Above the Fire Sky

by TheTimeSword

Rating: everyone
Tags: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Zecora, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 26374

While the mane six are enjoying a meteor shower, one meteor changes its course and lands in the Everfree. The group of friends rush after it to ensure the entire forest doesn't burn down, but what they find may be a new friend.

While the mane six are enjoying a meteor shower, one meteor changes its course and lands in the Everfree. The group of friends rush after it to ensure the entire forest doesn't burn down, but what they find may be more than they bargained for. A furry companion with strange powers asks the ponies for help with finding his kind and defeating a dark evil that followed it.

* This story is part of my "Writing Goals" under Adventure.

Published 2015-12-11 22:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-16 00:45:53 UTC

Chapter 3: Fuzzy Plight

‘My brother and I have never known anything other than space. The elders would talk of a time before our home, but from my understanding it was not much different except the world was larger. Kind of like this place, except not so populated.’

He paused for a moment.

‘But I digress. All we Firefoxes do is play and learn from each other. My brother would call it boring, but I enjoyed the time we spent with our kind. We would spend time floating around our home and watching the planets as we passed by. Sometimes a group would push our home into the gravitational pull of a nearby planet. We would speed by, embracing the heat, and sling shot around the planet into a new direction. Of course, brother always wanted to land on a planet and see what they had to offer.’

The ponies sat in silence, listening to Kai’s tale. To live amongst the stars was not an uncommon idea to them, as they were friends with Princess Luna after all.

‘One day, something must have landed on our little rock. My brother came back to my families little cave with a tiny bump-like horn on his head, in between his antenna. He claimed he was a king and demanded we rule a planet instead of staying in our home. We all laughed at him, but I wish we hadn’t. My father noticed the changes in his personality over time, but the rest of us only saw the color of his fur change. My kind is all orange colored but different familes have different colored antenna. His fur turned white. A pure white, even his nose. The only thing that remained was the black horn and his black antenna.’

Twilight finally broke the ponies long silence. “What is your brother’s name?”

‘His name is Myar. He used his horn after he dug to the center of our home, just to blow it into pieces. I tried to stop him, but he trapped me amongst the rocks. I was unable to escape or prevent our homes demise. I suppose that’s why I landed here away from my friends and family.’

“I am truly sorry for your pain. I think we are all in agreement to do whatever it takes to help you.” Rarity said with tears in her eyes.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah! If your brother landed here we’ll help you get some revenge!” Rainbow Dash stomped forward with a big snarl. The stomp of course shook the hut, causing Spike to wake up.

“Huh? Another meteor? Wha?” Spike rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

Kai yawned. ‘I could use some rest. We may not eat, but sleeping is one of our few luxuries.’

“You may all spend the night here, as daylight will be near. Of course your slumber will be on the floor, I surely hope none of you snore!” Zecora said as she pulled some blankets out of a cabinet.

Zecora wished the group luck in the ponies endeavor to help their new furry friend. They headed back to Ponyville shortly after the sun had risen. Their march through the forest allowed them to witness Kai’s first reactions to being on a planet so filled with life.

‘This is so nice and warm, we rarely get to feel the sun’s rays like this. Getting too close to the sun would have caused our home to burn up.’

“Speakin’ of home, perhaps we should talk about how we’re gonna getcha back to your family.” Applejack said.

“Yeah! We can’t let you be alone without your family!” Pinkie added.

All of a sudden Kai rose up off the ground and flew up into the sky, flames trailing behind him.

“Woaaah!” The group exclaimed in unison.

Rainbow flew up to Kai. “I didn’t know you could fly! That’s so awesome!”

‘Of course, floating in space would be a lot scarier if we couldn’t. It wears us out though.’ He explained as he landed back down by the ponies. ‘At night I will launch myself up into the air as high as I can go. If any of my brethren are on this planet, they may see it.’

Fluttershy stepped forward. “Uhm, I know I’m not the one that’s, well, usually the adventurous type, but, uhm, well… Shouldn’t we also go look for your friends too?”

“Oh sweetheart you’re right! Wouldn’t your kind have landed on this planet if they knew their home was destroyed?” Rarity expounded on Fluttershy’s comment.

Kai looked to the ground, he was feeling the grass between the clefts of his paws.

‘I believe my family may be here, but I do not know for the rest of my kind. Perhaps they all managed to stay close together, keeping the home alive but busted.’

Lifted up off the ground, Kai felt the warm embrace of a rough hug. “Don’t you worry fuzzy! We’re going to find your family and get you a new home! You can count on us!” Pinkie exclaimed.

A strange laugh came from Kai. An abnormal accent from an even more abnormal creature wouldn’t stop Pinkie from cheering up a friend and making them giggle.

‘Thank you Pinkie.’

Pinkie placed him back down on the ground. His smile changed to a sorrow looking face that was filled with remorse.

‘I’ve never really known anything outside of my home. My people are a happy bunch. I am glad to know there is another species that shares such happiness. I just wish my family were here to share it with me.’

The ponies stood around him, staring at each other with uncertainty of how to cheer him up.

Spike placed his hand in the air and shouted. “I’ve got it! We’ll be your temporary family! Once we find your real family, you’ll have two families to share the happiness with and you can be happy right now because you’ve got us!”

“Awww, Spike! What a wonderful idea!” Twilight clapped her hooves together.

“Isn’t Spikey-wikey just the sweetest thing?” Rarity said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Spike placed his hands on his cheek, spun around in a circle, and then fell over. Everyone let out a chuckle except for Kai.

The ponies looked back to Kai who sat there, tears in his eyes.

‘Thank you. You’ve been so kind to me even though you barely know me. I… really appreciate it.’

The ponies gathered around Kai and toppled together onto him, giving one great big hug.

The group reached Ponyville and headed for Twilight’s castle. Kai was certainly lucky to have met up with these special ponies, as they specifically had a map to help find friendship problems.

“If you’d like, Kai, you could have a room to sleep while you stay in Ponyville. I’ve got plenty of room.” Twilight stated.

‘That would be lovely, thank you.’

The group reached the map room. Kai’s eyes widened at the beauty that the room had to offer. Twilight sat in her chair first, with the others following for their respective seats.

“Okay, so first things first. We can probably use the map to find any other Firefox in the region.” Twilight explained.

Kai jumped up onto the table. ‘What? Really?!’

“Of course. Twilight’s got a handle on this map better than any of us!” Pinkie screamed as she threw confetti into the air.

Twilight blushed at Pinkie’s compliment. “Well I don’t know about that, but I’m sure there’s a spell that’ll allow me to take a sample of Kai and find others of his species. I’ve never done it using the map, but I know unicorns of old would use a spell to track Ursa Majors.”

“Pffttt.” Spike spouted at her remark. “This’ll be way easier than tracking them, especially since we have the map and the spell!”

Happily jumping up and down on the table, Kai panted and yipped in glee.

“Well, I don’t actually know the spell…” Twilight said nervously. “But I do have a large source of knowledge right in my own castle. I’m sure one of the books I have contains it.”

Kai stopped hopping and turned to Twilight. ‘Even if you do not have the knowledge, you do know it exists and you have a plan. That gives me more hope than just shooting up into the sky every night with faith that someone I might know will see it. Thank you.’

Twilight blushed again. “You’re more than welcome Kai. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here. If you’d like, during the day you can hang out with one of us till I track down the spell.”

‘That would be wonderful. I can’t wait to get to know each one of you. And I know, when we do find my family, I’m going to have so many happy experiences to share with them it’ll blow their mind!’ Kai began to hop up and down again.

“Oh! Oh! Me too!” Pinkie yelled as she got up onto the table and began hopping up and down with Kai. The rest of the group began to laugh at the unique sight.

Chapter 4: Children's Might

“Oh geez. Another hour of this and I’ll lose my mind! And we haven’t even got to the school yet. Scoots will be like the last pony to meet him.” Rainbow Dash bemoaned as Fluttershy and Kai walked over to her.

“Are we done yet? This isn’t what I had in mind when we agreed to introduce him to the town!”

Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow Dash. “Oh, Rainbow. Meeting the ponies of Ponyville all at once would have been too much for Kai. I know when I moved here it was difficult for me to adjust.”

‘Indeed, Rainbow Dash. Meeting Mayor Mare has been a delight, as has meeting the rest of Ponyville.’

The two pegasi had been touring the town with Kai for most of the day, as the other ponies went about their working business. While Twilight and Spike spent time gathering information about the spell, she suggested a tour for Kai would be helpful to the town. Mostly so they don’t panic at the strange new creature roaming their village.

“Can we at least go to the school next? Please?” Rainbow pouted her lips at Fluttershy.

The look didn’t really work to Rainbow’s favor, as Fluttershy turned to Kai. “Would you like to meet the children next, Kai?”

Rainbow pushed her face up to Kai’s and pouted harder than ever.

‘Hmm… Well, I suppose we could.’

“YES!” Rainbow exclaimed as she grabbed Kai and flew up into the air. She was hugging him tight enough to knock the air out of him, if he actually had air in him. Of course she then raced off to the school, holding him the entire way.

“R-Rainbow! Wai-wait!” Fluttershy quietly followed behind.

Just as school was ending and the children were heading out the door they were stopped by the sight of Rainbow Dash and Kai.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo yelled, rushing out the door first. She nuzzled Rainbow who in turn gave her a big hug.

“Scoots, check this out!” She pointed to Kai. “He’s an alien fox guy from space! His name is Kai! Isn’t he cool?”

Scootaloo looked at Kai who sat patiently, his fluffy tail wrapped around his body, an anxious smile across his face. A slight glow from his cheeks resembled that of blushing, perhaps at Rainbows kind words.

‘Hello there young one.’ Kai communicated, his mouth remaining closed.

The other fillies and colts exploded out of the door and surrounded the three, staring at Kai the entire time. Kai looked a bit panicked at first. Scootaloo walked closer to him, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“He… is… so… COOL!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

Kai let out a quick sigh just as Scootaloo grabbed and hugged him. While not as strong as Rainbow, the squeeze from earlier had already made him a little sore. Kai didn’t complain, he was just enjoying the cheer brought on by this filly.

The group of children started to ask questions all at the same time.

“Where’s he from?” “What is he?” “Is he going to eat us?” “Why does he have those things on his head?”

Cherliee stepped into the circle of children. “Alright kids, that’s enough. Let Rainbow and her new friend have a moment to respond.”

Fluttershy finally arrived and landed outside the circle.

‘Greeting, ponies. My name is Kai. I am a Firefox. I communicat-‘ Kai’s thought was cut off by the outburst of “WOAH!” from the children.

“He can talk without moving his mouth?” “It’s like I can hear him inside my head!” “Does this mean we should start wearing tinfoil?”

“Ahem!” Cherliee once again cut off the kids questions. “Please, continue Mr. Kai.” She smiled at him.

‘Thank you. I am pleased to meet all of you. I can talk to you mentally, it is called telepathy. My language and your language are different, so this is the only way you can understand me.’

“Kai had his home destroyed, so we are in the process of finding his friends and family. We are showing him around town for the day.” Fluttershy explained.

‘Fluttershy speaks the truth. I am pleased to meet all of you. It has been an enjoyable day.’

Scootaloo sat there petting Kai as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle joined her.

“Well I hope your journey goes smoothly. What do we say to new visitors, children?” Cherliee asked the group.

In unison they spoke up. “Welcome to PONYVILLE!” They stomped and laughed.

“Well, what do you think Scoots?” Asked Rainbow, a smile spread across her face.

Scootaloo had sat there quietly petting Kai, mouth open, eyes widened. All of a sudden she jumped into the air screaming. “HE’S SO COOL!”

The kids joined in cheering as Cherilee and Fluttershy smiled at each other.

“You know it! Who’s the cool buddy who brought him to see you?”

Scootaloo didn’t get a chance to answer. Kai lifted himself off the ground, floating up above the children. He quickly did a loop in the air, a small fire trail followed him. Another loop and he landed back on the ground in the middle of the children. All the kids, impressed by his flying capabilities, cheered even harder. Stomping and clapping their hooves together, this spectacle was more than their school usually got to see outside the occasional field trip.

“He’s cooler than you Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo yelled as she watched him.

“Well, hey now, let’s not go overboard.” Rainbow said as she bit her lip, sweat dripping from her brow followed by a nervous laugh.

Apple Bloom yelled, “He’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” With Sweetie Belle adding, “The coolest thing in the WORLD!”

Fluttershy got amusement from the children’s words, but noticed Rainbow’s face turning from a happy smile to a nervous smirk.

The children began chanting ‘Kai’ in unison as he did a loop around the circle of children.

“Rainbow, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked with a concerned looked on her face. She knew Rainbow couldn’t handle being anything other than the center of attention for the children.

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy’s nervous face and knew her worries were evident.

“Uhh… Uhh… Okay! Time to go! Gotta keep other appointments!” Rainbow exclaimed, sweat dripping down her face. She quickly grabbed Kai out of the air and flew off over Ponyville.

A resounding “Awww” came from the children as they watched the two speed off.

Fluttershy yelled out to Rainbow as she took flight after them. “Wait for me!”

Rainbow Dash landed in the middle of town, releasing her grasp on Kai.

“Hehe, sorry. You just seemed overwhelmed by the children, had to get you out of there.” Rainbow said.

‘Oh, well, I’m sure we will see them around. I am growing tired. Thank you.’ Kai clearly did not notice Rainbow’s troubled look back at the school, blissfully unaware of her jealous nature.

“Right, well, we should meet somepony else next. Who else can you meet?”

‘I do not know. Fluttershy was the one guiding us around.’

Rainbow Dash had forgotten about Fluttershy, only realizing that they left her once her name was said.

“Ohhhh. Yeah. Whoops.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, too embarrassed about the situation.

The tired Fluttershy arrived just as the words were spoken. “Wh… Wh… Whoops?” She panted, out of breath and extremely weakened. “Is… that all… you have to say?”

Rainbow Dash looked at her with distress. “Geez, Flutters. Are you okay? You seem a bit flustered.”

“You… YOU!” Fluttershy started to yell just as she collapsed to the ground out of exhaustion.

“Wow. Guess we really tired her out.” Rainbow said with a bit of a chuckle before turning to Kai. “Hey, I’m going to take her back to her house. Do you think you could head back to Twilight’s? I’d hate to cut the tour short but I think Fluttershy here is a little worse for wear.”

Kai nodded in agreement. ‘Please, get some rest dear Fluttershy. I will see you both later. Thank you for the wonderful day.’ He bowed his head to them both as they went their separate ways.

He playfully bounced up and down the entire time he walked to the castle, greeting ponies along the way. Some were unsure of him, while others he had already met among the day. Once he arrived at the steps of the castle he took a moment to gather himself. A strange day was sure to have a strange night as well. He grabbed the door knob with his teeth, opening the door and letting himself in.

The door closed behind him, the castle foyer was unlit other than the sun shining through the windows. He was unsure where exactly his new friends would be.

‘This place is about as large as home was.’ He thought to himself. ‘And it’s only a piece of a grander place. Was brother right in wanting to travel to a planet?’

A door closing could be heard among the halls. Spike walked out towards the foyer carrying a tray of snacks.

“Oh, you’re back already?” He asked.

‘The tour got a little exciting. We grew tired fairly quickly.’ Kai answered.

Spike nodded. “Well, we’re up in the library. Twilight and I are searching through the books to find anything that may help.” He said as he climbed the steps, Kai following behind.

‘May I join you?’

“Of course!” Spike replied.

Chapter 5: Lovely Sight

“GOOD MORNIIIIING!”

The loud greeting awoke Twilight suddenly. “Huh, wha?!” She pulled her head back out of a book that she had fallen asleep on. The nerdy pony had fallen asleep with her nose in the books the night before, not an unusual feat for her. Spike and Kai decided it best not to wake her, unfortunately Pinkie did not seem to mind.

