The Six Heroes of Grand Gaia

Chapters

A Chance to Live On
Awaken and Introduce
Truth Beyond Understanding
Events Unfolding
Shadows of the Past
Legends Meet and Troubles Arise
Reunited and Revealed
Unleashed Power
A Feast of Dark Love
A Hope Unbroken by Death
Powers and Ideals

A Chance to Live On

Author's Note

Hey fellow readers! So, for those that are wondering why this chapter was made between two already published ones, refer to this blog here... Sorry if this was out of place but I had to make sure that this book looks better than before. I don't think this to be the last thing so expect more of these but for now, hope you enjoy the new changes... :twilightsmile:

A Chance to Live On

Here in the land of Equestria, six ponies gathered in the throne room where they were awaiting the two princesses. One of the ponies, Twilight Sparkle, was walking back and forth nervously as time slowly ticked away. Each click of the clock started to wear down on Twilight as seconds felt like minutes passing to her. Her friends were trying to find ways to alleviate the boredom that lingered in the throne room mainly Pinkie who look bored despite her cheery demeanor. The silence seemed to continue on for some time before someone decided to break it. Said someone was Rainbow Dash who was, in her mindset, bored beyond her imagination, "Ugh... What is taking the two princesses so long? I know I shouldn't be rushing them and all but come on, this is ridiculous!"

Twilight was able to make a rebuttal until Applejack beat her to it, "While Ah agree with ya on not rushin' em t’ take their time t' do whatever it is they're doin', Ya shouldn't be sayin' something like that just cause they're takin' longer than usual..." She pulled out a yellow five card and placed it on the red five card with a smile as she had one card in her hoof, "By the way, Ah'm down t' one card 'ere Rainbow! What was the word ya were suppose t' say? Oh right, Uno!"

Rainbow could only look at her in exasperation before looking down at her hooves as she was holding onto three cards, "No fair! You pulled that plus two yellow card on me when I placed a yellow card down just as I was down to one card too Applejack!" Her friend could only smirk as she was silently cheering herself while waving the last card in joy.

The sight of their antics managed to make Twilight chuckle. Still, it only did so much as she was looking at the glass mural of Discord's reign. The memories of Discord’s short reign, no matter how short or blurry, echoed faintly in her mind causing her to shudder. Pinkie noticed the action prompting her to slowly scoot up to her and try to comfort her. Twilight initially jumped a bit when Pinkie suddenly hugged her but the gesture was enough to ease her worries prompting a smile, "Thanks Pinkie… I really needed that.”

Pinkie happily giggled as she let go of her… “You welcome Twilight! That’s what friends are for!” Before she then hopped off to watch the two of them starting a new game of Uno. Twilight could only giggle once again except this time, at Pinkie’s general silliness. Her laughter then faded away as she looked back at the Discord mural once again before turning her attention towards her friends.

Both Rarity and Fluttershy saw her looking at them seemingly having calmed down thanks to Pinkie’s sudden hug. However, they noticed that she was still a bit panicky just not as much thankfully. Rarity decided to ask to confirm if what they were thinking was true, “Darling, you still feel a bit… not yourself right now?” She tried to not be upfront about what she wanted to say as to not hurt her feelings.

Thankfully, Twilight was able to understand and put her best smile forward despite her thoughts, “Uh huh, I just can't help myself I guess. I know that this is just a normal meeting and all that but... I can’t help but take this seriously. Looks like I’m having trouble letting go of my old habits..." She let a light chuckle escape having explained why she was still a bit jittery and such.

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around her trying her best to ease her panic. Her carefree smile and gentle stance, next to Pinkie’s hug managed to alleviate almost all of her worries. Her voice was the last thing that she needed to soothe her pain, “It’s alright Twilight, we’ll be here for you when they come, I’m sure of it. Isn’t that right everyone?” That got all four of them to nod as they stopped whatever activities they did and group hugged her.

The gesture prompted Twilight to hug all of her friends in a tight embrace. It wasn’t successful like how Pinkie would do it but the effort was there, “Thanks you girls, it feels great to have such wonderful friends by my side.” All of them hugged her tighter in response before letting go and separating. With a newfound courage, she decided to change the topic in mind, “So… What do you think the princesses are doing?”

Their answer to the question was a simple shrug. Pinkie tried to answer that question to the best her mind could conjure, “Who knows? Maybe they got caught up in some court duties?” Everyone stared into space for some time wondering about the likelihood of that answer before they ended up nodding and agreeing with the party pony’s suggestion. Hearing her friend’s agreeing words prompted a big smile and an action from Pinkie as she let loose her happiness by pulling out her party cannon from her mane and pulled the string, letting loose some confetti. They then rain down upon her friends who could only chuckle at her antics.

As the confetti rain ended, the sound of opening doors alerted them. They turn towards the double doors as they slowly opened. Once the doors fully opened and the guards saluted and moved out of the way, the two princesses then stepped forward. The six ponies immediately bowed in response as usual when approached by royalty. However, that only elicited a chuckle from Celestia as she stood in front of them, “There will be no bowing for us today. Please, we are here as friends today, not as our subjects the six of you...” The six of them all rose trying their best to not look embarrassed with what Celestia said about the current situation.

Luna could only quietly chuckle seeing them acting like so. She was glad to be able to meet them personally some time ago. Now if they can let go of that habit of bowing like Celestia wishes, then she could see herself amongst the populace once she got to understand the current culture. She put the thoughts aside for now though as she focused on the current task in front of her. Something occurred in her mind that made her smile, “That is… unless you still want to act like so?” That earned a questionable look from Celestia while the six looked at each other silently pondering about their answer. Luna was counting in her head as she was awaiting their answer, One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… When she reached the number ten, all of them shook their heads prompting a smile from both princesses just as Luna was finishing her thought, And we have reached number ten… what was the phrase Rainbow Dash would say? Ten seconds flat?

While she was thinking, Celestia decided to speak when Luna fell silent for her, “We thank you for the patience you six. Sorry we took a bit longer getting here, the royal court was really chaotic… You know how the Canterlot ponies are…” That got all of them to nod in agreement having been around them long enough to have a decent understanding of what she meant.

Her words were enough to snap Luna back to reality and speak her thoughts on the matter, “I now understand why you get bored when attending court sis… I swear the ponies make me wish to be out of there… Always the same problems over and over again, can’t our citizens handle their own problems instead of conversing us? Tis annoying sometimes having to deal with them on a daily basis…”

Celestia could only sigh once before chuckling about it, “All true, hence I have ways of entertaining myself during those long court meetings. Would you believe that I do all that stuff in secret while court was still going?” Their faces had an expression of shock upon hearing that before three of them ended up laughing at the idea in question. The three in question were Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie. Celestia chuckled quietly with them having got her answer, “I’ll take that as a yes…”

Luna looked at her with an expression of jealousy and apt joy as she was thinking about the courts, “I am more concerned with how you are able to keep up with their shenanigans with such a straight face. I cannot even last a minute in those courts without wishing to bring my head on the table and start hitting it. I wish I had your aptitude for these things…”

Twilight could only take in all of what was being said by the two princesses. Rainbow was the first of the six to speak after some time, “I… I can’t believe I’m hearing this! The princesses, get bored of royal court duties?! Oh this couldn’t get any better!” Celestia was chuckling while Luna simply shrugged at what Rainbow had to say.

Celestia looked towards her student and noticed that she was silent. It made her concerned for her and she was about to ask until she spoke, “Wow… I… am not sure on how to feel about this really.” She scratched her head while looking at the two princesses in question, “I guess I’m a little surprised that you act like any other normal ponies…”

Luna felt a smile form seeing her sister’s student trying to absorb what she heard and seen, “Art thou really surprised Twilight Sparkle?” That got her to look at her question. She could chuckle as she continued with the conversation, “Think about it carefully, despite us being royalty, we only wish to get along with the populace as companions, not as deities of sorts. Don’t you remember the time you helped me back in Ponyville?”

That got Twilight to widen her eyes. Pinkie giggled as she recalled the event in question, “I sure remember it! I was like, Ah! Run! whenever I saw you Princess Luna! Er…” She immediately was scratching her head in response to her incoming apology, “Sorry about that Princess Luna by the way, I was just having way too much fun there…”

Luna chuckled but was thankful for her saying her apology, “Do not fret, Pinkie… I am, how I should say… over it as you ponies would say sometimes?” That got some of them to chuckle causing the night princess to smile, “So I did get it right correct?” They nodded to her question prompting her to stretch one of her forelegs up and say with the Canterlot voice, “Huzzah!” It took her awhile to realize what she did but when she did, she covered her mouth quickly and blushed while at it, “Oops…”

Everyone in the room, including Celestia, collapsed onto the floor and went into full-blown laughter upon seeing Luna perform the action. The night princess was bit miffed about them laughing but gradually, she snickered before joining in their laughter. The guards stationed outside the door were wondering what was going and opened them slightly. Their stoic façade was slightly broken in that they were snickering as well before they retained it and closed the doors quietly. Once the laughter slowly died down to normal levels, everyone picked themselves up and tried to continue the conversation starting with Rarity, “Oh goodness… That was something right there…”

Pinkie was having difficulty trying to contain her laughter as she was chortling seemingly to no end, “Oh my…! Hahahaha! I… I can’t stop laughing..! It’s too... too… haha funny!” She then was pounding on the floor as her laughter escalated.

Applejack was wiping away a tear as she slowly stopped laughing, “Oh nelly… that there… Whoo dang nelly, Ah sure needed a good laugh like that…” She then turned towards Pinkie whose laughter was looking to end thankfully as she was picking herself up and wiping a tear away as well. She smiled as she walked right next to her side, “So… best laughter ya had yet Pinkie?”

The party pony could only look at her as she struggling to not laugh once more, “As a big red pony brother of yours would say… Eeyup…” What she said almost made Applejack laugh once more. She stopped herself barely to a snicker as she covered her mouth. Pinkie then looked towards Fluttershy who was covering her mouth, “Having trouble stop laughing?”

Fluttershy could only let a few words escape as she was trying her best to contain her laughter, “I… I could use… a little help… here please… I’m having… trouble…” A few quiet chuckles escaped from her as she was clutching her chest.

Rainbow and Applejack tried to the best of their abilities to assist Fluttershy, “Hoowee, yer sure are strugglin’ t’ keep that ‘ere laughter in huh?” She could do a nod as she tried to slow and lower down her laughter to manageable levels.

While Applejack was assisting her friend, Rainbow turned her attention to Twilight who managed to calm down for the most part, “Still has some doubts about them being just any regular normal ponies Twilight or something of the sorts?” A few seconds of silence went by as she was waiting for Twilight’s answer to the question. When no answer came by, Rainbow raised an eyebrow as she waved a hoof in front of her face, “Hello? Equestria to Twilight… can you hear me?”

Rarity joined in her friend’s side as she too waved a hoof in front of Twilight. Upon finishing it, both of them begun to realize what they did, “Oh dear… it seems we broke our unicorn friend here.” After she said that, Pinkie decided to try numerous ways to snap her out of the trance. Celestia stepped forward to assess the situation as she put a hoof on her chin wondering on how to break her out of it.

Meanwhile, Pinkie was trying a lot of methods that would break Twilight out of her current state. One of them happened to involve using a party horn. She put her right hoof into her mane and pulled out said party horn in question. Everyone who saw covered their ears and braced themselves. Just as Pinkie closed her eyes and was about to blow, something stopped her from blowing into it. She opened her eyes to notice Twilight has snapped out of her trance and was looking at her, “Please don’t… I was in it for only a few seconds thanks to you poking me Pinkie…”

That only made Rarity and Rainbow confused about something, “But our own waving hooves couldn’t snap you out of it darling? Because I find that a bit hard to believe honestly…” That earned a look from Applejack prompting Rarity to look baffled for a moment, “What? Was it something I said?” Her answer only came as a shrug much to Rarity’s annoyance.

Twilight could only smile to seeing those two’s actions. She still felt like it was necessary to answer Rarity’s question however and she did want to answer it regardless of circumstances, “I had ponies wave their hooves in front of my face a lot when I was a filly. I’ve gotten use to it by now every time I study or something of the sorts that gets my attention.”

That got a chuckle out of Celestia as she recalled the events in question, “That is true… I remembered the one time I waved a hoof in front of your face to get your attention and you wouldn’t respond to it so I did the second best thing in question to grab your attention…”

That got Twilight to blush in embarrassment as she knew what the second best thing she was talking about. Everyone noticed it making all of them curious about it in question. Seeing everyone like so prompted Twilight to react quickly to the situation, “Please… don’t tell them what that se--” Twilight didn’t even finish the sentence as her eyes darted towards Celestia’s horn, “Um… Princess… your horn is glowing…”

Celestia looked at her in confusion as she wasn’t using any magic whatsoever. Luna then stepped in front of her and checked to see if what she said was true. It didn’t take long for an answer from her sister to come, “Sis, Twilight is not lying here. Your horn is glowing right now…”

Celestia knew she could trust their words but she materialized a mirror just in case to be sure that they spoke true. When she did notice her horn glowing, she was a little worried as she returned the mirror back in its location, “You’re right but… I’m not using any magic currently…” She looked towards at Luna hoping for an explanation but stopped as she noticed her horn, “Luna… Your horn is glowing as well.”

Twilight stepped forward to check this time and her answer was the same, “Both princesses horns are glowing even if you’re both not using magic? Something’s not right…” She couldn’t help but form a smile and clap her hooves together as questions begun to develop in her thoughts, “Oh my goodness! I have so many questions right now! Like why is this happening, what is the cause of this—“

Before she could into a question list tangent, she felt a poke on her backside prompting her to look behind her. She noticed Applejack was the one poking and was now pointing at her horn, “Uh Twi… yer horn is glowin’ as well… in fact, it looks like yer horns are gettin’ a bit brighter right now…”

All three of them were looking at each other’s horns and while the two princesses were a little panicky but calm for the most part, Twilight was on full panic mode, “W-What is happening?! I don’t remember learning about our horns glowing on their own in any of the books I’ve read!” Before Rainbow could reprimand her on that, their horns begun to glow at their brightest, prompting everyone but the princesses to cover their eyes from the intense light. Celestia and Luna got the chance to see what was happening though it only made them confused.

The magic from their horns were being merged together as its spirals around them. The colors were the respective magenta, orange, and blue of the magic users but the color slowly begun to either disappear or mix and soon came six new colors. Those colors in question were green, orange, yellow, blue, white and black. The magic begun to arise into an arch away from the eight ponies before landing right in front of the throne and flashed a bright light prompting the two princesses to cover their eyes quickly with their wings. As the light slowly faded away, both of them looked to see the arch of magic beginning to descend on the spot before disappearing. Soon everyone else that covered their eyes looked as well and their reactions all matched each other. Everyone looked surprised when the arch of magic was gone revealing six beings they’ve never seen before there now. Celestia was the first to step forward out of curiosity, “What and who are these creatures that appear before us?”

The rest soon joined to her side as they looked at the beings in front of them. Twilight was the first to ask the princess about what she heard, “Wait, you’ve never seen these… um… things before? Not to be rude and all that…”

The sun princess shook her head much to Twilight’s relative surprise. Luna stepped forward near one of them trying to understand what she was looking at, “She is not the only one confused here… I too am bewildered at what am I looking at. Oh and I know that you do not wish to be rude and such but try not to say that again when around others please?”

Twilight looked a bit ashamed but took her words in, “Oh… alrighty then. Still, what are these things? I’m curious as to what they are…” She looked at her friends and noticed Rainbow and Applejack respectively poking them. That made her a bit jumpy as she stopped the two of them with her magic, “What are you two doing?! Don’t poke them like that!”

That only got Rainbow to be a bit pouty, “Sorry but you know that we’re curious as well right?” Twilight opened her mouth and was about to make a rebuttal until she closed her mouth and realized that she was speaking the truth. She ended up relenting with a sigh as an answer to her question. Rainbow let a smile form but understood where her friend was getting from, “I thought as much, I won’t touch them again though if that helps you…” She then looked towards Applejack who noticed her looking and smiled while performing a Pinkie Promise.

It was enough for Twilight to smile back in return, “Thanks you two… I really appreciate it.” She turned towards her other friends who were simply looking at them then to the princesses who were conversing with one another about the situation. She wasn’t so sure on what to do at the time so she just decided to check out the six humans in question. When she neared one of them, she noticed a splotch of red behind a cape. Curious, she moved the cape slightly with her magic only to immediately back away in abject surprise. Pinkie noticed that sudden movement and was about to ask until she looked towards where she was looking making her gasp in question. Everyone looked at the both of them confused but what Twilight said managed to make some of them blanch in color, “T-There’s… a hole in this person’s body… and… is that blood I’m seeing?!”

The princesses immediately stepped forward and casted all of them in their magical aura wondering if all of them had fatal injuries only for them to scream out in pain and almost collapse. The six ponies helped them out wondering what just happened. It took a few words from Luna for them to understand why they screamed, “What unimaginable pain! Tia… we need to…!”

Celestia instantly understood what her sister was trying to say, “I know…! Let’s heal them with haste now Luna!” Just as she said that, both Luna’s and Celestia’s horns glowed bright alongside the auras that enveloped the humans in question. Both princesses tried to find any injuries found on the six and tend to those wounds quickly. All of them had at least a wound that somehow matched each other. They wanted to ponder about it but decided to put it on hold as they patched those wounds.

While the princesses were tending to the people, Twilight was shuddering in place from discovering that fatal injury and seeing blood. Fluttershy came to her side and tried to reassure her to the best of her abilities, “Don’t worry Twilight, I’m sure the princesses will be able to heal them fully…” Despite trying to ease her pain and fear, she was still shivering from it. All of her friends were beginning to be concerned for the poor unicorn, “Twilight…”

She was still shaking from it but she was able to utter some words of concern, “H-How… W-Who would do that to those six people? I-I mean… that w-wound, it looked like it was p-pierced by a sword…” She was feeling tears welling up in her eyes as she closed her eyes. She rested her head on Fluttershy’s body as her tears begun to escape. Her friends immediately came to her side and tried to comfort her in her time of need. It only did so much for Twilight but it helped make it easier for her as she wiped away the tears, “T-thanks you five… I needed that badly.” She picked herself up and looked at the being she first noticed the wound, “I’ve read books about these injuries sometimes but to actually see it…”

Celestia felt sorry for the six of them to see something like that now. She actually tried to not let any of her ponies see something like so but now that they have, it was not going to be easy for them especially for her student, Twilight… She and Luna lifted their magics from the six humans and watched them to see if they were not too late in saving them. A few seconds felt like minutes pass for all of them as they awaited any sign of life from them. Thankfully, there was such a sign as both princesses noticed their chests rising up and down signifying that they were breathing. Both let out a sigh and let themselves collapse onto the floor, “We did it sister… we managed to save them just barely…” That got the six ponies behind them to silently cheer and move up to see the humans in question.

Luna could only chuckle before slightly cringing a bit from the pain, “Barely doesn’t even fit their condition Celestia. They looked to already be in death’s throes…” She noticed her sister sternly looking at her and the six ponies cringing. She blinked once before realizing what she just said, “Oh dear… I let that slip didn’t I?” A nod from Celestia was her only answer. Luna could only sigh but needed to bring up a reason regarding that anyway, “Well, either way, it was inevitable for me to say something like so sister whether on accident or not… You felt the pain too didn’t you? They were that close to facing their fate… If we had not acted when Twilight discovered such an injury…”

Celestia’s gaze softened knowing where her sister was going. She could only sigh in defeat as she looked at the bodies in question, “I know Luna… I just wish that this didn’t happen so soon…” Luna could only nod in agreement. Both picked themselves and walked towards the six in question their curiosity almost forgetting what just happened, “Well, now that we have healed all six of them, shall we check and see what makes them stand out…? Well, besides their appearance…” A simple nod confirmed her answer prompting the both of them to envelop them in their magic again. Their magics enveloped the first two people in mind. At first glance, not much was different sans them being bipedal creatures, wearing clothing, and having next to no fur. When they reached the spiritual level of the beings, both of them were relatively surprised as what they discovered, “Interesting… this person here has fire capabilities that could even match my own…”

That got Twilight to look and gawk in surprise at Celestia’s revelation. Having learned about elemental affinities while going through some books during her youth, she knew just about everything about it in mind despite it being knowledge not well-known in Equestria. Four of her friends were left confused however at what Celestia said prompting her to speak out her thoughts, “W-wait a minute! Now I know that everyone can tap into an elemental affinity of some sorts…”

That got Applejack confused as she looked at the genius of the group, “Really? Ah can do somethin’ like that? But Ah ain’t no unicorn like ya Twi s’ how can Ah be able t’ tap into this elemental thingy… whatever it is ya talking about?”

That got Rainbow to chuckle though causing both Twilight and Applejack to look at her in confusion. She let a small smirk form as she recounted what she learned back when she was a teenager, “Oh I know this one like it was in the back of my head! The reason we’re able to walk on clouds and manipulate the weather Applejack? That’s because the pegasi’s common elemental affinity is thunder and air here! We can do all that stuff because we can control those said elements easily! It’s why we tend to be the ones doing all that work and not unicorns…” Twilight’s eyes widened seeing that the athletic pegasus knows and even be able to speak about said knowledge in question. Rainbow could only look at her friend in a mix of confusion and glee, “What? Just because I always do crazy acrobatics doesn’t mean I don’t know how that works Twilight…”

Both Luna and Celestia chuckled hearing the bearer of loyalty speak like so. Still, they smiled seeing that she was smart for all her bold and brave behavior. Luna decided to be the one to congratulate her on that, “That is correct Rainbow, I might give you a medal for that…” Rainbow smiled when she heard such a response before quickly hiding it. Luna chuckled once more while she returned back to the topic at hoof, “In any case, I could say the same for this person in question…” That got Rainbow as she looked at her with curiosity. Luna smiled as she explained what she meant, “He is capable of utilizing thunder-based attacks that could put even the best pegasi to shame right now…” She fell silent for some time before realizing what she said and looked towards Rainbow quickly as she tried to correct her blunder, “Not to offend you in anyway Rainbow Dash…”

Her answer came as a relative surprise as Rainbow looking at the person she noted about and simply dismissed it, “Nah, its okay to say something about that… I’m more curious as to how good he actually is at doing those thunder-based attacks you mentioned.” It made Luna a bit glad that she wasn’t focused on that detail she let slipped.

Despite all of what was said, Applejack was even more baffled since none of what they said answered her question directly, “While Ah’m happy fer y’all, Ah’m still a wee bit confused ‘ere! How do Ah tap into whatever it is y’all talking about?!”

Celestia answered that question while she was casting her magic on the next human, “That is an easy answer; you don’t have to exert too much effort Applejack…” When the sun princess looked at her, she covered her mouth and tried to stifle her laughter as she looked at Applejack’s current expression being her most bewildered she might ever have. After the laughter faded away, she continued on with her answer, “Your body does it naturally for you figuratively and literally. When you grow the plants you need or when your body develops allowing you to take more hits, your elemental affinity will, shall I say, kick in without you even noticing it. And in case you are wondering what the common affinity for Earth ponies is, think of it this way, why do you think we call you Earth ponies?”

Applejack however, interpreted that question wrongly and thought of an answer that was not what the sun princess was expecting, “Um… ‘Cause we get along with the earth fine an’ dandy princess or is it ‘cause ya couldn’t think of a better name fer us?” Celestia instantly stopped using her magic at that moment and exploded into laughter bewildering the apple farmer in question.

Rarity could only facehoof in response having understood what the sun princess said, “Darling, not to be rude and such for you… but did you even understand a single thing she just said?” Her answer came with Applejack shaking her head. She could only sigh as she looked at Twilight who looked a bit saddened having her question being interrupted and such. She poked her once causing her to look at Rarity in question, “I’m sorry for your question being interrupted Twilight…”

Twilight could only smile in response, “It’s okay… I’ve gotten use to it by now…” She noticed Rarity looking at her once before shifting her head to Applejack. Twilight was able to easily connect the dots quickly as she remembered what her mentor said, “Need me to explain what Princess Celestia said to Applejack but simplify it for her?”

All Rarity could say when she managed to successfully gesture what she wished Twilight to do with the apple farmer while having a pleading expression of sorts was a “Pretty please?”

A simple chuckle escaped from Twilight before she obliged. She turned to try and grab Applejack’s attention only to see her looking at her and waiting patiently. Twilight could only smile seeing that she noticed what Rarity was doing and instead, went straight to her simplified answer hoping that the bearer of honesty was able to understand it, “In a simple way, Earth ponies’ common elemental affinity is… well earth. That and you can already use it in daily activities so no need for special training or something of the sorts…”

Applejack smiled and patted her friend on the back a few times as a gesture of thanks, “Thanks fer the answer Twi! Now that Ah was able t’ understand easily! Ah don’t like it when ponies get all specific on whatever answer Ah need t’ know. Ah’d rather get t’ the point than stall the answer! Er… no offense, Your Highness…” Rarity could only facehoof again from her friend missing the point the first time.

Celestia managed to stifle her laughter as she simply dismissed her words, “No… worries young Applejack. Oh goodness, I think I might’ve needed that laugh there…” As her laughter was beginning to be less pronouncing, she decided to continue with what she had intended to do as she enveloped the next person in her magic. When her magic fully enveloped him however, it caused her to blink twice just in case she felt that right, “That is quite unusual…” Everyone looked towards her wondering what got her attention, “He is one of nature itself, meaning he has the capability to manipulate the earth and wind itself but…”

That got Fluttershy’s attention who was silent lately throughout the princesses’ scanning as she stepped forward and looked at him, “Really? He sounds like someone that could love animals…” She looked towards his hands and noticed the pike’s nature design. Despite it being a weapon of sorts, she awed the design of the thing yet something about it made her also feel like it was lonely in its life… She thought it weird, but it being alive made sense to her for some reason, “Wow… That’s a wonderful looking… um…”

Celestia looked where her eyes were focused and saw that it was on the weapon that her pause in the first place, “That is a pike Fluttershy, and a rather interesting if somewhat saddening one despite the artistic design of such a weapon…”

Everyone was confused when she said such a phrase. Many were about to ask and were about to speak but Fluttershy beat them to the question though she also caught them off guard them with a little tidbit of her own, “I-I thought I was the only one to notice that something felt… off about that pike… But um… what do you mean Princess Celestia?”

The sun princess blinked in surprise at what Fluttershy said but ended up smiling seeing that someone else noticed it besides her and possibly Luna. Seeing everyone’s gaze upon her prompted her to speak her thoughts on it, “During my scan on this person, I felt not one but two souls with the same elemental affinity of the earth and air…”

Everyone was confused on what she said at the time. Fluttershy was baffled as well but unlike the others was able to connect the dots overtime beating Twilight quickly though she is starting to like the fact that her friends are able to answer some questions not just her. Her answer though still surprised almost all of them, “A-Are you suggesting that… T-there’s something residing in that pike?”

Luna had just stopped scanning her side and answered that for her, “She is indeed suggesting that and as I found out, he’s not the only one…” Celestia turned towards her sister with a surprised gaze that also silently messaged the question in mind. Luna answered it for her and the others quickly, “This person seems to be the only female I stumbled upon and is part water, part ice elemental affinity. Her sword though is what catches my attention. Unlike that person where you felt two souls sister, I felt what amounts to an entire civilization within that sword…” All of them were looking at her surprised beyond their imagination. Luna shook her head and answered their silent question, “I wish I were joking here but I speak the truth…”

Just as Rarity was about to faint, both Fluttershy and Pinkie pulled out the fainting couch prompting the fashionista to proceed on with her gesture. Celestia fell silent for some time as her sister’s words repeated itself in her head, “An entire civilization worth of souls… held within the sword?” Luna nodded before looking at the sword, “Luna… why are you looking at the sword?”

The night princess stared at the sword for some time noting the design of it and the knowledge known to everyone at the time. By the time, she was done admiring the design; she looked back at everypony with an expression that Celestia recognized as one of understanding and mourning, “Yes but to my surprise, these souls not only acknowledge their fates and wish to only support this person in their time of need but are also centuries if not millennia old…”

Celestia could only blink once as she looked at the sword in question, "Centuries old? Are..." Seeing her sister shake her head confirmed her answer. She decided to change the topic to another question she thought of, "Well, if that is the case, did they ever tell you anything about this civilization when you made contact with them Luna?"

The night princess shook her head much to Celestia's chagrin. However, a smile formed as she turned towards the six people in question making Celestia curious about why she was acting like so, "They did not tell me much about their civilization simply saying that it would be best to learn from her personally. However, they did tell me something invaluable about who these beings are in question."

Twilight immediately stepped forward, her curious mind beckoning to know what this invaluable knowledge is, "Well what could it be Princess Luna? I want to know so badly right now!" Twilight's antics made a few of her friends chuckle seeing that she was still the eager knowledge seeker. For Celestia, it was a moment of joy for her to see her student act like so despite what just happened.

Luna had to back away for a bit from her suddenness at appearing in front of her face. By the time she did do so, she collected herself and was normal again for the most part, "Please, do not do that again Twilight Sparkle... you made me... a little surprised I presume would be the right word..." Twilight blinked in confusion before she immediately understood what she meant promtpting her eyes to widen and immediately backed away while sporting a blush of sorts. The night princess cleared her throat once while trying to dismiss what just happened, "Well... that moment aside... What I learned from those spirits is that these six beings in front of us, where they came from, they have been known to their world as the Six Heroes... warriors who defended the innocent from whatever harm come their way... I do not know what their origins are but it is a start..."

All the ponies were in awe once Luna spread the knowledge to them. Pinkie stepped next to the two heroes that have yet to be scanned clearly admiring what she heard, "So these six saved a lot of people when they were around? They sound like heroes I'd like to have an autograph with!" Everyone was very much in agreement with her statement as they all gathered around the six of them.

Celestia smiled seeing the six humans in a new light, "So these people... were protecters of their own race? I may not know what threats they faced but to hear such a thing is... it is a wonderful thing to think about..." While she was smiling on the outside, she felt a concern for them within herself as she still recalled the condition they were in when they came to this world, But that also raises questions as to why they came to us in such a life-threatening condition... She looked towards the last two people in front of her and enveloped the closest one to finish what they had started.

"Indeed, 'tis such a wonderful thing to hear. I wonder what accomplishments they achieved during their life?" She silently pondered about that for some times to herself. Before long, she noticed her sister doing what they were doing beforehoof and decided to perform as well on the armored knight. By the time she finished and felt his soul, she immediately stopped and backed away a few steps while breathing heavily from feeling his spirit, "T-That's impossible..."

Celestia had just finished and felt his spirit which left her surprised just as well. However, her concern for Luna was more important than spreading what she just learned, "Luna, is something the matter?"

Trying to shake off what she felt from the knight was not easy for the night princess. She was still able to converse with Celestia but her voice was having trouble keeping her shock and fear in check, "Tia... This... this being... I just looked into his soul. Never in my entire thousand year life would I ever feel so much rage, so much sorrow, and so much... bloodshed. Not only that, he... he has the capability to utilize the rare elemental affinity of darkness."

While everyone was shuddering from hearing the word bloodshed again, Twilight and Celestia were more shocked that someone was capable to using darkness. Celestia casted the same spell on the armored knight this time and her reaction very much matched her sister's as she immediately dispelled her magic and was breathing heavily. Before Twilight could even speak first, Celestia spoke up her thoughts on what she just felt, "It... it was almost too much... I know never to judge your words but to actually feel it is a different story. It’s almost… unbelievable…” It took much longer for Celestia to recover from the shock of what she felt from the armored knight. She decided to change the topic hoping that the both of them can cope with what they just felt, “Anyway… Having learned that this person is capable of manipulating darkness… Then I could perhaps say the same for the person's soul I felt beforehoof except he controls its counterpart: light."

Twilight blinked twice from not only hearing that revelation but wanting to be sure that she did not mishear what the princesses said. Initially adamant on not wanting to believe what she heard, she was tempted to perform what the princesses did on the two being in question but felt it would be a terrible move on her part in mind. Instead, she went on to ask them about it, “Your Majesties…” Both Celestia and Luna turn towards the unicorn in question. Although their gaze was gentle, being looked upon by the two princesses made Twilight anxious. A quiet gulping sound escaped from her before she finally found the courage to speak, “Um… about the both of them having those elements in mind… Are you sure that they both can tap into it?”

Both looked at each other about this before it slowly dawned upon them as to why Twilight was both worried to ask and the question in general. Luna gestured her sister to answer the question. Celestia gladly obliged as she looked at her student, “We are just as surprised about this as you are Twilight but to answer your question, yes… we are certain they can tap into their respective elements…”

A hoof rested on Twilight’s head as she wavered a bit from the idea that two of them can tap into one of the rarest elemental affinities, “Oh sweet Celestia… I might be able to let go of the fact that four of them can tap into the natural elements but not only can those two tap into it but are born with the moral elements as well? That’s almost next to impossible for any being in general…”

Her friends were bewildered by what she meant but decided to not ask about it for the sake of their minds. Their more pressing concern in their thoughts was the Six Heroes in front of them. Fluttershy showed the most concern for them as she was the first to ask the princesses, “So… what do we do now that they’re fully healed Your Majesties?”

Luna immediately smiled upon hearing the question, “We are glad you asked young Fluttershy! We were thinking of letting them rest somewhere that will not have too much attention by the ponies. As they are new creatures and only we know what little knowledge of them we have so far, it would be best to put them in a safe location for now. We however are blank at a place that could fit such requirements…”

Just as Luna said that, Pinkie sprung into action as she had an immediate idea of where to put them out of prying eyes, “Oh oh! I know of a good location we can let them rest! Fluttershy’s cottage!” Upon hearing her answer, the shy pegasus was trying her best to hide her luminescent blush. Pinkie simply chuckled at her reaction and tried to hug out all her fear, “Aw come on Fluttershy, think about it! Since not a lot of ponies come and visit often, it’s a perfect place for them to sleep for the night! It’s far enough for ponies to not notice! That and well, it’s in Ponyville! We Ponyville ponies can live with some strangers around the town. Not to be mean to the Canterlot ponies though…”

Luna simply dismissed her words having understood where she was going with this, “Oh no worries, we understand what you mean. I do see this working out honestly… besides, it is getting close to night hours and I would imagine that you six ponies are rather sleepy yes?” All of them nodded prompting a smile from the night princess, “Then we can do this under the cover of night… Are you fine with them sleeping in your home Fluttershy?”

She could only meekly smile as she was out of Pinkie’s tight hug, “I-I wouldn’t mind them sleeping with me for tonight. If it helps then I’d be happy to do it for them. That and um… I um… wanted to bring them over anyway…”

Luna clapped her hooves together as she lifted the six humans in her magic, “Then let us not waste time with this endeavor! Come, we depart for Fluttershy’s cottage everypony!” Everyone chuckled as they followed the night princess outside the throne room.

Celestia waved farewell as she watched them disappear from her line of sight. Seeing her sister act like so prompted a quiet laugh from the sun princess, “Ah it feels good to see her like so…” Her thoughts then switched to a different topic in mind as she walked out of the throne room and closed the doors behind her. She then turned towards the guards who saluted and showed her to her quarters. During the walk, a thought occurred to her that made her a bit excited, Perhaps it might be best for me to do my own research about whom and what those six are… A smile formed as she was thinking of their origins and what other things could she learn about them. A darker thought however emerged as she recalled their condition when they arrived, I wonder… if what Luna said is true… then does that mean…? She dispelled the idea for now not wanting to over think it too much and instead focus on their possible origins first.

Meanwhile with Luna and company, all of them were already on Luna’s chariot and heading towards Ponyville under the cover of darkness. While they were heading to the location, Twilight was looking at the six humans wondering about their origins like her mentor. The two beings capable of tapping into light and darkness made her curious but she could say the same for every one of them. She couldn’t resist smiling as she pondered about the many possibilities she could learn. Her gesture did not go unnoticed as she heard a voice, “Excited for tomorrow egghead?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised at myself…” was all Twilight could say before the chariot landed in front of the library. She opened the door and was the first to leave the chariot. The others soon followed suit and said their farewells to everyone before departing to their respective homes. Twilight did the same as she looked towards Luna, “Thank you Princess Luna for the ride… hope you get some good sleep…”

“The same to you Twilight Sparkle…” Her sister’s student smiled and turned around as she walked towards the library. After seeing her enter and close the door, she looked towards Fluttershy who was eyeing the six humans, “Shall we head to your home now?”

Fluttershy blinked once before smiling, “Oh… sure…” Both left the chariot and departed for Fluttershy’s cottage. As they arrived at their destination, Fluttershy opened the door silently as to not disturb the sleeping animals while Luna bought the six humans and laid them down gently. A smile formed as she looked at the expression of peace on their faces before turning her attention towards Luna, “Thank you Princess Luna… I’ll… take care of it from here…”

Luna smiled in return as she stepped back and into the chariot, “I know you can dear Fluttershy, you are quite a capable pony yourself you know? Good night and have a good night’s rest young one…”

The shy pegasus still retained her smile as he waved farewell to the night princess as she returned back to her chariot and left back to Canterlot. As she slowly closed the door, she turned towards the six once again before noticing that Angel was standing with an expression mixed with anger and curiosity, “Oh, sorry that it took awhile to get here… Don’t worry about the six here… They’re just temporary guests is all, nothing to worry about…” Angel’s expression softened after hearing her owner’s word. He just simply shrugged before hopping to his resting place. Fluttershy chuckled quietly before looking at the six one last time. Seeing their smiles made her smile, “Good night everyone, hope tomorrow will be a wonderful day…” She went upstairs and prepared herself for a good night’s rest.

Awaken and Introduce

The rays of the Sun beamed through the window as it shined upon the Six Heroes. The first to be awoken by the Sun was the Hero of Fire, Vargas. His eyes opened slowly as he covered his eyes with his hand trying to adjust to the brightness. As the light dimmed itself, he noticed that he was inside a cottage of sorts. A smile formed on his face seeing the lovely… Wait, cottage? Vargas picked himself up and blinked twice just to be sure he wasn’t imagining it. To his surprise, he was indeed inside a cottage of sorts. Just from looking at the structure of the cottage, he can tell that this was built from the foundation of nature itself. The aroma of flowers reached his nose and he could not but admit that it was rather soothing to smell them. Looking around the building, he turned around to see his fellow friends and allies alive and well.

His smile lingered still, glad to his friends alive and well. Looking at his hands, he could not help but wonder about something. Who saved them from their deaths? He recalled being struck down by a lone knight and that his life was slowly coming to an end. His injuries were indeed fatal and they were far away from civilization to even be properly tended to. Even if they were nearby a city, they would not be able to heal their injuries in time and they would succumb to death’s throes. So… who saved them and what happened when all of them were unconscious? His thoughts were broken as he hears a groan from a waking person. He looked behind himself to see Selena to be the first person to be awoken, “Selena… I see that you have awoken from your slumber.”

The Hero of Ice was clutching her head trying to subdue her hurting mind, “My head… where am I?” She was looking around the location and noticed in order: her fellow friends alive and well, then seeing that she was in a cottage, and then finally seeing her friend Vargas awake, “Vargas? You’re… alive?” The Hero of Fire nodded. Clearly, she was surprised like he was himself as she was checking out her surroundings. She looked around for awhile before returning her attention back to Vargas, “I am shocked… to see that I am truly alive… but how?”

The fire hero could only shake his head on confusion. They were stumped about how they were alive despite their pressing injuries. They looked to see their fellow friends waking up from their state of rest. The first to pick themselves up and awaken was the Hero of Thunder, “Ugh… could someone get me a medic to heal my throbbing body?” He opened his eyes only to see that he was inside a cottage and was seeing his friends alive in front of him, “Wait, Vargas? Selena? You’re…” He let a smile form as he came charging at them. Both braced themselves as they were hugged by the swordsman and raised to the air, “You two are alive! You made me sick when you left back to your countries!”

Vargas could only chuckle seeing his friend act like this. As the both of them were out of Eze’s hug, their friend placed them back on solid ground gently. Vargas gently punched the thunder hero’s shoulder in response to his hug, “It’s good to see you in good condition too Eze.”

The thunder hero returned the gesture as he jabbed the fire hero softly on the shoulder while still wearing his smile, “Hey! Never felt better in my life!” He looked at Selena who was looking away from himself and behind him. He turned around to see his other compatriots alive as well, “Well, look what we’ve run into today.”

Lance picked himself up with Drevas as he removed the goggles covering his eyes, “Oh goodness, I don’t want to be a tree again even if it was rather comforting…” He opened his eyes to see his three friends staring at him, “What? You’re expecting me to… wait…” Slowly, he realized that he was indeed not a tree and his friends are alive.

Eze let out a loud laugh seeing that the nature hero was slow to realization, “Haha! Oh, I can’t believe you forgot about that didn’t ya!?” Lance could only grumble a bit from forgetting hearing his friend. This only prompted the thunder hero to laugh harder as he fell to the floor laughing.

Vargas and Selena looked at each other wondering whether to just watch the two or help the last two in need of assistance. The ice hero answered that question as she went passed the thunder and nature hero to assist both Magress and Atro. Vargas stood there watching both Eze and Lance. Selena lowered herself and put the light hero’s arm over her body, “Are you feeling well Atro?”

A knowing smile formed on his face as Selena assisted him up, “I am feeling well Selena, thank you for the concern.” The ice hero returned the smile of his with her own. Atro stumbled for a bit as he tried to stand with his own strength. After struggling and getting too many assist from Selena, he ends up using his sword, Urias, as a temporary crutch. Looking around, he alongside his fellow allies noticed that they were in a cottage of sorts. The light hero looked at his friends wondering if they knew. They shook their heads to his silent question.

Everyone focused their attention to Magress who seemingly managed to pick himself up fine despite the armor he was wearing. Magress noticed everyone staring at him oddly prompting him to ask all of them on question, “Dare I ask why all of you are looking at me strangely?” They all looked at each other from the question as silence fell upon the six heroes. Before long, they began to share in their laughter. It had been a long while since the six had something to laugh about. Even with what happened to them before, they could not help but be a bit glad to share a moment of joy with each other.

As their laughter died down to a level where they can chat again, one of them decided to bring up what had happened to them, “So… who managed to fatally injure the five of you? I almost faced my death at the hands of a lone knight… I believe he wielded two swords.” All of them were looking at Vargas with much shock about what he said. It did not take long for him to understand why they had such a reaction, “You all fell to the same knight like me? Did it involve him having an explanation about the Gods saving a portion of humanity?”

They all nodded to his question. They all were curious about the coincidence of them facing their demise by the same knight. Two questions however, stood amongst all of them as everyone wondered about it: Was he telling the truth about the Gods saving even a portion of humanity and what was the current state of the war now that they're alive once more. They both all wanted to know about this but they felt like it was all best not to talk about it for long for they just shared some joyous moment with each other. Seeing that they were Being less than positive right now, Eze decided to try to lighten up the atmosphere, “Hey now! So… um, where are we again?” It was a random thought but it did occur to everyone about that.

As they pondered about where they were, they hear a soothing voice humming with many birds chirping and synching with it. Selena was drawn by the beautiful voice as she looked around where it was coming from but there was also another reasoning to her search, “That voice… do you think that she saved us from our untimely demise?”

As she said that, they hear sound of a turning doorknob. All six were a bit tense but remained calm as the door begun to open, “Well, whoever it is, we get to find out now…” All agreed with the thunder hero as the door opened fully.

As the door opened wide enough for them to see the form in question, they were caught off guard when in front of their very eyes, was not a human that saved them but rather a beast of sorts. All six were looking at what they knew was one of the pegasi but the way it looked was vastly different from what they normally see with the pegasi race. It singing meant it can speak intelligently which is something theirs can do but the colors and the mark on her are what caused the most confusion. The pegasus closed the door and stopped singing as she turned to the six fully awakens. A look of surprise was etched on her face before switching to one of both concern and happiness, “Oh dear, are you six alright?”

All six were looking at the concerned pegasus with relative surprise. A yellow pegasus with three butterflies on its flank was a bit of a shocker for all of them despite having the race back home. Even Eze thought he was going crazy from seeing this, “Someone pinch me right now… I think I might be… OW!” The thunder hero grabbed his left arm with his right hand. He looked to his left to see Lance bringing his middle and index finger together while wearing a grin on his face. That did not please Eze as he begun to scold at his friend, “I was joking about that Lance!”

Lance could only chuckle hearing his compatriot arguing at him for pinching him there, “Well I’m sorry Eze, but you did ask to be pinched. I just complied and did as you requested…” The nature hero could not help but continue wearing his grin.

The thunder hero did not appreciate his compatriot’s actions as of now. Ignoring the pegasus inside the cottage, he pulled on his friend’s goggles and pulled them back a bit. By the time Lance realized what he was about to do, his head was in pain from the collision with his own goggles, “Ow! Hey!”

“You started it Lance! I just delivered you back what I wanted to do!” Eze could only laugh a bit from seeing the nature hero’s reaction.

While it almost provoked the nature hero to charge at his friend, he remained calm due to their helper watching them. Still he couldn’t help but let one thing escape from him, “Yeah? You’re lucky that the general is not around so she might scold at you for that!”

Eze froze a bit from the general being bought up. This prompted the thunder hero to bat a glare at Lance before pouncing on him and they begun to brawl each other. Magress and Selena just watch the scene while Atro and Vargas could not help but pinch the bridge of their noses seeing those two act like this in front of their alleged savior.

The dark hero, having seen enough, decided to end the fight prematurely. He separated the two of them from each other sternly looking at the two, “I believe that we have managed to ruin our first impressions with our yellow pegasus friend now…”

The pegasus that most of the six ignored formed a knowing smile, “Oh, it’s all right, I’m just glad to see you all awake and well.” All looked at her a bit surprised that she was fine with those two fighting out. The looks she gained from them made her almost shrink back, “I mean… if it’s all right with all of you…”

A smile formed on the light hero’s face, “Our savior is rather shy… I cannot deny that considering that we are foreigners to her kind…”

Vargas nodded as he stepped forward. The timid pegasus made an eep sort of sound as he extended a hand. The sound managed to get to Selena as she tried to not be awed by the pegasus being simply adorable. The fire hero waited as his hand was still outstretched waiting for the hoof to be extended as well. The pegasus noticed the gesture and extended her hoof to touch his hand. He gripped the hoof eliciting another eep sound from the mare. He assisted the mare in getting up from her position. A smile as well as a hint of a blush formed on her face as she rose with Vargas, “Thank you kindly sir…”

The fire hero let a smile form as he let go of her hoof, “It is my pleasure. Please tell us, what is your name so we may remember it?”

The yellow mare looked at the six who were eyeing her once more. She shrunk away again as she quietly told them her name, “I’m… Fluttershy…”

Despite the gentle mare being quiet in telling her name, the fire hero managed to pick up her name due to him being in close proximity of her, “Fluttershy is it? What a peculiar name…” He turned around seeing that every one of his friends managed to hear him loudly. Eze was scratching his head in confusion while the others gestured him to continue on. He obliged his friends as he returned his attention to the yellow pegasus, “But nonetheless, thank you kindly Fluttershy for healing us.”

Fluttershy smiled in return to Vargas, "You... you welcome..." She was rubbing her right foreleg with her left as she was having difficulty trying to speak yet she felt like she was forgetting something of importance. When she looked back at the six in question, she suddenly realized that since everyone was awake, she had to bring them to her friends as they wanted to have a conversation with them, “Oh! I… almost forgot… would you um… come with me to my friend’s library? We’d like to… um… know about you six, if that’s all right with you?”

All six looked at each other wondering if they share the same sentiments. All five nodded to Vargas as they sheathed their weapons for now. A smile formed on the fire hero’s face, focusing his attention to the yellow pegasus, “Of course we will, but in return, can you and your friends answer questions we six have? We’d like to know what happened and where are we…”

Fluttershy’s expression lightened up as she flew up a bit in excitement, “Oh! Well, of course we will! Just um…” She went to the door and tried to open the door. She fumbled as she tried to turn the doorknob much to her embarrassment. The six could not help but let a small chuckle escape as she finally opened the door while sheepishly looking at them, “Please um… follow me? Oh, and don’t mind the ponies here, we’re rather kind towards strangers…”

Selena was the first to look at the timid pegasus with a look of surprise. Everyone else shared the ice hero’s surprise that there different race of ponies as Fluttershy referred to her kind, “Ponies? I thought that there was just the pegasi race like you?” Their healer being a pony was rather obvious for the six to notice. Even then, the idea of diverse ponies was rather interesting to know, “There is a diverse races of ponies? Not just the pegasi, like say unicorns?”

A smile formed on the yellow pegasus’s face, “Oh yes, So... you know about the um… pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies?” She saw all six nodded to her answer. She brightened up a bit to hear that they knew something about their race if only for a tiny bit, “Oh! That’s... um amazing, oh dear I should be getting you to meet my friends. I don’t want them to be worried about me…”

Atro shared Fluttershy’s sentiments as he took his first step, “Of course we would not want them to worry especially since, as I said, we are foreigners to you. Lead the way for us.” The yellow pegasus let out a small and quiet but rather cute at least to Selena yay as she stepped out first. The six followed suit as they lowered their heads to accommodate the small entrance. Upon taking their first step outside the cottage, they were greeted with a beautiful view of where they are.

