The Element of Concord

Chapters

Friendship 101 - Everything You Wanted to Learn About Friendship But Were Afraid to Ask
The Flimflam Fluster
Every Human For Himself In The Big City
A Hero's Hero
In Search of Silver
Evil in the Everfree
Acre Sweet Acre
No Harm In Havin' Fun
Frisk
Destiny Calls
A Frisky Foal
On The Bright Side
Hot Stuff
Two Halves, One Pony (Read Author's Note)
Vacation Vacancy

Friendship 101 - Everything You Wanted to Learn About Friendship But Were Afraid to Ask

Today was a special day. Today was a day nobody would ever forget. A day that meant a lot to me. It was the one-year anniversary of the day I came into Equestria for the first time. That day, I'll never forget. As I woke up, I hopped out of bed, and straightened and neatened the blankets. Neatness is next to heroicness, I always say. I opened up my dresser, and took out my favorite orange shirt that Rarity made for me. I never did once lose it. I put on my other favorite pair of jeans (dunno why they're my favorite), and then put on my shoes.

I looked in a crystal mirror, and noticed my hair was slightly messy. I grabbed a comb, and combed it to perfection. I felt ready to take on the day. I headed out of my room, to see Starlight passing by. "Ah, good morning, Starlight!" I said, in a happy, cheerful tone.

"Hiya, Loyal! Wow, you seem pretty happy this morning. That's... unusual."

"Because today is one of the most special days that comes only once a year. And it's not even a holiday!" I replied. "Today marks the one-year anniversary of when I first came into Equestria!"

"Oh! Has it been a year already?"

"Surprisingly. Don't forget, I WAS gone a while......er....how long was that exactly?"

"A month. Give or take."

"Hmm. It was only a day and a half in CHS." I said, as I began to walk down the hall. "But today's also special, because I'm considering starting friendship lessons of my own from Twilight. After all, I can't just sit around looking heroic all the time!"

"Huh... That's interesting... Well, maybe you'll learn fast enough to teach me a thing or two."

"Said the Unicorn with possibly more magic than I did when I beat Ghaan." I half-complimented, half-joked. But joked in a teasing way. "Friendship lessons aren't that difficult to learn, right?" I asked. Hey, better to get a warning ahead of time.

"No, they're not that difficult. Unless you're a former cult leader with no real social experience."

"Come on, Star. Everypony's moved past that. I'm surprised after an entire year, you still haven't...let go of that."

"Who says I haven't? All I'm saying is they were easy for Twilight and her friends, not so much for me."

"Well, I'm sure thing's'll work out." I replied, as I headed into the meeting room, where Twilight was, no surprise, filing papers and straightening reports. "Good morning, Twilight!" I said. There was another reason I was excited for today...but you'll find out why soon enough.

"Oh, good morning, Loyal! You sure seem bright and happy this morning."

"That's because today is one of the most special days that I've been waiting for. And no, it's not my birthday or a holiday."

"Oh? What's the occasion?"

"Today's the one year anniversary of the day I came into Equestria." I replied.

"Oh, wow, is it really? Huh, the year just flew by, didn't it?"

"For me, it really did, considering I was gone from this world for a month. I'm still curious to know what really happened during that time."

"Well, just some friendship lessons for Starlight..." Twilight said.

"And the kidnapping of every major figurehead and protector in all of Equestria and their subsequent rescue by Trixie, Discord, Thorax, and yours truly," Starlight added.

"Wait, what now?" I asked. "It sounded like you said that basically, the Princesses and guardians of Equestria were kidnapped, but that's just silly." I said, hoping that wasn't true.

"Oh no, it's true," Twilight added. "Queen Chrysalis kidnapped Celestia, Luna, Cadence, my brother, my niece, my friends, and I. Evidently, she didn't think Starlight was worth replacing, which proved to be her undoing."

"Oh....well, that explains what happened in Midnight Sparkle's--or, Chrysalis' dimension, then, when she expositioned her revenge plan and what happened."

Starlight gave a look of confusion at the name 'Midnight Sparkle'.

"Wait... Midnight Sparkle...?"

"Yeah....she was supposedly a form of magic demon. She was created from a large amount of magic in the....universe, in which I was sent to solve a major issue. She was being controlled and/or ordered by Chrysalis, apparently."

"Oh, and speaking of friendship lessons...Twilight, I figured starting today, I could participate as well. It's like I said, 'I can't just stand or sit around looking heroic.'"

"Do you need friendship lessons, though? It seems like you get along with most ponies just fine..."

"You never know. Not all friendships will easily remain stable. That, and I got nothing better to do."

"Well, fair enough, I suppose."

"Great! So....how or where should I begin?" I felt so excited. I hadn't been mentored or tutored in so long. It felt amazing being tutored/mentored by a princess.

"Well, I suppose you could start by going to see Applejack with Starlight. They're supposed to be working together on the farm today, and you can check up on your little friend there."

"Fair enough." I replied, and nodded gratefully. "Let's go, Star. Adventure awaits us!"

"Right!"

I walked out of the room, and down the hall. This castle was like a maze, but after a while, I knew my way around, no problem. I walked down a flight of stairs, and into another hall. I then walked into another doorway, which lead to the main foyer. I headed out the doors, and down the stairs. Down the path in front of the castle was....a statue of me.

"Wow...they actually..made a statue of me?" I asked. I guessed the ponies did it out of my honor.

"Yeah. You did kind of save our entire world, after all."

"Well....isn't that something. I really do feel honored now. But I wouldn't say it's something to brag about."

We continued onwards, and onto a path, which eventually led to Sweet Apple Acres. And my favorite little filly was waiting by the front gate. She probably saw me miles away, and waited for me to arrive.

"Heya, Diamond!" I greeted. "It's so good to see ya!"

"Hey! Long time no see!"

I'll be honest, Diamond Tiara was, in fact, one of my best friends. She was the first friend I ever met, too. "Is Applejack around?" I said, as I lifted her up and hugged her.

"Yeah, she's inside making breakfast."

"Hm. You know, today marks the one-year anniversary of when I first came into Equestria. It's also the day you and I first met!"

"I'll bet you still remember that day!" I said. "I just came out of nowhere....lost, confused. But look at me now! A hero of the world!"

"Of course I remember! That was the day you encouraged me to get out of my mother's home!"

"Speaking of, any word from her?"

"Actually, things have been pretty quiet regarding her for a long time. I don't think she wants me home. At the very least, she isn't looking for me. I guess it's safe for me to go into town alone though, because I have and I'm still living here."

"It's a shame we really couldn't convince her to be nicer. Well...I guess there's some ponies who just won't change....well, anyway, today I'm getting friendship lessons from Twilight, so my task was to come down here to help AJ and the others with farm work. So, seems like this can count as a visit from me."

"So, how've AB and the others been?"

"They've been really good! I've been helping out with their cutie mark therapy business a little and I think they're glad to have me."

"Well, that's good!" Moments after, Applejack came out of the barn, holding some kind of tray. Most likely breakfast for Diamond. She soon noticed me and Starlight at the gate, and approached us. "Oh, hey AJ. Good to see ya this morning." I said. AJ was also one of my best friends....everypony was. But mostly AJ, because she gave me a place to stay after the entire 'Spoiled Rich' incident.

"I'm getting friendship lessons from Twilight. My first task was coming down here to help you out. You don't mind, right?" I asked. Surely, AJ would accept me doing work with her. After all...somehow, working with her was kind of FUN.

"Hey there, Loyal! Nah, I don't mind! You two can give me a hoof - or a hand - with the chores this mornin', since there's plenty that needs doin'."

"Great! I get the feeling there's a ton of work to be done." I replied. "Though, should I wait until you finish breakfast?"

"That'd be pretty great, yeah."

"Okay, then!" I replied. "Should I wait here?"

"You can if you want to. I made plenty to eat though, so if you're hungry, don't be shy!"

"Hmmmm....well...I guess it wouldn't hurt to grab a bite to eat. Besides, foolish to work on an empty stomach." I replied, crossing through the gate, and Starlight followed. "That, and I'm sure the fillies would be happy to see me."

As I followed AJ towards the house, I noticed that all the apple trees already had buckets underneath them. "Wow. You prepared ahead of time." I commented.

"Well, we do have a big orchard. It helps to be prepared."

"Say....what's the biggest number of trees you've bucked in a single day?"

"Define 'day.'"

"From when you go out of the house, to when you go in to eat dinner."

"Well, I haven't really ever kept track..."

"Hm. That sounds like it'd be an interesting challenge." I replied, as we eventually headed into the house. Inside, there was Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applebloom, still eating. Though Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle weren't really around. "Hey, everypony." I greeted.

Everypony smiled and waved at me. "Hiya, Loyal!"

"It's good to see you all again!"

Granny Smith piped up. "Say, Applejack, did he come here to visit, or to work..? Either occasion is quite nice..."

"Oh, he's here to lend a hand with the chores today, just like Starlight."

Granny let out an elderly chuckle. "Hee hee...that boy always DOES enjoy his work. And he even has the looks to perform work Big Mac could even do. Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

"Eeeeyup!"

To be fair...she had a point. I was strong enough to fend off Timberwolves and stop gigantic demons. So some difficult farm work? No problem. Though it wasn't clear if Granny or someone would ASSIGN it to me. Whether they did or not didn't bother me.

"Why don't y'all have a seat? Eggs and toast are being served." I nodded and took an empty seat. "Heh...everypony thinks we only ever eat apple-related foods. Well, that ain't entirely true. We'd be sick to our stomachs if we only ate everything apple."

"I'll be honest, though, Loyal. Applejack is one pony you could never top in trying to outwork her. She's got at least three times the strength of an average grown pony. But it's nothing to brag about."

"Well, I don't know about THAT..."

"Oh, but I sure do. You recall the one time you tried bucking several trees for Applebuck season on your own? You'd need a lot of strength to do even THAT." Granny replied.

"Well... yes, that is true. But don't you remember I kept myself up for days doing that?"

"You had the strength to stay up day and night, too. You see? None of us can match your strength."

Breakfast was pretty good. We sat around, eating, chatting, cracking jokes every so often. Eventually, it was time to get to work. Big Mac went out into the fields, AB went to help him out. Granny went to clean the house.

"Hey, Applejack, could I help you out this time around?" I asked.

"Sure you can! I mean, if you think you can handle it, that is."

"Psssh! Sure, I can handle it!" I replied. I wasn't gonna get too cocky, though. "What's on the list?"

"Well, we've gotta wash the pigs, feed the chickens, collect the hens' eggs, re-paint the barn, and of course we've gotta rake up the fallen leaves."

"Hmm. Sounds like a good kind of challenge. I'm up for it." I said confidently. "But, as I told myself, I'm not getting TOO cocky."

"Right, well, you think you can take care of re-painting the barn while Starlight and I rake up the leaves?"

"Of course! How hard can painting a barn be..?"

"Well I never said it'd be hard. Just might take a while."

"Okay. Where're the brushing supplies?"

"In the barn. Might be up in the loft."

"Ah, okay." I replied, heading back into the barn. It didn't take long to head into the loft, where the brushing supplies awaited. I headed back outside, and stood in front of the barn. I took a deep breath, and exhaled. Time to get to work. I got a ladder from the shed near the barn. I grabbed a paintbrush, dipped it into the red paint can, and carefully took the brush to the top of the ladder. This was, in fact, going to take a while.

*two and a half hours later....*

I climbed down the ladder, only to be greeted by AJ and Starlight. "Oh....hey, you two."

"Heya, Loyal! You gettin' done, huh?"

"Yep. Actually took longer than I thought to paint over the Mural of Pinkie. Hopefully she understands."

"I'm sure she will. She meant well, but it's not exactly very 'Apple' so much as it is really 'Pie.'"

"Well, Apple and Pie DO go together.."

"And, oddly enough? We're family."

"Wait, really?"

"Well, that's what we think. We're not really able to confirm either way, but as long as we FEEL like family, that's what counts."

"See, that's the one thing I really like about you allYou know family matters most."

"It does matter an awful lot. But more important is remembering who your family is, and that just 'cuz someone isn't related by blood doesn't mean they're not your family."

"You're all family to me. Besides, you're the ones I'm grateful for for you letting Diamond and I stay here."

"Of course! We never turn away somepony in need. And I dunno if you've noticed, but Di's really been pickin' up some skills here since you've been gone."

"What skills?"

"Well, she felt guilty for stayin' here without helpin' out on the farm, so she's been helping out with the chores, too. She's learned a lot so far, like how to buck apples, and how to make cider, among other things."

I blushed at the adorable thought of Diamond bucking apples. God, it sounded cute....

"She learned to buck apples...? That's.....neat.."

"It's certainly gonna help come harvest season. Havin' an extra pair of hooves around here means things'll get done even faster, which means more time for family and friends."

"R-right...well...is there any other tasks to do?"

"Well, unless AB and her friends took care of it, we still have to wash the pigs, feed the chickens and gather their eggs."

"Why don't I feed the chickens and gather their eggs, and you try washing the pigs. If I finish early I'll try to help wash them as well. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that works for me! C'mon, Star."

I headed over to the chicken coop, but before entering, I stared at the chickens. I had a baaaaaaad history with chickens. Considering my grandmother's chickens...but hopefully these ones were more tame. I carefully opened the gate, and walked inside. The chickens all just stared at me. I grabbed a bag of feed, and carefully threw some chicken feed onto the ground. The chickens scattered out of the way, and began pecking at the ground. One task down, one to go. I crept up to the chicken coop, and looked inside. No chickens in here. That's a relief. I looked inside the little cubbies, and found 3 eggs in one, 2 in another, 4 in another, and 2 in the last. That's 10 eggs. I carefully placed them in a nearby bucket, and walked out of the coop, and out of the pen.

I walked back towards Starlight and AJ, who seemed to be efficiently washing the pigs. "I counted, and there were 10 eggs." I said.

"Well that's nearly a dozen. Not bad," AJ said.

"You got an extra sponge and bucket of water?" I replied.

"Sittin' right over by the gate."

I walked over to the gate, and picked up the sponge and bucket, and walked over to the pig pen. I got inside, sat down, and began thoroughly washing one of the pigs. It actually sat down on my lap, just enjoying it.

"Why are animals so attracted to me...?" I questioned.

Applejack shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they just sense you're a good guy."

The pig let out a happy squeal. "I guess so. This one really seems to like me, though....well, at least it's not forty PIGS coming after me."

"Do the pigs have names?"

"Ah... I'm not sure, actually. Not unless AB named them when I wasn't listening?"

"Hmm. I'll call this one....Lucifer." I suggested.

"Where're you gettin that from?"

"It just sounds right."

"When you think about it, Lucifer sounds like a brilliant name for a pig."

The pig let out a happy squeal, as if it liked the name.

"Huh. Well, fair enough, I s'pose. Hey, Star, hoof over the bucket, would ya?" Starlight nodded and moved the bucket closer to Applejack so she could continue washing the pigs.

Lucifer seemed to enjoy the bath. He occasionally squealed happily, followed by series of snorts.

Finally, I finished cleaning him. He just sat there happily. "He looks good!" I said.

"Yep, nice and clean!"

Eventually...

Once the pigs were good and clean, we put the sponges and buckets back. I noticed my pants were somewhat filthy from the dirt, but hey, that's farm work for ya.

"Is that everything?" I asked.

"I think so, yeah."

"Okay. Well, thanks for letting us work with you, AJ! It was actually pretty fun!"

"No problem! Feel free to stop by any time if you're free!"

"Well...if that's everything...shall we head back to the castle to report to Twilight, Star?"

"Sounds good to me."

With that, I turned around, and headed out the gate, and began following the path back to the castle....with a certain young pink filly hugging my neck, and piggybacking.

"Heh, whaddya know....she really is clingy towards me...."

The Flimflam Fluster

Once we got back to the castle, I explained my full report on the task at the farm.

"...and so, with that being said, Starlight and I have successfully completed our task. And, might I say, we made Applejack really happy." I said.

Twilight smiled. "Well, that's excellent to hear! I'm proud of you two!"

"I have to admit, I had a good feeling the lessons would start out efficient. And they indeed have. And, to add to the report...." I turned around, revealing Diamond STILL piggybacking. "A certain someone couldn't resist tagging along." I finished, laughing a bit.

Twilight giggled. "Well, she's been looking forward to seeing you."

"Heh, no kidding. But it's always nice to see her. Although, I kind of can't." I joked.

"You know, I never really asked....what was one of the craziest friendship issues you'd ever gone to solve, Twilight?"

"Well, there was this one time when Fluttershy and I went down to the Smokey Mountains to settle a feud between two families. Umm, a lot of pumpkins were thrown that day."

".....let me guess. The most insane literal food fight you could have experienced."

"There was a time when I couldn't tell if the sun was being blocked by clouds or the clouds of food flying between the two hills."

"...goodness. Well, surely everything worked out fine, I'm guessing. By the way, have you seen Chrysalis? She hasn't been around all morning. Normally, she'd leave a note saying if she left for an errand." I said. Sometimes, Chryssi tends to...wander.

"Actually, I haven't seen her in a while..."

Just then, a glob of some kind of green solquid dropped onto the table. We all looked up to see Chrysalis....on the ceiling. She was working on some kind of cocoon. There didn't seem to be anything inside. "Oh....hey, all!" She greeted.

"Err... Chrysalis.... what exactly are you doing...?"

"Remember how you said I could find a place to make myself at home, and if needed, I could make it out of the way? Well...that's what I'm doing." Chrysalis replied. "It's out of the way."

"I.... I didn't mean up there...."

Chrysalis used her magic (which was, thankfully, restored), to remove the cocoon from the ceiling. "Is it alright if at least *I* stay up here? It's such a nice view."

"Well, I suppose...."

Just then, the crystal door swung open, and Spike came running inside the room. "You....you guys gotta come see this!" He said.

"Huh? What's up, Spike?"

"The Flim Flam brothers are in town! And they're saying they...need help! They look seriously freaked out! I get this feeling they're not trying to scam."

"I think we should go help them!"

"Well... I suppose we should..."

As I went outside, Twilight and Starlight followed.

"Okay! You five have fun!" Chrysalis said waving with one hoof, before accidentally falling off the ceiling.

"......Ow."

We quickly headed into town, where, sure enough, two tall salesponies, supposedly the Flim Flam brothers, were in a panic.

"Somepony, please help us! We're in major trouble!" The one with a mustache said.

"This is the worst situation we could ever be in!" The one withOUT a mustache said.

"Huh, what do you know. It is them. I wonder what's going on?"

The pony without the mustache noticed Twilight. "Oh, Princess Twilight! Thank goodness you're here! My brother Flam and I were absolutely panicked! But it's a good thing you're here. Our machines have gone completely haywire! We can't even do BUSINESS because of that!"

"Most of our machines, the E-vaccum-ator, the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, AND Bob have all gone crazy!"

"...Bob."

"Our assistance robot...Bio-Organizer ‘Borg. Short for Cyborg."

"Please! You must help us! We'll do ANYTHING!"

"Err... We'll... see what we can do."

"Fantastic! Come! To the offices!" Flam said (I'm guessing the one with the mustache). He led us to a strange machine (I’d describe it, but...it’s so strange-looking, I don’t even know WHAT to describe), and pulled us onto it. Flam pressed a few colorful buttons and pulled some switches, and pushed a largely labeled ‘GO’ button. Within moments, the machine took off at a high speed, almost like a rollercoaster. ‘Thankfully, this machine wasn’t broken!’ Flim shouted over the screaming winds, holding onto his hat. ‘It’s convenient for travel....provided you get used to high-speed travel!’

I don’t know how fast we were moving or for how long, but the machine came to a screeching halt a bit later. ‘I hope this thing came with barf bags,’ I groaned, holding my stomach, trying not to toss my cookies. Before us stood a large series of factories and/or buildings, with typical smokestacks, and clanking sounds heard coming from inside.

"This is where most of our machines dwell. Impressive, is it not?"

"Wow. Well, I'll give you that."

"Unfortunately, Bob has sealed us outside. The doors are jammed with wooden planks, and not even our magic can open them."

I took this as a chance to be a bit heroic, and charged at the door, ramming it with my shoulder. What I slammed into wasn't wood...it felt like METAL. I leaned against the wall, rubbing my shoulder. "Who puts metal inside wood...?!"

"Ah, yes.....those aren't wooden planks. They're METAL wooden planks." Flam said.

"Metal wooden planks? What purpose does that serve?"

"So nopony breaks in that easily. You've no idea how valuable some of these machines are. Especially for scamming. Someone could use them on US."

"Oh, wait, I just remembered there's a secret entrance in the front...silly mind, doing its work at the wrong moment.." Flam said, smoothing his hooves across the wall, until one bumped into something. "Ah, yes, here it is!" He pressed some kind of secret button, which caused a chunk of the wall to slide down, revealing a secret entrance. Flim gestured to Twilight. "Alicorns first." He said.

"Oh, no, I insist, after you."

"Well...alright, then." Flim replied, before heading into the hall. Flam followed after. "You think they're trying to kidnap us?" I said to Star and Twi.

"No. I just have no idea what's down there and I would think even they'd know better than to send the princess in first."

Moments later, the main door opened, and Flam came out. "What do you know! The secret entrance lead to the entrance! Well...let's head on in!" He said, before we followed him in. Everything was shut down. No conveyor belts were moving....no machines were working...nothing was turned on.

"Anypony else getting a creepy feeling, or is it just me?"

"Something definitely gives off creepy vibes here. It's almost like this place is haunted or something."

"Welllllll....there MAAAAAY be a ghost or two here....possibly the ghosts of the ponies who lived here before they were crushed by a falling girder...?" Flam replied uneasily.

"What."

"Which miiiight explain why this factory was only 200 bits."

"But don't worry! Maybe they won't bother us.."

"And knowing my history with every mystery slash supernatural novel ever, the ghosts come out about.... now."

At that moment, the machines and everything turned back on, as if on cue. "D-does that count?" I asked.

"Machinery turning on on its own constitutes either a REALLY big power surge or a poltergeist, so yes, in all likelihood."

After walking into one room, bright lights suddenly turned on. A robotic voice filled the room. "WELCOME, MY GUESTS! I DO HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR VISIT TO FLIM AND FLAM'S FACTORY OF FABULOSITY!"

Out of the light came....a small robot, that looked exactly like a combination of Flim and Flam together.

"Uh, what the heck is THAT?"

"That's....Bob."

"...You made Bob.... look like you two."

"Yeah.....we felt like we needed....'another brother'".

“I think just you two dorks is enough..” I commented.

"I THOUGHT I KICKED YOU TWO OUT. FOR BREAKING THE RULES OF BREAKING AND ENTERING...YOU WILL BE ELIMINATED!" Bob said.

Then, several big tough metallic parts extended from his body. A laser eye...an energy cannon....and a giant hammer extended from within his body.

"....I forgot he does that." Flam said.

"Well. That's.... umm, interesting."

I stepped forward. "We're willing to help take him down."

Flim and Flam stood in our way. "No....it is US who must destroy what we created. You gave us enough courage to face the one thing we were afraid to stand up against..and only we know how to truly beat him...what can I say, when you’re panicked, you don’t really think about what you’re doing. So bringing you here....might have been just out of panick. And besides, chances are we’ll remember we can DO something about shutting him off...like how I remembered about the entrance, the, erm.....poltergeists, and now Bob having weaponry. Sure our adventure was short....but it was still worthwhile."

“So we just....leave.”

“If you don’t want to see what an explosion looks like up close, then yes.”

"Wait, wha-?"

"I know this might have seemed like a waste of time for you....but it wasn't. Knowing a Princess is around to protect everypony..even us...fills us with courage....with determination..."

"Thank you all..." Flam said.

"Wait, I don't understand!"

"You don't need to understand....you just need to live." Flim replied. "And we're not about to let you get hurt from one of our OWN creations."

Before we could do anything else....Flam quickly pushed us out of the room.

"What...just happened?" I asked.

"I... I don't know...."

"Well...we can't really think or do anything about it now. They're gonna sacrifice themselves trying to take down Bob."

"I'm not sure Applejack would be that concerned...."

Before I could say anything else about that comment, strangely, my mark started glowing. And Starlight's did, too. And so did Twilight's. Which could only mean one thing...

Author's Note

This was one of those slightly random chapters, but I had to modify it a bit to make it less..random.

Every Human For Himself In The Big City

"So, let me get this straight." I said. "The map is FINALLY calling me, and you two. Meaning...I can finally go on a friendship issue-related quest."

"I didn't even know the map could call anyone besides Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and I..."

"Or Starlight. But hey, that's magic for ya. So, where's it pointing to?" I asked.

"Well, let's have a look, why don't we?"

As I peered over the map, our marks seemed to be over....a really, really big city.

"That place somehow seems familiar..." I had learned about the different places in Equestria. Funny enough, they were puns on places on Earth. Appleloosa, like Applachian, South Amareica, like...yeah..same for North America. Canterlot, like Camelot. And like Manhatten.....

"It's Manehatten, right?"

"Right."

"Ooh! I've never actually been to a real city before. Colorado Springs...never really counted. What's Manehatten like?"

"Well, it's a big city. Supposedly it's one of the fashion centers of Equestria."

"Hmm. I bet Rarity's gone there. Has she?"

"Multiple times, actually!"

"...Multiple? What, did they keep calling her back for more of her beauty they couldn’t get enough of?" I joked.

"Not exactly. The first time, we were there for Fashion Week with her. The second, she got called there by the map to solve a friendship problem there, the third she went with Pinkie to find a spot for her new boutique, and most recently, she was there to set up and open the boutique."

"Hmm! I also get the feeling she met with some competition..."

"Did anyone ever try to beat Rarity in fashion?"

"Well... There was Suri Polomare..."

"Well, Rarity generously offered her a swatch of fabric to use for one of her outfits, but Suri took her generosity and ran with it, essentially stealing the fabric and claiming it was her own."

"Hmm...well, surely she's reformed her ways by now, right?"

"....Eh...."

"I know, I know, too plot convenient."

"Oh...what'd she do?" I asked. I had a feeling I was going to hate this Suri before I even met her...I was....Suri of it.

"Well, we've got no time to lose! Let us pack our bags! WE'RE GOING TO MANEHATTEN!"

"Well, Rarity generously offered her a swatch of fabric to use for one of her outfits, but Suri took her generosity and ran with it, essentially stealing the fabric and claiming it was her own."

"Hmm...well, surely she's reformed her ways by now, right?"

"....Eh...."

"I know, I know, too plot convenient."

"Well, we've got no time to lose! Let us pack our bags! WE'RE GOING TO MANEHATTEN!"

*later that day*

Starlight, Twilight and I boarded the train for Manehatten. We found our seats, and as usual, I was assigned the window seat. "I have never felt more excited! I haven't felt this excited since the trip to the Crystal Empire!" I said.

"Well, that's nice! Honestly, trips around Equestria have become sort of routine for me. I spend a lot of time in Ponyville, sure, but I'm off in other places a lot, too."

"I'll have to make sure I don't get lost. If Manehatten is anything like I expect, it'll be quite busy."

"Oh yes, it's very busy."

Just then, the train chugged into motion, and soon, we were off. It was mostly two full hours of trees, plains, and occasional nature creatures on the side. Until....we crossed a big iron bridge. I looked out the window, and....there it was.

"That must be Manehatten!"

It wasn't long before the train chugged into the station. But by this time, it was almost nighttime.

"Goodness...fast day." I said. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure. The map only really tells us where the friendship problem is. Typically, it finds its way to us."

"I meant to stay the night!" I said, laughing a bit. "It's nearly dark."

"Oh! Of course! Umm, there should be a hotel around here somewhere..."

"Do you think you could lead me?"

Twilight nodded and began walking into the city.

As I began to follow Twilight, it really WAS kind of busy. Ponies came from all over the place, and it was kind of hard to avoid them, despite being taller than them. Slowly, it began to get more and more crowded....I tried my best to focus on where Twilight and Starlight were. I tried calling out to Twilight, but she didn't or couldn't hear me. At one point, I tripped and fell. I quickly got up, but...no matter which way I looked, I didn't see either of the ponies. "Oh, no..." I said. "Oh, no, oh, no...this is very bad...not even five minutes, and already....I've been separated!"

I had to force my way through the crowds, until I found a seemingly empty bench booth. I just sat, and watched as the crowd grew, and grew.....and then slowly became smaller and smaller...until I was all alone. I figured I should *try* to sleep, so I lay down on the cold, hard wood, shut my eyes, and...attempted sleep.

About half an hour later, I was almost asleep, when I heard a voice speak to me. It didn't sound like Starlight or Twilight...but a bit like Fluttershy, though not her.

She was an Earth Pony with an off-white coat and two-tone blue mane and tail. She was wearing a brown plaid jacket with a hood. Her eyes were also Sky Blue.

"Umm, excuse me, are you okay? Can you get up?"

I sat up, and rubbed one eye a bit. "Well..honestly, after being separated from my friend Twilight....not...really. Why?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just... Saw you laying there, and... umm... Did you mean Princess Twilight?"

"Y-yeah....do you know her?"

"Well, not personally, no, but I do know where she would probably be staying..."

"This is my first time visiting Manehattan. I...don't know my way around."

"Humm.... W-well, yes, it can be... fairly intimidating, can't it?"

"Y-yeah.....I don't have any money to stay someplace, either.."

"Oh... well, that's... That's a shame..."

"I could TRY to survive the cold...but last time, that didn't work out so well."

"You didn't really interrupt me by approaching me, though. I actually appreciate company."

"Oh, is that so....?"

"Y-yeah..." I replied.

"I'm Loyal, by the way. Who might you be, mysterious cloaked pony?" I felt the need to add that last part.

"...Coco Pommel."

"As in, a reference to Coco Channel, the famous French fashionist?"

"...Ah... what?"

"Erm...nothing, nevermind. So, how did you find me..?"

"I was... just walking and I saw you asleep on the bench..."

"Well...I didn't exactly have another place to go. And I don't right now."

"....Do you.... need a place to stay...?

"Yeah....I kind of do...." I replied.

"...Well.... ....Come with me...."

"Wait....really?"

"Yes. Come with me."

"...Well....alright. Better than sitting here freezing my butt off." I said, getting up.

"I'm sure. I can't stand seeing people suffer."

"Well...thank you, Coco. I appreciate your kindness."

"It's... no trouble."

"Might you please lead the way, then?"

Coco nodded and began walking into the city.

I began to follow Coco. "I hope Twi and the others are okay. They're probably worried. But knowing Twi, she'll probably plan on looking for me the first chance she gets."

"Well, she is the Princess of Friendship... I'm sure she's already got a plan in her head."

"Yeah. So, Coco, what do you ddo for a living?"

"Well... I'm a seamstress. I make costumes for ponies who are in bridleway productions."

"Hmm...sounds like a lot of work."

"Oh, it is, but it's not as if I'm the only one."

"I did hear of someone named Suri Polomare who used to have a similar job."

Coco tensed up. "Yep. Good ol' Suri."

"You know Suri?"

"You could... say that."

"Well, it's not like she was your boss...right?"

"....."

"....Oh. S-Sorry...I didn't..."

"It's okay."

"I don't usually talk about her."

"Well....all we could do is hope she's thought about her ways."

"...Right..."

Eventually, we reached Coco's home. "Looks rather nice." I complimented.

"Thank you."

"You know, I just hope I can get through one night without anything weird happening..a lot of things can happen in one night..magicky things. They tend to follow me around."

"So, how long have you lived in Manehatten?"

"Oh, for a while now... Since I took the job as a costume designer..."

"Actually... I grew up here. But, well, I went traveling for a while, so I guess you could say I'm back home now..."

"Well, so long as you're happy here, that's good."

"So, what was Suri like? Sorry...I just...felt I had to know just how bad she could have been."

"Well, she... she was bossy, and manipulative, and a liar... Not to mention selfish..."

"Huh. You usually don't see that in a fashion pony."

"That's true. I don't know what's up with her!"

"My guess is that her parents raised her like that."

"I suppose it's possible, but really, some ponies just turn nasty and I don't know why..."

"Souls like that, I just feel sorry for."

"I understand completely. It's very tragic, isn't it?"

"Yeah. At least you're not like her."

"I suppose that's true..."

"Wait, I just realized....do you even have an extra room?"

"Why, yes, I do. It's right down the hall there. Not that there's much of a hall..."

"Well, short or long, halls are halls."

Eventually, we reached the end of the hall, which had a door. "Is this it?"

"Yes, this is it."

I opened the door to find a nice, clean storage room. "It's very tidy."

"Yes, well, I don't have company very often..."

"Thank you so much for your kindness, Coco."

"You're very welcome..."

"Do you mind if I get comfortable in here?"

"Of course not, go right ahead."

I nodded gratefully, and headed inside the room, closing the door behind me. Coco gave a smile and turned to head to her own room to get ready for bed.

There was a bed right next to a balcony, with a beautiful view of the city. I just closed the curtains, and took off my clothes, and got into the bed. Within moments, I was asleep.

The dream I had was kind of sweet. I was with Twilight in a hotel room. We were together with Starlight, as well, discussing the friendship problem. That was all I really dreamed about before I awoke. I got up, made the bed, got dressed, and opened up the curtains. "Another day, another adventure.”

I heard the door open behind me. I turned around to see Coco standing there. "Oh, good morning, Coco!"

"Oh, hello... uh..."

"Loyal. Did you sleep well?" I asked, approaching her.

"I slept wonderfully, thank you for asking!"

"I slept rather well, too. It's nice view from the window." I replied.

"Yes, it is. The park across the street looks lovely, doesn't it?"

"Yeah...I didn't realize this place even HAD one."

"Yes, well, it's old... They're trying their best to fix it up though..."

"How long have they been at it?"

I suddenly noticed something about Coco. Last night, she had worn a jacket covering her body, but now...she looked *really* cute.

Noticing this, I began to blush a bit. I tried my hardest not to, but....I failed miserably.

"Oh, umm, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah....I'm fine."

"Well...shall we, uhh....get something to eat?"

"I don't see why not."

"Okay. So, what plarces have good food?"

"Well, there's a nice diner down the street."

"Sounds good to me."

So, with that, Coco and I headed downstairs, and out of the apartment. She lead me down to the diner, which looked pretty good.

"Kinda reminds me of the International House of Pancakes. Man, that restaurant was brilliant." I commented.

"International House of Pancakes? Why would you have a house made of pancakes?"

"It's not MADE of pancakes. It's just the name. They're a very popular restaurant. It's shortened to iHOP."

"It's one of my other favorite places to go, usually. IF I was home."

"Hmm. Sounds like a good place to visit."

"They have fancy ways of serving pancakes to children. Chocolate chip ones with faces designed from whipped cream and cherries, omelets, and hot chocolate...even describing it makes it sound good."

"Well. We're not gonna get any food standing here. Let's go in."

We entered the restaurant, and delicious smells attacked my senses. Smells of pancakes and omelets and other delicious foods filled the room.
"Wow...it smells really good in here."

"The food here is very good. One of the best diners in the city!"

"Or, at least, this neighborhood..."

"Hmm. Well, let's find a seat, shall we?"

"Right."

I nodded, and walked around the restaurant, until I eventually found two empty stools at a counter. I sat on one stool, and motioned for Coco to sit on the other.

Coco followed after me and sat on the stool beside me.

A pony wearing a waitress apron approached the counter. "Why, hello! My name is Debbiah, but you can just call me Deb. I'll be your waitress for today. What can I get you two?"

"Oh, just a light stack of pancakes and a cup of tea will be fine for me, thank you."

"I'll have what the m'lady is having." I said.

"Alrighty, then! I'll be back soon with your orders!" Deb replied, winking and heading into the back of the room.

A voice spoke up next to Coco. "Well...if it isn't my old....assistant. Never imagined you'd come here."

Next to Coco was a pony with a light pink coat with a purple mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was of three colored buttons (purple, aqua and light yellow) in a triangular formation. She wore a two-tone blue crossed scarf and a headband holding up her mane in the back. Her eyes were a grayish-brown.

"Oh boy. Umm, is... Is that you, Suri? When did you start working here? I've... never seen you here before," Coco said, a little uncomfortable.

"I don't work here....I don't work....at all now."

Suri seemed a little depressed. So, this was the pony who was the big jerk I'd heard about. She didn't seem very....jerk-ish. "I'm assuming you're still in business? Succeeding without somepony...like me?"

"Well, umm... I... I design costumes for performances on bridleway, if... If that's what you mean..."

"Oh....well.....that's..that's good..."

Coco could seriously tell something was bothering Suri. She figured she had to ask what, to help her.

"....Is... something bothering you?"

"......I was found out. The fashion ponies discovered that I ended up copying from others' designs, after I copied off of Rarity....so they kicked me out of business, took my money, and.....now I just come here, day and night, eating pancakes and omelets to forget about my troubles. It doesn't really help."

"I've got nowhere to go....no jobs to work at."

I suddenly realized that this must have been the friendship problem. Suri needed help getting into business. Either that...or she just needed help getting over her mistakes so she could move on. "Not to mention that I realize how bad a boss I was to you. All I did was lie, cheat, copy, and disrespect....I don't know how you're still talking to me."

"Well, something seems wrong. I don't think Princess Twilight or her friends would stand to see me ignore somepony that's upset."

"Wait, are they here in Manehatten again?"

"Well, Princess Twilight is, I think..."

Suri sighed. "No matter what, nothing's going to convince me that I can fix my mistakes...I've been a bad kind of pony for too long."

"It's probably best if we let Princess Twilight try talking to her, Coco...once we find her.'"

Just then, Deb came back with our food. She slid a plate of pancakes and a cup of tea onto the counter. "Here's your meal! And don't worry about paying! Considering you're with a hero, it's on me!" She said, and with a wink, and turned and went to the next pony.

"Well, that's lucky for us!"

"Well...I've gotta go...I have some interviews to fail at..." Suri said, getting up and heading out the door, not looking back. "She wasn't exactly like the 'jerkish' kind of pony you described, Coco." I said.

"Well, she was awfully jerky last I saw her..."

"Hmm....well, we should probably think of a way to help her." I replied. After that...breakfast wasn't really that active. It was mostly silent. Eventually, Coco and I finished our breakfasts, and got up.

As I went to leave the restaurant, I opened the door, and at that exact moment.....believe it or not, Twilight walked right in, almost not noticing me. And BOY, was I happy to see her. "Twilight! Thank Celestia I found you! or....you found me. Either way, it's so good to be with you again!"

"Huh? Loyal! There you are! What happened to you last night?"

"......I got lost in a crowd. Kind of embarrassing, considering I'm taller than everyone else. But I think it happened when I tripped and fell."

"If it weren't for Coco here, I would have spent the night freezing nearly to death." I said. "I owe her a huge thanks."

"...By the way, where's Starlight?"

"Oh, her. She kind of stayed up keeping watch for you. She's... still sleeping."

"Keeping watch? From where? She didn't sleep outside, did she?"

"No, no, she just stayed up in case you found your way to the hotel."

"Hmm. Well....is it alright if you could guide Coco and I there? Afterwards...there's somepony I need to help out. Or WE need to help out."

"Well, yeah!"

"Right then, lead the way. And I'll try not to get lost AGAIN." I turned to Coco afterwards. "Thanks, by the way." I said.

"I... I actually kind of did want to get something to eat...."

"OH, right. My bad."

As Twilight had her breakfast, I told her about what had happened after we got separated. "So then, she had an extra room, lucky for me, and allowed me to stay in it. I'll be honest, I'm lucky she even found me."

"How long have you two been looking for me?" I asked.

"We've been looking since yesterday evening..."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure Starlight will be really happy to see me." I replied. Knowing her...she really would be. "I know I would be."

"Oh, by the way, we found the friendship issue recently, and you'll never believe who it relates to."

"Is that so?"

"Yup. Apparently, it relates....possibly to Suri Polomare. I know, crazy. But she seems really....upset. Said something about being out of business. She seemed pretty sad. So I figure, we might as well help her." I replied.

"Well, as the Princess of Friendship I know it's my duty to help out those in need!"

"...However as someone who was there when Suri did those awful things and knows she lied, part of me wants to believe she can't be helped."

"...BUT, again, it's my duty, so I guess we can at least try, hmm?"

"Better than not helping her. She said she was found out about all of her lies and tricks, and got kicked out."

"Hmm.... I wonder if anyone has seen her maybe...."

A pony wearing a cloak spoke up. "I know where she usually goes. There's an alley at the end of a street that leads to the back door of an abandoned and forgotten bouique. She spends most of her time there, trying to teach herself to make proper fashion designs."

"Well, I guess we've found our destination then."

"Wait...should we get Starlight first before heading out, or will she be fine on her own? We wouldn't want to worry her by you being gone longer than planned, and she doesn't know it.."

"We should probably go pick her up, yeah..."

So, with that, Twilight, Coco and I all headed out towards the hotel I'd meant to go to. She lead us inside, and into an elevator. Everypony in the elevator stared awkwardly at me, as elevator Muzak played. Cliche, but kind of funny. After that, we walked down a hall, to a door marked '233'.

"Is this the room?" I asked.

Twilight nodded. "I don't know if she's awake yet, so let's go in quietly."

I nodded, and gently opened the door. I peeked inside, and saw a rather nice hotel room. The floors looked as though they were recently vaccuumed. The curtains had been pulled closed, and a nice scent filled the air. I noticed Starlight asleep in a bed. It was so nice to see her again.

"She's still asleep." I told Twilight. "She's such a sweetie when she's sleeping.."

"Heh, is that so? Well, I've never really seen her sleep. We don't use our rooms much for anything besides sleeping."

Twilight touched a hoof to her muzzle. "Well, Starlight uses hers for friendship homework sometimes. Not that... all of her friendship studies aren't homework...."

"Well....how are we going to wake her up, if needed?"

"Well, based on when I'm given to understand she heads to bed, and when she wakes up in the morning, she doesn't usually sleep for longer than 10 hours... So she should be waking up sometime soon, unless she was up until, say, 3 or 4 in the morning."

"Wouldn't you be able to tell if she was?"

"Considering I was asleep, no. No I wouldn't."

"Hm. So you're a heavy sleeper, then, right? If you weren't, even some movements or sounds could wake you."

"I'd call myself more of a middle-ground sleeper. I can be woken up, but it's not like someone dropping a hat would wake me up."

"Hmm."

At that moment, like Twilight predicted, Starlight's ear twitched, and she let out a small yawn. She was waking up.

"Looks like she's waking up. Maybe she'll want a bit of breakfast before we go, maybe she won't..."

"Just in case she does, I've been holding a box with some pancakes from the restaurant for her. I don't think anyone really noticed." I pulled out the box I'd been carrying

"Well, that was smart!"

"Well, she probably wouldn't want to walk all the way down there, so I figured I'd make it easier. I just hope when she tacklehugs me out of joy of seeing me, it won't go flying open. And I know she'll hug me because...."

Nopony really ever knew this, but....let's just say Star and I shared something more than a bond. It was...well..it wasn't hard to figure out.

"....because I know she cares about me."

"Twilight? Is that you?"

"Hmm."

"Indeed it is. And....yours truly." I replied. I had never felt more happy to see Starlight. Or hear her.

"...Loyal?"

Starlight pushed the door open, a huge smile on her face. "THERE you are! What happened to you last night?!"

"I got separated. But thanks to Coco Pommel, I'm fine now."

"Oh, that's such a relief..."

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, locked in an embrace. "See, Twi? Told ya." I said.

Twilight chuckled. "So you did. Well, I can see she's wide awake now."

"And possibly with my presence, she seems to be in a fantastic mood."

"Heheh, true! So, as soon as Starlight eats, I guess we can get moving, hmm?"

"Oh, right! Star, to save time, I brought some food from the restaurant down the street."

"Oh, you did that just for me? Well, thank you!"

I slid the box containing the food to my side, to where she could reach it.

Starlight smiled again before opening the box and beginning to eat.

"You know, I don't know how I'm going to be able to help a faux fashion modeler. I'm not a fashionista like Rarity."

"Hmm? What's this about a fashion modeler?"

I explained the entire situation to Starlight, adding good detail.

"Ah, I see... Well, I AM a little confused as to why Rarity didn't get called with us..."

"Probably because the last thing she'd want to do is help the same pony who took advantage of her generosity."

"Mmm, I suppose you're right..."

"Still...how would any of us be able to help Suri?"

"What if we asked her HOW she was found out?"

"I dunno. It could work..."

"Someone had to have spoiled her secret, and we ought to know who. Even if Suri did do wrong, she didn't have to be ruined, right?"

"So, it's settled. We'll find out how she was ruined."

When Starlight finished eating, she got prepared, and then we all headed outside. "Well, shall we try to find Suri?" I asked.

Twilight nodded. "Where are we heading again?"

I took out the map the cloaked figure gave me. "Seems like...an abandoned boutique in the middle of town."

".......creepy."

"Tell me about it..."

"Well, we had to come to something like this eventually. ...Let's go." With that, we began our journey to the middle of town. The entire time, I had an uneasy feeling, like something was seriously wrong. But I paid it no mind. After nearly an hour, we arrived at an old, run-down boutique.

"This is the place. Have you ever seen anything even creepier?"

"Just the castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest. But that's not that scary these days."

I didn't even say anything that time. I just comtemplated what she said, and knocked on the door. After a few minutes, the door opened, to reveal Suri inside.

"Can I help you...?" She asked.

"Umm... Hello, Suri... May we... come in?" Twilight asked, awkwardly.

"........yeah. It's not like there's much for me to do anyway." Suri said, stepping aside.

Twilight smiled awkwardly as she and the others stepped inside.

Inside, the room looked even creepier. There were tons of pony mannequins everywhere. "It seems my friends are already enjoying your company.." Suri said to us.

"Oh, is that... Is that so...?"

"They don't often get many visitors...

....except for myself, but I don't visit."

I turned to Twilight, and made the cuckoo signal, implying that Suri was kind of out of it. Which, she actually was.

"Come to think...WHY are you here?" Suri asked, turning to us.

"Oh, well... Umm... We were hoping maybe we could... Y'know... Cheer you up? ...Somehow...?"

"How could you possibly want to cheer me up after everything I did?"

"And I thought I was the crazy-minded one.."

"Well... It's kind of our thing. We're very forgiving. If we can find some way to help you..."

"There's no way you can help me. Not since he won't leave me."

"...Pardon?"

"He never left me after he ruined me. He says he's been...tormenting me."

"Who?"

"I can't say it. He'll hurt me if I tell anypony else, he said. Bottom line....you can't help me...it's not possible."

"Well. I'm sure there's something we can do. Somehow, some way."

"There's nothing you CAN do. All I can do is sit here until I can make a proper outfit..."

"...And we can't, like, I don't know, give you advice?"

"Not really. I already ended up getting decent advice. Although....One other thing you can try....is destroying him. I haven't told him this, but I hate him. He's never grateful, he's always bossing me around, telling me to do tasks I don't know how to do. I just want him gone from this world. He's not like any pony or creature, but destroying him would do well."

"Well... I guess we could TRY if all else fails... But not if we don't know who he is..."

"Well...first we'd have to find him....and believe me, he's VERY good at hiding."

"Hmm...."

"Come on, we should probably try to track him down." Suri said, gesturing for us to follow her.

Twilight nodded, standing up and following after her.

We walked through most of the boutique, looking for....'him.'

"I don't know where he came from, though...one day, he just showed up out of the blue. He wanted a place to stay, and I let him stay here. He's often finding nice comfortable places to hide, though..." Suri explained.

At that moment, I swear I saw a mannequin turn to look at me. "Uhm......Twilight...?"

"Hmm? Did you find something?"

"I'm not trying to sound crazy, but I swear to God I saw this mannequin turn to look at me."

"But... But how could it do that...?"

"Suri...? What kind of creature is he...?" I asked.

Well.....he's........

.....he's kind of a poltergeist."

"A POLTERGEIST?! Like... Like a GHOST? The kind that CONTROLS OBJECTS?" Starlight exclaimed. She had never sounded more frightened.

