My Little Universe: Supernova

Chapters

MLU: Everstorm
Fallout (Equus)
The Return
Fallout (Earth)

MLU: Everstorm

"What are we gonna do with them?" one of them questioned in a long sigh. A smaller figure went up to her side.

"Maybe it's not so bad," one suggested, "I mean, the threats had been more one-sided … right?"

"For now," another replied, her voice in an echo. "I warned them personally, and yet they still felt necessary to get together again. Now they brought trouble down on all our heads."

"How? If they stopped the Windigo?"

"Hush now," the third figure said, both of them silenced as she looked on. Such happy faces, in spite of what had transpired over the last few months of cold, but more it thought about it, the more the smaller one had a point. The Mane six weren't as involved in it as they used to be, though it may sounded good on the surface, the figure knew there was still more to it than just six ponies.

"One of you be a dear and get a meeting planned for spring time. I'm sure some of them would be adapted to the situation in future," the third suggested. The second figure was first to react, and began to move off to do just that. The smaller one was about to go, but the third figure stopped him.

"Eh, not you. I want you to gather them to join us when the meeting's close. Think you can do that for me?"

"Them, mam? You sure?" the smaller one asked nervously, seeing them party the night away.

"It's fine," she replied with a smile, "They deserve to know some more about what would be on the horizon."

"W-Well alright, why wait? I'll go fly down to them -"

"No, no. Not yet. They've been through enough."

The third figure looked down the cliff to the beach house, seeing that the lights were left on inside. Raising her hand, a simple movement gently turned the lights off from within.

"Let them rest."

…….

"Happy Five-Year Anniversary!"

And on the announcement once again, the pink party Pinkie Pie gave her party cannon a good launch, confetti and streamers launching into the air. Who could blame her for being excited though? Parties for Pinkie Pie were as common as the grass underneath her own hooves, but this "five-year anniversary" was no ordinary potluck. This party was for the very day that Equestria first had met with Earth, and the first time the Mane Six had met with a group of beings known as the Crystal Gems; Gems protecting Earth from galactic and, in recent years, extradimensional and magical threats. Their efforts were plenty successful when looking at both Equestria and Earth.

Of course there was a time when they faced a Changeling Queen, Tindalos, and one Pony of Shadows ... but you probably already know that story.

The celebration today was taking place off from Earth, and into the hoof stomping grounds of Ponyville (the first place the Crystal Gems had seen in Equestria, might I add), and Pinkie Pie went all out on making this event one to remember. A full party in Ponyville was always something to remember. Many a pony, and Gem were having their own fun with the anniversary, either chatting with eachother, or playing some of the games set up. Incredible to think then that a few months ago, they all were so torn up, it was a shock they'd still be together. As they say though, the past is past, and now there was fun to be had.

Within this celebration, some of the Elements of Harmony and Crystal Gems were taking this time to relax a little bit by a booth of one of Ponyville's eateries, having some pineapple juice. Though relaxing might not be too correct for one, as she was so excited at the time it was hard to stay still. And no, it wasn't Pinkie. And all because of a postcard she received from one of the biggest ponies of legend.

Dear Harmony Gems;

It is difficult to express how grateful I am to you for reminding me the power of friendship. You would think after more than a thousand years, there would be nothing left to learn. And yet, even a pony as old as I can continue to be surprised by how much there is to know. I hope you find these postcards enjoyable, and I look forward to seeing you all again, though I can't say when my journey will be complete. Your friend, Starswirl.

"It must be gratifying to have your idol writing to you about the friendship lessons he's learning," noted Rarity to Twilight. Steven Universe, who just read off the letter to them all, gave back the postcard to Twilight.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of them," Twilight sighed happily, "I mean, how often is it that the same pony you've admired for years would write to you on what they had learned?"

"I'm happy he's having a fun time in Equestria," Steven said, "Being trapped for over a thousand years in Limbo gave this world a lot of time to change. It'll keep him busy for a long time."

"Here's to hoping he can come by here again," Twilight said, personally begging on Celestia's name for that to happen. She'd love nothing more than to see Starswirl the Bearded come by Ponyville for a visit in his travels.

"Me too. But, maybe not with a huge shadow entity this time," Steven said humbly. They shared a chuckle on that, though really it would be plenty preferred. They didn't want any repeat incidents from last winter to show up for this spring.

"OH! That reminds me. Stygian gave me a gift just yesterday, and he wanted me to give it to you," Steven remembered. Steven brought out an object from his pocket, and pulled out what appeared to be a portal key. He didn't need to go too far, and in fact, when he got it working, it opened just a small hole in the table for Steven to put his arm through. Like looking through some luggage, he eventually found the object he was looking for, and pulled it out a book with Stygian on front, with his "evil shadow" right behind him. You could probably guess the subject matter.

"Me and My Shadow, the third hit novel by former villain Stygian! I'm impressed! He's really thriving! Give Stygian my thanks," Twilight said, beaming on seeing the book. Drama novels were always something enjoyable for the Alicorn, and seeing this from a true former villain, there was no doubt it was a pretty spot-on book. She'll add it to her collection once she gets home, though at this point Steven found another sudden surprise as someone began going through the crowd to look for him, wearing a red dress and sun hat. She was joined by a few of his other friends (A Lapis Lazuli Gem, and hovering Fluttershy Pegasus).

"Lapis! Fluttershy! Connie!" called Steven Universe. He got up, and went over to them as Rarity and Twilight checked out the new book they got.

"Steven!" Lapis said.

"Happy anniversary Steven," said Connie.

"Thanks. May I offer you a refreshment?" Steven then asked, presenting an extra drink of pineapple juice for Connie.

"Oh Steven. How Genteel," Connie replied with a smile, before both made a toast, clinking glasses.

"Hug attack!" Happy to see them both, Lapis Lazuli got another hug in there, this hug actually bringing both Steven and Connie off the ground since Lapis was already flying. All three laughing during this, and not a single bit of juice spilt either.

"Happy Birth-iversary Steven, Connie," said Lapis.

"Same to you, fun buddy," Steven said, playfully fluffing her hair.
If anyone should be happy during this time, it would be these three. After all, not only was this event for Lapis first joining said Crystal Gems, making her the first new member since the Gem War, but also the "birthday" of Steven and Connie's fusion Stevonnie. It was quite a rare treat for two such big events to happen on the same day, but history and luck can be funny like that. And the three were not complaining about it, of course - a recruitment and fusion celebration in the span of one single day.
After setting them down, they all took a moment to check out the rest of the area, seeing everyone else playing around. With this being where plenty of the games were, they were either chatting it up with eachother, or playing some of the games set up. In one of these games, some of their brawnier members they saw were playing a game of strength to hit the bell. an Earth Pony, Applejack, got a good kick in it and hit the bell pretty easily. Her pal though, Bismuth, turned her hand into a hammer, and slammed it down enough to knock the bell right off!

"I got it!" Fluttershy called, flying up high, and quickly catching the bell before it could land on anyone around. Connie and Steven couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm so glad you could make it, Connie," said Steven.

"Me too. … So. Shall we?" Connie replied, bringing out her hand. Steven knew exactly where this was going. If this day was going to be for Stevonnie, why not bring her to the party? They both embraced, and smiled to eachother before they began to spin. Lapis kept her distance to not interrupt them, and soon after a good light and flash, there stood Stevonnie. Their fusion of Gem and human, grateful to be back in the swing of things again. Lapis would go up to her, but someone else was seeing this and wasted no time to meet with her.

"Stevonnie!" said another voice. Connie stepped back and smiled, as another Gem came over and lifted him up to her. Gem Fusion Garnet could be recognized from anywhere, and they all knew who it was the moment she stepped in.

"Hey Garnet," Stevonnie said, still giggling a little. Another fusion very happy to be here after everything, back and better than ever. Hard to forget the big reward after their three-way fight, evident by both rings on each of her hands: one copper, one silver, both exchanged on Ruby and Sapphire's love.

"Great to see you again," they both said, chuckling in unison. Who could blame them, really? Weeks of seclusion from eachother, leading to so much trouble, and soul-searching, and now they were back together once more. Stevonnie and Garnet looked to the rings.

"What a wonderful idea," she sighed, "Human Beings found a way to make this moment last forever. I don't need Future vision to know I'll always remember this."

"I'm glad," Stevonnie sighed. Both Garnet, Lapis, and Stevonnie, looked on back to the crowd once again. Both fusions took note of a few of them, such as a Peridot showing off her metal telekinesis skills to some of the ponies by playing some symbols mid air. The Gems chatted with numerous ponies around town: Pearl talking with Dr. Hooves, Mr. Greenhooves exchanging flowers with Jade and Star Quartz, Amethyst winning a twister game (for the tenth time today), and even Bismuth with a unicorn named Trixie and Starlight, both handling one of their magic shows together (Bismuth being the volunteer) as she suddenly stood there with a flower bouquet in her arms after a cape and "abra kadabra". Bismuth looked around to try and find where it came from as Starlight and Trixie bowed to the crowd. It was enough to actually make Stevonnie shed a few tears.

"Aww, I'm sorry. Don't cry," Garnet said.

"I guess seeing everyone all together's got me a bit worked up," Stevonnie admitted. Again, who could blame her after everything that happened?

"Hey, Stevonnie!" Lapis then called. Stevonnie and Garnet turned around, and it turned out that Lapis had gotten something together with Pinkie Pie for this very occasion - a gift. Pinkie-Pie style.
And for this Pinkie Pie gift, the pink mare was inside the party cannon, which Lapis was eager to pull the trigger for. Pinkie Pie flew right out of the cannon, confetti and streamers and all. She rolled head over heels before landing on her hooves in a kneeling stance, front hooves holding a sort of box, wrapped up in sparkling paper with a picture of both star and diamond on top of it.

"For you, my buddy," Pinkie said, sounding regal and formal. Stevonnie saw the note attached to it, and gave it a look over.

We wish we could make it, but here's a gift from me to you, in honor of your latest world-rescue.
Yellow BLUE Diamond

"Try and guess who changed the name last second," Pinkie chuckled, nudging Stevonnie. Oh Yellow, still prideful as ever. Well, either way, Stevonnie proceeded to open up the present given to her, and the object turned out to be a Homeworld item. A sort of trademark from Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond, if you will. It at first looked like a sort of snowglobe, but the flurried "snow" inside was actually stardust, and it looked just as beautiful. There was a small button on the object, and when Stevonnie clicked it, the swirl of stardust formed the shape of the universe itself, perfectly spinning inside the object. Stevonnie's eyes sparkled at the object.

"Our own universe in a globe!" Stevonnie gasped. It was enough of amazement to see a world globe, or any other snowglobe. She'd like to see anyone try and top a universe globe.

"I knew you'd love it," Pinkie beamed excitedly.

"Thanks. Hey Garnet, mind holding onto this? I don't wanna break it while bobbing for apples," Stevonnie asked. Garnet smiled.

"Of course," Garnet replied, being given the universal globe.

"Knew I could count on you. So Lapis … last one to Sugarcube Corner's Manticore bait!" and just like that, Stevonnie rushed right off to Sugarcube Corner before Lapis could even start.

"HEY! Wanna play around?!" She laughed, before flying off to catch up to Stevonnie. Pinkie, just for the heck of it, joined them in racing to Sugarcube Corner. The celebration was just what they needed to bring the happiness and joy back from such a hard winter. As they say, spring was a time of new beginnings, and for Garnet this was more than apparent. Garnet looked to the universe globe in front of her, and could only smile.

"Good to be back, ol' girl," Garnet sighed.

…….

Despite so much going on in Ponyville, that didn't mean there was always going to be time for everyone to be there. Fluttershy being one of those ponies. Yeah, she arrived with Lapis and Connie, and she still wanted to join her friends, but she did promise herself to take care of her animals still, and that kind of responsibility doesn't wait for anypony. All she really had to do is keep the food in check for today though, as she had to leave fairly early for the party (Pinkie Pie's party plans don't wait for anyone either). And for the moment, her cottage was pretty quiet, with a few of her animal friends nearby happy to see Fluttershy come back to see them. A few ferrets came out first to see her.

"Hello everyone. Sorry for being gone so quick, I'll feed you in just a second," Fluttershy promised. And soon she flew on inside her cottage to get the pet food. Ferrets like them would usually get fish, and she was sure to get some on hoof, and fish bought from the market and not fished out of the river (best she could do). It took some look, but she did get the food from the fridge.

"Ah! There it is," Fluttershy said, bringing out the cut tuna. She had a heart for fish same as every other animal, but animals do eat fish and she just had to accept that. However, she had one other little visitor today the second she closed the door, his smiling face hiding just behind the view of the fridge, making Fluttershy jump.

"Oh! Discord! What a surprise," Fluttershy said. Ah, Discord, the reality-bending Draconequus that's as loved as he is a bother by many a figure, but enough of a joy to be around. Discord was glad to see his favorite little Pegasus as well.

"Surprise! And how's my sweet little Flutters doing these days? Oh, do hope you're ready, because I made sure to bring extra sugar for our little tea time," Discord said, showing some cubes of sugar floating in his talon. Fluttershy was glad to see him, sure, but the Pegasus was already trotting outside of the door towards her ferret friends waiting for her. Discord felt a little bugged, and slithered off outside to see her.

"Did you hear me, Fluttershy? It is our tea time today, isn't it?" Discord asked, now having a teacup with him. Fluttershy finished feeding the ferrets before looking to the Draconequus.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, we're celebrating Stevonnie's birthday and Lapis's anniversary today. I tried to write a letter to you, but it started too fast, I didn't have time to make one," Fluttershy said. Discord knew well of this Birth-iversary, but he didn't expect it to block off their weekly tea-time together.

"Oh, is that so? Well, glad to know you have your other obligations."

"Discord, don't be like that," Fluttershy said, "I never was going to forget about our weekly tea time, I just got a little caught up. I promise, I'll find time later today to have our tea time together."

"Oh, you," Discord chuckled, giving Fluttershy a noogie to the head. He just can't be mad at someone like Fluttershy for more than two minutes. Fluttershy was glad he wasn't too upset by this.

"Thanks for understanding. Maybe we can have our tea time during the party?" Fluttershy offered. Discord thought about it.

"Oh, it's alright, you go off and have a piece of cake for me," Discord said.

"Thanks. If you're going to stay around here, you think you can watch over the chickens for me? Applejack brought them to me, and they've been getting … a little antsy," Fluttershy said … as the chickens were fast asleep nearby. The only activity they were doing was grooming their feathers. Discord didn't see the "antsy", but he nodded anyway. Fluttershy smiled, and flew off back towards Ponyville.

AND he summoned a hammock soon as Fluttershy was out of sight. Discord threw himself onto said hammock, gave a good stretch, just as he began to go off to sleep. The warm spring sun and the final touch of chilly wind made a perfect cool time for a nap on his new hammock. With Fluttershy off back to the Birth-iversary, this left Discord alone with the exception of a few of the animals in Fluttershy's care, and of course the chickens. Discord knew Fluttershy had plenty of different animals around her little daycare center of her cottage, so when he started to hear the sound of larger wings, he didn't even flinch.

"Discord. … DISCORD!" a voice snapped. Discord wasn't too startled by the yelling, but what did startle him enough to tumble out of the hammock was WHO was saying it. Peeking passed the hammock, he saw both figures standing there: the spirit of the world yet to come, and what looked like some sort of messenger heron or crane alongside her.

"OH. For a second, I thought you were some Tantabus messing in my nightmares," Discord joked, his talon pulling out a tantabus-like creature from his ear and flicking it aside. The spirit was not in the mood for any games (one reason why she didn't enjoy Discord).

"Discord, we are to have a discussion, and we insist you actually attend this time," the spirit informed. Discord got himself back into his hammock though, yawning.

"Oh, sure! I'd have to check my schedule first, and I'm quite a busy bee," Discord said, summoning a VERY long list of "essentials" he had to do, while wearing a set of reading glasses. They took a moment to let him look over the list itself, but the spirit was not having any of it, grabbing the list and seeing it herself, just to find nothing on it except for the fancy word in question.

"Of course nothing, Discord, if you'd be so kind - aaand you're gone."

"No, he's just up in that tree," the messenger said, pointing a wing up to a nearby spruce tree, where Discord tried to hide the best he could do. Some reason it wasn't as extravagant as it would normally be (he wasn't even altering his body). The spirit, being stronger, grabbed the tree, and the tree began to disappear until Discord fell out of it like a piece of fallen fruit. The tree reappeared a few feet away.

"Seriously, I could barely keep myself awake the last time we had a meeting like this," Discord complained, him laying on the ground like an exhausted snake, forcing the spirit to pick him up.

"Discord, this is important, for it's your involvement that started this in the first place," the spirit noted.

"OH NO, not that again! How was I supposed to know the Plunder Seeds would just spontaneously appear in another world?"

Was a comment even needed for how wrong that sounded? The spirit simply raised that ever-accusing eyebrow.

"Do I have to?"

"Indeed. The mistress insisted it herself that you specifically were to come, for you know more of both Earth and Equestria over the prior years than most," the spirit explained. Discord actually perked up.

"Did you say "the mistress"? She herself wants me?"

"Why else would we be here?" questioned the spirit. Discord suddenly disappeared for a moment, and suddenly returned in a business chair, what looked to be an office desk as well, as he clicked a intercom button.

"Mary, hold my meeting with Luna and KK. That's what I call Celestia, how cute," Discord said. The spirit swatted the intercom away from him.

"Alright, fine, fine. So, where's the meeting this time? You know, I've been seeing plenty of hotspots to visit," Discord said. The spirit sighed, taking a minute to actually get out a proper answer for him.

"Canterlot Castle. Tomorrow morning. Please don't be late."

~~~~~~

Oh, what a day.

A full party for both Lapis's anniversary, and Stevonnie's birthday was quite the big shindig. Plenty of party games, some good cooking thanks to the cakes, and a good present giving to the two. They were tired, but happy, and soon they were off heading back home. The Gems were off back home easy, and Lapis Lazuli and Stevonnie got the portal key to get them back home. Just months ago, Steven would be off over to Greg's van to go off to sleep, but thanks to magic and the Crystal Heart, Steven's home was back in shape, and good as gold when both fusion and Gem returned back. And for Stevonnie, she unfused the moment she stepped back, Connie and Steven all smiles.

"Wow, Pinkie's parties always tire me out. Never knew a game of musical chairs could be that exhausting," Connie said.

"OR that we had to look all over Ponyville just to find a surprise guest in Cadance and Shining," added Steven.

"I still think twister was the best game," said Lapis, taking a seat over by the couch and getting some rest.

"You only say that because Gems can shapeshift. Amethyst won that game at least twenty five times," Connie reminded. She could still remember pointing this out to Amethyst, and the main response being "no one said I can't". Why stop a winning streak thanks to basic logic? Lapis glanced over towards Steven, and finding that Garnet did drop off the gift they've been given, the universe globe now in Steven's hands as he checked it out for himself.

"Wow. I can see the entire universe in here," Steven said. Turned out, he can also tap about in it to check out all sorts of things.

"Steven, you gonna say goodbye to your fusion buddy?" Connie asked, going over to him. Steven took off his notice from the universe globe for a brief moment. It was a bit hard to, that he had literally the universe in front of him and he had to ignore it for a moment.

"Oh, sorry. You have to go so soon? We just got back home, and I wanna check out this a little bit more," Steven said, bringing the globe to her and showing the zoomed up solar system of theirs.

"I'd love to, but mom's expecting me home soon, and it's getting late. We can show it tomorrow, okay?" Connie promised. Steven was bummed out, but he would LOVE to show off their new toy to everyone in town. Good thing Lapis Lazuli was there too, who already knew where this was even going with a spread of her wings.

"Feel up for an air lift?" Lapis offered. PERFECT. Connie went on towards the door with Lapis Lazuli.

"See you tomorrow Connie," Steven said.

"Bye Steven," Connie replied. Steven looked out his window, as Connie was lifted off by Lapis, the flying Gem having fun with Connie, and both sharing a good laugh as they went off towards home. Steven was left alone for the night again, Steven placing the amazing "snowglobe" of his over by the bed, making sure it didn't cover up his family photo with the Crystal Gems and Mane Six. The faint glow from the universe globe wasn't enough to keep Steven awake, more like a night light then much else, but Steven got a good view of his friends in the picture. Even so, the gift was a slight reminder to him as well, as his hand was placed on his gemstone. Eh, he can probably figure this out down the line. For now, it was time to sleep. There was a lot of showing off to do tomorrow with his little trinket.

…….

Many a person, pony, or Gem would be relaxing off somewhere, but that didn't mean no one was up and about for the night. But for one notable Unicorn, the night time was a time to work out his own magic and study. He too had a very long day, according to the postcard he left for the "Harmony Gems", and even so he still had time to work things out in his own bit of time and getting the magical spells in check as he looked to a cauldron. He'd not done any of this since, well, since he first met with the Pony of Shadows. and BOY did he have a LOT to catch up on in his magic, mostly for all the new magic showing up all over the place.

"The world has changed so much since I've last seen it. The Tree of Harmony had done well," he sighed. So many areas once made up of darkness now cheerful and bright. So many new ponies, perspectives, and other things he had never seen before. He did feel a little bit down though thinking on it, not really on the Tree of Harmony, but more on the Elements of Harmony. The remints of the tree, and now they were left from their world to defeat the Pony of Shadows. He could only wish he could've learned a little more about the Elements of Harmony themselves before having them completely gone like that.

"Now then," he said, keeping some more focus on the spells, "Darastrix mentioned some weather control by a giant bird. How intriguing. What kind of magic could that creature have for its body not coming close to the role?" It was a long time ago since that happened, years in fact, but not many really took time to put some questioning on the creature. Or for that matter, the other world. He sat down by his desk, checking in on the reports as of late, though he himself was slightly unaware of something going on with his nearby cauldron. Bubbling slightly more than expected. The pony heard the activity going on, and turned back with interest, as more smoke started to come about from it. … Then came a pair of eyes glowing a seagreen color. This would raise alarm if the pony didn't have any idea what those eyes belonged to.

"Mistress?"

"Starswirl the Bearded. It's a pleasure to hear from you once again," the voice said from behind the smoke. The voice was not threatening. In fact, it sounded more like a calm mother than anything, and Starswirl would know that voice more than anything else.

"Ah, yes. How long was it? Easily over a thousand years, I'm sure," Starswirl said. The Mistress giggled a little.

"See someone's changed a bit. I can still remembered when you were more wondering how my magic worked."

"True, and I still do. Though in recent days, I'm seeing the world a bit more openly this time. Me and the rest of the Pillars of Equestria," Starswirl said.

"Very good of you to think so. I'm sorry if I'm coming in on a bad time, I know you can be so focused when it comes to magic like all good sorcerers."

"No, it's alright. The magical discoveries are as vast as the land itself. But I'm sure a small talk won't make them all go," Starswirl said. The voice behind the smoke though sighed a little bit.

"Actually … that's why I want to contact you, Starswirl. We're to have a meeting at Canterlot Castle tomorrow morning about that very thing. And I'd like you to come just as well."

"Me?"

"Yes. After all, Starswirl, you've done more magical experience than any creature I've witnessed apart of this world. Besides … you've been a witnessed to the same event."

Starswirl froze.

"... It's coming back, then. … Thank you, mistress, for telling me. I'll be present, but one thing I want to inquire. If this is to be in Canterlot, does this mean you're … showing yourself? To those outside of your circle?" Starswirl asked.

"It would be best for those in this world to know, Starswirl. I've done so long before. And they deserve it after all they've done. Besides, the worlds must be prepared in their state for the event," the mistress said. Starswirl knew exactly what she was talking about, as he looked out from his quarters to the moon outside. The moon which he knew was in control by the magic of an Alicorn, rather than its own ability.

"Understood. .. I'll be there."

~~~~~~

As with any other day, the morning sun was bringing up to the sky thanks to Celestia's own magic, bringing forth a new day for Equestria, and to Canterlot itself. Tired from yesterday, Twilight Sparkle was worn out by the time the sun came up to her old room. She took a bit to actually get around with the sun trying to wake her up, but eventually the Alicorn did give in and woke up with a yawn. One would think she would be tired from the party yesterday, but as a particular "Me And My Shadow" book fell off the bed, the actual reason for the bookworm's lack of sleep was a bit more apparent. Twilight looked down to the book, levitating it off the ground as she got to her hooves.

"What a story," Twilight said. She'd be more excited if she didn't just wake up. "Who knew Stygian was so good at literature? I really gotta give him a thank-you card when I get the chance."
With that in mind Twilight brought the book back up to her bookshelf, fitting perfectly in her "drama" section. Something like that would be the perfect spot for such a book. But now actually awake, Twilight went off to freshen up and get herself ready for the day, finding a comb and beginning to brush her mane to get the knots and "bed head" out of it.

"Morning, Twilight," said another voice. Twilight looked over, and saw Spike off nearby, who was also tired from the big celebration. He still had on a party hat from yesterday, and still have a slight taste of Pinkie's cake on his tongue.

"Is Starlight back yet, you know?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Spike shrugged. Then again, he fell asleep pretty quickly after coming back from the celebration, pulling off the party hat. Soon, Twilight got her mane and tail better kept and better maintained. Twilight gave a stretch, her wings spreading out.

"She's probably still with Trixie. Ok, ready to make our day list, Spike?" Twilight asked. Spike got a bit more aware this time, and soon went over to the drawer of quills and paper. He knew the place like the back of his claws, and it took less than a minute to gather them up.

"Ready!" Spike said.

"Okay. First matter: check the books and make sure they all are perfectly alphabetical," Twilight began.

"Again, Twilight? You just did that yesterday," Spike reminded.

"I know, but I just got a brand new book! That means re-categorizing," Twilight replied, sounding very excited about it. Twilight already began to go through the books, some levitating off of the shelves when -

*knock**knock**knock*

"Can you get that, Spike?" Twilight asked. Spike knew well that the Alicorn was not going to be off from this anytime soon, so Spike just left her to it for now. It would give Twilight a chance to get this all handled, and the work not as much on his shoulders as it would normally be. The dragon took little time to move down towards the front door, still hearing the knocking. So early in the morning too, who would be up to see them so soon?

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Spike exclaimed, before opening the door.

And there stood a crane. It looked to be a Japanese crane. … It wasn't a giant crane, or a special crane. Just some crowned crane standing at the door, dressed like a messenger pigeon. Spike was puzzled a bit, looking around for any pony, Gem, Human, or whatever that could've sent this bird. but, nothing really. Spike didn't know who sent this bird to the tower, nor what the message was all about. Was it actually the crane that knocked on the door?

"Um … can I help you?" asked Spike. The crane looked passed Spike, as if it didn't see Spike present in front of it.

"Down here," Spike said, waving his claw up so the bird could see him. The crowned crane was a bit more one-track minded though, it didn't come to deliver this message to the little Dragon, so it stepped over him and began walking around inside, much to Spike's annoyance. He tried getting to the bird, but the crowned crane was already right in Twilight's main lobby when he caught up to the bird. And by the time they got there, Twilight had half of the books out of the shelves again, ready to handle this section of books for re-categorizing. The Alicorn didn't even notice the bird and dragon at first, but the bird didn't hesitate to go right up to the Alicorn. At first, the bird didn't do much of anything, waiting patiently for Twilight to see it … for less than a minute, before -

*peck**peck*

"Ow! Spike, you know better than -" Twilight stopped when seeing the crane there. Now finally getting her attention properly, the crane got the message untied on its neck, and gave it to Twilight. Before dropping it though, he bowed to her, wings in position to mirror a gentleman's bow. Once it unrolled the message for Twilight, the crane turned and took its leave where it came from (ignoring Spike again).

"There's a nicer way to do that," Spike grumbled, before walking up to Twilight. Twilight stopped checking her books for a brief moment to check this odd message. A message by bird was a rare sight in this world of magic, and even rarer by such a big bird (relatively speaking, that is). A message by mail would either be by mailpony or, for their case to Celestia, by some magical teleportation. Twilight took a look through the letter, reading it out in her own head.

"Spike, forget the list, get the rest of my friends, we gotta meeting at Canterlot Castle to get to!" Twilight said in alarm, the message flung into the air as Twilight quickly galloped right off outside, Spike catching the letter and seeing it himself.

Well, no crazy list today. Or organizing books.

…….

The Elements of Harmony holders were at least having it easy being in the same world as Canterlot Castle. Earth was a little bit more complicated than that. And while the Elements of Harmony had gotten the early starts, the Crystal Gems still were left unchecked. And thinking they still had the day for themselves, Connie and Steven went off with the Universe Globe to show off to the others within Beach City, starting with Steven's favorite place to get a snack - the Big Donut.
When Steven and Connie both arrived inside, Lars Barriga and Sadie Miller was actually up front counter, already having a set of customers chatting the morning away with them in the form of another set of Gems (sort of), the Rutile Twins.

"Morning Steven," said the twins.

"Morning Steven, Connie, how was the big birth-iversary?" asked Lars.

"It was a blast! Here, look what we got," Steven answered, Connie having the honor of showing Lars the special globe. The Rutile Twins were looking to the object with a lot of intrigue as she placed it on the countertop for them all to check out.

"Wow, not bad," said Sadie, seeing the beautiful stardust swirl and spin about inside the globe.

"I thought they stopped making these," noted right Rutile.

"Me too," agreed left Rutile.

"Let me guess. Diamond Authority gift, right?" Lars guessed, seeing some of the "diamond" influence on it.

"How'd you know that?" Steven gasped in amazement. First guess Lars made on the object and it was on the money first shot. Lars just chuckled and shrugged, as the Rutile Twins stared off into the globe's space. She honestly couldn't help herself and clicked the starting button, turning the bunch of stardust into the universe in a globe. Connie watched it form up inside as well.

"Amazing," said left Rutile.

"Incredible," added right Rutile.

"You two sure like it, huh?" Lars commented. The twins looked over to Lars.

"It's a high-class antique only the elites usually get. It's rare for anyone under classed to ever even see one of these," explained right Rutile.

"And the last one ever heard was at least seven thousand years ago," explained left Rutile, "It's like a visual diorama of the universe."

As the Rutile Twins were explaining, Connie and Steven both found themselves mesmerized by the show inside the orb. It was one of those things one could stare at for hours and not get tired of it. Steven knew some bit on how it worked, even if vaguely, and he began fiddling with it to show the solar system again. Steven was just psyched with what they could see, but keen-eyed Connie was a bit more observant in the details of the transition. And she was seeing something out of the ordinary.

"Wait, Steven, go back," Connie suddenly said. Steven, while learning as he went along, eventually did go back a little bit until they saw what seemed to be a number of galaxies spread about the place. They could see their Galaxy, Homeworld's Galaxy (they could recognize the extra bright planet), and even the same galaxy Equus is. That was very impressive, but there was … something. Something big. Swirled up. Almost as if a portion of the stars was moving towards the galaxies that was both Equus and Earth.

"Whoa," said right Rutile.

"Strange," added left Rutile. The strange mass didn't look like any real form of object, spacecraft, or even cloud. The best thing to compare it to was spilt motor oil, and even then it was still a bit far off.

"What is that? A Supernova?" Connie wondered. But the properties of this sure looked different from a standard Supernova: a lot more spread out, and "mobile" than what a Supernova would usually be. At least that was with what she compared to from her studies in science class.

*knock**knock**knock*

What timing for the messenger to arrive. Unlike in Twilight's tower, the doors of the Big Donut were see-through, and they saw immediately the figure waiting patiently outside in the form of a red-capped crane, again with a message tied around its neck. And unlike Equestria, this was an even bigger surprise for anyone on Earth (Red-Capped cranes never are found in North America, let alone Delmarva). Curious, Sadie answered the door for the bird, and once the door was open, the crane went right on inside, going directly towards Steven Universe himself. Not as much trouble this time, and they already got their attention on it.

Exactly as with the crowned crane with the Alicorn, the red-capped crane untied the message with its beak, bowed in presence to Steven, and placed the message down at Steven's feet. Message delivered. The crane turned and walked right on out, flying away the second it stepped out of the building. When an odd bird leaves a letter to your door and bows like a servant to you, you just know.

"I suddenly sense a big adventure coming up," Steven commented, before picking up the letter, and opening it right up. They all looked passed Steven's shoulders to read the same message left by the odd bird. It was the same message left to Twilight Sparkle, and it was a fairly simple one.

And it involved all of them.

…….

"Dear Harmony Gems. We have some very important matters to discuss for this morning. I know it's short notice, but I assume you're used to this by now. Just arrive within the throne room of Canterlot Castle, and we'll all be with you shortly. Take care. The Mistress. … And who's the mistress?"

Except for Celestia, Cadance, and Luna themselves. You'd think they would be the first to be given the heads-up since they were not only the rulers of Equestria, but the fact this meeting was in their house, but when all of the Elements of Harmony, Off-Colors, and Crystal Gems on their way, the sisters got the message fairly late. and even then, it was Starswirl the Bearded who had gave them both the message instead of some messenger's crane. Twilight may have been the first to arrive, but there was still everyone else.

"You three will find out in due time," Starswirl the Bearded said. "I'm honestly surprised you didn't get this message before everypony else."

"We might have been a bit too distracted," Luna admitted. With Celestia raising the sun for the morning, and Luna just waking up from a night of dream curing and dream hunting, time to read a note was hardly any. Starswirl the Bearded stroked his beard in his usual manor.

"Well, it won't be for too long. Just be ready for a pretty crowded room in just a few minutes," Starswirl advised.

He wasn't lying. Not too long after the announcement properly explained, the first one that began to arrive was actually the Gems of the group, coming in from a few notable opening from a number of portal keys. The first one was with Steven, Connie, Lars, Sadie, and the Rutile Twins. The second one was mainly the rest of the Crystal Gems coming through (with mega-Perma-fusion Fluorite carrying a few naturally). The third one was basically the rest of the Mane Six, including Starlight Glimmer and Spike. All of them were under impression this was Celestia's meeting, and Starswirl was on the ball about one thing. The room got filled up pretty quickly. Good thing her throne room was large enough for an army force to stand inside, otherwise there would be more problems than it was worth.

"Morning Celestia. We all got the message of yours, though I have to ask what the "mistress" title is for?" questioned a Flint Gem from the crowd, heading to her first with the message in his hand.

"About that, it wasn't me," Celestia revealed.

"Wait, this didn't come from you? Then why're we gathered in Canterlot?" Applejack had to ask.

"We'll all figure it out when the front door opens … though we better move," Garnet advised.

AND then the door opened to the front. The signature sign of the white light of a portal signified someone was making the portal key path open up again. However, with all of the key holders already there, no one else could be making the door open up like this. As Garnet had said, something started to go through the portal, and everyone had to move away from the path so whoever was arriving could have enough room.
Good thing they did too: the first guest to come in zoomed right through the portal in fast flight, shooting out like a speeding train, and flying upward so to not hit the princesses standing there. He opened up his wings wide, gently landing off nearby, the feathered serpent settling down over closer to Steven, Peridot, and Amethyst.

"Q?"

"Steven."

Of course, he was not the only one arriving, as more figures started to venture through the same portal: the two messenger cranes for a start flew through the portal, and landed in unison over by the door. The next figure to come in was the Luna-like spirit stepping through. Unlike Q though, she didn't feel too comfortable being there, looking at the large crowd all around her. She simply nodded to the princesses present, before moving over next to Q. Luna and the spirit shared some glances, making some silent notes on eachother.

And then one more person stepped through the portal, a figure NONE of them recognized with the exception of Starswirl himself. A humanoid like being, not much bigger than a normal human. Her appearance, to sum up, had a mix of Blue Diamond and Celestia. Her haired flowed behind her, many shades of purple, blue, and white flowing within it, and her eyes glowed a notable emerald green. Unlike the Spirit, she was a lot more pleased to see so many of them all together, a warm smile along her face.

"How wonderful you all could make it. I've been wanting to see all of you in person," she said warmly.

"Are you the Mistress?" asked Cadance. She smiled.

"Indeed. I'm sure some of you have met my friends as well?" the Mistress asked, looking over towards the "Harmony Gems" specifically. Steven, being witness to more than a few of them already, stepped forward.

"Um … yeah, hi. That would be me," Steven said, though he found himself feeling humble in the presence of the Mistress. He had met a few of them prior to this; Quetzalcoatl being the first one that comes to mind. It was kind of hard to forget a giant, magical, feathered serpent after all, even more so because the serpent had saved his life once before. The more recent being also was with the Spirit next to him, though it wasn't as helpful (or enjoyable) as it was with Q. The Mistress went over to him and kneeled down.

"Steven Universe, right? Oh, you've sure grown," the Mistress complimented.

"And how'd you know his name?" Flint questioned almost immediately. The Mistress straightened up to see him.

"Oh I've heard a lot about all of you over the years, Flint," the Mistress replied, "So many amazing stories."

"And then … who might you be?" asked a fusion Rhodonite, a little suspicious but mostly nervous.

"You can just call me Mistress, most of the beings usually do. I'm also one of the godly entities of this combined universe, though I don't like to brag," she said modestly, waving her hand. They could say they'd met with such creatures and beings before, but they'd be a little incorrect. A deity is quite a different ball game to a standard mystical creature.

"GODLY? Entity?" Flint asked.

"MOMMA!"

And out of nowhere, another player finally arrived out of nowhere, fazing through one of the castle's windows, and meeting right with the Mistress. It was rather fast, but the Mistress was lifted off the ground and wrapped in a big hug by none other than Draconequus Discord.

"Well, you actually did show up," sighed the Spirit. And here she thought Discord was throwing her a bone again. Seeing Discord this affectionate towards anyone, not to mention referring her as "momma" did raise some questions, especially towards Fluttershy as she flew up to them both.

"You know them, Discord?" Fluttershy asked. Discord landed, placing the Mistress down.

"OH RIGHT, Introductions, of course! Mistress, this is my sweet Fluttershy, isn't she just adorable?" discord introduced, playfully pinching her cheek. The Mistress looked to the Pegasus.

"Fluttershy. … Yes, you're one of the Elements of Harmony, right? The Element of Kindness. He's told me a lot about you," the Mistress said. Fluttershy blushed in her usual way, not realizing Discord had been telling a god about her, or any of them for that matter. The spirit though wanted to get this meeting underway.

"Now, the meeting, Mistress?" the Spirit reminded.

"So formal. You act like it's a crime for wanting to see some friends," the Mistress said. They could clearly see the dynamics between these two. The spirit huffed.

"So … nothing's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I didn't say that," the Mistress sighed, as she walked over to the center of the room. The Spirit, Quetzalcoatl, and Discord as well, went along behind her.

"I'm so glad you all came here. There is something … peculiar, on the way to both Earth and Equus that I think must be shared with you. And I can say at least some of you have actually seen this object through your gift," the Mistress stated, the words she made sure were not missed by anyone else present. Steven, Connie, Sadie, Lars, and the Rutile Twins knew immediately what she was talking about, and in case they didn't, the Mistress spun her finger in the air to create a tiny circular portal just for the Universe Globe to fall through and land in her hand. Conveniently the globe still had its settings on to show both Galaxies in question, though of course it was a bit small to see.

"Discord, set up a projector so everyone can have a look," the Spirit instructed.

"Why me?"

"Because connecting these worlds was your idea, because you're small and insignificant, and because I'll punish you if you don't!"

"OK, OK. … Geesh."
Discord snapped his talon, and summoned up a projection screen, an unknown source making a light to show the exact same image the Universe Globe was presenting, this time for everyone to look at. It showed both galaxies in question, along with the strange odd mass slowly moving. A bit of a interesting note that the spirit had decent control over Discord, and she never met Fluttershy before.

"Whoa, what is that thing? Peridot?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Don't look at me, I've never seen that before," Peridot replied.

"It's advancing our way," concluded Garnet.

"Indeed," said the Mistress, "And after two days, it will arrive on both galaxies. It will cover both planets the moment it appears."

