Cory knocked on the door of Sunburst's house. It was a standard building; Geometric, well built, and sturdy, like most houses in the Crystal Empire. A few years ago, Sunburst kept mostly to himself; a recluse; afraid to face the world that seemed to far ahead of him. But since the reconciliation of an old friend, his door was open to all who wished to harness his knowledge.

Within a few moments, the door opened. It was Sunburst himself, a little frizzled in the mane and slightly unkempt with the robe, but never the less welcoming.

"Yes?" he replied "May I help you?"

"My name is Prince Capricore." Cory replied in a well to do voice. "We've agreed to discuss and practice advanced spells."

"Oh, yes, yes, yes. Um, come in. Come in."

Cory gave him a smile as he politely walked inside.

The interior was brightly decorated, with banisters lining a spiral staircase to the left. Everything in the building was made of crystal, and bookshelves lined every single wall in the giant room before him. This would of been Twilight's go-to home if she lived here.

"Uh..." Starburst muttered to himself, "This is my, um, humble abode." He bowed. "I am at your service."

Cory raised an eyebrow. "We are here to discuss advanced spells, and please just call me Capricore," he replied, lifting Sunburst's chin.

"Oh...oh, yes, of course!!" Suunburst exclaimed in reply, pulling some books off the shelf with his magic and then set them on a table behind him. He straightened his glasses, then rubbed his hooves together. "Let's get started, shall we?" he asked in a more confident tone.

Cory selected a rather old but familiar looking book from the shelf. It was big and sturdy, but light enough to float down onto the coffee table. Sunburst blew away the dust and read the title.

"Draxel's Advanced Spells in Energy."

Cory flipped the book with his horn and pointed towards a rather peculiar spell, much to Sunburst's surprise.

"Now are you sure you want to go through with this Cory?" Sunburst asked. "These spells are very advanced and could risk your well being if not done correctly."

"I can only hope to try." Cory said calmly.

"Um...alright then. I'll just be...hiding behind here."

Sunburst made himself a fort made out of books and ducked for cover.

Cory looked at the book with grim determination. "Now where should I start..." he muttered, scanning the pages with his magic. Finally, he caught a page that caught his attention. "Ah-ha!!" he exclaimed. "The Super Memory Enchant...hm...yes..."

Sunburst peeked out of his refuge, slightly curious. "Um...what exactly does it...you know...do?" he asked, a nervous edge in his voice.

"It says here that this spell was used for finding the most significant memories in your timeline, starting with less important first," Cory replied. "Not all of them may be good, so it says, but...it wouldn't hurt to try, right?" He glanced back at Sunburst with a nervous smile. "Right?"

Sunburst flinched. "Ah...um...sure, whatever you say!!" he chuckled, ducking behind his hardcover wall.

Cory took in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," he said, charging up his horn. Sunburst looked on in fear as sparks started to fly off of it. Cory grinded his teeth, and held a steady position. Sweat poured down his face.

Soon, his horn emitted a bright light, and his eyes shined completely white.

Cory had his eyes closed. Was he dead? Was it all over? Did he do the wrong spell?

He glanced up upon hearing the sound of a bird. He looked around at his surroundings. He appeared to be in a junkyard which was out on the outskirts of Equestria. The first place he came to upon arriving in Equestria for the first time.

Cory hopped up and down. "It WORKED!!" he exclaimed to himself. "I DID IT!! I REALLY DID!" Then he was interrupted by a familiar country accent.

"Today's the day, Cutie Mark Crusaders," proclaimed Applebloom. "Today, we get our makeshift band cutie marks."

"Aw Yeah! This is gonna be soooo awesome!" cried Scootaloo as they rummaged through the junkyard.

It was another day of exploration and discovery for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Here at the local junkyard they searched for certain objects and tools that would best suit their soon to be ready made instruments.

"So what should we call ourselves after this?" said Sweetie Belle.

"Hmmm..." thought Scootaloo as she glided on her scooter. "How about the Junk Funk?"

As they decided what to call their own band, Cory knew very well what was going on. He continued to observe the scene.

