The Sparkle In His Soul

Allen held onto Twilight’s right foreleg tightly. He was determined to not to let her fall, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t hoist her up from the precipice. “Darn it! I’m not strong enough to pull you up, Twilight.” Allen briefly turned his head to the side.

Twilight looked up at him. “It's okay, Allen. We’ll think of something…and I won’t let go…if you don’t.” She gave Allen that same endearing look he saw in her eyes before they cuddled last night.

Allen did his best to share her look and banish the fear from his eyes. “Never, Twilight, I have you. Wait, maybe...yeah. I might have an idea.”

“What?” Twilight gave him an encouraging look.

“There isn't any way you could use your magic, is there?” He firmed his grip hoping his arm could shoulder the burned.

“Um...I’m not sure.” Twilight whimpered again as she kept her left hoof nabbed on the edge of the cliff. She tried to pull herself up using Allen’s grip for support, but couldn’t get any footing for her hind hooves. “Ohh…Allen. I’m trying to pull myself up, but I can’t get any leverage. Hmm, I guess…I could try my magic, but it’s a little tricky right now.”

Nodding his head, Allen did an internal facepalm. “Twilight, I wasn't thinking. Of course it’d be tricky. You need to concentrate when you do magic.”

“Yeah.” She swallowed nervously.

“Don’t worry, Twilight, I won’t let g...ahh!” Allen noticed his grip start to falter. He readjusted himself and added his right hand to holding Twilight, allowing him to renew his grip with his left hand. “I have you.” Twilight looked up offering him hopeful eyes.

Allen continued to hold onto her, fearing the inevitable. Then he heard a voice call out, “Darlings! Hang on, help is on the way!” Rarity came galloping over to them.

“Rarity!” Allen looked over his shoulder as he saw her racing toward them.

She came to a stop behind Allen and then without any hesitation, she dropped to the ground and wrapped her forelegs around him. “I’ve got you, Allen, darling!”

Allen let out a sigh; Rarity had a firm grip around him and offered a much-needed anchor to make it just a little easier to hang onto Twilight. “Thank you, Rarity. Twilight, I’m going to try pulling you up again!”

“Okay.” Twilight replied uneasily. Allen went to pull her up, but as Twilight firmed her grip to the edge of the cliff, a portion of it broke off. “Wahhhh!” Her left foreleg flailed and shifted her weight.

Allen’s eyes widened from the added strain, but he felt Rarity clamp down harder. He kept his grip as best he could, while digging up every ounce of strength he had. “I still have you, Twilight.”

Twilight looked up at him. There was still genuine fear in her eyes, but she did manage a brief smile.

“Darlings, are you two okay?” Rarity looked over at Allen.

“Working on it, Rarity.” Allen looked back at her and then back to Twilight. “Man, where’s a Pegasus when you need one?”

Time was running out, Twilight knew Allen couldn’t hold onto her forever. She looked back up at him. “Allen, I think I have an idea…I!” She blinked. “I’m seeing things!”

“Allen, Twilight!! I’m coming!” Allen joined Twilight in looking up just as Fluttershy came flying in.

“Huh? Fluttershy?” He shook his head incredulously.

The Pegasus came flying in, beating her wings swiftly as she hovered near Twilight. “Hold on Twilight, I’ve got you.” She placed her hooves around the unicorn’s waist. “Allen, you pull and I’ll lift.”

He nodded as he strained to speak. “Okay…Fluttershy.”

Allen tried to pull Twilight up again, while Fluttershy started to lift up as her wings kept her aloft. Twilight watched the others closely as she finally was raised off the side of the cliff. Once she was up, the group moved back from the ledge, just as another section of the cliff broke off and toppled down the side of the mountain.

Allen joined the others sitting there, taking a moment to catch his breath. Fluttershy landed and trotted over to him. She placed a caring hoof on his shoulder. “Allen, are you okay?”

He looked over at Fluttershy and smiled. “Yeah. Thank you so much for your help, Fluttershy.” Allen smiled at her. “I never expected to see you do something like that.”

Her cheeks turned a little red. “Yes, well, you…and my friends were in danger.” Fluttershy sighed and placed a hoof over her chest. “I know I’m hardly the bravest pony in Equestria, but I won’t stand idly if my friends need me.” She gave Allen a warm smile.