"...y-yeah.....that poltergeist. He's...not exactly friendly. And he has anger issues."

"...Great, a poltergeist with anger issues."

"Well, it could be worse. It could be a poltergeist with violence issues." I said.

"Oh, yeah, he has those, too."

"Well isn't THAT swell!"

"Well, at least he's not destructive."

"......"

"He's destructive, isn't he...?"

"....yeah."

"He's not really.... nice."

"Well, look at that, Twi. Our first invincible enemy. Lucky us."

"Joy..."

It wasn't long before I got the feeling somepony was watching us. I turned to look one way, and ALL of the mannequins were staring right at us. "This is seriously creeping me out..." I said.

"Twi, have you dealt with ghosts before?"

"Ah... Well, not TECHNICALLY, no..."

"Well, we've dealt with an incorporeal being that couldn't be permanently defeated no matter what we did to it before... Luckily we figured out where it was getting its power from and cut off that source of power."

Twilight scratched at the side of her head nervously. "But that was in the Dream World."

"You've been to the dream world? Huh. I just picture some kind of matrix when I think dream world."

"It's exactly like the waking world except you can do anything there, basically."

"Even if I TRIED doing anything, I'd just wake up. I don't see why it's different here."

"Exactly what DID you fight...?"

"It was this big cloud of nightmares Luna created. She was using it to punish herself for what she did as Nightmare Moon, but things kind of got out of hand..."

"So it was a living mass of guilt?"

"Well, more or less."

"Even for HER that's weird. Thank God people don't know how to do that. THEN it'd be a real nightmare."

"...I walked right into that one."

Twilight giggled at that. "Well, it turned out that the key to defeating it was for her to accept that she and Nightmare Moon are two totally different ponies, and that she's changed. We were able to stop it from escaping into the real world, but only she could defeat it."

"Imagine how terrible it'd be for myself to have something equally as bad as a living guilt-filled nightmare. But to be honest....ever since I defeated Ghaan, I'd felt a lot more courageous than I did before. And I eventually came to thinkWhat if it wasn't just the bonds I formed with you all. What if it was Starlight as well? Not just because she supported me, but because....well...I don't know. But mere moments after she supported me, I felt a lot stronger. And since then, I hadn't been afraid to do anything. I felt like I could take on any challenge thrown at me. And that made me feel like even in a nightmare, there was a lot of hope for me, so I didn't have to fear anything, not even the nightmare itself."

"Hmm. Interesting... It's possible I suppose.... But I'm not sure what would cause it."

"It felt like a feeling you'd get for caring a lot for somepony, but how could that be? She and I are really good friends, but how could it be if we're more than really good friends? It's odd. But I'm sure during some major event when all seems lost, the answer will appear in some cheesy but classic form."

"Because that's totally never happened before."

Eventually, the lights suddenly dimmed, then cut off. "Oh, no, the boutique is being hijacked by robbers looking for thread spools!" I joked, referencing the train incident from last year.

Twilight playfully rolled her eyes. "It's the ghost, isn't it?"

Suri sighed. "...Yeah."

"We might need some light to see..." I said. I tried searching my pockets, but...

"I don't have a flashlight."

"Oh, right, I forgot about this!" Twilight tapped her horn, causing it to light up.

"Did you just....light your horn by TAPPING it...? Is it really that magical?"

Just then, an eerie voice echoed throughout the room. "So, Suri.......you betrayed me, and got some accomplices to try to get rid of me...?! Despicable. Despicable! DESPICABLE!"

"Did you girls hear that..?" I said.

Twilight nodded. "Sounds... creepy...."

"Well, how do we find a ghost? Sorry-POLTERGEIST?"

"That's... actually a really good question."

"Well, one other question I'm sure you're wondering might beWho will protect us? Not to worry, I'm up for the job. No poltergeist shall hurt the two sweetest friends of mine!"

"Come at me, demonic poltergeist! I can take anything thrown my way!" I exclaimed. Nothing happened for a few moments. I turned to face Starlight, Twilight, and Coco, and shrugged. Then, with sudden movement, I was thrown at a wall on one side of the room, hurtling into several mannequins in the process.

"...Ow."

"Well. I think we found our ghost. Sort of."

"So...apparently, it used me as a human bowling ball. And I just got a strike." I said, referring to the exact 10 mannequins I knocked down.

"He won't show himself that easily. You've got to lure him out." Suri said. "You'll have to destroy some mannequins, or get rid of them in some way to bring him out. They're like family and friends to him, and he cares about them. So removing them should bring him out, where he'll try to destroy us."

"Wait, isn't it kind of wrong, specifically for Twilight, or someone, to remove a 'friend', when we usually try to MAKE them?"

"That sounds kind of like killing innocent ponies just because you can, just to see if it does anything."

"Well, have you got a better idea?" Suri asked. "We could always try teleporting them somewhere else." I said. "That's a better idea, right?"

Twilight considered the idea. "Well, I do know a teleportation spell...."

"Of course you know one! That's Unicorn Knowledge 101. Or..something. Every Unicorn knows that. Though, Starlight's spells are practically twice as strong as yours, but that's besides the point. So, where are we going to move these things to?"

"....Canterlot?"

"Sounds good. Though whoever sees them will probably be creeped out."

"I was thinking we'd send them to Rarity's boutique."

"Oh, that sounds better!"

I then felt a small blistering pain on the side of my head. I looked in a narby mirror, and saw a medium bruise. "Oh....that looks bad." I commented. "So much for being noble."

Twilight chuckled. "Being hurt doesn't make you any less noble." She then used her magic to lift up a selection of mannequins, then filled her mind with thoughts of Rarity's Canterlot boutique. Then, the mannequins disappeared.

The room shook a bit. "NO! THAT WAS MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS! UNFORGIVABLBE! UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLLLLLE!" The eerie voice roared. Then a light appeared in the middle of the room. "Do you think it's working?" I asked.

"Hard to say! Maybe we just made him mad!"

From the light emerged what looked like a mannequin, but with eyes, an elongated nose, and a dismembered body. "How DARE you! You destroyed my family! I'll destroy YOU for that!" It said.

"Now, hang on a minute. Just what is it that you're doing anyways?"

But the dummy didn't listen to Twilight. It turned beet red, before firing a....well...weird, scribbly ball at us. I dunno what it was.

"Well...you were right. We made it mad." I said. The ball missed, and slammed into a wall. "Twilight, how are we supposed to fight an invincibke poltergeist?!"'

"I... don't know!"

The dummy fired another ball, this time much bigger. It was too big to dodge. "Somepony do something!" I exclaimed, trying to find something to block the ball with.

Twilight panicked and raised a magical shield in defense, hoping it would do something to block the attack.

The ball actually bounced back, slamming into the dummy. "OWW!" It exclaimed. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING THAT MAGIC ATTACK!" Then, it thought for a moment. "Uhh...FORGET THE MAGIC PART!"

Magic...? Wait a minute....

"I've got an idea! Twilight, keep the shield up if necessary. Starlight, try firing a burst of magic as powerful as you can make it at the dummy!" I said..

"Heh. This dummy's quite a dummy." I said. "No way we're gonna lose now."

The magic went right towards the dummy.

"Yes......Yes!.........""

And it only did a small amount of damage, not even fazing him.

"......No.....WHAT?!"

"Foolish beings! You cannot defeat me! I AM INVINCIBLE!" The dummy said, before firing another blast, and it just bounced back, hitting the dummy. "OWW!"

"Wait a minute! The only thing that can hurt the dummy is ITSELF. So, we just have to fool it into launching attacks at us, and we just need to deflect them. But the only question is, how do we make him attack us?"

"Err...insult his mother?" Twilight suggested.

".....did....did you just suggest I insult his mother? This is coming from the Princess...of FRIENDSHIP." I said, shocked that Twilight would suggest something like that.

"Well, I mean, it's not like you'd mean it, right...? We're trying to make him mad here, aren't we?"

"Well....I guess it's worth a shot." I said, approaching the dummy, and clearing my throat. "Hey! Your mother was a defective sewing machine!"

Of course, the dummy got super angry, and launched another attack, and it bounced off, hitting him.

"HEY GUYS! Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! Remember how I said NOT to shoot at me? Well... FAILURES! YOU'RE FIRED! YOU'RE ALL BEING REPLACED!!! Hahaha. Hahaha! HAHAHA! Now you'll see my true powerRelying on people that aren't garbage! DUMMY BOTS! MAGIC MISSILE!"

At that point, small little armored dummies magically appeared in front of the dummy.

"Oh boy. That's new. And also not good..."

"How are supposed to launch missiles at him?"

"Great idea! Thinking with portals!"

"Right! Hey, you! Bet'cha can't hit me with one of those missiles of yours!"

At this, the dummy growled (don't question), and launched at least 13 missiles at Twilight.

Stealthily, Twilight opened a portal both behind her, and behind the dummy. As the missiles came close, she rolled out of the way.

"DUMMY BOTS! TRY AGAIN!"

The dummies fired again, and they went into the portal, and ended up bludgeoning the dummy.

:black_medium_small_squareDUMMY BOTS! You're awful??? FINAL ATTACK!"

They tried again. Guess what happened.

" (N... no way!) (These guys are even WORSE than the other guys!) Who cares. Who cares! WHO CARES!!! I DON'T NEED FRIENDS!!! I'VE GOT KNIVES!!! " The dummy shrieked, throwing a knife, landing in a wall, just FOUR centimeters in front of me. I could feel my rear clenching in fright.

"....Did.... Did you actually.... throw a knife at one of us....?"

"I felt my butt clenching so tightly..." I commented. "I saw my life flash before my eyes.."

"That's insane! Why would you even do that?!"

"I'm...I'm out of knives." The dummy said, not hearing Twilight.

"Well..that's good.."

"BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU! YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME... Forever. Forever! FOREVER!!!!"

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"....Oh.... Oh, I don't know.... I don't know how I'd even make a dress for him...."

"No...you can TEACH Suri." I said.

"Oh... oh! Umm, I guess I can give that a try..."

"Okay. You and Suri head into another room to make a dress, and Twilight, Starlight and I will keep the Dummy busy."

"A-Alright... Come on then, Suri..." Coco took Suri into another room, hoping to succeed in this plan.

"Okay, now, I'll need you two to ensure the Dummy does not get out at any cost.." I said.

"Right.... How do we manage that...?"

"Uhh......should we somehow trap him...?"

"But how do we trap a poltergeist?" I questioned. "Wait....don't one of you know a spell that created a kind of force field or something that not even ghosts can get through?"

"....Maybe?"

"Try it. See what happens."

Twilight shrugged and prepared to cast a spell.

"Twi, if this even works, you'll be one of the most well known female Ghostbusters to ever live! All by using magic!" I said. Believe me, I didn't like the gender-swapped Ghostbusters movie they released before.

"Right. Okay, gotta focus..."

"You're really going to try fighting me again?! Even though it'll do no good?! Pathetic. Pathetic! PATHETIC!" The Dummy shrieked. He then prepared to launch another giant ball attack at us, biding his energy.

Just to ensure I didn't get myself hurt, I backed into the field Starlight was already producing. The dummy still continued to make his attack even bigger.

"Hey, you!" Twilight exclaimed. The Dummy diverted his glaring look towards her.

"What's the matter, think you can hit me? Or are you scared of me?"

"I'm not stupid! I know what you're planning, and I'm not falling for it!"

"Obviously, this means you're forfeiting the battle if you don't want to fight." I teased.

"I'm not forfeiting ANYTHING!!" The Dummy hollered, and launched his attack.

"I think now's your chance!" I said.

"Right!" Twilight cast her spell, releasing a force field around the Dummy, trapping him. The Dummy tried ramming into the field, after his own attack bounced back into him. "LET ME OUT!" He screamed. "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"Heh. Can't believe that worked..."

"You can't do this to me! This isn't fair! THIS ISN'T FAIR!!" At this point, the Dummy began turning a shade of red. "Uhh....is it me, or is he turning a bit red? I think it might be the color of Twi's field, but he seriously looks like he's turning...red.'"

"Okay, now what? We've captured a dummy, and completely pissed him off. Now what do we do?"

"Ah.....No idea."

"Should we just...get rid of him?" I asked, watching the dummy fly around in the field, violently.

"...No, I think we should hang on to him for a while."

"Well, that field can't last forever, and we don't know if he can break it."

"I've got magic to spare. If it looks like it might break, I'll just re-cast it."

"And, I swear, if I have to deal with one more paranormal entity, I'm gonna lose it.." I commented. "Dealing with what would be the cousin of Satan, several evil demons, and now a possessed dummy. I'm starting to see a pattern."

"Well, yeah, it does get old after a while, doesn't it?"

"How do you NOT tire from defeating the same type of enemyPowerful, evil, insane?"

"I guess you go numb to it after a while."

The dummy continued to get even more angry, until, he practically exploded with anger, his entire body red as a tomato.

"You're the worst person I've ever met! I've NEVER been more mad!!! Guooooohhhh!!!! My mannequin levels are going OFF THE CHARTS!!!"

"...? This... This feeling...? Eureka. Eureka! EUREKA! Human. That moment of unbridled emotion. It allowed me to finally fuse with my body! How's that sound? I'm fully corporeal now! My lifelong dream, realized! In return, I guess I won't stomp you. How does that sound?"

I thought for a moment, before getting an idea. "Twilight....lower the field."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"Just trust me. I have an idea."

"...Well.... alright...." Twilight nodded and used her magic to lower the energy frield.

I approached the dummy, and stood silently for a moment, before grabbing it, and hurling it across the room, slamming it into several other dummies. The dummy just lay there, seemingly 'dead', before vanishing with an interesting pixelating effect.

"Next time, think twice before using me as a bowling ball." I said.

"Wha-?"

"One rule to know about meNEVER, and I mean NEVER! Mess with me like he did."

"Now, as cruel as that might have seemed, to be fair, he was already a ghost. So technically, I brought no harm to him. I merely....dealt with him."

Moments later, Coco and Suri re-entered the room. "We finished the dre--what happened in here?!"

"Loyal...threw the dummy..?"

"And destroyed it. To be honest, I improvised some of this. The idea was that Coco would teach Suri to make a proper dress, while we distracted the dummy." I said. "I don't think anyone saw this coming."

"....That... Uh.... I-I don't know what to say about that."

"I knew somehow, we'd have to simplify things, so a diversion was necessary." I turned to Twilight, wanting to know what she thought. "Well...what'd you think of the idea?"

"I.... I don't know."

"So, that means the dummy is gone. But that still doesn't resolve the problem of how I'm going to be able to make a living again...do you think I....should just apologize to everypony I decieved?" Suri asked.

"Well, that'd be a nice place to start, Suri."

"Well...how exactly should I do it? I need to be sure it'll work."

"Well... Maybe just try saying you're sorry. Maybe give them a gift or treat them to lunch or something."

"And, I have something that'll help you." I said, approaching Suri, and giving her a decent bag of bits. I carried more bags of bits around, for situations like this. "These will help you get a good start in your business."

I walked over to Coco, and did the same with her. "And this is for all the help you've given us, Coco."

"A-are you... sure...?"

"Of course! After all, you've done a lot for us, from what I know."

"Did you think your aisstance would go without gratitude?"

"Well, I.... I don't know, really...."

"I'm a nice person. It's natural that I show generous gratitude. Don't worry, I'll be fine with a bit of charity." I replied.

"I can tell you from experience. Let's just say Starlight tried her hardest to save me. That's a moment I'm never forgetting."

“I really wish your family would learn...”

"Wow... Well, umm, if you're sure..."

"Believe me, I am."

A Hero's Hero

Nothing else really happened afterwards after all of that. Twilight, Starlight and I headed back towards the train station. I noticed that Starlight was walking a bit closer next to me, but I paid no mind. After all, the streets always made you feel cramped. Luckily, it didn't take long to board the train. A few minutes after, we were off. Starlight got the seat next to my window seat.

I couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if the dummy had actually....well, ended me. It made me think deeper about the fate of Equestria, if I wasn't here. Obviously, the girls and Starlight would be upset, and miss me deeply. But would Equestria be doomed without my existence? Would I come back as someone else? What if someone else from my past tried to destroy Equestria? What if--

"Hey, are you alright? You seem lost in thought."

I turned my head to see Starlight looking at me. I must have gotten so deep into thought, that she noticed me deep in thought.

"Oh....uh, yeah. I was just thinking about what would have happened if I HADN'T continued existing here. The dummy' intents on killing us had me thinking. If not for you......I really woudln't be here."

"It's funny, thinking about it. All of this happened, because you saved my life...

So what would have happened if I died anyway...there's a lot of possibilities.""

"I... don't really want to think about it."

"I try not to....but it's....ugh, nevermind.. By the way, I've noticed you've been a bit clingy to me....is there something going on?"

"Err... n-no... why do you ask...?"

"Well....I've always felt like one of you had a thing for me."

"Whaaaaaat...?"

"I know it seems strange, but I feel like something about me has caused one of you girls to....well....start crushing on me."

"...R-right...!"

"Though, I wouldn't mind it if someone DID love me." I said, chuckling a bit. "The only loving affection I can imagine getting is a cuddle."

"Seriously, though, tell me you don't have a crush on me? I'm just asking to be sure. Unfortunately, I can never tell who's lying and who' being honest. I usually leave that to AJ."

"No, no, no, of course I don't! That'd be... That'd be ridiculous, like you said!"

"Well...alright, then. I guess it WOULD be farfetched." I replied. "Besides, I'm sure Twilight would have been able to tell if you were feeling something. She probably knows you well."

"Well yeah! I've been living with her for a while now, I would hope she knows me well!"

Another few--more like 5--minutes of silence passed, before I spoke again. "Ya think anypony'll believe us when we say we fought an evil dummy enslaving a dressmaker in an abandoned boutique?"

"Maybe. I mean, we've had an evil version of Luna, the god of chaos, an evil Unicorn wizard of darkness, a magic eating centaur, and me and the Changeling Queen twice each attack Equestria."

"Hm. Yeah, good point. But in retrospect, an evil dummy is kind of.....plain. But you know, its probably best for me not to wish for something stronger. Ghaan was enough."

"It kind of makes me wonder what HAPPENED to each villain that was defeated."

"Excluding the ones whose fates we know, that is."

"Well, Luna's living in Canterlot with Celestia."

"And Chryssi is living with me/us. Sombra's....*AHEM* and the 'god of chaos'? I've never heard what he did."

"Oh he's settled into a non-evil life of hanging out with Fluttershy and playing tricks on pretty much everyone else."

"Wait, he and Fluttershy are....are they just hanging out, or are they an item?"

"Just hanging out!"

"Hmm. Well, what IS he, exactly?"

"I guess you could say he's a mentor on a good day."

"Heh, no, I mean the creature type. Unless you just answered that."

"Oh, oh. He's a draconequus."

"Oh, I'd read about those in mythology. He's the thing with the pony head and all that, right?"

"I guess the best way I could describe it is that he's a very specific kind of chimera."

"Hmm. Have YOU done anything with him before?"

"W-Well, he was one of only a few people out there that I could trust to help me rescue Twilight and the others when Chrysalis attacked again..."

"Trust? What do you mean, 'trust'? if he was reformed, wouldn't be be reliable?"

"See the thing is, we didn't know who was a Changeling and who wasn't."

"Doesn't matter if a Changeling disguises themselves as Discord. They still won't have his chaos magic."

"God, this is a lot to take in. Which leads me to ask, if I may.....what's a Changeling? I'm getting the disguising part, but...."

"Well, they're like... I don't really know how to describe it. They're shapeshifters."

"So, if I can figure this out....Changelings are shapeshifting creatures who can turn into others, and decieve and bring harm to those who believe it's their friends, and they use that advantage to take their victims by surprise?"

"Well, basically, yeah."

"Except for the ones who were at the hive last time Chrysalis attacked."

"Actually yes! They learned that sharing love was more fulfilling and nourishing to their species than stealing it."

"Chrysalis rejected that though."

"They'd been around for God knows how long, and not once did they consider or even THINK ABOUT sharing love.

.....

They're not qualified villains, I can tell you that."

"Erm... actually... I think Chrysalis might've been making them think that wasn't even an option..."

"Well, I guess that implies they might have thought about it before, meaning they could have TRIED to become good, right?"

"Well, maybe..."

"So, what was the Hive like?"

\"It was.... different. Constantly changing."

"Changing?"

"Yeah. It was transforming the whole time we were there."

"How is that possible?"

"It's a Changeling hive. Magic, I'm guessing."

"Goodness...how was it changing? Like, phasing, or what?"

"Tunnels were opening and closing at random."

"Apparently only a Changeling knows how the hive is going to change."

"That's weird. Imagine getting your leg stuck in a hole. Would it be amputated, or would the hole stop shrinking?"

"I'd... rather not think about that..."

"If I ended up doing that, I'd go with the latter."

"But seriously, even for Changelings, knowing how tt'll change is impossible.."

"Not necessarily. Like I said, it's probably magic."

"Changelings might be attuned to the magic and be able to predict it."

"So, in other words, they're psychic because of the hive in a way."

"Yeah."

"Wait....how did you know who was who if you teamed up?"

"Oh, that's easy! Before we went in, we came up with the code phrase 'Klutzy Draconequus.'"

""Heh....r-really? I bet Discord didn't approve, haha!"

"I'm guessing Discord acted clumsy long enough for the name to come into mind?"

"Yeah, he was kinda clumsy without his magic to move around. He wasn't too happy when the code phrase came to mind."

"I'll bet it was stressful being one of the only survivors, and having the fate of Equestria in your hooves."

"Oh there were plenty of survivors... they only kidnapped the princesses, Spike, and Twilight's friends and brother."

"And yes, I'm including Flurry Heart in the 'princesses' group."

"I can see why they'd take Spike; no witnesses."
"Wait. You said 'we'. Who else was with you, besides Discord?"

"Oh, that would be Trixie and Thorax."

"Who're they?"

"Well... Trixie is an old rival of Twilight's...."

"And Thorax is a Changeling."

"Oh, okay. That's--"

I stopped myself before looking at Starlight with an expression that said, 'You're not SERIOUS'.

Starlight gave a light giggle. "Well, Thorax was just looking for some friends in the Crystal Empire. Spike helped him find some, and he was our only hope of finding our way through the hive. Actually, he came looking for someone to find help when the Changelings kidnapped Cadence, Flurry Heart, and Shining Armor."

"So, you actually...teamed up with a Changeling."

"Yeah."

"So, what happens to a Changeling when it gives love?"

"Well... they... transform into these.... well, I don't even really know how to describe them."

"Just think of an adjective, and turn that into a description."

"Colorful? Majestic?"

"Point is they're still bugs."

"Hmm."

For the next hour and a half, there was silence between Starlight and I. I just deeply thought. Before I knew it, we were back in Ponyville. One thing I enjoyed doing often after doing a major task was relaxing behind the Apples' barn. AJ didn't really mind, though.

So, once I got off, that's where I was 15 minutes later. It was a really nice spot to relax. I usually relaxed inside a knocked over barrel. I know, it's weird. But I enjoyed confined spaces. And, like always, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep in there.

About 45 minutes later, I felt something nudge me. It took a few moments for me to wake back up. I looked from inside the barrel towards the outside, to see Apple Bloom outside, giving me a confused look.

"Hey, uh... what exactly are you doing in there?"

".....Resting." I said. "I've been through THE most unbelievable things, so I figured resting in my favorite spot would help."

"How long have you been here?"

"Not long. I just saw you and I didn't get what you were doing in there is all..."

"I usually hang out in here. I don't know how long anyone has missed this...but you know, the real reason I go here is because it reminds me of the first time AJ found me here. When I was introduced to you, you must have been shocked.."

"I come here for a lotta things really. To think, to sleep, to enjoy silence, to brood....right now, there's something on my mind that's been bothering me."

"On the train, Starlight and I talked, and at one point, I asked her if she had a crush on me for any reason, and she suddenly sounded nervous, but she convincingly said no. So, it left me wonderingDoes she or DOESN'T she have a crush on me?"

"I don't actually think I could answer that for you but I guess if she did she'd tell you..."

"I guess so. Maybe Twilight would know..." I said. "She knows a lot about Starlight. But the only issue is whether or not Twilight would TELL Star about my...question."

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Did you or your friends do anything interesting while I was gone?"

"Eh, nothing out of the usual today."

Apple Bloom shrugged before saying, "Fair enough. See ya later, then," and quietly walking away.

I just lay there for about 30 more minutes, before deciding to try talking to another pony before talking to Twilight. I figured I could try talking to Fluttershy. She was patient and understanding, kind of like Twilight. So, eventually I left SAA, and headed down to the edge of the Everfree forest. Before long, I stood in front of her cottage. I took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Oh! Just one moment, please!" From inside, Loyal could hear Fluttershy shout a whisper.

I just waited at the door, guessing that knowing Fluttershy, she was doing one of two thingsTending to animals, or making tea. Or both. But to be honest, it really did fit her. That's what being kind, shy, and polite does to someone.

A moment later, Fluttershy came to the door. "Oh! Hello, is there something I can do for you?"

"Hey, Fluttershy. There was......something was hoping to discuss with you...it's about Starlight..I figured I'd talk to you first about it."

"Oh? What is it?"

I looked around to ensure nobody was watching.

"Do you mind if I tell you inside? I feel uneasy explaining it out here..."

"Oh, umm, not at all! Please, come in."

I stepped inside the cottage, and Fluttershy closed the door. I sat down on the couch in the room.

"Honestly...I don't know how to feel about this....but I think Starlight might actually....be crushing on me. But she convincingly denied it, but I don't know what to tell her."

"Oh... oh my... umm, I... I don't know much about this subject... That's... not what you were hoping to hear, was it?"

"It's not love I'm wanting to discuss..it's how I should deal with the problem.."

"Oh, umm... I would say maybe confront her about it...? But, um, be polite...?"

"Well, the polite, I can do. But here's the tricky partHow do I know she won't get upset that I asked about something she didn't want to be known?"

"Besides....another reason I came in here was to relieve my stresses as well, about all of this. I just....I just don't know what to do. I wasn't about to ask Twilight first, because she might have told Star." I sighed. "But let's face itShe'll find out sooner or later, right?"

"I know I should probably tell Starlight. But it's not the consequences that I'm afraid of. It's what the results of said consequences will be. If Starlight gets upset enough to....hurt me, theoretically, her magic could be strong enough to injure me, and the outcome of that wouldn't be good."

"Oh, I see... Umm, I don't know for sure if Starlight would do that, but it's fair to be worried all the same..."

"I just.....I don't know what to do..." I said, and sighed.

Unfortunately for me, what I didn't realize was that Starlight had, in fact, followed me to Fluttershy's, and was eavesdropping on my conversation. And boy, did she feel hurt.

'Wait.... Did... Did he really.... But... But why would he ask about that...? How did he know...? It couldn't be.... that I made it too obvious.... could it....?'

Starlight didn't know what to think. Should she do something about it, or should she lay low? Either choice was still risky, because Loyal could have been planning to ask the others about her crush. After a bit of thinking, Starlight realized that she would have to lay low for a while, hopefully until everypony forgot about her crush.

https://discord.gg/4zwDHv

"Do you think Starlight would eventually forgive all if I told the others?" I asked Fluttershy. Even if I couldn't get advice, I could at least get a good answer.

"Oh, umm, I would say she probably would. Although, she did kind of hold a grudge against Twilight for that time we 'ruined' her 'perfect' village..."

"That was because it was for an evil reason. But I digress." I thought about it for a moment, before deciding. "I'm probably going to wait a bit to discuss it...I feel like now wouldn't be the best time."

"Oh, you're welcome! I'm glad I could help!"

"So....what now?" I asked, unsure what to do or even say. I'd understand if Fluttershy had business to attend to, but...

"Well... that depends... I'm still sort of busy taking care of my little animal friends, but..."

"Well, that's fine. I'll probably go on a stroll again." I replied, getting up. "Thanks again for the help, Fluttershy." I began to head for the door, and waved my farewell.

"It was no trouble, honest!" Fluttershy waved back and returned to caring for her animals.

As I headed out the door, it took me a moment to adjust to the sunlight again. I began walking back down the path leading to Ponyville, when I heard a twig snap behind me. I turned around to see...nopony. I just shrugged and continued back down the path. After about 15 seconds, I swiftly turned around. I clearly saw Starlight hiding behind a tree. Was she spying on me, or just playing a game of hide and seek?

"Huh....Starlight? Is that...you?"

"Umm... no! Not me!"

I began approaching the tree. She was in the open behind the tree, I could CLEARLY see Starlight. If I was lucky, she wasn't doing anything...unnatural. "Clearly, it's you. What are you doing, playing a game of hide and seek?"

"...Yes...?"

"Well, you've been found. You want me to turn around and count now?"

"Yes!"

"Heh, okay!" I replied, turning around. "One....two--"

As Loyal was busy counting, Starlight took a moment to make sure his eyes were closed, and then dashed away as fast as she could.

'Three...TEN!" I quickly turned around. "Ready or not here I--" I quickly noticed she wasn't ANYWHERE around. Okay, so you might think she was hiding, but she ran the other way. "--come." After a few moments, I just shrugged. I'd find her eventually. But for now, I figured there'd probably be another lesson to learn from Twilight. Or one to learn about for tomorrow. So, I headed towards the castle, feeling excited.

It didn't take me long to find the castle, of course. I walked up the steps, and entered into the main foyer. Afterwards, I walked up a flight of stairs, and into a hallway. I knew by this time, Twilight would be experimenting, or reading, or just...being a neat-freak with scrolls or papers.

As I made it to the end of the hallway, sure enough, there she was, neatening stacks of reports or papers, or whatever. "Oh, hi, Twilight." I greeted.

"Hmm? Oh, hi, Loyal. Is there something I can do for you?" Twilight turned to Loyal with a smile.

"Well, I figured it was probably rather early to be asking this, but are there any other friendship lessons you have planned for this week?"

"Humm.... well, not exactly..." Twilight placed her hoof to her snout in thought. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wanting to know. Though....now that I think about it, lessons like that could usually be found if I'm lucky enough, right? Isn't that what sometimes happened with you?"

"Well, yeah, of course! Sometimes you just stumble on a lesson in friendship without meaning to! Those were some of my favorites."

"This is gonna sound kind of stupid, heh, but, uhh...

how do you pull it off?"

"...Pull what off?"

"Stumble across a lesson by...what, 'accident'?"

"And hey, what do you know? That could be something interesting to studyHow you could normally do something you'd have to be lucky to do otherwise!" I added with a small chuckle. "But really, I'm sure there's a solution to this. But if there isn't, is there a place I should start searching?"

"...Well... usually I'd stumble upon those kinds of lessons when I'm just going about my daily routine and problems pop up in the middle of the day."

"Hmm....you know, that's not a bad idea! Daily walks are my thing, and if I'm lucky, I'll find a problem! It'll be like treasure hunting, but it's more obvious!" I replied. "Twilight, you're a genius!" I said. This sounded like a brilliant plan, and all Twilight did was mention something she enjoyed doing. See, this is why she was a brilliant-minded pony.

Twilight giggled at that. "I get that a lot."

I started heading back out of the room, before stopping. "Oh, and one other thing, TwiIf Starlight comes around, could you ask her if something's bothering her? I saw her near Fluttershy's earlier, but she seemed bothered by something, and she ran off. But just...try not to mention me if you can. I feel like something about me disturbs her, and the last thing we need is for her to be more upset.."

"Anyways, you got all that?" I finished, hoping that whatever happened, if Twilight agreed, she wouldn't end up slipping a word of me into her explanation for Starlight.

"Don't worry, I won't say a word to her!" Twilight gave Loyal a smile.

"Alright, thanks, Twi!" I said, and headed outside the room, and back to the main foyer. I headed back outside the castle, and down the steps, starting my daily stroll. Hopefully, if I was lucky, I'd find some problem to resolve.

In Search of Silver

As I strolled down a long, peaceful path, I began searching for any signs of another lesson to be learned. I felt ready. I felt eager. My first stop was the park. Hopefully, I'd find something. So, as I was walking through, I kept looking around. But no signs of any problems. But as I kept looking, I nearly ran into Diamond, but skidded to a stop at the last second. "Oh, hi there, Diamond! Good to see ya, as always!" I greeted.

"Oh! Hi, Loyal! It's good to see you too! It feels like it's been FOREVER since we last saw each other!"

"So, how've you been doing?" I asked, kneeling down. Something about being a little above her height just worked.

"Pretty good, actually. Things have been going pretty swell over on Sweet Apple Acres."

"Oh? What's been happening lately?"

"Well, me and Apple Bloom have been hanging out a lot more. I've been helping out on the farm, too! It's a lot more fun than I used to think it looked!"

"And I assume you two formed an ultra strong friendship from that?"

"Yes! She's like my second best friend! After Silver Spoon... Although, I haven't heard from her in a while..."

"Hmmm....you know, I'm actually searching for friendship problems to help resolve. Perhaps we can find out why Silver hasn't contacted you in some time?"

"Well... I guess it's worth a shot, huh...?"

"Great! So, where should we start?" I replied, hoping that we'd have a good lead. "You do have a good lead as to where to begin, don't you, Diamond?"

"...Actually... I don't really know..."

"Oh...well, uhh....hmm. Wait, I've got it! We could ask Pinkie Pie! If Pinkie remembers everything about everyone, maybe she'll know where Silver is! Tha was the next stop on my daily stroll, anyhow."

"Well.... sounds good to me, I guess!"

"Alrighty, then! Off we go! I'm sure we'll get lucky! I just hope Silver's okay." I said, as we began heading off towards Sugarcube Corner. "By the way, if you've seen Starlight recently, was she acting...weird?"

"I actually haven't seen her. But, like, weird how?"

"She's been acting secretive, and kind of odd, like something's worrying her or stressing her out. And I think it's something to do with me."

"I just don't know if asking her what's wrong is the right choice. But I really hope I didn't do anything to freak her out. So, I gotta ask, should I just ask her what's wrong, or let it slide?"

"I dunno... I'm not sure how to respond to things like that, really..."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure a time will come when I must make the choice." I replied. We continued onward through town, and it didn't take very long to reach Sugarcube Corner. Mostly because the beautiful smell of sweets filling the air led me to it like a GPS to a treasure. Pinkie was busy repainting the front wall.....with brown frosting. "Heya, Pinks!" I greeted cheerfully.

"Oh! Hiya, Loyal! What's up~?"

"Well, Diamond and I came over to ask you if you happened to know where Silver Spoon would be. We're kind of trying to figure out where she was last, since she hasn't contacted Diamond in some time."

"Hmm... She came in earlier to pick up an order of cupcakes, but I'm not sure where she went after that... Oooh, maybe see if she left a trail of crumbs? CHOCOLATE crumbs?! Although they might've been vanilla cupcakes. Oh well!"

"Actually....that's a smart idea, Pinkie! There could have been a trail left behind. How long ago did she arrive?"

"Hmmm.... About a couple hours ago I think! Maybe sooner? I dunno, I've been busy out here!"

"Hmm...okay, did you at least see which direction she went?"

"I... THINK she went towards the schoolhouse? I could be wrong though..."

"Hmm...okay, we'll check there. Thanks, Pinkie!" I replied.

"Glad I could help! Good luck! Ooh, and if you need any sweets you know where to find me!"

"Well, that's our next stop." I said, as we both began heading towards the schoolhouse. Today was a Sunday, I believe, but it was likely Cheerilee was still in the school, cleaning the blackboards, or just sitting at her desk, reading. It didn't really take long to get to the school either.

"So, kind of an odd question, but what kinds of things are you learning in school?" I asked Diamond.

"Oh, you know. Same as always. History, grammar, math... That kind of stuff."

"You're honestly lucky the math isn't too complicated. I had to deal with trigonometry and geography and algrebra. Very confusing stuff. None of it's hard for you, is it?"

"Not too hard, no. We're still young. But things are getting more complex too."

"Mm."

It didn't take very long for us to reach the schoolhouse. Somehow it looked weird being so vacant on a Sunday. "Wait out here, okay? I'm gonna have a look inside, see if there's anything that'll help us find Silver." I said to Diamond.

"Alright," she said, nodding.

"Wait...is there something you should tell me to look for in here so I don't end up wandering around aimlessly like an idiot?"

"Not really, no. It's a small place. It'd be very hard to miss Ms. Cheerilee."

I shrugged and just said, 'Well, alright, then.' I approached the schoolhouse, and it seemed to shrink the closer I got. But I knew it was just my vision playing tricks on me. I peeked into the window of the door, and sure enough, a deep purple-pink coated pony was in there. And of course, she was reading. 'Teachers..' I thought, as I took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Oh, hang on! I'll be right there!" She placed a bookmark in her book and quickly stood up to answer the door.

It was going to be kind of awkward talking to a teacher on a weekend. That's the one thing I'd never wanted to do on a weekend. Scary thought...

"Is it just me or is talking to Ms. Cheerilee on the weekend really weird?"

"Kinda."

"Oh, hello there! Is there something I can help you with?" Cheerilee asked, as she opened the door.

"Hello, Ms. Cheerilee. We came over to see if we could find any leads as to where Silver Spoon is. Apparently, Diamond hadn't her from her in a while. And considering how those two are usually together, it IS kind of concerning. You wouldn't happen to have any clues as to where she is, would you?"

Cheerilee tapped her hoof to her snout. "Hmm... Well, she did drop off a cupcake earlier today... But I'm not sure where she went after that... Maybe check in with Sweetie Belle's folks or Rarity? Maybe Scootaloo?"

"Hmm...it's worth a shot. If anything, if she's having trouble, they're the ones she'd go to." This was falling into place PERFECTLY. I felt like we were getting closer and closer to knowing where Silver was. Nothing could have stopped us now. "That could work! Hah! Many thanks, Ms. Cheerilee!" I said, walking back towards Diamond.

"It's no trouble! If you need anything, you know where to find me!"

As short a stop as that was at the schoolhouse, at least we were provided with incredibly useful information. "She seemed really nice." I said to Diamond. "I'm betting a lot of the students in the school vote her as their favorite teacher."

"Well, I'm not actually sure if there's any other teachers there, but you'd be right! So what'd she say?" Diamond tilted her head quizzically.

"She thinks maybe Silver went to see Sweetie Belle's friend, or perhaps Rarity, or even Scootaloo."

"Hmm.... I... I dunno.... maybe Rarity? She and Sweetie Belle have been spending more time together lately..."

"Fair enough, then! If we're lucky, someone there will know what happened to Silver, right?" I replied, turning around and starting to head back onto the path.

"Well, hopefully!" Diamond said, with a smile.

So, off we went. It was kind of nice being able to traverse around Ponyville without worry or stress. Or getting lost. "You know, it is kind of nice when it's just us. We'd hardly spent any time together recently, but now we might end up spending the afternoon trying to find a friend. Pretty great, huh? Not the 'lost friend' part, I mean."

"Well, yeah." Diamond let out a light chuckle. "When was the last time we spent this much time together anyway?"

"When we, uhh....visited AJ's farm for the first time when I first got here? Maybe that time?"

"Still, it's always nice to spend nice time together. Be it helping me settle in, or finding a lost friend, it's so lovely. And I get the feeling that this adventure will bring us so much closer."

It only took about 10 minutes to reach the Boutique. I tried knocking on the door, but it seemed like Rarity was not home. It wasn't really surprsing, though, considering how busy she tended to be. I noticed a note on the doormat. When I read it, it said:

"To whomever may visit the boutique, I'd gone out of town for a while to search for more gems with Spike for more of my fabulous dresses. I won't be back until around tomorrow, so please come back by then. Sincerest apologies in advance to anypony.

Sincerely,

Rarity."

Well, it seemed like the only other option was either Sweetie Belle's parents, or.....hmm... Who could we talk to..? Not Rainbow, because she probably didn't pay attention to where ponies went...not Fluttershy, because I'd visited her shortly ago. Not Rarity, either...we'd just talked to Pinkie. So that left Twilight and Applejack. I'd have to tell Diamond Rarity wasn't home, and then...we could stop for a bite to eat before continuing.

I went back towards Diamond, and just shrugged. "Rarity isn't home, and won't be until tomorrow. Really, the only other ponies to talk to about Silver are AJ and Twilight. But I figured....do you just wanna grab a bite to eat first before we continue? We can't adventure on empty stomachs.

Diamond shrugged and nodded. "I suppose so."

We decided to head back to Sugarcube Corner, since it was the closest place. Their sweets were really delectable, anyway. Pinkie was still outside, repainting the walls with frosting. "I'd recommend using a trowel in some points." I suggested, as we walked up the steps.

"Oh! It's you again! Did you find Silver Spoon~?" Pinkie asked, as she looked up. "Oh, did you follow a trail of crumbs?"

"No, we're still searching. We decided to just get some lunch here before carrying on."

"Oh! Okay! Can I help you?" Pinkie said, as she stood up and, in the blink of an eye, she was behind the register.

Inside the building, the smell of cinnamon buns, doughnuts, and cupcakes filled the air with their sweet fragrance. It was like walking into a flower shop filled with honey. A few ponies gave a friendly wave towards me, possibly recognizing me as their hero from last year. I would never forget that day....and how quickly it all happened.

"Oh, sure. Heh, I almost thought I'd end up seeing one Pinkie painting, and another behind the counter. But I get the feeling you've dealt with a lot of yourself before...right?" I joked, chuckling a bit.

"Actually I HAVE thank you very much!" Pinkie said with a smile. "So, what can I get you then?"

I looked up at the menu, and the first thing that caught my eye was something called...

"A cunnimon bun? Do you know the name is misspelled...?"

"Yep!" Pinkie smiled proudly. "I spelled it that way on purpose!"

"I'll take one. Diamond, anything you'd like to order?" I asked.

"Ah... I dunno, I guess I'll take one of those, too?"

"Alright, then. Two cunnimon buns, please." I said, getting out my small bit pouch and placing four bits onto the counter, like the price said.

"Wait, did you say you actually did have a lot of yourself before..?"

"Yep~!"

"What exactly....happened?" I asked Pink, getting a slightly bad feeling. "With the many versions of yourself?"

"Well, see, I was having a BIIIIIT of an overloaded schedule that day... So I remembered a legend of a pool that can duplicate somepony and I went there and duplicated myself about a hundred times so I could do ALLLLLL the fun things I wanted to do at once!"

"And how'd that work out?" I replied. "Did things go the way they planned?"

Pinkie burst into a fit of laughter, but after a moment, it seemed to immediately stop as she said, without even a hint of humor in her voice, "No."

'Okay, that was....creepy.' I thought, as we recieved our cinnamon--oh, sorry--CUNNIMON buns. 'So, how'd you fix the issue?"

"Oh, I didn't!"

"So...they're still out there..?"

"Oh, no no no! I just meant I didn't fix the issue. Twilight did!"

"Oh. I'm assuming she had them put on some sort of test which had a method of getting rid of them then, knowing her."

"Watching paint dry."

"Hmm....oh, I get it! Considering how much you enjoy fun, having them all do the most boring thing possible would eventually bore them out, so whoever didn't pay as much attention would be removed."

"Well! Good to see that it all worked out." I replied. "Well, here's to hoping nothing any worse could happen! Which it won't." With that, I gave a small wave, and sat at a booth table. "You know, this search is giving us a lot of opportunities. Such as talking to our good friends, getting to explore quite a bit, and us especially spending plenty of time together to make up for the lost time...it's all kind of fun, don't you think?" I asked Diamond. Honestly, I was glad we were able to spend this time together. She was nice to be around, and I wanted to do anything and everything to make up for lost time.

"Definitely! Although I do kind of hope we find Silver Spoon soon..."

"Don't worry, we will! You forget, you have Equestria's biggest hero on your side!" I remarked. "When he's around, anything can get done!"

"Heheh, yeah!" Diamond gave a smile. "We'll find her in no time I bet!"

"But first, let's enjoy our....cunnimon buns!" I proclaimed, as I bit into mine. If pure delectability could exist, it definitely existed in my bun. It was the most delicious thing I'd ever bitten into.

This was nice....being on an adventure, helping out a friend, and spending good quality time with Diamond Tiara, the one I'd enjoyed being around so much. This was what a kind of paradise was like for me. Everything was going so right. I just enjoyed spending time with my friends so much. It made me feel so happy.

"I'm glad I met you, Diamond." I said after swallowing. "If not for you, I wouldn't have been feeling as happy as I could have been. Spending time with my friends, being on an adventure, and helping out others....it just makes me feel so joyous, and you're part of why that's happening. It makes me feel special, like I contribute to the daily lives here."

"Well of course you do! Look at me, I wouldn't have had the courage to escape my mother if it wasn't for you!"

"Oh, yeah, I remember that. I inspired you to avoid trying to be like your mother, and helped you live your own free life, doing the things you wanted to do. And it was because of me. And look how far we got from that! We both accomplished plenty ever since then, and we even achieved a form of greatness! I'd say we're both pretty lucky, aren't we?" I said to Diamond, as I took another bite out of my bun. We WERE pretty lucky, to be honest. If I hadn't stood up to her mother, we wouldn't even be as close as we were before.

"Well, my friends sort of helped me want to not be like my mother. But it was you who gave me the courage to run away from her. I'm doing so much better for myself now that I'm out of that house."

"And now you're hanging out with Equestria's biggest hero. It can't get any better than that. I'm just lucky I don't have a paparazzi following me around. Come to think...was there ever any kind of dream you had? While we're at it, once we finish finding Silver, perhaps we could attempt that, too."

"I... don't think there's really much of anything I've ever dreamed of that much...."

"Really? That's honestly surprising. Considering how rich you'd seem, I figured you'd have some dreams."

"Let's see...have you had dreams of forming a completely unbreakable bond between your friends?"

"Well.... I mean, yeah, I guess so.... I don't want to lose them...."

"Well, that's one! And you know, finding Silver would be a huge boost in doing that. Come to think....when was the last time you hung out with her?" I asked, hoping that it wouldn't have been too long ago. After all, contact was important.

"Come to think....had I even MET Silver when I was here all this time?" I added. I tried to rack my brain, but I could not recall if I'd met her.

"Actually.... I don't think you did. I think she was busy somewhere else at the time...."

"Hmm. Well...what's she like?"

"Well, she's kinda like me sort of... except... she gets along with her mom."

"Hmm. When we do find her, should we leave out the 'running away from home', thing, or should we tell her, in case she asks?" I asked, feeling like it would result in a 'I'll tell you everything' kind of situation.

"I... don't know.... I don't get the feeling she'd tell someone or try to get me sent back home, 'cuz I mean.... she knows how awful my mom is...."

"You have a point there. A good friend wouldn't go against you." I replied, finishing off my cunnamon bun.

"Excuse me, did you mention something about trying to find a pony?" A sweet voice asked. I turned to see a gray, blond-maned mare standing next to our table. "Silver Spoon, was it?"

"Oh, hello! Yeah, we're looking for my friend Silver Spoon. Have you seen her?" Diamond asked.

"Sure!" The mare replied. "You can call me Derpy. Everypony does." She took out a small bag, and opened it up, she reached her head into it, and pulled out an envelope with her mouth. It was kind of cute. She placed the envelope onto a table next to us, then closed her bag. "Silver hasn't been seen anywhere for a few hours, actually. But one pony did report that the last place she was seen was heading into the Everfree, trying to find a special flower for a friend of hers. But she hasn't been seen since."

"So, my guess is, Silver's somewhere in the Everfree, either lost or trying to find the flower." Derpy finished.

"Do you, uhh, want the letter that was written so you know what to look for?"

"Uh.... yes, please. I'm actually... really interested in what's going on here...."

Derpy pulled out another envelope, and opened it up. How, you ask? I don't even know.

She placed it on the table for us to read. I picked it up and read it aloud, but not too much aloud.

