Starlight Solace

by Sky Blue CMC

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Alternate Universe, Romance, Mystery, Tragedy, Adventure
Length: 7366

A sequel that continues the Aurora Heroes' First Epic Quest, AND starts their second one: Forming the Heart of Love... with forgotten lore! STOP READING ME!!!!

A sequel that continues the Aurora Heroes' First Epic Quest, AND starts their second one: Forming the Heart of Love… with forgotten lore! STOP READING ME!!!! Or not, your loss… of SOLACE!!!! It shows how the adventure continues without making the readers wonder anything… except who this "Overseer" is, that is! As they say… THE SEARCH CONTINUES!!!!

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-17 06:33:40 UTC

Recap Chapter: Previously on Starbourne...

Sky Blue, in a raging thunderstorm of chaos, while trying to fly gracefully through it, failed miserably. As a result, she was struck in the left wing by a humungous bolt of lightning, which could not have been made from the electricity of the raindrops. She fell from the skies of her hometown of Cloudsdale and into a small daisy patch, which shouldn't have broken her fall.

What actually broke Sky's fall was her belief in spirits, which caused one of them to save her life. After Lucilia the Aurora Spirit Pegasus came to Sky in a strange dream, she, for the rest of it, warned Sky about great danger, as well as told her to find some new friends and form a quest party of five heroes. She was able to do this, the other four heroes being each of a different species. The five of them, altogether, were Sky Blue the Pegasus Filly, Reznor the Earth Pony Colt, Zillie the Zebra filly, Lucian Flash the Unicorn Colt, and... Geno the Gryphon Doll that could turn into any real OR doll creature at will.

During the meetings of each of these new friends, Sky learned something very important about her quest: Things like friendship lessons, intuition building, and verbal communication. Examples include as follows,  in the next few paragraphs.

When Sky first met Reznor, he told her she looked like she fell from the Celestial Plane, which she thought was a flirty move. It was actually just a comment on her injuries, the concept of which he had to explain to her.

When she first met Zillie, Sky was introduced to the young zebra by her then newest friend Reznor. The three of them had all had similar dreams that same night, and so they determined what they should do as resting again before searching for the other two heroes.

When Sky first met Lucian, the at that time four heroes, including the newly determined Unicorn Hero, all shared a conversation about the gravity and importance of their epic quest. Said conversation ended with some farewells, including a heartfelt but rudely ignored goodbye from Aurora Flash to her young and heroic Unicorn brother.

Geno, oddly enough, despite being a doll, was having a dream about that very same quest, just to ensure that he, and not his REAL Gryphon brother Gaz, could go on the adventure. Gaz was too afraid anyway, so... it all worked out perfectly... except that they were supposed to find SIX Aurora Hearts and they only found TWO of them!

Aaannd... that's it! The rest is History! Oh, wait! No it's not! It's the FUTURE!!!! Can Sky Blue and friends find the remaining three Hearts of Aurora, form the missing link between those five and the sixth, and save the universe? Or will the Overseer and Shadestar succeed in their plan to destroy the universe and create an evil one to replace it? Will Aurora Flash disguise as Enigma Flare again? Will you ever get tired of reading these questions?

Chapter X: A Heart of Fantasies, by Jaydove, of the Starlight Society!!!!

My Final Story

by Jaydove

Let Me Tell My Fi-nal Sto-ry,

Of The Heart of Fanta-sies, (Du-bi-ly)

Fal-len King-doms, Fa-ded Glo-ry,

As I tell You, Lis-ten Please! (To Be Me)

It Begins with Starlight Sorrow,

And I know that you'll a-MAZE (me with delight)

Me if You're still here Tomorrow,

For My Tale Goes On For Days (As I Write)

Once Upon a Starbourne Gala

Stella, Born By Blue... RAVINE!!!! (for all of you)

I had Fallen for the Faller

By the Name of Eveline (Delebleux!)

I Conclude My Final Story

A l'Amour del Adventine (for all I knew)

And I Thus Reclaimed My Glory

For the Love of Eveline! De...le...bleux.

The story continues with the end of that FIRST quest of our five little heroes... Sky Cloud Blue the Pegasus Filly... Reznor the Earth Pony Colt... Zillie the Zebra Filly... Lucian Flash the Unicorn Mage... aaaand... Geno the Gryphon Doll!

I am in the Forest Everfree,

Playing my favourite RPG,

While I can be awesome as just Mario,

There is a Sky Blue guy who's called Geno!

I am just a filly (please help me)

(do doodle do) Shadestar is scary

In the place he calls home, you may find Discord

Who has his own place 'cause he's a Dark Lord!

Et cetera.

