A few days have passed since the poison joke incident. He still laughed at the memory at times, but he’d have to do that later. Today was Tuesday, and the first day that Stardust and Spike would be using their new weapons and armor. Skystrike realized while making his lesson plan that he hasn’t trained anyone from scratch like this. The others in his group had at least some combat experience, just from their lives before they joined him. But Spike is a dragon. From what he remembered Tethys telling him, it’s instinctual.

And now he got himself thinking about the friends he used to have. Well, at least he got one back… Still sucks that they split up because of him, but he has to live with it.

Skystrike and Stardust just finished eating breakfast. Stardust said she’d wait outside for him after Twilight and Spike came over. Of course, the unicorn still wasn’t sure about the training, and wanted to watch over them. She also said some others would be there. Skystrike stretched in his armor before securing his blades on his sides and walking outside to the arena that Naga made.

Everyone was there… and more. The expected faces, Spike, Stardust, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack,Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. Zecora decided to show up, having her brown cloak on, and was talking with Stardust. But then Skystrike blinked as he realized who else was there. Celestia, Luna, and a six pony squad of royal guards stood in his field as well.

Skystrike inwardly groaned, both at the unexpected company, and at the way their conversation ended last time. “Good morning… I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting so much… company.” He looked at Twilight. Her avoiding eye contact told Skystrike all he needed. She knew. He sighed before straightening his posture and walking towards the ponies. “Well, I don’t have anywhere for you all to sit just yet. Let me get Naga.”

Celestia cleared her throat. “Good morning Nebula. I apologize for coming with no notice.” She smiled at the stallion. “After our last… meeting, my sister and I believed it’d be better if we visited you. I hope we didn’t come at a bad time?”

“Eh, I’d say you did, but then another one of your guards would want to fight me again.” Skystrike shrugged. “You can stay if you want.”

Luna smiled at the joke. “We thank you, Sir Nebula. But if we may ask, who is this Naga you speak of?”

“A companion who decided to come by about two weeks ago. You’d probably like her.” Skystrike walked to the middle of his arena and got on his hind legs before stomping the ground with his forehooves. The princesses gave him a confused look before a distant rumbling grew closer. Soon, a mound of dirt came from the Everfree and stopped behind Skystrike. Naga broke through the ground and stuck the upper half of her body out the dirt.

“Guards! Get ready!” The lead guard said as he pointed a spear at the basilisk. The others quickly followed suit, with even Celestia and Luna spreading their wings.

“Calm your asses down.” Skystrike stood between them and Naga, who looked confused. “This is Naga, and despite her outward appearance, she’s friendly.” Naga lowered her head to him and nudged him with her nose. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get you something for waking you up early.”

“Nebula… are you saying that you’ve tamed this beast? An Earth Basilisk?” Celestia asked, wide eyed.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Skystrike pet Naga on her nose. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. Stardust sends you reports, right? Isn’t that why you made her my guard in the first place?”

“Actually…” Stardust cleared her throat. “While I do send reports, I send them Monday night. That letter would have reached the princesses this afternoon.”

Skystrike blinked. “Hmm. Alright then.” He turned to Naga. “Well, be on your best behavior. Try not to get into anything, and be careful, you know, with how big you are.” Naga looked at him then slithered her way out of the ground. Skystrike looked at her wide eyed as her black scales seemed to turn into sand before crumbling. He was about to freak out before a smaller version of Naga poked her head out of the sand that was once her body. “...Since when could you do that!? What the fuck!?” The now three foot Naga slithered up his leg and rumbled. “Oh, ok, I guess that makes sense.” Then he blinked as she continued. “So you can only get smaller, not bigger than your original size?” She nodded. “...Neat.”

Celestia looked at the two. “...Don’t you think that having Naga around is dangerous, especially this close to Ponyville?”

Skystrike turned his attention from Naga to Celestia. “Well, compared to the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the Everfree, and the Everfree itself, no…” Then he thought about it. “In fact, can’t I make the same argument with you and your sister in the most important city in Equestria?”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “That’s different. We wouldn’t dare to harm the ponies we swore to protect.”

“Oh, deadass?” Skystrike asked. “Naga and I are the same. So, if you wish to continue this line of thought, then you must recognize the logical fallacy you’re pedaling. You, your sister, Naga, and I are all sentient beings, with morals that tells us what’s right and wrong. She isn’t some beast that acts on nothing but instinct. Anything else?”

Luna hesitated, but it was worth a shot. “...Can we pet her?” Naga responded by jumping off Skystrike’s arm and slithering over. Luna put out a hoof to pet the creature.

Skystrike let Naga enjoy it for a bit before tapping the ground, getting the basilisk's attention. “Could you make some seats for the peanut gallery?” Naga slithered back over and surrounded herself in dirt. Soon, the dirt solidified and turned into black scales. Now back to her original size, Naga slapped the ground with her tail, making a set of stone bleachers. She then slithered next to the bleachers and coiled up to go back to sleep. “Thank you. Now, Spike, Stardust, are you two ready?”

The two saluted him. “Yes, Nebula!” Then Spike had a question. “What are we doing today?”

“First, a simple rundown of types of weapons.” Skystrike made sure to speak loud enough for the ponies and zebra who were now on the bleachers to hear. “For now, we’re going to focus on the non-magical. Weapons can be split into three main categories. Ones that can piercing, smashing, and cutting. My blades focus more on cutting and piercing, but the sheer weight behind the blades can smash through most things. Stardust’s Rapier focuses on cutting and piercing, though won't be able to smash through anything. Spike, your staff can smash through and peirce, but you need the scythe blade to slash through. It’s a basic rundown, but does this make sense? Any questions?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah! So each weapon is better at specific things?”

“Precisely. Nice job.” Skystrike patted the dragon. “And because of that, that also means there’s different types of armor, and each has its own effectiveness.” Skystrike put a hoof on his chestplate. “For example. Mine is plate armor. It gives me very good protection against slashes, because of the curvature of this armor, and decent protection against blunt impacts, as it spreads out the impact. As a downside, I’m not nearly as mobile as I could be, and am vulnerable to piercings. Because of that, I wear chainmail under this, just in case.” Then he pointed to Stardust. “Stardust’s armor focuses more on mobility. Her armor can also protect from slashes, though not so much from piercings and impacts. There’s a whole history on why armor evolved into what it is now, but that, I can explain later.”

Spike raised his claw. “So, which is best?”

“Depends on the situation. Against somepony like me, piercing through my armor would be your best bet. But there are many things I do to make sure I can avoid that possibility. It also depends on the type of weapon. For example, a spear is on average worse than a halberd. Halberds have the majority of their weight at the end, and can pierce with the pick they have on the end, easily breaking through plate armor. The problem with that is that it’s much slower than a spear, and this easier to dodge.” Then he had a thought. “Actually, here’s a better example. Stardust, do you know why the Wonderbolts, despite being military, wear no armor?”

“Um… well, aside from being mostly ceremonial now, it’s because armor slows down the average pegasus.”

Skystrike nodded. “Right. And because of that, in the warring times, Pegasi didn’t need to worry about piercing armor that the other pegasi didn’t wear. They attacked by flying near one another with spears and blade tipped wings. They didn’t need the spears, but attacking grounded enemies was much easier with one, keeping distance between them. But that’s enough for a simple rundown.” He turned to Stardust again. “I want you to spar with me, and you, Spike, I want to watch closely. Keep track of everything you can.”

Stardust hesitated. “You’ll… go easy on me, right?”

Skystrike chuckled. “Of course. It’s a learning exercise. Plus, I need to get a feel of your style.” Spike quickly ran outside of the arena. Skystrike stood on his hind legs and cracked his back. He kept his wings folded in as he drew his sword, holding it diagonally to the ground with the blade towards Stardust. “Ready when you are.”

Stardust drew her charcoal rapier with a hoof as she looked at him. The two looked at each other for what felt like minutes before Stardust went for a lunge. Skystrike side stepped the strike at his chest before twisting his wrist to slash at the mare. Stardust was quick, however, and blocked the attack with her own blade. The two pushed off of each other before they began to clash blades.

Skystrike came down with an overhead swing. Stardust knew that she wouldn’t hold under the weight of the attack and decided to jump backwards. The pegasus took the opportunity to dash forward and hit Stardust in the chest with a weak slash. It hurt, of course, but there would be no cuts thanks to the armor, and him holding back. Stardust slid to a stop before running forward and cutting at Skystrike’s neck, who blocked it with his blade. She knew she wouldn’t get a better chance anytime soon, ducking down to slide under Skystrike’s legs to spin and attack his back.

