SteamPony Express

by SketchIt

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Original Character, Spike, Comedy, Tragedy, Adventure, Slice of Life
Length: 154948

A young pony finding herself venturing from her sheltered life on her own into a chaotic world!

[(READ THIS NOTICE) :Undergoing a Rewrite. I have a few blog entries describing why the story has begun a rewriting phase. Events will change but for the most part core characters will not be harmed in the rewriting of the story.]

An Orphaned filly now at an age she can set off on her own, found herself receiving a note from a long lost sibling of hers. Her brother contacted her caretakers and asked if she could come live in his townhouse back in Ponyville while he was off to war fighting an unknown army pouring from the jungles of the Lost World. As she comes to his Townhouse she begins to grow relationships with many ponies, all the while some strange force is drawing her destiny to something greater than being some well renowned artist.

Published 2012-08-02 04:14:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-12 01:11:37 UTC

Prologue

Well this tale is a tale about a group of ponies who find themselves in the wake of a war outside their safe haven, how they got there, well this will take some time to explain. You can't just leave the safety of Cloudsdale's rainbows and expect a short story about a group of ponies traveling across the the vast land of Equestria you know.

The name's Sketch-it, I was born and raised in Galloport, a nice little settlement just across the sea from the main empire, nestled around the Pride Savannah and the coastline. I suffered GrayFoal's syndrome as a foal, my memory of my family was gone and replaced with harsh reminders of being an orphaned street wanderer. My luck though changed when a rich stallion seen me in the streets and took me back to his mansion. His name was Goodwill MareWeather, him and Lady MareWeather were kind ponyfolk who would find orphans or less fortunate ponies and care for them. They provided everything from food and shelter to education and other necessities for a pony to grow fruitful. All they wanted in return though was to see their hard work pay off with successful ponies leaving out in the world.

My Cutie mark is an Artist cap with a pencil and paintbrush crossing one another, so obviously my expertise was in arts like paintings and sketches. My art is more or less part of the breakfast conversations among many ponies across Equestria, they're not really amazing, or so I think anyway.

One day Mr. Mareweather gave me news that nearly had me fainting from excitement, he received a letter from my brother who I thought never existed. He had seen my art work back at the war front in Athenus, remembering my name he contacted Mareweather and offered me to live at his home in Ponyville for when he returned from the war.

Oh did I mention there was a war... well I did but you see, twenty or so years ago the Elements of Harmony went missing, and the princess herself disappeared strangely without warning, leaving Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance in command. This led to Shining Armor increasing a notice to militant power, as any land that did not have the fail safe of Cloudsdale's weather stability, disharmony would run rampant. Without the princess' power to control the celestial bodies of the sun and moon the responsibility was put in the hands of the royal family. Taking her place was a tremendous strain for the royal family to do the job of Celestia, though ultimately something had to be done about raising and lowering the celestial bodies.

So now with the new coming age, new technology was being used for purposes darker than what most could understand. Of the few ponies who live in the shelter of Cloudsdale's watch, they have no idea what is going on outside their backyard.

So this is my story, in a world of Equestria twenty or so years in the making. Starting from quaint little Ponyville to the beyond of the Great Harmonious Barrier. I never thought that my simple pony life, would turn into a grand adventure filled with terror and excitement, maybe they'll write novel stories of me, my friends, and our epic adventure, who knows.

Sweetie Belle's Conundrum

Sweetie Belle's Conundrum

"Ooohhhhh this, really looks nothing at all the way I imagined it..." Sweetie Belle whined, she pointed to the odd looking dress on the pony mannequin. Sketch-it took a long pause staring at the design, and back at the drawing she had made. With an awkward smile she tried to comfort her mumbling,

"Well the resemblance is... uncanny, there's the..." Before she could continue with her words Sweetie Belle gave a loud whinny,

"It's all wrong, all of it. Agghhhh!" The poor frazzled pony cantered away to her work room analyzing all the materials and trying to figure out something. The day was burning away and both ponies have yet to even get started.

"Sweetie Belle..." Sketch whispered into the room as she peered her head around the doorway. "I think we'll need the help, maybe the library will have something...?" Sweetie Belle's eyes widened as if she had a jovial epiphany. She turned her head with sparkles of hope in her eyes rejoicing,

"Why yes of course! I also recall my sister having a few books she written about her fashion ideas. They should be in the library somewhere!"

"Well let's not waste time then Sweetie Belle let's go!" Sketch-it began to feel pumped in the hype of her new acquaintance.

The ponies galloped from the boutique towards the library, but as they had neared their destination a quick interuption from the mayor stopped them in their tracks. The Mayor with a bright welcoming smile reminded Sweetie Belle,

"Don't forget tonight Sweetie Belle, the Charity For Mis-fortunate Foals will be holding an event, we're counting on you to give a grand opening, we need to raise money for those poor foals over seas." Sweetie Belle's impatience to get to reading was apparent as she slowly trotted around the Mayor acknowledging to her,

"Don't worry you can count on me Mayor, if you'll excuse me I have something important I must do." The Mayor watched curiously as the two ponies left in a more hasteful gallop to the Treehouse.

Sweetie Belle opened the door eagerly making her way over to the bookcases. As Sketch-it entered, she noticed a rather cheerful pony sitting amongst a group of foals all with their attention focused on Spike and North who were acting out a story for the little fillies and colts.

"AHAAA... beast most fowl surely you have yet to see the true might of the Princess, I will banish you among all other evils into the confines of Tartarus!" North exclaimed as she approached Spike with a spread of her wings and a regal stomp of her hoof. Spike laughed with a sinister snicker mocking,

"Ahahahhahha, but Princess your precious elements of harmony are not in your possession, for you see..." He pulled over a cloak revealing little colored marbles exclaiming, "I have them! With their powers I shall turn the world into pure chaos from the very elements that give it peace and harmony HAHAHAHAHA!"

The foals gasped as Spike played evil rather well, but it was of course all an act to give the little fillies and colts a good sense of suspense.

Though everypony's attention began turning to Sweetie Belle who had been careless in her hunt for her sister's fashion design books.

"Where is it, I know I seen it before, I know of one. Sketch can you help me find 'Rarity's Guide to Fashion Dos and Dont's'?" Sweetie Belle asked anxiously. Spike suddenly seen the mess Sweetie Belle was making as books were falling from the shelves when she pulled them out with her magic.

"Ahhh excuse me fillies and gentlecolts, we will come back to your regularly scheduled reading program after this..." Spike announced as he ran over to the distraught pony. "Hey Sweetie Belle..."

"Uhuh...?" She answered without giving an attentive look as she was too focused on checking the books.

"Can you please, slow down, you're sorta, throwing books all over the floor..." Pausing several times in his sentence as he tried to dodge book after book adding, "me and Owlicious worked all morning to clean this place, sooo..." A loud HOOT! Came from above her head when Owlicious dropped down with said book in talon.

Sweetie Belle's eyes glistened with happiness as she levitated it from the owl's talons.

"Ahhh! Thank you sooo much Owlicious, thank you!" Sweetie Belle darted out of the building leaving her mess. Sketch-it felt she should help put the books away but Spike insisted,

"It's alright, you don't have to do it, Owlicious can take care of it in a jiff..." The curious little dragon never seen Sketch-it so he inquired of course, "I haven't seen you around here, you must be new, I'm Spike." The purple pony shook her hoof to his claw and she attempted to explain in short who she was.

After just a couple of minutes and a greeting here and there, Spike bid a farewell to the pony replying, "Come by if you ever need anything from the library we're always open..." He approached back to the little makeshift stage clearing his throat. "Ok now where was I... oh yes, You will never see the light of harmony again Princess Celestia, Equestria is doomed!" Everypony began to gasp once more as he continued on his evil goon of a character persona.

As Sketch-it entered the boutique, Sweetie Belle was levitating objects everywhere, shears, materials, patterns, she had the entire room alive moving mannequins and designs in the air like a symphony of motion!

"Knit and stitch, stitch and knit, thread and needle soft and gentle..." Sweetie Belle's voice began to change into a very orchestrated and beautiful vocal tone as she had her eyes set on the book, "So long ago I remember how it was, my sister and I always making such a fuss, now she is gone and I don't know what to do. My life feels so empty without youuuu..." She sang so softly with her troubling mind, which Sketch-it noticed the aura around the objects were not as sporadic as they were initially.

Sweetie Belle suddenly continued her worrying song, "Knit and stitch, stitch and knit, thread and needle firm yet feeble I break the twine, and I stich in the line, but nothing seems to ever come out right!?" The feeble yet discorded tone still carrying a gentleness made the sound of her lyrics quite disturbing, "When I was but a young and carefree filly, I dreamed of designing fashion just like you, how silly, was I to think that I'd amount to somepony like you!"

The song oddly enough seemed to calm Sweetie Belle's mind giving her a clear thought of what she wanted to make. Sketch-it's place in this huge magic workshop seemed useless, the aria chanting pony seemed completely content with reading the book to herself, multitasking a wide variety of tools and even having the ability to sing so beautifully despite the creeping tone changes as she continued to drone in her own little world. "So what's a pony sister to do when she's all alone, in the world, feeling blueeee. I'm lost in this aria this sweet enchanting aria I'm lost, I'm lost without youuu! Where am I to go now! The world is topsy turvy, it's all out of order to me, "

She carried on with her tasks reading on and on through the words of her sister's advice on fashion, as she continued to carry on to herself with the her song and Sketch-it could've swore she could hear an orchestra in the background. She heard it so well that she started to doubt it was in her mind.

"Wait a minute..." She turned around to the window where her ears were pinpointing the noise and with a stomp of her hoof, "HEY! Cut that out Moody Melody!" An oh too familiar nuisance. Moody Melody, a wandering pony that sometimes will creep up with a rather annoying phonograph and tense up the mood with a background song. He was caught red hoofed running the twisted harmonic aria that was setting the air in a creepy tone.

"ehehheehheheheeh...!" In a flash the snickering earth pony took his sleezy phonograph and disappeared into town leaving the boutique alone with his mood setting atrocities. Ponies didn't mind a little mood music, but everypony knew to watch out for moody melody, his timing is very impeccable but he's downright too good at his talent!

Sweetie Belle seemed unfazed by the outburst, only to finish a few moments later ending her melody to a tee. As if she did not have any knowledge of what she did, she snapped out of her concentration and took a gleaming look at the dress before her. The two ponies stared at the strange design, a saddle glittering in purple with two sides feathering over the flanks rather than being one complete cover up of the flank. The flared feather sides seemed sharp yet elegant. In some way it was a step ahead to the right direction, but Sweetie Belle still felt it just was not fit for the public. She hung her head to the floor placing her hooves to her face whining as she dropped the book on the designing board,

"Ohhhh this is still just as horrible, what am I doing wrong!?" Sketch-it felt like lightening the mood up so she commented,

"It's better than the last one, maybe you need a different song to sing... would it change?" Sweetie Belle just moaned painfully answering,

"It's no good I'll never be able to get my sister's boutique open with atrocious things like this!" She ran to her room and closed the door locking it up to sulk on her bed. Sketch-it felt she had yet to contribute anything, and if there was a time to do so it would be now! Scheming in her head she took a look around at the supplies in the room.

"I've never worked with fabrics before but maybe my creativity will carry over and make up for my lack of fashion. Come on brain work..." She focused all the energy she could muster only being able to do a hoof full of what Sweetie Belle's magic could perform. Before she could even get started Sketch-it stopped to think about what she was doing. "Agghhh no I can't, this is beyond me..." Pausing a moment she pondered what she could do for the poor daunted pony. "I'm going to need help on this, maybe North or Spike may know something to help." Sketch-it left the building at a haste to reach the library. She nearly knocked down a passerby pony with him crying out for her to watch where she was going. With her mane bobbing through the wind she exclaimed, "I'm Sorry, I'm sorta in a hurry!"

She didn't waste any time to barrel into the library! Spike, North and Owlicious were cleaning up when the startling pony set all of them on alarm!

"Whoa what's going on..." Spike blurted out as she came in out of breath. North curiously tilted her head wondering the same thing. Sketch-it completely in a tizzy and out of breath tried to blurt back,

"I... I... Nnnn... neeed help with something. Does..." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm a little confused because there's a project I'm helping with and it's not really going as planned, I was wondering if anypony knows a thing or two about fashion..." Spike of course being a boy just turned his head rolling his eyes,

"Oh it's one of those kind of emergencies I see." He turned back around with a content expression as he told her, "Well I can't help you in that department, sorry..." North put a hoof to her chin trying to think of something that may be useful.

Without a word She went to work analyzing the bookshelf and checking carefully at the books in each alphabetical catalogue. She turned to Sketch-it and inquired,

"First off exactly what is the problem, are you needing inspiration, an extra hoof to help, or an opinion on your work?" Sketch-it quickly answered,

"Uhuh..." An awkward pause hovered over for a few moments when she realized it was a specific question, "Ohhhh ummm, I guess I need an extra hoof or maybe an opinion, it's not really a need for inspiration." The Alicorn rolled her eyes and laughed replying,

"Ok, well let me just finish making sure everything is in order and I'll be happy to come with you." Sketch-it thanked her for the helping hoof and she trotted over and plopped on the floor patiently waiting for North to finish checking the books.

As time passed by the two ponies readied up and headed over to the Carousel Boutique. Sketch-it took some time to really take in the sight of the building's exterior. The picture of a mannequin over top the entrance with beautiful shades of pinks and blues, and adorning pony mannequins atop the building resembling a carousel ride gave the building a festive welcoming environment, an excellent way to make your business inviting to passerby ponies. North looked baffled as to why Sketch-it brought her to the place. Sketch-it began to explain to her how the morning went by with a snag and the second try had made progress but Sweetie Belle the pony she was working with was completely upset about it not being as good as her sister's despite the book her sister had made for assistance.

"I feel for Sweetie Belle, I just don't know why she has not asked anypony around town other than myself..." North began to hesitate for a moment kicking her hoof around the dirt outside a bit nervously.

"Well..." She began quietly replying to Sketch-it, "Sweetie Belle's been very attached on the memory of her sister Rarity, you have not been here very long so yeah... I guess she's still shy about other ponies other than her friends, I've only seen her during celebrations singing." Sketch-it began to mull over why in Equestria out of all these ponies she'd pick her.

"Why would she ask me out of all the ponies in Ponyville?" North shrugged with the only reason she could think about.

"You looked like you had nothing better to do, a lot of ponies around here are too busy to give a two bit for anypony, seriously don't think this peaceful place is out of the way nice..." That also gave Sketch-it another thing to think about, so far she just found the nice ponies out of luck, she didn't want to believe it but North had more experience in Ponyville than her. "Well let's go see this design."

"Ahh yes of course." Sketch-it humorously answered trotting her way into the main room showing North the design. Her expression to the design just about matched theirs with an awkward reply,

"What... purpose does the feather serve why is it there. What's with the... ..." Flabbergasted at the sight she added, "Well it's not bad, but it was not well thought out if you ask me..."

"Rash much?" Sketch-it blurted out...

"What I'm telling it like it is." North answered back to the downtrodden pony. Sketch-it gave a saddening nod and asked her if she could help somehow? Not knowing fashion all the way through North took a gander at the designing board. The book Sweetie Belle borrowed to help her in her work, appeared like a shining beacon to North. Being a very bookish pony she opened it and skimmed around analyzing the drawing being displayed on the board to the fashion dos and dont's designs page by page. "Huh... interesting."

North glanced around the room and back to Sketch-it. With a sigh sensing her stomach was hungry she quickly responded, "Let's think this over with something to eat Sketch, care to join me?" Sketch-it didn't have any argument to that, the punch and cake wore off on her and she was aching for a lunch.

Leaving Sweetie Belle to herself, North began to scheme an idea after seeing the contents of the book. Strolling down the street, North seemed to be leading Sketch-it off from town which had her curious. Wanting to open her mouth she stopped herself to see where the pony would take her this time.

With an uphoof step the Alicorn began to prance around as they neared a fence leading into none other than the ripe apple orchard of Sweet Apple Acres! The sight of all the bright reds and shimmering green apples and golden yellow ones just made Sketch-it's mouth water.

"Ohhhh wow those look so delicious!" Sketch-it excitedly responded. North nodded agreeing with her,

"They are the most awesome sweet tasting apples in Equestria I assure you!" The ponies galloped ahead to the entrance when North caught glimpse of the target she came for secretly. "Hold here for a second Sketch I'm gonna talk to Applebloom." Stretching out her wings she shot off through the farm seeking out the red maned pony.

"So this is Sweet Apple Acres. It's a lot bigger than I thought." Sketch-it answered as she looked at the sign. Sitting around outside the entrance she began to rest on the side of the road pushing her hoof in the dirt thinking about what to do for poor Sweetie Belle after lunch.

"Well hi there North what brings ya over'ere to the farm?" North noticed she was in ear shot of Golden Delicious bucking down some apples from a nearby tree, not wanting to let him hear she whispered in her ear. Golden Delicious gave a stark look at the mares but continued his job.

"Ya don't sayyy..." A drawl came out Applebloom's mouth as she responded with a concerned expression. "I didn't really much pay attention to what she'd been doin lately, what with this here crop o'apples takin all mah time. I had nary a clue..." North nodded inquiring,

"So can you help us out?" Applebloom gave a good gander over the farm and knew if she takes the day off she would have to pull an extra day of work, not to mention Golden Delicious and Apple Fritter would be given her workload.

"Lemme think it over some if'n that's alright with you North?" Her stomach rumbled in front of Applebloom and she smiled with a bit of embarrassment. "Heh heh, sounds like somepony's a might hungry, care for a golden delicious...?" Golden Delicious of course glanced over with an awkward look, and Applebloom caught the wording she made, it may have sounded a bit awkward and the two mares giggled. "Well I meant the apple." She plucked a nice yellow ripe golden delicious from her saddle basket and tossed it over to North who caught it with no challenge. Before she bit into the apple she told Applebloom of the awaiting pony at the entrance. "Oh yeah, that fancy mane from ole Galloport, yeah she's welcome to have a few free o'charge..." Turning around to her relative she announced, "Hey Golden Delicious, I might be takin the day off, somethin came up real important." He didn't seem fazed by it.

The three mares took a little break out by a picnic table on the farm with a glass of apple juice and a few treats Apple Fritter whipped up for the ponies. "Thanks Apple Fritter, fer all ya been doin round here, I sure do appreciate it." The green maned pony nodded with a happy trot to her step replying sweetly,

"We's Apple Family have to work together of course, if one farm can't work then we all can't ya know."

"Sure as sugar!" Applebloom nodded and the ponies together began to eat up to fill their stomachs. Chatting away about their daily routines Applebloom let out the funniest story of a mundane day going completely wrong, "So there I was just mindin mah own business when I came across this fancy pony with his nose too high for his eyes to see round where he was a goin, smacked right into me. He let out a mean whinny said 'Don't you know where I'm from you earth pony!' I took one gander at him and told'em straight 'Well I can't really tell ya got yer head stickin so far up the clouds I coulda swore ya was some fancy pants cloud walkin pegasus thinkin ya own the ground ya trottin on.' words got all heatin up and that unicorn was bout to give me the magic boot when I told'em 'Got somethin on yer coat.' no sooner he looked down on himself he took a step back right on a red delicious sent his face right to the ground!" The girls erupted laughing as she finished with, "That's when I said 'Oh now I see that lil horn on the top of your head!' he was so embarrassed round the ponyfolk he ran off faster than I've ever seen a fancy mane run." A rather funny story the girls continued to giggle as North put her hoof down with a serious face,

"Oh you think that's funny, mares listen to this!" North took the attention of the mares as they continued to sip the rest of their apple juice. "So I was flying right and helping out Derpy Hooves and Scootaloo clear the skies one day with the weather ponies. You wouldn't believe it, a troop of griffins had the nerve to fly down and swat poor Derpy. Well I couldn't stand for this so me and Scootaloo devised a plan to get them back..." She began to snicker and the mares were all in suspense, "These three griffins were flying over towards these clouds right. As soon as they went in, me and Scootaloo whirled up an angry tornado and sent those bird brains for a RIDE THEY'D NEVER FORGET! YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN THE LOOK ON THEIR FACES AFTER IT WAS THROUGH, IT WAS PRICELESS HAHAHAHAAH! They lost so many feathers they looked like shriveled up chickens!" The girls flew into an outburst uncontrollably as she finished in a calm and cool manner! "It was fully justified, I know Derpy has her moments but nobody messes with my friends! Especially those featherbrains." She added confidently. Applebloom looked over at her relative and asked,

"What about you Apple Fritter, you got any funny stories?" Apple Fritter gave a rejecting expression shrugging,

"Not much happens at my farm, though before me and Golden Delicious came over here I seen the most hilarious tussle with Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, fightin over Uncle Apple Crumble's leftover baked apple pie. Celestia herself could not stop them two stallions ta fightin over that thing..." Apple Fritter got a few giggles from the younger mares, but she wasn't really chatty. Of course the torch passed over to Sketch-it when North shined the spotlight on her asking,

"What about you Sketch, you have any funny stories to tell?" Applebloom and Apple Fritter glanced over at the shy mare.

"Oh I donno, I don't really have much in the form of funny stories..."

"Aww come on surely ya have something that made ya giggle, or is Galloport just not a place fer funny stories?" Applebloom inquired raising a brow.

"No it's not that, I just. Nothing much really happened, that I could recall being as funny as your stories, about the only thing I could say was real funny was getting woke up from a surprise party yesterday..." With the mention of parties Applebloom began to reminisce of her memories of Pinkie Pie and her absolutely insane parties!

"Believe it'r not mares, Pinkie Pie's parties was some of the most fun I've ever had. She brought a smile to everypony long time back. I sure as apple cidar's sweet miss my sis and them pony friends of hers." North felt real jealous of Applebloom for knowing them and blurted,

"Agghh I wish I knew them, but I was just a filly, I may have seen them once because I do remember seeing Rainbow Dash and her amazing SONIC RAINBOOM performance!" Applebloom gave her a questionable look and asked where exactly North came from. "I was born in Cloudsdale, and came here when I was about fifteen years old."

"Well land sakes I never knew you grew up in Cloudsdale, o'course you don't usually talk much with ponyfolk round here do ya North?" She nodded agreeing completely.

"I like my privacy. Befriending everypony is a bit overrated in my opinion." None of the mares at the table could disagree, they all had a few ponies they disliked greatly.

As they continued to carry on, Sweetie Belle finally regained some composure trotting herself out of the room. She noticed the room was untouched and her helper was gone.

"Ohhhh look at what I've done... I scared off that poor pony. The design room is a mess..." She looked over at the design table seeing the book was missing as well! She gasped in fear that she misplaced the only copy in ponyville that she could rely on to help her! "Noo... nooo this... can't be, I'VE LOST MY SISTER'S BOOK!" Taking traits of her dramatic sister she flopped on the floor and cried out, "Why is everything going wrong for me! What did I do to deserve this Celestia..." The over dramatic pony sniffled and teared up looking over to a picture of her sister hanging on the wall. "Youuu... YOUUUU, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" She kicked a roll of fabric at the picture and turned her head trying to be stiff and cold.

The only damage she done was to herself as she hung her head sorrowfully just wanting to curl up and disappear. Tears dropped on the carpet beneath her hooves and she whimpered, "Whyy did you leave me sis, what happened those years ago that you never came back..." Her eyes showed twinkles of glaze as she felt her tears running down tickling her cheeks. "I just don't know what to do sis. I'm stuck between wanting to make you proud and work your boutique, or just to give up the boutique to go travel and sing... I WISH YOU WOULD HELP ME!" She whinnied angrily feeling her mixed emotions tearing up inside her.

Sweetie Belle was very sensitive, the longing to know what happened to her sister or to even see her face to face again was a strong desire inside her. No other goals she tried to perform would succeed until she had some closure, and she couldn't grasp that fact. She couldn't let it go like Applebloom could. Sweetie Belle all alone in the boutique began to pace about the floor wondering what she should do. Her heart switching around on what it wanted more, the confusion swelled in her mind giving her a nasty headache.

At that time, the mares were readying to leave to find Scootaloo. North took a moment gazing to the skies wondering,

"Where oh where would a lazy mid day Scootaloo be I wonder." Applebloom had the same thought on her mind. Scootaloo was by far the most spontaneous pegasus North had known.

"She'd be a might hard sight to miss if she were up there but I got a clue where she's at... ya know where Rainbow Dash's home is North?" North nodded with Applebloom adding, "I'm as sure as the sun rises and sets she's hanging round that lil cloud house."

"So I take it you're in on helping us out?" North asked, and Applebloom gave a solemn nod assuring,

"Dern right I'm gonna help, Apple Fritter and Golden Delicious don't have a problem with me takin the day off. You go get Scootaloo and we'll meet ya at the Carousel Boutique."

Wasting no time, North took flight over to see if Scootaloo was hanging around Rainbow Dash's cloud house, while Applebloom and Sketch-it ran back to the boutique as quickly as they could gallop!

When they arrived up to the door Sketch-it noticed a little note in between the closed doors. She levitated it up close unfolding it, "What's it say Sketch?" Applebloom asked with growing suspense. She glanced at the letter reading,

"To anypony that is concerned, I Sweetie Belle have decided by my own accord... to leave the town of Ponyville to travel Equestria alone to search for my heart's true desire..." Applebloom and Sketch-it's eyes widened.

"Oh no, I... I knew she had troubles with her sister an all disappearin but she didn't show any sign of bein this upset. Oh haystacks this is might troublesome, does it say where she's a headin?" Sketch-it's frantic eyes reading the letter over and over she reluctantly answered,

"No, she doesn't say anything about where she's going!?" At that time Scootaloo and North swooped down with Scootaloo replying,

"Ok I agreed to this on one condition, I am not going to wear anything in there, got it?" Applebloom's eyes jerked towards her with a feeble response from her mouth,

"You don't need'n to be worried bout that, she's ran away." Scootaloo suddenly flipped out,

"WHAT NOOO... Why would she, what's wrong with that pony she's like loved by everypony in Ponyville! It makes no sense." The distraught ponies tried to think of where she could have gone.

Applebloom's mind suddenly clicked a piece of the puzzle together when she interjected the silence,

"Wait a minute, she said she was leavin to search for her heart's true desire right?" Scootaloo's mind also clicked the piece remembering Applebloom's incident as a filly with a particular flower of the heart's desire variety.

"Oh yeah I know what you're getting at Applebloom..." Both of them simultaneously answered to one another,

"ZECORA'S!"

"Come on ponies we got no time to lose, we're heading to the Everfree Forest!" The ponies charged across town making their way to the wood line of the Everfree Forest. Scootaloo in a vain attempt tried to fly over the forest but realized the trees were too dense to see through. Flying down to the ponies as they crossed the fields to the dark and creepy tree line, she muttered,

"I couldn't see a thing, jeeze you think twenty or so years something would change..." North looked at her and caught the major fault she had belayed in words sneering back,

"Well I donno what does a forest do Scootaloo GROW, given the years I'd say it's like twenty percent harder to see through?" Scootaloo felt her her derp had damaged her intelect but her friend Sweetie Belle was probably in that thick twisted forest lost or worse, and there was no time to argue or defend intelligence. Applebloom gulped with a quiet comment,

"It's been yearss... ssiince I've been in this here forest, Zecora being an aged zebra ya know ain't been out in Ponyville much anymore neither..."

"Yeah so who knows if she's still around, what if Sweetie Belle went in and found Zecora is gone and in her hut might be cocatrice or, or some ursa major, or a hydra... or maybe even something we don't know exists with big scary claws and razor sharp teeth!" Scootaloo began to paint some rather unwanted images for the ponies, lessening their desire to venture further.

As the nervous ponies stared into the darkness of the forest, somepony had to make the first trot forward for the others. Sketch-it being the quiet one so far attempted the first step mumbling,

"Well Sweetie Belle is not going to be found standing here ponies..." Her brave step initialized North's response,

"Yeah, I'm ready Sketch, we're no scaredy griffins!" Scootaloo and Applebloom nodded as they took their front hooves forward. Together in a line behind Sketch-it leading the small troop of ponies they began to enter the forest.

Damp, dark, it was everything a pony wanted to avoid, but they trotted along. The twisted branches and roots curled around the ground were hazards for walking, the worse part to them was the deep silence of lifeless inhabitants.

"Welp this is definitely not the Everfree Forest I remembered a long time back, t'ain't gotten better either. Ahhh what was that!?" Applebloom jumped at the sound of a strange noise that sounded like a bush being shook around near her. "Look at me, scared as a three year old filly in the dark, sure wish I was as brave as I used to be when I WAS a lil filly."

The ponies finally reached a point in the forest the entire canopy had shadowed the entire area into darkness. Applebloom felt the urge to comment to the others, "Will somepony please use their unicorn powers an light up this place, it's so dark ah can't see mah nose let alone anypony in front of..." Sketch-it stopped for a moment, Applebloom bumped into something that felt wet and slimy. "Oh Celestia please let that be somepony playing a joke..." Focusing her power her and North simultaneously broke out a small light from their horns. In front of Applebloom suddenly illuminated a big wad of a slimy creature. Her ears shot up in fright as she backed up bumbling, "A ba... aba... abaababbaa .... abababaab..." Scootaloo turned her attention with a quick,

"What are you doing Appl...ppp...aababbba... abbababbbaa!" Catching sight of what she had seen, Scootaloo's ears dropped completely down with a gapping expression of horror. The two ponies ahead stopped in their tracks turning around.

"What are you two doi....." Now everypony's attention was drawn to a huge slimey beast that seemed to be eating its weight in just random things around the forest floor quietly, a nasty blackened dirty ooze with spindly arms and a twisted looking face turned its attention to the four ponies and down to Applebloom closest to it. It had a rather hungry look when given the opportunity to feast upon something living instead of gunk on the ground, Scootloo quietly inched over to Applebloom in the fading light of the magic wielding ponies whispering,

"I think we should..." It gave out a huge monstrous gurggling ROARRR!!! It forced a squeal in Scootaloo's voice as she screamed, "RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" The ponies turned tail and ran up with the two others with the magic lights! They galloped through the forest following Sketch-it and North deeper inside! The oozing beast slithered nasty ooze behind it as it tried to chase them down, desperate for a bite to eat!

In full gallop Sketch-it cried out,

"Is it still behind us!" Applebloom attempted to turn her head slightly but refused to look back responding,

"I don figure I'd be wantin to look back on account of I'm too afraid to trip and get eaten!"

"Gahhhh this stupid forest is so dense I can't even try to fly with all these branches! This STINKS!" Scootaloo grouched loudly as she trailed behind North leaping over a large root when she suddenly caught her hoof in an entangling vine! "Aghh... AHHHH!!" She began to panic and tried to use her wings to free herself but she couldn't break the vines! She looked back into the darkness scared as the lights were going further away. "HEYY I'M STUCK SOMEPONY COME BACK HERE!" Her wailing caught the attention in North's ears and she trotted around galloping back to save her pegasus friend. "Ahhhh hurry up PLEASEE It's coming!" She could hear the branches and leaves shaking as the monster barreled through leaving slime all over the trees! North took her teeth and grabbed the vine tugging it as hard as she could! There was no use, the vine felt rubbery.

Immediately she let it loose as it tightened more around Scootaloo's hoof making her yelp painfully, but seeing as this was rubber hose vine North was relieved to use her magic and just pull the vine loose. Scootaloo gave North a satisfying thanks, but interrupted by a large menacing face jumping out of the branches screeching furiously!

"AAAAAYYYEEEEE!!!" The two ponies shot off to catch up with the others!

When they finally all found each other, they found themselves stopping in a clearing to catch their breath. Sketch-it plopped her rump on the ground and she began to have a little smile raise from her mouth breathing heavily. Instead of being scared she began to laugh a little bit to herself.

"heheh, I... I've never felt such a rush before. I donno why mares but I feel excited." Scootaloo looked at her and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well... you're not the one that got snagged by a vine and almost became slime food..." With that being said, Applebloom started to snicker, her snicker became a laugh and out of nowhere she just erupted rolling on the ground! "It wasn't funny! That thing was like this close to grabbing me!" The red maned pony rolled back on her belly pointing her hoof at Scootaloo asking,

"Scootaloo just sit an think about this for a spell, when was the last time we ever did somethin like this you know, goin out and havin an adventure together...?" Scootaloo looked at her with a skeptical expression.

"Plenty of times I mean... well..." That's when Applebloom put her hoof down answering,

"Eeeexactly! Why we been all busy with our lives and'aur responsibilities that we plum forgot about hangin out as friends, goin on great adventures and havin laughs... you gotta admit that slimey critter sure had us runnin like a bunch o'wild'n crazy schoolponies. Sure there was danger but we're together aren't we that's what really matters ya know. I remember mah sister tellin me a funny quote 'All work an no play makes Applejack a dull pony.'." Scootaloo finally began to see a little bit of the bright side and North agreed with Applebloom adding,

"Well that and not being eaten by a big ugly slimey monster, which in my opinion not being monster food is more important..." Everypony around her laughed agreeing. Scootaloo of course answered,

"Yeah that's for sure the most important thing." Applebloom felt the need to re correct herself afterwards rearranging her words,

"Well maybe not bein dinner to some big ugly varmint is more important but go with me on this, we're hangin out together, an ya know what. As soon as we find Sweetie Belle, I say we all agree to each other, no more working so much. This is exactly the reason poor Sweetie Belle ran off in the first place..." She paused a bit as her mood began to sadden a bit and her ears drooped, "Nopony was really payin attention to her, they all just loved her singin is all... an when she needed a friend to help, us specifically, we were too busy." Scootlaoo suddenly felt part of her consciousness hit her similar to being bucked right in the jaw. She drooped her head to the ground muttering,

"Well you have an excuse, a real excuse, my job is like less than an hour then I just go hang around dash's house like a sad excuse for a pegasus..." Applebloom expressed her concern for Scootaloo's guilty conscious reassuring her,

"Well it's not really anypony's fault in general we're all to blame, let's just hope it's not too late to make amends." The four ponies felt a bit closer together as friends, Applebloom and Scootaloo began to see the reality, that they had not had time to have a short little adventure as crazy as this!

"Well does anypony know where we are exactly?" Sketch-it reminded the group of their current situation and Scootaloo brushed it off like it was nothing bragging,

"No sweat mares, I'll fly up through this clearing and find out." She shot up through the opening in the trees and gave a good scan around discovering they were not very far from where she thought Zecora's hut was located. Given the changes she tried to think back where they originally entered the forest to get there. Dropping back down with a confident voice she assured them, "We're not far from Zecora, it's over that way I think..." Pointing her hoof to a direction into the darkness. North stared at her for a moment interjecting,

"I think is not really reassuring Scootaloo..." Scootaloo in her defense responded,

"Well something just tells me in my gut that it's that way." Applebloom stood up and looked at everypony.

"Well there's no time to sit an argue bout bein unsure where to go, we have a pony to find, let's get hoofin before that slimey critter finds us!" The two available magic ponies took leadership pointing the way through the darkness listening as their two friends were close behind. "It's the darn'est thing I feel this is the right way too Scootaloo." Burned still in their minds, Applebloom and Scootaloo remember fondly traveling to Zecora's little hut listening to her stories and learning much wisdom from the knowledgeable zebra. Even through the thickness they felt they were getting closer to her hut just by a faint hunch.

They were on alert for any more unwanted company, the ponies tried to keep a quick pace without being too careless, or too slow for something to stalk them. Sketch-it started feeling uneasy after each step as she felt her body shiver. The forest had trapped warm moist air which tickled her skin through her purple coat. Every sound made from a crunch of a twig to the brushing of leaves made them all raise their ears and dart their heads around cautiously.

Through a thicket they hopped over a small creek still running with water, the plant life all around the source of water seemed just as twisted as the vast warped trees dominating around them.

"How far are we?" Sketch-it became just a little impatient and she couldn't stand the feeling they were still being watched. Scootaloo tried to assert,

"Don't sweat it Sketch we're going the right way, it's not very far..." Off ahead the ponies halted as they gazed upon a bunch of fuzzy lights flickering about and dancing in the darkness. They watched the star lit show in awe, well everypony except North who had read about the many dangers of the Everfree forest, including this such event.

"Watch out for those lights, don't look directly..." North turned to find her friends all in some hallucinating gaze. "Mares, snap out of it, come on we got to get out of here." She alarmingly mumbled as she grimmaced nervously. "Sketch-it, hey, hey Sketch hello...?" North began to feel the situation had escalated, the three ponies were frozen stiff mesmerized by the dancing glows. She took her hoof and poked Sketch-it on the head, "Is anypony home, hey!" She raised her voice unsettlingly. She kept her light illuminating the darkness around her as she pondered, "Ok if I remember correctly bright light scares Glowsprites... just need to focus a large enough flash."

With a heavily concentrated point of energy she produced a bright enough flash to illuminate a good distance, enough to spook the glowsprites. They flickered about sporadically until they dissipated away to find a new place to flutter around in peaceful darkness. The ponies broke from the hypnosis looking around in a daze.

"Whoa, what just happened, I feel like we been walkin fer hours..." Applebloom replied, shaking her head around. Being the bearer of bad news North assured them they didn't really go anywhere. "Ya mean to tell me out of all that walkin we done did, none of that happened?" She shook her head. "Well that's a might bit discouragin, what exactly are glowsprites anyhow?" The curious pony continued to drill out questions.

"They're like tiny magic fire flies, the light they emit is a type of illusion spell, it protects them from any hungry creatures that want to snack on them." Not hanging around to ask further questions the four ponies continued onwards.

They didn't realize the pace they had originally, now was turned to careful foal steps. Scootaloo began to feel impatient herself and in her impatience she felt her mouth open letting out a wailing,

"SWEETIE BELLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They all shot frantic gazes at her and around them as the echo of her voice crept in and out through the hollowed and twisted forest!

"What in tarnation are ya tryin to do Scootaloo get every creepy crawly to know where we are!?"

"I'm soooo bored, and I want out of this place it's constricting my wings, I wanna hurry up and get Sweetie Belle..." While everypony's attention had been turned to Scootaloo who defiantly turned her head away, in frustration North began to turn back around scolding Scootaloo,

"Pffft... screaming out loud is not going to speed up the process of finding her..." As North was about to continue speaking, an echo came back with a loud screaming,

"SOMEPONY HELP ME!!" North withdrew her statement responding,

"Or maybe it will." The voice startled the ponies, with no time to waste they stormed through staying close together as they chased down the voice's origin. Rotten logs, ditches, roots, vines, and many hazards were popping up everywhere as the unicorn and her companion alicorn illuminated the racing path. "DON'T WORRY WE'RE COMING TO HELP!" North cried out to assure the distressed voice! Applebloom began to remember the faint trail that was present before the many years of change. She had a grim feeling she knew who was crying out, but the echo had disturbed the voice to the point she could not be for sure.

"If I didn't know any better we're a headin straight fer Zecora's hut right about now, I feel like this is familiar!" The sense of urgency led Applebloom to match speed with North and Sketch-it with Scootaloo right on her tail!

Sure enough out through an open thicket Zecora's hut was in sight. They were right on the dot with their hunches. Inside they could see a bright light emitting from outside the window. Applebloom's eyes widened as she let out a, "Whoa Nelly, what in the wide world of Equestria is a goin on in there!?" Their hooves full of excitement, they cantered quickly up to the window peering inside together! The horrific sight of some cloud like creature bubbling around in mid air with long arms connected to nasty looking claws and a scary cackle came from it's gaping mouth bearing sharp teeth. In one claw it held none other than Sweetie Belle and Zecora, while the other was tossing ingredients into a bubbling cauldron.

The ponies hid their heads back from the window and huddled up to make some sort of plan of rescue.

"Alright so I ain't got a clue what we are up against, North do you have any of that there fancy book smarts on this critter?" Applebloom whispered over to North. She lurched with a hesitant reply,

"Sadly I've never read about this thing before, it's completely new to me." Scootaloo tried to throw in a wild card stating an obvious plan,

"Why don't we just go in hooves flying and beat that thing to a pulp..."

"Yeah says the pony who was screaming when a big hungry goop monster was about to eat her." North sneered back.

"Well I don't see you making a plan..." The argument between Scootaloo and North began to heat up with North snapping back at Scootaloo's comment,

"I am, but I don't spew out the first dopey thing that comes to mind..." Sketch-it tried to think while the situation continued to grow dire, she felt she had the smallest contribution to the group, so with a small drive to make up for her quiet nature she attempted to take some thoughts and mash them together. She didn't know if it would sound good but maybe it would help the flow, so she responded,

"Don't mean to interrupt mares but what if we draw the monster out into a clearing and trap it in a tornado..." The three mares turned their attention to Sketch-it and North countered,

"That actually sounds good on paper, but in our situation I don't think that is going to be realistic enough to work out Sketch..." The arguments continued to go on, but a pony had went missing from the group.

Applebloom bucked open the door startling everypony including the monster. She gazed with a confident and brave grin whinnying,

"Hands off the pony'n zebra you filthy VARMINT!" In a gallant leap she went for a good kick in the monster's face when a claw swooped out nabbing her in mid air. Her gallant expression now replaced with a nervous grin she asked, "Ahhh I supposin yer not gonna let me and mah friends go are you?" The monster gave a skeptical gaze at her and spontaneously ROARED ferociously in front of her! "hehehe... I take that as a no..." An awkward pause loomed over as the three free mares looked through the window hearing Applebloom scream as loud as she could, "HEEEEELLLLLPPPP!!!"

"Agghhh I can't stand around here and do nothing mares I'm going in!" Before Scootaloo could jump through the window North nabbed her tail and jerked her back to plopping her flank on the ground.

"You hold it right there Rambo, nobody is doing anything until we have a plan." Scootaloo in a frustrated fit just hopped back up and started to flutter her wings furiously ready to shoot into the window, North put her hoof down on her tail, and she fell right back down flank first. "Can you just hold yourself on the ground for just a second, I can't think with you trying to be a hero."

"That monster is about to make a soup out of my friends there's no time to think North!" Knowing she couldn't talk sense into Scootaloo she permitted her to attempt her one pony army tactic. North was so confident she knew what was about to happen she mumbled,

"Three... two... one..." At count three Sketch-it listened as a series of crashing noises and broken glass filled her ears, the sounds continued to shatter the air at count two, until North hit one followed with a loud bellowing ROAAAARRRR! Peering into the hut they seen all of them were trapped in its grip. "Well Sketch-it I guess it's up to you and me..."

"It seems that way, what's the plan?" North began to get excited as she was actually relieved to hear a pony with her head on straight and not foolhearted to go head first in the situation. She took a moment to concoct a plan. She gave a snickering grin as she leaned close to Sketch-it's ear whispering,

"Alright so here's the plan..."

As they began to make the plan, the creature had began licking its chops as it started to shove the ponies into the cauldron. Applebloom being on the bottom gripped the opening to the cauldron stammering,

"I... Didn't, come all this way now to be... fresh critter kibble..." She grunted as she held the weight of her friends and Zecora on her shoulders keeping them from becoming fresh pony stew. Sweetie Belle looked down to Applebloom and Scootaloo replying,

"You two came all this way to stop me from leaving, why and how did you know where to find me?" Scootaloo answered the second question with,

"It was real obvious when you said 'Heart's Desire.' honestly Sweetie Belle it was like you wanted to be found..." Applebloom agreed and answered her first question as best she could,

"Agghh, well We came to do more than just stoppin ya from leavin... me an ole Scootaloo here also came to apologize sorta... eehhh..."

"Apologize... for what?" Applebloom gave a loud snarl as she gave a hard push to keep from getting her belly roasted in the hot water. The monster began to get frustrated and in turn pushed harder glaring at Applebloom for being the problem of his dinner delay.

"Well ya see Sweetie Belle, we all just been caught up in our own lil business and such that, we ain't been spending time like we used to as friends... sure we see one another here and there, but it took today searchin fer ya to really see we've not spent some quality time together."

"Yeah too bad our last moments are going to be boiled into monster soup." Scootaloo commented back to her friends. "I guess since this may be our last moments I should say, I'm sorry for you know, being a jerky mare sometimes, and if we somehow make it out alive, Sweetie Belle I will wear a dress, but only one time!" Sweetie Belle smiled at the sentiment and answered back,

"I'm sorry too for being such a drama mare, and for making this monster..." The ponies gasped as they threw glances up at her. "Yeah, it turns out if you eat a heart's desire when your heart is a raging monster inside not knowing what it really wants, it turns into a literal big scary monster..." The monster held one hand down on them while it began to think for a moment how to solve the problem when it felt a belch of energy come out. The creature started to feel itself dissipating and becoming smaller. The more Sweetie Belle talked to her friends the more she was starting to realize what she was truly desiring.

In a fit the monster pushed down with both hands trying to get them to stew before Sweetie Belle fully discovered her true heart's desire! Despite it growing smaller it made a hard effort to shove them into the cauldron. Zecora noticed the monster losing its hold of power on Sweetie Belle's confusion and felt relieved, she stayed silent as to not interupt the ponies.

Finally when the creature was no smaller than a foal size, The ponies realized the creature's grip was gone. A fierce monster now whimpering and yelping attempting to let out a roar, found itself face to face with three rather proud and clear minded ponies.

"Well, well, well... not so tough now are ya varmint!" Applebloom gloated as she stomped a hoof at it scaring the little monster. Sweetie Belle looked down at it and giggled,

"You know when it's smaller it looks sorta cute, like something I would see on Nightmare Night." The ponies laughed to one another until the creature finally had no more grip on Sweetie Belle and vanished right before their eyes with a sad whimper.

About that time North jumped in front of the doorway and Sketch-it popped her head over the window completely clueless to the entire event, and yelled,

"DOUBLE FLASH BANG!" North and Sketch-it blasted the room with a bright blinding light as hard as they could. The ponies inside scattered as Scootaloo cried out,

"OMAGOSH MY EYESSSS!!!"

"WHAT IN TARNATION I CAN'T SEE!" Applebloom wailed. Hobbling around the ponies plopped over with stars in their eyes, Zecora with her eyes closed and a front hoof over her face was unfazed.

When North and Sketch took a look inside seeing no monster they felt rather confused.

"Where did the monster go?" Sketch-it peered around and to her amazement the monster was nowhere to be found. "Did we destroy it with blinding light?! Cuz if we did that would be SOO COOL!" Scootaloo jumped up to burst her bubble informing,

"No, it was already gone before you two jumped in and blinded us all..." Feeling embarrassed the two ponies congregated with the other four to know the details of what happened.

They took a while to get their stories straight, and Zecora listened in as she cleaned up her hut. Sketch-it was rather used to seeing zebras before back at Galloport. Being on the shores of Zebrica. Tribes and many city ferring zebras would constantly come to Galloport seeing as it was always getting excess supplies from the Empire.

"I have to say, today has been the most excitin i've had in a long time, don't ya'll agree?" Everypony could not disagree with that. Zecora turned to them finally giving a warm riddling replying,

"You ponies have been through a lot today, it seems a lesson learned will soon be on its way." At first her words seemed confusing, but the ponies felt they were burdening her long enough, so the group set off to get out of her mane, but before they left she gave a warm smile as if she knew that it was going to end exactly as it did. She bidded them a goodbye as they trotted back to Ponyville.

As they made their way on the small path that Sweetie Belle had used, Applebloom started to cut up laughing,

"I feel plum silly that this old path is still here..." Sweetie Belle acted surprised that they didn't know about it and asked how did they even know where to go to find her! "Must've been we were too caught up on findin you we forgot bout the old path, but when we were in the forest me an Scootaloo knew how to get there all simple like."

"Yeah it's like stuck in our heads, we could find Zecora's home with our hooves tied and blindfolded." Applebloom and North both had the same idea as they cornered Scootaloo inquiring,

"Care to prove that!"

"Uhhhh... ok maybe not blindfolded, but totally with my hooves tied." Sharing a few laughs the ponies reached an open field with Ponyville completely visible. "Agghhh the sweet view of an open sky! Hey girls what do you suppose Zecora meant when she said a lesson learned is soon on its way." Applebloom took a moment to ponder the thought,

"Well I think I can speak fer all of us we sure as sugar learned a lesson today."

"I bet I know what it is, don't eat a heart's desire like Sweetie Belle and Applebloom because crazy things happen."

"Nawww I don reckon that was the lesson exactly..." Scootaloo interupted her with a second attempt,

"Oh, OH...!" Sweetie Belle in turn cut her off stating clearly in a sweet voice,

"I know my lesson learned girls, holding in my feelings selfishly instead of coming to my friends first, is bad... because when I really thought about it, all I really wanted was to spend time with you all. I missed having fun, all this singing and wanting to do something for my sister's boutique just had me so stressed out."

"Awwwwww!" Scootaloo and Applebloom gave their fellow blank flank a warm nuzzle.

Applebloom stopped for a moment as her friends continued to head for town. She looked at Sketch-it and North commenting on their help finding Sweetie Belle.

"I know Scootaloo is a might rash to be round, but she means no harm. We are a might grateful you two could help us find Sweetie Belle..." North gave an understanding nod adding,

"No problem Applebloom, I deal with her silly derpishness all the time so it's no sweat. Honestly the pony of the hour is Sketch-it..."

"Wait what, me... nooo, I hardly done anything..." Sketch-it tried to weasle her way away from the recognition but North and Applebloom both insisted together.

"Oh don't be so modest Sketch, if not for you bringing this up in the first place Sweetie Belle and Zecora would've been monster chow." Sketch-it blushed with embarrassment with Applebloom agreeing,

"North is right, I woulda been too busy with harvestin and Scootaloo being Scootaloo, nobody woulda known if it wasn't fer you, now take it as a coincidence or however ya prefer, the credit goes to you Sketch, and fer that I say you and North are welcome to Sweet Apple Acres anytime, ya can hang out with me'n mah family and eat as many apples as ya like, just don't eat all the apples, I do have to make a profit to keep the farm runnin." North gave a grin uttering,

"Unlimited access to all the apples I can eat... you don't say..." Humorously Applebloom sneered back,

"Don't be gettin any funny ideas now, I meant what I said."

"Oh alright." North gave a sarcastic sigh in response. Applebloom waved goodbye and started to catch up with her friends leaving the two ponies walking slowly back. "Well I guess I'll go hit the library and find some material on spellcraft, doing that bright flash sorta made me in the mood to do something more than flash light in sompony's eye." Sketch-it laughed with a sharp nod turning her attention over to the prancing alicorn.

"Yeah, It was pretty stressful on my mind, come to think of it I have a lot of difficulty doing just simple magic spell tasks. Anything heavier than a pencil or paintbrush is a real chore for me." Her friend's eyes widened as she cried out,

"WHAATTT, if you are having that much trouble, come with me I wanna show you something. TO THE LIBRARY!" The two young mares galloped to town reaching their destination in no time flat.

North did not hesitate to burst in the library and go for a book that she knew its location by memory. She levitated it off the top shelf and brought it down right in front of Sketch-it replying, "Take this, go home. READ IT!" Sketch-it gazed at the title reading it aloud to herself,

"Tele-Simplysis, a unicorn's guide to spell management..." Confused she looked back at North. She smiled and assured Sketch-it,

"Look just read it, it tells you how to clear your mind and manage your spells properly so you don't weigh yourself down or go overboard with it, mainly this is for the beginner spells, but later the training in the book will help you work with more complex ones." With an excited smile North began to shoo Sketch-it off so she would go home and read it sooner.

Sketch-it took the book and levitated it all the way back to the townhouse. As she approached her home her mind wandered off thinking about so many things, how was it they didn't get lost in the forest? Was it a coincidence that these events just happened, was Sweetie Belle going to remember that she had a performance tonight at the Town Hall? Setting all the thoughts aside she knew one thing was clear, there was a book that could help her get better at managing her magic, and that was more important.

"Ok Sketch-it, you can do this, it's been a while since you read anything, too busy painting, and traveling, and... being alone a lot, but all this has changed. Time to learn!" She hopped on her couch and stretched herself over the cushions opening the book to page one, "Chapter One, step by step to clear your mind..."

The Mane Event

"Please fillies and gentlecolts may I have your attention please!" The mayor's voice echoed over the large congregation of ponies who were ready to hear her out, some already excited as they knew what this meeting was all about.

North, Applebloom, Spike, and Scootaloo had woke Sketch-it and had her trotting behind slowly as she yawned with her eyes barely open and her mane a bit untidy. Sketch-it grumbled through her sleepy voice,

"aghhh what's all the commotion about mares?" Scootaloo having heard the news from North and Spike exploded in Sketch-it's face loudly,

"The Cake family is hosting a competition and we're all going to compete for it! The prize is a cash award and one month of cupcakes FOR FREE!" Sketch-it's face was still in shock mode after being yelled at in her groggy state, her eyes widened and face surprised with a grimmace.

North turned her head and struck a glance back at the ponies as she trotted along the street explaining,

"Well to be technical about it, through the year businesses have been holding events to make money so they can afford giving relief for the soldiers over seas. It's common practice around Equestria, but seeing as the Cake Family provides most of these festivities you can be sure Ponyville has a blast every event! I'm really interested in the competition, the money prize is five hundred bits!" North seemed to have herself held up high today in particular. She seemed determined already to win the said competition. Spike acknowledged her confidence as he stated,

"North here is going to mop up the competition today, she's been training for the event since the last one a couple of months ago." Scootaloo picked up her pace by the Alicorn and with a snickering gesture she responded,

"Pssshhhh this flight challenge I'm totally not losing to you again, I've been timing my deliveries for months, Last big delivery, ten packages and sixty envelopes, less than three minutes!" North gladly accepted her challenge and answered with a boast,

"Heh, just try and keep up the pace with me will ya, I feel bad when everypony takes forever to finish after me." Now Sketch-it was really starting to hear the sassy tone coming out of her friend's mouth.

"What's with the perplexin face there Sketch?" She turned her head over to see Applebloom's face filled with question. Pointing at the two ponies in front of them and Spike who was now getting between them both adding to the competitive energy between the two. She didn't have to say anything because Applebloom knew exactly what she was meaning. "Oh don't you worry bout them two, they have been doin this fer years now, they never really mean any harm they just like gettin pumped up before competin." Sketch-it felt relieved to hear it was all for fun. Applebloom also added with a whisper, "Considerin they never really have won enough events to win the whole competition it's funny to watchem get at one another, but if anythin gets too heated withem me and Sweetie Belle put them in their place, ain't that right?" Sweetie belle nodded also adding to the conversation,

"Absolutely, it's kind of adorable to me personally, it's like an ongoing sibling rivalry, you have the brilliant dashing older sister who can't accept defeat, versus the determined younger sister who may not be incredibly book smart, but she has a fire of willpower on her side. In the end they never truly win, but they have fun testing their strength against one another."

"Heh, yeah but Scootaloo rarely gets to beat North, especially in the flight competition fer pegasus, as fer us non flyin ponies I tend to setem straight with my hooves, not that i'm tooting my own horn ya know, but I've beat both ofem several times with haybale bucking, tug'o'war, and other activities..." The two competitive ponies turned their attention to the boasting Applebloom and Sketch-it began to slink away by Sweetie Belle staying out of the fray of words!

"Put a hoof in it, you're not gonna beat me, I got the race in the bag!"

"Psshh, I can run circles round you two fillies in a hoof race!"

"Oh yeah!" North and Scootaloo began to butt heads with Applebloom as their competitiveness started to really get at one another. Sketch felt worried once more but as luck would have it Sweetie Belle reassured her it's nothing to be worried about.

"These competitions come and go, and they've always been friends no matter how crazy they get..." Sketch-it tried to smile but it came out as a nervous half smile inquiring to Sweetie Belle how crazy it would get. "Trust me, if you enter the competition you'll want to stay clear..."

"Mehhh I don't feel like it, but I suppose I could watch and cheer them on. I've been up late last night finally finishing up on the growth magic spell, I sorta had it right but for some odd reason the petals were extremely large, still trying to learn my focus."

"You two feather hooves couldn't hoof wrastle a turtle and win!" Applebloom's voice came out sharp as Scootaloo tried to counter,

"Oh yeah well you, you can't fly!" North and Applebloom looked at her for a moment wondering if she was gonna save herself from the derp argument she had formed. She glanced back at them going, "WHAT... it's true she can't fly..." North slapped her face with a hoof and Applebloom just gloated in front of them,

"Looks like I'm also better at come backs too!" North stopped her right there and snapped,

"Pssshhh, your come backs can't touch this alicorn, I just got too much SWAG for that!"

"What's that supposed to mean!" The mares were almost at the town square but as the words died down, North finished with,

"Oh nothing really, just something we alicorns got..." Cleverly put she had Applebloom and Scootaloo both baffled.

The troop of ponies finally arrived behind the large crowd in the town square and listened to the Mayor as she finally had the everypony hushed. Her voice carried a happy warm tone when she addressed the crowd,

"Alright as you all may know already, we have gathered here today for yet another event hosted by our local shop keepers to raise money for relief supplies to the fronts, so everypony we're counting on you to have as much fun as possible, and remember that every purchase from the businesses today will be going to helping our soldiers over seas, so spend spend spend! Don't forget to sign up for the events to see if you can win the prize today, as you know these events are completely open for anypony to come and go as you please. For those ponies who want to play games and not compete for the prize, anypony will have access to each event after it is used for competitors first, GOOD LUCK EVERYPONY and HAVE FUN!!"

The crowd cheered wildly as the cake siblings fired two confetti cannons showering everypony in colorful paper mache. Mr. Cake walked up to the podium and began to clear his throat as he announced,

"Will everypony who is competing in today's challenges please see Mr. Anvil and Le-Clerc, and everypony else can go ahead and enjoy vendors and stalls already set up for the wait periods of each event, first event we're getting ready right now is the hoof race all ponies are welcome to sign up."

Over at the sign up table, there was a large black coat stallion with an anvil for a cutie mark, Mr. Anvil was the smithy that locally owned a business for small time metal work like tools, skillets or anything he could make to give convenience to the town. Le-Clerc was a partner in his smithwork and they both shared a contract in constructing parts that would later be assembled into the weapons the Royal Guard and the Equestrian Army used. They usually always involved themselves in this gathering because helping arm the soldiers was one of the major things Ponyville did, though nopony really had any idea that Anvil and Le-clerc build these weird parts only to be made into guns in a larger factory.

The three competitive mares ran to the line rumbling through a couple of ponies with them griping and complaining about their behavior, but the girls managed their way to the sign up sheets and tied their hooves around one another attempting to get their name on first.

"Me!"

"No me, I'm signing first..." North just laughed at them as she levitated the pen from them and quickly wrote her name across the first open spot on the sheet.

"Boom! First to sign up, and i'm gonna be first to win this prize!" Sweetie Belle began to go off to the stalls to do her generous duty of buying a few knick knacks from the vendors. The others galloped to the starting line which was on the outskirts of town on a winding road that led back through town in a loop.

Sketch-it hovered around the vendors watching to see what other ponies would join the competition. Spike of course had a bit of curiosity and sacrificed watching the three mare's smack talk one another during the wait, to see what his new unicorn friend was up to.

"Watcha doin Sketch? Sizing up the competition to see if ya wanna have a whack at it?" Sketch-it shook her head simply answering,

"Nope, I'm just watching to see who all is joining the competition, i'm just curious, also I'm gonna check out the gem vendor, you wanna tag along Spike." Spike loved his gems so he could not resist to go look at some, knowing it may torment him for it later.

The clouds were cleared for the occasion, ponies were picnicking around the park where the main portion of the events were being prepared, the stalls were bustling as if the Ponyville marketplace had a super sell off.

Sketch-it turned her head to the sign up line as she approached the gem stall, she caught glimpse of a lime green coat mare with a strawberry blonde mane and tail, she looked like a christmas toy with her cutie mark being the picture of a little red ball and four jacks. Sketch-it looked further back and noticed a few other ponies, but the ones that caught her off guard were the gypsy ponies in the back!

She heard of the gypsy ponies, a mysterious group of nomadic wanderers, some were honest ponyfolk and others were just plain dastardly! One of the two ponies signed up as the other just followed with a rather smug look on her face as her mane drooped over her face hiding the side of her face from view.

"Excuse me, are you here to buy or are you just going to keep staring off in space?" Sketch-it turned to the confused shop keeper, a fine corporate cut mane stallion with an eye glass staring back at her. Spike's eyes were darting at all the lovely sapphires, and rubies littering the stall, some even on jewelery. Sketch-it wanted to purchase a sapphire specifically for a spell that required said gem stone, Spike though had been eyeballing a flaming ruby stone.

"That ruby looks so very delicious." The unicorn vendor glared at Spike, the pony was clearly not from Ponyville but knew the events would bring in business, it was usual to find ponies taking advantage of the war. He gave a loud,

"HARUMPH!" Discouraging Spike from his stand, but in turn wanting Sketch's business he gave her a happy smile trying to make up for his rudeness. In turn Sketch replied elegantly,

"Excuse me sir, sorry for the inconvenience, I was just thinking to myself these are very ravishing looking gems, so illustrious and fine cut, where in Equestria did you obtain such a fine selection of such divine and elegant gem stones...?" If there was one thing she learned from Lady Mareweather, it was how to pour on the charm. The unicorn was taken back to his original thought of her and caught by her simply dulcid and proper tone he began to trip up on his words,

"Well, uhhh you see... umm... EHEM!" He cleared his throat as he began to shake nervously, he didn't want to come across this pony befuddled, so he slapped on his charm face and turned to her eyes answering, "Well of course I obtain my lovely gems from the finest auctions across Equestria and even further beyond the empire, you see..." Sketch-it's eyes watched him with a very sensational appeal to him, making his body feel like melting ice cream. He began to explain pointing to his gems, "These rubies I bought from an Auction in Tarkan Mane, a settlement just outside Camelu territory, there's quite a massive ruby mine in the deserts of Muudi... but of course they also mine Quartz and Diamond too, while there I also picked the most elegant cut diamond I could find, its flawless perfection you can clearly see..." He continued on to his collection telling of places he had been, from Germaney, to Galloport, all the way to even Athenus, the city her brother was stationed at in the Southern Leyline.

Inside Sketch-it's mind she knew what he was doing, she seen this done at her auctions with her own art, Lady Mareweather taught her about these one day when they were sitting together having quality time,

"Sketch my dear little filly, what you seen back at the gallery is an auction, and the stallion announcing was an auctioneer." Her mind was picturing the past as a young Filly and she could hear herself respond back to Lady Mareweather,

"What's that Mrs. Mareweather?" The elegant unicorn turned to a mannequin and began to tutor her in some basic ways to get her money's worth of her paintings.

"Auctioneers are responsible for managing the bids on goods and declare the products sold." Lady Mareweather sat by the fireplace cozy with a young sketch-it curled by her side like her own daughter... a shame the mareweather's couldn't have children, Sketch didn't know why but they did have a strong bond with some of the orphaned foals, but they absolutely adored Sketch-it, and for this they taught her everything they could just as if she was their own. A bit of favoritism but they were equally nice to the other orphans.

Sketch looked up at Mrs. Mareweather confused.

"Why did he say nice things about my picture, did he really mean it?" She could remember Mrs. Mareweather gazing at the fireplace replying softly,

"Well sometimes auctioneers will talk up the price on the merchandise, this is to usually arouse the bidders to bid more compulsively as the merchandise sounds more and more desirable... but your piece was very magnificent to begin with dear, so in truth what he described was perfect." Mrs. Mareweather took a little one bit coin and replied, "But you be weary Sketch and hold your bits tight, talking up prices is very common and someponies..." As Mrs. Mareweather slowly slid the coin over to Sketch, she reached for it and Mrs. Mareweather snatched it up. Poor Sketch being very sensitive felt something rewarded to her was taken away and started to look up at Mrs. Mareweather with teary eyes. "Will swindel you just like that, they will take your money away without you even knowing it." The Mareweathers were of a few good wealthy ponies priding themselves as good folk, but Luna be cursed back to the moon they would never allow swindlers to take advantage of them.

She slid the little coin to Sketch again and she held it in her little hooves looking up to Mrs. Mareweather replying,

"I won't let them. I'll pay what I pay." Mrs. Mareweather began to speak about the method of talking down a price, teaching Sketch-it the countering method to these swindlers and the tale tale signs of these swindlers. She also told her never to do such a thing to an honest pony as it was the wrong thing to do. "Don't you worry Mrs. Mareweather I won't let you down." With a warm smile Mrs. Mareweather nuzzled up against Sketch's cheek feeling a deep longing in her heart wishing Sketch would call her mom, wishing she could've had Sketch as her own flesh and blood.

This lesson had made Sketch always withdrawn to bargain prices unless they were fixed like a store, but her need for a sapphire for her spell was making her risk haggling the price down if he was preparing to overprice it. He obviously did not know who she was, she did not have flashy clothes but she had certainly caught his attention. Her next move would be to go at him for the ruby and the sapphire she was gazing at. With a confident raising of her head she spoke back hoping her facade would not be see through as she was definitely nervous of her deed,

"Oh... oh my!" She abruptly gained his concern as she picked up the ruby in question for Spike. She could see it was very fine, and it glistened a bright cherry red.

"What is it!?" He addressed to her nervously. Sketch-it began to put her acting lessons to practice as she whined,

"Oh dear this poor ruby, sir, I must implore you that you allow me to buy this ruby from you, it is so overshadowed by the quality of your selection, I can see this ruby was not perfectly cut as these others and the luster is a few shades off and any jewelery expert could spot this flaw, I insist that you give me a fair price to take this poor thing away from your gems so that you may not be scoffed by anypony with an eye for these illustrious stones!" She didn't know if she poured it too thick but she hoped that he would fall for it, in truth the ruby was not as badly damaged as she made it out to be.

The stallion had a skeptical look, curiously wanting to cross examine her honesty, but Spike had an idea, he could see what she was doing after all that was the exact ruby he was looking at. To add to her insult on the ruby he assured,

"Pfftt, It's not all that great, for a treat maybe but it's definitely no fire ruby." The stallion laughed nervously and attempted to convince her otherwise,

"Surely it's not that noticeable for you two... I think you're bluffing me to get me to lower the price..." Sensing the nervous air he quickly stared them down catching their act replying, "It's two hundred and fifty bits and I'm standing on that." Sketch-it nodded slowly to herself and sneered,

"Oh then you must not know me... if that's the case then you sir are bluffing, I'm the famous Mareweather child prodigy artist known all around the outer colonies!" She knew she would have him in her hooves if he denied knowing her. Her beautiful art had been shown everywhere from private to public collectors auctions, gems, paintings, rare relics she had been around all of them. To catch him not knowing her from the outer colonies would be hard to explain how he had been across the lands and not heard of her. Sure enough he replied giving clear evidence,

"I've seen her, and you miss are no child prodigy, I've seen this filly at the Galloport National Gallery, when I was looking over the Eternity Sea Sapphire..." Suddenly she was caught off guard herself, this stallion was no joke, if he's seen her long ago, he must not know what she looks like now, but this stallion was at least being honest for being into his business, she knew that sapphire and had seen it during that exhibition. She didn't have but a few hundred bits in her satchel, not enough to buy both if the ruby was going to cost two hundred fifty.

"You must've not been around to see me grow up then sir, let me just show you right now, I keep my supplies handy everywhere I go, maybe this will jog your memory." Again he became skeptical but sure enough the prodigy artist, took a good look at his expression, and began to draw him and his stand. He couldn't see the process, but he could see shades of color flying about and a pencil and brush stroking the paper with a maddening fury. "A finishing touch here, some splash of color for these emeralds, and... done!" She spun the picture around and flashing in his eyes was a rather dapper picture of himself with a quizzical grin as if saying to the on looker 'What color is your fancy?' around him were exquisite shades of gems perfectly designed to shine out through the picture!

"Celestia be blessed...!" Completely with a loss of words his shocked expression gazed at Sketch-it with sheer disbelief. Ideas rolled in his head the image was so amazing he felt it would be far more attractive and would stand out more than his boring sign of a diamond with it's silly colors out of a drawing book. "It is you, I can't... this is, oh I am deeply sorry for questioning your identity ma'am a lot of ponies like to swindle me but that should not have given me the right to misjudge you..."

"It's ok, I kinda feel silly, for a moment I thought you were a swindling pony too..." He chuckled at Sketch-it responding,

"Well I can see why you may think so, I'm running a gem and jewelery vendor in a little town, but it's because a lot of ponies tend to be compulsive spenders during these charity events, and I have to boost prices to have money for travel and to donate, most of these precious stones were bought after they were cut fresh from the mines so they costed a bit more, but that's the price i pay for having them shined and ready for sale... oh my..." He suddenly realized they were still strangers to one another and he had to correct his ill behavior introducing himself, "Look at us we have been so uncivil we didn't even give proper introduction, the name's Felix Bucksworth, world explorer, travelled the lands of Zebrica, to the mountains of the Ibex..." Spike still was not impressed, seeing as the stallion gave a nasty look at him. He leaned over to Sketch-it and whispered,

"I still don't trust him..." Sketch-it gave a silent nod but he seemed harmless enough.

"Well my name is Sketch-it if you are curious, I'm still interested in that sapphire and the ruby... I'm working on a spell that requires a gem stone."

"Ahhh well, tell you what, for you lucky filly I'll give you both for two hundred fifty bits and throw in that painting and you got yourself a deal. You'll pay for the ruby and that painting will trade for the sapphire."

"Deal." She took it immediately not wanting to chance anymore conflict, the unicorn had spent several minutes trying to pull off something she thought she could do. Tossing up a pouch full of two hundred fifty bits and the painting she took the two gems and gave the ruby to Spike.

"Awww sweet, finally a ruby, I've not had a gem stone in months!" He tossed it in the air and it disappeared in his mouth with a loud rock crunching noise. As Sketch slipped the sapphire in her satchel Spike raised a claw asking, "So what was that all about?"

"Nothing, just me and my failed attempt to bargain a price down. Either he's really really good at swindling or he's being honest, frankly gems that size usually is lower than two hundred bits or so, but it was nice of him to take the painting, that was probably a fair trade, it would've been divided eighty bits for the ruby and a hundred and seventy for the sapphire which was larger than that little thing."

"Well if you say it that way Sketch then I agree one hundred percent, that ruby tasted really good I would've paid no more than a hundred for it though. Mmmm wow it has a spicy aftertaste... well maybe a hundred and ten, but that's as far as I would go."

The first event was announced and the ponies around the area started to take their positions.

"Oh gosh where's Sweetie Belle, she said she packed snacks!" Hardly remembering from her groggy journey, she darted towards the picnic area, and sure enough Sweetie Belle had the area ready. "Come on Spike, let's go!"

"I'm right... behind you!" When Spike reached the picnic blanket he fell onto the fabric with a soft, "Agghhh... jeeze I miss being carried around on Twilight's back, walking and running is soooo overrated..." The two ponies laughed softly and the unicorns pulled out a snack from the basket watching over at a distance the ponies gathering at the starting line. Spike inquired to the mares, "So which one of them you think is gonna come out first?"

"I say Applebloom..." Sweetie Belle stated pointing over at the red maned mare preparing herself.

"I donno Sweetie Belle, North is fast... I'd say it's a fifty fifty shot with them two." Sketch mumbled insecurely.

"Pffft I say North's gonna win hooves down." Spike argued back, he had confidence that she was gonna leave Scootaloo and Applebloom in the dust.

Over at the starting line the ponies were prepping for their gallop. Applebloom struck a glare at Scootaloo and North.

"You two ready to eat mah dust!?"

"Oh it's on Bloom!" Scootaloo snapped as she scratched her hoof in the dirt.

"Bring it!" North added with a fierce grin. The three ponies began to prepare their stance to go full gallop. As North focused her eyes on the trail, a voice beside her replied,

"Good luck." The sound of an appaloosan accent grabbed her attention. There in front of her a short reddish blonde mane and greenish coat shimmered. A simple looking earth pony with the jacks on her flank. North just nodded back and responded,

"Good luck to you too..." Caught off guard she had an awkward pause in her head but quickly focusing back on the objective to toss her friends in her dust. Pumpkin cake stood at the starting line levitating the flag in the air with a loud exclamation she yipped,

"ON YOUR MARKS... GET SET... GOOOOO!!! WEEEEEEE!!!!" She spun the flag around and the ponies were off! A total of thirteen contestants galloping down the stretch of road, with North and Applebloom nose to nose and Scootaloo picking up behind them fast.

"Grrrr!!!" The two lead ponies had their faces real close as they tried to psyche one another out, but as they were too focused on themselves another pony had begun to really pick up speed in her gallop. North turned to the side to see what the commotion was about behind them, and there was a fast moving strawberry blonde mane coming up determined to take first prize!

"Holy COW!" North completely didn't hear what was coming from directly behind them, but Applebloom shot off to the side as a white dash blinded by them and the green appaloosan pony sending North spinning out of control into a tree with a THUD! Applebloom ran over to her asking, "North are ya ok...?"

"Yeahhhhh.... i'm feelin, pretyy.... flubbejiorjfdih heheheheeheee..."

"Agghh you took quite a conk on the head there didn't ya... here lemme help ya." Applebloom helped North on her feet, she couldn't do the competition if North couldn't compete, so she escorted her friend over to the picnic area, leaving Scootaloo and a bunch of other ponies trying to pick up the pace on the two fast moving ponies.

"Don't worry girls I'll win this!" Scootaloo charged as fast as she could, but like the others it was useless they couldn't keep up with the ponies.

"Omagosh is she ok!?" Sketch-it, Spike, and Sweetie Belle trotted over to them, and Applebloom answered,

"Yeah, it's just a nasty bump on her head, you three were watchin, what happened?" Spike pointed at the starting line and growled,

"Agghhhh some long maned stallion thinking he's all that, he stayed back until everypony was on the track and he just shoots out and zooms right into everypony. He's a big jerk!" Sketch-it glanced over at the finish line where he stood victorious and eating up the attention, it was of course the gypsy pony that signed up, she looked around and did not see his sibling which struck her as odd.

As the green pony finished behind him she trotted her way up to him and replied,

"Hey congrats on gettin first place, next time though be a little more considerin bout other ponies on the track will ya?" The white and black spotted stallion glared at her like she had no right to tell him what to do as he scoffed,

"Pffftt, I don't compete to be nice, I compete to win, go run along with the other losers." Something struck the pony that this stallion was up to no good and she immediately with friendly concern trotted over to North to see if the mare was alright after being thrown into a tree from his carelessness.

The mares turned their attention to the approaching filly as she asked,

"Is she gonn be ok?" Applebloom gave a stern nod as she glared over at the stallion who was prancing around in front of the awe struck crowd.

"She's fine, thanks fer the sentiment..." Applebloom paused a second turning her head back to the pony inquiring, "Say are you from Appaloosa?"

"Why I sure am, how'd you know?" Applebloom chuckled pointing at her responding,

"Yer accent sounds might familiar is all, reminds me of mahself and mah relatives, what's yer name?"

"Jaxx, with two x's. Just moved here in Ponyville, pappa saved up some money workin fer mom's family. He's buildin that ranch yonder over the field." Jaxx and Applebloom began to carry on when North came to and she looked up, and all she could hear was that appaloosan accent being exchanged around. Her eyes widened for a moment as she opened her mouth,

"Is it me or did my brain just get weird on me, all I can hear is the sound of Applebloom... would some other pony please say something I want to make sure..."

"It's not your brain, you're fine..." Sweetie Belle cooed at her. "Jaxx is from Appaloosa, and her and Applebloom are talking to one another is all." North turned her head and analyzed the pony in front of her, recognizing the mare as the one that wished her good luck the only thing she could respond back was,

"Well no amount of luck could help me avoid whatever in Equestria hit me..." Everypony sneered as they glared at the stallion hopping around snickering and laughing as the other ponies were coming to the finish line. Applebloom opened her mouth,

"That dirty no good, that stallion's a snake in the grass I tell ya!"

"You said it, I went to give him a fair congratulations and he brushed me off like I was some sort of pest." Applebloom snorted angrily, North gave a painful whinny holding her head,

"Agghhhh, I know one thing he's going to feel my WRATH next round!"

"You can count me in North..." Applebloom extended her hoof as she continued to watch that persnickety stallion as he prepared to go for the second competition. Jaxx didn't know these ponies well but she wanted in on this knowing that stallion was being might arrogant, because she had a feeling something was mighty dishonest about that stallion, she extended her hoof with Appleblooms announcing,

"You can also count me in, I ain't goin down without a fight, I need that money to help get the extra materials for my family's ranch house!" North and Applebloom nodded with her and North slapped her hoof in too sharply responding with a great deal of energy in her voice,

"Alright mares, we got the team, now we need a plan..." She waited for Scootaloo to come over and before she could say anything North huddled everypony together.

"Hey what's going on... ..." North motioned Scootaloo to come over. Scootaloo slipped into the large group and whispered, "Seriously Mares, what's going on?"

"Just listen Scootaloo." Cooperating she listened as North began to explain,

"I don't believe for a second that pony can run fast, that was like getting hit by a tornado ok, so here's the plan. I need Sketch-it, Spike and Sweetie Belle watching him for anything suspicious, like tucked wings or magic use, anything out of the ordinary. Me, Jaxx, Scootaloo, and Applebloom will continue to compete, but we'll keep an eye for anything weird. We'll meet back here after each competition got it?" Everypony acknowledged and they broke from their huddle as they jumped to their positions.

The next event was announced the apple bucking contest, where everypony was given a specific amount of apples to buck into a target. Jaxx and Applebloom had an equally confident smile about this event. Ten apples, a score of a hundred was the highest score with bulls eye being ten points. Sketch-it and Sweetie Belle began to snoop around the vicinity of the event field secretly.

"Something does not feel right... agghh feels like a weight has been... ... SPIKE!" Sketch-it looked up on her back and found a lazy Spike complaining back to her in his defense,

"I can't help it I hate walking so much, you can't complain you didn't have to walk from the library all over town to pick up everypony for the event..." She really didn't want to ruin his moment so she let Spike tag along her back. Spike didn't really expect her to accept him to be on her back, she'd be the first since Twilight to let him do such a thing. After plenty of snooping around they came to no conclusion yet. Sweetie Belle, Spike and Sketch turned their attention to the event as it began to start.

"Get ready, Get SET, BUCK THOSE APPLES!" A voice cried out and the competitors began to buck their apples, Sketch-it suddenly realized she was on a very bad end of the field, it was where the apples were going! And she could see Derpy Hooves starting to buck as she attempted to hit the target!

"AGGHHH... OHHH... JEEZE!!!" Sketch-it began to gallop around in a fit as some of the ponies were missing the targets sending blazing apples straight down the field! Spike held on tight to the screaming pony trying to catch the apples in his mouth. He got lucky as Derpy bucked one and sent it careening straight towards him. He snapped down on it and the apple exploded it's deliciousness inside his mouth leaving him licking his lips from the tasty speed snack!

"Wait, don't go yet I like this game!" Spike tried to convince her to stay so he could get another, but Sketch-it took a dive into a bush nearby! When she slammed into the bush, a shaggy maned pony freaked out and galloped away leaving Spike and Sketch-it wondering what just happened. "Was it just me or did a pony just jump out of the bush?" Sketch-It shook her head around loosening the brush in her mane replying,

"Pretty sure I seen it too."

At that precise moment the stallion had began to buck the apples, and for a moment he looked unstoppable as he bucked all but two apples which when he went to get the last two they flew completely out of range of the target! The crowd of fans he had gave a shocking gasp, he nailed every apple perfectly, why did his two last apples not do the same?

North glared over at him with a snickering notion, she had caught him red hoofed, all that time she ditched her effort to win the round to watch him, and seeing the slip up confirmed her original thought, it was magic! Sensing a faint magic aura around him, and when the aura had dissipated she was one hundred percent sure she knew his game!

"There's no way in Equestria somepony could do that so perfectly then slip up like that." The final competitors with one apple remaining for each was Jaxx and Applebloom who had a flawless streak so far. Giving one another the stare they tried to intimidate the other, but with no avail. In the end they both bucked and the apples hit their target on the mark.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts we have a tie for first place! Applebloom and Jaxx! And in second place is Shire Mane." Finally she had his name so she could address him properly which she took advantage of this moment of fault and trotted up to him. With a bit of charm North explained to him,

"I know your secret... Shire Mane, I'd suggest you start playing fair or I'm gonna bust you for using magic in a no magic competition..." Shire mane's eyes popped out of his shaggy mane feeling nervous and shaking in his hooves. This slip up was definitely not good for his cover. North turned her flank and snapped her tail out at him turning with a glare, "I'm being pretty lenient right now, normally I wouldn't give you a chance to redeem yourself, consider yourself lucky." She strutted off leaving the scared pony gulping his pride down.

Feeling confident she had solved the problem she returned to the others and gave the news. Jaxx looked over at the pony as he staggered anxiously away from North's vicinity.

"Somethin still don't settle right with me, ya sure he's not gonna try anything funny again?" North turned her attention back around and assured,

"He'll either play fair or i'll call him out, though we'll need proof, it isn't like everypony is going to believe us... that's the part i'm trying to work in my head right now." As she contemplated the ponies made their way over to the third event, A pegasus only competition (Including alicorns of course seeing as they are also flight fitted) an obstacle course of clouds, cloud rings, precision loops and other hazards in the sky for the daring flight pony.

"Hey girls, have you seen the other shaggy mane pony, she's like identical to that one but she keeps like disappearing..." As Sketch-it was about to continue, Spike brought up the alert as he pointed over her shoulder,

"There she is!" The group looked back and sure enough standing by Shire Mane was an identical shaggy coat pony.

"Oh wow... I didn't notice her... where was she?" North inquired curiously staring with an odd expression on her face confused as to why she had not seen this pony sooner. Sketch-it began to explain,

"Well I seen her at the sign up area but she didn't sign up, the other one did, but after that she just disappeared, I found her during the apple bucking contest, really by accident i jumped in a bush to get out of the way of flying apples, when me and Spike spooked her, we didn't have time to say anything she ran out of sight..."

North's face suddenly shifted like it began to pause and ponder on a very important clue that just came up. Of course she knew all of this was not able to be proved, for all they had was just accusations and that was not going to get them anywhere, if she didn't get some evidence to piece everything together Shire Mane was going to walk off with those prizes unfairly and nopony would even be the wiser.

North grinned as she turned to Sketch-it and Spike. "Spike, Sketch, it's time to go Double 0 Pony." Spike drooped...

"Awww come on now would've been like the most awesome moment to have that suit, the moment would've been perfect..." As if by magic he felt an aura engulf him and in a flash he looked down and found the suit fitted on him. "WHOA!" He looked around until he seen Sweetie Belle's smiling face. "YESSS!" He hopped off Sketch's back and commenced to pour on the Swagger as he ran his claws across the collar. "Agent Double 0 Spike reporting Chief, what's the mission?" Sketch-it wanted to laugh but she was also a part of this skit so she stood at attention in front of North as she began to explain the next objectives, this time Jaxx, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Spike, and Sketch would be involved.

"Ok so while me and Scootaloo do the flight course event, I want you all to keep watch of those two, see if you can get some proof or find out their next plan, and report it to me, got it?" Spike gave a wise cracking grin as he answered in a rather boasting tone,

"Consider it done chief, alright agents you heard her let's get going."

"Spike you're really letting this go..." He wiggled a claw up to Sketch-it before she could finish and replied,

"Ahh, ah, that's Double 0 Spike to you Agent Sketch." Sketch-it rolled her eyes as she snickered,

"Alright Double 0, I'll follow your lead agent." She trotted behind Spike who now began to walk on his own completely throwing the inconvenience aside as he felt empowered with his persona.

"That's Super Secret Agent to you agent, you're like an agent in training, so you better stick with me through this mission so you may one day be a super secret agent yourself."

"Ok super secret agent, I shall try my best to learn from you."

"I guess we'r splittin up then, so what'r you two gon do?" Jaxx asked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

"You can tag along with us." Applebloom answered back. Jaxx nodded and followed behind the two ponies.

Both groups followed over to the congregation of spectators watching the sky for the event to start. While the audience was occupied the mares and Spike started to make their way to the vicinity of the identical ponies.

Spike began to jump and roll through the pony crowd sneaking around as close as he could with Sketch-it still behind several ponies.

"Agghh Spike what are you..." Trying to see she attempted to sneak herself under the crowd only to make several ponies uncomfortable as they looked down at her awkwardly. She smiled nervously and muttled, "I'll just be on my way now... yep don't pay any attention to the pony crawling on the ground..." When she finally managed to leave the crowd. Spike found a nice spot between some bushes just small enough for him to hide.

She finally succeeded in sneaking by them across a small path and she set up her drawing pad and began to work on a picture while keeping her ears alert. She gave a few glimpses around the area, and could see applebloom hiding behind a tree, Sweetie Belle went for a walk by the nearby path looking perfectly harmless, with Jaxx taking safety behind two rocks and a bush.

Perfectly surrounding the area they all soaked up the conversation of the twins.

"That one up there is on to me..."

"Which one?" The mare asked, Shire Mane pointed up at North complaining in a dull annoying tone,

"The Alicorn..." His twin nodded to herself and replied,

"Well if that little dragon and unicorn didn't jump in the bush like a bunch of maniacs I could've kept focus, I'll have to be more alert next time..." Shire Mane turned his attention back to North and sneered with a very dastardly request,

"Sis could you do me a favor though if you can, and teach that nosy pony a lesson, maybe get her out of the competition..."

"Bro you're not seriously wanting me to hurt her do you." She grinned as if she knew what exactly he had in mind. Shire Mane gave her an angry expression as his mouth opened slowly and sourly,

"Yes I want you to make her crash or something, make it amusing though, like move the objects around on her." The mare snickered as she liked the idea her brother had, taking her out of the contest by accident, not only that but to make her look like a total fool convinced this twin to do the cruel deed. She scoffed with a yawning expression,

"This is such a trivial use of my magic..."

The ponies around them began to feel a sense of shock and disgust. The only thing they knew they should do to prevent this was immediately get one of the event staff and catch her in the act. Little did they know as they left, the sneaky pony hid away to do her dirty work.

The ponies ran straight to the cake family who were selling sweets by the bundle. Sketch-it blurted out,

"Mr. And Mrs. Cake, you have to come with us, there's an emergenc...y..." She paused as she turned to find the ponies were out of sight again! "Oh nooo..."

"What's the emergency?" Mr. Cake asked, Applebloom seen the worried look on Sketch-it's face and turned her attention to find the same conclusion out.

"Well bundle me up and call me haystacks, they done gone and weasled off!" Applebloom started to dart her eyes to the sky at North mumbling, "Girls I have a might bad feelin that North is'a bout to be in big trouble."

"Would anypony like to tell me what's going on?" Before Mr. Cake could get an answer they shot off to find the terrible duo.

As they searched, Applebloom kept watch on Scootaloo and North's progress, which North had already made it for a second lap, Scootaloo was right on her tail, but then Applebloom noticed they were coming up on a hot air balloon holding a cloud ring leading towards a precision loop.

"What the..." The operator on the balloon was feeling a draft push the balloon down and as North came up to the ring it jerked down and she flipped out,

"GAHHH WHAT THE!" She dipped down to make the ring, but she was going too fast and her abrupt dip caused her to nail right into the precision loop face first! As she plowed into it, Scootaloo shot up over her and made the loop dee loop perfectly. "What was that, I thought these ponies were trained to keep those things steady!" She gave a sharp complaint as she took back off completing the loop racing up behind Scootaloo.

Coming up was the hazardous cloud surprise, a group of pegasi engineered a timed system to deploy hazard walls in front of the fliers. Applebloom watched nervously as Scootaloo got the timing perfectly, but when North went for it a second round, one of the walls went out of order and THWOP! Applebloom cringed as she closed her eyes painfully,

"Ouch, that's smarts..."

"AGHH!" Plastered on the wall her face in a daze and words yet again coming out in a confused order, "Who, put... thahhtt there.... sommmmee...pny, shud... be carfulll..." North shook her head and attempted to regain her thoughts. "Ughhh what is wrong with me, is it me... no that, that wall I had it timed perfect last lap, it's not supposed to change, unless there was a fault... ..." It didn't take long for her to think of another reason she was getting plowed into objects. "Or it's that stallion again!" She shot off completing the wall hazard heading for the finish line to reach the final lap. "He couldn't fly so now he's trying to knock me out of the competition, that dirty coward!"

"Come on North you can do it, just be a bit more careful now..." Applebloom whispered to herself reassuringly, hoping that her friend would not get too frustrated and get hurt worse.

Sure enough her hoping was short lived when she approached behind Scootaloo the worse possible thing had happened! Scootaloo felt a tug on her body. She began to feel nervous as she shifted around and felt like something was guiding her. North was coming up fast and then it happened!

"WATCH OUT!" North could sense the aura as a Scootaloo was jerked in front of her and the two ponies collided with a loud and painful THWOP! In an instant they began to fall out of the sky! "DEAR CELESTIA!" Unconscious they descended fast! "Somepony help them!" Sketch-it turned her attention as she heard the audience gasping, she seen the two ponies dropping!

"Oh no..." She tried to use her magic but she was too engulfed in her anxiety she couldn't focus straight. "No, no no now is not the time to hang up on me magic, my friends are in danger." She ran towards them and attempted to slow their drop, which she could at least do that. Focusing all her energy she managed to slow them down enough to let Pound Cake fly in and take Scootaloo safely, and Pumpkin Cake in turn added her power to guide North securely to the ground. The group with an audience of ponies ran to see if they were ok.

Luckily both ponies managed to come around quickly. Scootaloo turned to North and the other ponies who gathered around both of them.

"What just happened, I swear something like grabbed me and started to jerk me around..." A pony doctor ran through the audience yelling,

"Everypony clear out, please move now, give the injured space please... come on!" With the stallion doctor, two nurses and two other stallion aids they were brought stretchers. North and Scootaloo were quickly retrieved and brought over to the medical stall.

"Wow... those doctors sure work fast." Applebloom remarked with a surprised brow raised. The group ran to see Scootaloo and North.

"You two ok?" Sketch-it asked.

"Yeah you two sure made one heck of a mid air collision." Applebloom added concerned for their condition. North began to mutter,

"Aghh it's nothing really, I feel fine.... ..." As she said she was fine, trying to get up she found that her shoulder she used to keep from giving Scootaloo a painful impact with her horn, had become extremely sore, and her wing was cramping from the inflammation. "OUCCHHH!! Aghhh... ok nevermind I'm not ok, definitely not ok." Scootaloo thought she was perfectly ok when she tried to move her wing and found a sharp pain in her side! She bit her lower lip making a yipping noise proceeded to lay on her good side whispering,

"Yeah uhhhh... I'm not hurting as bad, but I don't think I want to risk it ya know, can never be too safe.... AAAhhh aahahha AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screeched as the nurse began to bandage her wing. "I meannnnn uhhh... aaaahhhhhh... jeeze mare oww... don't sneak Ouch... up on me oooohhhh, like that OUCH!" North and the other ponies gazed over at her feeble attempts to hide the fact she was in just as much pain.