All six were awed by where they are. Nature here was blooming with no sign of stopping as the flowers rose from the ground slowly. The breeze was gentle flowing pass their body as it eased them into the country they do not know. From afar, Atro noticed ponies smaller then Fluttershy playing around on a playground as they chased each other with glee. He can easily assess them being foals if the terminology of horses apply still. A smile formed on his face seeing children playing around joyfully. The light hero’s smile did not escape unnoticed, “Still smiling whenever you see children playing around eh Atro? Even if they’re not like us?”

Atro turned to see Lance was the first to notice him smiling. He still bore his smile as he heard the children playing freely, “Beast or not, I am always smiling whenever I see the children being joyful.”

Fluttershy smiled as well hearing that the light hero has a fondness for children, “You really love children don’t Mr. Atro?”

“Yes Miss Fluttershy, I always had a fondness of seeing the children being so carefree. It was part of the reason why I chose to fight, to see the children alive and carefree like before without the hindrance of war.” The word war managed to make the timid pegasus shudder almost like it was an instinct to do so. It baffled all six seeing her shudder like so.

One can argue that since she’s shy like her namesake, she’d be afraid to see fights arise. They all looked at each other while walking pondering about her being shaken. The only armored knight decided best to ask for them all, “Fluttershy, why did you shudder upon hearing the word war? Is it uncommon upon this land?”

Fluttershy stopped and looked at the three. Her eyes hold a sense of fear within them like the word was something to be feared, “It’s… better for my friends to explain that… I can say that… it’s been almost forever since war ever was initiated.”

All six looked at each other surprised about this revelation. An eternity of peace without war looming over this land? This would have been a utopia come true but they knew that utopias never come true because battles would always be consistent. Perhaps they may be a few conflicts here and there, but no signs of war? They find this hard to believe. They wanted to ask Fluttershy ask more about this but they decided to wait until they met her friends.

As they make it pass the school and into the town proper, many of the ponies looked at them curiously and were whispering to each other. This made the six concerned about how the ponies will perceive themselves not wanting bad rumors to come by, but Fluttershy assured them that they would always do this. Afterwards, they’d be willing to accept all of them into their town after one big party. This slightly bothered them but not by much. Passing through they finally reached their destination, “Well, here we are.”

The six looked at where they were meeting. The location in question was a library built from using the foundation of the tree. Lance couldn't help but whistle as he was impressed they utilized the very foundation of the tree to make the library, “That’s impressive! Literally using the tree as the foundations of the library…”

A smile formed on Fluttershy’s face as she knocked on the door, “Thank you, you can thank the ponies for doing something like this.” A loud coming was heard as footsteps were slowly getting louder.

The timid pegasus backed away from the door as it opened. In front of the door was a baby dragon opening the door. A smile formed on the little dragon’s face as he waved to Fluttershy, “Hey there Fluttershy!” The dragon looked at the six who were caught off guard by another mythological creature being here. Their surprise slowly faded seeing that there was only so much they do not know, “Yo! I see that you’re to see all of us right?”

All six nodded to his answer as the little dragon moved out of the way for them to enter inside the library. Fluttershy joined in as she hugged the dragon, “Thank you Spike. I do hope the others come…”

Spike smiled as the timid Pegasus let go of him, “No problem Fluttershy! Twilight is getting them all, you’re just a bit earlier than expected.” He stepped up towards the six and extended his hand out, “Hi, I’m Spike though Fluttershy already said the name out loud so yeah…”

Vargas reached out and grabbed his hand and shook, “You are a brave dragon for coming towards us even though you never seen us Spike.”

Spike scratched his head as he let a small chuckle escape, “Yeah, I get that a lot sometimes…” He cleared his throat as he let go of Vargas’s hand, “So, you okay to tell me your names?”

Atro let out a chuckle a chuckle of his own. He was rather surprised to see a young dragon like Spike be ever so curious about him and his friends. It did warm his heart to have someone’s curiosity though, “As much as we would like to, perhaps you can wait when Fluttershy’s friends come here? You can hear our names as we introduce ourselves to them.”

Spike snapped his fingers as he understood the basic idea, “Right, gotcha! Well if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go upstairs to eat up some gemstones. Goodness am I hungry!” Spike waved at the six as he went rushing upstairs. The footsteps begun to get quieter as all six watched him ascend.

As the steps become quiet, the whole library went silent. Selena looked at her friends and decided to break the silence as they waited for Fluttershy's friends to come, “Such a well-behaved dragon even for someone as young as Spike don’t you think?”

Eze could not help but agree with the ice hero there, “For once I can agree, I mean sure we have our fair share of dragons that can be generous if they wish too but that kid? That kid would make all of our current dragons jealous as a pack of goblins…”

All five chuckled hearing the analogy used there, “Ha, well there’s an analogy I did not expect to hear from Eze himself.”

“It’s the truth Magress and you know it!” The dark hero could only just shrug to his response not wanting to debate about this with the idiot swordsman. A title like that would make anyone mad but for the thunder hero, he took it proudly and went with it. Eze took notice of all the books that were here. Of course, he wasn't too surprised since they are in a library but the amount of books here was still staggering to say the least, "Sheesh, look at all these books... I'm not much of a reader but goodness, someone sure is quite a bookworm if I says so..." He looked into the shelves that were arranged in alphabetical order. One book caught his attention however as he pulled it out. Just as he saw the cover, he was having trouble stifling his laughter, "Are... Are you kidding me?" All five looked at him, wondering what was making him almost laugh, "T-There's a beginner's book for sleepovers?!" He opened the books and immediately exploded into laughter. He was having difficulty speaking out the words as he was choking from his laughter, "I-I can't believe... they would put... so much detail... into something as basic as sleepovers!"

Vargas picked up the book his friend dropped when he collapsed. Looking into the book itself, he too was also trying to stifle his laughter but unlike his compatriot, he was successful in trying to not collapse into a laughing fit, "Wow... That's... a lot of detail for something like a sleepover alright... there's even a step by step process for sleepovers?" Eze was laughing even harder from hearing such a thing. Vargas could only chuckle as he put the book back in its rightful place, "Well... I wonder if someone actually read the book... probably someone who was a shut-in..."

Fluttershy chuckled while she put back a strand of her mane into place, "Well, um... one of my friends was actually what you described mister..." As Eze was struggling to keep his laughter in check, the rest went to hear the rest of what Fluttershy had to say. The attention did make her shrink again but knowing that they are gentle however, eased her for the most part, "Well um... She didn't know about sleepovers due to being so focused on her studies until she met me and four others... When we became friends, she wanted to try all that out since she never did do it once in her life... Oh and um... that's not the only book too. She's even got books about other basic things like um..."

"Like how to do something like say, performing a task such as being a lawyer in a day or so?" A nod confirmed the question. By the time Eze managed to recover and heard that, he exploded into laughter once again. Atro could only sigh as his friend being like so, "Excuse my struggling friend here, apparently he finds it funny..."

"That... That's because it is! I-I mean, who writes a book about becoming a lawyer in a day?! Everybody knows... that you'd have to take a decades worth of learning to even be considered... a lawyer! What, did it have these words in it too? Smite thy prosecuting knave and make the whelp feel thy wrath of the glorious voice of justice?" When he saw Fluttershy meekly nod, he was very close to bursting to laughter once again. The thunder hero barely managed to stop his laughter. He placed his hand on a table and used it as support to bring himself back up. He wiped away a few tears of mirth as he was taking a few breaths from his laughing spree, "Oh by the Gods... I'm never going to forget this moment..."

Lance let a sigh escape after his laughter charade, "Like you would really forget it that easily..." Eze's answer was a simple shrug. A smile formed on the nature hero's face though as he looked at all the books gathered here, "Still, I think I might go for a read or two since we're here early... I don't think the librarian will mind right?"

Fluttershy nodded seemingly conforming his question before putting a hoof on her chin thinking about the answer carefully, "Well, I don't think she'll mind, as long as..." Just as she was about to say the requirement, someone was beginning to open the door. Fluttershy looked alongside the six before she smiled seeing that Twilight managed to gather everypony, “Twilight, um… welcome back to the library?”

A look of surprise dawned upon Twilight before a smile emerged upon her face as she turned to see Fluttershy with the six humans here as well, “Thanks Fluttershy, but… I didn’t expect you to bring them so early; I just got our friends to come.” As she said that, everypony arrived through the door as she moved out out of the way. The only pony who didn't do so was Rainbow who decided to dramatically enter through the window. Twilight gave a questionable look seeing the cyan mare doing her acrobatics. She couldn’t help but fathom what was going on in her thoughts right now, “Rainbow, is it really the best time to do that?”

The athletic mare put her two forelegs on her waist and puffed her chest, “Of course it’s the best time to do it! I want them to be awed by my flying skills!” She looked towards the thunder hero who was looking at her with curiosity. It made a bit giddy seeing that she got the attention of the hero that made her curious as well. She continued to stay afloat as she turned her attention towards Twilight, "Besides, I like to be a bit dramatic with my entry!"

Rarity and Applejack could only sigh with their bombastic friend, "Ya know, it wouldn't hurt t' be a l'il bit not bombastic fer once in a while Rainbow... Some o' us would rather just get t' the point? Like Ah said before? Back in Canterlot?"

Unfortunately for Applejack, while she acknowledged it, she decided to start an argument of all times, "Aw come on! You know I gotta do a good first impression! I just gotta! Rarity, back me up here please?"

She raised a hoof over her chest looking a bit flabbergasted, "Why me? Couldn't you handle this situation on your own Rainbow, surely it's not too much trouble right?" Twilight stepped in and was trying to stop the ensuing conversation between the four of them but to her regret, she was too late as she ended up joining their argument soon after.

Meanwhile as they were chatting with Rainbow, the six humans with Pinkie, Spike and Fluttershy just watched them bicker. They looked at each other wondering if this was normal routine for them. The thunder hero decided to switch the topic as he leaned in next to all of them as he whispered, “You know, I like that rainbow-maned pegasus.”

The five of them chuckled when he made that statement as they all can plainly see why Eze would like the cyan mare. Lance decided to gladly point it out for him, “That’s because all of us including you can see her being your pony counterpart if you ever had one friend.”

“Hey that’s…!” Eze fell silent as the thought echoed in his mind. Relenting with a sigh, he let a smile form while he was scratching his head, “Yeah, I guess that can be true…” They turn to see that four of the mares were still arguing with one another. They saw Fluttershy was the first to try and stop the argument. Sadly, she couldn't due to her being too quiet for her friends and the fellow humans to notice. Pinkie tried to as well but they were more focused on the argument then the party pony herself. One small sweat bead escaped from the thunder hero seeing them act like this, “I know that friends can argue sometimes whether it goes by quickly or not but... Is this supposed to be this long?”

Everyone was very confused about this whole charade with those four, “You're just thinking that they're taking long Eze but I have to agree on one thing, this is getting ridiculous...” Magress turned to see everyone nodding in agreement. Atro shook his head seeing that this was getting nowhere with their conversation right now. He turned to Spike who just came walking down the stairs and even he agrees that this was getting out of hand. Magress dropped his shield and lance as he begun to walk up, “I’ll see if I can separate those four now…”

Before he did though, the armored knight felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Lance stopping him in place, “Wait, let me try something…”

Although the nature hero could not tell whether he was smiling or not behind the helmet, he can tell it was there now as he stepped back for him, “I will not stop you Lance, do as you must though I am predicting that you want to see if the power within your pike is still there?”

The adventurer smiled seeing that his friend got the basic idea, “You always know what we are thinking don’t you Magress?” He just shrugged as he crossed his arms wanting to see the reaction of those four when he does it. Lance chuckled seeing the dark hero being a bit mischievous. Looking at the four first before shifting his attention to the Demon Pike, he closed his eyes as he tries to call forth the spirit residing within the pike, Drevas, are you alive? I wish to speak with you…

Silence within the pike was his answer as he waited. Lance was a bit worried for the spirit and tried to speak with him again. As he was about to speak though, a loud yawn was heard only to the nature hero. He couldn’t help but let a small chuckle escape hearing Drevas of all spirits yawning, Hello Lance, I see that you are not a tree… Another yawn escaped from the spirit. A few seconds into the yawn though, the words he said clicked within the spirit. Shock was the last thing Lance expected from Drevas, Wait, you are not a tree anymore? But how can this be? I thought the curse had already taken affect on your body…

Lance shared the spirit’s reaction. He too was surprised that he was not a tree anymore but comparing to his spirit friend, he was not too concerned with the detail. What did concern him was how he and his friends reverted back to their base form when they were at full strength before. Everyone probably had shared his thoughts but again, it did not bother them much. He returned his attention back to the four mares still arguing, Drevas, I wish to be sure but do I still has the power of the earth with me?

The spirit let out a small chuckle hearing that, Of course Lance, you still have the ability to utilize the earth below you but there is something else that concerns me. The adventurer raised an eyebrow at that remark, It is about the Demon Pike’s curse, for some reason I cannot fathom, I have partial control of the curse…

Lance’s eyes widened a bit from hearing this revelation but was also confused with his friend saying that he could partially control the curse, You mean that if I were to tap into the Pike’s greatest strength, the curse will not consume regardless of me using it constantly? That is a good thing to know! But... what do you mean by partially?

The spirit immediately answered his question though he tried his best to hide his sorrow, Like what you said, the curse will not consume you even if you tap into the full strength of the pike. However, I am still stuck in this form... Lance was a bit distraught hearing that from Drevas. The spirit shared his feeling but was able to share some of the nature hero’s joy with one thing he now had, Don't worry Lance, I'm fine with this condition. If there is one good thing about this is that we have time on our side to research for a remedy for my ailment, that should be enough for you to smile yes? Lance did indeed smile hearing that from his friend. Drevas chuckled before returning back to the topic at hand, I knew you would smile... Now what do you wish to do?

Lance looked towards the four ponies who were still locked in their argument, See those four ponies? They have been constantly arguing to each other for some time and I want us to be able to introduce ourselves, I wish to stop them with the very tree I’m standing on...

A whistle came out first before a chuckle escaped from the spirit, Feeling a bit mischievous aren’t we? Hmm, it is rather interesting to see two unicorns, a pegasus and an earth pony argue to each other and having different coats and mane, both in color and design. Lance raised his eyebrow again from hearing that Drevas knew about this already. The spirit chuckled from the adventurer’s reaction, Come now Lance, you forget that we share the same eyes and minds so of course I can see. That and the races I had already knew, it is just the colors that throw me off. I believe we have chatted long enough, shall we begin?

Lance let a smile form, Yes, let us begin Drevas. He looked at the four bickering as he imagined the tree coming to life below them. As he closed his eyes, he felt the very earth below him shift itself as the roots begun to grow below the four. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie noticed and turned their attention to Lance who was smiling. Although Fluttershy was worried that he might hurt them, Pinkie let a small giggle escape seeing him do this and promised that they will be alright. A small smile formed hearing Pinkie's words thus she decided to trust her words and let the nature hero do what he was doing.

Five of the heroes noticed the roots of the tree were beginning to sprout below the four ponies. They looked at each other before letting a little chuckle escape. Lance soon then opened his eyes as he saw his handiwork coming to fruition. A grin formed as the roots begun to grow slowly until it was big enough to entangle the four of them. Having had enough time preparing it, he tapped Drevas on the ground once. The tap was quiet but the results spoke for themselves as the roots begin to develop.

The roots of the trees were rising slowly below the four arguing mares. Twilight, in her heated argument with Rainbow, noticed the roots beginning to grow. Her becoming quiet for a split second was noticed by the other three mares. They were about to ask why the silence before Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity were being lifted into the air and getting entangled by roots, “Ey! What gives!? Why am Ah bein’ wrapped by roots!?”

“I don’t know Applejack! Just get them off of my coat and mane!” screamed Rarity as she was struggling to get out of the roots that wrapped her.

“Really Rarity? You’re freaking out over your mane and coat getting caught by roots? I’m freaking out over how roots are managing to entangle us!” Twilight was struggling to get out of the roots alongside her other two compatriots.

Rainbow suppressed a laugh before she herself got wrapped in the roots. She was not pleased with being a part of what three were dealing, “Hey, what gives!? Who’s tying me up with roots now!?” She tried to fly out of the roots but her wings were bind together preventing from flying. All four were struggling to get out of the roots that bind them in the air. Pinkie and Eze erupted in laughter as they collapsed to the ground, their hand and hoof pounding away at it. Spike joined in their laughter as he fell backwards and was shaking his legs around while clutching his chest.

Twilight was not amused by their laughter, “Not funny you three! Get us out of this predicament please!” Just as she asked that question, the roots begun to loosen and lower the three mares save the pegasus as if by command. Their hooves touch the ground and the roots returned back literally inside the tree.

The roots binding Rainbow released the cyan pegasus. She backed away from the returning roots just in case. As she saw them return back inside the tree, she moved around freely, “Finally! I hate having my wings wrapped like that…”

Applejack couldn’t help but snicker a bit from that respone, “Yeah, like we haven’t tied up yer wings like that before…” That earned a glare from Rainbow. The apple farmer just shrugs much to the cyan mare’s annoyance though she was still bothered by one thing, “But never mind that, what or how in tarnation did ‘em roots do that?”

Twilight was bothered about that as much as Applejack was. She was rubbing her head confused by how this came to be. Fluttershy poked her back trying to get her attention. She turned to her fellow friend wondering if she knew about the roots, “Fluttershy? You know how did those roots do it?”

“Um… yes?” Her answer made Twilight’s eyes widen. She shrunk back a bit waiting for her to tackle her down and ask her quickly. When it didn’t come, she decided to answer not wanting to make the smart unicorn wait any longer, “Um… the answer’s in front of you four…”

Twilight was baffled by what she meant with her answer. All four did respond to her answer and looked in front of them. They saw Lance pulling his pike out of the tree. The nature hero looked at the four with a smirk, “I believe I have managed to catch your attention now right?”

Three of the mares gaped hearing that he performed that feat. Rainbow on the other hoof did not enjoy that as she flew extremely close to his face and was scrunching, “Not… Cool… At… All…! You know I hate having my wings tied up like that!”

Atro could only sigh seeing this pegasus was not thinking straight. He can see the similarity between her and Eze clearly. The light hero stepped in front of the cyan mare, “Forgive me there Miss, but you have forgotten that we haven’t even introduced each other to all of you. So how are we supposed to know that you do not like your wings being bounded?”

Rainbow raised her hoof and opened her mouth as she was about to protest against the light hero’s words. As the words clicked though, she lowered her hoof and let out a sigh of defeat. Atro smiled seeing that the cyan mare was able to see sense, “Thank you for seeing sense miss…?”

A sincere smile formed upon the athletic mare’s face, “Heh, the name’s Rainbow Dash… I hope you guys don’t forget my name because I’m going to have to knock some sense into ya!”

Eze chortled hearing her say those words, “Wow, definitely might be my pony counterpart hearing that from her, so Rainbow Dash eh? The Rainbow definitely fits considering your mane and tail but the Dash makes me curious...”

She let a smile form as she informed him about her last name, "Isn't it obvious? I'm the fastest flyer second to none! No one could match my speed ever!" She then flew closer to the thunder hero’s face as they stared at each other, “As for the Rainbow, my parents gave me that name! You got anything else funny to say about my name tough guy?”

The swordsman was gripping his sword tightly as a smile formed on his face. His five compatriots knew that look plastered on his face. All five backed away a bit waiting to see what will come now. The five ponies mimicked their actions wanting to be cautious about this, “Not really much Rainbow, but I can say this. You're fast? Well guess what? I strike fast like thunder! Poof, gone in a blink of an eye! So how about this for a start?! Wanna fight you and me?!”

Rainbow backed up from his face, a bit surprised about suddenly being challenged. She can see that the challenge was not only about who was the fastest but it would be an actual fight. A grin formed as she inched herself closer to Eze, “Yeah, I’d like that! Think you can hit the fastest flyer in Equestria!?”

The detail of location escaped the thunder hero but not his five friends. They looked at each other wondering about this Equestria Rainbow spoke of. They decided to ask after Eze’s little chat with the cyan mare. Looking at the swordsman, they noticed thunder clouds slowly forming above his head as they continued to stare at each other. The five ponies noticed as well as they were wondering whether to panic a bit from this or not, “Oh I’m not worried about not hitting, I’m more worried to see if you can avoid my lightning strikes with my sword Batootha!” He raised his sword to his shoulder while still grinning proudly. The gray cloud begins to fully develop as lightning rained down around the two of them.

The show of raining thunder did intimidate Rainbow alongside her friends a bit but it also confirmed what the princesses said about them being able to manipulate their respective elements. To actually see it only made the cyan mare more determined and excited to fight Eze having been curious about how powerful and fast he really was, “Oh yeah!?”

“Most definitely deserving of a yeah Rainbow!” Both stared down at each as the cloud above them continued to grow and rain down thunder. The bearers backed away with haste as one of the lightning strikes almost hit them. They were beginning to panic seeing that this might go bad.

Twilight looked at the five heroes seeing their expression not showing even a single hint of panic. In her panicking state, she questioned why they were not reacting to this predicament. All ten looked at the human and the pegasus staring down each other still waiting for something to happen. For what felt like minutes passed, the cloud hovering above the two staring began to shrink to almost normal levels. As it shrank, a small snicker escaped the both of them. By the time the cloud disappeared, both Rainbow and Eze erupted into full-blown laughter, “Oh man, was that epic or what?!”

Rainbow was on the ground clutching her chest as she was trying to stop herself from laughing, “Yeah… that was… diabolically epic!” She continued laughing with the thunder hero as they were rolling around on the floor.

Applejack did not take that lightly from the cyan mare, “Now wait just a darn tootin’ minute! Ah was ‘fraid that y’all were goin’ t’ actually fight each other within the library no less! Ah mean those thunder clouds!”

As she was about to continue, she felt a… hand? She turned to see the light hero behind her. That caused the four sans Pinkie to react a bit from his sudden appearance, “Trust me miss, this is something that me and my friends have grown accustomed to with Eze. It’s best to not question it right now…”

The apple farmer was about to retort to that but thought better of it and let it slide for now, “If ya insist mister…?”

A smile formed upon Atro’s face, “Please, no need for the formalities between us, just our names will do.”

Applejack let out a sigh she didn’t realize she was holding onto. She was glad to have at least someone who wasn’t into formal stuff, “Well ain’t that swell! Ah don’t like bein’ all formal an’ all that habaloo…”

A chuckle escaped from the light hero as he stood up. A small but bright flash formed around as he returned back to his friend’s side. Twilight noticed and couldn’t help but bring it up, “You can teleport?”

A smile formed upon the former squire, “Yes, I can teleport. I am to assume that you can teleport as well if you are asking that question?”

Twilight quickly nodded and was smiling with glee seeing someone that is not a unicorn or an alicorn can teleport, “Oh this is a major discovery! If you can teleport, I wonder if you all…” A sound of a throat being cleared knocked her out of her stupor. She looked to see Vargas clearing his throat, “Oh! Hehe, sorry…” She was wearing a sheepish grin as well as scratching her head.

Vargas could only smile seeing the purple mare being silly, “No worries, it is in the past. I believe we have held off the introductions for too long yes?” All twelve currently here nodded to his question. His entire crew of compatriots looked at the six ponies and one dragon as they stood there, “Do the rest of you wish to introduce yourselves to us first? We already know Spike, Rainbow, and Fluttershy leaving the rest of you mares left.”

They all saw where this was going. The bearers looked at each other wondering who wishes to introduced themselves first. They all look at Applejack who let a smile form on her face, “Well if Ah’m going first, might as well get it over with…” She stepped forward looking at the six with a smile as she raised her Stetson high, “Howdy there y’all! Mah name’s Applejack an’ Ah hope t’ please y’all with some delicious apple treats someday!” She put her Stetson back and spat into her hoof. She extended towards them.

Although some were bothered by the spit gesture, a smile formed on all six. Selena came first as she extended her hand and shook her hoof. Unbeknownst to Applejack, the ice hero froze her saliva and broke it into icy chunks. As Selena stopped shaking the apple farmer’s hoof and returned back to her compatriots, she leaned next to all five and whispered, “Do not worry, I froze her saliva and shattered it without her noticing.”

All of them let a quiet chuckle escape as they all went up and shook Applejack’s hoof. After all six managed to shake her hoof, the next in line was the fashionista. She walked towards them in a professional manner. This made three of the heroes look at her questionably. Rarity noticed that Vargas, Eze, and Lance, were the ones looking at her oddly. She let a little chuckle escape from embarrassing herself like that, “Was it a bad idea to try to be professional about this?”

Applejack facehooved from hearing and seeing Rarity do something like this. If she were to be track of how many facehooved they did currently, she would have about their recent one and more counting if things were to go bad again. To her surprise, the three were chuckling seeing Rarity’s antics. Vargas decided to take note of this, “Not really, it just a bit both questionable and amusing is all.”

Rarity let a smile form, she never expected that three of them to be gentle in their words. She cleared her throat letting her true self be shown, “Well then, perhaps I should retry that again this time without the mannerisms. Hello there darlings, my name is Rarity. Sorry for all of that, I tend to get a bit... excited I guess.” She extended a hoof waiting for the new arrivals… appendages... whatever replaced their hooves.

All shook her hoof and patted her head gently trying not to ruin her mane. She couldn’t but let a little squee escape seeing them being gentle with her mane. She backed away and gestured the rest to introduce themselves. Applejack and Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle a bit seeing Rarity trying to be subtle. After the white mare returned back to her friend’s side, Pinkie came up and did her usual antics, “Hi I’m Pinkie Pie! Oh, where are you from? Can you adapt to Equestria? Can you all fly, oh so many questions! I can’t decide which one to ask!”

All six looked at each other trying to understand what the party pony said. The only thing they were able to understand with her speaking fast was her name, “Uh yes, hello Pinkie… good to see you?” It was all Vargas could only say to end this conversation quickly.

Before Pinkie got the chance to ask more questions at an almost impossible speed for the six, a magenta glow enveloped the party pony as she was moved behind the other five bearers. She pouted a bit before returning back to her cheery outlook. Twilight stepped up, nervousness clear in her eyes, “Sorry Pinkie, but you know that they'd have a hard time understanding when you speak that fast right?”

Pinkie let a giggle escape as she waved a dismissive hoof, "Of course I know silly! Maybe I should write down the questions for them? Oh, I almost forgot! I got to get the party ready soon!" Just as she said that, she left immediately leaving a dust silhouette of her before it dissipated away.

All the humans were left questioning what just happened. Twilight noticed the look and tried to rectify it for them, "It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it. Trust me, I tried and it left my mind in pain from understanding her." A sincere smile formed with all six. They gave the purple mare some time to compose herself as she breathed in and out. At her final breath, she looked at the six with dignity, “Hello to the six of you, my name’s Twilight Sparkle. It’s a pleasure to meet all six of you…” Twilight let a small chuckle escape seeing how silly that introduction was.

Despite how silly she thought her introduction was, the others still wore their smile. It was almost unbelievable that six unknown creatures would continue to smile even with beings they don’t even know. Oh sure Twilight and her friends have seen crazier things but six entities continuing to smile? It was almost unheard of with the exception of Pinkie. Having done the introductions for her friends, she backed up and gestured the Six Heroes to introduce themselves, “We’re done with our introductions, care to introduce yourselves to us?”

Five of the heroes looked at Vargas and gestured him to represent for them. A small laugh escape as he stepped forward, “Guess I shall be the one to represent the six of us then…” The fire hero cleared his throat as the words came to him, “We are known to many of our friends and allies as the Six Heroes. I am Vargas, Hero of Fire from the empire of Agni.”

Everypony looked at each other seemingly sharing the same thoughts about what Princess Luna noted back in Canterlot. Hearing one of them say so confirmed what the spirits said for them. Selena stepped forth after Vargas moved out of the way. A sudden chill was felt in the library like the very room was undergoing winter itself. While it befuddled the dragon as to why the sudden temperature change, the bearers know about it however. Just feeling the chill of ice from Selena stepping forward made them awe at such capability of their respective elements. They decided to focus on that for another time as the ice hero spoke, “I am Selena, the Hero of Ice. I was the chief of the traveling Savat people and the former leader of my kin before... before…” At those words, Selena looked upon her ancestral sword seeing the reflection of herself and her allies. From her closest friend Lucina, to the prince of the Sama kingdom Arius, all of them were seen with her reflection. She closed her eyes and lowered her sword trying to not remember the pain of not knowing what was going on back home, “I am sorry about that, but I am feeling rather homesick…”

Hearing those words urged the six bearers to comfort the ice hero. They were about to until they were stopped by Lance. They were about to argue why stop them when his words spoke his intentions, “I can see that you sympathize with her, but I would advise just giving her some alone time if you know what I mean. We want to comfort her as well but we know her well enough that she wishes to be left alone for now. She’ll tell all of us if she needs someone to comfort her in her time of need. Let’s just get the introductions over with. I’m sorry if I sound rude though…”

The bearers were reluctant at first to listen to the nature hero’s advice. From looking at Selena who was alone for now, it was making them feel bad for wanting to break his advice and embrace the ice hero. In the end, they accepted his request and backed away, “Alright, but only because you wished to give her some time to be left alone.”

A smile formed upon Lance’s face, “Thank you Twilight for understanding and again, I’m sorry but for Selena’s sake, it’s best to wait until she asks.” They nodded as they sat down waiting for the nature hero to introduce himself, “Okay then, I am Lance, Hero of Nature. I come from the country of Vriksha where the Great Tree said to originate from…” He showed the pike held within his hand to the seven in front of him, “This is my weapon Drevas. While it may not look like anything special, it actually is because within the pike, a spirit named after my weapon resides in it…” Twilight was about to ask if she can make contact with the spirit within the pike but Lance’s answer silenced her quickly, “And no Twilight, only I can make contact with the spirit, sorry if you wanted to speak with him.”

The curious mare was left a bit distraught over not being able to make a telepathic connection with the spirit within the pike but if what Lance said was true then there was no point in continuing. Still, to actually hear it from him made Fluttershy a bit saddened over the pike's current state. The nature hero moved out of the way for Eze to step forth, “Thank for the long introduction Lance, really appreciate it!”

The nature hero could only shrug to the thunder hero’s usual sarcastic lines. Now it was Eze’s turn to introduce himself to the bearers. He was going to be a bit idiotic in his first impressions. He knew that but hey, he wasn’t called the greatest idiot swordsman for nothing, “The name’s Eze…” He put his right index finger on his head and tapped it three times as if to put emphasis on remembering his name, “Got it memorized?”

A chuckle escaped from Vargas, “You know, for someone who is called the greatest idiot swordsman who ever lived… that action proves it otherwise. Besides, they already knew your name thanks to us mentioning it a few times...”

The thunder hero looked at Vargas with a look of displeasure, “And I didn't like it when you did that! I wanted them to tell them and help them remember my name!” His look however gave way to a smirk as the title the fire hero said clicked in his head, “Oh and thanks for saying the title of the greatest idiot swordsman out loud for me, I really appreciate it!”

Vargas could only shrug much to his amusement. Rainbow was laughing over seeing Eze being like her in a lot of ways. The others were a bit confused about it. Atro could only sigh as he stepped forth, “Forgive Eze for that, he’s known to be a klutz at times…”

“Hey! I am not a klutz! There’s a difference between an idiot and a klutz Atro!” Lance could only facepalm seeing Eze shining as being the idiot now.

The light hero sighed and shook his head in disapproval, “Again forgive him there, he can be a bit hard-headed…”

“A bit?” Twilight covered her mouth back trying to take back her words she said.

Atro covered his mouth trying to not a laugh escape, “Yes a bit… but enough of that. Though Eze already said my name out, I’ll say it again. My name is Atro, Hero of Light. It is a pleasure to introduce myself to you seven.”

Spike, much to his surprise, was being addressed with the bearers. He couldn’t help but bring it up despite it being a good thing, “Wait, why am I a part of this all of a sudden, I didn’t do anything extravagant with the six here… I’m normally just off doing something else while they're going some grand thing or anything really…”

Atro smiled as he put a hand on the baby dragon’s shoulder, “Ah but that’s where you are wrong, for you see, I can see that you have potential to be something great Spike. The time will come when you will get the chance to do something grand as you put it…”

Twilight let a smile form as she put her hoof on his left shoulder, “See Spike, even Atro himself seems to share something I can agree with. You’ll get the chance to shine, just maybe not now like he says.”

Spike felt a small smile form as he hugged both Twilight and Atro, “Thanks you two, I really needed that.”

Atro was not so sure on how to respond but decide to return the gesture back, “It is nothing young Spike; it’s Twilight who you should be thanking.” As the young dragon let him go, the light hero backed away letting the two embrace each other. It was a heartwarming scene that everyone within the library can agree with. He looked to Magress who was the last one to be introduced.

The dark hero noticed that all five of the heroes were looking at him. Though his helmet hid his face, a small grin formed behind the mask. He stepped forward, his armor clanking loudly and his steps foreboding as Fluttershy could attest to. As he revealed himself, the six mares did take one small step back over seeing the only one of the heroes who was clad in armor to be a bit terrifying. Before he got the chance to introduce himself, Rarity let a small scared laugh escape, “Uh darling, why don’t you take off your armor so we can see your… um, beautiful face behind the helmet?” Magress shook his head, much to Rarity’s confusion, "Why not? I really in--"

Before she got the chance to insist him to take off his armor, he spoke with a rather calm yet firm tone that while sounded soothing felt like it was betrayed by his dark appearance, “I cannot Rarity, for you see, beneath the armor, I am not human like my friends behind me anymore. I am become a being that neither is human nor god…”

All seven were baffled by what he meant. Selena managed to step up, her expression before of grief, now to one of calmness, “Magress speaks the truth, not even the five of us know what he looks behind the armor but his body is stained of the blood of Gods who fell before the Hero of Darkness.”

Rarity was very much surprised to hear that blood from enemies he faced stained his very body and armor. Jus as she was about to faint, Pinkie bought our her fainting couch for her. She then fainted dramatically. Though the bearers did share Rarity’s surprise, they also share one other surprise that Applejack bought up, “Y’all killed yer enemies? All six o’ ya?”

All of them nodded before Vargas decided to step up, “Where we originated from, we are at war against Gods who ordered our extinction…” The word extinction echoed with six of them causing them to flinch from the use of the word, “Thus, we had to kill to survive… I am sorry if it bothered you especially since this Equestria we are standing on has been known to have relative peace.” All the ponies looked a bit embarrassed a letting that detail slip pass but it didn't bother them too much. He looked at his compatriots seeing if they shared his thoughts about Equestria. They all nodded and agreed on one thing, Equestria was a diverse universe separating itself from the war torn Grand Gaia. Alternate worlds was not foreign to the six of them as many warriors came from other worlds whether by call or because of untold riches.

The bearers glanced at each other now getting to at least know the Six Heroes. They were still a bit shaken over the idea of these beings, gentle as they are, being able to kill enemies. The idea of their world being torn by war and the amount of bloodshed caused by that war was enough to make them concerned. Twilight made one glance at her friends before looking back at the six, “So… your world is under turmoil by Gods… then why are you here if your world is still fighting?”

They looked at each other seemingly lost as well. The ice hero spoke for them, “We do not know Twilight, during our time there, all of us fell to the same knight that held two intricate swords. At that moment, we all thought to have supposedly faced our fate and were heading to the afterlife.” She clutched her head seemingly remembering the feeling of the attack, "I can still faintly remember how I died..." Her words prompted Vargas, Magress and Atro to clutch the respective areas where the blade entered and were still a bit shaken from it.

Just as Rarity picked herself from hearing what Magress said, she was about to faint once more before stopping herself. The rest widened their eyes upon hearing this revelation, “Wait… you all… d-d-d..." Twilight was having trouble saying the one word. She knew what it was and it was on the tip of her tongue yet the word was so foreign to... everypony really.

They all understood the word Twilight was wishing to say but were debating on actually saying it as well seeing the unicorn struggling to even say the word. Not only that but they also recalled what Fluttershy said. They were tempted to be left silent about this touchy matter for the ponies' sake but decided to speak it to get this out if the way, "Died...?" Twilight could only meekly nod at hearing the word. All six were at a loss on how to approach this. Being in a world that hasn't faced a conflict for years to come compared to their war-worn world was quite a change and a hard one at that. In the end, it was Vargas who confirmed their answer, "Yes... We have... died, back in our world."

As he said that, Twilight seemingly collapsed as she sat down looking shocked, devastated, and at a loss of words. All of her friends came to her side instantly, worried for her sake. The six humans, while glad to see them perform the gesture, felt melancholic about having to tell and confirmed their answer. Spike was beginning to worry for Twilight as he tried to get her attention, "Twilight? A-Are you feeling...?"

She put a hoof on her dragon friend's shoulder in response to his question, "I-I'm... alright Spike..." After she said that, she gestured everyone to head upstairs hoping to converse them about what they learned now, “Um… could you excuse us for a moment, I want to chat with my friends here, is that okay?”

“We are patient, take your time…” Atro said. Twilight forced a smile hoping that she could ease her friend's concerns. While it temporarily worked on her pony friends and Spike, the six humans on the other hand, can tell that she was not clearly happy. As he saw them heading up the stairs, he looked towards his friends noticing that everyone all wore the same expression, that being of concern, "So... we share the same thoughts on us having to share that... sensitive information to them?"

Every one of them nodded as they looked towards the ponies that were heading upstairs. Selena was the first to break the silence as she couldn't help but speak her thoughts out on the matter, "How long... how long do you think they were under the prospect of peace? Just seeing their reactions to even a small mention of death, I'd assume it was for a long time, perhaps a mere five centuries or so..."

Magress could only let a sigh out as he contemplated the question, "Who is to say Selena? If they were to have a reaction like that with us mentioning death and blood, then your assumption would definitely be the most likely..." Silence lingered for some time with the dark hero as he pondered about it. Every logical thing in his mind about the long years of peace were only theories at best but one question stood out with all of them, "But even if that is true... would one being alone be able to continually keep the conflict away from their subjects, friends, and family for so long? Wouldn't they grow tired of keeping this charade for what seems like forever?"

Everyone was left blank towards this question. It was when Lance remembered a certain detail they let slip that they decided to act upon it immediately, "Well... We are in a library right now, might as well do some research about that question... It could help pass the time while they're having a conversation."

They all nodded and looked through the shelves hoping to find any history books that could help them. Despite Eze not being much of a reader as he noted, he felt it best to at least study up so he doesn't end up accidently saying something that could be considered a sensitive topic to the ponies. He may be an idiot but at least wouldn't be rude to any culture in mind. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that they all hurt them on a personal level without them wanting too, "Do you think they'll be alright? I know that we were talking about us dying and all that, but... I kind of am worried for them."

Vargas looked relatively surprised to hear something like that out of the thunder hero but smiled seeing him show this rare side of him, to completely new people too for that matter as well, "I'm sure they'll be alright Eze... With a bond that strong and a friendship that tightly knitted together, I'd think they can handle what will be thrown at them together." All of them smiled in response before returning back to learning more about this world.

During that time, all of them were upstairs ready to converse with each other about the revelation spoken by Vargas. However, they overheard the Six Heroes being worried and showing them a respect they admittedly felt was joyous in a way. However, what stood out to Twilight the most from their short chat was Magress's questions. It echoed in her thoughts for some time seemingly making her forget why she gathered her friends up here in the first place. It took some time for to recall why they were up here until Spike snapped her back into reality, "Twilight? You okay? You're zoning out again..."

Twilight smiled at first seemingly looking well for the most part. That smile soon faded away as she looked at the six humans one more time before closing the door, “Not really Spike, I'm still shocked by the idea that they were already... well...”

Rainbow was able to easily pick up what she was trying to say and despite still not used to saying the word, was able to speak out what was lingering in her thoughts, “Right... dead, back in their home world... Oh sweet Celestia... I never thought I actually had to say the word there."

Fluttershy was shivering from hearing about this but was also holding back some tears from thinking about it all, “I-I… didn’t know that they were going to die... H-how could someone be so evil to kill them... I can at least understand since they mentioned war but still... Those poor things, having to face their... fates, when they were needed the most…”

They all looked at Fluttershy with a look of sympathy; they can see why she was feeling like that for them even though she just met and got to learn about them personally. Applejack lowered her hat seeing the reason but further than that, “Poor 'em… Ah wonder how their family an’ friends, if they’re even alive at that point, feel ‘bout losin' them t’ the war.”

They all looked down on the floor seeing where the apple farmer was getting at. With the sudden change of topic, they thought best to think about how their friends and family would react. Something did click within Rarity’s mind though she still was feeling the sympathy that everyone was sharing, “It does explain why they were critically injured almost to the point of... well, what both princesses said…”

Pinkie was downcast like the rest at first seemingly not wanting to ruin the moment, "Yeah... It kinda does..." before becoming her bubbly self and tried to lighten up their hearts, “But come on girls!” Spike cleared his throat trying to get her attention, “Oh silly, of course I didn’t forget you Spike! Anyway, let’s not all be sad and let’s try to cheer ourselves up! if what they said is true, then we might as well make their lives here as good as they can be! Who knows, maybe we can help them back in their world as well! I could even lead one of those epic parties to boot!”

Although it only did so much, her words managed to get everyone out of their stupor and they begun to feel a bit positive despite what the topic was, “You’re right Pinkie, if what they said is true, then we might as well make their lives worth being here! I really do hope that we can help them someday...”

“Yeah Twilight! Now come on! I need to prep up the library for the Welcome to Equestria party for all six of them!” All six chuckled seeing Pinkie being herself as usual.

Twilight went out first to check up on the Six Heroes. She was not too surprised to see them still reading up on the history books about Equestria. She can tell they were immersed in it save probably Eze though she can’t tell as they were reading without even noticing the clattering of hoofsteps going down the stairs. By the time everyone was downstairs, Vargas lowered the book seeing them, “Oh you’re here, sorry we didn’t hear you coming down.”

They stopped reading the books and put them back in the correct bookshelves. Twilight wanted to thank them personally for that but decided to wait for now, “It’s no problem, it’s good to know you six and for us to introduce ourselves to you.”

Magress was the last one to put away the book and the first to respond to it, “Indeed it is, I think that is a good thing to know you all as well.”

The bearers all smiled, “Why thank you darling…” Before she got the chance to say anything else, someone was banging at the door clearly impatient, “Oh who could it be at this time to interrupt us now?”

“I don’t know Rarity…” Twilight opened the door with her magic as the bangs begun to get louder and she was walking up to it. As it fully opened, to Twilight’s surprise, it was the mayor, “Mayor Mare? You look so frazzled, what happened?”

The mayor was gasping for breath as she managed to deliver the message, “Trouble around… Ponyville… the creatures… from the Everfree Forest, they’re coming this way!”

The six bearers heard that and after sharing a few glances, immediately went out of the library to meet the danger head on. Twilight stayed a bit though looking at the six, “Well, you all are coming to help us?”

Eze jumped from his sitting position clearly excited about this, “Heck yeah we are! Finally some actual action!” They all chuckled as all six followed Twilight. Today was great for them but the town was in need of help and they’ll be glad to lend a hand.

Truth Beyond Understanding

The six of them here? They’re seasoned warriors Twi; they probably dealt with this ever since their entire life! Remember, their whole world was in a state of war!

Do I have to repeat it again? Twilight… THEY… ARE… SEASONED… WARRIORS!

The only reason they aren’t taking this seriously is because this is nothing compared to what they had to deal back in their home world! We never dealt with this kind of threat before, but they have, probably numerous times! With all of this happening to this hundreds or heck, maybe thousands of times, they could probably challenge each other to push their limits or just for some good old fashion fun even if we haven’t faced this before!

Those words continue to echo in Twilight’s thoughts as she awakens. Yesterday, an unlikely threat emerged and the six humans came to help them in their time of need. As happy as Twilight was with them being selfless and assisting them, the competition between Vargas and Eze still lingered in thoughts alongside Rainbow’s words. She sat up on her bed while rubbing her head with her forehooves in confusion. Just how can they, the six humans, treat what was a serious threat they conceived as something normal? Even if Rainbow was right that their world was in a state of war for a long time and it happened to them on a daily basis, it still did not make sense to the bearer of magic at all.

She was very baffled about this whole thing. She knew that she needed an answer about it sooner or later. Thinking about this for a long time will hinder her more so then she wishes it. Twilight looked out the window to see the Sun rising past the hill. If she wanted to know the answer to all of what transpired yesterday, she’d have to do so soon. She tossed the blanket aside as she stepped out of her bed. Her nose scrunched a bit as she smelled the aroma of food being cooked today. She couldn’t help but smile seeing that her assistant was already ahead of her.

Walking down the stairs, she followed the smell into the kitchen where she saw Spike cooking up some pancakes and coffee. She hugged the little dragon just as he finished the last pancake, “Thanks for cooking Spike, Celestia knows I’m in need of food right now…” She sat on the table as the food was set in front of her.

Spike got up on his chair eating a cupcake made with sapphire gems, “No problem Twi! You know that I always do this for you…” The purple mare chuckled a bit from her number one assistant’s words as she went to eat her food. Spike was about to eat his cupcake when something popped in his mind. He snapped his finger and mentally hit himself for almost forgetting about it, “Aw shoot Twilight, I almost forgot, Applejack said that she wanted to meet you at the hospital alongside everypony else.”

That got her attention as she looked at Spike with curiosity, “Really? What could it be that she needs all of us for?” She looked down to notice that she ate half of her pancakes much to her surprise, Guess I was really that hungry huh?

The little dragon shrugged, “Beats me, probably got something to do with those six in the hospital…” By mention of those six, he felt something gnawing at him about them. Spike looked at Twilight who was about to leave when he stopped her with a question, “Wait Twi! Can I come with you to the hospital? I wanna see those six again and um… ask them some questions?”

The purple mare looked at her assistant with a smile. She couldn’t deny him to come since today was going to be a normal day at least she hoped, “Sure why not? I was planning to ask them some questions as well.” Spike smiled as he tossed his cupcake high into the air and let it fall into his mouth. He rubbed and banged his belly a few times before following Twilight to the hospital. As they left the library, she closed the door and put up a sign that said, Out for meetings, will return in a later time. She couldn’t help but find the saying a bit silly and thought of maybe changing it someday.

She decided to do so on a later time as she didn’t want to keep her friends waiting. Spike followed behind as they walked to the Ponyville Hospital. During the walk, her thoughts pondered on two things, one was if the doctors were able to heal those six. Considering they were of alien origin, she could see them struggling a bit on trying to heal them. She couldn’t even if she tried since she doesn’t know their biology well enough to assist them in any way possible.

The second was involving Rainbow’s words yet again. She just could not stop repeating them over in her mind trying to understand the cyan pegasus’s understanding. Though now that she bought that up, she couldn’t help but notice that for all the bold and brash exterior Rainbow has, she can be smart when she needs to be. She could probably be very well be a pony version of Eze considering their similarities. It was odd yet rather hilarious for some reason.

The idea of those two competing made her chuckle a bit in the inside. Just as her thoughts were dispelled with Spike looking at her oddly, she looked ahead to see the Ponyville Hospital ahead. She let out a sigh she never had in mind as they entered inside the premises. The hospital was bristling with activity as nurses and doctors were walking or running back and forth while chatting with one another about patients and what-not. Twilight walked up to the reception desk where a nurse noticed her just as she arranged her folders, “Hello there Miss Twilight! I was expecting you considering your friends are here. I’m guessing you wish to head where the Six Heroes as they call themselves reside in?”

Twilight nodded rather quickly. The nurse smiled as she pointed towards the northern hall of the hospital, “Right that way in Room…” She looked at the folders again trying to recall which room they were in. After three seconds exact, she repeated the process with confidence, “Room 109, north from here. Sorry about the short delay there, I’m kind of new in the nursing business.”

Twilight let a smile form as she looked ahead, “It’s no problem, thank you very much.” The nurse returned the smile as she went back to doing her job. Twilight walked ahead towards their destination with Spike behind her. She didn’t need to know where the room is as her friends were just outside the door waiting. They turned and greeted her with a wave and a smile. She waved back as she was near enough to voice her apology, “Sorry I was late girls…”

Rarity waved a dismissive hoof while still smiling, “No worries darling, we all were kind of late before you are. It was rather sudden for all of us considering how busy we were…” She was looking at Applejack when she said that last line.

The apple farmer took off her Stetson and weakly chuckled a bit, “Ah oopsies there?” Rarity could sigh a bit from her response. At least the sudden meeting was not without its purpose as all of them looked at Twilight. All of them looking at her made her a bit apprehensive. Applejack was the first to speak out the reason of this gathering, “Twi, we’re a bit worried ‘bout ya… Rainbow told us ‘bout yer conversation with her yesterday…”

Twilight’s ears flattened on her head now knowing the topic of this meeting, “Oh… you’re worried about that?” They all nodded in response. She was gazing at each of them now noticing that Rainbow was not a part of the meeting. She wasn’t so sure on where Rainbow is but Twilight hoped that she could apologize even if her mind wasn’t in the right place, “I’m sorry about it girls, but you know how important this is to me… I just want to understand why they were competing against each other during that time. My mind just won’t stop thinking about it at all…” She looked towards her friends who were looking at each other. Time felt like it slowed down on Twilight as she awaited their response. Their answer to her surprise was a generous smile on all of them as they moved out of the way of the door and gestured her to enter. She was silent for some time before asking them, “Why? I thought you’d stop me from going in…”

“Remember the lesson darling when you were ahem, a bit wild in the head?” Twilight immediately understood where Rarity was getting prompting a smile, “We’re taking that lesson to heart darling. We may not see it as important but you clearly so we are not stopping from following it. We’re just worried that you might get… um, what’s a good way to put this lightly?” She put a hoof on her chin trying to think of a way to ease the sentence a bit.