"Uhhh...Howdy?" Applebloom murmured.

"AAAAAHHH!!!!!" shouted Cory

"AAAAHHH!!!!!!" shouted the CMC in return.

Two of them ran a few yards while Applebloom looked on.

"W...What is that thing?" whimpered Scootaloo from a distance.

Applebloom looked closer at previous-Cory, who now had his back against a heap of trash, a little smile enveloped her face.

"Hey, don't fret girls!", she said to her friends, "Princess Twilight told me all about these critters. She calls them HU---MAN's."

"Humans?" squeaked Sweetie Belle as she and Scootaloo approached the hole.

"What are humans?" asked Scootaloo.

"Twilight encountered them in another world she visited." answered Applebloom. "She says they exist all over, and this here's one of them."

The three gazed down on Cory, who was scared stiff and shaking from all this sudden realization. He was still getting used to fact that these ponies we're talking. Not only that, but even had their own personality and distinct color scheme to them.

Sweetie Belle leaned and slowly thrust her hoof forward.

"Come on, don't be shy." said Sweetie Belle. "we're not gonna hurt you."

Cory took a deep breath and staggered towards the three of them.

"What's your name?" asked Sweetie Belle. There was a long pause. "Can you speak?" she asked.

"Y...yes....C...C...Cory...Cory Agees," said the previous-Cory.

He grabbed on to Sweetie Belle's hoof as all three pulled him out of the hole with one big thrust.

"Sooooo, where do you come from?" asked Scootaloo.

Cory just looked at them blankly.

"Do you know where you live?" asked Sweetie Belle.

He shifted his only working eye back and forth as if the question was foreign to him.

"Do you have a place to stay?" asked Applebloom affectionately.

He stared down as if he was ashamed to answer that. The three fillies then huddled into their own private circle.

"What should we do with him?" whispered Scootaloo.

"I don't know, I've never dealt with a human before." squeaked Sweetie Belle.

"Well it aint right to just leave him here." said Applebloom.

The three nodded in agreement and thought for a moment with their forelegs to their chins. Then, simultaneously, they came up with idea.

"Well if you don't have a place to live," Said Applebloom to Cory, "You're welcome to stay with me. My family and I over at Sweet Apple Acres are looking for a new stable boy, if you want to volunteer." As she waited for an answer, Cory looked around for a moment. Realizing he had little to no options, he nodded in agreement.
"Great!" replied Applebloom. "Let me just take you to where I live."

As they walked off, present-Cory sighed. Boy, that felt like it was forever and a day ago. Then the scene started to change.

It was in the Apple home, and his previous self was sitting with Applejack and Twilight. Why would this moment come so soon? This was the adoption, for cryin' out loud. Even still, Cory watched with much gratitude. Thank you so much, mom, he thought to himself.

After the scene was over, it changed again. Although the next scenes ahead were ones he wished he would have never seen.

The scenes then kept re-living all the horrible things Cory endured. Cory even started to cry. "I...I..." he started. "This is hard!!! I just can't take it!!! Make it stop!!!" Tears were streaming down his face. Then the scene started to change again.

He saw himself on a grassy hill, with leaves from the willow trees softly humming as the wind blew through them. This was the hill that he and his REAL family had picnics on every Sunday!

"C'mon, Cory!!!" said a voice from behind Cory. It was awfully familiar, but he couldn't put his mind on who it was. That is, until he saw him.

A small kid with dark brown hair and hazel eyes ran up the hill, full of excitement and energy. When he reached to the top, he placed his hands on his hips in a heroic stance. "I beat you!!" he announced. "Cory's a rotten egg!!"

Then Cory himself came into view. He was a little taller, but still very young. He laughed and patted Joey on the back. "Rotten egg or not, I love you, little brother," said young Cory.

A tear started to invade Cory's eye. How could he forget this day!! This was the day he spent the entire length with his favorite younger brother. Cory was only ten years old, but his younger brother was only seven.

This was the day before Cory was transferred to his mean surrogate parent's place down in Florida. The last day he spent his time with his brother. He knew about the car crash that ended his parent's life. He turned back to the scene to see that he and his brother were hugging. "I will always be your BBBFF, Joey," his younger self said.

