Alternate to Magicby smirkerChaptersDay 2Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7Day 8Day 9Day 10Day 11Day 12Day 13Day 14Day 15Day 16Day 1Day 3Day 2The next morning comes and Walker wakes up early, he looks around and sighs, he uses the bathroom and goes outside, he sees it was still dark, so he goes back into the house and sits on the floor, knocking was heard after a few hours and Walker closes his eyes and reopens them, he looks at the door, he stands up and trots to the door. Walker opens the door and two stallions come in, one was young while the other was old, they both looked just like Walker, but were taller and the old stallion had wrinkled skin, their coats, eyes', manes, and tails were the same colors as his own, their manes and tails were even styled the same way as Walker's, the young stallion's cutie mark was a light blue running shoe with a white sole, while the old stallion's cutie mark was a black running track, the two were Walker's guardians, the young stallion was Runner, his father, and the old stallion was Sprinter, his paternal grandfather. Runner and Sprinter come into the house and put their luggage down, "Okay, we're finally here, that was a long walk." Runner said, "You didn't see any Shadows here at night, have you?" Sprinter asked, "No, granddad." Walker replied, "Good, we should be safe here for now, then." Sprinter said, "What are you two going to be doing for jobs here?" Walker asked, "It's alright, Walker, I already got a job, I'll be coaching foals on how to run track like me and your grandfather." Runner replied, "Can I join?" Walker asked, "Of course." Runner replied, Walker smiles widely, "As for me, I'll be coaching foals on boxing and self-defense, I'm surprised it's still around, it was a controversial sport when I was young." Sprinter said, Walker just looks at him while Runner unpacks, "Here are your painting utensils, Walker." Runner said, "Thank you." Walker replied, and he sets up his easel, his paintings were unpacked as well, and Walker hangs them up on the wall behind him, "Well, let's get ready." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner nod in agreement and Sprinter makes breakfast for his son and grandson, which was just a simple salad, "Thanks, granddad." Walker said, and they all wash their dishes, brush their teeth, and head outside. Runner was at an open field and several foals were there to learn, "Okay, colts and fillies, you all here, it's nice to see you all have taken an interest in doing track, let's get started, first off, let's do some stretching." Runner said, and they do. Runner and the foals stretch their legs' out to the sides and the foals were already having fun, "Okay, let's start off easy, just run straight to that tree with me, okay? On three. One. Two. Three." Runner said, and the foals run as fast as they can with Runner, Runner runs to the tree and was much farther ahead than the foals, he reaches the tree long before the others do. Runner looks back and sees the foals were panting when they got to him, "You all ready to run again?" Runner asked, the foals shake their heads, "It's alright, I got plenty of time to work with you all." Runner said, and the foals smile while they pant, Runner smiles and waits for the foals to recover. Sprinter was ready to teach the ponies self-defense and boxing lessons, ponies of all ages were there to learn, but to his surprise, Gallus, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream were also there to learn, "Alright, everyone, let's get started, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Sprinter, I'm a former professional track runner and a former professional boxer, I retired years ago, but I'm now teaching since boxing seems to be popular again, so if you know any moves, great, but come on, who wants try to fight me?" Sprinter asked, Smolder goes forward while smiling. Smolder holds her fists up and flies towards him while letting out a battle cry, she was about to punch him, but Sprinter strafes to her left and goes behind her, "Huh?" Smolder asked as she looks over her own left shoulder, Sprinter holds his front left hoof up and then lowers it, he hits Smolder in the back of her neck and she grunts while she falls, "Common mistake, don't rush in immediately and try go all out at the beginning, you'll tire yourself out quickly." Sprinter said, Smolder gets up and walks back while scowling, "Another thing is be aware of surroundings, I have been in many fights outside of boxing where I was attacked from behind or my blind spots, so be careful of that as well." Sprinter said, his students take note of it, "Now, I need another volunteer, you all will learn the rules as you fight me, the next rule is the first and most important rule of any fight." Sprinter said, "I'll go, I'm sure I got this." Sandbar said as he walks forward, he stands his hind legs and holds his front legs up, the two begin punching one another and Sprinter blocks them easily, "You're breaking the rule already." Sprinter said, "What?" Sandbar asked, Sprinter crouches and punches Sandbar in the groin with his front right hoof, Sandbar groans loudly and falls over while clutching his groin with his front hoofs. Sprinter walks to his students while Sandbar groans and sways side-to-side on the ground, "Most important rule of any fight, especially for you boys: always protect your crotch." Sprinter said, the colts whimper while covering their groins, "Hey! Wait just a darn minute!" Applejack said as she runs to him, Rainbow Dash also flies down to him, "What in tarnation are ya doin'? Why are ya hittin' a stallion in his johnson for?" Applejack asked, "Just teaching him the rules." Sprinter replied, "You can't hit anypony below the waist in boxing!" Rainbow Dash said, "Really? It was common when I started it." Sprinter replied, "Say what now?" Applejack asked, "Hits to the crotch happened almost all the time when I started boxing." Sprinter replied, "Well, maybe your rules are outdated, you should check them again." Rainbow Dash said, Sprinter walks back to teach his class while Sandbar continues to lay on the ground, clutch his groin, and groan in pain, "Let's get back to it, my job is to also teach you all how to defend yourselves in general, so let's begin with the next thing." Sprinter said, and he continues to instruct them. Walker sits in class and glares and exhales sharply as he works, which Sweetie Belle notices, he finishes his morning classwork and then puts his front hoofs into his ears, Sweetie Belle goes back to working until it was recess time. The foals play dodge ball and Walker plays with them, he runs around and throws the balls around, Walker has fun with the other foals and throws the balls whenever he got one, he hit a few foals and keeps playing while the foals all laugh, "Alright, class, recess is over." Cheerilee said, and they all go back in. Class resumes and Walker just sits with his eyes closed, "Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes?" Walker asked, "Do you like it here?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I can't say, yet." Walker replied, "What do you think of school?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I hate it." Walker replied, "Why?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I always feel like I don't fit in with the other students, and I find the work to be useless information and boring." Walker replied, "School can be fun if you have friends." Sweetie Belle said, "Even if I did, you wouldn't understand me." Walker replied, "That is why we talk things out." Sweetie Belle said, "That wouldn't work." Walker replied, "Why not?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No one sees and hears the world like how me, my dad, and my granddad do." Walker replied, "What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Can you see and hear things that others can't see or hear?" Walker asked, "Well, if they were either deaf or blind, then yes." Sweetie Belle replied, "Not what I mean." Walker said, "Oh, well, I have to get back to work." Sweetie Belle replied, she works, she and the other foals could not help but wonder what Walker meant, they all work until lunch time, Walker just sits while the others watch him, he did not go to the bathroom today. Class resumes and Walker does his afternoon work quietly, he was more relaxed now than before, he finishes just before the bell rings, "Have a good day, everypony, no homework." Cheerilee said, and everypony heads home. Walker heads outside and he sees Runner and Sprinter heading home together, he runs to them and joins them, the three head home together, Sprinter unlocks the door to their new home and they enter. Walker begins to paint while Runner and Sprinter unpack a bit more, "I heard about you today, dad, you really need some lessons in honor." Runner said, "Honor doesn't win fights, my son." Sprinter replied, "Still, you're going to be a bad influence on Walker." Runner said, "He's been fine so far." Sprinter replied, "Haven't you ever thought about it? Our son wins a fight by hitting an opponent in the groin, along attacking an opponent from their blind spots and behind, and attacking an injured opponent while they are down? It is going to bring shame upon our names." Runner said, "Maybe yours, but remember, Walker hates fighting, he'd rather paint and learn visual arts." Sprinter replied, "Still, I wish he'd have some way to defend himself." Runner said, "I already do, dad." Walker replied as he paints, "I mean as in professional training, not just taught by me and your grandfather." Runner said, "I know fighting is necessary sometimes, but I wish we didn't have to fight the people we meet all the time." Walker replied, "See, dad, he takes the lessons on friendship seriously, maybe he can avoid conflict like that." Runner said, "I'll be concerned for his mental health if he begins preaching about friendship while sitting in a chair in the middle of a war zone while eating scones and drinking tea." Sprinter replied, "Granddad, I promise, I'll be fighting if I do go into a war zone." Walker said, Sprinter chuckles. Knocking was heard at the door and Walker goes to the door, he opens the door while Runner and Sprinter were behind him, they see their visitor was Rarity, "Good afternoon, darlings, I'm sorry to bother, but I must ask for you three to open your curtains, I'm actually finding it a bit distracting." Rarity said, "What do you find distracting about it?" Runner asked, "Just look around from the outside, it's still a bright and sunny afternoon, and your house is the only one who has its curtains closed, it looks so out of place, and it's really bothering me." Rarity replied, "Can't you find inspiration in making new outfits from the designs on our curtains?" Walker asked, "No, I cannot, the curtains are just a dull light gray color, now please, open them, I can't concentrate on my outfits with them in my sight." Rarity replied, "Come on, you two, let's open the curtains." Sprinter said, "But everypony will see inside our home." Walker replied, "We'll close them at night, we'll look suspicious if we keep them closed during the day as well." Sprinter said, "Okay." Walker replied in a reluctant tone, "Thank you, darlings." Rarity said, and she left. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter open the curtains and let the sun in, Walker continues to paint while unhappy, "What's wrong, Walker?" Runner asked, "I liked the house better when it was dark." Walker replied, "I'm sorry, Walker, but we have to keep the windows open, it'll make us look suspicious." Runner said, Walker groans with disappointment and keeps painting. The day goes on and it was soon dark, Sprinter makes dinner and the three have a salad, the three sleep together in separate beds and wait for the night to pass. Day 4The next day comes and today was a normal day at school, Walker was still irritated while he works, and he plays during recess. Walker walks around Ponyville alone since Runner and Sprinter were still coaching the others, so he walks around alone and looks at the houses to look for inspiration for his paintings, he did not like what he saw, so he decids to go into Carousel Boutique to look for inspiration. Walker enters Carousel Boutique and saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack inside and were packing things, "Oh, Walker, what can I get you?" Rarity asked as she trots to him, "I'm just here to look around." Walker replied, "Look around?" Rarity asked, "Yeah, I'm looking for inspiration for my next painting." Walker replied, Rarity makes noises of excitement, "Look around to your heart's content, then, I'm happy when I can inspire anyone." Rarity said, Walker smiles and he walks around. Walker looks at Rarity's dresses while she and her friends help her pack up the outfits for her next fashion show, Walker stays out of the way and looks around while the others work. The door opens and Sweetie Belle comes home with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, "I've been making my own dress, come on, it's in my room." Sweetie Belle said, and they were about to go upstairs, but they stop when they see Walker was there as well, "What are you doing here, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Looking for inspiration for my next painting." Walker replied, "We came to visit you yesterday after school." Apple Bloom said, "Really? I didn't notice." Walker replied, "I knocked on your door, Walker." Sweetie Belle said, "I didn't hear it." Walker replied, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack stop what they were doing and look at him with suspicion, "Weren't you home after school?" Scootaloo asked, "Yes, but I didn't hear any knocking." Walker replied, "What about yer dad and granddad?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, they didn't hear it, either." Walker replied, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle look at him with disbelief, "Excuse me, is Walker around here?" a mare asked outside, the ponies realize it was Princess Luna, "Yes, he's in that boutique over there." a mare replied, the door opens and Princess Luna enters, "There you are." Princess Luna said as she walks to him, "Are you sleeping well at night?" Princess Luna asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "Good, I want to make sure you're not having nightmares." Princess Luna said, "No, I've been fine." Walker replied, "Walker, we're done with our jobs." Runner said from outside, "Oh, I have to get going, see you all later." Walker said, and he trots outside. Princess Luna watches him leave while the nine female ponies present walk to her, "What are ya doin' here, Princess Luna?" Apple Bloom asked, she turns around to face them, "I'm here to check on Walker, I don't know why, but for some reason, when you foals go to sleep at night, his dream is not in the dream realm." Princess Luna replied, "What?" Apple Bloom asked with shock, "I'm confused, too, but his dream is never there, I can't enter his dreams, either." Princess Luna replied, "What about his father and grandfather?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I can't see or enter their dreams, either." Princess Luna replied, the nine look at her with confusion, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go prepare for entering the dream realm tonight now." Princess Luna said, and she flies out while the nine ponies look at the door, "This Walker guy is weird, first, he goes to the bathroom and is not in there, next, he doesn't hear us at his door, and now, Princess Luna can't enter his dream, something's off about him." Scootaloo said, "It ain't just him, there's somethin' mighty fishy bout those three." Applejack replied, but they get on with their days and go to sleep at the end of the day. Day 5The next day comes and it was a weekend, Runner and Sprinter were coaching again, so Walker travels on his own again, he was heading to the Everfree Forest and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle follow him. Walker looks back while Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle hide out of his sight and watch him, he closes his eyes tightly and then reopens them, he turns around and keeps walking, the three follow him, they see Walker go to the entrance of the Everfree Forest while the three hide behind a tree and watch him, he looks back again and turns around again, but he did not walk, "Why are you three following me?" Walker asked, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle become startled and look, "How did he notice us?" Sweetie Belle whispered, "I don't know, we were never in his line of sight." Scootaloo whispered, "It doesn't matter if you're hiding from me and behind me right now, I can still see you." Walker said, the three fillies become speechless at what he just said, "He must've heard us followin' him." Apple Bloom whispered, "What do you three want?" Walker asked, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walk to him while he turns around, "I'll get to the point, Walker, you and your guardians are very suspicious." Sweetie Belle said, "How so?" Walker asked, "You weren't in the bathroom, you didn't hear us at your door the other day, and yesterday, we learned from Princess Luna that your dream is not in the dream realm." Sweetie Belle replied, "So?" Walker asked, "Are you even a pony?" Scootaloo asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "Then why are you disappearin' at times and not in the dream realm?" Apple Bloom asked, "You three wouldn't understand, even if I did explain." Walker replied, "Try us." Sweetie Belle said, "What do you three know about spirits?" Walker asked, "Oh, that's easy, that's how determined you are and what drives you to do things." Scootaloo replied, "Not that kind of spirit." Walker said, "You're referring to a spirit as in...?" Scootaloo asked, "The souls of the dead." Walker replied, "Oh come on, Walker, don't be ridiculous, everybody knows that you never see anyone again when they die." Apple Bloom said, "Just because they're dead doesn't mean they're gone." Walker replied, "You've been reading too many horror stories, Walker." Sweetie Belle said, Walker glares at her a little, "I have to go, for your own safeties, you three should leave." Walker said, "What about you?" Scootaloo asked, "I'll be fine, now go." Walker replied, the three decide to obey and walk back while Walker heads deeper into the forest. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle decide to go into Fluttershy's cottage and wait for Walker to come back, "Why don't we go see his dad and granddad?" Scootaloo asked, "They're at work right now, we shouldn't distract them." Sweetie Belle replied, "Ah know, let's try askin' Discord." Apple Bloom said, Discord appears, "Yes?" Discord asked, "What do you think of Walker, Discord?" Scootaloo asked, "I hate to break it to you, but Walker's right." Discord replied, "What?" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle asked with disbelief, "When someone passes away, they are not gone, their souls remain, some of them haunt others and possess other people and animals." Discord replied, the three fillies feel uncomfortable, "How does Walker know about them?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It runs in his family." Discord replied, "So... Runner and Sprinter know about souls, too?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course they do." Discord replied, "Why do you know about them?" Apple Bloom asked, "Because I can see and hear them as well, just like those three." Discord replied, "Why did you never tell us?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Because there are only a few in this world that know about the afterlife." Discord replied, "You think the people in Sunset Shimmer's world knows about it?" Scootaloo asked, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shrug, "Well, that's all I'm saying, figure out the rest on your own." Discord said, and he disappears. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle sit and wait for Walker to come back, they were silent and patient, "What? Yeah, um, hold on."Walker said from outside, the three stand up, "Your youngest daughter is in that cottage over there." Walker said, the three were about to go out and question him but Apple Bloom stops dead in her tracks, "You okay, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked, "Ah don't know why, but Ah feel like there are two ponies rubbin' their snouts on me right now." Apple Bloom replied, "Seriously?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, it feels like love and affection." Apple Bloom replied, surprising Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but the two look out a window and see Walker leaving the area, "Come on, Apple Bloom, Walker's right there, let's ask him." Scootaloo said, and the three run outside. Walker was walking back to Ponyville and he hears running, "Walker, wait!" Sweetie Belle said, he begins to run away while the three go after him, "Wait, Walker, we just wanna talk to you." Sweetie Belle said, and the four run. Walker arrives into Ponyville and looks for a place to hide, he looks back and sees the three were still chasing him, "Come back, Walker, we need to talk." Scootaloo said, and he keeps running, he sees a table with a white tablecloth nearby and he runs to it, he pulls the tablecloth off of the table with his mouth and puts it over himself, he then lays on the ground. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle run to him, "We got you now, Walker." Scootaloo said, and she pulls the tablecloth off with her mouth, but the three gasp, so did the ponies who were sitting at the other tables, "He's gone." Sweetie Belle said, "How did he do that?" Scootaloo asked, "Come on, let's go ask about his pa and grandpa." Apple Bloom said, and they run to where they work. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go to where Runner taught the colts and fillies who were learning how to run, "Y'all are sayin' he disappeared, too?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, we were running to the tree we always run to, but Runner went farther and went behind that tree over there." a filly replied as she points to a tree to the left of the usual tree, "We went over there to see him, and he was gone." the filly said, the Cutie Mark Crusaders become uneasy, "When did he disappear?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Several minutes before you three came." the filly replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were speechless, "Come on, let's see if Walker's grandpa is still here." Apple Bloom said, and they go to where he taught those who wanted to learn boxing. The Cutie Mark Crusaders walk to where Sprinter taught boxing, they see he was not around either, "So, y'all are sayin' he disappeared, too?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, he was teaching us combat lessons, then he suddenly jumped over us and landed behind us, we looked back and he wasn't there." Ocellus replied, "It was so weird, he just disappeared suddenly like a ghost." Silverstream said, "This is weird, all of three of them just seemed to have vanished." Sweetie Belle said, "Wait, did you just say Walker and Runner disappeared, too?" Sandbar asked, "Yeah, a filly said Runner went behind a tree and disappeared, and we ran after Walker to try to talk to him, he hid under a tablecloth, we removed it, and he was gone." Sweetie Belle replied, "Can three ponies teleport?" Yona asked, "No, they shouldn't be able to, only unicorns can, they're earth ponies." Sandbar replied, "Do you guys have any clues?" Smolder asked, "Well, we did see Discord earlier, he said something about Walker and his guardians being able to see and hear the souls of the dead." Sweetie Belle replied, "Really? Souls of the dead? You sure he doesn't mean imaginary friends?" Gallus asked, "We can't say for certain, but Discord said he can see and hear 'em, too." Apple Bloom replied, "Souls? Do you mean g... g... g... g... ghosts?!" Silverstream asked while scared, "As we said, we're not sure, we're just here to see if Runner and Sprinter were still around since Walker disappeared." Scootaloo replied, "And they're not, let's go see if Princess Twilight knows anythin'." Apple Bloom said, and they head to her castle, they see Pinkie Pie appearing and disappearing throughout Ponyville and was calling out for Walker, the three continue on to the Castle of Friendship. The Cutie Mark Crusaders enter the Castle of Friendship and went to go see Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer, "Let me get this straight, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, just suddenly disappeared." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yeah, and Discord said something about Walker's family being able to interact with the souls of the dead, we were wonderin' if you had any knowledge on the afterlife." Apple Bloom replied, "No, I can't say that I do." Twilight Sparkle said, "Walker also said when someone dies, they're not gone." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, and Discord said these souls can possess people and haunt things." Sweetie Belle said, "That's just Discord being Discord, he's probably just trying to scare you three." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Still, if what Discord is saying is true, that's actually kind of scary to think about." Starlight Glimmer said, "Ah think he might be tellin' the truth, we heard Walker talkin' to somepony, said their youngest daughter was where we were stayin', and I felt love and affection, almost like two ponies rubbin' their snouts on me." Apple Bloom replied, "Rubbing their snouts on you? You sure you didn't imagine it?" Spike asked, "Yeah, Ah'm sure, it felt very real." Apple Bloom replied, "You have any ideas, Twilight?" Scootaloo asked, "No, I'm honestly at a loss for words." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Since Discord said his father and grandfather can see and hear these souls, too, I was wondering about Walker's family tree." Sweetie Belle said, "I'll check it out, I think it's definitely worth looking into." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Thank you, Twilight, we don't know when those three will be back." Sweetie Belle said, "You're welcome, I'll let you three and the others know if I find anything, come on, Spike." Twilight Sparkle replied, and the two leave, "We'll be busy, and it's late, you three should head home." Starlight Glimmer said, and she leaves, the Cutie Mark Crusaders head to their homes and go to sleep. Day 6The next day comes and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go back to the Castle of Friendship to see Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer, Twilight Sparkle also calls Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack over, "Good, you all are here, and as you heard, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have suddenly disappeared." Twilight Sparkle said, "I know, I checked all of Ponyville, they're nowhere." Pinkie Pie replied, "Anyway, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle here asked Discord about Walker and his family, and he mentioned something about their family being able to see and hear the afterlife." Twilight Sparkle said, "I spoke to Walker in class once, too, he said only his father and grandfather understand him." Sweetie Belle replied, "Well, there's that, so, anyway, I did some research on Walker's family tree, and I've found several suspicious things." Twilight Sparkle said, the attentions of the others were caught, "What did you find?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Spike, would you, please?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and Spike unrolls a long list. Everybody present looks at Walker's family tree, "Alright, as you all can see, the first thing I found suspicious right away were the children, every time Walker's family has a child, it's always an only child, never any twins or siblings, not only that, every child the family bore is a son, there's not a single daughter." Twilight Sparkle said, "What? That is strange." Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, no siblings or daughters? That can't be a coincidence." Applejack replied, "Another thing I find suspicious is Walker's paternal side of the family has no relatives, if he has any cousins, aunts, or uncles, they're from the maternal side instead." Twilight Sparkle said, "No relatives from his father's side? There has to be an explanation." Rarity replied, "I agree, but that's not most suspicious thing of them all." Twilight Sparkle said, "What is it?" Fluttershy asked, "I checked the birth and death dates of Walker's family, all of the mothers have died on the same day their sons were born." Twilight Sparkle replied, "WHAT?!" Rarity asked, "It's true, every mother in the family died on the exact same day their son was born." Twilight Sparkle replied, "You think it could just be plain bad luck?" Scootaloo asked, "No, I think there is no way that's just a coincidence." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I was shocked when I saw this the first time, too, I think as you three can see, there is something wrong with his family." Starlight Glimmer said, "Yeah, but still, what in tarnation is goin' on?" Applejack asked, "Come on, everypony, let's go to their home." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they all head out. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go to Walker's, Runner's, and Sprinter's home, Twilight Sparkle knocks on the door a few times, "Excuse us, we'd like to speak with you three." Twilight Sparkle said, there was no answer, "Hello?" Twilight Sparkle asked, they look through a window and see Walker's paintings, he had a total of five paintings hanged on the wall, the far left painting was a desert with a gray tower in the center of it, the center-left painting was grass field with a gold building shaped like an eagle unfolding its wings, the center painting was a nighttime landscape with a black ground, the sky was full of stars and northern lights, the building was a silver temple shaped like a dragon's head, the center-right painting was a bunch of mountains with three identical shrines on top of the three mountains in the center, the left shrine was silver, the right shrine was bronze, and the center shrine was gold, and the far right painting was a winter landscape and it had a blue temple made from ice in the shape of an unknown creature, it had its wings unfolded like a bird, a fish's tail, a bird's body and legs, and the head of a shark with its mouth open. The ponies and Spike look at the paintings, "Wow, Walker is quite the painter." Starlight Glimmer said, "Still, I wonder what those buildings there are for." Rarity replied, "Walker said he also likes architecture." Sweetie Belle said, "Well, they're beautiful, I've never seen architecture shaped like animals before." Twilight Sparkle replied, knocking was heard at the door again and they see Pinkie Pie knocking on the door with her snout, "Walker, Runner, Sprinter, it's Pinkie Pie, you wouldn't lock out your best friend Pinkie now, would you?" Pinkie Pie asked, there was no response, "You all want to discuss my welcoming party plans for Runner and Sprinter?" Pinkie Pie asked, there was still no response, "Hello? Is anypony home?" Pinkie Pie asked, there was still no answer, so Twilight Sparkle opens the door with her telekinesis and enters the house. Twilight Sparkle and the others enter the home and were in the living room, the kitchen was to the left, "Nope, nothin' looks out of the ordinary." Applejack said, "I sure am glad they kept their curtains open, it was so distracting during the day." Rarity replied, "Yeah, I was distracted by that, too." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go to the next room that was through the door in the back. The ponies and Spike arrive into the bedroom, and the bathroom was to their lefts, there were three beds in the bedroom, "Wow, this is a small house." Starlight Glimmer said, "Yes, I doubt they'd be able to hide anywhere in here." Fluttershy replied, "Still, where did they go?" Scootaloo asked, "We don't know, we'll have to wait until they come back." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they leave the house and get on with their days, they watch the house throughout the day but the three never return, they all decide to call it a day and go to sleep. Day 7The next day comes and Cheerilee was teaching her class, Walker was present today, "Okay, everypony, who can tell me why it took us so long to open our borders to the other creatures?" Cheerilee asked, "Because a unicorn named Genghis was planning to conquer all of the countries, he was going to destroy their cultures and force them to adapt pony culture on friendship and forgiveness, he was raising a military that was going to have earth ponies as his army, Pegasi as his air force, and unicorns as his magic branch, he was planning to conquer Mount Aris, Seaquestria, and Kirin Grove first, so he can add hippogriffs to his air force, have the seaponies serve as his navy, and kirins serve as his fire branch, he was going to invade all of the other countries and destroy their cultures so he could force them to adapt to our culture and have friendship spread throughout the land." Walker replied, everypony and Cheerilee look at Walker with dropped jaws, "What?" Walker asked, "Walker." Cheerilee said, "Yes?" Walker asked, "How do you know about Genghis and his plans?" Cheerilee asked, "WHAT?!" the foals asked, "You mean... that's not a made-up story?!" Scootaloo asked, "I hate to say this, but no, Genghis was a real pony." Cheerilee replied, "Um, my guardians and I are history buffs." Walker said while sweating, "Even if you are, you shouldn't know that, our historical records on him were destroyed." Cheerilee replied, "What? How come?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Because Princess Celestia saw him as a black mark on Equestrian history, she ordered all records of him to be destroyed." Cheerilee replied, "Then how do you know about him?" Walker asked, "It's my job, Walker, I'm required to know all of Equestrian history." Cheerilee replied, "Oh, well... I just studied him in a book back at home." Walker said, "I see, I'm sure some ancient diaries written about him by those who served under him still exist, well, moving on." Cheerilee said, and class continues, "Walker, what happened to Genghis?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Princess Celestia found out what he was doing and put him in jail for the rest of his life while he was raising his army, he already conquered several areas in Equestria when she found out what he was planning." Walker replied, Sweetie Belle was in disbelief at what Walker said, "Walker, Sweetie Belle, work time." Cheerilee said, and the two work until it was recess time. Recess starts and everypony plays dodge ball and have fun, Walker plays competitively and they all have fun until Walker looks at the sky with a look of discomfort on his face, "Get back!" Walker said, and the others look at him, the ground bursts open and skeleton ponies come out, the foals scream, "Everypony, back in the schoolhouse!" Cheerilee said, and they run to her while Walker runs to the skeleton ponies. Walker goes to the skeleton ponies and begins swinging his front right hoof around like he was holding a weapon, "Walker, come back here." Cheerilee said, but Walker continues swinging his front right hoof around and the skeletons get destroyed, surprising Cheerilee and his classmates. Walker swings his front right hoof around and destroys more skeleton ponies, one of them begins flying and Walker holds his front right hoof out, the flying skeleton Pegasus is pulled towards him by an invisible force, he holds his front left hoof out as if he was aiming something, his front left hoof moves up like it was reacting from a recoil of a gun and the skeleton Pegasus gets destroyed. Walker continues fighting the skeleton ponies but begins grunting as he was hit by an invisible force, making Cheerilee and her students uncomfortable, Walker then begins to hold his front hoofs out like he was aiming something, his front hoofs move up and down and the skeleton ponies were destroyed, he then holds his front right hoof out and stands on all fours. Walker pants and turns around to see his class looking at him with disbelief, he hears running behind him and turns around, he saw Runner and Sprinter coming, "We got attacked by the Possessed just now, how about you, Walker?" Runner asked, "Yeah, they attacked me here, too." Walker replied, "Come on, let's send their souls to the Void." Sprinter said, and the three begin to walk away, but vanish into thin air, causing Cheerilee and her students to gasp, "Come on, class, let's go into the schoolhouse." Cheerilee said, and they do. Cheerilee and her students work in class but could not focus well, they were still in disbelief over what happened, and Walker did not return, "What was that?" Diamond Tiara asked, "It was scary." Silver Spoon said, "Is everypony alright?" Cheerilee asked, the foals shake their heads with looks of fear on their faces, "I understand you all are scared, and to be honest, I'm scared, too, I don't know what that was." Cheerilee said, and they all get on with their days while uncomfortable and head home when the school day ended. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walk through Ponyville together and see Walker walking around town, "Walker." Apple Bloom said, he looks to his left and sees them, he begins to run away from them and the three tackle him down, "Calm down, Walker, we just want an explanation on what's going on." Scootaloo said, but the three see Walker disappear and he appears on the roof of the closest house to them, the three and the townponies gasp, "What?! Walker can teleport?!" Scootaloo asked, and he disappears again. The ponies stare on with disbelief while Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack run to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, "How did he do that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, that don't make any sense." Applejack replied, "That shouldn't be possible, Walker is an earth pony." Rarity said, "Everyone." Twilight Sparkle said, they all look at her, "We all saw it, and I know it shouldn't be possible, but Walker can somehow teleport, I assume Runner and Sprinter can teleport, too." Twilight Sparkle said, "That reminds me, skeletons came out of the ground when we were at the school." Sweetie Belle said, "We heard, them skeletons attacked Runner and Sprinter, too." Applejack replied, "There's more, it looked like Walker was also attacked by something invisible." Scootaloo said, "We noticed that, too, it looked like Runner and Sprinter were also fighting an invisible creature." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Did ya detect anythin' with yer magic?" Apple Bloom asked, "Actually, no, I didn't." Twilight Sparkle replied, "So, what do we do?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm making a new spell to cast that will allow us to see and hear the world as how another pony sees it, if I cast it on one of those three, we should be able to see and hear those things that we can't see or hear." Twilight Sparkle replied, "How long will that take?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm almost done, but until then, I asked for Sunset Shimmer to come here, maybe her powers can give us some answers, she should be here tomorrow." Twilight Sparkle replied, the others were speechless, "Well, there's nothing we can do but wait for them to return, let's just get on with our days for now." Twilight Sparkle said, and they do, nothing out of the ordinary happens and they all head to bed for the night. Day 8The next morning comes and Twilight Sparkle was already tending to her daily routines, the mirror flashes and Sunset Shimmer comes, "Hey, I came as fast as I could, you said there's a strange pony who just came here, right?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, but there's three of them, come on, Sunset, let's see if one's here right now." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they walk to a window and look out, "Oh, that's one right there." Twilight Sparkle said as she points to Walker, Sunset Shimmer runs outside to go see him. Walker was heading to school and he sees Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle in front of him, "Well, Walker?" Scootaloo asked, "What?" Walker asked, "What is going on with your family?" Sweetie Belle asked "What do you mean?" Walker asked, "We found your family tree, and every single mother in your family died on the same day they gave birth to the child, and every child in your family tree is a single child and a boy." Sweetie Belle replied, "How did you find my family history?" Walker asked, "Princess Twilight lives right there." Scootaloo replied as she points to her home, "Oh, makes sense, she should have a record on everybody living in Equestria." Walker said, "What is up with that?" Apple Bloom asked, "Even if I did explain, you wouldn't understand." Walker replied, "What about yesterday, when those skeletons came out of the ground?" Sweetie Belle asked, "They were after me." Walker replied, "But what were they?" Sweetie Belle asked, "How can I explain this?" Walker asked, "Come on, Walker, answer us!" Sweetie Belle said, "I really don't know how to explain it to you guys." Walker replied, "Souls? Possessed? Void? What are those?" Scootaloo asked, "Souls and Possessed and self-explanatory, I don't know how to describe the Void, though." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders glare at him, "Excuse me, Walker." Sunset Shimmer said as she runs to him, "Sunset Shimmer, ya won't believe..." Apple Bloom said, "I heard everything, Twilight told me, too." Sunset Shimmer replied, she looks at Walker, "Now, Walker, I'm going to need you to hold still, this won't take long." Sunset Shimmer said, and she touches Walker's front right hoof with her front left hoof and sees his memories. Sunset Shimmer sees Walker's memories and he was celebrating his fourth birthday, his present was a caffeinated drink, "What the? Dad, granddad, I wanted a toy." Walker said, "Sorry, son, but the present you wanted was sold out." Runner replied, "Yes, we tried to improvise, and thought you would like this instead." Sprinter said, "But why a strong tea?" Walker asked, "Uh, well, it's so... you can stay up longer to enjoy your birthday." Runner replied, "But there's nopony here but us three, and we live in the woods, I'm tired of doing things without ponies my age." Walker said, "But you have those students at your school." Sprinter replied, "I don't feel like I belong with them, everypony is so different from me." Walker said, "Oh... um... I see, I'm sorry, Walker, but this really is the best we can do this year." Runner replied, "This birthday stinks, I'm heading to bed." Walker said, and he walked to his bedroom and laid down. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes and Walker was in a place that was completely light blue with black areas of land floating in the air, "Whoa." Walker said with awe, he walks forward with curiosity. Dark blue flames appear in front of Walker, "Whoa!" Walker said, and the dark blue flames form into a bipedal creature who looked like a male human, he had slightly tan skin, a round face shape with a pointed chin, and short black hair with fringes of hair for his bangs, he wore a blue trench coat that was open in the front and went down to his feet, blue pants, blue wrist-length gloves with the ends under his trench coat, blue mid-calf length boots that his trouser legs were tucked into, a blue belt with a light blue buckle, and a light blue long-sleeve shirt that was tucked into his pants, he had light blue eyes, but sometimes, his eyes had flames in them, his sclerae had dark blue flames, while his irises and pupils had orange flames. Walker looked at him with surprise, "Hello, Walker, your fourth birthday has come, has it not? Welcome to the Void, it is time for you to receive powers that were bestowed upon your ancestors by me, and passed down through the males of your paternal bloodline. My name is Spirit, and I grant you some of my powers, just like how I did to your father and paternal grandfather before you, when they were four years old." the being said, and dark blue and orange flames engulf Walker, he screams in pain while he gets burned, but the flames and pain soon disappear, he holds his four legs out while he floated in midair, "See, there you go, now go and test out your powers, I think you will like what you can do." Spirit said, and he disappears. Walker walks forward and he noticed his first powers, he saw the ghosts of the deceased in the portals of the worlds, they were light blue in color and transparent, he watched the deceased walk around and mind their own businesses. Walker feels powers in his front hoofs and he lifts them up, some of the ghosts disappeared and reappeared around him, Walker moves his hoofs around and the ghosts did whatever they thought he commanded, Walker smiled and lowered his front hoofs, the ghosts disappeared into the ground. Walker sees a far away land he wanted to go to, he teleports there with his mind, Walker noticed he can hear the wind blowing in the realm, and realized he had enhanced hearing, Walker wondered about something and decided to try looking, his vision was sharper and more clear than before, Walker was enjoying his newfound powers. Spirit appeared in front of Walker and floated in midair, "You have more powers as well, close your eyes for a few seconds, and reopen them." Spirit said, and Walker did, to his surprise, his entire vision was a different color, his vision was dark blue, while people were light blue, and objects were a regular blue, Walker saw he can also tell how people felt, if they were watching him, if they had any wounds or items hidden on them, and can read their heartbeats, he closed his eyes again and reopened them to make his vision normal, "You have two more of my powers, go over there and jump around, don't be afraid, just hold one of your hoofs out." Spirit said, and Walker ran to the nearest floating land, he jumped and held his front left hoof out. A black skeletal hand came out of Walker's hoof and it grabbed a ledge, the arm moved forward and disappeared, Walker swung around with the skeletal arms and was high in the air, "Woo-hoo!" Walker said, and he landed on the farthest floating land since there were no more after it, Spirit reappeared in front of him, "You have one more power, you can open portals with your mind, you can travel between Equestria and the Void at will, you can come back here anytime, but you can't do it in your sleep, you have to do it in real life." Spirit said, Walker smiled, "What do you think of my powers, Walker?" Spirit asked, "This is awesome!" Walker said, Spirit chuckled, "Would you like to see how your father and paternal grandfather reacted when they got my powers?" Spirit asked, Walker nodded enthusiastically, Spirit made dark blue flames appear and it showed a colt Runner, he looked just like Walker, "No! I can't believe it! I've become a monster, just like my father!" Runner said, Walker watched with surprise and shock, the picture then changed to show a colt Sprinter, who looked just like Walker as well, "Oh well, this is normal for our family bloodline, my father had it, too." Sprinter said, Walker becomes surprised that his paternal grandfather was not excited to have the powers. The dark blue flames disappeared, "Time for you to wake up now, Walker, go see Sprinter to train your powers." Spirit said, and he disappeared while Walker's vision became pitch black. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes and she sees Walker waking up, "Aw, it was just a dream." Walker said sadly, he was about to head to the kitchen to get breakfast, but he teleported there, "Wait a minute, it wasn't a dream, it was real, this is awesome!" Walker said, he hears running and sees Runner and Sprinter coming to him, they were able to sense Spirit's powers within him, "Oh no, not you, too." Runner said with shock, "What's wrong, dad?" Walker asked, "You've become a monster as well, just like me and dad." Runner replied, "Monster? I like these powers." Walker said, and the vision changes again. Sunset Shimmer sees Walker and Sprinter outside, she sees the three originally lived in the woods with no neighbors, "Okay, grandson, I assume Spirit taught you the same things he taught me and Runner, those are the basic powers, you have three more powers." Sprinter said, "Really?! I wanna learn them now!" Walker replied with ecstasy, Sprinter laughs, "Patience, my grandson, we'll start with the first thing, an explanation, there is another type of energy in this world besides magic, it is called spiritual energy, it is not visible to the naked eye, spiritual energy is released into the air when someone or something dies, and it can be conjured, taking on any shape, form, or sound the conjurer desires, and when the conjurer is done using that spiritual energy, it is released back into the air, ready to be reused. Ponies in this world cannot see, hear, or use spiritual energy, only the males from the paternal side of our family can because of the deal we made with Spirit." Sprinter said, Walker nodded while excited, he was already finding this to be very interesting, "Okay, now that's out of the way, the first other power you have is you can conjure any weapon you please with spiritual energy, this is the one Runner and I preferred personally." Sprinter said, and he makes a sword appear in his front right hoof, which Walker did not recognize, and in Sprinter's front left hoof was another weapon he did not recognize, it was a pistol with a wheel and lock mechanism, "What is that, granddad?" Walker asked, "This is a gun, a pistol to be more specific, when I was in the Void, I saw these several times in one of the portals to another world, and I saw these were accurate and deadly, so I decided to use it, but unlike the regular one, which only holds one bullet, since this is a spiritual weapon, it holds infinite." Sprinter replied, Walker was excited, "Just hold the gun out and pull that trigger down there." Sprinter said, and Walker summons it in his front left hoof and aims it, along with the same type of sword in his front right hoof, he fires the pistol and a bullet made out of dark blue fire comes out, Walker exclaimed with shock, jumped back, stumbled, and blinked his eyes, the loudness of the gun scared him, "Now, now, Walker, you can use your spiritual energy to nullify the sound, but always remember this with your weapons, a long range weapon will always be weaker than a close range weapon." Sprinter said, "What? Why?" Walker asked, "That's just the way it is." Sprinter replied, Walker looked down, "Now, your second power Spirit didn't tell you about." Sprinter said, and Walker stood up, "Every time you land a hit with your attack, you absorb spiritual energy, they allow you to do special moves, you have four special moves, but first, you must attack me, and land a hit, you'll feel your spiritual energy get stronger." Sprinter said, and Walker used his spiritual energy to make the gun mute, he fires many times at Sprinter, and felt his spiritual energy getting stronger very slowly, "You can make your spiritual energy charge up faster with your sword." Sprinter said, and Walker begins slashing Sprinter with the sword, while Sprinter just endured the hits, Walker felt his spiritual energy meets its maximum charge, "Whoa, what is this dark blue aura around me?" Walker asked, "That's for later, now, focus with your spiritual energy, and use your mind to decide which of the four abilities you want to use, the stronger it is, the more spiritual energy it will take." Sprinter said, and Walker saw his four spiritual abilities in his mind, he places his front left hoof on the ground to do the first one, four light blue round heads came out of the ground and went to attack Sprinter, he shot them with his gun and they got destroyed. Walker tries his second spiritual ability and made himself turn transparent and light blue, Sprinter fires bullets at him and Walker realize his second spiritual ability made him invincible, "That one lasts as long as you have spiritual energy in you, Walker, once when it's drained, you change back, but you can change back at will, and you can't touch or hurt anyone when in that form, either, unless they're a spirit as well." Sprinter said, and Walker changed back. Walker tries his third spiritual ability but nothing happens, "What the?" Walker asked, "You don't have enough spiritual energy, you need to attack me again to recharge it." Sprinter replied, and Walker did, he puts his front right hoof on the ground, dark blue flames surround him and spin counterclockwise around him, "Whoa!" Walker said, "That move is used for offensive and defensive purposes, anyone who touches those flames will get hurt, so it also protects you from close range harm, it won't work against long range, though." Sprinter said, the flames disappear and Walker nodded, he tries his last spiritual ability, he holds his front left hoof out and he shoots out a stream of dark blue and orange fire, it burns whatever it touched, "Wow." Walker said, "That's your strongest spiritual ability right there, it kills almost anything in a single burn. The color of the fire is also important, orange flames are stronger than dark blue flames." Sprinter said, Walker nodded, "Okay, now your last ability, focus on the dark blue aura around you, and absorb it into yourself with your mind." Sprinter said, Runner realized what Sprinter was going to teach him and was very uneasy. Walker absorbs the aura into himself and he floated in midair, he spun around slowly counterclockwise and let out a grunt when he finished spinning in a circle, he lands on the ground. Walker looks at himself and realizes he has transformed, he was made out of dark blue flames, and he had a horn on his forehead, and bat-like wings on his sides, Walker realized he has transformed into an alicorn-like creature, he was able to tell he was about as tall as Princess Celestia, he soon changed back, "What was that?" Walker asked with curiosity, "That, there was your spiritual form, your most powerful ability, when you transform into that form, all of your powers and abilities increase tenfold." Sprinter replied, "Whoa!" Walker said, "Walker, wait." Runner said as he ran outside to them, "You mustn't use that form, it is monstrous and dangerous." Runner said, "Oh, come on, dad, it was awesome." Walker replied, "It's his choice, son, let him use it as he pleases." Sprinter said, "Okay, but restrain it, Walker, don't use your powers unless you have to." Runner said, "Yes, dad." Walker replied, "One more thing, Walker, do not, under any circumstances, use it at school, while regular ponies cannot see the dark blue flames of your powers, they can see the damage it causes, also, you will see deceased ponies at school, the other ponies cannot see them, so do not call out to them." Sprinter said, "Yes, granddad." Walker replied, "Good, off to school now, it's about to start." Sprinter said, and Walker walks to school. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes multiple times and sees Walker fighting souls, skeletons, and many more creatures that she did not recognize, her visions stop after a short amount of time. Sunset Shimmer lets go of Walker and her eyes stop glowing, "Oh. My. Gosh." Sunset Shimmer said, "What?" Walker asked, "Your powers are amazing!" Sunset Shimmer replied, "What did you say, Sunset Shimmer?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You all won't believe this, but Walker's powers may be an alternate to magic." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What?" Apple Bloom asked, "Really?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, it turns out that Walker and his family use this type of energy called spiritual energy, it's not visible to the naked eye." Sunset Shimmer replied, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle look on with surprise, "Until now, that is." Twilight Sparkle said as she walks to them, "You finished the spell, Twilight?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yup, I just finished making it. Alright, Walker, let's see this spiritual energy." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she casts a spell and shoots a beam at Walker with her horn. Walker's eyes glows the same colors as Twilight Sparkle's magic aura, all of Ponyville glows and it disappears, everybody gasps at what they saw, there were light blue and transparent ponies and animals everywhere, light blue flames in the air, and a dark blue aura around Walker. Everybody looks at Walker with disbelief while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer run to them, "Wow, I didn't think the spell would actually work." Walker said, "What is this, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "My vision and hearing every day." Walker replied, they all look and see the light blue and transparent ponies and animals getting on with their days, they could be heard as well, Runner and Sprinter teleport and appear to Walker's sides, "You really were that desperate to learn, weren't you guys?" Runner asked, "Yeah, you three have been acting weird ever since you three came here." Twilight Sparkle replied, "So, this is why, huh?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "What is this?" Apple Bloom asked, "Our vision and hearing, we can see and hear the souls of the dead." Sprinter replied, "Souls of the dead?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, they all look and see the ghosts of Bright Mac and Pear Butter rubbing their snouts on Apple Bloom, "It's that feelin' again, so that's what it was, it was mah mom and dad." Apple Bloom said, "As I said before, just because they're dead doesn't mean they're gone." Walker replied, "Oh, this is amazing, that means you three can reunite the living with their deceased loved ones." Twilight Sparkle said, the residents of Ponyville murmur with agreement, "Say, who is this Spirit guy?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "How do you know about him?" Runner asked, "I saw him in Walker's memories when I touched him." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Very well, he is the ruler of the realm known as the Void, the Void is the realm your soul goes to to receive judgement after you die, your judgement will determine where you will go to for the afterlife, if you receive salvation, you go to the overworld, damnation, the underworld." Sprinter said, "What determines your judgement?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Your actions in life, and your personality type." Sprinter replied, "Why do you all have some of his powers for?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "One of our ancestors made a deal with him to ensure our family's survival." Sprinter replied, "Wait, explain what you mean." Twilight Sparkle said, "During the time when us ponies were divided by unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies, our family was attacked the most often due to us being the closest target to both types of ponies, one of our ancestors saw Spirit taking a dead pony's soul, and he did a ritual in his name, Spirit was satisfied and contacted him, he gave him some of his powers, and it will be passed down to the males of our family's paternal bloodline, but it came with three prices." Sprinter replied, "What are they?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The first one was the mare who carries the child for the next generation has to be an earth pony, trying to have a child with a Pegasus or a unicorn will result in a miscarriage." Runner replied, the adult ponies gasp, "A miscarriage?" Applejack asked, "Yes, we can't marry ponies of different types, or both, the mare and the child will die." Sprinter replied, the foals look at them with shock, "What's the second price?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Only colts can be birthed, and one colt at a time, if the baby is a filly, it will change to a colt, as for twins, if it's twin brothers, they will merge into one colt, if it's a twin brother and a twin sister, the colt will be born while the filly will not." Sprinter replied, "So, you guys can't have sisters?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, our family cannot birth daughters." Runner replied, "Didn't any of you ever want a daughter?" Fluttershy asked, "Not really." Sprinter replied, "It was my wife who wanted one, not me." Runner said, the others were silent for a bit, "What's the last price?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "As soon as the son is born, the mother dies." Runner replied, the ponies gasp, "And the father has to raise the son alone." Runner said, "Oh, no." Fluttershy said, "What?" Walker asked, "You never experienced a mother's love." Twilight Sparkle replied, "It's not that bad." Walker said, "That's because you never had a mom." Apple Bloom said, "Yeah, moms are the best." Sweetie Belle said, "To be honest with you, I grew up without a mother figure, too." Runner replied, "I did as well." Sprinter said, "So, it's not just me?" Walker asked, "No, your father and I grew up without moms as well." Sprinter replied, "Wait, but why are only males from the paternal side allowed to have powers?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Because our ancestor who made the deal in the first place was a male from the paternal side of our family, so it just stuck." Sprinter replied, "So, it's not because Equestria is mostly female dominated?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Nope, I asked Spirit when I was a colt, that's what he said, if the pony who made the deal was a female or from the maternal side of the family, then that would've stuck instead." Sprinter replied, "Why didn't Spirit allow y'all to have siblings?" Applejack asked, "Because if we have two or more sons, they might fight one another with their powers, and as for sisters, they won't inherit his powers, and would grow jealous and resentful of her brother." Runner replied, "Oh, yeah, I can see that happening." Twilight Sparkle said, "Would you be jealous of your brother if he had our powers and you didn't, Princess Twilight?" Walker asked, "Well, I'll admit, I kind of would be." Twilight Sparkle replied, "We still come with responsibilities, me, my dad, and my granddad have to travel to the other worlds to bring the dead souls to the Void to receive judgement." Walker said, "Wait, other worlds?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "There are more worlds than this world and the world you're staying in." Walker replied, Sunset Shimmer's eyes widen, "How much more?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "A lot more." Runner replied, "Say, why did ya go to the Everfree Forest the other day for, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "Some of the souls that received damnation escaped from the underworld and came back to the world of the living to haunt them, I had to hunt them down and bring them back to the Void to get sent back to the afterlife." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders become uncomfortable, "It's late, go to school, Walker, your grandfather and I have to go to work." Runner said, the others agree and they all get on with their days. Runner was teaching the foals how to run like a professional track runner and there were souls of dead foals with them, "Whoa, did they just arrive?" a colt asked, "No, they were there running with you all the whole time." Runner replied, the living foals look at them with surprise while the souls wave at them and smile, "Come on, everypony, we started late today, we have to do stretches now." Runner said, and they do, the living foals look at Runner, "What?" Runner asked, "It's really hard for us to concentrate with that dark blue aura around your body." a filly replied, "Oh, that, just ignore that." Runner said, and they stretch, they finish after a few minutes, "Alright, let's try running a little farther today, go around the trees and run back this time." Runner said, the foals nod while Runner got ready to run with them, "Ready." Runner said, the foals were ready to run, "Go!" Runner said, and he runs with the foals. Sprinter was teaching the others how to defend themselves and he was in a boxing match with Bulk Biceps, the two fight and they stop when they hear a lot of girls cheering for Sprinter, the two look back and see a lot of souls of female ponies cheering for Sprinter and screaming at him to win, "Who are they?" Smolder asked, "My fans from my younger days as a boxer." Sprinter replied, the ghost mares continue to cheer for him, "Come on, Bulk Biceps, let's continue." Sprinter said, and they continue boxing. Sprinter punches Bulk Biceps in his chest a few times with his front hoofs, and ducks when Bulk Biceps tries to hit him, they hear chuckling and the ghosts of a few stallions watching, "Are they your fans, too?" Gallus asked, "No, they were my opponents when I was a professional boxer." Sprinter replied, "Come on, Sprinter, you can take him." one stallion said, "Do that famous finishing move of yours." another stallion said, the two continue punching one another until Sprinter grabs Bulk Biceps' front legs, "Wait, here it comes." a third stallion said, "That finishing move of his." a fourth stallion said, Sprinter gets on his back while holding onto Bulk Biceps' front legs and kicks him in the groin with his hind left hoof. Bulk Biceps groans loudly and falls over while clutching his groin with his front hoofs. Sprinter stands up and looks at Bulk Biceps with a smile, the stallions laugh while his students look on in shock, they listen and hear the ghost mares cheering for Sprinter. Bulk Biceps groans loudly while the ghosts of Sprinter's former opponents still laugh, "Wait, lift him up a bit." the first stallion said, and two of them do, they also move Bulk Biceps' front legs and there was a dark purple bruise on Bulk Biceps' groin, Sprinter's students gasp while the stallions continue to laugh, "He's still got it!" the second stallion said, they continue to laugh while Bulk Biceps pants a little heavily from the pain, "SPRINTER!!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she flies to him, Applejack runs to him as well, "We told you, no hits to the groin!" Rainbow Dash said angrily, "That rule doesn't apply in actual fights." Sprinter replied, "Still what were ya thinkin'? Ah can tell by just looking at him that low blow hurt more than a bunch of stings from a nest full of flash bees." Applejack said, Bulk Biceps continues to groan in pain, Granny Smith walks over, "What is that dang ol' sound?" Granny Smith asked, "It's Bulk Biceps right there, Granny, Sprinter here just hit him in his junk." Applejack replied, "We all did that." a stallion ghost said, "What?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, we all did hits to the crotch when we did boxing." another stallion replied, "Ah remember boxin' when it first started, hits to one's junk was allowed back then, a rule was made years later that disqualified low blows cause it caused so much pain to the person who got hit." Granny Smith said, "It's must've been after I retired, that rule was never made throughout my entire boxing career." Sprinter said, "Well, that explains a lot." Rainbow Dash replied, she looks at Bulk Biceps and saw he was unconscious, "He's unconscious!" Rainbow Dash said, "Come on, y'all, let's take him to the hospital." Applejack said, and Sprinter's students carry him away, "So, what caused you to come to Ponyville?" a stallion asked, and Sprinter begins to catch up with his former opponents. Walker was in class and trying to work, the foals and Cheerilee groan and growl since they were distracted by the loud conversations of the ghost ponies in the class, Walker exhales loudly as he focuses on his morning work, "Is it like this for you all the time, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "How are you able to deal with this?" Pipsqueak asked, "Trust me, I'm having trouble staying calm, too." Walker replied, "Um, excuse me, souls, I need you all to keep it down." Cheerilee said, they did not, "Excuse me!" Cheerilee said loudly, the foals and souls look at her, "Souls, keep your voices down, me and the others are trying to work." Cheerilee said, and the souls converse with quieter voices. Walker finishes working and sighs, he looks up again and Sweetie Belle looks with him, she sees light blue flames floating in the air, "What are those, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "More souls, not all of them change to their physical forms, some of them float in the air as flames." Walker replied, "How come?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Either they choose not to, or I've fought them in the past and destroyed the body form, they change to their flame forms if you destroy their bodies, it's how they travel faster and heal." Walker replied, "Where do you get the spiritual energy for your powers?" Sweetie Belle asked, "The flames floating around there, I absorb them, there's also me hitting my enemies, I absorb some of their spiritual energy into myself that way, as well, when I use a spiritual ability, it is released back into the air." Walker replied, "Wow, so everyday is like this for you." Sweetie Belle said, "Actually, not completely, ever since I came here, my four advisors haven't been with me." Walker replied, he feels tingling in his head, "I kept them away because you're basically on break from traveling through the worlds, if you wish, I can send them to you." Spirit said telepathically, "Yes, please, Spirit, I'd like them here." Walker replied, "Very well." Spirit said telepathically and he ends the contact. A white light appears around Walker and it divides into four lights, they form into four bipedal humanoid figures, which made the foals and Cheerilee gasp, two of them were standing, one was floating, and one was sitting, "Who are they, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "My advisors, this is Optimist." Walker replied as he holds his front right hoof out to her, "Hello." Optimist said as she waves her right hand around, she looked like a little girl, she had an inverted triangular face, fair skin, yellow eyes, and straight bright blonde hair that went down to her scapulae, she was wearing a light yellow, knee-length, sleeveless dress, and yellow sandals, "This is Pessimist." Walker said as he holds his front left hoof out to him, he was sitting on the floor, "Don't bother, Walker, I'm bound to forgotten by them." Pessimist said, he looked like a teenage boy, he had an inverted triangular face, pale white skin, blue eyes, and messy jet black hair, he was wearing a gray long-sleeve shirt, blue trouser jeans, white socks, and black running shoes, "This is Passive." Walker said as he holds his front right hoof out to her, she was floating in the air, she was wearing a light blue, long-sleeve, floor-length dress, had straight long white hair, an inverted triangular face, whitish blue skin, and her eyes were closed, "Can she see?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes, I am merely meditating right now." Passive replied, "I wanna see your eyes." Scootaloo said, and she opens them, they were blue with light blue ice coming out of them, the foals exclaim with awe, "And this is Aggressive." Walker said while holding his front left hoof out to him, "What are you all looking at?!" Aggressive asked, scaring everypony, he had red skin, a square face shape, short black hair, and red eyes with orange fire coming out of them, he was wearing black pants that went halfway down his calves, since the rest of the pants below there was ripped, he was extremely muscular, "Wait, Aggressive." Walker said, "Yeah." Aggressive said, "Since everybody can now see and hear you, you're going to have to keep your voice down with you advise me." Walker replied, Aggressive nods while smiling, and they all work. Cheerilee's class works while the souls were still loud and distracting everybody with their loud conversations, "Just listen to them. Loud. Annoying. Distracting. You should use your powers to attack them and send them a message that if they don't pipe down, you will destroy their body forms." Aggressive whispered, Sweetie Belle stops working and looks at Walker with a shocked expression, "It will make you the alpha and secure your dominance and superiority over them, along with making them quiet." Optimist whispered, "You will make yourself feared and it will cause them to raise up against you, which will cause even more chaos." Pessimist whispered, "You should just sit and try to ignore them instead of causing a scene." Passive whispered, "You will be able to get through the day with no problems." Optimist whispered, "It will make you look like a pushover with no backbone and will get stepped on." Pessimist whispered, Walker thought about their words, "I'll go with you for now, Passive." Walker said, Sweetie Belle smiles and they all work until it was time for recess. Walker plays with the students and the souls of the dead foals, he notices that his classmates try to play with them as well, the recess was normal while Optimist, Pessimist, Passive, and Aggressive just watch. The day continues and Walker was bored in his class, he senses something outside and looks to his left, he closes his eyes and reopens them, he looks and saw a ghost outside the school, the light blue figure disappears, Walker then looks around and sees the ponies were not reacting, "Phew." Walker said as he sighs with relief since he realizes that Twilight Sparkle's spell did not work completely, he looks around was able to see what was in his classmates' saddlebags, he sees they were just ordinary school supplies such as pencils and erasers, he sees magazines and comic books in some of the saddlebags as well, he continues working and finishes, he then sits until it was time to go home. Runner and Sprinter finish work and they were heading home together, they hear running to their rights and look, they saw Walker coming, "Your advisors aren't with you two?" Walker asked, "No, I don't think we need them at the moment." Runner replied, "Oh, well, I actually asked Spirit to give me mine." Walker said, "Why?" Runner asked, "Um, so I can have them help me make decisions." Walker replied, Runner glares at him, "Um, did I do something wrong, dad?" Walker asked, "Let it go, my son, they were bound to be discovered sooner or later anyway." Sprinter said, and Runner stops glaring, "Still, I wonder what it's like having these four seen by others." Walker said, "It makes people understand you better on why you act the way you do." Optimist said, "Having us visible makes you look suspicious." Pessimist said, "Where are your four trainers?" Sprinter asked, "I actually didn't ask for them to appear." Walker replied, "I see." Sprinter said, "I wonder if I should." Walker said, "They'll be around to keep you from being lonely." Optimist said, "They will distract the others." Pessimist said, "I'll admit, this is a tough one." Walker replied, "We might as well have our advisors as well, Runner." Sprinter said, "Yeah, they could help us in the long run." Runner replied, they feel tingling in their heads', "Very well, Runner and Sprinter, here you two go." Spirit said telepathically, and he ends the contact, eight lights appear and they form, Runner's and Sprinter's advisors were with them, the ponies look on with surprise. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter hear running and see Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack come to them, they now saw three Passives, three Aggressives, three Optimists, and three Pessimists, "Who are these guys?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We are their advisors." Walker's Passive replied, "So, there's three of you?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Not exactly, we are one, but we can divide ourselves as much as we want." Runner's Pessimist replied, "So, how exactly do these advisors work?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Passive and Aggressive will give me advice on how to deal with people, while Optimist and Pessimist will give me advice on every decision I think of, usually, Passive will give the pacifist advice, and Aggressive will give the violent advice, then Optimist will list the pros, and Pessimist will list the cons." Walker replied, "Where did you four come from?" Applejack asked, "Residents of the Void, created by Spirit himself." Sprinter's Passive replied, "What the? Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle said, she looks and sees while the three Passives and Aggressives glowed the same brightness, Walker's Pessimist glowed just a little brighter than his Optimist, Runner's Pessimist glowed the same brightness while his Optimist was a little dim, and Sprinter's Pessimist glowed very brightly while his Optimist was very dim, she was also laying on the floor and looked weak instead of standing up like the other two Optimists, "Why are your Optimists and Pessimists all glowing a different brightness?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is their own personal points of view on the world, the more positive or negative they become, the weaker or stronger our presence will be." Sprinter's Pessimist replied, "Sprinter, your Optimist looks very weak." Twilight Sparkle said, Sprinter's Optimist looks up, "It's okay, his negative point of view on the world has made him able to foresee a lot of unfortunate situations that most do now foresee." Sprinter's Optimist replied weakly, the six mares look at her with discomfort since she sounded like she was dying, "It is not just Optimist and Pessimist, the more gentle or violent they become, the weaker or stronger my and Aggressive's presence will be as well." Sprinter's Passive said, "Wow, I'd sure like to have such advisors." Fluttershy said, "I still wish Sprinter would be a bit more positive, though." Twilight Sparkle replied, "He's not completely negative, if he was, I wouldn't be here." Sprinter's Optimist said, "Wait, you're saying, if someone is completely one...?" Rainbow Dash asked, "The other will not be around at all, if Walker was a completely passive person, Aggressive wouldn't be there with him, same with if he was completely aggressive, I wouldn't be here." Walker's Passive replied, the ponies murmur, "It's getting late, I have to go home and do my homework." Walker said, "Okay, Walker, I'd like to know more about them tomorrow." Twilight Sparkle replied, and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter head home while their advisors went with them, their Optimists walk with them while Sprinter's Optimist crawls, Sprinter picks her up and puts her on his back, their Aggressives also walk with them, their Passives float with them, and their Pessimists just sit and slide across the ground, "*gasp* Ponies can see one's personalities and points of view?!" Walker, Runner, and Sprinter hear Silverstream ask with excitement, "No, Silverstream, it's just those three." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, "Still, you guys interacting with souls and the afterlife is awesome!" the three hear Silverstream say, "Silverstream, again, it's just those three, this is new to us as well." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, "Is Sunset Shimmer still here?" the three hear Applejack ask, "Yes, I'm planning to ask her about what she saw in Walker's mind this morning, I also had Spike send a letter to Princess Celestia about Walker's powers and the area, Princess Luna thinks the Void is where Walker is going to in his sleep." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, "Ah wonder what this Void place looks like." the three hear Applejack say, "Me too, Applejack, me too." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter enter their home and they could no longer hear the conversation. Walker dreams and saw he was in a pitch black area, he quickly summons a pistol in his front left hoof, "Where are you?" Walker grumbled to himself, he grunts and had claw marks on his chest, he closes his eyes and his vision becomes dark blue, he sees the light blue bipedal creature in front of him, it disappears and Walker looks around while aiming his pistol, he sweats and breaths heavily, he did not see it anywhere. A rift appears in his dream and he saw Princess Luna come, she flies to him, "Wha? What kind of nightmare is this?" Princess Luna asked, Walker grunts and he falls and had claw marks on his back, Princess Luna notices it and casts a spell to light up the place, she sees the pitch black humanoid figure in Walker's dream, "What is this?!" Princess Luna asked, the creature disappears and Princess Luna looks around. Walker stands up and looks around, he sees the creature reappear and Princess Luna shoots a zap from her horn, but it goes through the creature and does not harm it, leaving her speechless. Walker quickly aims his pistol at the creature's head and shoots it, he changes his vision back to normal while the creature changes to a light blue flame and Walker absorbs it into himself, he wakes up shortly afterwards. Walker wakes up in his bed and sees he could not move nor speak, he looks at the door across from him and sees another humanoid pitch black figure there, it walks to him slowly and teleports short distances while its head twitches around, it stands on Walker's bed and growls. Runner and Sprinter hear the growl and wake up, they see the black figure on Walker's bed, Runner quickly summons a pistol in his front right hoof and shoots it in the head. Walker inhales deeply while Runner absorbs the creature's soul, "You okay, Walker?" Runner asked, "Yes, dad." Walker replied, "So, the Shadows are here, too." Sprinter said, the three look around and go back to sleep, the three sleep without dreaming. Day 9The next morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have breakfast, the door flies open and they see Princess Luna enter, "Walker? Are you here?" Princess Luna asked, she sees him and flies to him, the ponies outside notice Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack trot into the house to see what was going on, "Let me see your body." Princess Luna said, and Walker walks forward, the six mares gasp when they see claw marks on his chest and back, "My stars, it's the same wounds you received in your dream last night." Princess Luna said, "Wait, what's going on, Princess Luna?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Walker was having a nightmare last night, and I noticed I was able to see his dream and enter it, so I did, and Walker was being attacked by this bipedal creature, it was pitch black, like a shadow, it attacked him in his dream, I tried to zap it away, but my magic went right through it." Princess Luna replied, "Of course it did, that was a soul of the dead." Sprinter said, "I beg your pardon." Princess Luna said, "What you saw there was a Shadow, they are souls that have already received damnation, but they escaped from the underworld and come back to the world of the living to haunt them, their pitch black form represents their malice, the more malevolent they were when they were alive, the stronger the Shadow will be." Sprinter replied, the mares look at him with widened eyes', "I sent a letter to Princess Celestia about the souls and afterlife yesterday." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, I read it as well." Princess Luna replied, "We have several enemies because of our powers, the Shadows is only one of them." Walker said, "What are the others?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Liches, the Revived, the Undead, and the Possessed." Walker replied, "Explain what they are." Princess Luna said, "Liches are in every world, they are evil creatures that absorb souls and trap them." Runner replied, "The Revived, Undead, and Possessed are people brought back to life, usually in the form of skeletons." Walker said, "What's the difference?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Revived is when a skeleton is brought back to life by its own soul, Possessed is when it's controlled by another soul, and the Undead have no souls." Walker replied, "So, what do the Undead do?" Applejack asked, "Unless there is someone to direct them, they attack everyone and everything on sight." Runner replied, the mares become uncomfortable, "There's more, the Possessed are also living people, if that happens to be the case, then the person possessing them can transform their body however they wish." Sprinter said, Rarity screams, "I can't imagine that, somebody take control of me and modify my beautiful body, it's the worst possible thing. Worst! Possible! Thing!" Rarity said, "Anyway, that's about all there is, we're a busy trio." Runner said, "Well, let's go, we all have things to do today." Princess Luna said, and they all leave while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have breakfast. Twilight Sparkle was in her castle and seeing Sunset Shimmer, "You saw the Void in Walker's mind, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What did it look like?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It was so weird, the entire place was light blue, and there were these black landscapes floating in the air like Cloudsdale." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle writes it down in a book, "Did you see anybody there?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I saw a guy who called himself Spirit." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle's attention was caught, "What did he look like?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Like a person from the world I'm staying in." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Describe him." Twilight Sparkle said, "Kind of tall, blue shirt, blue pants, blue belt, blue gloves, blue boots, blue trench coat, his hair is short and black, he has fringes as bangs instead of being completely straight like yours, his skin was like a peach color, and his eyes are light blue, but he sometimes has dark blue and orange fire in them." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Fire in his eyes?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, they appear sometimes." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Okay, tell me, did you also see what kind of powers Walker and his guardians have?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, I saw Walker teleporting." Sunset Shimmer replied, "We already know he can do that. What else can he do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Believe it or not, but he can actually command those dead souls to act under his orders." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Really? That's amazing. What else can he do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I also saw him make these skeletal hands come out of his front hoofs, it looks like he can use those to grab ledges and pull himself towards them." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Wait, skeletal hands?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, like the hands and forearms of the people in my world, but it's made from bones, one thing that caught my mind in particular is that the bones were black instead of white." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I see, what else?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I don't think you're going to like this next one." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What is it?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I saw Walker close his eyes and reopen them, and his vision changed, everything was dark blue, people were light blue, and objects were just blue, but that's not the problem, the problem is when he uses that vision, he can see through walls, ceilings, what's inside our saddlebags, and what could be inside people's pockets, he can also read other people's feelings and heartbeats with that vision, he can use it to see who's watching him, too, and lastly, if we have any hidden injuries on ourselves, he will see those as well." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle freezes in place with shock, "You're saying that he can see through walls and ceilings with that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, he can see what's inside your saddlebag, too." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, I don't think he's used it, I mean, I cast the spell to see and hear the world how he sees and hears it." Twilight Sparkle said, "He probably knows, so he's choosing not to use it." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Probably. What else can he do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, we haven't seen him do this, but he can open portals between this world and the Void with his mind at anytime." Sunset Shimmer replied, "So, that means he can go there anytime he wishes, that's pretty nice to know." Twilight Sparkle said, "He has three more powers, Twilight, the first one is he can summon any weapon he wishes at will, and since the weapons are spiritual in nature, they weigh nothing." Sunset Shimmer said, "Weigh nothing? I'll have to see that for myself, what are the other two?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, the next one is using spiritual energy as a weapon, he has a total of four abilities." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What are they?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The first one allows him to summon four of these round heads that float in the air, they go to his nearest enemy begin swarming their target and attacks them." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Summon round heads? How do they attack people?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, if I had to take a guess, they're either draining someone's soul out or biting them, I'm not sure." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What's the second power?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Walker can change himself into a soul form, he is completely invincible when he's like that, he can't harm others either unless they're a soul themselves." Sunset Shimmer replied, "So he can change to a ghost, good thing I cast that spell, or he'd be invisible to us." Twilight Sparkle said, Sunset Shimmer chuckles, "The third power allows him to summon these flames that spin around him, you can't get close to him at that time, or you'll get burned." Sunset Shimmer said, "I'm sure a magic spell can counter that, what's the last one?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "He can shoot a stream of fire out of his hoof, that's the strongest of his four spiritual abilities, I also saw in his memory with it being explained, Sprinter said orange flames are stronger than dark blue flames." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I see, what's his last power?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You won't believe it." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Go on, tell me." Twilight Sparkle said, "Walker can transform into this alicorn-like fire creature." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What?! Walker can change into an alicorn?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, it looks like an alicorn, and as tall as Princess Celestia, but it has what looks to be bat wings instead of Pegasus wings, and when he's in that form, all of his powers and abilities become ten times stronger." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle becomes speechless, "Anything else?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Nope, that's all." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, are you leaving?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Not yet, I'll stay here a bit and watch Walker and his family." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Alright, well, that's all I wanted to know, thanks for your time." Twilight Sparkle said, and Sunset Shimmer goes outside while Twilight Sparkle proofreads what she wrote. Runner was running and the foals follow him, they run slower than usual as well, "Why did you all slow down for?" Runner asked, "Those four people there with you are in the way." a colt replied, "Don't mind us, we just do our jobs." Runner's Passive said, "Yeah, you'll just go through us." Runner's Aggressive said, the foals try and pass through the four, "See, we're basically ghosts, too, since only Walker, Runner, and Sprinter are supposed to see and hear us." Runner's Optimist said, "Say, what's it like serving Spirit?" a colt asked, "It has its ups and downs." Runner replied, "What's one good thing about it?" a filly asked, "Watching my family." Runner replied, "Watching your family?" the filly asked, "Yeah, I can only think about what kind of pranks my dad would play on my son if I didn't." Runner replied, and he has a thought. Walker was sitting at a table and trying to contact Runner and Sprinter with an Ouija board, he spells out Sprinter's name and his ghost appears, Walker smiles while he looks at Sprinter, "You're adopted." Sprinter said, Walker begins to cry while Runner appears behind him, he slaps Sprinter on the back of his head with his front right hoof while Sprinter laughs. Runner comes back to reality and looks at the foals, "Well, anyway, let's keep running." Runner said, and they all run again, "Let's keep going a bit a longer than usual today." Runner said, and they all do, the foals quickly get tired since they were running as fast as they can, "Remember, everypony, pace yourself, don't run as fast as you can, or you'll tire yourself out before you're even close to the end." Runner said, they run a bit and go farther into the woods, they go around a tree and run back. Runner stands and looks at his students, they were all panting and sweating, "Can you all keep going?" Runner asked, the foals shake their heads, "Alright, go on and rest then, we'll continue when you all recover." Runner said, and he sits and waits while the foals pant heavily. Sprinter shows his students how to do jump kicks with their hind legs, the students try it but hurt their thighs by stretching them out too far, they groan in pain as they fall to the ground, "Give it time, everyone, it'll get easier as you practice, as for now, let's stretch a little." Sprinter said, and they do, the pain in their hind thighs' went away, they finish after a few minutes, "Um, Sprinter." Ocellus said as she trots to him, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I can't focus while seeing her like that." Ocellus said as she points her front left hoof to Optimist, who was laying on the ground, "Sorry, you'll just have to ignore her." Sprinter said, "I can't, the way she's laying on the ground looks like she's about to lose her life at any second." Ocellus replied, "Don't worry, she won't, she's just like that because my view on the world is not very positive." Sprinter said, "Well, be more positive, Sprinter, I can't bear to see her like that." Ocellus replied, "Anybody else bothered by it?" Sprinter asked, "Kind of, yeah." Sandbar replied, "Yona distracted." Yona said, "Sorry, Optimist, but you're going to have to go out of sight." Sprinter said, "Okay." Sprinter's Optimist replied, "No, be more happy, Sprinter, so she can be all happy and full of energy like the other two." Silverstream said, "That's going to be a lot harder to do than you think." Sprinter replied, "Come to think of it, we never did learn about the background of you and your family." Gallus said, "Trust me, my background is better off not known." Sprinter replied, "You did something bad, didn't you?" Smolder asked, "Not exactly, it's the environment that I was raised in." Sprinter replied, they all hear Pinkie Pie behind Sprinter and he turns around, he sees her trying to hold up Optimist, "No, don't fall, stand up, please." Pinkie Pie said, "It's alright, I'm fine." Sprinter's Optimist replied, "No, you're not, please stand." Pinkie Pie said, and she begins to cry while Optimist just lays on the ground, Sprinter turns around, "Well, let's just continue." Sprinter said, and he teaches his students more punches and kicks. Walker sits in class and works while the souls in the class converse and distract him and the others, Walker sees his classmates covering their ears', "Miss Cheerilee." Sweetie Belle said, "Try to ignore them, I'm honestly having trouble focusing as well." Cheerilee replied, and they try but could not, the foals growl while trying to focus on their work. Walker works but he hears something to his left, he looks at the window and sees nothing, so he closes his eyes and reopens them, he sees eight light blue figures coming, he looks and sees they looked like earth ponies. Walker stands up and summons his sword and pistol, the windows break to the left break. Cheerilee and the foals scream when eight stallions break in, Walker runs to them and he sees all eight of the stallions had glowing light blue eyes', which told him they were possessed. One stallion opens his mouth and shoots fire out, Walker jumps over it and shoots him in the head with his pistol, the stallion falls over and his soul appears in the air, Walker absorbs it by holding out his front left hoof. A second stallion opens his mouth and he had a long tongue, it wraps around Walker and pulls him forward, he summons blue flames around himself that spin counterclockwise and burns the stallion, he absorbs his soul as well. Three stallions join their hoofs together and form into an earth pony that was three times bigger than an average stallion with twelve legs, three tails, six eyes’, and three heads, it runs after Walker while it destroys the floor, he teleports onto the back of its neck and stabs the center head, he shoots the left head and then teleports to the right head and stabs it, it falls over while three souls came out of it and Walker absorbs them. The next stallion grows tentacles and snakes out of his back and wraps around Walker to constrict him, he grunts and quickly changes to his soul form to escape, he changes back and shoots a stream of dark blue and orange fire out of his front right hoof, the stallion screams as he burns, his soul comes out and Walker absorbs it. The next stallion grows light blue and black wings out of his sides, he begins to fly but Walker quickly makes a black skeletal arm come out of his front right hoof and pull him forward, Walker shoots him with his pistol and absorbs his soul. The last stallion charges towards Walker, he holds his sword out and ends up cutting the stallion from his collarbone to his waist, he turns around and Walker sees him grow teeth in his cut and it changes to a stomach, he stands on his hind legs and the stomach opens, he tries to eat Walker but he just shoots him and absorbs his soul. Walker sees more souls outside and jumps out of the window, Cheerilee and her class go to watch him. The ground erupts and skeleton ponies come out, Walker changes his sword and pistol to a big double-edged broadsword that was about sixty six inches long and twelve inches wide, Cheerilee and her class look on with opened mouths and wide eyes at the sword. Walker swings the broadsword around like it was nothing and attacks the skeleton ponies, they break apart and their souls appear out of the destroyed skeletons to continue fighting Walker. Walker grunts when he gets hit by zaps, he sees several skeleton ponies shooting beams out of their foreheads, he summons a two-handed rifle in his front left hoof and fires at them and destroys their skeletons, their souls appear to fight him. The ground bursts open and more skeleton ponies appear, Runner and Sprinter appear to help Walker, but it made more skeleton ponies appear, they look and see Pegasi souls appear in the air. Sprinter holds his front right leg up and makes several pony souls appear, he holds his leg out and the souls go over to attack the enemies. Walker and Runner make four round heads appear to attack the skeletons and souls attacking them while Cheerilee and her class stand back and watch with fear, the flying Pegasi begin to fly down to attack them and Runner and Sprinter make shotguns appear, they fire scattershots and the souls turn into light blue flames, Runner and Sprinter absorb them into themselves. Walker swings the broadsword around to destroy the skeletons and souls around him, he looks and sees the residents of Ponyville coming over, Rainbow Dash flies down to fight the skeletons and destroys them, their souls come out and begin beating her, she grunts every time she was hit, she tries kicking one soul, "Huh? What the?" Rainbow Dash asked, she tries hitting the souls and saw her hoofs pass through them and did not harm them, the souls begin to beat her up and she grunts from each hit, Walker swings the broadsword and destroys their souls and absorbs them while Rainbow Dash pants, "You okay?" Walker asked, "I'm fine." Rainbow Dash replied, and Walker looks and sees the souls Sprinter summoned were falling as well. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer try shooting their magic at the skeletons and souls, the skeletons get destroyed, but the souls were unharmed, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Our magic went through them." Starlight Glimmer said, they try again and their magic go through the souls and have no effect on them, the two stand there in stunned silence. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter finish off the skeletons and souls there and Sprinter dismisses the army he called forth, the three see the ponies of Ponyville around them, "What were those ponies who broke into the school?" Cheerilee asked, "The Possessed, they're after me." Walker replied, "What about those skeletons?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Revived, they were brought back to life by their own souls." Runner replied, "You all could've called me over to help with the possessed ponies." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm sorry to say this, Princess Twilight, but usually when someone is possessed, that's it, they're gone for good, the only way to free them is to kill them." Walker replied, the ponies gasp, "You mean... there's no way to free them?!" Scootaloo asked, "When someone is possessed, they are trying to fight to regain control of their bodies with their willpowers, but usually, their willpowers are not strong enough to win back control over themselves, so no matter how hard they try, they cannot be free." Sprinter replied, "Well, don't kill them, I'm sure a spell can free them." Twilight Sparkle said, "I doubt such a spell exists." Runner replied, "Then we'll have to create one." Twilight Sparkle said, "Even if you do, the spell will not work on them." Sprinter replied, "Why not?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Souls are not physical bodies, that is why your magic works on skeletons but not on souls." Walker replied, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm sorry, but that is the way, I'd appreciate you all's help, but it's best if you leave the souls of the dead to us." Sprinter said, "But you guys attack them directly." Twilight Sparkle replied, "That's because they are genuinely malevolent souls, there are some good souls as well." Runner replied, "You all can at least offer your friendship." Rarity said, "Offer our friendship? You're joking." Walker replied, "No, we're not, friendship is magic, Walker." Twilight Sparkle said, "In this world, in the other worlds, it's not magic at all." Walker replied, "What do you mean it's not magic?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Exactly what I mean, friendship is not valued in several other cultures." Walker replied, "What is it to them?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A concept, something we use just to stay on good terms with others." Walker replied, "WHAT?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We're wasting time, let's take these souls to the Void to receive judgement." Sprinter said, "Take me with you three." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Sorry, but we can't." Walker replied, "Why not?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Spirit just doesn't allow anyone into the Void, let's go." Runner replied, and Sprinter opens a portal with his mind and the three were about to go, "I wanna meet Spirit." Pinkie Pie said as she dashes to the portal and tries to jump in, but she gets electrocuted and screams, she gets shot back afterwards, "As I said, Spirit doesn't allow live people into the Void, only us three can enter." Runner said, "But I wanna meet him." Pinkie Pie said, "You won't." Walker replied, "Where do the souls you get go?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We take them to this guy just called The Judge, he judges the souls, and they go to the afterlife, you never meet Spirit during that time." Walker replied, "Let's go." Sprinter said, and the three go to the Void and the portal closes while Twilight Sparkle seethes with rage. A light blue and white portal opens in the middle of Ponyville and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter come out and the portal behind them closes, "Should we really bring the creatures of the other worlds here, dad and granddad?" Walker asked, "It's probably best not to, since friendship is meaningless to some of them." Sprinter replied, "I doubt they'd adjust to this world, especially the ones with the warrior cultures." Runner said, "What about the first three creatures we met, the harpies, vulcans, and onis?" Walker asked, "Walker, you know full well that an oni won't fit in this world, and will cause a lot of chaos for Princess Twilight." Runner replied, "It'd still be funny to see, though." Walker said, they hear screams of excitement and the souls of mares run to Walker and begin touching and hugging him, he sees Runner become very uncomfortable, "Hey, dad, who are these ponies?" Walker asked, "All of the mares your grandfather dated when I was a foal." Runner replied, he hears the ponies scream in shock while he saw Sprinter smiling, "SPRINTER!!" Rarity yelled angrily as she ran to him, "No! Shame on you! You should know better not to date more than one mare!" Rarity said, "I only dated one at a time." Sprinter replied, "No! It is wrong to go from one mare to another, I can only imagine how many hearts you have broken." Rarity said, "Broken? He didn't break our hearts." one mare said, "Yeah, we just dated and broke up when the spark was gone." another mare said, "So, none of you were hurt by breaking up with him?" Rarity asked, "No, we were the ones who broke up with him." a third mare replied, "Wait a minute, I actually don't recognize some of them." Runner said, "Some of them, I dated before I had you, Runner." Sprinter replied, Rarity glares at him, "You had a son, yet you continued to go out with other mares?" Rarity asked, "I had two jobs at that time, so I needed somepony to foalsit Runner while I was at work." Sprinter replied, "Why didn't you hire a foalsitter?" Rarity asked, "There weren't any in the area Runner grew up in." a fourth mare replied, "I really hope your son didn't do the same thing." Rarity said, "Nope, I only loved one female pony, and only her, she and I grew up together as kids." Runner replied, "Don't give your grandson any ideas, Sprinter, dating one lady, breaking up with her, and going to another is one quick way to anger her." Rarity said, and she walks away while Sprinter's ex-girlfriends continue to rub and pat Walker, "You look just like Runner when he was a foal." a fifth mare said, Walker smiles and blushes, "Alright, ladies, that's enough, my grandson has to do his homework." Sprinter said, and the mares disappear while the three head home, Walker finishes his homework and he goes to bed, Runner and Sprinter go to bed hours later. Day 10Morning comes and Walker decides to paint since it was early in the morning, he paints a water landscape with a an island in the background that looks like a turtle's shell, he looks and sees Runner was passing the time by reading about honor and chivalry, while Sprinter was dancing with his ex-girlfriends. Walker continues to paint while thinking about his four trainers, "Still thinking about having your trainers present, I see." Walker's Passive said, "Yeah, I still wonder if I should have them present." Walker replied, "That's your choice, Walker, do what you wish." Runner said, "If you wish to, then Runner and I should have our trainers present as well." Sprinter said, "Yeah, I agree there." Runner said, "Well, in that case, yes, I'd like for our trainers to be here." Walker replied, the three feel tingling in their heads', "Very well, I'll send them." Spirit said telepathically, and he goes off, twelve lights appear and their trainers appear, each one had four trainers, one trainer looked like them but more muscular, one trainer had its brain exposed and its body was made of blue electricity, one trainer was light blue and transparent like a ghost, and one trainer had its heart exposed and its body was made of red fire, "It's almost time for school, Walker." Sprinter said, "Alright." Walker replied, and he adds the finishing touches to his painting and heads outside. Walker heads outside and sees the ponies of Ponyville waiting for him, "What was that light in your house just now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Oh, um, I asked for my four trainers to be with me as well." Walker replied, the ponies look and see them, "Whoa, they look so cool." Rainbow Dash said, "Who are they?" Fluttershy asked, "We are all Walker." the Walker who looked like him but more muscular replied, "Wait, you four are Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, we are representations of his inner self." the Walker made from blue electricity replied, "What do y'all represent and train him in?" Applejack asked, "I represent his body, I train him in exercising and staying in shape." the Walker who looked like him replied, "I represent his mind, I train him in learning new things through books and academics, he also receives my training throughout his life as he has new experiences." the Walker made from blue electricity said, "I represent his spirit, I train him in having a strong willpower and being determined, as well as having self-control." the light blue and transparent Walker said, "I represent his emotions, I train him in empathy and being able to read the emotions of others." the Walker made from red fire said, "Wow, this is amazing, Walker, I'm honestly kind of jealous I didn't have teachers like them." Twilight Sparkle said, "So, what do we call you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Body Walker." the muscular Walker said, "Mind Walker." the Walker made from blue electricity said, "Spirit Walker." the light blue and transparent Walker said, "Emotion Walker." the Walker made from red fire said, "Do your father and grandfather have their trainers, too?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "I wanna see them." Twilight Sparkle said, the door opens and Runner and Sprinter come out, everybody sees Body Runner, Body Sprinter, Mind Runner, Mind Sprinter, Spirit Runner, Spirit Sprinter, Emotion Runner, and Emotion Sprinter. Everypony looks on with surprise, Body Runner was skinny with no muscle while Body Sprinter was as muscular as Bulk Biceps, Mind Runner and Mind Sprinter had blue electricity that glowed brightly and crackled loudly, along with big brains, Mind Sprinter had the bigger brain, Spirit Runner and Spirit Sprinter glowed much brighter than Spirit Walker, but the two were equal to one another, and Emotion Runner had slightly high flames and a medium sized heart while Emotion Sprinter had almost no fire on himself and his heart was very small and not beating. The ponies look at the inner selfs of the three, "Wow, Runner, you look a bit out of shape." Rainbow Dash said, "I hate training." Runner replied, "What is this, Sprinter? Why is your emotional self so dim?" Rarity asked, "My granddad is not very big on emotions." Walker replied, "Having no emotions is bad for your health." Twilight Sparkle said, they look and see Emotion Walker was brighter than Emotion Runner and Emotion Sprinter, "I assume you're more emotional than your father and grandfather, Walker." Twilight Sparkle said, "He is, he's the one who always wants to have fun instead of getting things done." Runner replied, "Truth be told, it does hinder us sometimes." Sprinter said, "That's normal for foals, Sprinter, just like with you being the smartest of the three, that's normal for elders." Twilight Sparkle said, Sprinter chuckles, "So, what's the spirit part for?" Pinkie Pie asked, "It is our willpower and determination, by training our spirits, if a soul tries to possess us, we can force them out just through pure determination." Sprinter replied, "Can we see your trainings?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I'll show you all after school." Walker replied, the ponies murmur with excitement, "Alright, we'll be waiting." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all get on with their days. Walker works in his classroom and everypony looks at him, he reads the book Cheerilee told the class to read and Mind Walker's electricity crackles, and Emotion Walker's flames rise high since Walker was irritated by the loud ghosts in the school again, Sweetie Belle looks and sees Body Walker losing his muscles since Walker was not doing any physical activity, and Spirit Walker glows brighter since Walker was more determined to finish his classwork, even though the loud ghosts annoyed him. Walker reads the section his class was reading and finishes after several minutes, "Um, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes?" Walker asked, "How many worlds have you been to before you moved here?" Sweetie Belle asked, Walker counts in his head, "Six, I believe." Walker replied, "What was the first world you've been to like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It was fun, all of the bright colors hurt my eyes, though." Walker replied, Sweetie Belle leans towards him, "What were the people like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Warrior culture, use bladed boomerangs as weapons." Walker replied, "What were they called?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Harpies." Walker replied, "And the name of their world?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Aerostia, it's also the second world my dad went to, and the third world for my granddad." Walker replied, "What was your second world?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Chrysaor, that world was my favorite, it's also my dad's first world and my granddad's second world." Walker replied, "What are the people there called?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Vulcans." Walker replied, "Vulcan?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, they're an artistic bunch, but also fighters." Walker replied, "What about your third world?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yomi, my dad's third world and my granddad's first world." Walker replied, "What are the people there like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Trust me, you don't want to know." Walker replied, "What are they called?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Onis." Walker replied, "Oni?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, and I'm serious when I say this, you don't want to know about their culture." Walker replied, "Can you give me a hint?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Violent, fight to the death." Walker replied, "Oh." Sweetie Belle said with discomfort, "Shoot, it's almost time to turn our work in." Walker said as he looks at the clock, and the two get back to work and finish on time, today was a normal school day and everypony had no problems besides the loud ghosts. The bell rings and it was time to go home, "Hold on, everypony, due to us falling behind schedule, we all have to come to school tomorrow." Cheerilee said, the students except for Walker groan, "I know, and I'm sorry to do this, have a good day, everypony." Cheerilee said, and they all go home. Walker walks to the center of Ponyville and sees everypony gather around, "I haven't forgotten, I'll show you all my training." Walker said, and his four trainers stand in front of him, "Which one do you want to do first?" Body Walker asked, "I'll do emotions first." Walker replied, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Spirit Walker disappear. Emotion Walker makes Pinkie Pie appear, "Hey, that's me!" Pinkie Pie said, "*gasp* A new friend!" the Pinkie Pie illusion said, "She's happy right now." Walker said, "Good job, Walker." Emotion Walker said, "Wait, how does this training work?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Walker has to watch the pony's facial expressions and body language, then tell me what emotion they're feeling." Emotion Walker replied, "Ooh, now I say that is a good thing to train in, helps you understand others." Rarity said, the Pinkie Pie illusion hops up and down while talking, "She's excited now." Walker said, "Too easy for you?" Emotion Walker asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "Alright, let's try something harder." Emotion Walker said, and he makes the illusion of Pinkie Pie disappear and summons an illusion of Maud Pie, "Maud!" Pinkie Pie said, "I remember you from the last time." the illusion of Maud Pie said, Walker looks on, "Um, happy, I guess." Walker said, "Nope, neutral." Emotion Walker replied, he watches Maud Pie and she just looks at him, "What?" the illusion of Maud Pie asked, "Annoyed?" Walker asked, "Nope, curious." Emotion Walker replied, "Wait, why Maud for?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Because even stoics have emotions." Emotion Walker replied, "I think I get this training, let's see the other three." Twilight Sparkle said, and Emotion Walker makes the illusion disappear while Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Spirit Walker reappear. Walker looks at the four, "Let's do mind training next." Walker said, and Body Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. Mind Walker makes books appear for Walker to read, he picks up one and reads it, everypony saw it was a book on the cultures of Equestria. Twilight Sparkle and Ocellus become curious and trot over to see what the books were, there were books on math, science, Equestrian magic, Equestrian culture and customs, and Equestrian history, "Wow, this is actually a pretty diverse range to choose from." Twilight Sparkle said, "Can we read them, please?" Ocellus asked, "Of course, but they will disappear when Walker's done." Mind Walker replied, and Twilight Sparkle reads a book on Equestrian magic while Ocellus reads a book on Equestrian history, they enjoy the books until they hear Walker yawning, he puts his book down, "I'll read more later, I'm almost falling asleep." Walker said, Sunset Shimmer chuckles, "Wow, it's almost like me when I'm learning." Sunset Shimmer said, Mind Walker makes the books disappear while Body Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker reappear, "I'll train my willpower next, since training my body will change the landscape." Walker said, Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear, "I don't need to summon anything, just sit down and meditate, Walker." Spirit Walker, and he does. Walker meditates with his front legs in the lap of his hind legs, he inhales through his snout and exhales through his mouth, "There you go, Walker, just focus on the present, and keep all of your memories out, keep your willpower strong so you don't get possessed." Spirit Walker said, and Walker exhales again, "Don't forget to have positive energy bloom inside of you, Walker." Ocellus said, "This isn't about positive energy, this is about making him mentally stronger and more determined to get things done." Spirit Walker replied, "But positive energy will make him more determined to start something." Ocellus said, "This training is to also train Walker to control himself, and not let his emotions get the best of him." Spirit Walker replied, "Walker." Ocellus said, "Yeah." Walker said, "Do you feel any positive energy from the meditation?" Ocellus asked, "Nope." Walker replied, "Don't you feel happy?" Ocellus asked, "No, I don't feel anything, I just do it." Walker replied, "That's no fun." Pinkie Pie said, "That doesn't look fun to begin with, looks boring." Rainbow Dash replied, Walker opens his eyes, "Well, I might as well end it now." Walker said while he stands up, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker reappear, "Come see me next time, Walker, I'll teach you how to meditate properly." Ocellus said, "You ready?" Body Walker asked, "Yeah, I need you two to back away." Walker replied, and Twilight Sparkle and Ocellus do, Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. The landscape changes and there was a blizzard in Ponyville, the people in Ponyville scream as they cover themselves, the landscape also changes to one of a mountain and there was snow on the ground, "Whoo, this is freezin'." Applejack said, "Place colder than winter night in Yakyakistan." Yona said, "Alright, Walker, the usual exercise, let's see if you're faster than before." Body Walker said, and Walker exhales as he gets ready, "Wait, what's the exercise?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and they see Walker jump and enter a body of water, "Wait, he has to swim in that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, they see Walker come up to the surface and exhales loudly, he begins swimming in the water as fast as he can, "That's crazy, almost no one can withstand water that cold." Starlight Glimmer said, "I really hope he doesn't get hypothermia." Twilight Sparkle said, and Walker swims as fast as he can while panting, "I wanna try!" Silverstream said, and she dives in while changing to a seapony, she screams and climbs out, two nearby ponies pull her out while she changes back to a hippogriff, she looks at her unfolded wings and gasps, "My wings!" Silverstream said, the feathers on her wings were frozen solid with ice around them, "Whoa, her wings froze from the water." Sandbar said, "Well, it's a blizzard, there's a windchill, and judging by the landscape, Walker does this training somewhere in the mountains, so it's high altitude, which makes it even colder." Twilight Sparkle said, Walker swims through the ice cold water and breathes heavily as he keeps going, he makes to the end and climbs out while panting heavily, "Better, but still not good enough, we'll have to do this training again one day." Body Walker said, Walker looks down while the land changes back to normal, and Walker's four trainers were around him, "Well... *pant* *pant* that's all of them." Walker said while breathing hard and shivering, "Come on, everypony, let's take him to my place." Rarity said, and she and her friends carry Walker to Carousel Boutique. Walker was in Carousel Boutique and laying down on a pillow while panting, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack work together to warm him up, "I got the blankets here." Twilight Sparkle said as she put them on Walker, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gather around Walker to warm him up with their body heat, "Here's some ginger tea for you, darling." Rarity said, and Walker drinks it, Rainbow Dash puts a hot towel on Walker's head, Applejack uses a towel to dry Walker's tail, "Ya warm now, Walker?" Applejack asked, Walker pants a little loudly and shivers a bit, "Sweetie Belle, can you be a dear and get my heavy duty winter coat?" Rarity asked, and Sweetie Belle runs upstairs and comes back while using her telekinesis to carry a light purple heavy winter coat that had white fur trimmings on it, "I have it here." Sweetie Belle said, "Thank you, darling." Rarity replied, and she unwraps the blankets and puts the coat on Walker, his panting begins to die down, "You feel better now, Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, thanks." Walker replied, "Say, Walker, what were the next three worlds you visited after Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi?" Sweetie Belle asked, Walker tries to remember, "I believe they were Electra, Necromanca, and Anima, that sounds right." Walker replied, "What about your father and grandfather?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I don't know." Walker replied, "Oh." Sweetie Belle said, "I'm a bit surprised to see you here, though." Walker said, "I live here, Walker, I'm Rarity's sister." Sweetie Belle replied, "I see." Walker said, "Still, traveling to other worlds at only the age of four? A lot of foals would be jealous." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's actually one reason why my family can't have siblings." Walker replied, "Do the ponies at your home know about your powers?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No, my old home is in the middle of the woods with no neighbors." Walker replied, "No neighbors, you must have been lonely." Twilight Sparkle said, "It did get lonely sometimes." Walker replied, "I wonder how your father and grandfather grew up." Fluttershy said, "Truth be told, I have the most normal upbringing when compared to those two." Walker replied, "Speaking of them, where are they? They should be finished with work by now." Rainbow Dash said, "They're probably in the Void and doing something for Spirit." Walker replied, "How often are your daddy and grandpa gone?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Not very often, it's me who's gone the most." Walker replied, "Can you bring souvenirs from your travels?" Rarity asked, "For what?" Walker asked, "To have memories of your experiences there." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I can't do that." Walker said, "Why not?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Number of reasons, some items are sacred and forbidden to touch, some are cursed, some activate traps, souls can haunt photos and objects I bring, and it can leave evidence that I was there for my enemies to hunt me down." Walker replied, "You don't seem to have that many enemies." Rainbow Dash said, "I have a lot of enemies in the worlds beyond." Walker replied, "Well, tell me about them one day, I'd like to write them down in my books, I think you're warmed up now." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yeah, I'm starting to sweat." Walker replied, and he takes the blankets and coat off, "I'll be going home now, I'll check if dad and granddad are there." Walker said, and he heads home while the seven female ponies say bye to him. Walker walks home and sees Runner and Sprinter were not home, he sighs and does his homework, he has lettuce for dinner and goes to sleep at his bedtime. Fluttershy sleeps in her bed but soon wakes up when she feels something watching over her, she looks and sees a Shadow at her room's entrance, Fluttershy tries to gasp but she could not speak, she tries to get up but could not, realizing she was paralyzed. Fluttershy looks on in fear while the Shadow walks towards her slowly with its head twitching around, it walks onto the top of Fluttershy's bed, she watches with fear and sees the Shadow was about to strangle her. The Shadow disappears and Fluttershy exhales deeply, she sees Discord made it disappear, "Visitors at night. How troublesome." Discord said, "Thank you, Discord." Fluttershy said, "Oh, don't thank me, he was trespassing on our property." Discord replied, "Well, um, can you stand by my side as I sleep for the night?" Fluttershy asked, "Of course, my dear." Discord replied, and Fluttershy goes back to sleep while Discord guards her from anymore Shadows. Day 11Morning comes and Walker sees Runner and Sprinter, "Good morning, Walker." Runner said, "Where were you two?" Walker asked, "Another world, we had souls to bring to the Void to be judged." Runner replied, "Oh." Walker said, and he sits and paints for sometime. Knocking is heard at the door and Walker walks to the door, he opens it and sees Princess Cadence, she looks and sees Walker along with Body Walker, Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, Emotion Walker, his Optimist, Pessimist, Passive, and Aggressive, "Hello, Walker." Princess Cadence said, "Princess Cadence?" Walker asked, "Yes, Walker, it's me, Twilight sent me a letter a few days ago talking about the deal with Spirit and what it does to your family, and if it's okay with you and your father and grandfather, I'm here to act as your surrogate mother." Princess Cadence replied, "Don't you have your own child to look after?" Walker asked, "Flurry Heart's with my husband today." Princess Cadence replied, "What about your kingdom?" Walker asked, "I have other ponies running it for me today." Princess Cadence replied, "Look, I appreciate it and all, Princess Cadence, but I already have two guardians." Walker said, "A mother's love is completely different from a father's love, Walker." Princess Cadence replied, "Looks the same to me." Walker said, "Haven't you ever wanted a mother, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "My mom's ghost comes to visit me every once in a while." Walker replied, "But doesn't she stay to take care of you?" Princess Cadence asked, "Actually, no, she's in the overworld right now." Walker replied, "See, if you let me, I can let you know what it's like to have a mother, Walker, her love and affection is one of the most comforting things you can feel in your life." Princess Cadence said, Walker turns around, "What do you say, dad and granddad?" Walker asked, "Do as you wish." Runner replied, "Yes, Walker, your choice." Sprinter said, Walker turns around, "Alright, I'll give it a try." Walker said, "Great, I'd like to enter your home, Walker." Princess Cadence replied, and the two walk into the home. Princess Cadence enters the home and sees Walker go back to his painting, she trots to him, "What are you painting, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked as she trots to him, "Oh, it's beautiful, Walker." Princess Cadence said, "Really?" Walker asked, "Yes, I rarely see such good paintings like these." Princess Cadence replied, Walker chuckles and continues painting, "Where did you get the inspiration to create this?" Princess Cadence asked, "My travels through the Void." Walker replied, Princess Cadence smiles as she watches Walker paint, "Breakfast's ready, Walker." Sprinter said, and he stands up and trots to the table, Princess Cadence sees all Walker had for breakfast was a salad, "Wait, just a salad, Sprinter?" Princess Cadence asked, "It's usually enough to get him through the day." Sprinter replied, "What about you, Runner?" Princess Cadence asked, "It's enough for me." Runner replied, "Really? I've brought several treats of my own." Princess Cadence said, and she opens her saddlebag with her telekinesis and takes out cookies, "For me?" Walker asked, Princess Cadence nods, "Thank you." Walker said, and he takes them, "Don't eat too many, Walker, you'll be out of shape for fighting the souls of the dead if you do." Runner said, Walker looks at the cookies Princess Cadence gave him, "You'll have a delicious taste in your mouth and make yourself feel good." Walker's Optimist said, "You'll make your own health and teeth worse." Walker's Pessimist said, "Um, excuse me, you two." Princess Cadence said, Walker's Optimist and Pessimist look at her, "I understand it's your jobs to list the pros and cons of what he wants to do, but not everyone wants to hear them, especially the cons." Princess Cadence said, Walker decides to eat the cookies, "Wow, these are good." Walker said, he eats one and saves the rest for later, "These are heavy, too, I'm full." Walker said, and Sprinter puts them in the refrigerator, "Where did you three live before you all came to Ponyville for the student exchange program?" Princess Cadence asked, "In the middle of the woods with no neighbors." Runner replied, "Why there for?" Princess Cadence asked, "I didn't want Walker raised the way I was raised." Runner replied, "I had to do a lot of work to get that childhood home of yours." Sprinter said, "Yes, I know, but I still didn't like living there." Runner replied, "Where did you grow up, Runner?" Princess Cadence asked, "In a mansion with neighbors everywhere." Runner replied, "I also used my money to have a library with books for Runner to read, and sports equipment for him to use to stay in shape." Sprinter said, "I liked the books, my favorite one was on the royal guards valuing honor and being fair to others, and chivalry, I made a vow to myself to be like them when I was a foal." Runner replied, "That's wonderful, Runner, what made you decide to be like that?" Princess Cadence asked, "My father's behavior, always winning by any means necessary, especially in fights, and there was his whole dating thing, jumping from one girlfriend to another." Runner replied, "That's because I needed someone to look after you." Sprinter said, "You did that even before I was born." Runner replied, "That's because I was looking for a lover, I continued because our deal with Spirit killed your mother." Sprinter said, "Why didn't you hire a foalsitter for, Sprinter?" Princess Cadence asked, "I don't think there were any foalsitters around if I remember correctly." Sprinter replied, "Oh, I see." Princess Cadence said, "I got Spirit's powers when I was four years old, I became a monster that day." Runner said, "Why do you say that for?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because I already had a filly I loved, I made a promise to her to marry her when I got older." Runner replied, "Did you?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yes, but we had a few problems, there was one day when we were teenagers and she got possessed and attacked me, so I had to fight back, dad and I then got into an argument with her parents, it stopped when she stood up and was still possessed and attacked her own parents, they apologized for getting mad at us and the spirit left her body and she was back to normal. When she and I got married, we had rings with our names on them, shortly after that, she wanted children, I became upset and cried in my room, my dad comforted me on that day." Runner replied, "I can't imagine your sadness, knowing that she will die after having a child." Princess Cadence said, "There's more." Runner replied, "What?" Princess Cadence asked, "She wanted two children, a son and a daughter, she didn't care which one came first." Runner replied, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Did you tell her about Spirit and the deal with your family?" Princess Cadence asked, "No." Runner replied, "Why not?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because it would have devastated her, I had to keep it a secret." Runner replied, "Why did you go through with it for anyway?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because I wanted a child, too." Runner replied, "Oh, what about you, Sprinter, where did you grow up?" Princess Cadence asked, "Nowhere." Sprinter replied, "Come on, Sprinter, it's okay to tell me." Princess Cadence said, "I didn't grow up anywhere, I was always traveling." Sprinter replied, "Oh, well, what was your childhood like?" Princess Cadence asked, "Cadence, I do not wish to look back." Sprinter replied, "Is something the matter?" Princess Cadence asked, "My granddad didn't have a happy childhood." Walker replied, "How do you know that, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "Spirit showed me my dad's and granddad's pasts in a dream before I came here." Walker replied, "Really? Wow." Princess Cadence said, "You should leave, Walker, you're going to be late for school." Runner said, and Walker looks at the time, he heads outside and walks to school while Princess Cadence follows him. Fluttershy meets up with her friends and they were at her cottage, "The scariest thing happened to me last night." Fluttershy said, "What was it?" Applejack asked, "I was laying in bed and sleeping, then I suddenly woke up, and there was this tall black shadow standing at my door, it walked to me and was coming to me, I tried to move and call for help, but I couldn't, the thing stood on my bed and looked at me, then Discord made it disappear." Fluttershy replied, "You sure you weren't half asleep, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, I was fully awake." Fluttershy replied, Discord appears in the room, "Yes, we had a trespasser last night, I took care of him accordingly." Discord said, "Who was it?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Do you all remember Walker, Runner, and Sprinter talking about the Possessed, Revived, Undead, and Shadows?" Discord asked, "What about them?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That was a Shadow, my dear friends." Discord replied as he changes into one, "I thought they only appear in dreams." Rainbow Dash said, "Oh no, there are two types of Shadows, one that attacks you in your dreams, and the more dangerous one, the one that attacks you in real life." Discord replied, "Wait, in real life?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Oh yes, Shadows attack you in your dreams and in real life, they only appear at night, though." Discord replied, "Wait, then why couldn't Fluttershy move?" Rarity asked, "That's one of their powers." Discord replied, "Powers?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Yes, you see, when a Shadow attacks you in real life, it uses its magic to inflict sleep paralysis on you so you can't escape or call out to anybody." Discord replied, Fluttershy and her friends reel back, "Can inflict sleep paralysis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That's right, so unless there is someone to protect you from a Shadow that attacks you in real life, you are doomed." Discord replied, "That... that's scary." Fluttershy said while quivering with fear, "Try to relax, my dear, Shadows are very rare to appear." Discord replied, "But still." Fluttershy said, "Can't a spell just make them disappear?" Rarity asked, "Uh-uh-uh, remember, Shadows are still souls of the dead, magic will just go through them." Discord replied, "Ugh, there has to be a way against them for us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, you have me." Discord replied, "But you're not around all the time." Rainbow Dash said, "Well, they started appearing when those three arrived, so maybe they'll stop coming here when they leave." Discord replied, "I still want a way to combat them." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'll leave that to you, I wish you all good luck." Discord replied, and he disappears, "Come on, let's try to speak to the souls." Twilight Sparkle said, and the six mares walk outside. Walker works in class and Princess Cadence stands to his left, she cringes from how loud the dead souls were, "My, they're louder than I thought." Princess Cadence said as the dead souls conversed, everypony tries to focus but only Walker was able to since he was used to hearing the loud souls, "Walker, I was wondering about something." Sweetie Belle said, "What?" Walker asked, "Can you ever have the people from the other worlds come here?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Why?" Walker asked, "I wanna meet them." Sweetie Belle replied, "I'm not sure about that, Spirit just doesn't allow anyone into the Void." Walker said, "Well, can you tell him to let them come here, I wanna meet them." Sweetie Belle replied, "Me, my dad, and my granddad will have to talk to him about it first." Walker said, "Sweetie Belle, Walker, it's work time." Cheerilee said, "Oh, sorry, Miss Cheerilee." Sweetie Belle replied, and the two get back to work. Runner was teaching the foals how to run and they were all beginning to improve on their running, they finish a lap and the foals pant, "Good, you're all improving already, let's take a short break." Runner said, and they do. Runner watches his students as they sit and drink water, he senses something appearing behind the foals and summons a sabre in his front right hoof. The foals look back and see a creature appear, it was floating in midair, it was a light blue robe and the creature had a white human skull for its head. The foals scream while the creature opens its mouth, Runner grunts and falls while the foals look at him, they see Runner's soul was being torn out of his body by force, Runner holds his front left hoof out and makes the black skeletal arm come out, it grabs the creature and pulls it forward while the skeletal arm disappears, Runner stabs his sabre into the creature's forehead, the creature floats up and begins to disintegrate while letting out an ear-piercing, bloodcurdling scream, the foals cover their ears'. The ponies hear the scream and run to where they heard it, they look and see the creature Runner fought disintegrating, "What was that?" a filly asked, "A lich, they're in every world, they attack me, my father, and my son in an attempt to absorb our souls, when they open their mouths like that, they are literally trying to rip our souls out of our bodies." Runner replied, the foals look on with shock. Runner senses something behind the foals again and he runs there, "Get back!" Runner said, and they see four more liches appear, the foals scream while Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer run forward. The four liches open their mouths and begin to try to take Runner's soul, Runner makes the skeletal arm come out again to grab one and pull it towards him, he does a swift horizontal slash with his sabre and cuts its head off, he teleports to one and cuts its head off as well, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer try to help by shooting magic from their horns, but their beams go through the liches without affecting them, "What? It doesn't work on them, either?" Twilight Sparkle asked, they watch and Runner teleports again and cuts off the head of the third lich, he teleports to the last lich and cuts its head off as well, they all float into the air and disintegrate. Runner sighs and looks at the foals, "You're not going to absorb their souls?" a colt asked, "They don't have souls." Runner replied, "Oh." the colt said, the ground erupts behind Runner and he looks back, he sees several skeleton ponies appear to attack him. Runner runs to them and some of the skeleton ponies shoot zaps at him from their foreheads, he jumps over the zaps and makes his sabre disappear, he makes two bladed boomerangs appear, he throws them and they fly around the air and cut the skeletons' heads off while the unicorns fire beams at them and destroy several of the skeletons, one Pegasus flies around to try to outfly the boomerang chasing him, but the second boomerang went in front of him and hit him in the forehead and he falls down. The boomerangs go back to Runner and he makes them disappear, "Where are their souls?" another filly asked, "They're Undead, their souls aren't around." Runner replied, "Then, what brings them back?" another colt asked, "They sometimes come back on their own." Runner replied, "Why aren't you eight helping?!" Rainbow Dash asked, they all see her with Runner's Passive, Aggressive, Optimist, and Pessimist, and the four that represented his body, mind, spirit, and emotions, "We are not to attack the souls of the dead unless they attack the Void directly." Runner's Passive replied, "You guys don't help him?!" Rainbow Dash asked angrily, "We are only supposed to be seen by him and the other two, we are not to interfere with mortal affairs." Runner's Pessimist replied, "Oh, come on, you guys would be helpful." Rainbow Dash said, "Rainbow Dash." Runner said, Rainbow Dash looks at him, "It's alright, they're supposed to represent my inner self, they're not supposed to fight the souls." Runner said, "But still." Rainbow Dash said, "If you have a problem with it, then you can help me and my family fight the skeletons." Runner replied, Rainbow Dash becomes silent afterwards, "What were those ridiculous looking robes they were wearing?" Rarity asked, Runner looks at her with disapproval, "It's a part of their body, the skull acts as their face and weak spot." Runner replied, "Still, they should wear a more fashionable piece of clothing." Rarity said, Runner just goes back to his class, "Have you all caught your breaths?" Runner asked, the foals nod, "Let's continue, then." Runner said, and they run again while everypony left. Sprinter was teaching the kids combat lessons and his students were down all of a sudden, "Is something the matter?" Sprinter asked, "This class is starting to feel pointless." Sandbar replied, the others agree, "How come?" Sprinter asked, "Because, all of your enemies are like these souls that are invisible to us and all of our attacks go through them." Gallus replied, "Not all of them, you all can fight the skeletons." Sprinter said, "Is that it?" Ocellus asked, "No, you can also fight the Possessed, since they also take over skeletons and other people, but be warned, when someone is possessed, killing them is usually the only way to free them." Sprinter replied, "Don't you ever worried about your son and grandson being possessed?" Silverstream asked, "It's one of my biggest fears." Sprinter replied, "How did Sprinter raise Runner and Walker?" Yona asked, "I did my best, I'm still learning how to be a parent sometimes." Sprinter replied, "Still, it must be hard for them to never have a mother's love." Ocellus said, "They're still lucky compared to me." Sprinter replied, his students' attentions were caught, "At least they received a father's love through me, I didn't get that as a child, either." Sprinter said, "Your father died, too?" Smolder asked, "No, my father was abusive." Sprinter replied, Silverstream gasps, "Your father was mean to you?" Silverstream asked, Sprinter nods, "At least you had a parent, I don't have a family." Gallus said, "I'd take being an orphan over living with abusive parents any day." Sprinter replied, his students become speechless, "What effects did your father have on you mentally?" Ocellus asked, "I still have nightmares about my childhood experiences almost every night." Sprinter replied, his students look at him with surprise, "Well, do you all want to continue?" Sprinter asked, they shake their heads, "Alright, class is dismissed." Sprinter said, and they leave while Sprinter sits and meditates. The day was near its end and Walker was heading home with Princess Cadence following him, "What do you usually do after school, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "I head home, do homework, paint, have dinner, and go to bed." Walker replied, "Don't you go see your friends?" Princess Cadence asked, "I don't have any friends here, well, not yet." Walker replied, "Did you have any at home?" Princess Cadence asked, "Well, there was one, but he's a soul." Walker replied, "What was his name?" Princess Cadence asked, "Um..." Walker said, "You can tell me, Walker, I promise I won't be mad." Princess Cadence said, "Genghis." Walker replied, Princess Cadence stops in her track, "Wait, do you mean that unicorn who was planning to conquer the other countries outside of Equestria?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "Who else are you friends with?" Princess Cadence asked, "All of my other friends are from within my travels inside of the Void." Walker replied, "So, you don't have any friends your age here?" Princess Cadence asked, "Not really, the only pony I'm basically friends with is buried six feet under the ground." Walker replied, "What about your old school?" Princess Cadence asked, "I didn't have any friends there." Walker replied, "You started having trouble making friends there after your fourth birthday, right?" Princess Cadence asked, "No, even before I got Spirit's powers, I didn't feel like I had a connection to my classmates." Walker replied, "Oh, so you never felt like a normal child even before your fourth birthday." Princess Cadence said, "No, I always felt nervous and uncomfortable in the classroom, but after getting Spirit's powers, I feel even more distanced from them because before Princess Twilight cast that spell, only I could see and hear the souls of the dead in my class." Walker replied, "Well, we know now, maybe Flurry Heart will be interested in seeing them." Princess Cadence said, "I'm not sure on that, I mean, you've seen how many evil spirits have attacked me and my guardians." Walker replied, "True, and your father got attacked again today, I'm sure there are some ghosts around." Princess Cadence said, "There are, there are some in front of us right now." Walker replied, Princess Cadence looks and sees several light blue and transparent ponies going on with their days, "Some of those souls look like foals." Princess Cadence said, "They are, they're like that because they were kids when they died." Walker replied, "Still, it makes me sad." Princess Cadence said, the two continue walking and they see Pinkie Pie throwing a party for the souls that were foals, and Fluttershy was tending to the souls of the dead animals, the two see Runner and Sprinter walking home together and they go to them, "You have homework?" Runner asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "Let's go home, then." Sprinter said, and they all get ready to head home, "Wait, Runner, Sprinter." Sunset Shimmer said as she trots to them, the three face her, "Before you all head home, I'd like to see your pasts, since I already know about Walker." Sunset Shimmer said, "Trust me, you don't to see my past." Sprinter replied, "Aw, come on, how bad can it be?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I moved to living in the woods because I didn't want Walker raised the way I was raised." Runner replied, "But Sprinter had you live in a mansion." Princess Cadence said, "That's because I didn't want him to have the childhood I had." Sprinter replied, surprising the ponies, "Come here, Runner, let me see your past." Sunset Shimmer said, and she touches his right shoulder with her front left hoof while Twilight Sparkle casts a spell to create a screen for everybody to see Runner's past. Sunset Shimmer sees Runner as a colt, he looked just like Walker, she saw him speaking to Sprinter, he was a young adult in the vision, he looked just like how Runner looks in the present day, the two were arguing, "Seriously, dad, another girlfriend?!" Runner asked angrily, "You know I'm too busy to spend time with you." Sprinter replied, Runner grumbles, "Why can't you just stick to one girl?!" Runner asked, "Because they keep leaving me, and I'm forced to look for another date." Sprinter replied, "But you've been having a new girlfriend every week!" Runner said angrily, "Your point?" Sprinter asked, "How did mom fall in love with you?" Runner asked, "Because she genuinely loved me for the pony I was." Sprinter replied, "What? She wasn't just another girlfriend of the week like the rest of your girlfriends?" Runner asked, "No, of course not, we wouldn't have married and had you if that was the case." Sprinter replied, Runner groans, "I'm going to study." Runner said, and he walks away. The vision changes and everybody sees Runner visiting an earth pony filly, she had a light green coat, long pale sky blue mane and tail, and purple eyes, the two hug one another when they see one another, "Good morning, Runner." the filly said, "Good morning, Grass Field." Runner replied, "How are you this fine morning?" Grass Field asked, "Great, but it'll be better if I got to spend it with you." Runner replied, Grass Field chuckles and the two walk together. The vision changes and everybody sees the house Runner grew up in, it was a fancy mansion, and there were neighbors everywhere, "Wow, that looks like one expensive mansion." Twilight Sparkle said, "I must say, I am a bit jealous he got to grow up in a such a lovely house." Rarity said, and the vision changes a bit more and they see Sprinter and Runner were often at odds with one another. The vision changes and everybody sees the inside of the house and saw Runner had access to all types of knowledge through books, and sports equipment for him to use so he can get into shape, "Ooh, those look fun." Pinkie Pie said, "Oh, so many books, I'd like to be in there all day." Twilight Sparkle said, everybody sees Runner liked how the royal guards were into being fair and honorable, along with chivalrous, "Grass Field, I promise, when I grow up, I'll be as honorable and noble as a royal guard, just you wait, I can't say I like the fancy outfits, though." Runner said, and he continues reading. The vision changes and everybody sees the school Runner attended, "Wow, that's the Canterlot Private School, that's one of the best schools in Equestria." Twilight Sparkle said, "Is that where you went?" Fluttershy asked, "No, I went to a different school." Twilight Sparkle replied, and everybody sees Runner's school uniform, it was a white blazer with gold buttons and a black collared shirt under it, "I must say, that is a nice blazer." Rarity said, and they see the vision change again with flashes of Sprinter having a new girlfriend every week, Runner groans with annoyance every time. The vision changes and Runner was in the Void, everybody sees Spirit appear and he was floating in midair, which made Runner scream with surprise, "Hello, Runner, happy fourth birthday, my name is Spirit, Sprinter told you about me a few days ago, welcome to the Void, and it is now time for me to bestow you several of my powers passed down through the males on the paternal side of your family." Spirit said, and dark blue flames appear around Runner, he screams in pain but the flames and pain soon disappear, "No! I can't believe it! I've become a monster, just like my father!" Runner said, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Runner, but it's your family, how you handle it is up to you, I'll leave you be now." Spirit said, and he disappears. The vision changes to Runner and Grass Field spending time together, the two now had cutie marks, Grass Field's cutie mark was three green blades of grass, the two were hanging out as teenagers one day and Grass Field gets possessed by a spirit, which made the ponies gasp. Grass Field tries to strangle Runner and he is forced to attack her to defend himself, he punches her with his front hoofs several times to knock her out. The vision changes and Runner and Sprinter were with Grass Field's parents, who was unconscious on the ground, "Hold on, what's the matter again?" Sprinter asked, "Your son attacked our daughter!" Grass Field's father replied angrily, "She attacked me all of a sudden." Runner said, "And you respond by knocking her out and nearly killing her?! What kind of boyfriend are you?!" Grass Field's mother asked angrily, "It wasn't my fault, she just tried to strangle me!" Runner said, "See, there you go, my son acted in self-defense." Sprinter said, "Liar! Our daughter wouldn't harm a fly!" Grass Field's father said angrily, "Then why did she just try to attack me all of a sudden?" Runner asked, "Did you do something to offend her?!" Grass Field's mother asked, "No, we were just spending time like usual and she suddenly tried to strangle me." Runner replied, "You still ruined our daughter's beautiful face! Look at her!" Grass Field's father said angrily, the two do and Grass Field groans as she stands up, "Grass Field, dear, are you okay?" Grass Field's mother asked, she goes to the two and lifts up her front legs, she pushes her mother down and she screams, "Grass Field! What are you doing?!" Grass Field's father asked as Grass Field begins to punch her own mother, Runner and Sprinter pull her back and she grabs her own mother's neck and tries to strangle her. Grass Field's father pulls his wife back while Runner and Sprinter hit her in the neck to knock her out, Grass Field's mother coughs, "See? She tried to attack me as well." Runner said, "My deepest apologies, I'm sorry I got mad at you, she's never acted like that before." Grass Field's father replied, and he and his wife carry her away while the spirit possessing her leaves her body. The vision changes and Runner was now a stallion and Grass Field was now a mare, they have made rings for one another, the rings had their names on it, everybody sees two baby strollers and balloons in the room, "What's this?" Runner asked, "Now that we've married, I want children, Runner, I want to start a family with you." Grass Field replied, "Sure, I've thought about having a child, too." Runner said, "No, Runner, I want two kids." Grass Field replied, "You what?" Runner asked, "I want a son and a daughter, I don't care which one comes first, as long as we have a boy and a girl." Grass Field replied, "Um, sure, I can do that." Runner said with discomfort in his voice, "I know we will, I'm so excited to start a family with you, and your father is working extra hard to make more money for us to raise two kids, you have a wonderful father, Runner." Grass Field replied, and the vision changes. Runner was crying in his room while Sprinter comforted him, "I'm sorry, Runner, but you know what will happen." Sprinter said, "I know Grass Field will die, but it's just that she wants two kids, and one to be a daughter, our family can't do neither." Runner replied, and he continues to cry while Sprinter comforts him, "Do you still want to go through with it?" Sprinter asked, Runner thinks for a minute, "Yeah, I want a child." Runner replied, "Alright, I'll be taking Grass Field's place as the other guardian then." Sprinter said, "Thank you, dad." Sprinter replied, and he continues to cry and the vision changes. Crying was heard and everybody sees Runner holding a baby Walker while he looks at Grass Field, who was lifeless, he closes her eyes with his front left hoof and cuddles with Walker and the visions end. Sunset Shimmer lets go of Runner and looks at him, "Wow, that was a lot longer than I thought." Sunset Shimmer said, "Yeah, I still miss Grass Field to this day." Runner replied, "Walker was supposed to have a sister?" Scootaloo asked, "Maybe one of us can fill that role." Sweetie Belle replied, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nod in agreement and excitement, "Come on, Sprinter, your turn." Sunset Shimmer said, "Oh no, you don't want to see my childhood, trust me." Sprinter replied, "Actually, I have to, now hold still." Sunset Shimmer said, and she touches his front right leg with her front left hoof and the visions appear. Sunset Shimmer sees Sprinter as a baby, he was crying on the black wooden floor, everybody was uncomfortable already. Everybody sees a lifeless mare on the ground, she had a purple coat, long light blue mane and tail, sky blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a sword, everybody looks and sees she was covered in blood and bruises, which made some exclaim with shock. Everybody sees a stallion take in Sprinter, he looked just like Runner in the present day, but much more muscular, and his cutie mark were four silver grieves. Sprinter was traveling with a bunch of male ponies who were criminals, the one who took him in beat him and made him cry on a daily basis, the visions pass while the people watching gasp, the pony smiled when he saw Sprinter bleeding and smiled even more when Sprinter cried from the pain, he chuckles, "Look at yourself, Sprinter, weak, crying from the pain, and a child of a raped and dead mare, isn't life beautiful?" the stallion who took him in asked, shocking everybody, "Why? Why do I have to be beaten and attacked every day?" Sprinter asked, "Because you are a weak and sensitive child, I would kill you now, but I need to preserve my legacy." the stallion replied, "Wait, that guy is Sprinter's father?" Applejack asked, and the stallion beats Sprinter again while he screamed and cried, "Stop, daddy." Sprinter said, "No, no matter how much physical and mental pain you receive, it will never be enough, children like you deserve to suffer." Sprinter's father replied, and he keeps beating Sprinter while loud thuds were heard. The vision changes and Sprinter was walking on his own until he saw his father with the gang, "If any of you are to see my son, you are to kill him on sight, make him scared, so approach him slowly, and if you do subdue him, make his death as slow and as painful as possible." Sprinter's father said, the vision changes again. Sprinter was hiding while breathing heavily, the gang hears him and they try to pull him away, but Sprinter fights back and punched some of the stallions in their faces and eyes, he runs away while panting heavily and several visions appear of Sprinter sweating and nervous around new ponies, he was about to attack them but restrained himself when he saw they meant no harm, and everybody was able to tell from his facial expressions that he did not trust anyone. Sprinter develops a muscular body and physique because of the life had was born into, more brief visions appear and many fillies developed crushes on him, "Well, that's to be expected from children." Twilight Sparkle said, they all watch and see Sprinter sometimes fought for his dates and would beat up other colts, "Oh, how barbaric." Rarity said, "Um, Rarity, Ah don't think he knew better at that time." Applejack replied, and the visions change. Sprinter was in the Void and Spirit floated in front of him, "Hello, Sprinter, your fourth birthday has come, my name is Spirit, Jumper talked about me a few times, it is time for me to give you the powers bestowed to the males on your paternal side of your family." Spirit said, and he screams in pain when dark blue flames surround him, they disappear after a few seconds, "Oh well, this is normal for our family bloodline, my father has it, too." Sprinter said, everybody was surprised by how unfazed he was, Spirit appears in front of him, "Indeed, it is, and as you know, Jumper has my powers, too, you're lucky he didn't use them when he abused you, but how you wish to use my powers is up to you, I'll be sending you back now." Spirit said, and the vision changes. Several brief visions appear and everybody sees Sprinter killing members of the gang, which made everybody exclaim, he killed Jumper last, but his soul disappeared before he could take it. Sprinter traveled alone and was homeless, fighting any Possessed, Revived, Undead, Shadow, lich, or enemy he came across, Sprinter begged for bits since he was too young to get a job and did not go to school, "Oh no, he didn't get an education." Fluttershy said, "Well, that's a first, still that's rough." Applejack said, and he hung out with any filly who had a crush on him, some left him on good terms, some ended with a filly stealing his money and running away, some ended with the filly's brothers and father angry at Sprinter, and he had to defend himself when they attacked him. The vision changes and everybody sees Sprinter entering a race to win bits, he runs the race and got first place, he decides to keep doing it since it was the only way for him to earn money, and he did not do sports because he did not like the rules for most of them, everybody sees Sprinter win his races, "Wait, is he teleporting?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He better not be." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they watch him run his races and win. The vision changes and Sprinter had a lot of mares fall in love with him, a stallion approaches him, "Good job, Sprinter, you're one of the best runners I've ever seen. How would you like to be a professional and have track and running as a career?" the stallion asked, "I'll do it." Sprinter replied, "Great, I promise you won't regret this." the stallion said, and the vision changes. Sprinter runs one track after another after becoming a professional runner in Equestria, he dated his female fans as well, Rarity groans with disgust at seeing Sprinter go from dating one mare to another, he is approached by an earth pony mare who had a bright red coat, long pink mane and tail, light purple eyes, and her cutie mark were three blue and yellow pills, "Excuse me, Sprinter." the mare said, he looks at her, "Um, hi, my name is Peacemaker, I'm a doctor and I watch track as a hobby, and I heard you've been dating your female fans, can I be next?" the mare asked, "Sure, I'm single right now." Sprinter replied, Peacemaker becomes happy and trots to him and the two walk together, the visions show Sprinter practicing running and Peacemaker monitors his health, the two work together to improve Sprinter's own performance and the two eventually fall in love. The vision changes to Sprinter holding a crying baby Runner and Peacemaker was dead, Sprinter rubs his snout against Runner and he stops crying. Sprinter continues his track career and dated more of his female fans, Rarity exclaims with disgust, "Sprinter!" Rarity said, "Not cool, Sprinter." Rainbow Dash said, and the visions continue, Sprinter eventually had enough bits to buy the fancy mansion Runner grew up in and bought books on every subject to teach himself and left them for Runner. Sprinter continues raising Runner and had to get another job to pay for the house bills and his girlfriends who foalsitted Runner, so Sprinter decided to become a boxer, he wins every match and a lot of his wins involved attacking his opponents from behind and their blind spots and hitting them in the groin, he used the bits to pay the house bills and his girlfriends for foalsitting Runner, all of his opponents had high respect for his reason for boxing and his fighting skills. The vision changes and Sprinter was smiling at seeing a colt Runner reading a book, he goes to him rubs his snout on him and Runner laughs and hugs Sprinter and the visions end. Sunset Shimmer lets go of Sprinter and looks at him with surprise, "Wow, I didn't think you had it that rough as a foal." Sunset Shimmer said, "I did, I have nightmares almost every night about my early life." Sprinter replied, "Sprinter, I'm sorry about what happened to you when you were a colt, I really am, but that doesn't excuse you from having one girlfriend after another." Rarity said, "Well, it was mostly temporary company." Sprinter replied, "No, Sprinter, dating is sacred, it is wrong to go from one date to another like that." Princess Cadence said, "You should be glad I didn't have a son with all of them." Sprinter replied, Rarity exclaims with shock while the others gasp, "Come now, my son and grandson, let's get some rest." Sprinter said, and they all head home. Walker does his homework with Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence helping him, he eats the other cookies with his dinner and finishes homework late, they all go to bed and Princess Cadence tucks Walker into bed and kisses him on the forehead, Walker feels a lot of warmth and affection inside of himself, he falls asleep with a big smile on his face while the other three sleep as well. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in Canterlot and getting ready for the night, "Sleep well, sis, leave the night to me." Princess Luna said, "Remember, Luna, tomorrow's a Sunday, we go to Ponyville tomorrow to see Walker and his family, it's about time we learn about these souls of the dead thing." Princess Celestia replied, "Agreed, well, I'm going to the dream realm now." Princess Luna said, "Okay, goodnight, Luna." Princess Celestia replied, and she walks to her bed and sleeps while Princess Luna goes into the dream realm. Day 12Morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter wake up at 6:00 AM, the three use the bathroom, take showers, and have breakfast, which Princess Cadence made, Walker looks and sees Princess Cadence's salad was a lot more decorative than Sprinter's salad, she has cut up the vegetables to make them shaped like flowers and smiley faces, while Sprinter just usually cut the vegetables into thin slices and served them, "What's with all of the flowers and smiley faces, Princess Cadence?" Walker asked, "Just make it look good, I thought it would make breakfast more fun and appetizing." Princess Cadence replied, "Oh, well, thanks." Walker said, and the three eat and wash dishes, Princess Cadence sits and eats chocolate and drinks tea. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter were about to get on with their days until they hear loud landing outside, "Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, this is Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, we wish to see you three now." Princess Celestia said from outside, "Let's go." Sprinter said, and all four of them go outside. Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence head outside and they see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing and waiting for them, they go to the two, "Good, you three are here, Luna and I have read about your powers with spiritual energy and you three being able to interact with these deceased here, which, I will admit, is quite a surprising sight to see, but that is not why we're here, Luna and I would like to have a word with Spirit." Princess Celestia said, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter stay silent for a second and then turn around and light blue and white portal opens, the three go in it. A few minutes pass and another portal opens with the three walking out and the portal closes, "Well?" Princess Luna asked, "Sorry, but Spirit said no." Runner replied, "What?!" Princess Luna asked, "Why does he refuse to see us?" Princess Celestia asked, "He said that other than our family and going to other worlds to collect dead souls to send to the afterlife, he has no reason to interfere with the living." Sprinter replied, "I still wish to speak with him, I do not appreciate him giving powers to a random family that are citizens in my country without my knowledge or permission." Princess Celestia said, "Actually, Princess Celestia, at the time when Spirit bestowed our family with his powers, ponykind was still divided into three tribes." Walker replied, "I still don't appreciate that, I do not like the fact that he would just give a family his powers to interact with the afterlife with my or Luna's consent." Princess Celestia said, "We're sorry, but he said he has nothing to say to you two." Runner replied, "What do you mean he has nothing to say to us?!" Princess Luna asked while raising his voice, scaring the ponies, "He's not going to see you two, and that he has to depart to another world soon to get souls, himself." Sprinter replied, "I demand an audience with him!" Princess Luna said while raising her voice even more, the flames of Emotion Walker and Emotion Runner rise since her voice was beginning to scare them, "Should we try again, granddad?" Walker asked, "We should, I don't think she's going to take no for an answer." Sprinter replied, and the three turn around and a portal opens and the three walk into it and it closes. A portal opens and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter walk out, everybody sees someone behind them, the portal closes and everybody gasps at what they see, they see five bipedal humanoid figures, they were all wearing black business suits with a white long-sleeve shirt under the blazers, they were bald with oblong face shapes, and peach colored skin, the center-left, center, center-right, and far right men had black blindfolds on their eyes', the far left man did not have one, and his eyes were blue, the far left, center-left, center, and center-right men wore black leather gloves while the far right man did not, the center-left man had ears while the other four did not, and the center-right man had a nose while the other four did not. Everybody just stands and looks at them with dropped jaws, "Are you two the ones who wish to see Spirit?" the center man asked, "Who are you five?" Princess Celestia asked, "We are the Senses, my name is Taste, the one without gloves is Touch, the one without a blindfold is Sight, the one with ears is Hear, and the one with a nose is Smell." the center man replied, "Why can't they tell us their names on their own?" Princess Luna asked, "They cannot speak, they do not have tongues." Taste replied, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence have shocked expressions on their faces, "Wait, then how are you able to hear them?" Rainbow Dash asked, "They establish telepathic communication through physical contact, even though there's five of them, they act as one." Runner replied, "Oh." Rainbow Dash said, "What exactly do you five do?" Princess Cadence asked, "We are Spirit's personal bodyguards and scouts, we look for enemies in the Void, and we act as Spirit's last line of defense." Taste replied, "Why exactly are you five here?" Princess Celestia asked, "We came on Spirit's behalf to answer your questions." Taste replied, "No, I wish to speak to him directly." Princess Celestia said, "The only ponies allowed to see Spirit directly are Walker and the males from the paternal side of his family." Taste replied, "We are the rulers of their home, why are we denied from seeing him?" Princess Luna asked, "Because the souls of the dead are supposed to be seen and heard by only them in this world." Taste replied, "No, that is one reason why I wish to see him, my subjects being attacked and messed with by forces that cannot be seen or heard by anyone except them does not sit well with me." Princess Celestia said, "It's mainly because of the magic in this world that you cannot see nor hear them." Taste replied, "Our magic?" Princess Cadence asked, "Some of the other worlds have magic, too, but the way magic works is different in each world." Sprinter replied, surprising everybody, "Was there anything you two wanted to ask?" Taste asked, "Can we please meet Spirit?" Princess Celestia asked, "I cannot allow that." Taste replied, Princess Luna begins to grumble and growl, the others back away from her, "Why can't we meet him?!" Princess Luna asked while almost yelling, "He is usually too busy to see others." Taste replied, "But he's got these three here to do his work for him." Princess Cadence said, "A small amount of his work, Spirit sometimes leaves to collect souls on his own as well." Taste replied, "I've never seen him do that." Walker said, a light blue flame floats above Walker and everybody watches it, they all look and see a colt who looks just like Walker absorb the soul, shocking everybody, "Spirit?" Taste asked, "I might as well introduce myself, since these two refuse to relent." Spirit replied, "Wait a minute, you look nothing like how I saw you in their memories." Sunset Shimmer said, "It is one of my powers, whenever I appear outside of the Void, I can take on any physical form I wish." Spirit replied, "Then change back, I wish to see what you really look like." Princess Celestia said, and Spirit changes to his original form, "Why did you give their family your powers?" Princess Celestia asked, "Because their ancestor made a deal with me to ensure his family's survival, his family was attacked the most often when you all were divided by unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies." Spirit replied, "What about it being only for the stallions on the father's side of the family?" Princess Luna asked, "The pony who made the deal with me in the first place was a stallion from the paternal side of their family, so it just stuck." Spirit replied, "What about the mother dying after giving birth?" Princess Cadence asked, "My powers are usually too powerful for mortals to handle, birthing a child with my powers usually destroys the mother's soul." Spirit replied, "And yet, you only give them their powers when they turn four instead of at birth?" Princess Luna asked, "It is so they do not cause havoc while they are babies, since this world does not practice using spiritual energy, along with your magic being unable to detect it, while the damage their powers cause can be seen by regular people in this world, what actually causes the damage cannot." Spirit replied, surprising everybody, Princess Celestia turns her attention to Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "How many more residents of the Void are there?" Princess Celestia asked, "Seventeen more." Walker replied, "Seventeen?!" Princess Luna asked, Walker nods, "I'd like to meet them." Princess Celestia said, Spirit holds his arms up with dark blue flames around his hands. Ponyville changes and everybody sees new areas, the first one everybody notices what appeared to be a field full of hanging skeletons, everybody sees two big black statues, they were both wearing robes and were hooded, and had skulls for their faces, the left statue was holding a quill in its right hand, and a document in its left hand, while the right statue was holding a double-edged sword in its right hand, they turn to face the ponies, scaring them, "Look at what we have here." the left statue said in a gravely voice, "Yes, those who believe friendship always wins." the right statue said in a ghastly voice, "Who are you two?" Princess Celestia asked, "I am Diplomat." the left statue replied, "And I am War." the right statue said, "Diplomat and War? What do you two do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Um, in a way, they're kind of our trainers." Walker replied, "Them too?" Applejack asked, "Yes, our job is to make the creatures they encounter appear here, in the battlefield, it is so they will learn how to deal with them, whether they can win them over with friendship, or have to fight and kill them in order to save themselves." Diplomat replied, "Well, a little forgiveness and some friendship, and there won't be any need for fighting." Twilight Sparkle said, "In this world, in other worlds, friendship does not work." War replied, "What do you mean friendship doesn't work?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Most of the other worlds are not powered by friendship like this one." Diplomat replied, "You don't need a world to be powered by friendship, just being friends can get you far." Twilight Sparkle said, "But for how long?" War asked, "Enough, I wish to meet the others." Princess Celestia said, "The last fifteen are over there." Walker replied as he points his front right hoof down the road in front of them. Everybody sees them and the first person they saw was a bipedal humanoid figure, he was big and muscular, he was bald and had glowing blue skin, he had a black blindfold over his eyes, he wore a black judge's robe, he wielded a sledgehammer, the right half of the hammer was blue and white, it had a feathered wing at the top, and a female angel's face carved on it, while the left half of the hammer was red and black, it had a bat wing at the top, and a male demon's face carved on it, he also had a double-edged broadsword sheathed on his left side, "Who is that?" Silverstream asked, "I am The Judge, I am the one who judges the new souls of the dead and send them to the afterlife." the being replied, "So, um, how does the judgement work?" Rarity asked, "I look into the soul and identify their gender and what world they're from, then these fourteen behind me help me judge them." The Judge replied, everybody sees fourteen robed and hooded bipedal figures behind him, there were seven different colors since two of them wore the same colored robes, the color of the robes were purple, green, red, light blue, yellow, orange, and blue, their faces were only black spaces. Sunset Shimmer looks and sees the seven figures to their lefts had feminine body shapes while the seven to their rights had masculine body shapes, "Who are you guys?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "We are the Virtues and the Sins." the female purple robe replied, "What do you guys do?" Rainbow Dash asked, "We look at the soul's actions throughout their life, and determine if they committed one of our virtues or one of our sins, their souls are weighed on the Scales of Virtue and Sin that are behind us." the male purple robe replied, everybody looks and sees the scales, the scale to their lefts was white while the scale to their rights was black, "When a soul has committed on virtue, the white scales down, a sin, the black scale goes down, which ever scale is down farther will determine whether the soul receives salvation or damnation, if they are equal, the soul's personality will be looked into to determine its fate for the afterlife, if a soul receives salvation, they go to the overworld to have a peaceful afterlife, damnation, they are sent to the underworld to be punished." the male purple robe said, "So, what do you fourteen do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We all represent a virtue and a sin, there are seven virtues and seven sins, we are named after the virtue and sin we represent." the female purple robe replied, "What are yer names?" Applejack asked, "I am Humility." the female purple robe said, "I am Kindness." the female green robe said, "My name is Charity." the female yellow robe said, "I'm known as Temperance." the female orange robe said, "I am Diligence." the female light blue robe said, "I am called Chastity." the female blue robe said, "And I am Patience, we are the Virtues." the female red robe said, "What about you guys?