The Starlight Society is much better, now that Twilight finally talked some sense into Starlight and reformed her, than it was with Starly's normal, evil, Devlynsky-styled Harmonia: Aequalitas Pacis! (The Equality of Peace) The Harmonia Nova (New Harmony) is all in the Pax Amoris (Peace of Love) and Harmony and Purity are finally both unbroken... apart from their own missing pieces, that is... The STAR Pieces!!!! (Excited Exclamation of Star Pieces!) Does that make Sense? No. It doesn't. It doesn't even RHYME!!!!

What DOES make sense, my friends, is YOU!!!! I love you ALL, every single reader of this story... You've ALL completed epic quests of Thy Own about which Thou Shalt Write... For Thy Entire LIVES!!!! "Free thyself from thy soul, and thou shalt find solace!" ...is what the Fei would have made Lucian say if he joined them.

Cheeapter XI: The Eleventh Cheeapter!!!!

Geno, shortly after remembering what he was doing in Equestria instead of Star Haven, turned back from a Black Gryph0n doll into a Baasik Star Form, the Cerulean Swirl's favourite Ice Cream Cone of Chaos: BRAINSTORMS!!! OF CHAOS!!!!!!! With DISCORD!!! or... NOT! (Whatever, he thought... as long as he had ANY form, even a CHAOTIC one, he was "real" and no mere "doll" character who broke the fourth wall!) I love you all he thought, or... (moreso) believed. What Geno DIDN'T know was that he could NEVER be real without Bravery, his own Element of Purity!

Looking into his eyes were Sky Blue's, the eyes of Geno's first... "real" Friend, no mere "phriend" like GAZ, the Alphabetical Order Gryphon! He was psyched! Stoked! SHOCKED, even! That's when he felt twelve sparks at once: eleven electrical Luminaries and one chemical reaction: the feeling of... (for lack of a better word...) his FIRST LOVE!!!!

It was then that he remembered why Sky Blue was important to him: Their Elemental Connection! Sky's Element was Joy, counterpart of Fear, just like Bravery! Geno felt like, if his FIRST love made him fell TWELVE sparks... (and only see eleven of them...) then there must be THIRTEEN MORE LUMINARIES!!!! That's... 12 Luminaries for each... Heart of Fantasies! Or... TWENTY FOUR!!!! Remembering "all is number" from his spirit guide, Gloria, he thus determined that everything, including Love, has Twelve Luminaries: The Twelve Light Fairies Who Always Dance!

He knew emotional maths were spiritual, and thus... hard to calculate... without... changes... making TWELVE OF THOSE FOR ELEVEN NIGHTS!!!! (132-ish to 143-ish) Lights. Of. LOVE!!!! (LOL? No. LoL is better... for Complexity AND Simplicity.) He also knew that he could only truly count his OWN feelings, and hope the others did the same... to end their impossibly long and epic quest for LOVE!!!!

As such... there are many goals that Geno has, none of which are to return to GAZ! There he must explain why he isn't a DOLL!!!! AND do it WITHOUT BREAKING the FOURTH WALL!!!! Exiting the Dreamscape is very simple, all you do is follow these passwords, Welcome to the Dreamscape, tonight I need you ALL to obey my Ev'ry Order ONE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(♥♪!?)!!!!! (GENO is ♥♪!? NOW! Follow ♥♪!? I'm a GAMING GOD!!!!)

"O spells of light and love unite!" Lucian cast a spell to make the Aurora Hearts easier to find, simply by leading himself and his friends to those very Hearts!

"Geno FLASH!" Geno exclaimed, inventing the combination spell! The "Lights of Love" Spell, which was just now invented, will lead the five heroes to the third Aurora Heart. The colour of this Heart is blue, just like the colour of the point on the Celestial Compass!

Chapter XII: The Lights of Love

Lovestruck needs YOU! ALL of you! To... BREAK THE FOURTH WALL AND GIVE HER SOME LOVE!!!!! Aaaaa...nd so does Sky Blue CMC. She needs YOU too! Yes, YOU!!!! All you fans MUST, if you love me, and you SHOULD! ...help me! I need OCs for ALL characters in Cheeapters 11 to 13, so... GIVE ME PERMISSION!!!! Please? For me? For US? Will you allow me to use your CHARACTERS in my STORY to help ME make Lovestruck's a TRUE story? This, among a few more things, is ALL I ASK OF YOU!!!! (Remember that surprise I promised you? No? It's this! Were you surprised?) Comment BELOW, right NOW, or Geno will turn BACK into a DOLL!!!!

Here's WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!!!! (Do it, please?) Write a few Lovesongs, which can be the life support Geno Boost Spells for Geno AND Lovestruck, the injured dreamer he saved LAST BEFORE he saved Sky Blue! I will put them in the story, STARTING with one of mine own. (I'm Jaydove)

Beloved Boulevard

by Jaydove

You see the

Sky's a-falling

Night-time's a-calling

For the end of Destiny

And the

Stars are burning

Bright red and turning

Golden with Lucidity

(chorus)

And I can tell

It must have been hard

For you when you fell

From Beloved Boulevard

And I believe

That up in the Sky

There's one to conceive

Of a way that we can be

Nearby

Oh, Me, Oh, MY!

