Final Fantasy MLP

Chapters

[Prologue] The Crystals
[Chapter 1] The Shadow
[Chapter 2] The Mage
[Chapter 3] The Dragoons
[Chapter 4] The Impostor
[Chapter 5] The Girl
[Chapter 6] The Law
[Chapter 7] The Wind
[Chapter 8] The Apple Kingdom
[Chapter 9] The Mission
[Chapter 10] The Mine
[Chapter 11] The Reawakening
[Chapter 12] The Hat
[Chapter 13] The Ruined Mine
[Chapter 14] The Earth
[Chapter 15] The Song
[Chapter 16] The Shade
[Chapter 17] The Prison
[Chapter 18] The Theory
[Chapter 19] The Castle
[Chapter 20] The Vampire Queen
[Chapter 21] The Water

[Prologue] The Crystals

Long, long ago, far before the land of Equestria even came into being, there existed a great well of darkness flooding out into the world endlessly. Inhabitants of the nameless land fled for their lives, but in the end, the darkness overpowered, enslaved, and even killed them for the sole purpose of destruction.

However, just as the world was giving up all hope, six great heroes came and opposed the darkness. For many days and many nights, the heroes fought the darkness and drove it away for people to once again find peace. Unfortunately, the heroes aged as any mortal would, and eventually succumbed to old age. With their last breath, they sent their souls across the land and crystallized them, becoming the six crystals of Equestria: earth, fire, water, wind, light and darkness. The power radiating from the crystals was so bright, it banished the darkness from the world forever.

From them spawned six guardians that have protected the crystals for centuries, even millennia. These giant creatures were given lives of their own to live as well, arguing with, smiling with, and most importantly befriending the local beings of their region. They are a symbol of the peace and harmony that has flowed through the world for over 10,000 years.

Unfortunately, this is but one of the many stories of how the crystals were created. Not even the guardians know, as they were created after the crystals were formed. Multitudes of tales and theories have emerged, but whether or not they're real is a question asked by many for a very, very long time. Not even the most brilliant minds in the world could decipher what the real cause was. It was lost by time.

No one really complained, however. The people were just happy that they were in a constant state of peace and tranquility, free from the hold of darkness.

(Music Stop)

In a desolate land where the wind blew the coarse ice through the rough and rocky hillsides, where the flora and fauna barely got by with just enough food and water in the coldest of weather, a trickle of thick black water dripped down from an ancient stone shrine into a small pool between the rocks.

Suddenly, a well-built arm and hand made entirely out of the black substance burst out of the pool before slamming its palm down onto the snow. Soon, another came out and did the same, but this time pulling up another shadowy silhouette; this one of a head and short hair. The head stayed there for a few seconds before grinning and letting out a terrifying laugh.

"Finally..." it said in a deep, masculine voice once it had ceased laughing "Now, to begin where I last left off..."

SuperKamek presents...

A Team Brachydios Studios production...

Everything else owned by Square...

FINAL FANTASY MLP

Starring:

Twilight Sparkle

Fluttershy

Rainbow Dash

Applejack

Pinkie Pie

Rarity

Also Starring:

Princess Celestia

Princess Luna

Discord

The CMC

King Sombra

Gilda

Sunset Shimmer

Written by:

SuperKamek

Edited by:

Wiwak

Sonic8265

SuperKamek

Directed by:

SuperKamek

Final Fantasy is owned by SquareEnix and Hironobu Sakaguchi. My Little Pony is owned by Hasbro and Lauren Faust. In no way does any of Team Brachydios take credit for either franchises/companies. 2014 - 2015 Team Brachydios. Team Brachydios is a trademark of Team Brachydios and Capcom. Okay, enough legal stuff. Enjoy the story or something.

(Music Stop)

Author's Note

This is but the beginning of our long journey ahead. Dear god, I hope this credits scene passes moderation...

Did you like the music in the credits though? I found it and always thought it was literally the most triumphant theme in all of Final Fantasy. Hey, does anyone remember when Final Fantasy wasn't Final Fantasy XIII? Y'know, the glory days of the 16-bit classics and the fantastic Final Fantasy VII. Weren't those times just mystical? Adventurous? I hope to relive those days in this story with a simple yet engaging plot and a colourful cast of, albeit already created, characters.

I truly hope you enjoy this story, from us at Team Brachydios!

[Chapter 1] The Shadow

Rain. Rain was the only thing Twilight Sparkle saw when she looked out her window in the dead of night. The droplets were so thick, one couldn't see two feet in front of them. Thunder boomed though the air as lightning cracked through the sky, seemingly summoning even more droplets. But the lavender woman never minded the rain. She thought the sound of the droplets tapping on her walls and roof was very calming and relaxing.

Currently she was in her bed wearing her favourite purple sleeping gown, reading a book about summoning larger and more powerful monsters. She twirled her deep purple hair as her lavender eyes followed every word of the book. The horn atop her forehead glowed a fuchsia hue and cast itself over a page, turning it over for her.

Suddenly, she stopped. She grabbed her reading glasses to get a closer look at what she thought she read.

"Bahamut..." she whispered "An ancient beast worshiped for its great power. It is possible to raise a child Bahamut until it is seven years of age, in which it must be set free less one wishes to perish."

It was then when a quadrupedal purple dragon with a green belly and green spikes along its head and spine hopped onto Twilight's bed and began snuggling with her, soon closing its green eyes and falling right asleep.

"Oh Spike..." Twilight giggled softly as she slowly massaged her dragon's head with her thumb "You're still only three-years-old, but you wouldn't hurt me when you grow up, right?"

A quick puff of smoke came out of the baby Bahamut's nose as an answer to his owner's question. Twilight smiled before returning to her book. She flipped the page with her magic once again, reading just a bit more before her eyelids began to feel heavy. She finally decided it was time to head to bed. Looking over at the desk next to her bed, she saw that the music she put on the turntable to relax herself was still playing. She reached over and slowly lifted the arm off the disk and turned off the lovely tune. She always enjoyed doing that herself without the aid of magic.

(Music Stop)

"She's such a lovely singer, that Posey woman" Twilight yawned "I wonder whatever happened to her. Well, no time to think about it; I'm WAY too tired anyway."

And with those words, she flicked out her light with her magic, pulled her covers over her body and quickly dozed off to sleep, cuddling her pet Bahamut.

Unfortunately, about an hour into her slumber, she began feeling very uncomfortable. She soon woke back up only to see that the rain had passed over. However, that wasn't what was bothering her, she was sure of it. Without waking Spike, she stepped out of her bed and went downstairs into the main hall; the town library.

It was large and circular, with a wooden floor, stairs going up to Twilight's room, and not to mention the multitudes of books to read on every subject imaginable. In the center was a wooden table with a large carving of a horse head in the middle. A few books had been left open that escaped the lavender woman's sight, unfortunately; most likely left by the younger children. While she would've loved to put them away, she knew she had to find out what-

"Oh hell, I can't go until I put them away!" Twilight groaned before approaching the books and filing them back into the bookshelves in alphabetical order by author's last name.

"There. Now, I can- Wait, what's this?" she looked closer only to discover a dagger was buried in the books "Okay, what the actual heck? Why was this in here? With a book a kid was reading, no less!"

After some brief complaining and self-convincing to never speak of this again, she took the sharp iron tool and approached the library's front door, hoping to find whatever prevented her from sleeping. Though, a part her didn't hope at all.

Taking a deep breath, she swung open the door and aimed her dagger at whatever might be on the other side. However, nothing was there. She looked around the entire area, breathing in the thick, humid air that the rain created not long ago. Raising an eyebrow and giving a quick nod, she finally gave up and turned to go back inside. But when she did...

"T-T-Twilight..." a shadowy figure about her height with perfectly normal arms and legs and a feminine body twitched in her doorway, stuttering in trying to say her name. As soon as the lavender woman saw the figure, she gave a quick gasp, but held her dagger firmly. The two looked at each other for a while, and during that time Twilight grew out of her fear and began getting curious.

"Amazing!" she looked at the figure's body in fascination, beginning to circle around the creature and taking a good look at it "A being made entirely out of shadows. And its capable of speech! Albeit very little, but my name is still a word, so it counts!"

"T-T-T-T-Twilight..." the shadow spoke once again.

"The shape of it is so humanoid" Twilight analyzed before touching the creature, to thankfully no reaction from it "The body is so smooth, and the hair is so thin. In fact, its shape looks exactly like..." she finally came to a conclusion she wish she hadn't "...mine."

Suddenly, the creature jumped out of the doorway and out into the street, facing Twilight. The lavender woman looked back and saw it was attempting to attack her with a pair of shadowy claws that recently appeared on its hands. A large frown with closed teeth soon emerged from the mouth area of the shadowy creature before charging right at Twilight.

"Whoa!" the woman gasped, quickly bringing up her dagger and attempting to block the attack. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case as Twilight was flung into her library, knocking over the horse head carving in the process. A pile of books collapsed upon her, leaving her in a dazed state for a brief moment. Fortunately, she managed to recollect herself and stand to face the shadow again.

"Okay, clearly you don't like me that much, that's a given" Twilight said to the shadow of presumably herself, not knowing if it understood her or not "But I have a little friend who doesn't like you even more!"

She pulled out the book she was reading earlier from her gown and used the magic from her horn to quickly flip to a certain page. Once she saw it, she gave a quick smirk before reciting the words written on the paper.

"Summon! Bahamut Lv.1!" she shouted. Suddenly, a light purple summoning circle appeared the floor beneath her, blowing her hair around and leaving a light shining on her face. It was then when Spike popped out and climbed onto Twilight's left arm. It looked at the shadowy figure which was preparing another attack and scowled. He then opened his mouth and spewed a stream of fire at the figure, blasting a hole right through it.

(Music Stop)

The creature looked down at its wound and got rid of its frown and claws. It didn't seem to convey any sort of pain; it just stood there. Finally, it looked back up at Twilight and Spike, no emotion coming off of it whatsoever. It spoke one solitary word to her. It was simple, but a bookworm like her, even anyone really, would know that word and hold it with fear.

"Sombra..."

"W-What?" Twilight's eyes widened in realization. Before she could get more answers out of the creature, it turned away and fled faster than a Chocobo could run. She reached out her arm in desperation, but by then it was already gone. The lavender woman let out a long sigh and relaxed her arm.

"Kaw!" Spike nuzzled his owner's face lovingly. That was enough to bring a smile to Twilight's face once again. But she couldn't forget what that shadow said to her. Everyone and their mother knew who Sombra, the King of Darkness was. She didn't want to believe it. No, the crystals had kept darkness out of their world for generations with no signs of slowing down. Sombra couldn't possibly be back.

"Spike, remind me to take an airship to Canterlot Castle in the morning" she told her baby Bahamut. It cawed once again before walking down its owner's body and standing guard on the table where the wood carving once was. Which reminded Twilight...

"Crap! The books!" she turned around and nearly shrieked at the mess she saw. She sighed and slowly brought a hand to her face. She really wanted to clean all that up, but she was simply too tired to do so.

Besides, she needed some rest in order to get up early and tell the princesses of Canterlot and Equestria for that matter. This was a rare occasion when she could ignore her pet peeve and get on with what she needed to do. She tried her best not to look at the books and headed back upstairs to get some shuteye. She hopped back into bed, covered herself up again with her sheets, and quickly fell back to sleep.

Twilight was rudely awoken by Spike letting out a loud cawing sound. Her eyes shot wide open and her body practically sprung out of her bed onto the floor. Slowly, she got back up and looked at her baby Bahamut with slight anger in her eyes. She quickly calmed down realizing Spikes intent and remembering her order last night.

"Sorry, Spike" she petted him on the head "Thanks for getting me up. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I need to get changed."

The young dragon immediately understood this and went back downstairs to give his owner some privacy.

Half an hour had passed since then. The young Bahamut was beginning to wonder how long it usually took Twilight to change. He rolled on the ground a bit, groaning in impatience. Finally, the lavender woman emerged from her room, causing Spike to quickly look up at the staircase.

She wore her usual librarian/summoner garments, consisting of a steel chest plate, two steel shoulder pads, a velvet robe underneath the armor that went down to her knees, brown leather gloves with small armor plating on the tops of them, black pants brown leather boots, and a belt around her shoulder and chest that held up the pouch her summoning book was in. She looked very pretty, but now wasn't the time for gawking.

"C'mon, Spike, hop up to my shoulder" she told her Bahamut, it doing so without question "Great! Now, to catch that airship. Do you have a list of airship times?"

Spike crawled back down his owner's body to retrieve something from the mess of books Twilight made last night. Unfortunately, this reminded her of her OCD. She looked at the pile and twitched a bit.

"Oh, the books!" she looked at the mess with disgust "Dammit... I want too... can't... resist... Ugh. Give me a moment, Spike. Get the list and I'll clean this junk up" the pile then was given a fuchsia hue from the magic of Twilight's horn. She began placing the books back in the order she usually put them whilst Spike was off reading the airship schedule. Finally, once the lavender woman was done, she looked over to where her pet was and read the list with him.

"Let's see..." she pulled out her reading glasses from her pouch and begun reading "Airship Bravo left two hours ago to the badlands, and Airship Theta went to the Crystal Empire, which means our only flight to Canterlot would be..." her eyes widened in shock before she face-palmed and sighed in disappointment "Airship Beta, which left an hour ago and won't be back for another two hours..."

Suddenly, a couple of knocks was heard on the library's door. Twilight was confused by this, as she hadn't opened up the library yet, nor intended to do so today. Curiously, she unlocked the door and opened it up to reveal a woman a bit older than the librarian.

Her skin was deep blue and her hair was short, ruffled and light blue. Her cyan eyes glistened in the light of the morning sun, and the large wings on her back the same color as her skin slowly blew through the light breeze. Her attire was customary for normal blacksmiths: white pants and shirt, as well as black leather boots and a black leather apron on the front of her body. Her face was covered with soot and dirt from working in her smith's shop.

"Ah, hello Princess Luna" Twilight greeted the woman "What brings you here today?"

"Twilight, good to see you up" Luna nodded "I have sadly come to tell you of some pressing and important issues at hand. Will you accompany me to my workshop?"

"Oh, well, sure" Twilight nodded, still slightly confused. Nonetheless, she called Spike over to ride on her shoulder once again, and followed the blacksmith princess to the forgery where she crafted all her weapons.

"Tell me, fair Twilight," Luna began to explain the situation "surely you've heard of a being known as Sombra, correct?"

"Well of course! Who ha-" the lavender woman finally realized where she was going with this "Oh... Are you saying what I really hope you aren't saying?"

"Yes, unfortunately" Luna sighed "But more on that later. My sister is waiting for us in my workshop."

"You mean Princess Celestia?" Twilight's mood brightened up "Good! Now I can tell her about that thing I saw last night!"

"What thing do you speak of, fair Twilight Sparkle?" Luna questioned.

"I'll tell you when we get to your workshop so I can tell you and your sister at the same time" the librarian assured "But maybe we should stop walking and start getting there faster."

"A wise idea" the blacksmith smiled before she and Twilight began running straight towards the smith's shop.

(Music Stop)

Finally, the two arrived at Luna's workshop. It was a simple place with walls of stone and no wood built into the building whatsoever, as to avoid burning. The inside was small, but had enough space for a couple of people to work, and different tools of many shapes, sizes and materials were donned on shelves and racks.

Inside the shop was a woman with snow white skin and long pink hair that went down to her waist. She wore a simple yellow sundress that went down to her knees, and a pair of yellow gloves to protect her delicate hands. On her feet were a pair of pearl high heels. She turned around to reveal her soft, magenta eyes that brought a calming sensation to any who gazed upon them. As soon as she noticed the two walk into the shop, she gave a small smile.

"Hello, sister. Hello, Twilight" she calmly greeted the two.

"Good morning Princess Celestia" Twilight bowed.

"Now that we've greeted each other, it's about time we get down to business" Celestia's smile soon faded into a serious look "Twilight, I assume Luna has already told you why I've summoned you here?"

"Yeah" the librarian nodded "Something about King Sombra? Please don't tell me that..."

"We have many reports of 'Shadow People' from across the land" the princess confirmed "I too have seen one that looked near identical to myself. Perhaps this is merely a new species of solidified shadow that we've never heard of before, but either way, they are aggressive and we must do something about them, related to Sombra or not."

"Shadow People?" Twilight repeated "Celestia, I think I may have seen one as well. One that looked just like me."

"You have?" Celestia was taken aback slightly, but regained her stature not a few moments later "Hmm... That is very troubling. I have no idea what these creatures are planning, nor do I know the limit of their power."

"So what do you want me to do, Princess?" Twilight questioned.

"Twilight, there are very few people I trust in this world" Celestia placed a hand on the librarian's shoulder "I would like you to go and check on the wind crystal to see if anything horrid has happened to it."

"P-Princess!" Twilight gasped "You can't honestly expect me to go into the Everfree Forest by myself! Please tell me Luna is at least going to accompany me?"

"No. I'm sorry, Twilight, but this is a simple mission you must do alone" the pink haired princess sighed "Besides, I fear questions will rise when people discover their blacksmith has gone missing during open hours. Luna is already trying her best to stay away from royalty as is, and I don't need a conspiracy surrounding her right now."

"So then what am I supposed to do?" the librarian wondered "I need some sort of protection, don't I?"

"Well, dear Twilight, I think you already have the power to protect yourself, do you not?" Celestia nodded at the lavender woman's pouch, knowing exactly what was inside "Besides, I'm not so cruel as you allow you to leave without some form of a weapon. Luna, would you be a dear?"

"Of course, sister" Luna nodded before going over to a shelf and bringing out a long dagger with an etching of the royal symbol on the base of the blade: a sun with a crescent moon in the middle, as well as its leather sheath. The blacksmith princess gently put the dagger into Twilight's open hands, allowing her to put the sheath on her waist and put away her new dagger.

"Princess..." Twilight let out a deep breath "...I won't let you down."

"Thank you, Twilight" Celestia smiled "Now, if you're truly unsure if you'll make the voyage all by yourself, I hear there is a mage just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Perhaps you can convince her to join you?"

"Depends on what kind of mage she is" the librarian's eyebrow rose.

"Oh, well, um..." the princess stuttered "I'm very certain she's a Black Mage. Yes, for sure!"

"Nah, I'm just pulling on your leg, your highness" Twilight chuckled a bit before hugging her friend "White Mage or Black Mage, I'm pretty sure she'll come in handy."

"O-Oh, right, of course..." Celestia awkwardly smiled as the lavender woman stepped out of the blacksmith's shop and began her quest. Behind her, Celestia let out a sigh she had held within her body for quite some time.

"Do not get so worked up, sister" Luna laughed "Do you not pull the same pranks every once in a while?"

"Y-Yes, of course" the white princess nodded before a genuine smile came onto her face "Hahaha! How silly of me!"

"Now, we must unfortunately concern ourselves with more pressing matters" the blacksmith's smile soon faded "If Sombra has returned, I do not know what to do."

"Relax, dear sister" Celestia hugged her younger sister "If that thought were to become a reality, I have every faith we will be able to deal with it. The crystal's light will shine through."

"Of course, sister" Luna hugged back.

Author's Note

And so TRULY begins our adventure! What faces will Twilight meet on her journey? What dangerous trials await her in the vast world? What friends and foes will she make? Find all this out with more chapters to come!

It only recently dawned on me that this is my first anthro story. Gotta say, it feels a little strange to be working with half pony, half human beings, but altogether it's not a horrible feeling whatsoever. In fact, it actually feels pretty refreshing to be trying something outside of my normal story stuff.

In case you're wondering, there will be tons of references to many Final Fantasy games, even the non-16 bit ones like Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy X. And also in case you're wondering, I created this story after playing through Final Fantasy V on the GBA again. It was a nice feeling, so, y'know.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 2] The Mage

With all the funds Twilight had on her at the time being, she made sure to buy herself enough items to allow her to last long enough through the forest, including a few potions, some antidotes and one singular phoenix down just in case she fell in battle. Allowing Spike to ride on her shoulder through it all, she finally set out on her quest to check on the wind crystal.

She pulled out her map at the gate of her hometown, Ponyville, and saw that the mage's house was only a few kilometers away. From there, her house wasn't even half a kilometer from the forest. Twilight inwardly questioned why anyone in their right mind would live so close to a forest jam-packed with monsters, but that wasn't important at the time. What was important and extremely dangerous however was the multitudes of monsters in her way.

"Something tells me this is going to be a long trip, Spike" Twilight sighed as she petted the young Bahamut on the head "Now, how's about we test some of your skill on these monsters, hmm?"

"Kaw!" Spike gleefully hopped, causing Twilight to smile a bit.

"Then let's get a move on" she confidently nodded. And with that, she stepped out of Ponyville's borders and into the land of Equestria. She took a deep breath and let the fresh air into her lungs. Only rarely has she ever gone outside Ponyville, and even then it was an airship ride to Canterlot. Truly stepping out into the world was foreign to her, but nonetheless calming and peaceful. Or, it would be calming and peaceful if not for the monsters growling and screaming everywhere.

"Ugh! Can't a Summoner, or anyone for that matter, have a quiet trip?!" Twilight yelled at the monsters "Oh, who am I kidding; not like you're going to listen to me anyway... Time to rid a bit of filth!"

The monsters, more specifically some bipedal green ones with elongated mouths and noses as well as tattered red garments for clothing, commonly referred to as goblins, came charging at Twilight with wooden daggers in their hands, flailing them around without true direction, showing just how intelligent they truly were.

"Summon! Bahamut Lv.1!" Twilight pulled out her book and shouted, calling forth Spike and letting him launch a blast of fire at the goblins, which took care of them almost immediately. However, more goblins were on their way, including a different monster that looked very much like a pink bird with a white breast, a yellow crest, white wings and a ruffled tail. These monsters were commonly known as pyrolisks.

"Spike, your fire might heal those fire-based monsters" Twilight told her Bahamut "Leave them to me. In the meantime, take out those goblins. Summon! Bahamut Lv.1!"

Spike did as told and once again fired his breath attack at the oncoming monsters, wiping all the goblins out. Unfortunately, the pyrolisk caught poor Twilight off guard and dealt some damage to her, knocking her to the ground.

"Ow! Hey!" Twilight angrily stomped her foot "Fine then, come on down and try that again! I dare you!"

The pyrolisk, having the intelligence of any ordinary bird, swooped back down and attempted to land another hit on its foe. But Twilight was ready this time. With every ounce of her strength, she whipped out her dagger and thrust forward into the fire bird's neck, killing it immediately.

"Huh, well, that was easier said than done" Twilight smiled before pulling her now bloodied dagger out of the pyrolisk and cleaned it off "In fact, I feel a little stronger than I used to. I wonder why..."

(Music Stop)

Spike jumped back onto his owner's shoulder after the battle and nuzzled her a bit. She simply patted him on the head again before picking up her journey where she last left it.

Through countless encounters with goblins and pyrolisks, as well as killer plants and giant wasps, Twilight finally managed to reach the mage's home. Funnily enough, despite the battles behind her, she felt as if those 2 kilometers were only a few steps away from Ponyville. The moment she reached the steps up to the house that looked like some sort of hollowed out tree, she collapsed and groaned into the ground. Her body was covered in small bruises and harmless cuts, as well as her cloths were dirty and even ripped in some places.

"Spike..." she moaned with her face still buried in the ground, getting the Bahamut's attention "Knock on the door... please..." he nodded, despite knowing his owner couldn't see him do so, and went up to the house's door and tapped it a couple of times.

At first, nothing happened, which slightly disappointed the dehydrated and exhausted Twilight. However, just as Spike was about to knock again, the door opened up and revealed the resident of the abode, causing both him and his owner to look up.

Her skin was cream yellow and her hair was very long and pink, and she had the brightest baby blue eyes either of them had ever seen. She wore a white robe that went over her head like a hood; the hood itself had two pointy bumps at the top so her ears wouldn't be uncomfortable under it. The robe had two sleeves for her arms to slip through and went down to her ankles. On her chest was a slightly revealing green area, and in her hands she held a long wooden staff with a curled tip. Her face was one of concern.

"Oh my..." she spoke in a soft voice that both Twilight and Spike found somewhat soothing "Oh no... You two look hurt! We have to get you both back inside as soon as possible!" she turned back inside her home "Friends, please help bring them in for me?"

"Ugh... No... I'm good..." Twilight said as she slowly got up from the ground "Just a little thirsty, is all. So, you must be the mage who lives on the edge of the Everfree Forest, right?"

"Um... y-yes" the mage nodded slowly, shrinking down a bit in either fear or embarrassment "I-I'm... P-P... um... Fluttershy..."

"S-Sorry? You'll have to speak up."

"My n-name is... Fluttershy..."

"Um, one more time..." Twilight was beginning to get a little agitated, but she kept a kind, albeit nervous, smile on her face.

"F-Fluttershy..." the mage said finally "M-My name is... Fluttershy... the White Mage..."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you, Fluttershy!" Twilight stuck out her hand to shake Fluttershy's, to which the latter eventually did the same, albeit slowly "I'm Twilight Sparkle, but most people just call me Twilight. And this is my pet Bahamut, Spike. I'm a Summoner, see, so I can summon him even when he's on the other side of the planet."

"Oh! A baby Bahamut!" Fluttershy's face turned from shy to curious in less than a second, cream yellow wings bursting up behind her as the transition occurred, telling Twilight she was a Pegasus "I've never seen one before! Aw, he looks so cute..."

"Best not to call him cute..." Twilight looked at a now scowling Spike "He doesn't like it when someone calls him cute. Anyway, if you'll permit me, I would like to rest at your home for a moment before I set back out."

"Oh, of course" Fluttershy nodded and smiled "Besides, I can't bear to witness you with those injuries on you, so a nice healing session should get you into shape again."

"Oh, these?" Twilight chuckled at her bruises and scars "It's fine, really. They don't hurt all that mu-AAHHHHHCCCHHHHH!!!" she, along with Spike, was pulled into Fluttershy's house almost immediately.

The two visitors were gently put on a big green couch in the house's living room where Fluttershy could easily work on fixing them with the healing properties of her white magic. She waved her staff slowly over their resting bodies and chanted something in her soft voice, making Twilight nearly fall asleep. To try and avoid that, she attempted some small talk with Fluttershy.

"So, um..." she began "How long have you been out here?"

"Hmm? Oh, quite some time now" Fluttershy politely responded after finishing with her chanting "I used to live in Cloudsdale before moving down here for a quieter style of life. I don't plan on moving out, though. All my animal friends would miss me."

"Animal friends?" Twilight curiously question before she looked around the entire house. She didn't know how she missed it, but the abode was filled with every animal one could think of: bats, butterflies, rabbits, even animals not native to the Everfree Forest like koalas and kangaroos. The strangest part was how well-behaved each one was, never once screeching or making a ruckus while their owner was healing her guests.

"Okay, all done" Fluttershy smiled and allowed Twilight and Spike to get up off of the couch and stand.

"Thank you, Fluttershy" Twilight nodded with a grin before recalling what Princess Celestia told her "Oh, by the way, would you like to like to come with me on my quest to check on the wind crystal?"

"O-Oh my... I don't know if I could..." Fluttershy said in a nervous tone "All my animal friends will need to be taken care of, and I'm not exactly one for dark forests..."

"But you live-" Twilight pointed out confusingly before stopping herself and returning to the more important subject "...okay. If that's your decision, I can accept that. I guess I couldn't convince you after all."

"I'm sorry, Twilight..."

"It's fine, it's fine. No need to sweat over it. Besides, I have Spike here with me! He'll protect me, right boy?"

"Kaw!" Spike climbed up to his owner's shoulder and nuzzled her in affection like he normally does.

(Music Stop)

At that very moment, the ground began to shake. It only lasted for a second or two, but it was enough to send every animal in Fluttershy's home scurrying for their lives.

The moment the tremors stopped, Twilight rushed outside the house to see what had caused that thundering boom. What she saw both frightened her and intrigued her: a large black bird with gigantic black wings, a red crest that went down its spine, a dark pink beak and two dark pink talons. It had landed right outside her home and was staring right at her with a stare that could kill if it were possible. The giant bird let out a terrible screech from its beak that blew Twilight back a bit.

"No way!" Twilight spoke in both awe and fear of the beast in front of her "A Zu? Here? I never would have imagined it! But aren't they native to the south? Hmm..." she thought for a moment before finally coming to a conclusion "Something drove it away, that has to be the only logical reason! But what could be more powerful than a Zu in the south lands? Maybe we'll fight one, maybe we won't, but either way we gotta deal with this guy. Are you in, Fluttershy?"

"N-No, I think I'll just stay over here... Where it can't touch me..." Fluttershy, who had emerged from her home soon after Twilight, shyly said with a frightened smile as she slowly backed away from the battle field.

"Ugh... C'mon, Fluttershy, you can do this!" Twilight encouraged "You live next to a forest infested with monsters! Surely you have to put up with this every once in a while, right?"

"N-No, I'm fine, really..." she shook her head, still terrified of the gigantic bird. The latter groaned before returning her attention to the Zu that rudely interrupted them.

"Alright, you overgrown turkey!" Twilight spoke confidently "It's time for you to cock-a-doodle do you to hell!"

"Please don't make bad puns... if you want to, of course..." Fluttershy nervously spoke up.

"Oh, right, sorry..." Twilight apologized for returning her attention once again to the great bird. Before she could react however, the Zu began its first attack by attempting to claw at its foe, the attack hitting Twilight, unfortunately.

"GAH!!" Twilight was knocked back onto the ground, causing Fluttershy to gasp a bit "Ugh... uh... Is that all you got?" she got back up again and faced the Zu "Spike, go for it!" she commanded her pet. Spike jumped down from his perch on her shoulder and spewed a fiery breath at the Zu, dealing a good amount of damage to it.

The Zu was not finished yet, though. With a single flick of its wings, it knocked Twilight and Spike back once again. When she arose, this time only on her knees, she panted from exertion. While she got a good hit on the monster, it was only a matter of time before the Zu struck her hard enough to keep her down permanently. She desperately tried to get back up and fight again, but her wounds had taken their toll. She closed her eyes and expected the worst to come.

"Cure!" a chant was heard behind Twilight. Suddenly, her body began to feel refreshed and revitalized. She looked all over her body and felt no pain whatsoever. All her cuts and bruises were gone. She looked back and saw that Fluttershy had cast that heal spell.

"Didn't you imply you didn't want to be a part of this fight?" Twilight questioned.

"I did, and that was so very rude of me..." Fluttershy sadly said "The truth is, I'm terrified of that monster, and when I saw it my body nearly locked up. All I could do was watch..." a tear fell onto her cheek, but her somber face soon became one of determination "But then I saw you get hurt by it, and I couldn't sit idly by... It's my duty as a White Mage to make sure that no one gets hurt!"

"Fluttershy..." Twilight looked at her before giving her a thumbs up and smiling "Thank you..."

Just as she turned to face the gigantic monster again, she saw something approaching them in the distance. She tried squinting her eyes to make out what they could be, but to no avail. All she knew was that they were quickly coming closer and closer to them.

"T-Twilight!" Fluttershy called out "I can see some pyrolisks coming closer!"

"Wait, how can you tell that they're- WHOA!!" Twilight was nearly caught off guard from a wing attack from the Zu. She managed to strike it back with her dagger, but that only did so much damage. This unfortunately lead the Zu to flap its wings as hard as it could, creating a gust of wind that blew the two back and straight into the front of Fluttershy's house. They fell to their knees soon afterward.

"Ow..." Twilight groaned just as the Zu was about to attack them, only this time to finish them off for good "I'm not sure how much more abuse I can take..."

"...mmm..." Fluttershy whimpered before sticking out her staff as a desperate means to defend herself. But to her pleasant surprise, a gust of wind shot out the staff, this time knocking the Zu away from them.

"Fluttershy, I didn't know you could use, Aero!" Twilight beamed.

"...I didn't either..."

"Sorry?"

"Oh, n-nothing!" Fluttershy quickly dismissed anything she may or may not have said previously.

"Alright then..." Twilight was still slightly skeptical "Well, cast as many Aero spells as you can on that Zu and those pyrolisks coming this way, okay?"

"A-Alright..." Fluttershy nodded and attempted to fire another blast of air at the large black bird. Meanwhile, the pyrolisks had finally reached the battle zone and had begun bombarding Twilight with attack after attack. She wished either Spike or Fluttershy could help, but she knew that they'd be useless against pyrolisks, or busy fighting off the Zu, respectively. That's when a thought that never crossed her mind before struck her head harder than a rock being slammed into her face.

"What if I try some of the other Lv.1 summons?" she thought to herself before slapping herself on the head "Well duh, Twilight! You should have thought of this before, you nerd!" she then flipped through some of the other pages of her book until she found a Lv.1 summon that could prove useful later on.

"Okay, here goes nothing..." she chanted to herself before releasing her summon "Summon! Chocobo Lv.1!"

A purple summoning circle appeared on the ground in front of Twilight's feet, slowly giving rise to a large yellow bird with long orange legs and claws, as well as small, flightless wings and an oddly cute and fluffy body. It had big, beady black eyes that looked curiously at its surroundings. It was a Chocobo, the lovable mascot of many stores within Equestria. As soon as its body stopped rising from the circle, it ran forward, jumped and began kicking the pyrolisks with its elongated yet powerful legs. One by one, the fiery birds dropped dead on the ground like flies, until there were no more to dispose of.

"Well, that was a piece of cake!" Twilight smiled before returning her attention to the Zu, which Fluttershy had fortunately managed to hold off with her recently acquired Aero spell. Hopping onto the Chocobo's back, Twilight ran off at the Zu and allowed her mount to jump up and kick it dead on the beak, cracking it open and leaving a large hole in the side for attack. This caused the giant bird to be momentarily stunned long enough for Twilight to explain a plan she had.

"Spike, Fluttershy" she began after analyzing the state of the Zu, still riding on her Chocobo "With your fire breath and Aero respectively, I want you to set fire to the inside of the monster. Spike, on my mark, launch your fiery breath. Fluttershy, with your Aero, aim it into the beak."

"O-Oh, well..."

"Just do it!" Twilight crouched down and flexed her arms "We got one shot at this, Fluttershy. Think about your animal friends and what will happen to them if you don't!"

Fluttershy thought for a moment before finally conceding and nodding. She readied her staff and waited for the right moment.

"Okay... 3..." Twilight prepared herself "...2..." the Zu had already begun to snap out of its daze "...1..." the monster shook its head and charged right at the two magic users "NOW!!"

"Aero!" Fluttershy shouted as Spike spewed out his fiery breath from his mouth at the Zu the exact moment his owner called out. Fluttershy fired a blast of air and guided the flame straight into the beak of the beast, setting its mouth on fire and causing it to cry out in agony. Being a White Mage, and therefore against most violence, Fluttershy turned her head away from the scene to spare her at least the visions of a dying animal. Finally, the Zu stopped squawking and fell over dead, its body continuing to burn, eating away at the surrounding oxygen.

"Alright, we did it!" Twilight cheered before noticing a slightly depressed Fluttershy. As soon as her Chocobo summon descended back into a purple summoning circle, she approached her companion and attempted to cheer her up.

"Hey, it's okay, don't worry... That monster would have done some seriously bad things to you and your animals if we weren't around to help them, so it's all good."

(Music Stop)

"Twilight..." Fluttershy began.

"Hmm?"

"I, um... I would, y-y'know... like to go with you."

"A change of heart?" Twilight assumed.

"Well, you see..." Fluttershy had a difficult time voicing her opinions "I, um... I want to join you because, um..."

"Yes? Just say it, it's oka-"

"I want to get rid of all the monsters in this world!" she suddenly came out with her opinion, slightly startling Twilight. This caused the latter to scratch her head in confusion.

"But I thought White Mages were supposed to be pacifistic" she pointed out "Wouldn't saying something like that go against the White Mage code?"

"Twilight, I became a White Mage so I could heal people and animals who grew ill or became injured" Fluttershy finally revealed "If there are creatures that seek to bring harm to both people and animals alike, then I want to do my best to rid the world of them."

"You're intentions are pure, Fluttershy" Twilight smiled "But you know that monsters will just multiply as the year goes on, right? It's impossible to completely wipe them out, unfortunately."

"I-I-I understand that..." Fluttershy gave a slightly sad smile "But s-so long as I'm helping my animal friends, then I'm h-happy. Besides, didn't you say you needed to protect the wind crystal? If that goes out... oh no... the world would begin falling into ruin and disarray. The birds wouldn't be able to fly anymore, and... and... oh..."

"Fluttershy, I can't thank you enough" Twilight smiled kindly "Well then, pack your stuff and let's get a move on. Oh, and don't forget to say goodbye to all your animal friends."

"Wouldn't dream of it" Fluttershy nodded before heading back inside. Twilight watched as the mage closed the door behind her as gently as she could. She wondered what it would be like with another person fighting, or rather healing, alongside her. Given the excellent teamwork she, Spike and Fluttershy produced, she had little doubt that having a White Mage would be an invaluable asset, if any doubt at all. She let off a warm smile as her Bahamut climbed onto her body.

(Music Stop)

"Hey, Spike" she smiled, petting him once again on the head "We made a new friend today. Isn't that exciting?"

"Kaw!" Spike simply answered the only way he could, causing Twilight to laugh a bit. As soon as her moment of enjoyment ceased, her face became slightly more serious.

"Y'know, it never crossed my mind about what might happen if the crystals' lights when out" she sighed "Fluttershy's right; the world would become a desolate wasteland without the crystals. We have to protect them at all costs! But speaking of protection... what would happen to a guardian if their crystal became corrupted or shattered?"

"Kaw!" Spike nuzzled his owner again, bringing another smile to her face.

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't think about it too much" Twilight said "Besides, they're guardians! What's the worst that could happen to six legendary beings of light?"

Author's Note

It recently dawned on me that there has never been a non-MMO Final Fantasy game (because you can choose what you want and that doesn't technically count) in the history of ever that started you out with a Summoner right from the get-go. I mean, Final Fantasy V had one of their first jobs a Summoner, but never had a game started you out with them from the moment you begin play. Strange, huh?

It also recently dawned on me that I suck at writing stories with consistency. Please, if you see ANYTHING in my story that barely or does not follow anything I previously stated, tell me immediately! I'll do my best to try and not let things like that slide under my radar, but any help would be appreciated.

Special thanks to Garage Door Opener, Timeline and Hidden Scorpius XI for pointing out a few problems with my story and helping me fix them. I couldn't do it without you, guys!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 3] The Dragoons

Though it was still broad daylight, the second Twilight and Fluttershy entered the forest they were immediately treated to barely any light whatsoever. The sounds of the woods were without a doubt frightening for the two, and the powerful winds howled through the leaves. Every clearing they came across, they could look up and see the flying fortress of a city, Cloudsdale, hovering overhead.

The city itself had a half-sphere bottom, and only Pegasai knew what lay on top of it. It stayed afloat by the harsh updraft of the forest and, more specifically, the wind crystal pushing on the rounded bottom. It was a risky yet ingenious design choice Twilight still held in high regard to this day, but now was not the time to be thinking of that.

The forest seemed to only grow darker as Twilight and Fluttershy continued their journey, even though it was still broad daylight. And, as previously mentioned by Twilight, there were monsters scattered everywhere.

"Try to move slowly" Twilight whispered to her new friend "Maybe that way, we'll attract less attention than we need to. There are a lot of monsters here, Fluttershy, and I don't want to be taking them all on at the same time."

"O-Okay..." Fluttershy nodded, trying her best to avoid making as much noise as possible.

"So..." Twilight attempted to created some small talk in whisper "You live close to the forest. Do you have any idea where the wind crystal might be?"

"Sorry, no..." Fluttershy sighed "I've just lived on the edge of the forest, never once stepping into it. It looked much too scary, and looking at the inside of it now, I can see I was right to assume the worst..."

"Aw, c'mon, it can't be that ba-"

(Music Stop)

*crack

A snapping sound was heard below Twilight's feet, signalling she just stepped on and broke a stick, sending the noise throughout the entire forest. Reacting to it immediately, she and Fluttershy stopped dead in their tracks, praying to god that nothing heard their walking. A single minute felt like an eternity, patiently waiting to make sure nothing popped out at them and attacked them off guard. After a few more moments of silence, they began where they left off on their path, making sure never to-

*crack*

"Oh... Sorry..." Fluttershy apologized almost instantaneously. Twilight did nothing as the sound of what seemed like hundreds upon thousands of monsters quickly approached their position.

"RUN!!" Twilight and Fluttershy took no time in fleeing the scene just before the gigantic flock of metallic-looking bats swarmed the area they were previously in. They never looked back, too scared to even think about doing so. Though it was nearly impossible to see, they just ran forward aimlessly, hoping that they would bump into a hollow log to hide in.

"They're still coming, Twilight!" Fluttershy had run so fast that her hood had come off her head "I can hear them!"

"Stay calm, Fluttershy!" Twilight assured her partner "We'll find a- OOF!" she smacked her face right into something she couldn't quite make out.

After allowing her eyes to adjust, she saw the object she ran into was, low and behold, a hollow log to hide in. Without question, she guided Fluttershy into the log and, soon after, herself. The bats harmlessly, in a physical sense, flew over their hiding spot with no complications. However, their loud screeching caused a ringing in Twilight's, Fluttershy's, and Spike's ears.

(Music Stop)

"That... that was close..." Twilight pointed out, panting all the while "Damn, I can't see anything in this darkness... Fluttershy, do you have some sort of holy spell you can use to brighten the place up a bit?"

"No, sorry, Twilight..." Fluttershy shook her head "Oh, this is all my fault! If I hadn't have stepped on that stick, we wouldn't be in this situation..."

"Hey, no need to get so worked up about it" Twilight gave a kind smile, despite knowing the White Mage couldn't see her do so "Everyone makes mistakes, and it's only really bad until someone loses an eye."

"That... would be bad" Fluttershy cheered up a little bit.

"Yeah, it would be."

The two had a short laugh, making sure to be as quiet as possible while doing so as to not attract anymore attention than they already had. However, the moment they finished their moment, they heard footsteps slowly approaching them. They fell dead silent once again, listening closely to the sound of the steps slowly crinkling every leaf and cracking every twig and stick on the ground. To say it was nerve-wracking would have been an understatement.

To their surprise, more slow footsteps began appearing alongside the original pair. Twilight immediately deduced that they were Buho, like her and Fluttershy, from the way metal clanged every time they stepped. What she couldn't figure out was whether or not these Buho were guardsmen patrolling the area, or raiders looking for loot and useful scavenges.

A bright light then shone forth from one of the sources of the footsteps, at last revealing just who these people were. Twilight took a small peek outside the log and gasped a bit. Not only were they guardsmen patrolling the area, but they were clothed and decorated just like the elite soldier team simply known as the Dragoons. Twilight had to use every ounce of her strength to remain calm about the situation.

"Twilight are you okay?" Fluttershy whispered.

"Take a guess who they are!" Twilight excitedly whispered "Go on!"

"Um... I don-"

"The Dragoons, the legendary patrol team of Cloudsdale!"

"...I'm still not quite familiar" Fluttershy honestly answered, causing Twilight to facepalm and unintentionally raise her voice.

"Are you kidding?" she complained "They're famous for their strength, their bravery, and their kindness! They have a strong reputation as the greatest warriors that ever were, thanks to their flying capabilities, and their-"

"Well, well, well... And who exactly do we have here, hmm?" a male voice spoke from behind Twilight. Her eyes widened and her pupils shrank the moment she heard the voice. Slowly, she turned around to see a Dragoon with a standard issue Dragoon attire, including navy blue armor with silver highlights covering his entire body, a silver knight mask over his face, a diamond-shaped shield attached to the left arm armor with a silver dragon pattern on it as well as a red gem in the center, and a long spear with an axe at the end of it. The wings behind him were light green, and his light green ears stuck out from atop his helmet. Around his waist was a black waist cape. From the tone of his voice, he did not sound pleased at all.

"Um... hi?" Twilight nervously smiled.

"Commander Spectrum Streak!" the Dragoon called over his superior, who came and revealed himself looking near identical to the normal Dragoon only with gold highlights and shield instead of silver. His ears and wings were a purplish blue color.

"What seems to be the problem?" the commander, apparently name Spectrum Streak, spoke in a slightly higher pitched, but still recognizably male voice.

"We found these two hiding in this log. What do you wish to do with them, sir?" the Dragoon asked in a formal manner "May I suggest the dungeon? We haven't thrown anyone in the dungeon for quite some time now, and I fear our men are beginning to get angst-y."

"Hmm..." Spectrum looked at Fluttershy, Twilight, and then the latter's baby Bahamut, causing him to slightly gasp "Um, no. Not these two. They might prove useful in our survey."

"How so, sir?"

"For god's sake, man! One of them is a White Mage, and the other is a Summoner! Did you happen to forget we forgot to bring magic users on this expedition?"

"Actually, you did, sir..."

"What was that, lieutenant?" Spectrum crossly asked the Dragoon.

"N-Nothing, sir!" the Dragoon shook his head "Just, um, clearing my throat is all. I'll be sure to have them signed onto the expedition as soon as possible, sir!"

"Good to hear. Dismissed!" Spectrum stood tall and sturdy, and with a salute from the lieutenant he was off to do as promised. Spectrum stayed behind to talk with the girls, however.

"So, you're really a Dragoon?!" Twilight's eyes sparkled in excitement.

"Um, yes" Spectrum nodded, slightly confused by her reaction "Anyway, I'm not sure we've met before. My name, if you haven't heard already, is Spectrum Streak. I'm the commanding officer of the entire Dragoon army. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Y-Yeah..." Twilight blushed a bit.

"Um... Twilight?" Fluttershy spoke up "Could you, um... maybe get out of the log please? If you want to, of course."

"Ah, so Twilight is your name then?" Spectrum questioned "A fittingly lovely name for a lovely young woman such as yourself. Wanna bang later tonight, by the way?"

"Uh-huh..." Twilight seemed as if she didn't even know what was being asked.

"As I thought: she's totally in love with me..." Spectrum placed a hand up to his face and sighed "I supposed I should get used to women falling for me now."

"Pardon?" Fluttershy asked as she got out of the log "If you don't mind repeating, um... What was that last part?"

"Oh, about the women?" Spectrum laughed a bit "Well, I've only recently been promoted to commanding officer. I figure alongside the job, I'll get the occasional swooning fangirl every once in a while. Oh, who am I kidding? Every girl is gonna wanna swoon when I walk up next to them!"

"I see..." Fluttershy spoke skeptically.

"Wait, only recently?" Twilight snapped out of her trance for a second to ask a question.

"Don't you worry about that, ma'am" Spectrum assured "If you're concerned about my combat skills, I've seen plenty of battles in my time as lower ranks. I'm just new at commanding everyone."

"Fascinating..." Twilight's eyes sparkled with excitement again.

"Sir! Their registration is nearly complete" the Dragoon from earlier came back to speak with his commander "All I need is their names and we're good to go!"

"Noted" Spectrum nodded and turned back to the two women standing in front of him "Now, I know your name is Twilight, but what might your friend's name be?"

"M-My name?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's Fluttershy" Twilight answered for her partner "She has a difficult time speaking with other people, especially when it comes to revealing her name."

"...and, done" the Dragoon guard nodded after finishing with the registration paper in his hand "Congratulations, Miss Twilight and Miss Fluttershy; you are now a part of the Dragoon survey team."

"Out of curiosity, what are you all surveying here?" Twilight asked, wanting to know more about what she blindly signed up for.

"What else? The wind crystal" Spectrum answered, making Twilight very happy in her head "We've been sent to investigate the recent activity happening around it. Some say its becoming tainted by some sort of shadowy force, but, I mean, c'mon! That's impossible! That Sombra dude has been dead for years!"

"Not dead, just banished" Twilight corrected him "The light of the crystals was too strong for him, and it forbade him from ever stepping foot into this world again."

"So, yeah!" Spectrum nodded "We have nothing to worry about! That taint stuff is probably just a rumor anyway. Well, the faster we get this done the better. I'll have my men get back into formation and we'll set out for the crystal."

"Sounds like a plan" Twilight agreed.

"Oh, and if you guys come across any monsters while in these woods, just let us handle them" Spectrum spoke cockily "We know that some monsters can be scary, venomous, and big, so don't be ashamed if you want to hide behind us."

"O-Okay..." Fluttershy spoke, nodding slightly.

"Heh... Obviously you haven't really met us yet, Mr. Streak" Twilight smirked "We'll be fine. Or, at least I will be. Fluttershy here might need a small bit of protection."

"Whatever you two need, we'll supply it" Spectrum bowed respectfully before walking off to collect his men.

"Come along, Spike" Twilight snapped her fingers at the baby Bahamut before it climbed up onto her back and soon onto her shoulder. She then walked Fluttershy over to the entire Dragoon squad, who happened to be waiting for them.

After about half an hour of walking and fighting monsters with Spectrum and his team of three other Dragoons, they finally made it to a clearing much, much brighter than the forest itself. This was thanks to the small green crystal on a cracked and aged alter, the former which shone a light that was bright, but soft on the eyes. It was beautiful, to say the least.

"And there it is, ladies and gentlemen" Spectrum called out "The wind crystal in all its glory. It's a little smaller than I remember though..."

"The crystals may be only big as both of your hands, but the power they store is unbelievable..." Twilight said in in know-it-all tone "In fact, did you know the crystals could actually-"

"No one cares!" the entire Dragoon team stopped her from speaking any further. After all the needless information spouting from what they deemed a walking encyclopedia page for half an hour, they didn't need anymore exposition. Twilight pouted a bit, but quickly got over it as she looked at the crystal, soothing her.

"Well men, it looks as if the crystal is safe" Spectrum nodded "Looks like we can finally go back home!" he turned to the girls and bowed "Thank you, ladies, for your companionship and magical capabilities. I doubt my men would have gotten through the forest without your summoning and healing magic."

"You wouldn't doubt anything if you remembered to bring healing items..." the same Dragoon from before muttered under his breath.

"What was that, private?" Spectrum asked with a small smirk under his helmet.

"Priv- NO! Oh..." the Dragoon collapsed to the ground in disappointment.

"Wasn't that, um... a little cruel?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nah, it's cool" Spectrum assured "Dragoons that talk back to their leaders are sentenced to a rank reduction, but he'll probably get it back in a few days."

"Spectrum, there's one last thing I want to check before we head back" Twilight told him "The crystal may be okay, but its guardian may not be. They're technically one in the same, so anything we can't see on the crystal may be reflected on its guardian."

"Good idea, Twilight" Spectrum nodded "But where would we find it? Obviously somewhere around the crystal, but in a place where we might never be able to see it..."

"Sir! I found it!" the Dragoon private called out, summoning the his commander as well as the two magic users over "It's just sleeping here, but... It looks as if its in pain."

(Music Stop)

The beast was about the size of two humans stacked upon each other, with a gluttonous pink body and a grotesque open mouth with hundreds of sharp yellow teeth in it. It had two arms, each with a five-fingered hand and a fat shoulder. Dark pink ears grew out from the top of it, with blue hair coming out of both. On its lower body was another head, this time orange with just as many yellow teeth, a large lower jaw and a tuff of blue hair on the top of its head. On the entire beast's body's back grew several grey, twisty horns. Like the Dragoon mentioned, it was fidgeting in its sleep, seemingly in pain.

"Incredible..." Twilight thought aloud "I never thought I'd ever have the honor of seeing a guardian in person..."

"Good job, lieutenant!" Spectrum patted the Dragoon on the back.

"Lieu- um, thank you, sir!" the Dragoon saluted.

"Oh dear... You poor thing..." Fluttershy quickly ran over to aid the beast, placing a hand on where she believed its heart to be "I... I think that is its pulse... It's b-beating so fast, but I-I can't figure out if i-it's supposed to..."

"Fluttershy's right" Twilight agreed "We have no way of finding out anything about it unless we..." she sighed "...wake it up. But we should try and formulate a plan before we attempt to-"

"Wake up, you dumb piece of fat!" Spectrum hit the guardian with his spear, attempting to awaken it. Twilight immediately saw this and was about to call out to him to stop, but a fierce rumbling was heard not a few seconds later.

"Uh oh..." Twilight stared at the guardian in fear.