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We are the Sins, I am Pride." the male purple robe said, "I am Envy." the male green robe said, "I am Greed." the male yellow robe said, "My name is Gluttony." the male orange robe said, "I am known as Sloth." the male light blue robe said, "I am Lust." the male blue robe said, "And I am Wrath." the male red robe said, "So, you all just look into the souls and see the good and bad things they committed?" Fluttershy asked, "Not just that, us Virtues reward those who receive salvation and committed our virtues, while the Sins punish those who have committed their sins and have received damnation." Humility replied, "What are the rewards and punishments?" Princess Celestia asked, "I reward people with the joys of life." Patience replied, "I reward those who commit my virtue with true and everlasting love." Chastity said, "I reward people with success at whatever they were trying to achieve." Diligence said, "I reward people with enhanced physical abilities, and the simple joys they had in life." Temperance said, "I reward those who commit my virtue with love and appreciation from others." Charity said, "I reward people by making them all the same to one another, so they are all equal." Kindness said, "I reward people with power and authority since they do not see themselves as superior to another." Humility said, "Ooh, all of those sound lovely." Rarity said, "Yes, they do sound nice." Fluttershy replied, "What are the punishments?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have the angry dismembered alive." Wrath replied, "I make the lustful feel physical torment for all eternity by having them burn in fire and brimstone." Lust said, "I make the slothful and apathetic get thrown into snake pits." Sloth said, "I punish the gluttonous by force feeding them rats, toads, and snakes." Gluttony said, "I have the greedy boiled alive in oil for all eternity." Greed said, "I punish the envious by having them put in freezing water for all eternity." Envy said, "I punish the prideful by putting them on the breaking wheel." Pride said, "Breaking wheel?" Princess Celestia asked, "A torture device in several worlds where people are tied to them, and the torturer would proceed to bludgeon them and break their bones with hammers and clubs." Pride replied, everybody exclaims with shock, "That's horrible." Ocellus said, "They are sinners, the torture is their punishment." Pride replied, "You all don't offer them forgiveness?" Princess Cadence asked, "Those who receive damnation are never forgiven." The Judge replied, "How did you all become created?" Pinkie Pie asked, "The virtues and sins we represent come from the majority of most cultures of the other worlds." Humility replied, "How do we commit your virtues?" Princess Luna asked, "See yourself as equal to everyone else." Humility said, "Never be jealous of those better than you, help those in need, and accept what you have and your life." Kindness said, "Share your things with others." Charity said, "Moderate yourself, and restrain yourself from indulging in excess of anything in life." Temperance said, "Work hard and keep working, no matter how much you want to quit, keep working until the work's done." Diligence said, "Do not pursue a sexual relationship before marriage or with someone else besides your spouse after marriage." Chastity said, "Stay calm and never have episodes of rage." Patience said, "Wow, a lot of those sound hard to achieve." Applejack said, "It is easy for some." Humility replied, "What do we have to do to commit a sin?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Being proud of anything you are or what you can do." Pride said, "Wish to have something someone else has and you work to not only have it for yourself, but also make the person who has it lose it." Envy said, "Desiring money, materials, or power, and not sharing it." Greed said, "Overindulgence in anything, especially food and drinks, you consume so much, it becomes wasted." Gluttony said, "Refusal to work, and not caring about others and your surroundings." Sloth said, "Pursue a sexual relationship with anyone, along with desire for power and authority, along with desiring money." Lust said, "Lose your temper and get mad." Wrath said, "Wow, they actually sound hard to do." Fluttershy said, "Most souls have committed both, virtues and sins, if they have committed more virtues than sins, they receive salvation, and receive damnation if they have committed more sins than virtues." The Judge replied, "This may sound weird, but outright admitting you're good makes you receive more salvation, and outright admitting you're bad damns your soul even more." Walker said, "What? Why?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Because outright admitting you're either good or bad means you are aware of your actions and their effects, admitting you're good means you are aware you're doing good things, same when you admit that you're bad." The Judge replied, "What if someone who does bad thing say they're good and vice versa?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It will not affect the scales." The Judge replied, "So, does anything happen with the souls after the judgement?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Souls that receive salvation can come back to the world of the living, some of these souls wandering around this town are still here because they received salvation after being judged." Runner replied, "What is the best and worst sentence a soul can receive?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Pure salvation and pure damnation." The Judge replied, "How are they achieved?" Princess Celestia asked, "To achieve pure salvation, you must commit all seven virtues, and outright admit you're good, and commit none of the sins, achieving pure damnation is the opposite." The Judge replied, "What happens if someone receives those sentences?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Those who receive pure salvation can be reincarnated." The Judge replied, "Wait, people can be revived?" Sandbar asked, "Yes, but when a soul starts their next life, they have no memory of their previous life." The Judge replied, "And pure damnation?" Princess Luna asked, "The soul is destroyed and they cease to exist." The Judge replied, "Wow, that's actually kinda scary." Applejack said, the others nod in agreement, "There's somethin' that's been botherin' me." Applejack said, "What is it?" The Judge asked, "Those seven virtues are supposed to represent good things, right?" Applejack asked, "Yes, of most worlds, we represent humility, kindness, charity, temperance, diligence, chastity, and patience." Humility replied, "What about honesty?" Applejack asked, "Honesty is not a virtue in the cultures of the other worlds." Humility replied, "What about laughter?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Laughter's not a virtue, either." Pride replied, "How about loyalty?" Rainbow Dash asked, "That's not a virtue." Greed replied, "Only kindness and generosity are virtues." Walker said, "Where will we go after we pass?" Spike asked, "That depends on how many virtues and sins you have committed in your life." Kindness replied, "I'm sorry to break this to you, but how many friends you make and friendship lessons you learn will not matter when your soul gets judged." Walker said, "What kind of judging system is this?!" Pinkie Pie asked, "It appears you are judged by who you were as an individual rather than how many friendships you have made." Princess Luna replied, "How does it work?" Princess Cadence asked, Spirit walks forward and gives The Judge the soul he absorbed when he appeared, The Judge examines the soul, "This soul is from the world Equestria, male." The Judge said, "He was proud of his own achievements." Pride said, the black scale goes down, "He was friendly to everyone he met." Kindness said, the white scale goes down, "He shared his things with many others." Charity said, the white scale goes down even more, "He ate and drank more than he needed." Gluttony said, the black scale goes down, "He worked long and hard at his interests." Diligence said, the white scale goes down, "This soul is to receive salvation." The Judge said, and he hits the gavel in front of him with the angelic side of his sledgehammer, a portal opens to The Judge's right and the soul goes into it, the scales revert back to normal after the portal closes, "So that's how it works, they look at your soul and the actions of your life that is related to the virtue and sin they represent, it's about who you are as an individual." Princess Luna said, "Um, excuse me, have you all ever thought about forgiveness?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That goes with my virtue." Patience replied, "I see." Twilight Sparkle said, "You all should go, Spirit's got souls for me to judge." The Judge said, and Spirit gives the souls in his body to The Judge for him to judge while the others leave. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter go to the arena while the others follow them, "What would you all like to fight today?" Diplomat asked, "We're just training today." Sprinter replied, "Perhaps we should call your soul friend here." War said, "Sure, the harder the fight, the better." Runner replied, "Dad!" Walker said, "I know you hate fighting, Walker, but your grandfather and I like it, majority rules, Walker." Runner replied, Walker groans while the three get ready to train. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter summon swords in their front right hoofs, Walker summons a short sword that was about eighteen inches long and had a chisel-like tip, and a square shaped hand guard, Runner summons a straight sabre that was designed for slicing and stabbing, the hilt was around his hoof, the entire weapon was about forty one inches long, and Sprinter summons a giant double-edged broadsword that was about seventy eight inches long, shocking everybody watching. Walker begins teleporting around and tries to attack Runner and Sprinter, Runner moves around quickly and dodges Walker's slashes while Sprinter just teleports around, Runner dodges Walker easily and cuts him in several places, he grunts from each cut. Runner holds his sabre in front of himself and focuses on Sprinter, he jumps and was about to slash Sprinter in his chest, Sprinter swings his broadsword down and Runner grunts as he falls into the ground, Walker teleports to Sprinter and was about to slash him across his face, Sprinter hits Walker in his left side with his front left hoof, Walker exclaims as he flies into a black pillar and cracks it. Walker and Runner recover and get up, Walker takes longer to get up than Runner, the two look at one another and nod. Walker teleports to Sprinter and was about to stab him in his front right knee, Sprinter turns to his left to dodge it and Runner teleports to Sprinter's left blind spot and slashes his front left knee, Sprinter did not flinch and just looks at his wound, he sees the two coming but he looks forward, a light blue beam comes out and Walker and Runner hear it. The three teleport away and the soul forms into a unicorn, "Training without me?" the unicorn asked, "No, just warming up." Sprinter replied, the unicorn chuckles and they all start fighting one another, the unicorn smiles and he runs to join them. The unicorn runs around while shooting beams from his horn at the three, "Who is that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I don't know, but I do wonder." Princess Cadence replied, the unicorn moves around from side-to-side to dodge Walker's, Runner's, and Sprinter's sword attacks, he sees Walker jump in the air and was about to cut his neck, he grabs Walker's front legs with his front hoofs, he turns to his right and throws Walker, he hits a pillar and grunts, Runner teleports to the unicorn and tries to slash his legs and chest, the unicorn jumps and lands on top of Runner's sabre, leaving him speechless, he does a back flip and kicks Runner in his chin with his hind hoofs, he grunts and flies back while the unicorn lands on his feet. Sprinter teleports to behind the unicorn and tries to cut him with his broadsword, the unicorn teleports away and Sprinter uses his spiritual powers to make the sword bigger, he swings it around like it weighed nothing and the unicorn jumps back, Sprinter does a downwards slash and the unicorn does a back flip to dodge it and shoots a beam from his horn while he was upside-down in midair, Sprinter was hit but he was only pushed back, he teleports to the unicorn and tries to slash him again, the unicorn teleports to behind him and shoots him in the back with his horn, Sprinter chuckles and turns around, "I can do this all day." Sprinter said, "So can I." the unicorn replied, and Sprinter swings the broadsword around again and destroys the pillars, Walker and Runner exclaim and duck to dodge the broadsword, the unicorn jumps and shoots Sprinter with another zap, he grunts and falls down. The unicorn lands on the ground, "Come on, get up, you three are better than that." the unicorn said, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter get up, Walker teleports to him while growling and begins tries to slash the unicorn with his sword while snarling with rage, "You always did hate losing, Walker." Runner said, the unicorn grabs his front right hoof and throws him over his own head, Walker screams as he flies through the air and lands on the light blue ground, he growls and teleports to the unicorn and tries to slash him again, the unicorn slaps Walker to his left with his front left hoof, he screams as he flies through the air and hits a broken black pillar, his front right leg hits it first and a loud banging sound was heard, Walker grunts loudly and the others look. Runner, Sprinter, and the unicorn look on and see Walker's front right leg was injured, he grunts and pants as he stands up, "Can you still fight?" Runner asked, Walker stands but falls back down immediately, he shakes his head, "Let me see." Runner said as he trots to Walker and looks at his leg, "You're just hurt a little, you should be fine after several minutes." Runner said, Walker sighs with relief since he thought his leg was broken, "You all want to stop here?" the unicorn asked, "Yeah, let's call it a day." Runner replied, "We'll be waiting for you at home, Walker." Sprinter said, "What?! Wait! No!" Princess Cadence said as she runs to Walker, "You two are just going to leave him here?!" Princess Cadence asked, "It's nothing serious, he'll recover soon." Runner replied, "Still, you two can at least help him home." Princess Cadence said, "Nope, Walker needs to learn how to recover and fend for himself, since we most likely won't be around to protect him when he gets older." Sprinter replied, "We'll have lunch ready for you when you get home, Walker." Runner said, "Alright, thanks dad." Walker replied, and the two walk home. Walker grunts and he stands up while Princess Cadence checks his leg, "Take it easy, Walker, you're hurt." Princess Cadence said, "Cadence, I've had worse injuries than this before." Walker replied, "Still, come on, Walker, let's go home." Princess Cadence said, and she helps him go home. Walker arrives home and he sits and has a salad for lunch, "Don't you two ever think about giving him something else?" Princess Cadence asked, "The salad is usually enough to keep him full." Runner replied, "Don't you two ever give him fruits?" Princess Cadence asked, "He usually doesn't need them to stay full." Sprinter said, Princess Cadence looks at the two with disapproval, "Here, Walker, have a sandwich." Princess Cadence said, and she takes a hay and lettuce sandwich out of her saddlebag and gave it to Walker, and he tries to eat it but got full, "Sorry, but I'm full." Walker said, and Sprinter puts the leftover in the refrigerator. Walker goes on to continue painting while Runner stays with him and watches his front right leg to make sure it was alright, Walker paints a little and finishes the picture, "It's beautiful, Walker." Princess Cadence said, "Thanks, I'll need to find inspiration for my next painting before I start." Walker replied, and Runner puts it up on the wall for it dry, "How's your leg, Walker?" Sprinter asked, he stands up and saw he was able to walk and move it fine, "I'm fine." Walker said, "Good, you should still take it easy, though." Sprinter replied, "What are you going to do next, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "I'm going to go see that unicorn ghost." Walker replied, and he trots outside while Princess Cadence follows him. The ghost unicorn makes wooden targets appear with his magic and he breaks them with his hind hoofs, the others watch him and he stops when he hears trotting, he turns around and sees Walker and Princess Cadence, "Ah, Walker, here for your next training lesson, I assume, I'm impressed you already recovered." the unicorn said, "Thanks, and yes, I'm ready to train." Walker replied, the unicorn smiles, "Let's get started, then." the unicorn said, and he makes five wooden targets appear in the air, "Try to break all five of them before you touch the ground." the unicorn said, "Oh, that's easy." Walker replied, and he walks forward, he jumps in the air and does a counterclockwise spin with his body, he kicks the five targets with his hind hoofs and breaks them and lands on the ground perfectly, "Impressive, let's see how you're doing on your high jumps." the unicorn said, and he makes one wooden target appear high in the air, Walker jumps as high as he can and he lifts his hind right leg up above his head, he kicks the target and destroys it and lands on the ground, "Alright, let's see how you're doing on your acrobats." the unicorn said, and he makes three targets appear, Walker does a somersault and kicks the first target with his hind hoofs, he does a back flip and kicks the next target with his hind right hoof, he does another back flip and kicks the last target with his hind left hoof, he drops to the ground and lands while the broken targets fall onto the ground, "Very good, now your strength test." the unicorn said, and he makes a royal guard helmet appear, much to Princess Cadence's surprise, Walker jumps and tilts his body to his right, he kicks the helmet with his hind left hoof and shatters it into pieces, much to Princess Cadence's shock, "Whoa! Did you all see that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, he destroyed the helmet in one hit." Applejack replied, "That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash said, "Still, one kick is enough to destroy a royal guard's helmet? That's actually kind of scary." Twilight Sparkle said, "Okay, last one, your accuracy." the unicorn said, "Actually, I think there's already a target for that." Walker replied, "Alright, show me." the unicorn said, and Walker walks to Princess Cadence, "What are you doing, Walker? Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, Walker jumps and does a counterclockwise spin in the air, he holds his hind left leg out and hits Princess Cadence's tiara off of her head, she exclaims and looks to her right to see her tiara flying through the air, she grabs it with her telekinesis and brings it back to herself, "Walker! No!" Princess Cadence said as she holds her tiara up with her telekinesis, "Do not hit my crown!" Princess Cadence said, Walker just stands there and sweats, she put her tiara back on her head, "I'm ready to continue training." Walker said, "Alright, I got a new one for you today." the unicorn replied, and he makes sixteen wooden targets appear, "This is the wall climb, your training is to jump and touch the boards with your front legs, then jump and touch the next board above you, keep going until you get to the top." the unicorn said, and Walker starts. Walker jumps and presses his front hoofs on the first wooden board, he jumps and turns around in midair and touches the next wooden board with his front hoofs, he keeps going until he gets to the eleventh one, he tries to push his front hoofs on it, but he goes over it and falls behind it. Walker stands up and looks back, "What the?" Walker asked, he saw his targets got smaller and farther apart as he got higher, "They look smaller." Walker said, "They are, the higher you get, the smaller your targets get." the unicorn replied, and Walker walks back and tries again. Walker tries jumping from target to target but he keeps going over the higher targets and failing, he growls as he tries again and monitors his own jumps, he goes over another target and lands on the ground. Walker begins to growl and breathe hard, "Walker, calm down, you can try again anytime." Princess Cadence said, "No, I wish to pass it now." Walker replied, "Walker, you'll tire yourself out if you act like that, take a break." Princess Cadence said, Walker exhales heavily and he begins walking to the west, "You will have time to catch your breath and recover if you rest now." Optimist said, "You will postpone the inevitable of having to do this training course and make yourself constantly worried about it." Pessimist said, Walker thinks for a minute and stands up and walks. Princess Cadence looks and sees Walker going to four pillows, he arrives at them and Body Walker appears on the center-left pillow, he was standing on it, Mind Walker stands on the far left pillow, Spirit Walker stands on the center-right pillow, and Emotion Walker stands on the far right pillow, "What would you like to train in?" Body Walker asked, "My body." Walker replied, "Hot environment or cold environment?" Body Walker asked, "Cold." Walker replied, and Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. Only a part of Ponyville changes and Walker was now in the cold mountain environment again, there was snow on the ground and a blizzard going on, Walker inhales and exhales sharply for a few minutes to let his body adjust, he runs and jumps into the water, he swims while breathing heavily, his swims as fast as he could while his hoofs and ears become numb from the cold, he makes to the end faster than usual and pants, "I made the water shorter today, we'll be doing wall jumps today, front hoofs only, your goal is to reach the top of that entrance there." Body Walker said as he points his front right hoof to it, Walker sees he was in an ice cave environment and the exit was high and far, and there were icicles hanging, "Your job is to jump from icicle to icicle and make it to the end, but be careful, the icicles are fragile, once when you press on them, they will break, so make sure you jump before it falls." Body Walker said, Walker nods, "Alright, go." Body Walker said, and Walker runs forward. Walker jumps and presses his front hoofs onto the first icicle, it breaks and begins to fall while Walker uses his front hoofs to spring himself into the air and he turns around in midair and jumps to the next icicle, Walker jumps from icicle to icicle and went faster as he went farther, everypony watches nervously as Walker keeps going. Walker was near the end and he keeps going, he was getting more and more nervous as he got higher since the icicles were getting smaller and thinner, Walker keeps going and makes it to the end, he pants heavily while the environment changes back to normal and Walker stands on the ground, "Good work, Walker, not bad for first time, but you need to work on your speed." Body Walker said, Walker looks down, "Let's call it a day, it's a little late." Body Walker said, Walker nods and he walks back to the unicorn, he does the wall jump and makes it to the top, "Yes! I won!" Walker said as he jumps up and down, "Perhaps, but you'll need to do it again, try to do it without needing practice." the unicorn replied, Walker nods and he makes the targets disappear, he sees Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack walking to him, "You're not bad at this Walker, you, your father, and your grandfather would've served well in my army." the unicorn said, "Wait. Army?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Who are you?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It doesn't matter now, but I was going to spread friendship throughout the land, but Celestia said no and put a halt to my plans by putting me in jail." the unicorn replied, "Wait, what?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Just as I thought, you're Genghis." Princess Celestia said, "We could've had friendship spread throughout the land if you let me have my way." Genghis replied, "No, Genghis, your method was too ruthless and wrong, I couldn't allow friendship to spread throughout the land your way." Princess Celestia replied, "You were going to make us have more enemies if you did have your way." Princess Luna said, "How so?" Genghis asked, "Destroying one's culture and replacing it with our own is wrong, Genghis." Princess Cadence replied, "Wait, just who is this?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Name's Genghis, I was going to raise a military with earth ponies as my army, Pegasi as my air force, and unicorns as my magic unit, I was going to conquer and unite Equestria under one culture, then I was going to conquer the other countries, I was going to conquer Seaquestria, Mount Aris, and Kirin Grove first, I was going to add hippogriffs into my air force, have the seaponies serve as my navy, and the kirins as my fire unit, I was going to spread friendship throughout the world by conquering the other countries and destroy their cultures so I could replace them with our own cultures, but Celestia said no and put me in jail while I was raising my army." Genghis replied, shocking the six mares, "That would've caused more problems for us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Not cool, Genghis." Rainbow Dash said, "But I was going to spread friendship." Genghis replied, "Spread friendship? You would've made us the most hated country in the world if you had your way." Princess Luna said, "That's right, Genghis, this is a land of tolerance and forgiveness, I will not have friendship spread throughout the world by having one of our kind conquer their lands, destroy their cultures, and force them to adapt our culture." Princess Celestia said, "Um, Genghis, we are friends with the other creatures now." Fluttershy said, "What took you all so long?" Genghis asked, "You can't rush friendship, Genghis." Princess Celestia replied, "Why do you see him for anyway, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "He's my hoof-to-hoof combat instructor." Walker replied, "What?!" Princess Luna asked with shock while opening up her wings, "He's right, but not just him, I trained Runner and Sprinter as well." Genghis said, "Wait, there's something that's bothering me." Twilight Sparkle said, "What would that be?" Genghis asked, "Why aren't you mentioned in any historical documents or books?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I had all historical records of him destroyed." Princess Celestia replied, "What? How come?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Think about it, Twilight, our country had our own version of the Storm King rising and planning to invade them, that would be a black mark on our country's history and reputation." Princess Celestia replied, "I actually kind of like that, all historical records of me destroyed? It makes it sound like a planned sneak attack on other countries." Genghis said, "No, I had records of you destroyed because your actions are an embarrassment to our country's reputation of tolerance and forgiveness." Princess Celestia replied, Genghis remains silent and turns to Walker, "Do you wish to continue training?" Genghis asked, "No, I need to rest." Walker replied while shivering, "Alright, then, I'll be here if you wish to see me." Genghis said, and he walks away. Walker shivers while Princess Cadence warms him up by hugging him and Rarity uses her magic to get her heavy winter coat again and puts it on him, "I wonder how much calories you're burning." Twilight Sparkle said, "I never bother to think to about it." Walker replied, and he stops shivering, Princess Cadence lets go of him and Rarity takes the coat off, "I'll go meditate now." Walker said, "No, Walker, that's enough training for today, let's do something foals your age do." Princess Cadence replied, and the two walk together. Walker was on a swing and Princess Cadence pushes it forward with her front right hoof, there was a swing to his left and a swing to his right, Apple Bloom was on the swing to his left with Big Macintosh pushing it, and Sweetie Belle was on the swing to his right with Rarity pushing it, Walker just sits on the swing with a bored expression, "Aren't you having fun, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Not really." Walker replied, "Why not?" Apple Bloom asked, "It's just... I find everything in this world boring when compared to the Void." Walker replied, "Just be a normal foal for now, Walker, you're still a child." Princess Cadence said, Walker looks down while he stays on the swing, "How often do ya go to the Void, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "I used to go every day after school before I came here." Walker replied, "On your own?!" Rarity asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "That's too dangerous, Walker, you should travel with your guardians." Princess Cadence said, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said, "Dad and granddad traveled the Void all by themselves when they were my age." Walker said, "What?" Rarity asked, "Still, why don't they accompany you for?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because the worlds I go to are where Spirit is admired and respected the most, so I'm usually not attacked by the natives." Walker replied, "Still, they should accompany you." Rarity said, "Can you ask for those harpies, vulcans, and onis to come here one day, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Well... I'm not sure on that, they're not like the creatures of this world." Walker replied, "Well, if ya don't, Twilight might ask Spirit for 'em to come here." Apple Bloom said, "She might regret that." Walker replied, and he sits on the swing silently while Princess Cadence continues to push it, "Where's Scootaloo?" Walker asked after remaining silent for a while, they all look, "There she is." Apple Bloom replied, and Walker sees her and Rainbow Dash being trained by Genghis in hoof-to-hoof combat, "So Genghis has decided to train them as well." Walker said, "Maybe they'll be as good as you one day." Sweetie Belle replied, "Actually, Genghis once said to me that he has different trainings for unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies." Walker said, "How so?" Princess Cadence asked, "Actually, I don't know, I only do his earth pony training." Walker replied, they all look and see Genghis was shooting big beams out of his horn and Rainbow Dash flies around to dodge them, "Yeah, it is different." Walker said, and they all continue to remain on the swings. A portal opens and Runner and Sprinter walk out and the portal closes, "Dad? Granddad? Where you were two?" Walker asked, "We were just getting souls for The Judge." Runner replied, "Yeah, several people died in the other worlds recently." Sprinter said, "When did you two leave?" Walker asked, "While Genghis was training you." Runner replied, "Oh." Walker said, "Well, we'll be going now, we'll be heading home to make dinner after this, Walker." Sprinter said, Walker nods, and the two go see The Judge, "Let's go, Walker, I'd like to see how this judging works." Princess Cadence said, Walker gets off the swing and walks to The Judge while Princess Cadence follows him. Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence go to The Judge and they see he was waiting for them, "I am ready to receive the souls." The Judge said, and Runner and Sprinter have them float out of their bodies, Runner had seven souls while Sprinter had nine souls. The Judge takes the souls from Sprinter first and begins his job, he holds the first soul in his hands, "Male, from the world Larvaka." The Judge said, "He had a bad temper." Wrath said, the black scale goes down, "He never did any physical activity." Sloth said, the black scale goes down more, "This soul is to receive damnation." The Judge said, "Wait." Princess Cadence said as The Judge was about to hit his gavel with the demonic side of his hammer, "What about the other twelve?" Princess Cadence asked, "He did not commit our virtues or sins, there is no need to mention them." Humility replied, "Oh." Princess Cadence said, The Judge hits his gavel and a portal opens to his left side and the soul floats into it and the portal closes while the scales revert back to normal. The next soul floats to The Judge and he holds it, "Female, Styx." The Judge said, "Styx?" Princess Cadence asked, "The name of the soul's home world." Runner replied, "She was a noble but saw herself as an equal to everyone." Humility said, the white scale goes down, "She had a bad temper." Wrath said, the scales revert back to normal, "She did not indulge in excess pleasures." Temperance said, the white scale goes down, "She only loved one person." Chastity said, the white scale goes down more, "This soul is to receive salvation." The Judge said, and he hits his gavel with the angelic side of his hammer, a portal opens to his right and the soul goes in, the portal closes while scales revert back to normal. The next soul floats to The Judge and he grabs it, "Male, Niflheim." The Judge said, "He was willing to share his things with others." Kindness said, the white scale goes down, "He was jealous of those superior to him." Envy said, the scales revert back to normal, "He gave things he wanted to those who needed them more than him." Charity said, the white scale goes down, "He had a bad temper." Wrath said, the scales revert back to normal, "He was very proud of his own status." Pride said, the black scale goes down, "He worked hard to get to where he was at before he was killed in battle." Diligence said, the scales revert back to normal while Princess Cadence watches nervously, "It is a tie, his personality shall determine his judgement." The Judge said, and he looks into the soul, "A spoiled child, born into the upper-class of his species, while he has committed those virtues, he was unhappy about doing them, since his parents forced him to, and he fought in the battle he died in in the name of glory." The Judge said, he lets the soul go and it floats in front of him, "This soul is to receive damnation." The Judge said, he hears the ponies complaining and sees them running to him, "No! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle said, they arrive while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fly to him, "How old is that child?" Princess Celestia asked, "Eight." The Judge replied, "You're sending a soul of a child to the underworld to be punished after death?!" Princess Luna asked, "He has sinned several times, and he has a rotten personality, so damnation." The Judge replied, "What if he didn't know better?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That doesn't change the fact that he has sinned." Pride replied, "So, you can't redeem yourself by making up for it?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "No, once when you commit a sin or a virtue, that is it, it is weighed upon your soul for your entire life and until you come to us." Humility replied, "Look at me, I did bad things, and I was forgiven." Starlight Glimmer said, "In this life, but when you die and when I judge your soul, that won't matter." The Judge replied, "What if they behave the way they do because their culture teaches them to be like that?" Princess Cadence asked, "That doesn't matter when I judge your soul, either." The Judge replied, "What?! That's not fair!" Rainbow Dash said, "Judgement is very fair, your race, gender, species, age, and social class don't matter when your soul is judged, and it doesn't matter if you're forgiven for bad deeds or if your good deeds have bad consequences, all that matters is that you have committed a virtue or a sin, and if it's tied, your personality will determine your judgement." The Judge replied, "I'm sorry to say this, but your judging system is very flawed." Princess Celestia said, "What is flawed about our judging to you?" Patience asked, "Excuse me?" Princess Celestia asked, "There are some creatures in the other worlds who think our judging system is perfect, and some who think it's corrupt, so what's flawed about to you as an individual?" Humility asked, "First of all, you're sending a child to be punished in the afterlife, I think he deserves a second chance." Princess Celestia said, "Well, it's too late now, he's dead." Greed replied, "Can't souls wander around being judged?" Princess Luna asked, "Only if they receive salvation, but since he is receiving damnation, he will be trapped in the underworld to be punished for eternity." The Judge replied, the people of Ponyville protest about it, "Ain't there some area in the afterlife to teach him the errors of his ways?" Applejack asked, "No." The Judge replied, "Still, how can you send a poor little child to be punished after death? I think a little teaching and discipline can set him straight." Rarity said, "As we said, it will not undo his sins." Envy replied, "There you go, now, I must send his soul to the afterlife." The Judge said, and he hits his gavel with the demonic side of his hammer while the ponies complain and protest, the soul goes into the portal some of the ponies cry while the scales revert back to normal. The Judge gets the next soul and was about to judge it, "You all don't need to watch me, this takes time, you all should go on with your days." The Judge said, and they all leave while Twilight Sparkle walks to Spirit, who was behind The Judge and was sitting in a black throne, the Senses were standing to his right, "Excuse me, Spirit." Twilight Sparkle said, he focuses on her, "Can you open the portals to the other worlds?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Why?" Spirit asked, "So I can spread friendship to their worlds." Twilight Sparkle replied, "You do realize how risky that is, right?" Spirit asked, "What are the risks?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "First of all, what Walker said about friendship is true in their cultures, friendship is just a term you use to refer to someone or people you're on good terms with, it's not magic to them, the other risk... well, it will bring... other creatures to this world to attack Walker, Runner, and Sprinter." Spirit replied, "More skeletons and ghosts?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, completely different." Spirit replied, "Well, bring them here, I wanna spread friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, "Maybe tomorrow, I'll only bring the natives from the first three worlds Walker, Runner, and Sprinter went to." Spirit replied, "Thank you, it's a start." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walks away. Walker sleeps after having dinner and he was outside, he goes to where he trains and his four trainers appear, "Spiritual training, please." Walker said, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. Walker and Spirit Walker sit together and meditate, "Wait a minute, Walker." Princess Luna said, Walker opens his eyes and sees her flying down, "What are you doing out here?" Princess Luna asked, "I always go to the Void when I sleep." Walker replied, "Wait, this is where you've been going to every night when you sleep? No wonder why I haven't been able to see your dreams." Princess Luna said, Walker blushes and smiles, "What do you do here at night?" Princess Luna asked, "Train." Walker replied, "Train even more? No, you should be resting." Princess Luna said, "He is, his body's in bed right now, he'll have full energy when he wakes up tomorrow." Spirit Walker replied, "He better, or I'll have a talk with your ruler tomorrow." Princess Luna said, and she flies away while Walker sits and meditates for the rest of the night. Day 13The next morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have breakfast, "Where's Princess Cadence?" Walker asked, "She went home shortly after you went to bed." Runner replied, Walker looks down, "She'll be back here, Walker, she's bringing Shining Armor and Flurry Heart here today." Sprinter said, and he serves salad as breakfast, Walker eats it and he heads outside with his guardians. Walker and his guardians arrive outside and they hear loud conversations of excitement, they soon hear the train arrive, the three see Princess Cadence come with Shining Armor and Flurry Heart, "Wow, it's more surprising in person than I thought." Shining Armor said, "Over here, it's those three that brought them here." Princess Cadence said, and they trot to Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "Hello, it's nice to meet you three." Shining Armor said, "Where's Sunburst?" Walker asked, "He actually chose not to come." Princess Cadence replied, Flurry Heart makes noises of excitement and flies to the souls of the dead, she tries to grab them and play with them but she goes through them, she looks back with surprise, "It's no use, Flurry Heart, you're just going to go through them." Walker said, Flurry Heart looks down and groans, "Well, I'm ready, Spirit, I'm ready for those first three creatures Walker, Runner, and Sprinter met to be brought here." Twilight Sparkle said, "Very well, give me a minute." Spirit replied, "Um, Spirit, can I ask you something?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes?" Spirit asked, "Are Walker, Runner, and Sprinter the only ones who knew of your realm before showing up here?" Fluttershy asked, "No, there is one other person in this town who knows of the Void and the souls of the dead." Spirit replied, "That would be...?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Discord." Spirit replied, Twilight Sparkle hunches over with a scowl on her face, "Of course he would know." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, aside from the obvious, Zecora knows about the afterlife as well." Spirit said, the others attentions were caught, "Now that you mention it, where is Zecora?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, she hasn't been around recently." Applejack replied, "Um, are Discord and Zecora the only ones besides those three who know about your realm, Spirit?" Princess Celestia asked, "No, there are several ponies and others outside Equestria who know about my realm." Spirit replied, "Name them." Princess Celestia said, "Mother Nature, Janis, Demonicus, Daylight Dimmer, Starburn, and Arcana." Spirit replied, the others look and see Princess Celestia was a little speechless, "Do you know them, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, besides Daylight Dimmer and Starburn, I know all of them." Princess Celestia replied, "I know Janis, he was Princess Platinum's court wizard, Celestia and I were good friends with him when we were fillies." Princess Luna said, "Yes, Janis is still around." Spirit replied, "What?" Princess Luna asked, "But Janis died years ago." Princess Celestia said, "True, but his soul received pure salvation, and he was reincarnated, he was called back to this world to catch a criminal who received pure salvation in his first life, but then continued to do bad things afterwards, Janis was reincarnated throughout history and just caught him recently." Spirit replied, "But he won't remember us." Princess Luna said, "Janis was an exception, his memories were kept intact so he can remember what the bad pony he was after looked like, he has been reincarnated in this time as well, his name is now Tao, you'll recognize him by his birthmarks." Spirit replied, "Birthmarks?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, if someone is killed and reincarnated, that birthmark they're born with is the wound that killed them in their previous life." Spirit replied, and three portals soon open and everybody looks at them, "*gasp* Look, other worlds!" Silverstream said with excitement, everybody looks and they can see the other worlds through the portals, "The name of the worlds are under the portals." Runner said, everybody looks and sees the left portal led to Aerostia, the center portal led to Yomi, and the right portal led to Chrysaor, "Well, let's bring them." Sprinter said, and he goes to Yomi while Runner goes to Aerostia and Walker goes to Chrysaor. Everybody looks at the worlds and see the places, Aerostia had white and gold architecture with yellow lights, bronze orbs with yellow lights on them, gold statues everywhere, everybody sees the statues of the creatures were bipedal, they had four feathered wings on their backs, ears similar to hippogriff ears, and hair on their heads, "Are those the statues of the world's natives?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We'll see eventually." Princess Luna replied, and they keep looking, they see Aerostia had all of its land floating in the air, the houses were made from white stones with gold decorations, "Wow, a lot of bright colors." Sunset Shimmer said, the others nod, they all go to look at Chrysaor next, but all they see were three paths made of gray dirt, the path in front of them was straight, the path to the left went uphill, and the path to the right went downhill, "What is this?" Rarity asked, "Looks boring." Pinkie Pie said, "There's something on the ground, though." Fluttershy replied, they all look and see etchings on the paths, the left path had a green tornado etched on it, the right path had a blue water drop etched on it, and the center path had a yellow rock etched on it, "They seem to resemble some kind of cultural belief." Princess Luna said, everybody then looks into Yomi, everybody sees the world was dark red and black, Fluttershy whimpers, "That place looks scary." Fluttershy said, they all look and see two black statues and they look, "Are those statues of ponies?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yeah, they do look like pony statues." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they all look and soon see Walker, Runner, and Sprinter coming with the natives. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter come back with the natives of Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter come back to Equestria with the natives of the three worlds, the natives of Aerostia were bipedal, they had gray skin, four black feathered wings on their backs, ears similar to a hippogriff's, black hair on their heads, and silver bladed boomerangs on their sides, the natives of Chrysaor were bipedal, they had bat-like wings on their backs, a thick tail with two fish fins on the end coming out of their coccyges, and were all wearing dull gray armor, so their faces were not seen, but there were holes for their eyes', they all had three eyes with the third eye on their foreheads, the natives of Yomi were also bipedal, there were two types, one had dark red skin and orange monochromatic eyes, while the other had light blue skin and purple monochromatic eyes, they were all muscular and had two black horns that curved upwards on the sides of their heads, and four fangs protruding from their mouths, they were all shirtless and wore black pants with gray metal plates on them, and black mid-calf length boots. Everybody looks on with surprise at what they see, "So this is your home, Sprinter?" a red native from Yomi asked, "Yes." Sprinter replied, the creatures look around, "It's a bit different from how I imagined it." a female native from Chrysaor said, they look and see the other ponies, "Hmm, Walker did mention there were three different types of his species." a female native from Aerostia said, "Four, actually." Twilight Sparkle replied as she walks to them, "Hi, I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, "Princess of Friendship?" a blue native from Yomi asked, the other natives from Yomi begin to snicker, "Hey." Twilight Sparkle said as she looks at them, they stop snickering after a few seconds, "I think Walker talked about them in class one day." Sweetie Belle said, "Wait, he did?" Applejack asked, "Yeah, he mentioned meeting creatures called harpies, vulcans, and onis." Scootaloo replied, "Ah, so you do know about us, we are the harpies, natives of Aerostia." a female native from Aerostia said as she bows in midair, "We all the vulcans, natives of Chrysaor." a male native from Chrysaor said, "Call us what you wish." a blue oni said, "Well, I'm glad you all are here, our job is to spread friendship far and wide." Twilight Sparkle said, "Runner already filled us on the information." a male harpy replied, "Oh, then I assume you all know why you're here, then." Twilight Sparkle said, "Princess Twilight, I'm going to warn you now, these three are not as accepting with friendship or forgiveness like how the natives of this world are." Walker said, "Don't worry, I'm sure we got this, I had Spike inform the other creatures to come here and meet them." Twilight Sparkle replied, she turns her attention to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Well, make yourselves at home, it is an honor to meet you all." Twilight Sparkle said, and she lets the harpies, vulcans, and onis look around. The harpies, vulcans, and onis look around Ponyville and a female harpy flies to Sprinter, "I missed you so much, Sprinter." the female harpy said, "I missed you, too, Alexia." Sprinter replied, and four female vulcans then go to him, he hugs all four of them, "Hi, Sprinter." one female vulcan said, "Hello, Diana, you too, Athena, Hera, and Echidna." Sprinter replied, Walker restrains his laughter while Runner groans with his front right hoof on his forehead, "Wait, don't tell me, are they...?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yup, more of my granddad's ex-girlfriends." Walker replied, the female ponies, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream exclaim and look at Sprinter with shock, Walker sees Rarity seethe and then begins to growl. Sprinter finishes greeting his five ex-girlfriends and he faces forward and sees Princess Cadence in front of him and glaring at him, "What?" Sprinter asked, "You dated in the other worlds, too?" Sprinter asked, "Yeah, why?" Sprinter asked, "Why didn't you have one true love like your son?" Princess Cadence asked, "I didn't meet a girl I could love my entire life like how Runner did." Sprinter replied, "Is this your current girlfriend, Sprinter?" Alexia asked, "No, not at all, basically, she's my grandson's babysitter." Sprinter replied, "Why's it a big deal to you?" Echidna asked, "Because she's the Princess of Love." Walker replied, "What kind of love?" a red oni asked, "Wait, what?" Walker asked, "Physical love or emotional love?" a blue oni asked, "I represent both." Princess Cadence replied, "Oh, well, it was physical for us." Alexia said, "Yeah, us too." Echidna said, "How old were you when you dated these five, Sprinter?" Princess Cadence asked, "Well, I wouldn't call it dating, I was four years old, these five were little kids, too." Sprinter replied, "Oh, my apologies, I genuinely thought you were dating random girls in the other worlds." Princess Cadence said, "A lot of girls had crushes on me in their worlds." Sprinter replied, "Really?" Princess Cadence asked, "Oh yes, almost all of the females of our species were infatuated with him." a red oni replied, "How did you all fall in love with him?" Princess Cadence asked, "I thought he was handsome and muscular, and we just came together like that." Alexia replied, "That's we grew to like him, too." Hera said, "It was his fighting prowess and skills that made the females of our kind fall for him." a blue oni said, "Oh." Princess Cadence said, "Isn't that why you fell in love with Shining Armor?" Walker asked, "No, I fell for him because of his love for his family and his kind personality." Princess Cadence replied, "I see, so different from us." a blue oni said, "Alright, I think you all had enough time, come with me now, it's time for you all to learn our ways." Twilight Sparkle said, and everybody follows her. Twilight Sparkle leads everybody to in front of the School of Friendship and she stands across from everyone with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, "Alright, everyone, the others will be here soon, so while we wait, I'd like to know about your cultures." Twilight Sparkle said, Walker holds his front hoofs up and moves them around to tell Twilight Sparkle not to ask them that, they remain silent, "Um, aren't you all going to share your cultures?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Princess Twilight, you can't do that, the harpies and onis are not just going to accept you like that." Walker replied, "Oh, well, what do I have to do, then?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You have to prove yourself in combat." Runner replied, "Wait a minute, what did you just say?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "For you to be accepted by the harpies and onis, you have to fight them." Sprinter replied, "What about the vulcans?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, they're friendly, but they're not just going to share their ways with you, you're a stranger to them." Walker replied, "Well, why don't you all share your culture then?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We'll need to speak with our ruler first." a male child vulcan replied, "Where is he?" Rainbow Dash asked, "That's weird, Elder Hephaestus should be here." Walker said, "Who are the rulers of the harpies and the onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We do not have a ruler." a male harpy replied, "What?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is a part of their culture, all harpies rule together, it goes with a belief in their culture." Runner replied, "What belief?" Princess Celestia asked, "One who rules over others is a sign of arrogance." Alexia replied, "What?" Princess Luna asked, "Wait, please explain, I do not understand." Princess Celestia said, "One who chooses to rule over their people is considered arrogance in their culture, those people are also considered to have superiority complexes." Sprinter replied, "Whoa, hold on a minute, how is that arrogant?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You rule over others, don't you?" a male harpy asked, "Yeah, duh." Rainbow Dash replied, "That is arrogant, people who rule over their own species look down upon them." the male harpy said, "Then how do you all run your world?" Shining Armor asked, "We all come together and vote, majority rules, everybody has a say." a female harpy replied, "But who is the ruler of your world?" Princess Luna asked, "All of us are the rulers." another female harpy replied, the ponies murmur, "Wait, I think I get it, in their culture, it is considered unfair if one person ruled over them." Starlight Glimmer said, "Not just one person, anyone with more power or authority than another is unacceptable." another male harpy replied, "Oh, well, I'm sorry to say this, but Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and I rule over all of Equestria." Twilight Sparkle said, "How arrogant." another male harpy replied, "No, it's not, we have to earn our titles by doing a princess worthy deed." Princess Cadence said, "You all should be ruling together, not having these four telling you all what to do." Alexia said, the ponies look on with surprise at what she said, "What about you vulcans, how did this Elder Hephaestus become the ruler?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "His parents were the previous Elders." Hera replied, "How did they become rulers?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Through intelligence, they actually managed to create spells to undo spirits possessing our natives and fauna." Athena replied, "Wait, did you all say a spell to stop spirits from possessing you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, the Possessed and Undead are abundant in our world." Diana replied, "Skeletons are common, too, you won't believe how many there are." Walker said, "Oh, I see. Who is the ruler of you onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Champion Lucius." a blue oni replied, "How do you all choose your ruler?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Through battle." a red oni replied, "Wait. Battle?" Princess Luna asked, "Whoever kills him will be our next ruler." another red oni replied, "What?!" Rarity asked, "Are y'all sayin' that there is no family line for heirs?" Applejack asked, "Nope, they live by a survival of the fittest belief, the strongest oni will be the next ruler." Sprinter replied, the others look on with shock, "How are you all okay with that?" Princess Luna asked, "The weak and defenseless have no place in our species." another red oni replied, "How do you all know who is weak and who is strong?" Princess Celestia asked, "The onis train for combat from birth, the children are put against adults to test their fighting skills." Sprinter replied, "That sounds pretty fun." Smolder said, the onis snicker and smile at her. The train was heard and everybody sees Princess Ember, Grampa Gruff, Prince Rutherford, King Thorax, and General Seaspray arrive, "Oh good, they're here." Twilight Sparkle said, they all look and see the five were in awe at seeing the souls of the dead, "Whoa, I've never seen these before." Princess Ember said, "I must admit, it is intriguing to see such a sight." General Seaspray said, "Come on, let's go see the others." King Thorax said, and they go. The five visitors go to Twilight Sparkle and see the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Good, I'm glad you five made it, we have new creatures thanks to these three ponies here." Twilight Sparkle said, they look at Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "Yak demand reason for light blue see-through ponies." Prince Rutherford said, "Um, you see, Walker family made deal with being named Spirit, so Walker and males from father side of family can see dead souls." Yona replied, "Yeah, I performed a spell to see and hear the world how Walker sees and hears it, since he was acting weird and disappearing sometimes." Twilight Sparkle said, "Seeing these dead souls is actually kind of scaring me." King Thorax replied, "Eh, they're still just people." Grampa Gruff said, "Anyway, now that they're here, I need to see Elder Hephaestus and Champion Lucius, please." Twilight Sparkle said, "You need to prove yourself in combat to the onis first." Sprinter replied, "Is that true?" Twilight Sparkle asked, the onis nod, Walker looks back and sees Elder Hephaestus has not arrived, "Hold on, I'll go check on Chrysaor." Walker said, and he trots to the portal that leads to the world, but he stops when a vulcan comes out of it, the two walk to where the others were at and everybody saw the vulcan, he was wearing gold armor instead of a dull gray one, "I apologize for my lateness, I was busy praying to the gods of my culture, I am Elder Hephaestus, ruler of Chrysaor." the vulcan in gold armor said, "It's alright, Elder Hephaestus, my name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, Walker already filled me in on the details." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Alright, now that everycreature is here, I am ready to teach friendship to you all." Twilight Sparkle said, "Princess Twilight, remember, you have to prove yourself in combat to the harpies and onis first." Runner replied, "Right, let's get those over with." Twilight Sparkle said, and she looks at the harpies, "Let's prove ourselves to the harpies first." Twilight Sparkle said, and a male harpy flies forward, "I am Adetokunbo, I will be your opponent, our fights have rules." the harpy said, "No hitting your opponent when they're injured or incapacitated, no using any special powers you have, no changing your weapons, no hits to the eyes, no hits to the groin, no body breaking attacks, and most of all, no running away, all of them are punishable by death." Alexia said, "Wow, I didn't think they'd take it that seriously." Sandbar said, "Me neither." Ocellus replied, "I have fought Walker, Runner, and Sprinter in the past, all three have beaten me before, so I will need a different opponent this time." Adetokunbo said, "Um, why exactly do we have to fight for?" Fluttershy asked, "Your true selves are revealed through combat." Adetokunbo replied, "Ha, leave this one to me." Rainbow Dash said, and she flies forward. Rainbow Dash flies towards Adetokunbo while he takes the bladed boomerangs off of his thighs, a female harpy gives her boomerangs to Rainbow Dash, she tries to hold the two, "Can you hold them?" Adetokunbo asked, Rainbow Dash holds the boomerangs, "I'm ready." Rainbow Dash said, and the two were ready to fight, "Ready. Set. Fight!" a female harpy said, and the two fight. Adetokunbo throws both of his boomerangs and they fly in the air, Rainbow Dash smirks and she simply turns to her sides to dodge the boomerangs, "Ha! Huh?" Rainbow Dash said as she turns around since she hears the boomerangs in the air, she sees them turn around and coming back towards her. Rainbow Dash screams when she saw the boomerangs were homing on her and flies around in an attempt to outfly the boomerangs, the harpies look on with surprise at how fast Rainbow Dash can fly, "I have seen such speed." a female harpy said, "Neither have I." another female harpy said, Rainbow Dash continues to fly around to try to outfly the boomerangs chasing her, she turns around and sees they were still flying towards her, she holds her front hoofs over her own face when she saw them coming near her, they cut her front forelegs and she screams while the boomerangs went back into Adetokunbo's hands. Rainbow Dash pants and faces Adetokunbo, he throws the boomerangs again and Rainbow Dash decides to try throwing her boomerangs this time, they hit Adetokunbo's boomerangs out of the air and all four of them fall onto the ground. Adetokunbo flies down to get his boomerangs but Rainbow Dash flies faster and gets all her boomerangs first, she throws them at Adetokunbo, but he holds his arms up and catches them in midair, "Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, Adetokunbo throws the boomerangs at her, she tries to catch them but they graze her front hoofs, she grunts loudly from the cuts, they turn around in midair and home on Rainbow Dash, she focuses and catches them with her feathers, she smiles and throws them at Adetokunbo, he throws his boomerangs and they were knocked out of the air again. Rainbow Dash flies to Adetokunbo and tries to tackle him, but he pulls her off and throws her away from himself, she flies even faster to him and tackles him to the ground. Rainbow Dash proceeds to punch Adetokunbo in the face, but he grabs her front hoofs and headbutts her, she grunts and he then kicks her off of himself with his right foot. Rainbow Dash pants and stands on her hind legs since her front legs hurt, "Can you continue?" Adetokunbo asked, "You're darn right I can." Rainbow Dash replied and pants heavily, she flies up and tackles Adetokunbo in his chest, he grunts, he falls to his knees and pants, "Alright, you win." Adetokunbo said, the ponies cheer while Rainbow Dash smiles and poses, "You're just as fair and honorable as Runner and Walker, we shall try your ways." Adetokunbo said, the ponies cheer, "Alright, now you all have to prove yourselves to the onis." Walker said, "Um, I'll sit that one out, I need to recover." Rainbow Dash replied, and she walks back. Everybody looks and they see a red oni and a blue oni were ready to fight, they all look and see the red oni had a big black mace in his right hand while the blue oni had a straight sabre with a silver blade and a gray guard and handle in his left hand, the two also had a sword sheathed on their backs, "I'll handle this one." Princess Ember said as she walks to them, "Um, you can have people help you in your fight against them." Walker said, "It's alright, I don't think I'll need it." Princess Ember replied, and the onis back away while the red oni and the blue oni were ready to fight Princess Ember. The red oni and the blue oni begin to run to Princess Ember's sides, she notices the blue oni was a lot faster than the red oni, he tries to slash and stab her with his sabre, she dodges each one while watching him, the red oni goes behind her and was about to hit in the head with his mace, she sees the mace's shadow and she flies to her right, she turns around and breathes fire out of her mouth. Princess Ember looks on and sees the blue oni grunt while he endures the fire while the red oni was unaffected by it, surprising her, the blue oni quickly recovers and the two begin trying to hit her with their weapons, the red oni tries to hit her in the head with his mace and Princess Ember ducks under his right arm and goes behind him, the blue oni goes around the red oni and manages to stab his sabre into the right side of Princess Ember's neck, shocking the world's natives. Princess Ember looks and sees her scales protected her from getting cut by the sabre, "Hey, look at that, it can't cut me." Princess Ember said, the blue oni strafes to his right and begins trying to slash and stab Princess Ember's underbelly, she grunts when he lands several cuts and stabs in her underbelly, he was about to stab her again, but Princess Ember catches the sabre's blade with her hands and holds him back, the red oni goes behind her and hits her on the top of her head with his mace, she grunts and falls onto the ground. The two onis begin to kick and stomp on Princess Ember and she grunts, she notices while the blue oni's kicks and stomps only hurt a little, the red oni's kicks and stomps hurt a lot, she growls and crawls away, but the red oni stomps onto Princess Ember's tail with his right boot, she exclaims in pain and falls over, she growls and sees the two onis running to her had their weapons ready and were ready to attack her with her weapons, she sees the red oni was about to hit her head with his mace, so she quickly flies up into the air, "Ha, can't get me now, can you?" Princess Ember asked, the two onis look at one another and snicker, "What's so funny?" Princess Ember asked, the red oni swings his mace in a diagonal direction, the mace stretches out and everybody sees white bones between the black pieces of the mace, he hits Princess Ember on the left side of her head and she grunts as she falls onto the ground, "What?! That thing's also a whip?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Looks like it, but look at the whip, it looks like it's made out of bones and tendrils." Twilight Sparkle replied, Princess Ember stands up before the two onis can go to her and attack her while she was down, the red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon and there was orange fire on it, Princess Ember flies back but looks on with shock when she sees an orange wave of fire come out of the weapon and it hits her, it sets her on fire, but did not do anything, "Looks like your fire's not going to work on me." Princess Ember said, "So the red guy can use fire magic, huh?" Smolder asked, "Ooh, I know, since the red one uses fire magic, maybe the blue one uses ice magic." Silverstream said, the blue oni does a diagonal slash and Princess Ember sees a purple wave coming to her, "Um, that doesn't look like ice magic." Sandbar said, Princess Ember screams and she was electrocuted, "Wait a minute, that's not ice, that's lightning." Ocellus said, "I see, so the red onis can use fire magic, and the blue onis can use lightning magic." Starlight Glimmer said, "Maybe ice spells can counter them." Twilight Sparkle replied, Princess Ember grunts while she stands in place, "I... I can't move." Princess Ember said with her mouth stuck in place, shocking the world's natives, the red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon down and hits her in the head, she grunts and falls onto the ground, the mace-whip hybrid weapon hits the ground and an explosion of orange fire comes out and leaves a crater in the ground. Princess Ember growls as she stands up, the blue oni does several stabs with his sabre and sends purple circles of electricity towards Princess Ember, she flies up and dodges them, the red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon again and Princess Ember grabs two of the bones that made up the whip. Princess Ember pulls the weapon forward and it brings the red oni towards her and into the air, but she looks on with shock when she sees his boots coming to her and he kicks her in the face with them, she grunts and falls onto the ground. Princess Ember growls as she gets up and she sees the red oni land on the ground with his feet and the blue oni jumps towards her and was about to stab his sabre into her neck, Princess Ember flies to her right and the sabre stabs into the ground, Princess Ember slams her left fist onto the blade and breaks it. The blue oni tries to stab her with his broken sabre but she flies away and she sees him hold the broke piece of the blade in his left hand with a reverse grip style, "Wow, I didn't think he would do that." Twilight Sparkle said, "What'd ya mean, Twi?" Applejack asked, "I thought he would just leave his sword there." Twilight Sparkle replied, the blue oni swings his arms around randomly and sends purple waves of lightning towards Princess Ember, she breathes fire on him and he grunts while it stuns him briefly, she flies to him and tackles him while he was about to try to stab the broken tip of his sabre into her, she gets the two pieces of his sabre and throws them to her right. The red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon and Princess Ember grabs it again and pulls on it, the two enter a tug of war, the red oni pulls his weapon back a bit and then lets go to try to make the handle hit Princess Ember, but she grabs it and pulls his weapon apart and breaks it and throws it back. The two onis reach the weapons on their backs with their right hands and unsheathe them, the blue oni takes out a curved katana, the blade was about twenty five inches long while the handle was about ten inches long, and the red oni takes out a big broadsword, it was about sixty six inches long, twelve inches wide, and double-edged, scaring Princess Ember and the natives. The blue oni swings the katana around and sends purple waves of lightning towards Princess Ember, she flies around to dodge them but one hits her and paralyzes her, she grunts as she falls onto the ground, the red oni swings the broadsword down and hits Princess Ember in the back, she screams while an explosion of orange fire came out, "Hmm?" the red oni asked, the smoke clears and he sees his sword could not cut through her scales, she stands up and faces them, the two onis hold their swords diagonally as if they were blocking, the two growl and an orange explosion appears around the red oni while a purple explosion appears around the blue oni. Princess Ember and the others look on and the smoke clears, the red oni now had orange fire around himself while the blue oni had purple lightning around himself, the red oni swings his broadsword around his own head and Princess Ember ducks to dodge it, he swings it down and Princess Ember jumps to her right and sees the ground get cut, she looks on with shock when she realizes he was even stronger than before, she sees the blue oni swings his katana in diagonal directions and sends more purple waves of lightning towards her, she flies up and was shocked to see he was even faster, "Wait, that makes them even harder?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, the red one's stronger than before, and the blue one's faster." Applejack replied, "That's not fair, how did Walker, Runner, and Sprinter win against them?" Rainbow Dash asked, the red oni swings his broadsword down and another explosion appears in the ground, an orange wave of fire goes forward and hits Princess Ember and a second explosion happens. Princess Ember looks around and hears lightning crackling in front of her, she sees the blue oni coming at her through the smoke, he runs around her and tries to cut her right armpit with his katana, but her scales protect her, he goes behind and holds his katana out to cut her while he runs around, Princess Ember grabs his right wrist with her right hand and slams her left fist onto his wrist, he loses his grip on the katana and Princess Ember takes it and breaks it into pieces and throws them away, she then punches the blue oni in his left jaw with her right fist and he falls over. The smoke clears and the red oni swings his broadsword around his head again, Princess Ember flies to and he holds the sword in front of himself to block her, she flies around it and kicks him in the back of his neck with both of her feet and he falls over and drops the sword, Princess Ember grunts while she picks it up and throws it away, the unicorns use their telekinesis to carry it and put it down. Princess Ember pants while she walks away but the two onis get up, she turns around and the two run to her, the red oni punches her in her right jaw with his right fist while the blue oni goes behind her and hits her in her back with his left knee, she grunts and falls over, she looks and sees the two onis had their fists raised, "Wow, them onis sure are persistent." Applejack said, "Yeah, I sure am glad I didn't choose to fight them." Rainbow Dash replied, Princess Ember growls and tries to stand up, but the red oni kicks her in her abdomen with his right foot, she grunts and falls over, the two were about to start stomping and kicking her again, but Princess Ember grabs their feet and throws them over herself, she stands up with the two onis. The blue oni runs towards her and begins punching and kicking her, her scales protect her, "Wow, I barely feel anything." Princess Ember said, the red oni punches her in her right jaw with his left fist, she grunts as she falls over and slides across the ground, putting a hole in it, "So that's how you want to do it." Princess Ember said while she stood up with her fists raised. The two onis run to her, she was ready to fight back, but the two go around her and begin punching her in her blind spots, she grunts from each punch the red oni landed on her face and neck, she ducks and punches the two in their abdomens, the blue oni grunts while the red oni did not flinch, he punches her again with his left fist and she grunts while she falls over. Princess Ember quickly gets up and sees the blue oni jump in the air, he tries to do a downwards knifehand strike to her face, Princess Ember blocks it with her right forearm, the red oni goes behind her and grabs her wrists and holds her arms out, he jumps up and kicks Princess Ember in her scapulae with his feet, she screams and he lets go to make her fall. Princess Ember pants and the blue oni tries to choke her with his arms, Princess Ember moves her arms and was able to move his arms off of herself, she kicks him in his abdomen and he grunts and falls over. Princess Ember rolls over and gets up, the red oni goes to her right blind spot and was about to thrust the claws of his left hand into the side of her neck, she sees him and ducks, she hears the blue oni running behind her, she looks over her own right shoulder and sees the blue oni was about to punch her in the back of her head with his right fist. Princess Ember quickly turns around and ducks under his fist, she raises back up and punches him in the face with her right fist, he grunts and tries to punch her with his left fist, she ducks again and punches him in the face with her left fist, he grunts and still stands his ground. The red oni punches Princess Ember in her abdomen with his left fist and she grunts, but she endures it and sees the blue oni thrust his arms forward and tries to stab his claws into her, Princess Ember flies back and he stops after sometime, she does a hard punch with her right fist and hits him in the face, he grunts and falls, he was on his knees and did not move, the world's natives smile. Princess Ember focuses on the red oni and sees him trying to punch her with his right fist, she ducks to dodge it and then rises back up and punches him in the face with her right fist, he did not flinch, he tries to punch her with his left fist and Princess Ember ducks, she rises back up and punches him in the face with his left fist, he did not flinch, Princess Ember looks at him with shock and he snickers at her, the world's natives were shocked as well. The red oni pokes the middle and index claws of his right hand into Princess Ember's eyes and she screams while covering them, she looks and sees him coming again to attack her more, he tries to punch her several times and Princess Ember moves back to dodge him, he was easier to dodge than the blue oni since he was slower. Princess Ember gets an idea and grabs his fists when he tried to punch her again, she flies up and lets go of him, she flies up higher and moves back when he tries to grab her feet, he falls onto the ground and leaves a crater, he tries to stand and falls to his knees. Princess Ember pants heavily as she flies down and the world's natives cheer, she looks and sees the onis were silent, "What? Upset I won?" Princess Ember asked, "The fight's not over yet." a blue oni replied, "What?! How long is this?!" Princess Ember asked, "It's a fight to the death." Sprinter replied, "What?! So, in order for me to win...?" Princess Ember asked, "You have to kill them." Runner replied, shocking the world's natives, "Go on, if you don't, the two will recover and start attacking you again." Walker said, shocking Princess Ember, "Is that true?" Princess Ember asked, the two onis nod, she stands still for a minute and sighs, "Alright." Princess Ember said, and she walks behind them slowly and snaps the blue oni's neck with her hands, she snaps the neck of the red oni next, the two fall and their souls appear, which Sprinter absorb. Princess Ember limps back while panting heavily and falls to the ground, "Well, she has won, we'll be willing to cooperate with you all." a red oni said, everybody was silent, "Okay, I'd like to speak with Champion Lucius, then." Twilight Sparkle said, a tornado of red fire and blue lightning appears between the red onis and the blue onis, it disappears and Champion Lucius appears, some of the world's natives were scared by his appearance, he had two black horns that curved upwards on the sides of his head, white teeth with four big fangs, his skin was a very dark purple, he was more muscular and toned than the other onis, he had a six pack just like all of the other male onis, he also had white monochromatic eyes, he was shirtless just like all of the other oni, his pants were black, and he wore black mid-calf length combat boots just like the rest of the oni, but his entire pants was covered in bones, so were his boots, he had black knee pads on which had an oni skull on them, he had black elbow pads with an oni skull on them as well, all four of those skulls had bones carved and shaped to resemble their horns, along with black gauntlets that were fingerless to expose his claws, they were covered with bones as well, and covered his hands and lower half of his forearms. Champion Lucius stands up straight and he was taller than all of the other onis, "Twilight Sparkle, I see you have finally found out about the afterlife, even though it took you so long." Champion Lucius said, "Hey." Twilight Sparkle said, "*chuckle* Nevertheless, your world has proven worthy as fighters, I will have my subjects share their cultures with you." Champion Lucius said, "You better, winning against those two wasn't easy." Princess Ember replied, "Yes, Torch must be proud of his daughter right now." Champion Lucius said, "How do you know about my father?" Princess Ember asked, "There is little you can hide from me." Champion Lucius replied, "I bet you're bluffing." Grampa Gruff said, "Am I now, Grampa Gruff?" Champion Lucius asked, "I think you are as well." King Thorax said, "I wonder if you will think that way after Queen Chrysalis launches her next attack." Champion Lucius replied, "Anyway, let's focus on the task at hoof, I'm ready to spread friendship even farther and wider." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, perhaps you will learn something as well." Champion Lucius replied, "Just want to learn other cultures and tolerate others." Twilight Sparkle said, the onis chuckle, "Very well, I'll be watching." Champion Lucius replied, and he disappears with an explosion of red fire and blue lightning appearing. The harpies, vulcans, and onis go to Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, "New creatures welcome party!" Pinkie Pie said, and a party begins, the harpies, vulcans, and onis look around and see the cuisine, "What is that big thing there, Walker?" Alexia asked, "That's called cake, we make them for special occasions." Walker replied, "Cake, you say?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "What about that there?" a male vulcan asked while he pointed at the item of interest, "That's ice cream, also for special occasions." Runner replied, "What? You all don't know what cake and ice cream are?" Pinkie Pie asked, "They don't have it in their worlds." Sprinter replied, "What do you guys usually eat?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Meat and seeds." Adetokunbo replied, the world's natives gag, "You harpies eat meat?!" Rarity asked, "We do as well." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, they nod, "What else do you all eat?" Fluttershy asked, "Nothing, just meat." a male vulcan replied, "Us too." a red oni said, shocking the ponies, they see another red oni bring the two onis Princess Ember killed to her, "What?" Princess Ember asked, "Your spoils from the battle." the red oni replied, "So?" Princess Ember asked, "Aren't you going to eat them?" the red oni asked, "What?! No! Us dragons don't eat meat." Princess Ember replied, "Shame, you look like you would." the red oni said, "No, my kind eats gemstones." Princess Ember replied, the red oni looks at Gallus and Grampa Gruff, "What about you birds?" the red oni asked, Gallus and Grampa Gruff shake their heads, "Do any of you eat meat?" the red oni asked, everybody else shakes their heads, "Alright, I guess it's ours then." the red oni said, and he carries the two dead onis to his kind, "Anyway, let's start, I will begin teaching you all about friendship, let's start, you go first, Pinkie Pie." Twilight Sparkle said, and Pinkie Pie hops to them. Pinkie Pie hops to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Hello, new creatures, I brought things for you all to have fun with." Pinkie Pie said, and she pulls them out of her mane, they were board games. The ponies show the harpies, vulcans, and onis how to play, they try them, "This isn't fun." a male vulcan said, "What?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I agree, these are boring." Alexia replied, "There's more." Pinkie Pie said, "Like what?" a blue oni asked, "Party cannon!" Pinkie Pie replied, and it fires, the harpies, vulcans, and onis just watch, "I know, how about opening a piñata? Smacking it with the stick until it breaks and the candy falls out." Pinkie Pie said, and she gets one hooked up, it looked just like her. Alexia tries first and she hits the piñata with the stick, she stops after a few hits, "This isn't really that fun." Alexia said, a red oni walks to it and punches it with his right fist, the piñata breaks open and it flies away with the candy falling out, "No, you have to beat it open with the stick." Pinkie Pie said, and she gets another one. A female vulcan tries and she breaks it open with one hit, Pinkie Pie gets another one and a blue oni hits the piñata multiple times and it breaks, "Wasn't that fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, Pinkie Pie stops smiling, "What do you all do for fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Um..." the harpies said, "All we do are plays." Echidna said, "Plays? As in...?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Theatre arts." Walker replied, "Ooh, we have plays, too." Sweetie Belle said, "Well, that's about all we do for fun." Hera said, "That's all?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Pretty much, we are a busy species." a male vulcan replied, "What do you onis do for fun?" Spike asked, "Fight to the death." a blue oni replied, everybody becomes shocked and speechless, "That's not fun." Pinkie Pie said, "It is to us." a red oni replied, "No fights to the death in my country." Princess Celestia said, "You might enjoy it." another blue oni replied, "I said no." Princess Celestia said, "Do you all have holidays?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Um, holiday?" a female harpy asked, "A day of celebration every year." Walker replied, "Oh, no." the female harpy said, the vulcans and onis shake their heads, "No holidays?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Well, we do have celebrations sometimes, but it's only for that day." a blue oni replied, "Not once in a year?" Pinkie Pie asked, the onis shake their heads, "Okay, let's try something else, you're up, Applejack." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walks forward. Applejack walks forward and puts a bucket of apples down, "Here y'all go, try an apple, Ah'm sure y'all know what an apple is." Applejack said, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, "What? Y'all don't know what apples are?" Apple Bloom asked, "Actually, their worlds don't have any fruits of any kind in them." Runner replied, "Say what now?" Applejack asked, "Fruit?" Diana asked, "Come on, y'all, try one." Applejack said, and they did, everybody saw the male vulcans were bald while the female vulcans had black hair, and their skin was gray, the harpies, vulcans, and onis spit them out, "This tastes horrible." a female vulcan said, "Come on, everybody, try my cake." Pinkie Pie said, and they did, the harpies, vulcans, and onis spit it out, "This tastes even worse." a red oni said, Pinkie Pie gasps, "Um, we have punch as well." Fluttershy said, "I doubt you all can even throw one." a blue oni replied, "She's referring to punch as in that red drink in that bowl there." Walker said as he points at it, "Come on, everycreature, have a drink." Pinkie Pie said, and the harpies, vulcans, and onis try it, they spit it out, "This isn't that good, either." Adetokunbo said, "What do you all usually drink?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We don't drink anything." Alexia replied, "Wait, don't drink anything?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Our bodies do not need fluids to survive." Adetokunbo replied, "What do you vulcans usually drink?" Rarity asked, "Water." a male vulcan replied, "What else?" Sandbar asked, "That's it." a female vulcan replied, leaving the ponies speechless, "Um, what do you onis drink?" Fluttershy asked, "Blood." a red oni replied, "What?!" Rarity asked, "Onis drink blood?!" Yona asked, "Yes, it is the spoils of battle, and there's a saying in our culture, eat and drink what you kill." a blue oni replied, the world's natives become very uncomfortable, "Well, *ahem* mah job is also to teach honesty." Applejack said, "Okay, so what exactly do you wish for?" Athena asked, "Well, y'all can start with the apples, how do they taste?" Applejack asked, "Taste like crap." a red oni replied, "Hey!" Apple Bloom said, Walker restrains his laughter while the ponies look on with offended faces, Runner had a nervous expression while Sprinter remains stoic, "No, Ah mean as if they were sweet, sour, that kind of taste." Applejack said, "I found it to be too sweet for my tastes." Alexia replied, "Sour to us." a male vulcan said, "I thought it was bitter." a blue oni said, "See, y'all are learnin' honesty already, good job on yer first tasks." Applejack said, "Why do you all value honesty for?" a female harpy asked, "Because lyin' causes more damage, and you have to keep lyin' after you make one lie." Applejack replied, "What if a lie saves a life?" a female vulcan asked, "It's still wrong to lie, y'all." Applejack replied, the harpies, vulcans, and onis remain speechless, "Um, let's try someone else, why don't you try, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and Applejack walks back while Rainbow Dash flies forward. Rainbow Dash flies to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, and begins doing poses, "Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt and coolest professor, reporting for duty." Rainbow Dash said, "What do you have to teach us?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "Loyalty, which can be achieved through teamwork, come on, try to catch some of the fish in that water over there." Rainbow Dash replied, and the harpies, vulcans, and onis walk to the water around the School of Friendship. The harpies, vulcans, and onis look at the water and they were unimpressed, a blue oni walks forward, puts his left hand in the water, and uses his lightning magic to electrify the water, the fish floats up and Pinkie Pie screams, Rainbow Dash pulls him away while Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer also pull him away with telekinesis, and Fluttershy flies to the water and cries when she sees the dead fish float up, "No! You're not supposed to kill them, you're supposed to throw them back into the water!" Rainbow Dash said, "Why would we do that for?" a male vulcan asked, "Because you're just catching them for fun." Rainbow Dash replied, "Isn't that wasting food?" a female harpy asked, "You're not supposed to eat them!" Rainbow Dash replied angrily, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, "Ugh, let's try something else, let's try building a shed." Rainbow Dash said, and she flies away and comes back with the materials, "Okay, here's the blueprint, I'd like to see you all work together." Rainbow Dash said, "I am sorry to interrupt, but us vulcans build things with stone and metal, not wood." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you harpies?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Stones and metals." Alexia replied, "How about you onis?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Metal and bones." a red oni replied, "Wait, back up, did you all say you build things with bones?" Rainbow Dash asked, "If you go to their world, you will see bones in their walls and skulls in their doors." Sprinter replied, Rainbow Dash looks on with shock, "Not cool, guys." Rainbow Dash said, "Let's just get started." a blue oni said, the others agree and they do. The harpies, vulcans, and onis grab the wooden pieces and nails, the blue onis hold up the walls and the red onis smash the nails into the board with their wrists, the harpies and vulcans fly around and put the wooden boards on the roof and the onis jump and land on the roof, they hit the nails in with their wrists and jump down, "See? There you all go, you just worked as a team." Rainbow Dash said, "What is the point of this?" a blue oni asked, "Um, to teach you all to be loyal to one another." Rainbow Dash replied, the onis glare at her, "What?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Why should we be loyal to anyone besides Champion Lucius?" a red oni asked, "Because, it's how friendships last." Rainbow Dash replied, "Family comes first." a male vulcan said, Rainbow Dash becomes speechless, "Um, don't you all care about your friends?