To be honest, Skystrike was surprised at the attempt, but it wasn’t outside of expectations. He caught the thrust under his arm and wrapped it around the blade. While Stardust was stunned in shock and mild panic, Skystrike took his blade in his other hoof before spinning around and stopping it right at Stardust’s neck. “...Nearly had you.”

“It was a good attempt.” Skystrike released his grip as they both sheathed their swords. “Now, Spike.” The dragon stood at attention. “What did you gather from that?”

Spike thought about it. “Well… it didn’t really seem fair at first, since you’re so much bigger, but Stardust held her own for a while. I don’t know how, but you two seemed to be able to tell which attacks you should dodge, and which to block… “I also noticed that neither of you used feints, but I guess that was because you two were holding back?”

Skystrike nodded. “Pretty good, especially for your first attempt.” He turned to Stardust. “As for what I have to say, it seems that you’re an opportunist in a skirmish. You take the first chance at victory you get. Not a bad thing, but it is predictable. If you’re interrupted during that chance, you seem to panic, and that’s how you lost like you did. And like Spike said, you didn’t use any feints. Doing so would be extremely useful given the finesse of your weapon. On top of that, rather than completely dodging my attack with the downward slash, you could’ve diverted my attack and left me open.”

Stardust thought that over. “I… Ok, yeah, I think I see it.”

“Now Spike…” Skystrike turned back to the baby dragon. “Think you can apply what you’ve learned so far?”

Spike nearly jumped at the chance. “Really! Alright!” He didn’t notice the sounds of protest from a certain purple unicorn.

Skystrike nodded at Twilight in an attempt to say he knew what he was doing. Stardust and Spike switched places, the baby dragon eagerly holding his staff. “Now remember, you can call the match at any time. You’re barely used to that weapon, let alone actual combat.”

“I’ll manage.” Spike held the staff behind him as he unleashed the blade. “Ready when you are!”

Skystrike chuckled and drew his sword, walking towards Spike. The dragon excitedly ran towards him and jumped into the air, spinning to his Skystrike with the blunt of the weapon. Skystrike blocked it, though was surprised by the weight behind it. All of that in a guy a third the size of the average mare. Spike pushed off him and landed on the ground, swiping at Skystrike’s legs.

The pegasus took a step back before going for a slash. Spike’s eyes widened as it came down on him initially, but focused in on Skystrike as he ran towards the blade to Skystrike’s surprise. He used the blade to divert Skystrike’s before spinning it in his claws and going for Skystrike’s neck. Skystrike was impressed on how quickly Spike had it down, but still needed to teach him some more. He only needed to duck down a bit for it to go over his head, and only needed a moment to divert Spike’s blade into the ground.

Spike tried his best to pull his weapon out of the dir. As soon as he did, however, Skystrike hit him in the head with the hilt of his sword. Spike shook off the pain as his ears rang slightly. Skystrike decided to approach him, bringing his sword out to the side and swiping at Spike. The dragon attempted to block it, but then realized that the pegasus quickly changed from a forward grip to a reverse, mid swing, making the blade glide past the staff and stop at Spike’s neck. Skystrike crouched down to look him in the eye. “You forgot about feints.”

The two put away their weapons as Spike pushed himself up. “Yeah…” Then he blinked. “Wait, how did I do that?”

“Pretty sure it’s instinct.” Skystrike explained. “From what my other dragon friend told me, things like this come natural to you… though I am surprised it’s to this level.”

“Well, I did play around with wooden swords for a while with-” He covered his mouth. “Right. Twilight doesn't want me to talk about-”

“I can assume who you mean.” Skystrike stood up. “But moving on, now I know your style. You’re a brawler, wanting to take down your opponent with pure strength, rather than playing it smart. Not a bad thing, but the problem arises when you’re against someone stronger, or smarter than you. We’ll need to train it out of you.” Then he referred to both Spike and Stardust. “We’ll be sparring with each other weekly. Other than that, you two will join me in my morning workouts. It’ll get you in shape. Stardust, you already know Swordsmanship, so you’re fine. Spike, while you did have strength behind your swings, not so much technique. I’ll be teaching you that. For now, that’ll end today's efforts.”

Luna stepped down from her seat. “If we may intrude… Would you be up for a match, Sir Nebula?”

Everyone looked at Luna in surprise. Skystrike decided to ask what everypony was thinking. “...What brings this up?”

Luna stopped her stride to stand in front of him. “During the time spent in this new age, these times are… peaceful. No need for constant training and sparring… Put simply, we have yet to adapt, and my body grows restless. We believe thou can put up quite a battle against us.”

Skystrike looked at her. “...I want to make a certain joke but it’s probably too soon.” Skystrike stretched. “At least this time it’ll be casual. I won’t kick your ass too hard, else Celestia will beat mine.”

Luna smirked. “Well, compared to last time, I believe that’ll be a slim possibility.”

“Oh, so we can make those jokes.” Skystrike took off one of his swords and put it in front of the alicorn, who picked it up with her magic. “So, how serious are we getting?”

Luna looked over the blade. “Well… we will allow you to use your wings if we can use our magic.”

“Well you have wings too. I feel like I’m at a disadvantage.” Skystrike joked. “So, I assume full contact is allowed?”

“But of course.” She nodded. “And we believe it’s fair, as you have your armor.”

“Yeah, makes sense.” Skystrike shrugged as he took a few steps back.

The two nodded at each other before the spar began. They walked around each other for a few moments before Skystrike dashed at Luna with, to her surprise, astounding speed. She snapped out of her surprise to block his oncoming blade with her own, charging her magic and trying to blast him point blank. He ducked under it, then twisted his body to land an overhead kick with a hind leg onto her forehead. With the opening he had, he went for another slash on the alicorn before she teleported a few feet away. “...Thou are much more agile than we expected.”

Skystrike chuckled and stood up straight. “And you’re a lot more hardy.”

Luna raised her sword with her magic. “A perc of being an alicorn.” She said before summoning several spheres of magic simultaneously and launching them at Skystrike. He assumed her aim was to catch him in the middle of defending, or forcing him to dodge. The pegasus dodged the first few, but for the last one, he decided to do something special. With the flat of his blade, he bounced the projectile upward before jumping into the air and kicking it back at Luna.

Sure, she could easily dodge it, but he felt so cool.

The alicorn of the night shot a beam of magic at him while he was still in the air, forcing Skystrike to fly to the side to dodge it. To his detriment, the beam of energy began to follow him, making him fly sporadically in an attempt to dodge it. It wasn’t going anywhere, so he needed to play a little risky. Skystrike flew directly towards Luna, diving down at her and cutting the beam in half as he did. Luna, however, was able to stop expelling her magic rather quickly and got a decent hit on Skystrike. The blade collide with Skystrike’s right side as braced, digging his hooves into the oncoming ground and sliding to a stop.

Skystrike rolled his neck, cracking a few times as he stood up. “You alicorns have way too much magic.”

“And thou is quite sturdy for a pegasus.” Luna spun the blade in her magic. “But we can tell you’re getting tired. Shall we end this?”

Skystrike chuckled. “A bit cocky, I see. Alright, I’ll make it quick.” He lowered himself to the ground and spread his wings. In a flash, he was right in front of the princess. She expected this, and put up her blade to block his oncoming slash. What she didn’t expect was for Skystrike to kick it out of the way and land a kick directly to her chest, winding the mare for a moment. Luna held her breath and blasted him point blank, hitting Skystrike in the left wing and making him fall back from the stinging pain. Of course, it was the same wing that the Ursa hit. Skystrike regained his stance and fought through the pain. Luna tried to come down on him with her front hooves, but failed as Skystrike jumped to the side.

Skystrike got behind the princess of the moon and wrapped his forearms around her back, locking her wings in place. With a heavy flap of his wings, he picked them both up into the air. He began flying in loops, speeding up with each motion before letting go of Luna right when she’d go flying straight down. And she did, hurtling towards the oncoming earth, wide eyed as she couldn’t force her wings out to slow her fall. The ground shook at the impact of the alicorn.

Luna groaned as Skystrike landed on top of her, putting a hoof on her chest and his blade in the ground next to her neck. “I think that’s game.” Skystrike let out a huff.

Luna looked up at him, her shade of blue a bit darker. “Yes, it was an… illuminating sparring session. Though, we ask that you let us get up. This position is rather… revealing.”

Skystrike blinked, then realized the situation he was in. Luna’s marehood was right there… and he could feel the gaze of a protective sister on him. Skystrike quickly took his hoof off. “God, Celestia’s gonna kill me.”

