Tempest paced back and forth in the foyer as Twilight, Luna, and Celestia ate breakfast together in the dining room just behind the door. As much as she believed it as her duty to protect the princesses, she just couldn't focus. Her thoughts raced back and forth over and over again while she bit her lip in growing frustration.

"Just... ask. You can do that much, Tempest. It's not that hard... but you literally just started... yes but this is a very unique circumstance... Besides, she knows just as well as I do that they need all the help they can get... Ugh." She thought aloud.

Tempest walked over to the nearby window and glanced outside at the sun. As it hung low in the sky, and the hot light peered in through the window, she let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Looks like it's gonna be a hot day today... Ugh, why am I like this?" She whispered to herself.

Before she could answer her own question, a doorway up the stairs opened, and her ears flicked towards the source of noise almost instantly. Boots on crystal steps sounded through the air, and before Tempest could even see them, she had a fair idea as to who was coming down the stairs.

Jason walked down the steps and quickly saw the mulberry unicorn as she stared back at him. He gave a friendly smile at seeing her and made his way over to her side.

"What'cha looking at?" He asked, glancing out the window.

"Oh, uh, nothing..." Tempest replied, realizing that she was staring and looking away, "Just... you know, it's pretty warm outside already. I think it's going to be a hot day today."

Jason looked out the window and squinted, "Yeah, it might be a bit warm today... You look a little hot to be honest."

Tempest looked at him with a look of confusion, only to realize that a steady blush had crept onto her face after he arrived. Her eyes widened and she nervously gulped.

"Uh, hehe, y-yeah... It's the armor and... I'm a little warm right now. I-I'll be fine though." She stammered, giving him a dismissal wave of her hoof in the process.

Jason tilted his head to the side at her behavior, "Uh, are you sure you're okay? You seem kinda nervous."

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Really, don't worry about me." Tempest quickly replied, trying her best to give a winning smile.

Before Jason could respond, another voice spoke out, directing both of their attention back to the dining room.

"Ah, Jason, and Tempest, there you are. Why don't you both come in for breakfast?" Celestia asked, eyeing them both with a motherly smile.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, your highness," Jason replied before looking down at Tempest again, "What about you?" He asked.

"Um... s-sure." Tempest hesitantly said.

Jason and Tempest walked to the dining room and followed Celestia as she lead them to the table. Just as yesterday morning, there was a mountain of food on the table. Everything ranging from muffins to pancakes, and strawberries to bananas littered the table in some manner or another. As the three of them approached, they were met by Luna and Twilight, who by the looks of things, were just in the middle of breakfast themselves.

"Good morning, Jason. It is good to see you up so early." Luna greeted, giving Jason a curt nod.

"Thank you, your highness. I uh, I've always been something of an early bird." Jason replied, giving a nod in return.

"Oh please, no need to be so formal. Honestly, I think we all prefer to be more casual with each other. Please, just call me Luna." Luna insisted.

"Same for me. Please, just call me Celestia." Celestia added.

"Um, well if you're both sure. I will, thank you." Jason said.

"Now come, sit. I don't suppose we can expect the rest of your team to be down here soon, can we?" Celestia continued, igniting her horn and pulling a chair out for him and Tempest.

Jason slowly took his seat and gave a thankful nod to the solar diarch, "They'll all be down in a few minutes. Same with Sky and Midnight. We were all up pretty late last night." Jason explained.

As he talked, Tempest hesitantly took the seat Celestia had pulled out for her, which just so happened to be right next to Jason. She kept her head straight and tried to keep her eyes facing ahead, although she spared a glance his way every so often as he continued.

"I see. What were Sky and Midnight discussing with you, if you don't mind my prying?" Celestia calmly asked before sipping her morning tea.

"They want to come with us." Jason replied.

Celestia nearly choked on her tea. She devolved into a minor coughing fit for a few moments before regaining her composure, much to everyone in the rooms relief.