The guardian's four eyes, two on each head, soon opened to reveal their natural curvy form, as well as their grey pupils. The beast slowly got up and began floating in front of the six members of the team. However, something was off about it, and despite knowing nothing about the beast, Twilight was quickly able to deduce what it was; there was a dark purple mist coming out of its eyes.

"I'm not a guardian biologist, but I'm gonna say right now that the mist coming from its eyes looks bad" Twilight spoke up.

"Thanks, Sherlock" Spectrum rolled his eyes inside his helmet, as well as gave a deadpanned tone.

"Don't give me that!" Twilight argued "You're the one who woke it up!"

"That's because you said we had to wake it up!"

"Then I said we have to form a plan first!"

"You should have said that before I started whacking it!"

"Oh, so this is my fault, huh? You go and bonk an ancient beast in the head and why? Because I didn't make myself clear fast enough? Who goes by that logic anyway?!"

"Um... guys?" Fluttershy tried to speak up.

"I do, as a matter of fact!" Spectrum continued "It's the way I've always done things, and my team and I have never gotten into a single hitch ever!"

"I bet you're proud of that, huh?"

"Yeah, I am!"

"Um... hello?" Fluttershy tried to get their attention again, watching as the other Dragoons tried their best to fight off the guardian without the others' help and failing unfortunately miserably.

"Oh for... You can't always go around and do stuff like this! You're so brash and quick-minded! Ugh... I used to think the Dragoons were something like heroes, and then I met you!"

"Well maybe if you weren't such a know-it-all all the time, maybe we'd get along better!"

"Bastard!"

"Bitch!"

"GUYS!!!" Fluttershy finally shouted, getting their attention "SHUT UP AND LOOK!! Oh, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to shout..." the two looked over to the guardian and gasped when they saw it had already taken out all of the Dragoons on the team, and it was staring right at them now.

"Nuts..." Twilight sighed before reaching out her hand to Spectrum "Temporary truce?"

"Temporary truce" he did the same, albeit slightly regretfully "This isn't over, y'know."

"Oh, I'm well aware" they both retracted their arms and looked back at the guardian "But now's not the time. Whatever-its-name-is is going down!"

"I TYPHON" the guardian spoke in a loud, booming voice "YOU DARE HURT CRYSTAL? YOU NEED DESTROY!"

"Not exactly the brightest bulb, hmm?" Spectrum asked, pulling out his spear and twirling it around a bit before getting into a battle position he was comfortable with "This'll be a piece of cake!" he rushed straight into battle with his lance up front.

"Spectrum, no!" Twilight called out, but it was too late. He bounced against Typhon's body, who in turn opened its mouth wider than it already was and sent a burst of air spiraling at him, knocking him away and onto the ground.

"Cure!" Fluttershy shouted, casting a soothing light upon Spectrum's body and healing all of his wounds "Are you okay now, Spectrum? Maybe you, um... shouldn't do that again?"

"Y-Yeah... Okay..." Spectrum nodded before getting back up and facing Typhon alongside Twilight again.

"Spike, you know the drill" Twilight spoke to her Bahamut. He quickly crawled down from her shoulder and spewed a steady fire breath at the guardian. Unfortunately, it did little in the way of damage.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy nervously shuttered in fear.

"If weapons don't work, and if magic doesn't work, then what will?!" Twilight shouted.

"Twilight, wait..." Spectrum began "If you'll allow me to be smart for a few seconds, why not cast Cure on it?"

"Are you crazy?!" Twilight shouted "That would only heal it!"

"Unless it was an undead monster!" Spectrum explained himself "Tell Fluttershy to do it quickly, before we're blown to bits!"

"R-Right!" Twilight had very little time to react to the situation, so she just went along with what her gut was telling her "Fluttershy! Cast Cure on Typhon!"

"W-What?" Fluttershy questioned "B-But wouldn't that-"

"Just do it!" Twilight flexed her arms downward "Good god, I hope that doesn't become a fad..."

Fluttershy nodded and cast her healing spell on Typhon. To her surprise and Spectrum's expectation, it screamed in agony and collapsed onto the ground, sticking out its throbbing tongue which Twilight and Spectrum believed to be its weakspot. Without question, they immediately used their physical weapons against the tongue.

"Wait, watch this! Jump!" Spectrum made Twilight watch as he jumped into the air, only to come back down and impaling the tongue with his spear pointing downwards. Impressed, Twilight brought out her dagger and finished the job up. By this point, the tongue had swelled to gigantic proportions, and looked as if it was about to explode.

"Fire in the hole!" Twilight yelled before she and Spectrum hightailed it out of there just as the explosion occurred, splattering blood all across the ground, mainly around Typhon. The explosion killed the guardian immediately.

"Did we do it?" Fluttershy wondered "Oh, thank goodness... That thing was... scary..."

"HA! For an ancient beast, you ain't so tough after all!" Spectrum laughed at Typhon's body before noticing something on the ground "Hey, look! There's some money next to him. I wonder how that got there..."

(Music Stop)

"Wait... Typhon is dead..." Twilight put two and two together before gasping and looking back over at the wind crystal, which had turned a very pale green color "No! Nonononono!! This can't be happening!"

"Is the wind crystal... dying?" Spectrum asked.

"I think the crystal... might already... be dead..." Fluttershy tried her best to stop herself from crying.

"But if the crystal is dead..." Spectrum's eyes widened as he focused and felt no wind blowing on his ears or wings. He looked up and saw Cloudsdale shaking and slowly plummeting down back into the earth.

"Oh crap! RUN!!" Twilight noticed this as well and grabbed Fluttershy, racing out of there with Spectrum by her side. They had escaped the general radius of the floating city, but even at their current speed, nothing could protect them from the blast of wind that would blow them back once it crashed down, which, of course, it did.

The sudden fall of the great city sent a tremor reverberating throughout Equestria. Fortunately, no major damage was done, but it still shocked many people. None were more shocked than the inhabitants of Cloudsdale, for obvious reasons. The city landed right on top of the wind crystal's alter and utterly destroyed it, presumably along with the crystal.

(Music Stop)

As soon as the tremor was finished, Twilight, Fluttershy and Spectrum looked back in both awe and fear. The city was just as beautiful as Twilight imagined, with some understandable cracks from the fall. Tall buildings of quartz and pearl stood tall, and in the center was a giant castle that seemed to take up one entire fifth of the city. It was glorious.

But they soon snapped out of their trance when they noticed just how much damage the city, nay, they had done. The forest had been leveled and no doubt a giant crater had taken its place. They also took into account the lives that may have been lost during the fall.

"No..." Twilight finally came to the realization of her actions "I just came to check on the wind crystal. But instead, not only did I fail my job, I destroyed it, literally felled a city, and probably killed hundreds of lives..."

"If it makes you feel any better, I never really liked the place anyway" Spectrum said, causing Twilight to get even angrier.

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!" her eyes had started to tear up "Your entire city, your friends, even your family might be in trouble and that's all you have to say?!"

"R-Right, sorry..." Spectrum apologized "My... family..."

"Twilight, m-m-maybe it might be a good idea to investigate the city" Fluttershy suggested "You know, to, um... check for any survivors and heal them..."

"Good idea, Fluttershy..." Twilight took a deep breath in before allowing Spike to climb up her arm and leaving for the city, but not before turning back to Spectrum and saying "Not a word out of you! You got that?"

"Yes, I understand..." Spectrum nodded and began walking with the two towards Cloudsdale.

Author's Note

Woo! Big chapter! Took me a while, but I'm finally done! So, when Twilight mentioned Spectrum's family, he seemed a little down, didn't he? More will be explained later...

This was brought up to me before, but I'll just say it for good measure: OCs will not be in this story, including mine. I want to make this story like a merge between canon Final Fantasy and canon My Little Pony, so no OCs from either side. That being said, if you want a monster to appear in this story that you know of, please let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 4] The Impostor

The horror of what Twilight did was only expanded upon when she and her team entered the city. While the city itself was mostly intact, with the exception of a few fallen street lights and one or two crumbled buildings, what caught her eye the most was the body count and the blood across the pearl flooring. Guilt began swelling up within her, and she honestly wasn't sure how she'd get through this one. Maybe she wouldn't?

"Commander Spectrum Streak!" an ordinary Pegasus knight with silver armor and a silver helmet on, as well as purple wings and ears, came up to Spectrum and saluted, walking alongside the trio "I'm glad your back, but as you can see the city could be doing better. We've already gotten 482 reports of injury and 67 reports of death."

The statistics hurt Twilight. She closed her eyes as tears began filling them once again, trying her best to look as professional as possible during the event.

"That's... no..." Spectrum stopped walking to clutch his fists, along with everyone else joining him "At the very least, is the king alright? Has he been hurt?"

"The king had been evacuated from his castle the moment we began falling from the sky" the knight informed, giving relief to the Dragoon "This, however, brings me to my second point. Obviously our cause of falling was because the wind crystal had failed. I assume these two are the cause of it?"

"N-No, not just them..." Spectrum admitted "I, to my regret, had a hand in it as well. A terrible beast had befallen the crystal, and while fighting it we damaged the crystal."

"Hmm..." the knight wondered "You'll have to take this excuse up with the king. Please feel free to speak with him at any time. He is located in safe-house Number 3. If you wish to collect some supplies or have some time to record your progress, the shops are to your left. Until then, sir!" the knight saluted once again before walking away.

"I personally think it would be wise to collect some items before heading to meet with the king" Spectrum said turning around, quickly noticing that Twilight was trying not to cry "Hey, hey now. I know why this might upset you, but-"

"Why did you take the blame for us?" she asked Spectrum, slightly confusing him "You're such ignorant idiot, yet you put it upon yourself to make sure we didn't get in trouble. Why?"

"Well, I mean, not to brag or anything..." Spectrum had a smile underneath his mask, but seeing how serious Twilight was, he too became slightly more serious "Well, I suppose it's because people tell me I have a strong sense of loyalty. I don't think I'd ever be able to NOT help a friend or ally in need of some."

"Oh..." Twilight's eyes widened slightly, revealing a few more of her tears "Um... Thank you..."

"Spectrum, um..." Fluttershy began "That's really nice of you, and, um... thanks..."

"No problem, Miss Twilight and Miss Fluttershy" Spectrum bowed "Now, shall we do as advised?"

"Y-Yes, of course!" Fluttershy nodded before following Spectrum. Twilight, however, stayed behind and continued to look at the disastrous city. Spectrum immediately took note of this and went over to aid her.

"Twilight, you shouldn't feel bad about this" he advised "It'll only make you feel worse. Besides, if you don't cheer up, who else will set an example to the worried, frightened and homeless? Fluttershy?" he then turned to the White Mage "No offense."

"None taken..." Fluttershy understandably nodded.

"Well..." Twilight said before taking a deep breath in and out "...alright, I'll try."

"That's the spirit!" Spectrum patted her on the shoulder, wary of where her pet Bahamut was "Now c'mon, don't be a mope and get back up on your feet! Yeah, there we go..."

(Music Stop)

The small marketplace store was largely undamaged, as well as its supplies. It was small, only large enough to fit about 50 people inside along with the shelves, but it was a quiet and all around pleasant place.

While Fluttershy and Spectrum had gone around the shop looking for certain items to purchase, Twilight had found herself speaking with the shop owner: a kind elderly mare with wrinkly pink skin and curly white hair, as well as a blue shirt, white apron and long black dress as her supposed work clothes.

"It has been far too long since I've seen someone in the city that's not a Pegasus" the elderly woman said before a small smile came to her face "Although, now that the city came tumblin' down, there'll be a huge flock of Unicorns and Earth people, now won't there! Ohohoho!"

"Hmm..." Twilight smiled "Yes, I think people will want to start coming here more often, either to help fix the place up or eat some of your absolutely delicious baked goods."

"Mmmhmhmhm..." the old woman hummed her laugh "Oh, don't be a suck-up. Now, may I ask what the problem is with you, deary? You've looked like you've been on the verge of crying ever since you got here. It's okay, you can tell me."

"I can?" Twilight wondered, to which the old woman nodded "Well, besides the city falling down, Spectrum did something very loyal to us, and I suppose I still can't quite grasp why after his cocky attitude during our travels."

"Ah, I suppose he never told you, did he?" the old woman sighed somberly "Everyone in Cloudsdale knows his tale by now, but being an outsider, I wouldn't be surprised that you didn't know. You see, a few years back, when Spectrum was still a lieutenant-commander, he was strong, protective, and admittedly humorless. He also had a wonderful wife and a beautiful daughter that he cared for deeply..."

"No..." Twilight understood where this was going.

"You catch on quick, I see" the old woman gave a sad smile "One day, on his way back from his Dragoon post, he found that his house had been burned down. No one in the house had survived, unfortunately. He took it pretty hard, I'll bet. But instead of becoming a cold, heartless commander that we see in all those cliches, he became more arrogant, rude, and slightly incompetent. My guess is he was doing his best to deal with the pain the best way he could; becoming blissfully unaware of everything."

"Th-That's..." the story almost made Twilight cry again, but she quickly held back her tears once again "Oh, sorry. That seems to be happening to me a lot lately."

"Nonsense!" the old woman laughed a bit "If you need to cry, cry. It helps, I assure you."

"Th-Thanks..." Twilight nodded. As she did, Spectrum and Fluttershy approached the counter with an arm full of potions and other assorted items. Peacefully, they bought their items, thanked the old woman, and walked out. Before Twilight did however, the old woman spoke to her once again.

"Twilight, was it?" she asked before getting to her point "Word of wisdom for the day: People aren't always what they seem. Remember that, and I think you and I will get along just fine... Ohohohoho..."

"Thank you, miss" Twilight bowed before going out to join with her friends.

It was a long trip from the shop to the designated safe-house the king was currently situated in, but at last the trio found it. It was tucked away to the left side of the castle in a place normal people wouldn't be able to find on any normal occasion. It was a simple metal hatch with the number 3 on it, nothing more and nothing less. Spectrum opened the hatch up and allowed the two ladies jump down first.

"After you..." Twilight knew he was smirking under his helmet. She just rolled her eyes and entered the hatch, where a ladder was awaiting her. She was soon followed by Fluttershy and then Spectrum himself. Inside the safe-house was a short hallway that lead to an iron door with a handle in the middle of it.

"Well, are you two ready to meet the king?" Spectrum asked "Gotta warn you though; he can be a little harsh sometimes. Other than that, he's kind and caring."

"Only s-sometimes?" Fluttershy slightly panicked "Oh dear..."

"Relax, Fluttershy" Twilight assured her friend, patting her on the shoulder "I'm sure he's only like that when he's angry."

"Kaw!" Spike cawed, attempting to help in any way he could.

"Twilight, we felled a city!" Fluttershy had officially begun panicking "HIS city! That knight we met earlier must have told him! He knows we've done wrong! I don't want to go to jail! I can't! If I do, then... then..."

"What's all that racket outside?" a knight opened the door only to see Spectrum looking over a saddened Fluttershy desperately hugging Twilight's legs "Well, I'll have to admit, I wasn't expecting this... Commander Spectrum!" he saluted "The king was looking forward to your visit! Please, step inside and allow us to speak with you and your companions."

"Of course" Spectrum nodded before looking back at the two women "Well, let's get this done and over with, shall we?"

"Y-Yeah, just a second..." Twilight looked back down at the sobbing Fluttershy "Please, Fluttershy, it won't be so bad! At least get off my legs so I can-"

"Screw it!" Spectrum flung his arms up into the air before picking up Fluttershy and carrying her bridal style into the safe-house. Twilight was amazed, but nonetheless happy she was finally off her legs. She too followed Spectrum into the large room with a single chair in the center and dozens of guards all wearing the same armor as the previous knight.

On the chair was a slightly chubby old man with a long bushy, white beard and grey skin. He wore a regal blue pants and some silver armor over his chest. A red cape wrapped around his back, and a golden crown dawned his head.

"Ah, and what brings you three here, hmm?" the king asked the trio "I assume it's because of your story? Please, continue where you left off, commander."

"Of course, your highness" Spectrum bowed "As one of your valiant knights may have already told you, whilst we were engaging a terrible beast, the crystal had been damaged and ceased the wind from blowing. This caused the city to plummet to the surface and for lives to be lost. I would like to take full responsibility for my actions, and in return you set these two women free with no charges."

"Hmm..." the king's mouth twitched "And what of your squadron?"

"Oh... I believe they were all unfortunately killed from the blast" Spectrum somberly said, but not before being slightly confused as to why the king disregarded his plea to leave blame on him.

"I see..." the king nodded "And of the crystal?"

(Music Stop)

"Your highness, I'm very certain an impact like that would have shattered the crystal" Spectrum pointed out "With it being so small and the city being so big, there would be a slim chance that the crystal survived. Even if it did, Cloudsdale is too heavy to lift, and even if we found it, it would most likely be faded and unusable."

"What a shame..." the king sighed "Guards, go to the lower levels of the city and investigate anything down there."

"Ngh!" Spectrum was taken aback by his king's sudden command.

"Hey! Do you have any idea what Spectrum just said?!" Twilight called out "Many people died today because of my mistake, and with me trying to amend for my flaw, you just disregard any semblance of Buhonian life and send a search team to find an otherwise useless rock?!"

"Child, that rock is far from useless" the king pointed out "Without it, the winds would not blow and the-"

"Screw the wind!" Twilight shouted "Wind is a lot less important than people, and you just think you can ignore your own because you want some stupid, 10,000-year-old stone?!"

"Twilight's r-right!" Fluttershy stood up alongside her friend, albeit very nervously "P-People shouldn't be treated like how you think! We should be above the crystal, no matter the situation!"

"Sorry, your highness" Spectrum joined his friends' opposition "Your choices are morally wrong, and I refuse to follow them."

"Ohohohoho! What a pity!" the king laughed "Guards execute them. You should have listen to the old woman, Twilight..."

"Wait, what?" Twilight thought aloud "No, it can't be! You and that woman! Working together?!"

"Oh, did I say that out loud?" the king smirked "I guess the cat's outta the bag now, so I might as well reveal myself!"

"Pardon?" Fluttershy wondered. Her thoughts were immediately answered when a burst of light shone forth from the king's body, forcing the trio and Spike to cover their eyes.

Once they looked back, they all gasped as in the king's place was a slender man with light grayish brown skin and a white goatee, as well as his face was more elongated than a normal Buho. He wore a brown vest, a shirt with purple on one side and yellow on the other, red and brown thinly stripped pants with a purple patch covering a rip in them, and stylish black shades over his eyes. On his head were two ears and two horns, one looking like it was from a deer, and the other looking like it was from a deformed unicorn horn.

"Greetings one and all!" the mysterious man greeted, now slightly hovering in the air "My name is Discord, and I have come for the wind crystal! Not only did I impersonate the king of Cloudsdale, but I also killed him and his wife, burned their bodies, set their son into the woods, and brainwashed every single member of the royal guard here. There, every last bit of my plan!"

"You killed the king?!" Spectrum shouted, bringing out his spear from his back "Dude, that is not cool! You're going to hell for that!"

"You set their son in the woods?!" Fluttershy spoke in a concerned voice "Oh, I hope he made it out okay..."

"Wait, why are you telling us you plan?" Twilight questioned "Who even are you anyway? Are you some sort of servant to King Sombra, trying to revive him?"

"Sombra? Ohohohoho!" Discord chuckled "Don't make me laugh! I don't work for that fossil, I work for me! Do you have any idea how much a single chip of any crystal is? Imagine the payload of the entire wind crystal! Besides, Sombra's already revived himself, so kinda don't need to do much there."

"He's what?!" Twilight gasped "So it's true..."

"You still haven't answered her original question, fiend!" Spectrum demanded "Why did you reveal your plans? What do you have to gain from doing that anyway?"

"Nothing really" Discord shrugged "But perhaps... Your little secret in return, Specky..."

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, I would" Discord giggled "UNLESS, you can defeat me in battle! Then, you're little secret is safe with me, Specky. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."

"...okay then" Spectrum agreed to Discord's challenge "I'll accept. But also if I win, you must set everyone under your spell free."

"Fair enough" Discord smiled "But that leaves something open for me now, doesn't it? In that case, if you lose, I get the yellow one and make her my bride!"

"Eep!" Fluttershy shrunk down, terrified of that thought.

"You're on, creep!" Twilight confidently shouted.

"Ohohohoho... You'll regret facing me, Discord the Bounty Hunter!" Discord laughed "Minions, attack!"

The guards standing by in formation faced the trio and pulled out their swords, engaging them in combat. One had attempted to strike Twilight, but she was able to pull out her dagger in time to block it. In no time at all, Spectrum came and stabbed the knight in the belly, killing him.

"Thanks" Twilight nodded.

"No time for that now" Spectrum had become slightly more serious, clearly not wanting his secret revealed "We need to take out the knights. Fluttershy, cast your magic on them!"

"W-Which one?!" Fluttershy panicked.

"Aero! What else?!" Spectrum yelled. Despite the sudden tone of voice, Fluttershy rose her staff and swung it around, blowing the knights back even though they were in heavy suits of armor. This left an opening for Twilight to attack Discord.

"Spike, you know the drill!" she called out, the Bahamut immediately spewing flames from its mouth at his target. Unfortunately, Discord cast a spell that brought up a shield in front of him, blocking the oncoming fire. He yawned in disappointment before snapping his fingers and levitating all the knights like puppets, fortunately having them by standby until he needed them again.

"That's really the extent of your power?" Discord laughed "That's pathetic! Looks like your little secret will be spilled, my dear."

"Don't call me that!" Spectrum shouted before throwing his spear at Discord. The latter caught it however, twirled it around and aimed it right at the trio.

"What's going to happen now, Specky?" Discord mocked "However will you fare without a weapon?"

"Grrrrr..." Spectrum grumbled "Twilight, summon something else! Something... um, I dunno! Something that's not magic related!"

"Oh, okay" Twilight nodded before silently chanting something and causing a summoning circle to once again appear at her feet "Summon! Chocobo Lv.1!"

Like the time at Fluttershy's home, the yellow flightless bird once again appeared before her. It ran blindly at Discord, attempting to kick him anywhere it could. Discord, obviously, saw this and cast a fire spell on the Chocobo, causing it to scream in pain before dying on the ground. This caused Fluttershy to gasp.

"Mmmm..." Discord sniffed the air and smiled "Roasted chicken... My favorite!"

"Alright, that's it!" Spectrum yelled "You're going down!"

"I'll leave you with a choice, Spectrum" Discord grinned "Kill me, or..." he pointed the Dragoon's spear at Fluttershy, who was still silently weeping about the loss of the Chocobo "...save her. Completely your choice."

"You monster..." Spectrum's eyes widen. Discord laughed once again before twirling the spear around again and firing it straight at Fluttershy. She gasped in fear; her first quick reaction to the situation.

"NO!!" Spectrum raced forward and ran out in front of the spear, blocking and saving Fluttershy, but knocking his golden mask off his helmet. The mask went flying over to a wall and made a clanging noise, whereas Spectrum fell to the ground, his face looking at the floor away from his friends.

(Music Stop)

"Ohohohoho!" Discord couldn't contain his excitement "Well, you just gave up your victory, but no one technically won, so I'll hold up my end of the bargain..." he snapped his fingers and released the guards from his captivity "Next time, though, I'm taking your lives and making the girl my lovely wife!"

"Meep!" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Ta ta!" Discord snapped his fingers and teleported out of the room, laughing maniacally all the while. As soon as the echoing laugh stopped Twilight took this time to check up on Spectrum, while Fluttershy went and healed the knights.

"Spectrum?" she wondered "Are... Are you... alright?"

"Ngh..." Spectrum groaned "D-Don't look at me!"

"Y-Your voice!" Twilight immediately noticed his voice had risen in pitch only slightly, as well as sounded more... feminine.

"P-Please, no!" Spectrum plead.

"Spectrum, please tell me who you are" Twilight insisted.

"I... I can't..."

"Spectrum..." Twilight placed a hand on his shoulder "We're friends, remember? You can tell me and Fluttershy anything you need to. You don't have to worry.

"I..." Spectrum had begun crying, as seen from the water on the ground below his face. Slowly, he then turned his head towards Twilight, to which she rightfully gasped in shock. What she saw wasn't a hardened man built by war with a cocky attitude, but a woman with a cyan face, cerise eyes and ears that with a color that looked like it was painted on.

"Spectrum?" Twilight's shocked expression turned into one of concern "Are you..."

"Yes" she nodded "I'm a woman... I'm sorry I lied to you, Twilight. I didn't want you or anyone else finding out. If that happened, I... I would have been kicked out of the Dragoon squadron..."

"Wait, why?" Twilight questioned.

Before Spectrum could answer, the iron door to the outside world swung open with twelve Dragoons in silver armor highlights all marching in single file. They all took formation around Twilight and Spectrum, making way for another Dragoon with the same blue armor as the others, only with green highlights instead of gold or silver. His mask was open, revealing his auburn skin, wings and ears, and graying hair. His face was not an impressed one.

"So, commander Spectrum, if that is your real name," the man started "We've finally tracked you down. Allow me to introduce myself: I am high commander Wind Fury of the Dragoon operations team. I hear-by arrest you for impersonation of an officer, the death of over fifty people, and false identity. Take her away, boys. And her friends too, why not?"

"N-No, wait!" Spectrum tried to stop the other Dragoons, but to no avail. Six of the Dragoons took each of the girls, two for each, and carried them out of the shelter to wherever Cloudsdale's jailhouse was. None struggled; not even Fluttershy. They knew they had to atone for what they did, but they also knew they weren't going to go down without a fight.

So patiently, they waited.

Author's Note

I felt as if this chapter was a bit short, but I kinda wanted to get to the point on this one. Doesn't help I'm slightly tired, but oh well, I can still work for you guys! :twilightsmile:

So Spectrum's secret is out! He is actually a she! You don't need half a brain to figure out who it is. Oh, and by special request, Discord is in this story! He was already going to be in this story, but I figured this was a good time to introduce him maybe as a recurring villain throughout the heroines' journey.

I took the cross-dressing thing from a certain Final Fantasy game, but I won't say which to avoid spoilers. Also, was the title of this chapter symbolizing Discord's impersonation or Spectrum's? That's up for you to figure out.

Am I missing anything? Oh, right! BE SURE TO COMMENT!! You don't have to, of course, but it's always nice reading your feedback, be it good, bad, critical or just plain strange.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 5] The Girl

The small cell Twilight, Fluttershy and Spectrum were thrown into was dark, dank, and lonely. The only things inside were three uncomfortable-looking steel beds, a single toilet, and a torch for a small amount of light in case they needed some.

Spectrum sat silently, twiddling her thumbs trying to pass the time. The paint on her wings and ears was removed as to cease impersonation further, as well as her spear was confiscated, but she was allowed to keep the armor. Fluttershy was in the corner, thinking about her actions. Her staff was taken away in case it would be used as a means of escape. Twilight was busy attempting to find a way out somehow. Her pouch containing her summoning book was also taken taken away, as well as Spike.

"C'mon, there's gotta be something here, right?" Twilight desperately struggled to find a way out "A secret passage, a loose rock? Anything?! Please..."

"Twilight, there's no point" Spectrum sighed "The walls are reinforced with mythril, so even something like a fall from the sky wouldn't even crack them. I know these halls better than anyone else when I was visiting here with my dad when he was still, y'know... alive..."

"Oh, right..." Twilight sadly sighed before stopping and sitting down next to Spectrum "So, you're a girl, huh?"

"Yeah" Spectrum nodded "I suppose I gotta make introductions, huh? Hahaha... Anyway, my real name is Rainbow Dash, or just Rainbow for short. My dad was Spectrum Streak, the greatest lieutenant-commander in the whole Dragoon army! Or, at least in my eyes. He was my role model, and I wanted to be just like him when I grew up!"

"Only, you actually did become him" Twilight's eyebrow rose.

"I guess it turned out that way..." Rainbow rubbed her forehead with her right hand "Everyone has the story all wrong, you see. My dad and mom were happily going about their day while I was at college. When I came back to visit them, I discovered that the house had burned down, along with everyone in it."

"Oh my... That's horrible..." Fluttershy spoke up "Who on earth would do such a thing?"

"I don't know, but I do know whoever it could have been was trying to kill me" Rainbow explained "At least, that's my theory. No other fires were started after that, at least in succession to the one in my house, and the fire barely touched the other houses. Not even a burn mark was on the neighbors' houses."

"Certainly sounds like something was directed at you" Twilight mentioned "But how did you take your father's identity and keep it a secret for so long?"

"Taking my old man's identity was the hard part, as I had to make it as convincing as possible" Rainbow said "Meaning I had to fake my death, erase my identity, and make sure none of my relatives ever heard my voice again. Keeping it a secret was the easy part because the Dragoons, while powerful, are just a bunch of complete idiots. They're grunts, to say the least; they follow your every order mostly without question and can get the job done, even if it takes them five hours to set up an anti-monster cannon..." disappointing memories flooded her mind again, making her shiver a bit.

"Surely they can't-" Fluttershy stated, only to have Rainbow interrupt her.

"Trust me, they are" Rainbow deadpanned "Why else would I still be wearing my Dragoon armor? They have prisoner clothes, they're just too incompetent and nervous to look at a girl's boobs. There's nothing to even see! How do you think I managed to stay hidden so long? I have a flat chest!"

"That all makes sense, but-" Twilight blushed, asking her question before Rainbow once again interrupted.

"Why did I take his identity in the first place?" Rainbow gave off a sad smile "The selfless reason was because I didn't want my role model's legacy to end so suddenly. I wanted him to be a great leader, and be funny and kind as always! But, the slightly selfish reason was because, well... the city doesn't allow female Dragoons or knights."

"No way!" Twilight gasped.

"W-What?" Fluttershy was at a loss for words.

"Sexist, I know" Rainbow sighed "I wanted to be like my father so much that a bad side of me took the opportunity of his death as a chance to become a Dragoon for myself. It's low and I regret every second of it... But at the same time, being a Dragoon was awesome!"

"I can see how anyone would do that" Twilight agreed, albeit reluctantly, not quite agreeing with Rainbow's thoughts "But Rainbow, why not just stand up against the city's court? The Dragoons themselves?"

"Are you kidding?" Rainbow scoffed "Last time that happened, the entire group of protesters, men included, were thrown into jail for defiance to the king. Best of all, for 20 years! But it gets better, believe me..." she shook her head with an angry smile on her face "There were children in that crowd as well! No one got off Scott-free... And it's all because of that stupid Wind Fury asshole who thinks he can command everyone like they're his bitches!"

"You know about him?" Twilight questioned.

"Who doesn't?" Rainbow answered with another question "He only introduced himself because he can't be bothered to think people, y'know... think. He really, honest to god believes he's the shit!"

"Now, now, no need to swear..." Fluttershy calmly approached the situation, only to be yelled at again by Rainbow.

"Are you kidding?! THERE IS A DEFINITE NEED TO SWEAR!!"

"Rainbow, calm down!" Twilight tried her own approach "I believe you that the high commander is a disgusting man, but he still has every right to throw us in jail after illegal impersonation and basically murder."

"You don't get it, Twilight!" Rainbow shouted "You haven't SEEN what the high commander does to those guilty of illegal actions! When I was sneaking off as a child, I accidentally found one of his torturing chambers. Basically, under the king's awareness, he began killing the exact same people in the protest I told you about..."

"No..." Fluttershy gasped.

"Rainbow" Twilight placed a hand on her shoulder, about to say something motivational before she just gave up and said the first thing on her mind "Yeah, you're right, he's an asshole. We have to get out of this cell as soon as possible so we can finally give him the justice he so rightfully deserves!"

"Twilight, there's no way out" Rainbow mentioned once again, knocking her fist on the walls "Mythril, remember?"

"Um, if I may interject, if, you know, that's okay with you of course" Fluttershy shyly spoke up "But maybe someone is coming to rescue us already?"

"I don't think so, Shy" Rainbow sighed, giving her a new nickname "There is no one who witnessed us being heroic and stuff when we fought that Typhon guy to back us up and try to get us out of jail legally. Well, no one alive anyway. It doesn't help that Wind Fury pretty much told everyone in the city of our actions, so we're stuck here until we die."

"Damn..." Twilight exhaled, not quite a sigh.

(Music Stop)

"Maybe I can be of assistance, sir?" spoke an echoing voice from outside the hallway.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Fluttershy?" Twilight wondered.

"N-No?" she answered, terrified as to what the voice might be.

"Oh, right, sorry!" the voice clumsily spoke again before a levitating, glowing blue figure with what appeared to be Dragoon armor on appeared right outside the cell door "Hello, commander. It's good to see you again."

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Fluttershy screamed as she saw the figure, doing her best to crawl away from it "G-G-G-GHOST!!!"

"What do you want, spirit!" Twilight shouted.

"Yeah, can't you see we're busy?!" Rainbow joined in with her friend.

"Whoa, whoa, please calm yourselves" the ghost calmly waved his arms, attempting to sooth the trio, eventually working "Thank you... Now, my name is lieutenant Blitz of the Dragoon army. More specifically, yours, commander Rainbow Dash."

"Wait... you mean that lieutenant to private dude?" Rainbow began to laugh, much to the dismay of Blitz "Dude, you're a ghost now! That's awesome!"

"Well, being a spirit does have it's ups and downs, I suppose..." Blitz admired the comment before realizing he had a task to do "Sorry, back on track. As you know, I was crushed by Cloudsdale when the wind crystal had ceased to generate power. Don't feel bad, as I'm not sure I would have been able to aid you three any other way."

"Okay, a few questions..." Twilight, still slightly shocked, asked Blitz's spirit "First off, how the heck can we even see you? Are you supposed to be some kind of invisible and lonely figure that roams the halls of-"

"While I would love to stay and answer your questions, I'm afraid time is of the essence" Blitz explained right before he opened the lock to their cell door "You must go and make Wind Fury atone for his actions."

"Are you coming with us?" Twilight asked.

"No, unfortunately" Blitz somberly said "As a spirit, I am unfortunately cursed to roam these halls forever until my wish is fulfilled. Then I can finally rest easy."

"And I'm gonna guess your wish is to stop high commander Shit Head for good?" Rainbow wondered.

"Precisely" Blitz nodded "Now, go! Make haste!"

"Blitz, thank you" Rainbow nodded before exiting the cell. Before Twilight did, she looked back and tried to call Fluttershy over to her, to of course no avail.

"Fluttershy, please" Twilight groaned "We don't have time for this. This ghost is the same person we met when we were in the Everfree Forest. Please, we gotta stop Wind Fury!"

"O-Okay..." Fluttershy nodded, slowly making her way to the cell's door. As a precautionary measure, Blitz moved back to give the woman some space until she was finally out and away from the ghost. Twilight and Rainbow waved him farewell before they and their White Mage friend turned around and walked away. Before Rainbow could continue though, Blitz stopped her for a moment.

"Rainbow Dash" he began "Personally, I care not that you are a woman. Despite our ups and downs, arguments and clashes, you were by far the greatest commander I ever had the pleasure of serving under."

"Blitz..." Rainbow smiled "Thanks. Y'know, I think I'll name one of my kids after you!"

"I would be honored" Blitz said before he vanished into thin air, his voice still carrying through the hallway "Goodbye, commander Rainbow Dash..."

"Goodbye, lieutenant..." Rainbow gave her final farewells before rejoining her friends on their quest to find the high commander and make him pay.

The hallway they continued down had a lot of loud, bronze machines that very much sounded like a bunch of trains all collectively spinning their wheels around. They were box-like with pistons churning every so often, and the trio could only imagine what they actually did. Nonetheless, they continued on their journey.

"First thing's first" Twilight began "We need to find our weapons, especially my book, Fluttershy's staff and Spike. Those are almost irreplaceable."

"Gee, thanks..." Rainbow deadpanned, hating having her weapon being the third wheel.

"Next off, we should find some items" Twilight continued.

"Oh, I'm very certain some monsters drop potions every now and then" Fluttershy suggested "Then again, this is a sc-scary place, meaning... there are going to be a lot of... oh dear..."

"Relax, Fluttershy" Rainbow cockily grinned "So long as you're with us, nothing bad could possibly happen."

(Music Stop)

Suddenly, a painful groan was heard from an unknown area that echoed through the hallway. Fluttershy quickly caught onto this and screamed like a school filly, running around aimlessly until she accidentally bumped into a wall. The moment she did so, Twilight and Rainbow heard a small click, followed immediately by a the sound of gears turning. Behind them, the corridor had closed off and the middle of the floor and ceiling had begun to closed, leaving Fluttershy on one side and Twilight and Rainbow Dash on the other.

"Fluttershy, jump, quickly!" the latter shouted.

"W-What?" she was still getting out of her daze. Unfortunately, the moment she did, it was too late. The wall created by the floor and ceiling had fully closed with a loud slam, leaving Fluttershy stranded.

"Hello?!" Fluttershy called out "Can anyone hear me, hello?! Oh, wall, please don't be soundproof..."

She continuously banged on the wall with all her might, but to no avail. She was stuck until she could find another way to meet up with her friends. The realization of this slowly crept unto her, terrifying her to no end. Gently, she leaned her back against the wall and slowly sat down, crying all the while.

She couldn't handle being alone. Even the company of her animal friends was more than enough. She had only been alone once in her life, and she dared not think of that experience ever again. Just as she was about to give up, she felt a soft hand touch her ears through her hood. The hand was small, almost child-like, but pleasing nonetheless.

Fluttershy looked up only to see a young girl that couldn't have been more than ten years old. Her skin was a soft pink and her long hair a beautiful shade of red. Her blue eyes were sparkling with youth yet overcome with sadness, and she only wore a simple white sundress. In her other hand was a brown stuffed teddy bear. She looked at Fluttershy curiously.

"Oh, m-my apologies..." Fluttershy sniffed, giving a sad smile "I must look like a mess... What is your name, young one?"

The girl didn't answer, but it wasn't because she didn't want to. Fluttershy quickly learned that she was, in fact, mute. Smiling kindly, Fluttershy picked herself up off the ground and looked down at the young girl.

"Thank you, young one" Fluttershy smiled "So, I suppose you escaped this place as well?"

The girl merely shook her head.

"Oh, of course, we're still in the prison..." Fluttershy nodded "But I promise that we'll find a way out, alright? You see, I'm looking for my friends. Would you happen to know where I a section is I could meet them again? Also, if you don't mind me asking, have you seen a wooden staff with a curly tip?"

The girl nodded her head and motioned for Fluttershy to follow her, walking off and dragging her stuffed bear along the ground in the process. Fluttershy soon followed, curious as to where the young girl was headed. The hallway to the destination was long, but at the very least, light was filled with the help of some torches here and there.

Finally, the girl stopped at a door with the word 'Exit' overhead it. Fluttershy smiled at this, but it wasn't long until the girl wanted her to follow her again. Without question Fluttershy started walking with the girl again.

"Are you taking me to my staff, little one?" she asked the young girl. The latter turned around and nodded before continuing on her walk to where she remembered her staff being.

"I truly cannot thank you enough, young lady" Fluttershy kindly smiled. As soon as she spoke, the girl stopped and turned to an iron door with a metal lever on it. Reaching out her free hand, she pulled the lever and opened up the door, releasing a burst of light; the morning sun. Fluttershy shielded her eyes for a brief moment to adjust to the brightness, but soon followed the young girl into the outside world.

Out there was a beautiful garden within the city. Trees were blowing through the unfortunately weak wind, and the sun shone down upon Fluttershy's face. She immediately sighed and smiled, feeling refreshed after being cooped up in a cell the entire time. She then turned to the girl and nodded.

"Thank you, young one" she said "This was very nice of you. But, wherever is my staff? I mean, you don't have to show me, but-"

The girl raised a hand a shook her head whilst smiling, prompting Fluttershy to stop for a moment. She then turned her head down towards the center of the garden. Once Fluttershy saw what was there, she gasped, for it was a brand new wooden staff that looked exactly like her last one embedded in a gray stone. But not just any stone; a tombstone.

"H-Here lies Melody Tune" she read from the grave, her voice slightly shaky "A-A loving sister, a w-wonderful friend, and an amazing... friend..." she wasn't sure what to think after reading the words etched on the stone. Then it hit her. She turned toward the girl, with eyes that almost asked the question for her. The girl slowly nodded sadly.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy felt a tear on her cheek "I'm... I'm so sorry..."

The girl smiled and shook her head once again. But then she did something Fluttershy didn't expect; she stuck out her hand and awaited the mage to touch it. Without much reluctance, Fluttershy did as she was instructed.

A surge of memories filled her mind. Dark ones. Horrid ones. There was screaming, crying, hurt... She couldn't take it anymore. She immediately let go of the girl's hand and panted. After getting her bearings, she took a deep breath and looked at the girl again.

"He... you..." she struggled to find words "I... don't... I'm sorry..."

(Music Stop)

The girl hugged her as soon as she apologized. Slowly, Fluttershy hugged back. Once they had let go of each other, the girl brought up her stuffed bear to Fluttershy's chest, to which she gently took it from the tiny hands. Knowing exactly what to do with it, she bent down and placed it right in front of the grave like a bouquet of flowers to the deceased. She smiled before getting back up, slowly pulling the staff out from the stone. Before she left, she looked at the tombstone one last time.

"I promise, little Melody, I'll finally let you go to heaven" she said before walking back through the way she came.

The girl that had lead her to the garden had now gone. All that remained was a stuffed bear and a grave.

Author's Note

Before I get into important stuff, I just need to mention that I used the word Buho a lot. A friend of mine mentioned that I shouldn't call the race of pony/humans anthros, but something more akin to Final Fantasy. Buho means Pony in Al Bhed.

This chapter is dedicated to a young 10-year-old girl who lost her life during a ferocious storm a few days ago. I truly hope that she finds peace wherever she may go.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone.

[Chapter 6] The Law

As Twilight and Rainbow Dash progressed through the ghost-infested hallways of the Cloudsdale prison, fighting off angered ghost after angered ghost that tried to attack them in an attempt to exact revenge for their deaths, without their spear and book no less, they couldn't help but think of Fluttershy's current position. Besides the area being tough without a White Mage to heal them when necessary, Fluttershy was a nice woman and a wonderful addition to the team.

"This hallway has got to end eventually, right?" Rainbow spoke up "Jeez, Fluttershy must be scared out of her wits by now..."

"Don't worry, Rainbow" Twilight assured "She's a strong woman, so I'm sure she'll get through it."

"I'm not exactly sure strong and Fluttershy are two words that go together like cookies and milk" Rainbow playfully smirked, causing her friend to roll her eyes. Suddenly, another ghost appeared, moaning and crying for help. The duo punched it in the face before making a run for it.

"Wait, how'd we even touch it if it's a spirit?" Twilight questioned.

"Who cares?! That was awesome!" Rainbow laughed as they continued down the hall, finally making it to the end.

At the end of the hallway was a fork in the road. On the left was a extremely short corridor that went towards an iron door, while the other one was a much longer corridor that appeared to lead to many cell doors. Twilight and Rainbow assumed that, since there was no other place to go in the prison, that their weapons and pet were hidden away in one of the cells.

"I say we check out the door first" suggested Twilight.

"What?!" Rainbow argued "We've been running away from battles without our weapons, and frankly, I'm getting pretty sick and tired of it. Our weapons HAVE to be down there, so we'll go and get them first!"

"And what if they're not?" Twilight argued back "They could be anywhere by now! Thrown out, burned, buried, sent to another dimension, so on and so forth!"

"Ugh! Why do you always have to be such a goddamn nerd all the time?!"

"Well why do you always have to be such a goddamn asshole all the time?!"

Unbeknownst to them, the door on the short corridor had slowly opened up to reveal that Fluttershy had found her way out. She silently watched the two argue, eventually having enough of their bickering and attempting to speak up.

"Hello? Girls, I don't think-" she began. Unfortunately, the others never heard her.

"Ugh... Can't we just agree on one thing?!"

"Sure! As soon as you stop thinking everything's already laid out for you! Be logical for once!"

"Um... girls?" Fluttershy attempted again, to no avail.

"And another thing, I-" Rainbow started up again before stopping suddenly. Her eyes widened and her head turned toward the short corridor, only to see Fluttershy shyly standing there, clutching her staff nervously. Soon enough, Twilight did the same, a smile appearing on her face the moment she noticed her friend.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight gasped before rushing over and hugging her friend "We missed you so much! Are you okay?"

"T-Twilight..." Fluttershy hugged back, smiling all the while "Yes, I'm fine. In fact, I think I may have found a new reason to make sure Wind Fury pays for what he did."

"Hey, where'd you get the stick?" Rainbow asked, still happy her friend was back but wanting to get to the point "Are our other weapons in there? Is Spike in there with you?"

"No, unfortunately..." Fluttershy sadly said "Only this. But I have a feeling our items are close by."

"How close?" Twilight asked.

"Kaw!" shouted an echoed cry for help. The trio quickly turned their heads down the other hallway. Without speaking a word, they all nodded at each other and raced to help the trapped Bahamut.

After following the sounds of his crying, they eventually found his cell made of, once again, the unbreakable and apparently fireproof mythril. Inside the cell was also.

"Our stuff!" Rainbow exclaimed before cockily looking down at Twilight, who gave an annoyed groan. Nonetheless, she was still overjoyed that they found their items.

"Hang on, Spike, we'll get you out of there!" Twilight assure before turning to her friends and sighing "Okay, any ideas?"

"Twilight, Dragoons are stupid, remember?" Rainbow grinned before kicking the wall and reaching out her hand. A moment later, a ring of keys dropped in her hand, surprising Twilight and Fluttershy. Without saying a word, Rainbow unlocked the cell and allowed her team to get back what was right fully them. Immediately, Twilight went to snuggle with her baby Bahamut.

"Ohhh, I missed you so much, Spike!" she hugged him, much to his slight reluctance. Nonetheless, he seemed to appreciate the gesture. As Rainbow was watching them hug, she noticed that Fluttershy's staff was in here as well. Confused, she turned to her to ask her, but it seemed as if Fluttershy was already a step ahead of her.

"I prefer this one" she simply said "With it holds my promise to someone, and I intend to uphold that promise."

"Wow... Whatever happened to scared and helpless Fluttershy?" Rainbow laughed a bit.

"That Fluttershy is gone for good now!" she confidently stated.

(Music Stop)

"Hold it right there!" a strong voice from behind the trio spoke, causing Fluttershy to jump a bit and scream in terror. They all turned around to see three knights in standard iron armor awaiting them.

"We're having a nice moment here, do you mind?" Twilight crossly stated.

"How the hell did you get your stuff back?!" the first knight, apparently the leader, asked angrily "I suppose it doesn't matter; my men and I will die before we let you touch the high commander."

"Wait, we will?" asked the second knight.

"Yes, you idiot!" the third knight lightly punched the second. On that, all three knights pulled out their swords and aimed them at the women in the cell.

"So you boys wanna fight us, huh?" Rainbow smiled, fully taking off her broken helmet and letting loose her long, messy, rainbow colored hair. She pulled out her spear from its resting place and twirled it around a bit before aiming it at the knights.

"Then just try!" Twilight opened her book and flipped to her desired page.

"If y-you want to, of course..." Fluttershy spoke softly, hiding herself behind her staff.

"Your high commander has done some horrid things, and we intend to make him atone for his actions" Twilight nodded "So if you wanna take us on, just remember that not only did we fight our way through countless restless souls without weapons, not only did we find our stuff without help, but we..." she swallowed her pain for a moment to make a point "...felled your city. If that doesn't speak volumes of what we're capable of, then I don't know what will."

"That being said, wanna fight us now?" Rainbow smirked.

"...retreat, sir?" the third knight asked.

"...retreat" the knight leader nodded before all three of them dropped their swords and ran away, flailing their arms up into the air. As the trio stepped out of the cell and saw the knights running down the hall, Rainbow simply looked at Fluttershy, the latter knowing exactly what to do. She raised her staff up and blew a great force of wind at the fleeing knights, knocking them all against the wall and more than likely knocking them out.

"Oh, sorry!" Fluttershy genuinely apologized.

"Fluttershy, don't apologize, they're the enemy!" Twilight mentioned.

"Oh... sorry..." she hung her head in shame.

"Okay, now that we have our stuff back, we should get going" Rainbow insisted "I'm pretty sure Wind Fury is behind that door over there, because LOGICALLY SPEAKING," Twilight nodded "there are no other doors around. So everyone get ready!"

"Wait, what about your helmet?" Twilight wondered "Won't you need it for protection?"

"That old thing? Nah" Rainbow shrugged "It was broken anyway. Don't need something that's just going to get in my way."

"Alright then, let's get going" Twilight nodded before the three began their walk to face-off against the man who has caused so much pain for the people of Cloudsdale for so long.

As they went down the hallway, they noticed that the fire in the torches had begun to dim out. This of course frightened Fluttershy, but nonetheless continued on with her friends. By the time they reached the door, the lights had gone completely out. This had annoyed Rainbow Dash because she was well aware of who, or rather what, was causing it all.

"Look, spirits, I know you're trying to set the mood for this battle, but I can't see shit" she crossly spoke to the ghosts roaming the halls "Turn those lights back on or something!"

Just like that, the torches regained their fires once more. Pleased, Rainbow reached for the door. Before she could touch the handle, however, Twilight stopped her.

"I hear voices..." she mentioned "Maybe we should listen to whoever is behind that door before we barge right in there. We could learn some valuable information."

"Fine..." Rainbow rolled her eyes and, along with Twilight and Fluttershy, opened the door up just a creak to allow the sound to flow through, as well as glimpse as to what was inside the room. There, Wind Fury sat on an iron throne, still with his Dragoon armor on, with none other than the brightly dressed Discord standing right next to him, unsurprising to the trio.

"And how is the king of Cloudsdale today, hmm?" Discord began with a smile on his face "Does that have a nice ring to it? Ohohohoho!"

"Yes, I quite like it..." Wind Fury grinned before raising his arms and quoting the bounty hunter "Wind Fury: King of Cloudsdale! Yes, I rather like the sound of that."

"Now, sorry to trample on your parade, but..." Discord extended a hand and curled his fingers multiple times. Wind sighed and snapped his fingers, summoning two knights that were positioned beside his throne. The knights brought up two briefcases and opened them, revealing what appeared to be hundreds upon thousands of bits. Discord chuckled in glee as he closed both cases and snatched them from the knights' grasps.

"I must thank you again, Discord, for completing your mission and making me the man I am today" Wind Fury grinned "With Cloudsdale soon to be under my reign, I can soon make every Pegasus in a soldier! Then, I'll use my army to conquer the land, nay, the world! I'll be indestructible!"

"Who says you aren't already?" Discord laughed.

"That dirty bastard..." Rainbow whispered.

"What cruelty..." Fluttershy quietly gasped.

"True, my friend" Wind laughed "By the way, did you ever recover the wind crystal?"

"No, those fools still alive from Ms. Dash's quote unquote 'survey team' are recovering it as we speak" Discord confirmed.

"Good, good" Wind nodded "It is unfortunate she never realized I knew all along about her little secret. She thinks she's smart, but she is about as stupid as the Dragoon team gets. Unfortunate about her father, it is. I quite liked him."

"Everything I did... was a lie?" was what Rainbow got from that sentence.

"At the very least he didn't kill your parents..." Twilight patted her friend on the back.

"Doesn't help he still killed all those innocent people under everyone's noses..." Rainbow scoffed.

"Well, this has been a pleasure, your highness, but I must take my leave" Discord grinned "Other places to be, more money to get. You know, the usual."

"Until we meet again, Discord..." Wind nodded. This was around the moment the trio thought it was best to barge into the large, steel, cube-like room.

(Music Stop)

"Stop this, Wind Fury!" Twilight shouted as she burst open the door with help from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash "Your reign of tyranny as king will end before it even begins!"

"What the- You?!" Wind was in shock "How did you escape?!"

"Let's just say a good friend helped us out" Rainbow smirked "But Twilight's right; you've killed innocent people unbeknownst to the true king, you've tortured the ones who have gone up against you, and worst of all you've had someone else do it for you. You are a coward, Wind Fury, and with all your evidence scattered about this place, I can safely say that by the Cloudsdale law, I hear-by place you under arrest and sentenced..." she whipped out her spear, twirled it around and pointed right at the high commander "...to death!"