Luna laughed and stood up. “It’s quite alright, dear Nebula…” Then winced at her injuries. “You’ve quite a wallop.” She surrounded herself in her cobalt magic as the minor swelling on her body began to disappear.

“Wish I could do that.” Skystrike chuckled as he rolled his wing.

“...Will thou be alright?”

“Probably.” Skystrike shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I’m a really good sleeper.”

Luna gave him a confused look as Celestia cleared her throat. “Nebula, may we have a moment of your time?”

Skystrike turned to her, then to Luna, who nodded. “I promise I’m not hitting on your sister, please don’t smite me.”

His friends, and a few of the guards tried to hide their laughs. Celestia gave a small sigh. “I would prefer we speak in private.”

Skystrike sighed, then picked up the sword that was on the ground from throwing Luna. “Very well. I will wait for you two inside.” He walked back to his home and entered it, leaving the door open. He heard what sounded like words of protest from the guards and ones of curiosity from Stardust and his friends. Soon, the two princesses entered and closed the door behind them.

Skystrike motioned for him to sit on the couch across from him. He poured them each a cup of tea before picking up his. “So, what’s up?”

Celestia looked into her cup, then she spoke. “We’d like to… apologize for how we treated you the last time we met. It was too hasty of us to act, not knowing your history.”

The pegasus blinked, then let out a small huff. “Pay it no mind. I cannot blame you for making decisions on information I withheld from you.”

“About that.” Celestia looked up from her tea. “We tried interrogating Magnus, but he wouldn’t speak about it.”

“Of course he wouldn’t.” Skystrike scoffed. “But on the upside, he definitely knows something if he’s staying quiet…” He thought for a bit. “I’ll have to confront him at some point. I want answers too.”

Luna looked at him. “Could thou tell us of your past with Magnus, neigh, your past in general?”

Skystrike looked at her. “I would rather not… Too many bad memories… anger inducing memories.” Then he took a sip of his tea. “But I know that you two want your answers… I’d be inclined to talk about it now, but…” He motioned to the window. Celestia and Luna looked to the open window to see several multicolored blurs quickly duck out of sight. “Too many open ears. Give me some time. I have some demons I need to fight through.”

The two princesses sighed. “Very well.” Celestia spoke as she stood up. “It’s best if we get back to our duties… I hope the next time we meet will be under better circumstances.”

Skystrike nodded. “Same. See you two next time.”

Several days passed. Skystrike just finished the morning workout and training with Spike, and Stardust. Zecora was invited, but she said she had some potions to brew. They were hungry after, so the plan was to grab a bite to eat at one of Ponyville’s local restaurants. And then they stumbled on everypony preparing for something. Skystrike looked around. “So… you two have any idea what’s going on?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Stardust asked. “Princess Celestia is coming for an unofficial visit.”

“...She was just here.”

“I don’t get paid to question what she does.” Stardust said.

Spike slapped his forehead with a claw. “Shoot! I just remembered I said I’d help Twilight clean the library! I’ll see you guys later!” And with that, he quickly ran off.

Skystrike sighed. “Welp. Still want to get food?”

“Yeah, I could go for a sandwich or something.” Stardust nodded. “Hopefully it’s not too heavy.”

“Damn. I was thinking of bar food.” Skystrike shook out his mane. “Well, there’s that place that Twilight showed me a while ago. They have sandwiches.”

“Count me it!”

“GUYS!” The two nearly jumped at Pinkie Pie seemingly spawning in front of them.

“JESUS!” Skystrike took a step back.

“No, it’s Pinkie! But quick! Do you know where I can get a banjo!?” She said with way too much worry that it should have been said with.

Skystrike looked at her. “Is it mean if I say Applejack?”

“Thank you!” Pinkie said before running off.

Stardust looked at her, blinked, then looked at the pegasus. “Did you say that because she’s an earth pony?”

“What?” Skystrike tilted her head. “No, I said it because she’s southern.”

“That… doesn’t make it better?”

Skystrike chuckled. “Maybe.” Then Skystrike felt something fall on his helmet. He looked up, seeing no clouds, so it couldn’t be rain. It wasn’t fall yet, so no leaves were falling off the trees. He grabbed whatever fell on him, feeling something warm and fuzzy as he did. Pulling it off and in front of his face, his eyes widened as he realized what it was. “SHIT!”

“Uh, what is that?” Stardust looked at the creature in his hoof. It was a light blue ball with massive green eyes and insect-like wings. Then she noticed that several, no, dozens more were landing around her. The ponies around were also looking in confusion, but falling for the cuteness of the creatures.

Except for Skystrike, who threw it to the ground and stomped on it, it exploded into a puff of blue fuzz. “Parasprites!” He yelled. They soon began eating all the food in their sights. He looked to Stardust. “Stardust, we need to get out of here! There’s too many to handle right now!”

“To where!?” She looked around, the multicolored bugs in sight every which way she looked. “Wait, look! Twilight is trying something!”

Skystrike turned to the unicorn, who seemed to be charging magic within her horn. After much focus, waves of lilac energy radiated from her horn and encompassed the countless parasprites. Skystrike was in awe as they seemed to stop in their tracks, turning their noses up at the food. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash looked around at the scene with her. Pinkie ran over with tambourines, saying something, but shook in annoyance at the mares ignoring her before running away. At least it made a silly sound. He quickly ran over. “Twilight! The hell is going on!?”

Twilight huffed from the excess use of her magic. “Well, Fluttershy found these things and gave one to me, then they started multiplying. So I gave one to Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and now they’re everywhere!” Then she puffed out her chest a bit. “Luckily, I just casted a spell to stop them from eating all the food.”

“Fluttershy found these Parasprites? What are they doing here in the first place!? Wait-” Skystrike grabbed the mare and pulled her close. “Say that last part again.”

Twilight reeled back from the stallion in her face. “I… casted a spell to stop them from eating all the food?”

“Just the food!?” Skystrike asked with a voice full of worry.

“Well, yeah, what else would they ea-” Twilight was about to finish her sentence before a Parasprite sniffed an apple in a bucket, before eating the entire bucket and spitting out the apple. Then another took a bite out of the sign on Sugarcube Corner… and another out of the wheel of a wagon. Nevermind, they swarmed the entire wagon

“Monkey’s paws are BULLSHIT!” Skystrike let her go and quickly flew to his house. A normal ten minute walk, he did in a twenty second flight. But it wasn't quick enough.

A multicolor whirlwind of parasprites was moving its way towards his home. He only had a few minutes before they got to it. Skystrike quickly flew inside and threw open the doors to his storage closet. He thought about calling Naga to make a dome around his house, but there wasn't time, and no guarantee they wouldn't just eat the rocks. Skystrike frantically darted his eyes to each shelf before grabbing what he needed. Firecrackers, string, spray paint, and a lot of vegetable oil.

He ran outside and saw the oncoming tornado. Only a few minutes now. Skystrike quickly tied some of the fire crackers to the bottles of vegetable oil. Scratching his metal arm with an armored hoof, sparks sprang from the alloy and onto the wick of one of the fire crackers. He chucked the bottle of oil right in front of the path of the parasprites as the fuse went down. With a loud pop, flaming oil spread to the insectoids, thinning their numbers. As an added bonus, the fuzz they seemed to be made of also caught fire, making a chain reaction.

But the tornado only grew smaller. In fact, they dispersed to stop the fire from spreading any further, then quickly ate a nearby tree. The whirlwind was nearly double of its original size before he threw his makeshift grenade. Skystrike threw another, only for the same thing to happen. Soon, they were right in front of him.

He wouldn’t go down without a fight. With a lighter in one hoof and spray paint in another, he held the former in front of the latter and ignited the paint. It was a fruitless effort. Soon, he was out of lighter fluid and spray paint, being swarmed by the hungry insects. He flew into the air and shook off the few that were trying to eat his armor. But upon looking at his house, his heart sank into his stomach.

The home he built by hoof, a symbol of his efforts, was now replaced by the sound buzzsaws as the parasprites tore through wood and plaster. Good lord, they were everywhere. He saw two of them fighting over a fucking spoon. It took less than a minute for the creatures to turn what was once his home into scraps of various materials. Skystrike landed on the ground and layed down with his chest to the sky. A single Parasprite flew inches away from his face and gave his helmet a test lick. Skystrike crushed it with a quick motion of his hoof before covering his eyes with both.