“You shouldn’t sleep in a book Twilight, that’s unhealthy. Although I suppose any sleep is good for you. But maybe that’s because you lay in a comfortable position when you sleep. I can’t imagine face first in a book is comfortable. Although I can sleep anywhere. Of course now it’s morning and you shouldn’t be sleepin-“ The pink pony stopped her rambling once Twilight pushed her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth.

“Good morning Pinkie. Please don’t be so rambunctious this early.” Twilight said, releasing her hoof.

“Actually it’s almost noon, but you wouldn’t know that yet. But I did bring you some BREAKFAST!” Pinkie was unable to control her excitement for the meal she had prepared.

Twilight looked at the muffins and milk that sat next to Pinkie. “Oh, well, thank you. Is it already that late in the day? Where’s Spike? And Kai?”

Pinkie pushed the tray of food to be in front of Twilight. “Actually Kai and I spent the morning making muffins for you! He’s such a good helper! Although, his teeth don’t make things very sanitary.”

She had already taken a bite of a muffin as Pinkie talked. A sensation of disgust over came here, and showed visibly on her face.

“Oh, oh! Don’t worry. I didn’t let him touch the ingredients once I realized he couldn’t really use his paws. Come on, Twilight. I’m a baker!” Pinkie giggled.

“Where is Kai now?” Twilight asked as she continued eating.

Pinkie Pie got up and headed for the door. “He’s actually managing the store while I’m not there! Had to have someone do it since the Cakes are out of town! I better get back and relieve him so he can head off to Applejacks! Byyyyye Twilight!” She yelled as she closed the library door.

Twilight swallowed her mouthful. “Well, I suppose I better get back to it.” She picked up the book from the night before and continued eating at the same time.

“I’m sure baking is pretty interestin’ compared to what I do for ah livin’. I’m also not too keen on you helping out since, well, you’re practically fire itself.” Applejack said.

‘It’s understandable. I am probably not strong enough to buck trees anyways.’

“If you want to try I’ll let ya. Just don’t go settin’ the orchard on fire. This here farm is actually my family’s home and business. It’s the entire apple way of life!”

‘Your kind has such interesting lives. The fact that your… What was it called?’

“Cutie mark!” Applejack answered.

Kai nodded. ‘Cutie mark. That it tells you your destiny, must be wonderful.’

They continued to walk among the trees of the orchard and talk until they finally hit an area that had trees lined to the brim with apples.

Applejack turned her back to a tree and bucked, causing the apples to fall into the buckets.

“You guys don’t have magical talents, do you? Is there any form of structure? Like, Granny runs the business and me and Big Mac buck the trees.” She asked.

He watched as the apples fell from the trees she bucked. ‘Well, once a Firefox is old enough, some are tasked with helping gather debris for our home. So, whenever we see a rock that was just floating out all by itself, we would soar over and push it onto ours.’

“Did that happen often?” She asked as she wiped her brow of sweat.

Kai shook his head. ‘No, but I was the BEST at it. We would make a game out of it whenever we saw a cluster of stones. My friends and I would see who could get one that was the largest and who could bring one back fast enough. Mother and father were always proud of me. My brother was never very good at it however. Only now do I wonder if he resented me for it.’

Applejack just laughed and said, “Family always likes to compete. Me and Big Mac always try to see who can get the most apples before the season ends. He use to always win because he would go slow and steady, while I was fast. By the time I’d get thirty trees done, he’d only have ten. But by the thirtieth tree I would have run out of steam!”

‘Well, how did you manage to beat him?’

“I started taking breaks. Every tenth tree, he’d only have three or four done. I would then take a break and start bucking again once he got to is seventh or eighth. Hasn’t managed to beat me in a few season now.”

Kai looked at an unbucked tree. ‘Would you mind if I tried?’

“Go ahead.” Applejack said.

The alien fox turned his butt around towards the tree and kicked with all of his might. A single apple fell to the ground.

A quick and low giggle came from the country pony as Kai looked to see what had fallen.

‘Well, I may have to find a different style.’ He communicated, a slight sense of embarrassment in his words.

“Aww, shucks. I’m sure if you used your head you could come up with somethin’. Don’t sweat it little guy.” Applejack tried to comfort him.

Kai looked at the tree. ‘Wonderful idea, Applejack!’ He then slammed his head into the tree with all of his force. Apples rained down into the buckets that surround the tree. Applejack threw her head back in shock, causing her hat to fall off.

“Kai, are you okay!? What were you thinkin’?” She asked as she rushed over to him to make sure he was alright.

He sat there holding his head in pain, making shallow yipping sounds the entire time.

‘In space, we can use our head to move the rocks! I don’t understand why it hurt so much here!’

Applejack grabbed her hat and placed it on her head, then she grabbed Kai and placed him on her back. “Don’t worry. We’ll head back to the barn and cool off a little. I think that’s enough bucking for you for a day and a half.”

They traveled back to the barn where Apple Bloom waited for Applejack and Kai to return. After placing an ice pack affixed to his head, Applejack left him in the company of Apple Bloom.

“So you don’t like water? What about the ice pack, does it hurt?” Apple Bloom asked, one of the many she had been asking.

He shook his head. ‘No, only water seems to be painful.’

Apple Bloom scratched her head. “But ice is just water I thought?”

Kai didn’t really have an answer as he didn’t know much about what the substance was. Ice was a common thing in space. He had no idea that it was a different form when heated.

A knock came to the barn door.

“Come in!” Apple Bloom yelled.

The door opened to Fluttershy standing there.

‘Hello Fluttershy.’ Kai greeted her with a wagging tail.

“Miss Fluttershy! Are you here to see mah sister?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Good afternoon Kai, Apple Bloom.” She greeted them warmly. “I’m, well, I’m actually here to pick you up Kai. We’re going to visit some of my lovely animals and I’ll take a look at the bump on your noggin, if that’s okay with you.”

‘That would be fine with me.’ He responded with a smile.

Apple Blooms smile turned to a frown. “Aww. Well, I’ll see ya later then Kai.” She gave him a big hug before the two left.

“Um, did you have a good time today?” Fluttershy asked.

‘Seeing your culture, and how you ponies interact has been a wonderful thing to behold. I can’t wait to see how you manage your animals.’

Fluttershy smiled at him. “Well, I try my best.”

They reached her cabin in a short amount of time. The animals greeted them warmly, well, all of them except for Angel Bunny of course.

“Here we are. If you wouldn’t mind, could you sit on the chair please? I’d like to take off the ice pack for you.” Fluttershy said as she placed her bags down next to the front door. Birds floated away from the seat as Kai got up into it.

Angel Bunny sat below, giving a very dirty look to Kai while crossing his bunny arms.

‘I am not sure your animals enjoy me being here.’

“Oh don’t worry, it’ll just take time to get to know you. I’m sure it’s just the shock of how you look.” Fluttershy answered him. She picked up Angel Bunny and placed him down on the sofa next to the chair Kai sat upon.

Kai looked around the room, noticing that many of the animals steered clear of him. ‘I’m sure it doesn’t help that they can hear me inside their head. I can’t imagine it’s a common occurrence.’

Fluttershy went up to Kai and removed the ice pack atop his head. She checked for any major cuts or bruises. “Well, even if the animals take time to get to know you, your head has healed up very quickly.” She placed her hooves on his shoulders.

‘Thank you for the clean bill of health. You are an excellent doct-‘ He was cut off mid-sentence by Fluttershy kissing the top of his head.

She stepped back off the chair and smiled at him before walking into her kitchen.

Kai could not stop blushing. He looked at the animals who had gotten closer to him, they were seemingly more comfortable to be around his presence. All except for Angel.

Angel stuck out his tongue and pulled down the skin under his left eye. Kai did not understand the physical remark and remained in shock of what has just happened.

“Oh, now that you are good to go, you should head to Twilight’s. She had a breakthrough and I’m sure she’d love to share it with you.” Fluttershy said as she came out of the kitchen.

He smiled at her. ‘Thank you, Fluttershy.’

Chapter 6: New Height

‘Twilight! Twilight!’ Kai rushed into the library. ‘Are you here?’

There was no sign of her or Spike inside the library. The books that were there that morning had all been put away. He rushed back out into the hall in search of Twilight, going to the only other place in the castle he knew how to get to.

He peered his head into the map room. ‘Hello?’

“Kai?”

Entering the room, he found Twilight behind her chair holding a brown bag with her cutie mark on it.

‘What is going on?’ He questioned.

Twilight set the bag down. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve already got Spike preparing his things and I’m pretty much finished with mine.”

Tilting his head in wonder he asked, ‘Where are you going? Did you find my people?’

She looked at him with a saddened face and shook her head. “I did not. There was no book in my collection that held the spell I needed.”

Kai’s face filled with woe as he heard the news.

“Hey, don’t look so grim.” She said with a laugh, patting him on the head. “I don’t have the book, but I remembered the name of one that should contain what I’m looking for. I’ve already sent word to Canterlot, I’ve got a few of my friends scouring the library there. The book shall be found, guaranteed!”

His face lit up as bright as the comet he came in on. He stood up on two legs and hopped around a bit in his excitement.

Twilight enjoyed his enthusiasm. “You’ll actually be coming with us. The two princesses will be excited to meet a member of the stars. We’ll be leaving in the morn.” She threw her bag over her back and walked out of the room.

He sat down, trying to imagine the sight of what Canterlot must be like. Twilight’s Castle was large enough to be home to him and his kind. Ponyville itself would be a whole new planet compared to his home, and Canterlot is supposed to be much larger.

A grin from ear to ear, his antenna shivered in his excitement. He launched himself into the air, heat radiated off of him, the energy surged through him with a quick intensity before it was gone. He landed back down on the table, stretched out his legs and curled into a ball for a nap.

All the places he could have rested, but tables seemed to be his favorite.

Tonight was different for Kai, for tonight he dreamt. It was a rare occurrence for him, but one he always enjoyed. This one was difficult, however, as the dream continued there were times where he could only see his brother as he fell into darkness. The white fur of Myar could be seen for a long distance until it popped out of existence. This occurred several times throughout Kai’s dream that night, causing him to whine and wimped in his sleep.

Unlike the day before, Twilight and Spike were the first to wake up. There was no time for breakfast as they grabbed their bags. Kai was sleeping soundly on the table until the noises outside the room caught his ears. He perked his ears up, and crawled to the door to listen. As he placed his face close to the door it opened, smacking him right in the nose.

A series of yips and howls came from him as he rolled backwards, holding his nose.

“Kai?” Spike said. “What happened, are you okay?” He rushed over to the Firefox.

“Ahhhch!” Kai let out yell with a sneeze, and then another, and then once more. He rubbed his nose after he finally stopped.

Spike watched in disgust. “Dude, tissue?”

Kai shook his head. ‘I’m sorry. I was listening at the door when you opened it. My apologizes.’

“Well, actually, we were looking for you. It’s time to go! Rarity has already arrived at the train depot.” Spike explained.

‘Oh my! Then please, lead the way!’

The two raced out and down the steps. “I’ve found him!” Spike yelled out.

“Ah, good, let’s be off then, boys.” Twilight said as she opened the castle door.

The wind was blowing heavily as they made their way to the train platform. The train had just arrived and they boarded the locomotive with Rarity. They calmly found their seats and waited to depart.

“Darling, you’re going to love Canterlot. It is the crowning jewel atop the mountains of Equestria.” Rarity described to Kai. “Ponyville has grown over the last few years, but Canterlot is still the second largest city in the land. Of course it’s still the prime location for anyone looking to make it big.”

Kai listened with intent, unfamiliar with the words she used, but accepted them without question or understanding.

“I actually used to live in Canterlot if you could believe that.” Said Twilight.

‘Really? Why did you move to Ponyville?’

“Actually, I was forced to move. Of course, it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Rarity smiled at Twilight. “It was actually the best thing that ever happened to us five. Without Twilight we surely would be lost in our lives.” Twilight blushed with embarrassment.

‘I suppose I am missing part of the story?’

“Oh don’t worry sweetie.” Rarity pet behind his ears. “The trip to Canterlot will be more than enough time for a few good stories.”

He beamed a grin at the two ponies who he sat between. ‘I can’t wait to hear more!’

At that moment Spike ran up to the three. “All the bags are secure! The attendant told me we’re going to take off in a few minutes!”

A bell then rang through the train carts followed with a voice on the speaker system. “Now departing for Canterlot, please remain seated as we take off!”

“Or, we’re leaving now…” Spike said in an annoyed tone.

The three laughed as the train ride began. Twilight and Rarity reminisced about past events and of obstacles both big and small they overcame. Kai listened to all of them with great intent, happy to be a part of the conversation. Though one thought remained in his mind, returning over and over with each new story. The history they had was more entertaining than his entire existence, or that of his people. A depressing thought he decided to remain unspoken to his new friends.

As they grew closer to Canterlot, they could see the city quite clearly. Rarity opened a window allowing Spike and Kai to stick their heads out, feeling the breeze against their faces.

Kai howled into the open air and Spike followed along, trying to replicate the yowls. His voice continuously cracking each time he began.

‘Don’t worry Spike. By the time we leave Canterlot I’ll make sure you can howl like a true Firefox!’

“Oh goodie. Just don’t be howling past bed time, okay Spike?” Said Twilight.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Of course not, howling at the moon wouldn’t be fun at all.” Sarcasm filled his tone.

“Awww, well I think Spike-wikey is a good howler.” Rarity said as she pinched his cheeks, causing him to blush.

Kai closed the window and sat back down on the bench. They were arriving soon and the howling reminded him of one last story.

‘Speaking of howling. One of the greatest things my kind ever started doing was howling every time we passed a planet. We wanted to see if the native life could hear us. It became a little tradition just for fun.’

“That’s adorable. Did you do that for our planet?” Rarity asked.

He looked down at his feet. ‘Actually, we were about to. That’s when I went down to find my brother…’

The horror on Rarity’s face as she knew she had asked a difficult question. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

‘Oh, no no. It’s okay. I know I’ll see them all again soon.’ He looked up at her and smiled.

The train arrived at the Canterlot station, breaking the awkward conversation. They gathered their things off the train and headed for the Royal Palace.

“Well, while I am here for you guys, I’m also here on business. I’d like to get it out of the way and join you all later if I may.” Asked Rarity.

“Of course, Rarity. Catch up with us tonight at the archives.” Twilight replied.

They went their separate ways as the three waved Rarity off. They were making their way first to meet with the two princesses.

‘Where are we heading, Twilight?’

“Well, we’re going to meet with my mentor and her sister, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They should be at the throne room. They’ll be so excited to meet you.” Twilight said. She stopped in her tracks when she heard her name be called.

“PRINCESS TWILIGHT!” A unicorn dressed in royal guard armor approached the three.

Twilight turned to face the guard. “Um, hello?”

The guard bowed graciously then spoke his message. “I am here to escort you to the Canterlot Tower.”

Not understanding the purpose, Twilight asked, “I’m supposed to meet the princesses at the throne. Why am I being escorted to the tower?”

“I am under direct order from the princesses. I am not to say more.”

One of the most interesting rooms in all of Canterlot, the tower held a long hallway with stain glass windows depicting past events. The three had begun walking this hall. Kai witnessed all of the patterns, some he knew from tales Twilight told, while others were a mystery in his mind.

Twilight had another mystery of her own. Why would the royal sisters change where they meet last minute? Was she even meeting with Celestia and Luna?

They reached the end of the hall, not a word spoken among them the entire walk.

Kai stared at the window of the main six obtaining their elements of harmony. An impressive sight captured in glass.

The door opened finally, Celestia and Luna sauntered out into the hall.

“Greetings Twilight, I am glad you received our change of plans.” Celestia said as she and Luna bowed to their peer.

Twilight bowed back in return and asked, “I’m glad we did, but why the switch?”

“I’m afraid that we became under attack and were unsure of how to fight back.”

Spike and Twilight looked at each other, then back at the princesses.

“What do you mean how to fight back?” Spike asked, scratching his head.

“And what attacked you?” Twilight added.

“I’m afraid…” Luna stepped forward and pointed her hoof. “…we were attacked by him.”