North began to regret her initial confrontation, but that was not going to stop her from using the resources she had to foil Shire Mane's plan.

"Ok so since we're all still together, here's my plan to make up for this set back..." Before she could start Scootaloo just rolled her eyes and snarled a loud,

"Pffft..." North glared over at her and turned back to the group restating,

"As I was saying, Jaxx, you and Applebloom continue to..." Little did they know that the stallion Shire had slipped around the front of the tent listening in on the conversation. "There's three more events for non fliers, Jaxx you and Applebloom have won one, and that cowardly stallion has one too, should be simple, don't let him win those three contests..."

"Alright North we'll do our best to bamboozle his plan in any way we can." Applebloom nodded affirming she was determined to do whatever she could to stop him. Jaxx reluctantly turned her attention toward the opening of the tent.

"I'll do what I can to stop him, but I also came here to win this ponies, so I'll keep doin what i've been doin." They accepted her assured intentions and Jaxx trotted out to get started on the fourth event. Applebloom joined behind her leaving Sweetie Belle watching over Scootaloo. Spike and Sketch-it were by North's side. North whispered for the two of them to lean towards her.

"Ok now they are gone I have something special for you two to do." Sketch-it did not refuse her friend's request, she was being the brains of the operation and Sketch-it didn't really have any clue what to do right now. "Spike you search for the unicorn, Sketch you help those ponies out there, I'm asking a lot from you this time." Sketch-it felt nervous when her friend told her what she had to do.

"Really, you want me to do that... but what if I?" North assured her before she began to panic,

"It's just two ponies, one is doing the event, the other is hiding out... you'll be fine, now go out there and help them stop those cheaters." Sketch-it hesitated to argue and in a flash galloped out to do as she was told.

The shire stallion ran to give his identical the information of who was all on to them, and he pointed out which ponies were to be targeted to eliminate from the competition.

"Easy peas bro, don't get your mane in bunch. Now get out of here before somepony sees you, specifically one of them!" She snapped with an annoyed and high strung tone, the stallion again felt nervous and shaky when he began to leave the brush where she was hiding.

At that point Spike had walked out of the tent with his vigilant eyes peeled.

"Where are you... ..." He scoured the scenery until he spotted a nervous wreck of a stallion running from a direction to the event ground. "AHA... most likely returning from his accomplice's hiding place. Not today bad guys, Super Secret Agent Spike is on to you!" He began to sing humorously the theme song to Double O Pony as he slipped and snooped around towards the bushes.

"Alright fillies and gentlecolts time now for the fourth event, the Apple Pie eating contest, this competition is specifically brought to you ponies by the Apple Family and by Sweet Apple Acres!" The announcer being Mr. Cake gave a friendly wave to Applebloom as she made her way with the other contestants.

For the occasion, Apple Fritter had rounded up a few of Applebloom's relatives to cook this momentous feast of pie. "Each contestant will be given a set number of pies, the first to finish all the pies and not lose their meal, WINS!" Mr. Cake began to make the countdown, as the ponies readied Applebloom and Jaxx gave the stallion a glare.

Unlike his sister Shire seemed scared of his deed, his initial arrogance snuffed out when the perfect plan became flawed. He could see the two glaring at him and he felt himself making a loud gulping noise as he stared at the pile of pies he was going to eat.

"Pies, pies, ok... ugghhh my brother never had the stomach to eat much, I guess a growth spell will do the trick, enlargen his appetite and this competition will be in the bag." The cruel sister heard the announcement to start the competition and sent forth her spell which immediately made Shire incredibly hungry. He began to start smashing his face and matting his mane with sweet cinnamon apple filling!

Some of the ponies began to grow intimidated near him, but others tried to keep up the pace, including Applebloom and Jaxx. The two of them in unison were chomping down apple pies just as fast... but they began to lose small amounts of precious time as he was nonstop!

Munching and crunching on the crust they fought their way through delicious pie! Several ponies were rushed off the stage as their bellies began to hurt and bloat. Shire in his head he was regretting his action but he could not stop, his stomach wanted more! He finished up towards the last three pies and the girls were having trouble. They had four left, just behind him by one!

Sketch-It glanced out to the stallion confused what she could do, there was nothing really that was telling her he was cheating until she seen something wrong with him. It was almost as if he was trying to refuse to eat them, but something forced him to. At one point Shire was attempting to stop himself but his sister refused to let him lose and had added telekinesis on him, forcing him to eat the pies!

Sketch-it began to do something she didn't know she could do, she could sense magic was being done on Shire Mane, she thought about what North had told her, and what she was about to do was not a good thing if caught. She focused her energy to cast telekinesis upon him! Shire began to act weird in front of the audience as he reached, withdrew, reached again, pulled his hoof back once more.

"Ahhhh!!!" He felt his own hoof smack his face as two ponies attempted to gain control! His sister growled and snarled,

"What in the name of Celestia is this!" She felt an opposing force against her own power which struck her by surprise.

The fight raged on in the contest with Shire managing through all the fight to get down to the last pie, but Jaxx and Applebloom along with one last pony which was hanging on to their stomach painfully, were right on his tail with their last pies.

"This is a close competition fillies and gentlecolts! Four remaining contestants, three are locked with one pie remaining! Who is going to win!" Mr. Cake announced in excitement!

"Oooohhh, when this is over I'm gonna find the pony responsible for this and give them such a pinch!" Shire's sister snapped with a flick of her horn attempting to blast all her power!

"Agggghhhh!" Shire felt like a balloon as he was pulsing with the magic energies fighting, he was too bloated that he couldn't reach the pie even if he wanted to. He attempted several times to grab it, but could not. His increased size scared the pony contestant leaving her running with her hoof to her mouth ready to hurl in case the pies were cursed with something to turn ponies into balloons!

Jaxx and Applebloom looked at one another and dove into their pies! Mr. Cake announced loudly and full of jubilant energy,

"WE HAVE A WINNER!" Sketch-it released her hold taking a deep breath. "The winner of the pie eating contest is JAXX!" The crowd roared, Sketch-it sighed with relief and the other ponies in the group were content with this outcome including North who also was able to see what the outcome of the contest had done to Shire as he was brought into the emergency tent.

"This pony is in terrible condition, doctor what is the diagnosis!?" The doctor stallion looked at Shire swollen and groaning with pie all over his face feeling more than just defeated, he felt humiliated.

"From the looks of this I can only come to the conclusion this poor pony has an allergic reaction of pie, you poor poor pony..." With a noble and very brave expression he replied, "Nurse fetch me the anti allergy shot!" The nurse ran to the main medical tent pulling out a little med kit with a symbol of a pony sneezing by flowers. Shire seen the needle as she came back and he began to grow nervous sweating from a flash of heat!

"Nooo, nooo please not that... i'm fine i'm just a little bloated... nooo NOO get it away AHHH!" Scootaloo turned her head over and scoffed,

"And they thought I was a baby..." When the needle stuck him he squealed as his body began to strangely deflate with a loud whistling noise as if air was going out of a balloon. A strange aura of bloated magic energy left his body. The doctor and nurse glanced at each other with a very confused expression and the doctor gave a profound statement,

"This is a strange medical anomaly I've never seen before..." Shire returned to his original size but his stomach was still hurting from all the pie. When the doctor and nurse left, North turned towards him and asked him how it felt.

"So how did it feel Shire, doesn't feel good does it!" Shire shook his head and mumbled,

"Noooo, it... ugghhhh..." Shire couldn't budge he was out of the competition! North was absolutely satisfied, but sorta began to feel sorry for him when his face shown the expression of the humiliation he had. It almost sounded like he was whimpering tears, but he had turned to his side to not face the two ponies. More deeper inside he can't believe that he was so vengeful to hurt them and his own sister had in turn with her determination had hurt him in the process.

Before she could say anything else a desperate voice echoed out as a mare pushd by two nurses barking,

"Out of my way, I need to see him!" Shire turned to see his sister running into the tent towards him. For a moment he felt hopeful she was gonna say something nice... "I can't believe they would do this to you..." She didn't notice North and Scootaloo laying on the other side. Her brother gave her a pathetic teary eyed glare thinking to himself he should've known she would not accept it as her fault. "Don't give me that look Shire, you know the risk involved, if you want to win, then we got to do this. Now come on and get up you got a chance there's two more events you can win..."

Shire rolled over on her rejecting to get up. She stomped her hoof and growled, "You are pathetic! It's like you don't want to win, what happened to that energy you had at the first event..."

"It's gone when you tried to turn me into a balloon in front of all those ponies! You made me look like a fool in front of everypony sis!" His stubborn sister snapped at him and argued,

"Go ahead and sulk like a baby then, but I, Gypsy Mane am not going to let this competition be lost because my brother is a big prissy crybaby!"

"Shutup, why don't you go out there and turn into a big bloated buffoon and call me that when you know how it feels!"

"Oh boo hoo, cry me a river!" Her voice turned even more annoying and arrogant as she added, "You never could do anything right Shire, always had to have your faithful sister to do everything, mom and dad would be so disappointed in you... well I'm off to go win this and get that reward now, ta-ta."

As the rude and nasty sister trotted out of the tent, North was simmering. She could not believe what she had heard, this was a terrible case of sibling taking advantage of the other sibling. Shire was just trying to stay up to expectations that his sister forced upon him, this sort of control had North completely furious and she wanted Gypsy to get the reward she truly deserved, a good dose of humiliation and punishment!

As she left, Spike barged in crying out,

"North I... know where she's hiding out, I seen her..." He noticed the extra pony in the infirmary tent and quickly shut his mouth sneaking over to North.

"No it's ok Spike, I don't think Shire really cares right now, do you Shire?" The poor stallion just whimpered sadly feeling worthless. "Listen Spike I need you to round up the mares back here, we got some new information to discuss."

"Roger that chief, I'll have the ponies here in a jiff." Spike saluted and slinked out still enjoying his suit and persona. He gathered up the ponies and brought them to North as quickly as he could.

"Please sit tight everypony for the next event, the classic Horseshoe toss!" Gypsy carefully flicked her mane with an evil grin.

"This event is going to be easy as hehheheh, well as pie hahahaha!" Chuckling she quickly hid her horn back in her flowing mane. Little did she know she was going to be in for a ride of her life!

"Ok mares, the jig's up for Gypsy, and here's how we're gonna do it..." She began to whisper the plan to her friends, "Revealing her dirty deed is not enough punishment girls, we're gonna outright make a fool of her in front of everypony, her pride is her weakness. Sketch-it continue to thwart her attempts to win with her magic, Applebloom and Jaxx you keep on doing what you two are doing..." The ponies accepted their jobs, Spike looked over to North and asked what he could do. "You can stay here or tag along with Sketch, we no longer need to snoop for anymore..."

"Awwww... and I didn't get to really do anything important..." North looked over to her little dragon friend and he felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned to her and North assured him,

"Spike you know it's not all about doing important things, like Sketch..." She took a look around to make sure Sketch was out of ear shot. "She once said like the same thing a week or two ago, and it's not important to do important stuff. What is important is that you put the effort to try and do something important." With a big goofy smile she attempted to cheer Spike up, and he nodded with a big goofy smile of his own as he chuckled,

"Gosh North you know everything there is to know about everything it seems." North laughed softly as she felt her shoulder hurt a bit.

"Pssshhh I don't know everything, I just have experience."

Meanwhile the group outside began to ready their fight again, there was two more events they had to do to best Gypsy Mane! Sketch it took off sneaking her hooves into a bush and hiding out with an open view of the competition. Unfortunately for her Gypsy spotted her deed and she snarled,

"Ohh ho, so that's the little filly who was tangling with my magic, your weak magic only matched by your simple minded wits pony, I'll teach you to mess with Gypsy Mane!" The determined shaggy mane pony shimmered her white and black coat in the sunlight as she gave a prideful pose plotting to give Sketch-it a painful retaliation for her deed last event.

The announcer gave the go ahead to run the event and the ponies lined up and began to throw their horseshoes. Applebloom and Jaxx were personally challenging one another which Applebloom was enjoying the competition with somepony that was similar to her. Jaxx had this thing about her that made Applebloom think about her sister.

As the announcer was giving the low down on the contestants' progress, Sketch-it began to prepare herself to mess with Gypsy Mane's plot. Peering out she could see the pretentious pony yawning as if not amused when she tosses the horseshoes. Sketch-it could see a weak magic field around the horsehoes just like when she seen the magic field around Shire. The fields were guiding the horseshoes perfectly around the target.

Applebloom had missed one and Jaxx was hard at work calculating her shots trying to stay with Gypsy. Sketch-it attempted to grab one, but when she did Gypsy Mane gave an evil grimmace as she uttered, "Gotcha." She sent the horseshoe going straight at Sketch who couldn't hold the focus when the force applied sent a painful headache followed by a horseshoe to the face knocking her back into the bush...

"OWWWW... agghhh..." For a bit Sketch was loopy from the blow. The crowd gasped as Gypsy Mane dropped her perfect score.

"Curse her she's made me lose one, but alas she's been given something to think about before she tries to fight me head first hahahaha, my play on words are just as witty as my fiendish plots. Looks like i'll have to even the competition a bit though..." The only threat to her was Jaxx and so she quickly attempted to fix that problem. Sketch-it shook her head and peered back out just barely to see Gypsy waiting for Jaxx to throw her second to last horseshoe.

"Oh no you don't." Sketch-it had the upper hand in this round as Gypsy didn't know she had not been knocked completely out. With a sharp painful headache she muttled through and jolted a force into the horseshoe as Gypsy did.

The audience and Jaxx watched as the horseshoe did a strange boomerang move around the stake. The crowd awed at the sight, but Jaxx felt really ashamed to see what just happened. She didn't let up though, she had one more to go.

"No, that little! That pony has won three events, she's already won the competition!" Gypsy stomped her hoof down and took the last two horseshoes and tossed them aimlessly to the stake not caring. "I'll teach that brat to mess with me, I know just how to fix both my problems, though dirty handed, they brought this upon themselves."

Jaxx was announced the winner and she made her way over to an apple cidar stand to get a fresh cold glass of the delicious cidar.

"That was some whacky flyin horseshoe Jaxx..." Applebloom replied to her as she grabbed a cold cidar glass placing her bits down as well. Jaxx turned her attention over to her as she took gulp.

"That's the thing, I didn't do that..."

"Well North did have Sketch on duty to stop that upstart pony from a messin with us..."

"I feel cheated on that win, I don't feel might deservin of it, i'd rather'd a lost than somepony helpin me even if it was a dirty low down no good pony that made me lose tha point ta begin with." The next event was a pegasus one show stunt contest to see what pony could dazzle the audience the most. As that went on, the next contest for all ponies was in creation. Sketch-it began to wiggle herself away from the bush when she ran into a pair of hooves with a bright flare of fur covering them. A very intense stare came from above her as Gypsy snarled at her,

"You little brat, I've just about had it with your cheap tricks. After this is over I will sweep the ground with your mane, nobody toys with Gypsy Mane and gets away with it, especially a weak little spell flinger as yourself!" She backed Sketch-it up to the side of a tree with her snout up against sketch's snout she grinned at the frightened pony whispering, "Prepare yourself after this contest, I'm going to enjoy making you squeal..." Sketch-it felt the pony enjoyed being up close and personal seeing as she liked scaring and intimidating ponies to her will. Gypsy slapped her mane across sketch's face strutting off showing her flank to Sketch in a rather weird way.

Sketch-it slinked away to her friends to relay what had just happened. When she slipped into the medical tent she caught a happy expression from North as she grinned replying,

"So I hear there's no way in equestria she's gonna win now, Jaxx has this competition in the bag!"

"Yep I have ta say i'm mighty humbled to be beaten by an honest competin pony as yerself Jaxx." Jaxx just threw a hoof out with a modest reply,

"Well despite the dirty cheatin ponies I had fun, but the competition is not over yet, you wanna finish the last round with me Applebloom?" Applebloom nodded as she flicked her mane to the side staring at her competition.

"You kiddin, I'm all over that like bees on flowers!" As they left once more in a flash to get to the next competition, Sweetie Belle, Spike, Scootaloo and North all heard out Sketch-it's predicament when she blurted out,

"Gypsy Mane, is challenging me to a magic battle!"

"WHAT!?" North's eyes jumped at Sketch-it raising a great concern for her friend. "When and why!?"

"She got mad when she caught me trying to out cast her, and it's after the contest..." North's only concern was she knew Sketch still had a problem with focus, as far as North felt that spell flinger had no problem with casting her focus at distances. "What am I gonna do she's literally gonna do as she said, she's gonna sweep the ground with my mane! I'm going to be a pony broom for her amusement!" Her worried words began to grow more and more to a whining annoyance. Sweetie Belle was about to open her mouth when out of nowhere a voice echoed behind her,

"NOT WHILE I'M AROUND!" Everypony turned to find a pony wearing sunglasses and with a mean glare through the shades she replied, "Nopony messes with my friends and gets away with it!" Starlight's dramatic entrance suddenly was ruined when she dropped the tough pony act and trotted over to Sketch-it replying, "I heard the whole conversation when I was watching the pegasus stunt competition getting prepared..."

"Wait what's with the tough pony shades?" Sketch-it asked curiously to her intimidating looking friend.

"Oh these, well I was looking for a sunglasses at one of the vendors but the only one that had a pair was some dinky little stall that had copies of movie stuff, these are from the movie Hoofinator Rise of the Mechanaponiez. I'm into all the sci-fi jazz ya know." Starlight hinted at her fascinations towards science and fiction, but the only pony to respond was North.

"I knew those looked familiar! I watched that like a year or two ago at my parents." North remarked as she pointed at Starlight surprisingly adding, "With those on you look twenty percent tougher, I wouldn't mess with you!" Starlight giggled softly and in her most adorable voice she replicated the line from the movie,

"Prepare to be Hoofinated. Rrrrrgghhh." The girls laughed outloud. The stallion beside them started to laugh himself, he tried to humor them hoping to get a positive response by adding,

"Yeah and that one bit he does where he bucks the H-3000 MechanaPony into the smelter, he's all 'You have been Hoofinated!'"

"You've watched it too!?" Starlight had yet to see every detail so she treated him as if he was not a bad pony, North didn't say anything she was still sour that he was the one that made the call to have her removed from the competition.

"EHEM!" She looked at Starlight all skeptical. The distracted pony turned around with a shy hoof.

"Oh... yeah, right I'm sidetracking, ummm..."

"We need to figure out something to help fight against Gypsy Mane, or else Sketch is gonna be taking a lot of showers to clean out the dirt in her mane after she's through with her... so we seriously have to think of a plan!" As the group huddled, Shire turned his attention to them and aided them in their plan stating,

"Surprises..."

"Huh?" The group turned their attention squarely on Shire who had a sickening face as he felt a tastey but painful belch of apple pie.

"Surprises, she hates surprises. She's easily distracted by surprises. My sister never liked them." North began to let her mind chew over this weakness, Gypsy's pride was rather huge and at the time she didn't know how to get around humiliating her, Shire knew his sister better than they did and seeing as he was in no mood to let her get out of this for humiliating him in such a horrible way North dictated he was telling the truth. If this was true, they would have a clean attack on her wall of pride.

"Ok so I'm not keen on surprises mares, this is gonna require the tactical mind of a random thinker, or a mixture of ideas to work, so what's it gonna be?" The mares all huddled up with Scootaloo outside the circle trying to listen in complaining,

"Oh come on, don't leave me hangin, agghhh!"

As the time rolled around, Sweetie Belle, Sketch-it, Spike and Starlight all congregated to watch the final event with Applebloom and Jaxx.

"Now time for the final seventh event, the test of ultimate strength the Hay-Bale-Buck, the pony with the longest distance, will win this event!"

"Good luck to ya Applebloom." She spit a loogey in her hoof and extended it to Applebloom.

"Good luck to yew too Jaxx." She did the same and they shook their wet hooves for a fair fight! The pony Gypsy was not anywhere to be seen, she obviously was awaiting for the end of the entire competition.

The competition was hardly exciting until it came to Applebloom and Jaxx. Jaxx managed to buck pretty far, but Applebloom had the ultimate strong hoof ponies to teach her! She bucked the bale at least a yard to two yards further than Jaxx.

The ponies were in an uproar as the contest began to come to a close. The grand prize winner was announced over the audience as Mr. Cake proudly stated,

"Let's give a very loud ponyville congratulations to our winner in this event JAXX!" Another uproar came as ponies cheered for her. Jaxx stepped on the podium and looked at everypony smiling with a bag of bits and a starter tray of cupcakes signifying her reward for the first coming month of autumn.

"Thank you everypony, I'm extremely grateful for the warm welcome me and mah family has been given fer comin to Ponyville. I competed today on account even though my dad had saved money to move here, we were still short some bits and this here will do just fine..." She paused a moment and turned her attention to her family with her sister and brother smiling, the little filly and colt jumping up on their father waving to their sister, but she also turned to Applebloom and something inside her wanted to say she didn't full deserve the whole reward. "But I can't really accept both rewards fer this competition, I donno if ya can believe me but someponies had used their magic on one of my horseshoes i tossed, an in all fairness I feel me and Applebloom made the same score on that, cuz I don't know if it would've made it'r not. If'n I math that right it puts me'n Applebloom at a tie, I gladly pass the cupcake reward to her, fair as fair." Applebloom grew surprised from the gesture, but did not hesitate on it!

Applebloom marched herself up the podium, with a warm expression gave Jaxx a modest remark,

"Jeeze Jaxx you ain't gotta do this ya know..."

"Nonsense, it's the honest thing to do I say." Applebloom smiled as she took the other side of the podium and Mr. Cake once again caught by the sight of warmth started to cry,

"Aahhhh... Fillies... ... an... gentlecolts, this... thi... oh Celestia i'm, ahhh my allergies. What a lovely and very kind thing to do, give some applause to the winners Jaxx and Applebloom... ohhh hoo hoo hoo!" Pumpkin cake and Mrs. Cake looked worried for him, while his son Pound cake patted his dad on the back rolling his eye.

"Jeeze come on dad stop being a big baby..."

"I can't help it... happy stuff makes me so happy I just wanna..."

The entire contest ended but the games began to open up for public use, and the first thing the group of ponies did was join together with North and Scootaloo finally managing to weasle out of the medical tents.

"Well if ya ever wanna hang out with any of us Jaxx you sure are welcome. Might hard to find a real honest pony such as yerself nowadays."

"Thanks Bloom, means a lot to me. I've been needin some friends my pop says..." At that moment Jaxx's sister and brother ran over to her and jumped on her sides with her little sister yelling,

"WOOO, yeah my sister is the bestest pie eater, apple bucking, horseshoe flinging pony round Appaloosa and she's also the bestest horseshoe flinging, pie eatingest, apple buckingest pony in Ponyville!" The girls aweed sweetly when they seen the rambunctious appaloosan filly and colt. The young colt jumped on his sister's back and cried out,

"Sis you gotta teach me how to apple buck like that!" Applebloom suddenly had an idea in her head when the colt had said this.

"So have ya ever apple bucked before the competition?" Jaxx looked at Applebloom like she was crazy to think she had not bucked apples in Appaloosa.

"You kiddin, I used ta work fer a huge apple farm up in Appaloosa with mah dad, that's where we got most the money from..."

"Well would you and yer dad wanna walk with me to Sweet Apple Acres, I has a business proposition fer ya that may help ya if the money still be tight, plus all the free apples ya can eat." Before Applebloom could trot off she felt Jaxx putting her hoof on her shoulder.

"Ya had me at free apples."

The mares were all beginning to greet their new member of the group formally, when a sharp tone came from behind Sketch-it sending her a nervous chill.

"Ehem..." The ponies turned to meet eye to eye with Gypsy Mane. "I have no quarrel with you ponies, it is her I WANT!" Pointing at Sketch-it she made it clear she was not going to be merciful when she starts her evil magic beating.

The ponies all began to take a step forward in front of Sketch-it with Jaxx taking the lead glaring with a stand your ground expression she growled,

"Go take a hike ya dastardly snake, or face us all together!" Behind the group North whispered to Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Starlight to do their thing. North limped her way over to Jaxx and attempted to convince her,

"No it's alright Jaxx, Sketch-it can handle this, right Sketch?" She gave her friend a wink giving the signal that they were getting in position. Confidently Sketch-it took a step forward bobbing her blue mane about with a voice of assurity,

"Absolutely, you don't scare me Gypsy Mane..."

"Funny, you seemed pretty frightened a while ago, or is it because your friends are giving you emotionawww suppoowwt..." She added insult by ending her sentence as if she was talking to a baby, but also adding with a chuckle, "You are even more pathetic than I thought, hiding behind your friends, and injured ones at that..." North didn't like that tone the pony was giving off.

"Hey, just because you like to foolishly take on obstacles by yourself like a derp, does not make her a coward for being smart and seeking comfort with her friends! One day you'll find yourself stuck in a situation where friends could have made all the difference."

"ENOUGH TALK, LET THE LITTLE PONY FIGHT HER OWN BATTLES!"

"Pretty big demanding for somepony who tried to cheat this whole competition by using somepony else to do the work for you!" The voices started echoing out into the crowd, and ponies nearby turned to look at a fight beginning to boil.

"Aghhh, no I did not, you are just jealous because you couldn't fly straight! Besides it was my brother the whole time, I've been at the stalls..." Before she could get her defense up she heard a voice behind her add,

"NO YOU DID CHEAT... AND SO DID I!" Everypony gasped, glancing at Shire who still had a feeble wobble to his step as he trotted out to dish the truth!

"Whhh... whaaatt, no I did not brother you were the only one in the competition, you're still delusional from that big belly ache you got..."

"Maybe so, but I've been in the medical tent all this TIME! How was I able to do the horseshoe competition!?" Now that the truth was out he added, "My sister used magic on me to win the competition, when I was in the infirmary tent she posed as me in the last events after the apple pie eating contest! The nurses aids can confirm I was in the infirmary tent after the apple pie incident!" North began to feel this was gonna be wrapped up very quick, this surprise has completely caught her off guard.

"Why does he strangely seem so attractive now...?" Sketch-it turned her head at North catching her whispering comment. "What, do you hear him, that's not a weasly dastardly voice that is righteous, it's so dreamy..."

"North do you even hear yourself right now?" North rolled her eyes at Sketch-it replying back,

"Pffft, do you hear yourself right now?"

"I can't believe you'd turn against me like that brother, your own flesh and blood. You bring our family GREAT SHAME!"

"SO WHAT... I'm done with you controlling me with our parents this and parents that! No more stealing, no more unkindness, no more unfairness it's just humiliating and stupid!" Gypsy Mane felt her brother's words soaking in, but unfortunately these words were not calming her, it was raising some serious anger at Sketch-It.

"Errrrr... this is all your fault you spineless filly! I was so close to getting that prize and leaving this place in peace, what's five hundred bits to you anyway!?" She began to throw up smoking mirror effects! Gypsy Mane was apparently talented in the school of illusion. Her illusions unveiled her flank revealing a mirror with sparkles and magic dust around it. "If you all wish to protect her then I have no choice but to do this!" Coincidentally she had also covered her brother's cutie mark which was a shattered mirror strangely.

"NOW!" North cried out, concerning greatly of what was cooking up in that unicorn's horn, Spike and Starlight jumped out of a bush growling and snarling like angry dogs... but with a pony wearing sunglasses and a dragon wearing a suit... it startled Gypsy sending her flopping on her flank misfiring whatever she had charging!

"AGGGHHH WHAT IS!!! You little...!" She raised up charging again when Sweetie Belle popped up from the bushes and gave a strong powerful vocal at such a high pitch a nearby group of glasses began to shatter! Gypsy Mane lost her focus and fizzled out a second time turning her pain stricken face at Sweetie Belle. "AGGHHHH EEEENNOUGH!" She stomped her hoof down and made a quick bolt of push energy and shot it at Sweetie Belle! She dodged back into the bush in time. "These games are getting on my nerves!" Starlight and Spike began to back up afraid to face her angry spells.

"Ok now Sketch-it, let her have it." North replied calmly with a confident grin, Gypsy turned her attention back at Sketch-it when out of the blue an apple flew up and smacked her across the face splashing juice! She froze in shock of what just happened. Another hit her in the face again and she shook her head as it busted apple juice across her mane and snout. "HAHAHAHAH!" North laughed outloud as yet another apple hit her in the face, but then it exploded with apple juice too.

"What the... what is..." Her brother trotted over to her and reassured her,

"They're apple shaped balloons full of juice, completely harmless..." The hoodwinked pony began to grow so confused she was lost, the seriousness was gone as yet another hit her in the face and another hit her brother. Everypony was laughing... but she couldn't understand it, she thought she was striking a very serious mood, but they took it as a joke!

"But, but I'm about to humiliate that pony, I sent three ponies to the infirmary how can you all be laughing!" Her brother just slapped his hoof on her shoulder,

"Because look who is really being humiliated right now...?" She took a moment to think about it, everypony was laughing at her most likely she was covered in apple juice, her plan was revealed... she suddenly realized that nopony was taking her seriously. It was the ultimate surprise and humiliation all curled up into one package to knock her senses, her pride, everything back to reality!

"AND YOU TOTALLY FELL FOR IT, you seriously thought we were going to be afraid of you come on, your little tricks hurt I admit but there's one thing we had that you don't, can you think of it?" North inquired the completely delusional pony.

"But, but you can't no... that pony she was scared of me I know it, you all were taking me seriously, you all were trying to thwart my plan, how do you know I have not even shown my true magic!?" Spike flung his claw out as if to say 'Get Real!'

"Seriously though you thought we were all being serious, that's hilarious! Look at me I'm a dragon wearing a suit and tie how not serious is this, seriously not serious." The eruption of laughter all around just made her lurch back into her brother as they echoed in her head.

Perplexed she turned around figgiting her view on everypony around her watching everypony's loud obnoxious guffaws, she had yet to even have a chance to show her true power, and here she was completely humiliated before she could even defend herself. The amount of confusion in her head left her so fogged she couldn't focus, she fell right into the trap hook, line and sinker!

"Agghhh ahh... bu... buuu, nooo you can't be..." Flustered she couldn't make heads or tails, when her brother tapped her shoulder again. She startled and turned to him.

"Come on sis, we've worn out our welcome here anyway, let's get something to eat for the road, I hear there's a gypsy village moving towards Germaney, if we go now we can catch up."

"Ahhh... ok, suree... whatever you say bro..." He nudged her on her way and they crossed by the mares. Shire stopped to North and extended his hoof. She responded back with a hoof shake remarking,

"That was some crazy planning on your part, you risked a lot to pull it off like that..."

"Well I have good hearing and when i caught the sound of your plan I devised a bit of improv to help out, those illusion spells are no laughing matter I can assure you, but it's ironic to think, you could say we all had cast an illusion on her and yet she freaks out when it is done to her."

"Ha wowww..." North paused a moment gawking at Shire Mane. He began to feel a bit awkward as she googled her eyes around at him. Sketch-it nudged her in her bad shoulder jolting her back to reality, "Haaa, ahhh right... yess well thanks for the help Shire. You are more than welcome to come back to Ponyville."

"Riiight, well I won't be a stranger if I ever travel through again, and thanks for well meddling in our plan, maybe for a change she'll think about not being a manipulative evil pony. For now I bid you all farewell."

As he left out of ear shot Applebloom trotted up beside North and made a snippy remark,

"Ayyeepp, she's giddier than a high sock school pony girls..."

"What nooo... noo, ok well maybe, yeahhh totally...! I donno what it is about him now, it's like he shed away everything wrong and replaced it with everything sooooooo RIGHT..."

Spike gagged his finger in his mouth mumbling,

"Agghhh North come on you're killin me here!" Just when all was silent and everything had died down... the sound of a very dirty song with the vocals going, "Oooooooooohhhhhh YEAHHHhhhhhhh!" Filled the air! Spike's fins curled, and everypony's face grimmaced! The sound was not in one place it was moving towards them and fast, it was the perfect analogy of North's feelings rushing like a freight train, they KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THIS MEANT!

"EVERY MARE FOR HERSELF!" Applebloom yelled! The funky beat chased the girls and Spike launched himself on Sketch-it's back yelling,

"TO THE LIBRARY STEP ON IT!" Scootaloo freaked out as she tried to limp away screaming,

"AGGHHHH NOWWW IS A SUCKY TIME TO BE GROUNDED!" Starlight fled the scene into the sky, leaving Jaxx to flee with her brother and sister! The ponies around the group were already fleeing in a mass!

The area was abandoned leaving poor North standing alone with a funky sound she couldn't understand at the moment as she watched Shire leave her sights.

"Something about that stallion... ..." She stopped her obsessed behavior to flicking her ears around as she could hear the funky beat, it was chilling because it sounded as if it was right behind her. That's when she felt the realization strike her like an anvil! "Please no, let it not be what I think it is..." She very cautiously and slowly turned her head behind her to the image of an earth pony. His little brown flank wiggling about, his tongue stuck out as he made a goofy face dancing to the sound of the funky strange beat emitting from his evil contraption of torture. Her eyes widened in utter awkward fear as he started to dart his eyebrows up and down!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" It didn't take any time for North to launch up in the air even with the pain in her shoulder! "Any amount of pain is better than that!"

"HUEHUEHUEHUEHEEEEHHH!!" Moody Melody darted off and started chasing as many ponies as he could with the song on laughing maliciously with his wheeled phonograph blazing across the ground!

Everypony had made their escape successful but any chance to enjoy the rest of the festival was over. The stall vendors had literally closed up and locked themselves inside waiting for him to leave the area.

When he scared everypony in the town he began to trot pridefully with his phonograph out of the town to wherever a Moody Melody goes.

The Root of the Problem

"Oh the tragedy of it all, kicked out of one of Equestria's most illustrious clubs, all because of one simple little accident." A voice murmured as a wandering pony made her way off the train in Ponyville. A blue coat and a striped purple and lavender mane curled with a soft poofy appearance in a very prestigious style, this unicorn was rather oddly out of place with her fancy art cap and scarf with spectacles on the very end of her snout. "Those snooty Canterlot elite, throwing me away just like that, you'd think they'd be somewhat reasonable, HMPH!" Sticking her nose up she strutted through the train station with her pet dog and another pony behind her, a stallion wearing a suit and tie. She calmly gave them a beckoning call, "Come Humphrey, you too Red Tie." The old stallion Red Tie had a cutie mark of a collar and red bow tie with cufflinks. His head was not adorn with a horn, but he was a simple earth pony of a beige coat, white tail and mane cut very cleanly for his job, with a funky old style mustache. Humphrey was of course a very unpleasant terrier with his shaggy little coat, he looked like a primped fur ball flopping by her side barking occasionally at the passerby ponies.

"Coming mizz Rose..." Red replied with a slow old tone as he trotted behind her with her luggage. The preoccupied mind of the unicorn was full of questions as she took a few glances around the town of Ponyville. With a half sour face she mumbled,

"Ewww this is just, no... NO I shall not judge, this is going to be my new home, yes... i'll make this work somehow..." Red stopped by her side and Humphrey sniffed his hoof. Red gave him a very annoyed expression and Humphrey backed away with a slight whimper, barking back when he was in a safe distance behind Rose's hooves. "Oh Humphrey stop that infernal barking you're giving me a headache, oh Red I'm dreadfully sorry that you have to come with me, though you had the choice to stay back at Canterlot with mom and dad you know..."

"It is fine mizz Rose." With a smile she turned to him nodding with a nervous smirk,

"Well be that as it may, let's not doddle, first we need to find a nice place to call home..."

"And then I swooped down and was like BOOM!" Scootaloo began to ramble on about her day which she apparently almost crashed after she was chased by something she didn't know. "I swear it, on Celestia's crown I never seen anything like it..."

"You sure it wasn't a griffin, they've been restless you know, and some come over to Ponyville and pick on passerbys..."

"I'm tellin you North, that was no Griffin, it was more like a, like a snakee... dragon thingy, I don't know it wasn't a Griffin though..." Scootaloo, North and Spike were heading over to pick up Sketch-it to go over to Jaxx and lend a hand on the ranch, Jaxx was prepared to use some of the money to pay them for working, but North insisted it was free of charge.

"How did I get pulled into this again?" Spike mumbled as he waddled behind the two ponies.

"Because you are a really good friend Spike, and you know you want to help, because it's either that or be alone with Owlicious back at the library every day for like the rest of your life..." Spike pondered the thought of being alone with nopony to bug him in his naps, but he also thought about how boring it would be not to have anything to do but look at books and shelf them. He cringed at the thought and picked up his step agreeing,

"Yeah now that I think about it, getting out of the library every once in a while doesn't sound so bad..." North smiled with a smart expression answering,

"I thought so..." The two mares were paused by the sound of Sketch-it running out of her house as a purple cloud engulfed the building and seeped through the open windows and the open door! She was coughing extremely loud with sparkles coming out of her mouth! "What in Equestria just... Sketch-it are you ok!?" The dazed unicorn turned to them and she flopped on the ground mumbling,

"Agghh... blechhh, that spell backfired........... really really baddd!!!" North took a whiff and suddenly, her ears began to jitter around, tears started to run down her face with her mouth and nose sucking in tight. She took a deep painful inhale yelling,

"OHHH JEEZE, WHAT IS THAT SMELL!?" Spike nearly fell over and Scootaloo's wings started to flap madly as she tried to throw the smelly magic cloud away! Ponies nearby started to watch awkwardly as the cloud loomed overhead not suspecting the smell. "What did you try to do Sketch!?"

"Nothing really, it was a simple spell. I was just trying to replicate a fragrance from this candle I bought at the store, only I was going to fill the entire house with it, but something really bad went up my nose. I didn't know where it came from but when it hit... I felt myself falling back and a loud POOM! Next thing I know the house is sparkling with this smelly cloud...!" North glanced up to the cloud and watched as a bird flew into it and immediately dropped on the ground gagging.

"Well good thing it doesn't have any other property than just smelling bad, would've been terrible if you accidentally let loose some random spell cloud on the town..." Sketch-it shook her head around and her ears drooped as she felt guilty for letting loose a cloud of nasty smelling magic poof on everypony. "Don't fret, me and Scootaloo will clear it up..."

"Righhhhtt... you go do that, i'm no..." North gave a sharp glare at Scootaloo. "Ok. Fine..." They flew up and began to dissipate the cloud harmlessly with a few fly by swipes. The odor still remained around the town but it was faint enough to disappear without causing too much discomfort.

The ponies traveled down the road towards Jaxx's ranch home, the front sign was already standing. Sketch-it read it to herself,

"The Copperplate Ranch..." Suddenly a voice answered back behind the sign,

"Yep, that there's a beaut ain't she, I carved that old hickory wood way back in Appaloosa, I've planned this dream since I was just a lil colt." Jaxx's father was standing by the sign with his charcoal mane and dirty brown coat, his middle aged hooves callaced from hard work. The aged stallion's cutie mark was that of a plate of copper. "Rusty's the name, Rusty Copperplate, and over here's mah kids..." The happy mid aged stallion wanted to formally greet the friends of his oldest filly. "You three know Jaxx already, that one o'er there's her lil sis, we call her Chess Pie, and that little fire cracker of a colt, is Lil Bullet. He's mah lil pride n joy I tell ya, just like his ole pappy." The two youngest were playing around with Jaxx trying to beat her at a game she was oh too familiar with.

"You'll never beat me, this here's mah game'o choice!"

"Don't let her get in yer head bullet, she's just tryin ta make us scared..." Chess growled playfully as she prepared to drop the ball. Jaxx gave them an intense playful stare as she replied,

"Now ya'll know the rules of jacks? Ya gotta..." Both Chess Pie and Lil Bullet nodded reciting their sister's words by heart,

"Toss the ball in the air with yer throwin hoof an pick up one jack in yer throwing hoof, catch the ball back in your throwing hoof before it hits the ground, do that until ya get all ten, then next time you pick up twosies then threesies and foursies all the way up to tensies." Jaxx looked awkwardly at her siblings realizing she probably has reminded them a hundred times about how to play the game. Each of them had a seperate circle filled with jacks.

As they were about to play they heard their dad call out,

"Jaxx, yer friends are here!" Jaxx jumped up and started galloping over to greet her friends, her siblings both discouraged stomped their hooves crying out,

"Awwww Sis, can't we play just one more round!?"

"I'm sorry Chess n Lil B, but I have to get to work now, ya'll can still play." The little filly and colt started to play without their sister mumbling to one another, wishing their sister didn't have to work.

"Hey Jaxx, we said we'd be here and we're here." North responded courteously. Jaxx had a rather relieved expression smiling warmly.

"It's a sure good thing ya'll did, I asked ya yesterday about helpin out cause the pegasus we were hirin had an accident an they couldn't make it." In response to this North grinned with a smarty pants tone,

"Looks like you lucked out then, you got free labor today." Jaxx nodded back and turned her attention to the ranch house still missing some roofing, and the barn needed some color. She pointed to what needed to be fixed up for the ponies... Spike chose to hang on Sketch-it's back and help her beautify the farm with the paints.

"Alright so we all know what we're doin, let's get down ta business then."

As they were getting down to business as Jaxx said, over in Ponyville, a persnickety unicorn was eyeballing the town after she ordered a room from a small inn. Trotting along the sidewalk, alone with her butler watching over her pet and her room. She examined the many different sights in the quaint little village town.

"Once you get past the strange background odor and the run of the mill buildings here, it really is quite exquisite... a beautiful back drop of Canterlot with those pristine waterfalls, on those gorgeous mountains in the horizon... I Lavender Rose must capture this image in canvas...!"

Prancing her way towards the fields, she felt determined to get this image drawn down, only to her knowledge she has yet to know anypony that had captured a perfect image of Canterlot in the background. Of all places she could stop, she had found the secret place where Sketch-it had made her painting, but of course Starlight was floating in the water in a small little boat her father crafted for her when she was a filly, only she was pretty big for the little boat so she had modified it a bit.

"Excuse me, but would you mind if I paint here, or will I be encroaching?" Lavender generously requested to Starlight. The sudden disturbance of silence made Starlight jump into the cat tails. "Oh, oh my I'm sorry for startling you... I'll just be on my way I suppose..." Lavender feeling discouraged began to turn around replying, "Though this place is a perfect vantage point to capture a glorious picture of Canterlot, but I won't bother you with my presence if I'm disrupting your peace..." Feeling she may had overreacted she hopped out looking upon Lavender's cutie mark. It was a beautiful lavender rose stemming from a stroke of lavender color on her blue coat from a paint brush that represented the stem. She immediately began to insist,

"Oh ... it's no biggy really, I don't usually have visitors coming around. Ummm if you want to paint here I don't mind, I have a friend that comes here sometimes to paint too..." The unicorn gladly accepted her invitation and began to bring out the few supplies she had in her small carry bag. With a small pad and pen she began to outline and shade the scene replying,

"Oh this is just simply magnificent, this scene is like something out of a fairytale really, you ponies here in Ponyville are truly blessed with some impressive landscape, despite having its poor taste in class, this is a very nice town..." She paused a moment in her sketch and she turned to Starlight bringing up the topic, "Did... you say you had another painter that comes here, what is their name? If he or she is not locally here, perchance I may have heard of them...?" Excited to know she awaited Starlight's reply. Starlight kicked the dirt under her hoof nervously as she insisted on herself to answer,

"Well she's a pony from Galloport is all I really know. Oh, and her name is Sketch-it of course, we're good friends..." It was almost as if Starlight began to rise the sun after a thousand years of darkness! Lavender felt so enchanted with this information that she nearly swooned! "Ohh, umm... are you ok miss... misss, umm what is your name?" Not caring that she was laying in the grass she looked up with an entranced expression rejoicing,

"This must be my lucky break, a reward from Celestia herself for all my misfortune, I can almost hear her saying Lavender, go to her, go to your opportunity! Of course Celestia I shall go to her, EHEHEHEHEHEHUEHUEH!!!" Giggling to herself like a little school pony she hopped up and replied, "Why, do you know who has graced your very existence mare?" Starlight wanted to tell her but before she could get out the words she began at,

"Well..." but was cut off when Lavender continued,

"Only the most talented and quick hoofed pony in all of Equestria, well I'm being overly dramatic now listen to mee... ahahahahaha, well really she's nowhere near a legend in all of equestria, but she has so much talented potential in her hoof, she can drawn circles around a huge majority of artists throughout the empires..." She paused a moment and began to ponder again of a recent happening,

"Though I do recall she had stopped her exhibitions a while back and went into hiding, I can't believe nopony around here has not put up some sort of sign that said, HERE, is one of Equestria's finest! Oh I must meet her face to face, I've never really had the privilege to see her up close, but once when I was attending a field trip to her expo in the Galloport National Gallery, there that young filly was standing proudly with her works. Of course us school fillies couldn't come close to her or her art, so we admired from afar..." She again paused to have found herself rambling excessively leaving her listener in a befuddlement. "Oh I'm sorry for rambling, if it is no trouble could you please tell or show me where this pony resides please?" Lavender gave a big smile hoping that she could find the whereabouts of this fine pony.

Starlight does not refuse miss Rose and escorts the pony to town to see where Sketch-it is now residing.

"Woooo!" Scootaloo was flying with a large two by four in her hooves yelling, "I donno why but this feels awesome!" Of course she was speaking about the sensation of the massive gliding air pushing against her as she flew with a huge non aerodynamic object.

"Stop horsing around Scootaloo..." North used her magic to snatch the board away.

"What awww, come on I'm getting so bored..."

"We've not even started..."

"I know right, so you know how I feel right now..." Completely over her mane, Scootaloo did not get what North was trying to prove, thus leading North to put a strong hoof to her face as she felt Scootaloo was not going take her seriously.

North mended the roof as best she could with her magic, which she was a whiz pretty much at doing. Jaxx checked up on Spike and Sketch-it at the barn to see how the paint job was going.

"Woo WEE, now that ain't the perttiest shade o red I ever did see I wouldn't know of it." Jaxx admired the bright red and white colors. "Be sure ta keep from paintin on the roof mkay, keep up the good work there." Lil Bullet ran up to Jaxx with his sister Chess asking if they could help, the rambunctious siblings wanted to be a part of the work and were willing to do whatever they could. "Lil B you can help Pa with the fencin, he's o'r yonder mkay, he needs somepony to help him carry his tools... an Chess you can help by gettin some blackberry cider fer our guests." Chess excitedly hopped in the air as she ran to the ranch house to get some blackberry cider from the cellar.

Spike had hopped in a hammock nearby and was soaking up the shade.

"Aghhh yeah this is how I work heh..." Sketch-it turned her head to Spike giving him a snickering gesture, but his eyes were closed so this snicker was more sinister as she brought down a paint brush up to his face replying,

"Hey spike look..." Poor spike raised up and the wet red paint whiskers brushed across his face. He opened his eyes startled by the assault on his face, he fell off the hammock yelling,

"AGHHHHH WHAT THE... OOMPH!" Sketch-it giggled at him uncontrollably. She fell on her side laughing at him when he arose with a red mustache. "What's so funny!" She rubbed her eyes with her hoof laughing,

"Oh it's nothing Red..." He was confused why she called him red until he stepped on the red paint brush.

"Whaa... awww... no you didn't!" she quickly snatched the paint brush bringing it to her face laughing,

"Oh I totally did, hehehe..." With no mirror or reflection nearby, he had to suffer not knowing exactly what she did to him. "Come on Spike can ya give me a hoof here. Get around the base of the barn while I get the hard to reach places." Spike accepted the job quickly grabbing a paint brush and Starting to work around the base of the barn. "So what no complaining?" Sketch-it asked Spike. He shook his head answering,

"Nahh, I was just waiting for you to tell me what to do, I didn't want to really get in your way seeing as this is your thing." Sketch's face drooped as she mumbled losing her amusement,

"Gee, thanks..."

The group spent a good time on the work until they were called by a sweet little voice, and the sound of a bell chiming. Chess Pie had fixed up a round of blackberry cider and a sweet black berry pie as well. The ponies all took a break to sit and have a chat. Spike strolled in with his funky red stripe and North's face lit up as she replied pointing to his face,

"Spike you got... ... kkekekekkk..." She started to snicker out of control as Scootaloo couldn't hold in her goofy outburst!

"GAHAHAHAHAHAHaa... SPIKE what is that on your face!" Spike began to grow more aware of whatever was done to his face and he cried out!

"What's wrong, what did you do to me Sketch!?" A chuckling Jaxx pointed over at the well which he had yet to notice with a silly response,

"Come o're here and ya'll see ... heehhehehehe..." Spike ran over to the well and looked down. There across his face was twirled lines of red making a funny looking twirled mustache.

"Heheheheh... hey that is pretty funny..." Spike laughed to himself as he turned back to grab himself a drink with the giggling fillies.

Meanwhile back in Ponyville, something was amiss. Starlight and Lavender began to trot into the town, but nopony was around. Doors were shut, and windows closed. It seemed everypony ran into their homes and closed from something outside.

"Ahhh... I don't know but something gives me an oh so very bad feeling that something is not right..." Starlight mumbled as she began to back trot slowly. Lavender admitted as well she felt something was not right,

"This entire town was bustling when I arrived, common sense would tell a pony not to go any futher, hold on let me just..." She concentrated a magic spark and sent it straight to Red Tie making his ears twitch. This was the way Lavender would get his attention when out of ear shot. Red Tie locked Humphrey up in his cage and trotted out replying,

"Now do behave in there Master Humphrey, I shall return momentarily." The dog scoffed as if he was disappointed to think Red Tie would assume he would not behave. As he trotted down the stairs, he could see a congregation of ponies looking out into the streets. The old stallion didn't let the wandering eyed ponies stop him. He crept away to a window and jumped out without a sound.

In no time flat a pony dressed in a tux ran to the mares replying, "Mizz Rose, you rang?" She nodded and pointed her hoof to the town.

"Please if you would Red, can you escort us to the inn, we will have to postpone our original destination. I don't feel very comfortable walking about in an empty street..." She took a few whiffs smelling the strange odor from before, only it was stronger. "Ughhh that odor is unbearable..." Wasting no precious moments they galloped towards the inn, but only to find something that Red was not aware of in his sneaking out.

The three ponies stopped in their tracks to a large group of angry looking PLANTS! Uprooted and searching around the town for something to eat, they turned their attention to Starlight, Red, and Lavender. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA ARE THOSE THINGS...!" Lavender screeched as she backed behind Starlight and Red. Her scream made the plants give chase!

"EEEEEEEEEP!" Starlight freaked out completely and fled the scene scared for her life!

"Mizz Rose, I believe we should run..." Red answered with one glance at the mutated magic plant monsters, he did not want to tangle with them. A frightened Lavender could not agree more as she seen one coming over from a garden. As it began to come down at her with sharp ferocious teeth she leaped on Red's back and squealed,

"GO.. GO... NOW NOW!!!" She held her hooves around his neck, and the stout stallion butler took off leaving a plant behind smacking the ground with its face. They had to fight off a few which were no match for the butler's skill at self defense, oddly it was hard to believe for his age he could do such damage. "Give that ruffian a good left hoof! Now a right!" Red had brought one down with a powerful buck that broke its stem in half. Still holding on as her butler fought through the plants, the mass of evil smelly weeds were thickening in number. She barked angrily, "GIVEM ONE FOR ME!"

"As you wish Miss Rose." Luck would not be with a particular green bloom plant as it had its mouth open only to receive a teeth shattering WHOP! Like an injured dog it yipped away with it's broken teeth. The butler trampled through several plants making his way towards the inn when Lavender blurted,

"Oh Red did you remember to put Humphrey up?"

"Yes Mizz Rose..." Quickly he escorted the frightened Lavender to the Inn where they were welcomed in by the hiding pony crowd inside.

"This is just a dreadful start, not even part of the day through and the plants have come alive wanting to eat me... excuse me sir but does this happen often?" She inquired a pony as he stood gazing at the beasts eating the food around the marketplace. He watched as his stand was gobbled up by one red bloom plant which was sniffing his vegetables, he was hoping it wasn't a vegetarian but apparently this also counts as cannibalism.

"Nooo, nooo it don't, and there goes my entire stock for this week..." The discouraged stallion drooped knowing it was going to be tough to get that made up for.

Starlight was flying frantically when she accidentally caught wings with a derpy pony in the sky and both dropped into a nearby cloud! Starlight shook her head to find the wandering eyes of Derpy Hooves.

"Aghhh... Derpy!!" Starlight began to try and explain through her frantic words, "There'ss... big... and huge clawwss, with... sharppp teeth... and there's Rawrr Rawrrr RAWWRRRR... grrrr In... TOWN!" All this time she was animating herself like some monster, Derpy didn't know what to think, at the moment she was just flying around and out of nowhere a pony runs into her acting like a crazy monster. "Do know where... Scootaloo, or North is!?" Out of breath Starlight's own words were sounding quite derped. Derpy put her hoof to her chin and attempted to remember.

Her efforts were in vain as she shrugged not knowing where they were. "Ohhhhh... Fiddlesticks!" Starlight flew off to find them across Ponyville, she even resorted to Wailing their names. Derpy being as thoughtful as a Derpy could be, flew around Ponyville too yelling,

"NORTH, SCOOTALOO!" Though she thought it was funny, she didn't realize she was being a helpful pony in her own way.

At this moment, derpy was flying overhead towards the Copperplate Ranch.

"Hey, hey North look at me..." North turned her head to see Scootaloo's rear end in her face!

"AGGHHH WHAT THE!!!... AGGHHHH!" She fell on her flank and sent a levitating hammer flopping off the roof and hitting Jaxx in the head!

"Owww... what in tarnation!" Scootaloo rolled on her belly and laughed at both of them crying out,

"HAHAHAHAHa, That was sooo FUNNY! You should've seen the look on your face North, you were all like 'AGAHHHHH!!!' HAHAHAHAAA!" Before North could attempt to kill Scootaloo's victory with a smart remark, Jaxx barked at both of them,

"Ya'll if that hammer had hit one'o my siblins I'd have you down here faster than you could say Hoof Wrastlin!" Jaxx was getting rather fed up with the horsing around, North was as well. Scootaloo seen the look North had on her face...

"I guess I have been over doing it..."

"Yeah there's no guessing about it you have... ..." North paused her words as she heard a voice in the sky echoing,

"North, Scootaloo!" They glanced up and seen Derpy flying overhead shouting about.

"Derpy wanting us for something... that's a first." Scootaloo answered raising a curious brow. North shrugged but was too curious to find out what she was wanting. The two ponies intercepted her.

"What is it Derpy?" North asked the perplexing pony. A rather concerned expression of utter confusion came to Derpy, not knowing why she was calling out their names, but as she gave it time she recalled Starlight's crazy dancing. She mimicked it and bumbled,

"Bigg... sharp teeth... town Grrrr... clawwss... go Rawwrrr Rawrr RAAWWWRRR..." They glanced at one another wondering how to decipher what she said. "Dah Starlight wants fiddlesticks!"

"Riiighht... thanks for that interesting display Derpy, that was very helpful..." North commented. Of course Derpy knew the situation in town all along and before she flew away she blurted,

"DAghh... ok North, Derpy be going home now... BIG BAD PLANTS eated Derpy's favorite Foods in Town!" North and Scootaloo had the same surprised look as they turned to one another!

"Big plants!?"

They left the Ranch to analyze the situation over in Ponyville, just as Derpy had said. Giant plants were eating everything that was edible! Ponies unlucky to have been caught outside were running scared as plants were trying to chow down on them!

"What the hay, how did this happen...?" Scootaloo confused on how a mass of cannibal plants were made, asked her intellectual friend about this. North pondered her mind on the pieces of this vexing puzzle.

"I have an idea but I gotta... ... AWWW JEEZE!!!" The smell of dead plants flew up into her nose and immediately she knew what had happened! "CARNIVEROUS STINKPLANT!!"

"Carniwhatsit now!?" Scootaloo blurted with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Carniverous Stinkplant, it's usually used in treating some illnesses, when it's freshly cut the plant gives a nasty nasty smell, but these things don't usually grow but like maybe a leg length. If Sketch-it had smelled one, she may have accidentally replicated the Stinkplant's smell, and when we..........." She began to feel the guilt going over her as she remembered what she did. "Spread the cloud over the Town, whoever had the dead stinkplants probably had a rude awakening seeing as the spell she made was basically a growth spell, she grew the stinkplants to life through replicating their scent by accident!"

"So what you're saying is we blew a cloud over the town that turned dead things back to life, and then mutated them into super large versions of their normal self... LIKE MUTANT ZOMBIE PLANTS!!!" Exclaimed with her excited fear of realizing she was part of zombification!

"Pretty much... but they are not zombies, they were the seeds of the plants and they grew unnaturally by magic." North answered back to counter her undead accusation.

"Agghhh that's just boring i'm gonna just say they are mutant zombie plants!" North quickly assessed the situation. She told Scootaloo to go get the gang at the Ranch to come to town,

"Tell them it's an emergency." Scootaloo nodded and flew back to get the gang. At that moment Starlight bumped into North and began to yelled,

"MONSTER PLANTSSSS!!! You see, do you see them down there... they're all just vicious evil nasty creatures..." She grabbed a hold of North tightly squeezing her, with North's wings trying hard to keep them both in the air as Starlight squealed more, "EVIL I TELL YOU, AND SMELLY!!!" North feeling her body being crushed blurted out,

"Cann...youshh let goshh of meeshhh..." As quickly as she latched on, she let go.

"I'm sorry it's just, those things scare me so much..."

The ponies soared down by a small roof and observed while they wait for the others to get there. "So what are you gonna do about them North..." The alicorn turned her attention to the slinking pegasus and gave her a scoffing remark,

"Ohhh, what's this you stuff lately with all you ponies, WE... are all gonna clean up this mess, one pony is not enough to fix this." Whimpering Starlight muttered,

"That's what I was afraid you were gonna say..."

Scootaloo escorted Jaxx, Sketch, and Spike to the town. As they galloped to the scene of the destruction, Scootaloo filled in Sketch-it on how she played a part in this problem.

"I... did all that!?"

"Yeah, well me and North did spread the cloud over the town, but pretty much you created the spell and made Mutant Zombie Plants..." Spike went further in this long explanation and added,

"So what you're saying is Sketch here smelled a dead plant and brought it to LIFE! AND THEN MUTATED IT!!!" Spike was also freaking out about this, and Scootaloo was enjoying every minute of it.

"Yyyup!" She grinned as she led him into the false truth. Spike looked down at Sketch-it as he rode on her back slightly afraid now.

"Then that means Sketch-it has like some sort of dark necromancy powers, SHE HAS THE SMELL OF DEATH AHHH... and... I'm close enough to her... do you smell me Sketch!!!?" Sketch-it turned her head at Spike and assured him,

"I'm not a necromancer, I don't even know what necromancy is..."

"You don't have to know, it's magic... dark evil magic!" Spike added, and Scootaloo began to get in on it replying,

"Yeah, Sketch you're one bad mojo unicorn you know, wait till you see your first evil minions you summoned... they're pretty RAD!"

"Oh my gosh, I know a necropony. This is sooo cool, but also scary cuz I mean she could one day zombify me... Sketch would you tell me if you zombified me?" Spike asked curiously genuinely falling for this entire hoax. Sketch-it shook her head around and halted for a moment growling at them,

"Would you two stop I'm not a necropony..." Jaxx halted her trail blazing and agreed defending Sketch-it,

"We ain't got time to be discussin who is what right now, if there's twelve foot pony gobbling plants in Ponyville we need to be hoofin it to stop them, not askin some silly questions. Besides, everypony knows there's no such thing as zombies, that's just plain silly talk, right Sketch?" She looked at Sketch with a small ounce of doubt feeling zombies may be a possibility.

"Of course not, there's no such thing as zombies or necromancy..." Sketch reassuringly responded.

Arriving just outside the town, they could see the large monstrous plants skittering about and eating up food that had been out in the marketplace, the cake family was attempting to fight off the monsters as they tried to eat their house due to it looking like a sweet treat!

"Holy Haystacks, that's one big weed problem I'll tell ya..." Jaxx uttered under her surprised expression. Spike's mouth gapped open at the sight of how many there was. North flew over to them with Starlight following close on her tail.

"Ok so yeah ummm... good news is we can deal with this problem easy..." Sketch-it looked at the vicious plants snapping their chops about and asked how in Equestria this was going to be easy. "Simple, WE PUMMEL THEM WEEDS TO A PULP!" With a big evil grin North stomped her hoof in the ground to express the ease it was going to be. "They are not really strong, or smart, they just got a mean bite and they stink. SO LET'S GETTEM!" Some of the ponies were reluctant, until Jaxx raised her hooves up and whinnied,

"I SAY LET'S POUND THEM WEEDS IN THE GROUND YEE HAWW!" The green flash barreled out towards the town in a full gallop, North liked the enthusiasm and followed her in with a bolt of speed flying for the plant stems!

Sketch-it asked the others if they should go with them. They all shrugged, but Spike raised up on her back and with a sharp expression, he reached down and grabbed a stick from the ground lifting himself up once more and pointed out,

"I say we go for it!"

"YEAH!!! LAST ONE KICKING MUTANT ZOMBIE PLANT BUTT IS A SCAREDY FILLY!" Scootaloo shot off to the town in action, leaving Sketch-it, Spike and the still frightened pegasus. Sketch-it decided to make the charge wondering how this plan was going to end, leaving Starlight inching slowly mumbling,

"But I am a scaredy filly when it comes to vicious creatures, oh dear, wait for me oh no wait I... I have to go get something..." Starlight suddenly left from the town to someplace. While she left, the ponies were in town causing a wild ruckus!

"BACK GET BACK, AGGHH!!" Mr. Cake had the only defensive weapon he could find, a broom of all things trying to back a plant from his home. Pound cake came out from a window wailing like a warpony! His sister had pulled a chair behind the plant and as he bucked, the plant staggered and fell to the ground snarling.

North flew overhead and told them to break the stems.

"They can't function without their roots!" The plants were keeping their roots in the ground as they skittered around. North dropped her hooves down and snapped the plant in half, leaving it to wither away letting out that nasty odor.

Jaxx brought out her trusty lasso and began to round up several as they cluttered close together she yanked them down with a crashing thud! She proceeded to squeeze the rope till the plant stems broke and they began to all wilt away.

"And that's how ya round up weeds mares..." Scootaloo gave a mean grin as she turned her attention to a row of plants terrorizing a pony as she ran across the street to her little filly.

"Pffft watch a pro weed killer Jaxx, I call this the Close Shave!" She whipped through the air and with her hooves she busted through the stems one by one in a row, dropping them like dominos!

"Good move, but i know a better one Scootaloo... check it, this is called the MAGIC PILEDRIVER!" North grabbed a hold of the creatures with her magic and focused as hard as she could to hold them in place, followed by a dive bomb right into their cross sectioned stems snapping them in half with a powerful WHOMPH!

"That's all good girls but we're not even near finished!!!" Sketch-it pointed over at the thick of the monsters. The mares knew they had to fight fierce! At that time the ponies around the town had observed the fight and thought that maybe they could stand a chance!

Anvil took a broad battle blade in his teeth and ran out in a gunning glory to take down the beastly weeds! Many ponies came out to help but most were appalled by the sheer stink from the wilting plants to even leave their homes. One being Lavender of course, but something was wrong for her.

Off in the distance she could see a white fluffy ball jumping around and the faint sound of a bark in the thick of all the other noises.

"What is that little creature doing out... is that... ..." She began to feel her hooves jump as she turned to Humphrey's cage, not seeing a Humphrey inside! She screamed out, "HUMPHREY MY POOR DEAR LITTLE PUP WHAT IN EQUESTRIA ARE YOU DOING, HOW DID YOU GET OUT OF YOUR CAGE!" Her voice began to sound hoarse and infuriated as her rebellious dog was attempting to fight a plant to prove he was not as sissy as he looked! "NO, I won't let my precious Humphrey be plant food for some common smelly weed!" Red followed behind Lavender as she blew open the door with an angry flash of her horn, "DON'T WORRY BABY MOMMA'S COMING!" Lavender ran out into the fray, with a vicious expression as she carried her parasol from her bag as a spear, she made a gallant charge to rescue her precious pet!

Humphrey growled and snarled as he bit the root of a monster, it roared turning down at the little puff ball. Humphrey's courageous attitude instantly was shattered when the plant gave a monstrous roar blowing the primped pooch's hair back like a porcupine! Yipping Humphrey began to run towards the embracing arms of his owner Lavender! "Awww My poor baby... look at you, now you're all filthy, I knew I should've kept you by my side, now I have to wash your coat again to get that nasty plant breath off you..." In her complaints she heard the sound of a loud roar brush a nasty wind across her body! "Aggghhh, what the....... Ewwww now I need a bath..." Her face turned grim with horror as she mumbled, "It's right behind me isn't it?" Humphrey started to whimper. She turned her head to a grinning row of sharp teeth. She gave a nervous smile and proceeded to SCREAM AS LOUD AS SHE COULD RUNNING AWAY! "What's tha... AGGHHH!" Suddenly she ran into the stem of a plant, she tried to run the other way and soon another stem was in the way. Every direction she tried was a plant! "RED... HELP ME!" She cried out as the monsters drew closer, her dog whimpering for its life.

"Dreadfully sorry Miss Rose, but I seem to be in a jam myself." She looked over to find Red in the mouth of one of the creatures holding it wide open trying to keep himself from being eaten.

"SOMEBODY PLEASE SAVE ME!" Lavender cried out for the love of Equestria, she didn't want to end up eaten by some smelly plant! As sudden as she thought hope was lost, a blazing green and yellow streak came out of the blue and WHICK!

Stems broke apart and the one behind her still standing was pummeled by the wind gust and began to tilt. Sketch-it came and sent a small push forcing the plant to fall on top of the one holding Red in its mouth, sending the stallion flying in the air and being caught by Scootaloo. "Thank Celestia the Royal Guard has come to..." She took a moment to recalculate what she was seeing. "Wait a minute that's not a guard... it's an ALICORN!?" She gazed upon the flashing alicorn and the unicorn using her simple magic tricks to fool and divert the monsters away, where they were rounded up and crushed by an earth pony. Out of the group she was more fascinated by the magic ponies gracing her vision. A small stunted plant started growling beside her and she just threw her parasol in its mouth snarling, "OH SHUT IT!" She opened it up and the monster's face blew up into an umbrella shape with it's eyes bugging out in shock.

The ponies fought harder attempting to overpower the mass of plants, but then the plan started to fail when Scootaloo was snagged by one of the weeds.

"Agghhh let go you smelly weed, AGHH!" She bucked and tried to wiggle free but the monster just laughed. North came to her rescue, but was caught by the feet and brought down!

"SHOOT!" THWOP! North felt the dirt rub against her face as she plowed the ground. Sketch-it grimmaced with impending fear that she was next, and sure enough she turned around hearing the sound of Spike yelling,

"SKETCH WATCH OUT!" In a shock she turned to see one holding Spike ready to make a snack out of him!

"AGGHH WHAT AM I GONNA DO!?" Sketch looked around to find everypony in the clutches of those nasty monsters she had made come to life! Just when she thought all was lost a voice cried out,

"CHARGGEEE!!!! SHOW NO MERCY!... well maybe a little." Lavender turned her head to see a vast wave of small creatures charging her way. She lurched in terror as her pupils narrowed to find an army of,

"BUGS... EEEEEKKKKK!" Her butler quickly swooped beneath her and took off with Lavender screaming!

Starlight had rounded up an army of her little friends from around the woodlands. Hungry caterpillars and grasshoppers, crickets... just many little insects hungry for a feast that they could sense at a distance from the vast smell. In no time flat the bugs made quick work of the plants, chowing down on them! The mighty Starlight flew down by Sketch-it smiling innocently as she observed her plan at work.

"Wow, how did you..." Completely out of words Sketch-it could not believe the amount of insects that came to the call, she gazed upon the sweet Starlight just standing and admiring her deed.

"Well it's nothing special, I know a few of them, and they have family, and their family has family and it just goes on and on and on." She paused turning her head slightly with a confident smile, "Funny I only helped a few but then one friend turned to a thousand then... well you know how it goes..."

"Clearly..." Sketch-it couldn't even begin to count how many bugs were crawling and flying in the air. When the last plant fell, the army of now stuffed bugs made their way over to Starlight who gave a nod and a warm welcoming compliment to them,

"Good job fellas, you can all go home now, and thank you so very much for the help it is very appreciated." The swarm of insects proceeded to leave the town to go chill out after their huge meal.

The Ponies in town all began to pour into the streets to find a still lingering nasty smell.

"Oh this is just revolting, that smell EEWWW, it feels like it's seeping into my coat, ohhh this just won't do I'm going to be showering for weeeks!" Lavender could not stand it, the whole day has just been completely chaotic for her. North gave it some thought on how to fix the smell, when it hit her.

"Sketch you think you still got enough magic to do one more replicate spell?" Sketch-it didn't know for sure if she could do it, she had to keep her magic on a minimum when she dealt with the stinkplants, cause that morning dud she caused was a painful strain.

"I don't know but I can try." North zipped off to SugarCube Corner and asked the cake family for a cupcake. North flashed back as soon as she obtained one and commanded Sketch-it,

"Replicate this smell..." She shoved the icing on Sketch-it's nose with the smell of strawberry icing, she attempted to clone the scent. North felt confident she could do it herself. The ponies all watched her in suspense.

Sketch-it didn't realize the whole town was gazing at her, Lavender's eyes set curiously wondering what was happening. A cloud of magic began to form with the tasty smell of strawberry cream cupcakes.

"Come on Sketch, you can do it...!" Sketch had a feeling she was going to be completely tired the rest of the day doing this, but she had to clean up the mess someway, and cleaning the air from the disgusting stinkplant smell, was probably a good start. Sparks flew into the cloud as she concentrated all her energy, bending her knee forward as it weighed her down.

When she fired off the spell, the cloud plumed into the air with a THOOM! It began to slowly dissipate leaving a lovely smell of cupcakes over the nasty stinkplants. When the ponyvillians began to smell what she was cooking up, the crowd cheered her on! Startled she turned to see everypony around stomping their hooves and crying out. The group of friends trotted up to Sketch with the Mayor rejoicing to them,

"You ponies have shown a great deal of courage fighting those things, Ponyville is... well we're ever so much in your debt for stopping this very odd outbreak of monstrous and smelly weeds. In fact I would go as far as to say you all deserve an award for such valiant behavior..." Sketch-it of course didn't want the town to really give her credit, since she was originally the one that caused the problem, but she also wanted to keep her trap shut from the ridicule it may come with. Jaxx looked at her concerned that she wouldn't tell the truth.

With a sigh she stepped a hoof forward to the mayor, and with a swallow of reluctance stated,

"To be honest, it was my fault this happened in the first place. You see the smelly cloud was my fault, when I tried to make a fragrance for my house, a nasty smell went up my nose and caused me to lose focus, and I accidentally, replicated the said smell that caused the plants to mutate the way they did..." She hung her head low as she mumbled, "I deserve whatever punishment for causing this problem to start with." The mayor was withdrawn by the response, but she just smiled back and assured the ponies,

"Well even if you did start the problem it was clear to see you took responsibility to fix it, and that's still a noble deed. I believe facing your goof up was more than enough punishment in my opinion. In any case we are in debt to you for getting rid of them. I'm afraid though this probably has set back the marketplace quite a bit from the damages..." The ponies agreed they would help in any way they could. Sketch-it decided to donate some of her brother's earnings she had to spare for rebuilding some of the stalls.

The day rolled on and left everypony tired as they worked to fix the mess. Anvil assisted with heavy lifting, along with a crew of pegasi. In no time the stalls were as good as new, and all the stall vendors were getting their goods resupplied.

"Kinda almost too late to be setting up shop now don't ya think?" North commented to a nearby shop vendor. The mare shook her head and pointed her hoof to a group of ponies trotting in a line.

"Well ponies still need to do their shopping still, we may be behind but the demand is still there don't ya know."

"I feel like just going to bed now girls..." Sketch mumbled with her groggy eyes wandering about aimlessly. Before she could leave though, the dear Lavender Rose caught the glimpse of the unicorn's cutie mark, and suddenly knew without a doubt who it was!

"Sweet Celestia it's you! Sketch-it! The little filly from Galloport I heard so much about!" The high spoken Lavender startled Sketch! "Please ohh, allow me to introduce myself, I am Lavender Rose dear. I am... ... well..." She paused in her words to correct herself as she felt flustered from the excitement. "Was a well known artist myself..." She raised her hoof in an elegant manner adding, "More known for my critique than my work, you see I'm in the business of providing the important information to artists, on how to go about their work and assist in bringing out the best of said artists."

She felt herself beat around the bush to ask the most important question she hunted her down for, which was inquiring, "Would you be so gracious as to allow me to be your assistant, to help your talent shine throughout Equestria, I mean of course it has before, but I mean to outshine even the elite of artistic genius!"

"I don't know I wasn't really wanting to..." Lavender turned to her pet and told Humphrey to turn around.

"I don't want you to see mommy doing this..." She literally groveled on Sketch-it's hoof and cried, "Ohhhh PLEEASSSEE... please please please, I assure you I will only adhere to your tastes, if you don't want to be the twinkling sensation of everypony's eye then we don't have to, it's just a grand honor to meet you face to face and I wish to help you in your endeavors any way I can PLEASSEEEE!" Humphrey just gave a snarl rolling his eyes at the way Lavender was begging, as if he expected this was going to happen. Lavender's eyes looked up with twinkling tearful power!

Sketch pondered about it for a moment only to be trapped by her sad gaze, the dreaded adorable 'pleeeasssseee...' face, Sketch could not resist, even with her fatigue about to force her eyes shut!

"Well... I guess I do need to get more business, I'm running low on money to really do much of anything but eat free apples." Lavender jumped with ecstatic energy!

"Oh this is positively splendid, I shall begin preparations to organize your art works immediately, I just need to see what you have already done and we can get started from there... please dear show me your STUDIO!"

North approached them with Spike behind her waddling his way over.

"I'm gonna go read up on some stuff in the library Sketch i'll see ya round." Spike nudged North and asked,

"Can I please get a ride, I hate walking seriously... just this one time."

"No Spike, and the library's like right over there, quit being such a baby dragon..." As North trotted along leaving Sketch-it, Spike followed her with an angry stare as he growled,

"Pfft, I'm not a baby dragon anymore..." Spike commenced to raising his claw up in a fist and barked, "I totally beat down one of those stinkplants! I'm totally not a baby dragon!"

Sketch-it escorted Lavender and her precious pup with Red tagging behind them, to the lovely abode that is her house. Lavender's eyes fell upon the townhouse and started to feel unnerved.

"Aahhhh..." A nervous laugh came from her as she entered inside to find home and studio mixed together. Her face turned into a grimmace of slight disgust, but she attempted to keep from insulting her idol artist, "Ohhh, you... have you just recently moved? Dear usually when artists live with their work it is usually well more organized... ehhhh..." She had an idea of how a studio home would look, and she really desired to live in a lavishing studio mixed with a home comfort, but this was literally a studio smashed into a home cluttered in a disorganized wreck.

"Yeah... around sometime last month I did. Really had no time to make an actual studio, sorry for the clutter, I've been working on several projects." Under her breath Lavender mumbled to her pup,

"Momma's gonna have a lot of work on her hooves apparently..." Pausing she gazed upon the out of place excellent art which deserved more than just to be shuffled together in a cramped living space. "Oh look at these beautiful works of art... ahhh, and this one especially, that gorgeous backdrop of Canterlot over those purple mountains... oh so majestic, darling these are not to be shoved together on the floor, they are to be hung in a gallery dear, oh I just need to find a less crowded space to show your artistic prowess!" Lavender flicked her elegant mane gazing upon the makeshift gallery.

Suddenly an idea hit her making Lavender even more giddy with excitement. "I already know exactly what to do, I'm going to open and operate an art gallery in this very TOWN, OH THIS WILL BE SO EXCITING, this way I can be right in the heart of the creative culture, we'll include exhibitions of local artists in Ponyville, but our main goal will be to show off your work..."

Sketch-it began to nod off mumbling,

"Thatsss... ounds like a cool id...ea... if you'l...scuse me i'm gon......" She crawled on her couch and in an extremely exhausted grunt she plopped into the cushions and fell fast asleep leaving the house guests confused really.

"Oh that poor dear, Red will you be a darling and..." Before she could continue, Red had already took Sketch-it on his back and escorted her up the stairs quietly replying,

"At once Miss Rose..." Lavender took a look around for more art when she stumbled across an opened letter. Her curious eye struck a glimpse of it and she wanted to see what it was. Nopony was around but she felt invasive to do such a thing, and to a pony she revered well.

"Oh noooo, Lavender you must not succumb to the wandering eye, it is her private matters and none of my business... but the parchment is first class it must be important but not personal... ohhh... don't..." She attempted to keep her curiosity away, but could not stand seeing it flashing before her eyes! "I'll just read the header, that's all i'll do, if it is a personal matter I will cease, if it's something like say anything related to her art work then I am more than welcome to read it..." Slowly she approached the note with her head leaning over reading, "Canterlot SteamExpress, First Class..."

Reading further down she got to the introduction, "Dear, sis..." She wanted to stop right there but suddenly her eyes jerked to the writings of her brother's adventure.

(Flash Back to Lieutenant LightHeart)

"ALL HANDS PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!" The shaking hooves as thunderous guns roared in the night, marking the first day of naval combat Lightheart had ever seen up close. Lightheart looked upon the port of the steamship his division was on, the Imperial SteamShip IronSaddle had been hit several times with heavy shelling, but she still stood firm with her fleet. Lightheart made a run for one of his fallen comrades, he felt dirty for having to pry the bit out of his fellow soldier's mouth, but to get a weapon to defend against the invading forces was the primary goal. He slid over the wood and thick cast iron deck!

"AGGHHH!" He turned to find a beastly looking pony with a dark mask coming down at him with a saber in mouth! He caught the blade on the side of the bit, reared up with his foe and with his front hooves he gave a powerful kick sending the pony flying off the edge of the flying ship!

"INCOMING, EVERYONE GET DOWN!" A squad of enemy fliers began to drop magic guided bombs down on the ship deck! "Agghhh, Admiral they're trying to destroy the transport ships, they don't seem to be worried about the escorts at all..." The ship captain's words reached through the radio on the Canterlot Class Battleship steaming in the center of the mass of ships. The beastly iron behemoth steam battleship was armed with 12x 18in guns, the main weapon of choice were specially made Magus Harmonized Blast Ordinance MHBO, better known as the BIG MOs!

To be a gunner for a Canterlot Battleship was to be the most elite Unicorn, with the strength to launch and propel these monstrous shells the size of tree trunks with magic. Usually two unicorns are required in each gun station. Just so happens this relevant explanation came in physical form when Lightheart felt the air around the ships quake when six BIG Mo's fired simultaneously sending a shock wave of magical energy surging through the fleet, the shells pinpointed directly and guided straight into the boarding vessel connected to the transport ship. The overkill was violent as thrashing magic energy rippled through the skies!

The blasts sent a furious roar of heat and metal shards spewing as the vessel broke off and descended in the darkness of the lost world's endless open night sky! It was bad enough the air quaked when they fired, but feeling the strength of the shell rip that vessel off the side of the ship made the Ironsaddle jerk a few inches to the port!

"AGGHH.... AGGKKKK!" Lightheart drew out his cutlass and sunk it through the enemy's chest with the levitated blade. The dark clothing stained as drops of blood dripped out of the wound making pools on the already dirtied and battle torn deck. There was no expression but a pain stricken grunt coming from the enemy soldier. Lightheart could not stand hearing that pain, and with a flick of his magic threw the pony off his blade into the abyssmal jungle below.

"BIG MACINTOSH, WHERE ARE YOU!?" The lieutenant called out for his close comrade, Big Macintosh heard the call and attempted to end the fight with two enemies who had him cornered. Flak rounds from a nearby destroyer steaming by the Ironsaddle started wailing close by at passing marauder pegasi. Snails galloped across the port side of the ship screaming as four of the boarding ponies chased him around. Guns firing and swords swishing in the air he used all the magic he could and opened a hatch hoping it would slow the enemy down. Just above them the gunners were trying to keep the pesky pegasi bombers off their decks when the rear most nest felt the fury of a magic ordinance bomb completely turning the ponies and the nest itself into a pile of ash lofting in the thick air.

"HEEELLLP!!" He cried again, Big Macintosh was close by and decided to aid Snails in escaping. With a quick buck he sent one flying off the rail as he barreled around the hatch blindly, he slammed the hatch back and a quick burst fire plastered the other on the side of the ship. A round clipped his mane causing Mac to stop for a brief moment. The strange sound came through his ears as they perked. The sound of moaning metal echoing through the night skies. A loud explosion with roaring flames as a nearby destroyer escort was hit in the shell magazine. With enough spell power the blast caused a furious storm of magic plumes and flame that reached over to their transport vessel giving a heavy choking air. The sounds of eerie screams from ponies who were no doubt going to plummet to their death filled his ears. A round shooting him in the shoulder snapped him out of it, and in the thick smoke he snorted and fired back killing the other two with a spray of his machine gun bit.

Snails continued to run on towards Lightheart! As Big Macintosh turned to group with his Lieutenant, he was petrified in place by shock and awe of the vast naval combat happening in front of them. Twitching nervously the three stallions watched as the sounds of guns bellowed in the night, machine guns, and flak were killing pegasi left and right. The accompanying Carrier SoaringWind was dispensing warbirds and pegasi squadron across the night sky just as the anti fighter guns were dispersing rounds. The steam turbines were screaming as they periodically gave a loud exhaust of steam clouds pushing thrust for the floating warships.

By their hooves were the lost comrades who were hit before the boarding began, off in the distance in the moonlight were silhouettes of the opposing fleet. Majestic Wing had lost four ships in her formation, the Imperial Flagship Majesty's Harmony fired her guns in anger ripping the fleet ahead to shreds with her superior gun power. Magic auras and flak charges were pummeling the night air thicker and thicker, it seemed there would be no end.

Lightheart gazed around to find the enemy had only managed to bring two boarding vessels near the transports so the destroyers by their side were doing their job which was good to know. The night seemed to be going towards their side of victory, until the enemy fleet pulled something somewhat suicidal. They turned their ships and headed straight for the 9th fleet, rather than pass around them in a ranged fight. They knew the best bet to stop the 9th fleet was to hit head on!

"By the Sisters of the Sun and Moon, they.... THEY'RE GOING FOR SUICIDE!" The shadows of the ships turning towards the fleet and firing, was a spooky scene. The flashes and sounds of the whizzing shells was frightening to on deck naval stallions.

"ISS CopperPlate Taking Damage, losing pressure, we're going down!" The sister transport began to descend as the turning enemy ships all focused fire straight for it, Pegasi were launched to rescue any survivors and bring them to the IronSaddle. Shells as if guided to the transport ship scared LightHeart as he felt the power of the enemy ships attempting to bring their vessel down. Almost as if mesmerized to how useless they would be defending the ship, he watched their escorts raising a magic shield barrier in front of them to protect them somewhat from the shells.

"ALL ESCORTS PROTECT THOSE LAST TWO TRANSPORTS!" The three ponies observed as the escorts started to turn broadside to cover the ships from sight, and with all their guns they returned fired furiously lighting up the fleet ahead. "Apparently they are confident our ships won't be a problem..."

"Well Admiral they probably are preventing us from deploying ground forces in the jungle, there's only so much we can do without knowing exactly where the enemy is on the ground..." The Admiral turned his bearded face with a scoff,

"Do not talk to me like i'm ignorant to military tactics Lieutenant! I am your superior officer, what I say is infallible truth, and what I know is absolutely everything! If I want to talk to myself about sunshine and rainbows then I shall do so... WITHOUT YOUR INTERJECTIONS OF FACTS AND THEORIES!"

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again Admiral Red Mane Sir." The inferior officer answered back to the white maned pony. The only red in Red Mane's mane was the small red streak still left from his age.

The Admiral stood firmly glaring under his cap at the incoming threat, the flashes of light blinking in the night sky giving precise positions of the enemy ships. Unicorn developed radar systems were still superior to tracking the big hunks of targets ahead. The sounds engulfing the entire area sounded like a raging thunderstorm non stop!

Lightheart closed his eyes just as the moment an escort destroyer in front of them erupted! Opening back up he could see the ponies silhouetted by the roaring flames, and it just continued to depress him more. They had no time to react to the sadness of lost lives though, as enemy pegasi dropped on the side and commenced high caliber round firing. The bullets were tearing through the wooden deck and the three ponies dropped to the side of a solid cast iron siding.

"Squad intercept now!" As the three stallions hit the deck, a squad of fillies came from across the SoaringWind and opened fire after the enemy squadron.

"What'r we gonna do ahhh Lieutenant... sirr...?" Snails bumbled. Lightheart took a look up at the inoperative defense gun nests above them. He had an idea but it was going to be rough on his magic. The ponies who were on the guns were massacred, which left the transport ship unable defend itself.

The squad of fliers came back around for another strafe run trying to ignore the fillies behind them, and Lightheart responded with a strain on his magic as he took hold of the Port mounted gun nests and started to let out a raging TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT! Caught by the surprise of magic guided rounds the squad of five were torn by screaming rounds and ripped to bloody messes before they could even fire a single shot coming around. His two comrades were mighty impressed by their commanding officer's ability. He ordered them to follow him up to the nests, with the main gun crew dead they had to compensate for the lost defense. The fillies flew overhead and their leader had a half cocked smile as she mumbled,

"Well well, that unicorn can hold his own afterall. WHOA SHOOT! That was close!" Flak rounds pelted the air near them as three broken squad fliers were coming in with bombs to drop on the transport Ironbox.

The fight raged on viciously with bombs dropping, shells soaring back and forth, the ship dreadnought that was leading the enemy fleet attempted to outgun the mighty Canterlot flagship, the fight would be a challenge of who could outlast the pummel from the other. The dreadnought's strong armor could hold off even the massive shells from the Majesty's Harmony. The dreadnought's smaller firepower though couldn't seem to damage the battleship.

The guns echoed and roared more frequently as the fight came up close and personal! Pegasi and aircraft were getting squeezed by the thick fighter suppression of flak and small arms fire. Lightheart watched as a dogfight started but ended tragically with both sides being blown up in a flak clouds friendly and enemy.

"Look out, theressss another one of them thingies!" Snails yelled frightfully watching a small boarding vessel zip by the port side.

"GIVEM ALL YA GOT STALLIONS!" Lightheart operated two while Snails and Macintosh operated the other two seperately. The medium sized steam vessel began to draw close with it's pneumatic tubes exposed. They peppered the vessel until the rounds began to tear up the port side tubes causing steam to sporadically shoot everywhere causing the ship to lose control! The boarding lander made a loud hiss and scratched across the side of the Ironsaddle! It tore some of the hull from the ship as it plummeted down into the jungle graveyard!

(Returning to the Present with Lavender Rose)

Lavender heard the voice of her butler, which startled her reading!

"Ahhh wha... ahhh..." She backed from the note looking to the stairs. She ran her hoof across her face. Relieved it was just Red she replied, "Oh it's you Red..." She turned her attention back over to the letter and thought to herself. 'The poor mare, her brother fighting in the great unknown, that dreadful Lost World...' Lavender took her hoof and stomped the floor with an elegent softness as to not disrupt her host. Her voice softened as she insisted, "Red, get Humphrey, we're going back to the inn, I'm not going to stand around and twiddle my hooves, we need to make necessary arrangements and soon..." She trotted out of the house with Humphrey riding on Red's back.

The two out of place dressed ponies trotted along the sidewalk, and all the while Lavender was plotting a location in her mind for a gallery. "Hmmm... over there, no that's too small, ooohhh maybe there..." She gazed at a nice looking building, but before she could make any thoughts it collapsed right before her eyes as construction was underway for a new business. "Ughhh, certainly there's some nice place to procure a cultural art gallery in this drabby little town..." It just so happens a nearby pony of the high class variety heard her complaints, and was interested to trot over and ask,

"Excuse me but are you interested in developing a cultural arts gallery in Ponyville... is that correct?" Her flank had a silver spoon shining across her gray coat, with a white mane glistening through the afternoon sunlight, she was a pretty rich sight to see. Lavender acknowledged her noseyness remarking,

"I see you heard me complaining, well as a matter of fact yes I have been contemplating on renting a business space for said reason..." In return she added as if the answer was obvious, "I suppose you might happen to know of somepony who could help me with this problem?" The gray mare giggled to herself and looked about as if she had a secret to tell. She told Lavender to follow her.

"I know exactly who can help you miss..." she paused in her sentence waiting for Lavender to introduce her name. The two mares trotted by one another's side with Lavender replying,

"Lavender, Lavender Rose, and you are?" The mysterious earth pony just swished her mane and scoffed,

"Silver Spoon of course, you obviously must be new to Ponyville, it is a good thing you've bumped into me miss Rose... it is best to always be in the right crowd if you know what I mean..." Lavender began to laugh with Silver Spoon, but an unsettling nervous smile ran across her face as she seen that even Ponyville was going to have... THOSE PONIES!

Poor Lavender didn't like where this was going as she was escorted towards a rather clean corporate building. On the one hand this was pleasing to see, but she knew where this was going, and it just made her swell up nervously. On the front awning the picture of a silhouette pony head and a tiara over it was followed by the gold letters across the entrance 'D'Tiara Inc...' None other than the infamous Diamond Tiara. Everypony knew about her rise to power in much of the many industries she took hold of and it made her lurch even more.

Her father Filthy Rich was getting of age, and when she was given the responsibility of some of his businesses, she blind sided him. Her own flesh and blood! She managed to take the few businesses given to her and absolutely run her father out of his own. Now she runs her own monopolized business and investment enterprise making her known across Equestria as the Baron Princess. Lavender knew to take a deal with her was to make a deal with a dark force indeed. The building was an eye sore for the quaint Ponyville village, but again Anvil's Forge was also out of place too.

She was brought to the elevator by Silver Spoon passing up the receptionists and the few ponies running ragged with statistics on Diamond Tiara's latest corporate blind side. Entering the elevator with Red following behind, Silver Spoon began to explain some things about Ponyville that most commoners did not know, "Normally I don't talk about this in front of anypony but you I like, do you know the secret behind Ponyville right now, how the economy here has been so well?" Lavender shrugged not really interested in any economical or political jabber, she was just building hunting. "Well if you are anypony it's no real secret that D'Tiara Inc and Anvil's Forge have been the lifeblood of this town. One ships weapons components to major factories across the Empire, and of course D'Tiara..." A voice came over a small intercom of a loud angry

"EHEM!" ... Diamond Tiara was hearing her right hand mare about to let out something she didn't want to be known and quickly stopped her mid sentence with, "Please Silver Spoon, do you ever stop to think about what you are saying..." Silver Spoon quickly shut her mouth and drooped shamefully.