(end chorus)

You see that

Light's cascading

As dreams are fading

From the starless Midnight Sky

And the

Solar flares are

Where no-one cares for

Anything that has to die

{Chorus}

And now our

Times are ending

As we're befriending

On another for our lives

And the

End is near to

Us and I hear you

Say Fortuna still survives

{Chorus~fade out on last couple of lines}

That was a song about my love of the stars, as well as my dream to one day create my own star: My Heart of Fantasies must be found before the End of Fate and Destiny! Anyone never heard of such a Heart? Then read on, my little Bronies and Pegasisters!

Here's another love song of mine! You may have heard it before, but... here it is anyway! It's called "Heart in the Clouds" and it goes like... this:

Heart in the clouds, by Jaydove

{Chorus}

(Ohh woah oh oh)

My Belle, are you even there to hear?

(Ohh woah oh oh)

I fell, and there's nothing left, I fear

(Where did I go?)

Through Hell, and then right out of the blue

(How would I know?)

To spell it out, this is all I knew:

I've got my heart in the clouds for you!

I've been a lost soul

Travelling the Star Road

Searching for the Pieces but they couldn't be found

Till I saw a light there

Clearing up my nightmare

I looked to the moon but it wasn't around

[Chorus]

I fell asleep then

In a state of deep zen

Shining like a star 'cause nowhere else has greater crowds

The sun shines to new days

Breaking dawn in two ways

But I'll stay at rest 'cause I've got my heart in the clouds

[Chorus]

You dear are too kind

Might I ask "are you blind?"

'Cause if you could see you'd know that I'm reaching out

If I must explain more

I might go insane for

You till you know that you're all I can think about

[Chorus]

(I've got my heart in the clouds for you!)

Here's some space for you when you feel like writing something! (Actually, I'll do this by accepting some Google Docs (as many as you have to offer) from you, then approving them, and then writing them here)

Chapter XIII: THE DARK STAR AWAKENS!!!! (End of First Adventure)

Meanwhile, The Overseer was talking to Shadestar about their shared mission of darkness. The Overseer said "This is UNACCEPTABLE, Shadestar!"

"What is, my lord?" Shadestar asked the Overseer, not believing his own ears. "That the six heroes still live, or that the Shadow Heart was rendered powerless AGAIN?!"

"BOTH!!!!" The Overseer exclaimed with pure rage. "Honestly, Shadestar..." he began in an artificially solemn voice... "why do I even believe in you?"

"Because of the Dark Star?" Shadestar answered, in an interrogative (question-asking) voice of his own, which also sounded fearful. The very term "Dark Star" to name the "first" black hole in the universe was, at best... a decent name. It described the object perfectly, since it was LITERALLY a "Dark Star" anyway! "I am the one who wrote the spell that awakens it, but... it'll take some time."

"Time?" A voice called, sounding as shadowy as the voices of Shadestar and the Overseer. "I can arrange that for you. All I ask is one thing in return."

"Name it, and it shall be yours." Shadestar said to a cloud of black mist, knowing it to be a disguise. "You are a member of the Shadow Clan, after all."

"Who exactly is this... mist cloud, Shadestar?" The Overseer asked. "Is it this half-brother of yours you told me about?"

"Indubitably, my lord." Shadestar answered his master. "His name is Sabien, and... we're both sons of King Sombra. He's a mist cloud right now because he hasn't yet become fully accustomed to the Xenotoxic air of the Chaos Dimension, and so he is avoiding the need to breathe it until he can fully adjust. He has some useful abilities, and... reasonable demands. Speaking of which," He turned to the mist cloud that was Sabien. "What do you want this time, brother of mine?"

"Nothing unreasonable, I can assure you... and your master." Sabien replied. "Just... a planet on which to build my own army. It can even be a benefit to you two, if my army has some... determination to defeat your... enemies."

"Done." The Overseer replied. "Just... promise me that your... army knows full well who these... enemies are, and you shall have full rights and control over it. Your planet will be... Umbraria, your lost homeworld. I can't tell you how I found it, but I can tell you this... DON'T... give me ANY... reason to distrust you. My trust in you is thin ice, and even a single step to the wrong side could break it! Understood?"

"Verily, my lord." Sabien responded. "I will do as I'm told."

"Good." The Overseer replied. "Now, Shadestar," He turned to the Umbrarian shadow unicorn. "...is there anything we can do to pass the time for our next plan?"

"Anything." Shadestar replied. "Let us sing a song about the upcoming battle!"

"Yes..." The Overseer agreed. "A song that will be remembered for aeons to come as the source of auditory fear and terror! And... a song that will give us the patience to wait for that ever-so-nearing battle."