"Oooooh! This is getting good!" Discord giggled, watching intently.

(Music Stop)

"The law, you say?" Wind Fury chuckled before he stood up from his seat and lowered his Dragoon mask, pulling out his own spear which looked more akin to a scythe than a spear with sharp blades all over the staff except for the handle "Foolish girl. Foolish people! You seem to forget that I AM the law!"

Without warning, Wind rushed forward at Rainbow Dash and attempted to strike her down quickly and silently. Fortunately, all that training as a quick, agile Dragoon paid off as she was able to completely block it as well as hold him in place long enough for one of her teammates to do something.

"Summon! Chocobo Lv.1!" Twilight flipped through her book and once again summoned the yellow flightless bird again. It immediately ran forward and kicked the false king in the side, knocking him down onto the ground. In a revenge move, he threw his spear like a boomerang and sliced the Chocobo's head clean off. It soon faded away into purple light before the spear came flying right back into Wind Fury's hand.

"Hiya!" Rainbow shouted, thrusting her spear down into Wind's chest. Learning from last time, he blocked the spear and used it to knock Rainbow to the ground, where he was now about to end her life this time.

"Aero!" Fluttershy called out, sending a burst of wind right at the high commander, flinging him against the wall of the room. As he recovered, he grinned behind his mask before jumping up into the air.

"It's a jump attack!" Rainbow warned "Spread out! Spread out!"

"Spike, knock 'em down!" Twilight commanded. From his perch on her shoulder he spewed forth a steady stream of flames right at the airborne Dragoon. With quick movements he managed to dodge it all and fall back down onto Twilight, wounding her arm and causing her to cry out in pain.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy called out before focusing and casting her healing magic on her "Cure!"

To her surprise and horror, Wind kicked Twilight out of the way and forced the magic to heal him instead. He laughed before turning back to Twilight and attempting to finish her.

"Now, you shall be the first of your pathetic team to perish by my hand..." he said, raising his spear to strike Twilight in her chest "Don't feel bad. Even if you won, I would still find a way to make your life a living he- AHHGGGG!!"

"Jeez, you talk way too much, asshole!" Rainbow smiled as she thrust her spear right through Wind Fury's shoulder pad, apparently damaging him. He then looked over at his guards and shouted at them.

"You fools! Why have you just stayed there this entire time?! Help me!"

"Sorry, dear 'friend'," Discord laughed "but I'm afraid they won't be working for you any longer. Puppets, help the young women and kill high commander Wind Fury."

"Discord, you traitor!" Wind yelled "After everything I did for you?"

"You? Doing anything for me? Ohohohoho! Don't make me laugh!" Discord laughed anyway "Besides giving me that money, which those lovely knights of yours did for you by the way, you haven't done a single thing in my favor. Now that I've gotten my pay, I have no use for you anymore. I don't care about your ambitions, I just care about how much cash I can rack in!"

"Discord, I can't believe I'm saying this but..." Twilight sighed, clutching her arm and wincing in slight pain "Thank you. Now, could you please hold him down for us?"

"But of course, dear Twilight" Discord smiled. After snapping his fingers, several shadowy tendrils emerged from the ground and wrapped themselves around his arms and legs.

(Music Stop)

Without a hint of remorse or mercy, Rainbow Dash swung her spear over her head before, with both her hands and all her might, drove the blade at the tip right through his helmet and skull, killing him without a sound. Never did he cry in agony, nor did he beg for mercy. It was almost as if it was one final laugh from him; never giving his enemies a rewarding victory.

"Even in death, you're an asshole" Rainbow grumbled before taking her now bloody spear out of his skull and letting him fall limp. Not long after, the tendrils seeped back into the ground, releasing Wind's body and letting it collapse onto the ground, his blood now spilling out onto the floor.

"It's... It's over..." Fluttershy gave a smile "The spirits can now rest in peace!"

"Y-Yeah..." Twilight chuckled, still injured "Hey, do you mind if you give me some peace as well?"

"Oh, sorry, Twilight!" Fluttershy rushed over to her friend and began healing her.

As she did, one by one, multiple spirits of many different people all appeared within the room. Fluttershy almost gasped in horror until she saw the blue ghost of little Melody, and soon gave a soft smile. Soon, another spirit came up next to the young girl; lieutenant Blitz. Only now, he no longer wore his Dragoon armor, but a t-shirt and a pair of pants.

"Blitz?" Rainbow wondered "I thought you were confined to the hallway."

"Oh, I was" Blitz smiled "But after you and your friends killed Wind Fury, our souls were finally released from our curse. Me and my sister here are now able to finally find peace."

"Your sister?" Fluttershy gasped "Melody, you..."

"She was a part of the protest against the woman's rights in Cloudsdale" Blitz admitted "I saw Wind torture and eventually kill my sister, and I was forced to work for him and keep everything a secret less I wanted the same fate. At the time, my mother was sick, so I had to obtain as much money as I could. But now, we are finally able to see her again."

"Blitz..." Rainbow gave a sad smile before giving her past comrade a thumbs up "If you see Wind Fury in the waiting line to god, give him a good punch for me, okay?"

"Hahaha... Of course, commander" Blitz saluted before taking his sister's hand and slowly rising from the ground, the other spirits soon following him "Farewell, my friends. It was an honor to have met you."

And with that, he vanished into thin air, along with the other spirits, never to be seen again.

"Heh... That's actually kinda heartwarming..." Discord grinned, snapping his fingers and knocking his mind-controlled knights unconscious "Alright, this is getting too sappy for me. I'll let you three off the hook for now. There's a maintenance shaft behind the Wind Fury's throne going down into the depths of the city. I'll bet you buckles to pineapples that the crystal is down there. Besides, it's a little tricky to actually shatter a world crystal."

"Yeah, thanks..." Rainbow, not impressed with Discord's actions, walked off to where he said the crystal might be.

"If you're still angry about what I did, remember that I'm a bounty hunter" Discord laughed "I work for anyone with the highest bid, and I complete my actions without question. Who knows; maybe I'll work for you one day? Ohohohoho!"

With a laugh, he teleported away.

(Music Stop)

"Discord's right, Rainbow" Twilight, now completely healed, agreed with the man's words "He could be our enemy, but he could also be a great ally as well. Just think about it, okay?"

"Well..." Rainbow wanted to say no, but her friend did bring up a good point "...alright."

"Come along, Fluttershy" Twilight motioned her other friend to come along with her.

"Oh, of course" she nodded and joined her partners. As Rainbow opened the hatch, she grinned devilishly, a small blush appearing on her face.

"Ladies first, which means I can go first as well" she pointed out. Unfortunately for her, Twilight caught on immediately and had begun blushing herself, although for different reasons.

"Ugh! You are such a perv!" Twilight hopped down the hatch first, followed by Fluttershy. Rainbow just rolled her eyes and followed her team into the bottom pits of Cloudsdale city, closing the hatch above her for good measure.

What they never realized, however, was that Wind Fury's blood had begun seeping into the cracks of the floor, all the way into the bottom of the city.

Author's Note

Slightly shorter chapter, but I think everyone got what they wanted, and in the end, I think I did my job as an author and stuff. :twilightsheepish:

I have changed a LOT of stuff in these past chapters thanks to a good friend of mine, Timeline. He has helped me make my story the way it is today, and I thank him SO much for that! Please go and follow him on FIMfiction! But don't ignore this AN, or Nana will get mad...

Discord will, of course, be appearing in many moments in the story, always with that goofy Kefka theme and that kick-ass Gilgamesh battle music! AW YEAH!!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 7] The Wind

The darkness within the area was almost overwhelming for the three women trying to find their way through the dark hallways of Deep Cloudsdale, as they dubbed it. Feeling their way down on the wall with their hands, they at last adjusted their eyes to the very little light given to them in order to see a large torch in the center of a room they were headed to. Using Spike's fire, they set the torch alight, allowing them to see a bit.

"So far, nothing really all that interesting..." Rainbow shrugged "Just an old and abandoned old hallway."

"You said old twice" Twilight noted, causing Rainbow to grumble a bit "Anyway, it's not that bad. I mean, some of the architecture is absolutely fantastic..." she rubbed her hands along some of the curvy patters on the hallway entrances.

"But... anything beyond here is... really dark..." Fluttershy nervously said.

"Shy, it'll be fine" Rainbow assured "Nothing down here but dust and rocks."

"Or maybe just rocks" Twilight said, looking further down some of the hallways "It looks like a few of the hallways collapsed upon themselves when the city fell. It might be a little tricky to progress any further."

"Or just downright impossible" Rainbow mentioned.

"Or yeah, just impossible..." Twilight sighed "But there's still gotta be one way down. I mean, remember when Wind Fury and Discord were talking about those two surviving Dragoons from Rainbow's squad? They said they were searching for the wind crystal."

"Heh... Won't they be surprised when the find out no one's there to tell them a job well done" Rainbow smirked.

"I-If I may?" Fluttershy shyly spoke up, gaining the attention of her two friends "Surely the Dragoons came this way, r-right? Maybe we can follow their footsteps... you know, if you want to of course."

"That actually might be a good idea, Fluttershy" Twilight nodded "But I'm not sure how we'll be able to do that without the proper skills. We would first need a scan spell, and unfortunately none of us here is a Black Mage, so already we can rule out that. Even if there was a Black Mage among us, we'd still have to use Geomancers to look for vibrations in the ground to follow, and then-"

"Or we could just follow those footsteps there" Rainbow pointed at the black footprints that matched her armor foot near perfectly "Stupid army, remember?"

"Oh... right..." Twilight chuckled a bit "But how will we follow the tracks without a source of light?"

"Twilight, please" Rainbow smirked before pulling out her spear and thrusting it upward. As soon as she pulled it down, there was now a fairly large slug glowing a soft blue on the tip, which at first surprised Twilight. But the more she looked at it, the more she grew interested in the species.

"Whoa!" she smiled "A type of cave slug that glows in caves? How did we not notice that before?"

"I dunno. Maybe because we were too busy talking rather than getting things done" Rainbow commented, causing Twilight to groan "Now c'mon, let's go and find that crystal of yours and all that jazz."

"Right, of course" Twilight nodded before continuing on with her friend into one of the hallways the footprints lead into "Come on, Fluttershy! There's no time to lose!"

"C-Coming!" Fluttershy quickly spoke, rushing towards her partners.

As the three continued down the hallway with their glowing slug as a guide, Twilight simply would not shut-up about their source of light. Quite frankly, it had begun to get on Rainbow's nerves. Surprisingly though, it seemed to also annoy Fluttershy, though not quite to the extent of Rainbow's annoyance.

"...perhaps the slug uses bioluminescence to generate light in its body?" Twilight rambled on "No, the light would have gone out if it died... Maybe its feces glow, and it simply covers itself with-"

"Oh my god, Twilight" Rainbow reached her peak "Shut! Up! No one cares!"

"...if you want to, of course..." Fluttershy quietly added on, being kind as always.

"But, this is fascinating stuff!" Twilight brought up her argument "It's important to learn the standards of biology."

"Well, I'm 22, and I never went to school and I turned out fine" Rainbow scoffed "Wanna know why I never went to school? Because, gasp, I have a vagina."

"Okay, now I'm starting to not regret felling Cloudsdale" Twilight mentioned "Don't get me wrong; I'm still sad that I had a hand in killing all those people, but notice I didn't used the word 'Innocent' in there..."

"Shit... Slug's starting to go out..." Rainbow stopped, along with the others, as she noticed their slug beginning to dim on them "Fluttershy, anyway to, I dunno, um... Make that not happen?"

"Oh, I-I'm not sure if I can do that, but-"

(Music Stop)

"F-F-F-F-Fluttershy..." a female voice twitched a bit in the darkness. The trio immediately began looking around for the voice's source, and assumed it was in the shadows. The more Twilight thought about it however, the more she began to remember just what that voice was. Finally, it hit her.

"The shadowy woman!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Rainbow wondered "So Cloudsdale wasn't the only place, huh?"

"W-What do y-you want?!" Fluttershy shouted in fear.

"Wait! Wait..." Twilight urged her friends "I know what this is... And I have a feeling it knows me. So, come on out! Reveal yourself! I'm not losing to you or letting you escape this time!"

As Twilight said that, something slowly stepped out from the darkness. She was right; it was the very same creature she saw a while ago. But something was different about it. Its head had been donned by long, wavy hair that flowed as if made by magic. The hair itself was blue with what seemed like stars in it. The shadow looked at Twilight and tilted its head.

"You..." the shadow said curiously "...no... you Twilight, yes?"

"Um... Yes. Yes I am" Twilight nodded, trying to understand the shadow.

"Clo... Clo..." the shadow hunched over and grabbed its face with its hands "No! You Clo... Clo... GAH!"

"Is it... frustrated?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Som... bra... yes, Sombra..." the shadow revealed its white mouth again, this time in a smiling position. Hearing this one name placed fear in the hearts of the trio. Rainbow Dash pointed her spear right at the shadow, whilst Twilight went to grab her book. However, the shadow stopped them by speaking once again.

"Langu... hard..." it said "I... back... better? Yes, better..." its smile faded away before it faded back into the darkness, away from the eyes of the trio "Danger... ahead... blood spilled... an uneasy... soul..."

"Hey, get back here!" Rainbow shouted, but to unfortunately no avail.

"Blood spilled? An uneasy soul?" Twilight rubbed her chin at the puzzle "I got nothing. That doesn't make any sense, and even if it did, I need another clue to piece it together. Blood spilled... hmm..."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Twilight" Fluttershy came over and tried to comfort her friend "That mean shadow person can't say weird things to us anymore..."

"Weird or not, what it said could very well be extremely important to us" Twilight brought up "It could be a hint on how to get the wind crystal back, or how to defeat Sombra, or... Oh, any number of things!"

"Twi, relax" Rainbow, now giving her other friend a nickname, tried to calm her down "Why don't we just sit down and talk about this calmly and rationally..."

"Do my ears decisive me?" Twilight smirked "Or did Rainbow Dash, THE Rainbow Dash, actually tell someone else to talk about something calmly and rationally?"

"What? I can't be calm every once in a while?" Rainbow scoffed "Does my personality have to be 24/7 asshole?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then let's forget this ever happened and just sit down, relax, and talk..."

"I..." Twilight was about to retaliate, but in the end decided not to "...okay."

"Good" Rainbow smiled "Now, why don't we begin with-" the slug's light suddenly went out, causing Fluttershy to whimper "Shit. Well, all the ghosts of this place were put to rest, so at least we don't have to worry about that, right?"

"Um... T-Twilight?" Fluttershy asked "Do you m-mind if you stop touching my leg?"

"Fluttershy, I'm over here" Twilight confusingly stated, a few feet away from her.

"And I'm over here" Rainbow said, she too a few feet away from her.

"Then if you're not touching my leg, and if Twilight isn't touching my leg..." Fluttershy nervously put two and two together "Th-Then... what's... oh dear..."

"Spike, a small burst of light, please?" Twilight asked her Bahamut. He replied with the usual noise he made and spat out a fireball that stayed long enough for the trio to see what was holding onto Fluttershy. As soon as the White Mage did, she screamed in terror. It was a skeleton with some Dragoon armor on its shoulders and chest connected to a blue, transfigured tentacle of some sorts with a yellow eye that darted around the place. Reacting quickly, Fluttershy whacked it with her staff until it let go of her and slithered away.

"Holy crap!" Rainbow Dash shouted, the light now gone from the hallway "What the hell was that thing?!"

"T-Twilight, I'm scared..." Fluttershy nervously cried.

"It's okay, Fluttershy..." Twilight assured, to engrossed in the tentacle to remember where her friend was to try and comfort her "Its gone now, so we have nothing to worry about."

"Eugh... Take this thing off..." Rainbow muttered to herself as she removed the glowing slug from her spear's blade "Anyway, light or not, we have to continue downwards to try and find the crystal and that... thing again."

"W-Why that th-thing again?!" Fluttershy had begun to freak-out.

"Things that aggressive don't just wait underneath a city and strike when most opportune" Rainbow pointed out, showing her slightly more intelligent side "Something tells me it was created when the crystal lost its power or something, took the crystal and is now using it as a means to power whatever dark, evil things it has in mind!"

The ground suddenly began to shake, warning the trio of an oncoming disaster about to unfold.

"Looks like we have to hurry" Twilight pointed out "Whatever that thing is seems to be messing around with Cloudsdale, and I'm sure the survivors of the fall wouldn't like their home tampered with."

"B-But how on earth are w-we supposed to f-find the c-creature?" Fluttershy stuttered, clearly still shaken up about having her leg grabbed by a pile of bones reanimated by a blue tentacle.

"Maybe that might help?" Rainbow noticed a faint blue slime beginning to glow on the ground where the blue tentacle had touched it "Wherever that goes must lead to our culprit."

"Again it amazes me on how we managed to miss that" Twilight just laughed by this point "Right, let's go then!"

"M-Must we?" Fluttershy wondered.

"We need a healer, Shy" Rainbow said "You don't even have to fight it, just help us."

"Well... M-Maybe I do want t-to fight it..." Fluttershy spoke nervously, remembering her vow when she met with Twilight "B-But... That th-thing... it..."

"...looked like it killed that Dragoon" Rainbow brought up, finishing Fluttershy's sentence "Might be one of the same Dragoons that were on my team, maybe not."

"Either way, if that thing has the ability to absorb and partially reanimate dead beings, I shudder to think what else it could do" Twilight sighed before she began following the trail down into the depths of the city "Well, we aren't going to stop it by just standing here, now will we? C'mon, girls!"

"Right behind you, Twi!" Rainbow smirked, following the trail herself.

"O-Oh... okay..." Fluttershy soon followed close behind.

(Music Stop)

The trail had unfortunately ended still in the darkness. The tentacle must have lifted itself off the ground to avoid being found, meaning it was either very lucky or very smart. Twilight had begun to become very concerned by this thought. What if it was intelligent? What manner of being were they dealing with here?

Cloudsdale shook once again. Whatever it was, it had the power to move a felled flying city. Who knew what else it had the power to do? The more and more she thought about it however, the more she realized Rainbow Dash was right. There was no way something this actively aggressive would just be emerging now and not the moment the city came crashing down. It must have been created by the wind crystal. Or worse; something else.

"Without a trail, I can't see shit" Rainbow stated "But I think you two already knew that. So, now what?"

"I... I don't know..." Twilight groaned "Maybe something, I... GAH!! I got nothing!"

"Twilight, I-I'm sure that everything will eventually come back to-" Fluttershy was about to finish her sentence before a loud, booming voice interrupted her.

(Music Stop)

"Who enters my realm?!" the voice said "Of course... You... We will not let you ruin our plans again!"

"That voice..." Twilight's eyes widened.

"It can't be..." Rainbow Dash realized.

"W-Wind F-F-Fury?!" Fluttershy shrunk down and tried her best to hide herself behind her staff.

"You are correct, in a way!" the voice boomed once again "To you, we were once the man known as Wind Fury! With Sombra's aid and Wind Fury's blood, we were able to be created!"

The wall in front of the trio of women crumbled and revealed another room behind it. It was large and spherical, with several holes supposedly leading to different parts of the underground. Blocking off all the holes were large blue tentacles like the one that grabbed Fluttershy's legs. Each had yellow eyes looking around aimlessly, and each had several skeletons intertwined within them, seemingly moving on their own accord. Connected to the tentacles was a giant mass of blue muscles, with a giant gaping mouth and a yellow eyeball inside it, staring right at the three women. In its chest was none other than the dead wind crystal, now a complete dull gray. The three stepped out onto the platform in front of the beast.

"And I thought Cloudsdale's justice system was ugly..." Rainbow Dash said to herself.

"Who- What are you?!" Twilight shouted at the creature.

"We are the reincarnation of hate left by Wind Fury" the creature spoke without moving its mouth "By the power granted to us by the King of Darkness, Sombra, we have been revived to spread terror upon the world! We are Justice, bringer of law and order throughout the world!"

"So Sombra did this... Could this be what the shadow woman was talking about when it mentioned an uneasy soul?" Twilight muttered to herself before facing the creature, apparently calling itself Justice, yet again "Whatever you're planning, you can stop right now! We've trekked long and hard to get as far as we are right now, and we're not letting some eldritch abomination get in our way!"

"We care not of your attempts to stop us!" Justice growled "We only care for judgement to be handed down upon the world! All will bow down to our godly strength and power!"

"How dare you..." Fluttershy clenched her fists together before she yelled at Justice with all her might "How DARE you?! You think you can just go around bossing everyone around because you think you're better than them?! Well you can't! People shouldn't be be judged lawfully because you said so! There should be a reason why they're being punished! What you're doing is wrong, and I will defeat you before you lay a single tentacle on the innocent people!"

"Holy shit, Fluttershy" Rainbow Dash laughed, surprised as to hearing such a speech from her normally shy friend "That was awesome! You just pumped me the hell up for this battle!" she whipped out her spear and pointed it right at Justice "Shy's right, but if you'll allow me to add my own little message to that, it's finally time to send you to hell for good this time, Wind!"

"Never again will you terrorize the people of Cloudsdale ever again!" Twilight pulled out her book before realizing her mistake "Dammit, I said that twice... Never mind! You're still going down, Wind Fury!"

(Stop Music)

"You wish to try and defeat us?!" Justice let out a low laugh before closing its mouth, protecting its eye "Your chances are low, but we will give you the death you so desire if you truly want it!"

With a growl, it removed the tentacles from their holes and prepared to attack the trio. All of its eyeballs were fixated on them as they slowly turned red with anger. The skeletons on the blue mass began getting restless, trying to grab the three women despite being out of range.

Rainbow started first, jumping up into the air and readying herself to attack one of the tentacles. Fluttershy then attempted to try a spell she hadn't tried before yet. It was a tricky spell to pull off, the only reason she hadn't done it previously, but now was as good a time as ever to try it. Finally, her focusing had done her good and she pulled the spell off without a hitch.

"Protect!" she called out, a translucent orange barrier appearing in front of Twilight.

"Thanks, Fluttershy" Twilight nodded, knowing from a book that particular white magic spell was hard to activate "Now, let me try a summon I've been dying to try for a while now!"

She too began chanting something to summon a new creature to the field. As she was doing so, Justice bent down and attempted to inflict damage upon her. As it did, he bounced right back due to the power of the protect spell cast on her. Eventually, Twilight finally finished her summon.

"Summon! Remora Lv.1!" she called out, causing another summon circle to appear in front of her feet. Dozens of golden piranhas, known as Remoras, then swarmed out, going straight for Justice and clamping down on it with their teeth, sending a paralyzing agent into its body, stunning it. The Remoras soon faded away along with the summon circle.

"Take this!" Rainbow finally plummeted down onto one of Justice's tentacles, stabbing it right in the eye and causing it to retract into the main body. She then bounced back and joined her team to start another round again.

"Crescent Moon!" she shouted, hitting each and every target with a wide sweep of her spear.

"Spike, do your stuff!" Twilight grinned as she let her pet climb off her body at fire a flame at another one of the tendrils, forcing it to retract back into its body.

"Fluttershy, I just got an idea" Rainbow looked at her friend "This thing is technically undead, right? Try casting Cure on all of the tentacles! Maybe that'll take it out faster?"

"I-I'll try..." Fluttershy nodded shyly, as if her big speech had never happened earlier. She closed her eyes and began chanting her spell. At the most inopportune time, Justice broke free of its paralysis and swept one of its remaining tentacles across the platform the three were standing on, forcing them to the side and trapping them underneath the tendril.

"Enough!" Justice growled, readying another tentacle to smash their heads in and kill them "We grow tired of this pointless battle! It is time to end it! The one known as Wind Fury has been looking forward to this moment for a long time!"

"I agree this battle should end" Rainbow grinned "But it won't be you ending it! Fluttershy, now!"

"Cure!" Fluttershy called out, sending the healing magic right at the creature's remaining tentacles, wiping all of them out in one go and causing them to, of course, retract back into the main body. The trio climbed back onto their platform just in time to see Justice's mouth open up, revealing its weak spot of an eye.

"Time to end this!" Twilight dashed forward "Just die already you son of a BITCH!!" she threw her royal dagger right at the creature's eye, stabbing it dead in the pupil and causing the beast to let out a cry of agony. Finally, its body had turned to stone, which eventually turned into dust that disintegrated into a large pile, leaving the wind crystal and dagger on top of it.

"We... We did it?" Fluttershy wondered before her shy face turned into one of relief "At last... We never have to deal with him ever again..."

"You can say that again" Rainbow sighed with a smile "Man, feels like something really damn heavy was just lifted off my chest. It's a good feeling, y'know?"

(Music Stop)

"Wait, what's happening with Justice's remains?" Twilight asked as she noticed some of the dust being absorbed into the crystal as she went to go and get her dagger "Its all going into the wind crystal!"

"Whoa, really?!" Rainbow's eyes widened, soon seeing exactly what Twilight was talking about. The crystal had begun floating in the air, taking in all the dust and regaining its green color.

Finally, once all the dust had been absorbed, it shone with a brilliant green light, causing the sudden change to force the three to cover their eyes. Once they adjusted to the light, they looked back and gasped. Before them stood a woman with red skin, orange eyes and short brown hair. She wore Dragoon armor with the exception of the helmet to reveal herself. She wore a cocky grin on her face.

"Hey, what's going on?" she said causally before she looked around the room "Wait... If I'm here... Oh crap! One of you guys must be- Oh, okay, I get it now. But holy... CRAP! Being stuffed in that crystal for so long gives your bones shit!"

"Um... Who are you, exactly?" Rainbow wondered.

"Me? You mean you don't know me?" the woman scoffed as she stretched her arms "Bitch, please. I'm commander Hurricane, the warrior of wind! Y'know, one of the vestals that sacrificed themselves to become the guardian crystals?"

"Y-You..." Twilight was just about to have a nerd-breakdown "Warrior... wind... crystal... Oooooooh!!! This is so exciting! I have so many questions! Are you an ancestor of Rainbow Dash, this woman here? How did you defeat Sombra? Are your other friends trapped in crystals as well? Is your- MMPPHHH!"

"Sorry about her" Rainbow chuckled awkwardly as she held Twilight's mouth closed "She's a bit of a nerd. Anyway, dude, its been about 10,000 years since you were last around! Everyone thinks you're a fairy tale now."

"That would explain a few things..." Hurricane nodded curiously, looking right at Twilight "Well, anyway, if I'm here that means that I have to pass my knowledge unto one of you or something. Y'know, make one of you the next wind vestal. Don't worry, you won't turn into a crystal or anything. You'll just be the next person with the heart of the crystal inside you."

"That sounds really sappy" Rainbow laughed, releasing herself from Twilight who had now shut herself up.

"Hahaha! I like you!" Hurricane laughed with her "Y'know what? I think you might actually be the next vestal or whatever! Alrighty then, time to do the passing of power or something."

She clapped her hands together and, starting from her feet, began transferring herself into her successor's body.

"Wait, will we ever see you again?" Rainbow wondered.

"Well, since I'm already dead and transferring literally my entire being into you, I would have to think no" Hurricane shrugged, making everyone slightly saddened "But tell you what? My guess is that should you ever need me in a desperate time, I'll come rushing in to help you damsels in distress."

"Yeah, whatever" Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes just as Hurricane finished putting her soul into her successor's body. Rainbow then clutched her heart and smiled.

(Music Stop)

As soon as the moment was over, the city had begun shaking again.

"I think now that the wind crystal is back," Fluttershy began "the wind has finally returned. Cloudsdale is starting to rise from the ground again."

"We should probably go before this place caves in on us" Twilight suggested.

"Good idea" Rainbow nodded "C'mon girls, let's get a move on! Follow that slime trail!"

The three darted out of the room in a flash, leaving the wind crystal to lay shining in the depths of Cloudsdale for all eternity. Perhaps, though, this was for the better. It was too dangerous for the crystal to return to its original area for many reasons. It would be safer under the guard of the city.

After the heroes got out of the caverns and the prison, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew Twilight back down onto the surface where they watched Cloudsdale return to its original state up in the sky. They would probably never return there for its dystopian justice system and the fact Twilight didn't have wings, but they were glad they at least resolved everything.

"So its over then, huh?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"No, Sombra has been reawakened, which means him and his army are going for the other crystals as well" Twilight reminded her team "But you guys have stuck with me thick and thin, and I thank you for that. Together, we'll be able to defeat Sombra, I just know it! And who knows; maybe we might get a few new friends along the way?"

"What happens now though?" Fluttershy asked.

"Now we follow the leader, I guess" Rainbow shrugged, looking over at Twilight.

"I guess we go back and report our findings to Princess Celestia, and-"

"The P-P-Princess?" Fluttershy nervously said.

"You mean that the person who sent you to do all this was the princess of Equestria?" Rainbow had a huge smile on her face "That is just awesome! I can't wait to meet with her!"

"Well, we won't be meeting with her anytime soon if we just stand around here doing nothing" Twilight chuckled before she and her friends began walking back to Ponyville "Oh, you'll love her. She may look all beautiful and regal, but deep down I think she's just a kid inside. She knows what we're like."

Unbeknownst to the team, they were being watched from the shadows of the forest. Not by Discord and not even by the shadow woman, but someone else. They quickly vanished into the darkness before they were spotted.

Author's Note

And so ends the first arc of the story, which I shall deem the "Wind Arc". Honestly, I think I could end the story here and people would be happy. You know I wouldn't, but I could.

Wow, over 40 likes already? It's only been a week! Thank you all so much for your continued support, and I can't wait to continue this story again! Though, I noticed that you all...

IGNORED THE LAST AN

...because I can see no one else has followed Timeline. Please follow him! He has done so much for me and this story that I owe every word to him. Timeline, thank you!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 8] The Apple Kingdom

Once Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash got back to Ponyville, the very first thing they did was check into Luna's workshop. Low and behold, she was there in her normal attire, hammering away at some sort of red-hot sword that just came out of the furnace. She looked at the trio as they entered, dirt still on her face from working too hard. She let out a kind smile.

"Dearest Twilight! Good to see you once again!" Luna nodded before looking at the people behind her friend "Ah, and who might these be? Bodyguards, perhaps? Maybe friends met along the way?"

"Friends, I assure you, Luna" Twilight grinned. However, once Rainbow heard Luna's name, her eyes widened and looked right at Twilight, her emotions going out of control.

"Luna?!" she grinned from cheek to cheek "THE Princess Luna?! Dude, how many princesses do you know?!"

"O-Only Celestia and Luna" Twilight was slightly taken aback by Rainbow's sudden outburst, but soon let out a sigh as to try and recollect herself "Sorry about that, Princess Luna. Rainbow Dash here can be a little... loud. On the exact opposite of the spectrum, however, we have Fluttershy, who is literally the sweetest mare you'll ever meet."

"Um... hello..." Fluttershy nervously said, scared to fully introduce herself to the princess.

"By the way, Luna," Twilight began again "we've completed Celestia's request to go out and check on the wind crystal. Everything was totally okay! Haha! Yep! Nothing out of the ordinary!"

"Twilight, everyone in Equestria heard the boom of Cloudsdale unto the earth" Luna deadpanned before giving the three a kind smile again "But, it's good to know nothing truly bad has happened to the crystal. Did you do anything else on your journey?"

"Well..." Rainbow began, giving a cocky grin "You mean besides taking on the most dangerous bounty hunter in Equestria, killing a corrupted crystal guardian, felling a city of jerks, fighting and killing an asshole coward who used said bounty hunter to take over Cloudsdale under its nose, fighting and killing the asshole coward's ungodly, eldritch, undead soul, meeting one of the original heroes that took on Sombra, and me becoming the new vestal of wind like said hero, nah, we had a pretty normal day."

"W-What?" Luna was at a loss for words.

"In short, we discovered Sombra has broken free of his banishment, and we need the power of the heroes again" Twilight summarized "But since they're dead, we need six new heroes to take their power and stop Sombra once and for all!"

"I... I see..." it was a lot for Luna to take in, but she got the gist of it "In that case, may I suggest heading off to the Apple Kingdom due north of here? It is where the earth crystal lies and protects the land, quite literally! I have heard many reports of the soil there starting to fade away and become infertile. This is perhaps the best place to start."

"Thank you, Luna" Twilight bowed before a question popped into her head "But, wait, isn't the Apple Kingdom a good walk from here? It might take a day or so to get there by foot."

"Which is exactly why I'm giving you... this" she tossed Twilight a key, to which the latter's eyes immediately lit up like a Christmas light "Try not to get any scratches on her."

"L-Luna!" Twilight looked back at her friend to make sure she wasn't joking around "I... um, thank you!"

"W-What is it?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"The keys for this!" Twilight showed her friend to the back of Luna's workshop, to where a large airship was waiting for them.

The airship's hull was made of standard oak wood as most ships are, as well as three engines that all connected to three propellers at the back of the ship. The deck was flat and completely made out of a lighter shade of wood with a single steering wheel at the near back of it to control the propellers. Overhead the airship was the thing that actually made it an airship; the giant white balloon filled with helium. Naturally, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stared in awe.

"How did we not see this when we entered Princess Luna's workshop?!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"It's so big..." Fluttershy pointed out before turning to Twilight and asking a question "Twilight, are you sure this will get us there... you know, fast enough?"

"Fluttershy, this is the fastest airship in Equestria" Twilight smiled "It was custom-built by Luna from a S-27-Gabbiani class airship, the now second fastest airship in the world. It has three seven-piston engines that can get this baby up to 128 kph in just a few seconds, as well as a balloon sewn by Luna herself. Everything has been smoothed out to perfection, and I remember Luna saying it took her about 12 years just to make sure the engines worked. Ladies and, um... ladies, I give you, the Nightgazer!"

"And we can use it?" Rainbow was slightly skeptical "Just like that? She's spent her life building this thing, and we're just gonna-"

"I know how to fly an airship, silly" Twilight rolled her eyes as she climbed up the ladder to the deck of the ship "Now c'mon! This thing isn't going to fly itself, you know! Fluttershy, you aren't afraid of heights, are you?"

"N-No, of course not" Fluttershy assured with a weak smile "Even Pegasai like me aren't afraid of heights. We kind of... just get used to it, I guess..."

"Rightio! Then let's get this show on the road!" Twilight grabbed the wheel and let out a pleasurable sigh "Ooohh~ The smoothed-out wood feels so gooooood~"

"Okay, before you have twenty ship-gasms, Twi," Rainbow Dash joked "could you please get this baby started? I haven't really been anywhere outside of Cloudsdale, and I want to see the world for what it truly is! Not some stupid sexist hellhole that I was forced to be cooped up in."

"Alright, alright" Twilight rolled her eyes before inserting the ship's keys into the slot next to the steering wheel and hearing the blissful noises of the engines starting up. After making sure everyone was on-board, she pulled a lever on the other side of the wheel and slowly but surely lifted the beast of an airship. Finally, it was fully in the air, but before Twilight went straight to the Apple Kingdom, she flew around the land like a maniac.

"Whoa! Twilight! What are you doing!" Rainbow Dash shouted over the wind.

"I'm doing what everyone does when they first get their airship" Twilight shrugged "Don't worry, I'll only be a few more seconds."

"Oh... ohhhh..." Fluttershy had begun to feel sick. One thing lead to another and...

"Oh... That was a new paint coat too..." Twilight finally stopped and headed to her destination "Well, I had my fun. I'm going to get punished up the ass by Luna, but it was worth it."

"And they say I'm the smart-ass..." Rainbow shook her head.

After a bit more time on the Nightgazer, the trio finally landed safely on the airship dock of the Apple Kingdom, where two knights in full grey steel armor with gold highlights and swords by their sides had already approached them. They had no horns on their head, nor wings on their back, meaning they were Earth people, proud and true. Before they could even start talking, Fluttershy descended from the ship and quite literally hugged the ground, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Ground..." she whispered "I missed you so..."

"Sorry about her" Twilight assured the knights "She can get a bit airsick, I guess."

"Of course" one of the knights nodded "Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are two of the knights of the royal Apple court. It is customary that we greet all of our guests with respect, honor..." he pulled out a small sheet of paper "...and a landing permit."

"Oh, sorry" Twilight quickly signed the sheet. As she finished, the knight then nodded and walked away, motioning for the three to follow him and his partner. Without reluctance, they followed.

"You came at truly the most inopportune time" the other knight began "The Apple Kingdom is unfortunately dealing with a hard blight that has caused our soils to wither and our crops to die out. Forward apologies if our realm looks like, for lack of a better term: a dump."

"Duh, why do you think we're here?" Rainbow laughed, causing the knights to stop and look at her like she had five eyes and two heads "What? Why the faces? We're here to save your earth crystal! Isn't that the reason why your soil is going to shit?"

"Y-Yes, but..." the first knight stuttered "Um... Perhaps it would be best if you spoke to our captain of the guard on the matter. She is well taught on-"

"Wait... She?!" Rainbow's eyes lit up "The captain of the knights and stuff here is a woman?!"

"Um... yes?"

"Excuse her" Twilight seemed to be pardoning a lot of people recently "She comes from Cloudsdale, otherwise known as the most sexist place in Equestria."

"I was taught that Cloudsdale was a paradise beyond-"

"It's not" all the women present interrupted him "It's really not."

"Well, okay then..." the second knight nodded "In any case, please, follow me to the captain's quarters."

"Oh, how exciting" Fluttershy pleasantly stated "Perhaps this will be done quicker than I thought?"

"Don't get your hopes up, Fluttershy" Twilight sighed "Remember, anything could go wrong by this point."

"Well, I guess you're right..." Fluttershy agreed.

"Aw, don't make her feel down, Twi" Rainbow laughed "You're supposed to be the encouraging friend when actual encouraging friend is in need of encouragement! So... encourage her!"

"...and here we are" one of the knights said, looking up at the rectangular-shaped stone castle with two giant wooden doors leading inside to where the leaders of the land rested on their thrones. With each knight grabbing onto either handle on the two doors, they slowly opened it up to let the visitors inside.

"Huh... That was a quick walk" Rainbow pointed out before stepping inside the grand building.

"Wow..." Twilight's eyes sparkled at all the old architecture donned around the castle "All these designs are so archaic... So smooth yet sharp around the edges at the same time. Why haven't I been here sooner?"

"Well, howdy, y'all!" spoke a voice unfamiliar to the trio. They all looked forward at towards the thrown room and saw a woman standing right dead in the middle of the room.

She had blonde hair and orange skin with cute freckles on her cheeks. Her eyes were a piercing green that showed she was in total command of just about everything. Her armor was silver with gold highlights like the normal knights of the castle, only she wore a red vest over two straps over her belly area, as well as a brown belt and a waist cape that went over the front and back of her legs. On her side was an iron sword neatly tucked away in its sheath, and she obviously wore no helmet. Her face was kind and welcoming, but also seemed to want to get to the point.

"So you're this woman knight I've been hearing about so much, hmm?" Rainbow Dash flew right up next to the woman and analyzed her closely "Sturdy build... Strong arms... Good armor... Very interesting..."

"Um... 'scuse me?" the woman raised an eyebrow, a country accent escaping her mouth "Why are y'all curious 'bout me bein' a knight who also happens ta be a woman?"

"It's a long story..." Twilight assured "Anyway, my name is Twilight Sparkle. The creepy one over there is Rainbow Dash, and the sweet and innocent one here is Fluttershy."

"Um... hello..." Fluttershy nervously spoke, impressing Twilight.

"Hey, good job! You didn't stay quiet!" she smiled and patted Fluttershy on the back "Good job, Fluttershy."

"Howdy! Mah name's Applejack, the captain of this here Apple knight table or another!" the woman grinned, happy to help her guests "Well, what can ah do y'all fer?"

"You might not like our request..." Rainbow mentioned.

"Why? It's not like yer going after-"

(Music Stop)

"The earth crystal..." Twilight admitted "Sorry, but we need to check on it to-"

"Ah thought y'all might be here 'cause of it..." Applejack sighed "Ah dun like talkin' 'bout the earth crystal all that much. But, ah know yer all here ta help us git our soil back... Alrighty, ah've made up mah mind. When yer ready ta talk, meet me in mah quarters just ta the left of the throne. Ya can't miss it."

"Thank you, Applejack" Twilight nodded, just before Rainbow began flying up next to Applejack again and speaking to her.

"So, um... You're really the captain of the guard?"

Fluttershy smiled at this, seeing Rainbow Dash have a chance to talk about something she was really interested in. Before she could enjoy the scene any longer, Twilight pulled her aside.

"Fluttershy, I don't like where this is going..." Twilight mentioned "I don't know all that much of house Apple lore, but I do know enough to know that we're going to be asked to do something really, really difficult. Just a fair warning."

"Well, you never know, Twilight" Fluttershy brought up "Maybe she could... um... well, perhaps... oh..."

"See?" Twilight had begun to freak out "Who knows what from here?!"

"Maybe we should just see Applejack now..." Fluttershy politely suggested "Perhaps that will allow you to relax?"

"Relax? Can't you see I'm perfectly... CALM!!!" Twilight shouted, clearly unstable.

"Oh... um..." Fluttershy just slowly backed away towards Applejack's office.

"FINE!! I'LL GO!!" Twilight shouted, soon following her friend.

Finally, after Fluttershy calmed Twilight down enough, they stepped inside the rather small office with a wooden desk at the back with Applejack sitting behind it on a chair. Around the room were bookshelves filled with dusty old books no one has read in clearly a long time, which made Twilight question why such books were even there in the first place. At the far back wall was a complete map of both the Apple realm and another realm none of the three friends could quite make out what it was.

"Ah suppose at the end of the day, ah'm glad y'all came down ta the Apple Kingdom" Applejack stated "The princess, also known as mah sister, is too young ta govern the country, leavin' me and mah brother ta do so."

"Whoa! A knight AND a princess!" Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up "You're like, seven things in one!"

"As ah was sayin', ah need ta git outta this castle and back onto the battlefield" Applejack stated.

"Battlefield?" Twilight wondered "Is the house of Apple at war with another country?"

"Fer as long as ah could remember, the Apple Kingdom and the Black Mage settlement near it have been at it ferever..." Applejack let out a sigh "We've been fightin' a war over the earth crystal fer what seems like generations. Ah want ta call them mah enemy, but ah'm not stubborn enough not ta realize there might be another side ta it all."

"What are you thinking?" Rainbow asked.

"Well... Ah dunno..." Applejack sighed "Maybe it's got somethin' ta do with the crystal, maybe not. Either way, ah plan on stoppin' this war before even more lives are lost. The unfortunate thin' is... no one in the kingdom agrees with me."

"But, you're, um... a princess, right?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Ah gave up mah position as a princess 'cause ah wanted ta live mah life as a knight" Applejack explained "Ya can't have one or the other, and now 'at ah'm just a normal, everyday knight, not too many people really listen ta ya."

"So what you're asking us is that get ourselves into your war, is that right?" Rainbow rudely questioned "Since you don't have an army, you want us to do this."

"Yeah... Along with me as well" Applejack grinned, clearly not having any of Rainbow's attitude "Oh, ah also have another comin' with us. She's a mercenary, or in other words, a Thief, but her experience has certainly caught mah attention."

"A mercenary thief?" Rainbow laughed "Yeah, okay, sure. Last one I ever met kicked my ass when she stole something of mine. There's no way you could be talking about-"

"Hey, Dash" another female voice chuckled behind the team of three. They all looked behind them and saw that another woman with feathers instead of skin had gotten herself into the room.

She was a Gryphe, or a bird person if one wanted to get technical. Her head feathers were white, but purple around her yellow eyes, and the rest of her body feathers were brown. Her hands had claws of an eagle as opposed to feathers, a beak donned her face instead of a nose or mouth, and on her back was a pair of wings about the same size as Rainbow Dash's. She wore a white tie-up shirt, a brown jacket, blue pants, leather boots and a purple scarf around her neck. Around her forehead was a purple bandanna, and on her hip were two daggers; standard for any thief. A tuff of white feathers with purple tips went down over her face, acting as hair of sorts for her. She looked at everyone with slight disappointment, but stared at Rainbow with a cocky grin.

"Gilda..." Rainbow muttered "What are you doing here?"

"Here to give you this" she threw her something, which she was thankfully able to catch. It was a brand-new Dragoon helmet with a mask fixed in place as to show the person's face while wearing it.

"I guess I should thank you..." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Heh..." Gilda chuckled darkly "I'd die before I heard you thank me. Anyway, I'm not here to fuck around with anyone. I was paid a good amount to help some dweebs with their stupid war, so this better be worth my time."

"L-Language!" Fluttershy called Gilda out on her choice of words immediately.

"Try and hold me back, dweeb" Gilda placed a hand on one of her daggers while looking at Fluttershy with a smug grin on her beak "I dare you."

"Enough" Applejack ceased the conflict "Ah hired ya ta do some work, not threaten yer team. Ya can't work alone on this one this time, Gilda, and ah'm damn sure these guys couldn't do it without ya."

"H-Hey!" Twilight exclaimed and not Rainbow Dash, much to the latter's surprise "We beat up an abomination created by-"

"WAIT!! Twilight!" Rainbow stopped her "Not yet."

"Oh... right..." Twilight nodded. Now wasn't a good time to be talking about Sombra, especially now that a war was still being waged between two countries.

"Well, go and git yerselves ready fer tomorrow" Applejack nodded "Ah'll make sure y'all git some rest before we do anythin'. In the mornin' ah'll have a plan ready."

"Thanks, Applejack" Twilight nodded before leaving the area, with Fluttershy, trying to get as far away as possible from Gilda as she could. Eventually, Gilda and Rainbow Dash left the office as well, but both looked at each other like they were sworn enemies. Finally, they split off, hoping to find their rooms by themselves.

It wasn't until later when Rainbow Dash realized she needed help after getting herself lost in the castle hallways.

"This is going to be a long quest..." she muttered to herself.

Author's Note

And done! Whew! That took some time! I would have gotten it out sooner, but I have life to do and things to play... And secret bosses to beat after 11 tries. UGH!!

This chapter felt slow, I won't lie. But don't worry; the next chapter should be slightly more exciting than this one. In any case, we now have two new members of the team, meaning I'll eventually have to go back to the credits and change them around a bit as to make way for the future! You're welcome.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 9] The Mission

"Attention!" Applejack began her daily routine with her soldiers. They immediately stomped their feet together and saluted for their commander, making a straight line for Applejack to walk down and inspect each and every one of them.

Applejack had gotten Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Gilda up very early in the morning for them to finally begin their next attack on the Black Mage settlement. Most had gotten up just fine; Twilight because she had to get the library back at Ponyville organized and ready for customers, as well as feed Spike his breakfast, Fluttershy because of her daily animal routines, and Gilda because it was basically her job to get up early and rob places. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was too lazy to even get out of bed. Twilight had to carry her all the way to the courtyard, where Applejack was, with her magic. She also had to put Rainbow's helmet on, which actually looked good on her with the tuff of red, orange a yellow hair sticking out over her face.

At the courtyard, Applejack had rallied all the troops she could so she could tell them her strategy with the four odd-ones-out alongside them. She cleared her throat and began again.

"Now, as y'all know and probably suspect, today is NOT the day we'll be takin' down the Black Mages" she stated, receiving a few disappointed sighs and even a 'boo' from a knight at the back "However, today IS the day we'll be takin' some of their plans and findin' out why they want ta kill us in the first place!"

"How do you hope to do that?" Gilda rudely asked.

"Hold yer horses, ah was gettin' ta that" Applejack assured before turning her direction to the soldiers again "Today's plan is simple, but effective! All y'all gotta do is distract the Black Mages. Now, dun be so disappointed, 'cause ah'm lettin' ya do whatever ya want with them. Taunt them, throw rocks at them, even kill 'em if ya really want ta, but make sure they stay distracted!"

"And I'm guessing we'll be the ones to go in with you after the plans, huh?" Rainbow spoke up.

"Exactly" Applejack nodded, now just paying attention to the four others "Ah'll need some support when we go in there. Each of ya can supply magic support, raw power, and espionageee."

"Actually, it's pronounced-" Twilight began before getting interrupted by Gilda.

"Dweeb, no one damn-well cares."

"Hey, you better watch your mouth, er, beak, Gilda!" Rainbow scolded "These two aren't just your own personal distractions; they're our teammates and my friends, so enough!"

"Whatever..." Gilda rolled her eyes.

"Applejack, if I may?" Twilight began a question "What if the Black Mages are too powerful for us to handle? I understand we have raw power and healing magic on our side, but any one of them could know Fire II or even Fire III magic! If that were to be true, your soldiers, let alone us, could be injured beyond what we're capable of handling."

"No Black Mages have ever used thems big ol' magic attacks yet, but your concern is noted" Applejack nodded before turning back to her army "Briefing is finished! Report ta yer stations and wait for me and mah team ta git ready! Dismissed!"

(Music Stop)

The soldiers all saluted before marching towards their posts, which happened to be right outside the castle walls.

"Gilda, come with me. Ah need ta talk with ya" Applejack pulled the Thief over for a moment "Everyone else, y'all go and buy some stuff from the shops 'round here. Trust me, yer gonna need the extra stuff."

"Thanks, Applejack" Twilight politely nodded before the knight walked away with Gilda, leaving the remaining three to chat with each other "Something strikes me as... off, about Gilda."

"You think, Twilight?" Rainbow scoffed "She's a dirty, back-stabbing whore of a fri- um... never mind."

"W-What was that, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy wondered "Do you mean you were friends with her once?"

"I said never mind!" Rainbow raised her voice "It's nothing. It's all in the past now."

"But it's hurting you" Fluttershy pointed out, a kind smile then appearing on her face "It's best to talk about your problems with someone than to keep it all inside and continue to let it hurt you. We've known each other for a while now, right? You can tell us; we promise not to tell anyone else."

"Well..." Rainbow took a deep breath "...alright, you talked me into it. You won't like it all that much, though."

15 years ago...

Along the busy and crowded streets of Cloudsdale, a young cyan Pegasus girl with rainbow-colored hair roamed the streets in search of her father. She wore a simple white sundress as most girls her age did, but she also wore a little silver ribbon on the back of her short hair, which was something young girls around the city very rarely had. Only the daughter to a high-regarded knight would be able to give her something like that and get away with it.

"Daddy?" she called out "Daddy, where are you?"

"Hey there, kid" a man with brown skin, white hair and raggedy clothes from inside a alley-way creepily smiled "I think I know where your daddy went. Wanna come with me and find him together? C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Oh, um, okay" the girl nodded.

Before she continued on, the man went blank-faced before falling down face-first on the ground. In the back of his head a was a small dagger that went right into his brain, causing blood to be spilled forth and onto the ground. This, of course, caused the girl to gasp, but before she began to cry another person appeared before her, around the same age as her. She had feathers instead of skin, white on her head and brown on her body, as well as a yellow beak, brown pants and a large purple scarf acting as her shirt. She too had wing on her back like the young girl.

"What were you thinking, dweeb?" the other girl asked her "There are terrible people in this world, so you gotta be careful, okay? You're lucky I had your back!"

"Um... Thanks" the young girl nodded.

"Anyway, the name's Gilda" the other girl introduced herself "And what's yours?"

"My name?" the young girl wondered "My name is Rainbow Dash, or just Rainbow for short."

"Rainbow Dash, eh?" Gilda smiled "That sounds like a totally awesome name!"

"Awesome?" Rainbow wondered "Hmm..."

"Hey, you know women in Cloudsdale are treated like shit, right?" Gilda questioned Rainbow, causing the latter to gasp.

"L-Language!" Rainbow called her out on her words.

"Oh, whatever!" Gilda rolled her eyes "In this world, if others don't care what they say to people like me, then I don't care what comes out of my mouth. Now, I wanted to know if you wanna find your dad with me?"

"But, didn't you warn me about terrible people?" Rainbow wondered "How would I know if you're not one of those people?"

"Considering I just saved your life, I think you can trust me" Gilda laughed before stretching out her talon in a sign of friendship "Now, let's shake on it. From now on, we're friends, and we gotta back each other up, okay? Heck, maybe I can even teach you a few things about being totally awesome like me!"

"O-Okay, I accept!" Rainbow Dash reached out her own hand and shook her new friends' "Friends forever, then!"