The elevator door swung open and she escorted the two ponies quietly into the office of none other than the one and only... Diamond Tiara. The pink pony with a sweet purple and white mane had her flank turned to the doorway as she glanced over Ponyville. "So what do we have here..." Her tone just as sharp and high strung as when she was just a filly. "What's with this visit Silver Spoon, this better be important." Silver Spoon nodded slowly and mumbled,

"Well yes, ummm It is, I have ummm..." She stopped herself and stepped aside to reveal the two ponies Lavender and Red. "Miss Rose here wishes to purchase a building to hold an art gallery..." Diamond Tiara seen the ponies in the reflection of her window and she grew a smug disgusted expression crinkling her snout.

"An art gallery... in a town so poor in culture, of rank and sophistication... dear Miss Rose the best you're going to get is a bunch of washed up beatnick folk artists who would clearly do nothing but ruin your reputation and class. Might I suggest to you something a little more private and extensive than some local gallery?"

"Well now...!" Lavender knew Diamond Tiara was going to be snooty, but to immediately detour her from creating an art gallery because of some assumption the artists of Ponyville were nothing more than beatnicks of low class. "Fine I was willing to pay a pretty bit for a building to host a gallery of fine art work, especially seeing as this art work would include a new local artist by the name of Sketch-It!" Diamond Tiara was no stranger to this pony and immediately retracted her plan thinking this could be a rather healthy investment.

Lavender began to double think what she had said grimacing. She had a sharp reminder in her mind that Sketch-it was not really wanting any special attention. "Well actually now that I think about it..."

"Oh WAIT!" She turned from the window to face Lavender, retracting her previous statement. "How much were you planning to spend..." Lavender began to backtrot from the room uncomfortable that just being here may have stirred something she was later going to regret.

"No really I'm just wasting your time, I'm dreadfully sorry Miss Tiara, it was a pleasure meeting you but I really must be going, I seem to have forgot a few important errands I had to run today..."

Before Diamond Tiara to get a word out, her investment galloped out and down the stairs with Red following her trail. Diamond Tiara just stood with a very peculiar look.

"Silver Spoon..." Her faithful assistant turned to her ready to listen to her whim. "Keep an eye on this Lavender, find out where this Sketch-It is, when you find her, I want to know so I can make a personal visit..."

"Will do Miss Tiara..." Diamond Tiara grinned an evil grin as she turned around to her window view.

"Excellent, I've been waiting for an opportunity like this, I can see it now, Galloport's crown jewel prodigy, supported by mwah..." She pointed to herself with an upstart expression whipping her tail in the air. "Ponyville will truly grovel at my hooves in gratitude, they will be like 'Oh Miss Tiara, we are in debt to you, our town now has sophistication!' Mwahahahaa!" She seemed to be very excited and full of evil conniving ideas. "That's when I will finally drive these Ponyvillians to renaming their home to Tiara Town... or Diamondville..." Silver Spoon gave Tiara a strange look. Diamond Tiara noticed she was still standing there and she snapped, "I'll think of a name when I reach that point, what are you doing still standing here, get me a cup of tea, then go do what I told you to do!"

"Right away Miss Tiara..." Silver Spoon quickly trotted out to fetch a cup of tea for Diamond Tiara. She returned in a flash with the cup and Diamond Tiara took a seat in her chair. Diamond Tiara began to take a sip as she schemed,

"Someday all of Ponyville will be mine... hahahahaha MWHAHAHAHAHAA MUAAHAHAHAAAAGGGKKK... PLUAH... BLEEHHH...!" A horrible taste ran down her throat. She glared at Silver Spoon who had a scared grimace as she barked, "AGGHH NO SUGAR... Go back and get it RIGHT THIS TIME!" She tossed the tea cup across the room and the cup shattered by Silver Spoon's face!

"Sorry Miss Tiara, I didn't mean to..."

"Ugghhh lousy assistants, problem is I had this one ever since I was a filly and she still can't do EVERYTHING RIGHT... guahhh..."

Carnival of Chaos

Today was just a regular day for Sketch, with her pad and pencil out she was making a few sketches to bring back to her house. Her friend North was off to see her parents in Cloudsdale, Starlight also went there for an unknown reason. Lavender was off in Ponyville doing her own business and Jaxx was having a rough recovery after a Derpy incident. leaving just Sketch and Spike alone.

"Agghhh, it's so boring, Sketch you know what we should do..." As she was drawing up a nice image of a meadow, she curiously let out a quiet,

"Hmmm, what's that Spike?" Spike immediately jumped up from laying in the grass and stated,

"We should go to the circus, it's only in town a few more days, I hear the main attraction is a pegasus they call Windstorm, they say he has the longest wingspan of anypony in Equestria, and when he flaps them they are the equivalent to a full grown dragon's wings!" The sound of the word circus made Sketch accidentally jerk the pencil off the pad making her ears curl. "Sketch are you alright?" Spike felt concerned for the suddenly tensed unicorn.

Sketch began to remember the haunted feeling she had in Lady Mareweather's porcelain doll room. The eyes of those pony clowns glaring down at her. Recalling the night she had accidentally wandered into it during a dark night. Moonlight shining down on the shiny color splashed faces striking menacing glimpses in her mind!

"I... I... I..." She began to stutter. The magic aura around the paper and pencil started to grow sporadic. She took a deep breath and held herself steady before she let herself go crazy. "I don't really want to go see the circus, I might just go back home and read up on some more magic exercises..." Spike stared at the nervous pony wondering why she'd miss out on a fun spectacle of acrobatics, funny clowns, and animal tamers. Sketch just out of the blue started to walk back to her home with no reason to her motive, leaving Spike just completely in confusion.

Spike took a few glances around rubbing his pointer finger to his head curiously scheming a plan... a plan to figure out what's got Sketch so scared up.

"Looks like Double O Spike has another mystery on his hands, the case of the Sketchy Sketch..." Only in Spike's mind did his transformation look awesome, it consisted of him running to Sweetie Belle's to retrieve the tux, and a while of struggling in a mirror to put it on himself. Inside his head he imagined it to be just a quick spin and BAM! Double O Spike revealed!

Meanwhile over at the ranch, Jaxx had a badly hurt hind leg healing over. Of course the bubbly Derpy was there to give her sincere apologies to Jaxx in a very dangerous manner.

"Sorrry Jaxx I didn mean to drop the thingie on your leg..." Jaxx brushed it off as she sat in bed about to eat the breakfast her sister made for her. She simply replied,

"Ain't no sweat Derpy, the cool thing is ya got me a few days off a workin, I tell ya dad works the tail off me..." She paused a moment wondering what Derpy was about to do approaching her. "Wait, whut'r ya doin... don't do that...!" Derpy trotted over to see if Jaxx still had a tail, she began to lift up Jaxx's bad leg making her howl! "OWWWWWIIEEEEE!!! WHAT IN TARNATION R YA DOIN DERPY...!" Derpy suddenly dropped the bad leg startled, "YEEEEOOOWWWWCHHH!!" nervously she started to backup blindly muttering,

"I... I'm sorry I was just a making sure you... h... ha... had a TAILLLLLL...!" Derpy howled back as she backed into a table and plopped her flank on it launching a vase full of water into Jaxx's face! "Oooppss... I... I'll fix that..." Derpy looked around for a towel to dry off the rather annoyed Jaxx. Jaxx tried to get her to stop by assuring her she didn't have to help anymore, but by the time she said it, Derpy had grabbed a towel and galloped over to the bedside.

"Aagghhhkkk Ugghhmmmph!" Jaxx jittered around as she was scrubbed over dry leaving her still in wet covers. "Ok that's all I need thank ya Derpy, you can go on now..." Derpy seen the wet covers and gasped.

"Aghhh... I can fix that..."

"No no, it's alright...!" She grabbed the covers with her teeth and Jaxx's eyes grew wide knowing what was about to happen... "Oh dear CelestIIIEAAAAA!" She tugged and sent Jaxx flying off the side of the bed crashing onto the floor with a THUMP! "AGGHHHH That's smarts..." Her sister's breakfast flew all over the room crashing loudly pouring cider across the floor, her apple dumplings strewn across the room in a sticky mess!

"I can fix that!" Dropping the covers she trotted over to Jaxx. Jaxx started to cry out,

"Noooo... thank you, but no Derpy, please... just, just go please. I'll appreciate it if ya leave now before I end up get'n more broken legs..." Poor derpy frowned, a little sniffle came from her nose as she turned her tail and started to march off shamefully. Jaxx sighed with the overwhelming feeling she was being too rough on her. She was just trying to help. Despite it hurting more than helping, she was at least trying as opposed to some ponies not even giving a care.

"Oh don't go cryin now, look here Derpy, I donno what you could do to help me recover, but ya know what would be might helpful to me while I recover?" Derpy instantly stopped her sniffles and turned around with an excited face ready to listen to her proposal! "Tell ya what, ya help with mah chores and we'll call it even." Derpy anxiously accepted the challenge prancing around yelling,

"YAY! Thank you Jaxx!" She galloped out to get her job orders from Jaxx's dad while she just wiggled back up in her bed taking a deep sigh of relief, not realizing that she may have just did more harm than good for herself.

Spike was on a search for clues as he tailed Sketch. Instead of going to her home, he caught her snooping around the marketplace.

"AHA! She lied about going back to her house, what is she doing?" She was grabbing some quick groceries of course, but Spike documented everything she did in a small notepad. "Is she buying ingredients to cause more havok like she did that one day with the big zombie plants! It was pretty convenient for her to do that, maybe she had the plants and was waiting for that pony to bring said plants into Ponyville... so she could resurrect them so they could cause Discord!" After careful consideration of what she was buying, they looked like groceries of a normal variety which led him to the conclusion, "Nope, they're just normal vegetables, ok maybe i'm blowing this all out of proportion..." He shrugged it off and continued to observe from a bush near the park.

Sketch had begun to pick up a tomato when she heard a horrid noise honk by her face. Startled she turned to touch nose to nose with the very thing that scared the daylights out of her!

"AAAAAAAAYEEEEE!" Jumping in the air with a wail she bolted off without getting all the vegetables she paid for. Spike documented what he seen.

"Intriguing, she left in a hurry when she seen that pony clown, almost too much in a hurry, she left some of her groceries, could it be she's terrified by clowns?" With a moment to ponder he again shrugged off the accusation replying to himself with confidence, "Nahh, nopony could be afraid of clowns, clowns are supposed to be like good funny, not bad funny... there's no way. Nopony i know is afraid of clowns that I can think of, it's like Impossible times infinity plus two." He followed her secretly moving the bush with him as he waddled on the sidewalk. Little did he know as he was snooping, another bush came across his path with both running into one another. "OWW.. hey... watch where you're going!" He snapped with a loud whisper poking his head out glaring at the other bush. The head of Silver Spoon popped out as she snapped back with an opposing glare,

"Sorry!" The bushes started going their own separate ways, but both were fixed on following Sketch back to her house. Approaching the door Sketch's anxiety had her glancing around for any sign of clowns following her, all she seen were two out of place bushes on the sidewalks opposite on each side.

"What, that's not right... Agghhh now reality is starting to make no sense. Bushes don't grow in concrete!" she slipped inside and slammed the door shut!

Inside, her facial expression alerted Lavender to inquire what was wrong.

"NOTHING, NOTHING IS WRONG, IM SLEEPY!" She dropped her saddlebags full of vegetables in a fit of fright and bolted for her room zipping up passed Humphrey and Red Tie slamming her bedroom door and slipping under the covers. Standing in a dazed confusion Lavender could not help but get to the bottom of the problem.

"Sketch dear that's not nothing, you seem very spooked about something clearly, care to tell me what's wrong...?" She knocked her hoof on Sketch-it's door. "Oh please tell me what's wrong, you're going to have me worried sick all day if you don't..." Lavender attempted to coach her into telling her what was so troubling. Lavender attempted to play the concerned sister card on her.

"It's nothing, I'm just SLEEPY!" Sketch barked in response, the concerned sisterly Lavender was rejected, she in turn grew angry! Responding with a glow of her horn she stomped her hoof and proceeded to command,

"Sketch as your new roommate and sister mare I command you to tell me what is wrong, or I will have Red buck this door down!"

"NOOO!" Sketch again responded negatively. In a burning fury Lavender snarled,

"OOHHHHH!!!" The furious Lavender stormed down the stairs refusing to go any further with her, she would wait for Sketch to calm down. Before she made it to the bottom of the stairs she yelled, "You're going to get hungry sooner or later!" Apparently Lavender had been staying with Sketch for a few days now. She apparently felt intruding in her home to live while she worked on preparations sounded only logical.

Sketch spent some time laying in her bed eventually falling asleep. Her dreams drifted her into a circus tent where a horrifying song played in her head. Clowns trotting about in huge floppy shoes, honking noses, and the most terrifying giggles running through her ears. All of them laughing at her as she grimaced with a fear backing in the middle of the circus ring with all of them surrounding her!

"Nooo... GET AWAY... AGGHHHH!!! Those noses... the horrible honking noses!!! EEEHHH DONT TOUCH ME... AGGHHH... NOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK! KEEP YOUR FILTHY SHOES OFF ME!" Screaming and curling as they laughed in her frightened face she was paralyzed as she could see nothing but bright colors and evil teeth grinning smiles!

Kicking about in her bed her nightmare had her restlessly tossing and turning until she awoke screaming hours later in the afternoon sunset. Jerking her eyes about as her heart was pounding through her chest, Sketch felt just absolutely drained of energy. "Ohhh what a nightmare, soo... sooo many c...c ... clowwnnnss..." She made her way down the stairs where she could smell Red Tie's signature vegetable soups. Lavender having a seat by the couch with a magazine in front of her face began to mumble,

"So you finally decided to come down..." Sketch rubbed her hoof across her face realizing she had sweat running down her reddened cheeks, and her mane was slightly damp at the roots.

"Please I don't..." Out of breath strangely she didn't even try to continue. Lavender's anger was now replaced with more growing concern. Her roommate seemed disturbed by something.

Being in town the sounds of the circus could be heard very well. Spike had decided to go on his own to watch the amazing performances!

"Come one come all Fillies and Gentlecolts, witness great spectacles from all across the lands of Equestria!" The ring leader was a rather shifty looking pony with a sharp pointy mustache, dark pointed eyes and his hat was abnormally long brimmed which shadowed over most of his face. His outfit shadowing over his dark brown coat and hiding his cutie mark was truly a suspicious sight to behold!

Spike could not make this connection of creepy, he was too engulfed in the talented tightrope walkers and ponies swinging across the huge tent! The dark lit tent in the evening shadows just made for a suspenseful sensation to the audience who gathered inside.

Rides outside were carrying on with laughter, but to Sketch the laughter just bore into her mind with images of clowns. She felt it was ridiculous that something as simple as porcelain statues could be the root to such a frightening experience, but as a foal, walking into that room in the darkness with a deep moonlit night gleaming through the windows, to see those faces light up with big creepy smiles casting shadows over parts of their profile making them look sinister was quite traumatizing.

"Witness our main attractions mares and stallions, a spectacle unlike any other, behold! The family of a thousand laughs, the happy go smileys, the one, the only... the Berry Swirls!" Spike clapped with the hoof stomping ponies as a family... a rather large family began to pile out of a tiny little wind up steam car. One after another a family of Eleven trotted out, all with clownish suits, makeup, and funny headgears.

One mare in the bunch made the biggest impact of the group, an extremely happy and hyper pony with a cutie mark of what seemed to be a pink bubble with a blueberry and cherry in it. She was flopping around with goofy shoes and a ridiculously huge bow tie with makeup that covered her face in the very fashion that would send Sketch flying. Her coat seemed to be rosie reddish pink in the dim light with her mane and tail the color of a cherry and blueberry swirled together with a sticky messy lick as if somepony took a bite from the side, it was sticking out everywhere with a lollipop peering out of her goofy mane, she looked absolutely ridiculous.

The family was about the only thing that seemed naturally uplifting, the others were serious dare devilish ponies that looked more tense, but this family just waddled around and smacked each other with pies juggling humorously. Even the other clowns who were managing the circus rides seemed less funny than these. The one pony that again had everypony's attention was the swirly maned mare who had begun to juggle three cream pies. The crowd erupted with laughter as she tail swatted two pies into the faces of her family members who now started to trick one another into funny stunts, slipping on bananas and shooting one another with soda bottles. The swirly maned one spun her bow tie with a chord, it made a loud noise and flew out like a fan smacking an older stallion in the face several times in a comical manner!

Spike felt so happy he rooted loudly for more! His curiosity though was still set to see the marvel that was Windstorm! Little did Spike know that somepony was very curious about him. The Ring leader had retreated to the back stage of the tent, with his head peering out to Spike he thought aloud, "Intriguing, a dragon tamed to co-exist with ponies, why that's such a rarity to behold... I must get my hands on this opportunity..."

The ring leader expressed his rather evil motives as he turned away from the crowd into the bowels of the backstage. There he surrounded himself with fearful ponies, and other odd creatures who had spent years in his cruel circus, though the bizarre thing about this was the clowns who were not a part of the family act, were no ordinary clowns. As one began to rub off his makeup, he revealed a rather brutish stallion! The ring leader trotted back and forth mumbling, "I have acrobats, I have animal tamers, main attractions. For Haymaker's sake I have legit clowns with that hyperactive family, why would I want more.. well of course!" As if to be rhetorical with himself he replied confidently, "The money, money, money, money... sweet coins, making that jingly sound, and what better way to completely doop the entire masses than to hide a smuggling operation inside something so innocent and fun as a traveling circus heheheheheh!"

The ponies and creatures in the cages were trembling as he approached one of them. A large stallion with wings that looked if he had let them open they would pierce out of the cage. "Windstorm you're up, now remember no funny business, or the filly will get it, are we clear?" Windstorm glared at the ring leader, his white coat stained from painful abuse, blue and yellow lightning mane a sheer resemblance of his once great prideful personality, he still refused to be scared at the Ring Master. The filly in question was a lonely little pony held up in a personal cage with two nasty looking stallions guarding her. "Knock'em dead out there for us. MWUAHAHAHAH!" Windstorm trotted slowly out to the audience who were waiting to be blown away by the great winged pegasus! The Ring Leader turned to a group of dressed clown stallions uttering, "Tomorrow you all will go to the smithery and take every ounce of steel, bits, rifle parts, anything you can get your hooves on and return them to the caravan before dawn, We're going to make a killing if our informant is correct. Oh the sweet money to be made, you know how much ponies would spend to see a dragon up close and not be burned to a crisp!? OR EVEN TO OWN SAID DRAGON, THEY WOULD GIVE A FORTUNE Hehehehahahahaha!" He pranced about in a giddy manner excited to have a big score in such a peaceful town too, it would be like stealing candy from a foal.

As Windstorm trotted out, the audience went into an uproar! Hooves were quaking the entire tent. Almost the entire population of Ponyville and some from nearby parts had come to see him! He put a smiling facade on his face as he took a few steps forward extending his wings with a loud POMPF! The sheer size knocked wind across the back stage curtains. Dancing velvet creased and created a beautiful ripple behind his glorious white wings.

Like a dragon his wings made a loud powerful WHOOF WHOOF WHOOF! He lifted himself up throwing powerful gusts across the crowd! The Ring Leader jumped out and announced as loud as he could, "Fillies and Gentlecolts, Mares and Stallions... witness the great and almighty WINDSTORM, a marvel of pony evolution, a grand stallion pegasus with a staggering height matching that of many regal ponies, with a wingspan over 15 feet across, he can create winds as strong as hurricanes, and they say when he glides, the sound of the wind being cut by those massive wings can be mistaken for a low flying dragon!" Sure enough when he took off around the tent, he passed over the audience and just over Spike who could feel the wind nearly blow him out of his seat. When he flew over him the sound of a loud bellowing WHOOOOOFF! Nearly had Spike's eyes popping out of their sockets with sheer excitement! "On the contrary, he may not be the fastest stallion with those big beautiful wings, but like the earth pony engineered war birds, the sound and sheer size is enough to mesmerize and create AWE!"

The crowd roared and stomped many hooves as he flew back around to the center circle.

The show continued on until the sun began to sink away, Spike began to leave with the rest of the ponies where he was greeted with the lights of a Ferris Wheel, and Carousel. Many other rides and games were all around to keep a night occupied with fun and games.

"So boss, what do we do about the little dragon?" The Ring Master turned his head slightly with an insidious grin waving his hoof with a sharp slinky command,

"Follow him you dolts, and when he's all alone, bring him back here!"

"Right boss!" The two henchponies dressed as clowns galloped out to follow Spike in the night. Two griffins began to stroll their way over to him as he called them over with a gesture.

"Keep an eye on the dragon and anypony who looks too suspicious, I don't trust most of these idiots." The griffins made their way out into the night watching vigilantly while the bumbling henchponies were all over the place.

The frightened filly in the guarded cage felt the Ring Master's presence as he loomed over her. With an evil smile he ran his hoof across the cage making annoying clanking noises whispering,

"Dear sweet little Starburst, the daughter of this deformed pegasus, i'm no scientist but if your wings are as magnificent as your father's, then if this war continues for another two decades, we could be seeing one of the finest attractions to my collection. A prideful stallion is no attraction compared to a beautiful mare heheheheheh! You are probably too young to even understand what I mean..." Pausing in his sentence he turned his head to the side adding with an even bigger grin, "You'll see soon enough I suppose." Already the yellow coat and blue maned filly had shown signs of abnormally large wings, large enough that in her fear of the strange pony she had covered her face from him peering through her wings ever so slightly. The Ring Master continued his speech to her as if she was a captive audience to his masterful plans. Of course, she was in fact a captive.

"You see, as a little colt i was always in circus shows, and loved them so. Smiles and cheers that would make my heart soar and glow, but one fateful day the true nature of pony kind had revealed itself." He lurched with his evil smile turning sour and grim with frown he uttered, "That's when everything had changed for me." His voice lowered deeply. "The Harmonious Barrier, that world outside it, was horrifying. I don't know how but, when you take a step outside that barrier, you can feel the change... it's never the same either when you come back through, I can still feel that lurching sensation. The struggle, the deception, the feeling that everything is less safe. Liars, thieves, that ridicule... the laughter of being made a fool. TO BE CALLED A FREAKSHOW!" The Ring Master began to grow more disturbed as he raised his voice with a sharp tongue!

No doubt this cruel pony has traumatized Windstorm's daughter to no end with his abusive words and behavior. Frankly everypony, even the animals were traumatized... all but the pony clown family. The Berry Swirls were abnormally happy and content in their holding cell In fact, they were actually carrying on activities like a typical family even with creepy clown mercs standing around watching over them.

"Does my bow tie look upside down to you?" A henchpony leaned over to the side of the cage without realizing she had a goofy smile on her face. She pressed down on a trigger and sent the bow tie flying out and the floppy tie commenced to smack him across the face repeatedly as it spun madly! "HEHEHEHEH.... HAHAHA!" She fell on her back laughing at him as he looked at her with an even more goofy dumbfounded face.

"Heh heh ehehehh... she sure got you good!" His fellow henchpony, a less brighter one was chuckling at him. He just laughed back with him as he began to point his hoof down replying,

"Hey what's that?"

"Huh?" The pony looked down and the other one flicked him across the face answering,

"Hoof!" The henchpony held his face painfully and mumbled,

"Hey... that was meann..."

"Hey in case you haven't noticed, we're bad ponies." The other responded with a sour tone. "We're not supposed to be nice." The swirled mane mare stuck her tongue out and scoffed,

"Pfffft, if you ponies are really bad, why are you working at a circus, kinda defeats the purpose of being mean if all you do everyday is make ponies smile... Heheehhehe!"

The stallion was about to try and counter that very, very valid point when as soon as he turned around she gave him a spray of carbonated water which her family erupted in laughter as the stallion who seemed to be the father of the bunch yelled,

"SODA FIGHT!" The family without warning started to wail on each other with soda water forcing the henchponies away as they didn't want to be a part of that goofy family's games.

"Why does the ring master want to keep this family I mean seriously?"

As half the henchponies were out tending the stands, and half were inside watching over the captives, Spike was enjoying a ride on the Ferris Wheel. He could see the entire open fields of Ponyville lit up by the moonlight.

In the awe of the moment he gazed around to see the ponies around town hoping he would know them personally. He really wanted to hang out with a friend because even the circus was getting boring alone. With a few more glances he could see Applebloom and her bunch hanging around a souvenir shop. He also spotted Derpy who seemed to be having some sort of trouble, she was spinning around as if confused where to go, and nopony was really paying attention to her.

"That's unusually weird even for Derpy, I wonder what's got her tail in a knot..." Spike decided to check on Derpy before heading over to the Blank Flank bunch. As the Ferris Wheel was descending for him, he couldn't help but be antsy to get off.

When he was finally able to hop off he ran over to see Derpy. She was worst than he suspected, she had a look of grave horror. The lights around her seemed to be confusing her as she mumbled constantly trying to choose a path to go. "Whoa, Derpy... slow down..."

"AGHHh ahh... Spike, hey Spike... can't talk right now, i'mm... mm... trying to find something... ohhh what was it..!"

"Trying to find something, you look like you're spinning in circles... what did you lose?" Derpy looked back to Spike and desperately replied,

"I... I donno, but if I don't find it, Jaxx will be angry, Derpy can't let Jaxx be angry with her!" Spike asked if he could help, Derpy just gave a quick, "Mhm, you can help Derpy yes... find that thing Derpy is missing!"

Spike had to know what she was missing though so he tried to squeeze the information out of her. "Agghh I donno, It's important, very important. Two things I think, they went to play and... and they left Derpy alone!"

Spike still wearing his outfit like a suave little dragon agent began to concoct ideas of what these missing things were. They were obviously alive if they left her to go play somewhere, Derpy was not very bright, but she has never lied either, if Jaxx would be angry at her for losing these two living things, there was only two real answers to this mystery. One, the two missing things are animals, or two, they are Jaxx's siblings. He didn't notice any pets at Jaxx's home. The final conclusion was without a doubt she was watching over Jaxx's brother and sister!

"So in my final deduction I conclude these missing things is Jaxx's brother and sister, Lil Bullet and Chess Pie right...?" Derpy turned with a bright expression nodding,

"Yes yess... you know where they are?" Spike responded raising his eyebrow,

"No, but now I know what to look for." Spike told Derpy to go look in one direction while he took another. He waddled through the carnival grounds slowly keeping an eye out for the filly and colt. "Chess, LIL B!" He cried out in the creepy and dimly lit darkness of the carnival rides. While he was looking for them he finally started to feel something crawl at his skin.

The fun filled circus now was starting to get at his nerves when he could feel the clownish looking ponies working at the vendors and stalls staring at him awkwardly. "Ahh Jeeze, if this is how Sketch feels around clowns I wouldn't blame her, I kinda want to take back what I said about clowns... ehhhh!" He felt a chill run through him as a clown was juggling in front of a filly and her mother, but as they were fixed on his hind leg standing feat, he was fixed on watching Spike.

He brushed his claw through his spikes trying to brush it off as coincidence and started walking faster. Meanwhile behind on the other side of the main circus tent near a large looking steam engine, Derpy had wandered far off into a dark area where the rides were off.

"Little Bullet? Chess Pie, you here?" Derpy began to slowly creep her hooves around feeling scared of the silence. She heard stepping noises behind her and in her innocent way she thought it could be one of them so she turned around with hopeful eyes. In front of her was a rather large griffin with clown makeup. The large sack raised over his head began to fly down on top of Derpy! In her fright she whinnied and tried to struggle out, but it was no use.

Spike came around some stalls that were closed down for the night and spotted what seemed to be an image of a stallion holding a sack in his mouth.

"Hey... excuse me have you seen a little filly and colt running around?" The figure's sack seemed to be moving and struggling, the worse part was Spike felt another chill, but before he could react on it his lights went out as a sack blacked out everything! "Hey what's the big idea... LEMME GO!" Over him stood another griffin which transported him away to an unknown location.

For a while he felt air brushing against him as if they were flying, but the flight ended soon and when he was let out of the bag, he flew into a cage plopping on the ground by a frightened Derpy and a traumatized filly and colt. "What's... what's going on here!" The cage slammed and over by them was several figures looming with a main figure walking over with a bright and creepy grin.

"Sooo you four are probably wondering why you are here huh?" His sharp tone reminded Spike quickly of the Ring Master and in the shadows he silhouetted just like him. Before Spike could speak, the Ring Master pointed his hoof growling, "Let's get one thing straight, if anypony here makes any sound they will not live to make another sound again, let's just say your days of freedom is over now. You are part of my collection, and if you want you or any of the others to live you will do exactly as you are told. I've worked for years to build up this shindig, and I will not have anypony messing it up now." Spike wanted to call it a bluff but the griffins were carrying some strange device on their back that didn't look friendly, and the stallion clowns were also packing something in their teeth.

The Ring Master began to explain why they were there exactly, "So some of you are in here for being too curious..." He glared over at Derpy as he continued, "The gray one and the two young ones were caught snooping around in closed portions of the carnival, as of why you all were lingering there I don't care, you should've not been there to begin with!" He snapped angrily. Chess Pie curled up quietly by her brother whispering,

"I told you Lil B we were not allowed back there!" The Ring Master suddenly turned his glaring eyes at Spike who gulped part of his fear down.

"As for you, nopony outside of this town has probably ever seen a dragon so friendly and in tune with pony society, I simply couldn't let this opportunity get away from me..."

Spike turned his attention around the cages that surrounded them, everypony and animal inside didn't speak a word. The only lively cage was far back from the others and cramped with laughing ponies which just made this feel more and more weird. "If you'll excuse me I have to count my earnings today and prepare for tomorrow's activities, Griffins you and a couple other henchponies keep watch, Racer you are in charge of the shifts tonight." A large female griffin gave a nod and started directing everypony and the two other griffins to their posts. "Time to shut down this place, we got a lot to do tomorrow."

As the carnival noises died down. In her room, Sketch was feeling a lot better. The sound of peace and quiet allowed her mind to at least attempt to sleep that night. As she drifted to sleep a dream began to form in her mind. It was not pleasant, but not about clowns persay, but a very quiet and beautiful voice was beckoning her in some strange maze.

"Sketch... sketch..." Her name echoed across the maze.

"H... Hello?" She slowly trotted around in the labyrinth, the whole world seemed hazy. She couldn't help but feel that just beyond the haze, something was not right, all the while the voice coached her around using a little light to guide her about.

"Don't be afraid, come..."

"What's going on, who are you?" She approached the light trying to figure out who this was. The light seemed to jitter around as the voice laughed,

"You'll know soon enough, but please hurry, we do not have much time..."

Her trotting transferred to gallops as she followed the light. "Don't stray away from me, stay close please..." She began to leave the strange maze into a place that looked like Canterlot... but the haze began to slowly slowly peel away as she stopped. She could tell this place was definitely not a Canterlot she knew of. "Don't stop... hurry... stay close." The sensation to stop following the light was hard to resist, because the closer to the orb the fuzzier everything was, but when she was away the things started to clear up. A massive dark wall jutted over a palace that seemed to have huge cannons atop turrets and steam plumed in the air from inside as if a breathing iron monstrosity was waiting to tear out of the ground and engulf the world in its cast iron grasp!

"Why should I, everything seems fuzzy around you... it's sorta scary..." She began to feel as though she was asking a stupid question as all around her seemed to be shadows of dark uniformed stallions. The voice tried to coach her,

"I said don't be afraid, it's perfectly safe around me, the haze is to protect you from what lies outside in the clear..." Sketch-it didn't understand what was happening, but instead of disobeying she felt a paranoia to see anymore in clear view, afraid she would see something that would traumatize her. The clear view she had glimpsed seemed like a fortified version of Canterlot with a sinister presence, one that gave a massive chill through her body.

She followed onward in what seemed like forever into a room. Out in the haze she could see some strange phenomenon happening. She followed the light towards a figure in some cylindrical objects. The light entered inside and rested upon the forehead of a tall regal Alicorn, her mane of a soft cool colored rainbow with a crown adorn atop her head. Sketch's eyes grew wide as she felt she had seen this pony somewhere before.

Before the Alicorn could respond a loud yelling outside her body disrupted this lucid dream. A sudden flash of light hit her as she found herself opening eyes to a disturbed Lavender!

"Wake up, Wake up we have a visitor, and she's... she's in bad shape Sketch, she asked to see you!"

Sketch shook her head around to wake up and she hopped out of the bed feeling her body fatigued. "She said her name was Jaxx..." Sketch's eyes lit up.

"What, what happened?"

"I donno she's downstairs, Red has her on the couch, she's in no condition to go anywhere, and yet she says she limped herself all the way from the ranch, that poor dear... whatever is wrong it must be an emergency... so come quick!" Sketch wasted no time and followed Lavender as she came down the stairs to see to the guest.

"Hold still please miss Jaxx..." Red was tending to open wounds she had made in her limping journey. With a hurt hind leg she no doubt crawled all the way from the ranch down to Ponyville.

"Oww... no it's fine, ya'll don't have to do this, I'm might more interested in finding mah sister and brother..." Lavender ran to her side and inquired with deep concern,

"Your brother and sister are missing, why this is dreadful, we must get some sort of authority or somepony to help! When did they go missing dear?" Red wrapped the leg back up with clean bandages with alcohol on a scrapes causing Jaxx to grimmace with the burn shooting pain across her body.

"Ahhh, just a few hours ago... I told Derpy she could go take Chess and Lil B to the carnival since I couldn't, I noticed the lights were off at the carnival grounds and figured they'd be back by now, but they ain't, and nopony is at the carnival... I donno many ponies here so I went to the only pony I knew well that was close and that'd be you Sketch... you figure ya can help me?" Sketch didn't want to refuse her at all, but she was really tired and maybe Derpy had let Lil B and Chess Pie stay with her at her place.

"Could Derpy had let them stay at her home for the night, maybe it felt like it would be too dangerous to go back to the ranch at this time of night?" Seeing some reason in her argument Jaxx mumbled painfully,

"Ahhh, maybe yer right Sketch, I'm just scared might bad, on account of some crazy stories I've heard from gypsy ponies..."

Lavender's eyes shuttered strangely from the mention of Gypsy ponies.

"Wha... whatt... kind of stories?" Her teeth beared with a graceful fright, Lavender was oh so curious and further added, "I've heard from my parents about the gypsy ponies and their stories, how they originated from moving herds that were full of gloom from the chaos outside the Harmony Barrier..." The ponies were all gathered by the couch and Red decided to darken the mood as this old pony felt excited in the moment. He lit the fireplace and made himself cozy with Humphrey on a small arm chair.

"I do love a good story Master Humphrey, care to join me?" The dog didn't mind to sit by Red and listen to the mares.

Jaxx started first mumbling,

"Well, my Pappa would always after picking apples from the fields, he'd come back home'n tell us all bout the stories the gypsies would tell around the time they meet for their breaks. Well one late night mah Pappa came in white as an old stallion mane. The gypsies workin late told him bout travelin ghost carnivals!" Sketch gasped as she felt her hairs turning white.

"That's just not right at all.... t... tooo think there's g...g...g...ghost cl...clownsss...!" Sketch mumbled as Jaxx nodded continuing with her story,

"You bet your sweet apple cider there'd be an entire circus full'o ghostly spirits wanderin across Equestria. They say it all began when an evil pony cursed the gypsies with his evil magic! One of those things that's a comin from out of the Lost World they say. Evil chaotic magic turned many of your happy go lucky circuses into travelin soul collectin ghost carnies!"

"EEEP!" Sketch jumped with sheer fright. The thought that there's ghost carnivals with evil clown spirits collecting souls was petrifying! Of course a certain pony not buying it for a second responded,

"Oh that's just a load of rubbish, more than likely this phenomenon is caused by..." She paused and leaned close to them answering, "Ponynappers! Common ruffian scum. In fact I remember hearing some Canterlot folk were kidnapped and in my apartment block too by said ponynappers...!" Frightened Lavender gave herself chills as she concluded, "It's simply horrifying to know that these riff raff are getting away with it, I of course know it was them because the circus in Canterlot left as soon as they went missing, clearly those gypsies were evil..."

"Well that's just a bunch of bologna, why would simple ole gypsies for that matter a circus made ta entertain ponyfolk be ponynappen then?" Jaxx argued back, but Lavender insisted,

"It's true, it happens outside in the outer colonies quite often, I read newsletters from Canterlee and Galloport, reports of travelling circuses and gypsies kidnapping ponyfolk occur a dime a dozen, even with safety measures they still manage somehow to get away with it... for all we know the increased royal security are driving those monsters over here. Dastardly cruel, evil fiends. Born from the fires of this chaos that runs deep across the outer colonies." Jaxx stared at her for a moment raising a brow, but she had to admit she probably had more sense on the subject, but she was not going to back down about the travelling ghost circus idea.

"Well that may be true, but ya know I've seen a ghost before so I stand on mah experience... I'm pertty sure there's a haunted carnival travelin round these parts, stealin the souls of innocent ponies'n all that spooooky stuff." Lavender didn't believe it for a second and with a sarcastic tone she scoffed,

"Oh lemme guess you seen the ghost of your grandmother..."

"Hey Mare, watch yer mouth, you steppin might close on hooves ya best not want'n to step on..." Lavender's snippy tone started to get at Jaxx. Lavender just held up her head and scoffed,

"Well I just think it's silly believing in ghosts, it's nothing but poppycock." Jaxx just sighed and answered back,

"Well it's somethin ya'll have to experience yerself to believe in." Lavender despite hitting the wrong hoof did generously tend to Jaxx as the night rolled on slowly. Red managed to add a splint in the bandages to help her walk around instead of having to crawl next time.

At one point Red had crashed in Lavender's bed while she was spread over the arm chair making graceful snoring noises. Jaxx had the whole couch to herself and Sketch retired back to her room. Sketch began to feel herself tugged back into the same dream. The voice from the light echoed softly once more,

"Sketch, listen to me well mare... for what I'm about to tell you cannot be repeated..." Sketch began to grumble to herself,

"It's bad enough i'm not good at remembering some things, it's worse this is in a dream and I may end up forgetting right when i wake up..." The voice just chuckled once more and assured her she would remember this,

"Just listen, something very special will be happening soon. It took me years of work, but it is nearing completion, and the time will be soon that the forces of harmony will make their move. You probably don't understand what this has to do with you yet, but you will know soon enough. I will give you all you need to know for now, a great destiny will unfold for you and your friends..." She paused a moment as her voice began to slowly fade, "Very soon, the elements of harmony will once more grace the lands of Equestria." Sketch still feeling confused wanted to start asking questions, but the image of the alicorn began to fade her out of the dream replying, "I'm sorry I don't have time for questions, but you have to go now, just remember... you'll see everything clearly soon."

She was instantly flashed back awake where she couldn't sleep a wink the rest of the night due to worrying about being thrown back in that creepy haze.

"What was that dream... talking about. All she said was things were going to change soon..." She trotted up to the side of her window peering over at the moon. The moon was in a full cycle shining brilliantly through the night. Sketch had a feeling the coming week was going to be extremely busy and confusing. "Where have I seen that pony before, I know I seen that mane, the crown... where..." Sketch now had an itch to find out. She decided in the morning she would do something completely out of her routine and check out a book on the subject. She was hoping she could hold out until morning.

Sketch paced around the kitchen being the worry wart she was, her mind full of questions and in the moment it was all quiet, nopony was awake for her to talk to about the subject. She wanted to discuss what she had been through, but without anypony to talk to her mind festered on the subject. "Gahhhh I can't take this, I gotta go now it shouldn't be wrong of me... Spike would totally welcome me, but that carnival... the clowns, agghhh I feel so trapped!" She heard Lavender groan in the living room grumbling,

"What, no mum I don't wanna ride the wagon, it's too dirty, I wanna play in the jacuzzi ... yay... jacuzzi... blub blub blub hehehehe." Lurching over with an awkward face Sketch whispered to herself,

"Oookk... well that didn't help anything, I guess I'll just go, I shouldn't be but a little bit, but Spike is probably asleep Gahh... North's house would be perfect... if she wasn't at Cloudsdale visiting her parents... I wonder what she's up too?"

All the way over in the cloudy city of Cloudsdale North had problems of her own. Her parents had left her with ponysitting her younger sister unicorn while they went to a party, North sat in her favorite chair at the house and was attempting to re-read some of her old books she had stashed there, but her hyperactive sister was running around in the wee hours of the night screaming and shouting, her nasally foalish voice echoing in the house as she charged with a wooden sword yelling,

"YAHHH... TAKE THAT YOU PIRATE! I Captain Moonlight Song am the Queen's Admiral, and the most ferocious pirate SLAYER IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA!!!! HAVE AT THEE!" North curled further in her chair and dipped into the book trying to stay out of viewing range for her sister seemed bent to attack anything living! The pets were running around the room as she crashed her box ship into the walls trying to swat the poor dogs! North sighed as her sister just continued to wail into the night, eventually North had took out a pair of headphones and jacked in her player to drown out the sound. Her attempt of course a failure as a white coat star covered cutie mark filly jumped on her head screaming, "TASTE MY BLADE FILTHY PIRATE SCUMM!!! HAHA!" She began to choke her sister with her sword laughing as North was crying out,

"Aahhhhkkkk... for... the looovvve... of Equeessstriaa... MOONLIGHTTTHKKKK!" With her powers she levitated her sister in the air and Moonlight gave a big goofy smile replying,

"Heheheheheh..." North rolled her eyes as she planted Moonlight on the floor and growled,

"I swear you are the most annoying thing in existence, if I had a mind to I'd take away that cloud walk and let you fall from the sky to be some other pony's problem!" Her sister bonked North across the head with her sword laughing! "OH MAGOSH COME HERE YOU LITTLE!"

"HYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sketch attempted to go back to sleep but to no avail. Minutes felt like hours to her. She hated this part about herself, that anxiety that grows like a monster inside with her mind pulling her back and forth, back and forth!

"Just go, just wake up Lavender, it's not that hard, but what if she gets angry at me for waking her up to talk about a weird dream... but if I can't get it out of my head i'm gonna go crazy!" She put her head on her pillow and closed her eyes tightly trying to think what to do. "WHAT DO I DO!"

Dawn came and Red awoke to do his routine work, when he came to Lavender to wake her... this was what he replied,

"Miss Rose, it seems that Miss Sketch is not present, shall I carry on with my duties or go look for her?" Lavender brushed it off assuring that she was probably off at the market or something. "Miss Rose, it's five o' clock in the morning..."

"Ok maybe she's out drawing a morning sunrise or something?" Red pointed outside adding,

"In the middle of a rainstorm?" Lavender's face started to slowly grow a concerned expression.

"Water painting...?" Red shook his head. Lavender tried to fathom what Sketch would be doing leaving, for the short amount of time Lavender had been around Sketch's routine didn't involve doing anything in the early morning, especially out in a rainstorm.

The ponies didn't bother on the subject at the moment as they all woke up. The longer they waited though, the more uneasy they felt about the missing ponies. Jaxx asked if Red could help her to the apple farm to see Applebloom, she needed to know where Derpy lives so she could see if her sister and brother did stay over. Lavender agreed and stayed at the house to do some of the chores. Jaxx was loaded up on Lavender's special cart which also had a top cover, good for keeping Jaxx dry with her bandages. Red pulled her on her merry way to Sweet Apple Acres .

North made her way soaring back to her home in a flash to escape her family and the storm!

"Jeeze, the only time they call me up there is to do something for them. Ponysitting of all things too, agghhh!" As she opened her door she could hear the sounds of the traveling carnival echoing which jogged her memory she wanted to go see it before her parents had beckoned her over to let them go out to dinner. "I keep hearing about this Windstorm Stallion, I guess this is the last day i'll get to see if he even shows today?" She looked up at the storm beginning drop a downpour! "I hope this storm stops soon, or there won't be a carnival today."

All the ponies were concluding their business on this relatively suspenseful start of a morning, and when Applebloom and Scootaloo accompanied with Jaxx went to see Derpy, nopony was home!

"Oh sweet Celestia, I can't go back home, I can't return to my dad and tell him Lil B and Chess is missing! He's done had enough heartbreak, I just can't!" Jaxx started to get completely frantic. "We gotta find them, search everywhere in Ponyville if ya can please, I'd give a reward if a could, anythin..." Applebloom understood the severity of this problem and gave her a nod replying,

"Ya don't have ta give nary a reward, we'll do it on account it's the right thing to do, Scootaloo tell every pegasi willin to lend a wing ta scour the countryside, I'ma go tell Sweetie Belle, Jaxx ya'll should see if the mayor will help." Jaxx nodded with Red immediately turning tail and escorting Jaxx to the town.

In a matter of minutes Scootaloo had a small group of pegasi flying around the fields looking for the filly and colt, and the missing ponysitter Derpy in the rainy weather. When Sweetie Belle found out she wasted no time to drop what she was doing and help. Jaxx came to the mayor for help and as any Ponyvillian would do in a dire situation as this, the Mayor took immediate action!

"Do not worry Jaxx, I'll have any able bodied pony on the hunt, we will not rest until they are found!"

Able bodied earth ponies started to sweep around keeping an eye out for the missing ponies, though nopony liked working out in the storm, missing ponies were no laughing matter. At that time word was spreading in the vendors being passed from clown henchpony to clown henchpony. Word reached to Racer and she alerted the Ring Master of the grown alert. His face grew worrisome and his sharp sleight tone had a nervous crackle as he requested to know,

"Do they suspect us at all for the disappearances?" Racer's controlled and calm tone answered back,

"Not as far as we know, they don't suspect us... we also have a rather annoying captive we picked up last night on a patrol, she says she was going to the library but she seemed too suspicious..."

"Agghhh if we have to kidnap anymore ponies we're definitely gonna raise alarm, that's five! We were only supposed to get the dragon..."

"Sorry sir..." The Ring Master took a whip from his holster by the mouth and snapped it at the griffin's feet.

"Shhorry don'cht Cutszz itss..." He stashed the whip back in his holster and added, "If we are discovered, so help me Celestia I will bring this entire little town down with me, with a vengeance!" He turned his attention to the henchponies and back to Racer whispering to the griffin, "In case we do get discovered I'll need you to be ready to get me and the money out of here, the least we need on our return trip is the money and the few things we took from Manehatten... we just have to hold out till nightfall... hopefully these dopey henchponies don't ruin the plan, our clients were ready to pay a pretty bit for those rifle parts stored here in Ponyville." Racer understood her job and left to keep an eye on things.

The Ring Master slowly trotted his way back towards the cages. "Wha... WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!" He found several of the dressed clown henchponies gathered around one cage where a unicorn was screaming back at them,

"AGGHHH GET AWAY FROM ME... YOU FREAKY CLOWNS, Agghhh DONT TOUCH ME, STOPP... AGGHHH!!! EEEEKKKK!" The henchponies were making Sketch's nightmare come true! Spike ran up in front of her and with his claw and a small amount of bravery he socked one of the clowns in the nose making a loud HONK!!!

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" The henchpony withdrew holding his big red honker.

"OUCH, that little pipsqueak hit me!"

"I... I'll show you pipsqueak, just try me!" Spike was in no mood to back down, the last thing he wanted was to fight, but he didn't want his friend scarred for life from traumatizing phony clowns! The Ring Master took out his whip and started snapping at everypony's hooves yelling,

"ShhhhTOP, SHHHTOP THISH INSHTANTS!" The clown henchponies backed away from the cage letting him up to the side. He put his whip back up and stomped his hoof growling, "You unicorn, why were you out late at night, why were you near the tents when it was clearly CLOSING TIME!" The dark makeup around his eyes and the clownish appearance began to freak Sketch out making her stutter,

"I... I... I, was just t... tt....t... trying to go to the L... L... LIBRARY!!!!"

"Just going to the library eh... in the middle of the night...?!" He cross examined her.

"YYYYYEESSSSSSS!!" Apparently she was too disturbed to have normal calm responses, the Ring Master now even more furious turned his attention to the fool headed henchponies.

"What are you looking at, get GOING!" He turned back around with his aggressive tone snapping, "Nopony is going to utter a word, you breath so much as to draw attention and I'll have ya Kkkkkkk!" He ran his hoof across his throat in a slicing motion. "Got IT!" Spike and Derpy held their throats afraid to lose their heads. Everypony nodded including the animals knowing not to make a word or it could be the end for them all.

The only things that did make sounds in the room were the still out of the ordinary happy Berry Swirls family. One of the younger mares shot a piece of bubblegum still in the wrapper through a straw popping Spike in the back of the head. POP!

"Oww..." He turned around to see a pony waving her hoof trying to loudly whisper,

"PSSSTTTTT.... HEYYYYY.... TELL THE UNICORN I SAID HEEYYYYYY..." She comically stuck her head out of the cage and made a funny face like she was speaking to a foreigner, "I WANT TO TELL HER SOMETHING! IT'S REALLLY IMPORTANT..." Spike rolled his eyes and poked Sketch.

"Ahhh Oh... what, are... are they gone? Was I..." She turned her attention to the guard who stared at her for a moment and grinned honking his nose. "Eeeehhh... it's not a dream, it's not dream is it?"

"Nope, I wish it was..." Spike grumbled feeling more annoyed than anything as he sat by the cage bars.

"Hey scaredy filly, over here! I'm talking to you..." The mare now was pointing her hoof real hard and shaking it at Sketch who noticed her this time. With a curious expression Sketch raised an eyebrow as if to ask her what? "Hi...!"

"Ugghhhh...." Sketch just flopped on the ground by the silly response and rolled on her back whimpering, "How did everything get soooo... sooo flip flop and weird?"

"Maybe one of us is dreaming... quick pinch me..." At the same time they pinched one another and simultaneously pulled back quickly blurting, "Owww... nope we're totally awake... I don't understand how could this happen, we're supposed to be protected from things like this..." Sketch disagreed with a loathsome groan,

"That's just it Spike, the Harmonious barrier isn't anything more than some goofy name for what we like to call stability, weather stability, plenty of food water and shelter... no overpopulation, you name anything that is supposed to make a happy pony happy then you have it here, it's not some special magic barrier like the one at Canterlot, it can't protect us from this..." Spike turned around and in a shock he replied,

"Wow, that sounded like something North would say..." Sketch laughed a bit and agreed,

"Yeah I think she's starting to rub off on me... I donno but I feel better now, somewhat..." Sketch felt a strange sense of calm in this carnival of chaotic horrors, though Spike seemed to be the reason why it felt easier seeing as he was ready to clock one in the face for her, knowing she could talk to him or rely on him to sock one in the face made her feel more comfortable. Out of the blue she felt a piece of bubblegum hit her across the nose! "Agghh... what was that?"

"Youuuuu!" Spike started to feel unnerved about the mysterious mare that kept getting their attention.

"What are you trying to do get us Kkkkk... we're supposed to be quiet..." He argued back at the pony.

"Psshhh boy are you two a couple of class A clucks, just like the rest of these chickens..." She rolled her eyes and gave a snickering smile as if she knew a secret and wasn't going tell flopping her swirled blue and red mane like she owned this circus.

"What I'm no chicken, I just don't want to go Kkkkkkkk..."

"Chieeecken... Bok bok... bukock!"

"I'm not a chicken!" The guard turned around and growled in a slow bumbly voice,

"Heeyyy uuhhh, you nota suppose to be talkin... sooo, shut your face pipsqueak..."

"Grrr.... I'm not a pipsqueak, or a chicken..." Spike felt furious about the name calling, and he turned his attention over to the rosie pony and snapped, "What makes you so special?" She shrugged and replied,

"I don't know. My name's Bubblegum Berry, care for some..." She shot another piece of gum out of her straw and laughed as it hit Spike in the eye...

"Agghhh what the hay!"

"Heyy, I saida be a quiet in there... or it's a gonna be curtains for youz!" Spike closed his mouth and turned his attention away from the pony to look over at a large cage. His wandering eyes caught the glimpse of Windstorm who was sitting with a shackle to his hind leg.

"Nooo... Windstorm..." Spike heard so much about the acts of this caravan of carnies, but he never fathomed until now how serious a problem deceptive liars were. Here was a lie of innocent fun and thrills, but the truth was a nightmare for them, what's worse was thinking about how long they were captive, the tales of Windstorm had been scattered years ago so it was heartbreaking to see such a graceful stallion enslaved for entertainment.

"Sketch we gotta do something for these ponies..." Spike whispered trying to keep his voice down from the guard nearby. "Use your magic, or something..."

"Spike if it was that easy wouldn't those unicorns have done it long ago?" Sketch pointed her hoof over to a couple of unicorns who were half dressed in makeup, seemingly stained no doubt from abuses for poor performances.

"Well you and North are like ten times better at magic than them I bet, just try..." Sketch shook her head slowly and whispered,

"Not right now, if North was here she'd say now was not the time, we need to wait for an opportunity to come up so we can plan."

"Ok now you're totally being North right now... next thing I know you're going to be reading a lot of books and stuff..." Sketch giggled as she felt a little bit lighter in this dreary place replying,

"Well I... I just go with whatever comes to mind, and right now I'm just thinking what would my friends do so North comes to mind really, she'd know how to get out of this situation easy..."

"Totally she'd be all magic missiles all up in here." Suddenly out from behind a voice answered,

"See now that's what I'm talking about, you go guys, fight those bad feelings inside with smiles!" With a modest face Sketch turned around with a soft answer,

"Thanks... ummm Bubblegum Berry was it...?"

"That's mah name don't Swirl it out hehehehehe!" In their captivity they supposed talking to Bubblegum Berry was not going be so bad, they seemed to not be cared about when they talked to her, at least keeping their voices down they were not risking the dreaded Kkkkkk...

"I'm mostly a clown, well I can trot a tightwire, I can throw a mean pie, I can make pies, mostly cream pies, cuz they are easy and fun cause you can splat them in ponies faces like so..." She pulled out a cream pie as if from thin air and KERSPLAT! She wailed a sibling of hers with a pie and he laughed snickering back,

"Ohhhh SNAP, Bubblegum done started a PIE FIGHT!" The family again like last night erupted in a laughing pie throwing fit!

"I STARTED THIS FIGHT AND I'LL FINISH IT FOR SURESIES!" Pies flew everywhere, and cream was splattering at a distance far enough to hit Sketch across the cheek.

The search went on for hours, at one point everypony in the group gathered at Sugarcube Corner as Applebloom brought juice with Pumpkin and Pound cake dishing out treats. A small rolling echo of thunder rumbled off in the distance as they dried off from the torrential rain outside.

North made her way to town. The image of an alicorn flying by was beyond what the Ring Master could've wanted happening,

"What's this eh, an Alicorn... Is she regal, no she doesn't have a single guard around her or in the vicinity... nor any clothing that would suggest... Agghhh I'm over reacting, in any case this is no good either way, every moment idling in this town is a moment we could be discovered... It's no surprise why the news has spread so fast grrrrrrrr..." The shifty Ring Master disappeared into the main tent and began to order everypony to get to their positions.

"Well, well well what's with the social gathering mares?" Jaxx still limping around was about to tell her when Lavender with a more distraught and quick tone cried out,

"OH NORTH... you are North right, the alicorn I hear Sketch speak about from time to time?"

"Yeahh, and you must be the fancy pants art mare that's staying over at her house... what's up?" Raising a brow North asked politely. Lavender placed her hoof gracefully over her forehead and whined,

"Oh it's just dreadful North... simply dreadful, Jaxx has lost her siblings, the one called Derpy has gone missing, so has SPIKE... and Sketch-it was the last one to disappear, we haven't seen them since last night..." Jaxx had a glinting fire in her eye when she turned her attention out the window to the tent.

"Yeah but I rekon I know what happened..." Lavender stopped her overdramatics and looked over to Jaxx with an inconclusive face,

"You do??"

"I'm pertty sure. You see I've seen ponies like Derpy, but mind you not as unique like her... they share one common thing, and that's honesty. She wouldn't take my sister and brother anywhere but to the circus and back home... problem is they went ta the circus and never came back... now tell me now what does that mean?" Lavender mulled it over while North and Applebloom in no time flat inquired,

"The circus has them?"

"Oh please you can't be serious, I said there were such things but, this circus has been around for years..." North flung her tail to the side and stared at Lavender. "What...?"

"I'm with Jaxx on this, something's fishy cause I know Derpy, she would do as she was told, nomatter how destructive a path she would make in the process... not to mention Spike and Sketch are missing, this all happens when this circus is around, that's enough to investigate to me."

"You can't be serious how are you..."

"We..." Lavender took a step back.

"Whoa, don't be putting me into this..." North glared at Lavender and with a stern tone questioned her,

"If you call yourself a friend mare then you're going to get your hooves dirty with us..." Her butler of course agreed,

"Might I remind you Miss Rose, would it not be for Miss Sketch in the first place you would still be in the Inn whining?" Lavender put on a nervous smile and awkwardly agreed,

"Well, yes I suppose that would be true, I guess the noble thing to do since she did give me a new home and a golden opportunity would be to help find her, very well. I shall assist in the investigation of this potentially phony carnival." Satisfied, North gave a happy nod and gathered the mares around her.

"Hey girls what's going on?" Starlight out of nowhere as usual came fluttering in and North just merged her in the group conversation scheming a plan. Applebloom laughed with a snark reply,

"As usual another one of North's famous group huddles."

"Haha very funny OK! So here's the basic idea, security is going to be pretty tight at night, but it's also going to be dark and some will be asleep giving us the best chance to investigate."

"Actually the caravan is supposed to pack up sometime tonight and leave near like four in the morning..." Scootaloo added. The group looked at her awkwardly as if she just showed some useful side of herself. "What so I keep tabs on some things, no biggy jeeze, you all act like I don't pay attention to anything..."

"Annyway, well if this is true then I have the perfect plan! Quick mares, to Sketch's house!"

They waited until nightfall for this, the one... and probably only time these mares all dressed up as... CLOWNS! Yes clowns, the idea was to infiltrate the clown crew and figure out what's going on while they help pack up the equipment and stalls.

"Ok be sure to try and immitate the other clowns, if they talk, talk like them, if they don't keep your trap shut." The mares understood and began to split up heading straight to the now closing circus. Ponies were beginning to leave which was the perfect opportune time to sneak in. North leading Starlight and Jaxx, Applebloom leading Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and of course Lavender and Red on their own!

North and her group were the first in and were called upon immediately by a griffin,

"Hey... you three, what are you doing, go report to the Ring Master." It was Racer who called out to them, Jaxx and Starlight followed North towards the entrance of the tent when Racer caught sight of the limp pony. "Hey, what's wrong with your leg!?" They halted a moment as Jaxx turned gulping. Afraid of what might happen if she spoke wrong she tried her best to make a deep stallion like tone,

"Ugghh...errr, I broke it slipping on... dahhh a banana peel..." Racer glared at the pony and just turned scoffing,

"Pffttt, stupid henchponies... go on report to the Ring Master already!" The three of them sighed as they galloped towards the entrance. A small group of clown henchponies started to leave and caught sight of them.

"Hey you three..." North got caught by the lead clown who ordered her and the two others to follow them. "Come on, we need some more hooves to do this job."

Applebloom and her group succeeded where North had failed gaining access to the main tent before it was packed. They caught sight of the Ring Master who spotted them. In a hurry he commanded,

"Quick get back there and help load the caravan up." While the main groups were getting mixed into the clown posse, Lavender and Red were busy looking around at the stalls and equipment as several henchponies were gathering up everything.

"Miss Rose, I believe we should be mingling in with the clowns if we are to be believable..." Lavender in her lavishing makeup just scoffed as she mumbled,

"Red I do not associate myself with manual labor you know that perfectly well..." Red gave a deep sigh as he stood idly by Lavender who of course insisted on giving herself a proper makeover. Her job looked more like some porcelain doll than a real clown.

Applebloom and her group trotted into the back stage where they were in shock to see the sight of all the mistreated animals and caged ponies.

"Dear Celestia, what is going on here..." Applebloom mumbled. Before they could get anywhere the Ring Master was behind her with two griffins aiming their rifles.

"Precisely what I'm wondering mares..." The three girls felt a sharp chill down their spines as they turned to meet the snarling angry face of the Ring Master. "What you think I'm stupid or something, for one thing all of my hired hooves are male with the exception of one griffin, I'd like to also add I do not have any pegasi or unicorns as a part of my work force which leads me to believe now something is fishy, wouldn't you agree?" He ended his words with a sour and very grim tone as if to condemn the girls to an undecided fate! Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle felt they let themselves get caught and all Sweetie Belle could say was,

"Well girls, looks like we're in big trouble..."

"Ohhhh you most certainly are, quick cage them up, we're gonna have to deal with most of these some way, maybe pony trafficking." as his henchponies apprehended the mares, he added, "I'd like to warn you in advance, my stallions have been having a trigger happy itch. They have orders to shoot anypony who does not obey, and any other pony that can be made an example of will be shot as well so no funny business..."

Meanwhile North had her hands full as she was following the clown posse to what appeared to be Anvil's smithery which was odd, what were these goons up to going to the smithery no less.

"You gonna be ok back there Jaxx?" North realized Jaxx had been giving her all trying to stay up with the group but she was slowing down.

"Naww I'm fine girls just... if ya gotta go ahead of me go ahead..." She understood and coached Starlight to continue with her.

Inside the smithery a lone son of Anvil was working on a piece of metal. His father had done went to bed and left him to mess around with his own personal work.

"A little bit of this, a dash of that... ok yes, some of this will give it a good kick..." The small area he had running with his magic seemed alive with activity, but he kept it down as to not awake his dad or anypony nearby. He was tempering steel while doing some weird concoction with another levitation spell perfectly balancing his magic activity. "I know it's possible to do this, I've heard enough stories to know it's true, come on... careful..." He was just about to take the concoction over to another table concentrating with his goggles on in case of an accident, when he heard the door open. "Whaa... dad is that, wait... no ... who... whoa... WHOA!" A small shadow became multiple and they seen the stallion as well. Desperately three ran for him to prevent him from alerting the town, but this crazy stallion wasn't about to go down without a crazy fight! "OH SNAP!" The red unicorn stallion freaked out and launched his concoction into the group with a loud PSHHH!!! The potion exploded with a bright flare blinding several of them!

"GAHHH AHH CAN'T SEE!" The stallion galloped forward and dropkicked the clown in the face and as the concoction continued to sporadically throw lights and flares around, he could see his aggressors perfectly with his goggles shielding the bright light. Several started to wobble around and fall into steel works making loud clunking noises as they bumbled around!

"Oh wow, a bunch of clowns... WOW, now i've seen everything..." North backed away as the flaring concoction was making a loud whistle echoing through the night! It almost sounded like somepony had unleashed a keg of fireworks!

"What the blazes... GAHHH those imbeciles!" The Ring Master stomped his hoof knowing now the jig was up, that sound was going to wake up the entire town! "Come on let's hurry, just take everything you can and go!" Racer gave the word and the tents began to pack up into large steam powered trailers.

"Let's move it come on!" Hidden in the bowels of the trailers connected to a mammoth steam engine the captives were all expecting this was going to be messy.

"You ready Racer, in case this goes bad..."

"I got all we need right here..." The strong griffin had on her back a large pack full of their earnings and all the parts she could carry from the storage.

"Good, let's see how far we can get. I'm hoping we can escape, there's just too much invested in this to let it go..." The Ring Master was no fool though he would ditch his investment to keep his earnings and his freedom from the clutches of justice!

North turned around to see the tents disappearing in a retractable trailer. She gasped in awe at the sight of such a mechanical device.

"Ahhh no time to be star struck North! Starlight you're with me, we're gonna hitch a ride on that caravan! Jaxx you can rest easy, we'll save them on our own." Jaxx nodded as she felt pain running through her bad leg.

"Alright I'ma leavin the rescuin to you gals, good luck!"

"I don't like the sound of this, but I must'n let Sketch down, I shall be the most rescuingest pony I can be." Reluctantly Starlight flew behind North making an aerial swoop towards the mechanical vehicles.

"HYAHH!" A buck, a kick, body slam and a small telekinetic blast, The red stallion made his offense tossing those clowns out of his dad's smithery and on the ground one by one. The clowns hesitated to use their weapons as their ride was starting to leave them.

"Don't... please, no more we give!" Before a fight even started, this red stallion managed to toss an equivalent of a firework keg in their face and deliver a good ole fashioned beat down of submission. Anvil and Le-Clerc came out of their houses with their personal firearms and had the group subdued.

"Don't any of you move a muscle or I'll pop a cap in your flank so help me CELESTIA!" Le-Clerc barked as he levitated his pistol over them trying to act tough.

Jaxx met up with Lavender and Red who were lagging too far behind to be of any help.

"Jeeze that dern thing moves faster than it looks." A blazing stallion stopped by them and replied,

"So where's the rest of your goons?"

"GAHHH...!" The frustrated red stallion glared at them waiting for an answer. Lavender snooted her nose into the air and replied,

"Ahhh I can't believe that you would associate me with those ruffians..." Red cleared his throat and assured the red stallion,

"Please forgive Miss Rose, she's still new here, we're actually dressed as clowns in an effort to investigate the disappearances of some local ponyfolk..." Jaxx and Lavender both nodded agreeing with Red's explanation. The stallion accepted their story and asked,

"So what did you find out?"

"They seemed to have left in a hurry so we are not exactly sure." Red replied. The stallion gave a nod with compliance and in a less frustrated tone answered,

"I'm Metallic Thunder by the way, but let's keep the formalities at a minimum I got a personal score to settle with these clowns." As quick as he came he shot off towards the vehicles ready to cause some havoc!

Inside the trailer the captive Spike and Sketch were feeling something was up, everypony was feeling pretty anxious. Just above them two winged ponies were descending on the trailer.

"Ok you ready for this?" North gave a glance to Starlight seeing if she was ready. She acknowledged with a nod and North was ready to find out what was inside. They swooped down behind the trailer directly connected to the steam engine and North gave a powerful buck to the manual latch, this opened up the basic loading door of the trailer. They were met with two henchponies with guns! "Aghhh back away now!" The sound of the first gunshot came whistling in North and Starlight's ears. "Whoa, they actually, shot at us... tha..." North's eyes flashed a bit, as if it was the first thing that's ever came close to ever threaten her life before. She faded back with Starlight around the other side of the back trailer.

"What do we do North!?" The machine was going pretty fast but they kept up with a breeze pushing against them. North was trying to rectify a plan for this problem.

"Starlight, I want you to shoot ahead of me as fast as you can, grab their attention, I'm going to go around the other side..." A bit hesitant Starlight watched as North ascended around to the other side.

"Oh come on Starlight you can do this, just go as fast as you can... Think shooting star..." She began to go forward and she could see the two henchponies aiming at her. "Nope, nope, nope I can't do this!" Before she could make a straight shot she squeamed out of the bolt and flew away! A few rounds popped off into the woods. North had them where she wanted them and with a flash she bolted around the side with a flying dropkick throwing both of them off the trailer!

They fell to the ground where they began to get back up and make their way back.

"HYYYAHHH!" Starlight flew back denying their run to safety with a powerful dive bomb kick! "Sorry for being so rough but I can't let you hurt my friends."

"Agghhhh Okkk..." They mumbled in unison unable to get back up from being kicked, they were pretty much too dazed to get back up.

North had managed to get inside where she crept along the side of the tent canvas, she found a small corner to sneak through and did so as the canvas flapped in the air. Upon peering into the room she could see the contents of the backstage.

She spotted all the captives and tried to find Sketch and her group. As she began to sneak through the room the guards were not yet alerted by her presence. The first cage she came across was of course the small filly Starburst. As North inched her way by her she noticed North and was about to let out a startled whinny, when North put her hoof to her mouth shushing her quietly.

"It's ok, I'ma bust you all out..." Watching from a distance, Windstorm had a feeling this dressed clown pony was not like the others. He noticed the guards nearby were getting anxious, they didn't hear anything else but the opening in the trailer was still making the tent canvas flap and whirl around eerily.

"It's awfully quiet out there, you don't suppose..." Windstorm seen this as a chance to finally get his filly freedom and he didn't care if his outburst would cause the death of him. He started to go absolutely crazy yelling,

"AGGHHHH!!! What's that, SPIDERS WHERE!!!! AGGHHH SPIDERS! OH NOO I think one bit me AGGHHHH... OOOHHHHH, EVERYTHINGS ALL FUZZY!" Suddenly without knowing the consequences of his own actions the berry family began to flip their manes screaming,

"SPIDERRSS!!!" Spike looked around frantically and Sketch backed up by Applebloom with her gang which were huddled by Derpy, Lil B, and Chess Pie...

"Sppp...spp...spiders... WHERE, WHERE!?"

"I don't see any spidersss..." One henchpony commented, but his partner a not so bright one argued,

"Dahhh how can you tell, it's dark... and spiders are dark too, dark and fuzzy with ahhhh sharp fangs... and some are poisonous... yeahh yeahh and ahhh... they are small!"

"Stop it you're freaking me out now!" North seen this as a chance to act and she made a run for Windstorm's cage! She figured letting loose that big stallion would definitely even the odds for a fight. She came up to the first guard and bucked him right in the flank sending him flying into the three others!

"GUAHHHPHHH!" With a clear run she sent her hooves right into the cage lock and bashed it several times to break it open.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting it to be that easy?" The mare wondered when she turned she was met by four angry ponies... Her ears pinning back nervously as she backed up towards the opened cage door which at the moment the henchponies were not realizing the shadow looming over her.

"What the..." When they looked up and seen the towering pegasus with a sneering grin the group started to feel their hooves grow heavy. He seemed REALLY HAPPY for some reason and when he opened his mouth the words,

"Been years of holding back all this..." left rather vengefully. He bucked a shackle on his hoof into the cage snapping it open and began to spread his wings with a loud POMPF! The gust blew the henchponies back a few inches who in turn refused to even try and tangle with this beast.

"I... I think it would be a good idea to... RUNNN!" The clowns galloped off tripping on one another to escape the trailer when they leaped out they were met with a posse of ponies ready to go to war! Metallic Thunder, his dad Anvil and some earth ponies from Ponyville still on their inactive duty joined in rounding up these goons as they hopped out.

North felt awkward that this was getting too easy. She didn't argue with it she just rolled with it and she began to release the other cage doors. Spike could see North through her makeup and he threw his claws up rejoicing,

"AND NORTH SAVES THE DAY AGAIN!" Sketch's eyes started twitching as she began to flip out,

"IS THE WORLD TURNING INTO CLOWNS NOWWW... PLEASSEEE LET THIS BE A DREAM CELESTIA!" North laughed with a simple response,

"Psshhh... come on you all, we're heading back..." Out of nowhere the guns started going off. "What's going on nowww?"

"Get back!" The inactive duty militia were huddled back behind trees as the flung open rear trailer unleashed what seemed to be most of the clowns who were hiding by the prefabricated stalls loaded up in disassembled parts returning fire back at Anvil and his small posse.

"Of all the places in Equestria to start a firefight..."

"I know dad, this is ridiculous!" Metallic Thunder responded to his dad. "What's weirder is it's a bunch of phony clowns..." The stallions made a slow inch forward shooting into the back trailer. Metallic Thunder took a small concoction from his saddlebags and mixed them together. Anvil could not understand what his son seen in the wonders of chemistry and alchemy, but when that bottle lit on fire and his son volleyed the inferno into the back of that trailer the fire engulfed the the entire contents inside as the materials started to catch flame!

"WOOOOO! That's MAH BOY, YEAH!" Anvil rooted for his son's ingenuity. The clowns poured out trying to keep from catching on fire of course some did! As they popped out there were two figures that didn't settle right looming a silhouette over the flames. "GRIFFINS!" Anvil yelled as the three of them shot off into the air through the flames making jets of fire!

Racer who had observed the whole thing from the side of the main trailer was feeling nervous herself. She felt her light colored feathers beginning to ruffle as she was itching to get out of this growing firestorm.

"What's the status of the caravan Racer?" Racer delivered the information to him in an instant,

"All the rides including the carousel, Ferris Wheel, and rear Trailer are lost, quite possibly the second trailer is going to be done for as well sir..." The Ring Master nodded to himself and he let go of the controls letting the engine coast to a slow stop.

"I see, well I guess I shouldn't have expected to get away with everything, let's bolt out of here before they catch us." The two goons jumped out of the front and the Ring Master revealed his wings from beneath his coat!

Racer followed behind him into the night. "They haven't heard the last of the Ring Master!" North escorted the ponies out where they could see the unfair fighting happening in the background. Pinned down by the trees the posse of small militia were unable to hold off the mass of clowns and the three griffins.

"We gotta help them... somehow..." North thought aloud, Windstorm agreed with her but he took a step forward replying,

"Don't worry, I got this." The huge wings blasted open and he launched in the air lofting a jet stream of wind strong enough that it began to shift the griffins in the air until their wings couldn't keep pace with the thrust and immediately they were grounded!

The wind of his wings caused everypony to stop firing as the strength and power of that blast was so impressive and awe striking. What they were witnessing was the real Windstorm!

For once in years Windstorm could feel an actual freedom, free from the shackles of being inside a cramped tent, free from that infernal cage. "AHHH this feels sooo good, I could just!" North and her troop of friends watched as the glorious Windstorm performed the act that would dazzle many ponies across Equestria. Tears ran from this majestic stallion's eyes as he could feel fresh air brush his cheek. Contrary to the words of the Ring Master, Windstorm could position his wings in such a way that he could jet around the sky with ease, being cramped in that awful tent was why he did not have such a priviledge!

"Wowww..." Awe struck were these ponies at what years of being trapped could make a pony do when set free. That middle aged stallion was loop de looping and making a ruckus in the air like a hyperactive colt! The griffins dropped their weapons and in some strange way the violence was over in an instant, nopony lost a life though some were burned a little crispy no lives were lost in this engagement.

Spike turned to Sketch and replied,

"You still think the harmonious barrier is nothing...?" Sketch just rolled her eyes and laughed.

When he came flying back down he tripped on his leg and he cried out,

"CRASH LANDING OUT OF THE WAY AGGHHHH!!!"

"OH SNAP!" Spike barreled out of the way with the ponies following his leap of faith away from the crash landing stallion! He landed on the ground upside down to the trailer with a loud THUD!

He looked up in a daze and seen a little yellow coat glinting in the moonlight, her blue mane and large wings fluttering with shyly. The innocent little filly looked down smiling with a glow of happiness for the first time, and as she felt her eyes swell and tear up Windstorm starting to choke up himself. He raised his hooves up and she hopped on top of him hugging tightly crying,

"PAPPA!"

"Oommphh... Ahhhh... Starburst, Ohh my little filly..." That pegasus was just wanting to cry with his daughter, but he tried to control himself. He had been refused the right to hold or be even close enough to touch his child for years, what that does to a parent to see and never get to hug or comfort their child in such a situation is just sheer heart felt pain. To reunite with his daughter Starburst was just too much for him to not cry! "This is probably the second best day of my life ever!"

The Pony friends all were ready to ball their eyes out, it even made the clown goons teary eyed...

"What are you blubberin about..."

"It... it's justss... I never got to see my dad...! Andaahhh it's so beauteeful I just... I wanna meet myyy dad now!"

"Don't you cry... ddoo... doonnn't you dar.... Noww look what you gone and done, now I'm cryiinnnnnggg... WWWWAAHHHHHH!!!!"

Bubblegum Berry smiled really big and she cried out,

"THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION! CREAM PIE FIGHT ANYPONY!?"

"PIE FIGHT!!!!"

"HIT THE DECK!" North, Starlight, Applebloom and her group didn't understand for a moment until Bubblegum Berry and her family started launching pies everywhere!

"THIS IS LIKE THE THIRD TIME, WHERE ARE YOU GETTING ALL THESE PIEESSS!" One of the henchponies cried out as he ducked from the onslaught of pie tins!

The night wrapped up with a large group of ponies making their way back to Ponyville, but a few ponies didn't quite leave yet. Sketch, North and Spike waited back by the engine which North could not just let go.

"I really want this, like really really bad Sketch..." Sketch turned her attention to North who had glinting eyes of ingenuity with cogs rolling and cranking in her head. "If you two don't mind I'm gonna take this back home, somehow... unless you two would like to help me?" Sketch glanced at it and replied,

"Pfftt, mare like I told ya when we first met, I got to play with a wheel and some knobby things, I read about some of it, but I didn't read, read into it so i wouldn't know how to do anything with it." North gave a sigh understanding she didn't want to mess with it.

"Oh fine, go fiddle with your magicks and your paint set, I must go and MAKE SCIENCE!" Before they could go their seperate ways two large winged ponies trotted up to them. Windstorm looked down at them and graciously gave gratitude,

"Thank you, thank you so very much, there's just... no amount of gratitude I can express. For years I was stuck in that cage. I almost lost hope that my daughter would ever get to live her life." North and Sketch nodded.

"But I really didn't do anything." Sketch mumbled. Windstorm trotted over to her before North or Spike could respond and he put his hoof on her shoulder replying,

"Well I may have not meant it directly to you filly, but don't be so hard on yourself. You no doubt played a huge role and you don't even know it." North nodded and filled in his space,

"Absolutely, I wasn't planning on a visit to the library today I was really tired, and with just Derpy, Lil B, and Chess Pie missing, Sketch you could've been the main reason why we mares took such fast action!"

"Really...?" North nodded with a confident,

"Yup! You might not think it mare but you're super important to all of us. As friends we're not just going to let you get ponynapped and not do anything about it!" Sketch blushed as she turned her head away mumbling,

"Thanks..." Windstorm gave a slow satisfied nod. He turned to his little girl who trotted over to Sketch. Starburst gave a cute nuzzle to Sketch's cheek making her blush more. Starburst turned and gave Spike one as well.

"Awwww gee...." North's turn came up and especially for her Starburst gave her a big hug for being the reason she and her father were free.

"It's been forever since she's been able to actually interact with friendly ponies." North nodded slowly replying,

"Well Ponyville as I've heard is the most friendly town around." Windstorm looked over at the town up the road.

"You know I've been thinking we should settle down now, start a new life, maybe give my girl a school to go to, might find a fitting mare for her to call mom..." Starburst absolutely loved the idea of staying here with these ponies.

"Can we pappa, can we stay!" Wiggling her flank around happily she nuzzled up against him hoping he would say yes.

"Of course my little shooting star, we can stay."

"YES!" She rejoiced happily fluttering her large wings lifting herself into the air.

Spike, Sketch, and the gang went to their homes and received a good night sleep to erase the sheer weirdness that happened that night. Windstorm and his foal went to the inn hoping that they would be welcomed and of course with open hooves they were allowed to sleep the night for free with the other freed ponies due to their situation. When the day arose, Sketch was greeted with a loud voice as most of the times she was never given a calm morning to wake up,

"HEY WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!"

"GAHHHHH!!" She flopped out of her bed that she thought she would be enjoying more that day, but apparently not. She looked at Bubblegum Berry who was pointing her hoof outside her bedroom door frantically replying,

"Come on there's something I want to show you... OOHHH ITS REALLY REALLY COOL I PROMISE!"

"Aghhh... so it all wasn't a dream I see, aggghhh ok Bubblegum I'm coming..."

"SSWWEEETT!!!" She pranced around as Sketch slowly moved her way out the door and as she came to the stairs a loud,

"SURPRISEEE!" BBOOOM! A cannon went off and Pumpkin Cake SCREAMED,

"WWWEEWWWW!!!! ANOTHER PARTY AT SKETCH'S HOUSE, and this time WE BROUGHT ENTERTAINMENT! KICK IT DJ VINYL!" Vinyl gave a rocking nod as she slapped a record down and the house erupted!

"AAGGHHHH!!!"

"GREAT PARTY HUH... I heard you had a party not too long ago, and since you were really cool and all I figured hey... this pony needs a party for being soo cool! Actually it's for all you ponies, but more it's like a welcome to Ponyville for my family sorta party, but we thought of you cause you're like really one of the first ponies we know here and so here we are I guess you could say it's like an all purpose Welcome, Celebration, Congratulatory AWESOME PARTY!" Sketch's mind could not keep up with Bubblegum's mouth. The hyper pony commenced to jump off the stair rail on top of a mini bouncy castle!

"HOW IS ALL THIS IN MY HOUSE WHO... WHO!!?" What could only be described as Bubblegum's parents had approached Sketch and with a grateful thanks they graciously replied,

"I know this must be quite a crazy day for ya, but Bubblegum insisted on thanking you her own special way I suppose, she's always just soooo energetic don't ya know..." Her mother replied, her father nodded adding,

"I have to say this is quite an upgrade to our home, Ponyville is so friendly and spacious, all that extra stuff from the carnival equipment we used to make a nice little home. If you want we can show you later it has this..." He was about to ramble when the mother nudged him. "Ohh yes right, well we're very grateful that you could be friends with Bubblegum, it's not really that often she gets friends seeing that we traveled a lot. Hopefully turning over a new leaf will change all that."

"Well anywho we're sorry if it's any trouble for hosting the party here, but she just insisted on giving you a great big thank you for being her first friend here in Ponyville... and welcoming us to Ponyville, and congratualting you all for being as she puts it... awesome!" Sketch looked down at the rosie pink pony with her cherry and blueberry mane bouncing around all carefree and just blissful smiling and laughing with the other ponies on the bouncy castle.

That moment, Sketch realized it was not all that bad. The parties, the friends, why this was living in harmony compared to her old life. Though nothing could compare to her personal times with the Mareweathers this was just so festive and fun though...

"Looks like I made a new friend, a really exciting one I might add. I wonder what's going to be in store for me now?" Sketch heard Bubblegum yell,

"GET YOUR FLANK DOWN HERE Sketch and JOIN THE PARTAYYYY!!!" The voices of her friends North, Spike, and Starlight echoed for her to come down and join. Sketch just gave a shrug and galloped down the stairs racing for the bouncy castle replying back,

"WATCH OUT MARES! HERE I COME!"

Who are these friends of mine? Part One

It was dawn. A week has passed since the incident with the clown posse and the dream still unclear on what it meant, so far Sketch was just lost in her head. Today Lavender was coaching her over with a blindfold towards a building to reveal some big mystery.

"Aghhh what is it Lavender?" Lavender just snickered gracefully reassuring her blind companion that what she was about to see would astonish her.

"Almost there, just a few more steps Sketch darling, oh you are going to be taken away by this surprise..." As Sketch took a few more steps she mumbled,

"I'm pretty sure the increased surprise parties from Bubblegum has me all pooped out on surprises..." Lavender fully confident in her surprise scoffed,

"Well, I don't think Bubblegum would even dream of getting you THIS!" Lavender threw off Sketch's blindfold revealing...

"Ponyville Cultural Art Gallery....... LAVENDER...!" Sketch was taken back by this surprise that she was nearly breathless for a moment! "YOU DIDN'T!"

"Oh ho but I most certainly did, if you were noticing any of your artwork missing they are already put up in the main hall. Of course the cost was a hefty amount of bits but I managed. My parents sort of invested their money on my idea, of course they always ask Red if I'm lieing, they can't see me as an honest pony I guess." Lavender began to set her volume lower as she finished her last sentence making Sketch ask,

"What was that about asking Red...?"

"Oh nothing, it's nothing really. My parents just don't trusty anypony but Red... it's because Red's been around daddy since he was a little colt..." She paused on her words and immediately started to push Sketch's flank forward encouraging her inside, "Come on now I want to show you the interior, it's almost like a piece of Canterlot had been plucked and graced upon this little village we call Ponyville..."

As she was touring the newly purchased art gallery, a quiet little pegasus was flying overhead to go see if there was anything in the library for learning how to cook. She seemed a little frantic but kept a slow calm pace.

"Starlight, wha... wow it's a surprise to see you here..." Spike was caught off guard by the sight of little shy Starlight coming to visit the library. She seemed in a rush though as she barged in through bumbling,

"Excuse me, I'm sorry I can't talk right now Spike I'm really in need of a cook book and I need to hurry, my sister is coming over to my home and I told her I would cook this time instead of her. I know she cooks better than me but I really don't want her to have to cook for me at my house..."

"Oh... well they're over by shelf nine in the how to section." She spun around from the bookshelf she was scanning to head for the how to section. Owlicious on call had a book ready for her in his talons.

"Oh thank you yes this will do very nicely, thank you so very much! Ok I got to go now bye Spike and Owlicious..." As soon as she arrived Starlight bolted off. Spike stretched his claws and yawned,

"Weelllp if you don't mind Owlicious I'm going to snooze a bit since you're on the ball today..."

Jaxx's day was just starting with her mundane chores which was nothing really special as well, but two ponies specifically were having a rather awkward time with each other.

"Yes..."

"No..."

"YESS..."

"NOOO!"

"YeeeessssSSssssSS..."

"Nnnnnnnooo!"

"Aww come on North why won't you let me play on the carousel!!!" Bubblegum was out back behind North's home where she had large circus machinery laying out hidden from everypony. Bubblegum was in her mood to pester and North seemed the most fitting target with all the shiny doodads in her backyard.

"For the last time it's not working OK! I done disassembled the engine inside, so even if I wanted to it wouldn't work..."

"Pffft, why are you breaking everything then that's not productive at all..." Bubblegum hopped around North quickly making her frustrated as she was working on drawing out a schematic for a gear piece she seen in her books. Bubblegum popped up by her face responding in a hyper tone, "Whatcha drawin?"

"Aagghhh... Bubblegum you're starting to really bug me! I'm drawing a schematic for a gear piece, I'm going to take some parts out and make it OK, so I'm really busy why don't you go bug Jaxx, or Lavender, or somepony else besides me?" Bubblegum did not heed her request and started to tinker with the gears over in a salvaged pile.

"Ooohhh shiny, this one looks like a lumpy donut... OOOOH this one looks like a wheel and it's got all these rough thingies on it... maybe I can..."

"NO BUBBLEGUM STOP!"

"WHEWWW..." Before she could get a grip the large smooth gear broke from her hooves! "Whoopsies!" She watched as the large gear rolled over into the carousel and smashed the side. One of the dragon figures broke off as the heavy gear dented the metal siding. Innocently she smiled with North feeling her eye twitch.

"Omagosh would you pleasseee GOOO!" Bubblegum tried to reason with the angry alicorn,

"But I..."

"GOOO NOWWWWWWWW!" She spooked Bubblegum bad enough she bolted off from her house screaming,

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!!" Bubblegum darted off down the road only to slow down and mumbled to herself, "Looks like somepony's attitude has... Gone South hheeheheeheh hyahahahahaa!" She laughed at her very clever joke, but for a moment she paused and felt like she needed to share this joke with somepony. "I know, I'll go see my first honorary Ponyville friend Sketch, I bet she'll be up for anything!" Happy little Bubblegum pranced her way back to Ponyville determined to see if her friend Sketch would be in the mood to play.

"Sooo bold so brashhh... she's fabulous!"

"AGHHH WHAT THE!?" Sketch out of nowhere was caught off guard by a pony who jumped around from one of her paintings on display! "Agghhh my eyes, what's going on..." The photographer pony gave a deep painful sigh mumbling,

"Nooo, no no... you're not supposed to shy away from zah camerah! How am I supposed to capture und MAGICKS like mein mutter..." He had the faint accent from a pony of Germaney. Lavender came to the pony's aid and soothingly assured,

"Oh I'm dreadfully sorry Photo Shoot, Sketch has not really been in any sort of photography before. Most of her fame deals with her artwork as you can clearly see, lemme just have a quick chat with her and we'll smooth this process over... ahahahaha..." With a nervous laugh she smiled over the small problem. The white coat Photo Shoot seemed in no mood for any trouble. He bobbed his rather bold slick blue and purple striped mane, His sunglasses sharp at the end resembling triangles which allowed him to give a sharp glare easily with a simple lowering of his head. Lavender quickly brought herself up to Sketch with a flustered mane snapping, "What are you doing...?!"

"What do you mean what am I doing I just got blinded by a bunch of flashes. What's he doing here anyway...?" Pausing for a moment they both stared at Photo Shoot who was now looking at the main attraction which was the picture of the pond with the perfect sunny glow on the Castle of Canterlot. His oohs and ahhs were followed by quick snapshots of the gallery exhibits.

"He's trying to help you darling Photo Shoot here is one of my few contacts in Canterlot I have. Seeing as you disappeared completely for a month or so now we're going to re-ignite the spark that is Sketch-It the foal prodigy of the visual arts, and what better way than to get an exclusive photo collection from the second most well known photographer, son to the ever stylish Photo Finish, Photo Shoot!" Lavender paused and wrapped a hoof around Sketch putting her cheek to hers and throwing her hoof out adding with star struck eyes, "It's perfect you'll be re-discovered and we'll have ponies from across Equestria coming here in this little town of Ponyville to find this! Lavender's Gallery of Ponyville's most Culturally talented artists including you of course of all ponies, the prodigy from GALLOPORT! Ahhhh I can almost taste the fame... ..." Sketch put on her nervous face as she thought about all the attention she would be getting, most of that attention scared her as a young filly which she had always hid around Lady and Master Mareweather during the interviews.

"Uhhmmm... I uhhh... ..."

"Well of course this whole thing is for you Sketch, so if you wish I'll keep it as low key as possible for your convenience..." In one of the bushes decorating the north west corner of the room was a sneaky gray mare watching and listening carefully.

"I don't know Lavender, this sounds like a lot of trouble on your part..." Lavender just laughed and trotted Sketch to the painting smiling,

"Nonsense darling it is absolutely no trouble at all. You are a friend and as such you are not allowed to be a burden under any circumstance..." Sketch sighed feeling she was being a big burden at the moment and Lavender seemed to be moving her around positioning her hooves and face by the painting. She didn't know what was happening until Lavender stepped away as she continued to babble on, "Ok now don't move a muscle, oh Photo Shoot. She is ready now..."

"Ahhh finally, let us see now... ooohhh yes as usual Lavender you always know vat the camerah vants! Give me all you got you delicious mare!" Sketch still couldn't stand the flash and as she was posing Lavender would jump in really fast and position her again. "Ahhh Wunderbar! She is capturing ze essence of a conquering artist! Sooo bold just like meinself!"