He didn’t know how long he laid there like that, but it was long enough for what sounded like a parade going by. He opened one of his eyes to see a line of parasprites jumping along to Pinkie pie, armed with various instruments and playing each simultaneously. At least they were gone. He looked to the remains of his house before wincing and covering his eyes again.

More time passed before he heard the sound of several hoofsteps approaching him. Skystrike threw out his hooves and spread them out to his sides. In his peripheral vision, he saw Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Stardust. Stardust groaned. “Just when Princess Celestia left! Damn it!”

Applejack gave the pegasus a pat on the shoulder. “I get it, sugarcube. They ate the barn.”

Rarity nodded. “And most of my designs.”

“And the words out of my books.” Twilight sighed.

Skystrike kept looking to the sky. “And I’m guessing Ponyville is in the same state…” They nodded. Skystrike stood up and took in a deep breath. “This is fine.” He said mostly to himself. He stepped over one of the walls of his trashed house before going to what once was his bedroom and opening a nightstand with a bite mark in it. Thankfully, his journal was still in it, unscared.

Looking around his room, his saddlebag was also there, and put it on. By some miracle, everything truly important to him was untouched. His journal, the letters that never needed to be sent, the lantern he used to contact Kyne, old gifts from friends he still holds dear, and a silver pendent from one no longer here. Skystrike opened it, looking at the picture of him and a younger stallion from years ago. Still safe. He loaded up everything into his saddlebags before sighing.

“Who was that?” Pinkie Pie was looking over his shoulder at the still open pendant.

Skystrike closed it. “A friend…”

“Is he nice?”

“He… was.” Skystrike closed the locket. “Stardust, gather everything not eaten by the parasprites. Go to Zecora’s hut and ask tell her what happened. She’ll offer you her tent at least.”

“And what about you?” She asked.

“If you need a place to stay, you could stay with one of us?” Fluttershy offered. “I don’t mind. It’s my fault anyway. If I just didn’t let that one in…”

“Or keep one hidden after we herded them into the Everfree the first time.” Twilight grumbled.

Skystrike’s ears perked up at that as he slowly turned towards Fluttershy. She hid behind her mane at his piercing gaze. Skystrike inhaled deeply once more. “Fluttershy, whether you housed them or not, one was still here, so it would’ve come to this anyway. I do not blame you. But right now, I am barely containing my anger at the situation. I just need some time to myself.”

They all wished him the best, and Skystrike them as they all split up for the day. He has a lot of work ahead of him, building a new house that is. At least it gave him an excuse. A larger one would be necessary, as it was beginning to get tight with Stardust there. After all, he only planned on living on his own. Zecora came into town too, so another room just in case she wanted to stay over. So that’s three rooms total. He didn’t plan on anyone else moving in, but it’d be best to prepare for that possibility. Six rooms, three bathrooms. With his size, it’d be best to build it for him. It’d be a rather big house.

Looking at everything now, Skystrike was glad that he had Kyne keep all the somewhat important items and his gold he gathered from his travels. There were a lot of books that Kyne held onto for him, so he should make a section for his soon to be library. He also would like to do some magical tests and brew potions… might as well make a wizard’s tower for all of that. Best two have two floors too. Fuck it, add an armory too if he was going to build all of that.

A garage would be nice. Well, it’d be more of a warehouse, since he’d put a new forge. A better one. But with the size that this new hypothetical house would be, it’d be over where the lab is. Sure, it was eight hundred meters below him, but he could easily dig that out with Naga’s help. He could probably make an elevator with the lab, but he’ll get there when he gets there. Skystrike would make the blueprints tomorrow. For now, he had to go find Naga. He’d crash in her cave for a little while. As if on que, Naga dug a tunnel from the ground and stuck her head out. She grabbed him by the tail and began dragging him in. He chuckled, and began to feel a little better.

The coming weeks were hard for everypony. While most of the residents in Ponyville weren’t displaced, each one had to go through efforts to rebuild. Their homes, businesses, and gardens were all affected. Though the sense of community did make Skystrike smile a bit as he saw it. The ponies were helping one another, offering housing for the displaced, and food for those who’s gardens were ravaged. Food wouldn’t be a long term issue, since it’s a farming town, and food grows pretty fast. The town was repaired within a matter of weeks because of this. The Apple family and Skystrike had the worst of it, losing their entire homes. The stallion was happy for his friend, however, that she had the same luck as him. Some irreplaceable items inside were left either unharmed, or in a state where it could be fixed. Now that he thought about it, Skystrike never saw her parents. He’d ask about it when the time is right.

For now, Skystrike was building his house from the ground up. Naga was a great help, making a sturdy foundation for the whole place, as well as bringing him all the stones he could need, going the extra mile to shape them into bricks. Thanks to her, the walls of his new home would be much sturdier than the last. The problem that makes is that he needs to work on the ventilation. It cost a lot of bits to get all the lumber, nails, plaster, and everything else he needed to get started.

Skystrike put the last screw into the frame before flying down and looking up at it. Two floors, an offshoot for a forge, another for an armory, and one for his soon to be dubbed ‘research tower.’ Name pending, he can think of a better name. Naga looked down at Skystrike, then motioned behind him. Skystrike turned around and looked at the ponies coming his way. “Zecora, Stardust, good seeing you two.”

Zecora looked up at the frame of the building. “This is quite big, such an open place. Do you truly think you'll need all that space?”

Skystrike huffed from the work he did. “Yeah, well, I’m a big guy. Besides, I’m having Kyne come by once this is done. I’ve had him hold on to the majority of my stuff for the past while.”

“Yeesh, you did all of this yourself?” Stardust looked up at the wooden structure. “I’ve seen it take a dozen ponies weeks to get this far. How did you do it?”

Skystrike shrugged. “I got in the zone, I guess. Did construction as a side job as a colt. I picked up on a lot of things.” If he had to be honest, it was partially because his metal arm had power tools built into it, making the process much easier. “But I have to admit, having Naga and her earth manipulation made things a lot easier. Not only did I not have to get stone, but she can make her own version of concrete. Plus, no need for cranes or anything… Speaking of building, I should have my order of house wrap coming soon. Same with the water pipes, ventilation pipes, and electrical wires.”

Stardust blinked. “...I’d offer to help, but I have no idea how to do all of that.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Skystrike waved a hoof. “I made the blueprints and everything myself, so I know what I’m doing. If you really want to help, house wrapping is fairly straight forward. You could also start thinking of colors you want to paint the place. And you will be helping with building all the furniture, since most are custom orders.”

“Why do you need to custom order furniture?”

“Same reason the princesses do. Because I’m massive.” Skystrike rolled a shoulder. “Damn, I’m sore… I want to get something to eat.”

They looked between each other as they shared a collective thought. “Burgers.”

“Hell yeah.” Skystrike added before turning to Naga. “Can you hold down the fort for about an hour?” Naga saluted him with her tail. “Great. I’ll make it up to you.” He said as they began walking to town.

Zecora, Stardust, and a few of the residents of Ponyville were watching Skystrike as he ordered twenty separate burgers, and was scarfing down his eighth while opening up his ninth. He was almost yelled out of the restaurant when he ordered that many, but he was adamant he’d eat them all. He was hungry.

Skystrike bit into the hayburger, taking off half its mass with one bite. He chewed, swallowed, then stuffed the rest into his mouth with a satisfied hum. “Mmmm, that hit the spot. You have no idea how much I needed that.”

Zecora wasn’t even halfway done with hers. “When was the last time you took a bite? Have you eaten at all since morning light?”

Skystrike wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Uh… yesterday morning?” He thought back. “I’ve been… really busy. Honestly, now that I think about it, I realized I haven't slept.”

“...You sure you’re ok, Nebula?”

“Probably. I’ve been fine through worse.” Skystrike leaned back in his chair. “So, how’s it fairing with you two? Housing together going alright?”

Stardust bit into her burger. “It’s… an experience. Not that it’s bad living with you, Zecora.” She quickly clarified. “Living in the forest is just… interesting.”

“I do not mind, my pony friend, it’s true. It takes some time to get used to.” Zecora laughed. “The Everfree’s nice when you know what to expect. Its calm and its peace, I deeply respect.”

“Calm? Peace? The Everfree forest?”

“You’d be surprised.” Skystrike nodded. “It’s comforting at times, the unpredictability.”

“I don’t get how you like the unpredictability.”

Skystrike thought of an example. “You know how when it rains, you get the excuse to stay in that day? Imagine that, but it’s a surprise.” Then he began voicing a hypothetical. “‘Hey Nebula, wanna go do something you probably don't want to?’ ‘Ah, I’d love to, but it’s raining.’ Perfect excuse.”