Cory's eyes teared up. "Oh, Joey!!!" He exclaimed, tears starting to flow. "Why do you have to be gone? Why couldn't fate allowed you to live? WHY????" Tears were flowing down his cheek. "I miss you, BBBFF..."

Then he heard a booming voice, and started shaking uncontrollably. "Cory, WAKE UP!!! IT'S NOT REAL!! COOORY!!!!"

Back in Sunburst's home, Cory's eyes dimmed back to normal. He fell back on his rump, still crying. "S...Sunburst?" he said between tears and sobs.

Sunburst put a foreleg around his shoulder to comfort. "There, there, now," he said, confident again. "You'll be fine. At least you're in one piece!!" Cory looked up at him, then away sniffing.

"No, I won't. I should of chosen a different spell. Then I would of never seen Joey!" he started to sob. "I still can't believe he's gone!!" Sunburst walked up to him, a little concerned.

Please, Capricore, pull yourself together, and we'll start over!" Sunburst said with a smile. Cory took a couple of deep breaths, and the tears stopped coming.

"Now," said Sunburst, retreating to a sitting position, "Who is this...Joey you were talking about? He sounds awfully important."

"He was..." Cory tried to explain, still shaking from the ordeal. "He was my rock, He was my light, He was.....My Brother."

"Wha...Your Brother?!" Sunburst asked with a shock in his voice.

Cory nodded. "He was the only friend I ever had...I don't know why he had to go away, I don't know, I don't know..."

Cory had now fallen on the floor, struggling to stand back up.

"Ho...How about we move to the den and have ourselves a nice bowl of tea?" Sunburst asked a worried voice. "You can choose whatever flavor, my treat."

"That...Sounds....Nice." Cory explained in a solemn voice.

Sunburst grabbed Cory by the back, still a little weak to walk on his own and led him to the room next door.

"I'm sorry for that scare Sunburst." Capricore said weakly.

"There's no good out of beating yourself up Cory." Sunburst replied "Believe me, I know that feeling first hoof."

The Den was just as chaotic, but yet, just as welcoming as the living room, Books and all.

Sunburst carefully sat Cory down in a chair. "You settle down, alright?" he suggested, hurrying to the kitchen. "What flavor would you like?" Cory slowly nodded, trying to shake the memories out of his head. Sunburst gave him one last look of concern before hurrying into the kitchen.

Capricore started to wonder what his life would of been like if Joey were still here. He would have a new family too, and he would joke and play with Cory...they would've been the first two princes in Equestria.

Sunburst trotted in, carefully levitating a steaming bowl of tea. "This is a new flavor I've recently acquired, and I find it very strong," he said, setting it on the table. "Bengal Spice is what it's called, and I have some friends down in that area who gave me a big package."

Cory looked at the bowl, and muttered, "Mmmm-hm."

"C'mon, cheer up," said Sunburst with a smile. "Let's talk about your troubles. So this Joey was awfully important to you, huh?"

Cory nodded slightly as his hooves trembled on the table. He hadn't felt this vulnerable since he first came to Equestria.

"You might say, we did practically everything together. He was my BBBFF."

Sunburst raised an eyebrow.

"That's an acronym for Little Brother Best Friend Forever."

"Oh." Sunburst replied. "Tell me more."

"Before I met my five other friends, Joey was the closest I could ever accept to having one."

Cory fragilely lifted the bowl of Bengal Spice with his horn, and took a sip, causing a few drips of the tea to drop on the table.

"He was also the only one I could possibly talk to. I taught him things about art, music and movies. He taught me things about sports, science and history. We really were a perfect team. Come to think of it, if it were my doing, we would be efficient enough to open our own business."

"I see." Sunburst replied with interest as he fixed his glasses.

"Then came one of the worst days of my life. I received the news that my parents..."

"You don't need to tell me that part of the story." Sunburst assured him. "I know how much it hurts, but Twilight told me the whole thing."