“We’re just worried that you might be a biiittt loco in the moco…” Pinkie was waving her right hoof around in a circle over her head. Twilight knew that gesture well enough yet she couldn’t but laugh at her friend’s way of saying and showing it.
Her hyper-active friend was smiling at seeing her laugh. She somehow pulled her cannon from behind despite there being nothing behind them. As the cannon fired, she jumped with the confetti showering them. Thankfully, she managed to avoid slamming into her friends in the ensuing jump. Twilight let her laugh lower itself down to a manageable level, “Thanks girls for understanding, I really appreciate it…” Before she thought of entering inside though, she wanted to know where Rainbow was, “So… where’s Rainbow Dash?”

Applejack let her smile fade for a bit as she removed her Stetson and scratched her head, “Uh, would ya believe me in that she’s in there?” The apple farmer gestured towards the room where the six humans were resting. Twilight’s response was of shock as she walked towards the door and looked through the window. Sure enough, she was there flying around and chatting with them. Lance, Eze, and Atro were on the beds, Vargas was perched on the wall watching, Magress was somehow sitting on a chair and Selena was sitting on the space next to the window. The sight surprised her but what came next shocked her even more, “Yeah Ah find that difficult t’ believe but ya’d be even more shocked when she was the one t’ suggest t’ us checkin’ em out.”

She managed to get Twilight’s full attention as she looked at Applejack fully trying to absorb this new revelation, “Wait, so you mean to tell me that Rainbow, the one pegasus that normally is brash in her actions, suggested to all of you to see if they--” She pointed a hoof at the six humans, putting emphasis on the word, “Were faring well?” She almost found the idea rather hard to believe at first. Even the ponies (sans Fluttershy) who came by her suggestion found it rather hard to believe as well. As silence dominated them for a long while, it was broken by Twilight, “I think we’re all underestimating Rainbow if she was able to do something like this.”

They all nodded in agreement, “We all came before Rainbow though. She decided to go last for some odd reasons…” Twilight had to blink twice just to be certain she heard that right. Rarity reaffirmed her suspicions as she almost repeated what she said, “Going last, why do I get the strangest feeling that she’s trying too hard?”

Applejack just shrugged not seemingly bothered by the change of attitude, “She’s still her bombastic self Rares, Ah just think that’s she either not herself or she’s steadily turnin’ a new leaf.”

“I’d say that I like that Dash is ‘turning a new leaf’ as you say it Applejack. It’s rather a good thing for her and for all of us.” The other two agreed with the development following Rainbow though the idea still did surprise them a bit.

They saw her soon to be coming out from the door. Twilight was not responding as she stood still like a rock. They pushed out of the way as the door opened and the cyan pegasus flew forward, “Man, they sure have a lot of stories to tell it’s almost crazy!” She saw Twilight staring into nowhere with her mouth opened in shock. She let a smirk form as she put her two front hooves on her chin, “So… did I surprise you or something?”

Rarity came over to the bearer of magic’s side as she closed her opened mouth with her hoof, “I’d say you most definitely surprised her by a longshot darling…”

Rainbow could only chuckle seeing her friend’s current expression, “Yeah I can tell… so now that we’re done… Twilight, are you going in or what to chat with them?” She lowered her hooves down see that she was not responding to her question. Rainbow waved a hoof in front of the immobile Twilight, trying to get a reaction. She even bonked on her head a few times to get her to respond, “Hello? Twilight to Equestria, come in Twilight? Hello?”

The predicament was noticed by Vargas from where he stood. He came forward wanting to see what was going on, “What seems to be the problem friends?” He turned to see a stunned Twilight stiff and unmoving form her spot. This was confusing to the fire hero as he waved a hand in front of her first, before snapping his fingers hoping that the sound would make her react, “Is this normal for her to be like this?”

Fluttershy joined in the fire hero’s attempt to snap her back into reality, “Mostly yes. Whenever she learns something shocking to her, she tends to either have a hard time either believing it or tries to learn and understand it. It’s happened once with Pinkie though how she approached was towards the latter.”

“Is that true Fluttershy? What would make Twilight so inclined to…? It’s the Pinkie Sense isn’t it? Right or wrong?” They all nodded once pretty much confirming his suspicions, “Of course… I still question it from time to time but sometimes, even the impossible is best not known.” They all shared his understanding and agreed. Vargas put tapped his chin with his index finger trying to think of a way to snap her out of this trance. An idea slowly formed in his head as he stopped tapping his chin. He unsheathed his sword that hung on his back eliciting reactions from all five. His sword suddenly was set ablaze and was put in front of Twilight.

The heat and the smell of smoke was enough to snap her back as she backed away from Dandelga screaming. Rainbow laughed loudly as she saw Twilight breathing heavily from the scare, “Oh sweet Celestia Twilight that was hilarious!” She looked towards Vargas as he sheathed his sword, the flames snuffed out by his command, “Vargas, I did not see you to be that kind of guy!”

The fire hero just shrugged much to Rainbow’s delight and bewilderment, “Blame the fact that I’ve been around Eze for a bit too long. I think his tendencies are rubbing off of me…”

“I heard that Vargas and I’ll gladly accept it!” The thunder hero screamed from the top of his lungs eliciting another laugh from Rainbow. This time though Pinkie and Applejack joined while Rarity just shook her head and Fluttershy just watched the scene. The fashionista did let a quiet chuckle escape but it was only noticed by Fluttershy who was nearby her.

Vargas just smiled seeing his friend acting like so, “I’m just more surprised that you were able to chat with these girls just fine when I remembered that you would stutter whenever you were around women in general every time Eze!” All of them were looking back and forth at both swordsmen repeatedly from the revelation. A snicker escaped from Eze as the knowledge was now known to everyone and he burst into laughter. It wasn’t long before all of them ended up laughing about it together. The six ponies and humans, despite having only met each other three days ago, were acting like they were the best of friends. Both were happy with the idea regardless of their philosophies in their respective worlds. Doctors and patients around the hospital heard the commotion and were curious about what was going on. The result of them finding out was met with confusion or joy. After a few minutes of good laughter, Vargas took a few deep breaths before changing the topic, “I haven’t had a good laugh like that in a long time. This day just got brighter for the better.”

“In your case, it would be literally considering your element.” Lance pointed out. The fire hero let out a chuckle and conceded to the idea. A cough escaped from the nature hero prompting everyone’s attention. A smile formed as he gestured Twilight to enter, “We have heard everyone’s concern but our fellow librarian here.”

Twilight’s eyes almost seemingly shimmered upon hearing Lance’s words. She turned around to look at her friends. They smiled and gestured her to do as she wished. She returned the smile and hugged them as thanks, “You girls are the best friends I could hope for…” They still wore their smile as Twilight let go of them prompting them to gesture again. She nodded and moved forward to meet the six humans. The five closed the door leaving the librarian with the humans. Despite their friendly nature and of that big laughter, Twilight was still nervous from being alone with these six. Standing in front of her, they exuded power and knowledge beyond her imagination, possibly even exceeding even Celestia herself. As silly as that sounded, she couldn’t help but feel that it’s true. The nature hero snapped her out of her nervous trance, “Is something the matter Twilight?”

She looked at each one of them after the question was asked. Their eyes showed a level of concern that would be fitting for helping a friend in need. The fact that they are showing that same level to her was enough to ease her troubles a bit, “No, not really… I guess I’m just a bit intimidated by the fact that I’m alone in here with you six. Even if I were taking into account your friendly nature, I still feel a bit… nervous I guess.”

She felt something on her left shoulder. Turning her head to it, she saw Selena’s hand there, as a sign of understanding. Looking up into her eyes, she was met with the ice hero’s carefree smile. She lowered herself in level to her eyes while somehow comforting her, “It is very understanding what you’re going through dear Twilight. You don’t have to be ashamed to admit it otherwise.”

Twilight felt her face slightly heat up a bit. One of the hero’s took notice of her blushing and pointed out to everyone. To their surprise, it was Atro, “It seems someone is blushing today…” The bearer of magic nervously chuckled while her face was getting a bit redder from the light hero noticing. Atro could only watch the scene in amusement as she tried to get back on topic. Eze snickered seeing her struggle to even talk once.

Selena stood up and was next to her friends’ sides watching the stuttering Twilight recover slowly but surely from it. The librarian’s face was beginning to return back to its original color as she raised a hoof to her mouth and cleared her throat from the sound she was making, “So… everyone’s already shared their thanks and concerns?”

“Everyone has but you according to your friends.” The only armored knight said. Twilight couldn’t tell what emotion he was showing behind his helmet but his voice at least had some level of concern behind it for certain.

“Right… Well um… I’m thankful for you six helping us out even if we only just became friends.” A smile was beginning to form on Twilight’s face, “I’m also thankful for you being understandable for all of us. I never thought to actually see all of us as friends in only three days I believe.” She was scratching her head while chuckling nervously from the revelation there.

She looked in front of her to see Eze about to shrug before he winced a bit from the pain. He lowered his arms down but still wore that grin of his, “Hey, when you get to understand people, you tend to develop quickly right? Did I get that right?” He was looking towards his friends hoping for a gesture or two. They all nodded to his statement.

“Thank you Eze, I really needed that.” The thunder hero smiled at her thanks while somehow puffing his chest a bit causing his friends to chuckle at his antics. Twilight smiled in returned seeing them acting just like how her friends would be when they were having fun. All of this almost made her forget why she was here in the first place. She shook her head a bit trying to get back in the topic at hoof, “Um, is it okay if I ask you six a question?”

Twilight’s body felt like it froze in place as all eyes were on her and silence was met. The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed from cheerful to one of creeping dread that slowly loomed over the magic bearer. She was eyeing each one of them and all she can tell was that they looked to have anticipated this moment from the very beginning. That was confirmed by Vargas and it made her almost shrink from being in the presence of these six alone, “Is this about the supposed conversation between you and Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight’s ears fell flat on her head again. She looked away a bit from them knowing about why she was here now. Her reaction was enough of an answer for all six yet they still wore their smiles, “If you are worried about us being offended, don’t worry, we’re not.” Twilight’s head rose slowly looking at Magress who spoke out for them, “We know you at least well enough to know that you’d be curious about us sooner or later. Ask what lingers in your head and we’ll answer to the best of our abilities.”

She was looking at each one of them wondering if they shared the armored knight’s sentiments. Their smiles never faded as they awaited her question. Twilight’s nervousness was beginning to disappear truly as she smiled as well, “I swear, I think the six of you beat me and my friends in terms of acceptance quickly.”

The thunder hero tried to shrug again but was stopped by Selena who put her hand on his arm stopping him from hurting himself too much. Eze pouted a bit before lowering his arms in reluctance, “Eh, what can we say, we try our best…” He winked at Twilight causing her to stammer a bit while blushing.

Lance took notice and looked towards him, “Eze, since when have you started to pick on girls and try to embarrass them now? First Rarity and now Twilight…” He saw his idiot friend just shrug with success this time with a grin that definitely said to Lance, I felt like it because it was fun. Lance sighed before he let a little chuckle escape him.

“If you keep this up Eze, we won’t be able to hear Twilight’s questions so please stop playing around for now…” Atro was looking at his trickster of a friend with a concern yet indigenous look.

The thunder hero could only pout a bit, “Aw but it’s so much fun to pick on them!” The light hero just kept the look on until Eze conceded with Atro, “You’re a party pooper you know that right?”

He could only sigh from that statement as he looked at Twilight. She was still stammering and blushing from the action done by the swordsman. Atro bonked her on the head with his sword causing her to clutch her head in pain while looking around who did it. That only made Vargas and Eze laugh out loud from the hilarity of what just happened. The squire looked at them in confusion before returning his attention towards the bearer of magic, “Twilight, if you are ready, you can ask your question now.”

“Wait what, what was I doing?” She was looking at each one for the six who were patiently waiting for her to do something. Her mind clicked when she recalled why she was with them in the first place, “Oh, right, now I remember.” She raised her right hoof to her mouth as she cleared her throat and looked back towards them to see if there was anything else they were going to do. As a few seconds pass with nothing but silence, Twilight decided to continue on, “So about that conversation with Rainbow, did she tell you the specific details of it or left it with me and her having just a conversation?”

All six looked at each other trying to recall their chat with the cyan mare. It did not take them long to recall the details from Rainbow’s perspective, “Well, she did not say anything specific, just noted that she had a conversation with you. On what about though, she left it vague and said to wait on you to fill us in the rest of the missing details.”

Twilight was musing over what the nature hero said. With the knowledge that she didn’t disclose what the conversation, she continued on with the chat, “Okay, so she didn’t tell you anything specific…” The purple mare let out a sigh, “Well, I guess I won’t keep you in the dark any longer. I wanted to know about how all six of you managed to treat what happened yesterday. I just don’t understand how all of you were able to treat such a serious threat as something normal…” She looked towards them with a look of curiosity as she continued, “Can you please tell me why? I just can’t see it being possible at all even if I don’t know where you came from or who you are exactly…” Twilight was hoping for an understandable answer from them. She was looking at them waiting for their response to the question at hoof.

To her shock and bewilderment, their answer was something she did not expect, “No…” She was looking at them again, her look betraying how she was feeling inside. The one who answered her question was Magress. Underneath his helmet, he bore a look of betrayal towards the bearer of magic yet also a hint of understanding as well. They knew her well enough to be a bookworm willing to learn anything and everything she sets her sights on. It reminded them of a certain other bookworm who was fascinated by the display of knowledge and power that many gods unleashed. Yet even as she remained a pacifist and fought back only because the situation called for it, it ultimately led to her downfall by those she learned from.

The armored knight looked towards his fellow compatriots to continue the conversation for him. Before anyone of them could continue though, they were interrupted by Twilight, “No? That’s your answer for me? No?” They looked at her with worry and concern about the denial. She looked like she was about to fall apart in front of them, “Why? Why not tell me? I just want to understand how you do it…”

That was the word they knew would trouble them, understand. Vargas let out a sigh as he decided to continue the conversation, “We want to tell you it Twilight but…”

Before he could continue any further, he got interrupted by the knowledge seeker, “But what?” The tone almost threw each one of them off. It almost sounded like a threat and this was coming from a unicorn that did not know how to fight well, “That I won’t understand? Is that what you mean?”

All six humans looked at each other noticing that she was beginning to lose her temper. They knew well enough that this conversation may not be able to continue if she loses control of her anger. Selena readied her ice powers just in case if she has to stop her. Lance looked at her eyes as he continued the conversation, “Yes, it is exactly what we mean. Twilight, we know you well enough to be a seeker of knowledge and we hate to deny you this but you must be aware that this is something you cannot…”

Again he got interrupted by Twilight as she went into a rant or at least they think it is, “Don’t try that with me, I’ve learned a lot of things in Equestria that would make any professor jealous of the vast knowledge in my head. Oh sure, the two princesses have more knowledge than me but that doesn’t count or matter!”

A few of them were looking at her in confusion. There are princesses living in this world? They were never told about there being royalty in this world by any of them nor did they learn about it in the books they were reading through back in the library. They were thinking about asking her about this but decided to do so at a later time. They had to focus on the topic and her temper first before going about the royalty inhibiting this world. They were at least thankful that she didn’t notice her slip up or if she did, she didn’t bother with it at all. Eze decided to be the next to try to talk her down, “Twilight, calm down right now. I may be an idiot but I know that you losing your cool will not help all of us here.”

She didn’t heed the thunder hero’s words as she continued to go on her argument, “I will not calm down here, I want to know right now how you six can treat what happened yesterday like it was an everyday normal occurrence for you right now!” Just as she seemingly said through clenched teeth, her mane was looking like it was beginning to smoke.

To the six humans, that was most definitely not a good sign and they knew that they were running on a ticking time bomb. Selena tried to cool the temperature on Twilight but the heat was overwhelming the ice as she seemingly only was getting hotter by the second, “I can’t seem to make the smoke dissipate! I don’t think I can do anything here!”

Atro removed the blanket and tried to get up by his own strength. His body faltered for some time before regaining his composure as he stood up, “Twilight, I beseech you to calm down. Do not let your anger consume your thoughts.”

They were getting nowhere with her as she continued with her argument, “Why?! Why won’t you tell me?! I have enough knowledge in my head to understand why you’d treat what happened like it was normal for you! I want to know about it so I can study it! Why won’t you answer my question?! Just why will you not?!”

“Twilight Sparkle! Calm down this instant before I subject you to my flames!” Twilight almost instantly calmed down as the smoke on her mane dissipated and looked at Vargas with abject horror. His companions on the other hand look at him in shock from the sudden death threat and outburst. Fire seemingly danced around him as he looked down upon his raging friend. As he saw her calm down, the flames that burned strongly around him wisps away and he returned to his kind tone, “I am sorry for denying you this knowledge Twilight but we have good reasons as to why in the first place…”

Twilight still stared at the fire hero with fear but rose up shakily. Vargas lowered himself to her level and assisted the mare up. It was not long before she hugged the swordsman and let her tears go and whimpered from the fearful situation. Despite being bedridden, Eze and Lance got up while wincing a bit in pain and came towards the mare. The other two joined as well and comforted her saying their apologies. Vargas was the last to say his sorry as he comforted the shaking mare, “I am sorry for that threat there Twilight. I really there was another way but you would not listen to reason and…”

He didn’t need to say any further as Twilight embraced her friend tighter, “I know and I’m sorry for not thinking there. It’s just that what I saw… it was so scary, so much worse than almost being eaten alive by that Serpens.”

All of them could understand why she would seemingly find what she saw now to be more terrifying than the last one. They let go of each other and after she was done wiping a few tears away, she looked at them with curiosity once again, “Before I go any further into why we wish to not tell, are you feeling much more better now?” She nodded as she keenly listened for anything important, “Good, I don’t want to go through this again please.”

Despite what they all just went through, they all couldn’t help but chuckle a bit from Vargas’s statement about it what it being true enough. After their laughter slowly died down, the fire hero continued on with the subject, “You already know part of our reason and that was you wouldn’t understand. But even if you were able to, the knowledge about how we treat yesterday would not exist because…” He fell silent trying to find some way to convey the message without being too blunt.

However, he got beat by Magress who was direct at the message, “This country is a utopia in of itself and paradises like what we are in are doomed to fall.” This earned some glares from his companions as they were not pleased with him being blunt. Despite hiding his face behind the helmet, his voice spoke firmly about the topic, “You know it to be true… and a part of our message.”

They all sighed and can only agree with the armored knight about it. Twilight on the other hoof was confused about what they meant, “Equestria a utopia? Well that I can’t argue with, but the country and we residing in it doomed to fall? I don’t understand that there…”

They all looked at each other. They knew this lesson in mind all the way back to their childhood yet Twilight has not a clue about it? It made their message all the more meaningful but before they could speak about it, there was something about the royalty in mind that they wished to know, “Twilight, you may not know this but during your… argument, you told us about there being two princesses inhibiting this world.” Twilight gaped a bit before shrinking a bit realizing that she just gave away information like that during her anger. She looked back at them and saw what seemed to be a dismissive hand from Vargas, “Don’t worry; we have royalty where we come from. We will treat them like we have always treated our kings and queens.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief from hearing that they would treat them with respect. In all honesty, she wouldn’t be surprised considering the way Magress looked. It was kind of silly to doubt them right now when they’re being generally kind to her. But she did have something bugging her, “Okay so you know about the princesses here then but why bring it up?”

She looked towards the person who was speaking; in this case, it was Selena, “Could you tell us how long have your princesses been ruling over this land? We need to know as this is related to the topic we are speaking here.”

Twilight looked at them in bewilderment before deciding to answer anyway, “Well if you need to know badly, they’ve ruled this land for over one millennium ago during their time of youth.” Their eyes almost widened at her revelation as they looked at each other in their shock, “Is something wrong?”

“The princesses ruled that long? Are they immortals or like physical Gods of something?” The question came out of Lance but they all shared the same question regardless of who asked first.

She backed away a bit from the sudden question but regained her composure as she answered, “Yes, they are immortals, well specifically their kind of race is and while I’m not so sure if I could call them Gods… they are physical representations of the Sun and Moon.”

She saw them blink twice just to be certain that they heard that right. Silence lasted for about a few minutes before they spoke, “That… is actually a bit tame if I think about it hard enough.”

Twilight gaped a bit before she responded back to that, “Tame?! How is being able to move them with their magic tame to what you guys have?! I mean they not only represent them but repeating this, they can move the Sun and Moon here! Just how are they tame?!”

Eze raised his hands and looked at his hand first before looking back at her, “Let me see here, we faced a God of freaking creation…” He raised his thumb first representing one of many gods that well exceed Celestia and Luna. Twilight notably shrunk under hearing that they faced someone who was a Creator. The thunder hero raised his index finger next as he put his left index finger on it, “A God that basically had the ability to call upon the dead…” Twilight blanched in color upon hearing that one of their enemies had the capability to utilize necromancy. She wanted to stop Eze there but he continued on not knowing how uncomfortable Twilight was at the moment. He raised his middle finger while looking a bit angry for some odd reason Twilight couldn’t fathom, “A God who was basically a manipulative bi--”

Before he got the chance to say the word in question, his head was lurched forward by a hand that smacked behind his head. Said hand was from Selena who was not at all happy, “Eze, no usage of those words in front of Twilight!”

The thunder hero was clutching his head from the hard slap to the head, “Ouch Selena… when were you able to hit hard with just a slap to the head?” He recoiled as the ice hero raised a hand to the air before slapping him on the face.

Twilight just watched the scene in confusion as to what she stopped Eze for. Just what word was he about to say that needed Selena to do that? She was caught way off guard by all of what was happening in front of her. Eventually, she decided to change the topic at hoof, “Well, I… guess I can see why you’d think the princesses are… tame.” She ended up having to mutter that word out as she found it very hard to believe even with what these six faced against.

“Well, we are not here to talk about their strength anyway. Let us get back on topic, so you said that they managed to rule over this land for a millennium?” Vargas saw the bearer of magic nodding to his question, “Okay then, were there any important conflicts in mind during the one thousand year rule?”

Twilight put a hoof on her chin trying to recall anything from her knowledge, “Well besides Discord and Princess Celestia having to face against Luna…” She looked at them noticing them looking a bit more downcast, “Did I hit upon a bad time in our history or something?”

They all shook their heads, momentarily recovering from that, “No not really, it’s just the idea of two siblings fighting over each other despite having such a good life with each other? It’s a painful thought for all of us.” Twilight agreed with their thoughts on it as well. The atmosphere returned back to its original roots as the conversation continued, “So after all of that, I’m to assume that it was a thousand years of relative peace? No conflicts throughout its history or anything of the sorts?” The light hero asked hoping to see if there was more to it. There was no way that this land was able to keep up with no conflicts for that long.

“Well I’m not sure as the rest from then on out was not mentioned a lot in history books but according to Princess Celestia, it was relative peace throughout it all. Why, is that a bad thing? It should be a good thing to have everlasting peace right?” They all shook their heads causing Twilight to be baffled about the idea of long-lived peace being a bad thing, “But why? Don’t you all fight for peace in the long run?”

They all looked at each other and shared her thoughts about fighting for peace. But even then, they knew it better than the ponies here did. If Celestia was keeping this peace up for so long without any sign of conflict, it was bound to be this land’s downfall as they would be woefully unprepared to face a dangerous threat head on. Vargas stepped up and continued the conversation, “Yes, it was and still is our main goal in the long run. But even then, we know that utopias like this land will not last because no matter what, there will always be conflicts.”

Selena came after the fire hero finished his part, “Even if one were to remove the source of the battles ahead, it would only delay more bloodshed. No land can live in everlasting peace for so long which is something all of us learned a long time ago. Delaying a conflict is possible, but outright removing the threat? Next to impossible no matter how much effort was put.”

Twilight turned to the next in line of speaking their thoughts. Lance spoke next for them, “What the two princesses do is noble but pointless because in the end, Equestria will have to face threats worse than the last. You cannot hope to avoid any sign of conflict at all.”

Twilight was about to object to them until she was cut off by Eze, “Don’t try to deny it, in fact you don’t even know how to deny it because all of you have lived in peace for so long, you haven’t even learned how to fight back properly. The only reason that you had almost little to no conflict was because of divine intervention or those little trinkets you girls wear. You know as hopefully as they do that they can’t keep on protecting their citizens for long. The citizens need to learn how to retaliate back and hard too if they ever face something they can handle.”

The bearer of magic was left stunned at all this brutal yet understandable knowledge to her. But even then, what they are saying still did not answer how they were they able to treat what happened like it was normal for them. Only firmly telling her about how conflicts will always come no matter how much you try to prevent it. That was somewhat understandable to her enough, but it was not the answer, “But all this doesn’t make sense. This doesn’t answer how you were able to treat what happened yesterday like normal.”

“That is because you never were a fighter to begin with when you took up the princesses’ mantle, only a student craving for more knowledge to seek.” Twilight turned to see Atro speaking, his eyes showing the familiarity with the subject at hoof, “Am I wrong to assume that?”

“No not really…” Twilight lowered her head finally conceding to the fact that she may never know about this in her lifetime. But there was at least one thing she can ask, “But… how long have all of you been fighting? Can you at least answer that?”

The question was indeed answered by Magress though their answer came as a shock to her, “Everyday Twilight Sparkle, everyday.” She looked towards them all, a shocked expression etched on her face from the revelation.

“Every…” Twilight was stuttering her words as the revelation was hitting her hard, “E-everyday? A-are you sure about… that? I-I find that unbelievably difficult to fully grasp.”

Vargas sighed as he shook head. Twilight seeming lost all feeling t her hind legs as she flopped to the ground in a sitting position trying to absorb this, “The reason you wouldn’t understand is that you are not a fighter nor have been through what we’ve underwent. Throughout our lives, we were always cautious because in the end, you never know when today may be your last day to live.”

Twilight suddenly connected the dots quickly. From the very beginning when they first appeared to this world, they were heavily injured almost to as Celestia put it, were at death’s throes. By the idea that they continued to fight for so long led to only one conclusion as to why they were like that, They were already dying or possibly have died in their world… She looked at the six of them as she envisioned their last moments in their world. This caused her to reach out for Vargas’s face and put a hoof on it, “I am so sorry that you all had to go through that… even if I can’t understand how you handle serious situations like normal, I can tell that all six of you did not deserve all of what troubled your lives.”

A smile formed on all of them. Vargas grabbed Twilight’s right hoof and lowered it down as he put his left hand on it, “It is alright, all we care about is that as long as civilization continues on with or without us back home and thrives once again, our deaths in our home world would have not been in vain.” The others put their hands on top of Vargas’s left hand and looked at her with care, “All of us wish that for our world.”

Twilight’s smile brightens as she pounced onto to Vargas and hugged him tightly. The fire hero initially was a bit shocked at the sudden embrace but went with as he patted her on the back. His companions joined in and put a hand on her back as well. Eze although initially ruined the moment by saying, “Well today sure as hell beats yesterday!” They all ended up laughing with each other at the sudden outburst from their fellow idiot.

Events Unfolding

The conversation between Twilight and the six humans was, for lack of a batter word, rather eventful as the princesses could describe it. To both Celestia and Luna’s surprise, they had arrived at the hospital to speak with them personally only to see Twilight chatting with them. They simply watched and heard the conversation between them from outside the door as they did not wish to disturb them yet. There were a few tense moments where Celestia almost jumped to Twilight’s side in defense only for the six humans to yet again show a level of compassion that would rival the Sun Princess’s own. Just seeing what can only be described by both princesses as a love for family, it made her smile brightly. Yet despite the positives, there was their conversation in mind.

The words they spoke echoed in both princesses as they fell silent. However, it was most reflected in Celestia’s mind as she looked back into her thousand year ruling. It was true that peace was something everyone would fight for, that much she can agree with. But Equestria, her own home, falling due to no conflicts arising? She found that hard to believe. She looked towards her sister and despite her looking confused, she knew that she had a better understanding of their conversation.

Both looked back to see the seven of them laughing together. A smile formed on the both of them, “Tis a sight to behold, is it not Celestia?” The Sun Princess could only nod seeing the scene unfold in front of her. Before long though, her mind lingered back to the conversation. Luna noticed the slow change in emotion, “Sister, if you are worried about their conversation in question, perhaps we should talk about it in private.”

Celestia looked back towards her sister before sighing and accepting the idea, “Very well, perhaps we can make our conversation with those six at a later time.” Their horns glowed as a magic veil surrounded them. They immediately thought of their castle and before long, the veil closed itself and a pop sound was made.

Within a moment’s notice, they arrived in the throne room. The guards noticed the two princesses inside the room and were prompted to close the doors. The princesses nodded and they saluted to return the gesture as the door was closed behind them. With any distraction out of the way between the two sisters, Celestia decided first to start the conversation, “Luna… those six, are they correct?”

The Night Princess looked towards her sister and met her gaze. She was questioning herself clearly about what the six beings said. She had to tread carefully with her words for this was a sensitive topic for the both of them, “Celestia, do not let their words make you question your rule. You managed to keep Equestria alive and prosperous for a thousand years. That you cannot deny…”

Celestia fell silent as she looked out the window. She was thankful for her sister’s words but even if she were to not question her rule, there’s still the idea of Equestria falling lingering in her head, “Luna, I want to ask you something and please be honest even if it is blunt…” She let the silence drag on for a few moments before asking, “Do you think what they said is true, that Equestria will fall someday?”

Luna looked at her, seeing if there was a single sign of her being hesitant. She wanted to be sure before she answered whether she was willing to accept the answer. Seeing no sign of hesitation, she went to ask the statement she used, “Are you sure you wish me to be blunt in my answer? I only ask for your concern sister.” She was not fazed and stood still looking out the window. Luna let out a sigh seeing no point in prolonging her answer, “Unfortunately, I am willing to agree with them Celestia…” She waited a bit, seeing if there were any noticeable changes in her body language. Seeing no sign of movement, she continued, “Equestria has been in peace for a thousand years without a single sign of conflict. If I knew anything from my battles, it is that evil will always be waiting to strike. We are just lucky that it hasn’t decided to go on the offensive during your thousand year ruling.”

Luna peeked at her sister wondering if there was any sign of movement at all. She noticed fairly quickly that her mouth curled into a smile. Celestia looked at her sister with that same knowingness Luna knew all too well, “Thank you Luna, I really needed an answer like that.”

The Night Princess raised an eyebrow at this prospect, “You welcome, but… why are you smiling? This is rather out of character of you to smile even with you saying to be blunt with my answer…” She was scanning her body to see anything else out of the ordinary. So far, the only thing that felt off about her was her smile yet it still shined like usual. It was baffling to Luna right now.

Celestia saw her sister’s expression and raised her hoof to her mouth trying to stifle her laughter. She met Luna’s gaze who was extremely perplexed as to what was going on. In the end, she couldn’t hold back her laughter as she fell backwards. Again, she raised an eyebrow trying to understand what was going on with Celestia, “Sister, what’s so funny about all of this? I thought you were trying to be serious here…”

Celestia snorted a bit as her laughter slowly faded away. Luna rolled her eyes seeing the silliness that is her sister. The Sun Princess regained her composure as she looked outside the window again seeing the citizens freely walking about, “You are correct Luna, I wish to take this topic seriously. As you noticed, I was hesitant on their words. I cannot deny that under my rule Equestria has managed to prosper and… knowing them just by their conversation with Twilight; they wouldn’t ignore that fact either.”

Luna was trying to connect the dots as to what Celestia said. Each piece in her head was beginning to mesh together as she connected them hoping to find her answer. It was quick but it took her awhile to get where her sister was saying, “But you’re worried about future conflicts that Equestria or something those six or even us can’t handle?”

Celestia nodded as she casted her magic. As the Sun was setting according to time, Luna’s magic glowed in accordance as the moon rose up and the blue clear sky soon embraced the starry night sky. During all of this, Celestia continued her conversation, “Yes, what if somehow today or perhaps two hundred years later, we will not be here to watch over those six as well as others. They are right in that we cannot watch them forever.”

“Indeed, even I cannot enter everyone’s dream as I am limited in how far I can reach.” The moon shone brightly with the sky as Luna finished. Something else bugged her though. She recalled what Celestia said and her mentioning two hundred years seemed suspiciously specific. Luna wished to ignore it but she couldn’t resist and ended up asking, “Sister, what thou mean when you said two hundred years from now? Did you say that as a coincidence or did you mean it?”

The Sun Princess let out a sigh as she met her sister’s gaze, “I meant it Luna, I… took one look into the Veil of Truth if you wished to know why.” Luna raised her hoof about to ask what she foresaw but was beaten as Celestia answered for her, “An explosion of sorts, a green mushroom cloud and there were multiple of them spread across Equestria. What resulted after that was nothing short of a wasteland.”

Luna lowered her hoof as she absorbed the revelation spoken. She shuddered from the thought as she looked with Celestia through the window, “Tis a terrible thought now that you spoken of it. Equestria, our own home, made as a wasteland caused by whatever those green explosions are. I dare hope that we do not let such an event happen.”

“Indeed and in case you are wondering, I looked into the Veil before we were about to meet those six. I have no idea why but I felt it was needed. Their conversation and what I saw cannot be a coincidence now that I think about it.” Celestia noted for the both of them.

“True, perhaps we should think about it for another time though.” Celestia looked towards her sister in confusion. Luna placed a hoof on her shoulder, “You and I are going to meet them anyway. We can talk it out with them Tia. Besides, aren’t you forgetting something else?”

It took some time but a smile begun to form on Celestia’s face as she remembered the date, “Oh! You’re referring to that event aren’t you? How could I forget that important day?” The Sun Princess couldn’t help but chuckle a bit from almost forgetting the special event.

Luna joined in her laughter, “Yes I am referring to that event…” She put a hoof on her chin wondering about the conversation before something clicked in her head, “Celestia, perhaps this would be the perfect time to set up a defense of sorts.”

Celestia smiled hearing her sister’s words, “Taking their conversation into account I see?” A simple nod from her confirmed it, “Very well, perhaps it might be best to try. We may not be able to extinguish evil as they say but we can prevent it to the best of our abilities.”

“Shall I make contact with him then to create his shield?” Celestia nodded and both were about to rest for tomorrow’s events until Luna felt like saying one more thing, “Good night Celestia, I hope thing don’t go downhill as the ponies of today would say.”

The Sun Princess chuckled hearing her sister’s remark, “With everything that’s been thrown at Equestria these past years, I believe it is better safe than sorry to be prepared.” Both shared each others thought and retreated to their bedrooms for a good night’s rest.

==========

In the Grand Gaia Crater

In the center of the crater, the disciple that slain the Six Heroes as he said to his master awaited him with a degree of nervousness. The disciple knew that he lied but was hoping that his master would not catch on to his deceit. With humanity beginning to thin down almost to the point of extinction, the weight of what he did weighed heavily on his shoulder. He had donned the mask and the black coat hoping to hide his shame towards his lover.

But even that did not hide his dwelling anger at his own lord. When knowledge of the Six Heroes supposed demise came into the ears of the Fallen Gods, they turned the odds into their favor and continued their war against humanity. Hearing such a thing made him realize that, even if his goal was good in heart, by doing so, in caused the fall of humanity for a second time. The thought of him causing the extinction of humanity made him feel extremely guilty. Not only that, he had also found out that his lover was used as a hostage to force him to kill the Six Heroes. These events made him seethe with anger towards his former master.

He only seemingly obey his master but in reality, he was readying himself to attack. He was gripping his twin swords tightly as he felt power surging in the crater. A bright light illuminated the crater prompting him to cover his eyes from it. When the light slowly faded away, he was now face to face with his master, “I see that you succeeded in almost putting humanity towards extinction.”

That sentence made the disciple cringe but it was well hidden with the black cloak, “Yes and I have vanquished the Six Heroes as you deemed it so… Lord Lucius.” The Sealed God, despite having no face, only a light that represented his face, looked towards the disciple. It unnerved him that he was being observed despite no eyes or mouth to tell him of what his lord was thinking. However, that did not get acknowledged by him as he stepped forward and sternly looked at him trying his best to keep his anger in check, "Now... Release Ilia! Free the Oracle Maiden from the gate now!"

Lucius slowly backed away from the cloaked knight. He was a bit caught off guard at the sudden command he was given from his own disciple no less. However, it did not bother him much as he presumed that he wished to see his lover now considering the years they have not seen each other. That however, was not the case clearly with the knight. Not wishing to prolong his patience, Lucius obliged his command for now, "Very well... I shall bring her forward for you my disciple..." One of his hands was open as a while light that moved like fire was in place. Slowly, a gate was beginning to form in front of him.

The knight's anger, while still there burning like an inferno, was less channeled as the gate soon materialized itself. As it opened, the sounds of footsteps reached his ears and soon revealed a being he recognized. The voice only cemented who the being was as it called out to his name, "Ark? Is that you...? Am I... back?" The Oracle Maiden stepped forward a few steps to notice that she was indeed back in Grand Gaia, "I... I really am back..." She looked back at the knight and took a few small, slow steps before turning into a run as she embraced her lost lover, "Ark... I missed you so much..."

For a brief moment, all the anger he felt at his master subsided as he returned the gesture, only feeling happy to see and feel his beloved once again, "Ilia... I'd never thought to see you again... I missed you too..." Their embrace felt like an eternity to them as they only wished to not forget this moment. However, as the both of them separate and Ark looked upon his master, his anger resurfaced once again remembering his fallen friends and his false efforts at killing the Six Heroes. Ark gently put the Oracle Maiden behind him as he reached for his hidden swords, "Ilia... stand back..."

"Ark... what are you...?" Before she could even finish her question, the knight immediately unsheathed his swords and charged at his master while screaming out his unbridled rage, "Ark!"

Lucius was shocked to see his disciple coming at him with the intent to kill. Reacting to the changing situation, he met the attack head on as he used his wings to block the incoming attack. As he opened his wings, Lucius had already gathered energy into his hands as he fires a ball of light at Ark. The knight dodged it however and charged at his master yet again with his swords cloaked in darkness as he raised one of them into the air, "Abyssal Reave!"

Lucius conjured a surrounding barrier allowing him to absorb some of the incoming damage before it broke apart. The Sealed God was hurt from the attack but was able to counter with his own as he crushed a ball of light in his hand, "Empty Fate..." Suddenly, Ark was caught in a spell and took the most damage out of as he was sent flying right next to Ilia's side, "You cannot hope to fight in such a condition disciple Ark... stand down..."

The Oracle Maiden ran up next to him and tried to assist him up but Ark managed to pick himself up through his force of will as he glared at the god that instigated the fall of humanity, "Never... I won't give in to the pain no matter how much you try to hurt me. I will continue to fight you for as long as I can! I may have caused humanity's downfall but after seeing what has happened, I have seen the truth! I will fight so that humanity can prosper once more!" He charged once more at his master not once slowing down from the pain he was under.

Ilia could only watch him continue the fight as she was left saddened upon hearing what she just heard, "Ark... You caused all that... just to see me once more?" Despite feeling down from hearing what she heard, she couldn't help but smile seeing him acknowledge the error of his ways and try to rectify them, "I might have a hard time forgiving the actions done, but I'll still love you all the same because you try to rectify the sins you caused..." A stern expression formed as she conjured her staff and joined in assisting her lover, "Ark... let me help you in this fight!"

Lucius, though calm, was beginning to get concerned with the idea of the both of them working together. They both could defeat him and he knows how far they would both go to do so. Upon looking at Ilia, an idea formed and he decided to act quickly upon it. He casted a stronger spell on Ark as a way to distract him from what he was thinking of, "Metanoia..." Just as the spell was casted, he focused his attention on the Oracle Maiden as he opened the gate that still lingered, "Ilia the Oracle Maiden, you are to be banished back into the other world once again as atonement for joining Ark's side."

Just as the both of them heard that, Ark's eyes widened and suddenly, he was growing panicked, "No! Ilia!" As he managed to break out of the spell, he saw his master sending his lover back into the gate. Ilia could only return a sorrowful smile as she was banished back into the world she was just released from. Ark dropped his swords as they clattered on the ground and felt his despair returning. He collapsed on the ground as he was trapped in the same situation once again, "Ilia..."

Lucius banished the gate away as he was healing himself, "Now you both have been separated once again... What will you do disciple Ark now that the one person you wished to sought has slipped you once again?"

Ark could only look at his master in seething rage at being asked such a question. However, he despair overcame his anger as he stood up and sheathed his swords back into place, "I... I'll pledge my life of service to yours... just... please let Ilia stay alive, it's that I ask..."

The disciple looked up to see him tapping his chin. He clearly knew that he was pondering about the answer and every second waiting for his answer felt like a sword cutting at him. The Sealed God stopped and looked towards the knight who was tightly gripping his swords truly just wanting to fight and end this all despite his despair. One of his hands was open as a white light that moved like a burning fire was in place, “Very well, I shall do so under one condition...” Ark looked upon his master, his fear slowly forming as his condition was announced, "Kill the Six Heroes you banished... that is my condition..."

The sentence made Ark's blood run cold. Despite what he just heard, he tried to deny what was spoken, “What do you mean? I have obeyed and killed the six and as it shows, humanity is crumbling from the pressure.” The words did not bode well with the knight as he gripped the swords tightly again. He had hoped that the war would end quickly but he ended up discovering that it was all pointless in the end end it pained him to know it.

Apparently, his words were exactly what Lucius was looking for as he spoke, “Ah but you see, even though humanity is crumbling, I can sense that the six you supposedly vanquished are not gone from this world but to another.” He saw the knight was desperately trying to resist fighting his former master here and now to end all of this. It did not bother him much however. Ark's mind was distracted from it all as Lucius spoke, “While I am pleased with the results, perhaps I should send another to finish them off if you are not able to…”

The knight cut him off faster than he expected. Those six whose lives were cut short at least to their friends and family, despite them being instrumental to the war, deserved a better life after the war. He did not wish to kill them at all yet again. Instead, he had a plan in mind but that all depended them forgiving him and that chance was slim to none. Even then, it was all he could hoped to do after what happened now, “No… I will carry out the deed; you made the promise to keep Ilia alive. The promise still stands.” Behind the mask, his expression was of anger and desperation.

Lucius observed the disciple, looking to see if there are any signs of betrayal. After a few minutes of observation, he deemed him truthful, “Very well…” The light held in his hand glowed brightly as he creates a gate to the world where they reside. The gate was of a rainbow variety signifying that beyond the world, peace seemed to be the dominating force. The Sealed God looked towards the cloaked knight as his body begins to disappear, “When you are ready to depart, take this gate and finish what you were set out to do.”

It was not long before his master disappeared and left him. With the disciple alone, he let out a skyward scream he held abated and collapsed to the floor. Looking at his hands and the swords that gripped them, his thoughts lingered to his allies that sided with him to defeat Lucius’s sworn enemy Karna Masta alongside his guardians. It was a decisive battle that ultimately leads to Karna Masta being sealed away and his allies alongside the guardians perishing. Only he and Ilia lived but his lover was trapped in Ishgria as a result of Lucius sealing her away.

This lead to the current situation where Ilia somehow lived and was now a hostage until the knight finished off the Six Heroes despite him not wanting to. All of this was too much for the lone knight. He looked towards the rainbow gate knowing that once he sheds the blood of them in that world, there was no turning back towards the peace that world tried so hard to protect, “Rinon, Dion, Yuura, Balgran, Ruby, and Medina… My friends… what do I do?”

He stood up with his blades in hand as he stepped forward slowly. Did he want to do it? Shed the blood of those six and let another world fall? The pain was too much yet the knight put it behind his thoughts as he focused on the task at hand. He put his hand o the rainbow gate and felt familiar warmth beyond the gate. It was something that only happened when everything was over and peace could truly settle for all who strived for it. The thought of killing them here made it worse now. If this world made peace after so much conflict… No, the knight decided to not dwell into it. He will regret it as his heart has always but in the end, he hoped it was worth it.

He pushed the gate open as a rainbow light enveloped him, “I hope this is all over soon… Ilia, wait for me. I promise we will reunite again someday...” The knight entered the gate and left the world of Grand Gaia as it closed behind him. Time will tell if what will happen as the events unfold in a new world.

Shadows of the Past

Rainbow light surrounded the disciple as he made his first step into the gate. The warmth he felt when he touched the gate embraced him like a friend hugging him as it was trying to make all his problems disappear with a simple yet comforting gesture. It made the lone knight smile behind his mask and black cloak. The smile disappeared as he dispelled the thought and focused on the task at hand. The light was beginning to get brighter as he was nearing the exit. His thoughts of killing the Six Heroes returned to his mind again. Gripping the swords tightly from the thoughts, he wondered if it was right to kill them again when they had already went through the prospect of death once.

The light illuminating around him was at its brightest as he covered his eyes. The sounds of the gate opening at the other side reached his ears as he moved his arms slightly to see it. The gate was opened and the rainbow light was emitting no more, now only the light of the Sun was surging forth. He had reached his destination. Stepping out of the gate, his first view of the world left him in awe. He was on a mountain overlooking what the disciple can only describe as a paradise. Green hills with an abundance of flowers growing, the sky blue as it originally was back at his world, rivers that flowed and shifted with no interruption save the rippling of thrown stones. It was like he was witnessing nature flourishing at its rightful moments.

The sight of it all drew all of his attention, “I never thought to see a world where nature could flourish alongside whatever dwells here. If only Ilia were here to see this…” A chuckle escaped him. Despite the amount of turmoil he went throughout his life, seeing all of this made him smile. His ears picked up on a conversation and he almost cursed himself for forgetting that civilization was still around. He looked and found a ton of bushes around him. He hid by the closest one that can conceal his body best as he hears footsteps approaching.

Moving a few patches of greenery away from his eyes, he looked to where the sounds of approaching steps were coming from. In the corner of his right eye, he saw a… hoof? Two horses… no, not any ordinary horses, but what would he describe a pony with wings and a horn? Alicorn? It was better than nothing though as he focused on their details. One of these… alicorns, was tall, almost enough to reach his height. Her mane and tail consisted of what looked like a rainbow. It was moving like it was a part of the wind; the other one shared the same except hers matched the starry night sky. The other one was smaller with the colors that matched the night sky as expected. Perhaps it was the younger sister from his understanding. The disciple noticed they were wearing crowns and shiny hooves putting them at royalty, he could never doubt it anyway as he’s seen enough royalty to tell. However, what caught his attention the most was the marks on their flanks. A Sun on the white one and a Moon surrounded by the stars on the other, though it wasn’t much, were they deities of this world? He knew better to not anger Gods if that is to be the case even if does have the strength to handle Gods. They passed him and were heading elsewhere but not before picking on their conversation, “I’m sure those six ponies will handle today’s event fine sister, you know them well enough right?”

“Yes, I can see those six ponies handling it well… maybe.” The elder sister chuckled a bit seeing where she was going from the conversation. A change of topic stopped her laughing however, “But I’m more concerned about the other six, if you know what I mean Celestia.”

The disciple caught onto that quickly. Other six can only mean the Six Heroes if she was referring to them that is. The white one all but confirmed it for him, “Yes I know Luna, those six beings… We’ve seen how they treated my student and her friends; I think we can trust them to not cause havoc, unlike Discord. And besides, we’ve seen what they are capable of. If should a threat come, they can help the Elements of Harmony in need or am I wrong to assume that?”

Elements of Harmony? Are they relics from this world? Whatever the case, the lone knight did not wish to know it personally. Perhaps reading into the history might help him out but for now, he stayed still as he was waiting for the two princesses to leave. To his regret of jinxing the moment, another princess stepped forward, a pink pony that lacked the ethereal mane the two had. Perhaps this one was gifted with the powers of the alicorn but not born like the two if his assumption was correct, “Auntie Celestia, Auntie Luna, how goes the day?”

Despite seeing them smiling towards their niece if the guesses again were correct, something felt off about her tone towards the two royalties. The disciple was adept at catching onto the slightest of details that occurred whether by sound, sight, or hearing. Her tone threw him off a bit despite not warranting his attention, “It is fine Cadance, I am just getting invitations ready and prepping the wedding today.”

A wedding? The lone knight did not like this. If he were to deliver the killing blow during the wedding and he ends up getting spotted by the population which is very likely, this would compromise a lot of things that occurred in his thoughts. He let out a sigh deciding to finish them off when the wedding was over. Besides, a part of him also wanted to see the events as well. He will be in the shadows but he did not wish to ruin a special event. It was heartless of him to do so.