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Friends are nice, but not as important as family." a female vulcan replied while looking down and had her arms across her chest, "We have a saying in this world..." Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, we know, friendship is magic, it's not magic to us." a male vulcan replied, "Is there anything you all consider as important?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Honor, we refuse to fight dirty." Alexia replied, "Oh, well, yeah, I kind of learned that in the Wonderbolts, we have to do things fair and square during flying competitions." Rainbow Dash said, "Honor is also not running away from danger." Adetokunbo replied, "Oh, that's easy, I do that all the time." Rainbow Dash said, the harpies chuckle, "What about honesty, y'all?" Applejack asked while she trots to them, "We lie sometimes to protect others." a male harpy replied, "But wouldn't fightin' fair also count as honesty? Honest fightin', y'all?" Applejack asked, "No, not to us." another male harpy replied, "Oh." Applejack said, "Well, I think that's good enough, you're up next, Rarity." Twilight Sparkle said, and Rainbow Dash flies away while Rarity walks forward. Rarity walks forward while bringing fashionable clothes with her telekinesis with her, "Hello, everyone, my name is Rarity, and I am your generosity teacher, I will be teaching you all how to share and sacrifice your things, and I am well known in the world of fashion." Rarity said, "Fashion?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "What clothes and outfits are popular to wear at the time." Walker replied, "Thank you, Walker, and I can say with absolute certainty that your outfits are not fashionable." Rarity said, "What are you getting at?" a male harpy asked, "Well, first off, you harpies are not wearing anything except for those straps on your thighs to sheathe your boomerangs, you all can at least wear a beautiful outfit, as for you vulcans, armor is not fashion, and that dull gray color, ugh, it is so ugly, only the gold one is a nice color." Rarity said, "My armor is gold because I'm the ruler of the world." Elder Hephaestus replied, "As for you onis, that black color has got to go, it is so dull, same with those boots, they look so ugly, those pants are a no go, and those metal pads most definitely have got to go." Rarity said, "Even though they protect us in battle?" a blue oni asked, "They have no place in the fashion world, they are so ugly." Rarity replied, "What about Champion Lucius' outfit, Rarity?" Walker asked, "What was that one again?" Rarity asked, "No shirt, black pants, black boots, black knee pads, black elbow pads, black gauntlets, all covered in bones, and oni skulls on his waist, elbow pads, and knee pads." Walker replied, "Oh, I remember now. No, bones are unacceptable to have as fashion." Rarity said, "What about skulls?" a red oni asked, "Well, maybe fake ones for decoration." Rarity replied, "Champion Lucius' bones are real." a blue oni said, "Oh, Celestia, no, real bones are never acceptable as fashion." Rarity replied, "Why should he remove them for?" another blue oni asked, "Because it is ugly, fashion is about embracing your inner and outer beauty." Rarity replied, "What a stupid passion." another red oni said, "WHAT?!" Rarity asked, "I must agree, I find this way of living to be idiotic." Elder Hephaestus said, "It is not idiotic, fashion is about embracing your creative side." Rarity said, "Yeah, I'll pass." Alexia replied, "So will I." Athena said, "Alright, I get it, you all don't like fashion, but my job is to teach generosity." Rarity said, "Yeah, we already know what generosity is, it's one of the seven virtues." Echidna replied, "Do you all practice generosity already?" Rarity asked, "We share food with one another." a blue oni replied, "Ooh, splendid, you all are already generous." Rarity said, "We share food as well." a male vulcan said, "As do we." a female harpy said, "Generosity isn't just sharing your food, it's also sharing other valuables, and giving it to those who need it more." Rarity said, the harpies, vulcans, and onis just watch, "Well, um, let's try the last one, you ready, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and they see Fluttershy was still crying over the dead fish, the ponies glare at them, "What?" a male vulcan asked, "Those animals were her pets." Rainbow Dash replied, "What does she teach?" Alexia asked, "Kindness." Rarity replied, "Ah, so you all value that virtue as well." Adetokunbo said, "You all can start by giving her pets a funeral." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Um, funeral?" a red oni asked, "A burial, and pay your respects." Runner replied, "We are unfamiliar with this custom." Elder Hephaestus said, "What? Don't you all bury your dead?" Pinkie Pie asked, "No, we eat them." a red oni replied, the world's natives exclaim with disgust, "How utterly repulsive!" Rarity said, "You will not eat the native animals of this world, you all are to give them those fish a burial and pay your respects." Princess Celestia said, "Um, pay respects?" another blue oni asked, "What?! Don't tell me you don't know how!" Princess Luna said, "It's simple, just do what you do to pay respects to your ruler." a male harpy replied, "Oh." the onis said, and they get the dead fish. Fluttershy leads the harpies, vulcans, and onis to her home and they bury the dead marine animals, the harpies get on their knees while the vulcans and onis just look down, "Um, aren't you all going to get on your knees?" Fluttershy asked, "We don't pay our respects that way to others, only our gods." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Oh, I see." Fluttershy said, and she pays her respects to the dead marine animals while tears roll down her eyes, "That's enough, everycreature, you all can go back now." Fluttershy said, and they go back to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle goes to Spirit, who was sitting in a black throne with the Senses standing to his right, "Excuse me, Spirit." Twilight Sparkle said, he looks at her, "I'd like to see the worlds of the harpies, vulcans, and onis." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'll have to fuse their worlds together with this one, I'm also planning to unfuse your world from my realm tomorrow." Spirit replied, "Alright, I just want to see what those three worlds look like." Twilight Sparkle said, "Very well, it's getting dark, you should head home before the souls of the dead appear." Spirit replied, "Alright, good night, Spirit." Twilight Sparkle said, and she heads home, everybody goes to sleep for the night and sleep with the harpies, vulcans, and onis sleeping around Walker's, Runner's, and Sprinter's house. Day 14Morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter head outside to see how the harpies, vulcans, and onis were doing, they look and see the three species' were having breakfast, the harpies eat seeds, the vulcans eat plants, and the onis eat the two onis Princess Ember killed yesterday with the red onis eating the blue oni and the blue onis eating the red one, everybody in Ponyville scream at the sight, "They're eating their own kind." Sandbar said, "I'm going to be sick." Ocellus said with her front right hoof on her mouth, everybody sees the onis eating their own kind and Yona and Silverstream gag while covering their mouths with their hoof and talon respectively, the two run away to go vomit. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter watch them and Alexia gives them seeds, "Thanks, Alexia." Walker said, and the three eat them, they also see Twilight Sparkle walking to Spirit, "Well, Spirit, you made a promise, I'd like to see Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, I remember, hold on, I have to separate your world from my realm." Spirit replied, and he makes everyone from the Void disappear, along with their work areas. Ponyville changes at the east and three new areas appear, the one to the left was floating in the air, white and gold architecture with yellow lights were everywhere, so were gold statues of the harpies, some of the doors had harpy wings and heads carved into them, their houses were made from white stones with gold decorations on them, and there was a vault visible for everyone to see. The one to the center had jail cells in front of the others, they see two types of jail cells, gray jail cells that had a clock carving on it, and black jail cells that had a skull carving on it, they look past the jail cells and a see a golden architecture that was shaped like a creature that was a hybrid between a lion and a boar, and there were animals in the same shape around it, everybody also saw an area full of grass past it, and there was a lot of houses, they were all made from stone, and each one had a white symbol painted onto it. The one to the right had a blood red sky and black clouds, there was a stronghold to the left and a fortress to the right, they were both black, the fortress looked like Gothic architecture, there were waterfalls of blood coming out of the fortress, and dead onis hanging from nooses on the edges of the roofs. The world's natives look on with excitement and see the places looked fun to explore, everybody looks at Aerostia first and sees the place, "Wow, it's like Cloudsdale." Applejack said, "Cloudsdale?" a female harpy asked, "It's that city of clouds up there in the sky." Rainbow Dash replied while she points at it, the harpies look and see it, "How do you all stay on the clouds?" Adetokunbo asked, "Us Pegasi have natural magic on us that make us walk on clouds." Rainbow Dash replied, "And the unicorns can cast spells to make others walk on the clouds." Starlight Glimmer said, "Well, you won't need it here, I'll show you all around, follow me." Runner said, and he makes a black skeletal arm come out of his front right hoof and it grabs the nearest ledge, he goes up while the creatures with wings fly up and Twilight Sparkle uses telekinesis on the creatures who could not fly. Runner walks forward and everybody looks at Aerostia, "Wow, so many yellow lights." Silverstream said, "*chuckle* They are important to us." a female harpy replied, "What is the point of those yellow lights on the orbs?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is how our seeds are created." Adetokunbo replied, "Um, where did you all get your meat from?" Spike asked, "Trust me, you don't want to know." Runner replied, "They are dead harpies, sometimes, harpies have disagreements and fight, most end in one's death, we just eat that harpy's remains." Adetokunbo said, the world's natives exclaim and gag, "Harpy eats own kind, too?" Prince Rutherford asked, "If they were dishonorable and combat, yes, if not, no, they receive proper burials." a female harpy replied, "Wait, proper burial for being honorable in combat?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They live a warrior's culture, being honorable is held in high regard for them, being killed in combat by an equally honorable warrior is considered a very good thing." Runner replied, "Ugh, enough with the fighting and deaths." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you not wish to be killed by an honorable warrior?" Adetokunbo asked, "No, I wish to live my life to the fullest." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I must agree, I will admit that honor is important, but this is a land of friendship, we achieve honor by playing fair in games, honor through combat has no place in our land." Princess Celestia said, the harpies become silent, "Say, what are those doors on the top ledges there?" Rainbow Dash asked, the harpies look, "They are the vaults of the honorable harpies that were killed in combat, they receive proper burials." Alexia replied, "Um, are those inscriptions carved in the doors there?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes, it's a warning written in our language, they all basically say the same thing, whoever disturbs the vault and takes the dead harpy's possessions will be cursed." Alexia replied, "Then what about that vault over there that's visible?" Sweetie Belle asked, "That is the vault of Achillas, the most honorable harpy that has ever lived, he lived a warrior's life, and fought with honor and fairness, we keep his vault visible to remind us of his honorable and fair ways in combat, he died the most honorable way possible, killed in combat by an equally honorable warrior." Adetokunbo replied, "Wow, fightin' fair must be extremely important to 'em." Applejack said, the harpies nod, "What is that big area floating over there?" Silverstream asked while she points at it, "That is the arena, we fight newcomers there to see how they are in combat since combat reveals their true selves." a male harpy replied, "Looks pretty fun." Princess Ember said, Smolder, Grampa Gruff, and Gallus nod in agreement and smile, "Quick question, how do you all create your boomerangs?" Smolder asked, "They are carved by hand, that yellow light also creates the metal required to make the boomerangs, and we carve them with our nails." Alexia replied, "Well, it was nice getting to know about this, I think we should explore a bit." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go around while Runner leads them. Everybody looks around Aerostia and see carvings of harpies in most of the doors in the area, "Can we enter yer homes?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sorry, but no." a male harpy replied, they look around and enjoy it, "Well, it was nice, but we have to go now." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go back to Ponyville and go to the center area, "Alright, everyone, follow me." Walker said, and he leads them. Walker leads everyone to Chrysaor and the jails were first, "What is this place?" Pinkie Pie asked, "The jail cells, they're different colors and have symbols for a reason, the gray jail cells means the vulcans are serving time, while the black cells mean they're sentenced to death." Walker replied, "So, what can you tell us about this place, Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The vulcans value plays as entertainment and architecture, they also value logic, they believe acting based off of your emotions should only be allowed in entertainment. There are three temples in their land, the first one's up ahead." Walker said, and he leads them. Everybody walks and Walker leads them to the gold architecture that was shaped like a hybrid between a bear and a boar, "This is the first temple, the Temple of Behemoth, their land god, and main one." Walker said, "Ooh, my, a gold color, it is pretty nice, I must say." Rarity said, they hear walking and everybody sees the animals shaped like the temple coming to them, "Aw, you all are so cute, yes, you are." Fluttershy said as she flies to them, she cuddles with them and they rub their heads on her, "Can we enter the temples?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Sure, the mouth's the entrance and exit." Walker replied, and they go in. Everybody enters the Temple of Behemoth, they see the interior was also gold, there was a gold statue of Behemoth in the back, a podium in front of it that had a book on it with Behemoth on the cover, and two paintings on the wall in front of them, the left painting had vulcans on it, but they did not have wings or tails, and the right painting had swords, hammers, axes, spears, halberds, maces, and clubs, "Ooh, more gold." Pinkie Pie said, "I sure wish they would more color, though." Rarity replied, "Wait, is that... a book?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she trots to it and was about to open it, "Wait, Princess Twilight, you can't do that." Walker said, "What? Why not?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The books in the temples are sacred, touching them is forbidden in their culture." Walker replied, "What? Then why is it here?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is an object of worship." Walker replied, "Well, there's really nothing here, we should get going." Shining Armor said, the others agree and they exit. Walker leads them to Chrysaor's village and they see the homes, "What the? Every home looks exactly the same." Rarity said, "That's what the family crests are for." Walker replied, "You mean those white things painted on the homes?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes." Walker replied, they look and see several vulcan children, Elder Hephaestus walks to them, "Welcome to Chrysaor, but be on guard, the Possessed and Undead are abundant in our home." Elder Hephaestus said, "Don't worry, we will." Princess Celestia replied, "Good. Walker, lead them around, I trust you." Elder Hephaestus said, "Yes, this way, everybody." Walker replied, and they walk south. Everybody goes south and the ground changes to gray dirt, "We're here! The area of the three paths!" Silverstream said, "Four, actually." Walker replied, they all turn around and see the three paths from before, "We just came from the center one." Walker said, "Is there a specific reason for three paths?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yes, each one leads to a temple, the one we just came from of called the Path to the Land, the uphill path is the Path to the Sky, and the downhill one is the Path to the Sea." Walker replied, "To the sea? I wanna go!" Silverstream said, "What about the rest of you?" Walker asked, they nod, "Alright, downhill we go." Walker said, and they do. Everybody goes downhill and they see water, they see a gold temple in the water, it was shaped like a giant whale, they hear singing and small whales come up to the surface, Fluttershy flies to them and pets them. The vulcans fly over to go see them, "What are they doing here?" Princess Luna asked, "Oh, them? They're here to cast a spell on us to allow us to breathe underwater." Walker replied, "Oh, thanks, but we don't need it." Silverstream said, and she and General Seaspray fly to the water and change to seaponies and enter, surprising the vulcans, "It's fine, everyone, we have a way to go underwater." Twilight Sparkle said, and she casts a spell to make everyone change to sea creatures, Fluttershy swims with the whales and pets every last one of them, they then go to the mouth of the temple and enter it. Everybody enters the temple and Twilight Sparkle changes everyone back to their regular forms, they walk and see the inside was completely gold again, "Everyone, welcome to the Temple of Leviathan, the vulcans' god of the sea." Walker said, "God of the sea? This is barely a lake." General Seaspray replied, "Well, it's their beliefs, now come on, I'll show you all the inside." Walker said, and they go forward, they see another thick book, this one had Leviathan on the front cover, along with two paintings on the wall, the left painting had vulcan tails and gills on it, while the right painting had guns on it, and a statue of Leviathan was between the two paintings, "What? It's basically the same design." Rainbow Dash said, "All three of them have the same basic layout." Walker replied, "Were you able to read the books, Walker?" Princess Celestia asked, "No." Walker replied, "Well, I guess we might as well see the last temple, then." Starlight Glimmer said, "Alright, that's the uphill path, I'll just teleport there, see you all back at the paths." Walker replied, and he teleports away, Twilight Sparkle casts a spell to teleport herself and the others back. Walker waits at the top of the uphill path and he sees everybody appear, they walk up the uphill path and get tired quickly, they reach the end and pant, "Alright, this way." Walker said, and he leads them. Everybody walks and they see cliffs to their sides and paintings of eagles, "What are those?" Yona asked, "They're just decorations, let's keep going." Walker replied, and they do, they arrive at a gold temple shaped like an eagle, and there were eagles perched on the wings of the temple, they open their wings and screech, Ocellus whimpers, "It's alright, they're saying hello." Fluttershy said, and she flies up to them, the eagles rub their heads on her and she pets them, "Thank you for welcoming us, that was really nice of you all." Fluttershy said, the eagles screech more and she flies back, "You never welcome me like that, Grampa Gruff." Gallus said, "You don't deserve it." Grampa Gruff replied, "What's this temple called, Walker?" Princess Celestia asked, "The Temple of Ziz." Walker replied, surprising everybody, they have never heard of such a name, "Well, let's go." Walker said, and they do. Everybody enters the temple's beak and they see the last temple, it was all gold inside, there was a statue of Ziz to be worshiped, they see two paintings, a podium in front of the statue that had a thick book on it with Ziz on the front cover, the left painting had vulcan wings on it, and the right painting also had guns on it, "Wait, look, that weapon there." Sweetie Belle said, and they look at the right painting and see the pistol, it was shaped just like the one Walker usually uses, "Yeah, the gun my dad and grandad use are designed after the one in this world, so is my sword." Walker said, "Well, that's nice to know, Walker, but I'd like to see where that last path leads." Princess Celestia replied, and they all go back. Everybody arrives back at the paths and they all see the southern path had no picture on it, "Where does that path lead?" Sweetie Belle asked, "The blacksmith area, it's where all of their weapons and armor are made." Walker replied, "What's it like?" Sandbar asked, "Really hot." Walker replied, "Why does this path have no symbol?" Yona asked, "Because it doesn't lead to a temple." Walker replied, "Does this path have a name?" Princess Luna asked, "Well, if I had to take a guess, probably Path to the Fire, since the other three paths represent earth, water, and air." Walker replied, "Oh, I get it, each path represents one of the four elements of nature." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, now come on, let's go." Walker replied, and they go. Everybody walks and they enter a hallway that was carved out of a cliff, "Wow, a crevice made by hand instead of one naturally made." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all walk, the crevice was long, but paintings begin to appear on the wall, "*gasp* Wow, more paintings." Silverstream said, "I don't know what they mean." Walker replied, "Well, judging from the paintings and since they are wearing out as we go farther in, I assume it's their history, and this is how they record it." Twilight Sparkle said, and they keep walking and looking at the paintings until they arrive at a door shaped like a helmet the vulcans wear, Walker lifts up the door and it went up like a visor, "Whoa, a door that acts like a helmet, that is so cool." Rainbow Dash said, and they enter. Everybody enters the blacksmith area and they see the vulcans making weapons with the fire, rocks, anvils, and hammers, "*pant* *pant* Yona hot." Yona said, and Walker quickly leads them and everybody sees wall carvings in the shape of helmets around the areas and Walker leads them to a dead end in the back, "This is where I was when I first arrived here." Walker said, "Wow, Walker, this is a nice place." Cheerilee said, Walker smiles, "Well, thank you, Walker, we'll go see the last area now." Twilight Sparkle said, and she teleports herself and everybody back, and they go to Sprinter while Walker watches them while smiling, "Alright, Yomi's small, this way." Sprinter said, and he leads them. Sprinter teleports to the entrance of the fortress and everybody went to him, they walk on the ground and see more onis around, "Ooh, look." Pinkie Pie said, and everybody saw the onis, their chests were bigger than the ones who came to Equestria, "Those are the female onis." Sprinter replied, "What? But they look just like the males." Rarity said, the female onis snicker while Rarity looks at them, "What? What is this?! They are wearing the same ugly black pants with metal pads and boots as the males." Rarity said, "Every oni wears that." Sprinter replied, "Well, tell them to change, they really could use some senses in fashion." Rarity said, "Well, let's go, this world is small." Sprinter said, and he leads them into the stronghold. Everybody enters the stronghold, it was dark red and black inside of it, the double doors close and Ocellus screams when she looks at it, they all look and see oni skulls were in the doors, "Are those skulls?!" King Thorax asked, "Yes." Sprinter replied, Silverstream feels them and screams, "They're real!" Silverstream said, Pinkie Pie screams while others look on with shock, "Come on, let's just go, there isn't much." Sprinter said, and he leads them to a round floor with stairs in front of them, to their lefts, and to their rights, the stairs to their rights went up while the stairs in front of them and to their lefts went down, "This is their arena, this is where you have to fight them to prove yourselves to them." Sprinter said, "I can see that, look at all of that blood on the floor." Princess Ember replied, they all look and everybody was uncomfortable, "Actually, that's from the ceiling." Sprinter said, they look up and several scream while Princess Celestia exclaims with her front right hoof over her mouth, there were dead onis hanging from the ceiling with nooses around their necks, "What is this?!" Rarity asked, "Other creatures from other worlds tend to attack the onis, those corpses are meant to scare them." Sprinter replied, "Scare them? It looks like they kill their own kind." Princess Ember said, "They do sometimes, come on now, the blue onis are this way." Sprinter replied, and he leads them upstairs. Everybody arrives upstairs and they see the blue onis practicing with their weapons, "Ah, Sprinter, good to see you again." a blue oni said, "It's always a pleasure to see you guys." Sprinter replied, the blue oni chuckles, "Wait, what are you guys doing?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and she saw the onis with flesh, bones, and organs, "Putting the spoils of battle to good use, their flesh is our food, blood is our drink, and we use their bones and organs to make new weapons and armor." the blue oni replied, the natives from Sprinter's world have shocked faces, "What is that pile there?" Gallus asked while he points at it, the blue oni looks back and sees it, he turns around, "Those are trophies, when we kill our enemies, we keep their heads as trophies." the blue oni replied, Applejack exclaims with shock while Pinkie Pie screams, "Why don't you red and blue onis live together for?" Sandbar asked, "Because we're at war, but other threats have forced us to suspend the war." the blue oni replied, "What do you all wish to achieve through the war?" Princess Celestia asked, "To be the ones who live the world, and have others do what we say, and have those who disobey or resist be killed." the blue oni replied, Rarity gasps at what they say while Twilight Sparkle looks on with disbelief, "Well, that's about all there is to them, the red onis live downstairs." Sprinter said, and they go back to where the three stairs were at and go down the stairs that was in front of them, "Oh, this hot environment is ruining my mane." Rarity said, Sprinter looks back and sees several of the female ponies messing with their manes, he turns around continues to lead them. Sprinter leads them downstairs and everybody sees the red onis training, they were strong enough to rip off limbs and crush heads with their bare hands, scaring the natives from Sprinter's world, "Sprinter, always a pleasure to have you here." a red oni said, "Thanks, I'm just showing them around, I just showed them the blue onis." Sprinter replied, "I see, well, there is really nothing different about us." the red oni said, and the world's natives see the red onis eating dead blue onis, drinking their blood, making weapons and armor from their bones and organs, and they had severed heads as trophies from the battles they have won, "Why do you all fight in the war for?" Princess Luna asked, "Because they wish to rule us with an iron fist, we don't want rulers, we value our freedom to do what we want, no law means more fun, more fighting, more destruction, more killing, we like Yomi being the anarchic state it is." the red oni replied, "What?" Spike asked, "They wish for tyranny, we wish for anarchy." the red oni replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't side with either of you." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, that's all here, I'll lead you all down the last set of stairs." Sprinter said, and they leave. Everybody walks and they see skulls and bones in the walls for decoration, making everybody uncomfortable, they go down the last set of stairs and they see lava to the sides, "No wonder why it's so hot here." Spike said, the others pant except for Sprinter, he leads them to a dead end, "This is where I first appeared when I came to this world." Sprinter said, "Another dead end?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, now come, I'll show you all the fortress, there's only one room we can enter, but watch your feet on the bridge." Sprinter replied, and they head back, but they stop before they head back when they see two statues of a pony, "Who was that again?" Applejack asked, "That's me." Sprinter replied, "Why did you get a statue for?" Princess Luna asked, "Because my way of thinking is similar to theirs, and it made them realize that there are some outsiders that like their way of thinking, now come, let's go to the fortress." Sprinter replied, and they all go. Everybody arrives outside and walk across the bridge, several exclaim in pain, "What the?" Starlight Glimmer asked, and they look at the bridge, "Wait, is this bone?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes." Sprinter replied, "This hurts." Silverstream said, "Then fly, come on now." Sprinter replied, and they arrive at the fortress, everybody saw the dead onis hanging from it and the waterfalls of blood to the sides, everybody was uncomfortable, they also feel discomfort from looking at the blood red sky and black clouds, but they ignore them enter the fortress. Sprinter leads everybody in and they see Champion Lucius sitting in a black throne up ahead, the top of the throne had a big oni's skull on it, and the throne was outlined with bones, there was a black bridge in front of them and orange lava under it, "Sprinter, are you here for a rematch?" Champion Lucius asked, "Not yet." Sprinter replied, Champion Lucius chuckles, "Your country is in a civil war." Princess Celestia said, "Yes, I am aware." Champion Lucius replied, "Why aren't you doing anything?" Princess Luna asked, "I have no power or authority over my subjects." Champion Lucius replied, "What?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Then why are you the ruler?" Princess Cadence asked, "It is just a title, it only means I am the strongest oni in the world, whoever kills me will inherit the title as champion." Champion Lucius replied, "WHAT KIND OF RULING SYSTEM IS THIS?!" Pinkie Pie asked, "It's their way, Yomi has a meritocratic style of ruling." Sprinter replied, "Then how do they all deal with criminals?" Princess Luna asked, "Vigilante justice." Champion Lucius replied, "What?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "There is no law enforcement in Yomi, so we use vigilante justice to deal with them, even though us onis are at war, the one thing we all value is revenge." Champion Lucius replied, "WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "No!" Princess Celestia said sternly as she walked to him, "I will not allow revenge in my land, this is a land of friendship and forgiveness, revenge only makes things worse." Princess Celestia said, "How about someone taking justice into their own hands?" Champion Lucius asked, "I will not allow vigilante justice, either." Princess Celestia replied, "Well, that's everything in this world." Sprinter said, "Good, cause this is ruining my mane." Rarity replied, and they all head back to Equestria. The world's natives go back and Princess Ember, Grampa Gruff, King Thorax, Prince Rutherford, and General Seaspray head home, and Twilight Sparkle begins making plans on how to spread friendship to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Um, Twilight, I don't think doing this is a good idea." Spike said, "We have to, Spike, it's our job to spread friendship wide out." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I mean, she did bring friendship to my world, maybe she can do it again." Sunset Shimmer said, "Alright, according to my research on them, the vulcans will be the easiest ones, since they seem to like art and look like a peaceful race." Twilight Sparkle said, "That, and Rarity's already coming up with new outfits for them to wear." Spike replied, "I hope they try them, that dull gray color of their armors is a little hard on my eyes." Twilight Sparkle said, and they continue making plans. Twilight Sparkle continues to make plans until a bloodcurling screech was heard outside, she runs outside with Sunset Shimmer and Spike, they run outside and see Yomi was being attacked by an army of liches, Chrysaor was being attacked by the Undead, and Aerostia was getting attacked by the Possessed, the possessed harpies have grown beaks and had blue electricity on their boomerangs. The possessed harpies throw their boomerangs and they paralyze whoever they hit, the harpies shoot yellow beams out of their hands to destroy the possessed harpies and Runner absorbs their souls, he was also fighting them, he cuts one possessed harpy in his abdomen and black bladed tentacles come out and swing around to slash the others, Runner teleports to him and cuts his head off with his sabre, his body falls while Runner absorbs his soul and the soul that possessed him. Walker summons the souls of dead vulcans to help fight off the Undead, he teleports around and shoots them with his pistol, he also cut whoever was close to him with his sword, the ground erupts and about thirty more Undead come out, he gets ready to fight them but he sees unicorn zaps appear and destroy the skeletons, he looks back and sees the unicorns in Ponyville helping him, he goes back to fighting the Undead. Sprinter uses a broadsword the onis use and he hits the liches, he also uses a rifle like the ones from Chrysaor to shoot the liches and destroy them, the liches all let out bloodcurling screams that hurt the ears of the world's natives. Some of the harpies, vulcans, and onis have light blue glows in their eyes' and they are possessed, but the onis grunt and hold their arms' out, the possessed soul is shot out of their bodies, they take the forms of light blue and transparent onis, they attack them but the onis destroy them easily with their fire and lightning magic, and Sprinter absorbs their souls. The harpies fight their own kind and they transform from each wound to adapt to fighting, the unicorns in Ponyville shoot them with zaps and hold them back, their boomerangs have yellow lightning on them and they throw them, several harpies are hit and they become paralyzed, "What the?" Rainbow Dash asked, "So their lightning causes paralysis, too." Twilight Sparkle said, and several unicorns fire zaps at the Possessed, while the Pegasi and earth ponies also join in the fights. The vulcans shoot yellow beams out of their hands' and they cure the possessed vulcans, "Hey, look, the vulcans really can cure possession." Starlight Glimmer said, the others look and see it, they look on with surprise while Walker shoots the souls exorcised out of them and absorbs them when they turn into floating flames. Yellow lightning appears in Aerostia, it disappears and a bipedal vulture-like creature appears, light blue flames appear in Chrysaor, a blue bipedal lizard-like creature appears armed with a rapier and a round shield, red-orange fire appears in Yomi and a quadrupedal creature appears, it had the body of a horse and the head and neck of a snake, it also had horns all over its head, "What are those?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I don't know, but they look like creatures from other worlds." Twilight Sparkle replied, "You Spirit worshipers have escaped us long enough, all of you harpies die today." the vulture-like creature said, everyone realize it was a male, "In the name of the Anti-Spirit cult, you all die today." the lizard-like creature said in a deep male voice, the people in Ponyville ask with confusion, "Anti-Spirit cult?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Time to die, anyone who sees Spirit as a good deity, neutral deity, or knows of him must die." the creature in Yomi said in a very deep male voice, and they attack. Runner and the harpies fight the vulture-like creature and he takes guns off of his back, he fires them and hits several of the harpies, Runner teleports to him and tries to cut him with his sabre, the vulture laughs and fires at Runner, he teleports away and then teleports back and slits his throat, he falls to the ground and his soul appears, Runner shoots it with his pistol to destroy its body form and absorbs it when it was a light blue flame. Walker fires his pistol at the lizard-like creature, he blocks it with his shield and then swings his sword around, it sends out light blue waves of fire that burn whatever it touched, the vulcans fly up and fire their guns at him, he blocks them all with his shield, Walker teleports to him and manages to do a diagonal slash from his right hip to his left chest, he snickers and Walker sees several things slithering in his body, "Fool, you released them." the lizard-like creature said, and snakes crawl out of his body, Walker teleports away and shoots a stream of dark blue and orange fire out of his front right hoof to burn the snakes. The lizard-like creature continues to block the bullets with his shield and Walker changes his sword to a sledgehammer, he hits the shield and it flies out of his hand, the lizard-like creature swings his rapier around and sends waves of fire around, Walker aims his pistol and shoots him in the head, snakes crawl out of the hole in his head and slither on the ground, Walker makes dark blue flames spin around him counterclockwise and goes to the snakes to burn them, the souls of the lizard-like creature and the snakes appear, Walker changes his sledgehammer to a broadsword and swings it around, their souls become light blue flames and Walker absorbs them. The creature in Yomi shoots fire out of its mouth and Sprinter teleports away to dodge it, the onis go around it and the red onis smash the knees of its hind legs while the blue onis slash the knees of its front legs, it screams and falls, a red oni goes onto its back and rips its neck off with his right hand, its soul appears and Sprinter shoots it with his pistol and absorbs it when it was a floating light blue flame. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter go back to Ponyville and sees the others looking at them, "What was that just now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Um..." Walker, Runner, and Sprinter said, "Answer me! What is this Anti-Spirit cult?" Twilight Sparkle asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis walk to her, "They are creatures from the other worlds, there are some worlds and cultures that see Spirit as an evil deity, so they all came together and formed the cult, their goal is to destroy all worlds and people that do not see Spirit as an evil deity." Elder Hephaestus replied, "See Spirit as an evil deity?" Princess Luna asked, "Yes, what Spirit's alignment is depends on your point of view, he's good to some, evil to several, and neutral to the rest." Elder Hephaestus replied, "He seems pretty neutral to me." Princess Celestia said, the others nod in agreement, "How do you all view him?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "He is our god of death." a male harpy replied, "He's the grim reaper." a female vulcan said, "A neutral deity just doing his job." a red oni said, "Why didn't you three mention them earlier?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Because this world doesn't know about Spirit or the Void's existence, they have no reason to come here." Runner replied, "I still would like to know about them." Twilight Sparkle said, "It's probably better that you don't, if you worship or respect Spirit in any way in your culture, they will hunt you all down, and won't stop until your kind is extinct." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Plus, Spirit did warn you." Walker said, "When?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "When he said it will bring other creatures to this world." Walker replied, "Oh, so that was what he meant." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, we'll be back, we have to bring the souls to The Judge." Sprinter said, and he opens a portal and he goes in it with Walker and Runner and it closes, another portal opens and the three come out and it closes, "Well, since you all are here, I'd like to try to share our culture with you guys, come along." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go together. Twilight Sparkle leads the harpies, vulcans, and onis to the School of Friendship and they see Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Snails waiting for them, "Alright, this is a sport we do for fun called buckball, the earth pony kicks it, the Pegasus deflects it, and the unicorn holds the goal up, you all need to do the same thing, one harpy, one vulcan, and one oni." Twilight Sparkle said, Alexia, a male vulcan, and a blue oni go forward while the others sit. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter sit together and they see Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart sitting in the crowd, "Hi, Walker." Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said, "What are you all doing here?" Walker asked, "We like buckball, so we came to watch, too." Scootaloo replied, and they watch. Alexia, the vulcan, and the blue oni get together and watch, "Alright, here we go." Pinkie Pie said, and she bucks the ball, Alexia holds her right hand out and catches the ball, she throws it back and Fluttershy deflects it back with her tail and Pinkie Pie kicks it again, Alexia catches it again and throws it again, Fluttershy catches the ball with her wing, she throws it down and the vulcan kicks it with his left foot, Fluttershy tries to catch it, but she gets hit and flies in the air, she hits the wall and falls, "Okay, um, you all might need to switch." Twilight Sparkle said, and they do. Fluttershy flies back and Pinkie Pie bucks the ball, the oni catches it and throws it, Alexia catches it and throws the ball, Fluttershy deflects it again and Pinkie Pie bucks it, the oni jumps and hits it back with his left hand, Fluttershy sees it coming and it hits her, but she becomes electrocuted and paralyzed, she falls to the ground, "Stop! That's cheating." Rainbow Dash said, the blue oni snickers, "Wait until she recovers." Twilight Sparkle said, and Fluttershy does, Alexia, the vulcan, and the oni switch places. Alexia kicks the ball and Fluttershy deflects with her tail, the vulcan catches it with his left hand and throws it back, Pinkie Pie kicks it and it goes forward, the vulcan catches it easily and throws it back, the three shake their heads and the blue oni leaves and a red oni replaces him. Pinkie Pie bucks the ball and the vulcan catches it and throws it back, but Fluttershy misses and it hits the bucket and destroys it, "We need a new bucket." Rainbow Dash said, and it was replaced. The vulcan and red oni switch places and Pinkie Pie bucks the next ball, the red oni catches it easily and throws it, Fluttershy tries to deflect it, but she grunts when the ball hit her and she flies through the air, she catches on fire and screams. The Pegasi quickly get rain clouds and douse the fire, she pants heavily and begins to whimper, the others look back and saw the harpies, vulcans, and onis had bored faces, "Aren't you four having fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, Alexia, the vulcan, the red oni, and the blue oni shake their heads, "Are you not entertained?" Pinkie Pie asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis in the crowd shake their heads. Sprinter stands up and walks down to the field, "Everyone, clear the area, I'll give them a show." Sprinter said, and they do, "Ooh, I can't wait." Pinkie Pie said, "Champion Lucius." Sprinter said, a tornado of spinning red fire and blue lightning appears, it disappears and Champion Lucius was in front of him, he was sitting in his throne, "Sprinter, I assume I know why you called for me." Champion Lucius said, "Yes, I wish to spar with you." Sprinter replied, the onis cheer while the world's natives become nervous, "*chuckle* I have waited long for this day, let's see if you're still as good as you were the last time we fought." Champion Lucius said, and the two get ready. Sprinter summons a sword in his front right hoof and a pistol in his front left hoof, he fires bullets at Champion Lucius and he just moves side-to-side in his throne and dodges the spiritual bullets, Sprinter puts his front right hoof on the ground and four light blue heads come out and fly to Champion Lucius, he grabs them with his hands and squashes them. Sprinter teleports to him and tries to slash him, but Champion Lucius disappears, causing some to gasp, Sprinter looks around and hears Champion Lucius appear behind him, he quickly turns around and tries to slash him, Champion Lucius holds his left arm out with his palm open and claws apart, a round barrier made out of red fire and blue lightning appears in front of Champion Lucius and he and Sprinter enter a deadlock, Champion Lucius disappears again and Sprinter looks around, Champion Lucius appears in Sprinter's left blind spot and punches him in his left cheek with his left fist, he disappears and reappears in Sprinter's right blind spot and punches him in his right cheek with his right fist, he disappears and reappears behind Sprinter, he was about slam his fists onto the back of Sprinter's head, but he blocks his fists with his sword, he teleports to behind Champion Lucius and slashes the back of his neck with his sword, which did not faze him, making some of the world's natives uneasy. Champion Lucius disappears and reappears above Sprinter, he goes down with his feet on Sprinter's back, he teleports away before he hits the ground and Champion Lucius lands on the ground, putting a crater in it, Sprinter appears in the air and behind Champion Lucius, he tries to slash the back of his neck, but Champion Lucius puts his arms behind his head and blocks the slash with his gauntlets, he teleports to Sprinter's right blind spot and punches him in his right cheek with his right fist, he grunts and falls onto the ground, he puts a crater in the ground and slides across it. Sprinter tries to get up but Champion Lucius holds his right hand up and a purple aura comes out Champion Lucius' hand and lifts up Sprinter, "Wait, he has telekinesis?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Wow, this is the first time I've ever seen anyone use telekinesis without using a horn." Twilight Sparkle said, "Wait, you all hear something?" Starlight Glimmer asked, they listen and hear crackling and Sprinter grunting, they look and see blue electricity in Champion Lucius' telekinesis, the unicorns gasp, "What the? His telekinesis is electrified?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have never seen such telekinesis." Princess Celestia said, Champion Lucius continues to hold up Sprinter and chuckles, he brings Sprinter towards himself and punches him with his right fist, Sprinter slides across the ground while the blue electricity stays around him, "I see, so his lightning induces paralysis as well." Princess Luna said, "Still, telekinesis and lightning together, that kind of scares me." Twilight Sparkle replied, Champion Lucius teleports to Sprinter and begins punching, kicking, and stomping him while he was paralyzed. The paralysis wears off and Sprinter teleports away, Champion Lucius quickly turns around and holds his right hand out with his palm open and claws separated, he shoots red fire and blue lightning out of each of his five claws, Sprinter teleports away but the ten beams fly in the air and go after him, "What?! They're homing?!" Silverstream asked, Sprinter continues to teleport around and dodge the ten homing projectiles, he teleports to in front of Champion Lucius and the ten projectiles hit him, but he was unharmed and absorbs them into himself, he holds his arms out and lets out a grunt and an explosion of fire and lightning appears around him. Sprinter teleports away and fires bullets from his pistol at Champion Lucius, he moves to his sides and dodges them easily, he teleports to his throne and sits in it, two spheres float up into the air, the left sphere was red, and the right sphere was blue. The red sphere flies forward and homes on Sprinter, he teleports away when it was just about to hit him, the red sphere hits the ground and changes to a pillar of fire, the fire goes after Sprinter, he runs around until the pillar of fire disappears. The blue sphere goes towards Sprinter next and he teleports into the air when it was about to hit him, the blue sphere hits the ground and the entire field becomes electrified, Sprinter keeps teleporting around to stay in midair, Champion Lucius teleports to him and punches him with his right fist to send him into the electricity, but Sprinter teleports back up and tries to slash Champion Lucius, but he teleports back to his throne and the electricity disappears. Sprinter teleports to Champion Lucius and slashes him a few times, everybody watches but they see his wounds heal, "Wait, did his cuts just heal?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It looks that way." Princess Cadence replied, Sprinter teleports away and fires his pistol at Champion Lucius and hits him in his chest and a shot to his head, Champion Lucius snickers and his bullet wounds heal and the spiritual bullets fly out of his body and back at Sprinter, he lies down on his abdomen to dodge them, "Wait, he is regenerating." Gallus said, "That's not fair! How is he supposed to win against him?" Smolder asked, "Who knows, but I'm sure Sprinter has a way." Sandbar replied, Champion Lucius teleports to Sprinter and stands on his back, he snickers while he lets his weight bury Sprinter into the ground. Sprinter changes to his spirit form and Champion Lucius holds his right hand out with his palm open and claws apart and Sprinter changes back to his body form, "Wait, did he just change Sprinter back to his regular form?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, there are some creatures in the other worlds that know a spell to change us back to our body forms if we're in our spirit forms." Walker replied, "What spell would that be?" Rarity asked, "We don't know." Runner replied, Champion Lucius teleports to him and Sprinter makes the dark blue flames spin around him counterclockwise and runs to Sprinter, he snickers since the fire did nothing to him, he tries to grab Sprinter through the dark blue flames but he does feel anything and the dark blue flames disappear, Sprinter appears in the air and behind Champion Lucius, he goes down and slashes Champion Lucius' spine with his sword, the pain did not faze him, "Wow, he sure has a pain tolerance." Applejack said, "Don't you?" Walker asked, "I'd be screamin' if that happened to me." Applejack replied, "What about you, Rainbow Dash?" Walker asked, "Yeah, I'd be screaming in pain, too." Rainbow Dash replied, Champion Lucius teleports back to his throne and sits in it. Sprinter teleports to him and begins slashing him with his sword, he does three slashes and was about to slash him again, but Champion Lucius holds his left fist up with his middle claw and index claw raised and blocks the sword, he snickers and disappears. Champion Lucius appears to Sprinter's left and he looks, he holds his arms out to the sides and red fire and blue lightning appear around him, "So, he can do it, too." Princess Celestia said, "Wait, what is that appearing on the ground?" Princess Luna asked, they look and see red and blue circles appear and move around on the ground. The circles move around in random directions and pillars of fire come out of the red circles while pillars of lightning come out of the blue circles, "Pillars of fire and lightning, Sprinter will have to watch his step from now on." Princess Luna said, Sprinter teleports around to dodge the circles and tries to hit Champion Lucius, he teleports around as well and always appeared in Sprinter's blind spots or behind him, the two teleport around and do not land a hit for a few minutes until Champion Lucius appears behind Sprinter while in midair and grabs his neck with his right hand, he proceeds to choke him while he catches on fire and gets electrocuted and paralyzed at the same time, "What? That's not fair." Silverstream said, "Yeah, how is he supposed to escape that?" Ocellus asked, Sprinter continues to get burned and electrocuted while he and Champion Lucius fall to the ground, they arrive on the ground and Champion Lucius continues to choke him. Sprinter endures the attack while thinking of something, he tries to move but could not. Champion Lucius lets go of him after a while and sees Sprinter fall, everybody watches with worry and the paralysis disappears, Champion Lucius looks at him and Sprinter did not respond, he teleports to behind Champion Lucius and slashes the back of his head while in midair, the onis cheer while Champion Lucius turns around and smiles. Champion Lucius takes his gauntlets off and makes the bones on his pants and boots fly off, and his entire body becomes engulfed in red fire and blue lightning, "This doesn't look good." Rainbow Dash said, Champion Lucius teleports and appears behind Sprinter, he tries to punch Sprinter in his back, but he teleports into the air to dodge the pillars of fire and lightning, Champion Lucius punches the ground with his right fist and an explosion appears around him, a trail of fire and lightning goes to Sprinter and explodes when it was under him, he teleports away while a big pillar of fire and lightning comes out of the explosion. The world's natives reel back in shock, "What the?!" Princess Luna asked, "He's even stronger without his armor?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, that armor he wears is not to protect himself in battle, it is to conceal his true powers." Runner replied, "What?! That's ridiculous!" Princess Cadence said, "Yeah, he's already strong enough with it." Rainbow Dash said, "Still, wearing armor to conceal your powers, I've never heard of such a thing." Princess Celestia said, Champion Lucius teleports around and tries to hit Sprinter in his blind spots and his back, he teleports faster than before, and each hit that Sprinter blocked made an explosion happen, he continues to block Champion Lucius' attacks but has trouble, he falls onto the ground and sees the pillars of fire and lightning appearing in random places, so he teleports around to dodge them. Red and blue spheres form in midair and they home on Sprinter, he runs around to dodge them and they hit the ground, he teleports into the air whenever a blue sphere hit the ground and electrified it. Champion Lucius appears in the air and holds his arms out with his hands open and facing upwards, beams of fire and lightning come out of his claws and home on Sprinter, he teleports around while panting and he sees Champion Lucius appear on the ground, the entire field caught on fire and became electrified. Sprinter teleports onto the ground and begins to spin counterclockwise in midair, he lets out a grunt and changes to a form that looked like an alicorn made out of dark blue flames, and had bat-like wings on the sides, and he was as tall as Princess Celestia. The world's natives gasp at what they saw, "You three can change into alicorns?" Rarity asked, "Not exactly, it just resembles an alicorn, it's a spiritual form." Runner replied, "It looks better in person than seeing it in a flashback." Sunset Shimmer said, Sprinter walks towards Champion Lucius and everybody sees the fire and lightning had no effect on him, he flies up and flaps his wings and sends waves of dark blue flames to Champion Lucius, he catches on fire, but he holds his arms out to the sides and extinguishes them. Sprinter fires his pistol and a big dark blue flame appears and hits Champion Lucius, it explodes when it hits him, the smoke disappears and Champion Lucius was unharmed. Sprinter lands and walks to Champion Lucius, he swings his sword around and cuts the grass, the swings of his sword also sends out waves of dark blue flames that explode on impact when they touch something. Champion Lucius puts his wrists together and fires a big blast made out of red fire and blue lightning, Sprinter fires a blast of dark blue fire out of his horn and the two enter a deadlock, but the two were equal and cancel one another out after a few seconds. Champion Lucius uses telekinesis on Sprinter and he was burned and electrocuted this time, but it had no effect on him, Sprinter opens his mouth and shoots dark blue fire out, he also shoots dark blue flames out of his eyes, Champion Lucius catches on fire but it does not harm him, Sprinter does a diagonal slash with his sword and cuts Champion Lucius from the left side of his neck to the right side of his chest, he grunts and changes back while Sprinter's spiritual energy runs out and he changes back, and all of the circles, pillars of fire and lightning, spheres, and homing projectiles disappear. Sprinter gets burned and electrocuted for a short time until Champion Lucius falls to his knees and he stops using telekinesis on Sprinter, he is paralyzed for a few seconds and could move again, he stands up while struggling and Champion Lucius teleports back to his throne and sits in it and uses his telekinesis to put his gauntlets back on and the bones back onto his pants and boots. Sprinter and Champion Lucius pant heavily and were sweating, "Impressive, Sprinter, you're still as good as you were when I first fought you when you were four years old." Champion Lucius said, "I've kept my body in shape over the years." Sprinter replied, Champion Lucius smiles, "Even if you are old, I still have to use my full power against you, it is rare for me to need it, I am impressed." Champion Lucius said, Sprinter chuckles, "I'll be in my fortress if you need me, you and your family are always welcome." Champion Lucius said, and an explosion of fire and lightning appears and he and his throne disappear. Walker and Runner teleport to Sprinter and check him, "I'm fine, I need time to recover." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner smile, he pants a bit more and looks at the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Were you all entertained?" Sprinter asked, the onis nod while smiling, the vulcans shrug, the harpies shake their heads, "He attacks you in your blind spots and from behind, how dishonorable." Adetokunbo said, the harpies nod, "It's how they fight, Adetokunbo." Sprinter said, "Still, fight like that in our world, and we'd have them executed." Adetokunbo replied, "You'll have to beat us in a fight first." a blue oni said, "That shouldn't be too hard." a female harpy replied, the onis snicker, "Well, if you all are done, I'd like to try to spread friendship to you guys." Twilight Sparkle said while she trots to them, "Very well, since we taught Walker, Runner, and Sprinter about our culture, I guess we should learn theirs." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Thank you, now come on down from the bleachers and down here." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go to her. Twilight Sparkle waits for the harpies, vulcans, and onis to come down to her, "Okay, everycreature, since the last ones didn't work, let's try something else, I'm going to see how you all do with reading books." Twilight Sparkle said, the harpies and onis look at her with confusion, "Book?" Alexia asked, "You know, an object used to write down and record history." Echidna replied, "Not just history, we also write stories for fun." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you act out the stories?" a male vulcan asked, "Sometimes, we just read most of the time." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I see." the male vulcan said, "Here, give it a try, go on and read." Twilight Sparkle said, and she gives them books with her telekinesis. The vulcans open them while the harpies and onis did not know what to do, they watch the vulcans and copy them, the harpies and vulcans just look on, they hold the books and show it to Twilight Sparkle, "Is something wrong?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We do not know this writing language." a female harpy replied, "How about you vulcans?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Even though it is forbidden to touch of the Books of Behemoth, Leviathan, and Ziz, the language written in them is completely different from this." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We do not know what a book is or how to read." a red oni replied, "So, you all are illiterate." Twilight Sparkle said, "What do you mean by illiterate?" a blue oni asked, Twilight Sparkle just takes the books back, "Alright, since you all don't know how to read or our reading language, let's try something I think you all know how to do: cooking." Twilight Sparkle said, and she gathers sticks together and Spike lights a fire with his fire breath. Rainbow Dash puts a pot on the fire and puts grass in it, a red oni touches grass with his left hand and burns it, "No, this fire cooks it slowly, so it doesn't burn." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you not use fire for blacksmithing?" Elder Hepheasestus asked, "No, we use magic, unicorns make things with magic, Pegasi make things with clouds, and earth ponies carve things with rocks." Twilight Sparkle replied, the harpies, vulcans, and onis throw things into the pot and it cooks. The harpies, vulcans, and onis watch and wait, Rarity trots to them with outfits while they watch, "I have made outfits for you females if you all are interested." Rarity said, and they look at her outfits, "What is that thing you wear below your waist there?" Alexia asked, "It's called a skirt, the entire outfit is called a dress." Rarity replied, "What its function?" a female red oni asked, "It looks good on you girls." Rarity replied, "Looks impractical." a female vulcan said, "Excuse me?" Rarity asked, "Look at it, it's closed in the front, we can't run with that if we are attacked." Echidna replied, "It is also touching the ground, we have to hold it up to move." Athena said, "What about you all who can fly?" Rarity asked, "It looks like it will slow us down with extra weight." a female harpy replied, "Tell me, how do you all make those straps around your sides and outer thighs?" Rarity asked, "They're strips of flesh that were worked on to be made into leather." Alexia replied, "What?! That is very disgusting." Rarity said, "Well, we need some way to hold our boomerangs onto ourselves." Adetokunbo replied, "What about you vulcans, what do you all use to make your armors?" Rarity asked, "Rocks available throughout Chrysaor, they are shaped the way they are through blacksmithing." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Why is yours gold?" Rarity asked, "It is made from different material." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you onis, how do you all make your outfits?" Rarity asked, "The metal pads are created by the black rocks in Yomi, lightning is used to make it into metal, and then put over fire to be made into its silver color." a female blue oni replied, "But what about your pants and boots?" Rarity asked, "Enemy remains." a male red oni replied, "What? But you all eat your victims, which is disgusting, as well." Rarity said, "Our pants and boots are made out of their skin." a female red oni replied, the world's natives scream in shock, "We also have them put in hot areas to burn them and make them the black color they are." a male blue oni said, "How utterly repulsive, I have never heard of clothes made from one's skin." Rarity replied, "It is our way." another female blue oni said, "I don't care if it's your way or not, you onis are barbarians! Even the dragons and griffons are more civilized!" Rarity replied, "That's their culture." another male blue oni said, Rarity scowls at them. Attacks are heard and everybody goes over to look, they see liches and souls of the dead attacking Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi, the harpies, vulcans, and onis go back to their homes to defend them while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleports to them to help them. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter fire their guns at the souls of the dead while the harpies, vulcans, and onis fight the liches and destroy them very easily, the three get together and Sprinter opens a portal to the Void and the three enter, they come back out and saw it was almost dark, "We should call it a day, those souls of the dead and other creatures appear a lot at night." Runner said, the others agree and they all head home, Walker has supper and goes to bed with Runner and Sprinter joining him a few hours later. Walker wakes up in the middle of the night sensing something off, he closes his eyes and his vision becomes dark blue, he teleports outside and sees a lot of dead pony and animal souls in Ponyville, he looks and sees a bipedal humanoid in Twilight Sparkle's castle, he teleports there and closes his eyes and changes his vision back to normal, he sees Spike laying in bed with his eyes wide open, Walker looks and sees a Shadow walking slowly towards Spike with its head twitching, Spike sweats as it comes near him, Walker summons his pistol in his front left hoof and shoots the Shadow in the head and destroys it. Spike inhales deeply while Walker absorbs its soul, "You alright, Spike?" Walker asked, Spike nods, "Okay, see you tomorrow." Walker said, and he opens a portal to the Void and enters, he gives the Shadow's soul to The Judge and opens a portal to his home and it closes, he goes back into his bed and sleeps. Day 15Morning comes and Walker has breakfast with Runner and Sprinter, knocking is heard at the door and Walker opens the door and he sees Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, "Hi, Walker." the three fillies said together, "What are you three doing here?" Walker asked, "Well, if you want to, we can act as your sisters." Sweetie Belle replied, "Um..." Walker said, "It will mean more friends and less loneliness." Walker's Optimist said, "It will mean more mouths to feed and less space for you to move around." Walker's Pessimist said, "Sorry, but I must decline." Walker said, "Oh, come on, Walker, please?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm sorry, but I have to say no." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders groan with disappointment, "You three can come in, though, we let visitors here." Walker said, "Yay!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders said, and they enter with him. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle and look at Walker's paintings, "Wow, can ya paint us one day, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "I'll think about it." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders smile, "You three hungry?" Sprinter asked, "No, we had breakfast already, thank you." Sweetie Belle replied, "What brings you three here?" Runner asked, "Well, we wanted to hear about you guys' travels." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, um, maybe when you three are older, some of the things we encounter in the Void are not for the faint of heart." Runner said, "Like the onis?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Worse. Much worse." Sprinter replied, Walker finishes breakfast and he washes his dish, "School's out again today because of you and your family, Walker." Scootaloo said, "Wow, I thought we'd go back today." Walker replied, "One question, did you all choose Walker for the student exchange program deliberately?" Runner asked, "No, he really was chosen at random, nopony thought you all would have thought he and his family had connections to the afterlife." Sweetie Belle replied, "Well, I'll be back, I'm going to go see Champion Lucius really quickly." Walker said, "You know, I actually kind of wished he would've trained you and Runner in combat when I was younger." Sprinter replied, "No thanks, dad, I don't like the onis' methods of fighting." Runner said, "What were the first three worlds you three went to in chronological order?" Scootaloo asked, "Aerostia, Chrysaor, Yomi." Walker said, "Chrysaor, Aerostia, Yomi." Runner said, "Yomi, Chrysaor, Aerostia." Sprinter said, "Why did Spirit only allow y'all to go to them worlds for?" Apple Bloom asked, "Because they were the ones who saw Spirit as either good or neutral the most, they were the safest worlds for us to go to." Runner replied, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, "Well, I'll be leaving now, I'll be back in a few minutes." Walker said, and he goes outside and heads to Yomi. Champion Lucius sits in his throne and was sleeping, Walker appears in his fortress and Champion Lucius opens his eyes, "Walker, what brings you here?" Champion Lucius asked, "Just wanted to make sure you're alright." Walker replied, "*chuckle* I am fine, I have already fully recovered." Champion Lucius said, "I'm also here to see if you have any information, I learned that there are actually several people in my world who know about the Void." Walker replied, "Yes, Zecora has not been around recently, perhaps you should go look for her, her home is in the Everfree Forest." Champion Lucius said, "Who is this Mother Nature?" Walker asked, "An old friend of Celestia, you shouldn't worry about it, and Arcana, well, let's just say she has a connection to Celestia as well." Champion Lucius replied, Walker wonders what the connection was, "You should get going, Walker, maybe you can find Zecora, and be prepared for a future fight." Champion Lucius said, "What fight?" Walker asked, "Grogar is coming." Champion Lucius replied, "Who's Grogar?" Walker asked, "You will know soon enough, but if you wish to find Zecora, you should get going now." Champion Lucius replied, Walker agrees and teleports back to Ponyville. Walker teleports to Fluttershy's cottage and heads to the Everfree Forest, "Walker, wait." Fluttershy said while she was running, Walker turns around and looks at her, "It's dangerous in there, why are you heading there?" Fluttershy asked, "I'm going to look for Zecora." Walker replied, "Now that you mention it, she hasn't been around, let's look for her together." Fluttershy said, and they enter the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy leads the way while Walker looks around, the souls of the animals come to see him and Timberwolf souls attack them, Walker shoots them with his pistol and absorbs their souls, "Wow, Walker, you didn't seem scared." Fluttershy said, "Well, they're souls, most of them get destroyed after one hit." Walker replied, "Are the animals judged, too?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes." Walker replied, Fluttershy begins to tear up, "What's wrong, Fluttershy?" Walker asked, "To think that those cute and furry little creatures receive damnation and be punished in the afterlife, that is so sad." Fluttershy replied, "I see your point, but there are good and evil animals, too." Walker said, "But still." Fluttershy replied, and they continue through the forest. Walker and Fluttershy arrive at Zecora's house and see a lot of souls around her home, "Wow, Zecora has a lot of visitors." Fluttershy said, and she knocks on her door, "Zecora?" Fluttershy asked, there was no answer, she opens the door and sees Zecora was not home, but shes a circle of white candles around a skeleton, Fluttershy whimpers and Walker enters the home, he sees the candles and skeleton, "What happened here?" Walker asked a nearby soul, "The zebra did a ritual shortly after the ponies in Ponyville discovered your family's powers, she performed a ritual to contact her ancestors and went to the afterlife." the male earth pony soul replied, "What is that skeleton there?" Fluttershy asked, "That's her skeleton." a female unicorn soul replied, "*gasp* Is she...?" Fluttershy asked, "No, she's just exploring the afterlife, when she is done, her flesh will return." a male Pegasus soul replied, "Well, we should go, Fluttershy, we now know where Zecora's at, I have to head home." Walker said, "Okay, bye, Walker." Fluttershy replied, and he teleports to his home. Walker arrives at his home and sees the Cutie Mark Crusaders were still there, "You took longer than I thought." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, Fluttershy and I went to go look for Zecora together." Walker replied, "How is she?" Sweetie Belle asked, "She performed a ritual to enter the afterlife." Walker replied, "Wait, performed a ritual?" Apple Bloom asked, "You don't need to have contact with Spirit directly to enter the afterlife, rituals can be performed and shamans can enter the afterlife through other means without dying." Runner replied, "What's a shaman?" Sweetie Belle asked, "A person who has access to spirits." Sprinter replied, "Say, are y'all three shamans?" Apple Bloom asked, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter shake their heads, "We are soul collectors, when someone dies, it is our job to go to their world and collect their souls so it may be judged and sent to the afterlife, if all three of us are unavailable, then Spirit himself will collect the soul." Runner replied, "Why can't he just collect all of them?" Apple Bloom asked, "There's too many." Walker replied, "That, and we made a deal, it is the duty of the males on the paternal side of our family to serve him." Sprinter said, "What will happen if y'all's family tree comes to an end?" Apple Bloom asked, the three think about it, "Now that you mention it, I don't know." Sprinter replied, "It is simple." Spirit said from behind Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, they turn around and see Spirit in the form of a colt that looked just like Walker, "Ah didn't see ya there, Spirit." Apple Bloom said, "I just appeared." Spirit replied, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, "So, what will happen if our family tree does come to an end?" Walker asked, "I will just call you and the males from your paternal side of the family back to continue to be soul collectors, those that are willing, if they don't want to, I'll just send them back to the afterlife." Spirit replied, "That's it?" Walker asked, "Yes." Spirit replied, "Why weren't the other worlds open to our ancestors?" Runner asked, "There were not that many souls to collect back then, but worlds got more populated over time, that is why I opened the worlds to you three." Spirit replied, "Why can't we go?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You've seen how different three of them are, several worlds are unwelcoming." Spirit replied, "Still, I wanna explore." Sweetie Belle said, "It's unwise to have three kids go alone." Runner replied, "But Walker is going to the Void on his own." Scootaloo said, "To places he knows that are safe, when we go to a new place or a dangerous place, all three of us go together." Sprinter replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, "I'll be going now, I have souls to collect." Spirit said, and he fades away, "Are you two going to do your jobs today?" Scootaloo asked, "It depends, we have to help the harpies, vulcans, and onis if they get attacked." Runner replied, "Well, I can try to get the onis to try to teach you guys." Sprinter said, the Cutie Mark Crusaders look at him as if he was crazy, "Well, I'll give it a try." Sprinter said, and he leaves his home. Sprinter walks to Yomi and the onis go to him, "I need your help today, I recently got a job as a combat instructor." Sprinter said, the onis snicker, "Good, I was hoping you all could teach my students today, let's go." Sprinter said, and he leads them. Sprinter has his class gather around the School of Friendship and the onis were there to help him, "Alright, everyone, the onis will be your opponents today, so good luck against them, who wants to go first?" Sprinter asked, his students look on and sweat, "I'll go, I mean, Princess Ember was able to take them." Smolder said while she walks forward, she gets ready to fight them and a male red oni runs to her right while a male blue oni runs to her left. Smolder tries to punch the blue oni with her right fist, but he grabs it with his right hand and begins to squash her hand, the red oni goes into her left blind spot and punches her in her neck with his right fist, Smolder exclaims and falls to her knees, the blue oni lets go of her hand and goes behind her and punches her in the back of her head with his right fist, she grunts and falls over, "Next." Sprinter said, and a unicorn stallion goes forward. The unicorn fires magic from his horn at the red oni and he strafes to his right, the blue oni kicks the stallion in his right side with his right foot and screams, he almost falls and the red oni kicks him in his left jaw with his left foot and he slides across the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, Gallus walks forward, the onis run to his blind spots and were about to punch him, Gallus flies up and makes the two punch one another, "So long, suckers." Gallus said, and he flies to the red oni and begins kicking in his face with his feet, the red oni lets out annoyed grunts but was mostly unfazed, he grabs Gallus' feet and uses his fire magic to set Gallus on fire, he screams while the blue oni grabs his shoulders from behind and uses his lightning magic to electrocute him, the two put him down and Gallus groans in pain while laying on the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, and an earth pony mare walks forward, she whimpers in fear at seeing the two onis, the red oni punches her in her left jaw with his right fist and she slides across the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, and Yona goes forward, she charges to the blue oni while screaming, he strafes to his left and goes into Yona's blind spot, he kicks her in her abdomen with his right foot and Yona grunts while falling over, the red oni runs to behind her and hits her on the back of her head with the bottom of his fists, Yona screams and becomes unconscious, "Next." Sprinter said, and Silverstream flies forward while sweating, the two onis run to her and Silverstream screams while flying away, she goes into the water and changes to a seapony, the blue oni puts his right hand in the water and electrifies it with his lightning magic, Silverstream screams while being electrocuted, she floats back up while groaning in pain, "Next." Sprinter said, and Ocellus walks forward slowly, she changes to a bugbear and flies to them, she tries to grab the two onis but they go behind her and the red oni punches it in its spine with his right fist, it roars and falls over, the red oni jumps onto its back and runs across it and punches it in the back of its head with his right fist and Ocellus changes back while laying on the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, and Sandbar walks forward, he gets cold feet and the blue oni quickly runs to him and goes behind him and hits him on the back of his head with the bottom of both of his fists, Sandbar screams and falls over. Sprinter and the two onis look and see the other students run away, Sprinter faces his students, "One important rule in fighting from Yomi: never attack your opponent from the front, always attack them in their blind spots or the back." Sprinter said, "No!" Rainbow Dash said while she and Applejack run to him, "Those are cheap shots!" Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, that ain't fair." Applejack said, "Well, when you fight the onis, expect cheap shots, the Anti-Spirit cult uses cheap shots as well." Sprinter replied, "That's it, come on, Applejack, let's take them on together." Rainbow Dash said, and the two walk to the two onis, "I'll take the blue oni, you handle the red one." Rainbow Dash said, and the two run to them. The blue oni runs to Rainbow Dash's right blind spot and tries to punch her with his right fist, Rainbow Dash quickly turns around and faces him, she flies back to dodge his fist, she flies forward and punches him in his abdomen with her front right hoof, he was unfazed, "Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked while she looks at him, the blue oni snickers and punches her in right jaw with his left fist, she grunts and slides back a bit, Rainbow Dash feels the area where she was hit, "It's not too bad." Rainbow Dash said, she sees the blue oni strafing to her right and she watches him while he tries to get into her blind spot, he runs to her and begins strafing to her left, he strafes to her right again and she keeps turning to face him while flying in the air, he ducks and goes under her, he grabs her hind hoofs and uses his lightning magic and electrocutes her, Rainbow Dash screams, she falls onto the ground and tries to stand while groaning, the blue oni stomps on her back with his right foot and knocks her back down, she screams as she falls to the ground. Applejack watches the red oni and sees him strafing to her left, she watches him easily since he was slow at running and easy to track, he tries to punch her in her face with his left fist and Applejack ducks and dodges it easily, she turns around and bucks him in abdomen, "Huh?" Applejack asked while she looks back, she sees her kick did not hurt him, the red oni snickers and punches her in her face with his left fist, Applejack exclaims while she slides forward on the ground a few inches. Applejack struggles to stay up and not fall, she regains her composure after a few seconds and turns around, "Hmph, it is rare for another species besides my own to still be standing after one hit." the red oni said, Applejack focuses and sees him strafing to her right, she faces him and he aims down and tries to punch Applejack in her sternum with his right fist, she jumps and kicks him in his face with her hind right hoof, the red oni looks to his right after getting hit but quickly turns back, the red oni tries to punch Applejack with his left fist but Applejack ducks and punches the red oni in his face with her front left hoof, it did no harm to him, the red oni then hits Applejack on the back of her neck with his left elbow, she exclaims and falls to the ground, she growls and tries to get back up, but the red oni jumps onto her back and Applejack screams when he lands on her, "You're lucky that this is just a test, if this was a real fight, I would've landed on your head." the red oni said, Applejack wobbles around and the red oni loses his balance and falls, Applejack gets up after struggling a little and was ready to keep fighting. Rainbow Dash watches the blue oni carefully and dodges each hit, she sees that while he was the faster of the two onis, he was not as fast as her, and Rainbow Dash dodges his attacks easily, she looks for openings and hits him in his chest, abdomen, and armpits, each attack did not faze him, he jumps and goes behind Rainbow Dash, he kicks her in the back of her head with his right foot and Rainbow Dash grunts, but did not fall, she turns around and flies to him and tries attacking him, he was not fazed, "Is that really your strongest?" the blue oni asked, Rainbow Dash looks at him with shock and he punches her in her left jaw with his right fist, Rainbow Dash grunts and slides back a little. Applejack focuses on the red oni and sees him running to her, she gets ready to defend herself and counter his attack, but he jumps and lands behind her, he turns around and grabs her hind hoofs, he throws her into the air and Applejack screams, she hits the ground and a crater appears, she stands up while grunting and faces the red oni, he runs to her and jumps in the air and tries to kick her with both of his feet, she ducks and runs to behind him, the red oni lands on his feet and turns around, and sees Applejack jump and lift her hind right leg up, she hits the red oni on the top of his head with the bottom of her hind left hoof, he looks down from the force but quickly composes himself, Applejack looks on with shock to see he was still unfazed, he punches Applejack in her face and slides across the ground while grunting, she stands up and Rainbow Dash grunts as she falls next to her to her right. Rainbow Dash stands up and she and Applejack look at the two onis, "Let's try switchin' around." Applejack said, and she goes after the blue oni while Rainbow Dash flies to the red one. Rainbow Dash flies to the red oni and he was ready to punch her, he tries to punch her with his left fist and Rainbow Dash flies around and dodges him easily, she tries punching and kicking him multiple times but it did nothing, the red oni tries hitting her several times but Rainbow Dash dodges all of them easily, the red oni tries to punch her with his right fist and Rainbow Dash flies to her right to dodge it, but the red oni quickly pulls his fist back and punches Rainbow Dash with his left fist, Rainbow Dash screams as she flies through the air, she flaps her wings and does a flip in the air, she flies to him again and tries attacking him again, "Wow, you're weak when compared to the other one." the red oni said, Rainbow Dash looks at him with disbelief and he punches her in her face with his left fist while she was distracted, Rainbow Dash screams and she hits the ground this time and slides across it. The blue oni moves around quickly and hits Applejack several times, "This ain't too bad, them punches feel like regular ant bites." Applejack said, the blue oni continues attacking her and Applejack tries to buck him, but he moves too fast to get hit, so Applejack punches him with her front left hoof and hits his abdomen, he lets out a small grunt and continues to focus, Applejack jumps and kicks him with his hind hoofs and hits him in his chest, he grunts a little but did not slide back, Applejack tries to hit him again, but the blue oni keeps switching directions of strafing around her and begins hitting her in her blind spots and back, Applejack exclaims and falls over. Rainbow Dash and Applejack groan and were on the ground, "What do you two think?" Sprinter asked, "I think they both have potential." the blue oni replied, the red oni nods, "Well, let's take a break." Sprinter said, and the two onis go back while the people they fought continue to recover. Runner teaches his students and the souls of the dead were running with them again, they finish a lap and the foals pant, "Why don't the creatures from the other worlds join us for?" a filly asked, "Well, those three worlds don't have track, and only the onis run, the harpies and vulcans usually just fly." Runner replied, "The onis can't fly?" a colt asked, "No, but they can jump really high, and their ruler can teleport." Runner replied, the foals look at him while speechless, "Come on, let's keep running, we're behind on schedule." Runner said, and they all stretch a little and run again, Runner runs with no problem but his students and the dead souls running with them pant after finishing their next run, "Runner, do you have any hobbies outside of your career?" another colt asked, "Reading about the royal guards, I'm a big fan of anything related to honor and chivalry." Runner replied, "Did your wife know about the Void?" another filly asked, "Actually, no, I never told her about it." Runner replied, "That's wrong, Runner." a third filly said, "I know, but if I did, she wouldn't believe me." Runner replied, the foals become speechless, "Yeah, I'd have a hard time believing that, too." a third colt said, "It wasn't just me, my dad never told my mom about it, either." Runner replied, "Do you still wish you had a daughter, Runner?" a fourth filly asked, "Sometimes, but I'm happy to have Walker." Runner replied, "I don't know if you'd be able to handle raising two kids on your own." a fourth colt said, "I would try my best, and remember, my dad's also around to help me." Runner replied, "Still, that's so sad, they never get to have a mother's love." the first filly said, "I didn't get a mother's love, either, but remember, my dad didn't get a father's love, either." Runner replied, the foals remember seeing Sprinter's childhood, "Well, let's continue." Runner said, and he runs with the foals following him. Walker was at Sweet Apple Acres and plays tag with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, they run around and Walker was it, he runs around and sees the souls of Bright Mac and Pear Butter watching them, he keeps running and the Cutie Mark Crusaders run away from him. Walker runs faster and runs after Scootaloo, "Tag!" Walker said, and he runs away with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle while Scootaloo runs after them, she runs after them and touches Apple Bloom, "You're it." Scootaloo said, and she, Walker, and Sweetie Belle run away from her, Apple Bloom runs after them and touches Sweetie Belle, "Yer it." Apple Bloom said, and she, Walker, and Scootaloo run away from her, Sweetie Belle runs after them and touches Walker, "Tag, you're it." Sweetie Belle said, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders run away from him. Walker runs after them and was getting bored already, he shoots a black skeletal hand out of his front right hoof and at a plant in the ground, Walker goes near it and was in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the three turn around and run away from him, Walker makes the skeletal arm come out again and he grabs a wagon wheel and goes to it and he was to their lefts, the three turn to their rights and run away, he sees the three running to the barn, Walker makes the skeletal arm come out again and grabs the roof and he goes into the air and through the sky, "Woo-hoo!" Walker said while he was in the air, the Cutie Mark Crusaders stop running and see him land on the roof, "What's wrong?" Walker asked, "Ah wanna swing around." Apple Bloom replied, "Me too." Sweetie Belle said, "And I can't fly, that looks fun." Scootaloo said, Walker thinks for a minute and teleports back down to them, "Grab onto me." Walker said, and they do, Walker shoots the skeletal arm out of his front right hoof again and swings in the air while Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle hold onto him tightly, "Whee." Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said together, they go through the air while Walker grabs things with his skeletal arm and they swing around through the air and have fun. Twilight Sparkle walks to Chrysaor and goes to go see the vulcans, "Excuse me." Twilight Sparkle said, the vulcans face her, "You all know a spell to cure people from being possessed, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, but we do not know if we can teach it to you." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Please, you must try, we don't have any countermeasures against the souls of the dead." Twilight Sparkle said, "You got Walker, Runner, and Sprinter to deal with them." Elder Hephaestus replied, "They're not always around to deal with them." Twilight Sparkle said, "Hmm, true." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Please, Elder Hephaestus, I need to learn the spell so I can cure the possessed ponies without killing them." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, those three do help us a lot with the Possessed, Undead, and Anti-Spirit cult, I guess it's time I return the favor and help their land." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Thank you, Elder Hephaestus, this means a lot to me." Twilight Sparkle said, and he leads her to their home. Twilight Sparkle sees Elder Hephaestus cast the spell by shooting a yellow blast out of his right hand, Twilight Sparkle watches and tries to cast the spell with her horn, "Do you not shoot magic out of your hoofs?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "No, it has to be cast with our horns." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I see, maybe we should try having a soul possess a dead body." Elder Hephaestus said, and a vulcan soul goes into the ground, it bursts open and a decaying corpse of the bear and boar hybrid animal comes up. Twilight Sparkle was uneasy at seeing the decaying corpse but composes herself, she tries to cast a spell but changes the animal into a big pumpkin, "Oh, um, give me time to warm up." Twilight Sparkle said, and she casts a few spells, most of them were telekinesis and teleporting spells, she teleports back, "Alright, I think I'm ready." Twilight Sparkle said, and she tries to cast the spell, she ends up giving the pumpkin wings, she tries again and casts another spell, she makes the pumpkin grow bird legs, Twilight Sparkle rolls her eyes and tries again, she makes the pumpkin grow a mouth and teeth, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, and she tries again, she changes the pumpkin to a turnip, Twilight Sparkle begins to seethe, "No need to get angry, it will only make things worse." Elder Hephaestus said, "Can I see the spell again?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Elder Hephaestus shoots a yellow blast out of his right hand and at the turnip, the soul is forced out of the turnip, it floats back in and possesses it, "Didn't you guys write it down?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, my parents created the spell and passed it to me orally, I did the same to the others, we did not record it." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Why not?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Some creatures of the Anti-Spirit cult would want to learn it so they can force the soul possessing someone out so they can take over for themselves and spy on us and the other creatures who worship Spirit." Elder Hephaestus replied, Twilight Sparkle becomes speechless while she did see his point, "Let's continue." Elder Hephaestus said, and Twilight Sparkle casts several spells, each spell did something different, the vulcans were impressed at some of Twilight Sparkle's spell, they were mostly impressed by her spell to freeze people in place, "Maybe you should take a break and try again." Elder Hephaestus said, and she does. Twilight Sparkle rests for twenty minutes before trying again, she tries again and casts another spell that makes herself change to a seapony, "Hmm, you might have to practice a bit more, creating the spell to force the spirits possessing things out took my parents decades to make." Elder Hephaestus said, "Yeah, you're probably right, I'll try again another time." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she leaves and goes to Yomi. Champion Lucius sits in his throne and his fortress' doors open, he looks and sees Twilight Sparkle come in, "Twilight Sparkle, what brings you here?" Champion Lucius asked, "I want to learn your telekinesis." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Don't you have telekinesis of your own?" Champion Lucius asked, "Yes, but it's not electrified like yours, so I'm wondering if you're using some kind of advanced magic." Twilight Sparkle replied, "No, it is a natural ability for the oni tribe I am from." Champion Lucius said, "Wait, you're not the two onis fused together into one?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, far from it, the red and blue onis now are the only oni tribes left, the rest were destroyed by our world's civil war, I am the last remaining member of my tribe." Champion Lucius replied, "How did onis as strong as you go extinct?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We were attacked by either even stronger onis or overpowered by a big number of weaker onis." Champion Lucius replied, "Oh, well, can I learn your telekinesis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Twilight Sparkle, remember, the magic of Yomi is different from Equestria's, that goes for every world, you should know that after seeing the humans." Champion Lucius replied, "Still, if I can learn it, then I wish to study it." Twilight Sparkle said, "The lightning in my telekinesis comes from inside of my body." Champion Lucius replied, "Oh, well, can you try to teach me?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I don't think I can." Champion Lucius replied, "I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I was wondering how paralyzing telekinesis was possible." Twilight Sparkle said, "Perhaps you should cast magic and spiritual energy together." Champion Lucius replied, "I don't know how to use spiritual energy." Twilight Sparkle said, "Oh right, it is invisible and unknown in your world, and Equestria doesn't have Spirit in any of their cultures." Champion Lucius replied, "So, how is spiritual energy used?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is used by gathering it inside of your body and making it take its shape based off of your imagination, that is how Walker, Runner, and Sprinter form their weapons, those four special powers of theirs are from Spirit himself." Champion Lucius replied, "But how does one gain the ability to use it in the first place?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Meditation, it increases your willpower to not only resist possession, but the ability to use spiritual energy." Champion Lucius replied, "Meditation, I'll have to give it a try." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you have anything else to ask?" Champion Lucius asked, "Actually, yes, how did you know Princess Celestia when you came to Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have my ways." Champion Lucius replied, Twilight Sparkle becomes unhappy with his answer, "That is all I have to say, if you're still wondering about Zecora, go see Fluttershy, she and Walker have found out what has happened to her." Champion Lucius said, Twilight Sparkle just turns around and walks out of his fortress. Everybody in Ponyville goes on with their days and everybody stops what they were doing when they see Zecora arrive into the town, "Zecora? Where were you?" Rainbow Dash asked, "While I was not here, in the afterlife, I was there." Zecora replied, "Why did you perform the ritual to go there for, Zecora?" Fluttershy asked, "Wait, what ritual?" Applejack asked, "While my kind cannot see the souls, we are well taught about their roles." Zecora replied, "So, why did you go to the afterlife for?" Fluttershy asked, "My family has long been dead, and them, I miss, being able to see them again made me feel such bliss." Zecora replied, "Oh, so you went to go see your family." Twilight Sparkle said, Zecora nods, "Wait, what is going on over there?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and she runs to the grass in front of the School of Friendship. Sprinter and the onis continue to instruct their students, the onis attack the students from their blind spots and knock them down, they pant and Yona gets back up, "Yona... can... keep going." Yona said, "You all went up against two onis, let's see how things are when you're up against three." Sprinter said, and three red onis walk forward. Yona charges to them and two red onis went to her left while the the third one goes to her right, the first red oni punches her in her jaw with his left fist from her left blind spot, the second red oni punches her in her jaw with his right fist from her right blind spot, Yona screams as she gets pushed to her sides by the force of the punches, the red oni goes behind her and slams the bottom of his fists onto Yona's neck, she screams and falls over, "See, when up against two onis, you have a chance, but when you're up against three onis, you're screwed." Sprinter said, he looks and sees his students were all groaning and on the ground, "One more thing, if this was a real fight, the onis would be ganging up on you and attacking you from all directions when you're down on the ground like that." Sprinter said, some of his students exclaim and scream in shock and look at him, "Enough!" Twilight Sparkle said while she ran to the area, "That's enough, I will not have my students be endangered when learning basic combat!" Twilight Sparkle said, "Can any of you stand up for another round?" Sprinter asked, "No! These fights are over!" Twilight Sparkle said angrily, "It's not over until all of your opponents are dead." a male red oni replied, "NO!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled angrily, she hears groaning and sees Sprinter's students were in a lot of pain, "You're supposed to be teaching them basic combat, Sprinter." Twilight Sparkle said, "I am." Sprinter replied, "What part of your job tells you to teach them cheap shots?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I'm not teaching them cheap shots, I'm teaching them to be prepared for it." Sprinter replied, "Ugh, just end the class for today, Sprinter, you think it'll be best to let Rainbow Dash teach them a few things." Twilight Sparkle said, "Alright, go home, everyone." Sprinter said, and his students struggle to get up but manage to, they walk home while Sprinter looks around and sees the ponies, harpies, and vulcans have gathered around to see what Twilight Sparkle was mad about, he sees Walker and Runner within the crowd, "Come on, Runner and Walker, let's call it a day." Sprinter said, and the two walk to him. Everybody gets ready to head home and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter see white mist appear in front of them, the ground freezes and a bipedal creature who looked like a black skeleton appears, it was wearing blue armor that covered its entire body, a helmet that left its face exposed and had white downwards horns on its sides, it wielded a sword in its left hand and a shield in its right hand, both were made out of ice, "I have finally found you three, receivers of Spirit's powers, the Anti-Spirit cult has demanded your deaths." the creature said, and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter summon swords in their front right hoofs and pistols in their front left hoofs. The creature swings his sword around and sends out a light blue wave, the three duck and they look back and see the wave freeze whatever it touched, the three quickly turn around and shoot him with their pistols, but he blocks the bullets with his shield, Sprinter changes his sword to a sledgehammer and teleports to the creature, he swings the hammer and hits the shield and cracks it, Walker and Runner change their swords to sledgehammers and teleport to him, Runner hits his shield next and cracks it even more, Walker hits the shield next and breaks it. The creature slashes his sword horizontally and Walker grunts as he got hit, he falls to the ground and the creature jumps and tries to stab his sword into Walker, but he teleports away before the sword hits him, the creature stabs the sword into the ground and freezes the area around him. The harpies, vulcans, and onis join in to fight the creature and the harpies throw boomerangs and scratch his armor, he tries to swing his sword around but a male vulcan grabs the sword with his left hand and breaks it in half, the creature uses his ice magic and fix his sword and make another shield appear, a blue oni tries electrocuting him by grabbing him from behind, it did nothing, the creature swings around and gets the blue oni off, a red oni jumps onto him from behind and uses his fire magic on him, but their magics cancel out one another. Elder Hephaestus flies forward and punches the creature several times, he grunts after each punch and was on his knees after a few punches. The creature was on his knees and Walker, Runner, Sprinter, the harpies, vulcans, and onis get ready to kill him, "No! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle said while she and Starlight Glimmer run to the creature, "Don't kill him, you all are supposed to forgive and offer him his friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, the harpies boo while the vulcans and onis jeer at her, shocking her, "Enough! You guys aren't going to offer him friendship?" Twilight Sparkle asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, "Why won't you harpies offer friendship?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "He tried to strike a downed opponent, he fights with dishonor." Adetokunbo replied, Twilight Sparkle stares them with disapproval before turning her attention to the vulcans, "What about you vulcans, what's your reason?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We find it to be an act of stupidity." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What? No, it's not, look at me, I used to be a bad pony, I was offered forgiveness and friendship, and I'm now helping others." Starlight Glimmer said, "We still find such an act to be idiotic." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What abot you onis, why do you all refuse to offer friendship?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is considered surrendering to the enemy in our culture, which is considered cowardly and shameful." a blue oni replied, "Is it really that big of a deal?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is punishable by death." a red oni replied, "WHAT?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You heard us, if we forgive him and offer him friendship, we will be labeled cowards and bring shame onto ourselves, which in turn will cause our own kind to hunt us down and kill us." the blue oni replied, Twilight Sparkle look at him with her eyes and mouth wide open. Starlight Glimmer holds her front right hoof out to the creature, "We are naturally friendly creatures who forgive our enemies, we have no connection to Spirit in any way, I'd like to welcome you to Equestria." Starlight Glimmer said, the creature looks at her and reaches out to her slowly with his right hand, he grabs her hoof and snickers, he pulls her forward and forms an ice dagger in his left hand and stabs her in the back of her neck, Starlight Glimmer screams in pain, "It doesn't matter if you have no knowledge of Spirit or him in your culture, anyone who gets in our way must be killed, and every member of their species must be killed until extinct, their world then must be destroyed, and all of their fauna hunted until extinction, that is the way of the Anti-Spirit cult." the creature said, Elder Hephaestus flies to him and punches his head off with his right fist from behind and Runner absorbs his soul. Starlight Glimmer lays on the ground and was unresponsive, "Quick, somepony get her to the hospital!" Twilight Sparkle said, and two Pegasi grab her and fly away, "Ugh! The harpies only befriend those who fight fair, the vulcans see befriending your enemy as an idiotic move, and the onis will be labelled cowards and killed by their own kind. How am I supposed to spread friendship to people like these?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, everybody just left while Twilight Sparkle vents. Runner goes to the Void and gives the soul to The Judge, he comes back to Ponyville and heads home with Walker and Sprinter, the three enter their home and close the door, they hear footsteps in their bedroom and the three close their eyes' and their visions become dark blue, they see three light blue figures moving, they were bipedal, the three summon their swords and pistols and sit at the table. The three close their eyes' and reopen them to make their visions normal, they hear the intruders coming and were behind them, the three quickly turn around and fire a bullet from their pistols, but they hear a crack and a clang, the three see their intruders, they were all wearing one-piece long-sleeve jumpsuits and featureless metal masks that covered their entire faces, and wore mid-calf length boots, the three see a few differences, the one behind Walker was wearing bronze colored clothes, and the intruder's hands and feet seemed to be made out of brown rock, the one behind Runner was wearing silver colored clothes, and it had a metallic right arm and left leg, and while its left eye was silver and normal, its right eye was completely red and robotic, and the one behind Sprinter was wearing gold colored clothes, and its body seemed to be made out of gold crocodile skin, but the intruder's right index finger, middle finger, pinky, left ring finger, middle finger, and right eye were gold and transparent. The three let out battle cries and tries to attack the three, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter realize all three of them were males, the three run around in a circle around them while screaming, the bronze one attacks Walker, the silver one attacks Runner, and the gold one attacks Sprinter. Walker dodges the bronze intruder's punches and he put craters in the wall, Walker looks and sees green wind around each of his fists, Walker jumps and kicks the bronze intruder in his face with his hind right hoof and cracks his mask, the bronze intruder continues trying to hit Walker, but he runs under his fist and the intruder chases him. Runner blocks the silver intruder's punches with his front forelegs, he jumps and kicks Runner in his chin with his left foot, Runner grunts and slides back a few millimeters, the silver intruder lets out another battle cry and tries to do a knifehand strike with his right hand, Runner blocks it with his front left foreleg and the silver intruder jumps back. Sprinter ducks under the gold intruder's punches and punches back when he rises back up, the gold intruder's mask protects his face, Sprinter looks at the gold intruder's body and sees the gold and transparent parts of his body acted normally, he jumps and tries to kick him with his hind right leg, the gold intruder blocks it with his right forearm, Sprinter then kicks him in the face with his hind left leg and cracks his mask, the two move around and punch and kick one another until the three intruders were all in one place while fighting and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter shoot them with their pistols, the three grunt and fall over. The three intruders groan in pain while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter pant, "Who are these three?" Walker asked, "I don't know, but they're likely members of the Anti-Spirit cult." Runner replied, "First thing tomorrow, we leave Ponyville." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner nod in agreement, they hear groaning and see the three intruders getting up, the three shot dark blue and orange fire out of their front right hoofs to burn them, they fall back down and stop moving. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter look at them and the three look out the window to see if anypony was watching them and wondering what the noises were, but no one was there, the three hear walking behind them and quickly turn around, they see the three intruders walking to them, the top halves of their jumpsuits burned off, and their masks were destroyed, they see the gold and silver intruders looked like humans and had crocodile-like skin, the bronze intruder was made completely out of brown rocks and had blue water come out of his bullet holes, the silver intruder had metal prosthetics for his entire right arm, his chest, and he had an artificial heart, the three realize he was a cyborg, and the gold intruder had gold and transparent legs, his left leg was missing below the knee, and his right leg was missing below the thigh, and a gold and transparent mandible, "What the?" Walker asked, "I see, so one uses magic, one uses technology, and one uses spiritual energy." Runner said, "Focus, you two, here they come." Sprinter said, and the three run around them in a counterclockwise circle while letting out battle cries. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter watch them carefully, the three intruders jump and try to kick them, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport away and the three intruders run to them. Walker fights the bronze intruder and he tries punching Walker several times, he dodges them and sees the bronze intruder have green gusts of wind appear around his arms, he tries punching again and was faster, Walker dodges several of them until he is hit in his left jaw by the intruder's right fist, he grunts and falls over, the bronze intruder leans down and grabs Walker's neck with his hands, he begins to choke him while Walker gags, he lifts him up and looks at him while chuckling, Walker changes his sword to a hammer and begins hitting the bronze intruder on the back of his head, the bronze intruder groans a bit and blue water falls from his head and he falls over, Walker sees him crawling towards him and he shoots him in the head four times, each shot made him go in the air and he falls over dead after the last shot, his skin changes back to normal, but the lower half of his right arm, his left hand, and the lower of half of his right leg remain as rocks, he had bronze crocodile-like skin, and the water from his body changes to red blood. Runner holds the silver intruder's hands back and he shoots red beams from his robotic eye, Runner strafes side-to-side to dodge them, he aims directly at his face and he teleports to behind the silver intruder, he turns around and tries to slash him with his right arm's claws, Runner stabs him in his artifcial heart with his sword and he groans, but the silver intruder stands his ground and limps towards him, Runner panics and begins shooting him in his heart, he still limps towards him while black oil and red blood leak out, Runner panics more and begins aiming his pistol at his head, he fires several shots and he stops in place, he hears him powering down and his red eye turns off and he falls over dead, Runner sighs in relief. Sprinter and the gold intruder wrestle with one another and Sprinter was on the ground, he kicks the gold intruder in his groin and he grunts in pain and loses his grip, Sprinter stands up and was behind him, the gold intruder turns around and sees his two allies were dead, he looks at them and a tear falls from his left eye, Sprinter looks back and sees the two dead intruders, the gold intruder screams in rage and runs towards him with his arms out to the sides, Sprinter aims his pistol at his head and fires it into the center of his forehead, he ducks under his right arm and the gold intruder stops running and falls over dead, the gold and transparent parts disappear and his amputations could be seen clearly. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter look at the three dead intruders and their souls come out of their bodies to attack them, the three fire their pistols and destroy their body forms and Walker absorbs the bronze intruder's soul, Runner absorbs the silver one, and Sprinter absorbs the gold one, "Let's go to bed, we'll give the souls to The Judge in our dreams." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner nod and the three go to their beds and sleep. Day 16Walker, Runner, and Sprinter were in the Void in their dreams and were meditating, they finish after sometime and go to The Judge and gave him the three souls, The Judge looks at the one Walker gave him, "Male, from the world Unifer." The Judge said, "You two know that world?" Walker asked, "Nope, don't know that one." Runner replied, "Me neither." Sprinter said, The Judge checks the other two souls, "These two are from that world as well." The Judge said, "Are they members of the Anti-Spirit cult?" Runner asked, "Yes." The Judge replied, "Alright, let's train for the rest of the night, we pack up and leave when we wake up." Sprinter said, the two nod and they go back to the temple and meditate together. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter wake up the next morning and the three start packing up, they pack up their things and head outside, the residents of Ponyville tell them to wait and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle run to them, "What are you three doing?" Sweetie Belle asked, "We're moving." Walker replied, "What? Why?" Scootaloo asked, "We got attacked by the Anti-Spirit cult yesterday evening, they found us, we have to leave before more of them show up." Runner replied, "What? Let me see them." Twilight Sparkle said, and the three bring the three intruders outside, the people in Ponyville gasp, "Wait, you three didn't offer to their friends?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They were there to kill us!" Walker replied, "You didn't bother to hear them out?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Princess Twilight! They would've killed us if we didn't fight back, and you saw what happened to Starlight Glimmer when she tried to offer friendship." Walker replied, "But the Anti-Spirit cult is made up of many different types of creatures, right? You should try giving them a chance." Twilight Sparkle said, Walker glares at her. Fighting was heard and everybody saw the Undead in Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi, the harpies, vulcans, and onis fight them and destroy them all, "As we said, we have to move, but we'll still come here for school and work." Sprinter said, "I have to remove the harpies, vulcans, and onis as well." Spirit said, the others look at the three worlds and see him in front of them, "Due to the Possessed and Undead being common in their worlds, I have to separate them from this world for your safeties." Spirit said, "No, please, Spirit, I still want to spread friendship." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Maybe another time, when you have a better understanding of the other worlds." Spirit said, Twilight Sparkle looks down, Spirit uses his powers to separate Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi from Ponyville and everything was back to normal, "I bid you all farewell." Spirit said, and he disappears, "Well, we should get going as well." Princess Luna said, and she flies away with Princess Celestia, "Well, if that's everything, I'll be going back home then." Sunset Shimmer said, and she goes to Twilight Sparkle's castle and through the mirror, "Princess Twilight, the spell." Walker said, "Oh, right." Twilight Sparkle said, and she undoes the spell she cast on Walker and the souls of the dead become invisible again, "Well, let's go." Sprinter said, "Guys, wait." Silverstream said while she runs to them, "You three are leaving, right?" Silverstream asked, "Yeah, why?" Walker asked, "Well, I was wondering if you three could find the king of my kind." Silverstream replied, "The king of the hippogriffs? Why?" Runner asked, "Well, you see, he's my uncle, and he died while protecting us from the Storm King, and I miss him so much, I was hoping you three could find his soul for me." Silverstream replied, "We'll see what we can do." Sprinter said, "Thank you, I hope you three can find him." Silverstream replied, "Alright, let's go." Sprinter said, and he walks out of Ponyville with Walker and Runner. It was a normal day in Ponyville and the foals go to school, the souls could no longer be heard conversing, "I miss Walker already." Sweetie Belle said, "Me too." Scootaloo replied, the other students agree, "Give him time, class, he said he'll come back here after his family is done moving." Cheerilee said, "Ah want him back now." Apple Bloom said, the students agree, "Just wait a bit, hopefully, they will be back soon." Cheerilee replied, and class continues. Runner's and Sprinter's students all do what they were taught and missed their teachers already and wished for them back, Runner's students keep running and stretching while Sprinter's students fought one another to learn self-defense, "It's different without Runner." a filly said, "Yeah, there's no one to lead us or teach us." a colt replied, "And those souls are not here to run with us." a second filly said, "Our class feels empty without them." a third filly replied, "Well, I guess we're not running today." a second colt said, and they go home. Sprinter's students try to fight one another and learn new things, "It's no fun without Sprinter." Gallus said, "Well, look on the bright side, no more cheap shots and low blows." Sandbar replied, "That's true, I'm still bummed out I didn't get to teach Walker how to meditate, though." Ocellus said, "Well, maybe when they come back here after moving." Smolder replied, "Friends go on without Yona, Yona still recovering from yesterday." Yona said, "Okay, we'll be here when you're ready." Silverstream replied, and they all continue to train on their own while Yona sits and recovers from fighting the onis yesterday. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter go back to their old home and unpack, they lived in the middle of the woods with no neighbors, "We had to move back here, granddad?" Walker asked, "Well, I think it's a better option than going in a cave." Sprinter replied, "It is the safest place now, just remember to keep a low profile here, Walker." Runner said, "Yes, dad." Walker replied, and he has salad for breakfast and heads outside. Walker walks around the woods and sees Genghis was there as well, he walks to him, "Here to train, Walker?" Genghis asked, "Yeah, what are you doing back here, though?" Walker asked, "Well, since you and your family aren't in Ponyville anymore, I'd figured that I should come back here as well." Genghis replied, "Ah." Walker said, "Well, let's train." Genghis said, and he makes sixteen targets appear again. Walker does the wall jump again and messes up near the top again, he tries again and actually passes that time, "Yes." Walker said, "What do you think made you pass that? Practicing enough times, or did you just get lucky?" Genghis asked, "It feels like I got lucky." Walker replied, "Then you have to do it again." Genghis said, Walker rolls his eyes and does it again and passes, "Oh maybe it was practice after all." Walker said, "Would you like to continue training?" Genghis asked, "No, I'd like to take it easy today." Walker replied, "*chuckle* Very well." Genghis said, and he goes back home, and he, Runner, and Sprinter teleport. Ponyville was a regular day and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to the outskirts of Ponyville and walk in, they come and the people in Ponyville greet them, the three went to where they usually went for their days, "WALKER!!" the students said excitedly, "Hi, guys." Walker replied, and they run to hug him, he hugs them back and they let go, Walker sits in his seat, "Where did you go, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "My family and I just moved back to our old home." Walker replied, "Where is it?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Why do you want to know?" Walker asked, "I was thinking about visiting you." Sweetie Belle replied, "My old home is very far away from here." Walker said, "Where do you live?" Sweetie Belle asked, "In the middle of the woods." Walker replied, "Where are the woods located?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Southern Equestria, close to the Bone Dry Desert." Walker replied, "Oh, that is far." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah." Walker replied, "Walker, Sweetie Belle, it's work time." Cheerilee said, and the two work, Sweetie Belle sees Walker was irritated as always due to the voices of the souls of the dead distracting him, but he works. Runner and Sprinter go back to their jobs and everybody was happy, Runner runs with his students and they end up running around where Sprinter teaches self-defense, "Son, careful, your students might end up getting hit by mine." Sprinter said, and Runner and his students run farther away from him and his students, Sprinter teaches his students basic grabs and grapples and throws some of the students over his shoulders, the two teach their students and they all have fun. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna run Canterlot and the ponies start screaming, the two head out to the balcony and see skeleton ponies attacking Canterlot, objects with light blue outlines floating around in the air and being thrown at their subjects, and ponies with light blue flames in their eyes', "What is going on?" Princess Luna asked, they see their subjects being attacked by an unseen force and Princess Celestia realizes what was going on, "We need Sprinter and his family here, I'll send a letter." Princess Celestia said, and she goes back to her throne room and begins writing. Twilight Sparkle and Spike visit the hospital and go see Starlight Glimmer, she was unconscious in the bed, "How is she?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "She was bleeding a lot when we took the dagger out, we had to stitch up the wound and put a bandage on it, her heart's been stable so far." Nurse Redheart replied, "Is she going to be okay?" Spike asked, "At this rate, yes." Nurse Redheart replied, "Where is the dagger?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It melted last night." Nurse Redheart replied, "That's too bad, I was hoping to study its properties." Twilight Sparkle said, Spike hiccups and burps with fire coming out, a letter appears and he reads it, "It's from Princess Celestia, she said the souls of the dead are invading Canterlot, she needs Walker, Runner, and Sprinter there now." Spike said, "Let's go get them." Twilight Sparkle replied, and the two go to get them. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter arrive in Canterlot and see the ponies being possessed and others attacked, Twilight Sparkle casts a spell on Walker's eyes and the souls of the dead become visible, everybody sees them attacking the others, "You all go on, we'll deal with them." Runner said, "No, we deal with them together." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they see the royal guards get overwhelmed and possessed by the souls of the dead and they go to Canterlot Castle. Twilight Sparkle teleports herself and the others to Canterlot Castle and they see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna firing zaps at the possessed ponies to subdue them, "Where is the leader?" Princess Luna asked, chuckling was heard and an earth pony soul as tall and muscular as Big Macintosh appears, "Looking for me, Celestia and Luna?" the stallion asked, "Dad?" Sprinter asked, the others realize it was Jumper, "Step aside, Equestria's mine." Jumper said, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity fire destructive spells at him and his army, but their zaps go through them, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You cannot harm what is already dead." Jumper said, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna back away in fear, "Go, Equestria's ours to conquer." Jumper said, and they begin to invade Canterlot, "We'll deal with the souls, we leave the Possessed, Revived, and skeletons to you guys." Walker said, and they all go. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter fight the souls and destroy several of them with one hit, Runner fights them directly with his sword while Walker and Sprinter stand in the back and shoot them, much to Runner's dismay, he continues to fight the souls of the dead with his sword and absorbs them when they turn into floating flames, the souls float and possess the objects around them and fly up and go to Walker and Sprinter, the two shoot them and Walker dodges a vase that was thrown at him by rolling to his right. The souls run and fly to Walker and Sprinter and Sprinter teleports to behind the souls of the dead and shoots them in the back and absorbs them, they turn around and go to him and Walker shoots them from behind, and Runner runs around and attacks the invading souls with his sword, they finish and see all of the souls were gone, "That was easy." Walker said, "It's just beginning." Sprinter replied, and they see the others struggling, "Let's go." Runner said, and they teleport around to help the others. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity fire magic from their horns to deal with the Possessed and skeletons, the royal guards go to them and attack them with their spears, and Twilight Sparkle is forced to cast restraining spells on them. Rainbow Dash fights the skeletons and destroys most of them with one punch, one tries to sneak up on Applejack from behind and she bucks him and destroys the skeleton, destroying the skeletons releases the souls possessing them and they would attack them directly, "How are we supposed to fight this?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Ah don't know, but we can at least deal with the skeletons and possessed people." Applejack replied, the souls punch them from their blind spots and knock them down. Pinkie Pie throws pies at them and she was somehow able to hit the souls, she dashes away and comes back with her party cannon, "Party!" Pinkie Pie said with excitement and fires it, some of the souls get blasted away. Fluttershy whimpers while she stands in front of a unicorn soul who was about to attack her, "Um, is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Fluttershy asked, the unicorn zaps her and she yelps as she flies through the air and falls, she tries to get up and the souls gang up on her and attack her from all directions, Fluttershy grunts and cries while the souls beat her up, one flies into her and possesses her, her eyes have light blue fire come out of them and she flies around while smiling menacingly. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity cast restraining spells on the Possessed, they all grow arms out of their shoulders and try to undo the magic around them, so they grow bigger in size and the magic restraining them grows along with it, they see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna casting various spells in hopes one will undo their possessions, "Anything so far?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No." Princess Luna replied, and Twilight Sparkle tries, they could not undo the possessions while they modified the bodies of the possessed ponies, Pegasi souls fly to them to attack them and the unicorn souls shoot magic at Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity, zaps hit the four, they grunt and fall over, they see the souls coming to fight them, "Walker, Runner, and Sprinter deal with this every day?" Rarity asked, "I think so." Twilight Sparkle replied, they see the souls coming to them to attack. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter appear and slash the souls with their swords, but they did not become flames after one hit, "It's been a long time, Sprinter." one Pegasus soul said, "You know them, dad?" Runner asked, "Unfortunately, yes, most of these souls were in the gang Jumper led when he was alive." Sprinter replied, the three fight the souls and they shoot them while they block their sword attacks and they turn into flames and the three absorb them. Green fire appears in their sights and they look to the lefts, they see Spike using his fire breath in hopes of attacking the souls, but while his fire did have some effect on the skeletons, it went through the souls without harming them, the ponies gag from the smell of the burning bones. Spike is tackled from his left and he grunts, he falls over and sees Fluttershy, "Fluttershy?" Spike asked, "No." Fluttershy replied with her own voice and a male voice, "No, she's possessed." Twilight Sparkle said, "Fluttershy! Nooooooo!" Pinkie Pie said, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to her and were about to stab their swords into her, "No!" Twilight Sparkle said while she casts telekinesis to pull Fluttershy away, "You three can't do that! She's a bearer of an Element of Harmony." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm sorry, Princess Twilight, but the only way to free her now is to kill her." Runner replied, "No, it can't be." Twilight Sparkle said, "She's right, there has to be another way." Princess Luna said, "Say hello to your new friend." Fluttershy said, and she flies forward and tries to punch Twilight Sparkle with her front hoofs, but Rarity casts telekinesis to restrain her, "Reinforcements." Sprinter said, they all look and see more souls of the dead coming to invade them, the ponies stop fighting since they see there were hundreds of dead souls coming to invade them, "Genghis, we need you now!" Walker said, running is heard souls come from their rights, they all look and see Genghis running into battle with his solders behind him, they attack the invading souls, Genghis walks to Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "Having all the fun without me?" Genghis asked, "Never." Runner replied, Genghis chuckles and he runs back to lead his army to fight the invading army. Rainbow Dash and Applejack punch and kick the skeletons and destroy them, the remaining skeletons fall and the souls possessing them come out, one flies into Rainbow Dash's back and tries to possess her. Rainbow Dash grunts while she resists the possession and the others look at her, Rainbow Dash continues to grunt, "Get... out... of... my... body!" Rainbow Dash said while she continues to resist, she begins to scream and then let out a loud grunt while standing on her hind legs and holding her front legs out, the soul trying to possess her is shot out of her body, Walker and Runner look on with surprise at seeing that Rainbow Dash's willpower was strong enough to resist possession, "Ha! In your face! Nopony is going to take control of me!" Rainbow Dash said, "A little help here, y'all?" Applejack asked, and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to them fight the souls, the three get overwhelmed, so they summon dark blue flames around themselves that spin counterclockwise around them and teleport around, they burn the souls and they turn into light blue flames and three absorb them into themselves, they all go back to the others. The others look and see the possessed Fluttershy trying to break from her magical bonds, "You'll be through when I get you all." Fluttershy said, the three look and see Genghis' army fighting the invading souls, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to fight them, Runner fights the opponents directly with his sword while Walker and Sprinter shoot the invading ponies who were fighting Genghis' army in the back of their heads, Sprinter looks back and sees Jumper was leading them from the very back, "Grandson, I leave them to you and Runner, I'm going to go see Jumper." Sprinter said, "Okay." Walker replied, and Sprinter runs to him. Sprinter runs to Jumper and he sees him coming, "You're still alive, Sprinter, I thought you'd be dead by now." Jumper said, "I've kept my body in shape." Sprinter replied, Jumper scoffs and teleports away. Sprinter looks around and Jumper appears behind him and tries to slash him with a sword in his front right hoof, Sprinter holds the sword over his own back and behind himself and blocks it, Jumper teleports again and appears on Sprinter's back while having his front legs wrapped around his neck, Sprinter gags while he swings around to get Jumper off, he did not, so he teleports and appears behind him and in the air, he slashes the back of his head with his sword, Jumper grunts and quickly turns around and does a horizontal slash with his sword, Sprinter falls from the gravity and the sword misses him, Jumper punches him with his front left hoof, Sprinter grunts and he falls over and slides on the ground, he stands back up, Jumper holds his front legs up and the pony souls willing to obey him appear around him, he holds his front right hoof out and they go to attack Sprinter. Sprinter shoots them with his pistol and destroys their body forms with one hit, the flames float away. Jumper teleports away and appears behind Walker, Sprinter teleports to behind him and tries to attack him, but Jumper appears in front of Walker and tries to make Sprinter attack him, Sprinter stops and teleports away, he appears in front of him, Sprinter teleports to him and was about to slash him with his sword, but he teleports away and sees he was about to hit Runner, "Dad!" Runner said, and Sprinter manages to stop himself mid-motion, Jumper appears behind Walker and grabs him with his front right hoof, he grunts and struggles to break free, he teleports to behind Runner and grabs him with his front left hoof, Jumper appears in front of Sprinter while holding Walker and Runner, Sprinter appears behind him and tries to slash him, but he teleports away, Sprinter shoots his pistol at Jumper and he teleports away again, he appears in front of Sprinter and holds Walker out in hopes Sprinter will hit him, he jumps and tries to slash Jumper, he holds Walker up and puts him in the way, "GRANDDAD!!" Walker yelled, but he ends up putting a small cut on the left side of his neck, Jumper teleports and kicks Sprinter in his back with his hind right hoof, he grunts and falls. Jumper chuckles at seeing Sprinter was unwilling to harm Walker and Runner, the two try to teleport away from him, but he teleports to them and grabs them again, "Pathetic, Sprinter, you always were a softie, you refuse to harm your own offspring, and look at what you have produced, a son who cares about honor and loving only one mare, and a grandson who cares about visual arts, these two should be warriors and muscular, you have tainted our bloodline with weak ponies, if I knew this would happen, I would've killed you myself years ago." Jumper said, "It's your own fault, Jumper." Sprinter replied, "Hmm?" Jumper asked, "You created me when you raped my mom." Sprinter said, "She was a strong warrior, perfect for producing a strong offspring who would grow up only knowing fighting and killing, you should've done the same to your son, and he should've done the same to your grandson." Jumper replied, Sprinter teleports to him and slashes his front right knee with his sword, Jumper grunts and drops Walker, he teleports to his left blind spot and slashes his front left knee, Jumper grunts again and drops Runner, "Let's transform." Sprinter said, and the three and Jumper float in midair and spin counterclockwise, they let out grunts and they all take on alicorn-like forms made out of dark blue flames. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter walk towards Jumper and the three begin slashing him with their swords, he blocks each slash with ease and teleports behind him, he makes a second sword appear in his front left hoof, he slashes the three with both of his swords, the three teleport to behind him and shoot him with their pistols, he cuts each bullet with his swords and flies up, he flaps his wings and sends waves of dark blue fire out. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter fly up and shoot beams of dark blue fire out of their horns, he blocks them with his swords and dark blue flames appear around him and spin counterclockwise. Jumper teleports to behind them and the three grunt in pain, their voices were distorted, the three fly up and shoot bullets at his head, he swings his swords around and cuts them, sending waves of fire out, the three teleport around to dodge them, the four grunt and float back down and change back to their normal forms. Jumper teleports to Sprinter and tries to slash him with both of his swords, Sprinter blocks them with his sword and the two enter a deadlock, "Walker, now, teleport behind him and shoot him in the back of his head." Sprinter said, Runner looks at him with shock while Walker did what he was told and shoots Jumper in the back of his head with his pistol, he screams and falls over. Jumper pants while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter walk to him, he sees the others coming as well, "I knew I should've killed you, Sprinter, but I didn't because I hoped your son and grandson would be fighters like you, but they didn't, you ruined our bloodline." Jumper said, "No, he did not, you abused him and hurt him, you didn't give him any love or affection from what we have seen from his memories, if anything, he made his family bloodline better." Princess Celestia said, "I was a better parent than he ever was." Jumper replied, "No, you weren't, you're a horrible parent, no parent should ever try to sacrifice their own children and grandchildren." Twilight Sparkle said, "Lies, I beat Sprinter to make him strong." Jumper replied, "No, you didn't, you beat me and abused me to fuel your own sadism, you smiled every time I cried and was in pain." Sprinter said, Jumper becomes speechless, "I've had enough of you, Jumper, I'll raise Runner and Walker to my own accord, you have no place in our family." Sprinter said, "Why did these ghosts attack me for?" Jumper asked, "You tried to conquer your own country, that makes you a traitor." Genghis replied, "What?" Jumper asked, "You heard me." Genghis replied, Jumper begins to recover and stand up, Sprinter shoots him in the head with his pistol, he changes to floating light blue flame and absorbs his soul. Everybody looks at Genghis and sees him with his army, "Who are they?" Walker asked, "The ponies from the army I was raising, they remained loyal to me, even after death." Genghis replied, they hear grunts and look back and see the possessed ponies and Fluttershy, "Any of you have ideas?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Death's the only way to free them." Genghis replied, "No, we already said, we're not doing that." Princess Celestia said, "You think Zecora might know a ritual or something?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Well, it's worth a try, I'll be back." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she teleports away. Everybody waits and Twilight Sparkle teleports back with Zecora, she sees the Possessed and examines them, "Ya got anything, Zecora?" Applejack asked, "Indeed, I do, there is a ritual that I can apply, and at my home, I have the supplies." Zecora said, "Let's go." Twilight Sparkle said, and they do while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stay behind to clean up Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle teleports herself and everyone to Zecora's hut and Zecora instructs them non-verbally to lay the Possessed on the floor, Zecora places white candles around the Possessed and lights them up, "Form a circle, close your eyes, and join hoofs, to keep the Possessed ensnared, quickly now, as we do not have time to spare." Zecora said, and they do. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Zecora form a circle around the lit candles and join hoofs and close their eyes', Zecora begins to chant in a foreign language the ponies did not understand, the flames on the candles fly up and form a barrier of fire around the Possessed. Fluttershy and other possessed ponies try to break through the barrier, but the fire burns them and sends them back, they continue to try to break through while Zecora continues to chant, Fluttershy grows two black skeletal tentacles with light blue flames around them out of her back and they try to break through the fire barrier, the other Possessed grow wings and second heads to shoot light blue fire out of, but Zecora continues to chant and the fire goes into the Possessed, they screech and scream while the parts the Possessed grew out of the bodies disappear. The candle flames extinguish themselves and everypony opens their eyes', Fluttershy and the other ponies groan, "What happened?" Fluttershy asked, "Fluttershy? Are you there?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, Pinkie Pie runs to hug her, "Yes, she's back." Pinkie Pie said, "Get back!" Runner said, the souls that possessed the ponies appear and he, Walker, and Sprinter shoot them with their pistols to destroy their body forms, the change to floating flames and the three absorb them, Sprinter opens a portal with his mind and he enters it with his son and grandson. Fluttershy gets surrounded by her friends and hug her, "What happened, everypony?" Fluttershy asked, "You got possessed by a ghost." Applejack replied, "Oh, so that's what happened, I heard a stallion in my head and he said he was a friend who wanted to help me, so I let him enter." Fluttershy said, "That's why you got possessed in the first place." Rainbow Dash replied, "Come on, let's get these guys home." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all leave Zecora's hut. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter were back in their old home after giving the souls to The Judge and the three Aggressives laugh while clapping, "You three showed them!" Sprinter's Aggressive said, "Yeah, you three fought good." Runner's Aggressive said, "If only we could've seen Jumper's face when he received damnation." Walker's Aggressive said, the three chuckle and Walker begins to paint a new picture while Runner reads a book, and Sprinter starts making lunch for all three of them. A few hours pass after the three have lunch and they hear knocking at their door, Walker opens it and sees Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Princess Cadence, "Walker!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders said happily and hug him, he hugs them back and they let go, "How did you three find this place?" Walker asked, "Princess Cadence flew around and found it for us, we wanted to see ya again." Apple Bloom replied, "Yeah, your house really is far away from Ponyville." Sweetie Belle said, "Can we enter?" Princess Cadence asked, and Walker lets them in, "Wow, your home is small." Scootaloo said, "So, what brings you all here?" Runner asked, "We wanted to say hi to Walker and play with him some more." Sweetie Belle replied, "I'm also here to foalsit Walker, when I have the time, I'll try to come here and act as his surrogate mother." Princess Cadence said, "Well... thank you, all of you." Walker said, the four visitors smile, "You four hungry?" Sprinter asked, they all nod and Sprinter makes a salad for them, "Is this all you eat, Sprinter?" Apple Bloom asked, "Most of the time." Sprinter replied, "What do you guys eat if you're still hungry?" Scootaloo asked, "More vegetables." Runner replied, "Seriously, you three should eat more, here, I brought more cookies." Princess Cadence said, and she takes them out of her saddlebag, "Yay!" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said, and she gives one to them and Walker, "You two want a cookie?" Princess Cadence asked, "No, it's fine." Runner replied, "Yeah, no thanks." Sprinter said, "Wow, these are good, did you make these yourself, Princess Cadence?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes, I did, they're fresh out of the oven, too." Princess Cadence replied, and they eat them, "Thank you, Princess Cadence." Walker said, "You're welcome." Princess Cadence replied, "Can we play tag again, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Don't travel out too far or be too loud." Runner said, "I'll be watching them." Princess Cadence replied, and they go outside and play tag while Princess Cadence watches the four foals, they run around in the woods while Princess Cadence flies around and keeps an eye on all four of them. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Walker play tag around Walker's house and the four have fun, Runner and Sprinter walk outside after about thirty minutes pass, "Come on, let's go back to Ponyville, dad and I still have classes to teach." Runner said, and Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence teleport there, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hold onto them to teleport with them. Walker, Runner, Sprinter, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Princess Cadence arrive in Ponyville and Runner and Sprinter go teach their classes while Walker continues to play with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, and Princess Cadence watches them, the souls of the dead ponies and animals reappear and the townsponies welcome them back, Runner and Sprinter teach their classes and Walker decides he needs to take a break after playing tag for about an hour. Walker decides to sit and he meditates with Optimist, Pessimist, Passive, Aggressive, Body Walker, Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker around him, Spirit Walker glows brighter, "Walker?" Ocellus asked, Walker opens his eyes slowly and sees her, "Is it okay if I try to teach you a few things on meditation?" Ocellus asked, "Sure." Walker replied, and Ocellus sits to his left and meditates with him and floats, "Let go of all of your negative thoughts and only have happy and positive energy inside of you, Walker." Ocellus said, "Actually, my meditation is supposed to get rid of all thoughts." Walker replied, "Well, try to make yourself feel happy, it'll boost your confidence." Ocellus said, and the two meditate together, Ocellus floats while Walker does not, "Do you feel the positive energy flowing through you, Walker?" Ocellus asked, "No." Walker replied, "Try to think of your happiest memory, Walker, let it make you feel happy, and then when it does, forget it, but keep the positive energy in you." Ocellus said, Walker thinks about painting and feels happy, he puts it out of his mind but the happy feeling goes away with it, "The positive energy disappeared with the memory." Walker said, "Oh, well, keep trying, you're on the right track." Ocellus replied, and he tries, Mind Walker's electricity crackles while Emotion Walker's flames rise a little, he inhales through his snout and exhales through his mouth, he opens his eyes after about ten minutes, "I think that's enough for me now." Walker said, "Alright, I'll remain here and keep meditating." Ocellus replied, and Walker walks away. Walker walks around Ponyville and sees Princess Celestia flying, she lands in front of him, "There you are, Walker, I've been looking for you." Princess Celestia said, "Another problem?" Walker asked, "No, I've got something for you to read, I think it will help you." Princess Celestia replied, and she gives him a book, he looks at the title, "Internal harmony?" Walker asked, "Yes, while making friends is important for everybody, I believe what you need to do is achieve balance between your passive and aggressive behavior, along with your positive and negative outlook on life, see, look at them." Princess Celestia replied, and Walker does, he sees Aggressive and Pessimist were glowing a little brighter than Passive and Optimist, "See, what you need to do is achieve balance and have all four of them glow equal to one another, when you do, you will be a balanced pony, I will try to help you however I can, good luck, Walker." Princess Celestia said, and she flies away. Walker sits and reads the book, "You will make yourself smarter if you start now." Optimist said, "You will put yourself to sleep." Pessimist said, and Walker reads, he reads about internal balance and was almost falling asleep, he sees Princess Cadence to his right and she reads with him, "Walker." Runner said, Walker gets startled and sees Runner and Sprinter in front of him, "We're done for today." Runner said, "I have to go take care of Flurry Heart, see you three later." Princess Cadence and they say bye to her, she kisses Walker on his forehead and flies away, the three teleport home. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have dinner and they wash the dishes together, Walker decides to paint while Runner begins reading the book Princess Celestia gave him, and Sprinter exercises, the three go on with their days until they feel tingling in their heads, "Walker, Runner, Sprinter, I have souls for you three to get in a new world, I'll open the portal when you three come to the Void." Spirit said telepathically, and he ends the contact, "I wanna go now." Walker said, Runner and Sprinter chuckle, "Alright, but remember, Walker, don't get too excited." Runner said, "It is also a new world, so all three of us stay together at all times." Sprinter said, he opens a portal to the Void with his mind and the three enter, the portal closes and the three go to explore the new world. Day 1It was 3:00 AM in Equestria and a new student was going to attend Cheerilee's class the next day as an exchange student, a colt walks into Ponyville that night, he had a sky blue coat, a short white mane and tail, and pale yellow eyes, he did not have a cutie mark yet. The colt walks around town and looks around, he walks slowly to his home and looks around nervously, he sees his home and enters it, he closes the door and enters while sweating, he looks around while panting a little heavily, he lays down on the floor and goes to sleep while still having cold sweat go down his body. The next day comes and the colt wakes up, he was still covered in sweat and sighs with relief, he gets up and heads to school. Cheerilee's class was loud and the students conversed, the door opens and Cheerilee enters with the new student coming in behind her, he stands at the front of the class with Cheerilee, "Alright, class, settle down, we have a new student today, go on and introduce yourself." Cheerilee said, the new student's eyes dart around the room and he sweats a lot, the students notice it, "Um, hi, my name is Walker, I'm four years old, um... I'm going to be a track runner like my father and paternal grandfather when I get older, I like art, I paint and study architecture in my free time as a hobby. Any questions?" the colt asked, "Are you alright?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, you seem so nervous." Scootaloo said, "Sorry, I'm still new here." Walker replied, "Um, you mentioned your father is a professional track runner, right?" Pipsqueak asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "What does your mother do?" Pipsqueak asked, "My mother's dead." Walker replied, the class looks at him with stunned silence, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Walker, but please go on, do you have anymore questions for him?" Cheerilee asked, "Who's lookin' after ya?" Apple Bloom asked, "My dad and granddad." Walker replied, "Your mommy's daddy?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No, my paternal granddad, my dad's dad." Walker replied, "What about your maternal grandparents?" Sweetie Belle asked, "They died before mom and dad married." Walker replied, "How about your dad's mom?" Scootaloo asked, "She's dead, too." Walker replied, the foals look at him with widened eyes', "Anymore questions?" Walker asked, the foals notice Walker trying to keep himself together, they were silent, "I guess they're done, Walker, you can sit in that empty desk next to Sweetie Belle there." Cheerilee said, and Walker walks to the only empty desk in the class, he sits while Sweetie Belle looks to her left and smiles at Walker. Class starts and everypony begins working, Walker, exhales sharply while he tries to concentrate, he writes and does his work while he glares at the paper. Sweetie Belle looks to her left and sees Walker had a very irritated facial expression, she notices him getting more and more angry as he worked, but he finished quickly and put the pencil down, he sighs with his eyes closed while shrugging, Sweetie Belle notices he was no longer irritated and went back to work. Walker looks around class and looks upward, his head moves from side-to-side slowly as if he was tracking something, he then begins looking around nervously and Sweetie Belle looks at him again, Walker seemed nervous as he looked around, she saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looking at him as well, "Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, he looks at her, "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "You don't seem okay." Sweetie Belle said, "Just... getting used to my new surroundings." Walker replied while sweating profusely, "Okay." Sweetie Belle said, and they all work until it was time for lunch. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walk together and see Walker walking alone, they all have lunch and Walker sits alone, which the others notice, Walker eats quickly and leaves the cafeteria and goes to the bathroom. Lunch continues and Walker did not come back out of the bathroom, the foals get worried and Pipsqueak, Truffle, Snips, and Snails go to the colts' bathroom to check on him, the four gasp and exclaim with shock and the others hear them, "He's gone!" Snails said, the foals look and their eyes' and mouths open wide, the four walk back and see the others, "You guys didn't see him?" Button Mash asked, "He's not in there." Snails replied, the foals look at one another, "Maybe he's wandering around the school." Cotton Cloudy said, "No, I've been watching, he never came out." Pipsqueak replied, the foals look on with confusion, "Come on, let's finish our lunches." Snips said, and they do, they all have lunch and go back to class, the students look into the colts' bathroom and see Walker was not there, and all of the stalls were open, they look forward and head to class. The students arrive back in class and they sit, they all get back to work and see Walker was behind the last foal in their line, surprising the foals, "Where were you?" Pipsqueak asked, "Um..." Walker said as his eyes dart across the room and he sweats, "Is something the matter, class?" Cheerilee asked, "He left the cafeteria and never came back." Truffle replied, "Did you go to the bathroom, Walker?" Cheerilee asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "We checked the bathroom, and he wasn't in there." Snips said, "Oh. Walker, did you wander around the school?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah." Walker replied nervously, "Do not wander around the school after you finish your lunch, Walker, your school may have allowed it, but I don't allow it here, now take a seat." Cheerilee said, and Walker did. The foals work and Walker was irritated again as he works, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle watch him, Sweetie Belle looks at Scootaloo and raises her eyebrows, Scootaloo shakes her head while shrugging while Apple Bloom just shrugs, Walker finishs his classwork and then puts his head down, he stays like that until the bell rings, "Class is dismissed, see you all tomorrow, no homework today." Cheerilee said, and they all head home. Walker heads home and trots as fast as he can, he arrives home and streamers go off, "Surprise!" Pinkie Pie said, Walker looks and sees it was a welcoming party, "Welcome to our town, exchange student." Mayor Mare said, and the party starts. Walker walks around and sees a lot of games and treats to try, he decides to pin the tail on a donkey while blindfolded, he stumbles around and holds his front left hoof out, he feels a foal in front of him eventually and tries to put the tail on, the filly yelps. Walker tries again and walks around a bit, he feels what is ahead of him with his front right hoof, he feels a pony in front of him, he moves his hoof around and realizes it was somepony's face, "It's me, Walker." Sweetie Belle said, "Oh, sorry." Walker replied, and he keeps wandering around, he feels a flank and tries to pin the tail, he hears Button Mash scream. Pinkie Pie runs to Walker and takes the blindfold off of him, "Come on, Walker, let's try another game before you end up hurting everypony." Pinkie Pie said, and he looks around, "Is there a piñata anywhere?" Walker asked, "I got one!" Pinkie Pie replied, and she hangs up a piñata shaped like Princess Celestia. Walker begins hitting the piñata while the foals cheer, "Say, what's he like in class?" Applejack asked, "Weird." Sweetie Belle replied, "Weird? How so?" Rarity asked, "He seems mad while he's working, and he's looking around the class all the time." Scootaloo replied, "He's probably just nervous about being in a new environment, he'll probably calm down after a few days." Twilight Sparkle said, they see Walker hitting the piñata and letting the other foals take turns, they all cheer and have fun, they break the piñata and the foals cheer as the candy fall, "Wait, um, where is the kid's parents?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Now that you mention it, I don't see his guardians anywhere." Fluttershy replied, "They told me to go on ahead and come here on my own, they'll catch up here." Walker said, "When did you come into Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Last night." Walker replied, Fluttershy gasps, "Walker, you should know better than not to travel out alone in the middle of the night, it's too dangerous for kids to be out so late all by themselves." Fluttershy said, "To be honest with you, I'm not safe anywhere." Walker replied, "Yes, you are, you're in your new home, and home is the safest place for anypony, and you have the bearers of the Elements of Harmony in this town, you're super duper safe here." Pinkie Pie said, Walker just looks at her, "Come on, Walker, try to enjoy yourself, we've got a lot of sweets and activities to do." Twilight Sparkle said, and Walker goes around. Walker looks around and sees the party cake, it catches his attention and he runs to it, he gets a piece of the cake and eats it, "Hmm, this is good." Walker said, Pinkie Pie smiles proudly, he finishes the cake and looks around, "Thank you, but I've had enough fun." Walker said, "What? But the party's just starting." Pinkie Pie replied, "I'm sorry, but I need to unpack my things." Walker said, "Muffin?" Derpy asked, "Thanks." Walker replied as he takes one and eats it, "Thanks for the party, but I need to settle down." Walker said, "Aw, you all heard him, the party's over, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, the ponies groan with disappointment but did what Pinkie Pie said and they all leave. Walker cleans up the streamers and confetti and decides to look around the house, he closes all the curtains in his house, he also locks the door and he sits on the floor while he waits for his guardians to come with his and their things. Apple Bloom has dinner with her family, "Somethin' weird happened with Walker today." Apple Bloom said, "What do ya mean weird?" Granny Smith asked, "He went into the bathroom during lunchtime, and he never came out, so four colts went into the bathroom to check on him, and he was gone." Apple Bloom said, "Gone, as in?" Granny Smith asked, "He wasn't in there." Apple Bloom replied, her family's attention is caught, "What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, "You didn't check with them?" Granny Smith asked, "It's the colts' bathroom, so Ah can't enter." Apple Bloom replied, "Still, keep an eye on him, Apple Bloom, that is mighty fishy right there." Applejack said, and they all have dinner. Scootaloo was outside and seeing Rainbow Dash, "Have you noticed anything strange about Walker, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked, "No. Why?" Rainbow Dash asked, "It's just that... when we were at school today, Walker went into the bathroom and never came out, so four colts went in to check on him, and he wasn't in there." Scootaloo replied, Rainbow Dash's eyes widen, "Let me get this straight, you all had lunch, he went into the bathroom, never came out, so four colts went to go check on him, and he was gone?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes." Scootaloo replied, "That's weird, I explored the entire school once, there are no secret doors or passages built into it." Rainbow Dash said, "There's more, when we went back into class, we were in a single file line, and Walker was in the very back, we didn't notice him until we sat." Scootaloo replied, Rainbow Dash becomes speechless, "I don't know what to say, keep an eye on him, and tell me if you see anymore strange things happen." Rainbow Dash said, Scootaloo nods, "You should head home, you shouldn't worry your aunts." Rainbow Dash said, "Okay, bye, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied, and she walks home while Rainbow Dash flies to her home. Sweetie Belle was getting ready for bed while Rarity was closing the shop, she walks to her, "Rarity, something weird happened at school today." Sweetie Belle said, "What is it, darling?" Rarity asked, "It's Walker, he went to the bathroom and wasn't in there when a few colts went to go check on him." Sweetie Belle replied, "Surely, he just left when you all weren't looking." Rarity said, "No, they watched the whole time, he never came out." Sweetie Belle replied, "What? Now, obviously, he can't teleport, he's an earth pony, he has to have a secret." Rarity replied, "Do you have any ideas?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I can't say, I'll need to see for myself, off to bed now, darling." Rarity replied, and Sweetie Belle goes to bed. Day 3The next day comes and nothing out of the ordinary happens, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter enter their home and close and lock the door, the three go to the back of the house where there were no windows. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go over to the home to see Walker, the three look through a window, "I don't think they're home." Scootaloo said, "They have to be, they entered the house, Ah saw 'em." Apple Bloom replied, Sweetie Belle knocks on the door three times, "Walker, it's me, Sweetie Belle, your classmate." Sweetie Belle said, there was no answer, "Walker? Can you hear me?" Sweetie Belle asked, there was no answer, "Come on, let's check the back door." Scootaloo said, and the three go but see there was no back door, there were no other windows either, "What in tarnation?" Apple Bloom asked, "This is weird, there's only one door and two windows, but it looks like they somehow left." Sweetie Belle said, "No, we can't see all of the rooms, maybe they're in one of them." Scootaloo replied, "No, they would've answered when I knocked on the door." Sweetie Belle said, "So, they ain't home?" Apple Bloom asked, "It seems that way." Sweetie Belle replied, "What in the world?" Scootaloo asked, "Come on, let's just go home." Sweetie Belle said, and they head home and nothing happens for the rest of the day.
Day 2The next morning comes and Walker wakes up early, he looks around and sighs, he uses the bathroom and goes outside, he sees it was still dark, so he goes back into the house and sits on the floor, knocking was heard after a few hours and Walker closes his eyes and reopens them, he looks at the door, he stands up and trots to the door. Walker opens the door and two stallions come in, one was young while the other was old, they both looked just like Walker, but were taller and the old stallion had wrinkled skin, their coats, eyes', manes, and tails were the same colors as his own, their manes and tails were even styled the same way as Walker's, the young stallion's cutie mark was a light blue running shoe with a white sole, while the old stallion's cutie mark was a black running track, the two were Walker's guardians, the young stallion was Runner, his father, and the old stallion was Sprinter, his paternal grandfather. Runner and Sprinter come into the house and put their luggage down, "Okay, we're finally here, that was a long walk." Runner said, "You didn't see any Shadows here at night, have you?" Sprinter asked, "No, granddad." Walker replied, "Good, we should be safe here for now, then." Sprinter said, "What are you two going to be doing for jobs here?" Walker asked, "It's alright, Walker, I already got a job, I'll be coaching foals on how to run track like me and your grandfather." Runner replied, "Can I join?" Walker asked, "Of course." Runner replied, Walker smiles widely, "As for me, I'll be coaching foals on boxing and self-defense, I'm surprised it's still around, it was a controversial sport when I was young." Sprinter said, Walker just looks at him while Runner unpacks, "Here are your painting utensils, Walker." Runner said, "Thank you." Walker replied, and he sets up his easel, his paintings were unpacked as well, and Walker hangs them up on the wall behind him, "Well, let's get ready." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner nod in agreement and Sprinter makes breakfast for his son and grandson, which was just a simple salad, "Thanks, granddad." Walker said, and they all wash their dishes, brush their teeth, and head outside. Runner was at an open field and several foals were there to learn, "Okay, colts and fillies, you all here, it's nice to see you all have taken an interest in doing track, let's get started, first off, let's do some stretching." Runner said, and they do. Runner and the foals stretch their legs' out to the sides and the foals were already having fun, "Okay, let's start off easy, just run straight to that tree with me, okay? On three. One. Two. Three." Runner said, and the foals run as fast as they can with Runner, Runner runs to the tree and was much farther ahead than the foals, he reaches the tree long before the others do. Runner looks back and sees the foals were panting when they got to him, "You all ready to run again?" Runner asked, the foals shake their heads, "It's alright, I got plenty of time to work with you all." Runner said, and the foals smile while they pant, Runner smiles and waits for the foals to recover. Sprinter was ready to teach the ponies self-defense and boxing lessons, ponies of all ages were there to learn, but to his surprise, Gallus, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream were also there to learn, "Alright, everyone, let's get started, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Sprinter, I'm a former professional track runner and a former professional boxer, I retired years ago, but I'm now teaching since boxing seems to be popular again, so if you know any moves, great, but come on, who wants try to fight me?" Sprinter asked, Smolder goes forward while smiling. Smolder holds her fists up and flies towards him while letting out a battle cry, she was about to punch him, but Sprinter strafes to her left and goes behind her, "Huh?" Smolder asked as she looks over her own left shoulder, Sprinter holds his front left hoof up and then lowers it, he hits Smolder in the back of her neck and she grunts while she falls, "Common mistake, don't rush in immediately and try go all out at the beginning, you'll tire yourself out quickly." Sprinter said, Smolder gets up and walks back while scowling, "Another thing is be aware of surroundings, I have been in many fights outside of boxing where I was attacked from behind or my blind spots, so be careful of that as well." Sprinter said, his students take note of it, "Now, I need another volunteer, you all will learn the rules as you fight me, the next rule is the first and most important rule of any fight." Sprinter said, "I'll go, I'm sure I got this." Sandbar said as he walks forward, he stands his hind legs and holds his front legs up, the two begin punching one another and Sprinter blocks them easily, "You're breaking the rule already." Sprinter said, "What?" Sandbar asked, Sprinter crouches and punches Sandbar in the groin with his front right hoof, Sandbar groans loudly and falls over while clutching his groin with his front hoofs. Sprinter walks to his students while Sandbar groans and sways side-to-side on the ground, "Most important rule of any fight, especially for you boys: always protect your crotch." Sprinter said, the colts whimper while covering their groins, "Hey! Wait just a darn minute!" Applejack said as she runs to him, Rainbow Dash also flies down to him, "What in tarnation are ya doin'? Why are ya hittin' a stallion in his johnson for?" Applejack asked, "Just teaching him the rules." Sprinter replied, "You can't hit anypony below the waist in boxing!" Rainbow Dash said, "Really? It was common when I started it." Sprinter replied, "Say what now?" Applejack asked, "Hits to the crotch happened almost all the time when I started boxing." Sprinter replied, "Well, maybe your rules are outdated, you should check them again." Rainbow Dash said, Sprinter walks back to teach his class while Sandbar continues to lay on the ground, clutch his groin, and groan in pain, "Let's get back to it, my job is to also teach you all how to defend yourselves in general, so let's begin with the next thing." Sprinter said, and he continues to instruct them. Walker sits in class and glares and exhales sharply as he works, which Sweetie Belle notices, he finishes his morning classwork and then puts his front hoofs into his ears, Sweetie Belle goes back to working until it was recess time. The foals play dodge ball and Walker plays with them, he runs around and throws the balls around, Walker has fun with the other foals and throws the balls whenever he got one, he hit a few foals and keeps playing while the foals all laugh, "Alright, class, recess is over." Cheerilee said, and they all go back in. Class resumes and Walker just sits with his eyes closed, "Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes?" Walker asked, "Do you like it here?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I can't say, yet." Walker replied, "What do you think of school?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I hate it." Walker replied, "Why?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I always feel like I don't fit in with the other students, and I find the work to be useless information and boring." Walker replied, "School can be fun if you have friends." Sweetie Belle said, "Even if I did, you wouldn't understand me." Walker replied, "That is why we talk things out." Sweetie Belle said, "That wouldn't work." Walker replied, "Why not?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No one sees and hears the world like how me, my dad, and my granddad do." Walker replied, "What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Can you see and hear things that others can't see or hear?" Walker asked, "Well, if they were either deaf or blind, then yes." Sweetie Belle replied, "Not what I mean." Walker said, "Oh, well, I have to get back to work." Sweetie Belle replied, she works, she and the other foals could not help but wonder what Walker meant, they all work until lunch time, Walker just sits while the others watch him, he did not go to the bathroom today. Class resumes and Walker does his afternoon work quietly, he was more relaxed now than before, he finishes just before the bell rings, "Have a good day, everypony, no homework." Cheerilee said, and everypony heads home. Walker heads outside and he sees Runner and Sprinter heading home together, he runs to them and joins them, the three head home together, Sprinter unlocks the door to their new home and they enter. Walker begins to paint while Runner and Sprinter unpack a bit more, "I heard about you today, dad, you really need some lessons in honor." Runner said, "Honor doesn't win fights, my son." Sprinter replied, "Still, you're going to be a bad influence on Walker." Runner said, "He's been fine so far." Sprinter replied, "Haven't you ever thought about it? Our son wins a fight by hitting an opponent in the groin, along attacking an opponent from their blind spots and behind, and attacking an injured opponent while they are down? It is going to bring shame upon our names." Runner said, "Maybe yours, but remember, Walker hates fighting, he'd rather paint and learn visual arts." Sprinter replied, "Still, I wish he'd have some way to defend himself." Runner said, "I already do, dad." Walker replied as he paints, "I mean as in professional training, not just taught by me and your grandfather." Runner said, "I know fighting is necessary sometimes, but I wish we didn't have to fight the people we meet all the time." Walker replied, "See, dad, he takes the lessons on friendship seriously, maybe he can avoid conflict like that." Runner said, "I'll be concerned for his mental health if he begins preaching about friendship while sitting in a chair in the middle of a war zone while eating scones and drinking tea." Sprinter replied, "Granddad, I promise, I'll be fighting if I do go into a war zone." Walker said, Sprinter chuckles. Knocking was heard at the door and Walker goes to the door, he opens the door while Runner and Sprinter were behind him, they see their visitor was Rarity, "Good afternoon, darlings, I'm sorry to bother, but I must ask for you three to open your curtains, I'm actually finding it a bit distracting." Rarity said, "What do you find distracting about it?" Runner asked, "Just look around from the outside, it's still a bright and sunny afternoon, and your house is the only one who has its curtains closed, it looks so out of place, and it's really bothering me." Rarity replied, "Can't you find inspiration in making new outfits from the designs on our curtains?" Walker asked, "No, I cannot, the curtains are just a dull light gray color, now please, open them, I can't concentrate on my outfits with them in my sight." Rarity replied, "Come on, you two, let's open the curtains." Sprinter said, "But everypony will see inside our home." Walker replied, "We'll close them at night, we'll look suspicious if we keep them closed during the day as well." Sprinter said, "Okay." Walker replied in a reluctant tone, "Thank you, darlings." Rarity said, and she left. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter open the curtains and let the sun in, Walker continues to paint while unhappy, "What's wrong, Walker?" Runner asked, "I liked the house better when it was dark." Walker replied, "I'm sorry, Walker, but we have to keep the windows open, it'll make us look suspicious." Runner said, Walker groans with disappointment and keeps painting. The day goes on and it was soon dark, Sprinter makes dinner and the three have a salad, the three sleep together in separate beds and wait for the night to pass.
Day 4The next day comes and today was a normal day at school, Walker was still irritated while he works, and he plays during recess. Walker walks around Ponyville alone since Runner and Sprinter were still coaching the others, so he walks around alone and looks at the houses to look for inspiration for his paintings, he did not like what he saw, so he decids to go into Carousel Boutique to look for inspiration. Walker enters Carousel Boutique and saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack inside and were packing things, "Oh, Walker, what can I get you?" Rarity asked as she trots to him, "I'm just here to look around." Walker replied, "Look around?" Rarity asked, "Yeah, I'm looking for inspiration for my next painting." Walker replied, Rarity makes noises of excitement, "Look around to your heart's content, then, I'm happy when I can inspire anyone." Rarity said, Walker smiles and he walks around. Walker looks at Rarity's dresses while she and her friends help her pack up the outfits for her next fashion show, Walker stays out of the way and looks around while the others work. The door opens and Sweetie Belle comes home with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, "I've been making my own dress, come on, it's in my room." Sweetie Belle said, and they were about to go upstairs, but they stop when they see Walker was there as well, "What are you doing here, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Looking for inspiration for my next painting." Walker replied, "We came to visit you yesterday after school." Apple Bloom said, "Really? I didn't notice." Walker replied, "I knocked on your door, Walker." Sweetie Belle said, "I didn't hear it." Walker replied, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack stop what they were doing and look at him with suspicion, "Weren't you home after school?" Scootaloo asked, "Yes, but I didn't hear any knocking." Walker replied, "What about yer dad and granddad?" Apple Bloom asked, "Nope, they didn't hear it, either." Walker replied, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle look at him with disbelief, "Excuse me, is Walker around here?" a mare asked outside, the ponies realize it was Princess Luna, "Yes, he's in that boutique over there." a mare replied, the door opens and Princess Luna enters, "There you are." Princess Luna said as she walks to him, "Are you sleeping well at night?" Princess Luna asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "Good, I want to make sure you're not having nightmares." Princess Luna said, "No, I've been fine." Walker replied, "Walker, we're done with our jobs." Runner said from outside, "Oh, I have to get going, see you all later." Walker said, and he trots outside. Princess Luna watches him leave while the nine female ponies present walk to her, "What are ya doin' here, Princess Luna?" Apple Bloom asked, she turns around to face them, "I'm here to check on Walker, I don't know why, but for some reason, when you foals go to sleep at night, his dream is not in the dream realm." Princess Luna replied, "What?" Apple Bloom asked with shock, "I'm confused, too, but his dream is never there, I can't enter his dreams, either." Princess Luna replied, "What about his father and grandfather?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I can't see or enter their dreams, either." Princess Luna replied, the nine look at her with confusion, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go prepare for entering the dream realm tonight now." Princess Luna said, and she flies out while the nine ponies look at the door, "This Walker guy is weird, first, he goes to the bathroom and is not in there, next, he doesn't hear us at his door, and now, Princess Luna can't enter his dream, something's off about him." Scootaloo said, "It ain't just him, there's somethin' mighty fishy bout those three." Applejack replied, but they get on with their days and go to sleep at the end of the day.