Sunburst sat back and sighed. "I'm so sorry, Capricore," he said, taking a sip of his tea. He felt really concerned for Cory, and it wasn't just the fact he lost his brother. It was the fact that they were so close, and THEN Joey died. That is something hard to endure.

Capricore's eyes were puffy from his tears. Occasionally he sniffed, but overall he had pulled it together. Sunburst promptly trotted over to his side, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Would you like to start on the next spell? We'll choose something uplifting, what do you say?" he asked, taking his hoof off of Cory. Cory just slowly shook his head.

"Just....g-give me some more time," he muttered in response. Sunburst gave him a look of concern, then smiled and returned to his seat.

"Whatever you say, as long as we can get back to the task at hoof," Sunburst said, drinking the rest of what was in his cup. Cory repeated the action, then sat there in silence.

After 15 minutes of silence, Sunburst broke it. "Are you, um...feeling any better?" he asked, feeling sympathy for his new friend. Cory looked up from his cup, then gave him a weak smile in response.

"I'm ready," he replied. "Now that I thought about it, I'm just thankful for all the time I DID spend with Joey."

Sunburst hopped excitedly to his feet. "That's the spirit!! Now let's get our flanks out there and keep buzzin'!!!!" he exclaimed. He then noticed the weird look Cory was giving him for the sudden outburst. "Er, I mean...let's continue, shall we?" he chuckled nervously. Cory just rolled his eyes and got to his hooves, cantering over to the room with spells.

Back in the living room, Cory pulled out the same book from earlier. He took a deep breath and started past the memory spell page. He kept looking through all the pages, looking for an interesting and uplifting one. "Ah-HA!!!" he exclaimed, stopping on a page. "Come look at this, Sunburst!!" His friend trotted over to take a look.

"The 'Super Hero' Spell," Sunburst read carefully. He continued, "This is a fairly advanced spell, but it is unique: unlike most spells, this one requires two ponies. When activated, the spell will move to the scene of somepony or something that is in dire need of assistance, hence the 'Super Hero' name. Although, it does not give the exact location, but it will transport you to the pony who's the most nearby if in a ." Cory and Sunburst looked at each other, then at the spell.

"Wanna give this a go?" asked Cory, smiling. Sunburst nodded, and both of them assumed positions. They both charged up their horns, then proceeded to connect them. Sparks of magic flew everywhere, and the two friends gritted teeth, sweat starting to slide down their faces.
Just as soon as it started, it stopped.

They found themselves in the scene of a giant blizzard, hard to see anything. There was nopony around. Cory stomped his hoof in frustration. "THERE'S NOTHING HERE!!!!!!!" he exclaimed, clearly frustrated. Sunburst put a hoof on his shoulder to calm him.

Before Sunburst could say anything, the air before them started to warp. All of a sudden, a young human appeared, crying out in agony and frustration. Its stomach was terribly bleeding. It muttered "Oh, Cory..." before passing out completely. Then there was a sound of a train just ahead, sounding exactly like the Crystal Empire train. Before Cory and Sunburst got a good look at it, the scene turned to a blinding light.

"Get ready!! We're about to teleport!!!" Sunburst shouted before they physically traveled.

When they both opened their eyes, they were in a car of the Crystal Empire train. Cory was the first to act. "Whatever it is, it's outside!!!" exclaimed Cory, pulling Sunburst to the window. "Look for it!! It won't last long in this weather!!" Cory said again, his eyes searching furiously.

Before he knew it, he saw a dark spot out in the snow. Other ponies looked on in bewilderment as Capricore jumped and pulled the brake handle. As soon as the train stopped, Cory was out the door. "Capricore, WAIT!!!" cried Sunburst, "You aren't prepared yet!!" As soon as he said that,

Cory casted a heat bubble around himself, and galloped off. "Oh...," said Sunburst, blushing as he copied the action, also following him.

Cory soon came upon the unconscious human. Picking him up with his forehooves, he got a good glimpse of the human's face. Once he did, his pupils dilated.

"Holy Celestia," he whimpered.