The princess of the night pointed directly to Kai. The brightness of his fur dimmed, clearly shaken by the understanding of what it meant.

“Wait, how? Kai has been with us all day! He couldn’t be the one to do it!” Twilight questioned.

Celestia shook her head. “This is indeed Kai? As the fox that attacked us this morning looked like a replica of him in a different color. He was screaming that his name was Kai and he was here to take over our world.”

Twilight looked at her furry friend who had clearly become distressed over the words spoken. His nose pointed to the ground, a single tear had run down his muzzle.

‘Brother…’

The two sisters looked at one another and came to the understanding. “So it was not the same creature.” Luna said.

“When you sent a letter explaining your new friend from space, we thought it was odd that the same named fox would attack us. The only reason we did not surprise a take down when you first arrived, was that the creature that came after us was pure white.” Celestia added.

Kai looked up, tears had started to fall faster down his cheeks, soaking his fur.

‘It is him, Twilight. He… followed me.’

Chapter 7: Held Tight

“We had assumed his reasoning to fake his name was to cause us to attack you, once you arrived. Perhaps this means that you are somehow a problem to whatever plans he has, making you a valuable ally.” Celestia said.

‘Does this mean you’ll help us?’ Kai questioned.

“There is no counter attack from us, we will not begin a witch hunt for this… Firefox… just because he chipped a pillar and burned some rugs. We will remain civil.” Luna added.

“But you could help us look for a way to locate him right? I’m sure the spell in the archives will allow me to locate him as well as the others. We find it, then stop him before he builds power.” Reasoned Twilight.

Celestia shook her head. “Your duty is to do this in the name of friendship, in the name of your friend Kai. We will manage the guard to be on high alert to protect the civilians. Our duty is to make sure that everyone stays secure. This, Myar, is no high threat to the city in whole, but that doesn’t mean the citizens couldn’t become a target for him. That is why you must find him quickly. We’ve already allowed you friends into the archives, perhaps they have located the spell.”

“I will come with you to the archives. I would like to observe your new friend as he accompanies you.” Luna stated.

Twilight looked at Luna, then to Celestia. “Is it really, uh, well, necessary?”

‘Twilight, please. I am new to this planet and your customs, but that does not mean this has to be awkward. They do not trust me, and doing this would allow a spark to be held in my favor.’

She looked at Kai, and he looked at her.

‘Please.’

His fur upon his cheeks had become dried with the tears he had shed. His ears were lowered. The anguish in his eyes struck a chord in Twilight, she knew how he felt.

“If it is what you wish, then as your friend I support you.” She gave him a half-smile.

“Good. I will be back in time to raise the moon, sister.” Luna said as the four headed off.

Celestia nodded, she then turned around and went back inside the tower’s room, the doors closing behind her.

“I am sorry. I shouldn’t have questioned your intentions, Princess Luna.” Twilight said. The four had reached the halls of the archives, Spike and Kai were further up the hall leaving Twilight and Luna to chat.

“Nonsense Twilight, you are a princess too. You have proven yourself on more than enough occasions. Celestia and I know to trust your feelings and intuition.” Luna replied.

Twilight looked ahead at Kai and Spike. “Then why did you accompany us?”

“To be honest with you Twilight, Celestia believes your word completely. If you trust Kai, she trusts Kai.”

“Do… Do you trust my word?” Twilight asked, looking back to Luna to see her reaction.

“Of course.” Luna answered. “I was on the moon for a thousand years. I understand the lifeforms of space better than anypony else. I mostly tagged along to get to know him better, as I enjoy meeting any space creature.” She smiled at Twilight.

“Oh. But why the intimidation in the tower?”

Luna grinned. “Promise not to tell a soul?”

Twilight nodded. “Stick a cupcake in my eye!”

“It’s because I don’t want Celestia to feel alone.” Luna stopped walking, she stared ahead. Twilight noticed and turned around, facing Luna. “She’s been making decisions on her own for a long time, and that is because of me, I know.”

Luna looked down at Twilight who stood in front of her. “If I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t want her to have to go through being alone again. If she feels alone, then that means I too will feel alone. As siblings there can be almost no one we trust more than each other.”

Twilight opened her mouth to ask a question but was stopped by Luna. “I know, you’re going to ask why the intimidation then?” Luna began to walk again, walking past Twilight. “If I show her how willing I am to do things for her, for me, and for everyone, then she’ll never have to feel alone again knowing I’m here to go the extra distance when she could not, should not, or would not.”

“I had no idea.” Twilight said as she briskly walked, catching up to be side by side with Luna. “Why not just tell her?”

A quiet laugh came from Luna but trailed off quickly, “You of all people dear Twilight, should know that sometimes actions speak loudest when words have failed.”

“Hey! You two coming or what?” Yelled Spike from down the hall at the doorway to the archives.

“Shhh!” Came from the ponies inside the room.

“Sorry!’ He said in a whispered voice.

Twilight and Luna entered the archives, rows of shelves holding large quantities of tomes, scrolls, and maps lined the room. In the center sat a large circular wooden table with the sun and moon etched into the middle. Stacks of books sat upon the table in a messy fashion.

“Aren’t you just the cutest thing?”

Moon Dancer, Minuette, and Twinkleshine all were surrounding Kai. They were petting his stomach, scratching behind his ears, and giving him plenty of love and affection.

“Oh, hey! Twilight!” Moon Dancer turned her head, noticing Twilight had entered the room. She pushed up her glasses to see better and then ran up to Twilight and gave her a big hug.

“Twilight!” The other two yelled as they followed suit.

Although her stature was much larger than Twilights, Luna had gone unnoticed for a brief moment. Minuette was the first to notice.

“P-Princess Luna!” She bowed, lowering her face to the ground. “Oh!” Twinkleshine said, also bowing along with Moon Dancer.

“Please, rise. You are Twilight’s friends, and by extension my friends.” Luna said, a smile on her face as she courteously bowed to them.

They rose their heads. Twinkleshine whispered to Minuette, “Does this mean we can hug her too?”

Luna let out a small chuckle.

“It’s so good to see you girls!” Twilight said.

“It’s good to see you too. We’re sorry Lemon Hearts couldn’t make it, unfortunately.” Minuette replied.

“And we’d love to stay but we have to head off. Moon Dancer should be able to discuss everything.” Twinkleshine said.

“I’ve got it. Thanks for your help girls!” Moon Dancer added, waving the two off.

“Bye you guys!” The two said, following up with a, “Byyye Kaaaai!” in unison.

‘Goodbye!’

“Someone seems to have gotten popular.” Luna said ask she walked directly over to Kai, a small grin on her face. The grin made her seem more menacing than actually friendly.

‘Y-yes, well…’

Twilight smiled at Kai.

“Come on Twilight, we found the book you requested, but we also found a few others that may work better!” Moon Dancer said, tugging on Twilight’s arm.

“Okay! Hey, Kai. Why don’t you and Luna hang out for a bit?” Twilight said as she was dragged off to the other side of the table, giving him a wink as well.

‘Oh, uhm, o-okay.’

He turned and looked up at Luna who stood over him, his tail slightly between his legs. A grin that was even more menacing than before was upon her face.

“Yes, little one.” She said as she lit her horn up, using her magic to grab and lift Kai into the air. “Let us speak with one another, shall we?” They went off to a separate part of the library, a worried Kai being carried in the air unwillingly, the look of horror filled his face.

“Thank you so much for your help Moon Dancer, I’m glad I called on you guys. This may have taken me days to do alone.” Twilight said as she looked through the pile of books Moon Dancer had organized.

“One of these should contain the location spell. I looked through the one you suggested, Leaders of the Game, but I didn’t see anything that could really teach spell use. So I’ve included a few others that match up with it and contain other pieces of the puzzles you may have needed.” Moon Dancer explained.

“This is wonderful. We’ll be able to find… the Firefoxes in no time… Hey wait, what’s this one?’ Twilight lifted a book from the bottom of the stack. “Lord of the Parasprites?”

Moon Dancer blushed for a moment and quickly used her magic to pull it away. “Whoops! Sorry! How’d that get in there?” Nervous laughter came from the unicorn.

Twilight smiled at her and gave her a nudge in the shoulder. “Finally getting into the classic fiction like I’ve been suggest, huh?”

“Well, sometimes you just need a break from the fundaments of general theory. What can I say?”

As the two nerds finished laughing, Twilight called for Spike. “Spike? Where are you?”

“Huh, I haven’t seen him since you came in now that I think about it.” Moon Dancer said.

“That’s because he was kindly waiting for me.” A voice said from behind them.

The two ponies shrieked and grabbed onto one another purely out of fear.

“Oh my. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Rarity said, the two ponies still clung to each other.

Spike stood next to Rarity, laughing and slapping his knee. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time!”

Twilight and Moon Dancer quickly let go of each other and separated themselves, all while their faces glowed bright red.

“Well, it seems like you found what you were looking for, Twilight.” Rarity said as she choked back her laughter.

“Ahem, yes well… Thank you for your help Moon Dancer.” Twilight said with quickness.

“You are welcome, princess! Err, Twilight! Uhh, Princess Twilight!” Moon Dancer replied as she pushed her glasses up, her face still beat red. “I’ll see you later!” She quickly grabbed her book with her magic and rushed out the door.

Twilight smiled and gave a little giggle as she turned to Rarity. “Well that was fun.”

“I do hope she will be fine. I did not mean to embarrass you both.”

“That WAS pretty funny though.” Spike added, nudging Rarity’s leg with his elbow.

“Mm, yes, quite.” She smiled. “Did you find the books you required, dear?”

Twilight nodded, using her magic to lift up the stack of books. “These should have everything and then some.”

Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Wonderful darling! Are you ready to be off then? Shall we grab Kai?”

Chapter 8: Becoming Bright

The next morning it was time to leave, the summer sun shined above the group of four as they got on their train. The newly added bag of books sat under their seat opened with Twilight already started on her reading. Kai sat against the window staring out into the sky. A black and blue bow was wrapped around his neck, the crescent moon emblazoned on it.

“It’s so wonderful you and Luna got to know each other.” Rarity said as she looked deeply into the bow.

‘She’s really nice!’ He turned to face her. ‘I hope we return someday soon.’

“I’m sure we will.” She said with a smile, petting underneath his chin.

The train started to take off for Ponyville.

“You should bring back a bow for her as a thank you gift!” Twilight added, flipping a page of her book, one of the many from the archives. Spike sat in between the two ponies, reading a comic.

‘A gift in return? What would bow should I bring?’ He asked curiously. The idea of exchanging gifts really meant nothing to him previously, as there was so little in space to give to one another.

Kai thought long and hard of what type of bow he could give. ‘I’ve never given a gift before.’

Rarity looked at him with a puzzled face and furrowed brow. “Really? Never?”

He shook his head as he looked at her. ‘Not much to give, not much to take.’

“Aww.” She placed her hoof on his head and started to pet him. “How sad.”

Twilight lifted her face out of her book. “Why don’t you design a bow for him to give, Rarity?”

A gasp followed up with a child-like scream came from the purple haired pony. She flipped her body around, accidently knocking Spike off the bench and smacking Kai in the face with her tail. The commotion caused Twilight to look up at Rarity just in time to have her face grabbed.

Rarity pushed her face onto Twilights and yelled, “You’re an ABSOLUTE GENIUS, Twilight!”

A purple claw grabbed onto the bench. Spike pulled himself up back into the seat, still holding his comic. “Next time, some warning?”

She then turned abruptly turned once again, hitting Spike off onto the floor once more.

“Be caref-“ Twilight was cut off by a smack of Rarity’s tail.

“Darling, I am going to design you a bow with your logo!” Her eyes shined like a thousand stars as she stared into his.

Kai raised his eyebrow, unsure of what his logo exactly was.

‘The Firefox logo? We don’t have one. I’m not even sure what a logo is?’

“Oh, but you WILL!” Her smile expanded from ear to ear. “YOU WILL!”

The train ride to Ponyville felt much longer this time to Kai. Perhaps it was the fact that they were so close to being able to find his kind, or perhaps he was just eager to find a specific family member of his. Once they arrived back in Ponyville, Twilight quickly arranged herself in the map room. She had read over most of the books on the train ride and had a basic understanding for what the spell needed.

Rarity and Kai gathered the others, as once they found the locations of the Firefoxes they would all be heading off.

Well, that’s what they had planned originally.

“Gosh darn map! Why’s it gotta send us away right as we were gonna help Kai here? Ain’t he part of the friendship circle?” Applejack pleaded, her cutie mark shaking furiously with the call of the map.

She stomped her foot in anger, upset that she’d have to miss the beginning of the quest for the Firefoxes.

“Oh, don’t worry Applejack! You and I will have lots of fun in Appleloosa!” Pinkie exclaimed, trying to cheer her up.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Sure you’ll miss the beginning, but do you really think we’re going to be able to find all the Firefoxes before you return? I’m sure you’ll be able to help us find maybe the last one at most!”

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up Rainbow Dash.” Applejack said unamused.

Rarity leaned into Fluttershy. “I’m just glad it’s not us!”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Applejack let out a snarl as she lowered her hat, covering her face.

Twilight was just finishing preparations as she placed down one of her books neatly on a stack. She walked over to the table. “Even if you won’t be here for the first, you can at least check out where there might be some. Who knows, perhaps we’ll be going in the same area as you two.”

“I know, it’s just unfair. This whole things rotten to the core.” She stomped her foot in anger again.

‘I under how why you are upset Applejack, but thank you. Knowing that you truly would rather help me than your own duties, well, you’re a really good friend.’ Kai communicated as he floated up and wrapped his paws around her.

Applejack smiled and placed one hoof around him. “Aw, shucks partner. You make sure to tell the ones you do find about Pinkie and me, alright?”

Kai nodded as he pulled away from the hug, a big smile on his face.

“Alright everypony, I’m going to give this a test. Kai, if you would, stand on the table.”

He floated up onto the middle of the table, the map appearing around him. The mane six and Spike all gathered in their chairs. Twilight began to cast her magic as a purple aura surrounded Kai and the table.

The horn grew bright as she cast the spell, a light shined from Kai, causing the other ponies to cover their eyes from the blinding light. The light spread out across the map like a shockwave from an explosion. Little red dots started to flicker in different parts of the world, some were together while some were only in the same area. Kai’s light slowly dimmed as the spell finished, the ponies were able to get their first glimpse at the markers.

“Did it work?” Rainbow Dash asked as she rubbed her eyes.

Floating up above the table, Kai looked down and examined each of the red dots. The ponies looked over the map at the different areas of the world, studying where they were. Kai was more interested in how many.

“Plfrry!” He exclaimed. “Plfrry! Plfrry!” He continuously shouted in his language as he landed on the table.

The ponies looked at each other and then back to Kai. Spike was the first to ask, “What the heck’s he saying?”

‘Twenty-three! There’s twenty-three dots!’ He communicated as he panted and jumped around.

“Is that a good thing?” Fluttershy asked.

Kai finally stopped his bouncing only to have his tail continuously be wagging. ‘Twenty-three is the exact amount of my brethren including myself and my brother!’ He began hopping up and down again. Every time he hopped into the air he would telepathically say ‘Twenty!’ and every time he landed he would say ‘three!’ This continued even more as Spike and Pinkie joined in the chanting.

“Okay, enough! Now that we got it working, let’s find out where the closest ones are!” Twilight shouted, breaking the chanting. She pointed to the location on the map that resembled Ponyville. “There is one in our town right now that should be Kai, of course.”

“Two near Cloudsdale! Awesome!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she pointed.

Applejack looked near the town of Appleloosa. “Well, there appears to be NONE in good ol’ Appleloosa.” She said as she slouched over, burying her face into the table.

Rarity gently tapped Applejack’s shoulder. “I’m sorry darling. It does look like there’s three in the Badlands. Perhaps after you and Pinkie finish up in Appleloosa, you could head over to Dodge City? Then we could all meet up and head out there together.”