The two shadowy figures, from the unicorn and human, were beginning to sing one of their favourite songs, Jaydove's "The Dark Star Awakens" just to pass the sleepy time of the Dark Star.

Now...

The Darkness shall rise

And soon it shall consume

The Light for demise

Is one more way to doom

The Dark Star Awakens

And soon will destroy the Universe

And there's no way to rehearse

Except your preparations for the fight!

Jaydove's right! We must UNITE! So... JOIN THE FIGHT!!!!

Prologue II: Scaring Blue and the Quest for the Sapphire Star

The Overseer and Shadestar had finally awoken the Dark Star, but... without the Shadow Heart combined with it, that star had no dark magic! This was good news for the Blues. Those three sisters, even though they're all apart from one another, are perfectly safe... for now! The only Blue family member who even knew about how evil the evil powers of darkness were was Sky Blue, the middle child. Her two sisters were completely in the dark, but... Lucian Flash lit up the area they were in with his horn.

"I love you." Geno said to Sky, finally being able to see her.

"I know." Sky replied in a voice that made it clear to all three of her hero friends who were awake that she loved them all, but none more than herself. She then turned to Lucian. "Thanks for the light, Luce!"

"Finally," Lucian began to respond, "thou callest me by a name of which we approve!"

"Will you give it a rest, you two?" Reznor replied. "I mean, you three? Zillie's trying to sleep!"

It was true. The four of them, Sky last, saw the young zebra filly resting in a daisy patch. And not just any: This was the same daisy patch into which Sky fell before the quest started! (Only Sky and Rez knew this, but... if she were awake, Zillie would have noticed.) "We will try to read her dreams!" Lucian decreed.

"NOT SO LOUD!!!!" Sky, Rez, and Geno exclaimed at the top of their lungs. (Well Geno, as a doll, didn't have lungs, but... you get the idea) They didn't even notice their own hypocrisy, which was something they wouldn't have noticed even in broad daylight.

"Wait a minute..." Sky said, as if preparing to ask Lucian a question. "What do you mean... 'read' her dreams? Do you mean like... a Dreamwalker? A pony who can-"

"Yea, verily, Miss Blue." Lucian said to Sky, interrupting her. "A Dreamwalker is a creature who can enter another creature's dreams. We have learned from our sister Aurora, who hath learned from her mentor, Princess Luna... who needs our help protecting the Dreamscape! We will need thy company, Sky. As well as that of our entire quest party. Thou shalt live through this endeavour, friends of ours, for if thou diest in the Dreamscape, thou wakest up in reality!"

"But..." Sky interjected, "how do we come with you? Is your magic powerful enough for all four of us to be Dreamwalkers?"

"Yea, Madamoiselle Bleu!" Lucian exclaimed, somehow miraculously not waking Zillie. "Allons-y!"

"That's what I was gonna say!" Sky exclaimed, also not waking Zillie. "Well... let's get this show on the road!"

"That's MY catchphrase!" Geno exclaimed. "Whatever." He turned to Sky, who had a worried look on her face. "May the stars forever light our path!"

That's not very reassuring. Sky thought. When will I see my Flamie again? I need to tell him I love him before it's too late! Sky thought to herself. She knew for a fact that dreaming made her, as well as all other creatures, much more powerful. Maybe I can make my own dream images appear in somepony else's dreams, like the Megadream? She remembered being invisible in that dream, which was more than a few weeks ago. I definitely hope so... For all our sakes!

"Somniambuli!" Lucian exclaimed, for that was the Dreamwalking spell. The five of them, including Zillie, the sleeping zebra filly, all flashed with a golden flame coloured aura. Then, all of them except Zillie found themselves on top of a starlit path: The path from Reality to the Dreamscape!

After all four of them were on that path, Lucian told them all "Leap of Faaaaaiiith!" and they did. They (including Lucian, of course) jumped off the stars and into an unfamiliar area. That area was where Zillie went every single time she dreamed. But now, for the first time ever, she had Dreamwalkers entering her dream to protect her! Could the five of them, finally all united, find the missing Hearts of Aurora and defeat Shadestar and this wicked Overseer? Or would those two destroy the universe according to their shared evil plan?

Chapter I: Storming Canterlot Fortress

"I remember this!" Reznor exclaimed. "I was in Dubilee's class for two years in Canterlot studying it! It's the Royal Willow Grove! Why would a zebra dream about this place?"

"Maybe we should ask... her!" Sky exclaimed in horror as she saw her zebra friend Zillie getting attacked by a Derpollolous Squid Overlord, the biggest and deadliest of all squid related creatures. "She would know exactly why she dreams of a place like this!"

"But first, Sky," Geno began, seeing the giant squid as a giant threat. "We must defeat that! And... by we, I mean you!"

"Yea, verily!" Lucian agreed. "Thou must go, Sister Sky, and fight our foes with everything it takes!"