"But, w-what is it? Is it trying to take us away? Or … s-shatter us?" Rhodonite shuttered. Another gem, a Tiger's Eye, nudged Rhodonite to not start up any panic again.

"NO, of course not. … Starswirl, perhaps it would be best for you to better explain it. You did record the last occurred event after all," the Mistress insisted. Well, no surprise there. Starswirl understood the reasoning behind this, and nodded his head.

"Very well, Mistress. If you'll all accompany me to the Canterlot Library, I'll better explain everything there."

"The Canterlot Library? I've read through the books in there, I mean how could I not, but I've never read anything about this there before. Should I have?" Twilight asked, as Starswirl walked on by her.

"We're going into the library's restricted section."

Twilight froze in complete shock.

"T-There's a … a re- … a re- … a re- …"

"EASY Twilight," said Sadie.

~~~~~~

Everyone was soon gathered within Canterlot Library's deep archives. A gathering like this would typically be made within Canterlot castle, but Starswirl the Bearded had a specific room in mind, hidden away from all eyes of the normal citizens above. Good thing too, as information like this would not be allowed to reach public eye for the longest time. But, given the circumstances more than most, Starswirl had no choice anymore. Starswirl guided them downward through the silent staircase, seemingly going downward into nothingness, but with some light given by the unicorns of the group, they could see just fine. This kind of deep chasm was leaving some of them wondering where they were actually going, but none of them bothered to ask all too much.
Regardless of the case, they soon got their answer once Starswirl reached the bottom door. These doors, old and dust-covered, hadn't been touched since … well, since the last time Starswirl had stepped hoof anywhere in Equestria. Thousands of years, and not a single hoof, hand, or otherwise had touched these handles. Starswirl didn't hesitate to open up the doors, and stepped first hoof into the room ever since he left.

And the room itself, as it turned out, was yet another piece of Equestrian lore and history. A section of the library nopony, or nobody for that matter, had common access to. And BOY did it have a lot of history to cover, with shelves lined up, all untouched and still in fairly good condition (shocking really). Much of the shelves down here were made up of holes within the cavern walls instead of being pre-made like the books above, two floors of books just begging to be looked over. Some artifacts still remained in place over thousands of years, which included a griffon shield belonging to the very first king of Griffonstone on the second floor, a pair of flags that would've waved proudly for the Draconian empire just beside the door, and a few other things. Starswirl the Bearded walked over towards the library's fireplace, which he simply made a small fire spell to rekindle the fire so everyone could have a better time seeing the place.

"Much better," Starswirl sighed, as he actually started to look around the room for the knowledge in question.

"T-This is amazing. how old are these books? These have GOT to be a thousand - no, thousands of years old! Ok, Connie, ok, breathe," Connie said to herself, fanning her face so she wouldn't collapse, extremely excited. But of course, not in the same league as Twilight Sparkle.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! So many books, all unread, ANCIENT, HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS! Just … I thought … I can't …" Twilight was so freaked out, she looked ready to faint, breathing in a wheezing tone as she saw a few of the many books, all of history she had never read up on before.

"Someone better get a fainting couch," commented Lars with a smirk. Peridot and Applejack couldn't help but chuckle in agreement.

"And you're sure you can handle looking through all this, Twilight?" Celestia then asked with a smile, though she knew what the answer would be.

"DON'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!" Twilight cried, begging to look through all, if any, of these books. Never deny an egghead of an opportunity as amazing as this.

"Calm down, Twilight. Remember, we're not here just to sight-see," Jasper reminded.

"I know," Twilight said, still excited, "look at this place, there's so many! Guess we gotta read em all to -"

"AH. Here it is."

AND cut short. Starswirl didn't need too much time to actually find what he was looking for, hidden off nearby the fireplace. Starswirl the Bearded walked out with what looked to be some sort of chest, which he then placed on a nearby table. So much for having to look. Twilight actually looked ready to cry, whimpering a little.

"Easy, Twilight, you'll live," Garnet reassured her, before they all went over towards him. Talk about a true buzzkill.

Starswirl the Bearded proceeded to open up the chest, handling some of the old, and rusty locks on it, and eventually revealed what appeared to be a small book, marked on the cover what looked like a cloud of sorts. It had Starswirl's mark on it as well for signature, making this book one that he wrote down himself, so it would be natural that he would have the knowledge, and know where this even was.

"Eh, not to shoot you down already, but this is for weather," Rainbow pointed out, taking the book by the cover instead of the confines within the pages. Starswirl didn't even bother to answer her, and opened up the book. The book immediately looked a bit more like a study guide, only about ten pages worth, discussing the workings of this particular phenomenon.

"In a sense, you'd be right. I thought that this kind of effect wouldn't come to pass. But it seems that we're going to be experiencing a magical fallout."

"What're you talking about?" Amethyst asked, already a bit lost. Starswirl turned the page to show what looked to be a few creatures before: some casting spells with wands while others released it with beams of energy.

"All beings within any realm, world, of universe, has an amount of magic within them in some shape of form, and when one of these beings has tapped into their magical potential, they soon become capable of sorcery. When one uses magic in such ways, remints of that energy remain behind, having unforeseen effects on local populations, and can result in new creatures appearing within their realm of existence if left unchecked."

"So when we use magic, some of it floats around for a while," confirmed Applejack. Starswirl nodded.

"New creatures? We've been using magic on Earth! You saying that remints left there can alter the animals there too?" Flint asked.

"Animals, plants, whatever it may be," confirmed Starswirl. "It sounds like you had your fare share of creatures?"

"Yep!" Pinkie said, suddenly having a list in her hooves, "There's Time Jumper, a Thunderbird, Remorhaz, a Light Creature, Grootslang, A magic tree from Homeworld, and a jaguar with a horn and tails."

Starswirl the Bearded took a minute to think about this, stroking his beard with his hoof.

"Hmm, yes. The magic of this world has been changing and effecting the other world since it's connection, subconsciously or directly," concluded Starswirl. So. All those creatures they've seen in Steven's world were actually because of Equestria's magic left behind there. The Thunderbird, Grootslang, Remorhaz, all of those wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for Twilight being found at Rose's fountain. The very idea of it felt a bit heavy for some, and intriguing to others. Even with this explanation said, it wasn't exactly clearing everything.

"Well we know where those creatures came from, but what does that have to do with this "thing" in space?" Sadie asked. Starswirl then turned the page in the book, this time showing a sort of cloud above the magic users, and streams of magic being pulled to it not long after the magic users left.

"Magic left behind ascends into the air, and gathers into a mass of magic energy. While some of it does effect the native area, most of it remains gathered, invisible to most and harmless. But overtime, a huge amount of it is left unchecked gathers together into what is known as "The Everstorm"."

"What's that?" Fluttershy asked.

"An Everstorm is a concentration of magical energy," explained Quetzalcoatl, "Once all that magic is gathered, it is capable of completely draining any, and ALL magic from the worlds it is near. And, as both Earth and Equus are connected thanks to Discord releasing the Plundervines into Rose's Fountain, the Everstorm will effect both realms at once."
No magic. With a lot of Equestria's workings being involved with magic in some sort of way, that was a very scary thought, especially towards Luna and Celestia, who were left wide-eyed in absolute shock.

"No magic? N-No, we have to prevent this!" Luna concluded, but the spirit looked disapprovingly at them.

"There is nothing to be done that could ever stop an Everstorm from forming. All one must do is wait it out," the Spirit confirmed.

"You don't understand," Celestia retorted, "All of Equestria is reliant on magic: the weather cycles, the land, the very days! Me and my sister HAVE to move the sun and moon everyday, we can't risk that being stopped! We have to stop it!"

"That is not your call to make!" said the spirit, her voice threatening to crumble the very cavern they were in. "This is not a sentient being, for it is a universal representation of the rainclouds you move everyday. The fact this world is so reliant on magic to the point of no longer being functional without it is your own fault. And if this is so, then you'll pay the price for trying to control all fabric of your lives."
The message was cold, yet full of truth. Humans may have their own idea of changing the world around them, but at least if they stopped their world can continue on without them. Equus was a completely different story, and the idea there won't even be a tomorrow without their magic was a disaster waiting to happen. They already saw what danger there was when the plundervines attacked Ponyville on the day the connection began in the first place, sun and moon side-by-side in the sky.

"So … all magic is gonna be gone when it gets here. Don't worry Celestia, we'll be there to protect you," Jasper promised. It was then came a sigh from Quetzalcoatl.

"I'm sorry to say this," said Quetzalcoatl, gravely, "When we say all magic will be gone, we mean ALL of it. Unfortunately, that means all of you Gems will NOT be able to stay here during the Everstorm."

"WHAT?!" gasped Lapis, "B-But what'll happen to us?"

"Nothing bad: you'll be reverted back to just a gemstone. I know it's confusing, but apparently your abilities are just like the magic found in Equestria. Or at the least, the same concept that the Everstorm can take," Quetzalcoatl said.

"No, no, you're confused," Peridot said, "A gem's body is made up of a massed hologram, it's nothing much like magic."

"I don't know … Tirek was able to drain us still, magic or no. I guess it is the same as magic?" Lapis admitted, though she wished it wasn't true. She didn't want to completely be removed from the area because of this Everstorm, but if there really was no way to stop this thing from coming around, then what could they do? It was then another question came up, involving another problem concerning one pink human.

"What about Lars?! A-and Lion. What's going to happen to them?" Steven asked.

"They'll die, what do you think? It was your magic that brought them back to life, and if that becomes negated, so will they," answered the spirit matter-of-factly. So, not only will the Crystal Gems (or any Gem for that matter), no longer be in commission to help, but Lars and Lion will just die?! Lars was probably the most shocked by this, if not Sadie.

"N-NO WAY! you can't just let him die, he has more stories to tell!" Steven retorted.

"Stop acting like I have control over any of this, it's your fault like the ponies and their world!"

"WHOA, HOLD ON, don't blame them, they didn't know like you did," Discord said. The spirit then loomed over above him, making him feel very small.

"It was your fault this happened in the first place, Discord," she bellowed, "We wouldn't even need to get involved if you hadn't released those plundervines into Rose's Fountain. It would've made the arrival of the Everstorm far less likely."

"Uh, hey … this isn't permanent, is it?" Lars asked meekly. Starswirl decided to answer this time.

"No, of course not. After the first week or two of the arrival, all magic will be alive again. The Gems will be reformed, and you will be revived. … Though …"

"Oh great, here comes the catch," Spike said.

"No catch. In a way," said Starswirl. "It's hard to describe in full, but the last time this happened, it gave birth to other entities made of complete magic. If I recall correctly, it wasn't too long after the Everstorm that Rockhoof had come across the Ursa Major, I believe."

"He would have," said Quetzalcoatl, "The Everstorm has made numerous entities through the millennium, most of which are beings of great power. Ursa Major is just one example of what the Everstorm could create."

"Hold on. Ursa Major. The gigantic cosmic bear? THAT was made in the Everstorm?!" Starlight asked.
Trixie had gone on about her previous days when she bragged about beating the Ursa Major, which brought some unicorns to bring something similar to town, and while Starlight had never seen one herself, imagining that the giant blue bear that attacked Ponyville being an Ursa Minor. … Well, a kaiju-sized bear was terrifying to say the least. Even more so with it coming from the same storm coming by, so who knows what could come around now?

"This Everstorm has made far more than just the Ursa Major," Starswirl said, remembering his own experience, "A shadowy creature called the Umbra had also ventured into our world in a passing of the Everstorm. It's its influence that had taken hold of Stygian over 1,000 years ago."

"Sombra, Nightmare Moon, and the Pony of Shadows. Huh, no wonder that year's been crazy," Spike noted. Also explained the big theme with plenty of shadowy figures during that time as well, if he could recall right: Sombra the shadow pony, Stygian's dark magic, and of course the alter-ego of Luna all had a similar Umbra theme to it after all. Won't even be hard to think dark magic originated from that storm, but that might be pushing it.

"This isn't fair!" shouted Rainbow, "We can't lose ALL our power! I already lost mine, I'm not losing it again!"

"Rainbow, calm down, not EVERY ability is going to disappear," reminded Quetzalcoatl. "You'll still be able to fly, fairly fast with those wings of yours. Just don't expect to be moving clouds, or make sonic rainbooms anytime soon."

"Is there no way around it?" Garnet asked.

"Afraid not," the spirit replied. "All magic will be drained, and any that SOMEHOW would make it that would be used against it, will only add to the Everstorm's build. It's like throwing water balloons into a lake. You could either return to Homeworld and wait until it passes, or … well, find somewhere where your gemstones won't be damaged."

"I understand … well Gems, we all just need somewhere hidden away until we can reform again," conclude Garnet.

"You can't be serious," Bismuth said.

"This is outside our control. It's the only thing we can do."

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. If that Everstorm can drain our energy completely, we'd be useless regardless," agreed Flint, grudgingly. It was sad that all of the Crystal Gems can't be present to help in any of this (at least not at the start), but in that regard, at least they will return eventually as with any other time. Then again, a lot could happen in a few days, so they need to keep that in mind.

"And I … what am I suppose to do?" Lars asked, still humbled by the fact his life would have a timer now.

"Avoid rotting, I suppose," the spirit bluntly stated. It was hard to figure out a solution to that, so they had to keep Lars out of the way for a while, at best. Keeping his body from decomposing was … a challenge. What other word was there for it?

"There has to be a way to keep Lars alive, we can't even wait for one day!" Connie retorted.

"You'll have to wait a week or two before the fallout phase is complete," Starswirl said. "I'm sorry to say."

"Ok, let me see if I got this right: the Gems will be poofed, Lars and Lion will be dead, all magic will be gone, and there a chance some overpowered thing will come in and kill us," Starlight confirmed.

"That about sums it up, yes," the spirit replied. For something like the spirit, or perhaps even Quetzalcoatl or discord, this wouldn't matter too much. However, for everyone else there, these facts were just scary to think about. Just what could end up happening within the time of all this fallout and surge? Celestia took a deep breath, thinking about one possible exception to this rule.

"Spirit. You said all magic will be removed on arrival of this Everstorm, correct?"

"I'd prefer not to repeat myself," the spirit replied.

"Hmm … then what about spells that removes magic? Will that be removed as well?" Celestia asked. This was a rather specific question, and the spirit was left a little befuddled.

"... No. I don't think so. How come?"

"Then if you excuse me." Celestia had all the information she needed. With knowledge of the Everstorm now better understood, Celestia felt in her mind and soul that, for Equestria to have a fighting chance for what was to come, there was only one thing she had to do.

…….

Celestia's flight back to Canterlot Castle was a pretty silent one and pretty lonely one. The citizens of Canterlot saw her fly by, both admiring her, and keeping distance as to not bother her. Though, even if they wanted to talk to her, Celestia had little time to actually say much, as with the oncoming Everstorm she had to get the world prepared for the scenario ahead, as the others were sure to start doing in the coming days. The Crystal Gems had their own planet to keep track over, and the Elements of Harmony and Pillars of Equestria had their own plans to look into on the event. But as far as threats do go, there was a lot that can be said for the possible outcomes, and with Equus, Celestia can handle that one right now.

Sighing, Celestia landed on the tallest balcony of Canterlot Castle. This balcony was usually the spot for Celestia and Luna to raise and lower both sun and moon respectively, and easily. Easy to see where the star and moon was going in their respected locations in the world. At the time, it was about twelve in daytime, the primetime for Celestia's sun to be up at its highest. If there was anytime to handle her plan of action, it had to be now. The decision itself would never be one of Celestia's accord, namely because she never really knew how to do this spell properly, and also it was a similar backup plan to the Pillars' plan with the Tree of Harmony. They did that for the absence of themselves. And without magic to control the days, Celestia simply must do the same, and she had to do it now before the Everstorm could take it all away. It would mean a lot for her to do this. After all, it was her livelihood - the reason behind not only her Cutie Mark itself, but in a way her ruling. The Princess of the Sun, after all.

But. Alas. She had to for the future to even function.

Celestia aimed her horn directly to the sun above her head, the horn glowing a new type of hue. A typical hue from her would be yellow, or purple if black magic was involved, but this spell was something beyond even the Unicorns of the past. Her OWN spell - her backup plan in case she would permanently fail. She may have fallen before, but those were temporarily, and she knew she could still work the Sun and Moon even if she lost her kingdom. This was not the same case as before. THIS would take away all that made Equestria unique from Earth. ALL MAGIC.

"Here it goes," she thought. She focused ever so slightly for the aura of her magic to ever so cover the Sun above her. This spell would later, and in turn, do the same to the Moon when it would rise up. Once the yellow aura fully sealed the sun in the heavens, Celestia shot a singular beam of cosmic energy. Not magical energy, cosmic energy. A type of magic with permanent effects if ever used. And once that spell hit the Sun, something began to happen not just to the sun, but to Celestia herself.

Her mane and tail, for a start, began to slowly lose the strong coloration of rainbow, turning instead to a singular color of hot pink. Her Cutie Mark, as well, also began to ever slowly disappear from her flank. The process of this both drained and ached the princess, as the aura around the sun as well started to disappear, seeping out the magic from said object. The magic left the sun in a spiral of energy, but it didn't connect back to Celestia. No, the magic here scattered across the sky, vanishing in thin air. It wouldn't matter if it would return to her either way.

And just like that, the deed was done. Celestia, weaker than before, sat down and took her breath from all that concentration. Celestia glanced up to the sun once more, her sun still high in the sky. Hard to believe she would ever resort to this, and it was just as much of a surprise to Luna once she caught up. Celestia turned to see her dear sister. No Cutie Mark. No flowing mane. Without words, Luna just sat over by her older sister, both looking up to the sky once again.

The Sun and Moon were now on their own power.

~~~~~~

So from there, both worlds began to get themselves ready for the oncoming Everstorm. As this was an effect hitting both Earth and Equus, both sides needed to be properly handled as best as they could manage, especially where magic was the most consistent source of power (looking at you Canterlot). While they weren't too sure on when the Everstorm would exactly arrive, both Equus and Earth actually had enough of a clue up in the sky itself. It was pretty faint for the first day, but after the second day, there was signs of something moving ever closer to their planet, looking like a cluster of sparkles, much like stars. This wouldn't be noticeable at night, but even daytime showed these, giving them a literal timer on the form of the Everstorm itself.

Starlight Glimmer was more on the edge of things though. The last thing she needed to lose was her magic, Everstorm or no. It was the most prominent part of her, and she was busily going through book after book on numerous magical enhancements to keep her magic prominently, and permanently on. Good thing Twilight had plenty of books to look through. … Too bad any and all spells to do that require magic, and magic will be gone altogether, so most of these spells were pretty much pointless.

"First Twilight, and now you?" Spike asked as he walked in to check on her.

"Yeah, I know. If this Everstorm is coming, I just want somepony to keep magic through this so we can have some sort of chance," Starlight said, skimming through yet another book with no success, accidentally almost hitting Spike with it.

"Those entities said all magic will be gone," Spike reminded.

"Spike, that's not true. At least, it can't be true. There's got to be a way around this," Starlight insisted, getting another book and trying to find some sort of answer to this dilemma.

"But what if you're wrong, Starlight?"

"And we're just supposed to accept that?! No way! Just think how much trouble we'd be in: the Gems can't help with anything, the sun and moon will be stuck in the sky, possibly freezing or burning Equestria, and that Cluster ready to revive and tear open Earth at any moment!"

"I … guess that's true. But they said there's nothing we can do to stop it."

"Sure, you won't have a problem with it - You're a Dragon. Dragons don't use magic," Starlight pointed out. Which honestly wasn't wrong. The most a Dragon could do in magic was firebreath, and that was just a universal ability to all Dragons so if they lose that, they still have flying AND strength on their side. In comparison to a small pony, they still could wipe the floor with them. Heck, they can do that WITH magic!

"And neither do Earth Ponies and Pegesi, or Humans, or -"

"Ok, I get it. I'm just worried what'll happen. We can't control the world as well without magic!" Starlight said.

"Hi."

Spike wasn't alone in coming to see Starlight, and instead of coming in through the door like any normal thing, he just fazed through the nearest corner of the room. A gray, two-tailed canine named Sniper: one of Starlight Glimmer's more recent friends.

"Sniper?"

"Oh, I uh forgot to mention that," Spike replied.

"Just came by for a visit. What's the trouble?" Sniper asked, seeing Starlight look a bit more troubled than usual.

"Some weird thing called an Everstorm's gonna take all the magic away," Spike said casually. And to Starlight's own trouble, Sniper didn't take the news too crazy either.

"Huh. Is that all?"

"What do you mean all?!" Starlight shouted, "Equestria's not gonna make it without magic!"
Sniper and Spike shared some glances with eachother, Spike shrugging. Some of Starlight's ideas weren't too far off, but that didn't mean they were the most likely thing. Besides, saying magic was essential for the world to function was … to put it bluntly … stupid.

"I'm not entirely sure that's true, Starlight."

"You don't understand; the sun and moon only move because of Magic. The weather patterns are moved by Pegesi magic, and so much of the farmland is cropped due to - … oh. Wait. that isn't magic. B-But my point is most of our lives revolve around magic, it'll suffer if we lose it all!"

Sniper took a short moment to look over Starlight Glimmer a bit, walking around her.

"Maybe? … Not being rude, but, you might be cutting yourself too short."

"How am I?" Starlight quizzically asked. Sniper then lifted up Starlight's hoof.

"Well first, your hooves look a bit sturdy. Run pretty fast with those I bet. And that horn of yours looks pretty strong too. A little dull maybe, but, it'll get the job handled no trouble."

"Sniper, this isn't a game!" Starlight retorted.

"I know, believe me. I'm just saying that you look lot more to it than you think. You got your basic defense on your head to fight with, and got a good brain to think too. Am I right or am I not?" Sniper pointed out. Starlight wasn't sure how legitimate he was about this, Sniper speaking from experience from a completely different parallel universe of Equestria, or "homeland" as he would call it. Were the rules there the same as they were in Starlight's world, or no? But then again, nature's rules are pretty consistent no matter where one goes, and checking her horn herself and imagining it, maybe Sniper did have a point there. Jousting was a thing for Unicorns, after all.

"Have any of you ever went through life without magic before?" Sniper then asked. Starlight … didn't answer right away.

"Most of my talent has always been magic. I've studied on it for years, I've … hardly ever went through a day without it," Starlight replied. Sniper could already see the problem here. He only gave Starlight a sort of "you gotta be kidding" look.

"Well, okay, I get it, but there's still the matter of the sun and moon!"

"Yeah, about that," Spike then said, "You might not have to worry about it."

"... Huh?"
Spike then actually gave the letter to Starlight Glimmer, which she snatched up and read over. It was a brief message from Celestia herself. Namely this was supposed to be given to Twilight, but Starlight was a second bet, plus Starlight was the one freaking out here.

"... Spike? Chum? Buddy? … Why didn't you tell me this earlier? I've spent days trying to do this. You saw how panicked I was," Starlight asked … disturbingly calm in tone. Nervous, Spike just stepped behind Sniper so Starlight wouldn't hurt him. Sniper, in response, picked up Spike by the tail and dropped him in front of Starlight. Spike could only laugh nervously, shrugging.

"Maybe I should've started with that, huh?" Spike admitted.

Sniper sighed.

"Here, Starlight. How about I lend you a paw, eh?"

"Wait, really? Don't you have your home to get to?"

"It's fine, Starlight, really. I'll help you get through this, I promise."

…….

The clock was measured in just hours for the Gems. At least the ponies can still stay around when this happens, but the Gems themselves had to find a spot well away from any danger, so their gemstones would not get hurt or shattered while the fallout stage occurred. Beach City too had to get themselves emotionally prepared for this fallout, but more so over the possible "magic surge" that will happen. They're used to life without magic, but who can predict what'll happen when magic will get amped up to eleven?

"Are we really doing this?" Pearl asked.

"The world will be fine while we're gone. If we're not able to reform, neither will any Corrupted Gems," said Flint.

"It's not the Corrupted Gems I'm worried about," Pearl corrected. And just as she said that, in entered the very person over to the Temple, with some items in his grasp for them in a box. He came over with the ponies aiding the world, along with his dad.

"Okay, I got everything you need," Steven said, pulling out some stuff to show as he explained, "Discord made these fancy alarm clocks for when the magic returns, and for you all … a patented sleepy-time buddy."

"I think we'll pass on those," admitted Bismuth … as Lapis, Peridot, and Star Quartz actually took one. Star held a hedgehog buddy as Lapis had a cute bird. Peridot was more given one in the form of her alien plushie, but while she acted like she didn't want it, she secretly was happy to get it.

"Anything else you all need before you turn in?" asked Greg.

"We'll be fine. … Though if you can water Nora while we're gone, that would be great," Garnet replied. not the exact term for it, but Greg knew what she meant, holding Nora in his hands. Garnet surely hoped they would be alright, little Nora meowing to Garnet. So cute. Garnet gently rubbed Nora's head, the kitten unsure what was even going on.

"You sure everything's going to be alright? Everything handled?" asked Rhodonite.

"We did what we can do," replied Flint.

"B-But wait … what about the - … C-Cluster?"
The Cluster. The reminder that such a Gem existed within the planet's core gave them a sort of cold vibe. They've done a lot to keep track of the Cluster, and if magic was to be gone now, then the Cluster most likely would be a prominent danger once magic would return. And none of them could stop it from forming even if they wanted to.

"The world will be fine, right Garnet? … Please say it'll be fine," said Flint.

"I've already made a plan for that. Discord agreed to take care of the Cluster the minute magic returns to both world. He can put it back in a bubble for us," Garnet said.

"How'd you convince Discord?" Rhodonite asked.

"Fluttershy helped me."

"... Ok, that makes more sense."

Nearby, someone else was joining the Gems in isolating himself from the world: Lion. Blue and Lion were side by side with eachother, Steven going up to the big cat. It was a bit strange, though a little sad too. Lion didn't look fazed at all in spite of what was coming, just looking to Steven with his usual expression. Steven had plenty of time to put two and two together with this creature, comparing his fate to that of Lars before, and he just hoped Lion will be okay.

"Oh Lion. You're … there's so much I want to ask you. If only you could talk," Steven sighed. Lion wasn't sure what all this was even about, but he did know when Steven was feeling sad about something. Purring like a cat, Lion gently nudged Steven, placing his head in Steven's arms. Steven gently hugged Lion's head, before the big cat moved away towards the Temple, along with some of the other Gems. Garnet paused for a bit though, her future vision looking off ahead into the timeline. It was a bit of a mixed bag on what could happen now. After all, with magic, how can anyone tell? But while Garnet was sure Earth would be fine overall during the Fallout, Equestria was … a pretty different ball game. Equestria was all about magic, whereas Earth was just testing the waters. Garnet then went over to him, hands on his shoulders. Taking off her shades to look Steven eye to eye.

"Steven, I need you to listen to me. We did everything we could to prepare for this, but now, you and Connie will be the only Crystal Gems during this Fallout. It'll be up to you to help Equestria however you can. Whatever happens, you need to be there to protect them. Be their voice to keep them together. Can you do that for me?"

"I promise. I won't let you down!" Steven promised, giving Garnet a goodbye hug.

"Thank you," Garnet replied. Garnet then gave Steven a small kiss on the cheek, before she stood up, and walked into the Temple. The Crystal Temple was the only spot they wouldn't be bothered or hurt. It was like going down into a shelter, as the Crystal Gems all went on inside. The last Steven saw of them was Garnet's smiling face, as the door closed shut. Just one more thing to check before setting off.

…….

"You sure you have everything you need? You got enough food, water, where's your sword?! … I can't believe I'm asking that," asked Priyanka.

Steven and the ponies went from the Crystal Temple, and off towards the Barriga household. There was actually a bit much going on over there, as both Barriga, Miller, and Maheswaran families were meeting up for this event. While Sadie was there to "see Lars off" per say, the Maheswarans were mainly there as some medical aid for Lars (to be on the safe side), and to see Connie off into Equestria. They won't be seeing Connie for a while yet, as there wasn't going to be any connection back to Equestria until the Fallout would be over.

"Hey guys," said Rainbow.

"There you are. So how's the Crystal Gems, are they under?" Connie asked.

"They're fine, they've just went into the Temple. It'll be the safest place for them once the magic's gone," Steven replied.

"Hey, speaking of which," said Martha, "You're absolutely sure that this is temporary, right? If I lose my Laramie because of this, so help me -"

"It will, it will!" Rarity said, jumping in between them before anything regrettable could happen. "If it all goes well, Lars will come back to life when the magic comes back."

"And how long will it be gone?" Martha asked.

"Um … over a week? Maybe?"

"You don't even know?!"

"Mom, it'll be fine."
They all looked off into the house, and soon they saw Lars standing there.

"Laramie, what're you doing? You're supposed to be in bed," Dante said.

"I know, but I can hear your yelling from upstairs, I don't think I can even fall dead with that racket," Lars joked. not the best jokes, but with time ticking by he was already feeling a lot more tired than normal, looking as if he just went through an all-nighter party or something.

"Geesh, you alright Lars? You look worn out," Rainbow asked. Lars yawned good and loud.

"Yeah I am, guess it's from that magic-draining thing," Lars replied, rubbing his eye. He sure did look it in the face: baggy eyes and all.

"Poor thing," Fluttershy said.

"You better go back to bed Laramie, before you fall into the yard," advised Doug, "The last thing you need is a concussion to go with uh … dying."

"PLEASE stop saying that," Martha said, covering her ears. How many times did they have to say it?!

"Mom, don't think of this like that. Think of this as me taking a nap … for over a week," Lars replied. Somehow he felt that didn't help his folks all that much, but no matter the case they'd have to deal with this no matter what.

"Or maybe him hibernating," corrected Fluttershy.

"Humans don't hibernate! … Do we? Have they tried that yet?"

"Ms. Barriga, try not to panic. We will be on standby the moment he wakes up if anything were to occur. We're just a phone call away," Priyanka reassured her. Considering that her own daughter was going off to help Equestria through this crisis, she can't blame Martha for her behavior towards her son "dying" for a while. As they were making this clear to them, Sadie actually went over to Steven and Connie.

"Okay, everyone ready?"

"Wait, you're coming Sadie?" Connie asked.

"Lars and I had a talk, and he wants me to help you any way I can. He would've gone himself, but … you know."

Lars nearby just winked to them. He wished he could go off with them and lend a hand for once. After all, he probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for them, and he hadn't gotten a proper chance to help any of them just yet. Guess he'll just have to wait a little bit longer to do that. This was the least he could do, and Sadie was just as willing to help too on his behalf.

"Thanks, you guys," Steven said. And it seemed they had a bit of a talk about it because the other parents didn't have too much trouble with this decision.

"Alright. Connie, please be careful. Come home safe," Priyanka said, as Connie shared a hug with her parents. It'll be the last time they'll see eachother for a while yet. As nice of a moment this all was, Twilight looked off to the sky, and the Everstorm was closing in fast. Not much time left, and the Alicorn pulled out her key.

"We'd better get going now. Good luck everyone," Twilight replied, opening up a portal to get them off back to Equestria. Giving their goodbyes, they all went off through the portal in question. Steven looked back once more, and gave them a thumbs up before passing through, Lars giving one back.

There wasn't a closer time to do so.

Up in the sky, not long after the portal closed (which was more forceful than normal by the by), the mass above their heads suddenly stretched downward, as the planetary mass had made its contact with the planet below. In one great sheet, the entire sky turned from a standard blue hue to that of a sparkling ocean, "stars" floating in the sky, and shining in glory. It was as if the stars of the night turned to day. Any cloud in the area disappeared from the force, making the sky completely clear of any obscurity. Even the birds reacted, diving straight down to the ground as the mass covered everything everywhere. This would normally mean immediate destruction of the planet on a global scale, much like what would be of the Cluster, but no one around actually got hurt from this sudden hit by the Everstorm. … Well, not exactly. Lars felt the effect almost as fast as it came, and he could find his own vision quickly shutting down, along with everything else inside him, before collapsing into Martha's arms. Not even a time for a final word, he just dropped on the spot.

"L-Laramie?" Martha humbly asked, trying to bring him around. but of course, no response from Lars. He was gone.

Priyanka looked up to the sky.

"... So it begins …"

Fallout (Equus)

Twenty four hours.

It wasn't really too long in the grand scheme of things, but so much can easily happen within that twenty four hours. In this case, the Everstorm and its effects were as immediate as they were severe. It was incredible to think though, that the sun and moon were still on their schedules without the aid of the magic of Celestia and Luna. That was probably a good thing, since leaving the moon and sun up side by side for who knows how long would probably be havoc on the world below. Not that they haven't suffered their losses already though. With all Gems out of commission on Earth and Equus, all magical ties useless and de-powered, and some temporarily dead from this sudden shift even, one cannot deny that both worlds had a strong backtrack in all of this. Equestria (for the first time since the worlds connected now that one would think about it) is suffering even more so. Earth had a bit more trouble than Equestria since it was not used to magic yet, but with the coin flipped, Equestria had to figure out how to be like Earth … at least until the Everstorm's fallout phase ends.

Of course, if their adventures before had taught them anything, it's that a lot could happen in a week or two.

*BONK!* "OW!"

And for one unicorn it was immediate the second she walked into the door, thinking her magic just opened the door for her. Unicorns and Alicorns would be the first to feel the sting of this effect, being a lot more used to magic than any other race. Just walking out of her boutique was a little less than impressive, and the unicorn also didn't look her best either. How can anypony look their best with their brush stuck in her tail? The miserable Unicorn had to cover up with a hoodie just so nopony would recognize her going through … and she wished she could say it was the first time she did this.

Still, she went right over to her friends (Mane Six, Starlight and Trixie, Connie, Steven, Sadie, and Sniper), which at the time were waiting for the morning just by the edge of town, by the Ponyville pond. It was some distraction from what was going on and, in an ironic way, the skies looked beautiful to watch. Even during the day, the sparkling stars were still evident, giving them plenty to look at.

"Don't tell me, you had a rough morning too?" Starlight asked, as Rarity came in.

"It's horrible!" Rarity said, dramatic mode activated, "I had to use my own hooves to brush my tail!"
and she tossed off the robe to cloak to show what she was talking about, her tail left in a fangled mess with the brush, again, still in there. To say that it was a bad thing would be an understatement for the unicorn. Steven went over and just managed to get the brush out without pulling out … too much mane.

"So magic is officially gone now," Steven said, picking himself off the ground with brush in hand. Rarity went for the brush, but she needed a few second of intense staring to remind herself her horn was not working, so she just picked it up with her mouth instead.

"And yet somehow the sun and moon are still moving? I thought you kept saying Celestia and Luna moved them," Sadie then asked, looking to the sun for a brief moment.

"Celestia had to use a permanent spell on them so they'll move on their own from now on," explained Spike. Nearby Twilight sighed and looked off to the pond.

"Poor Celestia. It's so noble of her to give such a sacrifice like that to help everyone in Equestria," Twilight said. The very idea that Celestia would go this far for the sake of her land, it was an admirable move to say the least. But Steven and Connie both, according to their own experience in the past, did find that concept slightly a double-edged sword.

"Noble? I don't know about that one. Giving up your talent so fast might not be the best decision ever," Steven admitted, remembering his own experience on sacrificing for the "greater good".

"I know, but she was trying to protect everyone. A princess ready to throw what she had for her people."

"You mean like I did before, that made Connie very mad at me, and break her arm?" Steven pointed out. Twilight stopped herself.

"... Uhhh … no?"

"You were her student, Twilight. I think you might be bias," Starlight bluntly pointed out.

"Fare enough," Twilight admitted. It was kind of hard to ever say any of the princesses were "wrong" in anything, and being one of their students made that even harder for Twilight. As they were taking time to relax, one more pony finally arrived, albeit a little late. Fluttershy too had a bit of a rough morning, her mane slightly messy for trying to handle her animals.

"You okay, Fluttershy?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah. Just a tough morning at the cottage," Fluttershy replied, sitting down. She began hearing some birds talking up in the trees. Normally, Fluttershy would hear some sort of chit-chat between them in some way she could understand, but now it was just some tweets and chirps only birds understand.

"I just wish it would end soon," Fluttershy said, "It's much harder taking care of my animal friends when I can't understand any of them."

"I think you got it off easy, Fluttershy," Twilight said, "After so many years of using magic for, well, everything, it's kind of hard to operate now."

"Seriously. She got her horn stuck in the door this morning trying to open it," Spike said. This made Twilight blush.

"Ok, some things I didn't want the group to know," Twilight said.

"Oh. Oops. Sorry."

"Kind of funny though," Pinkie said, scratching her head, "They call it an Everstorm, but it's not storming or anything. In fact, it looks kind of pretty up there, Luna's stars are all front and center."

"I think the actual "storm" in Everstorm doesn't start until the surge happens … when did they say that will be?" Trixie asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sniper admitted. The exact details of this were a bit vague anyway, so simply asking for a straight answer was not gonna be easy. Perhaps this was one of those things when they'll just know when it'll happen. Whenever that may be. But with Fluttershy's arrival, something else was also amidst, especially when Fluttershy's long mane began to move.

"We just have to watch out for anything suspicious," Sadie said.

"Uh, Fluttershy? Something in your mane?" Sniper asked. Fluttershy glanced to the end curl in her mane, finding the same round bulge moving about. Soon, the reason for her rough morning popped out for them all to see. The little creature was about the size of a mouse, literally looking like just a little ball of fluff with two sets of bug wings, big round eyes, and four stubby legs. The thing was though as there was only about five to seven huddled together, they didn't look their best.

"Suspicious!" shouted Pinkie.

"Fluttershy, what're you doing with those? Those are Parasprites!" Twilight asked urgently.

"You mean Parasite, Twilight?" corrected Sadie.

"No, Parasprite. It's … huh, the same thing but with wings," Trixie realized.

"I know they are, but look at them. They came by just before the fallout, and one's even got a broken wing," Fluttershy said, as they even saw the one there with a wing broken, a good sized cut in it. That one couldn't fly properly if it wanted to, and its buddies weren't leaving it alone.

"Aww, it looks so cute," Connie said, bringing out her finger to the small creature. The Parasprite crawled onto her finger, giving off a sort of cute cooing noise, kind of like a bird. Even if these creatures could demolish an entire crop field if they wanted to, they couldn't deny that they just looked adorable. Twilight tried to move the animal away, her head being thrown back but again, no magic. And it made her look dumb trying.

"How long have you lot had magic again?" Sniper HAD to ask.

"Twilight, look at him. He's hurt, and his wing's broken. Even if the Parasprites infested Ponyville, we can still try and make sure he's okay," Steven said, gently petting the cute little Parasprite on the head with his finger. It wouldn't be fare for them to leave the little guy out in the wild by himself with his wing messed up.

"I guess so," Twilight sighed.

*thud*

And at the very moment she finished, something did indeed suspiciously land off nearby. The parasprites hidden in Fluttershy's fur was actually cowering in sight of this odd creature, not wanting to come any closer to it. The whole group went over towards Ponyville, seeing that the animal had landed on top of one of Ponyville's water barrels, and already it was munching on the sides of the wooden object. The ponies seen appetites like this with parasprites already, but this creature was no parasprite … sort of. It had some similar features to a parasprite, including similar colors. But this creature was as big as a cat, and segmented into at least three parts compared to Parasprite's single round body. It also had a set of pincers that made short work of the wood, grinding and munching it to nothing but sawdust.

"That's even more suspicious!" Steven declared, pointing right at the creature. Sniper moved in closely to the odd animal, though it was too focused on eating to really care. Once the strange thing finished the barrel off, it opened up butterfly-like wings, and flew off to the nearest building, munching a bit off of that.

"Any of you got any ideas?" Sniper asked, never seeing such an odd animal before. Fluttershy and Starlight went over to see the creature.