“You know what… fair.” Stardust chuckled.

Skystrike was about to say something, but noticed that Zecora was looking away from him. He followed her eyes, seeing what he assumed to be a mother and her colt. The mother was smiling widely to both of their confusion. Soon, the colt ran up to the table and looked up at Zecora. “Excuse me, miss Zecora? Does your mommy help you put on your stripes?”

Zecora looked at the boy, then to Skystrike, who was trying his hardest not to laugh. Stardust was choking on the water she was in the middle of drinking. Zecora made eye contact with the mother, who was giggling to herself. She couldn’t help but smile at the colt, trying to give a serious answer with a non serious face.. “I was born with these stripes, my dear little one, but asking such questions shows wisdom begun.”

“Thank you!” The colt said before running back to his mom.

Skystrike was grabbing onto the table as he held in his laughter. He inhaled deeply. “That was great!” He chuckled as he put the rest of his burgers in his bag. “Welp, gotta make my way to the train station. That delivery should be here by now.”

“Why don't you have the postal service deliver it?” Stardust asked.

“Derpy is our delivery mare.”

“Is that… bad?”

Skystrike sighed. She doesn’t know. “She isn’t a bad mare, she’s just… not the brightest. In fact…” He noticed the mare in the distance. “There she is.”

They watched as she giddily flew along with a box in her hooves. She eyed it curiously, but was so focused on it that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was flying, running into the scaffolding on a house that was still in repair. The scaffolding fell apart like a house of cards. “...I see what you mean.”

“Yeah, letters, she can deliver no problem. Maybe bigger, bulky items too. I don’t want to risk it today though.” Skystrike stretched as he stood up. “Well that was good. I have to go pick up my stuff. You two coming?”

They nodded as they got up as well. Small talk filled the air between them as they walked to the train station. A stallion was already waiting for him, flagging Skystrike down and waving the pegasus over. After a quick signing, Skystrike tied the several crates he had with some rope from his bag and tied them to his back.

Stardust looked at him. “Nebula, what in Tartarus are you made of?”

“What do you mean?” Skystrike looked at her.

“"I forget the bounds of your strength, it's no act. You're carrying six crates piled high on your back!" Zecora said.

“I mean, they are heavy. Won’t be able to fly with these on…” Skystrike took a few practice steps. “But this isn’t the heaviest thing I’ve carried.” They began walking back home.

Stardust tilted her head. “What is the heaviest thing you’ve carried?”

“So far?” Skystrike thought about it. “You know, that’s a good question. I don’t remember. I just know I’ve carried heavier.”

“For a moment, I thought you'd say Tethys' name, but it seems my guess was a little off aim.”

He looked at Zecora. “I was taught to not comment on a lady’s weight.”

“...You know, when you say something like that, it implies that this ‘Tethys’ is heavy.” Stardust coughed.

“...Shit.” He said to himself and their amusement. Skystrike set the crates down in front of his soon to be house. “Alright. Stardust, you ready to get started?”

“Sure am.” Stardust took off her helmet and shook out her sky blue hair.

Zecora rolled a shoulder. "I don't mind lending a hoof your way, I've got no plans for the rest of the day."

“Well, that’ll make things so much easier.” Skystrike opened the needed crate. “Let’s get to work.”

A couple more weeks passed, and the house was finally finished. The sleepless nights were worth it as Skystrike looked up at his weeks of hard work.

The outside of the house had decorative stones, courtesy of Naga, for an outer wall, making it not at all boring to look at. He had a decent size porch too, with a small ramp to walk up to enter the door. Two stories tall, the main section of the house went back fairly far, and branched off into two other sections. The armory was to the right, with a few windows to let in the sun, and a sky light to shine down the light on a single armor stand. Or that would be the plan, once he finds a good set of armor to put there. The left side of the house had a large tower that he still hasn't named, that would house his library and research stations. Admittedly, he took some inspiration from the many towers in Canterlot Castle. It had the same decorative grey stones on the outside, though the pointed roof had deep blue roofing tiles, compared to the light grey the rest of the building had.

Walking around the back, he looked at his warehouse and forge. The forge was the same as his last one, albeit slightly bigger. The warehouse was there so he could work in the rain and snow if needed. Plus, there was much more space for storage, so any incomplete works, he wouldn’t need to find a place inside to temporarily house it.

And this was just a minor rant on Skystrike’s end, he hated the normal ponies building styles. They didn’t look bad, but they completely lacked any insulation besides their thatch roofings. It got cold during winter, and Skystrike was glad that he finished his house before winter.

The house has been done for a few months now, long enough for winter to come, start, and soon come to an end. Kyne came by a few weeks ago to drop off the items that Skystrike had him hold onto. He once again made the mistake of not telling anypony until he landed in front of his house. With the help of Stardust, Zecora, and the rest of his friends, they unloaded everything Kyne bought and put it into his home.

Skystrike walked back inside to see the interior. The living room had a bookshelf on the far wall, a fireplace in the center of another wall, and a reclining chair and couch in front of the fireplace. He threw in a cut of a log and stoked it. He pushed his hooves into the rug he was on and hummed in satisfaction. The only thing the room was missing was something to decorate the walls. Maybe some paintings would be nice.

Next, he walked into his kitchen. There were some cinnamon rolls he made this morning on the kitchen island. He took one and bit into it as he looked over the spruce dining table, surrounded by ten chairs. He knew he didn't need that many, but with how often he had company, it helped out. Besides, it gave him a little hope that the whole group would come back together again. He looked at his new stove, his new ovens, his new refrigerator. With the money that Kyne bought back, he had plenty to spare on some luxuries.

Skystrike walked to his armory. There were several stands spread around the room, though few held any armor on them. He currently wore a sweater and ski pants, so his armor was on one. Stardust’s stood on another, specifically for her. The rest were empty. But it just gave more attention to the many collectables he had. On the wall racks, stood various swords, hammers, axes, and magic items, separated by weapon type, then design. The more dangerous ones were under locks and hidden elsewhere, but that would come up another time.

Finally, he walked to his tower, where Stardust currently was, knocked out on a reclining chair with a book open on her lap. He smiled at the look. The circular room was large, taking Skystrike a few paces to walk to the other end. On this level each wall had a built-in bookcase, as well as a few studies for any research that he, Stardust, or Zecora would want to do.

Going up the staircase to the second floor, he got to the more magical part of his tower. Outwardly it didn’t have anything that showed how magical it was, but that was his goal. In fact, it was the extreme lack of magic in the room that made it perfect for his experiments. After all, testing magic in a place with a negligible outside magical factor would be ideal. That being said… he didn’t really have much to test. He could test the magical items that Kyne dropped by. Yeah, sounds like a plan. He’ll get to that. The open air balcony on the top of his tower was perfect, giving a great view of the mountain Canterlot was on, as well as Ponyville. He had a telescope for stargazing, which he wanted to get into, since astronomy works very differently then back where he was from.

Anyway, that was for later. For now, Skystrike wanted to relax within the confines of his home. The snow outside settles a few inches, the forest was silent, and the fireplace was roaring warmth. Skystrike walked to the living room and sat down in his recliner. He didn’t even need a book or anything to pass the time. He just wanted to relax after his workout. Though he couldn’t help but think he was forgetting something as he began to fall asleep.

There was a knock on his door. His eyes snapped open in mild annoyance. Skystrike got up and walked to his door, opening it to see Zecora in front of him with a brown vest. “Skystrike! Your new home's a fine work of art, Is it treating you well? Are you ready to start?”

Skystrike groggily blinked. “Ready to start what?”

“Winter wrap up, of course. The ponies say this season has ran its course.”

“...You rhymed course with course.”

Zecora ignored that. “We need to head to town hall soon. Are you coming with us, or later at noon?”

“Oh… shit.” It all came back to Skystrike. “Yeah, come inside while I get dressed. Stardust is asleep in the library if you want to wake her up for me.” He quickly flew up to his room through the indoor balcony and put on his winter coat Rarity made for him before jumping downstairs.

Stardust rubbed her eyes with a yawn and looked at Skystrike. “...You got a date or something today? Why so well dressed?”

“My body doesn’t retain heat as well as the average pony. I’d like to not freeze my balls off, thank you.” Skystrike straightened his coat.

“Would it matter? They’re already blue.” Zecora smirked.

Skystrike slowly turned to look at her. “First off, I ask you not to make a joke like that again unless it's just the two of us, and second, that didn’t even rhyme.” Then he realized. “Ok, new rule, rhyming off of me doesn’t count.”

