrounded by the mountain’s walls. By how perfect the circle was and from the smoothness of the walls, Applejack deduced that the shrine was carved into the fissure in the mountain.

On the other end of the circle was a square opening cut into the rock face. Resting inside was a stone sarcophagus. The light of the afternoon sun shone down through the top of the rounded shrine and illuminated the inside of the sepulcher. Above the sarcophagus, the sunlight reflected off of a metallic object located on the wall. It was an amulet of a gold-covered wreath with a diamond set in the center.

“That must be it!” Pinkie Pie declared, pointing to Erdrick’s Amulet.

“Then what are we waitin’ for? Let’s grab it and go home,” Applejack confidently said as she stepped into the circle. As soon as Applejack placed a hoof within the circle, Pinkie Pie’s tail started to twitch. Reacting on impulse, Pinkie Pie latched onto Applejack’s tail and yanked her back into the fissure. “Hey! What…”

“Twitchy tail!” Pinkie Pie yelled in explanation before the Earth Ponies heard a rumbling. Looking up to the top of the shrine, they saw rocks, boulders, and bricks roll over the edge and fall into the circle. Applejack and Pinkie took another step back to avoid being crushed by the falling rocks.

“Booby trap,” Applejack coughed as the dust settled, looking at the rocks and bricks now covering the shrine’s floor.

“Teehee, you said ‘trap’.” Pinkie Pie giggled, causing Applejack to roll her eyes. Her amusement was cut short when they heard more rumbling. The rocks and bricks were vibrating and then rolled to the center of the circle, where they assembled. The stones climbed on top of each other until they formed a bipedal figure than stood twelve feet high, not giving much room for the two intruders to move around. The clay bricks covered the giant, giving it a lair of orange-brown armor. It had a bulky frame, complete with large arms and a broad chest. Its face was featureless, save for the two dots of magical light that acted as eyes.

“Cool,” Pinkie Pie marveled before taking a step towards the giant.

“Pinkie, get back here!” Applejack tried to call her friend back, but she kept on approaching the giant.

“Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and she’s Applejack. What’s your name?” she asked as she stood before the figure. It looked down at her but said nothing. Then again, it didn’t have a mouth. “...Anyway, we need to borrow that gold thing in there. Is that okay?” Again, the giant said nothing, but stood its ground. “...Okay then. I’ll just sneak past here and…”

Before Pinkie Pie could walk around the giant, it raised a fist made of clay and rock and brought it down where she was walking. Before it could smash her into the ground, Pinkie evaded it. Again, it raised a fist and tried to crush the pony.

“Hey! Stop… trying… to… squish… me!” Pinkie shouted as she danced around its blows. Pinkie dodged it left fist only to discover that she was now stuck between the guardian and the shrine’s wall with nowhere else to go. Pinkie looked up with fear as the giant raised its right fist. Before it could bring it down onto the cornered pony, a lasso fastened around its wrist.

“Get out of there, Pinkie!” Applejack strained as she pulled on the rope, the giant pulling against her. Heeding her friend, Pinkie ran around the guardian’s legs.

“Hold him there. I’ll get the amulet,” Pinkie told Applejack as she tried to make a move on the tomb. Seeing the pink mare moving towards Erdrick’s tomb, the giant spun in the opposite direction, whipping Applejack across the shrine. Applejack landed with a groan and looked back to the giant to see it reaching for Pinkie.

“Pinkie, look out!” Her warning came too late and the earth elemental’s fingers wrapped around her. Pinkie Pie squeaked as the fingers squeezed her.

“Hey… Not so tight…” Pinkie struggled to say as the giant held her up to its face. As it stared at her with its emotionless face, Pinkie smiled at it nervously. It raised its other hand and reached for Pinkie’s exposed head, but before it could do anything to her, there was the sound of cracking bricks. The giant stumbled, loosening its grip on its Pinkie. The pink party pony wriggled free and hopped to the ground. Looking back to the giant, she saw that Applejack had bucked one of its legs with her powerful hind legs, sending cracks running across the surface.

Its attention now on the orange Earth Pony, the giant hobbled towards her with its hands outstretched. With its leg crippled, Applejack easily avoided its advance. With it distracted, Pinkie tried to make it to the tomb once more. However, the giant’s head suddenly whirled around to see Pinkie running towards the amulet. It dropped backwards, blocking the tomb with its body. Pinkie Pie came to a sudden stop and narrowly avoided being smashed when the giant clapped its hands together.

“No use in distracting it. It automatically focuses on the pony closest to the grave,” Applejack explained, noting the guardian’s behavior. “And there’s no talkin’ to it. We’re gonna have to take it down. Pinkie, Ah need ya to keep it busy while Ah lasso it.”

“On it!” Pinkie Pie acknowledged as she dashed in front of the giant as it pick itself up from the floor. She waved her front hooves in the air and made silly faces at it. “Yoohoo! Over here! Blah!”

The emotionless construct brought its fist down where the mocking pony stood only to have her quickly sidestep and laugh at it. It swiped at her again, but missed once more. This time, the orange pony’s rope wrapped around its wrist. Pinkie jumped clear as Applejack ran around the giant and then in between its legs, tangling it up with the rope. The guardian struggled to free itself, Applejack holding fast onto the rope. She dug her hooves into the ground but found herself slowly being dragged across the floor. It would break free in seconds unless she did something.

Before the golem could snap its restraints, Pinkie Pie jumped at it and started to pound away at its brick chest, sending bits of clay and stone flying. Applejack let the rope drop from her mouth as she watched in amazement as her friend reduced the giant to a pile rocks.

“Pinkie Pie, that was amazin’! How did you do that?” Applejack marveled as she looked upon the remnants of the fallen guardian.

“Meh. I grew up on a rock farm, remember?” Pinkie Pie causally stated as she shook the dust and debris off of her coat.

“Oh, right,” Applejack replied, remembering the Pie Family Farm before they both returned their attention to Erdrick’s grave. “Well, let’s grab it and be on our way. Ah bet the others are already waitin’ for us.”

Before they could move towards the tomb, they heard the sound of rumbling and looked back to see the rocks reassembling. They stepped back in alarm and watched as the grave’s guardian once again stood before them without any sign of damage.

“Huh, so it can pull itself together,” Pinkie Pie stated as she Applejack stared up at the giant which started to march towards them, ready for round two.

"Looks that way" Applejack assessed.

“And no matter how many times we knock it down, it’ll just get back up?” Pinkie Pie guessed, backing up as the golem drew near.

“Most likely."

Pinkie Pie turned to Applejack and asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Bail?”

“Bail.” Both mares ran out of the shrine through the fissure and raced back to the trail. As the ponies made their way back down the mountain, a bat-like creature that had been watching the whole time took off and flew to the north.

*****

The city of Trottingham was located on the Griffish Isles in the Northern Celestial Sea, positioned between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom. Though it laid within Equestria’s borders, it had a substantial griffon population and was an important trade city between the two nations. Due to its relative geographical isolation, the ponies of the city retained a classical Equestrian accent that is rarely heard outside the Canterlot elite. However, most of social elite of Canterlot have only adopted the accent to sound more sophisticated, but in reality it only made them sound like obnoxious snobs.

When Princess Twilight and Spike arrived at Trottingham, the city’s architectures reminded them of Canterlot’s, just not as fancy. Like the capital, it had cobblestone streets but lacked the ivory and golden spires and towers. The buildings were made of either gray stone or red bricks, giving the city a medieval look. If anything, it reminded Twilight and Spike the lower sections and back alleys of their hometown.

In the oldest part of the town was a castle that dated back to the Classical Era. It was the last known location of Erdrick’s sword, having been passed down the lineage of the Unicorn Royal Family. Though the castle once housed a noble family, they left it to take up residence in Canterlot once Celestia decided to move to the capital and make it her permanent residence after she left her childhood home of the Castle of the Two Sisters after she was forced to banish Luna to the moon. Like the old castle in the Everfree Forest, Trottingham Castle slowly fell into disrepair.

In recent years, archaeologists had begun to excavate the old castle to recover the precious artifacts and relics of a bygone era so that all could learn from them and appreciate them. When Twilight and Spike arrived at the castle, they found the archaeologists fast at work in the depths of the castle. An Earth Pony excavator was kind enough to take the time to speak with them.

“I thank you for your time,” Twilight said to the mare as she and Spike followed her through the courtyard to the dig site where they saw more ponies and griffons hard at work.

“The honor is mine, Your Highnesses,” the mare said in return. “Now, can you describe the sword?”

“It is made of metal called orichalcum. It a special type of metal that can cut through just about anything and never corrodes, rusts, or tarnishes. The crossguard is in the shape of an Alicorn and has a ruby in it and another in the pommel.”

Hearing this, the archaeologist's eyes lit up with recognition and she said, “That does sound like something our team uncovered a few days ago. Please wait as I ask around.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much!” Twilight was overjoyed and she shared a hopeful smile with Spike. They were that much closer to stopping the Dragon King and saving Rarity!

As they watched the diggers talked among themselves, Spike had a question he had been meaning to ask. “Mom?”

“Hm?”

“Earlier today, when the Dragon King tried to control me, I was able to break free. If he is the King of Dragons and is able to command any dragon, why couldn’t he control me?”

“I’m not sure. That would be a question for Aurum,” Twilight told him while thinking hard about the question. “Maybe a dragon with a strong enough will can resist his control.”

“Maybe I’m just that awesome,” Spike boasted, puffing out his chest with pride.

“But that can’t be right. We saw him command hundreds of dragons at once, all of them much bigger and older than you. Even Aurum feared him.” Hearing this, Spike’s swollen head deflated. “I have a theory, but I can’t prove it.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I gave your egg life with my magic. My life force is apart of you. Maybe the part of me that’s in you is what makes you resistant to the Dragon King’s spell.”

“Maybe.” As both of them thought about Twilight’s theory, the Earth Pony mare returned from speaking with her fellow archaeologists.

“Great news! The sword you described perfectly matches the sword a member of our team found!” the mare announced. “He took it to his home to conduct further research.”

“Wonderful! Where can we find him?” Twilight asked, both she and Spike listening expectantly.

“His name is Tenny Field. He lives in Hawk’s Nest just across the strait,” the mare told them, pointing in the direction of the town. Hearing this, both Twilight and Spike had a sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs. Seeing their horrified expressions, the mare asked, “Is something wrong, Your Highnesses?”

“No. Thank you for your time. Come on, Spike,” the dazed Twilight called to Spike as she walked away from the dig site, the dragon following her in stunned silence. As they came to the castle’s balcony, they looked at the mountains across the body of water that separated the Griffish Isles from mainland Equestria. Mother and son sat down and stared at the mountains, knowing that the dragons had attacked the town just last night. Behind them, a bat-like creature was hanging from the axe a suit of armor was holding. With their backs turns to it, they didn’t notice as it took flight and flew away to the north.

“Spike?” Twilight slowly asked.

“Yeah?” he responded, already knowing what she was going to say.

“This morning, the Dragon King said that he had the ‘weapon’. He has it, Spike. He has the sword.”

A Night of Treachery

“Sorry sorry sorry!” Midnight apologized repeatedly as she and the three teams of adventures sat around the council table in the Castle of Friendship.

“Aw, it’s alright, sugar cube,” Applejack reassured her. “Pinkie and Ah are okay.”

“But you could’ve been hurt! I let you all go with proper preparation!”

“It’s not it your fault,” Twilight told her daughter. “It’s mine. In our rush, I failed to conduct the proper research.”

“No, it’s mine,” Spike objected. “I was just in too much of a rush to save Rarity.”

“No one can blame you for that,” Pinkie Pie told him. “We all want to save Rarity.”

“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s that curator’s,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “He if wasn’t so concerned about his precious family heirloom, then we would already have the staff!”

“Now, Rainbow, we mustn't be too critical of him,” Fluttershy tried to calm the grumpy Pegasus. “That staff is very important to him. It would be the same as asking you to give up all of your Wonderbolt medals.”

“But I would gladly give up my medals if it meant saving all of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“Yes, but not everypony can be as loyal you,” Fluttershy complemented, hoping to cheer her up.

“Yeah, but we’ve wasted an entire day! Now we have to go spelunking in some boneyard looking for some lost harp! Who knows how long that’ll take!” Rainbow Dash complained. Being reminded about the fact that the Silver Harp of Garin Silverharp was located in a catacomb made Fluttershy tremble with dread.

“Don’t sweat it,” Applejack said. “We have seven days…”

“Six,” Pinkie Pie corrected her.

“Six days to find it and save Rarity.”

“Yeah? Well, I doubt Spike, and Rarity for that matter, can wait for another six days!” Rainbow Dash correctly assumed. “And on top of all that, the Dragon King has the stupid sword!”

“Yeah. How are we supposed to stop him without it?” Pinkie Pie asked, causing Twilight to think of a solution.

“Midnight, the book said that Erdrick used the gifts to weaken Zoma and then slayed him with the sword?” Twilight asked her daughter to verify.

“Yes, it did,” Midnight confirmed.

“Then we might not actually need it. It was the Powers of Harmony that defeated the demon. Erdrick just finished him off.”

“Are you sure?” Spike asked.

“We didn’t need anything else to defeat Nightmare Moon or Discord. All we had was the Element and, more importantly, we had each other,” Twilight reminded all of them.

“But we don’t know exactly what these things will do or if they’ll even be enough to stop him,” Applejack said.

“We’re just going to have faith,” Twilight told Applejack. “The Powers of Harmony have never failed us before and I’m certain that they’ll won’t fail us now. And if all else fails, at least we knew where the sword is.”

“Yeah, in the middle of a dragon’s lair,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“We have to sneak in to Charlock Castle anyway,” Applejack reminded. “We’ll just have to grab when we get there.”

“Okay, but what are we going to be about Mr. Stoney?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“And what about the harp? How are we gonna find it?” Rainbow Dash added.

“I have the answer to that,” Midnight explained, pulling out a book. “It says here that the golem can be deactivated by the sound of music played by a magic flute called the ‘Fairy Flute’. It is located in the Everfree Forest.”

“The Everfree Forest?!” everyone exclaimed.

“But without the Tree of Harmony, the forest has become crazy again!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“But we’re gonna have to go in there if we want that flute,” Applejack told Pinkie Pie. “Midnight, does the book say exactly where the flute is, or is this just gonna be another wild goose chase?”

“No no. It says it right here,” Midnight reassured her, pointing to the book.

“And I can ask Celestia for a map of the catacombs. Maybe she knows where to find the harp,” Twilight suggested, already preparing a letter to the Princess.

“Okay then. I can go with you and Pinkie to find the flute. With the forest like it is, you’ll need all the muscle you can get,” Spike suggested to Applejack.

“And Twilight can come with me and Fluttershy to search the catacombs,” Rainbow Dash concluded.

“Um… I was just thinking… maybe I could… go help find the flute instead. If that’s okay with everypony else, that is,” Fluttershy meekly requested.

“Oh, right,” Rainbow Dash said, realizing that Fluttershy and spooky, underground cemeteries don’t mix. “Why don’t you go with Pinkie and Spike, and Applejack can come with me and Twilight?”

“Ah can agree to that. Besides, your way with animals might be helpful,” Applejack agreed with Rainbow Dash.

“It’s settled,” Twilight decreed. “We’ll head out first thing tomorrow. It’s too dangerous to search the forest at night.”

“Or a cemetery for that matter,” Pinkie Pie added.

“I ain’t scared of a bunch of bones,” Rainbow Dash boasted.

“Neither am Ah, but it’s been a long day. We all need our rest before settin’ out again,” Applejack said, to which everyone agreed. With a new plan formed, the adventurers went home to rest up. Spike was about to head out of the castle when Twilight stopped him.

“Spike, considering what’s happened today, would you like to stay here for the night?” Twilight offered, concerned for her son’s well being. She knew it must be hard for him with his wife being the Dragon King’s prisoner. Being all alone in Carousel Boutique wouldn’t help his distraught state of mind.

“Sure, I guess,” he accepted. He followed Twilight and Midnight back into the castle, thinking of a way to save Rarity.

*****

It was nearly sunset and an uneasy tension had settled upon Dragon Town. The news of the Dragon King’s threat against Equestria had already reached Fillydelphia and both the pony and dragon populations waited with dread to see what would happen next. Mina was afraid that she already knew answer. She looked to her two guests in her apartment, particularly the Kirin princess. Just a few hours ago, Thunderbolt had told her that not only had the Dragon King proclaimed his intentions of destroying Equestria, but that he also had taken her mother hostage to force her father to surrender to him.

Understandably, Amethyst looked miserable and Mina moved to go comfort her friend, but a noise from outside caught their attention. In the distance, they could hear police sirens approaching. Mina groaned to herself, knowing what this most likely meant. She went to the window and could see the red and blue lights of police carriages as they rode into Dragon Town.

“How typical,” the dragoness sighed, shaking her head.

“What’s going on?” Amethyst asked.

“A curfew is in effect,” Mina explained joylessly. This was the fire snail incident all over again. Her community was being blamed for something they had nothing to do with.

Then there was another noise, surprising Mina. She looked down the street and saw the police ponies forcing dragons from their homes. The dragons were in shackles, being ushered by the officers into the back of the carriages which Mina then recognized as paddy wagons. Hearing the commotion, Thunderbolt and Amethyst crowded Mina at the window as they tried to see what was going on. They watched in disbelief as innocent dragons protested their arrest, mother dragons holding their frightened, crying whelps as they were all loaded up into the vehicles. A police carriage along with a fancier vehicle pulled up outside of the comic book store. As somepony exited the shiny black carriage, the cops rushed to the door and banged on it.

“Fillydelphia Police Department! Open up!”

The three looked at each other at a loss. Mina then walked down the stairs, knowing that they would just break down the door if she didn’t answer. Amethyst and Thunderbolt followed her down to the comic store. Mina opened the door and backed up as ponies in riot gear rushed in, surrounding her.

“By order of Mayor Skinflint, all dragons are to be interned as potential enemies of the Kingdom of Equestria and to be relocated to a holding facility so they can be thoroughly questioned,” a police pony told Mina as cuffs were clasped around her wrists.

“Y-You can’t do this! We have rights!” an outraged Mina shouted as a pushy police officer prodded her with his baton to make her walk towards the door.

“Your rights have been suspend. Now, come quietly and there won’t be any need for violence.”

“Stop this at once!” Amethyst commanded, placing herself between her friend and the police. This only caused the police to raise their batons threateningly. “I am a Princess of Equestria, and I command you to release her and all the other dragons at once!”

“I’m afraid you don’t have any authority here, Your Highness,” a voice sneered. They turned to see Mayor Skinflint entering the store with one of his aides. “I have declared a state of emergency, which gives me emergency powers.”

“You can’t do that! An order such as that has to come from Canterlot, and Princess Celestia would never approve!”

“Her Majesty is too trusting. We’re at the brink of war and I’m doing my part to ensure that my country is safe.”

“By arresting innocent civilians?!” Thunderbolt questioned.

“By rounding up potential spies,” Skinflint told him. “Is it coincidence that the dragons invade mere days before their New Year? Is it coincidence that a dragon has been living in the Royal Family for years and all of a sudden his ‘wife’ is conveniently ‘kidnapped’ by their king?”

“Are you an idiot or something?! Spike is being forced to surrender to him!” Thunderbolt yelled, baffled by the mayor’s ignorance.

“Well, that’s the perfect cover then, isn’t it?” the mayor countered. “It gives him a perfect excuse to return to the dragon lands without any suspicion falling upon him. The Dragon King said he was going to destroy Equestria regardless of whether he surrendered or not. Why would he take a hostage if he plans on attacking anyway?”

“My father isn’t a spy!” Amethyst denied, trying to defend her father’s honor.

“All evidence says otherwise.” Mayor Skinflint nodded to the police ponies, who approached the Kirin with shackles. “Take her as well. She must have been sent here to spy on us.”

Before the the police could detain the frightened princess, Thunderbolt dashed in front of her and whirled about, knocking the officers back with his wings.

“I won’t let you take her!” he yelled. “I’ve been ordered by Prince Spike to keep her safe, and that’s what I’m going to do!”

“No, Thunderbolt!” Amethyst told him, stopping him from attacking the officers. “I’ll be okay. I need you to get back to Ponyville and tell my grandmother what’s happened. She’ll resolve this.”

“But-”

“No. If you fight them, they’ll just arrest you too. I need you to do this for me.”

The mayor’s aide then whispered into Skinflint’s ear. She was a beige Unicorn with a dark blue mane pulled back into a bun. She was wearing a black blazer and their was a pin in the shape of a bat in her lapel. The mayor nodded to whatever she told him and said to the cops, “Take him as well. He said it himself that he’s working for the dragon. He could be another spy.”

Thunderbolt flared his wings again, ready to fight, but Amethyst placed a claw on his shoulder. She shook her head at him and then was placed in irons. Thunderbolt snorted with frustration as restraints were placed on his legs and wings, preventing him from flying away. The three were loaded into the carriage and were hauled off.

Pleased with himself, Mayor Skinflint and his aide entered his personal carriage and headed back to city hall. As they rode back, his aide said, “That went rather well, sir.”

“Yes. And we’ll know what those dragons know soon enough,” he said back.

“I’m sure Princess Celestia will be thankful for what you’ve done here. You very well may have saved countless of lives today. Who knows? Maybe she’ll honor you with knighthood or even a title of nobility.” Hearing this, Skinflint swell with pride, imaging himself being honored by Princess Celestia herself for his heroic deed. Maybe he’ll get his own stained-glass window in Canterlot Palace. The aide smirked as she watched the mayor daydreaming.

Once the mayor’s carriage arrived at city hall, the beige Unicorn walked to her own office as the mayor went to his to practice his acceptance speech. She locked the door behind her and made sure the shutters of the office’s windows were closed before pulling a small glass orb from a drawer and placed it on her desk. Activating her magic, the orb began to glow and a face appeared within it.

“It is done, my lord. The dragons have been rounded up,” she reported to the figure in the crystal ball.

“Excellent. I’m pleased that Mayor Skinflint is so easily swayed,” a voice emanated from the orb.

“It wasn’t that hard. He’s a xenophobic fool only concern about his self interest. All it took was some flattering and the push in the right direction.”

“Yes, he has been a useful puppet. That’s why we arranged to have him elected,” the voice chuckled. “But his usefulness has come to an end.”

“Celestia is sure to learn of what happened tonight,” the mare voiced a concern.

“No matter. By the time she finds out, it’ll be too late,” the voice dismissed her concern. “The Dragon King will find out and begin his rampage. I’ll see to that. Now, return to Rhone. Your job there is done.”

“Hail Hargon,” the mare saluted before the transmission ceased.

*****

Princess Celestia was lying on a floor cushion in her personal chambers in Canterlot Palace while Princess Luna overlooked the city from the balcony. Shortly after the younger of the Royal Alicorn Sisters had raised the moon, a letter arrived via Spike’s green fire for Celestia detailing the day’s events. Luna listened as Celestia read Twilight’s letter describing how the Cloudsdale Museum's curator would only trade the Staff of Rain for Garin’s harp, how Erdrick’s tomb was guarded by a golem, and that Erdrick’s sword was almost certainly taken by the Dragon King’s forces during the raid on Hawk’s Nest. The letter also explained their new plan of action.

“I’ll send for Mrs. Rolodex,” Celestia told Luna. “She’ll have a map to the catacombs.”

Luna nodded with acknowledgement as she continued survey the damage that the dragons had caused that morning. The city walls were crumbled at parts, the roofs of some buildings were collapsed, and there were claw-shaped holes in the streets. Just below the balcony, Luna could see the clawprints the Dragon King left behind in the courtyard before he left with Rarity in his clutches. Each clawprint was a crater able to hold many ponies. Ryuo had grown considerably since the last time Luna had seen them. Then again, that was thousands of years ago. Back then, he was the size of average adult dragon. Now, he was as tall as the castle!

There was a knock at the door and Celestia said, “Come in.” The door opened and Flash Sentry and Evening Star entered Celestia’s chambers.

“Your Highness, we have news to report,” Evening Star stated with a salute.

“Very well,” Celestia said before she noticed the smokey purple mare that was behind the two Pegasi. “Ah, Mrs. Rolodex. Just the pony I wanted to see. Do you have the information I requested?”

“Yes, Princess,” the archivist confirmed.

Turning back to the stallions, Celestia nodded. “Please continue.”

“We have secured the perimeter of the Everfree Forest,” Flash Sentry reported. “Without the Tree of Harmony’s magic, the forest is becoming more untamed. So far, no dangerous creatures have tried to leave the forest, but we’ll remain on guard. We also have the Pegasi guards patrolling the eastern coast. If the Dragon King tries to make a move against Equestria before the deadline, we’ll know of it.”

“We’ve received a letter from the Crystal Empire,” Evening Star added. “Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor confirm that many refugees have arrived in the Empire.”

“I thought as much,” Celestia stated. “They’ll be safe there. Does the letter say anything else?”

“Affirmative. Princess Cadance says that the Empire willing to take in as many refugees as needed and that there is still plenty of room for more. But she also reports that not all of the refugees are staying in the Crystal Empire.”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked, surprised to hear this. Luna even stepped back in from the balcony, listening intently to the report.

“Princess Cadance reports that a number of ponies have continued onward into the Frozen North.”

“The only thing pass the Crystal Empire is Yakyakistan,” Luna pointed out. “Not only do our subjects feel that Equestria is no longer safe but have elected to leave the nation altogether.”

Princess Celestia was dismayed by this news. She wanted her little ponies to be brave and have faith, but she wanted them to be safe above all. If they believed that they’ll be safer in Yakyakistan, so be it.

“Very well. We shall send a letter to King Rutherford explaining the situation,” Celestia declared before turning to Mrs. Rolodex. “What have you discovered?”

“I did as you asked and made a list of all the staff and all of the guards stationed at the archives for the past month,” the mare told Celestia as she passed the list to the white Alicorn. Taking the parchment with her magic, she saw that the small list of names had check marks by each of them, except for two that were circled. “There weren’t too many changes in the past month, and with the help of Prince Evening Star, I was able to interview all of the staff. All were accounted for and had solid alibis, leaving only the guards.” Hearing Mrs. Rolodex’s words and reading the circled names, Celestia’s heart panged with sorrow to know that two of the stallions that had sworn to defend Equestria had betrayed her.

“The only change in the guards stationed in the archives were Private Chain Mail and Private Iron Shield,” Evening Star elaborated. “They were posted as the night guard of the Royal Archives until three weeks ago when they requested to be transferred to the detention center.”

“Where are they now?” Celestia asked.

“AWOL as of this morning, Your Highness. After the attack on the city this morning, a headcount was performed and they were not at their post.”

Hearing this practically confirmed their involvement in the theft of the scroll to Celestia. But were they working alone? No, they would have had to traveled to the dragon lands to deliver it to Ryuo, and their absence would have been noticed. They must have been working with somepony else.

“There is something else, Your Highness,” Evening Star continued. “The prisoner is missing.”

*****

Narcissus could hear the howl of the freezing wind from outside of the mountain tunnel he and other ponies were traversing. It was cold in the tunnel and the only light was the glow of Unicorn horns. At least he was no longer out in the snow. After the two guards sprung him from his cell beneath Canterlot Palace, they had led him to a safe house where they changed into drab traveler’s cloaks and left when citizens of Canterlot began to flee the Crystal Empire. He was, or used to be, a prince and was accustomed to wearing the finest clothing money could buy. Normally, he wouldn’t be caught dead in a tacky brown cloak, but he needed to hide his identity. Though he had fallen from Celestia’s favor, he was still well known throughout Equestria. With his unkempt appearance and the cloak, he was just another refugee.

Once he and the guards, who he came to learn their names were Chain Mail and Iron Shield, arrived in the colorful crystalline city, they met up with a group of ponies wearing white cloaks marked with an image of a bat. They were ponies from all over Equestria and from different walks of life, but they all had something in common; each of them were discontent with the rule of the princesses. Some were criminals that rejected society’s laws, some were disgruntled, self-entitled nobles that desired to usurp Celestia, and others were ponies that misfortune had fallen upon and blamed the Diarchy for their hardships. These malcontents had managed to take advantage of the fears of a collection of ponies from various cities that were frightened by the appearance of the dragons. Though they knew next to nothing of the order’s beliefs, they were promising them answers and protection from the inevitable destruction of Equestria.

Narcissus wasn’t seeking answers to life’s mysteries, but he was promised freedom from Celestia’s dungeon and he accepted. But he wanted to know where these ponies were leading him. He had followed them from the Crystal Empire, an oasis of temperate weather in the frozen wastes, into the bitter cold of the Crystal Mountains. Like the Everfree Forest, the weather in this part of world was unregulated and blizzards could rage on for days. At first, Narcissus thought they were headed to Yakyakistan, but the pilgrims departed from the trail and headed towards Mount Everhoof.

When the group came to wall of mountains, one of the cloaked ponies stepped forward and procured a strange carved object made of gold and jade and held it aloft. The mountainside rumbled and an opening of a tunnel appeared before them. Following the passage through the mountains, Narcissus saw a light at the end and was amazed to see a green valley on the other side. It was like the Crystal Empire in the fact that there was a weather shield protecting the valley from the cold. Along with a green field of grass, there was a lake of clear water, groves of fruit bearing trees, and fields of crops. However, the most impressive feature this valley had to offer was the castle. The stone structure had two towers rising in the back with a bridge connecting them at the top. The towers were four sided and had large rectangle windows rising up the height of the twin structures. A green light glowed from the large windows of the east tower.

Narcissus followed the others to the castle. Upon entering, he saw more ponies wearing white cloaks walking the halls. Each robed pony was guiding a small group of refugees, indoctrinating them in the ways of their cult while giving them a tour of the castle. Lining the hallways were statues of a Unicorn that Narcissus assumed was this “Lord Hargon” his guides had told him so much about. The walls were also decorated with tapestries depicting the cult’s iconography. The tapestries depicted the ever present symbol of the grinning bat along with bizarre creatures: one-eyed bipedal creatures, apes with bat wings, and beings that had features of both minotaurs and dragons.

At the end of the hallway was a spacious chapel. On either side of the room were exits that lead to east and west wings of the castle. At the back of the chapel, there was an altar with a large stone statue of a creature Narcissus didn’t recognize dominating the room. At first glance, it appeared to be a dragon, but it had four arms and a shorter neck and snout than a dragon’s.

Atop of the altar was another pony wearing a white cloak, but unlike the others, his robe was more extravagant. It had a high red collar and the hem was decorated with red triangles. Like the other robes, there was the image of black grinning bat on the sides. The pony wore a gold necklace set with a ruby and had a black headdress with protrusions coming off from its sides that resembled a dragon’s ear frills. As the group entered the chapel and approached the altar, Narcissus recognized the stallion wearing the fancy robe atop of the platform. It was the same blue Unicorn that had visited him in prison the other day. He was holding a glowing crystal ball in his red magic, speaking to it. Once he noticed the new arrivals, he put the ball away and addressed them.

“Welcome, weary travelers. I am Lord Hargon, High Priest of the Great Malroth, and this is the sanctuary of Rhone,” the Unicorn greeted. “Here you will find solace from the tribulations of Celestia’s tyranny. Here you will be spared from the flames that will consume the corrupted world, safe in the loving embrace of our god’s protection. By his providence, you have been chosen by the Great Malroth to be his instruments in rebuilding the world after he shall cleanse it in his coming. Praise Malroth!”

“Praise Malroth! Hail Hargon!” The robed ponies chanted while the refugees looked on timidly, unsure about the situation they have found themselves in.

“You all must be exhausted and famished from your pilgrimage. The brothers and sisters of the order will show you to the living quarters to your left. There you will find dormitories and a banquet waiting for you,” Lord Hargon explained as he waved a hoof to the hall that led to the castle’s west wing. Then pointing to the east wing, he told the crowd, “After you have settled in, you will be taught in the ways of our order and learn how you can help in our noble cause.”

“Please follow me,” a robed mare said to the crowd before she and other cultists led the refugees to the living quarters. Instead of following the others, Narcissus was guided by Chain Mail and Iron Shield up the steps of the altar to Lord Hargon.

“Ah, welcome Prince Narcissus,” the cult leader greeted. “Thank you, Brother Chain Mail and Brother Iron Shield. Would you kindly tell Sister Honeysuckle and Brother Cider Barrel to meet me in the temple?”

“Yes, my lord. Hail Hargon!” the gray stallions saluted before leaving to carry out the request.

“Come, my prince. Walk with me.” Lord Hargon then led Narcissus down the altar and through a doorway at the back of the chapel which led to a t-junction. The path to the right was lit by an eerie green glow. It was the same glow that Narcissus saw coming from the windows of the eastern tower and figured that was the entrance to said tower. Periodically, he would see a white robed cultist passing from one side to the other. As Narcissus followed Hargon, he saw that the ponies were hauling buckets filled with appeared to be glowing green slime that emitted luminous vapors from the east tower to the west and were returning with empty buckets.

Heading towards the left, the two Unicorns went down the hallway to the west tower and ascended the stairs. The square tower was mostly empty, only having a staircase winding up the height of the interior from corner to corner. Along the way up, Narcissus could see out from the large openings that took up most of each tier’s walls out over the green valley surrounded by snowy mountains. In the distance, he could see Mount Everhoof towering over the rest of the mountain range. As they climbed the stairs, the ponies carrying the buckets would make way for the two while saluting their leader with a “Hail Hargon!”

When they had reached the top of the tower, there was an actual floor. The top floor exited to a bridge that spanned the two towers. Crossing the bridge, they came to another chapel that was similar to the one in the castle’s great hall aside from two exceptions; there was a large bowl-shaped cistern in front of the altar and there were openings in the floor along the central aisle of the chapel that allowed the green glow and the ethereal vapors to rise through, bathing the chapel in an unearthly light. The four-armed colossus in the back of temple looked particularly ominous with the unnatural light illuminating it. Members of Hargon’s cult would walk up the stairs of the altar and pour the glowing contents of their buckets into the cistern, which was almost full.

As Narcissus followed Hargon to the altar, he paused to peer down one of the vents in the floor. He saw that the eastern tower was empty, devoid of any internal structure. Down below, he could see that the base of the tower led to a subterranean mine. The cult members were drawing the glowing ooze from a large reservoir the size of a hoofball stadium. Something spurred Narcissus’s curiosity and he squinted his eyes to get a better look. He saw what looked like giant bones jutting out from the mine’s walls.

“I see you and your little group have been busy,” Narcissus said to Hargon as he left the hole in the floor and stepped onto the platform.

“Yes, we have been preparing for Malroth’s coming for years now, and it is almost at hoof,” Hargon told his guest. “And when he comes, he shall vanquish all of our enemies, and I, as his messenger, shall lead the world into a new golden age.”

“Spare me the sermon. I’m not one of your chattel. The only reason I’m here is because you said you could get me out of that cell. My question is why. What’s the plan? Your followers have been talking nonstop since we left Canterlot how you foretold how the dragons would destroy Equestria, and you showed up and tell me that you arranged for my release right before they showed up. I’m not stupid. I too tried to overthrow Celestia, and I can see that is was no ‘prophecy’. This was all planned out by you.”

“You call it planned, but when a higher power reveals its plan to you it is called prophecy,” Hargon explained with an amused smirk.

“So you’re serious about this ‘Malroth’ business?”

“Of course.”

“Okay… But why do you need me? It’s not that I’m ungrateful, but by the looks of it, you and your, I don’t know, few hundred followers have everything taken care of.”

“I brought you here because you’re essential to my plan,” Hargon explained to the confused stallion, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I’m attempting to build a new kingdom, and I need royal blood to help make it a reality. Who better to help than somepony who too seeks to overthrow those incompetent fools that the masses call princesses. Don’t you want to see them knocked off their pedestals?”

“I do. But how did you do it? Getting the dragons to attack, I mean.”

“Let’s just say the Dragon King and I have a little understanding. I did him a favor, and he did me a favor.”

“That must have been some favor.” Just then, they heard cackling laughter and three creatures flew into the temple and hovered before Hargon. They resembled bats, but they had longer tails. Narcissus noted they resembled the bat emblems on Hargon’s robe, down to their grinning faces. The three bats cackled and shrieked to Hargon, who nodded along as though he understood them.

“Ah, so Twilight Sparkle did indeed tried to locate the sword. Too bad it’s no longer there to be found,” Hargon laughed at the first report. “And Erdrick’s tomb is guarded by a golem. No help can be found there for them. Hhmmm...The Staff of Rain? The harp of a dead minstrel? What could they want with those? No matter. If they want it the harp, then I'll make them work for it.” After listening to his spy’s reports, Hargon’s horn glowed red with his magic and the conjured creatures disappeared in a puff of purple magic smoke. Hargon return his attention back to Narcissus with a triumphant look upon his face.

“What was all that about?” Narcissus asked.

“Have you ever played chess? Not only do you have to be able to plan out your own moves but your opponent's as well. You have to know how each piece moves and how to use them to maximum efficiency. One strategy is to distract your opponent by putting a valuable piece into play so that they’ll be too focused on that piece that they’ll won’t see your pawns placing their king in checkmate. Celestia is master chess player. She's spent centuries using ponies as pawns in her game. Right now, she's sending her pawns across the board to counteract my queen, or should I say, my Dragon King. What she doesn’t know is that her move is all a part of my master plan. And now that Celestia has made her move, I shall make mine. The Dragon King said he’ll destroy Equestria in a week. Let’s see if we can’t speed thing up a bit.”

“You’re using the Dragon King as a distraction?” Narcissus asked, astounded by Hargon’s boldness. “But what if they manage to stop him?”

“My dear prince, in chess, all pieces are expendable, even the most powerful one.” As he said this, Hargon grinned maliciously. “I doubt they’ll be able to slay him, but even if they do somehow manage to, it doesn't matter. If he and the rest of his kind don't submit to our god's might, they'll be eradicated with the rest of the filth. What does matter is that the accursed Tree of Harmony remains out of play long enough for us to summon the Great Malroth. I even have a contingency plan already in action if they do manage to get the Tree back.”

“You still haven’t explain what you want from me.”

“I told you. I need your royal blood.” As Hargon told him this, two robed ponies joined them on the altar: a white Unicorn mare with a golden mane and a tan Earth Pony stallion with a brown mane. “After the world is cleansed of the filth, we’ll need to rebuild it.” As he said this, he brushed the mare’s mane. “She’s a lovely mare, don’t you think? She’ll make a faithful wife and a loving mother some day.”

“Oh, I get what you’re saying,” Narcissus said, eyeing the attractive mare. “When you build your new kingdom, you’ll need a pony of royal blood to start a new royal family.”

The mare blushed and giggled at what the stallion was implicating. Hargon chuckled and introduced the mare. “This is Honeysuckle. She’ll tend to your needs. Sister, why don’t you take the prince to his private quarters and have him groomed. He'll need to look his best for his big day coming up.”

“Yes, my lord. This way, my prince,” Honeysuckle said with another giggle as Narcissus followed her with an eager grin.

“Brother Cider Barrel, I’m sorry to hear that she didn’t accept the offer,” Hargon consoled Applejack’s ex-husband.

“It is as you said it would be,” Cider Barrel admitted with disappointment.

“Do not despair, brother. You are better off without her, and her children are too entrenched in the Celestia’s false dogma to be saved. They're only good for one thing now. After the cleansing, you’ll have the opportunity to start a new family with the Great Malroth’s blessing.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Now, it is time to prepare for our next move. We already have one, but we still need three more. If you can’t get both of them, then just get the younger one. Have Live Wire and the others get the rest we need. Once you have her, take her to the auxiliary site. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Good, now hurry and get into position and inform the others. After I speak to the Dragon King tomorrow, the clock will be ticking. Be ready for my signal.”

“Hail Hargon!” Cider Barrel saluted before Hargon used his magic to teleport the Earth Pony away to carry out his orders.

Rarity's Discovery

A metallic ringing awoke Rarity from her sleep, the captive mare snapping her head up to see that a silver platter was placed before. On it there was an assortment of fruit including apples, oranges, and bananas. Rarity looked from the platter up to the Dragon King, who was standing over her with a golden goblet in one claw and a bottle in the other.

“Good morning, Princess. I do hope you had a pleasant slumber,” her captor said as he poured crystal clear water from the bottle into the goblet and placed it. Rarity, in fact, did not enjoy last night’s sleep. Her back was sore and her neck was stiff from sleeping on the platform’s stone floor, her body aching in protest as she raised herself up from the uninviting floor. After filling the goblet, the Dragon King placed it before her. “This is tableware from Tantegel Castle of the Kingdom of Alefgard. Tell me, have you ever heard of Alefgard perchance?”

“No, I can’t say I have,” Rarity replied as the goblet was placed before her.

“Amusing, I expect to hear the same from the next race when I ask them about Equestria,” Ryuo told her with sadistic glee. Rarity shivered at the not so subtle threat. She looked back at the spread, realizing how hungry and thirsty she was. The last time she ate was yesterday at breakfast, so it had been a whole day since she last had anything. Though she was reluctant to accept anything from the one that has taken prisoner, her stomach growled and her throat felt dry upon looking at the sparkling water and the scrumptious food.

Instinctively, she went to active her magic to lift the goblet, but the telltale blue glow of her magic didn’t appear. This caused her to remember the cursed choker around her neck that was disabling her magic. Her neck was suddenly itchy and she pulled at the necklace in hopes to relieve some of the discomfort, but it refused to move.

“Pardon me, but I’m used to using my magic to eat, and I wouldn’t want to make a mess of the meal you so generously provided. Would you be so kind as to remove my necklace while I eat?” Rarity asked with her practiced pony charm in hopes to win over Ryuo. Her attempts was met a look on the Dragon King’s face that said, “Don’t even try it.” She had a talent of getting what she wanted by only using a few flattering words, a coy smile, and some fluttering of her eyelashes, but it was clear that wasn’t going to work here. Taking the hint, Rarity resigned herself to using her hooves to eat her meal while the Dragon King returned to sitting upon his throne.

Though she would never admit it him, the breakfast the Dragon King provided her was excellent. The fruit was juicy and the water quenched her thirst; a meal worthy of Canterlot. What confused her was why was he going out of his way to provide her, his prisoner, with a decent meal or even bother to feed her at all. Clearly she was only a means to an end, becoming expendable as soon as Spike surrendered to him. From what she had been told, he was this prideful creature, and yet here he was serving her breakfast. What sort of game was he playing? Was all this just to mock her? Treat her like a princess while he makes her watch as her nation burns? Was the food poisoned?

She stop mid-chew and looked at the plate of food with wide eyes. She hadn’t tasted anything wrong with the food or water and hadn’t yet felt any adverse effects. She then dismissed the idea, figuring that if he was going to dispose of her, he would have roasted her or eat her. Maybe even both. Besides, he still needed her for now. She slowly swallowed the remaining food in her mouth and decided that she had enough, just in case.

Slowly pushing the platter away with a hoof, Rarity began to evaluate her situation and concluded that she had four options. Option A: Escape. So far, things were not looking promising for that venture. She was trapped in a castle in the heart of dragon country. One one hoof, she wasn’t chained up or locked in a dungeon. On the other, Dragon King Ryuo and his minions were constantly watching her. Even if she was to run, where would she go? The city-sized cavern had multiple tunnels leading out of it, and she had no idea if any of them led to an exit. Even if she did make it outside, she had limited knowledge of the surrounding lands and its location relative to Equestria. On top of all that, her magic was disabled and hundreds of dragons plus one very displeased Dragon King would be after her.

Option B: Persuasion. Maybe she could talk her way out of this situation. Then she remembered the look the Dragon King gave her when she requested to have the necklace removed. She doubted that persuasion would work on him. If anything, he has proven more capable at that than she was with his dragon-spell.

Option C: Fight. Oh sure, a magicless Unicorn mare of a petite build pitted against a dragon that was as large as Canterlot Castle. That would end well for her. Even in his smaller form, she wouldn’t be a match for him. He effortlessly countered Rainbow Dash’s attack yesterday and she was a trained athlete.

Option D: Do nothing. If she did nothing, she would be relying on her friends to rescue her and stop the army of dragons. Just thinking about it sounded hopeless. The Tree of Harmony rested at the Dragon King’s side and she could think of nothing else that could defeat him. Her Spikey Wikey would be forced to surrender and everypony else would perish in dragonfire.

That settled it; she had to do something. Fighting and running would be fruitless efforts, so that left her with Option B. Somehow, she would have to talk him out of destroying Equestria.

Well, that’s not a daunting task, Rarity sarcastically thought before gathering her thoughts. She had always prided herself for her attention to detail. She was even able to solve a mystery and prevent Rainbow Dash from being falsely accused of a crime. Maybe there was something Ryuo had said that she could use. Yesterday, he said that there was a price to be paid for those that crossed him, and he even showed her examples. Rarity looked over to see the polished Arimaspi skull and shuddered at the sight. This only reinforced the idea that this all was about avenging his wounded pride, and he was using the death of a dragoness as an excuse to invade Equestria while turning the blame on to Celestia.

An idea formed in Rarity’s head. As the King of Dragons, Ryuo was most certainly the most prideful of his kind, and he held himself to the standard of the Noble Dragon Code. She might be able to use his own code of honor against him. If she called him out on his actions, his own code, backed by his ego, would force him to relinquish his claim on Equestria! He honored the pact he made with Celestia and Luna for thousands of years. There is no reason why he wouldn’t now honor his sacred code. All she had to do now is learn more about the dragoness that died.

Spike’s birth mother, Rarity thought. True, it was Twilight’s magic and life force that hatched his egg and gave him life, making her just as much his mother as the dragoness, but the late dragoness actually carried him within her and laid his egg. Twilight finished the job, but she started.

Rarity was always a little curious, but now she may have the chance to learn more about her. Was she like other dragons? Cruel, greedy, vain, and ill-tempered, like the one who was holding her hostage? Did said captor even really care that one of his subjects died, or was he using her as a means to an end? Does he even know her name? Though tragic as it was, it was an awful amount of trouble to go through for just one random dragon.

She left the breakfast spread and walked down the walkway to the Dragon King’s dais. She stepped around the sword that was embedded in the stone and stood at the foot of the stairs. Dragon King Ryuo looked down from his throne at the white Unicorn with interest.
“Was your meal satisfactory?” He asked.

“Yes, thank you,” she said carefully, still thinking of a way to properly form her words. She was about to challenge his honor and didn’t want to start by testing the limits of his patience. He had been hospitable (relatively speaking) so far and didn’t want that to change. She would have to tread lightly for one wrong word might set him off. “I was wondering if I could get a cushion to lay on. Or a pillow, perhaps? You see, sleeping on the hard, stone floor isn’t really good for my posture, and I had a restless night.”

“Very well,” Ryuo sighed, rising from his throne. Rarity followed him back to the platform. The Dragon King surveyed his treasure hoard, pondering on how to satisfy the mare’s request. After searching, he used his magic to levitate a tapestry from the cave’s wall and placed it on the floor before her. The embroidered canvas was blue with golden paisleys woven into the fabric. It was almost certainly very old and indubitably a trophy from one of his conquests. It was such a lovely piece of art, Rarity felt shameful as she reluctantly stepped on it and laid down, but she didn’t want to risk offending the Dragon King. “Is that better? I do not entertain guests that often, so I am afraid I do not have much in the way of furniture. All I have is my throne and my hoard is my bed, and they suit me well.”

“No no. This is fine,” she told him. As he turned to walk away, she asked, “Who was she?” The Dragon King stopped and looked over his shoulder. “The dragoness, I mean. The one that died.” He turned around to face her, an unreadable look upon his face. Absent was his haughtiness and arrogance, replaced by a piercing stare. Rarity faltered momentarily at the look. The blankness of his expression unnerved her to the point that she almost missed his snarling rage she had previously encountered. At least then she could read him then. She would even settle for annoyance or impatience.

“...I mean, I assume you’re doing all of this for her. You said that you were going to payback Equestria blood for blood for her, so I figured that you would at least knew who she was. Do you even know her name?” The Dragon King said nothing, but continued to stare at the Unicorn. A faint hint of a smirk graced Rarity’s lips. He has nothing to say. That must mean he doesn’t know! Ha! I have him cornered!

“Her name was Xia,” he finally said, breaking his silence and foiling Rarity’s plan.

So he does know. Well, at least I can find out more about Spike’s birth mother, Rarity thought to herself. “Xia. That’s a lovely name. She must have been quite the dragon for you to be willing to go to war over. Was she a dragon of great renown? Not that any dragon shouldn’t be, but I don’t know much of dragon society. All of your kind seem rather independent, only gathering seldomly. Aside from you, the only dragons I've met that were considered to be royalty or nobility were Dragon Lord Torch and his successor Ember.”

“Each wyrm is a king unto themselves, masters of all that resides within their domains. I am master of masters, king of kings. All wyrms see themselves as superior to their peers, but few can actually claim lordship over the others. Torch and Ember may be lords, but only I am king. I am the Lord of the Dragon Lords,” Dragon King Ryuo explained, still speaking in a neutral tone. “Xia may have been an ordinary dragon, but she was special nonetheless; a gentle soul of uncommon kindness and generosity.”

“Oh,” Rarity exclaimed, taken aback by this tidbit of information. She began to realize that there was more to the Dragon King than she had previously believed. “Um… Did you know her well? Were the two of you close?”

“She was most precious to me.” As Ryuo said this to her, Rarity could see sadness in his red eyes. “She believed in the pact and that wyrms and equines could live in peace. She wanted to strengthen the pact, wanting it to become an alliance, by laying the eggs in Equestria and raising the whelps amongst your kind to forge a bond with them. Though I dismissed her beliefs as fantasifull dreams, I could not stop her from leaving for Equestria, the realm of Dragon Lord Torch. Though I can command all wyrms and could have forced her to stay, I could not have done that to her. All I could do was to beg her not to leave.”

Oh… Oh, dear Celestia… a horrified Rarity thought, concealing a gasp with a hoof as she finally understood. She had discovered the truth and the awful implications thereof. Not all treasure is silver and gold, my dear, his words rang throughout her head. With a trembling voice, she stated, “She… She was your… wife…”

“Yes,” the Dragon King confirmed. “She was my beloved, and she was taken from me; a martyr to her cause.”

“I am so sorry,” Rarity whispered, so stunned that she was barely able to utter the words, suddenly seeing the whole picture. “You’re Spike’s father.”

He nodded and told her, “My family was taken from me. Spike is all I have left, and I will have him back.”

“Even if you have to kill millions to do it?”

“Think of it. To never again look upon the face of your loved one, to never hear their voice or to feel their embrace one last time. Oh yes, I would kill for that.”

Ryuo spun around and started to walk back to his throne, leaving a speechless Rarity sitting on the tapestry. Before he could go too far, he heard her say quietly, “She was right, you know.”

“What was that?” he asked with a low growl.

“Xia, she was right,” Rarity said a little louder. Ryuo’s anger boiled. Was she mocking him? With a twirl of his purple robe, he marched back to confront the mare who would dare mock his pain, his daughter-in-law or not. He towered over the pony, but his aggressive appearance didn’t faze her. Instead, she looked up at him with understanding, sympathetic even, blue eyes. “She was right; ponies and dragons can live in peace. Don’t you see? Spike is proof of that. Regardless of his egg being a dud or dying without Xia’s care, he wouldn’t be alive today without Celestia’s intervention. Twilight gave him new life and raised him to be the best dragon and pony he could be. He exhibits the best of both our species. He is loyal, generous, caring, and gentle like a pony while being mighty, strong, brave, and protective to a degree only a dragon could be. Even before he was crowned a prince, he was a valued member of our society. He learned the secrets of dragon magic from Aurum and had a respectable hoard even before inheriting Aurum’s."

“You speak of Aurum,” he responded. “He, like Prince Spike, took a pony for a bride.”

“Yes, I know. He was a dear friend.”

“Then you also know that it was your kind that murdered his family, just like mine.”

“That was before the three tribes were united under Celestia and Luna’s rule. Back then, the tribes fought among themselves. Now, ponies of all types live in peace, not only with each other, but with other species as well. I have seen the settlers of Appleloosa befriend the buffalo tribes. I was there when the yaks of Yakyakistan proclaimed a thousand moons of friendship with us ponies. After their king came back from his senses from being brainwashed by the Changeling Queen, the minotaurs eventually made peace with us. We’ve helped the griffons rebuild their kingdom. Your dragons attacked a village the other night that was home to ponies, griffons, and even hippogriffs. I know the road to peace is long and filled with bumps, but the results are worth it. Occasionally, there are setbacks. Compromises and sacrifices have to be made.” Her using the word “sacrifices” earned her a murderous scowl, but she pressed on.

“I am truly sorry for your lost, and I don’t mean to diminish it in any way, but Xia’s death was an accident and what Celestia did was for the best. If Celestia did return Spike’s egg to you, then what? Twilight’s surge of magic was the only thing that could have given him life and Celestia knew this. She also knew that the fate of world depended on it. Be honest with me, even if Celestia explained that to you, would you have allowed her to keep the egg?”

Rarity waited for him to respond, but he said nothing. His anger had subsided and was listening intently to what she had to say, but may no effort to refute her. Because of this, she took his silence as a “no.”

“Please, Dragon King Ryuo, end this conflict,” Rarity petitioned. “Only you have the power to stop it. We are at your mercy. You wanted to prove that you can take what you want; you did. You wanted to show us that you could destroy us if you wanted; you have. You wanted us to tremble in fear before you; we are afraid. Now you can show that you can be merciful. If you release me and return the Tree of Harmony, you’ll prove to everypony that you are both a mighty and a generous ruler. And if you let me go, Spike will be thankful. Far better to have him want to get to know you than to force him to surrender. You’ll get the chance to know your son!” Again, Ryuo remained silent, but Rarity could see that he was carefully regarding her words.

“And isn’t that what Xia would have wanted?” she asked, driving her point home.

His expression had softened, and he was stroking his chin with a claw contemplatively. He turned away from her and walked back to his throne. He ascended the steps of the dais and sat upon his golden throne. “You have given me much to consider. I must meditate upon them.”

He placed his dragon-shaped staff to the side of the throne and steepled his clawed fingers before his maw pensively. Rarity watched him hopefully, waiting patiently for his decision. She didn’t know how long it would take for him to reach a conclusion, but things were certainly looking up. He, the prideful King of Dragons, was actually considering to ceasing all hostilities against Equestria! Thousands of years of resentment and animosity would be undone, and old wounds could finally be healed!

As Rarity silently rejoiced this possible victory for both parties, an orange dragon swooped down from a tunnel and landed next to the Dragon King’s throne. “Master, you have a visitor.”

“Not now. I am busy,” Ryuo said loudly with much annoyance from having his meditation disrupted. Even Rarity was annoyed with the dragon. If he pestered the Dragon King too much, his decision could affected by his anger.

“I’m sorry, master. But the sorcerer returns,” the orange dragon fervently apologized, cowed by his king’s ire.

“Fine. Bring him in,” Ryuo seethed, smoke rising from his nostrils. The orange dragon departed and returned momentarily, carrying someone in his claws. Both curious and confused, Rarity watched as a blue Unicorn wearing an unusual white robe hopped from the dragon’s claws onto the platform beside her. His eyes were red and there was the symbol of a grinning bat on his vestment. The strange stallion eyed her and smirked with a triumphant look on his face. He then left the platform and approached the dais.