Joey wearily opened his eyes as he started up at a bright, but welcoming light. He felt a wet, warm cloth lying on his forehead, and a soft, neatly pressed blanket lying over his fragile body. Around him, he could hear voices, muttering in a conversation he could barely make out. He tried to move but his muscles were too weak to even budge. As the haze of his vision began to became more clear, he could see three horselike creatures hovering over him.

"Here. Drink this." Said a female voice. The creature gently lifted Joey's head and poured a small cup of tea into his mouth. With the liquid slithering down his throat, Joey could feel bits of strength coming back to him. His fingers started feeling less numb, and he was able to mumble a few incoherent words.

"Oh, thank goodness." Starlight Glimmer said. "He's going to make it."

"Thank you so much for coming at short notice Starlight." Capricore acknowledged. "Without your abilities, Sunburst's knowledge, and my...experiences, I'm not sure if we could have saved him in time."

"Are you sure that's Joey?" Sunburst asked.

"I'm positive." Cory replied. "I never forget a face. But how he was able to survive is beyond me."

Joey's pupils shrank. through squinted eyes, he couldn't tell if he was in heaven or just dreaming. Talking ponies? Ha.

But the splitting headache told him otherwise.

He decided he should try to move again. He felt new energy this time, and started to budge, which sent sharp pains through his body. He groaned, wishing that he could die in that very moment.

"Well, look who's awake," said Starlight. Joey slowly and painfully sat up. There were three multicolored horses around his bed, and they were all smiling. "Hi there!!" said Starlight, smiling down at him.

Joey pinched himself. Flinching at the pain, realization it him like an A-bomb.

These talking, multicolored pegasus-unicorn horses were real. The one with both wings AND a horn was giving him an excited smile. Joey just glanced around at all the horses in the room nervously. “Erm…” he stuttered, not knowing what they wanted with him. They probably wanted research, maybe to open him up and see how he ticks. Just the thought made Joey shudder.

The unicorn pegasus spoke up to break the awkward silence. “Joey...it’s me!” he exclaimed, taking a couple steps towards Joey. This freakin’ horse knew his name??????

This has gone too far, thought Joey. He glanced around, looking for an escape route. When he saw the kitchen, an idea came to his head. “What is that thing sticking out of the sink???” he asked, staging a fake afraid voice. Everypony else turned to the kitchen, looking at the sink.

“What are you talking about?” asked Sunburst. “There’s nothing there.”

Cory looked at Joey, then back at Sunburst. “I don’t want to take risks. What if there is something in the sink?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Sunburst and Starlight. “C’mon, let’s go check it out.” The other two rolled their eyes and followed.

Joey held back a laugh. The fools!! He didn’t actually think that would work!!! As quickly and quietly as he could, he jumped out of his bed and made a mad dash for what he hoped was the front door.

“Hmmm…” said Cory, walking back into the room with the other two, “It seems like you were hallucinating, and somethi…”

He gasped when he saw the empty bed, his eyes growing wide. “What’s wrong?” asked Sunburst and Starlight in unison, following close behind. When they saw the bed, they gasped as well. “We’ve been FOOLED!!” exclaimed Starlight in a frustrated voice.

Cory was too occupied with other things to hear that. “Where did he GO!!??” he exclaimed, searching all around the room. “I could’ve sworn he was…”

SLAM!!!!!

“That was the front door!!” exclaimed Sunburst. “He’s getting away!!!”

Cory’s pupils shrank. “JOEY!!!!” he cried, bolting for the front door.

Joey sighed a breath of fresh air, then slammed the door behind him.

SLAM!!!!!

Oh, shit!!! he thought, I didn’t think it would be so LOUD!!! Nonetheless, he bolted down the street.

Passerby just stared in awe, and some even murmured to each other.

“Is that another human?”

“He sort of looks like Prince Capricore’s human form!”

“Do you think they’re related?”

Joey ignored the comments and kept running. He had run fast, but not nearly as fast as this. Even though he was starting to get a tad tired, it would be better to die then to be caught.