“What a great idea Rarity! It looks like there are three right now in the Everfree Forest! We could go out and find them, then once we hear from you guys we can head to Dodge City ourselves.” A solid plan from Twilight as she marked the locations on a separate paper map.

‘That is a wonderful idea! That way you won’t miss out on much, Applejack!’

Kai skipped over to Applejack and licked her cheek.

She laughed and sat up from her slouching, tilting her hat back at the same time. “Alright, alright. As long as you don’t go and find any others without me and Pinkie.”

“I can’t believe I’m the only one to notice this, but, if there is exactly twenty-three foxes in total, doesn’t that mean Myar is with one of the groups?” Spike said, an observation overlooked by all the others.

Twilight’s face shook with shock as she counted the dots. “He’s right!” She said.

‘I hope that’s a good thing. None of my brethren would probably listen to him, but at least they will keep him safe. I doubt any of them know that he was the one to destroy our home.’

Waltzing over to Ponyville, Kai sat down and looked around the map.

“It-It’ll be o-okay! That just means if we reunite all of your people, then, maybe, we’ll find your brother too!” Fluttershy said, trying not to let Kai beat himself up.

“And if we don’t, then he’ll still be somewhere on the map and we can track him down anyway!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed at the top of her lungs, throwing confetti into the air.

Twilight got up from her chair and rolled the paper map up.

“Kai, we’re going to help you find your kind. All of them. You can count on us!”

Chapter 9: Murky Fight

The four ponies and Kai stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest. As they entered, the summer heat had brushed off their coats from the shade of the overbearing tree tops. Unfortunately the humidity of the jungle cut any chance for a less than warm romp through the forestation. Their immediate path was set for Zecora’s hut. It was the best place to start as she may have come across or even found the three firefoxes they were tracking.

Entering the forest had once felt overly dangerous but had become an interesting saunter for the group. Between Zecora’s hut and the Castle of the Two Sisters the forest seemed almost safe, especially with Kai now leading the group by floating and shining like a beacon in front of them.

After reaching Zecora who explained in her rhythmic lyrics that she had not seen any sign of more firefoxes, they had set off for the castle.

‘Well, if they aren’t at this castle you spoke of, then we could stay there after it grows dark so that I can launch myself into the air for the others in the area to see me. My antenna should begin to shake if they are near, however. Although… That’s only if they have their mind open to telepathy.’

A backup plan was discussed, as the ponies did not wish to traipse through the jungle for days on end. Kai didn’t truly understand the problem of food or shelter the ponies required, but did not wish to rush his new friends.

“If they aren’t at the castle, we’ll set up there and then move out in a circular pattern until night comes.” Twilight explained. “That should cover our bases. Maybe we could even yell out to them.”

“You know, we should teach you how to speak our language. Then you could teach us!” Rainbow Dash suggested.

‘I know exactly who could teach that! Artimas is our eldest, he taught us many things passed down from generation to generation. He may be the wisest in our group, although I doubt he’d acknowledge it.’

Fluttershy giggled. “Am I the only one who imagined Kai with a big fluffy white beard and cane?”

The others laughed as Kai tilted his head.

‘What is funny? I do not understand.’

They had finally reached the Castle of the Two Sisters. The castle looked the same as it always had, ruined by time and life. As they approached the bridge, Kai noticed his antenna had begun to thrash up and down.

He raised his black nose to the sky and called out.

“Fhjtrrmn plrh drtkh sskwrm!” Yelling out at the castle yielded no response from the inside.

The ponies waited to hear something, or anything that would lead them to the Firefoxes.
Kai couldn’t hold back, he ran over the bridge and rushed inside the open castle door with Rainbow Dash hot on his trail. The other three chased after them, albeit a bit slower.

“Plrh drtkh sskwrm!” He yelled again.

Rainbow Dash decided to follow suit. “Plthhh durkkuh sskqqermm!” She called out, spitting everywhere in the process.

The vibrations of the antenna were getting stronger and stronger as they navigated down the twisted stone halls of the castle. Torn drapery and busted doors were passed as the two found their way into the library. Kai suddenly stopped as they entered the great hall with Rainbow skidding to a stop behind him.

“Are they here? Why’d you stop? What gives?” She asked. Trying to gaze into the darkness of the room, she could barely see anything past the light coming from the sun entering the windows.

He didn’t answer. The fur on his back went up as his ears lowered and teeth bared. His brightly colored orange fur seemed to brighten as his antenna went crazy. The antenna did not bounce up and down, but only vibrated in place.

A deafening laugh could be heard within the walls. “Oh? So you’ve already come? I’m surprised you were able to make it here so quickly. But, not quick enough.”

The most beautiful white fur Rainbow Dash had ever seen stepped out of the shadows at the other end of the libraries hall. A black and red horn pierced outward from his skull between two black antenna. This was Myar, she knew. Two other firefoxes followed him out of the shadows, their fur tinted grey so much so that you could barely see the orange.

The two firefoxes had white antenna. One firefox was much smaller compared to Myar. The smaller one had even smaller antenna that were about the length of a baby unicorn horn, while the other firefox had much longer antenna than Myar himself.

“Did he just speak to us?” Rainbow asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“Frhlkn rrtrkh!” Kai growled out.

“Sorry, brother, but they’re mine.” The white firefox smirked. “And so are you.”

‘Rainbow Dash, RUN!’ Kai turned to push Rainbow out of the way, but was unfortunately not fast enough. A metal cage landed on them both, leaving them trapped.

Myar laughed again as he walked over to the cage with his two servants.

“Don’t worry brother, I’ve taken good care of them. Just look at how happy they are!”

The two firefoxes stared into the cage, their pupils had vanished from their eyes.

Rainbow let out a scream. “Wh-what’s wrong with them!?”

She then grabbed onto the bars of the cage and pressed her face against the openings. “You let us out right now or you’re gonna get it!”

Kai had already been trying to squeeze out, but the bars width were too much even for him.

“Don’t struggle. Once I make you my servant, brother, I’ll let you out. Of course, that’s only after I force you to destroy your new friend.” Myar laughed menacingly as his horn grabbed onto Kai, forcing him to the bars. With eyes wide open, Myar started to stare deep with Kai unable to resist staring back.

The three slower ponies arrived just in the nick of time. “Rainbow! Kai!” They yelled out as they entered the room. Myar broke his concentration to face the three ponies.

“So you had more friends with you than anticipated. No matter.”

As he flew into the air, a large ball of energy formed at the tip of his horn, lights shining in different directions. “I’ll just have to destroy them myself!”

Twilight stepped forward, casting a purple beam at Myar. The beam struck him down, causing him to lose the ball of energy he formed. He fell to the ground beside the cage.

“Yeah! Way to go Twilight!” Rainbow yelled.

Fluttershy and Rarity attempted to lift the cage up off of Kai and Rainbow Dash while Twilight dealt with Myar.

“Strike her down!” Myar yelled as he struggled to get up. The two firefoxes that had been standing by rushed towards Twilight with blindingly fast speed. As they jumped to strike her down she teleported out of the way.

‘Please, Twilight! They are being influenced by Myar!’ Kai warned as he watched from the bars.

“A little help here Rainbow?” Rarity said, using her magic to help lift the cage.

“Oh, right!” She reached her hooves up to the ceiling of the cage and started to flap her wings. With the cage being lifted a small gap at the bottom had started to rise. Kai attempted to push himself underneath, to get out and help Twilight.

The two mind controlled firefoxes attempted to bite and claw Twilight every chance they got. She knew she couldn’t hurt them, as it wasn’t their fault they were attacking.

As they went on the attack once more, instead of teleporting she formed a circular barrier around herself. The two firefoxes jumped right into it, face first, almost knocking themselves out.

“You will not succeed!” Myar yelled to her as he sent a blast of energy at the barrier. The energy poured around the sphered shield, slowly starting to crack the barricade that Twilight had formed.

“That’s right! Hold out for as long as you can, but you and I both know it won’t be long now! Any second you’ll break and I’ll hav-“ Myar was interrupted by the jaws of his brother.

Kai had squirmed his way out from under the metal cage and rushed to aide Twilight. He did the first thing that came to mind, he bit down straight onto Myar’s neck. The magical blast disappeared with the loss of his concentration. Kai remained clenched onto Myar as he reeled back and slammed Kai’s body onto the ground. He then created a barrier spreading outward from his coat, causing Kai to be flung off and skid on his back against the rough cracked stone of the library towards his four friends.

But with Rainbow Dash out of the cage they stood by his side and were prepared to fight to defend the battered Kai.

The two mind controlled firefoxes rushed to Myar’s side as he shook his body, placing a paw on his neck.

Kai slowly tried to stand up, weakened and beaten. ‘You won’t get away with this brother.’

“I heal faster than you Kai. I am more powerful. I’m smarter than you AND your friends.” Myar said as he walked between his two controlled brethren. “I’m going to find and control all of the Cnthlk. Then I’ll use them to destroy you, your freakish friends, and this worlds inhabitants. I will be KING!”

Rainbow Dash flew at Myar. “Quit badmouth my friend!”

He grinned. “Runthkur, brother.”

As soon as his words were spoken, he disappeared in a flash of light with the two firefoxes.

Rainbow skidded to a halt over where they had been. “Oh come on!”

Kai stumbled to his feet with his friends help.

“Y-you aren’t h-hurt are you?” Fluttershy asked, checking him over. He was covered in dust and dirt from the sliding but seemed overall okay.

‘I am fine, thank you dearest Fluttershy.’

“Don’t worry sweetie, I’m sure we can break whatever spell he has over them.” Rarity said as she brushed off the dirt on his back.

Gliding back over to her friends, Rainbow stood there in front of Kai, furious. “Are you going to TAKE THAT?”

‘W-What?’ Kai’s face looked into Rainbow’s. The fierce look in her eye caught his attention.

“Rainbow, please.” Said Twilight.

“NO!” She stomped her hooves. “That guy just mind controlled two of your friends! And then he was trying to mind control you, Kai!”

‘I-I-I…’

“Get mad! Your antenna are still shaking, he couldn’t have gotten far! Let’s go cream the punk!”

She made a valid point. His antenna still rocked up and down without his control, shaking a little slower each time like a ceiling fan turning off. He had originally thought that Rainbow was angry at him, but the fierce piercing eyes he looked into were not the look of anger or revenge.

It was the purest form of loyalty he had ever seen.

Chapter 10: Fortune's Right

Thanks to Twilight’s teleportation, the ponies and Kai managed to quickly catch up to Myar. Just as he reached the external walls of the castle he was met head on by the group of friends. His magic was slowly weakening, as teleporting himself and the two servants was taking a heavy toll. Twilight on the other hoof, she hadn’t even broken a sweat from all the magic use.

“Give it up!” Twilight called out.

Kai stood at the front of the group, his ears lowered and teeth bared. Brother or not, nothing was going to prevent him from doing whatever was needed to free the mind sapped kin. Revenge seeped subtly into his mind as the thoughts of his home being taken from him clouded his judgement.

Myar on the other hand, simply stared at Kai from behind his minions. The look in his eyes was that of a dejected spirit, something both Kai and Fluttershy noticed. Needless to say, it didn’t last long. The eyes changed back to the evil glare they had in the castle, only to be accompanied with a smirk.

“Destroy them!” Myar yelled.

The two firefoxes leaped into the air towards Kai - only to be halted as they descended upon their friend.

“You should have given up when you had the chance! Now, Kai!” Twilight raised up the firefoxes using her telekinesis, higher and higher into the air away from Myar.

Without hesitation, Kai charged at Myar. “Oh? You think that’s how it’s going to be, brother?” Myar accepted the challenge as he too raced towards his brother, only to teleport right before they clashed. His words echoed throughout the trees as everyone scanned the area, looking to spot anything white and furry.

“I’ll let you have those two, but you won’t stop me from my plans!” A maniacal laugh sent shivers down the ponies’ spines, something they had felt before.

Kai flew up into the air above the treetops, looking to spot his fleeing brother. Trying to sense him using his antenna had become impossible this close to the two held by Twilight. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had flown up to help him, but the treetops made it difficult to narrow their gaze on the escaping creature. Even with the bright white coloring of his fur being a distinct feature, he managed to slip away into the darkness of the Everfree.

Meanwhile, Twilight had placed the two servants of Myar back on the ground, their eyes had reverted to normal. They collapsed to the ground whilst panting heavily. Both Rarity and Twilight were unsure if they were even conscious.

“Oh my, are they going to be alright, Twilight?” Rarity asked as she meandered over to them.

Twilight was unsure of firefox anatomy as she had yet to make a good study of Kai. Would her magic even been strong enough to administer first aid? The only way to know how they were feeling was to ask.

“Excuse me. Can you two understand us?” She asked with a concerned look as she drew closer to inspect them.

The smaller firefox was the first to rise to their feet, quickly running and blocking the path between Twilight and the larger firefox.

“Knthuuth rthkh!” It snarled and bared their teeth.

The larger one let out a sigh of exhaustion as it moved to an upright position. After sitting up it placed a paw on the smaller version. “Vkhlyh, Roshk. Krrtlh rthbrh.” The language meant nothing to Twilight and Rarity, he could sense that.

‘I apologize for young Roshk.’ The noble firefox entered the minds of the two ponies before him. ‘He is far too young to communicate with you telepathically. Please, forgive his insolence.’

Rarity and Twilight looked at each other in bewilderment. The two pegasi and Kai floated to the ground gently, Kai rushing immediately to embrace his kin.

“Rldrrh, Roshk!” Kai spoke in his language as the three nuzzled together.

‘It is good to see you young Kai, but have you lost your manners during this time away?’ The large firefox patted Kai on the head as he communicated to the entire group.

Kai tilted his head as if he misunderstood. He looked down at Roshk who gave him a simple shrug.

‘Please, Kai, I am no longer your master. You must call me by name. You should also not speak in a language these kind creatures cannot understand, it is shameful.’

‘I am sorry! I did not mean, well, it has just been…’ Kai embarrassingly apologized to the elder, lowering his head as a sort of bow. ‘It is good to see you Artimas.’

A short gasp came from the ponies.

“Hey! You’re the guy who can teach us how to speak your language!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The look of happiness and joy filled her eyes.

Rarity pushed her hoof against Rainbow’s side. “Don’t you mean teach Twilight?” A snickering grin filled her face.

The joy fled Rainbow’s eyes and was replaced with a blush of humiliation. “I-I never said that! I’d love to learn! I’m a learning machine!”

‘Kai, are these friends of yours?’ Artimas questioned.

A laughter had risen amongst the ponies from Rainbow’s embarrassment. Kai looked to them, and then back to Artimas. With a smile across his face, he answered.

‘Actually, they’re family.’

‘I am humbled by your acceptance of us and of young Kai. Thank you for allowing us into your home Miss Sparkle.’

“Think nothing of it Artimas, just please, call me Twilight.”

The ponies and Kai had returned with the cleansed firefoxes from the Everfree. They began to explain the situation once they arrived in the map room of Twilight’s castle.

“I’ve already got a plan in mind.” Rainbow Dash said with a strike to her chest, seemingly proud of her idea. “We’ll just split up! Then, somepony can take Kai to the south to meet up with Applejack and Pinkie, while the other three head north with Artimas!”

‘And what of Roshk?’ Kai looked up at her with a tilt of the head.

Her look of pride quickly vanished as she had completely forgotten about the telepathically silent cub.

“Actually, Roshk could probably go with Artimas. It would be better than staying here and waiting for Myar to show up.” Rarity clarified.

Fluttershy was holding Roshk in her embrace, the little firefox was easily worn out from the day and had fallen asleep.

“I’m more worried about Myar. Even if we stick together, can he still mind control all three of you?” Twilight asked as she brought up the map into view on top of the table.

Artimas looked over to Roshk. ‘No. He managed to soak into our open minds while we waited. It was my fault for telling Roshk to have his mind open.’ He paused his statement and looked to Kai. ‘As much as I would like to keep him from this danger, as well as you Kai, we must find the others or we will all be lost in the end.’