“Aww, Fluttershy.” He returned her smile and didn’t hesitate to draw her into a friendly hug. “You were amazing.”

“Huh…me, amazing. I uh…oh my.” Fluttershy closed her eyes as her blush deepened. She wasn’t used to getting such praise, which was why she hardly knew what else to say.

Allen just smiled as he let her go. Then, he looked over and saw Twilight. She was sitting on her rump and had a half-baffled look on her face. He rose to his feet, a little wobbly at first. Then started to walk.

“Darling, are you okay?” Rarity looked up at him.

He gave her a gracious smile as he looked down at her. “Of course. I can’t thank you enough for helping, Rarity. You and Fluttershy were amazing.”

Rarity waved a dismissing hoof. “Aww, I was just helping out friends. I mean, you’d have done the same for me, wouldn’t you?” She gave Allen big eyes.

He chuckled at her. “Of course I would, for you or for anypony. I’m grateful to all of you. Oh, Twilight. Excuse me, Rarity.”

She shared his warm smile. “Of course, darling.”

Allen stepped away from Rarity and walked over to the slightly frazzled Twilight. He knelt down beside her. “Twilight, are you all right?” He placed a hand on her lavender shoulder.

“Huh?” She looked up at him. “Oh, yeah. A little sore, maybe a bruise or two.”

Allen looked her over. “Hmm, yeah, you don’t seem to be cut or banged up too badly. Thank goodness.” He sighed. Then, while looking at her, Allen hugged her. “I was worried about you.”

“Mmm.” Twilight placed her forelegs around him and hugged him back. “Allen. I was worried about you too.” They pulled back, but stayed embraced. “You held on all that time.” Her eyes were a little glassy.

Allen gave her a warm and somewhat tired face. “Yeah, I did. I wasn’t sure if my grip would hold, especially once that piece of the ledge broke.”

“Well, I’m grateful. Thank you.” Twilight smiled and giggled.

He shook his head. “Don’t thank me. Fluttershy and Rarity deserve more of the credit.” Allen sighed. “Without them, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Twilight smiled. “Oh, I’m sure you’d have thought of something.”

He shared her smile. “Yeah, you're right.” There was a beep from Allen’s pocket. “Wait, my phone. The app must have found something.” He pulled out his phone and checked the screen. “At last. We’re getting closer now.” Allen rose to his feet and glanced at Twilight. “Are you ready?”

Twilight stood up and steadied herself. “Yep, I’m good to go.” She was just a little wobbly as she stood there.

“Rarity, Fluttershy, come on you two. Let’s find the others and then get the recall rod. Before anything else can happen.” Allen looked around thoroughly, then motioned to them the way his phone pointed. Twilight stayed close to Allen as Fluttershy and Rarity joined them.

* * * * * *

The sun was nearing its zenith in the cerulean sky as Princess Luna made her way through the Canterlot Royal Gardens. She looked around, but found no sign of her sister.

Celestia was a good twenty yards from Luna, surrounded by lush trees, shrubs and bushes. She was facing a stone memorial and took in a shaky breath. Tears were in her eyes as she gazed at the simple monument. She could no longer make out the message inscribed because the tears had blurred her vision. Celestia sighed heavily. “It’s foolish, I know…but…” She took a few steps closer and ran a gilded hoof along the slab. “I still miss you.”

“Celestia…sister, there you are.” Luna stepped softly as she walked up to the elder princess. She saw the monument and then the sorrowful look on Celestia’s face. “Aww, sister…it’s all this talk of humans again…isn’t it?”

She turned Luna’s way, while her lower lip quivered a little. “Please, Luna.” She held up a hoof. “Leave me…I do not wish for you to see me like this.”

Then, to Celestia’s surprise, she noticed her sister’s loving hooves ensnare her into a hug. “Come on now, Celestia…Tia…you know I can’t do that.”

Celestia sobbed a little. “Th-th-thank you, L-Luna, Lulu.” She sniffled and wiped away a few tears, then cast out another heavy sigh. “You’re right. It’s because of Allen’s arrival. That was why I came here…I wanted to pay my respects.”

Luna joined Celestia in looking at the large pillar of stone. “Yes. I must confess to feeling choked up at the thought of him as well. Trevor was a dear, dear friend.”