Day 5The next day comes and it was a weekend, Runner and Sprinter were coaching again, so Walker travels on his own again, he was heading to the Everfree Forest and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle follow him. Walker looks back while Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle hide out of his sight and watch him, he closes his eyes tightly and then reopens them, he turns around and keeps walking, the three follow him, they see Walker go to the entrance of the Everfree Forest while the three hide behind a tree and watch him, he looks back again and turns around again, but he did not walk, "Why are you three following me?" Walker asked, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle become startled and look, "How did he notice us?" Sweetie Belle whispered, "I don't know, we were never in his line of sight." Scootaloo whispered, "It doesn't matter if you're hiding from me and behind me right now, I can still see you." Walker said, the three fillies become speechless at what he just said, "He must've heard us followin' him." Apple Bloom whispered, "What do you three want?" Walker asked, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walk to him while he turns around, "I'll get to the point, Walker, you and your guardians are very suspicious." Sweetie Belle said, "How so?" Walker asked, "You weren't in the bathroom, you didn't hear us at your door the other day, and yesterday, we learned from Princess Luna that your dream is not in the dream realm." Sweetie Belle replied, "So?" Walker asked, "Are you even a pony?" Scootaloo asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "Then why are you disappearin' at times and not in the dream realm?" Apple Bloom asked, "You three wouldn't understand, even if I did explain." Walker replied, "Try us." Sweetie Belle said, "What do you three know about spirits?" Walker asked, "Oh, that's easy, that's how determined you are and what drives you to do things." Scootaloo replied, "Not that kind of spirit." Walker said, "You're referring to a spirit as in...?" Scootaloo asked, "The souls of the dead." Walker replied, "Oh come on, Walker, don't be ridiculous, everybody knows that you never see anyone again when they die." Apple Bloom said, "Just because they're dead doesn't mean they're gone." Walker replied, "You've been reading too many horror stories, Walker." Sweetie Belle said, Walker glares at her a little, "I have to go, for your own safeties, you three should leave." Walker said, "What about you?" Scootaloo asked, "I'll be fine, now go." Walker replied, the three decide to obey and walk back while Walker heads deeper into the forest. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle decide to go into Fluttershy's cottage and wait for Walker to come back, "Why don't we go see his dad and granddad?" Scootaloo asked, "They're at work right now, we shouldn't distract them." Sweetie Belle replied, "Ah know, let's try askin' Discord." Apple Bloom said, Discord appears, "Yes?" Discord asked, "What do you think of Walker, Discord?" Scootaloo asked, "I hate to break it to you, but Walker's right." Discord replied, "What?" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle asked with disbelief, "When someone passes away, they are not gone, their souls remain, some of them haunt others and possess other people and animals." Discord replied, the three fillies feel uncomfortable, "How does Walker know about them?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It runs in his family." Discord replied, "So... Runner and Sprinter know about souls, too?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course they do." Discord replied, "Why do you know about them?" Apple Bloom asked, "Because I can see and hear them as well, just like those three." Discord replied, "Why did you never tell us?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Because there are only a few in this world that know about the afterlife." Discord replied, "You think the people in Sunset Shimmer's world knows about it?" Scootaloo asked, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shrug, "Well, that's all I'm saying, figure out the rest on your own." Discord said, and he disappears. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle sit and wait for Walker to come back, they were silent and patient, "What? Yeah, um, hold on."Walker said from outside, the three stand up, "Your youngest daughter is in that cottage over there." Walker said, the three were about to go out and question him but Apple Bloom stops dead in her tracks, "You okay, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked, "Ah don't know why, but Ah feel like there are two ponies rubbin' their snouts on me right now." Apple Bloom replied, "Seriously?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, it feels like love and affection." Apple Bloom replied, surprising Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but the two look out a window and see Walker leaving the area, "Come on, Apple Bloom, Walker's right there, let's ask him." Scootaloo said, and the three run outside. Walker was walking back to Ponyville and he hears running, "Walker, wait!" Sweetie Belle said, he begins to run away while the three go after him, "Wait, Walker, we just wanna talk to you." Sweetie Belle said, and the four run. Walker arrives into Ponyville and looks for a place to hide, he looks back and sees the three were still chasing him, "Come back, Walker, we need to talk." Scootaloo said, and he keeps running, he sees a table with a white tablecloth nearby and he runs to it, he pulls the tablecloth off of the table with his mouth and puts it over himself, he then lays on the ground. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle run to him, "We got you now, Walker." Scootaloo said, and she pulls the tablecloth off with her mouth, but the three gasp, so did the ponies who were sitting at the other tables, "He's gone." Sweetie Belle said, "How did he do that?" Scootaloo asked, "Come on, let's go ask about his pa and grandpa." Apple Bloom said, and they run to where they work. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go to where Runner taught the colts and fillies who were learning how to run, "Y'all are sayin' he disappeared, too?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, we were running to the tree we always run to, but Runner went farther and went behind that tree over there." a filly replied as she points to a tree to the left of the usual tree, "We went over there to see him, and he was gone." the filly said, the Cutie Mark Crusaders become uneasy, "When did he disappear?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Several minutes before you three came." the filly replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were speechless, "Come on, let's see if Walker's grandpa is still here." Apple Bloom said, and they go to where he taught those who wanted to learn boxing. The Cutie Mark Crusaders walk to where Sprinter taught boxing, they see he was not around either, "So, y'all are sayin' he disappeared, too?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, he was teaching us combat lessons, then he suddenly jumped over us and landed behind us, we looked back and he wasn't there." Ocellus replied, "It was so weird, he just disappeared suddenly like a ghost." Silverstream said, "This is weird, all of three of them just seemed to have vanished." Sweetie Belle said, "Wait, did you just say Walker and Runner disappeared, too?" Sandbar asked, "Yeah, a filly said Runner went behind a tree and disappeared, and we ran after Walker to try to talk to him, he hid under a tablecloth, we removed it, and he was gone." Sweetie Belle replied, "Can three ponies teleport?" Yona asked, "No, they shouldn't be able to, only unicorns can, they're earth ponies." Sandbar replied, "Do you guys have any clues?" Smolder asked, "Well, we did see Discord earlier, he said something about Walker and his guardians being able to see and hear the souls of the dead." Sweetie Belle replied, "Really? Souls of the dead? You sure he doesn't mean imaginary friends?" Gallus asked, "We can't say for certain, but Discord said he can see and hear 'em, too." Apple Bloom replied, "Souls? Do you mean g... g... g... g... ghosts?!" Silverstream asked while scared, "As we said, we're not sure, we're just here to see if Runner and Sprinter were still around since Walker disappeared." Scootaloo replied, "And they're not, let's go see if Princess Twilight knows anythin'." Apple Bloom said, and they head to her castle, they see Pinkie Pie appearing and disappearing throughout Ponyville and was calling out for Walker, the three continue on to the Castle of Friendship. The Cutie Mark Crusaders enter the Castle of Friendship and went to go see Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer, "Let me get this straight, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, just suddenly disappeared." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yeah, and Discord said something about Walker's family being able to interact with the souls of the dead, we were wonderin' if you had any knowledge on the afterlife." Apple Bloom replied, "No, I can't say that I do." Twilight Sparkle said, "Walker also said when someone dies, they're not gone." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, and Discord said these souls can possess people and haunt things." Sweetie Belle said, "That's just Discord being Discord, he's probably just trying to scare you three." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Still, if what Discord is saying is true, that's actually kind of scary to think about." Starlight Glimmer said, "Ah think he might be tellin' the truth, we heard Walker talkin' to somepony, said their youngest daughter was where we were stayin', and I felt love and affection, almost like two ponies rubbin' their snouts on me." Apple Bloom replied, "Rubbing their snouts on you? You sure you didn't imagine it?" Spike asked, "Yeah, Ah'm sure, it felt very real." Apple Bloom replied, "You have any ideas, Twilight?" Scootaloo asked, "No, I'm honestly at a loss for words." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Since Discord said his father and grandfather can see and hear these souls, too, I was wondering about Walker's family tree." Sweetie Belle said, "I'll check it out, I think it's definitely worth looking into." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Thank you, Twilight, we don't know when those three will be back." Sweetie Belle said, "You're welcome, I'll let you three and the others know if I find anything, come on, Spike." Twilight Sparkle replied, and the two leave, "We'll be busy, and it's late, you three should head home." Starlight Glimmer said, and she leaves, the Cutie Mark Crusaders head to their homes and go to sleep.
Day 6The next day comes and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go back to the Castle of Friendship to see Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer, Twilight Sparkle also calls Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack over, "Good, you all are here, and as you heard, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have suddenly disappeared." Twilight Sparkle said, "I know, I checked all of Ponyville, they're nowhere." Pinkie Pie replied, "Anyway, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle here asked Discord about Walker and his family, and he mentioned something about their family being able to see and hear the afterlife." Twilight Sparkle said, "I spoke to Walker in class once, too, he said only his father and grandfather understand him." Sweetie Belle replied, "Well, there's that, so, anyway, I did some research on Walker's family tree, and I've found several suspicious things." Twilight Sparkle said, the attentions of the others were caught, "What did you find?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Spike, would you, please?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and Spike unrolls a long list. Everybody present looks at Walker's family tree, "Alright, as you all can see, the first thing I found suspicious right away were the children, every time Walker's family has a child, it's always an only child, never any twins or siblings, not only that, every child the family bore is a son, there's not a single daughter." Twilight Sparkle said, "What? That is strange." Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, no siblings or daughters? That can't be a coincidence." Applejack replied, "Another thing I find suspicious is Walker's paternal side of the family has no relatives, if he has any cousins, aunts, or uncles, they're from the maternal side instead." Twilight Sparkle said, "No relatives from his father's side? There has to be an explanation." Rarity replied, "I agree, but that's not most suspicious thing of them all." Twilight Sparkle said, "What is it?" Fluttershy asked, "I checked the birth and death dates of Walker's family, all of the mothers have died on the same day their sons were born." Twilight Sparkle replied, "WHAT?!" Rarity asked, "It's true, every mother in the family died on the exact same day their son was born." Twilight Sparkle replied, "You think it could just be plain bad luck?" Scootaloo asked, "No, I think there is no way that's just a coincidence." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I was shocked when I saw this the first time, too, I think as you three can see, there is something wrong with his family." Starlight Glimmer said, "Yeah, but still, what in tarnation is goin' on?" Applejack asked, "Come on, everypony, let's go to their home." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they all head out. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go to Walker's, Runner's, and Sprinter's home, Twilight Sparkle knocks on the door a few times, "Excuse us, we'd like to speak with you three." Twilight Sparkle said, there was no answer, "Hello?" Twilight Sparkle asked, they look through a window and see Walker's paintings, he had a total of five paintings hanged on the wall, the far left painting was a desert with a gray tower in the center of it, the center-left painting was grass field with a gold building shaped like an eagle unfolding its wings, the center painting was a nighttime landscape with a black ground, the sky was full of stars and northern lights, the building was a silver temple shaped like a dragon's head, the center-right painting was a bunch of mountains with three identical shrines on top of the three mountains in the center, the left shrine was silver, the right shrine was bronze, and the center shrine was gold, and the far right painting was a winter landscape and it had a blue temple made from ice in the shape of an unknown creature, it had its wings unfolded like a bird, a fish's tail, a bird's body and legs, and the head of a shark with its mouth open. The ponies and Spike look at the paintings, "Wow, Walker is quite the painter." Starlight Glimmer said, "Still, I wonder what those buildings there are for." Rarity replied, "Walker said he also likes architecture." Sweetie Belle said, "Well, they're beautiful, I've never seen architecture shaped like animals before." Twilight Sparkle replied, knocking was heard at the door again and they see Pinkie Pie knocking on the door with her snout, "Walker, Runner, Sprinter, it's Pinkie Pie, you wouldn't lock out your best friend Pinkie now, would you?" Pinkie Pie asked, there was no response, "You all want to discuss my welcoming party plans for Runner and Sprinter?" Pinkie Pie asked, there was still no response, "Hello? Is anypony home?" Pinkie Pie asked, there was still no answer, so Twilight Sparkle opens the door with her telekinesis and enters the house. Twilight Sparkle and the others enter the home and were in the living room, the kitchen was to the left, "Nope, nothin' looks out of the ordinary." Applejack said, "I sure am glad they kept their curtains open, it was so distracting during the day." Rarity replied, "Yeah, I was distracted by that, too." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go to the next room that was through the door in the back. The ponies and Spike arrive into the bedroom, and the bathroom was to their lefts, there were three beds in the bedroom, "Wow, this is a small house." Starlight Glimmer said, "Yes, I doubt they'd be able to hide anywhere in here." Fluttershy replied, "Still, where did they go?" Scootaloo asked, "We don't know, we'll have to wait until they come back." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they leave the house and get on with their days, they watch the house throughout the day but the three never return, they all decide to call it a day and go to sleep.
Day 7The next day comes and Cheerilee was teaching her class, Walker was present today, "Okay, everypony, who can tell me why it took us so long to open our borders to the other creatures?" Cheerilee asked, "Because a unicorn named Genghis was planning to conquer all of the countries, he was going to destroy their cultures and force them to adapt pony culture on friendship and forgiveness, he was raising a military that was going to have earth ponies as his army, Pegasi as his air force, and unicorns as his magic branch, he was planning to conquer Mount Aris, Seaquestria, and Kirin Grove first, so he can add hippogriffs to his air force, have the seaponies serve as his navy, and kirins serve as his fire branch, he was going to invade all of the other countries and destroy their cultures so he could force them to adapt to our culture and have friendship spread throughout the land." Walker replied, everypony and Cheerilee look at Walker with dropped jaws, "What?" Walker asked, "Walker." Cheerilee said, "Yes?" Walker asked, "How do you know about Genghis and his plans?" Cheerilee asked, "WHAT?!" the foals asked, "You mean... that's not a made-up story?!" Scootaloo asked, "I hate to say this, but no, Genghis was a real pony." Cheerilee replied, "Um, my guardians and I are history buffs." Walker said while sweating, "Even if you are, you shouldn't know that, our historical records on him were destroyed." Cheerilee replied, "What? How come?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Because Princess Celestia saw him as a black mark on Equestrian history, she ordered all records of him to be destroyed." Cheerilee replied, "Then how do you know about him?" Walker asked, "It's my job, Walker, I'm required to know all of Equestrian history." Cheerilee replied, "Oh, well... I just studied him in a book back at home." Walker said, "I see, I'm sure some ancient diaries written about him by those who served under him still exist, well, moving on." Cheerilee said, and class continues, "Walker, what happened to Genghis?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Princess Celestia found out what he was doing and put him in jail for the rest of his life while he was raising his army, he already conquered several areas in Equestria when she found out what he was planning." Walker replied, Sweetie Belle was in disbelief at what Walker said, "Walker, Sweetie Belle, work time." Cheerilee said, and the two work until it was recess time. Recess starts and everypony plays dodge ball and have fun, Walker plays competitively and they all have fun until Walker looks at the sky with a look of discomfort on his face, "Get back!" Walker said, and the others look at him, the ground bursts open and skeleton ponies come out, the foals scream, "Everypony, back in the schoolhouse!" Cheerilee said, and they run to her while Walker runs to the skeleton ponies. Walker goes to the skeleton ponies and begins swinging his front right hoof around like he was holding a weapon, "Walker, come back here." Cheerilee said, but Walker continues swinging his front right hoof around and the skeletons get destroyed, surprising Cheerilee and his classmates. Walker swings his front right hoof around and destroys more skeleton ponies, one of them begins flying and Walker holds his front right hoof out, the flying skeleton Pegasus is pulled towards him by an invisible force, he holds his front left hoof out as if he was aiming something, his front left hoof moves up like it was reacting from a recoil of a gun and the skeleton Pegasus gets destroyed. Walker continues fighting the skeleton ponies but begins grunting as he was hit by an invisible force, making Cheerilee and her students uncomfortable, Walker then begins to hold his front hoofs out like he was aiming something, his front hoofs move up and down and the skeleton ponies were destroyed, he then holds his front right hoof out and stands on all fours. Walker pants and turns around to see his class looking at him with disbelief, he hears running behind him and turns around, he saw Runner and Sprinter coming, "We got attacked by the Possessed just now, how about you, Walker?" Runner asked, "Yeah, they attacked me here, too." Walker replied, "Come on, let's send their souls to the Void." Sprinter said, and the three begin to walk away, but vanish into thin air, causing Cheerilee and her students to gasp, "Come on, class, let's go into the schoolhouse." Cheerilee said, and they do. Cheerilee and her students work in class but could not focus well, they were still in disbelief over what happened, and Walker did not return, "What was that?" Diamond Tiara asked, "It was scary." Silver Spoon said, "Is everypony alright?" Cheerilee asked, the foals shake their heads with looks of fear on their faces, "I understand you all are scared, and to be honest, I'm scared, too, I don't know what that was." Cheerilee said, and they all get on with their days while uncomfortable and head home when the school day ended. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walk through Ponyville together and see Walker walking around town, "Walker." Apple Bloom said, he looks to his left and sees them, he begins to run away from them and the three tackle him down, "Calm down, Walker, we just want an explanation on what's going on." Scootaloo said, but the three see Walker disappear and he appears on the roof of the closest house to them, the three and the townponies gasp, "What?! Walker can teleport?!" Scootaloo asked, and he disappears again. The ponies stare on with disbelief while Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack run to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, "How did he do that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, that don't make any sense." Applejack replied, "That shouldn't be possible, Walker is an earth pony." Rarity said, "Everyone." Twilight Sparkle said, they all look at her, "We all saw it, and I know it shouldn't be possible, but Walker can somehow teleport, I assume Runner and Sprinter can teleport, too." Twilight Sparkle said, "That reminds me, skeletons came out of the ground when we were at the school." Sweetie Belle said, "We heard, them skeletons attacked Runner and Sprinter, too." Applejack replied, "There's more, it looked like Walker was also attacked by something invisible." Scootaloo said, "We noticed that, too, it looked like Runner and Sprinter were also fighting an invisible creature." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Did ya detect anythin' with yer magic?" Apple Bloom asked, "Actually, no, I didn't." Twilight Sparkle replied, "So, what do we do?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm making a new spell to cast that will allow us to see and hear the world as how another pony sees it, if I cast it on one of those three, we should be able to see and hear those things that we can't see or hear." Twilight Sparkle replied, "How long will that take?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm almost done, but until then, I asked for Sunset Shimmer to come here, maybe her powers can give us some answers, she should be here tomorrow." Twilight Sparkle replied, the others were speechless, "Well, there's nothing we can do but wait for them to return, let's just get on with our days for now." Twilight Sparkle said, and they do, nothing out of the ordinary happens and they all head to bed for the night.
Day 8The next morning comes and Twilight Sparkle was already tending to her daily routines, the mirror flashes and Sunset Shimmer comes, "Hey, I came as fast as I could, you said there's a strange pony who just came here, right?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, but there's three of them, come on, Sunset, let's see if one's here right now." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they walk to a window and look out, "Oh, that's one right there." Twilight Sparkle said as she points to Walker, Sunset Shimmer runs outside to go see him. Walker was heading to school and he sees Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle in front of him, "Well, Walker?" Scootaloo asked, "What?" Walker asked, "What is going on with your family?" Sweetie Belle asked "What do you mean?" Walker asked, "We found your family tree, and every single mother in your family died on the same day they gave birth to the child, and every child in your family tree is a single child and a boy." Sweetie Belle replied, "How did you find my family history?" Walker asked, "Princess Twilight lives right there." Scootaloo replied as she points to her home, "Oh, makes sense, she should have a record on everybody living in Equestria." Walker said, "What is up with that?" Apple Bloom asked, "Even if I did explain, you wouldn't understand." Walker replied, "What about yesterday, when those skeletons came out of the ground?" Sweetie Belle asked, "They were after me." Walker replied, "But what were they?" Sweetie Belle asked, "How can I explain this?" Walker asked, "Come on, Walker, answer us!" Sweetie Belle said, "I really don't know how to explain it to you guys." Walker replied, "Souls? Possessed? Void? What are those?" Scootaloo asked, "Souls and Possessed and self-explanatory, I don't know how to describe the Void, though." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders glare at him, "Excuse me, Walker." Sunset Shimmer said as she runs to him, "Sunset Shimmer, ya won't believe..." Apple Bloom said, "I heard everything, Twilight told me, too." Sunset Shimmer replied, she looks at Walker, "Now, Walker, I'm going to need you to hold still, this won't take long." Sunset Shimmer said, and she touches Walker's front right hoof with her front left hoof and sees his memories. Sunset Shimmer sees Walker's memories and he was celebrating his fourth birthday, his present was a caffeinated drink, "What the? Dad, granddad, I wanted a toy." Walker said, "Sorry, son, but the present you wanted was sold out." Runner replied, "Yes, we tried to improvise, and thought you would like this instead." Sprinter said, "But why a strong tea?" Walker asked, "Uh, well, it's so... you can stay up longer to enjoy your birthday." Runner replied, "But there's nopony here but us three, and we live in the woods, I'm tired of doing things without ponies my age." Walker said, "But you have those students at your school." Sprinter replied, "I don't feel like I belong with them, everypony is so different from me." Walker said, "Oh... um... I see, I'm sorry, Walker, but this really is the best we can do this year." Runner replied, "This birthday stinks, I'm heading to bed." Walker said, and he walked to his bedroom and laid down. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes and Walker was in a place that was completely light blue with black areas of land floating in the air, "Whoa." Walker said with awe, he walks forward with curiosity. Dark blue flames appear in front of Walker, "Whoa!" Walker said, and the dark blue flames form into a bipedal creature who looked like a male human, he had slightly tan skin, a round face shape with a pointed chin, and short black hair with fringes of hair for his bangs, he wore a blue trench coat that was open in the front and went down to his feet, blue pants, blue wrist-length gloves with the ends under his trench coat, blue mid-calf length boots that his trouser legs were tucked into, a blue belt with a light blue buckle, and a light blue long-sleeve shirt that was tucked into his pants, he had light blue eyes, but sometimes, his eyes had flames in them, his sclerae had dark blue flames, while his irises and pupils had orange flames. Walker looked at him with surprise, "Hello, Walker, your fourth birthday has come, has it not? Welcome to the Void, it is time for you to receive powers that were bestowed upon your ancestors by me, and passed down through the males of your paternal bloodline. My name is Spirit, and I grant you some of my powers, just like how I did to your father and paternal grandfather before you, when they were four years old." the being said, and dark blue and orange flames engulf Walker, he screams in pain while he gets burned, but the flames and pain soon disappear, he holds his four legs out while he floated in midair, "See, there you go, now go and test out your powers, I think you will like what you can do." Spirit said, and he disappears. Walker walks forward and he noticed his first powers, he saw the ghosts of the deceased in the portals of the worlds, they were light blue in color and transparent, he watched the deceased walk around and mind their own businesses. Walker feels powers in his front hoofs and he lifts them up, some of the ghosts disappeared and reappeared around him, Walker moves his hoofs around and the ghosts did whatever they thought he commanded, Walker smiled and lowered his front hoofs, the ghosts disappeared into the ground. Walker sees a far away land he wanted to go to, he teleports there with his mind, Walker noticed he can hear the wind blowing in the realm, and realized he had enhanced hearing, Walker wondered about something and decided to try looking, his vision was sharper and more clear than before, Walker was enjoying his newfound powers. Spirit appeared in front of Walker and floated in midair, "You have more powers as well, close your eyes for a few seconds, and reopen them." Spirit said, and Walker did, to his surprise, his entire vision was a different color, his vision was dark blue, while people were light blue, and objects were a regular blue, Walker saw he can also tell how people felt, if they were watching him, if they had any wounds or items hidden on them, and can read their heartbeats, he closed his eyes again and reopened them to make his vision normal, "You have two more of my powers, go over there and jump around, don't be afraid, just hold one of your hoofs out." Spirit said, and Walker ran to the nearest floating land, he jumped and held his front left hoof out. A black skeletal hand came out of Walker's hoof and it grabbed a ledge, the arm moved forward and disappeared, Walker swung around with the skeletal arms and was high in the air, "Woo-hoo!" Walker said, and he landed on the farthest floating land since there were no more after it, Spirit reappeared in front of him, "You have one more power, you can open portals with your mind, you can travel between Equestria and the Void at will, you can come back here anytime, but you can't do it in your sleep, you have to do it in real life." Spirit said, Walker smiled, "What do you think of my powers, Walker?" Spirit asked, "This is awesome!" Walker said, Spirit chuckled, "Would you like to see how your father and paternal grandfather reacted when they got my powers?" Spirit asked, Walker nodded enthusiastically, Spirit made dark blue flames appear and it showed a colt Runner, he looked just like Walker, "No! I can't believe it! I've become a monster, just like my father!" Runner said, Walker watched with surprise and shock, the picture then changed to show a colt Sprinter, who looked just like Walker as well, "Oh well, this is normal for our family bloodline, my father had it, too." Sprinter said, Walker becomes surprised that his paternal grandfather was not excited to have the powers. The dark blue flames disappeared, "Time for you to wake up now, Walker, go see Sprinter to train your powers." Spirit said, and he disappeared while Walker's vision became pitch black. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes and she sees Walker waking up, "Aw, it was just a dream." Walker said sadly, he was about to head to the kitchen to get breakfast, but he teleported there, "Wait a minute, it wasn't a dream, it was real, this is awesome!" Walker said, he hears running and sees Runner and Sprinter coming to him, they were able to sense Spirit's powers within him, "Oh no, not you, too." Runner said with shock, "What's wrong, dad?" Walker asked, "You've become a monster as well, just like me and dad." Runner replied, "Monster? I like these powers." Walker said, and the vision changes again. Sunset Shimmer sees Walker and Sprinter outside, she sees the three originally lived in the woods with no neighbors, "Okay, grandson, I assume Spirit taught you the same things he taught me and Runner, those are the basic powers, you have three more powers." Sprinter said, "Really?! I wanna learn them now!" Walker replied with ecstasy, Sprinter laughs, "Patience, my grandson, we'll start with the first thing, an explanation, there is another type of energy in this world besides magic, it is called spiritual energy, it is not visible to the naked eye, spiritual energy is released into the air when someone or something dies, and it can be conjured, taking on any shape, form, or sound the conjurer desires, and when the conjurer is done using that spiritual energy, it is released back into the air, ready to be reused. Ponies in this world cannot see, hear, or use spiritual energy, only the males from the paternal side of our family can because of the deal we made with Spirit." Sprinter said, Walker nodded while excited, he was already finding this to be very interesting, "Okay, now that's out of the way, the first other power you have is you can conjure any weapon you please with spiritual energy, this is the one Runner and I preferred personally." Sprinter said, and he makes a sword appear in his front right hoof, which Walker did not recognize, and in Sprinter's front left hoof was another weapon he did not recognize, it was a pistol with a wheel and lock mechanism, "What is that, granddad?" Walker asked, "This is a gun, a pistol to be more specific, when I was in the Void, I saw these several times in one of the portals to another world, and I saw these were accurate and deadly, so I decided to use it, but unlike the regular one, which only holds one bullet, since this is a spiritual weapon, it holds infinite." Sprinter replied, Walker was excited, "Just hold the gun out and pull that trigger down there." Sprinter said, and Walker summons it in his front left hoof and aims it, along with the same type of sword in his front right hoof, he fires the pistol and a bullet made out of dark blue fire comes out, Walker exclaimed with shock, jumped back, stumbled, and blinked his eyes, the loudness of the gun scared him, "Now, now, Walker, you can use your spiritual energy to nullify the sound, but always remember this with your weapons, a long range weapon will always be weaker than a close range weapon." Sprinter said, "What? Why?" Walker asked, "That's just the way it is." Sprinter replied, Walker looked down, "Now, your second power Spirit didn't tell you about." Sprinter said, and Walker stood up, "Every time you land a hit with your attack, you absorb spiritual energy, they allow you to do special moves, you have four special moves, but first, you must attack me, and land a hit, you'll feel your spiritual energy get stronger." Sprinter said, and Walker used his spiritual energy to make the gun mute, he fires many times at Sprinter, and felt his spiritual energy getting stronger very slowly, "You can make your spiritual energy charge up faster with your sword." Sprinter said, and Walker begins slashing Sprinter with the sword, while Sprinter just endured the hits, Walker felt his spiritual energy meets its maximum charge, "Whoa, what is this dark blue aura around me?" Walker asked, "That's for later, now, focus with your spiritual energy, and use your mind to decide which of the four abilities you want to use, the stronger it is, the more spiritual energy it will take." Sprinter said, and Walker saw his four spiritual abilities in his mind, he places his front left hoof on the ground to do the first one, four light blue round heads came out of the ground and went to attack Sprinter, he shot them with his gun and they got destroyed. Walker tries his second spiritual ability and made himself turn transparent and light blue, Sprinter fires bullets at him and Walker realize his second spiritual ability made him invincible, "That one lasts as long as you have spiritual energy in you, Walker, once when it's drained, you change back, but you can change back at will, and you can't touch or hurt anyone when in that form, either, unless they're a spirit as well." Sprinter said, and Walker changed back. Walker tries his third spiritual ability but nothing happens, "What the?" Walker asked, "You don't have enough spiritual energy, you need to attack me again to recharge it." Sprinter replied, and Walker did, he puts his front right hoof on the ground, dark blue flames surround him and spin counterclockwise around him, "Whoa!" Walker said, "That move is used for offensive and defensive purposes, anyone who touches those flames will get hurt, so it also protects you from close range harm, it won't work against long range, though." Sprinter said, the flames disappear and Walker nodded, he tries his last spiritual ability, he holds his front left hoof out and he shoots out a stream of dark blue and orange fire, it burns whatever it touched, "Wow." Walker said, "That's your strongest spiritual ability right there, it kills almost anything in a single burn. The color of the fire is also important, orange flames are stronger than dark blue flames." Sprinter said, Walker nodded, "Okay, now your last ability, focus on the dark blue aura around you, and absorb it into yourself with your mind." Sprinter said, Runner realized what Sprinter was going to teach him and was very uneasy. Walker absorbs the aura into himself and he floated in midair, he spun around slowly counterclockwise and let out a grunt when he finished spinning in a circle, he lands on the ground. Walker looks at himself and realizes he has transformed, he was made out of dark blue flames, and he had a horn on his forehead, and bat-like wings on his sides, Walker realized he has transformed into an alicorn-like creature, he was able to tell he was about as tall as Princess Celestia, he soon changed back, "What was that?" Walker asked with curiosity, "That, there was your spiritual form, your most powerful ability, when you transform into that form, all of your powers and abilities increase tenfold." Sprinter replied, "Whoa!" Walker said, "Walker, wait." Runner said as he ran outside to them, "You mustn't use that form, it is monstrous and dangerous." Runner said, "Oh, come on, dad, it was awesome." Walker replied, "It's his choice, son, let him use it as he pleases." Sprinter said, "Okay, but restrain it, Walker, don't use your powers unless you have to." Runner said, "Yes, dad." Walker replied, "One more thing, Walker, do not, under any circumstances, use it at school, while regular ponies cannot see the dark blue flames of your powers, they can see the damage it causes, also, you will see deceased ponies at school, the other ponies cannot see them, so do not call out to them." Sprinter said, "Yes, granddad." Walker replied, "Good, off to school now, it's about to start." Sprinter said, and Walker walks to school. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes multiple times and sees Walker fighting souls, skeletons, and many more creatures that she did not recognize, her visions stop after a short amount of time. Sunset Shimmer lets go of Walker and her eyes stop glowing, "Oh. My. Gosh." Sunset Shimmer said, "What?" Walker asked, "Your powers are amazing!" Sunset Shimmer replied, "What did you say, Sunset Shimmer?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You all won't believe this, but Walker's powers may be an alternate to magic." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What?" Apple Bloom asked, "Really?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, it turns out that Walker and his family use this type of energy called spiritual energy, it's not visible to the naked eye." Sunset Shimmer replied, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle look on with surprise, "Until now, that is." Twilight Sparkle said as she walks to them, "You finished the spell, Twilight?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yup, I just finished making it. Alright, Walker, let's see this spiritual energy." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she casts a spell and shoots a beam at Walker with her horn. Walker's eyes glows the same colors as Twilight Sparkle's magic aura, all of Ponyville glows and it disappears, everybody gasps at what they saw, there were light blue and transparent ponies and animals everywhere, light blue flames in the air, and a dark blue aura around Walker. Everybody looks at Walker with disbelief while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer run to them, "Wow, I didn't think the spell would actually work." Walker said, "What is this, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "My vision and hearing every day." Walker replied, they all look and see the light blue and transparent ponies and animals getting on with their days, they could be heard as well, Runner and Sprinter teleport and appear to Walker's sides, "You really were that desperate to learn, weren't you guys?" Runner asked, "Yeah, you three have been acting weird ever since you three came here." Twilight Sparkle replied, "So, this is why, huh?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "What is this?" Apple Bloom asked, "Our vision and hearing, we can see and hear the souls of the dead." Sprinter replied, "Souls of the dead?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, they all look and see the ghosts of Bright Mac and Pear Butter rubbing their snouts on Apple Bloom, "It's that feelin' again, so that's what it was, it was mah mom and dad." Apple Bloom said, "As I said before, just because they're dead doesn't mean they're gone." Walker replied, "Oh, this is amazing, that means you three can reunite the living with their deceased loved ones." Twilight Sparkle said, the residents of Ponyville murmur with agreement, "Say, who is this Spirit guy?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "How do you know about him?" Runner asked, "I saw him in Walker's memories when I touched him." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Very well, he is the ruler of the realm known as the Void, the Void is the realm your soul goes to to receive judgement after you die, your judgement will determine where you will go to for the afterlife, if you receive salvation, you go to the overworld, damnation, the underworld." Sprinter said, "What determines your judgement?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Your actions in life, and your personality type." Sprinter replied, "Why do you all have some of his powers for?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "One of our ancestors made a deal with him to ensure our family's survival." Sprinter replied, "Wait, explain what you mean." Twilight Sparkle said, "During the time when us ponies were divided by unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies, our family was attacked the most often due to us being the closest target to both types of ponies, one of our ancestors saw Spirit taking a dead pony's soul, and he did a ritual in his name, Spirit was satisfied and contacted him, he gave him some of his powers, and it will be passed down to the males of our family's paternal bloodline, but it came with three prices." Sprinter replied, "What are they?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The first one was the mare who carries the child for the next generation has to be an earth pony, trying to have a child with a Pegasus or a unicorn will result in a miscarriage." Runner replied, the adult ponies gasp, "A miscarriage?" Applejack asked, "Yes, we can't marry ponies of different types, or both, the mare and the child will die." Sprinter replied, the foals look at them with shock, "What's the second price?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Only colts can be birthed, and one colt at a time, if the baby is a filly, it will change to a colt, as for twins, if it's twin brothers, they will merge into one colt, if it's a twin brother and a twin sister, the colt will be born while the filly will not." Sprinter replied, "So, you guys can't have sisters?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, our family cannot birth daughters." Runner replied, "Didn't any of you ever want a daughter?" Fluttershy asked, "Not really." Sprinter replied, "It was my wife who wanted one, not me." Runner said, the others were silent for a bit, "What's the last price?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "As soon as the son is born, the mother dies." Runner replied, the ponies gasp, "And the father has to raise the son alone." Runner said, "Oh, no." Fluttershy said, "What?" Walker asked, "You never experienced a mother's love." Twilight Sparkle replied, "It's not that bad." Walker said, "That's because you never had a mom." Apple Bloom said, "Yeah, moms are the best." Sweetie Belle said, "To be honest with you, I grew up without a mother figure, too." Runner replied, "I did as well." Sprinter said, "So, it's not just me?" Walker asked, "No, your father and I grew up without moms as well." Sprinter replied, "Wait, but why are only males from the paternal side allowed to have powers?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Because our ancestor who made the deal in the first place was a male from the paternal side of our family, so it just stuck." Sprinter replied, "So, it's not because Equestria is mostly female dominated?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Nope, I asked Spirit when I was a colt, that's what he said, if the pony who made the deal was a female or from the maternal side of the family, then that would've stuck instead." Sprinter replied, "Why didn't Spirit allow y'all to have siblings?" Applejack asked, "Because if we have two or more sons, they might fight one another with their powers, and as for sisters, they won't inherit his powers, and would grow jealous and resentful of her brother." Runner replied, "Oh, yeah, I can see that happening." Twilight Sparkle said, "Would you be jealous of your brother if he had our powers and you didn't, Princess Twilight?" Walker asked, "Well, I'll admit, I kind of would be." Twilight Sparkle replied, "We still come with responsibilities, me, my dad, and my granddad have to travel to the other worlds to bring the dead souls to the Void to receive judgement." Walker said, "Wait, other worlds?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "There are more worlds than this world and the world you're staying in." Walker replied, Sunset Shimmer's eyes widen, "How much more?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "A lot more." Runner replied, "Say, why did ya go to the Everfree Forest the other day for, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "Some of the souls that received damnation escaped from the underworld and came back to the world of the living to haunt them, I had to hunt them down and bring them back to the Void to get sent back to the afterlife." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders become uncomfortable, "It's late, go to school, Walker, your grandfather and I have to go to work." Runner said, the others agree and they all get on with their days. Runner was teaching the foals how to run like a professional track runner and there were souls of dead foals with them, "Whoa, did they just arrive?" a colt asked, "No, they were there running with you all the whole time." Runner replied, the living foals look at them with surprise while the souls wave at them and smile, "Come on, everypony, we started late today, we have to do stretches now." Runner said, and they do, the living foals look at Runner, "What?" Runner asked, "It's really hard for us to concentrate with that dark blue aura around your body." a filly replied, "Oh, that, just ignore that." Runner said, and they stretch, they finish after a few minutes, "Alright, let's try running a little farther today, go around the trees and run back this time." Runner said, the foals nod while Runner got ready to run with them, "Ready." Runner said, the foals were ready to run, "Go!" Runner said, and he runs with the foals. Sprinter was teaching the others how to defend themselves and he was in a boxing match with Bulk Biceps, the two fight and they stop when they hear a lot of girls cheering for Sprinter, the two look back and see a lot of souls of female ponies cheering for Sprinter and screaming at him to win, "Who are they?" Smolder asked, "My fans from my younger days as a boxer." Sprinter replied, the ghost mares continue to cheer for him, "Come on, Bulk Biceps, let's continue." Sprinter said, and they continue boxing. Sprinter punches Bulk Biceps in his chest a few times with his front hoofs, and ducks when Bulk Biceps tries to hit him, they hear chuckling and the ghosts of a few stallions watching, "Are they your fans, too?" Gallus asked, "No, they were my opponents when I was a professional boxer." Sprinter replied, "Come on, Sprinter, you can take him." one stallion said, "Do that famous finishing move of yours." another stallion said, the two continue punching one another until Sprinter grabs Bulk Biceps' front legs, "Wait, here it comes." a third stallion said, "That finishing move of his." a fourth stallion said, Sprinter gets on his back while holding onto Bulk Biceps' front legs and kicks him in the groin with his hind left hoof. Bulk Biceps groans loudly and falls over while clutching his groin with his front hoofs. Sprinter stands up and looks at Bulk Biceps with a smile, the stallions laugh while his students look on in shock, they listen and hear the ghost mares cheering for Sprinter. Bulk Biceps groans loudly while the ghosts of Sprinter's former opponents still laugh, "Wait, lift him up a bit." the first stallion said, and two of them do, they also move Bulk Biceps' front legs and there was a dark purple bruise on Bulk Biceps' groin, Sprinter's students gasp while the stallions continue to laugh, "He's still got it!" the second stallion said, they continue to laugh while Bulk Biceps pants a little heavily from the pain, "SPRINTER!!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she flies to him, Applejack runs to him as well, "We told you, no hits to the groin!" Rainbow Dash said angrily, "That rule doesn't apply in actual fights." Sprinter replied, "Still what were ya thinkin'? Ah can tell by just looking at him that low blow hurt more than a bunch of stings from a nest full of flash bees." Applejack said, Bulk Biceps continues to groan in pain, Granny Smith walks over, "What is that dang ol' sound?" Granny Smith asked, "It's Bulk Biceps right there, Granny, Sprinter here just hit him in his junk." Applejack replied, "We all did that." a stallion ghost said, "What?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, we all did hits to the crotch when we did boxing." another stallion replied, "Ah remember boxin' when it first started, hits to one's junk was allowed back then, a rule was made years later that disqualified low blows cause it caused so much pain to the person who got hit." Granny Smith said, "It's must've been after I retired, that rule was never made throughout my entire boxing career." Sprinter said, "Well, that explains a lot." Rainbow Dash replied, she looks at Bulk Biceps and saw he was unconscious, "He's unconscious!" Rainbow Dash said, "Come on, y'all, let's take him to the hospital." Applejack said, and Sprinter's students carry him away, "So, what caused you to come to Ponyville?" a stallion asked, and Sprinter begins to catch up with his former opponents. Walker was in class and trying to work, the foals and Cheerilee groan and growl since they were distracted by the loud conversations of the ghost ponies in the class, Walker exhales loudly as he focuses on his morning work, "Is it like this for you all the time, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "How are you able to deal with this?" Pipsqueak asked, "Trust me, I'm having trouble staying calm, too." Walker replied, "Um, excuse me, souls, I need you all to keep it down." Cheerilee said, they did not, "Excuse me!" Cheerilee said loudly, the foals and souls look at her, "Souls, keep your voices down, me and the others are trying to work." Cheerilee said, and the souls converse with quieter voices. Walker finishes working and sighs, he looks up again and Sweetie Belle looks with him, she sees light blue flames floating in the air, "What are those, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "More souls, not all of them change to their physical forms, some of them float in the air as flames." Walker replied, "How come?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Either they choose not to, or I've fought them in the past and destroyed the body form, they change to their flame forms if you destroy their bodies, it's how they travel faster and heal." Walker replied, "Where do you get the spiritual energy for your powers?" Sweetie Belle asked, "The flames floating around there, I absorb them, there's also me hitting my enemies, I absorb some of their spiritual energy into myself that way, as well, when I use a spiritual ability, it is released back into the air." Walker replied, "Wow, so everyday is like this for you." Sweetie Belle said, "Actually, not completely, ever since I came here, my four advisors haven't been with me." Walker replied, he feels tingling in his head, "I kept them away because you're basically on break from traveling through the worlds, if you wish, I can send them to you." Spirit said telepathically, "Yes, please, Spirit, I'd like them here." Walker replied, "Very well." Spirit said telepathically and he ends the contact. A white light appears around Walker and it divides into four lights, they form into four bipedal humanoid figures, which made the foals and Cheerilee gasp, two of them were standing, one was floating, and one was sitting, "Who are they, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "My advisors, this is Optimist." Walker replied as he holds his front right hoof out to her, "Hello." Optimist said as she waves her right hand around, she looked like a little girl, she had an inverted triangular face, fair skin, yellow eyes, and straight bright blonde hair that went down to her scapulae, she was wearing a light yellow, knee-length, sleeveless dress, and yellow sandals, "This is Pessimist." Walker said as he holds his front left hoof out to him, he was sitting on the floor, "Don't bother, Walker, I'm bound to forgotten by them." Pessimist said, he looked like a teenage boy, he had an inverted triangular face, pale white skin, blue eyes, and messy jet black hair, he was wearing a gray long-sleeve shirt, blue trouser jeans, white socks, and black running shoes, "This is Passive." Walker said as he holds his front right hoof out to her, she was floating in the air, she was wearing a light blue, long-sleeve, floor-length dress, had straight long white hair, an inverted triangular face, whitish blue skin, and her eyes were closed, "Can she see?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes, I am merely meditating right now." Passive replied, "I wanna see your eyes." Scootaloo said, and she opens them, they were blue with light blue ice coming out of them, the foals exclaim with awe, "And this is Aggressive." Walker said while holding his front left hoof out to him, "What are you all looking at?!" Aggressive asked, scaring everypony, he had red skin, a square face shape, short black hair, and red eyes with orange fire coming out of them, he was wearing black pants that went halfway down his calves, since the rest of the pants below there was ripped, he was extremely muscular, "Wait, Aggressive." Walker said, "Yeah." Aggressive said, "Since everybody can now see and hear you, you're going to have to keep your voice down with you advise me." Walker replied, Aggressive nods while smiling, and they all work. Cheerilee's class works while the souls were still loud and distracting everybody with their loud conversations, "Just listen to them. Loud. Annoying. Distracting. You should use your powers to attack them and send them a message that if they don't pipe down, you will destroy their body forms." Aggressive whispered, Sweetie Belle stops working and looks at Walker with a shocked expression, "It will make you the alpha and secure your dominance and superiority over them, along with making them quiet." Optimist whispered, "You will make yourself feared and it will cause them to raise up against you, which will cause even more chaos." Pessimist whispered, "You should just sit and try to ignore them instead of causing a scene." Passive whispered, "You will be able to get through the day with no problems." Optimist whispered, "It will make you look like a pushover with no backbone and will get stepped on." Pessimist whispered, Walker thought about their words, "I'll go with you for now, Passive." Walker said, Sweetie Belle smiles and they all work until it was time for recess. Walker plays with the students and the souls of the dead foals, he notices that his classmates try to play with them as well, the recess was normal while Optimist, Pessimist, Passive, and Aggressive just watch. The day continues and Walker was bored in his class, he senses something outside and looks to his left, he closes his eyes and reopens them, he looks and saw a ghost outside the school, the light blue figure disappears, Walker then looks around and sees the ponies were not reacting, "Phew." Walker said as he sighs with relief since he realizes that Twilight Sparkle's spell did not work completely, he looks around was able to see what was in his classmates' saddlebags, he sees they were just ordinary school supplies such as pencils and erasers, he sees magazines and comic books in some of the saddlebags as well, he continues working and finishes, he then sits until it was time to go home. Runner and Sprinter finish work and they were heading home together, they hear running to their rights and look, they saw Walker coming, "Your advisors aren't with you two?" Walker asked, "No, I don't think we need them at the moment." Runner replied, "Oh, well, I actually asked Spirit to give me mine." Walker said, "Why?" Runner asked, "Um, so I can have them help me make decisions." Walker replied, Runner glares at him, "Um, did I do something wrong, dad?" Walker asked, "Let it go, my son, they were bound to be discovered sooner or later anyway." Sprinter said, and Runner stops glaring, "Still, I wonder what it's like having these four seen by others." Walker said, "It makes people understand you better on why you act the way you do." Optimist said, "Having us visible makes you look suspicious." Pessimist said, "Where are your four trainers?" Sprinter asked, "I actually didn't ask for them to appear." Walker replied, "I see." Sprinter said, "I wonder if I should." Walker said, "They'll be around to keep you from being lonely." Optimist said, "They will distract the others." Pessimist said, "I'll admit, this is a tough one." Walker replied, "We might as well have our advisors as well, Runner." Sprinter said, "Yeah, they could help us in the long run." Runner replied, they feel tingling in their heads', "Very well, Runner and Sprinter, here you two go." Spirit said telepathically, and he ends the contact, eight lights appear and they form, Runner's and Sprinter's advisors were with them, the ponies look on with surprise. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter hear running and see Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack come to them, they now saw three Passives, three Aggressives, three Optimists, and three Pessimists, "Who are these guys?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We are their advisors." Walker's Passive replied, "So, there's three of you?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Not exactly, we are one, but we can divide ourselves as much as we want." Runner's Pessimist replied, "So, how exactly do these advisors work?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Passive and Aggressive will give me advice on how to deal with people, while Optimist and Pessimist will give me advice on every decision I think of, usually, Passive will give the pacifist advice, and Aggressive will give the violent advice, then Optimist will list the pros, and Pessimist will list the cons." Walker replied, "Where did you four come from?" Applejack asked, "Residents of the Void, created by Spirit himself." Sprinter's Passive replied, "What the? Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle said, she looks and sees while the three Passives and Aggressives glowed the same brightness, Walker's Pessimist glowed just a little brighter than his Optimist, Runner's Pessimist glowed the same brightness while his Optimist was a little dim, and Sprinter's Pessimist glowed very brightly while his Optimist was very dim, she was also laying on the floor and looked weak instead of standing up like the other two Optimists, "Why are your Optimists and Pessimists all glowing a different brightness?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is their own personal points of view on the world, the more positive or negative they become, the weaker or stronger our presence will be." Sprinter's Pessimist replied, "Sprinter, your Optimist looks very weak." Twilight Sparkle said, Sprinter's Optimist looks up, "It's okay, his negative point of view on the world has made him able to foresee a lot of unfortunate situations that most do now foresee." Sprinter's Optimist replied weakly, the six mares look at her with discomfort since she sounded like she was dying, "It is not just Optimist and Pessimist, the more gentle or violent they become, the weaker or stronger my and Aggressive's presence will be as well." Sprinter's Passive said, "Wow, I'd sure like to have such advisors." Fluttershy said, "I still wish Sprinter would be a bit more positive, though." Twilight Sparkle replied, "He's not completely negative, if he was, I wouldn't be here." Sprinter's Optimist said, "Wait, you're saying, if someone is completely one...?" Rainbow Dash asked, "The other will not be around at all, if Walker was a completely passive person, Aggressive wouldn't be there with him, same with if he was completely aggressive, I wouldn't be here." Walker's Passive replied, the ponies murmur, "It's getting late, I have to go home and do my homework." Walker said, "Okay, Walker, I'd like to know more about them tomorrow." Twilight Sparkle replied, and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter head home while their advisors went with them, their Optimists walk with them while Sprinter's Optimist crawls, Sprinter picks her up and puts her on his back, their Aggressives also walk with them, their Passives float with them, and their Pessimists just sit and slide across the ground, "*gasp* Ponies can see one's personalities and points of view?!" Walker, Runner, and Sprinter hear Silverstream ask with excitement, "No, Silverstream, it's just those three." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, "Still, you guys interacting with souls and the afterlife is awesome!" the three hear Silverstream say, "Silverstream, again, it's just those three, this is new to us as well." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, "Is Sunset Shimmer still here?" the three hear Applejack ask, "Yes, I'm planning to ask her about what she saw in Walker's mind this morning, I also had Spike send a letter to Princess Celestia about Walker's powers and the area, Princess Luna thinks the Void is where Walker is going to in his sleep." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, "Ah wonder what this Void place looks like." the three hear Applejack say, "Me too, Applejack, me too." the three hear Twilight Sparkle say, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter enter their home and they could no longer hear the conversation. Walker dreams and saw he was in a pitch black area, he quickly summons a pistol in his front left hoof, "Where are you?" Walker grumbled to himself, he grunts and had claw marks on his chest, he closes his eyes and his vision becomes dark blue, he sees the light blue bipedal creature in front of him, it disappears and Walker looks around while aiming his pistol, he sweats and breaths heavily, he did not see it anywhere. A rift appears in his dream and he saw Princess Luna come, she flies to him, "Wha? What kind of nightmare is this?" Princess Luna asked, Walker grunts and he falls and had claw marks on his back, Princess Luna notices it and casts a spell to light up the place, she sees the pitch black humanoid figure in Walker's dream, "What is this?!" Princess Luna asked, the creature disappears and Princess Luna looks around. Walker stands up and looks around, he sees the creature reappear and Princess Luna shoots a zap from her horn, but it goes through the creature and does not harm it, leaving her speechless. Walker quickly aims his pistol at the creature's head and shoots it, he changes his vision back to normal while the creature changes to a light blue flame and Walker absorbs it into himself, he wakes up shortly afterwards. Walker wakes up in his bed and sees he could not move nor speak, he looks at the door across from him and sees another humanoid pitch black figure there, it walks to him slowly and teleports short distances while its head twitches around, it stands on Walker's bed and growls. Runner and Sprinter hear the growl and wake up, they see the black figure on Walker's bed, Runner quickly summons a pistol in his front right hoof and shoots it in the head. Walker inhales deeply while Runner absorbs the creature's soul, "You okay, Walker?" Runner asked, "Yes, dad." Walker replied, "So, the Shadows are here, too." Sprinter said, the three look around and go back to sleep, the three sleep without dreaming.
Day 9The next morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have breakfast, the door flies open and they see Princess Luna enter, "Walker? Are you here?" Princess Luna asked, she sees him and flies to him, the ponies outside notice Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack trot into the house to see what was going on, "Let me see your body." Princess Luna said, and Walker walks forward, the six mares gasp when they see claw marks on his chest and back, "My stars, it's the same wounds you received in your dream last night." Princess Luna said, "Wait, what's going on, Princess Luna?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Walker was having a nightmare last night, and I noticed I was able to see his dream and enter it, so I did, and Walker was being attacked by this bipedal creature, it was pitch black, like a shadow, it attacked him in his dream, I tried to zap it away, but my magic went right through it." Princess Luna replied, "Of course it did, that was a soul of the dead." Sprinter said, "I beg your pardon." Princess Luna said, "What you saw there was a Shadow, they are souls that have already received damnation, but they escaped from the underworld and come back to the world of the living to haunt them, their pitch black form represents their malice, the more malevolent they were when they were alive, the stronger the Shadow will be." Sprinter replied, the mares look at him with widened eyes', "I sent a letter to Princess Celestia about the souls and afterlife yesterday." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, I read it as well." Princess Luna replied, "We have several enemies because of our powers, the Shadows is only one of them." Walker said, "What are the others?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Liches, the Revived, the Undead, and the Possessed." Walker replied, "Explain what they are." Princess Luna said, "Liches are in every world, they are evil creatures that absorb souls and trap them." Runner replied, "The Revived, Undead, and Possessed are people brought back to life, usually in the form of skeletons." Walker said, "What's the difference?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Revived is when a skeleton is brought back to life by its own soul, Possessed is when it's controlled by another soul, and the Undead have no souls." Walker replied, "So, what do the Undead do?" Applejack asked, "Unless there is someone to direct them, they attack everyone and everything on sight." Runner replied, the mares become uncomfortable, "There's more, the Possessed are also living people, if that happens to be the case, then the person possessing them can transform their body however they wish." Sprinter said, Rarity screams, "I can't imagine that, somebody take control of me and modify my beautiful body, it's the worst possible thing. Worst! Possible! Thing!" Rarity said, "Anyway, that's about all there is, we're a busy trio." Runner said, "Well, let's go, we all have things to do today." Princess Luna said, and they all leave while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have breakfast. Twilight Sparkle was in her castle and seeing Sunset Shimmer, "You saw the Void in Walker's mind, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What did it look like?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It was so weird, the entire place was light blue, and there were these black landscapes floating in the air like Cloudsdale." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle writes it down in a book, "Did you see anybody there?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I saw a guy who called himself Spirit." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle's attention was caught, "What did he look like?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Like a person from the world I'm staying in." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Describe him." Twilight Sparkle said, "Kind of tall, blue shirt, blue pants, blue belt, blue gloves, blue boots, blue trench coat, his hair is short and black, he has fringes as bangs instead of being completely straight like yours, his skin was like a peach color, and his eyes are light blue, but he sometimes has dark blue and orange fire in them." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Fire in his eyes?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, they appear sometimes." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Okay, tell me, did you also see what kind of powers Walker and his guardians have?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, I saw Walker teleporting." Sunset Shimmer replied, "We already know he can do that. What else can he do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Believe it or not, but he can actually command those dead souls to act under his orders." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Really? That's amazing. What else can he do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I also saw him make these skeletal hands come out of his front hoofs, it looks like he can use those to grab ledges and pull himself towards them." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Wait, skeletal hands?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, like the hands and forearms of the people in my world, but it's made from bones, one thing that caught my mind in particular is that the bones were black instead of white." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I see, what else?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I don't think you're going to like this next one." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What is it?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I saw Walker close his eyes and reopen them, and his vision changed, everything was dark blue, people were light blue, and objects were just blue, but that's not the problem, the problem is when he uses that vision, he can see through walls, ceilings, what's inside our saddlebags, and what could be inside people's pockets, he can also read other people's feelings and heartbeats with that vision, he can use it to see who's watching him, too, and lastly, if we have any hidden injuries on ourselves, he will see those as well." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle freezes in place with shock, "You're saying that he can see through walls and ceilings with that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, he can see what's inside your saddlebag, too." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, I don't think he's used it, I mean, I cast the spell to see and hear the world how he sees and hears it." Twilight Sparkle said, "He probably knows, so he's choosing not to use it." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Probably. What else can he do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, we haven't seen him do this, but he can open portals between this world and the Void with his mind at anytime." Sunset Shimmer replied, "So, that means he can go there anytime he wishes, that's pretty nice to know." Twilight Sparkle said, "He has three more powers, Twilight, the first one is he can summon any weapon he wishes at will, and since the weapons are spiritual in nature, they weigh nothing." Sunset Shimmer said, "Weigh nothing? I'll have to see that for myself, what are the other two?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, the next one is using spiritual energy as a weapon, he has a total of four abilities." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What are they?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The first one allows him to summon four of these round heads that float in the air, they go to his nearest enemy begin swarming their target and attacks them." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Summon round heads? How do they attack people?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, if I had to take a guess, they're either draining someone's soul out or biting them, I'm not sure." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What's the second power?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Walker can change himself into a soul form, he is completely invincible when he's like that, he can't harm others either unless they're a soul themselves." Sunset Shimmer replied, "So he can change to a ghost, good thing I cast that spell, or he'd be invisible to us." Twilight Sparkle said, Sunset Shimmer chuckles, "The third power allows him to summon these flames that spin around him, you can't get close to him at that time, or you'll get burned." Sunset Shimmer said, "I'm sure a magic spell can counter that, what's the last one?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "He can shoot a stream of fire out of his hoof, that's the strongest of his four spiritual abilities, I also saw in his memory with it being explained, Sprinter said orange flames are stronger than dark blue flames." Sunset Shimmer replied, "I see, what's his last power?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You won't believe it." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Go on, tell me." Twilight Sparkle said, "Walker can transform into this alicorn-like fire creature." Sunset Shimmer replied, "What?! Walker can change into an alicorn?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, it looks like an alicorn, and as tall as Princess Celestia, but it has what looks to be bat wings instead of Pegasus wings, and when he's in that form, all of his powers and abilities become ten times stronger." Sunset Shimmer replied, Twilight Sparkle becomes speechless, "Anything else?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Nope, that's all." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Well, are you leaving?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Not yet, I'll stay here a bit and watch Walker and his family." Sunset Shimmer replied, "Alright, well, that's all I wanted to know, thanks for your time." Twilight Sparkle said, and Sunset Shimmer goes outside while Twilight Sparkle proofreads what she wrote. Runner was running and the foals follow him, they run slower than usual as well, "Why did you all slow down for?" Runner asked, "Those four people there with you are in the way." a colt replied, "Don't mind us, we just do our jobs." Runner's Passive said, "Yeah, you'll just go through us." Runner's Aggressive said, the foals try and pass through the four, "See, we're basically ghosts, too, since only Walker, Runner, and Sprinter are supposed to see and hear us." Runner's Optimist said, "Say, what's it like serving Spirit?" a colt asked, "It has its ups and downs." Runner replied, "What's one good thing about it?" a filly asked, "Watching my family." Runner replied, "Watching your family?" the filly asked, "Yeah, I can only think about what kind of pranks my dad would play on my son if I didn't." Runner replied, and he has a thought. Walker was sitting at a table and trying to contact Runner and Sprinter with an Ouija board, he spells out Sprinter's name and his ghost appears, Walker smiles while he looks at Sprinter, "You're adopted." Sprinter said, Walker begins to cry while Runner appears behind him, he slaps Sprinter on the back of his head with his front right hoof while Sprinter laughs. Runner comes back to reality and looks at the foals, "Well, anyway, let's keep running." Runner said, and they all run again, "Let's keep going a bit a longer than usual today." Runner said, and they all do, the foals quickly get tired since they were running as fast as they can, "Remember, everypony, pace yourself, don't run as fast as you can, or you'll tire yourself out before you're even close to the end." Runner said, they run a bit and go farther into the woods, they go around a tree and run back. Runner stands and looks at his students, they were all panting and sweating, "Can you all keep going?" Runner asked, the foals shake their heads, "Alright, go on and rest then, we'll continue when you all recover." Runner said, and he sits and waits while the foals pant heavily. Sprinter shows his students how to do jump kicks with their hind legs, the students try it but hurt their thighs by stretching them out too far, they groan in pain as they fall to the ground, "Give it time, everyone, it'll get easier as you practice, as for now, let's stretch a little." Sprinter said, and they do, the pain in their hind thighs' went away, they finish after a few minutes, "Um, Sprinter." Ocellus said as she trots to him, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I can't focus while seeing her like that." Ocellus said as she points her front left hoof to Optimist, who was laying on the ground, "Sorry, you'll just have to ignore her." Sprinter said, "I can't, the way she's laying on the ground looks like she's about to lose her life at any second." Ocellus replied, "Don't worry, she won't, she's just like that because my view on the world is not very positive." Sprinter said, "Well, be more positive, Sprinter, I can't bear to see her like that." Ocellus replied, "Anybody else bothered by it?" Sprinter asked, "Kind of, yeah." Sandbar replied, "Yona distracted." Yona said, "Sorry, Optimist, but you're going to have to go out of sight." Sprinter said, "Okay." Sprinter's Optimist replied, "No, be more happy, Sprinter, so she can be all happy and full of energy like the other two." Silverstream said, "That's going to be a lot harder to do than you think." Sprinter replied, "Come to think of it, we never did learn about the background of you and your family." Gallus said, "Trust me, my background is better off not known." Sprinter replied, "You did something bad, didn't you?" Smolder asked, "Not exactly, it's the environment that I was raised in." Sprinter replied, they all hear Pinkie Pie behind Sprinter and he turns around, he sees her trying to hold up Optimist, "No, don't fall, stand up, please." Pinkie Pie said, "It's alright, I'm fine." Sprinter's Optimist replied, "No, you're not, please stand." Pinkie Pie said, and she begins to cry while Optimist just lays on the ground, Sprinter turns around, "Well, let's just continue." Sprinter said, and he teaches his students more punches and kicks. Walker sits in class and works while the souls in the class converse and distract him and the others, Walker sees his classmates covering their ears', "Miss Cheerilee." Sweetie Belle said, "Try to ignore them, I'm honestly having trouble focusing as well." Cheerilee replied, and they try but could not, the foals growl while trying to focus on their work. Walker works but he hears something to his left, he looks at the window and sees nothing, so he closes his eyes and reopens them, he sees eight light blue figures coming, he looks and sees they looked like earth ponies. Walker stands up and summons his sword and pistol, the windows break to the left break. Cheerilee and the foals scream when eight stallions break in, Walker runs to them and he sees all eight of the stallions had glowing light blue eyes', which told him they were possessed. One stallion opens his mouth and shoots fire out, Walker jumps over it and shoots him in the head with his pistol, the stallion falls over and his soul appears in the air, Walker absorbs it by holding out his front left hoof. A second stallion opens his mouth and he had a long tongue, it wraps around Walker and pulls him forward, he summons blue flames around himself that spin counterclockwise and burns the stallion, he absorbs his soul as well. Three stallions join their hoofs together and form into an earth pony that was three times bigger than an average stallion with twelve legs, three tails, six eyes’, and three heads, it runs after Walker while it destroys the floor, he teleports onto the back of its neck and stabs the center head, he shoots the left head and then teleports to the right head and stabs it, it falls over while three souls came out of it and Walker absorbs them. The next stallion grows tentacles and snakes out of his back and wraps around Walker to constrict him, he grunts and quickly changes to his soul form to escape, he changes back and shoots a stream of dark blue and orange fire out of his front right hoof, the stallion screams as he burns, his soul comes out and Walker absorbs it. The next stallion grows light blue and black wings out of his sides, he begins to fly but Walker quickly makes a black skeletal arm come out of his front right hoof and pull him forward, Walker shoots him with his pistol and absorbs his soul. The last stallion charges towards Walker, he holds his sword out and ends up cutting the stallion from his collarbone to his waist, he turns around and Walker sees him grow teeth in his cut and it changes to a stomach, he stands on his hind legs and the stomach opens, he tries to eat Walker but he just shoots him and absorbs his soul. Walker sees more souls outside and jumps out of the window, Cheerilee and her class go to watch him. The ground erupts and skeleton ponies come out, Walker changes his sword and pistol to a big double-edged broadsword that was about sixty six inches long and twelve inches wide, Cheerilee and her class look on with opened mouths and wide eyes at the sword. Walker swings the broadsword around like it was nothing and attacks the skeleton ponies, they break apart and their souls appear out of the destroyed skeletons to continue fighting Walker. Walker grunts when he gets hit by zaps, he sees several skeleton ponies shooting beams out of their foreheads, he summons a two-handed rifle in his front left hoof and fires at them and destroys their skeletons, their souls appear to fight him. The ground bursts open and more skeleton ponies appear, Runner and Sprinter appear to help Walker, but it made more skeleton ponies appear, they look and see Pegasi souls appear in the air. Sprinter holds his front right leg up and makes several pony souls appear, he holds his leg out and the souls go over to attack the enemies. Walker and Runner make four round heads appear to attack the skeletons and souls attacking them while Cheerilee and her class stand back and watch with fear, the flying Pegasi begin to fly down to attack them and Runner and Sprinter make shotguns appear, they fire scattershots and the souls turn into light blue flames, Runner and Sprinter absorb them into themselves. Walker swings the broadsword around to destroy the skeletons and souls around him, he looks and sees the residents of Ponyville coming over, Rainbow Dash flies down to fight the skeletons and destroys them, their souls come out and begin beating her, she grunts every time she was hit, she tries kicking one soul, "Huh? What the?" Rainbow Dash asked, she tries hitting the souls and saw her hoofs pass through them and did not harm them, the souls begin to beat her up and she grunts from each hit, Walker swings the broadsword and destroys their souls and absorbs them while Rainbow Dash pants, "You okay?" Walker asked, "I'm fine." Rainbow Dash replied, and Walker looks and sees the souls Sprinter summoned were falling as well. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer try shooting their magic at the skeletons and souls, the skeletons get destroyed, but the souls were unharmed, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Our magic went through them." Starlight Glimmer said, they try again and their magic go through the souls and have no effect on them, the two stand there in stunned silence. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter finish off the skeletons and souls there and Sprinter dismisses the army he called forth, the three see the ponies of Ponyville around them, "What were those ponies who broke into the school?" Cheerilee asked, "The Possessed, they're after me." Walker replied, "What about those skeletons?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Revived, they were brought back to life by their own souls." Runner replied, "You all could've called me over to help with the possessed ponies." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm sorry to say this, Princess Twilight, but usually when someone is possessed, that's it, they're gone for good, the only way to free them is to kill them." Walker replied, the ponies gasp, "You mean... there's no way to free them?!" Scootaloo asked, "When someone is possessed, they are trying to fight to regain control of their bodies with their willpowers, but usually, their willpowers are not strong enough to win back control over themselves, so no matter how hard they try, they cannot be free." Sprinter replied, "Well, don't kill them, I'm sure a spell can free them." Twilight Sparkle said, "I doubt such a spell exists." Runner replied, "Then we'll have to create one." Twilight Sparkle said, "Even if you do, the spell will not work on them." Sprinter replied, "Why not?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Souls are not physical bodies, that is why your magic works on skeletons but not on souls." Walker replied, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm sorry, but that is the way, I'd appreciate you all's help, but it's best if you leave the souls of the dead to us." Sprinter said, "But you guys attack them directly." Twilight Sparkle replied, "That's because they are genuinely malevolent souls, there are some good souls as well." Runner replied, "You all can at least offer your friendship." Rarity said, "Offer our friendship? You're joking." Walker replied, "No, we're not, friendship is magic, Walker." Twilight Sparkle said, "In this world, in the other worlds, it's not magic at all." Walker replied, "What do you mean it's not magic?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Exactly what I mean, friendship is not valued in several other cultures." Walker replied, "What is it to them?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A concept, something we use just to stay on good terms with others." Walker replied, "WHAT?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We're wasting time, let's take these souls to the Void to receive judgement." Sprinter said, "Take me with you three." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Sorry, but we can't." Walker replied, "Why not?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Spirit just doesn't allow anyone into the Void, let's go." Runner replied, and Sprinter opens a portal with his mind and the three were about to go, "I wanna meet Spirit." Pinkie Pie said as she dashes to the portal and tries to jump in, but she gets electrocuted and screams, she gets shot back afterwards, "As I said, Spirit doesn't allow live people into the Void, only us three can enter." Runner said, "But I wanna meet him." Pinkie Pie said, "You won't." Walker replied, "Where do the souls you get go?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We take them to this guy just called The Judge, he judges the souls, and they go to the afterlife, you never meet Spirit during that time." Walker replied, "Let's go." Sprinter said, and the three go to the Void and the portal closes while Twilight Sparkle seethes with rage. A light blue and white portal opens in the middle of Ponyville and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter come out and the portal behind them closes, "Should we really bring the creatures of the other worlds here, dad and granddad?" Walker asked, "It's probably best not to, since friendship is meaningless to some of them." Sprinter replied, "I doubt they'd adjust to this world, especially the ones with the warrior cultures." Runner said, "What about the first three creatures we met, the harpies, vulcans, and onis?" Walker asked, "Walker, you know full well that an oni won't fit in this world, and will cause a lot of chaos for Princess Twilight." Runner replied, "It'd still be funny to see, though." Walker said, they hear screams of excitement and the souls of mares run to Walker and begin touching and hugging him, he sees Runner become very uncomfortable, "Hey, dad, who are these ponies?" Walker asked, "All of the mares your grandfather dated when I was a foal." Runner replied, he hears the ponies scream in shock while he saw Sprinter smiling, "SPRINTER!!" Rarity yelled angrily as she ran to him, "No! Shame on you! You should know better not to date more than one mare!" Rarity said, "I only dated one at a time." Sprinter replied, "No! It is wrong to go from one mare to another, I can only imagine how many hearts you have broken." Rarity said, "Broken? He didn't break our hearts." one mare said, "Yeah, we just dated and broke up when the spark was gone." another mare said, "So, none of you were hurt by breaking up with him?" Rarity asked, "No, we were the ones who broke up with him." a third mare replied, "Wait a minute, I actually don't recognize some of them." Runner said, "Some of them, I dated before I had you, Runner." Sprinter replied, Rarity glares at him, "You had a son, yet you continued to go out with other mares?" Rarity asked, "I had two jobs at that time, so I needed somepony to foalsit Runner while I was at work." Sprinter replied, "Why didn't you hire a foalsitter?" Rarity asked, "There weren't any in the area Runner grew up in." a fourth mare replied, "I really hope your son didn't do the same thing." Rarity said, "Nope, I only loved one female pony, and only her, she and I grew up together as kids." Runner replied, "Don't give your grandson any ideas, Sprinter, dating one lady, breaking up with her, and going to another is one quick way to anger her." Rarity said, and she walks away while Sprinter's ex-girlfriends continue to rub and pat Walker, "You look just like Runner when he was a foal." a fifth mare said, Walker smiles and blushes, "Alright, ladies, that's enough, my grandson has to do his homework." Sprinter said, and the mares disappear while the three head home, Walker finishes his homework and he goes to bed, Runner and Sprinter go to bed hours later.
