TWILIGHT POV

Once we found what was presumably a safe location, far away from the castle, Noire sat on a nearby rock and closed his eyes, concentrating on finding some memory of Grim's location. We were all aware of the risk but at that point, we were running out options. "What will we do if Grim senses Noire trying to enter his memories?" I asked Tidal, still concerned about the plan.

Tidal answered "We continue onward. Grim's last attack was a warning that if we keep letting him do what he wants, we will keep losing ground until he swallows Equus with his quickly rising forces. This is still a recon mission though: the princesses have given us strict instructions not to engage until we are absolutely sure we've found his lair and have an army flown here to attack at his most vulnerable."

"But if he notices us, he'll either flee or fight us right away, and we're not prepared or equipped for either. If only our ship was intact, we would be in a better position."

"It doesn't matter now. We just have to carry on with the cards we've been dealt. We also have to keep you out of harm's way, so only Noire and I will be going." I wanted to oppose the idea but chose not to. Despite my skill in magic, I was still a student tasked with establishing relations between ponies and dragons. I completed my part of the mission, so I only had to let Tidal and Noire do their job. The thought led me back to Seahoof, reminding me that we should definitely send him home before things get hectic. However, there was the fact that we only had enough teleportation scrolls for Noire, Tidal, Spike and I, which meant one of us would have to stay behind. I wandered to Seahoof, minding his own business, exploring the blue skies while Torch was not so quietly muttering to himself.

"Still mad about your daughter becoming dragonlord?" Seahoof asked, noticing his foul mood. Torch leered at the speck below him gave out a frustrated huff "I don't understand much about what's going on but I know that if my kids or grandkids did something as amazing as what your daughter did, I would be over the moon with joy. Take this from an old coot: It's useless trying to control the younger generation. They are like children with colouring books, always exceeding the boundaries set for them."

"It's not that simple, pony."

"Then explain," Seahoof responded.

Torch gave out a long sigh before explaining himself "Of course, I'm proud that my offspring succeeded me as the dragonlord. Better her than any of the other simple-minded fledgling drakes lusting for power. However, there is still the side of me that wants to keep the tradition of dragonlords. For me, a Dragonlord should be the one that proves themselves to be the strongest of their kind but ever since Ignia came into the picture, I was thrust into conflict with the other side of the argument: that for the royal dragon family, who have lost everything to war, this is their birthright." He looked up at the clear sky absent-minded "And Ember. By the progenitor, once Ember entered the picture, it immediately felt like I was being colluded against by my own family. So how am I supposed to react when Ignia wants me to retire as dragonlord and hand reign over to Ember, skipping right over the Gauntlet of Fire? My ancestors would be ashamed at how easily I gave in, at how even after forbidding my daughter from participating, she still won the title."

The two elderly males sat in silence, absorbing all that had been said and heard until Seahoof decided to speak up "Maybe instead of telling me about this, you should talk about this with Ember." Torch looked down at the stallion in confusion "The way I see it, Ember is the embodiment of both the parents' ideals: both blood and power, but also so much more. I saw myself what she was capable of and I have to say she will be a fine dragonlord who can satisfy what both you and Ignia want. She won the title not just because of her blood, but her strength, intelligence, and ability to accept others and another way for a dragon to live. If you took the time to talk to her about what you've said to me, I'm sure she'll understand where you're coming from and be an even better dragonlord as a result. In shorter terms, trust your family with your struggles and soon you'll find that you can all work to a greater future together than what you could do alone." Torch was left silent in front of the wise, old man, pondering on his words of wisdom while I hid behind the rocks. After a minute or two, Torch finally responded.

"What is your name?"

"Captain Seahoof. At your service," he said with a tip of his sailor hat. Torch chuckled to himself as he began to shrink in size, matching the size of a human.

"Seahoof. I will remember your words and that name for as long as I live. I thank you." He extended his claw to Seahoof, which he reciprocated, leading to a hoof/clawshake between not a dragon and pony, but between equals. I teared up a bit from the beautiful display of a budding friendship, feeling a warm sensation in my chest like drinking hot chocolate on a late night. Fulfilled. Before I could jump out and congratulate the two, I heard Noire gasp and fall off the rock he sat on. I ran over to him, where he was being tended to by Tidal.