"Yeah, yeah, don't do all that sappy stuff..." Gilda blushed a bit before both of them started to laugh.

4 years ago...

"C'mon, Dash, we don't have time for this!" Gilda, now dressed in her attire from present day, called down to her partner in crime from a building ledge, the latter who was wearing almost the exact same clothing, only with no scarf and a silver bow behind her long hair instead of a bandanna "We got twenty minutes to pull this off!"

"Okay, I'm here, I'm here!" Rainbow leaped next to Gilda and grinned "So, what's our goal today?"

"That" Gilda pointed down into the building's roof window to a purple tray that looked like it had very little importance "Don't be fooled. My employer's got some big bucks he's willing to part with if we can get that tray for him."

"So what's the plan?" Rainbow wondered "Same as always?"

"Same as always" Gilda grinned before going over to the glass roof and standing on it before jumping and smashing the window, spreading her wings out to stop herself from hitting the ground abruptly. Soon after, Rainbow followed her and took a look at the purple tray, chuckling a bit.

"Man, I can't believe that guy wanted to give us all that money for this piece of junk" Rainbow picked it up and twirled it around a bit before safely storing it in her thieves' pouch around her shoulder.

"Actually, he's only paying me" Gilda said.

"What do you mean by tha-"

(Music Stop)

A sharp pain went surging through Rainbow's left arm. She looked over only to see that a dagger had pierced it, causing it to bleed out on her jacket and on the floor. Before she had a chance to react to it any further than a shocked expression on her face, she felt a kick to her side, which made her fall on her injured arm, nearly making her scream in pain.

"Sorry, Dash, but I need a distraction" Gilda shrugged as she collected the tray from her partner's pouch "It was nice knowing you anyway. So many precious memories... Don't worry, I hear Cloudsdale prisons have actual food they can give you."

"W-Why?" Rainbow questioned.

"For money, Dash" Gilda smiled "But... Also for other reasons. Like I said, it's been a pleasure, but I gotta run. See you around, dweeb..." and like that, she extended her wings and flew away, never to be seen again.

"G-Gilda..." Rainbow sighed struggling to get up after that last attack "W-Why?"

"I eventually did get out of there without being caught, but I never saw her again" Rainbow finished up her story "After that, I never saw her again. Well, until yesterday, that is."

"And you never found out why Gilda betrayed you after all those years?" Twilight questioned.

"No, never" Rainbow shrugged "Though, I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway. She hates me and I hate her, it's as simple as that. I promise our differences won't get in the way of the mission. Well, at least from my side anyway..."

"Rainbow Dash, what if you were to make up with Gilda?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Yeah, okay" Rainbow rolled her eyes "I'll make it up to her once she apologies for stabbing my arm and kicking me in the ribs, and GOD knows when that'll happen! The closest you'll ever see me be nice to her is not speaking to her, and that's it. Ugh... Why her? Of all the mercenaries in the world, why'd it have to be her? Why not Discord? At least I can TOLERATE him!"

"Okay, okay, no need to get angry..." Fluttershy tried to calm her friend down.

"Fluttershy's right, Rainbow" Twilight agreed "You need to control yourself when we go out on the mission. Any number of things could happen if you don't."

"Alright, fine..." Rainbow sighed "I'll... I'll try..."

"To quote a wise master of magical arts," Twilight smiled, knowing she ticked her friend off when she said something nerdy like this "do or do not. There is no try."

"I'm glad you're on this adventure, Twi" Rainbow chuckled "Otherwise, you'd be cooped up in your home reading every book in the world on how to properly nag someone to death."

"You'd be surprised..." Twilight nervously smiled.

"You mean there's actually a book CALLED that?!" Rainbow's mood had done a complete 180 as she rolled on her back and began laughing hysterically "Ahahahahahaha!! Y-You... Nerd!! Hahahahahaha!!!"

"H-Hey! I never actually read it!" Twilight blushed.

"Alrighty then, girls" Applejack returned with Gilda "Are y'all set?"

"Pretty much" Twilight nodded "Just lead the way!"

"Great! But, uh..." Applejack nodded before commenting on Rainbow's laughing fit "...is she gonna be okay?"

"Her? Yeah, she'll be fine" Twilight assured, watching the mare continue to laugh "Give it a minute..." she just continued her laughing "Any second now..."

"Be decent for once, dweeb!" Gilda shouted at her former partner.

"And just like that, I'm done" Rainbow deadpanned, ceasing her laughing immediately after she heard Gilda's voice "Wow, Gilda, you sure know your way with people!"

"Before this becomes somethin' ah'll regret, could y'all just git yerselves over ta the front of the castle?" Applejack asked "Ah want ta git this dun before the Black Mages even saw it comin'! Then, we can end this pointless war."

"O-Of course..." Fluttershy shyly nodded, walking slowly with her friends towards the front of the castle.

The trek into Black Mage territory hadn't been that difficult. It was located on some plains north of the Apple Kingdom and was generally unprotected by any means. There was the common monster ever now and then, but no sign of any Black Mages. It frightened Twilight to no end.

Nonetheless, they eventually found their way to the Black Mage settlement, located right at the base of a small mountain. It was fairly small, with a few tents, a fire pit and only a few Black Mages, complete with their concealed faces, yellow eyes, black pointed hats, black robes and their magic rods, standing guard. The army had hidden away out of sight from the sentries, but it was only a matter of time until the decently small army was discovered. Applejack had to execute her plan quickly to make this work.

"Alright, men" she began "Y'all know what ta do. Just be sure ta give us enough time."

They all saluted before several of them went down to the settlement's entrance. They were taken note of immediately by the Black Mages. They all stepped forward to see what the soldiers of the Apple Kingdom had to say.

"What's this?" wondered one of the male Black Mages "You lot come here just by yourselves? What gives?"

"Yeah, this better not be some kinda trick!" shouted one of the female Black Mages.

"Oh, we assure you, we're merely here to ask a few questions and converse for a bit" one of the Knights nodded "You know spirit of the season and the sort?"

"Hearth's Warming was six months ago" the first Black Mage deadpanned.

"Think of this as LATE Hearth's Warming!" another Knight mentioned.

"Okay, they're distracted" Rainbow Dash confirmed "Let's get a move on!"

The espionage team of five nodded before following Applejack's lead and going around the settlement and trying to find something of use. To their surprise, a cave opening was located at the back of the settlement, leading deeper inside the mountain. Applejack never remembered seeing any cave last time she did reconnaissance. Perhaps the Black Mage guards forgot to close it?

"Ah think we'll find what we're lookin' fer in there" Applejack stated, causing Fluttershy to shiver a bit.

"A-Are you sure?" she asked "M-Maybe what we're looking f-for is in those t-tents?"

"Fluttershy, ah've seen this place a dozen times and not once did ah find somethin' in thems tents" Applejack stated "They were literally empty! Ah always knew there was somethin' else, but ah dun think it went deeper into the mountain."

"It's alright, Fluttershy" Twilight assured her friend, patting her on her back "Here, why don't you take Spike for a little while? I think you'll need him more than I will."

"Kaw!" Spike let out a cry of happiness, causing Gilda to place a talon on one of her sheathed daggers. Rainbow Dash noticed this immediately and called her out on it.

"I don't know what's got your panties in a twist, Gilda," she began "but you have to calm down before you accidentally, or even intentionally, slit someone's throat."

"That lizard is gonna give our position away!" Gilda argued. Rainbow Dash looked down at the Knights and Black Mages and saw the former were now dancing around the unimpressed latter.

"I don't think they'll be looking over here anytime soon" Rainbow shrugged "Just try not to kill anyone, okay? You can hate anyone here as much as you like, but if you ever threaten them or hurt them, you'll regret it."

"Oooooh, I'm so scared!" Gilda mocked "Work on your threats some more, dweeb!"

"Enough!" Twilight stopped the two by placing a hand on both Rainbow's mouth and Gilda's beak, lowering them once she believed they were ready to talk again "Rainbow Dash, you promised you wouldn't do something like this back at the castle! While I thank you for defending me and Fluttershy, please try to control your emotions, okay?"

"I..." Rainbow began before realizing there was no winning this argument "...fine."

"Good" Twilight nodded before looking back over to Applejack "We're ready when you are."

"Finally..." Applejack sighed before heading into the cave, the others soon following after her.

(Music Stop)

The cave progressively got darker and darker as they continued onward, but it was very little problem for Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash since they had gone inside the depths of Cloudsdale not yesterday. No one spoke a word as they continued onward, feeling the wall to find their way through.

Finally, light emerged! The team slowly walked towards it, hoping to find something on the other end. At last, they escaped the tunnel to see their new area.

It took everyone about two seconds to realize they were just turned around. They even looked over the edge just to check and make sure; the Knights were still distracting the Black Mages.

"Really?" Applejack deadpanned "The cave is a fake?"

"More likely just enchanted by Black Mages" Twilight brought up "My guess is that only a Black Mage could pass through or break the spell, so it isn't very likely that we'll be going through that way anytime soon."

"Wait... Who's that?" Fluttershy wondered, pointing down at a new person in the camp. The rest of the team looked down only to see that another Black Mage had joined the guards. She wore the standard black clothing, only skin-tight now and revealing her legs and thighs like she was some sort of magician, and her face wasn't pure black with yellow eyes. Her pointed hat was lavender with yellow and blue stars all over it, and she had a lavender cape as well, also donned with yellow and blue stars. She wore simple blue sand shoes on her feet. Her hair was pale cerulean and her skin and horn was azure, and her arms rested on her hips in a displeased fashion.

"Hahaha! You idiots!" the woman laughed, the team listening in closely to what she had to say "No one in particular, since everyone here is a bunch of idiots, but Trixie is more or less looking at her Black Mages."

"M-Miss Trixie!" the male Black Mage gasped in shock "W-What brings you here?"

"Trixie lives here, fool!" the woman, apparently named Trixie, laughed "But if you must know, Trixie came here because she wanted to know what a bunch of bumbling idiots were doing just standing around while their enemy was right in front of them."

"T-They didn't seem to be of any harm to us" the female Black Mage brought up, stuttering a bit "They wanted to talk to us, so we kinda just let them do their own thing."

"Fools! Imbeciles!" Trixie stomped her foot "Trixie put you here to keep Apple people out, not talk with them! Though, Trixie supposes now is as good a time as ever to test her new Fire III spell..."

"And like that, we're out!" one of the Knights dashed off, the others soon following him.

"Hahaha! Trixie thought so" Trixie laughed, still talking in the third person "You two are being punished once your shift ends. How you will be, Trixie will have to think about."

"Y-Yes, Miss Trixie" both Black Mages bowed and returned to their posts.

(Music Stop)

"Trixie, darling, if I may interject?" spoke another voice from behind Trixie. She and the team looked over to where the voice was only to see another woman walking towards her.

She was a Unicorn, obviously since she was a Black Mage, but she was quite different from the others. She too had her face revealed like Trixie's, showing her white skin, very curly purple hair and blue eyes. A very dark fuchsia pointed hat loosely donned her head, and she wore dark fuchsia robe that went down to her waist, as well as a black cape tied around her neck and long black pants. On her feet were long leather boots, more than likely for fashion purposes. She wore black gloves, a silver belt around her waist and held a standard Black Mage rod. Her face was one of curiosity.

"What is it, Rarity?" Trixie asked rudely "Can't you see Trixie is in the middle of something?"

"Sorry, darling, but I need to ask you a question that has been plaguing my mind for a while now" the woman, apparently named Rarity, spoke "I've been fighting this war since I was but a child, but never once did anyone ever tell me what the point of it all was."

"Do Trixie's ears deceive her," Trixie began "or does she hear the sorrow sound of Rarity wanting to give up and betray her own people, hmm?"

"N-No, of course not!" Rarity assured "The Black Mage settlement has been my home for as long as I could remember, and I would never dream of betraying it! But, perhaps there is another way to accomplish our goals, whatever they may be?"

"Rarity, if you MUST know the reason, Trixie supposes she could tell you" Trixie rolled her eyes "But we must whisper as to keep it a secret, fair?"

"Fair" Rarity nodded before getting up close to Trixie and listening to what she had to say.

"Damn..." Applejack sighed "We need ta know why this war is bein' fought. If ah can know that, ah dun have ta send anyone else ta their deaths no more... C'mon, everyone! Let's go and pay that Rarity woman a lil' visit..."

The team nodded and, as soon as Trixie had walked away and Rarity returned to one of the tents, began walking down the cliff side into the settlement to have a talk with Rarity.

Author's Note

This was a good one, I think! Your fair balance of humor, sadness, boring backstories and sexy Black Mages! What? So what if I have a thing for mages? You all can't deny Trixie would look friggin' hot in a Black Mage outfit!

Speaking of, I know for a fact that none of you, even the ones supplying me some ideas, saw Trixie coming. How could I not put her in, she's a joyride to write! She's one of my favorite characters in the show, and I think that'll reflect how I treat her in my story.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 10] The Mine

Sneaking around back, the espionage team made sure not to be caught by any Black Mage guards that may have been lurking about, more specifically the two that were scolded by that Trixie woman. With Applejack taking the lead, she lead the party through the settlement and into the tent the other Black Mage, apparently named Rarity, was resting in. Before they entered the tent, they looked around again just to make sure if anyone or anything had followed them. Finally, they paid Rarity a visit.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, sitting on her fancy bed with royal red sheets and golden bracing "Whoever might you be? Are you a part of the Apple Kingdom?"

"Mah name is Applejack of the Apple Kingdom, yes" Applejack bowed "This is Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Gilda. Before y'all go and sound the alarm, jus' know we overheard ya talking about another way ta end the war."

"You eavesdropped?" Rarity seemed appalled by the very thought "How rude of you! Don't you know it isn't nice to do that to a refined lady such as myself?"

"Oh no..." Rainbow spoke under her breath.

"Miss, um... Rarity, was it?" Twilight began, to which Rarity nodded in confirmation "We forwardly apologize to you for our eavesdropping. However, you have information that we could use to help stop the war. Even further, you're the only one who knows such information who won't incinerate... we hope... us. Surely you understand?"

"Hmm... Yes, that seems reasonable" Rarity nodded "But how am I to know I can trust you?"

"Listen lady, we don't have time for this!" Gilda shouted "Tell us the damn info!

"How uncouth" Rarity stuck her nose in the air "How do you expect me to tell you when you can't even control your emotions, hmm? I wish to speak with someone who can keep a clean conversation without sounding too important, too loud, too crude, or too... well... nerdy, for lack of a better term."

"Hey!" Twilight shouted.

"W-Well, what about, um... me?" Fluttershy spoke up, stepping forward "I think I can, um... talk to you, Miss Rarity..."

"Oh, well aren't you just the cutest thing?" Rarity smiled "Oh, and she's kind as well. Very well; I will speak to... pardon my rudeness, darling, but whatever might your name be, again?"

"It's, um... Fluttershy..." Fluttershy shyly whimpered.

"Pardon, darling?"

"Her name is Fluttershy, Rari-" Twilight said before being shushed by Rarity.

"For goodness sake, darling!" she huffed "You can see she has anxiety problems, so allow her to go at her own pace! Now, as you were saying, darling?"

"Oh, um... my name is, um... F-Fluttershy..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"What a lovely name, Fluttershy" Rarity nodded "Alright, then I suppose I shall talk with you."

"If ah may?" Applejack spoke up after looking through the tent entrance "Ah dunno how long were gonna have ta talk. Thems Black Mage guards look like their comin' back."

"Very well, I shall forget the formalities for now" Rarity agreed "Until then, I will join you and discover for myself why the Apple Kingdom and Black Mage settlement battle so."

"Great, another member to our dweeb-team" Gilda rolled her eyes, but everyone ignored her by this point.

"Come! I shall release the seal on the cave out back so you all may enter" Rarity nodded before slowly and lightly stepping her way out of the tent, annoying a few team members "What? A lady must still make a proper exit even in a time of distress."

"...we made a bad decision" Rainbow stated as soon as Rarity fully exited the tent.

"Yep."

"Yeah..."

"Uh-huh."

"Whatever..."

(Music Stop)

The quick and quiet trip back up the rocky settlement overlook where the cave was went fairly easy. It would have gone slightly faster if Rarity walked faster, but at the very least the team wasn't caught. Taking out her rod, Rarity cast some magic over the cave that surrounded it and caused the previously very long tunnel to become a plain and simple part of the mountain.

"Thanks, Rare" Applejack deadpanned "Ya made our lives so much easier, ya did!"

"Relax... Applejack? Yes, Applejack" Rarity recalled the commanding Knight's name "This wall is merely a second lock in case someone not from our village with black magic powers came over and wanted to see inside. Now, I must insert a code."

She slammed her rod against the wall, opening it up and shocking the team.

"Some code there" Rainbow Dash scoffed.

"The code is also part of our magic capabilities" Rarity explained "Only a rod from our village could open up the gateway."

"What's stopping anyone from just taking a rod then?" Twilight questioned before realizing something "Wait, I know war is bad, but why didn't the Apple Kingdom just take a Black Mage's rod, reverse engineer it and infuse its power into your swords. That way, all the Knights could have been upgraded to Paladins and the war would have been over sooner, albeit with more casualties."

"Well there ya have it!" Applejack pointed out "It would have resulted in more dead persons! Ah dun exactly want that, if ya forgot that ah said that a million times before."

"Just pointing out logic, Applejack" Twilight huffed.

"You are right, darling" Rarity agreed "That's why our rods are locked with a magic seal-"

"...That could be broken by another Black Mage" Rainbow Dash brought up "Man, your security system is crap! Try and get your guys to think outside the box for once, eh?"

"...perhaps we should simply enter the Black Mage base now" Rarity suggested, everyone agreeing not a few moments later. One-by-one, they entered the area and prepared for anything that was going to pop out and scare them.

"Ooohh... It's very... dark, in here..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Apologies, darling" Rarity apologized "Black Mages have some sort of affinity with darkness. I honestly never cared for it, but there's really nothing we can do. I suppose this is as good a time as any to speak to Fluttershy of what Miss Trixie told me."

"Just pretend we're not here" Twilight suggested.

"That was my intent, darling" Rarity chuckled a bit before speaking once again to the shy woman "Now, Fluttershy, you are aware of Trixie and what she's like, correct?"

"Mmhmmm..." Fluttershy nodded, even if no one could see her do so.

"Then you would know she loves to listen to herself talk, right?" Rarity questioned.

"Ummm... uhhhh..." Fluttershy worryingly stuttered.

"Well, she said something to me that I swear she only said because she speaks in the third person all the time" Rarity spoke to Fluttershy like an old friend "She said..."

"Mmm...?"

"Are you ready?"

"Mmmhmmmm...?"

"Are you sure?"

"JUST GET TO THE POINT!!" everyone else shouted.

"Fine, fine... How, uncouth..." Rarity sighed "She mentioned about something inside the mountain. Something that's regarded as a god of sorts. I suppose that's why I have never seen such a creature, and I highly doubt anything like it exists."

"What about the guardian of the earth crystal?" Twilight brought up "That is something that could be what the Black Mages think is a god. While it does have incredible power, I don't think it has the exact power of a god, per-say."

"Perhaps..." Rarity thought aloud "But perhaps not?"

"We're always open ta possibilities" Applejack stated.

"Hey, looks like we're actually getting somewhere!" Rainbow Dash pointed to a bright light at the end of the tunnel "Hopefully this time it doesn't send us back to the entrance."

"It probably won't, darling" Rarity smiled.

Finally, the team reached the exit of the cave. Much to their joy, they had not been turned around and sent back to the start. Much to their shock, however, the area behind the cave was a giant metal platform with gears, cranes and blinking lights everywhere. Wherever the team looked, there were Black Mages working the day away, pulling levers and powering machines. Loud clangs and smashing noises emanated throughout the rocky area coming from great machines that dug the earth and sent it away on loud conveyor belts.

"Welcome to the Galloping Gorge mines!" Rarity spread her arms wide and smiled "This is where all us Black Mages work, live, and plan our battle strategies. Of course, I don't attend such barbaric councils, but just to let you know."

"Hey Rarity! Shout louder and maybe you can get us caught!" Rainbow sarcastically said.

"Oh, sorry, Rainbow Dash darling" Rarity bowed in forgiveness "In short, this has been my home since I was but a child. I was discovered by the elder Black Mages in the settlement when I was a newborn baby. That was 23 years ago, and I still thank them to this day. I truly can't believe I rebelling against them..."

"Then leave" Gilda stated "For real! Not only will you not have to worry about your stupid family, but you'll put off some unneeded weight from this team full of dweebs."

"How rude of you to say!" Rarity gasped in shock "Mind your manners next time, filthy Thief. I plan on staying with these kind souls, but if you want leave this 'Team full of dweebs', as you call it, then no one here is stopping you."

"Fine" Gilda scoffed "This mission isn't worth the money anyway. See you later, dweebs!" she extended her wings and flew off out of the cave. The team looked back and watched her leave, hopefully never to be seen again.

"So, uh... What does this mine do?" Twilight wondered, still curious as ever about the world.

"Besides just mining resources," Rarity chuckled "this mine takes specific rocks known as Magistones from the mountain and uses them to power our daily objects. Well, half the stone supply goes to power our daily objects, that is. With you, I plan to understand where that other half goes."

"Probably to that quote unquote 'God' that the Black Mages worship" Twilight suggested.

"Well, we ain't gonna learn anythin' from standin' 'round here" Applejack pointed out "C'mon; let's have a look around ta see ifin we can find anythin' interestin'."

"Probably not a wisest idea to be wondering around here while not a Black Mage, darling" Rarity awkwardly smiled "Perhaps it would be best if only the magic users looked around, as to not spark anything... um... bad."

"Alright, ah can git down with that" Applejack nodded "In that case, good luck, y'all."

"Thank you, Applejack" Twilight nodded before lightly taking Fluttershy's hand and guiding her to follow Rarity "We'll be back soon. In the meantime, could you keep Rainbow Dash out of trouble?"

"Will do, Twilight" Applejack nodded.

The entire facility proved to be gigantic the closer and closer the trio got to it, with metal contraptions scattered everywhere and drills making the loudest noises. Fluttershy was terrified of them, but Twilight was fascinated by them to no end. Her eyes lit up with excitement every time she saw a foreign machine or a classic, but reliable, contraption of the old days. It took every ounce of her power not to scream with excitement.

The three approached the main gate, where two male Black Mages awaited anyone to come by their posts. They saw the three women and immediately came up to them to inspect them.

"Ah, Miss Rarity" one of them said "Good to see you back. I see you have some company as well..."

"My apologies, good sir" Rarity apologized "This is the White Mage, Fluttershy, and the Summoner, Twilight. They have requested to help us defeat those vile Apple Kingdom Knights!"

"I dunno..." the second mage sounded skeptical "How can we be sure they're not spies of the Apple Kingdom?"

"Good sir, they're magic users!" Rarity laughed "Why on earth would the Apple Kingdom use magic?"

"...good point" the first mage nodded "Very well. Welcome back, Miss Rarity. I hope you and your friends enjoy your time in the Galloping Gorge mines. But if we catch them doing something shady, I'll have them and you thrown out of our establishment. Nothing personal, just protocol. Surely you understand?"

"Of course, dear. Ta ta!" Rarity nodded before entering the gate with her new friends. She breathed in the air of the mine, feeling home once again. She then lead her team to one of the upper levels of the platform.

"This way, darlings" she happily urged them to follow her "I wish to introduce you to my father, the Black Mage elder who found me outside the mine."

"Oh, how sweet" Fluttershy kindly said with a smile on her face "He must be the most humble, kind old man here..."

"Well he's, um... certainly something..." Rarity nervously chuckled "I can not deny that..."

"He isn't cruel, is he?" Twilight wondered.

"No, he's not that either" Rarity shook her head "He's, um... Well... You see... um..."

"RARITY!! My precious baby!!" a senile old Unicorn man hugged Rarity the second she came though the door of their home. His robe was blue with stars and moons over it, as well as golden bells on the end of it. His pointed hat was the same with a golden bell right on the tip of the point. His skin was grey and wrinkly, as well as his hair was white and curly. He had a magnificent white beard on his chin.

"F-Father, not in front of my friends!" Rarity blushed heavily.

"Oh, sorry dear!" the old man laughed, letting go of his adoptive daughter "You're just so cute and easy to hug, that I couldn't help myself! Anyway, whoever are your friends then?"

"Father, I would appreciate it if you don't embarrass me any further with talk you should only use when we're alone" Rarity scolded her adoptive father, Twilight and even Fluttershy giggling in the background "But anyway, yes, these are my friends Twilight and Fluttershy, the Summoner and White Mage respectively."

"A pleasure to meet you fine young ladies" the old man nodded "My name is Starswirl the Bearded, and I'm the greatest Black Mage that ever lived!"

"When you were 30, father" Rarity smiled devilishly "I think my powers far outmatch your own now."

"I wouldn't bet on that, Rare-rare" Starswirl chuckled, making Rarity blush again.

"Rare-rare?" Twilight giggled.

"Father... I told you to silence yourself..." Rarity spoke, gritting her teeth.

"No, you told me not to embarrass you any further with the talk I use with you when we're alone" Starswirl pointed out "Never once did you say what that was, nor did you say I couldn't say Rare-rare."

"F-Father... Please..."

"Oh, don't worry too much, Rarity" Fluttershy tried to comfort her friend by patting her back, still giggling a bit "This could have been much worse: Rainbow Dash could have been here."

"Y-Yes, indeed" Rarity stuttered "This conversation never leaves this room then..."

"Kaw!" Spike blissfully cried out.

"Anyway, what can I do you for?" Starswirl asked.

(Music Stop)

"Father, I think I am ready to finally learn of where the other part of the Magistone shipment goes off to" Rarity nodded "Besides my age now, it is vital that my friends and I know where it goes."

"Well, I didn't want to tell you since you weren't born Black Mage..." Starswirl closed his eyes and scratched his chin "But I suppose you're old enough to know now... Heck, you're 23! I think that's as good a time as ever to stop keeping childish secrets from you. Okay, you all better sit down for this..."

The three did as told, sitting down on the old man's couch.

"One of the very, very, very few recovered manuscripts from 10,000 years ago states the origin of the guardians, great beasts with tremendous power that not only guarded the crystal, but protected those in need of defense."

"So the rest of it goes off to the guardian?" Twilight wondered "That... makes sense. The guardians are mainly made of magic, so a diet and surrounding area of magical qualities would be ideal."

"I'm not finished, young miss" Starswirl continued "Anyway, yes, that's part of the reason. But the other half is what only a select few people know. The guardian that protects the earth crystal is a cruel and destructive being that forces people to bow to it."

"WHAT?!"

"A war broke out against the guardian many, many years ago" Starswirl somberly sighed "Many lives were lost in the conflict, but eventually the Black Mages were able to drive the beast into the mountain. To this day, we mine Magistone ore to throw down to the giant and keep it pleased, less we want another outbreak."

"But there's one question I have if this story is true..." Twilight began "Why wage a war against the Apple Kingdom? Surely their forces could prove to be a big help to you?"

"I suppose you wouldn't understand..." Starswirl sighed once more "You see, the Apple Kingdom was the nation that released the guardian in the first place."

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted again.

"In a lust for power, the Apple Kingdom thought it would be a splendid idea to release the power of an ancient creature to try and harness it, making way for their global domination, which I guess was just in at the time" Starswirl explained "Because of this, the Black Mages and Knights of the Apple Kingdom have NEVER gotten along."

"Don't tell me you agree with this, father!" Rarity was utterly shocked by what she was hearing right now.

"I don't follow anything our so-called leader, Trixie, says" Starswirl convinced the team "The Apple Kingdom has long since learned their lesson by doing good for everyone in Equestria, but that witch Trixie somehow convinced the entire Black Mage colony that they're still up to no good. It sickens me..."

"That's terrible..." Fluttershy shuttered in sorrow.

(Music Stop)

"So, I'm guessing you three have sided with the Apple Kingdom then?" Starswirl asked, pulling out a pipe and starting to smoke.

"W-What?" Rarity questioned "F-Father, how did you-"

"Hahaha! You take this old man for granted!" Starswirl laughed "I'm not as senile as you think, my daughter. I knew you two were siding with the Apple Kingdom since the second you walked into my house. But I'm not angry. In fact, I support your 'betrayal', for a lack of a better term, since Trixie is starting to become a nuisance for us all."

"So are you saying you want us to defeat Trixie?" Twilight questioned.

"No, dear" Starswirl said before smiling "I want to to kick her from here to next Tuesday. I don't care if she's possessed by some sort of ancient force or even the guardian itself, she was already, again for lack of a better term, a bitch even as a child."

"Oh... I see..." Twilight nodded.

"Well, thank you father for that... conversation..." Rarity was still trying to process everything told to her "But we must be off. We have other friends of the Apple Kingdom waiting for us to return, and I'm not sure how much longer a certain Dragoon friend of ours can hold out until she does something bad."

"I understand. Take care!" Starswirl nodded and waved the trio off, but quickly calling them back not a moment later "Oh! I almost forgot! I suppose I am senile after all!" he laughed as he brought out three scrolls and gave each of the women one "These are Magic Lv.2 scrolls. Each explains the fundamentals of magic for Lv.2 black magic, Lv.2 white magic, Lv.2 summoning, so on and so forth. I believe there's even a tutorial for blue magic, but I haven't seen a Blue Mage for years now..."

"Starswirl the Bearded, thank you" Twilight bowed "This could prove extremely helpful to us."

"Yes, thank you father" Rarity smiled.

"Um... thanks..." Fluttershy shyly, but kindly, thanked.

"Not a problem, my fair ladies!" Starswirl laughed again "Now go! Trixie's defeat could finally end this war for good!"

"We won't let you down, father!" Rarity waved before she and her friends exited his house. Starswirl sighed and sat back down, smoking his pipe once again.

"You've grown up so much, Rarity" he said with a smile "I truly wish you could have met your parents. They would have been so very, very proud of you."

Author's Note

Could it be Starswirl is keeping more secrets? We no crap! But we won't delve back into that until the fourth act! Sorry! LOL!

[Chapter 11] The Reawakening

"Ugh! So boooooooooooored!!" Rainbow whined.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack had only stayed behind for fifteen minutes, and already the former had begun getting very annoyed with the latter. She wasn't sure how much more of Rainbow's complaining she could take! If the mission wasn't so important to her, she'd honest to god leave her. Applejack let out a sigh, looking around the small room they had hidden in. It looked to be some sort of janitor's closet, but she wasn't too sure.

"Rainbow Dash..." she began "Ya know it's been only a few minutes, right? Ya can't possibly be bored."

"But I am!" Rainbow complained "They've been gone for what feels like hours! You wouldn't know this, but I need to spread my wings every once-in-a-while or they start cramping! And you know we can't just go around here willy-nilly!"

"Fine, complain all ya want!" Applejack retorted "But ah make no promises ah won't take ya out if ya continue."

"Are you challenging me to a fight?" Rainbow cockily grinned.

"So what if ah am?" Applejack growled.

"Then I'll kick your ass from here to next week!"

"Then bring it on, ya insufferable-"

(Music Stop)

A key unlocking a door was heard from the door that connected the small hiding room to the outside world. Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash froze in fear as the door slowly opened to an old-looking Black Mage with standard robes and a beard coming off his pitch-black face. He turned to lock the door again, never noticing the two until he turned towards them. He dropped his rod in shock. Finally, Rainbow spoke up.

"Um..." she quickly thought of a lie "...she did it."

"What?" Applejack deadpanned.

"Well, I'm just saying since I'm more awesome than anyone in this room, you should be my backup!" Rainbow gave her argument "No hard feelings, right?"

"Rainbow Dash, ah swear ah'm gonna-"

"INTRUDER!!!" the elderly Black Mage screamed and ran outside his room to spread the word to the other Black Mages around the platform "INTRUDER!! INTRUDER!!!"

"Good job, Rainbow Dash" Applejack deadpanned.

"Not like this was my fault" Rainbow scoffed "You were the one who suggested we hide in here."

"I...!" Applejack grumbled "Grrrrr..."

An alarm had gone off throughout the entire mining facility, warning every Black Mage that something terrible had happened. Fluttershy and Twilight grew concerned with the alarm, but Rarity immediately recognized it and became even more frightened than them. Taking each of their hands, she rushed through the crowd of people.

"Whoa!" Twilight gasped "Rarity, slow down!"

"We can't, darling!" she shook her head "Applejack and Rainbow Dash may be in great danger!"

"D-Danger?!" Fluttershy worryingly questioned.

"This alarm is an intruder alert siren" Rarity explained "I can only think of three people who could have triggered it, and one of them flew away from this place."

"Which means... Oh no..." Twilight shuddered "Do you remember where we left them?"

"Well, I-"

"There!" a Black Mage pointed at the three woman running through the platform "Those three are with them! After them!"

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy whimpered "We should get a move on..."

"Or we could stay and fight!" Twilight suggested "I trust Rainbow Dash enough that she'll make it out with Applejack to join us. Besides, all these Black Mages are getting on my nerves."

"I couldn't agree more darling!" Rarity smiled before pulling out her rod and casting some magic at the opposing mages "Fira!" a gigantic pillar of fire went straight at her foes, striking them down and getting them out of the way.

"Let's try a new summon... Hmm..." Twilight flipped through her now updated summon book "Ah, this one looks pretty good! Summon! Shiva Lv.2!"

Before everyone's eyes, an ice-blue woman with blue hair, amethyst eyes, a blue cape and blue boots appeared and twirled around the Black Mages before spreading her arms and shattering into thousands of particles, digging themselves right into the enemy force and knocking them back.

"Aerora!" Fluttershy called out, sending an extremely heavy breeze through the platform, forcing a few of the Black Mages off and onto the rocky ground, thankfully harmlessly "Oh my... Sorry!"

"Don't apologize, darling" Rarity pointed out "They're our foes, and they attacked us!"

"Yes, but didn't we technically sneak into their base?" Twilight mentioned "That means we technically attacked first."

"Oh, yes you did..." a familiar voice to the three was heard. They looked around and saw that the two gate guard Black Mages had found themselves a silver walking tank with two arms by its side to hold two gigantic swords.

"Remember what we said if we discovered your or your friends were up to no good?" the first mage wondered "Well, allow us to introduce the Gestahl class M-045 Magitek armor suit! Complete with heavy plating, magic-ammo guns, and a two seat drive!"

"That's, like, fourteen toys in one!" the second Black Mage laughed "Now, prepare to die by the hands of-"

"Too slow!" Rainbow Dash came crashing down onto the machine with her spear, literally taking out the second guard and throwing him over the edge of the platform.

"Dun ferget me!" Applejack dived from the upper level and sliced off one of the machine's arms with her iron sword "Rainbow Dash convinced me we couldn't leave ya behind, so ah'm here ta help!"

"Oooooh!" the remaining machine pilot slammed his fists against the control panel "You're gonna pay for that! Black Mages, use your Thunder spells! Electrocute them into oblivion!"

"Not if we can stop it, darling!" Rarity shouted, once again pointing out her rod and firing a spell "Blizzara!" a cold spiral came out of the rod, freezing any and all it touched.

"Rarity, try electrocuting Rainbow's spear!" Twilight suggested "I read once that there's a form of black magic known as spell fencing. In short, it allows you to use your black magic to empower a weapon. Try it out!"

"Ah, yes, I've read a bit about that as well, darling" Rarity nodded "Very well... Thundara!" she cast her spell into Rainbow Dash's and even Applejack's weapons, imbuing them with an electrical charge.

"Nice!" Rainbow laughed before looking at her enemies "Now... Crescent Moon!" she swung her spear in a wide swing, taking out the front row of Black Mages opposing her. Meanwhile, Applejack was busy slashing away at the enemy force trying to stop her.

"Sorry 'bout all this" she said while doing her best to knock the mages out and not kill them "But we can't have ya standin' in our way. Speakin' of... Twilight, did ya learn anythin' useful?"

"Only everything we need to stop this fruitless war" she nodded "But we have to get out of this swarm of mages before-"

(Music Stop)

"Before what, Trixie asks the idiots storming her base?" asked the familiar voice of Trixie near them. The mages stopped and the team looked around to try and find her. Finally, they looked up and saw she had been watching the conflict the entire time. She let out a laugh before jumping down and meeting with the group.

"Trixie..." Twilight growled "We haven't met before, but I know enough about you to know you're doing something very, very wrong here. Why would you lie to your own people like that?"

"Twibright Snorkle, Trixie presumes?" Trixie laughed, still speaking in third person "Haha! Trixie doesn't have to answer your question. However, Trixie demands you answer why you and your little troop invaded her mining platform! Even Rarity decided to join them... Oh, Trixie pities you. Unfortunately, she must hand down judgement to even friend that betray the guardian's rule."

"How rude!" Rarity gasped "You ruffian! I cannot believe I grew up with you!"

"Trixie can't believe you haven't gotten rid of that stupid lady attitude yet" Trixie deadpanned.

"Shut-up, Trixie!" Rainbow Dash shouted "Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't just take you out right now!"

"Because if you killed Trixie, there would be no one left to care for the guardian of the earth crystal" Trixie explained with a smile, making Rainbow Dash lower her weapon "That's a good girl... Now, you must all come with Trixie to face your judgement to the earth guardian."

"And if we refuse?" Applejack questioned.

"Well... Trixie will unleash the guardian upon your precious Apple Kingdom" Trixie grinned devilishly. As she said this, the group and even the surrounding Black Mages gasped in fear.

"Ya... Ya wouldn't dare!" Applejack was horrified by such a thought.

"You're bluffing, Trixie!" Twilight called her out "Even you know what the guardian is capable of! If you were to unleash it, it would send the land of Equestria, nay, the world into utter discord! There is no possible way that you could be stupid enough to do such a thing, so I'm calling your bluff."

"Oh?" Trixie smiled "Well then, Trixie supposes that you don't know what her ultimate goal is? Since she is so close to completing it, she doesn't mind telling you."

"In front of all your followers?" Rarity wondered "Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of followers, darling?"

"Trixie supposes" Trixie hummed "However, even followers use up their uses eventually, and unfortunately for them, Trixie has absolutely no use for them any longer."

"Trixie!" shouted a nearby Black Mage.

"You traitor!" shouted another.

"If you must know Trixie's plan," Trixie continued "she plans on giving the guardian enough power from the Magistones to power it so it eventually does emerge and ruin the face of the planet. Such is Trixie's plan. Then, when the world is decimated, the few survivors will desperately look to Trixie for help. She will, of course, supply it, and she'll then become the greatest woman who ever lived!"

"All this... for fame?" Rainbow Dash felt disgusted "You piece of-"

"Gilda! Remove them!" Trixie shouted, surprising the team. Before they could even react properly, a rope was tightly tied around the five, ceasing their movement. To Rainbow's anger, Gilda landed right in front of her with a cocky grin on her face.

"Hey, dweeb" she greeted "Gotta hand it to her; Trixie here's got some serious pockets on her. How could I say no to 10,000,000 bits and a chance to show you dweebs who's the boss around here."

(Music Stop)

"Gilda..." Rainbow didn't even have anything left to say. No anger was left inside her, nor hate nor confusion. Just disappointment. Not only had her first friend betrayed her once, but now twice. Not only that, she was now acting like she was the boss of them. Rainbow wanted to clench her fists and spit in her face as an act of revenge.

But she never did. Instead, she looked away from Gilda and sighed. This confused the mercenary; why wasn't she yelling back and getting angry? She quickly ignored these thoughts and did her job, but the thoughts continued to linger.

"Where to, Trix?" Gilda asked.

"Take them to the guardian" Trixie smiled "Take them... to Titan."

After being put on a mine track into the area the guardian lay waiting for more Magistone, the group of five, still tied up and struggling to break free, slowly entered Titan's domain to be judged by its awesome power. They took this time to speak about their travels and finds so far before they were utterly decimated.

"So, uh..." Rainbow Dash began "What did we all learn today?"

"Ah learned Rainbow Dash can be an idiot sometimes" Applejack chuckled.

"H-Hey, I-"

"Applejack, that was rude" Twilight said, much to the appeal of Rainbow "You shouldn't point out things we already know or aren't blatantly obvious."

"You guys suck..." Rainbow groaned.

"Besides cruel humor," Rarity, still giggling at Rainbow Dash's expense, tried to focus on more pressing matters "we managed to discover the truth about Trixie and the war the Black Mages and Knights of the Apple Kingdom are currently going through. Even though she revealed her plan, however, I don't believe we ever discovered the real reason why she wanted to wage war upon the Kingdom."

"I-If I may?" Fluttershy spoke up, everyone paying attention to her now "W-What if it was a distraction? A-A way to make s-sure the Apple Kingdom doesn't find the earth crystal again, realize what's going on and try to stop Trixie anyway possible."

"That might actually make sense..." Twilight thought aloud.

"In other news, Twilight, Fluttershy and I received some new magic spells" Rarity stated with a please smile on her face "They were the ones that aided you, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, in combat not a few minutes prior to our... predicament."

"And ah thank ya fer that" Applejack nodded "Speakin' of our predicament, we need ta find a way outta here."

"Already did the calculations, AJ" Twilight sighed "This rope isn't coming off anytime soon. But don't worry about it too much; Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and I have gotten through WAY worse than this."

"For example, darling?" Rarity wondered.

"Well, we took on a giant mutated abomination that also happened to be the incarnation of a corrupt commander's hatred" Rainbow Dash brought up "Oh, and while we're still alive, Twilight, do you want to tell them about our reason for coming here in the first place or should I?"

"I will..." Twilight sighed "Look, Applejack, we weren't just sent to check on the earth crystal because it was some sort of routine. We, um... Well, you see-"

"Oh for gods..." Rainbow Dash groaned "Because of Sombra!"

"Som- What?!" Applejack gasped "Ya mean ta tell me he's back?!"

"Um... yes?"

"Well why didn't ya tell us sooner?" Applejack wondered "Mah men and ah would have been more than happy ta help ya storm through the Black Mage settlement and find that crystal!"

"But it's a good thing we didn't" Rainbow brought up "From what I've heard, bad shit is happening around here and that probably would have gotten us killed. I'd like to stay alive a little longer, if that's okay with you."

"So what happens now?" Rarity wondered.

"Now, I guess we just wait for our doom to come upon us" Twilight sighed. Suddenly, the team felt their cart come to a complete stop. They had arrived at their destination. Everyone took a heavy breath in and out in anticipation.

(Music Stop)

"OPENING MINETRACK DOORS" a loud, robotic voice said on the intercom.

Before anyone could react, the floor beneath their feet opened up and sent them tumbling down into rocky abyss where they suspected the guardian waited. With a scream, they fell through the earth and eventually onto a smoothed literal rock slide, which slowly eased them to a stop. As soon as they finished their ride, they looked around and saw that they had arrived in a brand new cave filled with blue, glowing crystals that gave a sense of bliss to all mages present.

"So this must be Magistone" Twilight sighed with a smile "They're very calming."

"They do feel very nice..." Fluttershy smiled as well, a feeling of calmness and relief washing over her.

"Unfortunate that they're being used to power an ancient beast that will bring doom to the world" Rarity mentioned, pretty much killing any fun Twilight and Fluttershy were having.

"Oh, yeah... right..." Twilight sighed with a disappointed tone.

"So Magistone is some sort of... mage orgasm inducer?" Rainbow questioned.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack called her out on her question.

"What? I was just wondering!" Rainbow shouted.

"In a way, Trixie supposes" the familiar voice of Trixie echoed through the cavern "It only affects those with magical capabilities, but the feeling is in some respects similar to that... um... thing that happens."

"Trixie!" Twilight shouted, she and the others looking behind themselves to find Trixie grinning "Let us go now!"

"Well, if you insist" Trixie waved her rod around and released the five from their trap.

"Wait!" Applejack stopped all her friends immediately "Why would she release us jus' like that? This has ta be a trick!"

"Good point, Applejack" Rarity agreed "Please, no one move a muscle."

"You dweebs are smarter then you look" spoke the familiar voice of Gilda on the other side of the team, to which they turned and saw her standing there with a smug smile on her face.

"Gilda..." Rainbow sighed, staring at her with slight anger returning to her.

"Well, sit down everyone and please enjoy the show!" Trixie said before looking over at Gilda "Gilda! Hand me the object!"

"Yeah, yeah, calm your tits..." Gilda rolled her eyes before pulling a strange, gray necklace in the shape of a horse with horns and wings. In the middle of the necklace was a diamond-shaped red gem that glowed a dark light. She threw it over at her employer who caught it and laughed maniacally.

"Allow Trixie to show you imbeciles the extent of her power!" she showed the group the strange amulet, to which Twilight gasped, knowing exactly what it was.

"I read about that once!" Twilight's eyes widen with fear "That's the Alicorn Amulet! It's a weapon created by King Sombra to enhance his powers and ensure he continued his assault on this world. I thought it had been lost by time, yet here it is! How the hell did you get that thing?!"

"Let's just say a little bird flew in and gave it to Trixie" Trixie laughed before placing the amulet on her neck "Now stand still and allow... hmm... The Great and Powerful Trixie deal with you!"

"Really? That's the best name y'all could come up with" Applejack chuckled "It sounds like somethin' a second grader would say ta make themselves sound more important."

"Silence, you fool!" Trixie shouted, pulling out her rod once again and firing a wave of electricity at the group. With natural reaction, they all bounced back and avoided the electricity, only to have something blow up behind them, sending them flying against the glowing wall. The floor must have been littered with mines. Being so close to the crystals now, Applejack and Rainbow Dash finally felt the magical bliss for themselves, albeit on a lower level.

"Whoa... I feel... Kinda tingly inside..." Rainbow mentioned as she pulled herself off the wall. When she did, a surge of heat washed though her and into her spear, turning the metal tip on fire.

"W-What?!" Trixie gasped "H-How?!"

"Well, that's pretty cool actually" Rainbow grinned before twirling around her spear and pointing it right at Trixie "Now how about we finish this nice and quick?"

"Yo dweeb!" Gilda shouted at Rainbow Dash "Don't you want to exact your revenge or some shit?"

"Yeah, that's certainly something else I could do..." Rainbow sighed before turning around and facing Gilda "Guys, take Miss Third Person down. I've got Gilda."

"Good luck, Rainbow..." Twilight nodded before facing Trixie "Alright, Trixie! You're time is up! Take off that amulet and concede to- Yeah, this isn't working. Everyone, ATTACK!!!"

Rarity immediately fired a Thundara spell from her rod that went straight for Trixie. Unfortunately, a mystical barrier had appeared around her, stopping the magic attack from hitting her.

"Hahaha! Fools!" Trixie laughed "This barrier is impregnable to magic attacks! You and your stupid little pea-shooter rod can't hurt Trixie, nor can that stupid little dragon of yours!"

Spike growled at the woman, causing her to shiver a bit, but not so much as to stray from her position and stance.

"Impreg-what-now?" Applejack wondered "Oh, ah git it! Well then, taste a bit of mah sword!" she leaped into the air and attempted to strike Trixie down with her blade. However, her sword too bounced off the magical barrier. Trixie laughed at her failure and began firing Fire 1 spells at the group.

"What?" Rarity questioned "How on earth...?"

"Your sword is infused with magic!" Trixie laughed "Trixie can't believe you forgot about that! Ahahahahaha!!!"

"Is there no way to strike her down?" Applejack wondered.

Meanwhile, over behind the team of four, Rainbow Dash and Gilda were clashing spear and daggers together. Using the energy from the Magistone nearby, Gilda managed to combat Rainbow's fire with her own ice. This left them at a technical stalemate, yet they continued fighting. Finally, once they had clashed weapons, Rainbow took this time to ask her former friend.

"Why?" she asked. This caused Gilda to immediately stop and stare at her ex-friend.

"Why?" Gilda repeated her "Why what?"

"Why did you betray me after all those years of being together?" she questioned "You were the one who made me the strong woman I am today, and you just... abandoned me."

"Didn't I tell you already, dweeb?" Gilda scoffed "I did it for the money. I wanted your share! Since I found you, all you've been doing was slowing me down and stopping me from reaching my goals faster. Naturally, I got rid of you. You were of no use to me anymore."

"So that's it, huh?" Rainbow couldn't believe what she was hearing "All those years of laughing, drinking and fucking around? That was all fake? All a lie?"

"Dash, c'mon, you know that-"

"NO!" Rainbow snapped, going up to Gilda and punching her onto the ground "I'm tired of your shit! If this is all true, then fuck you and fuck your stupid money!"

"D-Dash!" Gilda's eyes widened in shock that Rainbow Dash would do that, especially as passionately she did it.

"No, don't call me that!" Rainbow had begun crying now "After everything we ever did, and everything we ever laughed about, yelled at and punched in the goddamn face, you would betray your own friend just like that for a little bit of extra money. You... You are a worthless excuse for a person! I HATE YOU!!"

"D-Dash..." Gilda sighed.

"Gilda, what are you doing?!" Trixie shouted "Get back up and fight her!"

The two had just stared at each other as Trixie barked her orders.

"Gilda! Trixie commands you to-"

"Fuck off, Trixie!" Rainbow shouted "Everyone, just leave me alone!"

"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy whimpered. Slowly, she came up behind her friend and wrapped her arms around her. Surprisingly, Rainbow didn't struggle, but instead embraced the comfort Fluttershy was giving her.

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow sighed with a sad smile "...Thank you. You're a great friend."

"You're welcome, Rainbow Dash" Fluttershy continued to hug her friend.

(Music Stop)

"You... You... You..." Trixie's blood had started to boil "You dare defy The Great and Powerful Trixie?! All of you dare ignore me whilst comforting a worthless woman's personal feelings?! You should all be killed!"

"Trixie..." Twilight turned back around and faced the mentally insane woman "I have no idea what's going on in your head, but whatever it is, I couldn't imagine living a day in it. You will stop your actions immediately before we will be forced to stop them ourselves. You won't like the second option, I'll bet."

"Hahaha! Trixie isn't afraid of you!" Trixie laughed "In fact, Trixie has yet to unleash her trump card..."

"Trixie, don't you dare!" Rainbow shouted.

"Titan..." Trixie touched the red gem on the Alicorn Amulet and grinned devilishly "...Trixie summons thee! Destroy these pesky mortals, and destroy the world! Allow Trixie to become the most powerful woman on the planet!"

The ground suddenly began shaking and cracking underneath the feet of the present people there. Magistone began falling from the walls and ceiling to make way for the approaching guardian hell-bent on destroying everything it so desired.

"We gotta get outta here!" Applejack stated.

"Everyone, quickly, grab onto my legs!" Rainbow Dash shouted "And Fluttershy's too if she's up for it!"

"I-In a time like this, I don't have much of a choice..." Fluttershy nodded and allowed Twilight to grab onto her legs. Slowly but surely, she rose into the air and began carrying them towards the cavernous exit. Rainbow Dash, holding the heavier Rarity and Applejack, followed her soon after. Unfortunately for them, Trixie cast a Barrier spell over the exit.

"Hahaha!" Trixie laughed "Now you'll have to die here in this room! There is no esca- OOF!!" a solid punch was struck right across Trixie's face, taking her out of focus and lowering the barrier. To everyone's surprise, Gilda was in fact the one who laid the blow.

"Dash, you may hate me, but I'm not letting you die today" Gilda stated "I've done wrong in my life, and I'm not asking you to forgive me. What I'm ORDERING you to do is get the hell outta here! Go!"

"R-Right!" Rainbow Dash nodded, quickly flying out of the cave with Fluttershy in hot pursuit. They finally made it out of the tunnel leading into the heart of the mountain and saw that the Black Mages had already started to escape their home. They rushed towards the small hole leading to the outside world, but the mage in front of them, Starswirl, had a much better idea.

"This cave will leave everyone dead if it stays this small..." he pondered before raising his rod and casting his magic "Meteor!" a huge chunk of rock came off of the rocky side of the mine and crashed right into the exit, obliterating it and making a bigger hole for him and the rest of the Black Mages to escape through.

"Father..." Rarity smiled "Now, we must flee the scene!"

"Already on it, Rare!" Rainbow nodded before charging right for the exit.

"H-Hang on, Twilight!" Fluttershy nervously shouted, quickly following Rainbow Dash to the escape route.