"I'm not sure. It looks like a Parasprite, but …" Starlight tried to think but neither she, nor Fluttershy really have much clue on this one. If anything, it looked either like a mutated Parasprite, or some subspecies of such.

"I don't know. You don't think this is from that "magic surge" do you?" Fluttershy asked.

"The fallout just started, it can't be," retorted Rarity replied. If this was some parasprite of sorts, then they had to remove it right away. Magic or not, a single Parasprite could really cause a lot of trouble, much of them remembering their own experience with such a creature before. A bit odd though that the actual parasprites were scared of this creature, actually flying off of Fluttershy, and hiding in Connie's hair instead. They weren't going near the animal that was for sure.

"NOPE, not today, parasprite look-alike! Bring on the band!" Pinkie said, galloping off for a brief moment. She knew this day would come. It took a few minutes before Pinkie Pie came back, looking like a one-mare band: harmonica and trombone up front, symbols on her front hooves, maracas on her flank, and even an accordion on her back.

"Follow me, sprite-e!" Pinkie Pie said, and immediately she began to play, trotting in place. she actually got some good music going, which actually got the attention of this mutated parasprite. The normal parasprite nodded to the music, enjoying the beat, and they began to follow Pinkie Pie as she began trotting away.

"Pinkie, it's not luring!" shouted Steven. Pinkie got a good twenty feet before she realized that the method didn't seem to work, as the bug was more interested in the building than the mare. Pinkie strung the banjo, looking deeply suspicious.

"So, party-time's not luring enough for you? Well how about some TURBO?!" Pinkie kicked it into overdrive, playing all instruments in rapid fire action. Now the play was less entertaining and more loud, the parasprites getting spooked again as much of them covered their ears. NOW did the other parasprite flew towards her … and proceeded to eat the instruments. Pinkie yelped and tried getting the thing off, and all that remained was just the straps themselves.

"I PAID FIFTY BITS FOR THAT TROMBONE!" Pinkie snapped. The mutated insect just flew away after that, spitting the mouth piece at Pinkie's head. Guess the typical, and perhaps only method to get rid of the bug was NOT going to work this time. But they had WAY more to worry about, Sniper beginning to feel … something. Sniper soon began to hear a very faint buzzing coming from far off, from the direction of Everfree Forest. A darkened blur up in the sky …

"Good grief, now we're getting rain today. How's this supposed to help anything?" Rarity groaned. But this cloud looked a little bit odd to much of them.

"Wait a minute," Rainbow said, starting to fly up high above Ponyville, getting a better view of the cloud in front of them. They knew well clouds can't be moved anymore thanks to this fallout going on, so this couldn't be Pegesi moving rainclouds in for the day. Rainbow squinted, her vision focused as hard as it could. Soon, the terrifying surprise began to reveal itself.

"Parasprites. Mutated parasprites! EVERYBODY FIND COVER!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

An entire swarm of the same type of Parasprite began to close in right towards Ponyville. All of them were no ordinary Parasprites, all matching the appearance of the first one. All the normal parasprites looked on in horror, one of them even fainting. Without magic to stop them, nor the flying abilities of the Pegasus, this swarm was NOT going to be stopped by any creature, and all the residents of Ponyville quickly tried to find cover, including the mane six and company. It was hard enough, if not impossible to remove normal parasprites, and they only managed by chance thanks to one-mare-band Pinkie Pie. But if not even that was going to work, what were they supposed to do other than hide and hope for the best?
The swarm of the millennium swept right through Ponyville, so many of the residence trying to get what they can and get out of the swarm as fast as their hooves could carry them. The air filled with sounds of insect wings and buzzing, as numerous food sources and objects were stripped down, even more so than the invasion of the regular Parasprites. In the panic, Steven bolted off for cover under the nearest table, but the insects tore that up in no time at all.

"Steven!" Connie rushed out as quick as she could, reaching Steven fast and pulling him both out of the crossfire of the giant bugs, right into an alley. some of the bugs were there too, gnawing on the hay rooftops and wooden boxes and barrels, but they left them alone overall.

The assault spread all over Ponyville, the swarming insects leaving little to nothing behind in their wake of attack, all residents unable to stop any of it as all they could do was hide. It was brutal, but fast. As suddenly as they came, the swarming creatures had disappeared, flying off to newer grounds to continue their moving feast. The buzzing went quiet, and only then did they all come out to see what has become of their home.

Destroyed. Every last bit of it. Buildings torn down to just wood and rock. All remints of food gone in the blink of an eye. All the residents cautiously moved around, seeing whatever was left of their home. Spike slowly went over to one of the bushes, and one tiny touch of his claw made one final leaf fall to the ground.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" sighed Connie.

"What's that?" asked Starlight.

"This is only the first day."

…….

All day long, and on to the night, Ponyville … well, it didn't look like anypony could live there properly anymore. Not that any of them could really keep themselves still anyway, busily either working on rebuilding with what they had left (which was hardly any), or checking to see if anyone else was hurt. Such a swift yet cataclysmic move on Ponyville, it hadn't seen such destruction since, well the last time the Parasprites came to their home. And at least the original Parasprites didn't automatically tear apart their homes, and Pinkie HAD a way to stop them. Naturally, this sort of danger got the attention of the Princesses, who saw this unfold from the windows of their own home. None of them liked what they were seeing, and without magic as a backup option, this was far graver than it would normally be.
Even the Everfree Forest, which was by far the most forested area in Ponyville, was now stripped down to bare bone trees.

"When the sun rose, this place was a fertile town for any creature. But now … with the moon, it looks down upon a waste. I'm afraid it'll be a very long time, before there's enough food for any animal to make a living here," Cadance gravely confirmed. Even the princesses themselves had limits, and with most options taken away, what else could they do? Even the smaller remaining Parasprites had to agree on that, and they practically could eat anything. This was more apparently as one tried gnawing on a stick, just to spit it out.

"You all wouldn't happen to have a food emergency supply, would you?" Sadie asked.

"Eehh … we honestly didn't need one. You know, magic fixes and all. And even if we did, doubt we got much now," admitted Applejack. so much for a contingency place, but that was one of the sacrifices for living somewhere where someone can just "poof" something into existence with enough practice, Unicorn or otherwise. Besides, what could they salvage around here now? Twigs and pebbles?

"No problem, we just have to go into another town for a while. Think Manehatten might have a program for this?" Steven wondered.

"The situation is far more grim than it appears," Luna stated. "It's not just Ponyville that had been attacked by this plague. Country towns hardly even exist anymore, and as for the cities. Well, food supply there's been eaten away as well. These mutated Parasprites had traveled far more vast than you might think."

"Not to doubt your ability, princess, but how would you know that if you can't use magic?" Rarity asked.

*chirp**chirp*
And just as she said that, another small bird landed nearby the Alicorns. This time it was a more standard option in the form of a Passenger Pigeon, a note tied to its leg.

"Nevermind," Rarity said, as Luna got the message untied. Not too easy without her horn to do so, as she had to use her hooves and teeth instead. The message was much like the others they've received. Celestia looked to the letter herself.

"The swarm has taken out Canter Creek," Luna reported, much to the dismay of AJ. Chili Pepper's business must be looking horrible now, imagining fields of once prosperous peppers and other greens, now reduced to just bare roots. This was a deep dismay for the Alicorns to hear. How could their world just be wiped out so swiftly like this, and by matters of their own creation?

"Where did these Parasprites even come from? They eat a lot, sure, but they don't eat buildings too," wondered one of the ponies. It was a VERY large bit of Deja Vu for one alicorn, and she dropped her head in dismay. Oh Parasprites, and her attempt to fix things with just magic alone.

"Twilight?" Starlight asked.

"I uh … the Parasprites invaded Ponyville before, and I may or may not have tried to fix it with magic. … It kind of backfired," Twilight admitted. Trixie jumped at her for this.

"What?! YOU made these mutated eating machines?! Twilight, you doomed us all!"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't -"

"Don't you start that!" Sniper suddenly snapped. "It doesn't matter who's fault it is, it doesn't change the fact that it happened."

"Thank you," Twilight thought. While still feeling guilty that a previous flaw had FINALLY come back to bite them after so long, there still was a few questions regarding this. For one thing, Twilight's main spell was to make the Parasprites stop eating their food, and that was actually successful … and they ate everything else but that. But the thing was, these Parasprites ate literally everything, food or otherwise. Her spell would've at least left the food alone, but apparently that didn't happen.
What WASN'T any excuse, was that she didn't technically got rid of the problem, just rolling a majority of them out of town into Fillydelphia instead of actually fixing the spell. Pushing the problem onto somepony else, you could say. And now THAT brought them right back to where it all started.

"We're faced with a difficult decision," Celestia concurred, "There isn't enough time to regrow any of our food … and if the reports are any accurate, simply moving away isn't going to be that easy."

"So what do we do?" a voice then asked. A question practically on everyone's mind, really. One of the ponies then turned to the humans.

"Your world doesn't have magic, what do you do when your town's out of food?" Trixie asked. Connie, Sadie, and Steven were left on the spot, and their minds kind of went blank. Their world may not have as much use to magic as Equus, but they never had to go into such a situation without food or anything. The closest they could say was when the Watertower of Beach City toppled over, but that was honestly a poor example (they still had food sources and didn't get all objects just washed away).

"Uhh … well, uh. … Any ideas, guys?" Sadie asked.

"Umm … I know, we can fish! Parasprites didn't eat all the fish," Steven replied, wishing he did have a straightforward answer to them.

"Steven, Ponies don't eat fish, remember?" Connie reminded. That ain't gonna work, but it was a decent idea. After all, Beach City wasn't really known for its farming, and they get plenty of fish throughout the day.

"Oh. ... Kelp-fishing then?" Steven shrugged.

"Even when we get the magic back, it still won't be enough to fully fix what those Parasprites did - this'll easily take months to recover," Celestia admitted. It was never a good thing to hear the princess herself say it can't be done. Magic was a strong component yes, but Celestia, Cadance, and Luna knew better than to just fix it all with one spell. Magic was gone, and from the messages, all of Equestria was being wiped clean right now, and unlike any conquering villain before, they were only out to destroy. And they had won.

"... There's nothing left for us here. If we are to survive. … We must leave Equestria."

The reaction was almost immediate, all residence of Ponyville going into a uproar.

"Leave Equestria? Impossible!" shouted one of the ponies.

"B-But outside?! There's nothing for us out there!" retorted another.

"Please, everypony! All of us had survived outside before coming together in Equestria. and we can do it again if we have to. … And I say we have to," Celestia confirmed, looking out once again to the landscape.

"Ridiculous! It'll all grow back, we just have to wait! We don't have to "go" anywhere!" snapped a particularly stubborn pony, and sitting down on the dirt as a more visual point. He was not going anywhere, and some of the residence were actually agreeing.

"And how long will that be? Weeks? Months? You can't just sit there without starving to death, that's just silly," Sniper stated.

"SO is running off out into the unknown! Where would we even go anyway?"

"He kind of has a point," Trixie quietly said to Sadie. Even if they all did want to go, where exactly could they even go to? Finding a land of plenty right off the bat was not as easy as it sounded, and with the swarm of Parasprites who knows what was actually left to go to. There was a moment to ponder on the option, and so far no one really had much clue.

"Hey, Rainbow, you and your kind get about don't you? Got any ideas?" Sniper asked. Rainbow scratched her head a bit, trying to come up with something, or somewhere for them all to go off to.

"Umm … well uh … not exactly. I fly around all over the place, but I'm not exactly "traveler's flight"," Rainbow Dash answered. She can fly around, don't get her wrong, but there was a difference between migratory flying, and just flying fast. The most she flew off to, anyway, was within Equestria borders - she never had to fly out of it in her life. Same could be said for the other pegasi.

"Celestia? Luna, Cadance? What about you three, do you have anything?" asked Steven.

"Hmm … I do have one idea, but I'm not too thrilled about it," said Luna.

"Go on then, what?" Sniper asked. It was a bit of a longshot when it came to actual accommodations, but Luna's suggestion was probably their best bet. Everyone there was looking to Luna, including the other princesses.

"...…. Midnight Palace. Pass the Nether Lands. It's the only land I know of where Parasprites can't reach. If there is any land still thriving without magic, it would be there."

"How're you not so thrilled about it then?" Sniper questioned. Luna sighed.

"Because that's the capitol of the Centaur and Gargoyle Kingdoms. In other words … it's where Tirek came from."

"LORD TIREK?!" gasped the ponies.

Sniper was the only one not in the know about it, but it was impossible for everyone else to forget such a tyrannical creature. Lord Tirek: the Centaur that took out the Crystal Gems, manipulated Draconequus Discord, and altogether had all power in Equestria! It was a miracle they even won to begin with over how many odds stacked on them, and if ONE Centaur could nearly kill two worlds with one rampage, who's to say what an entire army could do?

"Am I missing something?" Sniper asked, scratching his ears. Starlight shrugged.

"We're on rather precarious terms with the kingdom right now. And their king, Lord Vorak. ... Well, Celestia and I tried talking to him, but it turns out he's upset with both of us for not letting Tirek return home, and instead locking him away here. He found it an insult that we assume he can't deal with Tirek on his own terms, so he made us leave. I doubt he would want to see us again, but ... with the situation we're currently facing, it's the only place we have left. ..."

"W-Well, maybe he's more willing to talk?" Starlight asked.

"It's a nice thought, but Vorak is not as ... well ... the "understanding" type," Luna said.

"Then maybe he'll understand this time. I mean, the least we can do is try. It's not like we have anywhere else now anyway," Steven admitted. They took a minute to look around once more, seeing just how little they got now, and how much more was being taken away.

"It's settled then. Everypony. I'm sure we got a lot to do before we leave. Tomorrow, we leave Equestria. Together."

~~~~~~

Celestia's sun, now under its own power instead of the Alicorn herself, wasn't waiting as long as they would like to rise up in place of Luna's moon. The ponies of Ponyville needed a lot of convincing for all of them to actually do this, as some Ponies (notably those more in tune with modern living) were a bit harder to convince over others. Suddenly turning from modernize to nomadic would deter many creatures. But as they've explained, they can't afford to wait for their world to just come back to them, and if they were to have a decent living, they had to go no matter what the case may be.
So, for this new herd of Equestrian Ponies, their journey began the moment the sun rose into the sky, everyone following Luna and Celestia, for the two knew the way to Midnight Palace when nobody else did. Moving an entire residence out of Ponyville was no easy task, but eventually they all got everything they could get or salvage. A few personal items and some wagons were the overall gist of what they had to gather, being pulled along by a number of Earth Ponies, and Trixie if you count her caravan. Some of the older or weaker ponies were riding inside the wagons as everyone else resorted to just walking or hovering in the Pegesi's case.

As the group began to move on passed the borders of Ponyville, only Steven stopped and turned around to look back at what once was his friends' home. The only main item that wasn't taken away from this town was the small stream flowing through, and that was about it. Everything else was reduced to just rubble. Steven couldn't believe just how much was gone, and this was only the first thing from the weeks of no magic. If THIS was the first "trial" for Equestria, he had to wonder what else could be coming to them overtime on this trip. With a number of scenarios going around in his mind, he turned around and caught up with the rest of the herd.

So it began.

And though they marched on day after day towards Midnight Palace, this migration found very little of their home as they were forced to move on. Their once fertile home of Equestria, was now as barren as the deserts within the Badlands. Heck, the Badlands was probably doing a decent job in comparison if one were to think about it (they were used to it). But the more they went, it seemed that the Parasprites had already beaten them to it, leaving behind very little for them to salvage off of.
And they all were getting more discouraged as they went. As food went, the small bit of grass was what kept the ponies going, but the ones that couldn't do so were the humans, Spike, and Sniper, so this left them with probably the least amount of food. Even so, it didn't help in water which one could argue was an even bigger danger than food.

"Excuse me? How far is it to the Midnight Palace again? Feels like we've been walking forever," asked a rather winded Rarity. Formally would be a fine thing, but Rarity was just too tired to think about it all too much.

"If we're on the right path, we should be reaching the border soon. Passed that would be the Nether Lands. Should be a straight shot from there," Cadance replied, feeling tired herself. Flying would make the trip a lot quicker, but the princesses were not thinking of just leaving everyone behind for the sake of convenience.

"I do hope so," Rarity sighed, "... You wouldn't know if there would be a spa would you? Or some sort of treatment?"

"I'm … not entirely sure," Cadance admitted. Rarity hung her head in dismay, her less than perfect mane almost dragging on the ground. Bad enough she couldn't use her magic to brush her own tail, but now she couldn't even get the time to even do that. Oh joy.
Inside one of the wagons, Connie was given some time to rest inside along with a few others, Steven walking alongside to keep her some knowing company.

"Sure you don't want a ride, Steven?" Connie asked.

"No, it's cool, I can go like this for days," Steven reassured her, just for his stomach to growl loudly. A notable noise heard over the literal few days since they first left.

"Oh, come in here, you goof," Connie said, grabbing Steven by the arm and pulling him into the wagon. She wanted Steven alright as much as he wanted everyone else to be. They both shared a smile, but then looked to everyone else.

"So how long will we be staying at this palace?" Connie then asked, after Steven got situated properly.

"I don't know. I just hope Lord Vorak doesn't mind us staying. If he still has water and food, we'll all be okay in no time," Steven replied. That is, if Vorak minds sharing his bounty with them. Steven may have not met Vorak himself, but if Tirek, one of his followers, was anything to go by, then these guys probably wouldn't be any pushover. As they kept going though, one Draconequus was just full of complaints.

"I don't get how any of you manage not to just disappear and reappear whenever you want! My claw and hoof are KILLING me," Discord groaned. If he could, he would show his feet barking like a bunch of angry dogs. You know "my dogs are killing me" saying, but it didn't land as he couldn't even use his magic for that.

"Well I definitely miss you being able to disappear," Trixie griped.

"Give him a break, Trixie, none of us knew we weren't going to use magic like this," Steven said. Trixie just rolled her eyes.

"I honestly don't see what the problem is, we're just walking."

"EXACTLY, I haven't walked this long in a millennium," Discord cried, pulling down his cheeks and straining his eyelids. He also fell down onto his back, though Trixie didn't pay him too much trouble, and just kept walking with the rest of the herd.

"You're holding up well," Connie noted. Trixie just shrugged.

"Oh, this is nothing to me," Trixie said, waving her hoof in dismiss, "I'm a traveling performer; I go all over Equestria on my own four hooves, bringing my top-of-the-line traveler's caravan! The only difference here is I'm with my company the whole way."
Surprisingly humble of Trixie in her own way, and a valid point. All those years of traveling on hoof with her wagon in toe made this journey anything but hard for the unicorn. Trixie only had to pause for a minute to stretch her back hooves a bit before walking again.

Eventually, they began to see something off further away. A rather peculiar, yet memorable area that was the edge of Equestria: a huge deep canyon splitting Equestria, and the land beyond, rock formations scattered across the way. Cadance and Twilight have specific memories of this place thanks to one particular Draconequus and his half-cocked "disease" just to see if they'll actually take him as a equal. And now, with Ponyville all there, they had a slight problem …

Ok, a big problem.

"Oh THIS is just reassuring," Discord grumbled. Some of them went right to the edge of the cliff, looking downward to what looked to be nothingness, some slight pebbles dropped into darkness.

"Do we really have to?" asked Sadie.

"I think so. It won't be too hard - the Pegesi and Alicorns can carry just fly us across. Think you can do that guys?" Steven said, turning to the flyers in question. Flying across the canyon itself was a pretty straightforward task, and carrying somepony wasn't too complicated either. On this idea, they began doing just that, and one by one, the Pegesi and Alicorns both began carrying non-fliers across. The Pegesi continued going on back and forth from there with little incident between trips, making sure they all weren't going to fall into the abyss below. It would be a lie if it was a completely flawless fly around though, as some were a little bit more difficult.

"Hang on tight," said Fluttershy to Sadie.

"Don't worry," Sadie said, though that was for her letting go. Holding onto Fluttershy's front hooves, the Pegasus began to lift her up off the ground, and slowly started flying over the canyon. Sadie had to struggle just not to freak out, being so high up and all that, and Fluttershy herself had to keep looking forward to not get spooked herself.

"Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look …" and Sadie accidentally looked down. hundreds of feet straight up, unable to even see the actual bottom of the abyss. Her fight/flight response accidentally got kicked up a bit, and Fluttershy could feel Sadie's grip tighten a bit, almost a vicegrip on her hoof. It was then her hands actually began to get a little sweaty, her grip loosening on Fluttershy! And then …

"AAHH!"

"Sadie, I'm coming!" In a quick dive, Rainbow Dash zoomed right down into the abyss as Sadie fell down, screaming a bity before Rainbow just managed to bite into her collar, and her hooves wrapping around her underarms. Her wings flapped like mad to slow the decent, and soon Sadie was back flying up again. Good save.

"That was close. Thanks," Sadie said, taking a minute to slow down her heart as Rainbow placed her down on the otherside easy. Fluttershy landed beside her to check on her, glad to see she was okay.

"You alright over there?!" called Applejack.

"We're fine! Just avoided a near-death experience!" Sadie called back, as Fluttershy began flying back over. This was probably the worst of the incidents going on. bit by bit, the herd began to reform onto the otherside of the canyon, though as there was a few ponies left, there was some trouble when it came to the wagons. Multiple pegesi had to carry those, though then came Trixie's wagon.

"Be very careful with her! And don't damage anything!" Trixie called, who at this point was already on the other side of the canyon. Trixie felt a panic attack as a group of Pegasus began to slowly move the traveling wagon and everything in it over the canyon. What made Trixie's wagon the most difficult was that it was stocked full of all of Trixie's things, making it all the heavier for them all to move. Trixie couldn't even look, shivering as she covered her eyes. Each lean they made, and each sound of at least one item being knocked over in there. Like Greg with his van, Trixie and her wagon go WAY BACK, and she would hate to lose it now.

*THUD* And the caravan was safely across. As safely as it could be, anyway. Trixie went straight for the caravan, hugging one of the wheels, grateful it made it over in one piece.

"You care a lot for that, don't you?" Steven noted.

"Of course, I live in here!" Trixie said. Bizarrely familiar, but Steven not someone to question what someone would like, especially if they had their home on wheels.

"Well, we're out of Equestria now," said Twilight, looking back over the canyon. "And now we move into unknown territory. Wish I knew what's over here."

"Everything's going to be just fine, Twilight," Steven reassured. Twilight smiled, and soon the whole group was on the move again. Leaving Equestria behind them.

…….

Night came onto the group.

The Nether Lands sure were a bit different from the usual fields back home. In Equestria, you would find patted fields of grass, and in less urbanized areas some colorful flowering bushes and healthy trees. But the thing was, weather and care of plants were on part of the ponies, and the Nether Lands never had that touch, giving it a look more suited to Earth than Equestria. On the bright side, at least the group FINALLY found some water to drink in the form of a shallow river, which was where they stopped for the night. There was a bit going on, even if late at night. some were handling small talk, while others were right off asleep after a long day of traveling. Even with so much time walking though, a very few were still active and going about. And for Sniper's case, that would be some hunting by the river (or fishing, rather). He managed to catch himself a few good fish, though it took a lot of effort to handle, bringing them over back to Connie, Sadie, and Steven. The main catch was just about four fish, which were being cooked up by a fire built by Sadie and Steven.

"So good! Life is beautiful!" Steven said, almost in tears after tasting the cooked fish. Days of hardly tasting anything but some grass, and while may not be spiced up in any way, this meal was just heavenly to eat. Connie and Sadie couldn't help but agree. Sniper preferred his fish raw, gnawing on it like a dog with a chew toy.

"Glad y'all finally got somethin' to eat," AJ said, "Better stock up, don't know when the next meal's gonna be."

"AND water for all of us. I was scared those Parasprites might've drank it all when they first showed up," Sadie admitted, as Pinkie Pie gulped down a good drink from the river close by. The clear, cool water was just simply refreshing down her dry throat, as she sighed in sweet relief.

"All the same, we're doing better than I thought. I'd guess at least one of you would've given up by now."

"See, Sniper? That's the power of working together, and taking care of eachother. We can make it through anything," Steven reminded. Sniper chuckled.

"Alright, you got me there. Guess there is a difference between a pack and a herd, even if a little bit. We both take care of eachother, but you take it up a notch."

"Following your logic, we have to be. I mean, we're ponies and humans, we don't have claws or fangs," Applejack said, looking to her hoof. Sure she got a lot of muscle on those kickers, though she can't cut a fish in two by kicking it. Sniper well saw her point there, and finished off his fish in a good gulp.

"Darn good, these fish."

"You know, we can fish for a bit if you want," Sadie offered.

"You can catch fish?" Sniper asked, a little confused.

"Sure we do, Beach City's all about fishing. We can show you how we do it if you'd like," Steven said. Sniper got up and stretched a bit, yawning good and long.

"No thanks. I've done enough fishing for the night. If you're still hungry, go right ahead, there's a good shoal of em further down," Sniper replied, settling down over by the fire. Sadie and Steven both got up, but Steven looked to the others.

"You guys wanna come?"

"Heck, sure, I'll go," Rainbow replied, "Could use some athletic practice."

"Me too," Starlight said, "I've been meaning to actually try fishing, but never really tried."

"Alright then, you have fun. Don't go off too far," Applejack advised. So Sadie, Steven, Rainbow, and Starlight went off along the river to where Sniper mentioned. It was a bit risky to just let them go off like this, but on the other hand, at least they had eachother. Far better than any of them being alone in any circumstance. Applejack watched them go off alongside Connie. Soon Applejack put out the fire for the night, and everyone began to go off to sleep. While they both didn't say anything, it was only natural they'd be a bit worried for them.

...*grrrr*...

And they had every right to be. Something was on the prowl. And not long after the four had left, this native to the Nether decided that it was time to give one of these newcomers a "warm welcome".

.......

"Okay, so how do you do it?" Starlight asked, watching Sadie look into the water with what looked to be a sharpened branch, made into a spear. Starlight and Steven had one themselves, though they weren't sure how to do it exactly.

"It takes some precision. You look into the water, spear at the ready ... wait for the right moment ... and ..."
And in one well aimed strike, one of the fish was caught, skewered quick and painless. It was a bit impressive for the two to see, though Rainbow Dash was getting a little impatient with the lesson in spear-fishing.

"Finally we're getting somewhere," Rainbow said, "now we can actually have some fun."

"Okay. So just wait, and ... HYAA!" Steven tried his luck, but he was just a little too slow, and all he stabbed was the muddy bottom, the fish scattering away. not the best attempt, but Rainbow Dash wanted in on the action and tried another approach. She flew overhead of the river, and with a quick "kingfisher's dive", she snatched up one of the fish in her own muzzle. A bit easier pinpointing a fish in a river than out in the ocean.

"Ok, show-off," Starlight commented jokingly, as Rainbow Dash landed with fish in her mouth ... just for it to wiggle out quick, hitting her face on the way falling to the river. Oh well, no one was perfect.

"Okay, Starlight, you try one," Rainbow Dash said smugly, wiping off where the fish slapped her. Oh boy, now it was her turn, and she could barely hold onto her spear correctly with her hooves. Starlight looked into the water, seeing only one fish left. Starlight raised her spear up above her head, both hooves on it, but this fish was a little bit cleverer than they thought. AND an archerfish. One well aimed from the fishie, and it shot Starlight right in the eye, making her stumble back, and drop her weapon. Steven and Rainbow Dash just couldn't help it, and just laughed as the archerfish swam away. It was just too funny.

"Laugh it up, hamhocks," Starlight grumbled, rubbing the water out of her eye.

"Sorry, Starlight, it's just out of nowhere," Steven said giggling. Rainbow, being the least tactful, actually fell onto her back laughing ... until the Archerfish, seeing her close, shot her in the ear with a stream of water. Whelp, that made her shut up, and Starlight actually chuckled.

"Oh, wanna play around, do you fish?" Rainbow Dash said. No fish spits at her and gets away with it, as the Pegasus got airborne again, readying for another -

"MMMPH!" *snap!*

"Huh?"
The muffled yelling was a bit hard to hear from where they were, but was a bit more prominent was the snapping noise, catching their attention (and the archerfish swimming the opposite direction). She saw quite a bit from being up above much of the shrubs, though she then began to see one of them move. And some sort of liquid being splashed out of it. Was that water? ... No, too dark to tell. Curious, Rainbow actually flew over to the bush, and as she landed, the rustling stopped. Sadie, Starlight, and Steven began to follow her towards the large bush. Upon closer inspection of this liquid, they actually made a horrifying discovery.

It was blood.

*SHING* "YOW!"
Out of nowhere, something leaped out and tackled right into Rainbow Dash, sinking its claws and teeth into her wing! The attack was swift as it was brutal, and made Rainbow Dash tumble head over hooves, right into Sadie and Steven. As for what attacked them, the moonlight revealed a carnivorous creature. About as big as a pony, slightly dog-like with longer back legs, but with droopy rabbit-like ears. Its eyes stared at them for a moment, almost goat-like, and its muzzle was covered in liquid. It looked flawless, with the exception of one cut in the creature's right eye. It went back into the bush, and got what it came for. In the form of a Ponyville resident! And soon it took off with her.

"No! STOP!" Steven shouted, the four immediately giving chase. The creature, whatever it was, moved extremely quick even with food in his mouth, and the two ponies and humans were left pretty far behind in the field. Rainbow would've caught up by now, but the attack deeply injured her wing, to the point where she couldn't fly at all. She could only gallop, flapping her wings for some extra speed and nothing else. The hunter got a very good distance from them, for so it seemed to be. It almost looked like the creature was fading away, disappearing from sight it moved so quick, but none of them were going to give up, and in a mad burst of speed, Rainbow Dash was gaining up on it.

"I GOT YOU NOW!" The creature was soon slammed off of the pony, the hunter skidding to a stop. The four quickly went to the pony, but they soon found quickly that this chase was Illy rewarded.

"Hey, you're safe! Get up, come on!" Steven said ... only to find nothing. Steven tried to get her up, but turning her over, they all saw the deep bite mark in her neck. And she was not getting up.

*RAAHH!*

"Scatter!" Sadie shouted, as the predator charged at them all. They all had to quickly scatter away, its claws almost slicing into them on the spot. The predator was hoping this would be a silent hunt, but that clearly wasn't gonna happen. It tasted blood and it wasn't going to leave so quickly with fresh meat on the ground. The others moved, but Steven suddenly found himself frozen still, looking to the killer. The creature and Steven stared eye to eye, the snarling beast moving ever closer to him. Rainbow jumped in between the creature and Steven, wings spread. This was barely a deterrent though, one wing drooping a little bit.

"SIGBIN!" A voice shouted from above. And suddenly the princess of the night, Luna, rushed in and tackled the carnivore a good twenty feet away. The move stung, and the Sigbin as it was called, skidded to a halt again, snarling at the Alicorn. Immediately it jumped Luna, claws and fangs digging into her, but the battle-ready Alicorn flew up, and forced the Sigbin off of her. Any closer to her throat and that would've been the finisher right there.

"Luna," it hissed.

"I-It can talk?" Sadie asked. The Sigbin moved over towards the dead pony, grabbing it and starting to drag it off a little bit. Luna kept her wings spread, ready to attack at any moment the creature would jump them.

"Every night since you arrived here, you come and fight me. And every night you lose. I already crushed her wing. Next it will be your throat."

"Try it, and I'll scratch out your other eye," Luna warned, battle at the ready. The Sigbin snarled at her, but now with the odds against it, there's no reason risking injury. It'll just have to hunt something else for now, and left the carcass for the others to go over. And just like that, it was over, and the Sigbin was gone. Luna relaxed after a bit, seeing the dead pony laying on the ground. And then she turned to the others.

"What was she talking about? Every night, Luna? How long were you doing this?" Steven asked. Luna didn't answer though, instead looking to Rainbow's wing, spreading it with her hooves to inspect it. Rainbow cringed a little but on the pain, and Luna looked to Rainbow Dash dead in the eyes.

"Did anything break, Rainbow? You have to be honest with me," Luna asked, stern and urgent. Rainbow looked to her cut wing, and gave it a few flaps.

"I don't think so."

"Good."

~~~~~~

"The Sigbin? What in tarnation's a Sigbin?"

While specific on who was asking at the moment, this was left on the mind of quite a good amount of the group as the time went on by into the next day. As cold-hearted as it might sound, the funeral for the fallen pony wasn't as long as one would expect: burying the body, giving a few kind words, and moving on. But given their circumstance, and the longer they mess around the more danger they would be in, it stood to reason just enough that they couldn't afford to wait long. They still had a lot of the Nether Lands to go, and a lot of time left in the fallout to endure. In a way, her trouble's were over.

"It's one of the native predators in the Nether Lands," replied Luna, "Sigbin don't usually prey upon ponies, if at all. I'm shocked it was ravenous enough to do so."

"Well, I wouldn't blame her for it," Sniper sighed, speaking as a predator himself in his own right, "When you're in a area with little to gather, you have to take what you can get."

"Why am I not surprised you would say that?" Rainbow commented. Course a fellow carnivore wouldn't bother too much about it.

"He's right all the same," Rarity admitted. "Besides, it's best for us Sniper's used to scavenging, or where would we be?"

"Doesn't make it any better. Bad enough we lost our magic, now we're reduced to a moving entrée for whatever wants to eat us. Well, This entrée isn't going down without a fight! Just let em try next time," Rainbow said, doing a few air punches and kicks. She may not be able to do Sonic Rainbooms, but that didn't mean she was completely helpless, even with her wing still out of commission.

"Glad you're so enthusiastic, Rainbow Dash, but I can't allow you to guard for us, not with your damaged wing."

"Come on, I can still fight. I'll be sure to protect all of you," Rainbow promised. She wasn't the only one of course: since this attack, Luna and Celestia had agreed to set up some watches just in case this would happen again, and they were always checking for some extra eyes for better surveillance. Luna herself needed it, as the cut in her chest were still aching from the attack, the claws and teeth of the Sigbin still being felt in the Alicorn's fur. No doubt in her mind that same pain was still in Rainbow's wing.

"Uh, that aside, had any of you heard from Steven since last night? Dunno about you, but I haven't heard him say a word since we started moving again," asked Applejack.

Rarity, Luna, Rainbow, and Sniper looked off into the herd to one of the wagons again, seeing Steven still inside, resting alongside some of the younger ponies. At the moment, he was keeping himself busy by pointing out constellations in the sky (yes, the stars were still out in the daytime), and helping out some of the more exhausted ponies whenever he could, Nice on the surface, though this was just to distract himself, and they all knew it to some extent, especially those closer to him.

"He's wearing himself out. Poor Sugarcube," Applejack sighed.

"Can't blame him though. He did promise to protect all of us while this was happening, remember. And the … incident last night, didn't help," Rarity figured. If she were in his shoes on such a promise, it only made sense that it would feel a bitter blow.

"He'll feel better. In time," Luna reassured.

She'll be comin round the mountain, she'll be comin' round the mountain

They took a look back, and they then began to see Pinkie Pie trotting along, singing a tune as they went. Normally a song would lift spirits and extend run time, but this song, thanks to some bit of exhaustion from traveling, Pinkie was less cheerful and more … weird. Which was honestly hard to tell for her. The singing was a little bit off key too, as she was singing songs since they left (which was hours of singing straight).

"She better hurry it up around that mountain, cuz' I don't think I can stand it much longer," Trixie commented nearby.

"Pinkie's just trying to cope with all this in her own, special way," said Starlight, though she didn't enjoy it too much either. A song was good for ten minutes at longest in one shot, but it becomes degrading after hours.

"Well, she better put a sock in it soon. The vultures are circling," Trixie replied. And true as that was, a pair of the death birds were flying overhead. Since they left Ponyville, vultures were a more common sight above their heads, as they always looked forward to any stragglers and fallen creatures in a migration like this.

"HEY! SHE'S NOT DYING!" Starlight called to the birds. The vulture looked confused at first, one looking down to the unicorn with a puzzled expression. It didn't help that Pinkie Pie then stopped when she found something.

"Ooo. Maybe this guy knows which way to go," Pinkie said, finding a skull left behind, holding it up to her ear like a telephone.

"... What's that friend? We're lost?" Pinkie then began to giggle a bit, her voice dry as she tossed the skull. Pinkie flinched for one brief moment, before completely collapsing onto the ground, her hair and tail "deflating".

"WE'LL KEEP YOU POSTED!" Trixie called.

Whelp, a false alarm. The Vultures flew off from there, as some of the others stopped to see the fallen mare. Nothing much they could do for her except for try and push her on.

"Come on, Pinkie, we have to keep going," Starlight said. Rather than wait, the unicorn picked her up by the tail, and began dragging her instead. Not the best way, but it kept her around with the herd.
Amongst the herd too, some spirits were getting a bit more troubled in this walk. One in particular was Discord, who at this point was practically crawling to keep up with the other ponies.

"I swear to goodness, this Midnight Palace better be good," Discord groaned. "Nothing out here but rocks, grass, and this road. REALLY, how do you all even cope?"

"Asks the lord of Chaos, who can't walk without whining NON-STOP," Trixie spat.

"Yes, but when I get my magic back, I'll be able to rip the very fabric of reality! While you will remain a self-absorbed, below-average, ILLUSIONIST."

"SELF-ABSORBED?! Why you -"

"WAIT, stop!" and suddenly Steven jumped in between Trixie and Discord before a fight could even begin to occur. "I know we're all on edge, and we're very tired, but please don't take it out on eachother? Please?"

Even if much of his Gem tricks were inactive as of the time being, Steven still had a few tricks up his sleeve. In this case, his puppy dog eyes were just enough to avoid another fight, and Trixie and Discord just kept on going.

"Another crisis obverted," Steven told himself.

"MAYBE, but who knows how long it'll be until we even GET to this Midnight Palace? I'm so close to collapsing right now -" Discord suddenly stopped when he saw Trixie looking back at him. All he was doing was proving her point. "... And I'll be quiet now."

"Thank you," Trixie said, as she trotted on ahead.

"You may not have to worry anymore, Discord."

Discord looked over to Celestia, who was just reaching the top of the next hill. Hearing treasuring words like that meant something was just up ahead for them, and it took them little time to actually see what was up.
And boy did they find it.
Soon, they all began to see sight of something spectacular. Or at least, something far better than what they've seen so far. for a good start the second they saw the place; the mutated Parasprites hadn't ventured into the city yet as much of the plants were still flourishing. They were not as abundant as Ponyville had them, but it was still something nonetheless. The land wasn't put to waste either: much of it farmland, and far off to the distance, a lone, tall tower.

Midnight Palace.

And just like that, Pinkie Pie was immediately on the spur of action again.

"Midnight Palace! We are doing it you guys!"

"You know what they say: where there's a kingdom. THERE'S A SPA!" Rarity said.

"Who says that?" Rainbow asked.

"Let me remind you we're tryin to find a home for the Fallout?" Applejack reminded.

"I can multi-task," Rarity replied. The herd began to go off towards the settlement, but unfortunately for them, Celestia opened her wings, and stopped them from continuing on towards Midnight Palace.

"I'm afraid you all will have to wait until I get the approval from Vorak. King Vorak will not approve of all of you to just wander into his kingdom without clearance," Celestia instructed. None of them wanted to get into anymore trouble, especially since the Sigbin attack earlier, so none of them really retorted or rejected her.

"Twilight, will you accompany me?" Celestia asked. It would be best for all the princesses to be there to talk to the king. Before Twilight could go though, Sniper had some advice for her.

"Make sure you press the fact this is survival we're talking about, ok?"

"He's a ruler of his own kingdom, Sniper. I don't think it'll resort to that," Twilight said, before she flew off.

So, with Luna, Cadance, Celestia, and Twilight gone it left everyone else with … well, impatience honestly. Days of going from their wrecked home to here, hardly finding much to eat or drink, and they still have to wait for proper passing by King Vorak just to go inside his own borders. It didn't help that so much of the crops grown around the area looked very appetizing to many of them. And with that in mind it didn't take them more than at least half an hour before their hunger started to catch up to them.