“Wait so my plan was good!?” Rainbow Dash yelled.

The sleepy Roshk moved slightly from the noise. “Shh!” Fluttershy voiced with a slight glare.

“Sorry!” Rainbow replied in a quiet tone with two hooves covering her mouth.

Rarity sat up and put her front hooves on the table. She looked over the map, staring at each other of the red dots that were the locations of the firefoxes.

“Well, if I may say, Myar appears to still be in the Everfree. If we split up now we can probably find them all before he does. Plus, Applejack and Pinkie may already be waiting on us to arrive. I don’t want them to worry.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Awesome! I’ll take Kai to get AJ and Pinkie.” Rainbow said with a grin on her face.

Twilight sat up with an eyebrow raised. “Actually, I’d like to be the one to take him to the southern plains. It would make sense for me to go with Kai, since his brother may try to come after him again.”

“Oh please, I can take him on!”

“Alright, if you’d like to go south with Kai, that’s fine. I’ll just be part of the group that takes the other two up north… You know, the Crystal Empire, Yakyakistan… Cloudsdale.” The smirk on Twilight’s face pierced Rainbow’s pride. She knew Rainbow couldn’t resist showing off in Cloudsdale, especially when everypony was going to have their eyes on the firefoxes.

Rainbow gritted her teeth. It was a difficult choice. She wanted to spend more time with Kai, but loved to go to Cloudsdale.

“Fine!” She pouted. “But wait, why aren’t you two arguing to go? Rarity!? Flutteshy!?”

Fluttershy smiled as she stared at the sleeping cub. “Well, I’d like to go wherever this little guy is going. He’s so cute.”

Kai stared at Fluttershy, the look of the two together reminded him of how much he missed his own mother. He could only hope that heading south would lead to his parents.

“Darling, it’s the Crystal Empire. I rarely have a chance to head up there. As much as I’d love to spend some time with Kai, Artimas is sure to be just as good company.” Rarity answered.

‘You are too kind.’ Artimas bowed his head.

“Ughhh! Fine!” Rainbow slumped down into her chair with forelegs folded across her chest.

Twilight grinned in victory. “Then it’s settled!” She threw a scroll to Rarity. “Here’s a copy I made for you guys. Good luck! Let’s go Kai!”

She rushed out of the room with a bag on her back. Kai followed to the doorway before turning around. He bowed to the room.

‘I shall return, I wish you the best in your journey as well.’ He communicated, scampering off afterwards.

“Well then, shall we be off as well?” Rarity stood up from her chair, expecting to be ready to head off.

“Um.” A soft spoken syllable came from the pink haired pony. “Actually, if you don’t mind, can I ask something?”

A yawn came from the small cub that lay next to her.

“Myar, did any of you, well, notice that at one point he seemed kind of solemn in his actions? Like he didn’t really, y’know, want to do what he was doing?” Fluttershy finished.

Artimas looked at Fluttershy. The noble firefox understood what she had meant, while the two ponies did not get the same message.

“Darling, he attacked us. I’m not sure how intense his look could have been to say otherwise.” Rarity said, with a furrowed brow.

Rainbow sat up from her pouting. “C’mon. Let’s go. We’ll worry about beating friendship into his brain later.”

“What do you think, Artimas?” Fluttershy asked.

Artimas sat there with his eyes closed. ‘Kai and Myar… Both must prove something to the other, but neither know how. Modest must be their tongue, but exceptional must be their actions.’

As the ponies looked at one another in bewilderment, a sleepy Roshk yawned once more.

Chapter 11: Kind Knight

‘So, why is it you wanted to travel with me?’ Kai asked with a tilt of his head as he stared up at Twilight.

They had been traveling by train south to Dodge City since early mornings light. Meeting up with Applejack and Pinkie Pie were their first objectives, but Twilight seemed to enjoy the company between just the two of them.

“Well, I wanted time to chat with you, just the two of us.”

‘Okay. I’m all ears.’ He fluttered his ears back and forth with a smile.

“I’m not sure what your brother has planned and I know we’ll do everything to stop him, but I’m also unsure how you firefoxes deal with your problems.” Twilight said as she stared up out the window.

‘I do not understand. Do ponies deal with problems in a different manner?’ His smile had faded, a serious talk was brewing and he could not grasp the reasoning behind it.

She turned back to look at him. “I’ve battled with many villains, some were saved some were not,”

Kai interrupted her. ‘A battle is one where a victor is decided, I will not let my brother win, Twilight.’

A shake of the head from Twilight. “All my fights have been victorious because of friendship, love, or just basic compassion for one another. Both words and actions have helped in different situations. When the time comes to take on Myar, remember that your heart will lead you to victory, not your strength.”

With a lean of his head he looked back out the window.

‘Princess Luna gave advice similar to that when we were at Canterlot. It’s nice to have so many friends that are wise beyond imagination. I believe that even Artimas could learn a thing from you two.’

“I’m as wise as Princess Luna? You have no idea how flattering it is to hear that.” A wave of humbleness washed over Twilight, her face bright red.

Kai turned back to Twilight with a serious look on his face, something she had never seen during his stay in Equestria.

‘Twilight, regardless of the outcome, I have something to ask of you.’

“What is it?”

‘Keep your friends safe. You should care for them before me or my kind.’

She stared deep into his determined eyes with mouth agape before giving a frown. “Kai…”

‘Please, Twilight.’

“Okay. I’ll keep my friends safe.” She said, then she grabbed and pulled Kai into a hug. “I’ll keep all of my friends safe, including you.”

‘Twilight… That’s… Thank you.’ He replied as he wrapped his paws around her, a gloomy smile spread across his face.

“Oh think nothing of it darling, I’ve held heavier bolts of cloth on my back compared to you.”

‘Still, I thank you for your generosity. These old bones aren’t meant for flying like they use to be.’

Rarity trotted around the clouds with Artimas on her back, looking for any sign of the firefoxes of Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash had already flown off to search the area, while Fluttershy stayed behind with Rarity, Roshk sitting happily on her back.

‘I must also thank you Fluttershy. You two have been most kind.’

“Oh no, it is my pleasure, honest.” She replied with a smile that was mostly covered by her mane.

Artimas’ antenna rocked back and forth in a constant motion as they roamed around Cloudsdale in search of the firefoxes. Other ponies stared as they passed by. Rarity was unsure if the stares were for her, a unicorn amongst the clouds was a rare sight, or for the strange furry creatures that resided on the two ponies.

“It’s nice to be the center of everyponies attention, isn’t it Fluttershy?” Rarity said with cheer.

“N-not r-really.” The shy pony responded.

“Hrkshl!” The small firefox said to Fluttershy as he rubbed his face against the back of her neck. While the words were not comprehended, the sentiment was not lost on her as she was happy to assist even with the gawks they were receiving.

A loud scream came from the distance, alarming the group of friends as they searched Cloudsdale.

“Well, there’s our cue I would assume.” Rarity said as they rushed off to the screaming.

Rainbow Dash had already arrived at the shop from which the screams were coming from. Pegasi had gathered outside to watch the commotion she was causing as the store owner hollered in despair.

“The flying rats have returned! We’re all doomed!” The shop keep bellowed before fainting onto a cloud.

“I’m not here to hurt you! Just calm down!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

The skittering bright orange creatures knocked over pots and paintings that were on display amongst the store. Rarity and Fluttershy arrived on the scene just in time to witness the smashing of a large painting as Rainbow flew into it.

“Rainbow Dash! Calm yourself!” Rarity called to her as she looked around for the furry arrivals.

Rainbow rubbed her head as she sat with the painting around her neck. “I am calm! I tried to talk to them but they wouldn’t listen!”

Both Fluttershy and Rarity looked around the store in search of the two creatures.

“C-Come out little guys. If you want to, I mean.” Fluttershy pleaded as she searched with Roshk.

‘It is I, Artimas, please do not be alarmed.’

He raised his body up off of Rarity and into the air, brightening his coat in both warmth and color, a feeling that could be felt even outside the store.

The two firefoxes that had caused so much damage crawled out from behind a painting that lay against the corner of the room.

‘A-Artimas?’ One of them called out.

The blue antenna’s perked slightly as it flew up and hugged onto Artimas, with the other following suit.

‘It’s so good to see you elder!’

Rarity and Fluttershy smiled at the reunion. Rainbow worked to get free of the painting that still held around her neck.

“A little help here?” Rainbow Dash called out.

“Ah sure am glad you brought Kai along Twilight. Though it does sound mighty interestin’ to meet this Artimas y’all talked about.”

‘He is very wise, he used to be my master before I grew too old.’

“There’s so many new friends, which means so many parties once we get back to Ponyville! I’m going to run out of supplies!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping up and down as they walked.

The four friends had reached the treacherous path into the Badlands. It sat on the southern edge of Equestria, an area that remained untouched by pony-kind. As they climbed to the top of the path, they looked out at the barren waste in front of them.

“Wow, we’re supposed to find how many firefoxes here? It’s going to be like trying to find a frosted muffin in a pile of cupcakes!”

Twilight started down the rocky trail into the arid wastes, with the others soon following behind. They wandered along the stone trail for a bit as Kai tried to locate his kin using the antenna atop his head.

“Ya know, this place could be really good for farmin’ an apple orchard, or any tree fer that matter.”

‘I am enjoying the heat at least.’

“You may be the only one, Kai. I don’t know about you girls but I really wish Rarity had come along with a few parasols.” Twilight responded as she stopped to wipe her sweat filled brow.

The barren plains had very few landmarks in it other than rocky plateaus that sprung up like stalagmites from the ground, forming mesas around the harsh land.

Kai’s antenna jingled for a moment, halting immediately. ‘I think there may be something close.’

The three ponies stopped and looked at Kai to see if the antenna would move once more. As they stopped they could feel a vibration below their hooves, drawing closer and closer.

“Y’all feel that? Ah don’t suppose that’s them is it?”

‘I don’t think so.’ Kai responded.

“Ohhh! Maybe it’s the valley welcoming us!” Stated Pinkie as her body shook with the tremors.

Twilight looked out into the flatlands to see anything. The sky was growing into dusk, but even with the remaining light she could not see anything but the brown cracked soil in the distance.

“Ah think somethin’ is comin’ fast! Look!” Applejack said as she pointed in the direction they had entered the valley. A cloud of dust quickly approached them from the distance.

“RUN!” Twilight yelled before taking off.

Kai flew up and landed on Applejacks back as she rushed in the same direction as Twilight.

‘Head for one of those peaks! Maybe they can’t get up there!’ He suggested.

The ponies reached the bottom of a plateau and began to climb as the dust cloud vibrated towards them. Twilight flew up, landing on a ledge that protruded from the mesa. She then lifted Pinkie up onto the ledge using her magic. Kai floated his way up to the ledge as Applejack waited her turn.

Just in the nick of time, Applejack was pulled up to safety by Twilight’s magic. Two snake like creatures glided out of the rocky earth and slammed into the side of the plateau in an attempt to grab Applejack.

“W-What are those things!?” Applejack yelled in fear as she stared down at the impending doom.

“They looked like Serpentinites! I’ve never seen one up close, let alone run from one.” Twilight responded as she made sure everyone was okay. “It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to travel much further for today. They’ll probably leave us alone by morning. This mesa should be mostly stone compared to the gravel and earth below, so they shouldn’t be able to climb the sides.”

Kai looked at Twilight and asked, ‘What is a Serpentinite?’

“They are a snake-like creature made of sedimentary rock. They’re about the size of your average pony at adulthood. I’m not sure of anything more than that, not much is written about these creatures.”

‘I can see why.’

“I grew up on a rock farm, but I’ve never heard of anything like rock snakes. That’s loco in the coco if you ask me!” Pinkie added.

Applejack looked around above and below the ledge they stood upon. “Hey Twilight, there looks like a cave up on that ledge. That could give us some shelter if we’re going to be up here till the morn.”

Kai flew up to the ledge with Twilight on his heels. “Alright, I’ll lift you guys up here one at a time, hold on.” She said as Kai entered the cave. The light spread from him, erasing the darkness of the cavern. He continued for a small distance as Twilight raised Applejack to the ledge.

A fork in the tunnel spread off in two different directions, but he could feel his antenna shake as he drew close to one side. Applejack followed him into the cave but only slightly.

“Kai, don’t go too far ya hear? Let’s wait for Twilight and Pin-“

Before she could finish he had started to run down the left side of the fork.

“Consarn it! Kai!” She yelled out, chasing after him.

Twilight finished lifting Pinkie up onto the ledge. “Thanks Twilight!” She said as they both trotted into the cave.

“Kai? Applejack?” Twilight called out as they reached the fork in the road. “Oh no. Which way could they have gone? They were just here!”

Pinkie Pie started to head down the left tunnel. “Pinkie wait! We don’t know which why they could have gone. We shouldn’t split up even more.”

“Oh come on Twilight. Do you want to get us lost? This isn’t like one of those story tales of two groups getting lost in a cave and being horribly eaten. Let’s go!” She skipped away from Twilight down the left tunnel.

Twilight simply shrugged and followed after her, chalking it up to one of her ‘Pinkie Senses’.

Following along with Pinkie, they both finally came across a bright light down the tunnel. “See! That must be them.” Pinkie stated.

Upon entering the large cavernous room they were greeted by a blindingly bright light. They shielded their eyes as they adjusted to the rays of light.

“Twilight! Pinkie! We found ‘em!” Applejack said with a grin from ear to ear.

“What? Who?” Twilight asked, finally lowering her foreleg from her face.

Four firefoxes sat crowded around each other, cuddling and embracing one another. It wasn’t difficult for the ponies to tell which one was Kai, as the firefox of the same size had pink antenna, while the others were much larger than him but had black antenna.

‘Friends!’ Kai scampered over to the three ponies. ‘This is my mother, my father, and Keeko.’

Chapter 12: Taking Flight

“Well this was an absolutely marvelous surprise!” Rarity said, commenting on the four firefoxes that sat next to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.

Artimas stepped off the train with Roshk and the two firefoxes with blue antenna.

‘Mother!’ One of the blue’s called out. ‘Father!’ The other added.

They rushed over and embraced their parents. The mother of the two young firefoxes began to cry as she hugged them.

“That’s so sweet.” Fluttershy said with tears filling her eyes.

“Oh darling please, you’re going to get me going. I don’t want my mascara to run!” Rarity replied as she put her foreleg around Fluttershy.

Rainbow floated above the two sentimental ponies, sticking out her tongue and pointing her hoof towards her throat.

‘Artimas! Is our daughter with you as well?’ One of the other sets of firefoxes rushed over to Artimas, their antenna were barely shorter than his with a bright pink coloring.

He looked at them with discontent before shaking his head.

‘No, but there is a second group in the southern part of this world, and these gracious ponies have been helping us bring our kin together.’ Artimas answered.

‘So that’s how these kind nobles knew about us.’ The pink mother conversed. ‘We had feared the worst.’

“Wait, I don’t remember Twilight sending anything to the Crystal Empire.” Rainbow questioned.

Princess Cadence stepped forward, greeting the three ponies warmly. “That’s because she didn’t. We received a letter from Canterlot.” Rarity and Fluttershy bowed to Cadence.

“We only rounded them up this morning, the guards thought they were mini suns when they first encountered them. Their heat sure feels like one.” Shining Armor added, bowing to the ponies as they bowed back.

Rarity rose and pulled the map from a saddlebag using her magic. “Then that means we only have a few to the north! Once we get back to Ponyville and meet up with Twilight’s group, we’ll have reunited the entire clan!”

Fluttershy clapped her hooves excitedly as Roshk jumped happily on her back. The four firefoxes with blue antenna walked over to Artimas.

“That means the last five should be somewhere near,” Rarity paused to look closely at the markings. “Yakyakistan.”

Rainbow flipped in the air, exclaiming at the same time. “Awesome! Let’s go get ‘em!”

Artimas walked forward and bowed to Cadence and Shining. ‘Excuse me young nobles, but I have a request if it is not too much to ask.’