"But... why me?" Sky asked. She then turned to the unicorn she used to call Lucy Anne. "Lucian, you have your magical prowess, Reznor has his knowledge of this place, Geno has his shapeshifting capabilities, and... what do I have that you don't?"

Geno looked down from the sky he was looking at and into Sky's light blue eyes. "What you have, Miss Blue, is magic. Not that that's unexpected, of course! We all have magic! But... our magic is strengthened by our spirit guides, who don't know where we are without our dreams... except yours. Lucilia knows more than the other four Aurora Spirits who aren't Luna. And... Luna can't help us right now, since she's busy keeping the Shadow Heart powerless. Also... Zel can help you too, since it's her job anyway to protect Zillie's dreams from hurting her. That means you have-"

"Two guides helping me this time, I know!" Sky exclaimed. "And..." Should I tell Geno that I love him? Sky wondered. No, he might get the wrong idea. I only love him as a friend! The one I wish could be my coltfriend is Flaming Thunder! He's... beyond amazing!

"And what?" Geno asked, interrupting Sky's train of thought. "You know and what?"

"And..." Sky had to do some quick thinking here! "I believe I have enough strength to defeat the Derpollolous Squid Overlord!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Reznor asked Sky. "What kind of name is that  for a squid? I would have said "Tentaculus rex" or something!"

"Just hurryeth up and slayeth the beast!" Lucian exclaimed.

"Alright, alright!" Sky exclaimed as she dashed to Zillie's side, bit one of the tentacles, realised it tasted horrible, spat it out, and looked a few degrees of a slight angle upwards to see that there was no squid. It was as if nothing more than Sky's teeth made the entire beast just... plumb disappear!

Zillie, now finally conscious in the Dreamscape, looked up to see Sky looking up into thin air. "Sky, you crazy little kid!" She exclaimed. "How could you possibly kill that squid? It had so much epic power, it should have made you flee and cower!"

Huh? Sky thought. This is making it seem like Zillie is... evil! Like... she... LIKED the squid! She then thought some more If Zillie's evil... that means... this is actually SHADESTAR'S DREAM!

Almost as soon as she realised that, Sky saw a flash, like that of the Crystal Heart. Then, when the light came... she felt a... tingling sensation on her flank again! This time, she looked, expecting to see a Cutie Mark, when... she didn't. It was just light. Maybe a Cutie Mark would appear next time she felt that same sensation?

"Well, well, well!" A strange voice, like that of a cloud of myst, out of nowhere exclaimed. "What have we here?" The source of the voice then came into existence right in front of Sky, a Shadow Pony with a red aura of flashing dark magic surrounding him. "Who is it who stands up to me, Shadestar, the Prince of Darkness!?"

Sky remembered something. This isn't the real Shadestar. She thought. This version of him is just a nightmare creature... in his own dream... about Zillie being evil... and possibly other bad things! She then remembered what her father, Navy Blue, told her. Never cruel or cowardly. Sky thought. Never give up. Never give in. She then knew exactly what to say to this Shadestar character. "I am Sky Cloud Blue, and I have an item of significant importance for you! A source of power for the Shadow Heart!"

All four of Sky's quest party friends, including Zillie, were grazed and confused by this statement from her. What could she be planning? They all thought, almost at the same exact time.

"B-but..." Shadestar said, not knowing what to say. "Why would you my own enemy help me?"

"Trust me." Sky said. "I have friends. Friends who could be your friends if you just listen!"

"What kind of 'source of power' is this item?" Shadestar asked. "And why are you offering to help me obtain it?"

"It is one of the seven Crystal Stars: The Sapphire Star. My father hid it in Canterlot Fortress, right next to the castle, and told me of its location. As for the reason... just... trust me. I myself don't even know!"

"Fine." Shadestar replied. "I trust you! Now can you lead me to this 'Sapphire Star' and give it to me? Or do I have to do it myself?"

"I wouldn't do it myself if I were you." Sky responded, not sure what would happen if she left Shadestar alone with her friends. "Let us all six go and get the star. Then, once we have it, you can use its magic however you please!"

Geno, knowing about many star related objects, knew exactly what Sky was planning. But he kept that to himself. I think Sky should be the one to reveal this plan, if anyone. Instead of revealing, he just agreed. "Let's get this show on the road!" He exclaimed.

Lucian was a bit more reluctant. "Thou shadowy beast!" He exclaimed. "Thou must release mine friend Zillie, the zebra, from thy evil clutches!"

"Very well..." Shadestar replied, also reluctantly, "Umbriel!" He exclaimed, thus uncasting his spell on Zillie. "You five are all free of my darkness... for now!"

"What about me?" Reznor asked. "Can I just... stay here?"

"Absolutely not!" Sky exclaimed. "It is important for you to be there because..." She paused for a moment to have a dramatic effect. "Earth Ponies have great knowledge when it comes to buildings! And, having been in Canterlot before, the dream version should be even easier for you to navigate us through! Also... I believe you'll find some kind of treasure other than the Crystal Star if you just follow my instructions!"