"To (no alias known)

I've finally worked up the courage to head out into the Everfree, and get that special flora you and I had wanted to find. I understand you're a bit under the weather and all, but I'm gonna find it for both of us. I'll be sure to bring it to you, and I am not leaving the forest until I find it. As little sense as that would make, I can be a very determined pony. And a very brave one at times. So, at precisely noon tomorrow, I'm going to head into the forest, and search everywhere for that flower. I even remember what it looks likeA lovely lilac-pink, with seven indigo petals, and a cobalt-blue stem. Wish me luck on this search, as it's gonna be tough.

See you soon,

Silver Spoon

(PSDon't show this to anyone else. This is our little plan, just between us.)

"I had to show it to you both, since it was an emergency." Derpy explained.

"Oh, no..."

This was bad. This was VERY BAD. I knew how dangerous the Everfree could have been, and I knew how easy it was to get lost in there. "Okay....we're gonna have to go in there to find Silver." I said. "This isn't gonna be easy, though..it's easy to get lost in there..." After thinking about it a bit, I turned to Diamond. "Di, I'm going to need you to stay here. Having one lost filly is bad enough, but I don't need two."

"Do you understand? This could be incredibly dangerous."

"What? No, I have to come with you. This is my FRIEND we're talking about here! I'm brave! I can be strong!"

"What if you get hurt? Or fall down a fissure..?"

"I'll be fine. I promise."

I was about to respond, until I saw a touch of determination in Diamond's eyes. And determination was something I supported. 'Ah, I'm such a sucker..' I thought. "Well....all right...you can come. But promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to have a hurt AND lost filly..."

"I'll be careful, I promise!"

Well....there was no going back on any of this. I had to make sure I protected Diamond. Considering this was the Everfree, and it was dangerous, I'd need the help of an old friend. "In that case, I'll need to get a certain suit of armor. But it's either way in Canterlot, or I might have left it with Rarity in the Boutique, considering she knows everything to do with fashion and clothing.

"Not to worry!" Derpy exclaimed. "I'll find the armor and bring it to you! I happen to have a special sense of where items are that must be delivered!" And with that, she bolted out the door, and off into the sky.

"So, any last stops we should make before heading off into the forest?" I asked. "Maybe let some ponies know we're heading off?"

"It... might be a good idea to let Twilight know... She's typically the first to head off to respond to emergencies. She and her friends. But if she knows, it won't be long before her friends do, so we should definitely let her know."

"Hmm....good point! We'll go once you finish. Can't go adventuring on an empty stomach of course. Or...an unsatisfied one."

Diamond looked to her cunnimon bun - which she had hardly touched. "Oops... I almost forgot about this!" She giggled sheepishly and began eating.

'I have to protect her.' I thought. 'Diamond means a lot to me, just like I mean a lot to her. If I let anything happen to her, I'll never forgive myself. Diamond's a little filly, but she's smart. She's pretty brave, too. I mean, she's going into a damn forest that she could possibly get killed in! And she's not showing a single sweat! She's almost as brave as me! And that's pretty impressive for somepony like her. Even I couldn't be as brave as a small filly like Diamond. And that takes a lotta guts. I must protect Diamond. It is my duty. It is my job. It is my talent.'

I looked at my arm. My Cutie Mark shone with brilliance. I had to protect Diamond, even if it killed me.

"I promise, I'll do anything and everything I can to protect her....that's a promise I'll never break.." I said, not realizing it was loud enough for Diamond to hear me. I hate it when that happens."

Diamond gave a giggle. "I don't know if I'll need protecting or not, but it's nice to know you'll be there if I need you."

"Uhh, you weren't supposed to hear that out loud...was I thinking aloud?"

"Well, anyways, it's my job to protect everypony. And that especially includes you. You really don't know how much you mean to me. But it's more than a lot."

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even BE a hero. I'd still be lost, wandering around Equestria, with nothing to accomplish."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure you'd have found your way eventually..."

"You're the one who told me some things about Equestria I wouldn't have easily known. If not for that, I wouldn't have known what to do. You're a bit of a hero to me."

"Believe me, our friendship is special because you not only helped me, but you trusted me."

"Aww... That... That actually makes me feel really special..."

"You should feel special. You were one of the first and best friends I'd met. And your name hits at it allYou shine brightly for others, guiding them."

Diamond offered Loyal a bright smile. "Thank you! That means a lot. I guess I am a good pony inside after all!"

"You know, I'm sure eventually, your mother will see that there's more than being rich, being powerful, and being a jerk. Nopony's that heartless."

"Oh, I don't know... I get the feeling she only married my dad for his money..."

"That's not her talent, is it?"

"I.... don't know, actually."

"God, that'd be sad if it was. Your dad's more...understanding, right? And less of a jerk?"

"Well, yeah, he understands a lot. He donated money to the school so we could fix up our playground just because I asked him to, and that's not somethign mom would do..."

"....Umm....."

"...Oh, God, do I even want to know what she said..?"

"Actually, the way she treated me the first time we met gave me a good idea.."

"But aside from that, I'm just glad that we're both living happier lives. Now....how did Silver get her own Cutie mark, while on the subject of riches and such?"

"I'm... not actually sure. I think she's like a cook or something...?"

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure that's something she's proud of." I replied. "Being a cook can be a good thing at times. Has she ever made anything for you? Like, any desserts or the like?"

"Well, she made a pie once at cooking class. It came out really good, but I wouldn't say that was just for me. She shared it with another friend of ours, too."

"It's always nice to make friends everywhere you go. And believe me, nopony could live by those words more than Pinkie Pie."

"Anyways, you should hurry. We've no time to lose in finding Silver." I replied.

"Right!" Diamond said, taking another bite of her cunnimon bun.

Once Diamond finished her bun, I left a small extra tip for Pinkie. I just...felt like it was necessary. Before we headed out the door, I turned ot Diamond. "You ready for the most dangerous adventure yet? One that will probably be a memorable one, as well?"

"Bring on the death defying stunts," Diamond said, with an air that clearly communicated that she was ready but was joking about the 'death defying stunts' part.

I took a deep breath, and stepped out the door, leaving several steps away from our destination, and our goal.

Silver Spoon, here we come.

Evil in the Everfree

Diamond and I stood in front of the Everfree Forest. This place was incredibly dangerous to roam in, but we had to do it. Especially if we wanted to find Silver, and rescue her. At least we told Twilight like we agreed to do. But her nearly fainting was something we didn't agree on... "Well....ready to head in?" I asked, peering into the forest. It seemed like it went on forever the more I looked.

Diamond took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ready."

"Alright, let's go in." I said, carefully stepping foot inside, making sure I didn't step on some dangerous flower or whatever.

"I've never actually been in the Everfree Forest before... I don't know what we might find in here... I think Apple Bloom said to watch out for blue flowers if I ever came here though."

"Blue flowers?"

"She called them Poison Joke I think. She said they do weird things."

"You don't suppose Silver ended up finding it, do you?" I asked. I could only hope it didn't do anything to her.

"Well... it's not like dangerously weird things. Just... Obnoxiously weird things. Like shrinking Applejack."

"So you think it might have turned her into an actual spoon, or worse.."

"I doubt it'd have turned her into a spoon. Maybe just.... I dunno, turned her tongue INTO a spoon? I don't know..."

"Well, it's probably best not to worry too much about it...but did Appleloom tell you what they look like, besides being blue?"

"Ummm... I think she said something about big petals?"

"...We'll try to make that last bit as useful as possible." I said, keeping a close eye out for any other possibly dangerous plants. "Actually, I think I'd seen Poison Joke before, thinking about it.."

"Yeah, I remember now. I actually have seen it before."

"And, in case you're wondering, I did touch it."

“Did you get cursed?”

"Nope. Nothing happened, surprisingly. Do you think I'm....immune..?"

"It's... possible, I suppose."

"Have you seen what happens to those who touch it? Like, in person?" I asked, as I continued deeper into the Everfree. I was kind of surprised there was nothing trying to kill us yet.

"No, I don't think I have, unless someone was under its effects and I just didn't know..."

"Hey...do you find it weird that the forest hasn't tried to kill us yet?" I asked, and around that time, I began getting a bad feeling. This was seeming too easy....too easy. I didn't like this...

"Well... it's kind of weird I guess.... Something really should've happened by now."

After another minute of walking, we came across a large field of....Poison Joke.

"Well...something technically *did* happen. But one of us isn't gonna like it." "Diamond, you may wanna take a look at this...although you might...not want to." I said. I knew I was somehow immune to Poison Joke, but I didn't want to leave the forest with a large living necklace.

"What's up? Did you find something?"

"Yeah....a LOT of something." I replied. "And you won't like it.."

Diamond stepped up beside Loyal and stopped. "Is... this...?"

"....A buttload of Poison Joke. A field of it."

"There's no going around it, or through it...well, not without one of us being affected...what can we do?"

"...Didn't you say something about being immune to it...?"

"Yes. I can't pass on my immunity to you, if that's what you're asking."

"No, no, that's not what I was getting at. Do you think you'd be able to lift me?"

"Oh. Yeah, that could work!" I said, kneeling down. "Come over here. Thankfully, I'm half muscle." I was sure I'd make it across without dropping her. I couldn't drop her.

"I just hope I'm not too heavy. I'm told we can be heavier than we look..." Diamond said, as she approached Loyal.

Not surprisingly, I was able to lift Diamond with ease. She wasn't that heavy either. "There we go! It's not uncomfortable, is it?" I said, as I cradled her in my arms."

"It's fine. Just hurry to the other side, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I said, and stepped into the blue plant. The plain seemed to stretch out farther once I stepped in. I just hoped it was the endless rows of Poison Joke messing with my vision a bit. "It's a bit odd that the Everfree would have an open area, isn't it?"

"Maybe on the way back, I'll put a poison joke in my pocket for further study back at the castle." I said. "I'd have to make sure nopony touches it, though."

"Well, maybe that would be a good idea..."

"Then we can see if there's a reaonsable cure for it. I wonder how Twilight'd even react to that. Or any of the others. Possibly Cheerilee's reaction to seeing how I'd learned something incredible she probably would have been willing to research."

"There's...already not a cure, right?"

"I would assume so. Apple Bloom said something about one but I don't think she mentioned what it was."

"Aww. Well, it'll still be worth studying." I said. I just continued walking forward, hearing nothing but the howling winds and the rustling of the poison joke. I noticed the land stretched for miles. "Might be some time before we reach the other side." I said. "So, best to get comfortable."

I continued trekking on, not sure of how long it would take to get across.

*meanwhile, back in Ponyville*

Chryssi stretched her wings, then her hooves. She yawned, and crawled out of her makeshift 'room', a cocoon. Today was yet another half-day to do nothing all day.

"Mmmmm...good morning, life." She muttered. She crawled along the ceiling to make room to switch onto the floor. Usually, she'd greet Loyal, unless he'd greet her. It usually really helped her morning...she wasn't sure how, but it just did. She walked down the hall, and opened Loyal's room door. Usually, he would be writing, reading, doing chemistry, or something. But he wasn't anywhere to be seen. This was usually the one place he'd be found, so Chryssi wasn't sure where he could be.

At that moment, Chrysalis heard somepony walking past her. She turned around to see Twilight, holding a book in her face, as usual. She used her magic to hold her in place. "Twilight...where's Loyal? He doesn't seem to be being his usual nerdy self here."

Chrysalis usually called him nerdy if he was reading, writing, or doing chemistry.

"Oh, he.... he went to the Everfree Forest, looking for someone. I am a bit concerned, but... he knows how to handle himself...."

"The Everfree?! Yeesh, that place gives me so many bad memories. Do you know how hard it was removing branches from my hooves after crash landing after the Wedding incident?"

"Ehh, actually, I'm sure you could imagine it. Well, did he take anyone with him to make sure nothing happens to him? I wouldn't want him to get hurt.." Chryssi said. She really cared about Loyal, if it wasn't obvious. If he was gone, who would she have to (attempt to) love?

"I... think he took Diamond Tiara with him, since they're going to look for her friend."

"Hmm...well....all right. Just let me know when he comes back. I feel lonely without him."

"Alright. I don't know where he's heading, but if he doesn't come back by sunset I'll have to assume something happened and my friends and I are going to go look for him, don't worry."

"Mmh. Fair enough." Chryssi said, and with that, she headed back down the hall, and into another room. She could only hope that Loyal was alright.

Spike overheard the conversation from another room while he was dusting bookshelves. He figured if there were no better words to go by, they were 'better early than never'. So, he climbed down from a small stool he had been using, and sprinted into the hall. "Uhh, Twilight? Wouldn't it be better to go a lot earlier, in case we end up being too late before or after sunset?"

"Well, I suppose you do have a point, Spike, but don't forget Loyal can handle himself."

"He can only handle *so* many threats, and *so* much danger with each threat! I still think it's best if we at least check on him, if not find him."

"Okay, okay, Spike, I hear you."

"Come on, there's no time to lose!"

It had been a full 30 minutes of walking through the poison joke, and there was still no end in sight. Diamond had fallen asleep, so I was...sort of on my own with figuring this one out. Where was the end?

My mind was playing tricks on me. Everywhere I looked, I kept seeing what looked like the end...but when I blinked, it was still endless miles of Poison Joke. Was it really affecting me after all, making me go delirious? I couldn't even think anymore.

"I...I have to keep going.." I said. "I have to....to find Silver.." And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I heard a hissing sound. I turned around to see strange blue smoke puffing out from...no, it wasn't coming from the ground..it was coming from the PLANTS. When I ended up getting a good whiff of the smoke, it was NOT good. My eyes began to water, and I could feel my chest swelling up. No, it wasn't allergies..it was a chemical reaction!

I started running as fast as I could, trying to avoid the puffs of smoke coming from the plants. Poison Joke had never done this before, so why now? And why ME?! I had to keep running. I had to make it out somehow. After a little bit longer, I saw more forest in the distance up ahead. I had to make it. But as I was halfway there, the smoke began puffing up in my path, and I ended up inhaling a good portion of it. I found myself helpelessly coughing and choking on the smoke, unable to breathe. But I kept going, trying my hardest not to drop Diamond, or even fall, for that matter. I was closing in on the forest, and the smoke kept puffing out at an increasingly dangerous rate. When I was only several feet away, my legs collapsed, but I staggered onward a little bit further, managing to...*ahem* *throw* Diamond onto a large leaf nearby on the other side of the field, away from the Poison Joke. I finally completely collapsed, unable to move much. I tried to breathe, but I was unable to. In fact, trying to breathe only made things worse for me.

Was I going to die? Was I going to get hurt? What was going on? I was unable to see much, as my vision began to get blurry, either from the tears, or the smoke, or something. But what I *could* see was something big and black, rising out from the Poison Joke field. And then...I lost consciousness.

"Come on, in here!" Spike urged. When it came to doing something important, he would REALLY make sure everypony hustled. Especially if it was a kind of search-and-rescue mission.

"Do you see him, Spike? I hope he didn't find anything dangerous..." Twilight huffed, as she continued running.

"Well, it's kind of hard to see when it's--WAIT!" Spike stopped practically on a dime right in front of a large field of Poison Joke.

"I know I found something dangerous! I get the feeling Loyal went through here.."

"What makes you say that~?" Pinkie asked, unsure of what exactly they were doing here.

"Because this is the only way forward...through this Poison Joke..."

"Oh! Makes sense!"

"Wait....am I even immune to it? I'd never really...figured it out." Spike said, unsure how he, or the girls, would get through.

"I... don't know. I don't know if anything's immune to Poison Joke..."

"Well, I did hear about Loyal's and Rainbow's adventure through the Everfree that one time! And when he touched it, it did nothing to him! So, apparently, h's immune."

"You know what, I'm going for it!" Spike said, straining the last four words, as he put a claw on the plant. After about 10 seconds, nothing happened. "Seems I'm not affected, either...either that, or it'll happen later. Now, we need a plan to figure out how to get to Loyal...Twilight, any ideas?"

"Well, me, Rainbow, and Fluttershy can fly...."

"Not sure about Rarity, AJ, and Pinkie..."

Oh, right! Well, you, RD and Fluttershy can fly over and locate Loyal, and once you find him, we could figure out how to get through the Joke and help him out! How's that?'

Spike was rather good at planning, thanks to Twilight. It just goes to show that you really could inherit useful skills from the things you don't expect to learn from.

"Well, that works, I suppose! C'mon, guys! Let's go!"

Spike just waited with AJ, Rarity, and Pinkie, while the other three ponies soared into the sky. Because of how high up they went, it only took them about a minute to spot Loyal well hidden by the Poison Joke. But the odd thing was, the field was only a FEW miles long and wide. Loyal seemed to be passed out on the ground, not moving.

"Oh dear.... is he... okay....?"

Well, they had found Loyal..but he didn't look to be in good shape. This, of course, meant really bad news. He was definitely in need of help.

Spike just watched as the trio stayed idle in midair. "Do you think Loyal's alright?" He asked AJ. It wasn't just for her honesty...but for her concern. She did care about Loyal, especially since he made a bit of a difference by being around.

"I sure hope so, Spike... I can't say for sure he's alright over there, but... guess we just gotta hope he's fine..."

"This is definitely bad, Twi....we gotta find some way to make a path towards him! Don't you have some epic and powerful laser or something..?" Rainbow said, looking around for a way through..

"Well... I do have lasers, but I don't know how good it'd be at clearing Poison Joke..."

Rainbow had a feeling her lasers were their only hope. "Well, you gotta give it a try! I don't see how else we're getting through all that!" Rainbow said. "We can't risk just trotting through it!"

Twilight took in a deep breath. "Everypony watch out!"

Rainbow zipped out of the way, pulling Fluttershy along in the process. "Just don't hit Loyal!" Rainbow called out.

Twilight focused, and used her magic as best she could to try to clear away the Poison Joke.

The Poison Joke shriveled up the second the laser hit it. It shriveled out of existence, like a vacuum sucking a lintball out of existence. As Twilight aimed slowly towards the other girls, the path seemed to grow longer and longer. Eventually, the Poison Joke all shriveled away, forming a safe path to the young human.

"All right! She did it! Now let's go help him!" Spike said, taking off. He couldn't run very fast, but he could run FAR. So being out of breath was no problem for him.

"I think I see him! Is he okay? Does he need sugar?!" Pinkie asked, only partially kidding.

Upon reaching Loyal, the girls found him passed out. He didn't seem to be hurt, but he WAS out cold. It was like something just rendered him unconscious non-physically. But nontheless, he needed help if he was like this. There had to have been an explanation for his....fate.

Suddenly, at that moment, as if approaching Loyal was some kind of trap, the ground shook slightly, and something black exploded out from underground.

"That's not good.." Spike commented.

As it emerged, it became very obvious to some of the ponies what it was. The next thing the girls knew, they were dealing with several black, plant-like beings surrounding Loyal. From what the girls knew, they looked just like the ones that attacked Twilight before when she had to rescue the Tree of Harmony. Seemed like they were part of the Everfree, and not Discord's plunderseeds. Either way, they seemed to be preparing to pounce.....

right onto Loyal!

"DEFINITELY NOT GOOD!" Spike exclaimed.

The beam hit one plant, causing it to 'whimper', but it recoiled. It proceeded to menacingly hiss at Twilight, and directed its attention onto HER.

"It's those things from when Discord covered Ponyville in black vines! But what are they doing HERE?!"

"This doesn't make any sense! I thought the Tree of Harmony wiped those things out!"

Once the first plant had tried to attack Twilight, the others directed their attention onto the girls...all except one plant, who kept its focus on Loyal. Seems these plants were smarter than the last time they were fought...except they didn't seem to intend to spray their deadly gas, more on actually physically imjuring their prey.

Thinking quickly, and out of panic, Spike released a flow of fire onto one of the plants' stems, causing it to shriek and thrash around, before quickly becoming engulfed in flames, and vanishing...along with the flames.

"Sorry, I panicked!"

"Spike, a little help with the rest of them, please?"

The plants tried to pounce onto Spike, but missed narrowly. "GAHH! Mind distracting them first?"

As the plants darted around, trying to attack each pony, Spike did his best to try to burn them, without frying the girls. But they, too, helped get the plants out of the way by stomping them, tying them up, taunting them in the air, blasting them, even lassoing them. But no matter how many plants were destroyed, new ones would quickly grow.

After some time, I finally regained consciousness. When I looked around, I only saw blurs of indigo, black, purple, pink, orange, cyan, and cream. Something about those colors looked familiar....

The girls! They must have come to check on me, and found me passed out. But why were they darting around like mad..? My question was soon answered when I felt something crush heavily against my back, followed by a sinister hiss. I looked behind me to see one of the black things towering over me. Whatever they were, I could deduce that they wanted to kill me.

"TWILIGHT, what do we do?! We can't keep fighting them off!" I heard someone say.

"Someone's going to have to get Loyal out of here, at least until we can do something about this infestation!"

Spike tried looking for somepony to help Loyal. Pinkie was busy hopping around on the plant stems, Rainbow was trying to punch them, Twilight was trying to dodge them, Fluttershy was skittishly trying to not get hit....the only one who could really help him was...

"Applejack! You need to get Loyal out of here! You're stronger than most of us!"

"Get Loyal someplace safe, and away from these....THINGS!" Spike said, trying to burn another plant.

"I'm on it, sugarcube!" Applejack said, grabbing a rope that she brought for... some reason.... and preparing to tie Loyal to her back, so as to get him away easier and with less trouble.

I could only feel myself being shifted around, and I felt something being tied to my waist. It was like being trapped on a river, soon to head over a waterfall.

At that very moment, three of the dozens of plants dove for Applejack. "Run like the wind, AJ! They're all after Loyal, not us!" Spike advised, burning yet another plant.

"Catch me if you can!" Applejack reared up and took off running as fast as she could. "KEEP 'EM OFF MY TAIL, RAINBOW!"

Rainbow continued dizzying, bucking, and punching as many plants as possible, trying to keep them distracted.

More plants grew thoough the canopy, and one plant tried tackling towards Applejack, but ultimately missed, snagging its stem between a Y-shaped tree. It lay on the ground and groaned.

Applejack let out a hearty laugh as she ran for the forest's exit. Truth be told, she wasn't just laughing because the plants had failed to grab her. She actually found the situation rather funny.

Meanwhile, I tried my hardest to stay awake to see what was happening, but ultimately failed. My vision slowly blackened, my senses numbed....and I lost all consciousness.

Acre Sweet Acre

Upon regaining my senses, I felt a spike of pain shoot through my back. I gritted my teeth, trying to bear the pain. But it was so....*painful*. I soon regained my vision, and struggled to open my eyes. Everything looked so blurry, and distorted. I tried to focus harder, which helped with opening my eyes. Once my vision sharpened, the first thing I saw was...surprisingly, Applejack. I say surprisingly, because I couldn't have gotten a good look at her while lying on the ground. But if I was looking at her now...then I must not have been in the forest anymore.
Another thing that gave that away was the familiarity of the room I was in. Decorated with apple wallpaper, pictures of apples and Apple Family members....I was back at Sweet Apple Acres. But....how did I live...?

"Oh, thank heavens! He's alive!" An elderly voice commented. I looked over to see Granny Smith standing on one side of....a bed. I was in a bed. "We thought you were a goner for sure, seeing all those bruises on ya! Those plants really did a number on him, didn't they, Big Mac?"

"Eeeyup." Applejack chuckled and shook her head lightly.

"Found ya unconscious in a field of Poison Joke! Now how in the hay did that happen?"

"Well...I recieved a letter from Derpy in Sugarcube Corner, saying that Silver Spoon had been looking for a delicate flower--no idea what it was called--and went into the Everfree to look for it, possibly for an injured, or ill friend of hers.. Diamond was with me at the time, so it wasn't surprising that she didn't like the feeling or thought of Silver being lost in the forest. So, despite my efforts to keep her out of the Everfree...she suckered me into taking her with me. So, we went into the Everfree, trying to look for Silver, and that's when I came across the hundred-mile plain of Poison Joke.
It seemed like I was walking for hours. The next thing I know, I start going insane, thinking any direction was the way out, and then this blue gas spurts out from beneath the ground. I tried to rush to the other side, but I was knocked out. I managed to get Diamond to the other side, though, away from the Poison Joke. I can only hope she's okay, since I get the feeling she's still in there.
And I felt something beating the mess out of me as I just lay there...did...something happen?"

I looked down at myself to find bandages, gauze, and an ice pack on my arm, chest, and leg (the ice pack was on my leg). I must have taken quite a beating from within the Everfree.

"Well... there were some Plunderseed Vines in there when we found you... not sure what they were up to..."

"Oh, so THAT'S what was trying to crush me! How did I live, then? Did one of you actually bring me back?" I asked, looking down at my noticeable bruises.

"Actually, yeah, I did."

"Oh. Well, in any case, I owe you my life...considering I nearly lost it, heh." I said. "How long was I out?"

"No idea, actually. You were like that when we found you."

"You're lucky you're even talkin'! You seemed pretty beat up when Applejack retrieved ya." Granny said. I couldn't even have imagined what could have happened that had me completely bruised up.
"Well, seems like it'll take me a while to recover."

"Yeah, I'd say so. Might want to hold off on little adventures for now. If'n ya don't mind, I think my friends and I will take over lookin' for Silver Spoon for now. Helping resolve friendship issues is sorta our thing anyways... That a problem?"

"No, it's no problem. I'd had enough.....adventure for one day."
"Well, you won't have to worry! Iffen ya need anything, we're here." Granny replied, which filled me with reassurance, because hospitality was something I was glad existed. "We best let him rest. Come on, y'all, there's still some work to do before supper." With that, Granny, at a hilariously slow pace, began for te door.
Once the Apple family members left the room, I lay back on the well-fluffed pillow, and stared up at the ceiling. So, for now, I was going to remain here, until my injuries, or some of them, healed. Well, at least it felt more homey than a hospital itself.
I'll be honest with youI actually preferred Sweet Apple Acres for one other reason I never mentioned beforeIts soothing country-theme. I'd always loved the idea of a beautiful, mellowing area that was farm based, country-based, or even Western-based. Something about it was so soothing to think about...
So, as I started imagining how beautiful the Acres were thanks to its country-theme, I actually slowly fell asleep.

Granny peeked through the cracked door, finding Loyal's slumber rather adorable. Sometimes, the greatest heroes needed rest every now and then.
"He's sweeter than a freshly baked candy apple.." She commented. She had planned on making sure Loyal was well-rested, cared for, and, of course, hard-worked. She knew how he enjoyed working on the farm at times. She'd pair him up with the Apple family members, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac, all so he could really experience how enjoyable working on the farm could really be. That, and she needed an extra hoof to help with the chores. But all of that would come after some of Loyal's injuries were healed, because she had a hunch he'd want to help with the chores, despite not actually being fully healed.

Granny headed back downstairs, and into the kitchen. She had an idea on how to actually help Loyal heal better. She turned to Big Mac, and gave him a small bucket. "Big Mac, could you do me a favor and go out to collect the Braeburn apples for me?"

Big Mac gave Granny a big smile. "Eeeyup," and he trotted out of the room.

At the same time, Granny got to work on supper. It wouldn't be done for at least another hour, but it was usually best to start ahead of time. She'd especially have to start early if she wanted to make Loyal a special food to help him. But she had plenty of time.

I was having one of the best dreams I'd had in a while. I was in a meadow, lying in the sun, watching the clouds roll by. Starlight was with me, too. We were both happy and relaxed. Nothing was bothering us, nothing was wrong...everything was peaceful. Neither one of us said a word. We just lay there.
Everything was so tranquil, so nice...it was almost like this was how I imagined Equestria when I defeated a horrendous beast. It was great.
My dream was soon interrupted when I felt myself being shaken...

*outside the dream world*
Applejack gently shook Loyal, in attempt to wake him up for dinner.

"Hey, Loyal, wake up! It's time for supper!"

After struggling a bit, I woke up from my dream, and sat up, rubbing my eyes. I yawned a bit, and looked around the room. "Is it morning already..?"

Had time really went by that fast? I hadn't even noticed. Of course, it was probably because I fell asleep. But, if dinner was ready, I might as well just get up. I sat up, slid out of bed, and neatened the covers. I followed Applejack out of the room, into the hallway, down the stairs,and into the kitchen, where Big Mac and Applebloom were already sitting at the table. As I sat at a free spot at the table, I noticed Applebloom was looking at me...or, looking at my injuries. "She already knows, right?" I asked AJ.

"Yeah... I told her. No worries, she knows you're alright. Probably just wasn't expecting them to be as bad as they look."

"Well, I'm lucky the important, stronger limbs weren't heavily damaged...however that works."

Granny Smith came over to the table, and set down a bowl of a special kind of soup in front of everyone. "For a special occasion, I made my special apple stew." She said. "Made from the freshest Braeburn apples that were recently picked."
Granny got out a ladle and began pouring apple stew into each bowl. "I've heard that this stew gives whoever drinks it a bit of strength. I figured we could all use it after all the hard work from today."

"Yeah, today was... eventful..."

The soup was a lot better than I thought it'd be. I could almost feel myself being healed with each 'bite'. And this was only my first time trying apple soup. "I never knew apples could become so delectable." I commented.

"Well, we know lots of ways to cook with apples, sugarcube. They're our claim to fame, after all!"

"That couldn't be truer. Though, I beg to ask, have your products gone any farther than Ponyville?"

"Not technically, no. I tried sellin' some treats at the Grand Galloping Gala once but it didn't go so well."

"What happened?"'

Applejack chuckled. "Short version, nobody bought anything. Long version, that started stressing me out, and I started trying to contrive meetings to convince ponies to buy things but it didn't work."

"Let me guess, the foods weren't 'fancy' enough for them?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Wow, and I thought apple cores couldn't get more rotten. That's why I enjoy the country live over the fancy life. It really ruins your preferences if you go the fancy way."

"Tell me about it. I tried bein' fancy once, and things felt SO backwards."

"Wait, really?! God, I....I cannot imagine you trying being fancy. Except you wearing a puffy dress. But that alone feels wrong."
"Wait....why did you try being fancy?"

"Let's go with more recently."

"Well, Rarity was being a country stereotype to try 'n get a guy to like her. I was tryin' to get her head back on straight."

"Euugh....that had to seem offensive, acting sterotypical."

"Aww it wasn't THAT bad. I mean, it was, but it was more about her doin' it to attract a guy and it not bein' who she is..."

"Oh his name was Trenderhoof. He was here to write an article on a festival we were having."

"And I get the feeling things worked out in kind of an ironic/unironic way for Rarity?" I asked, as I finished my soup. This was turning out to be quite a story.

"Well, that depends on whatcha mean by that."

"What happened between Rarity and Tender Hoof?"
"In the end, I mean."

"Well, they seemed to hit it off at the festival once Rarity was back to her usual self... but I don't think they've spoken much since then. Unless they're writing letters."

"Hmm. They most likely are, though I couldn't be sure. Still, at least he wasn't NOT into her style, right?"

"Yeah, that'd have been just... awful."

The tone in AJ's voice wasn't hard to figure out.

"...That's exactly what happened, ain't it?"

We had some good discussions during dinner, and surprisingly, Big Mac actually was a bit talkative. Surprising, I know. And we even arranged some plans,thanks to Granny Smith. When the sun touched the farmland, we'd start doing chores around the farm. And you had never heard me sound more excited, really.

AJ sounded a bit shocked by the fact I actually was hyped to do the hard, sweat-breaking chores.

"Are you sure you're up for that? You still look a bit beat up to me..."

""Pssh, sure I can take it! If Granny's soup really does help me get energy, then I'm willing to risk it! It's kinda like when you take a hit, AJ, and you keep on going! I'm gonna head to bed early to get some good sleep! I'll see y'all tomorrow early morning!" I said, as I headed up the stairs.
Applejack watched Loyal head up the stairs before giving a shrug and heading up after him. "Well, if that's what you're thinkin', then alright, but try to sleep well tonight, alright?"

"Sounds good!"
Once I headed back into my room, I was actually feeling pretty good. Either it was Granny's soup, or I was really starting to feel at home here. Just like old times. I climbed into the bed, and didn't even bother climbing under the covers. I'd want to avoid wasting a single second during the schedule to fix a comforter. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep, either. I couldn't wait to get to work.

Meanwhile, a certain pink Unicorn standing outside watched as the light in Loyal's room was turned off. She had planned to see if Loyal was really ready to take their friendship beyond friendship...to become true companions. Starlight silently smiled. She knew they would become closer than ever before if he worked hard and proved his worth. She just knew that things would work out perfectly.
*Soon*, she thought. *Very soon...*

As the rooster let out a blaring *COCKA-DOODLE-DOO*, I was up the second I heard it. I slid out of bed, still in my day clothes, and approached the door. Just as I opened it, AJ was standing at the doorway. "Oh, good morning, AJ! Surprised to see me up earlier than you'd expected?" I said. Hey, I wasn't wasting a MILLISECOND letting my OCD take control of a bed. I would just sleep on it to save time. If there was a schedule, I'd wanna follow it. If there wasn't...I'd still follow it.

"Well... maybe just a little bit...."

"Well, knowing you, we've got a schedule toasty on, and I'm not going to mess that up. So, I slept ON the bed,instead of in it to save time!"

"Alright! I'll meetcha downstairs!" I said, and headed down the hall and down the stairs. "Oh, are the others up yet?" I said, as began down the stairs.

"Nah, the others aren't up yet, but I was gonna get them up! Head on down, breakfast is already set so feel free to dig in!"

I headed downstairs and into the kitchen to find fried apple tarts set on the tables for everypony. I sat down in my seat from last night, and began eating. I didn't care if every food was apple, it was Apple to me. And I appreciated that.

It took only about 30 seconds for AB to be the first one downstairs (because sisters, I guess). I swallowed my bite of tart and greeted, 'Morning, Apple Bloom!"

"G'mornin, Loyal! You look like you slept well. That's good to know."

"I did! I slept on the bed instead of in it to remain on schedule! As odd as it sounds, there's two good reasons for itOne, my OCD would have slowed me down, and two, best to stay on schedule without any....delays. I'm sure your sister's very persistent when it comes to planning."

"So, how'd you sleep?"

"Oh, pretty good! I have slept better, but I've slept worse, too."

"Honestly, I must have sounded crazy last night to be hyped for chores, especially with my previous state I was in....but I assume you've seen that kind of crazy before?"

"Well, I can't say I've ever 'xactly seen anyone excited for chores..."

"Well, here's the thing." I said, biting into my tart. "When I'm willing to spend time with what I could consider family..." I quickly swallowed my bite. Yeah, I ate damn fast sometimes...

"I'l willing to be excited for whatever opportunity comes up. Even if it would have seemed prvously boring, hard, or just plain. But I do have ways of spicing things up. Believe me, if Applejack gave me an applebucking task, theoretically, I'd find some interesting way to pull it off. Y'know what I'm sayin'?"

"Come to think....how do you and your sister do chores effectively, besides hard work?"

"Oh, we make games out of it sometimes! It's actually pretty effective, and it helps us stay close with one another!"

"Well, we... Sometimes, when we're cleaning up fallen apples, I'll run around with the basket on my head, and AJ will launch the apples into the air. I gotta catch 'em after that!"

"Hmm! If I'm lucky, I might see you and AJ doing that! What else do you do?"

"Well, sometimes when we're crushing grapes for grape juice, we wrestle in the juice vat. Does a good job of crushing more grapes than just our hooves could!"

"Hmm! Sounds like you all really DO work hard on this farm! See, that's what I like about places like this! Everypony pitches into hard work! That's the style I like! Aside from the country-theme, of course. Which reminds me, if I DO end up being found unconscious aroudn the place again, that's just because the soothing nature of the theme knocks me right out."

It wasn't much longer until Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applejack all came back downstairs.
"Well, good morning to the rest of y'all!" I said cheerfully.
"Good to see you, too!" Granny Smith responded, slowly making her way down the stairs.

"I assume the rest of you had a good night's sleep?"

"Sure as sugar did! It's hard not to sleep well around here, after all!"

"Eeeyup!" Big Mac gave a big smile as he responded.

"OH, believe me, whenever I feel settled in, you'll...probably see me proving that point. Country-theme really does knock me out if it's relaxing enough. It's like I told Applebloom, if you see me lying on the ground, out cold, don't freak out, it's a normal reaction. Though I try....NOT to fall back asleep from the soothing natures. But I digress." Honestly, I wasn't joking, either. If you've ever seen someone pass out on a couch after taking a hot shower, or soaking in a hot tub, because it really relaxes them....
that's what happens with me.

As we (well, THEY) began eating, I felt really excited to be contributing to this family's work. "I have to say, this is one of those times I really can appreciate hard work. The act of spending hours upon hours of putting your back into dirty, hard-laboring work just fills me with delight! This is the kind of stuff I'm usually willing to do if it means it helps others directly or indirectly!
That did sound more honest than sarcastic, right, because I wasn't being sarcastic?"

Applejack gave a chuckle. "Nah, I can tell you're being honest. Honesty's my specialty, after all!" The farm horse had a tone of reassurance in her voice, to imply that she knew Loyal knew better. And he sure as hay was showing it.

"Oh, okay. Well, good thing for that, then!" I replied, as I took a delicate sip from the bottle of cider set on my side. I know I'd said it plenty of times, but I really liked this family. If I wanted to become stronger by working hard for an hour or two, this was the place to go. This was my kind of place. "So, if I may ask, what's planned for today?"

"Well, up first is plowing the fields and planting crops in 'em. Gets some of the heaviest work out of the way before anything else. That's after feeding the animals breakfast, 'course."

"Sounds like a plan!" I said, taking another sip of my cider. Nothing got the morning started better than feeding animals and planting crops. "So, who'll be paired with who when we start?
Figured I'd ask ahead of time if you'd thought of it, so we're ready."

"Well, that's gonna depend. Who do you WANT to work with?"

I looked at each of the three ponies, and thought about it. "Hmm...I'll start off with Apple Bloom, then, depending, work on the field with Big Mac. Sound good?"

"Sounds great to me, too!"

"Alright, good deal!" I replied, finishing off my cider. Sometimes, I wondered how I managed to finish food faster than I could process it. And by process, I mean savor it. "And don't worry, you'll be glad to hear, I'm feeling a lot better after last night!"

"Well that's good to hear! Still, you think you should be workin' that hard?"

"Well.....yes and no. You're talkin' to the hard-working, 'ain't-afraid-to-get-my-hands-dirty' side of me right now! It's the part of me that's just eager to work, put some muscle into it, and dedicate myself to working hard around this place! And a part of me tries to tell me, 'no, you should really lie down and rest'. But if I take a hit, I keep on going! I'm like Achilles!"

"What's an achilles?" Apple Bloom asked, her face twisted with confusion. She'd never heard of this word before, but it sounded big in some way.

"Well...this is something that's far in your school future, but...Achilles was a Roman god in Greek Mythology. Legend says he was completely immortal, because as a baby, he was dipped into a magical immortality river, known as the River Styx. His mother wanted Achilles to be immortal like she was. The thing was, though, Achilles' heel never touched the water, and she didn't notice. So the heel was the only vulnerable part on his body. So, as you could guess, when Achilles fought in wars, no matter HOW many arrows struck his body, away from the heel, he never got hit or hurt. Eventually, though, one poison-tipped arrow flew, it struck his heel, which, uhh...let's say permanently defeated Achilles. In fact, the story had a phrase, called an 'Achilles' heel', which means it's a small weakness that can cause a big disadvantage, even trouble, for some ponies. So, basically, he was invincible, all except in his heel."

"...Huh. That's... interesting."

"God...I-I feel like how Sweetie Belle did last year when she, with detail, informed me about what a butterfly effect was..."
"Speaking of which, I guess I never got around to asking this...how are you, her and Scootaloo doing with your CMC progress?"

"Oh, we're doing pretty good! Thanks for checkin' in!"

"Well, I figured it never hurt to ask! I can imagine you're becoming a huge help around town, hearing as how you three helped other ponies find really good talents with their cutie marks. I have to say, I'm really proud of you all for how far you've come. It's almost like seeing how far I'd come by doing something I was best known for."
"Come to think...how DID you get your marks?" I said, kind of directing the question at mostly everypony around the table.

"Oh, THAT'S a good story. At least, I think so... See, it was the week of elections for Student Pony President at school, and we were helpin' Pipsqueak out as his campaign managers. Turns out we were REALLY good at that, 'cuz we completely turned the election around - EVERYONE voted for Pip except for Diamond Tiara. Thing is, that meant Diamond didn't even get her best friend's vote, so we went to check on her to make sure she was okay. It's... a little complicated, but we found out she had trouble at home and we reached out to her, only for problems to rise up with Pipsqueak as Student Pony President. We tried our best to get Diamond to see that she didn't have to act the way she did to get our attention and friendship, and she made a change for the better, which made us realize we're good at helping others find the meaning of their Cutie Marks. Or, y'know, flat out FIND their Cutie Marks."

"So, you not only 'won' the Election, you helped the school, reached out to Diamond, helping her, and above all else, got your Cutie Marks. I'll bet it was a glorious moment, wasn't it?"

"Oh, it really WAS quite a moment!"

"So if it weren't for you, the Diamond I'd have met would likely still have been a sour grape, and possibly ignored me. But because you helped her realize something about herself, and maybe about others, she turned out to be a sweet apple. No pun intended." I said, adding a small chuckle.
"Actually, yes, pun entirely intended."

"Pretty much, yeah!" Apple Bloom responded.

"Well, I'm sure that'll be a special moments in all of OUR hearts." I said, and turned to AJ. "Now you've told me many a tale, but I've yet to hear about how you got your Cutie Mark. And I already get the feeling it was about as heartwarming as Apple Bloom's moment. Or, more specifically, the Crusaders' moment."
"Would you mind telling how it happened?" I asked, eager to hear another story. I was especially eager to know how Applejack got so into apples. She could even easily inspire ME to get into them.

"Well.... It was a long time ago, around when I was Apple Bloom's age. See, I had big dreams for myself since I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life yet. So I decided I was gonna go off to Manehattan and live with my Aunt and Uncle Orange. Thing is, once I was out there, it sure didn't feel an awful lot like home. Sure, Aunt and Uncle Orange were really good to me, but I just felt lost out there.... Well, the next mornin', I saw this BEAUTIFUL rainbow arcing across the sky - right towards Sweet Apple Acres! When I saw that rainbow, it was like this farm was callin' me home, so I came running back as fast as I could - and that's when I knew I'd be runnin' this farm well into my days, right alongside the rest of my family."

"Wow! I never knew Mother Nature could be such a helpful guide back then! The only thing that tugs at me is....WHAT caused the rainbow to just streak towards Sweet Apple Acres? I'd seen plenty of rainbows, but none streaked on their own." "Wow! I never knew Mother Nature could be such a helpful guide back then! The only thing that tugs at me is....WHAT caused the rainbow to just streak towards Sweet Apple Acres? I'd seen plenty of rainbows, but none streaked on their own."
Yes, I was going to admit it right here and now. I was the kind of person to really observe even BACKSTORIES, trying to figure out what might have happened. Well, that led me to the question I had to know the answer toWHAT caused the rainbow to streak towards the farm?

"A Sonic what?" A Sonic.....Rainboom...it didn't take a genius to figure out it was a sonic boom....but how could there have been a rainbowfied alternate to a sonic BOOM?

Applejack let out a chuckle. "Oh, that's an easy one - A Sonic Rainboom, courtesy of one Rainbow Dash!"

"Well, I think Pinkie Pie explained it best... Now how did she describe it again....?" Applejack tapped her hoof to her snout in thought.

"I'd guess she'd hyperactively mention how fast Rainbow went..?"

"I think she said.... when a Pegasus like Rainbow Dash goes fast enough to break the sound barrier... it creates an explosion of color the likes of which few ponies have ever seen. Something along those lines anyways."

"A Sonic...Rainboom. That's actually one of the coolest phenomenons I'd heard of. I mean, of course, Rainbow'd have to go BLAZING fast to break the sound barrier, but I never imagined she'd add a beautiful colorful effect to it. I'd have to ask her about that one." I said, getting up at the same time, and carrying my glass and plate over to the sink. "But that'll have to wait until after our chores!"
After AJ and the others had put their dishes up, we headed outside. "This is gonna be great!" I said. "I can finally contribute to hard work!"
"So, if I'm going to be handling the animals first, anything specific I need to know about any of them?" I asked, already spotting the small barn-like structure for the farm animals.

"Ah, it's not that hard. Just gotta be gentle with 'em and try not to startle 'em. They're pretty docile if you follow those guidelines."

As I grabbed the container of feed that was perched up against the wall, I could feel the delight rising up inside me. I know, it might seem crazy that I was enjoying the hard work I was going to be doing, but you only get so many opportunities in life to enjoy the little things and the big things. And I was enjoying the big things. I turned around and started heading towards the pen. One small start to a big job.

Granny Smith stepped outside, holding a hoof over her forehead to block out the glowing, golden-orange sun. She was looking in the direction of the pen Loyal was headed to. Her face shifted into an expression of uttermost concern. She knew something that boy did not. "Ehh, Applejack...don't you think we should have *warned* him about, uh..."

"Warned him about...? ...Oh boy...."

I approached the pen, admiring its well-built structure, it's cute little pink-red hued paint job, and the sounds of snorts, clucking, and occasional rooster crowing sounds, all flowing from inside the little building. I poured the bucket towards the ground, letting some of the feed spill onto the ground, for the chickens. I walked up to a trough and poured the bucket on its side, letting the rest of the feed fill up some of the trough, then proceeding to fill up the other half. Not long after that, a small, powder-pink pig ambled out of the building, letting out little squeals and oinks, clearly happy to be fed. A few more pigs filed out after that, all in a hurry, nearly trampling the pig. I scooped it up ot of harm's way, and bent down near a trough, letting it eat away. It let out tiny snorts of glee, as it chowed down on the feed, sending pieces of it flying every which way. It was rather adorable.

The chickens were the next ones to leave the building, gathering around the feed on the ground, pecking frantically. I couldn't help but laugh at the scene. "Easy, easy now, there's plenty of feed for everypony! Slow down, haha!"

And not too far away, a familiar pink Unicorn sat behind a tree, watching over the boy. She smiled and chuckled to herself. Sometimes he really did have a way with animals. But they seemed to respect him. He was almost like Fluttershy. That was one quality she liked to see in somepony like him. So far he was doing pretty good.

Granny and AJ started pushing the plows out from inside the barn. They were already preparing to sow the fields and plant seeds. Granny glanced over at the pen, seeing Loyal enjoy himself. "Do you think he'll be all right, sugarcube?" She asked her granddaughter.
"Do you think he'll be able to handle....her?" Granny was worried. Henrietta was no nice chick, nor was she a chick in any way. She was aggressive, vicious...and nightmare fuel towards Apple Bloom.

"Well.... I'm sure he'll be fine.... After all this is Loyal we're talking about... right?"

"I guess so...but it's not any evil plants he's dealing with....it's a lot worse..." Granny replied.
If AJ knew anything about situations like this, it was that two things would be able to make it a lot less worseA lasso, and a bit of strategy. But if Loyal was able to handle Henrietta, then that'd be somethin' else.

Some of the animals had crowded around me, eating out of the seed I had managed to save for feeding the animals by hand (or by hoof, if you will). It was nice feeling like you were one with the country life. The chickens were clucking wildly, the pigs were letting out cheerful snorts, and the runt had actually taken a liking to me. If a mess of feed landed on my clothing, it'd just lick it off. God, it was such a sweet little pig. It kind of reminded me of Charlotte's web, when Fern Arable was taking care of Wilbur the pig, rolling him in a stroller, feeding him milk from a baby bottle, and just raising him. It was so sweet.

The tender moment was interrupted when a loud, scratchy cluck rang out from inside the building. The animals fell silent, and turned towards the small building. In the shadows was one last chicken, but it seemed taller and its feathers seemed more ruffled. "Hey, don't worry, I got plenty of feed for ya! Why don't you come.....on...." I stopped there, as the chicken stepped into the light.
Its feathered were scattered every which way, its beak and legs were a little bit dirty and bruised, and....it was missing its right wing, and its left eye was half scarred.