He looked towards the pink princess and in a split second noticed her eyes turn green. He looked at the eyes again wondering if that was just a part of her or if there was something sinister about it. A smile that was seemingly forced despite it looking natural for the body was etched upon the princess known as Cadance, “That’s great news! Oh I can’t wait for the wedding; I’m so excited for it!”

Both princesses smiled as they stepped aside for her to come through. She proceeded to go pass them and head inside the castle walls but not before hearing one more sentence uttered from Celestia if the lone knight heard it right the first time, “I know you are but don’t rush it Cadance. You wouldn’t want this special day to be ruined right especially for Shining Armor right?”

The disciple saw her turn around and looked at them with joy. Despite the joy being genuine, something about it again felt wrong in his eyes. It was like the joy was of something else, “Oh I know auntie, I have all the time in the world for the special occasion!” She happily trotted away leaving the two princesses in the garden.

He looked towards the two princesses who were smiling and begun to leave. However, he noticed the night princess looking where Cadance left or, he hoped he was wrong, was looking specifically at the bush he was hiding in. His body tensed as the gaze lasted longer before the elder sister spoke, “Luna, are you coming to drink tea with me or is there something bothering you?”

The princess now known as Luna to the lone knight stared for a few more tense seconds before turning around, “No Tia, I was just looking back, that is all. Let us have some tea; I’d like to relax today.” Both nodded and left for wherever they would go for tea. As they were out of his line of sight, he collapsed out of the bush and took off the mask as he took some deep breaths. He never thought to feel a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. He turned around to see what was akin to a shield surrounding the city. Wait, when was there a shield? He swore there was never a shield the first time he stepped out of the gate.

After some deep breaths, he put the mask back on and decided to investigate the supposed Princess Cadance. Something about her just rubbed him the wrong way and he intended to find out. He entered the castle and noticed how massive the structure was. It might take awhile to find her especially with guards on high alert no thanks to today being a special event. It was a good thing there are shadows casted from the day. His black cloak allows him to blend into them well enough. He jumped from one shadow to the next while the guards weren’t looking hoping to find the elusive pink princess. The name calling of their color and title was beginning to wear on the disciple’s head as he muttered to himself about it, “I swear, I better think of some better nicknames next time. I’m beginning to tire calling them white one, or pink princess right now.” Jumping from the shadows again, he was beginning to curse himself for even thinking about it in the first place until something caught his eye.

One of the towers had glowed green before dissipating. If he were to hazard a guess, his would-be princess was in that tower. Looking at the location, he found a path that leads towards the tower in question. Avoiding the guards was the easy part as he slipped past them easily. He chuckled quietly seeing the incompetence of these fellow guards. His world can at least do it better than what they were doing. Then again, this world had been in peace for so long, he fathomed that they never thought to actually face a conflict.

Reaching the stairs that lead for the tower, he ascended up the tower silently hoping to not draw attention. The ascension went by quickly as he reached the spire of the tower. A single door with no guards was within reach, “I seriously question the competence of the supposed guard if they can’t even protect their own princesses.” In front of the door, the door was slightly opened allowing him to see what was going on inside. He saw Princess Cadance in a completely new light.

What was once the sweet and lovable princess was now what he can only describe as a bug in her place as green flames surrounded her and she appeared. The disciple was right to follow his instincts as he got to witness her transformation. He was about to leave until he heard her talking to herself, “Well that went well. I still can’t believe no one caught onto my act, and yet… there’s still one person that can catch me quickly, that pesky little sister of Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle I believe was her name?”

Despite every part of his body to move and get away, he stayed and listens to the conversation wondering if there are other details in mind, “Hmm, how do I get rid of her? I know she’ll escape if I should subdue her, but that doesn’t bother me much when the shield around this city dispels and my changelings can swarm the place.” An ominous laughter came forward from the bug creature as she looked at her hoof, “Oh Chrysalis, you’ve done well I’d say. I wonder how the real one is handling being stuck in the Crystal Caves? I bet she’s crying herself to sleep because I ruined her special day. Pah, ruin her special day, doesn’t bother me much as long as I get to feed on her husband’s love.”

The disciple, hearing the conversation, was almost consumed by his anger as he was gripping his swords tightly. He was trying to think rationally and stay calm but every thought that lingered in his thoughts, all he can think of was ending this excuse of a pony’s life right then and now. He looked through the tiny opening of the door again wondering if she was going to say anything else. Finding nothing else of value listening to this creature, he walked away from the door. He decided to forgo executing the Six Heroes for now. His new priority was to help the heroes of this world in the shadows. No one’s special day should ever be ruined by this and he doesn’t give a damn if his master thinks otherwise. Nothing is going to stop him from bringing this special day a happy ending.

He jumped down from the high height of the tower. As he reached the ground, he skillfully rolled preventing damage on his body. If there was something he was glad of, he was training with not only his blades but his mind as well on things that are important. As night was beginning to fall away for the Sun, he disappeared with the shadows awaiting the events of today to come and wait for his time to strike.

In Ponyville, the Six Heroes and the Bearers of Harmony were enjoying a good picnic today. Ever since what happened days before, things have begun to settle down and they enjoyed each other’s company a lot more often now. During the picnic, a conversation was starting between Rainbow and Eze and everybody joined in it, “Wait wait, you serious Dash? You can seriously perform something akin to a sonic boom in our world? That’s something…”

“Oh yeah, I can! I can do it right now if you want me too!” Before Eze got the chance to completely say his answer, a burp came forth from the dragon as a letter appeared, “On second thought never mind, say, what does the letter say Twi?” The thunder hero pouted a bit but decided to let it pass for now as he turned his attention towards Twilight.

Spike gave the letter to Twilight who thanked him in return. Twilight read the contents of the letter in question, “Dear Twilight Spearkle…” She looked to see the Six Heroes looking at each other knowing who sent it. She let a smile form, “No worries you six, Princess Celestia treats me like a… daughter she never had I guess?” They all smiled hearing that as they gestured her to continue. Twilight happily obliges, “You and your friends are invited to a wedding…”

“Oh, a wedding is it? Who are the lucky ponies to be undergoing such a momentous occasion?” Both Rarity and Selena asked simultaneously. They looked at each other before chuckling seeing they shared the same thoughts. Rainbow gagged a bit from it but an elbow and a supposed glare from Eze promptly stopped her from continuing it any further. A few ponies were a bit surprised about that the thunder hero who shares similarities with Rainbow stopped her. The humans on the other hand were proud to see him developing little by little.

Twilight smiled behind the letter seeing the action there, “Anyway, we are invited to a wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza…” Twilight raised an eyebrow about this name alongside the humans though they understood what the name meant. The librarian just shrugged and continued, “Okay, her and…” Silence was met as she looked at the letter and rereading it just in case she was reading it right the first time. Vargas was about to ask what was troubling her until she responded, “My brother, Shining Armor…”

All twelve were looking at each other before a few cheers from the ponies came forward, “Oh Twilight, that’s wonderful news, your brother is getting married! Why I should get the proper dresses ready to go for this special occasion!”

Despite the ponies being somewhat oblivious, the humans caught onto her not sharing their sentiments as she stared off into space. Vargas stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder, “Twilight, is something the matter? We know that look you have well enough to give us worry.”

What came afterwards was a big surprise to the ponies and humans, “Of course there’s something wrong, it’s Shining Armor being married that is!” All of them were looking at each other trying to understand the situation of what she meant. She let out a sigh seeing that she was getting a bit ahead of herself, “Sorry, it’s just that it’s been years since I’ve seen Shining Armor. He would always send letters to me a few times personally whenever he was in the Royal Guard.”

The humans were able to understand quicker than the ponies considering they were under a militaristic life their whole time in their world, “Ah but you do realize that he wouldn’t be able to send you the letters like normal considering he’s under military training right?” Magress was the person who spoke it for them.

Twilight hung her head understanding where they were going with this, “Yeah I know, you six went through a military life so of course you’d understand easier… but still, I wished he should have at least sent me a letter about him getting married in the first place, no offense to Princess Celestia.” They all didn’t mind since this was a personal topic to her, “And who’s this mare he’s marrying to?! Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? I’ve never even heard of a name like that!” At this time, Lance was whistling away when she said that causing her to groan a bit, “Don’t tell me you guys understand the name!” A smirk formed on the nature hero’s face.

Vargas pinched his nose seeing Lance being silly again but otherwise answered her question, “Yes we understand the name. It’s actually a language we speak a lot back in our home world.” He looked to see his fellow compatriot, Lance, still wearing that smirk of his. He couldn’t but compliment about it, “Why are you smirking Lance? The only time I see you doing that is when something funny comes up in your mind.”

He just shrugged still wearing the grin of his, “Oh don’t mind, blame Drevas here. He’s being a snarker right now.” That made a few of the ponies facehoof in seeing his spirit friend being like so when today was a special occasion. Lance and his Drevas just let it slide for now still wearing his smirk.

Twilight lowered her hoof and continued the subject at hoof, “Okay, ignoring Lance’s spirit friend being snarky today, can any of you tell me what it means in the first place please? I want to chat with my B.B.B.F.F alongside his fellow lucky mare.”

Before the humans could answer her question, the initials was caught their attention and Twilight’s friends shared their thoughts as well, “Uh Twi? What does B.B.B.F.F. supposed t’ mean? Those are some mighty long initials fer Ah’m guessing long name o’ yers.”

“It means big brother, best friend forever Applejack…” All the ponies were looking at each other before she looked at Canterlot and closed her eyes. Her mane and tail was flowing with the wind that was blowing behind her and before long she opened her eyes.

Eze groaned as he was beginning to see those familiar signs, “Don’t tell me she’s going to…” He hears her voice heading into that territory. The thunder hero then proceeded to facepalm, “Yep, she went to sing about her big brother.” He raised his index finger indicating to him that this was song one of the day.

Atro noticed the letter and picked it up and was about to read and share it but not before chatting with the idiot swordsman in question, “Do not be like that Eze, you know that she misses her big brother and I can’t help but not like them singing sometimes. Wouldn’t you miss any friends or family if you haven’t seen the in years?” Unbeknownst to the light hero, Selena winced a bit from the sudden memory of witnessing her friend Lucina sacrificing herself to defeat a maniacal witch from finishing her off. Her friend managed to defeat but at the cost of losing her own life. She wished she had a chance to help her when she had the chance.

Eze let out a sigh as he looked towards Canterlot, “Yeah I can see that but did she really have to sing it now? Ugh, I don’t mind singing but goodness, there’s a time and place when you don’t need to sing about your own B.B.B.F.F. here!” Silence was the thunder hero’s answer before he facepalmed a second time, “Great, she got me saying it now… Damn it to hell…”

His compatriots roared out loud in laughter from the thunder hero’s reaction just after hearing the song ending. All the ponies were looking at them in confusion wondering what was causing them to laugh loudly. They decided to not dwell into what they considered humorous in their case as they focused on the wedding today, “Well, with all that out of the way, you six want to join us in the wedding? I still want to chat with my brother about all of what’s happening but this might also be the best time for you six to chat with the Princesses right?”

Atro was the first to stop laughing as he looked at Twilight, “Of course, that would be best. And we’re not the only ones to think it as well. Your two princesses have shared our thoughts as well according to the rest of this letter as well.” The others stopped laughing as they got up from the picnic blanket and wrapped it up for Fluttershy.

Twilight grabbed the letter from the light hero’s hand and read the rest now that she was calm about the situation, “Huh, you’re right… They wanted to chat now though? Not that I’m complaining as long as you six can get to introduce yourselves to them. Just please be careful when you introduce yourselves please?”

“I think the only person you have to worry about not being careful when introducing himself would be our idiot swordsman here.” His right thumb was pointed towards where Eze is. The thunder hero was looking at Vargas with disdain all the while the fire hero was wearing a smirk, “Eze, you know I’m joking dunderhead! You’ll take it in stride anyway, not like I can stop you anyhow.”

This prompted the proclaimed idiot swordsman to puff his chest while raising his sword, Batootha, into the air proudly, “Yeah! Ain’t nothing stopping me from pleasing Princess Celestia and Luna! Look out Equestria! Make way for the greatest idiot swordsman that ever lived!” Everybody dropped onto the floor and shared in each other’s laughter. To their surprise, his words managed to echo throughout Ponyville causing some of the citizens that lived to look around in confusion. That prompted more laughter out of the twelve friends gathered together.

Magress just watched the scene in amusement as everybody was rolling on the grassy hill and pounding away at it from today’s hilarious antics. He spoke after everyone managed to settle down, “Well, after all of what happened now, shall we prepare for the wedding ahead? We do not want to be late for this special occasion correct?” Everybody nodded in agreement and went their separate ways to ready themselves for the wedding ahead.

Celestia was watching their picnic from the distance with a telescope as she sent that letter. It was silly of her to be watching them afar but since the topic of the letter was personal at best, she couldn’t help but see if she was handling it well. To her surprise, it started getting a little sensitive until she saw eleven of them laughing and even got to hear Eze’s exclamation. That caused her to chuckle a bit from the thunder hero’s response. She pushed the front of the telescope making it shrink until it fit in her bag of assortments, “I think I will most definitely be enjoying this long-awaited conversation with them.”

“Were you watching them again?” Celestia heard the familiar voice and turned around with a smile seeing her sister returning her smile, “You know, I really wonder why you like to do so when we had a conversation about watching our little ponies in the first place…”

Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle a bit remembering the conversation, “Yes, but in this case, considering the letter I sent was personal, I was merely being precautious about it.” She saw Luna roll her eyes but her sister ended up chuckling seeing what was going on her head being very likely with Twilight. She looked at the tower that held their niece, “Today’s the day… I hope things go well Luna. I don’t want this day to be ruined by any threats outside the walls.”

“Indeed, tis such a good day for Cadance. Were it to be ruined, I might as well smite upon thee who ruins her glorious day. Or something close to that I think.” Both chortled at what Luna had in mind for anyone who would disturb such a good time for their niece and her soon-to-be husband. They were about to return back inside the castle until a sound of metal being hit resonated in their ears. They both stopped and looked around trying to find the source. Luna then looked down to see a single rock with a note attached to it and from its location and trajectory, was aimed specifically for Celestia’s torc. She followed the thrown rock’s course and looked behind a bush to find no one there in particular. She let a sigh before looking at Celestia who picked up the rock and was reading the note, “What does the note say sister?”

Celestia lowered the note and looked towards the Canterlot Gardens wondering who this mysterious pony that tossed it was, “The note is intricate… I almost mistook for Archaic Equestrian.” She gave the note to Luna who was reading it, “Apparently a mysterious pony wants to meet me alone in the Canterlot Gardens now. It looks to be important but I’m worried.”

A smile formed on Luna’s face as she finished reading the note, “The note also said that I can join in the conversation too. Perhaps I should be with you if this is important for the both of us to know.” Seeing her sister nod, both made their flight to the gardens to see who was this hidden messenger. The sight of Canterlot preparing for the wedding was a good sign for the both of them as well as the shield being still functional. Both did wonder how Shining Armor still manages to keep the shield going strong despite it being tiring for him.

A short flight later and they landed on the Canterlot Gardens. Both looked at the message wondering whether this was a ploy or not. They decided to not prolong this any longer and called out this being from its hiding, “You may show yourself now… There is no need to hide from us now that we are here at your beckoning.”

Silence lingered around the Gardens for sometime after Celestia made her speech. Both were beginning to think this was some joke by a bystander and were about to return back to help the ponies when a voice spoke out breaking the silence, “Forgive me for being silent, but I assure you that I called you here for a reason.”

Both turned around to not see the pony on question. Though they originally were assuming that they were making spiritual contact, they quickly dismissed it as the voice was too close for it to be spirits from the past, “Well, if you wish us to be here, why not reveal yourself to us? Surely, you are not wary of not showing yourself after doing an… unconventional way of getting our attention.”

Celestia chuckled and agreed with Luna on how his pony gathered their attention. In fact, something about him, according to the Sun Princess if she heard said voice right, trying to grab their attention bothered her a bit. She stepped forward looking around for the being in question, “The way you tried to get our attention. If my assumption is to be correct, than you somewhat fear us. Why do you hide and fear from us? Do you not know of what we achieved?”

That got Luna’s attention and suddenly she was looking as well for this supposed being as well. The disciple was wearing a smile behind his mask, “Perceptive I see… While I do not fear you two, I hide because of my… appearance shall I say. But I speak the truth when I say that trouble is brewing during this special day.”

Both looked at each other, their expression matching their concerns. However, before they could think of what kind of trouble was coming, both wanted their worries to be confirmed, “How can we be certain that you are not lying to psych the both of us out? For all we know, you may be the trouble brewing on our niece’s special day.”

The disciple cringed upon hearing those words used against him, were they not true to begin with. While he was not the source of the current conflict that is occurring soon here, in the future, he will be with the assassination of the Six Heroes again. He shook his head, wanting to purge those thoughts out and focus on the problem that will spawn, “I assure you I am not the trouble…” He let the silence linger on as the words felt like poison to him, “If I were, I would not be calling you and somehow be able to end your life right here and now do I?”

Though the words gave the two princesses a sense of fear, the voice that was speaking to them had bought up a good point, “Very well, so tell us. What is this trouble that you speak of?” Their horns were glowing with magic in case if the being was trying something that will put their niece in danger.

Silence was his answer as he watched the two of them in the shadows. Their horns were glowing and the lone knight knew that well enough as a sign of them being precautious, “I applaud you for bringing caution in mind but do not worry, I do not bring harm.” Their body relaxed a bit but their horns were still glowing still. He could not blame them though, if a mysterious voice were to make contact with him, he would be exercising caution as well. He let out a deep breath as he continued, “I, too, wish this special day to not be ruined like you two are. I once had someone whom I loved and friends that cared for me both in competition and friendly banter.” A slight chuckle escaped from him seeing that he was reminiscing about his past right now to two strangers in different species. The laughter faded as old memories resurfaced and he was gripping his swords in anger, “It was during a battle that my allies had unfortunately faces heir demise and my lover was lost forever. I… was the only surviving member of that battle.”

He looked towards them and saw their magic dissipating as they were wearing looks that suggested to the disciple that they understood his pain. The Night Princess however, grabbed his most attention as she looked to be the most pained, “Please reveal yourself… I have a past that I am not proud of…”

“Luna, you don’t have to speak about it towards a stranger, you know as well as I do that he cannot be trusted yet.” Her younger sister looked away, the feeling of guilt still lingering a bit despite having a good life. Celestia let out a sigh seeing her sister being like this.

To their surprise, a sound of rustling broke their train of thought. They gathered their magic as one of the bushes was shaking. Something popped out of the bush and they readied themselves for whatever was about to appear. A black cloaked and hooded bipedal figure appeared in front of them with a mask covering his face. The same voice spoke out from this creature as he raised his hand over the mask, “You have a painful past Princess Luna?”

The Night Princess looked at the being in question, “Indeed and I hate the things I've done before..." She pondered about him what with the way he looked and of his past as well, "What about you? You do not look like anything we’ve seen past or not.” She lowered her guard as she walked forward. Celestia was about to stop her but the being in question stood still and only keeping eye contact on the younger sister. Both looked at each other’s eyes conveying their emotions through the silence until it as broken by Princess Luna, “Your eyes, they speak the truth… I have learned that the eyes always speak the truth when two people who share similarities with one another stare. If whatever trouble you speak of is true, then speak with it. I do not wish to see my niece in trouble.”

The disciple partly opened his mask revealing to her his smile before lowering it back, “I am sorry that I cannot reveal to you yet. You seem like someone I would enjoy having a simple conversation with.” A smile from Luna confirmed that she shared his thoughts as well. Looking towards the approaching Celestia, she too wore a genuine smile. He bowed towards them as his way of saying thanks, “Forgive me for the suddenness of this but please do not react wrongly of my words, but… Keep a closer watch of your niece, she is not whom she truly is.”

Both were confused as to what the being said as they looked at each other. They turned around to look but to their surprise, he was not there anymore. They blinked a few times trying to be certain but when he did not appear, they stopped and conversed with one another, “Luna what does this being mean? I do not trust him yet but something about his voice tells me he was being genuine in his words.”

Luna looked towards the place where he originally was comtemplating about it, “I agree, perhaps it is best to keep his words in mind. I do acknowledge that he may have possibly lied to get us to thinking wrongly but I cannot shake the feeling that he may be correct as well.”

“So… keep his words but do it in secrecy then?” A nod from Luna was met and both flew back to the main room of the castle. Whatever was happening, if what the mysterious being said was true, then it was best to be careful about it. But something about him also bothered Celestia. Despite taking his mask off to only flash a smile, the way he looked seemed odd. Celestia was probably thinking too hard but she can’t help but make the connection between him and the other six that came here as well. Maybe when they meet in the end, she can ask if there was some relevance to this black cloaked being than meets the eye.

Legends Meet and Troubles Arise

Everyone back at Ponyville was ready to go as they ride the train towards Canterlot for the wedding of Twilight’s brother. Said pony was still feeling distraught about it but tried her best to keep a positive side to all of this. The Six Heroes catch on to her quickly but decided to let her handle this since it was personal to her. One of the humans looked out the window and saw Canterlot surrounded by a vast shield of sorts. They past the shield with no trouble but this action confused Twilight, “Why is there a shield around Canterlot?”

A smile formed on Vargas seeing that Celestia probably took their conversation to heart when he saw her for a split second back at the hospital, “A precaution perhaps Twilight, you know that today is a special occasion. Weddings are special even in our world; everyone would try to place security measures just to be sure that the wedding goes as smoothly as possible.”

Rarity was looking at Vargas with a sense of curiosity, “Oh? And how can you be certain about that entire thing darling? I can understand precaution but you speaking about it is a bit of a surprise.” She was shuffling through the bag checking if the dresses she made for the five other bearers were still in good condition.

“Because Rarity…” Vargas waved a hand towards his compatriots, “All of us have been in weddings one time or other especially royal weddings. Royalty is very important in our world and since this is a royal wedding with Twilight’s brother…”

“The precaution is needed so the wedding goes smoothly and no outside interference unwarranted for this special occasion… Right...” All eleven were looking at the younger sister of Shining Armor. She was still being antsy about this whole thing as she looked away and saw the train station coming by. Just as the doors opened, Twilight proceeded to run out of the door to the castle. Vargas followed her quickly just in case she gets over her head. The other five originally were going to chase after the fire hero but decided to help the others in their need. They didn’t need five humans to chase after one pony.

The run to the castle was short but she didn’t need to know it anyway as she skidded to a halt, “I wish to speak with Shining Armor right now!” Suddenly, almost all the guards were alert as they hoisted spears towards her direction. One of them accidently hurled his spear towards Twilight. Her eyes widened as the projectile was nearby her face. A sword wreathed in flames was in front of her making her back away one step a bit as she looked towards Vargas who was smiling. The spear in question turned to ashes upon making contact with the sword. She returned him back with her smile, “Thank you Vargas, now I’m beginning to get a little jealous of you and your friends’ ability to react quickly.”

The fire hero chuckled as he sheathed Dandelga back into place. Approaching hoofsteps reached his ears causing him to look past the guards to see a figure coming forward. Said figure greeted Twilight with a sense of joy. It was easy for Vargas to connect the dots that this pony is Twilight’s brother and high rank of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, “Hey there Twily!”

Vargas raised one eyebrow at the nickname given to Twilight. He was about to ask but was cut off by said pony as she rushed forward. He assumed it was a hugging gesture until it got shattered as he saw her beginning to argue with her own brother, “Don’t Twily me! How dare you not send me a letter telling me that you were getting married Shiny!”

This prompted the fire hero to cover his face with his right hand and let out a sigh. He decided to leave it to his brother since she knew her well enough to not get involved in her affairs for now. Turning around towards the castle, he saw that everyone was already there getting ready for the wedding. With the ponies preparing, that left the six humans to meet Princess Celestia and Luna. He met up with his friends as they were waiting for him, “Took you long enough Vargas! Let me guess, Twilight is being stubborn isn’t she?”

He let out a sigh seeing the two figures from the distance, “Yep Eze, I have to agree with Rainbow on this, she’s more stubborn than Applejack…” He looked to see three lookalike guards were approaching them. He never did bother at first but seeing the same guards over and over made him wonder why the guards always look alike. Shining Armor is probably the only unique case of not suffering lookalikes.

In any case, the guards were here and they knew why they’re here, “You are the six the princesses are referring to?” All of them nodded prompting the center guard that talked with them to remove his helmet. The original white coat slowly wisped away as a brown coat with a blue mane replaced it. A smile was met with the six, “It’s good to finally met you personally. I heard about your achievements back at Canterlot, I must say, being able to hold back a surge of star-spawns is something I’d never imagine coming from you six.”

Lance couldn’t help but whistle seeing the amount of magic involved there, “Nice, a helmet that conceals your identity. Coat, mane, tail, and cutie mark? I have to admit that’s some impressive magic I see. I’m guessing that’s from the two princesses in mind?” A simple smile was his answer.

The center guard dismissed the other two following him. They obeyed and went their own separate ways leaving him to escort them, “Follow me you six, I’ll show you to Princess Celestia and Luna. Both are excited to meet you.” As he made the first step, he momentarily stopped and turned to meet their eyes, “Oh and I almost forgot, Natural Epsilon at your services.” A smile came on all six of them as they followed him. Despite his original task was to bring them to the throne room, Epsilon couldn’t help but give a slight tour of the place while heading there, “There’s the kitchen there if you want to know. Oh and just keep this between you and me, but I heard Princess Celestia loves to eat cakes a lot so she orders them to make a lot of cakes for her when she’s not busy.”

That prompted a few chuckled from the six as they imagine the pony princess eating a whole slew of cakes in front of her, “Is that true? I find that rather intriguing and embarrassing especially for someone who is royalty.”

A chuckle escaped from the guard leading them, “Oh don’t get the wrong idea, she’ll be sophisticated when she needs to be but when around friends and family, Princess Celestia gets to be all kinds of silly just to poke fun at them. I’ve seen it myself since apparently I’m one of those people that fits her criteria of being silly around.” The thought amused Epsilon as he reached the doors that lead towards the throne room, “In any case, we’re here. I’ll be departing but I hope to see you six again okay?” He wore back his helmet and the brown coat he originally had been was now the enchanted white. He said his farewells before he left them and returned to his post.

Seeing the guard leave them, Magress couldn’t help but be amused by the idea, “That Epsilon fellow is a fine stallion… but the idea of Princess Celestia being silly to us? Do you think that could be possible?” He looked towards his compatriots and they shared his thoughts as a quiet laughter escaped them.

Eze was the first to stop his fit of laughter as he looked at the doors, “Those are some massive doors. I wonder how…” Just as he was about to ask, an orange sun-like glow surrounded the doors and was slowly opening for them, “Oh, well never mind then.” All six entered the throne room with a sense of anticipation. Having heard the cake thing from Epsilon made them almost forget that this was royalty they were thinking of. Inside, the throne room was bathed in a mix of warm light and soothing darkness. On the throne sat the two princesses who were chatting with one another. The six could think of any topic but the events of the wedding came to mind. Luna was the first to notice their entry and smiled as she stood up to greet them. Celestia soon joined once she found why she stopped their conversation.

Five of the six proceeded to bow as the royal sisters neared them. Eze was the only one who wasn’t bowing to the both of them and proceeded to somehow ruin their presentation, “Hi there! How goes the day?” That caused three of the heroes to collapse from the sheer stupidity done there while the other two looked at him questionably.

Selena was the first to recover and decided to get rough as she punched Eze on the head once. He was recoiling from the hit while the ice hero was reprimanding him, “You idiot! You aren’t supposed to be so informal to the two princesses here!” Her words only made a small smirk appear prompting another punch to the head.

This elicited a chuckle from Celestia, “Please everyone; there is no need for formalities here. I believe your thunder friend understands quickly right?” A simple nod answered her question although his face contorted into pain with the second punch. The Sun Princess stepped forward and touched his head with horn. Her magic flowed into the horn and slowly, the pain that once lingered on Eze’s head dissipated, “There you go. Does that feel a bit better?”

The thunder hero tapped his head a few times before confirming it with his smile, “Yep, definitely feels a lot better now! Healing magic eh? Can’t say I’m surprised considering the mark on your… um, plot? Is there a pony term that doesn’t sound like I’m saying an innuendo?” He looked towards his companions and unfortunately, none of them had the answer to his question. He let out a sigh before returning his attention to the two princesses, “Well, you get the point right?”

A chuckle from Luna this time escaped as she stepped forward, “Perhaps oh proclaimed great idiot swordsman of your world.” Those words prompted Eze to take it in pride as he puffed his chest and raised his sword high into the air. Luna blinked twice just to be certain if she imagined what she saw correctly, “Huh… and here I thought that would be offensive…”

Vargas stepped forward while elbowing his friend, “Excuse my friend’s behavior, he likes to take that name in pride especially since one of the high commanding generals leading an army said this about him…” The fire hero cleared his throat, “He’s an idiot, but he’s an idiot to be feared. That’s what one of the generals said, thus resulting my friend taking that in stride.” He looked towards Eze who was smiling at Emilia’s words about him.

Luna couldn’t help but smile at the idea, “Tis true? Hmm… your friend does look to be good material to be leading an army…” The thought amused the Night Princess as she imagined armies questioning his leadership but the decimation of enemy forces would put those questions behind their backs for now.

To her surprise, he rebutted the idea, “No thanks, I’d rather not take the lead of a vast army even if I can see myself as one. I’m no good at following or giving out orders anyway, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight with the army right?” Luna looked towards her sister with a smile. These beings were much more amazing than they expected. Both shared the idea of them possibly wielding the Elements of Harmony if that does come true with time.

For now however, they were prolonging introductions, “Those are noble words to say. You would most be a great leader, but for now let us get started shall we? I shall get started, I am Princess Celestia, and as you noted on my flank, good sir…” Celestia pointed at her cutie mark. Luna rolled her eyes while the others couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, “I have the ability to move the Sun. However, it is not the only thing for I am quite a competent fighter.”

“Yet you always try to negotiate for peace more often…” Luna pointed out that detail. It was something she wished she could do as well, but it was also a case of weakness as well, “Forgive me for being rude sister but I felt it was needed.” She saw Celestia not minding as she gestured her to continue the conversation. Before she could however, she wanted to ask something important, “I know that you said that we do not have to be formal today but why did you act silly to them of all times?” Her only answer was one of Celestia’s signature grins. Luna put a hoof on her face and sigh, “Sometimes I wonder why I have you as a sister…”

“Come now Luna, I wouldn’t be the same if I couldn’t be silly right?” She was still wearing her grin yet ended up having a point in the end anyway. She might end up becoming competition for Discord was he to be released someday on pranks.

The Night Princess let out a sigh as she lowered her hoof, “Tis true… You would never be the same if you didn’t have some of your silliness.” Underneath all her groaning, she was smiling in the inside. She liked her sister’s antics and if she weren’t being silly, life wouldn’t be the same for Luna. She let a quiet chuckle escape before returning back on the introduction at hoof, “Right, well we’ve dragged out long enough. I am Princess Luna and as the opposite of my sister, I can control the movements of the moon but I also do other capabilities such as being able to walk in the realm of dreams.”

Lance let a whistle escape seeing the ability of being able to walk in others dreams and possibly nightmares were interesting. However, the convenience of the name did not escape the Six Heroes unnoticed and Atro was the first to respond to it, “Luna? Well, at least you’re not the foul-mouthed human version of our Luna.”

Although the six humans chuckled at the idea, The Night and the Sun Princess raised an eyebrow, “There is another Luna back in your world?” Both looked at each other a bit caught off by this revelation.

Magress managed to settle down their worries quickly, “Do not worry; you and our Luna are very different from each other. We just saw the name as something of convenience…” Both let out a sigh seeing that there was nothing to crazy, “But there is a reason why we say she’s foul-mouthed.”

“Oh and do tell us why?” Both were getting intrigued by this and couldn’t blame their curiosity. All six humans looked at each other wondering who was going to tell them about the vulgar general. Vargas volunteered and approached the two. He gestured them to come closer and lower their heads so only they can hear. They responded and allowed the fire hero to tell them some of the lines she would say in battle. What resulted was their eyes getting wide and them back away a few steps while looking at them with seemingly red faces, “S-surely you can’t be serious?! I-I can’t believe someone would be that vulgar in their language.”

The fire hero cringed at the words he had to say if only to quote their Luna, “I am very serious Princess Celestia, tell that to historians who would never record her words because of how truly vulgar they are.” He shudder a bit as he tried to forget and not remember her words ever again. Everyone else in tandem was in agreement.

Luna coughed a bit before clearing her throat. “Well um… now I feel small in the vulgarity contest with your Luna. But that does not matter, tell us, what are your names?” Part of it was to forget what Vargas spoke of to them and the other was to end the introductions quickly so they can get the wedding ready for today.

All six shared the Night Princess’s thoughts and introduced themselves starting from Vargas, “I am Vargas, the Hero of Fire reporting or that a bit too much? In any case, I… erm, was a soldier of the Agni army…” Celestia smiled seeing the fire burning strongly within the fire hero. It matched her own both on the power and utilization of the embers, “I came to join it in the hopes of following in my father, Avant, footstep’s and make my dad proud of his own son. I am not so sure if I succeeded what with me presumably dead in our world...”

Both princesses mimicked each other’s movements and thoughts as they step forward and put a hoof on his shoulder, “You are all very well-known back in your world correct?” A simple nod from all of them confirmed their question, “Then let it be known that your friends and family would have been no more proud for all of you. Your father, Avant, could never be more proud of having a son like you Vargas.” A heartfelt thanks from the fire hero and a smile bought back his spirit as he back away and bowed. They returned the gesture as well.

Vargas moved away allowing the next of the six to step forward. The ice hero stepped forward and greeted them with a bow, “Greetings your Majesties, I am Selena, the Hero of Ice.” Though it was not water itself, it was a sub-element to it. Luna could only smile seeing that she was not the only one capable of casting ice-related spells. They bowed in return and rose at the same time, “I’m normally reserved but tradition tells me otherwise. In terms, you could say that I was shoehorned into becoming a leader because of my skills with the sword and that my ancestral sword…” She raised the sword in question, letting it shine with the radiant Sun, “Lexida, saw me befitting as the rightful wielder of it considering that my people’s spirit resides within the blade. While I am elated and joyful, all I wish is the freedom of journeying with my friends to the vast corners of the land. I do not wish to have the burden of being a leader upon my shoulders. True freedom… it’s all I could wish for.”

Her words spoke well to the two as she sheathed her ancestral sword and returned back to her friends with a smile. She looked towards Lance who was the next to step forward and greet them. Though the nature did not bow to them, he still gave a polite gesture to them, “It’s good to meet the two of you personally. I was wondering if words from your student spoke true and I must say, you two do look and speak the part.”

Both smiled in returned for the kind words, “As do all of you…” Celestia leaned closer to Lance and whispered, “Also you can tell your thunderous friend that we already know about him especially after Luna gave it away in the first place…”

To their surprise, he somehow managed to hear her whisper causing him to get a little pouty, “What?! Aw and I had a speech ready to go for this moment! Now I feel empty without saying it now! This sucks on ice!” Despite how rather uncouth it was of his outburst, almost everyone burst into laughter from the suddenness of his speech at all. Only Magress and Atro watched the scene in amusement as everyone was on the floor laughing and pounding away. Even the two princesses could not avoid the laughter for so long.

Some of the guards did show themselves occasionally at the door wondering if the princesses were okay. Seeing them on the floor laughing made them almost chuckle at the sight of it before returning back to their posts. After a few chortles exchanged, all of them stood up from their laughing spree, “Oh goodness, I’ve never had a good laugh like that in forever it seems…”

Atro stepped forward and assisted the Sun Princess while Magress helped the Night Princess. The other four managed to get up with their own strength trying to shake off the last few vestiges of laughter still coming. The light hero couldn’t help but not shake this feeling away, “So about how you already know Eze, am I wrong to assume that you somehow heard his exclamation to the whole world from Ponyville to here?”

A small smile from both princesses all but confirmed Atro his suspicions. The thunder hero picked up on it and let a small cheer for himself escape, “Hoorah! I’m spreading faster than ever! I’m beginning to enjoy this meeting right Atro?”

The light hero let out a sigh, “Yes and now I don’t need to introduce myself now that the princesses know of my name thanks to you.” Eze let out a weak laugh while scratching the back of his head. Atro didn’t mind though because at least this lets things quicken especially since the two princesses have a wedding to prepare for today. He looked towards his armored friend who was the last one to introduce himself, “Well fellow knight?”

Magress looked towards the light hero but thanks to his helmet was hiding a grin, “What? I do not need to introduce myself, they already know now. Is that right your majesties?”

A smile from both answered any questions from all five of his compatriots, “Yes and thank you Magress and Atro for assisting us up.” Both nodded and returned to their friend’s side, “I am pleased to see and chat with the six of you without worries. There was something I wished to discuss with you six but time is not so patient and so I’ll have let it wait until the wedding is over. You are willing to help us right with the wedding right?” The tone almost went into a pleading case but it would be rather silly of her to have to do so now that she had the chance to meet the six better.

Vargas stepped forward as he gestured to all of them, “We’d be happy to do so. We have been in weddings before and this one is no different correct?” For some reason or another, he cannot shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was probably his instincts as a soldier kicking but the timing was most bizarre for him. Looking towards his companions, he saw they shared his timing of his worries.

Thankfully, the princesses did not catch on to it as they continued on with the conversation, “No there is not much difference if your weddings are what I have in mind.” She let a smile form as she remembered something in mind, “We are also thankful for you six helping the citizens in Ponyville. The actions you took in protecting them will likely echo across Equestria.”

A smile formed on all of them as they bowed, and yes, that includes Eze who only did so out of respect for the two princesses. The two bowed as well out of gratitude for the six humans. All eight of them rose together just as the doors open by the guards outside. Having learned everything they wished to know for today, the eight departed from the throne room and went their separate ways.

The princesses departed for the lower levels of the castle to prepare while the Six Heroes went towards the garden hopefully to relax a bit. Luckily, one of the guards gladly escorted them to the garden. Upon arriving there, they begun to feel less tense once they were surrounded by all the fauna and flora. The aroma soothed their tensions and they begun to ponder about the wedding ahead, “So… what should we do for the wedding in mind?”

Everybody attending looked towards Vargas in question. Silence was met as they wondered about the events ahead. Their thoughts were interrupted by a certain unicorn barging through the gates looking very agitated, “Where are they?!” She was looking around frantically in the garden locating whoever she was looking for. When her eyes fell upon the Six Heroes, her frantic look almost seemingly dissipated quickly, “Oh… hi… did I interrupt something?”

Atro let out a sigh having seen this predicament, “Yes you did Twilight, but I’m more concerned about why you are acting this way right now when the wedding is soon to be approaching.” The light hero looked at the bearer of magic expecting a reaction of sorts. Said reaction however, caught not only him but his human friends off guard. Her face contorted from an apologetic expression to one mixed of both anger and worry as she was at the verge of panicking.

Selena stepped forward and tried to calm their hyperventilating compatriot but was pushed away by Twilight’s magic a few feet. Magress caught her just as the unicorn pleaded to them, “I’m sorry for that Selena but please, have you seen my brother?! I need to find him now!”

Vargas stepped up this time wanting to not let his panicking friend get worse, “Calm down… what is it about your brother that’s bothering you now? I had hoped that you two had gotten along well now especially since you two are siblings.”

His words only managed to make her even more panicked and angrier? Something was not right about this and all of them can see it plainly, “I know that! But it’s about Cadance that’s with him! She’s not the real one! The one I know from fillyhood!”

Those words made Lance raise an eyebrow in confusion, “How can you be so certain? All of us haven’t met her yet so I can’t say much about it. Don’t tell me that you harbor a grudge against the soon-to-be wife of your brother?”

Twilight looked at him wide-eyed before teleporting and closing the distance between them all the while having a tone of anger, “How dare you think that?! I know Cadance my whole life; she was my babysitter when I was just a filly! I love her like she was family to me but this one? She’s nothing like the Cadance I know of! My friends won’t believe me but I’ve seen her acting not like her normal self! For all I know, she’s an imposter that wants my brother…” The one word she wished to say was not able to escape her mouth as she backed away. The idea of her brother in that state, it was a nightmare she did not want to become a reality.

Unbeknownst to her, the nature hero had almost hit her with his lance. He managed to stop himself barely from attacking but the teleport and the stare almost made Lance react in instinct. He backed away as he tried to get some breathing room and calm himself. Selena stepped up again, this time being cautious just in case. Being within arms distance prompted the ice hero to lower her guard a bit but still try to comfort the panicking Twilight, “Twilight, we are willing to trust you in your words, but as Lance has spoken, are you certain about it? Perhaps you are just merely stressed out from today’s events occurring?” While she hasn’t seen what she did today, she can’t help but fathom a guess.

To her surprise, Twilight stopped fidgeting and looked towards her and the fire hero. A weary but understanding smile formed, “Were it a normal day, I could agree with you Selena. But this is my brother whose life could be on the line if what I believe is to be true.” She looked down to the ground at first contemplating about her worries before looking back at them with a look of resolution, “I just can’t shake my suspicions about her. I’m sorry you six but I have to face this now.” Before they could make a rebuttal, she immediately teleported leaving the six alone.

Most of them fell silent as they pondered whether to find her or not. Vargas made his call already as he stood up, “I’m going to find her and see whether what she said is true or not. I don’t mind if you all are not willing to participate…”

His sentence was cut off by Selena who joined his side, “I’m coming too as well. I’m very concerned for not only her well-being but her brother’s as well. That and I do not wish to see a family wedding ruined from outside interference.” She looked towards her comrades and all of them stood up and were willing to join the cause. It made the both of them smile to have good friends.

Atro spoke next and his words managed to relieve them of trekking the whole city for her, “If we’re going to find Twilight then consider us lucky that I took some time to learn the magics of this world. It’s not that different from our worlds oddly enough…” He paused a bit wondering the oddity of that before returning back to the subject at hand, “Anyway, I managed to locate where Twilight teleported. I do not know exactly where she teleported but I can confirm she is inside the castle.”

This time Eze spoke and everyone else was in agreement even without his words, “Well, what are we waiting for?! Let’s go and find her now!” They all nodded and were about to depart when one of the guards entered the garden.

They all looked and were met with a familiar face as he removed his helmet and smiled at them, “Hey there!” Epsilon did a small wave and they responded back in return though he can tell that something was bothering the six of them quickly. He decided to cut to the point and asked, “Is something worrying you guys?” He put back on his helmet as his two back-up guards followed behind him.

All of them smiled seeing that his timing could not have been any better. Magress spoke for them since he hasn’t in some time, “Yes in a bit of a way. Do you know where the wedding is being held Epsilon?” A smile and a nod confirmed as he turned around and gestured them to follow them. Though they wished him to hurry a bit, they did not want to cause too much panic. So the followed him and his two back-up guards to where the wedding was being held.

The walk was not the long as they neared their destination. Epsilon disbanded the two that follow him temporarily leaving him with just the six. As soon as he reached the doors he stopped and looked at them in the eye, “Okay, spit it out, what’s really troubling you six? I’ve been in the line of duty long enough to catch onto things only soldiers would do.”

While they were expecting it to come, they didn’t think it would be now. Lance, however, only chuckled a bit causing all eyes upon him. His quiet laughter faded as he looked at the enchanted soldier, “I’m not really a soldier… I’m more of an adventure type that’s not willing to listen to orders sometimes unless they’re people I trust.” His expression went from cheery to a dark expression almost suddenly causing Epsilon who asked to back away a bit in surprise, “But yes, we do have something that troubles us, or more precisely, an impending crisis looming over this city.”

Epsilon was skeptical about his words but the sudden change in expression almost made him change his mind. Still, as much as he wished to trust him in his words, he wanted to be sure about it, “Are you sure about that mister…?”

His expression went soft as he introduced himself, “Lance… we’ll go over name introductions later but yes Epsilon, I’m sure. Call it a hunch or something due to me traveling around my world long enough to develop a sort of sixth sense.” The second sentence caused him to chuckle a bit from the absurdity of the idea yet at the same time he couldn’t help but believe his own words.

Epsilon still questioned it but accepted it anyway for now. The crisis was now his major concern in mind now, “Okay, so what about the crisis in mind? What kind of force would threaten us this time?”

Eze spoke for the nature hero and made on the spot the most outlandish idea of a crisis ever while waving his hands around in a circle with his eyes closed, “Oh I don’t know, maybe some sort of bug or something that can not only transmute themselves into other ponies and imitate them well but also sucks ponies’ dry of their love leaving them an empty husk of their former selves or something to that note.” He opened his eyes to see Epsilon shudder while the five looked at him in bewilderment, “What? I’m just giving him what our current crisis is!”

The soldier shook his head a bit trying to dispel the thought, “If that’s true… I’ll be certain to keep a watchful eye on the citizens and guards in between. I don’t want this special day to be ruined for the two of them.” Looking towards the six, they shared his sentiments as they patted his shoulder. He couldn’t help but not smile with that kind gesture. He moved out of the way and pointed straight where two big doors are, “Just go straight and you’ll find where the wedding would take place. When? I’m not so sure but the location is certain.”

Behind the helmet of Magress was a smile as he patted his fellow soldier of a soon-to-be friend, “Thank you kindly Epsilon, we will take it from here.” A salute from him resulted and he left them to do what they were here for. As soon as he was out of their line of sight, he turned his attention towards the thunder hero who was confused as to why he was looking at him, “Really? That was the best excuse you could come up with Eze? A bunch of succubae type bug ponies?”

Eze looked at his friend clearly not pleased with the question, “Hey, try making something up when a world has many mythological things literally walking around the place. Bug ponies that suck the love out of you don’t seem farfetched now does it?” The dark hero was about to make a rebuttal until he stopped and suddenly realized that it would make sense in Equestria at least. Eze noticed and let a smirk form, “Yeah now you catch on huh? Well, we don’t have all day, are we going in or what?”

Just as they were about to enter the room, they saw Celestia including many ponies leaving the room looking clearly… angry? Pinkie’s mane almost seemingly lost its poofy look while the vibrant color looked liked it lost its color. The sight of her looking a bit distraught comparing to her friends who were angry made them worried. Once Celestia laid her eyes upon the six, her anger dissipated replaced with a look of sorrow as she met them, “I assume you must be wondering why all of us are enraged?”

Initially, they were about to shake their heads since they can fathom a guess as to why all of them were agitated. In the end, one of the heroes decided to ask merely to confirm all of their thoughts. The hero in question was Vargas, “We can assume it must have something to do with Twilight being suspicious of your niece and her babysitter during her youth… Are we correct about this Princess?” The look of surprise dawned upon Celestia as she looked at each one of them. Vargas sighed seeing this to be the expected outcome. Everyone else was in agreement as they looked past Celestia, “We should have expected as much… She’s a fine mare but sometimes overreacts quickly when something doesn’t either go her way, something catches her interest, or in this case…” He joined his friends as he looked past the two doors to see Twilight slumped and crying from the possibility of ruining the family while singing in a melancholic tone, “Something suspicious arises.”

Celestia sighed as well seeing no point in telling them why. She joined them as she saw her own student feeling down. Her anger was understandable, she cannot deny that. But seeing her pupil be reduced to her current state made a crack her immortal heart. As much as she wishes to comfort her, it was best to leave it for now especially because her anger to her still lingers. However, before she left, she looked towards the six humans as a question came into mind, “May I ask you six two questions?” All six of them looked towards her in response and fell silent. Seeing no words being spoken from them, she began to voice her questions, “First… Do you believe in her suspicions? That she believes that my niece and her babysitter, Cadance, is not who she deems herself?” The words from the cloaked being yesterday came into her mind. It echoed deeply in her mind and made her wonder if her being angry towards her pupil was needed when someone she met a day ago, just gave her the same warning.

All of them looked at each other pondering if they shared the same thought. Though they share differing opinions of this situation, they all agreed that if they caught their family members or friends being not who they truly are, they would share Twilight’s suspicions. Atro stepped forward to be the six’s voice of opinion, “While I have been alone during my time as a squire, we can all agree that we would share her suspicions if it were our own family and friends being not themselves.”

The Sun Princess fell silent hearing that they shared each other’s sentiments. A sigh escaped from her before a smile appeared. Sometimes, she could not help but be jealous of them being able to agree with one another despite their differences. She wondered if fighting together and helping each other during a war shaped their very friendship. Celestia looked towards them as she voiced her second question and statement to their unyielding bond, “I always wished that we could share this kind of bond with our little ponies instead of them treating us like ascendants… We rarely have this kind of friendship ever during our rule.”

She felt a hand upon her shoulder. Looked to her right, she saw Magress who looked at her. Despite wearing a helmet, Celestia could tell that beneath it, he was smiling if his tone as he spoke suggests it otherwise, “You may consider us as your friends Princess. We are equal or, not to be rude, above your power but we still treat you as a friend despite you being a royal member. In our world, we have bested evil Gods in fighting for the longing peace we desired. In that time we gained powers beyond our imagining and thus, everyone looked up to us as the saviors of humanity. We did not relish in it but we took it in pride as we all marched to certain death.” Despite them knowing that in their world, they were believed to be deceased, they knew that their legacy would continue on in the hearts of their people.