"Wonder what they grow around here?" Trixie asked at one point.

"Beats me. Whatever it is, they're growing a lot of it," Applejack replied. Naturally the farm pony would know hard work in the fields, and this was plenty of effort. Surely there was some bit of food they could share with them.

"... Ok, I'll just say it, why can't we just go in? I'm just starving," Trixie said, which didn't help when they all heard a growling stomach from the unicorn.

"Well, there's a good flower patch just back there," noted Sadie. Trixie huffed.

"I don't know if I'm that desperate …"

"But, you're starving?" Sadie asked, though having a knowing smile.

"Now who's whining?" cut in a nosy Draconequus. Trixie blushed in embarrassment, and just trotted away with a huff. But in her trot, Trixie stopped and took a good look down the hill towards the farmland, and actually began to notice something in particular. It was a little but far from where they were, so details were a bit fuzzy, but Trixie was soon going over to Applejack.

"Hey. You're a farm pony, right? … Is that an apple tree over there?" Trixie asked. AJ looked over towards the tree in question.

"My Celestia, it is! It's looking pretty ripe too," Applejack said. Some of the others went over to see themselves, and the apple tree was soon in sight with a good amount of the herd. Nothing would taste better than a freshly-plucked apple. Steven couldn't agree more, though he was seeing plenty of hungry folks as well, and … well, he wasn't sure what to do.

"You ok, Steven?" Connie asked.

"Yeah. I want to help them, but Celestia said to stay here," Steven said gravely. It didn't help that he too was plenty hungry, and having some apples in his stomach would do him and everyone else a world of good.

"So, you rebel. Isn't that, like, your guys' thing?" Trixie asked.

"You're right!" Steven realized. And in his state of hunger, and now inspiration, he quickly got the answer.

"I got it! You all can wait here, and while the princesses are gone I can go down there and bring some apples back. That way you can eat, and be safe at the same time. Eheheheheh."

Truly, this was a plan of the mastermind.

"Wow. You're a real anarchist," Trixie dryly commented.

"Sounds like you can use some more hands, Steven. Mind if we tag along?" Connie asked, Starlight Glimmer willing to come with him too.

"The more the merrier!" Steven answered. So the plan was set; the trio would head to the tree, and everyone else could stay behind and wait for food to come to them. It was probably for the best since who knows how long it'll be for this meeting of the princesses and king to finish.

~~~~~~

Heading off into the borders of the kingdom, Starlight, Steven, and Connie got quite an eyeful of what the kingdom had to offer. The unicorn and two half-Gems (or full humans technically speaking), found themselves heading through a good area of forested-lined farmland. A number of copses could be seen in a number of places along the dirt road, which they could tell was matted down by large hooves. Outside of the copses, there still was a lot of farmland to be found, much of the ground passed the wooden fences plowed, and turned up for some good farming. Any Parasprite probably would have a grand feast here, the trio seeing all sorts of grains and vegetables all over the place. They weren't above it, but they didn't want their first impression in the kingdom to be thief of someone else's crop.
Besides, why steal crop when there's free apples? Sight-seeing was mainly the extra package for the main goal, as they began to near the same apple tree they saw coming in. The tall tree was right next to a cool water stream, and Macintosh apples beckoned in its branches. They sure looked tasty.

"Alright, did you bring the buckets?" Steven asked. That answer was easy to see when Connie showed them all the large bucket for the apples to fit into. They needed all the room they could need for the apples. But as they looked up into the tree, there was one little problem: the size. As Centaurs were naturally bigger than ponies, the same thing could be said for the plants growing here. This wasn't any simple apple tree bred at Apple Acres, as it looked a lot bigger and taller.

"Okay then … how to get them down?" Starlight wondered. Typically she would just use her magic to pull them out of the tree, or the very least shakes the branches to knock the apples down. But again, no magic, so no easy way out of it. Steven and Connie tried the first natural trick - jumping. They did get some good air, and Connie even jumped, and then "double-jumped" off of the tree trunk, but she still couldn't get one.

"Ok, too tall," Connie concluded. But her using the trunk for some extra air time did give Starlight and Steven some ideas.

"Wait, I got it," Steven said. He walked right up to the tree, rallied up his fist, and in a strong swing slammed his fist right into the tree as hard as he could muster.

All he got was a leaf falling on his head.

And a sore hand.

"... Ow. … oh ow," Steven whimpered, stepping away from the tree, and holding his hand. Like so many other things, his gem strength was NOT going to work in his favor now. As for progress, he might as well spat at it for what he did here. Starlight took a glance up to her horn, before she decided to try something a bit more reckless with it. Like a bull, her front hoof scraped the ground, and after getting some good traction, galloped right head long into the tree! …

And got her horn stuck. Oh joy.

"Uh. Help?" Starlight asked, trying to pull out her horn, her hooves digging into the ground. Steven and Connie got Starlight out after a few pulls, her horn popping out of the tree once they finally did so. It was a good thing her horn didn't get completely stuck, and all that ram did was give Starlight a headache. She should leave that to actual rams. Steven just sighed.

"Alright, we'll do it the normal way," Steven decided.

So, he went right to the trunk of the tree, and with a good grip on it, began to climb up. How long had it been since he climbed a tree? Starlight and Connie waited down below as Steven slowly, but surely, managed to get himself climbing up into the tree's branches. Once Steven got himself situated on a sturdy enough branch, he found himself in the company of so many apples all around him within the leaves. Just looking at the ripe apples made him hungry, but he had to keep focused … even after he took a few bites out of one of the apples first. You know, to make sure they're ripe. Of course.

"So delicious," Steven gasped. After sampling the apples to make sure they were okay, Steven looked down to Connie and Starlight.

"Ready, Steven," called Connie, bucket ready to catch whatever apples would fall.

"Okay, here they come," Steven called back. Soon, he started to shake the branch he was on first. It took a food good shakes, but eventually the apples started to fall from the tree, Connie going back and forth below to catch them as they fell. Starlight went around and got the apples that fell onto the ground, placing them in her own bucket. This turned into a game basically, Starlight and Connie running back and forth to get whatever apples fell. Steven meanwhile continued his share and went around the branches to shake apples down. It was actually kind of fun after a while, and it didn't take them too long until both buckets were practically overflowing with apples. Well more than enough for a good meal for those back by the border.

"Okay, you can come down now," Starlight said.

"Almost, I see some very big ones over here," Steven replied. However, as with any big prize, it was usually the hardest to get. The set of apples were out along the branches, hanging over the river. and anyone who probably heard of this scenario could guess what happened next as Steven tried to reach for them.

Starlight sighed. "Three. Two. One."

"WHOA!" *splash*

And right into the stream he went. They could've seen that scenario a mile away, though Steven got himself out of the fresh, cool water. Honestly it wasn't that bad. Heck, he probably would've jumped into the stream anyway, though the splash did get Starlight and Connie on the bank.

"You saw that coming, did you?" Steven asked.

"Clearly," Connie joked, before helping Steven back on the bank. Well, they got a cooldown, and a lot of good apples to boot. Too bad those apples still hung onto the tree. But it wasn't a total loss though, they still had a ton of apples in the buckets to snack on if they wanted to. With this splash though, that didn't go unnoticed by the locals.

"Hey!" shouted a farming Centaur. Connie, Steven, and Starlight were now alert again, and now saw the apparent owner of said tree coming towards them. He looked a bit like Tirek to an extent, but the red-skinned Centaur looked more "human-like" than the simian-appearing Tirek. The Centaur also was holding a scythe for his grain, which didn't make things any easier.

"And where do you think you're going with my apples?" the Centaur questioned.

"Your apples? Oh, sorry, we're about done anyway. You can keep the rest," Steven said humbly. However, the Centaur wasn't gonna give them the chance to do that, and took the apple buckets from them both.

"Hey, we need those!" Starlight retorted.

"Oh? Allow me to present that in the following way."

…

"AAHH!" *splash*

And now all three of them were in the stream. If any of them did have their magic, they could've stopped the Centaur, but they were powerless to do much against him, and the Centaur went off back to work, bringing the apple buckets with him. Whether he owned the tree or not, they weren't getting those apples back. Starlight and Steven got themselves back onto shore further down the stream, and Connie was later pulled out by someone, placed down back onto the bank. All three of them were soaked, hungry, and now got nothing to show for their effort.

"Thanks, Steven," Connie said, drying her hair off.

"I didn't do that," Steven admitted.

And then another native landed over by them. Unlike the Centaur before, she looked a bit less dangerous towards the three, and in fact looked quite pretty. She had a human-like figure, actually a bit more human-sized when compared to the larger Centaurs. While appearing human at first, this being was actually that of the Gargoyle: a cow-like tail with a flattened cow-like face, and a set of bat-like wings with a spike on each. Her hair and fur were a dullish brown, and the outfit she wore actually made her look a bit more like higher-class: dressed in sapphire along her chest, and with a flowing white dress that flowed passed her feet.

"Someone had a nice swim," she joked.

"Oh, hello," said Steven. "Uh, sorry about the apples, we're just trying to find something to eat. We didn't know the tree belonged to anyone."

"The tree? … OH, you mean that apple tree upstream?" she asked, looking upstream a bit, seeing the tree in question.

"Yeah, we're really sorry about that," Connie said. The Gargoyle wasn't very bothered by this though.

"It is hard to ignore such sweet fruit. But no, that tree is open to whoever," the Gargoyle said.

"But he just said it was his apples. The Centaur in the next field."

The Gargoyle sighed.

"Oh, him. He's a rather old Centaur. He likes to think that since his land is closest to the tree, he owns it. He didn't drive you off, did he?"

"He threw us in the stream, and took our buckets away," Steven explained. They didn't go too far downstream, so they could just see the same Centaur off with buckets in hand. The Gargoyle didn't need to be told that much else, and that was when she flew off on them. Steven, Starlight, and Connie watched her go right to the Centaur, who actually ended up startled on sight of her. They couldn't hear her, but next thing they knew, the Gargoyle ended up flying right back to them with the apple buckets. some apples were missing from the buckets, but still plenty of apples still filled up both buckets pretty well.

"I know there's some gone, but it'll be plenty for you three," the Gargoyle said, giving the buckets to Connie and Steven.

"Wow, thanks," Steven said smiling. Just as his stomach began to growl again. Pretty good timing on the Gargoyle's part.

"It's been such a long time since we've had outside species come and visit. What brings you this way?" she asked, as the three helped themselves to one apple a piece. As much as they wanted to bring the apples back, they needed something for themselves as well.

"It's … kind of a long story. And it's something to do with the sky," Starlight replied.

Next thing they knew, they were taking the time to explain to the Gargoyle what they've gone over so far from Equestria. The four took some time sitting over by the same apple tree, listening to the sounds of the stream and actually didn't leave much details out. The Gargoyle began to feel a bit sorry for the ponies: losing their home and magic like that so quickly. Their encounter with the Sigbin as well made it even more bothersome.

"So, that's what brought us over here," concluded Steven.

"Oh my. And you lost it all in one day?" the Gargoyle asked, concerned.

"Very quickly too. Here, look," Starlight said. She began to focus as much energy as she could muster in using any sort of spell with her horn. While the horn did flicker and spark ever so slightly, she couldn't even remotely manage to do a simple magical beam. All the focus in the world couldn't even let her lift the bucket with her magic. The Gargoyle took a look up to the sky, seeing the stars still.

"See?" Steven said, "And we're hoping we can find a home here until the Everstorm's over … or when Equestria recovers. Whichever comes first. Celestia's trying to talk to King Vorak about it."
The Gargoyle looked off above her head, thinking, as if the answer was floating somewhere above her head and she was trying to find it. Eventually, the Gargoyle got up.

"Hmm … perhaps we can join them?"

…….

Speaking of which, Celestia, Cadance, Luna, and Twilight were just about venturing towards the Midnight Palace. Twilight Sparkle was trying her best to keep herself together, being one of those rarer opportunities to meet another ruler of another species. No matter how many times she met any Alicorn, Diamond, or whichever, she could never truly keep her nerves together. She could only hope that King Vorak was in a listening mood today.

"Nervous?" Celestia asked.

"Oh, no, I'm just going to meet a ruler that has a grudge against Equestria thanks to Tirek, and we could possibly end up in prison just for showing up!"

Clearly, a very scared mare.

"Everything will be fine, Twilight, I promise. I know with your aid we can get through this."

"Me? Really?"

"Twilight. You've proven time and time again that you're not only a great leader, but a great friend. If anyone could help here, it's you," Celestia explained with a reassuring smile. It was hard to not really doubt Celestia, though Twilight did have to consider it. After all, there were very few reasons Celestia and Luna would give up their own Cutie Marks and "status". At the least, their own appearance was proof to present to Vorak in case he wouldn't believe them.
The four alicorns began to land over by the front palace doors, and it didn't take them very long before they were confronted by a set of Gargoyle guards, dressed from head to toe in silver armory, their spears blocking the door.

"Halt. Identify yourselves immediately," one of the guards said. Celestia went over first.

"I am princess Celestia of Equestria. Myself, and the rest of the princesses of Equestria wish to speak to the King," Celestia said. As probably expected, the guards were a bit skeptical.

"What proof do you have of that name?" the guard quizzed. One would think that an Alicorn would be more than enough to convince, but apparently it was more complicated than that.. Without her Cutie Mark to show for it, Celestia had to work her own words to even get in.

"I … don't. I was forced to remove my status as Celestia just days prior to arriving."

"Then you have no business going in."

"Please. Maybe you won't believe her, but maybe you'll listen to me. I am princess Mi Amora Cadanza, ruler of the Crystal Empire, and princess of family," Cadance introduced, though even so she still made a bow of respect to them. Unlike Celestia and Luna, Cadance had everyone on her to identify herself as such, Cutie Mark and all. The guards looked to one another for a bit. Without a word, one of the guards actually went on inside the Palace. It took a little bit until the second guard showed up.

No words were mentioned, but they were gestured inside.

The interior of the palace was about as dark and foreboding as the name probably would imply. If compared to anything, it had a sort of look to a restored "Castle of the Two Sisters", something like how it possibly would've been if Nightmare Moon would've won Equestria and took over the palace for herself.
It honestly didn't take very long of a walk until they reached the throne room in question. The throne room was very expansive, making the four alicorns feel more like mice. Heck, a member of the Diamond Authority could wander around inside with little to no problem, with large stone pillars holding the ground and ceiling in place. A curving set of stairs wrapped around towards a room to the back, and oddly not much of a throne anywhere. Red moss covered the ceilings above them. A number of Centaur and Gargoyle guards were lined up in a row: going in order from Centaur to Gargoyle.

And then they saw him. King Vorak in the flesh. The foreboding appearance of Vorak set him apart from the other Centaurs, as he himself was the most regal one present. His red-skinned face, black eyes with yellow irises, with black sideburns gave them rather eerie memories of Tirek already, though Vorak looked a bit older in his years with a grey beard, mane, and tail. His outfit was purely that of a king: with what could easily be described as Sombra's cloak along his back, a full-bodied grey suit, and armory consisting of a gold sapphire chest plate, and golden hoof coverings and wrist coverings.
Twilight was probably the most worried on seeing the Centaur, and not even a minute in, Vorak did not look pleased at all with seeing any of them. The Centaur moved closer, right up to Celestia herself, who of which he was just a bit taller over.

"So. You finally decided to grace us with your presence after all," said Vorak.

"It would seem so," replied Celestia. Vorak didn't seem fazed at all with the fact Celestia and Luna looked different from normal (with the notable exception of Luna's wounds, that is), and it took just enough courage for Twilight to move into view.

"Yeah, hi. Princess of Friendship," Twilight said humbly. Vorak eyed Twilight in particular, which did not make the situation any easier. Twilight may have not been involved with the first attempt of Tirek's invasion on Equestria, but she clearly was involved in the second. If even half of what Luna said was true, this simple meeting could go south at any moment.

"... A fourth princess. Expanding your ranks, Celestia?"

"She earned her title, Vorak," Celestia said. "Though, that isn't why I arrived before you today."

"I'm listening," Vorak simply said. Though, it probably wouldn't be as simple.

"Equestria is currently facing a worldwide epidemic due to the current involvements of an Everstorm - a mass of magical energy that has drained all magic users of such."

"You're not asking we go in and fix everything," Vorak scoffed. Sounded like a waste of his time if anything.

"Well, no. We'd like to ask your permission for a group of Equestrians to stay within your kingdom until Equestria has recovered again," Cadance revealed. Vorak called hogwash on such an idea.

"Celestia and Luna locked away one of my Centaurs, and refused to return him back home. And you're expecting me to let you stay in my kingdom? Out of the question. You think we're not capable of handling our own kind?" Vorak questioned.

"N-No, not at all! It's just -" Vorak's hoof slammed onto the ground to silence her.

"To keep Tirek from coming home is a crime in itself, not to mention you put him in Tartarus. I will not allow you to live within my kingdom! Now good day to you," he bellowed. Some of the guards already started to go over to them, Vorak turning to walk away. He was not allowing this, not from them.

"But Vorak, if you'll let us explain our situation," Luna said.

"Don't even bother," Vorak concluded, "I've tried playing fare with Equestria, but if you're going to do this to my people, then what's the point?"

"But we have nowhere else to go!" Twilight blurted out. THAT got Vorak interested, or at least some more attention.

"... Excuse me?"

"Equestria's suffering a lot more than just magic loss - Parasprites had torn the entire land completely, and we can't do anything to them without our magic! The only place not effected is … well, here. We can't survive anywhere else!"
Twilight was then pushed out of the bunch towards Vorak. Twilight felt the same worry she had when she was facing Tirek so long ago. Those same power-filled eyes staring daggers down at her. She didn't want to bring this up just yet, but if they were going to have some chance to survive, then they had to get to the point of the problem.

"Equestria has fallen? And by a bunch of Parasprites?"

"Uh, mutated Parasprites, actually," Twilight corrected.

"... Let me think about this. I've heard reports over thousands of years that Equestria had faced numerous invaders, threats, and natural disasters, and still stood strong for a millennium. And you're telling me. That after all of that. That a bunch of Parasprites was what did it in? What fool do you take me for?"

"But it's true, I swear on my own Cutie Mark! We wouldn't be here otherwise," Twilight pleaded. Vorak then moved even closer to Twilight, towering over her.

"Prove it to me."

"Prove it? Celestia and Luna don't have their Cutie Marks right now! We don't have magic anymore -"

"SILENCE!!" Vorak roared. Twilight didn't mean to jump like that, but all hope was now dashed because of this. What was an alicorn to do?

"That isn't what I meant, I meant this claim Equestria's fallen. I have eyes to see Celestia and Luna," Vorak corrected. This was … not possible. not currently anyway. They've all been and gone from Equestria for a while now, and yet even so they didn't think they would need proof of their homeland no longer being so fruitful. And even if they did, how could they? Bring a rock, maybe? And unfortunately, the silence took too long.

"As I thought."

Was she willing to play her next card? Was it gonna work? With Vorak giving the word to send them away, she had very limited options. However, this decision actually didn't go too far, as someone else was actually just about to head into the same room.

"I'm home, sweetheart," said a much friendlier voice.

The secondary party arrived: the Gargoyle, Connie, Steven, and Starlight Glimmer. If they were any later, they'd probably be at a more troublesome time, but glad they caught them. A bit embarrassing that they were found out though.

"Steven? What're you doing here?" Twilight asked.

"We were trying to get some food for the others," Steven admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Guess his plan didn't work too well after all. Vorak took note of the newcomers straight away, in particular Steven and Connie. The Gargoyle went over to Vorak and … gave him a kiss.

"W-Whaa?" Steven gasped. THAT came from nowhere. The Gargoyle turned and smiled.

"Oh. Did I neglect to mention I'm Queen Haydon? Guess looking like a civilian could only last so long," Haydon said. Steven was at a loss of words, as they basically spent a casual afternoon with the queen of Gargoyles and never knew it!

"Maybe we should communicate a bit more clearly next time," Steven suggested blankly.

"More of you?" Vorak groaned, "A unicorn, and … what do you call this? Wingless Gargoyles?"

"They call themselves Humans," said Haydon, "They're here to find a temporary home for the Everstorm's presence."

"I know that, they just told me," Vorak replied, looking to the Alicorn princesses. Twilight glanced to the trio, Connie only able to shrug. Still, finding new species in his Midnight Palace did not waver his opinion on the matter, as he already made up his mind on it.

"And as I told them," continued Vorak, "I'm NOT allowing you to live in my kingdom."

"WHAT?! But why?" Steven gasped, just for Vorak to go right up to him.

"Because I refuse to allow refuge for the same alicorns who forcefully kept Tirek from his own home!"
It really didn't take too long until the trio got two and two together on just how much of a grudge he had against the other princesses.

"I know you and Celestia have your differences, obviously," inquired Starlight, "but isn't forbidding an entire species just because of one Centaur a bit … extreme?"

Haydon and Vorak shared looks before Haydon decided to speak.

"Tirek was more than just one Centaur. He was next in line to rule the kingdom after Vorak … and …" And Haydon held Vorak's hand while saying this. "... our son."

Well the situation went from zero to a hundred almost immediately.

"Just as well," added Vorak, "Keeping my son in Tartarus and refusing to return him back is more than enough of a reason. If you won't let him come home, then I won't let you make home here either."

"... Everypony, huddle up," Connie said. This was a bit deeper than they thought it would be, so as Haydon and Vorak discussed it to themselves, the others talked it over as well.

"Luna, why didn't you say Tirek was their son?! No wonder he's so upset at you," Steven asked, quiet but frantic.

"My apologies, I'm just as shocked as you are. We didn't know Tirek was their son either," Luna admitted.

"Well now we know what we're dealing with. But how're we going to stay here if Vorak won't let us? We have to give Tirek back," Connie concluded.

"We can't do that, the risk of him roaming Equus is too dangerous," Celestia admitted gravely, "I know it's harsh, but you all remember how dangerous he was the last time he escaped."

"Uh, minus me. what happened exactly?" Starlight asked, raising a hoof.

"Tirek escaped from Tartarus when Cerberus left his post at the Tartarus gates," explained Celestia, "He grew strong enough to drain magic from all Unicorns, Pegesi, and Earth Ponies, even us and the Crystal Gems. We were lucky he was stopped at all when he was at his peak."

"Do Vorak and Haydon know that?" Steven asked.

"Well … maybe? He said he was aware of his actions, but I don't know which time that is."

"There's another time?" Steven said, "Well, tell him then. We have to tell him so he can better understand us.

"I don't know if that will help. What if he gets mad at us for calling his son a monster? Maybe we can -"

"Twilight," Steven said, surprising Twilight a little bit. "We have to catch them up on what happened. When Pearl kept Pink Diamond a secret from everyone, they all ran away by the time they found out. and what about Starswirl the Bearded and Stygian? Starswirl didn't hear him out, and it almost doomed both Earth and Equus at once! Who's to say that can't happen here?"

"And don't forget me, Twilight," added Starlight, "I was once such a cruel pony before you helped me change and better understand everything that I thought was right. If there's anything we can do now, it's tell Vorak the truth. No hiding anything."

Twilight paused. Each mention of both those scenarios played and replayed out in her mind. To think that both of those world-changing scenarios happened just last winter too, both with the similar idea of ignorance and secrets being kept for either pride or "the greater good". Steven and Starlight had shared minds on this, both giving Twilight a similarly knowing look, both wanting to get the full story shared.

"You're both right. Thanks for reminding me," Twilight said, sharing a wing hug with Starlight and Steven. Now with more confidence, Twilight, Steven, and Starlight went back towards Vorak, who was now finished talking to Haydon.

"Oh. You're still here."

"Vorak, we want to ask you something. what happened with Tirek, the full story?" Starlight asked. Vorak wasn't so willing to talk to them, but after talking with Haydon, he was a bit calmer now. He might as well get this story straightened out best he could.

"Tirek was a young, yet troubled youth. Haydon and I sensed an urge for power in him for a long time, though we refused to believe it so. One day, him and his brother Scorpan left our kingdom. We soon began hearing reports of what Tirek and Scorpan were up to, and sometime later, we've heard word from Scorpan upon his return that Tirek was captured within Equestria over his crimes against it, trying to steal away their magic for himself so he can rule over them. We've tried to get him back onto his home turf, but Celestia and Luna refused to comply."

"But why would you want him back here?" Twilight asked.

"Because he's my son!" Vorak replied. "Without him, there isn't another line to pass down my throne to. THAT, and it's an insult on the parent that they can't discipline their own child."

"But you mentioned Scorpan. Isn't he next in line too?" Steven asked. There was some silence between Haydon and Vorak there, saddened expressions on their faces. Haydon even shedded a tear on the question.

"Oh. Sorry, I-I didn't mean to -"

"It's alright," Haydon said, wiping the tear away. "You didn't know … either way, Tirek would've learned his lesson by now. Imprisonment wouldn't of lasted this long … right?"

"About that … he escaped," Twilight revealed.

"He did?! WHERE?!" Vorak asked urgently.

"H-He's back in Tartarus again," Steven replied, "After he escaped he tried to take all magic from Equestria again. He even went onto another planet, my home, and took magic from there."

"We had to put him back into Tartarus before he could destroy everything … again."

"So he didn't learn anything in there. …" Vorak pondered. They could barely tell that his voice had disappointment in it, but not towards the ponies specifically. One would think being locked up in Tartarus would've enforced some discipline into any prisoner, but apparently that didn't happen. Heck, it might've made him even more bitter.

"I'm sorry," Steven then said. Vorak cleared his throat.

"Even so, that doesn't explain why you had to come here. There're other lands that aren't infested by Parasprites, and I still doubt all of Equestria would've been wiped out by just one swarm."

"But it did! There's nothing left for anyone there, we have nowhere else to go. Please, just until Equestria recovers, then we'll all go right back home," Steven promised.

"King Vorak, Equestria is literally nothing but dead trees and dry dirt by now," Starlight explained, "If we try going anywhere else we'll all die trying to! Look, Luna over there has the scars from a predator attacking us already, we already lost one of our ponies just getting here. If we go out and try again, we'll fall for sure. We can't leave without throwing our lives away."

A rather forceful truth, but truth nonetheless. With the Sigbin possibly still patrolling around outside in the Nether Lands, they're still at risk. Not to mention all of the other problems with surviving. Survival was the key component in their mission, and they were so close.

…

"... The unicorn's got a point. …"

"T-That actually worked!" Twilight thought.

"... How about this. There's still vegetation and water along our kingdom's northernmost border. I'll allow you to spend your days over there, just this once. But ONLY until your magic returns to Equestria, and not a moment more. Understand?"

"Well, Celestia. what do you think?" asked Cadance.

Celestia sighed.

"Have we any alternative?"

No. They didn't.

~~~~~~

Few days passed.

The herd was soon moved off from their arriving location to the northern borderline as Vorak had said to go. As Vorak did say, there was indeed vegetation and good amount of water, but honestly it wasn't as big as they expected it to be. Or maybe they did expect it, all depending. The area was pretty silent, secluded, yet a seemingly peaceful place to make out their living in. They got a river to get a drink from, and a good amount of plants to eat for the ponies' sake. It honestly didn't look too bad at all, yet not too much in the broad scheme of things. But in the end, it was all they got.
Much of the herd got comfortable in their new surroundings, knowing that it'll be a while more that they'll have to stay here. Even when they get their magic back, it'll still be a long while until they get their home completely recovered. It wasn't exactly the farmland down within the kingdoms, but it was better than being left with just dirt, sand, and rocks. At least here they had food and water, the two main essentials for any survivor.

*squeak!*

And speaking of food, Sniper had just finished with his other hunting trip off away from the herd. Even if food was food, this meant more hunting trips as Sniper had to keep his options to a minimum. Rodents and fish were the best bet for him, as it was just enough to keep his instincts from charging at some pony meat. After hunting down a few mice, Sniper went off back, catching sight of Celestia, Connie, and Luna off by the river, Luna still sore from her injuries and Celestia and Steven seemingly trying to talk to her.

"Luna, can't you try to relax a little bit? You look awful," Connie admitted at one point.

"What happens to me isn't important. What's important is that everyone else is safe," Luna said, though still tired from the soreness on her chest. The marks left by the Sigbin were too notable to ignore. Steven found this too familiar.

"It is so important! We're all important, but you're important too! I don't wanna lose another one," Connie retorted in worry. Luna found it indifferent though, and even with the wounds on her she was more willing to do this than Connie would have during her sword training days.

"Connie, you needn't worry about me."

"But I need to. Sister, you've been fighting every night by yourself. If you keep this up, you're not going to make it," Celestia then said. Luna got up to her hooves, though a little less balanced due to her injury. The cuts on her body hadn't healed as well as they were hoping.

"I'll be alright," Luna simply said. She walked passed Sniper, slowly but without giving into her injuries. Celestia and Connie both watched in worry as she left. Celestia sighed and sat down by the river, looking down into it.

"You okay, Celestia?" Connie asked.

"I'm not sure. I know it's to protect the herd, but Luna's been pushing it so hard."

"I know. Steven's been pushing himself a lot too," Connie revealed, "I haven't seen them actually rest since we got here."

And just as they were saying that, they both began to hear Steven off nearby, looking a bit tired from doing who knows what. Steven had been going all over the place: getting food for the group, keeping watch during the night, and other things to keep his mind busy until this whole ordeal would be over. Celestia immediately saw her point, and it didn't help that Steven was already busy trying to divide his gathered up apples to everyone else.

"Hey, Steven," Connie said.

"Hey, Connie," Steven yawned.

"Another long night?" Celestia figured. Steven nodded his head, his eyes closed and sleepy. He began to go off a little bit, tossing apples around as if he was throwing grain to birds or something. After finding his bucket empty, he began to go.

"Scout Steven off to find more apples," Steven said, turning around and beginning to go off on his way again. He didn't even bother to ask if they were okay still, going off to find some more food for the herd. No one was asking him to do this, but he took this on himself anyway. Connie knew well enough that this had gone on far enough, so as Steven went off out of the herd again, Connie got up and began following him.
Connie kept quiet at first, but when Steven went off over into a nearby field for some more food, Connie finally caught up to him.

"Oh, you wanna help me Connie? I think I saw some good grain growing over there," Steven said, glad to see her. But Connie was a bit more worried over Steven than any food gathering.

"Nevermind the grain, Steven, can't you try and give this a break?"

"Give what a break?" Steven asked, still walking along with Connie by his side.

"Well, everything. Steven, you've been working yourself ragged for days, you need a break before you collapse."

"No, no, I'm fine. I got no problems."

"No Steven, I think you do!" Connie suddenly snapped. This woke Steven up a bit more, surprised she would be this assertive with him so quickly. Connie recoiled a little bit.

"I … I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that."

"No, you're right. I've been working too hard … It's just I'm scared," Steven admitted, finally sitting down for a moment to try and regain himself. "I mean, I don't have any healing powers, I'm not as strong as I used to be, and … and …"

"I know, Steven. But, someone told me that my life is very important, and that I shouldn't take it for granted. That's the same for you too: your life is very important. We can make it for a few hours with how much you got for us, if anyone deserves a rest it's you."

Steven, while tired, realized well what she meant. WAY long ago this same message was made clear over to her by him, and yet here he was making the exact same mistake of neglecting himself for the sake of others. Steven smiled to his friend, and they both got back to their feet.

"You wanna watch the clouds with me?" Steven then asked. Connie smiled and nodded. Finally a moment for them to relax, and Steven finally getting some bit of pent-up trouble out of his system. Connie and Steven shared smiles, and began to start their way back.

*grrrr*

"Huh - AAHHH!"

Sneak attack! Out of nowhere, a swift assassin jumped into the open, charging right through Connie and Steven in a fury of teeth and claws! The lunge though wasn't as calculated as it could be, saving Connie and Steven both from serious injury, the predator skidding to a halt not too far away.

The Sigbin was back.

"Well, look who we have here," hissed Erzebet, Steven and Connie now on high alert. Even with what Connie had said, Steven put himself in between her and the Maltese Tiger.

"Leave us alone!" Steven demanded, "You killed one of the ponies! I won't let you take anyone else!"

"It's nothing personal," said the Sigbin. "when I'm hungry, I hunt. When something catches my eye, I kill it. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

And Steven and Connie didn't budge, standing side by side. The Sigbin could easily tell who was the more active one out of the two, and she didn't take much time to pick out targets. Of course, she needed a way to get them split, which didn't take much time to work out, as she dug her paw into the dirt, and tossed the dust right at their eyes! Just long enough of a distraction for the Sigbin to rush around, and jump from behind, her claws making a nasty blow onto Connie, enough to throw her aside a good ten feet and making her go limp.

"Connie!" Steven gasped. He thought for sure the Sigbin would go for her, but after a few seconds Steven realized the Sigbin had a easier, and bigger target in mind, eyeing him with a savage look. Steven wanted to protect Connie, to protect everyone else, but something in his mind suddenly triggered a different response.

Run.

The hunt was on.
Steven made a mad dash across the field, away from the herd as the Sigbin raced on after him with teeth barred. It felt that whenever he would look back, the Sigbin was ever closer to him, ready to tear him open at any moment. Fear of being eaten was enough to keep Steven's energy up, even if he was exhausted, but both he and the Sigbin knew this wasn't going to last for much longer.
Steven kicked it into high gear, feeling the claws of the Sigbin on his heels as he ran from field towards the river. All Steven could do was make a quick turn, the Sigbin nearly falling into the river trying to catch him. No matter how fast he tried to run, the beast was not going to lose him. The tired boy kept running, but the Sigbin finally got close enough to actually strike him, her claw striking his foot to make him tumble over. However, this tumble was a slight lucky break: Steven fell into the river, making the Sigbin unable to see him at first until he reached the otherside. A headstart to be sure, but Steven wasn't out of the woods just yet, finding himself focusing more on the Sigbin than where he was exactly going.

One trip, and he fell head over heels into a deep ditch, too steep to just immediately climb out of. There was an exit, but the Sigbin jumped down into the ditch too, blocking his only exit. Tired, hungry, and now savage, the Sigbin began to close the gap between her and Steven, the boy only able to back up to the wall. Finally, a meal was in sight.

"STEVEN!"

Looking up, Steven and the Sigbin saw Connie was back again, rushing down the side of the wall, and slamming right onto the carnivore! This forced the Sigbin back, landing in a daze on the ground, and while Connie was hurt, they didn't have time to bother with that.

"Steven, come on!" Connie shouted, jumping to her feet and getting Steven to start moving. The Sigbin managed to come back around just in time to see Steven and Connie make a run for it through the only exit. The Sigbin got up onto her own claws fast, and charged directly at them. She was not letting her prey get away that easily.
The only exit out of this steep ditch was a narrow ravine, the Sigbin keeping very close to catching either one of them. Any of them will do at this point. Steven and Connie kept running as fast as they could, though the Sigbin was much quicker to catch up this time, using the walls of the ravine to launch at them time and again. Both kids could barely dodge the lunges, the claws only able to get stands of hair off of them. At one point though, at the end, Connie rushed through, but Steven actually stopped and turned around to face the hungry creature. His arms spread out, him as the wall, and the Sigbin did not slow down.

*BAM!*

Steven and the Sigbin crashed. Both slammed into the ground hard, and while Steven was left laying there in the dirt, the Sigbin quickly landed on her paws. Guess even in his weakened state, he still had some strength left in him. But with that crash, it still wasn't gonna be enough to keep this carnivore away from them. Connie made sure to get Steven up, and now both of them were face to face with the Sigbin. Both kids scrambled for some idea, ANY idea, to try and get away.

"THERE SHE IS! Celestia, down here!" Steven suddenly shouted. Alarmed, the Sigbin spun around, and snarled at the oncoming threat … only to find nothing there. By the time the Sigbin turned back, Steven and Connie were already gone. So much for supper. The Sigbin tried to sniff them out, but since they already went through the river at least once, she couldn't get their scent properly. She couldn't wait around here though, and in the end she turned around, and left.

Thank Celestia Steven and Connie found a hiding place. Just nearby, there was a shallow den, one just big enough for the two to go inside, and neither breathed a word, covering eachothers' mouths until they were absolutely sure the Sigbin was gone.

"Ok. I think it's gone Steven," Connie concluded after looking.

"Well," Steven said between breaths, "I'm not tired anymore. Let's get back before that Sigbin -"

*squeak* *squeak*

What was that? It was a desperate move to get into this cave, but after calming down and getting a better look inside, turned out they were not as alone as they thought they were. The cave didn't go very deep, only about three feet deep at most, soft sand and dirt lining the whole cave. But not too far in, Steven and Connie found a small nest made of dry grass. And something else. …

Pups. Four, tiny little creatures, moving about in the nest. One of the young pups was actually crawling away from the nest, calling for whoever was there in small, cute little squeaks. Connie and Steven were stunned.

"Oh my gosh," Steven gasped, "You're just babies. You can't even open your eyes yet. Poor things."
Steven kneeled down to one of them, which was no bigger than a puppy. The poor little guys couldn't be more than a week old, barely even able to move. They didn't know who was in the den with them. Taking pity, Steven gently picked one up, and gently placed it down back in the nest with the others, safe and sound. The pups whimpered and squeaked, Connie bringing her hand to gently stroke one of their heads. Then, to their surprise, the same pup actually began to suck on one of Connie's fingers.

"You can't even eat solid food yet. Steven, what do we do?" Connie asked, very concerned for the pups' safety. Steven and Connie both looked off just outside the cave, making sure the Tiger wasn't anywhere in sight. Then again, the parents of these pups weren't anywhere in sight either. Did the Tiger already get them?

"We can't leave them alone, not with that Sigbin running around," Steven decided.

…….

"Aaaaauuugh!" "Aaahhh!"

The Sigbin was far from done with its hunting. As they always say, there was more fish in the ocean. And today, it got itself a good-sized stallion of a pony. He was passed out at first, but as it neared its own home to rest, the pony was suddenly alive again, struggling blindly as the Sigbin tried to hold on. The Sigbin's sharp teeth kept him from running off on it, and it forced the pony back to the ground. Unfortunately for the Sigbin, there was still problems looming nearby.

"Steven! Connie! Where're you?!"

With the two not returning, naturally this raised some alarm from the herd. Some were sent off to try and find them, one of which who volunteered being Sadie. Last thing she wanted to see was her friends on someone's dinner plate. With the struggling from the pony in the Sigbin's mouth, the noise was just enough to catch Sadie's attention.

"Not again," the Sigbin thought. And just as it expected, Sadie immediately spurred into action, charging right for them.

"Let him go!" Sadie shouted, not stopping her run. The Sigbin readied to run, but the struggling pony was just enough to keep the Sigbin still, getting tackled off of the pony as he galloped off in a panic. Angry at another failed attempt, the Sigbin got her claw right into Sadie's face, a nice clean cut along her cheek.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?!" the Sigbin shouted.

"Why can't you leave us alone?!" Sadie shouted back. The Sigbin charged forward at Sadie, claws and teeth drawn, but Sadie was a larger target compared to Connie and Steven, forcing the Sigbin off of her before she began running off to gain some distance. Sadie had to think fast with what she got, grabbing a large rock from the ground and getting it right between the teeth of the Sigbin. The fangs may have missed, but its body slammed into Sadie, making them tumble downhill over eachother. The tumble lasted for a long ten seconds, before both finally crashed down to the ground in a heap. The Sigbin jumped up first, and quickly jumped onto Sadie, but they didn't realize one thing.

They landed right in front of Steven and Connie's cave!

"Sadie!" Connie and Steven shouted.

"Guys?!" Sadie gasped. Then the Sigbin turned to them. After seeing this beast as nothing but savage and cruel, the expression it gave off next actually caught them off guard: shock. Especially with where they were.

"What're you two doing?! GET OUT OF THERE!" the Sigbin demanded.