"Holy Celestia.."

Granny gasped a bit when she caught a good glimpse of Henrietta. "There she is, Applejack! Should we do something?"

"Err, I'm gonna say yeah."

The animals had scattered and tried frantically to head back into the building, but they were blocking each others' way. The beat-up chicken was standing about two feet away from me, an evil look in its eye. I dropped the bucket of feed, and slowly hugged the fence, while keeping eye contact on the chicken. If I could unlock the gate, I could get out. But I couldn't feel the lock. The chicken started drawing near, letting out a low, guttural cluck.

'*Crudcrudcrudcrudcrudcrudcrudcrud.*' was my only thought, as I fumbled to try and feel the lock. But I couldn't find it. And I didn't DARE turn around. Not even for a second. That chicken was planning on ambushing me. This was worse than the time I'd been startled half to death by a chicken flying crazily out of a coop. I hadn't trusted most chickens since then. 'Ohhh, godohgodohgodohgodohgod...''

I didn't know why, but this chicken was freaking me the *hell* out. What did it want with me to be looking at me in such a manner?!

"If there were any perfect time for somepony to help me, it would definitely be now." I said, praying for a miracle. For Applejack or somepony to notice, for SOMEPONY to get me away from this crazy combed clucking creep.

The chicken drew closer. If I had SOMETHING to swat it away or push it away with, I'd be fine. But I only had a bucket, and that was NOT gonna help me whatsoever.

I just kept trying to fumble with the lock, wherever the heck it was! The chicken stepped even closer, seemingly knowing I was trapped. "Oh, Celestia, this is not what I had in mind when I wanted to do chores!" I exclaimed. I kept trying to feel for the lock, when suddenly, the gate swung backward, and I tumbled backwards as well. When I got up, I quickly grabbed the gate and practically slammed it shut, with a loud *K-KLUNK*! I quickly slid the latch onto the gate lock. I sighed in relief.

"Oh, my Celestia!" I said, bursting out with a bit of laughter. "Oh, that was close. *THAT*....was close." I turned to see AJ, who was standing next to the gate. "Oh, thank goodness, you saved me in time!" I said, embracing her. "Oh, thank the lord for miracles!"

"That was so damn *TERRIFYING!* I had no clue you had an old, crotchety, intimidating chicken!" I said, looking back at the pen. The chicken growled, and strutted back into the building.

"R-Right, Henrietta completely slipped my mind... She's a real terror to deal with, and Apple Bloom still has nightmares about her first encounter with her...."

"I'll bet! And here I thought it'd be Charlotte's Web all over again! I was becoming one with nature. I dunno if you saw. But it was glorious. But...Ugh....that was....that was scary. But I'm glad I haven't been pecked to death. Now, if I may ask...what should I do now? I'm just...indecisive at this point. Anything safer or whatever is fine..."

"You sure you wanna keep workin' after that? We let Apple Bloom take the rest of the day off from chores after her first run-in with Henrietta, but if you're sure you wanna keep goin'..."

I thought about it for a moment, trying to think of points. I wanted to be dedicated, and one little chicken wasn't gonna ruin that for me. One part of me didn't want anymore frights, but the other part of me said, 'We'll keep going.'

'I'll keep going. I'm not stopping now. I want to be dedicated to my goal, and to work."

"I'm not gonna let Henrietta ruin my goal for me, and I'm especially not gonna quit after one mishap. If I have to suffer consequences of unknowingly wrong choices, so be it." I said. "Heh, I think I'm starting to get your stubborn-like trait! The country really DOES grow on you!"

"Alright! That's an attitude I can respect. Anyways, if you're up for more work, then we're about ready to start plowin' the fields."

"Sounds good! And a lot better than what just happened."
"So, how do we get started?"

"Right then. C'mon, over here." Applejack lead Loyal over towards the field that was to be plowed.

"I imagine strength will be needed in this job?" I asked, patting my muscles with pride. "I'm just guessing, of course. But I feel it's a good guess." If I were paired with Big Mac, I'd have no worries. He could probably break a tree with his bare hooves, so anything that came our way to disturb us...bad idea.

"Not so much strength as endurance."

"Well, how heavy are they?" I asked, seeing the size of the devices. I would imagine they WERE heavy, but HOW heavy was the question.

"They can be heavy. Earth Ponies are naturally predisposed to strength though, so it's a bit easier for us."

"Pshh. With adrenaline on my side, I might get an advantage."
"I'm not gonna try to get too cocky, of course. But I feel positive."

"That's the spirit! Now then, you and Big Mac are up for this then."

"Alright! You'll be able to see how two men can get a job done!" I said. Sounding tough? No problem? Being tough? No prob. Proving I was super tough? That'd be a challenge.

Applejack gave a chuckle. "Just don't strain yourself. I know what it's like to run yourself ragged - darn near harvested EVERY apple tree on the farm by myself one year! Stubborn as a mule indeed, but I learned the value of asking for help that week..."

"You bucked almost every tree...?"
"What was going on in your head then?! Haha!"

"I... wasn't hearing things properly, let's leave it at that."

"Well, lesson learned, if that's the point." I said.
I positioned myself toward the field, and gave a mighty pull. The plow lurched forward a bit, knocking me a bit off balance, which I quickly regained.
"It'll be really embarrassing if I get owned by a PLOW on a field like this. I'm not that pathetic, haha. And I'm not gonna disprove that." Another pull, and another lurch, and it was onto the field.

As I gave another mighty pull, the plow didn't move as much. Dirt was creation five times more friction now. This was going to be *TOUGH*. But I pulled again, and again. I was slowly making progress. And so was Big Mac. In fact, he pulled it without as much effort. "Must be nice to be bulky.." I commented.

"Ah, don't sweat it, sugarcube. Big Mac's used to this kinda work by now. Plus it helps that these plows are made to be pulled moving forward, like he is."

"Yeap! Can't imagine plows made to work BACKWARD. That'd be all kinds of messed up."
I correctly positioned myself and took a deep breath. "Muscles...don't fail me now.." I started pulling with all my might, and I could feel myself going. If these seeds were to be planted, they had to be planted on schedule. And I was all. About. Schedule. After a short while, I kind of got used to the pattern, and I was making progress. And nothing would slow me down.

He still hadn't stopped working? Loyal was a lot more persistent than Starlight had imagined. He was willing, he was strong....and stubborn. But she liked that in somepony so heroic. But it wasn't his strength that impressed her. It was the fact that it was as if he never ran out of energy. He just kept going and going, never stopping.....almost like Pinkie Pie, but not completely. But soon, he'd find out that all that work had been worth it, when she gained the courage to tell him the truth. She'd been avoiding ponies for the past 36 hours, because she was worried if she told anypony what was wrong, they'd tell HIM. And she wouldn't risk that..

Not ever.

"You know, this is pretty enjoyable, if I'm honest! It's almost like an iron-lifting class in a gym! Except it's more realistic, and has more difficulty!"

It had been a full half hour, but we were spending it well. We had made it across half the field, but I got so into it, I didn't know if the entire field WAS needed. Maybe it was, maybe it was not. But Loyal wouldn't stop till he was told to. "You know....I got a bit of an idea from this! When we finish all of our chores, of course, maybe I could test my strength against YOU, Applejack! Who knows? We might see who's stronger! Though I think I know who would be, of course. Considering the territory. But we might find out if I'm lucky.

Applejack let out a chuckle. "Maybe, maybe. We'll have to see!"

As I pushed along the field, I felt so good. "If this is the closest I'd get to exercise, then I love it! It feels great to reaaaally work my body, legs, AND arms all at once. And it only takes a chore and a plow! Who knew?" I was feeling it. The adrenaline. It was pumping through my blood at high speeds, at high efficiency. "Things like this usually lead to collapsing or passing out, but I can see that happening, what with how crazy determined I was to dedicate. And I say it was all worth it! Especially if it's a form of bonding with y'all!"

"Now now, don't push yourself do exhaustion, there! That's no fun, and we don't want to have to make sure you'll be okay again, do we?"

"Honestly, no. And.....er.....actually, you've pegged me there pret-ty good. I don't see any other reason beyond that. I guess I *should* take it easier. But now you've seen that I do get excited when I'm finally bonding and having a lot of fun doing the things I'm willing to do." I said, deciding chilling out a bit was actually a good idea. "Heh, that has to be the first time I'd nearly pushed myself beyond my limit. You're right, it's best that doesn't happen."
I could see that we were nearing the end of our chore, as only about 10 feet away, was the end of the field. 10 feet was a lot for a slow moving chore. But it was pretty fun. I got to spend a lot of time close with the Apple family, and that's what counted. I loved this family, just like they felt the same way to me. Mostly because I always felt so happy to be around a family who was hard-working, country-styled, and above all else, fun.
"Almost there!" I exclaimed. "And such a workout! I'd have to try this again sometime! Depending on when a field needs plowing. Admittedly, it is a bit crazy for me to admit that, but it doesn't matter, because I'm just.....I'm just really happy to be able to have fun being around here. You all easily make things more enjoyable and beautiful when they're done together instead of alone. I'm assuming it's not the first time you'd proven that?"

"Oh, not by a longshot! Things are worlds easier when you've got friends and family by your side to give you a helping hoof!"

"I guessed as much. And something about that would probably make it a lot easier to see why Sweet Apple Acres is my kind of place. It's really nice being around here, because of how lively everything looks and how lively they happen. It really does contrast from all the action I end up facing alone. Working and playing with family is just so much more fun than trying to fight off enchanted plants and battling evil knife-wielding dummies - long story." And I didn't realize it, but not only was the amount of stuff I was gonna say make time fly faster for us to finish our chore, but it was about to mean a ***LOT*** to AJ, and though it was hard to tell, Big Mac, as well.

"This place...all of you...all of it reminds me of how my home used to be - really nice and relaxing. There would be creaky swings, squeaky doors and stairs to trek across. You all really do remind me of my old family. Big Mac reminds me of my stepfather, as he was big, strong, stern, and could really work on a lot of things to make art out of them...well, I think that last one is just my stepfather, but it's a close tie. And AJ...you remind me of either my mom or my sisters...sweet and caring, and other times, strong and lively, having a sense of family, fun, and adventure. My sister wasn't afraid to do plenty of things, and honestly, neither are you. Apple Bloom reminds me of....well, considering it was usually me and my slightly older sister, she reminds me of myself. Sweet, bold, energetic, and usually learns from things, being it mistakes, stories, or even myself. She knows what the right choice would be, and understands how hard it would be. And Granny....she reminds me of my own granny - a good sense of humor, wise, and even likes to just relax around the house, doing things she'd find joy in. It's almost like I'm back with my real family. But ALMOST. But it's a beautiful thing to realize, because it's not just the family that makes me feel at home....it's the fact that I don't feel as alone, because I know I feel at home in a place like this."
By the time I finished ranting, we had made it across the field. "Good God almighty. I had never ranted like that before, but I just felt it all pour out. I feel a lot better, too, because I'd been meaning to tell most ofyou how I'd felt since the first time I'd felt really happy here."

And by golly, Applejack and Big Mac had never looked more endeared, or more touched. "I know, you probably get the 'really sweet and kind family' thing often, but I just said it from my heart's content and feelings....though I'm sorry if it's kidn of cheesy...I don't usuaally blurt out like I just did."

Applejack sniffled, wiping some tears from her eyes, before pulling Big Mac into a hug. "That's honestly, without a doubt, the nicest thing anypony's ever said about my family...!"

Wow...I...actually made Applejack cry tears of happiness. That was a first for me. I didn't know whether to feel bad or...what. "Wait...are you...crying, AJ?" I asked, just to confirm if I was right.

"C'-C'ourse not! I-I just got somethin' in my eye, right Big Mac?"
"Nnnnnope...."

"Wow..I...I had never actually seen you like this before...in general, I hadn't seen anypony cry like that since the tragedy of Titanic. But that's beside the point. I just...I just felt like I had to show how I felt if I needed to. And I was being honest when I said all that. You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that!"

I walked over and patted AJ's back. "You know, this is actually the first time I'd ever shown my deepest feelings to anypony else. And you'd have to gain a lot of my trust to do that. So, in a way, you should feel proud."

"Oh, I feel real proud right about now...!"

Feeling happy with the moment I had just created, I joined in the embrace AJ was holding. Now I really felt like a member of the family, even though I knew I could or couldn't have been. And it's like I said - I had to let them know how I felt eventually. I just needed plenty of time around them.

Thinking about all I'd just said, when I took another glance at the two ponies...I'd realized how true to me my words might have well have been. Because there was no doubt about it...they really were my family.

No Harm In Havin' Fun

It didn't take long to finish the other chores, including washing the fence (I was shocked by how old and peely it was on the sides...eeugh), though it was taken off of my mind with the several times Apple Bloom playfully sprayed me with a hose when we washed down the excess, so before we knew it, we were deciding what kind of stuff we should do for real fun (they said REAL, because, coughchorescough), and I attempted bringing up my strength competition. Everypony seemed to be fairly interested in that, even after sharing their ideas. Maybe it was my rant that put them in an even more cheerful mood, maybe they just liked the idea of the possibility of Applejack's bare hooves slamming my arm onto a table, but either way, it seemed to delight everypony. I knew it was because how fun it would turn out to be, if it did. You never knew because of how dangerous having fun in public could be, risking attracting thieves and whatnot. But I didn't mind. I wasn't scared.

There was already a small table set up for the two of us. But first, I had to make sure Applejack was in. I'd understand if she wasn't. Not everypony had to follow my interests. "So, Applejack, if there's nothing else regarding work to do, are you still up on the arm-wrestle?"

"Heh, I don't see why not! Fair warning, though, I may not be as strong as Big Mac, but I'm still plenty strong anyways!"

"Awesome! We already found a nice table and got it set up for our match." I said. "This way." I led her out to the front of the barn, where a sturdy, brown wooden table stood. It was just big enough to fit two separate hooves. So it was enough space for us. Granny, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac all sat in their seats that they'd brought out. They knew that when it came to strength, AJ was purely teflon.

I sat down at one side of the table, and rolled up my sleeves.

"I'm ready for ya." I said. I was so ready to take on what would end up amounting to be a pony almost as strong as Big Mac.

"You sure about that?" Applejack asked, raising one hoof onto the table.

"Have I ever been one to chicken out?"

"Fair enough! Alright, let's do this!"

"You're goin' down, farm girl..." I teased, propping my arm up.

"Not likely..." Applejack muttered, with a smile.

As we fastened a grip on each other's hoof (or hand, if you wanna call it that), I could feel the tension rising around us.

Granny got up and carefully tied a bandanna around our...graspers, let's call it, because it's easier. "When I count to three and blow this whistle.." She said, holding up a small whistle. "The match begins."

She finished tying the bandanna, and waited a few moments. "Iffen yer both ready....Three....two.....one......" Granny counted, and blew the whistle.

AJ struggled to push her hoof against Loyal's arm, working it toward the table. She was careful, however, not to exert herself TOO much...

My muscles almost instantly got to work, and my arm began pushing back against AJ's hoof. She pushed it back a few times, and I pushed her hoof back a few times as well. "You know, it'd be funny if we were nearly as strong as each other! That'd be a hard match for you to win!"

As I continued struggling, I started feeling AJ's strength..I felt how strong she really was. "Good God, how strong ARE you?! It's not possible to last this long!"

"You surprised? Heh, this is nothing!"

Applejack nearly pushed my arm all the way down a few times, but I managed to fight back, but with some difficulty. I slowly started feeling a bit of adrenaline, and managed to push her hoof down quite a bit. "I'd just been going easy on you up until now, but let's kick it up a notch!" With that, I started to push back a bit harder, closer to victory.

"Victory is within my grasp!" I declared.

"Oh, we're being serious now? Sorry, I didn't get the memo."

I managed to get Applejack's hoof about two inches from the table, but for some reason, it was almost like a force was stopping it. "Are you...serious?! It won't....go.....down!" She had a trick up her sleeve, I was guessing. If Applejack really was resisting like this, it was totally cheap. I pushed harder, and harder to try and push it down. But nothing was happening. In the background, I could hear Granny laugh. "It wasn't how strong she was you'd have to worry about, sugarcube! It was how *resistant* she'd end up being."

"So, this is what you had planned, isn't it, AJ? You'd easily resist if I managed to overpower you?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

I just chuckled. That girl had planned ahead, and everything fell perfectly into place. "Well, you definitely planned everything well! But it won't last forever..."

Eventually, I decided to shift more of my strength into my arm, and I pushed a bit harder. But her hoof wouldn't go down.

I was so focused on trying to beat Applejack, that I didn't notice my arm getting tired. Slowly, it lost the strength to push back. "Oh, no, that's not good.." I said.

"Hmm? Somethin' wrong there, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, smiling.

"N-No! There's nothing wrong!" I said, as I was losing the war in pushing back.

I was unable to push her hoof back, and my arm slowly descended towards the right half of the table. But there was something I knew that she didn't. If she was mostly focused on trying to push my arm back, then the rest of her mind would be wandering...which gave me an idea. Just moments before my hand was about to touch the table, I smirked. "Well, Applejack, I must say, you've done well. But, really, this match is over....for *you*."

"I beg your pardon?"

I directed all of my remaining strength into my hand and arm, and quickly began to push back upwards, at a decent speed. I made sure I tightened my grip on AJ's hoof, to make sure she wouldn't try to resist again. It slowly went up, and began leaning towards the left half of the table. I pushed harder, and it went down faster. To be safe, I pushed as hard as I could, in case I could break through even a tiny bit of resistance Applejack might have mustered up in time. I pushed hard until......*thump!*

Applejack's hoof had touched the table. Thanks to strategy, I had won the match. I had a feeling she'd stop resisting if she thought my arm was tiring out, since there was no need to resist against an exhausted arm. I didn't really count strength as the reason, but if I was strong enough to just barely avoid losing in a match like that, then I was just as strong as her, most likely.

"Wh- How did...?"

"I used strategy." I replied plainly. "I figured you would lower your guard if you saw my arm was getting tired, so I saved some of my strength, and when the time was right, I used it all to push your hoof back, and onto the table."

Granny Smith came over and removed the bandanna from us. "I have ta say, that was a mighty fine save you did there, Loyal.”

Starlight watched silently from a distance. She felt really proud of Loyal. He didn't just use strength....but he used his wits, his brain. He was a pretty smart person to be able to pull something like that on the one pony who was a lot more skilled than even him on this farm. She decided that Loyal was definitely ready to learn the truth. She just needed the right timing...

As Apple Bloom and Big Mac got up, they started to walk towards the barn, possibly to think of or plan other activities. But Granny Smith had other ideas. "Applejack, could you come over here a minute?"

"Y-yeah? What's up, Granny?"

Granny looked around, before lowering her voice. "I'm sure you're wanting to cover up a loss like that, right?"

"What...? Why would I want to do that...?"

"You used all of your strength in that match, and still lost...even on your own territory. I understand you'd probably accept that, but isn't a part of you wanting to prove Loyal different?"

"Not exactly catchin' your drift, Granny..."

"An Iron Pony Competition. Challenge him to several events that can't easily be won. Show him you're still as tough as you look!"

"Well.... I dunno.... I suppose....?"

"Come on, darlin'! Just give it a try! You never know what'll happen!" Granny said, looking at Loyal, as he walked back towards the barn. Seems he was probably going to relax.

Applejack gave a sigh. "I guess it's worth a shot."

"That's what I like to hear! I'll go set up the scoreboard, while you go find our old equient."

"Should I, I dunno, send him off somewhere? Buy us some time or somethin'? Or are we just gonna, y'know, bank on the hope he stays inside for a few hours and doesn't look out the window?"

"Well, I'm sure he'll want to do SOMETHING to relax after today, right?"

"Which means he might not come out for awhile."

"Well, yeah..."

"Actually...one thing I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing would be seeing how your friends are doing. Aren't they still near the entrance of the Everfree?"

"I dunno, Granny. I'da thought they'dve gone home last night..."

"Well, one thing to keep in mind, is none of them came by at all to check on Loyal. Didn't ya notice that?"

"...Actually, now that you mention it...."

"If none of them even tried coming by, even if they were tired, then it could mean they're still in there!"

AJ had to admit, Granny made a good point. The girls cared much about Loyal. If not even one of them stopped by yesterday or today, then they'd surely have been stuck in there.

"Besides, it'll take him about half an hour to get there, and another to get back, most likely. So, what'dya think?"

"Well.... That's fair, I guess."

"Alright, then. You go ahead and let 'im know, while I go get things set up."

I was just busy relaxing on the couch, trying to enjoy my nice free time. About a minute later, Applejack walked inside and up to the couch. "Oh, hi again. Is there something you need to tell me?" I said, since she walked right up to me.

Applejack gulped, unsure if Loyal would actually listen to her. "I gotta tell you somethin'."

I didn't even take that much time to hustle to the exit of Sweet Apple Acres. After finding out that the girls possibly hadn't returned, I was out the door. I had to hurry to see if they were alright. Hopefully they'd fended off the plant monsters that had attacked me before. I wasn't even sure how they'd survived in the nighttime.

I practically sprinted towards the Everfree, not stopping for anything. I had to find out if they were okay. If they weren't, a new Weed Whacker would be in town. It didn't take me long to find the entrance to the Everfree I had taken. I sprinted into the forest, through the path I had also taken, and quickly found myself in front of the familiar Poison Joke field. I didn't hesitate to sprint through, following the path of burnt and killed Joke.

When the path ended in the middle of the field, I got confused. Where had the girls gone? They couldn't have left the forest, right? They would have come to see me if they had. So what else could have happened to them?

I soon spotted something blue on the ground, and I bent over to pick it up. It was a cyan feather....NO. It couldn't have been...

At that moment, the ground rumbled, and familiar black bulges burst out of the ground. It was the plants I'd been ambushed by before. They were going to pay for what they had done.

"COME AT ME YOU WICKED WEEDS! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!" I roared. NOPONY messed with, or even killed the girls on MY watch if they thought they'd get away with it.

One plant lunged at me, but I quickly dodged and grabbed its stem. I pulled along the stem with all my might, slowly uprooting the plant. IT let out a shriek, then wriggled and squirmed violently, before falling flat and limp. One down...four to go.

The next plant tried striking from above, chomping down onto me. But with my newfound strength, I managed to split its mouth wide open, and I ripped it apart. Another shriek, and another plant down. The third was kind of tough to beat. It teamed up with the fourth and fifth to try and wrap me up, possibly to squeeze me to death. The three plants lunged at me from all sides. Thinking quickly, I grabbed one plant, and hoisted myself onto its horizontally positioned head, and slammed down onto it, bringing it onto the ground. I slammed my fists into it, causing it to shriek. But it wasn't down yet. It was just weakened. I had to focus on the other two plants now, and I had to make sure I didn't mess up....and that I got my revenge...

*meanwhile, not too far away*

The girls were actually completely fine. They had fought the Plunderseed Plants for hours, and eventually became exhausted, and unable to keep fighting. But a mysterious silhouetted Pegasus flew in out of nowhere and put the hurt on the plants, driving them away. That Pegasus was none other than Daring Do, the pony Loyal and Rainbow had met a year ago. And of course, Rainbow was overjoyed. She'd spent an adventure with them, and she didn't seem to happy about even being with them. She worked alone, that rule she stuck with. But it didn't hurt helping them when she wasn't adventuring. She was leading them to the entrance of the forest they'd used. Spike had his mind on Loyal the whole time...he was worried.

"Do you think Loyal's recovered by now?" He asked.

"I don't know, Spike. He was beat up pretty badly, but he's a tough guy."

"Well, whatever he's doing, it's got to be better than what we dealt with. I can barely make a spark by this point." Spike replied, trying to breath a burst of fire to prove it. All that came out was a pathetic little puff of smoke.

It wasn't long before the girls (and Daring, what with her heightened senses) heard what sounded like screams and yelling). "Do you...h-hear that?" Spike said. Something about the faint sound of the screams kind of unsettled him.

"Uh... yeah. Totally," Rainbow said.

A little bit further, and the girls were shocked at what they saw.

There I was, beating the living hell out of the fourth plant. I was tying its stem into a gigantic knot, and tightening it. "How do YOU like being beaten and punished?!" I shouted. "This is what happens when you mess with MY friends! With MY family! With my LIFE!" After squeezing the knot one last time, the plant let out a shriek and died.

Now, the fifth plant...

"I...I can't believe what I'm seeing! Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this!" Spike exclaimed. He thought Loyal would be back at Sweet Apple Acres, resting up...but here he was, beating the life out of a Plunderseed Plant.

"I-Is that Loyal?!"

For the fifth plant, I was delivering strong punches to the stem and head. Eventually, it opened its jaws, and I punched hard into the center, causing it to quiver and shriek...and eventually die. "And STAY down!" I exclaimed, panting heavily and hard. "The nerve of some plants....the girls would have been proud that I'd avenged them.."

And, at that moment, I heard a familiar voice speak.

"Loyal! What the HECK?!"

I turned to my right to see Twilight and the others standing there, mouths agape. It hadn't yet clicked that they weren't actually...gone, so...

"You're the spirits of my friends...I had to avenge their fates caused by these sick, twisted weeds!" I said, approaching them.

"You know we're not DEAD, right?"

"The only thing I found was one of Rainbow's feathers. That was the only thing left...it could have implied that the girls had been....killed."

".....Oh. Uhh..." Well, this was a little bit awkward.

Wait....so they weren't even....dead. They were completely fine. "Then....how are you ALIVE?! I thought you'd have been done for eventually if you spent hours trying to fend off the plants!"

"Well, we're experienced with these things, but... we did have a bit of help..."

"....Who, exactly?"

At that moment, I noticed that among the girls, there was one other pony with them. She had on a pith helmet, a safari jacket, and a gold-and-green compass rose Cutie Mark. Something about her looked....familiar. I stepped a bit closer, trying to rack my brain for the last time I'd seen this pony. "You look....kind of familiar. Have we met before?" I asked.

"Maybe a little bit." She said.

*'A little bit?'* I thought. She looked very familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It was rather bothersome, because I KNEW I'd seen this pony. 'Wait, wait....what's your name? That might ring a bell."

"Do. Daring Do."

I thought for a moment, and soon, it hit me. I DID recognize her. "You're..." Where had I seen her? I thought back, and a memory flashed into my mind. "You're that pony we saw in that ruin a year ago when we were escaping Sunny Town!"

"Yeah, that was me." The Golden Pegasus responded. She hadn't actually expected to run into this...thing a second time in her life. It seemed like something you'd only ever catch a glimpse of, but never see again.

"Well, it's quite a surprise seeing you here! I'm guessing you're the one who helped my friends survive in the Everfree?"

"That's right. Saw them and figured I'd return a favor."

"Return a...favor? They know you, too?"

"Sure they do. Figured out who I was and where to find me. Smart girls."

"From what I know, they've been featured in one of her books!" Spike said.

"Oh, so you're a writer! Very good hobby." I said, and realized I hadn't introduced myself.

"Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Loyal Defender, but just Loyal is fine."

Upon hearing that name, Daring unaudibly gasped. Ever since hearing about him, she'd been wanting to find him. But she knew it was official: this was the one...this was him. She had been looking all over for him, and here he was, in her sights at last. But she didn't think now was the time, especially not after what just happened with the Plunderseed Plant thing. She'd have to plan for tomorrow, when she wasn't busy, thankfully.

"What are you doing back in here?" I asked. "It's dangerous, ya know."

"Oh, believe me, I know danger better than... let's say most ponies." Daring answered. Thankfully, the fool had made two answerable remarks, so she could loop around the first question.

"For the past few days, I'd faced nothing BUT danger. Including a knife-wielding mannequin-like dummy."

"Pardon me?"

"It's kind of a long story. And one I kind of wish I didn't experience." I said, looking back at the far-off entrance of the Everfree. "Oh, before I forget, Applejack sent me to retrieve you girls since you hadn't left the Everfree since yesterday."

"Celestia knows HOW anypony could survive a night here..."

"Pretty easily actually, Zecora spends most of her day in there!" Pinkie chimed in, happily.

'Uh....Zecora?"

"She's a friend of ours. She's a zebra," Twilight explained.

"AND she speaks in rhymes!"

"Why would she live HERE?"

"It confuses us too but she has reasons. I think she finds herbs here for potions?"

"Hmm. MY guess is she's some kind of shaman, then." That said, I focused my mind on what recently happened. "Well, I'm glad everything worked out here, especially since I survived the brutal attack from yesterday. I just hope that our failed quest to find Silver won't disappoint Diamond.." And then, I remembered. "Oh, shoot, I totally forgot about Diamond! Where is she?"

"Oh, no, no, no, this is bad. I know I left her on the other side of the Poison Joke field, but I don't see her! She couldn't have wandered off, right? She'd know better! UGH, what the *hell* was I thinking?! I knew I should have left her in Ponyville when I tried convincing her to stay! It's one unfortunate event after another, with no sign of stopping!" I didn't realize it, but I had actually gone into a panic attack. "First, Silver's missing, then the Plunderseed attack, then you all got stranded here, and now Diamond's gone!"

"Ever since we got back from Manehattan, things had gotten out of hoof. Not long after getting back, Starlight was acting erratic and secretive, like there was something she was trying to hide from the world. She wouldn't even tell me what it was. Then, while I try to enjoy my time with Diamond, we get a letter saying Silver's gone missing. I try convincing Diamond to stay, but she ended up convincing me to bring her along. And then I get ambushed by Plunderseeds, I end up leaving her behind, and now she's missing! Why can't I make any sense of any of this?! Why is any of this happening? I just wanted to spend some time in a peaceful environment, but apparently, that's hard to earn here!" I walked up to a random tree, and faceplanted into the trunk.

I don't know why I was having a panic attack, but I just wanted to enjoy my time. But with so many things happening so fast, it was hard. "Not to mention, I'd pretty much endangered a filly. I shouldn't have left her like that...I was supposed to look after her and keep her safe...I can't even do THAT..."

I stepped away from the tree, and slumped down against it. "It's almost like I'm losing my sense of protection...like I'm just slowly becoming nothing. This isn't the me I know...this is the me I didn't want to become. Why couldn't I prevent that?"

I had never felt more....down. I was supposed to be Equestria's protector....but intead I was slowly putting it in danger. What kind of hero would do that? My skills were slipping, my mind was wandering, and my confidence was crushed. I hadn't done anything right in the past few days. I just ended up screwing everything up.

"Wow....I'd never seem him like this before...." Spike commented, unsure what to do or say. Loyal was being pretty harsh on himself, and it wasn't exactly pleasant to watch. Somepony had to say SOMETHING to cheer him up or something. Or even tell him he was wrong.

"Well, uh, hey... It's not like, y'know, that thing about us getting stranded is really that bad... I mean, we're pretty much heroes ourselves.... We've faced those plants before and it turned out alright, so no harm, no foul there, right?" Dash said, awkwardly.

"But it was I who caused it in the first place! Nopony should have to endure that!"

"No matter what you say, this is my fault! I was irresponsible, brash......and not protective."

"I... guess...?" Twilight said, scratching at her head.

"Okay. I'll go on a bit ahead. I'll see you at the entrance. " I said, starting off. "And don't worry about the Plunderseed Plants. I pretty much destroyed them." At that moment, one plant tried to get up, but I socked it in the mouth, knocking t out. "See?" And with that, I started off. "He seems....different. " Was all Spike could say.

As we headed out, I noticed out of the corner of my eye Daring stopping Spike to seemingly ask or tell him something. The only word I got out was "message". Whatever that meant.

After the girls and I reached the entrance, we organized a bit of a plan. I'd head back to Sweet Apple Acres for today, to try to relax, and tomorrow, I'd head back to the castle to discuss my....options on how to deal with our problem: Finding Diamond was our top priority. It seemed to take a lot longer to reach Sweet Apple Acres, possibly because of how many things I thought about. But it gave me time to think about how much more responsible I could have been, or could be.

But eventually, I made it back. Applejack was outside, placing boards of some kind on the ground. Lucky for her, I was not curious why.

"Well, I got the girls out safely." I said. "It was dangerous for me, though."

"'s that so? Everything alright?"

"I had to, uhh.....I had to deal with the Plunderseed Plants. It wasn't pretty, either. And believe me, you'd be surprised to learn I made it out alive. Fighting FIVE Plants." I added. Honestly, I didn't think I'd live, either. I actually THOUGHT they had......fallen Twiligt and the others, because when I got to the spot they had been at, all I found was one of Rainbow's feathers, so I thought they had been eaten, or worse. Turns out, it had molted off, and they were completely fine. A Pegasus named Daring Do rescued them.

"Oh, is that so? So miss Do's doin' well I presume?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly know...I didn't really ask her, and I was kind of eager to get back. I get the feeling she might want more to do with me, though. I just get this feeling. But what I wanted to know was what kind of adventure did you all have with her?" I asked. I was kind of curious as to how the girls knew Daring Do....well, better than I did, anyway. She didn't seem like somepony you'd commonly see.

Applejack gave a chuckle. "Well, it's actually kind of a funny story. Started out with Dash wantin' to get a word with Ms. Yearling about her upcoming Daring Do novel. We went all the way out into the forest to visit her, only for her to not be there. She got home right quick, but things took an unexpected turn when some gruff sorts came out of the woods after we left. Turns out, Ms. Yearling is actually Ms. Do herself! You, uh, didn't hear that from me, by the way. Anyways, she didn't want our help at first, but after Dash actually wound up savin' her, it turned out she hadn't exactly accounted for a single little detail about what she was tryin' to do. In other words, if it wasn't for Rainbow, Ms. Do may have actually LOST that time! We went our separate ways afterwards, but turns out, she wrote us into the book, too - I haven't exactly gotten around to readin' it yet, but I gotta assume she gave us aliases to keep it from gettin' out that we were involved, which would, y'know, reveal that Daring Do is real."

"Wait, so you're in an adventure novel now? And it was because you helped a famous author? Do I have that right?"

"Yep, exactly right."

"Hmm. That sounds like one hell of an adventure. Well....beats my escape from Sunny Town. Which is also how I met Daring before. But that's for another time. For now, I'm gonna go rest and relax, those plants exhausted me. And so did the panic attack. See you in a while, AJ." I said, heading towards the barn.

"Alright, fair enough!"

I had to prove I could've been more responsible. More focused, more mature and not the fool I was. But how? The answer lay in wait, but I had to be patient to find it. For now, resting on the couch with a certain young filly asking how my walk was was the only thing I needed. Heh, sweet little Apple Bloom. Her smile alone cheered me up when I was worn out.

I headed inside the barn and into the living room, plunking myself onto the couch. And lo and behold, Apple Bloom came right up to me and asked:

"How was your walk?" Apple Bloom asked, and gave a big smile.

Man, she was good. "The usual. Only a bit of butt-kickers, exploration, and a small realization panick attack. But don't worry, it's been resolved. What happened while I was gone?

"Nothing too exciting, really." Apple Bloom sat down on the floor nearby. "We don't have any Cutie Mark appointments today. I've been thinkin' of something to do."

"Hmmmmm...my ideas were either hide and seek, or Go Fish."

"Well, that sounds alright."

"But... well, both of those games sound more fun with more friends, y'know?"

"Good point...hmmm..."

Apple Bloom scratched at her head. "I mean... Hide and Seek would just be us lookin' for each other, and Go Fish would just be us askin' for cards back and forth."

"We could go find Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle I guess. I think Diamond Tiara's off in town somewhere, too..."

"Uh, not exactly..."

"Wait, she's not?"

"Let's say she's not in town." I said. Now was not the ymr to freak her out. I had to be subtle until Di was found. I didn't need AB worrying sick. I was already doing that. "She is just not in town, from what I know."

"Oh, is she on a trip? Is she visiting someone in Canterlot?"

"Well, I get the feeling she's with sow one familiar to her. But I'm sure she's fine."

"Alright, if you're sure. That still leaves Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, though."

"Will those two still be enough?"

"Four's better than two!"

"Alright! Where should she look first?"

"I'm gonna say Sweetie Belle. It'd be better to know if she can or can't play since I'm almost positive Scootaloo can."

"Okay. Is there a spot she's usually at?"

"Well, she likes sweets - like most ponies - but lately she HAS been more of a salad girl. She also goes to Rarity's sometimes since they don't have a lot of time to spend together lately so what time they DO have is precious."

Is it odd that I'm foreseeing an episode where Rarity is busy with boutique stuff and the Mane need her help, but nobody understands because "Twilight is an alicorn, can't she handle this by herself or at least hold on until you've got a moment?"

Nope.

"Hmm. Well, we could check the boutique. Considering. The girls joined me in my walk in the Everfrree, Rarity went back, she might be there."

"Though I'll Frel bad if I end up interrupting their quality time unknowingly."

"Well if Rarity and Sweetie are hanging out, Rarity's probably free. Rarity could join too if she's feeling up to it. If not, that's why I wanted to check with Sweetie first. That way we know if she can play or not."

"Well, let's go."

It was a little late when we got outside. I hadn't noticed, but it didn't mean I wasn't gonna pass up a game of hide and seek or Go Fish with the fillies. The silence of our trek made the moment more beautiful. "You know, I might have to actually set up an appointment with you girls." I said. I had a good reason, too.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Lately, I haven't bee feeling like my usual super tough, grave self. I feel like my sense of skill and adventure is slipping. That can't be good for me or my reputation. I'm meant to protect, but not if I let a number of moves and decisions slip my mind. But nopony is as adventurous as you three."

"I figure. If you can be that adventurous, mahaps you can figure out how to help me feel like my old self again."

"Hmm. Well, we could schedule an appointment with you tomorrow I suppose, or some other time if tomorrow doesn't work."

"Well,it'll depend on if I can get any other hints out of the day. But we shall see." I had to get some other things sorted out first. But I prayed it wouldn't be too long. I approached the Boutique door, took a deep breath, and knocked on it.

"Rarity? Are you home?"

"One moment! I will be right out!"

I was a bit nervous. If she hadn't been doing anything, I would have nothing to worry about.

Soon, Rarity opened the door. "Oh, why hello, Loyal, Apple Bloom! Is there something I can do for you two?"

"I was wondering if Sweetie Belle could come out."

"Oh, unless you two are spending quality time together by if you are the totally fine and understandable!" I added quickly.

"Oh I trust you, don't worry! You all have fun now! And be careful!"

"We will!" I said, and all three of us started off towards wherever Scootaloo went. "His will be so much fun!"

"So, I hear you're spending whatever time you can with your sister, Sweetie Belle, how's that going?"

"Things been going swell?" I felt like Sweetie was really maturing and all that. It was kind of nice.

"Oh, yeah, things are going really well! Rarity's getting the hang of the fact that I'm growing up. I know how hard that can be since Apple Bloom went through it before I did, and Applejack was WAY more overbearing than Rarity is. At least Rarity knows I don't need to be watched all night long."

Hi again.

"Of course not! You're mature and responsible to look tou for yourself, aren'tcha?"

"Well yeah, that's the point I'm trying to make. Up until recently, Applejack treated Apple Bloom like a little filly."

"Let's not discuss that point in my life ever again for the rest of time," Apple Bloom said, flatly.

"Okay, yeah, it sounds bad."

"Hey, Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom called.

"I'm also proud that you're maturig. Reminds me of me in my youth." I said, honesty feeling happy for her. Soon enough she'd be making a lot of progress in life. "I fact, I--" I began, but was stopped when I saw something reddish orange flying towards us. In midair. Somepony had made a jump. "Duck and cover!"

I ducked as low as possible to avoid getting clocked by a flying scooter. At least, I think that's what I it was.

"Well. That was quite the jump, Scoots."

As the scooter landed, it slid a bit before halting to a stop. "It's a work in progress. Were you guys looking for me?"

"Actually yeah, we were! What's up, Scoot?"

"Well, things are gettin' kinda quiet on the farm this evening, so Loyal and I were thinkin' we could all do somethin' together."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like... I dunno, Go Fish, or Hide and Seek, or... well, anything you guys want to do."

"Hide and seek sounds fun!"

"Have you decided on a place to play?"

"Hmm... I dunno. What do you think?"

"I guess we could go back to the farm, but... what do you guys think?"

"Well....I was gonna suggest the schoolhouse, but that works too!"

"Playing hide and seek at the schoolhouse...?"

"I figured the playground would provide all kinds of hiding spots!"

I really respect Trash Queen and CK and the other mod for not being all aggressive in response, and also for having all that representation.

"Well I guess we could..."

"It's up to you to decide where to go. I won't mind!"

"I guess we could go to the schoolhouse, then."

"Alright!" Scootaloo sounded excited for th. I had the strongest feeling she'd be hiding well if she suggested there. "Shall the four of us get going?" I added.

"Ready whenever you guys are!" Sweetie chimed in.

Chapter 10: An Intense Game

As we headed towards the schoolhouse, I felt s bit excited myself. It had been ages since I'd played a good game of hide and seek. "This is kind of exciting for me. I can finally experience my own youth again!"

Apple Bloom gave a light chuckle. "Well, being young is exciting! We're trying to make it last as long as we can, since we're not going to be young much longer, y'know?"

"Of course! You're only young once! Now, which one is going to be the seeker?"

"...That's an excellent question."

"Heh, one nopony can snswer. I assume?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Well...hmm." This was a bit of a pickle. What could see do to decide? "Hmmmm....I've got it! We'll guess a number one through ten. Whoever is closest goes first!"

"Well, that sounds fair, I suppose."

"Okay! So.....I thinking of s number one through ten. What is it?" I asked. "Four?" Scootaloo guessed.

"I'm guessing six," Sweetie said.

"Three?" Apple Bloom questioned.

It was seven. Sweetie Belle was closest." I said.

"Oh, so I'm it then?"

"Yup. We hide, you count and seek!"

"Alright!" Sweetie turned towards the wall of the schoolhouse, covering her ears and closing her eyes, then began counting.

Thinking quickly, as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo dashed off to find a place to hide, I already thought of s decent spot. I ran up to the slide and hid under it. There were sidebars down the bottom of the slide, so they could hide me unless somepony walked up to one side to look at it.

"Just count to ten. Then come find us!"

"....TEN! Here I come!"

I held my breath to avoid making a sound. I felt like I was invisible. 'Don't look here.' I thought.

Sweetie Belle wandered around, looking for her friends. So far, no luck.

In my mind, I was laughing. This was so intense and so great! I hadn't had this much fun since Hearth's Warming. I decided to taunt her a bit. Not to be mean, but to make it more fun. I made sure my voice sounded distant but close by. "No luck so far?"

"You guys are good at this, let's just put it at that."

"Heh, she doesn't even know..." I said to myself.

Scootaloo was also well hidden. She was hiding on top of the little roof covering the slide. She's been careful not to fall off. "She'll never find me up here...' She thought.

Sweetie, meanwhile, continued searching. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were all hiding someplace fairly obvious and she was just missing it.

Scootaloo might have gotten a little too confident, because her hoof eventually slipped, but as she caught herself, a few rocks fell off of the roof, right near Sweetie Belle. 'Oh, no...'

Sweetie Belle gasped, looking up. "Is someone up there?"

"Scootaloo, I recognize your voice, y'know."

"You don't see me, so I'm not up here! I mean, up there!"

Sweetie started climbing up the playscape. "I'll bet I get up there and you're on top of it."

"I promise you, I'm not anywhere up there!" Scootaloo said, trying to find s place to jump down without her seeing.

brb im gonna have some cookies

"Scoot's clearly been found. No way she's escaping." Was my only thought.

"You could look for somepony else!" Scootaloo suggested. She did not want to be found this easily.

"Nope, I am DEFINITELY coming up there!"

I looked over, and saw Appleblook hiding behind a nearby tree. Typical. Well, hopefully she wouldn't be as easily found. Scootaloo braced herself as Sweetie Belle climbed up. "Heh....hi?"

"Gotcha!" Sweetie smiled, reaching out and tagging Scootaloo on one wing. "So that's one of you. Now where are Loyal and Apple Bloom, I wonder..."

"Nowhere you can see us!" I teasingly called out.

"Sounds like they're over there." Scoot said, pointing near the slide, obviously not seeing Loyal.

"Ohhhh, Loyal! Are you around here anywhere?"

"Maaaaybe! But can you track me down is the question!"

Okay, so maybe I was overdoing it with speaking. But I. Wa having fun. "I can hear you...."

I looked to my left to see if she was around. Nope. I looked to my right. Nothing. Okay, that was freaking me out a bit. "Okay? You don't know where I am.." What I hadn't known was that Scootaloo had made my location more obvious to Sweetie than I thought. So when her voice sounded close by, I worried just a bit.

"Are you SUUUUURE I don't know where you are?" Sweetie asked, giggling playfully.

It doesn't You know what's absolutely ridiculous?

"......yes?"

Sweetie wandered around, keeping an eye out for Loyal and Apple Bloom. "You guys know I'm gonna find you eventually, right?"

"Oh, Sweetie, Apple Bloom may eventually be found, but I'm invisible. You won't find m--" I stopped myself as I turned around to see Sweeetie standing there, smirking

"What was that you were about to say?" She asked, as she reached out and tagged Loyal on the arm.

"You would find me...?"

"Should I make it easier by hinting where AB is, or just let you do it?"

"Let me see if I can find her myself," Sweetie said, looking around.

"Alright, best of luck."

Sweetie kept looking around, determined to find Apple Bloom. She seemed to be having a bit of trouble, but she didn't want to give up.

I looked towards the tree AB was behind. "Careful..." Was my only comment.

Scootaloo just watched as Sweetie would get closer and farther from Aplebloom's spot.

"Apple Bloooom.... you're around here somewhere... I know you are!"

I knew she would'evenually b found. So I prayed she lasted a bit longer. No such luck. I already saw Sweetie approaching AB's tree.

Sweetie Belle quietly walked up to the tree and knocked one hoof on it. "Oh, Apple Bloom... are you nearby....?"

Before any pony could answer, it was too late. Sweetie had found Apple Bloom. which I knew had no escape.

"Gotcha!" She reached out and tagged Apple Bloom on the snout. "Guess I win~!"

I stepped one from behind the slide, applauding Sweetie Belle. "Nice job. You found us all in our great hiding spots!" I decided a few more around S couldn't hurt, so....After we played a few more intense rounds of hide and seek, we decided to call it a day and head to our homes. I took Scootaloo back to wherever she wanted to go, I took Sweetie Belle home (where she embraced me and thanked me for giving her and the girls a fun time) and I took Applebloom home. I told the Apples if they needed me for anything else to just let me know.

"You sure ya don't wanna stay overnight again? I'm makin' Apple Stew again." Granny said. "It's tempting, but I gotta get to my home, read some books, and get a good nights rest."

"Well, come on by anytime ya like."

And with that, I headed towards the Castle of Friendship. Twilight would be happy to hear I had a good time.

As I made my way up the steps, I knocked on the door. After about a moments, Spike came and opened the door. "Well, you look like you've had quite a moment!" He said, referring to the dust and grass on me. I might have fell and slid a few times. "I did. I played with the CMC. I never knew it was so intense when a small filly was looking to find you in a game of hide and seek."

Spike led me inside and up the stairs, where Twilight was waiting for me. "Nice to see you this evening, Twilight!”

"Nice to see you, too, Loyal. How was your day?"

"I had a great time playing with the CMC! We played several intense rounds of hide and seek!"

"It was exhausting, however. Especially since I had to think a lot for plenty of good hiding spaces. I'm gonna grab a hot, steamy shower, read a book, then rest up for tonight. Oh, but before I forget, there's something I wanted to show you. I've been meaning to show this since I got out of the Everfree."

"Hmm? What is it?"

I took out the Poison Joke in my pocket, and held it up, making sure not to come in contact with Twilight using it. "I figured we could study this sometime, see how it works and why it causes pranks?"