(Music Stop)

As soon as a majority of Black Mages had escaped the facility, the mine had collapsed upon itself and blocked any possible way to get back inside. The entirety of the Black Mage people looked back at their homes. Some had begun to cry, others became angry. But all were confused and scared. They had no idea what to do now that they had no home to live in.

A ferocious roar was heard from within the crumbled mines, which was what one could only imagine was the cry of the Titan, guardian of the earth crystal.

"So this is it?" Twilight wondered, her face looking like she had "Have we... failed?"

Author's Note

And so ends this ark... NAH, just kidding! We still have one more chapter to go!

VampDash, I hope this chapter was satisfactory for you. More on Gilda's whereabouts will be explained in the next chapter. Until then, just hang tight. In other news, looks like Titan's finally been unleashed by Trixie, as well as now we know Mr. Starswirl knows friggin' Meteor! WHOA!! And yes, I did in fact hint in the last chapter that there will be a BLUE MAGE joining the team.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 12] The Hat

Dear Princess Celestia,

I bring you the unfortunate regret that my friends and I were not able to protect the earth crystal, nor were we able to stop the calamity you are most likely witnessing at this current moment. I am deeply ashamed that I was not able to stop such a horror from happening, as well as not being able to safely save everyone near Galloping Gorge when it all took place.

The Black Mages from their now ruined settlement have come to the Apple Kingdom to rest and take shelter until they can find another place to live. The Knights of the kingdom and the mages have so far gotten decently along well, both sides explaining each situation. Unfortunately, there is still the occasional bar fight every so often, so I hope that we will be able to make full peace soon, or this kingdom will fall apart from the lack of friendship and tolerance in its walls.

It is currently nighttime here in the kingdom, and the captain of the guard, Applejack, has given us all a place to sleep in the castle. I am currently extremely tired as I write this, but I hope to speak with you soon.

- You're faithful friend, Twilight Sparkle

(Music Stop)

"Dammit, I spelled 'Your' wrong, stupid woman!" Twilight cursed as she folded her letter and magically sent it to its "Ugh... I need some sleep... But right after I get back from the kitchen. Spike, guard my room until I get back, okay?"

"Kaw!" Spike nodded, allowing Twilight to roam the quiet halls of the castle.

"Now, if I was a kitchen, where would I be?" Twilight pondered "Hmm... The dining hall is south-west from here, meaning the kitchen would be... Ah, I got it!" she immediately walked away to where she believed the kitchen to be. Low and behold, she found it, but was surprised to find that Fluttershy had gotten there before her.

"Oh, hello Twilight" Fluttershy kindly smiled, taking a bite out of the fruit in her hand.

"Fluttershy! Nice to see you here" Twilight nodded "It's probably good you are; I needed someone to talk to, especially with our little problem on our hands... What are you eating?"

"Oh, I asked some nice guards if they had anything to eat before I went to bed" Fluttershy explained "To my pleasant surprise, they had my favorite fruit here, apples" she took another bite of her apple and swallowed "Do you wish to have one?"

"No, thank you" Twilight declined politely "So, what are you thinking now, Fluttershy?"

"W-Well..." Fluttershy stuttered a bit "I won't lie to you, Twilight. I'm actually really scared by all this..."

"You and me both, Flutters" Twilight nodded "After this whole ordeal, I feel awful..."

"Twilight, I know a lot of people, um... died, from Titan's awakening..." Fluttershy began "But, um... I think you should stay strong and, um, don't let the past haunt you. Because if you do, then..."

"Then?" Twilight wondered why her friend had suddenly stopped mid-sentence "Then what?"

"Then... um... no, never mind..." Fluttershy sighed.

"Oh, well... Okay then" Twilight decided to leave it at that, instead going to do what she intended to do before "So, how long have you been down here?"

"Perhaps, um... Goodness, I think a few minutes or so" Fluttershy realized "I only came down here because I couldn't sleep, but I suppose now I should head to bed and prepare for whatever Applejack has planned tomorrow."

"Yeah, I should probably get going as well" Twilight nodded, taking a banana and starting to head back to her room "Don't stay up too late. Oh, and if you ever need me, you know where my room is."

"Thank you, Twilight" Fluttershy smiled "You're a good friend."

"Well, I mean, I try" Twilight laughed a bit before exiting the kitchen and going to try and sleep again.

After a long walk back, she found her door and was just as she was about to open it until she heard a faint crying sound coming from down the hall. She listened closely, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the noise. She walked around, listening intently for the crying until she finally was face-to-face with the room's door in which the sound came from.

"Applejack's office?" Twilight wondered. She knocked three times, awaiting, Applejack's answer. After a little while, she decided it was probably best to open the door and find out what her friend was up to. What she saw shocked her: beer bottles all over her desk as well as tissues in a small pile beside it. In the chair was a sobbing Applejack who looked as if she had just had some sort of traumatic flashback.

"AJ?" Twilight wondered.

"What do ya want, Twi... Twilight?" Applejack drunkenly asked "Can't ya see ah'm... y'know... busy?"

"Applejack, what are you doing?!" Twilight scolded "You don't do this every night, do you?"

"N-No... Only... Only every week..." Applejack pathetically sighed, causing Twilight to feel sorry for her "Ah... Ah'm glad ya caught me when ya did... But at the same time, angry. Is that... Is that even possible?"

"What have you been doing to yourself, AJ?" Twilight worryingly asked "What forced you to do this? Was it something about the fall of the Black Mage settlement or-"

"No, no, Twilight..." Applejack sighed "Unless... well, unless ya want ta here a dumb woman speak 'bout her personal issues, which is somethin'... y'know... maybe ya wouldn't like hearin'..."

"Are you kidding?" Twilight questioned "I always have time for my friends. But, perhaps you can tell me when you've sobered up a bit? I wouldn't want to speak to a highly emotional you. No offense."

"None taken..." Applejack waved her hand lazily.

After a little while, Applejack had finally sobered up a bit and was ready to talk to Twilight about her inner thoughts. They had made their way back to Applejack's sleeping room in case the former had begun to feel sleepy again. As soon as both of them had found a comfortable place to sit, whether it be on a chair or the bed, Applejack began.

"So y'all wanna here mah story, eh?" Applejack wondered.

"Yes, please" Twilight nodded "Talking with someone about your problems is a good way to help solve them. Fluttershy told me that a little while back."

"Well, alrighty then" Applejack nodded "So, ah'm sure yer wonderin' why ah gave up mah position as princess?

"It's crossed my mind once or twice, yes" Twilight recalled.

"That kinda... ties inta what ah was, y'know..."

"Yeah..."

16 years ago...

In the old halls of Apple Kingdom castle roamed a young girl with long, blonde hair and orange skin. She wore only the most beautiful of purple gowns in her size, and donned on her head was a perfect crown of flowers crafted by her mother. Humming along, she was going to go and check on her parents' room.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she knocked on their door, hearing heavy panting from behind it "A-Are y'all okay in there?"

"Yes, Applejack dearest!" her mother called out from inside the room "Mother's just... oooh... b-busy..."

"Y'all can come in a lil' while later, kay, AJ?" her father asked.

"Alright, daddy" Applejack cheerfully nodded before turning around and going back to her room. As she did, she saw that her brother had walked around a corner. His skin was naturally red, and his hair was ginger. His eyes were a nice color of green. He wore a simple white shirt and beige pants.

"Oh, hey there, Big Mac" Applejack waved "Do ya know what mommy and daddy are doin'?"

"Yep" Big Mac nodded.

"Is it somethin' ah should know 'bout?" Applejack wondered.

"Yep" Big Mac nodded with a smile "Ya know how mom's belly kept gettin' bigger and bigger?"

"Y-Yeah?" Applejack nervously nodded "Is mommy gonna... die?"

"Nope" Big Mac sighed with a grin "Mom's havin' another baby! Y'know, a new siblin'."

"R-Really?" Applejack's eyes lit up as she began bouncing around gleefully "Ah git ta have another sister or brother! Ah git ta have another sister or brother!! Oh, but what if he or she dun like me?"

"Ah'm sure he or she will, AJ" Big Mac assured.

Suddenly, much to the surprise of Applejack, crying was heard from within their parents' room. Applejack and Big Mac quickly turned toward the room and rushed forward, attempting to see what the matter was. However, their father had opened up the door and gave them a huge smile. His skin was light green and his hair was orange, as well as his eyes were a brilliant yellow. He wore a simple gray shirt with black pants and a pair of glasses. A scruff of natural hair was under his chin.

"Ya two!" he chuckled happily "Would y'all like ta see yer new baby sister?"

"S-Sister?" Applejack was nearly in tears, a small smile appearing on her face "Ah... Ah would love ta..."

The two stepped into the room only to see their mother holding a newborn child in her arms. Their mother had pale blue skin, green eyes and soft purple hair that went all the way down the side of her bed. Her clothing was light and rather indecent, so she wore the bed sheets over herself. The baby on the other hand had pale yellow skin with bright red hair. Her eyes were closed and she had a soft, pink towel over her to keep her warm. She was currently suckling on her mother's milk.

"Hello, Applejack..." her mother smiled "Would you like to see your new baby sister, Apple Bloom?"

"She's so... small..." Applejack stated as she looked at the baby in awe "C-Can ah hold her?"

"Not quite yet, sweetie" her mother giggled a bit "She's still so very small, and I wish to nurture her just a little while longer. Does that sound fair to you?"

"Of course, mommy" Applejack nodded, slightly disappointed. Seeing this, her father pulled her over to attempt to cheer her up.

"Hey, kiddo" he smiled "Ah think ya should have this..." he pulled out a brown hat the likes of Applejack had never seen before and placed it on her head "This hat is mah old stetson hat. It means everythin' ta me, since ah used it on every adventure ah ever had, as well as ah wore it when ah met yer mommy here in this very castle. Now, ah want y'all ta have it."

"But daddy, isn't this important ta ya?" Applejack wondered "Ah dun wanna wear somethin' if it means that much ta ya."

"Kiddo, there is not enough gold or treasure in the world that ah want ta give ya and yer folks up fer" her father smile "It would make me the happiest man in the world if ya wore that hat fer me."

"Ah..." Applejack pondered before finally smiling at her father "Ah will!"

"Good on ya, kiddo!" her father laughed "Now, why dun we go over and relish yer new sister, eh?"

Applejack giggled as she was picked up by her father and carried over to where her mother was. All present in the room laughed at this, even waking little Apple Bloom up, who was more or less just confused about the situation.

"What mah family and ah had was special" Applejack chuckled "Could ya believe it? A raggedy treasure hunter and a princess gettin' together? Y'all would think it wouldn't work out, but they were like two peas in a pot, they were..."

"Sounds like you loved your family more than anything" Twilight smiled.

"Yeah, ah did..." Applejack smiled before she felt a few tears down her face "Oh dang-nabbit! Now ya got me cryin' ya did! Sorry 'bout this; ah can usually hold them in."

"It's alright, Applejack, just let it all out..." Twilight smiled.

"Th-Thanks, Twi" Applejack smiled and nodded "Anyway, as ya probably could guess, our life was the happiest it ever could have been now that we had a new family member. Of course, things never really worked out fer the better after that..."

"O-Oh..." Twilight gulped.

"Mah parents, they... they had ta go on a misson. They took off in their airship and... Ah never saw them again..." Applejack explained "Ah was heartbroken, angry and confused all at the same time when the letter of their passin' came ta me and mah brother. Ah locked mahself in mah room, and hoped ta never come out again."

"What stopped you?" Twilight asked.

"Ah got tired of waitin' ta die" Applejack chuckled sorrowfully "Ah finally went on top of the castle ta relax..."

12 years ago...

Applejack, now older with longer blonde hair and a simple pale purple night gown leaned over the edge of the top of the castle and looked out into the sky, currently the sea of stars. She tried counting each and every one of them to help her fall back to sleep, but after the dreadful news of her parents' passing, she was failing miserably. She looked down at her hands and saw the hat her father had given her four years ago. Tears began emerging from her eyes before she began to silently cry.

"Ah thought ya might be up here" a voice familiar to Applejack caused her to perk up and turn around quickly. There, she saw her now older brother wearing a larger white shirt with black pants. A small dagger was safely tucked away beside him for protection.

"What do ya want, Big Macintosh?" Applejack growled.

"Ah know this whole thing is troublin' fer ya. Believe me, ah can relate" Big Mac sighed "Ah wanted ta see how y'all were doin'. Ah already knew the answer, but... Ah'm yer brother, and its mah responsibility ta make sure mah sister is safe."

"...thanks" Applejack smiled, still very saddened "Yer a good big bro, Big Mac."

"Yep" Big Mac nodded "So, what's on yer mind?"

"Besides our parents?" Applejack wondered "Ah... well... Ah dun think ah'm ready ta lead a kingdom. Y'all heard what everyone in the kingdom is talkin' 'bout! Who's gonna be the next leader? Ah... I dunno..."

"Applejack..." Big Mac sighed.

"Ah want ta be free from all this, Big Mac" Applejack continued to cry, albeit to a lesser extent now "Ah want ta be free of the burden of both leadin' a nation, as well as free from mah troubles thinkin' 'bout mah... our parents. Ah dun think ah could live with both of these at the same time..."

"Applejack, ah have an idea" Big Mac stated, pulling out a coin from his pants pocket "This is a coin ah got from mom. If heads, ya win and y'all can go and live yer life however ya want, leavin' me ta rule the kingdom. If tails, ah go instead. Sound fair?"

"Ah... yeah, okay..." Applejack turned and nodded "Ah accept yer challenge!"

"Then let's flip" Big Mac nodded, placing the coin on this thumb and flipping it into the air "Best of luck, sis."

(Music Stop)

"The coin obviously landed on heads, if ya couldn't already tell" Applejack sighed "After that, ah tossed away mah father's hat over the edge of the castle, and with it, almost all the troubles ah ever had about mah parents. Ah later went on ta become the captain of the Apple court Knights and become somethin' ah never would have if my brother hadn't been there..."

"So then... Why do you still drink away your pain if gave up your heritage and became something else?" Twilight wondered.

"Remember when ah said almost all mah troubles?" Applejack wondered "Well, ah later found out my brother's coin was a trick coin with two heads. He wanted me ta choose mah own life, and ah forever thank him fer that... But at the same time, ah couldn't help but feel ah cheated my acceptance ta my parents' deaths. With this realization, ah began ta drink every once in a while and... old habits die hard, ah guess..."

"Applejack, thank you for telling me this" Twilight nodded "If giving up your father's hat was what you thought was best, then I won't stop you. But our inevitable battle with Titan is coming up soon, and we need ever ounce of strength we can muster. We all need some sleep and, um... soberness in us, so I would request that you stop drinking for the night."

"Thanks, Twilight" Applejack smiled "Ah'll try."

Twilight nodded before she finally exited Applejack's room to go back to her own. Applejack sighed the moment Twilight left. She stood up and walked over to her dresser, opening up the very first shelf. Inside was an old, but very well preserved brown stetson hat. She felt sorry for lying to Twilight about tossing the hat over the edge.

"D-Daddy..." she whispered, touching the hat with her hand "Ah'm... Ah'm sorry... But it looks like ah'm gonna need ya fer one last lil' thin'..."

A warm hand was felt on Applejack's shoulder. Instead of feeling afraid, she relaxed herself and felt the hand enter her body. An aura then surrounded her for a moment before dispersing and making her entire body feel warm and refreshed.

"Thank ya kindly... daddy..."

Morning dawned over the Apple Kingdom, waking everyone up and starting the day. Twilight and her friends had called over every possible Knight and Black Mage to come over in front of the castle to prepare for Applejack to explain the plan. After half-an-hour of waiting, however, most had begun to become impatient, especially Rainbow Dash.

"Ugh! Where is she?" she asked, tapping her foot quickly "She should have been here an hour ago!"

"It's been thirty minutes, darling" Rarity reminded her friend "I'm sure she still need some time to prepare herself."

"Actually, Rarity, she was supposed to be on time for her speech" Twilight mentioned.

"Oh, I hope nothing bad has happened to her..." Fluttershy concernedly said.

Just as some of the Knights and Black Mages were about to leave, the door to the castle swung open and revealed Applejack in all her glory. Everyone gasped however after they saw a brown stetson hat on her head, the very same one she supposedly threw away into the wind. Behind her tied around her neck was a regal red cape that flowed through the soft breeze. She stepped up to the speaking stand and began her speech.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" she announced "Ah am Applejack, captain of the Apple court Knights and former princess of the Apple Kingdom. As many of y'all may be surprised ta see, ah have kept the hat ah claimed ta have thrown out. Because of mah stupidity in doin' so, ah have dealt with a number of questionable choices in mah life."

"Applejack..." Twilight sighed, fortunately not disappointingly.

"However, at the end of the day, ah'm glad ah kept this hat" Applejack proudly stated "Because without it, ah'm not sure ah would have been able ta fully accept mah mother and father's deaths. So, with this hat on mah head, and mah parents always by mah side, ah have decided to finally move on and lead everyone here ta victory!"

The crowd cheered by this statement, with some Black Mages tossing their hats up into the air, and some Knights waving their swords around, careful not to hurt anyone.

"Applejack, you kept the stetson?" Twilight asked Applejack.

"Sorry fer lying ta ya, Twi" Applejack apologized "Ah truly hope ah can make it up ta ya."

"Are you kidding?" Twilight smiled "You've finally moved on! By embracing your past instead of fearing it, no less! I couldn't be more happy with you, AJ."

"Thank ya kindly, Twi" Applejack nodded confidently.

"Though, I'm still a little angry with you" Twilight deadpanned.

"O-Oh!" Applejack was surprised by this "...oh..."

"Hold up, what's with the new get-up, AJ?" Rainbow suddenly asked her friend "Besides the rockin' hat, that cape seems a little out-of-place, if not completely inconvenient while on the battlefield."

"Oh, thanks fer remindin' me, Rainbow Dash" Applejack nodded before rushing up to the speaking stand once again "Ladies and Gentlemen, may ah have yer attention please?" the crowd calmed down "Thank ya. Now, ah am aware of some of the bar fights we've all gotten inta. And personally, ah dun blame ya. The Black Mages and Knights have been mortal enemies since... sorry, ah'm gettin' off topic..."

"Indeed" Rarity rolled her eyes.

"A-Anyway," Applejack continued "ah am not blind ta the fact we all need someone ta lead us all without bein' on one single side of the spectrum. That being said, ah would like to announce that ah have given up my position as a Knight..." she paused, confusing and worrying some people, much to her amusement "...and ah have become a Holy Knight, a person that specialized in both mana and chivalry!"

The crowd, while at first unsure how to take the news, eventually cheered once again. Applejack felt accomplished by this, and let out a well deserved sigh of relief.

"That went better than ah expected..." Applejack sighed, turning around nearly gasping her life away. Standing there was her brother, fit in his official royal clothing consisting of an iron chest plate, a blue shirt, black pants and a long red cape with white fluffing around the edges. On his head was a golden crown with multiple gems in it.

"AJ..." he began his sentence as if he was disappointed with his sister, making her feel bad, before he lightened up and smiled "Ya finally did it, lil' sis."

"Ah... what?" she wondered

"Ah knew ya kept that old hat of dad's" he explained "Ah never said anythin' 'cause ah wanted ya ta learn on yer own that y'all should either finally ferget our folks, or embrace their deaths and use them ta empower yerself. Ah know that sounds like somethin' only a truly dark heart would do, but it was fer yer own good."

"Big Mac..." Applejack looked stunned before she smiled and laughed a bit "Ah've never heard ya talk so much in yer life!"

"Nope" Big Mac laughed with his little sister as well.

"Sorry to intrude, darling" Rarity spoke up "But whatever will happen now?"

"Now?" Applejack questioned before grinning and staring at her friends confidently "Now, we bring the fight ta Titan. Now, we take back the land that is rightfully ours!"

Author's Note

Woo! Good chapter, I'd wager! Not my best, but eh, what can you do, right?

The final battle against Titan will soon commence in the next chapter. It'll be long and grueling, but somehow, someway, our heroes will pull through. And whatever happened to Trixie and Gilda? Did they manage to escape the rockslide, or are they fated to death and/or corruption? Find out on the next episode of Soap!

Hey, the next episode of My Little Pony came out after Christ knows how long! Did everyone enjoy it? Should Knighty make a Sassy Saddles tag on FIMfiction? Well, I don't know, but knowing him he probably will.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 13] The Ruined Mine

"Git in line, everyone!" Applejack shouted at her now marching army of Knights and Black Mages "One, two! One, two! We got a big day ahead of us, so let's go, go, go!!"

After the inspirational speech Applejack made earlier, the entire population of Apple court Knights and Black Mages prepared themselves for whatever their greatest adversary, Titan, had in store for them. The battle would be grueling, there was no doubt about that, but everyone would be going in blind in terms of Titan's defenses. A select few from each job class hopped onto three PS-1-Highwind class airships, large and bulky steel airships with three propellers on its back, two on top, and two large airbags on the side. They were slow, but they could take a beating.

After everything was set, Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack got on their own ship, the Nightgazer, now scrubbed clean of any unfinished lunches that may have made its way onto the hull. Rainbow immediately went for the wheel, making extra sure not to do what Twilight did previously.

"We're all set to go!" she grabbed the wheel and smiled "Just say the word and I'll take this baby outta here!"

"No time like the present, ah suppose" Applejack nodded "Take her outta here, Dash!"

"Aye-aye, captain!" Rainbow spun the wheel and pulled the lever, which in turn began raising the ship. Fluttershy had begun to become a little nervous after remembering last time, but Twilight simply hugged her friend, comforting her the rest of the way.

"I still cannot believe you all own an airship of your very own" Rarity said, extremely impressed "The model looks like it was made of older parts, yet the frames and hull look new. If I am to guess, I would have to say this ship could reach speeds of up to-"

"128 kph" Twilight smiled "In just a few seconds, believe it or not!"

"My oh my!" Rarity grinned "Such power! Such sleekness! Oh, this gives me too many ideas to fathom!"

As Rarity said this, she and the others noticed the other airships starting to rise into the air, following the odd-one-out. Rainbow Dash saw this as well and began turning the ship towards the general direction of the ruined mines, finally beginning the assault. Below the airships marched the army of Black Mages and Knights, ready to battle. Everything was planned accordingly.

Everyone just hoped nothing would go wrong.

(Music Stop)

Everything had gone dead silent the moment the army had arrived at the scene. The troops had stopped marching and the ships stayed stationary in the air. Patiently they waited for something, anything to happen.

"Nothing?" Rainbow groaned "But we brought the whole damn army!"

"Be patient, Rainbow Dash, darling" Rarity assured.

"I, um, have to agree with Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy nodded "This does feel very, um... anticlimactic..."

"Titan has to be planning something..." Twilight presumed "An army of rock-men, or maybe Titan himself, I don't know!"

"Dwight-likes Sparkle!" shouted a familiar voice to any and all present at the area. Everyone turned towards the crumbled mine to see none other than Trixie, still wearing the same, albeit dirtier, robes from last time. She laughed and began floating towards the Nightgazer and proceeded to look straight at the heroes.

"That's Twilight, Trixie!" Twilight shouted "What are you even doing here? How are you still alive?!"

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight..." Trixie shook her head with a grin "You underestimate Trixie's power!"

"I see we also underestimated your reluctance to give up that stupid speech pattern..." Rainbow muttered under her breath.

"Come again, Rainbow Crash?" Trixie wondered

"I said screw you!" Rainbow shouted at the narcissistic woman.

"Sure..."

"You never answered my question, Trixie" Twilight repeated herself "Why are you here and how did you survive?"

"Fool!" Trixie shouted "Have you forgotten Trixie's plan already?! She plans to use Titan's power to make her the most powerful Black Mage in the world!"

"Ah thought ya said it was ta become the greatest woman in the world" Applejack smirked.

"W-Well..." Trixie stuttered "Trixie has had a change of plans! After feeling Titan's power for the very first time, Trixie decided she wants to use its power to enhance her own! Of course, after Titan was finished with ruining the world and the sort. But that's not all! Trixie has discovered a way to not only take Titan's power, but the earth crystal's as well!"

Everyone gasped.

"Trixie, you can't!" Twilight urged

"If you did that, darling, the world would become uninhabitable for us all!" Rarity explained.

"That includes ya, moron!" Applejack shook her head in disapproval.

"Whatever" Trixie rolled her eyes "Trixie would just use her awesome power to shield herself. Then she not only would be the most powerful Black Mage in Equestria, but she would be the ONLY Black Mage in Equestria! AHAHAHAHA!!!"

No one said a word as they watched the crazy woman laugh in front of them. All of them were either confused, angry, shaking their head at Trixie's horrid, literally horrid plan, or all of the above.

"You do understand that plan is really dumb, right?" Twilight asked Trixie "If you're the last person on this planet, let alone the last Black Mage, that would not only make you just a normal human being, but extremely, extremely lonely."

"Trixie doesn't care" she rolled her eyes after she stopped laughing "Trixie just wants to be powerful, and Titan there will help her reach that goal! Trixie will be quite GREAT and quite POWERFUL!!!"

"Oh, Christ..." Rainbow sighed.

"Yer not gettin' away with this, Trixie!" Applejack shouted.

"You're right!" Trixie giggled "She already has! If you want to face Trixie, come into the mines! She and her new pet will be waiting ever so patiently! AHAHAHAHA!!!"

(Music Stop)

And with that, she flew off back to Titan to watch over it and prepare for her world domination. Or something, the team wasn't really paying that much attention to her rambling. All except for Applejack, of course. Pushing Rainbow out of the way, she took the wheel and began moving their airship towards the ruins of the Galloping Gorge Mines.

"Whoa! Applejack, hold up!" Rainbow rubbed her back whilst on the ground "You know what Trixie's trying to do! With a bonkers head like that, I doubt she'll be able to get passed step one."

"That's exactly what worries me, Dash" Applejack sighed "Any number of things could go wrong with her plan."

"Which means we have to stop her as soon as possible" Twilight nodded.

"Well, I, personally, am always up for a good smacking of disobedient brats" Rarity rather snobbishly spoke "Very well then. Let's us continue forth!"

"Oh, um..." Fluttershy realized she had to say something as well "...go team! Woo hoo!"

"Okay..." a smirk appeared on Rainbow's face "Well, what the hell are we waiting for? AJ, take her outta here!"

Applejack nodded and slowly took the ship down to the mine's crumbled ruins. After landing the ship and getting off, she motioned to the army to stand guard and wait for their return before joining her friends and looking up at the mine. A single crack was the only way into the cave. Taking a deep breath, they all entered the cave.

The entire mining platform was a complete wreck. Debris was flung everywhere across the cave, as well as just about every machine there was utterly broken. Twilight felt a disappointed sigh escape her mouth after seeing the fate of the practically ancient machines. A cold and ominous wind blew through the smaller cracks of the cavern, brushing past the heroes' hair and sending shivers down their spines. Nonetheless, they continued on. Though, Fluttershy had to be comforted the rest of the way.

"Oh my..." she shuddered "Everything has become so... dark..."

"Not as dark as Deep Cloudsdale, you gotta admit that" Rainbow chuckled "But you're right, it's getting pretty hard to see."

"Maybe some of the lights still work?" Twilight wondered, still clinging to the hope that maybe something survived.

"I don't think so, darling" Rarity shook her head "After a cave-in like that, it would be a miracle should even a lamp have been left alive. I'm sorry, darling. I know you enjoyed the things we had to offer."

"N-No, it's fine" Twilight sighed "They're just... y'know... priceless relics..." she slapped her face with her hands "Please, god, just one lightswitch to take home and analyze..."

"Now's not the time, Twi" Applejack reminded her "We have ta find and stop Trixie! Ah dun want her ta mess up anythin'."

"Well, more than it already is messed up" Rainbow added.

"But how are earth are we supposed to progress through the cavern, darling?" Rarity wondered, ignoring her friend "Most of the objects here were supposed to allow us to get around the mine, and as Twilight has shown us very clearly, pretty much all of it has been destroyed from the collapse."

"Well, um... Maybe some of it, um, survived?" Fluttershy supposed.

"Y-Yeah! Maybe some survived!" Twilight nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement "Then, after we've used it, we can take it over to the airship and study it!"

"Well, I, um..." Fluttershy quietly spoke "I did say, um... maybe..."

"C'mon, let's have a look around!" Twilight rushed off deeper into the cave.

"Hold up, Twi! Wait for us!" Rainbow called out, racing after her.

"Come, ladies" Rarity nodded at her remaining friends "Let us move quickly yet quietly. Almost elegantly, if you will."

"Ah ain't got time ta walk all fancy like that" Applejack shook her head before running over at her other friends, hoping to rejoin them "Hey pardners! Wait up!"

"Oh my..." Fluttershy sighed "Well, you'll always have me, Rarity."

"Actually, darling, they're right" Rarity agreed "Time is of the essence! We must make haste if we are to stop Titan and Trixie. Come, Fluttershy, darling! Let us rejoin our friends!" she quickly walked over to the group, her high heels tapping themselves across the rock and causing an echo throughout the cavern.

"Oh... dear..." Fluttershy squeaked, noticing she was all alone now "W-Wait for me!!"

After Fluttershy rejoined everyone, they decided it was best if they formed teams to go and scout-out the area. They agreed to pair Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy together to search the left side of the platform, and Rarity, Twilight and Applejack together to search the right. This way, each team had some magic power and physical power should anything bad appear before them.

"See you in a bit then" Rainbow waved to her friends before leaving with Fluttershy "So, where first, Shy?"

"Oh, um..." Fluttershy looked around before noticing something off in the distance "W-What about that up there?"

"Hmm?" Rainbow looked where her friend was looking at "Oh, you mean that blue thing in the rubble?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Okay, lemme check it out" Rainbow extended her wings and flew up to retrieve the object "Heh... I just realize how piss-poor our team planning is. We're both Pegasai, right? Wouldn't it make sense to have put Applejack with you instead?"

"Y-Yes, but..." Fluttershy whimpered "Applejack sort of... um... scares me..."

"Haha!" Rainbow laughed "Yeah, I don't blame you. But you know she's just trying to help. She's great with a sword, and despite her sometimes being strict and to-the-point, I respect her."

"O-Oh..." Fluttershy shakily nodded "Well, um... do you, um... do you... like her?"

"Well, of course! She's my friend right?"

"N-No, that's not..." Fluttershy took a deep breath in and exhaled "...I-I m-mean... um... like her, like her."

"What are you saying?" Rainbow floated down to talk with her friend about what was on her mind.

"Well, y-you see, um..."

(Music Stop)

Before she could finish her sentence, a low growling noise was heard behind Rainbow Dash. She turned around to try and find what it was that made the sound, but she couldn't find it. Suddenly, it growled again, causing Fluttershy to shriek and wrap her body around her friend. Rainbow simply smiled and patted her head.

"Don't worry, Shy" she said "Whatever it is, it won't be able to hurt us. You wanna know why?"

Fluttershy merely whimpered in a questionable tone.

"Because you have me with you" Rainbow smiled and hugged her friend back "And so long as I'm here, nothing ever will be able to hurt you, okay?"

"Well, okay..." Fluttershy sighed "Um... Rainbow Dash...?"

"Yep?"

"Y-You know... We've been f-friends f-for a while, a-and... um... um... uhhh..." Fluttershy began to stutter.

"Hey, calm down there, Shy" Rainbow rubbed her friend's head "There's no need to, pun not intended, be shy about anything with me. C'mon, you can tell me anything!"

"Um... uh... W-Well..." Fluttershy finally just gave up "N-No, it's nothing..."

"Really? Because I thought-"

A rumbling was felt beneath the twos feet. They quickly separated from one-another and looked down in natural instinct to try and find the source of the rumbling. Obviously, they couldn't find it, but the noise and the rumbling got louder and louder, closer and closer. Finally, whatever it was making those sounds revealed itself.

Fluttershy then let out a scream of horror that echoed though the entire cave.

"Hey! Look! It still works!!" Twilight ecstatically bounced up and down, a huge smile plastered right on her face as she flicked on and off the rather old-looking lamp. Her friends let out an exhausted sigh; she was acting like a young girl who just got her hands on a brand-new doll.

The three had been searching around the area for anything useful to them in the way of items or ways down into the deeper part of the mine. There had been a few new monsters occupying the cavern since a few days ago, but nothing a little bit of thought and careful planning on Twilight's part couldn't handle. Of course, as Rarity and Applejack were quick to realize, Twilight wasn't always on par with careful planning.

"And, um, how much do you think that would sell for, darling?" Rarity nervously questioned.

"Sell? Oh no, no, no!" Twilight shook her head "I'm going to study how the heck these things worked!"

"Oh" Applejack deadpanned "Well, as much as ah love ya lookin' around and findin' stuff ya like, we should probably go and find a way inta where Trixie is."

"Right, of course" Twilight nodded "Well, there's gotta be a switch or a lever around here that still works. We could always try and find the mine cart that first brought us into the Magistone cave."

"I think that was the first thing to go, Twilight dear" Rarity remembered "Of course, with any cave-in with a magnitude such as that, there are bound to be a few new entrances here and there."

"Most of which ah would think would then be covered up again..." Applejack sighed.

"Now, now, Applejack" Rarity assured "There's bound to be at least one place worth searching. After all-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!" a loud screech was heard echoing around the cavern.

"Fluttershy..." Twilight gasped.

The trio immediately stopped what they were doing and ran out to see whatever was the matter. When they got there, they saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash facing against a giant, blue scorpion-like monster with a translucent body and white dots all along its back, sides and insides. It had a green-tipped tail that appeared to be filled with deadly poison, along with piercing orange eyes that struck fear into its enemies.

"What on earth is that?!" Rarity nearly shrieked herself.

"I've read about that kind of monster!" Twilight remembered "That's a Scorpio, a distant relative to the Ursa Minor and Major, believe it or not. They're extremely rare, but very in-tune with the earth, as they can burrow through it with extreme ease, and even use it for combat purposes."

"That's fascinating, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted sarcastically, fending off the creature with her spear "Now could you come down and help us?!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Twilight apologized before leaping off the balcony she was on and onto the ground. She was soon followed by her team. They each pulled out their respective weapons and prepared to face the monster.

"Spike, get 'em!" Twilight shouted with her book in her hand as the little Bahamut crawling down and blasting some fire at the Scorpio "And just for good measure... Summon! Lv.2 Shiva!" she called out, summoning once again the icy woman that circled the monster before shattering into millions of sharp ice pieces, digging them into the monster's hide.

"Alright! Now to strike while it's distracted!" Rainbow smirked, jumping up into the air before plummeting down and impaling the Scorpio in the back. Unfortunately, that seemed to do little damage as it just shrugged the attack and Rainbow herself off.

"Fira!" Rarity shouted, raising her rod and casting the powerful fire spell on the creature. Once again, however, it seemed to do little damage to it.

"There's gotta be a way ta beat this thing!" Applejack stated "Maybe some white magic?"

"Or maybe the tail..." Fluttershy quietly suggested. Before anyone could respond, the Scorpio launched its tail tip at the team, impaling it into the ground and causing a pool of green to appear around the impact area. The attack also knocked them back into the rubble and rocks behind them.

"Ugh..." Rainbow shook her head free of fatigue "...wait! What about its tail?"

"Rainbow, th-that's what I just-" Fluttershy began before being interrupted by Applejack.

"Of course! That's gotta be its weakspot!"

"Oh..." Fluttershy sighed.

"Okay then!" Twilight nodded "Everyone aim for the tail!"

"Right!" the team nodded.

"Have summa this!" Applejack ran up to the Scorpio and leaped onto its back before striking it with her sword, leaving a large gash in the spike and causing the monster to cry in agony.

"This'll teach you not to mess with us!" Rainbow jumped up into the air and prepared to fall back down and let gravity do its thing. However, as she was still in the air, the Scorpio let out a mist from its mandibles, covering the rest of the team. Confused as to why they hadn't died right there and then, Rarity went to cast a Fira spell only to discover she couldn't speak.

"Aw, nuts..." Rainbow sighed before plummeting back down and stabbing the Scorpio's tail tip, leaving an even larger gash in it and causing it to nearly fall right off the tail segment "I leave you guys for two seconds and you get yourselves muted."

Applejack rolled her eyes as she continued to rush forward and attack the creature's weak point.

"Of course you're not affected that much, but we have, like, twelve mages on our team" Rainbow pointed out "Hey, um... Twilight? You remembered to buy echo herbs, right?"

Twilight nodded at her friend before pulling out some small red herbs and tossing one to each of her nearby muted friends while keeping one for herself. As soon as she and they chomped down on them, they let out vocal sighs of relief.

"Good heavens, that was horrid" Rarity gasped.

"Not the time, Rare" Twilight focused her friends on their target.

"Before you continue... Cure!" Fluttershy waved her staff and sent a holy light over each and every one of her friends. Rarity, feeling refreshed, pointed her rod right at the Scorpio's tail and smiled.

"You owe me a spell, darling" she charged up her rod "Fira!" she launched the fire right at her target, slicing it clean off and causing the monster to once again cry out in pain. This time, however, it fell to the ground and curled up into a ball, making a small screech that faded out the closer it got to death.

"Alright! Once again, Dash is victorious!" Rainbow bounced up and down ecstatically.

"Excuse me?" Twilight scoffed "What about us?"

"Oh, right" Rainbow rolled her eyes "I guess you guys helped too."

"Do try to be more considerate, darling" Rarity suggested "You never know when you might hurt someone's feelings."

(Music Stop)

Suddenly, Applejack came up to Twilight and tapped her foot repeatedly, apparently waiting for something. It took Twilight a moment before she finally realized she had forgotten to give Applejack her own echo herb.

"Sorry, AJ" Twilight chuckled, taking out another herb and giving it to her friend.

"Finally, ah can talk again!" Applejack stomped her foot and smiled after ingesting her medicine "But... We kinda wasted time fightin' that thin'. Who knows what Trixie could be doin' by this point?"

"Hey, guys? You might wanna come and check this out!" Rainbow called her friends over to the corpse of the Scorpio. As soon as everyone was present, they noticed that the creature had been fading away, as all constellation monsters do when they die. However, underneath the monster's fading body was a small hole that emitted the very same brilliant light that the Magistone gave off last time the mages felt it.

"It's small, but I think it leads to the center" Rainbow brought up "Looks like our little battle wasn't for nothing after all!"

"Oh my... That's certainly a deep hole..." Fluttershy pointed out "Will we, um... be able to, um... survive the fall?"

"It's a pretty narrow shaft, darling..." Rarity examined "I suggest we move in single-file. That way, we'll be able to climb down the rocks with relative ease. It's getting back up that worries me."

"We might not be able ta return after this" Applejack somberly spoke the truth "Is everyone here ready?"

"Sign me the hell up!"

"I'm prepared, darling."

"Um... yes..."

"Let's finish this!"

"Then in that case..." Applejack nodded and proceeded to slip her way down into the crack of the earth, deep into the heart of the mountain. Soon after, the others followed, with some slight prompting for Fluttershy, of course. Eventually, they had all made their way into the crack, making sure to leave for Rainbow Dash last for... certain and, dare one say, obvious reasons.

Author's Note

Believe it or not, this is actually a two-parter! I wanted to make it a long chapter to make up for the lack of updates (because school), but I knew that it would be better if I just made another chapter for simplicity.

Also because I like trolling you guys. :trollestia:

The battle with Titan fast approaches! I know I said that we'd fight Titan in this chapter, but... technically this is part one, so... Yeah, I upheld my promise. You just need to wait an extra day before you can find out the ending of this act!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favorite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 14] The Earth

Deeper and deeper the team descended into the cavern, careful not to lose their grip and fall down. Not that they couldn't stop their fall anytime they wanted with such a narrow pathway, but still, they tread carefully.

"This is one mighty deep hole..." Applejack pointed out "How long do ya reckon it goes on fer?"

"My guess is a while..." Twilight groaned "I mean, that was a pretty deep hole we fell into last time."

"With a slide and everything!" Rainbow added.

"Oh yeah! That part was actually kinda fun" Twilight rolled her eyes, smiling a bit "But I suppose we're stuck going down this long, narrow hole instead of the fun one."

"Well, what if we drop for a moment?" Rarity suggested "We could always stop our fall anytime we wanted, and it would save about... well... a long period of time."

(Music Stop)

"Ah guess we could try..." Applejack shrugged "Okay, everyone... On mah mark... One..."

"Ohhh..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"Two..."

"This is gonna hurt any way we do this..." Rainbow muttered to herself.

"Three..."

"Relax, Rarity, you were the one to think of this idea in the first place" Rarity inhaled and exhaled a few times.

"Now!" Applejack shouted.

The moment she spoke, everyone let go of the rocks and began quickly descending into the depths of the cavern. A few shrieks of terror were heard from Rarity and Fluttershy, unexpectedly, but the others simply braced themselves for when they needed to stop. In fact, Rainbow Dash seemed to be having the time of her life.

"WOO HOOO!!!" she excitedly called out "This is AWESOME!!"

"Ah can see the end!" Applejack's eyes widened before she smiled and looked up "On mah mark, everyone stop yerselves! One..."

"No time!!" Twilight shouted, causing everyone to extend their hands out and skid down to a stop. Most had gloves or gauntlets to protect their hands whilst slowing down. All save for Fluttershy, who tried touching the wall but burnt her hand a bit.

"Ow..." she whimpered "I... I'm going to have to, um... keep falling."

"Wait, what?!" Everyone shouted.

"Then... Oh, this is gonna hurt..." Applejack sighed as she let go of the wall and continued to fall down. The others save for Rainbow Dash let go as well, attempting to cushion Fluttershy's fall.

"Next time, Shy, bring gloves, okay?" Rainbow suggested.

"O-Okay..." Fluttershy nodded.

(Music Stop)

"Oooowwwww..." groaned Twilight "Is everyone... okay?"

"Ah'm good" Applejack nodded.

"Ohhh... I can't feel my legs!" Rarity slightly panicked before the blood came rushing back into the lower half of her body "Oh! Never mind then!"

"Kaw!" Spike crawled around until finding his owner and walking up onto her shoulder, snuggling her affectionately. Twilight sighed a smile and rubbed her pet's head gently.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, everyone..." Fluttershy apologized as quickly as she could "Um... You didn't have to, um... do this for me. I would have been, um... fine."

"Actually, that fall would have killed you" Rainbow Dash jumped down from the crack in the ceiling, where the team fell from "If these guys weren't here to help you, I have a feeling there would be you over the floor and not them."

"Rainbow Dash! Far too much information!" Twilight scolded her friend before getting up, cracking her back and sighing in relief "Ahh... That feels better..."

"But... Is this the place?" Rarity stretched her arms as she too got up and looked around.

They had fallen into a large room that glowed a heavenly blue light. The mages once again felt blissful again, feeling the light on their skin. After one more look around, they concluded that they were in fact in the very same Magistone cave they had fallen into previously.

"But if this is the cave, where's Trixie?" Applejack asked.

"Or that ruffian Gilda, for the matter?" Rarity questioned.

"Gilda..." Rainbow sighed.

"Welcome, one and all!" everyone knew who's voice echoed through the cave "Welcome to Trixie's lair!"

Everyone looked up with a scowl on their face, even Fluttershy, surprisingly. Descending from the other end of the cavern was none other than the very same Black Mage that had given them so much trouble the past couple of days. With a laugh, she stepped down onto the ground and looked at her foes with a smile on her face.

"Trixie!" Twilight growled.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Twibright Snorkel" Trixie folded her arms "Trixie sees you've defeated her Scorpio. Do you know how hard it is to tame one of those?!"

"Seeing how constellation monsters are rare and extremely aggressive, I would say..." Twilight thought for a moment before shrugging "...eh, couldn't have been that hard."

"Don't mock Trixie!" Trixie scoffed "She is far above you in terms of power! Compared to you, Trixie is a demigod!"

"Well, no, actually" Rainbow spoke up "You don't have power, you just own power, which means you're still like us, and a quick spear-to-the-chest will deal with you quite nicely, actually."

"You wish to kill Trixie?" Trixie laughed "You can't kill Trixie! She has Titan at her disposal! Speaking of, do you hear the sound of a certain guardian approaching? Because Trixie does! She clearly has far better hearing than you."

(Music Stop)

The team did hear a sound, though. They were heavy footsteps slowly approaching the area. Every time a thump was made, the ground shook and even knocked a few on their backsides. At the sound's loudest, it suddenly stopped, only for the entire back wall of the cavern to explode, sending Magistone bits everywhere. On the other side of the now crumbled wall was a tall, brown, sturdy-looking humanoid rock monster with a stubby head, large teeth in its mouth, a muscular chest, muscular arms and legs, and a purple loincloth covering its crotch area. Not that there was anything to really cover anyway.

"Fools and imbeciles, Trixie presents to you..." Trixie waved her arms in the air like she was putting on some sort of magic show "...the guardian of the earth crystal, Titan!"

Titan let out an extremely loud roar, forcing everyone to cover their ears. As soon as the roar was finished, Titan raised its foot up before slamming it back down into the ground, causing spikes to appear around the team.

"Hahaha!" Trixie laughed "Crush them! Destroy them!"

Mindlessly, Titan continued its attacking, though perhaps not on Trixie's behalf. It slowly walked toward the team and tried to crush them under its foot. It would have done so, unless...

"Blizzara!" Rarity shouted, firing out a large, sharp chunk of ice at the guardian's leg joint, freezing it and causing it to trip over and fall on its back.

"Nice job, Rare!" Applejack nodded before running up onto the creature and impaling it right in the head. Unfortunately, in the heat of their triumph, Applejack had forgotten Titan was, well... a rock. Titan immediately pushed her off and got back up, crushing the ice encasing its leg. It then picked up Applejack and began waving her around like crazy.

"Try and hit its vulnerable spot!" Twilight shouted.

"It's a rock, it doesn't have any vulnerable spots!!" Applejack shouted before she was thrown across the room, nearly hitting the wall if it wasn't for Fluttershy and her Aero spell, gently setting her down onto the ground.

"What about the eyes?" Rainbow suggested "The mouth! The nose! I don't know, just start throwing shit at it! Fire spells, Ice spells, baby fire gods! ANYTHING!!"

"Fluttershy, darling, I think I have an idea, but I'll require your assistance!" Rarity called over to her friend, to which she slowly approached her "Yes, now, I will cast Blizzara at the creature again to attempt to freeze it-"

"HEADS UP!!" Rainbow warned the two mages, moving themselves out of the way from a fist-slam from Titan. After finding safer grounds, Rarity continued her talk.

"Sorry, darling" she apologized "Now, where was I...? Oh yes, of course! After I have successfully cast Blizzara, I would like you to use your Aero spell to move it around and freeze the entire body of the creature, allowing us a better chance of attack. Is this something you think you might be able to do?"

"O-Of course, Rarity" Fluttershy nodded.

"Good! Now..." Rarity pointed her rod at Titan once more "Blizzara!"

"Aero!" Fluttershy waved her staff around, causing a breeze to whip up, moving the icy attack around Titan's body. The wind then tightly hugged it before the ice within froze the torso, arms and legs together. Titan growled, attempting to move itself, but the ice was much thicker this time around.

"Spellblade me, Rare!" Applejack extended her sword and allowed her friend to cast Fira on her sword "This is fer bein' a rock, ya stupid rock!" she leaped into the air and brought her blade down on Titan's left arm. With the ice weakening its rocky body, Applejack was able to slice right through both the ice and rock, severing the arm.

"W-What?!" Trixie immediately noticed this "No! You can't lose, Titan! Trixie won't allow it! She demands you destroy them with everything you have!"

After its arm was cut off, Titan went into a fit of rage against the team. It shattered the ice around it and stomped its feet on the ground, bouncing everyone up into the air, if only just a little bit. Stalagmite made of Magistone rose from the ground and attempted to impale the team, thankfully to no avail. But then, Titan reached over and grabbed its severed left arm with its right and began using it as a weapon, swinging it around at the five.

"Jesus!" Rainbow shouted, taking cover.

"Okay, lesson learned: cutting things off rock monsters is bad!" Twilight analyzed "If slicing its arm off won't even make it wince, well we're as good as screwed."

"But maybe..." Applejack thought aloud "Ah got it! Rarity, Fluttershy, do yer thin' again!"

"But, darling, all that did last time was anger it further!" Rarity pointed out.

"Ah'm well aware, Rare" Applejack nodded "But ya just have ta trust me."

"...oh, alright" Rarity chuckled before raising her rod right at Titan "Fluttershy, dear, you know what to do."

"Y-Yes, I know" Fluttershy stuttered.

"In that case... Blizzara!"

"Aero!" the two executed their double attack once again, wrapping Titan with wind and encasing it in ice.

"Twilight, weaken the ice!" Applejack called out.

"Right!" Twilight shouted back before looking over at her pet Bahamut. Spike nodded and crawled right off of her shoulder, spewing flames at the frozen guardian, creating a weak point for Applejack to strike.

"...and, stay down!" Applejack leaped up for one final time and, with her sword still engulfed with flame, slashed at Titan multiple times through the newly made soft spot. As soon as Applejack landed back down onto the ground, Titan crumbled up into hundreds of pieces that scattered themselves across the floor.

"N-NO!!" Trixie shouted "Impossible! How could you have defeated Titan?! It is supposed to be invincible!"

"You forget, Trixie" Twilight was about to say something sappy, and Rainbow Dash knew it "It was our power of friendship that overpowered you and the guardian!"

"Ugh..." everyone groaned.

"What?" Twilight wondered.

(Music Stop)

"Fool! You may have your precious friendship and sappy stuff, but Trixie will always be the most powerful Black Mage in the world!" Trixie laughed "You will never be able to defeat me! Trixie is- URK!"

"YOU... TALK... TOO... MUCH..." a low voice spoke right after Trixie was impaled with a rock from Titan's body "YOU... ARE... ANNOYING... BUT... POWERFUL... YOU... WILL... MAKE... A... GOOD... VESSEL..."

"V-V-Ves... sel...?" Trixie felt life draining away from her "W-Who...?"

"YOU... KNOW... WHO... I... AM..." Titan's remains then circled around Trixie and absorbed themselves into her. Some Magistone even came and was absorbed into the now swirling ball of energy and magic in front of the team.

Finally, after a few more moments, the light dissipated and revealed Titan's new form. It, or rather she now, looked exactly like Trixie only with much longer hair, giant rock arms as large as her body, leg-sized stones circling her, and rocks now acting as her clothing, just barely covering it all up. Behind her was now a long rock tail that moved from left to right every once-in-a-while. She looked up at the five with a smile, her now red eyes glowing fiercely.

"This... is an odd form..." the possessed Trixie stated "I suppose I must now get used to these new... features. And... my voice. It's higher? Ah, of course, I'm a woman now."

"T-Trixie?" Twilight wondered "Is that you?"

"Ah, you five are still here" the woman remembered "The one you know as Trixie is gone, I think you'll be happy to hear. However, her body remains, and with it I, Titan, no... Doltram, have begun to use it for my own needs. I suppose in the end, she was useful."

"Wanna tell us your plan? Might as well" Rainbow's eyebrow rose.

"My plan has always been to protect the earth crystal from those willing to do harm to it" Doltram explained "However, this body's hatred for everyone around her has given me a new purpose in my life. With this body, I shall create a new world for people to live in with my rules and my beliefs. I shall exterminate any who stand in my way of this goal, including you!"

Doltram then slapped her hands together, causing the cracks in her body to glow the same heavenly light of the Magistone. With its power, she summoned a two large swords and grabbed each of them with her hands. She then began swinging them around a bit before aiming them right at the team.

"Doltram, was it?" Applejack wondered "Ah came here ta defeat Trixie and stop her from usin' the earth crystal ta ruin mah land even more than it already has been..." she then twirled her own still flaming sword and pointing right at Doltram "And that's exactly what ah'm gonna do!"

"Heh... Crazy mutated person that serves as the crystal's guardian?" Rainbow laughed "Never heard that one before!"

"Here she comes!" Twilight shouted. She moved right out of the way before one of Doltram's swords slammed right into where Twilight was originally. She then pulled out her book and summoned something she hadn't tried yet.