The gray mare jotted down the information and quickly began to sneak off from the building as the ponies were occupied by the photography session. "Ok I think we have plenty of good shots, I shall retire to mein development studio and create... DA MAGICKS! Before I go I want a word with you Miss Lavender." As he left towards the outside Silver Spoon still in the plant was startled into stopping in her tracks by the side of the building afraid she was caught. Inside Sketch smiled with a bit of anxiousness about the whole thing but could not help but comment,

"Photo Shoot seemed very nice compared to what I was told about those hard critic photographers..." Lavender tilted her head to the side answering with an unnerved cough,

"Ahem yes well... kindness is really a matter of opinion I suppose..."

"What?" Sketch being baffled by the response was given an even more curious response from Lavender as she felt she shouldn't have said anything,

"Oh nothing, if you'll excuse me I'll be right back, just go have a look around and tell me if there's anything you'd like to change..." She bolted out the front door where a very ill faced Photo Shoot was outside tapping his hooves on the ground impatiently. "Oh good you're still here..." Outside a limo stretched carriage rode up for Photo Shoot.

"It's about time Mizz Roze!" His accent began to grow sharper as he seemed enraged. "Ugghhkkk vat vere you thinking, she had no style, no poise... the gallery itself is beautiful I admit but she... she vas a wreck... ..."

"I knoww... I know it was short notice but I was in a hurry darling..." Silver Spoon watched as the juicy detail unfolded in the palm of her hoof.

"Listen I'll do vat I can, und remember who I'm really doing zis for, I owe your parents, not you... as far as I'm concerned zis will be more than enough payment to them... now I'll be on mein vay now Miss Lavender, auf wiedersehen." As he trotted over to the carriage she replied in a feeble tone,

"I know how much you're risking to do this Photo Shoot, I'm..." Before she could get a word out he gave a loud snarl,

"Hmmmph..." Photo Shoot left without another word spoken as his carriage rode off.

"Ohhhhh Lavender what are you doing......" She mumbled to herself afraid she was going to mess something up for attempting to rush the re-establishment of her career.

"Ohhh this is absolutely juicy, Madame Tiara will definitely want to hear about this..." Silver Spoon began to slink away intent on giving this delicious news to Diamond Tiara.

As the sneaky Silver Spoon was making her way she bumped into a blissfully unaware Bubblegum Berry.

"WOOP... what is this..." She paused and Silver Spoon froze. "Is this what I think it is...?" She started to skulk around it. "Hmmm..." She started to get real close to the bush and eyeballed it for a while. Ponies walking by were disturbed by the scene. "Hmmmmm...." She rubbed her chin with her hoof curiously and she pointed at the bush finally interrogating it, "Are you a Sneaky Bush!?" Silver Spoon felt sweat drip over her snout which tickled her nose making her react with a loud SNEEZE! The bush shook around with an ACHOO! "Huh... so you're a Sneezy Bush?" Silver Spoon caught a leaf in her throat and began to choke and hack! The bush at this time fell on the ground shaking. "Ok so now you're a Chokey Bush...?" She finally coughed out the leaf and began to make a wheezing noise as she tried to regain her breath. "And now you're a Wheezy Bush... or are you a Can't make up your mind Bush...?"

Silver Spoon could not stand this pony and made a very loud remark,

"I'M NOT A BUSH AT ALL SEE!" Silver Spoon growled as she poked her head out of the leaves! Bubblegum SCREAMED,

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!! EVERYPONY RUN IT'S A CRAZY TALKING PONY EATING BUSH!!" She bolted across the sidewalk heading straight for the gallery with her eyes closed and her hooves blazing blindly she suddenly collided into a passing stallion who was rather curious about the gallery.

"Aghhh... whoa filly what's the rush?" She shook her head around and looked back to find the bush was gone.

"I unno... what was I running from? I know it was something super scary?" The stallion just laughed and began to make his way into the gallery replying,

"Well be more careful would you?" The sensible stallion waltzed his way into the gallery with Bubblegum watching him go through. Her eyes peered inside to find Sketch who was just standing around idly by Lavender. Immediately Bubblegum lit up happily!

"Aha, there she is!" She pranced into the gallery behind the stallion making her way over to the guest of honor.

"Wow, I can't believe it's just been a few minutes and there's already ponies coming?"

"Why of course darling there's a big sign that says 'Grand Opening...' did you not see it at the entrance?" Sketch put her head down feeling embarrassed,

"Well I wasn't really paying attention to that seeing as I was blindfolded..." She began to stop for a moment as the world seemed to pause around her. She had a strange haze come over her and almost immediately she shook it off and gazed behind Lavender's warm stare as she calmly replied,

"Well no worries, we're going to do some unveiling today and then..." Bubblegum began to prance towards them and in an instant Lavender's conversation was interrupted with,

"HEYYYYYYYAA SKETCH!" Lavender's cool attitude was turned upside down as she felt startled from the sudden outburst! She turned her head to see the bright face of Bubblegum Berry and scoffed,

"Ohh... it's just you, what do you want?" Bubblegum didn't understand the sarcastic tone she had and replied innocently,

"Just wondering if my number one friend of Ponyville would want to go hang out around that really awesome place SugarCube Corner and play some cards, or soda fight, or WHAT ABOUT A GOOD OLE FASHIONED BERRY SWIRL FAMILY FAVORITE, Creamy PieForAll!?!"

"Oh come now we're in no mood to play right now Bubblegu...." SHHHPLATTT! A pie came out of nowhere smashing cream all over Lavender's face. Sketch was about to snicker when the tin slid off her face and her mouth spit out cream on the ground with an angry growl, "Ohhh I really hope you didn't jus...." SHHHPPLAT! Another pie hit her in the face.

"Hyahahahaha... what was that, you have pie on your face? Well of course it's a pie fight silly!"

"Oh nooo..." Sketch began to whisper as she backed up. Lavender's face began to twitch just as bad as North's.

"Bubblegum... I really think you shoul...." After the third pie was thrown, Lavender was completely red in the face as she glared with an extreme hatred for the pony in front of her! A strange sensation began to tingle Bubblegum's body as Lavender screamed, "GET YOUR PIES OFF ME YOU DANG DIRTY CLOWN!"

"Uhoh I think she's madd..." Not being observant to what was about to happen a painting swung down and smashed over her head! In a daze for a moment she looked at the pure rage in Lavender's face and knew right then now was not a good time to play, "Uhhhmm... I think I should go now..."

"GETTTT OOUUTTT!!!" Like a dog being punished she yipped and galloped out of the gallery with the painting around her neck bumping into several small exhibits Lavender had been graciously given by some local talent. "Nooo not that, that's Lyra's bust!" Lavender's anger was replaced quickly with fright as the exhibits started to fly everywhere! She caught Lyra's big goofy smiling bust and let it lay on the floor gently as she ran after Le-Clerc's ebony crown vase! She almost lost it but managed to snag the bottom of it in time, "Oh thank Celestia... wait no..." The last exhibit tampered with was Felix Bucksworth's rare Rainbow Glass Gem... "NOOOOOOOO! He worked so hard to fit those pieces together!" With all her might she used her magic and just before it hit the ground, caught it just by a hair. The near save was extremely rewarded by the sound of everypony inside sighing in relief that the exhibits did not break. "Whew... that was close..." The only damage done was her overall status and the destroyed painting made by Sketch. "I'm dreadfully sorry Sketch, I just... I don't know what came over me..."

Sketch-It felt something about that pause in her head was trying to warn her of this occurring making her immediately want to see if Bubblegum was alright.

"It's ok I can draw another, but next time why don't you think before you do something like that!" Sketch's attitude turned a bit sour to Lavender as she started to trot off. Caught by her concern to Bubblegum she stumbled around her words as she blindly put the exhibits back in place,

"Wha... what about my feelings, she stained my perfectly groomed coat with whipped cream, I'll need to bathe again to wash it off before it soaks in, and the floor is all sticky too, Red washed these floors spotless... agghhhh... Sketch..." She looked back over and seen she had already left the gallery, "Hmmmph fine, be that as it may she has other friends I suppose. I can't expect her to hang around me all the time... ... though that was uncalled for, it was un-lady like of me... she just threw harmless pies and what did I do I smacked her face with a paint canvas oohhh Celestia what have I done... now they think I'm a complete JERK!" Lavender begun to feel regret for her rash behavior amazingly fast. "I'll just have to make it right I suppose, ohhhh and today was going so well. I'll have to bathe first, agghhkk I can feel it already soaking in my mane, ewww... eww...!"

Sketch galloped over to Bubblegum who was less downtrodden and more confused as she sat quietly on a park bench.

"Hey are you ok Bubblegum...?" She looked over at Sketch with the canvas still around her face.

"Huh... oh..." Realizing immediately she was talking to her and not a piece of gum she admitted, "Yeah I'm ok, I'm just confused, why do you hang out with a bunch of sour faces and prissy hooves?" Sketch had a feeling Bubblegum more than likely never had any friends in general, her parents did say her only friends were them so to speak. Sketch felt it was her duty being her first friend to give her some advice though however confusing it may be coming from her mouth.

"Well for starters you don't go starting pie fights everywhere you go. They usually are not all sour, maybe they were working on something or were stressed out. Everypony is good for being friends with but you gotta know when things are appropriate to do around them Bubblegum..." Bubblegum just stuck out her tongue and mumbled,

"Pffffttt, if a pony can't be themselves anyplace anytime then count me out, I don't have to be friends with your friends if they won't let me be me..."

Sketch suddenly felt a huge haze hit her and this time a flashback came with it as if something or somepony was trying really hard to point out something to her. The flashback brought her straight to a moment in her childhood when some of the orphans had started a fight and Sketch was hurt in the process.

"Stop it you meanie!" It was a filly picking on another filly and she was laughing at her,

"Look at this everypony Stitchy Hooves plays with old dusty ragdolls, look at this... you weirdo why didn't you ask for one of these..." She showed off her brand new plushie which was by far more vibrant and colorful than the little dusty toy Stitchy had. "Such a weirdo, what's with all that old creepy broken stuff..." The moment arrived though Sketch wanted to stand up for her. She approached between them but she was pushed by one of the goon fillies who were with the other filly and her plushie.

"Oh look Sketch thinks she's gonna be a hero, pfffttt you and your little crayons, just as weird as Stitch... hey everypony Sketch and Stitchy plays with Icky..." Someponies refused to laugh at the pointless ridicules and just went on ignoring them but, several fillies and colts who were friends with the pony laughed at them painfully hurting Sketch and Stitchy's feelings. No other pony would stand up for them and the two lonely fillies felt helpless.

She could remember though the one thing shining in the way against those painful memories was Lady Mareweather who had stepped in that day with her hoof firm,

"Satin Braid that's no way to treat your fellow ponies!"

"But Miss Mareweather look at what they're playing with? They don't play with the latest things or anything!" Raising her brow she replied with a very powerful argument as Satin Braid always liked being the favorite, but this was one time she crossed the line.

"That dusty old toy is actually my prized possession Satin Braid, my grandmother gave it to me when I was a foal, that Ollld Toy as you like to call it is all I have left of the fond memories of my grandmother and my youth. To be honest I would not trust anypony but Sketch-it or Stichy Hooves with it. It's a very delicate and valuable toy and one of a kind. Your plushie comes a dime a dozen at the toy stores did you ever think about that?"

"But..." Before Satin Braid could say anymore Mrs. Mareweather summoned the fillies and colts,

"Children, I want you all to gather here, I want to tell you all something here and now..." As she retrieved their attention she put Stitchy and Sketch side by side responding, "Listen up, you take a good look at these two. Now look at yourselves..." Confused the fillies and colts looked around as she continued to elaborate, "Would you have come to help if one of these ponies were being hurt?" They all started to feel uncomfortable as they began to look back moments later when they just ignored the bullying. Lady Mareweather stared down at all of them. She was peering in the room when the event happened so she knew what they all were doing. Before any could respond in defense she continued on, "I was watching from the doorway so don't try to act like any of you attempted to do anything..." Pausing a moment she gave a sigh and knelt down by Sketch and Stitch replying, "Look children, Sketch enjoys coloring don't you Sketch?" Sketch nodded as she levitated a paper up, she could remember always being excited to show her drawings to everypony. Mrs. MareWeather nodded and turned to Stitchy Hooves. "And Stichy enjoys playing with her dolls, but yet when Stitch was made fun of Sketch a pony who had the choice to not do anything stood up for her. This fillies and colts is an act of Kindness and Tolerance. Though they may end up finding out they have nothing in common, I can see these two would equally tolerate one another and would hang out despite their differences. This is something ponies nowadays are beginning to lose sight of children..." Lady Mareweather paused with a growing concern in her expression as she was probably thinking how few of those fillies and colts would take her words to heart. She wanted to give them all a group hug but instead she raised up and began to express her concern to them. "I wish I could just bring my childhood to all of you, the way it felt back then is so different to the way it feels now. I want you all to just know and try to take to heart what true friendship means, what tolerance means to all of us. The world of Equestria has changed since then but, we all still need to strive to tolerate and love one another for our differences because I know..." She turned her attention to the picture of her and her husband standing in front of their mansion. "I know, that two completely different ponies can still be friends, I know, because everyday I spend the majority of my time with one so different as I..."

The flashback began to fade out and it hadn't been but a few seconds passed. Sketch had a feeling she shouldn't mess with it so she just hopped over and sat on the bench with Bubblegum.

"You know what Bubblegum I say you keep on being yourself then, but also don't give up on them just yet ok?" She reached her hoof to Bubblegum to shake on it and Bubblegum put one of her hooves to her chin contemplating it.

"Hmmmm... ... Deal!" She returned her hoofshake with a shocking surprise!!!

"ZZZTTTTT TAAAHAHHAHHHHH!!"

"Hyahahahaha... Gotcha didn't I!" Showing the hoof buzzer she stuck her tongue out with a goofy smile raising her brows!

"Ahhh yeah you totally got me!" Sketch had to laugh after she was done shaking from the shock, it was rather out of the blue and unsuspectingly funny.

"Hey Let's go to the SugarCube Corner! I hear they have pies, cupcakes, and candy lots of CANDY! I really love my treats, big treats, small treats, any treat is a treat for me!" Sketch agreed to that idea all the while her mind could not help but feel these light headed hazes were caused by that mysterious pony in her dream.

'Somepony obviously knows a lot about me... But it is true sorta, my friends I've yet to really get to know any of them but North and still I barely know anything about her too...' She started to feel anxious to learn more about her new found friends she had been with for a month or so now, 'Who are these friends of mine...?'

The two mares trotted back through town towards the sweet candy coated palace that is SugarCube Corner.

"Ooohhh I can't wait to taste those sweet treats, you know I've been known to bake a few things..." Sketch turned to her raising a curious brow inquiring,

"Oh really like what?" Bubblegum began to look as though she was thinking very hard on this subject.

"Well my mom taught me how to bake, it didn't come naturally that's for sure, about the best thing I can do is make BlueCherry Swirl Pie cause mom taught everypony in our family how to bake our specialty, but my dad taught me how to make cotton candy and bubblegum which was crazy hard! Well not exactly crazy hard just getting everything right is key or you make nasty bubblegum bleckkk. We all tried my cousin's bubblegum and it was nasty of course his name is Spinach Dip Pie Swirl, he can bake a real mean veggie pie though!"

The mares had made it right at the entrance of SugarCube Corner when Sketch could not help to ask about her family.

"I'm curious Bubblegum how big is your family?"

"Well most of us are Berry Swirls, some are my uncles' family... we're pretty big branching from the pie family and the swirl family."

"What...?" Bubblegum took a deep breath and began to answer pretty quickly,

"Well starting with Cherry Pie Swirl that's my mom, then you have Blueberry Swirl that's my dad of course, and then you have my brother Jelly Berry Swirl, and my two sisters GooseyBerry Swirl, and LolliBerry Swirl, my full name of course is Bubblegum Berry Swirl, then you have my uncle who is Carrot Pie Swirl, he's my mom's brother, and my aunt but she's not a Swirl or a Pie, her name's Bobby Pin. And last but not least my three cousins Spinach Dip Pie Swirl, Cream Pie Swirl, and lastly Lil Pot Pie Swirl!" Bubblegum started to huff and puff as she tried to regain her breath.

"WOW... and you all live together?"

"Oh of course we do, our family has always traveled together..." Sketch realized that staying still for once may be a challenge for the family if they have never done it before.

"Are you like worried something wrong is going to happen staying in one place... won't you all miss moving all the time?"

"Nahh, with sweets as tasty as these there's no way I'd move anytime soon!" Immediately she shot off towards the pies and stared at them with a big hungry smile, "Ohhhh I want a piece of that one, and a piece of that one OOOHHH... is that Boysenberry Mmmmmm they all look so yummers I just want to eat everything here, but I shouldn't that would be rude for other ponies and it's always good to share pie with others that's what mom always says!" Sketch strolled over to a seat by the window and sat for a bit. With her hooves on the glass and her tail twitching about Bubblegum asked Sketch if she wanted some.

"Sure give me a slice of blueberry."

While Sketch took some time to get to know Bubblegum, Jaxx was making her way down the road with her dad, Lil Bullet and Chess Pie to Anvil's smithery on a job to pick up some materials for the ranch house.

She just so happened to catch North who was also seeing Anvil as well for a specific gear piece that she had desperately needed to repair. Jaxx waltzed in on the last bit of North's conversation to Metallic Thunder,

"You think you could do that for me, I mean if you can't it's ok..." MT levitated a gear to examine it closer.

"Nonsense I can fix this..." He examined the main problem which was a damaging crack between one of the grooves. "An inch longer and it would be unusable but than again you're talking to MT the Magic Tuner!" As he likes to call himself being a unicorn and in the business of engineering and other odd hobbies. North had yet spent enough time around Anvil's son but seeing as Anvil was busy she had a treat of dealing with him.

As it turns out he did her job really fast. "Good thing I had some of this already made huh..." A strange magic solvent he had mixed was very helpful in this situation to cleanly repair her gear. Like magic it grew back good as new. MT smiled with a warm reply, "Nothing like the wonders of magic to really make stuff easier huh?" North gawked at the solvent and nodded with a quiet voice,

"That was sooo awesome..." Immediately she raised her voice, "You gotta teach me how you made..."

"Ehem..." A voice cleared behind her as Rusty Copperplate trotted up from behind. MT had been dealing with Copperplate so he quickly nodded and pointed over to a wagon already loaded with the materials.

"There you are sir, all ready to go."

"Much appreciated MT, Jaxx here will take care of the payment..." Jaxx trotted over dropping the money on the counter waving at North.

"Hey there North, what'r you doin here?" North turned her attention to the green pony who was waiting for her response. She in turn responded by rolling her eyes replying,

"Psshh, nothing much really I got this big project I'm working on it's gonna be sooo AWESOME times nine thousand!" Curiously Jaxx made a gesture as she answered back,

"Oh really, care ta tell me, or is it a secret?"

"Oh you'll see when I get done with it practically everypony will see it too so yeah."

"Here you are good as new." MT handed her the gear and she gladly took it and made it nice and snug in her carrying sack.

"Hate to go but I gotta get back to work soon so i'm going to grab a bite from SugarCube Corner and then straight back home, I'm starving." North bolted off heading for SugarCube Corner, and Jaxx figured after helping her father haul the materials back home she'd go there too for something sweet to eat.

Meanwhile over at Starlights little abode. A growing situation had her even more upset than previously.

"Ohhh this is not enough, blechhh those taste horrible, ohhhh why can't I get these right..." In front of her was a pile of cookies that she attempted to bake but to no avail did she make any her worried mind could deem good enough for her sister's visit. "Somepony I am, I can't even make sugar cookies right..." One of her house pets, a little frog hopped up on the counter. "Oh... hey Sebastian..." The frog croaked looking sad that she was so down in the dumps. He ribbited curiously. "Oh it's nothing really..." As her calm voice stopped it was replaced with a quick anxious tone as she continued, "Just my sister the queen of sweets is going to be here and I got absolutely no talent in making sweet things and she's gonna be upset because I told her I was going to make the sweets and if she tasted any of these she'd... be disappointed in me!"

The frog nearly fell off the counter from her lack of pauses in her sentence. The frog croaked again and held a spoon in his hands. "What, I should keep trying..." Sebastian nodded licking a spoon and putting it on his head like a helmet, he held another spoon in his arms like a gun and gave her a very serious expression ready to go to battle with a loud croak! "hehehe, Oh Sebastian you silly thing you..." Her happy smile was returned with worry as she gazed upon her mess. "I'm afraid there's no way you could help me alone..." Sebastian without warning popped her in the head with his equipped spoon! "Owwwch... what was that for?" Sebastian gave a whistle and suddenly the room started to fill up with all sorts of critters. Crickets, frogs, fish were swimming in the small streams running through the kitchen, squirrels, rabbits, just all sorts of creatures had gathered into the room. Sebastian then pointed over with the spoon towards a picture of Starlight's parents and a saying they had wrote for her and her sister. "Help is never far behind when you take care of your own. A shining star of guiding light, a righteous path you will be shown." This saying was true for her as she had been helping all these woodland critters since she was a filly playing about in her little secret pond home. "You know what Sebastian, let's do it!"

Her kitchen was filled with crazy activity as bowls were moved around, sugar poured, dough was being pummeled and mashed. "Oh be sure to clean your little paws... clawss... errr feelers... don't forget them fins too, my sister likes clean food." Sebastian eyeballed every cookie before it was transported to the tin, sugar was handled with care by the crickets who were sprinkling it just right across the unbaked dough.

Moments later when the cookies were done baking Starlight took them out and blowing a few times to cool off one cookie she took a small bite. "PERFECT!" She absolutely enjoyed the end result and was confident her sister would agree! "Ok can I trust you all to not eat these cookies please? I'm going to town to get a little something for myself and all of you for your help." They all agreed they could hold the fort while she was away.

As she made her way to Ponyville, Lavender was having her conniption fit,

"Ohhhh, this is just dreadful simply just absolutely dreadful in every sense of the word... what ever shall I do Red?" Red was sitting his flank on the arm chair listening to Lavender as she groaned and complained with Humphrey occasionally howling. "I made myself look like a degenerate barbaric pony!" Red nodded a bit listening to her grumblings and suggested,

"Might I give a simple suggestion Miss Rose, apologize?"

"What, never... that pink swirly monstrosity rudely threw cream pies in the middle of the grand opening which I have to get back soon..."

"Miss Rose, have you not been listening to yourself, you threw a framed paint canvas over her head in response to a harmless pie..." Lavender's eyes darted around ignorantly as she agreed with Red on that fact,

"Well yes, I suppose I can't really expect an apology for that, but that pony really needs to learn some self control, she's been here a week already and I can account numerous times of seeing her cause such chaotic disruptions in town..."

"Well have you ever thought about talking it out with her, or maybe to Miss Sketch afterall she seems to be linked closely to your friend." As if she just discovered this on her own she turned to Red replying,

"Why yes, yes of course... she is, and as I said before I have to share it would be greedy of me to even think I could have Sketch all to myself, but I suppose I must grow some tolerance to her tomfoolery, I'm just not used to it I suppose." Red felt his job was done and he hopped out from the chair concluding with his slow and proper tone,

"Then I suggest Miss Rose, an apology would be in order. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to the library, I've been desperately wanting to read something since we left Canterlot." Lavender made her way to the door and as they both left she nodded putting her hoof up in a very lady like gesture bidding,

"Well good luck on your book search Red, I have a friend to apologize to, and apologize I shall."

Bubblegum was sitting and enjoying the pie as she slapped her face into it and completely made a mess everywhere! Sketch gave out a chuckle and took a small bite using her magic very delicate like.

"Ahhh this pie is just as good as my family's... mmmm mmmmm!" Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake could not help but feel so warm inside as they seen a former pony they once shared laughs being resembled by this energetic bubbly pony.

"Honey you know she reminds me so much of Pinkie Pie..."

"She does dear, nopony could ever replace Pinkie Pie though..." Mr. Cake nodded but after watching for a good time as Pumkin and Pound Cake were joining the table laughing as Bubblegum pulled out a piece of gum and shared it with them, he felt that pony was going to ignite that laughter in this town they so desperately needed after more than twenty years without Pinkie Pie.

"Every new friend gets a personal piece of Bubblegum's very on BlueCherry Blast Gum!"

"Wow... thisshhh ishhh really good!" Pumkin cake felt a jolt of tangy flavors of zingy cherry and zangy blueberry shooting around in her taste buds.

"Don't tell my brothers, sisters, or cousins but mom and dad taught me how to make all of the family pies and bubblegum flavors. I still think my flavors are really special though cuz they're mine!" Sketch was curious about the cutie mark and while they were all cutting up and having a laugh she asked,

"Bubblegum what does your cutie mark stand for?"

"Oh I'm glad you asked, I always love telling about my talent!" She hopped up on her seat and she raised her front hooves in the air, "My skills are many but my talent is one thing and one thing only, the fun and happiness that comes with sweet tooths and fun activities, of juggling, tightrope walking and clowning around... to boldly LAUGH where nopony has laughed before! I like to think of myself as the Crusader of smiles, the Goof of Goofawwss! The Princess of Parodies!!!"

"I... did not get any of that but I'm pretty sure being completely zany and crazy is part of it." The pony's laughed at Sketch's comment and Bubblegum agreed,

"Yeah I suppose if you wanna be all boring about it..."

The day rolled slowly as plans of a certain tiara wearing pony began to unfold.

"You DOLT! Words on a piece of crumpled paper do not make for a convincing argument against this Lavender...!" Silver Spoon's notes were thrown at her by one Diamond Tiara which afterwards she began to open up an angry rant to her, "How can you be so incompetent, this is not going to do anything for my future plans. Why didn't you use any of your resources like you usually do, get a camera, a video camera, a tape recorder! SOMETHING THAT GIVES UNDENIABLE EVIDENCE... UGGGHHHHHH!... FETCH ME A CUP OF TEA THIS INSTANT!" Diamond Tiara spun her chair around to the window as she peered over to Ponyville in her small office. "Look at them all, I'm soo close, I'm just missing a few places in my complete collection of Ponyville... how dare this Lavender Rossee think she can go around me and buy out a piece of Ponyville and think she can get away with it..." She seemed to be petting a cat in her lap. "Ms. Fluffers do you like that these annoying ponies are encroaching on our profits?" The cat hissed viciously and turned its head away from the window. "That's exactly how I feel my little sweet'ms... don't you worry Fluffers momma's going to take care of these pathetic little ants... soon I shall begin phasing out all the small businesses with the completion of the Tiara-Mart, and the beginning of morphing this drab little town into a Tiaraopolis will begin muwahahahahah!"

"Here's your tea Miss Tiara..." Silver spoon placed the saucer very gently on the side of the desk with her teeth and backed away towards the other room expecting she would still throw the first cup as she usually does. Diamond Tiara sipped the tea and immediately she realized Silver Spoon had inched away into the other office. The evil minded pony grinned and with a sweet reply,

"Oh Silver Spoon I can't believe this, for once you actually got it right the first time..." Silver Spoon fell for it and she poked her head around the door,

"Really..." CRASH! A flying teacup splashed over her face and crashed on the floor with Diamond Tiara yelling,

"NOOO, now go do it right this time!" Silver Spoon slumped as her face grimaced from the splash of hot tea. For a scalding hot wave of liquid to splash on her face she took it really quite well as she went to get another cup. "Why don't we pay this Sketch a visit huh Fluffers... couldn't hurt to introduce ourselves to our potential investment." The cat once again hissed angrily as Diamond Tiara stroked her fluffy white fur.

In SugarCube Corner things were starting to get more lively as North pranced in with a giddy face. Seeing the quick repair of her gear made her excited and while grabbing a quick bite to eat she debated spending some time there to dine with Sketch since the repair was not going to take what she had thought it would.

"Hey there Sketch, I see You got Bubblegum stuck on you..." Sketch looked at herself asking,

"What where..." Poor Sketch-it did not get the joke but Bubblegum was laughing silly agreeing,

"Yep Hyahahahahaha, she sure does! Heyyy that was really good... I gotta question though." North turned to her chuckling at her own joke,

"Heh yeah what's that?"

"Where's North?"

"I donno that way...?" North pointed off towards a random direction though she had a feeling what Bubblegum was getting at, but she figured she'd play along.

"NOPE, You're right there silly!" Pumpkin Cake got a kick out of the jokes and Sketch was laughing herself silly when she figured she'd attempt one.

"I got one girls, Ummmm, what do you call Bubblegum when she's full of soda?" Bubblegum turned to her wondering where she was going with this,

"I unno what would I be called?"

"Bubble Pop..." North and Bubblegum looked at her for a moment with an awkward pause.

"Yeahhh... Sketch, you might need to work on your jokes, that was well... how can I put it, very weak sauce..."

"Awww snapp... no mercy!" Pound Cake blurted as he threw his hoof down!

"Nope North is never merciful..." Sketch let out a sigh rolling her eyes around. "Queen of Cold she is!" Sketch added as everypony chuckled of course Bubblegum seen her moment to strike and she let out,

"Well of course what did you expect she's North! Gosh Sketch I figured you'd read books about the North Pole, well known for it's icy cold, coldness!"

"Hey who are you calling a Pole, and Pffft I'm not always icy cold, I just don't want you getting made a fool of for making a bad joke." North snapped humorously.

"Gee Thanks, and your jokes were amazing?" Sketch raised her brow.

"Welll... not bust a gut amazing but they were a lot better than bubble pop... I mean what were you trying to get at with that joke...?"

"Yeah Sketch Jokes are supposed to have a meaning, it's like an artsy art like your art..." Bubblegum paused and took a punch bowl and lined up several cups full of punch adding, "But with PUNCH LINES! Speaking of punch who wants some?" North agreed reaching for a cup answering,

"I sure do I've been thirsty since all that wor.... BLUAHHHH!" Bubblegum's trick punch cup let out a splash as several wiggle worms set in a hidden container inside flew out slapping North across the face scaring her briefly! "Agghhhh Bubblegum you ninja'd me!" She jumped up on the table and with her trusty peashooter and bubblegum in her other hoof she made a ninja pose grinning suspiciously,

"I AM... tha ultimate Joke Ninja! HYAHHHH!" She shot a piece of gum out the door and the piece of gum hit Jaxx in the eye as she was about to stroll in!

"Ahhh what in tarnation... what's this, a piece o gum. Hmmm..." Bubblegum's face looked like it was about to burst with laughter, Sketch and North glanced over wondering what was about to happen. Jaxx unwrapped it and began to chew on it walking inside. "Well howdy maresss...OOMMPH!!..." Suddenly Jaxx's face puckered up and her ears began to twitch with her eyes as that first bite unleashed such a sour explosion!

"HA, GOTCHA! That's no normal piece of gum, it's my special joke gum, CHERRY TAMALE EXPLOSION, better watch out it's about to pack some serious heat in a second..." Bubblegum had given Jaxx the bubblegum chew of a lifetime! "Here get some punch quick!" Jaxx ran to rescue her mouth before the tamale heat hit! Jaxx spit the gum out and reached for a glass when the wiggle worms jumped out on her,

"GAHHHH!" Her face splashed with punch. "Agghhh real funny..." She muttered at Bubblegum slightly annoyed at the joke played on her. The others just laughed innocently when Bubblegum looked at her concerned that she was underestimating the power of her gum.

"Ummm mare you should get a drink soon, spitting the gum out doesn't stop the heat..." Jaxx's eyes grew wide when she uttered,

"Duwahh... MMMMPHHH!" The juicy liquid still in her mouth and plastered in her throat suddenly went ablaze! "AGGHHHHH!" Fire spit in the air as her face turned red! She tried cup after cup not knowing that they all were rigged!

"GAHHHAHAHAAHAa... WOWWW, THAT IS HILARIOUS!!! HOW DID YOU, BUBBLEGUM DID YOU PLAN THAT ALL ALONG OR DID THAT JUST HAPPEN!!" North dropped and rolled on the floor unable to hold in the hilarity that she had beheld. Bubblegum just shrugged and made the remark,

"Not really, I actually was thinking everypony would get a glass but you were the only one, that's some bad luck Jaxx..." Jaxx grabbed the whole bowl of punch and guzzled as much as she could falling on the floor giving a big refreshing sigh as she belched!

"Agghhh why would you do such a thing that was down right terrifyin! First mah mouth was puckerin like takin a bite outta dern lemon, then it gets hotter than mah grandma's spicy Apple'Bean Chimichangas, then I go to get a drink and four times all I get is splashed in the face with'a bunch'o dern plastic worms!"

"GAHHH NO MORE!!! STOP YOU SERIOUSLY ARE KILLING ME NOW!!! AHHH I can't take it!" North erupted hilariously unable to control her fit makeing Sketch's little snickers suddenly burst into a goofy sounding laugh and after that Bubblegum started to join in,

"HYAHAAHHAAHAHAHA, LAUGHING IS CONTAGIOUS HAHAHAHA!"

"Well I'm glad ya'll had a laugh at my expense, now if ya'll excuse me I'm gonnaaa aahahhhh AAAAHHHHH OMMMPH!!!!" CRASH! Jaxx slid on the slippery punch spilled floor right into a dessert counter dropping a cream pie right on her head! The ponies paused for an awkward moment, but when North looked over seeing Jaxx was ok she let out a whooping,

"GUFFFAWWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!" Mr. Cake looked over the counter at Jaxx who started chuckling after that embarrassing blunder reacting with a bumbling response,

"Ahhh, I spose I deserve that fer actin like a sour puss..."

"If ya can't laugh at yourself then how are ya going to live when jokes are played on you ya know?" Bubblegum questioned the creamed pony. Jaxx agreed to the rhetorical question and added with another rhetorical question,

"Heheheh, I suppose there's a morale to that gum wrapper then huh?" Bubblegum nodded still chuckling from the whole disastrous prank,

"Yup there sure was!" North hopped up from the floor and took a deep breath replying,

"Oh Celestia that was good, I think I won't be able to laugh like that for a while now, whew... agghhh Bubblegum I totally underestimated you, that was absolutely awesome!" Bubblegum felt a huge smile come over her face as she felt accepted by North and she could not help but cry out,

"YESSSS!!! WOOOHOOO!!!" She hopped around and started chanting to herself as she pranced around North, "I got a new friend, I got a new friend, she's a very best friend and her name is NORTH! WOO! Hey you know what we should all do!?"

"What's that crazy face?"

"Celebrate by EATING MORE PIE!"

"I'd vouch for that!" Pound Cake responded as he quickly flew over to get some pie for everypony at the table.

"I'll get the punch!" Pumpkin took the punch bowl to go fetch more when her mother came out with another bowl,

"Already ahead of you dear, here... tell them it's on the house." She appeared to be giggling obviously from the stupendous act of hilariousness that had befallen Jaxx.

"Finally I'm might starvin fer something sweet on account of mah sour blunder."

Sketch took note of all the friends she had gathered here at the moment, she was just missing two more and the two that came to mind were Starlight and Lavender.

'This is fantastic, they're all getting along so far, really well.' She felt relived that They were getting along, but she still felt nervous that something may still cause conflicts.

Speaking of Starlight she had just begun to enter said establishment to come upon everypony eating pie and having a good time.

"Oh hey girls!" Sketch caught her and immediately cried out,

"Hey Starlight get over here mare join the party!"

"OH FOR REALS IS THIS A PARTY OHMAGOSH I wasn't prepared for this lemme just put on MAH PARTY FACE!" Bubblegum of course slapped on some funky looking glasses with googly eyes and smiled turning her face to North who was just about to drink some punch. "AM I READY TO PARTY OR WHAT!?" North blew out a stream of punch laughing her flank off!

"GGFFAAHAHAHHAAAA! Agghhhh Bubblegum you gotta slow down my insides can't take all this!!!" Starlight felt she was just going to be a burden noticing everypony was having fun. She let out a nervous reply,

"Oh I donno if I should, you all look like you're having a good time without me besides, I got to get back hhaaaa..." Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake refused to take her refusal and slapped her up on a seat replying,

"Nonsense, any friend of these ponies deserves to have a good time!" Pumpkin and Pound Cake were tickled pink to have somepony that reminded them of a friend they had as youngsters. Bubblegum was just full of random tricks and fun which was a dose of smiles on most days which it took them effort to find some smiles.

"Ohhh... well ok maybe just a little bit..." Starlight didn't want to be rude now that she was on the spotlight.

"Hello there Names Bubblegum, and you're Starlight?" She extended her hoof out and Everypony noticed the buzzer... they wanted to say something but Starlight had already grabbed it,

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiaayyyyyeeeee!!!" She squealed out loud from the blast of electricity in her body. She paused a moment with a big eyed expression looking towards Bubblegum. Everypony was staring at her waiting anxiously for her reaction, when she quietly mumbled under her breath,

"That.... ... was..." She began to raise her voice as she randomly rejoiced squealing, "AWESOME! Do you know anymore tricks!?" Captivated by the funny trick played on her she seemed to be just as entrapped by common jokes and pranks as she was with magic. "I've always enjoyed practical jokes when I was a filly, actually I really like magic and circuses and all those kinds of things... I really wish a good circus would come soon, the last one wasn't as nice as the ones I remember..."

"Psshhh those clowns not nice, are you kidding they were softies..." Bubblegum begged to differ about the dangers of those clowns but Starlight knew from being shot at how dangerous it was...

"Oh no, they were mean, they were shooting their thingies at me... oohhhh what were those?"

"Guns..." North answered back. "They were guns and yes they may have been bumbling derpheads but they still were using something that would've ended a pony's life really quick..." Sketch gulped as she remembered seeing them and those awful faces torturing her, of course to help make her feel more nervous a freak storm occurred outside! "WHAT THE!?" North also felt unnerved. "That's twice Ponyville got hit with a freak storm..." Everypony turned at her curiously.

"Freak storm, I thought this was just unscheduled storms like making up for lost days?" Sketch never really watched or paid attention to the weather so North corrected her quickly,

"Er, News Flash... but we've had plenty of rain days, I was in cloudsdale last week and they didn't schedule these two, something's starting to go freaky with the weather... last I recall the Rainbow Factory said it was having a temporary shutdown, there was an accident in the production labs..."

"Accident..." Everypony's eyes widened.

"Yup, I probably should've told you mares but I thought they had told Ponyville, the weather for the first time is going to be unpredictable in Equestria, at least for a while until they get the device back up and running."

Sketch shook as she felt a chill come up her spine, the girls were stuck in SugarCube Corner for a bit.

Several ponies including one little dragon as well had begun to pile into the building with the mares. Mr. Cake felt it was his duty to care for them as they waited out the heavy hitting storm. One pony of which caught the mare's eyes as she lurched in whining and moaning,

"Ohhhh this is just nasty, my mane is drenched, my tail is nothing but a big floor mop, eewww ewww ewww... Ugghhhhh, I clearly am going to have to have a word with those lazy weather ponies, this is the second unscheduled downpour in this week!" Slapping her wet mane in a failed attempt to be graceful she had hit her body with a wet painful SLAAP! Her face curled as she grimaced!

"Fashionably late to the party..." North scoffed to the wet prom queen. Lavender turned her attention to the whole group and seen Bubblegum and Sketch.

"There's nothing fashionable about this at all!" She quickly diverted her attention back to Sketch and rejoiced, "Oh thank heavens, I should count my blessings I chose here to get away from the storm..."

"Ehem..." Spike and Red were standing both drenched as well. Poor Red would require an expert cleaner to get his tuxedo back to shape.

"Oh yes, well I was going to try and look for you two at the Spa which I suppose would be silly of me to think that you two would be there..." She paused her words sensing that could've been insulting and responded to correct herself, "I mean, not to imply that you do not groom yourselves... which is exactly the opposite of what I think I mean I ... I ughhh..."

"Actually..." Spike interrupted her and added, "The storm started and we were running for cover when Red spotted you girls and well here we are." Lavender with a rather harmless smile and her eyes showing her sincerety trotted forward attempting to mend the damage she did,

"Yes well, ummm you see... I've been thinking and... what I did today, it was..." She was trying to think of the words to put forward but she just couldn't, the more she thought about it the more she felt she had been a monster.

"I'll tell you what you were..." Bubblegum spoke out and Lavender gulped knowing whatever Bubblegum said would be more than punishment. "You were a big mean EXPLODY PANTS, and you were all like RAWRRR and I was like NUUUuuuuuu!" She started to animate again showing that she was really afraid of her and continuing, "Cuz you were like really really loud and GRRRRR, like some big scary URSA MAJOR, like if somepony really got you mad mad, I'd be really afraid cuz like you're totally not a softy you're like a big GINORMOUS BOULDER falling off a cliff when somepony yells at you because you're up on the cliff, 'HEY YOUR A BOULDER ON A CLIFF!' 'OH YEAH WHAT ABOUT IT!' SMAAASSSHHHHH!!!!" North and everypony felt a bit awkward from that explanation.

"Soooo, creepy clowns armed with guns that could kill a pony don't scare you, but a prissy angry mare will?"

"You were not there mare, she's got like the EYE OF THE TIGER, I bet if she was there rescuing everypony from those chicken clowns she would've been enough to just send them to the hills no questions asked!" Lavender liked the compliment but she really didn't want to make the impression of an intimidating monster and she concluded to them,

"Yes well, I shouldn't have acted as such, it was very un-lady like of me, and I'm... srrr.... ..."

"What...?"

"I'm srr....rrry..." Lavender felt her mouth stumble as she attempted to apologize. Red knew she was going to be stuck on this so with a deep sigh of regret he took a step forward and replied,

"What Miss Rose is trying to express is an apology to Miss Berry Swirl and Miss Sketch for her rude behavior..." Lavender blushed feeling embarrassed she couldn't say it herself.

"Aww it's okie Mizzzz Rozze, here, apology accepted just a simple shake of the hoof..." North turned her head and planted her hoof to her face knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Ok... well that seems very gracious of yyyyoooooeueeeeeeeeeeeEEEE!" Lavender's wet hair suddenly started to singe and poofed out in a frow!

"Hyahahahahaa, Oh I'm on a roll today this is like the most fun I've had in AGES!!!" Irritated Lavender just muttled under her sour expression,

"Charmingg..."

Flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder continued on the hour as the ponies were sitting around idled by the overcasting weather thinking about the things they were supposed to be doing. The worst feeling was Starlight who was worried her sister would not make it.

"Agghhh this sure as sweet apple cidar's sweet one heck of a bad time fer a storm to pop up, probably by now mah dad's tryin to keep the dern house from floatin away, he had the roof open ready ta put in a new stove today... and we still have ta pour concrete under the house."

"Tell me about it those machine parts were not properly protected, I hope for Celestia's sake this don't rust them, most were in bad shape anyway. That entire circus machine was like over eighty percent not usable, as in this thing was never taken care of. There was soo much it could do if it was, there were tons of pneumatic tubes still in tact though, back in its day that huge system would've played music that could've been heard at a good distance, there was also a rotation stage too that could've allowed for scene changes and plays but it was rusted out... ugghhhhhh! I hate you rain!"

"Wow North you really been working hard on that thing huh?" Sketch asked striking up the topic to the curious ponies,

"Yeah well, it's a pain but I just seen the most amazing quick fix ever from that stallion over in the Smithery, I'm totally gonna try and find out how to do that. I can't really fork over enough cash really to fix all those parts!" Lavender opened her mouth to veer concern from North's project to her current one complaining,

"Well that's just charming really but I need to get back to the gallery it's still being unattended and it worries me to no end. This has just been a bad day for me..." Of course the final pony ready to give her complaint was Starlight who mumbled,

"I shouldn't even be here... I'm supposed to be back home waiting for my sister to come over so we could have our weekly hang outs... now I'm for sure it's going to be completely ruined because I chose to stay here..." Starlight began to push her hoof around the table with a downtrodden sadness in her eyes.

"Well maybe she came in with that large group of ponies what is she and what does she look like?" Sketch asked curiously.

"Well, she's pink, with black and red streaked mane, she's a well known chef in Cloudsdale and she's a pegasus, her cutie mark is a strawberry shortcake, and her name is Strawberry Delight."

"You mean like this one!?" Bubblegum pointed out a pony approaching the table with the same looks described.

"Hey lil sis, what's up?" Lavender in her all knowing knowledge knew who this pony was and flipped out,

"Ahhh sweet Celestia you're THE Strawberry Delight, part of Cloudsdale's Mane Cook Styles Magazine! Your food is the most exquisite, I heard you run at the top three most delicious and stylish cooks of Cloudsdale!" Lavender blurted with uncontrolled energy. Strawberry Delight just smiled with a nod modestly throwing her hoof out,

"Mehhh it's nothing really and actually right now I've dropped a few places, I got to say I didn't expect to be bested by that griffin Chef à la E-MOde, his style and cooking looked too depressing to me really..."

"Ugghhhkkk Griffins, I hate those featherbrains..." North grumped. Still sour about those feathery punks that got on her nerves that day.

"SIS!" Starlight cheerfully turned and hugged on her sister replying, "What a coincidence to see you here this is such a relief to know you came even though there was a storm!"

"Well I was on my way here when it actually showed up out of nowhere, call it a stroke of luck you're here too." Starlight turned her attention around to her friends and she introduced her sister to everypony. "Ohhhh so these are the ponies you were talking about last week..." Strawberry Delight caught sight of the new pony she had yet to hear about and she pointed to Bubblegum adding, "Ahh I see you also made another new one this week, my gosh my sister's finally making friends!" Like she was surprised about it, Starlight felt excited and happy to see her sister.

Sketch spent this time with her friends to really analyze who they were. The one called Bubblegum she could tell immediately without thinking hard on it she was outright crazy. A jokester and a lover of candy, pie, and practical jokes. She showed signs of probably being a mastermind or just plain had impossible luck on nailing Jaxx so hard with those pranks! She was a really good friend that liked being herself and tollerated everypony so long as they tollerated her.

North being the second most known pony a rather very intelligent Alicorn who seems to have shifted from wanting to work with magic to tinkering with machine equipment and now back to learning some sort of magic stuff that fixes her equipment, she seemed to be very nice and welcoming but had a strict side that occasionally could be seen and she was very straightforward sometimes. Though she did show signs of not wanting to be serious almost as if she can't make up her mind on being serious or comical. Something did stand out though, she sure was the brains of the group.

Jaxx the poor hard working pony, she's always taking care of her little sister and brother trying to do the jobs her dad does because she refuses to see him hurt his already over worked back. She was pretty fair minded about being honest and righteous about knowing when to be relaxed about stuff and when to be serious. With her crazy Appaloosan accent and challenging attitude she was pretty fun to be around. It felt she wouldn't lie to Sketch for the world.

Lavender was so far a bit of a pain to Sketch though. She seemed to have taken the opportunity to help Sketch in a way Sketch didn't feel comfortable with. Lavender practically introduced herself and squatted in her home without so much as any consideration to her feelings... Feeling that Lavender meant well she seemed to be showing a lot of her bad sides than the good though and it made Sketch feel she had yet to know the true Lavender really.

Lastly the quiet little Starlight, seemingly never around but popping up when you least expect it. She works at the tailoring shop, but goes directly home and tries to avoid large crowds but yet when she's around she seems to give mixed signals of happiness and nervous anxiety... Sketch started to realize she's that way too but the only difference in her anxiety was being surrounded by her friends made it manageable, but Starlight seems to bounce around. She's absolutely crazy about tricks, funny panks, magic, and something hinted that she was into science but her own lonely agenda seems too held tight to know for sure.

The storm began to blow over as a large fleet of pegasi from Cloudsdale had been dispatched to take out the problem quickly before anything damaging could happen in Ponyville.

"Bout time those lazy weather ponies came and cleared the sky..." North snapped yet again. "I'm sorry mares but I gotta go see the damage done at home, I'll chat with you all later..."

"BYE NORTH!" Bubblegum ran out as North zipped off in haste waving her hooves. "Woo Wee now that pony can laugh am I right mares?" Sketch giggled completely agreeing to Bubblegum's comment,

"Absolutely! I've been here for a while and never seen her laugh soo hard before, Bubblegum you got a real funny talent!"

"Thank a you I try my very best everyday cause Smiles is like money in the bank! It's a feel good currency!"

"Well I'm going to head back home Sketch and fix this disaster of a mane, Red would you please be a dear and hold down the gallery for me pleasssee?"

"If you insist Miss Rose..." Red didn't like it but he figured reading on the job wouldn't make her mad he direly wanted to get through the book he had in his satchel. Spike eyeballed the book as he walked by over to Sketch and the leftover group of ponies, he seen the face of Daring Do and snickered. Approaching the table Spike replied,

"I'm gonna hang out with you mares cause I honestly have nothing to do and my next nap time is like forever later, plus Owlicious reorganized the entire library without me this morning. I mean come on I spent like an hour shelving one book case and it was perfect I don't see what his problem with my shelving method is."

"Hey I've always wanted to go bowling do you ponies want to?" Bubblegum was excited about wanting to do something with her friends, she felt that with all these new friends she had to do something new and unexpected and she never tried bowling.

"Sure I suppose... what about you three?" Starlight and Strawberry Delight accepted her invitation. Jaxx told them she was passing on the offer and heading back home to see the damage done to the ranch house. "Okie dokie smokie, so we all ready to get our BOWLING ON!" Bubblegum whipped out a bowler cap and slapped it on her head. She waited for the others when Starlight and her sister stared at her curiously while Spike and Sketch giggled. "What... did nopony bring their Bowler caps?"

"Hehehehehe... Hyahahhaha!" Spike rolled on his back snickering and chuckling away!

"Gosh Bubblegum how do you do that... you tell jokes like it's second nature and I say one and get criticized..." Sketch grumbled expecting Bubblegum to give her an answer which Bubblegum did oblige.

"You just don't tell jokes a lot, you gotta learn jokes are not something that just grow on trees, well you can tell a joke about a tree that grows jokes, but that's no joke you gotta tell a joke like it's joke not just a bunch of words all jumbly jumbled that sound funny together, it would be funny if it was that easy... Bamboosly Wooosly Icky Picky WWEEEEEETLE DEETLE TEETLYYYY...!!!" The group gave another chuckle as Sketch gave a sigh with a sarcastic response,

"Thanks, that makes me feel sooo confident..." Bubblegum just smiled at Sketch and extended a punch glass,

"Punch? I guarantee if you accept this nothing bad will happen..." With an innocent and friendly smile Bubblegum offered her to take the glass.

"No thanks I think I've seen enough pranks today to know that's probably a clever TraaaaAAEEEE!!!" The still wet floor caught Sketch as she began to trot from her seat and she slid on the floor thwomping her head into a table where a group of ponies were about to eat a chocolate fountain cake! The fountain cake started wobbling and Sketch's friends cringed as they watched the fountain fall. "AGggggghhhhhhhkkkk!" The poor pony couldn't get a word out as her mouth was filled with chocolate syrup and cake with the rest splattering all over her!

"OOOoohhhh... that's smarts..." Spike felt a shiver go up his spine. "Sketch are you ok?" The poor chocolate stuffed pony made a horrible groaning noise.

"Ugghhhhhhkkkk...." Sketch attempted to make words only to gurgle chocolate syrup as she lay still feeling afraid moving would cause an upset!

"Miss are you ok?" The ponies at the table were concerned for her and all Bubblegum could say when Spike Starlight and Strawberry looked at her was,

"What... she should've took the punch..." Spike slapped his knee laughing,

"Hahahah that was a good one!" Sketch took a deep gulp clearing down the cake and syrup mumbling again,

"Yeahhhh... I'mmm...Okaiii..." She belched out a very thick chocolately fragrance as she felt her belly stuffed with pies, punch and now a ton of chocolate syrup and cake to top it all off.

"Clearly that was one punch she shouldn't have walked away from..." Spike attempted to add to Bubblegum's catchy play on words and she giggled,

"Hyahahahahhaha good one!" Bubblegum approved of the added play on words! Spike felt pretty witty. In slow painful response Sketch uttered,

"Clearly I should've taken... the... Urrp Punch...!" Starlight trotted over to her with Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake who were cleaning the mess.

"Oh goodness I bet that's one mean tummy ache Sketch I suggest you not go bowling, you should get home and rest while your food digests..."

"I'm not gonna argue with that... ugghhhh but I might need help getting home..." Bubblegum glanced at Spike and Strawberry Delight asking,

"Are we still up for bowling?" Spike nodded,

"Totally!" To keep the formalities Bubblegum did of course introduce herself to the pony and dragon, which Spike introduced himself and Strawberry did as well.

"Hey Starlight when you're done taking her home come on down to the Bowling Alley ok sis?"

"Alright I'll be there as soon as I can Strawberry Delight." Starlight responded as she helped Sketch up to escort her home.

Back at Sketch's home Lavender had caught sight of another mailed letter from the Canterlot SteamExpress.

"Oh I done already done it, me and my nosy nature ohhh I'll just read a bit and put it back up. I must know how her brother is doing. He sounds like a rather dashing gentlecolt... Dear sister, I have enclosed a picture of me and some of my comrades, we're..."

(Flashback to Lieutenant Lightheart)

LightHeart had finally felt his hooves touch ground sort of as they arrived to their destination in pieces. It was as far as they would be able to get to the ground the Cloud base was suspended high up from the deep jungle. It was the first step to establishing a foothold into the Lost World.

"We done lost about eight ships from the last engagement... two of those were both the remaining transports..." One of his platoon soldiers had replied with a growing lurch, "These monsters are just never ending, Lieutenant sir have you ever seen their faces before?" Lightheart shook his head. Knowing that a pony was hiding in the mask just made it feel like a treason against pony kind and gave a deep sinking feeling that these ponies couldn't face the world without hiding their faces quite literally.

"I've never got to see one without his mask, but I've been snout to snout with one..."

"I've never had the courage to take those things off, i'm scared I'm going to see something not Pony, or something worse..." Lightheart shook his head as he took a step forward by the docks staring at Majesty's Harmony.

"We're here now, Cloud Base Nine. The first cloud island fortification in the Lost World..." LightHeart felt his skin curl as he mumbled to himself, "Why does it feel we've not even scratched the surface. Now apparently a new warship is being built back at Cloudsdale. Shining Armor is going to be aboard the largest ship ever recorded by Pony Engineering. They named it the Fury of Twilight and it is going to be leading the 1st Fleet."

"What..?" Lightheart had been listening to his superiors talking about it, the growing fear that the extreme push they had done dealt more damage to them than the enemy had forced SteamGale Technologies in Cloudsdale to construct the biggest and meanest dreadnought that Equestria would ever know. A flagship worthy enough to be commanded by the Prince himself.

"She's going to have guns that carry shells which will require ten unicorns to fire, the crew is already going to require hundreds of unicorns the shells are going to be strong enough to blow an enemy warship in half and then some using new MPB Shells, just imagine the enemy fleet being vaporized to dust as you steam forward..." Lightheart just felt completely depressed for some reason and beside him Big Macintosh was being pretty quiet even more than usual as he appeared to be respectfully holding any comments or his usual response 'Ayep...' "I can't even fathom what Shining Armor expects to do with all this in the end, will this all be worth it or are we sending another thousand on a big metal tin can to just to die to stop this, what is this anyway... an ideal that peace and tranquility suffers an entropy slowly descending into chaos. That chaos is our eventual fate so we must restore order to keep chaos so we don't fall into evil... I can't even think right now."

"Sir I'm not understanding what you're talking about..." Big Macintosh seemed irritated as he glared at the young platoon soldier stomping his hoof. "Sir is something the matter?"

"Leave the Lieutenant ALONE BOY!" Big Mac exploded and sent the platoon soldier running scared as he bellowed his voice out and Lightheart sighed,

"That colt wasn't even eighteen years old Macintosh... and he... ..." He could remember that young stallion running in front of him as a warbird chopped him up right before the Lieutenant's eyes. That red mist had bore an image in his mind that gave LightHeart a deep stressful depression.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, tain't nothing we can do..."

At the moment the sound of Majesty's Harmony bellowing her steam stacks was the only sound... the only sound for just a brief second that is. Without even noticing a single thing wrong the sound of a faint swooping noise of a warbird filled the air followed with the sound of a loud EXPLOSION! Shaken up they backed up from the dock and looked off at Majesty's Harmony!

"WHAT THE!!!!!!!!!!!!" The mighty smoke stacks were starting to erupt and huge clouds of steam and smoke started to plume as an alert signal was sounded by the steam stack!

"INCOMING!!!" warbirds and pegasi of the enemy force followed just above the massive cloud cover and out of the blue dropped like an angry swarm of bees on the dockyard! The docked ships started firing their anti fighter weapons into the sky the stationed pegasi and warbirds began to attempt a quick deployment!

The only ones that made it in the air were the pegasi armed to take on the swarm!

"DaisyChain Leader, squad Delta Wing Formation GO!"

"FoxTrot Leader, Squad Delta Wing Formation GO!"

"BaleFire Leader, Squad X Formation GO!" Three squadrons made it off the cloud hangers and soared into the skies as it began to light up! Pegasi armed down on Cluster Flak Arrays started blasting the air causing complete chaos!

"Watch our Stallions up there we got a few in the skies..." Easily located they stayed in formations and chased down the scattering enemy forces. The head leader of Daisy Chain was a young eager filly who was on her way to earning another Ace star for her devastating prowess in the sky. She was one of the few fillies in the Pegasi Air Force.

She had her wings out full extension chasing tails and unloading her dual 33mm Haymaster cannons. The flak blasted around her and her armored padding was soaking up several shrapnel pieces as she tailed a target!

"BREAK AND INTERCEPT!" She cried out. The group broke formation, which after that the only way to keep them from being mistaken as enemies was the clothing they wore of navy and blue, versus the enemy dark clothing.

She tailed that bogie for a long while as she popped rounds trying to knock him out of the sky. "WHOA that was too close!" A bullet came by her and she turned her attention over to the enemy bogie on her tail! "Gahh get off my tail!" She attempted to shake him as she flew through the heavy flak smoke pouring into the sky! She felt her goggles shake and ping as shrapnel still flew about!

"Watch your fire, watch YOUR FIRE!" A novice flak operator tried to aim ahead of the bogie but as he did bullets shredded the air around him until one blew his shoulder clean off jerking his body and firing a flak round too far ahead. Instead of the bogie he sent a flak round exploding right in front of DaisyChain!

"AGGHHH!" POOMPF! The silver coat and red mane of this magnificent flying ace was taken down by a dead flak operator. Her goggles cracked, a shard stuck through her shoulder, her glorious silver wings shredded.

"DaisyChain's down! Somepony GET HER!"

"She's falling too FAST!"

"I CAN'T I'm busy with bogies on my six!" Lightheart who was running caught sight of the quick descending filly and for some reason he felt a haze come over him. Without thinking he sent a blast of telekinesis grabbing her in mid air! A streak of bogies flew down towards them seeing the savior of the downed pony as a target to eliminate.

"LOOK OUT!" Big Macintosh stepped forward with his bit pistol ready to fire but Lightheart fearing the fate of his friend like the young stallion countered,

"NOOO MAC!" Afraid he'd lose his friend he tackled him to the side while trying to keep a grip on DaisyChain. The bullets missed on that strafe but Lightheart felt the dirt slap the side of his stomach dangerously close. Drawing the filly down to his back he yelled, "Don't you ever try to protect my life I don't care if I'm a superior officer that's an order Mac...! I'd rather die saving somepony..." An explosion nearby spooked them and that's when Big Macintosh crossed his superior answering,

"What did ya think I was a doing!?" Lightheart was caught off guard, Macintosh was doing the very same thing, he would rather die saving somepony not just his superior but his friend.

Letting her down on his back Lightheart pointed for the cloud hangar. With cloud walk they galloped across the puffy surface as strafing runs and bombs specially designed to blow clouds apart were dropped!

"HAMMER DOWN ON THOSE MOSQUITOS!" Officers were crying out trying to get the stallions riled up to fire more! It was working and enemies were dropping, but the problem was the damage had already been too great! Just about every pegasi at the station were targeted for elimination first leaving only one... and her wings were torn apart from flak.

As Lightheart arrived to the entrance of the hangar he took a look back at the rest of the cloud port. Puffs of clouds dissipating holes where he could see hooves trying to come up in a panic before they disappeared beyond his sights, docks twisted and warped, ships like open cans of fire! The sound of Majesty's Harmony creaking as the fires reached for her steam tanks, the compressed air exploded and he watched as that majestic beast seemed to suck up and implode! The sound of that megalith ship popping nearly deafened LightHeart's hearing.

"Dear Celestia, what have we done! We've just awakened the rage of some chaotic force we can't comprehend that's what we did..."

Running inside he gently placed DaisyChain down by a small group of cots where apparently some doctors had made a makeshift hospital. "I'm guessing the hospital was the first to get hit?"

"One of the first yeah..."

"The Twenty Second fleet will be here, it's just a cruiser escort with relief ships but they were designed specifically to take care of annoyances like this..." Lightheart turned to Admiral Red Mane who was apparently hospitalized before the start of the fight. He was glad to see that mustached old grump and hear his fighting spirit echo in his voice, "Yeah yeah look at me like that, my hind leg was splayed wide open those sons of banshees! Last engagement a stray flak shell pierced the glass shield on the bridge and BAM! Shrapnel tore me open! They moved my flank out of the med bay as soon as they could get me to more advanced medical care then these doggone flying marauders had to swoop down and blow up the hospital... now i'm back in a cot with limited medical treatment..." The Admiral seemed in a fit as he continued, "I would've been better off on my ship... now as far as I can see she's a big steaming pile of scrap... Agghhhh ahakkakiahuahhah!" He began to have a coughing fit after his long rant.

"Well it's good to still see you in one piece... what's the news about the other fleets if you mind me asking, because all I know is we're losing. It's pretty heavy on the mind sir..." Lightheart had been wanting some good morale boost to counter this feeling of dread. Admiral Red Mane Brushed his hoof to his forehead grumbling,

"Well there's not really much to say, we'll be getting relief hopefully, this blasted sneak attack isn't old news those dirty masked marauders have been hitting every outpost we put out here in the Jungle. 18th Fleet Expiditionary Force came in with some information on a large anti air defense array way ahead of our position, and 1st Fleet..." He coughed as he felt a feverish heat come over him, sweating the Admiral added, "Yeah I said it, the 1st Fleet, those lazy reserves are now being called out! Celestial Equines, they're the blasted stallions that are being outfitted with the new dreadnought. I hear Prince Shining Armor himself is going to be captaining it. Pretty soon we're gonna see that thing shadow over those accursed jungles HAHAHAHA... AHGKGGKK!!" He coughed again, "Aghhh Jeeze if this infection don't kill me first Arggghhh..." LightHeart gave a regretting look back at the ruined fires of the Majesty's Harmony, his superior replying, "And all those brave stallions gone for what... to fight for harmony... how is this fighting for harmoy AAGGGHEEUAAH! Looks more like we're the ones making discord... you know how this war started Liuetenant?"

"That part's unclear to me Admiral sir?" The response was unnerving to the Admiral as he answered back,

"Well what in Equestria are you doing here boy..."

"Fighting for harmony...?"

"Hmmph, if that's the only reason you're fighting then you should be shipped back home where you can AGGHHKKK, spend your time in sunny green fields and perfect weather... sunshine and daisies!" The Delerious Admiral seemed fixed on explaining this mystery but he was too frustrated and feverish he was hardly making any sense of what he was talking about. In face as the Admiral continued, LightHeart felt something really important was going to be revealed. "Listen to me Lieutenant we fight for more than just harmony and you know that... I'm pretty positive you knew that from the beginning, but you're just lost because I bet you've lost some good stallions eh, am I right?" LightHeart reluctantly nodded thinking about the few good stallions he knew who went missing when that transport ship finally blew. "Look the whole reason we're out here is because years ago... Princess Celestia had..." BOOM! A loud explosion rattled the hangar pausing the Admiral's story!

"Gahhh Owwwie, that's some big boom I tell ya, there's a biiiiggg ship thingy out there Lieutenant!" Snails started pointing out towards an object that looked like a bloated fish!

"What in Celestia's crown... ..." LightHeart tried to analyze the size of the object but he couldn't tell how close it was but there were tiny puffs of smoke followed by loud explosions rocking the clouds violently!

"WHAT IN BLAZES IS GOING ON OUT THERE!?"

"Enemy dreadnought, from the distance and amount of guns it's packing REALLY BIG SIR!"

"Those cunning little!" As the Admiral blurted out, DaisyChain started coming to.

"Aghhh what... happened... ahh, my squad where's my SQUAD AAHHHHHH!!" As she abruptly jumped up afraid for her squad she felt the pain of a shrapnel piece lodged in her shoulder. Her wings looked rather shattered after being open and taking a flak round directly! Bleeding and feeling extreme pain running through her shoulder she felt the sharp metal jerk around and slice at her muscle forcing her back down on the cot. "AGHHH! OK YEAH... now everything is starting to hurt!"

"Well cool yourself, you're lucky to still be alive, that flak was meant to tear metal apart, it's a wonder that padded armor saved your whole side from being split in two!" LightHeart continued to keep watch as the enemy ships went from being one big bloated fish to a bunch of smaller destroyer escorts coming in fast.

The rest of the docked vessels were derelict and torn to shreds the only significant loss was tremendous. The bombardment continued on the port through the growing sunset as field medics and small squads of naval stallions were running about trying to get everypony rounded up into the heavily fortified hangars.

"Daaaahhh... I miss Snips sir, he was sposed to be on that other ship when it exploded..."

A voice inside the hangar asked,

"Snails... is... IS THAT YOU!?"

"SNIPS IS THATT YOU TOO!?" The Admiral feeling the air was getting too lovely grouched,

"Oh Snips, Oh Snails ok so where's Puppydog Tails huh...?"

"I'm over here..." Slowly he turned his head to one of the doctors who in fact had puppydog tails as his cutie mark. He took a deep painful breath as he contained his cough and growled,

"Do I even have to tell you how ridiculous it is to see a field medic with puppydog tails as a CM..."

"No sir you don't, and it's not what you think..."

"I'm not thinking about it, and you're not going explain, just do your job soldier!" Meanwhile by the entrance LightHeart and Macintosh were watching the enemy fleet surround them.

The sunset was darkened by the billowing smoke and fire. When night had fallen the fires illuminated the cloud port like a beacon. "What are those dang blasted marauders doing now?" Admiral Red Mane asked. LightHeart shrugged reporting,

"Nothing it seems, they're just circling around us..." Suddenly the Admiral flew into a rage as he hopped from his cot and hobbled over towards the entrance grouching and coughing,

"Ahhheua.... lemme see this, it better not be what I think it is!" Red Mane glared out the opening watching the destroyers circling around with the bloated dreadnought just hovering idle. In a rage he spurted out something that sent a red flag in LightHeart and Macintosh's mind. "Those clever sons of diamond dogs... they know it's a trap..."

"What... ...?" LightHeart turned his attention to his superior unable to comprehend at the moment what he had said. Red Mane just answered unaware of his wording,

"Don't look at me like that son, I just said they're setting a trap!" LightHeart made a note that was not what he heard, but they were all very tired and in a state of confusion and panic he could've said anything.

(Flash forward to Lavender Rose)

Lavender heard the sound of a groaning Sketch as she was escorted into the house by Starlight's caring hooves.

"Ohhhh... oh my word! Sketch what is... is she alright!?" Lavender held her hoof over her mouth at the sight of the bloated pony.

"It's ok, she's fine she just needs some rest is all, she had an accident with a chocolate fountain cake."

"Oh dear oh please let me help you Starlight dear, upsy daisy. Ohhhh Eewwww, she needs a shower before she is put in that bed!" She helped Sketch up on one side trying to keep away from the chocolate soaked in Sketch's coat as Starlight held her other. Inside Lavender's mind she couldn't help but think, 'I must read the rest of that note as soon as possible. I want to know what happens of course they don't die why would that note be there and the PICTURE, i've not seen the picture, did they somehow manage to win, is DaisyChain going to be ok... is Admiral Red Mane going to kick the bucket, I MUST KNOW THESE THINGS!'

Lavender aided poor Sketch up the stairs to the shower before she would be escorted to the room.

"Ohhh, thanks girls... I'm sorry for being, a burden on you two..." Starlight just smiled with a sweet toned reply,

"Nonsense best friend of mine, it was my pleasure but now I must go, you have a good shower before going to bed ok?"

"Ok..." Grumbling as she made her way to the shower.

"It's no trouble at all darling, if you'll excuse me I have to finish some chores downstairs so when you are done you should go straight to bed..." Slowly exiting the room she closed the door as Sketch began turning the shower on. "I must know... I mussstttt KNOW!" She shot down the stairs, took the note with her magic and jumped in the arm chair putting on her reading glasses. "This calls for a spot of tea as well..." In the kitchen she poured some already made by Red, into a cup and levitated it over to her cozy spot. Lighting a fire up she snugged herself in the chair and opened the letter, "Oh brother tell me what has happened to you..." Lavender was getting rather into these letters, occasionally getting these were like receiving the latest magazine on the new hip thing in Canterlot.

(Flashback to LightHeart)

"What are we going to do?" LightHeart had his mind flying around with anxious sensations to do something about this but what, what could he do in the face of this problem?

"You know boy, sometimes you just gotta come to terms..."

"Terms with what sir?" Admiral Red Mane again coughed and replied,

"That we should perform a greater good, because we're probably not getting out of this alive..." LightHeart's hooves sunk and his literal heart hit him with a heavy thud! "You see that Filly over there?" Big Macintosh, LightHeart and Admiral Red Mane looked to DaisyChain, her wings were shredded but she could probably still glide herself and get some lift with some makeshift work done to them. "She's gonna be our last messenger stallions, we're going to alert the fleets of our situation so if you have any filly back home or young little brother... maybe some foals of your own..." He sighed deeply as he cleared his feverish throat concluding, "Ya better say your last goodbyes on paper..."

They all gathered around by the cots and as the fires outside crackled loudly, they began to tell stories to one another as they wrote their seperate notes, wills, testaments, love letters... they all were made to be the last notes sent.

"I... I don't wanna die...!"

"ME NEITHER, WE JUST FOUND ONE ANOTHER AND NOW!" Snips and snails cried out in unison,

"WE'RE GONNA DIE TOGETHER AGGHHHHH!"

"Oh shut it you big babies, you served your empire well, go out smiling and you won't regret it, that's what I told my son... ... before he got his flank blown clean off during a raid on an artillery position up towards Canterlee..." The Admiral took a look down at his pocket watch. "I know nopony really noticed it but this pocket watch here, has a picture of my wife and boy... yeah that's right I have family big whoop..." Before he snapped at the others he took a deep breathe coughing to clear his throat as he responded with a calm voice, "If it's any consolation I'm just going to send it back home to her with the words 'WE FOUGHT LIKE DOGS, BUT WE DIED LIKE STALLIONS!' She still doesn't know he died, it's best I leave the details out, the way he died had given me no end of gri... ahuahuahAAAACK Agghhh this fever!"

The few stallions still awake in the cots were talking about their stories, one even had a tale to tell about how him and his five brothers had fought together for the first tour of duty but when they seperated it was like a curse because they slowly died one by one.

"I guess it'll be my time now I suppose, figures we'd all die when divided that stupid commander of ours oughta get marked for treason for the death of all of us..."

"What about you two, LightHeart you and Macintosh haven't said anything all this time about your lives back home?" Admiral Red Mane wanted to know about these two ponies, these two grand stallions who had fought off a large group of soldiers during the Athenus raid, who had survived being on board a transport vessel descending to the depths of the jungle, who had defended said vessel before the dreadnoughts became too great for the fleet.

LightHeart smiled.

(Flash Forward to Lavender Rose)

Lavender's eyes were now jerking with tears as she read the end, "To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting to come back home, I'm real sorry sis that it would have to end this way, I hope our death is not in vain. I wish there was a better way to end this story for you sis because even writing this and knowing my fate, I can still feel deep down inside I want to cry. I earned my wings the Admiral said but I don't think I earned anything sis because I denied you the priviledge to see me come back home, to tell you we won, to tell you the stories about our parents. If you know Big Macintosh's sister by now, which I'd bet you have she's a sweet little filly named Applebloom, don't be surprised if you find her crying her eyes out too. I'm really sorry I wish I could be there. If it's any consolation I give you this picture of the last group of comrades I was with before I passed on. Admiral Red Mane was right we Fought like Dogs, but in the end we Died like Stallions. FDDS was the acronymn. If you wonder what that saying meant, when I first entered the war I felt like a dog following my superiors going into engagements like cannon fodder. In the end though when we fought to the last pony, it was ultimately our decision to make and we decided to die like stallions. Brave, Proud, and Strong, just like Dad..."

Trembling Lavender picked out the picture and looked at the ponies which were a bunch of loose soldiers from other divisions, from the wounded pegasus DaisyChain, field medics, actual doctors, to a few of the platoon soldiers left in units salvaged from the downed transports. "No... noooo... this, noo... that's the most TERRIBLE, awful thing... I... I don't have any words to describe how..." She did not expect the ending to hit so hard. Pausing to continue on to that depressing conclusion was the worse let down she had ever read before!

She looked up to the bedroom where Sketch was sleeping quietly unaware of the new letter. Lavender purposely crumpled it up and whispered, "I'm just going to destroy this, there's no reason Sketch should hear this! AT ALL, what was her brother thinking those last moments, that..." She was choking up and wanting to cry but she refused to let her tears break, "What this would do to that poor mare would be ten, no a hundred times more painful than what it feels like to me... I feel so dirty looking at her mail now, but this was one letter that was never meant to be seen, Ugghhhh what was that ignorant minded stallion thinking!? Oh Celestia I'm babbling I'm babbling, I'm so nervous and frustrated, and angry, and sad I'm ranting non-stop even when I know I am I just can't..." She began to rip the letter apart and throw it in the garbage. The one thing she didn't want to throw away was the picture which still showed a warm scene a scene that would keep Sketch hopeful. "No I won't destroy this, she deserves to have this at least it'll be..." She sniffled as she remembered in the letter how he described the cloud port and she choked, "Like A b... b... beacon.... of hopppppppeeee Agghhhhh and there I go.... AGHHH!" Immediately she stopped completely scared of waking Sketch!

She put the picture back into the envelope and placed it on the table she found it and ran upstairs slowing to a creep checking if Sketch was asleep. Peering in the room she seen Sketch was sleeping soundly in the covers all clean as a whistle. Lavender removed a tear from her eye and trotted over to fix the covers perfectly. Tucking her friend in she mumbled,

"Poor girl, you rest well mare..." She returned downstairs to sulk on the couch putting her face into the cushions yelling, "OH LAVENDER YOU FOOL WHAT HAVE YOU DONE... my eyes will never unsee those images her brother has burned into my mind! It wasn't meant for me I know but still!"

Lavender's mind was going to be filled with guilt for her curiosity. Out of the blue as she was mourning for Sketch's loss she heard the sound of the door being knocked upon. "Oh who could this be knocking at such a time...?" She opened the door regaining her composure with her magic to behold the one thing she was in no mood to tangle with. Diamond Tiara!

"Excuse me but where is the one named Sketch..It?" Despite being caught off guard by Lavender, Diamond Tiara did not withdraw on inconveniences. Lavender just stuck her nose up and scoffed angrily as she threw her eyes down in a glare,

"She's asleep." SLAM! Diamond Tiara waited for a moment in a shock and growled,

"Agghhhh who does that mare think she is!!!" She began to bang on the door, "I DEMAND TO SEE HER THIS INSTANT!" The door swung open and Lavender barked again,

"She is asleep, what part does SHE IS ASLEEP DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?"

"The part where minor inconveniences ever stopped me from getting what I WANT!"

"Ewwwww.... you spoiled little brat!"

"Little! Who are you calling little you Mare-Hag!" Lavender's patience for anymore interruptions finally was just completely non existent!

The sheer exertion of her anger fit could be felt from the bowling alley where Bubblegum shivered to the bone! Spike noticed and asked,

"What's wrong?" Bubblegum's face turned serious as she whispered,

"I sense somepony right now is very very veryyyyyyy angry..."

"You can sense pony's feelings aww cool!"

"Yeah but it has to be like super serious, like this one... I sense a disturbance in the force with this one it's strong!"

At this exact moment Diamond Tiara was running for her life as a rabid Lavender Rose chased her down taking anything she could grab with her magic and lobbing it at Diamond Tiara screaming,

"HOWWWW DARE YOU CALL ME A MARE-HAG! WAIT TILL I GET MY HOOVES ON YOU!"

"DEAR CELESTIA WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU DON'T YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH!? I'LL HAVE EVERY LAWYER ON YOUR TAIL FROM CANTERLOT TO MANEHATTEN!"

"LET THEM COME I'LL BEAT THE SMART MOUTH OUT OF THEM TOO!"

"AGGHHHHH!!!!"

As they galloped off a strange figure creeped into the building and up the stairs slowly. It opened the door to Sketch's room and quietly trotted over to Sketch's bed whispering,

"So you're that little filly he talked about back at the Hangar..." The figure paused from disturbing her and whispered, "Well I'll let you rest I'll just wait till you wake up..." The figure found a nice spot on the floor to rest itself while it waited for Sketch to rise from her slumber. Trying to situate itself it grumbled, "Aghhh this darned contraption is..." It scooted around in the darkened room making clanking noises. Despite the disruptions Sketch continued to sleep off her fun afternoon.

Who are these friends of mine? Part Two

Lavender had confidently sent Diamond Tiara running to her office with her tail tucked between her hind legs.

"Hmmph... little ruffian, she acts nothing near what I thought she would be. When I think of D-Tiara Inc I was expecting her to be well, more proper and behaved..." Of course thinking about her outburst she felt she had not been too proper either. "Of course she did call me a Mare-Hag, well I sure showed her nopony EVER talks down to Lavender Rose. By Celestia if anypony thinks they can talk down to mwahh... they're in for a surprise!"

She strutted herself back to the house and figured she would check up on Sketch to make sure her crazy outburst did not stir her slumber. "I sure hope I didn't cause any disruption with my rude behavior..." She trotted inside and as she put her hooves up on the stair steps the mysterious pony heard the faint creaking twitching her ears on alert.

"What was that... did somepony follow me!?" The figure quickly shut the curtains on the window and took cover by a dresser and wardrobe snug behind the blind side of the door where if it were to open she would have the element of surprise. The figure listened carefully on the unsuspecting pony.

"Oh Sketch dear... you still asleep?" The moment she opened the door the figure's ears were pinned back with a gritting growl ready to pounce on her, but after carefully listening to the voice she realized Lavender wasn't a threat, "Aww she looks so adorable when she's asleep. I'll just leave her be then." The figure felt a relief, last thing it wanted was to start a brawl in Sketch's bedroom while she was sleeping of all things!

Back over in the Bowling Alley Spike just bowled a full strike and he jumped in the air yelling,

"YESSS! SSSTTTRRRIKKKE! Beat that mare!" With a confident smile and cool eyes he crossed his arms waiting to see if the girls were going to best him. Bubblegum took next round and she made a yawning face replying,

"Boorrring, check this I call it my PULVERIZING SWIRLY BERRY STRIKE!" She spun in circles like a ballerina and as she approached the white line she let it go straight up in the air. She didn't realize the mighty power of physics due to her lack of bowling experience but she somehow managed to spin a bowling ball into the air and with her hind legs she bucked it straight down the lane! The spinning bowling ball sent her for a whirl squealing, "WWWEEEEEEEEE!" The ball launched like a torpedo straight into the pins with a loud KATHOOM! Spike's mouth dropped as those pins didn't stand a chance, it was a direct clean strike! "Impressed much Spike?" She grinned with victorious authority as Spike gawked in shock from what he witnessed!

"Congratulations Bubblegum, you're apparently a talented bowler." Strawberry Delight answered with a hoof out and a cocky smile.

"Thanks, but I owe it to my bowler cap! Dad says you should always wear the proper headgear for the occasion." Starlight laughed agreeing with her,

"Yep it must be true because you won in a landslide..." Showing the score up on the screen Bubblegum had all strikes, Spike had ONE, Starlight had the least amount scored and her sister was lagging just behind Bubblegum.

"So what's next girls, we gonna go greet people with pranks. I like prank greetings, they're like normal ones only funnier!" Starlight tried to think of a reason to stay but she began to remember her animal friends waiting for her back home and she responded reluctantly,

"I would love to Bubblegum, but... me and my sister should really get back home..." She paused herself turning to her sister adding, "I have a surprise waiting there for you Strawberry."

"Ooooohhh a surprise you don't say? Well lead the way oh sister of mine." Strawberry let Starlight go in front of her and the mares left waving goodbye to Bubblegum and Spike. Bubblegum stood for a moment contemplating on what to do,

"Well there's still a lot of day left, I pranked, threw pies, made jokes, ate pie, met new friends, made them all laugh and I played and won a game at bowling. What else is there to do...?" Spike shrugged quickly responding,

"I don't know about you but I'm going to take my afternoon nap." Bubblegum left the Bowling Alley with Spike and parted their seperate ways. Bublegum made the best of her adventure back home by opening her mouth and singing a happy tune along her way,

"Today's been the most excitingest lovliest, funniest days I've ever had. It brings all the smiliests, friendliest feelings and It makes me feel so glad!

Awesome's the word it's a great day to be heard, my voice shouts it loud and PROUD! Today's been the most Awesomest, craziest, zaniest days and all the ponies around me are WOWED! I march my parade we chant and shout hooray you can't RAIN ON OUR HEADS TODAY! Because Today was the most fantabulous, fantasticus, most epicus days AROUND!

"And I see the smiles on their faces, those ponies laughing all over the places! It brings me no end of joy!" She wailed and rejoiced in the air as she waltzed around, danced and pranced all around ponies at random. She looked to three sad little young ponies who were all alone in a nearby playground and she pranced up to them singing, "And I know sometimes it feels like a one way game, but don't you worry we all feel sad someday, but I say we never have to give up on a smile that way! I got plenty to share..." She paused as she gave a little colt a gentle push on a slide sending him flying down and landing in the sandbox with a lonely filly and commenced to play hopscotch with another filly on her back piggy backing the pony over to the sandbox where she sat with them continuing her melody, "With you, you and even you..." With another pause she raised her voice in a bright happy squeal, "To brighten up your DAYYY!!"

She hopped up from the sandbox and leaped up to a street lamp and rang her voice to the world of Equestria, "BECAUSSSE! Today's been the most excitingest lovliest, funniest days I've ever had. It brings all the smiliests, friendliest feelings and It makes me feel so glad!" She jumped down and she marched herself up to a group of ponies and made a loud, "You can't rain on my parade we'll CHEER and SHOUT HOORAY! Because today's been the most Fantabulous, Fantasticus, Epicus Days I've EVER HAD!"

The ponies glanced at her and felt that beat was catchy and they joined her in unison as she went for her final hooray in her happy little song, "BECAUSE TODAY'S been the most EPICUS, FANTASTICUS, FANTABULOUS DAYS AROUND!!!!!!!" Ending with Jazzy hooves they joined with her! She turned her attention over to the crowd and smiled as they ended her catchy little song. "Thanks for ending chorus everypony, we should do it more often!" She smiled to the crowd who in turn replied in unison,

"Don't mention it." The crowd began to leave her as she trotted her way back home!

When Starlight came to her home she led her sister into the little shack and like a blast from the past Strawberry Delight just indulged herself to the scenery.

"Every time I enter this place it's like memories just pouring in my mind... remember that time when we were just fillies and dad had that big slide before he removed it because you skinned your leg...?" Starlight nodded as she fluttered into the kitchen to get the cookies,

"Oh yes, that was a really fun slide too. I remember I wasn't the only one too that had accidents on it... I remember a time when you tried to climb back up and slid down hurting your poor wittle flank..." Strawberry Delight laughed at her sister's comment.

"Ahh they were good times back then..." Strawberry Delight looked to her sister nervously, she felt awkward to open her mouth afraid she might upset her sister.

"Oh here are some cookies I made them myself... oowww..." Sebastian hopped on her head and slapped one of his legs down repeatedly ribbiting. "Well I had help too..." His frown immediately replaced with a satisfied smile of his recognition. Strawberry Delight seen Sebastian and nuzzled her nose against his cheek answering,

"Oh I see Sebastian's still hopping around..."

"Oh yes I take care of him everyday. Sebastian's been helping me cook these cookies, because of him they taste so awesome please try one sis..." Strawberry Delight was reluctant as she thought about a frog making cookies and she felt it was a big unsanitary, but she couldn't refuse those big 'PLEASSSEEEE!' Eyes of her sister's. She took a bite of one and chewed it around tasting the sugary deliciousness and with a warm smile she replied,

"Oh wow these are pretty good my compliments to you talented chefs."

"You hear that Sebastian she likes them!" Feeling as if the world was right Starlight had a big goofy smile as she pranced in place. "Yay she likes them." Strawberry Delight still felt an awkward pause she tried to think of something else to say to keep herself from bringing up the eventual topic she knew she would bring up,

"So do you still have the telescope in your room?" Starlight nodded with a joyful smile. She trotted her way up the stairs to show her sister the room she had let freeze in time. Strawberry Delight had not been in her sister's room for ages. The room was more than just some bedroom to her, it was like a snapshot of the past. "Wooooow..." She felt her mind flash back to the days when her and her sister were little fillies gallivanting about in this room laughing and making such a ruckus and during the sweet nights they would peer through that telescope into the dreamy starlit sky as the reeds around their home would whisper and sing through the night breeze. "Oh I remember you used to carry on about space so much you used to dress up as Shooting Star Strike the heroic space pony during Nightmare Night too!" Starlight proudly began to mimic her comic book hero,

"Shooting Star Strike Space Commander! With the sole mission to explore the outreaches of deep space. To boldly go where nopony has gone before! To fight for Harmony on distant planets and return home to Equestria one day with the knowledge of the cosmos!" Starlight galloped over to her poster of a buzz cut maned pony in a space suit with his trusty magic beam he scoured the cosmos for discord! She loved the Adventures of Shooting Star Strike. "I read the comics every time a new issue was out. I wish the author would make more though all the comics are still up on the shelf from issue one to issue ninety six." Pointing to the display of her vast collection she approached them with a longing sigh. "I really wish we could just go back in time like in issue forty two, Back to the Answer of Everything..." She began to think about her parents which clouded her happiness of reminiscing .

The whole subject seemed very delicate with Starlight, among all the toys, the comics, the starrry wallpapers and the glow in the dark stars on her ceiling all of it was frozen in her childhood a more joyful time. Strawberry Delight began to open her mouth knowing what she might say might cause problems,

"Starlight, I'm sorry to bring it up but are you still determined to stay here all by yourself, I'm still on the offer with the guest room at my home back in Cloudsdale..." Starlight paused her smile and began to feel nervous when she kicked her hoof quietly on the floor,

"Well, ummm... yes. I mean I can't really leave what with all the little critters running in the house. Who would take care of them...?" Sebastian glared at her crossing his arms with a suspicious eye on Strawberry Delight. He sensed she was trying to rip Starlight away from them which was pretty upsetting. "Besides why would I leave such a lovely and quiet little home? I have absolutely everything I need here a job and friends..." Strawberry noticed Sebastian's expression and stomped her hoof quietly on the floor answering,

"Now don't give me that look, Starlight I know you still feel obligated to stay because of all of them, but I'm really worried for your development you've been sooo quiet it's not healthy for a pony to live all on her own like this..." Starlight didn't like the conversation as it brought up the harsh reminder of her parents again. She turned herself around and muttered,

"Why do you have to keep trying to get me to leave every time you come here, I thought making those treats would at least show you I'm trying. I have friends in Ponyville, a... and we went bowling does that mean nothing to you...?" Strawberry sighed as Starlight made a valid point,

"Yeah true but you still come back here and hide away from everypony..." Starlight's face shifted around from annoyed to sad, to huffy and puffy.

"Well I... I think you should just... GO back to Cloudsdale if all you want to talk about is getting me to leave my friends..."

"Siss...."

"Don't sis me, I know you care about me and all but, no means no..." Strawberry Delight wished she didn't make the visit sour for her sister, it was true she was making friends lately and those cookies were pretty delicious. They trotted down the stairs with Starlight looking gloom as she escorted her sister towards the door.

Before Strawberry Delight left she turned to her sister who was lurched and sad trotting away to the kitchen with the cookies still left on the tray. Strawberry felt she could not leave without making sure Starlight was happy with the brief visit.

"Hey, if it's no trouble could I have those cookies to go sis and would you want to... I donno, go bowling again maybe sometime next week with your friends and me?" Like magic her sis lit back up and she galloped over to her giving the tray to cookies to her,

"Oh yes please that would be really awesome." Strawberry liked the idea of seeing her sister out and about and she figured the constant reminding was getting nowhere. To Strawberry's mind these new friends were probably the only hope to get that little pony out of her house and into the world, so with a heart warming hug she bidded goodbye to her sister and left off to Cloudsdale.

Overr at the construction site North had placed around her house she requested the young stallion MT to come take a look at her dilemma.

"So you can see what I mean when eighty percent of all this is unusable?" Metallic Thunder scratched his chin analyzing all the rusted out gears, cracked pipes and broken cogs.

"I can see you got a lot of crack pipe... heheheheh!"

"Oh haha that's so funny i'm being serious!" North was in no mood for jokes.

"Well I don't see anything I really couldn't fix with a bit'o magic, except for maybe those over there..." Metallic Thunder pointed over to a pile North had put out of completely corroded gears. She agreed with his diagnostic,

"Yeah no amount of magic I'd expect could fix those..." A stallion of his science and a focused worker he had not much else to say but,

"Leave it to me I'll cook up a batch big enough for all of this, we'll melt down the corroded gears and remake what we can how's that sound?" North extended her hoof with a smile and added,

"Deal... but umm could I also if it's alright with you observe the enchanting process?" Wanting so bad to see how to make her own batch of repairing solvent she asked him if she could watch his method of creation. Metallic Thunder to her delight was all too happy to see somepony show interest in a field that was pretty taboo and not openly explored. Besides that fact he had yet to find anypony in Ponyville interested in the art of enchanting and alchemy his age.

"Why you most certainly can!" Trotting along the road back to his dad's smithery he couldn't help but explain the mysteries and wonderment of enchanting, "Clearly it's an unappreciated art to me. The things ponies could do using magic earth ponies, pegasi, anypony and any non-pony too..."

"Yeah well Ponyville's not really the place for a magic shop most of their daily tasks are non magic oriented." North argued back to the unicorn. MT nodded rather anxiously adding,

"Obviously which is why dad let's me do it in the quiet privacy of his smithery... well maybe not quiet but I do the work in the back mostly away from everypony due to accidents constantly happening. I've actually enchanted my hooves at one point in time with plant growth which was hilarious! Had it for like a week and dad just laughed calling me 'Flower Hooves.'"

"Heh... that sounds like a lot more fun than what I've done of late..."

"Tis the price I pay for science the Great Unknown."

"SCIENCE!" North exclaimed with an eager grin.