"I-I'm sorry, did you say they want to go with you?" She asked, her voice a little strained.

"Yes... Uh, I wasn't too sure at first either, but Laws-er, Sky, made it clear that he felt responsible for us being here, so he wanted to help." Jason explained.

"That stallion..." Celestia shook her head.

"And Midnight?" Luna pressed.

"Anywhere he goes, she goes. At least, that's how she explained it to me last night. I understand though, she seems really protective of him. He must mean a lot to her." Jason shrugged.

"Indeed. I just wish that they weren't so ready to risk their lives at a moments notice... I've grown rather fond of those two..." Luna replied, pursing her lips.

"If you'll let them come with us, I'll make sure nothing happens to them. My guys and I have a lot of experience in hostile environments. We should be able to get any ponies that come with us back in one piece, no problem." Jason confidently said.

"That... is good to hear. I assume this all means that you've decided on making the journey to the island then." Celestia pressed.

"Yeah. We're pretty much decided at the moment. We're planning on leaving today, if at all possible." Jason explained.

"But you just got here, and that's a loooooong journey. Wouldn't you like to stock up on some necessities first?" Twilight asked.

"We have just about everything we need in our packs... Well, maybe not for six months, but we'll survive." Jason shrugged.

"Are you sure? I know you want to get started as soon as possible, but it might be a good idea to stock up for a day or two." Twilight suggested.

"I know, and normally, I'd agree with you... but there's only so much we can carry anyway. Not to mention, we don't know exactly how long this journey is going to take or how long we all have, so at this point, every second counts." Jason replied.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Jason. Every second they spend here is a second they could spend on their journey to the island." Celestia chimed in.

"So... you're leaving today?" Tempest asked, a tiny trace of dread in her voice.

"Yeah. As much as I'd like to stick around for a bit, we're gonna have to move out today if we want any chance of making it out of here alive." Jason replied, apologetically shrugging.

Tempest frowned and dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Well then, when will you leave?" Luna asked.

"Probably in just a few hours-"

Tempest immediately looked back up at him as if she was going to respond. Her jaw worked to speak, but the words simply wouldn't come out, and once more, she fell silent, her eyes dropping to the floor. Twilight watched her with growing concern while Jason continued to speak to the princesses.

"-Honestly, we're mostly just going to be waiting for Sky and Midnight. My team can be out of here in a few minutes if we really needed to." Jason explained.

"I see. Well, we wish you good fortune in your journey. It will not be an easy one, but we all hope that you are successful." Luna replied.

"Thank you. I hope to see you all when we get back. You've been very kind to us, and it means a lot." Jason responded, nodding his head in thanks.

"Think nothing of it. We always hoped to meet more humans in such a civilized manner." Celestia smiled.

"Hehe, thanks. Speaking of more humans, I'd better go see what's taking the rest of them so long. I'll be back in a minute." Jason said before standing up from his chair and making his way out of the dining room.

Twilight immediately seized the opportunity and hopped out of her chair. She quickly made her way over to Tempest while Celestia and Luna continued eating their breakfast and drinking their tea.

"Tempest?" Twilight tapper her on the shoulder.

Tempest appeared to be deep in thought, and the tap on her shoulder snapped her out of her stupor enough to look at Twilight with a questioning glance.

"Um... Yes? What is it?" She hesitantly replied, glancing back at the princesses the whole while.

" I need to talk to you. Come with me," Twilight said, heading for the doorway before addressing the other princesses, "Celestia, Luna, I'm gonna talk with Tempest for a moment. We'll be right back."

"Hmm? Alright." Celestia replied, glancing up from her tea.

Tempest slowly hopped out of her chair and followed the lavender princess out of the dining room and into the foyer. Once there, Twilight turned around and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I want nothing but the best for you, Tempest, so I need you to answer me truthfully here, okay?" She began.

Tempest could only nod once while a feeling of dread welled up in her heart.

"Do you want to go with the humans?" Twilight asked.