“Hail Ryuo, Mightiest of Serpents and King of Dragons!” The stranger extravagantly greeted the Dragon King. He looked at the crystalline tree beside the dais while walking around the sword planted into the walkway. “I see you were able to acquire the Tree and the sword, not that I doubted you. They are wonderful additions to your collection.”

“Dispense with the pleasantries. What do you want, sorcerer?” the Dragon King demanded. “I have honored our deal; I shall spare you and your disciples for the scroll you offered me.”

“Scroll? You mean the report? You were the one that gave it to him?!” Rarity questioned the robed pony. Ryuo held up a claw and gave her a stern look to make her hold her peace.

“I also see that you’re entertaining a guest. Princess Rarity, I presume?” The robed pony then cast a glance over his shoulder back at Rarity and grinned. Something about his smile made her skin crawl, and she shuddered, uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her.

“Do not waste my time,” the Dragon King snarled threateningly. “Unless you have something to offer, I suggest that you leave.”

“Of course. I again come before you bearing critical information. That is, only if you’re interested.”

“What do you want in exchange for your services?”

“Oh, I would not presume to ask any more from you. You have already have been generous enough,” the robed Unicorn said in attempt at flattery. However, Rarity had dealt with enough social climbing sycophants to know that this pony was either plotting something or wanted much more than he was letting on. “However, I do have need of a mare such as her. Would you consider bequeathing her to me?”

“I am not some piece of property to be bartered!” Rarity protested, offended by the stranger’s suggestion.

“She belongs to Prince Spike,” Ryuo answered, ignoring Rarity’s outburst. He glowered at the stallion threateningly, smoke and licks of red flames rising from his nostrils and maw. “Do not overstep your boundaries. I have granted you your life. Be thankful that you still have that.”

“A thousand apologies, my king. I meant no disrespect,” the sorcerer hastily said while bowing, the haughty look on this face replaced with fear. “Consider what I have to offer a gift of contrition.”

“Speak.”

“Celestia mocks you yet again,” the stallion told him. “She has ordered all of the dragons residing in the city of Fillydelphia to be arrested.”

Hearing this, Ryuo’s eyes widened with surprise and outrage, but it was Rarity who spoke first. She ran to the base of dais to defend Celestia in the eyes of the Dragon King. “That can’t be! Princess Celestia would never commit such an act!”

“Wouldn’t she? She has already proven that she can’t be trusted, and Fillydelphia has a long history of discrimination against dragonkind. Do you deny this?” the stallion challenged her. To be honest, she had seen firsthoof the injustices committed against the civilized dragons over the years, but she had also seen the vast improvement in interspecies relations. “Great Dragon King, your wayward subjects are being oppressed. Celestia’s minions are questioning them, trying to obtain any information from them that they can to use against you! I won’t be surprised if they resort to torture to get what they want! You have taken one of their own, now they take dozens of yours.”

The cave was filled with a deafening roar, causing the two ponies to flinch at the noise and the observing dragons to rise from their roosts. Ryuo arose from his throne and marched down the steps of the dais in his fury, yelling, “They will burn for this!”

“There is no time to lose, my king. Who knows what injustices are befalling them even as we speak,” the sorcerer egged him on. Using his red magic, he lifted the Dragon King’s scepter and offered it to him. The King of Dragon took the scepter in his claw and began to march down the walkway to the circular platform. Though Ryuo was too distracted to notice, Rarity saw the stallion’s eyes glow completely red and his teeth briefly sharpened into fangs.

“He’s lying! He has to be!” Rarity grabbed onto the sleeve of the Dragon King’s purple robe. He snapped his head down at her for daring to attempt to stop him, but paused when he saw the pleading look on her face.

“Why would I lie?” the sorcerer denied, acting innocent. “What is there to gain from lying about this? Only a fool would think to lie to the Archwyrm. The only pony who has lied to him and has gone unpunished is Princess Celestia. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

“You’re planning something! I don’t know what at the moment, but you’re definitely behind all of this!” she accused.

“Go to Fillydelphia and see for yourself. They’re keeping the dragons in a makeshift prison at the docks,” the robed pony told the Dragon King confidently, ignoring Rarity’s accusations. He then turned to her and gave that sinister smile once more. “I heard they even arrested Princess Amethyst.”

“No. That can’t be,” Rarity gasped as she let go of the Dragon King and stepped back, reeling from the shock. The stallion relished Rarity’s aghast expression.

Dragon King didn’t know this ‘Princess Amethyst,’ but this piece of information silenced the white mare. Maybe she was another pony princess. One of her kin, perhaps. Or maybe she was a dragon that proclaimed herself leader of the rebellious dragons. Some time ago, a number of dragons had renounced the draconic way of life and deserted to civilized Equestria. Though they denounced him as their king, they were still his subjects. They were dreamers, just like Xia. If he did nothing, they might end up just like her. More smoke rose from his nose and clenched fangs. No more wyrms would die at the hoofs of these lesser creatures, even if they were traitors to their true selves. He would rescue them and punish those that had imprisoned them!

But then he looked down to his daughter-in-law and saw the tears in her eyes. She was afraid, but not from being caught trying to deceive him. She had spoken from her heart when she spoke of the merits of Spike being raised by ponies and had everyone’s, both ponies and dragons, best interest in mind. But her concern for this princess the sorcerer had mention told him that there was some truth to his story and worth investigating. Maybe she was honestly unaware of Celestia’s machinations and was played for a fool as well. Maybe she was right and this pony sorcerer was trying to use him a pawn in his own scheme. Whatever the truth was, Ryuo would discover it and make the one responsible suffer!

“Enough!” roared the Dragon King, stamping the floor with his staff. “I shall go and discover the truth for myself! If what you say is true, the city shall burn!”

“No! You can’t!” Rarity desperately cried, trying to dissuade him.

“Silence! I grow weary of you ponies! Sorcerer, you may take your leave.” He then narrowed his eyes at the stallion. “For both of your sakes, pray that the other is wrong.”

“As you wish, my king,” the blue Unicorn said with a bow before disappearing in a flash of red magic.

“Scorn! Cobalt! Mire!” At his command, his most trusted underlings flew down to the Dragon King. Rarity recognized the red, blue, and green dragons as the three that carried the Tree of Harmony away from Equestria. “I leave for Equestria. Scorn, you will accompany me.”

“As you command,” the red dragon acknowledged.

“Prince Spike may arrive during my absence. Cobalt, you will lead the others in patrolling our lands. Make sure he makes his way to the castle.”

“Yes, master,” the blue dragon confirmed.

“Prince Spike may be accompanied by his pony allies. They might attempt to sneak into the castle and make off with Princess Rarity. Mire, take the princess to your lair until I send for her. She is not to be harmed.”

“I understand,” the green dragon said as he reached for the pony standing beside his king.

“No, stop! Unhand me at once!” Rarity demanded as Mire’s claws wrapped around her body. As she was lifted from the platform, she once again called out to the Dragon King. “Wait! You can’t do this! Even if what he says is true, he must be behind it! I’m certain of it!”

“I cannot ignore this. Tonight, I shall infiltrate the city and seek out this ‘Princess’ Amethyst. I will ascertain the truth from her. If there is guilt to be found, retribution shall be swift and decisive,” Ryuo adamantly declared.

“Don’t hurt her,” Rarity begged, fearing for her daughter’s safety. The Dragon King then nodded to Mire, and Rarity was carried away by the green dragon.

Author's Note

A special thanks for Dinodrake for the artwork of the ponified Hargon. Check out his artwork on DeviantArt.

The Flute and the Harp

“I’ll see you after school!” Surprise called to her little sister as she and Apple Seed walked to the schoolhouse. Alongside Surprise was Sour Apple and other elder siblings and parents dropping their little ones off at the school. Due to the dragon threat, a strict curfew had been set in place for all foals preventing them from leaving their homes unattended. For Cherry Pie and Apple Seed, this was borderline torture. They were the leaders of the local chapter of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and spent most of their free time searching for their special talents. In their minds, spending all day indoors was a type of punishment, not protection from invading dragons.

“Okay, Sis,” Cherry Pie called back half-heartedly. Despite all of the children’s mopey moods, Cheerilee welcomed her students with a bright smile.

“Ah’ll be here too, Apple Seed,” Sour Apple reminded his little sister.

“Ah know,” Apple Seed sighed. Once the foals were safely inside the school, Surprise and Sour Apple headed back into town, the Earth Pony walking while the Pegasus fluttered next to him.

“So, how are you holding up?” Surprise asked.

“Fine,” he told her. Even though he had opened up more since last year, Sour Apple still wasn’t the most talkative of ponies. The two had been dating for a few months now and had been friends for all of their lives, so Surprise knew by his tone and body language that he actually meant to say, “I’m fine as much I can be with the imminent destruction of Equestria looming over our heads and our mothers trying to stop it.”

“It’ll be okay. Your mom is with Rainbow Dash and Twilight. If any three ponies can handle themselves, it’s those three,” she reassured him.

“Hm,” he grunted (translation: “And what about your mom? She’s in the Everfree Forest.”)

“My mom’s with Spike and Fluttershy. Fluttershy can use the Stare on any animals they may come across, and Spike will scare off anything else. Besides, I don’t think anything can hurt my mom,” she laughed. Sour Apple smirked, agreeing with her. Pinkie Pie could possibly be indestructible.

“But that’s not what I’m asking about. I’m asking about the other day. You know… Manehattan,” Surprise said to her coltfriend with concern. An upset frown formed on his lips and he looked away. “Did you see him?”

Sour Apple snorted and shook his head (translation: “No, and I never want to ever again.”) Surprise stopped flying and landed beside the large green stallion, nuzzling his side comfortingly as they walked.

“You know, we should be out there helping them,” Surprise said. “More exciting than sitting here doing nothing.”

“Maybe,” he thoughtful stated (translation: “Maybe, but don’t forget our ‘adventure’ from last year. That didn’t go so well for us.”)

“It wasn’t our fault we got kidnapped by changelings,” Surprise protested. “Beside, everything turned okay, didn’t it?”

Sour raised his eyebrows and gave her a wry smile. “By okay you mean that Spike ended up roastin’ Queen Chrysalis while Evenin’ Star busted us out of prison?”

His sudden lengthy quip caught her off guard, causing her to snort with laughter. Her infectious laughter caused him to start chuckling. She playfully pushed against his side and the two walked into town laughing.

*****

In the heart of the Everfree Forest, two ponies and a dragon made their way through the heavy foliage and the dense fog. Spike used his wings to push low hanging branches out of the way, allowing Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy to enter into a clearing. Taking advantage of the moment, the three stopped to take a break while they got their bearings.

Fluttershy picked the burs from her coat and brushed the leaves from her long mane and tail. Pinkie Pie’s poofy mane was filled with twigs and such. She shook herself, sending sticks, leaves, acorns, and even a bird flying from the mass of dark pink hair. Once free of the debris, she pulled out a map from her bag and took a look.

“Let’s see... We passed the tree that looked like a Unicorn… crossed the river… made it through the bramble patch…” Pinkie listed off.

“You got that right,” Spike muttered as he scrapped the thorns off of the unarmored membrane of his wings.

“According to the map, we should be almost there!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked nervously, looking around the grove of trees. All she could see was the thorny, twisted vines covering the dark trees, and all she could hear were the sounds of creatures she couldn’t identify. The forest’s thick canopy block much of the sun’s rays, barely giving them enough light to see. “This grove looks just like the others we’ve passed.”

“What do I look like, a puddinghead? I know how to read a map,” Pinkie Pie claimed in defense of her map reading skills.

“Well, we better find this flute soon. I’m getting tired of tripping over tree roots and getting smacked in the face with branches,” Spike complained.

“What does the map say?” Fluttershy asked, still trying to pick the burs from her light pink tail.

“It says the flute is located by hot springs,” Pinkie read from the map.

“I don’t see any hot springs around here. All I can see is this fog,” Spike stated as he tried to look through the haze that filled the grove.

“Yeah, and all this humidity is making my mane frizz,” Pinkie added, pointing to her mane that was going out of control.

“Is it me, or is the forest getting warmer?” Fluttershy asked, starting to sweat.

“Wait a minute. Fog. Humidity. Warmer. That means we must be getting close to the hot springs!” Spike declared excitedly.

“You’re right! Let’s get moving!” Pinkie cheered, bouncing to her hooves. “If we follow the fog, we’ll find the springs! We’ll have that flute before you can say, ‘Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?’.”

Spike and Fluttershy looked at each other, confused by Pinkie’s choice of words. Regardless, they followed the pink mare, secretly trying to say the tongue twister under their breaths. As they pressed onward into the forest, the fog became thicker and the air became warmer. Soon, the steamy fog had completely enveloped them, obscuring the path.

“Wow, this fog is as thick as pea soup,” Pinkie exclaimed as they wandered through the dense haze. “Good thing I brought my spoon.”

The pink pony the pulled a spoon out of nowhere and started to scoop away at the fog, gobbling down the white mist in large chucks. Spike and Fluttershy were both amazed by Pinkie’s antics and hopeful to have her clear the path. Unfortunately, the fog reformed just as fast as Pinkie could eat it. Seeing that there was no useless, Pinkie put her spoon away.

“So, how was it?” Spike asked.

“Meh, I had better. It’s no rock soup,” Pinkie causally answered.

Spike squinted his eyes and tried to see past the mist, but barely could make out the gray outlines of nearby trees. They could spend hours wandering aimlessly through the fog and not find the hot springs.

“Stick close. We don’t want to lose each other in the fog,” Spike told Pinkie and Fluttershy, who nodded and walked closer to him. The bushes surrounding the trail started to rustle, causing the three to halt.

“Huh, what?! What’s that?!” Fluttershy panickedly asked. More and more bushes started to shake, surrounding the ponies and the dragon.

“Get behind me,” Spike told Pinkie and Fluttershy, flaring his wings defensively. Spike began to build up his fire in his throat, ready to fight whatever was about to jump out of the bushes. Pinkie Pie curiously peeked out from behind Spike while Fluttershy covered her eyes. Out from one of the bushes, something quickly jumped out in front of Spike. He opened his maw to roar, but stopped when it registered in his mind what he was looking at; a little blue blob with googly eyes and a goofy grin was standing in the middle of the path.

“It’s okay,” Spike told the mares, retracting his flared wings. Then more little blobs of all colors jumped out from the bushes. Seeing Spike relax, Pinkie nudged Fluttershy, who tentatively peeked out from under her hooves. Seeing the adorable creatures in their way, the two mares stepped out from behind Spike and rushed over to fawn over them.

“D’awwww! They’re soooo cute!” Fluttershy cooed as she picked up the blue blob and nuzzled it, it gurgling in delight. Four blobs jumped in Pinkie’s mane and tail and nestled into the pink tufts of fluff. Their gelatinous bodies began to wiggle as they purred in comfort.

“Teehee! That tickles!” Pinkie giggled as the slimes continued to wiggle. She then looked over to Spike and laughed when she saw that the remaining dozen had jumped onto his back, playfully hopping up and down.

“You know, these guys are kinda cute,” Spike agreed as one of the slimes perched itself on the end of his nose. He snorted, sending the blob floating in the air before it landed back down on his nose again, wiggling in laughter. Spike repeated the process a few more times, eliciting a laugh from the blob each time.

“Excuse me, but we were looking for the hot springs. Do you happen to know where it is?” Fluttershy asked the blue blob she was holding. It gurgled in the affirmative and hopped down from her embrace. “You do? Could you show us the way?”

The remaining slimes hopped off of Pinkie Pie and Spike and started bouncing in a line through the fog.

“I think they want us to follow them,” Fluttershy said before they all followed the slimes down the misty trail. Though the fog continued to thicken, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were able to follow the bouncing blobs. Soon enough, they began to hear to the sound of water bubbling, indicating that they were near the hot springs. But there was another sound that surprised them. It was the sound of someone laughing, and not just anyone.

“Is that Discord?” Fluttershy asked. Sure enough, they saw the Draconequus through the fog. He was soaking in a steaming pool, laughing as he held a cool drink in his lion paw. The slimes lined up in front of the hot spring and gurgled.

“Hm? What’s this? We have visitors?” Discord asked the slimes, then looking behind them to see the ponies and the dragon. Seeing them, he quickly covered himself and chuckled in surprise, “Oh, goodness me! I’m not wearing clothes! Oh, that’s right. I don’t normally wear clothes.”

As Discord laughed at his own joke, Fluttershy approached the edge of the hot spring. “What are you doing here, Discord?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked while snapping his eagle talon, disappearing and reappearing out of the water in a flash wearing a towel around his waist. “I’m on vacation.”

“How can you be on vacation at a time like this? Don’t you know that Equestria is under attack?!” Spike asked, frustrated by Discord’s apparent lack of concern.

“And that’s why I took a vacation. Do you really think I want to mess with the Dragon King?” Discord asked back.

“But you’re the Spirit of Chaos! You could be helping us! The Dragon King has Rarity!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! Who said I wouldn’t help you?”

“So, you’ll come with us to fight the Dragon King?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Discord laughed hysterically, like Pinkie had just told the best joke ever. He then became serious and said flatly, “No. I’m chaotic neutral, not chaotic stupid. I’ll leave the world saving to you. Besides, I’m spending time with some friends.”

“You mean these guys?” Pinkie asked, looking down at the slimes. The colorful blobs giggled and jumped up and down at her mentioning them.

“What are these adorable little critters anyway?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, them? They tagged along with the folks. Where are they anyway?” Discord stopped to reach into the hot springs and pulled out two large blobs of ooze from the water, one lime green and the other magenta. After he placed them on the ground, they recognized the green blob. “You remember the Smooze, don’t you?”

“Smoozey!” Pinkie happily cried as she tackled the green ooze with a hug before sinking into his viscous body. He wiggled affectionately, causing Pinkie to giggle.

“And meet Mrs. Smooze,” Discord motioned to the magenta blob, a pink bow rising from “her” body onto the top of “her” head. Other than the bow, there was no other was to distinguish their genders.

“You got married?” Pinkie asked from within the Smooze, her words warbled by his liquidy mass. She then burst out of his body and latched onto Mrs. Smooze. “Congratulations!” A thought occurred to Pinkie and she released the ooze and pouted. “Aaawww, you didn’t invite me!”

“It was a private ceremony, officiated by yours truly,” Discord explained, a minister’s vestment briefly materializing on him.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Smooze,” Fluttershy politely told them before turning to Discord. “You said you would help us. We’re looking for the Fairy Flute. It’s supposed to be located near here.”

“Ah, yes. It’s buried four steps to the south,” Discord pointed off to the side. When the three looked over to where he indicated, they saw him already over there standing beside a large “X” on the ground.

“Why would the flute be buried there?” Fluttershy asked as they walked up to the mark on the ground.

“Well, duh! Where else is supposed to be?” Pinkie Pie asked. Fluttershy didn’t even try to comprehend her friends’ logic and just went along with it. Spike stepped forward and dug at the ground with his claws. After a few quick scoops of dirt, Discord’s equine head and long body popped out of the ground holding a chest bearing Erdrick’s seal. Spike lurched back from Discord’s quick movement, but opened the chest to see a simple flute inside.

“That’s it? Looks so simple to be a magical flute,” Spike remarked as he picked up the wooden instrument.

“Well, you have what you came for. Now, I can get back to my vacation,” Discord said with a another snap of his claw, teleporting back into the hot spring.

“Are sure you won’t come with us?” Fluttershy pleadingly asked.

“Don’t worry, you got this,” he reassured them, the Smooze couple slipping in alongside him.

“Oh, okay. Thank you anyway, Discord,” she said as she and her friends turned back to the trail. Before they could go too far, they heard Discord calling to them.

“Oh. There is just one more thing I can do to help,” he told them. Curious, they turned back around to face him. “Vague premonitions about the future may be Celestia’s thing, but I have a little tip for you. When you’re sneaking around in the dragon lands, follow red to blue and you’ll find your way inside the castle.”

“Follow red to blue?” Pinkie Pie asked, scratching her head. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll just have to see. Ta-ta for now!” Discord then materialized his drink back to his paw and sipped on the straw, waving goodbye to them. Seeing the Draconequus wave farewell, the Smoozes extended tendrils from their bodies and waved as well as their the blob offspring bounced. Seeing that they weren’t going to get anything else from the Spirit of Chaos, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike waved back and then returned to Ponyville. “Bye bye, ponies. Have fun storming the castle.”

*****

In a flash of red teleporting magic, Hargon returned to the Temple of Malroth atop of Rhone. Upon his return, his followers stood at attention and saluted. He grinned as he made his way to his throne, pleased with himself. As Hargon reveled in the advancement of his plans, the beige Unicorn mare that was Mayor Skinflint’s aide approached the throne. She was no longer wearing her blazer, but instead was wearing the robes of the cult.

“Welcome back, my lord,” the mare greeted with a bow.

“Ah, Sister Nightingale,” Hargon acknowledged one of his most trusted agents. “Just in time. I have already met with the Dragon King. He was less than pleased to hear that the dragons were arrested.” Hargon chuckled at how easily manipulating the Dragon King had been, Nightingale laughing along in agreement. Mayor Skinflint had also been easy to trick. “He should already be on his way to Fillydelphia. And when he arrives, he’ll be so enraged that 'Celestia' has ordered the imprisonment of his subjects that he’ll certainly burn the city to the ground. Have you heard from Live Wire?”

“Yes, we have. Cider Barrel has arrived and they are awaiting your signal,” Nightingale confirmed. “With the distraction provided by the dragons, no one will notice their actions until it’s too late.”

“More importantly, the attack on the city will cause enough destructive energy to enable us to summon the Great Malroth and his generals to this world.” A thoughtful look came upon Hargon’s face and he stated, “Twilight Sparkle and her friends are on the move, undoubtedly trying to find a way to stop the Dragon King.”

“My lord, they no longer have the Elements. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to find another way to stop him in time,” Nightingale tried to reassure her master.

“I know, but they have a knack for coming up with last minute solutions.” Summoning a crystal ball to his side, Hargon used his magic to scry the image of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Looking at the image of the three mares in the crystal ball, Hargon grinned as an sinister idea came to him. “Right now, Princess Twilight is searching for the Silver Harp of Garin Silverharp in the catacombs beneath Canterlot. Let’s see if we can’t make her search more interesting.”

*****

Applejack wasn’t afraid. If she was, Rainbow Dash would never let her hear the end of it. But there was nothing to be afraid of. They were only wandering under the city of Canterlot in a dark and dusty tunnel, the only sources of light was a lantern Applejack was carrying and the glow of Twilight’s horn as she studied the map. The air was stale, nopony having been down this far into the catacombs in decades, maybe even centuries.

As the three of them stood in the junction of two corridors, Applejack slowly looked around at her surroundings. The same as before, the only thing she could see were the slots in the walls, each one having the skeletal remains of a pony resting inside. The farm pony grimaced and turned away, looking at Rainbow Dash instead. Like herself, she could tell the Pegasus was trying to convince herself that she wasn’t afraid.

The only one who seemed unfazed by the bunch of bones surrounding them on all sides was Twilight. Applejack and Rainbow Dash thought that out of three of them she would have the hardest time dealing with the spooky environment. Afterall, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were supposed to be the most daring of ponies in Ponyville. However, Twilight was too caught up in trying to navigate the ancient grave to notice the skeletons. To her, this was more of a puzzle and she loved solving puzzles.

“Hhhmmm… Okay, I think I got it,” Twilight stated as she read over the map. Pointing to the map with her hoof, she explained, “We’re right here, and the tombs are straight ahead and to the left at the next junction. Garin’s tomb will be the the second from the end on the right.”

“Are ya sure, Twilight?” Applejack asked, looking around at the carved walls of the catacombs. “All of these tunnels look the same to me.”

“I’m sure. We went left, right, second right, through the door and to the right, went down the stairs, took two rights, down more stairs, went left then immediately right, down even more stairs, went up a different set of stairs, and now we’re here,” Twilight explained, the list of complex directions causing Applejack’s head to spin.

“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash said unsurely, sharing Applejack’s doubt.

“Trust me, girls. I know where I’m going,” Twilight reassured them as she headed straight through the junction, the map still floating in front of her just in case. Her friends shared a concerned look, but both of them trusted Twilight and followed after her.

Just as Twilight said, they came to another junction, this time they took a left and saw a corridor lined with the opening of tombs. According to the map, the harp they needed would be in the second to the last on the right. As they walked, the light of the lantern would shine through the open doorways and into the tombs, allowing Applejack to see the multiple sarcophaguses in each one. This reminded her of the fact that they were going to have rob somepony’s grave. It didn’t feel right, but Applejack knew it was to save Rarity and the rest of Equestria. It would be a sacrifice for the greater good. Besides, these ponies were dead and weren’t about to complain any time soon.

The corridor was long, long enough to not be able to see the end even with the aid of the lantern and Twilight’s horn. The only sounds they could hear was the clip clop of their hooves. But then Applejack’s ears perked up, stopping midway through the corridor to glance behind her.

“Something wrong?” Rainbow Dash called from ahead when she and Twilight noticed that their friend had fallen behind.

“Ah thought Ah heard something,” Applejack told them, waiting to see if she could hear whatever it was again. She wait for a minute, but the catacombs remained silent. “Ah guess it was nothing.”

The three ponies continued onward, none of them noticing the faint flash of red light coming from the tombs behind them with their backs turned. Within the tombs, the lids of the sarcophaguses were slowly pulled away, creating the low rumble of stone scraping against stone. Within the empty eye sockets of the sarcophaguses’ occupants, red lights began to glow.

Twilight and company came to stop at the end of the corridor, only seeing two tombs remaining on the right side. Above the doorway of the second to last tomb was the engraving of a harp. Seeing the promising mark and that the map had been accurate, Twilight proclaimed, “This has to be it.”

Wasting no time, they entered the tomb and saw that it was empty aside from one sarcophagus. At least they didn’t have to desecrate multiple graves in search of one harp. Approaching the stone casket, Twilight rolled up the map and placed it in her saddlebag while Applejack brought the lantern closer. The symbol of the harp, which they assumed must have been Garin’s cutie mark, was also engraved on the lid. Using her magic, Twilight removed the lid, causing a cloud of dust to plume out from the sarcophagus. The mares coughed, but as the dust settled, they saw the remains of Garin Silverharp. The skeleton wore the fancy clothes of the Classical Era, but they had deteriorated considerably over the centuries. Most importantly, a shiny, silver harp was being clutched by his bony limbs. Remarkably, the silver instrument hadn’t tarnished in all of that time.

“Looks like we found it,” Twilight stated triumphantly.

“Let’s just get it and go,” Applejack requested. The sooner they grabbed the harp, the sooner they could leave this place of death.

“Sorry, buddy. But we need this more than you do,” Rainbow Dash told the corpse as she went for the harp. She grabbed it and pulled but was met with resistance. The skeleton’s limbs seemed to be locked around the harp. Frowning, Rainbow Dash doubled her efforts and pulled at it again, but skeletal Pegasus refused to relinquish its treasure. Getting frustrated, the blue Pegasus flew up and stood on the casket to get more leverage as she pulled again. “Hey, let go!”

The harp lifted from the casket in a tug-o-war between the living and the dead ponies. Rainbow Dash grunted as she strained to pry the harp away, but yelped in surprise as she was pulled into the casket along with the harp and landed on top of Garin. She gasped in disgust and scrambled to raise herself off of the dead pony. As she looked down at the skeleton’s face beneath her, her breath caught in her throat as she saw a red light glowing within the sockets.

“Holy guacamole!” Rainbow Dash shouted in surprise as she immediately darted off of the skeleton as is let out a raspy moan, Applejack and Twilight backing away in fright as well. The skeleton rose from its casket and rasped at them menacingly, the harp still in its grasp.

“This… This doesn’t make sense!” Twilight shouted as the undead pony approached them. “The catacombs isn’t supposed to be cursed!”

“Well, tell that to them!” Twilight heard Applejack say from behind her. Turning around, she saw that more skeletons were entering through the tomb’s doorway, surrounding the living ponies. Like Garin’s corpse, the other skeleton were all wearing tunics, robes, and ruffles of the Classical Era.

“What are we going to do? What are we going to do?” Twilight panickedly asked, she and her friends standing back to back. She was unable to think of a solution for she was too afraid for any rational thought.

“Ah don’t know!” Applejack told her. As they tried to look in all directions at once, a bony hoof touched Applejack’s flank, causing her to scream. “Aaahhhh! Don’t touch me!”

Out of reflex, Applejack bucked the skeleton with her powerful back legs, shattering it. The mares turned to see the crumpled pile of bones, dust, and clothes on the floor, staring at it speechlessly. Even the skeletons seemed to stop to stare at their fallen comrade. They watched and waited, but the bones didn’t reassemble like they half-expected them to.

“Wait a second,” Rainbow Dash said as she looked from the bones to one of the other skeletons. She flew up to it and shoved it hard. The skeleton fell over and collapsed into a pile of bones just like the first. She grinned and chuckled, “Hey! These guys are just bones! They can’t hurt us!”

Her fear completely gone, Applejack looked around to see that her friend was right. As she did, a skeleton snuck up to her a unleashed a raspy roar into her ear. After flinching from the noise, Applejack turned and scowled at the skeleton. “Aw, you hush up!”

She then reached up and removed the skull from the rest of the skeleton. The glowing eyes of the skull suddenly looked surprised and the body started to wander around blindly. Seeing the headless skeleton stumbling about caused the mares to laugh, and the remaining skeleton looked nervous. One walked up to Twilight and feebly tried to scare her with a weak roar.

“Not going to work this time,” the Alicorn told it as she shook her head dismissively. She then stepped forward, causing the skeletons to back away. She marched up to Garin’s skeleton, who was holding onto its harp fearfully. “We’ll be taking the harp now.”

Garin’s skeleton looked to the others as to ask them what it should do, and they all nodded to it nervously. The skeleton hung its head in defeat and handed the harp over to the princess, who took it in her magical grip.

“Thank you.” Twilight then used her magic to reassemble the skeletons that Applejack and Rainbow Dash had knock down, their eye sockets glowing magenta with her magic. She then analyzed the situation, looking between the skeletons. Reaching out with her magic, she discovered that the corpses were reanimated by an outside force. Using her Alicorn magic, she overrode the enchantment and took control of the skeletons herself, causing their eye sockets to glow magenta like the other two. “Now, you all go back to tombs and go back to sleep.”

Wordlessly, the skeletons exited the tomb save for Garin's, who walked to the casket in the center of the room. He crawled back inside, let out a raspy yawn, and pulled the lid back over the sarcophagus. Once the skeleton was at rest, the magic glow in its sockets faded. With the skeletons returned to their graves and the harp in their possession, their mission had been accomplished.

“That was… weird,” Rainbow Dash commented.

“I know. Who could have enchanted the skeletons to attack us like that?” Twilight asked.

“Ah don’t know, but Ah rather we discuss this somewhere else. Ah’ve had enough of underground graves for one day,” Applejack told Twilight.

“Ditto,” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“Okay, gather around,” Twilight told her friends. They did as she instructed, and Twilight activated her magic. In a flash, the three teleported out of the catacombs and back to Ponyville with the Silver Harp of Garin Silverharp.

Rescuing Rarity

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy sat across a desk from Professor Field in the Cloudsdale Museum of Pegasi History, the blue Pegasus holding the Silver Harp of Garin Silverharp. Professor Field could only stare in amazement that the two mares had actually managed to retrieve the legendary instrument from the bowels of the Canterlot catacombs. Turning around and lifting the Staff of Rain from its place on its shelf, the professor held the artifact in his hooves, a look of reluctance upon his face. He had promised to let them borrow it if they could bring him the harp, which they did. After some hesitation, he placed the staff into the anticipating hooves of Rainbow Dash.

“A deal is a deal,” he said reluctantly, as though the act of handing the staff over was physically painful.

“Aw, yeah!” Once she had the staff in her possession, Rainbow Dash cheered in victory and spun in the air excitedly. Tossing the staff between her hooves, she did a victory dance while singing, “We got the staff! We got the staff!”

Professor Field watched nervously as the mare tossed his precious family heirloom about like a new toy, regretting his decision. At least he now had the harp as compensation if anything happened to the staff.

“Thanks, Professor. We’ll take good care of it,” Rainbow Dash told him, though her cocky attitude did little to put his mind at ease. Not waiting for him to respond, she dashed out of the office in a prismatic blur.

“Don’t worry. We’ll bring back once we’re done with it,” Fluttershy promised him.

“You coming or not, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked from down the museum's hall.

“Coming, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy called after her friend, heading towards the door. “Thank you so much, Professor Field.”

*****

Once again, Applejack and Pinkie Pie entered Erdrick’s hidden tomb high up in the Unicorn Range, but this time they were prepared. As soon as they crossed the round shrine’s threshold, the rocks and bricks rolled in through the opening in the ceiling and assembled into the guardian golem. As the giant made from earth marched forward to confront the intruders, the two Earth Ponies stood their ground.

“Now, Pinkie,” Applejack told her companion.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie confidently said as she pulled out the Fairy Flute. Even as the golem towered over them and raised its fists in a fighting stance, Applejack and Pinkie remained unfazed by its threatening pose. Placing her lips on the flute, Pinkie blew but produced a sour note. She then spat and licked her lips. “Sorry, my lips are a little dry.”

“Anytime, Pinkie,” Applejack urged her as the golem raised its fists above its head, ready to smash them.

“Give me a second,” Pinkie Pie told her as stuck out her tongue and swirled it around, making funny sounds as she licked her lips. After smacking her lips to make sure they were sufficiently moist, she placed them on the flute once more. As she did this, the golem brought its fists down, aiming for the two ponies. Applejack closed her eyes and braced for the crushing blow, but it never came as Pinkie Pie produced a simple yet whimsical tune from the magic flute.

Applejack opened her eyes tentatively to see the clay fists of the golem frozen mere inches from her face. The Fairy Flute had done the trick and stopped the golem in its tracks. A clump of mud fell from the golem’s head, then a brick from its chest, and then the rest of its body fell apart, leaving it a heap on the shrine’s floor.

Stepping around the deactivated golem, Applejack and Pinkie approached Erdrick’s tomb on the far side of the shrine. Hanging on the wall over the sarcophagus was Erdrick’s Amulet. Reaching up, Applejack took the gold covered wreath from its place and examined it in her hoof. The sunlight coming from the ceiling shone on the multifaceted diamond in the center of the amulet, creating a dazzling array of colors. According to legend, this was the same amulet that was used to defeat the demon Zoma.

“Ooh, pretty,” Pinkie exclaimed as she stood beside Applejack, both looking at the amulet. Just by holding it and seeing the sunlight reflecting off of it, Applejack knew it was special. It gave her hope that when the time came, she and her friends would be able to use it to stop the Dragon King and save Equestria.

“Let’s get this back to Ponyville,” Applejack told Pinkie. Agreeing, Pinkie followed Applejack through the shrine’s entrance and back down the mountain path.

*****

“We’ve got the staff!” Rainbow Dash announced as she placed it on the table in the throne room of the Palace of Friendship, the rest of the Element Bearers and Spike sitting around it.

“And we have the flute,” Pinkie added, placing the Fairy Flute next to the Staff of Rain.

“And with the Sunstone Princess Celestia gave us, we now have everything we need to stop the Dragon King,” Twilight told her friends.

“Except for Rarity,” Spike ruefully reminded her.

“Yes, her and the sword,” Twilight corrected herself. “But at least we know where they are.”

“Now all we have to do is to figure out how to sneak into Charlock Castle without being spotted,” Applejack said as Midnight and Sworn Duty brought out the map of the dragon lands and rolled it out over the table.

“Princess Luna suggest we sneak around and approach the castle from the east,” Twilight said as she pointed to the map.

“But we have no idea what’s waitin’ for us when we get there,” Applejack voiced her concern. “The Dragon King’s army and who knows what else could be lyin’ in wait to eat us as soon as we set hoof on their land.”

“She’s right. Our scouts have reported activity over the skies of the dragon lands,” Sworn Duty confirmed Applejack’s concerns.

“How are we supposed to get to the castle if there are dragons patrolling the skies?” Fluttershy asked.

“We could use the staff, right? Use it to make clouds to cover our movements,” Rainbow Dash suggested.

“That actually isn’t a bad idea,” Twilight stated, surprised by Rainbow Dash’s brilliance. “Since the weather isn’t regulated like it is here, they’ll just assume it’s a random storm. And then we can fly along in the eye of the storm until we reach the far side of the island.”

“That sounds good, but if they can’t see us in the clouds, then how can we see where we’re goin’?” Applejack asked.

“Good point. Hhmmm…” Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin as she hummed in thought. Before she could think of another idea, the door to the throne room opened and Soarin ran in.

“Your Highness!” he urgently said as he ran to the princess’s throne to deliver his report. “A dragon has been spotted flying towards Equestria. It was carrying Rarity.”

“Where was it headed?” Spike asked, quickly rising from his spot on the floor.

“The Forbidden Jungle of the Tenochtitlan Basin,” Soarin reported.

“Take us there,” Twilight told the Wonderbolt.

*****

It was late into the afternoon by the time they arrived at the Tenochtitlan Basin, the setting of the famous Daring Do’s adventures. Celestia’s sun floated above the western horizon, painting the sky orange. The air was heavy with humidity and the buzzing of insects was everywhere. The Element Bearers, Spike, and Soarin stood on a hilltop overlooking the Forbidden Jungle. The ruins of ancient temples rose above the treetops while the shadows of the late afternoon lengthened across the valley.

Soarin pointed to a secluded corner of the basin where they spotted the mouth of a cave. As they made their way to the cave, the number of irritating insects increased and they could hear the croaking of frogs. The ground became muddy and before long, they were wading through the murky water of a swamp. The Pegasi and Twilight flew over the water while the earthbound Applejack and Pinkie Pie had to trudge through it. Since the swamp’s trees were too dense for Spike to fly, he marched through the water along with the Earth Ponies.

“Hold on,” Twilight stopped the group, pointing to something moving in the water. It was the scaley back of a crocodile. “Applejack, Pinkie Pie, get on Spike.”

Seeing the danger of walking through a crocodile infested swamp, they quickly scrambled onto Spike’s back, he being too big for a crocodile to threaten. As they continued through the swamp, Applejack and Pinkie looked down from the safety of Spike’s back at the eyes and snouts sticking out from the murky surface of the water. The crocodiles kept their distance, but they were slowly swimming along Spike, waiting for the chance to gobble up a pony if one of them fell off their ride. Out of harm’s reach, Pinkie taunted the crocodiles by sticking out her tongue and making goofy faces at them.

“Cut it out, Pinkie,” Applejack told her.

“Why, can they get us up here?” Pinkie asked, suddenly concerned for her safety.

“No, it’s just annoyin’.”

After making through the swamp and evading the crocodiles, they came to the entrance of the cave. Applejack and Pinkie Pie hopped off of Spike and onto a rocky ledge above the water. Thwarted, the crocodiles swam away disappointedly. The ponies and the dragon lined up front of the cave, observing it cautiously.

“Are you sure the dragon is in there with Rarity?” Twilight asked Soarin, making sure to keep her voice down.

“I’m sure. We saw it enter this cave, and the pony it had in its clutches was most certainly Rarity,” Soarin told her.

“The question is: how do we get her out?”

Seeing the ominous cave that most certainly contained a dragon, Fluttershy trembled with fear. Seeing the yellow Pegasus’s reaction, Applejack suggested to her, “Maybe you should wait here.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Spike walked towards the cave.

“Spike, what are you doing?! We need a plan first!” Twilight called after him.

“I’m saving my wife,” Spike told Twilight without slowing down or turning around.

“And they say I’m reckless,” Rainbow Dash said under her breath and then turned to Soarin before she and the others ran in after Spike. “Stay with Fluttershy.”

Upon entering the large cavern, Spike could see the sparkle of treasure coming from the back, confirming that this was indeed a dragon’s lair. Sniffing the air, Spike could detect the unmistakable aroma of magnolia, one of Rarity’s favorite perfumes. There was another familiar smell coming from the back of the cave, but knowing that his wife was somewhere within the cave, Spike forgot all about it and started to run.

“Rarity!” he called out for her, his voice reverberating loudly off of the cave’s walls.

“Spike?” the angelic voice of the mare he love answered from depths of the caves. Spurred on by her voice, Spike ran around the corner and saw Rarity sitting the midst of the treasure hoard. However, curled around her was the massive bulk of the green dragon, Mire.

“Prince Spike,” the larger dragon said with surprise, but then a triumphant sneer formed on his maw. “This is an unexpected pleasure. The master will be pleased when I bring you to him.”

Hearing the sound of galloping hooves coming from the opening of the cave, Mire looked behind Spike to see four ponies round the corner to stand behind the purple dragon. Seeing the intruders, Mire snarled and rose from his hoard. The ponies backed away when the green dragon stepped forward to place himself between them and his prisoner.

“The master has no need for more ponies. You’ll make an excellent meal,” Mire sneered, licking his lips hungrily. Applejack and Rainbow Dash crouched down, ready to spring into action. However, the green dragon wasn’t intimidated by two little ponies and continued to approach like a tiger stalking its prey.

A bolt of magenta magic struck the left side of Mire’s face, causing the dragon to roar in surprise. Her horn glowing, Twilight circled around in the air to the dragon’s right. Mire shook his head and rubbed the eye Twilight had zapped. Dragons may have a natural resistance to magic along with their nigh impenetrable scales, but the eye of any creature was still a weak spot. The flash of light had temporarily blinded the left eye, and Mire was forced to shut it as it recovered.

A deep rumbling filled the cave has Mire built his flame within his chest, a blue light glowing in the back of his mouth. Before he could unleash his fiery breath upon the Alicorn, a ball of green dragonfire stuck the bad side of his face. Though he was fireproof, the impact caused his bad eye to throb in pain and he clutched his face with a claw as he howled in rage and pain. As Spike was already charging another blast, Rainbow Dash quickly circled around to the dragon’s left, hiding in its blind spot, towards Rarity.

Still holding onto his face, Mire spun to swing his tail at Spike. As the smaller dragon leapt back to evade the blow, Twilight flew forward to zap at the green dragon’s wings. Along with the eyes, the less armored membrane of a dragon’s wings was another vulnerable spot. The attack left a smoking singe on the yellow webbing of the left wing.

With Twilight and Spike distracting Mire, Rainbow Dash was able to lift Rarity off of the treasure pile and carry her over to the others. Having been delivered from the clutches of the dragon, Rarity wrapped her hooves around Rainbow Dash’s neck in gratitude while Applejack and Pinkie Pie circled around her, taking a brief moment to rejoice.

“Come on, let’s get out of here!” Rainbow Dash shouted urgently. Hearing this, Mire looked from his assailants to the source of the voice to see the intruders escaping with his prisoner.

“No!” he roared, but a barrage of magic and dragonfire bombarded him. Taking the opportunity while Mire recovered from the irritating distraction, Spike and Twilight followed their friends out of the cave to the swamp. Still cringing from the stinging sensation, Mire looked up to see that he was now alone in the cave. Giving chase, Mire started to run out of the cave until he heard an explosion.

Outside of the cave, Twilight used her magic to collapse the entrance, boulders blocking the way. Seeing that he was barricaded inside his own lair, Mire roared and went to dig himself out, but stopped when saw a box sitting in the middle of his lair wrapped in green paper and topped with a yellow bow. Curious, Mire leaned over to see a tag that read, “To Mr. Dragon. From Pinkie Pie.” Before he could question its meaning, the present burst open, covering Mire in frosting, cake batter, and confetti. Unamused, he snorted and sent streamers flying out from his nostrils.

Standing outside of the cave, Spike and Rarity turned to each other and embraced. Rarity wrapped her hooves around his long neck while he carefully caressed the side of her face with a paw. She then took the sides of his face with her hooves and planted a kiss on his lips.

“My hero,” she whispered tenderly to him.

“Hey, what about us?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We helped, too.”

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Thank you all!” Rarity told her rescuers.

“We’re just happy that yer safe, sugar cube,” Applejack said, smiling at the white Unicorn.

“I’m so happy!” Pinkie Pie declared, nearly knocking Rarity over with a tackling hug. “We thought we would have to break into the Dragon King’s castle to save you! But here you are, safe and sound!”

Pinkie Pie mentioning the Dragon King reminded Rarity of the awful secret she had discovered. She looked over to her husband and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. How could she tell him? How would he react?

“Are you alright?” Spike asked when he noticed the troubled look on her face. Taking in a breath, she decided to just come out with it. However, a scraping sound coming from the other side of the pile of rocks stopped her from tell him.

“That won’t hold him for long,” Twilight assessed.

“Then let’s hightail it outta here before he gets loose,” Applejack wisely suggested.

“If we fly away, he’ll see us for sure and catch us!” Fluttershy pointed out

“Then we’ll have to lose him in the jungle. Hurry!” At Twilight’s word, they made for the cover of the trees. After they crossed the swamp, they reached the safety of the cover of the trees. Just when they thought they had got away, the skull ornament on the collar Rarity was wearing came to life and started to shriek and cackle like a lunatic. The loud and unexpected noise caught everyone by surprise, everyone covering their ears to block out the awful racket.

“What the heck is that?!” Rainbow Dash tried to shout over the noise.

“The necklace! It’s cursed! It allows him to track it!” Rarity frantically explained.

“Oh, my! How do we stop it?” Fluttershy asked, but then they heard a bursting noise coming from the direction of the cave. Gasping in dread, everyone looked back towards the swamp cave and knew that the green dragon had escaped.

“Quick, take it off!” Applejack told Rarity.

“I can’t! It’s cursed!” a frustrated Rarity explained.

“Twilight, hurry! Use yer magic and…” Applejack was cut off when they heard the sound of flapping wings. It didn’t take them long to realize that the dragon had caught up to them. A large shadow passed overhead, causing them to look up to the jungle’s canopy. With the crackling roar of fire, the jungle in front of them was set ablaze with a blue flame, cutting off their escape route. Hearing the tree branches cracking behind them, they turned around in time to see the green dragon land behind them. Mire growled angrily, blue flames already seething from his mouth. Fluttershy whimpered, backing away along with everypony else from the menacing dragon. Rarity placed a hoof to the skull ornament, it still cackling madly as though it was mocking her.

“Did you think that escape would be that easy?” Mire asked as he walked towards his quarry. He opened his mouth to take in a large breath, but before he could unleash another blast of dragonfire, a vine wrapped around one of his ankles. Mire let out a surprised shout as he tripped and fell to the ground. He tried to raise himself up, but more vines enchanted by Twilight’s magic started to wrap around his limbs, wings, and tail. Being entangled by the vines, Mire fought back and started to thrash about, his claws and sharp gray spines slicing through the vines.

“I’m not going to be able to hold him for long!” Twilight shouted as she did her best to replace the cut vines with new ones. Applejack looked to one of the trees that wasn’t burning and came up with an idea.

“Spike, come with me!” she told him as she ran towards the tree. “Use yer tail to chop down the tree!”

Following along with her plan, Spike whacked at the trunk with his spaded tail like an ax. After a few strikes, the tree began to creak as it became more unsteady. Using her Earth Pony strength, Applejack buck the tree with all of her might. The weakened trunk snapped from the impact, causing the tree to come crashing down onto the green dragon’s head.

The green dragon was motionless, its head covered by the leaves of the fallen tree. Everyone was silent, waiting to see if the dragon would get back up. Wanting to be sure, Twilight took a step closer to inspect the fallen dragon. But then the leaves were consumed blue flames, revealing the outraged face of Mire. The raging dragon opened its mouth and prepared to incinerate the Alicorn right in front of it. With only a moment before the dragon attacked, Twilight had no time to get out of harm’s way. She only had time to look wide-eyed and opened mouth at her sure to be imminent demise.

Seeing that his mother was about to met a fiery end, Spike’s pupils contracted into narrow slits and shouted, “Stop!”

Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the searing pain, but it never came. Hesitantly, she opened an eye to take a peek. She then opened both eyes in surprise and looked on in amazement along with everyone else as the green dragon seemed to be frozen. The blue flames in its throat had vanished, and its pupils had become narrow slits like Spike’s. Even Spike was confused by the larger dragon’s lack of movement, and he was one that told it to stop. He hadn’t used his dragon magic on it, or at least he didn’t think so.

After a moment, Mire blinked and came back to his senses. He looked around, confused at first but then remember what was going on. He looked back down at Twilight and began to charge his flame breath once again. This time, she had time to react and levitated the fallen tree into the air. Wielding the tree telekinetically like a club, she smack the dragon on top of the head, causing its eyes to spin around it their sockets dizzily. Mire’s head dropped back down to the ground unconscious, his tongue lolling out from his mouth. With the dragon out cold, Twilight took the opportunity to completely cover the downed dragon with vines, restraining him.

“Is everypony okay?” Applejack asked as she and Spike made their way back to the others.

“We are,” Twilight answered. She then turned to Rarity to study the screaming necklace. “Where did this thing come from? It’s crawling with dark magic.”

“The Dragon King put it on me. Not only does it allow them to track the wearer, but it blocks the wearer’s magic,” Rarity explained. “Do you mind? I can’t remove it myself, and it’s terribly uncomfortable. Not to mention very tacky.”

“And it’s making my ears ring,” Pinkie added, rubbing an ear. Concentrating, Twilight focused on the lock. With a spark of magenta magic, the latch came undone and the necklace fell to the ground.

“There, all done. You’re free,” Twilight Sparkle proudly declared.

“What should we do with this?” Rainbow Dash asked, picking up the cursed necklace with disdain.

“I have an idea,” Twilight declared. “If they can track it, then we can use it as a distraction! Rainbow Dash, fly over and drop it in the heart of the jungle.”

“On it!” In a flash, the Pegasus sped away over the jungle, gladly discarded the noisy necklace, and returned in only a few moments. “There, that should by us some time!”

“And good riddance,” Rarity said, relieved to finally be rid of the gaudy choker.

“Now let us go home. We need to fill Rarity in on what’s happened, and we need to prepare to face the Dragon King.” Hearing Twilight mention facing the Dragon King caused Rarity to gasp and look to the setting sun.

“Twilight! We need to get to Fillydelphia immediately! The Dragon King is going to attack the city tonight!” Rarity announced in a panic.

“Tonight?! But… But he said we had seven days! That lying snake!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Amethyst…” Spike whispered in horror, realizing that his daughter was in danger.

“Everypony, hurry!” Twilight Sparkle turned to Rainbow Dash's husband. “Soarin, I need you to fly to Canterlot. Tell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna what’s happening and bring to reinforcements. Now go!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Obeying, the light blue Pegasus flew towards Canterlot to deliver the message. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie climbed onto Spike’s back, and he took off along with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy towards Fillydelphia. As they flew, Rarity was filled with many concerns. Would they make it to Fillydelphia in time to prevent a catastrophe? Was Amethyst safe? Would they be able to stop the Dragon King? How would she tell Spike that his father was the one threatening Equestria?

Fillydelphia

In his chambers in Rhone, Narcissus looked into a mirror. His royal blue mane had been trimmed and his white coat groomed, making him look like the prince he had once been again. Standing beside him, proudly observing her handiwork, was Honeysuckle. Narcissus had been a mess when he arrived, but she knew that she had to have him ready for that night.

“I must say, you did an excellent job,” Narcissus complimented as he turned his head side to side, checking himself from all angles.

“Thank you, my prince. I did my best,” she said, smiling at the compliment.

“I would hope so,” a voice came from behind them, the two Unicorns turning to see Hargon and Nightingale standing in the doorway. “After all, he needs to look his best for tonight.”

“Lord Hargon,” Honeysuckle greeted with a bow.

“What’s so special about tonight?” Narcissus asked the blue Unicorn.

“Why, the ceremony, of course. It’s your big night, the both of you,” Hargon reminded him.

“Our big night? Oh, that’s right. The wedding,” Narcissus said, turning to give Honeysuckle a cheeky grin. Blushing, Honeysuckle giggled and hid behind her golden mane. “Ah, the bride is already blushing.”

“Will you please excuse Sister Honeysuckle? Obviously, she needs to get ready herself,” Hargon explained, nodding to the beige mare beside him. “Sister Nightingale.”

“Come with me, child. Let’s get you ready.” The two mares left the room, leaving Narcissus with Hargon.

“So how is this going to work? You’re going to say a few words, I kiss the bride, and that’ll be it?” Narcissus asked.

“There’s a little more to it than that,” Hargon told with a smirk. “Don’t worry, though. You just have to stand there and let us do everything else.”

Looking around the room, Narcissus asked, “Is there a suit or a tux for me to wear, or do I have to wear one of those white robes your followers wear? I didn’t see anything for me to wear in here.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. You can come as you are.”

“Are you sure? I mean, if this is a wedding, then I want to look my best. I always need to look my best. I am a prince after all, and these ponies need to know how important I am,” Narcissus snobbishly told Hargon, his vanity returning now that he was free from Celestia’s dungeon.

“Oh, they certainly know how important you are,” Hargon chuckled, amused by his boundless pride. “We’re all looking forward to ceremony and what it means for the Order.”

“You mean the beginning of a new royal family,” Narcissus assumed. “I am certainly looking forward to helping your order with that. That Honeysuckle is quite the pretty little thing. I’ve had a number of lovers back in Canterlot. Noblemares, celebrities, and even the Queen of the Changelings, but she is easily one of the most beautiful ones. She’ll look nice at my side, holding onto my fore leg. The perfect bride for the perfect prince.”

“The hour is approaching. I have to see to it that everything is in order,” Hargon said before heading towards the door. “This night will be remembered always. It marks the beginning of the new world.”

“I’m sure that I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Narcissus remarking, a pleased smile on his face as he imagined the night he was about to have with Honeysuckle.

“Oh, I can guarantee that.” Chuckling to himself, Hargon left Narcissus to his fantasizing.

*****

Thunderbolt sat upon a bale of straw with shackles clasped above the hooves of his front legs. Sitting beside him was Mina, she too in chains. After they had been arrested the previous night, they and the inhabitants of Dragon Town were taken to the docks at Fillydelphia Harbor. A warehouse had been converted into a makeshift prison with chain link fencing dividing it into cells. With the entire dragon population of Fillydelphia corralled into one warehouse, the cells were crowded.

Hearing the jangle of keys and a gate opening, Thunderbolt and Mina looked up from the warehouse floor to see their cell being opened and Amethyst being escorted in by two police ponies. With a forceful shove, the cops pushed Amethyst into the cell and locked the gate behind them.

“Are you okay?” Thunderbolt comfortingly asked as Amethyst took a seat beside him on the bale. “What happened? What did they do to you?”

“Mayor Skinflint and his goons tried to get me to confess that my father is in league with the Dragon King,” she explained. “They kept making threats, saying that they’ll get the truth out of us one way or another.”

Amethyst then sighed wearily, strangely relieved to finally be back in the cell. After spending hours in an interrogation room being questioned mercilessly by ponies, she just wanted to sit down and not be yelled at. With her shackled claws, she rubbed her temples in attempt to relieve the pounding headache she had developed. She then looked Thunderbolt and noticed that his Wonderbolts flight suit had been taken from him. He was also sporting bruises on the side of his face.