“He was, Luna…and more. And I still miss him.” She took in another staggered breath. “I will never forget his sacrifice for you…for me, and for everypony.” Celestia held up a hoof.

“Never.” Luna hugged Celestia again. “We will never forget our friend. I only hope wherever he is that he’s happy and at peace.”

Celestia broke out of Luna’s hug and patted her shoulder. Then, she placed her hoof back on the pillar. “Yes…peace. I can only hope and that he is not somewhere suffering.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Luna offered her sister a smile.

The elder princess took several steps back and looked toward the west, the direction of the Smokey Mountains. “Did you read Twilight’s letter, the one she sent yesterday afternoon?”

Luna joined Celestia as they stood together gazing toward the mountains. She turned Celestia’s way. “I did.”

“They’re probably well on their way to finding that item Allen lost. I hope their trip is uneventful.” Celestia turned back toward the monument.

Luna placed a supportive hoof on Celestia’s shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll do fine. Allen seems resourceful and we know Twilight and her friends know how to handle themselves in countless situations.”

“That is very true, Luna. It is a shame I will never get to meet Allen. But, I just was not sure I was strong enough.”

“Sister?”

Celestia looked Luna’s way. “I am fine. And just in case they did run into any trouble, I dispatched some help earlier this morning to keep an eye on them.”

Luna placed a puzzled hoof to her chin. “Oh, you mean the two guards that accompanied them last time?”

“Yes.” Celestia nodded. “I only hope I was not too late sending them or overly paranoid for doing so.”

Shaking her head, Luna replied, “Of course not. You just wanted to make sure they’d be safe.”

Celestia simply smiled, then Luna’s eyes widened. “Oh right. I hate to interrupt your grieving, but we’re both needed in the throne room. Shining Armor has an update from the western boarder.”

Celestia took a cleansing breath and gave a solemn nod. “Of course. Let us not keep him waiting.” She stood tall and joined Luna as they left the gardens, and made their way to the throne room. Just before they turned to enter the castle, Celestia took one final look at the memorial.

* * * * * *

Fluttershy and Rarity followed close behind Allen and Twilight. The human kept his phone close and checked it every now and then. “Hmm.”

“Anything yet, Allen?” Twilight looked his way.

“Yeah, we gotta be getting closer.” Allen panned his head around. “Now, if only we could find the others.”

“Waaaaaaaa!” Called out the panicked voice of Rainbow Dash.

Allen and the others followed the sound and saw Rainbow streaking in the air, beating her wings frantically, while Pinkie Pie and Applejack darted along below her.

“Girls, what’s the rush?” Twilight held up a hoof.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie skidded to a halt, while Rainbow hovered above them. “What’s the rush? Are ya kiddin’ me? We gotta keep movin’ or that darn thing will get us.”

Twilight blinked. “What will get you, Applejack?”

“That creepy thing that kept following us.” Rainbow’s magenta eyes were wide and fearful.

Allen blinked incredulously. “Wait, something has you scared?”

“What? Scared…well not scared, but uh…on alert, yeah!” Rainbow Dash nodded.

Twilight placed a hoof along her chin. “But, there isn’t anything following you?”

Rainbow Dash glanced back and narrowed her magenta eyes, giving a long hard look. Then, she looked back at Twilight and the others. “Huh, you’re right. I wonder where it went.”

“Wait!” Applejack adjusted her hat and held up a hoof, while looking at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, ya getting anything?”

“Huh?” Allen pursed his lips and gave the farm pony a funny look. “Why would she be sensing anything, Applejack?”

Pinkie Pie bounced over to Allen, but her face wasn’t quite as cheerful as usual. “Well, we didn’t know anything was out there, but then we all got a cold chill and then, my tail started to go all frizzy!”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Frizzy! Doesn’t that mean something spooky is nearby?”

Pinkie nodded. “That’s right, Twilight.” She grinned. “Good memory.”

Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. “Well, even though it was hard to believe, I’ve learned to respect your ‘Pinkie Sense.’ ”

“ ‘Pinkie Sense?’ ” Allen gave them both a dubious glance.

“It’s a long story, Allen. But needless to say, if Pinkie’s getting any bad vibes, her body twitches will let us know.” Twilight patted Allen’s side.

“Huh. Good to know.” Allen placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Pinkie, are you getting anything now?”