Another hand on her left shoulder and this time, she was looking in the eyes of the ice hero, “You can treat us as a start Princess. Remember what I said, despite wishing for freedom, I took upon my role as leader of the Savat people because they saw me as a worthy person to lead them to victory. If I were to survive to the end, I would renounce my title and lend it to another worthy person as I depart with my friend Lucina and adventure with her beyond the seas. I will still keep my ancestral sword because it’s a part of who I was before I left on my own journey.” A smile formed upon the idea for young Selena.

Celestia looked towards the other four who smiled with their friends. She smiled with them as well as she let out a small chuckle, “I was about to ask my second question, but you all answered it regardless of the fact that I haven’t voiced it. I guess I can consider you six my true friends despite our differences in appearance.” They all let out a small laugh seeing that they developed rather quickly. Her laughter faded as she looked towards past the two doors seeing Twilight still slumped. Having her anger dissipate, she again wished to comfort her but time again would not allow it for her, “As much as I wish to welcome my own student again, I must attend to important matters. I hope she understands well enough.”

A voice spoke for them as she looked back at the six humans. This time it was Vargas who spoke, “Don’t worry; we’ll comfort her in your stead. We know about royalty enough to have an understanding for the rulers of any kingdom.”

A smile formed as she bowed to them in response, “Thank you very much you six, I am forever in your gratitude as a ruler and as a friend.”

All six bowed to Celestia in return, “You are welcome… Princess Celestia.” All of them rise and went their own ways again. The six looked towards the room and walked to the doors. Just after hearing her song end, they were about to enter when another presence alerted them. A pink alicorn with a regal mane of yellow and purple was in front of Twilight looking… oddly happy.

They knew this as Cadance but the look being given to Twilight was not right even if they haven’t met her personally. All of them noted that as a bad sign and waited outside the doors as they watched the scene. After an apology from the bearer of magic, they would have expected a comforting gesture from the alicorn but the smile suggested otherwise. Sure enough, they were right but what they saw still shocked them. The alicorn’s eyes glowed green and her smile turned into a malevolent smirk as her horn glowed green and green fire surrounded Twilight. She looked at her in surprise before the flames surrounded her and she was gone. She walked past where Twilight originally stood and was walking towards the door still wearing her smirk while mockingly laughing, “That was easy… and now? Nothing is going to stand in my way of marrying Shining Armor and my horde.”

The Six Heroes moved out of the way quickly as the doors opened fully and Cadance left. She turned around a bit to see them looking at her with a smile. Unbeknownst to her, the smile was forced and they saw the ordeal inside. She slipped into her part as she greeted them, “Hello there! I didn’t see you six there…” She pause a bit noticing that these creatures are different. She never saw them before in a book or otherwise, “In fact, I’ve never seen you six before. Who are you?”

Despite their kindness being forced, they were able to do it well without too much trouble as they had practiced this before especially Lance, “Oh we’re just some… Hmm, you can call us interdimensional beings from another world if you could say that. We came here somehow and we have no idea why we’re here. Twilight took us in and well, we are her friends!”

The fake Cadance was skeptical about them being interdimentional beings as the green haired one would say but considering that she never saw them in her life, she was inclined to agree, “Right… Well, I’m just going to leave you six be…” She left them to their own though she did wonder if they witnessed the event. If so, she might have to deal with them but as she noted, she doesn’t what they are so it was best to use precaution against them.

As the fake alicorn was further away until she was out of their line of sight, all six of them collapsed from their nervousness they never thought to have. After some breathing to calm themselves down, they looked at each other contemplating the fact that Twilight’s words ended up spoken true. Looking back where the fake princess left, they realized that an army was gathering and getting ready to invade the city according to her words. They all stood up and looked at each other as Eze spoke their thoughts out loud for them, “So… what the heck are we supposed to do?! I mean for Gods’ sake, Twilight was right!”

They all agreed and wondered about how to handle this situation. Lance was the first to have an idea as he spoke, “Perhaps we can tell Celestia about this?” All looked at him with a look that said you really think she’ll believe us right now? Lance sighed seeing that the idea was shot down, “Yeah, you guys are right… That would be a stupid idea.”

His words got countered by Selena who tried to assure him, “No it’s a wonderful idea Lance and we all would agree but right now, we just got along. I don’t think our words would help her out even if she were to ponder about it.” Despite getting along well with Celestia, they were doubtful that she would believe their words quickly enough. Even if she were to take it into account, the fake Cadance would probably try to subdue them if she were to ask her about her behavior.

This was beginning to irritate them as they were beginning to panic a bit as time was not their side this time. Magress spoke as he thought about what he witnessed, “Well, we know that talking to her would be futile unless she believes us but what if we were to somehow find the real Cadance and put the both of them in the same room?”

All looked at her before Selena was the one to hug him fast, “Great idea Magress!” But she let go of her hug immediately when she realized one problem, “But… where would the real Cadance be?” That put a damper upon their mood as they quickly thought about it.

Atro on the other hand had an idea, “What if she were to be located and trapped in the same location as Twilight? It would be something…” Looking towards the scorch marks where Twilight originally stood; he walked to it and closely looked at it, “I think this is a teleport spell… If I can locate her…” He touched the scorch marks and closed his eyes a bit focusing on where the location of the teleport went. After some time, the scorch marks disappeared somehow and a smile formed, “Found her… she’s in a crystal cave of sorts hidden in the Canterlot Gardens.”

Vargas unsheathed his sword and let it be engulfed in flames, “Alright, looks like we got ourselves a rescue mission for the bride and of course, saving the wedding.” Despite it being a bad time for jokes, they couldn’t help but find it amusing. They left the inner castle and head for the crystal caves. A battle for the city was coming its way.

Reunited and Revealed

The lone knight that warned Celestia watched the scene from one of the windows. The scene surprised him alongside the Six Heroes who he saw at the double doors peeking through. The mocking laughter and her words only strengthen his resolve to put her down in many ways he could only describe as excruciatingly satisfying. He was about to leave having had enough of her now but the Six Heroes’ conversation made him pause as he listened. Their words rung to him and as they finished and he saw them depart, he left as well. His first order was to meet the Sun Princess and tell her of the recent events. Even if she doesn’t believe him, he can at least let her know.

He jumped from the window and landed on a soft patch of grass. The scene before the fake Cadance making Twilight disappear made the disciple feel sorrowful for the unicorn. She was only worried for the sake of her loved ones but her friends and her own mentor scolded her for hurting the fake Cadance’s feelings. If he were known to them, he’d probably side with Twilight however not only because he witnessed her events as well but because the experience spoke to him. Only he knew why she acted out like so and it reflected on him seeing Twilight so crushed. Perhaps in time, he might have the chance to meet all of them and strike up a conversation but for now, his focus was on saving the doomed wedding.

Looking around the castle grounds, the first part was to locate where Celestia was. That was easier said than done. He knew that if he didn’t find her soon enough, this will lead to a terrible situation upon Equestria and he shuddered on how bad it might get perhaps even worse. Suddenly, he heard hoofsteps behind him. They were far but audible enough for him to react and hide inside a bush. Looking through the tiny opening, he saw the fake Cadance alongside Celestia chatting. A smile begun to form seeing that the search may not be needed, “I assure you that those six are very grateful for your wedding, you do not have to be suspicious of them just because you’ve never met them before.”

The lone knight can easily tell that she was referring to the Six Heroes quickly. The fake Cadance spoke with as much innocence as possible but her eyes betrayed her innocence, “Alright… if you insist. I’m just a bit worried is all, I mean, it is my big day.” A smile was formed though the disciple could not tell if it was genuine or forced.

Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder returning the smile, “I assure you again, you have no worries my niece. Now you should ready yourself Cadance, you have a busy day ahead of you.” The young princess bowed and left the Sun Princess alone. As she saw Cadance walking out of her line of sight and hopefully out of earshot, her smile disappeared as her eyes gazed around her. Looking from left to right, she let out one deep breath before she spoke, “You can come out now… I know you are hiding right under my nose.” Checking out her surroundings, nothing at first seemed to be appearing. Wiping a few sweat beads off her head thinking herself a bit paranoid, the sounds of rustling leaves reached her ears and soon she found herself smiling as she faces him, “I was correct to assume that you’d be here.”

“Perhaps but…” The disciple looked towards where Cadance disappeared past wondering if she was listening on them in secret. Though Celestia told him that they were fine, he could not shake the feeling away well. Letting it pass for now, he looked towards her. His mask hid his emotions but his body was not so keen on doing so as he was tempted to pull the blade on her. He let out one deep and calming breath before he spoke, “I am to assume that you know why I’m here?”

Celestia’s expression darkened a bit. She knew well enough why he was here but was hesitant on keeping watch over her niece. She was about to speak but she was cut off by the lone knight, “I will take the silence as a yes. Your niece, after you and the others left, went to see your disciple Twilight. What happened between them when they were alone shocks me still.”

The Sun Princess looked at the lone knight questionably, “How did you see the events? I did not see you inside the room when that happened. And how did you know my student’s name?” She wished the mask was removed so she can see his face and tell what emotion he was undergoing. Though his body language gave it away a bit, he was concealing it well with not only the black cloak but his lack of showing for any sign of it.

Behind the mask, a smirk developed. He knew not to be smug to a royal member but he couldn’t but let this one slide for now, “I have my own ways of knowing details but enough of that. Your student…” He let the silence drag on for awhile before he answered, “Her worries ended up becoming true with this fake Cadance. She is banished from the castle by her but where? I do not know.”

Celestia’s face went agape from the revelation. Two things she did not expect were coming at her like an unending raging inferno, “Twilight is banished by my own niece?” Just saying those two words felt like she was being struck by a stray lightning bolt. She shook her head refusing to believe this, “No… I just cannot accept this so easily. How can you be certain about so? You are a stranger to me perhaps trying to ruin my niece’s special day. I want to trust you but this is so much to take…”

A sigh escaped from the lone knight. He knew that she was not willing to accept this so easily despite the words of reassurance that came after. Still, he managed to say what he witnessed and he had to do something else now. The rest was up to her, “I know that this is hard to take, but whether you believe me or not is up to you.” He turned around and was about to depart but he turned around and looked at the Sun Princess one last time as he left a message, “This will be the last time we meet as acquaintances princess, the next time we meet, it will be as enemies. Tell your sister that for me.” His body slumped from saying those words, “I am sorry, I wished we met under different circumstances.” He jumped off and left Celestia alone.

Celestia stood still as the revelation was echoing through her mind. She caught the body language quickly though and it left her questioning his words, “What has happened to your life that you would feel like this?” She let out a sigh as she looked at the castle. The idea of her niece doping something like that was still hard to accept but there was something about the cloaked being’s word that had a ring of truth to it. Her mind was going through a storm of emotions on how to handle this now.

The disciple ran away from the castle as fast as he could. Looking at the shield above him, he noticed that the structure was losing its strength as small cracks were beginning to form. It would not be long before the wedding would be ruined and the invasion begun. The idea was most foul to him but he had no choice but to let it happen without his interference. Unbeknownst to him, he accidently fell into a hole without looking.

Tumbling down the hole in question, he recovered quickly as he landed on his feet. He was clutching his head suddenly cursing himself for getting a bit careless. He put his fingers first on the waist checking if his blades were there. Feeling the both of them, he put his fingers on his face checking to see if the mask was still there. He touched his skin causing him to panic a bit. Looking around, he found his mask at the corner of two rock formations. Letting a sigh escape, he went towards it and grabbed it. As he puts on the mask, he looked towards in front of him. The caverns had an inky blackness that stretched far but within the end was a small light that pierced the dark.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to go through it and find out what this light was. Treading though the caverns carefully with each step, the light was beginning to get brighter as he neared it. As he neared, he noticed that crystals were beginning to spawn as he was getting further from where he originally entered. The colors of the crystals were beautiful and luminescent as the sky. A smile formed seeing the numerous crystals gathered here. Looking ahead, the light was illuminating the whole cavern as he stepped in its glow. The sight of the many crystals made him awe in wonder.

Touching one of the crystals, he suddenly wondered if Ilia would enjoy this place. Despite it being dark at first, the light shining at the end made this a sight to behold, “This place… Now I begin to see why those two treasure this world. It’s the tiny things like this that are worth protecting…” A smile at first formed before a frown replaced it, “If I do not kill those six, would Lord Lucius come here and threaten them himself?” The idea was morbid yet he couldn’t help but believe it to be true, “Of course he could… if only the need to arise…”

He punched the crystals hard as the idea of this world going through the war back at Grand Gaia and history repeating itself again. Except not only will the Six Heroes fall but the other six ponies who came to be known to everyone will fall as well, “I-I cannot accept this! If history repeats itself here, then all the bloodshed here will tarnish the peace that once settled here… I just cannot allow that! But…” The silence felt like it lasted decades to the lone knight as he pondered about the situation, “What do I do? I am but one man. Strong as I am, I could not match to Lucius so easily.” He suddenly regretted his choice of words to the princess now. Having an ally like her alongside the Six Heroes would have benefitted him greatly and now, that chance would have been likely gone, “Curse my words…”

He lowered his arms and removed the mask for now. Looking at it, the sight of it made him cringe. He had no choice but to wear this for fear of his identity being revealed to the heroes of this world and his own, but at times, he wished that he could show himself without having to conceal his face. A sigh escaped as he put the mask on. Putting the clasps on, he looked around the beauty surrounding him one more time. The sight made him regret his decision but to his mind, what other choice was there?

As he was ready to depart, he noticed a small crack in the crystals. As useless as it was to notice it, he couldn’t help but sate his curiosity. He took a peek and suddenly, he was thanking his curiosity. Behind the crystal wall was the real Cadance, if her looking frail and worn-down meant anything. The sight of her looking so broken made the lone knight unsheathe his two blades suddenly. He tapped the crystals a few times trying to find a weak spot on the wall. A few taps later, he found a weakening on the wall. A smile formed as he raised his two swords and cleanly sliced through the wall.

The slice managed to reach the other side of the wall, causing the princess to open her eyes from the sound of cut crystal and elicit a gasp as she saw a cut on the crystal wall suddenly. Three more cuts appeared before the wall shattered by a strong buck. Cadance braced herself as the crystals were flying towards her. As she lowered her hoof from her face, her eyes widened and she begins to panic. For her rescuer was someone she was not familiar but rather a cloaked being that stood tall and wore a mask hiding his face, “Please don’t hurt me! If you’re one of my fake’s cronies, I beg of you to not do something horrible to my mind!” Suddenly, she felt something on her shoulder. She was reluctant to look for fear of something terrible happening to her. Another was on her other shoulder. A morbid curiosity gripped her as she looked at her right shoulder. To her shock, it looked nothing like the hooves of ponies.

A voice was heard and she didn’t wish to look at whatever was in front of her. The voice however, betrayed her fears, as it sounded resentful of her predicament, “Are you Princess Cadance?” Her fears were beginning to fade a bit but it still lingered a bit. She slowly turned her head and opened one eye to look at who she was helping her. The black cloak hid every detail she wished to know. All she can tell was some armor alongside the said mask that covered his face and whatever was on her shoulders. He spoke again as he sheathed his blades, “Let me ask again, are you Princess Cadance? The real one and not the fake I saw?”

Her eyes widened as she heard those words being said from a stranger of all things. Here was someone who, she hoped, saw the fake with his own eyes if she guessed the gender right. She tried to pick herself up but her body was still locked in fear of the being despite him rescuing someone he doesn’t know of well enough. The cloaked being was next to her and assisted her in getting up. That gesture managed to alleviate some of her fears with her rescuer but she still had her doubts. Even then, she went to hug the rescuer tightly, “Thank you! I-I’d never thought to get out of this…”

The lone knight was not so sure on how to respond to this but he returned the gesture, “You are very welcome… Your Highness.” Just saying those words caused him to let a smile form despite how long it has been since he last said that title, “In case you wish to know, I know you from Princess Celestia and Luna themselves, I… we had met before.”

Cadance let go of the embrace but still had her hooves on his shoulders as she went to inspect her rescuer. He was standing on two legs clearly if his lowered posture meant anything; he was able to grip the swords easily without magic making him part of the griffons most likely. Yet they wouldn’t be able to stand on two legs for long and that he had no wings. He was definitely no minotaur since he had no horns like them. Cadance just couldn’t help but wonder who her rescuer was even if he said that he met her aunts, “Just who or what are you? You’re not a minotaur and you’re definitely not griffon. I wish to know that and why you hide your face from me…”

The disciple almost stepped back immediately from her question. It was not surprising to expect the question but it being now when something terrible was about to happen? He grabbed her hooves and lowered them gently from his shoulder, “I would be happy to introduce myself to you, but it is not the best time to do so when your soon-to-be husband’s life is at stake. Come, we must leave the caverns at once…” Cadance was about to stop him but she couldn’t deny that he had a point. Both of them picked themselves and were about to leave until the wall to their right exploded. The disciple covered Cadance in time as crystals flew over them.

As the smoke cleared, the lone knight raised himself and removed the cloak covering the princess as he inspected what caused this. To his surprise, in front of him was the same unicorn that the fake Cadance banished clearly enraged of her doppelganger’s deceit. Being sent here was most surprising of the lone knight. He was about to let them unite until he remembered that anger can cloud one’s judgment and her eyes and voice clearly spoke that when her eyes fell upon the real Cadance, “You!”

She was about to charge in until the lone knight stepped in front of her stopping her charge. He lowered his left arm in front of the real Cadance. He hoped to get the unicorn to calm down before things got messy but it was easier said than done, “Calm yourself madam… You are mistaken here…”

Cadance was looking past the lone knight and when she saw the unicorn, she was smiling, “Twilight! Oh thank goodness, you’re safe! I was worried for you!” The disciple looked towards the princess he was protecting then towards the unicorn. He was a bit surprised that they knew each other. Perhaps this might be able to help the situation somewhat.

Her words however, did not go through, as Twilight’s horn was glowing with magic, “Yeah right! I am not falling for your tricks again!” Cadance’s eyes widened seeing that her doppelganger managed to instill enough distrust upon her to think that she was the fake one.

The lone knight saw the situation has now gotten worse with the lack of trust on Twilight’s part. He had to admit that the fake one did well to manage to break her trust completely. He was not so sure if the unicorn can trust the princess again after what he saw. Suddenly, he remembered about it. He saw the event happen with his own eyes, perhaps which might help alleviate this problem. Still, he lowered his right arm to his waist and unsheathed one of his blades but kept it hidden under the cloak just in case this might end up having to go there, “You are Twilight? You are the unicorn I saw that the fake Cadance banished away… Am I wrong?”

Both Twilight and Cadance’s eyes widened at his words. Cadance for hearing that he saw something personally done to her. That caused her fear to fade away and now changed into a slow anger towards her doppelganger. Twilight for the fact that someone witnessed her disappearance when she was in fact alone in the room, though that also made him suspicious, “How did you see what happened to me? I recall being the only one in that room when she…” She pointed an accusatory hoof at Cadance causing her to almost shrink back, “Banished me here!”

The lone knight’s grip on his blade tightened but he still kept his calm as he continued, “Yes, you are correct, but the one behind me…” He moved in front of her this time hoping that she wouldn’t rashly attack her, “Is the real Cadance. The one fake is still out there on the surface stalling for time. Soon, this whole city is going to be overrun when that shield dispels and you’ll be too late to save the wedding and the city.”

Cadance gasped from the revelation but Twilight, thought initially agreed that the idea terrified her as well, merely scoffed at the idea. Her anger messed with her thoughts as all she cared for was to put the one that was in front of her the pain she suffered, “Right… and then I’m expecting all of us to be trapped in cocoons. Forget it! I’m not falling for that! For all I know, you could be one of her lackeys trying to protect her! I’m ending this… now!” Her horn was glowing with magic as she glared at the real Cadance.

The princess’s heart was shattered seeing that Twilight did not believe her words anymore. The lone knight felt sorry for Cadance as he looked at her, her expression showing nothing but the sheer pain of her guilt. The disciple knew that expression well enough as he put a hand on her head trying to comfort the broken mare. Having no reaction to the gesture, he knew that her willpower just shattered from the last pony she cared for. The sight of Twilight’s anger towards her and the broken princess made the knight wished that there was a way to fix this but to no avail.

Seeing that the situation was now going to be confrontational, he let out a sigh and looked towards the agitated unicorn, “I was afraid that this would happen…” He raised his right arm and revealed in his hand, a sword aimed towards Twilight. The sight of that made Cadance look at her rescuer in shock, “I am sorry Your Highness but the situation has changed… She will not listen to reason anymore as her anger has consumed her every thoughts so the only to end this…” He pushed the princess back a bit before lowering his other arm to his waist and revealing another sword gripped in his hand, “Is to put your friend down…”

If her rescuer was using magic, perhaps it would be fine but he was using two blades against Twilight of all ponies. Cadance stood up looking towards the being praying that he’ll just put her down, “Tell me that you will just make her… unconscious? Please?” As the silence from him being her only answer, she knew that it was going end up in death one way or another. She began to cry out towards the lone knight in desperation. Not only her tone towards him but what she said almost made him change his mind about doing this, “Please! Don’t do this! I don’t want this to end this way with my sister-in-law! There’s got to be another way to talk her out of this! Please!” She continually shook her rescuer in the vain hopes that he would listen to her words but seeing him not even budge his stance made her break down in tears as she continued vainly to try, “Please… don’t do this… I don’t want to lose her… I don’t want Shining to mourn over this… I beg of you… Please…”

The disciple hid his emotions very well but inside, his soul was crying out to him wanting to not shed the blood of family. The sobbing of the princess behind him weakly pounding on his back called out to him desperately as well and he was very well tempted to just throw down his blades and concede. His grip on his swords tightened as a storm of emotions surged within him all of them wanting to stop him from ending the life of the unicorn in front of him. He closed his eyes once as the pounding stopped and all he can hear was the broken princess crying out desperately. Opening his eyes, he saw only a friend of Cadance standing, agitated beyond reasoning. He let out one sigh, dispelled his emotions, and charged towards Twilight.

Cadance looked and saw the both of them ready to initiate a fight. She couldn’t fare to see the fight and decided to run towards the safest area of the caverns in an attempt to hide herself from the fight and to not witness the fight itself. All she could imagine was the idea of Twilight lying still and unmoving while her rescuer loomed over her body. Her judgment was clouded by those thoughts preventing her from stopping the fight as all she could think of was not seeing the fight.

Twilight saw what she presumed was the fake Cadance running away. She teleported away from the being’s sword strike and in front of Cadance set on ending her. She was shocked to see her in front and froze with fear as Twilight fired a magic beam towards her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the attack but it did not come. Opening her eyes, she saw her rescuer in front of the beam blocked by his two swords. She used the time to run again, this time out of sight of Twilight’s rage. The idea of her attacking her made her tears well up again as she continued to run and away from her line of sight.

The beam was destroyed as the two swords create an x motion. Twilight did not see Cadance anyway prompting her attention towards the lone knight, “You’re going to protect her?! She’s the fake! Move out of my way and let me get her!” She fired a suppressive beam at the disciple but saw it deflected with just a swing of one of his swords. This angered Twilight even more causing her name and tail to emit lots of smoke, “Why are you protecting her?! Can’t you see you’re being tricked by the fake Cadance?!”

The disciple noticed the tail and mane smoking as he raised his swords towards Twilight. The sight of that made him realize that if elemental powers are a thing in here, he might have to be extra cautious as that her mane and tail emitting smoke could mean she’s a fire elemental. However, that also means that he’ll have to tap into his elemental affinity as well to have an even match with her, “You are not thinking straight Twilight! How can you be sure that she is the fake? The fake has been playing mind games with you ever since you stepped into this city! She is not!” He made that up but he wouldn’t be surprised if she did indeed do that.

Twilight’s mane and tail were still smoking but her eyes also showed a fire burning in them. The disciple knew that sooner or later, she was going to ignite thanks to her anger, “How can you be sure she’s not playing mind games with you? I’m not taking any more chances after that banishment and her playing with me while inside the caves! Get… out… of… my… way…!” Her mane and tail were set on fire and her once purple coat was now nothing but pure white as she blasted him with a fiery beam.

The lone knight dodged the attack and proceeded to tap into his elemental affinity. He gained a black aura alongside red lightning around his twin swords and his eyes turned from blue to a foreboding red while having a shadow trail of red. He jumped over a fiery beam and neared his adversary. Landing one of his swords onto the ground, he creates a dark shockwave emitted from the sword towards Twilight.

She was shocked at the sight of the attack but dodged it as it neared her. She didn’t have enough time to realize that he was utilizing the dark elemental affinity as she looked to see the lone knight closing in on her. She bought her two hooves together and raised them together. The action caused a pillar of fire to erupt in front of her and below the charging knight.

The disciple barely dodged the attack as he moved to the side quickly as the flames appeared. He was correct to assume that this fight was going to be difficult but to be able to perform that kind of feat surprised the lone knight by a long shot. A sound of a pop reached his ears and instinct prompted him to dodge quickly. Behind him, a beam of fire was blasted from the horn. He recovered from the dodge and jumped up next to her. Seeing the unicorn in front of him, he delivered a wide slash with his left sword as the red lightning followed its arc.

Twilight had anticipated this attack and teleported out of its range. What surprised her was that the red lightning that followed the sword also was flung at the direction of the arc. She was lucky to teleport to his side instead of back otherwise; she would have been caught by that. Her horn was aglow with fire as she released a breath of fire. How she did that, she did not know nor did she care as she wanted to end this fight now and focus on what she presumed was the doppelganger.

Cadance managed to hide away from the fight while seeing only a tiny glimpse of what was going on between the two of them. The sight of fire and, to her surprise, darkness being utilized in many ways she could not imagine admittedly had awed her. Though she did not see the fight as she intended to, her rescuer being able to utilize darkness was what grabbed her attention. Darkness was a rare elemental affinity not even Luna could utilize so how was this being able to use it? She was so confused about it but decided to let it wait for now. She prayed that the both of them make it out of this at least alive.

The lone knight ran away from the breath of fire and charged towards the unicorn. She teleported just as he neared her prompting him to dodge quickly as she countered. He was getting annoyed of the constant teleporting that Twilight was doing yet admittedly, he knew that her utilizing it constantly tells him that she was not a fighter where as he has known to fight throughout his life. It was a smart tactic to continue to warp to one location to the next but it would be her downfall.

Twilight teleported away from the attack and used her magic to attack him. She kept this pattern up over until he was exhausted from fighting. Thanks to her anger, she was undergoing a magic flux that amped her magic abilities by a lot while supplying her with seemingly infinite magic. Yet even with all that aiding her, the knight was proving to be more than a match for her. She was beginning to wonder if this fight will ever have a victor between them. Her horn was glowing again as she creates a fire tornado covering a large area, “There’s no way you can dodge that! Give up!” Much to her surprise, instead of dodging it, the knight jumped into the tornado. She dispelled it quickly out of panic that she killed him in the worse way possible only to find the knight was not there.

She looked around her area trying to find him quickly. She felt a small breath behind her back causing her to momentarily freeze in shock. She turned around quickly only to find one of his swords rose to the air as he screamed, “Abyssal Reave!” She tried to teleport away but it was no use as she was caught in the attack. Wave after wave of blindingly fast sword strikes followed by lightning chains hit her from all directions. After the lone knight stabbed her in the legs, he jumped up high and delivered a shockwave below her causing her to be launched into the sky and get caught in an explosion made out of darkness.

The resulting explosion sent her plummeting to the ground and crashing hard onto the cavern floor. Her current form was dispelled returning her back into her original form. She was groaning from the pain as she was struggling to stand after all of that. A single foot stepped in front of her causing her to look up in fear. She saw the figure looming over her menacingly, his eyes still having a shadowy trail of red behind the mask. She looked to be on the verge of tears seeing that she was soundly defeated by something that she doesn’t even recognize and soon looked to be facing her demise.

Cadance looked once the battle was over to see what she imagined come true. Her rescuer was looming over Twilight who looked to be on the verge of tears. She climbed out of her hiding and galloped as fast as she could while screaming for him to not go with what he said, “Stop! Don’t do it! Please!”

The lone knight heard her words and her hoofsteps approaching quickly. Looking at Twilight, he saw not the look of anger she once wore but now of fear as she was looked like she was about to cry. To him, it was understandable why she was fearful of her life. Despite all of the power she unleashed, she was bested by something she doesn’t even know, someone who knew how to fight. He raised his high into the air and pointed the end of the blade towards the ground causing Cadance to gasp. In that moment, he saw the unicorn lower her head and accepting her fate as she let her tears fall.

He plunged the sword down causing dust to appear around the both of them. Looking towards Cadance, he was not surprised to see her reaction was of shock first, then a mix of anger and sad as she looked at him, “Why? Why?! Why would you do that to her, she didn’t deserve that!” To her surprise again, she heard him chuckle causing her to back a bit, “W-what’s so funny? Y-You…” He moved out of the way and let the dust cloud clear. She looked at where Twilight originally was out of fear before the fear was gone as she saw the sword embedded not on her but rather next to her head. A nick on her face was there causing a bit of blood to drop but she was alive. She felt her tears coming again as she charged towards Twilight and hugged her tightly, “Twilight! You’re alright! Oh my sweet Celestia, you’re alive!”

She felt the tears from Cadance streaking down her back. She opened her eyes to see the blade was next to her face embedded on the rocks. She felt blood on her face caused by a small nick from the blade but that didn’t bother as she felt her tears coming again, “C-Cadance, is that really you? I-is it really you this time?” She did not feel her forelegs wrapped around her as she let go. She then saw, for the first time, her performing their signature hoofshake during their youth. That made more tears well up in her eyes as she was the one charging towards the bride, “It is you! Oh my Celestia! I am s-so sorry C-Cadance! I let my anger get the better of me! I’m sorry!”

Twilight felt her babysitter’s hooves gently caressing her head as she felt their tears escaping their eyes and streaking down their backs, “Shh… It’s alright Twilight. I forgive you my little genius…”

She shook her head wildly as she was crying harder, “No, it’s not alright Cadance! I wanted you to hurt so much when that doppelganger was messing with me! Then when she did what she did by not only making my friends, my mentor and my own brother hate me for what I did but then also banishing me here so that she could put my anger on you! All of that so that I would inflict all of my suffering towards you, just to prevent you from escaping this place too!”

Twilight felt Cadance hugging her tighter prompting her to stop crying for a bit. She looked towards her and she was shedding tears. She let go and put her hooves on her shoulder while looking at her with tear-filled eyes, “Twilight, you were a victim of my doppelganger’s scheme. I was stuck down here for a long time while she was up there doing whatever she was doing with Shining Armor. We both were suffering by her and it’s not your fault for her misgivings. Don’t ever think that ever!” A smile formed as she pulled her in her embrace again.

Twilight let her tears go as she hugged Cadance tightly, “I’m sorry Cadance! I really am!” She felt her hooves comforting her as they shared in each other’s embrace. The sight of two soon-to-be family members made the lone knight ponder about something. He sheathed one of his swords and pulled the other out of the rock and sheathed that one as well. After that intense battle, this scene was worth it on the lone knight’s case.

Looking back, he realized that killing the Six Heroes has made things more troublesome than he wished to intend. If he ever saw Ilia, he realized that she would not approve of what he was doing regardless of whether the reason was right or wrong. She would still forgive for the misgivings though because she was like that. The thought made him genuinely smile for the first time in his life. He looked back and saw them looking like were settling down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two cures, “Here, you should drink this. It’ll replenish your health for you two.”

They looked at the green bottles given by the lone knight. Though Twilight was reluctant to take it after that fight, Cadance happily accepted it and drank it. Twilight soon followed as she grabbed it with her magic and gulped it down. Suddenly, she felt her body beginning to almost heal quickly. There were still a few bits of pain but the potion was enough to almost put her back at full strength, “Wow! I feel almost much better! That potion of yours is really potent on the healing properties!”

The lone knight smiled behind the mask, “Thank you Twilight…” He fell silent causing her to look at him in confusion. He turned his attention towards Cadance who noticed it, “Cadance, remember that you wanted to who and what I am?” She nodded and saw where this was going, “Perhaps it might be the best time to reveal myself for not only you but Twilight as well.” Both were confused about what he meant by that. He lowered his hood and reached for the clasps that kept his mask on. As soon as the sound of a click was made, the mask fell off and revealed his face to them.

Cadance was confused as she tilted her head but Twilight realized who she was looking at. She also connected the dots quickly with what the six told them about a masked knight that bested them in combat, “You…! You’re that mysterious knight that defeated the six of them in their world! You are like them! You’re their killer!”

Cadance looked at Twilight in shock from that revelation than in confusion about what she meant. The lone knight’s smile disappeared as a frown appeared as he picked up the mask and put it in his cloak, “So they told you who they are but never mentioned what we are? How quaint…” Though Cadance was confused as to what was going on, she saw Twilight back away a bit in fear and surprise. The lone knight sighed as he addressed himself, “Yes… I am their killer sadly. I am Ark, a human, the last of the Oracle Knights and a disciple to… my former master.” His tone was of anger as he said those three words.

Twilight was surprised about his change in tone when he addressed himself. What concerned her was when he said that he was the last of the Oracle Knights as he said. She stepped forward and looked at him, “The last of the Oracle Knights? What… happened to the rest?”

Ark closed his eyes as he remembered the faces of his allies when they faced against the Guardians of Meirith. It was a battle that both sides lost and he was only the surviving member of his team. The Guardians didn’t fare well like them but they were good people. He really wished that they never met in open combat when they came for only their master, “All of my friends… they all perished in battle. I was the only surviving member. The Oracle Maiden was caught in a trap set by my master as he sealed his enemy. She was out of my grasp and as a result was sealed with my enemy…”

Both gasped from this revelation they heard. They looked at each other before putting their hooves on his shoulders, “You poor thing… You must have felt horrible from that.” Ark looked away from Cadance but he nonetheless smiled, silently thanking for the kind gesture. She let a smile form before continuing the conversation, “Ark, do you ever regretted killing those six?”

A sigh escaped from Ark as he pulled out one of his sword, “Yes… I deeply regret doing so. I was not thinking straight during their assassination. My lord had forced me to do so because the Oracle Maiden, Ilia, the one whom I thought was trapped and forever gone when I was a part of the Knights, was a hostage…” That caused the both of them to look at each other in shock, “During that time, I was heavily injured and I wasn’t at full strength to fight against my lord for her. I had no choice but to do as he commanded or else she was gone. When I did manage to defeat them however… I placed a seal on them that sent them somewhere safe and well…”

“They came here…” Twilight said and the oracle knight only nodded, “You regretted killing them off and so you wanted to give them a place where they can live in peace… right?” Ark smiled first before looking away from having to kill them. Having no choice but to obey an order that would doom their world because the love of his life was at stake, it made Twilight sad to hear that one person had to go through that. She looked towards Cadance and sees the connection between them quickly. Yet, despite all of that, something didn’t add up, “But why are you here? Why come here when you sent them away?”

Both Twilight and Cadance notice that he gripped his sword tightly. It was a sure sign of anger but he looked to have kept it under control as he spoke, “Ah but that’s where my current situation comes into play for you see… my lord… knows that they’re alive and living here.” Their eyes widened from this revelation, “With that knowledge, he was about to send someone else to execute them but I called him off quickly as he still had his deal with releasing Ilia… I only did it because he would keep his words with her release. I realized just how wrong I am…”

Both looked at each other seeing where this was going. Cadance spoke her thoughts quickly, “Wait, so you’re not going to kill them right?” A simple nod from Ark confirmed her first thought but another made her worry instantly, “Then… is he going to send someone to kill them?”

The oracle knight fell silent upon that question being asked. That made the both of them worry about the situation until spoke, “Likely, but if I know him…” His next words made the both of them realize just how bad the situation has gotten after they deal with the current threat, “He’s going to come here personally and finish where I left off or even worse, repeat history here.”

“Repeat history h-here in Equestria of all places?” The way that was sounded made Twilight scared out of her wits. Cadance shared her fears as well as they wondered about it.

Ark felt his grip tighten on his sword. He closed his eyes imagining the death toll already on this world if what he said comes true, “What I mean when I say that...” He looked at a crystal and looked at his own reflection. A shell of his former self wondering about how to fix the mistakes he made. He shook the image out of his mind as he continued, “What that means is that it’s likely that the war that is happening back in Grand Gaia will be coming here when he comes…”

Both ponies froze from the idea that Equestria will likely be heading for war with enemies from another dimension. They looked at each other then towards Ark who was clearly seething with anger, “How bad was the war back at your world? Like…” Twilight felt silent as she gulped fearing the words she was about to say, “How much was the… death toll Ark?”

The oracle knight closed his eyes trying to remember the toll. After much thought, he silently wished he did not remember the death toll, “The God Army that charged Grand Gaia all faced their death after the struggles that happened. Humanity, in the end of the war… had only one surviving human.” He looked towards them and saw the two ponies collapsing from the sheer idea that only one human survived to the end of the war. He let out a sigh not surprised to see their reaction, “I wish I were joking but I am not, the end result was only one surviving human.”

Twilight covered her face trying to not let the tears fall for the humans that struggled so much to gain the peace they tried to fight for. They won but at the most gravest of costs, “How am I supposed to tell the six of them that at the end of their war, only one human survived?” She looked towards Ark as she was desperate for one answer, “Tell me that there were some humans that managed to escape the ravages of war…”

To her surprise, a smile formed on the oracle knight’s face, “Yes, there are. While only one human survived to the end of the war, others managed to evacuate to a safer location called Elgaia providing temporary sanctuary. Right now, humanity is slowly flourishing but it will return to its former glory after the scars of war heal.” Twilight let out a small sigh escape. She may not know enough about the humans but she was at least happy that they would flourish thanks to a few that managed to escape. She looked towards Ark whose smile was still there but his gaze was stern, “So I’ve told you all about me now… Are you two going to tell the others about this?” They fell silent as they knew that they were going to have to tell their friends about this. Ark still wore his smile as he stood, “It’s alright. I am at least happy to tell you about this soon. Whether you tell your friends and family about this or not, it won’t matter. It was time I repent for my mistakes.”

Both of them smiled as they put their hooves on his shoulder. Cadance spoke considering her role as the princess of love, “I’m not Ilia, I can’t deny that, but I know that she would be proud of you for what you are doing. That’s for certain coming from the princess of love.” The title made Ark raise an eyebrow in confusion. She only chuckled about it before she spoke, “I know it’s a silly title but its true Ark. My aunts are the princesses of the Sun and Moon, and my specialty is about love so...”

He didn’t need to get any further as he understood where she was getting. The idea however amused him as he wore a mischievous smirk, “Princess of Love… I hope that does not include love-making there Cadance…” He saw her face getting shades of red as she was stuttering her words. Despite knowing what he was talking about, Twilight found the sight of her babysitter to be hilarious than thinking about the idea spoken. Ark pointed towards the direction of where he fell as he stood up. That moment stalled more time but he couldn’t but say it out of amusement, “In any case, go towards that direction, you’ll find the exit there.”

Twilight noticed that he was heading to a different direction causing her to be concerned, “Wait, where are you going Ark? You’re not coming with us?”

He shook his head but still kept his smile, “I’ll find my own way out of the caverns. You two have to deal with the current crisis at hand. Once that’s done, we’ll meet together someday. I’m not so sure when but I hope it’s before my lord catches wind of this betrayal. I leave the rest to you… Now go!” The words were enough to prompt her to leave the caverns and head towards where the exit was. Twilight shook Cadance once breaking her out of her trance. She shook her head and followed Twilight out of the caverns.

As they were out of his line of sight, he looked ahead at the crystals. Seeing his reflection and all of his friends together managed to make a smile form, “Ilia, if you can hear my voice, please watch over the six… no, everyone here. I’m going to need their strength someday when the inevitable day nears. And when that time comes…” He unsheathed his two swords and sliced through the rock wall. Sunlight bathed him as the wall crumbles down allowing him to see a view of Equestria. The sight of the country and nature flourishing made him awe the sight, “We’ll be ready…” Jumping off the exit he made, he had to deal with the current crisis and that was dealing with the incoming invasion. Suddenly, he wished that his allies were here to fight alongside him. Though the thought pained him, it also made him somewhat glad to remember them again, “Rinon, Balgran, Yuura, Dion, Ruby, and Medina… Please lend me your strength.”

Just as he said that though, six lights appeared in front of him. He unsheathed his swords just in case wondering who was appearing in front of him. A voice spoke out to him and suddenly, he lowered his swords as the voice was all too familiar to him, “Yeesh, I remember asking you for a battle someday but now of all times when you called us for help Ark? Are you going to make up your mind or what?”

The lights slowly faded away and standing in front of him were the six allies that once were part of the Oracle Knights. He couldn’t find the words to this miracle as he fell silent. One of them charged towards him and hugged him tightly. He knew the one that hugged him was Ruby as she spoke, “Ark! It’s good to see you alive and well! I’d never thought to see you again!”

“We all never thought to see him again; you’re not the only one who misses him dearly Ruby.” Medina spoke and stepped forward as she smiled at him, “It’s good to see you again Ark.”

Finally, Ark found the words he wished to say as Ruby let him go, “But… how? I know that summoning is something I could do but… I couldn’t summon you for it would not be right of me to do so with your spirits so how is this possible?”

His answer came forth by someone he never thought to have expected, “That is because I called them forth.” Ark turned around to see Luna of all people coming forth. A smile was etched on her face as she bowed towards all of them, “So this is the Oracle Knights? I must say… I find this ability to call upon spirits from the heavens to be very… interesting.” She looked towards Ark who looked both confused and angry at her. Her smile never faded as she spoke, “You daydreamed once while you were conscious and well. Remember I have the ability to enter dreams at will. I took this small opportunity to learn your origins…” Her ears drooped causing all of them to be confused as to that small action, “It reminds of my past, both the light and dark times. Including the one time I almost killed my own sister.”

Her words spoke a ring of truth to all of them. Ark stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, a smile replacing his confusion, “I was hoping to not let my secret out but now I know that one of you learned it. So… you are not bothered by what I did if you managed to see deep into my memories?” Her smile all but confirmed his worries. However, something confused him a bit and it involved his allies behind him, “But how did you learn to summon? I never did any summoning that I recalled in my mind since I am well capable of fighting on my own.”

“And that is true… However…” One of his allies groaned a bit from the usage of that word. Ark knew that the person who groaned was Dion and it made him happy to hear that from him regardless of how rude it was, “While diving into your dream, I happen to pick up something during that time. If what I presume to be correct based on your dreams, a curse of sorts.”

It did not take long for Ark to connect the dots quickly, “His curse… The ability to summon the spirits of deceased people, you managed to perform that. Does it not bother that you’re doing what amounts to necromancy?”

Luna shook her while still wearing her smile, “Not really, no. There is a difference between them. Why this doesn’t bother me is not only because necromancy requires darker ways to achieve this. This is rather light in its execution and that the people being summoned still have their sentience and their original bodies not decayed one.” She stepped past Ark and looked at the six that stood. Ruby couldn’t help but somehow find her adorable and wanting to hug her but there was the fact that she was their summoner. Luna caught onto that however and gestured her to do as she wished, “Come Ruby, I know you wish to do so and I’m allowing it.”

Without another word being spoken, Ruby picked up Luna and hugged her tightly while saying, “You’re so cute for our summoner and a pony!” That caused a few of Ark’s allies to chuckle from her timing of this. After one hugging later, Ruby let her go and respectfully bowed to her as she back away.

Luna wore her still smile still as she turned towards Ark, “While I will be glad to tell you how I managed to achieve this ability off, right now, we are wasting precious time.” Just as she said that, the shield that surrounded Canterlot saw signs of breaking. It would not be long before the barrier breaks and the invasion begins.

Ark looked towards his comrades and they all nodded to him. His smile met theirs as he looked towards Luna, “You are their summoner and as thus command them. Whatever you command to them is mine as well.” He never once was under the command of someone before in a long time. The only time that was so was when he was under Lucius’s command and now he would be soon rebelling against his lord someday. It felt like such a long time that he was willing to listen to someone’s command. The idea of being commanded by not only a princess of a different race but also who controls the movements of the Moon rather seemed to make him smile. His allies caught him though but they nonetheless agree.

The night princess flashed a smile towards all of them before turning her attention towards the breaking barrier, “You are correct Ark that I am their summoner, however, there is only one command I am willing to give for all of you.” Her eyes glowed white and a bubble surrounded all of them. They soon materialized in the center of Canterlot where she materialized her sword next to her, “Protect thy citizens at all cost!” The shield broke just as she gave that command. Suddenly, a swarm of changelings were surging forth covering the city like it was nothing.

Ark let his smile disappear and a knowing grin form as he looked towards his comrades once more, each one of them looking ready as ever, “You heard Princess Luna everyone! Defend this city and its people with everything you got!” As the swarm was charging for them, they all simultaneously let out a call to arms, “For the people, charge!” All of them charged at the individual swarms coming forth. The fight has only just begun.

Unleashed Power

The Six Heroes were running past the many guards that were placed inside the castle. Though they initially gained looks of suspicion from them, Vargas managed to rest their suspicions aside for now and they continued forward. As they reached the entrance of the castle, they noticed the shield above was slowly showing signs of cracks, “The situation is getting worse. I know I hate to state the obvious but if we don’t find her in time…”

The fire hero was cut off by Eze as he spoke, “We know Vargas! Right now, I’d say we do less chatting and more finding the real Princess Cadance pronto!” The thunder hero turned his attention towards the light hero ho gazed at the shield first then elsewhere, “Hey, you got any luck finding where the supposed cave is Atro because right now, the clock is ticking away!”

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Atro looked and pointed to the direction of where it is, “At that direction is the Canterlot Gardens and there is where we will find the entrance to the crystal cave. Hopefully, she is there and not moved elsewhere. If not, then the imposter may have moved her elsewhere.”

“If she is moved elsewhere, then the task of rescuing her will have become much more difficult.” As much as everyone knows about that possibility, Selena couldn’t help but bring it up just in case. She looked to the city of Canterlot and for a few seconds, admired the grandeur of the city, “The sight of all of this is… breath-taking to behold.”

All of them turned to see the city and despite the situation, couldn’t help but awe at the city. A sigh escaped from the light hero as they look at the citizens who were excited for the wedding today yet did not know what terrible things were going to happen, “I know that we go through dangerous situation but to have one on Princess Cadance’s special day… it is devastating to think about.”

Everybody nodded as they turned their attention elsewhere. Magress spoke as he readied his lance and shield, “We will have time to worry about this later my friends. Right now, we must do what we must for the ponies here. Someone will have to get the real one while we split up.”

Vargas looked towards the Gardens with a determined expression, “I will get Princess Cadance out of the caves. Hopefully you five can do what you got to do?” They all nodded and quickly scattered trying to find locations worth protecting and to even out the horde that will soon come surging as soon as the shield dispelled. Vargas was running through the labyrinth of the garden hoping to find the entry to the caves. The sounds of cracks were reaching his ears and soon, the shield will break. He hastens himself trying to locate the entry before it begun.

Ahead, he noticed an opening and a single crystal edging out of the entry. Sounds of galloping ponies reached his ears and a smile soon emerged seeing that he was in the right location. The same sounds of galloping stopped immediately just as he entered prompting him to speed up once more and try to find them quickly. Voices echoed through the caves causing a sense of panic within him. Suddenly, a bouquet of flowers flew past him and with it, ponies with glowing green eyes chasing after it. That raised an eyebrow from the fire hero, “What in God’s name?”

He turned to the direction of where the flowers were thrown to find not one but, two ponies. To his surprise, the other was Twilight. Both of them saw him but while the real Cadance was surprised to see another human, Twilight was ecstatic seeing them as she ran and hugged him, “Vargas! You’re here! Oh my Celestia, I never thought to see you again!” She looked again to notice that only Vargas was here causing some confusion, “Wait, where are the other five?”

“They’re scattered across different points of Canterlot in case the shield breaks. I volunteered to enter and rescue originally the real Princess Cadance.” Vargas looked towards her and was a bit surprised to see her looking, for lack of a better word, worse than he expected, “You look like you’ve gone through hell and back just to be with your groom Your Highness.”

The princess in question was not too surprised to see that they were able to deduce her as the real one though it was also not surprising considering how terrible she looked. She let a small chuckle escape as she looked at them, “I guess you could say that.”

Before all of them could chuckle though, Vargas stopped momentarily realizing that they do not have a lot of time left for chit-chat, “Damn it, I’m sorry but we do not have the time to chit-chat now. Let’s get out of here and save your wedding Your Highnesss.” A smiling Twilight and Cadance nodded their heads and followed him out of the crystal caves. Cadance looked towards the fire hero a bit caught off guard to see another human here. It soon clicked to her that this was one of the humans Ark sent here. If she was correct, then as Twilight said, the others aren’t far as well. A glance towards her and she noticed that she too was wearing a look of concern. Both glanced at each other while they were running and knew that they will have to tell them soon enough. They wanted to debate about this but their priority was elsewhere as they continued their run.