“Of course.” They responded in unison.

‘Would you please watch over my kin for me, just a little while longer? I feel it would be wise to not endanger the younger ones on this journey.’

“Rldrrh! Nklht! Nklht thk rmvk!” Roshk jumped off of Fluttershy and barked in the native language at Artimas.

‘No Roshk. Jericko and Shuul can watch over you.’ He looked up to the two firefoxes with pink antenna. ‘Please, would you watch over Roshk while I’m gone?’

The two parents looked at each other before the mother responded. ‘If you find our daughter, please bring her back safely.’ They looked to the ponies with worry on their face and mistrust in their tone.

Artimas simply nodded with a smile. ‘Do not fear young ones. I have the upmost faith in these ponies, we shall bring Keeko back safely if she is indeed among the group to the north.’

‘What if she’s not?’ The father asked.

‘Then you have a much bigger worry, Jericko, as that means Kai will be with the group that finds her.’ A simple laugh came from the elder firefox, while the unparalleled look of distress shot through the two parents faces.

“Kai?” Applejack said as she wandered out of the cave and onto the ledge. The morning sun had yet to shine as the moon was being lowered.

He was sitting, staring up at the stars when he heard his name called. Twisting his head to look, he stretched his body out before falling onto his back.

With a grin across his face he replied. ‘Hey there Applejack. Couldn’t sleep?’

She walked over and sat down next to him. “It’s almost sunrise, Ahm usually up by this time anyways.” With a gentle smile across her face, she looked up at the stars.

‘How do you know it’s almost sunrise?’ He asked as he rose to his feet.

“I’ve been wakin’ up at the same time fer most of mah life. It’s hard to not know, y’know?”

Kai sat back down, pressing his furry body next to hers. The starry light shined down on the valley, illuminating the gravel and sand below. The chill of the air was a delight compared to the broiling they had faced the previous day.

‘Applejack. What do you think I should do about Myar?’

Without looking down from the stars, she placed a hoof on his head. “Just call on me and Ah’ll wrestle the varmint for yah!” She chuckled.

He looked at her and smiled. ‘Thank you Applejack.’

“No problem lil’ guy. Now Ah’ll get out of yer fur, Ahm guessin’ somebody else wants a turn to chat with you.” Applejack said as she rose to her hooves and started walking back into the cave. Kai turned and looked to see who she was talking about. “He’s all yer’s partner.”

‘K-Keeko?’

The small firefox with pink antenna came waltzing passed Applejack. She sat down next to Kai and looked at him with a face full of grievances.

‘What’s wrong?” He asked.

‘Kai, whatever is going on with him I just want to let you know I’m here for you. You don’t have to deal with Myar alone.’ Tears had filled up her eyes.

He looked back up to the stars. ‘I do. Not for honor, not because he’s my brother.’

‘Then why?’ She insisted.

‘He won’t let me have the help. He’ll remove you, my parents, even my pony friends, just for a fight between the two of us. I won’t let him harm anyone, even if that means I must make a sacrifice.’

Keeko nuzzled her head into Kai’s chin. ‘You’re so stubborn.’

‘I know. It’s the horn that makes him act like this, but it’s his deeper feelings that will make him come after me. I guarantee it would have happened regardless of horn or not.’

“Vahkuul.” She responded in the native tongue.

‘Keeko! Your words can be hurtful, you know.’ Kai turned to look at her with a grin on his face.

She leaned up and looked him straight in the eyes. ‘Yeah, well you are. Especially because you haven’t noticed how beautiful the sunrise is, or the fact that I’ve been waiting patiently for you to kiss me!’

He stared back in shock, his mouth agape from her comments. ‘K-Keeko… I…’

Kai leaned closer to Keeko, their eyes closed as their muzzles beckoned one another.

“Gooooood MOOOORNING!” Pinkie Pie yelled with her face between the two, their muzzles kissing her cheeks. They opened their eyes and screamed in panic at what had transpired.

“Oops! I guess not everybody is a morning pony!” Pinkie said with a giggle and snort.

“M-Maybe w-we s-s-should turn back?” Fluttershy asked as her teeth chattered.

“We’re already a good distance from the Crystal Empire! No turning back now!” Rainbow yelled back to her, trying to overcome the winds.

The blizzard was raging hard, covering them in snow and ice. The path to Yakyakistan was not usually this horrible during the summer months. On days like these, even the animals of the area would stay in their caves.

‘I’m trying to burn as warmly as I can, but these old bones are not nearly as strong as they use to be.’ Communicated Artimas as his body resonated with heat.

“Look! I can barely make out a cave! Let’s stop in there!” Rainbow yelled.

“What did she say?” Rarity called out to Fluttershy, her scarf blowing heavily in the wind.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and trudged back behind the two ponies and Artimas. She shoved them in the direction of the icy cavern. They entered the short cavern and took up residence till the storm passed.

‘Thank you Rainbow Dash. Let me warm you all up, it will be easier without the wind.’ Artimas began to glow, a warmth emanated from inside him as he sat down in the center of the ponies.

Rarity helped Fluttershy push off some of the snow that stuck to her wings. Rainbow shook her whole body, replacing the snow on Fluttershy and adding more to Rarity. The two ponies glared at Rainbow with exasperation.

“Sorry.”

‘My antenna are shaking, young ones.’ Artimas informed them.

“Is it because you’re cold?” Asked Rainbow Dash.

‘It means they are close. Hopefully they will stay within the area long enough for the blizzard to simmer down.’

Rarity adjusted her scarf. “I certainly hope so.”

“Artimas, w-what do you think will happen to Myar?” Fluttershy asked.

He looked over to her with an indifferent attitude and flicked his tail. ‘That is up to Kai and Myar.’

“But what about the other firefoxes opinions? He destroyed your home, will they take kindly to that?” Rarity added to the questionnaire.

‘As the elder, I will pardon him if it is the horn that forced him to be the way he is. If it was his own actions, he may be forced out of the colony.’

Fluttershy responded in a low tone. “I hope it’s the horn. H-He really seemed, well, distraught. He could be mind controlled, like how he controlled you and Roshk. Maybe he didn’t want to destroy your home.”

“That reminds me, we need to find you guys a place to live! Twilight’s castle will be too crowded once we find all of your people.” Rainbow said.

‘We will need to be among the stars. The air here is too thick for us, if we stay our flames will be extinguished.’

“Woah, really!? Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go grab the last few furry balls of fire and get them back to Ponyville!”

“Rainbow’s right. If this is a matter of life or death then we shouldn’t be huddled up in a cave for long, we must reunite your kinsfolk.” Rarity added.

‘I thank you for your worry, but I will not put your lives in danger in exchange for ours.’ His face filled with sorrow and concern as it was obvious he truly cared for their safety.

‘Then it’s a good thing you won’t have to, old man.’ The mysterious voice rang out, startling the group of friends.

Four fluffy silhouettes entered from the stormy blizzard. Their heat showered the cave, quickly melting the icicles as they entered.

A firefox with white antenna crossed the threshold first, the remaining three followed behind with their purple antenna rocking up and down.

‘Miss me, dad?’

Chapter 13: Brother's Bite

The group of firefoxes flung themselves to the ground, kissing the sandy beach below them. Only one step remained before they could return to Ponyville. They had traveled across the sea in search of the last of their kin that remained in southern Equestria.

‘This planet is very dangerous. To be surrounded by so much of this water, I hope that is something we will not have to do twice.’ Stated Myko, Kai’s mother.

“Well, unfortunately we’ll have to cross it again once we find the rest of your kind who landed here.” Twilight Sparkle replied.

The firefoxes groaned in unison before continuing up off the shore. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had tied the boat they arrived in on to a tree above the shoreline, while Twilight examined the map she had brought.

“Alright y’all, now yah gotta remember this is dragon territory. They don’t take kindly to ponies, and Ahm certain they probably don’t like cute fuzzy creatures neither.”

“Applejack is right, we must be cautious as we head up the mountain.” Twilight stated as she rolled up the map. “I know you have met Spike, Kai, but he was not raised by dragons.”

‘This land is very treacherous. I hope my parents are okay. Do you think they are here?’ Keeko looked to Twilight for answers.

“Only one way to find out!” Pinkie interruptedly said before Twilight could even form an answer.

‘I am certain they will not enjoy the fact that I found you before they did.’ Kai smirked softly.

The group had continued up the steep mountain until they reached the top. Upon looking down, they saw many pools of lava and the dragons that filled them. From large to small, different colors and shapes, the firefoxes all gasped with excitement over seeing such interesting creatures. The ponies did not share their enthusiasm.

“So, any of y’all havin’ your antenna shakin’? Ah would prefer not to go rummagin’ around in a place they might not even be.” Asked Applejack.

Kai and Keeko looked at each other, neither of their antenna had been moving other than the occasional twitch. The group of firefoxes that had landed here were close, but not close enough.

Twilight gave a calming smile to Kai. “Don’t worry. We’ll just walk around the mountain before heading into the dragon’s lair. It would be better than-“

Her sentence was cut off, following up with a scream. The group had been unaware of the shadows closing in on them from above. Three medium sized dragons had swooped down and grasped onto the ponies before flying down into their nest. They were unable to move whilst in the dragons clutches.

‘Twilight!’ Kai roared as he began to fly after the dragons. His parents and Keeko followed on foot, not wanting to exhaust their energy in case they needed a quick escape.

The three landed quickly in the center of many lava pools, dragons lay nestled against one another in the warmth of the pools. As the ponies were released from their captors, Kai slammed down in front of them in a show of bravery and determination against the dragons.

Twilight immediately placed a barrier around the ponies and Kai. “Are you all okay?” She asked.

“Yeah. Though Ah hope you’ve got some sort of exit plan, Twilight.” Replied Applejack.

‘I will take them on, do not fear.’ Kai looked back to them with a half-hearted smile before turning back and growling at the three dragons that stood outside the barrier.

“Now why are one of them cute lil’ fuzzles playin’ with ponies?” A hefty dragon with black scales sat with its arms on the ground, its lower body submerged in lava.

One of the dragons that had picked up the ponies answered with a shrug. “Not sure Momma, we caught them snooping. What do you want us to do with them?”

‘Wait, how do you know what I am?’ Kai asked, ceasing his growling.

“We got a few of you stayin’ here, cutie.” The bathing dragon answered with a wink.

Keeko and Kai’s parents arrived as Twilight lowered her barrier. The three dragons that had grabbed the ponies took flight, while a few of the other lava soaked dragons watched cautiously.

“Oh my! More of you? Well we got a big ol’ family reunion now don’t we?”

‘More? May we see them?’ Keeko asked, rushing up to the black dragon with a smile.

The dragon smiled back, bearing its giant teeth and fangs. “Oh sweet little darlin’.” She said as she grasped Keeko and held her close. “Of course you can! Your little friends have been most entertaining since they first arrived. I could just eat you up!”

Keeko could barely breathe due to the strength that the large dragon held. Kai and the others watched on in horror, but with a little delight in the knowledge that it wasn’t one of them in her position.

The dragon eventually released Keeko from her grip and pointed them in the direction of the other firefoxes. Kai and his parents followed along with Keeko, passing many dragons who gave them endearing looks.

“Uhm, excuse me. I know it’s not a common occurrence for ponies to be in the presence of dragons, but could you allow us to accompany them?” Twilight asked the black, bathing dragon.

The dragon sat closer to the edge of the lava pool, placing her chin on top of her folded hands. “Well, I would say that ponies are not to be welcomed, but if you’re helpin’ those little cuties, I suppose you can’t be all bad.” She replied with a wink.

“Yeah right, like we’re the bad ones.” Applejack muttered under her breath, followed by a subtle kick from Twilight.

While the firefoxes had received kind looks from the dragons, the devious eyes remained locked on the ponies as they passed. The three friends reached the group of firefoxes that had been greeting one another.

‘Twilight! We’ve found all the ones that were here!’ Kai exclaimed as he ran up to Twilight, nuzzling under her neck.

“This means we’re one step closer to one huge party!” Screamed Pinkie as she threw confetti into the air. “I wonder if we should invite dragons to the party?”

Twilight placed her hoof on Kai’s head, petting him gently behind the ears. “Yes, now we can go home! I hope Rainbow’s group managed to find all of your kin in the north.”

The group of firefoxes began to yip and howl at each other in excitement, only to be halted by the stomping vibrations of the black dragon that had been referred to as ‘Momma’.

“Oh? But you just got here. It’d be a shame if you left so soon.” The words felt like a threat to the ponies as they looked up at the hefty, black dragon that stood towering over them.

“Now yah see here! We’re gonna take our friends back to see their families!” Snarled Applejack as she planted her hoof firmly in the dirt.

Other dragons had gathered around the group of ponies and firefoxes, surrounding them in an arena against the broodmare.

“Really? So you’re just gonna take off like that, huh sugah?” The bulky dragon said as she smacked a fist into the palm of her hand. “You’re just going to take them and go?”

Applejack gulped before she answered, a little bit nervous, but she stuck with her pride. “Yeah! We are! R-Right Twilight?” She looked to Twilight whose face had turned a much lighter shade of purple than it had previously been.

“Well alright then.” The dragon said as she placed her hands on her hips. “Bring them back by sometime, we loved havin’ their company! It’s been ages since such fun cuties came to play!”

The ponies breathed a sigh of relief as the latest firefoxes to be found began to cheer and nuzzle the hefty dragon.

‘Thank you Momma!’ They cried out as Kai, Keeko, and his parents walked back over to Twilight.

“This turned out better than expected.” Whispered Twilight. Kai and Keeko nodded with a smile before nuzzling each other.

“Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. I was just coming to check on you.” Rarity said as she saw Rainbow slowly open and sneak out the castle door. Rainbow had stopped in her tracks before nervously turning to face Rarity.

“H-Hey, Rarity. I didn’t expect to see you here. Any, uh, word from Twilight?” She responded, sweat dripping from her face.

Rarity raised an eyebrow as she adjusted the saddle bag on her back. “Are you alright? You seem, distressed?”

A loud crashing could be heard from inside Twilight’s castle, followed up with a nervous laugh from the blue pegasus.

“Alright Dash, what did you do?” Demanded Rarity. “Artimas is in there, how much trouble could you have caused while their elder is here?”

She rubbed the back of her neck, looking in any direction other than at Rarity. Another crashing noise could be heard, startling the pegasus.

“I kinda, well, they mostly, uhhh.” She stuttered her words. “Caused a mutiny?”

“How do you cause a mutiny?” Rarity asked sharply.

“Well we were pretending to be in a war! How else?” Rainbow remarked, as if Rarity was supposed to understand automatically. “I was a leader of one group, and Artimas was the leader on the other side! Then I convinced some of his soldiers and his son to betray him and we tied him up and locked him in a closet.”

Rarity replied with an expressionless face. “Let me guess, they then betrayed you and took over Twilight’s castle?”

Rainbow nodded as Fluttershy had joined the two. “Good morning girls, what’s going on?” She asked.

“Dash here decided to use our furry friends to destroy Twilight’s home. I’m certain Artimas is also locked up somewhere.” Replied Rarity.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped. “I better check in on Roshk right away!”

Fluttershy walked up the steps and opened the door.

“Thank you my dear, I’m heading to the train station to see if Twilight, AJ and Pinkie have arrived. Spike should already be there.” Rarity responded.

“I’ll come with you!” Rainbow said, her excitable attitude had returned.

“No.” A harsh tone left Rarity’s lips. “You will help Fluttershy clean up the mess. Twilight has been incredibly kind and we should not ruin that compassion with a devastated home.”

“Fiiiine.” Rainbow scoffed as she floated inside and closed the door.

“Well that was easier than I thought it’d be.” Rarity said with a smile as she headed for the station.

She had arrived just as the train pulled into the depot. Spike had already been waiting patiently for both the train and Rarity to arrive. Steam bellowed into the air as it halted to a stop in front of them.