"Summon! Lv.2 Ramuh!" she called out. Before her came a purple summon circle that brought forth an elderly man with a very long, bushy beard, a foot-down robe, and a wooden staff. He swung his staff around a bit before sending an electrical power right at Doltram's body, inflicting some damage unto her. The old man then descended back into into the circle, both disappearing in a flash.

"Ugh... This body is significantly weaker than my previous" she said "No matter... So long as I can overpower you, you are all insects compared to me! Magnitude 8!" a fierce rumbling occurred beneath the team's feet that rattled their bones and dealt some serious damage to them.

"Pegasai, to the skies!" Twilight shouted at her winged friends. They quickly nodded before starting to hover in the air.

"What will protect us, darling?" Rarity questioned.

"We'll simply have to tank the damage for now" Twilight sighed "I'm not sure if we'll be able to escape her Magnitude 8 move, but I do know we can have Fluttershy heal us whenever we take too much damage."

"O-Of course" Fluttershy nodded before raising her staff "Cure!" a calming light was cast on each of her friends, healing some of the damage they recently took.

"Time to put this to good use as well" Twilight pulled out a potion, popped off the top and began guzzling it down, feeling extremely refreshed afterwards.

"You still stand? Even after Magnitude 8?! How dare you!" Doltram shouted "Well, I think you'll be very unhappy to know I have accumulated some magic as well from the surrounding Magistone. In case you mortals failed to understand that, I am now able to cast my own spells! Now, fall under the power of-"

"Ya talk too much" Applejack jumped up and struck Doltram's fleshy area, dealing a good amount of damage to her.

"Yes, darling, it is getting rather annoying" Rarity twirled around her rod before pointing right at her opponent "Blizzara!" once more, a chunk of ice launched out at the rod and at its target. However, Doltram remembered this from her time as Titan and slashed the chunk with one of her swords, shattering it into thousands of pieces.

"No matter, I shall simply cast another one" Rarity stuck out her rod again "Blizzara!"

Nothing happened.

"Oh dear..." she slightly panicked on the inside "I appear to be out of mana, darlings!"

"This cave is filled with magic, Rare" Rainbow pointed out "Just touch some and get it back."

"Oh, of course!" Rarity rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. However, Doltram would have none of this.

"What's this? Using the Magistone without my permission?" she questioned "MY Magistone?! How dare you! Only I am allowed to use that! Now, suffer the consequences of defying me!" she crossed her swords like an X and cast a barrier around the mystical ore, keeping it protected from prying hands "There! Now you will never be able to outmatch me!"

"This bitch is even more obnoxious than Trixie" Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"But still just as soft" Twilight explained "I don't care if she's a god or something, everything has a weakness and or a weak point. And I see her's right in the center..." she pointed right at Trixie's original body.

"Right then" Applejack nodded "Everyone, aim fer the body!"

"Pardon?" Doltram questioned "How dare you! This body is mine to use and abuse! None shall-"

"Oh fer..." Applejack jumped up and got face-to-face with her opponent "Just shut-up!" she swung down her sword, but was unfortunately blocked by one of Doltram's rocky arms.

"You are persistent" she said angrily, pushing Applejack back "All of you are! But your will to defeat me is strong... No, I cannot allow that! No willpower in the world will be able to defeat me! Nothing can!"

"Ugh... Just shut-up already!" Rainbow Dash shouted before getting an idea "Wait... Why don't we try what we did last time?"

"Just a problem with that, darling" Rarity brought up "I'm out of mana, remember?"

"Actually, I was saving this for when we needed it most" she pulled out a clear glass bottle with a green liquid inside it "This is a tincture. It recovers some of your lost mana, meaning you'll get one last shot at doing this. Drink up!" she tossed the drink at her friend, to which she immediately downed it.

"Mmmm... What a peculiar, but rather refreshing taste..." Rarity rated the drink "But that doesn't matter now. What matters is this! Fluttershy, on my mark, use Aero!"

"O-Okay!" Fluttershy nodded, readying her staff.

"One... Two... Three... Now! Blizzara!" she pointed her rod and sent a huge chunk of ice at Doltram. As she did, Fluttershy summoned another gust of air that shattered the chunk and wrapped the pieces around the guardian's body before finally freezing her neck down. This gave a wonderful opportunity for the others to strike.

"Time for something a little stronger than Spike... No offense, little guy" Twilight petted her Bahamut before flipping through her book and coming across the Lv.2 fire summon "Summon! Lv.2 Ifrit!"

Once again, a purple summon circle appeared before her feet, giving rise to a large man with tanned brown, scarred skin, a red loincloth covering his crotch area, and horns growing from his head. He waved his arms a bit before summoning a giant sword of fire which came right down onto Doltram's right arm, shattering the ice but giving way for the others to attack her soft core. The man then descended back down into the summon circle, which disappeared soon after.

"NO!!" Doltram shouted.

"Oh yes!" Rainbow grinned before using her jump ability and descending down onto her foe's now open weak point, slashing across her belly and leaving a huge mark.

"Time ta end this!" Applejack shouted before leaping on a few of Doltram's rocks and preparing to strike her.

"Not yet, you're not!" Doltram shouted, swinging her remaining sword and clashing with Applejack's. They both struggled to outdo the other, but in the end, it was Applejack that managed to cut right through Doltram's blade and impale her right through the chest.

(Music Stop)

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!" she cried out, clutching her chest as soon as Applejack's sword pulled out of it "YOU... YOU... INSOLENT... FOOLS... AAAHHHGGGGGGG!!!!

As she continued screaming, her body slowly disintegrated into nothingness, gently placing Trixie's near-lifeless nude body on the ground. The dust of the rocks blew down deeper into the cave, where Titan came from. Most turned away from the body to give Trixie at least some semblance of dignity, all except for Rainbow Dash, who anyone would know by now is one of the most perverted people in the world.

"Rainbow, look away, that's... wrong" Twilight urged.

"Heheh... nope" Rainbow chuckled, continuing to stare at her body "Besides, after what she did, she kinda deserves this."

"While ya keep lookin' at her, we're gonna check out the crystal and see ifin it needs attention" Applejack stated, sheathing her sword "Twilight, didn't ya say on our way here that if we killed the guardian, the crystal would start ta fade away?"

"Precisely" Twilight nodded "However, each crystal holds a legendary hero that combated King Sombra."

"What?!" Rarity and Applejack shouted at the same time.

"Did I not mention that? Sorry..." Twilight nervously chuckled before getting back on topic "But yes, the heroes are in fact real and have their souls trapped inside the crystals. It's our job to get them out so we can borrow their power and use it to defeat Sombra. Only, I'm not sure if we have the person this hero will accept..."

"Well, what about Applejack, darling?" Rarity suggested.

"We'll have to see about that" Twilight nodded "We should go and check in on the crystal anyway just to make sure. Rainbow Dash, come along now."

"Oh, alright..." Rainbow sighed, following her friends into the hole that Titan made, leading deeper into the cavern.

At the end of the hallway was an alter not unlike the one found by Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash that held and protected the wind crystal. In the center this time, however, was none other than the earth crystal, still bright as it ever was; though, that was more than likely thanks to the dust from Doltram's body that was absorbed into it.

"So this is the earth crystal?" Rarity asked "All my life I have lived in that cave filled with beauty and wonder, and never once have I seen something as beautiful as this..."

"Legends say the earth crystal was once placed in our lil' kingdom" Applejack remembered hearing about the legend some time ago "But Titan grew enraged by us and took it fer itself. Ah guess at the end of the day, it was just tryin' ta protect the crystal. But its morels were wrong, and ah don't feel bad about killin' it."

"Yeah, neither do ah!" spoke another female country voice unfamiliar to any of the team members.

"That voice..." Twilight thought aloud "...could it be? The hero of the earth crystal?"

"Yer darn tootin'!" spoke the voice again before finally revealing its owner in a ghostly manner. She had beige-yellow skin, turquoise eyes and short, auburn hair that only slightly curled, much like Fluttershy's. On her head was a brown, pointed hat and with a yellow ring around it that neatly tucked a long, white feather in. On her body was a brown dress that went down to her knees with a dapper white neck piece and puffy orange sleeves. On her face were admittedly pretty cute freckles.

"So you're the hero of the earth crystal?" Rainbow wondered "No offense, but you kinda look like a dainty woman."

"Oh, shut it!" the woman shouted "Ah look like this because before ah died becomin' the crystal, ah was a Red Mage."

"A Red Mage?" Twilight wondered.

"Yes" the woman nodded "Mah family symbolized the union between Black Mages and Knights, but since ah never had youngin's', the line was broken and the two sides split off from each other. Ah dun think there's a single Red Mage left in this world now. Ah've searched and searched though mah time in the crystal, but no one was able to perfectly understand both black and white magic at the same time."

"How unfortunate..." Rarity somberly sighed.

"Oh, mah apologies!" the woman slapped herself on the head "Ah'm Smart Cookie, and ah'm here because one of y'all is compatible with mah power. And judgin' by mah easily superior knowledge, ah'm guessin' it's... ya!" she pointed at Rarity and flew up next to her.

"Me?" she wondered.

"Yes, it has ta be ya!" Smart Cookie nodded "Now hold still; this might feel weird..." she began channeling her power into Rarity, but nothing happened "Huh? What? Yer not the one? So then how am ah here?"

"Maybe yer 'easily superior knowledge' is wrong" Applejack chuckled.

"Ah... Ya... Hmm..." Smart Cookie thought "Do ya happen ta be Apple royalty blood?"

"Well, yeah ah am, but-"

"No buts!" Smart stopped her "Ya might be the one instead. If ya REALLY are, ah'm gonna transfer mah power, nay, the crystal's power inta ya. We might not see each other again, but ah promise ya if the time comes, ah'll be there."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, miss Smart Cookie" Fluttershy waved goodbye.

"W-Wait... Ya look... familiar..." Smart Cookie said as she was absorbing herself into Applejack's body "Ah dunno why, but somethin' about ya just seems... wait... Ah know who ya are! Yer-"

Smart's mouth faded away just before she could finish, causing her eyes to become very disappointed. With that last expression, her entire being had completely faded away into Applejack, causing the latter to sigh.

(Music Stop)

"Fluttershy..." Twilight began "What was Smart Cookie talking about when she said she recognized you?"

"I-I'm not sure, Twilight..." Fluttershy seemed just as confused at her friend "B-But honestly... I don't exactly want to know..."

"Fair enough" Twilight nodded before turning to her friends and briefing them "Well, two down, four to go! We're making good progress here, people! Now we just have to find a way out."

The second she finished her sentence, the ground and ceiling began to crumble and shake. Without Titan around, the cave was starting to collapse.

"And fast!" Applejack worryingly said.

"But there's no way out of here other than that narrow way we came through last time!" Rainbow brought up "Even then, that's all the way on the ceiling of the cave! Furthermore, I'm not sure how far we'd get with a crumbling cave shaking and rattling us."

"So... we're... doomed?" Rarity questioned.

Everyone went silent after that, the only noise being the crumbling cave around them. Before any of them could talk again, something hit each of them on the head, knocking them out.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes to the bright sunlight of the outside world. She felt the warmness of the sun along with the soft grass on her back. She took a deep breath in and smelled the clean air that brushed against her face and hair. She smiled for only a moment before a realization suddenly struck her.

"Am I... dead?" she wondered.

"Originally, that's what I was thinking too" spoke a voice all too familiar to her. She sat up straight and looked up to see none other than Rainbow Dash perfectly A-okay.

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"The one and only, baby" Rainbow smirked "The others and I were waiting for you to get back."

"Oh, well... thanks!" Twilight smiled before she finally stood up and looked behind her, seeing all her friends with relieved expressions on their faces. Suddenly, Twilight remembered something very important to her.

"Wait, where's Spike?!"

"Kaw!" Spike cried out from atop Fluttershy's shoulder, quickly crawling down and rejoining his owner before snuggling her. Twilight just laughed at this gesture.

"Aww, great to see you too, little guy" she giggled.

"So, I suppose we're done here, darlings?" Rarity wondered.

"Pretty much" Applejack confirmed "Rarity and ah are goin' with y'all, in case yer wonderin'."

"Of course! Always happy to have some extra members on our team" Twilight smiled and nodded "Just to let you know, anything could happen on our journey. Are you sure you're ready?"

"Darling, after witnessing that horrid creature and defeating it with barely any mana left, I feel ready to take on the world!" Rarity grinned "Let us find the heroes of the olden days and use their power to fight Sombra once again!"

"Do ah even need ta answer that question?" Applejack smirked.

"Alright then!" Twilight raised her fist into the air "Let's get back home!"

"Well, um... First we have to, um, find the airship..." Fluttershy softly spoke. The others' smiles turned around when they all suddenly realized just how stranded they were. None of the landmarks looked familiar to them. Something told them they would have a lot of walking to accomplish.

"Ugh... uhnnn..." Trixie groaned while on the cold, hard ground in front of the ruined mines "What... What happened to Trixie? Has she been harmed? And where is Titan?"

She shook her head and got back up off the ground only to see the entire army of Black Mages and Knights before her. They all readied their weapons, but quickly gasped and turned away from her.

"Haha! Yes! Fear Trixie!" Trixie laughed "But... She never thought it would be this easy to make everyone bow down to her..."

At that moment, she realized her lower section was slightly drafty. Curiously and confusingly, she looked down only to see that she was in the nude. Her face flushed a bright red color as she attempted to to cover herself up. But it was far too late for that. An old man approached her with a huge smile on his face.

"You are a very pretty woman, Trixie! Hehehe!!" he laughed.

"St-Starswirl! How dare you gaze upon Trixie's form!" Trixie shouted "You... You perverted old fool!" she then turned around and ran away, the entire army laughing at her as she did.

"Sir!" a Knight approached Starswirl "Should we give chase?"

"...No, I think this is an appropriate punishment" Starswirl agreed "She won't get very far anyway. Well, I suppose now is as good a time as ever to tell those five they aren't really lost. Knight, prepare the airships and collect them!"

"Yes, sir!" the knight nodded and dashed off to the rest of the army.

(Music Stop)

"...thank you" Starswirl smiled as he turned around and saw someone who had their entire body covered in a raggedy brown robe, with the hood over their head "Thank you for saving my daughter and her friends. If you hadn't been there, I'm not sure if I would have been able to cope with their losses."

The mysterious figure held out their hand curled their fingers a few times. Starswirl nodded and gave them a bag filled with a couple thousand bits.

"From the king's secret stash, but don't tell him I found it next to his 'Alicorn Daily' magazine..." Starswirl chuckled. The figure merely placed the money on their hip and dashed away. As they did, Starswirl smiled.

"Maybe one day you can tell her the truth..." he said "Maybe one day... You can make it up to her."

Author's Note

If someone can count how many times I said Blizzara in this chapter, I will give you a cookie!

So ends the Earth arc! For real! We're moving onto the Water arc next, just to tell you. And for the love of crap: YES, that's where we're going to be meeting Pinkie Pie. Yeah, I know, it only took me five thousand years to put her in the story, but alas, here you are.

Next act is gonna change some shit, man! It'll be slightly weird, but goddammit, if Hideo Kojima could do it in Metal Gear, then so can I! No, that was a joke. The story will still be simple.

BTW, anyone play MGS5 yet? It's very good, but don't trust Konami after this. They're a bunch of retards. I mean, for starters they cancelled Silent Hills for a Silent Hill slot machine, then they fired Kojima because MGS5 was starting to get too expensive. Word of advice: Don't buy anything from them ever again!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 15] The Song

It had taken it only a few minutes for the army to discover the team on the other side of the gorge. Truly not much had happened after that. All that really happened was a short reunion between Rarity and Starswirl after a while away from each other. Afterwards, the Apple Kingdom officially decreed that the Black Mages could stay in their land for as long as they wanted. After this, the team finally said their goodbyes and took off in their airship back towards Ponyville to meet up with Luna and perhaps even Celestia.

"It's a nice breeze today!" Twilight stated while controlling the airship, before looking at Applejack and Rarity with a smirk on her face "You're welcome."

"Fer what?" Applejack wondered.

"Hahaha! I get it!" Rainbow laughed before heading down into the lower deck.

"Was that was a joke?" Rarity wondered "Was it an inside joke, darlings, or something that flew right over my head?"

"Oh, you two weren't here when we, um, revived the wind crystal" Fluttershy remembered "Um... basically, um..."

"That's all you need to say, Fluttershy" Twilight assured "But don't feel sad about that. Here, wanna take control of her for a bit? Don't worry about crashing her; I have her on cruise control."

"O-Okay... um... s-sure..." Fluttershy slowly grabbed the wheel with her hands and shook a bit before letting out a sigh and smiling a bit "M-Maybe this isn't as bad as I though... Y-Yeah! This is... pretty fun!"

"See? What did I say?" Twilight grinned "Now, you think you got it?"

"Y-Yes" Fluttershy nodded as confidently as she could.

"Then I'm going to take my hands off the wheel now..." Twilight slowly did so and smiled once she saw how natural Fluttershy was at flying the ship "Hey, good job! It's just a few more miles now, but if you ever feel anxious about this, just tell me and I'll take over."

"N-No thank you..." Fluttershy politely shook her head "I'm g-good for now."

"Well, okay then."

"Yo guys! Check this out!" Rainbow emerged from the lower decks carrying something in her hands.

"Oh my! What is it, darling?" Rarity wondered.

"This is a jukebox" Rainbow placed it on the ground with a huff "I found it in Luna's room next to all her boy band stuff."

"Sorry, what?" Twilight couldn't stop herself from snickering at that last part.

"Rainbow Dash, ya shouldn't go inta other people's rooms without their permission" Applejack scolded "Ya might find somethin' they wanted ta keep a secret from people."

"Relax, AJ" Rainbow assured with a cocky smile "This thing comes with some sick beats on it! Would you rather sit around on an airship doing nothing or would you rather listen to some music?"

"...fine" Applejack rolled her eyes "But we gotta choose somethin' that ah like in return."

"Seems like a fair trade" Rainbow nodded, pulling out some record tapes "I found these three in her room as well. Take your pick, just don't choose-"

"Posey: Greatest Aria" Applejack smiled, knowing exactly how to push her friend's buttons.

"I told you not to choose that!" Rainbow shouted.

"No, ya never finished yer sentence" Applejack spoke only the truth.

"You... You..." Rainbow Dash wanted to curse at her, but couldn't help but respect her low-handed excuse "...you clever bitch. No wonder I looked up to you! Alright, we'll play your stupid soundtrack. Couldn't be that bad, right?"

"W-Wait!" Fluttershy stepped out, forcing Twilight to quickly take the wheel again "M-Maybe we should play something else!"

"Sorry, Shy" Rainbow shrugged "A deal's a deal."

"N-No, please, let's just talk this out!" Fluttershy urged.

"Are you alright, darling?" Rarity wondered "You seem on edge today? Is everything okay?"

"Maybe she just doesn't like the music?" Rainbow supposed "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Fluttershy, I don't really want to listen to this either. So let's go into this together."

"No stop!" Fluttershy never stuttered when she shouted that one final plea. But it was too late. Rainbow Dash had already put in the tape and pressed the play button. The team prepared themselves to listen to Posey's supposedly beautiful singing voice.

(Music Stop)

Don't continue the story until you've heard this song! Seriously, it's important!

"..."

Everyone stood silent as the song came and went. Some shocked, most surprised, but all confused. The voice that sang to them on the jukebox was rightfully beautiful, and every note that came out of Posey's voice hit just the right tone. It was perfection, even to the originally skeptical Rainbow Dash. But that's not what the team was so confused about.

Posey's voice sounded exactly like Fluttershy's.

They all looked toward their shy friend with looks of wonder and confusion on their faces. Fluttershy had begun to cry, though the team didn't quite know why. Finally, after a good two minutes of absolute quiet, Rarity spoke up, still a little stunned.

"F-Fluttershy, darling..." she said "Was that... you?"

"I... I..." Fluttershy tried to find words to say, but none came out. She only continued to sob.

"Oh nuts..." Applejack sighed "Look, ifin ya want ta talk about it, we-"

"NO!!" Fluttershy snapped, taking everyone by surprise from her sudden outburst "N-No... that's not... I didn't mean..." she shook her head and rushed down into the lower decks. A door slam was heard not a few second later.

"Hey! Fluttershy, wait!" Rainbow Dash ran after her. Looking around the narrow hallway, she listened in on where her friend might be hiding herself. Once she picked up her crying in the far left room, she knocked on the door in hopes she might answer.

"G-Go away!" Fluttershy urged from behind the door "J-Just... go..."

"Fluttershy, really, if you need to say something, you can tell me" Rainbow sighed "Remember what I told you back at the mines? How you could tell me anything that was on your mind? I'm here if you need someone to talk to, okay?"

"..."

"Shy..."

"...okay, come in..." Fluttershy agreed. With that, Rainbow slowly opened the door and saw her friend on one of the cabin beds. The sheets had been messed up, implying she had a small fit a few moments earlier. Her face was wet and her eyes were slightly red, showing how upset she was by all this.

"Now... Do you wanna start, or should I?" Rainbow wondered.

"Y-You c-can..." Fluttershy sobbed a bit.

"Alright, I'll take it slowly, okay?" Rainbow asked, to which Fluttershy nodded "Let's start with the obvious question... Fluttershy, why did you run away?"

"I... I-I was scared..." she admitted "I was s-scared you all w-would have thought of me as... a liar..."

"A liar?" Rainbow's eyebrow rose "What did you lie about?"

"M-My entire life..." Fluttershy sniffed "I... I lied about everything to you! My home, my profession, even my name was nothing more than just a ruse! I l-lied... I failed..."

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow sighed "...I forgive you."

"W-What?"

"For real" Rainbow nodded with a smile "Shy, listen... Any normal person would be fuming at you that you actually lied to them about your entire life. Lucky for you, this entire ship is filled with misfits. You're our friend, Fluttershy, and I know that something as pathetically small as this would never ruin that fact. Ever. Besides, I'm sure you had you're reasons, right?"

"...r-right..." Fluttershy nodded.

"Yeah, see? There you go" Rainbow chuckled a bit "Now for the big question... Fluttershy, who are you? Really?"

"I..." she hesitated for a moment before letting out a long sigh "...m-my name is-"

(Music Stop)

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard on the airship's flight deck. It sounded as if someone, or something, had landed right on top of it. Without question, Rainbow nodded to her friend as a sign of thanks and rushed upstairs to see what all the commotion was about.

Around the entire deck laid her friends collapsed on their sides and chests, all seemingly wounded. It didn't take her long to find out who the culprit was. Standing right at the end of the airship was a man with light gray skin, long white hair and red eyes. He wore a white shirt and black pants, along with an untied long, long-sleeved black jacket that had a gold rim all around it. Around his waist was a brown belt with a gold buckle and around his neck was a red handkerchief. He had a smug smile on his face.

"And so number five approaches, it would seem" the man chuckled "I highly doubt you'll prove that much of a threat against me anyway, so what does it matter if there happen to be more than four here."

"Who the hell are you?!" Rainbow shouted, pulling out her spear.

"Now, now, dear, no need for hostilities" the man spoke in a calm voice "Your friends are unharmed. I simply... decommissioned them for a moment or two. Now if you'll excuse me, I must collect what's mine."

"Collect what's..." Rainbow put two and two together, raising her spear more "Hey, no one takes Fluttershy on my watch! You're gonna have to fight me for her!"

"Who the devil is Fluttershy? Or... Is that what she calls herself now?" the man wondered "No matter, I haven't time for this. I am on a very, very tight schedule right now, and fighting you would simply waste precious time."

"Wanna try?"

"No, I would rather not" the man pulled out a sword, spun it around a bit and cast something on Rainbow, freezing her in place "Apologies, dear. I couldn't have you in the way. Not when I was just about to collect my greatest treasure of all time. But... oh? Your ship does appear to be falling from the sky. How unfortunate."

"Y-Y-You..." Rainbow managed to get out from her frozen state.

"Aww, poor thing" the man pretended to care "Don't worry; I've frozen all of your friends. You won't die from the crash, if that's what you're so worked up about. Now... Go to sleep, my child..." he placed a finger on her body and tipped her on her belly, knocking her out. The last thing she remembered was the scream for help let out by Fluttershy.

(Music Stop)

A few hours had passed since the man appeared. Since then, the airship had all but crashed in a rather pleasant forest with a running stream, dense trees and birds chirping throughout the area. Twilight was the first to awaken, slowly flickering her eyes open. While staying on her belly, her eyes scanned the area. Eventually, she groaned and got back up on her feet, curiously looking everywhere she could.

"Where...?" she muttered "Where am I? Girls, where are you?! Spike?! Anyone?!"

"Kaw!" a familiar noise was made behind Twilight. She quickly turned around and saw her pet Bahamut was sitting ever so patiently by her side, waiting for her to come to.

"Spike..." she sighed with a smile "...thanks, little guy. Now, c'mon; we have to find the others."

"Kaw!" Spike cawed again, walking away from his owner. He nodded at her as if to urge her to follow her. Twilight, of course, followed him deeper into the forest where she might find the rest of her friends. Low and behold, the rest of her team were all passed out next to, to Twilight's utter horror, the wreckage of the Nightgazer.

"NOOOOOO!!" Twilight cried out "Oh my god... Luna's going to kill me!"

"Ugh... What... happened?" Rainbow slowly shook her head free of fatigue, lazily hanging from a tree "I remember... some guy and then... nothing... Wait! AHH!! Get me down from here!"

"Hang on" Twilight used her magic to levitate Rainbow off the rather weak branch.

"Oh dear..." Rarity groaned, rolling on her back on the ground "I can't seem to remember much myself, darling."

"What the heck hap- Sweet jumpin' cowfish!" Applejack noticed the crashed airship behind her "Did we do that?"

"No... It had to have been that guy that appeared with us" Twilight remembered "But why? What did he want from us? Was he some sort of pirate?"

"Wait a minute... Where's Fluttershy?" Applejack wondered.

"You don't think...?" Rarity nervously suggested.

"Th-That asshole!" Rainbow stomped her foot "He took Fluttershy away! When I find him, I swear to god I'm going to snap his neck, twist it back, snap it again, and then throw him into a vat of boiling hot acid!"

"I-I think that's a bit much, darling..." Rarity pointed out.

"We can focus on killing him later, Rainbow" Twilight told her friend "Right now, we need to find a way out of this forest. If we can find a nearby town, we can stock up on items. Lord knows how many we'll need now that the White Mage of the team is gone."

"Well, let's git movin' then" Applejack nodded as she began to leave, but looking back at the wreckage behind her "Um, Twi? What 'bout that? Are we just gonna leave it here?"

"As much as I hate to say it..." Twilight sighed "We'll have to leave it here until further notice..."

"Luna's gonna kill you" Rainbow chanted.

"Shut up, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight angrily shouted, causing everyone to laugh.

"So, where shall we begin searching, darling?" Rarity wondered.

"...w-well, um" Twilight was still a little angry "We should probably find out where we are first. If we can pinpoint our location, we'll be able to head in the direction of the closest town. Rainbow Dash, can you fly up and search the area for any landmarks?"

"Sure thing!" Rainbow nodded before spreading her wings and bolting up quickly into the air. She looked around for any sort of landmarks near their location, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, besides a normal-looking mountain behind her and a large waterfall a few miles north. She did however see a large clearing not far from them that seemed to be emitting smoke. She wasn't sure what it was, but at least it was something.

"Ya see anything?" Applejack called up.

"Nothing really that interesting!" Rainbow shouted back down "But there is this forest clearing making some smoke about a kilometer away! I say we check there first!"

"Anything else, darling?" Rarity wondered.

"Well, there's a huge waterfall northbound, but I don't-"

"Wait... A waterfall?" Twilight questioned "Rainbow, come back down! I know where we are!"

"You do?" Rainbow gently landed back on the ground.

"This forest is called Hollow Shades" Twilight explained "That smokey clearing you saw might be the town of the same name, and that waterfall you saw is known as Neighagra Falls, the place where the water crystal lies in peace. Don't tell me you didn't learn about this is school!"

"Twilight. Girl. Cloudsdale. Remember?" Rainbow deadpanned.

"R-Right, sorry..." Twilight sighed.

"So we walk towards Hollow Shades then?" Rarity questioned "I suppose from there we'll be able to plan out where on earth Fluttershy was taken."

"Also git some potions..." Applejack looked through her item bag "Looks like most of our stuff was broken in the crash."

"Shit..." Rainbow spoke under her breath.

"We'll just have to be careful about what we fight in this place, especially since I read that this place has poisonous monsters in it" Twilight reminded her team "Speaking of, how much stuff actually DID survive?"

"Ten potions, seven antidotes, a stick and about 7000 bits" Applejack disappointingly checked "Hold on... No, make that nine potions. Twi, this ain't gonna git us through that forest if yer right about all thems poisonous monsters!"

"...yeah, we're screwed" Twilight sighed.

"Or are you?!" spoke a rather upbeat female voice somewhere around.

"Who's there!" Rainbow was quick to pull out her spear "Show yourself!"

"Heehee! Relax, you big dummy!" the voice giggle gleefully "I'm just here to help you find your way."

"Help us?" Twilight questioned "Well, could you at least show yourself before we allow you to help us?"

"But I thought I was already here" the voice appeared behind them, causing them all to scream for a moment and look back to see who the owner of the voice was.

Her skin was a pink shade and her hair was very bright and bold pink, not to mention it was also very fluffy and bouncy. She wore a purple archer's cap with a yellow feather strapped onto it, as well as a purple vest that ended at her waist with several points, and puffy green sleeves ending with yarn-sewn red and white stripes. On her legs, she wore skin-tight green leggings with thin purple stripes going down them, and on her feet were velvet leather boots that went up to her knees. Her eyes were bright blue and curiously looking at the team as if the woman had the mindset of a young child.

"Goodness, darling, how on earth did you appear behind us without any form of movement?" Rarity wondered.

"I dunno! But what I do know is that you guys need some help from little old me!" the woman joyfully cheered.

"You're awfully happy..." Rainbow, not seeing any real threat from her, put away her spear "But if you're really here to help us, thanks; we could use all the help we can get."

"If I'm not sounding presumptuous, do you mind if I ask how you'll be able to help us?" Twilight wondered.

"Well duh!" the woman made a silly face "Did you think I'd show up and say I'd help you guys without proving I could do something worthwhile? Haha! Let me show you what I got!" she put out her hand over her mouth and shouted "HEY MONSTER GUYS!!! COME OUT AND PLAY WITH US!!!"

"What the hell are you-"

"Shusssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." the woman placed a finger on Rainbow's lips and smeared them around a bit, much to the latter's confusion "Lemme show you..."

As expected by the woman, a plant-like monster appeared before the team. They all pulled out their respective weapons, but the woman was quick to stop them.

"Relax, everyone, I got this" the woman assured, keeping her focus on the monster and pulling out what appeared to be a blue ukulele with a sharp golden blade on the side "Lalala... Hmmhmmhmm..." she began strumming the ukulele, creating an interesting and lovely tune that put the monster to sleep, but not the people behind her.

"Okay, so ya can play music" Applejack said "Anythin' else?"

"Well of course, silly!" the woman rolled her eyes "Actually, I have WAY more tunes I can play for your every need! I can put enemies to sleep, as shown here, but I can also confuse them, turn them into stone or even damage them, which I think is super, duper cool! Don't you think? Oh, of course you do!"

"What I think is that you talk too much" Rainbow blatantly stated, earning a small slap at the back of the head from Rarity "What? Well she does!"

"That all fine and good, but can you heal us with one of your melodies?" Twilight wondered.

"You bet your cupcakes I can!" the woman ecstatically smiled, playing her instrument again. Once she was done with her tune, a soft light enveloped the team and healed their wounds from the crash.

"Ahhh..." Applejack let out a sigh of relief "That back pain has been killin' me ferever!"

"Wait, wait, there's more! I can also do this!" the woman continued before flipping her ukulele, grabbing it by the handle and striking the plant monster's stem with the sharp golden part, instantly killing it "I can hold my own in a fight too! Please, hold your applause..."

"That's great!" Twilight approved, bringing out her hand as a sign of friendship "Welcome to the team, um... Sorry, what was your name? You kinda never said it."

"Pie" the woman smiled as she shook Twilight's hand quickly and energetically "Pinkie Pie, the best Bard and party planner in the whole entire world! Well, next to my husband anyway. Actually, I think we're both kinda the same in terms of that! Have you ever met him? Oh, you'll love him! Well, not as much as I do anyway. He does parties all over the world with me! Oh, and my kids as well, but they're just junior party planners right now. But they're MY junior party planners, so I take them with me anyway! They're just so cute! They..."

"Oh boy... Something tells me this is going to be a long trip..." Twilight spoke nervously as Pinkie continued talking about her family to seemingly no end.

Author's Note

Act 3 begins! You're welcome!

So, starting off with a bang, we already got a kidnapping and a new character! Sounds good to me, and I hope it sounds good to you as well. Just to let you know that if anything seems too sudden when I'm writing Pinkie Pie, just remember she's Pinkie Pie. You shouldn't question it.

Please do alert me of spelling mistakes, however.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 16] The Shade

"C'mon! This way, you guys!" Pinkie cheerfully bounced her way through the forest "It's only a little bit further ahead! C'mon, hurry up! Let's go! No time to lose!"

The group had been walking for a good ten minutes listening to their latest addition ramble on about the forest monsters, her ukulele skills, and her family. While Rarity had taken a slight interest in the latter, everyone else had started to find her constant talking rather annoying. They hoped that she would simmer down a bit once they got to Hollow Shades.

"Pinkie, please, wait up for us!" Twilight called out, but Pinkie simply ignored her and merrily went along her way "Well, could you at least help us fight off some of these monsters?"

"Oh! Of course!" Pinkie immediately zoomed back to the others "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"We kinda thought you'd, y'know, figure that out by yourself" Rainbow shrugged "We only have so much stuff, so a healer on our team would be a great thing to have."

"Oki doki loki!" Pinkie smiled.

"Pinkie Pie, if ah can ask ya," Applejack began "do ya mind ifin ya stop talking so much?"

"Now, now, darling, if you wish to spark conversation, or a question in your case, you must not do it so... you-like" Rarity said that the nicest way she could "Try this... ahem... Pinkie Pie, darling? Would you be ever so kind as to quiet down for a few moments? Some of my friends are having difficulty with your personality."

"Okay" Pinkie nodded, now quieting down a bit.

"Thank you, darling" Rarity nodded "Now, could you tell us more about your family?"

"Oh, they're the best!" Pinkie Pie, while calmer, hadn't stopped her habit of talking a bit too much "My hubby's name is Cheese Sandwich, but I like to call him Cheesy because it sounds really cute! We met on a romantic evening while we were planning different parties, so when we found out the people we were planning the parties for were bitter rivals, we made them make up with each other by combining our two plans! It was great, and we got married a few months later!"

"Oh my god, is she still talking?" Rainbow whispered to Twilight.

"Shhh" Twilight hushed her friend "Just a sec..."

"Then, a few years after that, we had our little twin babies, Party Doodle and Streamer!" Pinkie tried her very best to contain her excitement "They're just the cutest babies I've ever had! The best part is that they're the only babies I've ever had!"

"Party Doodle and Streamer?" Rainbow questioned "Steamer I get, but why Party Doodle? That doesn't even- MMPPHHH!"

"What Rainbow is TRYING to say was that those are lovely names" Twilight held her friend's mouth closed before letting go and giving her a harsh stare.

"Party Doodle was a name that came to Cheesy's mind when we saw him munching on a crayon from a party set when he was only two weeks old!" Pinkie recalled, smiling all the while "Streamer's name I thought of when I saw her rolling around in a ball of party streamers when she was only a week and a half old! Isn't that funny?"

"Hilarious..." Rainbow confusingly said before whispering in Twilight's ear again "Twi, promise me that when I have kids, don't tell her anything if I need a babysitter."

"Fair enough" Twilight whispered back.

"Darling, your family sounds absolutely divine!" Rarity grinned "I simply cannot wait until I meet them."

"Me too!" Pinkie ecstatically cheered, no longer being able to contain her excitement "We'll have so much fun together playing board games, swinging on the swing set, and rolling around on the carpet!"

"Wait... What was that last one?" Applejack questioned.

"Look, look! There it is!" Pinkie never even heard Applejack as she saw her hometown getting closer and closer the further they walked "C'mon, you guys! It's really close now! Let's go!"

"Just watching her makes me feel exhausted..." Rainbow rubbed her head.

"Same here..." Applejack shook hers.

"Well, look on the bright side" Twilight brought up "At least only she's like this, right? At least her family is normal, right?"

"Twilight... You're an idiot" Rainbow facepalmed.

(Music Stop)

At last, the team reached Pinkie's hometown of Hollow Shades. It was a small hamlet with rickety wooden houses that seemed to be turning gray with decay, and a small fireplace in the center. Everyone there had simple brown robes that went down to their waist, as well as black pants and gray shoes, and they looked either bored or relaxed, some smoking their pipes on their porch. It seemed like a generally peaceful place. Perhaps Twilight didn't jinx it?

Rainbow Dash dashed those thoughts the moment she saw a smiling man with orange skin, fluffy dark brown hair not unlike Pinkie's style, a yellow vest, black western poncho, black cowboy hat and light brown pants, come into the center of town, looking directly in Pinkie's direction.

"Cheesy!" Pinkie cheered.

"Pinkie!" the man smiled. Both ran towards each other with pure excitement and hugged each other the moment they touched each other. They stayed like that for a good few moments before kissing each other quickly and letting go of their hug.

"Aww, that is simply adorable..." Rarity placed both her hands on her cheeks and squished her face a bit.

"And I'm guessing he's her husband" Rainbow thought aloud.

"Oh, right!" Pinkie remembered "GUYS!! This is my hubby, Cheese Sandwich, or Cheesy for short!"

"Great to meet you all!" he nodded and quickly shook each and everyone's hand "Nice to see you! Glad you could come! Great you could make it! Awesome, how's it hanging?!"

"Oh no..." Twilight muttered under her breath.

"Oh! Oh! You guys should totally meet my kids!" Pinkie bounced up and down.

"Y-Yes, darling, of course" Rarity smiled nervously "I bet your children are absolutely precious."

"Darn right they are!" Cheese smiled "They're the best kids I have! In fact, they're the only kids I have... Isn't that great?!"

"Yeah, Pinkie mentioned that before..." Rainbow rolled her eyes "Look, I know that you really want to show us your brats, but my friends and I are kinda-"

"PARTY DOODLE!! STREAMER!! COME ON OUUUUUUT~!!" Pinkie shouted, her voice echoing throughout the entire village. No one seemed to notice nor care though. After a little bit of time, two people, a boy and a girl, came out of the biggest house in the village.

The boy had light blue skin, short green hair, bright orange eyes and a great big smile on his face. Like his father, he wore a poncho as well, though it was brown instead, and significantly smaller. Underneath the poncho was a purple sweater that didn't seem to bother him that much, especially in the humid weather forests usually had, especially this one. His pants were bright red and his shoes a shade of yellow, and his entire attire told the team he was crazy, fun, and didn't really care what he wore as long as it was colorful.

The girl, on the other hand, had light gray skin, long, straight blue hair, green eyes and a bored face. She wasn't as vibrant as her parents and brother, if at all, and this was shown by her dark gray tank top, black pants and black shoes. She did, however, wear a bright blue ribbon in her hair, most likely given to her by her parents and more than likely she treasures it.

"HEY!!!" the boy shouted next to the team "How are you doing?! My name's Party Doodle, but you can just call me Doodle! That's what my mom calls me anyway, so I just let everyone else call me that as well!"

"O-Oh..." Rarity smiled, clearly agitated by the three hyperactive party planners "A-And what's your name, young miss?"

"My name is Streamer, miss" she said flatly "I forwardly apologize for my parents' and brother's behavior. They are extremely childish. If you wish for a more relaxing and calm conversation, please, I'm open for any talk. Seriously. Please."

"Ahhhhh..." everyone let out a sigh of relief, happy at least someone in the family wasn't hyper most of the time.

"Pinkie, you have a great family" Twilight began "But we need to ask you-"

"Ask me what?" Pinkie ecstatically hopped around her new friends.

"Well, if you'll let me finish, I-"

"Hey, why don't we talk about it over some tea and cake?" Cheese suggested.

"Oooh! Great idea!" Pinkie grinned "C'mon, everyone! Let's go!"

"You and Doodle go on ahead" Cheese assured "I'd like to have a talk with our new friends!"

"Okay!" Pinkie nodded before looking at her son and urging him to come along "Doodle, we're gonna make the best tea and cake this planet has ever seen for our new friends!"

"Alright!" Doodle raised his fist in the air before running off to join his mother. The moment they entered their house and closed the door, Cheesy let out a sigh and a smile.

"I'm sorry if my wife frightened you on your trip here" Cheese chuckled a bit "She has a tendency of being louder than most other people in this town."

"So... Yer not actually hyperactive?" Applejack wondered.

"Well, I'm not the CALMEST pony ever," Cheese laughed "but at the same time, I'm nowhere near as energetic as Pinkie Pie. But I don't hate her for it; it's one of her alluring qualities... Why do you think I married her?"

"Makes sense" Twilight nodded, understanding the situation so far "But what about her? Streamer, I mean. Is she secretly hyper like her mother or is she-"

"Like this most of the time, yes" Streamer finished Twilight's sentence "I'm more akin to my aunt, who lives all the way out near Dodge Junction in the San Palomino desert. She's quiet and monotone, but she's a great listener, especially when I have a lot to say, which I'll admit is most of the time. I rather enjoy my father's company more than my mother's simply because he knows when to be relaxed sometimes. That's not to say that I don't love my mother, since she makes enjoyable fruitcake when the holidays come around."

"I see at least something rubbed off Pinkie onto you..." Rainbow remarked.

"Forgive me" Streamer bowed "I have a habit of speaking far too much."

"Such a polite young lady" Rarity smiled "Very well. You and I shall have much to talk about."

"Then come, let us begin our conversation" Streamer walked back to her home, urging Rarity to follow her.

"So, forgive me if I sound like I'm intruding your personal information," Rarity began "But how old is your mother? She looks no older than her mid-twenties."

"She's 36" Streamer simply said.

"Goodness... And how old are you and your brother?"

"Ten."

"Birth at 26? Dear me... Simply far too young for children, if I may add..."

"You all seem like nice people" Cheese turned back to the remaining members of the team "Please, join me and Pinkie for some tea and cake. I promise you that our cake is simply the best!"

"I'm game" Rainbow shrugged "Maybe you guys aren't as bad as I thought you were."

"Rainbow, dun be so rude!" Applejack scolded her friend.

"It's quite alright, really!" Cheese laughed "I can fully admit our family isn't the most normal of folks."

"As we've seen" Twilight laughed "But hey, that tea and cake sounds good. Besides, I REALLY need to ask you four some questions about something... or rather someone..."

"Sure, we'll be willing. What could be so important that you need our help anyway?" Cheese nodded and began walking back to his home, motioning the others to follow him. The team all looked at each other before eventually complying and following the not-as-hyper party planner.

(Music Stop)

"SHE WAS WHAT?!" the entire Pie family shouted in surprise and shock "BY WHO?!"

Once everyone entered the admittedly pretty rickety house and sniffed the sweet aroma of freshly baked cake, they sat down on some provided chairs and stools and gotten their slices and tea, preparing to tell the family about what had happened to their friend. They figured they could use as much help as they could get to get Fluttershy back, but unfortunately, it seemed like the Pies knew a lot about the mysterious man.

"We told ya" Applejack repeated herself "Our friend was kidnapped by some guy with a black coat, pale skin and white hair. He was strange, and ah dunno who he is, but ah already want ta kill him."

"Same here" Rainbow added "Fluttershy was closest to me. She never said aloud, of course, but something about her eyes showed me she was always looking up to me. Heh... Not sure who would look up to this idiot."

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Pinkie panicked "This is bad, so very, very, VERY BAD!!!"

"Hold on, Pinks, surely it can't be that bad, right?" Cheese shrugged.

"Not that bad?!" Pinkie began bouncing around anxiously "Cheesy, this is Lord Dario we're talking about here! LORD DARIO!!"

"Pinkie, doesn't he take people all the time?"

"Oh, right!" Pinkie immediately snapped out of her freak out and started smiling again "Heehee! Silly me! Now, who was it again that you said got kidnapped?"

"Um... Our friend Fluttershy, darlings" Rarity reminded.

"Sorry to say, but chances are high she's already dead!" Party Doodle blatantly said with a grin.

"DUDE!!" Rainbow shouted at the 10-year-old.

"Oh, sorry if I pushed a button or five" he apologized seemingly genuinely before a grin once again appeared on his face "But I guess if your reacted that fast to my comment, that must mean you like her~!"

"Grrrrr...." Rainbow growled, blushing all the while.

"OKAY! Before this becomes an unnecessary bloodshed, let's try and get back on topic" Twilight nervously chucked before turning back to Cheese and Pinkie "Now, you seem to know a lot about this 'Lord Dario'. What can you tell us about him? Is he evil? Did he take Fluttershy for a reason?"

"If I may, Pinks?" Cheese began, to which his wife nodded "Lord Dario is the overseer of the water crystal, you see! For many years, he's taken very good care of it and has given us bountiful water, even in this mess of a forest. Unfortunately, this is the part of the story when bad things start to happen..."

"I usually don't enjoy this part" Streamer said with nearly no emotion at all, causing some of the team to wonder if at all she felt happy, sad or affected by this stuff.

"A few years ago, Lord Dario's wife whom he loved very much disappeared from him" Cheesy frowned as he said that "Because of this, Lord Dario has been searching high and low for her, but never found her. Because he's gone so often, the water crystal has stopped getting all the attention it needs to make fresh water. It started with the streams of a nearby forest, but... but..."

"I think what my hubby is trying to say is that if the water crystal doesn't get lots of hugs soon, it'll die out!" Pinkie alerted "Then the rivers will taint, and maybe even... Oh, it's too awful to think about THAT!"

"I think Lord Dario mistook your friend for his wife" Party Doodle added "But, sorry to trample on your rescue party, which I would LOVE to plan for you by the way, once Lord Dario takes a closer look at his victim, they're never seen again!"

"Unfortunately, Party's right" Cheese sighed "In a fit of anger, he kinda... snaps their necks."

"No way!" Applejack gasped "That ain't right! In that case, we gotta save Fluttershy fast!"

"You're actually going after Lord Dario?" Streamer wondered "Good luck, I guess. That castle of his is gigantic. You'll get lost before you even get to it."

"That... doesn't make much sense..." Rainbow confusingly stated.

"Well, you're not going today, I can tell you that" Cheese stated "You guys look like you've just been through a plane crash! You're more tired than Party Doodle when he was two!"

"Dad..." Party blushed, making Rainbow snicker a bit.

"Wait, why not today though?" Twilight questioned "Didn't you say that Lord Dario would... um... k-kill Fluttershy if we didn't hurry? I'm sorry, but we're in no state to rest right now."

"Dario usually likes to make his executions public to people" Cheese sighed "You'll have a few days yet, should something terrible happen to your friend."

"To be honest, darling," Rarity began "I am feeling quite tired..."

"Same here..." Applejack yawned.

"I'm just about ready to hit the hay" Rainbow agreed "Even I'm saying this, Twi! We can't save Fluttershy if we don't even have the energy to make it to whatever screwed up castle Lord Dick-io has."

"...okay, I'll get some sleep..." Twilight agreed.

"Super duper!!" Pinkie Pie smiled "There are some guest rooms upstairs if you need them! Oh, and if you need any midnight snacks, we have some in the freezer and refrigerator!"

"Thanks, but, I think I'll just... sleep" Twilight was very depressed by the situation. Everyone watched as she slowly walked up the stairs to the guest room, wherever it may be. Pinkie tilted her head sideways before following Twilight upstairs.

(Music Stop)

Night had fallen over the tiny village, and the only light shining was that from the moon and that from the slowly dimming fireplace in the center. Twilight looked over the creaky balcony of the Pie household and looked up, watching the shooting stars flash by in the blink of an eye. She let out a sigh. The others were currently sleeping in the guest room, but with so much on her mind, she simply couldn't sleep.

"Hey there, grumpy pants" Pinkie said behind her. Twilight, sort of expecting this by now, turned around to see her with a small but assuring grin on her face. Next to her was Cheese Sandwich, giving Twilight a warming smile.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie. Hey, Cheese Sandwich" Twilight greeted.

"You know, in this entire time I've know you, I have no idea what your names are" Cheese laughed.

"Really? Sorry about that" Twilight chuckled a bit "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and my friends are Rainbow Dash, the cyan one, Applejack, the orange one, and Rarity, the white one."

"I see..." Pinkie nodded curiously "And you're out on a mission to stop King Sombra, right?"

"W-What?!" Twilight was shocked "H-How do you know this?!"

"Just a hunch" Pinkie shrugged "Anyways, whatcha doing out here?"

"I can't sleep" Twilight admitted, still a bit confused as to Pinkie's previous question "How could I after news came by the first person I met on this journey of mine, or rather ours now, may be dead or already put on the chopping block. Oh, and Rainbow was snoring too loudly, like she normally does."

"Hahaha! So I've heard! Literally!" Pinkie laughed.

"Twilight, if there's anyway we can cheer you up, like a party or something, just let us know, okay?" Cheese told her "I know what it's like to go through rough times. Before I met Pinkie here, my entire party business was failing. Without even expecting anything in return, she helped me and got me where we are today: a nice family and a wonderful job. I guess I'm just trying to help anyone I can now."

"You have a wonderful and kind soul, Cheese" Twilight nodded "And I thank you for your offer, but I REALLY gotta get some shut-eye. Know a place that doesn't have snoring Dragoons?"

"You could sleep with us?" Pinkie suggested "Well, not WITH us, because that'd be weird!"

"No, no, of course not!" Twilight laughed a bit "But... Thanks. I'd like that."

"Great! See you in ten!" Pinkie bounced her way back inside. Cheese just rolled his eyes playfully before heading back in with her. Twilight sighed before looking back up into the starry sky.

"Stay strong, Shy..." Twilight encouraged her faraway friend "You've gotten through worse, so I know you can do it!"

(Music Stop)

With that, Twilight as well headed inside to sleep in her hosts' room. As she did, she never noticed the two little sets of eyes of two young kids in the shadows, watching her patiently.

"You think she's the one?" the boy bubbly asked "Twilight's friend, I mean."

"Yes, I do" the girl flatly answered "The pieces of the puzzle fit in too perfectly. I just hope she can survive Lord Dario's castle. Now come, brother, we must rest our heads."

"Do you always have to sound so boring?" the boy wondered.

"Yes" the girl sighed.

Author's Note

Slightly shorter chapter, but I think I got the point across. Well then, let's go and save Fluttershy!

If you haven't seen my blog already, linked here, then you should know that a good man died a few days ago that was very important to Markiplier, his fans, and the world. Daniel Kyre, you will be missed.

Moving away from sadness however, it's theory time!

Comment below and discuss your theories or something, I guess!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 17] The Prison

With a groggy moan and a fatigued head, Fluttershy awoke to the pattering of small animals running around her, munching on her clothing a bit. As soon as she began moving, the animals, now identified to be rats, scurried away and hid back in their holes. With one final grunt, she pushed herself to her feet and dusted herself off, shaking any dust that may have collected on her in her time knocked out. She then took a good look around the room she was in. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of stone, and an iron grid stood in the doorway, preventing her escape.

"Dear me... I can't seem to remember how I got in this dreadful place..." Fluttershy looked around and sighed "Everything went dark after... Oh my... No, I can't seem to remember that either... oh no..."

"Relax, lass" spoke an unfamiliar, female Scottish voice to her left "You're freakin' out too much, ya are. Mind you, there's plenty ta freak out about, but..."

Fluttershy turned around to see a woman that looked almost exactly like her, save for the short hair and slightly darker yellow skin. Her eyes were green and she wore a white vest as well as a kilt. On her short pink hair rested a green tam o'shanter with a red pompom on top. She had a smug smile on her face, but something about the woman was reassuring for Fluttershy.

"Oh goodness" Fluttershy gasped "S-Sorry... I, um... didn't see you there..."