"Hmm... Well, that would be interesting to know. Maybe I could get Zecora to come to the castle so she could study it some more. She knows more about this plant than I do, but I'm sure there's always more she could learn."

"Hmm. Perhaps. Well, we'll see what happens. I'm gonna go get ready for bed. See ya in there morning!"

"Alright, see ya tomorrow, Loyal!"

With that, I headed back down the hall, and into the bathroom. I turned on the shower, got ready, the and stepped in. Showers were my favorite part of any evening, really. It felt like being in a spa, but ten times better.

After my shower, I put on a towel to dry myself off with, dried off Thoroughly, and went back to my room. I opened my drawer and pulled out some nice pajamas Rarity had made a month back. They were still the pair I wore most nights, because by Celestia, they were comfortable. I neatened the covers, crawled into the bed, and got out one my favorite books, Pony Jackson and the Lightning Thief. It was such a good book in the series. I began quietly reading aloud from the chapter I was on, chapter four.

Meanwhile, Starlight had also gotten ready for bed. She decided that tomorrow, the first time she saw Loyal, she'd tell him how she felt. It wasn't love. It was admiration. Plenty of admiration. She couldn't wait another day. Well, she could, but no longer than that.

Her time was drawing near.

Frisk

The sun dawned onto the sleepy town of Ponyville. Ponies rubbed their eyes, some ready for their morning routine, others moaning and hiding under their comfortable blankets to go back to sleep and quickly sleeping peacefully.

Loyal was already up early. He had planned plenty for today. He would firstly get his morning drink at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie would likely be up already. It was usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays she'd be up. Today was Tuesday. Loyal was already dressed and everything. He started down the hallway and down the stairs, still half asleep. As a result, he nearly tripped.

Loyal made it down to the foyer and opened the front door. He was greeted by a beautiful orange sun rising over the town.

He let out a big yawn, and continued down the steps. He'd hoped he wouldn't fall asleep in the cafe again. Pinkie didn't mind it, she found it kind of cute, and also kind of hilarious, but it would be awkward to wake up to a pony staring at him, wondering if he was okay.

Loyal continued to trek throughout the town, noting all of the shops opening early. The flower shop, the local restaurant, the bowling alley. Everything was opening up.

It seemed to take a lot less time to get to Sugarcube Corner. Maybe it was because Loyal wasn't focused on anything. But eventually, he reached the shop and went inside.

Not many ponies were in the shop when he entered. But Mr and Mrs. Cake were there, as was Pinkie. Loyal sleepily but consciously walked up to the counter, took out four bits, and placed them on the counter. "I'll take two Morning Mugs, please." I said to Pinkie. Morning Mugs were the newest thing added two weeks ago. It was essentially a coffee combined with hot chocolate into one drink. It sounds disgusting, you might think, but thanks to Pinkie, it was actually really good.

"Coming RIIIIGHT up!" Pinkie said, chipper as always.

It was always nice seeing Pinkie so cheerful in the mornings. It made me feel good, too. "I'll need the energy. I have s lot planned for today."

"Sounds fun! Here ya go!"

"Thanks, Pinkie. Always good to know I can count on ya." I said, taking the drinks. Morning Mugs really helped me out. They filled me with enough energy to get me through a fully scheduled day.

The rest of the day would be mighty busy. For one, I'd stop by the park to relax with my Morning Mugs. If needed, I would share my second one with whoever I felt needed it. After that, I'd be looking to see if any friendship problems had arisen. And if not, I'd arrange a meeting to discuss how to find Diamond.

"Have a good morning, all!"

Everyone turned to regard Loyal with a sleepy smile. As tired as they were, it was tough to be grumpy in the morning in Ponyville.

"Thanks, Pinkie. Always good to know I can count on ya." I said, taking the drinks. Morning Mugs really helped me out. They filled me with enough energy to get me through a fully scheduled day.

I started to head out, until I accidentally bumped into a female pony wearing a striped sweater, almost spilling my Mugs. "Oh, sorry. That was my bad." I said to her.

The small pony shook their head. "No, no, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

"You don't look like you're from here. Are you s tourist?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say I am..."

"Where are you traveling from?"

"Oh, nowhere in particular."

"Hmm. Well, my name is Loyal Defender, greatest hero to ever me known. Who might you be?"

"My name is Frisk. My friends all call me their savior."

They turned to their side. "What?" A brief moment passed. "I'm not telling him that."

I looked around he pony, but found nopony next to her. "Are you...talking to yourself?"

"What? No, I'm talking to my friend."

"Thr imaginary one? Or the one only you can see?"

"How...?"

"You're talking to thin air. In fact, what's this friend's name?"

"Their name? Chara."

Another brief moment. "I don't care if he is a human, we've been over this."

"You know what I am?"

"Well, yeah, doesn't everyone?"

"I wasn't always from here, so no. Anyways, I best be going. Maybe I'll see you again?"

"Yeah, see you." Frisk walked into Sugarcube corner, mumbling - seemingly to themselves.

With that, I headed out, a friendly smile on my face. More and more shops started opening up in the two minutes I spent in Sugarcube Corner.

Some ponies waved to me, friendly and all. They knew that when the hero of Equestria was walking the streets, there was nothing to worry about.

The park wasn't too far from the sweet shop. In fact, it was a known fact tha any hot beverage would become warm by the time you reached the park. Well, that's what happened with my Morning Mugs.

As I sat on a nearby bench, I watched as the sunlight slowly rose up to the statue in the middle of the park, creeping up into it.

Sunlight also rose onto Starlight's bed back at the castle. She was up early, too. She knew Loyal would be up at this time, and it's was one of her only opportunities to talk to him alone when he wasn't with any pony. Once she was ready, she would head out to find Loyal and tell him. That was the first thing on her mind. She brushed her mane, teeth, and made sure she looked alright before heading out and down the stairs. She wouldn't let anything else distract her.

Loyal was enjoying himself. He was watching young fillies play around, older ponies taking strolls around the area...it was nice. He closed his eyes, and let the sunlight bathe him in warmth. It was a little too comfortable, and as a result, he fell asleep on he bench. It was about five minutes before a familiar voice awoke him.

June ,

Yeah, I figured a bit more conversation between the two would be good.

"Oh, hey, it's you!"

That startled me, but woke me up. I tried acting like I hadn't let the sun put me to sleep. "Oh, hey, it's the mysterious mare! Frisk, was it?”.

"Yeah, that's me!"

"So, did Pinkie shout anything about throwing a party? She does that for new folk."

"Oh, yeah, she did, but, umm... I'm sort of a bit busy at the moment. I don't think I'd be able to make it to a party."

"Mm. That's a shame. You'd miss her using a party cannon to decorate tables in less than three seconds. But it's nice seeing you again. What exactly are tu busy with, if I may ask? Don't worry, I'm a spy." I said. "Now you know I'm not a spy because they wouldn't reveal themselves."

I had to admit, pointing out the spy thing was one way to prove you were trustworthy.

"Well...."

"Is it that you're on a quest to retrieve a magical item to harness it and protect he world from a danger that's so dangerously dangerous, it causes dangers?" Beat. "I got the hunch thing from Pinkie."

"Err.... no." They giggled. "I'm actually looking for my brother."

"Oh. Well, what does he look like?"

"He looks like-" They turned towards their right. "Yes I know it sounds insane, but I'm not going to lie, Chara."

"Anyways, he looks like... a little, yellow flower."

"....a....yellow....flower." I thought for a moment. "Well, I've seen crazier. What's his name? If I'm lucky, it might ring a bell."

I paid no mind tithe fact this pony was looking for her brother, a small yellow flower. Ponies had their interesting relationships. I wasn't gonna judge.

"Well he calls himself Flowey, but his real name..."

"Now, now. I don't need all the details. Just the vital info."

"Well, I'll be sure to let you know if I see him. But before you head off again, care for a drink?" I asked, offering her a Morning Mug. I hadn't drank either yet. "I'm sure you're tired from traveling all over. This is one of the best refreshing drinks you can try."

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt..."

"Wonderful!" I said, giving the drink to her. "May this Mornig Mug assist you on your journey!"

"Well thank you very much, sir. I should keep looking, I don't want Flowey to hurt anyone." They sighed. "I wish he'd keep calm, but I know it's hard for him..."

"Keep calm...? Do I want to know?"

"Probably not. No, Chara, I'm not telling him what Flowey did to me."

"Well, hopefully you find him. Or someone does. And isn't maimed. That’s usually a risk."

"No worries... I don't think he'll maim anyone. Of course what do I know..."

"Mm. Well...I don't want to be too mch of a bother. As I promised, if I see him, I'll let you know."

"I appreciate the help. I promised my uncle I'd reign him in and bring him back home..."

"Well, there's no time to lose! It's best your on your way. The sooner, the better. That's what I was commonly told."

"Okay, not as commonly, but you know."

"Right!" They turned to their left. "C'mon, Chara, let's go find him."

After Frisk left, I began thinking about this Flowey character. I felt like the name rung a bell, but at the same time, it didn't. How and when did he go missing? What was the truth behind his and Frisk's relationship? Was he good or bad? There were so many questions, yet I couldn't easily provide the answers. But I knew one thing for a fact. I had to help Frisk, one way or another. I felt like I had some kind of clue to Flowey's whereabouts, but at the same time, I didn't.

There had to be some secret, clue, or answer to all of this. But for the life of me, I was unable to figure out what it was. Maybe when the right time came, I'd figure it out.

Destiny Calls

Starlight had made her way to the park. She knew this was Loyal's favorite spot to come to after visiting Sugarcube Corner. He had become predictable to her. But the real challenge was finding him IN the park. He had many different spots he would sit at, but they were never continuously growing in numbers. She had looked in the northern, southern, and eastern parts of the park. She only had one direction left to look in. She had searched plenty of the western section. She was just about to give up when she saw Loyal sitting on a bench in front of the park statue, talking to another pony. She hid behind the statue, and waited a few minutes for the pony to leave. After Loyal offered her a drink, she left to go off and do whatever she was doing. This was her chance. She took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the statue, and approached Loyal.

"Umm, hi, Loyal! Fancy meeting you here, huh?"

"I'll say. Didn't expect you to be up this early! Special occasion, or just pure luck?"

Whichever answer she used, it wouldn't change the fact that it was nice to see Starlight during the morning. Something about her being around made things a lot better. I wasn't sure how or why. But I wasn't one to question it.

"Errr... special occasion..."

"Hmm! Mind informing me what this occasion is?"

"Well, i... I wanted to... talk to you about something..."

"Oh? What about?"

"Well, it's just..."

She took a deep breath.

"I really admire you and I feel like I connect really well with you and it's like you're this GREAT hero here in Equestria and it feels like you aren't acknowledged enough for your part in all this and I don't see how anyone can just look past that I mean hello? I'm rambling aren't I…?"

"Actually....no. You're saying the right words. I haven't been acknowledged much, have I? But you...the fact you really appreciate what I do changes that."

"Other than the statue, nopony has ever really told legends about me or even put my story in an ancient book of anything. It's like I saved everypony and they forgot in he past year. But you really do admire what I do, don't you?

"Yeah... I do."

"Honestly, Starlight...it's really nice that you feel like recognition was something I needed. I never really thought about it, but knowing you care it just...." This was a really touching moment. And I didn't commonly have those.

"All I can really say from a short but meaningful message like that is..." I knelt down into the grass and pulled Starlight into what I would call the most heartwarming embrace of my life. "Thank you. It makes me feel better knowing somepony like you fought about what I've done, and figured I'd need to get acknowledged for it.

Starlight realizing it was actually indeed sweet of her. She came all this way just to find me and tell me this. That definitely deserved some acknowledgement. And an embrace was no better way to do it.
"Heheh... oh, stop it..."

I let go of Starlight and looked at her. "Really, though, you clearly know me better than most ponies do. It's almost as if you'd been studying me, trying to find the right thing to do for me. Well, you've certainly found it. You must be proud of yourself for getting the message off of your chest."

"Have you had that message on your mind for the past few days?" I asked.

"...Kinda..."

"You do know you coulda just told me from the beginning, right?"

"...Really?"

"Sure! I would have still understood! Were you afraid I wouodnt? That I'd probably mock you?"

"Eh... yeah..."

"That's really surprising to hear. You know I care about you girls, so why would you think I'd make fun of you?"

"Residual social anxiety stemming from a failed childhood friendship catalyzing a descent into villainy which was doomed to failure at the hooves of Twilight and her friends and ultimately lead to me being a social outcast who hardly knew basic pleasantries, for one thing..." She said, with a chuckle.

"Everypony makes mistakes, Starlight. Even me. The best thing is to forgive and forget."

"Well yeah I know that now, but it's not easy for anxieties to just... GO AWAY, y'know?"

"You have me and the girls to help with that. There's not much to worry about. You're actually letting yourself worry and take control over what you do."

"Heheh... yeah..."

"I was worried trying to do anything to make a difference to fit in wouldn't work, and everypony would just see me as what they originally saw me asa threat or monster. But when I saw how kind and caring the girls were to me, I decided I wouldn't let any pony get to me, or get me down. Because of that, I was able to forget about what I would be seen as and I enjoyed my life. You can do the same, can't you?"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, appreciate who you are, and you'll go far." I said. "Don't let anything stop you from doing anything. Just like nothing will stop me from doing this." At that, I reached out, and ruffled her mane as a joke, chuckling a bit. It wasn't to be mean or anything. I just proved a point is all.

"Alright, I think I understand what you're trying to say," she said with a chuckle.

“Well, I’m happy to hear you understand, Starlight. It makes me feel a lot better, too. Now, while you’re here, why don’t you sit with me. I figured we could talk about a thing or two before I head back to the castle to plan the rest of my day, or check for any more friendship problems?”

"Alright, works for me. I don't have any plans."

"So, I'm guessing you saw the pony I was talking to before you arrived?"

"Yeah, I did actually... who was that?"

"That was Frisk. She was looking for her lost brother, a small yellow flower named Flowey."

"Her... brother's a... flower...?"

"I know, it doesn't make much sense, but...honestly, we've all seen, heard of, and dealt with weirder and crazier stuff. There was the whole 'Chrysalis taking over Equestria' thing you girls told me about, your Equality Cult, the Crystalling storm cloud disaster, there's been Midnight Sparkle, etc. Having a flower as a brother is on the lower levels of weird." I said, trying to personally imagine how a pony like Frisk could have a sibling relationship with a marigold.

"I don't think anything sounds quite as crazy as that though."

"Well, the only way it'd get any worse is if he were after something to make him powerful enough to rule over us. Because that's never happened several times before. Still, Frisk seemed pretty nice. But the interesting thing is, only she can see Chara. Admittedly, it's a little creepy."

"Come to think, if you heard anything, how much of our conversation did you hear?"

"Oh, I didn't hear anything. But it sounds like Chara's an imaginary friend...?"

"I wouldn't say imaginary. It sounds like only Frisk can see it, otherwise she'd have said 'meet my imaginary friend, Chara', or something along those lines. You think she's just a subconscious part of Frisk's mind or something?"

"Well, don't kids tend to act like their imaginary friends are real?"

"Yes, but she'd have been really making it realistic. It sounds like Chara doesn't really trust humans, though, from what I gathered."

"Really? That's strange..."

"I don't know why. I heard Frisk say 'I don't care if he is a human, we've been over this. But how in Celestia's name do they know what a human is? From what I recall, humans and pastel ponies haven't been together before. It really is strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah... that IS kind of strange, now that you mention it..."

"And I actually get a bad feeling about this Flowey character.."

"I feel like I know him somehow, even though I know I haven't met him in person..or plant-son."

"Well, what do you suppose is the worst that could happen because of him?"

"Well....I don't know. But it might be that I feel like I know him somehow, even though I know I haven't met him in person..or plant-son."

"Something strange is going on here, and I, for one, plan to get to the bottom of it all, even if it kills me. Which, considering the past events, there's a chance it will."

Starlight giggled at that. "Well, maybe you just feel that way cuz you've seen the kind of flower he looks like before?"

"Actually, no. I've seen dandelions and daisies, but never what I'm guessing is marigold."

As false as that sounded, it was true. I had never seen a marigold before in my life. Well, in person. Or plant-son.

"Hmm..."

"Still....it makes me wonder...could Frisk have.....no, that's ridiculous.."

"What? What are you thinking?"

"It made me wonder....could...could she have been a *human* being before? I mean, she knew what my kind was, and so did Chara. And no human except me has lived here for the past year with no new news of other human beings...so it might be possible that Frisk was human before."

"Well... I suppose it could be possible... But would it make sense...?"

"Yes, it would. Do you happen to know any ponies who would know a thing about humans?"

"....Well..... Twilight has this magic mirror in her castle.... She says it leads to another world, but....."

"Oh, I know what world you're talking about. I happen to have a good friend there.." I said, unknowingly blushing. "She's rather nice..."

"Y-yeah..." I said, the blush fading, thankfully. "But it's no time to discuss my.....ahem encounters. In fact, perhaps later we should talk to Twilight about Frisk, and for now, we can go see if any friendship problems have arisen?"

"Well, sounds good to me."

Afterwards, we both got up and started back towards the castle, eager to continue with whatever we (well, I, really, because Starlight didn't have anything planned) had planned. I was going to see if there were any friendship problems to resolve.

But I had the strongest feeling things would somehow go according to plan without any logical reason. I hoped that would happen for something, like Diamond being found while we discussed how we'd find her, or that I'd be sent someplace interesting for a friendship problem.

"Do you think we'll get lucky, and somehow, one of our problems will be resolved by chance without much action needing to be taken?" I asked Starlight. A pony's opinion never hurt.

"Well, it's possible. Not particularly likely, but possible."

"I hope it does. I'm mostly just hoping Diamond will be okay, and that she's not hurt or lost or anything."

I didn't say much else on the way to the castle. I couldn't stop thinking about what was happening with Diamond. So as I walked up the castle's front steps, I looked behind me, just picturing her sitting there, waiting for me to embrace her out of sheer happiness and joy. A tear or two would be shed during the moment. I cared that much for her. I didn't want anything bad to happen to my sweet, shiny gemstone of a friend.

We silently walked up the foyer stairs and into the main hall. I half expected Twilight to be in it, waiting to greet me. But if she wasn't (which was the case here), she'd be in the main throne room, sorting papers or trying to find more friendship lessons for either me or Starlight. So, upon entering the room, I cleared my throat and greeted Twilight. "Good morning to you, Twilight!"

Twilight looked up and smiled. "Good morning, Loyal! Looks like you had another good start to your day."

"I did! I managed to get up early, grab two Morning Mugs at Sugarcube Corner, had a nice conversation with Starlight, and best of all, I met a new friend named Frisk. She's very mysterious, really. And has good taste in striped clothes, from what I gather."

"Well that sounds interesting! Anything more about her?"

"Well, she has this, what I call an 'invisible' friend named Chara. But I don't think she really likes me all too much..."

"Wait, why wouldn't they like you?"

"Beats me. But Chara.....only Frisk can hear her, but based on Frisk's responses...

"I don't care that he's a human, we've been over this, and Frisk saying she's not telling me something..probably not nice...

I can gather she likely doesn't trust and/or hates humans. Isn't that terrible?"

"That's awful... I can't imagine what would've happened to make her not trust humans...."

"Yeah. I wouldn''t wanna get on her bad side. But, I *did* have quite the interesting theory about Frisk...if you're interested in hearing it. Care to hear my little....theory?"

"Well, I'm always open to hearing theories."

"So, everypony who knows, knows that for the past year, I've been the only human in Equestria. Well, I had a thought. Considering Frisk somehow knew what I was, as did Chara ,and since I've been the only human here, it was usually not impossible, but very unlikely another human would be here. And she wears a striped sweater, even though it's not sweater season, meaning she normally wears clothes, unlike a lot of ponies. So, my thought is....what if Frisk was once human?"

"Hmm.... That's.... actually really well thought out...."

"I know, I feel proud of it. But do you think it means that there is actually another human in Equestria, if not directly?"

"It's.... possible.... We'd have to ask her ourselves, though, but that topic can be hard to bring up...."

"Yeah...we should probably give her some time to settle before we ask...she might make other friends in the meantime, too. Oh, speaking of which, have any friendship problems come up yet? I've been eager to set out to resolve one!"

"Well, I haven't actually checked on the map today, but if it needs anypony, it'll let them know."

"Oh, okay! That works, then." Well, with that cleared up, there wasn't much else to do. One other thing I could do was read from my Pony Jackon novel. I did love me some mythology. So..

"Well, in that case, I'ma head back to my quarters and read until something happens. If ya need for anything, just let me know."

"Starlight, if you don't have anything planned, care to join me in my mythological fictional adventure?"

"I don't see why not."

I nodded, and waved to Twilight as I headed out of the room, with Starlight following closely behind.

I walked down the hall, and went back to my room, where Chrysalis was sitting on my bed, waiting for me. I hadn't seen her since I got back from the Everfree. I felt like practically pouncing on her in a hug, since we often did that as a joke; usually we didn't expect one another to do it, which made it kind of funny how every so often. But she had the same idea, apparently, because before I could get a running start, she engulfed me with her magic, dragging me over to her, where she tacklehugged me onto the bed.

"LOYAL, it's such a relief to see you again! You have no idea how WORRIED I was about you when you didn't return to the castle for a few days. I missed you so much. And this is coming from a bug pony who doesn't even show true feelings. Well, formerly."

".....you're crushing me."

As I sat up, pushing Chrysalis upwards and off of me, I just hugged her back. "I'm so sorry I worried you like that, Cheeselegs. But as you can see, I'm safe and unhurt."

"Well you're--didn't I tell you not to call me Cheeselegs?" Chrysalis asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Aww, come on, you know you like that nickname!"

"No, I don't. I dislike it. It just sounds stupid. But that doesn't matter. You owe me for worrying me like that."

"Would spending time reading suffice?"

"Not unless you read it with personality and make it sound realistic. I like how annoyed Twilight eventually gets with that."

"For a reformed villain, you're so evil to make me read in a way I find fun, but causes Twi to become irritated. Especially when I would do the opposite."

"I know, that's what makes it funny."

"I don't really have anything much planned for today, unless something happens, which has a decent chance."

"Well, until then, it's best you start reading. I've been eager to know what happens in Chapter Six."

"Oh, I bet. Well, get comfortable, and let's continue Percy's journey. Get comfortable if you like, Starlight. There's plenty of room on the Princess Andromeda."

Once everypony was comfortable, I began reading from the book. I opened up the bookmark, cleared my throat, and began reading.

"Ahem! Chapter Six: I Become Supreme Lord of The Bathroom. I'm not even kidding, it's actually...the chapter title is actually called that."

"Funny." Chrysalis remarked.

"After getting used to Chiron being a horse, Percy explored Camp Half Blood with whispers and pointing in his direction. As they passed the volleyball court, Percy looked back at the farm house and movement in the attic window caught his attention. Chiron denied there was anyone up there, but Percy knew better than to believe him."

Meanwhile, outside the room, Spike sighed. He had seen how she acted towards Loyal just now, and didn't really deem it....acceptable....no matter what he tried, he felt unsettled being around Chrysalis. Sometimes he felt like she was more of a ruler to Loyal than a friend. He just didn't like her being with him. Sure, she seemed reformed, but she could easily manipulate Loyal into doing her bidding. Such as reading realistically on purpose. Even if she said he owed her.

He walked back to the throne room, where Twilight was now stacking papers neatly. "Twilight, do you ever feel like Chrysalis is a bit more sinister than she was when she was evil? Personally, considering he didn't even reason with her in the other universe, he just defeated her, it's like because she hadn't had her mind and ambitions changed, she's not completely changed. She's still kind of manipulative, even rough a bit towards Loyal. Do you think we should do something about that?" Spike knew the answer Twilight would use would be the opposite of what he wanted to hear, since she probably thought they were, pardon the word, horsing around. Twilight gave most villains and reformed villains a chance. But it never hurt to ask. Even if Twilight's answer was--

"No," Twilight said. "If we don't give her a chance, she might never change. And don't forget how Discord can be, even today."

It was worth a shot, even if it was going to be worthless. "Believe me, I know. Last week, he made my mirror look like I was losing muscle each time I looked into it. But how do you know she'll even manage to change? Don't you remember what she did last year? She tried replacing all of the important ponies, including yourself! I just don't see how you can just, with difficulty, let that slide, and give her a chance."

Twilight glanced to Spike. "Spike, even if she didn't mean to, Starlight almost caused the apocalypse, and I let THAT slide."

"So, you're willing to give anypony a chance, even if they're purely evil is your point?"

"If it seems like there's even a shred of goodness inside them, why not?"

Spike just sighed. "There's just no convincing you, is there?" He really didn't any other points to make by now.

"It's tough to convince me of anything Spike."

Spike tried to think of something to easily convince her with, but came up empty clawed. "Errrr....yeah, I got nothing. But I know something's gonna happn to change your mind. You know that, right?"

"My mind is an open book, Spike. With compelling evidence, anything I thought I was sure of can be rewritten, but it's tough to do."

"So, in short, something to prove me right."

"More or less."

Well, it was worth a shot. But there was no way Twilight could have been convinced as of now. Spike would need proof to change her mind. Right now, she didn't seem convinced. But eventually she would be. All he needed was proof. But for now, priorities came first. "Hmm...well...I still have some things needing to be done around the castle, so I'll....sigh...see you in a few hours...?"

Spike didn't wait for a reply, and walked out of the room. For now, perhaps performing a few chores would take Chrysalis off of his mind. Somehow, he'd convince Twilight. Even if it meant going to extreme measures.

A Frisky Foal

Almost half an hour later, I had finished Chapter seven. Now, we were on to Chapter 8. "Chapter 8, My Dinner Goes Up In Smoke."

"Hmm. Sounds bad." Chrysalis commented.

"I'll read." Connor said.
All the demigods looked at him in shock.
"What?" Connor whined. "I can read you know."
"We know that." Thalia said. "We just want to know why you want to read."
"Usually when I try to teach you Ancient Greek you start to scream and whine like an eight year old." Annabeth added.
"Oh." Connor said. "I don't know. After Travis fell on me I just felt like reading."
Leo shrugged. "Maybe that fall knocked some sense into him. Literally."
The other demigods shrugged.
"My Dinner Goes up in Smoke," Connor read.
Ares grinned wildly. The flames in his eyes increased.
Hephaestus rolled his eyes. "Oh, please Ares. That puny little fire show that you put on in your eyes is nothing compared to what I can do." He held out his hand and a couple of flames fluttered in his hands.
Ares watched for a second then through back his head and laughed. "Is that what you call a fire Hephaestus? That tiny little-"
Ironically, or coincidentally, just as I was about to read that he was interrupted, I was interrupted by a glowing light. My Cutie Mark was the source. "Seems like the map is calling me. What about you, Starlight?"

Starlight looked at her own Cutie Mark. "No, it looks like I'm just a typical pony, just like always."

"Aww....that's a real shame. It would have been fun having you along. Uh, n-not that things are boring around here without you, and, uh...n-nevermind, heh. Well, I'm gonna go see if the map called anypony else, and where it wants us to go."

I quickly jumped off of the bed, rushed out of the room, down the hall, and back into the throne room. Twiligt was sitting excitedly at the table, examining it. Perhaps she was trying to see where it wanted us to go. "Twilight, the map seems to be calling me! Is it calling anypony else?" I asked, approaching the crystal platform of adventures waiting to be had.

Twilight's head snapped up. "Wait, the map called YOU? AGAIN? I saw my Cutie Mark and I just got so excited since this darn thing never seems to need me that I forgot to look who else it called! I- just- WHAT?"

"Somepony sounds shocked. This is the second time it's called me. Pretty neat, right? I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"N-no, this is definitely real... but that's still surprising! It doesn't ask for someone besides me, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, or Pinkie very often... actually I can only think of one other time that's happened..."

"And that was?"

"Long story short, Starlight was called to Canterlot and we almost had to write a new legend in the books - 'Nightmare Moon, Part II - Starlight's Folly.' All joking aside it was right to call her. And only her."

"You should write something like that. It might be interesting for others to see! Now, who's also been called?"

"I'm not writing that. In fact never mention this conversation to Starlight. She's still not convinced her course of actions was right and if she knows I was joking about it, it could make her upset."
Twilight turned her attention to the map. "Huh, never seen that before..."

"What? What is it?"

"It's called three of us. Looks like you, me, and Pinkie are going to...." Twilight gasped. "The Crystal Empire?"

"My second calling, the first time the Map has called more than just two ponies specifically, AND a trip to the Empire? Oh, ho ho ho, this is gonna be an interesting mission!"

"I'm wondering how there can be a friendship problem there, though... The Crystal Empire is basically a massive keystone of love and happiness..."

"Not always. Remember last year's incident? And the train incident?"

"The Crystalling hardly counted. It wasn't hatred that caused that. And technically the train incident didn't happen in the Crystal Empire."
"But neither were one hundred percent happy. Especially not since I nearly died on s train. More dark than happy, really. But we did get a happy ending with the Crystalling. So your point is valid. Now, he question is, how long would we be at gre empire? Should I pack just in case it takes a day or longer? What are the essentials?"
"Typically the problems don't take more than a day to solve. But Rainbow and I were at the Wonderbolts Academy for a few days. A bit of an outlier really, since we were working with recruits in an educational setting and we were having trouble balancing helping Spitfire with solving the problem."
"So, is your point yes or no..?"

"It's possible we could be there for longer than a day, but I wouldn't exactly count on it."

"Hmm....well, there's one idea i have. I'll pack, but if the suitcases aren't needed when we find it what the issue is, we can just poof them away."

"Alright! I'm gonna go get ready. I'm sure Pinkie will also take a few minutes to get here, knowing her and her fourth wall breaking abilities."

With that, I headed back into my room to pack. I had never been more excited. I had to let Starlight and Chrysalis know, of course. So, when I went in...

"Great news! Twilight, Pinkie and I have been called to the Crystal Empire for a friendship problem!"

"Ooh, sounds interesting." Chrysalis remarked.

"Starlight, if you want, I can tell Sunburst you said hi if you want me to, if I see him." I said. I knew she was probably a little disappointed she wasn't called, so I figured a favor wouldn't hurt.

"That'd be great actually, thanks!"

So, just to be sure, I packed the essentials into a suitcase - clean clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, a rag (because at night I enjoy washing my face with hot water), a book on the Crystal Empire, in case there was something I didn't know, a few Daring Do books I also borrowed from Twilight last week (felt weird looking at them now that I had met the author, (she had a crudload of books in the series), and finally, a pillow and blanket. It took two suitcases to actually pack all of that. But I had the strongest feeling I'd be spending a day or two there.

So, once we met up with Pinkie, who also must have been excited, we went to the train station at 11:28, and our ride was at 11:30. Two minutes of an intense feeling of not knowing what kind of problem we would be facing. It's what made things so much more exciting. That, and I loved riding the Friendship Express. The ride was so much fun for me. It was nice talking to passengers sometimes. They had interesting things to discuss about the place we would be going to.

"So, what kind of problem do you think they'll have? An issue with the Crystal Heart? Sunburst feeling low on pride and confidence, causing him and his magic to weaken? Or a monster threatening the empire, and two ponies who can defeat it aren't getting along and not working together to beat it?"

"Well the map only calls us to help solve friendship problems, so I'm willing to bet it's not an issue with the Crystal Heart."

"Well, no matter the issue, you, Pinkie and I, all three of us can handle it. But really, I'm just so excited to finally be going on my first Friendship Mission! And on the same day the map called three ponies for the first time! Two spectacular events in one day!" I thought for a moment, before thinking of something to be done to celebrate it. It had to be celebrated, even in the smallest way. "Pinkie, you have any confetti to toss in the air? This deserves some acknowledgement!" Okay, so I was a bit overexcited. But I saw this as something to celebrate even a little bit over. Two special things happened with the map simultaneously.

Pinkie glanced to Loyal, with a serious look on her face. "Are you insinuating that I don't carry Emergency Confetti everywhere I go just in case of celebration emergencies?"

"No, not at all! I know you never leave party favors at home!"

Pinkie reached into her bag and tossed a cloud of confetti into the air. "AND WE'RE CELEBRATING!"

"Ahh, there we go! That's more like it!" I said, as a strip of confetti landed on my nose. I simply blew it off, giving it a bit more air. Moments after, a voice spoke through s nearby loudspeaker. "The train for the Crystal Empire has arrived! Repeat, Train C leaving for Crystal Empire has arrived!" I gasped upon hearing that. "That's us!" Let's go!" With that, I began heading towArds Train C.
I boarded the train, making sure not to trample anypony or accidentally step on their tails or hooves. It was crowded, but I had the advantage of seeing where our seats were. Seats A1, A2 and B2. I eventually made my way to my seat, Seat A1. I sat down, the other girls not too far behind. I put my bag down and took out one Daring Do book. The train ride was about three hours long, depending on if there were any delays. That's why I had brought the Daring Do books. They seemed rather....interesting. But I didn't see yet what made them so popular. I mean,it looked like any other interesting adventure novel series. Big Neigh and Diary of a Wimpy Foal were also good series, and really good ones. So what was the big deal with Daring Do? I mean, I met the author, so would it make it better? I didn't know. "So, these books are supposedly very popular, from what I was told?"

"Very popular. Popular enough that they changed Rainbow's mind about reading from..." Twilight cleared her throat as she did a - rather poor - imitation of Rainbow Dash. "'Undeniably, unquestionably, uncool' to... well, the opposite."

"Did you just...imitate Dash?" I asked, trying to hold in a laugh. That was funny enough on its own.

"....Maybe a little bit....?"

"Haha, I have to admit, that was pretty hilarious. I wouldn't believe it if Dash did the same thing to you."
Beat.
"She has, hasn't she?"

"...Yes."

"Oh, my God, that is priceless. Well, everypony would have eventually done it, but I'm sure you eventually get used to it. I wouldn't be surprised if Pinkie did it, although breaking the fourth wall is more up her alley."

"Anyways, I'm gonna see what's so amazing about this Daring Do. I mean, is it normal that I'm kind of doubting she's so incredible?"

"What's not to find incredible about her?"

"I'll tell you in three simple words, Twilight:
She's like me."

"From what I know, she's brave, adventurous, likes kicking tail, and usually ends up saving what ranges from a group of ponies to the world. And she's almost always adventuring. Do you see the similarities?"

"But I promise you, if I see any reason to find Daring amazing, I'll let you know." I said, as I read into the first book of the series..

"I don't see the problem."

"It's like reading my own autobiography. Sure, I'm a hero, too, but..How is Daring so popular? What is ONE key difference between us? I'm known for the defeat of an evil demon, and what's she done?" I asked. If Twilight could bring up a very good point, then I'd really have to see what this pony was best known for.

"Well, aside from stoping Ahuizotl from taking over the world, she gathers ancient artifacts so they can't be used for evil purposes."

"I--" I just stopped myself there. "....Huh. That is a good point...well, then I'm gonna see if there's other achievements she's made." I said, and continued to read. As I read on, I slowly learned that Daring Do had a thing for disguises, being slick, and outright making villains look incredibly stupid. "Oh, my God, she's like Indiana Pones. That's like Indiana Jones!" I said, after an intriguing 30 minutes of silent reading. " So Equestria has celebrity parodies, too?"

"Pardon?"

"If Daring is like Indiana Jones from the movies where I'm from, I'm assuming there's other celebrities that are based off of parodies where I'm from?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. But we do have celebrities. Sapphire Shores, Countess Coloratura - I mean, Rara - Hoity Toity... Heck, I'm something of a celebrity!"
8:31
"If Daring is like Indiana Jones from the movies where I'm from, I'm assuming there's other celebrities that are based off of parodies where I'm from?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. But we do have celebrities. Sapphire Shores, Countess Coloratura - I mean, Rara - Hoity Toity... Heck, I'm something of a celebrity!"

"Wait, did you say....Coloratura...as in the kind of thing found in singing operas?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"Hmm. That's kind of interesting. What's this Coloratura known for? And...how do you know her?"

"Singing, mostly. And believe it or not, we know her because she was a good childhood friend of Applejack's!"

"She...wait....lemme try to get this straight. Applejack is friends with a world-wise famous singing celebrity?"
"Man, I'd give my left arm for something like that! Let me guess, when you met her, you had to resolve a friendship problem she was having?"

"Huge one."

"What was it? You never really do expect one from a celebrity."
"Her manager was using her fame to demand other ponies cater to his whims whenever she made appearances."

"Well, was she one of those all-time popstars, or did she have any hobbies?"
"Both, actually! She's THE Pony of Pop in Equestria - even more than Sapphire Shores, who's ALSO known as the pony of pop. But Rara loves spending time with children and writing her own songs. She's also big on charity."

"Wow, that's actually incredibly sweet! Even if she does have a busy schedule, spending time with children is placed somewhere into it! That's rather sweet, really. You could put anything into a schedule like that, and she put charity and spending time with children! And, I'm assuming the nickname 'Rara' is shortened from Coloratura? I'm just guessing, I put some thought into that."
"I'm just gonna assume so. Still...She sounds like a really nice pony to get to know. I'm kind of jealous, really. You girls get to meet all the big hits, while I sit back, doing nothing but obliterating Timberwolves with large stones. But, I'm not complaining. After all, my time will eventually come, too, when I meet a brilliant celebrity and get into either a big conversation, or, somehow, a big fight. And I'm hoping it's not the latter. I mean, I already met Daring Do, but....she's more of an all-time adventurer with no time for sidetracking or distractions. Unlike me."
Afterwards, I just continued reading, and occasionally conversating with other passengers. Turns out, some of them were actually going to see Sunburst for some new spells, if he'd been studying any. I figured that'd be perfect, because when I had time, I'd go visit him, too. Provided the friendship problem didn't completely void my chance. In fact, I got so into conversating and reading that three hours went by fast. I was practically sucked into the book that I didn't notice that the train eventually stopped. We had arrived at the Crystal Empire, and I didn't even notice. I also failed to notice that most other ponies had gotten off of the train. I was focused, until I felt something gently shaking me. I looked over to see Twilight looking at me, her hoof on my arm. She had been trying to get my attention.
I looked around, noticing the lack of ponies. "Where'd everypony else go?" I asked.
"Oh. I was so sucked into the book, I hadn't noticed." I said, as I allowed Twilight to get up and make room for me to slide out of my seat. I grabbed my bags from the rack above, and let her and Pinkie move ahead. "You don't think anything too major is happening, do you?
"Well I certainly hope not..."
As we made our way towards the front of the train, I caught glimpses of what looked like Shining Armor and Princess Cadence standing outside the train. I slowly got a hunch that they were the ones who needed help. But I decided not to say anything until we got outside. We made our way to the train door, and, either for dramatic effect or because we were the last ones out, the train door opened after having shut a few moments ago. As we all stepped outside, Shining was the first to greet us. Well, greet Twilight. Siblings and all. "Twily! Oh, it's so great to see you!"
"And it's been a long time! How've ya been?" He added, clearly happy to see us.

"I've been great! It's so good to see you, too! But... How did you know to meet us here? I didn't tell you we were coming...."

"Well....we have our ways. But that doesn't matter right now. Things are a little tense right now. There's a bit of an issue we're having..."
"I think it's best if Cadence explains it.."
"Explains what?" I asked, shifting my attention towards Cadence. "What's the problem?"
"Well.... we're.... hosting a good friend of ours, but... Things aren't exactly.... going well. We're trying our best, but between trying to figure out what the problem is and taking care of Flurry Heart...."
"So, if I'm guessing, you need somepony to look after Flurry while you two sort things out with this 'friend' of yours, right? To make the task a bit easier?"
"Well, it would certainly help, yes..." Cadence admitted, scratching the back of her head.
"Twilight, Pinkie! This is the exact reason the map called us! A friendship problem has arisen, and we're the only ones who can resolve it!" I said, full of pride and confidence, before turning back to Cadence. "Where is Flurry, anyway?"
"She's napping at the moment, but we still have to keep our eyes on her, because she could wake up any minute. Come with me..."
"Alright, lead the way." I said, motioning for the girls to follow.
"Flurry herself hasn't been too much trouble, has she?"

"Oh, no, not at all. She's been just the same as always since the, umm, incident."

"That's a relief. Funny thing, I never did nullify the antigravity spell she afflicted onto me all this time from last year. Because I both forgot about it, and didn't...care."
Cadence and Shining led us into the castle, and through the series of halls and corridors, eventually leading us to Flurry's room, outside the door. "And, pardon me for asking, but what kind of problem are you facing with this...pony 'friend' of yours? Are you rivals or something?"

"Oh, no, no, we're good friends. Or, at least, we were... I'm not sure what's going on, but something seems to be bothering him..."

"Hmm. Well, it does sound very important. For future reference, how long will you two

"Who said we're going anywhere? We're hosting our friend here at the castle, but.... things haven't been going well. Which is why we're so grateful that you're able to help take care of Flurry Heart." Cadence turned to Twilight. "If I'm honest, having you here is a bit of a relief, Twilight. I know maintaining friendships is sort of your thing, being the Princess of Friendship and all, so I was hoping...?"
Twilight nodded. "Loyal, do you think you and Pinkie can handle Flurry Heart without me?"

"Absolutely! I mean, really, how hard can caring for a baby Alicorn be?"

Pinkie raised one hoof. "Explosive sneezes?"
Cadence chuckled. "Haven't seen one of those since the Crystalling. Sunburst is really good at remembering when to apply that spell of his."

"Apply? What, does it actually wear off over time?"

Cadence nodded. "Most spells don't last forever. There are some, like conjuration spells, but even some of those aren't permanent. If Sunburst forgets to apply the spell on schedule, bad things could happen. Which reminds me, if Flurry Heart seems to be at all magically unstable..." She took a piece of paper from a drawer in the desk nearby and scribbled something down on it. "...Here's where you can find Sunburst. He's usually very busy, being the Crystaller and all, but he does need to take a break every now and then."

"That'll come in handy, thank you. And, is there a simple series of how to care for Flurry, or does it involve one of those mile-long lists?"

"Mile long lists," Cadence said, pulling said list from the same drawer. "...I may have been influenced by a certain filly."

"Brilliant." I commented. "Let me guess -- Twilight."

"Yes, we've all joked about Twilight's mile long lists. They're hilarious, really," Twilight said. The good-natured sarcasm has hard not to notice.

"Well, I knew she was inspirational and influential, but I didn't think she was influential in THAT way. It's kind of....scary."

"Twilight can be influential in all kinds of ways," Pinkie said, cheerfully.

"True. She knows what to do in a tough situation, and she can even inspire others to do the right thing."
"Well...if that's all we need to know about Flurry, leave it up to us. The party pony and courageous hero are up to the job! You won't need to worry about a thing!" I said, with an encouraging wink. Just so you all know, I wasn't faking this enthusiasm. This was my first friendship problem, and I was happy to resolve it.

"Thank you. I trust she's in good hooves. And hands. Now, then, come along, Twilight." Cadence, Shining Armor, and Twilight turned to leave the room.
"Good luck you two. If you need anything, just come find us, and I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out," Twilight said, with a reassuring smile.

"No worries!" I replied, and smiled back. Once the three ponies were gone, I turned to Pinkie. "So, what should we do first?"

"I'm guessing make sure she doesn't need anything to eat! Babies get cranky when they need a yummy-nummy snacky-wacky!"
Ay, here's a fun story:
In the single player Don't Starve, every character has something they say when they examine their own skeleton, assuming they were able to be revived somehow.
Most of them are uncomfortable looking at it.
Except for Webber and Wendy.
Webber's more concerned that the spider parts of the skeleton seem to have disappeared.
Meanwhile Wendy looks at it and says "I was so, so close."

...kind of creepy.
"There's two ways to tell if she's gonna be hungry. Hearing her stomach growl....and you, apparently. I'm guessing you have good experience with babysitting?"

"You could say that," Pinkie said, happily. "Heya, Flurry Heart! You hungry? Bored? Need anything?"

I peeked into the room, only to see Flurry sleepily staring back at me. "I think she just woke up. This'll be fun.." I said, as I gently entered the room, and approached the crib. Flurry looked up at me, and smiled a bit. She was kind of cute when she was pretty calm. The moment was kind of ruined when her stomach let out a growl.

"Someone needs a snacky-wacky! Whatcha want, huh? Err, did Cadence.... mention where she keeps the bottle? Or... if she even still uses it...?"

"I don't think so. See if anything about eating is on the list. Hopefully, it's somewhere on it. Otherwise, that's our first..issue." I said, walking back into the hall.

I'm proably gonna head to bed soon. Do you think we can continue this tomorrow morning?

"Right!" Pinkie said, unrolling the list. "Let's seeeee....."

I waited a few moments, watching Pinkie roll down the paper. "See anything about eating on the list?"

"Uhhhhh.... hang on, it's gotta be here somewhere...."

Flurry's stomach growled again. I walked back into her room, picked her up, and cradled her. "Don't worry, Flurry...we'll get you some food." I took her back out into the hall, and tried to look for the bit about eating. I saw what looked like the word 'kitchen', halfway down the list. Thankfully, it was big enough for me to see. "Pinkie, over here!" I called out.

"Hmm? What's up?" Pinkie asked, from behind Loyal.

"Gah!" I sometimes kind of hated it when she did that. Her fourth wall-breaking powers were beyond comprehension. "I think I found it, right here." I said, pointing to a section on the list, making sure not to drop Flurry.

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie gave a smile and hopped down the hall and into the kitchen, which was on the first floor. "Second shelf in the pantry in the back!" I called after her.

"I got it!" Pinkie said, bouncing out of the kitchen. "Heeeey, Flurry Heart! Look what Pinkie's got!"

Flurry giggled in delight at the small jar of baby food. "We should probably take her to the kitchen for this." I said, walking towards the kitchen. "We wouldn't want her to make a mess in the hallway."
I caught a glimpse of part of the list saying to 'take cover when feeding'. I wasn't sure what that meant, but hopefully it was nothing bad. I took Flurry into the kitchen and sat her on the already placed booster seat. I strapped her into the seat, and got a small bib from the counter.

"Hey, Pinkie, the list said something about 'taking cover' when feeding Flurry? Any idea what that means?" I asked, as I tied the bib around her neck.

"Absolutely none~!" Pinkie said.

"Oh, boy. Well, it can't be that bad."
I got a spoon from the drawer that was conveniently labelled 'silverware'. I took the jar from Pinkie, opened it up, and got a fair portion of it out of the jar, holding it up in front of Flurry. 'I can't believe I'm about to do this..' I thought. I wasn't a cheeky, happy babysitter like Pinkie, so stuff like this felt sickening to do. "Here comes the train! Choo ch--"

*SPLAT*

"...ew." Flurry had apparently figured out how to do that thing where boys could fling food with a spoon at people. And she just did it to me. "Pinkie, you try to feed her while I find a towel, alright?" I said, looking around. I was beginning to understand what it meant by 'take cover', that list.

"Alrighty! Flurry Heart, are you hungryyyy?"

Flurry let out a coo/giggle kind of sound, possibly waiting for another chance to fire food at someone, before turning her attention to Pinkie. She moved the spoon towards her, implying that she wanted to be fed this time...hopefully.

"Heeeere comes the airship!" Pinkie held the spoon carefully, moving it towards Flurry.

Just as Pinkie was about to place the spoon in her mouth, Flurry used her magic to turn the spoon towards Pinkie, and flung it at her. *SPLAT*

"I.... think she might want her mommy."

"Would this really qualify as going to Cadence for an emergency?"

"Not an emergency. But it could BECOME one if she doesn't eat, and honestly I don't know how Cadence does this."

"Should we go to her, then?"

"Ah... maybe go tell her we're having trouble, and I'll keep trying in the meantime?"

"Will do." I said, with a small salute, and headed out of the kitchen. There were a lot of rooms and halls to look through, but I had an idea. I could just listen for voices coming from one direction. So, I silently walked down one hallway, pressing my ear up against the doors. First thirteen doors, no luck. Finally, on the fourteenth door, I heard familiar voices. I crackled my knuckled and knocked on it, rather loudly.