Sunlight bathed all three of them as they stepped out of the caves. Cadance felt relieved to see the Sun once again. A momentary pause came as she closed her eyes and embraced the Sun’s warmth. As soon as she opened her eyes, she and Twilight were following Vargas to the castle. A sound of cracking glass met all their ears causing both Cadance and Twilight to look upwards. They saw the shield looking close to breaking causing them to pick up the pace. Cadance, however, collapsed from the sheer effort it took from her running. Twilight stopped and came back to help her out, “Come on Cadance! We’re almost there, just a little bit longer!”

Soon after, Vargas joined and decided to carry the princess of love on his back. Twilight silently thanked him for the assistance while Cadance voiced it, “Thank you Vargas… I hope after this, me and my soon-to-be husband can introduce myself properly to you and your friends.”

A smile formed as he managed to get her situated well on his back, “We would be glad to introduce ourselves as well after all of this.” The two of them sprinted once more as they entered the castle. The fire hero took note that the guards were not around the castle perimeter prompting him to be alert.

Just as he noticed it though, a few guards appeared in front of them blocking their way. Twilight stepped forward at first curious as to why they were stopping them, “Guards, why are you stopping us? My friend has Princess Cadance on his back and she needs to arrive at the wedding.” Seeing them not responding caused her to shift from concern to annoyance, “Hello! Equestria to guards! Are you guys even listening to me?!” Twilight waved at their stoic faces wondering what was going on. She tried to step pass them but they moved and blocked her way again, “What in Equestria?! What are you guards doing?! Let me through!”

Within a split second of her asking that question, the fire hero noticed that their eyes glowed green just like that of the fake princess. That prompted him to stand in front of Twilight, his hand on his sword in case of a surprise attack. This caused both Cadance and Twilight to be concerned about what was going on. Vargas lowered the alicorn gently while keeping an eye on the guards that were blocking their way. Suddenly, his sword was set ablaze prompting the guards to back up with wide eyes. Before Twilight and Cadance could rebuke him however, he spoke, “Try though you can, you cannot hide what you are…” He unsheathed his blade and entered a fighting stance as his hair was set aflame, “So reveal yourselves imposters!”

Twilight and Cadance were confused as to what was going but what happened here changed that. The guards begun to hiss much to their surprise and suddenly, they were surrounded by green flames revealing who they really are. Instead of the looks of every guard, they now looked like scaly bugs causing both to back away in recoil, “What in Celestia’s name are they?!”

The bugs in questions charged at the two of them. Vargas stepped in front of them and slashed away causing them to back away and hiss at him. While his focus was on them, he spoke to the two behind him, “You two! Continue on ahead, you have to stop this wedding at all costs! I’ll hold them off!”

Cadance was about to argue but Twilight stopped her from arguing back as she pulled her away from the ensuing fight, “He’s right Cadance, we got to get to the throne room now! Don’t worry, he can handle them well, that’s a Pinkie Promise!” She did the gesture while running on three legs to further prove her point.

Cadance turned around once while running, a look of worry etched on her face as the fire hero was further away from them. She looked away from Vargas and at Twilight, “I hope you’re right Twilight, I really hope so.” They both look ahead and continued to run to the main hall.

The sounds of their gallop quieted down. A smile formed on the swordsman as he looked at his adversaries. He knew more of them were to come as soon as the shield breaks. A chuckle escaped from him causing the changelings in front of him to be confused for a moment, “Huh, Eze seemed to have made one of his jokes come true. Oh boy, I wonder what his reaction will be like.” The changelings blinked once before deciding to charge at him. Vargas looked ahead and readied himself for their attack.

Meanwhile, the two continued to run past the many hallways until they reached the final doors where the wedding was being held. The words from Celestia spoke loudly at the part where anyone was willing to object to their marriage, “If there is anypony that wishes to object to these two lovers being married, speak your objections.”

Twilight proceeded to open the doors with her magic just as she slowed her sprinting sternly looking at the imposter, “I object to this!” Everybody gathered, including her friends, were shocked to find her objecting to this moment. Celestia on the other hoof was somewhat elated to see her student alive and well despite the circumstances to this objection.

The fake Cadance was rather miffed that she appeared and was not amused about it, “Ugh, why couldn’t you stay put and let me have my wedding here?” Celestia looked at her, a look of surprise etched on her face from her words. Remembering the lone knight’s words, she wondered if they were now becoming true.

Her questions got answer by the same voice except not from the Cadance next to her but rather next to Twilight, “No, because it’s my wedding!” Her look of surprise widened seeing her niece looking frail and terrible in her condition. Everybody else shared in her surprise seeing two Cadances.

Looking at the fake next to her, a sense of anger was beginning to well up in her and she silently cursed herself for doubting the lone knight’s words in this. The fake however, only mockingly laughed as she stepped forward with a look of malicious intent, “Well, it looks like I’ve been found out …” Suddenly, she was surrounded in green fire as the disguise faded and she was revealed, “Hmm… I’ve been waiting to get out of that disguise for awhile, playing it disgusted me.”

Celestia’s anger was reaching a boiling point as she watched her adversary as she went on about her plan in total. Learning the name and her plan was enough as she stood there watching. Hearing the apologies from Twilight’s friends made her smile as she apologized as well but the cruel words from Chrysalis broke her reverie. Having had enough of this, she stepped forward sternly looking at the imposter, “Chrysalis, you may have fooled me and everyone here, but now that you revealed yourself to the public, I am not very pleased with what you did. But messing with my niece and impersonating her while she suffered… That is something I will not tolerate.” They stared at each other while their horns made contact. The stare ended as she ascended and fired a beam at Chrysalis. She fired as well and their beams collided with each other.

Time felt like it slowed down as Celestia’s magic was beginning to overpower the bug queen’s at first as she struggled to maintain a foothold in power. However, soon she was being overpowered as her magic was being pushed back. She opened her eyes and noticed it coming close. She did not have the time to brace herself as the magic neared her. She felt no collision with her magic however and instead felt searing heat. She opened her eyes to see Chrysalis looking shocked as she was looking at the entry. She looked as well and a smile begun to form as she saw the fire hero. In front of her, she saw a path of ash from where the beams connected to where Vargas stood. Celestia can be certain that a wave of fire was formed but was surprised at the proficiency and utilization of fire that this being was capable of. She was snapped out of her reverie as she heard the voice of the fire hero in concern, “I hope I was not too late in the rescue Your Highness.”

She still wore her smile as she nodded to the swordsman, “Thank you Vargas for the save, I had thought myself doomed as soon as I felt my magic being overpowered.” She turned her attention towards Chrysalis who was still shocked at what she had witnessed.

Twilight for the first time, was wearing a grin \as she looked at Cadance, “What’d I tell you Cadance? I knew he could handle them with ease…” Suddenly, that detail escaped her mind as she now looked at the fire hero. Though he showed no signs of any injuries, she noticed some green goop on him making her curious, “Um, Vargas… What’s the green goop that’s on your body?”

The fire hero noticed as well and felt a frown forming, “I don’t know, but it’s sticky and it came from whatever these bug things are. Disgusting…” His frown was soon replaced with a smile as he addressed his compatriots, “I hope all of you are okay?” They all nodded making him relax a bit. His focus however changed as he looked at the bug queen with a burning anger. His sword was pointed at her, its fire burning a bright red orange, “You... I was not around when you did your long-winded introduction but I don’t need to know to tell that you don’t deserve any mercy from me.”

Despite Chrysalis’s shock over seeing this being who she just met before having the ability to wield fire elemental magic, she still wore her smug grin as she eyed her adversary, “It is no matter, soon the shield will break and my horde will come. If you want me, come and get me!” She ascended into the air and flew out of the windows to meet her army of changelings.

Vargas chased after her but ended up almost falling off as she was out of his range. He was not pleased as he watched her fly away, his agitation clear as day, “This is where I wished I had my fire wings in the first place! Damn it, I hate flying enemies!” Despite it being a bad time to rant, it was reasonable enough to warrant saying it considering how helpful it would have been to have them. The mention of fiery wings however caught the attention of Twilight who was about to ask him about it but he knew where this was going, “Twilight, I’ll tell you later but now’s not the perfect time to get distracted.”

Twilight let a weak chuckle escape while she was wearing a sheepish grin. Celestia was about to give chase her down but before that, she left a message to Twilight and her friends quickly before she was out of sight, “Go and find the Elements! We will need them before we get overwhelmed by the swarm of changelings!” She flew away and gave chase to the bug queen in haste.

The bearers all looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Then they turned their attention to Vargas who all but smiled with them as he followed them out of the castle. Just as they stepped out of the castle gates though, a horde of changelings was in front of them blocking their way. The fire hero stepped in front of the bearers with his sword drawn and wrapped in flames as he eyed the multiple bugs that stood in their way. He couldn’t but smile as the bearers joined at his side and looked to be itching for a fight even Fluttershy (thought she still looked terrified), “Just like old times except with new friends at my side.”

Despite it being a bad time to reminisce memories, they couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, “Is your life always like this back in your world Vargas? Facing a big horde of whatever was in front of you?” Rainbow couldn’t but be awed at the prospect of their lives being almost always like this. No breaks, just enemies coming one after another.

A smile formed as the memories surfaced, “Yes, a lot of times it has happened Rainbow. The others can agree with me as well considering our history.” Something within his heart felt right at home despite the precarious situation they were in. His eyes opened and a new fire within him ignited. His body was beginning to emit a fiery aura powerful enough to warm those around him prompting the bearers to back away and watch him in awe as he was undergoing a transformation. His cape, once a dark red, now changed its color to reflect upon the warm Sun as it was now an orange color. The argument where he wished he had wings was partially granted as his back sprouted his right wing in flames. All of the ponies were watching in awe though the changelings did not attack for they were confused as to what was going on.

Having had enough waiting, they all immediately charged at them. The fire hero could only smirk as he went into a stance and waited for them to come nearby. The bearers recognized it quickly and backed away a bit as the changelings drew closer. Though they hesitated, they still continued with their attack on the bearers. Just as they neared him, a glint of steel was in front of them as he shouted the newest version of his signature move, “Infinity Nova!” A pillar of flames erupted in front of them searing them with powerful flames before more gathered in the center of the pillar. As the flames managed to clump themselves together, miniature explosions covered the battlefield soundly defeating many changelings that stood in their way, “Charge everyone!” His words reached their ears and the bearers charged just as the explosions ended. Vargas joined in the charge as well as he jumped and flapped his one wing gaining some altitude before descending on the horde. It was at this time that some thoughts came to his mind. A smile begun to develop as he landed on them, “Lava, I hope you’re seeing this. It looks like our rivalry will have to wait. And father, I hope I made you proud.”

Celestia was giving chase when he heard Vargas scream out the words. Looking below her, he saw him and was surprised to see a new development from him. His cape now matched the colors of the Sun and he now had one wing made of fire. A smile formed seeing that he awakened new powers yet she knew that this was just the start of their potential. A beam fired passed her and she looked up to see Chrysalis firing at her. Her smile disappeared and was now a fierce glare as she charged.

Lightning roared around the thunder hero as he was fighting against, to his utter surprise, bug ponies that can suck the love out of their enemies, “I was joking about all of that! I really should be careful with my words from now on…” He dodged an attack from behind him and hit the changeling with a kick to the chest. There was enough force in the kick that the bug was sent flying and collided with ten of it behind him. A smile occurred as he raised his sword high into the air, “First strike!”

A changeling hissed behind and was about to pounce on him until a cello struck it down. Eze turned around to see a light grey earth pony with a black mane behind him holding the cello like it was a two-handed weapon, “You really should watch your back more often…”

Another pony appeared except she was a unicorn with a white coat and an electric blue mane wearing a pair of shades that somehow managed to stay on her. She lifted them and he saw magenta eyes as she was talking with the grey pony in question, “Aw come on, give the guy some slack, have you seen what he and his friends did when he was in Ponyville? Oh man, that was awesome!”

The thunder hero smiled seeing that he got someone to help and know him a bit though the timing was odd, “Thanks and um… who are you two per chance?” Just as he asked that, a changeling was focusing on the both of them. He moved the ponies out of the way and hit a changeling with the face of his blade. The sound resonated loudly and the bug crashed onto a wall with a resounding thud. He couldn’t help but let a smug grin form from the satisfying sound.

Both ponies picked themselves up and introduced each other starting with the grey pony just as she was dodging a few strikes from a few changelings, “Octavia Melody at your service and well…” She dodged another and promptly hit it with her cello sending it flying, “I was having a normal day in Canterlot until all this happened.” She sidestepped a pouncing changeling and hit it squarely on the chest with her bow causing it to collapse from the attack, “And it was such a good day too what with the wedding and all.”

“You’re telling me Octy… And here I was hoping to enjoy rocking out hard for the bride and groom, not having to deal with this craziness… The name’s Vinyl Scratch by the way.” She smiled as she dodged another attack and whacked it hard with her cassette player.

Eze couldn’t help but let a chuckle escape hearing and having this conversation during battle and from two good ponies that can fight no less, “So you two were here for the wedding originally? That’s rather interesting to hear.”

A sound of a hard whack from a cello reached his ears. Eze couldn’t help but wonder how does an earth pony like her manages to carry and swing an instrument that big with ease. He chalked it up to genetics which he didn’t need to know right now or just plain magic, “Yes, though we also came here to relax a bit right Vinyl?”

“You said it Octy…” She jumped over a changeling and whacked it with her boombox, “Its fine if things were a little crazy to make life interesting, but I wonder if anypony ever gets a day of no craziness?” She whacked another with a disk this time. How the things were not broken from any hard impacts like that, the thunder hero may never know. Still, whacking the enemies with instruments amused him. He wondered if maybe there were a few people back at his world that would whack Gods with instruments of any kind. The idea was amusing yet he couldn’t help but think it true.

Suddenly, he remembered a certain General’s words brought about by Vargas alongside how they fought with each other on the battlefield despite their differences. Looking at the both of them, he saw they clearly had their differences towards each other. Yet despite that, they were still friends. He suddenly imagined Octavia as Emilia and Vinyl as himself as they fought side to side as comrades in arms. The sight made him distracted from the battles going on around him.

Many changelings used this opportunity and charged at the thunder hero. As another whack from the cello was made, Octavia turned her attention towards Eze and noticed that he was watching them and not what was happening around him. A swarm of changelings were coming for him. She dodged a blow from one of them as she warned him quickly, “You idiot, to your side!”

The words from the illusion Emilia managed to break him out of his trance as he shook his head and turned towards his left. The changelings were already nearing him and he didn’t have the quick reflexes to block in time. He braced himself for their attack only for a sound of something hitting its target to reach his ears. He looked to see the illusion Emilia taking care of the swarm. She looked at him once with a stern glare before letting a little smile form and leaving his side to attack the rest.

The illusion faded and now Octavia took her place. The illusion though managed to get Eze to think as he looked towards his sword, Batootha. He saw his reflection once and his allies next to him, each one of them wearing a smile. He smiled with the reflections as he looked towards Octavia and Vinyl who were now fighting side to side, “Emilia, you watching over me? I better hope you are because once I feel like my life isn’t so crazy, maybe we could meet each other and be real friends someday?” The thought left a good impression on the thunder hero as he jumped over both ponies. In that moment, a new power awakened within him as his sword, Batootha, drastically changed its form into a new look and he now had an arch behind him with white storm clouds forming behind it. This quick transformation made him smirk as he raised his sword into the air, “Hey, bug freaks! Try this on for size! Heavenly Thunder!” Once he made contact with the ground and the first enemy, a surge of electricity escaped from the sword. It shrouded through the whole battlefield shocking enemies from left to right.

Both Octavia and Vinyl were surprised by this development but smiled regardless of it. They charged into the stream of lightning and proceeded to handle those that survived the initial attack. Eze watched as they beat those that still stood. For some odd reason, when one of them managed to synchronize their hits with the surging electricity, a green word with an exclamation point that said spark appeared. He blinked twice just in case he saw that right but it wasn’t there anymore. He shrugged and let it slide for now as he joined them in their attack just as the surging thunder ended.

Selena just dodged a beam from five changelings with a grace of a dancer. Admittedly, she’s not so well versed into ceremonial sword dancing compared to her friend Lucina, but she learned enough to get the basic understanding of the movements. She counters the attack in return as she delivers an upward slash with Lexida, causing ice pillars to form in front of her. The pillars then divide themselves into five knocking out the changelings that attacked her. The ice hero hears hissing from behind and turns around to see three of them charging towards her. She ducks quickly and retaliates with a barrage of ice shards striking at their abdomen.The hits sent them away from her and into those hovering causing a few to fall down. Seeing them fall and crashing onto the ground forces made Selena feel sorry for them.

Recovering from the evasion and the attack, she stood back up and braced herself for the onslaught of changelings. Ice crystals begun to form behind her as she readies her blade. As the charging changelings near her, she readies her sword and waits. Unbeknownst to her, her sword Lexida, was beginning to shine an ocean blue. By the time the changelings were near enough for her, she had already delivered a horizontal slash that left ice crystals alongside its path.

The sword illuminated at its brightest blinding both the horde and her. While Selena covered her eyes in time, the horde recoiled from the light. The ice hero lowered her left arm slowly and checked out her surroundings. To her surprise, she noticed two things during this predicament. One, she noticed that her ancestral sword was not within her grasp and instead, was now floating in front of her causing the ice hero to question what was going on. Second was that she was not in Canterlot anymore but a white void. She looks around wondering why she was here. A thought occurred to her and she had a hard time voicing it, “Perhaps… have I ascended into heaven?”

Her question echoed through the seamlessly endless void. Having seen enough of this area, she looked towards where the sword originally was afloat. She backed one step away in shock to find that Lexida was not there but another in the form of her childhood friend. The sight of seeing her for the first time since her demise at the hands of her supposed killer left her silent. Her friend, Lucina, decided to break the silence for her, “Selena? Is something bothering you?”

The ice hero felt her tears beginning to develop as a smile begun to develop. A heartfelt chuckle escaped before she ran and embraced her friend, “Lucina! I’m sorry that I was not able to save you from my assassin’s attack! I truly am!” She hugged her friend tight as her tears streaked down her face.

She felt her friend’s arms wrapped around her. She looked at Lucina’s eyes to see that they still reflected the same emotion when she came to protect her from the assassin. Lucina put her hands on Selena’s shoulders and put the both of them in arms distance. A smile formed on her friend’s face as well as her own, “It’s all right Selena. You know me well enough that I’d do anything to protect my first friend. You do remember that right?”

A chuckle escapes from the ice hero as she reminisces during the time when they were still youthful children, “Haha, yes Lucina I still remember. You would always try to protect me whenever I was in trouble even though we both knew that I was trained well enough to handle myself right?” Both let a small laugh escape. Selena felt better knowing that she was watching over her, “It’s good to see you again Lucina, I miss you and our people.”

Lucina pats her right shoulder once before leaving her and returning back, “I miss you too, I’m sorry that I can’t stay for long but know that the Savat people are with you in your heart. Maybe someday, I can be with you again and do our journeys like we promised a long time ago.”

Selena put her hand on her friend’s while still wearing her smile, “I hope that can be achieved someday Lucina… I would like to adventure with you on this new world.” Both smiled and for some time within the dimension, enjoyed each other’s presence. It was not long after that she saw her childhood friend’s body beginning to be transparent. She knew what was going to happen yet subconsciously, she did not wish for her to leave her side. She extended one arm hoping to reach her, “Wait Lucina!”

The only thing she saw was her smile as she faded from the void and words spoken from her, “Thank you Selena, for being my first friend. Continue to live for me and for the Savat clan.” The ice hero stood still, her arm still reaching out for where her childhood friend once stood.

Selena withdrew back her arm and placed it over her heart. A few tears fell before her smile formed as she took her friend’s words to heart, “I thank you for the same Lucina… I promise to continue to strive for you and for my people.” Just as she said that, the ancestral sword revealed itself urging her to take upon it again. Without hesitation, she grips the hilt of the sword and closes her eyes. The white void that surrounded her now begun to disappear and was now gone. She was back in Canterlot on the original spot where the sword shone brightly. The swordswoman opens her eyes to see the changelings still recovering from the blinding light.

Her eyes twinkled like that of crystals as she raises Lexida high. Four arcs made out of water developed behind her and the sword’s current form evolved. She stabbed the ground with the sword and looked down causing arctic winds to bellow behind her. Some who manage to recover looked at her, their eyes fueled with fury. They charged at her only to be blown by the cold winds. She looked forward with a stern glare as the winds continued to bellow, “You have done enough damage to this city! This ends now!” She pulled the sword out of the ground causing the floor to be coated in ice. Raising Lexida up into the air, a sphere with a flower sigil in front of it was formed. They all tried to run away but they were too late as Selena unleashed her power, “Cocytus Zero!” She stabs the sphere causing the pent-up arctic air sealed within to be released. Those caught within the bellowing winds were trapped in frozen ice as crystals begun to form. The crystal continued to grow in size until it stopped just as the winds do so. Seeing most of the changelings encased in the ice, Selena lowered her sword and with a smile, raised her left arm and snapped her fingers. That action causes the crystal to shatter, hurting many of the changelings caught inside.

Many who were not caught decided to utilize different tactics on her so as to not be reckless and to avoid more downed changelings. The ice hero took upon a battle stance as they eyed her. The horde looked to be never-ending but she knew that sooner or later, it was going to thin out. She just has to keep the fight going for as long as she can.

A wave of natural energy was formed by Drevas as Lance hurls it towards the airborne enemies knocking out a few of them. He can tell that they were irked that he alone was handling them well, countering anything they threw at him for the moment. What they didn’t know, much to Lance’s joy, was that his weapon was a sentient being giving him warnings of any incoming attacks, Three changelings charging from behind Lance!

The nature hero responded by creating a barrier made from Drevas’s own material, specifically the enchanted wood, behind him. The sounds of three thuds reached Lance’s ears causing a momentary smile to form. Looking in front of him, many changelings were firing a green goop of sorts. He creates another barrier blocking the goop. Some manage to splatter on his face causing him to recoil as he touches it, Ugh, sticky and slimy. Worst combination ever… nasty.

I can feel some of it on myself Lance and I can concur, that is disgusting… A smile formed as he removes the slime from his face and lowers the barrier temporarily. Hearing the sounds of charging changelings and the now familiar sounds of magic being fired from their horns caused Lance to form a smirk to replace his smile. He points Drevas towards the ground and stabs the ground. That action caused roots to sprout below the charging bugs and in front of those that begun to fire their ghastly magic. Suddenly, Lance felt something crawling up his right arm causing him to look during the retaliation. Roots begun to develop and were covering a part of his arm. This causes a momentary pause from the nature hero as he hears an apology from the spirit, I am sorry Lance but the curse is still in effect. You already know but I shall repeat it. The more you use my power, the faster the curse consumes you. I wish I could stop this but I cannot…

This only prompted a smile from Lance as he looked towards the changelings, Hey, remember what I said when I found about this? As long as I continue doing what’s right, let the curse continue to grow. So long as I protect the citizens from anything, it’s all I care for. Lance raised Drevas in front of him and felt the roots begun to develop. The roots now became branches as they extended off of his weapon and hung behind him. His eyes once green now begun to glow a lighter shade of his original color with the energy from his lance.

Gripping Drevas tightly, he began to charge towards the changelings. Seeing this action prompted them to charge as well not realizing that Lance’s weapon was dimly glowing. The nature hero pulled back his weapon waiting for the right time to unleash his attack. As they were just right in front of him, a smirk emerged as he thrust his pike forward, “Eternal Zephyr!” As he was going through the enemy lines, a sudden gust of winds surged behind him making a tornado made out of sharp leaves. Those he rammed into during his charge were sent flying and were caught in the tornado. At the end of his charge, he skidded to a halt and turned around to see almost all those that charged at him were now inside the tornado taking hefty damage. Gathering energy into the pike, he takes one last look at the changelings trapped inside the tornado, “Eat this!” He fires a wave of energy at the tornado. As soon as the energy made contact with the tornado, the leaves scattered cutting the changelings caught inside.

Thankfully, only minor cuts were made on the changelings but to Lance’s surprise, they seemed to be suffering from a plethora of ailments. The nature hero can tell which one afflicted them but the most common spread amongst them were a temporary paralysis and a terrible sickness. Those ailments were rather common back in his home world. He looked towards his pike and asked the spirit lingering inside it, Did you inflict them with what I’m seeing?

A snicker escaped from the spirit as he enjoyed the sight of the changelings struggling, Only the paralysis and sickness, the injury and weakness effects were an added bonus. No curses or poison though, I didn’t want to be that cruel on them. The only one who deserves all of that would be the queen herself. The nature hero nodded in agreement as he departed those afflicted and went to handle the next horde. The spirit went silent for awhile causing Lance to momentarily pause with the prolonged silence. Dravas noticed it as well but decided to speak his thoughts out of concern for not only himself but his friend as well, Lance… Do you… do you think that here, we could undo the curse upon not only you but myself as well?

A smile formed as the nature hero found the next horde, Didn’t I promise you that I would undo your curse? I’m still keeping the promise in mind! Who knows, maybe here, they may have a way to undo what was afflicted upon you. Don’t get your hopes down Drevas, I’ll find a way for you to return back to your original form. That’s a promise. The spirit felt elated to hear his words and tone speaking true and thanked him in silence as they entered the fray again. Lance smiled and tapped the pike once before looking ahead and assaulting the oncoming horde.

Atro was utilizing everything from the La Veda fighting style he learned from his master skillfully dodging the attacks while incorporating his own style into it. Each teleport he made from dodging their attacks made the changelings furious causing them to be rash in their strikes. The light hero recently bashed one of them with the butt of his sword, Urias. The swordsman couldn’t help but chuckle at that. A hiss from above alerted him prompting him to teleport out of the way. He reappeared on a ceiling getting a good view of his section of the city above. From afar, he noticed his friends’ more powerful variants of their signature moves were being utilized. The only one he didn’t see was Magress.

Focusing his attention, he looked towards the changelings that were charging at him. Atro wondered if they even utilize any tactics instead of just charging recklessly. His question was somewhat answered as others fired beams at him. Again, he teleported out of harm’s way causing the beams to hit those that were charging. He begun to sigh and shake his head at the sight, “Sometimes, I wonder how would the ponies here fare in a war…” Thankfully, he did notice ponies fight back before so he knows that they can handle some things fine. A smile formed upon an idea, “Perhaps… I could train them?”

The thought was amusing but at the same time he couldn’t help but like the idea, “How funny, I was just a knight in training by my master and suddenly, I’m thinking about being what people would describe as a saint spreading their teachings. He would be proud of me if he were still alive.” He still wore his smile as he reacted towards the changelings’ hissing.

He jumped away from one of them and landed on top of it causing it to tumble during its flight and fall thanks to the extra weight. Ahead, he noticed some changelings switching targets now though who was it concerned him. Time felt like it slowed around him as he saw who was being targeted, a mare holding a young filly in question was being targeted by the horde. The sight made him forget some of his thoughts as his smile faded and anger begun to form. The two begun to run away from the swarm just as Atro jumped off the one he was riding on.

Atro could only blink as far as he could go so he had to rely mostly on his feet to give chase. He was light and fast on his feet as he neared them. Changelings saw an opportunity and blocked his way as they rushed at him only for the knight to teleport behind them and continue the chase. Atro saw the mare make a sharp right turn and slide under a charging changeling heading into a building. Whoever this pony was, she was quick on her feet and her reactions. The pursuers blocked off her way down the spiral ramp but instead of standing there, she jumped off and landed safely and continued her run away from them. Atro witnessed it and teleported on the ceilings and continued his chase though his pursuers were not only catching up to him but to the two as well.

The knight saw the mare turn right from above. Looking ahead, he noticed that she turned straight into a dead end. Atro hastened himself hoping that he would not see an unlikely demise with those two especially the young filly. As he almost reaches the corridor, he noticed a gray blur that was charging towards the corridor he was heading to. It wasn’t long before he saw it ram into the changeling that just landed. He immediately stopped and saw the pony in question was a pegasus and what surprised him the most was that it was Derpy he was seeing.

Atro stopped just above the corridor where he saw the mailmare looking towards the two with her usual cheery smile with her signature eyes before fixing her sights upon the changelings, her eyes lacking any signs of strabismus she showed to the two and now pinpricks signifying her anger. Atro smiled as he jumped down and landed behind the gray pegasus. All three turned towards his direction and all of them were smiling seeing him. He returned the smile as he grabbed the two, “I shall teleport them afar from this place… I hope to see you back in Ponyville safe and sound Derpy?”

She could only smile as she returned her attention towards the changelings. Understanding what was done, Atro did as promised and teleported them to the outskirts of Ponyville. It was a fair enough of a distance as he removed his hands from the two passengers. Before he could return though, the filly poked for his attention prompting him to stop for a second. He looked at the youthful filly wondering what she was going to ask, “Yes? What is it young one?”

She pointed towards the city of Canterlot and her voice not only had traces of concern but of worry as well, “My mom, will she be okay?”

Atro let a smile form as he patted her head, “I am sure that your mother is a capable guardian but I will be sure to see her safe. I promise you that.” The filly smiled once before she and the other guardian return back to their home and wait out the attack. Atro can already assume that Derpy was the alleged mother which put his thoughts towards the future ahead. A smile formed as he turned his attention towards Canterlot, “For the ponies here, training them may as well be worth it.” Just as he begun to teleport back to the battle, the halo behind him took on a new form now forming half of the crest and the holy sword Urias, took on a new look as well. Appearing above the swarm and just noticing the new changes made the knight smile as he descended upon the horde, his sword faced forward, “Messiah Hazzard!”

He pierced through the swarm causing explosions of light amongst the horde. As he landed, the explosions stopped and the sounds of falling changelings reached his ears. No sounds of any crashes were heard though leaving him to presume that others caught them. Standing up from the landing, he saw hundreds of them looking upon him very agitated. He raised his sword and entered a battle stance as they all begun to charge at him. Only a small smile formed as he charged at them all hoping to see the end of this seemingly endless battle.

Unlike the other five who had changelings charge at them from every angle and every second, Magress was a unique case. The changelings were reluctant to charge at him for they begun to actually fear the lancer himself. Those unlucky to charge at him without a second thought met a fate worse than their likely demise. For while those who recklessly attacked him survived, they gained injuries that the ponies would admit would make most of them lose their lunch. The lack of emotion or at least unseen emotion thanks to his helmet, in being able to deliver these grave injuries made them worried for their own safety now.

Magress just finished harming another while saving a pony in return. The pony in question looked upon the dark hero and felt the same fear the changelings had causing it to react opposite of what Magress had in mind. However, the fear almost subsided as he hears the lancer speak, “Do not fear, for I am on your side, regardless of my foreboding appearance.” The pony looked at the dark hero again only for it to see Magress moving out of the way and clearing a way for him to escape. The dark hero spoke once again snapping the stallion out of his trance, “Go… you must flee from this place.”

The pony only happily agreed as he was close to sprinting out but not before thanking Magress, “Thank you sir! You… kind of remind me of Princess Luna. Dark and has that scary feeling but a good heart for the ponies here. Again, thanks!” Magress didn’t even get the name of the pony in question but what he said has him suddenly thinking. He was relatively surprised that he was connected to the Princess of the Night in all aspects yet it also made him smile that in this world, there was someone who was almost like him.

He stood up and looked towards the quivering swarm. Pulling his lance from the ground, he moved slowly like he was a ghost sluggishly walking towards its next victim. The changelings who participated in fighting against him now were slowly backing away from the dark hero. Behind the helmet, a smile formed upon his face as he sees the fear clearly etched on their faces. He turned around and somewhat lament the fact that the ponies are not accustomed to something common as death in his world which he has a history of doing to the God Army. So as a result, he had to do only grievous injuries on his enemies. He has to admit that the friendship loving ponies were beginning to rub off on him.

He noticed that many ponies used this opportunity to evacuate from the area. With the changelings more focused on the dark hero instead of the citizens, they were able to leave the vicinity quickly without becoming targets. Though he still wore his smile, this time it was of relief that they escaped with no harm upon them. He turned his attention back towards the changelings who were still frozen in fear regardless of the fact that they saw the ponies leave. Seeing them like so is while welcoming, was rather tiring for Magress. He tapped his shield with his lance two times snapping them out of their fear-addled state while taunting them, “If any of you are still brave enough to face me…” He pointed his lance, Leomurg, towards them tempting them to attack him, “Then come and fight me!”

Those words managed to send their blood boiling as they all charged at him regardless of their fears or of their own safety. A lack of any anger from Magress surprised him though as he noted, it was probably the peace-loving ponies rubbing off on him. The idea of him being peaceful and all made him chuckle considering his bloody history yet he couldn’t help but see it as a possibility. Doubtful as he was since he can’t forget the path of blood he carved during his time back in Grand Gaia, he wondered if it was possible to forgive someone who walked down that road before. He blocked one of the changelings attacks as he was murmuring, “The road I took can never be forgotten yet… if these ponies are willing to be my friend and forgive the road I took upon…” He pushed away the changeling away and felt a grin forming, “Perhaps there is some hope for this tainted soul after all…”

Just as he said that, a bright light illuminated from him prompting many changelings to cover their eyes quickly. The light disappeared as it quickly appeared showing Magress in a new form. A dark aura permeated from the dark hero as everything from him changed. His lance, his shield, and even his armor changed. But the most drastic change was to his helmet where he now has glowing red eyes revealing from within the helmet.

The changelings again felt fear upon seeing this new form. Magress on the other hand was very pleased as he takes upon this, “A bright light causes my new form? Perhaps what I’ve said may end up becoming true after all.” He saw the changelings beginning to back away once again only this time; he was not allowing them to escape. Raising his lance to the air, he uttered two words as his lance begins to coat itself in dark energy, “Vermillion Tower!” The changelings begun to flee but were too late as they were caught in the attack. Many were sent flying from the move and crashed onto the walls. As Magress finishes the move, he had only a few words to say about this current development, “I hope I don’t end up becoming too use to the non-lethal tactics…”

Author's Note

Hey guys, PrinceUniversa speaking here! I am SO sorry for not updating this story and the others in the works for such a long time! I've been having too much fun with my family that I got long-winded with hanging around with them. But I am returning back from my vacation to college which means I have some time to get the story up and running! I'll miss my family but that's college for me. Hopefully, I can get into the groove of writing and finish the stories that I've neglected to write out!

A Feast of Dark Love

One of the Oracle Knights, An aquamancer by the name and title of Tidal Nacre Medina, managed to trap many changelings inside a sphere of water during their charge. As they struggled to escape the bubble, Medina withdrew her blade and charged at the bubble while bringing down her other arm that held a portion of a lion’s maw recreating one closing on its prey. The sphere popped and those caught in it were severely hurt as they collapsed. She hoped that after all of this, these changelings will not attack ever again. Just as she was thinking of that, a thunderous sound boomed from behind her. She turned around to see Balgran delivering a deadly blow on a crowd of changelings. Despite it being a bad time to reminisce, she couldn’t help but do so regardless, “So… how does it feel to defend the innocents again Balgran?”

“It has never felt better than before Medina though the idea of defending ponies did make me sketchy for a moment.” Balgran said. The knight just blocked many magic attacks from the changelings hovering above him. Due to his heavy armor, he couldn’t jump high enough and reach them, “I could use some assistance here!”

His request was granted as he felt someone jump onto his shield and lift off. He lowered it to see Ruby and her pet fox taking care of them, “Eenee…” Ruby landed on one of the changelings and jumped off from it as she ascended slightly, “Meenee…” She landed on another and repeated the process as she soared higher above the swarm, “Minee…” A changeling tried to evade the next hop but was too late as she landed on top of its head and hopped off, “Mo!” She now hung over the swarm who begun to fire at her instead as she lingered above them. A smile formed as she raised her two daggers and descended upon them, “Here’s the Ruby special!” Her fox joined her side just as flames erupted from the daggers and surrounded her creating a phoenix, “Ruby Vanishing!” The flames that enveloped around her now collided with the swarm as they were set alight. Ruby and her fox friend landed below them just as the flames gathered and created a flame pillar below scorching any caught above, “Bye bye love-sucking bugs!” Ruby’s fox-like ears twitched from hearing hissing behind her prompting her to duck an incoming attack, “Hey! Watch who you’re tackling mister bug pony!”

Ark couldn’t help but smile hearing that from Ruby as he dodged an attack, “Ha, she’s still the same as always…” He smacked a few changelings with the face of his blades while kicking away one that was charging from behind. As the horde of changelings continued to swarm the city, Ark soon realized that the surge was not going to end until they all were expelled from the city whether permanently or temporarily. Looking towards the sky, he saw both Chrysalis and Celestia still fighting each other.

He knew that the Queen was the main target but how to help Celestia was the question. A strong wind blew from behind him snapping him out of his thoughts. Turning around, he saw Dion handling many of the fiends that were trying to attack him. His expression matched his clear boredom as he dodged an incoming charge, “This is getting boring! These changelings have no strategy in their minds! They’re just trying to rush us down with numbers…” He whipped up a small tornado in front of him catching those that were charging.

Yuura was inclined to agree with him but was too busy having numerous thoughts about the changelings in question, “Maybe… I could see me playing around with them to be a bit more exciting than simply fighting them…” Yuura gathered any deceased spirits he collected into his staff and hands, then pointed his staff at the swarm sending any he kept on top of them. The sight of them struggling to get out of the precarious situation prompted a devious smile, “I wonder if…”

His thoughts were interrupted by Rinon who knew what was going on in his mind, “No Yuura, you are and will not think about performing anything relating to necromancy! Even if they are our enemies, you will not desecrate their life!” Medina glared at their necromancer as well. She and Rinon share their anger with how he handled living and dead beings. They only begrudgingly deal with his antics because he is an ally that joined their cause.

Luna, only just hearing their conversation, was rather shocked to hear that someone on their side was a necromancer. Yuura did not looked pleased but ended up obliging with Rinon as he recalled the spirits back to his side. Any changelings caught within his attack immediately fled out of fear. She looked towards Ark who only just shook his head when Yuura was bought up, “Do not ask me about it. I have no clue as to why he joined us as well. At least he keeps his necromantic ideals in check, that much, I can say with confidence.”

Luna was debating on whether to worry about Yuura now later. She relented with a sigh as she decided to worry about the nature of the necromancer later, “I was fine with you Ark but to hear that one of your allies is a… necromancer. It will be hard to deal with that knowledge now… especially when my sister finds out about it.” The knight sighed as well, having withheld that information from them for some time. It wasn’t long before he turned his attention towards the fight ahead. Luna looked towards the sky seeing the battle between the two opposing forces. The sight and sounds of battle above made her concerned for the Sun Princess. Her horn glowed as she made a telepathic connection with Celestia while she was fighting her own battles, Sister, how are you faring right now?

Celestia dodged an incoming magic attack from Chrysalis as she was giving chase, Not faring well unfortunately… She is a tougher adversary then I expected. No doubt from her gaining the power to almost equal my strength. She dodged yet another beam of energy as she continued chasing the queen, How about you Luna? How are you faring?

Luna bucked a changeling that was charging from behind her away just as she blasted away those in front of her, I seem to be handling fine for the most part… but I’m more concerned for both you and our niece… Just as she thought of that, her eyes widened as she looked towards the castle. Luna silently cursed herself in forgetting that Cadance is worn out from her imprisonment.

Celestia also widened her eyes as they darted towards the wedding room. She was about to let out a sigh seeing that she was safe but didn’t wish to jinx the moment yet. She fires a beam towards Chrysalis, then another as she gives chase once again. She looked down once and saw Luna fighting hordes of changelings gathering in the center of Canterlot. It bought a smile on her face to see her protecting the citizens. She dispelled the thought for now as she focused on chasing Chrysalis and relaying the message to Luna, Luna, Cadance is safe, but she won’t be for long. Someone must go to the wedding room to defend both her and Shining Armor.

The Night Princess looked towards Ark who was fighting against many changelings. A smile formed as she relayed the message back, I see then. Do not worry sister, someone is already on their way to protect Cadance and Shining Armor, you worry about the queen herself. She hoped that Celestia didn’t notice her slip up her words, “Oracle Knight Ark! Cadance and Shining Armor are vulnerable to an attack; I wish thee to defend them at all costs! Your allies and I will handle the horde from here on out!”

Ark heard the order as he turned his head and nodded. He pushes the changelings off his swords and was about to run towards the castle until he was blocked by more of them. He groaned in annoyance as he entered a battle stance, “I do not have the time to deal with this!”

As he readied himself for their attack, two words from Medina reached his ears causing him to back away, “Apsalus Roura!” The changelings looked to their right wondering who was coming towards them only to try to fly away quickly to no avail. The result was them being directly hit with a surge of water followed by the sword from the aquamancer. Medina looked towards Ark with a smile as she blasted away more changelings, “Are you going or what Ark?”

He returned the smile as he patted her shoulder, “Thank you Medina…” Ark then proceeded to run through the horde slicing away any incoming changelings. The aquamancer still wore her smile as she watched him continue his sprint before it became one of caution as she trapped a few of the bug ponies in a sphere of water.

As Ark was running, one was about to charge at him. The knight begun to smirk as he jumped, landed on top of it and hopped off as he landed atop the rooftops. He looked forward and continued his run as a swarm of changelings begun to chase him down. He sheathed one of his swords while trying to gather energy into the other in his right hand. As five changelings were coming to attack him, he raised his sword to his shoulder and slashed towards their direction sending red lightning. They immediately dodged it but as a result, they crashed into others by mistake. As he kept on running, the hissing he hears from behind tempted him to look back. He ended up turning his head around out of curiosity and was caught off guard when he saw a large swarm of changelings chasing him down. The sight of such a horde chasing one man down made him both shudder and chuckle a bit, “A horde of you chasing one man down? A scary yet amusing thought…” He looked forward and kept on sprinting towards the castle.

While Ark was outrunning the horde, both Celestia and Chrysalis continued their battle. The aerial fight lasted longer than usual for the both of them and they both knew it, “Enough… I’ve been dodging your magic for too long…”

Celestia was breathing heavily, something she was afraid of doing for that meant she was reaching her limit. However, she also noticed Chrysalis breathing heavily as well causing a momentary smile to form upon the Sun Princess’s face, “I could say the same for you…” Her eyes darted towards the wedding room wondering if somepony was there to defend the two. Though she saw no sign of any ponies besides the two, she also saw no sign of changelings holding them hostage.

Her smile was still there but it was beginning to waver as she heard Chrysalis’s voice breaking her line of thinking, “Pah… we both know that we’re going to lose regardless due to our strength being almost equal.” She noticed her smile becoming devious as she looked towards Cadance, “So how about I take it out on your niece?” Celestia gasped as she saw her adversary now targeting Cadance. She descended as quickly as possible, trying to catch up with her before it was too late. She tried to gather magic into her horn for one final shot but she was struggling to do so causing Celestia to panic. However, just as she had realized that she was almost spent on magic, Chrysalis immediately stopped mid-flight looking shocked at what she was seeing, “What in Equestria is going on there?!”

Celestia looked towards where the bug queen was looking and saw what made her gape. She too was surprised at first as well before smiling at the sight, “Looks like somepony has managed to garner your horde’s attention and dare I say, that’s a lot he attracted…” She turned her attention towards her who was enraged beyond words. Without even uttering a single word, Chrysalis fired a beam at her. Celestia created a barrier in time as she protected herself. Unfortunately for her, the shield would not last for long. Sounds of cracking glass reached her ears and she knew that the barrier would not last long with the amount of force Chrysalis was putting into her magic. As soon as the shield begun to break, she immediately dodged it. Celestia had expected her to target her now that her rage was set on her, but to her shock, her sight was again set on Cadance.

Her niece was frozen in surprise as she saw her imposter glaring at her. Her horn was glowing a ghastly green as it was focused on her. Her fangs were bared as she spoke with a tone that sent shivers down Cadance’s spine, “This resistance has gone on long enough! If I can’t gather the love I need, then your life, as well as his will be forfeited!” She raised her head high and hooves high as the magic within her horn now swelled with power.

Cadance looked towards Shining Armor once before sternly looking back at Chrysalis and stepping in front of him, her eyes filled with the determination to protect her husband and Twilight’s brother. Chrysalis smirked as she lowered her horn and fired the pent-up magic towards Cadance. The wife then closed her eyes as the room glowed an eerie green and the beam neared her. Just as the beam almost made contact though, she felt a force that pushed her and Shining Armor away from her magic. Opening her eyes, they widened as she saw Celestia pushing her away and taking the hit for her. She reached out for her as she landed, screaming out her name as tears begun to develop in her eyes, “AUNTIE CELESTIA!”

Celestia’s scream of agony echoed throughout Canterlot stunning many ponies who heard it. Ark looked towards the castle, his eyes widening in fear as thoughts of what that scream meant surfaced. The most prominent thought was the most unthinkable yet also the most logical in his mind, the death of Princess Celestia, “No… no I refuse to believe this! I cannot accept this!” Ark hastened his steps, hoping to not believe it until he sees it with his own eyes. Turning his head slightly, the changeling swarm was still on his tail. The sight now fumed him as he unsheathed his other sword now, “I will not be stopped! Not now, not ever! Do you hear me!?”

Just as he was about to turn around and meet them head on, from behind, he noticed the familiar sword of one of the heroes. Immediately, he felt searing heat as well as hearing the familiar voice of the owner of Dandelga, “Infinity Nova!” The flames from the sword formed the pillar of flame that caught all of the changelings. Ark silently thanked the fire hero as he continued his run. Just as he hopped the rooftops and continued his sprint, explosions seemingly shook the very sky itself. Arriving at the entrance to the castle, he made his way through the castle doors and sped across the hallways hoping to find the room as quickly as possible.

Back in the throne room, Cadance could only watch in abject fear as she was looking at the slump body of Celestia. Chrysalis was surprised as she looked at her hooves pondering on what she did, “I can’t believe it…” Suddenly, she was gleefully cackling as she ascended to the air, her laughter echoing in the throne room “I can’t believe it! I managed to take out one of the Princesses!” As her laughter slowly faded away, Cadance felt a storm of emotions within her. All of them were pointed towards Chrysalis specifically. She stood up and sternly glared at her imposter as she was gathered magic into her horn. The bug queen noticed her giving the look and could only smirk at the sight, “Well this is interesting… If I manage to defeat Celestia, what hope can you do against me?” Her words were not heeded as Cadance still continued to stand against her. Only a sneer escaped as she focused her magic as well, “So be it, perhaps you’ll get the chance to regret your decision… in the afterlife!”

Chrysalis was about to fire a beam of magic at Cadance until a voice broke her concentration, “Over my dead body imposter!” She looked towards the source of the voice only for her to get hit by an attack sending her crashing onto a wall.

Cadance covered her eyes as dust enveloped the bug queen. The dust begun to slowly fade away as it revealed the bug queen in a precarious situation. She quietly chuckled at the sight before turning her attention towards the source of the voice. Her eyes shimmered with joy as she saw the familiar face of her rescuer. The Oracle Knight stood up from his position and smiled towards her, “Hello Cadance. It’s good to see you well… for the most part.”

She quietly chuckled once again before stopping her laughter and looking back towards Chrysalis. Ark approached the two of them and grabbed Shining Armor, moving them to a safe area within the room. It wasn’t much but so long as Chrysalis wasn’t targeting them, they would fare well. Cadance smiled to him as well as thanked him, “Thank you Ark… It’s good to see you again.”

The knight returned her smile as he stood up, “I should say the same to you.” Cadance chuckled once more before she stopped as she saw his attention was elsewhere. Ark saw Celestia’s prone body and decided to check her first before speaking with the imposter. The moment he saw her breathing though made the knight relieved. He wore a smile before it became a frown as he saw Chrysalis flapping her wings and slowly recovered from her precarious state. Ark raised and pointed one of his swords to her as he spoke, “So… I finally get the meet the fiend that posed as Princess Cadance on her special day. I’ve seen my fair share of trouble during my whole life…” His eyes suddenly gained the red shadowy aura as he felt unbridled anger surging, “But to do so on one’s special day is where I draw the line…”

Chrysalis shook off any dust that gathered around her and opened her eyes as she was about to say something only for her to be cut off as she looks at the being that attacked her. Her anger mixed with her shock as she was seeing another human, “Another one of you miserable wretches?! How many of you are here?!”

Ark’s right eye twitched a bit upon hearing her words. He was having trouble just containing his anger and ending her now. He closed his eyes and took one deep breath, trying to calm himself before letting his anger get the best of him. He then opened his eyes, his gaze still locked on Chrysalis, “First off, what you called a miserable wretch, we call ourselves humans… And secondly, yes there are more of us though I’m not telling how many there are…”

His words managed to hit a nerve upon the bug queen as she glared at her opponent while she was gathering magic, “I, for once, do not care where you came from or who you are… Anyone who resists me will be punished!” She fires a beam of magic towards the knight while charging.

Ark then raised his one of his swords and easily deflected the beam aside. This causes Chrysalis to stop her charge and look at her adversary aghast. The knight’s gaze then turned towards her and said only two words before he decided to go on the offensive, “Big mistake…” He withdrew his extended arm in a single swift motion to his side before dashing towards his opponent.