"OK." Reznor replied. "I'll go."

"Then it's decided!" Sky exclaimed. "Shadestar, I need you to warp us into the fortress! We'll enter the way nopony expects us to: through the front door!"

"Just to be clear, I'm ONLY doing this for that Sapphire Star!" Shadestar exclaimed. "So don't get all cuddly with me, heroes!"

"Just cast the dang spell!" Sky exclaimed.

"Teleportus!" Shadestar exclaimed.

Really? Sky thought. That's the teleport spell? Teleportus? That sounds like somepony from Starswirl's time who wasn't him invented that one! It didn't matter. As long as it worked, it didn't matter which words were in it.

The five heroes, along with their... enemy, perhaps? Anyway, the six of them all went into the main courtyard of the Canterlot Fortress. Sky's friends were unaware as for why or how Sky could trust Shadestar, of all ponies... But... it was unimportant. The reason didn't matter, because trusting Shadestar was how Sky was able to gain Shadestar's trust. The four other heroes couldn't disagree more with Sky as for what she could do with her enemy's trust, but... they believed her when she told them there was nothing to worry about.

"Do you see this?" Sky asked Reznor, who was the only one looking away from the doorway. "It's an ancient puzzle lock!" Sky exclaimed. "I believe you might know the combination, Rez!"

Reznor didn't know the combination of that lock. He turned around, only to see three stone panels, all with the same symbol: A pentagram, or five-pointed star. Then, out of thin air, as if by magic, a scroll appeared. It had an inscription in Ferian, one of the languages that existed before Equestria, and it appeared in the air above Reznor, so he handed it to Lucian.

"Salu thral dulgen yino whirl stellari vina...!" Lucian read aloud. That was merely a third of the scroll, but luckily it was a very short one. The rest went like this, which Lucian also read aloud. "...Sala dinki du yino bim lunari damu..." Each third of the scroll must have some connection with one part of the puzzle lock's combination. Lucian thought. "...Salei delta gamma yino fei terrano sin!" Lucian exclaimed.

"I know what that means!" Geno exclaimed. "It translates into a lot more than just twenty-one words, though! It goes like this..." He begun to speak in a rhythmic voice. "Be strong, ye who enter this dungeon! Geno Whirl is the key to the door with the star-shaped lock. Be brave, anyone who abandons fear! Geno Beam is the key to the Chest of Magical Sacrifice, which is needed by Our Lady! Be free, those who change their own magic! Geno Flash is the spell to be cast on the ground when the dark times come at last unbound!"

"It said all that?" Sky asked. "How could a message like that have any connection with us and our dreams? Why are THREE of Geno's spells mentioned in that message?"

"We are unsure as well, Sister Sky!" Lucian reassured Sky. "But we believe it hath something to do with those three panels and the combination of them. The Ferian language, the one on that scroll I read aloud, be very ancient and very difficult to translate. We are surprised Geno was able to do so, as we ourselves could not!"

"Reznor, could you determine the solution to the puzzle?" Sky asked Reznor. "You've studied more than any of us about Canterlot, and..."

"Fine..." Reznor replied. "If it will make you happy, I'll do it for you... my friends!" Just then, without even a moment's notice, Reznor's flank glowed with a mysterious light, and, just as mysteriously as it appeared, the light disappeared without so much as leaving a mark... of any kind. "What was the point of that?" Reznor asked.

"I don't know," Sky replied, "but I've felt it twice, not once! Twice it happened to me, and twice it left without giving me a cutie mark!"

"Cutie, schmootie!" Reznor exclaimed. "I'm doing this for a different kind of mark! The Mark of Lucidity! The highest mark on the test of Dreamwalking!"

"That doesn't sound like you!" Sky exclaimed. "But if it is, I believe you. I know about that mark, and that was for succeeding... but once. When I was a filly, my father told me that half-unicorns have unicorn magic within them, even if they don't have horns!"

"I'm not sure where you get your facts, Sky," Reznor replied. "but I believe you too. Magic has a funny way of entering strange areas and taking us with it." With that, Reznor had nothing better to do than solve the lock puzzle. Or rather, have Geno help him do it. "Geno!"

"Yes, Rez?" Geno asked. "Do you know how to solve the puzzle? And why my name's mentioned in its riddle?"

"Yes, Geno." Reznor responded. "It has your name on it because you need to cast certain spells after I turn the dials." Reznor turned the dials as the clues instructed him: Star on the left, so no motion. Heart in the middle, so four turns up. Skull on the right, so two turns down. He then told Geno the key targets, at which the gryphon doll fired: Whirl at the left, Beam at the middle, and Flash at all three of them. Then the door opened.