“What happened?” Amethyst asked, pointing to his black eye. “Did they do this to you?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. When they were interrogating me, I told them where they could stick their questions. They took exception to that,” he said with a cocky grin on his face, rubbing the sore spot on his face.

“They hit you?!” Amethyst gasped, mortified.

“That’s assault!” Mina protested. She then ran to the chain link fence and yelled to the cops standing guard outside of the warehouse. “You hear me?! That’s assault!”

“Quiet in there!” an angry shout came from outside.

Ignoring Mina’s outburst, Amethyst asked Thunderbolt, “What happened to your uniform?”

“They said that traitors don’t deserve to wear it and confiscated it,” he huffed.

Amethyst then looked from her friends to the dragons in the other cells. All she could see were their depressed faces as families huddle together, trying to comfort each other. Hatchlings cried as their mothers held them in their arms. Some of the male dragons were nursing bruises they received last night from trying to protect their families as they resisted arrest.

The thought of escape had crossed her mind, as she assumed it crossed the minds of everyone else. Amethyst had powerful magic and draconic abilities; she could easily break the chains on her and everyone else. However, an escape attempt would certainly put the noncombatant dragons in harm’s way. Even if the more able-bodied prisoners managed to escaped, the injured and those with children wouldn’t be able to get away, leaving them to suffer the wrath of the prejudice mayor. A fight would also prove Skinflint right and irrevocably damage the peace between the ponies and the civilized dragons. All they could do is wait. Princess Celestia would hear of this injustice and would come to their aid soon enough. The only problem was that due to Mayor Skinflint declaring a state of emergency, he suspended their rights, preventing them from contacting anyone on the outside.

Amethyst then thought of her own mother. According to Thunderbolt, she was now the prisoner of the Dragon King. If she was being treated so poorly by ponies, she dreaded to think of the horrors her mother was being subjected to at the claws of the dragons. She wondered where was her father. Did he know that she was locked away in a cell in a cruddy warehouse?

“Lights out!” a voice called from outside. With a few loud clicks, the overhead lights of the warehouse shut off, leaving only the emergency lights on. The sudden darkness frightened the baby dragons, causing them to cry louder. With nothing else they could do, the inmates decided to settle in for the night.

“Here, you two take the bale. There isn’t enough more for all of us. I’ll sleep on the floor,” Thunderbolt told Amethyst and Mina as he slid off of the bale of straw, leaning against it as the two curled up on top of it. Amethyst yawned, realizing how exhausted she was from the stress of the past two days.

Outside the warehouse, four members of the Fillydelphia Police Department stood guard by the door. Incredibly bored, the four ponies looked out over the docks at the city’s night skyline. A noise broke the silence, alerting the four. It was the sound of wood hitting wood. In the shadows, two horned figures approached the warehouse. The larger of the two was carrying a staff shaped like a dragon. The other figure stepped into the light, revealing a bipedal red dragon with a gray underbelly and wings and purple spines running down his back. His arms were crossed and was of a muscular build. Seeing the dragons, the police brandished their batons.

“Freeze!” a cop yelled as they rushed the dragon, assuming that they were more dragons from Dragon Town. “All dragons are to be under lock-down by order of- hurk!”

The pony’s words were cut off when a red hand gripped his throat and lifted him off of the dock. With a toss, the pony went sailing through the air screaming and landed in the bay with a splash. When another cop raised his baton to strike the red dragon, it snapped like a twig upon impact. The pony looked at the broken baton and then up to dragon’s irritated face sheepishly. A red fist to the face sent the pony flying to the water like the previous pony.

The remaining two ponies faltered when they saw what a dragon fighting back could do. With their partners swimming back to the shore, they started to rethink their strategy. When a purple burst of flame set the docks in front of them ablaze, they decided to retreat.

“Sound the alarm! We need reinforcements!” the cops yelled as they ran to the nearby outpost the police had established in the harbor. Already the noise of police whistles, alarm bells, and raised voices could be heard as the police rallied. Ready to chase after the escaping ponies, the red dragon cracked his knuckles in anticipation for a fight.

“Ignore them for now, Scorn. Their punishment shall come soon enough,” the larger dragon called to him as he walked to towards the warehouse. The red dragon snorted purple flames in the cops’ direction, but followed the other dragon to the warehouse.

Inside, Amethyst was about to nod off to sleep when she was alerted to the sounds of fighting coming from outside. Amethyst rose from the bale when the door to the warehouse opened and two bipedal dragons she didn’t recognize entered. The imprisoned dragons got up from their respective places and went to the fences to get a better look at the newcomers. One was a red dragon and the other a purple dragon wearing a violet robe with a medallion around his neck, a black helmet over his horns, and carrying a dragon-shaped staff that had bloodstones for eyes. He was regal yet terrifying. Though Amethyst and Thunderbolt looked on in confusion, Mina and the rest of the dragons from Fillydelphia gasped once they recognized who it was.

“Who is that?” Amethyst whispered to Mina.

“The Dragon King,” Mina answered in a hushed tone, both in awe and fear. Learning the identity of the robed dragon, Amethyst stared at him. Thunderbolt had told her that he was enormous, but the dragon she saw wasn’t too much larger than any of the dragons present in the warehouse. She figured he must be able to change his size. This also meant that he was more powerful that his current size would have her believe. Despite the terrifying knowledge of his power, Amethyst felt anger welling up inside her; this was the dragon holding her mother captive.

The Dragon King’s red eyes scanned the warehouse, looking at the faces of his fellow dragons behind the fencing. His gaze then fell upon the shackles upon their wrists, his lips curling back into a snarl of disdain. “What do we have here, Scorn?”

“It would appear the sorcerer spoke the truth, master,” the red dragon answered. The Dragon King walked to one of the cells, inspecting the chain link fencing. With a claw, he plucked at a link, easily snapping it with a twang. Seeing the pitiful excuse of a prison, Ryuo let an unimpressed grunt.

“Who among you calls herself ‘Princess’ Amethyst?” The Dragon King asked, his red eyes searching the cells. Amethyst could see a number of the dragons shift their eyes nervously towards her. She shrank behind her friends, hoping that the Dragon King wouldn’t notice as he walked down the central aisle of the warehouse. Receiving no reply irritated the Dragon King, for he was accustomed to his subjects answering immediately.

“Defiant to the end I see. Is that it?” he asked coldly. “For nearly a century, you have lived in rebellion against me. More than that, you have all denied your true selves. You have forgotten what it means to be a wyrm.”

“We wanted to be something better. We wanted to be civilized, not to be rule our greed,” a green dragon explained.

“Civilized,” Ryuo spat. “You call it being civilized, I call it enslavement.”

“We’re not enslaved. We live in peace with the ponies under the protection of the Princesses,” another dragon spoke up. This roused the dragons’ spirits, causing them to mutter in agreement.

“Then why are you in chains?” Ryuo questioned as he waved a claw about, gesturing to the shackles around their wrists. The dragons looked down at their restraints, the small amount of spirit they still had crushed. “Celestia is a thief and a liar who concealed the truth concerning the death of a dragoness and stole her last egg.”

Hearing this, all the of the prisoners, including Amethyst, Mina, and Thunderbolt, gasped and began to murmur. However, the three could not believe that Princess Celestia was capable was such a thing. They were certain that the only liar here was the King of Dragons.

“The peace she offers you is a lie. All you have received is scorn from the ponies. I know of the injustices they have inflicted upon you. You live segregated from the rest of their society. You are accused of crimes you did not commit.” Ryuo paused to look upon a dragon covered in bruises. “They despise you, beat you, and herd you into cells. Do you really think they would ever accept you for what you are? They will always fear you. They will always hate you. It is in their nature; they are prey, and prey always fear predators. A mouse cannot live in harmony with a lion.”

His words caused the dragons to reflect upon the day of their arrest. They remembered the looks of fear and mistrust in the ponies eyes after the Dragon King’s forces had flown over Fillydelphia. It only took a few words, from other ponies no less, to destroy the trust and brotherhood the populace of the city shared as they worked to prepare for the festival. They were all too eager to lock the dragons away and interrogate them.

“You are not ponies. No matter how hard you try, you will never change what you are; you are dragons! We are not controlled by greed, we master it! It is passion! It is the drive that makes us powerful! We are the mightiest of all races! Lords of all we behold! In the legends of these lesser creatures, we are the symbols of strength! In the words of one of my ancestors, ‘My armour is like tenfold shields. My teeth are like swords. My claws spears. The shock my tails a thunderbolt. My wings a hurricane, and my breath death!’

“Look how far you all have fallen; Your fangs have dulled, your claws have shortened, and your fires have cooled. You calls us, your kin, ‘wild’ dragons, yet we have more freedom and self respect. Our power gives us our freedom. Each of us has more wealth than any of you could ever obtain by living and trading with them. No one dares threaten us. No one can threaten us. One dragon is enough to make an army of ponies flee like the cowards they are!”

The more he spoke, the more the captive dragons began to believe in his words. Amethyst could see it in their eyes. They now looked to him with hope. If she didn’t do something, they might abandoned their faith in harmony and shatter the peace that Princess Celestia worked so hard to obtain. If she exposed herself, she may find herself a captive of the Dragon King and as something else he could use against her father.

“This is the Fillydelphia Police Department! Come out with your claws up!” a voice called from outside over a megaphone. Everyone inside the makeshift prison looked to the door and then to the Dragon King, waiting to see how he would respond. Amethyst feared the worst. In her mind, she could already see the city burning to the ground, the burnt bodies of ponies scattered upon the streets.

“I see our time is short,” Ryuo announced. “I have not come to liberate you. No, you do not need me to. You have that power to free yourselves. You have the power to break your own chains. The only reason why you remain here is because you allow it. All you have to do is simply remove your chains.”

For a moment, there was silence. That silence was broken by a crack followed by the rattle of chains as a pair of shackles fell to the warehouse floor. Amethyst turned to see a teal dragon looking at their freed claws. More chains fell to the floor as all the dragons broke free one by one. To Amethyst and Thunderbolt’s shock, they heard a clank coming from beside them and turned to see Mina standing there, unbound. The burgundy dragoness looked to her friends in apologetic shame. Amethyst shook her head, silently pleading for her new friend not to give in. Mina closed her eyes and looked away.

“Outside that door are the ponies that betrayed you, the ones that mean to do you harm,” Dragon King Ryuo said, pointing outside. Amethyst watched on in horror as the dragons she came to know became enraged, egged on by the Dragon King’s words. She was sitting atop of a powder keg, and someone, either the cops outside or the Dragon King before her, was about to set a match to it. A malicious grin formed on his maw. “As your king, I will not allow that to happen. I will lead you to victory, and we shall have justice!”

“No!” Amethyst’s voice rang out, unable to stop herself. She pushed past Mina and Thunderbolt and clung to the fence with her claws. Though it would mean revealing herself to the Dragon King, she had to stop the violence before it began. Ryuo quickly turned to see which of his subjects still defied him, but froze at what he saw. His red eyes widened and his jaws hung slightly agape, speechless. In a cell down the aisle was a Kirin. Her scales were white and her mane was violet, matching the colors of Princess Rarity.

Amethyst began to doubt her decision as Dragon King Ryuo began to hurriedly marched down the aisle towards her cell. What was he going to do to her? There was a rage in his eyes that frightened her, and she backed away from the fencing. While Mina quickly jumped to the side of the cell, Thunderbolt stood protectively in front of Amethyst, ready to defend her at all costs.

With an effortless swipe of a claw, the Dragon King tore down the chain link fence that separated him from the Kirin and cast it aside. He barely realized that the one obstructing his path a pony. With aura covered flick of his wrist, the gray Pegasus was scooted out of the way, leaving only the Kirin before him. With nowhere to hide, Amethyst summoned all the courage she had and stood firm before Dragon King Ryuo. Though she was terrified, she dare not let him see weakness in her. She was a Princess of Equestria and had to represent her nation.

“You, what is your name? Who is your father? Who is your mother?” Ryuo demanded. Amethyst took a breath before answering, for once she did, there was no going back.

“I am Princess Amethyst Opal Jade of Equestria, daughter of Prince Spike and Princess Rarity,” she boldly declared. It was then that Ryuo noticed that her eyes were green, the same as Prince Spike’s eyes. They were his Xia’s eyes.

A granddaughter… I have a granddaughter… an astounded Dragon King thought as he stared at his own progeny. So that was why Rarity begged him not to hurt her. His eyes then darted to the pony in his peripheral.

“And who is this?” he asked, giving Thunderbolt a murderous glare. Thunderbolt had always believed he was brave, but the look he was receiving could make the bravest of souls lose their resolve.

“This is Thunderbolt. He’s my friend. My father assigned him to be my bodyguard,” Amethyst explained, stepping over to stand with her friend.

Giving Thunderbolt one last death glare, Ryuo turned his attention back to the Kirin. “Very well, but what are you doing here? Why would Celestia have you arrested?”

“Princess Celestia didn’t do this,” Amethyst told him, defending the Solar Alicorn’s integrity.

“Then who is responsible for this outrage if not Celestia? Is she not the ruler of this land? Have not these atrocities been allowed to continue under her reign?” Amethyst didn’t want to tell him that Mayor Skinflint had gone over Celestia’s head and declared a state of emergency without her permission. Even though he was a small-minded bigot, he didn’t deserve to perish in the Dragon King’s flames. Seeing how she wouldn’t reveal the identity for the pony responsible for the unjust imprisonment of the dragons, Ryuo vowed, “Then I shall burn down every building in this miserable city until I find out who is responsible!”

As though on queue, a fancy carriage arrived at the scene and Mayor Skinflint exited it. He saw the police had already created a perimeter around the warehouse, separating it from the rest of the harbor. All of the ponies in riot gear were ill at ease, looking at their riot shields and batons doubtfully. They were trained to apprehend pony criminals, not rampaging dragons. The only reason why they had been able to clear out Dragon Town in the first place was because said dragons didn’t fight back. A few had resisted and protested but never became violent, even when the police would hit them with batons. Looking for the pony in charge, Mayor Skinflint spotted the officer with the megaphone. Approaching him, he asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Two dragons broke into the harbor, attacked the officers guarding the internment camp, and entered,” the cop explained.

“No doubt trying to breakout their leader. Give me the megaphone.” Obeying, the officer passed the megaphone to the mayor. “This is Mayor Skinflint! Princess Amethyst, your little escape attempt has been foiled. You and your conspirators come out with your claws up or we will use force!”

“Ah! So, ‘Mayor’ Skinflint, is it?” The Dragon King exclaimed as he looked to the source of the voice with manic delight. Amethyst and Thunderbolt both slapped their own foreheads at the mayor’s horrible timing. It was like he was purposely trying to get himself killed. “Come, my brethren! It is time to cast off these stunted forms you have assumed and embrace your true natures. Tonight, we shall be avenged!”

Dragon King Ryuo's pupils contracted into narrow slits and a rumbling emitted from his throat. All of the dragons surrounding them began to tremble, their pupils contracting as well. Mina gritted her fangs and clasped the sides of her head. She shook uncontrollably as her body began to grow.

“Mina!” Amethyst and Thunderbolt called out to her. As the dragoness looked at them, her appearance became more fierce and feral. Her snout lengthened, her muscles grew, and her spines sharped.

“Run…” Mina managed to utter in a straining voice. Taking her advice, Thunderbolt and Amethyst ran out of the cell towards the door. Every dragon they passed along the way was also growing, the weak chain link fence bursting as claws, tails, and wings stretched. Behind them, the Dragon King watched as they ran. He allowed this for he didn’t wish for Amethyst to be accidental crushed during what he was about to do next. Dispelling the size changing enchantment, his red flame-like magic swirled around him and Scorn.

“Sir, we have two running out!” a cop reported. Skinflint looked to the warehouse to see two pony-shaped figures running across the docks. A spotlight was shined on them, revealing their identities as Princess Amethyst and Thunderbolt.

“Halt! Stay where you are!” the lead officer ordered over the megaphone.

“Run, you idiots! Run!” Thunderbolt shouted as he and Amethyst drew closer. The police were about to intercept and take them down, but the warehouse exploded. The police ponies took cover as debris rained down from above as a red fireball climbed up into the sky. From his crouched position on the docks, Mayor Skinflint peaked from under his hooves to see dozens of gigantic dragons glaring down at him from the sky. Under the Dragon King’s influence, the former inhabitants of Dragon Town had grown to their proper sizes, ranging from the size of train locomotives to houses. Only the hatchlings remained unchanged, riding on their mothers’ backs. The dragons that had been assaulted during their arrest looked down the ponies responsible menacingly. No longer would they be victims.

*****

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she, the rest of the Element Bearers, and Spike approached Fillydelphia. There was an explosion in the harbor, accompanied by a billowing red cloud of fire.

“Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy gasped, her hooves covering her mouth.

“It’s started,” Twilight stated as she looked at the red light in the distance. “Everyone, double time!”

“Hang on, sweetie! Mama’s coming!” Rarity shouted as she, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack held onto Spike’s back as he flew faster.

“Soarin, you better get here with the Princesses soon,” Rainbow Dash said to herself as she zoomed towards the city.

*****

As the towering plume of red fire dissipated, Mayor Skinflint could see two dragons larger than rest standing in the bay where the warehouse once stood. While the red dragon joined the others in circling above the harbor, the enormous purple dragon rose on his hind legs and surveyed his surroundings. Looking down, the purple dragon located Amethyst and her protector on the docks near uniformed ponies. Lowering back down onto all four legs, the massive dragon craned his neck forward to get a closer look at the ponies. The Fillydelphia police quickly stepped back as the huge head of the Dragon King loomed above them, his red eyes glowing like a furnace.

As Ryuo looked down at the uniformed ponies, he had to fight the urge to incinerate them for Amethyst was among them. Out of the gathering of ponies, one of them stood out from the rest. There was an important looking Earth Pony wearing a suit hiding behind the police. Ryuo looked away from Skinflint to the dragons behind him.

“Is this the one known as ‘Mayor’ Skinflint?” Amethyst looked up to see the dragon he was addressing was none other than Mina, who was now the size of her father. She could also see Mina look from her king down to the mayor and then to her. The two held each other's gaze for a second before Mina looked back to Skinflint and closed her blue eyes in regret. Though she had broken her chains in defiance of her pony captors, she didn’t wish to see anypony harmed. If she revealed him, she would be sentencing him to death. If she remained silent, he would kill everypony he saw until he found out anyway. She also knew that she couldn’t lie to him and that he could force the answer out of her if he so desired.

“Yes,” Mina answered reluctantly.

“Wait a minute! I-I-I…” Skinflint started to protest before he was confronted with the gigantic, snarling face of the Dragon King. The police force all circled the mayor, trying to defend him. However, their numbers didn’t matter to Ryuo. One or one hundred, he could kill them all with a single blow just as easily. As the police and the mayor moved away from the advancing Dragon King, only two stood their ground. Though she had no hope in stopping him, Amethyst was determined to do what she could and Thunderbolt refused to leave her side.

“Wait! Please, wait!” Amethyst called up to the Dragon King as he was about to step over them.

“Do not try to interfere,” he told her as he passed overhead, Amethyst and Thunderbolt beginning to run to get back in front of him.

“You can’t do this!” she yelled up to him, struggling to keep pace with his massive stride. This managed to get him to stop, but it also caused him to glare down at her.

“I most certainly can,” he asserted.

“But… but what about your Dragon Code?” she desperately asked, his response being a raised brow. “You said you would give Equestria a week. It hasn’t even been two days yet!”

“Do not impugn my honor, child. I will keep my word and not destroy all of Equestria until after the seven days, but that does not mean I cannot destroy one city before then,” he corrected her. He then returned his attention to the terrified Skinflint and his police, grinning at them with sadistic glee. “Or at the very least, one mayor.”

“But that’s just it! My father will be less inclined to surrender if you do this!” Amethyst tried to convince him. “If you kill him or anypony else, then you’re just proving you’re not a dragon of your word! How will he know that he can trust you if you can't honor your own code?”

Ryuo bristled at her words. He so longed to enact his revenge, but he found that he was once again restrained by his own Noble Dragon Code. He rued the day his ancestors established it, but he knew that it was a necessity. With a growl of frustration, he relented.

“Very well, I shall spare the city and the insect,” Dragon King Ryuo hissed venomously, briefly glaring at Skinflint. Looking back down to Amethyst, he continued, “Consider it a gift from your grandfather.”

“...Grandfather?” she asked, utterly confused. She looked to Thunderbolt, who just shrugged, being equally lost.

“But this insult will not go unpunished,” Ryuo declared. “The deadline has been moved forward from seven days to three.”

“Three?!” Amethyst and Thunderbolt exclaimed.

“But that’s less than two days from now!” Amethyst protested.

“You can’t do that!” Thunderbolt shouted.

“Do not test my patience! I have waited too long to reclaim what is mine, and I will not tolerate a pony telling me what I can and cannot do!” Ryuo roared at the Pegasus before turning back to his granddaughter. “Tell your father that he has until the sunrise of the day after tomorrow to come to my castle, and I expect you to be there as well. If you do not come, I shall come to collect the two of you myself. Farewell!”

With a mighty downbeat of his wings, the Dragon King took off. Amethyst and Thunderbolt shielded themselves from the strong wind that was kicked up by his takeoff and then watched as he led the other dragons southward towards the dragon lands. The only one who lingered behind was Mina. The dragoness looked down to Amethyst, giving her one last remorseful look before flying after her king.

Amethyst and Thunderbolt watched as the flight of dragons disappeared in the night sky. Though they managed to save the city, they felt as though this short-term victory was ultimately a long-term defeat. Any hope of peace between ponies and dragons was dead, and all of Equestria would perish in dragonfire in less than two days. The Tree of Harmony was gone, a battle between the Princesses and the Dragon King would only cause more destruction, and to top it all off, Amethyst’s mother was this monster’s hostage.

Overwhelmed by the crushing weight of the situation, Amethyst’s green eyes filled with tears and she started to weep uncontrollably. Thunderbolt placed a wing across her shoulders, yet said nothing. He knew that nothing he could say would help and that the only thing he could do was to be there for his friend. That and the situation had also rendered him speechless.

“They’re coming back!” a cop yelled. With a start, everyone looked up to see the outline of an approaching dragon. Amethyst squinted her eyes, recognizing the familiar figure along with the pony-shaped outlines that accompanied it.

“Dad!” she cried as Spike landed on the pier in front of her. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash landed beside him as Applejack and Pinkie Pie hopped off his back. When she saw her mother descend from her father’s back as well, Amethyst uttered a sob of the utmost joy and relief.

“Where is she?! Where’s my darling daughter?!” Rarity frantically asked as she looked about the docks until she spotted her. Her eyes filling with tears of her own, Rarity ran towards Amethyst. “Mah babeh!”

Amethyst quickly found herself in the crushing embrace of her mother, who cooed and sobbed as she ran her hooves all over her mane while smothering her in kisses. At any other time, a public display of affection of this magnitude would have been mortifyingly embarrassing, but after having been dealt with such a devastating blow, it was exactly what Amethyst wanted and needed. She matched her mother’s affections and wept happy tears with her as they were reunited. As mother and daughter embraced, they felt the powerful yet comforting arms of Spike encircle about them and hold them close. For a brief moment, nothing else in the world mattered and the three of them forgot all of their troubles.

At the same time, Rainbow Dash was similarly embracing Thunderbolt, though without Rarity’s over-the-top dramatics. She was inspecting the bruises on her son’s face, particularly his black eye. Enraged, she asked, “Who did this to you?! I’m gonna knock their teeth out!”

“Arrest him!” a voice interrupted the tender moment. Looking over, everyone saw Mayor Skinflint shouting from behind the safety of the police line. The Earth Pony stallion was pointing at Spike, driven half-mad from being confronted by the Dragon King. “I want that dragon arrested! I want all of them arrested!”

“Sir, are you suggesting we arrest the Princess of Friendship and her council, the heroes of Equestria?” the lead cop asked incredulously.

“They’re obviously in league with the dragons! Look, there’s a dragon right there! Arrest them, you idiots! Arrest them all!” he ranted, now completely crazy with paranoia.

“Why I outta…” Rainbow Dash growled, ready to bolt over to the mayor and fulfill her promise of knocking the teeth out of the one responsible for her son’s bruises. Normally, Applejack would have stopped her from doing something so rash, but the someone beat her to the punch. Everyone stopped when they heard the sound of flapping wings and looked up to see Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Soarin, and the rest of the Wonderbolts flying down towards them. Seeing the Royal Alicorn Sisters, Mayor Skinflint and the Fillydelphia Police Department bowed in respect.

“We came as fast as we could. Is everypony alright?” Celestia asked urgently as she landed on the docks, inspecting the smoldering remains of a warehouse.

“Where is the Dragon King?” Princess Luna asked.

“He’s gone, along with all of the dragons from Dragon Town,” Amethyst told her, a despondent expression on her face as she recalled the crestfallen look on Mina’s face as she flew away.

“How could this have happen?” Celestia asked, lamenting the loss of the civilized dragons.

“Ask him,” Thunderbolt told her bitterly as Soarin and the rest of Wonderbolts surrounded him, checking to see if he was alright. Celestia looked to where the newest Wonderbolt had indicated to see the Mayor of Fillydelphia.

“Mister Mayor, what has happened here?” Princess Celestia demanded.

“Your Majesty, when the dragons invaded yesterday, I acted immediately and had all dragons residing within the city brought in for questioning,” Skinflint proudly announced, head held up high and chest puffed out. It was a rare sight to Princess Celestia rendered speechless. The white Alicorn stood there staring confusedly at the light gray Earth Pony as though he was babbling incoherently. The Element Bearers and Spike were filled with a righteous fury, wanting to this pony to pay for what he had done.

“You did what?” Celestia quietly asked, still reeling from her initial shock.

“Yes, we cleared out Dragon Town and brought them here for questioning. We even managed to apprehend that dragon spy’s daughter and a traitor within the Wonderbolt’s ranks!” Skinflint continued, oblivious to fact that one of Celestia’s eyes was twitching. “We just caught these two aiding the Dragon King in releasing the prisoners.”

“You. Did. WHAT?!” Celestia’s yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice, the force of her voice blowing the mayor back like a mighty hurricane.

“B-b-but...I-I-I…” Skinflint stuttered as he righted himself after being knocked over, her reaction not being at all what he expected. He was certain that she would shower him with praises and honors. He was to be a decorated hero of Equestria. At least, that's what Miss Nightingale had led him to believe.

“Not another word!” she commanded. “I want to see you in your office first thing tomorrow morning to discuss your actions. Now, go and clean up this mess!”

“But… But… Yes, Your Majesty,” a cowed mayor said as he slunk away with his tail tucked between his legs, the police following him as they went to assess the damage to the harbor.

After taking a deep breath while placing a hoof to her heart and exhaling, Princess Celestia calmed down and turned to her beloved friends and subjects. Upon seeing Amethyst, she smiled and said, “Princess Amethyst, I’m glad to see you and Thunderbolt are...” She winced once she saw Thunderbolt’s shiner. “... mostly unharmed.” She then noticed that Rarity was with them. “And Princess Rarity, I’m so relieved to see that you’re safe and sound.”

“Yes, thanks to my friends,” Rarity responded, hugging Spike’s neck. “Princess, there’s much I have to tell you.”

“Same here,” Amethyst told the Princess.

“And us too,” Applejack added.

“We've all got something to share,” Twilight said for everyone.

“I agree,” Celestia acknowledged. “But let us reconvene at Canterlot. We can discuss it at length there.”

Nodding in agreement, they all followed the Princesses as they flew back to Equestria's mountaintop capital.

The Truth

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna listened intently as each pony told their story in the safety of the throne room of Canterlot Castle. The lavender and gold walls and the white and navy tiled floors of the palace was a welcomed change of scenery compared to the dusty catacomb, putrid swamp, and dank warehouse each party had experienced. The soothing atmosphere helped them relax after the stress of the day, their hopes restored a little by the safe return of their friend Rarity.

As they communed, one of the Wonderbolts gave Thunderbolt an ice pack for his swollen eye.

“Thanks,” Thunderbolt said gratefully as he placed the ice pack over his eye.

“No problem, Shiner,” the mare smirked as she left the throne room to give the Royal Council their privacy.

“‘Shiner’? Oh, geez,” Thunderbolt groaned at the embarrassing nickname.

“Don’t sweat, son. We all have embarrassing nicknames,” Rainbow “Crash” Dash reassured him while snickering.

“It’s tradition to give new Wonderbolts nicknames based on something humiliating from their first day on the team,” Soarin, a.k.a. “Clipper”, explained.

Celestia gave a small smile as everyone was able to share a good laugh after the day’s events. Little moments of levity helped to maintain hope in the darkest of times. She was also pleased to hear that they were able to find the Fairy Flute and the Silver Harp and were able to use them to obtain the Erdrick’s Amulet and the Staff of Rain. However, Twilight’s report of how they were ambushed by enchanted skeletons perplexed her. It was clear that there was someone conspiring against all of Equestria, and whoever was behind this didn’t want anypony interfering.

Amethyst then recounted what happened to her over the past two days, all the while her mother held her in a comforting hug. Celestia was particularly troubled once she heard of the defection of the Equestrian dragons. If they were to go to war now that they had joined the Dragon King, all hope of uniting the two species would be lost.

“...and then they all flew away,” Amethyst concluded.

“Amethyst, I’m so sorry that you had to go through this. Had I known what was happening, I would have put a stop to it immediately,” Celestia sincerely apologized. “I can’t believe that Mayor Skinflint would do something so inexcusable such as this. Tomorrow, I leave for Fillydelphia to meet with him. After learning all what he has done, he needs to be held responsible for his actions. I would like for you to accompany me to refute any lie he may fabricate.”

“Of course, Auntie,” Amethyst accepted.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Thunderbolt confirmed as well.

“That is all fine and well, but do not forget we have yet another crisis on our hooves,” Luna reminded. “While the rest of you were gone, we sought out the source of the conspiracy.”

“What conspiracy?” Spike asked.

“It is not by chance that the Dragon King has set his eyes upon Equestria. His presence is part of some unknown scheme.”

“The scroll!” Twilight exclaimed, following the connection.

“Indeed. Whoever gave the report to Dragon King Ryuo is behind all of this chaos.”

“We have strong reason to believe that two members of the Royal Guard, Iron Shield and Chain Mail, either stole the scrolls themselves or assisted whoever did,” Celestia elaborated. “Not only that, but Narcissus has escaped his cell while they were on duty, and they are both absent without leave.”

This revelation silenced everyone temporarily. They hadn’t forgotten the disgraced prince’s part in Queen Chrysalis’s evil scheme to kidnap the Elements’ children and overthrow Equestria. It was Amethyst who spoke first, “What?! When?!”

“The day the Dragon King stole the Tree of Harmony.”

“But how?”

“I can only imagine that they shut off the magic disabling field and made their escape during the confusion of the attack,” Celestia speculated.

“So Narcissus is behind this? I should have guessed. After his first plan to take over failed, he would probably want revenge,” Thunderbolt growled, swearing to himself that he would make him pay.

“I don’t think so,” Celestia rejected the idea. “He had been in solitary confinement for a year with restricted access to visitors, and Chain Mail and Iron Shield were only recently transferred to the dungeons. That was after they had already stolen the scroll. No, somepony else is orchestrating this.”

“I believe I know who,” Rarity announced. “While I was being held at Charlock Castle, I learned…” she paused to give Spike an uneasy look. “... a great deal. I was able to talk to the Dragon King and almost reached him. I was so close to getting him to giving up his conquest on Equestria, but then this pony showed up and ruined everything!”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Hang on and back up a second! You were able to talk to the Dragon King?” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

“Well… yes,” Rarity replied. “Things were going well until he showed up. He was the one that gave the Dragon King the Scroll!”

“Who was he?” Princess Celestia asked Rarity, everyone stunned from this revelation.

“I didn’t recognize him. He was a blue Unicorn wearing a white robe and a hideous black headdress,” Rarity described the sorcerer that goaded the Dragon King into attacking Fillydelphia. “They had an agreement; he brought the Dragon King the scroll, and the Dragon King would spare him and his followers when he destroys Equestria!”

“White robe… Followers…” Applejack whispered, remembering something. “Wait a cotton-pickin’ second! Did his robe have a grinin’ bat on it?”

“Why, yes! Yes it did!”

“Cider Barrel is a part of their group! They go about spewin’ a bunch of hoowie about the end of world and how they’re gonna rebuild it after the dragons burn it down!” Applejack told them about the cult.

“The same group was there in Fillydelphia after the dragons flew over it!” Thunderbolt added. “It was them that got everypony turning against the dragons in Dragon Town!”

“Yeah, and that mare, Mayor Skinflint’s assistant, was wearing a bat pin on her jacket!” Amethyst recalled. “Maybe she’s also one of them!”

“We must investigate this,” Celestia proclaimed. “Luna, I want you to go to Manehattan and find Cider Barrel. Bring him in for questioning.”

“Yes, my sister,” Luna confirmed.

“Amethyst, Thunderbolt, would you be able to point out the mare if you saw her?”

“Most certainly,” Amethyst confirmed.

“Then we will also bring her in for questioning.”

“There’s another problem,” Amethyst said to everyone’s dismay. “The Dragon King changed the deadline from seven days to three.”

“What?!” everyone shouted collectively.

“He can’t do that! That’s cheating!” Pinkie Pie protested. “That’s cheating, right?”

Celestia sighed and said, “We were lucky that he gave us any time at all. Ryuo isn’t known for his patience. The fact he spared Fillydelphia even after seeing the poor treatment of the dragons was nothing less than a miracle.”

“He said it was gift from my grandfather. What did he mean by that?” Amethyst asked. However, it seemed no one knew the answer to her question except for Rarity and uncomfortable-looking Princess Celestia.

Twilight then looked to Rarity. She studied her friend, trying to make sense of something she had said earlier. “Rarity, you said that you were able to talk to Dragon King Ryuo, almost reaching him. How? How were you able to accomplish such a thing?”

Rarity temporarily faltered when everyone looked at her. She knew the moment had come and looked to Spike, the green eyes she loved staring into hers. He deserved to know the truth, yet she didn’t want to cause him any pain. She then turned to her daughter and said, “Amethyst, Darling, you and Thunderbolt have had a long day and will have an early start tomorrow. Why don’t the both of you go and get some rest.”

“Huh? No, I’m fine,” Thunderbolt replied.

“Come on, Thunderbolt. That’s parent-code for ‘we don’t want you to hear this’. Let’s go,” Amethyst told her friend, ushering him out of the throne room despite his protests.

With the two out of earshot, Rarity summoned all of her courage and spoke again, “After the Dragon King brought me to his castle, he placed that accursed collar on me. Since it blocked my magic and would sound an alarm if I tried to escape…”

“You got that right,” Rainbow Dash quipped, remembering the awful shrieking produced by the skull necklace.

“...the only option I had was diplomacy,” Rarity continued, ignoring her friend’s commentary. “I thought that if I learned more about Spike’s birth mother that it might help me in my situation. I learned her name was Xia. In the Dragon King’s own words, she was a gentle soul of uncommon kindness and generosity. She believed in the pact made between the Princesses and the Dragon King and wanted to improve the relations between ponies and dragons. She came to Equestria to lay her eggs, hoping that they could form friendships with us ponies.”

“Xia…” Spike repeated. He now knew the name of the dragoness that laid his egg. Though he never put too much thought into it before, it brought him a great sense relief and pride to learn that his birth mother wasn’t like other dragons; she was like him. He now felt a connection with her even though he had never met her.

While Spike was elated by this information and the others listening with interest, Princess Celestia looked nervous. In fact, she wore the same troubled expression the white Unicorn did just before she began telling her story of her captivity. Just as Rarity dreaded telling the story, Celestia dreaded what it might reveal.

“But that’s not all. I’ve learned the true reason why the Dragon King is doing all of this,” Rarity continued. She then turned to her husband, her anxiety doubling. “Spike, I have something difficult to tell you.”

“What is it?” he asked, obviously noticing her discomfort.

“The Dragon King… is your father.” The room exploded with gasps and confused chatter at this revelation.

“Say what?!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Oh, my goodness,” Fluttershy gasped.

“I demand a paternity test!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“Whoa Nelly,” Applejack commented, floored by this information.

“His father…” Twilight Sparkle whispered amongst all of the yelling. She then looked to Spike as did everypony else did to see how he would react. However, he didn’t react. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even move. He just kept on staring at her with a wide-eyed expression. He slowly opened his mouth as though he was going to say something, yet no words came out.

Seeing that her husband was literally speechless, Rarity approached him and placed a hoof to the side of his face. “Spike?”

“He… He’s my… father? No! He was lying to you! He had to be!” Spike shouted, refusing to believe it.

“No, Spike, he wasn’t.”

Spike looked into Rarity’s eyes and knew that she was being sincere. She wouldn’t lie to him, not about this. But maybe the Dragon King was a very convincing liar. He turned his long neck to look at Princess Celestia and asked, “It’s not true, right?”

“...It is true. He is your father,” the Princess confirmed solemnly.

“How long have you known?” Spike quietly asked.

She flinched at the question as though the words hurt her physically. Everyone, even Princess Luna, looked at the Princess of the Sun, waiting breathlessly for her answer. “I have always known.”

“Sister…” Luna said in a hushed tone, just as shocked as everyone else.

Celestia found the look Spike was giving her unbearable; it screamed of betrayal. When Spike learned the fate of Xia, it had shaken him but he didn’t have time to dwell upon it with the kidnapping of his wife. But now with this new information, that shock returned stronger than before. Not only was his father the same Dragon King that was threatening to destroy his home, but Celestia, the mare that helped Twilight raised him, not only knew the truth concerning his birth parents but had been keeping it from him for all of his life. Spike then moved past Rarity and headed to the throne room’s doors.

“Spike? Darling, where are you going?” Rarity asked as she and the other Element Bearers followed after him.

“Home. I need to ask Aurum a question,” he answered as he left Canterlot Castle and took off towards Ponyville. As he left the castle, he didn’t notice Thunderbolt and Amethyst eavesdropping from around the corner.

*****

Hargon was overseeing the final preparations for the ceremony. The large cistern in front of the altar in the Temple of Malroth was now filled with the green ooze that was hauled from the reservoir beneath the tower, ethereal vapors rising from its surface. His agents from the second site had also reported that the cistern there was ready to go. Most importantly, Live Wire, Cider Barrel, and the other agents were in position. It was now only a matter of waiting for the right time to act.

Hargon… an overwhelming voice boomed in Hargon’s head.

Yes, Master Malroth, the sorcerer answered the voice.

The agents of the Forces of Light are six once more…

Not to worry, Master. They can’t stop us. I have set a trap for them in the catacombs, and the Dragon King should be burning Fillydelphia to the ground.

FOOL! the voice of Malroth boomed within Hargon’s head, the shear force of the telepathic voice causing Hargon to put a hoof to the side of his head in pain. You place too much faith in the Archwyrm! You were supposed to get him to destroy Equestria, yet he did not! You said you could rectify this error, yet his claw has been stayed again! The city still stands with only minimal damage!

But… But the contingency plans…

Have so far all failed! The trap you have set has failed, and now they have all the weapons that were used to banish Zoma back to this abyss! As for your other contingency plans, your agents had better succeed! Even with that blasted tree out of the way, I still need more destructive energy to breach the dimensional barriers!

But, Master, the ceremony is almost prepared! Your entry into this world is secured! Hargon tried to appease the dark entity. Our agents will not fail us. Our enemies will still have to deal with the Dragon King and won’t be able to interfere when we make our move.

Hear me now, mortal... All must go according to plan... I have been trap here since before time began… I will not tolerate anything or anyone getting in the way of my ascension! The Light will do anything to deny me… You know what shall be required of you if anything is to frustrate the rituals...

I promise you, my master, all of the rituals will be performed as planned, and I will get you all of the destructive energy you require.

I have waited an eternity for this… Do not fail me… With that final warning, the voice of Malroth left Hargon’s mind, leaving the sorcerer knelt trembling on the altar floor.

“My lord?” a voice asked with concern. Hargon looked up to Nightingale standing by his side, offering him a hoof. Taking her hoof, he stood back up while she supported him until he could stand on his own four hooves once more. The members of the cult had paused the preparations and looked to their leader expectantly.

“The Great Malroth grows impatient. The time for the ceremony has come,” Hargon announced to his followers.

“Hail Hargon! Praise Malroth!” the cult chanted before rushing to finish the preparations.

“Go and get Honeysuckle, and then bring Narcissus to the temple,” Hargon ordered Nightingale.

“At once, my lord,” the beige Unicorn acknowledged before leaving to carry out her orders.

*****

Midnight was with Sworn Duty in the Castle of Friendship’s dining room when they hear the front door slam. Rising from the table, they ran down labyrinthine halls of the crystalline tree palace to the source of the noise. As the headed towards the entry hall, they heard the click clack of claws against the polished floors. Moments later, the large form of Spike rounded the corner and came face to face with the two ponies.

“Spike, you’re back!” Midnight greeted her eldest brother. However, she noticed that something was bothering him and asked, “Is something wrong? Where’s Rarity? Were you able to save her?”

“Yes,” he told her, his grumpy growl stunning her. “Where’s Aurum’s orb?”

“It’s in the study,” she told him, concerned by his dour demeanor. She watched him as he headed in the direction of the study, perplexed and worried. She looked to Sworn Duty then back to Spike, wondering if she should follow her brother or to give him space.

Upon entering the study, Spike found the golden orb that contained Aurum’s memories resting on a table. Spike walked up to the orb and tapped its surface with a claw, causing it to glow brighter. The image of a young Aurum was projected before Spike, the magical hologram smiled and bowed when it saw who it was its summoner.

“Welcome back, Spike. How may I be of service?” Aurum’s projection asked.

“The Dragon King is my father. Celestia knew along,” Spike relayed the information to his magical confidant. Hearing this, the projection’s smile faded. By gauging the hologram’s reaction and silence, Spike confirmed his suspicion. “You also knew.”

“Aurum…” the projection began to speak.

“Stop speaking as though you’re not Aurum!” Spike shouted, his anger erupting. “I know you’re not the real Aurum, but you have all of his memories. As far as I’m concerned, you are Aurum. Now, did you or did you not know that the Dragon King was my father?!”

“Very well. Yes, Spike. I did know,” the image of Aurum confirmed, no longer speaking in the third-person. “Perhaps I should explain.”

“Yes, please do,” Spike said, still riled up.

“Ever since the day you first stumbled into my cave, I had my suspicions but no evidence to support them. Curious it was for a dragon to be raised by ponies. How you were hatched by Twilight Sparkle as part as an exam to get into a school, ran by Princess Celestia no less. The mystery of where Celestia obtained your egg. It all made sense in hindsight. You were the son of Xia.”

“You knew Xia?” a surprised Spike asked.

“Of course I knew Xia. Every dragon knew of her. She was the mate of the Dragon King,” Aurum explained.

“You said that you had your suspicions from the start. What was it? How did you know?”

“Simple; you look like your parents,” Aurum causally said. Spike gawked at the illusion of his mentor for his laxed attitude concerning the matter. “You have the bearings of your mother; green eyes, frills, underbelly, and spines. Though she was pink while you are purple, the same as Ryuo.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t Celestia tell me? After all of these years, why didn’t anyone tell me?!” Spike yelled, his voice reverberating off of the vaulted ceiling of the study.

“Celestia asked me not to.”

“She what?!” Spike asked, outraged to learn that Celestia specifically asked Aurum to withhold such important information regarding his true parentage.

“Not long after you returned to Equestria, she visited me and confirmed what I had already suspected. She also asked me not to say anything concerning the matter. However, I did attempt to warn you about him before I died.”

“‘Beware the Dragon King’,” Spike quoted Aurum’s final warning. “So the whole thing about other dragons wanting your treasure was just another lie?”

“It was not a lie. My covetous rivals would have indeed tried to claim my hoard for themselves, but I admit the warning was to encourage you to avoid the Dragon King.”

“But why did you and Celestia go behind my back?!”

“I assume by now that you know of the pact made between the Dragon King and the Princesses of Equestria.” Spike nodded. “Then you already know why.”

“I’m not talking about national security! I’m talking about me!” Spike’s gaze fell to the floor, his anger becoming confusion and pain. “...Why did no one tell me?”

“Maybe you should ask her,” Aurum suggested, looking behind Spike. The purple dragon turned his head to see Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and their closest friends standing at the door. Apparently, they had followed him all the way back to Ponyville. The white Alicorn stepped forward to stand directly in front of Spike.

“Why did you never tell me?” Spike quietly asked. “I understand why you never told the Dragon King, but why not me or Twilight? Wouldn’t it be better if we knew in case he ever found out and came for me so we could be prepared?”

“Perhaps,” Celestia admitted. “But I didn’t want to hurt you. The truth of your origins was such a heavy burden and I didn’t know if you could bear it. I just wanted to protect you. I thought that the less that knew the safer everyone would be.”

Despite his frustration, Spike couldn’t refute her reasoning. How would he have turned out if he had always known that his birth mother was killed in a horrible accident caused by ponies and his father was a demented draconic despot? Would he have rejected Twilight as his mother? Would he have been resentful of Celestia? Would he, like Ryuo, have hated ponies for killing his mother and his unborn siblings? Would he have tried to return to his father and aid him in destroying all of Equestria? Would he have ever met and fallen in love with his wife, Rarity?

“Did you…” Spike’s voice hitched. “Did you ever plan on telling me?”

“Oh, Spike. Of course I did!” she reassured him. “I never intended to keep this from you. I was going to tell you after the festival. But then…”

“Then all of this happened,” Spike finished for her.

“The festival was to be a crowning moment in the unification of our two races. With ponykind and dragonkind united in harmony, it would have finally been safe to tell you.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Spike hung his head and said, “I’m sorry, Princess. It's just that it was only Twilight and me growing up. I never had a father figure in my life, and I only met Aurum when I was already an adult. To find out that I have a father and who he is... it's a lot to take in.”

“I understand.” She closed the distance between her and Spike, wrapping her white wings around his long neck in a hug. “Spike, I have always considered you as a son and have done everything in my power to insure your happiness. None of this was done with the intent to cause you distress. All I wanted was to keep you safe from your father’s wrath.”

“You are truly blessed, Spike,” Aurum spoke up. “You have three mothers that care for you deeply. Xia wanted a better life for you, and that is why she came to Equestria. Twilight Sparkle gave you life and raised you to be a noble dragon. Celestia protected you and ensured that you had a future.”

“He’s right, Spike,” Rarity agreed. “It’s because of them you turned out to be such the wonderful dragon you are.”

Overcome with emotion, Spike used his wings and fore legs to pull everypony close to him. The eight mares latched onto him affectionately while Aurum’s projection smiled at the familial love being displayed before him.

“Thanks, everypony," Spike told everyone.

"Hey! I just realized that this makes Spike a double prince!" Pinkie Pie announced as they broke the hug. Everyone looked at her curiously for a moment before she explained. "He's a Prince of Equestria and the Prince of Dragons!"

"That's why the Dragon King couldn't control you!" Twilight gasped, suddenly making the connection. "And that's probably how you were able to command that other dragon; you've inherited that ability from him!"

"Wow, to think I gave up the position of Dragon Lord to Ember just to find out I was already the Dragon Prince," Spike stated, amazed by life's ironies. "But what does that matter now? Where do we go from here?”

“He’s right. We have less than two days before the Dragon King comes back,” Applejack reminded everyone.

Celestia analyzed the situation for a moment before saying, “The situation hasn’t changed. For the sake of all Equestria, Dragon King Ryuo has to be stopped.”

“But must we really fight him?” Rarity asked hopefully. “There's some good in him, I saw it in his eyes when he spoke about Xia. I almost managed to reach him earlier and Amethyst was able to convince him not to destroy Fillydelphia today. Maybe if we just talked to him we can make peace with him.”

Celestia considered Rarity’s suggestion and answered, “If the path to peace is available, then it should be pursued, no matter how difficult it may be.”

“What if we prove that those robed low-lives are behind this?” Applejack asked.

“I fear it’s too late for that,” Luna told Applejack. “He saw his kind imprisoned by ponies. He will disregard any evidence we present to him. The only reason why he stayed his claw thus far was because of his Dragon Code. In less than two days' time, nothing will be holding him back. ”

“Ryuo is a stubborn dragon,” Aurum agreed with Luna. “Once he has set his mind on something, he cannot be deterred from it, and what he wants now is revenge. The only one who was ever able to speak some sense into him was Xia.”

“Then it’s a good thing we have her son on our side,” Spike replied. “Tomorrow, I’ll surrender to him.”

“Absolutely not!” Rarity adamantly rejected his idea.

“It’s the only option we have. He wants me more than he wants revenge. Otherwise, he would have already attacked. If I gave myself in..."

"Then you will be doing exactly what he wants," Aurum countered. "Do not underestimate him. His hatred for ponies, especially for Celestia, runs deep. He has been waiting for this opportunity for millennia."

Spike realized Aurum was right. The Dragon King even said that he intended to destroy Equestria once Spike had joined him. For all Spike knew, his father could have him locked away as he went on to destroy Equestria. Or worse, he could make Spike watch as he burned everything to the ground. "Then if I can’t get him to stop, then you’ll have to use the amulet on him.”

“If you’re going, then I’m coming as well!” Rarity declared.

“No, it’s too dangerous. You were already his prisoner once. I’m not going to let you go through that again.”

“Be reasonable, Spike. If something goes wrong and the Dragon King invades again, we’ll won’t stand a chance,” Twilight told him. “The Powers of Harmony may be powerful, but I don’t know if they will work on hundreds of dragons at once. We need to be there with you in case something happens. It’ll take all of us to use the amulet, and we’re not going to let you do this alone.”

“Yeah, Spike, don’t be silly. We’re your friends. We’re sticking with you every step of the way,” Pinkie told him.

“Will this plan work?” Luna asked her sister.

“There’s a slim chance, but I have faith in the Powers of Harmony. They will guide you,” Celestia proclaimed.

“Then count me in! Element of Loyalty, ready for duty!” Rainbow Dash saluted.

“Ah’m with ya, pardner,” Applejack said supportively.

“Me too,” Fluttershy meekly chimed in.

“If this is going to work, then we have to sneak into the Dragon Lands undetected,” Twilight announced.

“Okay, but how are we going to get all the way to the castle without being seen?” Spike asked.

“I’ve been thinking about that. I might have an idea,” Twilight confidently said with a sly smirk.

*****

It was the midnight hour and Narcissus was being escorted to the Temple of Malroth atop of the Rhone’s east tower. Four ponies were ushering him across the bridge from the west tower to the east tower, two in front of him and two following behind him. They were wearing the cult’s white robes marked with the grinning bat symbol with the hoods covering their heads. Under the hoods, Narcissus could see that their faces were covered with featureless masks with only a horizontal slit for their eyes.

Upon entering the temple, Narcissus could see the entire cult had gathered inside, every member was wearing the same get up as the four ushers. They were chanting in a language that he couldn’t understand. Narcissus felt underdressed. He had been told he didn’t need to wear anything for the wedding, but he wished they at least could have provided him with a jacket or shirt to make him look more presentable for such an important event such as this.

“Ad gloriam Malroth.

Ad gloriam Malroth.

Malroth venerit mundum purget.”

Walking down the center aisle of the temple, he could see the altar at the end. Towering above it was the statue of Malroth, the colossus illuminated by the glowing green vapors that continuously rose from the vents in the floor. Resting below the platform was a large cistern of the glowing goop that was producing the mist. On the altar, he could see Hargon and a few more cloaked ponies overlooking a table that had candelabras on either end.

“Sol in tenebras.

Luna in sanguinem.

Amor morietur.

Amicitia deficient.”

More importantly, he saw that Honeysuckle was standing at the base of the steps on the left side the altar. Unlike the other followers of Malroth, she was wearing a simple white dress with a wreath of white flowers in her golden mane. Though it was a humble gown for a bride, at least it looked more appropriate for a wedding. Narcissus was also caught off guard by the fact that the bride was waiting for the groom at the altar and not the other way around.

The four ushers motioned to the stairs on the right side of platform, and Narcissus walked around the large cistern to them. As he ascend the right stairs, he looked over to his left to see Honeysuckle across the pool of green ooze walking up the left stairs. Upon reaching the top of the steps, the two joined Hargon before the table.

On the center of the table, there was a gold and jade idol in the shape of Malroth coiling around a horned skull. Narcissus recognized the idol as it was similar to the device that was used to open the path in the mountains to Rhone. Narcissus guessed it must have some sort of magical properties. Also on the table was a pillow with a cloth covering what Narcissus assumed was the rings.

Now that Narcissus and Honeysuckle were standing in the center of the altar, Hargon turned and addressed the congregation, “Brothers and sisters, we have gathered here tonight to bear witness to this sacred ritual! Tonight marks the beginning of the end for the old, corrupt Royal Family! Soon, a new order shall reign!”

“Hail Hargon! Praise Malroth!” the crowd chanted.

“Prince Narcissus has joined us willingly! We have liberated him from the confines of the accursed Celestia’s dungeon, and he has promised to support our righteous cause! Now it is time for him to fulfill his promise!”

I guess this is it, Narcissus thought, standing up straighter and clearing his throat in preparation for whatever what would be asked of him. Hargon then nodded to the four ushers, and then Narcissus found himself being restrained by four holding spells. He tried moving his limbs and activating his own magic, but the combined power of the four Unicorns prevented him from moving other than a few useless wiggles. “H-Hey! What’s the meaning of this?!”

Hargon ignored him and turned back to the table. Using his magic, he levitated the pillow over to Honeysuckle and removed the cloth. Resting on the cushion was an ornate dagger shaped like a claw. The handle was made of bone and had ancient runes carved into it. Honeysuckle took the dagger in her hoof and then approached the paralyzed Narcissus.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Let me go!” the terrified stallion demanded.

“It is as I said, we need your royal blood,” Hargon explained, amused by Narcissus’ terror. “We needed the blood of somepony significant for the summoning ritual, and your relation to the Princesses make you an ideal offering to our god, Malroth. Did you really think that I would allow your line to continue? You and the rest of the Canterlot nobility have no place in the new world. Rejoice, for now your useless life now has a purpose!”

“Y-You’re crazy! You’re all crazy!”

“Hush, my ‘prince’,” Honeysuckle shushed him, grinning at him with an all too pleased smile on her face as she placed the tip of the dagger against the fur of his chest. “This is how it was meant to be.”

“We now summon Bazuzu to aid in our cause! Once he and his brothers have been summoned, the Great Malroth shall rise and cleanse the world!” Hargon announced.

“Venit, Bazuzu.

Venit, Bazuzu.

Venit, Princeps Venti.”

“No! No, you can’t…” He protests became a bloodcurdling scream as the dagger was thrust into his heart, his blood splattering onto Honeysuckle’s face and white dress, the red contrasting against the white. When she pulled it out, Narcissus let out a few short, choking gasps as the blood flowed from the wound, his eyes fluttering before closing for good.

There were a few gasps from the audience. Some of the ponies in attendance were still new to the order and haven’t been fully indoctrinated. Most of them had only joined because they were promised safety from the invading dragons. They watched on in horror as a pony was sacrificed to a strange god before their very eyes. Fortunately, their startled cries were drowned out and unnoticed in the roar of the applauding crowd.