Pinkie shook her head and held up a puzzled hoof. “Nope, it’s gone.”

He cast out a quiet sigh. “Good. Then, if you six are ready.” Allen checked his phone. “We’re less than 200 feet from the recall rod.” He followed the path to the right, which lie in the direction his phone pointed. “It’s this way.”

“Right. Come on, girls.” Twilight motioned with a hoof.

“Wait! It’s happening again!” Pinkie’s eyes widened as her tail frizzed.

Allen slowly panned his head over toward Pinkie Pie and saw her tail frizzing. His hand returned to the hilt of his sword. “This…can’t be good.”

There was an odd rustling from nearby. Applejack’s green eyes widened. “Whoa Nelly, it’s back!”

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the rocky mass ahead. A dark figured emerged from it and stepped into the light. “What is it?!” Allen’s mouth hung open.

“I don’t know, but watch out! It’s got some odd way of protecting itself!” Rainbow Dash took the sky after delivering her warning. “I’ll see if I can get its attention.”

“Rainbow!”

The creature drew closer to them. It had a sleek reptilian figure and was clad with dark gray scales. The beast hissed at them, before opening its mouth wide, then it sprayed a blast of greenish liquid at them.

“Everybody run!” Allen called out in a panicked voice.

The group scattered just as the liquid splashed against a nearby rock. Steam rose up form it as the large chunk of igneous melted into almost nothing.

“Oh great, it can spit acid!” Twilight groaned.

Allen looked back over at her. “Now what? We have to do something.”

The creature noticed Rainbow’s shadow along the ground as it crept closer to the darkened side of a large rocky wall. It craned its head up and spewed its vile acid.

“Whoa!” Rainbow managed to dodge the attack, making it back to the ground. The Pegasus let out a short sigh of relief, before she looked up and noticed a large chunk of rock break away from where the acid had struck. “Aww, rats!”

“Rainbow!” Allen ran toward the Pegasus and managed to knock her out of the way. The hunk of rubble smashed into the ground, narrowly missing them. Allen moved back and carefully returned to his feet. “Rainbow, you okay?”

She looked herself over and grinned. “You bet I am.” Rainbow rose back onto her hooves and ran a hoof behind her rainbow mane. “Uh, thanks for that. I mean I would have been fine, but still.”

“Yeah. I know. You didn’t really need my help.” Allen laughed.

“Watch it!” Rainbow shouted as the creature sprayed another volley of acid. It weakened the rocky overhang above them and sent more debris falling their way. “Aww come on!”

Allen went to cover Rainbow Dash, just as he looked up and saw the debris ensnared in the familiar raspberry glow of Twilight’s magic. “Come on, Rainbow, let’s get out of here.”

“This way you two.” Twilight motioned as she set the debris down. She huffed a little as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Whew. That was close.”

“You’re telling me!” Allen ran with Twilight and Rainbow, while the others ran in different directions.

The beast did it’s best to cover the three groups, but finally made for Applejack and Rarity. It hissed at them, while it nimbly drew close to them, moving on its thin but toned arms and legs. The reptile spread its jaws as it unleashed more of its corrosive acid.

“Sweet Celestia! Run, Rarity!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. Ahhhhh!!” Rarity screamed as she and Applejack did their best to elude the beast.

Twilight skidded to a stop and started channeling magic into her horn. “Let’s see how you like this?” She bore the creature an angry grimace. Aiming her horn, she fired a beam of magical energy at it. It’s slotted yellow eyes widened as it leapt out of the way of her attack. “Darn, I missed!”

Allen came to an abrupt halt and snarled under his breath. “Nuts to this! I’m sick of running.” He drew his sword and held it firmly. “Let’s hope I remember what Blade and Regalas told me.” Steeling himself, Allen took off toward the menacing lizard.

Twilight started making use of her teleport magic attempting to get a clear shot of the creature. She managed to teleport behind it, while her horn lit up with a bright raspberry glow as she channeled more magic into it. Without a word, she unleashed another attack. The beam sailed toward the lizard, but it hunkered to the ground and managed to avoid her attack. “Oh come on! I won’t miss again!”

“Ahhhhh!!” Allen took advantage of the creature being distracted and charged with his sword at the ready. He cleaved at the beast, but to the human’s horror, it stopped the blade with its hand. “What the?!”