Meanwhile, a certain pink princess had watched him ever since he escaped Sunburst’s house. “Now who are you, and where are you going?” she said to herself. Then she looked over to the right a little and saw Cory, Starlight, and Sunburst running down the street, occasionally talking to passerby. It was clear they were chasing the new human. “Also, what would make it special enough to have the Prince chasing it?”

She spread her wings, then called over her shoulder, “Shining, I’ll be back soon!! I’m going to check on Capricore!!” Then she flew off in their direction.

Joey was running out of breath fast. His energy levels were surprisingly good, so he just kept running. He saw a horse who was set apart from the rest, a traveler by the looks of it.

He screeched to a halt next to her, and smiled. “Um, do you know the fastest way outta here?” he asked.

The horse shook off her surprise and smiled back. “Sure, that would be the train.”

“Where would I find that?”

“Oh, just that way. You couldn’t miss it!!”

“Alrighty, thanks a lot!!!” Joey exclaimed, dashing off again.

On the other hand, Cory and company were trying to catch up. “C’mon, guys!!” Cory exclaimed. When they reached the same traveler, they stopped for some questions. “Have you seen another human, about this tall?” asked Cory holding up a hoof to his chin to show the height.

The other pony nodded. “Yes, your highness, as a matter of fact, he was on his way to the train station,” she replied. She bowed, and Cory took off again, with Starlight and Sunburst in tow.

“Thanks so much!!!” shouted Cory over his shoulder.

Then Cadance landed in front of them, causing everypony to skid to a halt. “Cadance!?” Cory asked, bewildered. “Do you MIND!?”

Cadance shrugged. “I just want to know if you need any help,” she replied. Cory looked at his friends, then back at her. “Actually,” he grinned, “That would be spectacular.”

Joey finally arrived at the ticket booth. “How much is the shortest way out of here?” he asked. The vendor looked at him with surprise, then searched his clipboard.

“Ah, that would be Ponyville!!” he exclaimed. “Ten bits.”

“Bits?” asked Joey.

“Surely you know what a bit is.”

“Nnnnnope.”

The vendor turned to the next person. “Then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” he said. Joey facepalmed and grumbled. Could this day get any worse?

“There he is!!!” cried a familiar voice behind him. Like hell it would.

Joey turned to catch a glimpse of ANOTHER winged-unicorn that joined the chase.

Why me? he thought. He continued to run toward the nearest train, which happened to already be on the move.

“STOP!!!” cried Cory, making a mad dash toward it. He was gaining immensely on Joey. Just when he was about to grab Joey’s collar with his teeth, Joey dove for the caboose, which was just pulling out. His hand grabbed the rear railing of the caboose, which was gaining speed, and climbed in.

Meanwhile, Cory stumbled and fell on his face. He quickly recovered, and gave a panicked look at the train, which was speeding away. “Cadance!!” he shouted. “We have to catch that train!!!”

Cadance helped him up to a standing position. “Let’s go, nephew,” she said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Joey climbed up on top of the train, which sped towards the weather shield. When the train passed through, Joey realized his mistake.

Oh, poo. At least the train was warm.

Cory and Cadance sped towards the caboose of the train. “Should I write a letter to Twilight when we get into the caboose?”

Cory nodded. “Definitely.”

Before long, the two reached the caboose despite the freezing weather. They both stepped inside, shaking off the snow. “That’ll wake you up!!” laughed Cory. Cadance chuckled at the comment.

As Cadance and Cory gathered a paper and quill for the letter, Joey clung to the roof of the train, inching forward.

About four hours later…

As train drew close to Ponyville, and Twilight flew out ahead to meet the train before it reached the station. She was going to meet them so they could look on the roof for Joey. Cadance had mentioned in her letter that this “Joey” was Cory’s blood brother, and how he ran off and the were trying to catch him. Twilight hated to admit it, but she always loved a good chase. This time, it was for her dear Capricore.

Soon, the sound of the train alerted her, and she shook out the thoughts. Now, it was time to get focused. She spotted Capricore and Cadance as they flew out of a train car. “Second time today,” Cory joked. “Who knew?”

Cadance decided to ask about it later.

Meanwhile, Twilight flew up to her excitedly.