As the stallion’s body dangled limply in the restraining spell’s aura, the ushers turned him around and held him over the vat of glowing liquid located below the altar. Narcissus’ blood trickled from the dagger wound on his chest down into the awaiting liquid.

*****

The theft of the Tree of Harmony and the siege on Canterlot had generated enough negative energy to create a fissure in the dimensional boundaries. The sacrilegious blood ritual sent another ripple through the void and caused the edges of the crack to chip away and widen enough for a shadowy being to slip through from the other side of the wall. After it had escaped through the now wider hole, something else peered through from the abyss, something dark, powerful, and malevolent.

*****

As the blood mixed with the ooze, its green glow changed to red. Combining with the slime, the blood started to thicken and pulsate. The amorphous blob started to take shape, forming a skeletal structure with muscles and tendons spreading over the developing bones.

On the altar, a pleased Hargon watched as the creature grew within the vat, the ritual a success. He looked over to see the ushers drop the corpse of the once Prince of Equestria unceremoniously on the floor. One of the masked ponies standing beside Hargon removed their mask, revealing Nightingale. The beige mare walked over to Honeysuckle, smiling as she wiped the blood from the younger mare’s face.

“Here, let me clean that off for you, my daughter,” Nightingale said as she wiped off the gore. Hargon approached the mares, he too was smiling.

“How was I, Father?” Honeysuckle asked.

“You were perfect,” Hargon congratulated his daughter as he affectionately brushed her mane.

A primal screech was heard as something burst from the glowing red cistern and landed on the altar before the mad sorcerer. It resembled a large baboon with bat wings growing from its back. Red ooze dripped from its purple fur, and it heaved as it took its first breaths in the mortal world.

“Welcome, Prince Bazuzu,” Hargon greeted the ape-like demon.

“Hargon…” the demon uttered.

“We have much to do, my friend. Tomorrow, we need to collect three more ponies to be sacrificed. Once the Agents of the Light are distracted with dealing with the Archwyrm, we shall make our move.” Hearing this, Bazuzu howled in agreement, eager to summon his master to the physical plane. “You must be hungry. You’ll need to eat if you want to be prepared for tomorrow.”

Hargon waved a hoof to Narcissus' motionless form, Bazuzu drooling at the sight of fresh meat. This would be the demon’s first meal as a living creature. Screeching, the ravenous demon bared his his fangs and leapt at the body with outstretched claws.

The Trotan Dragon

Mayor Skinflint stood before Princess Celestia like a schoolfoal sent to the principal’s office. To complete the comparison, the Princess was sitting at the mayor’s own desk while he stood with his tail tucked before her in the center of the office. The sun was shining through the window behind the desk, causing Celestia’s white fur and ethereal mane to glow with a blinding brilliance. Some ponies believed the Celestia was a goddess amongst mares, and the lighting effect was certainly adding support to that belief for Skinflint.

The portly gray Earth Pony had spent all morning explaining his side of the story to Princess Celestia, who silently scowled at him the entire time. At her side was the Kirin, Princess Amethyst. She too looked at the mayor with disdain. No matter what flimsy excuse he offered, it didn’t seem to appease the Diarch.

“I was just acting in the town’s best interest,” he tried to explain. He swallowed nervously and wiped the sweat from his brow. He could swear it was getting hotter in the office by the second.

“No, Mayor Skinflint, you weren’t,” Celestia finally spoke. “You were only acting in your own self interest. You in effect declared martial law and denied the rights of law abiding citizens with no evidence whatsoever. And you did it all with the hope of self aggrandizement.”

“B-b-but… they’re dragons!” Skinflint pleaded. Amethyst snorted at this comment. “They attacked Equestria! They-”

“Had nothing to do with the Dragon King’s invasion,” Celestia corrected and finished for him. She rose from the mayor’s chair and circled around the desk to tower over him. “Do you have any idea of the severity of your actions?”

“N-no…” he stammered.

“I have spent centuries trying to improve relations between ponykind and the dragons,” she told him. She wasn’t yelling at him, but she made sure he felt the weight of the situation. “Long has Dragon King Ryuo desired to avenge his defeat at the hooves of Princess Luna and myself, and I have labored to prove that we could live in peace. And now, because of ponies like you, all that I have worked for, all that has been sacrificed, has been undone in a matter of a few days.”

There was a knock at the door and the Wonderbolts walked into the office. Thunderbolt, his uniform restored to him, stepped forward and reported, “We’ve searched the building and her apartment; no sign of Ms. Nightingale.”

Celestia frowned at this disappointing information, but knew it only confirmed the mare’s involvement with the mysterious cult and the conspiracy to overthrow Equestria. Hopefully Luna would have better results with her search.

“Thank you,” Celestia said to the uniformed Pegasi. “Now place the mayor under arrest.”

“What?!” Skinflint shrieked.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Thunderbolt obeyed, smirking in satisfaction as he and his teammates moved in and placed restraints on Skinflint’s forelegs.

“Skinflint, as Princess of Equestria, I hereby remove you from your office as Mayor of Fillydelphia and arrest you for your crimes against the citizens of Equestria, including wrongful imprisonment, assault, and battery,” Celestia proclaimed to the horror of the former mayor.

“Wait! You can’t do this to me!” Skinflint protested as he was hauled out of the office. “I was framed!”

Amethyst and Thunderbolt stood by Princess Celestia as they watched the stallion dragged off kicking and screaming out of city hall. Amethyst sighed in relief as justice had been served, but it was only a small victory. She could still see the look on Mina’s face from the previous night. Though Skinflint had been arrested, the innocent dragons were still with the Dragon King. She could only hope that her parents and friends could stop the Dragon King.

My grandfather… she thought as she recalled what she and Thunderbolt overheard last night. Once Celestia had returned to Canterlot, Amethyst went to the Solar Princess and sought the truth. Though Celestia was disappointed that Amethyst and Thunderbolt had been eavesdropping, she confirmed that what they had heard was indeed true. Though she took the news better than her father, Amethyst was stilled shocked.

“Amethyst, are you alright, my dear?” she heard Celestia ask her.

“I’m just worried about my parents,” she answered honestly. “Do you think my father will be able to handle it? What if something goes wrong? What if the plan fails and they walk right into a trap?!”

A white wing was draped across her shoulders as Celestia embraced her comfortingly, silencing her fears. “All we can do is to trust in them. I believe they can do it,” Celestia reassured her.

Just then, Princess Luna walked into the office, joining Celestia, Amethyst, and Thunderbolt. The dark blue Alicorn looked tired, bags underneath her eyes. “I see that Mayor Skinflint has been dealt with. Has his Deputy Mayor been found?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” Celestia told her sister. “And were you able to find Cider Barrel?”

“I was not. I searched all over Manehattan for him and his fellow conspirators to no avail. For such a vocal organization, no one seems to know where they have gone. It is the same for other cities across Equestria, even here in Fillydelphia.”

“So they’re gone. All of this has led to a dead end,” Thunderbolt said with disappointment.

“Not quite so,” Luna announced while revealing a letter. “We’ve received a letter from Princess Cadance. King Rutherford has sent a messenger to the Crystal Empire saying that he is willing to take in refugees, but none have arrived in Yakyakistan as of yet. The messenger yak also said that he didn’t encounter any ponies on the road to the Crystal Empire.”

“Then where did they go if not to Yakyakistan?” Celestia pondered aloud upon hearing this report. Turning to the map of Equestria on the office wall, she stepped towards to study the terrain of the lands north of Equestria. “There’s nothing else in that direction other than snow and mountains for as far as the eye can see. The cultists... The missing refugees… It can’t be a coincidence. The cult must be hiding in the Frozen North.”

“My thoughts exactly. Prince Shining Armor and King Rutherford have already sent search parties into the Yaket Range to find the missing ponies. Maybe they will discover the cult’s headquarters as well.”

“Thank you, Luna, for doing so much.” The Lunar Princess nodded in acknowledgement and then covered her mouth with a hoof as she yawned. “Return to Canterlot and get some rest. It’s nearly noon and you have been up all day and all night.”

Luna smiled thankfully in appreciation and left the office in a flash of teleporting magic.

“What now, Your Highness?” Thunderbolt asked Celestia.

“You and Amethyst may return to Ponyville,” Celestia told him. “Thank you both for your help. Now, I must see to it that this evil is uprooted at its source.”

*****

“You lost her?” a displeased Dragon King repeated, Mire the green dragon cowering before the Archwyrm. The cowed Mire placed the cursed necklace sans prisoner on the ground before the golden throne.

“It was Prince Spike and his pony friends,” Mire explained, though Ryuo continued to glare down from atop of the dais. “They dropped a tree on my head, removed the necklace, and hid it in the jungle. By the time I found it, they were long gone.”

“Not only did you let a dragon not even fraction of your age and a bunch of ponies outsmart you,” Dragon King Ryuo roared as he rose from his seat and struck the floor with his staff, “you also let you them best you in combat?! Prince Spike is not even half your size!”

Ryuo sighed and sat back down, frustrated. “Though I supposed it ultimately does not matter. I suspect that Prince Spike will be defiant to the end. I might have to collect them myself. All this means is that due to your incompetence, I have to go out of my way to find them lest they perish along with the rest of their kind.”

“But Master, I couldn’t help it! Prince Spike commanded me to stop and I was forced to obey!” Mire pleaded his case. This new revelation seemed to placate the Dragon King, his anger being replaced with intrigue.

“Is that so? You may go.” Mire decided to take full advantage of his king’s change in attitude and left while he was no longer mad at him. Ryuo was left to reflect upon this information and what it meant. Prince Spike is more powerful than I previously thought. He has already discovered his power as a Royal Dragon and can impose his will on other dragons. Not only that, he can even resist my command. Pride swelling in his chest, Ryuo chuckled to himself. He is already on his way to becoming a worthy successor to my throne.

As Mire departed, his red counterpart, Scorn, entered and announced, “Master, she is here.”

“Good. Send her in.” Scorn left the throne room and a much smaller blue dragon with curved, white horns entered in his place. She was about the same size of Spike and held a claw-shaped scepter that was clutching a bloodstone, the symbol of a Dragon Lord. The young Dragon Lord flew up to the Dragon King’s throne and landed before him, bowing. “Dragon Lord Ember, you did not heed my call when I summoned you.”

“That’s because I was getting ready to attend the New Year Festival in Fillydelphia. And then I find out that you went behind my back and invaded Equestria!” the dragoness defiantly talked back to Ryuo. “Equestria is my domain, and the ponies are my friends!”

“Friends?” Ryuo mockingly asked. Dragons do not make friends, even among their own kind.

“Yes, and it was a dragon raised by ponies who taught me the value of friendship. He proved to me that we could live in peace with them.”

“So, you know Prince Spike,” Ryuo stated, amused by this.

“Yes, he was my first friend ever,” Ember responded, wary of the Dragon King’s reaction. “He’s the reason why I’m a Dragon Lord. He won the Gauntlet of Fire, but stepped down and gave me the Bloodstone Scepter. I owe everything to him, and I won’t stand by as you attack his home!”

“I do not need your approval to have my revenge upon the ponies,” Ryuo brushed off her protest.

“Then what’s the point of having Dragon Lords if you don’t even consult with them before doing something like this, especially within their own domain?!”

“Still your tongue, whelp! I am your king! If I command it, then you will obey!” Ryuo shouted, causing Ember to flinch from the intensity of his voice.

“Sorry, Your Majesty,” Ember apologized reluctantly, scowling at the floor.

“You think that you know the ponies, but you are still young and have yet to learn of the history between our two races.” Ryuo casted a glance towards the magical tree beside his throne, “Though you did not aid me in claiming the Tree of Harmony, I still have need of you.”

“If it means hurting any of the ponies, then count me out,” Ember proclaimed, ignoring the possible repercussions. “I don’t know what they did to you, but they’ve been nothing but nice to me.”

“You may reconsider that once you have learn what they have done. Come, follow me.” Though wary, Ember followed the Dragon King out of the throne room and down one of the many winding tunnels of Charlock Castle. “What if I told you that the ponies you claim to be your friends are not as pure and innocent as they claim to be?”

“I would say that you’re full of it,” she quipped as she followed him through the labyrinthine passageways.

“Doubt me if you will, but it is the truth. Years ago, my bride was killed in an avalanche caused ponies. Her only remaining egg was stolen by Celestia herself, your dear friend, Prince Spike.”

“He’s your son?!” Ember exclaimed, surprised that her dear friend was the Dragon Prince.

“Yes, and Celestia had concealed this fact from me for years. She and her precious subjects will pay for this deception,” Ryuo vowed.

“I can’t believe this…” the blue dragoness said in a hushed tone. She had come to know the Royal Family of Equestria and become good friends with them. They all had hoped that the upcoming festival would strengthen relations between their two nations. Never would she suspect that the seemingly flawless Princess Celestia would be capable of such treachery.

“There is more. I was informed that the ‘civilized’ dragons that dwelt there, your subjects, were being oppressed, imprisoned even,” he informed her. “I went to the city of Fillydelphia and saw it for myself. They were shackled and being kept in cages.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then believe your own eyes,” he said as sunlight shone through the end of the tunnel and the two walked out onto a cliff overlooking a strait. On the other side was the ruins of a castle. Dragon King Ryuo pointed to the opposite shore and said, “There is your proof. I have liberated them from their captivity and brought forth their true natures. You will find them there. If you will not join me in my just cause, then you can fulfill your duty as Dragon Lord and tend to the needs of the refugees.”

Ember looked from the the ruins across the body of water and back to the Dragon King. “I’ll do it for them, not for you. I’m still against your plan to attack Equestria!”

“Your objection has been noted but ultimately means nothing to me,” Ryuo dryly dismissed her. “All that does is reclaiming my son and having my revenge. I have given him an ultimatum to be here by tomorrow. If you happen to see him before then, be sure to direct him to me.”

“Yes, my king,” she cynically stated before starting to fly off towards the castle across the way.

“One last thing, Dragon Lord Ember,” he stopped her. “You may not support my decision, but do not try to stop me.”

“I understand,” Ember stated. Though he didn’t flat out say it, she could see the threat in his red eyes. Even though his current form was smaller than she was, she knew of his true power. It would not be wise to cross him.

“Good. You may go.” As Ryuo watched the young Dragon Lord fly way, he thought to himself, She is defiant, headstrong, and rebellious… He smirked. Very much like Prince Spike, and she already has a positive relationship with him. Perhaps when Princess Rarity inevitably passes, she may make a decent consort for him.

*****

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity peered over the side of the basket of their hot air balloon at the volcanic islands of Dragon Country. A dense haze covered the land, the dark outlines of the patrolling dragons flying in the distance. Along in the basket was an oversized yellow dragon egg with light pink spots.

“Wow, check out the view,” Pinkie Pie said as she admired the scenery. “Hey, Fluttershy. You’ve gotta see this.”

“That’s okay. I’m fine in here,” a timid voice said from inside the yellow and pink egg.

“Eh, suit yourself,” Pinkie shrugged and went back to sightseeing.

“Quiet, Pinkie. We don’t want draw any attention to us,” Rarity urged her in a hush tone. “We’re trying to blend in.”

“As much as a balloon dragon can blend in,” Applejack snidely remarked. “Ah still don’t know how we gotten this far into Dragon Country with no dragon noticin’ this thang.”

Above the basket was a giant inflatable dragon. The green balloon dragon was something that Rarity had made for the upcoming Draconic New Year Festival but was scrapped for the more traditional dragon floats. Rarity was disappointed that the balloon wouldn’t be used for the festival and was quite proud of the work she did on it. It had marionette strings connected to the wings, allowing for them to be operated by a Pegasus flying overhead. The head had an opening allowing for another Pegasus to operate it from the inside. The Pegasus’ wings would stick out the sides of the head, appearing as ear frills, and there was an additional burner on the inside which the Pegasus could use to imitate a dragon’s fire breath. The rope holding the basket and the basket itself was modeled to look like the dragon’s legs and claws.

“Give us some credit, we’ve fooled dragons before with worse,” Rainbow Dash spoke from her position above the balloon. She was tasked with the job of operating the wings while riding on top of the balloon in a fog generated by the Staff of Rain. To lower the risk of being spotted, they flew close to the water.

“I assume you’re referring to the disguise I made back during the Dragon Migration, and I’ll remind you that it worked perfectly,” Rarity retorted, slightly offended by Rainbow Dash’s comment. “And I worked all night on our disguises. I’m absolutely certain we’ll get to the castle undetected.”

The disguises the fashionista was speaking of were the egg costumes like the one Fluttershy was already wearing. Rarity had made an orange egg with yellow spots for Applejack, a pink egg with darker pink spots for Pinkie Pie, and a white egg with indigo spots for herself.

Flying alongside the balloon was Spike. For his disguise, Rarity painted his purple scales red. Upon seeing him with the red and green color scheme, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughed and said that he looked like a Hearth's Warming ornament. Rarity rebuked them and claimed that the red was most becoming for Spike.

“There it is,” Rarity announced, pointing to the distance. Through the fog, the large shadow of a towering volcano slowly materialized. For the others, this was the first time they had laid eyes on Charlock Island. Rarity, on the other hoof, already had the “privilege” of being a visitor to the foreboding mountain. On the peak of the volcano, the could see the outline of towers and battlements.

“Is that Charlock Castle?” Applejack asked as she looked up at the distant volcano.

“No, that’s the castle the Demon Sorcerer Zoma built,” Twilight revealed.

“That’s Charlock Castle,” Rarity clarified, pointing to the entire mountain beneath the castle. Applejack whistled in amazement.

“Hey, Rarity. I don’t suppose you remember the way in,” Rainbow Dash hopefully suggested.

“Unfortunately, I do not,” she answered.

“Besides, we won’t be able to use the front door. Look!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. As they drew closer, they could see multiple flying figures circling the island.

“Of course the Dragon King’s lair would be the most heavily guarded place in Dragon Country,” Rainbow Dash muttered. Then one of the larger figures swooped by close enough to the balloon that they could make out its blue scales. Rarity recognized the dragon as Cobalt, one of the Dragon King’s chief henchdragons. Thankfully, the blue dragon didn’t notice the Trotan Dragon.

“Um, anypony else feel like this is a little too close for comfort?” Pinkie Pie asked, getting nervous at the close proximity of the sentry dragons.

“You’re right. Rainbow Dash, steer us away. Hard to port,” Twilight Sparkle ordered.

“On it,” the blue Pegasus said as she tugged at the strings controlling the wings, causing the balloon dragon to bank left. As they circled towards the north, Spike kept his eye on the dragons circling the island. Then he noticed that one of them broke off from the rest and started to head their way.

“Heads up, everypony. Someone’s coming,” Spike alerted the others.

“Costumes on!” Twilight urgently ordered from her position from inside the fake dragon’s head. Hearing this, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie put their egg costumes on. Once they were finished, they looked like a nest of eggs being carried by a mother dragon. When the approaching dragon came through the fog, they could see that it had red scales and an orange fringe running down its back. They recognized him immediately.

“Garble. Of course,” Spike grumbled under his breath. The last time they had encountered the obnoxious red dragon was during their adventure on Krazoa Island where Spike bested him in combat. That was twenty years ago and both dragons had grown since then. When Spike first met Garble, he was still a child while Garble was considered a teenager. Now, the age gap wasn’t so drastic and the two were near the same size, though Garble still had a slight size advantage. However, Spike had received training from Aurum and had already beaten him before and could do it again. But if they started a fight now, every dragon would be aware of their presence, including Spike’s father. So Spike suppressed his feelings of contempt and watched cautiously as his old rival drew closer.

“What’s going on here?” Garble asked as he flew in front of Spike and the balloon. Rainbow Dash hid behind the row floppy spines that ran down the inflatable dragon’s back. Twilight Sparkle sweated nervously, looking from the eye holes as the red dragon looked at the balloon suspiciously. “Don’t you know that we’re supposed to be patrolling the place? The runt will be here soon and maybe some of his namby-pamby pony pals.”

“Um… Yeah… Well, you see, we just got here. We just had a clutch of eggs when we received the call and it took us some time flying them all the way here,” Twilight recited the prepared cover story in a fake dragon voice. Garble looked from Twilight’s hiding place down to the basket and scratched his chin as he studied the far too big eggs.

“Those are your eggs?” he asked doubtfully. Everyone held their breath as they thought the jig was up. Then Garble laughed and said, “Wow, that must’ve hurt.”

“Uh… Yeah, you’re telling me,” Twilight said while giving a fake laugh.

“Wait, what’s that smell? It smells like… ponies,” Garble stated while sniffing the air, causing everyone to tense. “Are you part of that group of newcomers? Y'know, from that pony city?”

“Yes…” Spike cautiously played along.

“Huh, that explains it. No wonder why you look so wimpy,” Garble mocked, making fun of the funny looking balloon. Though offended from having her work criticized, Rarity held her tongue as Garble continue to laugh at them. Spike suddenly remembered the cryptic advice Discord offered him, When you’re sneaking around in the dragon lands, follow red to blue and you’ll find your way inside the castle.

“We’re a little lost. Could you show us where are the others?” Spike asked.

“Ugh, fine. This way,” Garble grumbled before flying to an island north of Charlock.

“Darling, are you sure this is a good idea?” Rarity asked. “Remember what Amethyst said. These dragons went with the Dragon King.”

“But they were coerced to,” Spike defended the Fillydelphians. “This is Mina we’re talking about. She’s our friend. She wouldn’t turn us in.”

“I know she wouldn’t, but it wouldn’t be up to her. The Dragon King could have them all under his spell by now.”

Spike regarded her well-founded concerns, but said, “Pinkie, Fluttershy, remember what Discord told us?”

“Follow red to blue to find a way inside the castle?” Fluttershy recalled from inside her egg.

“That’s right. He did say that,” Pinkie agreed. “I say we go for it.”

“While Ah would normally take whatever Discord says with a grain of salt, Ah don’t think he’d be lyin’ about this,” Applejack added.

“Okay, let’s follow him,” Twilight concluded.

“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash hesitantly went along with them.

“Hey, are ya coming or not?” an impatient Garble called from up ahead.

“We’re coming! We’re coming!” Spike answered as he and the balloon hiding the ponies followed after him. Garble led them clockwise around Charlock Island to a ruined castle situated on the shore across the strait. Unlike the demon-built castle atop of Charlock, the remains of this castle curiously looked pony made.

Before anyone could ask any questions, the water beneath them churned and bubble. Then a large eel-like creature came bursting out of the water and snapped at the balloon. Seeing the aquatic monster approaching, Rainbow Dash maneuvered the hot air balloon quickly out of the way. More eel monsters popped out of the water, they too wanting to take a bite out of the balloon. Some of the eels shot jets of water at the inflatable dragon and Spike, hoping to knock them out of the sky. The evasive maneuvers rocked the basket, sending the four eggs rolling about.

“Teehee! Eggroll!” Pinkie Pie giggled as her pink egg tumbled around in the basket. The others, however, were less amused. Rarity fused about her mane while Fluttershy started to get motion sickness. While the costumed ponies bumped into each other, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle tried to stabilized the balloon by pulling on the strings and using magic respectively. Though it risked losing their fog coverage, they pulled their ride higher away from the water and the creatures.

As the rocking came to a stop, Applejack asked, “Everypony okay?”

“I think I ruined Rarity’s costume…” Fluttershy queasily apologized.

“Let’s do that again!” Pinkie cheered, her egg bouncing up and down.

“Please, Pinkie Pie! Once was quite enough!” Rarity reprimanded.

“Hush now. We don’t want Garble to hear us,” Twilight reminded them. Thankfully, the red dragon didn’t seem to notice. That was then they noticed a hissing noise that reminded them of a whoopee cushion.

“Uh, what was that?” Applejack asked, horrified by the sound.

“Uh-oh,” Rainbow Dash said as she looked back and saw that one of the creatures had managed to take a bite out of the balloon dragon’s tail, hot air leaking out. “Twilight, we’ve got a leak back here.”

Garble noticed the noise and looked back to the balloon. Thinking quickly, Twilight said, “Uh… Must be something I ate. Phew!”

Garble gave a disgusted looked and held his nose with a claw to block out the supposed smell. Though they had fooled him, the balloon was starting to deflate. Thankfully, the ruins weren’t too much farther. But Rainbow Dash noticed another problem and whispered to Spike, “Psst! Spike!”

She then nodded to his back leg and side, and Spike looked to see that he had been splashed with water. The red paint had begun to run, exposing the purple scales beneath. Seeing this, Spike flew closer to the balloon to hide the spot from view.

As the balloon continued to lose air, it grew hard to keep it aloft. By the time they were over the castle, it was barely floating. Down below, they could see the dragons from Fillydelphia camped out in the ruins. It was as Amethyst said, the civilized dragons were now fully sized just like the rest of the wild dragons.

“Down there,” Garble pointed out.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, struggling to operated the now floppy mouth of the balloon dragon.

“Whatever.” To their relief, he left. Once he was out of sight, the fake dragon gave out and drifted to the ground. Crawling out of the folds of the deflated hot air balloon, the Elements of Harmony found themselves surrounded by a crowd of curious dragons. Seeing ponies arrive in a peculiar manner had them murmuring to each other, trying to make sense of what they were seeing. Once Fluttershy emerged from the collapsed balloon, she nearly collapsed herself from being surrounded by so many dragons. The other ponies were on edge, waiting anxiously to see if these dragons would expose them or attack.

A burgundy dragon with pink hair stepped forward and looked curiously at the ponies before becoming very excited. “Oh my gosh! It’s the Elements of Harmony!”

Hearing this, the other dragons also excitedly chattered and clambered around them to get a better look. This was a good sign as they were showing no hints of aggression. Spike then landed beside his friends and recognized the dragoness.

“Mina?” he asked, amazed that she was now his size.

“Spike?!” she happily gasped, excited to see her old friend and yet another celebrity. When he rubbed the paint off of his face to confirm his identity, she rushed to them and laughed as they embraced.

“Oh, Mina. We’re so glad to see that you’re okay,” Rarity told her as they hugged. “We were so worried about you when we heard what happened.”

“We’re okay… more or less,” Mina said with a hint of sadness, clearly upset about how she and the rest of her kind were unjustly dealt with.

“What’s going on here?” a voice asked from behind the crowd of dragons. The crowd parted, revealing a blue dragon.

“Dragon Lord Ember, look who it is!” Mina eagerly motioned to the new arrivals.

“Prince Spike,” Ember whispered, amazed that he actually showed up. She then looked to the ponies and said, “You shouldn’t have come. It’s not safe here.”

“We had to. We can’t let the Dragon King destroy our home,” Twilight said, the rest of her friends agreeing with her. Ember then approached Spike, whom she had not seen since his latest growth spurt. He was now as large as her and had become quite muscular, his boyish charm maturing into rugged good looks. A blush appeared on her face, Rarity noting the way Ember was looking at her husband. Though Ember was a friend, Rarity instinctively wrapped a possessive hoof around Spike’s fore leg.

“What are you doing here, Ember? Don’t tell me you agree with the Dragon King,” Spike questioned.

“I don’t, but as Dragon Lord of the dragons of Equestria, both free and ‘civilized’, I had a duty to my people.” Ember looked around and motioned to the dragon refugees and their camp. “After what I heard what happened in Equestria, I have to make sure they are cared for.”

“Dragon Lord Ember, I swear to you. I swear to all of you as a Princess of Equestria that what happened in Fillydelphia was not approved or condoned by any of the Princesses,” Twilight Sparkle swore. Mina and the other dragons sadly frowned and despairingly stared at the ground.

“We believe you, Princess,” Ember told Twilight, the other dragons agreeing with her.

“Then why did you go with the Dragon King? I thought that you wanted to live in peace with ponies,” Twilight tried to reason with them.

“Because he was right. Dragons will never be accepted by ponies,” Mina responded, her hopes and dreams crushed.

“My dear, that simply isn’t true!” Rarity protested. “Look at me and Spike. We’re proof enough that we can live in harmony.”

“Look around you,” Ember instructed them, pointing to the crumbling castle walls. “Do you know what this place is? This is the ruins of Tantegel Castle.”

“Tantegel Castle…” Rarity recalled Ryuo mentioning it to her. “From the Kingdom of Alefgard?”

“You know of it?”

“No, but I have heard the name before.”

“I have. I’ve read it in the book Midnight found,” Twilight announced, surprising no one. “After Erdrick and his allies defeated Zoma and Orochi, a pony settlement was established. It didn’t last long.”

“Why?” Applejack asked. Twilight shuffled her hooves uncomfortably, causing the others to understand without having to say a word. “The Dragon King?”

“The Dragon King,” Twilight confirmed. “The Alefgardians lived in peace here for a few generations but grew jealous of their dragon neighbors’ hoards. When a thief tried to steal from the Dragon King’s castle…”

“He labeled all ponies guilty and drove them from his land, destroying this castle in the process,” Ember finished for the princess. “And that’s just one story. Ponies and dragons have hated each other for thousands of years.”

“You’re the exception, not the rule. You haven’t seen what it’s like everywhere else,” Mina gloomily told Rarity.

“Actually, I have. Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of discrimination from ponies that couldn’t accept Spike and me being together, and I’ll tell you that they’re the exception and not the rule,” Rarity tried to reassure her.

“But… the Dragon King said…” Mina unsurely started to say.

“Forget what he said. He was being tricked by somepony who wants to destroy all of Equestria! We’re here to set things right.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Ember asked.

“We need to speak to him,” Twilight explained, causing the dragons to gasp.

“Are you crazy?! He’ll toast you on the spot!” Mina exclaimed.

“The Dragon King is Spike’s father,” Twilight said to their bewilderment. “If anyone has a chance to talk some sense into him, it’s Spike.”

“But what if that doesn’t work?” Mina asked.

“Let us worry about that. All we need is a way inside the castle,” Spike explained. The other dragons looked to each other, none of them having an answer. They were strangers to the dragon lands themselves.

Ember studied the ponies and Spike. She knew that there was some truth to what they have been saying. After all, they were the ones that taught her the meaning of friendship, which allowed her to be a fair and generous Dragon Lord. Her father, the retired Dragon Lord Torch, even praises her for what she has accomplished and says that she is an even greater leader than he was.

“I know of a way,” Ember announced. “But it is forbidden for anyone except Dragon Royalty.”

“I’m the Dragon Prince, and I command you to show us the way,” Spike told her cheekily.

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Ember chuckled, bowing playfully. After all, Dragon King Ryuo did say to direct Spike to him if she saw him. Extending her wings, she prepared to take flight. “Keep low. Stick close to me.”

They nodded with understanding. They had lost their disguises and only had the fog generated by the Staff of Rain to provide them cover. While Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy flew close to Ember, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie jumped onto Spike’s back. Before they all took off, Spike turned to Mina and the other dragons. They were looking up to them with hope.

“Don’t worry. We’ll fix this, and you’ll all be able to go home,” Spike promised, and then flew after Ember towards the east.

“Be safe,” Mina whispered as she watched their only hope fly to meet their destinies.

The Dragon Graveyard

Dragon Lord Ember and the six ponies stood on the rocky shore of Charlock Island’s eastern peninsula, a cliff lining the perimeter of the island. Waves crashed on the rocks behind them as they stared into the seemingly blank wall. Supposedly, the secret passage into Charlock Castle was somewhere on this beach. Spike was in the water washing off the remaining paint from his scales. After he was done, he joined the others by the cliff face.

“So what are we looking at? How are we supposed to get in?” Spike asked, looking for any sign of a hidden entrance in the cliff.

“There’s a hidden passageway here. It’s protected by magic,” Ember explained, pointing to the rock wall.

“Hold do we open it?” Applejack asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Ember admitted.

“You don’t know,” Applejack asked incredulously. “Ah thought ya said ya knew the way inside.”

“I said I knew of a way, not the way!” Ember clarified. “The only ones that have been in there are Royal Dragons. So maybe Spike can open it.”

They all turned to Spike, the Royal Dragon in their midst. Spike stepped forward, looking unsure at the sealed entrance and asked, “Uh, so how do I open it?”

“I don’t know. You’re the Dragon Prince, not me,” Ember shrugged.

“Just give it a try, Darling,” Rarity encouraged him.

“Well, here goes nothing,” he muttered as the others stepped back, watching in anticipation. Spike cleared his throat and said boldly, “Open Sesame!” When the rock face remained unchanged, Spike turned back to his friends. “Well, I did all I can do.”

“What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked critically.

“Hey, give me a break! I only found out I’m the Dragon Prince just the other day!” he said defensively.

“It’s okay, Spike. We’ll figure this out,” Twilight reassured him.

“We better do it soon, because it’ll be dark before long,” Applejack stated, looking at the afternoon sky.

“Just give him a moment,” Rarity urged Applejack. Despite his friends’ patience and encouragement, he had no idea his status as a Royal Dragon was supposed to open a magical door. The only other time he had used this power was against the green dragon, Mire, and that was done inadvertently. Thinking about Mire gave Spike an idea. Maybe if he imagined himself back in the swamp fighting to rescue Rarity, he could activate the power.

“Okay, I’m going to try something,” he told them. They nodded and stepped back again. Visualize. Visualize, he told himself. He could see the towering green dragon. Their attempts to restrain him had failed, and was about to breath fire at Twilight. Spike could remember the panic he felt as he was about to watch his mother be roasted alive. He also remember the feeling that rushed through him. Spike’s pupils once again contracted, and he spoke in a commanding voice, “Open!”

There was a rumbling sound as the rocks comprising the cliffside trembled. Clouds of dusts billowed as the rocks rolled out of the way, revealing the mouth of tunnel large enough for them to walk inside.

“Good work, Spike! I knew you could do it!” Twilight gleefully congratulated while everyone looked down the dark passageway.

“Wow! How far does it go?” Pinkie asked, her voice echoing down the tunnel.

“In theory, this should lead us to the hollowed out magma chamber, where the Dragon King’s lair is located,” Twilight Sparkle stated.

“So all we have to do it follow it and we can get the drop on him,” Applejack surmised.

“That’s the idea,” Ember confirmed.

“Actually, we would have to come in from the top to get the ‘drop’ on him. We’re more ‘popping in’ than anything else,” Pinkie Pie clarified, giggling at her own humor.

“But wait,” Rarity interrupted. “Most of the tunnels I saw were already occupied. How do we know we won’t be walking into another dragon’s roost?”

“Yeah, and what makes this one so ‘forbidden’?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Because this one leads to the Royal Dragon Graveyard,” Ember explained. Everyone blanched upon hearing this and turned to look at the blue Dragon Lord in shock.

“A dragon graveyard?” Fluttershy asked slowly, not liking the sound of it at all.

“Ugh, Ah’ve had my share of boneyards for this adventure already,” Applejack said with disdain, remembering the enchanted skeletons they encountered beneath Canterlot.

“A dragon graveyard!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, though more intrigued than Applejack or Fluttershy. “I’ve only read theoretical articles on their existence! I had no idea they were real!”

“They are very real. They’re where deceased dragons are laid to rest,” Ember explained. “There are a number of them hidden in secret locations around the world. This one in particular is where the Dragon Kings and Queens of old are buried. No dragon would dare to nest in this lava vent. Besides, both ends are sealed.”

“So we’re exploiting the fact that this tunnel is sacred to dragons to sneak up on Spike’s dad. Hurray for sacrilege!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Obviously, I can’t join you. I have to care for the refugees,” Ember told them. “Besides, I wouldn’t dare to enter there myself.”

“We understand, Ember. Thank you for helping us,” Spike said to her.

“Be careful,” Ember urged them. “Once you’ve opened the other end, you should be in the Dragon King’s throne room. Also, I don’t know what you’ll find in there. I used to believe as a hatchling that the graveyards were haunted.”

“Great, that’s all we need. Giant dragon skeletons coming to life,” Rainbow Dash muttered sarcastically. Hearing this, Fluttershy began trembling at the idea of coming face to face with any dragon skeletons, animate or inanimate. Looking back behind her, she saw that it was getting late into the afternoon, their flight to the Dragon Lands having taken most of the day. Not only would they be heading into an underground dragon graveyard, but it will be night by the time they reached it. She tried to suppress her anxieties by gulping.

“Good luck,” Ember wished them well as she took off and flew back towards the ruins of Tantegel Castle, leaving the six ponies and one dragon standing at the threshold of the resting place of rulers of dragonkind.

“Are… we really… doin’ this?” Applejack unsurely asked.

“Yes, Applejack, we are. Because if we are to have any chance at success, this is the only way,” Twilight firmly announced. Princess Luna would be raising the moon soon, and they only had until sunrise to stop the Dragon King. She looked to Rainbow Dash and the Staff of Rain she had been carrying for the entire trip. With the Staff, and the Sunstone and Erdrick’s Amulet that were in Twilight’s bag, they should everything to take on the Dragon King. However, will they really work? Theoretically, there shouldn’t be a problem, but there was a difference between doing something in theory and doing something in reality. “Now, are we all ready?”

One by one, they all either voiced their confirmation or nodded. Taking the lead, Twilight Sparkle stepped into the lava vent and walked into the darkness. Spike shortly followed afterwards, and then the rest of them save for one.

Fluttershy still remained on the shore, looking up at the volcano in the distance with the dragon sentinels circling it. This was really it; this was the point of no return. Once they passed through this “dragon graveyard,” they would face Dragon King Ryuo. Whether Spike could reason with him or if they would have to use the magical talismans they had gathered against him was still unknown. It was also uncertain if they would even get the chance to use them before they were all roasted on the spot.

“Fluttershy, you coming?” Rainbow Dash called from inside the tunnel. The yellow Pegasus looked back to her friends and saw them waiting for her, the cave illuminated by the magenta glow of Twilight’s horn.

“Um... everyone, there’s something I need to tell you,” Fluttershy started to say.

“You’re afraid of dragons. We know,” Rainbow Dash dryly said, assuming her friend’s hesitation was related to her long history of dracophobia.

“No, that’s not it. Well, I am afraid, but that’s not what I wanted to say,” she tried to clarified.

Concerned, Applejack walked back to her and asked, “What’s wrong, sugarcube?”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you all, but I haven’t had the opportunity to since all of this started.” By this point, the rest of her friends had joined Applejack in supportively surrounding her. “Remember how I went to the doctor’s office the other day?” They all nodded, recalling her appointment. They all had expected for the results to be the same as it was for the past eighteen years, but now her behavior was making them nervous. Had the doctor discovered the reason for her infertility? Was there something seriously wrong with her? Had their dear friend been diagnosed with a terrible illness? “I… I…” The mare began to tremble as tears began to leak from her teal eyes.

“Yes, go on, dear,” Rarity encouraged her, on edge herself to hear whatever alliment was afflicting her precious friend. They all leaned in with anticipation, ready to console her during her inevitable breakdown.

“I’m pregnant!” Fluttershy blurted out, overcome with emotion. This unexpected revelation combined with the intensity of her outburst sent her friends staggering backwards.

“Called it!” Pinkie Pie cheered, being the first to recover.

“Pinkie Pie, how could you have possibly ‘called it’?” Rarity asked incredulously.

“C’mon, Rarity. With your eye for detail, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed her itty bitty baby bump!” Pinkie Pie laughed, moving over to Fluttershy to lightly prod at her slightly distended belly, eliciting a surprised “eep!” from the pregnant Pegasus.

“Well… I didn’t want to be rude. Talking about a lady’s weight isn’t polite,” Rarity explained, both she and Fluttershy blushing with embarrassment.

“Yer… pregnant?” Applejack breathlessly asked, staring wide eyed at her sister-in-law.

“Twins! I’m having twins!” Fluttershy announced between happy sobs.

“Fluttershy… I don’t know what to say,” Twilight said with wonder.

“Well, how about ‘congratulations’ for starters?” Rarity suggested as she moved in to hug her friend, joining Pinkie Pie with Rainbow Dash. Regaining her senses, Twilight Sparkle joined them in hugging Fluttershy as well.

The only ones not hugging her was Spike and Applejack. Spike didn’t want to smother her with his large bulk so resigned to smiling and congratulating her while standing over the others. Applejack, on the other hoof, was still in shock. Once she snapped out of it, she didn’t look too pleased.

“Are ya outta yer mind?!” Applejack furiously shouted, surprising everyone else with her outrage. “Yer pregnant…”

“With twins!” Pinkie Pie obliviously added happily.

“...with twins, and ya come on a dangerous mission to the middle of Dragon Country anyway?!” Applejack ranted, trying to make clear the foolishness of Fluttershy’s decision.

“Yes,” Fluttershy answered, surprisingly calm despite being reprimanded by Applejack.

“Consarnit, girl! What were ya thinkin’?!” Applejack demanded an explanation.

“I was thinking that I needed to be here,” Fluttershy told her.

“Where ya need to be is back home with Big Mac and Posey! Ooh, wait until we get back! Ah’m gonna give Big Mac an earful for lettin’ his wife do somethang so foolhardy as runnin’ off while pregnant!” Applejack vowed.

“Big Macintosh knew just as well as you do that it’ll take all six of us to use the Magic of Harmony against the Dragon King,” Fluttershy retorted, catching Applejack off guard by the strength of her resolve.

“But…” the orange Earth Pony tried to argue, but she indeed knew that her friend had a valid point.

“But nothing. I know the risks and may be scared out of my mind, but I also know what will happen if my Element is needed and I’m not here to use it.” Fluttershy’s expression softened as did her voice. “We all got a job to do. If we don’t do this, then everypony, Big Mac, Posey, Apple Seed, Sour Apple, and everyone else we care about, will be in danger.”

“Ah know yer right, but that doesn’t mean Ah have to like it,” Applejack begrudgingly accepted.

“I don’t like it either, but it is what is it.”

“Just promise me one thang; if thangs take a turn for the worst and it don’t look like we’re gonna make it, Ah want you to run for it.”

“I promise.” Fluttershy knew it wouldn’t matter if she ran or not if they failed. Without them, the Dragon King would lay waste to Equestria. Applejack knew this as well, but Fluttershy’s promise did give some peace of mind.

“Good. Now that we got that settled, may we continue?” Twilight asked, returning their attention to the mission. Lighting her horn again, she led the way into the passage that would take them beneath Charlock Island. The light from Twilight Sparkle’s horn only illuminated the area immediately around them, casting their shadows on the tunnel’s walls. The walls were warped, shaped by the flow of magma eons ago. They couldn’t tell how far it was to the volcano’s core, nor did they knew what to expect to find once they reached it.

As they ventured into the darkness, Rainbow Dash flew beside Fluttershy and asked, “So how is it that you’re pregnant? I mean, with the complications with Posey’s birth, we thought the doctor said… you know… you wouldn’t be able to have any more foals.”

“After Posey was born, they told me it would be unlike that I ever would have foals again, but Big Macintosh and I kept on trying,” Fluttershy told them. “At this checkup, the doctor was amazed and told me that she couldn’t find any sign of injury. It was like I never had complications.”

“Yeah, but how?” Rainbow Dash asked, unsatisfied by the vague explanation.

“I don’t know. I’m just happy that I’ve been blessed with more children,” Fluttershy happily responded, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“I think I have an explanation,” Twilight Sparkle announced from the head of the group. There was some hesitation to her voice as she continued. “It might have something to do with what I discussed with the other princesses the other day.”

“You mean the findings of your research you were going to tell us the other day?” Rarity asked. “What you described as being… ‘big’?”

“Yes. I suppose since Fluttershy told us her surprise, I might as well share mine as well.” Twilight took a breath to brace herself while her friends waited eagerly to hear what she had to say. “Ever since that first Summer Sun Celebration all those years ago, I’ve been trying to understand our interwoven destinies and our connection to the Elements of Harmony. Was it by chance that we all saw Rainbow Dash’s rainboom when we were fillies, that we all became best friends and the heroes of Equestria, or was it fate? Why I was chosen to become an Alicorn, and what would it mean for me? What role would I play, and… would I live for thousands of years like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?”

The tunnel grew quiet as those that followed Twilight listened intently. It was something they all had pondered about, but never dwelt upon it too much. They all knew how the Diarchs of Equestria had been alive for millennia and had seen and even been a part of all the events that formed their nation’s history. They also realized that they everyone they ever known and loved had grown old and died; an endless cycle of joy and heartbreak. Would it be the same for their friend they looked to for leadership? Would she be forced to watch as they too aged and pass away? It was a fear Spike knew all too well. It had haunted him relentlessly since he was a child.

“And what about Cadance or Flurry Heart? Cadance is like me; she had ascended to be Alicorn. But Flurry Heart was born an Alicorn. Is there a difference? And is there a way we can know?”

“Is there?” Applejack asked, almost meekly, voicing the question they all shared.

Twilight looked over her shoulder at her before responding, “Like I said, I have been monitoring our development over the years, checking for any signs of delayed or even halted aging. So far, I’ve observed that while Cadance and I have matured, we haven’t shown the usual signs of aging common in mares our age.”

This fact was clear to see. Twilight no longer the scrawny, introverted Unicorn that used to live a library but was now a regal figure of majestic grace. She and Cadance stood as tall as Princess Luna, most other ponies having to look up to her. She carried herself with poise and commanded the respect of her subjects. If her friends hadn’t known her since before her ascension, they too might have believed that she was an immortal demigoddess.

“So yer sayin’ that you and Cadance, and mostly likely Flurry Heart, don’t age like us normal ponies?” Applejack asked. “Heh, can’t say I ain’t surprised.”

Twilight gave a snort of dry amusement at Applejack’s comment. “Applejack, you all are more special than you all realize. You are anything than just ‘normal’.”

“Especially Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said under her breath. “There’s nothing ‘normal’ about her at all.”

“And thank goodness for that!” Pinkie proudly replied to Rainbow Dash’s comment. “Otherwise, life would be way too boring. In my opinion, there’s nothing normal in being ‘normal’. Remember Starlight’s village where everypony was the same? Too creepy.”

“Anyway,” Twilight said a little loudly to take back control of the conversation. “I started to wonder what was causing the deceleration in our aging.”

“Uh, isn’t it because you’re Alicorns?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Possibly. But I’ve also observed a lack of aging in each of you. I believe the Elements are having an effect on us all.”

This caused another silence as the group took in this revelation, but then Applejack laughed, not seeing where Twilight was going with this. “Ah’m not sure if ya noticed, Twi, but Ah have mah share of gray hairs and crow’s feet. Ah mean, Ah know that they made you an Alicorn and all, but they haven’t done anything like that for the rest of us.”

“Yeah, are you sure it isn’t just you?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“I didn’t notice them at first, but it is clear to me that I’m not the only one being affected. I believe that your aging has been delayed as well and your general health has been enhanced by our exposure to the Elements. Haven't any of you noticed that you’ve hardly aged a day since that first Summer Sun Celebration all those years ago? I mean, just look at Rainbow Dash. Her body is still in pristine condition despite years of intense physical activity and hasn’t slowed down a bit. In fact, she’s only gotten faster!”

“If that’s your way of saying that I’ve got a hot bod, then thanks!” Rainbow Dash cheekily said, making light of the situation.

“And look at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle then pointed to the pair. “They could pass for Surprise and Posey’s sisters!”

“And what about Applejack and me? If you haven’t noticed, but I have a large streak of silver in my mane and I wear glasses,” Rarity pointed out as she ran a hoof through her luscious head of hair.

“And like Ah said, Ah’m no spring chicken anymore,” Applejack reiterated.

“Rarity, you’ve always been farsighted, and that silver streak is in the exact as same spot as Nightmare Rarity’s. It clearly a side effect being possessed by the Nightmare Forces. And Applejack, when did you first notice your wrinkles and gray hairs?”

“Golly, it’s been years. Let me think…” Applejack paused as she tried to recall. “Hmmm… About eleven years, Ah suppose. Ah first noticed them not too long after Apple Seed…”

“Was born. The same night you discovered Cider Barrel was having an affair and assaulted you,” Twilight Sparkle finished for her. “But have any more appeared since then?”

“No, none that Ah’ve noticed.”

“And have you slowed down in your apple farming or any other physical activity?”

“Shoot no. Ah’m still buckin’ them trees right along with Sour Apple like always!” she bragged.

“See? Those are premature wrinkles and gray hairs induced by high levels of stress. Other than a few cosmetic differences, nothing else has changed physically.”

“But does this really mean we have longevity?” Rarity asked, still doubtful.

“I believe so,” Twilight stated.

“So… longevity, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked, taking in the information. “What are we talking about here, thousands of years like the Princesses?”

“I doubt it’ll be that long,” Twilight chuckled. “We’ve seen that we’re not completely immune to the passage of time and are still subject to disease and injury.”

“And what about our children?” Fluttershy asked. “Is this hereditary? Will they live longer too?”

“I don’t know. The only one I’m certain will live longer than the average pony is Amethyst, and that’s because she is half dragon. But it is possible. Afterall, Flurry Heart was born an Alicorn like her mother. We’re just going to have to wait and see.”

“Does… Does this mean we’re going to outlive our husbands?” Fluttershy asked. “Soarin… Flash… Cheese… and… my Big Mac?”

Twilight didn’t answer at first, but then carefully confirmed what was already implied, “Well… most likely, yes. Listen, I know this is a lot to take in, and I’m doing my best to understand myself. But I’ll tell you what the other princesses told me; I’m here for you. We all are.”

There was silence in the tunnel as the group of best friends stared at one another under the light of Twilight’s magic. Fluttershy was still teary eyed, sniffling softly. Pinkie Pie was unusually quiet, and Rarity held onto Spike’s fore leg for support. Rainbow Dash looked thoughtfully at the floor, still trying to decide if this was awesome or depressing.

“And more importantly, we’ll have each other,” Applejack added. At this, all seven of them came together for a hug with Spike draping his wings around them. Looking over to Spike, they could now relate to the dragon. For years, Spike had been plagued with nightmares of a future where he would watch everypony he knew and love die of old age. Now, he wouldn’t be alone.

As Spike held those who were most precious to him, he felt a weight lifting from his heart. Maybe it was selfish, but he felt relieved that he no longer had to fear the future. Sure, Rarity may or may not live as long as he would, but now he knew that he had more time with her, with all of them.

Releasing each other from the embrace, they turned back to face the ongoing tunnel. Somewhere ahead was the dragon graveyard and the Dragon King’s lair beyond that. They would have to tread lightly. Their newly discovered longevity wouldn’t last very long if they were discovered now. Pressing on, they kept their eyes peeled for any sign of an exit.

Much of their trek was in silence, the only sounds being the echos of their hoofsteps and Spike’s claws reverberating off of the walls. Time seemed to lose all meaning as the cave kept on going. Every time they would round a bend, they hoped to see something that would indicate they were getting closer to their destination.

Each of the seven had a concern weighing on their minds. Spike wondered if he was ready to face the Dragon King, knowing now that he was draconic despot’s son. Would he be able to talk him out of attacking Equestria, or would he be forced to fight him?

“Hey, what’s that?” Pinkie Pie asked, bringing everyone to a stop as they peered through the darkness. In the distance, there was another light coming from the end of the lava vent. However, it was dim, the light of Twilight’s horn blocking it. The Alicorn dimmed her magical aura, allowing them to see the light clearly. It was a lime green, and it was coming from just around the corner.

“I think we’re here,” Twilight told the others as she cautiously walked forward.

“Watch out. Lime green is the color of evil,” Pinkie warned. Ignoring her comment, they continued to approach the mysterious light. As they drew closer, the light began to reveal an opening. A glowing mist the same color as the light was slowly emitting from the opening. As they cautiously walked through it, the fog swirled around their legs.

Fluttershy looked down at the luminous fog surrounding her hooves and then looked up only to scream as she came face to face with the gaping maw of a dragon. A blue hoof covered her mouth, Rainbow Dash silencing her before she could potential give away their position. As the panicking yellow Pegasus screamed into her friend’s hoof, she saw that what she looking at was actually a dragon’s skull jutting out from the wall. She didn’t know if that was better or worse. Either way, they had come to the entrance of the dragon graveyard.

Rainbow Dash removed her hoof from Fluttershy’s mouth. Though no longer screaming, Fluttershy still looked up to the gaping mouth with wide eyes. As their eyes adjust to the dim light, they saw that the dragon graveyard was huge cavern with multiple cavities in the walls. In each opening was the skeletal remains of a colossal dragon, each the size of the Dragon King. The green light and mist was coming from pits in the floor. Stone archways crisscrossed over these pits, creating a winding path that led deeper into the cemetery.

As they walked past the skull’s mouth to enter the cavern, they gazed up at the massive teeth. Though they all had seen the Dragon King before, it dawned on them they were about to face a creature of comparable size as the skeleton they were passing under. All seven of them could fit inside the mouth of Spike’s father. As this occurred to them, Applejack couldn’t help but to imagine the fossilized fangs coming crash down on them. The Earth Pony shivered at the thought and quickened her pace.

“Incredible…” Twilight whispered. She and her friends were the first of ponykind to lay eyes upon a fabled dragon graveyard. As they stepped onto the first natural arch, they peered over the edge at the glow below them. Each of them gasped in wonder as they saw a lake of glowing green viscous ooze in place of molten rock. The luminous fog was rising from the ooze, filling the enormous cavern with a haze.

As they crossed over the arch, Spike took in the sight of the colossal skeletons embedded in the cave’s walls, realizing that these were his ancestors. There was only one Dragon Monarch born per generation, and a dragon could live for thousands of years. Due to the fog and sheer size of the cavern, it was impossible to get an accurate count of how many of them there were from just a glance, but there were easily dozens. Thousands upon thousands of years worth of legacy resided in this hallowed chamber.

A low whispering noise caught Spike’s attention, him stopping mid-step to look for the source of the sound. As he scanned the room, he saw nothing other than the rising vapors. Seeing his hesitation, Rarity asked, “Is something wrong, Spike?”

“I thought I heard something,” he answered. Hearing him say this, everypony looked in all directions, but the chamber remained silent.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Rainbow Dash claimed.

“Nor did I,” Rarity added.

After waiting for another moment, Spike relented, “I guess it was nothing.”

Everyone forgot about it and pressed on, not noticing that an image formed in the misted. It took the shape of a horned, serpentine creature, coiling around one of the pillars that supported the cave before fading away without a trace.

Pinkie Pie stepped closer to the ledge and peered down at the green ooze. “What’s that stuff down there?” the pink pony asked, the rest of her friends joining her in observing the unknown substance. “It isn’t lava.”

“Magma,” Twilight corrected, entering her lecture mode. “Molten rock is called magma when it’s underground. It becomes lava only once it reaches the surface. In either case, you’re right. This isn’t lava or magma.”

“Then what the hay is it?” Applejack asked. Twilight didn’t know how to answer that question at the moment, but she scanned the environment to see if she could gather any clue as to exactly what it was they were seeing. As they stepped off an arch, they saw that they came to another sepulchre in the side of the cavern. Resting in the opening was the bones of a previous Dragon King.

On the edge of one of the skeleton’s empty eye sockets was a glowing droplet of green slime. The droplet slowly grew until it ran down the skull like a tear to the floor, running down to the reservoir of the glowing ooze beneath them. Walking up to the skull to get a better look, Twilight studied the liquid that seemed to be excreting from the fossilized remains. Using her magic, she pulled out a quill from her bag and scooped up a sample of the slime on the feather and turned back to the others. They all huddled around the levitating feather, staring at the drop of green on it.