It turned its yellow eyes at him and growled. “Raaahhh.”

Allen swallowed hard; his heart nearly leapt into throat. “Now what?” He thought fast as he attempted to pull back his blade, but the creature gripped it tightly, and despite being sharp, it didn’t seem to have cut his foe in the least. Ugh, why am I so useless. I warned the other’s this might happen. No, no…have to stay focused and positive. Remember what Blade and Regalas said. Allen gulped as sweat coated his forehead. Guess I’ll be dining on dirt again.

Just as the creature went to reach for Allen, it stopped. There was a raspberry flash on its back. “Allen!!” Twilight stood nearby, her horn was still glowing brightly.

“Twilight!” Allen only looked the unicorn’s way for a second, before focusing his eyes back on the lizard. It hissed in pain and finally let go of Allen’s sword. Not wasting this opportunity, he stepped back and put some distance between him and the attacker.

The beast panted for a moment and saw the group slowly move from a defensive stance to a more intimidating one. Twilight had managed to injure it and Allen kept his sword at the ready. The others surrounded it, still keeping a cautious distance as they all knew about its vile acid breath.

It slowly panned its serpent-like head around to each of them, its forked tongue slipped out of its lizard lips as it stood proudly. The reptile flexed its jaw, then let out a chilling call, which had a distinct otherworldly quality to it.

Twilight, Allen and the rest of the mane six stood fast, and in a few moments they discovered why the beast had let out that call. More growls filled the air as three more of the beasts crawled out from the rocks and slowly advanced on them.

“Twilight, any thoughts?” Allen looked at her; fear was starting to resonate in his pale green eyes.

“Ohh.” Twilight groaned. Then, she took a cleansing breath. “Guys, we still outnumber them and we know they aren’t invincible.”

Applejack grinned as she went for her rope. “Then, it’s just gonna be a good old fashioned fight.”

“Sure looks that way.” Rainbow Dash snickered.

“Everypony ready?” Twilight looked the group over.

A pair of spears landed near the lead creature. “Yeah!!” Called two voices that Twilight immediately recognized.

“Huh?” She and the others looked to the path they had just come from. There, two of Celestia’s elite guards stood, a brown unicorn and a white Pegasus, clad in their golden armor. “Hey, Crossguard, Solar Light!” Twilight waved at the two of them.

They both nodded, while Solar Light used his magic to recover their spears. Crossguard stepped forward and saluted. “We’re here to render assistance at the request of her majesty Princess Celestia.”

Twilight smiled. “Glad to have you two. Okay now, let’s show these lizards who’s boss!”

The two guards joined the others as the lizards took advantage of their agility and maneuvered to surround the group. Each splayed its jaws and sprayed forth their greenish acid.

Allen and the ponies did their best to elude the assault, but it seemed that even with the addition of the guards this was not going to be an easy battle. Twilight looked to Allen and the others, hoping to think of a way out of this. “Everyone, get ready to…huh?”

Just then the ground under them began to quake. In moments a giant shadow fell over all of them. Allen froze in place, shaking his head. “No, not again. I-i-it can’t be!”

A loud roar pierced the air as the red dragon poked its head over the rocky walls. Twilight whimpered. “Oh, this isn’t good.”

The dragon narrowed its orange eyes and studied the group of Allen, the ponies and the four lizards. It growled under its breath as flaming embers seeped out from around its mouth. Following a quick turn of its head, it opened its mouth and unleashed its powerful fire breath. The cone of flame rained down on one of the lizards. It shrieked out in pain as the flames quickly charred it to cinders. The dragon turned its sites to the other three and quickly rose into the air, beating its massive wings.

In a display Allen found both impressive and horrifying, the dragon quickly saw to dispatching the remaining beasts with its breath. Like the first, they immolated in mere seconds and turned to small piles of ash, which gradually blew away in the mountain breeze.

“Huh! Good riddance!” Bellowed the dragon in a strong voice as it made a smooth landing. He then puffed out a breath and turned to look at Allen and the ponies. “Are all of you okay?”

Allen blinked in disbelief. “Huh? You aren’t going to barbecue us?” He looked up at the dragon, which easily stood some twenty feet tall or more.

The dragon folded his wings and placed a clawed hand over his chest, giving Allen a funny look. “Barbecue? Of course not.”