"Quite alright, lass" the woman nodded "Ya have ta calm down though. You're gonna be scared o' you're own shadow one day."

"I, um... think I already am..."

"No worries!" the woman chuckled "So, I'm guessin' you were thrown in here for the same reason?"

"What reason is that?" Fluttershy wondered.

"No clue!"

"Oh..."

"Tell you what though, lass" the woman smiled "Why don't we try ta get outta this dump, eh? I wasn't likin' the room service here anyway. The place is unkempt, and it's irkin' me in the stupidest way..."

"O-Oh, um... Okay then" Fluttershy just nodded, trying to understand the situation.

"Do you just answer everything with that sentence, lass?" the woman questioned.

"N-No, o-of course not" Fluttershy shifted her legs a bit "I-I just, um... Say it sometimes."

"Oh lord, what have I gotten myself inta this time?" the woman muttered under her breath "But hey, I'm not one ta turn down a... not friend... hmm... acquaintance. What do you say... Hey, I never got your name. Well, spit it out, lass! We don't have time for proper introductions, yeah?"

"O-Oh, well, um..." Fluttershy whimpered "I-I'm... F-Flutter... Fluttershy."

"Name's Reed Pipe, but you can call me Pipes" the woman stood up "So here's what I was thinkin'..." she walked over to the metal grid and tried kicking it, to which she was then flung against the back wall "...ow..."

"Oh goodness! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, lass..." Pipes rubbed her head "Weird... I can usually kick these things open, me bein' a Monk an' all... Wonder what that gate there is made of?"

"Oh... I don't think I want to know..." Fluttershy whimpered, shaking her head.

"...lass, you don't have any sense o' adventure, ya don't" Pipes chuckled "If ya don't, how're ya gonna enjoy all the risky things in life? Like haggis! Actually, nu, don't try that... heheh..."

"Well... um... there has to be, um... another way out, right?" Fluttershy suggested "N-No prison would be completely sealed, right? And, um... this place seems pretty old..."

"Good thinkin' Shy!" Pipes grinned, calling her by her nickname and reminding her of her friends "H-Hey now, why so sad?"

"M-My friends... They're probably worried sick about me..." Fluttershy admitted.

"Don't go worryin' over that now, ya hear?" Pipes chuckled "I'm sure if they're good friends, they'll be lookin' for ya!"

"Y-Yes, of course..." Fluttershy nodded.

"Now, how's about ya find a way out o' here, hmm?" Pipes wondered "There's gotta be some sort o' ventilation shaft or something..." she looked around the room "Or not. Well, I don't nu how to get out o' here."

"Um... Um..." Fluttershy started to panic "A, um... secret passage?"

"A secret passage, ya say?" Pipes smiled "Well start feelin' the walls, lass!"

"O-Okay..."

They both placed their hands on the walls of the cell, feeling around for any irregularities in the structure and or push-able stones. After a little bit of feeling around basically everywhere, Pipes sat back down to have a break. Surprisingly, however, Fluttershy continued searching, hoping and praying that there was a way out. A way back to her friends. A way back to... No, she had to focus right now. No time for distractions. Suddenly, she heard a click under one of her hands. A small gasp escaped her mouth as she pushed that hand down and pushed in a loos brick, causing a small hatch to open up on the floor.

"Is that... freedom?" Pipes wondered, a smile appearing on her face "It is! Ohohohoho!! This is incredible! I can't wait ta see my family again! They must be so worried about me. Ya did good, Shy!"

"O-Oh, um... thank you..." Fluttershy shyly smiled.

"Well, let's get out o' here, yeah?" Pipes was quick to fall down the hole "WOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo....."

"Oh my... That is certainly a deep hole..." Fluttershy nervously shivered "Um... n-no one is going to, um... t-tell me it's going to b-be okay? Ohhh no... um... uh... ohhh..." she took a deep breath, expected the worst, and jumped into the dark pit, the door closing behind her and blocking out any semblance of light she had "AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"AAHHHHHHHHHHH- Oof!" Fluttershy landed right on a plush cushion, breaking her fall and keeping her from harm "O-Oh my... What a fall... Th-That was sc-scary..."

"Ya think that's bad, ya should have a look where we are now" the familiar voice of Reed Pipe spoke in front of her.

Fluttershy did as she was told and saw that they had appeared in a room that seemed recently created, due to all the dirt and gravel still lying around. A single lantern was hanging on the low ceiling held up by several long pegs of wood. However, one thing gained Fluttershy's attention the most. Or should one say a person? The very same oddly-dressed, oddly-shaped man that had caused problems for Fluttershy and her friends in the past.

"D-Discord?" she stuttered a bit.

"Ohohohoho!" he laughed "Fluttershy, dear! Pleasure to make your acquaintance again. What a small world, eh?"

"Shy, ya know this bonkers guy?" Pipes questioned.

"More than you know, my foreign friend" Discord smiled.

"Discord, w-what... what on earth are you d-doing down here?" Fluttershy asked "W-Where is here anyway?"

"This place, my dear?" Discord wondered "This place is just a little something I made to begin my mission. And before you ask, yes, I was in fact hired and paid a good amount of money to do this. It's a sad day when the entire village of Manehatten brings all their job checks for that week just to do this one job... Not that I care, of course!"

"What? Why would one place give ya their entire population's pay money?" Pipes wondered.

"It was probably due to the fact their ruler is a total asshole! Ohohohoho!!" Discord grinned devilishly "So, I was hired to bring his entire castle down on his head. I would storm the place and just murder everyone and everything on sight, but because of my unfortunate contract, I have to make this look like an accident. Ugh... Ever so boring."

"W-Why are you, um... telling us all this?" Fluttershy asked.

"You're my friend, aren't you, Fluttershy?" Discord put an arm around her back, making her very uncomfortable "I'm allowed to tell you things I normally wouldn't to any old person."

"What about me, hmm?" Pipes spoke up.

"Oh, right, you're still here" Discord deadpanned, sounding extremely displeased "Well, you might as well help me dig this place out. Not that I would need help, but eh, what goes, goes, I suppose! Ohohohoho!!"

"Discord, that was rude" Fluttershy became frustrated with his belief everyone was below him, taking his arm off her "Please, apologize to her now."

"Fine..." he rolled his eyes "I'm sorry. Now, get to work."

"Jeez, who trampled your garden?" Pipes scoffed, picking up a nearby shovel and starting to shovel her way through the tunnel. Discord was inclined to start mocking her as she did so, but Fluttershy stopped him before he could. He simply rolled his eyes and watched Reed Pipe shovel away what he started.

"So why are you here, Fluttershy?" Discord continued the conversation "You fell from that really high hole going to the prisons that went right down into the execution pit, if I hadn't have blocked it of course."

"Well, um... T-Truth is, I'm not really sure how I got here myself" she admitted "Reed Pipe there and myself escaped our prison before meeting you, and that's all of recent memory I have... Besides my friends and my adventures with them, of course."

"How unfortunate" Discord spoke with a bit of sarcasm in his voice "Well, who needs those guys anyway when you have someone like me? I'd wager I'm ten times better than them!"

"Discord..." Fluttershy sighed.

"Oh, right, sorry, I guess" he shrugged "Anyway, while the peasa- I mean, Reed Pipe... still can't believe you people have names... Why don't we share each other secrets? It'll be friend bonding time! I'll go first... Did you know I actually have a daughter?"

"Oh, truly?"

"Well, she's not exactly my daughter... She was made from me, but..." Discord's sentence wandered off.

"She, um... what?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Oh, nothing dear" Discord laughed "Anyway, I've been looking for the poor thing for a while now. She ran away after... discovering something she shouldn't have. I've been tracking her ever since to try and bring her back! Hence, why I'm a bounty hunter."

"Oh dear, I hope she's okay..." Fluttershy somberly sighed.

"No worried, my dear" Discord waved his hand a bit before directing his full attention to Fluttershy "So, what's YOUR secret?"

"...um..." she whimpered "W-Well, it's only fair since you, um... shared your secret... M-My secret is, um... You see, I-"

"Lads and lasses!" Pipes called out "I think I found somethin'!"

"Oh phooey..." Discord rolled his eyes "And just when it was about to get good too... Fine, whatever! What did you find, lowly peasant? Hopefully something worth interrupting my talk time with my friend."

"Jeez, who pissed on your day?" Pipes scoffed "Anyway, I found a mine track that seems ta go inta the deeper parts of the castle. I say we take it there, yeah? It would certainly help both of us, if you know what I'm talkin' about..."

"Humph... Work on your manners next time" Discord spoke in a snooty voice before returning to his usual kooky one "Now, who's ready for a mine cart ride? If you answered yes to any one of those questions, you are absolutely right! Your prize is at the back."

"Actually, um... that was just one ques-"

"All aboard the Discord express!" Discord laughed maniacally "Choo-choo! Ohohohoho!!"

"Lass?" Pipes went over to Fluttershy and whispered in her ear "You said you know him, right? Does he always act like this?"

"Y-Yes... unfortunately..." she nodded.

"Grrrrr... I swear, if he wasn't searchin' fer whatever daughter he had, I would deck him so hard..." Pipes grumbled, fortunately under her breath so Discord couldn't hear "Well, let's go, Shy. I want ta get out o' this hellhole as fast as I can."

"R-Right..." she nodded.

(Music Stop)

"WOOOHOOOO!!!" Pipes yelled ecstatically as she and Fluttershy rode down the mine cart that headed towards their destination, constantly getting faster and faster. Fluttershy obviously didn't like the ride down the long, dark corridor lit only by a lantern every so often. She whimpered in her cart, surrounded and protected by her friends.

"I-I'm not sure I like this!" Fluttershy panicked.

"Oh, don't be such a party pooper, Fluttershy" Discord laughed, enjoying the ride as well despite having to share the cart with Reed Pipe "This is fun! In fact, I don't think I've had so much fun before in my life! OHOHOHOHO!!!"

"Hang on..." Pipes perked up "Are those... They are! Monsters!"

"M-Monsters?!" Fluttershy gasped before taking a deep breath "Okay, F-Fluttershy... Remember what you promised yourself... You can do this... Okay e-everyone! G-Get them!"

"Finally, some action!" Discord grinned before engaging the monsters head on. Finally appearing before them, the two monsters were revealed to be some sort of large bat creatures with six fingered wings, yellow skin with blue dots on their heads, a long tail and large, piercing red eye in the middle of its body.

"Grim Gazes, hmm? Well then, check this out, lad and lass" Pipes smiled before focusing her energy and targeting one of the bat creatures "Pummel!" she shouted before leaping up and rapidly punching the monster on the right, dealing heavy damage to it.

"W-Was that a-" Fluttershy looked in amazement.

"Blitz technique? Hell yeah" Pipes grinned "But the question is... What are you, Discord?"

"Me? Well, allow me to show you..." he snapped his fingers and felt a surge of power go through him. Much to the surprise of Pipes, he then performed a Blitz technique on the same monster, the very same she used a few seconds ago. The monster then perished, leaving only one remaining.

"H-How?!" Pipes was understandably confused.

"I'm a Mime, dear" Discord laughed "Anything you can do, I can do better. And sooner or later, I'm better than you!"

"W-Was that a reference to something?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Hey, Shy, you look like a White Mage" Pipes grinned "Flyin' enemies are weak ta the wind element. Please tell me you're skilled enough ta know Aero, right?"

"O-Of course" Fluttershy nodded before pointing her rod at the bat monster and cast her spell "Aero!" she shouted, sending a wave of air right at the Grim Gaze. The critical damage of a single target was enough to take out the monster and allow the three to continue on their way. A pile of bits soon appeared in their cart a few moments later.

"How... odd..." Discord looked at the currency "But then again, odd is my middle name! Ohohohoho!"

"Here come some more!" Pipes shouted just before two more Grim Gazes appeared before them.

"Aero!" Discord shouted, casting Fluttershy's spell on the enemies and sweeping them away, clearing their path once again.

"G-Good job, Discord!" Fluttershy praised "B-But, here comes another one..."

"Actually, Shy... That doesn't look like an Grim Gaze if I ever saw one..."

"Yes, you're right, idiot" Discord mocked "That just looks like a bigger Grim Gaze! Ohohohoho!"

"An Ahriman..." Pipes said as the creature that looked just like a Grim Gaze, albeit larger and with four wings instead of two, finally appeared before them "They're powerful, they are. From what I remember my grandma back home tellin' me, they can use confusion attacks ta stun us, then flap around its wings ta deal huge damage ta us."

"Hey! You just spoiled all the fun of encountering new monsters..." Discord sadly said before brightening up again "Oh well! Now use moves so I can do something!"

"R-Right!" Fluttershy nodded "Aero!" once more, a gust of wind was blow at the monster, knocking it back and doing effective damage to it. However, the Ahriman stayed persistent to stop the trio from progressing any further. It widened it's eye and stared right at Pipes with a hypnotic glare, confusing her.

"Snap out of it, peasant" Discord smacked the back of her head, releasing her from her state.

"Never thought I'd say it, but thanks, Discord" Pipes rolled her eyes "Now, let me show you what my true power is!" she charged her attack for a second before releasing it on the monster "Suplex!" she jumped forward and grabbed the Ahriman, throwing it and sending it tumbling around the tunnel before finally stopping exactly where it was before. It let out a cry of pain, but continued its attack, now more enraged than it had been before. It soon began charging its own attack from its mouth.

"AH! D-DUCK!!" Fluttershy crouched down and braced herself.

"No, that's a monster, not a duck" Discord laughed, getting the majority of the attack from not ducking down "...oh, so that's the way you want to play this game, hmm? In that case... Suplex!" he dashed forward and grabbed one of the monster's wings, throwing it downward where it hit the track and dealt damage to it.

"Discord, hold on! Cure!" Fluttershy waved her staff around and sent a soothing light over Discord, healing the wounds created by the Ahriman's attack.

"Thank you, dear" Discord nodded.

"Aura Bolt!" Reed Pipe shouted, sending a wave of whatever inner energy she had at the monster. Suddenly, the monster felt weak. It stuck out its tongue before closing its eye and falling onto the side of the track, finally dying.

"Whew... What a fight!" she rubbed her head and removed the sweat from her forehead "I'll be the first ta say, albeit slightly regrettably, that without Discord's mimicry skills, we would have been goners."

"Ohohohoho! So she finally accepts my presence?" Discord laughed.

"I said regrettably!" she shouted.

(Music Stop)

"G-Guys, look over there!" a small smile appeared on Fluttershy's face "We're almost at the end of the tunnel! But, I can't help but wonder where we were going..."

"Perhaps too far away from the castle" Discord sighed "Whatever. Those townsfolk were stupid enough to pay me before this mission. Technically, I could leave whenever I wanted to. I only did this for so long because those peasants were right: that man really is a giant dick, especially now that I know he imprisoned dear poor Fluttershy..."

"Um... y-yeah..."

"Stop bein' a creep, Discord" Pipes scolded him "Now brace yourselves. Here comes the exit..."

At last, the cart had slowed down to a complete stop, allowing Fluttershy to breath a sigh of relief. Slowly and shakily, she got out of the cart and touched the ground once more, lying her belly on it and seemingly hugging it. This, of course, got a few reactions out of Discord and Pipes, but the former was more amused than confused.

"Sweet ground..." Fluttershy muttered "I'll never leave you again..."

"Shy, that just looks strange" Pipes rolled her eyes "C'mon, up on your feet."

"S-Sorry..." Fluttershy apologized, now standing back up "But, um... where are we?"

The three looked around and saw that they had appeared in a cave made completely of an odd type of azure stone. To their left was a large opening blocked by a huge and wall of falling water, meaning they had appeared in a cavern behind a waterfall. The thing in front of them, however, caught their attention the most: an old, gray stone alter with a single blue crystal shining from it. Fluttershy gasped the moment she saw it.

"Th-The water crystal!" Fluttershy shivered "B-But, if we're here, th-that means... n-no..."

"There you are..." spoke a voice all too familiar to her. She turned around and gasped in horror as she saw a pale man with white hair, red eyes, and a long black coat. He smiled as he saw the two women of the three.

"Oi! And who the hell are you?" Pipes shouted.

"Your voice..." the man sighed "It is not graceful like hers... You sicken me."

"Excuse me?!"

"And you... You aid my prisoners?" the man ignored Pipes and stared right at Discord "While on any other day I would kill those who defy me, you appear to be some sort of... bounty hunter. Interesting..."

"The best this world has to offer" Discord laughed.

"But you..." he looked right at Fluttershy, going up close to her and causing her to step back "Oh? Are you nervous of me? Why? Have you heard the rumors? The beliefs? They're false, in case you're wondering. Or... Do you know me personally?"

"..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Come now..." the man approached her closer until he was finally right up close to her, pulling down her hood and showing the rest of her hair "Simply beautiful... Are you her? Say something. Sing. Let me hear your voice once again. Prove to me that you're her!"

"Hey, leave her alone!" Pipes rushed at the man. He stared right back at her and shot out a shadowy hand from his back, grabbing her and holding her hostage. The man then looked back at an absolutely terrified Fluttershy.

"Speak, or I kill her!" the man shouted "I have to know... Let me end my search!"

"..." Fluttershy whimpered in utter fear.

"SPEAK!!"

"...l-let her go, D-Dario..." Fluttershy finally spoke, tears now forming in her eyes. The man, now revealed to be Lord Dario, had a stunned expression on his face. Holding up his promise, he let Pipes go, dropping her on the ground and returning his shadowy hand. Slowly, he placed a hand on Fluttershy's cheek, wiping away her tears.

"I've finally found you... my sweet little flower..." he spoke in a shocked yet happy tone "My sweet little Posey..."

"P-Posey!" Pipes gasped "As in the woman who disappeared from... Oh! So that's why you trapped me..."

"Correct. There are so many who look just like her, I couldn't have been sure who she might have been until I heard her incredible voice..." he then turned toward Discord and pulled out a large bag of money from his coat "This is a small bag of the 10,000,000 bits you'll be rewarded with should you follow my orders."

"Ohohohoho... Consider it done..." Discord laughed "I AM a bounty hunter after all. So, what do you need me to do?"

"Place the loud woman back in a... different cell" Dario specified "But put Posey into her room. That is located on the west wing's tower of my castle. Guard her room, and give her anything that she requires."

"Sure thing. Sorry about this, dear" Discord apologized to Fluttershy, or rather Posey now, before grabbing her arm and preparing to teleport her and Pipes away.

"Damn you, stupid ass!" Pipes growled.

"D-Discord, please... you can't..." Posey plead. Before Discord could give a proper answer, he teleported away from the cave, leaving Dario to wander around.

"Posey I've finally found you..." Dario chuckled with happiness a bit "But why? Why did you flee from me? More importantly, how will I preserve your perfect figure and prevent you from ever running from me again? Hmm..." he thought long and hard before finally coming to a conclusion, smiling maniacally "Oh... I know a way..."

Author's Note

PLOT TWIST!! Fluttershy was Posey the whole time!! Why did she run from Lord Dario though? Well, find out in the next- no... um... Find out soon in the continuing adventures of Final Fantasy MLP!!

So, how was this chapter? I did say this act was going to be Fluttershy based, and even a prisoner can tell a story. Remember every refugee story ever? Yeah, that. But, lol, dat plot twist tho! Is Shyamalan up in the house?! Woop woop! OMG guys! I just noticed! Shyamalan and Fluttershy both have Shy in their names! Shy has three letters in in... OMG!!

ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED!!!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 18] The Theory

Morning dawned over Hollow Shades, the hamlet and the forest, and cast light into the windows of each and every home. The light eventually found its way over Twilight's eyes, slowly waking her up with a soft groan. Somehow, someway, she was able to sleep through the night despite Pinkie Pie's loud and rather odd snoring and mumbling. Nonetheless, she was glad she managed to find rest. She quickly looked around and searched for her pet.

"Spike?" she called out, waking Pinkie and Cheese "Spike, where are you?"

"Ohhh... He's probably downstairs..." Cheese stretched with a smile "Why don't you go down and check? I'm sure Pinkie won't mind a little less company."

"Ahhh... pineapples..." she had fallen back to sleep and was now muttering "...ice cream... cake... fudge bars..."

"Right..." Twilight nodded before getting up and heading out of their room "Thanks for letting me stay in your room last night. But now, I have to get everyone ready to save Fluttershy."

"Twilight" Streamer sneaked up behind her, causing her to scream a bit in shock "Sorry. Anyway, my brother and your friends are awaiting for you downstairs. They seem to be taking enjoyment in playing with your pet dragon. I, personally, found no such enjoyment, simply because I am far too old to be doing things like that."

"Um... Okay then" Twilight gave the young girl a curious look "Well, I'm going to go downstairs now..."

"Of course. Only naturally that you would want to meet with your friends again" Streamer continued "Truly, the only friend I've really ever had is my brother, due to the lack of other children in this village. Of course, I-"

"And I'm just gonna stop you right there" Twilight nervously chuckled.

"Sorry, I have a habit of speaking too much, as I've told you before" Streamer apologized.

"It's alright, Streamer; we all have habits" Twilight smiled a bit "If it makes you feel any better, can I tell you one of my habits?"

"Of course."

"Well, I like to make sure all the books back in my library are stored away neatly" Twilight explained "But not just from alphabetical order, but alphabetical order of author, the color of the book, the date it was published, and so on and so forth!"

"Interesting habit..." Streamer pondered "Perhaps I shall replace that with my current habit."

"I'm not sure it works like that, Streamer" Twilight chuckled "Anyway, I have to meet up with everyone. See you in a bit!"

"Twilight, wait" Streamer called out in the most enthusiastic voice she could muster "Never mind. I'll tell my brother and I's theory when we're together."

Twilight immediately rushed down the stairs to see that Streamer had not been lying: everyone, still in their sleeping garments, was playing with Spike, though most were just there to play with Party Doodle playing with Spike. Rainbow Dash had seemingly opted out, sitting at the nearby dinner table with her armor off as well and a mug of coffee in her hands. She looked the most tired out of anyone there.

"Hey, Dash" Twilight sat with her.

"Ugh... Morning..." Rainbow only sounded rude because she was extremely tired "This coffee isn't doing anything, Twi. It's just water with coffee beans in it... I want our airship back; we had a Keurig on it!"

"...I know..." Twilight sighed "Well, not much we can do now. When we save Fluttershy, and we will, we'll simply have to go back to Luna, tell the truth and hope for the-"

"You're absolutely terrified of what she might say."

"YES!!" Twilight began crying, hugging her friend "First I lose Fluttershy, then the Nightgazer, and finally I learn that she was kidnapped by some creep who has been desperately looking for his runaway wife! Honestly, with manners like that, I don't blame her!"

"Um, there... there...?" Rainbow awkwardly patted her friend's back "Look, we'll get Fluttershy back, and then we'll tell Luna that her airship crashed. She'll be okay with it, alright?"

"...w-well..." Twilight sniffed rubbing her eyes with her "I guess she's pretty okay with broken things... unless... unless those things were airships she's been working her entire life on- GODDAMMIT!!"

"Nice swear!" Rainbow grinned.

"Darling, do be careful what you say around children" Rarity brought up.

"S-Sorry..." Twilight inhaled and exhaled, getting rid of some of her stress "Okay... Okay, I'm good now..."

"Wait! I know how to cheer you up!" Party Doodle ecstatically said "A PARTY!!! We can make some cake, some ice cream, get some streamers... Oh, but not my sister. If we used Streamer to decorate the place, that'd be weird!"

"Party Doodle, you should really try and calm down sometimes" spoke the familiar voice of Streamer coming down the stairs "You might scare someone with your over-hyped talking. Then again, I might scare someone with my deadpan tone and scary appearance... Isn't that right, Twilight?"

"You mean... You scared me on purpose?!" Twilight gasped "That's... actually really creepy..."

"Never mind about that, Twilight" Streamer continued, looking right at her brother "Party Doodle, would you care to join me to explain to the rest about our theory?"

"Sure thing, sis!" Party smiled, hopping up and standing next to his sister.

(Music Stop)

"Hold up... What's this all 'bout?" Applejack wondered "Y'all aren't gonna betray us, are ya?"

"What? No, of course not" Streamer held a slight bit of expression in her quick questioning "We simply wish to tell you something we believe might be of importance to you. After thinking it over, we believe this theory could be true, though again, it is simply a theory. I'll allow my brother to begin."

"Okay, so, remember when you said your friend was taken by Lord Dario?" Party asked "Well, you didn't say Lord Dario because you didn't know who it was at the time because you had no idea that-"

"Get on with it!" everyone at the house but Streamer and Party Doodle shouted.

"R-Right, sorry" Party chuckled nervously "Anyway, we believe that Lord Dario captured your friend Fluttershy because he believes that she's his runaway bride."

"Well, we already were alerted of that, darling" Rarity pointed out.

"But it gets better!" Party tried to contain his excitement "Streamer, tell 'em!"

"We have a theory that your friend Fluttershy might just be Lord Dario's wife" she explained, causing all to become confused "Allow me to explain... While we've never met his wife, she did come through here after she ran away from him."

"Are any of you familiar with the name... Posey?" Party questioned, causing Twilight to gasp.

"Posey?!" she questioned "As in famous singer who ran away from... wait... That makes... sense, but... you can't be suggesting that-"

"Fluttershy and Posey are one-in-the-same?" Steamer finished Twilight's sentence "That's exactly what I'm saying. And don't worry about thinking of us as wrong: we have proof."

"So it's not much of a theory as it is telling us the facts" Rainbow pointed out.

"Please, allow us to present to you exhibit A" Streamer pulled out a small cassette tape from somehow out of nowhere and put it into a cassette player Party somehow got out of nowhere "Does this voice sound familiar to you?"

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Pie" spoke a strikingly familiar voice on the player, causing everyone's eyes to widen in disbelief "It was so very kind of you to allow me to stay here for the night."

"Not a problem, Posey!" Pinkie, on the cassette, bubbly said "I hope you have a great trip!"

"Th-That was... Fluttershy!" Rainbow spoke in a shocked tone.

"Wait, wait, wait... If you knew about this, why didn't you tell us immediately?" Twilight asked, slightly cross.

"We couldn't be sure if Posey and this Fluttershy could be the same person until we made sure" Streamer admitted "That's why my brother and I stalked you last night to try and squeeze some information out of you."

"You did what?" Twilight flatly and angrily questioned.

"Okay, okay, darlings" Rarity immediately spoke up "Let's not turn this entire ordeal into something we'll regret later on... What's important that... oh dear, Fluttershy lied to us..."

"Sh-She did..." Rainbow said in disbelief "...but she lied for a good reason. If she really is Posey, than she lied to get away from Lord Dick-io, simple as that. She couldn't have that name going around the world, or rumors of her location may have went all the way back to Dario and... well... you know what would happen after that..."

"Ahhh... What are you kids talking about down here?" Pinkie Pie yawned as she walked down the stairs, now changed into her normal bard's outfit "Did I miss something?! OH NO!! You have to tell me! YOU GOTTA!!"

"P-Pinkie, calm down, ya hear?" Applejack tried to simmer her down "We were jus' talkin' 'bout how Posey and our friend Fluttershy might be the same person."

"Well it's about time you figured it out!" Pinkie smiled as she rolled her eyes, causing everyone to gasp.

"YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS AS WELL?!" Rainbow shouted.

"Nope! It was actually kinda obvious!" Pinkie shrugged "I mean, your friend is the only one missing here, and since the disappearance of Posey was recent, I kinda just put two-and-two together and voila! Besides, stories like this usually have me breaking the forth wall in some way or another, right?"

"The fourth... what?" Twilight questioned before shaking her head "Ugh... Never mind... My head hurts as it is..."

"So, can I join you guys?!" Pinkie bounced up and down.

"...I dunno" Rainbow skeptically said "Do you have any more secrets we should know about?"

"Hmm..." Pinkie thought long and hard "Well... I take cake from the fridge every so often, I find enjoyment in killing monsters, my real name is Pinkamena Diane Pie... Oh, and Streamer was born back-leg-first!"

"M-Mother..." Streamer, truly for the first time since the group had met her, blushed with embarrassment.

"That would certainly explain her..." Rarity attempted a joke, snickering all the while "...backwards personality..."

"...Rare, that was awful" Rainbow shook her head.

"Best leave the jokes to the professionals" Pinkie stated "So, can I come with you?! Can I, can I, can I?!"

"Pinkie, yes, of course you can" Twilight sighed with a smile "Besides, we need a healer on our team, and a healer that can dish out damage is okay for me as well."

"Don't forget the buffs~!" Pinkie sang as she pulled out her ukulele and played it, causing an orange light to surround everyone on the main floor "Oops! My bad. It'll go away after a little while."

"Mom, are you really going?" Party Doodle started to cry "But... But... Who will make us your famous Super-duper-ultra-mega Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla with Cookie Crumb cake?"

"Oh, don't worry, Doodle" Pinkie hugged her son "I won't be gone for... THAT long! I think... But you'll have your sister and daddy to take care of! You're the big man of the house for now, okay?"

"...okay, mom..." Party sniffed and nodded.

"Farewell, mother" Streamer spoke again in a deadpanned tone "My brother and father will patiently await your return. Be sure to defeat any monster you may find along your way, and if you run away from one, be sure to come back and defeat it later. Oh, and be careful around these four. They seem extraordinarily stupid from not being able to figure out that Fluttershy was Posey."

"H-HEY!!" Rainbow shouted.

"I'll be sure to, sweetie!" Pinkie kissed her on the forehead "Now, everyone get changed and let's go, go go!!!"

(Music Stop)

Finally, everyone was ready to go with their armor, weapons and items. Spike crawled back up onto Twilight's shoulder where he belonged, Pinkie said her farewells to her family, and Rainbow stretched a bit with Applejack, loosening their joints for battle. They all took a deep breath in and exhaled.

"So, this is it" Twilight nodded "Today we're getting Fluttershy back!"

"YEAH!!" everyone cheered.

"Wait..." Rainbow brought up "I mean... How do we even get to Lord Dario's castle? I mean, I could fly there, but you guys are pretty much stranded as far as stuff like that goes."

"Oh right... Good point..." Applejack said before looking at Pinkie "Pinkie Pie, do ya have any sort of flyin' machine we can use ta git to Lord Dario's castle?"

"Well, I have that one thing..." Pinkie remembered "But it's a one-seater! Sorry!"

"...is this why Lord Dario left us alive?" Rarity thought "Perhaps he is simply so diabolically evil that he planned this in hopes to bring down our spirits and relish every moment of it?"

"Or maybe it was just bad luck on our part" Rainbow shrugged.

"Whatever the reason, we still have no way of getting into the castle..." Twilight sighed.

"Oooh! Oooh! What about a Deus-ex Machina?!" Pinkie suggested "Y'know, some figure of high power coming out of nowhere and helping us out! That would work, right?"

"Your timing is impeccable... Pinkie Pie..." spoke a dark voice from behind the group. They all turned around curiously, causing Rainbow Dash and Twilight to gasp. The voice belonged to none other than the shadowy woman Twilight and Rainbow saw in Deep Cloudsdale. Only, she had now attained more of a dark purple body with a black sundress, as well as the same starry, blue, wavy hair. She now had full yellow eyes that seemed to stare right at the team, and a normal mouth, unlike the one she used when fighting Twilight a long while back.

"The shadowy woman..." Twilight muttered "What do you want this time?"

"Twilight, it is good to see you again" the woman looked at her "Do you notice anything different about me this time? Perhaps my attire? Perhaps... my speech?"

"Answer her question!" Rainbow pulled out her spear.

"Relax, Rainbow Dash" the woman eased her down "I'm not here to trifle with you today. In fact, I'm actually here to aid you. Albeit for my own ambitions, but if you allow me to help you, in return you shall have a chance at getting your friend back..."

"Twilight, whoever is this woman?" Rarity wondered.

"Oh, right, you and AJ weren't here when we last met this... thing" Twilight recalled "This is the shadow woman... But, actually, do you even have a name?"

"How rude of me, of course" the shadow woman bowed "I am Tantabus. I, of course, am a being made entirely out of shadows and darkness. In further detail, I am one of the seven personification vessels of darkness, but that will mean little to you. To you, I am but a creation trying to find her way around in life."

"Tantabus... That sounds familiar..." Twilight pondered "But how are we supposed to trust you won't kill us if we accept your offer? After the things the princesses have told me, you've been causing some serious trouble all over the land."

"Because, Twilight," Tantabus smiled "I'm the only person who can safely get you inside Château de Dario, the fortress Lord Dario holes himself into all the time..."

No one wanted to believe her. No one wanted to trust her nor follow her. But she was right; any other way they would try to get into the castle would either take too long, or would surely lead to their deaths. With a heavy sigh, save for Pinkie who merely smiled through it all, all members of the team stepped forward and accepted the offer.

"Ya'll better be right about this" Applejack said "Cuz ifin yer not, ah swear, yer back'll be feelin' it tomorrow..."

"You don't frighten me, Applejack" Tantabus scoffed "But I'll note those words. I hope you live up to them."

"Alright, let's get this party ON!!" Pinkie cheered, allowing Tantabus to teleport them away into the castle with a dark aura. In a quick flash, they had disappeared from the village.

(Music Stop)

Posey sat in her locked room all alone with no one around to comfort her. The room was nice, she could admit: the floor had the finest red silk carpets she had ever felt, the walls were painted the freshest shade of beige, and her bed was soft and easy to sink into, not to mention the colorful sheets that dawned over it.

But the problem was she didn't feel at all at home. Home was a small cottage on the countryside she could relax in and take care of the animals around her. Home was a place she could love and be loved by those around her. Home was with... her. Since the day she saw that beautiful face behind the mask, she had pondered and questioned if she would like her back; if she shared the same feelings Posey did for her. Perhaps that was the reason she could never love Dario?

Or maybe it had to do with the fact he was a psychopath. That could work too.

"Oh... My friends must be so worried about me..." Posey sighed "But they must be so angry with me as well... After all, I did lie to them about my life, where I came from... Oh, they might not even be looking for me, let alone trying to find me..."

"Cheer up, Fluttershy... Or rather Posey now" Discord teleported himself into her room "At least things couldn't possible get any worse than they are now. Besides, I'm very certain your day is about to get a whole lot better!"

"I'm not interesting in speaking with you right now, Discord..." Posey angrily, but politely stated "Please, leave me alone."

"Oh, but you must remember, dear," a wicked smile appeared on Discord's face "I was tasked with giving you anything, and I do mean anything, you require."

"A-Anything I... require?" Posey perked up "Then in that case... I, um... I require to leave this room and wander the halls of the castle as I please."

"Consider it done" Discord snapped his fingers and unlocked the room's door "You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, thank you, Discord" Posey remembered "Would you, um... like to come with me?"

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't" Discord shrugged "I was also tasked with guarding your room, so here I must stay! Ohohohoho!! But... I sense that your friends are here. They have come to rescue you! Quickly, you must meet with them again!"

"O-Of course!" Posey nodded before dashing off out of her room and into the west hall of the castle, desperately hoping to find her friends before Lord Dario found her. Or worse: her friends.

She continued down the dimly lit hallway on her path towards freedom. She saw the door to the main castle, and smiled a bit, hoping to see her friends again. But just before she reached the door, a shadowy figure appeared before her. It stepped out of the shadows to reveal itself as Lord Dario, looking at her with a devilish grin.

"Oh?" he chuckled "Well, well, well... I see the little songbird is free now."

"L-Lord D-D-Dario..." Posey shivered.

"After some thought, I have finally figured out a way to make sure you stay with me forever" Dario stated, opening his mouth and bearing his sharp fangs "This will hurt me more than you, my dear..."

"N-NO! PLEASE!!" Posey plead, but it was too late. Lord Dario charged right at her, and that was the last moment Posey ever saw of her old life, forever burned into her memory.

Author's Note

This was a short but sweet chapter, and I think it got the job done. Longer chapter coming up soon, I promise!

So the shadowy woman is known as Tantabus... Now where have I heard that one before? I don't know, but it was probably on this one very strange show about magical talking technicolor horses. I can't remember what it was called... "My Little Tidus: Friendship is HAHAHAHA!!"? No, that can't be it... Well, whatever its from, that's what the Tantabus is from.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 19] The Castle

The moment Tantabus teleported the five into the castle, she immediately left with no trace of her being there. While most thought this to be rude, especially Rarity who was expecting some sort of conversation between her and Tantabus, all found this worrying. What was she in such a rush to do? The team couldn't think about that now: They had to save Fluttershy!

They all looked around and saw that the castle was very dimly lit, with only a few torches here and there lighting the area. The carpet was a lovely shade of velvet-red, and the walls were painted a nice beige color. Rarity, again, took more interest in the detail than the others, but still decided to pass the finely made things off as yesterday's news.

"Humph... I seen better than this rubbish" Rarity stated "I mean, perhaps the velvet does feel... rather nice, but the beige simply does not clash with the lighting nor the carpet!"

"No time fer lookin', Rare" Applejack reminded her friend "We have ta find Fluttershy, and fast!

"Yeah, who knows what that creep has done to her by this point" Rainbow said, an anger soon welling up inside her "I swear, when I find him, I won't just kill him, oh no... I'll burn his castle down, then kill him again!"

"Easy now, Rainbow" Twilight eased her friend "You can do all that and more, but we have to rescue Fluttershy first. Do we have ANY idea where she might be?"

"Oooh! Oooh! Why not the west wing?" Pinkie suggested "Important stuff is always held in the west wing!"

"Well, that's certainly... a lead" Rarity said confusingly.

"But that's literally the only thin' we got" Applejack sighed.

"Well, let's start with the west wing of the castle" Twilight nodded "And if that doesn't work, we could always to the east wing later... Or we could split up..."

"Split up?" Rainbow wondered.

"Yes, that's what I said" Twilight reminded her friend "If we split up into two groups, we can cover more ground a lot faster. We've split up before, so we shouldn't have a problem doing it again."

"Yes, but darling, may I remind you this is the residence of a crazed psychopath who kidnaps any who he thinks is he wife, stores them away in this place, and kills them should he discover they aren't actually his wife" Rarity explained again "More than likely, that crazed psychopath is in this house as we speak! How will we be able to deal with him should we encounter him?"

"Beat him with a stick?" Rainbow snickered, but stopping after everyone started giving her looks "...sorry."

"I think we should try to hold him off as much as we can" Twilight suggested "He's powerful, but at least, I hope, not invulnerable. Any spell or weapon should be able to touch him."

"Then we split off then" Applejack nodded with a grin "But who'll go with who?"

"Hmm..." Twilight pondered before giving her answer "There should be at least one mage and one physical attacker on each team, so I'll go with Applejack to the west wing, and Rainbow and Rarity should go to the east wing. But that leaves Pinkie..."

"I know!" Pinkie ecstatically bounced up and down "Why don't I go with Twilight and Applejack to the west wing? Rainbow Dash and Rarity will find someone in the east wing who can help them, I'm sure!"

"How CAN you be sure, Pinkie?" Rainbow questioned.

"Eh, just a hunch."

"Well, Pinkie's theories have yet to be proven wrong" Twilight remembered earlier that day "Alright, I can deal with that. Lord Dario probably has someone stored away in the east wing anyway. Alright, everyone go in their assigned groups and split up! We have to find Fluttershy at all costs!"

"Right!" everyone nodded at the same time before joining each other and walking off left and right.

"EEEEEEK!!" Rarity screamed in fright.

"Rarity, what is it?!" Rainbow quickly turned around and faced her friend "Is it a monster?! Lord Dario?! Heck, I'll even settle for a dead guy because of your nature!"

"These walls don't compliment at ALL with with the floors!" Rarity cried, causing Rainbow to groan "Oh, but darling, yellow carpeting doesn't go with dark, dank prison colors. That's not to say prison colors are bad, but my eyes are burning with horribleness! The horribleness of mismatched colors!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Rarity!" Rainbow slapped her across the face.

"Ow..." she rubbed her cheek "...y-you're right. Sorry, darling. Now, this place... it sort of..."

"Looks just like a prison, you're right" Rainbow finished her friend's sentence "This must be where he keeps all of the people he thought was Posey, and kills them later on. There might not even be anyone left."

"If there are, we should save them as well" Rarity brought up "Not only would it be the right thing to do, but some could have some valuable information on where Fluttershy is."

"Oi, did someone say Fluttershy?" echoed a distant, Scottish female voice "Hey! Hey, if you're lookin' for her, I know where Lord Dario put her! Just, y'know, lemme out!"

"Whoever could that be?" Rarity wondered.

"I dunno, but it sounded like she came from over there" Rainbow pointed down the long hallway of a prison "Um... somewhere... Hey! Which cell are you in?!"

"What? I dunno!" the voice shouted "If I see you, I'll call out ta you!"

"How can we be sure we can trust you?" Rainbow questioned "How do we know you're not some kinda spy?"

"Well, you're not goin' ta figure it out unless you get over here" the voice brought up a good point "C'mon, it's gettin' really stuffy in here, and since I was thrown in here, I've done nothin' but wander around my cell. Please you gotta help me! If you do, I promise you that Fluttershy will be able to recognize me as a friend!"

"We have a choice, darling" Rarity placed a hand on her friend's shoulder "But I think if this woman is telling the truth, she could prove helpful in our search."

"Well..." Rainbow sighed "...okay, I trust you..." she turned back to the hallway and called down it once again "Yo lady! We're coming for you, so hang tight!"

"Thank you, really!" the voice echoed down again.

"Rare, if she turns out to be a huge dick... ironic because she's a girl..." Rainbow began "I expect 2000 bits from you."

"We share the precise amount of bits though, darling" Rarity pointed out.

"Oh, shut-up..." Rainbow rolled her eyes as she continued down the hall, Rarity soon following her.

Finally, they reached the end of the hallway, where a single cell was right in front of them. Inside the cage was a woman that looked strikingly like Fluttershy, only she had short hair and wore a white vest, kilt and tam o'shanter on her head. She looked extremely agitated being cooped up in the prison cell for so long.

"Oi! Took you long enough" the woman scoffed "Now could you unlock that door? My fist isn't strong enough ta break it."

"You're a Monk, darling?" Rarity wondered "Hmm, yes, that will be quite helpful to have for now. Rainbow Dash, I do believe we had a deal, did we not?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Rainbow waved her finger a bit "The conditions were that if I won, you had to pay me 2000 bits, not the other way around. Besides, we're still not sure if she's some sort of spy yet."

"I'm no spy!" the woman shouted

"Oh, fine..." Rarity sighed before looking back at the woman "By the way, darling, I never quite got your name."

"The name's Reed Pipes, or just Pipes for short" the woman grinned "Ace Monk and countryside girl, at your service. Hey, you're a Dragoon, right? Never been to Cloudsdale. Is it ni-"

"NO!" Rainbow Dash shouted, causing her to jump back.

"Alright, alright, no need ta get your panties in a twist..." Pipes rolled her eyes "Anyway, get me outta here! I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to last cooped up in here."

"Fire!" Rarity raised her rod and cast a small flame on the cell's lock, melting it and allowing Pipes to escape "There we go. Do you feel better, darling?"

"Yes, much better" Pipes stretched as she got out of her cage "Now, as I promised, if you guys are looking for Fluttershy, or rather Posey, she's in the west wing."

"The west wing, huh?" Rainbow questioned "Sounds like the others will get to her first. Well, we better head back then, Rare. No point in sticking around this awful place."

"Wait, hang on a minute" Pipes spoke up "I'm comin' with you, yeah?!"

"Rainbow Dash, I'm sure she won't get in the way... too much" Rarity tried to convince her friend "Besides, we have no idea what may happen in the future. Any sort of help would be greatly appreciated and, dare I say, needed."

"Fine..." Rainbow sighed "But one hint of betrayal and she gets a spear in her back. No hard feelings?"

"Some taken" Pipes flatly stated.

"Great!" Rainbow nodded before walking off. Pipes, however, stopped her.

"Wait, Rainbow Dash, was it?" she began "If the need arises for any sort o' escape from this place, I know a good place ta go. Once we get Posey, of course."

"Thanks, but..." Rainbow breathed in and out "...please, call her Fluttershy. I'm sure after this entire time escaping that name of Posey, she wouldn't want to be called anything else but the name we met her with."

"Fair enough."

"Very well, darlings, let us meet up with the others then" Rarity nodded and began walking with Rainbow Dash and Pipes back to the entrance of the east wing "By the way, there may have been one or seven monsters I spotted whilst walking this way. I say we take them out quickly and quietly."

"Wow, Rarity" Rainbow chuckled "I expected you to at least be a little bit scarred of the monsters in this place."

"Years of being in a cave have taught me that monsters are nothing to be afraid of" Rarity stuck her nose into the air "In fact, I have grown to be rather fond of them."

"Is that why you nearly freaked out when you saw that Scorpio?" Rainbow smirked.

"...Mute" Rarity blushed from embarrassment a bit, forcing her to use her rod and silence her friend for the remainder of the walk "Now, you just stay there and be a good girl until we exit this foul place."

"Hahaha! That is too funny!" Pipes laughed, much to Rainbow's dismay.

(Music Stop)

"Ugh! Her room has to be around here somewhere!" Twilight frantically searched the entire west wing, opening doors, checking them quickly and closing them a few seconds later "Here? No. Here? No. Here? OH SWEET JESUS, NO!! Ugh... This is hopeless! There are just too many doors here! We'll never be able to find her in time!" a few strands of hair began sticking up on her head.

"Calm down, Twi" Applejack placed a hand on her friend's back "Jus' try ta relax, okay?"

"CAN'T YOU SEE I'M PERFECTLY RELAXED?!!" Twilight snapped.

"Nope! You're all tense and stuff!" Pinkie observed "You're even screaming and shouting and stuff!"

"Kaw!" Spike nuzzled his owner in an attempt to cheer her up.

"See, even Spike wants ya ta try and relax a bit" Applejack pointed out "Yer panicking too much, and ah dun think Fluttershy would want ta come back and see a sad Twilight, would she?"

"...no, I guess not" Twilight sighed.

"Twilight? Twilight Sparkle?" said a voice familiar to her, for better or for worse "My goodness, it's been far too long! How have you been? Oh, I see you've brought a few new friends as well! How wonderful."

"Discord... A pleasure..." Twilight sighed, turning around and going face-to-face with the crazy bounty hunter "What are you doing here? Are you working for Lord Dario? That honestly wouldn't surprise me."

"Twilight, who is this?" Applejack wondered.

"This, Applejack is the most messed up guy you'll ever meet" Twilight explained to her "He works for money, being the bounty hunter he is, but he doesn't exactly do things the way most hunters would. While most would complete their job and get paid later, Discord here will find any and all loopholes to back stab, sometimes literally, his employer and take the cash afterwards."

"You remembered!" Discord shed a single tear "That's so thoughtful of you... Then again, you described me in the utmost cruelest way. I don't back stab my employers: I simply punish them for not reading the rules right."

"Super duper nice to meet you, Discord!" Pinkie Pie bounced "I'm Pinkie Pie, but you can just call me Pinkie, or Pie! But not like pie, pie, but pie as in my name Pie! But you probably already knew that!"

"Pinkie Pie, eh?" Discord looked closely at her "Hmm... You look familiar, but I don't know why..."

"Discord, I'm still waiting on an answer" Twilight tapped her foot.

"Oh, of course! How silly of me!" Discord clapped his hands together "I am indeed working for Lord Dario, but-" everyone sheathed their weapons "A bit quick on the draw, hmm? No matter; this is simply natural mortal reaction, I suppose."

"You better have a good reason why we shouldn't fight you right here right now" Twilight growled.

"I have several! Ohohohoho!!" Discord laughed "Fighting me would be fruitless because I would win, even if you could somehow match my power I would just reflect it with my Mime powers... Oh, and freed Fluttershy."

"You freed Fluttershy?" Twilight wondered.

"Yes, indeed" Discord smiled "I was tasked with putting her in her room and guarding it, giving her anything that she required. Naturally, she required to escape the room, so I let her out and continued guarding the room!"

"That's... actually pretty darn clever..." Applejack couldn't help but smile at the loophole.

"So where is she now?" Twilight eased up a bit.

"I haven't a clue" Discord shrugged "The last I saw of her, she turned the hallway's corner and continued running away. The only reason I'm here is because I got bored with guarding a normal door."

"Oh for the love of... YOU LET HER OUT IN A CASTLE OWNED BY A PSYCHOPATH?!!" Twilight shouted.

"That's what I said, yes" Discord nodded "But if it makes you feel any better, I will help you find out where Fluttershy had gone off to... for a small fee."

"No!" Twilight shouted "You're helping us find Fluttershy whether you like it or not! It's your fault she could be captured by Dario, or worse... Surely you can find it in your heart to help us?"

"...oh fine" Discord rolled his eyes "But only because I see Fluttershy as a good friend of mine."

"What?"

"Nothing!~"

"Alright, y'all" Applejack motioned her arm to make the others follow her back "Let's head back then. Only one way Shy could've gone was this way, so the main entrance should be our next stop."

"Right back to square one, I guess" Twilight shrugged "Okay, follow Applejack, you guys."

(Music Stop)

Suddenly, Pinkie's body began to spasm, starting with her ears flopping about, then her left arm and finally her torso. The others looked at her in curiosity before she finally stopped. Her normally happy and bubbly face soon turned into one of worry and utter panic. She started screaming uncontrollably, running around the entire room before being stopped by Applejack 'accidentally' tripping her.

"An ear flop, left arm wiggle and torso shake, Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, getting back up and grabbing Twilight by her robe collar "Do you have any idea what that means?!"

"Um... I don't-"

"IT MEANS SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO SOMEONE!!!" she clutched her head and freaked out again, only stopping after Applejack once again 'accidentally' tripped her back to sense.

"Wait, you mean Fluttershy could be in danger?!" Twilight caught wind almost immediately.

"Worse!" Pinkie nearly pulled out some of her hair "It means something bad already happened to Fluttershy!"

"Then every other reason ta get back as soon as possible!" Applejack nodded, taking her friends' hands and dragging them along, leaving Discord behind "C'mon, y'all! Let's go! Ya too, Discord!"

"Ugh... Always playing second-fiddle, aren't I?" Discord groaned before joining the others.

After rushing out into the main foyer, still dimly lit as ever, the four met up with the other team who had also completed their round, now interestingly with a new member. After a few more introductions, the four explained to the three what had happened thus far in their side of the castle, even what may have happened to Fluttershy.

"So... She's gone..." Rainbow sighed "Goddammit, Discord, why couldn't you just have stayed with her?!"

"That wasn't in my contract, Rainbow" Discord smiled "Though I am starting to regret just allowing her to run off like that... She is my friend, after all."

"Oh, don't even get started with that bull-"

"Rainbow, calm yourself, please!" Rarity urged "You mustn't yell, especially in this foyer. It echoes, and it might attract unwanted attention from someone we have all come to loath."

"R-Right... Sorry..." Rainbow sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Speaking of, I think I'm just about ready ta beat this guy down" Pipes cupped her fist in her hand "So we get back Fluttershy, kill the dastard, then escape usin' the escape route we found. Sounds like the perfect plan to me!"

"While ah think gettin' back Fluttershy as fast as we can is the number one priority," Applejack began "ah think we should come up with a far more elaborate plan than jus' go in and kick his ass."

"Gotta agree with Pipes on this: the sooner and simpler we do this, the better" Rainbow stated "Besides, haven't we just winged everything before? We'll be find, don't worry! What's the worst some creepy guy in black robes can do anyway?"

"Mmmm~ Perhaps not a man..." echoed a familiar, but at the same time distant female voice to the group. They frantically looked around the foyer, hoping to catch a glimpse of who the person who spoke to them was. But she stayed well hidden, much to the dismay of the team. Discord, surprisingly stepped forward and smiled.

"Oh Fluttershy, you needn't be scared of us" he chuckled "Come out and show us that lovely face of yours."

"Fluttershy?" Applejack question "...well, the more ah think 'bout it..."

"...the more you realize that IS Fluttershy" Twilight gasped "Fluttershy, what are you doing? Where are you? Is Lord Dario forcing you to do this? We're here to get you back! Just hang tight and-"

"Oh, Twilight..." Fluttershy's giggle echoed through the hall "Can't you see I'm perfectly happy with spending the rest of my days with Lord Dario?"