"We're not letting you hurt them!" Steven demanded, though the savage look did make them both step back, and when Connie almost got her foot in the nest -

"No! Don't hurt my children!!"

"… Your … children?"
Everything suddenly stopped. These small, innocent little creatures were the Sigbin's children? The young puppies, unaware of what was even going on, continued to call for their mother to return to them. This Sigbin, the same creature that'd been hunting them since they arrived in the Nether Lands. The one that crippled Rainbow Dash and Luna. The one that took the lives of one of their ponies. And she was the mother of these poor pups? Both Steven and Connie needed to process this, one of the little puppies actually crawling out of the nest again. The Sigbin looked terrified, any moment her child would get hurt by these creatures invading her den.
All the same, the Sigbin was still willing to kill Sadie. Connie and Steven looked to one another, now with a more serious expression. Steven nodded, and gave Connie the greenlight to continue the next action: picking up the pup in her hand, and holding it out to the mother.

"No! NO, put her down!" the Sigbin pleaded.

"Get off of our friend then. I don't want to watch my friends die anymore," Steven demanded. His morals were fighting him (he shouldn't hold a baby for ransom), but for lord sake, he wasn't gonna watch another person die on him!

"You let go of my baby first!" the Sigbin yelled.

"... Fine. But when we put her down, you let us all go home. Promise?"

The Sigbin can't risk it any further, and reluctantly nodded her head. Connie, keeping her eye on the carnivore, slowly placed the suckling baby back into the den, placing her with the rest of her siblings. Steven and Connie looked back to the Sigbin.

And the Sigbin actually kept her promise. Soon as her baby was placed down, she jumped off of Sadie, and moved right back to the nest, as Steven and Connie checked on Sadie. Aside from the cut on her cheek, she was fine, and she was just glad to see them okay. Sadie, Connie, and Steven began to go, but Steven took a look back to the mother, checking in on her children. She was grateful as well to see all her babies alright, though they were trying to suckle, only to find nothing.

"Be patient. After I hunt, I can give you milk," the Sigbin promised. She'll have to find something soon. But for now, she'll just have to wait. Steven felt his heart get tugged on watching this, and for some reason leaving the Sigbin with nothing felt … wrong.

"... Sadie? Can I ask a favor?"

~~~~~~

It was a bit funny actually, and a bit ironic, that Luna was actually feeling more skittish at night. Every foreign sound, be it a twig, a leaf, or some odd-sounding insect, her ears picked up every bit of it. The alicorn was just anticipating some form of growling, prowling, or something to just jump out of the bushes somewhere. The minutes ticked by, and yet nothing seemed to happen. She did hear a gust of wind rustle through the brush, making her skitter to her hooves, just to find nothing.

"I'd hate to think this, but morning can't come quick enough," Luna thought. It was no wonder then that most animals would be asleep at night, if most of them were like this. All riddled with predators of all sorts. Being out at night though gave her time to think for herself. Was life always like this for animals outside of Equestria? This game of cat and mouse, dodging one another all the time, hoping either to find a meal or … not become one. It wasn't exactly unheard of for ponies to be eaten be other things, but nowadays that was just some rumor, myth even. But now -

"Luna?"

Luna, still on edge, spun around to face the threat, wings open and horn at the ready. However, it was just Celestia, ready for her turn at guard duty. Celestia could tell, and figured supposedly, that Luna was on the edge of things. and who could blame her since she almost got eaten already?

"It's just you, sister."

"Yes. It's my turn to stand guard, Luna," Celestia reminded. Luna took a look over to the others still sleeping. She remembered last time she tried a few more minutes, but she was still determined.

"Please, just an hour more. It'll be fine, I promise."

"It's alright, you get some sleep," Celestia said.

"But sister -"

"LUNA." Celestia was a bit more stern this time in her tone, making sure Luna heard her. "... Get some rest. Please? For me?"

"... Ok. Be careful. I love you," Luna decided.

"I love you too," Celestia replied. There really wasn't going to be any wins for Luna tonight. So, gently gliding away from her perch, and to the group, Celestia took her post where Luna was.

There was something to be said about being in such a position. Celestia just stood there on watch through the night, keeping an eye on what residents remained of her group. Connie, Sadie, The Elements of Harmony, Sniper, and many other ponies rested, fast asleep in what vegetation had remained. Luna would take the night watches as normal, but after her latest encounter Celestia wasn't gonna take the chance with it, keeping Luna much closer to the group. Celestia wasn't as used to the night time watches as Luna was, or the guards, but the Alicorn had a duty to her people and friends, and something called "preference" wasn't going to get in the way of that.
For the next hour, it was such. Celestia took to the watch with determination, all her senses on point. Just as well, nothing much seemed to happen throughout the night, and it was pretty calm.

Yet even with all this quiet, there still was some activity going on in the herd. With everyone else fast asleep, only Steven was actually active still, wrapping up a little something for the task at hand. Looking to some cloth he got, Steven got a good amount of fish thanks to Sadie's expert spear-fishing, which easily was about fifteen fish total. Steven just got finished wrapping it up in a make-shift bag. Steven picked up the bag, and trying not to make any sound, slowly started to wander off from the herd again.

Yet this wasn't unnoticed for too long.

"Steven? Where're you going?" asked a voice. Turning around, Twilight and Fluttershy were awake again, just seeing the kid right on the border of the herd.

"Sorry, I wake you up? I'm going to find the Sigbin," Steven replied.

"Steven, the night patrol's already doing that. Really, you should rest," Fluttershy suggested, knowing how much he was doing the last couple of days.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Well, this is a Sigbin. It's not like you can just confront it," said Twilight.

"Actually that's exactly what I was gonna do."

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Twilight gasped. Steven shushed her so no one else would wake up. It was then that Twilight noticed the fish he had with him.

"No, hear me out. The Sigbin's hungry, right? Maybe if I feed her, she won't have to come and hunt us. She'll be fed, and we'll all be safe: it's a win-win," Steven explained. It was a simple plan, but one that could go a long way. Twilight wasn't too sure about this though, trotting in front of him.

"You sure about this? It tried to eat you earlier today, right?" Twilight reminded.

"I don't care," Steven replied, "She has babies to feed, it's the least I can do. And don't call her "it", that's insulting."

"Wait … babies? The Sigbin has babies?" Fluttershy asked. Steven nodded.

"She can't feed them any milk unless she eats something, so if I give her this she can feed them too. You should've seen them; they looked so helpless. So young." Steven paused remembering the small baby Sigbin. It was not in his nature to abandon such innocent creatures, even if they were the Sigbin's young. Twilight began to ponder on it.

"So that's why she's so desperate to hunt us," Twilight realized. A good meal like a pony or young human would not only keep her well fed for a good while, but keep her pups well fed in return. It was then that Twilight, Fluttershy, and Steven looked up to the moon, which by now was full.

"Careful Steven. We almost lost you earlier, we don't plan on doing that anytime soon," said Twilight.

"I know. Me too," Steven replied.

"Please watch yourself, Steven," Fluttershy advised, "It's a full moon tonight. It'll make it harder to hunt, and the Sigbin will be very hungry."

Steven paused for a minute on that idea. Usually a full moon would be a beautiful detail for the night sky, but it did make cover hard for a predator to work with.

"That's even more of a reason to give her this then. I'll be back soon," Steven promised. He just hoped this would work out for everyone. This conversation though wasn't completely ignored though. As this was all observed from afar by Celestia herself. And Luna.

So, as Fluttershy and Twilight went off back to the herd, Steven went right off back towards the Sigbin den. Nighttime made navigation a little bit more difficult, but Steven still remembered where the Sigbin made her den: through the nearby fields, over the river, and passed the steep ditch. It was three parts to remember, and it took him only about half an hour to walk right back towards the den. He could hear the pups still inside, the tiny squeaks echoing in the night air. Steven gathered his nerves, and soon jumped down to the front of the den. But there was just one more problem.

The Sigbin was gone.

"... Oh no."

…….

*rustle*

Too bad "calm" was non-existent in the animal kingdom. It wasn't that far away, and none in the group even heard yet, but predators were out tonight. The full moon made it a little more difficult to hide at night, but this hunter was determined to get some meal. The predator was back. And a vengeance. It moved softly, quietly. Ears up, eyes locked forward, as it slowly began to move towards this herd of snacks. It seen them before. It knows what they taste like. And this time, it wasn't leaving until it had one pony locked on its teeth.
Licking its muzzle, it stalked ever closer to the sleeping group, barely making a sound. Its nostrils flared up, sniffing the scent of numerous warm bodies. It knew better than to just charge into the herd though, and, step by step, each paw touching the ground as light as the feathers on pegasi, began to slowly make a target out of one of the prey. It had quite a selection: Earth ponies with their tough muscles, Unicorns soft and tender, and Pegesi with crispy wings. … Then came the only humans. The Sigbin stopped once it spotted them. No fur, no wings to fly away, no horn to stab it with. No protection.

PERFECT. The Sigbin was still quite far away when it spotted them, but one good dash and they'll be all its own. As the Sigbin got ready to charge though, one ear twitched, and stood up. Something was coming.

*BAM!*

Out of nowhere, with what power Celestia had in her wings, the Alicorn slammed right into the Sigbin, sending them both skidding off away from the herd. It was a brutal hit, but lucky for the Sigbin it was with her hooves, and not her horn. The Sigbin growled menacingly towards Celestia, the Alicorn spreading her wings in threat. That made the Sigbin snarl, enough to send the Sigbin into an attack, charging at Celestia. The Alicorn jumped above the savage Sigbin, and Celestia rushed away from the herd. The Sigbin was quick to follow. This ruckus wasn't enough to wake the majority of the herd, but it did wake up Luna. and what did Luna end up seeing upon waking up?

Celestia and the Sigbin running right off through the plains. Celestia galloped as fast as she could, but the Sigbin was close behind. She could easily rush off, but Celestia's plan wasn't to get away, it was to lure the Sigbin. And so far it was working. The Sigbin though was dead set on its own idea, and got its teeth and claws inches from Celestia's hide numerous times, Celestia bolting just out of reach. It would seem she would be alright, Celestia facing the Sigbin, hovering time and again to keep the high ground on the hunter. However, focused on the predator, Celestia wasn't watching where she was landing.

And her hoof landed right on top of a hard stone, making her hoof crack. It was just the distraction the Sigbin needed …

*SLICE*

Celestia screamed, and tumbled head over hooves for a bit before finally finding her stance, only to find she was not whole. Her wing was crushed, her back hoof limping. and her horn sliced clean off. She was out of breath, out of luck, and out of options. And once more, that scream she made alerted much of the herd, everyone now awake, and seeing the horror for themselves.

"Celestia!" gasped Luna, starting to rush right for her. However, Celestia and the Sigbin were very far away, even when flying, and in Luna's own weakened state she wasn't going too fast.

Celestia limped away as best she could, moving further away from the snarling animal. The sting on her wings, head, and hoof were too much to bare, and with her already damaged wing, she was not going to fly away anytime soon, and with the starving Sigbin not too far away, and the herd VERY far away. Celestia's fate was sealed. Looking to the Sigbin however, there was something else behind that eye of hers. Any normal attacker would have glee for seeing her in pain, or triumph to find the princess falling from grace, or perhaps satisfaction from defeating an old enemy. But the eldest Alicorn took a closer look to the eye of this Sigbin, and saw one emotion rarely seen in any of Celestia's previous enemies.

Desperation. She was starving. And so were her children.

"WAIT! STOP!"

Off into the distance, another voice. This time coming from Steven farther off, running as fast as he could to catch up to the Sigbin and Celestia. Seeing Steven reminded Celestia what he said before.

"You're a mother too, aren't you?"

The Sigbin stopped for a brief moment. Celestia only needed to see that brief moment of hesitation to understand. The Sigbin had to hunt. She had to. Celestia considered her options, what little she had left. The others weren't going to make it in time, no matter the case, and the Sigbin had the time needed to do what she wanted. That, and seeing the broken horn, and broken wing … she made her choice.

"Then you can have me. … Your babies mustn't starve."

Celestia stood there, waiting for the Sigbin to come over. Never in her life did the Sigbin have any prey that offered itself to her. After the hesitation, the Sigbin slowly regained speed, rushing right for Celestia.

"... Goodbye."

Celestia turned and ran as fast as she could manage, getting just enough speed to take off again. The Sigbin chased after her, gaining up on her very quickly. Celestia just managed to turn around, swinging her back hoof, only for the Sigbin to bite down hard onto it, sucking out what strength Celestia had left. Flap. Flap. Flap she did with her wings, struggling to stay in the air with the weight of the Sigbin pulling her downward. Celestia strained, her eyes up to the sky above her, seeing Luna's moon. Her sister. She would have to continue on without her, just like how Celestia did without Luna.

With a final gasp, Celestia fell.

"CELESTIA!" screamed Twilight.

The fight was barely a struggle.
And soon, there was silence. By the time Steven, Luna, and much of the others got there, they barely found much. The Sigbin, hearing the herd coming, was already out of sight before any of them could get there. As there Celestia laid. The grand ruler of all Equestria, finally meeting her end here, just outside of the borders of the Midnight Palace. The life, and reign, of the princess of the sun was over.
They all were silent, not a single word said or spoken between eachother as they took it all in. This wasn't any nightmare. This was as real as it could possibly get. Luna quietly walked over to her sister, laying down beside her, and gently rested her head on her chest, tears flowing down. Tears were also shared amongst all of the others, freely flowing as they all observed the terrible fate befalling onto their beloved princess. The one that made all of Equestria possible.

"... The Sigbin did this," confirmed Luna.

"C-Celestia," murmured Twilight. The alicorn just stared at the body of her former mentor. The alicorn had ruled over Equestria for so many years, so many sunrises to present Celestia's presenting light onto the entire world. She felt someone grip her leg, only to find Spike right next to her, tears from his eyes as well. Twilight hugged her young dragon, the tears unable to be stopped. As most of them were noting the fallen alicorn, it was Discord (who was at his breaking point), who turned and saw something hidden just out of sight.

The Sigbin.

"YOU," Discord growled. The Sigbin barely hid all that much, actually in pain herself from the fall as seen by her straining back leg. She was still growling, but shivering, and looked hurt and … confused. It didn't take long at all for everyone else to see the Sigbin, though while many were upset, some were a bit beside themselves. Yes, she did hunt and kill Celestia. But then again, what choice did she have?

"FOR CELESTIA!" Rainbow roared, ready to charge right at the Sigbin. She so wanted to tear the Sigbin to pieces for killing Celestia, and while she was ready, she suddenly found someone grabbing hold of her tail. And no, it wasn't Applejack this time. It was Steven. Rainbow forced him to let go.

"Steven, what're you doing?! That Sigbin killed Celestia!" Rainbow snapped. What was he doing? Steven didn't know how to answer the question at first. They all had every right to be angry at the Sigbin for doing this, every right to be mad at the Sigbin for killing Celestia. In a way, Steven was too. But knowing this was for the sake of her own family, he could only come up with one thing to say. …

"Please. … I don't want death anymore. …"

No more death. That really was the whole reason was it? The reason he was protecting them so much, the reason he helped the Sigbin's children, and for that matter why he left with those fish in the first place for her. To stop this from happening. Rainbow actually did stop herself, looking between the Sigbin and the fallen princess, but that didn't quench her anger much at all. The Sigbin didn't dare to come any closer to them, though even she wasn't sure how to handle this particular kill.

But Luna knew what to do.

Without a word, Luna took off Celestia's crown, bringing it over to the others … and began dragging the body towards the Sigbin. Luna placed it down in front of the Sigbin, even the predator actually having a tear down her own face. Luna looked the Sigbin in the eye, but Luna couldn't bring herself to say anything to her, and after that, Luna turned around, walked a foot away, and sat down. As for the Sigbin, she reached down, and lifted Celestia up by the neck, slowly turning around and dragging her meal home.

The starving mother got her prize after all.

~~~~~~

The next morning was a bittersweet one. Everyone there felt as such, and some were hoping that everything that happened last night was nothing more than just some sick dream they had. But the absence of their sun princess was the hardest thing to ignore, yet the hardest to accept. It was hard to say that the princess had died, after so many hardships. Naturally, some took this loss harder than others. Especially those closer to her.
Even with the sun already good up there, Twilight refused to get up, just laying on the ground. Seeing the sun above her head was enough for her already to remind herself of the princess she just lost. The others off nearby were also sad about this, but at least were still standing, watching on and wondering how to approach her, if they even should.

"... Reckon it's time we talk to Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Connie. What were they supposed to exactly tell her? It took a little bit, but eventually there was someone who did actually go towards her after a while.

"Hey Twilight, it … it's gonna be okay. We'll figure it out," Spike said humbly.

"There's nothing to figure out, Spike," said Twilight. "Celestia's gone … for good. … And there's no way of getting her back. … It … It's not fare. Why did she have to go, and leave us here? … What'll we do without her? ..."

"Move on."

The group turned towards Sniper, who while silent, had overheard everything. Unlike practically everyone else in this herd, Sniper was the only one not truly crying over Celestia's death. He felt sorry for them yes, but it didn't touch him as deep.

"But how? … Celestia has done so much for me. For all of us. … And Equestria needs her."

"Twilight, come on. Chin up," Sniper said, helping Twilight back up onto her own hooves. Twilight still wanted to just lay back down, and not get up until this dream ended, but Sniper wasn't letting her.

"Sniper, let me lay down. I'm trying to wake up."

*chomp*

"YOW!" Not tired anymore, as one bite from Sniper to the wing made Twilight up and atom right away. Pinching her out of this dream was out of the question.

"There's a nicer way to do that," said Connie.

"I know. Where's Steven?"

All Connie had to do was point off away from the herd, to lonesome Steven sitting on a rock. He hadn't spoke a word since last night. One could argue he might be feeling just as bad as Twilight or Luna about losing Celestia, as he didn't say a word since waking up. He didn't even eat anything (not that many of them were in the mood anyway).

"You want me?" Steven asked.

"Well sort of. … Twilight, have a seat. I want to tell you something," Sniper said. Twilight, not feeling too much better, just went over and sat down. The Mane Six, Spike, Sadie, and Connie went over to do the same.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

"... Guys. You really surprised me last night," Sniper began, sitting down as he looked to the morning sun. "When I woke up, and saw everyone scamper off after the Sigbin like that, I thought for sure it would end in vengence and nothing else. … But instead of taking revenge on her, you all let her go. … It was very noble of all of you."

"Noble?"

"From what I heard, that Sigbin was a mother. She was only doing what she had to, to survive." Sniper paused and turned back to them. "But … you all already knew that, I suppose. Letting the Sigbin take her."

"Why her? … It would be better if -"

"DON'T. FINISH. THAT."

So Steven didn't.

"It's not your fault. Nor is it Twilight's fault. It's not Celestia's fault either. It's nobody's fault. This is just how nature is."

"What do you mean?"

Sniper sighed.

"Everyone. … Sorry for being cruel for saying this, but, there is no good or bad out here. So many of the ideas you take and hold true don't hold true out here. The Elements of Harmony, the status as a princess, and your impact on history mean very little too. If you all did kill that Sigbin over the death of Celestia, What would you end up with?"

"... Another body, I suppose," concluded Twilight.

"Exactly. You might have your reasons to try and get even, but there's no point really. Besides, if that Sigbin hadn't caught anyone that night, then her cubs wouldn't have anything to eat now would they? I know you wouldn't want your children to go hungry, right?"

"I guess so. We're all a family, and we take care of eachother. She was just trying to take care of her family," Steven sighed.

"Nothing gets by you, does it? I'm glad you understand."

"Talked to them too?"

A good time for the conversation to be finished, as Luna herself began to come over to them.

"Oh. Morning, princess. Just finished," Sniper replied, starting to walk towards her. This speech of his had met with more ears than just the Elements of Harmony. Luna was glad to hear it.

"So what now?"

"I've sent off a few of our pegesi to spread the word. It would be best to not waste time in relaying this message to Equestria. … Meanwhile. We just got to wait until we can use magic again," Luna concluded. It really wasn't anything too special to do, but the fall of the princess was too big to just ignore, and they had to spread this word around as much as they could to prepare Equestria for the future ahead. Just as Celestia did when allowing the Sun and Moon to move on their own. And when she gave herself up to the Sigbin as well.
It was impossible to say how Equestria was doing while they were gone, but they could only wait there before moving on.

"Alright then. … Well, we won't get anything done just sitting here. Come on, let's go foraging," Applejack decided, being the first to start going. Little by little, the others went off to follow her, though Steven did take his time. He tried his hardest to prevent something like this from happening, but the situation was just too complicated to pinpoint any blame on anyone. Can he really blame the Sigbin for trying to feed her family? Should he blame her?

"Steven, come on!" called Rainbow.

"Sorry, coming," Steven replied. And he soon joined them for another foraging into the Nether Lands.

The Return

How long had it been since this all got started? The fallout of magic, and other things REALLY made the situation O so troubling for both Equestria and Earth, all in its own way of course. The Spirit Council had given them all the information they needed to get the worlds prepared, and while loses were made, it was minuet in the broad scheme of things. Some came and went, some learned a bit as well. But now, with the Fallout finally complete, magic began to slowly return to the Earth plains and Equestrian lands. The exact "power surge" would still be a while yet, but mean while, there still was just enough magic left to spur them into action.
And for the Crystal Temple, it too started to slowly come back to life, the magical Crystal Heart regaining the magical energy. And as such, by the twilight hours, the Beach House itself had fully returned to its original state. As if it never disappeared to begin with. Lights were out, and the whole house was completely silent. And even more impressively, the whole Beach House was completely cleaned up: the bedroom tidied up with the blankets all tucked in, the kitchen completely cleaned up with no silverware or dishes in the sink, and even the floorboards were sparkly clean. It was peaceful back inside the Beach House, not a soul to be found within miles of the place. … Well, all with the tiny exception of a seaside crab, who woke up to find the once empty cave suddenly occupied with the beach house.

All was quiet. Until there was a sound of a door opening up from the front. From outside looking in, there was nobody to open the door, but from the inside looking out, the white surface of the Portal Keys were finally working once again. And once more, the figures were more than happy to step through back home at long last. Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, and Sadie Miller were finally back home after their big adventure in Equestria.

"We're finally home! Oh, hello kitchen! Hello house!" Steven announced.

"So good to be back," sighed Connie. As they closed the door, cutting the magic portal off, the first order of business in returning to their home world is to get the lights on into the Beach House. The first time the lights from the Beach House were turned on since the Everstorm first arrived.

"Hello bed!" Steven beamed, going right to his room first to jump right onto the bed. Such comfort he almost forgot about. It felt so soft and comfy he could sleep right then and there, but he was just too excited to just fall asleep yet. His next target was the television right next to him, him looking to the currently black screen, seeing his happy smile in the reflection.

"Hello TV! We got some catching up to do," Steven said.

"Speaking of which, I can't wait to tell the Gems what we did," said Connie.

"Oh yeah! I bet they're still here," Steven replied, jumping down off the bedroom floor, onto the couch, and onto ground level as he went straight for the back room. If there was one thing even better then seeing his Beach House again, is seeing those who been with him to build the home. Though it seemed that they were going to have one more surprise coming back home, as the Warp Pad activated.

The Crystal Gems were back in action.

"Welcome home, heroes," said Amethyst.

"GUYS! I missed you all so much!" Steven cried, going straight up to them. The Crystal Gems were more than happy to see them return at last, and Steven was met with a good amount of hugs by his fellow Gems. Connie and Sadie were given a good amount of attention too.

"Things were tough without you guys. You all okay?" Sadie asked.

"Good as gold. It's gonna take a lot more than a Fallout to do us in," Bismuth said, winking to Sadie. It was hard to take down Gems like these. Though, at this point, Peridot took a closer look to Sadie's face.

"Hey, you got a little something on your cheek," Peridot noted. Sadie followed Peridot's eyes over to her cheek, and realized what Peridot was talking about. Her encounter with the Sigbin hadn't gone completely unforgotten, with a single little cut along her cheek as a scar and reminder of the Nether Lands. She'll be more than happy to talk to them about it later, but for now they needed time to relax a bit. Nearby, Steven was met with Lapis and Garnet specifically, Garnet giving Steven a warm hug while holding him.

"So, Steven. Did your mission go well?" Garnet asked. For just a brief moment, Steven wasn't sure if he should explain it in full yet. It was a big travel and all, though the information regardling Celestia … well, he didn't want to wreck his return immediately, so he kept his cheerful face.

"Affirmative, commander!" Steven said, giving a salute to her. "We've helped everypony in Ponyville make it through the Fallout, and awaiting return."

"I knew you could do it, my little hero," Garnet said, giving Steven a kiss on the cheek. Steven laughed, though the details of the adventure would have to wait a little bit more. They just got back, so they might as well have some fun anyway.

"Thanks, Garnet. Boy, so much happened these last two weeks, we got so much to tell you! Where do I even begin?"

"You'll come up with it in the morning. Besides, I'm sure you have other people you want to see back in town to tell your big adventure to."

Steven suddenly gasped, and overhearing Garnet, Sadie and Connie heard Garnet too.

"Lars! Lion!" gasped Connie, "That's right, if you're all back, then -"

*rowr*

And soon, Steven was met with a big pink ball of kitty cat, in the form of Lion. He felt a bit refreshed from his "nap", and was happy to see Steven same as everyone else. Steven laughed as Lion smothered him in his mane, Steven giving Lion a good hug. Although a little bit thinner, Lion was all the same. Nothing a big meal can't fix.

"You must be very hungry, aren't you boy?" Steven figured. Lion confirmed this by licking his master's face. So, Steven went right over to the fridge.

"Ok, let's get a celebratory meal going. HELLO FOOD - AUGH!" As the Beach House came and revived itself, the food left in the fridge was an entirely different story. The stench of rotten food slammed him like a freight train, enough to make him stumble back and pinch his nose. Amethyst took a look inside.

"Oh no. Did that cake go bad?" Amethyst asked.

"THAT WAS A CAKE?!" Steven gasped in horror. such a monstrosity in the fridge could not be his birth-iversary cake, it just couldn't be! But it was, and like the rest of the food inside his house wasn't gonna be fresh anytime soon.

"Guess we'll have to wait until morning to get some food," sighed Connie. Not that it bothered her too much though.

"We have been gone for a few weeks. Tell you what, we all can go to the big donut in the morning, and you guys can have our fresh donut of the day. My treat," Sadie offered.

"WHOA, hold the ship. Fresh donuts? Like baked, right out of the oven fresh?" Amethyst asked. Sadie smiled.

"Well if you didn't know," Sadie explained, "the Big Donut began making their own donuts since that safety lawsuit got thrown out. This started a few days before this Everstorm came about, so if you come by tomorrow morning to the Big Donut right when it opens, you can have our first fresh donut of the day."

"What an honor," Steven said.

"Hey, it's the least I can do after all you did for everyone in Ponyville. MAN, I forgot how good this feels," Sadie said, as she sat down on the couch, feeling just how good it was. It wasn't a bed, but heck it was better than laying in the dirt.

"You two can stay the night if you want. We can all go into town together," Steven offered. It was an offer they weren't willing to refuse, being plenty tired from such a long day anyway.

"Sounds good to me. I'm still feeling a little weak from being out like that," admitted Tiger's Eye.

"We're all still a bit weaker since the Everstorm started," said Flint, "I'm just glad we're finally able to form back at all after everything. This means the Fallout phase of this Everstorm is about done, though next would be the "Surge"."

"Come on, Flint, let's not get serious so fast," said Bismuth, "We just got back, so did they. At least wait until after we get settled in."

"Sure. Sorry, force of habit," shrugged Flint. There was no reason to enforce anymore problems when they just got back so soon. Anyway, they were a bit tired from just regaining their magic back enough to even form. Some of the Gems began to go off to the Warp Pad.

"Well, since we're finally back, we'll go off back to the barn and check there," said left Rutile.

"We'll meet with you guys tomorrow morning if that's okay," added right Rutile.

"Sounds perfect," said Garnet. With a wave goodbye, the Off-Colors went off on their way back to their neck of the barn, and everyone else was getting themselves properly settled back once again. For Steven, Sadie, and Connie, they were already getting themselves off to bed. Sadie already established herself on the couch for her bed, and Steven and Connie went up to the bedroom themselves. Before they could go off to sleep, they were then presented with three different dolls.

"Patented sleepy-time buddy?" offered Star Quartz, showing the alien plushie, the hedgehog plushie, and bird plushie to them. They might as well receive one for a good night sleep, so Steven got the alien, Connie got the cute birdie, and Sadie was given the hedgehog. They might as well return the favor to them for offering the plushies anyway. Peridot gave Star Quartz a thumbs up on that, and Steven made up a bed on the ground right next to the actual bed.

"Thanks for the extra bed, Steven," Connie said, getting ready to lay down in the other bed Steven just made.

"No Connie, this is for me. You take the real bed," Steven insisted. Connie sighed.

"It's fine Steven. Let's just get some sleep," Connie decided, going into the other bed anyway. Steven knew what she meant by that, and he went into the actual bed. So long as they were safe at last, then it was just fine. Garnet turned off the lights in the Beach House again, and quietly, the Crystal Gems began to go out of the Beach House, and to the shoreline. They didn't want to disturb them, even after Amethyst took the cake with her. Garnet was the last to leave, peeking into the room where the three humans were sleeping.

"Goodnight," she stated, before quietly closing the door.

For the Gems remaining, they took this time to go out and relax around the shoreline, giving their legs a good stretching along the sandy shores. Lapis Lazuli was especially happy to be out and free, flying along through the twilight air. She made plenty of somersaults, corkscrews, and loops in mid air. The others went along the shoreline with ease, watching the display of flying Lapis was showing off.

"I hope Earth and Equus aren't too altered while we were gone," said Pearl.

"We'll all be fine coming up in future," Garnet reassured. "I'm looking forward to hearing what stories they got for us."

And that fact can easily be shared by everyone else. This was one of the few adventures where they couldn't be apart of no matter what the case may be, so they were curious just how much had happened while they were gone. In their time checking out the beach, some did begin to see the mailbox off nearby, noting the peculiar amount of letters inside.

"How much bills do we need, geesh," said Fulgurite, opening up the mailbox to see the many letters. …

"... Ooooohhhhh, what do we have here? Hey, gather these up with me, would ya Bismuth?"

"With pleasure," Bismuth replied. Soon, the mailbox was pretty much empty, with all the letters in their grasp, as they went off back towards the shore. Lapis Lazuli picked quite a time to go back to the others, landing after a good flyby just to find them with all the letters.

"Oh, that felt GREAT. Hey Bismuth, what's that you got there?"

"Not as good as you're gonna get," Bismuth joked, before giving the letters to her alongside Emerald. Lapis was a bit confused at first, but the second she read over one of them, she knew exactly who they belonged to, and who they were for. Her face blushed a deep blue, and felt her heart flutter a bit. It'd been a while since she last seen Jamie herself, and receiving so many just showed how much he was worried about her.

Well, they all will meet with the town in the morning.

…….

Back in Equestria's Canterlot Castle, things had been given a bit less time for Twilight Sparkle. Was she glad that they got home? Yes. Was she glad the trip overall went well? Yes. Even with that, the very fact that her mentor and teacher was now gone from her life was still something heavy on her head. Out of many of the ponies around, which were probably still trying to take this in properly, Twilight might've had it the hardest to handle. That, and the fact that the moon was still moving on its own power instead of the power of the great sisters was also something that the world will have to get used to. No more Summer Sun Celebrations to celebrate as extravagantly. No more elongated Nightmare Nights. Twilight was up on the castle's top balcony, just looking off towards the world beyond her own, and towards the stars, which also weren't as "prominent" as they were during the Everstorm's passing.

"Twilight? … You still up here?"

Turning around, she then saw Spike walking over to her. The alicorn was glad for one thing, most others went through this event alright. If anypony else was gone, she wouldn't know what to do. She also saw that Spike had some hot cocoa for her, holding it gently in his claws.

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said, levitating the cup a bit and taking a sip. Spike figured she would need something warm and soothing to the throat to help ease her mind a bit.

"Starlight figured you'd be up here."

"I'm sorry. … It's just. I never thought I'd ever see the time when Celestia would leave us," Twilight said in a quiet tone. Who could really blame her? Celestia was the greatest ruler Equestria had ever seen, and for the thousands of years of her time, with a thousand years reigning over Equestria with a gentle hoof and a soothing voice. … Why was she the one that had to go?

"I know. But look on the bright side, uh …" spike actually had to think on what a bright side would be in this situation, and could only come up with one. "Well … no one has to raise the sun and moon anymore."

Twilight sighed, and brought her wing around Spike.

"I know you're trying to help. … I don't know what worries me more: the fact the best leader in history's dead, or the fact there's nopony anywhere ruling Equestria right now!"

"Um, no there's still rulers: There's Cadance of the Crystal Empire, Princess Luna, … you. You're still ruling."

"Spike, I'm not a ruler, I never lead an entire country before! Oh no, what if somepony comes to claim Equestria? What if we can't protect Equus from the diamonds?! what if -" *bonk*
Twilight's worried rambling accidentally made her fly up, to the point when she hit her head on the rim of the balcony door, making her fall back down.

"Ok, ok, breathe Twilight, breathe" Spike said, trying to calm her down. Twilight brought her hoof to her chest, and took a deep breath, but even so she was still a little bit edgy.

"Twilight, we're more than protected. I mean think about it. The Gems should be reformed by now, there's still three Alicorns, and don't forget the Pillars of Equestria that you brought back from Limbo. And do I even need to mention that two of those diamonds actually like us? It's gonna take A LOT to get them to beat us."

"You should listen to him, Twilight."

Spike wasn't alone when it came to seeing Twilight, and the Alicorn was in alarm when she saw that Starswirl the Bearded, and the Mistress had come to see her.

"Y-You're still here?"

"I've made sure nothing happened to Canterlot over the time here. Did everypony make it through?" Starswirl asked. Twilight looked down to her hooves.

"I'm afraid Celestia … didn't make it."

"Oh. Oh. I'm so sorry, Twilight, I didn't mean to -"

"It's alright. You didn't know that. … I just don't know what to do with the surge on it's way." That wasn't entirely it, but it still was another factor.

"The surge? Oh, that happened already."

"WHAT?!" Twilight stumbled off of the balcony, but quickly flew straight back up, and was right in the Mistress's face. "THE SURGE HAPPENED?! WHEN?! No storm happened or anything!"

"As soon as you got your magic back, sweetie," the Mistress said. "The Everstorm doesn't release it like a normal storm. The stars just disappear from the daylight, and return to the land, that's all."

"So it just came back? no crazy, season-ending mega storm or anything?" Spike asked. The Mistress shook her head.

"It's probably for the best. You've gone through a lot these last few weeks," The Mistress said, moving over to the balcony to see the land ahead. The Parasprites that passed through still left most of the land a bit bare, but slightly greener with small patches of grass and stems of trees re-growing again. It'll still be some time yet until Equestria will return to normal, and who knows how long that'll be. Twilight, Spike, and the Mistress took a moment to observe the land a bit, before the Mistress spoke again.

"I'm glad I gotten to know Celestia for the short time I've spent with her," The Mistress said.

"She was a magnificent princess. … But I don't know who's going to rule over Equestria now," Twilight replied. The young Unicorn who earned her wings, and became a princess in her own right thanks to Celestia's many teachings and experiences. Starswirl the Bearded and the Mistress shared glances, before Starswirl started to think of somepony.

"I think I know who can handle the job."

"Huh? Really? Who?" Twilight asked. Starswirl pondered a bit, stroking his beard as usual.

"Well, she's a fairly young one, but she does have a lot of experience for her age. Somepony even I had learned a bit from since my return to the modern age. A talented young mare I think Celestia would pick none better for her successor."

The truth slowly started to sink in to Twilight, her eyes widening in shock at what Starswirl was suggesting.

"M-Me? B-But I've never lead a country before, I don't have the age experience, I -" Twilight stopped when Starswirl placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Twilight. I've known you for a few months now, and I can see why Celestia would choose you to bring under her wing as her personal student. You're smart, passionate for magic, very caring towards those close to you, and full of determination to what matters most. Twilight Sparkle. I can see none better to rule in her hoofsteps than you."
Twilight didn't know if to cry or scream. Her idol, the wisest and most experienced in magic in all time was saying she was ready to rule the land passed Celestia. and now, the opening was more than fitting for the younger Alicorn. Twilight couldn't hold back the tears of joy, wiping them away with her wings. Celestia would want somepony to take her throne that she saw as worthy enough, and Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, was just the pony Celestia would've wanted.