As they made their way towards the Smithery North gave a greeting to Anvil who was hammering away at the metalworks outside the building. Going inside it just felt so inspiring! Metalworks, pneumatic tubes and gears galore with swords and metal pieces put out on tables that seemed ready and waiting to be connected to make some sort of new device. MT waved over at Le-Clerc who was in that day the tall slender pony of science replied back,

"Ahh yes hello there Master Thunder, the zebra has delivered your order just as usual." Le-Clerc levitated a large lump of ingredients left by a mysterious zebra in a sack. North had an idea what zebra they were implying.

"So you get all your ingredients from Zecora huh?" Metallic Thunder turned his head as he received the bag of freshly picked goodies.

"Oh you know about the zebra then? Yes we do a bit of trading she delivers excess ingredients she has and we will occasionally hoof deliver special ingredients to her. You see Le-Clerc is a well traveled adventurer and delver in enchantments so he'll often go out of his hoof to get what Zecora needs because she..." He glanced over at Le-Clerc who added,

"She obtains the more dangerous to retrieve ingredients. I don't know how in Celestia's power she doesn't lose herself in the Everfree Forest but the majority spells I personally enchant require those hard to get ones. In exchange for the comfort of not having to hoof across Equestria I deliver her ingredients from afar, mostly she asks for her homeland ingredients which is a rather simple task to retrieve. Going to a tribal village and acquiring medicinal herbs is by far a safer venture than going into the Everfree." MT nodded adding,

"Le-Clerc and Zecora were tickled pink that I wanted to try a hand at enchanting so they always give me some spares to tinker with. Zecora gave me a couple of books on enchantments and alchemical remedies for in case I ever feel under the weather. The sure do hit the spot when my allergies start up." Feeling she was left out on a secret in Ponyville North mumbled,

"Aghhh, I feel as though something really awesome has been happening right under my nose..." She felt the desire to ask if she could learn the trade so that she could do her project herself and not bother Anvil and his son. "Well would there be any chance I could learn about enchanting from you? It would save a lot of time and save MT a lot of work making so many batches of that repair solvent to fix all those machine parts of mine..." MT grew a big smile as he turned to Le-Clerc.

"Welp it looks like you got another pupil Le-Clerc..."

"Looks like I may certainly well have..." He gave a painful sigh replying, "Ahhh but my day is so full of jobs from assembling to disassembling, cooking up ingredients for alchemical potions, occasionally hoofing around Equestria to get ingredients and now teaching more than one pony how to make enchantments... why my day's going to be filled to the brim, I won't have any free time at all." Le-Clerc was hinting at something to the ponies which MT didn't understand until North had a general idea responding,

"What do you want us to do in return?" MT felt puzzled and asked,

"Why can't I just teach her?" Le-Clerc shook his head replying,

"Dear boy I can't have you teaching a novice if you yourself are merely a novice. About the only thing you can make without blowing yourself up or growing flowers on your hooves which might I add was rather silly... is that repair solvent which does not teach her the basics of alchemical enchanting, which I might add again you so fervently attempt to destroy in your path!"

"I can't help going beyond the power of things it's my nature! I want the best and if I can't have the best then it's probably not worth it which is why that repair solvent is the best thing that's ever happened in my growing accident..."

"Growing accident?" North focused her attention to MT, "What growing accident?"

"Little derpy doolittle here turned the smithery into a garden when he over mixed a growth ingredient..." MT laughed as he recalled the huge mess of weeds he made in the building and that he had to ultimately clean up.

"Yeah the glass container exploded... that's when I came upon the repair solvent. A lot of the equipment was damaged by the growth potion so It hit me, I would fuse my Repair All spell which really does not do what it says I tried to REPAIR ALL and it was a bad strain on the brain. It's more like a repair only as much as your brain can think spell..." He trotted over to his still open alchemy books and pointed his hoof to the remedy book Zecora gave him adding, "So I took the quick fix potion which mends scrapes, burns and what nots fused them together and found this repair solvent. It's really neato if you get a broken wing or leg this could fix it good as new So it's like a general purpose medical and mechanical aid... the spell gives it the all purpose and punch while the quick fix gives it the means to be applied."

"So how in Equestria did you manage to fuse your magic into the concoction though that's what I want to know..." Le-Clerc stopped them there and explained in a very scary tone,

"Infusing is one of the most daring and dangerous things a unicorn can do to an alchemical potion, in truth you ponies are messing with forces that were not to be tampered. It is an art that was long frowned upon after tales of ponies descending into madness from the power, some still locked away in the Tartarus. Enchantments are in general dangerous which is why I and Zecora do not condone what MT is trying to do, breaking limits is what drove ponies mad..." He paused a moment as his creepy evil eyes darted around at North and MT creeping them out, "If you proceed to do this you must not attempt to mix these spells willy nilly, the simple enchantments guide over on that table is where you shall start your journey but I caution you, if you dare to look into the depths of its ability you may find yourself cast into the deep of Tartarus..."

"Not as colorful as Zecora's warning to me but still just as riddly and creepy..." MT answered feeling unnerved by Le-Clerc's behavior. Immediately Le-Clerc snapped from his creepy act and assured,

"I'm pretty sure unless your spell is something impossibly difficult like say attempting to make Ponyville float into the sky you should be alright. I'm just giving you caution now before you attempt to do something as silly as that... Enchantments are not something you can just concoct anything for it's all about mixing the forces of magic and alchemy together properly, sometimes you'll yield a positive result, sometimes it's a dud, and sometimes..." He again grew creepy as he snapped with a hoarse evil voice, "YOU'LL LOSE YOUR SOUL!!!"

"AGGHHH!" North and MT wrapped each other in their hooves shaking as Le-Clerc laughed with an evil,

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" Trotting off to continue his dis-assembly line in the other room North and MT looked at one another with an awkward pause letting go of one another quickly...

"Ahhh yeah well um, normally he's not that creepy but he is right I do tend to break the limits, but I also keep from wanting to do impossibly hard potions like for instance repairing those beyond repair corroded gears would require powerful magic, and I don't know if i'd want to try infusing something that strong..." MT also had the feeling he had to clarify, "Magic can do whatever potions can but at a price of limitations on the mind, potions can do whatever magic can but at a price it require ingredients, careful measurements and most of the times yielding small effects, but enchantments can amplify the power of these potions without the strain. Now I've tried enchanting items but to no avail I've not yet discovered how you can infuse objects with no magical properties of their own with magic..."

"Well all I'd want to know right now would be how to make that repair solvent..." MT nodded without hesitation and trotted up to the books.

"Ok well let's get started then first we need to prepare the quick fix, so pitch over those ingredients will ya?"

As they worked on a batch of solvent... Back in Sketch's home it was quiet, Lavender had begun to worry about Red and the gallery's opening so she set out to check up on him.

"My word the day is almost gone I didn't give Red any specific time to close the gallery doors, I better go do it myself then..." With the dog by her side she hopped off the couch and trotted over to her designer saddlebag. Humphrey jumped off and barked as he felt the desire to go travel with her. "Yes Humphrey you can come with momma here..." She lifted the flap and let him jump into the bag snuggling in and Lavender left the house letting the noise die down.

Sketch started to wake up after a few hours of resting her stomach.

"Aghhh... that was absolutely horrible, I can still smell the chocolate on my breath..." In the dimly lit room she hopped off not even noticing the figure sitting behind the dresser which was barely awake and alert. It heard her get up and quickly raised its ears in alarm thinking.

'Ahh, she's awake finally... hmmm so how should I go about revealing myself, I suppose just saying hi...? Duh...' Not thinking about how alarmed Sketch would be the figure approached her as Sketch trotted slowly to the window to check how far the sun had dipped into the horizon... when she opened up the curtains a dimming sunset filled the room with rays of light on a blazing silver face replying,

"Hello..." The sheer amount of freak out was beyond crazy as she lifted into the air with her entire body twitching out of fright she screamed with an inconsistent,

"Aahhhhhh EEEEE HHHHHHOOO AAAAHHHGGHGHGHHEEEEEEEEEEKKK!" She bolted over her bed peering over the covers to get a better look at what had almost scared her to death!

"Whoa there mare, chill out it's ok... well yeah you just woke up to a complete stranger in your bedroom I can see that's a shock but i'm not here to rob you or anything..."

"Then what are you... what's the big idea sneaking in my room?! Jeeze everything that's happened to me is just full of surprises!?" Sketch gazed over at the black spotted silver coated pony, her wings glistening with silver and a strange copper contraption bracing them. Her cutie mark was strangely barbed wires with a daisy in the middle with small daisy petals strewn across the barbs. The fire red mane and yellow highlights blazed in the glow of the sunset outside the window! She wore a tattered heavy jacket with four stars on the collar her hair held back by a pair of cracked goggles. The pony showed signs of nervousness as she replied,

"Wanna go downstairs and talk, it's sorta a long story..."

There sitting in the living room she talked for a short period of time. Explaining in great detail why she was there,

"The names DaisyChain, Lieutenant Major DaisyChain of the one'o ninth FillyForce Nines, I was transferred to the thirty second HayFlak Brigade. Which is where most of the story starts so I'll keep it short..." She explained the entire events that happened at the cloud port and her detailed escape out of the port and into the safe hooves of the 22nd Relief. She also made sure that Sketch knew about her brother and where he was in all of this.

Lavender's attempt to hide this information was in vain as DaisyChain gave the news, Sketch's heart dropped into her stomach quite literally hearing the news made her so sick she felt her body turn frail. She staggered and attempted to run to the bathroom desperately feeling the urge to throw up anything left in her stomach! Everything just in an instant felt hazy and confusing to her like her dream only far more distorted. Falling apart her thoughts shattered like glass.

DaisyChain sat on the couch with a gloom in her eyes as she heard the whole nasty scene and the crying that soon arrived afterwards. "Now I know how those couriers feel when they had to deliver the news..." That terrible choking cry was painful to her ears. "Wow... this is just... all kinds of awkward..."

To make matters worse Red, Lavender and lil Humphrey were returning to the house.

"Well you did a good job of taking care of the gallery despite your eyes glued on that silly book..." Before they entered the house Red contradicted her and defended Daring Doo with a stomp of his hoof,

"I dare say, you Miss Rose have no taste in quality literature then..."

"Just what are you saying Red..." Staring at him with a strong focus.

"That you are illiterate if you think this book is rubbish..." She gasped at the sound of his words as he continued, "Why this book Miss Rose is quite possibly the grandest adventure of words that I've ever been addicted to since the years of your father's teenage youth, back when I was entrapped with the dark suspenseful Poe Series books, now those were good times sitting by the fireplace and reading them to your father and him being courteous enough to listen to a book before judging it so rashly like yourself..." Lavender played the denial card and turned her attention into the living room answering,

"I donno what you're talking aboo... ahhh...ahhhh...ahhhhhhhh..." She was stuck on her words as soon as she caught eyes on, "That glistening silver coat, the fire red hair, those yellow highlights, that CUTIE MARK... ... it can't bee... it's impossible!!"

Red was caught at a disadvantage and Humphrey feeling DaisyChain was threatening his territory ran out and barked viciously at her. DaisyChain just gave a sharp grin replying,

"Ahhhh look at this little furball he's ready to fight..."

"Please I would suggest not... ..." The old mustached stallion's eyes grew wide as DaisyChain ignored him and commenced to hop on the floor and play with the growling furball. She was barking at him and throwing her hooves around his sides making him run around in circles. Humphrey spun around and the little confused terrier finally grew tired of being tricked into running in place and dropped rolling over on his back whining with his little pink tongue sticking out through his whiskers.

"Awww you a lazy little thing aren't ya, you need some exercise if ya wanna mess with me boy... grrrrr" she playfully rubbed his belly with her hoof and spun him around on his back laughing, "Don't worry about it, animals bark at me but I've never met one who'd dare take a bite out of this..." She shook her flank around laughing as she introduced herself, "Lieutenant Major DaisyChain, and you are?"

"Red Tie, and this is Miss Lavender Rose, and that is Master Humphrey." Red was rather intrigued by the wild maned mare who stood before him. Lavender was just completely scared out of her wits because she was not expecting her to be anywhere in the vicinity, quickly she tried to get answers by asking with a bumbling tone,

"Whaa... why are you... here Miss DaisyChain?" Strutting her stuff over to the table she pointed her hoof down on the letter replying,

"I was delivering some letters when I stopped here and I had this like strange haze come over me... felt like a lightheaded sorta thing ya know? Aside from that I felt obligated to talk to Sketch-it." In disbelief the left side of lavender's mouth raised as her eye twitched on the other. Her mind began to race,

'Oh Dear CELESTIA of all the things that could happen this IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING! If she discovers that letter is gone she's going to let it be known, what if she's already told Sketch my efforts of keeping it a secret would be in VAIN. What's worse she'll know there was a letter involved and I could become the prime suspect! Why Celestia why must my act of kindness be rewarded with punishment!?'

As DaisyChain turned to her side they noticed something about her wings. There was some mechanical brace with small shards of metal that looked like scales or feathers covering areas where her wings were blown apart. Lavender remembered how LightHeart described her wings and the shape they were in after taking a direct hit, the bandaged shoulder where a large red spot of what appeared to be blood wrapped tightly on her left side, everything LightHeart described was exact detail which meant this happened not too long ago for her wounds still to be fresh. The mechanical brace still attached to her wings she still wore her fighter ace jacket with the four stars reminding Lavender of her fighting status, she could've had five stars if it wasn't for that accident. Her snout was spotted black to her silver coat and it raised question was it the way she was born or a scar from getting a thick black plume of flak shot in her face? The very image of this mare scared Lavender for a number of reasons.

DaisyChain suddenly began to feel a woozy spell and began to stagger around!

"Ohhh... owwww my head..." Lavender did not let this stop her from helping the older mare as she ordered Red to escort her to the couch. Red guided DaisyChain to the couch as told by Lavender and placed her cozily down with some pillows and a towel to cover her bloodstain "Ahhh It's only been a few days but I miss that smell of burning metal and that thick cloud of flak, kinda wish I was back out there with my thirty threes pounding those warbirds with hot steel, SOO HARDCORE! You guys have no idea how alive you feel when you're busting the sound barrier constantly soaring through thick smoke, bullets whizzing everywhere bogies on your tail about to rip you to shreds! AGGHHHH I'm missing it sooo bad!"

"Clearly you must be feeling the need to go back so what's stopping you dear from doing so?" Lavender inquired hoping to convince her to leave as soon as she healed herself over.

"I can't, if I could mare I would but these braces don't exactly let me fly. It would take better pony engineering to make me fly again. This little getup... it was made so I could free fall basically so really I hoofed this entire trip... aside from the lightheadedness I was feeling really tired and wanted to see this Sketch-it I was hearing about from a comrade of mine... so to speak." DaisyChain thought about Sketch's reaction and back to Lightheart which she couldn't shake him out of her head. Those two thoughts felt heavy on her.

"So to speak... ..." Lavender started feeling sweat roll down her face.

"Yeah... I figured I would give her the news about her brother personally. I knew she was going to be upset but I didn't know this upset."

'Oh no she already told her!' Lavender galloped up the stairs to the bathroom door and knocked on it crying out, "Sketch darling are you ok...!" Inside Sketch was feeling her body completely lose its energy her mind all she could think was,

'All this... all of this was because I came here to see my brother what is it all for now what's the meaning of my journey now? What's the meaning of having to live anymore if the biggest thing in my life of knowing where I came from, who my parents were my entire family just.... ERASED before I could even get a chance to see anypony face to face..." Drops of tears splashed on the sides of a porcelain sink as her voiced choked trying to speak her thoughts out loud, "And there was nothing I could've done to stop it..." She stared through the mirror and watched as the mare across the other side began to grow gray.

"Sketch please answer me, don't be quiet like this you're scaring me..." Lavender completely afraid that Something bad had happened galloped back downstairs. "Something is wrong with Sketch I JUST KNOW IT, she's not responding!"

"What..." DaisyChain didn't like how Lavender was making the situation scary and attempted to reassure her, "She's probably taking some time to think or something this was some pretty heavy news..."

"You might be right... oh this is positively nerve racking why has it been nothing but pain and strain since I came to Ponyville!?" Lavender had no end to the problems so far with her new found social group in Ponyville. She was starting to wonder if moving to this town was even worth it.

Inside the bathroom Sketch began to mope around as she from time to time would look back to the mirror and all she could see was a gray pony. The news hit her so hard that her emotions drove straight downhill returning her to that terrible place the place she fought so long to stay away from, that discorded and depressing sensation she had as a foal... The Gray Foal Syndrome! This time it felt like it was coming to stay permanently. The last time she was there in that emotionless and depressed state the Mareweathers were there to pick her up. Her hope was dwindling to the last bit now though because her hopeful foster parents were miles away from her. In her gloomy hour she began to hear the voice from her dream call out,

"It is time..." Sketch looked around until she spotted the floating light. "Come Sketch, let your destiny unfold." Sketch didn't feel like she could go on doing anything else but follow this light so she turned to approach it when she was suddenly enveloped with a powerful energy and lifted up from the floor! In a flash of light she disappeared from the bathroom entirely to an unknown location. "You've yet to do your part Sketch your time will come but first, your friends must prove themselves..." The voice echoed in her ears leaving a note behind them on the bathroom floor.

Lavender let time pass too long and she stomped her hoof replying,

"I'm not standing around for an answer last time I did she was ponynapped by a bunch of brutish clowns who knows what could happen now... Red would you be a dear and BUST THAT DOOR DOWN!"

"At once Miss Rose!" Galloping up the stairs he proceeded to dropkick the door blowing it wide open!

"Whoa, oldschool pony still got his kicks I see."

"Well Miss Daisy, I tend to keep in tip top physical condition for when the moment arises that muscle is required for a particular task..." DaisyChain approached the open door behind Lavender raising her hoof to hoofbump Red with a jazzy response,

"Rock on old stallion!" Red did not shy away from the hoofbump and proceeded to extend his hoof out and tap hers, "Oh come on that's not how you hoofbump, give it more Oomph!" He figured she wanted him to punch her hoof with his so he gave her a good sturdy POP! "Ohhh owww... wow..." She felt that old pony's strength shake her bad shoulder. "Yep that's how you do it."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lavender screamed out startling everypony including Humphrey who was finally feeling relaxed in the living room! In her hooves was a note she read aloud, "We have your friend, if you ever want to see her again come to the library! Don't report the authorities or else... or else what what do they mean by that!?" DaisyChain's eyes flared with anger,

"Sounds like someponies need their skulls stomped in!" lavender felt a bit disturbed by the violent reaction DaisyChain had.

"Yes well we have to do SOMETHING about this, we can't just let these goons take our poor Sketch away this makes twice she has been ponynapped. Oh Celestia why does that poor mare get into so much trouble? Let's not waste time to the library!"

"Way ahead of you mare!" DaisyChain bolted out the door heading straight for the library.

They were not the only ponies who were given the note, the strange orb of light dispensed notes to a few more ponies which the second pony to get the news was North,

"What's this... ..." North was observing the ingredients condensing when a note seemed to have flew out and smacked her in the face. "..." She paused a moment as she read to herself, 'We have your friend... yadda yadda come to the library if you ever want to see them again...' North didn't like the sound of that and there was no open window or draft in the building, this was not only a physical impossibility but who else could it be meaning if it came out of thin air? Giving a benefit of the doubt she replied, "Ummm MT something just came up can you hold that concoction for a moment...?"

"Yeah It's still gonna take a while to cook up..."

"Kay thanks bye!" She blazed out of the building and flew for the library worried sick that it possibly was Spike! "Maybe it's just a joke who would be so personal, unless it was one of our friends! Agghhhh this better not be a joke cause the more i'm thinking about it the angrier it's making me!"

Another note arrived at the hooves of Jaxx who was hammering down some nails on a fence post.

"What the, what's this here now, we have your friend, if you ever..." Reading down to the last letter she dropped her tools and cried out, "Pappa, somethin might important just came up I'ma be headin ta town!"

"Alright don't be too long now ya hear? Yer sis is gonna be makin supper here pertty soon!"

"Don't you worry yer horseshoes Pappa i'll be back before the sun's down!" She raced off towards town mumbling to herself, "Who in the wide world of Equestria could be ponynapped now'a wonder?"

Yet another note was sent to Starlight through her window.

"EEEEKKK, Something's on my face GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" She freaked out prancing her legs about like a scared filly when Sebastian jumped on her head and snatched it up. She looked up realizing it was only paper and blushed as Sebastian gave her a rather annoyed expression croaking as he rolled his eyes, "Oh it's just a letter, my bad Sebastian..." He rolled it up and swatted her on the nose as he jumped off onto the counter. She rubbed her nose muffling, "Owwwch... why do you have to hit me so much?" He unraveled the note before her and she read it to herself. "GAHHH!!" She gasped in horror as she replied aloud, "Somepony or something has ponynapped a friend of mine! Oh dear that's terrifying... ohhh nooo I could not... the last ponynapping involved scary clowns with guns." Sebastian croaked and pointed once again up to the picture of her parents with the same saying. "Oh you're right Sebastian, if I'm not there for my friend then that makes me a big scaredy dummy head and a bad friend, but I don't know what if it's dangerous, what if the ponynapper have guns like those meanie clowns?" She gulped frightened at the thought of it.

Sebastian jumped on her head and with a furious flinging air strike of the paper he attempted to give her a gesture he would protect her. "Oh that's sweet of you Sebastian, if you want to come then of course. You can be my little knight in shining armor." In a distinguished manner he held the paper rolled up to one side and his other hand to his heart standing tall extending his legs up! "Well let's not doddle, we should get to the library right away." He nodded acknowledging that logical choice of action.

The final note sent was to the crazy Bubblegum who had been sitting with her cousins and older brother looking around a table with cards in her face.

"I'm watching you Spinach Dip! I know what your game is!"

"Oh yeah Bubblegum you think you know but you don't know I know cuz you don't know what I know unless you know right now then my knowing of you knowing would not really know what it is you KNOW!" Bubblegum glared at him as she gave him the freaky eye,

"Exactly, and that's how I know what you know... because you just don't know that I know what you know because in knowing that I know what you know I couldn't know because you'd know ya know?" Spinach Dip started to sweat, his green mane dripping as the pressure was on him thinking,

'Oh nooo, she knows the thoughts I'm thinking cuz I totally don't know that she knows what I know cuz I donno if she knows!!! Or do I know but her knowing that I know she's trying to trip me up on my knows! MY BRAIN!' Spinach Dip didn't want any part of her game of mind tricks and immediately folded,

"I fold...!" He took a piece of gum out of the loser pile knowing it could be either a crappy piece of his spinachy gum or worse... Bubblegum's evil Cherry Tamale Explosion. He reached for a piece and slowly opened it up putting the piece in his mouth, "Don't be a Tamale Bomb, please dont.... HMMMMPHHH!" Quickly he tasted the nasty spinach! "Oh thank Celestia it's just mine..."

"Awwww lamecrackers, I was really hoping you'd get mine!" Bubblegum felt something get stuck in her mane. "Wooooop what's this?" She tucked her mane over her shoulder and looked at the note. She read it in her head. Immediately she put on her mean serious face as she mumbled, "Sorry guys, but I gotta fold this is very IMPORTANT!" She never folded before so immediately her brother and two cousins knew this was in fact important. She reached into the loser pile and grabbed a piece plopping it in her mouth. She gave it a chew and figured out it was her Cherry Tamale Explosion! She continued to hold her face keeping her dramatic pause running even when her face turned red and sweaty until she let out a loud fiery explosion from her mouth! "WOOOO, that's spicy! Hyahahahaa!" Immediately after laughing she put her serious face back on, "Ok see ya later guys, I gots important friend business to attend to!" She pranced her way to town straight for the library where everypony was being drawn to.

The first to get there was Lavender, Red, and DaisyChain. DaisyChain bucked open the door and Spike who was fixing a shelf heard a KATHUNK!

"GAHHHH!"

"Alright you no good punk ponynappers, COME ON OUT AND FIGHT ME LIKE A STALLION!" Spike felt his claws slip and a bunch of books suddenly tumbled down on top of him!

"What's going on, who are YOU!?" Trotting towards the little dragon DaisyChain analyzed him for a moment mumbling,

"You, you couldn't be a ponynapper even if you tried you lil thing..."

"Hey mare don't be calling me little, and I'm not a ponynapper..." DaisyChain was smiling really big as she put her hoof on his head and gave him a noogie,

"In fact you're kinda cute..."

"He's most definitely not a ponynapper, he's the library keeper here in Ponyville..."

"Then was this just some prank or something...?" DaisyChain asked curiously. "Cuz if it is, it's not funny, I'm ready to bust something up NOW!" DaisyChain kicked her hind legs out angrily wanting some action.

"Obviously we're not taking something into account, like the fact the windows were still closed in the bathroom, maybe the criminal used magic?"

"So we're dealing with an evil unicorn, great... I'm practically useless then!"

One by one the ponies came and when North entered she felt something was odd.

"So we've been gathered for something is that it?" DaisyChain asked the obvious question.

"Seems that way..." North answered trying to fathom what was going on. Bubblegum stared into space awkwardly as she responded,

"Well this is a weird way to make a party, tell your friends you've been ponynapped pffft. If I was gonna make a party for my friends I'd have like fireworks attached to a card so when they opened the envelope SHHHHWOOOM! BANG!" North turned to Bubblegum and asked,

"Ok so what if they open it indoors... what will happen then?" Bubblegum took a moment to think about that and shrugged,

"Never really thought about a roof, yeah that could be a problem wouldn't want ponies to catch their houses on fire. Maybe sparklers... they're really fun I mean just think about opening up the envelope and SPARKLE SPARKLE WOOOO..." Lavender turned to them and scoffed,

"Would you ponies be serious for a moment we're missing a pony right now!"

"Well why are you all here in the library, that's what I'm confused about..." Spike complained.

"That's just it we don't know, the letters all told us to come here..." North answered back. The ponies decided to search the library from top to bottom for anything that would have a clue to this mystery. For minutes they threw books about searching for anything loose or out of place. North levitated book after book emptying anything loose inside but yielded nothing. Jaxx and Lavender searched high and low on the shelves and other parts and Starlight fluttered around in the hard to reach places not finding a thing.

"Agghhhh... what are you ponies doing!?" Spike was getting irritated by the fact the library was being turned upside down. Jaxx obliged him an answer,

"Lookin fer somethin that may be hintin the whereabouts of our friend."

"Basically a clue..." North responded back simply putting it. Immediately Bubblegum realized what they were looking for and replied,

"Ohhh I know where a clue is!" She pointed her body towards a book with a unicorn crest on the front.

"What that's the book on the elements of harmony..."

"Not the book silly, what's in the book!" She opened it up and there was another note hanging over the picture of an old castle ruins. "See a clue!" The others ran to the book,

"Lemme see it..." Lavender approached it about to grab the note when a voice answered,

"No I'm reading it first..." North answered bluntly as she reached for it. Jaxx seeing the conflict charged up and grabbed another side replying,

"Oh no ya'll don't let's not be a startin a scuffle on acccount of some dern note!"

"Then let me read it first and there won't be any problem." North responded calmly as they started to tug at it.

"AGGHHH STOP THIS... you're all acting like childish fillies clearly I should read it first!" Lavender grunted as she tried to jerk the book away.

"Look whose talking miss sissy britches!" The ponies were trying to reach for the note while Red, Sebastian, DaisyChain and Spike watched them fuss and bicker.

"Wow, I've never seen a sight..." DaisyChain mumbled to the others. Starlight sat by Sebastian with a worrisome look as she watched her new friends argue. Bubblegum had the book in the air laughing with the others trying to reach over her she cried out,

"Keepawasies AWW I LOVE KEEPAWASIES I always win!"

"Oh no you don't I have magic!" North started to use her magic when Lavender countered her replying,

"I think not I'm going to be the first to read this, Sketch is my friend primarily!"

"No she's not, she was my friend before any of you so back off mares!" North growled as she tried to get the note with a stronger pull. Bubblegum looked down at all them and yelled,

"OH YEAH WELL SHES MY FIRST EVER BESTEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD SO I BEAT YOU ALL!" She tried to take it but the two magic fields had the book suspended. Eventually Lavender and North were volleying Bubblegum in the air as they tried to pull the book closer to each other! "Whoooo... whoooooo... WEEEEE!"

DaisyChain and the others sighed forcing Spike to snapped his fingers,

"Owlicious fetch that note if you please?" Owlicious hooted and in a flash he snatched the letter away from the book and brought it over to Spike leaving the tower of ponies to suddenly fall on the floor.

"That was fun! Do it again!" Lavender looked up at the bubbly pony and grumbled as she was squished by two other ponies,

"How about we don't and not ever speak of this moment again..." She raised up from the ponies and attempted to keep her poise. "We need to hurry up before the sun goes down, it will be harder to find her in the dark..." Spike cleared his throat as he announced,

"You may be wondering why I've gathered you all here. The answer will be revealed soon but in the meantime I must express to you that it will require all of you to be present to reach your friend so be warned, if anypony is not here you will never see your friend again. The path to your destination is riddled with challenges that can only be completed with all of her friends..." The mares started to feel a seriousness loom over them, this was an official problem not some practical joke anymore. Bubblegum though was still smiling with a confident spark inside as Spike continued,

"Your journey will start at the edge of the Everfree, there you will meet the pathfinder. It will guide you through your journey."

"Well I was expecting more of a riddle but ok at least it's straightforward." North answered a bit confused to the game this bad pony was playing on them. They joined together in a large group and galloped towards the Everfree Forest! As they approached the edge of the treeline the sun was dipping away from sight and the darkness intensified in the forest. "Oh Sweet Celestia that's not your normal darkness..."

"No way that's like super ultra mega darkness times a zillion! It's sooo dark that... that you probably can't even see the darkness itself cuz it's soooo dark!"

"Ok calm down Bubblegum we get it." North responded to Bubblegum's babbling. They all paused in the safety of the moonlight gazing into the darkness wondering where this so called pathfinder would show up.

"So where is this supposed Pathfinder, I know we're all thinking it so I'm just going to put it out in the open." Lavender answered in the still silence. A breeze blew an eerie creak in the trees.

"EEEPP!" Starlight jumped behind Sebastian poorly hiding behind the frog who gave a croaking sigh as he slapped his face with his palm. "I was expecting like some bad pony armed with a gun or maybe two or three possibly... I had prepared for that, but I'm totally not prepared to go into..." Starlight gulped as she pointed her shaking hoof at the forest, "Thatt..." Jaxx turned her attention to the scared pony and set her straight,

"You heard what the letter said Starlight we all gotta go in there, it ain't whether ya want to'r not. If'n Sketch is in trouble we sure as sugar can't trot away from this..." Starlight gulped her fear down a second time and thought about the fact if she was not brave enough Sketch could be lost forever with some evil they had yet to understand!

"You... you're right, but still... EEEEPPP!" The trees made a hissing noise as the leaves shook around angrily. DaisyChain was impatient and she began to trot forward replying,

"Well you scaredy fillies can stay behind. I've had to crawl my way through basic training in a situation similar to this only the forest was full of traps and enemies armed with guns, they were mostly dummy rounds and the ponies who were the baddies were told to just scare us, but we had a few who were shot for real. Nopony died though... in my platoon that is..." The girls all began to cringe as DaisyChain moved forward to the darkness adding, "Come on last one in is a rotten WHOA HOLY FLANK!" Out of the blue as she stepped closer to the forest it triggered a bright orb! "It's that weird flashy orb thing from the dream..." She responded recalling a dream of hers while she was on the train ride to Ponyville.

"Ahhh, so this is the pathfinder...?" North trotted up to it with the others behind her.

"Wasn't expectin that, but than again twasn't expectin much anythin normal, bein here so far's been weirder than mah mom's family reunions and those can get pretty weird..." She began to have a flashback of her mother's family which were complete apple nuts! She could recall so many Apple names it drove her crazy and the apple games, and the apple food! "Yep, prettty weird I'll say." Lavender attempted to take leadership of the group and stepped forward with DaisyChain making a statement,

"Well seeing as I'm the most qualified to take leadership I shall do so..." North took this as an insult and took a step forward barking,

"Most Qualified... mare you are completely full of yourself..." Lavender gasped and quickly scoffed back in response,

"Aggghhhh you take that back you... you..." She didn't know what to call North as she had yet to have a proper definition for her. North stopped her in her words and snapped,

"What, me what... If you're trying to say I'm better than you then yeah totally!" The orb began to flicker about as Jaxx took a step replying,

"Now ya'll two calm down now we're here to rescue our friend not argue like a bunch'o fussy schoolfillies..." North cut her away from the argument trying to keep it between her and Lavender since she's been wanting to get up in her face ever since she began to squat in Sketch's home,

"You stay out of it this is between me and miss prissy hooves here."

"Ummm girls..." Starlight tried to speak up as Spike and the others began to back away from the orb which was now beginning to go sporadic.

"Oh look now you're lashing out on Jaxx, quite frankly you don't deserve to lead if you can't keep your anger in check like I..." Bubblegum didn't take too kindly to that response as she knew that was a lie she immediately flew up and defended North,

"Hey you, miss big bossy boss hooves, you take that back North is way less angrierer than you explody face...!" Bubblegum's eyes widened as the fury of Lavender began to stare at her muttering,

"Oh really do you want another painting hung around your neck is that it...HUH...because I'm ready to go sister!?" Bubblegum began to slink away as Lavender started to show her anger it!

"Girlllss..." Starlight attempted again to try and get everypony's attention about the flickering pathfinder to no success.

"I'm not gonna stand here and take anymore of your angry babbling, I'm going before it starts getting too stupid!"

"Oh nooo you don't we're not leaving this spot until you apologize for starting this!" Lavender jerked North's tail back plopping her flank back on the ground.

"START NOTHING YOU'RE THE ONE ASSUMING COMMAND LIKE AN AIRHEAD!"

"I'd sure like it if ya'll both just stop with the arguin and go, we're burnin sunset!" Jaxx growled. North nodded with a stomp of her hoof.

"Ya know what, come on mare let's settle this real quick like, your call either deflate that big airhead of yours or I'll pop it for ya!" Lavender looked at her as if she was being absolutely ridiculous and she put her hoof out scoffing,

"What no, don't be absurd I do not fight, it's barbari...!" SHHHPLAT! Bubblegum threw a pie in her face yelling,

"LIAR!" Made a fool of in front of everypony Lavender stood motionless with the pie tin slowly sliding off her face.

"Yeah so far all she has done is lie and weasle around stuff huh Bubblegum?"

"Yup, she's a fibby fib fib fibber weasle pants!" At this point Lavender couldn't defend herself with all the ponies staring at her. She felt embarrassed to no end as she was called out with nopony to stand for her innocence. Her rage quickly dissipated into a sniffle and tears with her erupting,

"OH YEAH WELL YOU'RE JUST A BUNCH OF... OF BULLIES IS WHAT YOU ARE!!! WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Lavender galloped off to get out of sight of everypony red faced and humiliated.

"GIRLSSS!" Starlight yelled out a little too late,

"WHAT!?" North snapped. Starlight lurched in fear as she pointed at the flickering orb which immediately after Lavender ran from the vicinity instantly made a poof into sparkles.

"Oh that's just great, the orb's gone... looks like it's over Sketch is gone for good!" North planted her hoof to her face and shook her head, "Greeattttt..."

"Well I don't mean to interrupt but ummm, the note did say we were all needed..." North sighed as she turned her attention to the field where Lavender ran off to. She made an uttering sour grumble knowing what they had to do,

"Ugghhh... I guess we better fetch drama queen..." North and the ponies ran back to retrieve the over dramatic pony leaving Spike and the others sitting around.

"So what do we do, are we even a part of this?" Spike asked curiously. DaisyChain shrugged as she pulled out a deck of playing cards asking,

"Anybody up for cards?" Sebastian croaked, Spike nodded answering,

"Awww yeah, I'm a pretty mean card player so watch out mare..." Red sat on the ground and pulled a chain from his pocket revealing a monocle. He placed it over his right eye and responded with a rather amused tone,

"I've always loved a good game of Blackjack or Gin rummy."

The mares ran up over the hill not taking long to find Lavender sitting by a sad little tree in the middle of the field.

"Why am I always the bad pony why me... what did I do to deserve this Celestia..." She stomped her hoof in the grass continuing, "This is exactly why I was ran out of Canterlot..." The ponies approached her quietly, North started to hear her talking to herself and flagged the ponies to stop.

"Stay here." North had a feeling this was a good time to listen to her confession seeing as she had no audience she would at least be honest with herself... maybe anyways. North's face was a bit disgusted though listening to her sniffle and blow her nose on her hanky, she sounded like a wreck.

"I help that poor filly on the playground, I get kicked out of my friend's super secret society, I help my friend during her teenage conniption fit and I get turned into a social outcast, I helped that poor musician in Canterlot and what could I expect but be ran out by those snooty nosed bullies... and now here I am sitting under a tree crying like a foal. I try to be reasonable, maybe I asked for too much, but I give so much of my reputation to help and all I get in return is ridicule and blame... WWWAAHHHHH!!!!"

'Oh jeeze... come on, tell me something involving us, I want to hear you confess to your mistake!' North was growing impatient and waited for her to talk again. With a blow of her nose she started mumbling again,

"I guess I can't expect to be upper crust if I can't hold any grace under pressure, maybe that's why my parents kicked me out, afraid I would tarnish their name with my foalish outbursts, Celestia knows my sisters are just as bad but still. I just don't know..." She paused a moment and looked in the sky as the sunset glow disappeared with a showering moonlight replacing it. Jaxx quietly made a swear by Starlight muttering,

"Awww Saltlicks, welp looks like ima be eatin cold supper tonight..." Starlight started looking around and mumbled,

"Hey where's Bubblegum?"

"Wha I thought she was..." Lavender began to open her mouth and let out what North was not really wanting to hear but this was very important to know,

"I don't know what to do anymore, I try to be a good friend to everypony but I muck it up, like tearing up that letter from Sketch's brother, those were his last words... I just refused a soldier of all ponies his last words to protect his sister from heartbreak and for what? I'm just a big... I donno..." North sighed and stepped forward replying,

"A jerk... a dummyhead, a fool..." Lavender jerked her head around to see North trotting over to her and with a desperate grimace hoping she was not around her long enough to hear the whole thing she asked.

"Were you listening this whole time!?" North nodded. She immediately drooped sniffling, "So you know I guess, I've performed an unspeakable act!" North nodded but instead of making it too horrible she replied,

"Well you're going to have to apologize for it you know."

"How do you tell a friend you tore up the last words of their brother they never even met..."

"I don't know but you're the one that did it not me. Look I know we are different and all but you know, just stop being so hard on yourself ok? It seems to me the only thing that makes you an unpleasant mare is you're trying too hard to be that good friend and you have no clue what it means to even be a friend..." Suddenly a Bubblegum popped out of the tree nodding upside down,

"Yeah like have you ever been friends with anypony... cuz like I never made friends but I have friends, my family are my friends and I been with them for like EVER and we're like the bestest of best friends ever so yeah I guess I made friends, with them when I was just a wittle baby, but we play games we laugh, we cry, we argue... we even get into fights, pie fights to be exact! Speaking of which anybody up for one?" North and Lavender shook their heads. "Okie dokie I'll fight myself then... YAAHHHH!" She splat her face with the pie in her hoof and knocked herself on the ground. "Owwww, that was rather sneaky of me! Don't you think you can outsmart me, me cuz I know me and I OOMPH!" As she had a pie ready again her hoof spontaneously smashed her face with it! "Ohhhh you being a wise pie huh, come on ME BRINGIT ... ABEHIEKLLA!" Her crazy antics lightened the mood and made Lavender's sniffles into slow giggles.

The two mares in the grass walked up and Jaxx added into the conversation,

"Mare they're right fer the most part but also friends do more than just share a laugh... they are also real honest with each other even if it's somethin might upsettin..." North nodded as she put a hoof over Lavender's shoulder trying to be friendly to the nervously wrecked pony adding,

"Also friends stick together. It's more than just going out of your way to make somepony comfortable, generosity alone is not enough mare you gotta be sure your friend has your back even if the other side playing against you has a better offer! You need loyalty! You only get that if you do the same for them, you gotta have their back!"

Starlight agreed with them all but also added with her sweet voice,

"You should also be kind, kindness is a major part of being friends with sompony, if you're not kind then don't expect to make many friends..." North began to think to herself,

"Loyalty, Kindness, Generostiy, Honesty, Laughter... ... hmmmm where have I heard this before..."

"Probably from this book... they're like right in the front page duhhh...?" Of course Bubblegum had kept the book that held the clue in it for some odd reason and she gave the ornamented book to North who opened it reading slowly. Lavender began to feel better and for once she felt like she was being accepted. She never had ponies come back to her after an argument and instead of looking down upon her they instead came to help clarify the problem. It felt warm and she couldn't help but express it aloud,

"I've never really thought of it that way, all these different elements to be a good friend it sounds so... like some sort of..."

"HARMONY!" North cried out reading the book.

"Yes exactly, it sounds like harmony... wait what?" She turned her attention to North who had her face in the book,

"The six elements of harmony that's where I heard of those before! wait why did this mystery ponynapper put the clue in this book, what is so important about the elements of harmony in finding our friend?"

"Maybe we have to make music when we find them and like have to make the harmony with harmonicas..." Bubblegum brought out a harmonica and blew a sweet tune across it throwing it aside as she pulled out from her mane a tamberine, "Or maybe tambourines they have harmony if you know how to rock with them!" She smashed that tamberine on her flank making loud jingly noises until she threw it aside and pulled out a drum, "Or drums, drums have awesome harmony just listen to that boom ba boom!" She thumped the drum a few times and then threw it out. "or maybe we have to be an entire orchestra!" She suddenly pulled out an insane amount of instruments of trombones, violins, drums, flutes and in some strange way she started to play the tune of Yankee Doodle Manedy all by herself.

The ponies stared at her completely without words as to this phenomenon they call Bubblegum. "Or maybe..." North put her hoof in Bubblegum's mouth replying,

"I'm gonna stop you right there, if you pull out Equestria's largest orchestra to sing Halleluja I'm pretty sure reality as we know it will somehow break..."

"Of course not silly I was gonna say a banjo..." She whipped out a banjo and plucked the strings in a silly melody as she giggled. North rolled her eyes sputtering,

"Pfffft of course you were... Bubblegum you're just, you're an enigma wrapped in so much random!"

"And I taste good too hyayahhahahah!" She pulled out a piece of gum and stuck it in her mouth!

"What...." North looked over and seen she was implying about the gum and giggled. Her giggles suddenly stopped as Bubblegum's face sunk in as she tasted bitter sourness.

"Ooohhhhppp!" Jaxx began to snicker,

"What's a matter Bubblegum..." Raising her brows she grinned at the pucker faced pony responding, "Looks ta me ya got the sour end of that joke hehehehe?" Bubblegum began to nod her head uncomfortably making noises as she attempted to hold her mouth shut. "Well ya better find a glass'o water might fast..." She appeared as if she was going to explode when she spit the gum out and yelled,

"EVERYPONY HIT THE DECK!!!" They all dropped on the ground as Bubblegum let out a huge burst of flame everywhere screaming, "HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT, HOTTT, HHHHOTTT, HOTTTT!" She quickly closed her mouth gritting her teeth as she pulled out soda water from her mane and sprayed down her guzzler! "Ahhhhhhhh....HICC!" She began to hiccup bubbles as she giggled! "That was clos...HIC! HYAAHAHAHAHA! HIC! BUBBLES ARE SO MUCH FU... HICCUP! HAHAHAHAHA!" North and everypony laughed at her as she giggled and hicced bubbles into the air.

"Alright girls I think we've done reconciled'r differences, we should be headin back now..." Jaxx pointed back to the Everfree Forest trying to corral the girls into getting a move on. The mares hopped up and headed back to the small group playing cards by the treeline.

DaisyChain was staring down at them muttering,

"Alright I got ya stallions on the ropes now..." She looked through her cards and was satisfied. "Ok showem!" Spike put his cards down replying,

"Pair of kings Ace high." Red slapped his cards on the ground frustrated,

"Blasted pair of twos..." DaisyChain threw down her cards,

"Straight Flush guys hahaha beat that!" Sebastian croaked as he revealed his cards like a pro ribbiting with a straight face. "WHAT a ROYAL FLUSH!" DaisyChain's face dropped!

"Oh that's just great, beaten by a frog I feel cheated somehow!" Spike grumbled as he let the few bits he had go to the frog. The frog cackled with loud ribbits pulling all the coins to his side and Red just drooped mumbling,

"Of all my years of playing poker I'd never expect to lose money from some pond hopping amphibian..." DaisyChain refused to accept Sebastian as some common pond hopper he was some super genius frog!

"Red, that frog is more than your garden variety toad... I've never met a frog that could play poker let alone kick my tail in it five times in a row!" Sebastian grinned as he ran his little toady fingers across his chest in a gangster fashion. "Ahhh that frog has soo much SWAG, I want a pet like that!" DaisyChain was just going crazy about Sebastian and he was eating up her attention!

The mares returned and with a reconciled conflict put aside they hunted for the orb again. Bubblegum instantly caught sight of it and alerted everypony,

"Look there's that light bulb thingy it's moving!" Bubblegum pointed at the faint light of the orb making it's path without them in the darkness!

"FOLLOW IT!!! Don't let it get away!" North cried out. Spike and the others followed behind them as they charged through the forest after the orb! After a minute or two of rushing the orb began to slow its pace and the group managed to catch up to one another.

"Aghhh my feet are killing me..." Spike complained. DaisyChain trotted over and stuck her nose under him, "Whoa what's going oooonnn!" She flipped him up in the air with a,

"Alley oop!" Spike landed on her back and realized she was giving him a ride.

"Thanks ummm... what was your name again?"

"DaisyChain cutie pie..." Spike began to blush as he realized DaisyChain was quite charmed by his cuteness, it was almost too flattering for him to stand!

"Gawwshhh... ehehehehe!" Giggling all goofy he was making a poor argument to be less cute to her. As they came around a large pile of twisted branches, North began to sense that overwhelming dread that comes with the Everfree Forest, the overgrowth was grabbing her and the other ponies. Poor Starlight was all over the place whimpering,

"Ohhh... excuse me, sorry girls EEP.... sorry, it's just a tree... Aahhhh.. what was that, that was not a tree... EEEP!" Jaxx grabbed a hold of Starlight as she backed up into her and responded,

"Whoa nelly, slow yer hooves down it was just a couple of vines hangin from the branches see..."

"Ahhh ok... I guess i'm just really jumpy, it's soooo dark and spooky..." Further and further into the dark void they trudged on. The faint light of the orb ahead of them made no real dent in the darkness so they were still blind to their surroundings. Moments later after a jump over a small creek bed they heard a faint crying off in the distance.

"What, somepony's crying, in the middle of the woods?" The ponies all looked at one another as the pathfinder began to gravitate toward the noise. As it flashed through the dried creek bed they could see silhouettes of warped twisted trees, jagged vines and rocks scattered across the ground in a not so friendly manner. "ahhhh... I do not have a very good feeling about this." North felt uneasy as the pathfinder's curious guidance was sending them closer to the cries and deeper into a twisted background.

"Me neither North, that sound is might disturbin..." The noise was not of a pony crying but of some creature. They backed up distance to see what pathfinder would illuminate to them. "That's not a pony a cryin I know that fer sure..."

"Aghhhh these woods are tugging at my mane, eeehh... my hooves are getting all dirty Red this is absolutely dreadful..." North turned her head back to the group and snipped quietly,

"Hush up, why are you complaining now Lavender of all times...?" Lavender began to whisper back with an even more snippy tone,

"Well I was fine until the branches started to get thicker and now everything is trying to ruin my glorious figure..." North rolled her eyes and lurched as she growled,

"Well keep it down, Celestia knows what we're about to confront and with you whining we're not going to be able to keep hidden." The cry began to turn to a wail spooking the ponies and sending them jumping behind a tree as the pathfinder began to slow upon a face of some creature. "Wh... what is that?" They peered off to what seemed to be an injured baby.. a timber wolf pup! Still adorable before it grows to become a menacing beast the group was petrified in place. Why would the pathfinder lead them to something this dangerous!? "What in the name of all things SWAG, why does it take us to a timber wolf pup, that's like the most dangerous thing to come across in the Everfree Forest..." Lavender not read enough to know the dangers thought the adorable little thing was just too cute to be a danger.

"Ohhhh that poor dear... you poor poor wittle thing!" Lavender had never seen anything like a timber wolf and never heard of their dangers, but the adorable thing was just too much to bear for her heart to watch it suffer. Lavender's eyes were tearing up as she could remember a day when her own little pup was injured. "Don't you fret you cute wittle thing, Lavender's gonna fix you right up..." North began to shake nervously as she was scared timber wolves were nearby could it a trap... what was going to happen.

"What are you doing Lavender... get back..."

"Ohhhh I can't watch...!" Starlight closed her eyes tightly. North's eyes began to twitch as she watched this pony so into her vanity take a loch of her mane and cut it off. Lavender began to levitate the loch down to the pup's broken leg. She figured the poor thing hurt itself on the twisted growth of this forest. The scared pup tried to limp away from her yelping.

"Shhhh... no, no no... I'm here to help you. Just give me a chance please... see?" She reached her hoof slowly to him showing she meant no aggression. The pup stayed in place feeling she had no ill intentions and whimpered.

"Now don't move dear, Red can you be a darling and give me the aloe cream...?"

"Right, here you are Miss Rose." He reached into his satchel and brought out some aloe cream meant for her facial complexion, but she instead put it into her hair.

"The amount of care I put into my mane has made it very soft but sturdy, this aloe cream is meant for complexion but it's cool soothing minerals will help take away that pain..." North could not believe that this pony was willing to give up her vanity to help a timber wolf pup of all things. It was such a bold act of kindness and great generosity on her part. "Is that better dear?" The pup began to raise his leg up a little feeling the soothing cream cool the burning pain in his leg, he still limped but felt much better. The pup licked her hoof graciously wagging its tail. "See that was not as bad as you thought."

Out of nowhere they heard a loud howl as a very angry creature lept out from the darkness!

"Ahhh! I knew its mother was not far behind!!!" North and the others ducked as Red and Lavender were caught in the light!

"EEEEK!" Lavender jumped away and began to lower her head drooping her ears fearfully.

"Oh no you don't... Aghhhh what the, hey!" DaisyChain felt her tail being yanked as Jaxx replied,

"Hold your flank mare, where there's one timber wolf... there's..." Just as she was about to finish her sentence the whole area began to light up with glowing eyes and howls. "More..... Oh saltlicks, we're done fer..."

"Don't even think about it wolves, I'll tear you in half and then some, bring it!" DaisyChain stepped in front of the ponies, but before she could let out a buck or two a voice growled,

"That won't be neccessary..."

"What... the..." North turned back to the one standing before Lavender. The mother which was the Alpha Female stood forward staring down at the scared filly.

"You pony... You have shown much kindness and generosity, you gave up your vanity to help mend my son's wounded leg. You showed no fear, whether this was intentional or you were not taught properly of the dangers of our kind, I give you my greatest respect..." Lavender felt she should keep her head down as the alpha female seemed to hold her head up high as if superior to everypony and every wolf in the pack.

"You are most gracious ma'am, I have a pup at home you see, and I really do have a soft spot for those with misfortune, I take it upon myself to help anypony or any creature less fortunate than myself, disregarding most risks..." The alpha female gave a slow and short nod. She beckoned her pup to come to her by slapping her right paw on the ground twice. The pup limped to her and she responded very deeply,

"For your generous act and courage I shall let you and your herd pass through our territory, anypony who is willing to risk their life to help our kind is a friend of ours, but only you. So long as your herd stays with you, they are welcome as well." Everypony behind the tree suddenly piled out and around Lavender's side wide eyed. DaisyChain just trotted over casually growling,

"Don't think you can scare me you overgrown tree branches." The alpha female concluded this encounter with a creepy farewell as she grabbed her son by the scruff of the neck with her teeth and ran off into the darkness with her pack. North concluded this eerie encounter responding to Lavender,

"WOW... you managed to give up your mane to mend a pup's leg and now you are considered the alpha pony of this group and a friend of timber wolves. All I can say is WAY TO GO Lavender you just LEVELED UP IN LIFE!" Lavender grimaced with a discomfort answering,

"Thanks North, that means a lot coming from you... but seriously let's not doddle, Red would you please be a dear and fetch me my conditioning spray, and some disinfectant, and a pair of booties this damp dirt is getting into my perfectly manicured hooves!"

"At once miss Rose..."

"So what'r ya gonna do bout that gap in yer mane?" Jaxx inquired Lavender curious how she'd react when reminded of what she just gave up. Lavender took a deep breath and calmly muttled in response,

"I'll think of something, I always have emergency styles in case I have to compensate for loss, if you are trying to ask if I regret what I just did, I do not regret it at all, seeing that pup's face light up was very much worth it. Reminds me back when I seen Humphrey's happy wittle face when I mended his front leg, that clumsy little thing tripped down the stairs. He was a very ditzy ball of fluff when he was young."

"Lavender you're weird." North laughed as the group started moving forward following the pathfinder. Lavender trailed behind with her products levitating in the air as she groomed herself with a light from her horn keeping an eye out for low branches.

"I am most certainly not weird!" Trying to argue with North just made North laugh as she countered,

"Says the pony hopping around putting booties on and grooming herself in the middle of a forest." Bubblegum opened up her mouth laughing,

"hyahahahaha that is weird, Lavender's a weirdy weird pony!"

"I agree, it's might weird ta be a groomin yerself in the middle of a forest, ya'll gonna get dirty again why not wait till we get back home?" Lavender just scoffed and mumbled,

"Well that may be ok for you, but as for me I do not stand for being dirty long enough for it to soak into my coat..."

"Then sit down you silly..." Bubblegum popped out of the trees with a big smile. Lavender backed up grimacing as Bubblegum caught her off guard. She immediately shoved her nose in the air as she brushed her damaged mane passing Bubblegum by answering,

"I would not dream of getting my flank even close to this ground..."

"I wonder where we're going now.... wherever we are going I'm ready for anything!" Bubblegum was ready move forward. She dropped from the vines and raced ahead of everypony.

They continued on through the forest passing through a thicket where they caught sight of a clearing. Upon analyzing the surroundings they concluded they were between some mountainous region leading over to another half of the Everfree. What seemed to be a makeshift bridge crossing a ravine caught their eye and the pathfinder as well. Next coming up over that bridge was a mountain side that seemed to dip further back into more of the forest. "Doodly doo dee dah... deedly doo BOOP WHOOPAH !!!" A loud earth rumbling shake quaked the ground as a huge serpent like dragon reared its head up from the ravine. His back smashed through the flimsy landbridge. He was a green back dragon with yellow sharp spikes appearing to be lounging in the cozy warm ravine. The sound of Bubblegum's doodles interrupted his sleep as it echoed down through the huge ground crevice.

"Agghhh... rrr..." He smacked his lips from the dryness after his sleep. He heard Bubblegum's voice and abruptly looked down growling, "Who dares disturb my SLEEP..." As he took a look at all the ponies his eyes glared back to the pink one with the cherry blue mane smiling and waving. "Well...!?" He was expecting an apology but Bubblegum refused to make an apology not knowing she was supposed to and answered,

"Well hello there mister dragon, why are you such a grumpy mcgrump pants?" He squared an eye at her and thundered,

"Don't play dumb you know what you did, I just told yo...."

"Well don't be a stranger shake my hoof, I'm Bubblegum." The large dragon scratched his head and figured there'd be no harm to at least greeting her, but the ponies who knew Bubblegum knew this was not going to be a normal hoofshake.

"Nooo... Bubblegum are you cra... well yeah you are out of your mind but for once don't do it... you're going to get us barbecued..." North whispered with a painful grimace. Lavender ran behind Red whispering loudly,

"Hide me, hide me please...!" He reached his claw out to shake her tiny hoof when everypony hit the deck as a bolt of electricity buzzed the huge dragon! He looked a bit surprised and then his surprise was anger as he growled,

"Whyyy you little RRRROOAARRRRR!!!" It seemed as though he was about to make Crispy bubblegum when he just flopped his head down on the side of the ravine mumbling, "Aghhhh what's the use, I'm a failure anyway oooh hooo hooo!" He began to cry and Spike just turned his head and rolled eyes replying to DaisyChain,

"And they called me a baby puuahh..." Bubblegum couldn't let this sadness go by any second longer and asked,

"Awww don't cry mister dragon, what's got you all green around the scales?" He made a loud sniffle and showed her by attempting to make a fireball only instead of fire it was just a harmless puff of smoke.

"I can't breathe fire, I'm all out, washed up, fizzled... I just woke up one day with this horrible cold feeling in my throat and I just can't make fire anymore... at first I thought it was just a cold but it's been there for months now and I've been hiding away from the other dragons because I feel soooo oohhh ooooohhhhh RUAAHHHHHH!!!!" Bubblegum rubbed her chin and with a surprising expression she responded,

"Turn that frown upside down pull a one eighty degree lip give me a big bright happy laugh, afterall mister dragon they always say laughter is the best medicine. Here want some pie?"

"Pie sure does sound...!"

"WHOA NELLY WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!" Jaxx and North jumped back as Bubblegum had her big goofy tongue sticking out smile as she raised her brows mischievously holding a hammer to her side.

"H... HOW DID SHE GET A CATAPULT!?" North responded completely befuddled to how she obtained such a thing. Lavender pointed at the contents in the catapult and remarked,

"Better question is how did she get that GIANT PIE!"

"ONE BIG DRAGON PIE COMING RIGHT UP mister dragon!" SHATHUNK, KAPLOU!!! The giant pie thwomped him in the face! "Want some soda with that?" She pulled out randomly a huge soda dispenser and as he wiped the pie tin off she sprayed the soda while he was unable to react,

"Bluabbalahahahaabal!"

"Bubblegum you're not making him laugh you're making him mad!!"

"Oh he'll laugh, just watch..." The dragon paused a moment and looked down at the little pony. North and the gang cringed as he scooped her up and put her at his eye level. Afraid of what was about to happen they began to close their eyes when he suddenly started to crack up,

"hehehe, that was pretty funny, heheheheheheh HAHAHAAHAH... it was sooo unexpected, how did you get that catapult, how... thiss it's just too ridiculous AHAHAHAHHAAHAH!" Bubblegum grinned as she stood on her hind legs and propped herself on one of his fingers. Brushing her hoof on her chest she answered,

"I have my ways, hey wanna hear a joke?" She hopped down wagging her tail eager to tell a joke. The green dragon sat his body on the side of the ravine propping up his elbows as he listened to her,

"Shoot, I got all the time in the world pony..."

"Who has scales and fangs and comes out at night to suck blood?" The dragon shrugged as she responded, "Drakeula!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Awww that's real good, do another one!"

"Ok what do you call a weird dragon?"

"I don't know..."

"A Dra-Goon!"

"HA! That's hilarious! Ahhh, you... you're alright with me pony. I like your jokes, they're clean, they're good and witty... I've not heard good jokes in a long, long time Hahaha ahhhhh..." He placed her back down and she began to pull one more thing out of her mane. "But alas I still don't have an ounce of fire in me..." Bubblegum looked up extending her hoof with a piece of gum asking,

"Wanna piece of gum?" Her smile reached across her face as she offered it...

"Huh... what's hmmm... sure why not." He reached down and took the tiny piece and threw it right in his mouth. At first taste it wasn't bad.

"You did not just give him..." Before North could finish her sentence he already sunk a tooth into it and immediately he blurted,

"HMMMPH!" The dragon's face scrunched up as even for a small piece the sourness poured out into his mouth and sent his tongue rattling around crazily.

"Gotcha! Hyahahahahaha!" The dragon felt the sour subside and began to take a deep breath,

"Awww you totally got me, hahaha..." Bubblegum looked up at him and asked,

"Do dragons like spicy things?"

"Whaat well actually...?" Her cherry tamale explosion suddenly erupted in his mouth and he felt a surge of flame jut out of into the air! "Whoa... what's..." He let out another jet of flame from his mouth and seconds later he started chuckling again, "Heh... heh... heheheh heheheheheh HAHAHA!" His chuckle erupted in laughter, "HAHAHAHAHA!!" Bubblegum had a victorious expression as she wooped,

"Now see there mister dragon you got your fire back... now was that so bad?"

"Agghhh this feels sooo..." He continued to let out fire spitting it in arcs rejoicing, "It feels so good to feel that burn again, I spent months in this rotten hole feeling sorry for myself, then you come here and give me this... these jokes, this gum... it's AMAZING HAHAHAHA!"

"My very own special brew, want some more?" The dragon nodded with a giddy and giggling big smile,

"Of course, give me all you got, that gum is the greatest thing I've ever tasted!" She pulled out a large lump of her joke gum she had stored for when the moments arised for joke time and he snatched them up placing them snug behind a special scale so he would know where they were. "Ahhh thanks swirly maned one, that was a breath of fresh fire for me..."

"Hyahahahaa, don't mention it mister dragon!" He began to flap his wings out from the ravine when Bubblegum noticed the orb of ligth was hovering across. "Oh one thing could you get us over there?"

"Certainly so." He planted his claw on the ground and all the ponies hopped on. He placed them over on the other side and Bubblegum waved him goodbye as he launched out from the ravine into the air.

"Bubblegum that was crazy, and at the end when you gave him that gum was that your plan all along?" North had to know this, the mystery was confusing her greatly of the mind of Bubblegum.

"What plan... who me plan, no I don't plan things, I just wanted to throw a pie at a dragon, I thought it would be funny to give him a piece of jokey gum too." Her carefree attitude towards the possible dangers of that situation unnerved the group but North just rolled her eyes with a simple answer,

"Bubblegum you're just insane mare!"

"Well where else was I going to be able to use my catapult, giant pie tin and a large soda dispenser... I was saving it for just such an occasion duhh!"

They marched along the side of the mountain following the orb up to the top. They made their way up towards the tip of the pathway where they could see the orb stopping and levitating to the very top of the mountain.

"What in Equestria why're we going up this here mountain again..." Jaxx muttered beginning to climb up peering down at the sheer drop behind her. "Sweet Celestia's apples that's steep." Lavender was having a fit as she put her hooves up on the side of the cliff stressing herself out.

"Ahhhh this is ridiculous, I'm going to scuff my hooves doing this, Red!" Her butler had already made it to the top with a rope ready.

"At once Miss Rose..." The rope had a nice cozy little harness and she snuggled in the soft padded seat and took a smooth ride as Red pulled her up. Bubblegum made it up perfectly fine somehow which left DaisyChain, Jaxx and Spike.

"Oh that's just not right..." Jaxx muttered as she seen Lavender snuggling around in the harness getting a nice ride up. "Can anypony up there with wings help the rest of us up?" North and Starlight looked down and nodded feeling a bit derpish.

"Coming right down!" In a flash they swooped and took the rest to the top. The pathfinder hovered around near a cave. "Ok sooo... what's in this cave that's so important?" North was cautious, but Bubblegum had other plans,

"Let's not sit around and speculate, let's go in and investigate!" She pranced on in leaving the others to follow after her yelling,

"Bubblegum would you stop that!"

"Ooohhh it's dark in here... really really dark!" Bubblegum replied.

"Oh dear, I'm starting to feel that bad feeling again..." Starlight started to back out of the cave. A loud screech echoed out and she jolted behind a rock outside yelping, "EEEPP!!"

"Come on Starlight don't cowar on us now, that was probably a bat." North replied. Starlight gave a nod and gulped down her fears to take her step forward into the unknown. "Here I'll help, lemme just put some light so it's not as scary fo ya."

"Okie, yeah that would be very much appreciated." As North started up her magic to bring a light into the cave, something completely unexpected lashed out on the ponies!

"AGGHHHH!" They screamed as a huge cloud enveloped around them. Everypony felt a choking sensation as they were all put to sleep, all but one lone pony.

"What, where am I..." North turned to find nopony around her. A heavy illusion field had trapped her in place with voices beginning to echo around her,

"Northern Song..." The voice cooed to her in an ill fashion.

"Whose there, and how do you know my name!? I've never told anypony my full name, only my family knows!"

"Northern Song..." Voices continued to echo around her like a radio signal going into an eerie static.

"What the... AGGHHH!" the visages of her friends began to come in and out fading and appearing in a strange static hallucination,

"Look at you, you're a failure you can't do anything right!"

"No... what is this!?" North's body felt like it was racing as she backed away from these false images,

"We never liked you, you're pathetic!" These images began to twist her mind and anger her but fear continued to overpower.

"WHAT NOOO... You're just a lie! All of this is a lie!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" North felt a sense of helplessness as the images continued to burn her mind. She felt cheated out of having an easy obstacle to overcome as this was downright a nightmare to her.

"STOP THIS WHOEVER YOU ARE!" Laughing and ridiculing the things she hated most! Deceit and paranoia, that creepy lurching sensation everypony are nothing more than compulsive liars.

"You can make all this go away, come and join us..."

"Yes join us... take the pain away, by being a part of the bigger force, we'll slaughter those who would dare to raise their hooves in insult, crush these ponies! Erase their very existence so you will not feel their sting no more..." North stood her ground and grew tough yelling back,

"You're a bunch of liars! They wouldn't ever laugh at me, or judge me like that. You don't know me..."

"We know all about you Northern Song..." An evil cackling voice continued to weigh her down as it showed memories of her past. The other voice laughed as it added,

"We know of your past, present and future... you will kill all that is close to you, for your own gain!"

"That's not true!" She stomped her hooves and yelled, "IT'S NOT TRUE!"

"Prove yourself one of us and slaughter those insulting friends of yours, they do not deserve your mercy for what they think of you, contradicting evil friends who would sooner stab your back! It really matters not, you don't need them anyway, what do you have to gain from their false friendship...?"

"No..."

"Whaa...?"

"I said no! Leave me and my friends alone... I'm not going to do it!"

"So you will continue to be loyal to them instead of trusting our word, even though we know everything about you and them..." North knew right then what was going on and she firmly took her ground in this horror show stating,

"Yes, and I'll tell you why, because you're not showing me who they really are you're preying on my fears, the moment I knew where this was coming from you were just wasting your breath! I know and trust them and I won't break that trust because of my fear!" A visage of two ponies began to float through the static around her and hissed,

"You truly are the most intelligent of the group... we have gravely mistaken your power Northern Song... you have a great deal of loyalty, one such as yourself should not be under-estimated! Maybe one day you'll understand the power you possess." The two ponies suddenly in an instant flashed out and the smoke subsided waking everypony up.

"What just happened... I feel like I just got hit by a P51 Mustang!" DaisyChain shook her head around gazing at the other ponies who were coming to.

"Dear Celestia that was just weird... ahhhh was I laying on the cave floor eewwww... my coat is going to have ick and filth and other what nots on it EEEWWWW..." Jaxx giggled at the ridiculous prissy behavior of Lavender.

"Everythin you touch brings out some complaint Lavender!"

"Well of course everything around here has some level of ick that just agghhhh, I never realized how easy it is to get so filthy... Aghhh I'm out of here I'll be outside, Red can you bring me the disinfectant again..."

"Right away Miss Rose..." Red felt like he was going to see no end of his work today.

"Wait, where's that flying light bulb thingy... wasn't it..." Bubblegum started to hunt for it when she spotted sneaky light just outside starting to move away, Lavender was not even caring about it so Bubblegum gave the alarm, "THERE SHE BLOWS!"

"What... OH SWEET APPLE CIDAR THE ORB!" Jaxx and the group started to gallop out after it. When they turned around they found themselves over the blind side of the mountain. Like dominos the entire group started flying off the steep slope!

"EEEHHHHHHH!"

"AGGHHHH!"

"WWWEEEEEE!" Everypony with the exception of Lavender and Red had flew off!

"And this Red is why I was not so eager to follow that orb, there was a dangerous clifface just outside the cave..." She was primping her coat and spraying disinfectant while Red stood and mumbled.

"Yes Miss Rose... how very... observant of you..."

"Oh Red, would you be so kind...?" Red knew exactly what she wanted him to do and he grumbled,

"Of course Miss Rose, we wouldn't want you to scuff your booties..."

"Yes well... it's a wonder they were not completely ruined in the forest..." Red lifted her up on his back and proceeded to slide down the mountain with Lavender keeping calm and confident no accident could befall her on Red's back.

Bubblegum had hopped on a large boulder and was surfing down the hill doing hoofstands and an assortment of circus tricks laughing,

"THIS IS SOO MUCH FUN!!! WE SHOULD DO THIS MORE OFTEN!"

"BUBBLEGUMM YOU ARE INSANE!" Jaxx shouted as she held herself in a high profile trying to slow her approach to the bottom!

North and Starlight swooped down and snatched up Jaxx and DaisyChain. Spike held onto her mane afraid of letting go and dropping to his doom!

"What about Red, Lavender and Bubblegum?!"

"WEEEE, GERONIMO!" Bubblegum again surprised everypony carrying her own strange flying device some sort of pogo stick with whirlybird blades!

"Once again her secret stash of everything amazes me..." North mumbled as she carried Jaxx down safely to the ground by Bubblegum. She swooped back up to retrieve Red and Lavender commanding, "Starlight come on!"

They raced up the cliff towards the edge where Lavender and Red were going to fly off. They heard Lavender scream as she realized something terrible WAS gonna happen...

"GAHHHHH!" She let her grip loose on Red and was suddenly launched beyond the two fliers!

"WHOAA!" North turned and darted after the squealing Lavender bullet while Red was caught by Starlight.

"Many thanks Miss Starlight..."

"Oh don't mention it, it was my pleasure to help..." Red took a deep painful sigh as he insisted,

"When this whole journey is through I'm going to use my vacation days!" Starlight completely agreed that he should do it replying in a sweet voice,

"Oh I don't blame you one bit, the past month apparently has been full of crazy stuff... I find a lot of it is fun, and some of it is terrifying but ya know... I try to look on the bright side of things..." North finally caught up to her and snatched Lavender,

"GOTCHA!" She curved around and headed for the small opening in the trees where the others stood around the pathfinder.

"My word this adventure has done nothing but cause me no end of stress!"

"You think yer stressed, missy I'm missin supper, it's probably already too late anyway, I'm missin mah sister's haygravy and biscuits... missin it might fierce aight now..." She felt her stomach grumble.

"Where are you going mister light bulb thingy, what's your game!?" Bubblegum tried to interrogate the pathfinder to no avail it just continued along its way. "The silent treatment huh... well two can play at that game!" Bubblegum turned her back and stuck her nose up giving her silence when North grabbed her tail and grumbled as she tugged her on,

"Come onnnn crazy mane..."

"Crazy Mane, Crazy Lane, Crazy CANE... Like a candy cane only it's a CRAZY CANE!!"

North was the only one still suspecting these happenings were no coincidence and she was a bit disturbed by the fact that thing had tapped into her mind and messed with her head. She was slowly starting to fear what this entity wanted and why was everything hinting at the Elements of Harmony. If the ponies in the group represented the elements of harmony, why was the entity wanting them together, for power? The more she thought about it the more it irked her because it made no sense.

'Of course this is an obvious trap but what can we do... let Sketch rot with that ponynapper!? Agghhhh this just keeps getting more and more weird.' She tried to just shut out thinking but she could not stop thinking about this clear as day trap they were being led into.

The forest seemed to be less thick in this part and beyond were even more cliffs and more perilous paths. They followed the light through the woods to what seemed to be a small stop where one pony could hear the sounds of eerie wailing.

"Whassat..." Jaxx was now being targeted by some voice crying into the night.

"What's wrong Jaxx?" North asked. Spike also added into the inquiry,

"Yeah you look like you heard a ghost..." Jaxx was feeling nervous as she responded,

"I'm hopin that was just the wind blowin, but tain't never heard wind a blowin like that though so it's a might bothersome..."

"We didn't hear anything as far as I know.... ...." A loud whine creaked in the air and the ponies started feeling their bones shaking. "OK... now I heard that..." The group started to look around analyzing every leaf, branch and bush they could see in the moonlight.

This round was Jaxx's turn. The green pony was about to assure herself it was just the wind when she looked up and seen something absolutely horrifying!

"AGGHHHH ABOVE YOU!!" The ponies began to freak out when they looked up and seen nothing. The wind blew but that was it.

"Above us what..." To their eyes it was nothing but Jaxx could see angry pony spirits flying down towards her friends when one of them was going straight for Lavender.

"LOOK OUT!" She ran and tackled Lavender to the ground as the spirit swooped by!

"Oh my word, what was that for! Agghhhh look you got dirt in my coat and after all that work I just did..."

"Stop worryin bout your pampered fur it's your hide I'm worried about if you haven't noticed there's some might angry spirits around us!"

"What, that is absolutely perposterous there's nothing out there... does anypony else see anything?"

"I don't see or hear anything, it was probably the wind Jaxx..." Jaxx was starting to feel her heart pound as another one swooped for North and she cried out,

"NORTH DUCK!" North didn't know what was going on but Jaxx refused to let her be harmed so she ended up tackling her to the ground as well!

"AGGHHH JAXX what is wrong with you!!" Jaxx hopped up and pointed her hoof up in the air yelling frightfully,

"Ya'll can't honestly say there ain't nothing up there! Those ghosts are tryin ta cut yer dern heads off!" Bubblegum suddenly flew up in the air yelling,

"THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE MY HEAD, EEEEEKKKKK!!! HEADLESS GHOST PONIES!"

"What...?" North and the others looked over at Bubblegum and back to Jaxx. Her eyes were showing a sincere fright. North began to feel something was up.

"Pleasee, I know it may sound might silly but trust me on this please?" She looked to the group hoping somepony would listen and North gave her a nod,

"I trust you Jaxx..." Jaxx returned a smile happy somepony believed her.

"I still don't believe in ghosts, but if you all believe her then I will... I rather have my head than be wrong and lose it..." Suddenly out of the darkness Jaxx began to yell,

"North duck again, Lavender roll to your left, no your other left..."

"I'm not going to roll again I'm getting absolutely filthy..."

"Just do it!"

"Oh fine..." She rolled to her other left barely being missed by a hair, literally she lost a hair on her tail and Lavender immediately took notice of it. Looking over she seen the lopped off follicle and she suddenly screamed, "AGGHHHHH!!! MY PERFECTLY GROOMED TAIL, RUINED BY... A... A... G... G...G... GHOST PONY!" Lavender completely flipped her lid and started running around screaming. Bubblegum seen her and continued to gallop around in random directions yelling,

"GHOST TAG! NOT IT! WEEEEE!!!" She scooted around and pranced and hopped, Jaxx was ducking and jumping around, North and the others just started acting crazy as Jaxx tried to continue giving them directions. Starlight in the middle of everypony began screaming,

"WHATS... WHERE... WHO... AGGHHHH... AGGHHH!" She had grown so paranoid that she began to buck the tops of trees as she backed up on them trying to watch her flank!

"WEEEE!!" Jaxx watched as the ghosts apparently didn't understand what in Equestria had just happened. Bubblegum was gallivanting around, Lavender was a complete wreck, Starlight kept shaking trees around screaming in the air. The whole awkward sight annoyed the ghosts to the point they figured they were not being taken seriously. As they wisped away into the night air Jaxx stood with a snickering expression across her face gazing back at all her crazy friends.

"HAHAHAHA... ya'll are quite a sight ta see, hehehehehe!" Jaxx just laughed her tail off watching everypony acting goofy and hopping around like a bunch of circus clowns.

"Well, not particularly well planned but if the threat's gone then good job mare." North commended Jaxx on her job well done. Jaxx nodded answering,

"Yup, as soon as everypony started actin a fool, those ghosts didn't know what ta think and skedaddled on outta here."

"Whatt... awwww, I was just getting the hang of ghosty tag..." Bubblegum complained as she sat on the ground hoofing the dirt with an upset feeling over it being done so fast. Lavender trotted over to Jaxx and with an honest word she replied,

"Ok, so maybe there just might be such a thing as ghosts or maybe this is just a bunch of magic tricks, either way I know you were not fibbing, something completely destroyed my perfectly styled tail..." Lavender raised her tail to show the minor damage compared to the gap in her hair.

"Well I'm might happy ya'll believed me, fer a second I was scared ya'll wouldn't and I'd have headless ponies as friends..." Spike started to see something fishy going on. As he heard the ponies talk something was starting to add up in his head.

'Something is up here, it's almost as if they are being tested, for something...' His thoughts were suddenly clouded by DaisyChain turning around to him.

"You've been pretty quiet back there cutie pie, what ya thinking?"

"Awww... I'm not thinking much of anything right now, I'm just enjoying the scenery..." Suddenly Spike freaked out in his head yelling, 'Gahh what did I just say, did I hit on DaisyChain...? No Spike, Rarity is the only pony who can have your heart...' The mention of Rarity made his heart ache for his old friends. 'I miss those ponies sooo much...'

"Well you just sit tight then and keep enjoying the scenery I don't mind the extra weight, why I packed four hundred and ninety five pounds of dual mounted thirty threes, with you on board I don't feel a thing." DaisyChain nodded to herself and started trotting up behind the others. "Alright so fillies we gonna keep on that pathfinder or let it get away now?"

"What ohhh!" Everypony turned to find the orb was wasting no time to take them straight to their next area. "Don't let that orb get away!" North cried out as it was flying faster. They raced through towards a small opening to a bridge which seemed rickety and old. The pathfinder stopped and started flickering at the front of the bridge where the ponies all piled up in front. As it did the pathfinder seemed to slowly continue forward beyond the bridge.

North took a look across, the fog shrouded what could possibly be over there making it feel risky and dangerous. "We've been through the woods up a mountain side back through more woods plus fog, and now we have a rickety bridge over a foggy gorge this is getting too ridiculous..."

"I agree with ya on that North..." Jaxx huffed and puffed as she finally felt her body weighing down with fatigue. DaisyChain laughed at them all as she and Red were still physically sound, but Red being of age still couldn't stand the large amount of hoofing he had done today.

"My hoofsies feel fine still, I can hoof all day... all day and all night long! Hoofin hoofin hoofin!" Bubblegum pranced around everypony still full of energy. Starlight sighed and mumbled,

"I donno if I can really go any further girls..." Starlight was feeling she was next for something dangerous like the others.

"What's wrong Starlight...?" North took concern about this because she also had the sense the pegasus was feeling nervous that she would be picked out of the group for some crazy task next. So far North has noticed each of them had to go through a task one by one and Starlight was the last one left.

"I just don't know if i'm cut out for this part, I mean you seen the scary things that happened, Timber wolves, Dragons, strange sleepy fog and Ghosts... I'm simply just too scared to think what's next and no doubt it's going to be me next to do some scary thing, what if it's like some big mean scary monster with teeth and claws the size of tree trunks and has eight heads and spits fire out of all their mouths and..." North refused to let her back down as they were too close to finding Sketch so she commanded her,

"Don't be cowaring on me Starlight this is your dearest friend we're talking about, she's locked up all alone, scared... some evil pony is probably torturing her and we're so close to finding her to be giving up now, what will that mean, what will that show!?" Sebastian who had been riding on her head the whole time agreed with North once again reminding Starlight with a sharp thwop to the head with the paper still in his hands.

"Owww... Ohhh I hate it when you do that Sebastian... OUCH!" He slapped her again and pointed forward. "Ok, here I go then..." She again had to swallow down some fear still just barely prepared to take on what may appear. She stood by the bridge and waited for the fog to clear away, when a figure began to appear right in front of her. "EEEP!" She squealed backing away!

When the figure took full form the entire group's eyes widened as this creature was alien to their eyes!

"WHAT IN CELESTIA'S KINGDOM IS THAT!" North and the other's back up as they did not know what this creature was. It looked threatening standing in the gorge with massive size and no face, it was just a visage of a tall standing creature with a pair of white eyes.

"I donno but it's guarding that bridge and I don't like it!" DaisyChain began to feel a need to fight it.

"Let me approach it first..." North, despite feeling this was Starlight's job took the first crack at it seeing as Starlight was frozen with fear. She took a step forward and the creature threw an arm over the front of the bridge. "Hey you, our friend is being held hostage by some goon and you're in our way so step aside!" The figure didn't answer but began to lift its arm up. "Alright, problem solved..." As North was about to take a step forward he swatted her to the ground! "Agghhh ooomph! WHY YOU!" She began to get back up.

"THAT'S IT, that's my cue!" DaisyChain snarled and took a charge with Spike bailing off as he seen the strange dark figure deflect her with some strange magic field! "GAHHH!!! What was that!? What just..." She shook her head glaring back at the being in disbelief.

"Maybe we all need to just team up and take it down!" North hopped up and with the group they simultaneously started to bolt for the creature. One by one they were being deflected and swat back as the creature seemed to become more and more irritated.

Starlight began to think as the creature looked familiar.

"Where have I seen..." As she pondered, she heard North yelling,

"Come on Starlight, you too Lavender we got to find a way to get this thing out of the way!" Suddenly she began to feel an image pop up in her head and she replied with a happy smile,

"Girls, I know..." Nopony was listening as they were too busy trying to buck the creature into submission while Lavender began to complain,

"Oh I'm not even... look at you all you're getting filthy trying to fight that thing... I simply refuse..."

"WWEEE THIS IS FUN, you should try it Lavender!" Bubblegum was having a blast being bounced back like she was on a trampoline!

"I think not!" Lavender snapped back. North began to grow frustrated as the creature would not stop blocking their attacks,

"Agghhh, it's tough but it does not have much of an attack... is it just here to divert our attention to something...?" She attempted to fly out beyond the creature when a magic barrier blasted her back via teleport spell. "Whoa what the... it's trapped us here!!!" North began to feel even more irritated.

"Girls..." Starlight was jumping up and down trying to get their attention to no avail. "Oh Sebastian what am I going to do?" Sebastian glared at the inconsiderate ponies and started to slap the letter in his hands as he had enough of their disregard.

This irritated frog leaped out and one by one he gave everypony a good slap across the face!

"EEEP!" Bubblegum looked wide eyed at her nose which was wiggling as the slap made tickled her. "Ahhh, ahhhh ACHOOO! Hyahahahaha!" She giggled as the others stopped in their tracks turning to the sight of Sebastian croaking.

"What just happened?" Jaxx asked in a daze of confusion. North responded,

"I think we just got frogged."

"HAHAHAHAHA, good one North! Frogged! HYAHAHAHA!" Bubblegum laughed uncontrollably. The frog pointed over at the shy little Starlight as she replied,

"Girls I think I know what to do, can you let me try?" North nodded replying,

"Starlight you need to speak up more..." She paused and trotted over to her adding, "Yeah I'm pretty sure this was your fight anyway so, go get'em! Really though, yeah you need to speak up Starlight..." The others backed up as she approached the creature. Immediately as she approached it slowly it looked down at her with a glare placing its arm to the bridge. Starlight looked up to it and suddenly her eyes lit up!

"I KNEW I SEEN YOU BEFORE! You are in Shooting Star Strike Issue one'o nine, Species six two one from planet Eyrth, you're a Void Crosser! Why you're not a big meany are you, no you're not your species is known to be the most benevolent creatures in space!" Honored by her knowledge the Void Crosser nodded very slowly in respect. "Why are you not allowing us to cross the bridge Void Crosser?"

"She's talking to a what... what is this thing?" North and the others were completely baffled. The Void Crosser pointed over to the bridge as one of the ropes were held just by a thread.

"Oh you were warning us of danger... I see. Well I'm very sorry my friends acted the way they did to you..." The Void Crosser held it's hand over it's shoulder feeling awkward and pointed at North. "North is nice, she was just very worried that you were trying to stop us from getting to our friend, you see she's in danger..." The creature began to make gestures and Starlight responded, "I know, I know she didn't make her intentions clear, she should apologize..."

"What... Intentions clear, I made it perfectly clear the pathfinder went across the bridge therefore our friend is over that bridge..." Starlight turned around and in a polite voice responded,

"Well you should've been more polite and kind than just running up and demanding to cross, he was only trying to warn us of danger..." North took a deep sigh and replied,

"Ok I'm sorry for jumping on you, I'm just a little impatient right now..." Starlight reached her hoof up to the Void Crosser and it reached a hand down to her hoof holding quietly,

"I'm very grateful you stopped us from crossing a dangerous bridge, and we're all sorry about our misunderstanding. If you wish, you can go now." The creature was honored by her kind approach and in an instant the Void Crosser dissipated into the fog, as it disappeared North trotted up to Starlight putting her hoof on her shoulder replying,

"Good call Starlight, I suppose with my tactics we would have never got around him..." Starlight suddenly nodded with a concerned tone,

"Oh yes, because in the comic, Shooting Star Strike tried to get around one but he was brought back nomatter which way he went, Void Crossers may be benevolent but if you do not show kind merit towards them, if you ignore them or are violent towards them they will refuse you to leave forever, or until you show kindness to them.

It's like a kindness riddle, they stop you from impending dangers and you have to prove to them that you were worth their trouble or if you deserve to be imprisoned in time, they have no age so it is not trouble to them to hold you there for eternity." North's face turned pale as she felt her eye twitch,

"WOW... never read that comic, I guess we should be thankful you were with us!" The thought of being trapped forever was not a fun prospect. She was sort of curious now why a comic book creature was manifested here, but so far most of the journey was kind of insane to begin with.

North took a step forward to the bridge and glanced across into the dense fog replying, "Welp mares, looks like we're nearing the end of this crazy journey..." Bubblegum stood by her side and replied,

"Let's show that ponynapper what we're made of! We're no scaredy fillies!" Jaxx took a step by her and added,

"We're gonna give it'R ALL!" Starlight nodded agreeing,

"For our friend!" Lavender joined up by North's side feeling a starting bond between her and North replying,

"Friends fighting for a friend, Together!"

"EXACTLY!" North agreed to that and the ponies were ready to take on the world now, or at least whatever was holding their friend captive. Red, Spike and DaisyChain stood behind them encouraging the ponies they would follow right behind to aid in their journey! DaisyChain acknowledged,

"We're right behind you mares one hundred and ten percent!"

Ruin The Day

"Sketch wake up..." A voice called out to her in the night, when she turned around from the dark prison she was in she could see the outside of ruins. Trapped in some sort of field of magic she was unable to leave, Sketch didn't care though she was literally almost unable to respond with much other than a turn of the head. "Do not worry, you'll get your colors back I promise. Your time is about to come..." A strange figure nuzzled against her cheek and immediately she felt a twinkling crystal blue tear break from the gray pools she had as eyes. "Please hold on to that last bit of hope Sketch, you'll find that it's the greatest strength you possess." The figure disappeared leaving her to lay her head back down as her tear soaked in her coat making a tiny colored stain.

Back at the bridge the fillies were ready to embark on their adventure.

"Alright well I'm going to check on the bridge just in case if we can use it." North made the call and walked over the bridge not liking to think they'd have to find another route, if all else failed her and Starlight would ferry them over the dangerous unknown beneath all the fog. The bridge wobbled about and creaked as the ropes were immediately snapping after she had made a fourth step! "Aghhh!" She lifted up in the air as the bridge fell and smashed to pieces on the other side. "Huh, that void thing was right, soooo how are we..." Before she could finish she heard a loud whizz as Bubblegum zipped by on her pogo-copter replying,

"Way ahead of you mare! WEEEE!!" North gave a deep sigh as the ridiculous pony just never ended her random conveniences.

"Pfftt... well at least what she pulls out of nowhere is consistent..."

"Heads up!" Bubblegum threw a rope with a grappling hook over to the other side!

"WHAT... Bubblegum how are you prepared for all this!" North was still having a hard time figuring out how this pony was so well prepared! Bubblegum just laughed answering back,

"Well duh it's an adventure, didn't you ponies come prepared!?"

(Flashback to Bubblegum at her home.)

"Mom, Dad... I'm gonna get some stuff out of the wagon mkay?" Her parents who were busy playing a trivia game with her Aunt and Uncle just nodded with her dad answering,

"If you take my pogo-copter out be sure to bring it back!"

"Ok daddy!"

(Flash forward to the bridge)

"Huh... wow, Bubblegum that's pretty impressive..." North was actually impressed and surprised to think being so random she still prepared accordingly for the trip. Lavender pointed her hoof out mumbling,

"I dare say she's a lot more intelligent than she let's on that's for sure..."

"Ayyeep..." Jaxx agreed with a short simple response. Bubblegum took a hammer and secured the rope down on one side and turned to the others barking,

"Well what are you ponies just standing around for get that rope tied down!" Lavender was staring across the dangling rope with a skeptical face whining,

"Oh you can't be serious can you? No of course you are..." Jaxx and North took the hook and secured the rope around a tree nearby slapping the hook securely and began to test the strength of the rope.

"Ok so what are they supposed to do walk on it or climb over...?" North answered as she still tried to figure out what bubblegum's plan was. Bubblegum pulled out a bunch of weird turning cranks and placed them all on the rope.

"Noooo, you don't walk on it or climb over it, you ride it see..." At that moment she came across the rope on a small sling attached to one of the cranks with a smile as she poked nose to nose with North.

"HA of course...." With a sarcastic tone and rolling of eyes North hopped into the air with Bubblegum looking confused.

"Gee you ponies just don't know how to adventure... I adventure all the time like there was this one time I met a dragon... ..." She stopped for a second and thought to herself as she cranked back to the other side, "Well actually that was today, but I also been on top of a mountain! Wait I did that today too... hmmm, well I know I definitely adventured a lot of places that was not here for sure!" Jaxx turned to Starlight as she hopped on the crank and mumbled,

"She sure as sugar knows how ta go on an adventure with that mouth of hers." Starlight giggled as she fluttered over with the rest of the group cranking over the rope to the safety of the other side. All the while Bubblegum continued to ramble on,

"So I was like nooo camelu is a country not a desert... and my brother was all nuhuh it's the desert and I called him a big jelly brain and he called me a sticky gummy liar and I was all oh no you didn't and he was all oh yes I did! So I said knock knock, he went who's there and I said Punch for... and he goes punch for who... I said YOU and I gave him a glass of punch..." Her story stopped as the girls were trotting up the small path to find where they were beckoned to. North gazed at a ruined tower peaking out of the fog where Pathfinder disappeared into.

"Yep, this is the place in the picture. This was where we were supposed to be the whole time... We had to do all those crazy things when the answer was that page all along! I hate that so much!" North felt her mind crunching with a headache. She realized they still had to do the journey or else they would still have no clue how to get there, but to have the answer as clear as day in the book was frustrating.

Starlight took one look at the ruins mumbling,

"Something just doesn't feel right..." North just shrugged and replied with a carefree expression,

"Meh, we're too close to the climax of this insane adventure for it to feel any kind of right..." And to make it worse a freak storm suddenly clapped overhead with a roll of thunder as rain began to drizzle. North's face growled with disgust as she snarled, "Grreeatt..."