Zecora laughed as she turned around and went back out the front door. The two followed the Zebra to town with tired looks on their faces. Skystrike wished he could rub his eyes, but you know. The helmet. The three stopped in front of the crown surrounding the town hall, with Mayor Mare at the top of the steps.

She waited a few moments before she started. “Thank you, everypony, for being here bright and early! We need every single ponies help to wrap up winter, and bring in spring!” The crowd gave excited cheers, making Skystrike’s ears ring slightly. “Now all of you have your vests, and have been assigned to your teams! So let's do even better than last year, and have the quickest Winter Wrap Up ever!”

The crowd cheered again as Skystrike and Stardust looked between each other. They did not have their vests. “Wait, Zecora, when did you get your vest?”

“"The mayor stopped me just last week, to help Fluttershy with the animals, so to speak."

“Oh.” Skystrike realized he hasn’t been in town in a while. He didn’t like moving too much in the cold. “Shit… Well come on, Stardust. We gotta get vests.” She followed the stallion as he walked up to Mayor Mare. “Hey, so somehow, me and Stardust didn’t get the memo. We don’t have vests. Where should we help out?”

“Oh, Nebula, Stardust!” Mayor Mare smiled at them. “It’s not surprising, it is your first winter here. I only met Zecora by chance.” Then she rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Hmm… well, a stallion of your stature could help out clearing the snow. That team leader is Applejack. Though I know for sure we don't have a vest in your size. Then again, you could also help Rainbow Dash clear the clouds and help with bringing back the birds. Up to you. As for you, Stardust, the animal team, the ones with the brown vests, could use a hoof. Rarity and some others make bird nests, while Fluttershy wakes up the animals from hibernation.”

Skystrike stretched. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll make my way to Applejack then. I’m not too good at breaking up clouds.”

Stardust looked around for her team leader. “Alright, come on Zecora. We’ll see you later, Nebula.”

But then they paused in their tracks as there was the sound of a guitar coming from… everywhere. They looked around as the area around them turned to black. ‘The hell is-’ His thought was cut off by a spotlight shining down on Rainbow Dash. “Three months of winter coolness, and awesome holidays…” She began to sing.

“Oh no…” Skystrike thought aloud as his eyes shrunk to pin pricks.

Another spotlight manifested above Pinkie Pie. “We’ve kept our houses warm at home, time off from work and play…”

“Please no… GOD no…” He pleaded to no one in particular.

A third appeared above Applejack. “But the food we’ve stored is running out, and we can’t grow in this cold…”

A fourth on Rarity. “And even though I love my boots, the fashion is getting old…”

Skystrike looked at Stardust and Zecora momentarily before grabbing them and flying full speed away from the crowd.” Nebula! What’s wrong?!”

“Nope, nu-uh, no, nein, nada, nope, fuck that.” Skystrike said as he landed. “I am not getting us caught up in a musical number.”

Zecora looked at him. “What are you saying? Please explain. Is this a custom from your domain?”

“Something like that.” Skystrike sighed. “These ponies like to sing. Sometimes, they do it together… and everypony joins in. Some, not by their own volition…” He shuddered. “My body, my voice, they weren’t my own. I don’t want it happening again.”

“...What?” Stardust tilted her head. “This is the first time I’ve heard of anything like this. What do you mean again?”

“Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up!” They heard in the distance.

“Nonononononononono!” Skystrike pleaded as the ponies seemed to come over the hills from every direction. “WAITWAITWAITWAITWAITWAITWAIT!!”

“Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up!” A pony pulled herself from behind a building. “Let’s finish our holiday cheer!” Skystrike began running, the other two instinctively following him until he stopped from another pony in front of him. “Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up! Cause tomorrow spring is here!”

He tried to run once more, but he couldn’t move them. The musical number forced him to trot alongside the townsfolk. The words came to his mind, snaking their way out of his mouth. He couldn’t fight it anymore. Next time, he’d need to fly farther.

“...You know.” Stardust coughed from a dry throat. “It was kinda catchy.”

“Shut up.” Skystrike groaned. “I’m going to find Applejack. Probably at her farm. Rarity is at her boutique, and I think Fluttershy is near the outskirts south of Ponyville.”

“Thanks. We’ll see you later.” Stardust nodded before they went their separate ways.

Skystrike walked towards Sweet Apple Acres to get to work. He noticed that most of the stallions in town were here, plowing the snow off the fields. Makes sense, given the average stature of one compared to a mare. He continued to trudge through the snow until he saw the mare he was looking for. “Applejack.”

The farm mare turned to him. “Nebula! Good to see you. It’s been some time, with us all holed up in our homes.”

Skystrike nodded. “Yeah, as you could’ve guessed, I’m not a big fan of winter. Despite not wanting to be out in this cold, I figured I should help out.”

“Well I wouldn’t mind an extra hoof. I didn’t ask ‘cause I figured Rainbow would’ve asked you for the flight team.”

“Well, I think she reached out to me a couple weeks ago…” Skystrike thought back, trying to remember. “I think I gave a reason along the lines of being bad at flying in groups.”

“I appreciate it either way.” Applejack smiled at him as they began walking. “Anything else before we get you started?”

“Just some questions about the whole wrap ip in general.” Skystrike nodded. “From what Mayor Mare said, it seems like the last wrap ups weren’t exactly fast.”

She sheepishly chuckled. “Yeah… we’ve been late wrapping up winter the last few years. We weren’t too organized, admittedly.”

“Well if it’s like that, why do we start the day off instead of a few days early? Not using magic makes it much slower compared to the other cities.”

“Well, this is a town founded by earth ponies. It’s tradition to not use magic. Though you do make a good point…” She stood in thought for a moment.

Skystrike decided to move on the conversation. “How have things been since the parasprites? I know you said your barn got torn through.”

“Yeah.” Applejack sighed. “Luckily, there wasn’t too much in the barn. They ignored the actual house so we lucked out… Still sucked that it took so long to build it with just me, and the family. Other than that, we’re all doing good. Granny has been knitting up a storm for the winter, Big Mac and I were taking care of the animals, and Applebloom has been focusing on her school work. There’s a science fair coming.”

Skystrike’s ears perked up. “Oh? I liked those when I was a kid, actually. Never got first, because I think the whole thing was rigged.” He chuckled. “But hey, if she needs help, send her my way. Same to you next Applebucking season if you're short hooved.”

“I will, thanks. By the way, what did you do for those science fairs? All I did was show those life cycles of plants.”

He thought back to one. “Well, the coolest one in my opinion, I made a two foot golem made of wood powered by a magic stone. It could only do simple walking cycles and lift things,but I got second. Looking back on it, I could’ve made a much more efficient magic circuit.” He gave it some more thought. “The dumbest one, I made a pair of shoes that released a burst of magic that let me jump a few feet higher… Then I remembered I could fly.”

Applejack chuckled. “You have some funny stories. You’ll have to tell me some more another time. For now, let's get you started.” She pushed open the door to the barn. Skystrike saw a few plows sat inside, ready for use.

He also saw a certain filly. “Oh, Applebloom. How are you?”

“Oh, Nebula!” Applebloom jumped out of her seat. “I’m doing fine. Applejack said I’m too small to help out yet.”

Skystrike looked at her, then to Applejack. “She could help by bucking the snow off the trees?”

“She said the same thing, but the snow will melt off in time. Besides, what if she gets stuck under the snow?”

Skystrike looked to the pouting filly again. “Look, AJ, she’s bored out of her mind. I know you don’t really have time to watch her as the team leader, so I’ll watch her as I plow the fields if you let me.”

Applebloom’s ears went up at the idea, then went to plead to her sister with puppy dog eyes. Applejack looked down at her and sighed. “Fine… But make sure to stay next to Nebula. Big Mac will be on the other side of the orchard from where Nebula will be, so listen to him, ok?”

“Ok!” Applebloom jumped up as Skystrike secured himself in one of the green snowplows.

“Nebula, please look after her for me?” Applejack asked.

“Of course.” Skystrike began walking out of the barn, Applebloom on his metaphorical tail. “So, to clarify, where am I going?”

“Over that hill over yonder.” Applejack pointed to the distance. “Come by if any problems happen.”

Skystrike nodded as he began walking. Soon enough, he was where he was needed, and apparently the only one in this part of the field. He began pushing the snow into piles away from the arable land. “So, Applebloom, how’s things going for you?”

Applebloom jumped through the snow. “You asked me that earlier. I said I’m fine.”

“Well yeah, but that was the answer that is always prepared for anypony who asks that question, not the actual answer.”