Chrysalis jumped away from the downward strike initially thinking that she avoided it only to get hit below by dark pillars of energy that erupted from the sword sending her flying. Ark then jumped towards the prone bug queen and was about to strike her until one of her minions attacked him from out of nowhere. He recovered from the attack and looked towards the changelings that now surrounded their queen. This only annoyed the knight as he stood up, “Tch, I should’ve known that this was bound to happen…”

Chrysalis was slowly recovering from the attack the knight dished out on her. She then turned her gaze towards the knight who showed no sign of emotion towards her. The fact that someone who she just met, managed to greatly injure her in a single attack despite the fact that her power rivaled that of Celestia herself, the idea made her furious, “I… I refuse to believe that the power I gained from Shining Armor’s love could be exceeded by something like you! I cannot accept that just one person; manage to best me already when my power almost rivaled that of Celestia!”

Her words only prompted a smirk as he raised his swords, “Really? Then you’ll find it even harder to believe that this kind of power is seemingly normal where I come from. In fact, it can be exceeded if one will’s it or certain things awaken the latent power within us.” Ark slowly lifted one foot and moved in quick succession as he almost closed the gap between him and Chrysalis.

Chrysalis flew out of the throne room hoping to put some distance between them and recover. While she was retreating from the knight, part of the horde that survived the attack from Vargas arrived to protect their queen albeit a bit charred. They all charged towards Ark with reckless abandon. The knight could only scoff as he dodged each one and knocked them down to the ground while still giving chase to the queen. Chrysalis was airborne while watching her new adversary easily take down the many changelings that were swarming him. She was still agitated that he of all things managed to injure her when she had managed to rival Celestia in terms of strength. Adding to the fact that she just witnessed him easily deflects one of her beams… It made her seething with anger.

As Ark managed to dispatch the changelings that charged at him, he focused his attention towards the bug queen that was hovering away from the range of his swords. The response from Chrysalis being that of a smirk, sneer and her gloating to the knight was expected as he eyed her, “Hmph, how are you going to hurt me now? You can’t hit me now that I’m out of your range of attack…”

Ark could only shake his head in disapproval as he backed up a few meters away from the rail. The bug queen could only look at him in confusion wondering what he was up to. Her question was answered in the most unexpected action she thought was beyond reckless. He initiated a running head start, trying to pick up speed as he neared the rail. By the time he was in front of it, he immediately jumped off the platform. Chrysalis wasted no time to try to evade the maneuver, initially thinking she barely dodged whatever he was doing. However, much to her surprise, he managed to grab two of her hooves causing her to plummet with Ark in tow.

During their fall, the two of them were combating each other with different goals in mind. Chrysalis was trying to get the knight to let go of his grip while Ark was trying to hold on and fight her while they were freefalling. During this continuing fight, Chrysalis noticed something from the knight she never expected yet was very familiar to her. Her eyes suddenly widened as she tasted a love stronger than anything she smelled emitting from Ark. A smirk suddenly formed as she managed to get the knight off of her. They both land in the Canterlot Gardens with nary an injury but Ark was more tired than the bug queen herself. She picked herself up smugly looking at the knight while licking and smacking her lips. Chrysalis was feeling triumphant as she sniffed the unbelievably strong love from the knight, “My my… In all my life as the ruling queen, never have I tasted such empowering, everlasting, and delectable love.”

Her words and actions only baffled Ark for a split second before he realized what they exactly meant coming from Chrysalis. He suddenly raised his swords and glared at the imposter… No, not just that, a succubus in pony form. He didn’t know much about changelings apart from the fact that they look liked bugs and they like to attack in swarms. But that little detail Chrysalis gave away suddenly made the knight enraged beyond words, “You… You would not dare to feast upon my undying love for the Oracle Maiden?”

“While I have little idea on who this Oracle Maiden is…” She licked her lips once more as if to prove her point, “Yes, I am feasting upon your oh-so delicious and dark love…” Her words prompted the knight to lash out at her in rage. She could only smirk as she dodged and saw his anger beginning to blind him of his actions. The love she was feasting upon was stronger than even Shining Armor’s own love and as a result, was matching Ark in strength now. Although she still wished that she could innately learn any of the dark-related spells that Ark could perform, the growing strength would do for now. Still, she continued with her gloating towards the knight, “It seems I’ve hit a nerve hmm? Perhaps, I might be able to make you truly snap by threatening this love of yours?”

Her words provoked the knight to lash out at her again while speaking out his thoughts, “You will not lay your dirty hooves on her so long as I breathe you miserable creature!” Instead of the calm and assertive knight Ark was before, he was now a warrior with nothing but anger fueling his actions. Chrysalis could only smile seeing the adversary she had trouble keeping up with was now in her mercy.

She wanted to toy with him a bit and she was very tempted to do so but in the end, she decided against it for now, “Well, I think I managed to garner enough strength from not only Cadance’s lover but from yourself as well so with that said…” She dodged yet another slash from Ark. Having had enough of this being’s persistence, she gathered energy into her horn while glaring at the knight, “Fall alongside the rest of your allies…” An eerie calm fell over the queen as she fired her beam.

Ark saw the attack coming and tried to brace himself but was too late in bringing his two blades in front of him. No sound escaped from the knight as his eyes widened in horror from the force of the attack directly hitting his chest. His grip faltered as his swords slowly slipped from his hands before falling onto the ground. As he felt his conscience slowly fading away from him, he was only able to utter a few words before he collapsed onto the ground, “No… I can’t… fall yet… not…now…” The last thing he heard as his conscience was fading was Chrysalis’s maniacal laughter echoing in his ears before his eyes closed.

Cadance could only watch the scene in terror as she saw Ark collapsing and his eyes slowly closing. The laughter from the bug queen was quieted down to only an echo in Cadance’s ears as she was looking towards the fallen knight. She was reaching out to him, silently begging Ark to get up and continue the fight with teary eyes. Her wishes were unheard and left unanswered as she lowered her hoof and feeling her tears escape. Her attention was towards Chrysalis whose laughter ended and her attention was now on her. Normally, she would have been consumed in fear and quaking from being under her gaze. But seeing the knight that walked the dark road before now walking towards the light fell by her hooves, she stood against her imposter, her horn flaring with magic.

Chrysalis was amused at seeing her persistence to continue defying her. She gestured a wave with her hoof and suddenly, changelings begun to swarm around the room eyeing the Princess of Love, “As much as I’d like to take care of you personally, I have more pressing matters to attend too. Changelings… make sure you immobilize her and Shining Armor.” She then looked towards the comatose Celestia and Ark before a smug smile formed, “Oh and put those two in a cocoon as well, I don’t want them to interfere when they wake up.” As soon as she saw her changelings walking towards Cadance while hissing, she turned around and looked towards the tattered city. The sight of it all almost in ruins was pleasing to her but as she noted, she had more pressing concerns, “Now… where is the Night Princess?”

A Hope Unbroken by Death

Grand Gaia, a world gone through many battles and turmoils by Gods and Demons of all kinds, is once again under a war declared by the Gods of the world. To exterminate all humans due to them managing to seal away one of the Divine Ten, that was their command. Many however, retaliated back against the Gods that govern the world.

From the Dragon War in Atharva where an ancient slumbering dragon controlled by a demon wrecked havoc and four allies joining together to defeat the demon and dragon, to the battles between the Twelve Guardians where allies fought against traitors of the Gods that govern, and finally to the fights in Ishgria, the demon world where the Oracle Knights fought against the Guardians of Meirith. Many battles have been waged all to end the cycles of battles.

It was here after the fight against the Oracle Knights and the Guardians of Meirith that new heroes rose to defend the innocents. Known to many warriors within the six kingdoms as the Six Heroes, these young warriors rose from many trials to become the warriors they now are. Protecting allies and innocents from the wrath of the Gods, they have managed to defeat countless foes that dare stood against them including the four of the Divine Ten known as the Fallen Gods, ones that called upon this war to exterminate humankind from the world.

The power these six warriors had within them was enough to rival the many enemies that stand in their way of peace and tranquility. As a result, they had the ability to possibly either prolong or completely stop and end the war sooner than any Gods have expected. Seeing the immense power that these six warriors have, a disciple of one of the Divine Ten, ordered the only surviving Oracle Knight to defeat them in any way possible as a way to appease the Gods so that his master will be inclined to save even a portion of humanity itself.

Reluctant at first, the mysterious knight only obeyed because its maiden who he thought was lost during the battle its master participated in, was found and doing this task would allow them to be reunited at last. The knight obeys the order and asks a few people to weaken the Six Heroes so that he can finish them off. Yet despite that, the idea of killing humanity's last hopes weighed heavily in his thoughts.

In the kingdom of Bariura, one of the Six Heroes emerged from here. The knight, by the name of Magress, was a son of a powerful cavalry leader. From childhood, he knew of the empire's wish to unify the continent and by the time he reached the age of sixteen, joined the cavalry with the intent of gaining the skills necessary to defeat anything that stood in his way. As time passed during his training, his talent grew quickly and he was soon considered for promotion. However, he soon lost to his father.

Feeling the need to train further, he left his family and the empire. He trained hard, using his anger to hone his skills and as a result, was somehow able to pierce even the most sturdiest of armors. After his intensive training alone, he soon became the strongest knight of all of Bariura. During that time when he was gone however, his parents were murdered. When he found out about this, he was enraged and went to the capital to kill the knights he thought were responsible for their deaths. However, the war with the gods soon began during his run to the emperor who was the true cause of his parents' demise. As a result, he killed countless gods on his way to defeat the emperor thus earning him praise from the people while making the knights fearful.

Holding a lance that bore the blood of all the Gods he defeated in a rage sated by vengeance, his form changed drastically in his hatred-driven attacks. A human he was once inside the armor, the blood of the Gods transfigured him to something not even remotely human. Yet even that did not faze him for he kept on striking down many who stands in his way. He soundly defeated all those in many swipes and stabs from his lance. Despite his vengeance for those that were involved in the death of his brother, he did not fall behind in the knight’s honor code. Thus, he was calm and kept the knight’s code in his heart.

In the shadows, the mysterious knight waited and watched the scene as Magress fought against one of the God’s disciples. Knowing how powerful he was, he decided to wait it out until he was fatigued from the fight against the disciple chosen to go against him. The disciple managed to kill the dark knight’s comrades in a crazed glee.

Amongst his friends was one who although having previously claimed to hate traitors, sacrificed himself in order to save Magress. Consumed by his rage, Magress slaughtered one of the disciples of the Gods while completely covered in wounds. Blow after blow they exchanged, trying to subdue each other almost with no end in sight. Soon, the disciple fell to Magress. However, the dark hero’s body was strained from the fight. His body was beginning to fail on him yet despite this; he managed to hold.

The lone knight saw an opportunity to finish off the dark hero yet even then, he was reluctant to finish him off even with the knowledge about the Oracle Maiden. His mind was debating on what was right and what was wrong, kill the Six Heroes and save the Oracle Maiden or leave them be and face the consequences. The decision was gnawing at his very soul but with a profound sadness, he chose the Maiden over the heroes that were needed, "I am sorry fellow knight...” With a heavy heart, he unsheathed his two swords as he stepped out of the shadows.

The sounds of drawn blades reached Magress's ears prompting him to turn around. He sees the masked man step forward with two blades drawn. The warrior he sees had no honor in him, waiting for his opponent to be at his most vulnerable instead of facing him. The sight made him scowl quietly but at the same time he was also questioning his appearance, "Who are you and why appear when I am almost unable to fight back?"

The Oracle Knight looked away in shame of having to do what he must do but relayed the message the disciple said to him, "I appeared only so that my lord will be able to save a portion of humanity. In return, you must die as a way to appease the Gods."

Magress was surprised at the revelation but at the same time saw the movement and can tell that the knight was not happy to perform this task. Perhaps the knight had some honor in him after all, “So... despite the fact that you look unwilling to perform this task, I must die for humanity's sake?” As he struggled to stand, he realized that his armor was now hindering him. Having no use for his armor, he discarded pieces of it as the clang on to the ground leaving just his lance with him to fight, “I will be happy to die for my people, but I wish to also die a warrior's death. Please... give me a warrior's death I deserve...” He stood up and entered a battle stance ready to face his fate.

The Oracle Knight let out a sigh as he looked at his adversary. Despite hating what he was doing, he nodded to the knight's request. Raising his two swords, he lunged forward bypassing the dark hero’s best attempts to hold him back and lands a clean hit on him in his chest. Magress was spitting out blood from the attack as he felt the blade being pulled out from his abdomen. He clutched onto the fatal wound he received as he let go of his lance. A smile formed on his face as he felt his life slowly vanish, “I thank you warrior for giving me… a knight’s death.” He collapsed onto the floor and with one last breath, succumbed to his injuries and died.

The Oracle Knight turned to see the dark hero with a smile. It was a tragically beautiful sight for the mysterious knight to see him like this. As a result, he couldn’t bear to leave him on the battlefield like this. He stepped next to the fallen knight as he pulled out from his pocket a seal. Touching Magress's blood with his thumb, he dabs the seal with it and placed it on the body. The seal started to glow a white color first before shifting to a deep black color as it slowly got brighter before enveloping the body. As the light begins to dim down, the body disappeared from the world with no trace of blood or body.

The knight was not glad with doing the task but the deed was done. At the very least, he wanted to give the Six Heroes a place where they could be in peace knowing that they did not fight in vain. With one of the Six Heroes down, he left to his next destination to find the next of the Six Heroes, the light hero of La Veda.

Towards the La Veda Republic was the light hero by the name of Atro. Raised as an orphan in a monastery with the Friar as his guardian, he originally wanted to become a monk until one day, bandits attacked the monastery. After Atro repelled them with just a tree branch, the Friar took notice of his skills and suggested he take upon Vedan fencing. He took upon the Friar's recommendation to heart and from there, was the start of his journey.

Per the Friar's words, he managed to find a Vedan fencing master and begun his training. Soon, he went to be a gifted swordsman. His technique was keen with the sword while bearing the integrity of a monk thanks to his life in the monastery. Many who saw him came to give him the title of Sword Saint. However, he was unaware of this and continued to train daily. During his time training, he received a sword that was never before drawn in the La Veda Republic from its holy resting place. Forged and tempered by the gods themselves, the legendary sword Urias was an extremely powerful weapon. As the rightful bearer of the sword, he was now a master swordsman in name and deed. However, Atro would never draw the sword in fights with swordsmen that sought for fame.

During the great battle with the gods, he struggled with whether or not to fight the gods. His decision was made when they destroyed the monastery he grew up in. In anger, he cut down the gods breaking his former reputation as a graceful master swordsman. As Atro fought back violently against the army, in the midst of battle, the sword Urias, was broken. When his anger subsided, he came to his sense and realized how immature he still was. He then swore to use this sword only to protect the people that could not protect themselves. Just as that happened, the sword glowed and returned to its true glory. This action causes a smile as he sees the newly awakened Urias. As he grabbed the awakened sword, a knight appeared before him. The knight in question bore a forlorn look despite the mask as he spoke, "Atro... Hero of Light... It seems that you have gained newfound power... I applaud you but regrettably, I must stop you here."

The words that the knight confused Atro as he stood up. He was careful to not let his guard down with whoever he was talking to and be wary of his surroundings as well, "What do you mean knight? Surely you are not on the side of the Gods that attacked us? Do you not see what they do is unjust for the innocent?"

The Oracle Knight nodded in agreement but it did not sway him. Rather it only pained him more to do this task, "I know... and I agree with your sentiment but... I cannot back down from this. I do not wish to harm you yet I am tasked to defeat you in order to appease to the Gods so that even a portion of humanity can be saved... You can however retreat and I shall not bring harm to you or the people of La Veda, I swear upon my word."

Atro can tell that the knight was speaking the truth due to his tone yet despite that, he could not do so. Even if what he said was true that one of the Gods would save a portion of humanity, he found it too hard to believe in. With what the Gods did, he would rather fight and finish the battle than fall back unless otherwise. With that knowledge in mind, he shook his head and readied himself for battle, "I cannot fall back... As much as I would like to do so to fight another day, there is not another year for humanity itself even if what you say is true. Hence, I will continue and see to it that I end this cycle. I'm sorry but if you wish to see me perish, you will have to fight me to the death..."

The knight was not surprised to hear his response yet still wished that it did not have to come to this, "I'm sorry it has to end this way fellow knight, I really wished this was avoidable..." Just as he finished his sentence, he lunged towards the light hero, blades drawn. Atro swung his sword just as the knight swung his two swords. Their blades collide with one another as both opponents try to keep their footing. Atro teleported and reappeared behind him, sword raised high as he performed a downward slash. His adversary however was swift as he blocked the attack with one of his swords and delivered a wide slash with his other. The light hero once again teleported away from the attack only to appear in front of him and lunge at him.

Both tried to subdue the other with everything they had in their arsenal and continued like that for some time until Atro heard a scream from a child. He looked to see an assassin had taken one child as a hostage. His whip blade was unsheathed and was around the child who were trying to hold their tears. Seeing this, Atro looked towards the knight in disdain, "You would put harm towards these innocents just to put me at my most vulnerable?" The knight's answer however was him looking away in clear shame. The reaction was clear enough for Atro to know that he would not stoop himself to this level. He then turned towards his attention towards the assassin in question and glared at him. It was not long before he lowered his sword and faced the knight in silence knowing that either decision will still result in death either with himself or the child taken hostage.

The mysterious knight was deeply conflicted on whether to carry out the deed or not as his emotions were under turmoil. Looking at Atro, he was willing to accept his death for the child currently captive despite having been told to be instrumental to humanity's survival whether by fighting the Gods or dying. It was that display of selflessness that made the knight's decision all the more harder. In the end, despite his conflicted feelings, he delivered a slash around the chest fatally wounding him.

The assassin, seeing that Atro was at death’s throes, released the child from his grasp. That prompted the child to run away from the assassin and away from the city. The dying hero saw an opportunity and with his last bit of life charged at the assassin and pierced him with his holy sword taking the assassin’s life. Blood poured around him as he collapsed to the ground taking his last few breaths. He looked to the lone knight whose sword was coated in his blood. Despite dying to the blade of this knight, a smile formed on his face. Having managed to get his people and the children to safety, he welcomed his death and managed to say his last words to the knight, “May it bring a bright future for the children.”

The light hero’s eyes slowly closed as he succumbed to his injury and faced his fate. The lone knight felt his heart reaching out for the light hero who fell by his hands. He did not wish to continue this bloodshed and kill the other four but… He let out a sigh, saddened that he is forced to do this. He created the same seal he performed on the dark hero. However, instead of a black glow, Atro’s body begun to glow a luminescent white. The light soon enveloped the body it too begun to fade away. Seeing the body disappear from the world, the lone knight left the country of La Veda and went to the next empire waiting to defeat the third of the Six Heroes.

The country of Atharva was under attack by the God army as the city was barraged. Here, the thunder hero of legend known as Eze was defending his city from the gods. Raised in an old mine, he worked from the time he was but a young child. At one point, he grew tired and left to become a demon bounty hunter. His swordsmanship was tempered thanks to his years working in the mines, allowing him to eliminate demons in one blow. While he tends to speak rough, he is polite to woman despite having trouble speaking with woman in general. Eze would continue to train one day to develop the confidence to defeat large demons on his own.

During his training, he witnessed Emilia, the princess of Atharva, fight a demon. Seeing her in battle made him realize how inexperienced he was at the moment. After her battle, he went out and sought out sights with other masters in the hopes that he will be able to unlock his own hidden powers. While doing training, he found what would end up being his signature sword amongst the treasures he received when he defeated a behemoth. The Thunder Sword Batootha held the power lightning allowing Eze's skills to rise to a whole new level as he was able to sunder armor like paper thus earning him the title, the Thunder King.

When the great war of the gods began, he would be able to decimate his enemies with his elusive speed and devastating thunderous blows with his sword despite being outnumbered many to one. He even manages to rescue Atharva's best female general Emilia during an intense battle with the gods. At that time, she spoke with Eze. While her words are debatable, apparently she said this to him, “You're not just some idiot, you're an idiot to be respected.”

After that, he decided to continue into the heart of the battle hoping to end the fight quickly. As he made his way onto the heart of the battle against the gods, he noticed a woman standing still. He was confused with the lady there and assumed that she needed help but with the battle raging around them, now was not the best time to request help unless she was a down soldier or something even though this was a woman Eze was talking to, "Excuse me miss... You should probably head back to safety, it's not safe here..." She did not respond to his warning somehow, "Uh miss?" Even with the fact that he tends to have trouble speaking with women, what she was doing was starting to annoy him, "Okay, are you even listening to me or...?"

The woman's expression still retains her neutral expression as she opened her book making Eze questioning what she was doing now. Just as he was approaching her, she reacts and suddenly decides to spread carnage. During that moment, the woman looks at Eze, her neutral expression gone. Now she bore one of anger as she stepped in front of him, "I won’t let you pass beyond here and end this fight so quickly! Your life ends here!” Just as she said that, a whirlpool appeared right where Eze stood. He had barely enough time to react as two spears appeared below him. While he barely dodged the first one, he was not so lucky on the second one as it hit him on the leg.

He bit back a scream as he was out of the whirlpool. He was clutching his bleeding leg as he looked towards the lady in question. The suddenness of the attack was one thing, but there was another that bothered him the most, why did she want to stop him. He silently cursed himself for not bringing in any cures to the battle yet at the same time, he also silently chuckled at that notion. He was struggling to stand up for a few moments while keeping his gaze upon the lady. He decided to ask her the question that was in his head, "Why...? Why stop me? You're human too aren't you?"

The woman merely scoffed as she opened her book once more, "Does it matter? I cannot allow you to live..." Just as she said that, she unleashed a barrage of attacks on him hoping to end the thunder hero. Refusing to fight with a woman at first, Eze hesitated to strike her as her ferocious attacks kept coming at him.

As he kept on blocking a string of attacks, he tried to talk her down from attacking him further, "Hey! I don't know what's going on, but you really should stop! If you want to let your anger out at someone, do it at the God Army, not me!" Despite what he said, she continued her attacks with seemingly no end in sight. His leg was still crippled but he continued to fight through the pain as he dodged another string of water attacks. He tries once more in the hopes that her attention will be diverted, "Lady, did you not hear me?! I said aim that at the God Army, not me! What is wrong with you?!"

What she said made the thunder hero realize the extent of this woman's resolution, "Why should I when I am a part of the God Army you fight against? I joined their side with a purpose. What it is does not concern you Thunder Hero, all I was called for is to end your life right here, right now!" She unleashed yet another barrage of spells on Eze. The attacks seemed unrelenting but they were weakening slowly.

Despite not knowing her, Eze seemed distraught from hearing her revelation, "You would join the enemy and go against your own people? I don't get it why you would do that at all..." Knowing that she was set on eliminating him, he raised his sword Batootha high into the air. With a heavy heart, he came to the woman with all his might, attaining powers greater than those of the gods within that short period. An intense battle ensued between the two of them until he finally took her life. He looked at the body of the woman he came to defeat. Saddened yet proud of this woman’s determination, he went ahead and charged to the heart of the battle.

Before he could enter though, a lone Oracle Knight appeared before Eze. He looked at the thunder hero with a sad expression on his face as he spoke to him, “I am sorry about this fellow warrior, but as what the woman said, I must end your life here. Please forgive me for this…” He unsheathed his two swords ready to fight against the hero much to the lone knight’s shame for ending his life.

Eze was even more confused now as he stopped his charge, "What is going on today?! First that lady wants to kill me and now you? Would someone mind explain what the hell is going on?!" Although the battle was raging around the two of them, many of the members did not seem to want to engage against the thunder hero. It was smart on their part as he could easily decimate them.

The knight struggled to keep his laughter in due to the outburst Eze said. That however soon faded as the message rang clear in his mind. He could only feel remorse for having to this again once more. He looked towards the thunder hero with his experience expression still the same as always, "Her reason for why she wants to defeat is the same as mine. You must be defeated in battle now. Your death will appease the Gods to save even a portion of humanity."

Eze's eyes widened upon hearing this news. It was something he didn't yet it also made sense with why the lady attacked him. To the knight's surprise, Eze smiled broadly in response. Having seen that despite being able to continue to fight, he was too injured to continue the fight against the knight standing in front of him. Knowing that he was to face his death regardless of how much he kept on fighting, he turned his blade towards himself. Only then did he exclaimed to the fellow knight in question, “Only I can defeat my own self!” Eze then takes his own life as he plunges the blade deep into his body. His death comes quickly just as he collapses and his eyes close while still wearing his smile.

The Oracle Knight lowered his swords from the speech, surprised yet again that the thunder hero decided to perish by his own hands instead of him delivering the killing blow. Regardless though, this made the lone knight grief over this sudden loss, "How long will it take before this is all over?" That question would linger in his thoughts for years to come. Placing the same seal on the thunder hero, the light was now a thunderous yellow as it enveloped Eze. Like the others, he was soon vanished from the world and hopefully into a life where he can live the good life. Sheathing his blades, he disappeared from the battlefield heading for the next of the Six Heroes.

Vriksha, the country known for the World Tree residing there, was under turmoil by the gods’ onslaught. Here was the fourth of the Six Heroes. The Nature Hero of Legend by the name of Lance, he was a quiet and noble boy living in peace when he discovers the Demon Pike Drevas lying in a storehouse on his estate. During that time, he suddenly informed his family that he was leaving to train. His parents however strongly opposed, but in the end, he ran away from the estate with Drevas in hand. During his time training, those that faced him were in awe of his superior techniques despite being an inexperienced pikeman and called him a genius. However, Lance disliked being called a genius from time to time.

After his training was finished, he went to travel the land. During his travels, he managed to free the World Tree from its prison. From that time, he was never seen again until the battle with the gods began. Here, his pike, Drevas, had awoken and now carried the strength of the World Tree. He then took on the gods with his own might, refusing to align himself with any military entity.

The weapon was powerful under Lance’s possession as it helped the nature hero imbue him with power beyond his imagining. However, said power came at a heavy price. Whoever bears this pike would soon be consumed by its curse and become a tree. The spirit within the Demon Pike was the name of the weapon, Drevas. A spirit who could not control its curse, he was the one who called him to bring him forth at first to overcome its loneliness. Overtime though as he learned about Lance, they slowly became friends resulting in Drevas learning and feeling emotions he once couldn't feel as a demon. However, despite that, he felt sorry for the person that soon came to be friend due to the curse.

Lance did not mind the effects of the curse in question however. The spirit was most surprised about this yet accepted him as his worthy bearer despite his grief over the curse. In the end, Drevas’s power would soon become Lance’s as he fought against the gods. The fight spread to the country and Lance was called to defend his home country. As he kept fighting the gods, Lance's Demon Pike ate into his body even further.

During the war, a sniper from afar was trying to snipe him down from the distance. As Lance was handling the enemies coming towards him, Drevas would fortify their blind spot he was aiming for. This annoyed the both of them to a degree, This sniper is starting to get annoying now trying to kill us from afar...

"I concur... I'm trying to take care of these enemies in front of me and whoever is shooting us is now just being annoying." In the midst of everything, Lance had hatched an idea to take care of the sniper. However, it required the consent of his spirit friend, "Drevas, I have an idea to take care of the sniper, however, you might not like it."

His words were enough for the spirit to understand where he was getting at, Lance no... if you unleash the full strength of the pike, your body will deteriorate faster from the curse! I'm happy to have you as a friend, but that... I have to politely deny it! Drevas wanted Lance to not allow him to use that much power to take the sniper out. Even if it did work, the rate at which the curse will fully consume would be too much for him to handle.

Lance on the hand, knew that and didn't care much. He answered his denial with a logical explanation, "Look Drevas, I know you don't want me to become a tree now, but to be honest here. I don't think we'll be able to make through this alive anyhow. This is war and even if I live, the curse is going to get me anyway unless we find the cure for the curse quickly and time is not on our side." His spirit friend fell silent upon hearing his explanation. He hated to admit it, but he was right. No matter if they make it out of this, they may not have enough time to be able to stop and cure the curse ailing Drevas.

With a heavy heart, the demon spirit unlocked the full strength of the pike I don't like this Lance... But I'm allowing it for you. Lance then smiled as he unleashed his pike's ultimate power. Creating energy from nature, he flung the energy across a great distance in order to defend himself from a series of sniper attacks that had been continuously targeting him. Though this attack was successful in taking down the sniper, as expected, it consequently sped up the rate at which the Demon Pike was deteriorating his body.

Despite this, he continued to keep on fighting until the curse had fully consumed him. At the aftermath of the battle, the curse had begun to spread immobilizing him in place. Having managed to defend his home country, he awaits the curse to be completed. Before the curse fully consumed his body however, a lone knight showed himself before him. He looked at the knight who wore a sad expression on his face as he delivered a message, “I am sorry for the curse Hero of Nature but do no fret, your death will manage to save humanity itself from the Gods, that I can assure you.”

Upon hearing the knight's words, an expression of relief came over Lance's face. He looked at the lone knight for one last time before the curse consumed him, “Thank you fellow knight. I am glad to hear such wonderful news. I can at least feel at peace knowing that in the end, everything was worth the trouble.” After he said his last words, he embraced the Demon Pike as he turned into a great tree.

The Oracle Knight watched the hero become he was consumed by the curse. A forlorn smile formed on his face seeing the nature hero facing his fate with a smile. Almost all the heroes so far had faced their fate with a smile. He planted the seal on him causing it to glow from the familiar white to a natural green hue. Lance’s body, now a tree, glowed with the seal as he vanished from the world. He looked into the country of Vriksha, before departing to defeat the last two heroes.

As the God Army was defeating the people of the kingdom of Sama, a warrior of ice stepped forward to defeat those who managed to best many of their warriors. This warrior was the Ice Hero of Legend. Selena. Born from a line of chiefs of the wandering people of Savat, she was raised in traditional long sword techniques. Her training resulted in her standing out so much amongst the Savat warriors. As a result, she was offered the treasured sword Lexida as proof of her chiefdom at the age of fourteen. However, she refused it at the time, claiming she was still inexperienced.

At the age of eighteen, she felt an insurmountable level of pressure from the people to take upon the sword as the new chief. In the end, she folded to the pressure and took up Lexida as proof of her chiefdom. She had always rejected the sword in question but it ended up as a good fit for her quick and ice cold style. During a civil war in the Sama Kingdom, she aided the king and as chief of the Savat people, led them to many military victories. Impressed, the king granted her the title of Gilles De Lava meaning savior of the kingdom. While the Savat were pleased, Selena was not and she wanted to find a reason to quit being a chief. But fate deemed otherwise for the ice hero in question.

As the war with the gods began, war had encroached itself upon the Sama Kingdom. During said war, she refused to the call of the Sama Kingdom and instead lead the Savat people to save the masses. The treasure sword Lexida, reacted by showing its power in response to her skills as Selena cut down the gods with a cold pale blue strike giving the people courage and terrifying the gods as a result. However, while saving the masses, the Savat people she led all lost their lives in the great war. As the last one standing, she felt truly lonely for the first time and tried to end her life there. A voice from her ancestral sword, however, halted her suicide attempt. The voice in question were her fallen countrymen encouraging to continue the fight in the honor of the Savat people. Their words gave her a sense hope as she stood. With her allies' souls in Lexida, she continued the fight with more beauty and strength than ever before.

After losing the people she had lost, she sought to end the war and stop the God Army. On her way there, she suffered an assault by a religious fanatic witch. The witch in question continually barraged her with fire spells as she melted through her ice quickly, stopping her from utilizing any defensive measures with the ice. Selena noticed however, that the witch in question was a human just like her, making her shocked to see someone of their kind joined the side they were opposing. Her words only cemented her position in the war, "You defy the gods themselves... Do you know what it means for you human?"

Before Selena could speak out her answer, a surge of water blocked a volley of fireballs meant for her. Turning to her right, she saw her close friend Lucina coming forward and stepped in front of her and challenged the witch, "If you want to face my friend in a fight..." She raised and pointed her sword towards the witch before entering a battle stance, "You'll have to go through me to fight her!"

Selena's eyes widened from hearing what her friend said. Immediately, she tried to stop her friend from doing this, "Lucina, please don't do this for me! I already lost my people because of my mistakes, don't sacrifice yourself to save me! I don't want to lose you as well to the ravages of war!" She was holding back her tears by then as she was grasping her friend's left hand trying to be brave for her people.

However, her friend simply smiled as she grasped her hand, "Don't worry Selena, I'll make it through this, I promise! If the two of us ever make it through this war, do you want to--" Before she could finish that sentence, Selena moved her out of the way as a fireball flew pass her head barely leaving a mark on her face. She turned towards the witch in anger at first before turning towards her friend who was on her knees once more as she finishes her sentence, "Like I said before she interrupted me, do you want to adventure together like we dream of doing? With the both of us smiling and laughing like before when we were but children?"

A single tear escaped from Selena's eyes but her answer was clear to her. She blinked once before nodding to her answer. Lucina then smiled before standing up and charged towards her opponent. Selena stood up as she watched the two do battle. She did not wish to depart but as it was her choice, she could not argue with her friend. Just as she was about to depart, the battlefield was suddenly engulfed in flames with the two of them caught within the spell. The ice hero wanted to jump in there and help her friend desperately, she really wished to, but in the end, the war held more priority over a single battle between her friend and the witch. She looked away from the fires and silently prayed to her friend, "Please survive Lucina... I want to be able to adventure with you together."

After that prayer, Selena attained powers greater than those of the gods that threatened them. Looking ahead, she left the scorching battlefield behind her and immediately charged at the God Army. However, before she could arrive at her destination, she stopped as a lone knight appeared before her. He looked at her with a sad expression as he spoke, “You are the last of your kin yet you charge to fight a battle you may not be able to walk away from… Do you know the implications should you die?”

The question made Selena pause for a moment even if she knew the answer to that, Looking ahead, the battlefield was soaked with the blood of not only the Gods but of her kin as well. Being the last of her people has undoubtedly put more pressure on the ice hero yet despite that, she never yielded to the enemy. A smile formed as she looked towards the masked knight, "Yes, I do know the implications of what should happen. Despite that, I will continue to fight for my people for they believe in me."

The words Selena said spoke well to the knight in question. Like the other heroes, it made killing her much harder despite there being a good reason. With said reasoning in mind, he decided to relay the message to her, "Your words carry the justice of the people you cherished. It is... remarkable but I must regrettably end you here..." Selena's hand was on the hilt of her sword ready to draw against the knight in front of her. What he said next though managed to break her, "You see, your death will appease the Gods in question allowing them to save even a portion of humanity as a result. I want to allow you to fight but... I cannot."

The lone knight looked towards her and instantly regretted saying the message when he saw the shocked and saddened expression Selena currently wore. She examined the knight quickly, desperately hoping that what he said was a lie. While she did find him feeling ashamed to relay the message, there was no clear sign that he was lying about it. Before she could readily accept it, she asked him the question she feared facing, "Are... are you speaking the truth? I... I..." Her answer came in the form of him nodding. The sight of that caused her to lower her ancestors’ sword.

The Oracle Knight was saddened to break her confidence but what’s done is done. He unsheathed one of his swords ready to end her life as he apologized, “I am sorry for doing this but at least, by doing so, you spare humanity from any more damage.” The words felt like poison to the knight no matter how truthful it was,

Selena stared at her soon-to-be killer as she felt her willpower fading. Even with the knowledge being true, what as going to happen to her will forever haunt her. She ends up saying something to the knight that will always be remembered to the both of them, “Even so, I will never forgive you.” The lone knight closed his eyes in response as he struck down the ice hero. The blow was hard for both her and the knight as he was saddened to have to end her life. Even with the smile she wore in her last moments, it was not enough to heal his hurting heart. He dipped his index finger on her blood before swiping it on the seal. Placing the seal on the Hero of Ice, she glowed a beautiful blue color before she vanished from the world. The Oracle Knight suddenly realized that there was only one hero left to defeat. With a heavy heart, he left the Sama kingdom to end the last hope of the humans.

Here in the Agni Empire, the last of the Six Heroes was fighting back against the many adversaries lingering in the battlefield. As a child, Vargas was proud of his late father, Avant when he became a knight in the Order of Agni. When was of adult age, he trained in the long sword hoping to follow in his father's footsteps becoming a formidable knight as a result. Although he became well-known for his countless victories over other warriors, he still considers himself inexperienced and continues to train with great zeal.

Eventually, he managed to join the Order of Agni like his father before him. However, soon after he joined, he was defeated by a swordswoman named Lava who was also under the Order of Agni. Ashamed of having lost to her, he left to train once more and intensified his techniques with the long sword. Through harsh training, he mastered the use of his fire-encased sword, Dandelga. The sword in question was made by a fellow blacksmith and friend named Galant during his intense training. With this sword in hand, he came to face the swordswoman he lost too and both were an even match. However, soon after their fight, he became a drifter not returning to the Order of Agni for some time.

When the war of the Gods begun, Vargas was at the frontlines, cutting down many gods that came at him one by one. His mere presence encouraged those who were terrified by the gods' strength, giving the humans a chance to counterattack and fight back. Continuing to lead the attack, Vargas would end up making even the gods fear his strength like the others before him becoming a savior to many. Yet even he could not escape unscathed when faced with the impregnable forces of the gods. As he collapsed from the pain and felt his life slowly fade away, he hears Lava's distant voice echoing in his mind, "Take my wings. I don't need them anymore." When he felt his life return to him, he found blazing wings on his back but could not find Lava. This made him assume that Lava sacrificed herself to give him her wings. With that knowledge in mind, he charges into battle with a renewed vigor. However, his guess while not true, would soon become a reality.

As he was about to charge into the battlefield, he ran into some enraged animals who were causing havoc in the villages. Despite the war holding more precedent in question, he decided to stop the raging animals and get their attention away from the village so that the people can escape to safety. Stepping in front of the animals, he creates a wall of fire separating them from the village allowing the villagers to evacuate the town. Once he noticed that the town was now empty, he dispelled the fiery wall only to find a furious young girl standing besides the animals. This baffled the Hero of Fire for a moment before the confusion faded away as he noticed her comforting one of the agitated animals. Despite the anger in her eyes, he saw her as someone not requiring violence. He sheathed Dandelga and took a few steps to introduce himself, "Hello there young girl, what appears to be--"

Before he could finish his question, he heard a command from the girl that caused him to pause and react to the situation, "Take down that human everyone! End the flames that once destroyed the forest!" Just as she said that, all the animals now were charging at him with overwhelming numbers.

Vargas immediately backed away, not wanting to fight her in question. Wave after surging wave of animals continued to attack him as he continued to dodge their attacks. A roar from a bear alerted him as he sidestepped out of the way only to walk into the claws of another animal leaving a gash on his back. Vargas bit back his scream as he was clutching his back. He decided to fly above the stampeding animals in order to reason with the young girl. As he continued to dodge the animals during his flight, he tried to reason with the girl who stood still and watched the scene, "Wait, I'm not who you think I am! I do not wish to harm upon you or the forest you reside in question! I wish to fight against the gods that are opposing us!"

His words unfortunately only managed to make her more angry as she decided to step forwards, "I don't trust humans who not only threaten the forest but use fire against us! You are all going to face your fates here, right now and I'll be sure of that!" She pointed at his direction and suddenly, birds of all varieties were coming for him. Vargas could only continue to dodge as he continued to try to reason with her, not wanting to shed the blood of an innocent and misunderstood child.

During this time, Lava sought to make her way back to the Hero of Fire after receiving her new wings when she sacrificed her old wings to Vargas, only to find him battling a young girl in a forest while injured. Seeing that his heart was not in the battle, Lava tried to interfere out of anger until a new foe bent on destroying everything suddenly appeared. This led her to release the full extent of her power in order to face this new foe. The result of that battle lead to the death of that disciple but severely crippled her.

As he was continuing to evade the animals both ground and aerial, he noticed a woman lying on the battlefield. Although he couldn't a good look on who it was, he was able to immediately recognize who he saw, "Lava...?" His expression from seeing her went from bewilderment to one of panic as he noticed blood pooling around her, "Lava! Hold on, I'm coming!" He tried to get to her but a lion managed to pounce on his back bringing him back down. Fighting the lion off of him, he managed to recover and land without too much of an injury. The young girl continued to send wave after wave of animals at Vargas. The fire hero was now getting irritated as he unsheathed his sword, "I do not have time to deal with this! My friend is in danger and I must help her now!" Just as Vargas was about to unleash his attack, the girl moved in to attack herself. He saw and tried to stop himself, but the girl was under divine protection and managed to deliver a serious blow to him.

Vargas was sent flying from the sudden attack but managed to recover with his wings as he was clutching his chest while coughing up a little bit of blood. He looked towards the young child seeing her in a new light. That one attack made the fire hero realize that she really meant to fight him to the death. The idea of shedding a child's blood was something Vargas did not wish to do but seeing her resolve, he had no choice but to quickly finish this to help his friend, "You... are serious about this..." He fell silent as he grabbed his sword once more silently mourning for the inevitable death approaching for her, "I am sorry little girl for doing this..." As the girl and the animals charged, he performed an upward slash just as he chanted the move he was performing, "Sacred Sunshine!" A stream and waves of fire surged from the sword as it enveloped the battlefield. Vargas could only close his eyes as he heard the scream of the girl echoing in his ears.

As he finished the move, he opened his eyes once more and never turned around as he departed to save his rival. Despite being injured, he managed to sprint to her side and dropped to his knees as he lifted her head up, hoping that he wasn't too late. Slowly, her right eye was struggling to open but it was clear that she was alive. Vargas immediately smiled seeing a sign of life from his rival, "Oh thank the heavens, you're still alive!"

Lava opened her other eye as she raised her right hand up and touched his face, "V-Vargas... Is that... you?" She blinked once just to be sure that the person she was seeing and touching was the same person that she willingly gave her old wings too. Once she confirmed that the person in front of her was her rival in question, she could only berate him despite the situation, "You idiot... Why would you... not take the fight against that girl seriously the first time? You almost died there..."

Vargas could only look back at the forest where he fought the young girl in question, "Because..." He fell silent for some time silently mourning and regretting for ending the life of the youthful girl, "Even with all the damage she caused, she was still a young female caught in something she should not have participated in. I tried not to kill her but..."

Lava could only look towards the forest and slowly but surely understand the situation her rival was in. Shedding the blood of a child is something she does not wish to do herself even if said child was not so innocent, "I... guess I could see... why you..." She immediately was coughing out blood while clutching her chest with each cough. Vargas saw it and was about to carry her out until a hand stopped him. He looked to see Lava grabbing his wrist and shaking her head, "Even... if you tried... you wouldn't be able to... make it..."

Vargas shook his head, vehemently denying her statement, "No... I don't want to see you die here Lava! I'm going to get you back to the Agni Empire! The medics can...!" Before he could finish his sentence, Lava pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around the fire hero. The action surprised Vargas, but it helped calm himself down as he returned the gesture. Both were locked in this for some time before Lava was coughing once again. Vargas let go and looked at Lava who was smiling despite the pain she was in, "Why did you do that?"

Lava could only chuckle as she was struggling to breath, "Because... why not? You needed to calm down..." She smiled once again as she felt her right hand slowly dropping from Vargas's shoulder. The fire hero immediately grabbed it in response and gently put it to rest on her body. Lava was thankful for that simple yet kind gesture as she looked at her rival, "I... can feel... my life fading... Vargas, before I depart... to the heavens, tell me..." She fell silent for some time as the sounds of war seemingly quieted itself around them. She bought her sword to her side and placed it on her body as she asks the question, "Do... do you think my fire... burned strongly till the end?"

Vargas could only smile as he placed his hand over her hand and heart, "Yes, it very much did Lava. Your prowess as a swordswoman is something I can recognize as one I am glad to have witness." The fire hero had never said that to Lava before in a long time but having said it now made her passing harder to accept for him.

His words makes his rival smile once more and shed a single tear as she closed her eyes, "I'm... glad... to have met you... as my rival. I wished... we could have fought... against each other... just like old times... after this war." Lava's soul slowly begun to dissipate with each passing second as she felt her life slipping away before the fire that shone brightly stopped burning. Vargas held onto her body even as he tried to not shed some tears for her. The fire hero did not want her body to be desecrated so he decided to carry her body somewhere tranquil and away from war. He finds a location perfect for her and walks there. Here, he places the body and her sword under a tree that shimmered brightly with the sun. Only when he was satisfied did he depart back to the battlefield with a drive to end this war once and for all.

At that moment, a knight appeared before him causing him to momentarily stop. The knight in question looked towards the fire hero who looked ready to fight once more. What got him though was him giving his rival a proper passing. It made taking his life, like with the others, much harder now. Still, he could not back down from this. As the last of the Six Heroes, he knew that humanity would have lost all sense of hope once this was accomplished, "Vargas, Hero of Fire, I do not wish to fight you but as per the God's request, I must..." Before he could finish his sentence, Vargas immediately attacked him causing him to back away.

A fire burned strongly in Vargas as he unsheathed Dandelga from its scabbard, "Whatever the Gods requested to you, tell them that I'll pass on it. If you want to see me fall here, then fight me! I have seen too much unnecessary bloodshed your Gods' caused to the innocent humans! I have seen so many sacrifices done by my friends and family that will forever be in my memories for years to come! If I am too fall, I will continue to fight until my last breath!" The fire hero then charged at the knight and at that moment, Vargas would obtain powers greater than those of any god known .

The knight saw him attaining the power prompting him to block each of his attacks hoping to talk him down, "You must calm yourself, Hero of Fire! There is a reason for your demise now!" That only made Vargas strike harder with each strike he blocked. The knight knew that if this continues, he will not be able to live. He tried once more by relaying the message he said towards the other heroes, "If you perish here, that will appease the Gods to save even a portion of humanity!'

That managed to stop the fire hero from attacking. He looked to see that Vargas was wondering if what he said was true or not, "Is what you say true knight? if I die here, humanity will be allowed to thrive?" He pointed his fire-cloaked sword at his face as he stared him down seeing if there was any sign of him lying, "Because if not, I will happily be willing to end this battle here and now..." The knight was nervous from the threat since he spoke true with it.

But it did not stop him as he answered his question, "Yes, I speak the truth here. As per the Gods request, you must fall so that in return, they will save even a portion of humanity..." Vargas was checking him out, seeing if there was even a single clue that told him he was lying about this. When he found none, he lowered his sword in surprise. The thought of having even a portion of humanity be saved by the gods was something he would not trust so easily considering what they did but his words and his tone had a ring of truth to them. It was by that point that he sheathed his sword and let the knight do what he must do. The lone knight was in pain for performing this task even if the reasoning was right. With a pain of regret, the knight struck him. Vargas could only smile as he lost his life to the blade that struck him down.

With no one to defend it, the Agni Empire began to crumble after this hero's death and the Oracle Knight knows this. He had truly wished that this never was to be the result but with the promise the Gods said and him being reunited with the Oracle Maiden’s life, was their any other choice? In the end, all was said and done. He placed the final seal on the Hero of Fire. His body begun to glow white before becoming a burning and shining red. As the light enveloped his body, like the others, he disappeared from the world. The lone knight sighed seeing that this was all over yet he knew that this whole ordeal was hard on him. He sheathed his two swords and left to return to the Grand Gaia Crater, “May these heroes find peace in the afterlife…” Even with these words, the war of the Gods would leave scars that would haunt the world of Grand Gaia for all eternity. Yet... despite the deaths of the Six Heroes, their example to continue to fight would up end being the hope that will forever stay unbroken for humanity as long as they can fight.

Powers and Ideals

All thirteen, the bearers plus one dragon alongside the Six Heroes, were running towards the northern section of Ponyville hoping to avert disaster quickly. As they hasten their steps, the screams of innocent ponies pierced their ears. Ahead, many of the ponies were running away from the creatures that surged from the Everfree Forest. To the bearers’ surprise, the creatures running amok were star-spawns, “What in tarnation?! When did ‘ey decided t’ start terrorizin’ Ponyville!?”

“I have no idea! But we better get the ponies out of the way!” All of Twilight’s friends nodded and separated themselves to get to area that needed the most assistance. Twilight picked up Spike with her magic and set him on her back. Before she left, she stopped and looked at the six, “Do you six think you can handle them while we rescue the ponies?”

All six looked at what they were facing. Though shaken at first, they unsheathed their weapons, their intent blazing within their eyes, “Creatures spawned from the heavens I presume?” Twilight nodded quickly. She wanted to move but she couldn’t help but worry for their safety. A smile formed on all six seeing her concern, “Do not worry, we can handle as long as we can! Now go Twilight!” She let a smile as she ran with Spike to the nearest area.

Vargas turned his attention to the star-spawns that were coming forth from the entrance of the Everfree Forest. A voice cut his thoughts and to his surprise, it was the thunder hero, “You think we can really beat them Vargas? Even after what you said?”

He turned around to see his friend smiling despite the circumstances. A knowing chuckle escaped the fire hero, “To an extent, yes. You Eze? I thought your blood was pumping for some action…”

The thunder hero could only raise sword to his shoulder giving a confident smirk everyone has seen enough times, “Pffft, yeah! Of course my blood is pumping! I’m excited for this! Are you!?” Vargas just shrugged seeing that they distracted themselves long enough. He looked to his other allies who all nodded as they bore their weapons in their hands. A smile emerged as he turned around seeing the star-spawns surging forth. He took one last look at his allies who were tense before returning his attention back to the current threat. He closed his eyes, as a small breath escape from Vargas. The grip on his sword tightened as he opens his eyes, a fire blazing strongly within them. He, alongside his fellow compatriots, charged forward to meet the attack. Eze was alongside Atro as they both sped past their teammates and were the first to initiate the attack.