"Did you see anything, Noire? Do you know where to find Grim?" Tidal asked.

"More importantly, did he notice you?" I added.

Noire was left in a daze for a couple of seconds " I've got good news and bad news. I found him and I don't think he saw me," we all gave out a sigh of relief "But he's got something with him. Something terrifying."

WINDY POV, THE PREVIOUS NIGHT

Once we had arrived in Manehattan, we were soon greeted by the mayor, Mayor Judicia, and were brought up to speed about current events. Ponies have been frequently disappearing at night and without a trace for us to follow. That was until we had been informed that Judicia had already pinpointed a possible hideout "14 hairdressers, 2 construction workers, 2 models, even a public influencer. Chrysalis had taken very random ponies, so it was hard to find a common thread to trace to a locale. I had questioned the missing ponies' friends and colleagues about places they had frequented in the week before their disappearance but all of the places were too varied. That was until Chrysalis gave us a very significant clue." She slid a picture of an incomplete building with a stallion in a suit in front of us "Carat Gold went missing the day before you arrived here and one place he went to on a weekly basis was his restaurant that was under construction before it was stopped due to all the disappearances. All of the places the missing ponies work are within a 2-mile radius of this building. I suspect you'll find your bug lady there. You will have usage of Manehattan's police department. Go stop her before I lose anypony else."

As I looked down at the building from above, I thought back to my conversation with Rainbow and Fluttershy. As I was warned, Rainbow instantly wanted to jump in and take her out but with a lot of arguing, I managed to get her to settle down in our hotel and wait with Fluttershy. As for her, she came up to me and explained her reason for coming all this way "I came because I wanted to see what happened to the missing ponies, maybe see if there was a way to help them. However, I can see that won't be possible now so I can only ask this of you. Please, if you find any of those chimaeras, don't kill them if you don't have to. There were once ponies like you and me."

I was silent for a moment before nodding, assuring her that I would try my best. I could see why she was the element of kindness. Everypony was caught up in the chaos of Grim's attacks that we forgot that his army was built of the lives of innocent ponies and other creatures. I was stripped from my daze when I saw a light flashing from a hair salon on the east side of the restaurant, followed by two flashes from the store on the west side. The signal that the forces I requested were in position. "Looks like it's time to begin. Wind Sniper's Cloak." A vortex of wind covered my entire body, leaving me completely invisible. I swooped down and through an open window frame and scoped out the inside. As expected, most of the area was completely empty, excluding some construction material laying around. The lighting was almost non-existent, with only streaks of moonlight to guide me "Now to check the area. Wind Sniper's Sight." Gusts of wind were sent forth, sweeping the entire area. Within a few moments, I could feel the entire building. Most of the building was normal: empty and incomplete, however, I could feel a crack in the wall that left a piece of it capable of moving "A secret room perhaps?" I silently made my way through the building, making it to what appeared to be the makings of a kitchen to find the cracked wall. I pushed the broken part of the wall to find that it could rotate. It spun 90 degrees, opening a way into a dark room, illuminated by green goo. Once I confirmed that I was the only one, I dispelled the cloak and searched the room. Lining the lab were pods like the ones changelings use to capture their prey. It was evident that this was where Chrysalis was storing her victims. It was in the middle of my search that a unicorn guard, Captain Metal Star, contacted me using telepathy.

"Have you found anything, General Windy?" the stallion asked.