Twilight squinted her eyes at it before looking back at the bones. She then looked to the other remains and then down to the lake. Her eyes widened and exclaimed, “I don’t believe it.”

“What? What is it?” Applejack asked.

“Ectoplasm,” Twilight whispered, staring back down at the sample she had collected like it was the find of a century, even more so than the dragon graveyard.

“Ecto-what now?”

“Ectoplasm,” Twilight repeated.

“What’s ectoplasm?” Fluttershy asked, just as confused as Applejack.

“A theoretical substance produced by psychokinetic energy that allows non-corporeal entities to manifest themselves in the physical world!” Twilight explained, growing more excited at the discovery. “Paranormal researchers claim that this substance is produced only with an abundance of spectral activity, but no conclusive evidence has ever been discovered!”

“Uh, are we supposed to understand any of that?” Applejack asked, only understanding half of the words her brainy friend was using.

“It’s the goo that ghosts make,” Rainbow Dash translated, apparently understanding Twilight’s scientific ramblings. Everyone looked to her with surprise, but she shrugged it off. “I watch a lot of horror movies.”

“Ahem…” Twilight cleared her throat, reeling in her excitement as to give a clearer explanation. “Ectoplasm is a ‘goo’ that materializes when supernatural forces are abundant. Non-physical entities, such as spirits or ghosts, can use it as a means to interact in our physical world.”

“Ah get it. So ghost wear it so they can touch stuff?” Applejack put it into her own terms.

“More or less,” Twilight confirmed. Looking back at the fossils, she thought of how this was all possible. She never took paranormal research seriously, believing it was only a pseudoscience. Yet here she was, confronted with the supernatural.

“Um, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, drawing Twilight’s attention away from the glob on the quill. “Where do we go from here?”

Putting the quill away, Twilight looked about the chamber. Due to the dim lighting and the fog, the cave seemed to go on forever. With the multiple openings in the walls and the countless winding paths over the lake of ectoplasm, it was uncertain which way led out of the dragon graveyard. They could waste hours exploring the labyrinthine tunnels before they would find a way out. Unfortunately, they didn’t have hours to go spelunking.

“Pair up. We got to find the way out,” Twilight ordered. She paired off with Rarity while Rainbow Dash went with Fluttershy and Applejack went with Pinkie Pie to search the various crypts for an exit. Spike, the odd one out, went by himself, flying across the cavern.

As they left behind the skeleton, green vapor rose from the corpse and floated after them. While the heroes of Equestria searched for the exit, more clouds arose from the graves, their gaseous forms accumulating. As the green smoke trails flew about the cavern, they took shape, taking on serpentine forms. Then the vague shapes of spines and horns appeared on the cloudy bodies and the fronts of the tendrils formed heads, complete with glowing green eyes and mouths filled with fangs.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack were peering down a dark passageway, squinting hard to see the end of it. In the darkness, they saw it came to a dead end. The only thing in it was yet another skeleton. Pinkie Pie then frowned and looked to her knee, stretching her leg to alleviate the discomfort that suddenly developed. Her eyes widened as she realized what it meant.

“Applejack, my knee is getting pinchy!” Pinkie urgently whispered.

“Pinchy knee?” Applejack repeated. She recalled that it was Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense warning her that something scary was about to happen. She turned around and looked behind Pinkie Pie, seeing the spectral dragons starting to emerge from the tombs. “Pinchy knee!”

Hearing Applejack shout, everyone else looked from where they were searching and gasped at the sight of the ghosts.

“Uh oh, I think we woke them up!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Fluttershy shrieked and hid behind Rainbow Dash for protection. One ghost dragon mimed a roar and dove at Twilight and Rarity, causing them to hit the deck as the spirit swooped overhead.

“Get behind me, quick!” Spike called out to the others, extended his wings as his friends ran to him and took shelter as the agitated spirits of his ancestors stormed above them. Once again, Spike could hear the whispering, but with the multitude of ghosts, the whispering was now clear. Though they spoke in a language Spike never had heard before, Spike could understand them. In fact, it was though he understood this language better than the Equestrian tongue he had been raised with, like it was a part of his very being.

“I can hear them,” Spike said aloud.

“Well, what are they saying?” a frightened Rarity asked from under his wings. Spike listened to the voices, deciphering what all of them were saying.

“They’re angry.”

“We can see that!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. “What are they upset about?”

“‘Defiled’... ‘Trespassers’...” Spike translated the most often repeated words he heard coming from the swarm of souls. “They’re saying that they have been awoken from their slumber and that ponies have defiled their sacred cemeteries. They think it was us! No! It wasn’t us!”

The spirits continued their whisperings, conveying their displeasure to the young dragon.

“They said that the balance has been disrupted. There’s a rift between the worlds,” Spike explained.

“Of course the world’s in disarray! We’re here to bring balance back! ” Twilight Sparkle called up to the whirling dragon ghosts. This got their attention, the glowing dragon heads looking down at the Alicorn. “The Tree of Harmony has been stolen! Ryuo, one of your own, has taken it! If we don’t do something, things are only going to get worse!”

The spirits of Spike’s forefathers looked at the strange ponies in their resting place and the dragon that was accompanying them. They communed with each other, considering the Alicorn’s claim.

“What are they saying now?” Rarity asked Spike.

“They’re debating on whether to believe us or not,” Spike answered. One of the serpentine souls swooped down, hovering directly in front of Spike. It looked him in the eye with the two lights that acted as its own. Spike felt uncomfortable being this close to a ghost. Due to the cloudy composition of the ghost’s form, it was hard to read its expression.

“...Spike…” a voice called from within this single ghost in the Equestrian language.

“You… know me?” Spike asked, taken aback. The ghost then turned back to the others, speaking once again in the draconic language. Peeking out from Spike’s purple and green wings, everypony saw the spirit floating between them and the rest of the ghost dragons. Though the ponies couldn’t understand the words, they knew that the ancient dragons were communicating to one another once more. Eventually, the dozens of other ghosts looked past the one down at the intruders, particularly at Spike. Then the multitude of gaseous entities floated away one by one, save for the one that interceded. It urged its kin to return to their eternal slumber, the spirits departing back to their bones and dissipating. Once the other spirits had been laid back to rest, the one returned to Spike and the ponies.

The green ghost then turned back to the uninvited guests, floating down until it was level with Spike. While the seven of them were grateful that this one had stopped the others from causing a ruckus that potentially could have alerted the Dragon King to their presence, they were curious about what it wanted.

“What is it doing?" Rarity whispered as she and the others stepped out from underneath the safety of Spike’s wings.

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted, speaking softly in case raising her voice would somehow frighten the spirit away. The ghost suddenly darted away, its sudden movement causing everyone to flinch, and flew down to the lake of ectoplasm. Its smokey body dove into the glowing substance, disappearing beneath the surface. Spike and the ponies ran to edge of the cliff, waiting to see what would happen.

The surface bubbled and churned before a luminous being bursted forth from the ectoplasm. A dragon ascended from the lake, the slime dripping from its wings as it hovered before the heroes. Its viscous body was translucent and had a sparkling sheen, glowing green with the ectoplasm of which it was made. It was like Twilight explained; the incorporeal spirit was using the ectoplasm to create an artificial body.

By its appearance, they could tell that the dragon was female. Though she wasn’t nearly as large as Ryuo, she was still bigger than Spike, being the size of an average adult dragon. Through the green glow of the ectoplasm, they could see the colors she had been in life. The dragoness was pink and had a row of mint green spines running down her back. Seeing the features of the pink dragoness, something rang familiar with Spike and Twilight and their friends.

“...Um. Thank you,” Twilight said, uncertain of what else to say to the benevolent ghost.

“No. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle, for what you have done for me,” the dragoness said back, surprising everyone that she knew her name.

“What did I do for you?” Twilight asked, but the dragoness only smiled back.

“You’re looking for the Tree of Harmony?” the dragoness asked, dodging the question.

“Yes, we have to get it back from Dragon King Ryuo,” the princess explained. “Equestria… The whole world can’t survive without it, and he’s keeping it in his lair. Can you help us get it back?”

“I can show you the way, but I cannot leave,” the ghost of the dragoness explained. “I can’t materialize without the magic of this place.”

“We appreciate anything you can do to help us,” Twilight told her.

“And how do you plan on getting it from Ryuo?” questioned the ghost.

“I’m going to talk to him. I’m his son,” Spike told her.

“This I know,” she responded, confusing everyone. “Ryuo has always been a stubborn old fool. It’s unlikely he’ll listen to anyone.”

“I’ve spoken to him before, and I almost managed to talk him out of attacking Equestria,” Rarity told the ghost, surprising her. “If anyone can do it, it’s us.”

“And what if he doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll have to use the Powers of Harmony upon him,” Twilight sternly explained, pulling the Amulet of Erdrick from her bag. The ghostly dragoness marveled at the sight of the legendary relic, realizing that they did indeed had the power to face the Dragon King.

“Very well. If that is the way it must be. Follow me,” the dragoness sighed, suddenly despondent. The spirit floated down the chamber, prompting the others to follow her. As they walked and/or flew down the winding trail, they wondered about their spiritual guide and how she was acting. She wanted to help them reclaim the Tree of Harmony, but she was hesitant to help them face Ryuo. She also had a certain interest in Spike. Though, they supposed, it shouldn’t be surprising considering that she had to be one of their relatives.

Rounding a corner in the gargantuan chamber, they came to a dead end. There were a few openings in the wall, but the ghost flew to one of them and said, “This one will lead you to the throne room. Once you open the seal on the other end, be prepared.”

“Thank you once again,” Twilight said as they entered the tunnel, turning back to say farewell to the ghost who had helped them.

“See, Fluttershy? She’s a dragon and a ghost, but she’s nice!” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“T-thank you,” Fluttershy thanked, no longer afraid but still shy.

“Wait,” Spike said before the ghost could depart. There was something about her behavior and her appearance that was bothering. “I have to know. Who are you?”

She reached out to him with a claw, caressing his cheek. Though it felt gooey and left a smiley trail on his cheek, there was a comforting warmth to her touch. She closed her eyes and sighed, “Oh… I have waited so long to be able to do that.” She opened her teary eyes and smiled sadly at Spike and then looked towards the Alicorn in the group as her form began to deteriorate, the ectoplasm beginning to run. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for saving our child. Thank you for being his mother when I could not.”

“Xia?” Twilight gasped, suddenly realizing why the dragoness seemed so familiar. Everyone else was amazed and looked at the fading dragon.

“Mother?” Spike whispered, but it was too late. With one last smile, the ectoplasm splashed on the floor, only the gaseous serpentine spirit remaining. Before he could say anything else, she flew to a nearby tomb, dissipating as she reentered the bones.

Spike left the tunnel and went to the grave, his friends following behind him. Walking up to the skeleton, he took a long look at the dragoness that had given her life to bring him into the world. His friends gave him time out of respect, but they all knew they had to keep moving. After placing a claw on Xia’s skull, Spike rejoined the others.

“Spike, are you alright?” Rarity asked her husband with concern.

“I’m fine. Let’s just go,” he said solemnly as he walked down the tunnel, preparing to face his father and save his home.

Between Father and Son

As the tunnel came to a dead end, they knew that the Dragon King’s throne room was just on the other side of the sealed entrance. Twilight Sparkle stepped forward to inspect the wall, her horn lighting the dark tunnel. She then turned around to face her friends and said, “Okay, gather around.”

Her horn brightened, creating a bright flash of white. Everyone closed their eyes to block out the light. Once they opened their eyes again, they saw the air shimmer and ripple around their bodies before fading.

“That was an insulation spell,” Twilight explained. “It keeps the area immediately surrounding our bodies at a constant temperature, protecting us from sudden changes in temperature.”

“Like if the Dragon King decides to breathe fire at us?” Applejack correctly assumed.

“Just a little precaution if things don’t go well,” Twilight explained.

“You mean we’re fireproof? Awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, looking down at her body trying to see the invisible barrier that was protecting her.

“Fire resistant,” Twilight clarified. “The spell was designed for firefighting, volcanologists, and arctic exploration, not combating dragons. I don’t know how well it’ll hold up against dragonfire, but it’ll give us some protection. So just don’t go running head first into their fire breath.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Rainbow Dash muttered, who had been planning on doing exactly just that until Twilight explained why that course of action would be ill-advised.

“As soon as I open the door, he’s going to hear it,” Spike stated.

“Then we need to be ready,” Applejack said.

“I’ve got the staff,” Rainbow Dash announced, holding up the Staff of Rain.

“And I have Sunstone and Erdrick’s Amulet,” Twilight said, pulling said objects out of her bag with her telekinetic magic. She then passed the amulet to Rarity. “Here, take this. If it comes to it, Rainbow Dash will use the Staff to create rain, and I’ll use the Sunstone to make a rainbow. I’ll need you to catch the rainbow with the amulet.”

“Right,” Rarity confirmed, taking the golden talisman in her light blue aura.

“Applejack. Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie. Keep close,” Twilight told them. “We’ll need to be together to active the amulet, so be ready to act.”

“Got it!” Rainbow Dash saluted, the others making affirmative noises.

Twilight’s horn activated again and a magical dome covered the ponies. Their images blurred until vanishing completely from Spike’s view. From where Twilight once stood, he could hear her ask, “Spike, can you see us?”

“No,” he replied.

“Good. Everypony, stay under the dome while Spike talks to the Dragon King. He’ll might attack if he sees us. Besides, we’ll need the element of surprise if we need to fight.” Turning to her son, Twilight said, “Okay, Spike. If you’ll do the honors.”

The purple dragon stepped towards the sealed wall, taking in a nervous breath. He knew what once he opened the doorway, there was no going back. He’ll have to face his father and convince him to abandon his quest for vengeance, or fight him to save Equestria from his wrath. Concentrating, Spike focused on the wall and commanded, “Open.”

The wall trembled and then divided, giving way so that the dragon and the six ponies could pass through. Stepping through the threshold, they beheld the spellbinding sight of the Dragon King’s treasure hoard. Like a lake of coins and gems, the hoard completely covered the floor of the central chamber of Charlock Castle, continuing around the corners and bends of cave. Rising above the immeasurable wealth like an island was the observation platform. On the end closest to them was the dais of the Dragon King’s golden throne. Resting beside it was their objective, the Tree of Harmony.

As Spike anticipated, the dragons that were sleeping in the multiple tunnels lining the walls of the throne room awoke with a start once they heard the rumbling of the wall. Three dragons swooped in and landed before Spike and the hidden ponies, ready to confront the intruders. Spike recognized the trio as Scorn, Cobalt, and Mire. Once the dragons saw who it was, their eyes widened with surprise.

“You!” Mire snarled, clearly remembering their last encountered. The green dragon crouched in an aggressive stance, Spike bracing himself for an attack.

“Who dares intrude in my castle?” Dragon King Ryuo’s voice came from the throne.

“It’s Prince Spike, Master,” Cobalt answered.

“Leave us,” Ryuo ordered. At his command, the observing dragons withdrew into the tunnels. Cobalt and Scorn also turned to leave, but Mire remained. He kept his eyes locked with Spike’s, desiring revenge for his previous humiliation.

“Mire,” Cobalt called to his cohort. Mire knew that he was told to leave by his king, so he gave the smaller dragon one last snarl before following red and blue dragons into a tunnel.

With all the other dragons gone, Spike and his unseen comrades were alone with the Dragon King. From his throne, Ryuo called to Spike, “Come now, let us speak face to face.”

“We’re right behind you,” Rarity’s reassuring voice whispered to him, giving him the courage that he needed. Spike stepped out from the passageway that led to the dragon graveyard and onto the treasure hoard. The coins and gems tinkled and clinked as they shifted as Spike and the ponies walked over them. They circled along the edge of the throne room, drawing closer to the dais. Drawing closer, they could see the pitiful state the Tree of Harmony was in. Its blue and purple color was gone, replaced with a dull gray and black. No longer did it glow with an inner light, and the Elements of Harmony had also lost their color.

Once they passed the Tree, they could see the Dragon King sitting upon his throne, looking down at Spike. He was in his smaller, robed form, but that didn’t make him any less intimidating. Spike unfurled his wings and flew up to the platform before the throne with a quick downbeat of his wings. Landing, Spike caught a glimpse of the Sword of Erdrick at the base of the dais, but the Dragon King’s voice call his attention upwards, “Prince Spike.”

“Father,” Spike said, looking up at the seated figure. Ryuo was resting his chin on a fist as he reclined on the ornate throne, his dragon-shaped scepter leaning against an arm. Hearing Spike address him as “father” caused a fang-filled grin to appear on the Dragon King’s face.

“Welcome home, my son,” Ryuo greeted. Gesturing with a claw, he said, “This is Charlock Castle. I am pleased that you have come of your own volition. I was starting to think that I would have to collect you myself.” The grin faded, replaced by dark scowl. “Tell me, how were you able to enter undetected? How did you discover the dragon graveyard?”

“We had a map,” Spike answered, not entirely untruthful. But something he said caused the Dragon King to once again smile maliciously.

“Ah… ‘we’...” Ryuo repeated Spike’s choice of words. “So you are not alone. I knew Celestia would send someone to infiltrate my castle along with you. Tell me, where are they hiding?”

Down below the platform, the six ponies flinched, fearing that they have been discovered. Ryuo’s red eyes scanned the chamber, searching the shadows for the ponies. When he briefly made eye contact with the cloaked ponies, they felt an almost overwhelming urge to step out from under Twilight’s invisibility spell and reveal themselves to him. Once his gaze had passed by, they shuddered. Twilight knew what they had just felt was the dragon-spell.

“I came alone,” Spike tried to cover for his friends, Ryuo’s gaze returning to him. “It’s just you and me.”

“Do not lie to me!” the Dragon King roared, grabbing his scepter and striking the dais with its base. “Do you think I could not tell if ponies had sneaked into my home like thieves in the night?!” His forked tongue flickered out from his mouth, tasting the air. He then gave Spike an accusatory glare. “You have brought assassins here to slay me while you distracted me, did you not? I can smell them.”

Seeing her husband in trouble, Rarity decided to act. Using her magic, she passed Erdrick's Amulet to Applejack, the Earth Pony looking down at the golden seal on her hoof with confusion. Looking back at Rarity, she saw her starting to leave the safety of the invisibility dome.

“Rarity, no!” Applejack urgently whispered. Rainbow Dash tried to pull the fashionista back, but she shook off her friend’s hooves. When they tried to reach for her again, Twilight spread her wings, blocking them. The Alicorn understood what she was doing; the Dragon King had ordered Spike to come to Charlock with his family. By doing this, Rarity could placate the Dragon King while allowing the others to remain hidden.

Stepping out from under the dome, Rarity called up to the platform, “I’m here!”

Looking back down, Ryuo was pleasantly surprised to see his daughter-in-law. Spike jumped down and landed by his wife, whispering to her, “What are you doing? What about the plan?”

“It’s alright. Just take me up,” she told him calmly. Trusting her, he lifted her up in his arms and flew back to the dais, setting down at the base of the steps. Looking up to the Dragon King, she greeted, “Your Majesty.”

“Princess Rarity, how nice it is to regain your company. I was quite distressed when Mire told me of your escape,” he told her. “However, someone is missing. Where is my granddaughter? I told her to accompany Prince Spike here as well.”

“Leave her out of this. This is just between us,” Spike said defensively.

“We just want to talk,” Rarity calmly told him.

“The time for that has passed,” Ryuo growled. “I have seen for myself the injustices committed against my subjects and have liberated them. Once I have collected Princess Amethyst, I shall finally unleash my vengeance upon all of Equestria!”

“But you were deceived! It’s that sorcerer! He’s behind all of this!” Rarity revealed. “He gave you the report to spur your anger! He was pulling the strings behind Mayor Skinflint! He’s using you for his own means!”

“Then he and I have no bargain!” Ryuo vowed in his anger. Rising from his throne, he continued his rant, “He and his followers shall die along with the rest of your kind! Too long have I been plagued by your wretched race! The sorcerer shall die! Your kin shall die! Luna shall die! And above all, Celestia will die! Oh, I ache to burn her out of existence, to drive her accursed face out of my memory forever!”

“I won’t let you hurt anyone!” Spike shouted up at his father.

“Do not attempt to defy me! Blood or not, I will not let you stand between me and my vengeance! You and your wife can either stand with me or stay out of the way whilst I deal with the vermin!” Dragon King Ryuo descended the steps of dais until he stood before his son and daughter-in-law. Though Spike stood taller than his father in his current form, the malice in Ryuo’s red eyes would be enough to make any creature to run in terror. However, Spike had to stand firm. He and the others came for the Tree of Harmony, and they were determined not to leave without it. “What say you? Will you stand with me?”

Meeting his father’s stare, Spike answered, “No.”

“Thou art a fool!” The Dragon King raised his staff, Spike and Rarity flinching in anticipation of an attack. Instead of attacking them, Ryuo pointed his staff down at the spot where their friends were hiding. Red electricity crackled from the mouth of the staff’s wooden dragon head as a spell formed. Seeing this, the five ponies gave a startled cry as they leapt out of the way as a bolt of crimson lightning launched out of the scepter. Coins and gems were sent flying and a loud peal of thunder rocked the cavern as the ponies ducked for cover. Realizing they were no longer hidden by Twilight’s spell, they looked up to see the Archwyrm glaring hatefully down at them. “I knew there were others. I think I shall start with them.”

Ryuo charged another spell but heard a roar and looked to see Spike pouncing at him. The Dragon King raised a glowing claw and pushed Spike back with a wave of telekinetic magic. Distracted by his son’s attack, a prismatic blur shot at him and struck him across his jaw. Snarling, he looked up to where the blur had gone to see Rainbow Dash hovering above him, the Staff of Rain in her hooves. She brought the staff over her head, the carved lightning bolts glowing yellow, and then swung it at the Dragon King. Holding up his own staff, a barrier of red sparks countered the lightning generated by the Staff of Rain. Ryuo took a breath and spat a ball of red dragonfire at the Pegasus. Rainbow Dash looped around the fireball, evading the attack.

A beam of magenta magic stuck him across his back, causing him to bend over from the force of the assault. He discovered his new attacker was Twilight Sparkle. She swirled around, trying to zap from all angles. Twirling his staff, he blocked the zaps with it as the Twilight kept on shooting them. Rainbow Dash sped in again with a hind leg outstretched in a diving kick. The blow struck him again across the jaw, but he countered by spinning around and smacking her with his tail. Rainbow Dash hit the stone floor hard and tried to raise herself up only to be pushed back down by the weight of his foot. She struggled to free herself, but the Dragon King opened his mouth.

As the flames began to build in the back of Ryuo’s throat, Twilight landed on the platform between Spike and Rarity and the Dragon King. Her horn glowing, she readied another spell. Twilight launched another beam while Ryuo breathed his dragonfire at her instead of Rainbow Dash. The spell collided with the fire, causing an explosion. The force pushed Twilight back and knocked Ryuo off balance, allowing Rainbow Dash to squirm herself free.

His attention back on the Alicorn, he raised his scepter at Twilight and shot red lightning at her while she launched a magenta beam of light from her horn. The spells met midair and crackled as they pushed against one another. Twilight grunted as she strained to maintain the attack. Ryuo grinned viciously from seeing the Alicorn struggle. It took two Alicorns to best him before, but now there was only one.

Groaning as Rarity helped him back up, Spike saw his pony mother confronting his dragon father, and she was losing ground. Behind the Dragon King, he saw the Sword of Erdrick sticking out from the platform. Coming to Twilight Sparkle’s aid, Spike jumped forward and roared. From his mouth, he emitted magical shockwave. It was a spell Aurum had taught him, and the same one Ryuo had used against him during their first encounter. Focused on Twilight, Ryuo didn’t have time to react. Green sparks of electricity covered the Dragon King’s body, causing him to cringe as the binding spell limited his mobility. Though it wouldn’t hold him for long, it did break his concentration, causing him to stop his torrent of red lightning and allowing Twilight’s spell to make contact. The beam struck him against the chest, sending the robed dragon sliding backwards over the edge of the platform.

Ryuo landed on his treasure hoard, snarling with frustration. Standing up, he noticed two more ponies that were standing before him: the pink one and the yellow one. He took a breath, ready to incinerate them, but a lasso tightened around his neck, throwing off his aim. The fireball stuck the base of the elevated platform, and he looked back to see the orange one pulling on the rope. Grabbing the rope, he pulled on it, whipping Applejack off her hooves and dragging across the piles of treasure.

Applejack came to a stop in front of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, the two helping her up. Looking back to the Dragon King, they saw him preparing to shot red lightning at them. Applejack push her friends back and stood her ground. Bracing herself, she was ready to take the blow for her friends. She heard the crackle of lightning, but the pain never came.

Opening her eyes, she that they were standing on the platform alongside Spike, Rarity, and Twilight. The Alicorn’s horn was still glowing, indicating that she had just cast a spell. With their instantaneous transportation, Applejack figured it must had been a teleportation spell.

Spike darted forward and grabbed the orichalcum sword by the hilt. The blade sliced through the stone with no resistance as he pulled it out of the platform. As he held the sword in his claw, the Dragon King flew up and landed back on the platform in front of Spike. Seeing his son holding the sword, Ryuo glowered at him and raised his scepter. Spike swung the blade and sliced through the head of the staff, sending splinters and bloodstones flying in an explosion of magic.

Backing away from the brilliant flash, Ryuo looked to the ruined scepter in his claw. Throwing the useless stick away, he seethed at Spike. The younger dragon was pointing the blade at him, his pony friends behind him.

“Surrender. I have the sword,” Spike proclaimed. The six ponies smirked triumphantly, believing the fight to be over.

Ryuo’s rage became amusement as he sneered, “Do you believe that you have won?”

“Well, duh! Your magic wand is broken, and we have a sword that can cut through anything,” Rainbow Dash stated as she hovered over the others. The King of Dragons didn’t look intimidated or concerned. Instead of surrendering, he waved a claw. In a flash of fiery magic, another dragon staff materialized, identical to the one Spike had shattered. Ryuo relished the surprised look on their faces.

“You seem surprised. This scepter is but a symbol of my authority as the Archwyrm, not the source of my power,” he mocked, waving the staff in front of them. The ponies' surprise faded into determination, and Spike rose up on his hind legs.

“Give us back the Tree of Harmony,” Spike demanded.

“You mean… THIS?!” Suddenly spinning around, the Dragon King shot a blast of red lightning at the crystalline tree, causing the ponies and Spike to gasp in shock. The lightning struck the Tree, cracks rapidly spreading across its surface from the point of impact. A harsh, red light shone from the cracks before the Tree of Harmony exploded into a myriad of tiny shards. The heroes of Equestria watched in helpless horror as the pieces of the Tree sparkled in the air before twinkling down on the treasure-covered floor of the chamber. A larger piece landed on the platform, ringing as it bounced on the stone. Once it came to a stop, they saw it was a six-pointed star. Tears filled Twilight Sparkle’s eyes as she looked down at what remained of her Element of Magic; a gray, lifeless rock that was cracked in a thousand places.

“No no no…” Twilight cried as she ran forward and scooped up the broken remains of the Element. The safety of the world depended on the Tree of Harmony. Without it, chaos would reign and a new age of darkness would began.

“Have no remorse. It had died awhile ago,” Ryuo relentlessly mocked her sorrow. Twilight looked up at him with tear-filled eyes to see the cruel smile upon his face. “What good is a jewel ceases to sparkle?”

“You… You…” Twilight trembled with rage, unable to form the words. Her horn started to glow intensely, the air rippling around it. With a shout, she unleashed a powerful beam of magic at the Dragon King. “Monster!”

The Dragon King raised his scepter to counter the attack, but the speed and intensity of the attack was too great to stop. The draconic despot was sent hurtling into the stone steps of the dais, shattering through them and causing the golden throne perched on top of it to come crashing down on him. Twilight panted and sweated from the strain of unleashing such an attack, but then ran to the crumbling edge where the dais once stood. The others joined her in looking down at the rubble. Somewhere underneath the collapsed masonry, the Dragon King was buried.

“Is he…” Fluttershy began to ask but stopped herself. Spike sighed, filled with regret. He didn’t wish for his father to die, but Equestria had to be protected. He was planning on destroying everything and everyone. But even now that he was dead, the fate of Equestria was left uncertain. What would they do without the Tree of Harmony? How would the world survive without its protective power?

“Spike, I’m so sorry,” Twilight earnestly apologized. She was shaken, both from overexertion and the thought of taking a life. “I… I just reacted. I didn’t mean to… to kill him.”

“I thought that I could get through to him. Make him listen to reason,” Spike lamented. Closing his eyes, he sighed, “I guess there was no other way.”

“I thought so, too,” Rarity told him as she placed a hoof on his claw. “I saw something inside of him when he spoke of Xia. He had a heart once. It’s a shame that it had to come to this.”

“C’mon, y’all. Let’s go home,” Applejack suggested, calling her friends away from the grisly scene.

After taking one last second to look at the golden throne atop of the pile of stones, they turned away and started to walk down the length of the platform. They didn’t make it more than a few paces before they heard a sound. Before they could question what it was, Pinkie’s tail began to twitch. Reacting, she jumped back pulling Applejack, who was in the lead, with her in time to avoid being crushed by the Dragon King’s golden throne. Realizing that it had been tossed onto the platform, they turned back to see the horned figure of the Dragon King rising from the rubble. He dusted himself off, unfazed by Twilight’s attack and having his throne dropped on him.

“No way,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in disbelief. Twilight and Spike were both relieved and terrified at the same time. Twilight hadn’t killed Spike’s father like they feared, but now the Dragon King had murder in his eyes, murder that was meant for all of them. Like a fiery whirlpool, a vortex of magic enclosed around the furious Dragon King.

“We should run now,” Twilight suggested. As they turned and fled down the platform, a fiery column plumed behind them, reaching to the roof of the cavern. The magical tornado dispersed with the flap of mighty wings, revealing the Dragon King’s titanic true form. The colossal, dark purple dragon rose on his hind legs and roared, the deafening noise rocking the hollow magma chamber.

Ryuo dropped back down onto all fours and unleashed a blast of red dragonfire at the seven running along the elevated platform, not caring if Spike and Rarity were in trajectory of the flames. All restraint had been replace with unbridled rage. If they perished, then so be it. At least he still had another heir, Princess Amethyst.

Looking back as they ran, Twilight saw that the billowing flames were quickly gaining on them. In mere moments, they would be consumed. Thinking of a solution, she ordered, “Jump!”

Following her lead, they leapt off of the side of the platform and landed on the treasure below. Ducking for cover under the ledge of the platform, the ponies winced as the flames passed overhead. The air around their bodies shimmered as the insulation spell shielded them from the searing heat, though it was still unbearable.

“Too hot! Too hot!” Pinkie Pie screamed under the roar of the flames. It felt like standing in front of an opened oven at the highest setting. Fluttershy whimpered in fear and discomfort. Applejack pulled her hat down over her face, protecting it from the heat. Spike then dove over his friends, covering them with his fireproof wings.

The flames ceased, but then came the thunderous footsteps of the Dragon King as he started to crawl the length of the throne room towards them. They could also hear him take in another deep breath in preparation for another blast. Under the safety of Spike’s spread wings, Twilight Sparkle thought of the next step of her escape plan. She saw a large opening in the roof of the cave, realizing that it was the main conduit of the volcano. Knowing that more dragons would be awaiting them if they took another other exit, it was their only way out. She turned to Rainbow Dash and saw that she still had the Staff of Rain. “Everypony, get on Spike! Prepare to fly when I say so! Rainbow Dash, I need you to make clouds!”

Not questioning the Alicorn, the Pegasus swirled the staff above her. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity climbed onto Spike’s back while Fluttershy prepared to take flight. As the red light appeared again in the back of Ryuo’s throat, dark storm clouds generated above his head. In his determination to exterminate his enemies, he didn’t notice the brewing, indoor storm. He craned his massive head over the side of the platform, the ponies and Spike looking up at him in fear. As he opened his mouth to finish them, a sudden downpour caught him by surprise. The flames rising from the sides of his maw made contact with the torrent of rain, the clashing temperatures instantly creating a dense cloud of steam. Shaking his head, he roared in frustration as his view was blocked by the thick vapors.

“Now!” Twilight shouted once she saw that the Dragon King was distracted. The fliers took off and climbed towards the clouds covering the ceiling. As Twilight predicted, the heat created by the flames were pushing the clouds up through the opening. Flying into the clouds, they used it as a means to cover their escape.

Once the steam cleared, Ryuo searched about for his targets. He scanned one end of the cavern to the other, checking each nook and cranny of the expansive chamber. When he didn’t see them, he thought that they could have used an invisibility spell again. Nostrils flaring as he sniffed, he discovered that their scents led upward. Looking up in the rain, he saw the clouds rising up through the volcano’s chimney. Roaring, he climbed into the opening in pursuit. It was too narrow for him to fly through, so he dug his claws into the sides of the chimney and pulled himself up.

Hearing a rhythmic booming, everyone looked down to see two red lights through the cloud. It didn’t take them long to realize that they were the glowing eyes of the Dragon King. Like two infernal spotlights, the eyes searched for them in through the cloud. Seeing that they were being chased, Twilight looked up to see the moon in the distance. They were near the throat of the volcano, but if the Dragon King breathed fire now, they would have no place to go.

“Hurry!” Twilight shouted, urging Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike to flap their wings faster. Approaching the top, the clouds billowed out of the top of the volcano. Exiting through the caldera, they saw the night sky above them. On the highest peak of the volcano stood the ominous ruins of a castle. Recalling the information Midnight had uncovered, this was the former headquarters of the Demon Sorcerer, Zoma.

Hearing an all too familiar rumble, Spike and the ponies looked back down in the crater to see Ryuo about to breath more dragonfire at them once. Looking back at the remains of the castle, Twilight shouted, “Into the ruins! Hide!”

Diving behind crumbling walls, pillars, and statues of horned demons, the six ponies and one dragon watched as red dragonfire erupted from within the volcano. At the base of the volcano, the army of dragons looked up when the night sky lit up with a red flash. Across the straight at Tantegel Castle, Dragon Lord Ember and the Fillydelphian dragons awoke to see the burst of flame, thinking that the extinct volcano had somehow became active again.

Rising from the depths of Charlock, Ryuo looked about summit. They were near; he could taste them. Stalking towards the dark ruins of Zoma’s castle, a low growl escaped his throat. He was actually beginning to enjoy the hunt. He gripped the broken battlements and towers of the castle with his immense claws as he scanned for any sign of movement within the multiple floors of the castle.

Applejack and Fluttershy were hiding underneath the remains of the grand stairwell of the castle’s hall. When they saw a huge eye peer the hole knocked into the wall, Applejack pulled Fluttershy further back into the shadows, trying to make themselves less noticeable as possible. Trembling, Fluttershy held onto Applejack while the farmer ran a comforting hoof through her mane. Even when the eye moved on, they didn’t relax. It could be back at any moment.

The eye moved to another hole in the wall that opened up to a long corridor. Statues of the Demon Sorcerer lined both sides of the hallway, a moth-eaten carpet running down the center. Hiding behind one of the statues, Pinkie Pie was standing on her hind legs, mimicking the statue’s pose to better blend in. Even though it was unnecessary, she even adopted the statutes’ grotesque expressions. Once Rainbow Dash, who was hiding behind the statue’s base, looked up at Pinkie Pie, she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were actually directly underneath the Dragon King. They had taken cover in the castle’s outer wall. They feared they had been discovered when his left claw grabbed onto the wall, collapsing part of it. Spike could see them from his place inside the castle’s west tower. He also saw an opportunity to strike back. Ryuo was wide open for an attack, his chest exposed. Spike looked to the sword in his claw. Reluctance filled him for a moment, but he convinced himself that this was the only way. His father wouldn’t listen to him, and he was determined to kill them all. It was either save his friends and himself or allow his father to destroy Equestria!

Steeling himself, Spike took deep breaths and then sprung from his hiding place with a tremendous yell. Ryuo snapped his head down to see his son flying underneath him, Spike’s friends also peeking out from their hiding places once they heard his war cry. Before the Dragon King could react, Spike hurled the Sword of Erdrick at his golden underbelly with all of his draconic strength. The orichalcum blade soared through the air like an arrow and struck the Dragon King right over his heart.

Ryuo’s red eyes widened with shock and staggered away from the castle, looking down at his chest. Even Spike’s friends looked on in disbelief. Ryuo panted in horror, waiting for his inevitable demise. A moment passed, but the Dragon King remained standing. Dread started to fill Spike; something was wrong.

The Dragon King blinked, still staring at his own chest, and then began to chuckle. It grew louder until it became thunderous laughter. Spike and his pony companions gaped in horror once they saw the hilt of the sword sticking out of a plated underbelly scale of the Dragon King. The blade could slice through anything, easily piercing the thick scale, but the crossguard couldn’t. It actually had stopped the blade from continuing onward into the chest of its intended target, inadvertently saving him. The attack had been no more than a pinprick!

“That was it? To think, I once feared the blade!” Ryuo mockingly laughed. He looked down at Spike, who was still stunned from the failed attack. Spike was then hit by an arctic wind, the sudden cold causing him to flinch and fall out of the air. The insulation spell shimmered around him but began to fade as the onslaught continued, weakening the spell by continued exposure. Spike tried to shield himself, but his body was being blanketed by a sheet of ice. Shivering, Spike looked up to see his father was using ice breath on him. In a few moments, he would be frozen in place.

“Spike, no!” Rarity cried as she watched her beloved disappear under a layer of ice and snow. Once the Dragon King was finished, there was an iceberg resting in the middle of the castle courtyard. Within it, Spike’s silhouette could be seen locked inside.

Ignoring the danger, Rarity, Twilight, and the others rushed to their dragon, placing their hooves against the ice trapping him. The clouds above them continued to rain, thunder rumbling periodically. By this point, their battle had gained an audience. The crowd was divided into two groups: those who supported the Dragon King and those that had rooted for Spike. Scorn, Cobalt, Mire, and their cohorts watch on with pride. Yet another enemy had fallen to their king’s might. Ember, Mina, and the rest of the peaceful dragons were aghast once they saw their friend buried in ice.

“Pity him not. He shall live,” a remorseless voice said from above the ponies, the six of the them turning around to see the Archwyrm gloating. “Instead, pity yourselves, for now you all shall die!”

Horrified, they watched as the Dragon King took in another breath, building his inner fire once more. But before he could incinerate them, a green light emitted from the iceberg, catching the Dragon King’s attention. Halting his attack, he gazed down to see Spike’s frozen form being backlit by the light. There was a loud crack as the ice fractured in multiple places, releasing steam into the air. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy gasped with renewed hope as they backed away from the breaking ice. Even the Dragon King seemed surprised.

The top of the iceberg exploded as Spike shot into the air, spinning as his body was covered with his own green dragonfire. Twilight's insulation spell had bought him time. Before it gave out and Spike had been completely consumed by the ice breath, he had used his fire breath and manipulated it to form a protective layer around himself. Rising into the air, he dispelled the fire from his body as he fully extended his wings. He was eye level with his father, Ryuo’s shock transitioning back to anger as his son rose to challenge him once more.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as father and son faced off. Hearing the thunder, Spike gazed briefly down at the hilt embedded in his father’s chest, an idea coming to him. Dragon King Ryuo raised his right claw and pulled it back, ready to swat Spike right out of the sky. As the Dragon King lurched forward, Spike reached out with his magic to the storm clouds above him. Directing a bolt of lightning, he guided the electricity down to himself, channeling it with his magic through one claw and redirecting it with the other. Amplifying with it his dragon magic, a powerful bolt of green lightning shot out of Spike’s outstretched claw with an earsplitting boom and struck the pommel of the Sword of Erdrick, the sword serving as a lightning rod.

The Dragon King roared in agony as the electricity coursed through his body, the blade allowing it to bypass his natural defenses and enter directly into his heart. After Spike canceled the spell, he panted from exhaustion and watched as his father staggered back. As the electricity ceased to course through his body, the red glow of Ryuo's eyes faded and became a lifeless gray. He fell onto his back, crashing into the summit of the volcano. The ground shook from the impact, knocking over the ponies. When Spike landed beside them, his legs trembled and collapsed from underneath him.

Seeing that the Alpha Dragon had been vanquished, the army of dragons scattered, flying away as fast as they could from the one that defeated their king. Ember and her dragons watched speechlessly, not knowing how to react. As Spike caught his breath, the ponies stood back up and looked to see the Dragon King lying unmoving upon his back. His maw was agape and smoke rose from the hilt of the sword stuck in his chest. He wasn’t breathing and his eyes were closed.

“You did it,” Twilight marveled. “I can’t believe actually you did it.”

“Me… neither…” Spike panted. Though relieved that Equestria would be now be spared from his father’s wrath, the guilt returned. He remembered the look on Xia’s face when they told her that they were willing fight her husband. Perhaps, like Rarity, she believed that he could have been reasoned with. Yet, they were forced to take the violent path just like the time Queen Chrysalis had kidnapped their children.

Looking to the Sunstone Twilight was carrying, he realized they didn’t even have the chance to use the Powers of Harmony upon his father. What would have happened if they did? It seemed like the Elements had a different effect every time they were used. They turned Discord to stone, banished Nightmare Moon to the moon, and later removed her and Sunset Shimmer’s dark powers. Never had they actually taken a life. While they did imprison Discord and Nightmare Moon, they were instrumental in reforming the Spirit of Chaos, freeing Luna from her possession, and helping Sunset change her ways.

That’s the Power of Harmony, Spike thought. It brings us together, not separate us. It heals, not harm.

A sense of clarity came upon Spike, and he now knew what he must do. If they Elements of Harmony had the power to change hearts and save lives, maybe a portion of their power could save another. Spike only hoped it wasn’t too late.

“Mom, quick, use the Sunstone!” Spike desperately told her.

“Huh? What for?” Twilight asked, surprised by his request.

“Please, just trust me on this!”

Hesitantly, Twilight did as he asked and held the Sunstone aloft with her magic. A golden beam of sunlight shone like a beacon, piercing the clouds above. When the light and the rain came together, it created a halo of all colors surrounding the beam. The equines and the dragons beheld the dazzling display, admiring its radiant beauty.

“Who has the amulet?” Spike asked in a hurry.

“Uh… Ah do!” Applejack replied, remembering the golden seal and pulling it out.

“Catch the light!”

“Darling, what are you doing?” Rarity asked, questioning the purpose.

“We have to use it on him,” Spike explained, much to their confusion.

“What for? You already beat him,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“But not like this,” he told her adamantly. “We have to travel a higher path.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you suggesting we save him?!” the Wonderbolt incredulously asked. “I know he’s your father and all, but he was trying to kill us!”

“She’s right. What’s to stop him from doin’ it again?” Applejack agreed with Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t know, but it can’t end like this,” he pleaded. The others looked hesitant, but he begged, “Please, help me.”

The Elements Harmony looked to each other, silently trying to come to a consensus. They had risked their lives trying to defeat the Dragon King and weren’t looking forward to putting themselves back into that sort of danger again. However, they knew in their hearts that Spike was right; they stood for peace, not violence.

“Okay, Spike,” Twilight softly said to him. “Formation, girls.”

Applejack approached Spike and gave him the Amulet. “You should do it, sugarcube.”

He nodded and stepped closer to Twilight and the Sunstone as the six circled around it. Holding the amulet over the beam of prismatic light, the diamond in the center of the golden wreath absorbed it until it too glowed with the colors of the rainbow. Taking Erdrick’s Amulet out of the beam of light, Spike stood on his hind legs and held it over his head. The Element Bearers closed their eyes and concentrated. Their bodies began to glow with the colors of their respective Element: magenta for Twilight Sparkle, orange for Applejack, pink for Fluttershy, blue for Pinkie Pie, purple for Rarity, and red for Rainbow Dash. The light of the glowing diamond grew brighter until a rainbow flew out of it, arching through the air and landing on the Dragon King’s chest.

The rainbow shone on the Dragon King for a moment before a white flash filled everyone’s sight. Once it cleared, all had returned to normal. The Sunstone had stopped shining its light, the clouds created by the Staff of Rain had vanished, and the diamond set in Erdrick’s Amulet no longer glowed. They watched the Dragon King and waited for something to happen.

After another moment had passed, there came the sudden sound of gasping as Ryuo drew in a breath. He kept taking in deep, labored breaths before starting to cough. Raising a trembling claw, he placed it on his rising chest and held it over his heart. The ponies were amazed; the Powers of Harmony had resuscitated the Dragon King! Spike then flew and landed on his father’s chest. Feeling something landing on him, he struggled to raise his head to see Spike standing on him.

“...You… You… bested… me?” Dragon King Ryuo strained to say. It was hard to tell if he was angry, afraid, shocked, or impressed.

“That’s right. I, Prince Spike, have bested you in combat,” Spike confirmed, speaking boldly to make sure his father understood him correctly. Seeing the Sword of Erdrick before him, Spike grabbed its hilt. He didn’t remove but held on. “Do you yield?” Hearing this, Ryuo glared at Spike, but the younger of the two purple dragons didn’t relent. “Do you yield, or should we go for round two?”

The Elements of Harmony watched on with bated breath. After fighting to save his life, would Spike really be willing to fight his own father again? Could he go through with finishing the weakened Dragon King this time? Even Ryuo seemed to doubt Spike, narrowing his eyes as he tried to deduce if he was bluffing or not. It was humiliating to lose to two pony princesses, but to his own son that wasn’t yet fully grown? Death sounded preferable at the moment.

Defeated, Dragon King Ryuo finally conceded, “I… yield.”

“Good. Now, swear to me! On your Noble Dragon Code, swear to me that you’ll call off your war with Equestria!” Spike demanded. This earned him a hateful glare, but Spike didn’t back down. Instead, he held tight to the sword.

“I swear,” Ryuo reluctantly vowed.

“You swear what? I want to hear you say the words, ‘I will no longer threaten or rob from Equestria or its inhabitants’.”

Ryuo snarled, the act causing his chest some discomfort, but repeated, “I will no longer threaten nor steal from Equestria or her inhabitants. Are you now satisfied?”

“Not yet,” Spike told him. “Now swear you’ll end your feud with the Princesses.”

“Never,” Ryuo spat. Even though Spike tightened his grip on the sword, Ryuo would not give in to this demand. “I will forever hate Celestia for what she has done. No force in this world or any other will change that.”

Spike contemplated this and then released his hold on the hilt. “You’re right. The only one who can is you.”

Spike leapt from his father’s chest and rejoined his friends. As he watched him walk away, many emotions filled Ryuo’s heart. He was outraged for his son’s betrayal. He hated the ponies for turning his son against him. Looking to Dragon Lord Ember and the refugees, he felt humiliated from having them witnessing his defeat. He felt rage once he realized his “loyal” subjects had fled, abandoning their king. He felt jealousy once he saw the loathsome ponies clamber about Spike, hugging him and congratulating him. They weren’t Spike’s real family, he was! Spike belonged to him!

Beneath it all, he felt a pain in his heart, and it wasn’t from the lightning. Spike had chosen these insects over him. His heir, his only son, had forsaken him. The miserable equines accepted him as one of their own, and he accepted them as his “true” family. Ryuo had indeed lost, and not just the battle, but what he treasured above all else. He watched his son walk out of his life and felt as though Xia had died all over again.

“So what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked. “What will happen without the Tree of Harmony?”

Twilight thought about this and looked to the Amulet. After pondering for a moment, she believed she had an answer, “The Tree may be gone, but its power remains. Otherwise, we wouldn’t been able to use it to revive the Dragon King. It's just like when Nightmare Moon shattered the Elements. The physical vessels were broken, but their spirits endured.”

“But what about the Everfree Forest? It’ll continue to grow wild without it and who knows what else will happen,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“We’re just going to have to have faith. As long as we hold those virtues in our hearts, the Elements will never fade,” Twilight said, encouraging them all. “But right now, we need to head back. We still need to deal with that sorcerer and his followers.”

“But what about them?” Pinkie Pie asked, pointing towards Ember and Mina’s group.

Walking up to Mina, Twilight said, “Will you come back with us? Now that we know who’s behind all of this, we can prove your innocence.”

Mina looked to her fellow dragons, who all shared the same crestfallen look, and said sadly, “I don’t think we can ever go back. Not now anyway. Too many bridges have been burnt, metaphorically speaking.”

“But that wasn’t your fault,” Spike tried to convince them. “You have nothing to fear. The Princesses will clear up everything. Everything will go back to normal.”

“Back to normal,” Mina repeated with a cynical smile. “Normal for us is discrimination, and that’s all we have to go back to. They were so eager to turn against us.” Spike was about to say something else to quell her doubts, but she continued, “Maybe later, we can try again. But for now, we need time for old wounds to heal.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll look after them,” Ember reassured them. Spike and the Element Bearers didn’t want to leave them behind but knew that they couldn’t convince them.

With Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie climbing onto Spike’s back, the seven prepared for the flight home. Spike took one last look at his father and saw the mournful look on the elder dragon’s face. Unable to bear the sight of his son leaving with the ponies, Ryuo gave into despair and slunk back down the caldera of the volcano to his lair, dragging his broken body across the ground like a lowly lizard. However, he would not find comfort in his treasure hoard. He believed he never would again.

Turning towards the northwest, the triumphant heroes of Equestria flew home. They flew across the dragon lands and over the Celestial Sea. By the time they reached Equestrian soil, Celestia had just raised the sun. Their flight took them over the Hayseed Swamp and the frontier town of Appleloosa. All that separated them from home was the Everfree Forest. They couldn’t wait to see the smiling faces of their families, to embrace them, and to tell them of their victory. However, as they passed over the enchanted forest, they saw black smoke rising from the direction of Ponyville. Their hearts filled with panic, they doubled their speed and landed on the outskirts of town. All they saw was devastation.

Attack on Ponyville

Princess Celestia was conversing with the mayor outside town hall. The Royal Guard was present along with relief workers from Canterlot, helping the citizens of the town clear the debris, sweep the broken glass of the smashed windows, and provide first aid for those that were injured. Many of the buildings had fire damage, some still smoldering. When they heard the sound of running hooves, the princess and the mayor turned to see the town’s resident heroes running through the streets towards them.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight Sparkle called to her former mentor as she came to a stop in front of town hall. Looking around at their vandalized town had them in a panicked confusion. It reminded them of the parasprite infestation. Yes, the buildings could be repaired, but they could see the trauma in the eyes of their fellow citizens as they nursed their wounds and assessed the damage done to their property.

Relieved to see that her faithful subjects and dears friends had returned from confronting the Dragon King, Celestia offered the six mares and the dragon a small yet sad smile. This wasn’t the homecoming she had hoped to be awaiting for them.

“What happened?” Twilight frantically asked. “Is everypony alright?! Where’s Flash Sentry? Evening? Midnight?”

Her companions’ thoughts were also with their own loved ones. Rarity and Spike immediately thought of Amethyst, Applejack and Fluttershy thought of the other members of the Apple Family, Pinkie thought of Cheese Sandwich and their children, and Rainbow Dash was concerned about Soarin and Thunderbolt.

Celestia’s smile quickly faded, knowing it was her responsibility to relay the bad news. “Come with me. It is better that you see for yourself.”

They shared an alarmed look before following the Princess towards Twilight’s Castle. By the white Alicorn’s tone, they knew that they weren’t going to like what she had to tell them. Upon entering the crystalline castle, they saw that it wasn’t spared from the catastrophe that had befallen the rest of the town. While passing through the hallways, they saw the relief workers straightening the skewed carpets and upturned furniture.

They came to a stop at a bedroom door, Twilight immediately recognizing it as her son’s room. Overcome by the worst of dread, she rushed pass Celestia as the door opened to reveal Evening Star sitting upon his bed as physicians wrapped bandages over cuts and scratches that covered his body and limbs.

“Evening Star!” Twilight cried as she ran to the bedside and held a bandaged hoof.

“Mother,” the purple Pegasus greeted, wincing as antiseptic was applied to an opened wound.

“Who did this to you?!” she demanded to know. Spike snaked his long neck into the room pass the others to get a good look at the state his younger brother was in. Like their mother, Spike was enraged and horrified to see him like this.

“I’m glad that you’ve returned safely,” Evening Star told them, smiling despite the pain. “But while you were gone, Hargon’s forces invaded Ponyville.”

“Hargon?!” they all exclaimed upon hearing the sorcerer’s name.

“What happened? Where’s your father? Your sister?” Twilight asked, fearing for them as well. If her son was in such a condition, what about them?

“And Amethyst?” Spike added.

“They’re already gone,” Evening Star explained. “Midnight, Amethyst, Thunderbolt, Posey, Surprise, Sour Apple; they’ve already left to save the others.”

*****

The previous night, around the same time her mother was exploring the depths of Charlock Island, Midnight stood on the balcony of Twilight’s Castle alongside her father, Flash Sentry. Both were looking steadfastly to the southeast. Twilight Sparkle has been on many adventures, even life threatening ones but always came through. However, it was never easy to watch her leave. If Flash had his way, he would have sent an entire army to protect her and the others. However, he knew stealth was essential to their mission and such an escort would only draw unwanted attention to them.

Midnight, on the other hoof, secretly wished she was there right alongside the Elements of Harmony. Growing up, she had heard of all the amazing things they had accomplished over the years. Rarity owned and operated a highly successful clothing line across Equestria. Rainbow Dash was a Wonderbolt, now their captain! Her own mother was the Princess of Friendship.

Like her mother, Midnight was Princess Celestia’s top student and a magical prodigy, but hasn’t yet been able to prove herself in the field. The only real adventure she had been on was last year when Chrysalis kidnapped her and her friends. It was her brothers that were the true heroes that day. Evening Star had rescued them from their prison, and Spike was the one who finished the Changeling Queen once and for all.

Midnight frowned. As the youngest of three siblings, she was subjected to the overprotection of two doting parents and two big brothers. It wasn’t as though she was unappreciative of her brothers or jealous. She just wanted to know when would it be her time to shine. If they kept her from leaving the nest, then she would never learn to fly, both metaphorically and literally. How could she become an Alicorn if she was nothing more than a sheltered shut-in? Her mother would have never met her friends and became the Princess of Friendship if Princess Celestia hadn’t sent her to Ponyville during the Summer Sun Celebration, and she was no older than she was now!

“Bit for your thoughts?” a voice interrupted her discontent sulking. Looking to her right, she saw it was her father that had broken the silence.

“Oh! Um… I was just thinking… about Mom,” Midnight told Flash Sentry. Flash offered his distraught daughter a comforting smile as he draped an orange wing across her shoulders.

“She’ll be fine,” he reassured her, though he was just as concern as she was.

“And what about Spike? Do you think he’s up to it?” The children had been made aware of Spike’s relation to the Dragon King. There was no point in hiding it, especially when Amethyst confronted her parents about it last night.

“I’m sure he is,” Flash responded. “Don’t forget about the Changelings.”

“But an army of Changelings is nothing compared to an army of dragons!”

“I’m not talking about Chrysalis and her mindless drones. I’m talking about King Thorax and his Changelings, the real ones. If anyone can make peace with the Dragon King, it’s Spike.”