"...what?" Pipes questioned "Fluttershy, you can't be serious."

"Foolish mortals!" Fluttershy shouted "I am not Fluttershy, as you apparently like to call me. Nay, I am Posey, the lovely flower bride to the powerful Lord Dario."

She finally revealed herself in front of the door leading to the throne room of the castle with a puff of black smoke. As soon as the smoke faded away, the group took a closer look at her and saw that her cream yellow skin had darkened slightly, her long pink hair was now ruffled a bit, and her ears were now fuzzier with pointed hair on them. She wore a green that went down to her ankles and revealed the left side of her thigh and leg, and around the shoulders of the dress were light green ruffled feathers. Her eyes had turned a bright red color, and in her hair was a hairpin shaped like a bat that kept her messy hair in check.

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow spoke under her breath.

"Ahahaha!! Do you like her?" a laugh came from behind them, to which they all turned and saw Lord Dario had somehow appeared there with a large smile on his face, showing his true, sadistic nature "She's mine now, you pathetic mortals! None of you may have her! Only she can be mine!"

"That is just borderline creepy" Rarity scoffed "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Ashamed, she says?" Dario laughed as he teleported right next to Posey "The only ones who should be ashamed here are you! You took her away from me and kept her from me! My search would have been over if you hadn't gotten in the way!"

"What did you do with her?!" Rainbow shouted.

"I simply gave her the only things she'll ever need in her life" Dario explained "The unquenchable thirst to love me, and immortality so her beauty may last through the ages!"

"Immortality?" Twilight questioned "That's impossible. No one can live forever, unless you were some sort of all-powerful being. And while I can admit you are a very powerful mage, immortality is well out of anyone's grasp."

"Actually, darling..." Rarity spoke up "Both him and Fluttershy may be Vampires."

"Excuse me?" Twilight's expression turned into one of shock and confusion "Vampires? You can't be serious!"

"Remember when my father spoke to us about Blue Mages?" Rarity reminded her friend "I had done some studying in my free time when I was younger and discovered there was actually a sub-job to Blue Mages known as Vampires, which were much more combat-central and aggressive."

"The Vampires then proceeded to wipe out every known Blue Mage in the world, but not before they got into a war that annihilated both forces" Posey recalled "At least, that's what my husband told me. As far as I'm aware, we are the only surviving members of the Vampire/Blue Mage race. Lord Dario has even witnessed the battle for himself!"

"Indeed, my lovely flower" Dario chuckled.

"Whoa! You're super old!" Pinkie gasped.

"Ngh!" Dario winced "I am not old! I haven't aged since the day I became a Vampire."

"But... Fluttershy..." Rainbow sighed "She's a Vampire now, but..." she breathed in and out before pointing at Dario 'Okay, listen up, Lord Dick-io!" Dario became cross by that insult "Whatever you did to Fluttershy's head doesn't matter! If you think some kind of sick forced love will work, it won't! Fluttershy is still in there... and we plan on getting her back and kicking your ass!"

"Forced love?" Posey wondered "Dario, whatever is she talking about?"

"Nothing, my dear, I assure you" Lord Dario relaxed his wife "Now, will you please see our... guests out?"

"Of course, my love" Posey began slowly walking toward the group "Poor mortals... You are very fortunate I'm in a good mood today, so I'll ask you to please leave our castle now, or I'll have to kill you."

"Fluttershy, darling, you have to snap out of it!" Rarity plead "This isn't you! You must come back to your senses!"

"I had told you to stop calling me that name!" Posey shouted "Inferior peasants! I will end you!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Discord grumbled as Posey stuck out her hand and charged an attack. Lord Dario, however, stopped her. He placed a finger on her chin and raised her head up a bit before kissing her. After ending the moment, he looked at the group and shook his head.

"Posey, my dear, these mortals aren't worth the trouble" he said "I finally have you back after years of searching, and I wouldn't want to spoil the day with... more death."

"Hmm... You're right, my love" Posey blushed "Let us ignore these whelps and enjoy our time together..."

With that, they brought an arm around each others' back and walked away from the others, opening the door to the throne room and entering it, closing the door behind them with a great slam that reverberated through the foyer. All stood shocked, but Twilight was quick to speak up. She smiled, knowing something incredible had just happened.

(Music Stop)

"Guys, did you not see that?" Twilight wondered.

"See what?" Pipes asked.

"All I saw was a dick taking away Fluttershy..." Rainbow stated before blushing a bit "Um... Don't take that out of context..."

"That! Exactly that!" Twilight pointed at Rainbow, much to her confusion "You're blushing! Fluttershy blushed! Blushing occurs when you become embarrassed or extremely happy."

"Like me!" Pinkie cheered.

"Yes, like you, Pinkie" Twilight smiled "But that's not all: blushing only works if you have blood in your body."

"Blood?" Rainbow wondered "But Vampires aren't supposed to have blood... unless..."

"Fluttershy isn't a Vampire!" Twilight grinned "There's still a chance we can save Fluttershy!"

"Then what are we waiting for, darling?" Rarity questioned with a triumphant smile "Let's make for the throne room post-haste! Just be warned everyone that whatever awaits for us on the other side of the door, I smell the horrid stench of a battle."

"That was a given... But you're right, we should prepare" Pipes nodded.

"Everyone take a few minutes to get yourselves ready" Twilight nodded "The second we're all ready to go and get our friend back, we bust through that door! And we WILL get Fluttershy back!"

Author's Note

Epic moment foretelling the coming of the next battle! But who will it be against? Will it be the team verses the Lord Dario, or the team verses something even they wouldn't dare harm?

This chapter took a while to get out mainly because of school and the sort. But now that it's the weekend, I'll have a lot more time to get out the final two chapters of this arc. Every arc will have 7 chapters, BTW, as per tradition of the story. And as per usual, each chapter will have the word "The" at the beginning because... Actually, no real reason. It was just kind of a thing that popped into my mind when I was writing this thing. Probably just to sound edgier or some shit, I dunno.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 20] The Vampire Queen

In the cave behind Neighagra Falls, the only waterfall on the mainland and the closest location to Lord Dario's castle, stirred a fierce torrent of water. The pool around the water crystal, the likes of which was safely stored there, began to shake and bubble, eventually giving rise to a long, blue, serpentine dragon with an arrow-shaped head and mouth, as well as two fins on its upper body with four large red spikes on both of them. It looked around the area, seeing if anything was lurking nearby.

"I haven't much time left here..." the dragon spoke in a raspy voice "But yet... I sense that she is near... She is in grave danger! I mustn't die yet! I must help her, I-"

The dragon stopped for a moment, listening to the whispering voice inside its head.

"M-My lady... are you... sure?" the dragon wondered, to which the voice confirmed its question "But she'll... surely die if we don't make it too her fast enough... I don't... undertstand..."

The voice once again spoke to the dragon, this time going in full detail why her answer was clear. The dragon listened closely, nodding whenever the voice paused. The dragon never really understood why the voice was in its head, nor did it understand where it came from and what its purpose was. All it knew was that the voice was female, and very timid about things most of the time.

"I... I understand..." the dragon nodded "In that case... Godspeed, water vestal... I will give you... the last of my power... May it... help you... show... your... true... self..."

At last, the team was all set to go. They had listened in on a few of Pinkie Pie's tunes to heal them up, as well as drank some Tinctures to restore a bit of their lost mana from the monster battles they fought earlier. They all stepped up close to the door preparing to strike the vampire and save Fluttershy when Twilight realized something.

"Someone has to stay behind..." she sighed "Someone has to stay here and protect the area in case things go wrong. While every one of us deserves a chance to kick his ass, I don't want anything going wrong."

"I'll stay" Discord smiled "Besides, I have better things to do then beat up some emo pretty boy. Go along now..."

"R-Right, of course" Twilight nodded.

"Yeah, it's about time!" Rainbow grinned, going for the door. Before she could grab it, Rarity pulled her back.

"Darling, don't you think we should be careful about this?" she suggested "I mean, Lord Dario and... urm... Posey could be planning any sort of attack for us behind there."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Rainbow shouted "We don't have time for careful strategies or thoughtful planning! Fluttershy is literally right behind this door, and I'm not moping around one more second!"

"Rainbow Dash is right; we ain't got time fer this" Applejack smirked and nodded at her friend "Kick it open, Dash!"

"With pleasure!" Rainbow lifted up her leg and smashed the door open, knocking it right off of its hinges. She pulled out her spear and ran inside the even darker room that the foyer. Everyone looked at each other with worried and confused faces before shrugging and following their friend into the throne room.

(Music Stop)

"Gee, it's kinda dark..." Pinkie pointed out.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious" Pipes sarcastically said "Did someone bring a light?"

"No!" Pinkie said in a tone that sounded way too silly for anything really.

"Careful, Pinkie, darling" Rarity brought up "If you are not careful, that word and that tone could be used by everyone way too much in the future. Then it would just die itself out after a few years..."

"You say that as if you've had something like that before" Twilight curiously pointed out.

"Well, um... Yes, I believe it was a fad back in the mines..." Rarity recalled "It was most uncouth, but I believe one would take something someone said and compile it into a multitude of other things someone said and turn it into the final product, which was usually loud and/or distracting and annoying."

"What was it called?"

"Oh, what WAS it called?" Rarity tried to remember "I know it had something with tubes and body waste..."

"Eugh... Too much information!" Pinkie stuck out her tongue.

Suddenly, they all heard the door slam behind them, despite the door having already been knocked off. The room had now become pitch black, and no one could see a thing. Suddenly, candles along the throne room's hall began lighting up, from the door all the way to the other end. The flickering lights continued until they illuminated the throne itself. There, Lord Dario was sitting with Posey sittingg rather suggestively on his lap. His face showed signs he was displeased by the six barging into his private time, but he wore a grin anyway.

"Uncouth mortals..." he began "How unpleasant to see that you have invaded the time my wife and I were so wondrously spending together. Isn't that right, my flower?"

"Quite" Posey giggled "How foolish of them to think they could barge in and ruin our fun."

"Oh, I can assure you, my dear Posey, that these whelps will be taken care of easily" Dario chuckled.

"That word... whelp, I mean" Twilight brought up "I'm not sure it means what you think it means."

"Kaw!" Spike called out.

"Does that really matter right now, Twilight?" Rainbow questioned Twilight before stepping up and aiming her spear at Dario "Hey Dandy Dick! You give back our friend now or I stick this spear up your ass!"

"Certainly one way of putting it..." Rarity said under her breath.

"Why, I do think that was a threat, my love" Posey gasped before circling her lover's chest with her finger "Should we dispose of these mortals or not even bother wasting our power? Any choice is my choice..."

"You know? These disgusting things are beginning to get on my nerves..." Dario nodded, finally deciding what to do with the group "I think it's about time we show them your true power, my most beautiful flower."

"M-My true power, my love?" Posey questioned "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Posey, my dear, all Vampires have some sort of hidden power locked away inside them" Dario explained "I have seen all powers... save for yours, of course. Oh, don't fret, dear... Your lovely voice would stay with you..."

(Music Stop)

"St-Stay with me?" Posey had gotten off Dario's lap and gave a genuinely fearful face "D-Dario, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that your voice shall continue to live on... through your transformation" Dario smiled "Which is good, because if it didn't, I would have no use nor love for you anymore."

"Dario..." Posey shivered before closing her eyes and clutching her head, moaning in a bit of pain. Once she stopped, she opened her eyes back up again to reveal they had turned back to the normal baby blue of Fluttershy's eye color. Everyone besides the woman in question gasped at this.

"F-Fluttershy!" Applejack's eyes widened "Could it be?"

"I..." she rubbed her head before looking around the room "Where... Where am I?"

"Fluttershy!" everyone but Lord Dario cheered with joy. The Vampire in question's eyes widened in shock and fear, trying to understand how Posey could be freed from his control.

"Impossible!" Dario shouted "My grasp on her was too strong; she shouldn't have conscious control! Something... Something helped her... and I intend on finding out what!"

"M-My body..." Fluttershy looked down at her hands, still the darker yellow she had when she was a Vampire "A-Am I... stuck like this? Am I cursed to be... a Vampire?"

"Ahahahahahahaha!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Lord Dario's pupils shrank, his smile widened and his hands clutched his head "So you think you can take away my Posey from me, HUH?! You are all fools! She will stay with me and sing to me! She will be all mine and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Enough, Dario" Rainbow, with her lowered weapon, sighed "You've lost, so forget it. Fluttershy is our friend and not your plaything, and I'm pretty sure she would like to stay with us instead of you."

"Y-Yes, very much so, yes" Fluttershy nodded before loosening up and walking towards the group, who all greeted her with open arms. But anyone should have known that's not where Lord Dario was going to let things end. He had been searching for far too long to let things end here. With one of his shadowy hands from his back, he reached out and grabbed Fluttershy, causing her to scream in fear. Everyone gasped at this, but all pulled out their weapons, ready to help their friend.

"Put her down, Dario" Applejack growled "Or y'all be sorry in the mornin'!"

"You're making a huge mistake, Dario!" Twilight called out "You only defeated us on our airship because you caught us off guard. Now that we're ready, we can take you on!"

"Poor things... You actually think you're going to face me in combat?" Dario chuckled, much to everyone's confusion "Do you really think I would mention a Vampire's true power without demonstrating it to you?!"

"You wouldn't dare..." Rainbow' grip on her spear got tighter.

"If I transfer my power into my wife, she would gain enough power to not only dispose of you, but rule in my stead!" Dario laughed "I would be powerless, but Posey would be all-powerful."

"Please! Let me go!" Fluttershy struggled.

"Sorry, my beautiful flower, but you have proven yourself to be much too troublesome to allow to be let free" Dario said as he pulled out another shadowy hand and grabbed Fluttershy's body again "Now... hold still and accept your power! You will be mindless, but you will be more beautiful than ever before!"

(Music Stop)

"N-No! Please, stop this!" Fluttershy had begun crying as she felt Dario's power enter her and fill her soul with darkness "Please! Please... P... lease... sto... p... P... l... e... a... s... e..."

"Enough of this!" Rainbow Dash jumped up and tried to cut Dario's shadowy arm off, only to realize it was futile "What? How can I go through that? Is it actually made of... pure darkness?"

"Off of here!" Dario pulled out another hand and and pushed Rainbow away "You mustn't disturb us now! You run the risk of killing me, let alone her! Surely you don't have the heart to strike me down now."

"You... You..." Rainbow tensed up "...fucking asshole..."

"That's what I thought..." Dario chuckled before a bright flash of dark light appeared before everyone "At last! The power conversion is complete! My dear beautiful flower, now you shall powerful and have a lovely voice as well! Feast your eyes upon her: Posey, the Vampire Queen! MY Vampire Queen!"

Dario's shadowy hand dropped Fluttershy onto the floor. A dark energy then surrounded Fluttershy's body and engulfed her before finally expanding and dispersing around the room. Where Fluttershy was lying stood a hideous bipedal gray creature with a gaping mouth and four holes where its eyes should have been, with red, glowing dots in them. Two dark brown and curly horns protruded on its head, and pink crystals covered its two massive arms. Its long tail had a pink, glowing energy ball at the end of it, and its back had two giant dark gray wings protruding from it. With its curved back legs, it stepped forward and roared at the team.

"Isn't she marvelous?" Dario asked "The best part is that she's going to DESTROY YOU!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!" with that, he teleported away. But the group couldn't think of him now. All they could think about was the monster in front of them, and how they were going to save it.

"Whatever you do, don't hurt her!" Twilight shouted "Monster or not, that's still Fluttershy underneath that!"

"Never did ah think ah would be fightin' ya, Shy..." Applejack sighed "Y'all were such a nice young woman too... Git ready, everyone! Here she comes!"

The creature roared an ear-shattering cry before leaping up and flapping its wings, causing a huge gust of wind to blow around the group. The mages were almost immediately thrown back, leaving the physical attackers to fend for themselves for a while. Pipes took no time in charging right for the creature.

"Pipes, wait!" Rainbow shouted "Don't hurt her!"

"Rainbow Dash, as far as I'm concerned, this ain't Fluttershy nu more" Pipes pointed out "Besides, defeating it might actually bring Fluttershy ta her senses, it might!"

"Reed Pipes could be right, darling!" Rarity called out from behind "Sometimes a good smack is all someone needs to snap right back into it! Works with men, anyway..."

"That could work..." Applejack pondered "Alright then, let's try ta knock her out instead. No one use any sorta sharp thin' or somethin'! Just go fer whackin' attacks!"

"Whacking attacks are my specialty" Pipes pumped her fists together before leaping up and grabbing the creature's face, lining up an attack, and punching it right in the nose. This caused the monster to roar and cease flapping its wings, felling it onto its belly and opening itself up for attack.

"CHARGE!!!" Twilight shouted with her book high in the air. The others that were knocked back from the wind came running right back at the creature with their weapons, ready to smack it into oblivion or something of that ilk. Rarity pounded her rod on the monster's head, while Pinkie jumped around it, hitting her seemingly unbreakable ukulele against any place she could. Pipes simply continued punching it, doing the most damage out of the group. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at all their friends with slight confusion.

"Y'know, when I went into this battle with Fluttershy, I thought it was going to be a lot more serious than this" Rainbow mentioned "I mean, it's the battle to get our friend back and we're whacking her with musical instruments."

"Ah hear ya" Applejack nodded "Ah mean, maybe ah kinda wanted somethin' else, y'know?"

Just as Applejack said that, the creature got back up and knocked all its attackers off its body, raising its head into the air and letting out a powerful roar. Its arm crystals then grew larger and began emitting electricity between them, eventually charging up its arms and claws. It once again let out a roar before charging at the others.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Twilight ran out of the way, just barely escaping the attack "Whoa! That energy from those crystals is strong. But what if we took the crystals out?" she pulled out her summoning book and flipped to her Lv.2 chapter "Summon! Lv.2 Ifrit!"

The same tanned skin man with horn and a red loincloth appeared out of a summoning circle in front of Twilight's feet. He held out his hand and magically summoned a fiery sword into his grasp. He swung said sword right at the monster, only to have it block the attack with its bulky arm. Twilight had never seen a monster block a summoning attack before. But then again, she had never seen mutation before either.

"Twilight, what the hell is Ifrit doing here?!" Pipes shouted.

"You heard what ah said, right?" Applejack wondered "No use o' sword weapons on-"

"I heard what you said, thank you, Applejack" Twilight confirmed "But we might not get anywhere if we can't cut off those crystals Flutte- the creature has. See, the crystals are giving it power. If we can remove or destroy them, perhaps with a blade or two, the creature won't have any means of powering itself up, and this battle will have gotten easier for us!"

"...alright, but jus' the crystals" Applejack nodded "Y'all heard the girl! Aim yer attacks on those crystals!"

"Sorry about this, Shy!" Rainbow leaped up into the air and landed onto the monster's arm that was blocking Ifrit's sword and swung her spear at the crystals, cracking them slightly and knocking the creature about, allowing Ifrit to finish the job. The left crystals shattered and stopped giving power to that arm, causing its coloration to become a darker gray.

"And for my next trick..." Rainbow twirled around and attempted to strike the other arm. However, the creature learned from the last attack and punched her into the ground just before her spear could hit its target.

"Rainbow Dash!" everyone shouted in fear.

"Nng..." she groaned, feeling as if all her bones were shattered "N-No, I've lived through worse than this... But damn, Fluttershy, that was a nice hit... Wait... Fluttershy!" she slowly got back up and faced the creature dead in the eye, dropping her spear and letting out a long sigh.

(Music Stop)

"What is she doing?" Pipes questioned Twilight about her friend's intentions.

"Rainbow Dash, you gotta stop!" Twilight called out "That isn't Fluttershy anymore! She'll be like this until we can find a way to save her, and I promise you we will; but please, you have to stop!"

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow reached out for the creature "Fluttershy, if you're still in there, I-"

The creature growled at her, causing her to jump back a bit. After a few seconds of patience and quiet, Rainbow continued inching closer and closer to her friend.

"Shy, listen to me, okay?" she plead "It's me, Rainbow Dash! Please, I..." a thought crossed her mind; one that she was sure was able to bring her friend back "...look, Shy, I know about all the looks you've been giving me for a while. I know that you have one, gigantic crush on me like the lesbian you are. Heh..."

This finally calmed the creature down slowly but surely. It growled a few more times before at last ceasing to be aggressive. It looked at Rainbow Dash with curiosity in its eyes.

"Yeah, th-that's it... there w-we go..." Rainbow was starting to feel weak and lightheaded from the extremely powerful punch the monster lay down on her "Fluttershy, this isn't... nng... you. You have to snap out of this and come back to us... please..."

The creature continued to look at her curiously, as if her words went right over its head.

"H-Hey, lemme tell you something, okay?" Rainbow Dash was finally able to place a hand on the creature's leg "Truth is, I think you're pretty cute. Your smile always brightens up everyone's day. Your very presence makes our world, my world, all that much better... F-Fluttershy, I... I lo..."

Rainbow's eyes closed as she collapsed onto the creature's leg.

"Rainbow Dash..." Applejack sighed.

"No, this can't be!" Rarity looked away from the scene. All Reed Pipe and Pinkie could do was watch as everything unfolded.

The creature began shaking a bit, eventually scooping Rainbow's body up in her right arm. Tears had begun rolling down its face as a bright light enveloped it and shrank it back down to size. All that remained of the creature was a cream yellow woman with curly hair and a green dress on. She fell to her knees and held her friend in her arms.

"Rainbow Dash, please wake up!" Fluttershy cried "You can't die! You can't! NO!" she lowered her head and continued to sob "This is all my fault... Everything..."

"Fluttershy, this isn't your fault" Twilight walked over to her friend and placed a hand on her back "Lord Dario was the one that-"

"But I was the one that hit her..." Fluttershy tried her best to speak through her sadness "I was the one that killed her. I watched her die, Twilight! She... I..."

"Please, you have to understand, Fluttershy" Twilight begged "You couldn't have known what you were doing. Even if you did, you weren't in control. Everything is Lord Dario's fault."

"...then I'll kill him" Fluttershy spoke angrily as she wiped away her tears, surprising Twilight; never had she heard her friend say something so violent the time she knew her "I'll kill him and find a way to bring Rainbow Dash back, I swear. No amount of healing magic can save her, nor Phoenix downs... She's dead, Twilight... but I think I know a way to revive her..."

"You do?" a small smile once again appeared on Twilight's face.

"I've lived a bit of my life in this castle" Fluttershy regrettably remembered "I know where some things are, like a passage to the water crystal. The healing properties of the crystal might be the only thing left that can heal her."

"Then what are we waitin' here for, lass?" Pipes finally spoke "Let's get her back, yeah?"

"Yay! We can bring Rainbow Dash back!" Pinkie hopped up and down "Count me in!"

"Ifin we have ta fight some sorta guardian again, ah'm willing ta lay down mah life ta git a friend back" Applejack nodded "Ah'm ready fer anythin' now. Let's go!"

"Twilight, will you help us?" Fluttershy wondered.

"...Fluttershy, there's nothing I wouldn't do for a friend" she smiled "I was on board this band-wagon before it even began!"

"Then in that case, let's get our friend back!"

"YEAH!!" everyone shouted in joy.

Author's Note

Whew! New chapter done! Took me long enough, eh? Sorry for the super-long wait, but due to a general lack of interest and school projects (that took away my interest, BTW), I had no time to finished this seemingly short chapter.

IMPORTANT!! PLEASE READ!!

This is why I'm calling for a hiatus on the story. I know it sucks, but hear me out. What with all the school now taking up my time, I have very little time to work on this project. Sure, I'll still be on FIMfiction, but for anyone who doesn't know this already, I always have FIMfiction open on my tabs, so I'm never offline and I can talk with people about their stuff.

Does this mean the story's gone for good? No, that's why it's a hiatus. It'll return, but I need some time to clear my writers block. You might see some other things from me in the meantime, but until I can get some ideas down, this story is in sleep mode for the time being. I really hope you guys can understand.

If anyone's interested though, I have a new Chrono Trigger story up that I think you might enjoy. Wanna give it a Like?

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!

[Chapter 21] The Water

AN: I'm back, baby! From this point on, I'll be using my current writing style, which includes commas after quotations. Maybe one day I'll go back and fix everything, but for now just sit tight and enjoy the new and improved (even though that statement is literally impossible) Final Fantasy MLP!

No one wanted any of this to happen, and yet it did. They never wanted to come to this castle, yet here they stood. They never wanted their friend to die, yet there she was; Fluttershy, holding the lifeless corpse of her comrade, friend, and perhaps... something more? She was well aware by this point the cyan Dragoon had feelings for her as Fluttershy had feelings for her, but never did she think she would confess her feelings on the last thread of her life. Fluttershy did her best to restrain herself from crying, but alas, there was nothing she could do to repress her tears.

All through the rest of the team were also greatly saddened by Rainbow's death, they were more uncomfortable by Fluttershy's sudden change of personality than anything else. All through their adventure, they knew her as the quiet White Mage that aided them when necessary and kept them general company. But to see her so serious and determined to not only bring back her friend, but to kill another... It was jarring to say the least.

Nevertheless, they pushed onward. Fluttershy had lead them to the secret entrance she used to make her attempted escape located in the dungeons. It had thankfully not yet been discovered by Lord Dario, despite the fact he could have easily retraced her steps and fixed the problem.

"You'd think that though, right?" Discord pondered "If Dario liked Fluttershy all that much, you would at LEAST expect him to tidy up after himself and prevent something like that from happening again."

"I do find it odd, but that isn't really important right now, Discord," Twilight brought up.

"Exactly," Fluttershy said, still making others nervous whenever she spoke "Now, there will be some monsters, but I think by this point we'll be fine, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Now, please, if there's anything you all wish to do before we jump down, do it now," Fluttershy brought up "This is an important task, which means I want you all to complete your personal tasks before-"

"Sugarcube, ah was born ready," Applejack nodded.

"For a friend, I wud do anything," Pipes grinned.

"Let's get Rainbow Dash back!" Pinkie jumped a bit.

"Darling, my task is your task," Rarity bowed a bit.

"Well, I don't know," Discord rolled his eyes "Rainbow Dash has been a nuisance to me for the longest time, always being so egotistical and the sort. Why on earth would you want to bring her-"

Fluttershy scowled at Discord with an intense fire burning in her eyes.

"...oh dear," Discord legitimately looked scared of her "Fine, very well. I'll help you... but only because you terrify me."

"Fluttershy, I was in from the start," Twilight smiled and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder before giving her a look of concern "But Lord Dario seems powerful. If he appears in the chamber, we'll have to fight him if we're going to get Rainbow Dash back. Are you prepared to fight him yourself?"

"Of course I am, Twilight," Fluttershy nodded "Why do you think we're-"

"No, Fluttershy, that's not what I meant," she interrupted her, removing her hand "I mean are you prepared to keep your emotions in check when you fight him? You are clearly very, very angry right now, and I'm worried this may affect your focus."

"...I understand," Fluttershy sighed "But I have spent half of my life living with that... that... thing. He has done terrible things to me, Twilight; oh so terrible things... Whenever I see him, I just want to... I just... want to..."

"Kill him?" Twilight wondered.

"Y-Yes," Fluttershy had now begun to cry "And n-now, he's taken the o-one person I... well... loved."

"So the feelings are mutual between you two?"

"Yes, I suppose so..." Fluttershy clenched her teeth a bit "Oh, Twilight! What if I can't do this? What if my anger gets the better of me and Dario finds a way to-"

"...Fluttershy, lemme tell ya somethin'," Applejack walked up to her and smiled "Some people would DIE just ta prove a point, and some would even die just ta prove their love. But you... Yer gonna be the one to prove their love by gettin' her back! There ain't no one stopping ya from doin' what you gotta do!"

"Well, maybe I have a say in-"

"SHUT-UP, DISCORD!" everyone else shouted at the odd man.

"Applejack, thank you," Fluttershy smiled, wiping away her tears.

"Anythin' ta help a friend out," Applejack chuckled a bit.

"Now c'mon!" Pinkie Pie said rather ecstatically "I wanna see what the water crystal thing looks like!"

"Yes, quite. Besides... this place is starting to send shivers down my spine," Rarity complained a bit.

"Okay, everyone," Fluttershy nodded, feeling a lot more confident now "There's a bit of a drop, but I'm sure if we slid down as carefully as possible, we shouldn't be-"

"GERONIMO!!" Pinkie shouted in pure joy as she hopped over the pit and fell down into the depths below.

"Ugh... That Pinkie, I swear," Pipes rolled her eyes before jumping in down after her. After witnessing both women fall down with no preparation whatsoever, the others simply shrugged and jumped down after them, Fluttershy being extra careful as not to further damage Rainbow's body.

"Oh, heavens no!" Rarity complained "Never would I jump down a hole like that. It's so uncou-"

"Sure," Applejack rolled her eyes and pushed Rarity down the hole, to which the latter let out a scream that echoed through the entire dungeon "Hey, ah was encouragin' and honest. Ah never said ah was patient," she jumped down soon after.

After taking a mine cart and traveling through the long hallway filled with the strange one-eyed flying monsters, the group finally found themselves in the large cavern behind the waterfall Fluttershy found herself in previously. Though, the crystal blue rocks covering the entirety of the cave were slightly darker than she remembered. Perhaps even... corrupt?

The sound of water rushing next to the cavern's opening was pleasing, to say the least. It would be a truly beautiful sight had it not been for pool of water in front of the team. It was not dark nor corrupt itself, but rather the crystal floating above it. Under the crystal was an odd creature lying down, breathing heavily and looking very sick. It's body was long and blue, much like a serpentine dragon, with an arrow-shaped head and mouth, as well as two fins on its upper body with four large red spikes on both of them.

Slowly, Fluttershy, with Rainbow in her arms, approached the dragon.

"S-Sir?" she began, awakening the creature. It's eyes stirred open, but it remained in it's exhausted state.

"Fluttershy... You... came..." he struggled to speak "Good... I was... tired of... waiting... I am known as Leviathan... protector of... the water crystal..."

"Leviathan?" Twilight questioned "Of course! One of the six guardians! But... you look so-"

"Tired?" Leviathan finished her sentence "To protect... those in need... I sacrificed... my power... Now I lay here... fading away..."

"Oh no, but you can't die!" Fluttershy urged "Please, you must help my friend! She... She's very important to me."

"My child... I would like to... do nothing more than... help your friend..." Leviathan winced in pain a bit "But I am... so very tired... The water crystal has been... dangerously corrupt... Only I and... her can... protect it."

"Her?" Rarity stepped up "A name would be nice, no?"

"Hahaha... It has been an age..." Leviathan chuckled a bit before coughing "I've known her... all my life and yet... as the years passed... this old mind of mine... has faded away."

Everyone looked slightly disappointed.

"Is... Is there nothin' y'all can really do?" Applejack quietly asked.

"You... You could kill me..." Leviathan suggested.

"Leviathan, don't say things like that!" Fluttershy scolded him a bit "Never would we ever kill you!"

"Don't be... afraid my child..." Leviathan looked directly at Fluttershy's eyes and smiled "Honestly... killing me now would... be the best option... for you all... In a few moments... I will be corrupted by... Sombra's influence... Never would I dare... imagine what hell that... would be like... Please, I beg of you... It will only take one... solid... blow..."

No one truly wanted to kill the creature, but they knew he would find peace if they killed him here and now. With a sigh, Applejack approached Leviathan and withdrew her sword, raising it high in the air and preparing to strike him.

Before she could even begin the attack, a burst of energy came out of nowhere and impacted itself onto the beast, severing and destroying his head and causing his neck to bleed into the pool beneath him. Everyone turned around to see who else but Lord Dario with a hand extended out at the now perished beast. He had a near-sadistic smile on his face.

(Sound Stop)

"Ha... Hahaha..." he began to laugh "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!"

"Lord Dario!" Twilight growled.

"Hahahaha... Don't even get angry at me..." he laughed a bit "This is what that old fool wanted anyway, right? Death? A chance to escape? Besides, what good is death if you can't savor every last moment of it?"

"You... You sadist..." Twilight clenched her fists "Is this what you're really like? Do you just enjoy taking the lives of others for your own sick pleasure, sparing the ones you find amusing or entertaining?"

"What horrid things could have happened to you to compel such behavior?" Rarity questioned.

"Nothing, truly," Dario giggled "In fact, I don't show this side of me very often. Only when I'm really, REALLY angry will this be revealed to others. And now, you lot have taken from me the one thing I love the most... We could have lived a happy, peaceful life together away from others. I would have allowed it, you know. I would have left all others and only taken care of you, my dear Posey. Wouldn't you-"

(Music Stop)

"Shut-up..." Fluttershy had started to become cross with Dario.

"Ex-Excuse me?" Dario was taken aback.

"I said... shut-up!" Fluttershy shouted. She placed Rainbow Dash onto the ground and bared her fangs at the person she so dearly loathed. She slowly began approaching him, but he remained still.

"Posey, my dear, you're-"

"Stop calling me that!" Fluttershy shook her head "Posey is dead. You killed her a long time ago with your confused beliefs of how love should work. All you have ever done for me is lock me away and bring me out only to sing for you! I was isolated, alone, and... terrified. So, I ran away, and met the most amazing friends I could ever ask for."

"Fluttershy..." Applejack smiled.

"But now one of them is gone... and it's all your fault," Fluttershy continued "It was always your fault! I HATE YOU!!"

"Ah, but my dear..." Dario smiled a bit "Had it not been for me, you would have never met your friends. I believe on the day I found you, you were sad and alone, striving for excitement in your life. You were so young and-"

"Don't remind me, please..." Fluttershy turned her head away from the madman.

"You're right... Better to just show you instead!" Dario charged forward at Fluttershy and suddenly vanished with her, shocking and confusing her friends.

"FLUTTERSHY!!" Twilight shouted.

"Oh dear..." Discord nonchalantly sighed, as if he had seen this thing happen before "Fear not, those lower in power than I! She'll return to us soon."

"How would you know, Discord?" Rarity looked at him in disbelief.

"I just know, okay, you little marshmallow?" Discord grinned, causing Rarity to scoff.

Fluttershy awoke on a bed of flowers. The petals were soft yet firm; perfect for breaking any fall. This made her question what happened before she arrived where she was now. After lifting her torso up, she looked around and saw that she had appeared in some sort of dark room that seemingly never ended. As she checked feel the flowers underneath her she pulled one up and gasped at what she saw, dropping the plant almost immediately.

It was a yellow posey.

"A-A yellow posey?" she questioned "But those only grew... Oh dear, where am I?"

"Welcome, dear Pose- er, I mean, Fluttershy," spoke a voice all to familiar to her. She turned her head only to see Dario standing right there, looking down upon her with a kind smile.

She knew the smile was fake, however.

"Where are we?" she asked "Where have you taken me?"

"This is everywhere and nowhere," Dario calmly explained, contrasting his expressions from not a few minutes earlier "A space between spaces, if you will. This is a world only accessible to those with the willpower to come here. Something tells me you and your friends will be coming back one day."

"Then... Why am I here?" Fluttershy questioned.

"I am here to show you a memory," Dario replied simply "A memory of when you were but a child, years before you even met me."

"W-What?" Fluttershy stuttered a bit "B-But my childhood was-"

"I know," Dario nodded as he slowly waved a hand at the darkness, causing a faded yellow screen of glass to appear. Fluttershy stood to her feet and looked through the glass. There was a small wood house atop a hill with several trees and a well nearby. She knew this place; it was her old home. But something was different.

"The well, it's... cracked..." Fluttershy pointed out before finally realizing what Dario was trying to show her "...no. Please, Dario, no! I don't want to look at this! Please!"

"This was the day..." Dario's sadistic smile once again appeared on his face.

"No! I beg of you, no!"

"...when your brother died, wasn't it?"

The entire space of darkness lit up with the exact same vision of the house on the hill. Everywhere Fluttershy looked was the same memory. Was there no escape? The vision then showed two young children, a girl and a boy, running across the hill, happy as could be. Tears began appearing in Fluttershy's eyes, knowing what would happen next.

"This was the reason you became a singer, correct?" Dario asked her "All because your brother passed away when you were but a child. It traumatized you, didn't it? You couldn't bear it, so you ran away from home."

The memory then showed the boy had tripped on something in the grass. He had tumbled down the hill until he eventually stopped at the bottom, laying there motionless. The girl rushed over to him quickly and shook his body, suddenly starting to cry. The boy had died from the fall.

"It... I-It was all an a-accident..." Fluttershy cried "He... I c-couldn't..."

"But... what if that wasn't an accident?" Dario asked her.

"W-What?"

Dario waved his hand over to behind the house, rewinding the memory and zooming in on something Fluttershy never noticed before. There, someone stood with a hooded cloak over their head. They forced their hand at the boy and caused a sharp pain in his neck, immediately killing him and causing him to tumble down the hill. The person laughed quietly before removing their hood and revealing themselves.

"Y-You..." Fluttershy gasped "From the beginning, you..."

(Music Stop)

"It was easy to dispose of your brother's frail body," Dario explained "He was a child, but that was okay; toys are meant to be broken, am I right? And it was all so I could finally meet you under easier circumstances. You see, I didn't want anyone getting in the way of our love, and your brother... well, you loved your brother FAR too much."

"You..."

"You monster? You savage beast?" Dario chuckled "Say it, I've heard it all. Nothing could phase me now. All I've ever cared about is listening to your beautiful voic-"

"You... killed my brother... just because of your sick obsession with me?" Fluttershy could feel herself clenching her fists. She had never been this angry before in her life. She didn't like the feeling of hating another so vividly, but she had no choice. This man had planned everything in her life.

"Posey, my dear, you must understand that I-"

"Shut-up..." Fluttershy cried "Just... shut-up..."

"He would just get in the way," Dario explained "Besides, if you truly loved him, you would have done more than just run away from home. All the way into my arms, if I may add."

"..."

"I love you, my darling," Dario smiled, attempting to touch Fluttershy "Only I love you now. Now, please, come back to me and we can begin anew! I promise you that we can-"

Fluttershy took no time in pulling out a dagger she had sheathed on her hip and quickly slicing off Dario's hand. Him being a vampire, no blood was spilled, but he still experienced immense pain. He clutched his now severed wrist and screamed out in agony, dropping down to the ground on his knees. He pathetically looked back up at Fluttershy.

"W-Why?" he asked.

"Why?" Fluttershy still had tears in her eyes "You murdered my six-year-old brother, took me away from family and my life, imprisoned me in your castle for years, made me kill my friend and true love, and now you're here showing me all the wrongs you did in a hope that I'll come back to you! Are you so simple-minded as to not realize maybe the things you've been doing are horrid acts against me and my family!"

"Posey, I-"

"Stop calling me that!" Fluttershy shouted "...and you're wrong, Dario."

"W-What?" Dario questioned.

"My brother and family may be gone, but you are not the only one who loves me," Fluttershy had begun to smile a bit at the thought "My friends, who have been there every step of the way, love me. They CARE about me. They helped me live the life I never could. I've seen the most amazing things in the short time I've been with them, and for that... I love them."

"You... You ignorant bitch!" Dario shouted, pulling out his rapier with his remaining hand "Are you blind to the things I have done for you?! The ways I've shown my love?!"

"No, I'm not," Fluttershy looked directly in Dario's eyes with a confident smirk on her face "And neither are you!"

"Well then, if I can't have you, no one can!" Dario yelled as he charged right at Fluttershy with an attack that would surely kill her "I gave you everything and you revolted against me! All that work for nothing... DIE, YOU WHORE!!"

But Dario could not hit her.

Not out of reluctance, but for a magical power that had somehow begun to surround Fluttershy. This caused Dario to shake in absolute fear of her. He dropped his weapon with a clanging sound that echoed through the dark void.

"This power... Is this from... my friends?" Fluttershy questioned "Yes... I can feel them... They're cheering me on! Dario, allow me to show you what true love is!"

Extending her hand, Fluttershy released a giant amount of energy at Dario, causing him to scream in pain. Fluttershy tried not to listen to the cries for help. Even she couldn't bear watching let alone listening to a living person die. Finally, a flash of light shone from Dario's burning corpse that enveloped Fluttershy caused her to black out.

(Music Stop)

"...shy..." spoke a voice in the distance.

"...Flutter..." the voice spoke again

"...Fluttershy..." the voice, now fully clear to Fluttershy, spoke one final time

Fluttershy groaned as she opened her eyes and found herself lying on the ground surrounded by her friends. Her eyes darted around to each of them before she smiled and let out a small giggle. She got herself up and began hugging each and every one of them.

"H-Hey, what's with the hugs?" Twilight confusingly laughed "You were only gone for minute or so."

"I... I was?" Fluttershy wondered.

"I don't mean to be rude, darling," Rarity brought up "But wherever is that Dario scoundrel?"

"Dario is..." Fluttershy sighed before smiling "Dario is finally dead."

"He is?" Applejack cheered "YE-HAW!! 'Bout time that good-fer-nothin' sparklin' vampire kicked the bucket!"

"Oh Fluttershy, dear!" Discord called over to her "I hate to break this little family reunion of yours, but there's someone here who would LOVE to meet you."

"Family..." Fluttershy whispered the word again; she had grown to love it "...who is it?"

"That would be me, Fluttershy," spoke a voice unfamiliar to her. She looked over to see a spirit like the two others she saw before that had bonded with the crystals. Her skin was palish blue and her hair was fluffy and curly just like clouds. Behind her were two beautiful wings, and on her head and torso was the armor that privates of the old armies used to wear. They were very Romanesque.

"Who, um... Who are you?" Fluttershy asked the new soul.

"I am Private Pansy, or just Pansy, I guess..." the soul answered somewhat shyly "I've waited here for a long time to, um... give you my power to stop Sombra, or something..."

"Oh yeah, Sombra!" Applejack laughed "Ah remember him! Weren't we supposed ta be stoppin' him 'er somethin'?

"It's true that this little adventure has caused us to deviate from our path," Twilight chucked a bit "I think after this, we should continue on our path towards stopping him."

"M-Miss Pansy?" Fluttershy asked "If it's alright with you, may I ask you to, um... revive my friend here?" she pointed to Rainbow's body on the ground "She never deserved to die, and... I love her."

"Love her?" Pansy asked "She... reminds me of someone I loved as well... Always the show-off, she was... S-Sorry, I'm getting off topic. I myself cannot heal her, but the properties of the water crystal could."

Everyone looked directly at the crystal, which had now lit back up since the evil presence of Dario was nowhere to be found. Fluttershy smiled as she went to pick up Rainbow Dash and bring her over to the crystal to heal her. She moved the latter's hand onto the crystal and sent a wave of energy into Rainbow's body.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, her eyes began to flutter open.

Fluttershy couldn't remember a time when she was ever more happy.

"RAINBOW DASH!!" she began to cry as she hugged her now revived love "Rainbow Dash... I-I missed you..."

"E-Eh?" Rainbow weakly said "Where... am I? What... What happened?"

"It's a long story, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy smiled "Such a long, long story... But that doesn't matter right now, okay? What matters is that you're back... What matters is how much I love you..."

"Hey, you actually... admitted it..." Rainbow chuckled "You're getting braver and braver every day."

"I-I am?" Fluttershy questioned "...thank you."

(Music Stop)

"...y-yes, you're s-so... special, a-aren't you?" spoke a familiar yet raspy voice to everyone in the room. They all turned around to see none other that a nearly-dead Lord Dario inching his way closer to the team. His robes had been torn to shreds and one of his arms, the one which previously had a hand cut off from it, was now completely missing. His mouth was bleeding heavily, despite the fact he was a vampire, and he was now missing an eye. This added to all the scars along his face and torso.

"Crap, does this guy ever give up?" Pipes questioned.

"...Posey... will b-be mine... eternally... W-We will l-live... happily and-"

He never even finished his sentence before he was impaled by an oncoming spear. He let out one final cry of agony before he finally collapsed onto the ground and burst into dust, leaving the spear to fall to the ground. Everyone looked and saw that Rainbow had thrown her weapon and ended his life once and for all.

"Man... That guy... really was a dick," Rainbow chuckled a bit "I mean, c'mon... Who in the world thinks they can... cheat death?"

Everyone all laughed at that comment.

"...me..."

The moment that voice arose, everyone stopped laughing. They looked back to find the pile of ash that once was Dario had now begun floating in the air. It surrounded what appeared to be a core in the shape of a heart. An actual, beating human heart. The dust soon enveloped the heart and grew to gigantic sizes. A single, never blinking eye opened from the ball of dust. It looked down upon all the party members with a judging glare.

"I am Orfeo," the ball of dust spoke in a voice as deep as darkness "I am darkness born from the hatred of love."

"Oh no... Not again!" Pinkie remembered something important "Are you gonna start spouting stuff about death and darkness that was ripped straight from Star Wars?"

"This man, nay... monster, Dario, had an ambition," Orfeo explained, completely ignoring Pinkie's comment "From his love for this one woman grew a power too great for man to comprehend. It bore me and gave me strength. While his ambition, thus life, was cut far too early, I still have the power to complete his greatest wish."

"Wh-Which was?" Twilight stuttered a bit, not truly wanting to know.

"To utterly destroy any who stood in the way of his love!" Orfeo shouted before closing his eye.

His body then began to mold into something new. He grew arms and hands, legs to walk with, and a torso for which to connect everything with. Soon, a head emerged from the top and the dust that made his entire body solidified into a red and dark grey, spiky, armor-like skin. In the middle of his chest was the giant eye looking over the group. He now stood three times as high as everyone in the party. Finally, he let out a ferocious roar, forcing everyone to shield their ears with their hands.

"What in tar-nation is THAT?!" Applejack shouted as she and the others finally let down their hands and looked at the creature.

"That's called being a big-lipped alligator!" Pinkie shouted back, confusing the team.

"Yes, sure, Pinkie," Twilight sighed before allowing Spike to crawl along her arm "This thing... This is the last bit of Dario left. If we can defeat this thing-"

"I'll finally find some peace," Fluttershy nodded, gently putting Rainbow Down and going to help her friends.

"Go kick his ass, Shy!" Rainbow cheered her on.

There they were, once again facing a powerful creature of darkness. Orfeo took no time in summoning a giant flaming sword to swipe at the team, knocking a few of them back but damaging all. Applejack took this time during the creature's recovery to strike down on him with the full force of her sword. Due to the tough armor, the sword was knocked back.

"Ah!" Applejack winced a bit "It ain't no good! That armor is hard as a rock!"

"Then maybe some magic will be the better contender?" Rarity guess, raising her staff and launching her magic "Fira!"

A large burst of fire flew right towards the monster, apparently dealing a good amount of damage to him. He stepped back and prepared for yet another blow as if nothing happened, however.

"Fire, that's it!" Twilight figured out "Rarity, spellblade Applejack's sword with fire! As for me..." she pulled out her book and began chanting her magic words again "Summon Lv.2 Ifrit!"

A purple summon circle appeared before her feet, giving rise once again to the large man with tanned brown, scarred skin, a red loincloth covering his crotch area, and horns growing from his head. He waved his arms a bit before summoning a giant sword of fire. He swung the blade from left to right and slashed right at the eye in Orfeo's chest. The man finally descended back down into the summon circle, which disappeared soon after.

"Attack the eye... got it..." Fluttershy deduced by herself. She suddenly realized something important.

"What is it, Shy?" Rainbow asked her girlfriend.

"Blue magic... I have no idea how to use it and what to do!" Fluttershy brought up.

"From what I remember, blue magic is an ancient form of magic which-" Twilight began before just barely noticing the large fist coming right at her. She was punched back and somehow slid right next to Rainbow Dash.

"Just try usin' whatever you can remember!" Pipes mentioned "Blue magic is all 'bout copyin' monsters' attacks, yeah? So, try and think o' an attack you saw and use it."

"W-Well... Okay," Fluttershy nodded and hoped for the best. She tried remembering the powerful attack she used on Dario, yet nothing happened. She tried using it again, but nothing happened again.

"Take yer time, Shy!" Applejack swung her now fire-infused sword at the monster's skin, finally being able to do some damage it looked like "We know yer still strugglin' with bein' one of thems blue mage vampire thin's', but ah think we can hold him off fer no-"

Applejack was forced back by Orfeo's sword and landed past the pool of water the water crystal hovered over, which for some reason no long had Leviathan's body in it. Rarity reached out for her friend, but was too focused on that to notice the foot coming over to kick her away, sending her flying over to where Applejack had landed.

"Uh oh..." Pinkie said, strumming her instrument and giving Fluttershy an attack boost "I guess it's all up to you now, Flutter- SHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!" Pinkie was forced back by Orfeo's strength as well. It wasn't long before Pipes was kicked away too, landing right in the pool of water. This left only Fluttershy to fend for herself.

"I would help, but I think Fluttershy needs to learn a lesson about friendship here," Discord mentioned, kicking himself over to roughly where the others landed.

"Discord... you... suck..." Twilight breathed heavily.

Suddenly, Fluttershy felt that power swelling up inside her again. It was still out of anger, but somehow, she felt as if she had a bit more control over it.

"You hurt my friends..." she clenched her fists "You use the body of the most despicable man in the world..." she grit her teeth together and raised out her hand toward Orfeo "And now, you're going to pay the ultimate price! I'm so tired of everyone pushing me around, so now, you're going to be the one getting pushed!"

(Music Stop)

Orfeo only had a split second to react before Fluttershy let out a beam of light from her hand that pierced the creature's body like butter. As soon as the laser stopped, everyone noticed the giant hole where Orfeo's eye and most of his torso had been. It wasn't long before his entire body had begun turning into dust. He made not a sound as his body began sweeping into the water, melting down from the force of the waterfall.

Orfeo was gone.

Dario was gone.

"That power..." Fluttershy mentioned "I don't... feel it any more... I must have used the last of it to defeat Orfeo. But that's fine. I finally feel... happy. After so many years I'm finally... happy..."

"Hahaha... well, that was certainly an entertaining display," Pansy smiled and clapped, feeling less shy now "Fluttershy, thank you for defeating that... thing... I hate to intrude on what could be, um... an important moment, but it is time for you to accept my power. Will you-"

"Yes," Fluttershy nodded "Yes, yes, and a thousand times yes."

"Relax, babe, this isn't our wedding day," Rainbow joked.

"I know... But I AM prepared to take on the responsibility of being one of the six heroes," Fluttershy confidently said "After everything, my friends have filled me with a new courage I don't think I ever would have found if it hadn't been for them. They would die for me... and now it's time for me to pay them back."

"You... are a noble soul... Fluttershy..." Pansy smiled as she allowed her form to be completely absorbed by Fluttershy. Finally, she was gone. But no tears were shed.

After all, how could you shed more?

"Well, I think I've had enough anti-climaxes for one day," Pinkie yawned, getting up and meeting with her friends as soon as they picked themselves up as well "Now that this whole thing is over-with, who wants to go back to my town and have a PARTY!!"

"That sounds cool," Rainbow nodded before placing an arm over her forehead and exaggerating "I'll have to be carried back though... I'm not sure... if... I... could... walk... another... step..."

"You have wings," Applejack pointed out.

"...fine, spoil my fun," Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"It's fine, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy giggled "I'll carry you back. Anything for my... g-girl... girlfriend?"

"Yeah, you got it," Rainbow nodded.

(Music Stop)

"Wait, I just realized something..." Twilight gasped in sudden thought "We got here on our airship... but it's not our airship, it's Luna's. We crashed the ship she had been working on for years."

It took a moment for everyone to process this information.

"...oh crap," literally everyone said at the same time.

Author's Note

HA! Get it? Because Necron from Final Fantasy 9 came out of nowhere and I used his theme for the boss battle? COMEDY!!

Bit of an anti-climax, as Pinkie pointed out, but I think everyone got their just-deserts for this. Dario was killed, Fluttershy was reunited with Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash was revived, and Discord is still Discord. So yeah, looks like everything's going great so far!

This story is back and better than ever!

But it needs your help!

You see, I'm running out of ideas. I have a basic premise all planned out, don't get me wrong, but I still need ideas to help keep the story afloat. That's where you guys come in. If you have any ideas that are not OC related or dumb related, then please comment them down below. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you guys can come up with!

Be sure to Upvote/Like, Comment, Favorite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!