She thought about that. “...Well I guess things could be better…” She admitted. “Applejack and Big Mac haven’t really played with me or anything since winter break started… And I don’t have many friends in school to play with.”

“Any reason? Or do you just not talk to that many ponies?”

“I mean… I try. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just get in the way. It’s because I don’t have a cutie mark.” Applebloom kicked at the snow. “I can’t blame the others for not wanting to be around me, but it’s because they don't want to deal with those two.”

“Ah.” Skystrike huffed. Isolation tactics. “I assume these two ponies pick on you?” Applebloom nodded. “...Admittedly, kid, the advice I’d give you would make your sister mad at you, so I can’t help you out there. But know that it’s not because you don’t have a cutie mark.”

“Well it sure feels like it.” She huffed.

“I’m sure it does, but let me explain.” Skystrike picked Applebloom up and put the filly on his back between his wings. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would’ve found another reason to pick on you even if you did have a cutie mark.”

“But… why?”

“Sadly, some beings are like that.” Skystrike shrugged as he began to turn around at a cliff to plow parallel to his last path. “They gain satisfaction by seeing others in distress.”

“Well… it sucks that there’s nothing I can really do about them…” Applebloom moved herself deeper into his wings. She let out a satisfied hum in his warm feathers.

“Well, if you need more friends around your age, there’s Spike. Also, Rarity has a little sister. She looks around your age.” Skystrike thought aloud. “Speaking of your school, Applejack told me you had a science fair coming up. What are you going to do for it?”

Applebloom winced. “...I don’t know. I thought about a paper mache volcano, but I get the feeling everypony would do it…”

“Well, let me ask you this, are you doing the science fair for the grade, or because you like science?”

“Uh… both?”

“I do have a degree in the sciences, so if you need help, reach out to me. With all the apples here, I bet you could make a great report on the genetic diversity of apples, and touch on mutations.”

Applebloom tilted her head. “Genetic?”

Skystrike began explaining. “Ok, so summing it up quickly, genetics is the study of how different traits are passed down between generations. For ponies, as example, it’s like how if a unicorn and a pegasus have a child, the child could take after either one of their parents. Or, another example, if Zecora had a child, that zebra would inherit the patterns Zecora has.”

“Ok… and what does that have to do with apples?”

“Well, I’m sure your grandmother remembers the oldest trees here. Compare those apples to the younger ones, and see the changes within said apples. Maybe the apples got bigger, maybe they got sweeter, tarter, whatever. Then you can see if you can figure out which trees got those traits from each other. It also ties into different types of apples, since mutations from those genes become different types of apples through selective breeding. I’m sure somepony in your family knows something about it.”

“Oh, ok! Thank you, Nebula!” Applebloom hugged the back of his neck.

“No problem. Also, last question for now, who’s in charge of the school house? I’m thinking about getting Spike to be in your class.” Skystrike looked back at the filly as he turned back toward the cliff.

“Oh, that’d be Ms. Cheerilee. Though we don’t get off of winter break until next week.” Applebloom answered. “...And thanks for talking with me. It doesn’t feel like the adults actually listen to me.”

“Trust me, I get the feeling.” Skystrike chuckled. “...You know, random thought, we need to think of a nickname for you.”

“...Well what brought that up?”

“Well, I have nicknames for most of the beings I know.” Skystrike explained. “Rainbow Dash is Rainbow or RD, Your sister is AJ, Pinkie Pie is Pinkie, Twilight is Twi… you know that begs the question, what decides if you can have a good nickname? Because it feels weird if I called Zecora ‘Ze’ or ‘cora’.”

Applebloom thought about that. “...You could call her Zaza?”

Skystrike smirked under his mask. “You know what, you should definitely call her that next time you see her.”

And then he heard a rumbling. A distant one… no, it was getting louder. He and Applebloom turned their heads to the sound, seeing the heads of Applejack and Spike sticking out of a building-sized snowball as it tumbled towards them. Skystrike looked behind him, seeing the cliff wall, and the mound of snow on top of the cliff. When that snowball hits, they’re going to get pinned under it. He didn’t have time to make a run for it, but he could at least get Applebloom to safety. He pulled Applebloom off his back with a hoof and chucked her past the snowball and away from the cliff.

The snowball hit Skystrike head on, trapping him under the blanket of sleet. He felt every inch of his body covered by the bitter chill of the elements. His clothes soon became damp as time passed. Skystrike thought he heard someone saying something, but the feet of snow between him and the voice made it hard to hear. But that wasn’t what he was worried about right now. The darkness that enveloped him made him uneasy… No, to be more spot on, it terrified him. He never liked it. Complete darkness. It reminded him of the lab, the humans that held him captive. He began to panic, not even being able to control his breathing as it got faster. His eyes darted from each spot of darkness as he tried to move his body to no avail.

Meanwhile, above the snow, Applebloom, Applejack, Spike, and Twilight were able to stay away from the majority of the avalanche. The last three stuck their heads out from the few inches of snow that covered them. Applejack turned to the unicorn with an angry look. “Nuts, Twilight! You used magic!”

“The nerve! Can you believe her!?” Spike motioned to the unicron.

Applejack raised a brow at the baby dragon, but ignored him for now. “That’s not how we do it ‘round here, Twilight. And especially not on my farm!”

Applebloom ran over, climbing up the pile of snow to talk to her sister. “Applejack! Applejack!” Their attention was turned to the filly. “Y’all hit Nebula! He’s still under the snow.”

They all looked at her, wide eyed, before pulling themselves out of the snow and beginning to dig. “Applebloom!” Applejack yelled to her sister. “Go get some ponies and bring some shovels!”

“What was he doing over here in the first place!?” Twilight asked as she tried to push the snow out of the way.

“Less talking, more digging!” Applejack said as she desperately shoveled the snow out of the way.

They tried their best to dig the stallion out. Soon, others came with snow shovels to move him out. With their combined efforts, and about twenty minutes of time, there was enough snow gone for Skystrike to move. His arm was the first to be freed, allowing himself to pull the rest of his body out of the snow. He gasped for air as his breathing finally began to slow. Skystrike felt a pain all up his right arm. He clenched it with his other hoof as he grit his teeth.

The stallion looked around, seeing Applejack, Twilight, Spike, Applebloom, and several others of the townsfolk looked at him with worried expressions. “Nebula, you alright!? You were under there for a while…”

Skystrike took a deep breath. “I think… I’m done with winter.” He stood up. Only then did he realize how damp his clothes and coat of fur was. He began to shiver as he opened the jaw of his helmet momentarily to let out the snow. He closed it before speaking again. “...I’m going to go take a bath. Thanks for digging me out, by the way...”

Skystrike, without another word, began walking back home, ignoring the guilty look on Twilight's face. His wet clothes sticking to him was a feeling he did not welcome. Once home, he went to his bathroom, turned on the lights, threw off his clothes and helmet, and turned on the bathtub faucet. While it filled up, he went downstairs, made himself a cup of hot cocoa, then went back upstairs to step into the bath. The warm water on his body, the hot chocolate within, it was enough to warm him up.

He took a long sip before speaking to himself. “...This town fuckins SUCKS!” Skystrike shouted at the top of his lungs. His eyes burned a bright white light as he tightened his grip on his mug. “Oooooh, you wanted to help ponies! But NOOOO, first they avoid you, despite doing nothing wrong. But hey! They decide to be nice! AFTER you fight off Nightmare Moon and a fucking Ursa Minor, nearly dying from the latter!” He ranted. “I came here to fucking settle down! But no, trouble seems to follow me wherever I go! Sure, Kyne, Magnus, I bought on myself, but then random BULLSHIT happens!” Skystrike began splashing in the water in his rage. “Zecora deals with what I can only assume to be fucking horse racism! Parasprites fuck up the shit I spent too long building in a matter of moments! And then what feels like a literal ton of snow falls on me because somepony wasn’t looking where they were fucking GOING!” His voice echoed through his house. He was standing up, huffing in anger now.

“...Are you finished?” Echo asked.

Skystrike sat back down and downed the rest of his cocoa. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down. “I think so… yes. Sorry, I just needed to voice what I’ve been thinking these past few months.”

“It is recommended that you take more steps to control your anger.” Echo stated. “Your internal emotional state is negatively affecting your health.”

“...What do you mean?” Skystrike sat up.