“SUNSHINE, SUNSHINE….” she started before Cadance interrupted her.

“Not now, we have to get Joey,” she said with a smile. Twilight put on her determined face.

Meanwhile, Joey was relaxing in the sun on top of the caboose oblivious to the search. Relaxing, that is, until he was startled by the same voice of the same horse he heard back in that crystal city.

“That was easy,” it said. He turned around to see that instead of a white unicorn and an orange one, there was a lavender winged unicorn.

Joey threw up his hands in exasperation. “Oh, come ON!!!” he said to himself.

Cadance landed on one side of him, while Cory and Twilight landed on the opposite. “Gotcha!!” squealed Cadance. Joey was truly frightened now.

“NOW!!!” shouted Cory, and everypony lunged at Joey. Being a quick thinker, Joey slid under Cadance’s belly as she soared over him. He stopped himself just before he slid off the end of the caboose.

Everypony else’s heads all collided with a sickening clunk.

They quickly recovered, and soon discovered that Joey had escaped again. “HOW DOES HE DO IT???” Cory cried in frustration.

They all tried to pull themselves apart, but they were to tangled up. So Joey decided, with a huge grin, that he would enjoy this for the time being. As soon as they untangled themselves, they were all dizzy.

Then Joey started laughing.

“Oh, my GOODNESS!!” he cried between breaths. “That’s the closest you can get? Why, that was funniest thing EVER!!!”

Cory shook out of his dizziness, and the others followed. But before they stood up, Twilight shouted, “DUCK!!!!!!!!”

Cory and Cadance obeyed, and a railroad signal passed overhead. Joey, on the other hand, was just recovering from laughing.

Cory saw this, and shouted, “Joey, DUCK!!”

Joey just gave him a look of confusion, although he couldn’t see Cory due to the giant railroad signal rushing toward his face.

“Aw, crap…” he muttered, and was hit in the face, sending him flying off the back of the train.

“GOT HIM!!” Twilight exclaimed. She then swooped down and caught him on her back. She let out a sigh of relief.

When she touched down, Cory and Cadance came back from the train and met up with her. Cory sighed in relief when he saw that Twilight had him, although he and Cadance were equally concerned about his face, which was starting to grow red and swell.

“What are we going to do with him?” Cadance asked Twilight.

"I...I...I think we should take him back to my house," Twilight suggested. Cory glanced worriedly at Joey's forehead. It was only getting worse, and dangerously so.

"No," Cory said, determination on his face. "We have to get him to the hospital, and quick!!" He looked at Cadance. She gave him a questioning look but then nodded.

"On it!!" Cadance declared, transferring Joey from Twilight's back to her own with her magic. "Can you two follow, just in case he falls?" she asked, flapping her wings.

"I was coming anyway," Cory confirmed flapping his wings as well. Twilight rose to his side.

"Can't forget about me!!" she said, still excited. "Let's save him!!"

The other two nodded, and they all rose into the sky. As they were flying, Twilight noticed the worried look on Cory's face. "Don't worry, Capricore," she consoled, "He'll be alright."

Cory shook his head. "It's not that, it's just...well...he didn't recognize me," Cory said, tears welling up. "He just ran for it, and I didn't even get to tell him who I was."

Twilight drifted over and nuzzled his cheek. "When he wakes up, you should have time. The hospital ponies will make sure he doesn't go anywhere," she said, stroking his back.

Cory gave her a sad smile, then returned to a determined look. "And like heck I won't!!!!!" he exclaimed, determined to get his brother back. "Joey will know who I am, and we will be reunited!!!"

Twilight's pupils dilated. "You mean, this is JOEY Joey? Your brother Joey? The one you said made your life worth it????" she asked, brimming with joy. Cory returned the look.

"Yep," he confirmed, looking up at the limp human on Cadance's back. "Now let's get him back!!!!"

I hope, Cory thought.

Author's Note

Sorry for the late update, but my co-writer and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

My co-writer is artman7391, so if you have to give credit, PLEASE give him some. It's the least he deserves. After all, he made this possible.

Next update hopefully coming soon!!!!

• Broncoman18