Midnight had met King Thorax a few times at royal summits. He was an old friend of Spike's. Befriending both King Thorax and Dragon Lord Ember, Spike was a great diplomat. Midnight remembered the story of how Spike was first to befriend the peaceful Changeling. She also remember the story of how it was Thorax, along with Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Discord, who went on a daring rescue mission to save the most important ponies in Equestria without the aid of their magic. Once Thorax learned to give love instead of taking it, he was able to change himself and the other Changelings into something new, something better. They were able to overthrow Chrysalis, and from that day on, the deposed tyrant only produced mindless drones as to prevent any further insurrection.

“I guess you’re right.” Midnight leaned against the railing, resting her head on her folded fore legs. As she gazed into the distance, she noticed an orange glow past the town’s limits. It was coming from Sweet Apple Acres. Alarmed, she rose up but heard someone step onto the balcony behind them. Flash turned his head to see Lieutenant Sworn Duty along with a Unicorn guard.

“Your Highness, there’s a fire at Sweet Apple Acres!” Sworn Duty reported, sending a wave of panic through Midnight.

“Call in the weather team! We need rain clouds now!” Flash Sentry ordered.

“They’re on their way. Prince Evening Star already went to get them,” Sworn Duty reported, but then their attention was caught by the sound of breaking glass. Looking back over the balcony, they saw smoke rising as a thatched roof of one of Ponyville’s houses catch fire. Hearing another crash, they looked to see shadowy figures throw a torch through a store window before running off into the night.

“What in Equestria?!” Flash exclaimed. Then came the panic shouts of the ponies inside as they discovered their homes were on fire. Hearing the commotion, more ponies looked out their windows and stepped out of their doors to see what was going on. Seeing the hooded figures running through the streets and setting fire to the building started a panic. With Evening Star getting the weather team to combat the fires, it was up to him to rally the remainder of the guards to stop the vandals.

“Midnight, stay here,” Flash told his daughter as he turned to run out of the castle.

“But Dad, I want to help!” she protested.

“I know you do, but I want you to stay here. Find Amethyst and stay put until I get back.”

“But I can use my magic to…”

“Sworn Duty. Live Wire. Make sure she stays safe,” Flash ordered the green Pegasus and white Unicorn.

“Yes, sir!” Live Wire saluted as she and Sworn Duty barred Midnight from leave through the castle doors.

“Father!” Midnight shouted in protest, but Sworn Duty stepped closer to her.

“Please, Princess,” he urged her while gently leading her back inside. She wanted to help save her friends’ farm, but she obeyed her father’s wishes and followed the two guards towards Amethyst’s room. With her parents gone to face the Dragon King, the Kirin was staying at Twilight’s Castle. Upset from being pushed to the sidelines again, Midnight didn’t even notice the look Sworn Duty shared with Live Wire. Sworn Duty stopped and procured a small ring from his armor, Live Wire grinned and nodded upon seeing it.

Noticing the two had stopped, Midnight looked up and asked, “What-”

Before she could say anything else, a crack of thunder echoed throughout the halls and a paralyzing pain struck Midnight. Live Wire had turned and fired a lightning spell, her specialty, at Midnight point blank. She screamed soundlessly as her body seized up and then collapsed on the floor. The two guards stood over the princess, sparks of electricity still arching off of her body and her legs twitching.

Sworn Duty crouched down and slipped the black ring around her horn. He knew that Midnight was a highly skilled Unicorn and wasn’t going to take any chances with her as they transported her back to their master. As he secured the lock on the ring, Midnight stirred. She groaned and opened her eyes, looking up at Sworn Duty with hurt and betrayal in her eyes.

“Sworn Duty… Why…” she moaned. He didn’t answer. Instead, he coldly looked down at her as Live Wire lifted her up with her magic. Seeing the true Sworn Duty, she realized everything else was just a facade. His friendliness, his loyalty, his compassion; all of it had been a ruse to earn her trust. What hurt even more was the fact that Midnight had even started to harbor an affection for him. Was she really that naive?

*****

At Sweet Apple Acres, Big Macintosh was busy fighting the fire that was threatening to consume the orchard. Along with him was his nephew, Sour Apple, and his daughter, Posey. Using buckets and hoses, the three Earth Ponies did their best to fight the fire until the weather team could arrive. The dozen trees that were set ablaze were deep into the orchard, far from the house and the town. While still small, they could grow out of control and threaten the whole town.

Sour Apple was relaying the buckets, running them to Posey so she could refill them with the hose and then hauling them back to his uncle. Though occupied with fighting the fire, a troublesome thought lingered in the back of his mind; someone had to start the fires.

Watching from the safety of the farm house was Apple Seed. She had awoken to a commotion only to discover it was her family rushing out to fight the fires. They told her to wait in the house for the weather team to show up. As she looked out the window, there came a knock at the door. Thinking it was the fire fighting weather team, she ran down the stairs and opened the front door. Instead of a team of Pegasi, there was an Earth Pony stallion wearing a white robe. Though she had never seen before, she was amazed by how much he looked like her.

“Move those clouds!” Evening Star barked as the weather team and Pegasi Royal Guards created a perimeter of rain clouds around the burning trees. Thunderbolt, Soarin, and the other Pegasi pushed the gray clouds into position. “Now!”

On his mark, they bucked the clouds and released a downpour upon the burning trees. Steamed rose as the rain doused the flames until they were completely extinguished. Below the Pegasi, the Apples sighed with relief. Though these particular trees were lost, they had saved the orchard. As the rains ceased, Evening Star and Thunderbolt hovered down to speak with the Earth Ponies.

“Is everypony alright?” Evening Star inquired.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh answered.

“Thank you, Thunderbolt,” Posey said to her coltfriend, nuzzling him affectionately.

“Um… Just doing my job,” Thunderbolt blushed.

“Hey, something’s wrong! Look!” Soarin broke up the moment by pointing towards towards town. Flying up to see what his father was talking about, Thunderbolt was shocked to see the glow of more flames coming from Ponyville. There was no way the fire could have spread to the town!

“We got to go. Move out!” Evening Star ordered. Gathering the clouds, the Pegasi flew towards Ponyville to combat the fires.

“Oh, my goodness!” Posey gasped with concern.

“It’ll be alright, Posey. We’ll take care of it,” Sour Apple reassured her.

“Mind Apple Seed ‘til we get back!” Big Macintosh called back to his daughter as he ran with Sour Apple down the road towards town. Following his instructions, Posey hurried back to the farm house. Approaching the building, she stopped when she saw that the front door was wide open. They hadn’t left from that door; they had gone through the barn.

“Apple Seed!” Posey called out as she ran into the house, hoping the filly would still be there. Receiving no reply, Posey ran upstairs to Apple Seed’s bedroom to discover that she wasn’t there. She quickly checked the other bedrooms and then ran back downstairs. Her heart racing, she began to panic. Running back to the opened door, she looked out into the night, her eyes scanning the rows of apple trees for some kind of sign of her whereabouts. “Apple Seed!”

*****

Hanging limply across Sworn Duty’s back, Midnight was carried through the castle towards the exit. She knew she had to escape, but a magic-disabling ring had been locked around her horn. Her body was still numbed from Live Wire’s surprise attack, and what little she could feel hurt. Regardless, she had to try something. Who knew what fate awaited her?

Looking to the side, she saw a vase on a table they were passing. With all the mobility she still had, she grabbed the vase with her hoof and smashed it against Sworn Duty’s head. The Pegasus shouted in surprise and stumbled, allowing Midnight to fall off his back. Clumsily rising on her wobbly legs, Midnight upturned the table and ran for it.

“Stop her!” she heard Sworn Duty shout from behind her. Midnight rounded a corner just time to avoid being hit by another bolt of electricity. However, her legs gave out and tripped. Even worse, she heard her pursuers closing in on her.

“Amethyst!” she cried out. Unable to fight, she knew that the Kirin was her only hope. “Amethyst! Help me! Help-”

A hoof was placed over her mouth, silencing her call for help. She trashed her head side to side and broke away from the hoof. Opening her mouth, she clamped down on Live Wire’s leg with her teeth. The white Unicorn screeched in pain and then kicked Midnight in the head with her free hoof. The world spun around Midnight, stars dancing in front of her eyes.

“So, you want to bite, huh?” Live Wire growled. “If you’re gonna act like a dog, then maybe you should look like one!”

A blue beam of magic launched from Live Wire’s horn and struck Midnight. Unlike before, there was no pain. Instead, Midnight felt her body shift and shrink. Her hooves became paws, her muzzle lengthened, and her coat became shaggy. A clink resounded as her horn shrank until it disappeared and the ring fell to the floor.

Midnight the blue dog tried to call out to Amethyst once more but only barking came out. Seeing the princess turned into a dog made Live Wire snicker with satisfaction. She reached down to grab her, but Midnight turned and ran, barking all the way.

“Grab her before she gets away!” Sworn Duty shouted as he and Live Wire pursued the yapping dog down the hall.

*****

The citizens of Ponyville ran screaming from their burning homes as the robed ponies continued their rampage. Carrying a torch, one of the marauders approached a multi-colored building with a roof shaped like a party hat. The pony raised his hoof to throw the torch through a window, but the window sprang open to reveal the business end of a cannon.

“Uuuhhh…” the robed pony was able to utter, frozen with absolute terror, before being blasted away by confetti paper.

“Not this house, Buster!” Surprise shouted from behind the deluxe-size party cannon as Cheese Sandwich reloaded it to shoot at another robed pony. Seeing their comrade knocked senseless by the party cannon, more robed ponies ran to the party store with criminal intent.

Seeing more of the invaders approaching their store, Cheese Sandwich turned to Cherry Pie. “Release the Gummy.”

Approaching the door, the robed ponies were about to knock it down before it suddenly opened to reveal the snapping jaws of a not-so-gummy Gummy. The marauders yelled as an eighteen foot long alligator chased them down the street with a pink and red filly riding on his back.

Coming to rescue, Evening Star and his Pegasi guards arrived at the town. Looking down, Evening Star saw the culprits in the process of terrorizing the hapless Ponyville ponies. Turning to Thunderbolt, he said, “Take care of those fires!”

“Got it! Let’s go!” Thunderbolt called as he led the weather team in pushing the rain clouds over the burning houses.

While they were busy putting out the fires, Evening Star and the guards swooped down to the streets and landed in front of a gang of the robed ponies. One of them was holding a torch, but the flames fizzled out once the rain began. The hooded vandals froze as the Pegasi unexpectedly landed in front of them and fanned their wings intimidatingly. “Halt! You’re all under arrest!”

This was met with a hooded Unicorn throwing his extinguished torch at the Prince with his magic. Evening Star rolled to the side, evading the projectile with ease before lunging at the assailant. He tackled the Unicorn and pinned him on the street, one hoof holding a leg behind the Unicorn’s back and the other hoof covering the Unicorn’s horn, disabling his magic in standard Unicorn apprehension procedure.

Subduing one opponent, Evening Star snapped his head up to look at the others. They were wearing the white robes marked with a bat that signified that they were a part of the mysterious cult that was instigating the destruction of Equestria. Seeing their comrade taken down so easily had caused them to hesitate temporarily, but when Evening Star’s guards walked up behind them, they unexpectedly grinned at the prince. This confused Evening Star and he cast a glance over to an accompanying guard in time to see the Pegasus leaping towards him.

Releasing the Unicorn, Evening Star leaped back and dodged the guards attack. Then the other guard made a move against him. He spun around, parrying the attack with his wing. Moving back, he could see the cultists and the two guards advancing on together. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Sorry, my Prince,” a Pegasus guard sneered. “But we have our orders. Hail Hargon.”

“Hail Hargon,” the other guard repeated along with the robed lunatics.

“Traitors,” Evening Star glowered at his former comrades, realizing that they were in league with zealots. He unfurled his wings once more, ready to fight even though he was outnumbered six to one. They began to spread out, circling around the purple Pegasus to trap him. Evening Star scanned left to right, sizing up his opposition.

Before any of them could make a move, a gray and then a blue blur flew from the sky and landed by Evening Star. Standing beside him was Thunderbolt and Soarin. Hearing the sound of running hooves, Evening Star looked behind him to see Sour Apple and Big Macintosh coming to their aid. Though still outnumbered, their odds had improved.

Shouting, the two Earth Ponies rushed forward only to be bucked in the face by the larger Earth Pony farmers. Evening Star fended off the two turncoats, dodging their wing attacks and countering with his own. Evening Star was the Captain of the Royal Guard for a reason. With his superior training and skill, he took on both of them simultaneously. He knocked both opponents to the ground and stood triumphantly over them. Using their amazing speed, Soarin and Thunderbolt darted forward and clobbered the Unicorn and the Pegasus cultists before they could join the fray. As the downed cultists tried to crawl away, the two that remain standing began to back away nervously. Even with the superior numbers, they were no match for the prince and his close friends.

The triumphant ponies’ victory was short lived as they then heard a bestial screech coming from the sky. Looking up, they saw a large ape-like creature with bat wings flying above them. Taking advantage of the distraction, the six cultist made their escape as the demon began to circle rapidly in the air. The wind began to pick up until a violent gust ripped through the streets. The weather team was caught off guard by the sudden wind and struggled to stay in the sky.

Bazuzu snarled as he looked down and spotted his objective. Twilight Sparkle’s son was trying to steady himself as the hurricane-strength winds rocked the town. Bearing his fangs with sinister delight, Bazuzu bolted towards the prince like a rocket. The ape demon tackled Evening Star and started to slash at him with his claws, howling and screeching viciously as he beat him fists on the Pegasus beneath him. A disoriented Evening Star tried to fend off the fiend on top of him but was unable to stop the onslaught. Bazuzu continued to thrash Evening Star without mercy, not planning on stopping until the prince had been beaten within an inch of his life.

An orange hoof made contact with Bazuzu’s snout, knocking the demon off of Evening Star. Roaring with hatred, Bazuzu looked up to see Flash Sentry standing between him and his intended target. Flash cast a quick look towards his son and asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” a bloodied Evening Star moaned, trying to stand despite his bruises and scratches. More cultist appeared, rallying behind Bazuzu and outnumbering Ponyville’s defenders.

“Fall back to the castle,” Flash told the other stallions.

“We can take them,” Evening Star said as he started to shakily rise to his hooves, but nearly collapsed until Thunderbolt and Sour Apple caught him. His injuries were more severe than he thought.

“No! We need backup. Now go! Go!” With this order, the stallion turn and ran towards the crystalline tree castle. But before they could make it down the street, Bazuzu summoned another blast of wind that knocked Flash Sentry down. Before he could get back up, he grimaced in pain as something jumped onto his back. Clawed hands grabbed hold of his mane, digging into his coat.

Foaming at the mouth in his manic fury, Bazuzu growled into his ear, “I guess you will do.”

“Father!” Evening Star shouted once he saw that Flash Sentry had been caught. Evening Star tried to run back to help him, but Thunderbolt held him back.

“Leave me! Keep going! Send word to Celestia!” Flash cried out as he was swarmed by the mob. Evening Star watch as his father disappeared behind the wall of white robes.

“No! No!” Evening Star shouted.

Big Macintosh stepped in and held the frantic prince back with his superior strength and size. “There’s nothing we can do. C’mon.”

Reluctantly, Evening Star allowed Thunderbolt and Sour Apple to carry him away. Behind him, he could hear the horde rejoice as they carried his father away.

*****

Amethyst awoke to the sound of thunder, her green eyes snapping open. By the way the walls reverberated, lightning must had struck the castle. She panted, her heart racing from being awoken so abruptly. She looked around the walls of the bedroom. The room hadn’t changed much since she was a filly, and that was probably what Twilight wanted. Her grandmother had set this particular room up to be her own personal guest room for when she visited. The walls were painted white and accented with purple and green furniture; her colors. Pictures of her when she was an infant with her parents adorned the walls.

Comforted by the soothing sight of her surroundings, Amethyst sighed and laid back down in her bed, pulling the covers back up. Just as she closed her eyes once more, she heard Midnight’s voice calling to her from elsewhere in the castle. What confused her even more was that it was followed by a dog barking. Alarmed, Amethyst jumped from her bed and left her room in search for the source of the peculiar sound. Outside her room, however, were four Royal Guards.

“What’s going? Is there a dog loose in the castle?” she asked, but got no response. Instead, the guards formed a semicircle around her. Noting their strange behavior, Amethyst backed up warily.

Meanwhile, Midnight was running for her life. Her new canine form gave her the agility to better evade her pursuers. She was able to slipped between Sworn Duty’s hooves and dodge Live Wire’s spells. As proficient as Live Wire was with her magic, she couldn't hit the now smaller target. Her spells were constantly missing their mark, hitting the walls and the decor of the castle instead.

Midnight had a plan; since the ring had fallen off, she would be able to use magic if she could only turn back into a pony. Fortunately for her, she had a solution for that. Midnight made her way to the study, Swore Duty and Live Wire hot on her heels. Coming to the green, crystalline double doors, she pushed against them with her body until they opened. She spotted what she was looking for on the opposite end of the room: her magic mirror. If she could only get to it, the Soul Sight Spell she enchanted it with would turn her back to normal. Salvation in sight, Midnight started to cross the room but yelped when she was pinned down by Sworn Duty.

“Gotcha!” he exclaimed as Midnight helplessly struggled beneath him. Turning to Live Wire, he told her, “Use a body-locking spell!”

Live Wire’s horn glowed electric blue once more and aimed it at Midnight. Midnight whimpered and whined, closing her eyes in anticipation of the spell. She then heard a feral roar followed by Live Wire’s shrieking. Looking back up, Midnight saw Amethyst on top of Live Wire, snarling while slashing at the mare beneath her with her claws.

Distracted by the sudden appearance of the Kirin, Sworn Duty’s grasp on Midnight loosened, allowing Midnight to make a break for the mirror. Running up to it, she looked at her reflection to see her natural self instead of a dog. Her body began to glow as she changed back into a Unicorn. Standing on four hooves once more, Midnight’s body trembled from the disorienting experience. Turning back to Amethyst, she saw Sworn Duty going to help Live Wire. Using her magic, a yellow aura surrounded Sworn Duty and tossed him across the room and into a wall. After tossing him, she vision went blurry for a moment from overexertion. Shaking her head, she called out, “Amethyst!”

Looking up from Live Wire, Amethyst left the mare on the ground and ran to Midnight. “C’mon! Let’s get out of here!”

Following Amethyst’s lead, Midnight ran to the study’s door but stopped once they saw the four turncoat guards that confronted Amethyst outside of her room, covered with scratches and burns. This was a fight they couldn’t win. Even though Midnight and Amethyst were two of the most gifted spell casters in all of Equestria, they were up against six highly trained soldiers. Both parties were fatigued from fighting, but the aggressors now had the advantage with their superior numbers.

A bolt of lightning struck Amethyst across the back, causing her to cry out in pain. Midnight caught her in her hooves and looked back to see Sworn Duty and Live Wire were already back on their hooves. Covered in scratches, the seething Live Wire looked like she was ready to kill them on the spot. Holding a groaning Amethyst, Midnight frantically looked between the four guards in front of them and two behind them. She then thought to teleport and tried to summon her magic, but was still too dizzy to concentrate properly. Every time she tried, the yellow glow around her horn would flicker and sputter, leaving her panting.

Seeing that the two princesses were unable to escape, Live Wire smirked triumphantly and prepared another lightning attack. On the desk, Aurum’s golden orb came to life and rolled off the table. Shattering upon the floor, an explosion of golden light filled the study. Everypony shielded their eyes from the intense flash. Once the light cleared, everyone stepped back and gasped in horror as a light construct of a golden dragon towered over them. The dragon made of light snarled down at the ponies and then unleashed a deafening roar as it dove at them. Midnight and Amethyst flinched and closed their eyes, but the dragon passed harmlessly through them. Instead, it slammed against Live Wire, carrying her through the air. It then collided with Sworn Duty and the other four guards, knocking them out of the study and sending them careening down the hallway.

The guards landed in a heap, moaning in pain as they slowly tried to get back up. Looking back down the hallway, Sworn Duty saw Live Wire lying unconscious on the floor, having taken the brunt of the blow. More importantly, he saw the shining golden dragon standing between him and the two princesses. The dragon glared down at him, wordlessly threatening him.

“Fall back!” Sworn Duty called to the other four guards as he got up and ran.

“What about Live Wire?” one of them asked.

“Leave her! Head back to the rendezvous point!”

With the assailants gone, the golden dragon turned back to Amethyst and Midnight, seeing the pair walking out out of the study to greet him.

“Aurum?” Amethyst asked as she and Midnight approached him, recognizing the dragon. The projection of Aurum’s memories offered them a sad smile, relieved to see that they were safe. With them no longer in immediate danger, he allowed the magic that sustained him to cease. His glowing body then began to dim, and his form started to fade. Seeing this, Amethyst exclaimed, “Aurum! What’s happening?!”

“My orb is broken. The magic that allowed me to be is dissipating,” he calmly explained.

“You’re dying,” a mortified Midnight gasped, looking back to the shattered remnants of the orb. Running back to it, her horned glowed as she levitated the shards. “M-Maybe I can fix it! I know artifact restoration spells!”

“There is not enough time…” his fading voice told her. With every passing second, the more his form became transparent.

“Aurum, please! You can’t die! Not again!” Amethyst sobbed.

“Mourn for me not...” he bid them, trying to ease their distress. “I was never alive… I was merely a tool created to assist you… I am glad… that I was… able… to be… of… service…”

And with that, he faded from existence. There was no time for crying as they heard a door open in the distance. Thinking it was more bad guys, they prepared to run. Just as they were about to make a break for it, the welcomed sight of their friends came down the hall.

“Evening Star!” Midnight exclaimed as she saw Thunderbolt and Sour Apple carrying her bloodied brother down the hall, she and Amethyst running to meet them. “What happened?! Who did this to you?!”

“A monster,” Evening Star told her as she followed them to the study and helped him onto a chair to rest. He looked his sister in the eye, knowing what he had to tell her wouldn’t be easy. “Midnight, they got Father.”

“No,” she gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves. Her eyes watered as he relayed what had happened.

“We have to send word to Canterlot at once,” he urgently told her. Using her magic, she procured a quill and a piece of parchment and quickly jotted down a message for the Princesses.

“Give it to me,” Amethyst told her. Taking the scroll in her claws, she breathed her purple flames on it. Using the letter transporting spell her father knew, the scroll instantaneously was whisked away in a magical breeze. Minutes later, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna appeared in a flash of light, wings flared and ready for combat.

“We received your message. Is everypony alright?”” Celestia asked, concerned for the safety of her precious subjects.

“What has happened?! Where are the miscreants?!” Luna demanded.

“They took off,” Soarin reported, hanging his head. “...with Prince Flash Sentry.”

“We’ve been betrayed,” Evening Star told the Princesses of the Day and Night. At his side, his sister held him for support, both devastated that their father had been captured. “Members of the Royal Guard… my own guard… were in league with the ponies in robes. They attacked simultaneously in multiple locations across Ponyville: the shops, Sweet Apple Acres, the castle.”

“They were targeting us,” Amethyst added. Turning around, she looked at the broken glass orb. “Aurum sacrificed himself to save us.”

A pang of sorrow struck Celestia’s heart. Aurum was an old friend, and she knew that Spike would be devastated by the loss of the priceless orb that contained his memories. She was also troubled that even more of her trusted guard were in league with the cultists that sought their downfall. Right now, the remaining guards that were stationed in Ponyville were helping the weather team to control the fires. But could they be trusted? How far did this corrupt go? There could be spies everywhere, hiding in plain sight.

Again, they heard someone coming down the hallway. Surprise then joined them in the study, proudly announcing, “We’ve driven those weirdos off! They’re running for the hills!”

“More like they got what they wanted,” Thunderbolt despondently corrected her. “They got Midnight’s dad.”

Before Surprise could react, Posey also made her way into the room. The yellow Earth Pony was beside herself with panic, stressful tears running down her face as she ran to Big Macintosh. “Papa! I can’t find Apple Seed!” This alerted everyone, especially Sour Apple. They circled around her as she explained how the door to the house wide open and that the filly was nowhere to be found. Hearing this, everything fit into place. This had all been carefully planned and executed.

“Where could they have taken them?” Midnight asked.

“Maybe she knows,” Surprise suggested, pointing behind them to Live Wire, who was still lying on the hallway floor. Princess Luna then walked up to the unconscious mare, she and the others looking down at the traitor with disdain. The blue Alicorn then closed her eyes in concentration as a silver thread of magic extended from her horn and connected to Live Wire’s forehead. Everypony waited to see what would happen.

Then Princess Luna spoke with an authoritative voice, “Live Wire, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” Live Wire answered while still asleep.

“Who ordered you to attack Ponyville?”

“Lord Hargon,” the sleep talking mare confessed, confirmed Luna’s suspicions.

“What was your mission?”

“To collect ponies to sacrifice to our god, the Great Malroth.” Hearing this caused everyone to gasp. If they were to be sacrificed, this meant Flash Sentry and Apple Seed were immediate danger!

“Where are they to be taken?”

“Crescent Island.” With that, Luna had all the information she needed and severed the link to the mare’s mind.

“There may yet be time to save them,” Luna announced.

“I don’t understand. Where is Crescent Island?” Surprise asked.

“It’s in the South Lunar Ocean, off the coast of Las Pegasus,” Midnight explained.

“I don’t get it. What’s so special about it?” Thunderbolt asked.

“In days of yore, Crescent Island was the lair of the dragon Aquamentus,” Celestia explained. “He kept his hoard in a cave beneath the island, only accessible when the moon reached its zenith.”

“But that’s not long from now!” Sour Apple exclaimed, ready to run out of the study. “We need to go now!”

“Patience, Sour Apple,” Celestia urged him. “I know you wish to save your sister, but we need to form a plan.”

“I’ll tell you what we need to do; we need to rally the rest of the Royal Guard and storm the island!” Thunderbolt shouted.

“Though it pains me to say this, we can’t rely on the EUP,” Celestia said with dismay. Placing a hoof to her face, she sighed. “Not until we learn to what extent their ranks have been infiltrated by Hargon’s disciples. First, Iron Shield and Chain Mail, and now half of Prince Evening Star’s personal guard.”

“Sworn Duty,” Evening Star lamented. “He was my friend. We were in the academy together. I even made him a lieutenant. I can’t believe he was double agent.”

Midnight shared her brother’s pain. In past few days, she had grown close to Sworn Duty. She even started to think that they could have been special someponies. But when he and his co-conspirator attacked her, she saw nothing in his eyes. Nothing but the smug satisfaction of carrying out his orders.

“I will go to Canterlot,” Luna declared. “I shall send relief workers here along with what guards I know that we can trust.”

“I’ll remain here to protect Ponyville,” Celestia added. She then looked at the children of the Elements of Harmony. “We are at our most vulnerable. With your parents facing the Dragon King and us blind to our enemy’s actions, it is you who must save Apple Seed and Prince Flash Sentry. You must go to Crescent Island and stop their unholy ritual.”

“Us?” Posey, surprised by the task presented to them by Princess Celestia.

“Yes, you. Like your parents, the Powers of Harmony flows through you: Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, and Magic. They will guide you, protect you, and give you the strength you need to stop this foe that threatens our land. Can I count on you to do this? Not just for me, your parents, or even Apple Seed and Flash Sentry, but for the sake of the entire world?”

The young mares and stallions were humbled by this charge. They were being asked to follow in the hoofsteps of their parents and become heroes. Also, thought of rescuing her father strengthened her resolve. Midnight looked to her dear friends, all of them nodding to her before she turned back to face Celestia. “Of course, Princess Celestia.” Despite accepting this great responsibility, Midnight had a concern. “But time is running out. We might not make it to the island before the moon reaches its zenith!”

“No, you won’t,” Luna confirmed. “They have obviously timed their assault carefully. But they rely on the mercy of the moon. I, however, am the Princess of the Night. Therefore, we have an advantage they lack.” Luna’s horn glowed and there was a flash. Materializing before her was an amulet that depicted the night’s sky, complete with the sigil of a crescent moon. She then bequeathed it to Midnight, saying, “This is the Moonstone. With it, you can unlock the opening to the cave.”

“Thank you, Aunt Luna,” Midnight said, taking the relic.

“Go now. The fate of Equestria may very well be at stake.”

Midnight, Amethyst, Sour Apple, Thunderbolt, Sour Apple, and Surprise bowed to the Royal Alicorn Sisters and proceed to run out of the castle. Soarin and Big Macintosh watched as their son and daughter respectively went off on what was certain to be a dangerous mission. Big Macintosh knew his daughter could be timid, and it pained him to see her go, but he knew that if his wife could do it, then so could she. Thunderbolt felt a swell of pride as his son went off to become a hero just like his mother.

Evening Star started to rise from his seat, groaning as his injuries protested any movement he made. “Hold on. Wait for me,” he grunted, but Celestia prohibited him from rising with a gentle hoof.

“No, Evening Star. You are in no condition to go anywhere,” she told him.

“But they’ll need my help,” he claimed.

“But you need to rest and recover.” He was about to argue further, but his Aunt gave him the stern, authoritarian look of a mother doing what’s best for a child despite their protests. “That’s an order, Nephew.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he relented with a sigh, sitting back down. He was a stickler for rules and protocol, and Celestia knew how to take advantage of that; he would not disobey a direct order from the High Princess of Equestria. Watching his sister and his friends leave, he prayed for their safety and for their success.

The Sea Cave

Around the same time as Spike and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony were facing the Dragon King, their children stood on the rocky shore of an island off of the western coast of Equestria. The six of them looked about the c-shaped island for the supposed secret entrance to the cultists’ hideout. Midnight looked up to the moon overhead, seeing that it had indeed already passed the zenith of the sky. Floating beside her in her yellow magically aura was the Moonstone amulet. The white stone carved in the shape of the crescent moon set in the center of the talisman glowed and casted its light upon the ground like a searchlight.

They had been walking along the coast of the island for a few minutes now, checking every cove and cave. Midnight’s heart was racing as she frantically scanned each rockwall they passed, for she feared that her father could be sacrificed at any moment. Beside her was Sour Apple and Posey, who were just as desperate as she was. Like Midnight, they had a family member missing: young Apple Seed. The young filly had disappeared during the attack on Ponyville, and the only lead they had was the word of the cultist they had apprehended.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Midnight shined the artificial moonlight on a cliffside. As did the shadows, the rocky wall also vanished as though it was never there in the first place. She lowered the amulet, and the wall immediately returned. Sour Apple walked up to the wall and placed a hoof on it just to have it effortlessly phase through.

“It’s an illusion. The dragon that used to live here must have casted a spell to conceal the entrance to his lair,” Midnight explained as Amethyst, Thunderbolt, and Surprise joined them. The six friends stared at the hidden entrance only for a moment before walking through the wall, for they knew time was against them. Midnight wished she had more time to come up with a plan. They didn’t know how many cultists were in there, if that demon was with them, or more importantly, where they were keeping Flash Sentry and Apple Seed.

Cautiously proceeding, they stepped inside and discovered a cave dimly lit by torches, confirming that this was indeed the place. The six stayed close together, moving together slowly as to not get separated or make too much noise and give themselves away.

Up ahead, they heard the echoing voices of ponies coming from around the corner. Huddling together against the wall, they rounded the corner carefully. Midnight’s horn came to life, and a little yellow light floated to cave’s ceiling. Then a circular monitor appeared in front of them, displaying what the little light could see. On the display, they could see five ponies. Midnight and Amethyst glowered, recognizing them as Sworn Duty and the other guards that had attacked them in the palace. They were putting on white robes marked with the symbol of a grinning bat.

“C’mon, we can take them,” Thunderbolt whispered, moving forward but was stopped by Sour Apple’s hoof.

“No, too risky,” the larger stallion responded. “We’ll be only announcing our arrival to everypony in this here cave. Ah’m not gonna risk mah sister’s life like that.”

“Okay, yeah. But what do we do?” Thunderbolt asked.

“Amethyst, do you remember any sleep spells?” Midnight inquired, cancelling the remote viewing spell. The Kirin nodded, seeing where she was going the idea. “Alright, follow my lead.”

Sworn Duty and his cohorts were almost finishing putting on their robes for the summoning ceremony. The green Pegasus was a tad nervous, though. They had failed in apprehending Princess Midnight or even Princess Amethyst, but that’s why Lord Hargon sent multiple teams. If one was unable to accomplish their objective, then another one would. Surely, Cider Barrel would be able to get at least one of his children, or maybe the other team got both of the Element of Laughter’s children. And the Demon Prince Bazuzu was going after Prince Evening Star. With all of that preparation, they must had got the three that they needed.

What was bothering him was the fact that he had left Live Wire behind. He knew that his partner would never betray the Order, but how would Lord Hargon react to them losing such a valued member? And a mare no less! The Order needed all the mares and foals they could get in order to populate the new world that the Great Malroth would create, and even one would be sorely missed. Perhaps when they finally summoned the Great Malroth, they could go and… retrieve… her…

Sworn Duty blinked his eyes as his head began to spin and his vision blurred. He was dimly aware of the other robed ponies falling over beside him, but it seemed so far away. His head drooped and then his legs gave out from underneath him. By the time Midnight and her friends approached him, he was already sound asleep.

Midnight and Amethyst stood over the traitors as they canceled their magic, Midnight staring venomously at Sworn Duty in particular. She was tempted to enact her revenge right then and there for attacking her, being a part of her father’s abduction, and for breaking her heart. But now wasn’t the time.

Looking over to the side, she saw more white robes folded up in a pile. After using her magic to summon ropes and tie the sleeping ponies up, she and her friends hastily put on the robes to disguise themselves. It was doubly fortunate for them because the other cultists would be expecting six of their compatriots to be arriving. Pulling the hoods over their heads, they were now able to proceed further into the lair undetected.

As they went further into the subterranean lair, the orange light of the torches was replaced with an ominous green glow. However, they couldn’t let some unnatural lighting stop them now and pressed onward to discover the source of the light. In a larger chamber, they found a large pool of glowing green ooze with luminous mist of the same color rising from it. Partially submerged in the pool and embedded in the cave’s walls were the skeletal remains of multiple dragons. The green slime was dripping from the bones and into the pool. It was like something straight out of a horror film. To add to the macabre scene were hooded figures standing before an altar while chanting in a dead language.

Lying upon the altar was Apple Seed, whose little hooves were tied together. The filly was crying as she looked at the scary hooded figures gathered around her. As frightening as they were, they were nothing compared to the monster standing not to far from her. She looked around helplessly with the seemingly vain hope that somepony might come to save her. Seeing his little sister in distress, Sour Apple nearly bolted for the altar but was stopped by Surprise. He got a hold of himself and followed the others as they quietly fanned out and placed themselves within the crowd, blending in as they discreetly moved towards Apple Seed.

As she made her way to the front of the congregation, Midnight spotted her father. She gasped to herself once she saw that he was covered in bruises and scratches. He had been knocked unconscious and was tied up beside the altar. Midnight could only guess that he was next in line to be sacrificed.

Standing behind her father was a purple ape-like demon with bat wings. The demon walked over to the altar and grabbed a golden idol of a demon skull with some sort of a jade reptilian creature wrapped around it. Holding the idol aloft, the skull’s eye sockets lit up as a portal opened in the cavern. On the other side, Midnight could see what looked to be the inside of a dungeon.

“I return to Rhone,” announced the ape demon. “The ceremony will commence once Hargon and I return.”

“Hail Hargon! Praise Malroth!” the crowd chanted, the six infiltrators mimicking their words.

The demon placed the idol back down on the altar before hoisting Flash Sentry over his shoulder. The demon made his way towards the portal with his captive, sending a jolt of dread through Midnight. She dropped all discretion and made for the altar, shoving her way through the crowd. However, it was too late and the portal closed behind the demon just as Midnight got to the front of the crowd.

Before the feeling of despair could fully sink in, a voice spoke to her. “Ah, you’ve arrived. Where’s the Princess?” Midnight couldn’t find her voice, being too distraught, and only stood there. The cultist waited for her to respond, but when she didn’t, he asked, “Sister, did you hear me? Were you able to get the Princess?”

“N-no,” Midnight responded, doing her best to disguise her voice and keep her face hidden under the hood.

“No?” the cultist exclaimed, sounding alarmed. The other cultists started to murmur amongst themselves. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw her friends making their way to stand by her. Though outnumbered, she felt safer in the company of her friends.

“This is bad! Lord Hargon will be displeased!” a cultist lamented as others began arguing.

“They were supposed to get the Princess! What are we gonna do now?!”

“You were supposed to get that stupid party planner’s foals!”

“Hey! How were supposed to know they had a cannon?!”

“Or a bloodthirsty alligator?!” Hearing this, Surprise smirked proudly to herself, recalling how she and her family were able to drive off the marauders with their party cannons while Gummy snapped at their retreating tails.

With all of the bickering, none of the robed ponies noticed that the six had gathered in front of the crowd. The only thing that stood in their way was the pony that the purple demon had addressed. Raising his head to peek from under his hood at the obstacle between him and his sister, Sour Apple saw who it was, and his orange eyes widened with fury. Standing by the altar was his father, Cider Barrel.

“Calm down, brothers and sisters!” Cider Barrel called for attention. “This is only a minor setback! All we need is just one more offering. The Great Malroth will provide. Let’s not worry about what we don’t have and focus what we do have.”

Turning his attention to the bounded filly, Cider Barrel approached the altar and procured a ceremonial dagger from his robes. Apple Seed’s eyes widened upon seeing the blade and started to struggle against her restraints. Cider Barrel placed the dagger on the head of the altar by the idol. He then placed candles on the four corners of the slab.

As he dutifully prepared the ritual, Apple Seed pleaded with him, “Please, don’t do it! Ah don’t wanna die!” Cider Barrel ignored her and proceeded to light the candles with a match. “Please! Ah’m yer daughter! If yer really mah pa, then don’t do this!”

This got Cider Barrel’s attention, and he looked down at the crying filly. After blowing out the match, he said, “This is how it has to be. You can thank your mother for this. She brainwashed you and your brother to believing those false idols you call ‘Princesses’. The only way you can be redeemed is by given your life for the glory of Malroth. But don’t worry; your sacrifice will help usher in a new era.”

“Y-You… Yer crazy! Yer all crazy!” Apple Seed shouted, seeing how deranged he truly was and began her struggling anew. “Help! Somepony help me!”

“Don’t waste your time. Nopony is coming,” Cider Barrel told her. He then heard hoofsteps and turned to see six other hooded ponies. One in particular was larger than the rest. Cider was curious to see what they wanted, but then saw the larger stallion glaring at him from under his hood. At first, he was confused. Was something wrong? Why was this brother looking at him like that? But this confusion only lasted a split second as he recognized the green face of his son.

As the two stared at each other, Sour Apple’s friends mentally prepared themselves because they knew their cover was about to be blow in three… two… one! Sour Apple’s front hoof flew from under the white robe he was wearing and smashed into Cider Barrel’s face. The tan stallion was knocked back and landed in heap on the floor. The cultists gasped as they watched their brother fall and then looked to the one that hit him. It didn’t take them long to realize what was going on as they shouted, “Intruders!”

“Aw, to heck with this!” Thunderbolt shouted before throwing off his cloak and taking to the air, rapidly flying around to generate strong winds. With the whirlwinds, Thunderbolt directed the glowing mist at the crowd, distracting them with the smokescreen. Also discarding their robes, Midnight, Amethyst, and Surprise began to launch attacks of their own. Surprise pulled a party cannon out of nowhere and started to bombard the cultists with extra sticky bubblegum pies. Midnight casted a gravity spell, and a number of cultists found themselves walking on the ceiling much to their confusion. Being dressed in long robes proved to be a big mistake as Amethyst spat purple fireballs into the crowd. They were tripping over themselves as they tried to get the burning vestments off.

With the disciples of Hargon in disarray, nopony was able to stop Posey as she rushed to the altar and untied Apple Seed. Seeing her cousin, the filly wrapped her hooves around her neck and cried. Posey lifted her off the altar and held her close. As Apple Seed clung to her, she looked over Posey’s shoulder to see her big brother standing over the pony that she had recently discovered was her father. Growing up, she had always wonder who he was, why he wasn’t around, and why nopony would talk about him. When her mother told her the truth, she almost wished she hadn’t. She couldn’t believe her father was such a loathsome snake, cheating on her mother and attacking her and Sour Apple before abandoning their family.

Yet, a curiosity remained in her. Even knowing what he had done, she at least wanted to see him once. She had grown up not even knowing what he had looked like. Applejack had thrown away every photograph of him, even family reunion pictures. The only thing she knew was that her coat and mane colors took after his. But now all curiosity was gone. He had came in the night and dragged her from her home. All the while, there was nothing in his eyes. No gentleness. No fatherly love. Not even the slightest hint of familial bond between the two. He was nothing more but a monster that brought her to a scary cave with the intention to do something awful to her.

Now that monster was cowering beneath her brother, her hero. A paralyzing fear took hold of Cider Barrel as he trembled at the sight of his towering son. For starters, a much larger stallion was looking at him like he was trying to set him ablaze with his gaze alone. The irony of the situation was not lost on him. The last time he had seen Sour Apple, Cider Barrel was towering over him as he struck him across the face.

Sour Apple spoke no words but instead let his hooves to do the talking. A burning hatred fueled each blow as he pummeled the pony beneath him. With each swing, the memory of seeing his pregnant mother struck to the floor flashed in his mind. He could see in vivid detail the black eye his mother had received. He remembered the sting as his own face was hit. And then remembered the panic he felt as his mother went into premature labour. He remembered holding Apple Seed as he helped to deliver her into this world with his own two hooves; the baby sister that this thing could have killed in his drunk rage if not for his intervention. All of these memories consumed Sour Apple until he barely realized that someone was calling out to him.

“Sour! Stop! Please, stop!” Finally snapping out of his rage, Sour Apple looked over to see that Surprise had caught his hoof and was preventing him from continuing his assault, her purple eyes pleading. He looked back down to the fear in Cider Barrel’s eyes. His face was swollen, his nose bled, and a few teeth had been knocked loose. Panting, Sour Apple got up and backed away from the huddled figure. Finally, Sour Apple spoke.

“Why did you have to come back?” he asked the snivelling weasel.

“I-I-I…” Cider Barrel stammered.

“Ah told you all those years ago we didn’t need you. All you bring is nothin’ but grief! You hurt mah ma, spilt our family, and now you were gonna to sacrifice yer own daughter!” By now, the others had joined him, Posey still holding Apple Seed. The filly watched as her brother confronted their father. “Yer own flesh and blood! And fer what?! That ‘Lord’ Hargon feller?! That thing that took Midnight’s pa?!” Sour Apple grabbed the hideous idol off of the altar and waved in front of Cider’s face. “This?!”

With an angry growl, Sour Apple throw the golden skull on the ground, filling the chamber with a loud clang. The cultists that Sour’s friends had subdued flinched at the sound and the sight of their unholy idol being desecrated.

“You never wanted to be a family again,” Sour Apple continued, recalling the trip to Manehattan. “You were just followin’ some madpony’s orders.”

“It was for the greater good,” Cider Barrel claimed and looked those that stood with his son. “None of you can be saved now. Your parents’ lies has brainwashed you all! Death is the only way you can be saved!”

Before, Sour Apple was filled with rage at the sight of Cider Barrel. After hearing his delirious rambling, he only felt a pitying disgust. This pony that was supposed to be his father was nothing more than a puppet to used by Hargon. Contrary to his claims, Cider Barrel was the brainwashed one. Sour Apple realized that he wasn’t worth his anger. He had spent the last eleven years harboring a hatred for a stallion that was nothing but a shell of a pony. In hindsight, it was a great waste of time and effort.

Shaking his head, Sour Apple turned away from his father and took Apple Seed from Posey, holding tight what truly mattered to him. Not even bothering to give him a parting look, Sour Apple said, “Let’s get outta here before they come back.”

They hurried by the cultists that Midnight and Amethyst had tied up with magic ropes. As the others headed towards the exit, Midnight stopped to look at the idol that Sour had thrown to the ground. The demon that took her father had used it to create a portal to wherever he had taken him. Using her magic, she picked the foul object up before running to catch up with her friends.

*****

It was just past dawn, and Evening Star had finished explaining what transpired in Ponyville the previous night. Similarly, Twilight Sparkle had told Princess Celestia what happened during the confrontation with the Dragon King. It was a heavy blow for both parties to hear what had been lost; the Tree of Harmony had been shattered, Apple Seed and Flash Sentry were missing, and Aurum had sacrificed himself.

Spike was overlooking a table in the study. Upon it were the broken pieces of his mentor’s orb. This final gift he had received from his late mentor had eased the pain of his passing, but now that it was gone, Spike felt that Aurum was truly dead. The only solace he felt was when Evening Star told him how Aurum gave his life saving Amethyst and Midnight, but even that seemed hollow. Both his daughter and his sister had went with their friends to mount a daring rescue mission. While he believed in their abilities, he as a father worried for his child’s safety.

Standing next to Spike was Rarity, who was just as distraught as her husband. Their friends weren’t faring much better either. However, none of them were as panicked as Twilight or Applejack. Once Evening told them that Flash and Apple Seed had been abducted, they were ready to run out of the castle to join their children in the rescue mission, but they were stopped by Princess Celestia.

“Don’t try to stop me! Ah’m goin’ and that’s that!” Applejack proclaim as she tried to move past the tall Alicorn that was blocking her path. Everypony was watching them, waiting to see what would happen. Applejack has always been stubborn, and with both of her children in harm’s way, she would not back down, not even if the Princess of the Sun was ordering her to.

“Applejack, please calm down,” Celestia patiently told the orange Earth Pony. “There is nothing you can do. We just have to be patient and trust in them.”

“Y’all can stay here if y’all want, but Ah’m goin’ and get mah foals.” Sidestepping around the Princess, Applejack went to the study doors and opened them only to gasp and freeze in place once she saw who was on the other side. The others also gasped and hurried over to the door once they too saw their children standing before them. The look of steely determination on Applejack’s face changed to watering eyes and a quivering lip as she saw Sour Apple and Apple Seed standing unharmed in front of them. Immediately, she threw her front legs around them and pulled them close to her. She couldn’t find any words to say but sobbed instead, overcome by her emotions.

“Amethyst, my precious jewel!” Rarity cried as she and Spike held their child. Pinkie Pie and Surprise were both laughing and crying uncontrollably. Like Applejack, Fluttershy was a blubbering mess as she held Posey tightly. Even Rainbow Dash shed some tears as she hugged Thunderbolt.

Both the parents and their children had been on their own dangerous mission and both feared greatly for the others’ safety. As they were reunited, they told each other what they had experienced: what had happened at Charlock Island, how they found Cresent Island, how Spike defeated his father, and how they were able to save Apple Seed. Midnight, however, hung her head in defeat as she told her mother how she was unable to save her father and how he was spirited away by some demon.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Midnight said in defeat. “They took Dad away before we could save him. I failed.”

“Oh, sweetie. It’s not your fault,” Twilight comforted her daughter, pulling her into a hug with her wings. “We’ll get him back. I promise.”

This didn’t make her feel any better, and she turned to Spike. She saw her brother talking to Amethyst. Like her, she had her head lowered. She could hear the Kirin say, “If it wasn’t for us, Aurum would still be here.”

Rarity understood Spike’s pain, but she shook her head and told Amethyst, “But we would’ve lost you. I wouldn’t know what I would’ve done if I lost you.”

“But…”

“Aurum made a choice,” Spike interrupted, qwelling her doubts. “The treasure hoard was nice and the orb was helpful. But saving yours and Midnight’s life? That was his greatest gift.”

Amethyst accepted her father’s words, some of the guilt she felt relieved. She promised herself she live to honor Aurum’s sacrifice by doing what she could to stop Hargon.

While talking to Pinkie Pie, Surprise noticed Sour Apple sulking while Applejack was coddling Apple Seed. Concerned for his wellbeing, she approached him and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Ah let him ruin mah life,” Sour gloomily said.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“My father. Ah let what happened between us all those years ago change who Ah was,” he explained himself. “Ah let him ruined mah life.”

“Nonsense, sugarcube,” Applejack refuted, determined to not let her son put himself down. “Ya gotta good life.”

“Ah was happy when Ah was younger.” Turning to his marefriend, he gave her a small smile. “If it wasn’t for you, Ah might’ve never been happy again. Ah might’ve never talked again.” The smile was short lived as it quickly faded away. By this point, everypony else had stopped talking and gathered around the Apples. “Ah hated him, and every hardship we faced was just another reminder of what he’s done and made me hate him even more. Ah almost even quit school to work on the farm to make up for the slack he made when he left. Just when Ah thought Ah had gotten over it, this happens. Ah wanted to kill him. Ah wanted him to pay for all he had done to me, to us.”

“But you didn’t. You stopped,” Applejack reminded him. “You could’ve had your revenge, but you were the bigger stallion and walked away. And for that, Ah’m proud of you. You brought yer sister home safely, and that’s what really matters. He may’ve brought us grief, but you’ve become a stronger stallion because of it. Yer life isn’t ruined. Yer a good son, a good brother, and a better stallion that yer father will ever be.”

Hearing these honest words of encouragement, Sour Apple looked to his mother and smiled as she and Apple Seed hugged him. His friends joined him by his side, Surprise hugging him as well and Thunderbolt slapping him on the back. Then they heard a faint ringing coming from the table behind them. Turning around, they discovered the source of the sound was the white orb that had fallen from the Tree of Harmony. Stepping closer to it, they saw it was pulsating with an orange light; the color of the Element of Honesty.

“Could it be?” Celestia asked as she levitated the last remnant of the Tree of Harmony. It had fallen from the Tree during Ryuo’s siege on Canterlot. Like a seed… “Everypony, follow me.”

Princess Celestia lead them to the cave beneath the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the heart of the Everfree Forest. They watched as the Alicorn planted the crystalline orb in the crater where the Tree of Harmony once stood, curious to see what would happen. At first, nothing did, but then there was a slight tremor. Everyone backed away from the spot where Celestia had planted the orb, anticipating another large, crystalline tree to come bursting magically out of the ground. To their surprise, only a tiny white sprout popped out.

“Aaawww! It’s an itty bitty wittle baby magic tree!” Pinkie Pie cooed over the sapling.

“Huh, is that it?” Rainbow Dash asked, somewhat disappointed. “I was expecting something… ya know, bigger?”

“It may be small, Rainbow Dash, but it’ll grow nice and tall,” Applejack reassured her. “Trust me, Ah know mah trees.”

“I’m with Rainbow Dash. Shouldn’t it be bigger? I mean, my castle was able to grow instantaneously. Why didn’t it do it now?” Twilight asked.

Celestia pondered this for a moment before answering ominously, “The world is in a state of unbalance. If it is to grow, then Hargon must be stopped! From what you have told me, I believe I fully understand his plan. He’s using a dark magic ceremony to summon demons from Tartarus. To do this, he’ll require ectoplasm and…” She hesitated before continuing, “...blood sacrifices.”

Hearing this, everypony felt uncomfortable. Applejack held Apple Seed closer, and Twilight and Midnight feared the worst for Flash Sentry, knowing that he was next to be sacrificed.

“To summon an Archfiend, he’ll need a considerable amount of ectoplasm,” Celestia mused. A troubling thought came to her as she recalled that Hargon’s followers had freed Prince Narcissus, a pony of noble blood. They had already summoned one demon, the implications of this fact made Celestia fear the worse for her wayward nephew.

“In most reports of paranormal activity, ectoplasm only shows up in small amounts: slime trails, splatterings, secretions,” Twilight expounded.

“Ain’t that the stuff we found under the Dragon King’s castle?” Applejack asked. “Y’know, the glowing green goo? There was a whole lake of that stuff down there.”

“That’s because dragons have powerful magic. When they die, that magic is released as their bodies decay. And when you have dozens of them buried together in the same place…”

“You’ll have enough ectoplasm to summon an army of demons,” Celestia finished for Twilight, making clear the impending threat.

“We’ve got to stop Hargon before he sacrifices Flash!” Twilight exclaimed.

“But where do we find them?” Spike asked.

“We already know Hargon’s lair must be located somewhere in the Frozen North. We’ve been sending search parties along with the yaks into the mountains but haven’t found anything yet,” Celestia explained.

“That’s because they’ve been using this to instantaneously travel,” Midnight announced, revealing the evil idol she took from the island. Celestia walked over to Midnight and observed the ghastly artifact.

“This thing contains powerful dark magic. I would be careful in using it,” the Princess of the Sun cautioned.

“Then what about the dragon bones we saw under Crescent Island?” Midnight reminded. “Was that a dragon graveyard?”

“I would believe so,” Twilight confirmed.

“Well then, all we need to do is find the locations of the dragon graveyards in Equestria. Hargon needs ectoplasm to perform the ritual, so his lair must be located by one.”

“That’s brilliant, Midnight!” Twilight complimented, but then a troubled look came upon her face. “But… we don’t know where any of them are. Before yesterday, they were just a theory. There are no records or maps detailing their locations.”

“I’d hate to say it, but there is someone who would know,” Rarity hesitantly pointed out.

“You’re not thinking of who I think you are, are you?” Rainbow Dash asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

“The Dragon King, yes I am,” Rarity admitted.

“Rarity, are ya suggestin’ we go all the way back there to ask for his help? He’s the last one that would help us, considerin’ what we did to him,” Applejack protested.

“You’re right, he wouldn’t help all of us. But he just might listen to me. I was able to break through to him before. Maybe I could do it again.”

“He wouldn’t trust you, or any of us for that matter, since we all had a hoof in defeating him,” Twilight countered.

“I will go, then,” Celestia announced.

“No offense, Princess, but you’re the worst choice to send,” Rainbow Dash told her as politely as she could.

“Yeah, he kept going on about how much he hated you!” Pinkie Pie added. “He might attack you the moment you step into his cave!”

“In his weakened state, I should be able to fended him off.” Celestia then closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I helped start this, and I have wronged him in the past. Perhaps I should be the one to make amends for what has happened.”

Everyone fell silent. Even though it was their best course of action so far, it was still highly risky. Even Celestia knew that Ryuo was likely to attack her on sight. He might not even give her the chance to speak at all, or Celestia might be forced to defend herself, injuring him even more than he already was.

“Maybe I should go.” The suggestion had everyone snap their heads towards the source of the voice to see that the volunteer was Amethyst.

“Amethyst, darling...” Rarity started to say, doubting her daughter’s idea.

“He doesn’t have a reason to hate me, and wanted me to come to his castle anyways. I talked him out of destroying Fillydelphia. If he would talk to anypony, it would be me.” Amethyst knew it was a long shot, but if it meant stopping Hargon, then she had to try.

Rarity and Spike looked to each other as they considered Amethyst’s proposal. Rarity then suggested, “Maybe the three of us should go. If we go as a family, maybe he’ll open up to us.”

“It’s risky, but I don’t think we have any other choice,” Spike reluctantly agreed. He was nervous, considering that he and his father didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.

“I can take you there if you’re ready,” Twilight Sparkle offered. Having already been to Charlock Castle, she would be able to teleport them to the location. Gathering around in a circle, Twilight’s horn flashed, and she disappeared along with Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst.

*****

Hargon paced back and forth in the caverns beneath Crescent Island, his followers watching him anxiously. Prince Bazuzu was snarling in rage at the cowering crowd, expressing his displeasure for their failure. For the first time in quite some time, Hargon was nervous. He had spent years carefully planning everything and executing them with precision. Yet somehow, these incompetent fools before him had managed to screw everything up! One the altar, there was no sacrifice. Back in the dungeons in Rhone, they only had one pony. That left him two ponies short. He had to fix this… somehow.