‘Rarity!’ The familiar voice rang in their head as the doors opened. Kai rushed up to her and placed his front paws around her neck. He stood bipedal as she placed a hoof around him, embracing his hug.

“It’s wonderful to see you Kai!” She responded as many more firefoxes poured from the door, along with her three closest friends.

“Wow. I guess you guys found them all?” Spike had been circled by a few of the firefoxes, the ones that had become accustomed to being around dragons. “Well, this is new. And a little weird.”

“Spike! Rarity!” Twilight called out as she exited the train with Applejack and Pinkie.

“Where are the others?” Asked Applejack.

Rarity greeted each of her friends with a hug before she explained the situation back at the castle. “Well, Rainbow Dash was in charge of watching them, so you can imagine how that’s going. I do have some news to discuss with you three though.”

“They’re not already having a party without us are they!? Rainbow promised she wouldn’t have a party until I got back!” Pinkie yelled.

“To be honest, I hope the castle still stands by the time we get there.” Spike answered with a roll of the eyes.

‘I hope we have not caused any problems for you.’ Keeko said with a bow. The others, except for Kai, bowed additionally.

Twilight smiled nervously. “No, no. It’s no burden on us. Spike, would you please lead the firefoxes back to the castle?”

“Just as long as they stop staring at me creepily.” He replied as they started to head off.

Kai was beginning to follow along with his kind before a hoof was placed on his back. He turned to see who it was that stopped him.

“Darling, if you wouldn’t mind staying behind, I have a present for you. It actually pertains to the news as well.”

Keeko looked back at Kai who nodded to her, she continued on with her kind as they followed Spike. Kai sat patiently as the four ponies gathered around. Rarity lifted a box out of the saddle bag that sat upon her back.

‘A gift?’ He asked.

“It’s a gift for you to give to Princess Luna.” Rarity responded and then looked to Twilight. “Which is also the news. Luna will be arriving later today to greet the new firefoxes.”

“She’s comin’ all the way down here just fer that?” Asked Applejack.

Kai’s face lit up with joy at the news that Princess Luna was coming down just to see him and his kind. His tail wagged with anticipation for her arrival.

“Well, she has a plan to help set them in a new home.” Replied Rarity.

Twilight raised an eyebrow to that statement. “Are they destroying the castle that much?”

A confused Rarity did not understand her question. It took her a moment to realize that Twilight had not received the same information she had during their excursion to find the firefoxes.

“Well, Artimas said that they could not stay here. They were meant to live in the cold of space, they cannot survive on our world. If they did not return to the sky above, well…” She paused and looked to Kai. “They may not live for more than a month.”

The three ponies gasped from Rarity’s words. Kai’s face had distorted from the shock, his tail no longer wagged with happiness.

Rarity lowered her head to Kai and smiled. “Don’t you worry, Luna will be here soon and she’s going to solve this predicament!”

Kai looked up to her, a half-hearted smile crossed his face. He had not been worried about finding a new home, nor had he any time to discuss their future with Artimas or his parents. His main concerns had been with his family and the other firefoxes, and of course his brother’s antics.

“TWIIIIILIGHT!” A screaming could be heard in the distance. The ponies and Kai looked up to see what the cause of the commotion was.

The purple baby dragon was running as quickly as he could towards the train station, no firefoxes in sight.

“Spike? What is it?” Twilight called out to him as he arrived.

He collapsed to the floor in front of them, breathing heavily as he tried to answer. It was clear he had run the whole way there.

“C-Castle.” He managed to speak in between his panting.

“What’s wrong at the castle?” Asked Applejack.

“U-Under… A-Attack.”

Kai rushed past the purple dragon that lay before them. ‘It’s him!’

Chapter 14: Pure White

Kai sprinted through town as quickly as he could. The thoughts raced through his mind of what he was going to do or what he might say to his brother. His only hope was that Myar had broken free of his madness and came to apologize, but what Spike had said made it was clear he had not.

The castle was in sight, the entire palace still stood tall. No fires, no destruction, nothing. He cautiously walked up the steps of the castle. Pulling the handle revealed it was locked, an eerie silence came from the other side. Kai stepped back down the steps and looked up to see if there was an open window of some sort.

The light from the early sun bared down above the castle, camouflaging the white fur that sat upon one of the many castle roofs.

“Brother!” The voice called out.

Kai looked up, still unable to see where the voice had come from.

‘Show yourself Myar, we can talk peacefully.’

“Can we?” The voice spoke as a powerful blast struck the steps in front of Kai, knocking him backwards to the ground.

As the dust settled, Kai caught a glimpse that made him immediately rise to his feet. Myar stood where the blast had hit, a wickedly foul grin across his face, the black and red horn protruding from his forehead seemed larger than in the Everfree Forest.

‘Where are the others? What of my pony friends?’ Kai growled.

“Don’t worry brother, everyone is safe.” Myar replied as the castle doors swung open.

The firefoxes poured out the door, tossing a tied up Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to the ground behind Kai. The whites that had filled the eyes of each firefox showed they were no longer in control of themselves. They flew up to the sky, waiting to be given the command to strike.

‘Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash? Are you alright?’ He asked, but gags had been placed in their mouths, preventing them from answering.

“What’s the matter brother? Don’t worry, we won’t harm them as long as you submit.” The white firefox smirked, knowing he would get his way no matter the choice.

“Kai! Don’t listen to him!” Twilight yelled as Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack rushed to his aid.

They were then lifted up into the air by Myar’s magical horn. “You will not interrupt a second time!” Ropes magically formed around them, then they were dropped to the ground next to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“I have all of your friends, all of your family, and all of your kind. Submit, become one and we shall not harm you.”

Kai looked to his tied up friends, then back to Myar. The look of pure sorrow had filled his face as he stared at his brother. He knew that he could not submit to Myar as it would mean doom for all, but the only other option was equally as unpleasant.

‘Brother. I will not submit to your will. If you want my spirit, you’re going to have to take it from me by force.’ Kai replied as heat began to emit from his body. The grass around him began to singe and turn to ashes.

“Fight? Why fight when I can just control you?” Myar asked, his grin turned to a frown. “No! I will not fight, there is no need.”

His words were confusing to Kai, as it seemed like he was arguing with someone else.

“I am in control. I am not to be trifled with!” Myar yelled before bellowing flames from his mouth. “I do not care about your petty conflict, controlling him would be the same victory! Why fight now!”

Kai watched as his brother argued with himself, unsure of what he should do. Twilight managed to remove the gag from her mouth while Myar’s magic waned. “Kai! Do it now! The horn!”

Her words snapped him back to reality, he understood immediately and began racing towards Myar as quickly as he possibly could. Myar turned his attention back to Kai as he leaped into the air onto Myar. Kai’s teeth sunk into the horn as hard as they could. Myar collapsed to the ground under the weight of his brother.

“Get off me you simpleton!” He yelled, a large cracking noise could be heard as Kai pulled on the horn.

Magical light surrounded Myar followed with a blast of energy that sent Kai flying. Kai skidded to a stop in the dirt, still managing to stand on his feet after the full force of that blast. As he opened his eyes he noticed Myar looked very unhappy, more so now than previously.

“You did it!” Twilight yelled.

Kai hadn’t noticed at first, but he felt his teeth still clamping down. Once he unclenched his jaw, the horn fell to the ground, broken at the base.

“I’ve already absorbed the power from your kind, I no longer need my horn! I am more powerful than I ever was!” Heat began to rise from Myar’s body, glowing brighter and brighter every second.

‘Brother! I know you’re in there! You’ve got to fight it!’ Kai called out as he pushed towards Myar. The winds emitting from Myar’s body were strong and scorching, preventing Kai from quickly reaching his brother.

‘It’s me, Kai! Your brother! You looked up to me at one point!’

“Your brother is no longer here! I am going to destroy everyone you love, and then rule this puny world!” The voice Myar once held had become darker, the blinding light spread out from him as if he were the sun itself.

Twilight and the other ponies could only close their eyes for fear they would be blinded. Kai marched forward slowly, knowing his brother was in just as much danger as everyone else.

‘I know you are in there Myar! Don’t let this happen! You can stop this!’

“Does it hurt knowing that your brother’s jealousy caused all this? That it caused your doom!?” A frenzied laugh came from inside the light.

‘After you were born, I was jealous of you Myar!’ Kai called out as he reached the bottom of the steps, the heat becoming too much even for a firefox, but he still pressed forward.

“W-What?” The voice was soft, not rasped like it had become.

‘I was no longer the sole heir, the only cub. I was jealous that you got so much attention! From our parents, our elders, even others my age!’

“No! Stop!” The heat grew brighter and hotter, the grass turning to ashes around the steps of the castle. The firefoxes that hovered above were being pushed back by the heat itself.

‘It was only after you got older that I realized the jealousy was misplaced! I did everything in my power to impress you, to be a better older brother than I had been!’ Kai reached up and placed his front paws around Myar’s burning body, the crackling of flames could be heard as the two were pressed against each other.

‘Now I see that jealousy runs in our family. You do not have to be envious brother!’

“B-Brother.”

‘It’s all right. I am proud of you. I’ve always been honored to call you brother.’

The heat vanished just as quickly as it began. The magical ropes disintegrated off of the ponies and the other firefoxes fell to the ground as their consciousness returned. The ponies rose to their hooves and looked towards the steps of the castle.

The light slowly faded from the steps of the castle. Two orange furry creatures sat holding one another, tears rolling down their faces.

“Kai?” Said Twilight.

He let his embrace go and turned his head to Twilight. ‘It’s okay.’

Myar resembled Kai almost identically, though a little bit smaller and a white dot on his forehead in place of a horn.

The firefoxes had risen to their feet and bunched together at the bottom of the steps. Kai’s father and mother ran up through the crowd and nuzzled their two sons.

“Y-You’re not mad at me?” Myar said, his voice subtle and calm, tears still dripped down from his eyes.

‘We’re just glad you’re back to normal.’ Replied Myko as she began to cry.

“I-I’m so s-sorry. I’m just s-so sorry.” Myar cried out.

The group of ponies gathered behind the firefoxes, watching with tears in their eyes at the return of Myar. Well, all except Twilight who was examining the horn that was pulled off of Myar’s head.

“Found something interesting, dear Twilight?” A dark voice asked.

The shock caused her to drop the horn and shriek at the same time. She looked behind her to see the large dark blue alicorn standing tall, looking back down on her.

“Princess L-Luna?”

Luna gave a smile to her fellow alicorn before looking towards Kai and his kin. “I am glad to see all has gone well for Kai and his kind.”

“Well, that remains to be seen, but I’m sure if anything comes up Kai will be more than capable of handling it.”

“Don’t be such a pessimist, otherwise you’ll be an exact replica of my sister.” Luna jested, a short giggle coming from the alicorn.

“A replica of Celestia!” Twilight shouted, a glittering light filled her eyes.

Luna rolled her eyes with a large grin. “And what shall we do with that?” She asked.

“Study it, destroy it, place it somewhere so that nobody can ever find it. Something like that, I’d imagine.” Twilight looked to Kai and his family. “So that nopony can ever be hurt again.”

The night had come strong for Ponyville. The wind had chilled the warm summer’s day, along with the heat that kicked up from the brother’s duel. The chill was a normal occurrence in the usually peaceful town.

“Twilight, come on! Everybody is already there! We’re going to be late!”

Spike opened the door to the night, the steps had yet to be fixed from the battle that raged that very morning.

“Go on ahead Spike. I’ve still got to grab my telescope.”

He rolled his eyes at Twilight and rushed out, closing the door behind him.

Spike ran up the hill, the same hill that the ponies had gathered on to watch the meteors fall. This night was different, no meteors to be found. Instead, a large group of furry orange aliens sat upon the hill, waiting to be sent to their new home.

“Go on, give it to her now.” Rarity said as she placed the wrapped present in front of Kai.

He nudged the box over to Princess Luna. Many of the younger firefoxes had been sitting around her, listening to her tales of the night and her experience on the moon.

“Don’t worry little ones, there is nothing- Oh! Kai!” She interrupted herself as she noticed the box he brought over. “Is… Is that for me?”

He nodded with a smile. Luna lifted the box up and pulled the wrapping off. She lifted the present out of the box and raised it up to the moonlight. It was a bow, just like the one she had given to him, except orange with little paw prints decorating the pattern.

“Oh, thank you Kai!” She said, giving him a kiss to the forehead in return. “I shall cherish it always.”

A big smile filled his face as it quickly turned red from embarrassment. The children cheering underneath Luna’s feet. Keeko wandered up with a raise of an eyebrow.

Kai turned to look at Keeko, still blushing profusely. “K-Keeko?”

“Humph!” A murmur she made as she flicked her tail in his face, then began to walk away.

“W-Wait!” He yelled as he chased after her. Luna and the cubs laughing as he scurried off.

“Aren’t those two just the cutest?” Rarity said to Fluttershy as they watched the interaction.

Fluttershy simply nodded, but the voice behind them replied. ‘No.’

The two ponies were startled by the firefox that stood menacingly behind them.

‘That Kai is a troublemaker. I swear, my daughter has lost her senses.’ Jericko said.

‘Aw, c’mon!’ Kai’s father replied as he placed a paw around Jericko’s back. ‘Don’t be like that! We’ll be in-laws soon!’

Jericko groaned as the two ponies giggled to each other.

Twilight had finally arrived, carrying a telescope with her magic. She began to set up in front of the firefoxes and ponies that sat on the hill, just as she had when they first met Kai.

“Yay! Twilight’s here! That means we will begin soon! Doesn’t that just make you want to explode with happiness!?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she squeezed an uncomfortable looking Myar.

“Uhm, yes, it does.” He replied in a muttered voice.

“Going to the moon is really exciting, you’re going to love it there! I’ve been there once though I don’t think it was canon, but I’ve got my own cannon so I can make everywhere a party! So I just know you’re going to love it as much as I love throwing parties! It’s so exciting!” Pinkie spewed the words out of her mouth so quickly that Myar could barely understand her meanings, but appreciated her enthusiasm.

“Pinkie, give the little guy a break. He’s already been traumatized enough.” Applejack added, shoving an apple into her mouth.

Twilight clapped her hooves together to get the attention of both firefoxes and ponies. “Alright everybody, if you would please settle down. We can begin if you are ready, Princess Luna.”

Luna gave her a nod and headed to the front of the firefoxes. She cast a spell that lit up a light blue beam that lead directly to the moon itself. “One at a time, please.”

One of the firefoxes stepped forward, the first to head to their new home. As it stepped into the blue light, they were lifted up slowly into the sky, and transported safely to the moon.

Twilight looked through the telescope to see the other end of the beam. She waited to see if the firefox had arrived. Upon its arrival, a small red flash lit up for a moment, detailing that it was safe for the others to step through.

“Okay, we’re good to go.” Twilight said with a smile. “Next!”

The ponies gathered around wishing their goodbyes to the firefoxes. They had gotten to know them fairly well in the short span of time, making it a teary goodbye for most. Rainbow and Artimas bowed graciously to one another, while Fluttershy cried immensely with Roshk. It was not forever that they were saying goodbye, but it felt as if it were.

The firefoxes stepped into the beam one by one until it was just Myar, Keeko and Kai remaining. Keeko hugged Kai before stepping into the beam and floating up into the sky, mouthing words to him in their native tongue. A nod and a smile was all he returned.

‘Alright Myar, I’ll be right behind you. Don’t worry.’ Kai placed his paw on Myar’s head.

“I know brother. I just wish I had more time to get to know these ponies like you did.” He replied in a saddened tone, his eyes faced the ground.

“Don’t not fear little one. I will make sure that we will visit you soon. You have my word.” Princess Luna said, her voice commanding his attention. “After all, you’re the only one that speaks our language.”

Tears filled his eyes as he looked up at the noble pony. He nodded with a smile before running into the beam and floating away.

‘One left.’ Kai said as he looked to his pony friends.

The eight gathered around him, giving him one last hug goodbye.

“Ahm gonna miss you partner, you take good care of your family.” Said Applejack.