"Err, yes? Come in, but, umm, do note that we're a little busy in here at the moment..."

I sighed, and walked into the room. "Heh...Hey, Cadence. Sorry to be a bother this early, but....Flurry's trying to create a war with the food, and we already tried using the train and the airship to make her eat it...we kind of need your help to get her to actually eat it."

"Oh, yes, of course. One moment, please."

"Alright. Sorry about this, everypony. Responsibilities and all." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"Oh, it's no trouble. Flurry Heart has been getting... playful... when we feed her lately. I'm sure you've noticed."

"Yeah, she has. Does it become a problem sometimes?" I asked, wondering what other problems Flurry had caused in the past for her parents.

"Not so much for us. Moreso for the others who insist on cleaning up after her."

"Like Pinkie and I." I said, as we headed back down the hall (which the list was *still* in.) "I'm sure one day we'll look back on this and--"

I looked into the room, and in the time I was gone, Flurry had turned the room into a war zone. The table was flipped, carrot mush was flying everywhere, and Flurry was basically...having her own fun.

"--laugh." I finished. "Has this happened before?"

"Alarmingly, yes," Cadence added, as she ducked under a ball of carrots.

"No, Commander Flurry, it's YOU who will be having a munchy lunchy!"

"Pinkie, I was only gone for about 10 minutes! What HAPPENED in here?!" I said, ducking under a glob of carrot mush.

"There you are, private! Ah, and General Cadence! It is great to see you both here! We've got a mutiny on our hooves. Commander Flurry refuses to follow the General's order of a munchy lunchy of carrots!"

"Well, what have you tried to get her to eat?" I asked, ducking behind the table to avoid getting hit. "Let me guess, you tried singing first?"

"Of course I tried singing first, it's my number one tactical strategy." Pinkie closed her eyes, clenching one hoof up before her face. "It's never failed before today."

"Well, what did you try afterwards?"
"Did you try reasoning with her or anything?"

"Well yes of course I tried that but-" A ball of orange mush hit her in the face. "Any time I tried, she would hurl carrots at me when I least expected it.
Pinkie proceeded to clean her face off. "And along the way we kind of went into full-on 'tactical lunch assault game' mode."

I sighed, and just shook my head. This baby was being difficult, sure, but I didn't think she was capable of doing...THIS. "Cadence, what do we do?" I said, narrowly avoiding a glob of carrot. "She's your baby, don't you have some special way to get her to listen?"

Cadence gave a light giggle. "This is actually a typical Wednesday afternoon. And by typical I mean 'every other week.'" She proceeded to calmly approach Flurry Heart. "Flurry Heart, if you're a good girl and eat your carrots for Pinkie, then I'm sure she would love to keep playing with you afterwards. Maybe she'll even bring you something special next time she comes to visit."

Flurry Heart stopped throwing carrot food, and set down the spoons and carrot mush cans she had in her possession. The mess she made poofed away, and she gave a sweet, but possibly devilish giggle.
I was speechless. "Wh---but---she---we---
HOW?!"

"Flurry Heart and I tend to understand one another pretty well. I have a pretty decent idea of what she might be wanting. She should listen to you two now."

"Well, that's a relief. The last thing we need is more trouble. Thank you for your services, Cadence. You can head back to your meeting. Hopefully, she won't give us anymore trouble. And hopefully you meeting can go without frther interruptions." I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Still, sorry we had to drag ya away from it." I added, rubbing the back of my head.

"It's no trouble. I'm sure Shining Armor and Twilight can handle things okay without me for a moment."

Afterwards, Cadence left to go back to the meeting, possibly to ensure she didn't miss much. I looked over at Flurry, who was now sucking on her hoof. She was so adorable, yet, oh, SO vicious at times.

"This anything like you've ever seen before in babies, Pinkie? I mean, I know you've dealt with babies before, but has this come anywhere near how wild your previous babysitting job was?"

"Depends on what you mean."

"Have your babysitting tasks ever gone to baby food fight levels of wild is what I mean."

"Oh! Nope! But I did wind up covered in flour once!"

"...How'd that happen?"

"Well, I was trying to sing a song about little piggies to Pound and Pumpkin Cake to get them to calm down, and I wound up bouncing into a shelf where we were storing flour! It landed on my head and kinda became a running gag that day."

"And I'm guessing the song somehow made things worse, surprisingly. Right?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Now, about lunch..."
Finally, once Flurry completely calmed down, we were able to get her to actually eat the food instead of chucking it. "That was....wild." I said. "And let's pray to Celestia we won't have to go to Cadence a second time. I don't wanna ruin their meeting."
Eventually, lunch time ended, and up next on the list was...playtime. Personally, I didn't count the lunchtime war, because Flurry did that, not us.
"Hmm...what game should we play with Flurry? I would suggest hide and seek, but considering the kitchen incident, that'd be a bad idea. Pinkie, what're your ideas?"

Pinkie didn't seem to be anywhere. "Flurry, where'd Pinkie go?" came a voice.

Flurry looked around, confused. I looked around, too. How in the living hell does she do that?! "Pinkie, where *did* you go? You just straight up vanished."

"Here she is!" she said, popping out from behind one of the decorations in the hallway.

Flurry saw Pinkie pop out, she giggled and laughed, clapping her hooves. "She likes that, Pinkie! Keep doing it!"

Pinkie smiled and pulled herself back behind the object. "Where'd Pinkie go now, Flurry Heart?"

Flurry looked around in confusion again. "Oh, my, she's gone!" I said, playing along.

"HERE I AM!" Pinkie popped out from behind another decoration, this time across the room.

Flurry laughed again, seeming to enjoy this.

Pinkie leapt back behind the decoration again. "Wheeeeere's Pinkie Pie?"

Just when things seemed to be going well, with Flurry enjoying Pinkie's little game, Flurry enveloped herself in magic, and....
*POOF*
...she was gone in a flash.
"...Uhh, Pinkie?"

"HERE I... am...." Pinkie looked around. "Umm.... where's... Flurry...?"

"Let's just say she just tried out your hiding game."

"But where did she GO?"

"How should I know?! She just poofed to...wherever! We gotta look for her!" I said. "I'll check the rooms in the left side of this wing, you check the right! She could be anywhere!" I said.

"Err, right!"

"Yeah, that's what I said!" I said, and took off towards the left room. "Let me know once you've found her, and don't let her get away!"

"Got it!"

I dashed towards the left wing of the floor we were on, calling Flurry's name. I didn't care if I got the attention of Cadence and the others, *their baby was gone*, and it was Pinkie's and my responsibility to find her. I ran into one room, and looked everywhere for Flurry. "Where ARE you?!" I shouted, slowly growing more and more panicky.
I looked everywhere I could, each room from top to bottom, but I came up empty handed. Eventually, Pinkie and I met back in the hallway we started searching in. "Did you find her?"

"No! You don't think she teleported OUTSIDE, do you?!"

"Oh, I hope to Celestia she didn't. The Empire's HUGE, it'd take DAYS to find her! What are we gonna do now?!"

"...Couldn't hurt to check the castle grounds... could it...?"

"No, it couldn't. If we're lucky, someone will notice her and try to return her." I said. "And if Cadence asks, we're playing a little game of hide and seek. And she's winning. Okay?"

"Don't you think Cadence is smart enough to know that means 'We have no idea where she is?'"

"Well, it's better making it sound a lot less worse, isn't it?" I said. "To be fair, she broke the Crystal Heart before, you'd think losing her would be half as bad."

"Okay truuuueee, but what if we say I helped Flurry hide, and I know EXACTLY where she is, but I can't say because then you'd know? Am I over thinking this? I over think things sometimes when I'm panicking. Not to say that I am panicking but WOW this situation could be bad! Like, really REALLY bad!"

"So, you're saying lying could be good or bad in this situation?"

"Who's lying about what now?" Pinkie tensed up and turned around to see Twilight stepping out of a nearby room, levitating some papers in front of her face.

"Oh, Celestia, this isn't going to end well.." I muttered. "Heh, hey, Twilight. Just a bit of conversation we were picking up, is all." I wasn't technically lying, this was a conversation. But still...it wasn't a good one.

"Oh, is that all? I thought you two were concocting some kind of huge lie... But what were you talking about then?"

Pinkie thought quickly. "We were just, y'know, having a friendly debate about when lies might be dubious but ultimately for the best, and when they'd be abominations that should never escape somepony's mouth."

"Yeah, you never know when you'd need to say just the right words!" I said, pretending to agree. "That's why lies could be used at the right time, or you could say the wrong words at the wrong moment!"

"Wow, that's... interesting. Not the kinda thing I'd expect from you two."

"Hey, we have our moments from time to time. Besides, it's not strange, especially if it can come from the pony who literally sneezes confetti, right?"

"Fair point... hey, uh, where's...?"

"Flurry? Oh, she's around. We're just playing a little game of hide and go seek.

...She's winning by a landslide."

"Is that supposed to mean that-?" Pinkie cut Twilight off.
"No, no, of course not! All we mean is we're pretty sure she's CHEATING and teleporting around."

"Yeah, and that's why she's so difficult to find! It's not that surprising, she's a baby Alicorn with magical powers that she can use to her advantages!"
"While we'd love to stick around, we have to find Flurry Heart before she ends up someplace else where we wouldn't find her!" I said. "Let's go, Pinkie. We've got a lot of searching ahead of us!" I said, hoping to make like a banana and split before Twilight questioned us more. I hoped she wouldn't.

"Oh, right. Hide and seek with teleporters can be annoying. Well, I've a meeting to get back to."

"Right, you have 'fun' with that!" I said, before turning around and lowering my voice. "She bought all that! Let's scram while we can, Pinkie!"

Pinkie nodded. "We'd better find her before she gets worried we gave up looking! Wouldn't want that, huh?"

"Considering how long it might take us, I'm sure it'll take a while for her to gt worried."

So, with that, Pinkie and I headed outside, and split ways to look for Flurry.
Believe it or not, this had become the biggest game of hide and seek ever. We searched everywhere outside, through almost every alley, street, and block, but still no sign of Flurry. According to the clock, it took three hours and three quarters of an hour to look everywhere. Well, not everywhere. In fact, we had one quarter of the Empire left to search. We met back at the Crystal Castle's main foyer. "We've looked almost everywhere, and still no sign of her! You don't think she went someplace dangerous, do you?"

"Oh, I hope not! Something bad could happen to her, and then do you know what'd happen? It'd be our fault because she disappeared on OUR watch!"

"To be fair, Pinkie, you're just as random as she is. Neither of us would have expected it, right?"

"But we were supposed to be taking care of her! And we let her get away from us! Do you know what Cadence is going to do if she finds out we lost her baby?"

"No. I'm guessing you do, though?"

"Well.... no, I don't... But I betcha it wouldn't be good!"

"Well, we have to find her SOMEHOW! Otherwise, we'll be--" I was interrupted when I heard a knock at the front door. "Uhh...I'll get it." I said, uneasily making my way to the front door. "Hello, how may I help--" I stopped myself, surprised to see Frisk at the door. When in Tartarus' name did SHE get here..? "...Frisk?"

"Oh, hello there! Fancy meeting you here!" They gave a smile to Loyal.

"How in God's name did you know we were here?"
"....Are you Psy-Frisk? It's like Psychic, but different when you do it."

Frisk giggled lightly. "I actually had no idea you were here. I'm just here to return something. Or... someONE, rather...."

"Don't tell me. Let me guess--"
"It's Flurry Heart, isn't it?"

"Oh, is that her name? I was just told it was the royal baby. What was she doing outside, anyway?"

"Let's say a little game of hide and seek went so horribly awry." Flurry let out a little coo, indicating that she was, in fact, in Frisk's possession. "Where did you find her?! We'd been looking all OVER for her!"

"She was down by the cafe. I've been wandering around looking for anyone who might know where I should bring her, and I only just got word that she belongs here at the castle." They looked to Flurry Heart. "Leaving the castle without your mommy and daddy isn't very safe, Flurry Heart."

"Uh, do come right in, then!" I said, opening the door more for her. "Pinkie will be relieved to hear she's okay."

Frisk smiled and stepped into the castle. "Hello again, Pinkie Pie. It's very nice to see you."
"Heeeeey, I know you! You're that kid who came in yesterday asking about a little flower! Then you bought a slice of pie!" She gasped. "And I still haven't finished planning your welcome party!"

"I told you she'd throw a party if you were new." I said, laughing a bit. "Hey, Pinks, get this: We couldn't find Flurry because she was down by the cafe. The Crystal Empire's cafe, or Sugarcube Corner, I don't know. I'm guessing it's the latter."

"Oh, actually I was in the Crystal Empire! I'm still looking for my brother... I haven't seen or heard him anywhere..."

"Why would he be in this place, in the cold?"

"Well, he's born of this special type of flower... I don't know what it's called - my friends and I always just call them Golden Flowers. They're Chara's favorite kind, and they're ridiculously hardy."

"Can you imagine if he was like a god flower? That'd be incredible."
"Still, how long ago did you find Flurry?"

"..." Frisk was silent. They seemed distracted by something.

"Huh? Wha?" They looked around. "Umm... Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I was just... thinking about something..."

"Are you sure you're okay? Chara didn't badmouth me again, did she?"

"No, no they didn't... I'm fine, I was just thinking about Flowey is all."

"Flowey's a bit of a threat to you, isn't he..?"

"Not really, no. He holds no power over me."
"No, Chara, you said you didn't want me to tell him yesterday. ...Yes, I know it'll freak him out, that's why I'm not going to tell him."
"Chara, it was horrifying. I haven't even told MOM about that. You're the only one who knows, and that's because you were there."
"No. I know you'll just tell him."

"Okay, what's this about not telling me something you think would freak me out?"

"Chara wants me to tell you my history with Flowey, but it's... it's not pretty. We weren't always siblings, we can leave it at that."

"I'd dealt with 7 demons, one giant and destructive, wanting to kill me, and an evil insect queen bent on destroying an alternate universe. I think I can handle the truth about a little plant."

"I don't know. You'd be surprised how far a little flower's ambitions could go."

"You'd be surprised how stubborn I can get when it comes to stuff like this."

"You'd be surprised how stubborn I can be in general."
"Call it what you will. Stubborn, Determined, whatever. Point is, I'm... I'm it."

"Come on, Frisk, if you really think the truth can freak me out, then you might as well try to prove it. You don't know if I will or will not take it lightly, or if I'll accept it or not accept it unless you tell me."

"But why do you want to know so badly? What effect could my past with Flowey possibly have on you?"

"If I end up doing something to him at any point in time and I don't realize how important his past could have been, I could have easily hurt someone that I needed to know how not to hurt."

Frisk gave a sigh. "You're not going to stop asking me until I tell you, are you."

"I told you, I'm stubborn. So no."

Another sigh. "Well...."
"...No, he doesn't need to know the WHOLE story. Just Flowey's."
Frisk cleared their throat. "It all started one afternoon, after I climbed the forbidden Mt. Ebott..."
"I'd stumbled my way into a hole up on the mountain. A deep hole, one I couldn't hope to climb my way back out of. With no other option, I had to move forward. Flowey was the first person I met down there. He seemed nice enough at first. But it was a charade, meant to lure me into a false sense of security so he could kill me, and take my SOUL. 'In this world, it's kill or BE killed,' he told me. And...
And I lived. Because my mom saved me. I didn't see Flowey again for a while after that. But, y'know, we probably should've made sure he wasn't going to be a threat to me again..."

"A plant almost killed you...?"

"Oh that's not even the beginning of where things got bad with me and Flowey... See, I was on a journey through this cavern. It was long, dark, and treacherous, and yet somehow, I made it to the other end. All the way to the capital of the Kingdom of Monsters, New Home. And that's where I finally saw him again."

"Was this one of those scenarios where he either got stronger or wanted revenge?"

"Sort of... See, once I reached the capital, I was told I had a choice to make. A big choice. One that would alter the fate of the world."

"What was that choice?"

"...Monsters were locked beneath Mt. Ebott by a magical barrier. Only one thing can break the barrier - the might of the power of 7 Human SOULs. ...The Monsters already had 6. ...But... There's a way to cross the barrier. If someone has a Human SOUL and a Monster SOUL, then they can cross. So I had to make a tough decision...."

"Do I fight and kill the King of all Monsters, take his SOUL, and go home...?
Or do I forsake my freedom so the Monsters can have what they deserve?"

"Believe me when I say it wasn't an easy decision for me to make. I wanted to go home so badly. I really did. But I didn't want to hurt anyone. When I was finally given the opportunity to make up my mind....
....I chose to stay."

"I get it. If you killed the King, you would go home, but with guilt and blood on your hands. But if you stayed, you would never be able to leave, and you would either be killed, or worse, and everyone would be freed. But apparently, you had a good outcome with choice B."

"Oh no. Not by a longshot."

"But you're alive, aren't you?"

"I'm not done with my story yet. I refused to kill the king. I couldn't do it. I couldn't turn around and take his life after I'd let all his subjects go. Yes, I'd have to do it to go home, but I'd rather hold on to my principles. And you know what?
He was so moved by my dedication to do the right thing, even when it would cost me my greatest desire, he called off everything. There would be no more war. Monsters and Humans would live in peace, he and my mom would repair their relationship and raise me as their child... We would all be happy."

"And then Flowey killed him."

"...I beg?"

"Right when things look like they're going to be okay, Flowey shows up and kills the king. And what's worse, he destroyed the king's SOUL, so I couldn't even go home. And boy, let me tell you, things only got worse from there..."

"Do you know what happens when someone gains the power of six Human SOULs?"

"It can't be as bad as what I can picture.."

"Picture the following... First... picture a little yellow flower with a white face and a happy smile."
"Awwww~!" Pinkie coo'd. "That sounds adorable!"

"Okay...picturing it..."

"Pinkie, you may want to take Flurry Heart somewhere else. This, umm, really isn't the kind of thing she should be hearing."

"Err.... Alright...? Come on then, Flurry, let's go play!"

"Don't let her play hide and seek or Peekaboo again!" I warned.

"I woooon't!" Pinkie called, as she and Flurry went down the hall.

"...When that little yellow flower gets six Human SOULs, he gains absolute control over the timestream. And what does he do with that power? He drags me into a world of his personal creation, where there's NOTHING, except for me and him. And then, he tells me he intends to kill me and take my SOUL, too. So we have to stand up to him, right? That's what I do. It's all I can do."
"Nothing in my life could've prepared me for what he did to himself."

"And now I'm in imaginary hell." I said, (sadly) picturing it.

"From out of the shadows that stretch for eternity in every direction comes an abomination of nature....
Twin cactus arms, a writhing mess of vines engulfing a screen of some kind, from which there protrudes a hideously grotesque fleshy face of some kind. Metal piping loops around above, in the vague shape of flower petals. And on that screen, a face filled with psychotic rage. And he lets out the most horrifying of laughs before he begins to attack me."

"Are we discussing the same flower...?"

"We are. Oh yes, we are."

"It... it was unlike anything I'd faced before. I could hardly find an opening to fight back, and when I did...? It hardly scratched him. It was hopeless. In hindsight...

I'm not that surprised he killed me."

"If he killed you, how are you alive and breathing now?"

"Remember when I said he gained total control of the timestream?"

"As I draw my last breath, he leaves me with one last message....
'This is all just a bad dream....
And you're NEVER waking up!'
And then he turns back time to before we started fighting."
"And of course I'm confused at first! But he brought me back to life, so I have to try again!"
"I die.
And I die.
And I die.
And he keeps bringing me back."
"And he admits to me that he finds some kind of sick, twisted pleasure in this, fighting me over and over, watching me struggle to secure what he believes to be a hopeless victory."
"But what he doesn't seem to realize is that I'm learning from my mistakes. Each time, I make it farther and farther. And eventually, I'm able to reach out to the SOULs he'd taken and get them to weaken him from within. And finally... Finally, I'm able to defeat him."

"It really wasn't a dream, then...just..wow...in retrospect to that giant demon I fought, that's intense."

"Oh, but I'm not done! Then, he turned time back again."
"So I know what you're thinking. It really was hopeless. Well, not entirely. The SOULs, they remembered. And as he kills me over and over, and leaves me on the edge of death just to gloat about how he's more or less become a god and I'm powerless against me... They know this isn't right. So as he sends in that last attack - and I'm sure he intends to leave me dead this time - they turn on him again and save me. Only this time, they use their powers to fix everything. Send us back to the world we came from, and take away his power to manipulate the timestream."

"I'm guessing it wasn't luck, then. It was really you being determined, the SOULs, of course, and Flowey being a bit overconfident that nothing would go wrong. But things went oh, so HORRIBLY wrong for him."

"And then, suddenly, I'm faced with another choice. Flowey is left before me, powerless. And I have to decide whether I let him go, or execute him for his crimes. And you know what?

I let him go."

"I'm not trying to berate you, but was it really worth it?"

Frisk smiled. "Oh, it was. It really, really was. Because, you see, I found it hard to live with the fact that the king was dead...."
"So now that everything was said and done... I went back."

"Frisk, I hate to break it to you, but this place is filled to the brim with magic. Magic plants, magic books, magic forests, magic everything. You put a plant who could harness magical entities into a world with....magical entities, and we have a bit of an issue."

"Let me finish."

"Sorry."

"I turned back time, back to before the king and I ever had a chance to fight. And on Flowey's advice, I went to talk to my friend Alphys. Things seemed to go okay from there..."
"...Up until after I went to see what was so important about Alphys' lab. Then things went downhill again."

"Why, what happened?"

"It wasn't anything in the lab... Actually, things didn't start to go downhill until after I left. Just before I did, I got a call... A voice I'd never heard before...."
"I still remember the call clearly, because it was the first time I heard anyone say Chara's name besides me....
'Chara, are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it? But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara... See you soon.'"

"And then we were back in New Home, except the only way out was jammed shut with vines. I had no choice left now but to move forward and try to talk down the king again."

"I never got the chance to try."

"Why not? Was he not there?"

"Oh no, he was. But after my little adventure in Alphys' lab... my mom showed up, and put a stop to the fight before it had a chance to begin. Then, one by one, ALL of my closest friends show up to further talk us out of fighting - not that it was really necessary at this point - and everyone gets a chance to meet one another. Finally. Everything seems perfect. I don't need to go home - I'll be perfectly happy underground.

And then Flowey showed up again."

"Was he not pissed you beat him this time?"

"He seemed pretty happy with all my friends wrapped up in his magical vines, actually."

"I can already guess he wasn't hugging them."

"Definitely not. While nobody was looking, he stole the Human SOULs again, and he had a pretty sinister plan in mind.... He didn't need my SOUL anymore."
"He'd been manipulating me all along, preying on my desire to help everyone. He told me I could get a better ending if I made sure Alphys was my friend, all because he wanted to be sure she'd be willing to come to my defense. He knew that with how kind I'd been to everyone underground, they'd all be willing to support me and try to stop the fight with Asgore so neither of us would get hurt."

"That's....that's so *evil*."

"And you know what he did next?"

"He...tried to kill them?"

"Not exactly.... With the power of the six Human SOULs....
He had the strength necessary to extract the SOUL of a living Monster and make it part of his own. And that's exactly what he did. To every single one of them."
"Monster SOULs aren't as strong as a Human's SOUL, but, combined they do have some strength... conveniently, just about enough to fill the power void he was missing without a seventh Human SOUL. With six Human SOULs and countless Monster SOULs, Flowey basically had the strength of 7 Human SOULs."

"Care to imagine what he looked like with THAT kind of power?"

"Something even scarier than the other form?"

Frisk gave a giggle. "Oh heck no. Not even close. With the power of 7 SOULS, Flowey was able to achieve his TRUE form...
...A little boy."

"My mom's long-lost son."

"Long...lost son?"

"...Maybe... Maybe someone else should explain this..."
They turned their head to the side. "Care to tell him what happened?" There was silence for a moment.

"Frisk...you are the only one who sees and hears Chara."

Frisk's eyes closed briefly... and when they re-opened, a red gaze was cast in Loyal's direction. "You wanna bet on that, pal?"

"Wh--what--what just...how...
*Oh, my dear God.*"

"Heheh, nice to meet you too."

"So, you're the one Frisk is talking to."

"That's right. Name's Chara."

"AKA the one who seemingly didn't and probably doesn't like me all too much. I could tell from how Frisk reacted when we first met."

"Yeeeeaaah, humans aren't exactly high up on my favorites list. Unless their names start with F and end with K and have an R, I, and S in the middle."

"So, tell me, Chara, what's this explanation you seem right for that you two had in store?"

"Hmm, right. Flowey's true form. My brother. Mom's son."

"See, it's like this."
"A long, long time before Frisk climbed Mt. Ebott, I climbed Mt. Ebott."
"Back when things were happy. The monsters were sealed underground, sure, but there was still hope in their kingdom. The day I fell down and met the family I'd always longed for. The day I met...
The day I met Asriel Dreemurr."

"When I fell down, I hurt myself pretty badly. Asriel found me and brought me back to his family, and... and they took me in. His mom, Toriel, and his dad, Asgore, king of the monsters. They were so kind to me, even though we barely knew each other. It wasn't long before they decided to raise me as their own child. Like Asriel and I were siblings. And really, that's what we'd become, because Toriel and Asgore had adopted me, since there was no way I could go home anyway."

"Sounds like a happy life."

"It was. It really was. I became such a shining beacon of hope for Monsterkind that they decided to move their kingdom back towards the mouth of the cavern they'd been sealed in. They called me 'The Future of Humans and Monsters.' It felt... good... being something bigger than myself. Something that made people happy. But the truth of it was, I couldn't be that future for them."
"I was content to just live underground with them. They had never done anything to wrong me. Not like humanity had..."

"Would the fact I'm a caring, tough, defensive, generous and kind of famous hero change one percent of your dislikability against humanity?"

There was a chuckle. "Look, the truth of it is, I'm starting to get over it. But it's tough to just let go of things. At any moment, a human could do the same things they did to me. It's hard to trust people. Frisk is the only one I trust."
"But that's besides the point."

"What *did* humanity do to you?"

"I'm not comfortable discussing it."
"It's got a lot to do with me as a person and my parents. Long gone though they are, some scars don't heal so easily..."

"Ahh. I understand. I also know how losing folks feels. That feeling stuck with me for three entire years."

"....No, no. I don't have those scars because they're gone."
"Again though, beside the point."

"They loved to tell me about how much hope I brought them, hope that Monsters and Humans could live in harmony. And I understand. I was living with them peacefully. But I wasn't be the hope that they would actually get the CHANCE to live with them. I could never be that hope.
Not while I was alive."

"Being hope would mean being like someone to look up to when things got bad, wouldn't it?"

"No. You don't understand. I was the first."

"There were eight humans who fell down the hole on Mt. Ebott.... and I was the first. Back then, there were no other SOULs. There was no way anyone could get out of the cavern. Not until I showed up."

"I held a SOUL that could give any Monster the strength to cross the Barrier. And Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel? They held SOULs that I could take."

"But I wouldn't. I couldn't. They had shown me so much love and kindness. I couldn't hurt them."

"I could become the hope Monsters needed to return to the surface."
"They just needed my SOUL."

"...So I decided to let them have it."
"I talked to my brother.... and together, we decided... I would fake a fatal illness. And when I died.... He'd take my SOUL, cross the Barrier, gather 6 more, then come back and free everyone."

"Things started exactly the way we planned it. But once we got back to the village I used to call home, things... went wrong."

"He couldn't muster up the courage to actually take any SOULs from the humans, and....
...Well. He decided we'd go home empty handed. And as soon as we returned, he collapsed and turned to dust."

"That's terrible.."

"Sounds like it should've been the end of it. Both of us dead and gone, both of the royal children dead in one night, hope of ever returning to the surface totally crushed. Sounds like a pretty depressing ending, huh?"
"Well, luckily, that's not actually where it ended."

"Flash forward a few decades or so, and Dr. Alphys becomes the royal scientist for King Asgore. She's performing experiments in an effort to find some way to break the Barrier without having to wait for seventh SOUL. With the six they have, she manages to extract a mysterious, powerful force from them...
The will to keep living. The resolve to change fate. Determination."

"She injects this force into Monsters in an effort to get their SOULs to last after they die. But Monsters can't absorb Monster SOULs, so they need something to use them when they finally have enough. But a Human can't absorb a Human SOUL either. So, she decides... what about something that isn't a Human OR a Monster? She decides that the vessel she's going to use is going to come from Asgore's garden... Something that sprouted just before his wife left him...
A little...
golden....
flower."

"...Flowey." I said.

"Right. And, deep inside Flowey are the memories of a scared little boy who I hurt in ways I didn't realize until it was too late."
"Buried deep inside Flowey is Asriel's conscience. Except he has no SOUL. He's incapable of feeling any form of love or compassion for anyone."
"Flash forward a few more years, and Frisk shows up. They go on their quest and deal with Flowey and the others, and ultimately manage to get to a point where Flowey gets what he wants - the power of 7 Human SOULs, and a plaything he can never lose."
"And suddenly, Asriel is back in the world once again."

"Hmm. It's hard to believe he--Flowey--couldn't feel love. That must have been a sad part of his life..."

"Oh it gets worse for him, believe it or not.
Frisk stood up to Asriel. They stood up to him and all his god-like, time-destroying powers, armed with nothing but their Determination. They wouldn't have been able to hurt Asriel if they tried. But they stood firm, and held on to the hope that things would be okay. With his power, Asriel could wipe out the timeline whenever he wanted. So why didn't he? It's because Frisk was there, Determined to not let that happen."
"I want to make this perfectly clear to you.
Frisk stopped the timeline's complete and total annihilation just by staying Determined to save everyone."

"Determination can do all that? It must be insanely powerful..."

"You have NO idea. Frisk didn't even die once fighting Asriel. And it's not because he wasn't trying to kill them!
It's because Frisk flat-out refused to die. Any time Asriel struck what should've been a fatal blow, they just stood right back up and kept fighting."
"So realizing they're in a stalemate the way things are, Asriel unleashes his full power as the God of Hyperdeath - his words, not mine."
"And even that doesn't work."

"Even though Frisk is powerless against Asriel, they still won't die. They still refuse to let things end the way they're going. And even though they can't control the timestream anymore, they realize there's something else they can do... and re-purpose their Determination to reach out to Asriel's SOUL, remind their friends of who they truly are, and weaken Asriel enough to get him to admit to Frisk and himself that... all he really wanted....

...Was to see me again. He just wanted to be able to play with me like old times. But I'm dead... and he's not. That's how life works sometimes...

Heh..."

"You're DEAD?!"

"What did you think happened to my SOUL when Asriel died?"

"I don't have a SOUL of my own. The only way I'm able to hang on to my humanity is because I'm drawing compassion from Frisk's SOUL. If anything were to ever happen to them....
...Well, it wouldn't be pretty."

"Is that why only Frisk can see you?"

"That might be why, or it might not. Honestly, I don't really know."

"Anyway, Frisk is able to soothe Asriel and get him to stand down. He realizes that I'm still gone, and... and he's not. But more importantly, he knows he still has the power we had planned to get so long ago... And he finally fulfils the promise he made to me.

He uses the SOULs he had to break the barrier, and set everyone free."

"Left with no SOUL of his own, Asriel... was ultimately resigned to his fate, doomed to return to being Flowey, and unable to love or care for anyone."

"That must've been terrible."

"But Frisk didn't want him to be alone. So they came back for him. He stayed with us for a while..."
"But... there was nothing we could do about the burning emptiness he had. He tried his best. He really did. But in the end, he ran away."
"Now we don't know where he is. If his SOULlessness is driving him bonkers again, there's no telling what he could do."

"Well, we're all still doomed even if he has nothing of his own. This world has truckloads of magic. And I don't wanna imagine what he'd use it for.'

"Flowey already HAS magic. Born from the memories, dust, and essence of a dead Monster, pumped full of Determination, he's everything a Human or a Monster could be, but without a SOUL, it's focused into something dangerous."

"I'm sure Monster magic is somehow different from the magic here, but I don't think Flowey could hope to steal that magic."

"I guess you're right....but still, that story....Just...Wow....that's....this...this is a lot to process and take in...I had no idea you'd gone through so much."

"Well, everyone has a story..."

Their eyes closed once again, and when they opened, they were a dark color - hard to tell if it was navy or black. "...And that's ours."

"So, now you know the truth about Flowey. He's my brother on a technicality - he's what's left of Asriel, and Asriel is Toriel's son, and she adopted me."

"W-Wow....I don't even know what to say about that."

"It is kinda a lot to take in."
"I want to find him and bring him home. Somewhere out there, I know there's a way to save him."

"Is this one of those stories I mustn't share with anypony else?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't. I don't want everyone to know there's a creature out there who could potentially destroy the world on a whim, if he was able to gather enough power. Do you realize how scary that'd be? And the panic would only make whatever it is he's planning easier to pull off."

"You do have a point.."

"I do know my limits though.... I'm just one kid. That's why I'm not above asking for help."
"If I can get him home, everything will be fine. I know it will. He doesn't want to hurt us. We fought so hard for our happy ending, and he was willing to give it to us. He doesn't want to take it away."

"But what if he realizes something else and wants to take our happy endings away?"

"That's why I want to take him home. So he can't hurt anyone else. I know he has a very skewed view of things... he told me what he did with his powers when HE had control of the timeline, before I came along."
"He's only a little disgusted with himself. But a little is better than not being disgusted at all."
"He told me he'd never do that again. And he told me why. He had never considered the ending I managed to achieve to be possible. He saw a set of actors with only so many lines of dialogues and numbers before him, and to him, it was boring. All the same. And he could undo anything he did at any time, so why NOT do all he could? But once he got bored... once he let more time flow by and let ME fall into the Underground.... things changed for him. I was able to get reactions out of people he'd never seen. I helped them. And I was able to do the one thing he couldn't."

"Love?"

"No, no. Free the Monsters."

"In his earliest time loops, he was kind. He helped everyone. But he wasn't able to set them free, because no matter what he did or said, Asgore wouldn't let him have the Human SOULs. If Asgore had let him have them... Well, things might've been a lot different. But without me, Flowey wasn't able to set everyone free."

"I can only imagine how irritating it must've been."
"Still, a life like that makes me almost feel sorry for Flowey."

"A life like that DOES make me feel sorry for him."
"I know he's good deep down. He just can't show it because he doesn't have a SOUL. He has the capability to be good, but he doesn't see the point since he won't be able to feel good about DOING good."

"The more I think about it...the more I feel like I know Flowey somehow...and not from the story. It's like there's this reminder that I know him, but I don't know what it is. I never met him, so it should be impossible I know him."

"That's sorta strange..."

I looked at the clock behind me, and saw that it was almost 5:00. Had time really flown by that fast? I hadn't noticed. "Well, that was a crazy, amazing, and rather menacing story. Thanks for sharing it, Frisk. Very emotional, deep, a bit dark...it's incredible, though.. Maybe sometime, I can tell you one of my stories. But for now, I have a baby Alicorn to care for." I got up, and started heading off, before stopping to say one last thing:

"Oh, and Frisk? One other thing..

I know what you really are."

"...Because that doesn't sound threatening at all..."

"I know you're actually a human."

"Oh, oh, that..."

Look, I know Twilight mentioned that the topic would be hard to bring up, but that's why instead of discussing it, I flat out told Frisk I knew she was human.
"My primitive mind could comprehend that if Chara knows what humans are, so would you...because you were one. That's why she trusts you. And it's not sweater season, so why else would you be wearing a sweater?"

"They," Frisk said, quietly. "I wear a sweater because I'm fond of the stripes, actually!"

"Ahh, so you're into fashion a bit, I presume?"

"Not exactly. The stripes just looked pleasing to my eyes. And blue and magenta are two of my favorite colors!"

"You know, Rarity would be pleased and possibly inspired with a design like that, I'm sure."

"Pardon, who?"

"Rarity. She's Ponyville's and Canterlot's fashionista. She can make a dress out of almost anything, even a fabric velvet curtain! She's just that good."
"I'm sure she'd like your style, Frisk. You should try talking to her when you can. She might make a nice striped design."

"I dunno, I really should keep looking for Flowey..."

"Well, you should take a break every now and then! Unwind, ya know? Anyways, I've got a baby to care for! I'll see ya later, Frisk!" I said, waving farewell and heading into another room.

Frisk stood quietly for a moment before turning and leaving the castle...

On The Bright Side

I walked back upstairs, and back into the hall, where giggling and laughter could be heard. I followed the sounds into Flurry's room, where she and Pinkie were having fun, doing whatever, though she seemed to be playing peek-a-boo. "I'm back, after half an hour." I said. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, it's no trouble! How was the story? Was it good?"

"It was very emotional, a bit dark, rather interesting, really, but what really crosses my mind is...Listen, Pinkie, Flurry's little stunt she pulled...we can't let it slide, we need to do something about it. I think we should take her to see Sunburst."

"Hmm.... yeah, I guess maybe you're right..."

"Let's go." I said. "The sooner we get there, the sooner the other tasks will be easier." I said.
So, off we went. I brought the address Cadence wrote for Sunburst, and we went around, spending 10 minutes trying to find it, until finally, we found it. It didn't seem to have changed much, but his house was still looking good.
"I'm gonna go talk to him, don't let Flurry go anywhere."

I knocked on the door, keeping an eye on Flurry. We waited for about two minutes. Just as I was about to think he wasn't home, the door opened, and Sunburst poked his head out. "Uh....yes? What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Sunburst, we're here because Flurry was causing quite a bit of trouble for us. Her magic had gotten a bit out of hoof, and we needed you to try to nullify it a bit."

"Oh, yes, Cadence told me you might be arriving, so I got a few things ready. Please, do come in!" He said, and opened the door.

Pinkie and I walked inside, relieved to know that this problem might be resolved.
"Flurry had caused quite a bit of trouble in the past year, so I'm familiar with what she's been doing to cause trouble. But I have to ask, what exactly did she do?"
"Pinkie, would you mind recapping the lunch incident?"

Pinkie gave a big smile. "Well, we're busy babysitting for Cadence so she and Twilight and Shining Armor can work out some trouble they're having with a visitot! So we had to feed Flurry Heart lunch, but she wouldn't eat so I had to send Loyal off to get Cadence for help, but Flurry and I wound up getting into a big food fight because nothing I tried was working!"

Sunburst's eyes grew wide. "How big a food fight..?"

"It was more of a food war, really but it was big!"

"Hmm....well, the best solution is to get the Fledgeling's Forbearance. Give me a moment." Sunburst said, as he went into the back of his home, rummaging through shelves and drawers.

"Just wait, Pinkie, things'll be so much easier with Flurry being...more chill."

"Oh I hope so. Babysitting can be exhausting! And painful!"

"Painful...?"

"Yeah! A head to a pantry, sitting on jacks, a Pegasus dragging you into furniture because he's much stronger than his stature would suggest..."

"Jesus, what in heck's name did you GO through?!"
"Wait, is this also when you were babysitting Pumpkin and Pound Cake?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"How is it just those two babies sound mortally terrifying to be around? Especially two innocent ones?"

"It's probably because one's a baby Unicorn and the other is a baby Pegasus."

"Wait, two different babies came from the same pony? Isn't that.....very unlikely?"

"Well yeah, but it works!"

"Found it!" Sunburst came back to the little room we were in, carrying a scroll with illegible writing on it.

"This will take but a moment." He said, lifting Flurry off of Pinkie's back and into the air, and took a few paces back. His horn began to glow, and the room darkened a bit. A few moments after, a beam shot from his horn, enveloping Flurry in a pink-ish color. After about 20 seconds, the beam faded out, leaving the pink-ish aura. Flurry was lowered closer to the ground, onto a chair. "Now, Pinkie, would you mind trying to get Flurry to use magic again? If it doesn't work, I can just teleport her back."

"Oh, sure! Hey, Flurry, loook! It's Suuunbuuurst!"

Seeing the magic Sunburst perfomred, Flurry tried to do it, but only ended up teleporting....onto the table.

"She didn't poof away! It worked!" I said happily.

"Oh thank goodness! Now she won't vanish and be brought home by a little foal again!" Pinkie's eyes went wide. "I, umm, I mean, uh..."

"Wait, what?"

"I... I didn't say anything!"

"Pinkie, what else did Flurry Heart do?" Sunburst asked, head cocked to the side.
"Pinkie, it's best to tell him so that he can feel proud that he stopped another possible incident from happening."

"Pinkie, what else did Flurry Heart do?" Sunburst asked, head cocked to the side.
"Pinkie, it's best to tell him so that he can feel proud that he stopped another possible incident form happening."

"Well, umm, we were playing Pinkie - Boo in the hallway and I guess she got over excited and teleported away. It took us a long time to find her - well I mean technically we didn't, but a little foal did."

"And who was this foal? Somepony you knew?"

"Sorta! Came in the other day for a snack early in the morning. Seemed awfully friendly!"

"Hmm. Well, then it's a good thing that's two things I prevented from happening again. Well, is there anything else you came in for?"

"Not that I can think of no!"

"Well, then if there's anything else you need, you know where to find me!" Sunburst said. With that, we headed outside, and then I remembered.

"Oh, Sunburst, one other thing! Starlight Glimmer says hello!"

"Oh, well tell her I said greetings, how ya doin, that's good, and hope she visits soon! That way I can get a lot in with one sentence."

"Heh, I will."

After that, I ran back, and caught up with Pinkie. On our way back to the Empire, my stomach grumbled. "Boy, I could go for some Fro-Yo right about now..specifically that...you wouldn't happen to have any in your mane or someplace, would ya?"

"Eh... no... Tried it once, wound up with sticky hair for a couple of days because it melted."

"Hmmm...tell ya what, before we leave, we could stop by the cafe and see if they have any! Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me! Should we pick up something for Flurry?"

We headed back into the castle, able to breathe a sigh of relief that the job would be a lot easier. And on our way up into the main hallway, we almost ran into Twilight, who was seemingly organizing a few paper sheets.

"Heyyyy, Twi! Guess who was found and where!"

"No idea on either account."

"Flurry was found near the Crystal Empire Cafe!"

Twilight looked up, slowly. "And exactly what was she doing outside the castle unsupervised...?"
"Actually, Twilight, she wasn't technically unsupervised..."

"A certain stripe-sweatered friend found her."

"I'll give you three guesses as to who it was."

"I... I don't know."

"Frisk. It was Frisk."

"...Right... Who is that, again?"

"The one who I knew was a human?"

"Yeah. Said something about looking for her brother or something still, but she found Flurry near the cafe. If only we'd searched there sooner...anyways, she returned Flurry to us, and then we went to Sunburst to tone down her magic. That Fledgeling Forbearance spell really comes in handy! But, long story short, the job will be much easier. And after this entire mission, we're going out to get Fro-Yo! You want to come afterwards?"

"Oh! Umm, sure, I don't see why not."

"Cool! Anyways, we have a baby to care for! Come along, Pinks!" I said, continuing on down the hall.
"Cooooming!"

The next thing on the list would be bathing Flurry. Now, don't ask me why at 4:00 in the afternoon it would sound odd. But it kind of did, but also made a bit of sense. But somehow, I felt as though things would be more difficult.

"Now, it might surprise you, Pinkie, but bathing is gonna be my favorite part of caring for a baby. Can you guess why?"

"Hmm....nope!"

"It's because nothing's more adorable than a shiny, sparkly young baby. Odd reason, but if you were me, you'd understand." I said, as I turned on the faucet, letting warm water slowly heat up and fill the tub. "That, and it really reminds me of my shower day. There's nothing I enjoy more than opening up my pores! It's better than being in a spa!"

Once the water was high enough, I turned the faucet off, then carefully lifted Flurry and placed her into the tub. "Now...with or without bubbles?"

"BUBBLES!" Pinkie shrieked, already grabbing the bubble soap from the shelf.

"Heh, figured you'd say that." I replied, watching as Pinkie overturned the container of bubble soap, and the liquid poured out into the tub. The water slowly began frothing up with tons upon tons of bubbles. It was like a round, soapy mist forming around Flurry...and us. It wasn't until I noticed something a bit off about the bubble soap's lid. It was a bit wobbly and loose. "Uhh, Pinkie, I think that one's--"

Too late. The tub was filled to the brim with bubbles like a cauldron bubbling up. "--loose."

Looking at Pinkie, then back at the tub, seeing Flurry COVERED in bubbles, only her muzzle and eyes showing, I couldn't help but snicker, that eventually turning into laughter.

"I don't see a problem with this," Pinkie said, with a huge grin on her face.

It was hilarious. Flurry was covered up to her muzzle in bubbles, and I had plenty of bubbles on myself. Pinkie had half her body covered in bubbles. "Should we just keep this little incident between us?" I said, trying to breathe from the laughter.

"Yes. Definitely. Secret bubble party bonanza!"

Once I regained control of myself, I grabbed a rag, soaked it with water, and carefully started scrubbing Flurry off. First was the wings, from what the list said. I carefully extended one wing, and began scrubbing between the feathers and such. Surprisingly, Flurry took it well. In fact, she seemed to really be enjoying it.

"This is going rather smoothly, way better than I thought it would. I take it this is going better than your previous attempt at bathing babies?" I said, since I knew for a fact, Pinkie would have had to bathe Pumpkin and Pound Cake.

"Bathtime was chaos with the Cake Twins."

"...It wasn't anything to do with the bubbles, was it?"

"Nnnnnno, it was just... chaos. My nerves were fried from dealing with everything else."

I continued to thoroughly scrub Flurry's wing, and once I finished one wing, I began trying to make a path through the bubble fog to find the other. "Whatever happens, don't let me fall in." I said, leaning forward a bit.

"Ohhh, I woooon't...."

I was really careful and made sure I didn't fall into the tub. I made sure I slowly took my time, which causes it to be about nearly 40 seconds before I actually saw anything. And it was really bubbley and I worried I would take a bit of soap to the eye. But eventually, I managed to find the other wing inside the fog of bubbles. "Oh, hey, I found it!" I said.

"Gooood..." Pinkie began, as she started lightly patting Loyal's back. "...JOB!" ...And then she pushed him in.

"Wh--gahh!"

*SPLOOSH*

Honestly, I probably should have remembered at that moment what a prankster Pinkie was. I should not have even mentioned letting me fall in. I sat up in the tub, dripping wet. Flurry, of course, giggled at my...'misfortune'.
"Did you push me in..?" I said, trying to avoid getting soap in my eye.

"Mmmmaaaaybeeeee...." Pinkie said, with a grin.

"Ehh, I should have seen that coming, knowing you're a prankster and all. Oh, hey, can you look in and see if you can find the drain in the tub? I wanna make sure we don't have too much trouble finding it when the bath is over."

"You're in there, why don't you look?~"

"I'm working on cleaning Flurry. Team effort and all!"

"And so you can pull me in, right?"

"No. I wouldn't do that, Pinkie. I can't even top any of YOUR pranks, why would I try?' I said.

"I dunno, I have a sneaking suspicion that your question is awfully suspicious..."

"It's not. Come on, I wouldn't lie to you!"

"You're gonna pull me in, but fine," Pinkie said, leaning in to check for the plug.

I smirked, and quickly leaned against the opposite side of the tub, shaking it a bit, and knocking Pinkie over, into the water.
*SPLOOSH*
"For a mare who's good with sweets, you're a real sucker." I said, chuckling, and proud of the pun I just made.

"Ha ha, very funny," Pinkie said, smirking.

"Hey, I didn't lie, right? I didn't pull you in."

"Oh, fair enough."

"You know, Pinkie, what makes it funnier is, I actually didn't know where the drain was. Heh."

I continued scrubbing Flurry's other wing, while she placed bubbles across her face. I suddenly had a thought that I had to confirm. "Pinkie, did the bubble soap have any scents in it?"

"I dunno! I didn't check!"

I looked over, and grabbed the bottle from the side of the tub and read the label. "Baby Blast Bubble Soap...