Tempest owlishly blinked at that for a moment before finding her voice, "Uh, ex-excuse me?"

"Do you want to go to the island with Sky, Midnight, and the humans?" Twilight pressed, "I need to know the truth here."

"Uh... W-why does that matter?" Tempest slowly replied.

"Because I can see that them leaving is hurting you, and I need to know if it's just a small crush, or you maybe feel something more here. I don't know if anypony else notices it, but I sure do. The way you look at him, and the way he captures your attention so completely when he speaks, or when he's anywhere near you, it's obvious that you have some feelings for Jason, Tempest." Twilight explained.

Tempest's cheeks heated up. She bit her lip and looked away, but quickly found she had nowhere to go. She had no place to hide, and no one to protect her from this line of questioning. Soon enough, she realized that Twilight was growing impatient for a response, and she had to say something.

"I... I really would like to go with them... But I can't. I'm your guard. It's my duty to stay here with you. B-besides... they're leaving once they're safe. There's no point in pursuing anything with any of them... let alone Jason." Tempest replied, with a sad undertone in her voice.

"Tempest, you don't know that. For all you know, they might decide that they want to stay. I know Sky did after he met Midnight, and for all you know, that could be the same with Jason or any of them for that matter. Now, as for making that journey, I'm willing to let you go with them." Twilight said, placing her hoof on Tempest's wither.

"W-what?" Tempest gasped, "B-but, I just started guarding you the other day!" She exclaimed.

"I know. That said, I can see how much this is affecting you, and I know that you don't feel this way often, if ever. If there's even a chance for you to find some happiness out of this whole situation, and maybe make Jason happy too, then I'm more than willing to let you go and do so. Consider it a uh... early vacation?" Twilight grinned.

"Twilight... I can't just accept this." Tempest replied, struggling to digest Twilight's kindness.

"Okay, think of it like this. I'm 'ordering' you to protect Sky and Midnight while they travel with the humans on their journey. Sound better?" Twilight beamed.

"I... I don't know what to say."

"How's about 'Yes ma'am, I'll go pack my things immediately'?" Twilight teased.

"But... what if they don't want another pony going with them?" Tempest asked.

"Oh, stop worrying so much. I'll take care of that. You just go pack your things." Twilight dismissed.

"Thank you." Tempest replied.

For a moment, she seemed unsure of what to do, but eventually, the mulberry unicorn quickly wrapped her forelegs around the lavender alicorn and pulled her into a gentle hug. Twilight happily returned the gesture, and after a brief moment, they separated. Tempest gave a quick smile, and headed off to her room at a full gallop, leaving a smiling Twilight behind.

"Hehe, that mare needs to learn how to accept a gift." Twilight chuckled before heading up the stairs toward the humans' room.

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. Mike and Eddie barely suppressed their own groans and snickers as they watched alongside him.

"Uh... Guys? Please help." Sky pleaded as Rebecca squeezed him tighter in a bear hug.

"So... fluffy." She whispered.

Midnight raised an eyebrow at the display before turning to face Jason, Mike, and Eddie.

"So... are any of you gonna help him? Or do I have to go get Sky out of that?" She asked.

"Eh, they're having a moment." Eddie shrugged.

"Midnight's right. Come on, Chief. Put him down." Jason ordered.

"But... he's so fluffy." Rebecca whined, nuzzling her cheek against Sky's mane in the process.

"That I am... But we kinda need to go... and you're... squishing me..." Sky managed as he was squeezed even tighter.

"Alright, that's enough. Please let go of my stallion." Midnight said, igniting her horn and prying Rebecca's arms off the crimson pegasus.

"Nooooooooooooo..." Rebecca complained as Sky jumped out of her embrace and landed on the floor.

"Oh thank you. I can breath again." Sky gasped, quickly making his way over to Midnight and nuzzling her.

"Hehe, anytime, big guy."