“And don’t forget to write! Or forget to learn to write!” Added Pinkie Pie.

“Don’t go sleeping on any tables!” Spike teased.

As Kai walked over to the beam he turned back to face them.

‘I look forward to the next time we meet. Please, do not make us wait too long.’

The ponies sat there, some with tears in their eyes. Kai backed up into the beam and began to be lifted into the air.

“Goodbye Kai!” “We’ll miss you!” “We love you!” Came from the ponies as they watched him float up.

‘Goodbye my…’ He stopped himself from using the telepathy. Instead, he yelled as best he could.

“FAM-UH-LEE!”

After he vanished out of sight, the light beam disappeared. Twilight rushed to the telescope to see if they had made it safely. One final bright orange burst of light appeared on the moon. She looked back to the group and nodded.

They had one big group hug as Luna stared at them with a smile.

“Hey! You’re just as much a part of this!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she ran over and nuzzled against Luna, the others rushing to do the same.

Luna lowered her head to be closer to them before saying anything. “Family.”

“Family!” They all yelled out in unison.

Chapter 1: Showers Light

“Twilight, come on! Everyone is probably already there by now!”

Spike opened the door to the cold gentle breeze of the night air.

“Go on ahead Spike. I’ve still got to grab my telescope and bag.”

He rolled his eyes at Twilight and rushed out, closing the door behind him.

The night had chilled the warm summer day. A normal occurrence in the peaceful town of Ponyville, but today was special. Twilight had been studying the stars closely for the past few weeks. Through her studies she predicted a meteor shower that would light up the sky brighter than any firework show.

Rushing up the hill, Spike met with his friends whom had gotten comfy while waiting for the shower to begin. They sat on a blanket that was sprawled out across the grass, staring up at the sky patiently.

Well, all except for Rainbow Dash.

“Come on! Start already!” She said as she flipped impatiently in the air.

“Oh, come now darling. I’m sure it’ll start just as Twilight and Spike arrive. Just like all beautiful things, it knows to wait till all the eyes are on it before beginning.” Rarity explained as she brushed Fluttershy’s hair. The two sat together closely to keep each other warm, or perhaps that was just an excuse Rarity used in order to brush Fluttershy.

Spike jumped a few inches off the ground and onto the blanket. “I’m here!” He said with a chuckle.

Rainbow groaned. “FINALLY! Maybe now it’ll begin. Wait, where’s Twilight?” She said as she looked down the hill.

“She’s bringing her telescope.”

“I didn’t think we’d need a telescope to see meteors?” Applejack said before taking a bite out of a cupcake.

Spike sat down between Applejack and Pinkie. “That’s what I said! But apparently she wants a glimpse of the stars after the shower too.” He took one of the cupcakes and shoved half of it into his mouth.

A snarl came from Rainbow’s nose. “I cleared the sky like FIVE HOURS ago. If I knew it was going to take this long I could have been napping for five hours and just cleared them now!” She smooshed her cheeks into her eyes with her hooves.

“Oh, um, I… I think it’s starting.” Fluttershy pointed out.

A single meteor fell in and out of sight rather quickly in the far off distance.

“AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she landed and sat next to Rarity and Fluttershy.

A few more lights flew in and out of existence.

“Twilight is sure gonna be upset if she misses this.” Applejack said as the sky started to light up more.

“Not to worry, I’m here right on time!”

Sure enough, Twilight arrived just as the shower began to get heavy. Lights in the far off distance shined almost as bright as the dawning sun. Others were a bit closer, but were gone just as quickly as they arrived.

Pinkie Pie spat out some words as she continuously stuffed the cupcakes into her mouth. “Ifthh suuuu-“ She swallowed her mouthful. “-pretty!”

“Man! I want to be just as fast as them! They’re so quick!” Rainbow Dash said. Her eyes were wide and mouth agape, all from the thought of speed matching those fire space rocks.

“Their speed matches their beauty. And here I thought gemstones were the brightest rocks.” Rarity said.

“Actually, the meteoroids aren’t bright. They only become bright once they enter the atmosphere and start to burn up. That’s when the meteoroids become meteors.” Twilight replied with her usual nerdy attitude.

The shine of the meteors became more and more rapid as more entered the planets gravity.

The ponies and Spike stared up in awe at the massive influx of space debris.

“It appears that some may actually make it to the planet.” Observed Twilight. “Hopefully they remain meteoroid size.”

As if on cue, a large meteor began making its way to the planets ground. The flight path it was set on was for the Everfree Forest. It flew directly over the group of friends sitting on the hill.

“SOOOO COOL!” Rainbow Dash yelled as they watched it soar above head and land in the middle of the Everfree.

The crash sent out a shockwave that was felt by the ponies and perhaps everypony in Ponyville.

As if it was the last one, the meteor shower ended with a kaboom in the distance as the last meteor blipped out of sight.

“Oh dear, t-that was q-quite the loud noise. I hope th-the animals of the forest are okay.” Fluttershy trembled in fear as she hid behind Rarity.

Applejack rose to her feet. “Listen y’all. It may be chilly tonight, but this summer’s been dryer then last. As much as I’d prefer to not go into the Everfree Forest, we should probably make sure that them there meteor didn’t spread ah fire and burn the forest down.”

“Well, actually since it landed it’s a meteorite.” Twilight corrected Applejack.

In return, Applejack gave Twilight a stern look with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, um, right. Let’s go check it out, we may be the only few who saw where it landed. Let’s go ponies!”

Twilight took charge and started off down the hill with everyone following behind.

Fluttershy took a moment. “Go into t-the f-f-f-forest?” She said, shivering in fear.

“Come now darling, if there are animals hurt or in danger we’ll need you.” Rarity said as she trotted down the hill after the group.

A squeak could be heard from the yellow pony, followed with the stomping of hooves as she stood in place. Fluttershy psyched herself up for her duty to the animals as she quickly followed her friends into the dark forest.

The forest was as dark as coal in a cave, but a light still managed to shine through the trees as the ponies rushed towards it. Rainbow Dash flew high above the treetops to reach the site first. A fire roared bright in the distance as she closed the gap. She stopped at the edge of the freshly made crater. Tree’s had been knocked down and covered with the dirt that kicked up by the stone from the heavens.

“Holy moly!” Rainbow hovered in the air, slowly descending to the ground at the sight of the burning rock.

Luckily no trees had caught fire as the circle around the stone, along with the stone itself, were the only things still burning after its landing.

“This way everypony! There’s Rainbow!” Applejack yelled as she made her way out of the forest to Rainbow’s side.

Everyone else trotted out of the forest one at a time only to be struck with a powerful wave of heat emanating from the stone’s crater. Rainbow had already started to sweat from the temperature since she first arrived.

“Is it still a meteorite if it’s on fire while in the ground?” Rarity asked.

“Well, technically it’s landed on the planet so it’s no longer just a meteor.” Twilight replied, unsure of an answer or maybe a little dumbfounded by the pure awe of the flames.

A rustling from the bushes behind the ponies went unnoticed as they stared on.

“As interesting as your conversation may be, would you be inclined to lend some aide to me?” The rhyming pony shuffled out of the bushes carrying two buckets of water on a stick on her back.

“Zecora!” The group of friends shouted as they greeted her.

She placed the buckets down on the ground. “The fire must not spread, or surely the forest will be dead. If you pegasi would be so kind to fly above, the water could give the fire a little shove.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy nodded as they picked up the buckets with their teeth and flew above the meteorite.

“Only two buckets? Is there a lake near by Zecora?” Asked Applejack.

“These buckets should die the flame, this rocks damage has been very tame.”

The two pegasi poured the bucketed water in a spiral around the meteorite to cut off the flames from reaching out. As they began to pour the liquid onto the stone it let out a loud shriek that could be heard coming from inside the rock. Fluttershy dropped the bucket out of fear and covered her mouth.

The fire died down as a bright orange flame struggled its way out of the meteorites side.

“Ooooh! What’s that?” Pinkie asked, pointing her hoof to the flame that spread away from the rock itself.

The flame popped out of the meteorite and rolled along the ground before coming to a stop. Rainbow Dash flew over and poured water directly onto it. “You’re not getting away!”

It let out a loud screech yet again, this time causing Rainbow to drop her bucket and cover her ears. The bucket fell directly onto the flame. Except it wasn’t a flame at all. A bright orange creature about the size of a filly stood in the dirt with a bucket atop its head.

The other ponies stood in shock of this small strange creature, as it ran around in a circle trying to remove the bucket atop its head.

Chapter 2: Chilly Night

Rainbow Dash glided down above the frightened creature, flapping her wings gently, she quickly grabbed the bucket and lifted it up off its head. The bright orange furry creature stopped running once the object was removed. It shook its head quickly to shake off the remaining water that covered their fur. Rainbow stared down at the creature, noticing it looked very familiar.

The bright orange creature resembled a fox, but was larger than any fox the ponies had ever seen. A coat that looked as if it was on fire, a large bushy tail, and a blackened nose. Besides orange, black was the only other color on the fox. Strangely enough it wasn’t just his nose that was black, but two antenna stuck out from the top of its head right between the ears.

The fox opened its eyes and looked up at Rainbow Dash.

“Fhrlnmt plyrn brtwm sskwrm. Pryrl hrysmn?”

The fox spoke in a strange tongue. The words seemed jumbled and messy. Rainbow Dash was confused as she floated to the ground in front of the alien fox.

“Uhhhh… Hi?” She responded, unsure of what to say.

The fox looked at her with curious eyes. For a moment its face changed as if it solved a nagging puzzle.

‘EXCUSE ME? CAN YOU HEAR AND UNDERSTAND?’

Those words rung through the group of friend’s heads louder than anything they had heard in their life.

“OWWW!” A few of them yelled as they collapsed to the ground, covering their ears.

The fox looked behind itself at the others amongst the group. The looks of pain made it realize it needed to be a tad more delicate.

‘I am sorry! I did not mean to harm!’

Rainbow Dash shook her head before looking back at the fox. “H-How am I understanding you? What are you?”

The fox panted for a moment, then closed its mouth. ‘It seems that we do not share a common language, I can understand you, but you cannot understand me. Telepathy is the way I communicate to you the words you hear now, as speech in thought is universal to the brain.’

The rest of the ponies had wandered down to meet the fox as it explained the process.

“I have so many questions! Telepathy that preservers past the language barrier? Unicorn magic hasn’t even developed enough to perform telepathy more than a few syllables, let alone a new language. What are you? Where are you from?” Twilight asked.

The alien fox licked its paw and rubbed its head. ‘My name is Kai and I came from space. Although I’m certain that last part was obvious.’

Dumbfounded, the ponies looked at each other for some sort of guidance in what they should do next. Zecora stepped forward in the ponies hesitation, she asked one simple question. “Are there more like you inside the stone, or are you merely here all alone?”

The meteorite had died its flames, the cold nights wind began to breeze through the trees. The alien fox started to shiver before he could answer Zecora.

‘I would like to explain everything, if you would be so kind to help me. Firstly though, may we head somewhere with a bit more warmth?’

The ponies looked to Zecora, since her hut was the closest. Zecora smiled at Kai.

“Fine. I shall take you to the home of mine.”

The group of friends and Kai marched their way to Zecora’s hut. The darkness of the forest was dimmed greatly, as the strange furry creature seemed to emit a light from its body better than Twilight’s own magic.

The ponies were unsure what to say to him. Well, all of them except for Rainbow Dash.

“So did you live in the meteor? Are you immune to fire? Do meteors travel really fast?” The speed of her questions were possibly just as fast as that of a meteor.

“Rainbow please. We can discuss everything about him once we get to Zecora’s.” Rarity stated.

Rainbow groaned and crossed her arms.

Once they arrived at her home, Zecora lit her candles and the fire underneath the cauldron.

“I am sure you require heat, please come in and rest your feet.”

Kai laid down immediately next to the cauldron and curled his tail around himself. ‘Thank you for your help.’

The ponies sat against the wall across from Kai, as Spike helped Zecora light the remaining candles.

“Sooo… What should we ask first?” Pinkie Pie asked.

The fox yawned and opened his eyes. ‘I believe that was the first thing you asked, and therefore answered your own question.’

“Oops!” Pinkie laughed, followed with a snort.

‘Perhaps I should ask first. What are all of your names since you already know mine?’

“Well, I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.”

“Yeah yeah, greetings! That’s Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, and I’m Rainbow Dash! Now, how fast do you travel out in space? Do you ride meteors for fun? Have you ever-“ A quick jab to the stomach from Twilight cut Rainbow off.

“Please, Rainbow. Don’t be so brash. He can’t answer any of your questions if you say a million of them a second.” Rarity said in a huff.

Kai looked at the scene in confusion. The varyingly different personalities were almost too much for him to handle all at once.

“Oh, I’m Spike!” Spike said as he walked up to Kai and put his hand out to shake. “Pleased to meet you!”

Confused about Spikes greeting, he lifted his tail into Spikes hand and shook it. ‘As am I to meet you.’

Zecora stood in front of the ponies as if she was the referee in the questions to be asked to the new friend.

“I am the zebra herbalist named Zecora, and this is my home amongst the flora. I shall guide the questions that are meant to be asked, a self-appointed goal I have been tasked. We shall answer yours to the best of our ability, but I must ask we all maintain an air of civility.” With that last line she gave a short glare to Rainbow.

Rainbow rolled back, pressing her spine against the wall and folder her arms in front of her. She knew none of her questions were going to be answered.

“Did you come to our planet on purpose, or have you come to usurp us?”

Kai yawned at the same time he answered. ‘It was by accident and on purpose. You see, my brother destroyed our home. My kind lived on a rock that floated through space. The piece I landed in on is only a small fragment of what it was.’

“Hmm. So they must have lived on a meteorite?” Applejack asked the crowd.

Twilight shook her head. “No, a meteorite is what lands on the planet. A meteoroid is what is up in space.” Applejack rolled her eyes at Twilight who continued without noticing. “Although I’m sure if the rock he landed in on is only a small fragment, he probably lived on something bigger like an asteroid.”

“Wait, how can you live in space?” Pinkie chimed in.

“Indeed it does seem odd that you came from space, due to the lack of air and its cold embrace.”

‘My people, we are the…’ Kai paused for a moment.

“Cnthlk.” He said in his normal tongue.

Everyone showed a look of confusion, except perhaps Spike who had fallen asleep next to Kai.

‘I am unsure how to telepathically speak our name. I am also unsure it would even sound the same in thought.’

He continued with his story. ‘We are able to live out in space without need of anything you ponies seem to need. We do not eat. We emit a fire inside of us that keeps us radiated in the cold of space.’

“Ohhh oh! Is that why you glow in the dark?” Pinkie once again chimed in.

‘The glowing is actually new. I am unsure why. I do not usually glow, but on your world I do.’

“Umm, excuse me Mr. Kai, why do you look like foxes with little antenna?” Fluttershy asked.

‘I do not know what a fox is.’

“Perhaps that shall be your races name, your language and ours can be the same. A fox like creature that is set aflame, firefox shall be your kinds nickname.”

Pinkie let out a snort and a laugh. “I wonder if he gets fur extensions, and needs to be updated!”

“Pinkie couldya stop bein’ weird for a second, this here is serious.” Applejack replied.

‘I do indeed like the name, thank you for your wisdom Zecora.’

Zecora bowed. “It makes sense as to how you’ve survived, but why did you need heat when we first arrived?”

‘Wah-tur? I believe that is what you called it. I have never felt something so awful. We do not have it where I come from. Pouring it on me was pure torture, but I do not hold any resentment. I understand you mistook my form.’

“Okay, so we understand that your species survives fine in space. But why are you here?” Twilight asked.

Kai closed his eyes and laid his head down on his fluffy tail.

‘As I said, my brother destroyed our home. A great, dark, evil, horrible power… it corrupted him. I fear he may have also followed me here.’

The ponies looked at each other in shock, unsure of what to say.

‘Let me start from the very beginning.’