...now SCENTED?!"

"Hah, good one."

"No, really! Look!" I handed Pinkie the bottle, making sure she could see the label. "It says in green text, 'Now scented.'"

"Twilight's sense of smell better not be strong!"
"I don't think her sense of smell is strong..."

"Oh, Celestia, we're so busted...she's gonna know about the bubble bonanza!"
"What do we do?"

"Uh... Uh.... Bubble Popping Party?"

"Will that really remove the scent of it latches onto us?"

"...Tell her Flurry got splashy?"

"That works. Because she is splashing quite a bit."

"So it wouldn't even be a lie!"

"Exactly!"

I proceeded to finish cleaning Flurry's other wing, and worked on her mane, body, and back. Before we knew it, she was sparkly and clean. "Now, how would we get rid of a dozen bubbles in one tub?"

"I think there might be a little bit more than a dozen bubbles here..." Pinkie said, a smile on her face. "...but we could always pop 'em."

'How long would that take...?"

"Depends. We could use water. Soap and water don't exactly mix well, and it wouldn't take long if you unplug the tub."

"Okay. Now...for real, where's the drain..?"

"You know what, I'm going in!" I took a deep breath, and dove my face into the water. It was really blurry, and it stung my eyes, but I had to find that drain. Thankfully, I was close enough to it, a lot closer than I thought. It was on my end of the tub. I pulled my face back up and gasped for air. "Found it!"

"Good! Good, now unplug it!"

I reached down into my side of the tub, and felt the plug. Pulling it, the water began to quickly drain. "Remind me how popping these bubbles is gonna work without water, Pinkie. Will it be more efficient?"

"Oh we can use water if you think that'll work better!"

"Okay. do you have a bucket or something on you? You're like a void, you gotta have something to use!"

"Well sadly, I don't keep things hidden around the Crystal Empire...."

"Please tell me you're joking, Pinkie...you have anything for any situation..'

"Hey now, I don't spend enough time here to start hiding things around in case of emergencies! I only recently started hiding things around Canterlot!"

"Like what?"

"Like the same kinds of things I hide around Ponyville, except in Canterlot, mostly."

I looked around, quickly spotting a small container near the sink. I turned on the faucet and filled up the container. "This'll have to do then! Find a container and try to help me remove these bubbles!"

"Alright!" Pinkie began scanning the room for a container she could use.

I began dumping the water into the tub, and refilling it quickly. "I pray Twilight doesn't come in here while we're doing this!"

"Yeah, that would be really bad!"

*SPLOOSH*

*CHHHHH*

*SPOOSH*

*CHHHHH*

Those were the only sounds filling the room at the moment, besides the frothy sounds of bubbles being pummeled down into nothing. It took about five to 7 minutes, but before we knew it, there were hardly any bubbles in the tub. "Oh, God, that was close!" I said, wiping my forehead.

"Phew! Sure was!"

I grabbed a towel, and began drying Flurry off. 'You're gonna be the sweetest little fluffy pony Cadence will ever lay eyes on!" I said, and Flurry just cooed in response.
"We never speak of this incident again."
"EVER."

"Fair enough."

After Flurry was completely dry (and fluffy as a bathrobe), I picked her up, and carried her out of the bathroom. Of course, we put the towels away, and everything. "If I recall correctly, the last few steps are to optionally change Flurry's diaper if needed, which she hasn't done anything yet, feed her a bottle of milk, and then put her to bed for her evening nap. We're nearly finished, Pinkie! Kind of a relief, isn't it?"

We headed out of the bathroom, and back down the hall. You might think we'd run into Twilight a third time, but no, Cadence was heading back into the meeting room, carrying what looked like either photos or files.

"Oh, hey, Cadence! Is the meeting nearly over? It's almost evening."

"We're not actually sure yet. We're still discussing things," Cadence said, quietly.

"Hmm. Well, we know when our task is gonna be done. We only have, like, three more tasks, and then we'll be finished. Thank Goodness, because you know how much responsibility goes into caring for one baby Alicorn?"

"As her mother, yes, I have an excellent idea of the level of responsibility. Thank you again for taking care of this for us while we're busy, by the way..."

"Oh, sure! But, just so you know, hopefully it won't be AS exhausting if it happens again, because she was a lot of trouble, from the food fight, to a disastrous game of hide and seek. I gotta ask, how do you put up with the mischief she causes?"

"She's usually not that much trouble. Maybe it's because I'm her mother...?"

"That makes sense. Still, goes to show that it was a lot more responsibility than we thought. But thanks to the Fledgeling's Forbearance, things were made a bit easier.'
Flurry's stomach growled, directing my attention towards her. "We'd best get that bottle of milk soon. Good luck with your meeting thingy, Cadence!"

"Right, thank you." She turned to continue onwards, but stopped short. Her nose twitched for a second, and then she turned back. "Do I smell... strawberry...?"

"Uhhh....maybe? There was....a bit of an accident, with....with the soap....and the bubbles...'' I said. "Let's just say Flurry was a bit too splashy..." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"Oh, of course... She's awfully splashy sometimes," Cadence said with a smile.

"Yeahhhh...but at least it's over with. But ya know, I get the feeling Chrysalis is gonna ask me the same thing about the strawberry scent. She detects everything different about me...even if I fold my shirt collars down."

"Wait, Chrysalis...?"

"Well, of course! She's--wait...why did you say it like that...?" I asked. I could have sworn I recalled something about Cadence and Chrysalis, but I couldn't remember all of it. All I could recall is something about a wedding incident...but not what actually happened in it. My memory comes and goes.

"She, umm, wasn't exactly on the best terms with us last time we met."

"Was there something that happened between you two I should be reminded about?" I asked, still trying to recall what happened between Chryssi and Cadence.

"Well, she kind of almost ruined my wedding. And there was the whole 'kidnapping all the important ponies in Equestria' thing..."

"Oh, yes, the second one, I knew about. But what happened at the wedding, exactly?"

"Well, she kind of kidnapped me and tried to steal my husband to steal his magic and invade Canterlot."

"How'd you stop her?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, and soon it grew into a laugh.

"Hmm? Is something funny?"

"You...you haven't a clue ho many times people have used the power of love as an excuse for stuff....it's so cliche, it's just hilarious!" I said.

"I don't see how, we really used the magic of our love to banish Chrysalis and her Changelings from Canterlot."

"What do you mean it's cliche?"

"There has been many levels and movies that feature love overpowering a villain. I can't imagine it happening here. "

"If yu want me to respect that, Cadence, I will. But I hadnt laughed like that since Pinkie replaced half of Twilight's newspaper articles with paper mache."

"Well it is a thing that happened."

"Still, where were you when the invasion happened before you were saved?"

"Underground."

"Canterlot has an underground?"

"It does. Full of crystals and everything."

"OOH! Where do I go for a tourist attraction like that?"
"Is there a way underground?"

"Hehehe....I still find it funny. I'm sorry, but as romantic as that is, it's so cliche!"

'Sounds interesting. You'd have to tell me when I'm not on a job, it sounds like the perfect tourist attraction!"
"Anyways, we got a baby to care for. we're gonna go finish up our job, so...ciao!"
We continued back down the hall to where the kitchen was, and I instantly spotted the fridge on the other side of the room. "Please, Flurry, in the name of Celestia, please don't flood the room with milk.." I said, and went over to the fridge, and opened it. There were some sparkly foods in here that I honestly thought was just it being in reflective containers, including apples, sandwiches, and pies. I pulled out the milk gallon, and saw the small Baby bottle behind where the gallon was. I pulled that out, too, and set both on the table. I pulled the nipple cap off of the bottle, then poured the milk in, trying not to let it spill into the cloth of the table. Thankfully, I was careful enough to avoid that.

After putting the milk back, I carried the bottle over to Flurry, who took it using magic, and started drinking it. "Kind of a relief, isn't it, Pinks? We're finally doing something that doesn't cause chaos for a change."

"It IS a relief! Heck, I almost expect to hear a loud noise that cannot possibly indicate anything good coming from the direction of the meeting chamber any second now, but luckily there's nothing indicating that's going to happen!"

"Indicating? What are you, a mobile alarm?'

"Sooooometimes. I can sense things, remember!"

"Ohhh, right your 'Pinkie Sense'. Come on, that could be chalked up to coincidence, with good timing.'

"You'd think so, but my Pinkie Sense is always right. Everypony in Ponyville knows to watch out when my tail's a-twitchin'."

"And it's been HOW long since Pinkie Sense stopped doing anything?"

"Ehhhh.... haven't had one in a few months at least."

Rather quickly, Flurry let out a burp after drinking half the bottle, and let out a little yawn. "Am I the only one who thinks these steps are somehow connected, because she got tired after drinking her milk...and bedtime is the last step."

"Oooh, bedtime stories!"

"Bedtime stories....I never really was read to bed, though I could try to recall 'The Giving Tree'... Do you know any? I'll try to think of one, but..." I said, and started to head towards the kitchen's exit to put Flurry to bed.

"Let me think... I might know a couple..."

"Just try not to put ME to sleep, either...if being around Sweet Apple Acres mellows me out, so can a well-told story.'

"Come to think...I'd never heard you tell a story before. Did you do it with the twins?"

"Nope!"

"Well, then, we best hurry then, before she manages to avoid falling asleep." With that, we made our way back into the hall with Flurry's room. I approached her little bed-crib, placed her down into it, and tucked her in. She grabbed a little teddy she had in the crib with her, and yawned again. I sat down beside the crib, allowing Pinkie to attempt her storytelling abilities.

Pinkie thought for a minute. "Hmm... let me seeee...."

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She ruled over her kingdom with fairness and love, and she was beloved by all her subjects. But one day, a mighty dragon swooped down, looking for treasure! Seeing the Tiara on her head, he decided that the gold and jewels would make a perfect addition to his horde, and kidnapped her along with her tiara! Luckily for her, her royal knights wouldn't stand for this, and immediately set out to save her! After forging their way through forests, swamplands, and up a steep mountain, they finally reached the dragon's lair. Not wanting to anger him, the Knights sneaked their way through the lair to the dragon's treasure horde, where the princess sat atop a pile of treasure! They tried to get her down, but that's kinda hard to do with all the gold rustling, and soon, the dragon had them cornered! But the princess thought on her hooves, and was able to persuade the dragon to let them go in exchange for some treasure of hers. The Knights brought the princess, who honored her word, home, and they all lived happily ever after with no romantic sub plot whatsoever!"

Thankfully, that didn't exactly mellow me out, but it was still nice to hear a fantasy tale. I looked up at Flurry's crib. She was weakly applauding, and eventually, the clapping slowed, and she pretty much passed out into slumber. "Wow, Pinkie...that...that actually worked. Did you improvise on all that?"

"I improvised all of it actually! Hang on, you got a pen and paper?"

"I got a notepad and pen if that works!" I said, taking it out of my back pocket handing it to Pinkie. 'You never know when you'll need one!"

"Thanks!" Pinkie said, as she set the pad down and began scribbling something down in it.

"If you're gonna write your entire story on that, I'd love to see you break the laws of physics and somehow write it all down on one sheet of paper."

"Still, you could consider having Twilight turn that into a minibook." I said, still impressed that she even came up with what. The Giving Tree instantly sounded less impressive to tell, now that she told that. "You know what, you can keep the pen and papers..I hardly ever use them. Might be useful for learning new recipes and writing them down."

"Ooh, thanks!"

I looked back at Flurry, and smiled a bit. She seemed so adorable when she was asleep.
Breathing a sigh of relief, happy our duties were done, I went out into the hall, and rolled up the scroll on the ground. Thank God this task was over, I felt like falling asleep on the spot. But I figured that could wait until I was in comfortable seating or bedding, depending. So, proud our work was done, Pinkie and I headed towards the meeting chamber, ready to report our finished business. I realized then that Flurry would have to be given her frozen yogurt by Cadence, because she was already asleep. Or maybe if she woke up in time, we could get it to her.
"Should we wait until they're done, or try and slip in to let Cadence know we've finished?"

"We should probably wait. Unless something explodes in there."

"I...doubt that'll happen. Believe me, I know you can make things explode...I'd seen it happen. And all it took was sugar." I said, referencing the EQG universe Pinkie Pie. "Oh, God, how dangerous you were..."

"Hmm? Well, if you say so."

So, we sat there and waited. We just listened to the muffled voices come from inside the meeting chamber.
15 minutes passed....
30 minutes....
45....
Eventually, we began playing a bit of a game. I would reach into Pinkie's mane void, and try to feel an object to try to guess what it was. Yes, the void existed inside her hair. It was a known fact.

I felt something small and round and rubbery. "Is it a rubber ball?"

"I dunno! Is it a rubber ball?"

I pulled it out, and it was a small, shiny rubber ball. "Yup, it is! How many things do you have in here, this has been going on for five minutes, and I'd felt, like 10 things now."

"I lost count actually. My hair's like a portal to another dimension or something!"

"Well, I know of a good hiding spot during hide and seek, then."

We continued playing our little game, which included me pulling out a box of party decorations, a cake still in its container, a small lightbulb, and even a box of rocks. Whatever that last one was.
After about 12 minutes, Cadence, Twilight, and Shining all finally came out of the room. "Oh, you all came out! Are you finally finished with the meeting? How'd it go?"

"Well..."
"Well, it went pretty good, I think. Pretty sure we managed to work everything out."

"Heh, I don't doubt it. With you around, nothing can't fail to work out. That's a Princess of Friendship for ya!" I said, giving a friendly wink. Sometimes I just loved my complimenting skills.

Twilight gave a giggle. "Still, we should probably stay a while, just in case."

"You know, it is getting late, and trying to get tickets to Ponyville *tonight* might be a bit of a hassle." Shining said. "So, you might be right about that, sis. Besides, it's the least we could do for Loyal and Pinkie keeping Flurry out of causing trouble for the meeting. What do you say?"

"Well, I suppose..."

"I knew bringing those suitcases wouldn't be a bad idea!" I said. "My instincts are never wrong....75% of the time." I kept the suitcases in another hallway in the entrance area, just in case.
"I'll show them to their rooms." Shining said, gesturing for us to follow them. 'Thanks again for all the help!"

Shining led us down a few twisting halls and corridors, eventually stopping in front of a door, with the number 375 on it. 'This is where you two will be staying for a while. If there's anything else you need, just ask, okay? We're always willing to assist! And I'm impressed you two managed to avoid too much chaos with Flurry. Believe me, Cadence and I know how difficult it is caring for her."
Inside the room, there was a small bathroom with two sinks, a crystal shower (not AS impressive as it sounds, but it's still cool), a hamper filled with fluffy towels and rags....it was a great room. We thanked Shining for his assistance, and he nodded respectively. "You two get some rest now...I'm sure that was a very tiring task."

"Thanks again, Shining! You have a goodnight, too!"
Afterwards, I opened up one suitcase and got out a comfortable pair of pajamas, the same pair Rarity made that I mentioned before. "You know, I dunno about you, but I'm goin' to sleep instantly. I'm dead beat!" I said, heading over to one bed, and flopping onto it.
"But at least it's over now. And tomorrow we might be able to get that fro-yo, too..I can almost taste the sweet, refreshing reward of our hard work. Anyways, you have a goodnight, Pinkie!"

"G'night then!" Pinkie said, cheerfully.

I climbed under the covers, and covered my face with one pillow, to ensure I was in as much darkness as possible.
The next morning, I woke up early, despite that I was exhausted the night before. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. The start of another fresh, exciting, adventure-filled day. Except this time, I would just try to relax most of the day.
I looked over at Pinkie, who was seemingly sleeping with the covers entangled around her, and was hugging her pillow.
I got out of bed, and went over into the bathroom, getting a rag out of the hamper. I turned on the hot water, soaking the rag. I was used to hot, steamy levels of water, so it was no biggie for me. When it was hot enough, I wiped my face off with the rag, and my pores felt so clean. It was just like being in a shower, only better.

Afterwards, I dried my face off with a towel, and headed back into the room. I was considering waking Pinkie up, but she looked so cute, the way she was sleeping. I decided I'd leave her be. I was gonna wake her up to go buy breakfast, but I figured it'd be nice to get it for her. I figured Pinkie would eat anything, but I had a bit of an idea I could use instead of waking her.
I walked over to Pinkie, and I leaned in, close to one ear. "Pinkieee...this is your dream subconscious....what is your favorite breakfast foooood....? Tell meeee..."

Okay, as stupid as this sounded and/or looked, it was worth a shot.

"Tell me your favorite..and your wish may come trueeeee...."

"Ohhhh, you know it's chocolate chip pancakes and whipped cream with strawberries on the side, silly subconscious dream Pinkie.... So silly...." Pinkie let out a yawn and rolled over.

"Thank you.....your wish will be granteeeeeed.....' With that, I quickly went back to my suitcase, and got out a turquoise shirt with a duo of crystals on it (because CRYSTAL Empire), and got out a nice pair of plaid navy-blue shorts. After getting dressed, I went and got my toothbrush and paste, and went to the bathroom. Thankfully, the brush I had wasn't electric, so it wasn't loud. But I made sure to brush extra well, because hey, hygiene is a must.
Afterwards, after finishing all that, I left the room and went out into the hall. I made my way (After getting a bit lost) to the main hallway, and made my way downstairs. Once I made it outside the castle, I began looking for a map to tell me where the cafe was. I walked around for a bit, trying to find billboards or even walls with maps on them.
As I was reconsidering doing this, I noticed Frisk among the small crowds of ponies. I couldn't blame her for still being here, the empire was a big place, since she was still looking for Flowey.
"Oh, good morning to you, Frisk!"
"Are you *still* looking for Flowey? Even after all this time in the empire?"

"I've actually only looked through about half the city, to be honest...."

"You don't intend to do the...other half, right?"

"I was... why?"

"That'll take half a day, if it's thorough."

"Hmm....buuuuut, best of luck with that. Though, I do need a favor from you. You wouldn't happen to recall where the Crystal Empire cafe is, would you? I'm buying breakfast for Pinkie and I. She's still asleep, so she doesn't know. I'm making it a bit of a surprise.'
"Turn of events, me surprising her. It'll be worth it.'

"Anyways, do you still recall where the cafe is? Or at least point me in the general direction, if you don't have time to show me? I know how important your search for Flowey is."

"I think it's over that way," Frisk said, pointing over to their right. "I'm not sure though, it's such a big city."

"Okay, thank you!" I said. "Good luck with your search." With that, I headed in the direction Frisk pointed me in, and after a few minutes of walking, I found a cafe with multiple tables, and a few ponies sitting at it. As I approached the cafe, some ponies looked up at me, while others continued eating or drinking their breakfast. I approached the counter, and looked up at the menu. Surprisingly, chocolate chip pancakes and whipped cream with strawberries on the side was actually on the menu. 'Strange option for a cafe...but eh, iHOP is like a cafe, too, so whatever'.
I rang the small silver bell on the counter twice, and an employee came out of a small room in the back. It was a female, light-pink pony with a dark-brown mane and tail, with crystal yellow pupils, a dark blue apron, and a cup of coffee as her cutie mark.

"Yes? What can I get you?"

"Uhh, yes, I would like the chocolate chip pancake order, with whipped cream and strawberries on the side, and your best cup of coffee. Uh, to go."

"That'll be 10 bits, please." She said. I took out my bit pouch and places 10 bits on the counter. The mare nodded and headed back into the room. I won't bore you with the details, because really, every to-go or to eat place has you wait, like 10 minutes before your food's ready, so I'll just cut to when I actually got my food.
The mare came back with our food in a paper container. I took it from her, thanked her, and headed back to the castle.
When I made it back (I didn't see Frisk on my way back), I went into the kitchen, opened up the box, and placed it on the table. I got my cup of coffee and placed it down next to the pancakes. I headed back into our room, found my paper and notepad on the floor next to where Pinkie was sleeping, wrote 'Come to kitchen for a surprise! :)' next to it, and placed it on her face (so she'd see it).

I then went out of the room, waited a few moments, then knocked loudly on the door, before dashing into the kitchen.

"Hnn...." Pinkie let out a loud yawn. "Who's there?"

I went back up to the door, knocked loudly again, and said, "Piiiinkiiieee....open your eyyyes....." I was really hoping that she would actually get up this time, because I was gonna surprise her by granting her breakfast wish. But this time, I hid next to the doorway, and waited. "A special surprise awaits you in the kitcheeeeeennnn...!"

Pinkie let out a groan. "Surprise in the kitchen...?"

I could smell the delicious scent of the pancakes eventually trailing down the hall. I smiled a bit, and opened the door a crack to let the scent into our room. I was just improvising on this part now. "Let the delicious scent lead you to your deeeeeeestiny....." I said. I was enjoying this.

"My deeeeeeestinnyyyyyyy...." Pinkie whispered, standing up and walking out of the room, barely awake.

I can not tell you how hard it was to avoid laughing. This was both cute and hilarious. I silently followed her until she went into the kitchen. I peeked into the doorway, seeing her approach the table. "Now.....look what lies on the tableee...." I said, smirking.
"Your destiny lies aheeeeeeead..." I added, watching as Pinkie neared the table. I felt so good, surprising her with her favorite treat like this. She was gonna be so happy, I could just tell.

Pinkie slowly blinked her eyes open, and gasped at the sight before her. "But how?! How did subconscious dream Pinkie...?!"

"Grant your wish?" I finished, stepping from behind the doorway and into the kitchen. "She and I planned this for this morning. Figured for all the hard work you accomplished yesterday, she'd reward you with something nice; Your favorite breakfast food. Pretty sweet, eh?"

"THIS IS THE BEST SURPRISE EVER!"

"Heh, I knew you would be surprised. And you have no idea how easy it was for Dream Pinkie to get the info on your favorite food. She told me what it was, and I went out and bought the breakfast from the same cafe Flurry was found in.
Do you like it?"

"Oh, and I meant to ask: Are you into coffee? I bought the coffee, too, along with the pancakes, but I wasn't too sure."

"Twilight says I'm not allowed to have coffee in the Friendship Castle. I assume the rules apply here too."

"What? What's wrong with you havin' coffee? It's not like it gives you ridiculous amounts of energy, right? That's what the sweets you bake do, I assume."

"Well it's not so much that I'm not allowed to as much as it is that she believes I don't need it."

"Hmm. Well...huh. Well, it seemed nice at the time." I said, and went over, picking up the coffee, and took a sip. "Pumpkin-spice. Ehh, not as bad as ponies made it sound..still not too tasty though."
"Still, wanna know the crazy part? My favorite breakfast also just so happens to be chocolate chip pancakes, with whipped cream on it! I'm not making this up. Was my favorite breakfast in the International House of Pancakes."

"House of pancakes? Who would make a house out of pancakes? Wouldn't bugs just eat it? Well, I mean, Sugarcube Corner looks like it's made of gingerbread.... I don't think I've ever checked if it IS made of gingerbread, so I mean I guess that-"

"Pinkie, Pinkie, it's not literally made of pancakes. It's just the name. Though....it'd be out of business if it was literally made of pancakes. Wait...have you never actually checked to see if Sugarcube Corner was indeed edible?"

"No, I never have! Why would I eat the place I live and work? Or anyone's house for that matter?"

"Ehh....good point. Still, I hope you like the pancakes! Go ahead and dig in! Meanwhile, I'm gonna finish the pumpkin spice." I said, taking another sip. It wasn't too great, but eh, was still better than nothing for breakfast.

Pinkie gave a big smile and moved to dig into the pancakes. "MMMM! Ooooh, they smell so goooood....."

Eventually, I managed to finish my latte, and as I threw it out, in came Twilight. She was rubbing her eyes, meaning she probably just woke up. "Oh, good morning Twilight! How'd you sleep?"

"Not well. I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about how our Cutie Marks didn't glow again like they do when our job is done.... something's not right. I just know it."

"Well...maybe we just have to confirm everything's gone well before our marks glow...?"

"Well, let's consider: Perhaps we're not 100% done with our task for caring for Flurry, by chance, and we missed something. Or maybe the 'friend' of yours still has to consider whether or not he'll give things another chance, because normally after get-togethers, some people consider what they discussed, and decide whether or not to accept the point of the topic they talked about. In this case, it's accepting their friendship. Maybe he just needs a bit of time to consider it.
That could be it, couldn't it?"

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling. It seems like things always get worse on these friendship missions before they get better..."

"Well, nothing bad has happened so far. Maybe we'll get lucky! I mean, besides Flurry causing a bit of trouble for us during our task of caring for her, things went well for us and for you! You've got nothing to worry about!" I said, reassuringly patting Twilight's shoulder.
"Besides, do you really think the map would make a mission as annoying as any other, Twilight? I mean, remember our mission in Manehattan? Aside from the Mad Dummy and also, me getting separated from you and Starlight, nothing too terrible happened to us, right?"

"I would believe the map would give us a mission as annoying as other ones, to be honest. They're always tough to figure out."

"Well, we haven't had any issues being related or not related to the mission. So it's no sweat....so far, you'd probably be thinking. In fact, do you want to make a small bet that this mission, nothing too terrible will happen?"
"Considering this is really betting on chance, if you win, I have to eat a plate of spicy chili peppers. If I win....hmmm....you have to eat a spicy chili pepper. I...don't really have any other stakes to place down. All I could come up with.

Wanna take that bet?"

Twilight thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Sure, I guess I'll take that bet."

"Great! If nothing bad happens or something bad happens by the time we get back to the castle, one of us either wins or loses!" I said. "And no, karma or bad luck doesn't count."
"Anyways, do you, uhh, want me to buy you something from the cafe? They have plenty of drinks and breakfast foods."

"Well.... if you want, I guess. I could go for some breakfast."

"Okay. What do you want me to get you? A drink or a coffee, or...what? Or shall I take you there myself?

"I... don't know, actually..."

"Hmmm....okay, let's make it simple: What's your favorite drink? Whatever it is, I'll see if the cafe has it. And if it doesn't...I might get the thing closely related to it."

"Well, I guess I could go for a strawberry smoothie...."

"Strawberry smoothie. Noted." I said, and ran out of the kitchen. I quickly headed downstairs and into the main room, and outside. You all know the drill, I head to the street, down to the cafe, yadda yadda.
When I got to the cafe, I noticed a few more ponies were at the tables now. I went up to the counter, and rang the little bell. The same mare from before appeared. "Oh, back for more, hmm?"
"Yes, do you have a strawberry smoothie?"

"We do. Bit classic, if you ask me. Wait right here."

Another few minutes timeskip, and...

The mare came back, strawberry smoothie in hoof. "Here or to go?"

"To go."

I took out some more bits, but the mare stopped me. "No need. This one's on the house. You seem like a nice enough person. I can tell you bought these for some friends."

"Oh, really? Well, thank you!" I said, nodding gratefully. I took the smoothie from her, and started walking away. "Thanks again!"
I cheerfully headed back to the castle, feeling good about what just happened.
I made my way up the stairs, making sure not to spill the smoothie. Stairs and I had times of not getting along. Thankfully, I didn't spill it on the stairs.
Safely making it back to the kitchen, I first approached Twilight. "I have returned. And get this - The cafe pony somehow knew I was buying this for my friends, so she gave it to me absolutely free."

"Hmm! Well, that was nice of her!"

"Yup. Well, here's your smoothie, as requested." I said, handing it to her.

"Ohh, thanks!" Twilight said, smiling, as she took the smoothie with her magic.

"Is anyone else up yet? I was gone for about 10-15 minutes."
At that moment, Shining walked in, along with Cadence (I swear those two never go anywhere without one another), with Flurry on his back. "Ah, speak of the devil. Good morning, you two! How'd you sleep?"

"Decently." Shining said, in a slightly tired tone, looking at his wife. "How about you, honey?"

"Oh, I slept fine, thank you. How about you, Twilight?"
"Not well... I can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen that's going to make our trip here a lot worse. The map doesn't seem to think our mission is done yet...."

"Twilight and I made a bet that if nothing bad happens on our mission by the time we get back to Ponyville, she has to eat a hot chili pepper." I explained. "And if something bad does happen...I eat a plate of them."
There was silence for a moment.
"Comment on how foolish the idea is, I know you want to." I said.

"Anyways, the train to Ponyville leaves at 8:42, and right now it's.....7:31." Shining said.
"Alright, Twilight, let's see how much can happen in just an hour and eleven minutes." I commented. Hopefully, this wouldn't go wrong...otherwise, I'd be showing Starlight and Chrysalis that I practically became part dragon.

"So, Cadance, are you and Shining actually finished with the meeting by now, or is there a second half you have to do, still?" I asked. "Or, do you just need to hear if he's taking things well? Hopefully, it's the latter."

"Well, I think we're just waiting to see if he's taking things well, but..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll have positive results! He couldn't say no after a meeting like yours, right?" I said, hoping that whatever happened, this friendship problem would go without a hitch.
Flurry peered from behind Cadence's back and got a good glimpse of me. Cooing playfully, she got up and soared right over to me. Seeing her wanting to use me as a landing pad, I moved forward, where she landed in my arms. "Well, well, someone's certainly happy to see me this morning, aren't they?"
I was suddenly reminded about what else about Flurry I planned to ask. "Oh, Cadence. Is Flurry old enough to eat frozen yogurt yet? Figured before we left, I'd buy her one."

"Oh, yeah, she's old enough. She likes strawberry."

"Oh, nice! You'll love that, won't you, Flurry?" I said, tickling her stomach, causing her to let out a cheerful giggle. "And what do you know, strawberries are my favorite, too!"

"Is there anything you and Shining want from the cafe? I don't mind going back a third time, really." I said. "I already got Twilight and Pinkie something."

"Oh, no thank you, I'm good. What about you, Shining?"

"A bagel would be preferrable. Everything-type."

"Noted." I said, and left the room. As I left, though, Flurry latched on, as if hitchhiking. Same process of going out to the cafe, yadda yadda, basic stuff. The pony at the cafe gave me a teasing 'you *again*?' smile.

"I know, I know...I'm too generous, really. But this time, I'd rather pay for something again."

"Alright. What'll it be?"

"One everything bagel, please."

"One everything bagel, coming right up! You're picking it up for Shining, aren't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"Stallion loves his everybagel. Never starts his morning without it."

The pony went into the back to prepare the bagel. As I sat down, I felt something on my back. Reaching behind me, I felt something small and moved it into my vision. I was a little surprised to see Flurry. "Well...seems you wanted to come along, huh? Well, I can't argue with that."
The pony soon came back with the bagel in a bag. I paid her six bits and thanked her, heading back. "Flurry kind of likes me." I thought. "It's nice to be admired or liked...especially by young ones."

Making it back into the castle, I headed into the kitchen, and gave Shining his bagel.
"Sweet! I never begin a day without one of these!" He said. "Thanks!"

"I think Flurry's attached to me a bit." I said to Cadence. "Literally and figuratively."

"I think she's just happy she has someone cool to play with...I can't imagine what she does all day when I'm not here. But still, if she's happy, I'm happy."

I honestly wouldn't want to bore you with everything that happened in the Empire before we left..we did have to prepare to go back, anyway, and we had to get tickets back to Ponyville..basically, we just played with Flurry (thankfully, she didn't vanish again), explored a bit more of the empire, and we just discussed the meeting until it was time to go. One of the guards came into the castle, and told us he had a message from the pony, saying he thought about it, and luckily accepted the offer to make amends.

"Well, isn't that fantastic news! Seems you three are gonna be able to get along after all!" I said. I then remembered the promise I made Flurry. "Oh, before I forget! Here, Flurry. As promised." I took out the strawberry frozen yogurt, and she took it with her magic.
"Make sure she doesn't repaint the room with that, alright?" I joked.

"No problem!" Cadance let out a chuckle. "She hardly ever repaints the room with frozen yogurt!"

"Aaaaaaaand...three...two....one...*now*." At that moment, our Cutie Marks glowed, signifying a job well done. "Mission accomplished." I then remembered the details of the bet I made. "We still have to get back to the Castle of Friendship before one of us wins or loses the bet. It's kind of intense, really...wonder which one of us is gonna win?"

"Wait, how'd you know our Cutie Marks would start glowing right then..?"

"Instinct, Twilight. Instinct."
As I started to board the train, I felt the same weight on my back as before. I grabbed whatever was on my back, and moved it in front of me. "Flurry? Heh, sorry, you can't come. You need to stay here with your mom and dad." I said, and went over, placing her on Cadence's back. "She's kind of clingy...can't blame her, I am kind of fun."
I started to head back, and again, I felt her on my back. Seems the yogurt wasn't convincing enough. And I forgot she could even teleport..if that's what she did. "Flurry...I promise I'll visit again soon."

I repeated the process again, but in an even shorter time, she was on my back. This pony was *relentless*.

A pink mitosis-like bubble formed around me and Flurry, and I looked over, seeing Cadence almost perform the same mitosis spell she performed at the Crystalling. She began separating us, but I quickly remembered the results of her doing so before.

"I wouldn't, Cadence." I said. "Remember what happened the LAST time we separated Flurry from somepony she wanted to continue playing with?"
*cue flashback*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCxs0-iLbzQ

"Ohhh...that's one memory we'll never forget." I said, shuddering a bit.

"Just put me down, and I'll try to....reason with her."

"Well... alright...." Cadance nodded, doing as instructed.

I turned to Flurry, and hoped this would work. "Flurry, I know you want to continue playing, but I need to get home. I promise you I'll visit you soon...maybe next week, and we could continue playing..but for now, I have some stuff to do, and you need to stay with your mom and dad. Okay?"
Flurry stared at me blankly, and eventually seemed to nod. She flew back onto Cadence's back, letting out a small yawn shortly afterwards.
"Oop, sounds like it's someone's bedtime!....10 minutes early, apparently. Well, we best get going! You all take care! Especially you, sis!" Shining said.

"Can do, Shining Armor! We'll see you both soon!"

There was about another 5 minute delay to make sure everything was fine, but afterwards, the train soon chugged into motion, and we were off.
The train ride back to Ponyville was just fine. Nothing bad even happened. As we got off the train, I noticed my suitcase felt a little heavier, but it was likely the slightly exhaustion of all the stuff we did at the Empire. On my way back into my room in the castle, I passed by Starlight, carrying....either books or folders. They were probably books, but I couldn't be too sure. "Hey, Starlight! How were things while we were gone?" I asked, lugging the suitcase into my room and onto the bed.

"Hmm? Oh, things were pretty quiet actually... not much has happened."

"That's....good, I suppose. At least nothing blew up, then. Also, Sunburst says greetings, how ya doin, that's good, and hope you visit soon! His exact words."

"Oh! Well, it has been a while since I went up to visit him... Maybe I should take a trip up there sometime..."

"I'm sure he'd like that. After all, you and him *are* close companions. I don't know if it's because you're both Unicorns, or if you two seem perfect together, but whatever. And the friendship mission was exhausting, honestly. I had never known taking care of a baby was so much work. Apparently, Flurry was a bit of a troublemaker, but we managed to do our job well. And we had fun....and a bet was made."

As I leaned against my suitcase, I said, "Wanna know what Twilight and I bet on? It has interesting stakes." I wasn't sure if she'd get a kick out of this or not, but it would still be well worth telling Starlight. Mostly because I was curious to see how she'd react.

"Oh, uh, sure, I don't see why not. What'd you bet?"

"Okay, so...
Twilight was nervous this morning that our Cutie Marks hadn't glowed yet, to signify our mission was done. She claimed that she had a feeling something bad was going to happen. So I made a bet with her that if nothing bad happened by the time we got back to the Castle of Friendship and settled back in, she'd have to eat a hot chili pepper. If I lost the bet, I'd have to eat a *plate* of them. And I couldn't think of any other stakes, so peppers it was."

"Wow. That's certainly interesting! So, where are you planning on getting the chili pepper from? I'd love to see this."

"From what I know, Sweet Apple Acres has more than just apples on the farms. They should have chili peppers there. I don't recall what kind, but I think they're either ghost or regular chili peppers. If they're ghost, I'll be one step closer to becoming a dragon."

Starlight chuckled. "Joking aside, I can go check with Applejack for you if you want."

"That works. That way, we know if she has any or not. Thanks! And...honestly, Flurry's kind of sweet. I am gonna miss her cute little face, though, as I'm sure she's gonna miss me. But....there are times when jobs must be done...and we've done ours. That's all that matters."
I stopped for a moment to contemplate what I just said. "That...that last part doesn't make me sound like I'm only focusing on the mission and not at all on the fun, does it?"

"Maybe a little bit. But sometimes you have to remember that there's things that need to get done, y'know?"

"Yeah, that's true. Anyways, just make sure AJ has either ghost or normal chili peppers." I said. Seeing Starlight begin to head down the hall, I turned to the first suitcase, and unlocked the locks on the side. The lid suddenly popped open, and....believe it or not...as crazy as it sounds...
*Flurry Heart was in there*.

My eyes widened to the size of pie plates, and my jaw dropped wide open.

"***UHM...***" Was my only comment. "***UHH....***"

I could hear Starlight's hoofsteps growing closer, possibly hearing my surprised reaction. Yeah...this was gonna shock the hell out of her. More than me, anyway.

"Is everything okay? You seem.... surprised about... something...."

"Remember how I said Flurry was likely gonna miss me?" I said, lifting up the case (somehow, Flurry made it heavier). "Well..." I carried it over, showing it to Starlight. "She doesn't anymore."

Starlight's eyes widened as well. Saw this reaction coming. "Uh, you think maybe we should write to the princess...?"

"Y-Yeah, I plan to...she's probably freaking out...meanwhile, I think you should tell Twilight about this..."

She nodded. "Good idea, I'll get on that. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

How in Equestria did she get in there?! I thought for a moment...how did this happen? She was with Cadence before we left! I suddenly remembered that Sunburst nullified her magic, so she couldn't distantly teleport. But she could still use magic. It must have worn off a little bit overnight, and she managed to teleport inside of my suitcase. But how did she survive three hours in there?!

As I paced back and forth, wondering what to do about this, I decided to get a little fresh air. So, I went over to the window and opened it up, only for something to fly in half a second after I opened it, and slammed into me. Falling to the floor, I sat up, trying to re-focus my vision, when I saw Derpy in front of me. Typical. She would be one to slam into me.
"Oh, sorry, Loyal! Didn't see you there!" She said.

"Ehh, no problem. I'm used to getting knocked around like that. What's up?"

"I finally got the armor you ordered...took me a few days, what with a slow schedule, but I finally got it. Thank goodness, too, it was *really* weighing down my bag." She said, emptying the armor out of her bag.

"Well...thank goodness it made it in one piece." I said.

Derpy tilted her head. "What do you mean? There's four pieces."

"Nothing..nevermind. Say, I need you to deliver a letter for me." I said, whipping out a piece of paper. "It's to Cadence and Shining Armor." Quickly writing down a short note, I wrote down the address and everything, before putting it in an envelope Derpy offered me (she's a mailpony, what do you expect?).

"Deliver this to them pronto, if you can. It's kind of important.."

"No problem!" Derpy said, putting the letter in her bag. "I don't know how long it'll take me to get to the Empire, though."

"Try the train...this is kind of urgent."

Derpy just nodded, and turned around, but before flying off, she said, "Oh, right, I almost forgot! There's another piece to go with the armor!" She took out a small, green marble handle, which had nothing more than a darker marble green button on it. "I'm not sure what it does, but Celestia said it's recommended to use it with the armor if needed!" She took off flying out of the room, without another word. Hopefully, they'd get that letter soon, because I was sure they were worried about Flurry going 'missing'.

*****
Eventually, Twilight was led back into my room, and I showed Flurry to her. "I think she was wanting to spend more time with me....and she went as far as *hitchhiking*."

Twilight took a deep breath, but it was pretty obvious she was panicking. "No worries, no worries... I'm sure Cadance will completely understand..."

"Still, I gotta ask....*why?!* Why in the world would she do this? I mean I get I'm her favorite, apparently, but she didn't have to try to PROVE it! We...we gotta send her back! Please tell me you have more than enough magic to send her back to the Empire in an instant..."

"I've... never tried teleporting that far. ...Not on purpose anyway.... And... not with my level of magic power...."

"Well....come to think, I have one solution."

****
"*What do you mean, you don't mail foals? This one spent three hours in a suitcase!*"
****

"Well, that was a bust. Only other solution is to take her back ourselves."

And let me tell you...it was kind of an intense trip. I was worried a few ponies would assume we stole Flurry. But nopony did...likely because Twilight accompanied us, and everyone knows when you have a Princess in custody, nothing bad can be thought of you. But I had to explain what happened to Cadance, while trying to calm her down.

"So you see....Flurry decided to hitchhike to try to spend more time with me...somehow, she got into my suitcase. So...we're returning her, I recommend you make sure she doesn't teleport away again, because that gave most of us a bit of a scare. Again, sorry about all this..."

"Oh, thank GOODNESS.... You have NO idea how worried we were when she just up and disappeared! Thank you for bringing her back..."

"God, now I know how Pinkie feels about being popular, with no one getting of your back...literally, apparently......yeesh...well, I'm just glad I have that off my back. Was a bit of a disaster, and..." I stopped myself there when the realization hit me. "No...Oh, no..."

"Hmm? What? What's wrong?"

With a sharp inhale, I said, "Well...I just lost the bet. Congrats, Twi. Heh....I'll make it fair by saying Flurry's disappearance counts as something bad happening. And I barely even settled back in at the castle. So, by fair means, you win."

"Oh, I almost forgot all about that! What was it you had to do again? Eat a bunch of hot peppers?"

"Yup. An entire plate of them. And Celestia knows how much that'll be. Starlight said she'd check in with AJ to see if she had any peppers."

Soon enough, we were back on the train, and another three hours was to go by...we spent almost half the day, and hardly did anything..it was kind of surprising.
"Next stop, Ponyville....with a detour to Spice Town..."

Hot Stuff

Well...everypony was here, standing below an orange evening sky, so I might as well give them what I promised. Sighing, I stood in front of Applejack's home door, and gave it a loud knock. "If I end up breathing fire from this, if any one of you calls me Dragon Boy, just know it means I'm not replacing Spike as a messenger. Just telling you now."

Twilight gave a light chuckle. "That's fair. I doubt it'd work anyway."

'Why'd it have to be peppers? Why couldn't I have just made the stake to be a library assistant for a week?' I thought. I heard hoofsteps come up to the door, as the handle clicked, the door gently swinging open. 'Well...there's no turning back now..'

"Heh...hey, AJ. I assume you likely heard about the bet I lost earlier?" I guessed, wondering if she'd watch the show, too.

"Sure did. You gotta eat a plate of hot peppers, don'tcha?" Applejack asked, smiling, but for a reason - she did like a show.

"Y-Yeah...I guess it warrants me to ask - which kinds of peppers do you have in store?"

*'Please don't say ghost, please don't say ghost, PLEASE DON'T SAY GHOST!'* My mind thought, freaking out.

"Oh, y'know, just ghost peppers."

*"Damn it!*"

"Oh...uh....okay. That...that works. Shall we head on back, then?"

"Whenever you're ready!"

As I was lead around the back, I noticed the hard-to-miss equipment on the side of the house, with tug-of-war ropes, mud pits, and a climbing wall. "What's with the field-day equipment?" I asked.

"Oh, that's, uh, that's for an Iron Pony competiton, is all...."

"What's the occasion?" I asked, wondering how long it took to make this thing.

"Well...." Applejack took a deep breath. "I want my title as strongest in Ponyville back."

"Hmm. Well, next chance I get, I'll be sure to participate to challenge for the title...provided the peppers don't kill me first." I was led to a table, with a plate, PILED with ghost peppers, creating the same width as a book. Just looking at them made me feel hot. "Oh, Celestial Christ..." I muttered.

As some ponies sat in the seats in front of the barn (and the girls plus Starlight in the front), I gulped. I wasn't about to let them all down now. I looked in front of me, and noted that the pile of chili peppers was half as thick as a normal book. It wasn't too much, but it wasn't too little. 'I have to do this! Show them you're a man!' I thought. But I didn't want to take forever, I mean it would be anticlimactic. Plus...doing them one at a time would make the pain last longer.

There was only one way out of this. And God, it was going to suck.

I stood up, and proclaimed, "Fillies and gentlecolts! You all came to see Equestria's only human pay the price for a bet! But instead, you'll see a human perform a feat no other human would do!"

"Wait...is he about to..." Spike began, hoping Loyal was not about to do what he thought he was about to do.

I sat down, grabbed the plate, tilted it towards me and ate the peppers....

*all at once*.

"Oh boy..." Twilight gulped. "That's gonna be painful..."

Let me tell you, that was the dumbest move I'd ever made. Not because it wasn't common sense, but because I didn't realize what eating all those peppers would do when combined with the pumpkin spice...the only other thing I had today.

I stood up, and shrugged. "Wasn't *so* bad. Didn't even taste anything." I started to walk away, when I felt my body become hot. My palms and forehead started to sweat. "Okay..just...just a little hot.." I said, sitting back down. My tongue started to slowly burn up. "Kind of hot.....little painful..." My vision started to sway a bit, and I suddenly felt incredibly dizzy. My body started to burn up. "Okay..it...it hurts...a *lot*!" Soon after, my chest started to burn, as did my throat. "Okay...ow...ow. Ow! It burns....it's burning! My throat feels like it's on fire!"

Some of the ponies gasped in slight astonishment. They weren't sure if Loyal was going to make it or not. But they were sure of one thing - whether he survived or not, it was going to be painful.

"If I weren't fireproof, I would sympathize." Spike commented. He knew how using fire felt. But it didn't hurt him.

"Isn't anypony going to do anything to help?! Spike! Do you know anything about eating too much spicy food?!"

"Not really, to a dragon, eating spicy food is like drinking water. Besides, he's the one who made the stake, and he stuck to his part of the deal to do it. Although, we probably *should* make sure he isn't cooked alive."

My head started to pound, and my legs felt a bit weaker. I was pretty sure these weren't the side effects of eating the peppers. I could feel my legs giving in, bit by bit. My hearing got a bit faint, making everything a bit distorted. My vision blurred a bit more, sharpening and blurring in between. I could hear some of the girls calling out to me in concern. I could very faintly see a bucket of water near me. As I staggered over to it, I could feel my tongue numbing. "It....it wasn't worth it.." I said, kneeling over the bucket, and planting my face into the water. I swallowed some of the fresh water, trying to wash the hot taste out of my mouth.

Pulling my face out of the bucket, I inhaled sharply, before placing it back in. I knew me feeling weak was not from the peppers...but from something else. Pulling my face out of the bucket, I staggered up against the wall, and slouched down. "I'm burning up....and I feel like something else is affecting me..." My vision kept blurring and sharpening, my hearing slowly faded out, and the body symptoms got worse, more painful and more dizzying. "Luke fired a torpedo into the Death Star, and now it's blowing up!" I said, referencing the Death Star as the peppers burning me up. Those were my words before finally, my body couldn't take anymore and collapsed onto the ground. Some of the ponies in the crowd gasped in shock.

Some ponies thought it was part of the act. "Wow, he's really nailing this!" One said. "It's almost like he actually passed out!"

"SOMEONE GO GET HELP!" Twilight shouted, clearly now in a panic.

All I could hear, very faintly, was what sounded like a rumbling sound. I had fallen unconscious into the state of not being able to wake up for some time, yet I could faintly hear things. The rumbling grew louder, before slowly descending to a silent standstill. My hearing faded out for some time...before fading in again, this time hearing faint clamoring, and hearing the sound of a door opening. What was going on...?

I woke up a while later, and my vision came into focus, revealing that I was in a hospital bed. The girls were surrounding it, and Nurse Redheart was, too. I knew her (thanks to Pinkie when she 'toured' me) for a while, but never figured I'd *actually* end up in the hospital she worked at. The nurse was busy feeling my forehead, likely to see if it was still burning. Well...it was difficult to tell if I'd recovered from the peppers or not.