"Yeah. There's a secret room in the kitchen. Seems to be empty though" I continued looking around for the missing ponies but all I could find was empty pods "It looks like all of them have been moved to another location but they couldn't have gotten far. The goo from the pods the victims were kept inside are still wet. Stay in your positions for now while I look for any more clues." I waited for a response but none came "Do you read me, Captain?" Still nothing. I quickly ran out of the restaurant and kicked down the door of the east building to find a pool of blood beneath my feet. I followed the trail for only a second and met the lifeless gaze of a dozen men, chastising me for my failure. A pale, faceless mare dressed in a black catsuit with a katana stood in the midst of death and turned to meet my fury. There was not a moment to be spared as, without a thought, we both engaged. We caught each other's attacks and were locked in a bitter struggle. I could feel the assailant gaining ground and before she could overwhelm me, moved to the side ad aimed "Rifle Arrow" and fired several arrows at blistering speed. The mare managed to dodge every one of them with the greatest of ease but I wasn't finished with her "Bazooka Arrow" I launched a larger arrow which was also dodged but she wasn't prepared for the explosion of wind that followed. She was blown back into a wall but quickly gained her footing. She attacked me with multiple magic slashes. The speed of the attacks was eventually too much to handle, sending me flying into the air and into a wall. The moment I spent reeling from the pain, the faceless mare leapt up to my level to deliver a final attack but I smirked as she was obstructed by an invisible wall "Wind Wall. I planted that friendly little thing when you threw me into the air" I didn't waste the chance as I rammed her in the gut and collided into a wall. She dropped her katana and before she could draw it, I took her secondary weapon, a dagger, and held it to her throat.

"West team, I've got an assailant who appears to be working with Chrysalis. I need a squad to take her in ASAP" Silence rang through the dark empty salon and found myself surrounded a six more of these faceless mares "Shit." One of them aimed a crossbow at the back of my head but I was already preparing my escape. As soon as she fired, I flapped my wings and summoned a gust of wind to send the arrow of course. I used that opportunity to fly as fast as I could out of the store. As I saw the salon disappear from my sight, I thought back to the mayor "Fuck, this is bad. I should head back to the hotel. They shouldn't be able to tail me back there," I said to myself as I flew away.

I opened the door to the hotel room and turned the lights on to reveal an empty living room. I checked the bedroom but there was no trace. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were gone. In their place was a letter with a sun-shaped seal. "A letter from Celestia?" I picked up the letter and began reading.

To General Windy Wing, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy,

I am unfortunately writing to you to inform you that Tirek, a powerful centaur with the ability to absorb magic, has broken free from Tartarus. He has already struck in the form of kidnapping Luna. I require the elements to gather at the Tree of Harmony immediately with General Windy's protection. I have already prepared a carriage to transport you back to Ponyville. Be safe.

Princess Celestia

From her short letter and messy handwriting, I could tell this was bad "This is the worst timing," I said as I took off out of an open window "I need to get to Ponyville ASAP."

TWILIGHT POV

By noon, Noire and Tidal were already on their way to Grim's location to scout it out while Seahoof, Spike and I were left with Ignia and Ember at the castle. As we watched Torch take off, both Ignia and Ember looked like they were pondering on something "Is something wrong, Ember? You seem distant," I asked.

"It's just that dad hasn't been that talkative since he got back. I would almost say he looked... renewed. Like he's a different person from how he was when he wouldn't let me join the Gauntlet of Fire. It's weird," she responded.

"I have to agree. He does seem a bit more humbled than when he left with you. Would you know anything about that?" Ignia asked. I was about to tell them about Seahoof and Torch's conversation but Seahoof cut me off before I could speak

"He'll probably tell you all about it when he gets back. Speaking of, Twilight has there been any progress on getting me back home. As exciting as this adventure has been, I'm in need of a good, home-cooked dinner and a bath," he said, stretching his tired joints.

"Same here," Spike added "After the Gauntlet, I could go for some food right about now." They were right. With our mission complete we could go home and let Tidal and Noire finish the rest. However, with a loud burp, our longing for home was going to have to wait. A letter with a sun-shaped seal appeared right in front of our eyes. I hastily opened the letter, wondering what Princess Celestia had to say.

Author's Note

I have to say tying all three stories together in a satisfying way was a challenge but I think I did the best I can and should be much easier in the coming chapters as the characters are drawing ever closer to the boss of the arc so expect a shorter wait for next chapter. In other news I'm getting my A Levels in August so that's a thing I'm equally excited and terrified about. Hope you all have a great day!

Stay dizzy. Wuzzy out.