"... Ok … Ok, I'll do it. I, Twilight Sparkle, with the stars as my witness, promise to protect and take care of all of Equus in Celestia's step. I won't let you down!"

~~~~~~

Next morning couldn't come soon enough. Going home to the Beach House was all fun and good, but after a good sleep in an actual house, they were all refreshed and more than ready to go off to check out their home. Weeks of leaving it would show some sort of change to Beach City, and they want to know what exactly that would be. Plus, sharing their own story with the town was surely on their minds. The three freshened up inside the Beach House, and after getting themselves all cleaned up, they went right off on their way back towards town. Steven was probably the most excited.

"Morning world! We're ready!" Steven announced, taking the lead right towards Beach City itself. Connie and Sadie followed him, though they all were equally excited to return to familiar territory. Steven couldn't help but say hello on his way as well.

"Hello Temple! Hello beach! Hello town! And hello my favorite place in town to get a snack - the Big Donut!"
And surely, Big Donut was in their sights. It often was the first greeting card for Steven every morning, and it was just as inviting as it always was. And what was even better than the opportunity for a fresh donut of the day, was who was coming by to open up the Big Donut.

"No way. No way, NO WAY! LARS!" Sadie picked up speed. Sure enough, it was Lars finally coming back to the Big Donut for another day at work. He was still getting his energy back since losing most of it over the Fallout phase of this Everstorm, but now that he got enough energy from one night's sleep, he was back in action just like the Crystal Gems before him. Lars began to hear footsteps come his way, and he was quick to see Steven, Sadie, and Connie coming over.

"Guys, you're back! Haven't seen you in a while, you missed all the earthquakes," Lars said, though he was cut short slightly when Sadie hugged him tight. They didn't care about earthquakes just yet, they were just glad to see him again.

"We were out in the field, saving Equestria," Steven announced.

"Wow. Nice," Lars said, going on to unlock the door to the Big Donut. Unlike the food in Steven's home, the food at the Big Donut was more than edible for the trio to have some food. The lights switched on, and the Big Donut was open for another day.

"Well, it's great to see you back. So, was your big adventure one to remember?" Lars asked, heading to the front counter.

"Whoa, bigger than big: we traveled for miles through Equestria, and then to lands outside! We even saw a whole new kingdom of Centaurs and Gargoyles," Steven answered.

"Dang. So, what can I get you?" Lars asked. Sadie gave Steven a nudge, and a smirk to remind him of what she said last night. No way was he going to miss getting a fresh donut of the day. Sadie went to the back, though Lars wasn't sure what was what.

"We'd like two of your fresh donuts, please," Connie answered.

"Fresh donuts. Guess Sadie told you about that huh? What toppings you want?"

"Just a plain for me, thank you," Connie replied.

"A pink frosted donut with sprinkles," Steven then added. It was a pretty easy order to make for the two kids, and Lars got the order in for Sadie Miller in the back. For these orders, it took less than two minutes to get them all ready. Soon, Steven and Connie were in the presence of the first fresh donuts. One a simple plain donut, and the other exactly as Steven described: a donut with pink frosting and colorful rainbow sprinkles on top. They both were very impressed on the appearance of the donuts, and they could feel the warmth and softness of these donuts as they picked them up. THEN came their first bite.

"Oh my stars, this is incredible!" Connie beamed. The imported donuts they would've gotten usually had similar tastes, but there was just enough difference between the donuts they were get shipped over, and donuts that were just freshly created.

"My compliments to the chef for such an exquisite dish," Steven said, sounding a bit fancy.

"No problem. So, does the rest of the town know you're back yet?" Lars asked.

"We're actually on our way to the boardwalk right now. Why, did anything change while we're away?" inquired Connie.

"I dunno. I was gonna go out and check out the town myself," Lars said, "I'm gonna take a wild guess though, and say the Crystal Gems are back too?"

"Back and better than ever," Steven replied, enjoying some more bites of his donut. Nothing says good morning like a fresh donut. Though, it was probably good that they finished up their donuts at the time they did, because just as they finished they heard the door to the Big Donut open up, and an all too familiar light started to shine through the door. Lars and Sadie took cover behind the counter, just as some of the ponies started to come by to see them. Pinkie Pie naturally rushed right in, bouncing off the back wall first before landing in the center of the room. Rainbow was quick to come back too, feeling a lot better and able to fly around the place too since her injury.

"STEVEN!"

"Pinkie!" Steven said, just before Pinkie jumped at him with a Pinkie hug.

"Lars, you're back too. It's so good to see you again," Fluttershy said upon seeing him.

"Same to you guys. Hope the Everstorm didn't give you too much trouble," Lars said.

"Well, I'll say this: it wasn't easy going through those two weeks. Can see y'all are back in action too," AJ said, noting Lars specifically. While Lars was good to see them, he couldn't help but see the similar looking cut on Rainbow's wing. It wasn't as prominent of a scar as it was on Sadie's skin, but it was still there. Heck, he might as well ask.

"Hey, Rainbow, what happened with your wing? Did you guys get in a fight while I was out?" Lars asked. Rainbow landed and checked her wing, seeing a bit of a scar on the inner part of her wing where that Sigbin got her. Her wing was still a little stiff, but good enough to keep her flying

"Eh, we're gonna head to town and share our story, so we'll tell you all then. You got time to come or is the ol' grime keeping you here?" Rainbow offered. Why wouldn't they go off and share this information with the rest of Beach City? Lars checked around the shop for a brief moment.

"I can get some time to check in. Don't think there's gonna be that many people coming by if they're all gonna see you anyway," Lars figured. Besides, it would be good to see what the overall story was while he was "sleeping".

…….

And what a time to get there.

The Gems and Ponies picked a pretty good time to show up back at the town, as there was quite a whole lot of people still present and going about their day. not all of them could just show up though, as they had to go and check a number of other things first. Steven was joined by Lars, Connie, Sadie, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Flint, Fulgurite, and of course the ponies. Around the boardwalk (who hadn't seen them just yet), quite a few familiar faces were around, including Greg walking Blue, and Jamie delivering a few things to Ronaldo.

"Boardwalk hasn't changed a bit," said Lapis.

"Hearing that from you, that's saying something. K, big guy. Ready to rev up the roar?" Fulgurite asked, referring to Lion. Lion may feel a little weaker from being knocked out, but he still had plenty of fight in him. and he was not going to waste a single second to signify their return.
So, taking a few steps, Lion aimed his muzzle to the sky, and gave a mighty roar. The roar echoed throughout the area, and it didn't take them too long either for them to see who had come back.

"HELLO Beach City!" Steven announced.

"Steven! You're back!" called Kiki. Blue was the first to rush over, practically breaking off his leash to reach them as the others stopped what they were doing to check them out. Steven was met by Blue right away, getting tackled down as Blue happily welcomed Steven back home in a mixture of licks, barks, and happy-filled whimpers.

"Easy there boy, let's not drown him in your love so soon," Garnet said, gently moving blue off of Steven so he could stop laughing for a bit, but still smiled herself. but it didn't save Steven from being met with by his dad.

"Hey kiddo, welcome back from your adventure," Greg said.

"It's so good to see y'all again. Did anything happen while we're gone?" Applejack asked.

"Nothing much. Just stopped a trio of Dazzlings from messing up our neighborhood for you, but that was about it," Buck replied. It was a bit out of left field, but Garnet gave him a thumbs up of approval anyway.

"Dazzlings? Have we heard of them somewhere?" Lapis asked, scratching her head. Her precise memory did hear vaguely of that name, but not too much to pinpoint anything in particular.

"Don't worry about it, they're long gone by now. And guess who's got a new song to show you guys," Jenny said excitedly. Their big song for beating the Dazzlings wasn't just left alone, and turned out someone actually recorded their big song. Jamie turned alarmed by this though, yet it was just too late to stop them from showing off their big show. Lapis Lazuli specifically saw this show interesting, seeing Jamie amongst them.

"Whoa, you guys are amazing, when'd you make a band?" Lars asked.

"Since the Dazzlings were using music against us, we played that same musical magic against them. A battle between forces, using the power of music," Buck explained. A bit of an odd statement, but it was pretty straightforward. As they were checking out the song, Lapis went over to Jamie. It'd been too long since they saw eachothers' faces, Jamie blushing a little.

"Why Jamie," Lapis said, impressed but still teasing a little, "I never took you to be a big show singer. You sure looked impressive up there with your violin."

Jamie rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, it's not that impressive. I'm just glad it all worked out in the end."

"Don't be so modest. Hey, maybe you and I could sing something together, it looks like a lot of fun," Lapis offered. Jamie's face turned red, and since Lapis knew his feelings towards her a bit more thanks to those letters, she knew it was all in good fun. They all knew Jamie and Lapis were such an item together.

"Even if I wasn't formed during this fallout. I missed seeing you, Jamie."

"I missed you too, Lapis. It's been dull without you all here," Jamie then said, more calmly this time. Lapis smiled to him too. It was a nice moment …

"NOW KISS!" Pinkie suddenly said.

"P-Pinkie Pie!" Lapis said, suddenly flustered herself. Dare she try and jump like that?! The others couldn't help but laugh at the reactions from both sides, both Lapis and Jamie slightly embarrassed, but glad to see eachother again regardless.
Steven looked on to everyone else in Beach City, along with his Equestria friends. Other conversations abounded between one to another, and it looked pretty good for what it was. Loses may have been given, but in the end they were alright overall. He saw plenty of happier faces amongst the crowd, and Steven just couldn't help but smile himself, a few tears coming to his eyes.

"It's so good to be home," Steven sighed.

Then it began.

"Hello Earth! It's great to be back!" Steven announced, making a victory, joy-filled jump into the air, good and high. It only took them a few seconds to suddenly realize that there was something a little bit off about this particular moment, especially when looking for Steven. The second they found him, Steven was somewhere else. WAY somewhere else.

"Hey Steven! When'd you learn how to fly?!" Amethyst called.
Flying may not be the exact word, but the next thing Steven knew, he found himself easily twenty feet off the ground in one jump! One. single. Jump. and he found himself able to see all the way across town from the Boardwalk to Funland. They thought he was gonna just plummet straight down to Earth, but Steven was suddenly as light as feathers, and ever so slowly started to float down. It was a slow process for him to get back to the ground, but soon he was back on his own two feet, barely making a sound.
To say there was surprise amongst the crowd was understating it.

"I can't believe I caught that on video - WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT?!" Ronaldo gasped in amazement. This ability just came right out of nowhere. Steven needed to better process this. Seem even a simply push of his foot got him off the ground ever so slightly. His eyes sparkled in amazement.

"Ohmygosh. It's a new power!" Steven realized.

"For real?!" Twilight gasped. Steven went and did a few more tries of this, going along the beach. It was as if someone switched down gravity on him, and Steven was floating around like an astronaut on the moon, and with a lot more fancy tricks as he tried out this sudden new ability of his. Blue was quick to follow him, super psyched to not only see his master but see his master perform some new tricks.

"I can jump really high and fall really slow!" Steven summarized, though that was pretty apparent as they were all watching him.

"Jump. Float! Jump! Float!" Steven kept repeating, as he kept jumping and floating down. It was a dream to suddenly be able to float around like this, everyone had dreams like this at least once, and now Steven was living it! His inner child was easily brought out by this excitement, and he just couldn't help himself.

"JUMP!" Steven them made a huge launch straight up. Before it was just a twenty foot jump, but now using his full strength in jumping, he suddenly found himself at cloud height, about the same height at the top of the lighthouse! Reminder, this was just one jump he did this, and Steven was just very psyched for this. After his mega-jump, he was just floating in the air, and getting an amazing aerial view of the entire town. A birds' eye view he could never get by himself. Rainbow, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Lapis Lazuli flew right up to him.

"How's it feel to actually fly, Steven?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's amazing. I feel so free up here," Steven replied.

"Welcome to the world of flying, Steven. Hey, race you to funland!" Rainbow offered.

"You're on. Starboy Steven's airborne!" Steven said. The others began to fly right off to Funland, but there was one slight problem with this flying thing. Or, floating thing. Steven tried to get himself moving to catch up to the others, but he couldn't get himself moving. He couldn't even swim in mid air to move himself, finding he wasn't going anywhere except for down. There was always a catch to these powers, was there? Eventually, they began to fly back to him.

"Having trouble, sport?" Rainbow asked.

"Uhh, Starboy Steven's experiencing a malfunction. … I can't move."

"Alright, I'll get you down," Twilight said. They flew back down, with Twilight pushing Steven gently back down to earth. It probably wasn't the best idea to keep Steven up so high above ground on the first day. As before with his first jump, he gently landed down with barely a sound, safe and sound to the relief of some. Steven still found his powers working, though he made sure not to get so much to launch himself this time. Again, his inner child was having a lot of fun with this, and he went back out to the beach, with Pinkie Pie and Blue playing with him. As Steven went around the beach like a tumbleweed in the wind, the others were watching on with a bit of mixed emotions. Sure, it was nice to see Steven happy (since when wasn't it?), but seeing this power just show up was something new for all of them.

"So, Steven can fly around now. Did something happen while we were knocked out, or what?" Fulgurite asked.

"Actually, this is the first time this happened," admitted Twilight, "He was just fine before during the Fallout. Unless …"

"Well, this is a pretty clear answer," Flint said, "they said the Everstorm's Surge stage occurs after the Fallout, right? It boosts magic, so, maybe some of Steven's powers couldn't wake up until now."

"I'd buy that," Garnet figured.

"But what kind of power is this? Anti-gravity? Did his bones become hollow?" Connie asked, trying to think of some explanation for this. It was a bit tricky to think what kind of power would just happen like this, though they were kind of hoping hollow bones wasn't the right one. Then their attention went to Pearl.

"Wait a sec. Pearl, you knew Pink Diamond. Could this be one of her powers coming out?" Twilight asked. Pearl pondered a bit about this, as they watched Steven go about still.

"You know, it might be," Pearl figured.

"Pink Diamond was capable of controlling the speed of her decent," Garnet informed.

"Yeah, and she can control how fast she fell," Amethyst added.

"That's what I said."

"So you think he can tap into Pink Diamond's abilities now? I mean, if Pink Diamond had this ability before, then Steven can tap into all sorts of abilities," Rarity figured.

"I'm not sure," Pearl said. "The Diamonds are strong, naturally, but like Humans and ponies, each Gem does have their own unique form and DNA. This also includes abilities."

"Oh I get it: like Peridot being able to manipulate metal, or Amethyst's whip Gem weapon," confirmed Twilight. Both examples were a bit broad, but considering they never met a Peridot or Amethyst to have the same properties as their own Amethyst and Peridot, it was a pretty good example to point out.

"So Pink Diamond just found this ability too. How'd she find out she could do this?" asked Flint.

"Well," Pearl said, thinking back on it. "... Actually, it kind of just happened. In fact, she found out pretty much the same way Steven did." They could just imagine the scenario: Pink Diamond just finding out one day after jumping that she could just float around the place, and heck, even tumble about like Steven was along the beach. All the same though, if this was indeed one of Pink's feats, then perhaps there was a bit more to this than just coincidental magical boosting.

"It should be fine," Garnet concluded, "So long as we keep an eye on him. … and bring him down if he jumps too high."

"Fair enough - Steven, don't fall into the sea!" Flint called, seeing Steven going close to the water. Garnet observed all of this from afar, readjusting her shades. Her future vision took a moment to see on ahead, with all the information gathered from the conversations. Three sirens on Earth. Twilight as the new ruler of Equestria. Steven gaining Diamond powers.

The future's looking a bit more intriguing.

Author's Note

AND there you have it folks, probably my biggest Special for MLU to date. Oh boy, do i got plenty to talk about here. This was just SO MUCH in here, and I don't blame you if it takes a while to get through everything. Heck, it's two movies smashed into one thing, of course it's gonna be a long one.

And a lot in here too, gheesh. Tirek's mother and father, the Sirens, The Everstorm's involvement in Equestria's history, Celestia's death! and this last part with Twilight's new role AND Steven's new abilities starting to pop up. … Shouldn't surprise me that it's a lot to take in.

(The third part took far too long honestly. Sorry for the rushed ending to that one. This is what happens when you think WAY TOO hard about Characters and how they should behave and act, until you end up running into so many walls thanks to paranoia. That's a habit I have to break, and quit worrying so much. :twilightsheepish: )

Speaking of Sirens. Yeah, a long time ago, I didn't consider the MLP: EQG movies canon to the franchise of MLP in general, because the creators themselves said such (I think),. This was WAY back in Season 1, but once I saw the Season 7 finale, and saw those Sirens. Well, let's just say MLP wouldn't just do that if EQG really wasn't a canon piece to the franchise as a whole. You can bet your cutie marks they'll show up again eventually (along with a few others, of course :rainbowdetermined2: ).

I tried to cover everything with this one, and just how much the Everstorm would effect everything in both Earth and Equus, I hope I didn't miss anything here. I mentioned the Cluster, did I? :twilightblush:

Hope you all enjoyed ^^

Fallout (Earth)

"Have a good day."

A good paced paper route to keep his mind busy, Jamie going all over town on his bike to get the papers, letters, and packages delivered. Equestria may have had their own bit of short comings throughout this entire venture, but that didn't really mean Earth was completely gone and out of the picture during this whole endeavor. This "fallout" of magic was still as strong as ever, even if the effects were not as persistent or noticeable. Much like in Equestria's skies, the skies above Earth were starry all day long, and even more so all night long. Jamie only needed to look up into the sky to remind him that they were in the middle of some great Everstorm, though admittedly he tried not to think about it too much. Everstorm means while no magic would bother them, it also meant no Crystal Gems to protect them, or at least come into town. It was a good thing though, at least in its own way, that this Everstorm was not permanently placed over their heads. That didn't mean the wait was anything comfy though.

"How long did they say this is happening again?" Jamie thought as he continued along. "It's so LONG. How long does everything have to be normal?!"

"Yo Jamie!"

Panicked on the sudden voice, Jamie hit the breaks on his bike on the spot, almost falling off even. He wasn't in drama mode, but being daydreaming was still an issue for him. It was good that he stopped when he did, otherwise he would've hit into a street light. The route by this point got him nearby Fishstew Pizza, and he soon saw Jenny Pizza waving over to him. Business had been slow for Fishstew pizza, so Jenny had some free time on her own hands sweeping the front.

"Catch you daydreaming again, huh?" Jenny joked, placing the broom aside for a moment as Jamie caught his breath.

"Oh, Jenny, hey. You have a talent of bringing surprise out of others," Jamie said.

"Nah, just you. So did it come in?" Jenny asked, excitedly. Jamie checked his mailbag, looking through what there was in his bag for a little bit.

"Oh boy. It looks like …"

Jenny knew the tone, and looked a little bummed out at first.

"... You got a lot of celebrating to do!" Jamie announced, pulling out Jenny's package. Jenny was psyched to see the package, and immediately opened it up. The package contained the new iPhone, and Jenny was beaming with excitement.

"YESSS! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Just doing my job," Jamie replied. "Those had been very popular lately."

"I know, right? It blows that my other phone got wrecked after it fell into that delivery box. All that sauce and cheese fried it right there," Jenny said.

"I can imagine," Jamie commented. It would teach Jenny to not bring her iPhone to work, especially when it was her turn to deliver pizza. As they were talking though, Citywalk Fries was also a bit slow in its own days, yet the two began to hear a sigh at the front. Ronaldo Fryman was at front (unfortunately for him), and he looked just … bored. Very. Very bored. And for Jamie, it was Ronaldo's package next so it was a fifty-fifty. It was then Jamie and Jenny heard Jamie's stomach growl.

"Hey, you still on your route? We got a special going on."

"Eh, it's okay. I think I'm fine after finding a screensaver next to my pepperoni."

"DANG, that pizza was yours?! Oh, sorry dude!"

"It's fine, Jenny. Have a good day."
So, after visiting Jenny at Fishstew Pizza, Jamie went right off next door to Citywalk Fries for Ronaldo's delivery. Even if he didn't lose any magic off his person, or suffered any huge loses , Ronaldo still felt completely at odds with himself ever since the Everstorm started, as everything Ronaldo would find interesting (anything weird) was no longer much in evidence. At least there was some hint of it before to keep the drive going, but now there was nothing left at all.

"Um … hey, Ronaldo. I got your package," Jamie said. All he got in response was a moan from him. Jamie placed the package on the counter for him, nudging it a little so it would touch him, but that didn't bring him around either.

"It's that Koala Princess deluxe that you like … heheheee …"

Still nothing. Ronaldo had been looking forward to the deluxe edition of the Koala Princess DVD, but it seemed there was more on his mind than just that. Jamie went right up to him, and gave him a few pokes to bring him around. One more poke to the head and … well …

"I GOT NOTHING TO REPORT, OKAY?! YOU HAPPY?! Did you get the information you want-ed?!"

Jamie was almost stumbling over his own bike, he was so surprised, Ronaldo catching his breath after his crazy outburst. Many could probably guess that so much nothing and "normality" would bum out Ronaldo, but on what level was a bit unknown to Jamie. Trying not to set him off again, Jamie moved back over to him.

"Hey … you … ok?"

"It's not fare! I was working on my revolutionary breakthrough, the BIG WEIRD THING above all weird things, and suddenly everything just stops! Nothing's weird anymore, I got nothing to update my blog with anymore. How am I gonna give a follower's special now?!" Ronaldo flopped down onto the counter again, in complete defeat. Jamie was shocked that Ronaldo actually had enough followers for any special on his blog, but Jamie was not a man to judge anymore (mailmen were never judgmental). If there was one judgment Jamie could give, it was that Ronaldo wasn't paying attention at all to the sky above. All those stars glistening in the sky, and Ronaldo for some reason DIDN'T notice it? Really.

"Ronaldo? You do know that there's stars in the day lately, don't you? Look," Jamie said, pointing up to the sky. Ronaldo looked up to the sky, seeing just a few of the stars he was talking about. It was intriguing to him, but not by much, so Jamie decided to amp up the playing field. Nothing a dash of "drama" can't fix. Jamie cleared his throat before speaking again, leaning against the counter.

"Such a phenomenon unheard of by so many before. I mean, this could very well be an Earth-changing event. Since when before in all of history has the stars ever aligned during the sunshine over the moonlight? Magical phenomenon?"

And three. Two. One.

"GAH! How could I be so blind?! The weirdest thing in existence is happening above my head and I haven't did a thing about it!" right away, Ronaldo was back in action, rushing out to the boardwalk in front of him, and got his footage right up to the sky, getting good photos of the numerous stars above him.

"I got to get this in STAT! Thanks Jamie, I owe you one!" and with that, Ronaldo rushed off to get his own conspiracy mind to work on these stars, and what they could mean. Citywalk Fries may have been cut down another worker for the moment, but at least Ronaldo was not so bummed out anymore. Jamie then heard Jenny laughing, having heard everything.

"Good one, man!" Jenny congratulated, thumbs up to him. Jamie chuckled, and went back over to his bike. He still had his route to take to finish up his paper route for the day. After getting the wheels turning, Jamie was off.

…….

So, as the day went on, he continued going around his route around Beach City, both giving letters to the residence, and checking in on the daily happenings. The Boardwalk was just the starting point of his route going about the place, and this gave Jamie plenty of time to go from house to house and getting updates on whatever there was in town. Not exactly snooping in, but it was the easiest to check in on some things if he ever so wanted to. In this case, as he went around the northern area of Beach City, he was on his way to the Barriga family. Out of all the updates, this place was probably the most important to him, since technically the "revival" of Lars would be the sign that the Everstorm's fallout phase would be over, and the Gems would come back. Good thing he got their own mail to deliver, otherwise it would just be snooping in on them.

"Well, here we go. Hope Ms.Barriga's in a good mood today," Jamie told himself. Getting some more of his confidence, he went on over to the front door with delivery in hand. It was just a few letters this time, so he wasn't sure if this was a good enough reason to go up to the front door, and not just put it in their mailbox. That, and given the situation it probably wasn't the best mood for any of the family. Jamie got his nerve up, and was just about to knock on the door, but at this point it'd become more of a habit, and Martha Barriga already went to answer the door.
She did not look her best. Jamie did not want to point it out, but Martha looked just awful, as if she never slept once since the Everstorm started … which was probably not far from the truth. Any parent would be having trouble with their kid in a coma, basically, and waiting to hear just when or if their child would finally wake up.

"Hi, Jamie. Got more mail today?" Martha asked in a tired voice. Jamie gave her the letters, but seeing how rough she looked it just was too hard to ignore. Though, he can confirm that Lars probably wasn't up just yet, and Martha had to go out to get some groceries anyway so she went passed Jamie.

*CAW!**CAW!*

It really didn't help anyone that Jamie and Martha looked up and found that there was actually a vulture on top of their roof. They both had some idea that Lars was not going to permanently die, but seeing a vulture of all things just sitting on the rooftop was NOT encouraging to Martha.

"Not again. Get lost!" Martha shouted, reaching into her purse to pull out a baseball (much to Jamie's fear), and threw it right at the bird! The Vulture squawked and flew away before it could get clocked by the ball. The scent of death lingered inside this house, and the Vultures weren't ignoring it, much to the dismay of the family inside. The baseball didn't hit the bird, but did strike the house wall, Jamie taking cover behind his bike and mailbag just in case. Lucky for him, the baseball just landed down in Martha's yard. Martha picked it up, and placed it back into her bag.

This mama was well-armed.

"Sorry you had to see that," Martha simply replied. Jamie recollected himself.

"I-It's okay. … I guess he's not awake yet, huh?" Jamie said, getting a cold shiver for a brief moment. Martha sighed.

"No. Not yet. This Everstorm's taking forever, I wish it'll just end so my Laramie can come back," Martha replied gravely, before going off on her way. Jamie knew too well what kind of feeling that is, and glancing back up to the front window into Lars's room, Jamie had to wonder what it was like in there. Was Lars still doing alright in there? Not many people except for Priyanka were allowed in there, and that was only because Priyanka was a hospital doctor. Others were discouraged from going in, or just weren't allowed until Lars would come back, in worry something were to happen to him while he was "sleeping".

Though, this did remind him of one more stop he had to get to once his route was done.

…….

Peddling through the sand towards the next destination, and with his mailbag light as a feather by this point, Jamie wasted no time in getting away from the typical Beach City route, and off towards the beachside Crystal Temple. Ever since this Everstorm started, no one really took the time to go by the Crystal Temple house, and as odd as it was, the "Beach House" itself was missing again. The house was brought back only by the magic from the Crystal Temple itself, so with the magic gone, so was Steven's house. Again. Well, the least they could say it wasn't sabotaged or taken away by a particular White Diamond this time, but that didn't mean it was still rough to find. At least the mailbox was still there, so he could still deliver letters and packages to the place if he ever so needed to.
And by this point, Jamie brought another, singular letter to the Gem estate, and proceeded to put it inside the mailbox. It was the last part of his route, and he had only the letter to deliver this time. After getting the letter in the mailbox, he decided to go and look on into the Crystal Temple cave. The only thing that still remained was the Warp Pad in the center of the room, and the Gem door off in the back, though there were no lights present within it. It was like they were never living there to begin with. As with Martha with her son, Jamie was just waiting for the one moment, that one point, when they would all just come out of there and see what they had missed once again.

"Hey, mail kid," a voice suddenly said. Jamie turned around on the voice, and it turned out he wasn't alone in stopping by the Crystal Temple today: Buck Dewey. And by the looks of it, Buck was seemingly waiting for Jamie to show up, having little else to do and what he did have to do, he wanted Jamie in for.

"Buck? What're you doing here?"

"Wanted to see you. I didn't want to interrupt your love letter delivery."

"Love letter? What love letter, I don't have any love letters, who said any love letters?!" Jamie said, in a for of mad blushing and stutters. Buck smirked, and went over to check the mailbox Jamie just dropped off. Jamie was completely flustered when Buck opened the mailbox. There was not one, but about ten different letters, and all of them were from Jamie with the exception of one "sweepstakes" letter, and a pen pal letter from Vidalia to Amethyst.

"I … may have delivered one. … Or two. …" Jamie clammed up, but lucky for him Buck Dewey was never the judgmental type on anyone, let alone Jamie. Buck smirked, and Jamie covered his face, completely red. Love can really make people do some rather questionable things, but no one can really blame him for being in love. Buck could read him like a open book.

"Sure. Hey, I wanna invite you."

"Invite me? Uh, where?" Jamie asked. Then Buck Dewey showed Jamie something in his hand, which was a similar invitation to a similar sounding RAVE going on soon.

"There's going to be a RAVE party soon back at the old warehouse," Buck explained, "It was such a success before, so we decided to revive it again. We're embracing both the past and the future with this present-day celebration. You know, for the heck of it. I want you to come."

"Oh. … Um, well, I don't know. I've been very busy with my paper routes lately. I mean, the paper doesn't deliver itself," Jamie insisted. Buck could see what this was about right away.

"Jamie. You're just distracting yourself from the situation befalling your friends. If you're planning to do that, wouldn't you rather do it on something enjoyable?"

"... Is it really that obvious?" Jamie asked meekly. Buck just needed to point back to the mailbox to get the point across. All of his hard work was just distraction, some of these deliveries he didn't even have to do to begin with, but went and did anyway. He was working crazy, and since this RAVE was gonna happen later on tonight according to the invitation he probably could go. No one was expecting mail at night anyway.

"Ok, I'll go."

"See you there," Buck said, and he began to head off on his way. Jamie took some moments to consider what happened, seeing the RAVE invitation in his hand. Did he just get invited by the coolest kid in Beach City to a RAVE party? Jamie wasn't dissimilar to going to one of these parties, but it was extremely rare for him to ever get the time to do so, and in a way a rarer thing to be asked directly by those taking charge of it. Eventually, Jamie did begin to walk off towards his bike further down the hill, and back to his bike.

Time to get to a party.

~~~~~~

Daytime may be a bit more pretty with the sparkling stars, but nighttime was showing a completely extravagant display of the stars, so many of the stars shining and sparkling up in the sky for the world below to see. In the night though, there still was a lot of activity going on over at the warehouse, most notable due to the distant thumping of the music and plenty of colorful lights going off inside.
The RAVE was well underway, with loud music and plenty of dancing going on inside. The DJ was kicking it on the music, a good sort of old-school 8-bit with some modern electro mixed in. Buck Dewey did say they were celebrating both past and future, so the music had to fit somehow. Many of the partiers were kickin it in this party, either chatting the night away or getting down with the music. Out of all of them though, Jamie was a bit bummed out. Seeing a number of couples scattered about this party didn't really help him out that much either. It would've been great to have Lazuli come by with him, but nope. Jamie felt pretty alone in this RAVE party.

At least the punch was good. It was no alcohol beverage, but Jamie could drink his cares away with it regardless. He never drank anyway, so there was that. Seriously, it was like being alone at a prom or something, and just as bothersome for Jamie. All he could do was just sit there and watch the others dance the night away. Well, at least the night looked lovely outside, which was where he kept much of his gaze to.

"Oh my love. So close, and yet so far off into the night," Jamie sighed, his hand reaching out to the stars, only to find nothing. It was a dramatic moment for him again, which means …

*poke**poke*

"EEK!" Jamie caught off guard again. The one interrupting his "Drama zoning-out" was Jenny Pizza, dressed more casually this time for the party at hand. Jamie regathered himself.

"Geesh dude, you need to be more alert. You ok?" Jenny asked. Jamie just sighed, chugging down what remained of his fruit punch.

"Just bored, that's all," Jamie sighed.

"You're not gonna find anybody over here. Come on, have some fun, and let's shake it on the dance floor," Jenny offered, shaking her hips a bit. Jamie didn't feel up for dancing though.

"I'm not a good dancer," Jamie replied. He went to drink some more fruit punch, only to find his cup empty. Groaning, he tossed it over to a nearby trash bin (which had several fruit punch cups, by the way). Jamie waved a finger for another cup to be given to him, though the one behind the punch bowl was a little bit hesitant. He did give him one, but Jenny quickly snatched it, chugged it down, and tossed it aside just like that.

"Seriously dude, why don't you take your mind off of it for a bit? It's a party," Jenny insisted. Jamie was still stuck on the moment when she chugged the fruit punch to actually listen at first. Though, he did snap out of it after a few seconds.

"I'll go out in a minute," Jamie decided. Jenny wasn't too convinced though, especially when Jamie got another fruit punch for himself this time. Jenny can't force him though, so she just went off back to the party. Jamie was going to need a lot of fruit punches before he could get enough buzz to go back to dancing, though the night wasn't gonna give him the chance. Namely, when a set of footsteps went over towards him.

"Jenny, my heart's not up for it yet, can you -"

And then he saw who actually showed up. And no, it wasn't Jenny. She didn't look familiar at all for that matter, clearly not a resident from Beach City. She looked in her prime when it came to age, about in her late teens. Her skin looked very light, pale yellow, with her hair very poofy and down her back in a luminous, vivid orange with a brilliant yellow streak amongst the curls. Her hair was held back by a headband with spikes on it. Her eyes, a brilliant raspberry color, locked to Jamie's eyes with a sort of seductive, "bedroom" expression. The outfit of this girl was a clear look of a punk: a gold-lined belt around her waist, a purple one-piece and lavender leggings, high-heel violet boots with similar spikes to her belt and headband, lavender shoulder pads with open-fingered lavender gloves, and a necklace with a notable red gem on it. A similar mark of a gemstone was on her belt, and a small "pin" on her hip with a musical symbol on it.
The colors on this girl might be odd for a human, but then again it could just be the lights messing with him. What wasn't a trick of the eye though was this girl's advances; her hand on the bar table next to him the other hand on her rather notable hips, and her leaning in towards him.

"Hey, babe,~" she cooed, her voice as sweet as it was soothing. Jamie though didn't feel either when seeing this bombshell just show up out of nowhere. He wasn't sure what this was about: the sugar buzz from the juice? Her being on a buzz from the juice? Or was she legitimately interested in him?!

"... Hi. U-Uh do I know you? You new?"

"Good thing you're cute," she joked, her finger playfully curling his hair. "Why waste your time over here? Let's have some fun.~"

And before Jamie could even have a word in edgewise, this mystery chick took his hand, and suddenly he found himself in the center of the dance floor. He was left with a blank mind, and at this point stiff as a board, and not moving. This chick had no such problem though, and she already began to make her moves. Most of these a bit … seductive. And sexual. Jamie kept still, but this girl began her dance with a few smooth hip sways, her arms waving side to side in an almost belly-dance like display. She took this dance a step further, and she was right next to him, barely leaving an inch of space, as he felt her hip-bump him. This gave him a shiver, and only got even more notable when she made a spin passed him, and locked eyes with him, a wink following such. These dance moves were less party dance and more like a sort of dazzling, erotic tango.
A tango that was soon starting to take notice of the crowd around them after a bit. Jamie couldn't believe what situation he somehow got himself into. Not coming out with Jenny got himself suddenly with this sexy siren, and while Jamie did try a little bit to get out of this, this gal wasn't gonna let this fish get away from her net.

"Y-Yeah. Ok, you have your own time in the light of the audience, I'll just be over here," Jamie said, smiling and walking backwards. Only to suddenly feel someone bump behind him.

"And I'll be over here," said the chick, her arms slowly moving from his shoulders to his hands. Jamie was at her mercy, and was brought back to the floor again. Now it was back to the tango, Jamie stuck in her grip and unable to escape. As their dance continued though, he began to feel more and more … well … weird. Anyone like him would have dreams of being out with a girl like this, and suddenly Jamie was caught up in the same dream. Too bad his heart was already for someone else. Too bad for the girl.

"I-I gotta go!" Jamie said, and in a cold sweat, Jamie finally broke away and got out of there, leaving this chick alone on the dancefloor.

…….

Boy did he feel like an idiot. He finally got himself home, tired and lucky to be home in one piece, but to leave someone like her on the floor alone was not suiting him well. He wasn't raised to be like that. He was in his bedroom, left pondering over the events that happened at the RAVE.

"Jamie, you fool," Jamie told himself, "The one chance to finally separate the anxiety of the world, and you go ahead and just drop it all! And all because of a lone siren tried to advance on you. … Ok, maybe it's not that bad of a reason. But still, you came there for a good time, and you worked away from it."
His monologuing stopped for a moment, his hand over his heart, when he glanced over to a picture over by some lit candles, showing one of his many moments with Lapis Lazuli. It wasn't too fancy: Lapis and Jamie out on one of his paper routes with Lapis wearing his mailman hat. It still brought a smile to his face though.

"Know what? It's not so bad. After all, your heart is for another. Just because she's not here for now, doesn't make that love any less real. Your true love will return one day, Jamie ol' boy, you'll just have to wait."

He glanced outside his window to the night sky. He saw starry skies, but the Everstorm made it look all the more beautiful, mixing real stars with illusion sparkles. His smile disappeared and replaced with a depressed frown.

"Waiting hurts. It hurts a lot," he sighed in defeat. Over a week going by already and he still hadn't any clue how much longer he'll have to go for. Lapis surely wouldn't want him being so sad, but she sure wouldn't like some girl taking him away from her either. Love didn't work that way, and he knew it. With that in mind, Jamie got himself off to bed, getting comfy in it, and tucking himself in.

"I just need a good night sleep and I'll be greeted with a new day," Jamie told himself. And soon, he was down and began to go to sleep …

…

"Jamie?~ Wakie-wakie.~ You're missing out.~"

Jamie could barely hear the voice, but ever so slowly Jamie began to come around again. He was still in bed, naturally, but he wasn't the only one in the room. Looking ahead, he could've sworn there was someone in front, beginning to come up onto bed with him, though he needed a few minutes to actually realize that this was Lapis in bed with him! He suddenly wasn't so sleepy anymore, bolting up in bed seeing her like this.

"L-Lapis?! B-But how'd you, I thought -"

"sssshhh," Lapis hushed, her finger over his lips. "Let's not question anything. I know you've wanted this.~"
Jamie was beside himself. Lapis began to move closer to him, and while he might be a bit welcoming at first, the more times he blinked, the more Lapis Lazuli started to change into someone else. The voice didn't sound much like Lapis either now that he thought of it, and after about five blinks, Jamie suddenly found himself in the company of that same siren from the party! What was going on?!

"L-Lapis?"

"Just take this.~" the girl said, readying her lips to meet with his own. Jamie had to think of something, anything! Time to initiate Dream kicker: pinching himself in the side.

…

"GAH!"

Thank the cosmos it worked. His heart was racing like crazy, his hands grabbing the blanket in a vice grip, his breath in pants, and his eyes wide open. It was still night time looking outside, twilight morning probably, but Jamie was more uncomfortable than ever now. How can his dream shift gears so fast? AND WHY THAT GIRL OF ALL PEOPLE?!