The rain made Lavender weary of the journey ahead so she asked of her assistant,

"Oh no this won't do, my beautiful mane and tail has just seen no end of torture today! THIS WILL NOT DO! Red would you be so kind?" Red obliged with giving her a rain coat to go with her booties. "Thank you ever so much Red, where would I be without you..." Jaxx was feeling snippy with hunger pains and she replied to the rhetorical question,

"A bigger mess than ya are aight now and a whole lot more whiny..."

"Well now... somepony is rather crabby..." Lavender shirked the remark and trotted ahead with the group. Jaxx slowed beside Red and asked,

"Ya'll don't have any kind'o food hiding in those bags do ya?"

"Afraid not Miss Jaxx..." Red answered with a deep sigh. "I did not figure this journey would take hours..."

"Awww... salt licks!" Jaxx felt her stomach growl more as she thought about food. "Ahhhh i'm so hungry... I could eat a whole orchard'o apples aight now." Of course Bubblegum heard her complain and popped up out of the blue happily replying,

"Well why didn't ya say so I have plenty of tasty treats for you to snack on, like this Apply Pie!" She whipped out a piece of apple pie from her mane and slapped whip cream on the top smiling, "Here try it, it's really good!" Jaxx began to shy away from the offer not due to the fact it came from her mane but the possibility it could be a joke pie.

"Uhhhh... I'll pass on that Bubblegum." Bubblegum stopped in her tracks and looked at Jaxx weird.

"Fine suit yourself, you don't know what you're missing out on mare!" She began to eat the pie piggishly licking her cheeks, "Mmmm...mmmm that's good pie!" Jaxx began to regret not taking the pie offer now and lurched forward as her stomach seemed to yell at her vengefully for rejecting the treat!

They trudged through the rain as the dirt began to grow muddy. All of them were drenched with the exception of Lavender and DaisyChain. Red was kind enough to use an umbrella to cover her and Spike. The ponies heard claps of thunder roll through the sky like an avalanche in the clouds with lightning illuminating the darkness.

"EEEP!" Starlight was having fits of fear as the storm raged above their heads. The others joined in as they started to gallop faster. North began to see a clear opening in a ruined wall ahead making a flying leap for it yelling,

"OVER HERE COME ON!" She urged everypony to hurry as the storm began to grow more fierce.

Standing under the ruins in the dry stone and mortar the mares all sat around in a circle for a moment to catch their breath. "Welp something tells me the next week or so, is going to be miserable weather..." Lavender looked to North an responded,

"Oh don't even joke about that North... I'm a little curious though did they find out what was wrong with the weather factory in Cloudsdale?" North shrugged not knowing the answer to that mystery,

"I unno, the machine broke your guess is as good as mine derp... " Jaxx was fidgeting around as her stomach wouldn't leave her alone. She'd never missed a breakfast, lunch, or dinner before and this was messing with her.

"I'm sorry fer bein the impatient one aight now but if I don't eat somethin soon I'm gonna be might unpleasant to be round..." Bubblegum looked over at her and pulled out another tasty treat mumbling,

"Oh alright grumpy face here, it's my last slice of Blueberry..." Upset she had to part with her pie she gave it to Jaxx who didn't reject this time, as Jaxx chowed down Starlight had to be the creepy one and point out a feeling she couldn't get rid of,

"Do you girls have this ever slowly creeping sensation we're being watched?" They all looked around the ruins nervously, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark dilapidated halls. The main room of the castle like ruin had one large statue in the middle that seemed to be missing parts. North opened the book as it resembled something familiar and she immediately recognized it,

"Yep this is the same exact statue in the picture, but some pieces are missing..." Bubblegum followed North as she hopped up and ventured off to examine the main room more closely. "I can't help but feel there should be an out of place clue in here somewhere, I mean we're at the ruins where did that pathfinder go off to?"

"I ain't got the slightest clue sugar cube, after it disappeared in the fog I lost track of it..." Jaxx mumbled finishing off the last of the pie with her face covered in blue filling. Spike started to feel a chill running down his scales as if something was behind him. He turned around to check if his feeling was correct only to see a shadowy figure in the dark corner.

"Ahhh.... aaahggghghaaa... wwhaaaaa..." Stumbling on his words a flash of light and an echo of thunder revealed a shadowy figure looming overhead! "AGHHHH!" Starlight was startled by Spike immediately ducking her head to the ground screaming,

"EEEEEEPPP!"

"Whoa there dragon boy what's all the fuss?" DaisyChain felt him gripping her mane tightly so she decided to turn around and see what the scare was all about.

"Th...th...th...theres...ss..s.s.ss... something over there!" Spike stuttered pointing over in the corner. DaisyChain took a bit to focus her eyes in the dark when a flash of light revealed a statue of a pony.

"Oh relax it's just a statue." DaisyChain seemed to continue being the hard to scare one as everypony seemed to be unnerved. North and Bubblegum were the only ones willing to look around. Lavender took a little time before she whipped the hood off her head and walked around.

"Huh I didn't take you as the kind to go snoopin round in a place like this Lavender?" Jaxx commented as Lavender examined the strange sculpture in the middle of the room. Lavender just rolled her eyes and scoffed,

"I wouldn't dream of snooping around in this dreadful place..." She paused for a moment as her eyes caught something glinting over in the last standing tower of this castle ruin. "But the sooner we find Sketch, the sooner we can get back home. I'm practically out of styling products I'm on my last can of conditioning spray and my last bottle of disinfectant is dry."

"Well ya got a point there, I mean the part where findin Sketch means we can leave sooner an all that." Jaxx couldn't argue with that logic and hopped up from her spot to go join them in the hunt. Starlight and the others decided to join and look around.

Lavender stood by the window as the storm continued to roar watching the glint in the tower strangely feeling it was beckoning her over, but no amount of curiosity would get Lavender to leave the safe dryness of the ruins she was already in.

North had ventured upstairs where a hall of rooms was still partially in tact.

"This place is ooky cooky Spooky North..." Bubblegum mumbled as she started to get the chills. "I bet it has ghosties somewhere like when Jaxx was all 'Der's GHOSTIES!' and there was cause Lavender's tail was attacked, I just have this feeling there's somepony watching us like Starlight said..." Bubblegum continued to yap as they trotted through the hall. North rolled her eyes as she came to the first room,

"Would you calm down Bubblegum?" Bubblegum just gave a shrug with a concerned reply,

"I would if I could but something's just not right... and when something's not right, it's definitely wrong." Bubblegum tagged close behind North as they entered one of the rooms,

"Well I know something isn't right but you don't have to say it out loud..." As a flicker of light shot through the windows lighting the room North had her head turned to Bubblegum. Bubblegum's face began to twitch as her mouth opened wide to something behind her. "What's wrong with your face..." It didn't take any response for North's face to turn grim with a quiet response, "There's something behind me isn't there?" Behind her was the vision of a phantom mare floating in the room. North turned her head around to see what was behind her and as the lightning subsided the room fell dark and the visage disappeared before she could see it. Her fear struck face turned confused with a response, "Bubblegum what's wrong with..." As she turned her head back around she seen the phantom mare in the room across from them! "Oh sweet Celestia..."

"It's behind me now isn't it?" North nodded.

The two mares screamed in a panic and ran downstairs! Lavender turned her attention first when they galloped down with a phantom laughing maniacally as it soared into the main room!

"OH DEAR CELESTIA WHAT IS THAT!?" Lavender ran to the safety of the other ponies as the flying phantom centered in the room laughing!

"HAHAHAHA! So you foolish ponies think you could just waltz through this so easily!?" DaisyChain felt her itch to fight shoot through her hooves. North had turned to face the phantom and she remarked,

"Yeah well I wasn't expecting it to be a walk through the park you insane whatever you are... who are you anyway!?" The phantom just turned her head up and bellowed,

"My name is not important, what is important is that you will never make it out alive HAHAHA! You are doomed to die in these hollowed halls!!"

"What... what is all this is it a joke is it serious I can't tell anymore!!" North cried out as the storm began to grow more fierce as the phantom mare began to cause a torrent of magical energy around the ruins. The phantom just floated in the air manifesting shadowy figures of dark ponies.

"Your lost friend holds the key to escaping, but to find her you must fight for your life! HAHAHAHAHA!" The phantom suddenly began to grow larger as she sent forth a shock of lightning into the ground!

"AGGHHH!" North flew back as she dodged the bolt. The dark visages began to drop wasting no time to make their way for the mares!

"Finally some action! Sorry dragon boy but this is where you'll have to get off..." Spike hopped off DaisyChain as she stomped her hoof on the floor ready to throw down! North took this time to go back upstairs to look for Sketch, she felt there was a reason the phantom had appeared up there if that was even a reason, but so far it was the only lead she had in her mind.

Bubblegum spotted the sneaky mare. A huge crowd of dark shadows were closing in around her. Oblivious to this situation she cried out,

"WAIT UP NORTH!" She pulled out her pogo-copter and launched in the air. A pile of ponies landed on one another as she flew up into the air. The phantom threw a dark gaze over at her and inquired with a rather sarcastic and sharp tone,

"Where do you think you're going...?" Bubblegum suddenly found herself becoming target practice for the phantom mare's lightning bolts!

"EEEE, WOOOP... Alley OOP!" Bubblegum flew about and spun in the air as she dodged the attacks with sheer coincidental luck! "WEEEEE!"

"Stop that, stop it now, this isn't a GAME...!" With her attention off the others North slipped through to the top floor unnoticed. Slowly but surely she made it to the top of the stairs where the area was still silent.

"Don't worry Sketch we're going to get you out of here, somehow..."

Off in an unknown location to the mares Sketch was trapped in her prison feeling too weak and worthless to fight out still. She just lay lost in her thoughts.

'What do I do, do I just lay and wither or do something... is there really anything worth doing? I don't know I've always wanted to feel loved by my own family to feel that special feeling inside that only your parents and siblings could fill. I guess I'll never get that so what's the point. My greatest goal in life is gone...' Her mind raced as her soul inside weep from her loss. Unbeknownst to her a group of mares were nearby fighting to save her from the phantom's evil hooves!

"YAHHHH!" DaisyChain bucked her hind legs straight into her aggressor's jaw sending him flying into the air splattering the wall. "Scratch one bogie!" The shadowy pony exploded in a puff of dark shadows and soon another reformed from the dark fog.

"What in the Equestria, they just pop right back up! That ain't fair!" Jaxx reared up and popped one across the face and bucked another behind her, but another shadow pony had tackled her side while she was turned! "AGGHHH!"

"JAXX NO!" Starlight in the background watched her friend get knocked to the ground.

"WE GOT A PONY DOWN!" DaisyChain yelled as she witnessed Jaxx get tossed to the ground. Before DaisyChain could come to the rescue she began to have more than her fair share of shadow ponies! "Looks like these ponies really don't like me..." The odds were outnumbering her and she began to back up when she felt her hind leg touch a scaly figure.

"I got your back..." Spike muttered under a low breath behind her. DaisyChain turned her head nodding as he showed her a pile of good sized rocks in his claws.

"Well hop on dragon boy!" Spike hopped up on her back and she bolted off with a loud wail, "CHARRRGE!" Bringing up her front feet as she made contact with the line of ponies she bopped one across the face! Spike took one side and started tossing stones popping the others away from her as she took her flank and spun sideways bucking a chain of shadow ponies into the air!

"MY WORD, this is just absolutely barbaric! Can't we speak like civil ponies about this?" One of the shadow ponies took a swipe at her and razor bladed her tail. She turned with her eyes twitching as she looked upon her now mangled tail. "AGGGHHHHHH MY BEAUTIFUL TAIL! YOU FILTHY CUR! RED!!!" The pony looked at her as if she was stupid until he felt a poke on his shoulder as Red looked at him replying,

"Dreadfully sorry about this but when you mess with Miss Rose, you in turn mess with me..." With a dressed hoof and a loud grunt Red plowed the shadow pony in the face sending him flailing into a wall.

Starlight tried to think of what to do in the midst of all the fighting and the screaming. Bubblegum still flew about while the others were fighting or being captured. Before she could react she felt a gust of air fly by her face,

"Aghhhh what was that!?" Sebastian holding his place on her head was scanning the air but the shadow fliers were spinning circles around them. "Who's there!" Out of the blue she spun around to meet nose to nose with a shadow pegasus grinning,

"Boo..."

"AGGHHHH!" She flipped out and bucked him in the face as she darted away from everypony hiding behind the pony statue.

"Nothing here..." North peered in room after room upstairs and had no luck of finding Sketch. "Nothing there, where in Equestria are you Sketch!?" As she made it to the last room she trotted up to the window peering out, "Unless there's a basement then the only place left is the old tower over there... and..." A glinting light flickered catching her attention. "What's this...?" She took a quick glance around to make sure nopony was around and began to fly under the radar of everypony towards the tower in the torrential storm.

"ENOUGH OF THESE GAMES!" The phantom mare bellowed as she encased the room in darkness letting loose an onslaught of minions! One by one the ponies were being overpowered. DaisyChain and Red were of course under a pile of minions trying to keep them held down, but it didn't take much to detain the others. The only two not held at bay was the hidden Starlight and the still annoying Bubblegum. The phantom mare though was tired of Bubblegum's shennanigans and decided, "It's time for you to get... GROUNDED!" An orb of dark energy engulfed Bubblegum and without being able to see she flew straight into the wall!

"Agghhhh.... OOMPH!" She fell to the floor with her dad's now broken pogo-copter laying by her side. She felt stars flying around in her face as two shadowy figures detained her.

"I thought there was more...?" She counted the captured ponies and realized two were missing! "What where are they!" North had slipped over into the tower where the beckoning light called out to her and to her surprise she could see what was supposed to be pathfinder floating by some egg shaped prison cell holding none other than Sketch-It!

"SKETCH!" She hopped through the window making her way towards the chamber when a flash of light blinded her from the pathfinder! "Ahhh what was that!?" As the flash subsided the beacon alerted the phantom mare who instantly appeared in the room.

"THERE YOU ARE HAHAAHAHAHA!" A bolt of energy shot down and subdued North!

"GAHHH!!!" With a raise of her hoof the others were teleported into the room suspended with the alicorn! Starlight watched as everypony was gone with a poof! She emerged from the shadows looking around with Sebastian still keeping her company.

"Where'd everypony go... ohhh Sebastian I don't like this one bit..." As she trotted towards the window the sight of the lights in the tower caught her attention. "Ohhh I have a horrible feeling... but I musn't give up yet, be brave Starlight think, what would Shooting Star Strike do?" She decided to race for the tower in the raging storm!

"HAAHHAHAHAHA!!! So, how does it feel to be sooo close, but powerless to do anything!?" Struggling the ponies tried to break free. North attempted to use her magic to no avail! "There's no use fighting, it's over!"

"No it's not!" North continued to fight unwilling to give up. The ponies all refused to let their lives be forfeit.

The pathfinder flashed about strangely. Strangely the orb was quietly whispering to the imprisoned unicorn,

"Sketch, look... out there, what do you see?" Sketch raised her head up with a sorrowful expression.

"I see..." She began to look harder focusing on the faces outside the cell. She could hear voices,

"Why don't you give up already!?" She heard an evil voice growl as North's voice cried out,

"I won't give up!"

"Me neither!" Jaxx's voice raised up out of the depths as the ponies denied defeat!

"For once I try to be friends with someponies, a group of ponies who may not be like me, but they're pretty awesome! About the only few who I can call friends, someponies who I know despite their differences would have my back, and you think I'm just going to give up like that for them! NO CHANCE!" North's voice rang again as her eyes began to glow!

"What's this!?" The phantom mare began to feel the strength of the ponies as they began to one by one feel a power unlock inside.

"I've never really had the time of day to make friends, but when I came here with mah family, and met these ponies well I... I'll be honest with ya I AIN'T ABOUT TO GIVE UP SO EASILY ON THEM!" Jaxx's eyes flared up as something inside of her, despite being an Earth Pony, a power unchained in her.

As Sketch listened to them her colors slowly began to grow back.

"Do you see yet Sketch?" A voice cooed to her. Sketch was starting to understand slowly.

"I lived on the run from the mistakes I've done, and I outright REFUSE to keep running! This is where I make my stand, these ponies are the closest thing to what I could even call friends, sure I have been rude and stubborn, but they didn't give up on me like all the others! Why even my family gave up on me and threw me out, so I'm not about to lose this over some inconveniences! I came all this way torn mane and mangled tail to save my friend! I sacrificed my selfish behavior to show I can be a real friend! I REFUSE TO GIVE IN!" Lavender's eyes began to burst with fiery energy as she joined the two others in unlocking her inner strength.

"Is something really awesome about to happen?" DaisyChain commented. Spike obliged her with the answer,

"I'm pretty sure that's a yes!"

"That's awesome!" The others watched as Bubblegum added her strong words,

"You know there's always a time to laugh, but there's some times ya gotta get serious and this is serious... you broke my dad's pogo-copter and you trapped me and my friends in these mean thingies... THAT'S WHERE I DRAW THE LINE MISSY! NOPONY RUINS ME AND MY FRIEND'S FIRST AWESOME FUN ADVENTURE TOGETHER! Though I don't know this is still kinda fun hyahahahahaha!" Bubblegum's giggle sparked with a powerful energy releasing from the inner sanctum that is Bubblegum!

"This... THIS CANNOT BE!"

Sketch began to realize at that moment... she was not alone in the world. The gray color in her heart began to dissipate as the realization struck her like a blade! To them she was not just some other pony, she was a friend! What came even more shockingly to her realization was that she had become one of their closest friends. Her friends were all different in some way but if it was not for her they would've never met one another.

"Do you see now Sketch, you have never been alone in this world... I know this tragedy was very hard to take, but just look at what your friends have done, what a certain family has done for you. Sketch everypony here that came to your rescue cares about you, and they care about one another even if they do not think much of each other yet. Is that not what it feels like to be in a family, that care and the warm feeling inside when being around them in happiness, and harmony? Sure there may be arguments but they can always depend on one another. Their loyalty, honesty, their generosity, laughter, and their kindness..." Sketch was almost completely back in color when the final piece came into play as a Starlight jumped through the window with a fierce attitude,

"I always ran away from ponies because I've been hurt before. The ridicule, the pain of harmful words and actions made me scared to try and reach out to other ponies. This has been the first time I opened up and tried. I took a chance it was all or nothing! Shooting Star Strike would never give up on kindness and harmony and he spread it across an entire galaxy! I'll fight for kindness, and what it means to be a true friend! I don't want them to ever go through what I had been through, nopony deserves that and if I can I will STAND AND FIGHT FOR THEM!" Starlight's eyes flared with a powerful spark as she held steadfast ready to fight!

"I see it now!" Sketch stood up in her cell and her eyes peered out as she stated to herself, "I'm not alone in this world I was never alone, these... these ponies are just as close to family as my own would've been. They came all this way to save me! I remember now that this gray feeling had me feeling helpless before. Lady and Master Mareweather were there for me, and now my new friends are here for this moment! I UNDERSTAND IT ALL NOW! It all feels just like magic, and that's what it is..."

"With the five elements in play we need the sixth, a mysterious element that when combined with these creates harmony. This element is seen in few, they are not always leaders, they are not always the most important in the world of Equestria... but what they have deep inside is a dominating energy that has unimaginable power when unlocked! The element of Magic!" The voice echoed out into the room as Sketch's eyes began to glow. "Together you six hold The Elements of Harmony!"

"Nooo... What is this... It can't be!!" Sketch broke through the cell and the six mares began to circle the phantom mare. "NOOOO!" Their energy entwining around focusing all on Sketch. Around their necks strange objects began to appear out of nowhere. These badges of their cutie marks glowed brightly as the energy continued to pulse through all of them. Jaxx was four white Xs with a red orb in the center, Lavender's a paintbrush with a beautiful rose blooming from a stem, Bubblegum's of course a pink orb of gun with a blueberry and cherry inside it, Starlight had a bright Star with a question mark engraved on hers, North's was three green leaves jutting out from a stem. The final one was of course Sketch's badge with her pencil and paintbrush crossed one another with the artist cap above the two.

All together a jet of magical energy emitted from Sketch and blasted the phantom mare in a glorious and powerful light!

"NOOOOO!!!!" The phantom mare suddenly began to dissipate in the air as the power tore her dark energy apart! The brilliant spectacle to the others was completely radical! "WHAT IS THIS POWER... HOW DID YOU!!!" The Phantom Mare didn't stand a chance as the power dissipated her shadows.

As the blast subsided and they all began to float down to the ground DaisyChain, Red, Spike, and Sebastian came over to them to congratulate the mares and their amazing feat!

"Mares that was the most awesome thing I've ever seen since I witnessed the Majesty's Harmony fire all her guns at once... you just can't get much more awesome than that!" North looked down at her badge and gave a big giddy smile,

"OHHHH MARES, THIS IS SO SWAG!" Everypony felt excited to see their badges. They sensed something really special had just happened.

"Oh my this is very befitting of me, such a lovely piece to hang around my neck..." Lavender boasted with Bubblegum agreeing excitedly as she put her hoof over Lavender replying as she showed hers,

"And they match our cutie marks too!"

"What really... oh wow well ya look at that... they sure as sugar do!" Jaxx took a nice gander at her badge and felt proud of it. Spike seemed to be confused, he was trying to fathom why the mares were given the elements of harmony, were there supposed to be only one set if so, what happened to Twilight and her gang? this didn't settle with him well.

Out of the shadows a tall dark mare came towards them. North took the leadership once more and echoed,

"Whoever you are we're not afraid to use these...!"

"Yeah what she said!" Bubblegum interjected North puffing her chest out showing her badge ready to fight again. A voice of less malevolence began to answer,

"Now, now let us not be hasty mares..." She stepped out into the light where she had revealed her cosmic grace! It was none other than Princess Luna! Everypony gasped but DaisyChain who was caught off guard by the royal appearance and bowed stating with a loud clear tone,

"Lieutenant Major DaisyChain Mcloud At your service your Majesty!" Princess Luna gestured her to skip the formal greeting,

"There's no need for formalities, this is not a royal gathering or public appearance, this is more personal say friend to friend?" With an awkward smile she tried to be as friendly as she could. The orb just laughed at her replying,

"Oh sister you're still just as awkward as you were those years ago... have you not learned?"

"Sister don't start with me, you know these years have been unkind, and I've had no time to look at your research, a war is going on which takes my full attention..." With a regretting sigh she looked back at the ponies and continued, "So I'm guessing you all want an explanation?" Everypony nodded as they were still confused as to what was going on. "Ok well have a seat, it's going to take a bit of time to tell this story..."

The story she had to tell was not a pretty one. She spoke about the start of the war and why everything seemed to be out of whack. How an evil force of chaos was engulfing their world from some unknown place. She even spoke of the outer colonies and their constant fight to survive against the forces that continued to pour from nowhere. They all really just wanted to know why they had this crazy adventure, and Princess Luna nodded solemnly knowing this fact and she gave them the full explanation.

"My sister over here you all know as Princess Celestia, has been trapped for many years now in a location we still don't know. Risk of tracking her signal right now would provoke unknown consequences so she's kept her energy level at a low reading when projecting herself. She's spent years working on a project with me. It was to be a replacement for the Elements of Harmony we no longer have in possession."

"What... these are not the real elements of harmony?" The girls looked at their badges again in shock. Spike was now in more shock but his ill feeling filled back with a small hope, seeing Princess Celestia present even if she was not physically there made him eager to ask a question that has been hurting him inside to know. Princess Luna nodded and continued,

"These badges are a focused energy me and my sister had worked together to create, less potent than the true Elements of Harmony, but they will do the trick. You see ever since the disappearance of the main six, we've slowly begun to lose the fight with these chaotic invaders, our weakness is we don't have the elements of harmony anymore, it's begun to break apart through a crushing entropy..." Looking down with a rather serious expression she added, "Which is why I was so harsh on you mares, I've been under great deals of stress from this war, I've tried to keep it off Shining Armor's shoulders as he has plenty to deal with... but it seems to consume him everyday." North felt the whole harsh on them all was untrue as she felt their trials were nothing comparable to hers. Princess Luna paused a moment and turned to her sister's orb as Celestia spoke,

"I will admit sister you do have a great deal of problems to manage, but as of now this will change. The hope and fate of Equestria is in their hands now and I'm confident they will not let the kingdom down..." Celestia paused awkwardly as she felt a presence nearby, "I can't hang around too long though, I've already risked a lot being out here to lead you girls on your journey, I shall report to you later Luna, please be safe girls, and you all as well." Before she could leave she heard the sound of a familiar voice replying,

"Wait... Princess!" She looked quickly to see an adorable little purple dragon running up to her. "I know you have to go and all but I really need to know one thing!" She smiled warmly through the orb and nodded,

"Of course anything for you Spike..." Spike took a deep breath not knowing what the answer would be but he had to know.

"I have to know Princess, are... are they ok?" Princess Celestia immediately understood who he was asking about. She looked down at him with a very warm expression and replied,

"Don't worry Spike they are fine. I can sense their power of harmony is still strong and fighting valiantly..." She paused a moment as he smiled with his tail wagging, "But..." Suddenly as she began to speak on his tail began to stop wagging when she continued, "I'm afraid to say they are no longer in this world, they are beyond in a realm overwhelmed in chaos and evil. To say that they will never return is a lie, I feel everyday their power grows stronger. I know for a fact Spike you have not seen the last of them, so don't you lose that hope ok?" It was like somepony had lit a firecracker in Spike's soul! That sensation of assurance, that feeling that one day he'll see Rarity again, and Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy!

"DON'T YOU WORRY PRINCESS CELESTIA, I WON'T LOSE A SINGLE OUNCE OF IT!" Princess Celestia giggled as she answered,

"I know you won't Spike, now if you'll excuse me I have to play coy..." As she left, Spike turned to everypony and started hopping in the air yelling,

"I KNEW IT, I knew they were not gone for good! Oh this is amazing I feel like a whole new SPIKE, an even better Spike!" He started to flex his little muscles valiantly and DaisyChain laughed,

"With muscles like that dragon boy we don't have to worry about anything with you around!" Spike blushed as he answered back bashfully,

"Awww stop, you're killing me here!" They all laughed happily and as everypony was settled down, Princess Luna stood over them changing her attitude more seriously as she responded.

"Alright, now on to the real business, I'm sure you're wondering what you're going to be doing with those badges, well I'll tell you right now you're not going to be learning about the Magic of Friendship..." Spike began to grin really big as he pointed at Princess Luna replying,

"hehehehe I seen what you did there..." Princess Luna ignored Spike as she began to explain,

"First off these badges will not increase your abilities in any way shape or form, only when you six work together does the power activate. You're primary goal will be to protect the empire and it's core colonies from the forces of chaos, got it?" North speaking for the group as usual nodded,

"Yes your Majesty..." Princess Luna immediately responded,

"Good, Spike..."

"Yes Princess?" Spike looked up as he saluted to the Princess ready for his duty.

"You'll be receiving specific mission orders from myself only which you will dispatch to these ponies, and North I would like to have a word with you in private..."

"Yes your Majesty..." Princess Luna pointed over at DaisyChain and concluded,

"You, Lieutenant Major, you'll be in charge of physical training for these ponies, I want them to know how to properly defend themselves because these situations will have varying danger levels. Best to be prepared for the worst."

"You can count on me Princess!" DaisyChain saluted with her enthusiastic response. Before she forgot she added, "Oh yeah, I have a special message sent by Admiral Red Mane that Cloud Port Nine is occupied by enemy forces so, just a heads up it's a trap there." Luna acknowledged the relay of information as she carried on to summon North. The ponies all huddled together as the alicorn trotted up to the Princess.

"What is it you need?" Princess Luna turned her attention over to North and led her over to a window. The storm letting up to a light drizzle she responded,

"I know you have probably been wondering why you've been given a more serious treatment than the others..." North nodded slowly responding as she scratched her mane with her hoof nervously,

"Well yeah I was curious why it was so personal..." Princess Luna took a deep breath and mumbled,

"Loyalty is a strong element, and this kingdom needs a lot more of it. You see a dark discord has been growing more prevalent. Sources say an unspeakable force of disharmony is breaking down our own citizens into deceptive spies. I had to know that your loyalty was strong. Some of our greatest commanding officers had broke their loyalty to this discordian plague."

"Well you can count on me princess." Princess Luna nodded.

"It is good to hear. I am confident Northern Song you will not let our kingdom go astray into the hooves of chaos."

"Thanks." North replied back really expecting more of some super secret orders, but instead it was just a personal message to her from Luna though this meant her importance was highly valued by Princess Luna herself. She smiled as she walked North back over to the others stating,

"Well I best be heading back to Canterlot and don't you all worry, I will not be summoning you everyday, but be prepared when I do. Sketch I will wish to see you, North, and Lavender at Canterlot on your earliest conveniences..." She began to trot over to an opening in the wall as a chariot began to descend. She turned to the group and began to feel awkward as they had went through a lot to have to go back in the rain, "Well I don't suppose you all want to hoof it back home do you...?" Everypony shook their heads as they denied even wanting to think about it. "Well I think I can do something about that then." With a quick spell she began to teleport the whole group back to ponyville. She had even taken the liberty of teleporting them to their respective homes!

"Of course they could've just teleport us to the ruins but no they had to..." North paused her complaints turning her attention out the window in the rainy night. "Well I guess it all happened for a reason though." North decided that the first thing she would do was hit the hay and sleep off the extreme fatigue she felt! The one thing still buzzing in her mind was that huge pile of parts still soaking outside in that blasted rain storm.

Spike had no ounce of doubt he wanted to go to sleep right away. Jaxx could see her family was already doing the same, but she was not about to go to sleep without whipping up something really quick to feed her hunger. Bubblegum returned to her dad showing what had happened to the pogo-copter.

"No worries Bubbly Berry, I'll have this fixed in a jiff, at least you brought it back..." He gave her a happy noogie. Immediately making her feel happy she didn't make a big mistake. Starlight and Sebastian did the same as the others and slept off the ache of the trip. When Starlight had snuggled into her bed she giggled,

"I can't believe I got to see a Void Crosser, that was soooo cool! I felt just like Shooting Star Strike! SO AWESOME!" She squirmed around in her bed wanting to read her comics again, but she was patient enough to wait on that desire.

Over at Sketch's home Sketch-it had to sit on the couch and reflect on what had just happened. Lavender raced up the stairs crying out,

"Finally I can clean myself from this filth! I'll have myself a nice warm relaxing bath then I must tend to my destroyed mane, oh and my tail as well... then it is straight to bed in my cozy clean blankets." Red's eyes were sagging as he slowly made his way upstairs mumbling,

"I dare say that trip has me beat, I'm going straight to bed if nopony minds." The others dismissed him as he traveled to the spare room by Lavender's to sleep. Sketch-it began to mumble,

"I'm really sorry for having you all pulled into this." DaisyChain just acted like it was nothing replying,

"Don't sweat it mare, what could you do, you were picked by our royal majesties for a special assignment..."

"True, that's very true..." It didn't really require much thought to see that logic. "Still, I wish there was some other way this all could've ended... it feels as though they knew I was going to lose my brother or something..." Sketch still felt like crying about the loss of her only family. DaisyChain trotted over to her and refused to let her cry alone,

"Hey, hey..." DaisyChain felt awkward as she wasn't used to seeing this a lot, but she also had a very soft spot about these things. She kept thinking back at the hangar those sad eyes and the tears, the crying stallions who knew they probably were not going to see the outside alive. Watching Sketch cry just hit her deep inside. Peering around she could see Red was gone from sight and Lavender was probably not going to come down after her shower. Feeling secure nopony was around to see her soft side she nuzzled Sketch sweetly and whispered, "Shhhh, There there, come on girl let it out... I'm here for ya..." Patting her with a warm hug she felt the poor mare's tears getting her jacket wet.

"I mean he sounded like the greatest stallion ever in the whole wide world ya know, and I was going to be able to call him my brother... and he just, there's no getting him back! Just slipped away..."

"I know sugar pie, I know... it's rough... I know it's probably in bad taste but being respectful and all I brought his last letter to ya..."

"You... did..." DaisyChain nodded and trotted over to the envelope picking it up with her teeth, she brought it over to Sketch who levitated it in the air opening the fold slowly. That's when they both figured out his last words were missing as she picked up the only thing inside which was a photo. "There's nothing else there..." DaisyChain being really suspicious didn't like this one bit and she expressed it with a loud stomp of her hoof,

"WHAT... Ohhhhh I swear if I find whoever took it I'm gonna..." Sketch took a look over at the picture... that's when she finally seen her brother for the first time since ever! His blonde mane, pristine blue coat with a shining light pink heart on his flank. She giggled a bit inside as a tear dripped on the side of the photo. He looked really happy as he held his hoof with DaisyChain's... Sketch began to speculate what this was about as she looked upon the shining object wrapped around her hoof on the photo.

"What... what's that on your hoof?" DaisyChain looked over and smiled really nervously playing dumb,

"What hoof... my hoof?"

"Yeah the one you are using to hold my brother's..."

"Oh that's... ummm nothing really just some old piece of a cylinder I scrapped off a warbird engine, I wear it for well good luck... see..." Pausing awkwardly she smiled trying to slip by the question, she didn't hesitate to show the cylinder ring which was brand new and coated with shiny silver. "Blew it clean off my first bogie, yep... that's how I got it, now I remember it was back on my first tour of duty..." Sketch shrugged it off but knew better than to believe that story fully, how could something so brand new be a piece of scrap from her first fight?

"I don't understand why they are so happy?" This question was simple for DaisyChain to answer,

"Well they didn't want to be seen back home with sad faces, they went out smiling at the face of danger! FDDS..."

"FDDS?" DaisyChain nodded replying,

"You're brother had explained it in the somehow missing letter..." Still upset she pinned her ears back suspiciously darting her eyes around only to turn back to her finishing, "It stands for Fight like Dogs, but Die like Stallions. A saying in the army, we fight by our orders but when we die it is our own choice. If you were in the military you'd understand the importance of this. Them smiling was the only way they could feel confident in their final hours." Sketch-it brought the picture down to her hoof and ran it across the smooth photo seeing the words,

"To my lovely little Filly back home, here's something to remember me by..." The waterworks started up again as she sniffled and pouted and tried to keep herself from wailing the whole world awake! DaisyChain hopped on the couch by her side and cuddled up close to her with her ears drooped as she felt Sketch's pain.

"Awww, come on now if it makes you feel any better I really liked your brother too, and it hurts me a lot to have left him and the others behind."

"R....Really...?" DaisyChain nodded her head slowly nuzzling her cheek.

"It sure did, but they all told me I was the only one who could escape. If it's any consolation to you the reason I'm here is because of your brother..." Sketch looked up to her confused.

"W... Why what, how is he...?" Making sure nopony was in her sights she answered,

"He told me in his last words to take his place for you... now I like kicking some major tail, and I'd give anything to hop back in the military, but one thing I won't go back on is a last request, I figured it was time to hang up the fighting career anyway. My first major accident and it was by friendly fire... so that right there told me I better move on. So I accepted his request to come here and be your big sis, I felt close to your brother and I owed it to him for saving my life, oddly enough I was having strange dreams too, I guess Princess Celestia did know all about this..." Sketch felt that this reason for staying around was a whole lot more believable than just a simple rest stop.

DaisyChain turned her head slightly with a sad expression, "Out of all those odds, this one unicorn seen me and cared enough to catch me before I smashed through the clouds and fell to my death, odds were I was supposed to die... nopony was supposed to care really about one pegasus." DaisyChain looked at her wings, and down to her wounded shoulder. The more she thought about it, who in Equestria would've guessed she would've caught LightHeart's attention as she fell from the sky. He was a commanding officer not a medic. All the medics were bombed or scattered with no sense of where to go. She thanked Celestia Puppydog Tails and his small crew of aids were well prepared too. The more her thoughts ran by those odds the more she felt that maybe this was all a part of the Princesses' plan, it just all seemed too convenient. Her mind was halted when she heard a voice call over to her quietly,

"Daisy..." DaisyChain peered over raising a brow at Sketch. "Thank you..." She stopped thinking and started smiling as she rubbed Sketch's head with her hoof,

"Don't mention it kiddo..." She paused a moment and looked over at the cylinder ring she had on her hoof. As Sketch began to close her eyes, DaisyChain glanced at the picture of her holding LightHeart's hoof curled in Sketch's hoof. She quietly whispered, "Don't mention it..." as she began to lay her head by Sketch, a tiny tear broke out of her seemingly tough eyes. DaisyChain's eyes gazed off towards a window and it was plain to see on her face she was feeling a deep pain raging inside, one that was just as deep as Sketch's it seemed. When DaisyChain closed her eyes the tiny tear wiggled down her cheek and tickled Sketch's hoof. She opened her eyes quietly to see the small wet spot on her hoof guided by a tiny wet trickle from Daisy's eye. Sketch just nuzzled up closer to her placing her head on top of DaisyChain's hooves.

The Steampony Express

North was hard at work today as she was trotting through her marvelous machine which was near completion. At this time she was wearing goggles above her horn pushing her mane back. She had a white shirt with a thick black over shirt and her hooves covered with a pair of black boots.

"Ok let's see here, Magic powered heating system..." She glanced up towards a massive boiler hiding in the depths of the machine. The boiler had four tanks by one massive tank which below them was a magic gauge. "Check..." She tested the system by charging the gauge with her magic. She began to pump the gauge with magic energy, the power stores surged her energy into four half dome metallic plates glowing bright red. The water tanks commenced to heat up and the first minute passed as she examined the main tank pressure gauge. "System is functional, heh alright..." She trotted over to a special switch she added into the many systems still in the large steam engine. "Checking all pneumatics systems." Like a mad scientist she pulled the switch and turned as she slapped a pair of goggles on. "COME ON... LIVE... LIVEEE!" The pressure began to wobble the pneumatic tubes as steam was sucked from the main tank and poured into the system.

The switch she pulled was basically a full system test forcing hundreds of tubes to whistle and toot. With expertly trained eyes she focused on every pneumatic tube carefully scanning for any emergency release valve to pop out, this would be to prevent the tubes from exploding and indicate a fault in the line. "Yessss, YESSSS... YESSS MUWAHAHAHAHA! IT LIVESSSS!" Her machine begun to make a loud ruckus outside Ponyville and the townsfolk were wondering if a train had came into the station.

With a clap of her hooves she felt her machine had finally been brought to life when a voice behind her inquired,

"What lives?"

"GAHHHH...!!" Startled she turned around with her goggles staring Bubblegum in the face. "What are you doing HERE... the boiler room is no place for anypony but me!"

"A boiler room, what's a boiler room... Ohhh is it like something you use to like boil stuff! Hopefully not eggs, boiled eggs smell! Why would anypony boil an egg?!" North threw her hoof to her face with an aggravated response,

"Agghhh it's sort of, you do boil water but that's about it. What is important is THE STEAMM!" She points to the system as it continued to whistle about. Bubblegum trotted up to the pnuematic tubes and stared at them for a moment. "NO YOU FOOL THAT STEAM IS HOT!" A sharp whistle of steam shot by her face and Bubblegum jumped back yipping,

"Holy Cotton Candy that WAS hot! Almost as hot as my Tamales haha...!"

"Believe me, there's a BIGG Difference."

"Well this place is no fun hey wanna go prank some ponies or bowl... or... or we could form a band!! Call ourselves the NORTH BERRY SWIRL!" Feeling her mind become perplexed North sighed,

"Not really Bubblegum I must finish my tests. I have added quite a few modifications to the engine and I want to make sure they all work properly before I reveal it to the others. The closer I get at finishing this baby the more SWAG it gets!" As North was preoccupied Bubblegum decided to look around.

"Wow you sure do have a lot of buttons and knobby thingies, and levers, and ooohhh what does this wheel thing do?"

"BUBBLEGUM NO!" She zipped over grabbing the wheel before Bubblegum could move it anymore than she had! The steam engine began to make a funky noise as the pressure began to drop. "Do not touch that, everything in here is only touched by me! Got it!" North's agitation was growing more and more as Bubblegum was not aware of what she was doing. Bubblegum seemed skeptical and she asked what the purpose of the wheel was. "Why can't you ask before you do things not the other way around..." Bubblegum in response whined,

"I can't help I'm a curious ponnnnnyy..." Not amused North explained,

"This is the manual main pressure valve, in case of an emergency this stays at a default state. It effects the flow of boiler's steam output."

"Okie dokie smokey, so nowww do you wanna go play?" North just flung her hooves in the air and flew up to the main floor of the steam engine checking the rest of the pneumatic tubes.

"Aggghhh! Sorry Bubblegum but I have to do this, go play with another pony or something..." As she performed her analysis Bubblegum sighed as she drooped mumbling,

"Okkk...." Before she could grump her way out she suddenly jumped up quickly exclaiming, "Oh I know, I can help you!" North turned around to her literally pulling her goggles up to give a clear austere stare down at the swirly maned enigma that is Bubblegum.

"Do you know anything about steam engines... do you know anything in general about the complexities of mechanics, because if you don't you will be of no help." Bubblegum seemed strangely attached to North which she found odd. In an attempt to discover why she won't leave North began to inquire, "Why don't you go bug Sketch huh?" Bubblegum looked a bit discouraged as she answered,

"She's not really that much fun, she's always got her nose up a book, or she's painting, or she's spending time with DaisyChain, and all they do is walk around and talk, Boooorrringggg! I find that funny too, but not in a good funny but a weird funny cause she was all like cool and crazy and outgoing, but now she's all quiet and no fun..." North attempted to plead Bubblegum,

"What about Jaxx, or Lavender, or Starlight... surely you can go bug somepony else?" Bubblegum started to prance around responding,

"Nope, Jaxx is working, Starlight... I donno where she is, she's really good at hide and seek, not even I can find her and i'm the best hide and seeker ever! So that probably makes her like the most super duper bestest hide and seeker everrrr of all time, and Lavender is just blechhh..." North dropped altitude and put her snout up against Bubblgum's snout arguing,

"Sooo why are you bugging me, I'm busy too..." North began to animate herself as she flew up pointing in directions responding, "What about your family, or Spike... somepony, anypony it could be a random pony... I'm reeeallllly busssyyyy Bubblegum!!!" Bubblegum just flew her hoof out with excuses for them too,

"Spike's sleeping, I've spent years with my family and my parents say I should spend time with my friends so here I am."

"Uggghhhhhh...." North slowly descended to the floor once more and grumbled,

"Ok you can stay..."

"Yiiipeeee... I can stay, I can stayyyyy!!! Can I he....Mmmph..." North threw a hoof up to Bubblegum's mouth and added sharply,

"Just don't get in my way, and don't touch anything. Got it!?" Bubblegum nodded with a salute answering,

"Clear as crystalss North..." North began to float back to the boiler room when she heard a faint noise, "Ooohhh what's this...?"

"BUBBLEGUM!!!"

Over at Sketch's home Lavender was outside with her things packed.

"Well Sketch, it was good being your roommate, but I've finally managed to get my parents to loan me enough to transform that dusty old second floor at the gallery into my own personal studio and home. Red and myself will get out of your hair so you won't have to deal with my constant needs..." Sketch giggled and nodded happily knowing her friend is just going to be a block away.

"Well I'm happy you're finally going to have your own place to call home Lavender, I'll do my best to keep the art work coming."

"Please do darling they are selling exquisitely. I must say I'm very pleased at the business we have attained in such a short time. Why Photo Shoot has yet to reveal your face to the public he's still working on them of course, but I must say I'm a bit excited to see how many more will come to the gallery from all over Equestria when they find out you're personally showcasing here." Sketch still felt awkward about the idea but she hoped Lavender was going to keep her assuring words that it would not be stressful for Sketch. "Ta ta Sketch dear, don't forget tomorrow we're getting together to eat at that new restaurant down the road. I hear their food is mouth watering, and their assortments of apple cidars and grape cocktails are simply marvelous."

"I'll keep that in mind! Bye Lavender!" DaisyChain waved as well bidding,

"Later Old Man, keep those muscles strong, you're inspiration for all the old ponyfolk!" Sketch start to burst out giggling,

"Pfffftttt hyahahahahah... What...?!" As the door closed DaisyChain trotted up by the couch and jumped on it mumbling,

"Ahhhh, one thing the army didn't have was soft cushions like these, I just can't get enough of this softness!!" DaisyChain was now out of her jacket and her wound had been healed enough she had her bandages off. Her side had a large scar still embedded, her wing braces were off and to Sketch without her armored braces DaisyChain just looked like a little young filly messing up the couch.

"Omagosh Daisy what are you doing!?" Sketch was about to have a giggle fit confused as to why DaisyChain was acting the way she was! DaisyChain rolled on her back and stretched herself out on the couch sighing,

"Lil sis, you have no idea how good this feels to me. I was holding it in until prissy hooves left because I knew she would have a fit if I started rolling all over the cushions Hehehehe!" Sketch awkwardly trotted over to the kitchen to get a drink as DaisyChain just continued, "Six years Sketch, six years I was sleeping on the ground, a thin canvas cot, or springy matresses would suffice sometimes but, this is like lounging on a cloud which I wish I could do so bad. Blasted torn wings..." She looked at her deformed wings and frowned feeling she would never get that feeling of zipping through the skies again. Sketch continued to be quiet as she didn't want to say anything to upset DaisyChain about her wings. "You know what we should do Sketch?" Sketch looked to the lounging pony as she asked,

"What's that Daisy?" Daisy immediately replied,

"I heard the Autumn festivities are coming up to kick off the start of the next season. We should both totally do the events!" Sketch was not much of a physical pony and she shirked at wanting to involve herself. One look at Sketch's face and DaisyChain knew what she had mulling over in her mind so she gave a humorous remark, "Oh come on don't give me that look lil sis it'll be fun, besides you need to get out anyway. Those how to books and all that drawing is withering your body away, let's go play some frisbee or something right now!"

"Righht... noww...?" She nodded as she jumped off the couch yelling,

"YEAHHH RIGHT NOW MARE... Let's get you out there and exercise! COME ON!" Without a word to stop her DaisyChain rammed Sketch in the flank and shoved her to the door!

"Well I gotta, but I'm reading about illusion magic right now..."

"Nope, no illusions mare, you're going to do some real stuff. Time to think less magic and more physical work so come on!" With a door swung wide open she shot out into the outside making her way over to the park towards a large pile of free sports equipment for anypony to enjoy at the park.

"Oh dear, this is going to be embarrassing..." Sketch felt unnerved by what she was about to do.

As she approached the park she could see the nearby playground for the little fillies and colts at the school. A very cheerful looking middle aged mare was resting by a bench watching the foals playing about. She could see many of the faces of those fillies and colts she had met in her crazy antics. There was Bubblegum's two young cousins and sisters, Starburst with her beautiful wings acting shy around the others. A warm sight of Derpy Hooves jumping around with Lil B and Chess, it seemed they felt rather close after the incident with the clowns. Sketch felt a chill go through her spine thinking about the nightmare.

"I'ma get you Derpy!" Chess bolted through the grass chasing after Derpy as she ran crying out,

"Ahhhh, Nooo you won't Hayaahahaha!" Chess hopped over and missed Derpy which her little niece Teeny Hooves popped up out of nowhere running like a little grey and blonde Flash! As Lil B seen Teeny running towards him behind the slide he shook his head,

"Nooo, nooo yer gonna give me away!" Apparently Bubblegum's family was joined with them as Sketch noticed Chess Pie turning towards Gooseyberry and her sister Lolliberry making a run for them. Sketch wanted to watch other ponies have fun, but her lazy attitude was met with a frisbee in her face!

"Aghhh what the!?" DaisyChain laughed prancing in the background wailing,

"Come on you can do better than that! Get your head in the game Sketch!" As Sketch-It turned her attention to DaisyChain, Chess was having a hard time catching the dynamic twin duo!

"Can't catch us HAHAHAHA!!" The two twin sisters shot off with Lolliberry hopping on Gooseyberry's back. "Weeeee, I got your back sis!"

"What, hey... that's no fair!" Chess Pie began to strafe from side to side as Lolliberry attempted to drench her with soda water! From side to side she successfully dodged the shots until she made the mistake of closing her eyes as she stuck her tongue out.

"I have you now!" PSSHHHHHHHH!!!

"Oubblbalblababalalalaaa!" Poor Chess Pie slowed to a crawl until she plopped on the ground soaked. "Awwww saltlicks..."

"Hayahahahaha!" Lolliberry was too busy laughing and feeling she had bested the game of tag by drenching the tagger that she didn't notice the jungle gym's low riding bar. Her sister wasn't thinking until it was too late and Lolliberry hit it and fell on the ground with a loud plop!

"Owwww that's smarts..." Grimacing from the impact Chess Pie ran over to see if Lolliberry was ok. Her twin turned and looked at her as she began to make a weird noise as if she was chocking. Scared something was wrong her sister started running and crying,

"Miss Cheerilee, Miss Cheeerileee... something's wrongg... wwi... wiith Lolliberry!" Cheerilee wasted no time and hopped up galloping over to the jungle gym with Derpy racing right behind.

"What happened!?" Miss Cheerilee asked. At that time Lolliberry's chocking turned into a deep breath and a loud screaming wail!

The fillies and colts playing the game came out of hiding to see what happened while the rest of the students played as if nothing happened. In the background two mean fillies and a colt just laughed as they stood over near the slide cozy under the shade of a tree.

"Such a weird bunch, most of them don't even have their cutie marks yet. I positively hate pointless silly games..." A snooty white coated earth pony scoffed as she looked to her cutie mark of a shimmering jeweled necklace. The stallion nodded as he waltzed over to his companion who seemed to be the brains of the outfit. Her stare was like daggers as she grimaced. She seemed like a younger variant of the infamous Diamond Tiara, her cutie mark was an excessive amount of regalia, a ruby studded scepter, crown and a deep crimson cloak all together on her flank almost as if she was royalty herself. Her coat as gold as the glow of the sun and her mane and tail as crimson red as the rubies shining on the scepter upon her very flank.

"I could not agree more, tag is so low rate. It's weak and barbaric, there is no real goal in the game..." The stallion answered lofting his silvery white striped mane, his gray coat outshone by the silvery scepter on his flank. He looked to the other filly as she turned and disregarded them after the incident at the jungle gym and she continued on a previous conversation,

"Anywho you two remember my Aunt Satin Braid?"

"You mean the one that was orphaned but found out she was a part of your family Ruby Regalia?" She rolled her eyes at the stallion with a snippy response,

"Yes of course the only Satin Braid I ever talk about! I suggest you not speak about her orphaned past Silver Scepter or you'll be thrown overboard. She hates being reminded of her past." She paused a moment and looked over to the playground carrying on, "Anyways, her and my parents are holding a benefit for Diamond Tiara's unveiling of the new Tiaramart. They say it's a revolutionary step forward to the marketplace, it will eventually take over all small businesses and replace them with one mega store. My parents say I can invite whoever I want and so I've chosen a few of our best most popular classmates, including you Silver Scepter and you as well Vanity Shimmer. Satin Braid is bringing the SS Regalian Tide here at Ponyville to host the benefit on board!" The two ponies nodded with excitement as Silver Scepter realized what she meant by thrown overboard.

"Of course none of those ponies are going to be around the benefit right?" Vanity Shimmer asked as she pointed towards the group. Ruby gave an angry sigh as she mumbled,

"The ground events are open invite to all ponies..." But her smile came back as she sinisterly put it, "But only private invitations get to attend the banquet aboard the Regalian Tide, so we don't have to worry about them." The ponies cackled together in an evil fashion. Silver Scepter looked over to Ruby Regalia and asked,

"When is the benefit. I must know so I can have my best suit ready for the event?"

"It's actually tomorrow..." Their jaws dropped as their eyes twitched nervously. "Sorry if I brought this news fashionably late, but my parents didn't tell me about it until yesterday..."

As Ruby continued to carry on about the benefit, one young mare was having a most embarrassing time playing frisbee.

"OH GAWSH!" A flying Sketch continued to fly as she attempted several times over to catch DaisyChain's throws only to slap the ground. "Whyyy can't I use my magic Daisy!?"

"Because that's cheating Sketch, if you are going to play with pegasi or earth ponies the first thing you gotta learn is being fair. Besides using magic won't help you physically develop!"

"Ugghhh, you and you're physical... this is training isn't it, YOU'RE SNEAKING IN A PHYSICAL TRAINING SESSION ON ME IN THE FORM OF A HARMLESS GAME OF FRISBEE!" DaisyChain began to laugh out loud as she tossed the frisbee again!

"HAHAHAA, so you finally caught on mare! Jeeze and I thought you were supposed to be smart seeing as you're a unicorn and all..."

"Heyyy... Ouwchh!" Caught off guard by the comment she lost concentration and the frisbee slapped her across the face! "OMMPH!" She proceeded to fall into the ground just as she did numerous times. "Agghhh now i'm starting to feel like Lavender, all these stains and scrapes are just nasty I need to clean myself!" DaisyChain just gave a deep sigh and shook her head,

"Girl you just... Aggghhh, fine we're done for today..."

"Oh thank Celestia no more torture!" DaisyChain trotted up by her side and commenced to giving her a noogie replying playfully,

"You're just full of whine and gripes today aren'tya hahahahaha!" A nearby group of mares Sketch's age began to giggled whispering. Sketch grew red in the face as she tried to escape mumbling,

"Agghhh yeah well ... Wait a minute, did you just make a play on words... ARE YOU SERIOUS WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO MAKE SOMETHING UP LIKE THAT!?" Sketch felt like she would never be adequate enough to make a joke.

"Oh don't worry about it, hey let's do what I suppose a big sister and little sister do after playing at the park and get some ice cream, you know I've not had ice cream since basic training, which is surprising!"

"Ohhh I love ice cream we should get pistachio I love that STUFF!"

"Pffft, mare Butterscotch is the way to go I donno what you talking about!" All this while, Silver Spoon had been investigating further as she hid in a tree documenting with a variety of devices at her disposal.

"This time I'm not going to let Diamond Tiara have anything to complain about..." She had audio listening devices, video cameras, a black suit on like some sort of super spy... she was prepared for espionage! "I'll have so much documented evidence she'll have to spend weeks looking through it all... ..." She paused a moment and frowned on a loose thought mumbling to herself, "Or she may make me look through it all, yeah knowing my luck she'll make me do it... SALTLICKS! AHHHHHHHHH!!!" She forgot she had the listening device tuned loudly and a loud screech flew in her ears sending her falling on the ground squealing in a daze! "Agghhhhh.... ..." She groaned as she lay on the ground too disoriented to move.

The day was concluded rather quick for the two mares as the rest of the day they strolled around and talked about just random things. Just around the afternoon when the sun was still shining brightly they had joined up with Bubblegum, North, Spike, Jaxx, and her brother and sister along with Bubblegum's troop. North decided with the extra hoof running around she was going to take a break and hopefully dump Bubblegum in town with another pony, she luckily found the others and hoped that she would leave her so she could end her day with uninterrupted work.

"And so like the whole day was me and mah dad finishin up the fences fer the Ranch. Mah dad's been might happy seein that there Ranch lookin pertty ship shape. He's even started hirin up a few cattle. There's this one cow Four Leaf she's the sweetest thang so polite. All she wanted was a roof o'er her head and plenty ta eat. I say if things keep up like this why we could get might rich on pappa's investment."

"Here's to hoping then Jaxx!" North smiled feeling a sense of connection with Jaxx as a focused worker, a pony who gets things done!

"Ooohhh Jaxx are you going to have chickens, sheep, goats and... and..." Jaxx slowed her down before she started up and replied,

"Nope, Bubblegum this here's a ranch, we might have chickens fer eggs but that's bout it, ranches'r strictly fer raisin cattle and such. We get the milk in return fer servicing them a home..."

"Oh, that sounds like lots of fun cows are sooo cool, I met a cow before her name was droopy, she was a sad cow but I made her happy with my super amazing juggling powers!" Bubblegum began to juggle around some chairs nearby when she picked one up with a pony in it, as he read the newspaper he felt a strange sensation he was being tossed around.

"What's this, I SAY!" He looked down at Bubblegum and scorned her, "That's positively rude and, heh heh and rather outright silly... hehehe... Nyahahaha..." His scorn turned into a warm laugh as he found it to be completely random to his daily routine.

"There's Bubblegum doing the impossible!" North commented sarcastically.

"Hey mister if I'm the juggler, would that make you the jugglee?"

"hehehehe, why I suppose it would..." The stallion disregarded her as he continued to read the paper while she one by one planted the chairs back in place.

"Easy peasy berry squeezy! Hey girls come on!!!! We should not waste this light sitting around let's go play!" Jaxx nervously smiled as she pointed over to Bubblegum's little troop at Lolliberry responding,

"I think one of yer sister's tain't in the mood fer playing..." North agreed adding,

"Yeah I've had the wind knocked out of me before, that's not fun stuff." Lolliberry shook her head slowly still sniffling as if it happened just a while ago. Bubblegum turned to Lolliberry and replied,

"Come on silly head cheer up, you're still up and atom, let's paint a big smile on that wittle frown..." A little creamy coated stallion with green and brown mane by the name of Pot Pie scoffed,

"Lolliberry's always a big baby..."

"No... I'm not!" She sniffled back snapping her wild orange and blue tail at him in a stubborn fit. "I'm not a baby..."

"You are too!"

"Hey don't talk to my sis that way Pot Pie!" Gooseyberry flustered up her melony green and red mane as she was getting tired of Pot Pie picking on her twin. Bubblegum lifted her head up as her siblings and cousins suddenly began to close in on one another.

"Heyyy... hey, let's not be haten, let's be creatin... happiness and smiles...." Nervously she began to back away. Gooseyberry and Pot Pie were locking manes with each other as they growled.

Chess Pie and Lil Bullet's eyes widened as Chess whispered,

"An'a thought when we fought we were bad..."

Being by the park and near a restaurant the commotion was starting to get attention. Gooseyberry began to rear up and she started to pop Pot Pie in the head who in turn tackled her down and they began to lock hooves!

"You're not sposed to hit girls!"

"I'm not hitting, I'm wrestling!" Pot Pie argued back making a valid point.

Jaxx started to look at Bubblegum's expression and she knew the big sister was not going to intervene. Lil B and Chess watched as Jaxx galloped over to the fight and she immediately with firm hooves grabbed both and planted their flanks away from one another replying,

"Now, now what's all the fussin about anyway... so what if yer cousin is a lil sensitive, sometimes fillies are sensitive so what. There's nothin to be ashamed of it..." She looked down at Pot Pie giving him the majority of that speech when she turned to Gooseyberry who thought she was not going to get any scolding when Jaxx added, "And as fer you, you don't need'n ta be startin fights on account of words, boys will be boys, they probably won't understand most of the times, so just laugh it off you two. There's nothin to fight about it's just plain pointless... cuz in the end what was the point in fightin anyway?"

Being young they couldn't really find a valid reason why they was fighting and began to awkwardly kick around on the ground feeling ashamed. "See, you two don't even know the reason ya fought in the first place..."

"But he called my sister a big baby..." Gooseyberry tried to defend herself but Jaxx just restated what she said about words being pointless to use as an excuse and she whimpered as she withdrew her self defense.

"Yup that's our sister, not afraid ta repeat herself." One of the major reasons Chess Pie and Lil Bullet didn't get into fights was knowing what Jaxx would do, those lectures were like pain on the ears and would be uncomfortable to be around too long, the lecture felt punishing enough.

Somehow she managed to get them to apologize and they returned over to the others with Pot Pie apologizing for calling Lolliberry a baby. Bubblegum's eyes were in shock and answered in a makeshift appaloosan accent,

"Wow Jaxx ya sure know how ta round'em up." Jaxx nodded with a prideful smile as she pointed over to her own siblings responding,

"Well these two were a handful back in tha day, Chess Pie tain't sensitive, she'd throw a punch, and so would Lil B, so it used ta be might intense, I've been walloped by both during several of their feudins..." Sketch felt the desire to have all her friends hang out together, afterall she could still remember what happened to Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. She didn't want that to happen to them so she took a moment to ask,

"Soooo... mares do you all want to hang out tomorrow..."

"Ooohhh no can do Sketch, I have to do some tests on my surprise, it's not quite done and I want to finish as soon as possible." North was the first to give her excuse when Jaxx began to weasle out as she replied,

"Sorry there Sketch I have a few more fences ta put up..." Sketch began to frown as she felt nopony was going to accept when of course Bubblegum asked,

"Will there be fun and games and cake and candy and PIE!?" Sketch nodded as she explained,

"Oh yes, me and DaisyChain heard the Mayor talk about it not too long ago, it was just before we met up with you mares. There's going to be a grand opening and a benefit banquet held in honor of the Tiaramart. It's going to have fun and games, and food of course." Bubblegum grinned with a firm salute replying,

"WOOOOO COUNT ME IN ON THAT PARTY!"

Their small meeting began to conclude as they parted their ways, of course this news had not escaped the watchful ears of the suave Lavender Rose. She was moving into her nice studio home and took a moment to look out into Ponyville with her very geometric designed window.

"Red do you think this dress from the Carousel Boutique screams too folkish?" She had bought a couple of dresses for the occasion and turned to the butler asking for his honest opinion.

"Well..." Before Red could answer she began to complain,

"Oh these frills are too frilly, but the other one has jagged edges... this one is so down to Equestria, but this one is very pop culture. If i wear this one I'll look like some common pauper, and this will make me look too Sceneish... aggghhh... RED, what do I do... mother and father are going to come here for the benefit tomorrow... it's a good thing the nanny is watching over Violet and Magenta, Celestia knows there would be no end of conflict between us three!" Red attempted to assure her,

"Miss Rose you are going to look exquisite in either, your parent's are more interested in your behavioral change, not your appearance..." She began to think sensible as Red made a good point.

"I suppose you're right, though I have not changed in all honesty, I'm still the same Lavender, but I suppose I could manage a charming smile, oh Dear Celestia what if that Diamond Tiara attempts to start something with me...." Red again reassured her as he began to feed Humphrey,

"Miss Rose I believe Miss Tiara will not be so bold as to start a conflict with you if she finds out her biggest investor is your father..." Lavender suddenly widened her eyes as she began to grin rather sinisterly.

"Why yesss... I completely forgot about that. D-Tiara Incorporated is one of Daddy's biggest investments, he shares stocks with the Regalia family and Diamond Tiara's. Why cutting her off from one third of her investment would be too much of a risk to mess with me, heheheheeh... oh and despite my parents throwing me out they still love me ever so much... to see her openly insult me would have daddy sooooo mad! Muwahahahahhahaha Yesss, that would be a treat to see her precious Tiaramart go bankrupt! It would serve her right for throwing such a petty insult at me HMPH!" Red rolled his eyes and mumbled,

"Miss Rose I don't advise you go looking for trouble, you are on thin ice with your parents already..." Feeling as though Red did not trust her she replied,

"Don't fret Red I'll be on my best behavior for my mommy and daddy, but the moment she attempts to lock hooves with me I'll EVISCERATE HER!" Red leaned his head down to Humphrey and whispered,

"I do hate when she gets into those vengeful moods, it always leaves me picking up after her."

Sketch-It returned home with DaisyChain feeling that she was not being assertive enough.

"It's been a week now and everypony seems to be well, distancing each other, what's going on?" DaisyChain just smiled as she trotted over to the small bookshelf that had several how to books and a couple of entertaining magazines that Lavender had left.

"I don't know why you think it's so important to have them all together so soon, they had to travel deep into the Everfree Forest and do some crazy stuff to get you back..." A sensation of guilt loomed over Sketch about that whole ordeal. "Stop thinking about it just go with the flow mare, pretty soon you will be seeing them more often. Just give it some time mkay sugar pie?" For somepony who never had a sister she sure knew how to sound like an older sister, a very strange one at that.

"I guess... but jeez it's going to annoy me tonight, I might not be able to sleep..." DaisyChain laughed as she responded,

"Should I get some warm milk and cookies for you then hehehehehe!?" Sketch shook her head walking up the stairs.

"Not neccessary Daisy, I'm going to shower and straight to bed for me!"

"Agghhh... Good night Sketch." DaisyChain answered back as she flipped open a magazine to a random page to see a rather awkward picture of some hunky stallion... "Whoa nelly... what in Equestria..." Her eyes twitched as she closed the magazine red in the face. The only response she had was, "Welllp, Lavender's got some real strange tastes... I'll just aahhhh..." Nervously she placed it back where she found it and pulled out a book. "The how to's of intellectual thought, the complete guide to keeping your mind straight..." Opening up the book she read the first two pages and her eye twitched again. "Sweet Celestia's Ghost this is... just, I'm not the most well read pony but she's rotting her brain with these silly books..." DaisyChain trotted back over and rummaged through all the books. "Agghhh between Lavender's Hot Stud Stallions, and these stupid how to books..." At that point DaisyChain feeling the need to be the righteous sister made the decision to get those off the bookshelf and replace them with something more tasteful.

The night rolled over rather quickly as everypony slept, well all but one who was still up in the middle of the night. Like a night club North had the steam pneumatics playing a melody as she watched her machine come to life!

"All systems functioning properly, seems to be no faults so far. Oh this is just too much SWAG for me to handle!" With her goggles back on her face she had a big grin as she levitated a pen writing down on a schematic by a drawing board checking off the systems check sequence. "Now on to the functions, this is where stuff gets awesome!"

She continued to stay up testing several functions of the steam behemoth. "Locomotion..." She moved the two sticks forward and backward making the engine move about. "Locomotion is a check..." She checked the braking systems along with other functions of the engine. There was of course one function though she didn't check as she was afraid to. "Ehhh, maybe sometime later..." She glanced up to the circus tent canvas dangling on heavy suspension ropes. "As far as everything else, the boiler is producing power to everything properly just as I expected." She was in a moment of pride on her accomplishment as her entire test had not a single fail safe triggered, despite having Bubblegum running rampant in the boiler room. She pulled up her goggles and yawned heavily as the fatigue finally hit her. "I guess I'll go ahead and turn in for tonight..." She flew down into the boiler room and turned off the system. Turning around to a small bed bolted down she hopped on top and cuddled into her covers. "This feels sooo awesome, I never want to leave this beautiful hunk of iron ever!"

As dawn approached young fillies and colts were getting ready for school. As they prepared for a day of learning, three ponies in particular were dressing for the benefit which would start around the afternoon. Ruby Regalia had on her best dress smiling through a mirror as she placed fiery ruby earrings on.

"A bit excessive don't you think Ruby..." Silver Scepter responded as he trotted into the room with a quizzical expression. She rolled her eyes and barked,

"Absolutely not, this event is going to require everything I can possibly wear!" Ruby Regalia clipped the non piercing earrings on and levitated a necklace around her neck adorning her mane with a hairband engraved with ruby gems lining with diamonds. "Perfect, I would've gone with my mom's tiara but she didn't think I should outshine the mare of the event, I wouldn't dream of outshining Diamond Tiara anyway. She's the most exquisite mare besides my own mother in Ponyville." Vanity Shimmer trotted through the door behind Silver Scepter and agreed,

"Absolutely, Diamond Tiara should be crowned a princess to Ponyville in my opinion, she's done so much for the wealth of this town." Ruby Regalia nodded in a very elegant fashion as she stated,

"As president of the Aristocrats of Youth I deem Diamond Tiara the most fashionable and wealthy pony of Ponyville, I would even go as far as to say all of Equestria, her very existence should be adored by all! Why the royals of Canterlot should be humbled by her very presence."

"I agree most definitely." Silver Scepter raised his hoof elegantly to Ruby Regalia. A maid approached the door with a sweet dulcet tone replying,

"Children, time for school." Ruby Regalia hopped off the stool in front of her mirror and trotted out with her two friends following behind her. They passed by the living room of a large mansion where Ruby's parents were chatting with Silver Scepter's and Vanity's, apparently the three families were very close knit.

"Let us go and invite the commoners I suppose..." Ruby Regalia scoffed amusingly to her friends as they trotted up to a carriage drawn by one of the family servants.

Back on the path just outside Ponyville, the Berry swirl bunch and Jaxx's siblings had met together with Starburst trotting behind them with a secured smile being around them.

"Are you feeling better today Lolliberry?" Chess Pie asked curiously and Lolliberry just happily nodded,

"Yep, yep, yep... I feel ripey pipey!"

"Ripey Pipey...?" Chess looked at her rather perplexed.

"Like a zippey zadoodle!"

"Zippey Zadoodle... what in tarnation are you..." Gooseyberry laughed and explained,

"Lolliberry is crazy, she's like as crazy as our big sis Bubblegum and she likes to say funny words when she's happy." Chess Pie giggled at the sound of Lolliberry hopping around going,

"Root tootey fruits, Flimmidy Jibbidy Zipple Zing... BA BOOMBA!"

"heeheehee she sure as sugar hyper today..."

"I ate like a whole bunch of Jelly Berry's Pancakes, my big bro fills them up with all kinds of berry jams and they were soo sweet and delicious I ate as many as I could get my hooves onnn!!"

"She even ate mine..."

"Mine too!" Cream Pie insisting on adding her loss into the conversation.

"I'm sorry but they were just too delicious you know how I feel about Jelly Berry's pancakes!" The two colts trotted ahead of the group of fillies who were chatting away. Lil bullet rolled his eyes and muttered,

"Aghhh, are they gonna be yakking all the way to school..." Pot Pie turned to Lil B and sighed,

"We can do this B, we just have to ignore them..."

"PADIDDLY PIE JUBEADORPH!" Lolliberry jumped between them and shouted as loud as she could bouncing about. "I wish my sister Bubblegum could come to school, we'd be so awesome jumping around and yelling random things, throwing pies and pranking ponies..." The two colts just gave a loud irritated sigh in unison as they lowered their heads knowing Lolliberry was going to go on until the sugar runs out of her system.

Cherrilee stood outside while the school bell rang. The ponies all appeared over the road as they continued towards the school building.

"Come on everypony hurry up class is about to start." Cheerilee replied as she tried to urge them to hurry. The children piled into the classroom and took a seat. "Look at all these smiling faces ready to learn, I hope you did your homework yesterday because we're going to have a quiz..."

As their day started a group of mares were starting up bright and early. Starlight was over at the Tailor shop doing some finishing touches on some dolls while Jaxx trotted her merry way inside over to the front desk.

"Ex'cuse me mister but I be needin this here saddlebag repaired..." She showed the tailor the open rip in the canvas saddlebag. He pointed her over to the best stitching hooves in Ponyville. "Why Starlight, howdy doo there!"

"Ohh hey Jaxx, what do you need?" Starlight took a gander over at the bag she had on her side and responded in haste, "Oh dear I see, let me get that fixed up... you can go do whatever it is you need to do while I fix this..." Jaxx paused her responding,

"Nahh, it's fine I really tain't got much to do round here anyway." She began to think about Sketch's request. Her fencing was not really a great pirority seeing as her dad was at a change of heart today. "Say, are ya gonna be goin to that there event Sketch was a talkin bout?" Starlight looked a little puzzled not being in the loop, but she remembered hearing about an event yesterday from the Tailor and nodded answering back curiously,

"I heard about the Tiaramart benefit if that's what you are talking about, are you going to be going?"

"What me, well... ..." Starlight's eyes were pretty hard to refuse as she was hoping to hear a yes. Jaxx's mouth opened up with, "I might go on account mah dad's not real focused on workin today, says we need a day off." Starlight smiled as she began to stitch using a thicker thread for the canvas bag. As she sewed she replied,

"Well I will go most definitely if Sketch is going, it sounds like a lot of fun from what I hear." Jaxx agreed with a feeling of guilt and awkwardness coming over her. Rubbing the back of her neck nervously she murmured,

"Well I suppose all work and no play makes Jaxx a dull pony."

"Heheheheh that would be the truth. You gotta have fun sometimes." With that being said Jaxx confidently stated out loud,

"Well by gum, I'll go and party mah hooves till I can't party no more!"

"Woo, then I shall join as well...!" In a matter of moments Starlight had sewn up the hole and gave Jaxx the saddlebag back. "Here you are all fixed up. See you at the benefit." Starlight bid Jaxx a goodbye as she trotted away answering,

"You too mare."

Meanwhile back in North's engine two figures were stalking inside with ill intentions to rudely awaken a pony. Spike managed to retrieve the tuxedo from Sweetie Belle and a Bubblegum had on a dark ninja like outfit.

"There she is Agent Bubble..."

"I see her Double'O, I'm on it." She spit a wad of gum into both her hooves and jumped on the side of the wall going up the ceiling. Spike was impressed by her ingenuity responding in awe,

"Awww Bubblegum that's so awesome..." In character she snapped,

"Ssshhhhh... I'm being sneaky Double'O..."

"Oh right, sneaky..." Spike began to slither on the ground towards North who was sleeping soundly. Bubblegum began to loom over top of North and she grinned,

"Gotcha..." Suddenly a sweat drop started falling from her nose. "No... noo, no no noooo!" She flung her tongue down and caught it mid air slurping it up. "Mmmm tangy berry." Suddenly an alarm went off as Spike felt a rope nab his legs and send him flying into the air!

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Almost in an instant North hopped up from her bed and yelled,

"AHA I KNEW YOU WOULD COME TO BUG ME... WELL NOT TODAY!!!!.... ..." Her eyes were caught on the figure of Spike as she responded puzzled, "Wait what, Spike why are..."

"NINJAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Out of nowhere North felt a Bubblegum slap on top of her and knock her right out of her bed! "Ha I gotcha North, I gotcha good didn't I?" North wriggled around in the sticky mess that Bubblegum had in her hooves growling as she tried to not laugh at the fact Bubblegum pulled off a tactical victory!

"Yeah Bubblegum, you got me..." Bubblegum with no problem hopped off North while she was stuck fighting with the gum in her coat. "Pretty ingenious of you to use Spike as a decoy."

"What, you used me Bubblegum? Oh that's cold!" Bubblegum grinned with the clever response,

"You could say in this mission, I was..." She pulled out a pair of shades and placed them on her face finishing, "The Double Agent."

"Hahahaha, I seen what you did there!" Spike guffawed! The sheer clever wit of this pony was absolutely scary but somehow seemed harmless to them and not to mention a barrel of laughs.

The two ponies made their way up to the front of the engine with Spike following behind. "So what's up for today mares? I'm excited to go to the benefit, I don't really like Diamond Tiara all that much but there's going to be food and games... so there's no way I'm missing out!" North shrugged as she looked over at the controls.

"Today's going to be the unveiling you two, this baby is going to ride into Ponyville!"

"Ooohhh... so what's it called North?" North turned her attention back to Bubblegum and thought for a moment. Bubblegum being surprised responded, "What you mean you never thought to name it...?"

"Not really, I didn't know it would work so well, my plans were like soooo vague on detail but I guess in some weird way my mind put everything together perfectly. Honestly didn't expect it to be done so fast." The three of them attempted to think about a proper name for this huge steam engine.

"Big Metal Thingy, or maybe Steamy Whistle... ummm Crunchy Potato, I donno Banana tubes!" North's left eye began to twitch as the names Bubblegum was making up sounded like completely mashed up chaos. Spike added into the ideas with,

"I know call it the Great Steam Giant, or the Derailed Dragon!" North held her hoof to her face trying to think when suddenly she had the most simple and catchy idea out of all the freaky names mentioned,

"I got it... it'll be called..."

As they were playing around in the engine, one pony in particular was beginning to have a very, very bad day!

"WHATTT YOU WHATTTT!" Lavender began to go into a fit as her mother and father personally came to drop off two ponies she thought were not coming! "No you're joking, you can't possibly be doing this to me... mom, dad please tell me you are joking!" Grimacing in fright she watched in horror as none other than her sisters Violet and Magenta entered her home! Violet, a teenage nightmare with her mane in a sceneish jagged and long style. Her dark blue coat adorn by a violet rose nestled by two glamor eyes, this of course was what Lavender deemed a middle child starving for attention. Trotting into the studio she scoffed,

"Looks like the same dump you lived in before Sis..." Lavender could already see her tongue was as sharp as ever.

"That dump, you so rudely put it was my room and it is most certainly not a dump, it's a lot better than your dark bat cave!" Violet just glared,

"Pshhh, you're just jealous." Lavender gasped and was about to go on the vocal attack when she added, "Look we're not happy with it either... when mom and dad said we were going to spend a month with you I could feel Celestia's painful rays destroying my dark lunar sanctum." Lavender rolled her eyes and blurted,

"Charrrming as ever..." Suddenly behind Violet a little voice jumped out as a tiny magenta maned light gray coat filly pranced excitedly,

"Yay, RED!!!" A very attached little Magenta galloped and nuzzled against Red's leg. Red returned the nuzzle back tickling her cheek with his mustache,

"Good to see you Miss Magenta, your face as always bright and full of sunshine!" Red's personal little comrade. The little filly who actually went out of her way to help him when she made a mess. He had not seen that little face for weeks, and she was missing him badly, she told him everyday she begged her parents to let him come back. "I'm sorry Miss Magenta, but I cannot go against your father's word, my job is to take care of your big sister now."

"Awwwwww..." Downtrodden she kicked her hooves around. Red assured her whispering,

"Seeing as you will be staying with us for a while what say we try a hand at that recipe me and you were working on back home?" She lit back up and galloped around yelling,

"THAT WOULD BE THE BEST RED, I want to go make it now, pleaasssseee...?" Chuckling he turned to her parents replying,

"We'll get right on it in a bit, right now I think your parents wish to speak with me." He trotted up to her father Gray Rose who greeted Red with a warm hoofshake,

"Red you old dog, I see you and Lavender's been hard at work here in Ponyville." Red nodded with a chuckle,

"Yes well it has been a rather bumpy start but we've managed."

"I hear that, so I guess you got our message then, care to elaborate why Lavender seems so surprised?" Red turned to Lavender who was laying on the couch overreacting,

"Oh this is dreadful, stuck with eternal moonlight and blinding sunshine!!! How could today get any worse!?" Red just shrugged replying with a coy tone,

"It must have slipped my mind Master Gray..." Gray Rose laughed to himself knowing the reason and he slipped his hoof through his mane as he placed a hoof around his wife Silver Sonata.

"Well me and the misses are going to be in town until the benefit, as the note said we're leaving them with you for a month, me and Silver Sonata have some engagements coming up and we thought it best if they were to try and get along together. I can't tell you how much Magenta has wanted to see you, ever since you left she's been really sad." Red assured them that it was going to be no problem despite knowing that what they have done was mix sunshine with darkness and chained them with complete discord! This studio may be turned into a battleground by the end of the month!

"Very well Master Gray, I shall keep a careful eye on them." With a sturdy hoofshake again he gave a warm smile back to Red knowing in his own youth that Red was the stallion to get the job done.

"I know I can count on you Red Tie. We'll be at the inn if anything comes up, if not then we'll see you at the benefit." Gray Rose and Silver Sonata looked over to their fillies and waved to them, "We'll see you girls at the benefit, don't be too fashionably late!"

"We won't daddy!" The little baby of the family Magenta ran up to her parents and hugged them before they left. The parents left them under the watchful eye of Red and Lavender in turn began to lay down the law.

"Alright, listen up you two, there's going to be some rules around here. First off there will be no gallivanting around, there are delicate paintings and sculptures in here. Secondly I do not want either of you two touching any of the exhibits or messing with any of the decor, Violet I know how you are with wanting to spread your darkness on everything..."

"Hmmph..." Violet scoffed as she lay on a designer couch spreading herself like some pinup pony.

"WHAT ARE YOU... that's a six hundred thirty bit Géo Métrique Designer Couch, GET YOUR FILTHY HOOVES OFF THE CUSHIONS YOU SMUT PONY!" Lavender never did like her sister Violet. Just a few years behind her Violet was the super popular pony. Every stallion wanted her for some odd reason, she was truly the Scene pony! By jealousy or by disgust Lavender just absolutely despised her.

"You heard Lavender get off you..." Magenta began to lower her voice, "Smmmmut... pony." She began to remember the word smut was not a nice word to say and she seen Lavender and Violet look at her weird.

"What was that Magenta!?" Lavender began to take her role as she was ready to start dealing punishment. Whimpering Magenta backed away as her sister Violet jumped on both of them,

"You stupid little brat you need to watch your mouth, and you sisterrr! Don't you yell at her for something YOU SAID!"

"Well it's pretty strange that she lowered her voice, almost as if she knew the word was bad before I said it. Have you been using that filthy mouth around our little sister!!?" Magenta immediately backed away to Red who allowed her to hide behind him as her two sisters had a heated fight leaving Violet screaming,

"You're unbearable, like our eight'o clock lunch when the maids give us that gruel they call food! I just want to barf you up!!" Violet stormed away to the downstairs heading outside for fresh air!

"HOWWWW DARRREEE YOUUU!!! Get your flank back here this instant!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Humphrey began to bark at Violet in a fit of rage and Violet just yelled, "SHUTUP YOU INFERNAL PUFFBALL!" He whimpered back towards his little sleeping pad and began to bark at a safe distance. Lavender began to seethe with fury as she started to feel that home brewed anger she escaped coincidentally by being thrown out of her home.

"Oooohhhhh Red can you believe her, just as stubborn and violent as usual. Violent Violet that should've been her name, she's nothing but a pain in my flank!" Lavender stormed off to her room and slammed the door as hard as she could leaving Red and Magenta in the studio. Wide eyed Red could only utter,

"Not but moments after their parents leave they get into a fight. This month is going to be very long..." He looked down at Magenta and replied, "Well let's not dilly dally let's make those pudding cookies..." Red felt he would take Magenta's mind off her sisters. His priority may be Lavender but he could see the spark in Magenta just as he seen in her father, she even had the gray coat like her dad, a regular image of him with that sunshine glow to her smile.

"YAY pudding cookies!" He escorted the little filly to the kitchen chuckling to himself,

"I have the ingredients already to make them too." Magenta excitedly jumped around smiling,

"Alright Red, let's make us some Puddy Cookies!"

The day was off to a rather nice start for some, for others it was not. Lavender had finally finished sulking when she discovered what time it was.

"Oh no.... OH DEAR CELESTIA IT CAN'T BE... my meeting with Sketch, we were supposed to go to the restaurant 'Chez de la Argent Pomme!'" Lavender grew a bold expression as she sharply stated, "By the crown of Celestia! I will not ditch my friend because of a petty squabble with my sister!" She immediately turned her attention to her wardrobe and decided to wear something to the taste of culture rather than being just a plain pony this day. "They say leg warmers are coming into season again, something summerish, maybe a hat... hmmm Sweetie Belle did a rather fine job with this one, I most certainly envy her skill." She placed a nice white and purple bonnet upon her head and took a look in the mirror. "Hmmm, white and purple do mesh well together. Than again white meshes well with pretty much anything." She decided to go light with the sun bonnet and left to Sketch's house.

She approached Sketch's home and began to look at her hooves mumbling, "Hmmm, I should have a spa treatment done today, maybe Sketch will want to join, I know i've been there yesterday but still, these roads are murder for my manicure." She knocked on the door and who was to answer but DaisyChain who was of course being her weird self as she propped up on her hind legs sucking on a lollipop with her eyes glazing.

"Hey there sweet cheeks..." Lavender backed up feeling completely unnerved, her eyes widened with absolute confusion as she felt her words fluster.

"I...I..I... well... ehem, ummm yes... can I... ummm..."

"Yess, yes you can..." She started to raise her brows rather cocky.

"Ahhhhh... hahahahaa.... ummm..." DaisyChain suddenly began to laugh outloud falling on the ground,

"GAHAHAHAHAHAAHAa... Oh jeez you should've seen the look on your face mare... aaahhh gahhh.. aaaddaahhhh.... AHHHHAAHAHAHAAA!!!" Without words to say she just watched as DaisyChain rolled around until she hopped up rubbing her teary eyes, "Ahhhh that was hilarious, so yeah Sketch is getting ready upstairs, ummm... for future reference, all those hunky stallions in your magazines are completely lame, I've seen ones in the army that make them look like wrinkly old ponies." Suddenly Lavender's face turned completely red as she gritted her teeth nervously,

"Ohhhh myyy, you seen those didn't you?"

"Yes ma'am every single one of them." Lavender wanted to hide her face in the bonnet when Sketch was running down yelling,

"I'm coming, hold on... Agghhhhh!" Just Sketch's luck as she was trying to put on a leg warmer she went tumbling down the stairs... "Dohh, Ouwww... OOHhh... EEEE!!! OUCH! OOMPH!" Both Lavender and DaisyChain turned their heads painfuly closing their eyes.

"That looked like when I first tried to take off with all my flight equipment, I did a downhill tumble into the dirt! One of the most painful things I ever experienced, just imagine getting four hundred pounds put on you and now you're rolling down a hill with this load slinging you like a ragdoll all the way down." Lavender galloped over to Sketch and inquired,

"Sketch dear are you ok?" Sketch nodded her head as she lifted herself up.

"Yeah, I'm ok, just now my everything hurts..."

"Hehehehe your everything that's funny Sketch, you made a funny congratulations!" DaisyChain smiled really big as she knew Sketch would be ok despite the fall. "Well I'll let you two go do your thing at this new fancy restaurant." Sketch wiggled her hooves around to fix her leg warmers and followed Lavender as she escorted her friend to the new dining establishment. As they left DaisyChain whispered to herself, "Ok now's my chance to replace all this crud and replace it with awesome HUAH!" She gave a loud grunt as she charged for the saddlebag and began to stuff all the how to books in them ready to go to the library to get some new books.

She bolted to the library and knocked on the door. "Come on dragon boy, please be home, I gotta do this quick cuz I don't know how long fancy hooves eat..." The door opened up and she replied, "Oh thanks... uhhhp!" She was caught by surprise by an owl. "Ohhh, hello there again. I remember you hey would it be ok if I take some books for a while, I got some to return so I'm just going to trade them off ok?" Owlicious hooted acknowledging her request and allowed her through. "Thanks Owl you're wicked awesome!"

As DaisyChain began her ultimate plan Sketch trotted with Lavender through the town where she could see the benefit being prepared. Just outside the large Tiaramart building the sky was blanketed by a rather large steam yacht. Pegasi were clearing the skies and Sketch-it was building with excitement as she anticipated going to this event.

"This is going to be so much fun Lavender." Lavender snooted her nose up as they turned to enter the building of 'Chez de la Argent Pomme',

"Fun, dear the part where we were invited is specifically aboard the Regalian Tide, we get to be among the upper crust. Anything that would be remotely amusing besides idle chit chat would be the polo matches aboard, oh and they have a pool, a personal spa..." Sketch's eyes began to grow as she mumbled,

"Wow it sounds more like a mini cruise liner than a yacht." Lavender continued to explain what they would be doing aboard as VIP members while entering the building.

"Reservations?" Lavender turned as she turned quickly replying with a polite smile,

"Lavender Rose, party of two..." She turned back continuing, "And don't even get me started on the hors d'oeuvres, they will have many different appetizers on the menu from all across Equestria. Most of the funding for the event is the Regalias and Diamond Tiara of course." The reservationist escorted them to their table and immediately they began to order light. "Don't try to eat anything really heavy on the stomach, we'll be well fed during the banquet aboard the ship." Sketch acknowledged this information and ordered a light snack of finger sandwiches crammed with cheese lettuce and very delicate and delicious flowers with sparkling white grape juice.

Sketch didn't feel it was going to be right for her to go up aboard the ship while everypony was not allowed aboard. What about Bubblegum, if she goes there she would be shunned by those fancy elites.

"What about Bubblegum, she said she was going to come. If I'm not down there where the games and picnics are happening, she's going to feel I ditched her..."

"But darling you were invited personally to be a VIP, you should not refuse this..." She paused as she muttered angrily, "Despite the invitation being from Diamond Tiara, you should still take part in this moment to boost your social standing Sketch. Think of your artwork and your image." Sketch mulled it over in her head confused to who she should go with, Bubblegum or Lavender, VIP or NON VIP... for social gain, or for friendship. The obvious answer was friendship but Lavender made valid points, rejecting Diamond Tiara would be pretty bad for her image, but to her friends her image as a good friend she feared more.

"I... I don't know, it's hard to think about..." Lavender squared her in the eyes and replied,

"It's your decision, but i'm strongly suggesting you take the VIP, plus I'm obligated to go aboard, my parents will be there. It's going to be quite amusing to see the look on Diamond Tiara's face when she finds out I'm the daughter of one of her biggest investors, hahahahaahaaha... that will surely have her shaking in her hooves!" Sketch stared at her confused as she had yet to know of Lavender's rivalry with her,

"What...?" Lavender realizing this mustered a big smile as she assured,

"Oh it's nothing, just some squabbles we had a while back, not a big deal."

The day was beginning to finally reach towards the afternoon and everypony was beginning to congregate to the scene of the benefit. Sketch and Lavender spent nearly two hours chatting away in the restaurant, mainly with Lavender talking about her everyday hardships with keeping groomed. "Oh would you like to go to the spa before we make our arrival to the benefit?"

"I suppose..." Lavender immediately dropped her bits to pay for the meal and left with Sketch on her tail as they cantered their way to the spa.

Arriving at the spa Lavender was eager to pamper her stress away. Two sisters were at the front of course looking as young as ever, Aloe and Lotus had kept their age at bay with their expertise at what they do best. Lavender suddenly began to demand a very, very specific series of treatments. Lotus and Aloe seemed to not mind as Lotus began to write down what she ordered to a tee.

"Did you get all that?" Sketch's head was starting to ache from the specifics, but Lotus gave a nod as she checked off the first treatment preparing Lavender for some manicure. Aloe turned to Sketch and she replied,

"I'll stick with whatever she's having I guess..." Aloe had a feeling Sketch-it never had any spa treatment before but she agreed to it so with an awkward grimace she brought her over and oh was she in for the ride of her LIFE!

They started with a very painful and extensive manicure with Lavender conversing,

"So today has been pretty well, only my mid day was ruined completely when my two cruel sisters were dropped off at my studio, apparently they didn't want the nanny to watch over them for a month while they did some sort of thing they didn't tell me the details, so they dropped them off with me and Red. It's just dreadful to think that i'm going to be with them for a MONTH... A MONTH!" As if Lavender was numb to the pain she wiggled about one hoof making extreme animations as she described how terrible this was going to be for her complexion. Sketch was over on the other side twitching around and gritting her teeth as she felt the deep cleaning treatment hit her sensitive nerves making her wriggle around painfully.

"Ahhhh, ooohhhh.... EEEE... AAHHH!" Aloe felt this pony seriously was not ready for this treatment but she continued to the next treatment with Lotus keeping up with her.