Day 10Morning comes and Walker decides to paint since it was early in the morning, he paints a water landscape with a an island in the background that looks like a turtle's shell, he looks and sees Runner was passing the time by reading about honor and chivalry, while Sprinter was dancing with his ex-girlfriends. Walker continues to paint while thinking about his four trainers, "Still thinking about having your trainers present, I see." Walker's Passive said, "Yeah, I still wonder if I should have them present." Walker replied, "That's your choice, Walker, do what you wish." Runner said, "If you wish to, then Runner and I should have our trainers present as well." Sprinter said, "Yeah, I agree there." Runner said, "Well, in that case, yes, I'd like for our trainers to be here." Walker replied, the three feel tingling in their heads', "Very well, I'll send them." Spirit said telepathically, and he goes off, twelve lights appear and their trainers appear, each one had four trainers, one trainer looked like them but more muscular, one trainer had its brain exposed and its body was made of blue electricity, one trainer was light blue and transparent like a ghost, and one trainer had its heart exposed and its body was made of red fire, "It's almost time for school, Walker." Sprinter said, "Alright." Walker replied, and he adds the finishing touches to his painting and heads outside. Walker heads outside and sees the ponies of Ponyville waiting for him, "What was that light in your house just now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Oh, um, I asked for my four trainers to be with me as well." Walker replied, the ponies look and see them, "Whoa, they look so cool." Rainbow Dash said, "Who are they?" Fluttershy asked, "We are all Walker." the Walker who looked like him but more muscular replied, "Wait, you four are Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, we are representations of his inner self." the Walker made from blue electricity replied, "What do y'all represent and train him in?" Applejack asked, "I represent his body, I train him in exercising and staying in shape." the Walker who looked like him replied, "I represent his mind, I train him in learning new things through books and academics, he also receives my training throughout his life as he has new experiences." the Walker made from blue electricity said, "I represent his spirit, I train him in having a strong willpower and being determined, as well as having self-control." the light blue and transparent Walker said, "I represent his emotions, I train him in empathy and being able to read the emotions of others." the Walker made from red fire said, "Wow, this is amazing, Walker, I'm honestly kind of jealous I didn't have teachers like them." Twilight Sparkle said, "So, what do we call you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Body Walker." the muscular Walker said, "Mind Walker." the Walker made from blue electricity said, "Spirit Walker." the light blue and transparent Walker said, "Emotion Walker." the Walker made from red fire said, "Do your father and grandfather have their trainers, too?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "I wanna see them." Twilight Sparkle said, the door opens and Runner and Sprinter come out, everybody sees Body Runner, Body Sprinter, Mind Runner, Mind Sprinter, Spirit Runner, Spirit Sprinter, Emotion Runner, and Emotion Sprinter. Everypony looks on with surprise, Body Runner was skinny with no muscle while Body Sprinter was as muscular as Bulk Biceps, Mind Runner and Mind Sprinter had blue electricity that glowed brightly and crackled loudly, along with big brains, Mind Sprinter had the bigger brain, Spirit Runner and Spirit Sprinter glowed much brighter than Spirit Walker, but the two were equal to one another, and Emotion Runner had slightly high flames and a medium sized heart while Emotion Sprinter had almost no fire on himself and his heart was very small and not beating. The ponies look at the inner selfs of the three, "Wow, Runner, you look a bit out of shape." Rainbow Dash said, "I hate training." Runner replied, "What is this, Sprinter? Why is your emotional self so dim?" Rarity asked, "My granddad is not very big on emotions." Walker replied, "Having no emotions is bad for your health." Twilight Sparkle said, they look and see Emotion Walker was brighter than Emotion Runner and Emotion Sprinter, "I assume you're more emotional than your father and grandfather, Walker." Twilight Sparkle said, "He is, he's the one who always wants to have fun instead of getting things done." Runner replied, "Truth be told, it does hinder us sometimes." Sprinter said, "That's normal for foals, Sprinter, just like with you being the smartest of the three, that's normal for elders." Twilight Sparkle said, Sprinter chuckles, "So, what's the spirit part for?" Pinkie Pie asked, "It is our willpower and determination, by training our spirits, if a soul tries to possess us, we can force them out just through pure determination." Sprinter replied, "Can we see your trainings?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I'll show you all after school." Walker replied, the ponies murmur with excitement, "Alright, we'll be waiting." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all get on with their days. Walker works in his classroom and everypony looks at him, he reads the book Cheerilee told the class to read and Mind Walker's electricity crackles, and Emotion Walker's flames rise high since Walker was irritated by the loud ghosts in the school again, Sweetie Belle looks and sees Body Walker losing his muscles since Walker was not doing any physical activity, and Spirit Walker glows brighter since Walker was more determined to finish his classwork, even though the loud ghosts annoyed him. Walker reads the section his class was reading and finishes after several minutes, "Um, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes?" Walker asked, "How many worlds have you been to before you moved here?" Sweetie Belle asked, Walker counts in his head, "Six, I believe." Walker replied, "What was the first world you've been to like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It was fun, all of the bright colors hurt my eyes, though." Walker replied, Sweetie Belle leans towards him, "What were the people like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Warrior culture, use bladed boomerangs as weapons." Walker replied, "What were they called?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Harpies." Walker replied, "And the name of their world?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Aerostia, it's also the second world my dad went to, and the third world for my granddad." Walker replied, "What was your second world?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Chrysaor, that world was my favorite, it's also my dad's first world and my granddad's second world." Walker replied, "What are the people there called?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Vulcans." Walker replied, "Vulcan?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, they're an artistic bunch, but also fighters." Walker replied, "What about your third world?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yomi, my dad's third world and my granddad's first world." Walker replied, "What are the people there like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Trust me, you don't want to know." Walker replied, "What are they called?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Onis." Walker replied, "Oni?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, and I'm serious when I say this, you don't want to know about their culture." Walker replied, "Can you give me a hint?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Violent, fight to the death." Walker replied, "Oh." Sweetie Belle said with discomfort, "Shoot, it's almost time to turn our work in." Walker said as he looks at the clock, and the two get back to work and finish on time, today was a normal school day and everypony had no problems besides the loud ghosts. The bell rings and it was time to go home, "Hold on, everypony, due to us falling behind schedule, we all have to come to school tomorrow." Cheerilee said, the students except for Walker groan, "I know, and I'm sorry to do this, have a good day, everypony." Cheerilee said, and they all go home. Walker walks to the center of Ponyville and sees everypony gather around, "I haven't forgotten, I'll show you all my training." Walker said, and his four trainers stand in front of him, "Which one do you want to do first?" Body Walker asked, "I'll do emotions first." Walker replied, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Spirit Walker disappear. Emotion Walker makes Pinkie Pie appear, "Hey, that's me!" Pinkie Pie said, "*gasp* A new friend!" the Pinkie Pie illusion said, "She's happy right now." Walker said, "Good job, Walker." Emotion Walker said, "Wait, how does this training work?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Walker has to watch the pony's facial expressions and body language, then tell me what emotion they're feeling." Emotion Walker replied, "Ooh, now I say that is a good thing to train in, helps you understand others." Rarity said, the Pinkie Pie illusion hops up and down while talking, "She's excited now." Walker said, "Too easy for you?" Emotion Walker asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "Alright, let's try something harder." Emotion Walker said, and he makes the illusion of Pinkie Pie disappear and summons an illusion of Maud Pie, "Maud!" Pinkie Pie said, "I remember you from the last time." the illusion of Maud Pie said, Walker looks on, "Um, happy, I guess." Walker said, "Nope, neutral." Emotion Walker replied, he watches Maud Pie and she just looks at him, "What?" the illusion of Maud Pie asked, "Annoyed?" Walker asked, "Nope, curious." Emotion Walker replied, "Wait, why Maud for?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Because even stoics have emotions." Emotion Walker replied, "I think I get this training, let's see the other three." Twilight Sparkle said, and Emotion Walker makes the illusion disappear while Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Spirit Walker reappear. Walker looks at the four, "Let's do mind training next." Walker said, and Body Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. Mind Walker makes books appear for Walker to read, he picks up one and reads it, everypony saw it was a book on the cultures of Equestria. Twilight Sparkle and Ocellus become curious and trot over to see what the books were, there were books on math, science, Equestrian magic, Equestrian culture and customs, and Equestrian history, "Wow, this is actually a pretty diverse range to choose from." Twilight Sparkle said, "Can we read them, please?" Ocellus asked, "Of course, but they will disappear when Walker's done." Mind Walker replied, and Twilight Sparkle reads a book on Equestrian magic while Ocellus reads a book on Equestrian history, they enjoy the books until they hear Walker yawning, he puts his book down, "I'll read more later, I'm almost falling asleep." Walker said, Sunset Shimmer chuckles, "Wow, it's almost like me when I'm learning." Sunset Shimmer said, Mind Walker makes the books disappear while Body Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker reappear, "I'll train my willpower next, since training my body will change the landscape." Walker said, Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear, "I don't need to summon anything, just sit down and meditate, Walker." Spirit Walker, and he does. Walker meditates with his front legs in the lap of his hind legs, he inhales through his snout and exhales through his mouth, "There you go, Walker, just focus on the present, and keep all of your memories out, keep your willpower strong so you don't get possessed." Spirit Walker said, and Walker exhales again, "Don't forget to have positive energy bloom inside of you, Walker." Ocellus said, "This isn't about positive energy, this is about making him mentally stronger and more determined to get things done." Spirit Walker replied, "But positive energy will make him more determined to start something." Ocellus said, "This training is to also train Walker to control himself, and not let his emotions get the best of him." Spirit Walker replied, "Walker." Ocellus said, "Yeah." Walker said, "Do you feel any positive energy from the meditation?" Ocellus asked, "Nope." Walker replied, "Don't you feel happy?" Ocellus asked, "No, I don't feel anything, I just do it." Walker replied, "That's no fun." Pinkie Pie said, "That doesn't look fun to begin with, looks boring." Rainbow Dash replied, Walker opens his eyes, "Well, I might as well end it now." Walker said while he stands up, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker reappear, "Come see me next time, Walker, I'll teach you how to meditate properly." Ocellus said, "You ready?" Body Walker asked, "Yeah, I need you two to back away." Walker replied, and Twilight Sparkle and Ocellus do, Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. The landscape changes and there was a blizzard in Ponyville, the people in Ponyville scream as they cover themselves, the landscape also changes to one of a mountain and there was snow on the ground, "Whoo, this is freezin'." Applejack said, "Place colder than winter night in Yakyakistan." Yona said, "Alright, Walker, the usual exercise, let's see if you're faster than before." Body Walker said, and Walker exhales as he gets ready, "Wait, what's the exercise?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and they see Walker jump and enter a body of water, "Wait, he has to swim in that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, they see Walker come up to the surface and exhales loudly, he begins swimming in the water as fast as he can, "That's crazy, almost no one can withstand water that cold." Starlight Glimmer said, "I really hope he doesn't get hypothermia." Twilight Sparkle said, and Walker swims as fast as he can while panting, "I wanna try!" Silverstream said, and she dives in while changing to a seapony, she screams and climbs out, two nearby ponies pull her out while she changes back to a hippogriff, she looks at her unfolded wings and gasps, "My wings!" Silverstream said, the feathers on her wings were frozen solid with ice around them, "Whoa, her wings froze from the water." Sandbar said, "Well, it's a blizzard, there's a windchill, and judging by the landscape, Walker does this training somewhere in the mountains, so it's high altitude, which makes it even colder." Twilight Sparkle said, Walker swims through the ice cold water and breathes heavily as he keeps going, he makes to the end and climbs out while panting heavily, "Better, but still not good enough, we'll have to do this training again one day." Body Walker said, Walker looks down while the land changes back to normal, and Walker's four trainers were around him, "Well... *pant* *pant* that's all of them." Walker said while breathing hard and shivering, "Come on, everypony, let's take him to my place." Rarity said, and she and her friends carry Walker to Carousel Boutique. Walker was in Carousel Boutique and laying down on a pillow while panting, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack work together to warm him up, "I got the blankets here." Twilight Sparkle said as she put them on Walker, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gather around Walker to warm him up with their body heat, "Here's some ginger tea for you, darling." Rarity said, and Walker drinks it, Rainbow Dash puts a hot towel on Walker's head, Applejack uses a towel to dry Walker's tail, "Ya warm now, Walker?" Applejack asked, Walker pants a little loudly and shivers a bit, "Sweetie Belle, can you be a dear and get my heavy duty winter coat?" Rarity asked, and Sweetie Belle runs upstairs and comes back while using her telekinesis to carry a light purple heavy winter coat that had white fur trimmings on it, "I have it here." Sweetie Belle said, "Thank you, darling." Rarity replied, and she unwraps the blankets and puts the coat on Walker, his panting begins to die down, "You feel better now, Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, thanks." Walker replied, "Say, Walker, what were the next three worlds you visited after Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi?" Sweetie Belle asked, Walker tries to remember, "I believe they were Electra, Necromanca, and Anima, that sounds right." Walker replied, "What about your father and grandfather?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I don't know." Walker replied, "Oh." Sweetie Belle said, "I'm a bit surprised to see you here, though." Walker said, "I live here, Walker, I'm Rarity's sister." Sweetie Belle replied, "I see." Walker said, "Still, traveling to other worlds at only the age of four? A lot of foals would be jealous." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's actually one reason why my family can't have siblings." Walker replied, "Do the ponies at your home know about your powers?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No, my old home is in the middle of the woods with no neighbors." Walker replied, "No neighbors, you must have been lonely." Twilight Sparkle said, "It did get lonely sometimes." Walker replied, "I wonder how your father and grandfather grew up." Fluttershy said, "Truth be told, I have the most normal upbringing when compared to those two." Walker replied, "Speaking of them, where are they? They should be finished with work by now." Rainbow Dash said, "They're probably in the Void and doing something for Spirit." Walker replied, "How often are your daddy and grandpa gone?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Not very often, it's me who's gone the most." Walker replied, "Can you bring souvenirs from your travels?" Rarity asked, "For what?" Walker asked, "To have memories of your experiences there." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I can't do that." Walker said, "Why not?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Number of reasons, some items are sacred and forbidden to touch, some are cursed, some activate traps, souls can haunt photos and objects I bring, and it can leave evidence that I was there for my enemies to hunt me down." Walker replied, "You don't seem to have that many enemies." Rainbow Dash said, "I have a lot of enemies in the worlds beyond." Walker replied, "Well, tell me about them one day, I'd like to write them down in my books, I think you're warmed up now." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yeah, I'm starting to sweat." Walker replied, and he takes the blankets and coat off, "I'll be going home now, I'll check if dad and granddad are there." Walker said, and he heads home while the seven female ponies say bye to him. Walker walks home and sees Runner and Sprinter were not home, he sighs and does his homework, he has lettuce for dinner and goes to sleep at his bedtime. Fluttershy sleeps in her bed but soon wakes up when she feels something watching over her, she looks and sees a Shadow at her room's entrance, Fluttershy tries to gasp but she could not speak, she tries to get up but could not, realizing she was paralyzed. Fluttershy looks on in fear while the Shadow walks towards her slowly with its head twitching around, it walks onto the top of Fluttershy's bed, she watches with fear and sees the Shadow was about to strangle her. The Shadow disappears and Fluttershy exhales deeply, she sees Discord made it disappear, "Visitors at night. How troublesome." Discord said, "Thank you, Discord." Fluttershy said, "Oh, don't thank me, he was trespassing on our property." Discord replied, "Well, um, can you stand by my side as I sleep for the night?" Fluttershy asked, "Of course, my dear." Discord replied, and Fluttershy goes back to sleep while Discord guards her from anymore Shadows.
Day 11Morning comes and Walker sees Runner and Sprinter, "Good morning, Walker." Runner said, "Where were you two?" Walker asked, "Another world, we had souls to bring to the Void to be judged." Runner replied, "Oh." Walker said, and he sits and paints for sometime. Knocking is heard at the door and Walker walks to the door, he opens it and sees Princess Cadence, she looks and sees Walker along with Body Walker, Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, Emotion Walker, his Optimist, Pessimist, Passive, and Aggressive, "Hello, Walker." Princess Cadence said, "Princess Cadence?" Walker asked, "Yes, Walker, it's me, Twilight sent me a letter a few days ago talking about the deal with Spirit and what it does to your family, and if it's okay with you and your father and grandfather, I'm here to act as your surrogate mother." Princess Cadence replied, "Don't you have your own child to look after?" Walker asked, "Flurry Heart's with my husband today." Princess Cadence replied, "What about your kingdom?" Walker asked, "I have other ponies running it for me today." Princess Cadence replied, "Look, I appreciate it and all, Princess Cadence, but I already have two guardians." Walker said, "A mother's love is completely different from a father's love, Walker." Princess Cadence replied, "Looks the same to me." Walker said, "Haven't you ever wanted a mother, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "My mom's ghost comes to visit me every once in a while." Walker replied, "But doesn't she stay to take care of you?" Princess Cadence asked, "Actually, no, she's in the overworld right now." Walker replied, "See, if you let me, I can let you know what it's like to have a mother, Walker, her love and affection is one of the most comforting things you can feel in your life." Princess Cadence said, Walker turns around, "What do you say, dad and granddad?" Walker asked, "Do as you wish." Runner replied, "Yes, Walker, your choice." Sprinter said, Walker turns around, "Alright, I'll give it a try." Walker said, "Great, I'd like to enter your home, Walker." Princess Cadence replied, and the two walk into the home. Princess Cadence enters the home and sees Walker go back to his painting, she trots to him, "What are you painting, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked as she trots to him, "Oh, it's beautiful, Walker." Princess Cadence said, "Really?" Walker asked, "Yes, I rarely see such good paintings like these." Princess Cadence replied, Walker chuckles and continues painting, "Where did you get the inspiration to create this?" Princess Cadence asked, "My travels through the Void." Walker replied, Princess Cadence smiles as she watches Walker paint, "Breakfast's ready, Walker." Sprinter said, and he stands up and trots to the table, Princess Cadence sees all Walker had for breakfast was a salad, "Wait, just a salad, Sprinter?" Princess Cadence asked, "It's usually enough to get him through the day." Sprinter replied, "What about you, Runner?" Princess Cadence asked, "It's enough for me." Runner replied, "Really? I've brought several treats of my own." Princess Cadence said, and she opens her saddlebag with her telekinesis and takes out cookies, "For me?" Walker asked, Princess Cadence nods, "Thank you." Walker said, and he takes them, "Don't eat too many, Walker, you'll be out of shape for fighting the souls of the dead if you do." Runner said, Walker looks at the cookies Princess Cadence gave him, "You'll have a delicious taste in your mouth and make yourself feel good." Walker's Optimist said, "You'll make your own health and teeth worse." Walker's Pessimist said, "Um, excuse me, you two." Princess Cadence said, Walker's Optimist and Pessimist look at her, "I understand it's your jobs to list the pros and cons of what he wants to do, but not everyone wants to hear them, especially the cons." Princess Cadence said, Walker decides to eat the cookies, "Wow, these are good." Walker said, he eats one and saves the rest for later, "These are heavy, too, I'm full." Walker said, and Sprinter puts them in the refrigerator, "Where did you three live before you all came to Ponyville for the student exchange program?" Princess Cadence asked, "In the middle of the woods with no neighbors." Runner replied, "Why there for?" Princess Cadence asked, "I didn't want Walker raised the way I was raised." Runner replied, "I had to do a lot of work to get that childhood home of yours." Sprinter said, "Yes, I know, but I still didn't like living there." Runner replied, "Where did you grow up, Runner?" Princess Cadence asked, "In a mansion with neighbors everywhere." Runner replied, "I also used my money to have a library with books for Runner to read, and sports equipment for him to use to stay in shape." Sprinter said, "I liked the books, my favorite one was on the royal guards valuing honor and being fair to others, and chivalry, I made a vow to myself to be like them when I was a foal." Runner replied, "That's wonderful, Runner, what made you decide to be like that?" Princess Cadence asked, "My father's behavior, always winning by any means necessary, especially in fights, and there was his whole dating thing, jumping from one girlfriend to another." Runner replied, "That's because I needed someone to look after you." Sprinter said, "You did that even before I was born." Runner replied, "That's because I was looking for a lover, I continued because our deal with Spirit killed your mother." Sprinter said, "Why didn't you hire a foalsitter for, Sprinter?" Princess Cadence asked, "I don't think there were any foalsitters around if I remember correctly." Sprinter replied, "Oh, I see." Princess Cadence said, "I got Spirit's powers when I was four years old, I became a monster that day." Runner said, "Why do you say that for?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because I already had a filly I loved, I made a promise to her to marry her when I got older." Runner replied, "Did you?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yes, but we had a few problems, there was one day when we were teenagers and she got possessed and attacked me, so I had to fight back, dad and I then got into an argument with her parents, it stopped when she stood up and was still possessed and attacked her own parents, they apologized for getting mad at us and the spirit left her body and she was back to normal. When she and I got married, we had rings with our names on them, shortly after that, she wanted children, I became upset and cried in my room, my dad comforted me on that day." Runner replied, "I can't imagine your sadness, knowing that she will die after having a child." Princess Cadence said, "There's more." Runner replied, "What?" Princess Cadence asked, "She wanted two children, a son and a daughter, she didn't care which one came first." Runner replied, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Did you tell her about Spirit and the deal with your family?" Princess Cadence asked, "No." Runner replied, "Why not?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because it would have devastated her, I had to keep it a secret." Runner replied, "Why did you go through with it for anyway?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because I wanted a child, too." Runner replied, "Oh, what about you, Sprinter, where did you grow up?" Princess Cadence asked, "Nowhere." Sprinter replied, "Come on, Sprinter, it's okay to tell me." Princess Cadence said, "I didn't grow up anywhere, I was always traveling." Sprinter replied, "Oh, well, what was your childhood like?" Princess Cadence asked, "Cadence, I do not wish to look back." Sprinter replied, "Is something the matter?" Princess Cadence asked, "My granddad didn't have a happy childhood." Walker replied, "How do you know that, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "Spirit showed me my dad's and granddad's pasts in a dream before I came here." Walker replied, "Really? Wow." Princess Cadence said, "You should leave, Walker, you're going to be late for school." Runner said, and Walker looks at the time, he heads outside and walks to school while Princess Cadence follows him. Fluttershy meets up with her friends and they were at her cottage, "The scariest thing happened to me last night." Fluttershy said, "What was it?" Applejack asked, "I was laying in bed and sleeping, then I suddenly woke up, and there was this tall black shadow standing at my door, it walked to me and was coming to me, I tried to move and call for help, but I couldn't, the thing stood on my bed and looked at me, then Discord made it disappear." Fluttershy replied, "You sure you weren't half asleep, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, I was fully awake." Fluttershy replied, Discord appears in the room, "Yes, we had a trespasser last night, I took care of him accordingly." Discord said, "Who was it?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Do you all remember Walker, Runner, and Sprinter talking about the Possessed, Revived, Undead, and Shadows?" Discord asked, "What about them?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That was a Shadow, my dear friends." Discord replied as he changes into one, "I thought they only appear in dreams." Rainbow Dash said, "Oh no, there are two types of Shadows, one that attacks you in your dreams, and the more dangerous one, the one that attacks you in real life." Discord replied, "Wait, in real life?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Oh yes, Shadows attack you in your dreams and in real life, they only appear at night, though." Discord replied, "Wait, then why couldn't Fluttershy move?" Rarity asked, "That's one of their powers." Discord replied, "Powers?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Yes, you see, when a Shadow attacks you in real life, it uses its magic to inflict sleep paralysis on you so you can't escape or call out to anybody." Discord replied, Fluttershy and her friends reel back, "Can inflict sleep paralysis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That's right, so unless there is someone to protect you from a Shadow that attacks you in real life, you are doomed." Discord replied, "That... that's scary." Fluttershy said while quivering with fear, "Try to relax, my dear, Shadows are very rare to appear." Discord replied, "But still." Fluttershy said, "Can't a spell just make them disappear?" Rarity asked, "Uh-uh-uh, remember, Shadows are still souls of the dead, magic will just go through them." Discord replied, "Ugh, there has to be a way against them for us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, you have me." Discord replied, "But you're not around all the time." Rainbow Dash said, "Well, they started appearing when those three arrived, so maybe they'll stop coming here when they leave." Discord replied, "I still want a way to combat them." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'll leave that to you, I wish you all good luck." Discord replied, and he disappears, "Come on, let's try to speak to the souls." Twilight Sparkle said, and the six mares walk outside. Walker works in class and Princess Cadence stands to his left, she cringes from how loud the dead souls were, "My, they're louder than I thought." Princess Cadence said as the dead souls conversed, everypony tries to focus but only Walker was able to since he was used to hearing the loud souls, "Walker, I was wondering about something." Sweetie Belle said, "What?" Walker asked, "Can you ever have the people from the other worlds come here?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Why?" Walker asked, "I wanna meet them." Sweetie Belle replied, "I'm not sure about that, Spirit just doesn't allow anyone into the Void." Walker said, "Well, can you tell him to let them come here, I wanna meet them." Sweetie Belle replied, "Me, my dad, and my granddad will have to talk to him about it first." Walker said, "Sweetie Belle, Walker, it's work time." Cheerilee said, "Oh, sorry, Miss Cheerilee." Sweetie Belle replied, and the two get back to work. Runner was teaching the foals how to run and they were all beginning to improve on their running, they finish a lap and the foals pant, "Good, you're all improving already, let's take a short break." Runner said, and they do. Runner watches his students as they sit and drink water, he senses something appearing behind the foals and summons a sabre in his front right hoof. The foals look back and see a creature appear, it was floating in midair, it was a light blue robe and the creature had a white human skull for its head. The foals scream while the creature opens its mouth, Runner grunts and falls while the foals look at him, they see Runner's soul was being torn out of his body by force, Runner holds his front left hoof out and makes the black skeletal arm come out, it grabs the creature and pulls it forward while the skeletal arm disappears, Runner stabs his sabre into the creature's forehead, the creature floats up and begins to disintegrate while letting out an ear-piercing, bloodcurdling scream, the foals cover their ears'. The ponies hear the scream and run to where they heard it, they look and see the creature Runner fought disintegrating, "What was that?" a filly asked, "A lich, they're in every world, they attack me, my father, and my son in an attempt to absorb our souls, when they open their mouths like that, they are literally trying to rip our souls out of our bodies." Runner replied, the foals look on with shock. Runner senses something behind the foals again and he runs there, "Get back!" Runner said, and they see four more liches appear, the foals scream while Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer run forward. The four liches open their mouths and begin to try to take Runner's soul, Runner makes the skeletal arm come out again to grab one and pull it towards him, he does a swift horizontal slash with his sabre and cuts its head off, he teleports to one and cuts its head off as well, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer try to help by shooting magic from their horns, but their beams go through the liches without affecting them, "What? It doesn't work on them, either?" Twilight Sparkle asked, they watch and Runner teleports again and cuts off the head of the third lich, he teleports to the last lich and cuts its head off as well, they all float into the air and disintegrate. Runner sighs and looks at the foals, "You're not going to absorb their souls?" a colt asked, "They don't have souls." Runner replied, "Oh." the colt said, the ground erupts behind Runner and he looks back, he sees several skeleton ponies appear to attack him. Runner runs to them and some of the skeleton ponies shoot zaps at him from their foreheads, he jumps over the zaps and makes his sabre disappear, he makes two bladed boomerangs appear, he throws them and they fly around the air and cut the skeletons' heads off while the unicorns fire beams at them and destroy several of the skeletons, one Pegasus flies around to try to outfly the boomerang chasing him, but the second boomerang went in front of him and hit him in the forehead and he falls down. The boomerangs go back to Runner and he makes them disappear, "Where are their souls?" another filly asked, "They're Undead, their souls aren't around." Runner replied, "Then, what brings them back?" another colt asked, "They sometimes come back on their own." Runner replied, "Why aren't you eight helping?!" Rainbow Dash asked, they all see her with Runner's Passive, Aggressive, Optimist, and Pessimist, and the four that represented his body, mind, spirit, and emotions, "We are not to attack the souls of the dead unless they attack the Void directly." Runner's Passive replied, "You guys don't help him?!" Rainbow Dash asked angrily, "We are only supposed to be seen by him and the other two, we are not to interfere with mortal affairs." Runner's Pessimist replied, "Oh, come on, you guys would be helpful." Rainbow Dash said, "Rainbow Dash." Runner said, Rainbow Dash looks at him, "It's alright, they're supposed to represent my inner self, they're not supposed to fight the souls." Runner said, "But still." Rainbow Dash said, "If you have a problem with it, then you can help me and my family fight the skeletons." Runner replied, Rainbow Dash becomes silent afterwards, "What were those ridiculous looking robes they were wearing?" Rarity asked, Runner looks at her with disapproval, "It's a part of their body, the skull acts as their face and weak spot." Runner replied, "Still, they should wear a more fashionable piece of clothing." Rarity said, Runner just goes back to his class, "Have you all caught your breaths?" Runner asked, the foals nod, "Let's continue, then." Runner said, and they run again while everypony left. Sprinter was teaching the kids combat lessons and his students were down all of a sudden, "Is something the matter?" Sprinter asked, "This class is starting to feel pointless." Sandbar replied, the others agree, "How come?" Sprinter asked, "Because, all of your enemies are like these souls that are invisible to us and all of our attacks go through them." Gallus replied, "Not all of them, you all can fight the skeletons." Sprinter said, "Is that it?" Ocellus asked, "No, you can also fight the Possessed, since they also take over skeletons and other people, but be warned, when someone is possessed, killing them is usually the only way to free them." Sprinter replied, "Don't you ever worried about your son and grandson being possessed?" Silverstream asked, "It's one of my biggest fears." Sprinter replied, "How did Sprinter raise Runner and Walker?" Yona asked, "I did my best, I'm still learning how to be a parent sometimes." Sprinter replied, "Still, it must be hard for them to never have a mother's love." Ocellus said, "They're still lucky compared to me." Sprinter replied, his students' attentions were caught, "At least they received a father's love through me, I didn't get that as a child, either." Sprinter said, "Your father died, too?" Smolder asked, "No, my father was abusive." Sprinter replied, Silverstream gasps, "Your father was mean to you?" Silverstream asked, Sprinter nods, "At least you had a parent, I don't have a family." Gallus said, "I'd take being an orphan over living with abusive parents any day." Sprinter replied, his students become speechless, "What effects did your father have on you mentally?" Ocellus asked, "I still have nightmares about my childhood experiences almost every night." Sprinter replied, his students look at him with surprise, "Well, do you all want to continue?" Sprinter asked, they shake their heads, "Alright, class is dismissed." Sprinter said, and they leave while Sprinter sits and meditates. The day was near its end and Walker was heading home with Princess Cadence following him, "What do you usually do after school, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "I head home, do homework, paint, have dinner, and go to bed." Walker replied, "Don't you go see your friends?" Princess Cadence asked, "I don't have any friends here, well, not yet." Walker replied, "Did you have any at home?" Princess Cadence asked, "Well, there was one, but he's a soul." Walker replied, "What was his name?" Princess Cadence asked, "Um..." Walker said, "You can tell me, Walker, I promise I won't be mad." Princess Cadence said, "Genghis." Walker replied, Princess Cadence stops in her track, "Wait, do you mean that unicorn who was planning to conquer the other countries outside of Equestria?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "Who else are you friends with?" Princess Cadence asked, "All of my other friends are from within my travels inside of the Void." Walker replied, "So, you don't have any friends your age here?" Princess Cadence asked, "Not really, the only pony I'm basically friends with is buried six feet under the ground." Walker replied, "What about your old school?" Princess Cadence asked, "I didn't have any friends there." Walker replied, "You started having trouble making friends there after your fourth birthday, right?" Princess Cadence asked, "No, even before I got Spirit's powers, I didn't feel like I had a connection to my classmates." Walker replied, "Oh, so you never felt like a normal child even before your fourth birthday." Princess Cadence said, "No, I always felt nervous and uncomfortable in the classroom, but after getting Spirit's powers, I feel even more distanced from them because before Princess Twilight cast that spell, only I could see and hear the souls of the dead in my class." Walker replied, "Well, we know now, maybe Flurry Heart will be interested in seeing them." Princess Cadence said, "I'm not sure on that, I mean, you've seen how many evil spirits have attacked me and my guardians." Walker replied, "True, and your father got attacked again today, I'm sure there are some ghosts around." Princess Cadence said, "There are, there are some in front of us right now." Walker replied, Princess Cadence looks and sees several light blue and transparent ponies going on with their days, "Some of those souls look like foals." Princess Cadence said, "They are, they're like that because they were kids when they died." Walker replied, "Still, it makes me sad." Princess Cadence said, the two continue walking and they see Pinkie Pie throwing a party for the souls that were foals, and Fluttershy was tending to the souls of the dead animals, the two see Runner and Sprinter walking home together and they go to them, "You have homework?" Runner asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "Let's go home, then." Sprinter said, and they all get ready to head home, "Wait, Runner, Sprinter." Sunset Shimmer said as she trots to them, the three face her, "Before you all head home, I'd like to see your pasts, since I already know about Walker." Sunset Shimmer said, "Trust me, you don't to see my past." Sprinter replied, "Aw, come on, how bad can it be?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "I moved to living in the woods because I didn't want Walker raised the way I was raised." Runner replied, "But Sprinter had you live in a mansion." Princess Cadence said, "That's because I didn't want him to have the childhood I had." Sprinter replied, surprising the ponies, "Come here, Runner, let me see your past." Sunset Shimmer said, and she touches his right shoulder with her front left hoof while Twilight Sparkle casts a spell to create a screen for everybody to see Runner's past. Sunset Shimmer sees Runner as a colt, he looked just like Walker, she saw him speaking to Sprinter, he was a young adult in the vision, he looked just like how Runner looks in the present day, the two were arguing, "Seriously, dad, another girlfriend?!" Runner asked angrily, "You know I'm too busy to spend time with you." Sprinter replied, Runner grumbles, "Why can't you just stick to one girl?!" Runner asked, "Because they keep leaving me, and I'm forced to look for another date." Sprinter replied, "But you've been having a new girlfriend every week!" Runner said angrily, "Your point?" Sprinter asked, "How did mom fall in love with you?" Runner asked, "Because she genuinely loved me for the pony I was." Sprinter replied, "What? She wasn't just another girlfriend of the week like the rest of your girlfriends?" Runner asked, "No, of course not, we wouldn't have married and had you if that was the case." Sprinter replied, Runner groans, "I'm going to study." Runner said, and he walks away. The vision changes and everybody sees Runner visiting an earth pony filly, she had a light green coat, long pale sky blue mane and tail, and purple eyes, the two hug one another when they see one another, "Good morning, Runner." the filly said, "Good morning, Grass Field." Runner replied, "How are you this fine morning?" Grass Field asked, "Great, but it'll be better if I got to spend it with you." Runner replied, Grass Field chuckles and the two walk together. The vision changes and everybody sees the house Runner grew up in, it was a fancy mansion, and there were neighbors everywhere, "Wow, that looks like one expensive mansion." Twilight Sparkle said, "I must say, I am a bit jealous he got to grow up in a such a lovely house." Rarity said, and the vision changes a bit more and they see Sprinter and Runner were often at odds with one another. The vision changes and everybody sees the inside of the house and saw Runner had access to all types of knowledge through books, and sports equipment for him to use so he can get into shape, "Ooh, those look fun." Pinkie Pie said, "Oh, so many books, I'd like to be in there all day." Twilight Sparkle said, everybody sees Runner liked how the royal guards were into being fair and honorable, along with chivalrous, "Grass Field, I promise, when I grow up, I'll be as honorable and noble as a royal guard, just you wait, I can't say I like the fancy outfits, though." Runner said, and he continues reading. The vision changes and everybody sees the school Runner attended, "Wow, that's the Canterlot Private School, that's one of the best schools in Equestria." Twilight Sparkle said, "Is that where you went?" Fluttershy asked, "No, I went to a different school." Twilight Sparkle replied, and everybody sees Runner's school uniform, it was a white blazer with gold buttons and a black collared shirt under it, "I must say, that is a nice blazer." Rarity said, and they see the vision change again with flashes of Sprinter having a new girlfriend every week, Runner groans with annoyance every time. The vision changes and Runner was in the Void, everybody sees Spirit appear and he was floating in midair, which made Runner scream with surprise, "Hello, Runner, happy fourth birthday, my name is Spirit, Sprinter told you about me a few days ago, welcome to the Void, and it is now time for me to bestow you several of my powers passed down through the males on the paternal side of your family." Spirit said, and dark blue flames appear around Runner, he screams in pain but the flames and pain soon disappear, "No! I can't believe it! I've become a monster, just like my father!" Runner said, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Runner, but it's your family, how you handle it is up to you, I'll leave you be now." Spirit said, and he disappears. The vision changes to Runner and Grass Field spending time together, the two now had cutie marks, Grass Field's cutie mark was three green blades of grass, the two were hanging out as teenagers one day and Grass Field gets possessed by a spirit, which made the ponies gasp. Grass Field tries to strangle Runner and he is forced to attack her to defend himself, he punches her with his front hoofs several times to knock her out. The vision changes and Runner and Sprinter were with Grass Field's parents, who was unconscious on the ground, "Hold on, what's the matter again?" Sprinter asked, "Your son attacked our daughter!" Grass Field's father replied angrily, "She attacked me all of a sudden." Runner said, "And you respond by knocking her out and nearly killing her?! What kind of boyfriend are you?!" Grass Field's mother asked angrily, "It wasn't my fault, she just tried to strangle me!" Runner said, "See, there you go, my son acted in self-defense." Sprinter said, "Liar! Our daughter wouldn't harm a fly!" Grass Field's father said angrily, "Then why did she just try to attack me all of a sudden?" Runner asked, "Did you do something to offend her?!" Grass Field's mother asked, "No, we were just spending time like usual and she suddenly tried to strangle me." Runner replied, "You still ruined our daughter's beautiful face! Look at her!" Grass Field's father said angrily, the two do and Grass Field groans as she stands up, "Grass Field, dear, are you okay?" Grass Field's mother asked, she goes to the two and lifts up her front legs, she pushes her mother down and she screams, "Grass Field! What are you doing?!" Grass Field's father asked as Grass Field begins to punch her own mother, Runner and Sprinter pull her back and she grabs her own mother's neck and tries to strangle her. Grass Field's father pulls his wife back while Runner and Sprinter hit her in the neck to knock her out, Grass Field's mother coughs, "See? She tried to attack me as well." Runner said, "My deepest apologies, I'm sorry I got mad at you, she's never acted like that before." Grass Field's father replied, and he and his wife carry her away while the spirit possessing her leaves her body. The vision changes and Runner was now a stallion and Grass Field was now a mare, they have made rings for one another, the rings had their names on it, everybody sees two baby strollers and balloons in the room, "What's this?" Runner asked, "Now that we've married, I want children, Runner, I want to start a family with you." Grass Field replied, "Sure, I've thought about having a child, too." Runner said, "No, Runner, I want two kids." Grass Field replied, "You what?" Runner asked, "I want a son and a daughter, I don't care which one comes first, as long as we have a boy and a girl." Grass Field replied, "Um, sure, I can do that." Runner said with discomfort in his voice, "I know we will, I'm so excited to start a family with you, and your father is working extra hard to make more money for us to raise two kids, you have a wonderful father, Runner." Grass Field replied, and the vision changes. Runner was crying in his room while Sprinter comforted him, "I'm sorry, Runner, but you know what will happen." Sprinter said, "I know Grass Field will die, but it's just that she wants two kids, and one to be a daughter, our family can't do neither." Runner replied, and he continues to cry while Sprinter comforts him, "Do you still want to go through with it?" Sprinter asked, Runner thinks for a minute, "Yeah, I want a child." Runner replied, "Alright, I'll be taking Grass Field's place as the other guardian then." Sprinter said, "Thank you, dad." Sprinter replied, and he continues to cry and the vision changes. Crying was heard and everybody sees Runner holding a baby Walker while he looks at Grass Field, who was lifeless, he closes her eyes with his front left hoof and cuddles with Walker and the visions end. Sunset Shimmer lets go of Runner and looks at him, "Wow, that was a lot longer than I thought." Sunset Shimmer said, "Yeah, I still miss Grass Field to this day." Runner replied, "Walker was supposed to have a sister?" Scootaloo asked, "Maybe one of us can fill that role." Sweetie Belle replied, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nod in agreement and excitement, "Come on, Sprinter, your turn." Sunset Shimmer said, "Oh no, you don't want to see my childhood, trust me." Sprinter replied, "Actually, I have to, now hold still." Sunset Shimmer said, and she touches his front right leg with her front left hoof and the visions appear. Sunset Shimmer sees Sprinter as a baby, he was crying on the black wooden floor, everybody was uncomfortable already. Everybody sees a lifeless mare on the ground, she had a purple coat, long light blue mane and tail, sky blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a sword, everybody looks and sees she was covered in blood and bruises, which made some exclaim with shock. Everybody sees a stallion take in Sprinter, he looked just like Runner in the present day, but much more muscular, and his cutie mark were four silver grieves. Sprinter was traveling with a bunch of male ponies who were criminals, the one who took him in beat him and made him cry on a daily basis, the visions pass while the people watching gasp, the pony smiled when he saw Sprinter bleeding and smiled even more when Sprinter cried from the pain, he chuckles, "Look at yourself, Sprinter, weak, crying from the pain, and a child of a raped and dead mare, isn't life beautiful?" the stallion who took him in asked, shocking everybody, "Why? Why do I have to be beaten and attacked every day?" Sprinter asked, "Because you are a weak and sensitive child, I would kill you now, but I need to preserve my legacy." the stallion replied, "Wait, that guy is Sprinter's father?" Applejack asked, and the stallion beats Sprinter again while he screamed and cried, "Stop, daddy." Sprinter said, "No, no matter how much physical and mental pain you receive, it will never be enough, children like you deserve to suffer." Sprinter's father replied, and he keeps beating Sprinter while loud thuds were heard. The vision changes and Sprinter was walking on his own until he saw his father with the gang, "If any of you are to see my son, you are to kill him on sight, make him scared, so approach him slowly, and if you do subdue him, make his death as slow and as painful as possible." Sprinter's father said, the vision changes again. Sprinter was hiding while breathing heavily, the gang hears him and they try to pull him away, but Sprinter fights back and punched some of the stallions in their faces and eyes, he runs away while panting heavily and several visions appear of Sprinter sweating and nervous around new ponies, he was about to attack them but restrained himself when he saw they meant no harm, and everybody was able to tell from his facial expressions that he did not trust anyone. Sprinter develops a muscular body and physique because of the life had was born into, more brief visions appear and many fillies developed crushes on him, "Well, that's to be expected from children." Twilight Sparkle said, they all watch and see Sprinter sometimes fought for his dates and would beat up other colts, "Oh, how barbaric." Rarity said, "Um, Rarity, Ah don't think he knew better at that time." Applejack replied, and the visions change. Sprinter was in the Void and Spirit floated in front of him, "Hello, Sprinter, your fourth birthday has come, my name is Spirit, Jumper talked about me a few times, it is time for me to give you the powers bestowed to the males on your paternal side of your family." Spirit said, and he screams in pain when dark blue flames surround him, they disappear after a few seconds, "Oh well, this is normal for our family bloodline, my father has it, too." Sprinter said, everybody was surprised by how unfazed he was, Spirit appears in front of him, "Indeed, it is, and as you know, Jumper has my powers, too, you're lucky he didn't use them when he abused you, but how you wish to use my powers is up to you, I'll be sending you back now." Spirit said, and the vision changes. Several brief visions appear and everybody sees Sprinter killing members of the gang, which made everybody exclaim, he killed Jumper last, but his soul disappeared before he could take it. Sprinter traveled alone and was homeless, fighting any Possessed, Revived, Undead, Shadow, lich, or enemy he came across, Sprinter begged for bits since he was too young to get a job and did not go to school, "Oh no, he didn't get an education." Fluttershy said, "Well, that's a first, still that's rough." Applejack said, and he hung out with any filly who had a crush on him, some left him on good terms, some ended with a filly stealing his money and running away, some ended with the filly's brothers and father angry at Sprinter, and he had to defend himself when they attacked him. The vision changes and everybody sees Sprinter entering a race to win bits, he runs the race and got first place, he decides to keep doing it since it was the only way for him to earn money, and he did not do sports because he did not like the rules for most of them, everybody sees Sprinter win his races, "Wait, is he teleporting?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He better not be." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they watch him run his races and win. The vision changes and Sprinter had a lot of mares fall in love with him, a stallion approaches him, "Good job, Sprinter, you're one of the best runners I've ever seen. How would you like to be a professional and have track and running as a career?" the stallion asked, "I'll do it." Sprinter replied, "Great, I promise you won't regret this." the stallion said, and the vision changes. Sprinter runs one track after another after becoming a professional runner in Equestria, he dated his female fans as well, Rarity groans with disgust at seeing Sprinter go from dating one mare to another, he is approached by an earth pony mare who had a bright red coat, long pink mane and tail, light purple eyes, and her cutie mark were three blue and yellow pills, "Excuse me, Sprinter." the mare said, he looks at her, "Um, hi, my name is Peacemaker, I'm a doctor and I watch track as a hobby, and I heard you've been dating your female fans, can I be next?" the mare asked, "Sure, I'm single right now." Sprinter replied, Peacemaker becomes happy and trots to him and the two walk together, the visions show Sprinter practicing running and Peacemaker monitors his health, the two work together to improve Sprinter's own performance and the two eventually fall in love. The vision changes to Sprinter holding a crying baby Runner and Peacemaker was dead, Sprinter rubs his snout against Runner and he stops crying. Sprinter continues his track career and dated more of his female fans, Rarity exclaims with disgust, "Sprinter!" Rarity said, "Not cool, Sprinter." Rainbow Dash said, and the visions continue, Sprinter eventually had enough bits to buy the fancy mansion Runner grew up in and bought books on every subject to teach himself and left them for Runner. Sprinter continues raising Runner and had to get another job to pay for the house bills and his girlfriends who foalsitted Runner, so Sprinter decided to become a boxer, he wins every match and a lot of his wins involved attacking his opponents from behind and their blind spots and hitting them in the groin, he used the bits to pay the house bills and his girlfriends for foalsitting Runner, all of his opponents had high respect for his reason for boxing and his fighting skills. The vision changes and Sprinter was smiling at seeing a colt Runner reading a book, he goes to him rubs his snout on him and Runner laughs and hugs Sprinter and the visions end. Sunset Shimmer lets go of Sprinter and looks at him with surprise, "Wow, I didn't think you had it that rough as a foal." Sunset Shimmer said, "I did, I have nightmares almost every night about my early life." Sprinter replied, "Sprinter, I'm sorry about what happened to you when you were a colt, I really am, but that doesn't excuse you from having one girlfriend after another." Rarity said, "Well, it was mostly temporary company." Sprinter replied, "No, Sprinter, dating is sacred, it is wrong to go from one date to another like that." Princess Cadence said, "You should be glad I didn't have a son with all of them." Sprinter replied, Rarity exclaims with shock while the others gasp, "Come now, my son and grandson, let's get some rest." Sprinter said, and they all head home. Walker does his homework with Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence helping him, he eats the other cookies with his dinner and finishes homework late, they all go to bed and Princess Cadence tucks Walker into bed and kisses him on the forehead, Walker feels a lot of warmth and affection inside of himself, he falls asleep with a big smile on his face while the other three sleep as well. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in Canterlot and getting ready for the night, "Sleep well, sis, leave the night to me." Princess Luna said, "Remember, Luna, tomorrow's a Sunday, we go to Ponyville tomorrow to see Walker and his family, it's about time we learn about these souls of the dead thing." Princess Celestia replied, "Agreed, well, I'm going to the dream realm now." Princess Luna said, "Okay, goodnight, Luna." Princess Celestia replied, and she walks to her bed and sleeps while Princess Luna goes into the dream realm.
Day 12Morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter wake up at 6:00 AM, the three use the bathroom, take showers, and have breakfast, which Princess Cadence made, Walker looks and sees Princess Cadence's salad was a lot more decorative than Sprinter's salad, she has cut up the vegetables to make them shaped like flowers and smiley faces, while Sprinter just usually cut the vegetables into thin slices and served them, "What's with all of the flowers and smiley faces, Princess Cadence?" Walker asked, "Just make it look good, I thought it would make breakfast more fun and appetizing." Princess Cadence replied, "Oh, well, thanks." Walker said, and the three eat and wash dishes, Princess Cadence sits and eats chocolate and drinks tea. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter were about to get on with their days until they hear loud landing outside, "Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, this is Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, we wish to see you three now." Princess Celestia said from outside, "Let's go." Sprinter said, and all four of them go outside. Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence head outside and they see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing and waiting for them, they go to the two, "Good, you three are here, Luna and I have read about your powers with spiritual energy and you three being able to interact with these deceased here, which, I will admit, is quite a surprising sight to see, but that is not why we're here, Luna and I would like to have a word with Spirit." Princess Celestia said, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter stay silent for a second and then turn around and light blue and white portal opens, the three go in it. A few minutes pass and another portal opens with the three walking out and the portal closes, "Well?" Princess Luna asked, "Sorry, but Spirit said no." Runner replied, "What?!" Princess Luna asked, "Why does he refuse to see us?" Princess Celestia asked, "He said that other than our family and going to other worlds to collect dead souls to send to the afterlife, he has no reason to interfere with the living." Sprinter replied, "I still wish to speak with him, I do not appreciate him giving powers to a random family that are citizens in my country without my knowledge or permission." Princess Celestia said, "Actually, Princess Celestia, at the time when Spirit bestowed our family with his powers, ponykind was still divided into three tribes." Walker replied, "I still don't appreciate that, I do not like the fact that he would just give a family his powers to interact with the afterlife with my or Luna's consent." Princess Celestia said, "We're sorry, but he said he has nothing to say to you two." Runner replied, "What do you mean he has nothing to say to us?!" Princess Luna asked while raising his voice, scaring the ponies, "He's not going to see you two, and that he has to depart to another world soon to get souls, himself." Sprinter replied, "I demand an audience with him!" Princess Luna said while raising her voice even more, the flames of Emotion Walker and Emotion Runner rise since her voice was beginning to scare them, "Should we try again, granddad?" Walker asked, "We should, I don't think she's going to take no for an answer." Sprinter replied, and the three turn around and a portal opens and the three walk into it and it closes. A portal opens and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter walk out, everybody sees someone behind them, the portal closes and everybody gasps at what they see, they see five bipedal humanoid figures, they were all wearing black business suits with a white long-sleeve shirt under the blazers, they were bald with oblong face shapes, and peach colored skin, the center-left, center, center-right, and far right men had black blindfolds on their eyes', the far left man did not have one, and his eyes were blue, the far left, center-left, center, and center-right men wore black leather gloves while the far right man did not, the center-left man had ears while the other four did not, and the center-right man had a nose while the other four did not. Everybody just stands and looks at them with dropped jaws, "Are you two the ones who wish to see Spirit?" the center man asked, "Who are you five?" Princess Celestia asked, "We are the Senses, my name is Taste, the one without gloves is Touch, the one without a blindfold is Sight, the one with ears is Hear, and the one with a nose is Smell." the center man replied, "Why can't they tell us their names on their own?" Princess Luna asked, "They cannot speak, they do not have tongues." Taste replied, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence have shocked expressions on their faces, "Wait, then how are you able to hear them?" Rainbow Dash asked, "They establish telepathic communication through physical contact, even though there's five of them, they act as one." Runner replied, "Oh." Rainbow Dash said, "What exactly do you five do?" Princess Cadence asked, "We are Spirit's personal bodyguards and scouts, we look for enemies in the Void, and we act as Spirit's last line of defense." Taste replied, "Why exactly are you five here?" Princess Celestia asked, "We came on Spirit's behalf to answer your questions." Taste replied, "No, I wish to speak to him directly." Princess Celestia said, "The only ponies allowed to see Spirit directly are Walker and the males from the paternal side of his family." Taste replied, "We are the rulers of their home, why are we denied from seeing him?" Princess Luna asked, "Because the souls of the dead are supposed to be seen and heard by only them in this world." Taste replied, "No, that is one reason why I wish to see him, my subjects being attacked and messed with by forces that cannot be seen or heard by anyone except them does not sit well with me." Princess Celestia said, "It's mainly because of the magic in this world that you cannot see nor hear them." Taste replied, "Our magic?" Princess Cadence asked, "Some of the other worlds have magic, too, but the way magic works is different in each world." Sprinter replied, surprising everybody, "Was there anything you two wanted to ask?" Taste asked, "Can we please meet Spirit?" Princess Celestia asked, "I cannot allow that." Taste replied, Princess Luna begins to grumble and growl, the others back away from her, "Why can't we meet him?!" Princess Luna asked while almost yelling, "He is usually too busy to see others." Taste replied, "But he's got these three here to do his work for him." Princess Cadence said, "A small amount of his work, Spirit sometimes leaves to collect souls on his own as well." Taste replied, "I've never seen him do that." Walker said, a light blue flame floats above Walker and everybody watches it, they all look and see a colt who looks just like Walker absorb the soul, shocking everybody, "Spirit?" Taste asked, "I might as well introduce myself, since these two refuse to relent." Spirit replied, "Wait a minute, you look nothing like how I saw you in their memories." Sunset Shimmer said, "It is one of my powers, whenever I appear outside of the Void, I can take on any physical form I wish." Spirit replied, "Then change back, I wish to see what you really look like." Princess Celestia said, and Spirit changes to his original form, "Why did you give their family your powers?" Princess Celestia asked, "Because their ancestor made a deal with me to ensure his family's survival, his family was attacked the most often when you all were divided by unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies." Spirit replied, "What about it being only for the stallions on the father's side of the family?" Princess Luna asked, "The pony who made the deal with me in the first place was a stallion from the paternal side of their family, so it just stuck." Spirit replied, "What about the mother dying after giving birth?" Princess Cadence asked, "My powers are usually too powerful for mortals to handle, birthing a child with my powers usually destroys the mother's soul." Spirit replied, "And yet, you only give them their powers when they turn four instead of at birth?" Princess Luna asked, "It is so they do not cause havoc while they are babies, since this world does not practice using spiritual energy, along with your magic being unable to detect it, while the damage their powers cause can be seen by regular people in this world, what actually causes the damage cannot." Spirit replied, surprising everybody, Princess Celestia turns her attention to Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "How many more residents of the Void are there?" Princess Celestia asked, "Seventeen more." Walker replied, "Seventeen?!" Princess Luna asked, Walker nods, "I'd like to meet them." Princess Celestia said, Spirit holds his arms up with dark blue flames around his hands. Ponyville changes and everybody sees new areas, the first one everybody notices what appeared to be a field full of hanging skeletons, everybody sees two big black statues, they were both wearing robes and were hooded, and had skulls for their faces, the left statue was holding a quill in its right hand, and a document in its left hand, while the right statue was holding a double-edged sword in its right hand, they turn to face the ponies, scaring them, "Look at what we have here." the left statue said in a gravely voice, "Yes, those who believe friendship always wins." the right statue said in a ghastly voice, "Who are you two?" Princess Celestia asked, "I am Diplomat." the left statue replied, "And I am War." the right statue said, "Diplomat and War? What do you two do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Um, in a way, they're kind of our trainers." Walker replied, "Them too?" Applejack asked, "Yes, our job is to make the creatures they encounter appear here, in the battlefield, it is so they will learn how to deal with them, whether they can win them over with friendship, or have to fight and kill them in order to save themselves." Diplomat replied, "Well, a little forgiveness and some friendship, and there won't be any need for fighting." Twilight Sparkle said, "In this world, in other worlds, friendship does not work." War replied, "What do you mean friendship doesn't work?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Most of the other worlds are not powered by friendship like this one." Diplomat replied, "You don't need a world to be powered by friendship, just being friends can get you far." Twilight Sparkle said, "But for how long?" War asked, "Enough, I wish to meet the others." Princess Celestia said, "The last fifteen are over there." Walker replied as he points his front right hoof down the road in front of them. Everybody sees them and the first person they saw was a bipedal humanoid figure, he was big and muscular, he was bald and had glowing blue skin, he had a black blindfold over his eyes, he wore a black judge's robe, he wielded a sledgehammer, the right half of the hammer was blue and white, it had a feathered wing at the top, and a female angel's face carved on it, while the left half of the hammer was red and black, it had a bat wing at the top, and a male demon's face carved on it, he also had a double-edged broadsword sheathed on his left side, "Who is that?" Silverstream asked, "I am The Judge, I am the one who judges the new souls of the dead and send them to the afterlife." the being replied, "So, um, how does the judgement work?" Rarity asked, "I look into the soul and identify their gender and what world they're from, then these fourteen behind me help me judge them." The Judge replied, everybody sees fourteen robed and hooded bipedal figures behind him, there were seven different colors since two of them wore the same colored robes, the color of the robes were purple, green, red, light blue, yellow, orange, and blue, their faces were only black spaces. Sunset Shimmer looks and sees the seven figures to their lefts had feminine body shapes while the seven to their rights had masculine body shapes, "Who are you guys?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "We are the Virtues and the Sins." the female purple robe replied, "What do you guys do?" Rainbow Dash asked, "We look at the soul's actions throughout their life, and determine if they committed one of our virtues or one of our sins, their souls are weighed on the Scales of Virtue and Sin that are behind us." the male purple robe replied, everybody looks and sees the scales, the scale to their lefts was white while the scale to their rights was black, "When a soul has committed on virtue, the white scales down, a sin, the black scale goes down, which ever scale is down farther will determine whether the soul receives salvation or damnation, if they are equal, the soul's personality will be looked into to determine its fate for the afterlife, if a soul receives salvation, they go to the overworld to have a peaceful afterlife, damnation, they are sent to the underworld to be punished." the male purple robe said, "So, what do you fourteen do?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We all represent a virtue and a sin, there are seven virtues and seven sins, we are named after the virtue and sin we represent." the female purple robe replied, "What are yer names?" Applejack asked, "I am Humility." the female purple robe said, "I am Kindness." the female green robe said, "My name is Charity." the female yellow robe said, "I'm known as Temperance." the female orange robe said, "I am Diligence." the female light blue robe said, "I am called Chastity." the female blue robe said, "And I am Patience, we are the Virtues." the female red robe said, "What about you guys?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We are the Sins, I am Pride." the male purple robe said, "I am Envy." the male green robe said, "I am Greed." the male yellow robe said, "My name is Gluttony." the male orange robe said, "I am known as Sloth." the male light blue robe said, "I am Lust." the male blue robe said, "And I am Wrath." the male red robe said, "So, you all just look into the souls and see the good and bad things they committed?" Fluttershy asked, "Not just that, us Virtues reward those who receive salvation and committed our virtues, while the Sins punish those who have committed their sins and have received damnation." Humility replied, "What are the rewards and punishments?" Princess Celestia asked, "I reward people with the joys of life." Patience replied, "I reward those who commit my virtue with true and everlasting love." Chastity said, "I reward people with success at whatever they were trying to achieve." Diligence said, "I reward people with enhanced physical abilities, and the simple joys they had in life." Temperance said, "I reward those who commit my virtue with love and appreciation from others." Charity said, "I reward people by making them all the same to one another, so they are all equal." Kindness said, "I reward people with power and authority since they do not see themselves as superior to another." Humility said, "Ooh, all of those sound lovely." Rarity said, "Yes, they do sound nice." Fluttershy replied, "What are the punishments?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have the angry dismembered alive." Wrath replied, "I make the lustful feel physical torment for all eternity by having them burn in fire and brimstone." Lust said, "I make the slothful and apathetic get thrown into snake pits." Sloth said, "I punish the gluttonous by force feeding them rats, toads, and snakes." Gluttony said, "I have the greedy boiled alive in oil for all eternity." Greed said, "I punish the envious by having them put in freezing water for all eternity." Envy said, "I punish the prideful by putting them on the breaking wheel." Pride said, "Breaking wheel?" Princess Celestia asked, "A torture device in several worlds where people are tied to them, and the torturer would proceed to bludgeon them and break their bones with hammers and clubs." Pride replied, everybody exclaims with shock, "That's horrible." Ocellus said, "They are sinners, the torture is their punishment." Pride replied, "You all don't offer them forgiveness?" Princess Cadence asked, "Those who receive damnation are never forgiven." The Judge replied, "How did you all become created?" Pinkie Pie asked, "The virtues and sins we represent come from the majority of most cultures of the other worlds." Humility replied, "How do we commit your virtues?" Princess Luna asked, "See yourself as equal to everyone else." Humility said, "Never be jealous of those better than you, help those in need, and accept what you have and your life." Kindness said, "Share your things with others." Charity said, "Moderate yourself, and restrain yourself from indulging in excess of anything in life." Temperance said, "Work hard and keep working, no matter how much you want to quit, keep working until the work's done." Diligence said, "Do not pursue a sexual relationship before marriage or with someone else besides your spouse after marriage." Chastity said, "Stay calm and never have episodes of rage." Patience said, "Wow, a lot of those sound hard to achieve." Applejack said, "It is easy for some." Humility replied, "What do we have to do to commit a sin?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Being proud of anything you are or what you can do." Pride said, "Wish to have something someone else has and you work to not only have it for yourself, but also make the person who has it lose it." Envy said, "Desiring money, materials, or power, and not sharing it." Greed said, "Overindulgence in anything, especially food and drinks, you consume so much, it becomes wasted." Gluttony said, "Refusal to work, and not caring about others and your surroundings." Sloth said, "Pursue a sexual relationship with anyone, along with desire for power and authority, along with desiring money." Lust said, "Lose your temper and get mad." Wrath said, "Wow, they actually sound hard to do." Fluttershy said, "Most souls have committed both, virtues and sins, if they have committed more virtues than sins, they receive salvation, and receive damnation if they have committed more sins than virtues." The Judge replied, "This may sound weird, but outright admitting you're good makes you receive more salvation, and outright admitting you're bad damns your soul even more." Walker said, "What? Why?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Because outright admitting you're either good or bad means you are aware of your actions and their effects, admitting you're good means you are aware you're doing good things, same when you admit that you're bad." The Judge replied, "What if someone who does bad thing say they're good and vice versa?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It will not affect the scales." The Judge replied, "So, does anything happen with the souls after the judgement?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Souls that receive salvation can come back to the world of the living, some of these souls wandering around this town are still here because they received salvation after being judged." Runner replied, "What is the best and worst sentence a soul can receive?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Pure salvation and pure damnation." The Judge replied, "How are they achieved?" Princess Celestia asked, "To achieve pure salvation, you must commit all seven virtues, and outright admit you're good, and commit none of the sins, achieving pure damnation is the opposite." The Judge replied, "What happens if someone receives those sentences?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Those who receive pure salvation can be reincarnated." The Judge replied, "Wait, people can be revived?" Sandbar asked, "Yes, but when a soul starts their next life, they have no memory of their previous life." The Judge replied, "And pure damnation?" Princess Luna asked, "The soul is destroyed and they cease to exist." The Judge replied, "Wow, that's actually kinda scary." Applejack said, the others nod in agreement, "There's somethin' that's been botherin' me." Applejack said, "What is it?" The Judge asked, "Those seven virtues are supposed to represent good things, right?" Applejack asked, "Yes, of most worlds, we represent humility, kindness, charity, temperance, diligence, chastity, and patience." Humility replied, "What about honesty?" Applejack asked, "Honesty is not a virtue in the cultures of the other worlds." Humility replied, "What about laughter?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Laughter's not a virtue, either." Pride replied, "How about loyalty?" Rainbow Dash asked, "That's not a virtue." Greed replied, "Only kindness and generosity are virtues." Walker said, "Where will we go after we pass?" Spike asked, "That depends on how many virtues and sins you have committed in your life." Kindness replied, "I'm sorry to break this to you, but how many friends you make and friendship lessons you learn will not matter when your soul gets judged." Walker said, "What kind of judging system is this?!" Pinkie Pie asked, "It appears you are judged by who you were as an individual rather than how many friendships you have made." Princess Luna replied, "How does it work?" Princess Cadence asked, Spirit walks forward and gives The Judge the soul he absorbed when he appeared, The Judge examines the soul, "This soul is from the world Equestria, male." The Judge said, "He was proud of his own achievements." Pride said, the black scale goes down, "He was friendly to everyone he met." Kindness said, the white scale goes down, "He shared his things with many others." Charity said, the white scale goes down even more, "He ate and drank more than he needed." Gluttony said, the black scale goes down, "He worked long and hard at his interests." Diligence said, the white scale goes down, "This soul is to receive salvation." The Judge said, and he hits the gavel in front of him with the angelic side of his sledgehammer, a portal opens to The Judge's right and the soul goes into it, the scales revert back to normal after the portal closes, "So that's how it works, they look at your soul and the actions of your life that is related to the virtue and sin they represent, it's about who you are as an individual." Princess Luna said, "Um, excuse me, have you all ever thought about forgiveness?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That goes with my virtue." Patience replied, "I see." Twilight Sparkle said, "You all should go, Spirit's got souls for me to judge." The Judge said, and Spirit gives the souls in his body to The Judge for him to judge while the others leave. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter go to the arena while the others follow them, "What would you all like to fight today?" Diplomat asked, "We're just training today." Sprinter replied, "Perhaps we should call your soul friend here." War said, "Sure, the harder the fight, the better." Runner replied, "Dad!" Walker said, "I know you hate fighting, Walker, but your grandfather and I like it, majority rules, Walker." Runner replied, Walker groans while the three get ready to train. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter summon swords in their front right hoofs, Walker summons a short sword that was about eighteen inches long and had a chisel-like tip, and a square shaped hand guard, Runner summons a straight sabre that was designed for slicing and stabbing, the hilt was around his hoof, the entire weapon was about forty one inches long, and Sprinter summons a giant double-edged broadsword that was about seventy eight inches long, shocking everybody watching. Walker begins teleporting around and tries to attack Runner and Sprinter, Runner moves around quickly and dodges Walker's slashes while Sprinter just teleports around, Runner dodges Walker easily and cuts him in several places, he grunts from each cut. Runner holds his sabre in front of himself and focuses on Sprinter, he jumps and was about to slash Sprinter in his chest, Sprinter swings his broadsword down and Runner grunts as he falls into the ground, Walker teleports to Sprinter and was about to slash him across his face, Sprinter hits Walker in his left side with his front left hoof, Walker exclaims as he flies into a black pillar and cracks it. Walker and Runner recover and get up, Walker takes longer to get up than Runner, the two look at one another and nod. Walker teleports to Sprinter and was about to stab him in his front right knee, Sprinter turns to his left to dodge it and Runner teleports to Sprinter's left blind spot and slashes his front left knee, Sprinter did not flinch and just looks at his wound, he sees the two coming but he looks forward, a light blue beam comes out and Walker and Runner hear it. The three teleport away and the soul forms into a unicorn, "Training without me?" the unicorn asked, "No, just warming up." Sprinter replied, the unicorn chuckles and they all start fighting one another, the unicorn smiles and he runs to join them. The unicorn runs around while shooting beams from his horn at the three, "Who is that?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I don't know, but I do wonder." Princess Cadence replied, the unicorn moves around from side-to-side to dodge Walker's, Runner's, and Sprinter's sword attacks, he sees Walker jump in the air and was about to cut his neck, he grabs Walker's front legs with his front hoofs, he turns to his right and throws Walker, he hits a pillar and grunts, Runner teleports to the unicorn and tries to slash his legs and chest, the unicorn jumps and lands on top of Runner's sabre, leaving him speechless, he does a back flip and kicks Runner in his chin with his hind hoofs, he grunts and flies back while the unicorn lands on his feet. Sprinter teleports to behind the unicorn and tries to cut him with his broadsword, the unicorn teleports away and Sprinter uses his spiritual powers to make the sword bigger, he swings it around like it weighed nothing and the unicorn jumps back, Sprinter does a downwards slash and the unicorn does a back flip to dodge it and shoots a beam from his horn while he was upside-down in midair, Sprinter was hit but he was only pushed back, he teleports to the unicorn and tries to slash him again, the unicorn teleports to behind him and shoots him in the back with his horn, Sprinter chuckles and turns around, "I can do this all day." Sprinter said, "So can I." the unicorn replied, and Sprinter swings the broadsword around again and destroys the pillars, Walker and Runner exclaim and duck to dodge the broadsword, the unicorn jumps and shoots Sprinter with another zap, he grunts and falls down. The unicorn lands on the ground, "Come on, get up, you three are better than that." the unicorn said, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter get up, Walker teleports to him while growling and begins tries to slash the unicorn with his sword while snarling with rage, "You always did hate losing, Walker." Runner said, the unicorn grabs his front right hoof and throws him over his own head, Walker screams as he flies through the air and lands on the light blue ground, he growls and teleports to the unicorn and tries to slash him again, the unicorn slaps Walker to his left with his front left hoof, he screams as he flies through the air and hits a broken black pillar, his front right leg hits it first and a loud banging sound was heard, Walker grunts loudly and the others look. Runner, Sprinter, and the unicorn look on and see Walker's front right leg was injured, he grunts and pants as he stands up, "Can you still fight?" Runner asked, Walker stands but falls back down immediately, he shakes his head, "Let me see." Runner said as he trots to Walker and looks at his leg, "You're just hurt a little, you should be fine after several minutes." Runner said, Walker sighs with relief since he thought his leg was broken, "You all want to stop here?" the unicorn asked, "Yeah, let's call it a day." Runner replied, "We'll be waiting for you at home, Walker." Sprinter said, "What?! Wait! No!" Princess Cadence said as she runs to Walker, "You two are just going to leave him here?!" Princess Cadence asked, "It's nothing serious, he'll recover soon." Runner replied, "Still, you two can at least help him home." Princess Cadence said, "Nope, Walker needs to learn how to recover and fend for himself, since we most likely won't be around to protect him when he gets older." Sprinter replied, "We'll have lunch ready for you when you get home, Walker." Runner said, "Alright, thanks dad." Walker replied, and the two walk home. Walker grunts and he stands up while Princess Cadence checks his leg, "Take it easy, Walker, you're hurt." Princess Cadence said, "Cadence, I've had worse injuries than this before." Walker replied, "Still, come on, Walker, let's go home." Princess Cadence said, and she helps him go home. Walker arrives home and he sits and has a salad for lunch, "Don't you two ever think about giving him something else?" Princess Cadence asked, "The salad is usually enough to keep him full." Runner replied, "Don't you two ever give him fruits?" Princess Cadence asked, "He usually doesn't need them to stay full." Sprinter said, Princess Cadence looks at the two with disapproval, "Here, Walker, have a sandwich." Princess Cadence said, and she takes a hay and lettuce sandwich out of her saddlebag and gave it to Walker, and he tries to eat it but got full, "Sorry, but I'm full." Walker said, and Sprinter puts the leftover in the refrigerator. Walker goes on to continue painting while Runner stays with him and watches his front right leg to make sure it was alright, Walker paints a little and finishes the picture, "It's beautiful, Walker." Princess Cadence said, "Thanks, I'll need to find inspiration for my next painting before I start." Walker replied, and Runner puts it up on the wall for it dry, "How's your leg, Walker?" Sprinter asked, he stands up and saw he was able to walk and move it fine, "I'm fine." Walker said, "Good, you should still take it easy, though." Sprinter replied, "What are you going to do next, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "I'm going to go see that unicorn ghost." Walker replied, and he trots outside while Princess Cadence follows him. The ghost unicorn makes wooden targets appear with his magic and he breaks them with his hind hoofs, the others watch him and he stops when he hears trotting, he turns around and sees Walker and Princess Cadence, "Ah, Walker, here for your next training lesson, I assume, I'm impressed you already recovered." the unicorn said, "Thanks, and yes, I'm ready to train." Walker replied, the unicorn smiles, "Let's get started, then." the unicorn said, and he makes five wooden targets appear in the air, "Try to break all five of them before you touch the ground." the unicorn said, "Oh, that's easy." Walker replied, and he walks forward, he jumps in the air and does a counterclockwise spin with his body, he kicks the five targets with his hind hoofs and breaks them and lands on the ground perfectly, "Impressive, let's see how you're doing on your high jumps." the unicorn said, and he makes one wooden target appear high in the air, Walker jumps as high as he can and he lifts his hind right leg up above his head, he kicks the target and destroys it and lands on the ground, "Alright, let's see how you're doing on your acrobats." the unicorn said, and he makes three targets appear, Walker does a somersault and kicks the first target with his hind hoofs, he does a back flip and kicks the next target with his hind right hoof, he does another back flip and kicks the last target with his hind left hoof, he drops to the ground and lands while the broken targets fall onto the ground, "Very good, now your strength test." the unicorn said, and he makes a royal guard helmet appear, much to Princess Cadence's surprise, Walker jumps and tilts his body to his right, he kicks the helmet with his hind left hoof and shatters it into pieces, much to Princess Cadence's shock, "Whoa! Did you all see that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, he destroyed the helmet in one hit." Applejack replied, "That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash said, "Still, one kick is enough to destroy a royal guard's helmet? That's actually kind of scary." Twilight Sparkle said, "Okay, last one, your accuracy." the unicorn said, "Actually, I think there's already a target for that." Walker replied, "Alright, show me." the unicorn said, and Walker walks to Princess Cadence, "What are you doing, Walker? Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, Walker jumps and does a counterclockwise spin in the air, he holds his hind left leg out and hits Princess Cadence's tiara off of her head, she exclaims and looks to her right to see her tiara flying through the air, she grabs it with her telekinesis and brings it back to herself, "Walker! No!" Princess Cadence said as she holds her tiara up with her telekinesis, "Do not hit my crown!" Princess Cadence said, Walker just stands there and sweats, she put her tiara back on her head, "I'm ready to continue training." Walker said, "Alright, I got a new one for you today." the unicorn replied, and he makes sixteen wooden targets appear, "This is the wall climb, your training is to jump and touch the boards with your front legs, then jump and touch the next board above you, keep going until you get to the top." the unicorn said, and Walker starts. Walker jumps and presses his front hoofs on the first wooden board, he jumps and turns around in midair and touches the next wooden board with his front hoofs, he keeps going until he gets to the eleventh one, he tries to push his front hoofs on it, but he goes over it and falls behind it. Walker stands up and looks back, "What the?" Walker asked, he saw his targets got smaller and farther apart as he got higher, "They look smaller." Walker said, "They are, the higher you get, the smaller your targets get." the unicorn replied, and Walker walks back and tries again. Walker tries jumping from target to target but he keeps going over the higher targets and failing, he growls as he tries again and monitors his own jumps, he goes over another target and lands on the ground. Walker begins to growl and breathe hard, "Walker, calm down, you can try again anytime." Princess Cadence said, "No, I wish to pass it now." Walker replied, "Walker, you'll tire yourself out if you act like that, take a break." Princess Cadence said, Walker exhales heavily and he begins walking to the west, "You will have time to catch your breath and recover if you rest now." Optimist said, "You will postpone the inevitable of having to do this training course and make yourself constantly worried about it." Pessimist said, Walker thinks for a minute and stands up and walks. Princess Cadence looks and sees Walker going to four pillows, he arrives at them and Body Walker appears on the center-left pillow, he was standing on it, Mind Walker stands on the far left pillow, Spirit Walker stands on the center-right pillow, and Emotion Walker stands on the far right pillow, "What would you like to train in?" Body Walker asked, "My body." Walker replied, "Hot environment or cold environment?" Body Walker asked, "Cold." Walker replied, and Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. Only a part of Ponyville changes and Walker was now in the cold mountain environment again, there was snow on the ground and a blizzard going on, Walker inhales and exhales sharply for a few minutes to let his body adjust, he runs and jumps into the water, he swims while breathing heavily, his swims as fast as he could while his hoofs and ears become numb from the cold, he makes to the end faster than usual and pants, "I made the water shorter today, we'll be doing wall jumps today, front hoofs only, your goal is to reach the top of that entrance there." Body Walker said as he points his front right hoof to it, Walker sees he was in an ice cave environment and the exit was high and far, and there were icicles hanging, "Your job is to jump from icicle to icicle and make it to the end, but be careful, the icicles are fragile, once when you press on them, they will break, so make sure you jump before it falls." Body Walker said, Walker nods, "Alright, go." Body Walker said, and Walker runs forward. Walker jumps and presses his front hoofs onto the first icicle, it breaks and begins to fall while Walker uses his front hoofs to spring himself into the air and he turns around in midair and jumps to the next icicle, Walker jumps from icicle to icicle and went faster as he went farther, everypony watches nervously as Walker keeps going. Walker was near the end and he keeps going, he was getting more and more nervous as he got higher since the icicles were getting smaller and thinner, Walker keeps going and makes it to the end, he pants heavily while the environment changes back to normal and Walker stands on the ground, "Good work, Walker, not bad for first time, but you need to work on your speed." Body Walker said, Walker looks down, "Let's call it a day, it's a little late." Body Walker said, Walker nods and he walks back to the unicorn, he does the wall jump and makes it to the top, "Yes! I won!" Walker said as he jumps up and down, "Perhaps, but you'll need to do it again, try to do it without needing practice." the unicorn replied, Walker nods and he makes the targets disappear, he sees Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack walking to him, "You're not bad at this Walker, you, your father, and your grandfather would've served well in my army." the unicorn said, "Wait. Army?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Who are you?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It doesn't matter now, but I was going to spread friendship throughout the land, but Celestia said no and put a halt to my plans by putting me in jail." the unicorn replied, "Wait, what?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Just as I thought, you're Genghis." Princess Celestia said, "We could've had friendship spread throughout the land if you let me have my way." Genghis replied, "No, Genghis, your method was too ruthless and wrong, I couldn't allow friendship to spread throughout the land your way." Princess Celestia replied, "You were going to make us have more enemies if you did have your way." Princess Luna said, "How so?" Genghis asked, "Destroying one's culture and replacing it with our own is wrong, Genghis." Princess Cadence replied, "Wait, just who is this?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Name's Genghis, I was going to raise a military with earth ponies as my army, Pegasi as my air force, and unicorns as my magic unit, I was going to conquer and unite Equestria under one culture, then I was going to conquer the other countries, I was going to conquer Seaquestria, Mount Aris, and Kirin Grove first, I was going to add hippogriffs into my air force, have the seaponies serve as my navy, and the kirins as my fire unit, I was going to spread friendship throughout the world by conquering the other countries and destroy their cultures so I could replace them with our own cultures, but Celestia said no and put me in jail while I was raising my army." Genghis replied, shocking the six mares, "That would've caused more problems for us." Twilight Sparkle said, "Not cool, Genghis." Rainbow Dash said, "But I was going to spread friendship." Genghis replied, "Spread friendship? You would've made us the most hated country in the world if you had your way." Princess Luna said, "That's right, Genghis, this is a land of tolerance and forgiveness, I will not have friendship spread throughout the world by having one of our kind conquer their lands, destroy their cultures, and force them to adapt our culture." Princess Celestia said, "Um, Genghis, we are friends with the other creatures now." Fluttershy said, "What took you all so long?" Genghis asked, "You can't rush friendship, Genghis." Princess Celestia replied, "Why do you see him for anyway, Walker?" Princess Cadence asked, "He's my hoof-to-hoof combat instructor." Walker replied, "What?!" Princess Luna asked with shock while opening up her wings, "He's right, but not just him, I trained Runner and Sprinter as well." Genghis said, "Wait, there's something that's bothering me." Twilight Sparkle said, "What would that be?" Genghis asked, "Why aren't you mentioned in any historical documents or books?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I had all historical records of him destroyed." Princess Celestia replied, "What? How come?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Think about it, Twilight, our country had our own version of the Storm King rising and planning to invade them, that would be a black mark on our country's history and reputation." Princess Celestia replied, "I actually kind of like that, all historical records of me destroyed? It makes it sound like a planned sneak attack on other countries." Genghis said, "No, I had records of you destroyed because your actions are an embarrassment to our country's reputation of tolerance and forgiveness." Princess Celestia replied, Genghis remains silent and turns to Walker, "Do you wish to continue training?" Genghis asked, "No, I need to rest." Walker replied while shivering, "Alright, then, I'll be here if you wish to see me." Genghis said, and he walks away. Walker shivers while Princess Cadence warms him up by hugging him and Rarity uses her magic to get her heavy winter coat again and puts it on him, "I wonder how much calories you're burning." Twilight Sparkle said, "I never bother to think to about it." Walker replied, and he stops shivering, Princess Cadence lets go of him and Rarity takes the coat off, "I'll go meditate now." Walker said, "No, Walker, that's enough training for today, let's do something foals your age do." Princess Cadence replied, and the two walk together. Walker was on a swing and Princess Cadence pushes it forward with her front right hoof, there was a swing to his left and a swing to his right, Apple Bloom was on the swing to his left with Big Macintosh pushing it, and Sweetie Belle was on the swing to his right with Rarity pushing it, Walker just sits on the swing with a bored expression, "Aren't you having fun, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Not really." Walker replied, "Why not?" Apple Bloom asked, "It's just... I find everything in this world boring when compared to the Void." Walker replied, "Just be a normal foal for now, Walker, you're still a child." Princess Cadence said, Walker looks down while he stays on the swing, "How often do ya go to the Void, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "I used to go every day after school before I came here." Walker replied, "On your own?!" Rarity asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "That's too dangerous, Walker, you should travel with your guardians." Princess Cadence said, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said, "Dad and granddad traveled the Void all by themselves when they were my age." Walker said, "What?" Rarity asked, "Still, why don't they accompany you for?" Princess Cadence asked, "Because the worlds I go to are where Spirit is admired and respected the most, so I'm usually not attacked by the natives." Walker replied, "Still, they should accompany you." Rarity said, "Can you ask for those harpies, vulcans, and onis to come here one day, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Well... I'm not sure on that, they're not like the creatures of this world." Walker replied, "Well, if ya don't, Twilight might ask Spirit for 'em to come here." Apple Bloom said, "She might regret that." Walker replied, and he sits on the swing silently while Princess Cadence continues to push it, "Where's Scootaloo?" Walker asked after remaining silent for a while, they all look, "There she is." Apple Bloom replied, and Walker sees her and Rainbow Dash being trained by Genghis in hoof-to-hoof combat, "So Genghis has decided to train them as well." Walker said, "Maybe they'll be as good as you one day." Sweetie Belle replied, "Actually, Genghis once said to me that he has different trainings for unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies." Walker said, "How so?" Princess Cadence asked, "Actually, I don't know, I only do his earth pony training." Walker replied, they all look and see Genghis was shooting big beams out of his horn and Rainbow Dash flies around to dodge them, "Yeah, it is different." Walker said, and they all continue to remain on the swings. A portal opens and Runner and Sprinter walk out and the portal closes, "Dad? Granddad? Where you were two?" Walker asked, "We were just getting souls for The Judge." Runner replied, "Yeah, several people died in the other worlds recently." Sprinter said, "When did you two leave?" Walker asked, "While Genghis was training you." Runner replied, "Oh." Walker said, "Well, we'll be going now, we'll be heading home to make dinner after this, Walker." Sprinter said, Walker nods, and the two go see The Judge, "Let's go, Walker, I'd like to see how this judging works." Princess Cadence said, Walker gets off the swing and walks to The Judge while Princess Cadence follows him. Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence go to The Judge and they see he was waiting for them, "I am ready to receive the souls." The Judge said, and Runner and Sprinter have them float out of their bodies, Runner had seven souls while Sprinter had nine souls. The Judge takes the souls from Sprinter first and begins his job, he holds the first soul in his hands, "Male, from the world Larvaka." The Judge said, "He had a bad temper." Wrath said, the black scale goes down, "He never did any physical activity." Sloth said, the black scale goes down more, "This soul is to receive damnation." The Judge said, "Wait." Princess Cadence said as The Judge was about to hit his gavel with the demonic side of his hammer, "What about the other twelve?" Princess Cadence asked, "He did not commit our virtues or sins, there is no need to mention them." Humility replied, "Oh." Princess Cadence said, The Judge hits his gavel and a portal opens to his left side and the soul floats into it and the portal closes while the scales revert back to normal. The next soul floats to The Judge and he holds it, "Female, Styx." The Judge said, "Styx?" Princess Cadence asked, "The name of the soul's home world." Runner replied, "She was a noble but saw herself as an equal to everyone." Humility said, the white scale goes down, "She had a bad temper." Wrath said, the scales revert back to normal, "She did not indulge in excess pleasures." Temperance said, the white scale goes down, "She only loved one person." Chastity said, the white scale goes down more, "This soul is to receive salvation." The Judge said, and he hits his gavel with the angelic side of his hammer, a portal opens to his right and the soul goes in, the portal closes while scales revert back to normal. The next soul floats to The Judge and he grabs it, "Male, Niflheim." The Judge said, "He was willing to share his things with others." Kindness said, the white scale goes down, "He was jealous of those superior to him." Envy said, the scales revert back to normal, "He gave things he wanted to those who needed them more than him." Charity said, the white scale goes down, "He had a bad temper." Wrath said, the scales revert back to normal, "He was very proud of his own status." Pride said, the black scale goes down, "He worked hard to get to where he was at before he was killed in battle." Diligence said, the scales revert back to normal while Princess Cadence watches nervously, "It is a tie, his personality shall determine his judgement." The Judge said, and he looks into the soul, "A spoiled child, born into the upper-class of his species, while he has committed those virtues, he was unhappy about doing them, since his parents forced him to, and he fought in the battle he died in in the name of glory." The Judge said, he lets the soul go and it floats in front of him, "This soul is to receive damnation." The Judge said, he hears the ponies complaining and sees them running to him, "No! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle said, they arrive while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fly to him, "How old is that child?" Princess Celestia asked, "Eight." The Judge replied, "You're sending a soul of a child to the underworld to be punished after death?!" Princess Luna asked, "He has sinned several times, and he has a rotten personality, so damnation." The Judge replied, "What if he didn't know better?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That doesn't change the fact that he has sinned." Pride replied, "So, you can't redeem yourself by making up for it?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "No, once when you commit a sin or a virtue, that is it, it is weighed upon your soul for your entire life and until you come to us." Humility replied, "Look at me, I did bad things, and I was forgiven." Starlight Glimmer said, "In this life, but when you die and when I judge your soul, that won't matter." The Judge replied, "What if they behave the way they do because their culture teaches them to be like that?" Princess Cadence asked, "That doesn't matter when I judge your soul, either." The Judge replied, "What?! That's not fair!" Rainbow Dash said, "Judgement is very fair, your race, gender, species, age, and social class don't matter when your soul is judged, and it doesn't matter if you're forgiven for bad deeds or if your good deeds have bad consequences, all that matters is that you have committed a virtue or a sin, and if it's tied, your personality will determine your judgement." The Judge replied, "I'm sorry to say this, but your judging system is very flawed." Princess Celestia said, "What is flawed about our judging to you?" Patience asked, "Excuse me?" Princess Celestia asked, "There are some creatures in the other worlds who think our judging system is perfect, and some who think it's corrupt, so what's flawed about to you as an individual?" Humility asked, "First of all, you're sending a child to be punished in the afterlife, I think he deserves a second chance." Princess Celestia said, "Well, it's too late now, he's dead." Greed replied, "Can't souls wander around being judged?" Princess Luna asked, "Only if they receive salvation, but since he is receiving damnation, he will be trapped in the underworld to be punished for eternity." The Judge replied, the people of Ponyville protest about it, "Ain't there some area in the afterlife to teach him the errors of his ways?" Applejack asked, "No." The Judge replied, "Still, how can you send a poor little child to be punished after death? I think a little teaching and discipline can set him straight." Rarity said, "As we said, it will not undo his sins." Envy replied, "There you go, now, I must send his soul to the afterlife." The Judge said, and he hits his gavel with the demonic side of his hammer while the ponies complain and protest, the soul goes into the portal some of the ponies cry while the scales revert back to normal. The Judge gets the next soul and was about to judge it, "You all don't need to watch me, this takes time, you all should go on with your days." The Judge said, and they all leave while Twilight Sparkle walks to Spirit, who was behind The Judge and was sitting in a black throne, the Senses were standing to his right, "Excuse me, Spirit." Twilight Sparkle said, he focuses on her, "Can you open the portals to the other worlds?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Why?" Spirit asked, "So I can spread friendship to their worlds." Twilight Sparkle replied, "You do realize how risky that is, right?" Spirit asked, "What are the risks?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "First of all, what Walker said about friendship is true in their cultures, friendship is just a term you use to refer to someone or people you're on good terms with, it's not magic to them, the other risk... well, it will bring... other creatures to this world to attack Walker, Runner, and Sprinter." Spirit replied, "More skeletons and ghosts?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, completely different." Spirit replied, "Well, bring them here, I wanna spread friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, "Maybe tomorrow, I'll only bring the natives from the first three worlds Walker, Runner, and Sprinter went to." Spirit replied, "Thank you, it's a start." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walks away. Walker sleeps after having dinner and he was outside, he goes to where he trains and his four trainers appear, "Spiritual training, please." Walker said, and Body Walker, Mind Walker, and Emotion Walker disappear. Walker and Spirit Walker sit together and meditate, "Wait a minute, Walker." Princess Luna said, Walker opens his eyes and sees her flying down, "What are you doing out here?" Princess Luna asked, "I always go to the Void when I sleep." Walker replied, "Wait, this is where you've been going to every night when you sleep? No wonder why I haven't been able to see your dreams." Princess Luna said, Walker blushes and smiles, "What do you do here at night?" Princess Luna asked, "Train." Walker replied, "Train even more? No, you should be resting." Princess Luna said, "He is, his body's in bed right now, he'll have full energy when he wakes up tomorrow." Spirit Walker replied, "He better, or I'll have a talk with your ruler tomorrow." Princess Luna said, and she flies away while Walker sits and meditates for the rest of the night.