"Hmm....he seems fine, but we'll have to be sure." She said, and pulled out one of those bandage things they use to......oh, Celestia, I knew where this was headed. "Now, this might hurt for just a moment, but I'll be quick." She said, pulling out a small needle. She gently gripped my arm, and inserted the needle into it, causing me to jolt a bit.

"Sorry.." She said.

"Wh-What happened? Why am I hospitalized?" I asked, trying my hardest to ignore the sharp needle in my arm, and noticing that my stomach and body felt regulated again.

"I think you had some kind of reaction to the peppers or something..." Twilight said, stepping forward. "You went unconscious and then we kinda had to bring you here..."

"Oh...my God, I'd...I'd never actually felt pain *that* intense. It was worse than being injured. How long was I out?"

"I'm.... not sure...."

Nurse Redheart finally removed the needle from my arm, but it still gently pierced the 'side' of my skin. This is why I was glad I had my shots. "Oh..well, if you're wondering if I learned my lesson, yes...yes, I did. That was not worth betting on...I knew I should have gone with the library assistant stake...still, I'm sorry you had to see that....and that I was stupid enough to think betting with a stake like that was a good idea.."

"No, no, you weren't stupid... you just made a bad choice. It's okay, we've all done that."

Okay, as sweet and understanding as Twilight was being, I was well aware there was no denying there was no way in Hell I'd ever bother to do such a ridiculous stunt ever again. So calling it a 'bad choice' was a good statement.

"Heh, not surprising you'd understand...okay, a little surprising, considering that was one of the worst moments in my life. But...I do plan on keeping my end of another promise I made. Once I 'recover' from what happened, Applejack, I'll do your offered 'Iron Pony' competition, to see who deserves the title of 'Strongest Pony'. I just need a bit of R&R, and F&D - that's food and drink - and I'll be up for it."

"Speaking of food, if I may ask, what exactly happened?" Nurse Redheart asked. "I was told by your friends, as Twilight just stated, that you ate a lot of ghost peppers, and passed out."

"Well, from my point of view, I don't think it was the peppers...something else came up and COMBINED with the painful, practically flaming sensation, and caused me to feel ill and dizzy...and then I collapsed." I explained.

"Hmm...it sounds familiar... But judging by recent analysis, I think I can tell you exactly what went wrong.." Redheart replied, trotting over to a small metal desk, and retrieving a report, or something. "We ran a few other tests, and based on analysis, he seems to have allergies to....'pumpkin spice'. Do any of you know the last time he came into contact with it?"

"Uh.... no? Not really...." Twilight said, thinking.

"Wait a minute....Twilight, I ended up getting a drink this morning at the Crystal Empire. Didn't I mention that the flavor was pumpkin spice?"

"Did you...? ....Maybe I was half awake at the time...."

"Oh...right, I forgot those who are half-awake don't usually process much until they're awake. So, what you're telling me, Nurse, is....combined with the fact I downed at least 25 ghost peppers, I have an allergy to pumpkin spice lattes?"

"Well, pumpkin spice in general, but yes, that's correct." Redheart replied, placing the report back onto the desk.

"Well...that explains a few things, such as the nausea and dizziness...and it's all because of the spice. But if I have an allergy to pumpkin spice, why didn't I have a reaction before?"

"Well, there's two possibilities - either there wasn't enough of it to make an instant allergic reaction, and took several hours to respond to your body, or the peppers caused a chemical reaction, instantly forcing the allergic reaction to occur."

"Are the results severe? Do I need to be here for a few days to recover?"

"I don't think that'll be necessary. You seem to have recovered from the reaction, and your temperature and health seems fine. Though..I don't recommend eating or drinking anything for the next fifteen hours, just to be safe."

"Okay. Glad to know I'm okay."

"But since we're unsure if your legs still work, after a reaction like that, it's best to wheel yourself home."

"Oh. Wait, you don't mean...heh, okay, you're joking."

*5 minutes later*

"*They weren't joking.*" I said, as I was rolled out of the hospital. I had been placed in a wheelchair, likely to give my legs some time to get used to not lying on a bed, until we got back. "Do they do this for EVERY pony that comes in here?"

"Even if it does seem mistakable, and can make me look like I was internally injured, they could be smart for this, if something can go wrong if left un-taken care of." As I wheeled myself through town, the ponies all looked at me funny, some confused, others...happy? "Why are they all looking at me like that..?" I gently spoke, trying not to draw more attention. One of my friends, Eli, a green pony with a blue mane and tail (and yellow eyes), came to my side.

"Hey, Loyal! Good to see you're still kickin'! Everypony's all talk about how you're the Chili Champion!" He said.

"Chili...Champion?"

"Heh, yup! Everypony's heard about how Equestria's one human downed a lot of ghost peppers and survived! You've gained a title, Loyal!"

"Chili Champion, huh? Hm..not too bad of a title. Though if this is one of those titles that somehow earns me privileges, I'll pass. I only did it because I--"

"--lost a bet about if something bad happened in the Crystal Empire? Yeah, they know about that, too. I mean, some *did* see you carrying Flurry through town. One said you even tried to *mail* her back! Are you trying to accomplish some kinda record for the most ridiculous things done in a day or somethin'?"

"Not really...I've just been having a slightly off day. But I'll be kicking back tomorrow. Maybe read a bit, do some experiments....see if there's anything worth doing."

"Read.....and experiment? Heh, look out everyone, Loyal's been turned into another Twilight Sparkle! Alls ya need now is a friendship journal!"

It didn't take Eli long to notice Princess Twilight close to me. "Oh, uh...*ahem*..I meant, uh....heh...I intend no disrespect, Princess.." He said, bowing slightly.

"None taken." Twilight gave a smile. "Y'know, reading and experimenting can be fairly enjoyable activities! Why, once I-" Twilight stopped herself. "Nevermind. It's not important."

"Anyways, I gotta rest up. You just go before you cause more trouble, Eli, ya rascal." I said, not meaning the rascal part. We just liked being tough with one another.

"Don't count on it!" He said, grinning, spreading his wings (forgot to mention he's a Pegasus), using one to ruffle my hair (we also played tough), and took off.

"He's going to wind up getting into more trouble than he's worth." I said. "Heh, when will he learn?"

After wheeling my way back to the castle, I stood up and discarded the wheelchair. "Boy, what a day..." I trudged up the stairs, eager to get to bed. Although it proved difficult, since my legs were actually weakened still. So when I made it to the top, I fell forward onto the floor. "Ugh, great....well, looks like I'll have to call the emergency stretcher again...

...*Chryssi, can you come out here?*" I called, waiting a few moments, before her voice called back. "Oh, there you are!" She said, exiting from the throne room. "I was looking outside all day wondering why you were gone so l--" She got a good look at me, meaning I must have looked worn out. "What in Equestria happened to YOU?"

"Returned a hitchhiking baby, ate ghost peppers, was hospitalized, the end, help me to my room, please." I said, all in one go.

Sighing, Chrysalis lifted me onto her back, and headed down to my room. "I'll be heading to bed early!" I said, noticing the ponies were all there. They must have *all* followed to make sure I was okay. "So...goodnight, Starlight, Twilight, AJ, RD, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy...and Spike. I'll see you tomorrow...if I'm feeling better."

Two Halves, One Pony (Read Author's Note)

The next two days were spent relaxing, and trying to recover from my injuries. But the time did pass by enough for me to be more than happy to have this vacation over. I guess my life WAS going to be full of action and such. But you know what? I was fine with that. Because beggars couldn't be choosers, and I'd rather have a life full of excitement than a life like my old one back home. So, now the Friendship Express was closing in on Ponyville, my home away from home...literally.

As I got off the train, I took a deep breath, recollecting the fresh, aroma-filled air of Ponyville. It felt good to be back. When I headed into town, though, I noticed that everypony was still here. Weird....wasn't everypony supposed to be in Canterlot at the Friendship Festival? Why were they all still here? My question was somewhat answered with a loud rumbling sound, coming from above. Looking up, I saw that large, ferocious storm clouds had begun to gather. "A storm? On the day of the festival?" I questioned. A bright blue spark caught my attention, and I fixed my gaze onto Canterlot. What was going ON up there? I had to find out. I raced back to the station, and paid for a ticket to Canterlot.

Hurrying to the front of the train, I rushed up to the conductor, who seemed surprised I suddenly came in here. "What are you doing at the front of the train? Return to your seat, please." He said, fiddling with some buttons and levers.

"Can you up the speed of the train by a good amount?" I asked.

"What? Look, I don't have time for this, I've a schedule to keep, and--"

"Something's going on at Canterlot, and I need to reach it quickly! I'll pay you double to speed up the train!"

The conductor tapped his chin with a hoof, before shrugging. "Alright. It's not in my business to accept deals, but if you're that much in a hurry. 24 bits."

Getting out 24 bits and handing them to the conductor, I thanked him and hurried back to my seat. At that moment, the conductor turned on the loudspeaker. "Attention everypony, this is the conductor speaking. Due to a case of urgency, the Friendship Express will have its speed increased by a substantial amount. Please do not get up from your seat during this time, buckle up, and enjoy the trip!" The ponies murmured in confusion, before the train lurched, and departed from the station. It began to accelerate, puffs of smoke rising out of the smokestack, wheels squeaking as it began to speed up a bit faster than it normall would. It didn't take long before the train was going pretty fast, faster than it normally would. I know, it was a risky move asking the conductor to speed up, but I had to find out what was happening at Canterlot. I could only hope that the girls were okay...

After about 30 minutes of intense travel, the train slowed to a stop at the Canterlot Train Station. I didn't hesistate in taking off out of the train and outside. I hurried as fast as I possibly could, along a path that would take me to the upper levels in Canterlot, where Princess Twilight and the girls would likely be. As I was on my wau up to the upper levels, everything suddenly went dark. It only took another look at the sky to see what was going on. The sun and moon were alternating back and forth, between day and night. "Are the Royal Sisters just messing around up there..?" I questioned, continuing my urgent dash. It would take at least five minutes to get up there if I hurried as much as possible.

As I hustled up the path, I momentarily looked back at the lower levels of Canterlot, noticing that a lot of the city was damaged or turned into rubble, as if something had destroyed these buildings. The alternating daytime and nighttime stopped after about a minute or two, but not long after that, a large storm cloud began forming over the Royal Castle, looking like a cross between the eye of a hurricane and a tornado. Lampposts wobbled, roof tiles began flying off, and the wind picked up. I could only hope I wasn't close enough to be swept up. The wind, however, did make it harder to advance, which was both a good thing and a bad thing, a good thing being that I couldn't get any closer to being swept up into the windstorm, a bad thing, since whatever was happening was preventing me from investigating.

I had to grab onto anything and everything to not only pull myself forward, but prevent myself from being sucked up. I was three fourths of the way there when I saw something gray and black get sucked up, along with something small and purple... "Twilight!" I shouted, still aware she wouldn't hear me. I moved faster, trying to get to the top as fast as I could, when not too much longer after seeing Twilight, the wind died down, the wind tunnel dispersed, and slowly after, Twilight descended down, seeming okay. Finally, I could see what was wrong! I hurried up to the top after a grueling three minutes of running, almost out of energy by the time I reached the castle. At the same time, an odd, light wave washed over the city, restoring the bright color and undoing the damage done to it all. Okay, I was confused now, and now aware that I had missed something. But I would focus on that in a bit. I saw the girls and Spike standing near the balcony.

"Twilight!" I exclaimed, hurrying over to her, hugging her close. "Oh, thank Celestia you're alright!"

"Well, yeah, of course I'm alright! It was scary there for a moment, but I'm fine! No need to worry!"

"I saw those weird clouds from Ponyville, and hurried all the way up here to see what was going on and--" I stopped myself, seeing a lot of rubble undone, the damaged castle fixed, and...a darker, taller pony with a broken Unicorn horn just standing there. I'd save the question of who she was for later. Unless she was a resident who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"What HAPPENED here?! Are you all okay? What was with the weird, swirly clouds? Why was there a wave of light? What is--what happened?"

"It's.... uh, kind of a long story...." Twilight said, scratching at the back of her neck.

"Well, alright. I suppose explanations can wait till later."

"Speaking of explaining, what HAPPENED to you?!" Spike asked, pointing to my injuries, cuts and bruises from the electricity and fighting. The pain was gone for so long, I forgot I had those injuries. For those of you curious about the rest of the incident in Las Pegasus, I'll tell you. "Well..." I began, and told them everything that happened, from staying at the hotel, to the cafe incident, to spying on the thief ponies, all the way up until the electrical console bit, and how I wound up pulling the airship up.

"Seeing as the city was still in terrible danger, I had to take a risk. So, I rolled up my sleeves and stuck both hands into the sparking console wiring. Let me tell you, it was way more unpleasant than you could imagine it to be. The electricity coursed through my body, giving me repetitive, RIDICULOUSLY painful electric shocks. It smelled of smoke and roasted coffee beans in that room. But somehow, I managed to endure the pain and rewired the control panel to reactivate the controls. And it was a ridiculously close call, too, because the airship was quickly plummeting down towards the city. I could even see ponies running around in a major panic. So I had to act fast.

I grabbed the brake on the panel, and pulled back, but most likely because of how I wired it, a lot of electricity still crawled across the buttons and switches, though less painful. But I had the courage to grab the lever, and pull it back, pressing a few buttons to try and get it back online. Just as the airship was about to crash into the streets, I pulled it up just in the nick of time. The ship slowly ascended back into the sky, narrowly missing the city's giant ferris wheel and roller coaster. I managed to 'park' the airship just outside of the city, out of harm's way.

In the end, I ended up recieving a 500 bit reward for saving the city. But I told them that I didn't need money, as the safety of everypony's lives was the real treasure to protect. So I returned the money. Though they did offer to put my heroic actions in the newspaper, to which I agreed. So a few days later, the story will be published all across Equestria. I saved thousands of lives that day. I sustained a lot of pain and injuries, but I was more than willing to do it if it meant protecting everypony in the city. I think what really adds to the credibility was the fact that I had no aerial training whatsoever. So the fact I got the airship online was pure luck."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive!" Twilight said. "I'm sorry you had to do that while you were on vacation, though..."

"Ehh, no need to apologize, Twilight, I kind of saw it coming. Judging by how many times I hadn't gotten a single break from all the action in Ponyville, I kind of assumed action followed me wherever I went. But, it was worth it, I saved multiple bank accounts. And just by looking around, I can tell you were on just as big a journey as I was. But, with the quote, unquote 'damage', though it seems to mostly be repaired, the Festival isn't offically cancelled, is it? I partially came back as a deal to attend it in time."

"Oh, canceled? Oh no, I don't think so! We just have to get it all re-built, I think!"

"Oh, thank God, I was worried I’d come back for nothing – aside from seeing you. I'm well-looking forward to celebrating. Well, I'm gonna pack some of my stuff before the festival begins." I said, and began heading off, passing by the mysterious tall Unicorn, getting a good look at her. Seriously, who was she? Hopefully she was on the good side, if she was a kind of tagonist. The only thing I said to her was, “...No comment.”

It took a while to get back to the castle, mostly due to the fact I wasn't in a hurry this time. Though it did give me time to look at the unrepaired damage to the city. It looked like World War III had happened. I couldn't stop thinking about what the Festival would be like. Would it be big and loud? What kind of games would they have? Would I meet new friends? Was I going to wind up trying to see how much food I could wolf down at the party before it ended and try not to get a stomachache? There were so many questions, and only the festival would or could answer them.

I had to hurry, though, as I had a feeling the Festival would begin soon, so I had to hurry. Oddly, though, I noticed that Chrysalis was gone, and was not in my room like she usually was. Shrugging it off, since I had no time to worry, I hurried back over to Canterlot, eager for the celebration.

It took a good few hours before Canterlot’s damage was fixed (something about a staff. Typical magic stuff.) When I went back, it looked as though Canterlot had been torn out out of the Earth and replaced with a shining, glittering utopia of a festival. Colorful banners hung up, a giant stage in the center, colorful balloons strung about, and the smell of delicious food wafted through the air. Ponies were just beginning to arrive around the festival, indicating its officially beginning. It wasn’t hard to find Twilight and the girls (I mean, they would be admiring their hard work), as they stood near the stage. I’d also noticed the Unicorn from before wasn’t around. She was probably preparing for the festival or something. “Well, well, what happened to Canterlot? Looking around, all I see is a beautiful utopia of wonders in its place!” I cheerfully commented, approaching the six ponies.

The Friendship Festival was beautiful. Hundreds of ponies gathered at Canterlot to celebrate the occasion, stuffing their faces with cake, soda, and even little cubed cheeses (I stuffed half my belly with those, they were irresistible, but luckily they had backups in case someone gobbled them down). The music, I could remember better than a game's OST (which is saying something), and the fireworks, the flashing lights, even the games there were all such a blast - I ended up winning 10 of 14 games, and got plushies, bookmarks, little games, and entertainment, though I gave the games to fillies and colts who didn't win. Ponies were kinda proud of my generosity, considering I spent plenty of time earning the prizes. I told 'em - "'S not about winning. It's about having fun! Best to be a good sport for those who lose."

I had, counting, 47 cubed cheeses, four slices of cake, and of pizza, ten cups of soda, five bowls of ice-cream, and 12 cookies. Why am I counting? Because I wound up with the record of most food eaten at one party (in Equestria, at least. I figured, why not make the party interesting with a challenge?)

"I'm gonna get so sick later.." I commented, as I narfed down a bowl of ice cream.

"That's future Loyal's problem." Spike replied, drinking a small soda cup.

I also met the people the girls had met on their adventure. A cat named Capper (didn't trust him, looked shady), these creatures called Hippogriffs (and I thought Griffons were the only mythological creatures who wouldn't be related). One of them was named Skystar, and let's just say she was the Pinkie Pie of...what was it, Seaquestria? In other words, REALLY DAMN HAPPY. And there was a group of.....vultures, parrots? I didn't know what they were. Turns out they were delivery birds. Deliv-birdies, if you will. I'd met a whole slew of characters. And I finally met the same 'Unicorn' I'd seen before when I got back. Her name was Tempest Shadow (though I did overhear her mention her real name t0 the girls...but due to the party clamoring, I didn't quite catch it before, I'd have to ask later), but that was all I really knew.

And then...came the brilliant finale. The pony known as Songbird Serenade came onstage, the lights dimmed, and...let me tell you, that was a moment I'd never forget. As she sang, it was almost like she was speaking to me. Well, she was...to all of us. But I mean in a sensational kind of way. I could see how she earned her name as she sang. I am not afraid (actually proud) to admit that I shed a tear at that moment. She was...beautiful, really. If you're wondering, the song she sang was called 'Rainbow'. And man, was it memorable. I hadn't cried like that since...well....ever. And I was glad my stomach held up during that time, because the first of a storm of stomachaches came up after the song and I had to lie down for about fifteen minutes before it went away. But I knew more would come. So, let's cut to when the festival was over, and everypony was heading home, after three intense hours of fun and play. I actually got a good look at Tempest, and said, "You know...the only scary thing about you is that you're actually *taller* than I am."

Speaking of storms, I also found out the reason behind all the weird stuff.

Turned out, this guy named the Storm King came to Canterlot, wanting the four Princesses to power his scepter. He sent Tempest after Twilight, who chased her to the edges of Equestria and beyond, all to capture her. The girls ran into the deliv-birds, who turned out to be pirates, surprisingly, a pod of seaponies (which were the Hippogriffs, turns out, they have items to turn them into seaponies, which was used on the gorls), and a town where bidding, and selling of civilians was somehow legal, where they met Capper. At one point, Tempest finally caught Twilight, brought her back to Canterlot, and had the Storm King power his scepter, and betrayed Tempest (big surprise, in fact I actually told Tempest, "You never ever trust a big baddie, they always use you! Villainy 101."). So, the storm clouds and the day and night changing were due to the Storm King's doing. But let's just say his plans were shattered...literally. After seeing how Twilight protected Tempest, Tempest protected her, and--BOOM--reformed.

Later that evening, as I was getting ready for bed, Chryssi dropped from the ceiling, landing with a soft *PLMMP* onto the bed. "I like doing that. Makes me feel like a spy."

"And, likely, a little bad if you accidentally crushed me."

"Yeah, but I'm careful. I'm a bug, I have higher senses, so I'm precise. Anyways, how'd the vacation go? And the Festival, if you made it?"

"The vacation was too full of action, the Festival was amazing. I brought ya a few desserts since you couldn't come."

"How d'ya know I was there or wasn't there?"

"Wait..you mean.."

"Mean what?"

I turned to Chryssi, a serious look on my face. "Chrysalis...did you.....sneak out?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What's it matter to you?"

"Chrysalis, there was a lot of love at that festival, and happiness! Being exposed to it could have revealed yourself!"

"But it didn't."

"Chryssi, there's too much risk going to public events, you know that. We could become a target if they find out you live in the castle!"

"Loy, calm down, nopony knew it was me."

"Who'd you even disguise yourself as, anyway?"

"Just some random pony I saw passing by in the streets below, who looked entirely uninterested in going to the party."

"You're lucky you even saw one!" I huffed.

"Psh, I could have just have easily kidnapped a pony, tied them up, bound their muzzle--"

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"Okay, okay, you're right, too much. But the point is, I didn't get caught."

"If anypony finds out that the villain who captured the four princesses--five, counting Flurry--is living in the same place as one of the princesses she captured, they'd take you away! And punish you!"

"Please, what's Tia gonna do, send me to the moon?"

"It's not funny, Chryssi! Being punished by Celestia is the worst thing!"

"Why? You've never been punished by her."

"So? I know ponies who have, which I won't name. But if they take you away, I won't have a roommate to keep me company at night!"

"You're just afraid of the dark."

"Anything could hide in it.." I said, rubbing my shoulder.

"Why're you making such a big deal out of this?"

"You took a huge risk, and I...well....I....I just can't bear to see you taken away."

Chrysalis stepped off of the bed. "Oh, please. Like they could capture me. The first time I was defeated was at the wedding. The second time they just chased me off. The third time you just...defeated me and reformed me."

"I'm well aware that so far, Ponyville is the only place who knows you're reformed! Ugh, I can't believe you'd pull something like that!"

"Calm down, Loy, nopony saw me."

"But they could have! You know, this isn't the only dumb thing you've done! Remember last month when you wound up pulling that prank that made you laugh so hard, ponies almost found you because your laugh turned into your evil laugh? Or two months before that when you decided it'd be funny to shoot birds and cover them in goo! Both of those traits are things even ponies from outside Ponyville could have heard or seen! You've done stupid things in the past that turned out to be major and could have just as easily ended up getting you caught! And I've had to LIE about it to keep your cover from being blown! And I don't like lying!"

"Loy, calm do--"

"NO! I've had to cover for you so many times, and what have you done to help me in return?! Nothing! You've had me read aloud in ways I don't prefer, you've played jokes on me that end up being not funny, and what's more, you always almost crush me when you drop from the ceiling, heightened senses or not!"

Now Chryssi was angry. "You're blaming ME for all that?! You're the one who even let me be your roommate in the first place!"

"I wouldn't have done it if I'd known what trouble it'd bring!"

"I was doing it to be nice, but you never even did anything to respect me!"

"I'm a villain, what do you expect?!"

"You're a reformed villain! I mean, God, Starlight acts uneasy, but she can at least control herself!"

"Well then maybe you should have had HER as a roommate!"

"She has her own room!"

"You're always causing trouble for me, Chrysalis, and I don't appreciate it! Maybe I shouldn't have had you as a roommate! In fact, maybe I shouldn't have had you as a friend at ALL!"

"You don't mean that!"

"Yes, I do. You've been nothing but trouble for me and it hasn't worked out 100% once! I wish I hadn't even met you! I wish you'd just *GET OUT!*"

The room fell dead silent for about fifteen seconds. Then, Chrysalis spoke, her voice heavy and flat. "You know what? Fine. I'll leave. It's not like I needed you, anyway. You were just my cover." With that, Chrysalis spread her wings, and flew through the open doors of the balcony, and off into the night. And the room was, once again, silent.

Author's Note

This is as far as I got in the story before going on hiatus in the past. It'll take some time for the future chapters to come out.

Vacation Vacancy

Having considered everything that happened from fighting the Plunderseed Plants to overworking myself at Sweet Apple Acres, I decided that I needed a break. A decently extended break. A vacation, if you will. I just needed some time alone, to take my mind off of all my stresses and worries. So, the next morning, I gathered the girls in the throne room to tell them the news.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I've gathered you here. It's because...well...I've decided I'm taking a vacation."

"A vacation? What's this about?" asked Twilight.

"I've been overworking myself, far more than I ever could in one sitting, which is saying something. It's saying something bad. From fighting Plunderseed Plants to overworking on AJ's farm, to the ghost pepper incident, I'd been putting myself through too much work and chore. So, I've decided I'm taking a vacation....to Las Pegasus. I heard they have nice hotels and beaches. And beach-hotel is just the kind of thing I need to take my mind off of everything that previously happened. Besides, if anything major happens there, I'll know I'm only destined for a life of action that never ends."

"Well just be careful which hotel you pick..." Applejack mumbled.

"I'll only be gone about....4-5 days, but I won't have any way to contact you, as I have no magic, no messenger...and no dragon breath. So, if there's anything you need to tell me to keep in mind, let me know, so that if needed, I can take it off my mind - but not in the 'it's unimportant' way, I'll note down the important stuff to remember. So, does anypony have anything to mention - any plans, ideas, parties, anything you would like to tell me about?"

"Well... I've kinda got this thing coming up in Canterlot - we all do, sort of. Even Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. I've been... planning a festival. A Friendship Festival. It's coming up in the next few days, and to be honest, I've kind of been stressing over it...." Twilight admitted, sheepishly.

"The Friendship Festival? This suddenly came up, though it does sound major and interesting. What the occasion of the celebration?"

"There really isn't one. It's just... y'know, a big get together for all of Equestria to celebrate the magic of friendship."

"Hmm...you know what, that actually sounds like fun! And somewhat exhausting. Tell you what, I'll make the trip a day or two shorter, so I can try to make it back to the Festival. It sounds like something I wouldn't want to miss. As for the stress, well....let's just say I have a simple, and hopefully effective way to counter it. But it'll have to wait till the train station, to really build up the moment. Alright, I'm gonna go start packing. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Keeping the Friendship Festival on my mind, I decided I would try to return back in time for it, which would mean I'd cut my trip a day short. I packed my bags (and suitcases), with a toothbrush, toothpaste, a pillow and small blanket, books, a camera with a full film, sun lotion, a towel, sunglasses, a drawing notepad, in case I felt inspired, and a pen.

An hour later we all headed down to the train station (honestly, it doesn't surprise me. Anytime someone's leaving for someplace by train, a lot of ponies would meet there for a farewell. Shortly before the train arrived, I turned to the girls (and dragon).

"Alright, you girls take care of yourselves, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can to join the Festival. And I know you'll all do your best. Pinkie, you make the best cakes and confectionary anypony will remember stuffing their faces with, okay? Nopony can turn down a cupcake calling to their confectionary cravings."

"I'll make the bestest cakes TOPPED with cupcakes!" Pinkie said, a huge smile on her face.

"AJ, assuming you're likely helping with the games and booths, ensure everypony has a mighty good time. After all, for all I know, good old fashioned fun is your game! Pun intended."

"Well actually we were gonna lend a hoof helpin' out with the food, but thanks for the support either way! 's far as I'm concerned, the old fashioned way is the best way!"

"Rarity, you make the best designs everypony would want on their wardrobe, and possibly pay decently for. If you're lucky, it might lead up to another photo shoot for inspiration and a muse or two."

"Oh why thank you, darling, but personally I'm more concerned with doing a good job decorating the stage for the performace of a lifetime from Equestria's pony pop idol!" Rarity gave an ecstatic laugh. "It's a lot of pressure, but if anypony's up for the job, it's me!"

"Fluttershy, I can easily guess you'll be orchestrating the music, because I've heard you play, and I will admit I wish I had that ability. So you do your best to create an unforgettable tune. And Rainbow, I can guess you'll be putting on a good show. So all I can say is - knowing you, I know you can turn that show into a Wonderbolts routine, featuring the all-time famous Rainboom."

"Oh, thank you... My birds are certainly nervous, but we're doing our best to work things out before Songbird shows up!"

Rainbow gave a chuckle. "Well, I'm sure the Wonderbolts are gonna have quite the show to give everypony. As for a Rainboom.... not without Spitfire's say-so. ...And.... Twilight's."

Turning to Twilight, I knew exactly what to say, and knelt down, gently placing a hand onto her shoulder.

"Twilight....I understand that a festival this big, loud and fun can also be rather unsettling, or even nervousness-inducing, as you'd not only be setting up the fair; you'd also be the heart of it. But remember this - if things get tough, or hard, or even distressing, there's nothing an Alicorn Princess like yourself can't do. After all, you're Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship - and friendship, no matter what form, is something you truly excel at. So, just do your best, never fearing the worst. Nopony will be disappointed if everything isn't perfect. They'll all know their Princess tried her hardest to put in a lot of work. So, don't worry too much - you can handle *anything*. You handled Discord, the Plunderseed Plants, even a giant Centaur, for Celestia's sake. So for you, a big festival is nothing to worry about. Plus you have your friends to help you. So I guess my point is, just don't worry - knowing you, *anything's possible*."

For the final reassuring nail in the hopeful coffin, I actually did something I hadn't done in a while. I pulled Twilight into an embrace, to really give the impression she had full support.

Twilight smiled and returned the hug. "Thanks..." Just when she was about to release him, she felt more hooves wrapping themselves around her. She looked up to see all her friends joining in the hug, as well.

You might think this was a bit over-the-top, having a goodbye like this, but the reason was because this was the first time I was willingly going to be on my own for a while. Not in the 'living alone on Earth' kind of way, but more in the 'while I'm alone, I still have my friends, though distant, to guide me' kind of way. But I wanted to let them know we still had each other, even through tough times. It was like that loving goodbye at the airport when you were flying away from home into another state for two weeks. "I'll miss you girls. You all take care of yourselves."

Spike gave a heavy sniff, tears welling up. "I'm not going to cry...I'm not gonna cry.." I just chuckled. Typical Spike. I figured this kind of thing would get him. Then, what Fluttershy said registered, and confusion hit me. "Wait...who's Songbird?"

"Oh... she's a singer. Twilight booked her as the main event at the Friendship Festival, and I'm given to understand it wasn't easy..."

"Another pony of pop, I'm assuming. First Sapphire Shores, then Coloratura, and now Songbird? I assume the next generation of music is going to include Elvis Pone-sly."

"Who?"

"I'll explain later."

Later that day, I boarded the train at 2:36 PM, to which the train would arrive in Las Pegasus at around 8:42 PM. As it slowly pulled out of the station, I quickly rolled down my window, and called out to the girls. "I'll sketch some things in Las Pegasus to share with you all!" I called out, waving goodbye.

The train ride was a bit more scenic than the one for the Crystal Empire. On the way to LP, I saw a double rainbow, fire rainbows (look them up), beautiful cloud formations, and lots of lush, green grass. It looked soft enough to roll around in. I napped for half of the ride, and read one book for the other. As we finally pulled into the station hours later, I could see beautiful architectural buildings surrounding the station, combined with a giant fair in the distance.

This was going to be a rather interesting vacation. But first, I needed to check into a nearby hotel. As I walked down the street, I passed by a few ponies, trying to ask for directions, but they all seemed too busy or disinterested. It didn't matter, anyway, because I found the hotel on my own. The outside of it had golden-colored walls, with gray/silver colored corners, with a big sign with red fancy letters, 'THE COME INN'. Classic 'inn' pun-related hotel names. I liked it.

I headed inside, and the inside was just as beautiful. A red carpet had been rolled out, leading up to a wooden front desk. There were some of those square couches placed on both halves of the hotel's interior, with a giant fountain in the middle, splitting the carpet along the bases of it. It was like being inside a mansion. Getting a good look at the place, I approached the front counter. The receptionist was a gray mare with a light gray mane and deep blue eyes, and a friendly smile. She was wearing a red scarf and red-rimmed empty-frame glasses.

"Hello there, sir! How may I help you?" She greeted. "Are you here to rent a room?"

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm here on a vacation, and I don't know if you've heard of me as the hero of Ponyville?"

"OH! Actually, we have! I have to admit, I didn't think it mattered until some of the ponies began acting strange on the day that....monster appeared. I only heard the story passed on from several ponies, and eventually from my friends. So, I decided that should you come here, you get a 75% discount!"

"Oh, really? That's very generous of you! So how much is it?"

"100 bits a night, instead of 400."

"That works!" I said, pulling out a bit pouch, and pouring the bits out. The mare scooped them into a drawer below the counter. "Which room would you like?"

I looked at the list of rooms. "How about room 19?"

"Oh...sorry, that one's taken. To make it easier, rooms 2-20 are taken. We have one room left."

"All but one are taken?"

"Yes, unfortunately. An odd group of ponies in white stepped in, demanding specifically rooms 2-20. 19 ponies, all in one group."

"That's odd...but, I guess I shouldn't pay it any mind. I'll take it."

"Thank you. Would you like room service? We have quicker deliveries nowadays."

"I'd like that. Thank you, miss...?"

"Decker. Miss Decker."

"Thank you, Miss Decker."

"Same to you, Mr...Loyal, was it?"

"Yes."

"Same to you, Mr. Loyal. Have a nice stay."

I nodded gratefully, and was handed my room key. "Second door on the left on the second floor."

"Thank you." I headed down the hall she pointed me towards, finding an elevator not too far ahead. It would be more convenient than the stairs. I pushed a golden button (they really like their shinies), and waited for a few moments, before an elevator descended to my level. It opened up to reveal two of the possible white ponies (and I mean white, as in uniformed, not coat color) hustling out, bumping into me. They didn't even bother to apologize.

"Well, excuse you, too." I snarked, heading into the elevator. I pushed the button marked '2', and felt the elevator ascend. I felt happy. Finally, I was getting a break from so much action. I was going to sit back, relax, maybe sketch and read. I had to make sure I made it back in time for the Friendship Festival, though. It sounded fun, and like a great way to make some new friends. Maybe I'd even....well...fall in love with someone. I hadn't thought about romance in a long time. I hadn't even thought about who I'd ever fall in love with. So far, it was no one. But I knew one day I'd find the mare for me. Or maybe a mare would find the male for her. Maybe we'd both have the same fate and meet up. The elevator let out a ding, and the doors opened, revealing a more basic hallway. It had four doors. I made a beeline for the second door on the left. Inside, the room was beautiful, just like the lobby.

The carpet was a beautiful velvet red, and the bed was a king-size, covered in a soft, clean white sheet, which looked fluffy and warm. There was a balcony view showing the sights of Las Pegasus outside, the same fair as before in the distance. The bathroom looked basic, but just slightly fancy. The air smelled of morning dew, and it was slightly warm in the room. Those 100 bits were definitely worth it. I set my suitcases down onto the floor, relieved to have lost the weight they added. I decided that the first thing I would do was sketch the beautiful nighttime horizon view the balcony provided. I got my notebook and pen out, headed over to the balcony, and propped it up against the near-invisible glass railing, slowly beginning to sketch the majestic view.

Around two hours later, I had finished the sketch of the view of the outside of the hotel room. I had to admit, it was the most beautiful things I had ever made. Wanting ot keep it safe, I tucked it into my suitcase, at the bottom, before changing into my pajamas and getting into bed. Tomorrow would be a rather busy day, trying to enjoy my vacation with no worries about anything. It was only a little tough to fall asleep, due to the ponies in the other rooms laughing loudly, and sounds of metal banging could be heard. I could very faintly hear voices through the walls. I could hear 'blast' and 'the bomb' and 'exploding with success'. Either they were making decent bomb puns for kicks, or they had too much cider. But I finally did manage to fall asleep. And after that, I slept for the rest of the night without any trouble.

The next morning, I woke up, feeling a lot better than usual. I'm not going to bore you with the details of my morning routine, so we'll say it felt diffrent being in a hotel. I headed out of my room, and back down to the main lobby, to look at a map of where a nearby cafe was. Turned out, there was one just down the street from the hotel, not too far from here.

So, I headed out and down the street, and the clamoring of crowds was broken when a loud banging sound filled the air. I immediately recognized it at the same time last night. The ponies who were in the room must have een working on something, but what? Well, whatever it was, it was none of my business. As I arrvived at the cafe, the metal-banging sound grew smaller.

Walking into the cafe, the smell of coffee and mocha filled the air, giving me a nostalgic feeling of being in a Starbucks. As I approached the counter, a barista with a french beret (don't ask, it's her style), came out front. "Hello there! What can I get you?" She asked. Looking at the menu behind her, I recognized the pumpkin spice latte. I still couldn't believe I was allergic to pumpkin spice...so I just got two regular coffees, grande.

"That'll be 20 bits." She said. Jesus, 20 bits for a coffee? Well, this was Las Pegasus, the pricey kind of place, but I didn't expect coffee to be included. Regardless, I paid my money, and she went out back, and, I kid you not, five seconds later, came out with a coffee in hoof. "Here you go!"

"How did you make the coffee in five seconds?"

"Oh, I didn't! The coffee is pre-made ahead of time."

"Oh...well, that's convenient."

"It saves time and energy. Enjoy!" She handed me the coffee, before heading back into the back room. It was kind of odd how she suddenly went back into the room without warning. But I didn't have time to question it, as right at that moment, the doors flew open, revealing the same white ponies I had run into yesterday as they filed out of the elevator. They made a beeline for the counter, pushing me aside, causing me to spill half my drink onto a white Pegasus with blue eyes. "Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry!" I cried out, but the mare dismissively waved a hoof. "It's fine, it was just an accident. Besides, those jerks have caused more trouble than I can remember."

Sitting down at her table, I looked at them, wondering why they were here. "Who are they?"

"They call themselves the High-Hoisters. Supposedly, they're just a group of ponies who act all tough and threatening to everypony around them. Nopony knows how long ago they got here, but have been causing trouble for the past week. And sounds of metal banging could be heard from one of the rooms. And I hear one of them's allergic to coffee beans, so they stay behind to guard a room."

"That's the sound that I heard last night and this morning."

"Yeah, it's been going on for the past three days now. Everypony's too afraid to go in there to find out what, ever since one pony went in, and was kicked out, threatening that if they went in there, they would never come back out."

"Hmm...sounds threatening, all right..'

"You're...you're not ACTUALLY thinking of going in there, are you?"

"Well, yeah, of course I am! And not just for the sleep, but to find out what's going on here!"

"Well, I wish I could help, but I'm not the kind of pony to wander into danger."

"Well, I am...though I'm not a pony."

At that moment, one of the white ponies, wearing a red armband, declared, 'Alright, everypony, let's get a move on! We have a lot to do today!" The ponies filed out in a hurry, and before the leader left, he gave everypony a warning look, before heading out.

"Yeah, he's definitely up to something...all right, well it was good talking to you."

"You, too. Good luck. Nopony's ever had the guts to stand up to them before."

I gave a friendly smile, before sipping what was left of my grande, and heading out. I followed the white ponies, keeping out of sight, following them back into the hotel. Two ponies diverted, and headed back out, carrying brown suitcases. All I can say is, the best thing to do was eavesdrop from outside before busting in. So that's what I did.

I pressed my ear up against the wall, listening to the ponies conversate:

"All of them in..."

"blowing it up.."

"sent out.."

"noon..."

"Pounds.."

I couldn't make out a lot, but by the 'blowing up' part, I could tell they were up to no good. I listened for another good five minutes before I felt something tap my shoulder. Turning around, I came face-to-face with one of the white ponies. "Well, well, looks like we got a stalker, a-ha." He spoke with a thick, plain accent, only a little difficult to understand. "You got no business listening to our conversations! So beat it, before I make you, a-ha!" He shoved me aside, opening the door and slamming it once inside the room. I could hear the room get quiet, as if they were talking quieter.

Still, I knew something was up, so I had to take action. Rolling up my sleeves and pant legs, I cleared my throat, knocked on the door, and in my best impression of the receptionist, said, 'Hello, it's room service! I have that hot bag of whole wheat donuts you ordered!' Cheering could be heard coming from the other side of the room as somepony approached the door opening it. 'Alright, well come i--"

"*WHOLE WHEAT'S FOR SISSIES!*" I declared, punching the pony's lights out, and barreling into the room. "I know you've all been up to something, and I intend to put a stop to it!" The room suddenly fell silent. "Stop to what?" A voice called out. "Stop to our own vacation?" The ponies parted to reveal what I would have assumed to be the leader, sitting on the balcony railing. "You think just cause we's been rude and loud and pushy, we's plannin' something despicable? Ha! What a laugh! I can't' tell you how many ponies suspected wrongdoing on our part. So tell ya what - I'll forgive yas. Common mistake."

"I don't buy any of that! What about the metal clashing sounds I'd heard overnight and this morning?"

The pony pulled out a metal box. "Empty crate. We's planning on putting all our luggage into it. And the reason we's so rude is 'cause we only got a limited time to do a lot in Las Pegasus, so it's stressful planning it all."

"Well, one thing I've noticed is that all of your voices shift around in the room when listening to your conversations...all except ONE." I pointed to a pony in the west corner. "HIM. I was told that one of you ponies stays behind to guard this room. And he's also allergic to java! He never moves to avoid contact with it. But I did hear him mention something about 'guarding this thing'." I made my way over to the allergy pony. "He's guarding something hidden right here! And considering your 'the bomb' and 'blast' jokes, I know what it is - explosives!" I pushed the pony out of the corner, and noticed a small rip in the carpet he was standing on. Pulling it back, the carpet folded back to reveal a small trapdoor. Opening that, I discovered an entire supply of flammable oil, bombs, and yes, even a few C4s. So they DID have bombs in their possession! "I knew it! You're all planning on bombing something! Well, I'm going to put a stop to it!"

The leader pony narrowed his eyes. "Nice observation, Sherlock Pones...but it's too bad that info ain't leaving this room. *GET HIM!*"

The ponies all lunged at me, piling and latching onto me, punching, kicking, even biting me. In only a matter of seconds, I was rapidly being covered in bruises and cuts, which was surprising, considering the ponies in this world were soft and furry...I guess not every pony was like that. But one by one, I managed to punch and throw them off, though they quickly bruised and cut me (for vegetarians, these horses' teeth were strong!) all over. Dodging, punching, and kicking my way throughout the fight, I managed to knock out all but two of the ponies.

The silence of violence was broken when the leader began clapping. "Bra-vo! You've done well surviving this long, I'll give ya that. But youse is too late! We've already gotten what we needed from this city. We've been robbin' every single bank in this joint, and the crate's for magnetizing all the money up into our possession. Let's go, gang! We got us a date with a lifetime of riches!" The leader pony chuckled, and actually leapt off of the building, only to be raised up by a platform that was ascending. The two other ponies jumped on, as the platform began to move away. "See ya later, chump! Tell the receptionist we ain't payin' her no more!" He said, letting out a sinister chuckle.

Thinking quickly, I ran to the elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor. The slow and painful ascent was intense, as I didn't know if I could make it as each second passed. When the doors opened, I dashed up a flight of stairs onto the roof, and barreled across the rooftop. This was going to very well be one of THE dumbest decisions in my life, but I had to do something!

Reaching the edge of the roof, I inhaled sharply, and leapt off the building, as far as I could. I could feel my life flashing before my eyes as I soared through the air. I managed to grab onto a rope hanging from above, almost missing it. I looked up and could not believe what I was seeing. Up in the sky was a large airship, with a material for the air-filled part, almost looking like it was perfectly reflecting the sky, like it was invisible. It was half the size of a Ferris Wheel, yet still looked enormous. Had this airship been sitting here the entire time? After some thought, I realized what must have happened - there must have been ponies waiting on this airship to recieve orders to drop into drop zones to raid the banks and steal the money from them. Well, there was no way in the deepest living pits of Tartarus I was at ALL letting this slide.

I began to shimmy up the rope, but due to me sucking at climbing, it took plenty of effort. But I managed to shimmy up to a spot inside the airship, where, luckily, nopony was inside. I had to find the leader of these Heavy-Hoisters and take him down. Speaking of the name, I found a crate with the name inscribed upon it. Wiping the dust off, I found out what they were really called. The Heavy-HEISTERS. Now the name made a lot more sense - they were thieves!

I began proceeding through the airship, feeling like each second, I was getting more and more lost. I finally found a hallway that looked promising, but it was guarded by two ponies. How was I going to get past them?

After a bit of thinking, I had an idea. I pounded my fists against the floor, and yodeled, before hiding behind a nearby crate. I could hear the ponies' footsteps grow closer, until I saw them pass by.

"What was that?" One of the guards asked.

"I don't know, it sounded like it came from over here.." Said the other.

I used this opportunity to lock the door behind them, and shortly after, pounding could be heard. I made my way through the hallway, and into a small room, which was FULL of bits. I guess Las Pegasus banks were a lot smaller than I'd imagined. But I had to return these to Las Pegasus and its citizens. Passing through the room, I made my way down another hallway, and made a right at an intersection. This led me to what I would have assumed to be the front of the airship, where the leader pony was sitting, dumping more bits into a crate. "Send this to the bit room, and count them all for me!" He ordered a pony next to him, who nodded, and began moving the bits out, when he saw me. "Boss, we got trouble!" He said, directing the leader's head in my direction. "WHAT?! How did you get on my airship?!"

"Return the stolen bits at once! Those are city property!"

"They're MY property now! I've always dreamed of being rich, and now my dream has come true!"

"If you don't return all of those bits, I'll MAKE you!"

"Try me, punk! But first, let's play a little game I like to call 'Subdue or Save!" The leader pressed a big red button on a control panel, and the ship rumbled for a moment, before the ship seemed to move...faster.

"What did you just do?!"

"In exactly five minutes, the bomb I have released and set up will explode, right in the core of Las Pegasus' oil factory! The smog will be set ablaze, and every pipe with oil in it will spontaneously combust, destroying Las Pegasus! But you can save them...only if you pay me no further mind."

"You're saying to let you go?!"

"Let me go....*or let them die*." He said, smirking. Wow, this got severely dark. Just went to show that not everypony was as happy as anyone would think. So, I could let him go, and still have time to defuse the bomb....or I could fight him and win, while the city below was wiped out...along with everypony with it. But I thought about it - those bits were replaceable. The ponies, however, weren't. As much as I hated to do it..I had to let him go. Coming onto this airship was a waste. So, I thought for a bit, finally deciding on a choice I'd hate making.

"Alright...fine. You win. I'll let you go."

"A wise choice, my friend."

"Just one favor, though."

"And what would that be?"

"When I leave, I hope you...JAVA NICE VACATION!" I pulled out the second cup of joe I ordered from the cafe (don't ask me how I carried it all the way into the airship, I have my ways), and threw it across the room, splashing it across everything, including the console. The console sparked, causing it to malfunction. The airship suddenly rumbled, and outside, the city of Las Pegasus slowly tilted into view. The airship was going down!

"NOOOO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The leader shouted. "You've killed us all, you idiot! Now the ship's going to crash!" The leader opened a nearby emergency hatch and put on a parachute. "I'm bailing, forget all of this!"

"Wait! What about the bomb?"

"It's shut off, no thanks to you destroying the console!" That being said, the leader pony jumped out, the parachute successfully deploying. I could hear him call out, "ATTENTION ALL CREW MEMBERS! THIS IS CODE NINE-ALPHA! REPEAT, CODE NINE-ALPHA! ABANDON SHIP IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

I saw other ponies jumping out, too, until I was most likely the only one on the ship. But the day wasn't saved yet. Las Pegasus was going to crash and burn, like the ship was. I had to do something! Dashing towards the controls, I could see sparks flying and spewing out. I inhaled sharply, and rolled up my sleeves again. I only had one shot at this. I had to rewire the controls to control the ship. And it was going to be very painful. There was a very good chance I wasn't going to survive this, but I had to try. I took a deep breath...

...and stuck both hands into the console's inner sparky wiring.