Lavender was being pummeled across the back seemingly painful but to her it was soothing. For poor sketch her anxiety had her body tensed up so bad every hoof pressing down felt extremely painful. "Agghhh... ouch, OOWWW... Oh jeez la weez what, how do you enjoy this!?" Lavender just took a deep breath and replied,

"III...mmmm, usssseeeeeddddd... tt.tt...ttooooo, ittttttt..." Lotus paused momentarily as she brough out some massaging oil and Lavender responded, "Mom and dad used to have a personal masseuse that I would go to for my stress. It feels soooo good... ahhhhh!" She was thoroughly enjoying the smooth cool massage. Aloe was getting rather irritated by Sketch's tension and she whistled.

"Wha... what's going on?" Aloe backed up and a rather large minotaur entered the room looming over her. Sketch could see his huge hooves below her and immediately a loud crackling noise above her. "Oh Haystacks this is gonna... GEHHHH!" He lifted her up like a ragdoll and she immediately loosened up as he stretched her around and popped her back in places she didn't know could pop! "AGGHHHHhhhhh...hhhhhhhhhh!" Suddenly her tension just disappeared as she was gently placed on the massage table where Aloe brought out the oil. "Oh wowwwwww I've neverrrrr felt this loooooosse since eeeverrrrr..."

Lavender for once kept quiet as she enjoyed her new favorite spa. Sketch began to feel the kinks and worries in her life fade as Aloe took extra care with her. "You ponies sure know how to make a pony feel years younger, I feel like I'm a teenage filly all over again." Lavender agreed,

"Sketch this is by far one of my favorite places now in Ponyville. These ponies are experts at what they do." The sisters giggled quietly as they began to finish the last treatment.

Sketch trotted over to put her leg warmers on and she felt her hooves so loose and without a weighted sensation. "Feels good huh?"

"Yes absolutely... what do I owe...?"

"Nah, ah, ah... today is my treat to you. No friend of mine is going to pay their hard earned money when I'm around." She gave the full amount to Lotus and they departed for the event which was now on the brink of starting.

As they made their way into the thick of ponyfolk, they could see the fancy manes were being escorted by chariots up to the steam yacht. "So have you made your decision?" Lavender asked as they drew closer to the chariots.

"I guess for a little while." Lavender fixed her bonnet and smiled replying,

"Wonderful, let us depart then... Lavender Rose and Sketch'it. VIP members." The pegasus was not really good with his job as he took her word to face value and they about to be escorted when a voice sharply intervened,

"The one named Sketch is allowed, the other is just common riff raff..." The finely dressed pegasus glared at Lavender who was not expecting Diamond Tiara to be supervising the VIP line.

"I beg your pardon I am most certainly allowed as a VIP..."

"Then where's your invitation?" The jig was up, her smooth talking and her sleek coat was not going to pass by now. Sketch pulled out her invitation from her leg warmer showing it. Confused she asked,

"Lavender I thought you had an invitation... do you even have one?" Diamond Tiara grinned as she gave another sharp reply,

"She has no invitation, she's just a wannabe..." Lavender began to back up nervously, as she made a slow backtrot she felt herself bump into a pony. She turned around with her eyes lighting up as she thought,

'YES MY PARENTS TO THE RESCUE, she's in for a big surprise now!' Behind her was her entire family with Red holding Humphrey in his saddlebag right on early schedule.

"Who is a wannabe Diamond Tiara?" She was about to point at Lavender when she started to put the pieces together. Rose, their last names were Rose, and Lavender was giving quite an evil expression as if to tell her that those two were her parents. To make her feel even more uncomfortable Lavender replied,

"Oh daddy this is absolutely dreadful, just simply dreadful. That mean pegasus won't allow me aboard..." The pegasus started feeling sweat dripping down his mane as he threw his gaze straight forward trembling. He knew the importance of the Rose family and he was in hot water now! Stuck in a cross fire Diamond Tiara tried to weasle her and the stallion out gracefully.

"Oh he won't eh? I sure hope he is not expecting to keep his job for very long. Every member of the Rose family was welcome aboard last I heard. Refusing any member of our family would be a shrude insult..."

'Oh no this isn't good, I didn't realize she was that LAVENDER ROSE, I thought she was just some charlatan... quickly I gotta make up something...' She galloped over to the pegasus and replied,

"Yes well, he'll have his pay docked for this inconvenience, he'll personally escort you all with no complaints, won't you?" He nodded as the family with Sketch all piled in. Lavender began to stick her tongue out at Diamond Tiara as nopony was looking. "Oooohhh I hate that pony so much right now!!! Note to self, find a way to make Lavender's life even more miserable than previously planned."

The ponies arrived aboard the ship and Gray Rose took one good look at Sketch with a big smile.

"Ahhhh I almost didn't recognize you until I seen that dashing cutie mark. Sketch-It is it not!?" Sketch nodded in surprise she had yet to be recognized by her mark until now. "Your work is absolutely magnificent and all those paintings in Lavender's gallery, I must say you have quite a talented eye."

"Thanks." Sketch briefly answered making her way with the family to the first noticeable venue. It seemed to be a promising looking cabaret with singing and dancing, Lavender was excited because she knew what her mother was planning to do.

"Are you serious!! Mom are you going to be playing for us!?" Silver Sonata nodded sweetly replying,

"Your father has been wanting to hear me play the piano for a while now..."

"Yes well your music is very beautiful dear, and it is not often you get to use your talent." Everypony began to settle inside the room as the Master of Ceremonies began to announce the first entertainment.

Being too young Violet and Magenta were outside on the front deck of the ship with Red supervising them.

Magenta Rose trotted around in her little adorable gown sewn by one of the family seamstreses. Beautiful with sequins shimmering in the light matching her magenta mane and the gray dress matching her coat. She was enjoying the view until she was caught off guard by three rather pretentious ponies.

"well, well, well. Look what we have here, a potential member of the Aristocrats..." It was Ruby Regalia and all her muck! Cheerful little Magenta smiled replying,

"Hello, my names Magenta Rose." Ruby Regalia began to smile deceptively as she replied,

"Charmed, I'm Ruby Regalia, and this is Silver Scepter and Vanity Shimmer. I have a question, would you be interested in joining a certain club Magenta?" Again she brought up the club.

"Sure I like clubs, what's it about?" Ruby turned her back to her snickering,

"Ohhh it's a very special club, one that requires an initiation. You can go play for now, we'll be ready for you in a moment."

"Ok, I'll just go get some ... of those orrrdurrvves my parents talk about." Violet's eyes were staring over from the other side of the pool at the two fillies and the colt. Being on the scene she knew how to read lip langauge, she could read lips with no problem, it was of course one of her many picked up talents.

"Wait are you really going to let her join, look at her she's hideous in that dress..." Vanity Shimmer complained. Ruby Regalia tossed her eyes around and sent a magic bonk upon Vanity's head replying,

"No you derp, of course not. We're going to have a bit of fun with her. This is what we're going to do..." Violet carefully read their lips, "First we'll ask a few questions and get her to the edge of the pool, then we'll shove her in the water and laugh at her when all that cheap ilk she's wearing turns to mush... then we're..."

"Whaaatt... awww that's totally sick. Those ponies have a sick sense of humor..." Violet didn't care for some of the plan but a specific end part made her start to feel an actual care for her sister. "Luna be imprisoned in the moon again if I let that happen to my little sister, we may fight but that's too much." Violet did not want to relay the information to Red as he would not condone bullying in any fashion despite the severity. She had a feeling grownups only muck up problems anyway. It was her time to take matters into her own hands and dish out some punishment!

At this time a group of ponies were starting to congregate down at the fields. Jaxx as promised joined up with Starlight to take a look around.

"Gee it's a might crowded round here, stay close you two." Lil bullet and Chess Pie stayed as close as they could with Chess Pie jumping up on her sister's back.

"Oh yes, normally I would not like this but I really want to hang out with our friends." Starlight explained as she trotted by Jaxx in the thick of ponies. Jaxx agreed with a,

"Same here Starlight." As they trotted around getting ready for the ceremony the events had already started. "Hey ya'll wanna mozey on ov'er to the games and play some before we get ta eatin and watchin the grand opening ceremony?"

"I'd love that, hopefully the others will make it in time." Starlight and Jaxx felt a little worried about the other ponies not being around.

Speaking of the others, North, Bubblegum and Spike were inside the machine. Bubblegum and Spike watching as North began to go completely crazy with the knobs, buttons and levers!

"We need some of this and some of this... yess!! Final preparations are complete MARE, we're about ready to GO FULL SWAG! NYAAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Bubblegum was hopping around excited as she cried out,

"Oohhh I like this North, she's sooooo CRAZY!" Spike was starting to freak out as he mumbled,

"Actually I've never seen this side of North before... it's kinda creepy." North like a mad scientist slapped her goggles on with a big gritting grin and tightening her boots she swung herself into the magic core and began to rub her hooves against it sweetly,

"I feel your heart, it is blazing like fire and brimstone. The heart of the machine, can you both hear it. That thump, the pressure. The steam whistling, crying out! What you are witnessing is the rebirth of a marvelous creation, mistreated and hurt she now bellows with pride and gratitude!" Bubblegum pulled out a random bucket of popcorn and started chomping down replying,

"Oooohhhh... this is better than a movie... you're practically in the action!" Spike completely afraid of what was going on yelled alarmingly,

"Northhh... what are you doing!?" She aimed her hoof over to the controls and yelled,

"COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING EXTREMELY AWESOME!"

"I have no words to describe how I feel but YESSSSSSSS!" Bubblegum rejoiced as she followed North who flew straight for the controls feeling giddy and shaking nervously.

"Bubblegum, Spike... what we are about to do... it's just I can't describe to you the sheer amount of awesome we're going to feel..." Spike reached over and grabbed the side of the wall as he was slightly afraid of what was going to occur. Bubblegum was eating into this excitement as she hopped straight in the front of the engine by North's side.

"Let's do it... LETS DOOOO THISSS!" Bubblegum yelled, North threw the controls forward expecting it to start up slowly. Instead the engine jerked from zero to twenty and climbed extremely fast!

"WHOA SLIGHT MISCALCULATION! OH JEEZE... OHHHHHHH SHOOT... SHOOT... SHOOOOTTT!!!" The sticks would barely budge and every slight movement had the engine jerking around as it plowed through towards Ponyville! "Snap... Speed's sixty, no seventy, AHHHH We're running eighty now... EIGHTY SIX!!! We're maxing EIGHTY SIX ON THIS BEAST!" North did not calculate the massive jump of speed! The failsafe system on the controls were working at least. The last thing she needed was flipping this steam engine sideways, but the problem was decelerating would be near impossible. It seemed the failsafe system to keep from accelerating too fast was bypassed when she was fiddling with the systems in her excitement.

Woodland creatures were in a panic as a huge steam engine raced towards the town!

On board the yacht, the Aristocrats summoned Magenta back. They glanced at her with daggery eyes. Nopony was really around the pool area as they were inside the ship watching more classy entertainment. All the fillies and colts of the wealthy parents were congregated around Ruby and her two fiendish cohorts outside as they began to confront poor Magenta, even the lifeguard pony was not observant, he was busy sleeping lazily at his post.

"Ok first off you have to prove to us you are truly an aristocrat worthy member, do you think Diamond Tiara is the most awesome pony that ever exists! That her wealth and intelect are unmatched by all...?" Magenta began to feel nervous as they started to march up towards her with an intimidating attitude.

"Umm... well... I..." Ruby Regalia snapped at her,

"Just answer yes or no!"

"Yes...." Magenta began to feel scared now as Ruby Regalia responded,

"Good, question two. Which do you prefer Sequins or gems?" She continued to back up closer to the pool where they began to surround her with a group of other classmates and wealthy fillies and colts.

"Uhhhh... gems...?" Ruby Regalia nodded replying,

"Good job, you're doing well... ok for the final question. Do you have your cutie mark?" Suddenly Magenta gulped as she felt the edge of her hoof touch the end of the pool. She looked around and noticed they all had their cutie marks. In a whimpering voice she mumbled,

"n....nnn.... nooo..."

"What's that I can't hear you?" Ruby Regalia standing snout to snout with her put her ear up close.

"No..." Ruby Regalia just sighed and shook her head,

"Ohhh, I'm sorry Magenta but... WRONG ANSWER!" Ruby Regalia shoved Magenta down into the pool making her splash pathetically. Her dress turned into a gloppy mess with her mane completely turned to a floppy glob. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA, look at her, she's just a big gray glob... HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Yeahhh hahahahaha, Globby mcGray Globberson HAHAHAHA!" Poor Magenta looked up at all the fillies and colts laughing at her. She felt so alone and scared. It was bad enough her eyeshadow and cheek makeup began to stain in the pool, her crying was mixed with dirtied pool water and many of her sequins were popping off her gray dress. She swam away but they just surrounded the pool laughing at her as she looked like a pink and gray blob floating around crying and screaming. Nopony in the vicinity seemed to care.

"Look she looks sooo pathetic HAHAHAHAHHA!"

As they were all having fun picking on Magenta, Violet proceeded to execute her diabolical plan. With her beauty she convinced a couple of pegasi stallions to fill balloons up with gray paint and corral a few storm clouds nearby for cover. She herself was going to show these pretentious children what it means to mess with a Rose!

"YOU HAVE ANGERED THE WRATH OF THE ROSE FAMILY! We shall now invoke a dark and evil CURSE!" They all looked over at her, with nopony around but this teenager it began to feel awkward.

"Curse, what curse, you're just being stupid!" Ruby Regalia scoffed. She further added, "You're just bluffing." Violet began to create a magic aura as she chanted,

"Cruel little ponies with dark heart's of Dismay. I curse your vanity you will all turn GRAY!"

"What does that even mean?" With her darkest voice she laughed viciously,

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA!!!" She raised up on her hind legs and strikes of lightning began to go off around them! Three dark clouds above them began to magically drop balloons down which to the children looked like dark evil summoned gray orbs that sought after them and splattered huge gray splotches across the deck and upon their colorful coats!

"AGGHHHH... MY COAT, IT'S FILTHY AND GRAY!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Regalia screamed as her clothes, her body, her mane was splattered with gray paint! Silver Scepter despite being gray himself was equally freaking out with the nasty goopy mess coated over his clean groomed coat.

"DO YOU WISH FOR THIS TO HAPPEN EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!?"

"NOOOOOOOO, PLEASE DON'T CURSE US, WE'RE SORRY MAGENTA, YOU CAN JOIN OUR CLUB!!!!" With starstruck eyes she looked up to her sister as she gave a wink to her. Magenta swam over to her with a happy voice,

"Sorry but I don't want to join your club, my family is all that I need for my own club!" In a very heart warming scene that little wet glob snuggled up against Violet's leg and Violet in a rare moment showed a warming smile.

"Nopony messes with my sister, that's my job." Nuzzling Magenta back she turned around to find Red had watched the entire thing! "R..Red, when did... I thought you were talking to..." Red just had a big mustachio smile as he replied,

"We were finished exchanging stories minutes ago, I watched the whole scene unfold. Miss Violet I'm very proud of you." Violet rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly answering back in a blush,

"Awww it was nothing. I couldn't have those rude kids pick on my sister, not like that anyway. I know how that feels."

"Well you done a great deal for your sister protecting her. A very ingenious plan I might add." The pegasi gave her a smile as they flew off with the clouds.

"HEY EVERYPONY DIAMOND TIARA IS ABOUT TO CUT THE RIBBON!" Everypony on board and the ponies below were beginning to gather as Diamond Tiara trotted over with Silver Spoon by her side.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, mares and stallions! We are gathered here today to witness the beginning of a NEW ERA and AN END OF AN OLD ONE! No more shall we have to go around and get our hooves tired, we could be in a cool and clean environment and have everything in ONE PLACE!" As she continued her speech an extremely fast device was steaming forward without anypony noticing! "Just think about that, one location can get you everything you need, food, drink, furniture, common house hold products, gems, jewelery, games, sports, even party supplies!!" Everypony was hyping up still not feeling the engine coming in fast!

"NORTH THAR BE A BUILDING DEAD AHEAD WHAT SHALL WE DO!?" Bubblegum pointed out the growing object in the engine's forward visors as she held onto a rail brace trying to not fly back!

"WHAT TURN OF COURSE!!!" Spike cried out as he held tightly to a pipe to keep from being flung into the back! North couldn't control the sticks they were locked in!

"Dear Celestia, I've created a perpetual constant, the steam produced is too great and no matter how much I try to decelerate it stays constant." She looked over at Bubblegum who cried out,

"WHAT'S YOUR ORDERS NORTH!?" Bubblegum was holding tight and she was closest to the only thing remotely a braking mechanism! The emergency pressure release valve, she had to pull that if they wanted to decelerate, but North did not think about it until just now which made it almost useless. The last thing she had paid attention to was a brake, she didn't expect to go so fast. The release valve was too far for her to reach and hold the controls back to decelerate, so she yelled at Bubblegum,

"BRACE FOR IMPACT AND PREPARE TO PULL THAT THINGY BUBBLEGUM!"

"RIGHTO I'll pull that thingy as hard as I CAN!" She prepared herself to pull the pressure release valve when North held back on the sticks praying nopony was going to get hurt! She began to critisize the original design of the machine,

"Probably not my best observation, who puts the BRAKES OUT OF THE MAIN OPERATOR'S REACH! Yeah there is supposed to be multiple operators but still IT MAKES NO SENSE! Wait why don't I just use my magic......" She looked ahead at the dangerously closing building and thought to herself, 'Jeez now is a bad time to have a scattered mind!'

Red took a stroll around the side of the ship and off the corner of his eye he could see the huge cast iron monstrosity coming behind the building. Surprised nopony had noticed it he just mumbled,

"I should not expect much in the form of normality, this town has been anything but normal since i've been here."

"NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" At that exact moment Diamond Tiara snipped the ribbon yelling,

"THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR... THE GRAND UNVEILING OF!" Before she could answer a loud KATHOOM!!!! Pierced everypony's ears as a steam engine barreled into the building and collapsed the back wall wailing its smokestack! Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara's eyes nearly popped out with their mouths agape. They turned to watch in horror as a steaming machine blasted through the Tiaramart and destroyed several support beams in its path!

Silver spoon jumped out of the way as a careening steam engine plowed through the entrance shattering glass and debris everywhere with a loud screaming hiss from the smokestack. It plumed clouds of steam like some fierce Iron beast slowing to a crawl right in front of Diamond Tiara until it completely stopped before nearly running her over!

Everypony was in shock and bedazzlement as Bubblegum continued to hold down the valve. The engine bellowed as the steam redirected through the smoke stack building a huge column in the air! North's head popped out from the side yelling,

"WOOOOOO YEAHHHH THE STEAMPONY EXPRESS HAS ARRIVED EVERYPONY!"

"Amammmammmamama...mammaamammaaaammmaa.mm.am.a.ma..amam.a.a.aamama..." Diamond Tiara was completely without words, she was in massive shock as she just watched all that heavy investment just get ripped apart by a steam engine! Silver Spoon hopped up and attempted to defend her friend yelling,

"WHAT IN EQUESTRIA... DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WAS INVESTED IN THIS BUILDING YOU IMBECILE!!! THIS STRUCTURE COSTED MILLIONS!" North looked at her and with a painful expression she gave her greatest apologies yelling over her whistling engine,

"Whoooaa... oucchhhh, I'm sorry to hear that, you know how much I invested in this baby... NOTHING HAHA, and she's still in one piece after hitting solid concrete and steel HAHAHAHAHAHAH!! CAST IRON IS SWAG!" The Rose family ran out of the cabaret to see what the loud thundering noise was. Gray Rose examined the ruins and felt his investment just went down the drain. Red trotted beside Gray Rose advising,

"If I were you sir I would withdraw the rest of my stocks from this investment and never deal with that client again..." Gray Rose gave a deep regretting sigh as he agreed,

"A rogue steam engine crashing into a building, now i've seen everything Red. I had a lot of hope for D-Tiara Inc. but I suppose I did have a bad feeling to start with. Serves me right I suppose, a Rose never goes against the gut, looks like my dad was right."

An inspector nearby the building began to check the safety of the structure. Out of the blue it crumbled and began to fall apart with him replying,

"I deem this building..." Only to get his helmet thwopped by a falling piece of debris sending him staggering about answering derpishly, "Unfit... forrrrr, Opeerration!"

"Serves her right!" Lavender growled as she watched Diamond Tiara's dream building get crushed!!! Sketch and the Rose family left the yacht to go see if everypony was alright. Sketch cried out,

"MY GOSH ARE YOU ALL OK!?" She attempted to yell over the whistling smokestack.

"Yeah we're ok, did you mares see that it was SOOOO AWESOME!" North was absolutely full of adrenaline as she had first hoof experience of the entire thing! Bubblegum let go of the valve and jumped out happily squealing,

"WHOOOOOOOOOT.... WHOOOOOOOT, listen to that smokey smoke stack WHOOOOT! North that was soooo cool times a billion!"

"I KNOWWWW!! Nothing could fully describe what just happened!" Of course poor Spike fumbled out of the engine grumbling,

"Ugghhhkk, I think I'm going to hurl..." Lavender joined with the group and looked to North with gratitude encouraging,

"North you should crash unveilings like that more often, especially any of Diamond Tiara's, that little cur! She deserved every bit of what just happened." North looked to her raising a brow,

"Depends, you have to be in the engine with us though." The sound of the Mayor crying out for everypony to divert away from the rubble and enjoy themselves to the rest of the food and games could be heard. She didn't really enjoy having to deal with this, but she was not about to let this ruin the townsfolk's day. Lavender turned her attention to North again and responded,

"Hmmm... only if you keep it clean." North laughed explaining to Lavender the only thing that engine emits is magic and harmless clean steam. "Well in that case I would need a lot of conditioning spray." They began to laugh together as the end events concluded with a rather chaotic BANG!

"So that's my pride right there mares, nearly a month of work led to the restoration and modification of this steam engine, I call her the SteamPony Express, I'm hoping when Princess Luna sends us our missions we can use this baby to go places, it would be soooo awesome to TRAVEL EQUESTRIA IN THIS!!" The ponies all agreed it was an exciting prospect to think of traveling in that steam engine to do their missions. "It would be like a mobile base of operations so it would be perfect for our job!"

"I agree to that MARE!" A voice echoed out, North turned to see DaisyChain gawking at the machine. "Add some side mounted cannons, some machine gun nests on top, a rear mounted defense station. It has enough potential to haul cargo, you'd be the proud owner of a steam land fortress! The equivalent of a heavy corvette steamship!" North ran over to DaisyChain and began to talk mechanical shop to one another. "I could totally see this thing out in a battlefield just tearing up everything around it and plowing through the jungle! Agghhhh this is just too cool mare!!"

Sketch turned to her friends who were now pretty much done being shaken up from the sudden event.

"So, are we just going to sit around and do nothing girls...?"

"What is there really to do Sketch?" Lavender inquired, Jaxx pointed over towards the picnics where everypony decided to continue despite Diamond Tiara's loss.

"I guess everypony ain't figure'n on wastin all that food! Let's mozey on over mares!"

"Wait girls..." Sketch stopped them all for a moment and with a bit of reluctance Jaxx asked,

"What's up Sketch?" She gazed over at all of them and replied,

"I was sorta feeling nervous about going to the benefit because you know. Apparently Lavender was going to be up with the VIPs and you all were going to be down here. I decided to go up and I was meaning to come back down later, you know to share time amongst everypony... but, I guess it worked out in the end... I was mainly worried I would upset you Bubblegum..." Bubblegum looked at Sketch and rejoiced as she hugged Sketch tightly,

"Ohhhh it's okay's if you wanted to hang out with Lavender, if you didn't then she'd be a lonely wonely pony up there..."

"True, all I would've had as company would be been my parents, and of course my troublesome sisters."

"Plus if you were going to come down anyways I wouldn't care, all these games and food, and pie, and CANDY! I WOULD NOT LEAVE FOR THE WORLD!" Lavender pointed her hoof replying,

"And you were worried about nothing Sketch. In the end it all worked out so come on, there's nothing to be sorry about, we're here to have a good time."

"Sure as apple cidar! Speakin'o cidar, i'ma go get me some before everypony drinks it all!"

Sketch began to lag behind as the ponies made a break for whatever that was left of the benefit. She looked up to the sky and thought to herself,

'Well I just have a sense I need to say this but, to my dear brother, a lot has happened today. North completed her steam engine and I got to go enjoy some sweet music from Lavender's mother who is like the most beautiful and talented piano player I've ever heard. Poor Diamond Tiara lost quite a lot though, but from what I hear she had it coming I guess.

I'm doing fine thank you, I've not really got to learn all that much about friendship and family, but I have to say DaisyChain is one crazy sister. She likes butterscotch can you believe that! Well I donno what flavor ice cream you like.

I really wish you were here brother, to share in all the fun. You would laugh at how ridiculous I play frisbee, I land on my face for the most part. I'm going to be going to Canterlot to see Princess Luna soon to see why she wanted me North, and Lavender. Probably something to do with our magic because the thing we all have in common is magic so go figure.

Well I'll leave ya be, you probably don't want to hear everything all in one day that would be kind of boring. I guess if I learned anything today, it would be going with the flow won't hurt every now and again. Despite me going to the yacht and feeling guilty Bubblegum was alright with it, apparently at least I was there and I did say I would go back down later to be with them so it all worked out.

Ok I'll talk to you later brother this time for real. Sincerely, your loving sister.' Her touching thoughts made her eyes swell with tears as she thought about her brother again in that picture.

She began to trot along completely oblivious of the figure in front of her. The figure refused to move as she rammed nose to nose with an oh too familiar face! Sketch gasped in sheer shock,

"SATIN BRAID!" Completely without warning an old orphan face was revealed before her very eyes! "I didn... 't know you would be here!"

"Oh hahahhahaha figures you're as oblivious and clueless as usual, don't worry I'm not going to insult or ridicule you... yet, but some of your friends have made a mess with a certain group of ponies I care a lot about..." Sketch gulped as Satin Braid pointed over to the rubble, "Hmmm... a multi million dollar building trashed. I and my sister's family was invested rather heavily in this project... this is going to look bad for all of us!" She of course turned and pointed to her niece Ruby Regalia who was now drenched in gray paint. "And of course my precious little niece traumatized by one of your friend's sisters! Don't think you can deny they are your friends, I've been watching you ever since you arrived at the benefit..." Satin Braid strutted herself around showing off her luxuriously groomed red coat, her blue and pink mane shining in the sunlight like satin with a braid of satin cloths as her cutie mark appearing like a sore reminder to Sketch of who she was. Out of sight of Sketch's friends she snarled, "You better be careful who you are friends with and who you make enemies with Sketch-Ick... because you just may find yourself in a very, very unpleasant place to be!" In her head she whimpered,

'Why in Equestria do I get myself targeted for these one on one encounters FOR NOOOOOOOO OBVIOUS REASONS, what does this have to do with me, you should be mad at them, noooo of course not Satin Braid has a personal vendetta against me!'

"I'll be watching you Sketch-ick, my advice is you should stop being friends with them before you get hurt! Master and Lady Mareweather are not around to protect your precious little tail...!" Satin Braid began to strut off ending her conversation with, "Ta, ta Sketch-Ick!" Ruby Regalia followed behind her aunt turning to stick her gray spotted tongue out at Sketch. To Sketch the more the days passed on the more it felt things were getting more chaotic than harmonious.

The rest of the day was concluded with a bit of partying before North had to pilot her engine back home so she couldn't cause anymore trouble idling around in her cast iron beast.

Everypony began to bid farewell to one another with DaisyChain walking Sketch back home. Sketch entered her home completely beat and thought about what all she had did today.

"So I barely got to practice any magic today, you made me listen to the radio, I went to a fancy restaurant for like two hours, a spa for possibly longer and concluded a day on a yacht watching a huge machine blow up a building..." DaisyChain agreed the highlight of that day was hearing that loud KATHOOM!

"I swear I heard that and I thought to myself 'NOOO I'm missing out on something!' I had to go see. I'm glad I did, me and your friend North was talking some serious mechanic shop. I've never felt closer intellectually with anypony until talking to her...!" She paused a moment and watched as Sketch began to just walk away towards her bedroom. "What's going on with you?" Sketch's mind was feeling quite scared about what Satin Braid would do to her or her friends. She didn't know if she should or could bring it up, all she felt she could do was give a weak response,

"I'm just... tired, I need some sleep." Sketch crawled into her bed and with a tormented mind she held her eyes closed until she lost track of her thoughts and fell fast asleep. DaisyChain was no fool she knew something was wrong, but she didn't really know what to do. DaisyChain trotted up the stairs to check up on her to find Sketch tossing and turning with her covers thrown about.

DaisyChain felt some instinct kick in as she grabbed the covers and straightened them out. Snuggling Sketch into them and with a sweet kiss on the side of her forehead she whispered,

"Don't beat yourself up about it sugar pie. Sweet dreams, I'll see you in the morning." Almost as if by magic Sketch felt snug and comfortable as she took a deep breath and slept easy. As DaisyChain left the room she thought aloud, "I wonder what she'll think about the book changes when she wakes up...?"

Starting a New Life

Sketch-it took a deep refreshing breath, it felt like a sweet and harmonious change to the hustle and bustle of Galloport's thick steamy air. Back in Galloport there was nothing but steam vehicles, and ships traversing back and forth from the Southern Leyline, back to the Empire, the traffic was for some usual, but any newcomer would be driven crazy from the constant whistling. The windy breeze brushing across her bright purple coat, her short mane glowing with an icy twinkle bobbed about. Ears perked and eyes closed she replied in a soft tone,

"Ahhh Ponyville, it's everything brother described in the letter. Sunshine, perfect weather, and quiet, just like the mareweather's acres of quiet fields." Feeling so at peace with herself she took another deep breath and confidently answered to herself, "Alright, time to..." She swung the door open to her brother's town house and with one look she was in shock... "Whaa..." Caught off guard by the emptiness she thought something bad may have happened. Analyzing the room some more she caught glimpse of a chest on a small table with a neat little envelope on top. "What's this?" Curiously she approached the letter. Holding the envelope she ripped open the seal with her teeth gently and pulled it out reading,

"Dear Sis, when you get here there will be a chest with some of my monthly earnings, should be approximately two thousand five hundred bits, which should pay for some furniture and food for a while so you can get started earning your own. Yeah I know I didn't have much time to furnish, I was planning to get some stuff, but Prince Shining Armor gave the order to send us to Athenus across seas to deal with a threat, if I could I would've stayed, but if I didn't go I might have not seen that nice painting you did, I think it was called, 'domaine de la savane d'or.' I have to say it was quite a beautiful piece, it was selling at the Athenus Galleria of Fine Arts.

I can't believe that these colonies have grown so culturally diverse. Originally they were just military outposts, but a lot of the families refused to separate, eventually these large colonies started sprouting out of the blue. Aside from that it's pretty intense, on patrol, everyday now it seems the enemy has tried to take a crack at us, but we have this Leyline sealed tight!

Love you and hope to see you long lost sibling of mine, I know you probably have a lot of questions so hopefully I get to go back home soon, I want to tell you everything face to face."

With a pause she held her hoof to her heart smiling brightly, "Awww, thanks long lost brother of mine, and I hope to see you soon too..." Turning back to the empty house she sighed, "Well looks like I got some work to do, might as well take some of these bits and look around Ponyville." She turned around to open the chest and to her surprise the whole thing was lined with one bit coins, her face drooped as she read the letter inside, "By the way sis sorry for not making my earnings a more manageable size, I didn't know how to dispense them for you so I put them all in one bits..." Staring back down as she closed the chest she mumbled to herself, "Oh brother... well still that's ok I suppose..." As the happy pony began to trot herself to the door she heard her stomach rumbling. "Ohh... oh my, I forgot to eat! I've been so wrapped up on all this moving excitement that I forgot to pack some food!" She continued out the door with her first objective to find something to eat.

Strolling around town she spotted the most obviously sweet place to get a bite to eat, good old Sugarcube Corner. Sketch-it knew about the excellent sweet tasty goodness that had been conceived in the confines of that building. Everypony across Equestria knew of the Cake Family's grand delectable dishes, "Mmmm, the building itself just looks so sweet and welcoming. Ten bits for something to eat should be fine." Traveling across the road she could see the congregation of ponies around the marketplace which she made a hoof note to visit there after her dine of deliciousness.

She entered the building and immediately was greeted by two hyped up ponies not but a year or so younger than herself. The sudden welcome caught Sketch-it off guard and dazed the poor pony,

"Hello, hello welcome to....." They fluttered their hooves in the air jazzing out as they joyfully welcomed Sketch-it, "SUGARCUBE CORNER, where every bite is a party in your mouth!" Confetti fell from the ceiling as the two ecstatic ponies introduced themselves.

"Let us introduce ourselves..." The dynamic duo answered simultaneously until they reached to their individual greetings. The bright blue eyed unicorn filly answered happily in a sweet tone, "I'm Pumpkin Cake." The brown eyed pegasus colt with a quick response added , "And I'm Pound Cake."

The two ponies pointed over to the older mare and stallion running the counter responding together, "And these two are our parents... Mr and Mrs. Cake!" Before they could continue Mr and Mrs. Cake realized the loud greeting had Sketch-It frizzled and confused. Mrs. Cake ran over to the customer and replied with the utmost haste,

"Please, excuse the greeting dear..." Mr. Cake nodded over at the counter adding,

"Yes our kids get very excited when somepony new comes to town, we've never seen your face before ummm..." Sketch-it shook her daze off and quickly responded,

"Oh umm, that's alright. The name's Sketch-it, I'm Lightheart's sister if you know of him?" The two older shop keepers took a second to try and remember when Mr. Cake acknowledged seeing him once.

"Why yes I do recall a Lightheart, tall looking stallion blonde mane, he was wearing an officer's uniform... I suppose he's overseas then, he came by once to grab a bite before he was shipped..." Mrs. Cake immediately felt concern for the poor pony and insisted on making things sound more hopeful for her sake,

"Well I do hope he returns safe and sound, I've heard a lot about the colonies, mostly the hullabaloo about the war and what not..." She paused looking over at Sketch awkwardly smiling, "Oh might I be nosey and ask where exactly are you from filly?" Sketch-it began to trot her way inside glancing briefly at the treats as she commented,

"Over from Galloport, to be honest I didn't know I had a brother, apparently some of my art work was displayed over at Athenus, because he found one of my pieces and immediately contacted me to come live in Ponyville. You see I was orphaned as a foal, I didn't have much memory of my family, so it was a HUGE surprise to know this..."

"That's sooo sweett of your brother to do something like that, and to remember a pony for so many years, he must've really cared about you..." Pumpkin Cake answered with a twinkle in her eyes. Pound Cake glanced over at his father who was tearing up.

"Dad... are you... crying..." Being caught off guard Mr. Cake turned around insisting,

"Nooo, I... I just got... something in my eyeeeeeyeeyyeeee...." Under his breath he murmured, "That's such a lovely story it makes my heart fill with joy..." Quickly he regained his composure and turned as he sniffled questioning the pony customer, "What... can I get for you today Sketch-it?" Before she could do some investigating of the treats the two pony siblings jumped in and started yammering about the many tongue tantalizing goodies!

"Oh I suggest you try our jam filled cupcakes, they are AMAZING! One in particular we still have leftovers from Zap Apple harvest just last week, you will be positively charged with amazingness! Strangely I'm wondering why nopony has taken it already?" Pumpkin cake insisted as she continued to point over at several other cupcake dishes including an adorable pumpkin flavored cupcake with sweet marshmallow and whipped cream topping. Sketch-it's mouth watered,

"Ooohhh those do look delicious!" Sketch-it approached the cupcakes when her attention was put to Pound Cake who fluttered over to a huge chocolate cake with filling of shredded carrots and caramel topped with cream cheese and sprinkles.

"This is one of my dad's favorites, the ChocoCaramelicious Carrot Surprise! What pony can resist chocolate caramel and cream cheese icing all together with sweet carrots and sprinkles!"

"Chocolate, Caramel, Cream Cheese... Carrots, OH MY!" Sketch-it's eyes were bobbing around looking at all the sweet cuisine wondering which one she should try when she heard the sound of the door opening. Normally this would not cause such a notice but the atmosphere changed making Sketch-it alert. Everypony turned as a bright yellow coat, a shining horn, a pair of wings, a sharp minty green mane flowing down to the side of this pony's shoulder. This rather unique pony trotted into SugarCube Corner and that's when Sketch-it first lay eyes on an Alicorn.

She was but a young filly of what she could grow up to become, Sketch-it only had the assumption that alicorns were connected to the royal family grapevine, but this was the first time laying eyes on such a pony. She truly lived a sheltered life from the regal, but most regal families didn't have much to do with the growing colonies. Mrs. Cake trotted her way to the pony and took care of her business right away as she felt it necessary to not keep regality waiting. She was not the only pony to feel this pony was special.

Sketch-it curiously ached wanting to say something, or to get to know the pony but as soon as she was in she placed her bits on the counter and left with a rather nice slice of cake. Sketch-it caught glimpse of her cutie mark, oddly it had not inclination of what her skill may have been, an outline of a stem and leaves of some sort. As the pony left the building, Sketch-it decided to make a purchase and investigate, she threw her need to do list to the wind wanting to know more about this mysterious Alicorn.

"I'll take this..." She quickly grabbed a fluffy cupcake and dropped the ten bits leaving in a flash. Mr. Cake tried to wave her down stammering on his words,

"Uhhh miss... the cupcake was only three bits...! Oh dear..." Bursting out of the door with a flick of the cupcake in the air and a snatch, chew, and gulp she downed her cupcake in one motion. On alert she perked her ears skimming around with her eyes for the mystery pony.

"Where the hoof did that Alicorn go? She has wings of course stupid me, she could be gone in the clouds by now... wait... ahhh there she is!" Quickly spotting the minty mane and the creamy yellow coat, she cantered her way to the pony. "Excuse me... Excuse me!?" As Sketch-it caught up to the pony she slowed to a trot up beside her. "Ummm, hello?" A quick turn of her head she seen Sketch-it's wandering eyes.

"Oh hi there, were you talking to me?" As Sketch-it took a small breath she nodded lightly brushing her mane to the side.

"Yes I was, sorry for not specifying but I didn't really know your name to call out, I'm Sketch-it by the way..." Gazing at the Alicorn she couldn't help but be awestruck as she blurted, "I... I've never really seen an alicorn except in books..." The pony gave Sketch-it a very rash expression of confusion. "Well I take it from that expression, I mean... well I've just, I used to live in Galloport, which little to no regal ponies such as yourself even exist so I mean... well they do exist I knew but none ever came to Galloport, well maybe but I never seen them... ...." The Alicorn suddenly began to feel her head spin as poor Sketch-it continued to ramble on and on trying to explain herself and only just burying herself in her own explanations, when the pony raised her hoof up to her snout and commanded,

"Whooooaa, slow down there Filly... first off the name's North, secondly I'm not Regal, that's flattering mind you but really I'm not. Thirdly..." Suddenly she raised an eyebrow. "You come from the outside colonies?" Immediately as she put her hoof down from Sketch-it's snout she began to turn her motor mouth back on.

"Why yes, I mean well I was orphaned so I don't really know if I technically came from there but, ummm... I did cross the Great Harmonious Barrier to get here so I... ummm..." North planted her hoof to her face in slight irritation, she usually didn't associate around very talkative ponies but she did have an interest to know more about this one pony, afterall out of all that confusion and nonsense running out of that pony's mouth, she was bound to have rather colorful stories of the outer colonies, something North was very curious about but didn't have a real extreme urge to go exploring herself. With a gesture she let Sketch-it join her on a walk to her home.

As half an hour passed by Sketch it ended her huge explanation with, "And that's basically what happened. You know despite the outer colonies being unprotected by the Harmonious Barrier, they do have a lot of great things about them, imagine waking up every morning looking off to a floating cloud port full of beautiful glistening steam ships. There was all sorts of exciting things to do, I hope Ponyville is even more so!" She giggled. North shook her head around rolling her eyes as she mentioned,

"Well Ponyville's not really that exciting, I don't think I could ever say I have been hooves close to a steam ship like that before, did you ever get to ride one?" Sketch-it threw out a hoof gesturing with a sneer,

"Ha Ride one, the captain of the Mareweather's Fortune let me pilot the ship out of the launch dock, so many dials and buttons, plus a fancy looking device called a Computations Log Assistant it's like a thing you can punch in codes that makes the ship do things all by itself, it's really quite radical! It can store log entries, and depending on compass and other devices it can sail without the captain holding the wheel using timed settings It's crazy stuff."

"WOW..." North awed at the thought of getting to go on board a steamship of that magnitude. "I've never heard of anything around here having that sorta sophistication... mostly anything remotely flying is a whirlybird, blimp, hot air baloon, pegasi, and myself." Sketch-it tried to think of the reason why and she answered,

"I guess it's because the outer colonies deal with over sea travel." North nodded in acknowledgement commenting,

"Well I'm no stranger of the workings of steamships, I have plenty of books about them, I really want to see one physically though." The two ponies arrived to North's house in what felt like a short time. Sketch-it took a look at the position of the sun thinking to herself what time she had left to get the supplies before dark came.

"Oh no I was so caught up I forgot to check for some furniture and knick knacks for the house...!" She turned her attention back to the town with a self disgusted frown. "Ahhh I'm so scatterbrained..." She turned back to North with a nervous smile. "It was nice meeting you North, but I gotta hurry my hooves back to town and get my shopping done, catch you later!" With a quick wave she darted off, leaving North walking her way into her home thinking to herself aloud,

"Well that went well, you were very friendly North and you managed to strike up a very long and intelligent conversation, psshhhh..." North may have been withdrawn from most pony society but she didn't have very much doubt in herself and her ability. She strictly chose her lifestyle. "There was no doubt." Acting all smooth with herself she made her way over to bookcases almost like a mini library of books.

Moments later a rather small looking dragon with a purple scales, green spikes, and a rather upward beat to his step came knocking on North's door. She halted her reading with a quick snatch of her bookmark she dropped it on her page and slapped the book shut casually making her way to the door.

"Hey North it's me Spike, I got the latest issue of Daring Do Ready for you! Daring Do #16 The Case Of The Mysterious Zompony!" He chuckled as he held it up to the window by the door. North's eyes lit up and she squealed abruptly.

"OouueeeeeEEE!!! YESS, OH MY GOSH, this is AMAZING, YOU'RE AMAZING! Thank you spike thank you so much!"

"Aww shucks I'd do it for anypony." Spike answered happily as she secured the book gently in her mouth and pranced herself over to her bookcases. Placing it very carefully up top with every book up to date.

"Yeah sure but I don't see you going out of your way at personally delivering Books like you do for me." Spike shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but everypony else don't give as much attention to the library as you do North, and I'm like really thankful. It reminds me of when the girls were around..." Spike began to think about Twilight Sparkle and the other fillies he hung out with years ago, his appearance hardly changed since he continued to not take on his dragonish habits, but he's weathered his sadness and longing for his friends over a period of long painful years.

He found a bit of that happiness around North and a few other ponies to keep him happy. North trotted over to Spike and put her hoof on his shoulder,

"Well you certainly are welcome, though you should be saying that to me, you've never let me down on Daring Do's or any other book I've ordered!" The sound of her accepting and friendly tone reminded him so much of Twilight and he nodded with glee pointing at her with a jazzy gesture,

"Well you most certainly are welcome North." He paused a moment and curiously inquired, "Hey if you are available can you help me tomorrow, Cheerilee's Summer school class is going to the library for story telling. It's no problem if you can't but it would be really awesome if you could help me out." North pondered the thought of young fillies and colts being disruptive nightmare, and kinda lurched on the thought of giving a shot at story time... but she knew it was for a good cause and she owed Spike for his half hour on foot deliveries to her house.

With a grimmace she agreed,

"Alright, I'll try my luck at story time, hopefully they are not much of a handful..."

"Yeah hopefully, last story time I got pulled around by my tail and somepony plucked feathers off Owlicious, it was a mess, well anyways I'll see you tomorrow then, have fun with Daring Do and the..." As North began to close her door Spike made a cooky expression as he twiddled his fingers in the air like a ghost adding with an adorable spooky voice, "Casssee off Theee Myyyysssterriousss ZommmPonyyyyy!" Laughing to himself he cheerfully jogged off to town with North rolling her eyes amusingly. Closing the door she leaped on her couch yanking the book from the table and opening it straight on the page she left off. With a half cocked smile she snickered,

"I'll get to reading my Daring Do later, but for now HoofRight Marvels of Industry, time to let me know the secrets of your success!"

The day was still bright, the sun gleaming across the vibrant landscape of green rolling grass and dancing leaves. Sketch-it found herself unable to make haste, instead she wanted to take in the scenery of ponyville, she had never witnessed anything like it.

"Nothing, not even MareWeather's acres of fields were so beautiful, this is what it's like inside the Great Harmonious Barrier. It's, like from a dream..." Soon the poor filly found herself spinning around in circles in her excitement, she rolled over onto the side of the small path laughing to herself, "Ahhhh, look at me, I feel like a young school filly, the grass even feels so soft..." Suddenly she heard something underneath her. "Whoa, wait I know grass does not move like that... or feel... OH YIKES OMAGOSH, I'm SOOooooo Sorry!" She hopped up in alarm as her attention was drawn to a pony with a rather beautiful apple red mane and a golden yellow coat, carrying a saddle full of apples. Her cutie mark seemed to be covered by two bandaids crossing over her flank. "Oh I'm really sorry, I was not looking where I was going and I just, I mean, agghhhh..." Sketch-it became aware of her ramblings and closed her mouth waiting for the other pony to speak.

She shook herself off with a worrisome gaze trying to be as nice as she could be, without sounding irritated that a load of apples she was carrying were scattered around,

"It's ok, ain't the first time I was bumped into, an surely ain't gonn be the last'n either..." She began to pluck the apples up from the ground giving them a good look before tossing them up into her saddle basket. She turned over to Sketch-it and asked with a rather country pony accent, "I ain't seen ya round these parts, what all brought ya here in lil ole ponyville? Anythin special?" The frazzled pony looked over to her and introduced herself fittingly,

"Well I uh, yes as a matter of fact. My brother had sent me a letter to come live out here with him when he gets back from the war." The apple hauling filly widened her eyes interested in the subject and with a final flick she tossed the last apple into her basket and replied,

"Well isn this a coincidence, my own brother is off fightin the war, hey if ya have some free time ya wanna trot with me to the marketplace. Ah need to be bringin these here apples to the stand might quick... but I wanna hear more about ya seein that yer new here an all." The welcoming invitation and the fact this was heading to the destination Sketch-it was aiming to go made her unable to refuse the gesture.

With an uppity trot the mares walked the rest of the way to the town square of Ponyville trading stories amongst one another.

"Wow Applebloom you sure have a lot of responsibility now huh?" Sketch-it inquired to the hard working pony. Applebloom agreed commenting,

"Yeah, it is a lot o'work fer one pony. What with granny passin, my sis dissapearin and Big Macintosh leavin to fight oversea. Woulda been might impossible if'n it weren't fer the rest o' the Apple family helpin me out during harvestin season." As they came up to the marketplace she could see some of Applebloom's kin she spoke about running the stand. As Sketch-it began to part ways she heard Applebloom reply, "Nice a meetin ya Sketch, I'll see you round town I spose."

The new pony had already met quite a few ponies and began to feel like she was settling in pretty nicely to her new home. Proudly clopping over to a shop named 'Furniture and Curiosity.' She obviously knew where to take her bits to buy her furnishings.

With a couple of minutes skimming through for a nice bed and finding herself investigating the curiosities portion of the store, she made some hoofnotes of what she wanted to buy.

"Ok so how much would all this cost..." She asked the store clerk. He was a bit caught off guard from her wide variety of purchases.

"That's sure a lot of purchases, that will be a total of seven hundred n' fifty bits missy, you just moved into Ponyville?" The tall shop keeper stallion inquired curiously. She nodded adding,

"Yep, just across the streets, I can get the money now, but as you can see I packed very light and my saddle isn't really for carrying a lot... can I ummm, also buy that carrying saddle if I promise to bring the money from my home?" Normally this would've been rejected back at Galloport, she was hoping to Celestia that he would give her chance, she didn't have anything that could carry the amount of bits waiting for her back home really, all she had was a tiny light weight travel saddle which couldn't hold more in the pouches than maybe quick spending bits.

Surely to her surprise Ponyville was not like Galloport, the shopkeeper gave her a friendly nod and took the satchel saddle off the stand giving it right to her. "Oh Thank you so much, I will be back!"

"Alright, I'll get this all packed up for you!" He cried out to the scrambling pony. The brown stiched heavy padding on the satchels felt like they could carry a pony on each side and not break at the seams! Sketch galloped into the house and opened the chest sighing as she stared at all the gleaming bits again.

"Sure wish they were not all one bit coins now..."

Taking the bits back to the shop, Sketch-it had a surprise as an earth pony and a pegasus were packing the stuff on a wagon to be taken to her house.

"Oh wow you sure do work fast." The stallion clerk nodded replying,

"All in the customer's satisfaction young mare, we here at Furniture and Curiosity don't believe in dis-satisfied customers. Why I could go as far to say that Ponyville is the most honest and friendly folk around Equestria." Sketch agreed to that responding,

"Sure feels like it."

When everything was unpacked and the ponies moved everything to Sketch-it's taste, they left her in a room that she could hardly believe was empty just a few hours ago. The Kitchen now had a nice round wooden dining table with two chairs, the little stove and the sink now had cutlery and knick knacks decorating the room. The living room with a cushy red couch, a personal phonograph, and her bedroom beside an empty bedroom had the most feather soft bed she could find from the store, a dresser, and to top it all off some odds and ends for her bathroom.

"HA Funny..." She mumbled to herself as she hopped on the couch to take a load off her hooves, "Curiosities is right, everything on that side of the store was soaps, knick knacks, spoons, forks, carrying luggage, antiques... they should've just called it Furniture, and everything else." She stretched her hooves over the couch and yawned. Sketch-it began to close her eyes for a bit and when she finally drifted she felt a warm happy comfort.

Almost as sudden as she had closed her eyes to nap, an abrupt sound went off and she jumped up squealing! "AYEEEEE!" Out of nowhere her eyes were filled with ponies everywhere in her room! "WHAT THE HAY!"

"SURPRISEEEE!" A very big surprise indeed! Her house somehow in an instant of napping had become a ranting raving party with streamers flying about, punch, food, and all sorts of ponies with excited faces! In front of her Pound Cake fluttered in the air while Pumpkin cake rejoiced,

"We figured since your brother was away, and you were alone and you were new here, we'd give you a good old fashioned Pinkie Pie Ponyville Party Welcome Experience EXTRAVAGANZA! We all like to call it the PPPPWEE!" Her brother gave her a conflicting eyebrow arguing,

"Well the name needs some work..."

"Oh what do you know Pound Cake. I think it sounds exciting and full of energy PPPPWEEEEEE!!!" The energized ponies began to argue about the acronym letting Sketch-it sneak off towards her bedroom. She didn't feel like having a party at the time, she wanted some nice peace and quiet after her activities.

"Stickem up partner..." Sketch-it froze turning her attention around to Applebloom giving her a persnickety expression as she gave the purple pony a good sharp focused gaze. In her mouth she held a golden delicious by the stem and she tossed it. Sketch-it's horn began to glow as she quickly reacted catching the apple with her magic. "Nice Catch there partner, hey mozey on over'ere I got some ponyfolk I wanna introduce ya to." Feeling she was caught sneaking away to her own surprise party, she lurched over following with her ears pinned back with an upset like she had done something wrong.

Sketch-it felt very shy around so many ponies, she was rather used to dealing with one on one conversations, not a whole town squarely with their attention on her. Applebloom stopped in her tracks in front of two new pony faces that Sketch-it had yet to see. A white coat mare with a fancy mane, purple on one side and a cotton candy pink on the other. She was a rather graceful unicorn, adorn with a snazzy pop culture singer attire, a flared mini saddle skirt, with her hooves slipped in very comforting purple suede. "This here is Sweetie Belle..." Applebloom commented as she pointed a hoof to her, then changing direction to a pegasus pony who had a jagged mane of purple with a tan coat jumping up at Sketch-it's face with a boastful tone introducing herself,

"And I'm Scootaloo. One of the raddest ponies in all of Equestria only Second to the AWESOME Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo's eyes started to grow starry as she thought about her fillyhood idol. Applebloom just shirked off her friend's over energized attitude.

"Yes well, these are mah friends, Sweetie Belle works at the Carousel Boutique, she also sings at the Town Hall every now n'then... an scootaloo, well. She's just Scootaloo, ain't much ta say that fits her." Confidently Scootaloo nodded with a grin as she explained her job,

"Yep I'm just that awesome, most of the time you'll see me helping the post office, I can cover this entire town in less than an hour." She made a gesture with her hoof as she added, "I get the job done in no time flat, in fact I hold the fastest delivery record in Ponyville!" Sketch-it began to curiously catch glimpses of the girl's flanks and the cutie marks were covered by bandaids oddly. She couldn't help her interest in the subject and asked,

"So what's with the bandaids on your flanks..." She didn't know how to put it any other way. The girls laughed to themselves. Scootaloo just played it cool and answered,

"These, pfffttt... it's nothing really..." Sweetie Belle cut her off before she went on with a voice that just blew Sketch-it away, it was very dulcid and sweet reminding her of Lady Mareweather, who was a natural singer.

"It's more a tradition, you see when we were just little fillies we were always trying to search for our cutie marks, we were the Cutie Mark Crusaders as we liked to call ourselves..." Applebloom butted in adding,

"We were might impatient little ponies, I remember that one time I got a hold of that there heart's desire remember that girls..." The girls giggled as the memory of her getting more than she bargained for. "Ahhh that was a crazy day I'll tell ya, never been more happy ta see mah flank blank." Sweetie Belle nodded and continued,

"Yes well, anyway back to the story... you see we had a lot of adventures together trying to find what made us special, really great times I can recall, but when we finally did get our cutie marks, it was a really great accomplishment for us, but we found that most of our greatest moments of adventure and fun was when we did not have cutie marks... soooo we made it a tradition to cover our marks." Applebloom nodded agreeing,

"As sure as apple cider's sweet, we're no longer the cutie mark crusaders..." Scootaloo interjected with a grin as she exclaimed,

"WE'RE THE BLANK FLANKS! We're sooo much cooler than other ponies because we don't accept being labeled by our marks!" Scootaloo naturally over confident and full of energy, and Sketch-it though feeling intimidated, could tell she meant no harm to her words. Sweetie Belle inquired about Sketch-it's name, and she gladly answered back to her.

After trading some funny stories about their childhoods, Sketch-it was starting to get in the mood to hang around them. Her desire to hide away in her room had slinked away replaced with more of a desire to investigate other ponies that lived in Ponyville.

She ate cake and drank punch as the music kept rolling till the hours waved goodnight to the sun. As it began to get late everypony was starting to leave, the few that stayed came to Sketch-it to give her their personal welcomes. A rather aged looking mare with a pair of distinguished glasses came to her first greeting her,

"Hello there Sketch-it, and I would like to personally welcome you to Ponyville, now I don't know what you are used to back from where you come from, but we are a very friendly town, and we ask everypony to participate in our celebrations and events held year round. I hope to see you around." She gave a sparkling smile as she left.

"Well it's about time to hit the hay fer me, Apple Fritter and Golden Delicious is gonna be helping tomorrow at Sweet Apple Acres, See ya round Sketch."

"Yeah I'm gonna be crashing too, gotta get up early and deliver the mail, then I'm totally going to lounge in the clouds..." Pausing for a moment she pulled out some shades and placed them over her eyes grinning, "Like a boss." Applebloom started to laugh as they both left she had to let Scootaloo know,

"Sugar cube you do know it's night time?" Scootaloo just responded,

"Pffftt... mare what's wrong with wearing sunglasses at night?" Applebloom rolled her eyes not feeling up to responding back.

Sweetie Belle stayed behind to ask Sketch-it if she would like to come to her boutique and help her out with a secret project. Sketch-it's eyes widened curiously, she didn't expect to be asked for help to do anything seeing as she was new, but Sweetie Belle, something about that pony, she didn't seem to be really persnickety in nature, and she had such a welcoming tone. Given she had the courage to ask a stranger to come over, She never in a million years would hear anypony in Galloport asking a stranger to help.

"Well sure I'd love to help but what exactly do you want me to do?" Sweetie Belle looked a little distraught which gave Sketch-it an uneasy feeling she was hiding something,

"Well I can pay for your time, you just seem like the kind of pony that may be good to help me on something I'm working on, I'm nowhere near as good as my sister, and I've been working on some fashion designs, I'm thinking about reopening the Carousel Boutique..." She paused as she felt like withdrawing the offer, pondering in her head how she was going to do this, but the cutie mark on Sketch-it's flank made her hopeful that maybe, this pony knew something about creating fashion designs, she was after all not from quaint little ponyville. "It's been closed for nearly twenty or more years, and now that I've come of age really I want to give my sister some respect, and I need help, I've asked Applebloom, but she's busy due to Big Macintosh being overseas and Applejack not being around. Scootaloo does not want to even think about making dresses so I'm stuck..."

Her sweet and desperate tone had already convinced the concerned unicorn to help her, but taking up fashion might be out of her skill, but this pony needed help and being a new town and everypony being so friendly, she did not hesitate to agree on it. "Thank you Sketch, thank you so much!" Sweetie Belle gave her a sweet nuzzle and clopped off to her home, hoping Sketch-it will come tomorrow as agreed!

"Ahhh now that everypony is gone maybe I... AYYEEEEEE!!!" The Startled unicorn met snout to snout with a shy little pegasus behind her, and the panicking pegasus suddenly flapped maddeningly shrieking back,

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Frantic Ponies ran back from one another when Sketch-it realized she was just as scared of her as she was. "Oh umm... excuse me I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, I... I'm Starlight." The pegasus whispered quietly. The pegasus shimmered a white coat and a radiant dark blue mane flowing across both sides of her shoulders. Her cutie mark seemed to be puzzling as it was a star with a question mark.

"Oh well ummm, yeah you probably know my name by now..." She chuckled as she trotted up to the shy little pony. Starlight nodded happily and began to inch around to leave when she turned at the entrance of the house replying,

"What you're doing for Sweetie Belle, I think is amazing. I'll go ahead and get out of your mane. It was a nice party by the way." The random pony left into the night leaving Sketch to clean her house a bit feeling curious about this strange pony. With her magic she began room by room wiping the mess of punch puddles and crumbs of cake. Over on the table by her chest, appeared to be a couple of presents which caught the pony off guard.

She quickly finished cleaning the house and ran back to the presents feeling an overjoyed sensation with a big giddy smile. She never had been given presents just for a welcoming party, this was new to her. She opened up the first one and it had a tag from Sweetie Belle. The present turned out to be a beautiful hair ornament with a sapphire gem glowing with a slightly deeper color than her mane. In the next box, it was from North.

"Odd, she was not here... I mean I didn't see her, what is..." Turned out to be supplies and a little note saying,

"Dear Sketch, an artist is not an artist without the tools of the trade, I figured I would go ahead and get this for you." Sketch-it laughed completely forgetting the fact she seriously forgot to pack much of anything from her old home, she had been far too excited to even think about anything but this sibling of hers. "Thanks North, so far my mind has been out of order. Hopefully I can fix that tomorrow."

A few presents later she came to one present in particular, this one looked extra special. She began to open it up as quickly as she could when a note flew up. "Aghhh what..."

'Dear Sis, I've been feeling you should hear about what I've been doing over at the outer colonies, to start off I've been doing well, me and some of my fellow Stallions At Arms have been working hard...'

-Flashback to Lieutenant Lightheart-

In Athenus the eager Lieutenant LightHeart was marching with his platoon unit. In his green officer's uniform with his blue coat spotless and his blonde mane trimmed his tall presence looming over many of his platoon. Him and his small unit of stallions were on site of one of the military bases that were placed across the main defense line between the empires of the known world and the Lost World. Across the comms at the barracks a strong military hymn was playing as the soldiers were doing their physical training.

"March one, two, three, four, march one, two, three, four... We do what's best for the empire knows best, We will fight for Harmony's Sake! We will Prevail!!! For the sisters of our great empire's flag. THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE, shall End the Chaos! And restore harmony at all cost!" The song echoed loudly as the stallions ran laps, some carrying heavy equipment.

Big Macintosh being from Ponyville as well journeyed with Lightheart. As the Lieutenant cantered with his fellow stallions, Big Macintosh was by his side being the Sergeant and at the top of his class of stallions for his extreme strength and loyalty to following orders, he was assigned by LightHeart's side.

"Major General HoofPanzer has been running us ragged for quite some time now huh...?" Big Macintosh agreed with a simple,

"Ayyyeep..." LightHeart was starting to feel out of breath as this was about the eighty ninth lap around the field which was a huge plowed section for physical training.

"Almost hit ninety, just one more Stallions...!" The sound beyond the camp miles away of guns going off alerted the soldiers.

"Sounds like Canterlee's taking a pounding..." The stallions all stopped as the sound of warbirds growled overhead, a team of mustangs and pegasi squadrons zipped by heading for the carrier landed at the small cloud port docks. Big Macintosh and LightHeart watched quietly as one stallion asked,

"Where do you suppose they're going?" LightHeart's best guess was,

"Suppose they be heading over to Canterlee right now... I find it really strange the enemy has not sent any ships at us yet."

"Sir with all due respect I think the enemy is pretty dumb, they should know that he who conquers the skies conquers the land..." Big Macintosh agreed again with a,

"Ayyeep..." LightHeart turned to the soldier and added,

"Also keep in mind that the less you know about your opponent, the more dangerous they become. It does not matter how powerful you are or what you control, if you underestimate your enemy you can lose even with outnumbering odds in your favor."

"Ayyeep." As they stopped for a break they listened in on the comm as the music was interrupted with,

"Attention all units in the 111th division you will be reporting to the Athenus Cloud base for departure with the 9th Fleet..." As further orders for other soldiers were made Lieutenant LightHeart looked over to his Sergeant and replied,

"Looks like we're flying with the Majestic Wing."

"Ayyep." Lieutenant turned to his fellow stallions and cried out,

"PLATOON, LET'S HUSTLE WE GOT ONE MORE LAP TO GO!"

"SIR YES SIR!" The platoon cantered once more to finish their lap. The sound of loud hooves hitting the dirt as fifty stallions cantered through the field echoed around the base. What made an even more loud and glorious sound was the sound of an entire military corps of the GreenBacks 89th a size of fourty thousand strong these soldiers were marching through towards Canterlee as the request for support was called in.

The 89th's hooves thundered through the ground like a quake. Along with the pony power there were a number of armored units chugging steam engines along side. The sound of the music that came back on the comm matched the glorious display of power.

"HAIL CELESTIA, HAIL PRINCESS LUNA... HAIL TO THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE!" The loud chantings, the shimmering saddle rifles, the waves of green uniforms had the nearby ponyfolk of Athenus cheering them on.

As LightHeart dismissed his platoon when they finished the final lap. He trotted by the path watching as the Imperial 89th Corps made a spectacle of power.

"Must be something big to move General Honour's entire corps there..." LightHeart's NCO and close comrade of few words just nodded with him with his simple response,

"Aayeep." Lightheart chuckled at his friend being a stallion of few words.

"As much as I like military food, I think I'm in the mood for more fresher oriented food, how about you Big Macintosh?" Big Macintosh nodded replying for once,

"Count me in." The two of them made their way up the road towards the city of Athenus.

A beautiful city built just on the border of the Lost World. These were known as the Leyline Colonies, a line of cities side by side providing supplies to major military outposts of the Celestial Empire. As agreement these were only temporary military occupied colonies because neighboring kingdoms were very uncomfortable with the empire's military movement passing through their kingdoms.

Around the major known world the Griffin empire had spanned a strong hold of the air in accordance to an agreement to all the kingdoms they were to abandon after the end of the war. Occasionally there would be griffin scouts passing through the borders vigilant on making sure these enemy invaders didn't try to sneak through. Every Leyline had Cloud Bastions stationed higher than regular pegasi stations, these bastions were occupied by heavily armed griffin soldiers ready to deploy in the case of an emergency.

Though tensions with the races were on the red they knew what was at stake! The first attack literally crippled the Zebra and Camel kingdoms, if Princess Luna had not sent the royal guard to buffer the assault, the Zebras and Camels would've been wiped off the map.

Lightheart's constant thirst for the knowledge of this war seemed to be driven by a feeling deep inside him, a personal event that had made him both sorrowful and intrigued. His attitude seemed very positive despite it being a war, seemed the only thing keeping him happy was the smiles of his brethren stallions. A hope that harmony would be established once more after twenty so years of war still seeing no end!

The two stallions took their first trip over to a nice open mic bar where performers were rocking up the building, and for the soldiers it was a rather nice discount. A sweet filly was singing a tune to everypony.

"I watched him fly away, long ago, twenty years I'd say. The war had only just begun, a terror to think that chaos would cover our lands. Twenty years ago I lost the one I loved. He fought for me to live in peace, but now I've been grieving since then. No peace for me as the time fades. Time still goes on and still no rainbow in the clouds of my love, memories are fading away as my grief grows numb. I feel so discorded in a world promising peace. I watched him fly away..." She continued to sing through the sad jazz as it went on.

Lightheart and Big Macintosh felt drawn to her very provocative voice, but what she was singing about.

"Dear Celestia that's a sad tune, she's got a beautiful voice but that song..." It sent chills in his spine thinking about how many widows, how many fatherless fillies and colts were out there.

"Aayeep..." They didn't take too long to decide and leave when they realized the crowd was in grief.

While the whole town seemed to cheer on the military's effort, some were just not in the mood for happiness. What harm could it be though, everypony needed to grieve for their losses or else it could have damaging effects holding it in.

Lightheart trotted around the town and noticed something through a window, a pony also noticed him looking through and quickly raced to the door replying,

"I see you looking through lad, come in, come in!" Lightheart and Big Macintosh was corralled inside without even thinking. "Ahh yes the boys from our Prince's great army welcome, welcome to my shop, I noticed you were eying that fine sun dress. Thinking about a filly back at home?" Lightheart felt a little shy about it but he nodded answering,

"Yeah you could say that..." The wording had the strange slender pony think of something entirely different,

"Well... you know it matters not, it is none of my business why you buy this piece, it matters to me that you do not leave this shop without this beautiful thing in your saddlebag..." It was a rather beautiful dress of yellow with a topaz stone at the collar, and white frills at the end.

"I'm curious why is there so many different varieties of objects in here?" The strange pony shrugged with a rather sarcastic answer,

"Well of course I run a pawn store stallion did you not see the sign...?" Lightheart felt silly as he mumbled,

"I suppose I didn't think to look for a store sign..." Big Macintosh trotted around looking at all the knick knacks as his officer was haggling up a price to buy the dress. He was thinking of his sister and how she might like a few presents from him. Big Macintosh was feeling the same way.

After the purchase Lightheart heard a sound outside that he didn't like. "What was..." The sound was very quiet but Lightheart could tell it wasn't but a mile away. Big Macintosh turned around and galloped out after Lightheart who made a bolt for the door.

Screams suddenly started to flood their ears and looking up he could see what the panic was all about! There soaring over the sky was the terrifying scene of artillery shells dropping like a thick rain of STEEL!

"INNNCOMING!" The two stallions found themselves racing towards the base as fast as they could with screaming shells dropping and violently thrashing the ground!

Completely caught off guard the GreenBacks were in a perfect little bottled up marching formation where the first artillery impact minced General Honour's Corps. In an instant the jungle poured out masked soldiers in dark jungle uniforms! The scene of a demonic shadow seemed to loom overhead as clouds seemed to be swirling darkness with a strike of lightning in the air!

"What in Equestria is..." Lightheart felt his hooves slow down as he watched the weather shift so dangerously violent. "They're shifting the weather...!"

"Ayyyeepp!" Big Macintosh and Lightheart raced, with their manes flying through the wind as the artillery shells dropped were mixed with smoke shells and explosives. Blasting canisters of smoke caused such a confused state for the thousands of stallions that literally any hope to organize was impossible!

"Agghhh... I can't see, this smoke...!" Lightheart began to stop backing up. "Big Macintosh where are you!" Just as the smoke was engulfing the area completely, the enemy underestimated the size of the pegasi squads housed in the cloud port. "What... BIG MACINTOSH! WHERE ARE YOU!?" A figure started to appear through the cloud of thick smoke. "Is that you!?"

At this point a small squad of fillies in a pegasi unit strafed through the smoke clearing it up. Their squad leader stopped and turned her attention over to the sight of five figures on the ground. Lightheart was separated between Big Macintosh by three dark figures.

Gasping as he seen the enemy's eyes glaring at him, he stood his ground disarmed with no weapon but his magic. He raised his horn as they raised their guns.

"Magic shmagic that unicorn's gonna get creamed!" The filly squad leader with her fiery attitude shot back with her guns ready, and she strafed again blasting them with guns meant to rip metal apart! Lightheart looked up catching a glimpse of a deep red tail streaking with a yellow highlight glowing in the sunset.

"Thanks for the save..." He mumbled to himself as he galloped over to the bodies. He levitated up a small bit gun and strapped the saddle rifle on his back. He strapped on a rifle saddle from the other on Big Macintosh replying, "Here, let's go help our stallions out shall we?"

"Ayyeep!" They raced towards the battle scene where their ears started to feel the intensity of sound. As they entered the base limits the sounds of the artillery pounding was thrashing violently, bullets were whizzing by and smacking the ground, guns were shredding eardrums with the loud popping and cracking!

"Get on that gun soldier!" The voices of officers were screaming as the fight to obtain machine gun positions were a primary objective, to prevent the enemy from taking hold of an emplacement. The sound of a steam driven beast hissed as a huge tank of steel turned a turret around and fired a shell piercing theough the air and exploding as it impacted!

As the fight on the ground engulfed the major ground forces, the carrier which hardly even had a chance to leave had a magic barrier still holding after several artillery shells attempted to knock it down. The captain was given orders to send his craft and pegasi through the jungle and snuff out those artillery positions!

Battle hardened veterans on board were sent up first with several low rank reconnaissance fighter pegasi to scout positions.

"This storm is pretty risky for our pegasi, we need to make this quick, first we need to locate the unicorns responsible for maintaining this weather cover, after that's dealt with I want you to bomb every artillery emplacement you find. If you can't find those blasted weather controllers, then just wing it and take out anything hostile!" The captain gave the orders and let his air crew do their job.

The battle raged on as the carrier's light anti ship cannons were used as artillery for the recon pegasi spotters. Bolts of lightning scorched the air, one poor pegasus found himself being struck directly by a purposely guided bolt. Eventually the pegasi started a low flight tactic until they grounded to save time turning themselves into heavily armed gun turrets! The haymaster cannons they were equipped with tore jungle growth down with ease. Warbirds stayed in flight making scattered bombing strafes into the jungle to cause confusion.

Lightheart charged with a few of his platoon units who met up with him towards a gun nest! They breached over the mound where waiting inside was a group of enemies attempting to dismount the machine gun.

"AHHHH!" Lightheart dropped down with the bit gun floating in the air firing periodically with shell after shell zipping by one until one snapped through his neck and sent him thrashing on the ground. As the squad flew down in a rage, one of the others holding the machine gun turned towards Lightheart with an evil glare through his mask. Without warning Big Macintosh dropped with a hard tackle, his rifle knocking the pony back, he gripped his bit and as the gun touched the pony's flesh he bit the trigger! POW! "Thanks for the save NCO, alright stallions let's get this gun back up let's go!" A rather ditzy looking unicorn with a butterscotch coat and an aqua colored mane held the machine gun with his magic replying,

"Duahhh... where does it go again sir?" Big Macintosh poked him and pointed out the opening in the makeshift bunker. "Ohhhh, dahh ok." Lightheart turned to them and replied,

"Big Macintosh, Snails operate the gun, the rest of you, take aim and fire!" They held the ground retaliating the enemy force with an efficient advantage!

"GRENADE!" One of the ponies yelled as a grenade flew in! Big Macintosh caught the enemy as he foolishly showed himself to the gunner, and he let out a spray of metal through his chest! Lightheart took the grenade with his magic and lobbed it high into the air.

They continued to provide cover fire in the bunker until they slowed their attack as Honour's Corps came running through and the 181st Armored Cavalry drove through on steam driven tanks. For a while the squad watched as it seemed the sounds just faded away with a droning hiss of steam and riddling metal tracks in the back of their minds. Their thoughts of awe as the scene of the battle unfurled in front of them. Scorched earth, pluming smoke, and a raging storm above overcasting the battlefield was pure horrific.

'Dear Celestia, I never thought when I was a young colt something this farfetched would be happening. I never thought war could've been possible ever, not to this scale especially.' Lightheart watched in shock as one of the enemies lay on the ground and disappeared under the tracks of a thundering steam tank.

"NO MERCY FOR THESE DISCORDIAN MONSTERS!" A total of a thousand stallions or more made a run into the jungle! "GIVEM A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE!" To counter the enemy one of the head officers, a Lieutenant Major commanded a large group to start dispensing their own smoke grenade tactic!

"Alright lads let's GOOO!" Lightheart and his small squad charged out of the bunker to the field with the armor as they ferociously opened fire. Shells zipped through into the jungle and tore the dirt and plant life inside to pieces.

As the first group reached the edge of the jungle a loud synchronized scream of guns let out a mad series of crackles and POPS! The jungle lit up as a small set group of enemies had taken the confusion to establish a line of defense!

Lightheart and his stallions in the back dropped to the ground as the bullets zipped out! Mists of red flew everywhere and ponies dropped in lines. Smoke bombs held in someponys' mouths were triggered and clouds started making plumes in the air in scattered disarray. Even some of the crews were pierced through the thick tank armor.

"Now's our chance, let's go while the smoke's up and their guard is down." Lightheart ordered as the gun nests ceased fire. His makeshift unit started to move forward. His platoon of only fifteen had newcomers from other squads and companies all following him as he was the top ranked Lieutenant.

They crawled into the smoke following his lead, the guns were waiting to see somepony come through the smoke, instead of seeing somepony, more smoke bombs began to fly deeper into the jungle! It was payback time! The enemies reacted accordingly and opened fire randomly, unfortunately for them, they had no idea the stallions were all in a prone.

"Alright men separate in four squads, Big Macintosh take them, you Sergeant Major take those, and you CWO take that group, take out as many nests as you can find, keep under the cover... go, go, go." The ponies crept under the cover of dark storm clouds and smoke returning the favor to the enemy.

Lightheart came across the first nest with his small squad and without even a challenge took his magic and dropped a grenade around the unsuspecting nest. BOOM! The explosion sent the enemies flying out of the nest and the fight started! In a panic the other nests started firing forward again in random directions, taking this moment of surprise the squad hopped in the nest and began to dismantle the gun.

In a matter of seconds before they could use the gun the nests began to go silent one by one. A total of seven emplacements in a line brought down in an instant. Big Macintosh and Snails took care of one side. Big Macintosh had tackled down a stallion and stomped his head with his hoof, he turned firing a shot into the back of the gun operator, the other was overtaken by Snails as he valiantly jumped in and with his magic pummeled him straight out over the sandbags into a spike trap that was hidden in the brush in front of the sandbags.

The neighboring gun placements didn't have time to dismantle as Big Macintosh single hoofedly tore the machine gun mount off and slapped it on their side letting it go off sizzling the fabric of the sandbag as Snails fed the belt ammo.

On the opposite side of Lightheart, the other squads led by the Sergeant Major and the CWO, with their unicorn stallions they simply plucked them out of the nests with a grenade just as Lightheart did. The officers and a few squad stallions started yelling to one another,

"OLIVES!"

"NO THANKS I'M FULL!" Another one answered. Lightheart took that as a positive response. It looked as though the gun emplacements were dealt with quicker than usual. He analyzed around the barrier and noticed some sharp objects in front of the barrier when his thoughts of security were shattered in an instant!

A loud crackle came out from in front and started spattering the sides of the sandbags as several positions ahead began to open fire at them! LightHeart heard a group to his side screaming out maddeningly,

"FREAKING CELESTIA'S FIRE, GET BACK, FALL BACK!" The Sergeant Major made the call, his crew and the CWO with his jumped back behind the sandbags with Lightheart screaming,

"DON'T!!!" Prone beneath the raised ground around the barrier, they heard the bullets ripping at the dirt. Lightheart ducked his head down as he just witnessed the two squads fly over blindly into the spike traps. He began to feel a deep sinking feeling inside watching that gruesome image.

"Sir... I'm... getting a call on the radio!" One of the soldiers with him had a radio on his back giving the Lieutenant the receiver in an instant to his superior.

"This is Athenus Commander, Major General HoofPanzer to all available units, we have been given orders to fall back from the jungle! Shining Armor's Royal Air Corps has been called in. They're going to execute an MPB strike, I repeat all available units fall back from the jungle, an MPB strike has been ordered by Prince Shining Armor!" LightHeart's stomach felt a deep sinking sensation. These two attacks were already radioed over to the base in Firelight Haven, exactly where Shining Armor was personally posted with his royal armies in the Fringe. He responded so fast strangely to this attack, the MPB or Magic Powder Bomb strike was nothing to feel easy about. Shining Armor used it rarely due to what it was capable of. In mass his airforce would drop these bombs and anything caught in it's explosive range would be turned to a pile of sparkling cinders, which was not at all as pretty as it sounds. Apparently Shining Armor did not want to risk the enemy being so close, so he was going to completely eradicate the jungle vegetation, along with the enemy positions.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" The stallion asked his superior trying to sound louder than the bullets dropping on their position! LightHeart wasted no time as he yelled back,

"SOLDIER WE NEED TO PULL BACK OUT OF THE JUNGLE... SHINING ARMOR'S GIVEN ORDERS TO SET THIS JUNGLE ON FIRE WITH MPB's!"

"MPB's!!! WHAT...!!!" Disturbed the soldiers followed LightHeart who jumped over the side rather than behind into the spike traps and they all fell to a prone position and crawled across the jungle floor to the other position to get Big Macintosh and his group out of here! Bullets were tearing through vegetation as some of the soldiers could see the mass of flashes as a larger emplacement of barricades were up ahead. "This is beyond Haystacks sir, how did this many marauders sneak up on us... I thought the Griffins were supposed to be watching us from the Bastions?" Another soldier behind agreed crying out to state another idea as well,

"Yeah but you also have to think they may have hoofed through the jungle out of their sight!?" LightHeart shook his head arguing back,

"No the Griffins were not on watch is what it was! There's no way they could sneak heavy artillery equipment without cutting through the jungle and giving off their position, they had to have dropped off units from a transport when nopony was on watch! If they had used the jungle the griffins passing on their patrol would've seen them moving!" He reached up to the sandbags and risking his neck he peered over yelling, "COME ON THIS WAY... WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Big Macintosh and his group jumped to the side and followed them until they reached the smoke! The enemy bullets could not reach over the emplacements giving them a safe retreat.

The soldiers outside barricaded behind several steam tanks all aiming their weapons ready to shoot whatever came out of the smoke, with orders to not fire until the targets were identified. They began to grip their bits ready as they spotted figures popping out of the smoke! LightHeart and his troop shot out running forward as a massive pegasi force escorting heavy bombing warbirds began to cover the sky!

"Come on stallions get back here NOW!" A Captain commanded as he ran to them pulling their flanks back behind the large tank barrier! "GET DOWN!" The sky was quiet as the steam powered craft made no noise. In a silent cloud of steam they disappeared through the storm cloud dropping their payload.

"We're overhead the target let's drop these POWDER BOMBS, the sooner we're out of this storm cloud the safer we are!" Thousands of bombs began to drop! The tail fins of these large monsters began to whistle as they sliced through the air falling below into the jungle. All the ground forces could hear was that annoying whistle until everything suddenly turned completely dead silent. The scariest weapon in the arsenal of Shining Armor's Royal Air Force, a weapon that as soon as it hits the warhead goes off and deploys a silent magic vaporizing explosive making no noise. A few thundering booms could be barely heard as artillery positions still managed to fire their guns before completely turning to ash. Everything the enemy was hiding in acres of jungle vaporized! The captain's eyes widened as he mumbled,

"That's just an eerie sight stallions. To think Shining Armor has access to a weapon that could destroy all life it touches in a dead silent magic explosion. It's creepy enough to make your coat stand on end." They watched as the storm clouds began to recede and before them... nothing but lofting sparkles of magic cinders.

(Flash Forward to Sketch-It)

"So after a short lived skirmish we regained control on the base, we lost some good stallions in the casualties... but after this incident we managed to get those lazy griffins to actually watch over us at night. As I conclude this letter sis I'm currently on board the Ironsaddle, it's a beautiful ship and our stallions are looking happy as we're heading for the Cloud base stationed deep in the Lost World.

I know it sounds weird to you probably that we're looking forward to meeting face to face with the enemy on their ground, but we're just hopeful this all will end soon. I brought you over some things I bought after everything started to get quiet, luckily the dress was never harmed in my saddle... Love you and hope to see you soon sis, Lightheart."

She couldn't bear to wait as she opened up the box to reveal some goodies he had bought. "Ooohhh look it's the dress, oh wow he was not joking when he said it was well taken care of..." It still had a glow to it, especially the Topaz stone on the front of the collar. "Hmm what else did he... SOCKS... why socks... oh they're dress socks for the dress... ok so he bought an entire outfit I see..." Lightheart apparently bought a whole ensemble for the dress, figured just a dress would seem too unthoughtful. "Ok what else is... ... Oh my gosh what is this..." She pulled out a scarf and a black artist cap. "Ok brother enough with the clothes where's the..." Pausing as she seen the bundle of things hiding under the clothes she laughed, "Hahahaha knick knacks..." She rummaged around with her hoof to find a couple of dolls, spices from the Southern Leyline, just all sorts of small things. She smiled as she took a little snow-globe of Athenus and shook it around smiling. "Oh brother I can't wait to see you, I got sooo many things to ask about and tell you!" Concluding her night she flopped on the couch holding the snow-globe yawning, "I wish you were here already..."

Sunny Fields

The day seemed brighter than usual in Equestria. With ponies running about on their daily business, Sketch-it found herself engulfed in the nice mid-day sun, sitting around in the park. She had the book open reading more about the power of magic and the many fun uses such as the following trick she was working on in front of Spike and North.

"Ok I think I got this now..." She began to concentrate her magic into a small flower. It wiggled about and seemed to be trying to grow, it raised about a centimeter before it dropped back down. "Ohhhh... Fudge..." She drooped her head down feeling the trick was beyond her grasp. Spike looked at the flower a bit and with a sneaky remark,

"I can totally see it, it's not much, but that flower did grow... what do you think North?" A bit Skeptical she caught on to his plan and nodded graciously answering,

"Yep, I can't be exact on the measurement but it's bigger than it was before. Come on Sketch you can do it! Make that flower grow!" Sketch-it snickered with a little more confident boost in her ability and she gave in,

"Oh alright, stand back you two." Passerby ponies took a glimpse as they were trotting on their way at the unicorn attempting to grow a flower. She focused as hard as she possibly could literally feeling a headache coming over her, but sure enough the flower began to dance around as the stem raised and the petals began to bloom larger. Spike and North began to grow over excited whispering to one another,

"I think she's got it..." As the flower began to glow brighter with the magic aura around it, two mares stopped in their tracks to observe the spectacle.

A couple of ooohs and ahhhs and Sketch-it couldn't think straight with the noise and broke her concentration, letting the plant droop back down.

"Agghhh Darnit!" She stomped her hoof with anxious frustration! North trotted over and assured her,

"It's no big deal mare, it takes a lot of focus to do magic right, hey if it makes you feel better I still can't use growth magic that well either."

"But North isn't growth magic your ex... mmmphhhhhmphh!!" North plugged Spike's mouth shut with her hoof laughing nervously,

"ahhh yeah spike, it's totally one of my weakest studies of magic." The perplexed pony trotted herself back to her book levitating it up to make sure she was doing it right. North quietly snapped at Spike, "I don't want her knowing that yet, I don't want her worrying about somepony doing something better than her, not until she has enough confidence she can get better." Spike realized her plan and gave her a wink answering back,

"Ahh I gotcha, nice plan." Sketch-it came back to them with the book in front of her face reading aloud, when she took a glance at them, and in response they smiled awkwardly. She laughed at them both answering blissfully,

"Pfft, if I didn't know any better you two are hiding something from me..." She disregarded it as Spike nervously began to sputter,

"Oh no we're not hiding anything, totally not I mean we couldn't possibly hide the fact that North.... AGHOAMMMPHH!" She again stuffed a hoof in his face.

"Oh Spike, sometimes he just can't stop rambling when he's sooo excited about seeing magic tricks heheheh... isn't that right Spike?" Letting her hoof from his face he nodded his head rapidly adding,

"Yeah I really get excited about magic. It's been so long since I've seen good magic performances like yours Sketch." Sketch-it felt honored that they enjoyed watching her attempts, and in truth they were enjoying it. They were hoping that sooner or later that unicorn would get better at it.

"Alright then, well I most certainly won't let you two down, ok I'm going to continue working on multi-tasking my magic with levitations before going back to growth magic." North agreed it was best to keep working on that,

"It'll help you keep your focus, the more tasks you handle and concentrate on, the better you'll get! COME ON MARE YOU CAN DO IT!" With a swish of her mane she attempted to take on as many things as she could.

Taking the small bunch of apples in her satchel she began to juggle three of them in the air while taking another and holding it up near her face while attempting to hold the book up and make it look as if she was reading. Not yet finished she took out a pencil and a small piece of paper and began to draw out nothing in particular. The activities were stressing on her mind but it was quite an impressive spectacle to see so many activities, but one thing was scaring her to go any further. She was able to get all these activities prepared, but she could only focus on keeping them active, she didn't know if she could open her eyes and read, or enjoy eating the apple, nor if she had the ability to focus on what in Equestria she was drawing on the piece of paper.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive!" North complimented as she watched the whole thing unfold. Spike and North both were full of anticipation and hoped that she would attempt to try and do more, but the expression on her face made them worry she was afraid to take a step forward. "Come on Sketch, take that next step. Just keep focusing."

Normally one object at a time for the poor pony was enough but she had seven all at once. She gritted her teeth and attempted to open her eyes, in her mind she felt as soon as she does she would lose her concentration, North could see she was trying too hard and without hesitation she ducked behind Spike yelling, "SHE'S GONNA BLOW!"

"WHAT!?" Spike cried out, as soon as they yelled Sketch-it pushed her eyes completely open and let loose her tension sending the juggling apples shooting outwards, with one bopping a poor pony across the head knocking them over yelping,

"OWWW!" The book dropped, the pencil pierced the paper and the last apple dropped harmlessly on the ground. Sketch-it gave a frustrating sigh, with a bruised pony trotting over to her with a rather unpleasant expression. "I believe this is yours." He growled, the stallion was also a unicorn which just gave her a drop in her confidence as he plopped the apple down beside her strutting off with a sneer, "Ponyvillians HMPH!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh...." Sketch-it groaned laying her face on the grass and covering her hooves over her eyes in the embarrassment. North trotted over to her friend poking Sketch-it on the shoulder with a happy reply,

"Hey, don't worry about what he thinks, that stallion I bet is just a one trick pony, most unicorns who prance around like that usually are."

"Thanks..." Sketch-it gave a saddening answer back as she moped over to the bench plopping herself on top sulking quietly trying to stop thinking so much about it. North and her little tag along Spike felt it was best to let her blow off the stress alone.

"Come on Spike, we should leave her be, let's go check up on Sweetie Belle and see how she's doing." Spike knew all too well what North really wanted to do there and that was to see the new fashion she was working on.

"Ohhh hooo noo. Keep your frilly thoughts away from me... I'm gonna go take my mid-day nap..." She squared her eyes at him taking her hoof as she grinned poking him,

"You lazy dragon, being years older and you still act like a big lazeh babeh..."

"Psssh I can't help it, I like my naps, you know how it is in that library, it's sooo boring, so few ponies come around, it's unappreciated I say. Plus I've been having some pretty nasty nightmares lately so I need more naps." She tried to convince him once again assuring him he would not be maliciously dressed up in anything pink and frilly. "Agghhh, alright but if even one girly thing touches a scale I'm out of there."

"Fair enough."

Leaving Sketch-it back she gazed around at the ponyvillians trotting about happily, and she felt out of place being all saddened. She glared at the objects on the ground.

"Might as well go back home and do some paint work..." She hopped up from the bench and as she began to make her way to picking up her mess, a shadow flew over her from above. With a swoop came down a curious pony questioning in a very kind tone,

"Ahhh hello, there again Sketch-it..." Sketch-it turned her head and in a surprise she realized it was none other than the odd quiet pony she seen at her welcoming party, Starlight.

"Oh hello ummm... Starlight right?" The long maned pony gave her an acknowledging nod as she helped pick up the paper and pencil.

"I couldn't help but notice you were doing magic. I was wondering if I'm too late to ask if you could show me a couple..." In a shy manner Sketch-it noticed she was trying to insist on her to stay and show her a magic trick. She seemed excited and hopeful that she would say yes, but Sketch-it had no mood for it, she felt rather dulled by the concentration.

"I don't think I can do any right now, I'm a bit tired out from trying so hard." The pegasus cautiously tried to approach Sketch-it's boundary again insisting,

"Oh well I don't really want a big show, I just really like to watch a simple trick, like juggling, ohhh can you juggle again it looked like so much fun." Sketch-it glanced at her in a bit of disbelief, here stood a pony that seemed to show persistent behavior to watch something so simple any unicorn could do, even Sketch-it. She sighed reluctantly and took the last apple out of her satchel making three, and she began to juggle with a confident smirk staring at the juggling apples as if this was foal's play. Starlight smiled and joyfully answered, "Yay I always loved magic tricks, as a little filly I always went to the circus, or well I also went to parties and celebrations, and I'd see ponies doing tricks, but when unicorns do them it's more magical... I wish I was a unicorn, that would be soo amazing."

The modest pegasus gave Sketch-it a bit of an ego boost, and she slipped the apples one by one away in her satchel smiling with a warm voice to Starlight,

"Well, being a unicorn has its advantages, but I'd much rather be sailing across the sky right now, I have a headache from all this magic practice." Starlight didn't mean to impose but when she heard that she was practicing, the helpful pony took a step closer encroaching in Sketch-it's personal space.

"Ohhh, can I help you practice, I like helping everypony I can, call it a weakness of nature, I'm sorry I'm just... can I help?" Sketch-it was not sure how she could be of assistance, but she didn't have the sensation to go sulk in her bed now.