"Salu! Sala! Salei!" Zillie exclaimed. "We found the light of day! Our darkest fears, of which none hears, have nothing left to say!"

"What's gotten into you, Zillie?" Sky asked. "You sound like a preacher!"

"Salu! Sala! Salei!" Zillie exclaimed again. "The darkness flew away! There's now a light, that's everbright, and nothing of the Fei!"

Nothing? Sky thought. The Fei are the Dream Stealers who turn our dreams into nightmares! I think I'd know when they left! It was then that Sky noticed that Shadestar was gone, everything felt more real, and... cold. It was winter, so that made sense. Sky was back in reality, not dreaming, but... somehow still in Canterlot. "Why are we here?" She asked.

"Because we dreamed we were here," Geno explained, "so much that we made it real without realising it." He was holding something. It was his Heart: the Heart of Bravery. "Look to your left." He told Sky Blue.

"What's to my..." Sky asked as she looked to her left. She then found the blue Aurora Heart right in front of her eyes, if not for a meter. "Is that one mine?"

"Thou tellest me!" Lucian exclaimed. "We all tried to touch it, save for thee, and we all, save for thee, got pushed back by it! We have our Heart: the Heart of Clarity, with us, and thou hast thine, so..."

Before Lucian could speak another word, Sky grabbed her Heart of Aurora. "Which Element of Purity do it and I represent?"

"Joy." Geno answered. "I knew from the moment I first saved your life that I was dreaming, and that's how I knew you were one of the heroes. Everypony else in that dream was... evil or something. That's why I saved you. I needed to know all the Heroes of Aurora were safe. I didn't even know I was one of them until I dreamed of the gryphon who created me: Gaz. He was lonely, and needed a friend, so he made me: Geno the Gryphon, his brother. Dreaming of him allowed me to remember my purpose, and then... serve it. I knew then that I was an Aurora Hero, and that my Element was Bravery... so I dreamed of dying a thousand and one times, each in a different dream, just to find a hero who needed saving! And that's how I know you're the Element of Joy, Miss Blue!"

"Wow." Sky replied in awe. "That was deep!"

"Not as deep as this pit we're falling into!" Reznor exclaimed in worry.

"What pit?" Sky asked as she looked down. "Oh. That pit!" She tried to facehoof, but missed her face. She then remembered she had wings, and flapped them. "You can flap too y'know!" Sky exclaimed to Geno, remembering he was a gryphon.

Geno flapped his wings and cast one of his signature spells: Geno Boost. He cast it on himself and all four of his hero friends, so as to give them all more power. "Geno Boost!" He exclaimed.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Lucian exclaimed, levitating himself and his four hero friends out of the pit and on the other side of it. "Illuminaria!" He exclaimed, lighting up the area. He then remembered that he didn't need to, as it was already twelve noon.

Sky, finally realising how easy it was to carry her Aurora Heart, wondered why she even thought the Heart would be heavy. "Let's review, everyone! Who here has an Aurora Heart? Say 'Aye!' if you do!"

"Aye!" Lucian exclaimed.

"Aye!" Geno exclaimed.

"Aye!" Sky exclaimed. "I believe that's all of us! The other two, Reznor and Zillie, don't have theirs! Do you?"

"Neigh!" Reznor exclaimed.

"Neigh!" Zillie exclaimed. "I say!"

Of course. Sky thought. She always rhymes! At all times! Sky, realising that the five of them were all on safe ground, looked around. The five of them weren't in Canterlot anymore, despite being there a few seconds ago. They were in Appleloosa, right next to The Salt Block. Why did we come here? Was this Geno's doing? Or Lucian's?

Chapter II: The Mystery of Buffalo Ruins

Sky Blue, after looking around, confirmed that she was dreaming. But... She thought, Who's dreaming about this happening? She looked around again and saw the same landscape as before: An old-timey-western-fort-type deal, which meant that her surroundings were real. She didn't have to know. She really didn't have to know if Shadestar were dreaming or this were real... at all. Or did she? No, she didn't.

"Sky, what be wrong?" Lucian asked Sky, who had a drop of starlight in her right eye. "Dost thou hath a trouble about which thou shalt speaketh?"

How did he know? Sky wondered. How could he not? My signs are too *obvious** for anypony to miss! Of course Lucy Anne would notice the pain in my eyes! He's a true friend, and...* "Just that, Lucy Anne... Just that: A trouble. And, if you love me, you'd tell me the truth... I guess you really are the Element of Clarity!" Sky exclaimed, not even sure herself if she was sarcastic or confused or both!

"We sense this trouble be..." Lucian began. "...confusion. Thou art confused by the sudden change of landscape. We hath... something to tell thee."

"I'm listening." Sky replied.

"Very well." Lucian responded. "There is... somepony protecting us. Callest us mental if thou so wishest, but we believe it to be our sister, Aurora Flash. She hath the power to turn her dreams into real events... which can be taken to certain extents."