Jason spared a small grin for the pony couple before turning to address a completely crestfallen Rebecca. However, before he could say a word, there was a knock at the door, and Mike quickly turned to open it. Once the door was open, they were greeted by Twilight, who gave them a warm, albeit confused, smile.

"Hi there. Just wanted to check up on all of you and see if you still wanted breakfast?" Twilight began before noticing Sky, Midnight, and Rebecca, "Uh... what happened in here?" She asked.

"I miss the fluff..." Rebecca whispered.

"Nothing. Just a... small misunderstanding of personal space. Nothing serious. We'll be downstairs in a few minutes. Thank you." Jason replied.

"Good to hear. Although, there is... one more thing I'd like to talk to all of you about." Twilight continued.

"What's that?"

"How would you like to have another pony come along with you? One that has a lot of experience outside of Equestria and can help you navigate the safest path to the island?" She asked, a knowing grin on her face.

"Well... that sounds absolutely amazing. I don't think you're asking if you can come with us though, are you?" Jason replied.

"Hehe, no, I'm afraid not. I'd like Tempest to come along with you if at all possible." Twilight explained.

"Tempest? Isn't she your guard though?" Mike asked, a skeptical look on his face.

"While Tempest is indeed my personal guard, I have a lot of leeway with where she goes at the moment. The plan originally was for her to start a new guard regiment here in Ponyville for me, but I planned that all out months ago, before I knew I was going to be taking over for Celestia and Luna. The current plan with her is just for her to be absorbed into the Canterlot royal guard, but that can wait until after your journey. Also, she really wants to go." Twilight continued, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

Jason gave her a look of pleasant surprise, "Does she? Well, that's actually great. I really like Tempest. By all means, at this point, the more the merrier." He replied, glancing back at the rest of the team.

"Tempest is coming with us? Hell yeah." Sky smiled.

"Are we expecting any more ponies to join us out of nowhere?" Mike asked, looking at the window as if another pony was going to smash through at any moment.

"Tempest is a very smart pony. She's also very adept when it comes to survival outside of Equestria. She managed to survive for seventeen years by relying on nothing but herself. Trust me, you'll want her to come with you." Twilight insisted.

"Well, if it's good with Jay, then it's good with me." Eddie shrugged.

Twilight looked at Rebecca to find her still pouting slightly.

"Anything you have to say, Chief?" Jason asked, crossing his arms.

"She's not fluffy though..." Rebecca muttered.

Jason stared at her for a few seconds before leaning down to Twilight and whispering, "Is there a chance that this magic of yours makes people act kind of... weird?"

"I'm afraid so. Sky had a lot of problems, especially with his memory. It really just depends on where the magic decides to settle down in your head." Twilight replied.

"Alright, well... No time to waste then. Guys, get all your gear and meet downstairs. We'll grab breakfast, and then we're moving out." Jason announced.

The room was quickly cleared out as all parties inside grabbed their gear and weapons. In a matter of minutes, they were all out the door and heading downstairs, with Twilight taking her position right beside Jason.

"So... are you sure you don't want to make any last minute preparations?" Twilight asked.

"If this stuff is already affecting our pilot... then we need to go asap." Jason replied, sparing a glance downward at the lavender alicorn.

"I understand. I hope that you'll be able to make this journey quickly enough though. I know it's a long way and everything, but I really do want to learn more about each of you." Twilight said, giving a soft smile.

"Thank you, Twilight. We'll be back in no time. Don't you worry about a thing." Jason replied with a cheeky grin.

Upon reaching the bottom of the steps, and stepping into the foyer, the group came upon Tempest, who by the looks of things, had just finished packing her saddlebags.

"Tempest, I hear you're going to be joining us." Jason happily greeted.

Tempest's ears immediately perked up at his voice, and she nearly dropped her saddlebags.

"Oh, yes! Um, if that's alright with you, of course." She replied.