"I'm not sure if you could help me, this is sort of one of those things that a pony has to do themselves... what did you have in mind?" Starlight started to flutter in the air and pointed off in the distance replying,

"There's a nice little place that's really quiet and sunny it always helps me when I need to think. I'm sure if we think together we can figure out something I could do to help." Sketch-it pondered for a moment, maybe a quiet getaway from the crowded park would be just right for a pony to think freely, she had yet to really get a moment's peace being tugged around so much for the past three days. She agreed to follow Starlight to her little thinking spot.

Sketch-it trotted her way behind the slow flying pegasus. This pony Sketch-it thought, was almost too calm and happy to be true, even for Ponyville she's noticed that this pony was out of the ordinary happy and nice. As she came towards the center of town, she kept her trot along when she heard a large congregation of ponies in the Town Square. For a moment Sketch-it paused and thought to herself why she hadn't been getting any warning of these announcements or invitations.

"Well than again I am fairly new here, maybe I need to ask about that later." She started back on her path as she carefully raised an ear to hear the Mayor announce,

"Now settle down Fillies and Gentlecolts, I know you've been expecting to know when the Autumn Festival will begin, as a reminder we're still low on money and need to raise about two thousand more bits to setup a few more arrangements so everypony please donate if you can. As for the scheduled day we're still unsure." Well the news sure didn't sound important to get any notice, she was so used to celebrations and gatherings being alerted to her attention at Galloport, of course she was living in a wealthy mansion being the Mareweather's favorite pony she would always have access to those alerts.

The two ponies traveled through grassy fields until Starlight descended over by a beautiful little pond stretching near forest timber.

"Isn't this the most lovely place to sit and think, sweet little froggies sitting on lily-pads and blooming flowers, whispering cat tails..." Starlight trotted over to a large rock by the edge of the pond and sat atop it surrounded by cat tails. "Soo soothing, and quiet I could sit here all day and think. A lot of times I'll sit out at night and watch the moon and stars glitter across the sky, space is just so fascinating..." Sketch-it took in the view of the mountains off in the distance where she could see the beautiful castle of Canterlot.

"Wow this is beautiful, and so quiet..." Sketch-it felt for the first time being in Ponyville, a real natural and calm peace with nopony but this mystery filly in sight. She fluttered her ears in the excitement and from her other satchel pulled out a pad levitating it with a paintbrush and pencil jumping out. "I... I feel like I could just..." Before she could finish her sentence she did what Sketch-it did best, she unfolded the tripod behind her pad and stuck it down bringing out an assortment of paints.

Starlight turned her attention over to the heavily concentrated pony awing at how she arranged her paints, her sharpener, the pencil and paintbrush together with such grace began to work together to form a composition of paint oils and graphite. Starlight trotted happily around to see what she was doing, she had begun to capture the lovely image of the scenery in front of her. She had everything detailed including Starlight sitting peacefully on the rock before she moved, as if she took a camera and made a snapshot before she moved. "Some dabs here, a line there, not to hard, a little softer. A great big splash here, oh that cloud is too puffy let's just, yess..."

Starlight was in amazement at the unicorn's performance for nearly ten minutes, when the pony finally dropped her pencil and paintbrush on the side of the pad. Sketch-it admired her work with an expression of longing to just jump into the picture, when Starlight replied,

"WOWWW, you are really really good at drawing, well I mean I noticed your cutie mark and you definitely fit the description it shows." Breaking from her trance she turned to her smiling modestly.

"Ohhh I, well yeah, it's not a big deal..." She turned her attention to the scenery behind her picture, her mind for once feeling so empty of worries and filled with a peaceful bliss. Everything just felt so right at that moment. "Wait a minute." She once again snapped out of her trance and realized the peaceful feeling she was having may be what she needed to help her with learning her magic.

Quickly she ran to a small group of flowers and targeting a bright little pink flower she enveloped it in her magic and tried to focus as hard as she could. Try as she might, her mind again began to pressure her focus until she felt her focus give way. She glanced down to the flower in disbelief that it still didn't grow. "Whatttt... nooo, this it... AGHHH!" Starlight watched as the impatient pony started to gallop away breaking into tears at her failure.

"Wait, Sketch-it wait..." Her voice not carrying far enough, failed to get the upset pony's attention. Starlight turned her attention over to the painting of her little peaceful pond, and down at the little art supplies Sketch-it left in anguish. Upset herself, Starlight approached the painting thinking to herself, "How could somepony fail to be happy here..." The problem seemed so perplexing to her, but she didn't want it to burden her mind so she slowly walked over to her rock and sat on it the exact way the painting illustrated her.

Sketch-it's upset galloping into Town caught the eye of many ponies who threw away the concern to their own business. She threw open her door leaving it open as she ran up the stairs into her room. Closing the door behind and once again in more of a confused state she let out a whimper kicking at the covers.

"What is wrong with me, everything I try just ends up failing, I make unicorn foals look like magicians compared to me. Stupid magic..." As Sketch-It had an upsetting time rolling in her bed. A pair of ponies were having some fun over at the Carousel Boutique.

Sweetie Belle, and North of course being sneaky mares had a blast messing with Spike who at the moment was running around screaming,

"AHHHH I KNEW THIS WAS A TRAP!"

"Oh come on Spike it won't hurt, just try it... it's a very lovely little suit I worked hard on..." Sweetie Belle tried to reason with him.

"Yeah Spike come on, it's a suit, not a dress it's not even frilly!?" North tried her style of reason through her humorous cackling! The frantic dragon made his stand between the two mares and the door was just in his reach!

"I didn't come over here to be an experiment for fashion I came here just to hang out!" Sweetie Belle tried to soothingly assure him he didn't have to keep it on just one try. In an effort he tried to cross by North who jumped in his way every turn! "Awww come on!" He complained as his options were running low. He attempted to make a straight run, but as he began to run, he realized something, he was not moving! "What the..." He turned realizing North had her hoof on his tail! "NOOOOO!!! Please AGGHHHH!" He squirmed as Sweetie Belle began to magically envelop the suit on him! He closed his eyes as fabric pushed around and fitted on him, and he could hear the adoring awwwwwwsss from the mares.

"He's so adorable, look at him..." An agitated expression came across his face as he turned around. Come to find out the suit was not as bad as he thought gazing in the mirror.

"Oh wow, now that it's on me, it's not half bad..." North rolled her eyes laughing as Sweetie Belle commented with a graceful hoof,

"See all that trouble and in the end it looks great!" Spike gave a happy nod answering ecstatically,

"Absolutely, Sweetie Belle you got the skill just like your sis. I feel like a regular Double'O Pony with this, really nice." As he was giving himself some suave looks in the mirror North interrupted him responding,

"Alright Mister self admiration, you can take it off now." Spike's eyes glazed over as he continued to feel so in love with the way he looked he responded with a faint,

"Huh, what's that?" North just disregarded his loss of mind and levitated the suit off of him, "What heyy, come on I was really feeling the moment with that suit."

"Yeah maybe a little too much in the moment..." Sweetie Belle giggled as she took the suit and put it over on a table with some of the works she's attempted.

"Don't worry Spike, the next big event I'll let you have it, but for now I'm keeping this stuff to sorta fill the boutique." Spike liked the idea and pumped his fist with a victorious,

"AWESOME!"

North glanced over out the window and to her surprise she seen something that irked her. It didn't seem like anypony cared, but off in the distance she could see a group of griffins in the vicinity of Ponyville, they seemed to have been swooping down on something, and it was by no means a friendly swoop.

"Ummm, sorry to dash away so suddenly, but I have something I really need to do... ummm Spike you can stay or come with me if you want."

"It's ok I'll stay here, see you later North." Spike answered. North acknowledged and in a flash she shot up like a rocket wasting no time. Something about griffins made a click in her mind that cannot be stopped. One being Griffins were not supposed to be in the area of any part of the Celestial Empire's territory. The only explanation for a Griffin being in Ponyville, is just trouble, and there were three!

She swooped down over a cloud and observed for a little bit before she made any accusation.

"No, STOP... NOT THAT PLEASE!" A helpless earth pony stallion was having his satchel passed around as three griffins were flying around passing his belongings around laughing.

"Look at this guys, an adowable wittle stuffed pony..." They laughed menacingly like a bunch of delinquents. The leader of the griffins a tough dark feathered griffin made a cross examining comment,

"What the, what's a full grown stallion doing with a stuffed pony, what a weirdo HAHAHA!"

"That's for my little daughter, stop this instant you... you!!" The leader swooped down and raised up over the stallion two times his size sneering,

"You, What... what am I to you huh, HUH?!" Intimidated the pony lurched and began to trot backwards. "That's what I thought, tell you what, you can either grow a backbone and take it back from us, or you'll just have to wait until we're through." North growled furiously to herself,

"Those three again, I knew this was trouble." North swooped down towards the stallion and she didn't make it subtle, she flew as fast as she could pulling off a ground ripping slide stopping just ahead of the stallion. The leader took a look at her while the two airborne griffins looked down with a pause. "Jakal, I should've know it was you Kliff and Drabby, only you three bird brains would have the mindlessness to come beyond the borders of griffin territory to torment Ponyvillians." The three griffins identified her as the pony that made fools of them months ago. Jakal glared down at her confident replying,

"Looky what we got here boys, it's that annoying little pony! I say you're the mindless one for coming at us alone this time!"

"Yeah, you're the one that don't brain not have yeah, YEAH you don't have a brain to think the smarts like we do..." Drabby bumbled in his own stupidity, Kliff responded with,

"Drabby stick a feather in it, Jakal doesn't need you backing him up on this, right Jakal!"

"Shaddup both of you...!" He scolded at them only to turn around and add, "Alright, listen here Pony, I donno who you think you are, but we can go anywhere we want, and do whatever we want. So why don't you just go buzz off!" He let out an angry roar staggering the stallion, but North just stomped a hoof and lower her head with an angry stare.

"Get out of here, and I won't kick your little feathery butts back to the mountains!" Jakal took this as a challenge and growled back,

"You're going to regret coming at us alone!"

Just as he began to reach out and grab her, she spun back gave him the nastiest buck of his life crooking his beak. "AGGGHHHHH!" He backed away a bit staggering. He looked at his beak and suddenly in a spurt of anger his wings blew out as he gave a strong eagle like call in the sky! Kliff and Drabby swooped down after her, but she bolted away into the air with both of them crashing into one another! "Don't just stand there like hatchlings, GET HER!" The three griffins launched in the air dropping the satchel and the belongings of the stallion, but left with a thundering down draft of air blowing the stallion back.

North looked back spotting the three griffins coming up on her fast, so she had them right where she wanted them, away from the ground where she could fight them without anypony getting hurt.

"Alright let's see if they will remember this, if they do this may be more difficult to pull off... here's hoping they don't remember." She shot into a cloud disappearing, Jakal's angry rage stopped him from remembering the hazards a cloud could become, he charged inside the cloud blindly yelling,

"HIDING IS NOT GONNA HELP YOU NOW PONY!" Ecstatic about the dopey griffins being too distracted to remember, she was going to fully enjoy playing with their minds. "Agghhh, where are you!?" Kliff came out of one side of the cloud replying,

"She's not over here.... OWWW!" Kliff felt a tug on a feather and a pluck from his skin. After him Drabby yelped for the same reason. Jakal felt his tail feather get plucked.

"AGGH! COME OUT AND FACE ME FAIR YOU COWARD!" He suddenly heard a voice laugh outloud,

"Oh I'm not fighting you right now, technically I'm playing with your minds hehehehe, though I donno if you three bird brains really have one HAHHAHA!" Jakal started to feel his feathers flustering and over and over several times he felt a pluck and he couldn't find the pony quick enough to stop her!

"If we can't get you inside the cloud, then we'll keep your from leaving the cloud! You'll have to come out eventually!"

"Heh, your challenge accepted bird brain." The three griffins surrounded the cloud as they said they would, and when they separated on the sides, North began to sneak around the cloud peering just enough to know where they were.

"Come on you dumb pony try to escape!"

"I don't plan to escape, I plan to KICK YOUR FEATHERY TAIL!" A sharp electric yellow bolt came out of the clouds and another painful buck shot came plowing Jakal's stomach sending him careening through the sky. She zipped back through the cloud sending a jet of puffs breaking apart from the cloud as she basically flew up and dropped her fore hooves right on the shoulders of Drabby sending him dropping down from the sky as well, and she curved around giving a soaring side hoof straight to Kliff's beak! All in one well executed move! "Not even a challenge!" The griffins all dropped down into the fields plowing the ground! Glaring back at the victorious pony. Kliff and Drabby were about to try and shoot back up after her when Jakal cried out with his eagle call.

"LET IT GO NOW, she's not worth it. We'll get her when there's no clouds in the sky, WATCH YOUR BACK PONY! We'll be watching!" North looked down as she stretched herself on a floating puff from the large cloud answering back,

"WHATEVER FEATHER HEAD!" The griffins flew away from the scene with North taking a moment to relax on the little puff, but she felt so exuberant from her encounter that she had the urge to give chase. Her thought immediately blocked by a thankful voice echoing,

"Celestia bless you so much mare! May I know who you are please?" She looked down spotting the stallion father wanting to know the name of his heroic defender. Not wanting to be rude she flew down in front of him giving herself a boasting stance as she announced,

"It really wasn't any trouble at all, I'm North by the way." The stallion gave her a joyful nod as he replied,

"Well I thank you very much North, I was afraid those fiends would have damaged my daughter's birthday present, I came all the way to Ponyville from Fillydelphia to get this beautiful hoof stitched unicorn doll..." He showed her the wonderfully crafted doll with a beautiful white coat and cotton candy pink mane. "Well I better be trotting along back, I can't thank you enough, well... maybe I can, I say you deserve some sort of reward for this..."

"Oh no really you don't have..." Trying to be modest in her fine hour of heroism, the stallion refused her modesty and gave her a few bits he had to spare. The money reward was alright, but North was actually expecting something more symbolic or present like quality than money itself, but she did not argue it was fifteen bits, a good spending amount in Ponyville if you were not looking to furnish a home. Before she could say anything back he started to trot away waving his hoof to her with one last thank you.

She stared at the bits in her hooves wondering what to do with it. She felt like just blowing it all on books, but she still had so many to read from her house and the library itself had enough literature to make a bookworm such as herself content.

Blinding through the sky she made a haste to return over to her home to put the coins in her stash. "Might just save it up for the next Daring Do book... Orrr... ORRR!" She began to remember one book she wanted very badly and mumbled to herself, "I can't believe I forgot about that one, I can use this and maybe some of my stashed cash to totally buy the Steamwork Stallion, Manehatten Times says it's good. I can't believe I would fathom taking a shot in the dark on a book and author I have yet to know, but it's STEAM, and CLOCKWORK!" She attempted to argue with herself as she soared down to the front door of her house, when a random thought came to her, "I hope Sketch-it's still not upset, aggghhhh I should check up on her." She zoomed through her house to her stash in her dresser placing the bits a bit obsessively in a pile separated from her clothes. "I also need to find a better place for my money, uggghhh I need to rearrange a lot of things." Her bedroom was very neatly arranged as it was, but she felt the urge to move it all, to rearrange everything from the stemming problem she didn't have a nice neat little place to put her money in besides a dresser drawer.

She fought with herself on wanting to move her house contents around and wanting to check up on her new acquaintance. She fought as hard as she could but the obsessive desire won her over and she found herself starting to levitate several objects around, lamps, tables, chairs, her couch, the bed, she was even about to move her fridge, but the amount of effort was too much so she left it alone.

The poor pony back at the townhouse was just in a terrible mood. She had her hoof on the bedside table running circles over the surface staring at the light with a longing to understand what was the secret behind clearing the mind.

"Ohhh Celestia why can't I stop thinking so much about this, it's like the first step to actually starting to understand magic, I guess that's why it's so difficult..." Out of the blue she heard a voice interrupt her from the window that startled the pony right out of her bed,

"Well no derp Sherlock Hooves!"

"AGHHHH!" She swung her attention to the window spotting a fluttering North staring into her window. Realizing who it was she trotted over to the window and opened it up with a relaxed response, "Jeeze North you nearly scared my hooves off, what in Equestria are you doing?" North shrugged as she took a few glances around the town answering sweetly,

"Nothing really just wanted to check up on you and see if you were ok, I didn't see you at the park so I assumed you went back home, I take it you still have yet to learn how to clear your head?" Sketch-it turned around sighing with a hesitant head shake. "Well don't feel so down, so what if you're a late bloomer, sometimes it's a good thing." Sketch-it turned to her friend lurching saddeningly with a sarcastic gaze. "Don't give me that look I'm serious, you have a chance to learn things in a different perspective, learn paths that a little filly would not be able to understand. I'd give my left hoof to be so blissful and fresh to learn the old tricks."

"That doesn't make sense naturally the younger you are you learn better... at least that's what I thought..." She began to doubt herself for a moment thinking maybe North knew better, but it made no sense, so to help the perplexed pony North stated as bluntly as she could,

"Ok think about it, when you are young and you learn stuff, sure it's a good habit, but that's just it, it's habits. Ponies learn habits to make for learning stuff, your mind is still fresh because you have so many questions going on, yeah it's bad and all if you want to get things done and you don't know how to go about doing it, but your mind has already put out so many paths to do said job, all we got to do is teach you how to choose a path without all your pathways frustrating you."

"I guess that does make a lot of sense, but if you say it like that isn't that insulting yourself and other ponies who have habits..." North threw a hoof up to her face with her ears pinning back from the sheer confusion Sketch-it was boiling up with her scatterbrained thoughts.

"Look, I didn't say having habits was bad, I just said it's better to have more options open to go about a job rather than having one learning curve which limits you on your paths... Uggghhhh now I'm confusing myself, I'm sure I said it right..." Poor North began to get frizzled and confused and she shook her head in a disappointing manner as if ashamed that she allowed Sketch-it's doubts to doubt herself.

She took a deep breath and pointed her hoof at Sketch-it barking, "Come on you Perplexing Pony, we're going to un-perplex that brain of yours before you give me some terrible mind derping illness!" Sketch-it had nothing better to do so she made her way back down to grab her satchels and carry on outside. North landed by her asking where she would like to go to clear her head. Immediately the pony pointed off to the open fields, she wanted to try again at the place she felt the most comfortable.

As they traveled their ways over towards Starlight's little pond, Spike caught them along the way wondering what they were up to. "Well, well Spike, I thought you'd be sleeping..." Spike shrugged as he waddled along side the ponies mumbling,

"Couldn't really sleep, I had another nightmare..." North gave a quick concerning look to her friend and replied,

"You really need to stop eating so many sweets, there's a remedy for constant night terrors, we can go find it later if ya want."

"Thanks I'll keep that in mind, I'd really like to get some good sleep for once." Spike felt unusually energetic as he followed behind the ponies on a journey to figure out what they were up to. The answer came to him when they all made their way over a hill to a very beautiful looking little pond.

"Oh WOW!" North awed as she gazed through the horizon across the rolling hills to the mountains near Canterlot. "This is an awesome spot, nopony around, I could just sit and read around this little spot for hours..."

Sketch-it noticed that her stuff had been moved and still sitting on the rock lay little Starlight. North curiously approached the pony to find she was asleep. Starlight had made herself tired worrying if she had made a mistake trying to help Sketch-it. She peacefully made adorable snoozing sounds, North felt it wrong to wake her, but it would be invading her privacy to hang around with her not knowing so she went to wake her.

One poke on the back and the pony suddenly jumped out into the air with a loud squealing,

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" North jumped back disturbed as the pony launched right into the pond like a frog slapping the water loudly scaring said frogs around the pond! North gave an awkward grimmace peering over the rock as Starlight popped out of the water shooting water out from her mouth splashing right in North's face sending her flopping on her flank atop the rock.

"Gahhhh, Oh Jeeze Say it don't spray it pluahh!" Little Starlight gave an intriguing playful smile answering,

"Ohhhhhp sorry, I thought for a moment you were something scary, but I guess I was wrong..." She grew an even brighter smile as Sketch-it and Spike peered over the cat tails at the drenched ponies. "Ohh hello Sketch-it..." With a very warm caring expression she asked if she was feeling better.

"Oh hi Starlight, well as far as I can tell I do feel a bit better, we came here to give it another shot, I'm gonna get it this time!" With a bit of confidence Sketch-it trotted herself over to a small spot in the grass taking out her apples, the book, and a few odd and ends she took from her home in order to have a variety of tasks. Laying them in a pile she grinned with a competitive expression ready to take on the challenge. "Ok let's do this!" Spike, Starlight, and North hopped over to Sketch-it ready to cheer her on.

"Come on Sketch you can do this, show us your magic!" Spike barked with a fist pumping cheerful jump. Sketch-it readied herself and began to focus her mind on the apples first beginning to juggle them about in the air. "Wooo Alright!"

"Foal steps Sketch, don't go too fast." North responded calmly as Spike and Starlight were ready to see some awesome magic feats.

"I know you can do it Sketch-it." Starlight cheered on, Sketch-it began to levitate the book up to her face opening it up to some random page. North quickly before she could add anything more ordered Sketch,

"Ok now before you try anything else open your eyes now, stop forcing your eyes closed, just open them and try to concentrate on the objects." She knew exactly what the problem was, she was trying too hard and North refused this time to let Sketch-it go on further to put her ability down.

"But If I open my eyes I'm just going to..."

"No buts, open those eyes and just keep your head clear, just think about what you are doing right now." Spike and Starlight agreed as they tried to help convince her it was not going to be the end of the world. Inside North's head she thought, 'I bet she's afraid she's gonna start focusing on what she see's rather than focusing on her tasks. She's gotta break the habit of letting her eyes take her concentration.' That task was obviously easier said than done, the only way to get a pony to stop focusing on the things they see, was well a mystery because everypony was different!

They watched in suspense as she began to loosen her grip on her eyes beginning to slowly open them. As she did she could see everything becoming more and more in focus, and as she did she felt her mind start to wonder off with thoughts. North began to watch her magic start to fade and the book began to slowly drop to the ground with the apples slowing their pace. She grew a frustrating expression gripping her teeth on her lower lip and in a burst of fury North stomped her hoof commanding, "KEEP THAT BOOK UP TO YOUR FACE! Let the apples go, just keep the book up!" The outburst spooked Sketch-it but she did as she was commanded and let the apples fall. "Ok now we see you can handle one task with your eyes open. How is this?" North began to pace back and forth to release her frustration.

"Well one task is not that tough, I mean it's just levitating a book, simple..."

"NO IT'S NOT, according to how much you try and worry about failing even one simple task should not be executed with your eyes open, now we've reached the problem and I'm just gonna bluntly say it right now!" Starlight and Spike lurched away from North who now had a very prominent commanding tone ready to mold sketch-it's mind and change some ways of thinking that had been troubling her. "When you do magic mare you don't try to pull out every ounce of energy in your body to do these tasks, you do exactly what you are doing now, shirk it off and act like it's a no brainer. I don't know how you could've let yourself be so challenged to do such simple things, when they are just that... SIMPLE!"

Like a drill sergeant North continued to pace back and forth in front of Sketch-it while the two others were standing back to watch the result. North didn't like to help in such a way but she felt this was an emergency and this pony needed some serious help. "Alright listen to what I say and I want you to focus on these tasks, and I'm not gonna let up, I want you to keep going as hard as you can with your eyes wide open!" Sketch-it nodded nervously as North barked, "Juggle those apples!" Sketch-it began to juggle the apples as commanded. "Now raise that book!" With a painful grit of her teeth she pulled the book up trying to keep from closing her eyes. "Open said book while barking like a dog!"

"Whatt..."

"NO QUESTIONS JUST DO IT!"

"Bark bark, Woof... Bark!" Sketch-it let out little barks and woofs as she attempted to open the book. Spike began to laugh behind Starlight,

"Woww, this is getting really SILLY!"

"Silly but it's working strangely, I didn't think it was going to really." North commented back as she watched the barking pony finally open the book. "Alright now hop on one hoof, juggle the apples higher, start reading the book in your aloud while trying to eat another apple, come on do it... do it now let's go!" As Sketch-it began to bring another apple up towards her mouth she began to hop on one foot, but as she began to read the pages of the book she began to lose her concentration causing her tasks to start going sporadic. "Oh no!" OH YES, Sketch-it was not quite ready to take on reading the book and now she has grown unstable in her thoughts... panic had settled and North cried out, "Stop thinking, just stop thinking all together!" The pony dropped on the ground like a lifeless mannequin dropping everything on the ground harmlessly. North shook her head as she yet again slapped her hoof up to her face wanting to laugh but she was more withheld with disappointment. "When I said stop thinking I didn't mean freeze up and stop breathing dummy." Sketch-it took a deep breath looking back at her feeling she let North down.

"I'm sorry i'm just, ugghhhh I feel really stupid right now I'll shutup." Starlight was about to speak up when Spike had a plan.

"Let me try a whack at this North!" Spike ran over to Sketch-it raising a finger in the air replying, "Ok, I should have a few tricks up my sleeve after being the assistant of one of the most awesome ponies in existence. First off you need to throw away that doubt mare, what always helped Twilight a lot is studying and not caring what other's think. Pretend that you are like in a super secret lab cooking up experiments away from everyone." North squinted her eyes at him growling under her breath,

"Spike that's not gonna work..." Sighing she silently allowed Spike to do his thing.

"Trust me, just try it." Sketch-it figured she had nothing to lose on this endeavor so she closed her eyes imagining herself as a scientist working on the arcane arts in solitude. "Now try to pretend that doing all these things is for like research on some secret project to save all of pony kind." She began to laugh under her breath as she attempted to envision she was juggling apples and reading a book as if it was a research document, levitating an apple up towards her mouth about ready to test a concoction inside the apple she had made to somehow help ponies end hunger.

Imagining all this she felt the objects actively moving around her. Spike was smiling with a satisfied feeling in his stomach of accomplishment as he turned to North raising his eyebrows, "Look at that North, she's already handling these tasks like a pro." Ohhhhh North just adored how he was so confident that she could not help but burst his bubble with her simple persnickety reply,

"Ok now we're back to where we stopped at the park, now how do you get her to open her eyes and keep her focus..." Spike looked back at the smiling pony realizing she had her eyes closed and he felt his confident attempt stumped. He snapped his claws with a downhearted,

"Awwww Haystacks, I was sooo close..."

"Yeah so was I, we were making more progress just a few seconds ago, this is making me not ever want to teach, seriously if it's this hard I feel empathy for teachers, this is hard stuff, and they have to take care of like thirty or more ponies each year, I'd go crazy!" North exclaimed with an anguishing and unsettling sensation running through her head.

"Excuse me..." Starlight attempted to speak up over the two, but Spike cut her off agreeing with North adding,

"All those homework papers to grade, having to deal with little filly and colt drama and getting up every morning five days a week staying for hours on end, Agghhhh it sounds like a nightmare..." North could not agree more and she began to carry on the conversation as Starlight took another shot to raise attention to her with no avail.

"Teaching is such an unappreciated job, the great deal of stuff they go through everyday, I feel for Cherilee..."

"Ummm, if I could just say something I'd like to..." Spiked again interrupted poor Starlight wanting to continue the conversation,

"It totally is, and these new generations of fillies and colts it seems that you have more bad attitudes than anything..." Starlight began to flutter her wings with a tiny cute frustration as she attempted to assert herself in front of North answering,

"If you don't mind could I try and help sketch-it please..." North turned her attention over to the persistent pony's face which was unbearably close to hers giving her an insecure sensation to push her back.

"I don't think I ever said nobody was allowed to help her, if you want to try go ahead..."

"Oh thank you so much, cuz you know I actually have a great idea on how to help, hold on a moment I'll be right back." Starlight quietly fluttered over towards a large group of cat tails when North had a surprise to see a little roof jutting up from them.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a second!" She flew overhead to get a look at the roof and sure as day there hiding behind the cat tails was the most unorthodox looking shack placed around a moat of water surrounding a garden of aquatic flora, Starlight did not just hang out at this place... she literally lived on this pond!

North dropped down disappearing in the reeds and cat tails leaving Spike mumbling,

"Fine, I'll just sit here and keep an eye on daydreamer here..." He turned to her and observed her motionless playing around with the imagination she had to occupy her mind with the tasks. "I wonderr..." Spike began to have a mischievous grin as he plotted to do something rather funny.

Over at the little dark rosewood shack, North followed the pony inside her humble abode. The interior was so alien to her, the floor was made to let water flow about in streams, it was as if she cut boundary lines to activities she did in her house with the little streams.

"I... this, is sooooooo AWESOME! It's like some sort of water garden only inside a house, you have a waterfall TOO WHAT IS THIS!? DID YOU DO THIS ALL BY YOURSELF!?" Starlight shook her head replying soothingly,

"Not really, my parents were nature lovers and advocated natural flow, they said if a home did not have flow then it was not a real home, so my dad Moon Water and mom Star Lilly built this home from scratch. It was away from everypony, peaceful and it literally just flows with natural beauty don't you agree?" North agreed completely!

"It certainly is a really magical sight... how come I've not seen you around much in town?" A small discomforting frown struck Starlight as she thought about her parents.

"Ummmm... well I do a lot of thinking and I also gather food from nature mostly like berries, and apples, I go to Sweet Apple Acres occasionally to get apples, and I also help Silver Thimble at the Thread and Stitch, I make little stuffed toys for little foals and I help stitch and repair torn fabrics. It's how I make money to provide for myself..." North gazed at her in disbelief, this lonely little pony, could she be the pony that made those stuffed toys the stallion talked about? If so she was getting business across Equestria for her skill.

"You wouldn't happen to be the one who made a white coat unicorn with a cotton candy mane would you?" Starlight turned with a great overflow of excitement in her big smile. It was rare for her to get personal recognition and she couldn't help but accept the honor of making it, not only accept but show another one of the same doll from her collection.

"Hold on a second!" She excitedly fluttered up the stairs where a beautiful waterfall poured just beyond the railing, it looked like a curtain of rain, the whole place looked varnished to prevent water damage so they apparently did not take any chances for their beautiful home to be harmed in any way.

No sooner than she flew up she came swooping back down revealing the very same unicorn doll the stallion had in possession! "Is this what you seen?"

"YES, as a matter of fact I did, I came across a stallion who had it for his daughter... wow you are really good, this doll has no visible seams, how did you..." Starlight smiled sweetly twinkling her eyes.

"Well that's my own personal secret. It's actually a doll inspired from a character in my favorite comic in the whole wide world..." North strolled around the room gazing at the sparkling cleanliness of the wood, the variety of waterfalls, lily pads, fish swimming across the small streams happily with frogs hopping along the floor. For many ponies this would be unacceptable but this lovely pony had some magical love for the beauty of nature and engulfed herself in the most out of place home North had ever seen.

After a bit she found herself staring at a particular picture on a sketch pad. "Do you paint too!?" She blurted in a daze of amazement, to think this pony's creativity exceeded all expectations. Starlight turned around to see what the commotion was about.

"What, no I couldn't possibly paint, especially not that well. That painting was done by Sketch-it, and it was sooo amazing how she did it, the way she used her magic to move around the paints, she was drawing out sketch lines then painting over all at the same time, it was so magical like, like a symphony of colors. She seemed so at peace with herself that it gave me an idea..." She paused a moment feeling a shy moment coming on, she didn't want to be judged by her plan, but a little voice inside her head told her just to say it, "When you said that she was trying too hard I was thinking you were right, and so I thought maybe this will help remind her to not try so hard. The way she looked at her painting, she looked oh so very happy with herself."

That's when both ponies struck the same conclusion of how to solve Sketch-it's dilemma!

"Quick grab that painting and come with me!" North immediately had the plan down and the ponies darted out of the shack to Sketch-it. Confident in her plan North grinned with eager exuberance. The two ponies landed on the grass by Spike and Sketch-it with Starlight putting the painting up in front of Sketch-it while she had her eyes closed.

"About time you ponies got back, hehehehehe..." North commended Spike for watching her until she looked over at Sketch animating herself replying,

"Are you sure this is how you mix this concoction correctly Spike?" Oblivious to the fact he turned her into a derpy clowning pony hopping on one hoof spinning in place. They all started to snicker as Spike nodded replying,

"Absolutely professor Sketch, now you have to touch your nose with your front hooves..." North giggled as she turned to Sketch and with a quick snap of her voice she brought Sketch-it back from her daydream replying,

"Alright Sketch enough clowning around, listen up..." She pointed straight at the painting and announced, "I hear that you did this..." She paused a moment and barked, "This is not done by weak minded ponies, I don't believe this, there's one of two things this painting tells me, either one, Starlight is not telling the truth, or two, you are one sharp magic wielding unicorn with more power than you are letting on!" Before Sketch-it could explain herself, Starlight fluttered over to North insisting,

"But I didn't lie it is the truth..." North ran a hoof down her face aggravated by Starlight's complaint responding to her,

"I know that, I'm just trying to be thorough with this..."

"Oh right, sorry... I'll be quiet now." She withdrew herself beside the painting and watched as Sketch-it began to feel a huge pressure on her confidence.

"Where is this sketch, where is the amazing artistic pony, I have proof here she exists, now I know how your brother must've felt when your art work was on exhibit in the outer colonies, this is absolutely amazing. How long did this take you to make?" Starlight butted in answering the question,

"She did all that not even a half hour."

"See, AMAZING AND AWESOME! Where's that pony. Come on, look if you can clear your mind and focus on a multitude of tasks while doing this..."

"But it's my skill, magic is not really the thing I'm..." Before she could complete her argument, North pointed a hoof directly at her revealing the major flaw in her thinking,

"The cutie mark means nothing, you can be excellent at anything, the cutie mark is just the thing that comes naturally from you. I still don't know what mine means and I'm pretty awesome huh? Sketch don't judge your ability by your mark for Celestia's sakes." North took a deep breath and looked at her very seriously with a sharp tone she gave some choice words of assurance to her, "Ok, here's what I want you to do Sketch, and this is going to be very important because this will be the first BIG STEP, and possibly the hardest one, but I assure you afterwards magic will be second nature to you, I know you can do this because in truth magic is second nature you're a Unicorn! So listen carefully..." She paused quietly and inched closer to Sketch-it's ear, Sketch perked her ears up listening closely to her words of wisdom, "Be yourself, don't try so hard, keep your eyes open and focus on your tasks at hand..." She backed away from her personal space adding, "If all else fails, pretend you are painting an awesome scene of a whacky crazy house with waterfalls and beautiful gold fish and water lilies inside." Oblivious Starlight smiled so warmly to the description with a soft reply,

"That sounds like a really lovely place to live in, I wish I lived in a house like that..." North threw her hoof up into her face so hard whimpering,

"Please tell me your joking Starlight, you're joking right!?" Starlight laughed happily as she responded,

"Why of course I am, I'm not that forgetful, I love my home of waterfalls, lily pads, and little gold fish, I just felt like being silly." North admitted she was caught off by the remark but she was starting to like this pegasus, she had a warm attitude that nopony she has met yet possessed.

Sketch-it gathered everypony's attention as she took a deep breath ready to take on the challenge. This time the unicorn looked like she knew what her plan was, and North felt eager to watch her finally take that big step, though she knew there would be a few more big steps to work on later, but North was more focused on trying to get Sketch to her level of magic ability. Her reasoning behind helping, was more than just some teaching lesson for a random pony, this was a pony she wanted to truly call a friend and she was determined to do everything in her power to help her find her potential!

Sketch-it prepared herself as she aimed her horn bringing her confidence up inside as she thought to herself,

'You know what, they are right. All of it is right, I've let myself down all these years, I felt all I'm good for was painting pretty pictures, when I could've been just as good with anything. I've put myself down too much, it's time I put myself up where I deserve! I can do this, I can totally do this!' She began to imagine herself painting, picking up the brush and pencil to perform a feat of art, but instead she replaced it with her exercises, spinning the apples in the air, levitating the book to her face, bringing up the apple ready to take a bite. Five full actions with five objects which was simple for any unicorn to do when they are trained right.

She pushed the words through her head that she could do it and she continued to just imagine the feeling of painting that beautiful scenery off in the distance. North's eyes lit up as she seen the fruits of her frustrating labor begin to pay off. Sketch-it had taken a seat on the ground, took a nice solid bite out of the apple and began to read,

"Clearing the mind is all about finding your happy place, visualizing the concept may be difficult at first, but once you realize what makes you completely at peace with yourself, you have mastered this all important start that will set you on motion to Tele-Simplysis. The following pages will teach you how to go about finding this said happy place..." She stopped her tasks all together and took a look at everypony. Spike and North were feeling awkward, curious why she stopped so sudden. She gave a big smile and responded, "Well lesson one is done, and to make it feel insulting the steps were right there! I sorta feel a little foalish." North felt entirely relieved and she gave a big nuzzling hug to Sketch-it crying out,

"OMAGOSH THIS IS AWESOME YOU FINALLY GET IT NOW!?" As she withdrew her hug Sketch-it gave a nod answering.

"I'm sorry for being such a pain..."

"None of that really matters, what matters is you finally broke that first step like a pro!" North couldn't contain herself she wanted to give her another hug and so she did! Starlight felt excited and jumped in on the hug making it a group hug as she rejoiced,

"Oh I'm ever so glad everything has worked out, I'm happy I could help you both!" North glanced at Starlight with a smile adding,

"You know what Starlight, you're alright in my book. Why don't you come and hang with us sometime in Ponyville..." It was almost like North had solved some sort of ancient riddle and what unleashed from this riddle was the most extremely energetic firecracker in existence going off right beside her, what felt even scarier was the fact this pegasus got so excited she squeezed Sketch-it and North off the ground flapping her wings all hyperactive squealing,

"OMAGOSH OMAGOSH OMAGOSH DO YOU REALLY MEAN IT!"

"Aggghhhkkk... uhhhh... yeahhh... but can you do somet...hing for me... pleazze..." North choked. The happy pegasus nodded replying back in her normal warm voice,

"Anything for my new bestest, best friends in the whole wide world." Sketch-it wanted to say something but the life was being squeezed out of her and all she could make was weird sounds as she tried to gasp.

"Could... you... let us... go, you're crushing ... uss...." Starlight dropped them immediately with a loud THUD! "Owww...."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ohhhh... are you two ok?" Sketch-it began breathing again turning herself up right nodding as she coughed.

"Yeahh... we're ok, and yes you should hang out with us anytime you want." North agreed with Sketch and the girls turned their attention to the day still bright and full of things to do. "So what should we do now?" Spike looked over at North giving her a reminder of what she promised to do for him.

"Oh yeah I forgot all about that Spike, come on let's get you that remedy."

"Finally, all of this has made me miss my nap, hopefully that remedy helps. I'd trade all my extra naps for a few really good long naps anyday" Sketch-it bid a goodbye to Spike and North as they made their way to the library, she gave a warm goodbye hug to Starlight leaving her to do whatever it was a Starlight does, which she flew straight to her shack to get started on a little project she thought would be very precious for her new friends.

The Responsibility Box

"Oh come now what is with that expression North?" Lavender inquired her friend as North expressed utter annoyance. Lavender just turned her head scoffing with an arrogant smile, "We're riding in a train all cozy together just the three of us, you, myself and Sketch." North was being a grump with her hooves crossed as she sat awkwardly in her seat mumbling,

"But it's not my train..."

"What was that darling I can't hear you, you're mumbling." The two mares were already clashing horns together and the trip was not even half way started. North in response to Lavender's snooty sarcasm leaped up from her seat and yelled,

"It's NOT MY TRAIINNN!" North proceeded to slink back in her seat with a snarl. Sketch gave a loud sigh staring off through the window on the other side.

"Oh come now did you expect me to arrive in Canterlot on some makeshift circus train? North dear I'm a mare of grace not some common gypsy." North again growled,

"You're a mare of something and it's not grace." Lavender just ignored the comment with a loud,

"HMMPH!" North refused to take her insult and with her magic decided to give Lavender a good slap to the face. She grabbed some dirt with her levitation spell outside the train and with an insidious grin she threw it across towards an open window ahead. "What's this... EEEKKK!" Lavender felt her face get pummeled by swirls of dirt! She screamed, "MY FACE... MY BEAUTIFUL FACE WHAT IN CELESTIA..." She paused her screaming to notice North laughing behind her uncontrollably. Rubbing her face with her hoof she growled at North,

"Oh two can play at that game..." Lavender took to the attack with a light pink powder and began to slap North's face with a levitated powder puff during her laughing fit!

"Agghhhkkk ahuahuahuakkk! What the..." She glared at Lavender who in turn smirked at her deed.

"HA, HA, HA!" This immediately started a fight which had powder flying every which way! "Ohh ohhh... take this, and that, oohhhh STOP, don't you touch me with that AGGHHH!" Lavender was trying her best to stay clear but she was being beaten left and right with her own powder as she attempted to use other beauty products on North!

"Oh you think you can just start something and me not do anything about it, hahaha well you're in for a BIG SURPRISE Agghhhkkk OH GAHHH CELESTIA I think i swallowed perfume Aaggghhhhh!"

"HAHA Take that you..." Before North went down in her seat she let out a glorious punch of powder in Lavender's open mouth. "BLEEEECCCHHHHHH.... AHHH I think i'm going to faint! Ooooooohhh!" The drama queen dropped back in her seat leaving Sketch in the corner choking in the thick smelly air!

"Would you two..." Coughing she tried to continue, "Ahuahkk... S... STTOP!" North shook her pink powder painted head and acknowledged,

"We're done for now, sorry Sketch..." Lavender agreed with her as the primp blue coat and purple maned unicorn was plastered with stains of thick sweet smelling powder.

"I agree, Truce North?"

"Yeah Truce. Good thing we were given a whole car to ourselves." Lavender smiled nervously agreeing,

"I too agree to that as well. We look absolutely horrible." She had to fix herself the best she could with the remaining beauty supplies on hoof.

After their small dispute the ride seemed smoother once they started to head up the mountain. As they reached the destination of Canterlot, Sketch glimpsed outside the train car to witness the majestic and beautiful castle looming overhead.

"It's more beautiful up close..." Sketch commended. Lavender gave a warm nod as she stared out the other side.

"It is the crowning jewel of Equestria, a marvel of beauty and majesty. No other place in the lands could make such a proper home for the royal family." As they approached the train station Sketch had a strange vision in her mind of Deja-vu. Her memory did not unlock any images but she heard a voice of an older stallion in her mind cooing,

'We're going to see Princess Celestia Sketch...'

'... Cell....esssia....' a cute foalish voice echoed in her mind. The stallion's voice again responded,

'Yes Celestia... Isn't she just precious dear?' Another voice agreed carrying a beautiful feminine and motherly tone, Sketch's awestruck smile began to disappear as she listened to this audio memory,

'Yes she is most definitely, momma wuvs you sooo muchh... you're the most priceless work of art I've ever had the privilege of making, yes you are.' The foalish voice giggled and laughed. A spunky echo of a colt interrupted,

'What about me mom, Aren't I priceless?' Without pause the stallion voice added,

'That most certainly includes you too, both of you are equally special to us... and you know there just might be a third one as well.'

Out of that strange vocal memory she immediately blurted,

"PRINCESS CELESTIA... THAT'S WHO THAT WAS!!!" Lavender and North gazed over at her simultaneously asking.

"What is it....?" Sketch turned to them joyously as if she had discovered a great mystery,

"The alicorn from my dream, that orb was Princess Celestia! I can't believe I forgot!" North and Lavender together began to giggle. Lavender gave a funny remark,

"Oh really... I would have never guessed... Kekekekekek..." North nodded with Lavender's response and added as she put her hoof over her mouth,

"Woowwww geez, really Sketch? You didn't know who Princess Celestia was. She trapped you in a bubble, Princess Luna was constantly giving away dead on signals that it was Princess Celestia, she's her SISTER...! BWAHAHAHAHAHAA I couldn't hold it in, I'm sorry it's just AHAHHAHAHAHA! Oh that was rich, woooowww that is just too funny. Really you forgot seriously?" Sketch felt completely stupid and inadequate. For Celestia's sakes there was always a reference somewhere to her majesty.

"Well I, I knew, I just..." North and Lavender watched as Sketch began to grow frustrated quickly turning her head away from them as she felt her face flush red. North trotted over to her as the train finally stopped. "I was just lost in my thought. I sorta remember coming here as a little foal I guess. I knew, I knew it was her but it just didn't click until now." North could see Sketch was tripping on her words and gave a comforting hoof replying,

"It's no big deal Sketch we all have our derpy moments, there's nothing to be upset about." Lavender chimed in behind her,

"North is right, why even I have some bad moments with remembering things, it's only natural dear." Sketch turned to them with a smile blushing. Something told her she probably was not the only one who lost themselves in thought and blurted out something completely ignorant.

"Thanks girls I guess I'm being too harsh on myself." She commented quietly. They disembarked from the train with a bit of luggage levitating with them making their route straight to a small hotel planted in close vicinity of the castle. The day had drained away during the journey and the sun was setting just over the mountains. Strangely Sketch had a sensation she had been here before.

Lavender guided them into the hotel and checked them in. Sketch's eyes widened as she could remember the mansion back in Galloport. Canterlot seemed to spare no loose bit to make the entire contents of the city pristine with elegance and cleanliness. They trotted up the stairs to the room that Luna had made readily available for them.

"Ahhh back inside the castle walls, it feels so refreshing to..." A group of ponies caught glimpse of Lavender immediately giving her glares. "Oh right, I completely forgot about that." Lavender suddenly wanted to go back to Ponyville after those trading glances.

"This is going to be such an honor girls, I feel so weak in my hooves. Does my badge look off or anything?" North shrugged.

"You suddenly are worried about the way you look now?" Sketch gave North an awkward look.

"Well I may have not thought this through thoroughly but I'm just feeling anxious, we're going to be officially meeting Princess Luna this time and I just don't want to look bad." North Took her carrying saddle and plopped it on her bed. She turned her head back around to Sketch assuring her,

"Look, Princess Luna is not going to care what you look like Sketch don't sweat it mare." Of course Lavender had to add in the conversation,

"Well that may be so North, but you should always prepare yourself accordingly to the situation, if you're meeting royalty you must dress..." Lavender opened up one of her trunks and slipped on a dress ornamented with dazzling gems of quartz and sapphire. "For royalty."

"Of course Lavender you of all ponies would know how to dress for the occasion..." North turned to Sketch and started mocking, "Oh look at me I'm Lavenderrrrr Roosssseeee, I like to speak as if I'm better than everypony..." Lavender interjected her with a sharp,

"Stop that..."

"Oh and I like to wear gaudy dresses to impress everypony because my attitude IS UGLY!"

"I DARE SAY NORTH, what is with all the hostility? You were being so nice and considerate of late and now you're just..." Lavender didn't take but a second to think of one reason why she'd be so bitter. "Oh don't tell me you are still angry about not riding in your horrendous contraption?"

"Blah blee bloo bluh bluh blerrgghhhhh!" North continued to make strange noises with her mouth and Sketch couldn't help but giggle at both of them as they were picking at one another in such a silly manner. Lavender struggled to talk over North's babbling,

"Stop that now, CUT IT OUT, WOULD YOU STOP...!" As she opened one of her trunks a wild haired pony flopped out. "EEEEEK! BUBBLEGUM WHAT ARE YOU!?" Bubblegum shook her head around and hit the floor in a sneaky crawl murmuring,

"Shhhhhh, I'm on the hunt. Beee vewy vewy quiet." She rolled across the floor towards North's bags and peered at them with an intense focus. "Bingo." With a grin she pulled out a pie from her mane and leaped in the air screaming, "PREPARE TO BE CREAMED!" North watched as the perplexing pony plowed her pack with PIE!

"What in all that is swag did you do that for Bubblegum!?" North barked at her friend who was being such a confounded weirdo. Bubblegum just smiled back pulling out none other than Spike from the saddlebag. "SPIKEE?" Spike huffed and puffed with a peeved expression. "What are you doing here?" North inquired him. Spike shook off some of the pie from his face and threw the tin off his head growling,

"I was trying to get away from Bubblegum because she wouldn't leave me alone all day. She always wants to go bowling jeez!"

"Because it's the most awesomest headrushingest game EVER! You roll it and it ZWOOMS down the lane and BOOM KERPLOWY!" She threw her hooves wildly in the air to further express her rushing sensation when she makes a strike! Spike just directed his fingers at the bedazzling pony proving his point!

"See what I mean?" The girls giggled at his comment.

Sketch glimpsed through the window upon the castle and spotted a dark coated alicorn peering down at her. Luna was apparently expecting them very soon which caused more anxiety to rush in her mind.

"I suppose we should go see Princess Luna?" Sketch questioned. Lavender being as curious as she was asked,

"What is the rush dear? We just got here." Sketch-It shrugged and proceeded to cast her gaze back to the tower where she caught sight of Princess Luna and mumbled,

"I'm just, never mind I guess If I say it anymore you all will get sick of it." Sketch sensed she was only going to repeat herself over and over about her nervous feelings.

The sun dipped down beneath the horizon and the moon proceeded its rising cycle. The girls were personally summoned by Princess Luna right as the night begun with two royal guards escorting them from the hotel. In the basking moonlight Sketch's eyes gazed to the dark veiled sky. Turmoil raged on as she could not help but feel a memory was trying to shatter an invisible barrier in her mind. Her racing speculations halted by a cool voice echoing through a castle hall,

"Welcome girls, I'm glad you could make it." Sketch bounced back to reality to lock eyes on Princess Luna. "Ohhh..." She noticed Spike and Bubblegum were tagging along. "Well I see some of the others have come too." Spike scratched the back of his scales sensing he was being awkward with his presence. Bubblegum just followed behind the mares and Luna blissfully.

The palace was not like it was long ago, inside the girls could see military staff and several servants running rampant. They followed Princess Luna up to her tower but not before passing a room where they could hear the frantic sounds of another princess.

Sketch and her companions threw a quick glance by the door to see Princess Cadance attempting to write something on parchment with a worrisome expression. Princess Luna satiated the girls' curiosity and mumbled, "She's been distraught ever since Shining Armor journeyed overseas with the Royal Army..." Luna gave a long pause to travel further out of earshot before continuing, "I fear the worst for Cadance, I tried several times to summon the prince back but he refuses even knowing he's making her ill with worry. This is just one of the many reasons why I want this war to end soon. Shining Armor's duties is to the Empire and its people, he refused to grieve for his sister and he refuses to put Cadance first. As much as it pains me to say, I'd prefer him to be back here."

Realizing she was rambling about things the girls didn't require knowledge about she switched the subject, "By the way girls, you three have probably already guessed that this meeting is magic related right?" Sketch, Lavender and North presented a nod to her and she smiled. "Good, that means you all are prepared for what I'm about to show you."

They entered her room one by one lining up in a group in front of her. Luna seemed a bit mysterious as if she was trying to hide a secret. "Before we go back down for a small training exercise, I was ordered by my sister to give Sketch-It a little present." Sketch took a step forward. Princess Luna levitated a strange box to Sketch which the little unicorn secured it in her magic field. "My sister said this box will be a great responsibility for you Sketch. It contains a very valuable treasure inside for you, but be warned..." Her words halted as she gazed into Sketch's eyes with a foreboding expression. "You can only open this box when you are absolutely sure you can handle the responsibility that it comes with. If you have any ounce of doubt in your mind and you open the box, you will unleash Discord!" The girls gasped in a sense of hysteria as they eyed the box in horror.

"Why would Princess Celestia give me something that could harm all of Equestria? That makes no sense!?" Sketch whimpered. The reasoning seemed completely farfetched, but Princess Luna clarified the logic for Celestia's actions.

"This is all to prepare you for the greater responsibility. Ponies across Equestria will be counting on you girls to prevent harmony from descending into discord." She gallantly turned to the window and gazed into the sky. "Nopony said this would be easy..." She turned to the girls with a strange grin on her face and without warning a flash enveloped them all and teleported the group over a small open field out of the way of pony civilization!

"WOOOOO!!! I love it when she does that!" Bubblegum threw her hooves in the air expressing her excitement! Spike just shook his head about mumbling,

"I can never get used to that..." Spike always hated the teleport trick, it just felt so out of his will to stop. He regained his thoughts and scanned the area. "Where are we anyway?" Bubblegum's eyes were fixed on the scene dead ahead in the open field. "What's so... WHOAAA!" The two unicorns and their alicorn friend were teleported into the middle of a field right in the heat of a skirmish! The box appeared in front of Spike as Princess Celestia popped in indiscriminately.

"Hello Spike." Spike jumped back in surprise. The floating orb laughed as the little dragon hopped back up.

"Aghhh you nearly scared the scales off me! What's going on over there Princess Celestia?" He directed her attention to the dark mare in the sky firing down on his three friends. Celestia just gave an unnerving smile retorting,

"I'm a bit surprised myself. Luna has her own way of doing things, though I think sometimes she can be a little excessive." They observed Luna cackling in the air yelling,

"HAHAHAHAHA, fight ponies, don't run don't dodge... fight me!"

"Your majesty you can't possibly be serious can... GAHHHH!" Lavender felt her tail ignite. "OH SWEET CELESTIA SHE'S SERIOUS!"

"HAHAHAHA look at you all, how are you going to protect harmony when you can't even fight huh!?" Luna did not mess around when she was using her magic. Celestia started to giggle through her cautious smile,

"I think this is the first time I've seen her enjoy her work... it's not often I see her wearing a genuine smile." Bubblegum pulled out a chair from nowhere and slapped it on the ground and shared another with Spike.

"Frosty buttons?" Bubblegum extended her hoof holding a box of sugar frosted gummy buttons.

"Don't mind if I do." Spike grabbed a claw full and relaxed in the chair overlooking the entertaining scene unfold.

Lavender could not bear to shoot anything or attempt to hurt the Princess. How could she fight her? North was holding out trying to figure out what she could do. Spellfire was dropping in droves around them.

"Hmmm, I wonder If I can..." North took this moment to try her growth magic. "Before I start thinking i'm going to need cover." She grew the grass and wild wheat stalks above her and crawled slyly around. She figured slinking away from sight could give her enough time to decide her next move. "This is sorta just out of the blue but I guess this is an underlying lesson in this training session. Expect the unexpected heh." The third mare seemed out of her wits as she wondered where the box went.

"What, where's the box? Am I supposed to find and protect it, what's going on I'm confused!" Sketch ran around in circles flustered. A voice rang overhead as Luna soared about shooting blasts of magical energy at them,

"That's the point Sketch, you never know when a fight will start, it could be a direct conflict or you could be in the middle of something AND BAM!" She fired what seemed to feel like a heatwave right at Sketch's hooves! "Now you have to decide what to do. Sooo many decisions but so little time!" North threw her hoof to her face whispering,

"Once again I hit the hammer on the nail precisely."

"AGGHHH!" Sketch bolted away from the center of the field. The three mares were separated which Luna had planned in her attack. Luna landed firmly on the ground in between the three and with a strong royal voice she stated,

"If you wish to stop me you cannot simply run, you must fight back!" She turned her attention into the tall grass and blasted the air with a powerful telekinesis hitting North!

"AGGHHHH!!" North was forced into the air and she flapped her wings trying to stay up. She failed to catch herself and fell flat on her face. Luna just rolled her eyes and laughed,

"Don't hide to make your tactics, you have to make quick witted decisions now or you all will die! You have to fight back!"

"I will not fight back, especially with royalty, fighting is absolutely low and barbari..." SHPLAT! A pie somehow found its way into her face. She traced a voice over in the background crying out,

"LIARRR!" Bubblegum was on the call with her pies yet again. Spike and Princess Celestia exploded into a giggle fit.

"As I was saying!" She snapped. "I do not fight, I'm sorry Princess Luna but I'm just not a fighter." With a cocky smile trying to talk her way out of conflict, Luna just gave her a slick smile back as she replied,

"Oh so you're one of those kind of ponies huh, well let me just fix that for you." Lavender didn't realize what she meant and agreed blindly,

"Well I'm glad you finally respect my..." A magical energy shot down with the intent of harming Lavender. She had no warning given when a shock of energy threw her flying backwards into the dirty ground! Everypony gasped. North's eyes widened as she could see a smokey aura where the energy had burned Lavender's coat.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Luna's eyes darted to North with a furious glow as she roared,

"STOP ME IF YOU CAN!" Celestia's eyes grew concerned as she examined the mares.

"Nooo, what are... NOOO!" North could not just sit around and watch her continue to hurt a friend of hers. Lavender may have been annoying but she didn't deserve to be pummeled like that.

"Come onnn, do something. Don't just stand there." Celestia quietly murmured. Luna prepared another spell to quite possibly end Lavender's life. There was no sign of which pony would take the stand for Lavender. Luna prolonged her blast waiting to see if a pony would even stand against her. She was about to send the wave down when North attempted to throw up a wave of growth around Lavender!

"Gotcha." She fell for the trap and in an instant Luna spun her spell and fired at the one pony nopony would expect!

Sketch and North's expressions were froze in an instant as Luna fired at none other than... Bubblegum!

Spike leaped out of his chair as Bubblegum just sat wide eyed as she chewed on her frosty buttons innocently.

"Ooohhhh..." Suddenly before anypony could react a flash popped in front of her! "Ahhhhhhh!" Bubblegum gawked. Sketch used all of her energy to pull off this spell she had yet to practice fully. Bubblegum in an instant realized who it was and flipped out of her chair. "HOLY SUGAR FROSTED BITFLAKES!" She cried out staring upon the figure of Sketch. The unicorn's thoughts raced in her head,

"What am I doing, this could kill me!" She closed her eyes from the bright light and concentrated all she could to conjure something to protect her. "Shield, barrier, something, anything!!! Think brain I can't just!"

She suddenly had an idea and with haste put it to action! Bubblegum's sight was filled with a blinding pulse of light with a silhouette casting across her body. Sketch gritted her teeth as the spellfire felt like it was burning her face crisp!

"WHOAAAAAAAAA..." Bubblegum and Spike had mouth gaped wide in astonishment! As the spellfire dissipated slowly around them, they could see Sketch still standing. Luna took a deep breath and calmed herself grinning.

"Well would you look at that." Luna's mild spellfire attack was only a fraction of what she possessed, normally it would've sent a pony to collapse but this pony stood, for a few moments anyway.

Before Sketch levitated two magical fields in the form of a pencil and brush. Her face burning red and eyes glowing from the strain on her magic. Trembling hooves and heavy breath she instantly collapsed with her magic field tools vanishing. Spike and Bubblegum ran over to her.

"Sketch..." Spike waved his claw over her face. "Sketch hey wake up..." Bubblegum pulled out a soda bottle and drenched her face!

"Agghhk!" Sketch spluttered soda out of her nose and shook her head coughing. "Aghhh... what the..." Too weak to get up she gazed her hazy eyes at the both of them. "What was that for?" She feebly asked.

"SHE LIVES OMAGOSH!" Bubblegum and Spike together gave Sketch a big hug. "We thought you were toast Sketch that was awesome how you like teleported in and was like HYAHHHH!! and the whole SHHPLOOSH!" Bubblegum cheered!

North trotted over to Lavender who was in a meek state as she tried to hop to her hooves.

"You ok prissy hooves?" North couldn't help but ask. Lavender was oh too happy to whine in a weak voice,

"My mane is mutilated, my tail incinerated, my clothes completely obliterated, and my coat smells like burned spellfire which contrary to what others may think still stinks like regular fire..." North rolled her eyes interrupting her,

"Yeah hehehe, you're going to be fine." Luna summoned the two mares over with the others.

"I hope you learned from this lesson to always be prepared. Even the most mundane thing can incur conflict. Lavender..."

"Yes your majesty?" Lavender looked up to Luna a bit fearful of what she had to tell her.

"You have to learn to use your magic not just for small tasks but to also defend yourself. You can't just run and hide like some scaredymare whenever a fight starts..." Bubblegum interrupted with a retort,

"Pffftt, her be a scaredymare? She just didn't want to show off her eye of the tiger right Lavender?" Lavender felt Bubblegum truly didn't know anything about who she was. With an unnerved smile she mumbled,

"Yes well, I have to admit I was very scared for a moment. That blast sure did wake me up to the startling reality that I might need to start learning some self defense." She could still feel the burning sensation brought by the princess' spellfire. Luna focused her attention back around to Sketch and North.

"Tomorrow, I want another session with you three and this time. You all must fight, I will not accept any excuses..." Celestia gave Luna a strange expression. Luna rubbed a hoof behind her neck nervously. "I will admit I may have gotten carried away with the surprise attack so tomorrow, it will be straightforward so you don't have to worry." Celestia gave her a nod and looked surprised as she heard something the others couldn't.

"I have to go again girls, I shall see you on a later date if I can." The orb popped out of the air as Celestia left them. Luna in an instant teleported them and the box back to the hotel.

"I'll see you three tomorrow, rest easy girls." She left the room obscurely with the girls thrown about in confusion.

Sketch's fatigue made her the first to lay in bed, she appeared to be completely shaken up by what hit her just moments ago.

"Well looks like she's out for the count a second time." North mumbled glancing towards the window above Sketch's bed. North felt the quick incursion was a good lesson to learn first, but it felt as though she rushed it in too quick. On the other hoof they didn't really last long against Luna's attacks. "That all happened so fast, almost in an instant even." Spike and Bubblegum were presently awake while Lavender limped her way into the showers.

"I know right there was just no mercy for you ponies she was like RAAWWRRR, I'ma zzappp you with my ZAPPY POWA, and all of you were like AHHHHH noooo not the zappy powa... AAAHHHHHH!" Bubblegum galloped around the room hollering.

"Yeah and she just in three hits she KO's Lavender and Sketch leaving you North." Spike commented. North trotted by her bedside peeking through the window towards Luna's tower. A long silence loomed which was rather odd for Bubblegum to be so silent. "Wow Bubblegum you're being pretty..." As she turned around Bubblegum was laying on the floor on her back kicking the air with weird whistling snores, Spike too was laying on the floor. "Pffftt, you guys are weak heheheh!" North snickered to herself as she hopped up on her bed. "Goodnight everypony."

Lavender finally situated herself in her bed, and the group was sound asleep for a good hour when a strange figure pierced the moonlight with its silhouette across Sketch's bed. It seemed fixed on the box as it slithered to the side reaching closer to the prize. It paused when Sketch begun to stir in her bed, though Sketch was silent compared to what Bubblegum suddenly did!

"COTTON CANDY!" She shot her legs up in the air and kicked furiously without warning! With a deep sigh she flopped over leaving the startled figure exhaling quietly. The figure wasted no more time and in an instant snatched the box trying to escape the room. Unfortunately its plan was foiled when Bubblegum's action had woke up a certain pony who was floating over by the window.

"Where do you think you're going?" The figure's eyes widened as it turned to see North's growling expression.

Several vines from nearby potted plants shot across the room at the figure. The windows were a no go as she sealed them up with overgrowth. "Drop the box and I might let you leave in one piece." Its eyes threw glances at the box and back to her with an inquisitive expression. "What's it going to be?" She threw a series of vines at the figure who responded by galloping to the doorway. North nabbed their hind legs with tangling vine growth and proceeded to pull them closer.

The figure unsheathed a dagger quickly snapping the vines through the silver blade with its free hoof. It seemed unwilling to fight her head on but was intent on looting the box from them. "AGHHH!" The figure dashed to the door and plowed it open leaping over the stair rail to the ground floor! Oddly the others were still as a rock even from the disturbing door crashing noise.

"What in Equestria?" The innkeeper ducked behind his desk as North dashed by blowing loose objects everywhere! She seemed fixed to take on this thieving punk without backup. Whatever this pony was he or she was able to jump to building tops!

"This creep's pretty swag I'll give them that, but not enough to stop me!" She mused confidently as she ascended above the buildings to track them easier. The figure scanned around for the alicorn, but she quickly took refuge in a dark cloud. Sensing it was clear it dropped in a small basement window near an old dilapidated structure.

North could see overhead that Canterlot was not all clean buildings and pristine marble walls like Lavender stated. Deeper within hid poverty enriched backstreets that nestled nicely out of general public sight of the cityscape. North dove towards the building and grounded on a rather trashy rooftop.

At that time Lavender felt a vine tickle her nose and this suddenly awoke the mare as she sneezed!

"Ahhh... what in Equestria is touching me, Bubblegum if you're pulling a prank I..." As she pulled her sleep mask off the dim light in the room silhouetted a thick web of vines and overgrowth into her alert eyes! "I, I, I..." In a long pause she darted her eyes around to see nothing but vines, leaves, plant life grown rampant. "WHAT IS GOING ON!?" She yelled instantly.

"AHHH!" Spike jumped under Sketch's bed startling Bubblegum and Sketch.

"What's going on, what?" As Sketch-It raised her head a vine halted her movement. "Huh?" Curiously she raised a hoof to feel what it was. "A vine?" Lavender lit the room with her magic to reveal nothing but greenery!

"The box... It's gone!" Spike pointed a claw at the empty space previously occupied by said container! In shock Lavender quickly made the accusation,

"This must be North's doing, she couldn't stand the fact that Sketch was given something special and not her... or worse!" She gasped. "She plans to unleash discord on Equestria! This is absolutely terrifying!" Spike tried to assure her,

"North wouldn't do that, I've known her for years. There is no way she would..." Spike's mind started to worry that she may have just played coy all this time. "I mean she wouldn't we've been friends for so long, but if she knew Princess Celestia's plan then she would've had to play the best friend to get close enough to take the box, which contains discord inside in which she knew all along that Sketch was going to get!" Lavender turned to Spike and with her mind convinced she growled,

"That no good sneaky mare, I knew there was something I hated about her!" Sketch felt disillusioned but more so worried sick.

"This is horrible, my first royal responsibility and it goes right under my nose! While I'm sleeping even. Agghhhhh, what do I do?" She paced the floor in a state of utter confusion. 'What if they're right?' She thought. 'What if she took the box, all this time she knew about it... I still hardly know her, it could've been possible.'

"We have to go find her and the box Sketch." Spike stated slamming one fist into his other claw! he pointed to the open doorway. "We can't let Princess Luna down." Sketch agreed with him but replied,

"Where do we start, she could be anywhere." Bubblegum unexpectedly started sniffing the floor when she darted her nose out the door barking,

"RAWRF RAWRF... I got her scent girls, followwwww MEEEEEE!" Lavender and Sketch exchanged glances to one another shrugging.

They followed Bubblegum as she jumped over the rail and started to sniff onward into the street. As the girls departed from the inn into the streets a strange sensation loomed over them. Bubblegum sniffed the air and mumbled, "Smells like trouble ahoof."

Back at the old building North decided to descend into the depths of the structure by starting from the top floor. The first hall she passed through seemed as though makeshift wallpaper were put up to cover the damaged old infrastructure. This feeling of dread she never felt before in her life.

'How is this even in Canterlot? I figured the capital of Equestria would sorta be, you know, cleaner than this?' She pondered. Further into the hall she trotted with slow careful steps. The constant creaking noises echoing on the walls made her fidgety. In some places in the floor it felt as if she would fall right through.

Sounds began to erupt below her of a few voices exchanging to one another.

"That was too easy." A voice commented.

"So what if it was too easy, we got the box quit worrying." Another replied in an amusing voice. North cautiously approached the other stairway and descended slowly. "So kid you're pretty neato with that magic of yours..." Before the voice could continue the sound of a young filly struggling echoed,

"I told you what you wanted, now let me go!"

"HA. Kid you actually thought we would let you go? You have something anypony would kill for, and now that we have a box holding discord inside, we can have anything we want!" North began to grow weary as she stepped further below into the bowels of the building. "Now I just need to know how, to, opennnn, this thing Aghhhh!"

The girls outside met a snag finally in Bubblegum's sniffing progress.

"BLEECHHH, what's that smell... my sniffer's been sniffed out." Bubblegum twitched her nose as the scent of the Canterlot backstreets lofted right up both nostrils. Lavender flipped out,

"No, no, no I'm not going there. There is absolutely nothing that will make me go into those twisted streets..."

"I thought Canterlot was supposed to be perfect, sheesh!" Spike complained as he smelled the disgusting filth of poverty at its worst. "Canterlot sure has grown more since I was here last." Lavender nodded to Spike with a brief explanation,

"The royalty here has had no time to deal with poverty in their own city, they are just too busy. There are only three areas like this in Canterlot, you should see Manehatten. Sketch Galloport is no different either." Sketch knew that fact oh too well.

"Well either way we have to find that box Lavender. Bubblegum can you try and catch her scent again?" Sketch inquired her bubbly friend.

"I can try but there's no promises... this is like smelly to the extreme smelly!" Bubblegum managed to continue her sniffing quest while Lavender reluctantly followed.

"I'm only going because I don't want to trot back alone."

Back at the old building North was right at the ground floor peering down the dark stairway to the basement.

"So what do we do with the filly?" asked a dopey voice.

"I don't know just get her out of my mane for now." North bolted into the pitch black darkness behind the stairs as she heard the door abruptly open.

"Let me go you dummy, LET GO!"

"She's pretty feisty today!" North watched the stairs as two stallions with hoods over their faces brought up a little filly unicorn. Her left eye was green while the other glowed grayish white. Strangely the girl stared at North through the darkness with desperate and scared eyes. "Well there's ways to deal with feisty children, you whip the snot out of them HAHAHAHA!" In an instant the little filly started to plead,

"Noo, noo please don't, Noooo, Noooo!"

"Keep saying no all you want it's happening, you should know this by now since you predict stuff and all." North felt an overwhelming desire to save the girl first no matter the consequences. The thought of some stranger whipping a child with no reason other than cruelty was on the top list of things that would set her off.

Before she could make a move the sound of knocking alerted her to stay.

"What was that, a visitor at this hour? This means trouble..." A voice growled from within the basement. "It's a group of mares and some baby dragon!? What?..." The voice appeared to sound in shock by the interruption. Breaking the silence the voice commanded, "Keep the door barred. Don't open unless I say so." Two more stallions and a zebra quietly trotted up the stairs towards the doorway. North felt a strong curiosity come over her, but she didn't want to budge fearing her cover would be blown and she'd have to deal with six or more stallions.

"You sure she's in there Bubblegum?" North felt a fear rush through bones.

"I'm sure as sure can be Sketch, she's in there, I can smell her!" Bubblegum answered. Sketch tried to open the door but to no avail. Sketch sighed and turned her attention towards the windows.

"Well if you are positive Bubblegum we're going to need another way in." Sketch glanced left to right. "I don't see why she would stay here, she can fly." The leader scrambled up the stairs and told them to hide.

"NOOOO DON'T GO I.... Mmm... mmphhhh...!" Before the girl could scream a warning she was muffled by a hoof. Her squeals began to die down as the stallion choked her to sleep.

"Time for you to go night, night you little brat." The stallion proceeded to take her upstairs out of the way. Lavender backed up from the building.

"I have gone as far as I will go, I am not going into that dusty old rotten moldy building." Sketch, Bubblegum and Spike just shrugged and continued around the windows. Sketch told her to at least keep a lookout for North if she tries to escape and Lavender just responded with a loathsome sigh, "I suppose I could..."

As the thieves were busy North crept her way up the stairs to retrieve the filly from the hooves of those creeps.

"Alright, you two go get the one out front, the rest of you watch for those others coming around the side." The groups split up leaving a stallion and the zebra to unbar the door.

"Dear Celestia the night feels sooo nasty. It must be this disgusting background it's slowly pulling towards me like some sort of creeping filth monster." Her description was not far off as just behind her two figures were approaching her. "Strangely I do get the sensation something is looming overhead just to snatch me up." One of the figures turned to the other whispering,

"You think she knows?" Lavender's face turned grim with fright as she spun around to see the stallions over her! They wrestled her to the ground struggling to keep her quiet as she pulled out every dirty trick in the book, "Hold still we just... want to... ouch!"

"Get.. mmmmphh Off mee, grrrrrrr RAWRMPH!" With a snarl she bit one in the hoof and let loose squealing, "Eewwwwww, you haven't bathed in weeks you disgusting... MMMPH!"

"Ha, don't want to bite down anymore huh?" He could feel her breath growl as she bucked the other right between his hind legs. The stallion dropped holding his mouth closed.

"MMMMMM! Right in the golden apples! Oooohhh..." The zebra quickly rectified the situation by wrapping his hooves around her head and neck.

"Unless you want to feel your neck snap I suggest you stop struggling." Lavender's struggle stopped cold and she allowed them to escort her inside.

"Take her upstairs." The leader directed them to the staircase. North heard the hoofsteps coming up and she impulsively ran to the nearest room.

"You stay and watch her in here, I'm going back down..."

"What are you kidding she kicked me between my legs you think i'm gonna watch her? You watch her I'm not gonna do it." The stallion quickly dropped the duty on the zebra and trotted back downstairs.

The zebra looked at Lavender with a cocky smile as he trotted up to her.

"You may have scared him..." He gave a sinister pause as Lavender began to back up towards a nasty old bed full of dust and debris. "But that foalish behavior just provokes me to fight even harder. Tell me miss, have you ever, been physically promiscuous?" North's eyes widened as Lavender began to grow red in the face. Flustered and angry she barked,

"MY WORD! You smell like garbage, you threaten to kill me on the streets, you even have the nerve to touch me with your dirty hooves and now you have the guts to make advances on me! You obviously learned that word somewhere in an old dictionary or something because you sir are no gentlecolt of the kind to use that language in any filthy sentence you utter out of that gross mouth!" North laughed quietly to herself. Her laugh quickly halted when she noticed he was advancing her to the bed.

"You rich types are all the same, just all talk and no action. It won't matter for me I'll have you in that bed all to myself tonight one way or another, I'll enjoy it when you struggle!" Lavender's face suddenly flared. Instantly she hopped up with her horn sporadically blazing.

"YOUUUU!" At that instant Bubblegum felt her bones chill.

"I sense somepony is about to have a very bad day." Spike and Sketch seemed fixed to look up at one of the windows when they heard a strange noise at the second floor.

"PUTRID STINKING ABOMINATION, YOU DIRTY NO GOOD PILE OF GARBAGE, YOU DAFT DUMBFOUNDED IMBECILE, YOU... YOU STUPID, CHEAP, PATHETIC INSIGNIFICANT MORON! YOU..." She continued her massive ranting as she grabbed anything not bolted to the floor and launched it at him!

"AHHHH!" He attempted to run around in limited space as she launched an end table, small pieces of sharp wood and eventually tossing the mattress and the bed itself at him! Successfully he dodged everything and he took a deep breath. "Wow, I sensed you had fight but not that much, well you don't have anything left to throw at me sooo..." North felt the curtain she hid behind tear from her grip! "Whaaaa?" She wrapped him in a huge tight ball with the fabric and left his head poking out! "You dirty little!" He struggled for a brief moment only to have North plow his noggin with a potted plant! "Oohhhhhh..." He groaned.

"What was that?" The stallion holding the little filly hostage heard the pot break and wondered what was going on. He took the handle of a blade by his mouth and reached for the doorknob.

"Let's get out of here North..."

"Not yet Lavender, there's a little filly that needs our help come on!" At the same time Sketch and her small troop found the small basement window.

"They're coming from the basement stallions go, go, go!" They armed themselves with bit guns and daggers as they charged down the stairs!

"Slowly, carefully guys... watch your scales Spike." As they hopped down into the basement Sketch could see the box still nestled on the table with a clutter of tools they were planning to use to open the container. "There it is let's just get it and..."

"Where do you think you're going with MY BOX?" Sketch froze in place as a shadowy stallion waltzed into the moonlight. Behind him the sound of guns cocking scared Sketch stiff.

"It's not your box!" She exclaimed as she stomped a hoof. Her attempt to stand against him was a failure. Without a fight she allowed him in her personal space frightened of what he would do to her.

"Such a pretty thing, what is it with all these mares and putting their noses in our business guys, are they begging for trouble?" The stallions all exchanged sinister chuckles with one another. He brought his head over her shoulder and whispered, "This little present of yours is just too much of a responsibility for you, so we decided to take it off your hooves, put it to some good use. You know like getting what we want and all that jazz." His hoof ran across her back towards her flank making her shiver at the thought. "It seems to already make us popular with the ladies soooo I guess we're off to a good start." His breath was gagging her as it smelled like he had been chewing on stinkplant for ages.

Above them, North spotted the would be challenger and before he could even think she had plastered his face with a loose plank! With a broken nose he flew backwards and slammed into wallpaper hiding a dangerous opening in the wall. He cracked his rib in the gaping hole in the wall and fell unconscious from the impact.

"North..." Lavender felt a bit of guilt for accusing North that she stole the box, but North was preoccupied in saving that filly. Lavender closed her mouth and allowed North to focus on her work. North took her magic and threw the door open to see a little filly laying on the bed.

"Noooo." North ran over to the child to see if she was still alive. Holding her hoof to her mouth she could feel a faint breath. "Thank Celestia she's still..." Out from the shadows the thief she fought with briefly leaped on her back and attempted to break her neck! North jerked about trying to keep her head from giving up to thief's grip. She slammed into the wall several times growling and she flew up into the ceiling yelling! "GET OFFFF!" The figure finally let loose and dropped to the ground. It turned its attention to Lavender.

"AAHHH!" Sensing the menace in the figure's eyes she ran out into the hall! It slung what seemed to be a smoke bomb right behind her. The bomb exploded into a thick cloud of strange smoke forcing Lavender to choke and cough! "What in Equestria is..." Her eyes burned and she felt her nose begin to run as it burned her throat each time she inhaled. "WHAAAAaK... ISSSS THISSS!" She struggled and bounced from side to side in the hall until she pushed through a door. She quickly closed the door trying to keep the smoke from following her.

"Pretty fancy toys for somepony to be having when they're working for derp headed scum like those guys..." North felt there was more to this story. "I take it you were not planning on letting them keep it huh?" She hit the assumption right on the money as the figure seemed intrigued and threatened by her guess.

Instantly the figure jumped at her with the dagger in mouth! She jumped back using her wings to loft in the air. The sudden attack left a pain in her hoof. Looking down she could see it had nicked her. With adrenaline built inside she sent wave after wave of telekinetic blasts! The figure just dodged them as if they were child's play. He launched into the air for her throat when a fragment of wood blew out from the side of a wall. The wise veiled thief put their hooves up and braced themselves as North plowed them with a plank of wood straight into the wall across! "I'm not in the mood to play games!" North managed to find more loose fragments and ferociously started to pelt the other side of the room with everything from arm length planks to splinters!

With lightning reflexes the figure darted out of the way in a zigzag as she hosed the area with debris! Dagger ready it made another lunge for her chest this time. "FORGET THIS!" She countered the thief's lunge by flying up out of their reach and bucking them straight in the back of the head. It crashed into the weak wall into another room.

The filly began to stir a little which alerted North. She flew down and retrieved the little filly and placed her over her shoulders. "You're safe with me kid." She whispered warmly. She focused her attention to the gaping hole in the wall. Dust, rotting wood and mold whirled in the moonlight. Peering through the dancing debris she could see the figure had disappeared. Striking her gaze back down at her hoof she could see a trail of blood. It had been a long time since she ever had such a wound before and it was never this messy. The pain seethed through her nerves and forced her to limp.

"NORTH!" When Lavender took a look out the doorway she spotted the hobbling alicorn. The smoke still dissipating the two ponies joined together. "Thank Celestia you are ok." Lavender expressed how thankful she was to see her in one piece with a smile.

"And why wouldn't I be?" North tried to joke it off as she held her hoof from the ground. Lavender noticed the little wound and gasped,

"We need to get you out of here, that wound could trap no end of dirt and mold in this Celestia forsaken deathtrap."

"What about the others?" Lavender couldn't think about them at the moment, North's health and the filly's safety was her primary concern for now.

"They'll be fine come on."

Sketch, Spike and Bubblegum were forced in a corner to watch the thief leader start poking at the box.

"Stop you don't know what you're doing!" Sketch cried out. If anything malicious came out of that box she would feel fully responsible. She tried to think of something she could do. She was too afraid to attempt a spell seeing as she strained during that instance with the princess.

"Let's see, possess a powerful weapon to bring nations to their hooves groveling, or let it go and wait for the next opportunity? That is such a hard decision." He twiddled the lock pick in his hoof for a moment and laughed, "Ha, yeah there's no way I'm passing up on this."

Sketch's mind raced but this was a point in time she couldn't sit and take it. The fate of lives were at stake.

'Quick think, think, I can't strain my magic again, I need something that will spread easily, Something strong and unexpected, something like...' Her thoughts were distracted by the sound of gum chewing. 'BUBBLEGUM OF COURSE!' Sketch felt like a genius as she put the pieces together. She grabbed a hold of her friend and yelled, "ALRIGHT, NOPONY MOVE!" For a brief second they aimed their guns at her, but she looked rather stupid holding her friend hostage.

"Look, the purple one's starting to crack, she donno what to do hahahahaha!" They just laughed it up. Spike jerked his finger at them and retorted,

"You guys are in big trouble now heh!" Bubblegum was oblivious to the plan. Sketch reached into Bubblegum's mane and she giggled and squirmed,

"Hyahahahah that tickles, what are you doing HAHAHA... OOOHPPP!"

"I'm not afraid to use..." Sketch rummaged through and pulled out Celestia knows what from Bubblegum's mane and pointed it at them. "THIS!" She exclaimed as she aimed a pie at them. The leader threw himself to the floor in a fit of laughter as the thieves guffawed with him.

"Ahhhhhh, that's funny what are ya gonna do with that, pie me to death!?" Sketch grew a small grin as she knew exactly what to say back.

"Bubblegum, I think it's time for a good old fashioned Berry Swirl, PIE FIGHT!" The thieves didn't think much of it, but this little swirly maned clown jolted into hyperactive mode as she squealed,

"PIEEEEE FIGGGHHTTTT!" Bubblegum in an instant pulled out a funky looking cannon with some sort of pie holding magazine in the side!

"What the..."

"AVAST YE, EAT CREAMY FILLING!" BA BA BA BA BA BOOM! Pies launched at high velocity. The fast moving pies threw every stallion to the floor back flipping with their faces imprinted in the tins.

"Always count on Bubblegum to have something in her MA..." Sketch felt herself get smacked by the pie she was holding. "Mane..."

"HAAHAHAHAHA, too slow Sketch." Sketch shook the pie tin off and grabbed the box.

"Let's go!" Spike hopped up on Sketch's back and held the box as she levitated it to him.

"I don't care if I have to carry this thing as long as I don't have to walk I'm good." Spike sighed. Despite the box being as big as him he was just far too tired to hoof it all the way back. Bubblegum followed behind dragging her auto pie cannon.

"Boss maybe we should've picked something less valuable next time?" A voice muffled through one of the pie tins. The thief leader just growled,

"Ehhhhhh... Shaddup."

The group galloped off to the safety of the inn. They met up with North and Lavender who were just making their way inside. North felt completely tired and unlike the others, her and Lavender were completely filthy.

"Come here North." Lavender beckoned. It was just amazing how helpful Lavender was when somepony was injured. She could be rolled in filth and covered in nasty mold and grime, but if another pony is hurt she would go out of her way to fix them up before herself.

"Lavender you are some mare..."

"Hold still, this may sting." Lavender insisted to work quickly and thoroughly on the wound to prevent any infections. North placed the little filly on her bed quietly as Lavender continued to treat her.

"We're back!" Sketch triumphantly exclaimed as Spike added,

"And we have the box!" North acknowledged with a nod and turned her head to the filly.

"We should report to Princess Luna right away, I don't feel particularly safe having the little filly and the box in a room where they know we were."

"I agree I'd feel much safer in the castle..." Sketch replied. The girls wasted no time, Lavender fixed North's wound and they galloped back to the castle. The guards halted them at the entrance asking,

"What is your business in the castle?" They appeared to be a wreck with dust in their coats. They all looked as if they were not meant to be anywhere near the palace. Spike lifted his finger over the box and replied,

"We're here to see Princess Luna..."

"Not looking like that." One of the guards scoffed. Sketch attempted to reason,

"Look we were in here a couple of hours ago, we're..." Sketch didn't have to waste her breath. Princess Luna's voice boomed,

"Let them through." The guards awkwardly smiled as they allowed the messy bunch through. Sketch-It graciously thanked Luna for being there for them. "No trouble at all Sketch, come walk with me."

Princess Luna realized by the state of disarray they arrived in that they were in no position to be wandering in the streets. Sketch explained that the box went missing and they had to deal with a group of thieves. At first they thought it could've been North, but they found out otherwise.

"Mainly my fault for jumping to conclusions, I should've trusted you more than saying those silly accusations North." Apologizing was not her cup of tea, but before she could say her official apology, North answered.

"It's ok Lavender..." She showed her bandaged hoof smiling, "It's implied, you don't have to say it." The girls giggled together as they felt another bonding moment was made that night. North looked to her friend and wisecracked, "You know Lavender you are a pain but you're alright I suppose."

"Likewise North." Lavender responded. Luna allowed the girls to clean themselves up and retire to her quarters.

"I'm sorry if we're causing any trouble your majesty." Sketch again tried to express her apologies for being a burden. Luna noticed the filly laying by North.

"I see you made a new friend." Luna commented. North nodded as she snuggled up by the sleeping filly.

"I found her held against her will by those bozos. Why, I don't really know but it has something to do with her seeing stuff or something. One of the thieves was talking about how she led them to the box." Luna grew an intrigued expression across her face. The princess stood up from the small pad of pillows she placed for the girls and strolled by her window. She gazed down at the inn to see shadows moving around. Princess Luna's expression instantly shifted to concern. In her mind she was sensing that her relationship with these ponies would have to be distant seeing as the threats of the empire were in her own backyard. Wasting no time she ordered,

"Pack your things girls, I'll have a personal chariot readied for your departure." Princess Luna hurried them out of the tower.

"What is going on?" North and the others attempted to grasp what it was she was doing.

"You all have been through enough for now, I'll contact you soon enough if anything comes up, but for now you shouldn't be lingering here with me. It may not be safe for thieves to associate you with me." North attempted to ask what she planned to do with the child. "Don't you worry about her, I'll take care of her."

The chariot was drawn and the girls one by one hopped on with Spike holding the box once again. "Goodbye for now girls, keep training your magic and Sketch..." Sketch-It focused her eyes to Luna.

"Yes your majesty?" Luna levitated a special key for the box explaining,

"You are to guard this box at all cost, when you truly are ready for the responsibility of what is inside you may open it with this key, otherwise do not open it, is that clear?" Sketch accepted the key and nodded affirming she would only open when she met the responsibility to do so.

Cadance was still in the small room filled with letters and paper strewn everywhere. She still had her same stressful expression with the same piece of blank paper. Strangely fixed on writing she could not help but feel an ill presence pass by her room.

"What was that?" In her state of stress she was about to toss the feeling aside when it continued to bug her. Staring down at the paper she sensed a strong agitation come over her. "I'll never be able to think of the words to say to my beloved with that dread in my mind!" She slapped the paper down. "I'm sure it was probably Luna, she brings about that gloomy sensation sometimes, yeah I'm sure of it." Cadance paused by the doorway and peered up the stairs to the creeping shadow. "Luna is that you?" She stated her question clearly, but instead of a response the shadow seemed to disappear quicker. "That's, not like her." Cadance felt a growing fear it could be an assassin, anypony a part of the castle's servant staff would have paused and stated who they were. Cadance started to follow up the stairs quietly in hopes to sneak up on the assassin.

In a heart pounding anxiety Cadance made it to the top of the tower. She took a quiet peek inside to find a masked pony with a strange vial in its mouth. Immediately she felt confused seeing a little filly of unknown origin laying in Luna's room and some shadowy assassin about to pour liquid in her mouth!

Cadance was not one to sit and do nothing. Without warning to the assassin a bolt of spellfire shot across its face and sent it flinging to the side of the wall. "Step away from the child you, you...!" Cadance's face turned grim. Her spellfire dissolved the mask but the figure's face revealed the most disturbing image she would ever see. "Whhhh... whaaatt arreee you." The eye was like a dark hole with webs of black ooze that coursed through a florescent yellow glow. Down the eye and across a leathery skinned face dripped the ooze. It seemed the ooze was dissolving and burning as it left the eye. The snarling grin on its face seemed like something beyond the nightmare of even a changelings dreams. Crooked toothy jaw and in a deep disgusting voice it echoed a dialect that didn't seem to make sense. Cadance attempted to make herself authoritative and ordered, "By order of the royal family I hereby place you under arrest assassin!!" Not amused by her formal declaration the figure tossed another choking smoke bomb and disappeared through the window leaving Cadance coughing and hacking.

The abrupt explosion sent guards on high alert to the tower. Cadance managed to find the little filly and bring her to safety from the smoke. When Luna finally arrived at the stairs she asked if the filly was alright. Cadance nodded with reddened eyes, "Yeah... some masked assassin was trying to poison her, I got to see its face. It's unlike anything I have ever seen." Luna looked to the filly on Cadance's back and again she felt interested in knowing what is so important about this pony. To further protect the child she ordered,

"I want every guard on patrol, leave no nook and cranny open. Summon Shining Armor back to the palace. Canterlot will once more need full protection. Cadance I leave you in charge of seeing after the child." She turned abruptly and stormed off towards the royal chamber. "Assassins are among us, we must prepare accordingly." Cadance felt a breath of relief to know her beloved would be returning, but the news came at a price. She looked over her shoulder to the child and wondered the same question Luna was.

Among the pandemonium the girls were back in Ponyville safe and sound. Sketch bid goodnight to the other mares and Spike. As she trotted back to her home she began to compose another message in her mind to her brother,

'Dear brother of mine, how's it going? Finally got a royal responsibility. Taking care of some special box. It was a gift from Celestia and Luna so it must be something important! Luna did say it could unleash discord if opened too early so yeah.

I had a close call with some weirdos who stole the box but we managed to cream them so to speak hehehe, so no worries i'm fine. It appears my friend Lavender learned not to jump to conclusions without having facts straight. North was actually just protecting us by getting the box back alone. Her and Lavender seem to be growing on each other. Looks like despite having strange encounters we seem to grow closer each time so I'm feeling really positive. Today's lessons were pretty short, everything tonight had happened so fast. Luna was right to tell us to expect the unexpected.

I guess I'll leave it short for tonight and talk to you later when I have more to well, discuss to you brother, love you and hope to speak again soon.'

All these constant surprises happening just before the Autumn season just made Sketch feel she was never going to have a moment to rest. Before entering her home her wandering eyes glanced upward to the cloudy sky. "I hope everything is ok back at Canterlot, I feel we were only there for a few hours and yet it felt longer." Sketch didn't dwell on it when she opened the door. Seeing her big sister's lazy smile made her feel right at home. Lounging on the sofa with her radio on, she was listening to the war front media as usual. "Hey DaisyChain."

"Oh wow you got back home pretty quick, I wasn't expecting your flank to be here until like tomorrow night. What happened?" Sketch let out a big sigh and mumbled,

"If you really want to know, here's what happened."