“As you know, your emotional state affects the type of magic you can cast. To specify, the way your mana manifests is dependent on your emotions. Example: the efficiency of your destruction spells grows with your anger. Because you are constantly holding in your emotions, as you just have shown, you are ‘overcharging’ your body for a lack of a better term.” Echo explained as Skystrike listened intently. “Luckily for you, there is a simple fix to this: being honest with yourself and others. Hiding your thoughts is actively damaging your health. You can begin by going to Twilight.”

“What? Why Twilight?”

“She hit you with the snowball because she couldn’t control her snow plow. I was watching as you spoke with Applebloom.”

“Damn…” Skystrike laid back once more. “Well, I’m kinda impressed she’s that fucking strong.”

“Negative. She used a come to life spell.”

Skystrike blinked. “...Knowing that we aren’t supposed to use magic?”

“Affirmative.”

“God damn it.” Skystrike pulled himself out of the now lukewarm water. He dried himself off with a towel before putting back on his helmet. He picked up his clothes and quickly threw them in the washing machine before going to his room. There, Skystrike got a new set of clothes and went outside.

It was a quick walk to Ponyville. If Twilight was anywhere, she’d probably be at her house. He began to look around. He realized he didn’t have to squint anymore from the snow, but instead had to from the sun that was out. Skystrike looked up at the clear skies, then around at the fields clear of snow. Damn, they got to work fast… Wait, how long was he in that bath?

Skystrike paid the thought no mind as he found Twilight, standing where the mayor stood earlier in the day, seeming to be sending off the wrap up teams with a proud smile. “Hey.” He got her attention.

She turned to see the stallion stop next to her. “Oh… hey.” She avoided eye contact. “Sorry about… you know.”

“T-boning me with an avalanche?” Skystrike raised a brow.

“I…” She started. “I know I wasn’t supposed to use magic but… I just wanted to help out. I couldn’t make a bird's nest like Rarity, I couldn’t score the ice with Pinkie Pie, I couldn’t wake the animals with Fluttershy, and I hurt you just because I thought I could sneak and use some magic! But I ended up not being able to do anything right the whole day… I guess just watching everypony else doing something made me feel-”

“Useless? Skystrike finished her sentence. She nodded. “Alright, Twilight, ponies weren’t disappointed in you, nor will ever be just because you can’t do something, especially on your first try. It is ingrained into this society because cutie marks exist. We all know that some can do things better than others. However, that doesn't mean that we don't have expectations for one another. And we expected you, and other unicorns, to not use magic.” Twilight looked down at her hooves. “Now, let me finish before you start sulking.” Skystrike put up a hoof. “You think you disappointed ponies today, but ponies will always be disappointed in something you do. What you should focus on is how you disappointed yourself today. What others think doesn't matter. Only what you, and those you hold close to you, thinks matters. Now tell, was Pinkie Pie disappointed when you couldn’t do the job?”

“No… it was my first time ice skating.” She answered.

“Was Rarity disappointed when you couldn’t make a bird's nest?”

“No…”

“Were Fluttershy or Applejack when you tried to help them out?”

“Well… Applejack was-”

“Because you used magic, not because you tried to help in the first place. So, from the sounds of it, it only seemed like you were trying to prove something to yourself.” Skystrike sighed. “You, nor anyone, is good at everything. We all have our flaws that makes us who we are. Sometimes, there is nothing we can do. Despite that, we do what we can. Which it seems like you did do, if I assume right that you help organize this shit show?”

“I… did. How did you know?” She asked.

“I heard them arguing while I was walking here.” Skystrike chuckled. “So, it seems like you can help. You made your place here, so that means you did good.”

“A-alright.” Twilight smiled a bit. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Skystrike rolled his wings. “So, where would you say I’m needed?”

“Well…” Twilight thought about it. “Honestly, I’m surprised you still want to help out after being under all that snow. No pony would mind if you just stayed home.”

“Well…” Skystrike looked over the town. “Let’s just say I have grown at least a bit fond of the place, despite the stuff that happens here. It’s my town too. Gotta help out.”

“If you’re that willing, I think we can find a spot for you to fill in.” Then she rubbed her chin in thought. “Actually, I heard that one of Rainbow Dash’s pegasi on the weather team went north instead of south to get the migratory birds. Not many are willing to do an overnight flight.”

“Sounds like a plan then.” Skystrike spread his wings and turned south. “Tell Stardust for me.” With a heavy flap of his wings, he took off into the sky.

Holy shit, there were so many birds. They were expecting him, so it made it easier. Dawn broke as Ponyville came into view in the distance. The sound of thousands of birds behind him was interesting to the ears.

As he flew closer, he noticed that many of the ponies were still hard at work, mostly plowing the farmlands, planting, and watering the seeds they planted. Seems like they were just waiting for him. Skystrike left the birds to their own devices as they were now where they needed to be. He landed on a hill outside of the village, where many of the townsfolk seemed to be gathered, looking at the fruits of their hard labor.

He landed next to his friends with a yawn. “What are we cheering for?”

“And here I declare…” Mayor Mare was speaking. “That Winter has been wrapped up on time!”

“That!” Pinkie jumped on him as she cheered.

“Thanks for getting the birds, Nebula.” Rainbow Dash elbowed the stallion. “You’re a lot faster than I thought you’d be.”

“I aim to please.” Skystrike nodded. He looked up at Twilight next to Mayor Mare, who had her own vest, combining all the colors of the team vests. Seems she got her own for being the organizer. He was happy for her.

Applejack chuckled. “Spike’s sure gonna be in for a hog sized surprise once that last piece of ice melts.”

They all laughed for a bit, save for Skystrike, who tensed up. “...You all left a child on a piece of ice floating down one of Ponyville’s rivers?”

“When you say it like that… but don’t worry, Spike’s fine.” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof.

“He’s nine!” Skystrike stomped a hoof. “Damn it.” Skystrike quickly flew off. The girls looked between each other before Skystrike landed next to them a few moments later. “You all are lucky this dude is safe.” Spike responded with a sneeze.

“Jeez, didn’t realize you cared so much for the little dude.” Rainbow said.

“I will find anypony who had even the slightest hoof on him if this guy ends up hurt and ponies could’ve taken steps to stop it. Who in their right mind leaves a kid sleeping on a block of ice!?”

“To be fair…” Spike rubbed his eyes. “I fell asleep on a block of ice…”

Skystrike put the baby dragon down. “...You all are lucky this grape is kind enough to let you all off the hook. For that, I will also let this go.” He sighed. Then he had a thought. “Wait… Fluttershy, you’re in charge of the animal team right?”

“Uh… yes?” She answered.

“Did anypony go near my house to wake up any animals?”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “The Everfree Forest is too dangerous for animals to live near it, so there’s no need.” Skystrike took in a deep breath. “Are you… ok?”

“I will be…” Skystrike rolled his neck. “I made the realization that nopony woke up Naga… and she does not like being woken up.”

“Alright, let's do this.” He sighed as he walked into Naga’s cave. It was dark, damp, mossy, and smelly. He turned on the flashlight in his helmet to get a view of his surroundings. There were a few roaches scurrying away from the light, as well as some spiders making their homes on the cave walls. He ignored them and walked deeper inside.

He found Naga sleeping, wrapped up in a large orange blanket that Rarity made for her a while ago. She let out soft snores as she slept peacefully. Skystrike walked up to her head and nudged her jaw, trying to wake her up, only to get shoved away by her pushing her head against him. He then tried pulling her out from under the covers, only to be smacked away by her tail.

“Ok, you asked for it.” Skystrike sighed before pulling the blanket off of her in one fell swoop. Her eyes instantly shot open and glared at Skystrike. She let out a screech as she tried to swipe at Skystrike with her tail, only for Skystrike to jump over it. She tried to bite him out of the air, but he narrowly dodged it. The stallion landed on her head and held on. She tried to shake him off, but it was futile.

Naga was not a morning animal. If his memory was right, she had a spot that she’d instantly calm down if he pet it. He rubbed the side of her head just above her ear hole. She slowly calmed down from her sleepy rage. Naga let him down from her head and gave him an apologetic nudge.

“It’s all good. Just won't be looking forward to it next year.” He chuckled to himself.

Author's Note

Well, sorry for a late chapter. A lot has happened this month, let alone this year. I'm trying to manage my time better so I can start writing during the next semester, so I hope these will come out faster. I hope you all didn't mind the music I put in (none owned by me, of course), but I'm just testing some stuff out, and feel like it'd be more enjoyable to me and you as readers if you had something to listen to. You're welcome to recommend music that you'd want me to use.

And finally, I want to thank all of you people for reading. Writing has been a hobby of mine for a while, and I'm glad so many people are enjoying it, despite my inconsistency. To a new year for stories!