"Well if what Twilight's told me about your knowledge outside of Equestria is true, then I don't think we can afford to do this without you, if I'm being honest." Jason admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

Tempest glanced down at Twilight to find her already giving an implicative smirk. Once again, her cheeks began to heat up, but she quickly refocused her attention on Jason and smiled.

"I'm more than happy to help." She said.

"Glad to hear it. Now, we'd better get some breakfast while it's still being offered. I don't know how often we're gonna be able to find food out there, so it's better to leave on a full stomach." Jason explained while heading into the dining room.

The rest of the Marines and ponies quickly followed him in and practically dove into the food waiting for them at the table, much to Celestia and Luna's surprise.

"Alright, I think that's everything." Mike summed up after zipping his pack and closing it.

"We've got enough MRE's for a week, so let's try to use those as an emergency last resort," Jason replied, slinging his pack in the process, "Thanks to Twilight, Celestia, and Luna, we've got a healthy amount of bits to take care of anything once we're out of Equestria."

"Wait, is Equestrian currency even good outside of... you know, Equestria?" Rebecca asked.

"It's solid gold. It's worth something. Might not be worth quite as much, but it'll be worth something." Jason replied.

"Uh... where is all of it then?" Eddie asked, looking around for a pile of gold.

"In here." Midnight chimed in, tapping her horn.

"Uh... what?"

"Celestia and Luna gave me access to a private account in the royal archives. They also gave me a spell that lets me teleport the bits to us." She explained as she strapped her saddlebags on.

"Wait, I thought you guys couldn't teleport things over long distances? How're you gonna get the bits once we're out of the country?" Eddie asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"It's... different than just teleportation. Technically, this spell rips a hole in the fabric of the universe in two separate locations, and then we just pull the bits in from there." Midnight explained.

"So... you have a spell that literally lets you make a worm-hole?" Eddie questioned, having to physically restrain his jaw from hitting the floor.

"Well, kind of. It's just a very small hole, no bigger than a couple centimeters in diameter, so it's not too hard to maintain, but I can't exactly hold it open for long periods of time. I don't have that kind of magic capacity. Not to mention only heavy metals can pass through it. Everything else just gets lost along the way for... some reason." Midnight shrugged.

"Really wish we could just leave all the food and water here and just, you know, pull it through when we needed it." Mike sighed.

"Me too, but this spell has only been around for a few years now. Give it another hundred years or so and somepony will figure it out." Midnight replied.

"I spent years learning how worm-hole tech works and yet here you all are... just... already doing it." Eddie pouted.

"You can all talk about the exciting worm-hole technology once we're on the road. For right now, get your stuff on. We don't want to miss our train." Jason chimed in, grabbing Eddie's pack and throwing it to him.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you." Eddie replied as he caught his pack.

The group quickly donned the rest of their gear and loaded their packs onto their backs. Just as fast, the three ponies accompanying them finished packing their saddlebags and strapping them on as well. Once he was sure they were all good to go, Jason took a moment to address the group.

"Alright, guys. You already know I'm not great at speeches, so I'll keep this short. Aside from our pony friends here, we don't know jack about this world. Once we're out of the country, it's gonna be a whole different ball game. Watch each others backs, and keep your eyes open. Remember your training, and remember everything we've been through together. This should take us five months to get there provided we follow the route given to us and keep a decent pace every day. Stick to the plan, and we'll all go home." Jason spoke, his eyes slowly scanning the group from one side to the other.

"Amen to that." Mike replied.

"I don't know what he's talking about, that was a great speech." Sky muttered.

Tempest allowed a smile to form on her face as she listened to Sky, before looking back at Jason and finding him giving her a smile.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Ready." Tempest replied, a stark determination filling her voice.

"Alright, let's head out." Jason announced.

With that, the group headed out the front doors and was immediately swamped by a crowd of no fewer than a hundred ponies.

"There they are!" One shouted.

"The humans!" Another cried.

All around them, cheers and excitement reigned out through the crowd at the sight of the human crew. Jason, Mike, Eddie, and Rebecca all shared mixed looks of confusion and surprise, before a lavender alicorn made her way to the front of the crowd.