"Don't be silly." Sky said. "You're rhyming like Zillie! Oh no, I did it too! Even though I'm me, Sky Blue! Whatever to you this thing seems, to me it seems like one of Zillie's dreams!"

"Actually..." Lucian began, as if preparing to say something dramatic. "There be... remnants of all of our personas in this dream... which meaneth that we all hath been asleep for quite some time. Our sister must know where the Hearts of Aurora are, having been named after the very same Para after whom they were named upon creation! She trieth to help us all, and we can count on her to help us find the remaining Hearts!"

"That may be true." Reznor said, as if he had heard the entire conversation between Lucian and Sky. "In this one book I've read: The Mystery of Buffalo Ruins, it says, and I quote: 'Me big King Busta, ruler of new Buffalo Kingdom. Me try to find old kingdom, get in touch with roots, but... ruins not found. Ruins were buried in Dry Dry Desert, so me search there.' And that book..." Reznor paused for dramatic effect... his friends would rather him not have paused though. "...is now two-hundred-forty-three years old! It was confirmed already that Appleloosa was built on the very same sandy desert as the one called Dry Dry Desert."

"Lucky for us, we are near." Zillie said, as surprisingly as if she came out of nowhere, which she did. Probably some sort of Flash spell. Sky thought. She then listened for Zillie's rhyming sentence. "With the Celestial Compass, we need not fear. All we need to do is find the Aurora Hearts and let them bind. If we do so much as fail, then the Dark Ones will prevail! All we really need, it seems, is love and faith and hopes and dreams!"

"I hope you're right, Zillie." Sky replied. "Three Hearts found, three more to find... even if one of them is in the..." She gulped, as if to swallow her own fear... Sky hoped that would work. "...Chaos Dimension... where Discord lives!" Wait a minute. Sky thought. How did I know this? Was it another Flash spell? I get that the Flash family *invented** those, but... that doesn't mean they need to use them on us, the Heroes of Aurora! Or does it?*

Sky was interrupted from thought again when she saw a shining aura. It was yellow, and she could see Reznor glowing with a luminescent yellow aura to match it. She took the Celestial Compass out of her saddlebag, only remembering it because Zillie reminded her, and saw that it had a yellow point and three light blue ones. It was pointing down, which must have been the way to go in order to find Reznor's Heart, the yellow one. Whatever Element it's of, I'll leave it to *him** to figure it out... unless one of his other friends wants to tell him!* Sky thought, remembering Geno's magical capabilities. "I think the Buffalo Ruins are straight below, Rez!" She exclaimed. "Geno... do your thing!"

Geno, knowing which "thing" Sky meant for him to do, did it. He cast one of his signature spells, Geno Whirl, on a small patch of discoloured sand. "Geno Whirl!" He exclaimed, and the sand suffered a blow of 9999 damage points... according to his favourite game, Super Mare-io RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. If the sand were alive, it wasn't after the blow. Geno Whirl is typically regarded as overpowered, and... whoever says that is right. It is overpowered... but so are any and all of the enemies Geno has... including this mysterious Overseer.

After gaining the certainty that the ground did in fact have a hole in it, the five heroes jumped into it, one at a time. If you must know the order, it was... Geno, Sky, Lucian, Zillie, and then Reznor. Reznor seemed to keep glowing until he got closer to his Heart. It became visible as soon as Lucian's light spell ("Illuminaria") lit up the underground. Not only were the heroes already in the Buffalo Ruins, as suspected, but... they were also, as if by coincidence, right next to Reznor's Aurora Heart. He felt the glowing sensation, and thusly knew it was he who had to pick up the small floating crystal heart this time, for it was his.

Reznor, after finding his heart, turned to Geno for the answer to that ominous question: which Element do I represent. "I trust that you know the name of my Element, G-know." Reznor said to Geno.

"I know it, but I trust you don't need me to tell you." Geno replied.

"I believe it's the Element of Trust." Reznor replied. "Which would leave..." He tried to remember the names of the Elements of Purity, as well as who didn't find an Aurora Heart. "...Zillie, with the Element of Compassion. Is that correct, G?"

"Yes." Geno answered. "And I must say, Rez! You're more... trustworthy than anypony I've known! I've seen deep into the souls of all of us, and you have some memories you'd best keep secret. I trust that you will, my friend!"

"So do I, my friend!" Reznor replied.

And, as the connections between yet another pair of friends deepened, Sky noticed a pair of red eyes staring into hers. There are a lot of beings with red eyes, and, from what I've seen... most of them are evil. I don't know what to make of those eyes, but... they can't be Shadestar's, there's no green in them! Also... isn't there an Overseer we have yet to find? Sky then nodded, despite the potential confusion such nodding would bring upon her friends. And, despite already knowing which two Hearts are missing, we STILL DO need to find 'em! Zillie's gonna need our help again pretty soon!