"Oh no."

~~~~~~

The next morning came by quick, which was pretty good for some people, and in no time at all Jamie was up and about Beach City. Today was a day he would go off of work, and since there wasn't mail to deliver now, Jamie was left with just his thoughts on what the heck even happened last night. Dreams like that don't just happen, and especially not after a one-night meeting like Jamie and this dazzling siren. Boy, he didn't even know her name, and he ended up with a dream of such high advances - it was crazy! What did that girl do to him? Or, on that matter, who even was that girl? He never really got her name the time he was there, and to get his mind all stuck with this chick whoever it was, did leave him baffled if anything.
But that was yesterday, and that girl was probably long gone by now so he didn't let that continue bothering him all that much. Besides, his heart was already sent for someone else, and having another girl on the brain might leave the wrong impression towards that particular someone. So what is a young actor to do now?

Well, have some fun. As Buck told him, if he wanted to distract himself from the situation, he might as well go and enjoy what he liked to do to pass the time. And today, he went towards the one place anyone could have some enjoyment no matter who they are: Funland. Early summer was a primetime to go off to Funland for anybody, and as the day looked pretty good, Jamie began to head off that way. It was still a bit of a walk to get there, but he wasn't in that much of a hurry.

"What a night that was," Jamie thought. "that girl really left an impression on me. Her amber hair. Her vivid eyes. Her dazzling demeanor …" suddenly Jamie began to trail off in thought on this women, staring off into space with a sort of "dreamy" expression. … What was wrong with him?! Jamie had to wake himself up from this dream state to remind himself what actually happened, shaking his head to do so. He didn't have feelings for this girl, he had feelings for Lapis! Don't he? He wouldn't even bother leaving letters in their mailbox otherwise.

"Don't think like that! Love is not something one can throw from a hat. My heart is for her," he told himself, and he REALLY wanted to keep it that way. Lapis Lazuli was his love, and he will not be swayed to think otherwise.
So, with that in mind, he strolled onward towards Funland. And a fairly good timing on his part, as there was quite a bit of commotion going on with a group listening to the town mayor Nanefua.

"So it is decided," said Nanefua, "We will have our contest within Funland."
A decision many had agreed on, especially the one in charge of the park. What better way to bring people to the park than to hold a contest inside. Jamie himself didn't involve too deeply in this stuff, so while he overheard it he walked around the group and went right off into Funland.

The place was up in full swing as Jamie went around Funland, it all open and active for a lot of the summertime primetime. Plenty of people, local or visiting, trying out all sorts of rides and booths for a good time. Jamie wasn't really sure where to even start, though eventually his eyes took some sight on a old classic: milk bottle knock em' down. Jamie went on over, seeing a particular Mr. Smiley up by the front and ready to go.

"HEY, Jamie! Didn't think you'd be coming by, good to see ya," said Mr. Smiley, in his usual cheery way. It was hard to stay down with someone like Mr. Smiley around to lighten the mood.

"Hey, Mr. Smiley. So, what's the game for today?" Jamie asked, a bit more cheery this time.

"I decided to get out an ol' classic this year," said Mr. Smiley, "Think you're strong enough to knock em all down?"

"Oh, I think you know I think I can knock em down," said Jamie. "Load me up."

So, after paying up, Mr. Smiley gave him a good five metal balls to use on these milk bottles. Mr. Smiley made sure to step aside and out of the way, as Jamie locked in his target and picked up one of his ammunition. The rules to this were simple: knock em all down with whatever you got left. Jamie rallied up his arm, gearing up for the most important throw of the whole park, and …

*thud*

… it was like throwing a fly at a truck. Jamie had a few more to use, but unfortunately, they ended up pretty much the same way. The ball would fly, but barely make the bottle budge an inch. He got the top bottle off, but that was about it. One. Two. Three balls flew in the air, and no such result got him the full score. He did have more focus on this though, which was good. He reached down to grab one more ball for the final throw, but somehow he didn't have another one to use.

"Wait, didn't I have -"

*BAM* all of a sudden, the stack of bottles were knocked right down to the ground. Jamie and Mr. Smiley saw all the bottles fall down hard.

"YAY! I win!" shouted a cheery voice.
And who was the won to win the big prize today? Not someone Jamie knew, that was for sure. Again. This girl though was not the same as any typical human being (and no strobe lights tricked his eyes this time). Her hair, in a long singular ponytail with a striped mix of arctic blue and Persian blue, and her skin too was that of a pale arctic blue. Her outfit, much like a particular punk girl from the RAVE, also sported a sort of punk design: hot pinks and violets coming up to the design. She had a different design of course, wearing a lavender skirt with wristbands of arctic blue spikes, and knee-high hot pink boots and knee-high socks. She sure looked happy for the victory, jumping in place with her fist to the sky with each jump.

"Good job kid," said Mr. Smiley, "looks like you won your prize. Here ya go."

Oh sweet!" she beamed. But then, as she was given a alien plushie for her troubles, Jamie then suddenly saw the girl's eyes. The same raspberry coloration the first girl had, and just as eye-catching. Jamie suddenly felt his heart race like crazy on seeing those eyes, and since he didn't have and fruit punch, nor was he at any RAVE, this reaction was not only more prominent but even more troubling. He shouldn't be acting so freaked out around another girl. Jamie readied to move off, but this other girl caught sight of him first.

"Oh hi. what'chu doin?" she asked, cheerfully going over to him.

"J-Just checking out Funland," Jamie said. The girl smiled wide.

"You too? This place is SO fun, I can't believe I haven't come here sooner!"

"It is called funland," Jamie thought. Well, if this girl was at least acquainted with the first, at least Jamie could say she wasn't trying to have her way with him and just having a good time. However, then the girl glanced him a sort of "seductive" gaze, which made Jamie shiver. Whether she meant to or not, he wasn't sure, but then he noticed something around her neck: a red gemstone. Exact match to the first girl's gemstone at the RAVE. In the end, Jamie just had to ask.

"Hope you don't mind me asking, but … did we meet somewhere before?"

"Uh, did we? … OOHH! You're must be that butler guy! How'd you get here from that big city by the sea so fast?" she asked, legitimately confused.

… huh?

"There you are, you dunce," said another voice.
and now Jamie's heart was going so quick it was skipping beats. One gal he didn't recognize, but when he saw the same girl from the RAVE standing there, he thought he was gonna lose it. So, she didn't leave town after all, and it seemed she brought company.
Next to her was another punk girl of fuchsia skin and a lot of deep violet for much of her design. Her hair, which was two ponytails instead of one like the blue girl, had the most contrast of colors with dark purple and brilliant aquamarine. Much like her companions, this girl was also punk in outfit with a green overcoat with "torn" sleeves, a light tan shirt with brilliant hot pink pants, and a star belt.

"H-Hi. Again," Jamie said, freaking out on the inside.

"Oh, it's you from that RAVE party. Funny seeing you here again," the gold girl noted.

"Wait, so he's not the butler from that big city?" asked the blue girl. This did cause some irritation from the other two girls, as the purple one just dragged her back behind the gold one. Guess the gold girl was the leader of the two.

"I didn't think you'd still be in town," Jamie admitted.

"We're gonna be hanging around for a while. Especially with word of that little contest coming up this weekend," the gold girl said, feeling pretty confident in the show coming up.

"Oh. You sing?"

"We've been known to sing from time to time," said the purple one.

"Like, all the time," said the blue one, "It's how we get people to do what we want!"

This off-handed comment brought alarm from the leading girl, who immediately glared to her, hand cutting across her throat as a signal to shut up. The blue girl didn't get the idea right away, still smiling, but looking a little perplexed.

"What'd I say?"

"What's she talking about?" Jamie asked. The leading girl had to rethink a little bit.

"What she meant to say was that being in a musical showcase sounds like a great way to meet the locals. Right?" the leading girl corrected, a little bit more forceful to the blue girl than anticipated. Jamie could tell from a mile away there was something not being said here, he was not stupid, but with his heart a bit fuzzy he didn't say anything. He was still shocked she was hanging around town anyway.

"... Right. I'm just gonna go on my way," Jamie said, slipping by her again and starting to walk off from the scene. His legs were moving, but the rest of him was just stuck still, extremely troubled all over again. The trio didn't actually feel too rough about this.

"Woooow, Adagio," said the purple one, "And you said you had him wrapped around your fingertips."
Adagio was ticked hearing that, but regathered herself quick as they walked along.

"Shut up, Aria. At least my charm got someone in this town," Adagio remarked smugly.

"Ooooooo!" the blue girl chimed in.

"Sonata shut it, you almost blabbered our whole plan," Aria snapped, "What do I expect from being with the worst person ever?"

"Oh yeah? you -"

"SHUT UP, both of you," Adagio demanded. Aria and sonata did so, a bit reluctantly, as Adagio looked on towards the crowd off nearby. This place was pretty big and plenty of people were about. Adagio smirked.

"How about we do some practice before the show? What do you say?"

…….

"I-I'm going crazy. My heart's acting where I don't want it to," Jamie thought in panic, "I need an expert."

Jamie felt like a complete nut. With the presence of not one, but three of those sirens in town Jamie's mind was all over the place. Well, it was a good thing he had a backup plan if this were to happen, or at the very least if his thoughts were getting too muffled to work out a proper answer. And with Adagio, Aria, AND Sonata in town and staying around, he had to get his stuff together. And the best person to talk to this about was someone who went around the block a few times more than he did. Someone who had his heart for someone like Lapis before.

Someone who cleans up cars. And that particular someone who, by the time Jamie arrived to the carwash, had finished up washing up Onion's boxcar … which he proceeded to spur out of there without paying.

"Hey wait, you forgot to - … eh, I don't care, I'm rich," Greg shrugged. what was the harm in just one customer going away when he got so much money from a bunger commercial, he didn't have a clue what to do with it?

"Mr. Universe? You busy?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, hey Jamie. Nah, I just finished up another car for a satisfied customer," Greg replied, going back and hanging up his hose. Jamie stayed quiet at first, finding a seat over by Greg's van. By said van, Jamie saw young Gem dog Blue just laying there, looking … basically how Jamie had been feeling about Lapis - sulking, and waiting for his master to come back home. Jamie surely can relate. He just sighed, as Greg went over to them both.

"Still worrying about the others, huh?"

"Well … sort of," Jamie replied. Greg stretched, and placed down his washing sponge and bucket.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Greg said. "I still wonder how Steven's holding up in Equestria. I just hope he's okay, without magic and all that. Guess Blue's been feeling the same way too since he left." Blue just whimpered a little bit, as Jamie rubbed his head. It only made sense though for Blue and Greg to worry about Steven; one Steven being the master, and the other Steven's father.

"I know they'll be back. … But actually, that's not what I wanna talk to you about," Jamie said.

"Oh! Well, that case, what's on your mind?" Greg asked. Jamie needed to think a little bit about it before trying to explain himself.

"Ok … well … you've been in love with a Gem before. Right?"

"Well. Yeah, sure. Why? Having love trouble?" Greg replied. A bit curious that Jamie would bring that kind of question up, but if there was anyone in town Jamie could get advice about this situation on, it would be Greg. So, Jamie went on for it.

"Maybe? … Well, say your heart's set on a Gem. You like her a lot, and you knew her for a long time, and you might, or might not even dreamt about her."

"... Ok …?"

"But then this other girl shows up out of nowhere, not a Gem, and … suddenly you think your heart might be betraying you for her instead of the Gem. … Yet, you want to be in love with the Gem, but your heart is swaying to someone else. … What should I do?" Jamie finally asked. Greg needed a while to actually think about this. Basically, his mind told him his love was Lapis, but his heart kept forcing him away. Love between a Gem and a Human, and Jamie just couldn't think of what to do.

"So to sum up, you're torn between a Human love and a Gem love."

"I don't know, should I be? I only met with this siren just last night: orange hair, vibrant eyes, a knowing smile …"

"Well … I can't say that didn't happen before," Greg admitted. "Your body's just trying to lean towards what it knows is normal."

"I know, I know! But I love her! … D-Don't I?" Jamie asked in a panic. Greg had to calm him down a bit, hand on his back.

"Jamie, Jamie, easy. Look, being in love with a Gem's no different than being in love with anyone else. I mean, you love her, and she loves you, right? It's just gonna take a bit more commitment to make it work, that's all."

"You sure about that?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie, I've been with a Gem since I dropped out of college and stopped playing as a roadie Rockstar. Trust me, it's gonna be a bit tougher than it normally is. I mean sure you got the typical problems: how to break it to her, finding out what she likes, telling her how human instruments work. But as long as you're up for the challenge, I know it'll all be fine," Greg reassured him. Guess this was good of proof and reassurance Jamie was going to get. Greg wasn't going to lie that there were times when he too had been a little bit questionable when it came to love over a Gem to, as his cousin would say, "an American" (take that how you will). But in the end, his heart stayed with Rose, and had always been that way since. Jamie just had to keep his mind focused on who he really wants. Before this conversation could go any further, they began to hear someone else come over: Sour Cream with his own car. He just parked his car into place, getting the attention of Greg and Jamie off nearby. When he came out though, Sour Cream actually had some shades covering his eyes.

"Oh, hey sour Cream. Just the usual for today?" Greg asked, getting up.

"Yeah, sure, thanks. If you can buffer up my ride, that'd be great," Sour Cream replied. So, as Greg got to work, Sour Cream found a seat over by Jamie, waiting it out.

"Hey, Sour Cream. where'd you get those shades?"

"Eh, I had them," Sour Cream simply replied. Awkward silence soon followed.

"... So … how'd the RAVE go last night?" Jamie then asked. Sour Cream groaned.

"It blew up, man. Completely blew up."

"Oh, well that's good."

"... That means, it went bad," Sour Cream corrected. Jamie felt guilty for not usually getting the "street" lingo Sour Cream usually used. Not that he didn't understand it at all, but it was still a little sketchy for him. Hearing the RAVE went bad though was a surprise.

"Bad? How'd it go bad? Your parties don't usually go -" to answer Jamie's question, Sour Cream then removed the shades over his eyes. It turned out, those shades were not just for looks after all, as removing the shades showed Sour Cream's nasty-looking black eye! Jamie cringed on seeing it, and Blue was alarmed seeing it himself, his head bolting up on seeing the injury.

"Ooohh, ow, what happened to you?"

"No idea, dude. not long after you left, things just took a downhill slide. First thing I knew I was killin' it on my DJ booth, and the next I'm on the ground with this shiner," Sour Cream explained. Jamie never really considered Sour Cream as anyone to actually start a brawl with anyone, let alone be the guy to gain an injury like this? Jamie didn't want to admit it, but him leaving so soon might've been a lucky break after all.

"By the way, you seen Jenny anywhere? Haven't seen her since the party."

"Um … no, I don't think so. Why, did something happen to her?"

"No she's fine, but I want to apologize to her. when the fights started, everything just got a little bit fuzzy. But apparently she and I were going at it for whatever reason," Sour Cream explained.

"Hense the black eye?" Jamie figured. Sour Cream felt his black eye, which was still a bit sensitive since the initial hit. Black eyes usually were.

"Guess so," Sour Cream figured. It was just a bit sketchy for him to work out, his memory a little fogged up from last night. Whatever happened though, whatever the case may be, the least Sour Cream could do was apologize to Jenny for it. Jamie wasn't sure what exactly happened down at the RAVE, though he didn't consider anything until now outside of the girl from said party. He might have one idea to find Jenny though, but it was a bit of a stretch.

"Hey, didn't you find her at Fishstew Pizza?"

"Nah. Kiki wasn't at work either."

Okay, plan B. Jamie got up.

"Her, Mr. Universe? Mind if I take Blue for a walk?" Jamie offered, looking to Greg as he was washing off sour Cream's car. Jamie didn't notice until now, but the car actually had a decent-sized dent on the front head light. whatever happened at the RAVE must've gone REALLY south.

"Oh, if you want to sure, the leash is in the van. and hey, if you got anymore problems, feel free to chat with me," Greg replied. Jamie nodded, and looked over to the Gem dog. The Gem dog didn't look very up to just go off for a walk right away, so Jamie needed to think about what to get him up.

"We can stop and get you some biscuits, Blue," offered Jamie.

Soon, Blue was fetching the leash for Jamie. nothing like some snacks to get the Gem dog cheery again.

~~~~~~

So off they went from the carwash, heading towards the Pizzas house. Jamie would know where Jenny lived, namely for his many deliveries to her place. Of course, Jamie did stop to get some biscuits for Blue first as promised, the happier Gem dog chewing away at his favorite treat. Although one was happy, Jamie and Sour Cream were stuck wondering about Jenny's situation. What would've happened last night to drive Jenny away like this? No, wait, what would drive Kiki away like this? Kiki would've needed something very important to just go off from work with Jenny. Eventually they got just about across the street, though whatever happened last night did make Sour Cream a bit more nervous on just walking right up to see Jenny.

"Ok, mind just waiting over here? Come over when I open the door," Jamie asked.

"Yeah, sure," Sour Cream replied. Jamie might as well hear both sides of this story before just pushing sour Cream into it. so, giving Sour Cream the leash, Jamie walked over to the front door. All Sour Cream and Blue could do was wait it out at least until Jenny would calm down. He didn't have any other reason to stop by Jenny's house though, so, this might either so good or bad. time to throw caution to the wind, and he went on to knock on the door. Turned out, Kiki was there to answer. While sour Cream didn't exactly hear what was going on (and it didn't help that Kiki made a glare towards him), Jamie was eventually allowed inside with Kiki's permission. After explaining a little bit, Kiki brought Jamie up to Jenny's room, knocking on her door.

"Hey girl, you got a visitor," Kiki said.

"I'm not in the mood for it," said a distraught voice behind the door.

"Jenny you've been locked up in there all morning, at least come out for some breakfast or something," Kiki said. Jamie began to hear some groaning, and eventually Jenny did finally come out of her bedroom. Though, the girl didn't really look her best at all. She wasn't hurt physically like Sour Cream outside, but Jenny still looked like she was exhausted from last night … and in pretty baggy clothing too, which included a pretty baggy sweatshirt, and sweatpants. Standard signs of depression, or at the least a very bad night.

"Morning, Jenny. … You uh … ok?" Jamie asked. Jamie didn't need to really ask that though, just seeing her looking the way she did told him last night was not exactly the best time of her life. Nor did she want to talk about it right away, as she just walked passed him, heading downstairs. Again, not the best night ever. Jamie and Kiki went off downstairs too, and as Kiki began to make some food for them, Jamie and Jenny sat down in the living room.

"So what brought you by? Forget a package?" Jenny started.

"Well, no, I just didn't see you over at Fishstew Pizza, so I wanted to check on you," Jamie replied. Get the obvious out of the way first. He knew Sour Cream was waiting off outside, so he can't take too long in here. Jenny sighed.

"I'm just gonna take a wild guess and say it's about the RAVE, huh?"

"Uh … yeah, pretty much."

Jenny kind of figured much. Why else would the one guy who didn't stick around the RAVE come by here to check on her?

"Sour Cream's a -" *BEEP* went the timer on the stove.

"WHOA, language sis!" Kiki said. Not that Jenny cared.

"OH, you want language? I'll give you language!"

"AH, ok, ok, ok, I get it, don't get colorful in your speech please," Jamie quickly pleaded. He didn't need to hear a pounding of curses, and they were sure it wouldn't make things any better either. Jenny calmed down, though was still fuming a bit.

"Like, what even happened, you know? That RAVE was going along just fine and suddenly everyone started going at eachother's throats. I don't even know what started it!" Jenny griped.

"How bad did it get anyway? And what happened with you and Sour Cream? Last I saw him he got a black eye," Jamie said, pointing to his own eye for emphasis. Jenny huffed.

"Serves him right, for what that - … jerk said to my face. You know what he said?"

"Um … no? What?"
Jenny readied to say it, but with Kiki right there she just saved the exact details in a whisper instead. Jamie went a bit closer, and Jenny whispered exactly what he said to her, to him … and Jamie looked frozen. How could Sour Cream say THAT to her?!

"R-Really?!"

"I KNOW!" Jenny said, "Who's he to snap like that at me! I mean, COME ON, what'd I even do?!"
Jamie wasn't too sure, but perhaps Sour Cream could hear the yelling from outside at the level Jenny was going on about. Jenny sure sounded like she didn't agree with Sour Cream on his insult, but with her dressed up it might've had a bit more of an affect on her than even she realized. She would at least look normal, and not in drag.

"Oh boy, this is getting out of hand. Come on, Jamie, think of something to lift her spirits," Jamie thought, trying to figure out what'll work and what will not. Jamie cleared his throat, getting some words together. Maybe this'll work, maybe not, but it was worth a shot either way.

"Jenny, believe me you're not a … well, what Sour Cream said. You look as good as you always do," Jamie said. Short, sweet, and he gave a thumbs up for her too. Jenny knew Jamie was just being nice (he never was mean to any women if he could help it), but regardless this did perk her up just a little bit.

"Well, in that case, I'll be right back," Jenny said, getting up and heading off towards her room again. Jamie had to wonder if he did say the right thing or not. Jamie looked over to Kiki in the kitchen, his eyes asking if he was doing good or not. Kiki found this good so far, and didn't give him a look of discomfort at all.

"Yeah, I can't believe Sour Cream said that about her. I thought the two were pretty close," Kiki commented.

"So did I," agreed Jamie, "But … I don't think he meant it. do you?"

"I dunno, I wasn't at the RAVE party," Kiki answered, "But I don't know what could trigger THAT out of Sour Cream. … How bad did he look, by the way?"

"Well, aside from the black eye, fine. … Actually he wanted to apologize to Jenny. … He's just outside."
That last part alarmed Kiki. That guy, after what he said, was just outside their house?! Kiki stopped her cooking for a brief moment and looked out their window, only to find him standing just across the street with Blue, checking his iPhone. What were the odds of that happening?

"... You thinkin what I'm thinkin?" Kiki inquired. And indeed Jamie was.

"I'm just not sure how to approach it yet. Any ideas?"

"Not much time to chat about that, here she comes," Kiki replied. Kiki went back to cooking, and pretty soon, Jenny came back down, this time in her usual outfit instead of such drag. As opposed to Sour Cream's insult, she might as well get another opinion.

"Ok, Jamie. Do I look fat, or what?"

"WHERE'D THAT COME FROM?!" Jamie thought in horror. Naturally an insult deep about Jenny's weight (or any girls' weight) would leave them a little more self-conscious. So, Jenny might as well see if she did look like the same insult Sour Cream had said, though Jamie was left … scared. Really scared. Jamie looked over to Kiki with a look that just said "Kiki, help me.". But Kiki couldn't help him out here. Eventually he just repeated himself.

"N-No, not at all, you look good as always!"

"Oh Jamie," Kiki thought. she tried all morning with this already, and a answer THAT quick and urgent was just asking to get caught on to. Jenny eye-checked him for a second before it just confirmed her suspicions.

"You being real, or is that a trick question?" Jenny asked. Jamie was in a cold sweat at this point.

"I-I mean it, really."

"Then why're you freakin out so much?" Jenny questioned. Jamie really didn't know what to do. Here he was already getting his mind scrambled thanks to Adagio, and now he was stuck with the hardest questions a man could even answer properly. … Without making the other angry, of course. And considering he was trying to make her feel better, it was a very precarious road to tackle. Jamie had to come up with something, and finally had a reasonable answer.

"Well, what do you think? It's your body, you should be where you feel most comfortable with yourself," Jamie replied. Not exactly answering it, but still gave it some more insight to think about. Jenny knew it was a question dodge, but the more she considered, and more she checked herself, the more she realized Jamie had somewhat of a point.

"But Sour Cream called me -"

"I know, nevermind that. How do you feel about it?" Jamie reminded again. Jenny did so, and after some more checking, Jenny began to actually relax a bit. She really didn't look that bad at all.

"... You know what? I'm feelin pretty alright. And I'm still workin it pretty good," Jenny concluded. Jamie did blush as Jenny showed off a bit, but at least Jenny was feeling pretty good with her body again. Better than she was a few minutes ago anyway. At this point though, they began to hear some bit of barking coming from outside, just loud enough to get their attention. Kiki and Jamie may have found their key.

"Well, sounds like Blue is getting impatient with you," Kiki said.

"You're walkin the Gem dog now?" Jenny asked.

"Oh yeah, did I mention that?" Jamie replied, as he began to head over to the front door. Soon as Jamie got to the front door …

*ARF!**ARF!*

And suddenly, ol' Blue jumped on Jamie. The signal was made, and Blue was right on the nose with it, albeit a bit over-energetic. Jamie was met with a few good licks, though as Sour Cream had been dragged over here, basically he and Jenny were right in front of eachother. What were they supposed to say now? Jenny wasn't expecting this to happen so quickly, and Sour Cream was hoping for a less embarrassing approach than laying on the ground by Jenny's feet.

"Oh. Hey," Jenny simply said, though she did not look very pleased to see Sour Cream at all as the guy got to his feet.

"Yeah, hey. Listen, I-I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Mmhmm. Yeah you are," Jenny scoffed, not believing him at first.

"Jenny, I swear I don't know what happened, I didn't mean it."

"Didn't mean it? What?! You shouted that dead in my face, you DJ bird jerk!"

"Bird jerk? I don't look like a bird," Sour Cream questioned, feeling insulted.

"Hey, you label my body, I label yours," Jenny snapped. The insults started to go back and forth with eachother, and suddenly it almost seemed like both sides forgot what else they were doing. Sour Cream's apology and Jenny's body acceptance were just thrown out the window after just half a minute, and insults were just being thrown back and forth for seemingly no reason other than for the sake of arguing.

"Uh, did we forget we're trying to -"

"STAY OUT OF THIS JAMIE!" Sour Cream and Jenny snapped. Jamie felt a severe coldness in both of their words, and it made him back up in shock. Sure, they were mad in their own way, but what even happened here to take it that far? Jamie, Kiki, and Blue were getting concerned with all of this, yet while Jamie and Kiki were focused on the two people, Blue was checking out with his nose, following a particularly odd scent away from the scene. This was a strange scent, and the more he sniffed it, the more he felt an urge come over him.

"HEY!" Kiki snapped, getting their attention, "What's gotten into you two? He came here to apologize."

"Mind your own business, sis!" Jenny demanded. Kiki couldn't believe her ears. Kiki was upset, but she was more level-headed as she tried to confront the two.

"HOLD IT!" Kiki shouted, getting in between the two this time before any blows were made. "Sour Cream, Jenny, this is getting ridiculous. Sour Cream came here to apologize, and here you are tearing him up for it!"

"I said mind your own business, girl, or do you want some?" Jenny warmed, hand turned fist. Was … was she threatening to hurt Kiki?

"Jenny, it's me Kiki! your bestie!"

"Shut it, you - AAAHHH!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the situation escalated far too high. Jenny panicked and found her arm was being bit into by none other than Blue! But this wasn't just Blue. Blue looked savage, angry, and his gemstone somehow had turned from blue to green. All that anger was suddenly replaced with fear, and Jenny quickly got Blue off of her. All the anger from the just disappeared right then and there, seeing Blue having it all and was loosing it on them. Strangely too, after making that bite and a few barks, the color slowly returned to blue, and … it just stopped. Just like that. The anger subsided, and Sour Cream, Jenny, and Blue were calmed down just like that.

"WHOA, what just happened? I think I blacked out for a second there," Sour Cream asked.

"Wait, you don't remember?" Jamie asked.

"Uh … no? I just saw Sour Cream, and suddenly Blue bites me and that's it," Jenny replied.

…

"Magic," Kiki and Jamie concluded. As crazy as the idea even sounded now with the Everstorm and all, what other reason would there be for them to be this deadly with eachother and for Blue to suddenly just jump like that?! Jenny and sour Cream looked to one another, but this time they didn't plan on attacking eachother, as Blue tried to recollect himself again. But while that did sound like the answer, then came an even bigger question.

HOW was there any magic left?!

"Look you two. So you had a bad night. You're good friends, you shouldn't let that just cut it short," Kiki advised. Sour Cream and Jenny were a bit quiet at first, though Jenny did feel a bit guilty for just snapping. Even if she didn't remember it all too well. Sour Cream went first.

"Hey. Sorry for that insult. You don't look bad at all," Sour Cream said.

"Yeah, man. And sorry for clocking your eye," Jenny replied, blushing a little bit. Sour Cream put his hand to his eye, and just smiled.

"Don't sweat it. Didn't know you had just a killer left hook," Sour Cream commented. Jenny looked to her left hand, chuckling a little bit. Well, glad the two at least were a bit better about things.

"Good to see someone's recovering. Nice show of emotion," said another voice, strolling over.

"Oh, hey there Bu - AH!"

Buck Dewey. And much like sour Cream, he looked like he'd seen better days, only a little bit worse off. He got himself bandaged up around his face, leaving it a bit casted up to one side. Clearly someone got in quite the fight.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" gasped Jenny. Buck didn't seem to troubled with his injury though.

"We got a small problem."

…….

"You call THIS a small problem?!" gasped Jamie.

"Relatively speaking," Buck sighed.

Funland was not looking all that fun anymore. While Jamie was there, it was all smiles and, well, fun. Now though, the situation has severely escalated to insults and yelling all across the way. Whoever was around the meeting with Nanefua just moments ago were now stuck with spitting venom at everyone around them (figuratively speaking of course). It wasn't exactly any alien invasion, or natural disaster, but it still was a bit of a problem that Buck unfortunately got himself stuck with. Lucky for them, they weren't as affected as they were just moments ago, though Blue made sure to keep as far away as possible just in case something would set him off.

"How'd this riot start?" Kiki had to ask.

"The power of politics was too much for them to bare … apparently," Buck figured, though it really was anyone's guess. The insults being shot at eachother were almost inconsistent, and as with Sour Cream and Jenny just earlier, it almost seemed it was arguing just for the sake of arguing.

"Politics from Nanefua? nah, she's been doing great. What'll she say that would tick them off?" Jenny said.

"Hold up … hey Jamie, think magic might be in this too?" Kiki asked. Jamie scratched his head.

"Might be, but all magic has been gone for weeks. The Everstorm up there had drained it all away, so there shouldn't be any magic left," Jamie said, pointing up to the sky and seeing the "stars" still evident in the sky. So long as those stars were still there, the Everstorm was still present, and magic was still gone … right?

"Who're they?" Kiki asked. The group then looked off nearby, and who did they see standing there?

Adagio, Aria, and Sonata. The trio were standing off not too far away, hidden out of common-sight but still not that far from the raging crowd. The three either didn't notice or didn't care that a huge yelling fest was going on just a few meters away. They didn't seem effected much by the arguing, and were heading off from the situation. Peculiar they would be around during this mayhem, and NOT in some crazy fight. Soon though, Sonata stopped walking when she saw the group standing off aside. Aria and Adagio turned to get sonata, but soon saw the group too. Buck Dewey started to walk over to them.

"Hey."

"OOOOO, cool guy incoming," Sonata said as he came over to them. They completely ignored his injury, which buck took note of himself. Checking out Buck Dewey, Aria actually stepped in front of Adagio. Adagio already got her man, now it was Aria's turn to go fishing for his heart.

"Hey babe.~" cooed Aria.

"Hey. You three wouldn't happen to know what's the deal here," Buck said, glancing back to the others in the bigger crowd nearby. Aria was more interested in Buck though, pretending that the conflict wasn't even happening.

"Not really … you know, you look really hot with that scar," Aria said. Buck looked down, and soon noted the gemstone on her chest. Very peculiar. He did have a theory going in his own mind, though he needed to test it first.

"Where'd you get those?" Buck asked, his hand reaching for the gemstone. almost as an instinctive response, Aria quickly grabbed Buck's hand and forced it away. This was a bit more aggressive than needed, so Aria had to quickly recover.

"They're very valuable to us. We'd hate to have anything happen to them," Aria said. Pretty basic answer, and since Buck didn't seem fazed by the confusion, they felt it was good enough. Adagio followed Aria on her way, though Sonata just stood there for a bit, admiring Buck Dewey's looks before she was grabbed and dragged away.

Theory confirmed.

~~~~~~

After that short talk and after getting the fight sorted out the best they could, Jamie, Jenny, Buck, Sour Cream, and Kiki went off from Funland and got themselves over at Fishstew Pizza. Buck Dewey didn't need more than a few minutes to talk to them to figure out what the actual deal was with these "fights" exploding in town. With all the commotion going on in Funland, not too many were around the Boardwalk. So, as Jenny and Kiki were making up for lost time in their work, Sour Cream, Buck, and Jamie were sitting off nearby thinking over what this was all about.

"K, so what'd they tell you? What's the details?" Sour Cream asked.

"Not much. They tried to hit on me, and threatened to snap by hand for touching their pendants," Buck replied. As if his injuries weren't rough enough already.

"I know this is obvious, but something's … off about them," Jamie concluded.

"The dazzlings are a bit infamous in the world of music," Buck said.

"The what now?"

"Wait, the dazzlings? That's really them?! No way!" gasped Jenny, mentally slapping herself for not recognizing them sooner.

"What's the major reveal?" Jamie asked, a little confused.

"Dude, the Dazzlings had been hitting in the popularity polls for months," said Kiki, "Their music's been really kicking it lately. Like "Battle of the Bands"."

""Welcome to the Show" too," added Jenny.

"Well, I guess. But they wouldn't be appearing each time these fights started for no reason," Jamie reminded.

"It's the Pop!" Kiki said.

"How?"

"No, that's one of their songs. Don't you listen to their music?" asked Jenny.

"... I prefer show tunes," Jamie admitted. what else did they expect? Still, they didn't go there just to talk over the music selection, they had more trouble on their minds.

"Anyway, so, you're thinking they might be starting somethings in town?" Kiki asked, getting them back on the subject.

"They are the something in town," Buck concluded, "They practically said it to me."

"Whoa, really?!" Jamie gasped.

"No. But they didn't need to," Buck said. Seeing them in the same spot NOT infected by this strange magical disturbance, and their reaction for him trying to even touch their pendants had all but confirmed that they had something to do with this problem. Jamie thought about this, and realized the connection himself.

"Their leader met me at the RAVE. That siren must've brought forth her charm to cause all that disturbance last night," Jamie realized.

"SHE was at the RAVE too?!" Sour Cream asked.

"It's kind of why I left in the first place," Jamie answered.
Well, with that revelation, they were about half way there: the Dazzlings were indeed somehow making these riots happen in town. However, they still weren't sure why, or even how they were even doing all of this in the first place. That, and this "magical" substance going about too was something to look into, not to mention Adagio's abilities on Jamie's heart. No normal women would have this kind of power so quickly.

"Alright then. So it begins."

"Huh? what begins?" Jamie asked.

"Our goal to stop the Dazzlings from destroying Beach City."

"... OH. OK. Isn't that a bit quick?"

"Look outside, and you'll see why," Buck said.

And what timing for Buck Dewey to point this out. Just at this point, they caught just enough of a glance of a particular blue ponytail to tell them their quarry was not too far away. How the heck they got over here was anyone's guess, but heck with it. Guess the Dazzlings had a similar idea to the others, finding this more isolated spot more suitable for discussion on their next move. Quietly, Jenny went right up to the door, just enough so she could hear them loud and clear.

"Okay girls, I think we're ready for our next step," stated Adagio.

"Lunch?!" Sonata asked, excitedly. They hadn't had too much to eat yet, but Adagio was more focused away from that.

"No, the next step in getting our magic back."

"Oh. Right."
Aria just rolled her eyes at Sonata's comment, not at all amused by the airhead's lack of common sense.

"Even with our magic weaker than before, clearly we're still able to make these humans go at eachother. It's just the ticket we need," Adagio explained, obviously referring to both the RAVE, and Funland.

"So we're just gonna do what we always do?" Aria questioned, unamused, "Cause some trouble and feed off the negative energy? Some plan Adagio."

"It won't be the same as before," insisted Adagio, "Rumor has it they've had ponies visit here. Equestrian ponies. If they've really been here, that means there is Equestrian magic here - OUR magic, that we can regain again!"

"Fine, but we can't gain anything out of the riots if our pendants won't work," Aria pointed out, holding her own pendant in her hand. Sure, it got them fighting, but that was as far as it went.

"Not yet," corrected Adagio, "I've overheard that Jamie character say something about an "Everstorm" blocking off use of almost all magic. It'll have to subside eventually, and by the time it does, we can easily make more than enough negative energy to feed off of for weeks. And once we're able to gain all that, it'll give us the power we need to make this entire world do our bidding."

"But we can have lunch after, right? It's a stuffed-crust special today!" Sonata asked excitedly, seeing a specials sign on front of Fishstew Pizza's window.

"Just follow my lead," Adagio stated firmly, making sonata humbled a little bit.

"Or my lead," Aria figured. Adagio was NOT having it, and immediately grabbed Aria by the collar, locking her gaze with her fellow siren.

"MY. LEAD," Adagio corrected. Aria stayed a bit quiet, not even bothering to try and defy the siren all that much, before Adagio released her and began walking away. They still got time to work out what to do for the upcoming show, and plenty of "practice" to do it. Sonata wanted to laugh, but kept her mouth quiet. Aria knew she was enjoying this though thanks to her big grin, and the trio just walked away. Unaware that Jenny overheard everything.

"WOOOOOW, they just blabbered out their whole plan like it was nothin," Jenny revealed, not believing her ears. This was probably the first villain they've met that was THAT much of a blabbermouth.

"So now what?" Sour Cream asked.

"Don't worry. Give me until tomorrow morning, and I'll get us the best magical expert there is. He'll be more than willing to help us," Buck promised.

…….

Night came by again. While much of the others had gone off home already and into bed, it took some extra time for Buck Dewey to get himself off to sleep, finishing up a bit of a "meeting" with his "client" over the phone. Buck was the patient one over the phone, while his client was going on and on about all sorts of ideas behind this situation. He honestly couldn't wait himself over this.

"Buck is pleased. See you tomorrow," Buck finally said once he had finished. With the meeting confirmed, he placed his phone down by his bed, and began to relax a bit more. These three arrivals were going to be a bit of trouble if this was going to keep up, but if this all works out, then they'll have it all taken care of most likely by contest's opening. They just needed an understanding of what they were dealing with first before doing anything. Of course sleep was a priority first. With the meeting planned, Buck placed his glasses by his bed and went right off to sleep.

…

Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh

Now what? Buck Dewey took a bit to bring himself around, but in this dream the voices of a group of sirens was drawing him awake. He was no longer in his room, but instead found he was outside somewhere along the beach. Buck also found his outfit was a bit different too, his usual outfit being replaced with something like a Greek god would wear. Odd, but also something caught his eyes just off shore.
How fitting too: three women. Adagio, Aria, and Sonata. However, as with dreams, they didn't look the same as he saw them earlier, looking a lot more like the literary sirens rather than metaphorical. In short, they looked half women, and half fish, each girl singing their venomous quire to draw Buck Dewey in.

"How peculiar," Buck thought. All it took was just one blink of his eyes, and the sirens were suddenly in front of him. All three were "interested", to say the least, Adagio especially with her gleaning eyes locking with his. Buck knew a seductive look when he saw one, and her intentions grew even more so when she brought her hand to his chin, gently lifting it so they were in perfect level with eachother. What now? …

"... Nice try."

Buck quickly broke away, and did the one thing to break this dream for all of them: he rushed by her … and it was Aria who got her kiss, right on the lips.

...

And just like that, the dream was over. Buck was awake in bed, all by himself again. Whatever beach, siren, or otherwise was completely gone from the area. Buck Dewey was back in reality, calm as a cucumber, and he was about ready to make a phone call. It was morning anyway, so at least he could get the "meeting" started up before anything else and it wouldn't look too shady. The first person he called up was Jamie.

"Huh? Hello, who's this? You know how early it is?" Jamie asked in a tired tone, not even trying to put in his usual drama string he usually had in his voice.

"Yes. You're about to go on your paper route. How's about delivering a voice message for me?"

.......

"... For real."

Few hours later, and soon the message was brought out to the respected party. Buck, Jamie, Jenny, and Sour Cream all met up with Buck after Jamie's information got to them. The message itself wasn't too complicated; just meet up at the Lighthouse and go on from there. And honestly, they were of mixed minds on this. Sure, they had an expert, but on the other hand -

"Cool kids, you made it! Enter my station."

It's Ronaldo. Yep, THAT'S the guy Buck thought would help them out with the situation they were in. It was good too that Ronaldo wasn't too angry with them, magic influence or otherwise.

"He's cool," Buck said, "and if there's anyone non-Gem celled that knows anything, it would be him."

"Not that I doubt your decisions, Buck, but … you sure about this? I mean, it's Ronaldo, man," Sour Cream said. Ronaldo acted like he didn't hear that.

"Dude, chill. He's got some good info for us, don't you Ronaldo."

"None better. Prepare to have your eyes blown wide open," Ronaldo said, as they began to hear inside. It really wasn't too much of a thrill for much of them, as Ronaldo always had the habit of over-blowing whatever weird thing he would happen to find. Jenny would know, given how many phone calls Ronaldo would give since being given that telescope. But Buck Dewey did have a point either way, he was the conspiracy nut and studied up on all sorts of things in some way. And with the Gems, Ponies, and others out of commission and out of dodge, it was the best chance they were gonna get.
The group was brought right up to the main room of the lighthouse, Ronaldo's workspace as messy and as full of theories as ever. And recently, as Buck hoped, there were some focused information regarding the arrivals of the trio of Sirens, along with the Everstorm going on.

"So this is what you do all day, Ronaldo? You got … quite the initiative," Jamie said, checking out some papers pinned to the chalkboard.

"I know, it's great. And I got you to thank for turning my gaze to the stars," Ronaldo replied, pointing up to the sky and seeing the stars still up there.

"Jamie mentioned you owe him one, by the way. So perhaps you can give us the laydown," Buck said.

"Way ahead of you," Ronaldo replied, rushing over to get his work out. He got some good photos and good connections with each, most of which were involving either the angry crowd or the sirens themselves. One even had an angry Kofi Pizza almost punch the camera in his rage, something Jenny could REALLY see her dad doing when his blood would boil over.

"Dang, they look jacked. How're you still alive?" Jenny had to ask.

"One good thing about taking photographs is to have good reflexes," Ronaldo replied, acting as if that was something to be proud of. Out of all the pictures though, there was one particular one that Sour Cream saw that really was interesting. This one, for a start, was shown in an infrared coloration which was sweet, and it showed what they actually saw just yesterday: the fight at Funland.

"Sick colors," Sour Cream commented, getting the others' attention.

"Hold up … what's that green haze stuff?" Jenny asked, pointing to the particular bit of it in the picture. Ronaldo took the picture from them.

"THAT'S my big revelation. Any of you notice how these fights happened only AFTER these three showed up?" Ronaldo asked, as he pinned the picture up on the chalkboard. Considering at least one of them kept showing up just before these brawls occur, Ronaldo might actually have something there for once.

"Uh, yeah, that's not a big of secret," Jenny admitted.

"Well, any of you know WHY these fights happen when they show up?" Ronaldo said, honestly trying to regain himself.

"We wouldn't be here if we knew," Buck stated. Now it was time for Ronaldo to show his stuff, ready to get the goal up and recognition. He adjusted his glasses, giving off a "cool" sheen to them, before explaining.

"It's all mind-controlling magic!" he declared.

"Uh, yeah, we already figured that," sour Cream said.

AND shot down again.

"W-Well, what about them draining negative energy into their gems?!"

"They said that straight up, dude," Jamie admitted.

"SERIOUSLY?! What about them being from Equestria, did they tell you that too?!" Ronaldo asked, now getting upset. Here he thought he was on a breakthrough, and the ice was broke before he got there.

"NOW it's getting interesting. What can you tell us?" Buck asked.

"Thank goodness," Ronaldo thought. Guess some ice still needed to be broken after all, lucky him. Keeping the infrared picture up, he also brought out a earlier picture of one of their pony friends (namely Rarity) using some magic to levitate what looked to be a soda from the Big Donut. The greenish haze coloration was also present all over the cup, matching the coloration used with the sirens' gemstone magic shenanigans. Infrared cameras had common views on everything, and magic had a greenish heat apparently. He also made sure there was no confusing by showing other pictures of other versions of heat, one including a flamethrower (best they don't ask).

"Okay, here's the scoop: see how the unicorn magic matches exactly to the magic used here? We got a Unicorn using magic here, and these three using magic here. What does that tell us?"

"THAT they're using magic?" Sour Cream asked, almost deadpan in tone, just to be spooked by Ronaldo's voice again.

"NO, that this magic is from the same world! Here's magic used by the rock people to prove it," Ronaldo confirmed, holding up one more infrared camera image of a training session with Steven using his shield, blocking off Peridot's metal attack. By all rights, that shield should've had that kind of magic too, but this one gave off a cooler blue color instead of green.

"So Equestrian magic is what they're using. But wait, the Everstorm -"

"I got it!" Ronaldo suddenly cut in. He didn't want any other surprises he had in store spoiled already, so he had to make tracks. Opening a drawer by the desk, he then pulled out a particular object. It was nothing more than an old amulet, but where it came from was important. Ronaldo brought out some infrared goggles too, which he grabbed from a box on the floor.

"Check this out," Ronaldo insisted, holding the amulet up for them all to see. Jamie did it first and took a look. Turned out, much to his surprise, the Amulet still had some remanence of Equestrian magic on it! It was very small, and a little hazy, but still Equestrian magic all the same.

"No. Way. The Everstorm didn't take it all away!"

"EXACTLY," Ronaldo confirmed.

"So to recap: magic from their homeland in Equus is able to cling onto its original object. The Dazzlings have magic, just not all of it," Jamie concluded.

"Good enough for me. I don't wanna think about those three at full max if they can still do this much," Jenny said.

"Sure, but that still doesn't tell us how to stop this thing. Got anything for us?" Sour Cream asked. Ronaldo looked ready to speak, but found he had no words.

"That's … the one thing I couldn't figure out."

"K, who're you?" Jenny asked.

"Give me a break! I'm amazing, but if I knew everything I wouldn't be here!" Ronaldo yelled.

"... Yo, true tho."

"We can't just do nothing," Jamie insisted, "As long as they're here, Beach City is going to be the big arena of angry friends and family, all toiling with eachother in a mad daze! I don't think we can risk another catastrophe, not with the Gems and Ponies all gone."

"I think we can handle it," Buck said.

"You sure?"

"Jamie. Those three just explained their entire plan to us just from casual conversation with themselves. I'm not one to judge anyone for their behavior, but, that isn't really good planning on their part."

"Yeah, they were pretty chatty," agreed Sour Cream, "And that blue one's not good at keeping quiet either."
The more they thought about this, more they realized that they were off lucky. Most antagonists that entered their town had a bit more complicated plans and mindsets than that, and threw them for a loop once or twice. Yet, these three didn't seem that complicated of trouble to tackle, especially since their main "attack" was during a big show.

"I guess so. But what do we do?"

"I'll get the answer living, don't worry. Ronaldo, see if you can keep an eye on them for us."

"WHOA, wait a minute, I'm a investigator, not a spy," Ronaldo said.

"How's that different from what you usually do?" Sour Cream asked.

"... Point taken. Need some more evidence," Ronaldo said, getting his stuff together before starting to go on out.

"So, what's this big plan of yours Buck?" asked Jamie.

"Like all the best plans in the world, it's simple: we're gonna beat them at their own game."