"Jason! There you guys are. Come on!" Twilight called out over the crowd.

Jason motioned for the rest of the group to follow behind as he trailed after the lavender alicorn. She quickly led them through the crowd while ponies asked for autographs, pictures, and even a few hugs. Rebecca gave a few away before hurriedly catching up to the group.

After a few minutes of pushing and squeezing through the crowded ponies, the group finally made it to the thinnest part of the crowd. Twilight confidently led them onward, much to the rearward crowd's displeasure, and soon enough, the train station came into view. Immediately, Jason could see two alicorns waiting for them; one shining white with a rainbow mane, and one midnight blue with a mane that resembled the night sky. Behind them, six more familiar ponies stood on the platform waiting for them.

Most of the crowd continued to follow behind at a distance, but fell even further behind as the sight of the royal sisters came into view. All the same, the humans and their ponies quickly made their way to the train station to greet them.

"There you all are," Celestia said, relief emanating from her voice, "I was starting to think you might miss your train."

"There won't be another heading to the Crystal Empire until tomorrow, so it would be quite unfortunate if you missed it." Luna added.

"Well we would've made it here a little sooner if we weren't held up by the crowd back there." Jason replied, stepping up onto the platform.

"You fella's must've drawn in three quarters of Ponyville." AppleJack pointed out, eyeing the somewhat distant crowd.

"Indeed. It was a struggle just trying to get past them all to the train station. I imagine it was even harder for you all to get here all the way from the castle." Rarity added.

"Well humanity does tend to draw a bit of a crowd here in Equestria." Celestia chuckled.

"Too bad we couldn't stay and sign a few autographs." Eddie joked.

"Once you all return." Celestia smiled.

"Oh! I can throw a 'Welcome back to Ponyville 'cause you're all not dead even though technically you've already been here once but we didn't have enough time to give you a party so instead we're giving one to you now' party!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place.

"A little celebratory drinking wouldn't be too bad after this trip." Mike shrugged.

"Oh! You guys have got to try out AppleJack's zap-apple cider! It's the best cider on the planet!" Rainbow excitedly pointed out.

"Heh, guess we'll have to try it." Jason smirked.

"When do you think you'll all be back?" Fluttershy asked.

"If everything goes well, we'll be back in under a year." Jason replied.

Fluttershy's jaw dropped.

"What? Five months there, then five months back." Jason shrugged.

"We just didn't think you'd be gone for quite so long, darling. I suppose that means it's a good thing we brought you some gifts." Rarity spoke up, magicking a tightly folded cloth out from behind her mane.

"What's this?" Jason asked.

"Oh, just a little something I whipped up last night after we talked about you going to the island. It's not much, but it's waterproof, and it will keep you just a little bit warmer in the North." She said, levitating the fabric over to Jason's hand.

He took the fabric and eyed it curiously. It weighed almost nothing, yet it was clearly wrapped in on itself dozens of times to a size just bigger than the width of his hand.

"Well... thank you. This really means a lot." Jason gratefully replied.

"Think nothing of it, darling. Once you return, I would very much like to design some clothes for all of you. I have yet to break into a 'bipedal' line of clothing at my boutique and I have some ideas I think you'd love." She beamed.

"We'll look forward to it." Jason grinned, before AppleJack stepped up beside Rarity with a paper bag in one hoof.

"Think ya'll got room fer a little more rope?" She asked, pulling a fair amount of rope out of the bag, "I know it ain't much, but this rope is some of the toughest stuff I've ever had. It'll hold at least three of ya'." She explained.

Mike stepped forward and took the rope from the country mare and eyed it closely.

"You know what, I think we'll have some use for this. Thanks, AppleJack." Mike nodded.

The farm pony blushed slightly and gave a nod in return, "Heh, don't mention it partner."

Starlight quickly stepped forward and held out a silver bracelet in her hoof.