“Then why…” Allen scratched his head and let the blade of his sword rest on the grass, but kept a firm grip on its hilt. “Why did you attack me the last time I was here?”

The dragon shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to attack you.” He snarled. “I was after those devious snargs.”

“Snargs? Wait, you mean those lizard things?” Allen looked around and only saw the ashy remains of the first one that menaced them.

“That’s right.” The dragon nodded. “They are terrible acid spewing reptiles that are the product of dark magic.”

“Dark magic?” Twilight interjected as she stood beside Allen. “In all my studies of Equestrian history, why haven’t I ever heard of these snargs?”

The dragon gave her a solemn look. “It depends on how far back you’ve studied. And some historical literature from that era was locked away or destroyed.”

“How long ago would that be?” Allen dared to ask.

The dragon placed a claw to his chin. “Hmm, well, I haven’t see snargs in at least twelve centuries. During the darker times of Equestria.”

“Huh. So then, you weren’t after me last time?” Allen blinked, continuing to find it hard to believe he wasn’t originally the dragon’s target.

“No. I had been tracking more of those snargs.” The dragon lowered his head in contrition. “I sincerely apologize if my presence here last time caused any of you any trouble.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Rainbow Dash flew up to the dragon. “You mean when I flew at you, you weren’t after Allen or driven off when I buzzed around you?”

“Again, no. I didn’t know what you wanted and didn’t have time to ask. There was too much at stake. I had to confirm the presence of those snargs and stop them.”

“I’m confused, why are those there snargs such a bother? I mean, y’all are a great big dragon after all.” Applejack blinked.

“A group of four like that doesn’t pose too much of a threat. But, just like other creatures that lurk in the shadows. They are dangerous in large groups, because they swarm and spew that horrid acid of theirs.” The dragon punched his fist into his other claw. “They are such a menace.” He sighed. “A red dragon like me can deal with a great many of them, but younger and smaller dragons or ponies like you, would be at a huge disadvantage.”

Twilight nodded her head. “Well then, it looks as though we owe you our thanks.”

The dragon smiled. “You are very welcome. I won’t leave anyone to face those creatures alone.”

“Yeah.” Allen waved to the dragon. “And I accept your apology. It just seemed like you were after me. You even used your fire breath on me.” The human rubbed his arm nervously.

The dragon grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about that. My aim was a little off, but I was actually aiming for snargs. They were hiding in the shadows, and my first volley of fire let me see where one was hiding.”

“Oh. Well, that changes everything…I guess. Huh. Oh, Mr…Dragon, do you have a name?”

“A name? Me?” He smiled and laughed. “They call me Crimson Flame. Uh, you can just call me Crimson. I protect these mountains from danger.”

“Whoa. I’ll bet Spike would have enjoyed meeting you.” Pinkie Pie nodded.

“Spike?” Crimson blinked.

“It’s a long story, Crimson.” Twilight smiled. “Well, it’s a relief to know you aren’t a threat.”

He shook his large head. “No. You have nothing to fear from me. But, now that I’ve confirmed the presence of even more snargs. It’s hard to say how long this break will last. More may return. I won’t know until I meet up with my fellow guardian dragons.”

“Wait.” Allen looked up again. “There’s more than just you?”

Crimson laughed. “You’d better believe it. Here.” He blew a small flame that quickly formed a small shiny object. Crimson puffed a breath on it to cool it, then passed it to Allen.

Allen caught the curious red gem in his hands and looked it over. “What’s this?”

“A dragon stone. If ever you need me. Hold this up and call my name. I can sense its call from a very great distance. But…” Crimson held up a scaly finger. “Only use it in a time of true emergency.”

“All right.” Allen placed it in his pocket. “Thank you, Crimson.”

He smiled and nodded. “Anytime. Now strange creature, I wish you and the ponies a safe trip.”

“Wait, my name is Allen.” Crimson had already started lifting into the air.

The dragon looked down and nodded. “Farewell, Allen!” Crimson turned his focus to the sky and took off further into the mountains.

“Wow. I sure didn’t expect that.” Allen stood there for a minute and just blinked.

Twilight chuckled as she pawed Allen’s side. “Don’t forget, we still need to find the recall rod.”