Meanwhile with the bearers, they were still gathering many of the townsponies away from the monsters emerging from the forest. During their search for any more ponies, a thunderous sound pierced the very sky. Applejack and Rainbow were wondering where the sound was coming when Rainbow pointed it out for her, “There! Right at the entrance to the Everfree, I just saw some lightning come crashing down!”

Applejack turn and sure enough, the sounds were coming from that direction. Thunder was not the only thing they noticed as a plume of fire erupted from where the battle was being held alongside an ice pillar and what seems to be a spike made from the earth. The cyan mare responded with a groan seeing just glimpses of the attacks being done by the humans, “Aw, I’m missing out on the action there!”

The cyan mare earned a stern look from the apple farmer. Applejack thought her friend was thinking about the action than being concerned about the ponies they’re helping. She tossed the thought aside almost berating herself for even thinking about that. A smile did crept on her, “Ya know Rainbow, Ah want t’ join in the action as well, Ah think all o’ us want t’ as well. But ya know that our concerns are towards the ponies here, right?”

The cyan mare gave a knowing smile as she turned towards the apple farmer, “You always know when to say the right things huh Applejack?”

She closed her eyes and shrugged with a smile, “Ah try mah best…”

Twilight and Pinkie came forward looking a bit exhausted but still feeling fine. Twilight cleared her throat gathering the three bearers’ attention, “Well, you’ll definitely be able to join in the action soon… I think we almost got everypony out of harm’s way… All we have to do is wait for Fluttershy and Rarity to…” Just as she said that, they heard the screams of both Fluttershy and Rarity. All four glanced at each other and hastily ran towards the direction of the scream.

The screams of the two ponies reached the ears of the Six Heroes as they were fighting off against the star-spawns. Atro was the first to react to the scream, “Fluttershy and Rarity are in trouble everyone!”

He looked to his fellow allies who were fighting off the many creatures that were continually coming forth. Despite their strength, they were having difficulty trying to subduet them due to the vast number of the creatures. Vargas was busy dealing with a Scorpio at the time. He dodged each one of its pincer strikes as his sword was blazing with fire, “Go Atro! We can hold them off for now! Save the ponies!”

Atro was hesitant at first to listen to his friend’s command. A second voice cut him out of his thoughts as well as a sound of crashing thunder, “Come on Atro! No time to be thinking about this, just go now!” Eze barely dodged the incoming attack from a Canis Minor as he backstepped away from the beast. Atro immediately nodded as he teleported away from the battle.

As Eze recovered from the attack, he was annoyed of the Canis Minors that surrounded him, “This is so not fair!” He jumped up as they charged at him. Gathering electricity into his sword, a grin formed on his face as they were all clustered together, “Thunder Retribution!” He descended on them as his sword collided with the ground. Thunder began to roar around him as a stream of electricity surged from the sword Batootha. The electricity coursed through the pack around and in front of him. It was not enough to kill but it sent them retreating from the thunder hero. A smug smile formed upon the swordsman's face seeing the pack retreat, "Yeah! Eat that you pieces of..." He went deafly silent as a howl pierced his ears. Eze looked to see a bigger version of the Canis appeared before him. He could clearly tell that this was the mother and leader of the pack. Her gaze locked upon Eze who was cursing himself, "Aw son of a..." The thunder hero didn't get the chance to finish the sentence as he sidestepped quickly from the pouncing mother.

An ice pillar emerged below the Canis Major hitting the leader and sending her flying away from Eze. The mother recovered quickly and managed to land on all four feet. She turned her attention to Selena as she was scowling at her with her fangs bared. Her ancestral sword, Lexida, was touching the ground as ice covered the earth below her. Her eyes glimmered like the stars as she stared at the pack. Eze recognized the look in her eyes and a smile formed upon his face, "Think you can handle them Selena?"

The ice continued to grow almost reaching towards the pack as if it were sentient. The ice hero's eyes still shimmered as she pulled out her sword from the earth, "I know I can Eze, but I do not wish harm upon them..."

The thunder hero noticed that Selena's grip on her sword tightened, a clear sign of nervousness. This made Eze slightly worried for the swordswoman's safety, "Are you sure about this? I'd be willing to lend a hand if you like..."

Despite Selena being nervous, she couldn't help but let a smile form seeing that Eze was surprisingly smart at noticing and was thankful for his concern, "And they say you were an idiot swordsman... Thank you kindly Eze, but I can handle this."

The idiot swordsman himself couldn't help but let a chuckle escape despite the precarious situation they were in, "Hey, I'm still am an idiot swordsman! I just let myself be smart if I need to be..." He raised his sword to his shoulder. Seeing no point in continuing the conversation he left a few words before he departed to assist the other three, "Good luck on the fight, I'm just a bit surprised that the mother didn't pounce on you yet during our conversation..."

Though Eze did bring up a good point, Selena knew why the leader and mother did not pounce yet. She was waiting for her opponent to make the first move. As Eze left to assist the three in their coming battles, the ice hero was left facing with the Canis Major and her young ones behind her. Their eyes never left each other's gaze as they stood immobile as the sounds of battle raged on around them. The mother was scowling yet stood her ground keenly eyeing her adversary. Selena did the same as well mimicking the pack leader's movements and keeping eye contact on her.

During this time, Vargas managed to block a pincer strike from the Scorpio. Moving it out of the way, he moved in for the finishing blow hoping to pierce its shell. To his surprise, the sword merely made a dent on the shell. He immediately backed away as the beast tried to stab at him with its tail. Seeing that his sword will not break its shell, he decided to try a different approach, “Well, if that’s not going to work how about this?!” Sheathing his sword in fire, he charged at the Scorpion once again. His voice alongside the powerful and searing heat was felt from behind Selena, "Infinity Burst!" A pillar of fire as well as tiny explosions surged behind her. A piercing screech was heard as the Scorpio Vargas was facing felt the full force of the attack. The heat was unbearable for the beast as it decided to retreat into the Everfree Forest.

The pack leader saw the Scorpio retreating and realizing quickly who she might be facing, decided to return back to the Everfree Forest as well. Before the mother begun to turn to the entrance, she looked at the ice hero's eyes one last time. Both stared for what like eternity with each other before they broke eye contact as the mother let a howl escape and left with her children back home. A smile slowly formed upon Selena's face seeing the pack return back to its rightful home. She looked at the direction of where Atro supposedly went. She was worried about him and the two ponies but there were still more star spawns to deal with before she could assist the light hero. Her ancestral sword however, responded to her confliction, We know that you are concerned for them… Do what your heart believes is right young Selena…

Selena fell silent upon hearing the voices of her people once again. She closed her eyes for a few seconds pondering about her decision. Just as she opened them once more, an ice pillar formed behind her blocking an attack. The ice hero responded to the supposed surprise attack by freezing whoever tried to attack her behind. She then told her companions her decision, “I’m going to follow Atro and see if he needs any help!”

Magress immediately responded as he was blocking a charging Aries with his shield, “Well, if you must do so, then go Selena! We can hold them off long enough for the both of you!” The ice hero nodded to the dark hero and departed quickly.

Meanwhile with the bearers, all four were hastily trying to reach where the screams of their two friends came from. Quickly as their hooves (minus Rainbow who was flying ahead of them to find the two) can take them, they were almost to the area when ponies that were there were running away. Though that was enough of a signal that something was wrong, Rainbow pointed something out that made their worries rise, "We got trouble! I'm looking at some big snakes here! And... One of them got's Flutters and Rares!"

Just hearing their names being the ones in trouble was enough to send the four into action. They had almost forgotten who they were going against until a sudden wake-up call from Twilight alerted them, "A Serpens!" Five of the Serpens stood in their way as they blocked and hissed at their new prey. A sixth one coiled around the unconscious bodies of Fluttershy and Rarity. They were notably breathing heavily as all of them noticed the fast rising and lowering of the chest.

While it eased them a bit that they were still alive, their anger was not abated by them so easily especially Rainbow, "I oughta put you in Tartarus for hurting them!" Without much thought, she went and charge at the Serpens. All five went and lunged towards the charging pegasus with their mouths open. Rainbow let a smirk form as she evaded each of their incoming bites with relative ease. The other three joined in with Rainbow's assault despite knowing that this was a rather bold and stupid idea.

Four of the Serpens recoiled back from their collision. They opened their eyes looking at the four and with a hiss, charged at each one of them as their central focus. The fifth one retreated and sided with the sixth that coiled around the other two as a defensive action.

Applejack jumped high, avoiding the jaws of the snake-like constellation. She landed on the mouth and managed to clamp it shut before trying to deliver a hard buck to the eyes. The Serpens closed its eyes in time as the buck hits its armor-like eyelids preventing damage to the eyes. The apple farmer tried to back away quickly before the mouth begun to open, but was too late as the beast opened its mouth. She was then sent flying and was suspended in the air before she looked down to see the jaws open, "Might need some rescuin’ ere...!" She was flailing her forelegs as she descended towards the mouth of the Serpens. Before the mouth closed around her though, she was whisked away by the cyan mare as the mouth closed, "Thanks fer the save there Rainbow..."

"No problem Applejack!" She looked behind her for a split second and warned her hanging friend quickly, "Incoming!" The apple farmer took that warning as she held onto Rainbow's hooves tightly. The snake-like constellations lunged towards them at blinding speeds with their mouths opened. She barely dodged one of the Serpens charging at them. Rainbow saw the second one lunging towards them just as the first one recovered and lunged towards them again. She knew that she would not be able to dodge both of them easily while holding onto Applejack. In the end, she tried with all her strength to dodge the two Serpens. She looked towards the sky and quickly came up with a possible plan, "Applejack, I'm going to do something a bit hasty to get them off our tails!"

"Well whatever ya have in mind, just do it! Ah'd rather not be food here!" Having gained the reluctant approval of the apple farmer, the cyan mare soared as high as possible to avoid them. Both took a single glance below them to see the two Serpens lunging towards them slowly losing speed in their ascension. By the time, Rainbow makes a sudden stop much to Applejack's annoyance; the two Serpens has slowed down enough for them to descend back onto the ground. The cyan mare couldn't help but let a small smirk form, "Hah, I knew that they couldn't reach up this high!"

Just as she said that, a Serpens hissed from above their heads. Both looked up to see the jaws of the beast descending upon them. Applejack was very much not pleased with the timing, "Ya just had t' jinx it didn't ya Rainbow!?"

“Sorry!” was all that escaped from Rainbow's mouth as both descended away from the beast. Despite the idiocy of descending from the beast that's falling with them, the cyan mare knew that she wouldn't be able to dodge it quickly enough if she were to move to the side so the next best thing was to pick up some speed in the descent and avoid the jaws.

Despite that idea, the Serpens was inching closer to the two mares and Rainbow knew that making a hard right would not do any good at her current speed. Both knew that if they don’t do something, they’re going to end becoming chow for a big snake. Just as they were running out of ideas, a pink blur past them and directly hit the head of the beast. The impact from the hit was enough to somehow send it flying back into the Everfree Forest.

Both turned around to see Pinkie wearing what seem to be… a karate gi? In any case, after said punch and the sounds of a crash reverberating to her ears, she donned her serious look, “YOU! SHALL! NOT! EAT!” Despite the initial shock from the two mares, Pinkie looked at them wearing her signature smile once again, “Oh that was so much! What should I try next?”

Both Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other trying to process what just happened. They just chuckled in the end not wanting to question their pink friend’s antics, “Thanks Pinkie! ‘Preciate what ya did!”

She did a simple salute to them, “No problem-o!” She was looking below them and found the next Serpens still lingering. She raised her forelegs high up into the air, “Geronimo!” and dived down towards the beast spectacularly leaving behind just a dust pony of herself where she originally was. Both mares blinked twice from the silliness that is Pinkie Pie. They stayed afloat for a few moments glancing at each other a few times even after knowing that there were more things to focus on. They decided to let this pass for now and descended to rejoin the fray.

As the two were descending, Twilight was dealing with the second of the now four Serpens chasing after her. As much of a powerful magic user she was, she was having trouble casting spells due to being chased around by the unrelenting Serpens. This putted a damper on Twilight, “I hate not being able to cast spells here!”

Which surprisingly, was corrected by Pinkie who crashed upon the beast chasing Twilight, “You can do it silly, you just thinking about not being lunch to these guys…” This rung true to the purple mare who was about to facehoof then and there. She let a little chuckle escape despite the precarious situation. A hissing sound broke her out of her laugh as she turned to see another Serpens sneaking up behind Pinkie. Without much thought, she gathered magic into her horn and fired a small beam towards the beast just as Pinkie ducked. The party pony moved out of the way as the beast shrugged off the attack.

It looked at Twilight with anger and set its sights on her. Twilight prepared to cast another spell but waited for the right moment to teleport. As the beast lunged itself with its jaws open, time felt like it slowed down as Twilight readied herself. As seconds felt like minutes, the mouth of the Serpens was closer to the librarian almost seemingly ready to clamp down on her. Just as it did, a purple flash illuminated in front of its eyes. The bright light was enough to blind it temporarily.

The beast was seething with rage as it tried to regain its sight. Unbeknownst to it, Twilight teleported above it and begun to concentrate her magic to her horn. She landed behind the Serpens as it was looking around for its prey. As she was about to fire another beam at the beast, a hissing sound broke her concentration. She turned around to see the same Serpens that Pinkie tackled down regaining its consciousness now looking at her. Twilight was no doubt getting tired from these being so resilient but it was to be expected as such. A whistling sound was made from above her. She took a quick glance to see Rainbow waving and performing a motion the purple mare knew as one of the Sonic Rainboom.

She immediately understood what she the cyan mare was planning to do. As risky as it was (especially considering the collateral damage that will be done), the damage from nearby an explosion would do enough to the star beasts. She looked front and back to see them looking at her with a craving for pony food. The idea was rather unpleasant in Twilight’s thoughts. She had to time her teleport just right. She looked up again to see Rainbow ascending to get the right amount of velocity for a Sonic Rainboom or rather a Sonic Rainbomb.

Gathering magic into her horn, she kept an eye on both of the Serpens as they slithered around her, watching her and waiting for the moment to strike. As a few precious seconds have passed and Twilight was getting a bi antsy, the beast made their move and lunged towards the bearer of Magic. Just as their jaws closed in around her, a purple flash illuminated, signifying her teleporting away. To her surprise, just as she was around them, they recovered from that blunder quickly and were beginning to lunge at her again. A whistling sound emerged as she looked up to see Rainbow having already reached the right amount of velocity. She was screaming out loudly hoping to gather the beast’s attention. They looked up to see her coming but were too late as she collided with the ground and the result was a rainbow-colored explosion.

The buildings surprisingly survived the explosion (save for them having some scorch marks). Rainbow popped out of the explosion with no sign of injury yet was breathing heavily. As the smoke cleared, the beasts were on the ground twitching a bit from the pain. So far if Twilight was keeping count correctly, that was three down, now only three remained. Rainbow puffed out her chest while repeating pounding on it as if she were a jungle mare, “Yeah! Eat that suckers!”

Before she got the chance to give Rainbow a reality check, a hissing sound emitted forth. She turned to see one of the Serpens targeting Rainbow. Driven by instinct, she pushed the pegasus out of the way only to now become lunch for the snake constellation. Rainbow’s eyes widened from the realization that Twilight was going to be food. She stopped herself midair and was charging at the beast but its jaws already surrounded Twilight as it begins to clamp down upon her.

Twilight panicked and tried to teleport out of the jaws but her thoughts were not thinking of a location clearly. She could only see darkness as the beast begun to close its mouth upon her. Just as a part of her life flashed before her eyes, two words were chanted loudly, “Thousand Nemesis!” Instead of darkness that surrounded her, a blinding light replaced it. She covered her eyes in response to the attack. Just as the light dimmed down to normal levels, she took a peek only to see one of the people she met in the library, “Are you alright Twilight?”

He saved her at the last minute that she was about to be food. She couldn’t help but hug him in response to his question, “That was… terrifying…”

Whatever appendage these beings have that replaced their hooves was felt on top of her head. She looked to see Atro comforting her, “Do not worry about it now, the beast is slain for now…” She looked to see the Serpens unconscious with a lot of wounds.

This shocked her to find that this person managed to best it in combat while simply chanting just two words. Rainbow was clearly both shocked and in awe of what just happened, “What… what just happened!? One minute I just saw a light and then this happened!” She waved a hoof at the now down Serpens.

Atro stood up and looked at the last two that surrounded both Fluttershy and Rarity. His eyes narrowed as the grip on his sword tightened, “I would be happy to tell you about it Rainbow, but let us focus on the task at hand…” It was enough of a reality check to remind her that two of the bearers were still in danger. She looked at the two who were now on the defensive eyeing the three of them.

Applejack and Pinkie had arrived later but both saw the light, “What in tarnation was that light?!” Pinkie directly pointed at the light hero who was sternly looking at the two Serpens left. Normally the apple farmer would continue to ask more questions, but circumstances suggests otherwise. All five were looking at the last two of the beasts.

Atro wasted no time on waiting and teleported. There was not a single sound as he teleported leaving the four mares a bit surprised. Immediately, he was next to the two mares as he grabbed them. The four saw immediately what he was doing and although wanted to assist him, waited it out knowing that entering now would hinder him. The two Serpens noticed him and tried to take a bite out of him. The light hero teleported again with no warning and was out of the grip of the two. He was next to the four as he laid down both Rarity and Fluttershy.

All four gathered around them seeing them a bit injured but breathing heavily. They all looked at the two who were about to charge at them, however, two words were chanted again this time from another source, “Blizzard Pain!” Ice pillars surrounded them and before long exploded leaving a cold air around them and seemingly freezing them in place. Selena emerged from behind the Serpens as she jumped off of them. She looked at the four with a knowing smile, “You all got distracted by your friends, Atro was about to make a move but I thought I would take over for him.” She looked at the two mares saved but almost reacted in instinct seeing what was troubling them, “Atro, those two are poisoned, they need an antidote now!”

All four were looking at the ice hero in a state of panic yet Atro remained calm despite the situation, “I was well aware when I first grabbed them, is Lance coming? I know that he can cure the poison that is circulating through their bodies.”

Selena shook her head, “No, there are many more of these beasts from the forest; we are holding them off as best as we can… I rushed here just in case you needed any help.” The ice hero’s ears perked as the sounds of breaking ice reached her ears. She turned around to see the two Serpens breaking out of their icy prison, “Of course the ice can’t hold them for long…” She looked at one of the down Serpens, “Atro, think you can teleport that back to its natural habitat?” The light hero nodded. His hand was on the Serpens and as he teleported bought it with him. She looked at the four, concerned for the two down and suffering from the effects of poison, “Bring your two friends and head to the entrance of the forest, you can meet them there holding back the surge of those beasts.” They looked at her like she was being crazy at first. As the sounds of breaking ice lingered on, Selena was beginning to get impatient, “Go! Do not think about it, save your friends before it’s too late!” This was out of her nature, but she was not allowing Rarity and Fluttershy to face a slow death.

She turned around to see the two about to break out of their prison. She readied herself to meet their attack but instead of that, Atro teleported behind them, his hands touching their backs and teleported with them back to their habitat. Selena could only watch it before letting a small laugh escape, “Atro, sometimes even when you’re calm, you do things I would never expect.”

The light hero was at her side again. A small smile was on his face, “I could not help it, it is much easier to do that than fight them.” Before the ice hero got the chance to ask, Atro answered her question quickly, “And no I cannot teleport all of them at once, it is draining of me to do so which is why I always walk instead of teleporting constantly now.”

Selena let out a sigh from the answer. It would have been too easy otherwise if they were to try something like that, “How long do you think until this whole thing is over?”

Atro was silent. He was not so certain on how much time they had left to deal with this predicament or how long will this last. All he could answer for the ice hero was mostly on a what-if scenario, “I do not know Selena how long this will last, but… let us continue and see.”

It was enough of an answer for Selena as she looked towards the direction of the main battle. With everyone at least in safety, they can focus on the battle at hand, “Well, let’s not dwell on this for any longer then it is necessary.” Both ran towards the main point of the battle to face their adversaries.

As more of the constellation beasts surged forward from the Everfree Forest, the four were beginning to think that there was no end to this onslaught. Yet even for Vargas and Eze, they still challenged each other regardless of the situation, “How many did you beat down Vargas!? I got twenty and counting!”

The fire hero could only snicker hearing his friend’s number, “You are way behind Eze! I got thirty and ascending!” He looked ahead and managed to defeat another that stood in his way adding to his total count, “Thirty one now!” Both continued to fight out the numbers in the hopes of besting each other.

Lance and Magress who were fending off their own could only chuckle seeing them challenge each other like they were brothers in arms, “You know, I never thought to see them act like this towards each other even in this kind of mess…”

Magress blocked an attack with his shield as he lowered his lance, “It would not be right if they didn’t competed against each other. You know them as well as I do that they will test their limits anytime, in any place unless they decide to be serious.”

“True I suppose… but still…” He saw the dark hero bashing a beast with his shield. All he did was shrug before concentrating back at the enemy. The nature hero dodged a slash from what appears to be a Canis Major. He delivered a hard blow to its back with his lance; it was only strong enough to cripple it temporarily. Checking his surroundings, he noticed the ponies they met were running towards the contingent of battle.

This bewildered Lance as to why they were coming this despite there being many solutions. He was caught unaware of Atro teleporting next to him. He slightly jumped from his sudden appearance, before regaining his composure, “Atro! Don’t do that to me! I hate having to be spooked like that …” He looked at the light hero and saw nothing but concern. This suddenly turned Lance’s expression from annoyance to match that of Atro’s own concern, “Atro, what’s wrong? I don’t like that look of yours you have…” The nature hero suddenly moved the light hero out of the way to take out a beast that was about to attack him from behind.

While Atro was thankful for that, his concern did not disappear, “Thank you but that is not why I teleported here, two of the ponies those four are carrying have been poisoned…” That was enough to send Lance running towards them in a hurry. With a smile, he turned to see the dark hero having trouble dealing with some enemies, “Need assistance Magress?” The dark hero nodded as he shoved many of the enemies out of the way.

The nature hero was running towards the six alongside Selena who was behind them. The ice hero didn’t need to bother why he was running towards them as she gave a knowing smile at Lance before running back into the battle. He returned the smile back before focusing on the task at hand, “I heard that two of them are poisoned, let me handle from here…”

Rainbow and Applejack lowered their sick friends down for the nature hero. Lance stepped forward looking at the condition of the poison. The poison was only made to cripple them but their heavy breathing suggested that the poison was getting close to their hearts. Wasting no time, he proceeded to begin purging the poison from their bodies. He waved his lance over them as the hand that was gripping Drevas and the lance itself was shimmering. Some leaves grew from the pike itself before they detached and slowly fell upon the two ponies. As the leaves touched their bodies, it seemingly disappeared into the thin air.

A few seconds have passed and yet nothing happened. The four were about to ask if he managed to purge the poison away, but a simple sentence alongside some groans from one of them managed to answer that question, “Oh… w-what happened? I remember leading some ponies with Fluttershy away from the star-spawns and then, I blacked out…” Out of nowhere, the four ponies were hugging Rarity. While it was nice, it was also confusing as to why they were hugging her, “Girls, why the sudden hugging?”

Fluttershy got up second as she was rubbing her head. She saw the four of them huggin Rarity and was questioning it as well, “Why are all of you hugging Rarity?” They heard her voice and then Pinkie decided to pull the both of them in a group hug.

They were still baffled but let it pass for now as they hugged back. Their answer came forth from the nature hero, “They’re being a bit clingy because the two of you were poisoned by snakes…” The both of them shuddered now remembering how they ended up in that position. Lance could only smile as he put his hands on their heads, “Hey no worries, the poison‘s gone, you don’t have to worry about--” Before he could say anymore, a pillar of flame erupted from the scene of the battle. Lance let out a sigh seeing that there was not enough time to chat, “It anymore… guess we can never chat even during a battle.”

They all chuckled from the nature hero’s response. He stood up and with his lance in hand, was about to leave for the battlefield when he looked back the six mares, “You know… if you girls are willing to lend us a few hooves, you can do so… but I’m not stopping you from not joining in.” He let a knowing smile form before he now left for the battlefield.

Lance’s words managed to ring themselves to the six but most especially Fluttershy. It took them some time to acknowledge what he just said before Twilight decided to speak for them all, “I say we go and help them out… we may not be best at combat like those six are…” She heard a sound of a throat itself clearing. She looked to see both Applejack and Rainbow doing it. Twilight looked at them with a knowing smile that painted a different picture with those two, “Sorry girls but even they exceed you, no offense”

They looked at each other for a few seconds before shrugging, “Can’t say Ah can argue with ya there, Ah might even say that Ah’m a bit jealous o’em an’ their skills…”

Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh a bit from that, “You? Jealous, now that’ll be the day…” Her laughter slowly died down as she was watching the battle. She let out a sigh much to her stubbornness and reluctantly agreed with the unicorn, “I hate to say it but I am way behind them in fights… I mean, they’ve fought a war back in their home world that lasted for who knows how long!”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but bring up a detail they skimmed, “And we haven’t in a long time…” This prompted them to all look at Fluttershy. They were rather surprised to hear her say something like so let alone something related to what all of them haven’t done. She blinked when all eyes were on her before shrinking a bit, “Um… if that’s okay with you all?”

They all looked at each other for some time and returned back to her with a smile, “No darling, it’s just a bit surprising you of all ponies would said that and you’re right… we haven’t been in a single war I can recall.”

Pinkie saw where the conversation was going and filled in the rest of the gap for them, “But that shouldn’t stop us right? I mean I know that we can’t compare ourselves with them in a fight but we can hold on our own right?” They all nodded to her question. She formed her signature smile as she pointed towards the battle, “So what are we waiting for? Like Twi said, we may not be good as them but we sure can fight back hard!”

They all nodded to her words though Fluttershy had something to say about this, “Um, I might not be able to fight well but I can support from afar, does that count?”

Pinkie hugged the timid pegasus tightly in response, “Yepperoni, and who says that we all have to learn how to do what they do? All of us can contribute to the battles at hoof in our own ways!”

Twilight felt a smile forming seeing the party pony say and do something smart and yet still do it in her own way, “Pinkie… Sometimes, I wonder if you’re a mad genius or not right now…” The party pony could only giggle with a smile in response. She hugged all of them before letting go and somehow managed to get herself dressed as a knight of sorts. She then proceeded to stuff herself in her cannon and fire right at the enemy. That was enough of a cue as they all followed Pinkie’s example and joined in the fight.

Selena had already frozen some of the beast when a pink blur passed her. She was caught off guard to see Pinkie in knight’s armor charging at the enemy in blinding speed. It clicked on her quickly though when she saw her. If she were to participate with the six of them then… She turned around to see the other five wanting to join in the fight. A small smile formed seeing them coming forth to assist, “Looks like we have some friends helping us…”

All five were dealing with problems but took a glance at to see the six coming forward. Vargas smiled seeing as he pushed the Leo off of him, “They have a lot of courage to be helping us, let us assist them in the forefront then!”

Eze smiled as he kicked away a tiny Scorpio away, “I call dibs on Rainbow Dash!” He jumped away from a tail swipe from a Scorpio and hopped on the back of the beast. As the Scorpion was trying to get Eze off of his back, he raised his sword high into the air before descending deep into the shell piercing through it and hitting sensitive tissue. The Scorpio screeched loudly as it raised its pincers high before collapsing. The thunder hero jumped off and took a good look at the star spawn one more time to boast, “Greatest idiot swordsman here! Don’t mess with me when I’m being like this!”

Despite it being the silliest boast ever, Rainbow couldn’t but help laugh at that, “I am loving this guy so much right now! I’m calling him!” She flew to his general direction to assist him out. As Eze dodged a pincer strike from another Scorpio, the cyan mare charged at the beast and pushed it back by a few feet. Both looked at each other once and smirked as they focused on the Scorpio in front of them.

Fluttershy was looking around trying to find someone who she could help but before she could, she was facing a big Aries. She dodged its big hooves as she stumbled out of its way. The ram blew steam out of its nose before beginning to charge towards her direction. She flew up immediately to avoid it. Much to her surprise, it was not aiming for her but the nature hero, “Mr. Lance! Watch out!”

Lance looked at the direction of the warning to see the Aries stampeding towards him. He burrowed Drevas onto the ground and as the ram got closer, created an earth pillar below him to ascend. The Aries hit the wall hard and caused its foundation to crumble. The nature hero jumped away from the star spawn next to Fluttershy, “Thank you for the warning Fluttershy.”

She sheepishly looked away while letting out an embarrassing laugh, “Um… you welcome…” Lance could only look at her confusion as to question her reaction. Nonetheless, he patted her on the back as his way of saying thanks. She lowered her face to her hooves in instinct from the touch. She looked ahead to see the ram charging again, “Look out!” She managed to push him out of the way while dodging the ram’s charge. Having had enough of the beast prompted Fluttershy to be stern and look at the beast right in the eyes, “No, bad Aries!”

Lance picked himself up to see the timid pegasus sternly looking at the ram while talking it down. He just stood there watching the ram getting lower and lower to her eye level before leaving away in apparent fear. He was scratching his head wondering what just happened only to see the pegasus return back to her timid self, “Oh my… did I do that?”

Lance could only smile seeing Fluttershy being like that, “Yes you did that and very much surprised me there.” He grabbed onto her hoof which made the timid pegasus somehow blush, “Sorry if this is intruding, but come on, we still have more to deal with.” She nodded as she followed him to take care of other star spawns.

Applejack managed to evade many of the beasts that were coming towards her. While she may not be that great of a fighter comparing to them, she can be fast on her hooves. Just as she dodged the next beasts stampeding towards her, a Leo was in front of her as it roared. She jumped back as it begun to pounce. The beast was smart though and attacked her with one of his claws. It hit directly and sent her flying to the ground. She was coughing in fits from the strike hitting her on the chest hard. She looked to see the beast pouncing yet again. Just as it was on top of her, she felt something on her body and instantly, she was behind the beast. She looked to see Atro carrying her, “Be careful, you cannot hope to dodge constantly with these creatures, they are smarter than usual."

Applejack could only let one cough escape as her way of saying sorry, “Yer right, Ah tend t’ forget who Ah deal with at times…” She let a little chuckle escape from her. Atro lowered her down and surprisingly managed to heal her to normal condition, “How did ya…?”

“Questions later Applejack, I’ll answer them later but let us focus on the task at hand…” was all she said to her. It was enough of an answer as she looked at the Leo that had already begun to pounce on the both of them. Both sidestepped out of the way. Applejack delivered a solid buck to its chest but it was not enough to leave lasting harm. Atro on the other hand, managed to leave a fatal injury by cutting through its chest. It was not a deep wound but it was enough to harm the beast and prevent it from pouncing again. Applejack shuddered a bit from seeing that. Atro saw the reaction and tried to reassure her as best as possible, “It is alright, it is incapacitated.”

The apple farmer knew that the light hero was trying to cheer her up and she was glad for that, but unfortunately, it was only doing so much, “Ah ‘preciate what yer doin’ an’ all but… Ah hate t’ be blunt… but it’s not helpin’ me right now…”

They looked at the Leo who was breathing heavily, “Sorry there Applejack… I tend to forget that for all the fights I’ve been through, I sometimes forget when a person hasn’t fought before or in this case, when a whole country haven’t been in a single war…”

The apple farmer moved Atro out of the way as one of the star spawns targeted him, “Sorry ‘bout that, one o’ them was comin’ fer ya…” The light hero smiled in returned for the save as he stood up while Applejack was speaking, “An’ don’t worry ‘bout us, we can handle ourselves just fine! We’re just not use t’ seein’ well…” Atro nodded in understanding. The bearer of honesty let out a sigh seeing the light hero being ever so calm despite the situation they were in, “Ah hate t’ say it but all o’ ya make me jealous if only a tiny bit… okay maybe a big bit o’ me is jealous…”

Atro looked at her in confusion as to how she could be jealous of them. Before he could get the chance to ask though, he reacted as he moved Applejack out of the way of an Aries that was charging, “My way of returning the gesture…” This time the apple farmer let a smile form as she picked herself up. They looked around the battlefield one more time and decided to finish their conversation later as they focused on continuing to hold off as many as possible.

Selena froze an enemy mid-charge just as she avoided another coming towards her. Despite the enemies clearly feeling an icy chill when fighting against her, they were not fazed by the cold aura that emitted from around the ice hero. The odds were stacked against her as more kept on surging, “I am not enjoying this right now…”

She readied herself as more of them were charging towards her direction. Just as she was ready to slash her incoming opponents, something whooshed past her head and hit two of them on their face. Closer examination revealed them to be diamonds? She turned around to see Rarity throwing crystals of all kinds at their adversaries, “Take that you ruffian!” She pulls out yet another crystal and tosses it at the star spawns.

Selena smiled seeing the fashionista fighting back with crystals of all things. Her smile faded when one of the star spawns, specifically a Leo, was behind Rarity readying to strike. In a blink of an eye, the ice hero created an ice pillar behind the bearer of generosity blocking the incoming blow from his paw. Rarity staggered a bit from the sound of ice breaking behind her. The broken pieces of ice landed on her back sending a little bit of a chill on her spine. Selena moved with haste as the star spawn withdrew and was readying an overhead attack. The fashionista sidestepped out of the way as the attack came, fully breaking the ice pillar.

Selena was next to Rarity as she attacked the beast with what the fashionista could only describe as graceful dancing. Distracted by the movements of the ice hero, another star spawn was sneaking up behind her. Selena turned to see the beast slowly approaching Rarity. She was too busy dealing with the Leo to get to her on time. As the star spawn was within range of attack, it raised its claw and striked but not on the bearer of generosity but a shield. Rarity turned to see the dark hero blocking the said attack in time, “You must pay attention more often! You do not want this to happen to you constantly…”

Pinkie emerged behind the star spawn with balloons tied on it. Much to Magress’s surprise, the balloons were numerous enough to carry the star spawn away from the battle. The beast was flailing its arms wildly as it was being lifted and towards the Everfree Forest. The peppy voice of the party pony broke him out of his shock, “Bye! Have a great trip back to the Everfree!”

The dark hero was trying to understand what he just witnessed. He looked towards Rarity wondering if she has an answer for what occurred. She only shook her head, “Don’t try darling, remember that Twilight tried to analyze and understand her antics a long time ago. She turned into a flaming pony as a result once…” Despite Magress being more confused about it, he decided to not press the issue.

A voice broke them out of their conversation, “I don’t wish to be rude you two but I could use a little help here please…” Both turned to see Selena struggling with dealing the Leo constellation. Rarity could only pause in embarrassment for a bit before she rejoined her in the battle. Magress turned towards the area where the most conflict was being held. Alongside Pinkie who was on his shoulder yelling random lines while pointing, they both charged to meet the assault.

Vargas was with Twilight as they were dealing with star spawns at the entrance. Despite the bearer of magic’s lack of training in physical combat compared to the fire hero, she made it up in magical prowess something Vargas lacked for now. Two words were chanted from the fire hero as he charged at the surging numbers with his sword, Dandelga, wrapped in flames, “Infinity Burst!” He delivered an upward slash that first created a stream of fire below them while more fire was gathering at the center of the crowd. As the gathering fire managed to complete itself, multiple explosions burst from the gathering flames enveloping the whole crowd.

Twilight could only watch the technique unfold in front of her as it manages to dispatch multiple enemies at once. Vargas landed from his slash just as the move finished itself. He turned around to see the creatures down for the moment from the attack. A smile begun to form as he was keeping track of his count of defeated enemies, “Eze, I have gotten fifty here now! How many do you have!?” The purple mare was questioning why those two were having a contest of who has the most defeats despite the precarious situation.

Just as Vargas asked that question and Twilight was thinking about it, two words were chanted from the thunder hero just as Rainbow moved out of the way, “Thunder Retribution!” He jumped forward and delivered an overhead attack as thunder crashed down upon his enemies before a surge of electricity erupted from his sword delivering a deadly jolt to the enemies in front of him. As the creatures fell, he looked to his rival with a smirk, “I have gotten fifty-one here! I’m ahead of you by one enemy!”

Vargas could only chuckle seeing his friend’s enthusiasm, “Don’t push your luck my friend! I’m still going strong here!” He charged at the next set of enemies that were coming forth from the entrance.

With most of the enemies focused so much on Eze and Vargas, both Rainbow and Twilight had the chance to chat out a bit mainly about their contest in question, “I don’t get it… I’m trying to understand why they would have a competition of sorts at this time when the situation is dire…”

The cyan mare could only partly agree just as she bucked away one of the creatures, “Well, I can see why you would say that and honestly, I don’t think even me and Applejack would go this far… But for them, I like that they compete even with all this craziness and… I think I might understand why they’re doing this…”

Twilight teleported out of the way of a charging Aries as she zapped it with her magic, “How, I mean for Celestia’s sake, they are having a contest over who has the most enemies defeated! I just don’t understand the logic of that at all!”

Rainbow could chuckle as she sidestepped out of the way of a Canis Minor, “That’s because you take things too seriously Twi! Remember when you tried to understand the Pinkie Sense; I thought you learned a good lesson from that?” The purple mare could only grumble a bit as she dodged another Aries, “Yeah I thought so, anyway…” She dodged while staying afloat as one of the star spawns was trying to get her, “The six of them here? They’re seasoned warriors Twi; they probably dealt with this ever since their entire life! Remember, their whole world was in a state of war!”

Twilight teleported away from the star spawns as she created a magic field around her, “Even if that were to be the case, why go do this contest when the situation is serious?”

Rainbow could only sigh seeing the stubbornness of Twilight. She could almost rival Applejack’s if she continued to pursue the answer to the question asked. She can’t help herself though, she’d probably asked about this too were it not for her able to understand it fairly quickly, “Twi, we probably take this as a serious threat, that I can’t deny. They on the other hoof don’t have too…” The purple mare was looking at her in bewilderment as if trying to process what she just said. She took that as a signal to continue chatting, “Do I have to repeat it again? Twilight…” She dodged each one of the beast pounces as she punctuated each word for emphasis with a wave of her hooves, “THEY… ARE… SEASONED… WARRIORS!”

As she finished punctuating it, the six heroes chanted simultaneously and performed their techniques on a vast number of their adversaries wiping out the number temporarily. While during their display of power, Rainbow continued to talk, “The only reason they aren’t taking this seriously is because this is nothing compared to what they had to deal back in their home world! We never dealt with this kind of threat before, but they have, probably numerous times! With all of this happening to this hundreds or heck, maybe thousands of times, they could probably challenge each other to push their limits or just for some good old fashion fun even if we haven’t faced this before!”

Twilight dispelled her barrier as she zapped a few of the flying star spawns that were about to descend upon Rainbow, “But we have faced dangerous threats before Rainbow! Nightmare Moon, Discord, they were all dangerous threats themselves! How could all this--” She waved a hoof around the field that was hosting many battles, “Be normal for them?”

The cyan mare couldn’t help but facehoof now, “For Luna’s sake Twilight, you have got to be more stubborn than Applejack herself! Look, as much as I want to try to drill this into your thoughts, you are taking this way too seriously…”

“I am not!” said Twilight in a tone that sounded almost close to a threat. She zapped a nearby star spawn in a fit of anger trying to dispel her thoughts of the contest at hoof.

Rainbow let out a sigh, “Technically, ya kinda are--” A roar cut off the rest of the sentence she was about to say. All the star spawns who heard that whimpered a bit a bit before retreating back into the Everfree Forest in fear. This made Rainbow both scared and baffled by their reaction, “Um… why did they retreat when they heard that roar Twilight?” She looked at the purple mare who was visibly shaking, “Twi, are you alright?” She was in front of her face as she shook her out of the trance, “Hey, snap out of it egghead!”

All the current fighters on the battlefield looked at Twilight and Rainbow Dash trying to understand why this all of a sudden. Just as they were about to walk towards them, Lance momentarily stopped when something alerted him quickly, “Wait… something’s wrong with the earth…”

Five of the ponies were looking at in bewilderment, but his friends on the other hand knew this as a bad sign as they held onto their weapons tighter. Applejack couldn’t help but ask a bit of both fear and trying to understand, “What are ya talkin’ bout? Ah can’t feel the earth--” Just as she said that, the earth begun to vibrate in a specific pattern like someone or something big was making heavy footsteps. The apple farmer’s tone was one mixed of fear and worry, “Trembling below me…?”

They all looked to Twilight who was looking paler than usual. This was troubling with her friends’ case as they knew this as a bad sign, “Twilight darling? What’s… got you so… silent?” Just as she asked that question another roar emerged from hidden in the Everfree Forest. Twilight turned towards the source as did everybody else in anticipation of what was coming forth. The six ponies were shaking a bit wondering what was coming out of the forest.

The Six Heroes awaited their challenge as the held their weapons forward. Twilight wanted to stop them, but she was frozen in fear from just the roar. The earth was beginning to vibrate in a rapid pace as if something was running towards them as another roar was heard. The vibrations of the earth stopped when that roar came to be. The heroes were tense as they were wondering what will emerge from the forest. The bearers were beginning to back away a bit slowly as each second ticked away.

As time continued to march on, silence was all that remained as the vibrations of the earth and the roars ended. The six ponies thought that it just returned back to its natural habitat and lowered their guard temporarily. The six humans though stayed cautious knowing that this was just a bait to throw them off kilter. Just then, two eyes glowed in the shadows of the forest as it stared at the twelve of them. This threw off the six ponies while the humans were a bit unnerved but still stood their ground. A guttural growl was heard as the eyes closed themselves. The vibrations emerged once again as the beast revealed itself to them. All twelve looked up as the behemoth of a monster stood above them as it let out one more roar, “It’s an Ursa Major!”

The six bearers ran away from the beast as fast as they can. All of them clearly remembered the Ursa Minor before but to actually see an adult up close and personal scared them out of their wits. Even Applejack couldn’t help but bring it up, “That there’s an Ursa Major!? That thing’s bigger than a haystack on a joyride!”

Despite Rarity wanting to protest on the apple farmer’s choice of words, she was stopped immediately as she turned to see the six humans as they stood their ground, “Girls, those six are standing still…”

All five turned around to see the fashionista’s words ringing true. That kind of action made Twilight panic, “What are you six doing!? Run before it’s too late!”

Her pleas were heard by the six humans yet ignored it as they looked at their adversary. Eze was the first to speak up as the beast stared them down, “That… is one big papa bear I’m looking at…” They all looked at him in confusion as to what he said. He just smiled as he pointed at it with his sword, “What? I can’t joke even if we aren’t in front of the Ursa?”

They all looked at each other thinking about what he said before a resounding roar broke their train of thought. They looked to see the star spawn standing on its own hind legs with a fire that burned of unbridled anger within its eyes, “Scatter!” Vargas commanded and they immediately obliged as they avoided the strike. All of them managed to recover from the incoming attack and charged towards the Ursa Major. The six bearers were looking at them in both fear and worry. Even Rainbow Dash, who would normally charge into the fray, was sitting still, looking on with all of them.

Atro jumped up and teleported right on the back of the beast. As it was distracted by his friends trying to charge at it, he raised Urias high into the air and delivered a strike. The sword was only able to cut an inch deep into the Ursa Major but it was enough for the star spawn to react and try to squish the light hero. He jumped and teleported as it lay on its back. He landed on the field letting out a sigh from the close call there.

As the beast tried to right itself up, Selena created an ice floor below the creature hoping to make it slip back into a vulnerable position. The creature caught onto the trick and using its claws, dug into the ground preventing it from slipping. The ice hero had anticipated this and created an ice spike below the belly of the beast hoping for it to pierce it. Despite its bulky size, the creature was rather agile as it narrowly dodged the protruding ice. Some blood (at least they think its blood) was drawn but it was not enough to slow it down. The beast sets its sights on Selena as it roared and raised one of its legs to attack her. The ice hero jumped over the strike and continued to run hoping to avoid another.

Eze jumped and ascended up high as he called down thunder upon the beast. It was only able to deliver a small jolt to it. It looked to see the thunder hero suspended in the air. A roar was made as it charged at it. With no time to evade the attack in time, Eze braced himself as the Ursa Major delivered a powerful headbutt. It sent him flying as he crashed upon the hill. An imprint was left on the hill as the swordsman struggled to get up, “Goddamn it that hurts…”

The Ursa Major saw an opportunity as it charged towards the down Eze. His body was not responding to his commands as he struggled to move out. Just as the beast was nearing him, a wall of earth blocked its way as it rammed into it. Eze looked to see Lance conjuring the wall and checking up on him, “You’re paralyzed Eze… I’m not so sure on how but I can purge it away… I just need time…”

Eze could only chuckle seeing the predicament he was put in, “Go figures… tell the others about this so you can concentrate?” He saw the nature hero smiling as he asked that question. The thunder hero chuckled again seeing that smile of his as a yes, “Guys! I’m paralyzed here! Think you can hold him off for Lance to be able to purge it?”

Vargas responded to his friend’s question just as he evaded an attack from the beast, “We’ll try Eze!” Cloaking his sword in flames, he jumped and delivered a powerful strike at the abdomen of the Ursa Major sending searing pain to the star spawn. It roared as it swiped the fire hero away with one attack. Magress caught Vargas as he was about to crash onto the trees. A small cough escaped from the swordsman as he tried to stand up, “Thank you for the save there Magress…”

The armored knight nodded as he looked towards the beast in question, “Like old times when we fought against bigger foes like this creature eh?” Vargas could only lightly laugh as they both charged towards the Ursa Major.

Lance slowly undid the paralysis while behind the wall he created. Eze was slowly able to move his body as the nature hero was almost finished with cleansing his body. When he finished purging the paralysis, Eze gained full control of his body prompting him to stand up with his sword high into the air, “Woo! I’m back and ready to--” Before he could even finish his sentence, the wall that covered them broke from the Ursa Major’s attack. It roared and bought its claw down upon the two of them prompting them both to immediately dodge the attack. Eze was not pleased with the beast interrupting his sentence, “No one interrupts my speech!” The thunder hero immediately charged at the beast, his sword crackling with electricity. The six ponies watching were amazed at the dexterity of the humans as they continued to continue the fight against a foe they haven’t faced before. They wanted to join in the fight but would only hinder them if they tried.

While they were watching the battle, Fluttershy heard a simple yet cute growl. She looked around wondering where the sound was coming from. She heard the sound again this time from a certain direction. She looked at the five who were enthralled by the battle before them. She decided to look for the sound by herself as they were too distracted. Following where the sound was coming from, she used her sense of hearing to be sure if she was heading in the right direction. The sounds got a bit louder as she scrambled to locate the sound. By the time she found, she saw something she did not have in mind, “Oh my…”

The five ponies were beginning to get worried once they noticed that they were beginning to tire themselves out. They were about to stop watching and join in the fight when a voice stopped them from charging, “Wait! I found a way to stop the fight!”

All five turned around to see Fluttershy running towards them “Fluttershy? What were you doing back there?” They were about to ask more when they caught sight of something behind the timid pegasus. The cyan mare was caught off guard the most as she said just one word, “Woah…”

During the battle, the humans were holding off against the Ursa Major well but even they fall under the weariness of fatigue. With each second continuing the fight, they were getting more tired with each heavy breath they take. Even with the knowledge that if they continued to fight, they would end up falling unconscious from the fatigue, they continued to keep the battle going. The Ursa Major on the other hand was no less tired and was still moving with speed and strength.

They all continued to move to try to let it focus on one of them. As time begun to tick away from them, their bodies were beginning to fail on them from the sheer amount of effort in keeping the fight on them. As they all were heavily trying to get one last breath before falling into unconsciousness, a voice broke them of their reverie, “Wait! Don’t hurt them!” They all looked to see Fluttershy leading the six as they were galloping towards them. Behind them was a smaller sized bear of their opponent.

All six instantly realized what they were looking at as their adversary stopped and looked at the smaller one. Both looked at each other’s eyes for a while before walking towards each other and giving each other a hug. All twelve of them made a long and loud aw as they saw the supposed father hugging his son. Both let a smile as they returned back to the Everfree Forest. Selena smiled as she saw them return back, “Nothing is better than seeing a separated family reunited together again…”

Eze let a chuckle escape, “You said it Selena, now if you’ll excuse me… I need… a nap.” He collapsed on the ground as his eyes closed and he was snoring loudly. The five humans and six ponies looked at each other then towards the thunder hero before they shared in each other’s laughter. The five humans cringed a bit in pain as they were clutching whatever body part was hurting the most. All the ponies were by their side. They let a smile form as they collapsed on them.

The six ponies looked at each other with a smile as they carried them back to the hospital. Many of the ponies they managed to evacuate to safety were returning back. Many cheered a bit that they managed to hold off the threat but some fell silent as they saw the six humans injured but breathing. They came to their sides as they carried them towards the hospital. All six went back to their homes and decided to rest for the day. They had questions needed to be answered but they knew that it can wait on another day.