"It's a mini magic detector. It'll, uh... Help you figure out how far along your magic issues are... As you already know, I wish you would stay so we could help you properly, but if nothing else, maybe this'll help out a bit." Starlight explained.

Jason took the bracelet and clipped it over his wrist. It fit snugly, and immediately, a feint blue light glowed to life on the inside portion of the bracelet.

"This is unbelievably helpful... Thank you, Starlight." Jason replied, giving a thankful smile.

"I did the best I could in the time I had. The further along the magic gets into your heads, the warmer the color should get. It should turn from blue to green, green to yellow, and yellow to red." Starlight elaborated further.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you for your help."

Next up, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stepped forward with their own bags.

"Okay, so I know you all have food and stuff, but I have the best chocolate sauce you've ever tried and I wanted to give it to you since I didn't really have anything else to give and I remember something about MRE's not being very tasty so hopefully this'll help." Pinkie explained, holding out a small jar filled to the brim with chocolate sauce.

"Oh, uh... thanks, Pinkie." Jason replied, taking the jar and setting it in his pack alongside Rarity's fabric.

"And, um, I got you some honey from the bee's at the animal sanctuary. It's um, not a lot, but every little bit helps, right?" Fluttershy spoke up, hoofing over another small jar.

"Dibs," Eddie said, taking the jar of honey, "Thank you. I love honey." He said, getting a bright smile from the butterscotch mare.

Lastly, Rainbow Dash stepped forward and held out a hoof, holding what appeared to be a small cloud in a bottle.

"It's a baby cloud. The cap has pores in it, so when it starts to turn black, just squeeze the bottle and some water will come out. It takes a day or two before it fills back up with water again, but hey, you dudes are going through a desert, so you need all the water you can get." Rainbow proudly explained.

"Alright, that's actually really cool." Mike said, clearly impressed.

Jason took the bottle from Rainbow's hoof and gave her a grateful nod.

"Thank you. All of you. We can't tell you how much we appreciate the gifts. We'll have to pay you all back once we're out of this situation." He said, turning to each of the gathered ponies.

Luna smiled at the scene before she turned to the crimson red pegasus and graphite grey unicorn in front of her.

"And as for you two-" She said, stepping toward Sky and Midnight, "You had better return in one piece. I already feel a lapse in judgement for letting you go on this journey, so you'd better not make me regret it." She admonished, poking Midnight's chest with her hoof.

"Princess, I promise that we'll both make it back. You don't have to worry about us." Midnight replied, smiling at Luna's concern.

"Yeah, besides, I'll keep her out of any trouble." Sky teased, wrapping a hoof around Midnight's wither and squeezing her closer to him.

"What I said goes double for you." Luna responded, squinting at him slightly.

"Wha? Me? Why?" Sky asked, feigning insult.

Luna and Midnight both raised an eyebrow at him.

"Alright, alright. I'll be careful." Sky relented, holding his hooves up in mock surrender.

"You'd better be... I don't want anything bad to happen to you both." Luna said, frowning slightly.

Sky sighed before taking a step forwards and pulling the night princess into a hug. She gasped at the sudden affection, before leaning into it and hugging him back. A moment later, Midnight joined in.

Meanwhile, Celestia continued to converse with Jason and the rest of the group.

"I do hope to see you all again soon enough. I know the journey will be long, but if there's any other way my sister or I can assist you, please just send a letter. We'll do everything in our power to assist." She said.

"Same for me. I've already let Cadence know to expect you, but if there's anything else I can do for you, have Midnight send a letter." Twilight added.

"Thank you. All of you. We weren't too sure about you ponies at first, but your help has been extremely appreciated. Once we're back, I'll have to find some way to repay all of you." Jason replied, giving a sincere smile.

"Oh, think nothing of it. It's our pleasure to help you." Celestia said, dismissively waving a hoof.