~~~~~~

The events sure had been jumpy: they began this craziness in injuries and grudges, and suddenly here they were ready to perform a song for the upcoming contest. If there was a way to handle a group of sirens, it's to fight fire with fire. The timing was fairly decent, since it still was a bit before the next contest so they had time to prepare. Sour Cream provided the main base of operation as it were, the group getting together to get this band all set up. They brought their own instruments to this dig: Sour Cream with a portable beat box, Jenny with a guitar, and Jamie … with a violin. Missed a memo he did, but heck it was something. That, and he knew well how to play one too, while Jenny was probably the only one with a little bit of trouble with hers, still working out the odds and ends of it. Only one without an instrument was Buck Dewey, who was looking like he was just supervising or something.

"Elaborate again why singing a song for the show will get rid of the Dazzlings exactly?" Jamie asked, feeling the most nervous about this.

"They're a band that summons the negative flurry of emotions. We can counter it with our own positive vibe," Buck Dewey said.

"But we don't have any magic. Or a band name … or a song to play."

"You underestimate the power of music. The magic of any song can bring forth any and all emotion in a beautiful force, and the power to make your heart move."

"P-Pure poetry," Jamie thought in amazement. Buck had his own sense of drama, which he deliberately threw into the explanation to get the point across.

"So, what do you think will work better? Beachcore style or rap-a-billy style?" Sour Cream asked at one point, trying to figure out a proper sound for the show. Jenny took a little bit to think about it, working off what kind of music she was familiar with.

"This audience is gonna be at this contest to have fun, let's give the crowd somethin they can dance to. SC, give me a beat!" Jenny said. so, Sour Cream began to make out a catchy beat, something they could dance along with. Jenny was digging the beat, same with Buck and Jamie, but then.

"Yeah, and maybe some …" and suddenly Sour Cream began hitting a few keys that sounded like screeching, completely throwing off the beat.

"What the heck, Sour Cream?!"

"What? Can't make your audience too comfortable."

"But this is gonna bring positivity. Maybe if we try …" Jamie brought out his violin to begin playing, and he started playing a somber tune with it. Not as modern or upbeat as your typical pop or electro, but it still was a good sounding hit.

Here we are. Our hearts combining. Music and Friends. Our souls aligning -

"Hold up, Jay," Jenny suddenly cut in, "I all down for friendship is magic and coming together, but they're just gonna fall asleep if you play like that," Jenny pointed out.

"What's wrong with viola?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Jenny said, not wanting to insult him, "But we're going up against one of the top poll pop stars of the century! We gotta step up our game if we're gonna be up on stage."
Jenny started to show her point by trying out the guitar … but she really didn't know what she was doing, and was just playing with the strings. In fact, she actually got her finger hurt from being too rough with the strings on her fingers.

"Use this," advised Buck, holding a guitar pick for her.

"Oh, that's what this is for."

"You really don't know how to play? I thought you had that guitar game you play all the time," Sour Cream pointed out.

"Duh, cuz THAT had buttons, not strings," Jenny replied. It'll be some time still before she could get this down pact, but with the contest just this weekend, they really didn't have the time to actually make this work. One player not knowing how to play, one not into pop music, and the rest still unsure what their sound should be.

"What we need is an expert. someone who knows the flow of music better than any of us," concluded Buck.

"Got a clue who, man, or did you only call Ronaldo?" Sour Cream asked. Buck didn't answer, so that just confirmed his answer anyway. THIS one though, lucky for them, they didn't need to think about for too long as Jamie started to ponder a little bit on it.

"... Hey. Does a roadie count?"

"Does it count? That's probably the best you can get," Sour Cream said.

"Perfect!"

…….

"Mr. Universe! You in?" called Jamie. Greg was just chilling out in his van for the afternoon when Jamie found him, the man himself conveniently listening to some music. Greg didn't hear them at first, but Jamie got his attention with a firm knock on the van door. The door did have a "knock first" sign on it after all.

"Oh, hey Jamie, kids, what's up?" Greg asked.

"Jamie said you were a roadie before?" Sour Cream asked.

"He told you about that? Well, yeah, in my youth I went all over the place. Mr.Universe flying through the cosmos," Greg said. It was a long time ago since he went all over the place as a big Rockstar of the day.

"Whoa, NO WAY! Our own roadie right in town, and we never knew it!" Jenny beamed.

"What's the excitement for? You four starting a gig?"

"Actually, yeah. We're gonna perform for the contest this weekend, but we weren't getting anywhere on our end, so I figured since you already did this, you can give us some pointers?" Jamie asked. Well Greg did say he could talk to him if he needed advice on anything. That, and this was a pretty good bit of expertise he can lend them.

"Well, ok, what do you got so far?"

"Uh … nothing. We can't even figure out a song yet," Jamie admitted. A bit discouraging to hear that they were THAT far from reaching their quota.

"Oh boy. Well, how's experience? You guys play?"

"I can play a good viola," Jamie said, showing the violin.

"I can make some rad core beats," Sour Cream added.

"Guitar practice," Buck put in. Jenny just sighed.

"I got nothin. Been killing it on a guitar video game I got at home, but that was about it. Can't work out the strings," Jenny replied. Greg got up, not finding it too big of a problem.

"It's not that bad, you just need a different instrument. Hmm … Hey, how does Keytars sound to you?"

"Keytars? Aren't those very expensive?" Jamie asked.

"Don't worry about it, this is for your show. Go big, it's on my tab!" Greg insisted. Clearly he was up for helping them out with their gig if he was offering this much for them.

"When you say "big" you mean … glow sticks of every color?" Sour Cream asked.

"Bigger: I'm talking lasers!"

"Lasers?!"

Looked like they were on the right track.

"So it begins," said Buck, "Our road to saving Beach City. The beginning of stardom, followed by the inevitable fighting, and creative disagreements that'll tear us apart in a beautiful explosion of emotions."

"Don't worry, that ain't gonna happen," reassured Greg.

"Aww shoot."

…….

"Fine, don't order, see if I care!"

As one band was getting its act together, another was getting themselves some more dinner preparations. Out by the boardwalk, Adagio, Aria, and Sonata were causing yet more trouble. This case, the main trouble was being done to Citywalk Fries, the magic haze getting to Mr. Fryman and an angry customer, along with next door and the looming anger inside Fishstew Pizza. In fact, one customer stormed out after tossing some fresh pizza down into the boardwalk, much to Kofi Pizza's severe anger.

"WE DON'T NEED YOUR CHARITY ANYWAY!" Kofi shouted. A good appetizer, but it was mainly just causing a meaningless fire if they couldn't take any of it in. It was still fun to watch them go at eachother though, especially when Mr. Fryman and Kofi started going at eachother.

"I'm getting tired of this fast food, I want a full meal," Aria complained.

"You think so? Because I simply love it here," Adagio said sarcastically.

"Really? Because I think this place is horrible," Sonata said, the sarcasm flying over her head. Much to the annoyance of the other two.

"You're horrible," Aria commented.

"Don't start arguing all over again. I hate it here, and being here with you two doesn't make this any easier," Adagio snapped, "now keep with my lead."
Aria really wasn't digging this plan. Honestly, it really was no different from what they've been doing for however long they've been stuck here. She didn't see any Equestrian proof or evidence anywhere here, so far as she was concerned, this was just another spree on their part.

"Yeah. Look at them isn't that just so silly?" Sonata encouraged, seeing them still bicker and snap at eachother.

"Seen it once you seen all of them. Just tell me when we're done here," Aria decided, finding a seat on a nearby bench. She would normally find this a thrill but today it just wasn't suiting her. Sonata knew her fellow siren, and she would never get tired of seeing people fight eachother … unless …

"You're not still weird over that kiss from Buck, right?"

"S-Shut up, no I'm not!" Aria snapped … although her face was blushing red, and her fists were trembling. Dealing with such a sly player, none of them expected that swift kiss to even happen, and that memory (dream or not) was bugging Aria to no end and leaving her high-strung.

"Sonata, leave that hot mess alone and come on," Adagio informed. No that didn't help Aria any better, fuming and blushing even more so. It was a mix of anger and embarrassment, written all over her face. Being kissed for her was nothing new, but this was a different scenario: he kissed HER first, leaving HER speechless. It was never fun to be on the victim end of any prank or operation. Murmuring to herself, Aria got back up and just followed sonata and Adagio, quiet for the rest of the time. She'll get her own back on him, just let him try to think otherwise.

In fact, what was she waiting for? She knew where he lived. So, as sonata and Adagio continued going off, Aria took the moment and slipped away. If she was gonna get even with this guy, she wasn't gonna wait for Adagio's word. Good thing for her as well, Adagio and Sonata didn't really notice the third in their party slipping away, which was good for Aria herself. Last thing she wanted or needed was those two breathing down her neck again. As she started to go though, her eyes took a glance over back to the other two, only to find -

*bonk* "OWCH! What the-?!"

One of the locals was on the offensive. A bit more extreme than normal, naturally. While many of the people were arguing, one of them caught in the green haze had a far more physical approach to show his anger, and she found that Adagio and sonata were confronted by the "little devil" Onion. And he was well armed with a steel bat. Thanks to the green haze emitted by the gemstones, Onion was out of his mind, and had a look that would give Tirek himself shivers (it's Onion, what'd you expect?). Even more so, the hit was on Adagio, not Sonata.

"Hey, if you're gonna hit someone, hit Sonata's head. She doesn't use it anyway," Adagio said.

"Yeah! … HEY!" Sonata snapped. Onion couldn't give less of a hoot about it, and just clocked Adagio in the head a good five or so times before she finally fell to the ground in a big daze. Sonata kept her distance, hands up in submission so she wouldn't be targeted next. Adagio herself, in order to save her pretty face, had to actually remove the haze off of Onion to make him stop. All this looked like was a snap of the fingers, but the green haze was soon gone from all over the area. It was like the gemstone was a vacuum cleaner, and soon everyone calmed down a bit. Onion shook his head, and saw the steel bat in his hand, as Adagio got herself back up.

"Wish I didn't have to do that. OK, kid, you can leave us alone now," Adagio said. ...

*BONK* that just made Onion hit her again. Guess it didn't matter if he was in a haze or not, this runt was dangerous!

"Celestia, thanks for letting me watch this," Aria thought, trying to control her laughing behind her hands. Nothing was funnier than seeing someone like Adagio get the flank kicked off of her by some tiny kid with a bat. Satisfied, Aria then went off away again, this time for sure, no longer feeling as upset or flustered as earlier. They may have to hold off the haze to stop him, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't the funniest thing ever.

And watching from afar with his infrared goggles, she wasn't the only one observing. And he took this moment.

"EXPOSED!"

And suddenly Sonata and Adagio found Ronaldo Fryman jumping out of his hiding place, goggles still on, and aiming an accusing finger directly at the two. Aria didn't stop to watch this confrontation however, so it was just the two of them.

"Ronaldo, there you are! Where have you been, you've missed work for two days," Mr. Fryman asked, as Ronaldo's little brother Peedee watched on from inside. Kiki was seeing the trouble herself from not too far away, concerned for the parents too.

"People of Beach City, hear my warning!" Ronaldo announced.

"Oh no, here we go," Peedee thought in dismay. This wasn't the first time he did this, and those present weren't too troubled at first.

"Ronaldo, don't start that propaganda, you got work to do. Now come on," Mr. Fryman instructed.

"Not until I tell you about the sirens in your midst," Ronaldo insisted. Adagio and sonata silently screamed when they heard that out of him. How did he know about their true nature?!

"Shut your trap, you're running off my customers!" Kofi shouted. Mr. Fryman didn't appreciate the shouting, and got his fist grabbing Kofi by the collar. THAT was more than Kiki and Peedee could take, yet Kiki got there first, pushing them both back.

"HOLD IT, food dads!"

"Kiki, what are you doing?!" Kofi shouted.

"What're you doing? Did you two think WHY you two are fighting in the first place?" Kiki questioned.

"Naturally, we - …" Mr. Fryman suddenly was cut short. He tried to think of a reason for spitting venom at Kofi Pizza's face, and Kofi admittedly tried to think of the same answer, but for some reason nothing was being said.

"...…. Hey Kofi. Why are we fighting?"

"I dunno," Kofi replied, shrugging.

"Man, I knew it," Kiki said, disappointed in both parents, but looking to the remaining Dazzlings with an expression of angered disappointment of her own. Ronaldo found this the perfect moment.

"There you have it: THESE TWO ARE CONTROLLING OUR MINDS TO KILL EACHOTHER!" Ronaldo announced.

"What?! No, no, that's not it at all!" Adagio insisted.

"... Yeah, that's pretty much it," Sonata suddenly blurted out. Adagio suddenly clocked Sonata in her temple, knocking her off her feet in a daze.

"Don't listen to her, she's an idiot," Adagio said with a smile, though leaving a very dizzy Sonata laying on the ground. Normally Aria would do something like this, but since she was not there (something the two FINALLY noticed) Adagio had to make it work herself. Before they could look into this any further, Adagio dragged Sonata away from the scene, leaving the crowd a bit confused. Except for Ronaldo, who felt very good that one of his theories was proven correct after all.

"Hey, Ronaldo," said Peedee at one point, "W-what was that you said about mind control?"

OH, this was too good.

"After studying those two, I've confirmed that they've been using Equestrian magic to control our minds and take over this town. Like a twisted organization through music," Ronaldo explained, and to prove his theory was right to them, he even gave Peedee the goggles so he could see the green haze. Sure, there wasn't as much as before, but very tiny fragments were still evident, leading back to the two sirens who're still leaving the scene. Normally these theories weren't much to consider, but this one actually had the proper evidence for once. Peedee took it off, looking terrified.

"He's right. He's actually right."

"What?! Let me see!" Kofi said, taking the goggles and seeing it himself. They weren't familiar with magic as much as the ponies or Gems, but there was no denying that there indeed was a good amount of green haze around Adagio and Sonata, and the small bits still around the area.

"Hold up. Wasn't there three of them?" Kiki asked.

~~~~~~

"And that's good for today."

As time moved closer towards the contest itself, the working band was actually starting to work out their quirks and talents in this band of theirs. Jenny, Sour Cream, Jamie, and Buck all were doing fairly decently in their craft thanks in part to the experience by Greg. They had pretty good luck so far, and with Greg's directory on what makes a song actually work, they began to handle their song and got it into better motion. The Keytars given to them also made the song even more catchy in tune and visually interesting. How many bands would use a Keytar anyway? For the moment, they were practicing at Sour Cream's house again, with Greg and Blue watching from off nearby.

"Man, I'm really digging the vibe," Jenny said, feeling WAY better about this, "This Keytar's just the thing we need."

"And it gives our sound a profound mixture of future tech, and past callings," Buck agreed, playing some of the keys on the Keytar. The music screamed a future electro feel from the 90's, which was what buck just loved about it. Plus, as he played his Keytar, it actually made Jamie's violin playing flow a bit better than rock n roll guitar, Jamie tuning his violin a little bit.

"This is very good actually. It's going to be so grand," Jamie said, who also felt confident about it. This was followed by some agreeing barking from Blue.

"Dude, what if we customize our instruments? I can get some of my glowsticks to create a starry look," Sour Cream suggested.

"I like that idea. I actually did that once in one of my own shows, and it was a killer. You can still offer some glowsticks to the crowd like you do, Sour Cream, it'll give everyone something to remember," Greg said.

"Nice!"

"We'll meet up tomorrow morning to make some final touches before the big event. Goodnight everyone," Buck said, as he started to head off on his own way.
So, with everyone saying their goodnights, everyone went off home and Sour Cream went on inside. They were feeling pretty good about things, and with the show tomorrow night, it felt like they will be more than enough to get this to work, and to show up the Dazzlings at their own game. Just one more practice tomorrow and they were good as gold.

… Too bad that competition was fierce. After about an hour into the night from everyone's work, the garage was left isolated with everything the band would need, from instruments to special effects, to the script. Not exactly the best place to actually handle the equipment placement, but it wasn't the worst idea ever either. With everyone gone or in bed though, this left one particular person with just the ticket to make this her personal stomping grounds. Getting in was no problem, as the household did lack a important thing called a garage door, only blocked off by a few curtains.

"Oh dear, look what we have here," Aria said to herself, sounding concerned, but really pleased to find everything in one place. It was pretty clear what she was here to do. Aria took a look around the place a bit, first eyeing the instruments themselves. The only thing not inside a box was the boombox set Sour Cream would use. The Keytars and Violin were put together by the boombox, so Aria targeted them first.

"You think you can toy with me, assault me, and get away with it?" Aria thought. She targeted the violin first, which was easy to handle. All she had to do was use the bow for the violin, and she slipped it between the strings. All she needed was one pull back, quick and hard, to make the delicate strings snap. Jenny's Keytar was next, and using the same bow, she actually started to pop out the keys one by one. Aria would just smash it if she could, but she didn't want to wake anybody up while doing this. It would make the whole point of doing this worth nothing. Then her eyes saw the big boombox. Simple enough: open the back of it and screw around with the cords with the bow again. Funny how so much could be used with the bow of a violin to sabotage everything.
Then her eyes met with Buck's keytar. OH BOY did she want to break it. She wanted to smash it to pieces, and make sure Buck had nothing to use. To see Buck's defeated face when he would come and find his expensive instrument left in nothing but a wreck. Yet … something wasn't feeling right with that thought. Aria held his Keytar, flashes of that kiss still going through her mind as her face grew flustered again. She could smash it to pieces, she would too if it was for anyone else … but should she?

"W-whatever. He'll still not have anything to play with," Aria told herself, moving the Keytar over by the exit instead of smashing it up. Aria continued going through the area and sabotaging whatever was available to her without waking up anyone around. After the instruments, she went to the script to their song, which she took the fun to just scribble, and draw out so it wasn't able to be read. The special effects she made sure were unusable too by finding some good cans of paint inside the garage and dumping it all over until they were completely soaked. nothing wrecks equipment of any sort better than some colorful paint. Once Aria was complete, she took a few steps back to look at her work: instruments wrecked, special effects soaking wet, and script illegible. With a smug grin, Aria strolled off out the garage, but not before taking Buck's Keytar away with her too.

…

*ARF!*

Aria almost jumped out of her boots on the sudden loud bark, turning around only to see Blue standing there. How he got there, she had no idea, nor did she care all that much. He was just some dog, after all.

"Mind your own business, dog," Aria said, ready to pass. Blue however knew a thief when he saw one, and rushed right over to the house. Suddenly Blue started barking and hollering like a madman.

"No, no, shut up! Shut up! I-I'll give you a biscuit or something, just shut it!" Aria pleaded, covering her ears. But Blue didn't stop barking his head off. Eventually, the residence finally came outside, opening the door from the garage, and showing it was Vidalia. … just to throw a shoe at Blue to shut him up. Blue was knocked off his paws, landing on his back in a daze.

"DANG IT, dog, can't you be quiet?" Vidalia groaned, tired from the crazy barking. It took a little bit before Vidalia saw Aria standing there with Buck's keytar still in hand.

"Hey! Who're you?! Drop that axe!"

"You loudmouth mutt!" Aria thought. Aria had no choice but to bolt for it, but not before finding the nearest garbage can, tossing it upward, and using the keytar to whack it at Vidalia! Blue tackled Vidalia to the ground, the garbage can landing by the door before Aria bolted off. Vidalia got up just to see the garbage all over the place.

…….

"Aww no, our gig! What happened?" Jenny asked in alarm.

That morning was immediately met with shock when the band, and their mentor checked what happened to all of their equipment. It looked like a complete mess, and none of it look remotely usable now. Jamie felt heartbroken to see his poor violin and its strings cut off, and Sour Cream couldn't even get the boombox working at all. A few clicks of the dials and all he got was sparks and smoke.

"I'll tell ya what happened," Vidalia then said, still fuming, "Some random chick came in here and tore up the place. She nearly clocked me with my own garbage can. My garbage can! Seriously, I pay twenty bucks for that thing!"

"You pay for your garbage can?" asked Jenny.

"I don't trust public cans. If I'm gonna throw garbage, I do it myself," Vidalia replied. Buck Dewey went over towards the special effects equipment, trying to pull one of the pieces out. However, the paint made it not only a bit sticky, but hard to move. Once he got a piece out, it was completely soaked from top to bottom with paint.

"I'm not digging this," Buck sighed, placing it back in its place, and finding a cloth to wash off his hand with. Jamie cradled his violin in his hands.

"I promise I will avenge you, dearest," Jamie said, drama mode activated as he was looking to his violin. What a tragedy to wake up to so early in the morning.

"Hey, Universe, you wouldn't happen to have bought a spare of … everything. Would you?" Sour Cream asked. Greg was a bit guilty though in that question.

"I can try to get some more. Don't know if shipping will make it by tonight though," Greg admitted. NOT the best news they wanted to hear. This was really the worst case scenario, and just before the show too!

"Now this just bites, man. We just got our song together, how're we gonna drive the Dazzlings out without our gear?" Jenny asked, picking up her keytar just for the remaining keys to fall out of it.

"Wait, what're you trying to do?" Vidalia questioned.

"The Dazzlings had been making fights happen all over the place. It's one of those Equestrian magic deals, and if we don't do anything they're gonna control the whole town," Jamie explained. Vidalia got alarmed, but then quickly it turned to anger.

"OH NO, I'm not going through that again," Vidalia made clear. "But how's making a band gonna make em go?"

"Destroying them at their own game, of course. … Though, it looks like we'll have to resort to Plan B," Buck concluded. with everything he was seeing, one item remained missing. One item he needed one tracker to go and look around for.

"Blue, think you can give me a hand?" Buck asked. Blue, while unsure a little, but agree and followed buck off outside.

"... So … What's Plan B?" Greg asked.

"That's what I wanna know," Jenny replied.

…….

So what was going to happen now? The Dazzlings, now without competition to bother them as far as they were concerned, had to only wait for tonight to make their big impression. The secondary band REALLY needed to get their act together, and even if they did end up getting their own band back in strength, they were missing their own big effects and script. Just because they had the instruments didn't mean they were a band. The instruments themselves weren't too hard to fix however: Jamie needed some new strings, and Jenny needed some new keytar keys, though Sour Cream's fixing was a bit harder to handle with his boombox, as he needed exact wiring for his boombox to be back into shape. The special effects and script however were NOT the easy fix, and the script had to be redone as the special effects … well, were out of the question. All they could salvage was some star effects, but that was about it. and even then, it was by pure luck alone, and nothing else.

And almost before everyone knew it, the show was in sight. The second band made it, but it was the Dazzlings who were given the first chance to go. The preparations were all set up for the contest to begin. It was a bit of a disappointment though to say that not too many had actually put themselves in this contest, but for the Dazzlings themselves, they took this in stride as it meant only less time to put themselves into it. Adagio, Sonata, and Aria were ready for their big show. All of the town was present save a few, though with all of em there it was more than enough for a good boost.

"Remember girls, this is the big gig. Let's show them what we can really do," Adagio instructed.

"But we're not at our full power remember?" Aria pointed out. Adagio shrugged it off.

"We got enough to get these humans going. We just gotta keep em that way til our full potential returns. Hardly a challenge," Adagio replied, their gemstones giving off a shimmer of glow. This was it. THIS was the big show they worked to get to, and all they got to do is get their music to work.

and they began the second they stepped out of the gate.

(MONSTER ✧by YusukeKira✧ 😈 Cover【rachie】(parody))

"Let me introduce myself.~"

The song began off nice and steady, a decent beat for a modern pop song. Much of the crowd was giving the three their attention, either from curiosity or influence, just as the Dazzlings wanted. Aria and Sonata continued the beat as Adagio went on singing again, all three swaying in unison to the music.

Adagio; You didn't think I was done
did ya?
No, we've just began having our fun
baby.~

Aria+Sonata; some creatures live for attention
or play the victim.

Dazzlings; but baby, we were born to do the killin!~

It wasn't the most positive song ever thought up, but with the ones singing it, it fit them like a glove. And just as well, the effects were becoming more and more apparent. Everyone in the crowd was more and more focused on their singing as the effects slowly were kicking in. The next verse amped up the music, making sure everyone in Beach City heard them loud and clear.

Dazzlings; I see!

Adagio; How you're gettin crazy!
Always thinking of me.~

Dazzlings; Babe on the daily!~

Aria; Feed me
your negativity.~

Sonata; Talk some more about me!

Adagio; I know that you love me.~

Dazzlings; LOVE ME!

Now they were in the thicket of their song, and with what magic they got left going for them, the effects were starting to kick in. Waves of red started to suddenly appear from behind them, which while a very small kind of magic, was easily mistaken for some kind of visual effect. That probably was why no one actually ran off when it spread out into the crowd.

Dazzlings; Funny, how you think we're bothered
No, we're nothing like the others
You shouldn't have messed with us, cuz we heard
that you're afraid of monsters, MONSTERS!

Well, the Dazzlings got what they wanted.

After their song, they were left with a very angry crowd all around them. Their magic, or whatever had remained from their powerful artifacts, had made the entire crowd go into an angry mob on eachother, with the soul exception of the secondary band off just out of the way. It didn't matter what someone would be arguing about, they were shouting insults and fighting it out even. Adagio, Aria, and Sonata all watched on with a victorious feeling over all three. They may not be strong enough to drain and gain the hatred into their magic, but once the Everstorm would finish, they will have more than enough to get a awesome boost.

"What do we do now? No one's gonna listen," Jamie said, scared to step out into the field. They were out of the way of the sirens' magic, but none of them could go out into the field without being affected by the magical hatred. Buck Dewey tried to think hard on this, but then he got a particularly unorthodox idea in mind …

"Hey Blue, mind taking one for the team?" Buck asked. Blue wasn't sure what he meant, but before the Gem dog could realize what was what, he was suddenly pushed out into the field.

"Buck, what was that f - mph!" Jamie was kept quiet when Buck covered his mouth, so that Blue wouldn't hear them. as for the Gem dog, the effects of the magical haze started to get to him. At first nothing seemed to happen, but Blue began to feel more and more rage slowly start to come up. His fir started to stand on end in threat, his teeth were barred, and a nasty snarl emitted from his muzzle like a rabid coyote. Not exactly rabies, but just as good of a danger. Most of the others weren't sure what was going on, but Onion began to catch onto this sort of danger a bit quicker. It would be something he would do anyway. So with that in mind, he grabbed some rocks, and tossed them over in the direction of the stage, Blue jumping and barking angrily, soon catching sight of the sirens on stage.

"Dude, what's this plan B? Blue's gonna go crazy!" Sour Cream pointed out.

"Exactly," said Buck. "The sirens will be in such a danger, that they'll have to stop their magic in order to save themselves."

"Seriously? I expect that more from Onion. … No offense, Onion," said Jenny. Onion just shrugged. He'd been called WAY worse.

And this plan seemed to be working. As everyone else watched, Blue went right up onto the stage, drooling out of the mouth like a starving beast, and soon came the mad barking. Ronaldo's special goggles could see that the haze had full effect on Blue, the hazy green emitting from his eyes as he honed in on the Dazzlings. The trio didn't notice the dog at first until the barking started, cutting off the singing for a brief moment as the barks were both loud and potent.

"Does our magic affect animals?" Sonata asked, scratching her head. Adagio and Aria weren't so bothered though, even if the dog was angry at them for no reason.

"Just ignore the mutt," Aria said, waving off the dog.

THAT was more than enough to trigger the Gem hound. Blue charged forward in a blind rage, and like a savage fighting dog, jumped up and tackled Aria Blaze. His teeth sank down into one of her ponytails, and forced Aria off her feet and onto the ground. Aria Blaze immediately panicked as the animal aimed for her throat, and his teeth biting air inches from her face. Adagio and Sonata looked to Aria, and they didn't even get the chance to push blue off before the dog growled at them. Adagio was targeted next, and Blue jumped off Aria, slamming Adagio to the ground. Sonata meanwhile was freaking out, keeping her distance from the rabid dog (probably the smartest move she did since she got here).
It was such savagery coming from such a normal dog, it was as if Blue was possessed by an angry spirit. Which in of itself probably wasn't that far off from the truth.

"S-Should we ignore the dog now?" Sonata asked meekly.

"SHUT UP AND HELP ME!" Adagio demanded, just as Blue sank his teeth into her arm, making Adagio scream. Sonata went over to try and help, but Blue snarled at her, and suddenly threw Adagio at Sonata, knocking them both down.

"What's with this hound? Our magic doesn't affect dogs! … Right?" Aria asked, as Adagio and Sonata got up, seeing the savage animal in front of them again. Only then did they see the green haze covering the dog's eyes, showing without a doubt that it was under the same hatred magic as everyone else in the crowd.

"Looks affected to me," Sonata said.

"Well, you two have any ideas?" Adagio demanded.

"Don't look at us, we're just following your lead," Aria commented. Before Adagio could combat back, Blue rushed forward again, forcing the three to scatter and avoid the teeth of this dog. Sonata, in her panic, tripped over her own feet trying to get away, leaving Sonata at the mercy of the dog. Blue would never try to kill a human otherwise, but in his rage, logic was easily thrown out the window. Sonata found the dog grabbing her throat, and as she tried to make Blue let go the Gem dog got his jaws around Sonata's gemstone.

*crack*

In one yank, the gemstone was broken. Shattered into a mess of shards inside Blue's mouth as the dog shook it out and scattered it all over the stage. The Dazzlings weren't confident at all anymore, and there was one final bit of magic coming out of this little effect: if one of the three break, the two must follow. Adagio and Aria looked to their own gemstones, seeing them shutter and suddenly break completely. Whatever magic they had left was now gone, and the green haze began to slowly seep away. The arguing amongst individuals began to slow down and stop altogether, and Blue's mad snarling stopped too. Blue shook his head, not remembering what just happened.
Once all that was over, the second band went out to see the results, now safe from the magic the Dazzlings once had. A whistle from Jamie got Blue's attention, and the now much happier dog went right over to them. The Dazzlings were in a bit of trouble, and made a bit more apparent when Buck ushered them to continue with their gig. You know what they say: the show must go on.

Funny, how you think we're bothered
No, we're nothing like the others
You shouldn't have messed with us, cuz we heard ...

LORD, did they sound horrible. This was beyond simply lip-synching to already good music, and without those amulets all of their singing was just off-key. It didn't help that Blue was howling good and loud during the singing either, him covering his ears. It didn't take long until the crowd began to turn on them, Martha arming up with a tomato and throwing it on stage. Others soon followed, and all three of them quickly had to run off stage.

"Now we know what those amulets were for," said Jenny, picking them up off the ground.

"Nothing but special effects and lip-synching. They won't be causing any trouble now these are broken," Sour Cream concluded. The trio were NOT welcome here anymore, at least not for their music. Aria, Adagio, and Sonata were cast out at least to the back of the stage's bleachers, out of the line of fire from the booing crowd. Sonata peeked up, just for Adagio to quickly pull her back down before she could be hit again. Whelp, their act was over.

"Without those amulets, they're no more of a threat than any of us are," concluded Jamie, looking over to them. Adagio was upset, but she didn't even dare go back onstage with the crowd all riled up. He did look to them, but before he could do much, he was then given his mended violin by Buck Dewey.

"Look alive, Jamie. Our turn," Buck simply said.

"We're still doing it?" Jamie asked.

"DUH," said Jenny, "Sure, we got rid of the Dazzlings, doesn't mean we can't celebrate. Time to kill it!"

Jamie smiled. Not since the escape from the White Diamond Space Station escape did he feel such a victory come over him, and now that he stopped the Dazzlings from taking over the town, he might as well give the crowd a good show to celebrate. Again, the show must go on. Plus, it was their turn anyway. Seeing them get ready though, Adagio began to feel a smirk coming on.

"They're still going without their gear? This should be good," Adagio said smugly. Even if they didn't get their gig to work, at least the satisfaction of seeing this band fail would still be theirs. After all, after taking their song away, what could they have left? But then, there was one little surprise, especially when they heard barking from nearby. Buck Dewey's keytar! Blue threw it onto the stage, and Buck caught it, and got it worn mid-air. Coolness engaged!

"Let's blast off," Buck said.

(Daniel Ingram - Under Our Spell [Aurelleah&Orange B Remix] (parody))

Their song started off slow, Buck Dewey playing out the tunes on his keytar. A strong force of the future in the musical play, mixed with some string by Jenny's guitar for some extra sting to the notes. Sour Cream added bass to it with his DJing skills, adding just the right amount of 8-bit with the electro. Then the singing started.

Jenny; Flowing on with the beat
Through the cosmos, come fly with me
onto the stars known so well

Jamie+Buck; Oh-whoa-oh-oh-oh

Jenny; Casted off right to outer space.

Jamie+Buck; Oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh

Jenny; Perfect for our galactic chase

Jamie+Buck; Oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh

MUCH BETTER. The crowd was enjoying this tune well over the first performance, much to the Dazzlings' annoyance. How were they suddenly SO GOOD?! Blue, as if he too wanted to kick up the performance over the Dazzlings, went off behind stage and started up what remained of their special effects, shining stars now spinning on stage. what better way to describe the galaxy?

Jamie+Buck+Jenny; We got the music
Make you move it
got the song that makes you lose it
No galaxy star too high
Put your arms up to the sky!

We got the music
Make you move it
got the song that makes you lose it
No galaxy star too high
Put your arms up to the sky!

Sour Cream then brought out his signature glowsticks, tossing them out to the crowd. Many of these glowsticks were caught by many a person in the crowd, even Blue catching one in the air. Nothing like a bunch of shining, cosmic glowsticks to add some extra pizazz to the party.

Jamie+Buck; Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

Jenny; Onto the stars, you had fell

Jamie+Buck; Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh

Jenny; drawn to the galaxy's spell

Jamie+Buck+Jenny; Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Onto the stars, we had fell
Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
drawn to the galaxy's spell

This song everyone was digging to, either cheering to the band, or dancing along to it. Some waved their glowsticks to the sick beats, others just danced with them in hand, adding some extra glow to the night show. No one was arguing during this song this time, and for the Dazzlings, this was the exact opposite of what they wanted. This was basically insult to injury. Yet while Aria and Adagio were annoyed at this defeat, this was just more embarrassing when they actually saw Sonata Dusk dancing to the song herself. Well, one of them was enjoying it at least. Besides, with such a catchy future beat, how could sonata not dance to it?

"You're right Adagio, this is really good!" Sonata beamed.

Adagio just banged her head on the side of the stage.

There's no doubt that they were beaten at their own game.

~~~~~~

Well, the contest came and went, and Jamie was going off on his own routes again. It really didn't seem to matter too much to him who exactly won said contest, but with the Dazzlings now gone and out of town, he felt more secure with the future of Beach City. It did seem a bit abrupt with their defeat and all, but so long as Beach City was in one piece, who was to argue? Jamie went along his route as he would every day, checking in on things as he went along too, and also having some unique information on magic for a few Ponies and Gems once they come back to life, whenever that may be.

"Well, that's that. Beach City's secure, situation's neutralized, yep. Just gotta deliver one more thing to the house and it'll be all good for today," Jamie told himself, having not a letter but a package for Steven. This order was a while coming admittedly, and there was quite a lot in the bunch too. Jamie stopped by the mailbox, as usual, seeing the mailbox still full of his letters to Lapis Lazuli.

"Oh, Lazuli. I wish you'd return soon, I got much to tell you," Jamie sighed. With no one to sign the papers though for delivery, Jamie could only go on to drop off the actual packages onto the ground by the mailbox. He was sure they'll see it whenever they would come back around. After placing the bags by the mailbox, he took a look off towards the Temple once again. The home was still gone, so Jamie was sure it'll be sometime yet. … Maybe. With magic just being used, he wasn't so sure. Jamie's eyes then looked up to the sky again. for the past couple of weeks, the skies had looked pretty much starry throughout. But today, something was a little different. The stars up in the sky didn't look as prominent as they were before. Sure, they were still there somewhat, but compared to the days prior, they were fading away fast.

"The Everstorm … It's -"

*SHING*

And suddenly something else happened that made Jamie's heart jump. It started off a little bit slower than a typical regeneration, but Jamie became witness to the Temple's magic at work. The cave, which had laid dormant for a long time, had started to come alive with a white glow.

"Whoa, what's happening, what's happening?!" Jamie stuttered, keeping his distance. But the light wasn't there to harm him, but instead it began to morph and shape a bit just outside of the cave. Soon as the form was complete, the light disappeared, revealing the ultimate sign of the fallout phase finishing. The Beach House was back!

Jamie … didn't know how to process this. He turned, and started walking away awkwardly, ever slowly the implications starting to come to him.

"Ogheuurghwuh-Tsehuuaw!- (He begins to flap his arms like a bird.) Whop!- Whop!- Whop!- Whop!- Whop!- Whop!- Whop!"

They were back in business!