Only ponies of significance could be considered a worthy sacrifice. Prince Narcissus, while a disgraced prince, was still of royal blood and thus was used to summon Prince Bazuzu. His intended offerings of Apple Seed, Evening Star, and Midnight were all children of the Elements of Harmony, two of them were of royal blood themselves. Even though Bazuzu failed to retrieve Prince Evening Star like he had been instructed, Flash Sentry would make a worthy replacement. While Hargon briefly thought about returning to Rhone to bring Flash Sentry back to be sacrificed, but what of the other two sacrifices? Twilight Sparkle’s consort would do for Chieftain Atlas or General Zarlox but not for the Great Malroth. If he couldn’t find a worthy offering, the price would be steeper.

Hargon… came the booming voice of Malroth.

Yes, my master? Hargon answered.

I am still awaiting a sacrifice…

Yes, master. But I only have one…

It matters not to me who it is… Make the offering… NOW!

Yes, Master Malroth, Hargon obeyed, his head aching from the force of the booming voice in his head.

Turning to face the ashamed disciples, Hargon saw the two who were the most responsible for this failure: Cider Barrel and Sworn Duty. Not only had Sworn Duty failed to obtain Princess Midnight, he also left behind Live Wire, who undoubtedly gave away this location. Then they allowed the six infidels to simply walk away with the filly. If he couldn’t use the blood of a pony of significance, then he would have to use the blood of the faithful.

“Cider Barrel. Sworn Duty. The two of you have displeased almighty Malroth! You have brought shame to the Order!” Hargon rebuked the two. The acolytes flinched at the harsh reprimand and hung their heads.

“Please forgive us, Lord Hargon,” Sworn Duty besought whilst kneeling before the mad high priest. He was joined by the others, all of them begging for forgiveness.

“Silence!” Hargon shouted, Bazuzu screeching along in anger. Using his magic, Hargon levitated the ceremonial dagger off of the altar into the air. “There is only one way to atone for your failure; you must give your lives for the glory of Malroth!”

All of the hooded ponies eyed the floating dagger, but then Cider Barrel and Sworn Duty said together, “Hail Hargon. Praise Malroth.”

Following Hargon, they lined up at the edge of the pool of ectoplasm while the others began chanting. Starting with Cider Barrel, Hargon began the ritual. Showing no fear even as Hargon placed the blade to his throat, Cider Barrel only look straight ahead. If this was what Malroth willed, then let it be so. He would be remembered as a hero by the Order.

“Ad gloriam Malroth.

Ad gloriam Malroth.

Malroth venerit mundum purget.”

With a quick swish of the blade, Cider Barrel’s throat was cut. His eyes went wide and let out a ragged gasp from the pain, but then was seized by Bazuzu and thrown into the ectoplasm. Hargon then turned to Sworn Duty. Like Cider Barrel before him, the Pegasus offered no resistance as Hargon placed the blade to his throat. In a moment, it was over and he too was thrown into the glowing slime. Hargon watched and waited until the ectoplasm finally changed from green to red, the sacrifice beginning accepted.

*****

The rift in the dimensional boundaries grew wider. The attack on Ponyville, the destruction of the Tree of Harmony, and now the blood sacrifice had allowed another demon to escape from Tartarus. From his infernal prison, Malroth laughed.

*****

“Sol in tenebras.

Luna in sanguinem.

Amor morietur.

Amicitia deficient.”

Within the pool of ectoplasm, a large shadow formed. A single glowing eye opened and peered up from the depths.

“Venit, Atlas.

Venit, Atlas.

Venit, Dux Montibus.”

An enormous, orange hand burst forth from the pool and slapped down on the stone floor as something huge emerged from the glowing ectoplasm. It a giant the size of a house with a horn on top of its head and one eye in the center of its face. Smiling triumphantly, Hargon looked up at the bulking figure of the cyclops and greeted by saying, “Welcome, Chieftain Atlas.”

Bazuzu howled in salutation at the coming of his brother while the cultists shouted, “Hail Hargon! Praise Malroth!” A booming noise filled the chamber as the giant began to manically laugh.

Return to Charlock

Appearing in a flash, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst materialized just outside Tantegel Castle. Across the strait, they could see the Dragon King’s mountain castle. Unlike before, there were no dragons patrolling the skies, they having fled when Spike defeated their master. The only ones that remained were Dragon Lord Ember and the dragons from Fillydelphia. However, their peace loving friends were no longer located at the ruins of the ancient pony settlement in the Dragon Lands.

“Hello? Ember? Mina? Anyone here?” Spike called out into the empty castle but received no response. “Huh, where is everyone?”

“Maybe they went home,” Twilight hopefully suggested.

“I don’t think so. They were rather against the idea of returning to Equestria,” Rarity reminded her.

“I hope they’re alright,” Amethyst said, concerned for her new friend, Mina.

After scanning the ruins for a bit, Spike turned back towards Charlock Island. While he too was concerned for his friends, they had a job to do. Rarity and Amethyst climbed onto his back while Twilight flew alongside him across the water to the island. Being an ancient volcano, it had multiple tunnels that were once lava vents that led into the heart of the mountain. Knowing how territorial how other dragons were, Spike concluded that only a few of the tunnels actually led to the Dragon King’s lair. The others might be blocked off or even booby-trapped to prevent thieves from sneaking in. He knew for certain that they could get in through the dragon graveyard beneath the island, but that’ll take time which they didn’t have too much to spare. Twilight could teleport them inside, but their sudden appearance could alarm the Dragon King and cause him to attack. Maybe they could fly in from the top.

As Spike flew around the mountain, he caught sight of a blue dragon standing on a ledge and recognized her as Ember. Swooping down, he and Twilight landed on the ledge.

“Spike?” Ember asked, shocked to see that he had returned.

“Ember!” a voice called from his back moment before Amethyst jumped down and ran up to her. Ember gave a happy shout of surprise as the Kirin ran to hug her.

“Oh, my goodness! Amethyst, is that you? Look how much you’ve grown!” Ember laughed as she patted the top of Amethyst’s head. The last time she saw Spike’s daughter, she was only a youngster. Looking up, she also noticed that Rarity and Twilight had joined them back. “What are you all doing back here?”

“We found out who’s behind all of this, and we need help finding him,” Spike answered.

“Who?” Ember asked, growing serious again.

“A sorcerer named Hargon. He’s using dragon graveyards to summon demons,” Twilight explained. Hearing this enraged the Dragon Lord. She had come to learn that a sorcerer had spurred the Dragon King against Equestria, and it now her friends confirmed that he was only doing it to exploit him. On top of that, this sorcerer was also defiling her people’s sacred resting places!

“We already found one he was using on Crescent Island,” Amethyst told Ember. “They were going to sacrifice my friend.”

“And they have my husband. They’re going to do the same to him if we don’t stop him,” Twilight added, making clear the urgency of the situation.

“Ember, can you help us?” Rarity asked, everyone getting their hopes up. Maybe they didn’t need to see the Dragon King after all.

“Maybe,” she responded unsurely. “Do you have any idea which graveyard he’s using?”

“We believe it’s in the Yaket Range in the Frozen North,” Twilight told her.

Ember shook her head and said, “I’m sorry, but that’s beyond my jurisdiction. I’m only the Lord of the Dragons of Equestria. Dragon Lord Sergio rules over the Fire Drakes of the North. He would know the location of the graveyard.”

So much for the easy way, Twilight thought, sighing in disappointment. “We don’t have time for that. We need to speak to Dragon King Ryuo.”

“Are you sure about that?” Ember asked, looking doubtfully.

“Please, Ember. We don’t have much time,” Spike pleaded.

“Alright. This way,” Ember said as she turned to lead them into Charlock Castle. Upon entering the central chamber, they discovered that Mina’s crew of dragons had relocated from the ruins across the strait to inside the royal volcano. As they saw Spike and his family return to Charlock, they began whispering amongst themselves. But what held Spike’s attention was the sight of his enormous father lying upon his treasure hoard, the cavern filled with the sound of his breathing as the Dragon King slept. Seeing his father, Spike swallowed hard.

They came to a stop on the elevated platform where the throne once stood while Ember flew to the resting Ryuo. The blue dragon spoke into a large ear frill, eliciting a snort from the Dragon King as he awoken. Peering an eye up at Ember, he growled, “What is it?”

Ember again spoke to Ryuo and pointed a claw back towards the platform. Ryuo’s eyes fell upon Spike and widened upon seeing that his son had returned. The massive dragon shakily rose up and craned his head towards his visitors. As he loomed closer, Spike, Twilight, Rarity, and Amethyst instinctively took a step back his shadow fell over them.

“You return….” There was astonishment in Ryuo’s voice. He had believed that his son had walked out of his life forever, but yet here he was again. He felt a strange sensation, something akin to joy. It was then that Ryuo noticed who was accompanying Spike, and that brief feeling of elation was overshadowed once more by the familiar storm clouds of hatred. He glared down at Twilight, snarling at the Alicorn while fanning his wings in a threatening display. Everyone took a few more steps back and the observing dragons watched on anxiously. “Why have you returned? And why have you brought her?”

Just as Twilight Sparkle began to regret coming, Spike stood in front of his mother and spread his wings defensively. Seeing his son shield the Alicorn reminded him of the bitter fact that Spike had chosen the ponies over him. Ryuo snorted smoke in disdain and laid back down.

Everyone collectively sighed and Spike said, “We didn’t come to fight.”

“I would hope not. You no longer have the sword in your possession.” Ryuo briefly rolled to his side to expose his chest. The Sword of Erdrick was still embedded in his thick underbelly scales, surrounded by black scorch marks created by the lightning. “And I do not see the rest of your allies with their talismans.”

“We’ve come to ask for your help,” Spike explained. An unpleasant bark of laughter echoed throughout the cavern, causing everyone to flinch.

“My help?” Ryuo asked incredulously, looking at all of them with contempt. “After all that has happened, you expect me to help you?! I have already agreed to your terms… for now… I owe you nothing more!”

“Please, Your Majesty. My husband has been taken. They’re going to kill him if we don’t stop them,” Twilight pleaded.

“I care not. All it means to me is one less pony. It is of no concern to me,” he dismissed.

“But it does concern you! The one responsible is Hargon, and he’s planning on destroying us all!”

Ryuo snorted upon hearing the name of the sorcerer, recalling how the Unicorn used him for his own purposes. The fool dared to think that he could manipulate the King of Dragons as if he were a mere plebeian. “Confound you ponies. Your entire race had been nothing but a blight upon my life. I would have already seen to his destruction if not for you and your friends. If this charlatan is such a threat, why not face him yourself? If you could vanquish me, then surely you can defeat him on your own. Now begone!”

“How can you be so selfish?! All we need is some information. Lives are at stake, your own included, and you won’t lift a claw to help! If he succeeds then the whole world is doomed!” Twilight yelled, her emotions boiling over. When Ryuo ignored her, she shouted, “Haven’t you considered that you’re the one to blame for your misery?”

“You dare mock me?” Ryuo growled at Twilight upon hearing this accusation. Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst all feared for her immediate safety.

“No, I don’t mock you,” she said boldly while she continued to berate him. “You keep blaming everypony else for your troubles, but have you ever considered that it was your own doing? Princesses Celestia and Luna weren’t trying to humiliate you. They were fighting for their lives and for the safety of their kingdom while you were trying to take something that wasn’t yours! Even your own wife knew how foolish you were being so she came here to try to build a better world for both ponies and dragons! Princess Celestia wasn’t trying to spite you by taking Spike’s egg. She was carrying out Xia’s dream!"

Spike added to Twilight’s claim by saying, “Father, we saw Mother. She’s down there in the dragon graveyard. Her spirit guided us. She knew you had to be stopped. You were out of control.”

Ryuo was shocked by this revelation, not knowing whether or not to believe it. He then turned to look to the opening of the tunnel that led to his wife’s final resting place. Had the spirit of his beloved truly aided in his defeat? Or was this yet another lie concocted by the ponies?

“And you were dooming yourself and your own subjects by helping a psychopath!” Twilight continued. “You let him exploit your hatred of ponies and manipulate you into doing his dirty work. You didn’t bother to ask why he gave you that report in the first place, you only wanted an excuse to void the pact and attack! By stealing and destroying the Tree of Harmony, you’ve threatened the balance of the world! If the world ends then so do you! If want to blame someone, take a long look at yourself!”

Twilight’s speech left her panting, but the boldness of her words and pointedness of her reproach rendered the Dragon King speechless. His eyes bulged with indignant rage and was seething steam. Spike thought he could breathe fire at any moment. Then the Dragon King finally spoke two words: “Get. Out.”

Ryuo then turned away from his guests and laid his head back down on his hoard. This display disheartened Twilight. She had let her anger get the better of her and very well might have ruined their only chance of finding Hargon’s hideout and Flash Sentry. Time was short, and without the information they needed, they would be unable to save him. The thought of losing her husband brought more tears to her eyes.

Seeing her grandmother so distraught, Amethyst stepped out from behind her parents to stand by her, nuzzling her in an attempt to comfort her. She then looked to her grandfather resting on the piles of treasure below the platform. She realized that he too was in pain. Leaping off the platform, she landed in front of Dragon King Ryuo.

“Amethyst!” Rarity called after her, trying to dissuade her from doing anything foolish. Hearing Rarity and the clatter of jewels and coins, Ryuo turned to see his Kirin granddaughter approaching him.

“I am surprised that you are here,” Ryuo told her.

“Pleasantly, I hope,” she joked. However, he didn’t laugh but continued to watch her. “Grandfather, I know you’ve lost much. I know that you have your differences with the Princesses.” Ryuo humphed at the under exaggeration. “But that’s all in the past. Auntie Celestia always tries to bring people, and not just ponies, together. She doesn’t want any more bad blood between the two of you. Her taking Father’s egg and having Grandmother Twilight raise him was all part of a plan to bring ponies and dragons together.”

“It’s true,” Spike confirmed. By this point, he and Rarity had joined their daughter on the treasure hoard. Twilight Sparkle lingered behind them, not wanting to risk rekindling the Dragon King’s rage. “I’ll admit, I was a hurt when I found out the truth about my birth mother, but Celestia was just trying to protect me. With me being crowned a Prince of Equestria and becoming friends with Ember and the dragons in Fillydelphia, both Celestia’s and Xia’s dreams almost came true.”

“When we spoke earlier, I wasn’t lying,” Rarity added, reminding him of their previous conversation. “The fate of the world was in the balance and Celestia did what she had to. And what Twilight said was also true; The pain you feel is only the result of your own pride. You just have to let it go.”

Ryuo looked away. She asked for the impossible. Beyond greed or rage, what was at the very core of each dragon’s soul was vanity. And he was the King of all Dragons. All of his subjects looked to him as the paragon of their kind. If he kept letting these inferior creatures get the better of him, what would the other dragons think of him?

“Let it go or not, it’s up to you,” Amethyst continued. “But what matters now is that we stop Hargon. If you want to blame someone for your current grief, blame him. He used your anger to get what he wanted, and now he’s sent his goons to attack me, my friends, and my home.”

“He would dare to harm my own progeny?” Ryuo asked, incensed by this news. This gave them hope. If they couldn’t get him to give up his hatred, maybe they could redirect it.

“He plans on destroying us all,” Spike told him. “If he succeeds, he’ll unleash Tartarus. We have to stop him.”

“What is it that you want from me?” he asked. “Again I ask, why do you not stop him yourselves?”

“Because we don’t know where he is,” Spike admitted, a little embarrassed.

“And we need you to help us find him,” Rarity added.

“He wanted to sacrifice us to summon demons,” Amethyst elaborated. “He’s using the ectoplasm in dragon graveyards as part of the ritual.”

Hearing this, Ryuo startled everyone, including the onlooking dragons, by roaring. And then he yelled, “Sacrilege! Sacrilege!”

“My King, please calm down!” Ember tried to urge him, but he rose to his feet.

“I shall kill him for this blasphemy!” Ryuo proclaimed, ready to fly off and wreak vengeance upon the infidel. But then, he was besought by a pain in his chest. Clutching his wound, his legs wobbled before he fell back down, shaking the cavern. Once the ground had settled, Amethyst approached him, studying the orichalcum blade lodged in the scale.

Looking up to him, she asked, “Does this hurt?” He didn’t answer but watched to see what she intended to do. Using her purple flame-like magic, she carefully pulled the indestructible blade from his chest and placed it on the treasure pile. Her aura then covered the scorch marks and the indentation left by sword, causing the blackened scales to clear and the hole to close. Meanwhile under the ancient Palace of the Royal Alicorn Sisters, a flash of violet ran through the sapling of the Tree of Harmony. “There. Is that better?”

“Yes,” he answered, running the tip of a claw over where the mark had been. The sword, the burns, and the hole had all been superficial, but he had been still recovering from the internal damage done by the lightning. Not only had Amethyst removed the unsightly blemish, but she also soothed the pain in his chest. Looking back at his grandchild, he said, “But I cannot allow this offense to go unpunished.”

“Don’t forget your promise. You swore to Dad that you’ll never come to Equestria to cause harm again,” she reminded. “We’ll stop him, but we need to find him first.”

“We know his base of operations is in the Yaket Range in the Frozen North,” Twilight told Ryuo, finding the courage to speak to him again. “However, nopony knows where to find the dragon graveyards. Until yesterday, we had no idea they were real.”

“And yet you were able to discover the graveyard located beneath this castle,” Ryuo said while staring at Twilight with suspicion. He remembered that Spike claimed they used a map, but now he was starting to suspect that wasn’t entirely true. No pony could have a map of Charlock Island. “All of the dragon graveyards are hidden by magic.”

As he mused upon this, Ember silently slipped away. Though his anger had been quelled for now, she didn’t want it turned against her.

“That’s not important anymore. What is important is that we stop this mutual enemy.” Twilight’s words broke his train of thought, and he put it out of mind for now.

“All we need is a location,” Amethyst coerced. Ryuo looked down at the Kirin’s face and found that he couldn’t deny her.

“The sacred resting place of the wyrms of the north is located between the Roof of the World, the City of Crystals, and the home of the yaks,” Ryuo cryptically answered.

“Thank you,” Amethyst thanked him. To his surprise, she ran up and nuzzled against his snout. This display of affection brought back that strange elation and felt as though his heart skipped a beat.

Caught off guard and unsure how to respond to such an act, he said to all of them, “Go now. You have what you want.”

Heeding his command, they gratefully nodded and turned to head for the exit. As Ryuo watched them leave, a new pain came to his chest. The words they had spoken to him buzzed about in his mind, conflicting with the hatred that had festered in his heart for millennia. Once again, the King of Dragons had been given much to consider. Curling up in his hoard, Ryuo began to meditate.

*****

“Wake up!” Flash Sentry opened his eyes and saw blurry figures. As his vision cleared, he discovered that he was chained to wall inside a cell. His body was sore from the thrashing he received from the demon that attacked Ponyville, and hanging from the wall wasn’t helping either. He soon realized he was in a dungeon. In the other cells, he saw more ponies locked up. Standing outside his cell were two stallions he recognized.

“Chain Mail? Iron Shield?” Flash Sentry asked, identifying the two traitors. No longer were they wearing the armor of the Royal Guard but white robes marked with the symbol of a grinning bat. Seeing that their prisoner was awake, the two stepped aside to reveal another stallion. He was a blue Unicorn wearing the same robe but with an elaborate headdress that resembled bat wings. By his apparel, Flash knew who he was. “Hargon.”

“That’s Lord Hargon,” Chain Mail corrected.

“That’ll be all, brothers. Leave us,” Hargon told the former guards. The two of them saluted and left at his command, leaving Flash Sentry alone with the madpony that was behind all the chaos that had befallen Equestria. “I must say, your daughter and her friends has proven to be quite the nuisance. Fortunate enough for us, we have you. Thank you for volunteering.”

“You’re behind Narcissus’s escape,” Flash correctly deduced. “Where is he?”

“He already served his purpose. You’ve already met Prince Bazuzu.” By this implication, Flash understood that the disgraced prince had been used to summon the purple demon that attacked him.

“You killed him.” Looking at the depressed faces of the ponies in the cells, Flash realized that they were the missing refugees. “You lure ponies here just to kill them.”

“Them?” Hargon asked, casting a casual glance to his prisoners. “I offered them a chance to be a part of the new world, but they lacked the faith. They’ll serve their purpose soon enough, just as you will. As soon as the cistern has been refilled, you too will be offered to glory of the Great Malroth. As the husband of a Princess of Equestria and the Element of Magic, you’re an ideal offering to summon General Zarlox. And as soon as we collect one more pure offering, Malroth shall come.”

“You’ll never get the chance. My Midnight will stop you,” Flash Sentry defiantly declared.

“Nothing can prevent this. It is destiny.” Hargon then grinned maliciously. “Besides, I’ve already sent some friends to deal with her and her little friends.”

Gremlins in the Castle

Upon returning to the castle in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, and Amethyst found everyone in the study, awaiting their return from Charlock. Apple Seed wasn’t there, having already been sent home with Big Macintosh. Twilight noticed that Pinkie Pie and Surprise were also absent.

Seeing that Twilight’s group wasn’t burnt to cinders was a hopeful sign. As they gathered around the round table, Princess Celestia was the first to ask, “What did the Dragon King say? Were you able to convince him to help?”

“We were,” Twilight answered to their delight, everyone sighing in relief. With the Tree of Harmony still but a tiny sprout, the magical map still wasn’t working. Fetching a large map, Twilight unrolled it upon the table as she recounted what had transpired at Charlock Castle.

“So you called the Dragon King out on his stubbornness? Whoa! Go Twilight!” Rainbow Dash compliment for her friend’s boldness.

“’Bout time somepony talk some sense into him,” Applejack remarked.

“Yes, we certainly did make some progress with him thanks to Amethyst here. I only hope for his sake that he listens to reason,” Rarity replied.

“I hope so too,” Princess Celestia added. To hear such a change in a heart so hard was possible gave her hope. After all this business with Hargon was over, Celestia was determined to go and have a heart to heart with Ryuo. Even though she had already explained her actions to him, and they were indeed for the greater good, she still felt that amends had to be made.

“In his words, the Dragon King said, ‘the sacred resting place of the wyrms of the north is located between the Roof of the World, the City of Crystals, and the home of the yaks’. Look here...” Twilight then pointed a hoof to the Crystal Empire on the map, “...the City of Crystals…” She slid her hoof west to Yakyakistan, “...and the home of the yaks.”

“But where in tarnation is ‘the Roof of the World’?” Applejack asked.

“The Roof of the World is an old term for Mount Everhoof,” Midnight explained, joining her mother by the map and pointing to the highest mountain in Equestria.

Using her magic to summon a compass, a marker, and a ruler, Twilight made some calculations. “If we triangulate these locations, Hargon’s hiding place should be… right… here!” With the marker, she highlighted a valley located directly in between the three landmarks.

“No more hiding for you, Hargon,” Spike growled.

“All of the dragon graveyards are protected by magic. I’m certain there’s an illusion spell or a barrier covering the valley.”

“Like Crescent Island,” Amethyst noted.

“Or under the Dragon King’s Castle,” Rainbow Dash also said.

“We always have Spike,” Fluttershy reminded. “As the Dragon Prince, he can open the way like he did there.”

“Ah’m sure that Hargon added his own spells as well,” Applejack raised a valid point. “This may be trickier than before.”

The doors to the study opened and Surprise and Pinkie Pie walked in pulling in a cart of pancakes and assorted toppings. As they wheeled in the spread, Pinkie cheerfully sang, “But first… who wants breakfast?”

“What’s all this?” Twilight asked, everyone hungrily eyeing the heaps of freshly made pancakes.

“Well, we all been running around all night, and I figured we’ll need a big meal to keep our energy up if we’re gonna storm Hargon’s castle,” Surprise explained. “So we started cooking as soon as you left so it’ll be ready as soon as you got back.”

“But we were only gone for a few minutes. How did you make so many…” Spike started to ask but then remembered who he was talking to. That and his stomach started to growl upon smelling the tantalizing scent of butter and syrup. “Never mind.”

Though Twilight, along with everypony else, was desperate to save her husband, she knew that they would need all of their strength to face Hargon, his cult, and the demons they’ve summoned. Despite the urgency of the situation, Twilight agreed it may be best to take a short break. “I guess a little breakfast is in order.”

“Dig in, everypony!” Pinkie Pie called out as she and Surprise started to pass out plates. Rarity used her magic to daintily manipulate her utensils while Spike inhaled a stack of fifty pancakes at once. Rainbow Dash poured excessive amount of syrup on her pancakes, and Applejack poured herself a glass of apple juice to go along with her meal.

As they ate, the ever looming sense of dread was somewhat alleviated. A few smiles were spotted and a few laughs were heard. Not only did the delicious meal renewed their vigor but it also boosted their morale. The combination of the revelation of Hargon’s hideout with the generous meal provided by Surprise and her mother caused a flash of blue light to run through the growing Tree of Harmony. Another Element had been restored.

As everyone enjoyed their breakfast, four creatures approached Twilight’s Palace. Flying on bat wings, they hovered in front of a window. After chattering amongst themselves, one of them smashed the window before they all flew inside to carry out the mission their master had assigned them. Cackling in manic glee, they scampered through the halls of the castle.

Back in the castle’s study, Pinkie Pie offered Celestia a plate, but the princess politely declined. “Thank you, but I must return to Canterlot. Luna and I need to make preparations. In the meantime, please do enjoy your meal.”

“You’re right. We need a plan before we attempt to save Flash,” Twilight agreed.

“Yeah! And to take down Hargon!” Rainbow Dash enthusiastically added.

“I’ll return in a few hours,” Celestia told them with a parting bow, which everyone else respectfully returned. Afterwards, she disappeared in a flash of sunlight.

*****

After Princess Celestia had materialized in her personal chambers within Canterlot Castle, she made her way to her sister’s bedroom. After rousing Luna from her sleep, she explained the events that had transpired and began to discuss a counter strike against Hargon.

“The clock is ticking. If Hargon manages to summon Malroth, it will open a gateway to Tartarus. Countless hordes of demons will flood the world.” Celestia emphasized. Remembering something, she continued, “The refugees have unwittingly placed themselves on the front lines of this war.”

“Should we order an evacuation of the Crystal Empire?” Luna asked.

Celestia thought about this suggestion but shook her head. “No. For the moment, it’s still the safest place for them. But if we fail now, it wouldn’t matter where they go. Even the Crystal Empire’s defenses would fall to a never ending onslaught of demonic forces.”

“Then how shall we go about this? We don’t know how large is the enemy force. Who knows how many demons they have already summoned. And with the loyalty of the Royal Guard in question, we don’t have an army at the ready. All we have are the yaks and the Crystal Ponies that Shining Armor has deployed to find the missing refugees.”

“Who we now know were actually Hargon’s followers,” Celestia added mirthlessly. “Shining Armor and Rutherford's teams will have to do.”

“Isn’t there anyone else we can call upon? The griffons perhaps?” Luna suggested.

“I’m not sure. The griffons wouldn’t be able to make here in time.” Celestia pondered, thinking of any and all allies they could call upon in such a short notice. Celestia’s eyes lightened as a name came to her. “Luna, I need to return to Ponyville. In the meantime, I need you to pay a friend a visit.”

“Certainly. Who did you have in mind?”

*****

As everypony finished their meal, Spike looked to the now empty cart. Being a dragon and thus much larger than his friends, he ate most of the pancakes by himself. But he was still hungry. He frowned in disappointment, but then Surprise wheeled in another cart.

“We thought you might want seconds,” the cream colored Pegasus giggled.

“Don’t mind if I do!” Rainbow Dash said, rushing in front of Spike before he could reach for the cart. Lifting the metallic dish off of the plate, Rainbow Dash lurched back in shock at what she saw. “What the…!?”

Sitting on the platter was a monkey-like monster. Where there should be hair, its body was covered by purple scales. Little horns adorned its heads and tiny wings protruded from it back. In its grubby little claws were the remnants of the pancakes. The monster looked up and saw that it had been discovered. After looking around at the shocked faces looking down at it, the monster spat the chewed up pancakes in Rainbow Dash’s face and cackled as it flew off.

“Hey! You come back here!” Rainbow Dash angrily called after the gremlin, wiping the mush off her face. Three more dish covers then flipped over and three more gremlins flew after the first, fleeing the study and into the halls of the castle.

“What were those horrid creatures?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t know, but I bet Hargon sent them,” Spike growled.

Hearing this, Twilight gasped. Her home had been infiltrated by Hargon’s minions and were now running loose. “Evening!”

Panicked, Twilight ran from the table and threw open the doors, everyone following closely behind her. She looked down both ways of the hallway, waiting for another sign. A heavy thud boomed to the left caught her attention, but Twilight sprinted in the opposite direction to Evening Star’s room. Her son was injured and those things was running amok in the castle. She wasn’t about to let whatever they were get to him and harm him even further.

Watching his mother run to the right, Spike knew where she was going. Turning his head, he said, “Pair up and search the castle. Find them.”

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement before splitting up, Spike following after Twilight Sparkle. Amethyst and Midnight went with Rarity to check on their rooms, Thunderbolt and Rainbow Dash went to search the upper rooms, Sour Apple and Applejack went to check the entry hall, Posey and Fluttershy went to inspect the throne room, and Surprise went with Pinkie Pie to check the guest rooms.

Twilight reached her son’s room, opening the door to see that Evening Star was resting on his bed. She sighed with relief but then quickly scanned the room for any sign of disturbance. With everything seemingly in place, Twilight approached her sleeping son, brushing his blue mane with her hoof. A moment later, Spike snaked his head into the room.

“Clear?” he quietly asked as to not wake his brother.

“Clear,” Twilight confirmed, leaving Evening Star’s side. Spike backed up out of the doorway to let her by. Before either of them could relax, another crash and crazy laughter sounded nearby. Spike made as though he was about to chase after the culprits, but Twilight stopped him. “Stay here with him. I’ll check it out.”

The doors to the throne room slowly creaked opened as Posey and Fluttershy peeked cautiously inside. In the center of the room were the seven thrones of the Council of Friendship. Between them was the round table that used to act as the map that led them to friendship problems across Equestria. Hearing a chiming sound coming from above them, both mother and daughter looked up and gasped. Hanging from the chandelier made from the roots of the old Golden Oak Library were the gremlins. Their insane cackling echoed throughout the room as they swung from the illuminated crystals.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy exclaimed from seeing the strange imps, but then floated up to their level. “Um, excuse me. Please don’t swing from there. It’s not safe, and the chandelier is very special. So I’ll appreciate it if…” Fluttershy gasped when one of the small fiends stuck out its tongue and blew a raspberry at her, its spittle flying everywhere. The other three burst out in laughter at this and joined in the crude humor, all of them blowing raspberries at Fluttershy and Posey. Offended, Fluttershy put on her scolding mother face. “Alright, that’s enough. All of you are going to come down immediately.”

The four gremlins instead laughed harder and then exposed their sharp fangs. Seeing this, Fluttershy gasped and backed away. The gremlins then leaped from the chandelier and at the Pegasus with their miniature claws extended.

In the upper levels of the castle, Thunderbolt had discovered the broken window. The thousands of shards of the green stained glass was lying on the red carpet, indicating that this was how they had entered the castle. He thought to himself how much it would cost to replace a window for a castle grown out of magical crystal.

Hearing a shriek, Thunderbolt looked from the window and back down the hall. Wasting no time, he darted towards the source of the scream. Arriving first at the throne room, Thunderbolt rushed in to see the four imps pulling on Posey and Fluttershy’s manes and tails. The mares were crying out in pain and terror as the little devils assaulted them.

“Hey! Get off of them!” Seeing them in distress, Thunderbolt acted on impulse and bolted forward, bucking one of the gremlins attacking Posey in the face. He spun around and knocked the other one way. The gremlins hissed in rage at the gray stallion. Ignoring the mares, the four of them focused their attack on Thunderbolt instead. With surprising agility, they jumped on him and began clawing and biting at his coat. Despite their small stature, the gremlins were surprisingly strong, and with four of them, they quickly overwhelmed Thunderbolt.

By then, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Sour Apple arrived at the scene. While Applejack and Sour Apple ran to check on the cowering Posey and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash went to help her son. Evening the odds, the Wonderbolts were able to push back the gremlins. Seeing that more ponies had arrived, the gremlins howled in laughter and flew out the room to search for a new target.

However, one was caught by the tail by Thunderbolt’s teeth. The creature screeched in pain from having teeth clamped down on its tail, but it was silenced when Thunderbolt whipped his head and slammed the imp into the wall. Upon impact, the creature exploded in a cloud of purple smoke. Thunderbolt then walked over to a trembling Posey and offered a hoof to help her off the floor.

“Oh! You’re hurt!” Posey cried as she stood back up.

Taking a moment to check on her son, Rainbow Dash looked in his direction and saw the claw marks and a bleeding bite wound. “Thunderbolt!”

“I’ll be alright,” he reassured them. “Are you okay?”

“But you’re bleeding!” Posey shouted, ignoring his inquiry. She went to place a hoof on the bite mark, but he pulled away.

“We have to get those things,” he said.

Just then, Twilight Sparkle ran into the room. “Everypony alright?”

“Those things attack Fluttershy and Posey,” Applejack explained to her.

“Everypony be on guard,” Twilight told them all as they followed her out of the throne room. As they left in search of the gremlins, Posey stuck close to her rescuer. He placed a wing across her back protectively. Even though he was the injured one, he wasn’t going to let anything happen to his marefriend. Beneath the Castle of the Royal Sisters, a red light flashed through the Tree of Harmony.

As the seven of them continued their search, they heard a commotion coming the kitchens. They sneaked up to the door, trying not to make a sound. On the other side of the door, they could hear the pings of pots and pans clanging. Twilight went to the door, grasping the handle with her magic as Rainbow Dash and Applejack prepared themselves to rush in. Opening the door, the charged inside but stopped at the sight of Surprise and Pinkie Pie cooking.

“Pinkie. Surprise. What are you doing?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I was showing Surprise how to make the Pie Family’s Fizzy Rocks!” Pinkie cheerily explained as she revealed a plate of the sugary rocks.

“We’re suppose to be searching the castle!” the Alicorn shouted in exasperation.

“Didn’t you see the monsters?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Which is why we’re gonna need a lot of soda!” Surprise replied, placing a dozen bottles of carbonated beverages on a cart along with the candy.

“How are sweets going to stop those things?”

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing,” Pinkie reassured.

“Let’s keep moving,” Twilight ordered, deciding not to question the two and followed after them as they wheeled the cart out into the hall. It didn’t take long to find the gremlins. All they had to do was follow the sounds of cackling and glass breaking.

Walking into the dining room, they found one gremlin throwing plates while another used the broken leg of a chair to smash them as they sailed through the air. Seeing the ruined tableware, Twilight moaned, “Not the Starswirl the Bearded commemorative plates!”

Stepping pass Twilight as she bemoaned the plates she never actually used to eat off of, Surprise wheeled the candy up to the table and called out, “Hey! Monkey-bats! Look what I’ve got!”

The gremlins stopped what they were doing and watched as Surprise licked up some Fizzy Rocks and stuck out her tongue, showing them the candy as it popped and fizzed. Intrigued, the little devils rushed over to the plate and started to shovel the candy into their mouths by the clawful. They then would take turns sticking out their tongues at each other, showing off their candy as it fizzed and laughed at the sensation.

“You think that’s fun? Try this!” Pinkie Pie challenged as she grabbed a bottle and chugged down its entire contents in one go, finishing with a satisfied, “Ah!” After a moment, she took in a deep breath and let out a loud belch that reverberated off the walls of the dining room. The gremlins laughed even louder and grabbed for the other bottles of soda, popping off the tops as they began to down bottle after bottle.

“Fizzy Rocks and soda?” Twilight questioned as the gremlins continued to indulge themselves. “Pinkie, that’s just an old pony’s tale. It’s imposs-”

“I suggest we take cover,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. Twilight looked as saw that the gremlins’ cheeks were bulging as they held their stomachs. With hardly a moment to spare, everyone dived beneath the table as a loud explosion rocked the castle. Cautiously, they peeked from under their shelter to see purple smoke filling the room.

“Good heavens! What was that?” They heard a voice asked to turned to see that Rarity along with everyone else had come to investigate the noise.

“We got them!” Surprise announced as they climbed out from underneath the table.

Looking the ruins of the dining room as the purple smoke cleared, Twilight exclaimed, “Sweet Celestia’s technicolored mane! What was in those Fizzy Rocks?!”

“The less you know, Twilight, the better,” Pinkie answered with a strangely ominous tone.

“At least that’s the last of them,” Thunderbolt said before wincing. He looked down at a bleeding bite wound on his leg.

“Here, let me take care of those for you,” Posey offered. Turning to Twilight, she asked, “Do you have a first aid kit?”

“Yes, in the bathroom.”

Taking Thunderbolt by the hoof, Posey led him to the bathroom as Twilight and the others started to tidy up as much as they could. Using washcloths and bandages, Posey did her best to patch up her coltfriend.

“Thanks,” Thunderbolt said as he inspected himself in the mirror.

“It’s the least I could do. After all, you were hurt because of me,” she told him. She then blushed. “I thought it was very brave the way you saved me.”

Thunderbolt’s hoof then gently tilted her chin so she was looking right at him. Looking each other in eye, Posey’s blush deepened and her heart started racing. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips as Thunderbolt leaned in and kissed her. This tender act sent a pink flash of light through the Tree of Harmony as the Element of Kindness was restored.

Meanwhile, the others had finished cleaning the dining room the best they could. Yawning, Rainbow Dash stated, “Wow, I hardly realized we’ve been up and ‘em none stop for days now. I could really use a nap.”

“And a bath. I haven’t been able to properly groom myself since the Dragon King took me hostage!” Rarity added, looking at the state her mane was in.

“By all means. The guest rooms are at your disposal,” Twilight invited.

“Oh, thank goodness! Now, if you don’t mind,” Rarity said, asking for some privacy as she started to draw a bath.

As everypony else went off to find a room to rest in, Twilight returned to Evening Star’s room where Spike was still standing guard.

“I heard some sort of explosion. Is everything alright?” he asked with concern.

“It’s alright. We took care of the little pests,” she explained.

“What were they anyway?”

“From the way they vanished in a puff of smoke, I can assume they were conjurations made by Hargon sent to get back at us. After all, Midnight and the others did stop a summoning ritual.”

“Is that it? I don’t know. Seems kind of… petty. If he’s trying gather ponies so he can summon demons, sending only four minions just to annoy us seems beneath him.”

Four minions? Something about what Spike said made her think, That’s right. There were four of them. She then did a mental checklist. There was the one that Thunderbolt took care of and the two in the dining room. But where was the fourth?

“Hang on a second, Spike. Wait here with Evening Star a little longer.”

“Is everything alright?” Spike asked as Twilight hurried off.

“No, there’s still one of those things left!” she called back to him as she broke into a sprint. She raced down the hallways of the castle to check on her youngest child, Midnight.

As Midnight opened the door to her bedroom, she was greeted by the welcoming sight of her bed. Though as she laid down, her head was filled with thoughts of her father. Here she was taking a nap while Flash Sentry was in the clutches of a psychotic cult. This disconcerting thought caused Midnight to toss and turn on her bed.

As she shifted, she caught sight of the golden idol they had stolen from the Hargon’s followers. It was sitting on her desk when she was certain it was left in the study. She got up and made her way across the room towards the ghoulish object, but then the fourth gremlin jumped up from behind the desk, startling Midnight. The gremlin grabbed the idol and lifted over his head, the golden skull’s eyes glowing.

At that moment, the door opened and Twilight rushed into the room just as a bright flash of light emanated from the idol accompanied by a rush of wind. A swirling vortex opened up, taking up half of Midnight’s room. The bright light and strong wind temporarily disoriented Twilight and Midnight. Hopping off the desk, the gremlin ran to the portal with the idol in tow.

“The idol!” Midnight yelled over the rushing wind as she spotted the imp scurry across the floor.

“Midnight, wait!” Twilight called out to her daughter as she chased after the gremlin. Midnight was too late and the gremlin jumped through the portal. But then a massive orange hand shot out of the portal and grabbed Midnight. She only time to let out a surprised yelp before being dragged through as well. Before Twilight could do anything to help her daughter, the portal closed, leaving Twilight alone in the now silent room. She could only stare in breathless horror as yet another member of her family was taken from her.

*****

In the Dragon King’s chamber within Charlock Castle, Dragon Lord Ember watched as her king meditated. He hadn’t spoken a word since Spike and his family had left. She then heard someone approaching from behind, and she turned to see the tunnels illuminated with multiple colors. Moments later, she saw the source of the light were the glowing bodies of dragons, particularly Scorn, Cobalt, Mire, and the other wild dragons who had fled when Spike had defeated Ryuo. The larger dragons entered the chamber looking fearful, dreading their king’s reaction.

“So, you cowards have returned,” Dragon King Ryuo addressed them. Having answered the summons, the glow surrounding their bodies ceased.

“Master, please understand, we thought you were dead!” Scorn grovelled on behalf of the others, bowing before the Dragon King.

“Be silent. I will deal with all of you soon enough.” Ember noticed that Ryuo’s tone was surprisingly calm. Any other time, he would be roaring in rage. He then looked over to the blue Dragon Lord of Equestria. “Dragon Lord Ember, come to me.”

Obeying, she flew over to where he was lying on his treasure hoard. As she stood before him, his massive head loomed over her. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

“During my reflections, I recalled that Spike and his allies claimed they had a map.” Hearing this, Ember cringed, knowing where this was leading. “That was a lie. The only way they could have discovered the passage through the catacombs is if they had help, and only a Dragon Lord could have showed them the way.”

Ember said nothing at first, averting her gaze as those red eyes continued to bare down upon her. She tried to think of an excuse, but she knew that he would see through any deception. She then looked back up to those unrelenting eyes and confessed, “I showed them.”

She was expecting him to fly into a rage once she had told him this, but instead he retained that eerie calm. “When I told you to direct him to me, I did not mean for you to aid in his assassination attempt.”

“I-I never meant for…” Ember stammered at the accusation.

“It matters not what you intended. The fact remains that you and those under your care played a part in my downfall.” Hearing this, Mina and the rest of the Fillydelphian dragons became nervous. In fact, all the dragons present were being questioned for the actions. Ryuo stood and addressed his subjects, first looking to Scorn’s group, “Whether by desertion…” and then to Ember and Mina’s, “...or by treason, all of you have betrayed me; a grievous crime. The penalty for such a crime would be death.”

“Master! Please, forgive us!” Scorn begged, as did all the other dragons. Some of the more sensitive dragons from Fillydelphia began to weep, fearing for their lives.

“I have already made my decision,” Ryuo proclaimed, all becoming silent to hear their sentence. “If you wish to be spared your punishment, follow me now.” He spread his wings and started to march towards the exit of the cave.

Hearing this, the other dragons rejoiced. They weren’t going to have to suffer the wrath of the Dragon King after all. Jumping at this opportunity, every dragon spread their wings and followed his lead.

However, Ember was wary and took flight. Flying level alongside Ryuo’s head, she asked, “Where are you going?”

“To war,” he simply answered.

“But you promised Spike you’d never return to Equestria again to do harm!” she protested. “What about the Royal Dragon Code!?”

He turned his head to look at her but never slowed his pace. “Do not lecture me about honor. After your transgressions, none of you have the right anymore. I know what I promised, but there was another promise I made long ago, and it takes precedence over everything else. I will have my revenge. Either join me or stay out of my way.”

Ember stopped mid flight, watching as Ryuo left Charlock with his subjects eagerly following behind him. Mina flew up next to her, equally conflicted as she was and looking to her for guidance. They were certain that Ryuo was about to go back on his word and invade Equestria, but he would turn his anger upon them if they tried to stop him. The only thing they could do was to follow after him and hope that they could somehow prevent a potential catastrophe.

The army of dragons, following their king, flew out of the volcano and headed northwest in the direction of Equestria.

The Final Offering

Midnight awoke to the sound of heavy footsteps. Opening her eyes, she found herself still in the grasp of the cyclops that had abducted her from own home through the portal the gremlin had opened. As the cyclops marched, Midnight saw a sight that reminded her of what she and her friends discovered in the sea cave. There were robed ponies chanting and luminous green fog rising from venting in the floor. Ahead of her was a platform with a collection of frightened looking ponies chained up before a large vat of glowing ectoplasm that rested before the altar. From what she had witnessed in the cave, she knew immediately what fate awaited them. Horrified at the thought of being sacrificed, she tried to pull away in an attempt to make a break for it, but she couldn’t wriggle herself free from the giant’s massive fist.

The cyclops reached the altar and held her out to the blue Unicorn wearing an ornate headdress. Standing on either side of him were two Unicorn mares, one beige and one white. But what caught Midnight’s attention was the purple ape demon from before and the pony he was restraining.

“Father!” she cried upon seeing Flash Sentry. Her horn flared with yellow magic, but it was immediately extinguished as the cult leader levitated a black inhibitor ring and slipped it onto her horn.

“Ah ah ah. None of that now,” Hargon scolded.

“Midnight, no!” Flash Sentry shouted upon seeing that his daughter had also been captured. Turning to Hargon, he yelled, “Let her go!”

“Hm, no. I don’t think I will,” Hargon said mockingly, grinning triumphantly down at the bound Pegasus. “We’ve come this far, and I’m not about to let it all slip away. Chieftain Atlas, set her down.”

As soon as the cyclops placed Midnight on the platform, she tried to run to her father but was held back by Nightingale's magic. Hargon then stepped forward to the edge of the platform and addressed his followers, “Brothers and sisters! The hour of our god’s ascension has come! The Great Malroth has delivered the final offering into our hooves! First, we shall summon General Zarlox and the barrier separating this world and the next shall fall! Then the Great Malroth will rise!”

“Hail Hargon! Praise Malroth!” the crowd chanted.

“These two,” Hargon said, pointing a hoof to Midnight and Flash Sentry, “the kin of the princesses, their blood will be the final offering!” Then he pointed to the ponies chained up at the base of the platform. “And as for these faithless heretics, Master Malroth will use them to summon the rest of his army to purge the world of the corruption!”

“Hail Hargon! Praise Malroth!”

“You won’t get away with this! You will answer to Princess Celestia for this!” Midnight definitely declared.

“Your faith in your princess is almost admirable. I too once believed in Celestia, but my eyes were opened and I saw her for what she really was.”

“What are you talking about?”

“As a colt, I looked up to Princess Celestia. I believed she could do anything. Protect us from any danger. The Summer Sun Celebration was my favorite holiday. I looked forward to it every year. Ah, she looked so majestic as she raised the sun, how the morning light shined off of her pure white coat. She was a Goddess of the Sun.” As Hargon reminisced, Midnight and Flash Sentry listened on in confusion. Hargon paced about the length of the platform while he continued, “I was devastated when my parents told me we were moving away from Canterlot. It would mean moving away from my hero. We relocated to a small, backwater town. You may have heard of it…” Looking back to his prisoners, he said with a grin, “Ponyville.”

“You used to live in Ponyville?” Midnight asked, stunned this revelation.

“For a time.” He then continued with his monologue, “Imagine my joy when one year I learned that she was coming to Ponyville for the celebration. It just so happened to also be the longest day of the thousandth year since the banishment of Nightmare Moon. The mayor announced the Princess, my Princess, but instead, the Mare in the Moon appeared to usher forth a never ending night. My young mind couldn’t process it; how could anypony get the better of the Princess Celestia?

“But that wasn’t the only time, was it?” Hargon then turned to his followers and asked again, this time louder, “Was it?!”

The answer from the crowd was a resounding, “No!”

“Of course not, my brothers and sisters! Not too long after, another crisis arose when the Spirit of Chaos returned. And where was Celestia?”

“Hiding in her castle!” a voice cried out from the crowd, causing the congregation to roar in angry agreement.

“Instead of saving us from the insanity that befell us, she sent her errand filly to do her job!” Hargon claimed, egging on the crowd. “She was able to stop Discord before, why not this time?! I’ll tell you why! She had lost her connection to the Elements of Harmony when she had used them on her own sister! And why did she use them on her sister? Because she was possessed by dark forces due to Celestia’s neglect! Her own blood was slipping into madness under her own nose, and she was too caught up with herself to notice! She created Nightmare Moon!”

This caused the angry mob to boo and hiss, cursing the name of Celestia.

“And that’s not all! After Twilight Sparkle and her friends turned Discord back into stone, did she take a sledgehammer and smashed him into a million pieces?”

“No!” the crowd responded.

“No, she befriended him! The Spirit of Chaos! Even after was reformed, he betrayed her! First it was with the plunderseeds! Not one year had passed and Princess Celestia found herself at the mercy of a trap that he had set ages ago. If he was truly reformed, he would have disposed of them before they even had a chance to run rampant through my home!”

Hargon took a moment to recompose himself, taking deep breaths. Though he resumed his charade of self control, Midnight had seen his true face and the insanity that laid within. However, his disciples were taking in everything he said, fanning the flames of their own discontent. Speaking more calmly, Hargon continued, “I guess I should thank Discord. After all, if it wasn’t for him, I would have never discovered my god. Ponyville was covered with those vines and I had ran from my home for safety. Just as I was about to give up hope, I was contacted by a voice. It promised to give me the power to save myself if I agreed to serve it. Power entered into me and I was able to drive the thorns away. That is also how I gained my cutie mark.” He gestured to the emblem of the bat that adorned his robes.

“When the Tree of Harmony was temporarily weakened, it allowed a portion of Malroth’s essence to slip through the void. Through the connection with my master, he showed me such sights. All of Celestia’s shortcomings were revealed to me: Nightmare Moon, the multiple Changeling Invasions, her stupid decision to trust Discord to apprehend Tirek, and the equally stupid decision to give all of the Alicorn magic to your mother instead of striking Tirek down when he was still weak, that little incident with Tempest Shadow and the Storm King... The list goes on and on. And now, Celestia and her fellow princesses will finally reap the consequences of their own ineptitude. Soon, everypony will see them as the frauds they truly are as they are cast down and forgotten.”

“You’re wrong!” Midnight shouted over the noise of the crowd’s incited cheering. “The princesses are not gods nor are they perfect. They never claimed to be! You keep focusing on the negative and blame them for your own shortcomings while ignoring all the good they have done. They have provided peace, prosperity, and harmony for thousands of years!”

“And those itty bitty negatives…” Hargon said in a mocking tone before yelling back in Midnight’s face, “are the ones that nearly destroyed us all!”

“And this is how you respond? By summoning a demon god to destroy everything?” Flash Sentry asked, pointing out his hypocrisy.

“The kingdom they have made can’t be saved. If the foundations of a house is unstable, it’s doomed to fall no matter how many times you repair the roof,” Hargon explained, ignoring Flash’s criticism. He turned to the podium and removed a cloth, revealing the ceremonial dagger. “But none of that matters anymore. Soon, Celestia and the rest of the false gods shall be cast down and the world will bow down and worship Malroth.”

“You won’t get the chance. My mother will stop you!” Midnight insisted.

“It’s too late for fancifully thinking,” Hargon mocked, looking over to her. “The princesses will never find you in time to stop us now. They have no idea even where we are.”

“That’s what you think,” Midnight said under her breath.

What Midnight knew that Hargon didn’t was that Twilight Sparkle was already leading a rescue team through the Crystal Mountains headed in the direction of Rhone. With her was Spike, Princess Celestia, the Element Bearers, Midnight’s friends, and a patrol of yaks and Crystal Ponies led by Prince Shining Armor and King Rutherford. Using the directions given to them by Dragon King Ryuo, they used triangulation to locate the valley where Hargon was holding Flash Sentry and Midnight.

The party made their way through the howling wind and snow up the mountainside, Mount Everhoof rising in the distance. With Yakyakistan to the west and the Crystal Empire to the east, Rhone had to be just on the other side of this peak. With adamant determination, Twilight pushed onward until they reached the top of the incline. Upon reaching the summit, they were greeted by a wall of white and the roar of a raging blizzard. The entire valley was enclosed by a massive, swirling dome of cloud and ice.

“This is it, ain't it?” Applejack asked over the roar of the wind as she walked up next to Twilight.

“It is,” Twilight confirmed, her horn glowing magenta as she scanned the area. “The storm is meant to keep outsiders from finding the dragon graveyard.”

“But Hargon decided to move in and use it to hide his activities,” Princess Celestia added.

“So let’s go down there and crash his party!” Rainbow Dash said, more than ready for action.

“Patience, Rainbow Dash. Luna will be along shortly.” At Celestia’s insistence, they waited. Though it was only for a few minutes, the cold made it feel like hours. But after a while, there was a flash of magic and Princess Luna appeared along with some familiar faces.

“Thorax!” Spike laughed upon seeing the leader of the reformed Changelings. The green insect-like equine flew down and the two greeted each other with a friendly hug.

“It’s good to see you, Spike. When Princess Luna told us what happened, we gathered as many fighters as we could.” As Thorax explained, a darker Changeling with purple eyes flew down and landed next to Thorax.

“We’re ready to fight,” Pharynx declared, his next generation of the Changeling Guard saluting behind him. With the addition of the Changelings, they all felt a little more confident. They didn’t know how many cultist were waiting for them or how demons they had already summoned, but they had three Alicorns and a dragon with them.

“Thank you, King Thorax,” Celestia said as Luna landed next to her.

“Yeah yeah. Can we move it along? We’re all freezing here, and we have a world to save,” Rainbow Dash said, shivering as she hovered nearby. All the other ponies were in agreement, all of them huddled together next to Spike, who was using his high body temperature and wings to make a makeshift insulated tent. The only ones not bothered were the yaks with their shaggy coats.

“Quite right. Spike, will you do the honors?” Celestia requested. Spike nodded and stepped forward, leaving the ponies without their heat source. Concentrating, Spike focused on the storm before unleashing a mighty roar. The sound carried on the wind, amplified by the power of a royal dragon, and the snowy vortex began to slow. The white clouds started to dissipate, eventually exposing a green valley below. They also saw a castle with two towers, one of which was illuminated by a familiar green glow.

“We must hurry,” Celestia told everyone. “They’ll soon discover the barrier has been lowered and be alerted to our presence.” She then turned to Shining Armor. “Shining Armor, when the battle inevitably starts, I want you to linger back.”

Shocked and confused by the order, he replied, “But Princess, you’ll need me in the fight.”

“What I need is for you to protect Fluttershy and Posey,” she said, motioning to the noncombatants. “If we fail and Malroth is summoned, he’ll summon a portal and unleash Tartarus upon the world. I want you to promise me that you’ll get them back to the safety of the Crystal Empire.”

“Princess…”

“It’ll be up to you and Cadance to rebuild Equestria. Now promise me.”

Shining Armor looked from Celestia to Twilight, who silently urged him to comply. Taking a breath, he answered, “I promise, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Thank you. I hope so, too.” Celestia felt a little guilty by holding him to such a promise. She knew that even the impressive defenses the Crystal Empire possessed would eventually fail to an unending onslaught by a demonic horde, but there was the small hope that they may yet discover a way to survive and drive back Malroth and his army. It wasn’t much, but even the tiniest light of hope shone bright in the darkest of times.