His eyes widened. “Oh, yeah! Let’s get right on that.” Allen sheathed his sword and fished out his phone. He brought up the app and checked the location. “Well, despite that unplanned battle, looks like the rod is…less than 300 feet…that way.” He pointed up a small path, which looked all too familiar.

Twilight started to follow Allen, then she stopped. “The rest of you, stay here. But, if we aren’t back in five minutes, come after us.”

“Five minutes. Ya got in, Twi.” Applejack nodded. The others offered similar acknowledgements.

Twilight rejoined Allen as they continued up the short path. He kept a close eye on his phone and the path before them. “Looks like it’s right along this plateau, over…HERE!” Allen followed as the phone beeped intently.

“Is that it?” Twilight pointed to a strange black object. Excitement was on her face as she followed Allen over to it.

“Hmm.” He reached down and claimed the item. “Yes. Finally, we found it!” Allen held it up and just stood there for a moment. A gentle breeze whisked through his short brown hair and made Twilight’s mane and tail dance.

“Well?” Twilight looked at Allen eagerly. “Aren’t you going to see if it works?”

He turned her way and nodded. “Yeah. Now, I’m not nearly the scientist that Jim has turned out to be, but I have a basic grasp of the fundamental principles from our experiment. If this thing still works, all I need to do is power it up and hit the return switch.” Allen rotated the rod and revealed the few buttons on it. He pressed the power button and the device whirled to life. “Okay. Looks like its working."

Twilight stayed closed to Allen. She wasn’t sure if she was excited or sad. She turned to him. “Well, is it working?”

He nodded. “Mm-hmm. Here goes.” Allen held up the rod as it began to buzz with energy. A beam of light peeled off the end of the rod and hit a focal point on the dimensional barrier and then simply fizzled. “Huh?” He looked at the rod and hit the recall button again. “Come on.” The device whirled up again and then shorted out, a faint trail of electrical smoke rose up from the emitter.

Twilight looked back to him. “Is that it?”

“I don’t get it. Was it broken from before?” He hit the power switch again, but nothing happened. Allen pressed it three more times, but still nothing. “Nope.” He shook his head. “It’s not working.” He lowered the device and sighed.

* * * * * *

After Allen gave the recall rod a final try, he and Twilight rejoined the others and made their way back to the train platform. Now the group was onboard the express bound for Ponyville.

Twilight sat with Allen as he stared out the window. She placed a hoof on his right hand. “Cheer up, Allen. At least we found the recall rod.”

He turned her way. “Yeah, but how do we repair it? Principles are one thing, but actual construction of such devices is beyond me.” Allen blinked as he gazed into Twilight’s eyes. “But, you might have an idea, right?”

She used her magic to hold up the device. “Hmm. I found a way to recharge your phone. Maybe we can fix the recall rod.”

“Yeah.” Allen nodded.

Twilight looked at the rod some more. “Hmm. There may be a way.”

“Here's hoping.” Allen resumed looking out the window. After another harrowing trip into the Smokey Mountains, he was even more conflicted about whether he should stay or go home. It had already been a little over a week since he arrived in Equestria. Surely his parents were furious by now, but perhaps there was no way for Jim or the others to come back for him.

Allen’s mind returned to entertain the idea of staying in Equestria, but two things made him unsure of this option as well. First off, was he allowed to stay indefinitely? And second, given the vile creatures that call this land home, was this really a place he wanted to live in forever?

He startled a little. Turning to his side, Allen noticed Twilight had leaned against him. She let out an adorable yawn as he smiled and placed an arm around her. His eyes widened for a moment, but as he looked around, aside from the two guards, the other ponies had all fallen asleep. His eyes returned to the lovely unicorn, which was now resting against him. Allen’s heart nearly melted at the sight of her beside him.

Resting his head against Twilight’s, he at least found one thing that would make staying here bearable. It seemed there was no easy answer. He was just going to have to take this one day at a time.

“Allen.” Twilight spoke fondly from within her sleep.

That’s when he remembered, despite all the chaos in the mountains, they did survive, and he even helped save Twilight’s life. “Twilight,” he whispered softly, keeping his arm around her. Allen stayed there with her and let his troubled mind grow silent, besides, just like the others, fatigue was finally starting to set in. Soon, Allen’s eyes fell shut and he drifted off to sleep. The train continued ferrying them all back to Ponyville as it clattered down the rails, leaving the Smokey Mountains far behind them.