Jason gave a grateful nod, before the sound of a train horn redirected his attention to the incoming train. Every human on the platform stared with slack jaws as the colorful abomination of a train pulled into the station. From heart-shaped windows, to gingerbread house themed carts in the brightest, pinkest color combination possible, the train came to a stop, and the doors opened.

"Jesus fucking Christ..." Mike muttered.

"Welp... I guess that's us..." Eddie hesitantly announced.

"Yeah, the trains here are really... colorful... Tia, you gotta do something about that." Sky said, shaking his head.

"Wha? I had nothing to do with that! The train company thought it was appealing to all audiences." Celestia defensively replied.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..." Sky chuckled.

"Not like we've got many options. Let's go." Jason ordered, taking the first step into the train.

Eddie, Mike, and Rebecca slowly followed behind, leaving Sky, Tempest, and Midnight on the platform with the three alicorns.

"Alright, I guess this is gonna be goodbye for a bit." Midnight said.

"I'm afraid so. Please, do return safely. I've grown quite fond of our weekly get togethers." Celestia replied.

"Eh, don't worry too much about us. We're just gonna go walk half-way around the world. Nothing big." Sky grinned.

"Sky, it's only two thousand miles. That's not even remotely half-way around the planet." Luna chimed in.

"I know, I was exaggerating! Either way, we'll be okay. We'll see you in a few months."

With that, Sky stepped forward and hugged the alabaster alicorn, who happily returned the hug. Midnight smiled for a moment, before Celestia's horn lit up, and she was quickly pulled into the embrace.

Tempest smiled softly at the scene as she stepped toward the train, only for Twilight to quickly trot up to her.

"Wait, Tempest!" She called.

"Hmm? What is it, Twilight?" Tempest replied, turning around to fully face the mare.

"Before you go... here, take this." Twilight's horn lit up, levitating a small sapphire crystal to her waiting hoof.

"What's... this?" Tempest asked, curiously eyeing the crystal.

"It's... a work in progress... I wanted to finish it before you left, but with everything else going on, and how difficult it is to rework crystal into a mana matrix... It's not quite finished yet." Twilight explained.

"You... you don't mean..." Tempest trailed off.

"It won't completely replace your horn or anything like that, and it certainly won't last long on this journey, but I'll get started on another one while you're gone, so when you come back, I'll have a finished version. Just, uh... try to save it for extreme circumstances." Twilight finished, giving a friendly smile.

"I... I don't know what to say... Just... You're the best friend I ever could have asked for." Tempest replied, blinking back several tears.

"Just... Take care of yourself out there, okay?" The lavender alicorn sheepishly said.

"Heh, don't worry about me, Twilight. I'll be okay." Tempest chuckled, smiling gratefully.

Twilight bit her lip in thought for a moment before lunging forward and pulling the mulberry unicorn into a tight hug. Tempest quickly returned the gesture, and pulled her close.

"I hate goodbyes, so this is just a 'see you later', okay?" Twilight said.

"Deal. I'll see you later, Twilight." Tempest replied, nuzzling her cheek against Twilight's neck.

Not a moment later, the train horn sounded, and everypony on the platform brought their gaze to the open door of the cart.

"Well... Time to go, I guess." Sky admitted.

"We'll see you soon. Be safe." Celestia replied.

With that, Sky, Midnight, and Tempest headed into the cart, and the door closed behind them. They quickly found their seats among the humans, and the train jolted to life. As the group inside looked out the window, they quickly saw the fading silhouettes of the three alicorn princesses and element of harmony bearers waving at them. Soon enough, they were out of sight, and the grassy fields around them gave way to open plains.

"So... Anybody got any good board games?" Mike asked.

Author's Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tuLd3h19Fw

Hey everyone. Finally, we're getting somewhere, I know, right? It took a while to get to this point, but there was just so much that I had to cover that it simply took 7 chapters to get here. Regardless, thank you all for sticking with me so far. We're finally gonna take this show on the road now, so hopefully you're all excited to see where our protagonists go next. It will be very exciting to see :)