In the Temple of Malroth, the sound of Spike’s roar caught everyone’s attention. Hargon looked to Bazuzu, who left Flash Sentry and flew to the window to investigate the noise. “The barrier is gone! The Sun Princess has discovered us!”

Hearing this, a murmur spread through the congregation. Just as the followers of Hargon began to panic, Hargon called for their attention, “Children of Malroth, we must not let them interfere! The ritual must be completed!” Calling upon his magic, Hargon summoned more gremlins and his bat familiars. “Go now! Stop the interlopers!”

Bazuzu screeched with bloodlust and Atlas bellowed a warcry. The winged demons flew through the windows and out to the valley below while the cultists followed the giant down the tower to confront those who would dare to try to stop their leader. All who were left in the temple was Hargon, Nightingale, Honeysuckle, Flash Sentry, Midnight, and the captive refugees.

Outside, Twilight Sparkle headed the charge on the castle, desperate to save her family. They ran across the grassy field, but as they drew close to the front doors, they opened and cloaked ponies ran out. Twilight skidded to a stop, the others stopping behind her as the cultists formed a line, barring them from entering the castle. A screech was heard as a winged ape demon swooped overhead along with a swarm of gremlins and bats.

Twilight’s gaze was drawn up when she heard a bellowing war cry. A giant leapt off of the bridge that connected the towers of Rhone and landed with an earth shaking thud. The ponies and even the yaks were temporarily unbalanced by the impact. Twilight looked up at the cycloptic demon, who had reached over and grabbed a tree. Uprooting it, the demon wielded it as a makeshift club.

Making the first move, Atlas raised his club over his head and brought it down straight at Twilight. But before it could drive her into the ground, a golden yellow dome of magic shielded Twilight. The club bounced off of the barrier, sending ripples across its translucent surface and knocking Atlas off balance. Princess Celestia stepped forward, her horn glowing, and stood beside Twilight.

“Get to the tower. Stop Hargon,” Celestia admonished her former pupil before sending a yellow beam of magic at the giant. A blue beam joined Celestia’s as Luna joined her in driving the cyclops back. Following the princesses’ lead, the ponies and yaks rushed into the fray. The yaks used their superior size and strength to overpower the much smaller cult ponies while the Changelings took to the air, taking on the gremlins and summoned bats. Following Celestia’s orders, Shining Armor and the Crystal Guard lingered back and formed a protective circle, protecting the noncombatants.

Seeing her friends clearing the path for her, Twilight took off and made her way to the tower. Spike saw her ascending, and turned to his daughter. “Amethyst, hop on!”

After taking one more shot at a cloaked pony, Amethyst climbed on her father’s back and he took off after Twilight, intending to give her back up. As they rose above the battlefield, the bats whizzed by them. With each zap from the Changelings’ horns, the little minions vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

However, the main obstacle in their path was Bazuzu. The purple ape demon shrieked at them as he began to summon strong winds in attempt to keep them interrupting the ceremony. Twilight shielded her eyes from the stinging winds and struggled to stay airborne. She was never the strongest flyer and the generated winds certainly weren’t helping.

As Twilight began to strain herself, the winds suddenly stopped when she heard the demon howl. Opening her eyes, she saw that Thunderbolt had landed a flying kick into Bazuzu’s side, knocking the demon down. Rainbow Dash swooped in front of Twilight and said, “Go for it! We’ve got your back!”

Rainbow Dash darted off to join her son in combating Bazuzu, allowing Twilight and Spike to continue up to the tower. They landed on the bridge, Amethyst jumping down from Spike’s back, and they ran to the entrance of the Temple of Malroth. Once inside, they saw Hargon on top of the platform holding a dagger in his magically grip, advancing towards Flash Sentry and Midnight with it.

He stopped in front of Midnight, holding the blade up to her face. She nervously looked down at the point, which was dangerously close to her nose. When he heard footsteps, he looked towards the door, frustrated that his followers had failed in stopping the intruders. At first, he glowered at them, but then he grinned most sinisterly when he locked eyes with the Princess of Friendship. With a quick thrust, Hargon drove the dagger into Flash Sentry’s chest.

The orange Pegasus gasped from the sudden pain and Midnight screamed, “Dad!”

“Noooo!” Twilight wailed, holding out a hoof as she helplessly watched her husband slump to the floor. Spike and Amethyst watched on in horror, both too were paralyzed by the sight.

Midnight struggled against Nightingale’s magic as she and Honeysuckle chanted:

“Ad gloriam Malroth.
Ad gloriam Malroth.
Malroth venerit mundum purget.
Sol in tenebras.
Luna in sanguinem.
Amor morietur.
Amicitia deficient.
Venit, Zarlox.
Venit, Zarlox.
Venit, Imperator Ignis.”

As Flash Sentry’s eyelids drooped, Hargon walked to the edge of platform. “You’re too late,” he gloated as he held out the knife, allowing the blood to drip into the ectoplasm. The glow of the slime changed from green to red as a demon took form within.

*****

Within the void, the wall between dimensions final shattered as another demon broke through it in its escape from Tartarus. Now there was nothing holding Malroth inside his prison. All he needed was for someone to open the door for him.

*****

The basin of ectoplasm shook as something large emerged. Red slime dripped off its body as it crawled onto the floor before standing to its full height. It was a bipedal creature covered in gold scales with a spaded tail. Its head was shaped like a bull’s and two large bat wings jutted out from its back. With its features, it resembled a minotaur crossed with a dragon and was similar in size to Spike.

“General Zarlox,” Hargon called from behind the horned demon. “Kill them.”

Without saying a word, Zarlox held out a hand and a trident appeared in it in a flash of fire. He then pointed the trident at Twilight, Amethyst, and Spike. A ball of energy formed at the end of the central point and began to grow. Recognizing the imminent threat, the three dove out of the way as the orb launched pass them and exploded in a huge ball of fire. Twilight and Amethyst landed to one side and Spike to the other.

Zarlox took aim at the Alicorn and the Kirin and prepared another attack, but Spike had scrambled to his feet and charged. Before the spell could be launched, Spike tackled the demon, trying to wrestle the trident from its grasp. Due to the struggle, Zarlox’s spell was cast prematurely, sending the orb of destructive energy to the ceiling. The blast rocked temple, sending dust and debris raining down on the platform.

Twilight and Amethyst recovered and rushed to the platform. Amethyst saw the ponies in chains at the base calling out for help. Using her magic, she busted the locks and shouted, “Make for the exit!”

Within the dust cloud covering the platform, Hargon coughed and looked up to see his offerings for Malroth escaping. He ignored them for there were many more lives that could be offered, the most important being Midnight. With the dagger in his possession, he advanced on Midnight. But he was surprised with a yellow wall of magic expanding out to meet him. The dagger was sent flying, clattering as it slid away on the stone floor.

When the debris had fallen, Nightingale had released her holding spell on Midnight in order to shield herself. Realizing she was free, Midnight slipped the ring off her horn and dove to her father’s body. Holding him, she created a barrier spell and pushed Hargon, Nightingale, and Honeysuckle away along with the dust cloud.

Twilight Sparkle and Amethyst rushed to Midnight’s side, standing together against Hargon and his cohorts. Amethyst recognized Nightingale as the former Mayor Skinflint’s assistant. Hargon glared at the mares, growing increasingly frustrated by second.

“I don’t care who it is, but I will have blood from one of you!” Hargon yelled as he shot a red beam at the three. With a magic barrier generated by Twilight, the blast was blocked, but Twilight winced. It was taking a surprising amount of effort to repel the attack. Not even when Twilight dueled with Starlight Glimmer had she felt such power from a Unicorn. She could also feel that his magic wasn’t normal; it was being backed by another power.

Nightingale and Honeysuckle joined in the assault, causing the magenta dome to start to crack. Before it could break, Midnight and Amethyst added their magic to Twilight’s spell, reinforcing it. The two sides were in a stalemate until Amethyst teleported out from the safety of the shield and reappeared adjacent to Nightingale. Taking a breath, Amethyst spat purple flames, causing the Nightingale to stumble and topple over Hargon and Honeysuckle as she scrambled to evade the flames.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Midnight and Twilight sent blasts at their foes. Hargon teleported away, leaving the mares to be hit by the spells. Honeysuckle was encased in a yellow crystal, Nightingale likewise in magenta.

Materializing, Hargon saw that his most faithful followers were immobilized. “No!” he snarled. He then was facing three of the most skilled students Celestia had ever trained all by himself.

As Hargon was outnumbered three-to-one, Zarlox wrestled with the dragon. Zarlox managed to push Spike onto his back and stomp down onto his chest. Zarlox raised his trident and brought it down aimed at Spike’s neck. Spike caught the prongs just inches above his scales. From his supine position and with the weight of the demon on top of him, Spike struggled to keep from being skewered. Amidst his struggling, Spike shot a burst of green flames at the archdemon’s face. The flash succeed in blinding Zarlox, who roared in rage as he covered his eyes. Using his tail, Spike whipped Zarlox’s legs out from under him. With the tables turned, Zarlox was now the one on his back with a snarling beast on top of him.

Streams of red, yellow, purple, and magenta lights darted back and forth intermingled with the flashes of teleporting. Hargon was panting. Even with Malroth’s power bolstering his own, he couldn't fight three opponents at once. He backed up to the window that overlooked the valley with the three forming a semicircle around him, their horns still glowing.

Hargon couldn’t speak, only seethe with hatred as he looked around. On the stage, his wife and daughter had been imprisoned in crystal. General Zarlox had been pinned by the Dragon King’s son. Chancing a glance behind him, he looked out the window and saw that the princess was right. The gremlins and bats had been dealt with. His followers had been rounded up by the Crystal Guard. Even Bazuzu and Atlas were on their last legs.

“This is for Ponyville!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she and Thunderbolt swirled around Bazuzu, striking the batboon in coordinated flyby attacks

“And this is for Evening Star!” Thunderbolt added as he landed another blow.

“Ready for the big finish?” Rainbow Dash asked her son.

“You know it!” he replied. Looping up into the air, the Pegasi built up their speed as they came back down, a mach cone forming around them. In a burst of color, prismatic for Rainbow Dash and blue and gray for Thunderbolt, twin sonic rainbooms thundered as the duo sped at the fatigued demon at supersonic speeds. As their flying hooves struck Bazuzu, he exploded into a shower of ectoplasm.

Below where the batboon once was, Atlas lethargically swung his makeshift club at Luna just to have Celestia blast him in the back. He changed targets and swung at Celestia instead only to have Luna blast him as well. At his feet, Applejack and Sour Apple ran around him with ropes, lashing his ankles together. With one more blow to the head from the princesses, the dizzy giant teetered back and forth, dropping the club. With his feet tied up, Atlas fell forward.

“Timber!” Applejack shouted as Atlas did a faceplant, shaking the ground with his massive bulk. The collapsed giant began to dissolve, his artificial body exploding into a wave of ectoplasm.

“Surrender, Hargon. You’re outmatched,” Hargon heard Twilight order from behind him. “Your minions have fallen, and you’ll pay for murdering my husband!”

“No,” he whispered. He turned to face the Alicorn, refusing to back down. “No. No no no no no! This wasn’t supposed to happen!”

“Surrender,” Twilight repeated.

“Never!” He shot a desperate blast at Twilight, but she flew above it and countered with a spell of her own. As the spell made contact, magic swirled around Hargon’s horn and the red aura surrounding it fizzled out. Hargon focused, but nothing happened. He tried again, but the magic wouldn’t come.

“W-what did you do?!” he demanded, panicked by his lack of magic. He could still feel the power of his god within him, but he couldn’t unleash it.

“A magic suppression spell,” Twilight explained as she walked towards the powerless Unicorn. Coming face to face with him, she narrowed her eyes. “You won’t be harming anyone ever again.”

“A little help here!” With a snap of her head, she saw Spike still wrestling with Zarlox. Twilight turned to help her son, blasting the golden archdemon with the help of Midnight and Amethyst. Zarlox gave one last roar before he too exploded into ectoplasm, covering Spike with the slime.

“Ugh,” Spike gagged with disgust as he wiped the goo off.

“Dad! Are you okay?” Amethyst asked as Spike rolled back onto his feet.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” he reassured. He turned to Midnight. “Are you okay.”

“Yes, but…” Midnight’s eyes filled with tears as she looked to the altar, everyone following her gaze to Flash Sentry’s unmoving body. Solemnly, they gathered around the fallen stallion.

“I’m so…” Spike started to say, but his words failed him. Tears streamed down Twilight’s face as she took Flash’s body in her fore legs. She was joined by Midnight.

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Midnight asked desperately, but her mother sadly shook her head. Midnight’s heart sank, but asked anyway, “Please? Can’t we try anyway?” Twilight looked at Midnight, ready to say "no," but stopped when she saw the glimmer of hope in her daughter’s eyes. “Please?”

“Okay,” she said quietly. Closing her eyes, Twilight concentrated. Midnight followed her mother’s example and both of their horns illuminated. Their manes flowed as the air around them began to swirl. Amethyst and Spike joined in, adding their own magic to the spell. Flash Sentry began to glow white as the magics entered his body. The wound on his chest closed before he slowly started to breathe again. Meanwhile, the crystalline sprout of the Tree of Harmony flashed magenta as the sixth and final Element of Harmony was restored.

Outside, Princess Celestia looked up to the towers of Rhone and saw a white light shining from one of the windows. Feeling the harmonic magic, she smiled knowing that not only had Hargon been defeated but something wonderful was about to happen. Flapping her wings, she ascended to bear witness.

With their focus on Flash Sentry, the family didn’t notice Hargon as he tried to slip away. He almost reached the exit, but a white Alicorn appeared before him. The white light reflected off of her coat and wings, and for a brief moment, he felt like a colt again as he admired her beauty. She was the same glorious sun goddess from his fondest childhood memories.

But the moment passed, and he shrank away from her judging eyes. As he backed away, his hoof kicked something. Looking down, he saw the dagger. Looking back up at Celestia, he saw that her attention had shifted from him to the altar. Hatred burning in his heart, he discreetly reached down and scooped up the dagger.

Flash Sentry gave a loud gasp as he opened his eyes and looked around. “Twilight?”

“Flash!” Twilight happily sobbed as she embraced him.

As he held his wife, he looked to his daughter. He was amazed to see that she was still haloed by a pure white light. When it faded, he smiled and said, “Wings look good on you, Midnight.”

“Wings?” she asked. She then saw the admiring look on her family’s faces and looked behind her to see what they were looking at. She was greeted by the sight of a pair of wings attached to her side. “I’m… I’m…”

“An Alicorn,” Princess Celestia finished for the speechless princess. “I always knew you could do it.” She landed next to her, smiling down at Midnight as she explained, “Through your dedication to saving your father and by working together as a family, you were able to turn back time and save your father from an unfortunate fate. The faith you’ve shown has proven that you were ready to fulfill your destiny and become the Princess of Family.”

Midnight’s family encircled her, showering her with congratulations and praise, until they were interrupted by cynical laughter. Looking to the source, they saw Hargon standing by one of the vents in the floor. “Oh, what utter tripe. The ‘Princess of Family?’ You all disgust me.”

“Say what you will, Hargon. But you can’t hurt anyone anymore,” Midnight said, stepping forward. “The magic of the love we share is stronger than the evil you planned to bring into this world.”

Hearing this, Hargon laughed maniacally, “Is that what you believe? Love will conquer all, even the unstoppable? Fools! I have planned for this day for over twenty years! You cannot stop this from happening!”

“All of your plans have failed. You have nothing left.”

“On the contrary, I still have one last ace up my sleeve.” The mad sorcerer then revealed the dagger. Raising it in the air, he shouted, “Oh God of Destruction, Malroth, I sacrifice myself to you!”

Alarmed, they moved to stop him, but Hargon thrust the blade into his own chest. He grimaced at the pain, but looked up at the onlookers. Seeing their horrified faces, especially Celestia’s, he gave one last triumphant sneer and said, “Checkmate,” before falling backwards into the vent, his laughter fading as he disappeared into the glowing green vapors.

When Celestia and the others reached the edge of the vent, they peered down through the haze at the subterranean lake of ectoplasm. It remained green for a moment but then the glow changed to red as an enormous shadow formed within the ectoplasm. Massive claws burst forth from beneath the surface and began scaling the walls of the inside of the tower, causing the castle to shake violently.

“We must go!” Celestia shouted, everyone following her lead. They all flew from the tower, Spike carrying Amethyst, and escaped as the tower began to crumble. They landed next to their friends, who ran to greet them.

“Sister, what is happening?” Luna asked urgently.

Her answer came in the form of a towering monster exploding out of the eastern tower of Rhone with a roar. The beast resembled a dragon, having dark blue scales with a contrasting orange underbelly, red bat wings and ear frills, and a head adorned with horns. However, its face was shorter, more apelike, and it had four arms instead of two. At the end of its tail was the head of a snake that hissed as it writhed around. Around his neck was a chain adorn with a pendant of a skull.

The titanic Demon Lord stepped out of the chasm, crushing part of the castle with his massive foot. The ponies, yaks, and Changelings backed away, craning their necks to look up at the terror before them. Announcing his arrival to the mortal plane, Malroth reared his head back, stretching his four arms to the heavens, and roared, “I live!”

The Pantheon of Evil Spirits

Despite their best efforts, Hargon’s plan had succeeded and Malroth had escaped from the depths of Tartarus. Looking up at the colossus, Twilight calculated their chances in stopping the nightmare looming over them. The demon was just as large as the Dragon King, and just as powerful if Twilight assumed correctly. But this time, they didn't have a sword that could cut through anything.

“Whoa nelly. That’s a biggun,” Applejack remarked nervously.

Malroth looked down at the mortals at his feet. While most had retreated, there were some who remained at the edge of the crumbled castle, standing by the edge of the chasm. Malroth’s followers bowed and rejoiced at the arrival of their god.

“All hail Malroth! All hail Malroth!” they chanted in unison. As they praised his name, Malroth stretched forth a clawed hand. A blue bolt of energy thundered down, striking the cliff where the worshipers stood. The cultists only had time to give confused cries of panic and betrayal before the edge of cliff crumbled beneath their hooves, sending them hurtling down into the pit of ectoplasm. Though they weren’t the intended offering, it didn’t matter to Malroth. They were only ever a means to an end.

The lake of ectoplasm began to churn and bubble as Malroth called upon forbidden magics. The reservoir erupted like a volcano, sending a swirling vortex of red ectoplasm into the sky. Everyone jumped at the unexpected eruption, watching as the tornado rise to the clouds and dye the sky red. At the top of the funnel, dark clouds began to spiral outward, lightning crackling from them.

*****

At the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance and Princess Flurry Heart stood on the balcony of the palace looking to the west. Over the mountains, they saw the red sky and heard the distant rumble of thunder. They were joined by Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer when they too saw the otherworldly phenomenon. The four knew it was a grave omen and prayed for the safety of their friends and loved ones.

*****

“What is that?!” Rainbow Dash yelled over the roaring wind.

“If it is what I think it is, it’s an interdimensional portal...” Twilight explained. “...to Tartarus.”

“What do we do?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“We stop it. Any way we can,” Twilight answered before flying up to confront the titan. Luna and Midnight followed after her. Midnight was a little unsteady, new to the concept of flying.

“Get the hostages to safety! Fall back to the Crystal Empire!” Celestia ordered Shining Armor, putting her last resort into effect. With a mighty flap of her large white wings, she soared up to face Malroth. Her horn glowed, shooting powerful blasts of golden magic alongside her fellow Alicorns at the demon’s scaly hide. With his multiple arms, he swiped at the ponies circling around him.

“Hurry, get moving!” Shining Armor barked at the ponies that had been rescued from the clutches of Malroth’s cult. They followed the Crystal Pony guards without hesitation, all too eager to put as much distance between themselves and the gigantic demon as possible. Shining Armor paused when he saw Fluttershy, Posey, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Surprise stay behind. He knew they were connected to the Elements and had helped to save Equestria before, but they weren’t soldiers and he doubted they could do anything against such a foe. “Aren’t you coming?”

The mares glanced between each other, Fluttershy and Posey looking the most scared, and back to the princesses battling Malroth. Sharing the same thought, Rarity answered for all of them, “No. We’re needed here.”

Though none of them quite knew what it was they were supposed to do, Shining Armor gave an understanding nod and ran to lead the civilians to safety. Those remaining continued to watch, all feeling helpless. Yaks took pride in their strength, but they had never encountered anything like what they now beheld. The Changelings figured they would be nothing more than annoying flies that could be swatted just as easily.

Spike, on the other claw, couldn’t stand idly by and watch as his mother and sister risked their lives. He could fly and he had magic! Joining the fray, he began to launch green fireballs at Malroth. The demon retaliated by opening his gaping mouth and breathed jets of hellfire at the dragon and Alicorns.

The five flew out of range of the infernal flames, but saw glowing orbs of energy form within Malroth’s four hands. Pointing at the Alicorns, Malroth sent forth beams of pure destructive energy. The Alicorns launched their own streams of magic to counter the attack. Electricity sparked as the beams crashed together.

While the princesses maintained their attack from either side of Malroth, Spike circle around to the back. Feeling clever, Spike was about to strike but then Malroth’s tail rose, the serpentine head at the end hissing menacingly. Spike barely had time to dodge the snapping snake head.

On the ground, the onlookers noticed figures starting to emerge from the vortex. Everyone got ready for whatever came from the other side. But what they saw surprised them. Bazuzu, followed by Atlas and Zarlox, were the first to step through.

“These guys again?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. “Didn’t we already take these guys out?”

“Don’t ya worry none. We can take ‘em,” Applejack reassured.

“Yaks smash!” King Rutherford bellowed, leading the charge. The Elements of Harmony and the Changelings also rushed forward to push back the three. But they quickly halted their charge when more figures appeared within the portal.

“Look!” Thunderbolt pointed as the shadowy figures also started to emerge. Silver and gold furred batboons, green and blue skinned cyclopes, and purple scaled archdemons joined their commanders. Gremlins, imps, floating eyeballs, beings made of fire and ice, and other ghoulish creatures also came forth.

Seeing Prince Bazuzu giving her a mocking sneer, Rainbow Dash scowled backed and bolted towards it with the intent to finish it once and for all. Before she could reach Bazuzu, a silver batboon flew in front her, trying to slash her with its claws. Thunderbolt went to help her, but saw a gold batboon flying towards him. Thunderbolt evaded the attack and countered with a spinning kick to the face.

As Chieftain Atlas and his tribe of cyclopes stomped forth from the portal, King Rutherford and the yaks lined up in front of them. Atlas laughed at them, confident that the yaks couldn’t possible harm giants such as they. But the cyclopes’ laughter was cut short by a stampede ramming into them, knocking them down and trampling over them.

General Zarlox and his soldiers rained fireballs from above, but a purple shield block the flames. Amethyst returned their fire with magical bolts of her own. Giving her support, Thorax, Pharynx, and the other Changelings flew into the air, also shooting at the archdemons.

A floating eyeball monster was threatening Fluttershy, but it soon was looking directly into the “Stare.” Since it was comprised of a giant eyeball with tentacles ended with more eyeballs, the monster was unable to look away. The aberration warbled in terror and sped away.

Posey was surrounded by a fire elemental on one side and an ice elemental on the other. When both beings pounced, Posey jumped backwards, allowing them to collide midair. Fire and ice canceled each other and both disappeared into a cloud of steam.

A group of armored skeletal creatures advanced upon Rarity. Since Rarity is a fashionista by trade, she didn’t know many offensive or defensive spells. However, she did possess an impressive level of telekinetic magic and a creative mind. The skeletons glowed blue and disassembled, their bones floating into the air. The bones whirled together to form a scale model of Canterlot Castle.

While Applejack and Sour Apple bucked a gaggle of disembodied hands made of ectoplasm, Pinkie Pie used her party cannon to blast confetti at the swarm of bats and gremlins and Surprise distracted the demons with pies to the face. Eventually, she ran out and went to switch to the cupcakes. Looking around to see how many she would need, she saw that the demons kept on coming. For every one they eliminated, two more would crossover.

“I don't think I have enough for all of them!” Surprise exclaimed.

“There’s too many!” Amethyst lamented. “There’s no way we can take them all on!”

“But we must do something!” Rarity said, despite her own growing fear.

Meanwhile, Twilight sweated profusely from exertion from withstanding Malroth’s onslaught. Celestia, Luna, and especially her daughter Midnight weren’t faring any better. Pushed to the breaking point, they broke off the attack, narrowly managing to fly out of the way of the four beams of energy. The destructive blasts soared past them and struck the walls of the valley, shaking the mountains. Regrouping with the other three Alicorns and Spike, Twilight could see they were all exhausted. Down below, she could see the rest of her friends and family being surrounded by the ever growing army of demons.

Seeing the despair on his enemies faces, Malroth let out a booming laugh. The Demon Lord relished the moment, confident that his victory was assured. His laugh became a deafening roar of pain and surprise as a red explosion struck his back, staggering Malroth. Hearing their master’s cry of distress, the demons froze and looked back. Even the forces of Equestria were caught off guard.

The ground shook as another towering creature landed behind Malroth. Turning to see his assailant, Malroth saw the Dragon King standing before him. The royal dragon rose on his hind legs, matching the Demon Lord’s immense size.

“Archwyrm,” Malroth addressed the Dragon King.

“Archfiend,” Ryuo said back. Everyone was surprised to see Spike’s father. The last they checked, Ryuo could care less about what happened to Equestria. He had made that painfully clear. Yet here he was squaring off against the Demon Lord of Destruction.

“Why interfere?” Malroth questioned.

“You have defiled a hallowed resting place of my people. Dared to manipulate me for your own purposes,” Ryuo responded.

“Necessary sacrifices,” Malroth dismissed. “You hate the mortals as much as I. Would you not do anything to take your vengeance upon them? I can help you make that a reality. When I rule this world, you can have anything you want.”

“This is my world. And I do not share!” Ryuo let out a roar. Moments later, more roars were heard coming from up above. Looking up, everyone saw thousands of dragons descending out of the clouds. The army of dragons roared and breathed streams of colorful flames as they chased the demons. The archdemons flew up to meet the dragons, launching blasts from their tridents, but the attacks did little more than push back the full grown dragons. In retaliation, the dragons grasped the archdemons and tore them apart with their claws, causing the demons to melt back into ectoplasm. The smaller batboons tried to flee, but the dragons pursued them with snapping maws. The cyclopes ran in terror but were picked off one by one, being lifted up by their shoulders and then dropped back down to the ground from great heights.

“This is the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen!” Rainbow Dash remarked as she saw the battle between the dragons and the demons.

“Who’s side are they on?” a bewildered Flash Sentry asked.

“For the moment, ours,” Twilight answered as she hovered up above.

“C’mon, y’all!” Applejack rallied the others, seeing the tide of battle had changed. Leaving the larger monsters to the dragons, they took on the smaller ones as they exited the portal.

“Spike!” Hearing someone calling his name, Spike looked around until he saw Ember flying towards him.

“Ember!” Looking at the chaos all around them, Spike asked, “How did you get my father to agree to help?”

“I didn’t. He ordered us to follow him,” she explained. “I thought he was going to attack Equestria, but then he gave me this.” She then placed something in his claws. Looking down, he marveled to see it was the Sword of Erdrick. “He told me to give it to you.”

Any doubts about his father’s intentions were quelled. He had been given back the weapon that he had used to defeat his own father. The Dragon King would never give the orichalcum sword to someone he didn’t trust. Speechless, Spike looked to his father, who was fighting to save the world despite his own selfishness.

Ryuo blasted Malroth with more dragonfire, pushing the demon back. Malroth snarled with anger, but Ryuo lunged at him, sending them both crashing into the half of Rhone that remained standing. Ryuo slashed at Malroth, but the demon caught the dragon’s wrists and clawed at Ryuo’s sides with his extra set of arms. Ryuo growled with pain, but used the superior reach of his longer neck to chomp down on Malroth’s neck. In return, the snake head on Malroth’s tail lashed out and bit Ryuo’s leg.

Though neither relented, Spike could see that his father was at a disadvantage; Malroth had more limbs and mouths. Gripping the sword’s hilt, Spike decided to even the odds. Dashing forward, Spike flew towards Malroth’s tail at full speed. With a yell, Spike swung the sword, the orichalcum blade effortlessly slicing through the demon’s scales. Malroth howled in pain as the snake head was decapitated. With effort, Malroth used all of his arms to shove Ryuo off of him. Staggering to his feet, Malroth clutched the wound at his neck. Looking at his hand, he saw it covered with his own ectoplasm. The ancient demon was alarmed. He had been so assured of his own power that it never occurred to him that he could be harmed.

Distracted, Malroth didn’t notice as Ryuo reached over and picked up a part of one of the broken towers. Lifting it over his head, Ryuo brought it crashing down onto Malroth’s head. The impact knocked the Archfiend to the ground. Standing over his fallen foe, Ryuo raised the broken architecture once again and repeatedly smashed Malroth with it over and over again until the Demon Lord finally burst into ectoplasm. Panting, Ryuo tossed his weapon aside and fell back down onto all fours.

Spike landed in front of his father, as did Twilight, Celestia, and Luna. Ryuo’s sides and leg bled, his blood dripping onto the ground. Before they could say anything, the others ran up to them, Midnight saying to Twilight, “Mom! We’ve got a problem! No matter how many we defeat, they just keep on coming!”

Looking to the portal, Twilight could see her daughter was right. Even though Malroth had been vanquished, more demons kept emerging from the red vortex. To their horror, another massive shadow appeared within the portal and Malroth stepped through from the other side.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Spike groaned. Malroth was completely unscathed; even the snake head at the end of his tail was back.

“As long as the portal remains open, I can incarnate without end!” Raising his arms triumphantly, Malroth proclaimed, “I am invincible!”

Ryuo raised himself back up and reengaged the Demon Lord, though he was wounded while Malroth was renewed. Seeing this, Celestia said to Luna, “We must help him.”

“We’ll help too,” Twilight said, Midnight agreeing with her.

“No. You must use the Powers of Harmony to close the portal. Otherwise, Malroth will just keep coming back no matter how many times we defeat him,” Celestia told her.

“But how? The Tree of Harmony isn’t fully restored,” reminded Twilight.

“But it is, Twilight. Look at your daughter.” Celestia indicated to Midnight and her new wings. By this point, Twilight and Midnight’s friends had joined them, listening to the encouraging words of the Solar Princess. “She could not have ascended if not for the Powers of Harmony. By working together, you can call upon the them as you all done before and return harmony to the world.”

Hearing Ryuo and Malroth roar at each other, they looked to see the two thrashing each other once more. Prompted by their battling, Luna said to the others, “Hurry! There isn’t a moment to lose!”

Her resolve strengthened, Twilight said, “Everypony pair up.”

Following her instructions, they broke into pairs, the children standing by their respective parent. As Midnight stood by Twilight, they shared an encouraging smile as Flash Sentry stood supportively behind them. The twelve stood before the portal, undaunted by its imposing height and scale of its power. Instead, each member of the Elements of Harmony, both new and old, closed their eyes and focused on the love and unity between them. Instinctively, each parent and child duo held each other's hooves, save for Amethyst who grasped her mother’s hoof with her clawed digits.

Representing Honesty, an orange glow surrounded Applejack and Sour Apple. Embodying Laughter, Pinkie Pie and Surprise were surrounded by a blue light. The Elements of Generosity, Rarity and Amethyst were illuminated by a purple aura. Fluttershy and Posey glowed with the pink light of Kindness while Rainbow Dash and Thunderbolt radiated the red light of Loyalty. Finally, Twilight Sparkle and Midnight were haloed by the magenta light of Magic.

Malroth stopped his fighting with Ryuo and the Royal Alicorn Sisters when he suddenly felt the presence of something overwhelmingly virtuous. It was a haunting feeling, reminding the Archfiend of the Light that had banished him and his brethren into the Darkness at the dawn of time. Malroth turned to see the bright colors surrounding the twelve agents of the Light, horrified once he realized what they were about to do.

The light of the twelve shot towards the portal, coming together as a rainbow, and swirled around the dark vortex. As the Light of Harmony overcame the darkness, the portal’s color changed from fiery red to a brilliant white and then started to spin in the opposite direction. Though everyone else was unaffected, the demons that had been summoned started to be sucked into the pillar of light, the unholy creatures’ artificial bodies disintegrating as they entered the purifying light and were banished back to the abyssal realm of Tartarus.

Soon all that remained was Malroth. Despite his minions being sucked into the light, he resisted its pull. Instead, he started to march towards the twelve that were using his portal against him with the intent to kill. If he could eliminate the vessels of power, then no one could close the gateway.

Each earthshaking step took effort due to the strain placed on him by the suction, but didn't allow that to stop him. He was met with further resistant when a yellow beam of magic struck his chest followed by a blue one. Celestia and Luna were doing their best to drive Malroth back to the portal. However, Malroth was persistent and continued to trudge onward, barely remaining upright.

Spike saw this, realizing that Malroth wasn’t going to give up so easily. He didn’t know how long the Elements’ magic would last, but if Malroth was still on this side of the portal when it ended, then the Archfiend could create another one and the whole thing would start all over again. Spike knew it had to end now and tried to think of anything he could do.

Off to the side, he saw his father taking a knee, supporting himself with one hand and holding his wounded leg with the other. Spike suddenly remembered their confrontation at Charlock Castle and looked to the sword he was holding. Understanding what he had to do, Spike flew as fast as he could straight at the Demon Lord.

Celestia and Luna saw him fly past them, stopping their attack in confusion as they watched the young dragon race towards his much larger target. Even Malroth seemed confused when he witnessed this reckless act, but Spike raised the sword and hurled it at him with all of his might. The blade landed directly between Malroth’s eyes, embedding itself in the scales as the demon gave a surprised yell and clutched his head.

“The sword! Aim for the sword!” Spike shouted as he charged a spell, channeling green lightning into the hilt. Celestia and Luna added their magic to his, the three of them sending a devastating shock directly into Malroth’s brain. This was enough to weaken the Archfiend’s resistance and he too was pulled into the portal. Malroth’s monstrous silhouette could be seen within the beam of light, but piece by piece it was dissolved until only a giant screaming skeleton remained before completely fading away into nothingness.

The rainbow of lights finally ended and the portal vanished, leaving only a gaping hole where the castle of Rhone once stood. The ominous storm clouds had cleared, and the sky was blue once more. Underneath the Castle of the Two Sisters, the Tree of Harmony stood tall once more, its power repairing the rift between the dimensions. Within his infernal prison, Malroth impotently raged at his fate.

All were silent, waiting to see if anything would happen but all was calm. The ponies cheered, the yaks stomped and hollered in victory, the Changelings buzzed excitedly, and even the dragons got in on the celebration by breathing fire into the air.

“We did it! We actually did it!” Surprise happily cheered, fluttering off of the ground.

“Welcome to the Saving the World Club!” Pinkie said as she bounced up beside her daughter. “We need to throw you all a party to mark the occasion!”

“Heh, you’ll throw a party for any occasion, Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash quipped.

“Hm, true. But that doesn’t make it any less special! I mean we had a party when we first saved the world. It’s only fair that they get a party too!”

“Ah’m just glad that we made it out alive,” Applejack remarked, but smirked all the same. “But Ah reckon a party is in order.”

Flash Sentry walked up and wrapped his fore legs around his wife and daughter. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Midnight replied, nuzzling against his chest, happy to have him back.

“Ooh! We also need to throw Midnight an Alicorn Party!” Surprise added, calling attention to her friend’s new appearance.

“That’s right! You’re an Alicorn now!” Amethyst pointed out, causing the rest of their friends to gather around the now blushing Midnight, congratulating and and admiring her new look.

Spike smiled proudly at his younger sister, but a glint caught his eye. Looking to the source, he saw the Sword of Erdrick lying on the ground. He went and picked it up, but then noticed Celestia and Luna standing before Ryuo. The celebrating was put on hold as an uneasy tension filled the air. Even though they had just fought against a mutual foe, the enemy of your enemy isn’t always your friend, and the sisters certainly had a long and sordid history with the Dragon King.

Everyone waited to see who would make the first move. Would Celestia say something? Would Ryuo go against his word and attack? Then again, they weren’t technically in Equestria at the moment, so the terms of the vow didn’t apply. Ryuo may have been wounded, but his stubborn pride may compel him to attack despite his injuries.

Finally, Ryuo spoke to Celestia, “Blood for blood, your debt is paid.” Celestia opened her mouth to say something, but Ryuo got up and started to walk away. He looked to the dragons, who were anxiously awaiting his order. “You all have fulfilled your obligation. You may go as you please.”

The dragons wasted no time in leaving. Having been cleared of the charges of treason placed upon them by their king, they took flight and scattered to the four winds as they returned to their respective territories. The only dragons that remained were Dragon Lord Ember and the dragons from Fillydelphia. One of them, Mina, flew up to the departing Dragon King.

“Where should we go, Your Majesty?” she asked nervously.

“I care not,” he apathetically replied, not even bothering to look in her direction. Instead, he spread his massive wings and prepared to make the long flight back to his castle. Alarmed, Celestia quickly flew in front of him, trying to prevent him from leaving.

“Please wait, Ryuo,” she requested. “You’re in no condition to fly.”

“I have nothing else to say to you, nor do I wish to ever see you or any of you ponies again,” he grumbled.

“Then why did you help us?” Luna asked, joining her sister.

“I did no such thing,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes. He looked back to where Spike stood with Rarity and Amethyst. “I helped them.”

Despite his father’s brashness, Spike couldn’t help but be touched. It gave him some hope that his father might actually be a good dragon deep down.

“Nevertheless, allow me this,” Celestia petitioned as her horn glowed. Using her magic, she healed Ryuo’s injuries, stopping the bleeding and closing the wounds. Ryuo didn’t make any attempt to stop her but rolled his eyes and begrudgingly accepted the friendly act.

After she was done, she moved out of the way, permitting him to go his way. Without a word, he took off and flew southeast, creating a windstorm with his passing. Everyone watched him go until he disappeared over the mountains.

That still left the matter of the now homeless dragons. Unsure of what to do, Mina asked, “So what happens to us now?”

“My dear, you are all welcome to return to your homes,” Celestia told them. “I saw to it that Mayor Skinflint was removed from office, and I promise you that I’ll do all within my power to make sure such atrocities are never repeated.”

“But it wasn’t just him,” Mina gloomily said, hanging her head. “Everypony… our friends… our neighbors. They all turned so quickly against us. Like they’ve done before.”

The rest of the dragons silently agreed buy hanging their heads, remembering all the prejudice they had faced in the past. Ember sympathized with them. The Draconic New Year Festival was supposed to be a crowning moment in pony-dragon relations. If only there was a way to repair the damage that had been done. An idea came to the Dragon Lord and she smiled.

“Mina, I would like to introduce you to someone.” Ember turned a waved a claw to Thorax. “Mina, meet my old friend Thorax, leader of the Changelings.”

Prompted by Ember, Thorax stepped forward and extended a hoof. “How you do?”

“Eeee!” Mina squealed.

“What? Did I do something wrong?” Thorax asked, afraid he somehow offended the dragoness.

“No no! Of course not!” she reassured him. “It’s just… I’m just a huge fan of royalty, and I’ve never met a leader of the Changelings before! This is such an honor!”

“Well, to be honest, it wasn’t always such an honor,” Thorax chuckled at the fangirling dragon. “We Changelings haven’t always had the best of reputations, as you probably have heard.”

“Yeah, but that was before you helped to overthrow Chrysalis. Everybody knows Changelings are nice now.”

“But before that, I had trouble getting anyone to trust me.” Thorax cast a smile in Spike’s direction. “With some help from some friends, ponies started to give me a chance. Sure, there were some misunderstanding along the way, but I promise you that if you give them another chance, your friends will come through for you in the end."

“I don’t know…” Mina unsurely muttered, still thinking about all the hardships she and the other dragons had endured.

“Mina, do you trust me?” Spike asked.

“Of course I do!” she immediately answered.

“Do you trust my friends?” he asked, his pony, yak, and Changeling friends standing behind him, giving the dragons reassuring smiles.

“I… Yes, we do.”

“And will you accept my invitation and give us ponies another chance?” Princess Celestia asked. Mina looked to her fellow dragons, but they were all looking to her as a de facto spokesdragon. Making a decision, Mina’s body began to shrink, as did the rest of the Fillydelphian dragons, returning to her previous “civilized” size.

With the Fillydelphian dragons re-accepting the ponies’ offer of friendship, the rejoicing began anew. The Cult of Malroth had been eliminated, the world had been saved, and the bonds of friendships had been strengthened. Amidst all the happiness, Celestia looked to the southeast, hoping one day amends could be made and old wounds could be healed.

A Grandfather's Gift

The streets of Fillydelphia were alive with the sounds of festivities. A procession of floats paraded down the streets of Dragon Town as confetti drifted in the evening breeze. The sidewalks were lined with ponies, yaks, Changelings, and the civilized dragons, all enjoying the celebration. One year had past and it was time again for the Draconic New Year Festival. But this year was different. Not only was it a celebration of the unity between ponies and dragons but also the anniversary of when these four races united to save their world from the threat of the Cult of Malroth.

Above the crowded streets, the Wonderbolts were putting on an exhilarating performance. They soar over the streets, contrails streaming behind them as fireworks accompanied their performance. Leading the team was Captain Rainbow Dash. Flying alongside her was Soarin and Thunderbolt. As promised, the three of them had an entire year to fly together as a team, but now it came down to this last performance. After this show, Soarin would retire.

Watching the aerial team was Posey and her parents. As Posey watched her coltfriend zoom overhead, her parents held the twins. Fluttershy was holding Apple Core, a yellow Earth Pony colt with a green mane, while Big Macintosh held Candy Apple, a pink Pegasus filly with a blonde mane. To everypony’s relief, Fluttershy delivered the twins without any complications and couldn’t be happier.

Also watching the Wonderbolts was Gilda and her hippogriff daughter, Grizelda. She and the other residence of Hawk’s Nest had also come to see the show. Ever since they were still youngsters, Rainbow Dash had always bragged that she was going to be a Wonderbolt one day, and Gilda was happy to see her friend living out her dream.

Gilda’s husband, Tenny Field, had went to get them drinks from a nearby vendor. On his way back, he thought he saw a familiar face in the crowd. On the other side of the parade procession, he saw a bubblegum pink Earth Pony mare with a mint green mane. Next to her was a red Pegasus mare with a blonde mane. The two mares were standing in the opening of an alleyway with a stallion who had a dazed look on his face.

“Renny?” he said upon seeing the red mare. “Renny!” he tried to call over the crowd. Though it would be impossible to hear him over the cheering crowd, the mare turned her head in his direction. As they made eye contact, he knew for sure it was his missing sister. Though something was wrong; her green eyes were glowing. She smiled with a predatory grin, revealing two fangs and a trickle of blood running down her lips.

A float passed between them, blocking Tenny’s view. When it moved on, the mares were gone, leaving a confused stallion alone in the alleyway holding his head as though he had a headache, red pinpricks on his neck. Tenny searched the crowd, but saw no sign of them. He then began to wonder if he was just seeing things.

“Hey, is everything alright?” he heard Gilda ask. Tenny took one last look, but saw nothing. Even the stallion was with a group of friends acting as though nothing had happened.

“Yeah. It’s nothing.” He then gave the drinks to Gilda and Grizelda.

Unconvinced, but deciding not to press the issue, Gilda said, “Alright.”

“Can I have some cupcakes?” Grizelda asked, pointing to nearby bake stand.

“Sure,” Tenny replied automatically, trying to forget what he thought he just saw.

Surprise was busy running the bake stand with her coltfriend, Sour Apple. Her little sister, Cherry Pie, had recently received her cutie mark for baking and proudly put her talent to use. Appropriately, it was of a cherry pie. Surprise handed the pies and cakes to an enthusiastic crowd of yaks. Cheese Sandwich was driving the Super Party Panzer 9000 in the parade while Pinkie Pie operated the cannon, showering the party goers with bursts of confetti.

Sour Apple was selling apple fritters, caramel apples, apple pie, apple crisps, apple cobblers, and good old fashioned apples. Apple Seed was with Cherry Pie, holding balloons and watching the parade. Apple Seed, like her best friend, had also received her cutie mark. Discovering her talent in the family business of apple farming, she now sported three apple seeds on her flank.

“C’mon on. Y’all go have a good time. Ah’ve got things here,” Applejack offered as she stepped in and took over the stand, encouraging her son to go and enjoy the festival with Surprise. Applejack smiled as she watched the young couple join the party. Sour Apple has come a long way; He’s dating a sweet young mare, he’s smiling more, and even talking more. Confronting his father gave him a sense of closure, finally allowing him to put the past behind him. Even Applejack was looking less stressed. The wrinkles around her eyes had smoothed and the color was starting to come back in her mane.

Midnight was watching the parade from the VIP booth. Adorning her head was a tiara of her own. She was sitting next to the other Alicorns of Equestria: her mother, Cadance, Flurry Heart, Celestia, and Luna. Also in the booth was Rutherford, Thorax, Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, Rarity, and Amethyst. At Rarity’s side was Spike. Due to their size, Spike and Dragon Lord Ember had their own specialized seats next to the booth. Standing guard at the entrances of the VIP section was Pharynx and the ever diligent Evening Star.

However, there was one seat that was vacant; the one reserved for the guest of honor. Amethyst looked at the empty seat and wondered if the guest would show. The festival had been going on for a few hours and still they hadn’t arrived. She was curious to see who it would be, as was everyone else, for their name wasn’t listed in the program. Ember was to be the guest of honor for the festival last year, but that never came to past. She originally thought that it would be Ember again but now wasn’t so sure.

Looking into the crowd, she could see Mina laughing and having a good time. Amethyst was happy for her and the other civilized dragons. As Celestia promised, things did improve for them. Fillydelphia had a new mayor, one that respected both the pony and dragon populations in the city. Mina was even give a place on the city council.

Amethyst then heard a gasp coming from the crowd. The parade was stopped and the music was silenced. Tapping Rarity’s shoulder, she whispered, “Mom, what’s going on?”

Another collective gasp came from the crowd, and it parted as a figure made its way to the VIP booth. The guards moved into position, ready to protect the royals of Equestria. Amethyst heard a wooden clank and then saw the Dragon King approaching.

"Oh... my," Fluttershy whimpered as she held Apple Core closer as the Dragon King passed by. He was in his smaller form, but that didn’t make the crowd any less nervous. Gilda in particular was glaring at him, remembering how his minions had destroyed her home. With a final stamp of his staff, the Dragon King came to a stop in front of the booth, surrounded by the smell of confectioneries and the gawking stares of the candy-colored equines. Inspecting his purple robes, he sneered with disdain as he brushed off some confetti that had landed on him.

Surprised, Spike rose from his seat and went to greet his father. He had been sending him letters over the past year, but Ryuo never responded. The last time they saw each other, his father had left without saying any parting words to him. Hearing his claim that he wanted nothing to do with the ponies of Equestria combined with the lack of correspondence led Spike to believe that Ryuo also lacked any interest in reconciliation.

“Father, what are you doing here?” Spike asked. Ryuo reached into his robes, procuring a scroll that bore the emblem of Celestia.

“I was wondering if you would come.” Hearing her speak, Spike moved out of the way as the Princess of the Sun walked down the stairs of the booth. Standing face to face with Ryuo, she greeted him with a smile. “I’m glad you decided to be a part of the celebration.”

“Whoa whoa whoa. You invited him?” Rainbow Dash asked as she and the other Wonderbolts floated back down.

“Of course. After all, he is the guest of honor.” This sparked a murmur of confusion among the crowd, everyone wondering why in the world would Celestia would bestow of all beings the King of all Dragons such an honor.

“I…” He paused, clearly having to swallow his pride in order to continue. “I have come to make peace.”

“What, really?” Spike was thrilled by the news, and the crowd again began to murmur, this time with amazement and hope. Equestria had made allies out of former enemies before, but the Dragon King had sworn to destroy Equestria since nearly its founding.

“I have spent great deal of time in meditation,” Ryuo explained. Then then looked to Twilight Sparkle. “And I came to realize that you had spoken the truth; my misery was my own doing.”

Addressing Celestia and Luna, he said, “According to dragon philosophy, ‘those who are too weak to defend their hoards are unworthy of it.’ I had thought you weak, and thus undeserving of the wealth your kingdom possessed. I was wrong; You bested me in combat. Yet as the Dragon King, I was too proud to admit defeat. For this, I apologize and acknowledge your rightful claim.”

Ryuo then did something he had never done before in his very long life; he bowed his head in respect. It was jarring for Spike to see Ryuo acting so humble.

“Thank you, Ryuo. I know this mustn't be easy for you,” Celestia said gratefully. “But you don’t bear the blame alone. No matter my reasons, I have caused you pain. I should have been honest with you concerning Xia’s death and gained your consent before taking Spike’s egg. For this, I also apologize and beg your forgiveness.”

Celestia then bowed in return, followed by Luna. Twilight, feeling partially responsible, also bowed. Afterall, she was the one that raised Spike.

“My son,” Ryuo said as he addressed Spike. “You also bested me in combat. You could have left me for dead, but you and your friends showed me mercy. Me, the one that threatened all you held dear. Any other dragon would have slain such an enemy, yet you had the strength to spare a life when I did not deserve it. Twilight Sparkle has raised you well.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Twilight said, accepting the compliment.

“Dragon King Ryuo, as a token of good will, I offer you this gift,” Celestia announced, using her magic to levitate a long box from behind her seat on the booth. Presenting it to Ryuo, Celestia removed the lid. Reaching inside, Ryuo pulled out the Sword of Erdrick. “The orichalcum used to forge the blade came from the treasure hoard of your mother, Dragon Queen Xenlona. It’s only right that it is returned to you. I hope you accept it along with our friendship.”

As Ryuo held the sword, he humbly said, “Thank you, Princess Celestia. I accept this gift…” Everyone waited anxiously it see if he would accept the second part of Celestia’s offer. After sighing, he finally said, “... and I accept your friendship.”

“He said yes! He said yes!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Let’s get this party back on track!”

The crowd erupted into cheers and the celebrating continued. The music resumed, and the parade starting moving again. As the masses went back to their partying, Ryuo just shook his head. “Ponies.”

He then found himself being hugged around the waist. Looking down, he saw it was his granddaughter. Spike and Rarity smiled at the adorable sight. Even Dragon Lord Ember looked amused, remember the first hug she ever received. Passing the sword to Ember, Ryuo smiled and patted Amethyst’s head. If befriending the pastel ponies meant more off this, then it was a fair trade.

“You all have given me so much,” Ryuo said as Amethyst released him from her embrace. “I wish I had something to give you.” As he contemplated, he looked at the faces of his family, gaze moving from Spike to Rarity and then to Amethyst. “Ah. I know.”

He reached out his clawed hand towards Amethyst, prompting her to ask, “What are you doing?”

“Fear not. Just remain still,” he reassured her. Trusting him, she held still as his claw rested upon her head. He then began to chant in the ancient language of the dragons. Her body was covered in the red glow of his magic and felt a tingling sensation throughout her body. But then it ended, and he removed his hand.

“What just happened? What did you do?” she asked, looking at herself but not noticing anything different.

“I cast the Dragovian Spell upon you. It allows Kirins, such as yourself, to master their dual nature,” Ryuo explained.

“W-What do you mean?” Amethyst had an idea of what he meant, but it was too amazing to be believed.

“You may now freely change between your two halves, becoming a pony or a dragon if you so desire.”

Everyone was astounded. The naturally inquisitive minds of Twilight and Midnight were filled with so many questions. Amethyst, however, just stood there with her mouth agape as she tried to process this new information.

She looked to her parents, but Rarity just said, “Well, go on. Give it a try, darling.”

Before their very eyes, Amethyst’s Kirin form changed. In its place was a white Unicorn. Amethyst looked down at her front legs to see hooves at the end of them. Her scales were gone, replaced by a silky coat. Reaching to her forehead, she found that her horn was still curved but no longer rugged like a dragon’s.

Then in another moment, the Unicorn was replaced by a teenage dragon. Amethyst stood up, wobbling for a moment before she adjusting to her new bipedal posture. Looking back down at her feet, she wiggled her new toes. Looking back, she saw that her cutie mark was still there. More importantly, she discovered she new had a pair of wings growing out of her back. Reaching up, she felt her horn was back to normal and that her mane was still there. However, the tuft of hair at the end of her tail was now a spade.

“This is incredible!” she marveled after changing back into a Kirin. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome, my child,” Ryuo told her.

“Where did a spell like that even come from?” Twilight inquired.

“Long ago, there used to be several clans of Kirins, one of them being the children of Aurum. Some formed their own societies, but there were some that could not endure being ostracized by their equine kin. And there were others who wished to live free as dragons. Therefore, the ancient Dragon Kings of yore created a spell that would allow the Kirins to chose their own destiny. ”

“So there could be more out there?” Amethyst asked, excited by thought of meeting others like herself.

“Perhaps,” Ryuo mused as he pondered the possibility. “There may be yet some who still dwell at Kirin Grove by the Lost Lagoon, though most have integrated themselves back into pony society. It is said that Unicorns with curved horns are of dragon blood. However, you remain the only first generation Kirin to exist in ages.”

Rarity recalled that Mistmane, her favorite legend and Pillar of Old Equestria, had a curved horn. In fact, the Unicorns of the east all had curved horns in the pre-classical era. However, the caretaker of Sable Spirit’s ancient palace gardens only had a slight curve to her horn.

“Oh, there’s so many questions!” Twilight squealed with delight, clapping her hooves together like an excited schoolfilly. “Imagine all that we can learn together!”

“I think that can wait for now,” Celestia chuckled. “For now, let’s enjoy the moment.”

“Then I shall take my leave. Enjoy your little party,” Ryuo said as he turned to depart.

“Nonsense. You can’t leave now. You’re the guest of honor!” Spike reminded him. Ryuo stopped and looked back at his son. As his pony family gathered beside him, Spike said, “I want you to stay. Besides… I would like to learn more about my birth mother.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Ryuo accepted. For the first time in centuries, Ryuo was at peace. He finally had what he truly wanted: a family.

From that day, Equestria would come under the protection of the Dragon Kings. Any malefactor who sought to bring destruction or oppression to the land would find themselves facing the combined might of the ponies and the dragons, united in harmony by familial bonds. They would also learn that the Dragon King takes offense when someone threatens his son’s home.

Through Amethyst, all future Royal Dragons would be born with the innate power to change between pony, Kirin, and dragon forms. Some would chose to be ponies. Some would chose to resurrect the ancient Kirin culture, embracing both halves of their natures. However, the heir would always take up the throne of the Dragon King for the power of the dragons could not be left unchecked.

As for Spike, he had rediscovered his secret past, reconnected with the father he never knew he had, and saved the world alongside his family from the forces of Tartarus. From his mother, Twilight Sparkle, he had learned the values of friendship, generosity, honesty, laughter, kindness, and loyalty. From his father, he would also learn of Xia, Aurum, and the history of his race. Spike would carry the lessons had learned for the rest of his life and would pass them onto his heirs and his friends’ descendants for generations to come.

And thus the tale comes to an end…