Day 13The next morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have breakfast, "Where's Princess Cadence?" Walker asked, "She went home shortly after you went to bed." Runner replied, Walker looks down, "She'll be back here, Walker, she's bringing Shining Armor and Flurry Heart here today." Sprinter said, and he serves salad as breakfast, Walker eats it and he heads outside with his guardians. Walker and his guardians arrive outside and they hear loud conversations of excitement, they soon hear the train arrive, the three see Princess Cadence come with Shining Armor and Flurry Heart, "Wow, it's more surprising in person than I thought." Shining Armor said, "Over here, it's those three that brought them here." Princess Cadence said, and they trot to Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "Hello, it's nice to meet you three." Shining Armor said, "Where's Sunburst?" Walker asked, "He actually chose not to come." Princess Cadence replied, Flurry Heart makes noises of excitement and flies to the souls of the dead, she tries to grab them and play with them but she goes through them, she looks back with surprise, "It's no use, Flurry Heart, you're just going to go through them." Walker said, Flurry Heart looks down and groans, "Well, I'm ready, Spirit, I'm ready for those first three creatures Walker, Runner, and Sprinter met to be brought here." Twilight Sparkle said, "Very well, give me a minute." Spirit replied, "Um, Spirit, can I ask you something?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes?" Spirit asked, "Are Walker, Runner, and Sprinter the only ones who knew of your realm before showing up here?" Fluttershy asked, "No, there is one other person in this town who knows of the Void and the souls of the dead." Spirit replied, "That would be...?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Discord." Spirit replied, Twilight Sparkle hunches over with a scowl on her face, "Of course he would know." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, aside from the obvious, Zecora knows about the afterlife as well." Spirit said, the others attentions were caught, "Now that you mention it, where is Zecora?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, she hasn't been around recently." Applejack replied, "Um, are Discord and Zecora the only ones besides those three who know about your realm, Spirit?" Princess Celestia asked, "No, there are several ponies and others outside Equestria who know about my realm." Spirit replied, "Name them." Princess Celestia said, "Mother Nature, Janis, Demonicus, Daylight Dimmer, Starburn, and Arcana." Spirit replied, the others look and see Princess Celestia was a little speechless, "Do you know them, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, besides Daylight Dimmer and Starburn, I know all of them." Princess Celestia replied, "I know Janis, he was Princess Platinum's court wizard, Celestia and I were good friends with him when we were fillies." Princess Luna said, "Yes, Janis is still around." Spirit replied, "What?" Princess Luna asked, "But Janis died years ago." Princess Celestia said, "True, but his soul received pure salvation, and he was reincarnated, he was called back to this world to catch a criminal who received pure salvation in his first life, but then continued to do bad things afterwards, Janis was reincarnated throughout history and just caught him recently." Spirit replied, "But he won't remember us." Princess Luna said, "Janis was an exception, his memories were kept intact so he can remember what the bad pony he was after looked like, he has been reincarnated in this time as well, his name is now Tao, you'll recognize him by his birthmarks." Spirit replied, "Birthmarks?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, if someone is killed and reincarnated, that birthmark they're born with is the wound that killed them in their previous life." Spirit replied, and three portals soon open and everybody looks at them, "*gasp* Look, other worlds!" Silverstream said with excitement, everybody looks and they can see the other worlds through the portals, "The name of the worlds are under the portals." Runner said, everybody looks and sees the left portal led to Aerostia, the center portal led to Yomi, and the right portal led to Chrysaor, "Well, let's bring them." Sprinter said, and he goes to Yomi while Runner goes to Aerostia and Walker goes to Chrysaor. Everybody looks at the worlds and see the places, Aerostia had white and gold architecture with yellow lights, bronze orbs with yellow lights on them, gold statues everywhere, everybody sees the statues of the creatures were bipedal, they had four feathered wings on their backs, ears similar to hippogriff ears, and hair on their heads, "Are those the statues of the world's natives?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We'll see eventually." Princess Luna replied, and they keep looking, they see Aerostia had all of its land floating in the air, the houses were made from white stones with gold decorations, "Wow, a lot of bright colors." Sunset Shimmer said, the others nod, they all go to look at Chrysaor next, but all they see were three paths made of gray dirt, the path in front of them was straight, the path to the left went uphill, and the path to the right went downhill, "What is this?" Rarity asked, "Looks boring." Pinkie Pie said, "There's something on the ground, though." Fluttershy replied, they all look and see etchings on the paths, the left path had a green tornado etched on it, the right path had a blue water drop etched on it, and the center path had a yellow rock etched on it, "They seem to resemble some kind of cultural belief." Princess Luna said, everybody then looks into Yomi, everybody sees the world was dark red and black, Fluttershy whimpers, "That place looks scary." Fluttershy said, they all look and see two black statues and they look, "Are those statues of ponies?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yeah, they do look like pony statues." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they all look and soon see Walker, Runner, and Sprinter coming with the natives. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter come back with the natives of Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter come back to Equestria with the natives of the three worlds, the natives of Aerostia were bipedal, they had gray skin, four black feathered wings on their backs, ears similar to a hippogriff's, black hair on their heads, and silver bladed boomerangs on their sides, the natives of Chrysaor were bipedal, they had bat-like wings on their backs, a thick tail with two fish fins on the end coming out of their coccyges, and were all wearing dull gray armor, so their faces were not seen, but there were holes for their eyes', they all had three eyes with the third eye on their foreheads, the natives of Yomi were also bipedal, there were two types, one had dark red skin and orange monochromatic eyes, while the other had light blue skin and purple monochromatic eyes, they were all muscular and had two black horns that curved upwards on the sides of their heads, and four fangs protruding from their mouths, they were all shirtless and wore black pants with gray metal plates on them, and black mid-calf length boots. Everybody looks on with surprise at what they see, "So this is your home, Sprinter?" a red native from Yomi asked, "Yes." Sprinter replied, the creatures look around, "It's a bit different from how I imagined it." a female native from Chrysaor said, they look and see the other ponies, "Hmm, Walker did mention there were three different types of his species." a female native from Aerostia said, "Four, actually." Twilight Sparkle replied as she walks to them, "Hi, I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, "Princess of Friendship?" a blue native from Yomi asked, the other natives from Yomi begin to snicker, "Hey." Twilight Sparkle said as she looks at them, they stop snickering after a few seconds, "I think Walker talked about them in class one day." Sweetie Belle said, "Wait, he did?" Applejack asked, "Yeah, he mentioned meeting creatures called harpies, vulcans, and onis." Scootaloo replied, "Ah, so you do know about us, we are the harpies, natives of Aerostia." a female native from Aerostia said as she bows in midair, "We all the vulcans, natives of Chrysaor." a male native from Chrysaor said, "Call us what you wish." a blue oni said, "Well, I'm glad you all are here, our job is to spread friendship far and wide." Twilight Sparkle said, "Runner already filled us on the information." a male harpy replied, "Oh, then I assume you all know why you're here, then." Twilight Sparkle said, "Princess Twilight, I'm going to warn you now, these three are not as accepting with friendship or forgiveness like how the natives of this world are." Walker said, "Don't worry, I'm sure we got this, I had Spike inform the other creatures to come here and meet them." Twilight Sparkle replied, she turns her attention to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Well, make yourselves at home, it is an honor to meet you all." Twilight Sparkle said, and she lets the harpies, vulcans, and onis look around. The harpies, vulcans, and onis look around Ponyville and a female harpy flies to Sprinter, "I missed you so much, Sprinter." the female harpy said, "I missed you, too, Alexia." Sprinter replied, and four female vulcans then go to him, he hugs all four of them, "Hi, Sprinter." one female vulcan said, "Hello, Diana, you too, Athena, Hera, and Echidna." Sprinter replied, Walker restrains his laughter while Runner groans with his front right hoof on his forehead, "Wait, don't tell me, are they...?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yup, more of my granddad's ex-girlfriends." Walker replied, the female ponies, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream exclaim and look at Sprinter with shock, Walker sees Rarity seethe and then begins to growl. Sprinter finishes greeting his five ex-girlfriends and he faces forward and sees Princess Cadence in front of him and glaring at him, "What?" Sprinter asked, "You dated in the other worlds, too?" Sprinter asked, "Yeah, why?" Sprinter asked, "Why didn't you have one true love like your son?" Princess Cadence asked, "I didn't meet a girl I could love my entire life like how Runner did." Sprinter replied, "Is this your current girlfriend, Sprinter?" Alexia asked, "No, not at all, basically, she's my grandson's babysitter." Sprinter replied, "Why's it a big deal to you?" Echidna asked, "Because she's the Princess of Love." Walker replied, "What kind of love?" a red oni asked, "Wait, what?" Walker asked, "Physical love or emotional love?" a blue oni asked, "I represent both." Princess Cadence replied, "Oh, well, it was physical for us." Alexia said, "Yeah, us too." Echidna said, "How old were you when you dated these five, Sprinter?" Princess Cadence asked, "Well, I wouldn't call it dating, I was four years old, these five were little kids, too." Sprinter replied, "Oh, my apologies, I genuinely thought you were dating random girls in the other worlds." Princess Cadence said, "A lot of girls had crushes on me in their worlds." Sprinter replied, "Really?" Princess Cadence asked, "Oh yes, almost all of the females of our species were infatuated with him." a red oni replied, "How did you all fall in love with him?" Princess Cadence asked, "I thought he was handsome and muscular, and we just came together like that." Alexia replied, "That's we grew to like him, too." Hera said, "It was his fighting prowess and skills that made the females of our kind fall for him." a blue oni said, "Oh." Princess Cadence said, "Isn't that why you fell in love with Shining Armor?" Walker asked, "No, I fell for him because of his love for his family and his kind personality." Princess Cadence replied, "I see, so different from us." a blue oni said, "Alright, I think you all had enough time, come with me now, it's time for you all to learn our ways." Twilight Sparkle said, and everybody follows her. Twilight Sparkle leads everybody to in front of the School of Friendship and she stands across from everyone with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, "Alright, everyone, the others will be here soon, so while we wait, I'd like to know about your cultures." Twilight Sparkle said, Walker holds his front hoofs up and moves them around to tell Twilight Sparkle not to ask them that, they remain silent, "Um, aren't you all going to share your cultures?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Princess Twilight, you can't do that, the harpies and onis are not just going to accept you like that." Walker replied, "Oh, well, what do I have to do, then?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You have to prove yourself in combat." Runner replied, "Wait a minute, what did you just say?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "For you to be accepted by the harpies and onis, you have to fight them." Sprinter replied, "What about the vulcans?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, they're friendly, but they're not just going to share their ways with you, you're a stranger to them." Walker replied, "Well, why don't you all share your culture then?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We'll need to speak with our ruler first." a male child vulcan replied, "Where is he?" Rainbow Dash asked, "That's weird, Elder Hephaestus should be here." Walker said, "Who are the rulers of the harpies and the onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We do not have a ruler." a male harpy replied, "What?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is a part of their culture, all harpies rule together, it goes with a belief in their culture." Runner replied, "What belief?" Princess Celestia asked, "One who rules over others is a sign of arrogance." Alexia replied, "What?" Princess Luna asked, "Wait, please explain, I do not understand." Princess Celestia said, "One who chooses to rule over their people is considered arrogance in their culture, those people are also considered to have superiority complexes." Sprinter replied, "Whoa, hold on a minute, how is that arrogant?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You rule over others, don't you?" a male harpy asked, "Yeah, duh." Rainbow Dash replied, "That is arrogant, people who rule over their own species look down upon them." the male harpy said, "Then how do you all run your world?" Shining Armor asked, "We all come together and vote, majority rules, everybody has a say." a female harpy replied, "But who is the ruler of your world?" Princess Luna asked, "All of us are the rulers." another female harpy replied, the ponies murmur, "Wait, I think I get it, in their culture, it is considered unfair if one person ruled over them." Starlight Glimmer said, "Not just one person, anyone with more power or authority than another is unacceptable." another male harpy replied, "Oh, well, I'm sorry to say this, but Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and I rule over all of Equestria." Twilight Sparkle said, "How arrogant." another male harpy replied, "No, it's not, we have to earn our titles by doing a princess worthy deed." Princess Cadence said, "You all should be ruling together, not having these four telling you all what to do." Alexia said, the ponies look on with surprise at what she said, "What about you vulcans, how did this Elder Hephaestus become the ruler?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "His parents were the previous Elders." Hera replied, "How did they become rulers?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Through intelligence, they actually managed to create spells to undo spirits possessing our natives and fauna." Athena replied, "Wait, did you all say a spell to stop spirits from possessing you guys?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, the Possessed and Undead are abundant in our world." Diana replied, "Skeletons are common, too, you won't believe how many there are." Walker said, "Oh, I see. Who is the ruler of you onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Champion Lucius." a blue oni replied, "How do you all choose your ruler?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Through battle." a red oni replied, "Wait. Battle?" Princess Luna asked, "Whoever kills him will be our next ruler." another red oni replied, "What?!" Rarity asked, "Are y'all sayin' that there is no family line for heirs?" Applejack asked, "Nope, they live by a survival of the fittest belief, the strongest oni will be the next ruler." Sprinter replied, the others look on with shock, "How are you all okay with that?" Princess Luna asked, "The weak and defenseless have no place in our species." another red oni replied, "How do you all know who is weak and who is strong?" Princess Celestia asked, "The onis train for combat from birth, the children are put against adults to test their fighting skills." Sprinter replied, "That sounds pretty fun." Smolder said, the onis snicker and smile at her. The train was heard and everybody sees Princess Ember, Grampa Gruff, Prince Rutherford, King Thorax, and General Seaspray arrive, "Oh good, they're here." Twilight Sparkle said, they all look and see the five were in awe at seeing the souls of the dead, "Whoa, I've never seen these before." Princess Ember said, "I must admit, it is intriguing to see such a sight." General Seaspray said, "Come on, let's go see the others." King Thorax said, and they go. The five visitors go to Twilight Sparkle and see the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Good, I'm glad you five made it, we have new creatures thanks to these three ponies here." Twilight Sparkle said, they look at Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "Yak demand reason for light blue see-through ponies." Prince Rutherford said, "Um, you see, Walker family made deal with being named Spirit, so Walker and males from father side of family can see dead souls." Yona replied, "Yeah, I performed a spell to see and hear the world how Walker sees and hears it, since he was acting weird and disappearing sometimes." Twilight Sparkle said, "Seeing these dead souls is actually kind of scaring me." King Thorax replied, "Eh, they're still just people." Grampa Gruff said, "Anyway, now that they're here, I need to see Elder Hephaestus and Champion Lucius, please." Twilight Sparkle said, "You need to prove yourself in combat to the onis first." Sprinter replied, "Is that true?" Twilight Sparkle asked, the onis nod, Walker looks back and sees Elder Hephaestus has not arrived, "Hold on, I'll go check on Chrysaor." Walker said, and he trots to the portal that leads to the world, but he stops when a vulcan comes out of it, the two walk to where the others were at and everybody saw the vulcan, he was wearing gold armor instead of a dull gray one, "I apologize for my lateness, I was busy praying to the gods of my culture, I am Elder Hephaestus, ruler of Chrysaor." the vulcan in gold armor said, "It's alright, Elder Hephaestus, my name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, Walker already filled me in on the details." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Alright, now that everycreature is here, I am ready to teach friendship to you all." Twilight Sparkle said, "Princess Twilight, remember, you have to prove yourself in combat to the harpies and onis first." Runner replied, "Right, let's get those over with." Twilight Sparkle said, and she looks at the harpies, "Let's prove ourselves to the harpies first." Twilight Sparkle said, and a male harpy flies forward, "I am Adetokunbo, I will be your opponent, our fights have rules." the harpy said, "No hitting your opponent when they're injured or incapacitated, no using any special powers you have, no changing your weapons, no hits to the eyes, no hits to the groin, no body breaking attacks, and most of all, no running away, all of them are punishable by death." Alexia said, "Wow, I didn't think they'd take it that seriously." Sandbar said, "Me neither." Ocellus replied, "I have fought Walker, Runner, and Sprinter in the past, all three have beaten me before, so I will need a different opponent this time." Adetokunbo said, "Um, why exactly do we have to fight for?" Fluttershy asked, "Your true selves are revealed through combat." Adetokunbo replied, "Ha, leave this one to me." Rainbow Dash said, and she flies forward. Rainbow Dash flies towards Adetokunbo while he takes the bladed boomerangs off of his thighs, a female harpy gives her boomerangs to Rainbow Dash, she tries to hold the two, "Can you hold them?" Adetokunbo asked, Rainbow Dash holds the boomerangs, "I'm ready." Rainbow Dash said, and the two were ready to fight, "Ready. Set. Fight!" a female harpy said, and the two fight. Adetokunbo throws both of his boomerangs and they fly in the air, Rainbow Dash smirks and she simply turns to her sides to dodge the boomerangs, "Ha! Huh?" Rainbow Dash said as she turns around since she hears the boomerangs in the air, she sees them turn around and coming back towards her. Rainbow Dash screams when she saw the boomerangs were homing on her and flies around in an attempt to outfly the boomerangs, the harpies look on with surprise at how fast Rainbow Dash can fly, "I have seen such speed." a female harpy said, "Neither have I." another female harpy said, Rainbow Dash continues to fly around to try to outfly the boomerangs chasing her, she turns around and sees they were still flying towards her, she holds her front hoofs over her own face when she saw them coming near her, they cut her front forelegs and she screams while the boomerangs went back into Adetokunbo's hands. Rainbow Dash pants and faces Adetokunbo, he throws the boomerangs again and Rainbow Dash decides to try throwing her boomerangs this time, they hit Adetokunbo's boomerangs out of the air and all four of them fall onto the ground. Adetokunbo flies down to get his boomerangs but Rainbow Dash flies faster and gets all her boomerangs first, she throws them at Adetokunbo, but he holds his arms up and catches them in midair, "Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, Adetokunbo throws the boomerangs at her, she tries to catch them but they graze her front hoofs, she grunts loudly from the cuts, they turn around in midair and home on Rainbow Dash, she focuses and catches them with her feathers, she smiles and throws them at Adetokunbo, he throws his boomerangs and they were knocked out of the air again. Rainbow Dash flies to Adetokunbo and tries to tackle him, but he pulls her off and throws her away from himself, she flies even faster to him and tackles him to the ground. Rainbow Dash proceeds to punch Adetokunbo in the face, but he grabs her front hoofs and headbutts her, she grunts and he then kicks her off of himself with his right foot. Rainbow Dash pants and stands on her hind legs since her front legs hurt, "Can you continue?" Adetokunbo asked, "You're darn right I can." Rainbow Dash replied and pants heavily, she flies up and tackles Adetokunbo in his chest, he grunts, he falls to his knees and pants, "Alright, you win." Adetokunbo said, the ponies cheer while Rainbow Dash smiles and poses, "You're just as fair and honorable as Runner and Walker, we shall try your ways." Adetokunbo said, the ponies cheer, "Alright, now you all have to prove yourselves to the onis." Walker said, "Um, I'll sit that one out, I need to recover." Rainbow Dash replied, and she walks back. Everybody looks and they see a red oni and a blue oni were ready to fight, they all look and see the red oni had a big black mace in his right hand while the blue oni had a straight sabre with a silver blade and a gray guard and handle in his left hand, the two also had a sword sheathed on their backs, "I'll handle this one." Princess Ember said as she walks to them, "Um, you can have people help you in your fight against them." Walker said, "It's alright, I don't think I'll need it." Princess Ember replied, and the onis back away while the red oni and the blue oni were ready to fight Princess Ember. The red oni and the blue oni begin to run to Princess Ember's sides, she notices the blue oni was a lot faster than the red oni, he tries to slash and stab her with his sabre, she dodges each one while watching him, the red oni goes behind her and was about to hit in the head with his mace, she sees the mace's shadow and she flies to her right, she turns around and breathes fire out of her mouth. Princess Ember looks on and sees the blue oni grunt while he endures the fire while the red oni was unaffected by it, surprising her, the blue oni quickly recovers and the two begin trying to hit her with their weapons, the red oni tries to hit her in the head with his mace and Princess Ember ducks under his right arm and goes behind him, the blue oni goes around the red oni and manages to stab his sabre into the right side of Princess Ember's neck, shocking the world's natives. Princess Ember looks and sees her scales protected her from getting cut by the sabre, "Hey, look at that, it can't cut me." Princess Ember said, the blue oni strafes to his right and begins trying to slash and stab Princess Ember's underbelly, she grunts when he lands several cuts and stabs in her underbelly, he was about to stab her again, but Princess Ember catches the sabre's blade with her hands and holds him back, the red oni goes behind her and hits her on the top of her head with his mace, she grunts and falls onto the ground. The two onis begin to kick and stomp on Princess Ember and she grunts, she notices while the blue oni's kicks and stomps only hurt a little, the red oni's kicks and stomps hurt a lot, she growls and crawls away, but the red oni stomps onto Princess Ember's tail with his right boot, she exclaims in pain and falls over, she growls and sees the two onis running to her had their weapons ready and were ready to attack her with her weapons, she sees the red oni was about to hit her head with his mace, so she quickly flies up into the air, "Ha, can't get me now, can you?" Princess Ember asked, the two onis look at one another and snicker, "What's so funny?" Princess Ember asked, the red oni swings his mace in a diagonal direction, the mace stretches out and everybody sees white bones between the black pieces of the mace, he hits Princess Ember on the left side of her head and she grunts as she falls onto the ground, "What?! That thing's also a whip?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Looks like it, but look at the whip, it looks like it's made out of bones and tendrils." Twilight Sparkle replied, Princess Ember stands up before the two onis can go to her and attack her while she was down, the red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon and there was orange fire on it, Princess Ember flies back but looks on with shock when she sees an orange wave of fire come out of the weapon and it hits her, it sets her on fire, but did not do anything, "Looks like your fire's not going to work on me." Princess Ember said, "So the red guy can use fire magic, huh?" Smolder asked, "Ooh, I know, since the red one uses fire magic, maybe the blue one uses ice magic." Silverstream said, the blue oni does a diagonal slash and Princess Ember sees a purple wave coming to her, "Um, that doesn't look like ice magic." Sandbar said, Princess Ember screams and she was electrocuted, "Wait a minute, that's not ice, that's lightning." Ocellus said, "I see, so the red onis can use fire magic, and the blue onis can use lightning magic." Starlight Glimmer said, "Maybe ice spells can counter them." Twilight Sparkle replied, Princess Ember grunts while she stands in place, "I... I can't move." Princess Ember said with her mouth stuck in place, shocking the world's natives, the red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon down and hits her in the head, she grunts and falls onto the ground, the mace-whip hybrid weapon hits the ground and an explosion of orange fire comes out and leaves a crater in the ground. Princess Ember growls as she stands up, the blue oni does several stabs with his sabre and sends purple circles of electricity towards Princess Ember, she flies up and dodges them, the red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon again and Princess Ember grabs two of the bones that made up the whip. Princess Ember pulls the weapon forward and it brings the red oni towards her and into the air, but she looks on with shock when she sees his boots coming to her and he kicks her in the face with them, she grunts and falls onto the ground. Princess Ember growls as she gets up and she sees the red oni land on the ground with his feet and the blue oni jumps towards her and was about to stab his sabre into her neck, Princess Ember flies to her right and the sabre stabs into the ground, Princess Ember slams her left fist onto the blade and breaks it. The blue oni tries to stab her with his broken sabre but she flies away and she sees him hold the broke piece of the blade in his left hand with a reverse grip style, "Wow, I didn't think he would do that." Twilight Sparkle said, "What'd ya mean, Twi?" Applejack asked, "I thought he would just leave his sword there." Twilight Sparkle replied, the blue oni swings his arms around randomly and sends purple waves of lightning towards Princess Ember, she breathes fire on him and he grunts while it stuns him briefly, she flies to him and tackles him while he was about to try to stab the broken tip of his sabre into her, she gets the two pieces of his sabre and throws them to her right. The red oni swings his mace-whip hybrid weapon and Princess Ember grabs it again and pulls on it, the two enter a tug of war, the red oni pulls his weapon back a bit and then lets go to try to make the handle hit Princess Ember, but she grabs it and pulls his weapon apart and breaks it and throws it back. The two onis reach the weapons on their backs with their right hands and unsheathe them, the blue oni takes out a curved katana, the blade was about twenty five inches long while the handle was about ten inches long, and the red oni takes out a big broadsword, it was about sixty six inches long, twelve inches wide, and double-edged, scaring Princess Ember and the natives. The blue oni swings the katana around and sends purple waves of lightning towards Princess Ember, she flies around to dodge them but one hits her and paralyzes her, she grunts as she falls onto the ground, the red oni swings the broadsword down and hits Princess Ember in the back, she screams while an explosion of orange fire came out, "Hmm?" the red oni asked, the smoke clears and he sees his sword could not cut through her scales, she stands up and faces them, the two onis hold their swords diagonally as if they were blocking, the two growl and an orange explosion appears around the red oni while a purple explosion appears around the blue oni. Princess Ember and the others look on and the smoke clears, the red oni now had orange fire around himself while the blue oni had purple lightning around himself, the red oni swings his broadsword around his own head and Princess Ember ducks to dodge it, he swings it down and Princess Ember jumps to her right and sees the ground get cut, she looks on with shock when she realizes he was even stronger than before, she sees the blue oni swings his katana in diagonal directions and sends more purple waves of lightning towards her, she flies up and was shocked to see he was even faster, "Wait, that makes them even harder?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, the red one's stronger than before, and the blue one's faster." Applejack replied, "That's not fair, how did Walker, Runner, and Sprinter win against them?" Rainbow Dash asked, the red oni swings his broadsword down and another explosion appears in the ground, an orange wave of fire goes forward and hits Princess Ember and a second explosion happens. Princess Ember looks around and hears lightning crackling in front of her, she sees the blue oni coming at her through the smoke, he runs around her and tries to cut her right armpit with his katana, but her scales protect her, he goes behind and holds his katana out to cut her while he runs around, Princess Ember grabs his right wrist with her right hand and slams her left fist onto his wrist, he loses his grip on the katana and Princess Ember takes it and breaks it into pieces and throws them away, she then punches the blue oni in his left jaw with her right fist and he falls over. The smoke clears and the red oni swings his broadsword around his head again, Princess Ember flies to and he holds the sword in front of himself to block her, she flies around it and kicks him in the back of his neck with both of her feet and he falls over and drops the sword, Princess Ember grunts while she picks it up and throws it away, the unicorns use their telekinesis to carry it and put it down. Princess Ember pants while she walks away but the two onis get up, she turns around and the two run to her, the red oni punches her in her right jaw with his right fist while the blue oni goes behind her and hits her in her back with his left knee, she grunts and falls over, she looks and sees the two onis had their fists raised, "Wow, them onis sure are persistent." Applejack said, "Yeah, I sure am glad I didn't choose to fight them." Rainbow Dash replied, Princess Ember growls and tries to stand up, but the red oni kicks her in her abdomen with his right foot, she grunts and falls over, the two were about to start stomping and kicking her again, but Princess Ember grabs their feet and throws them over herself, she stands up with the two onis. The blue oni runs towards her and begins punching and kicking her, her scales protect her, "Wow, I barely feel anything." Princess Ember said, the red oni punches her in her right jaw with his left fist, she grunts as she falls over and slides across the ground, putting a hole in it, "So that's how you want to do it." Princess Ember said while she stood up with her fists raised. The two onis run to her, she was ready to fight back, but the two go around her and begin punching her in her blind spots, she grunts from each punch the red oni landed on her face and neck, she ducks and punches the two in their abdomens, the blue oni grunts while the red oni did not flinch, he punches her again with his left fist and she grunts while she falls over. Princess Ember quickly gets up and sees the blue oni jump in the air, he tries to do a downwards knifehand strike to her face, Princess Ember blocks it with her right forearm, the red oni goes behind her and grabs her wrists and holds her arms out, he jumps up and kicks Princess Ember in her scapulae with his feet, she screams and he lets go to make her fall. Princess Ember pants and the blue oni tries to choke her with his arms, Princess Ember moves her arms and was able to move his arms off of herself, she kicks him in his abdomen and he grunts and falls over. Princess Ember rolls over and gets up, the red oni goes to her right blind spot and was about to thrust the claws of his left hand into the side of her neck, she sees him and ducks, she hears the blue oni running behind her, she looks over her own right shoulder and sees the blue oni was about to punch her in the back of her head with his right fist. Princess Ember quickly turns around and ducks under his fist, she raises back up and punches him in the face with her right fist, he grunts and tries to punch her with his left fist, she ducks again and punches him in the face with her left fist, he grunts and still stands his ground. The red oni punches Princess Ember in her abdomen with his left fist and she grunts, but she endures it and sees the blue oni thrust his arms forward and tries to stab his claws into her, Princess Ember flies back and he stops after sometime, she does a hard punch with her right fist and hits him in the face, he grunts and falls, he was on his knees and did not move, the world's natives smile. Princess Ember focuses on the red oni and sees him trying to punch her with his right fist, she ducks to dodge it and then rises back up and punches him in the face with her right fist, he did not flinch, he tries to punch her with his left fist and Princess Ember ducks, she rises back up and punches him in the face with his left fist, he did not flinch, Princess Ember looks at him with shock and he snickers at her, the world's natives were shocked as well. The red oni pokes the middle and index claws of his right hand into Princess Ember's eyes and she screams while covering them, she looks and sees him coming again to attack her more, he tries to punch her several times and Princess Ember moves back to dodge him, he was easier to dodge than the blue oni since he was slower. Princess Ember gets an idea and grabs his fists when he tried to punch her again, she flies up and lets go of him, she flies up higher and moves back when he tries to grab her feet, he falls onto the ground and leaves a crater, he tries to stand and falls to his knees. Princess Ember pants heavily as she flies down and the world's natives cheer, she looks and sees the onis were silent, "What? Upset I won?" Princess Ember asked, "The fight's not over yet." a blue oni replied, "What?! How long is this?!" Princess Ember asked, "It's a fight to the death." Sprinter replied, "What?! So, in order for me to win...?" Princess Ember asked, "You have to kill them." Runner replied, shocking the world's natives, "Go on, if you don't, the two will recover and start attacking you again." Walker said, shocking Princess Ember, "Is that true?" Princess Ember asked, the two onis nod, she stands still for a minute and sighs, "Alright." Princess Ember said, and she walks behind them slowly and snaps the blue oni's neck with her hands, she snaps the neck of the red oni next, the two fall and their souls appear, which Sprinter absorb. Princess Ember limps back while panting heavily and falls to the ground, "Well, she has won, we'll be willing to cooperate with you all." a red oni said, everybody was silent, "Okay, I'd like to speak with Champion Lucius, then." Twilight Sparkle said, a tornado of red fire and blue lightning appears between the red onis and the blue onis, it disappears and Champion Lucius appears, some of the world's natives were scared by his appearance, he had two black horns that curved upwards on the sides of his head, white teeth with four big fangs, his skin was a very dark purple, he was more muscular and toned than the other onis, he had a six pack just like all of the other male onis, he also had white monochromatic eyes, he was shirtless just like all of the other oni, his pants were black, and he wore black mid-calf length combat boots just like the rest of the oni, but his entire pants was covered in bones, so were his boots, he had black knee pads on which had an oni skull on them, he had black elbow pads with an oni skull on them as well, all four of those skulls had bones carved and shaped to resemble their horns, along with black gauntlets that were fingerless to expose his claws, they were covered with bones as well, and covered his hands and lower half of his forearms. Champion Lucius stands up straight and he was taller than all of the other onis, "Twilight Sparkle, I see you have finally found out about the afterlife, even though it took you so long." Champion Lucius said, "Hey." Twilight Sparkle said, "*chuckle* Nevertheless, your world has proven worthy as fighters, I will have my subjects share their cultures with you." Champion Lucius said, "You better, winning against those two wasn't easy." Princess Ember replied, "Yes, Torch must be proud of his daughter right now." Champion Lucius said, "How do you know about my father?" Princess Ember asked, "There is little you can hide from me." Champion Lucius replied, "I bet you're bluffing." Grampa Gruff said, "Am I now, Grampa Gruff?" Champion Lucius asked, "I think you are as well." King Thorax said, "I wonder if you will think that way after Queen Chrysalis launches her next attack." Champion Lucius replied, "Anyway, let's focus on the task at hoof, I'm ready to spread friendship even farther and wider." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, perhaps you will learn something as well." Champion Lucius replied, "Just want to learn other cultures and tolerate others." Twilight Sparkle said, the onis chuckle, "Very well, I'll be watching." Champion Lucius replied, and he disappears with an explosion of red fire and blue lightning appearing. The harpies, vulcans, and onis go to Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, "New creatures welcome party!" Pinkie Pie said, and a party begins, the harpies, vulcans, and onis look around and see the cuisine, "What is that big thing there, Walker?" Alexia asked, "That's called cake, we make them for special occasions." Walker replied, "Cake, you say?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "What about that there?" a male vulcan asked while he pointed at the item of interest, "That's ice cream, also for special occasions." Runner replied, "What? You all don't know what cake and ice cream are?" Pinkie Pie asked, "They don't have it in their worlds." Sprinter replied, "What do you guys usually eat?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Meat and seeds." Adetokunbo replied, the world's natives gag, "You harpies eat meat?!" Rarity asked, "We do as well." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, they nod, "What else do you all eat?" Fluttershy asked, "Nothing, just meat." a male vulcan replied, "Us too." a red oni said, shocking the ponies, they see another red oni bring the two onis Princess Ember killed to her, "What?" Princess Ember asked, "Your spoils from the battle." the red oni replied, "So?" Princess Ember asked, "Aren't you going to eat them?" the red oni asked, "What?! No! Us dragons don't eat meat." Princess Ember replied, "Shame, you look like you would." the red oni said, "No, my kind eats gemstones." Princess Ember replied, the red oni looks at Gallus and Grampa Gruff, "What about you birds?" the red oni asked, Gallus and Grampa Gruff shake their heads, "Do any of you eat meat?" the red oni asked, everybody else shakes their heads, "Alright, I guess it's ours then." the red oni said, and he carries the two dead onis to his kind, "Anyway, let's start, I will begin teaching you all about friendship, let's start, you go first, Pinkie Pie." Twilight Sparkle said, and Pinkie Pie hops to them. Pinkie Pie hops to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Hello, new creatures, I brought things for you all to have fun with." Pinkie Pie said, and she pulls them out of her mane, they were board games. The ponies show the harpies, vulcans, and onis how to play, they try them, "This isn't fun." a male vulcan said, "What?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I agree, these are boring." Alexia replied, "There's more." Pinkie Pie said, "Like what?" a blue oni asked, "Party cannon!" Pinkie Pie replied, and it fires, the harpies, vulcans, and onis just watch, "I know, how about opening a piñata? Smacking it with the stick until it breaks and the candy falls out." Pinkie Pie said, and she gets one hooked up, it looked just like her. Alexia tries first and she hits the piñata with the stick, she stops after a few hits, "This isn't really that fun." Alexia said, a red oni walks to it and punches it with his right fist, the piñata breaks open and it flies away with the candy falling out, "No, you have to beat it open with the stick." Pinkie Pie said, and she gets another one. A female vulcan tries and she breaks it open with one hit, Pinkie Pie gets another one and a blue oni hits the piñata multiple times and it breaks, "Wasn't that fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, Pinkie Pie stops smiling, "What do you all do for fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Um..." the harpies said, "All we do are plays." Echidna said, "Plays? As in...?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Theatre arts." Walker replied, "Ooh, we have plays, too." Sweetie Belle said, "Well, that's about all we do for fun." Hera said, "That's all?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Pretty much, we are a busy species." a male vulcan replied, "What do you onis do for fun?" Spike asked, "Fight to the death." a blue oni replied, everybody becomes shocked and speechless, "That's not fun." Pinkie Pie said, "It is to us." a red oni replied, "No fights to the death in my country." Princess Celestia said, "You might enjoy it." another blue oni replied, "I said no." Princess Celestia said, "Do you all have holidays?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Um, holiday?" a female harpy asked, "A day of celebration every year." Walker replied, "Oh, no." the female harpy said, the vulcans and onis shake their heads, "No holidays?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Well, we do have celebrations sometimes, but it's only for that day." a blue oni replied, "Not once in a year?" Pinkie Pie asked, the onis shake their heads, "Okay, let's try something else, you're up, Applejack." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walks forward. Applejack walks forward and puts a bucket of apples down, "Here y'all go, try an apple, Ah'm sure y'all know what an apple is." Applejack said, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, "What? Y'all don't know what apples are?" Apple Bloom asked, "Actually, their worlds don't have any fruits of any kind in them." Runner replied, "Say what now?" Applejack asked, "Fruit?" Diana asked, "Come on, y'all, try one." Applejack said, and they did, everybody saw the male vulcans were bald while the female vulcans had black hair, and their skin was gray, the harpies, vulcans, and onis spit them out, "This tastes horrible." a female vulcan said, "Come on, everybody, try my cake." Pinkie Pie said, and they did, the harpies, vulcans, and onis spit it out, "This tastes even worse." a red oni said, Pinkie Pie gasps, "Um, we have punch as well." Fluttershy said, "I doubt you all can even throw one." a blue oni replied, "She's referring to punch as in that red drink in that bowl there." Walker said as he points at it, "Come on, everycreature, have a drink." Pinkie Pie said, and the harpies, vulcans, and onis try it, they spit it out, "This isn't that good, either." Adetokunbo said, "What do you all usually drink?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We don't drink anything." Alexia replied, "Wait, don't drink anything?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Our bodies do not need fluids to survive." Adetokunbo replied, "What do you vulcans usually drink?" Rarity asked, "Water." a male vulcan replied, "What else?" Sandbar asked, "That's it." a female vulcan replied, leaving the ponies speechless, "Um, what do you onis drink?" Fluttershy asked, "Blood." a red oni replied, "What?!" Rarity asked, "Onis drink blood?!" Yona asked, "Yes, it is the spoils of battle, and there's a saying in our culture, eat and drink what you kill." a blue oni replied, the world's natives become very uncomfortable, "Well, *ahem* mah job is also to teach honesty." Applejack said, "Okay, so what exactly do you wish for?" Athena asked, "Well, y'all can start with the apples, how do they taste?" Applejack asked, "Taste like crap." a red oni replied, "Hey!" Apple Bloom said, Walker restrains his laughter while the ponies look on with offended faces, Runner had a nervous expression while Sprinter remains stoic, "No, Ah mean as if they were sweet, sour, that kind of taste." Applejack said, "I found it to be too sweet for my tastes." Alexia replied, "Sour to us." a male vulcan said, "I thought it was bitter." a blue oni said, "See, y'all are learnin' honesty already, good job on yer first tasks." Applejack said, "Why do you all value honesty for?" a female harpy asked, "Because lyin' causes more damage, and you have to keep lyin' after you make one lie." Applejack replied, "What if a lie saves a life?" a female vulcan asked, "It's still wrong to lie, y'all." Applejack replied, the harpies, vulcans, and onis remain speechless, "Um, let's try someone else, why don't you try, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and Applejack walks back while Rainbow Dash flies forward. Rainbow Dash flies to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, and begins doing poses, "Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt and coolest professor, reporting for duty." Rainbow Dash said, "What do you have to teach us?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "Loyalty, which can be achieved through teamwork, come on, try to catch some of the fish in that water over there." Rainbow Dash replied, and the harpies, vulcans, and onis walk to the water around the School of Friendship. The harpies, vulcans, and onis look at the water and they were unimpressed, a blue oni walks forward, puts his left hand in the water, and uses his lightning magic to electrify the water, the fish floats up and Pinkie Pie screams, Rainbow Dash pulls him away while Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer also pull him away with telekinesis, and Fluttershy flies to the water and cries when she sees the dead fish float up, "No! You're not supposed to kill them, you're supposed to throw them back into the water!" Rainbow Dash said, "Why would we do that for?" a male vulcan asked, "Because you're just catching them for fun." Rainbow Dash replied, "Isn't that wasting food?" a female harpy asked, "You're not supposed to eat them!" Rainbow Dash replied angrily, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, "Ugh, let's try something else, let's try building a shed." Rainbow Dash said, and she flies away and comes back with the materials, "Okay, here's the blueprint, I'd like to see you all work together." Rainbow Dash said, "I am sorry to interrupt, but us vulcans build things with stone and metal, not wood." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you harpies?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Stones and metals." Alexia replied, "How about you onis?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Metal and bones." a red oni replied, "Wait, back up, did you all say you build things with bones?" Rainbow Dash asked, "If you go to their world, you will see bones in their walls and skulls in their doors." Sprinter replied, Rainbow Dash looks on with shock, "Not cool, guys." Rainbow Dash said, "Let's just get started." a blue oni said, the others agree and they do. The harpies, vulcans, and onis grab the wooden pieces and nails, the blue onis hold up the walls and the red onis smash the nails into the board with their wrists, the harpies and vulcans fly around and put the wooden boards on the roof and the onis jump and land on the roof, they hit the nails in with their wrists and jump down, "See? There you all go, you just worked as a team." Rainbow Dash said, "What is the point of this?" a blue oni asked, "Um, to teach you all to be loyal to one another." Rainbow Dash replied, the onis glare at her, "What?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Why should we be loyal to anyone besides Champion Lucius?" a red oni asked, "Because, it's how friendships last." Rainbow Dash replied, "Family comes first." a male vulcan said, Rainbow Dash becomes speechless, "Um, don't you all care about your friends?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Friends are nice, but not as important as family." a female vulcan replied while looking down and had her arms across her chest, "We have a saying in this world..." Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, we know, friendship is magic, it's not magic to us." a male vulcan replied, "Is there anything you all consider as important?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Honor, we refuse to fight dirty." Alexia replied, "Oh, well, yeah, I kind of learned that in the Wonderbolts, we have to do things fair and square during flying competitions." Rainbow Dash said, "Honor is also not running away from danger." Adetokunbo replied, "Oh, that's easy, I do that all the time." Rainbow Dash said, the harpies chuckle, "What about honesty, y'all?" Applejack asked while she trots to them, "We lie sometimes to protect others." a male harpy replied, "But wouldn't fightin' fair also count as honesty? Honest fightin', y'all?" Applejack asked, "No, not to us." another male harpy replied, "Oh." Applejack said, "Well, I think that's good enough, you're up next, Rarity." Twilight Sparkle said, and Rainbow Dash flies away while Rarity walks forward. Rarity walks forward while bringing fashionable clothes with her telekinesis with her, "Hello, everyone, my name is Rarity, and I am your generosity teacher, I will be teaching you all how to share and sacrifice your things, and I am well known in the world of fashion." Rarity said, "Fashion?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "What clothes and outfits are popular to wear at the time." Walker replied, "Thank you, Walker, and I can say with absolute certainty that your outfits are not fashionable." Rarity said, "What are you getting at?" a male harpy asked, "Well, first off, you harpies are not wearing anything except for those straps on your thighs to sheathe your boomerangs, you all can at least wear a beautiful outfit, as for you vulcans, armor is not fashion, and that dull gray color, ugh, it is so ugly, only the gold one is a nice color." Rarity said, "My armor is gold because I'm the ruler of the world." Elder Hephaestus replied, "As for you onis, that black color has got to go, it is so dull, same with those boots, they look so ugly, those pants are a no go, and those metal pads most definitely have got to go." Rarity said, "Even though they protect us in battle?" a blue oni asked, "They have no place in the fashion world, they are so ugly." Rarity replied, "What about Champion Lucius' outfit, Rarity?" Walker asked, "What was that one again?" Rarity asked, "No shirt, black pants, black boots, black knee pads, black elbow pads, black gauntlets, all covered in bones, and oni skulls on his waist, elbow pads, and knee pads." Walker replied, "Oh, I remember now. No, bones are unacceptable to have as fashion." Rarity said, "What about skulls?" a red oni asked, "Well, maybe fake ones for decoration." Rarity replied, "Champion Lucius' bones are real." a blue oni said, "Oh, Celestia, no, real bones are never acceptable as fashion." Rarity replied, "Why should he remove them for?" another blue oni asked, "Because it is ugly, fashion is about embracing your inner and outer beauty." Rarity replied, "What a stupid passion." another red oni said, "WHAT?!" Rarity asked, "I must agree, I find this way of living to be idiotic." Elder Hephaestus said, "It is not idiotic, fashion is about embracing your creative side." Rarity said, "Yeah, I'll pass." Alexia replied, "So will I." Athena said, "Alright, I get it, you all don't like fashion, but my job is to teach generosity." Rarity said, "Yeah, we already know what generosity is, it's one of the seven virtues." Echidna replied, "Do you all practice generosity already?" Rarity asked, "We share food with one another." a blue oni replied, "Ooh, splendid, you all are already generous." Rarity said, "We share food as well." a male vulcan said, "As do we." a female harpy said, "Generosity isn't just sharing your food, it's also sharing other valuables, and giving it to those who need it more." Rarity said, the harpies, vulcans, and onis just watch, "Well, um, let's try the last one, you ready, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and they see Fluttershy was still crying over the dead fish, the ponies glare at them, "What?" a male vulcan asked, "Those animals were her pets." Rainbow Dash replied, "What does she teach?" Alexia asked, "Kindness." Rarity replied, "Ah, so you all value that virtue as well." Adetokunbo said, "You all can start by giving her pets a funeral." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Um, funeral?" a red oni asked, "A burial, and pay your respects." Runner replied, "We are unfamiliar with this custom." Elder Hephaestus said, "What? Don't you all bury your dead?" Pinkie Pie asked, "No, we eat them." a red oni replied, the world's natives exclaim with disgust, "How utterly repulsive!" Rarity said, "You will not eat the native animals of this world, you all are to give them those fish a burial and pay your respects." Princess Celestia said, "Um, pay respects?" another blue oni asked, "What?! Don't tell me you don't know how!" Princess Luna said, "It's simple, just do what you do to pay respects to your ruler." a male harpy replied, "Oh." the onis said, and they get the dead fish. Fluttershy leads the harpies, vulcans, and onis to her home and they bury the dead marine animals, the harpies get on their knees while the vulcans and onis just look down, "Um, aren't you all going to get on your knees?" Fluttershy asked, "We don't pay our respects that way to others, only our gods." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Oh, I see." Fluttershy said, and she pays her respects to the dead marine animals while tears roll down her eyes, "That's enough, everycreature, you all can go back now." Fluttershy said, and they go back to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle goes to Spirit, who was sitting in a black throne with the Senses standing to his right, "Excuse me, Spirit." Twilight Sparkle said, he looks at her, "I'd like to see the worlds of the harpies, vulcans, and onis." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'll have to fuse their worlds together with this one, I'm also planning to unfuse your world from my realm tomorrow." Spirit replied, "Alright, I just want to see what those three worlds look like." Twilight Sparkle said, "Very well, it's getting dark, you should head home before the souls of the dead appear." Spirit replied, "Alright, good night, Spirit." Twilight Sparkle said, and she heads home, everybody goes to sleep for the night and sleep with the harpies, vulcans, and onis sleeping around Walker's, Runner's, and Sprinter's house.
Day 14Morning comes and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter head outside to see how the harpies, vulcans, and onis were doing, they look and see the three species' were having breakfast, the harpies eat seeds, the vulcans eat plants, and the onis eat the two onis Princess Ember killed yesterday with the red onis eating the blue oni and the blue onis eating the red one, everybody in Ponyville scream at the sight, "They're eating their own kind." Sandbar said, "I'm going to be sick." Ocellus said with her front right hoof on her mouth, everybody sees the onis eating their own kind and Yona and Silverstream gag while covering their mouths with their hoof and talon respectively, the two run away to go vomit. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter watch them and Alexia gives them seeds, "Thanks, Alexia." Walker said, and the three eat them, they also see Twilight Sparkle walking to Spirit, "Well, Spirit, you made a promise, I'd like to see Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, I remember, hold on, I have to separate your world from my realm." Spirit replied, and he makes everyone from the Void disappear, along with their work areas. Ponyville changes at the east and three new areas appear, the one to the left was floating in the air, white and gold architecture with yellow lights were everywhere, so were gold statues of the harpies, some of the doors had harpy wings and heads carved into them, their houses were made from white stones with gold decorations on them, and there was a vault visible for everyone to see. The one to the center had jail cells in front of the others, they see two types of jail cells, gray jail cells that had a clock carving on it, and black jail cells that had a skull carving on it, they look past the jail cells and a see a golden architecture that was shaped like a creature that was a hybrid between a lion and a boar, and there were animals in the same shape around it, everybody also saw an area full of grass past it, and there was a lot of houses, they were all made from stone, and each one had a white symbol painted onto it. The one to the right had a blood red sky and black clouds, there was a stronghold to the left and a fortress to the right, they were both black, the fortress looked like Gothic architecture, there were waterfalls of blood coming out of the fortress, and dead onis hanging from nooses on the edges of the roofs. The world's natives look on with excitement and see the places looked fun to explore, everybody looks at Aerostia first and sees the place, "Wow, it's like Cloudsdale." Applejack said, "Cloudsdale?" a female harpy asked, "It's that city of clouds up there in the sky." Rainbow Dash replied while she points at it, the harpies look and see it, "How do you all stay on the clouds?" Adetokunbo asked, "Us Pegasi have natural magic on us that make us walk on clouds." Rainbow Dash replied, "And the unicorns can cast spells to make others walk on the clouds." Starlight Glimmer said, "Well, you won't need it here, I'll show you all around, follow me." Runner said, and he makes a black skeletal arm come out of his front right hoof and it grabs the nearest ledge, he goes up while the creatures with wings fly up and Twilight Sparkle uses telekinesis on the creatures who could not fly. Runner walks forward and everybody looks at Aerostia, "Wow, so many yellow lights." Silverstream said, "*chuckle* They are important to us." a female harpy replied, "What is the point of those yellow lights on the orbs?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is how our seeds are created." Adetokunbo replied, "Um, where did you all get your meat from?" Spike asked, "Trust me, you don't want to know." Runner replied, "They are dead harpies, sometimes, harpies have disagreements and fight, most end in one's death, we just eat that harpy's remains." Adetokunbo said, the world's natives exclaim and gag, "Harpy eats own kind, too?" Prince Rutherford asked, "If they were dishonorable and combat, yes, if not, no, they receive proper burials." a female harpy replied, "Wait, proper burial for being honorable in combat?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They live a warrior's culture, being honorable is held in high regard for them, being killed in combat by an equally honorable warrior is considered a very good thing." Runner replied, "Ugh, enough with the fighting and deaths." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you not wish to be killed by an honorable warrior?" Adetokunbo asked, "No, I wish to live my life to the fullest." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I must agree, I will admit that honor is important, but this is a land of friendship, we achieve honor by playing fair in games, honor through combat has no place in our land." Princess Celestia said, the harpies become silent, "Say, what are those doors on the top ledges there?" Rainbow Dash asked, the harpies look, "They are the vaults of the honorable harpies that were killed in combat, they receive proper burials." Alexia replied, "Um, are those inscriptions carved in the doors there?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes, it's a warning written in our language, they all basically say the same thing, whoever disturbs the vault and takes the dead harpy's possessions will be cursed." Alexia replied, "Then what about that vault over there that's visible?" Sweetie Belle asked, "That is the vault of Achillas, the most honorable harpy that has ever lived, he lived a warrior's life, and fought with honor and fairness, we keep his vault visible to remind us of his honorable and fair ways in combat, he died the most honorable way possible, killed in combat by an equally honorable warrior." Adetokunbo replied, "Wow, fightin' fair must be extremely important to 'em." Applejack said, the harpies nod, "What is that big area floating over there?" Silverstream asked while she points at it, "That is the arena, we fight newcomers there to see how they are in combat since combat reveals their true selves." a male harpy replied, "Looks pretty fun." Princess Ember said, Smolder, Grampa Gruff, and Gallus nod in agreement and smile, "Quick question, how do you all create your boomerangs?" Smolder asked, "They are carved by hand, that yellow light also creates the metal required to make the boomerangs, and we carve them with our nails." Alexia replied, "Well, it was nice getting to know about this, I think we should explore a bit." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go around while Runner leads them. Everybody looks around Aerostia and see carvings of harpies in most of the doors in the area, "Can we enter yer homes?" Apple Bloom asked, "Sorry, but no." a male harpy replied, they look around and enjoy it, "Well, it was nice, but we have to go now." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go back to Ponyville and go to the center area, "Alright, everyone, follow me." Walker said, and he leads them. Walker leads everyone to Chrysaor and the jails were first, "What is this place?" Pinkie Pie asked, "The jail cells, they're different colors and have symbols for a reason, the gray jail cells means the vulcans are serving time, while the black cells mean they're sentenced to death." Walker replied, "So, what can you tell us about this place, Walker?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The vulcans value plays as entertainment and architecture, they also value logic, they believe acting based off of your emotions should only be allowed in entertainment. There are three temples in their land, the first one's up ahead." Walker said, and he leads them. Everybody walks and Walker leads them to the gold architecture that was shaped like a hybrid between a bear and a boar, "This is the first temple, the Temple of Behemoth, their land god, and main one." Walker said, "Ooh, my, a gold color, it is pretty nice, I must say." Rarity said, they hear walking and everybody sees the animals shaped like the temple coming to them, "Aw, you all are so cute, yes, you are." Fluttershy said as she flies to them, she cuddles with them and they rub their heads on her, "Can we enter the temples?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Sure, the mouth's the entrance and exit." Walker replied, and they go in. Everybody enters the Temple of Behemoth, they see the interior was also gold, there was a gold statue of Behemoth in the back, a podium in front of it that had a book on it with Behemoth on the cover, and two paintings on the wall in front of them, the left painting had vulcans on it, but they did not have wings or tails, and the right painting had swords, hammers, axes, spears, halberds, maces, and clubs, "Ooh, more gold." Pinkie Pie said, "I sure wish they would more color, though." Rarity replied, "Wait, is that... a book?" Twilight Sparkle asked, she trots to it and was about to open it, "Wait, Princess Twilight, you can't do that." Walker said, "What? Why not?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "The books in the temples are sacred, touching them is forbidden in their culture." Walker replied, "What? Then why is it here?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is an object of worship." Walker replied, "Well, there's really nothing here, we should get going." Shining Armor said, the others agree and they exit. Walker leads them to Chrysaor's village and they see the homes, "What the? Every home looks exactly the same." Rarity said, "That's what the family crests are for." Walker replied, "You mean those white things painted on the homes?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes." Walker replied, they look and see several vulcan children, Elder Hephaestus walks to them, "Welcome to Chrysaor, but be on guard, the Possessed and Undead are abundant in our home." Elder Hephaestus said, "Don't worry, we will." Princess Celestia replied, "Good. Walker, lead them around, I trust you." Elder Hephaestus said, "Yes, this way, everybody." Walker replied, and they walk south. Everybody goes south and the ground changes to gray dirt, "We're here! The area of the three paths!" Silverstream said, "Four, actually." Walker replied, they all turn around and see the three paths from before, "We just came from the center one." Walker said, "Is there a specific reason for three paths?" Princess Cadence asked, "Yes, each one leads to a temple, the one we just came from of called the Path to the Land, the uphill path is the Path to the Sky, and the downhill one is the Path to the Sea." Walker replied, "To the sea? I wanna go!" Silverstream said, "What about the rest of you?" Walker asked, they nod, "Alright, downhill we go." Walker said, and they do. Everybody goes downhill and they see water, they see a gold temple in the water, it was shaped like a giant whale, they hear singing and small whales come up to the surface, Fluttershy flies to them and pets them. The vulcans fly over to go see them, "What are they doing here?" Princess Luna asked, "Oh, them? They're here to cast a spell on us to allow us to breathe underwater." Walker replied, "Oh, thanks, but we don't need it." Silverstream said, and she and General Seaspray fly to the water and change to seaponies and enter, surprising the vulcans, "It's fine, everyone, we have a way to go underwater." Twilight Sparkle said, and she casts a spell to make everyone change to sea creatures, Fluttershy swims with the whales and pets every last one of them, they then go to the mouth of the temple and enter it. Everybody enters the temple and Twilight Sparkle changes everyone back to their regular forms, they walk and see the inside was completely gold again, "Everyone, welcome to the Temple of Leviathan, the vulcans' god of the sea." Walker said, "God of the sea? This is barely a lake." General Seaspray replied, "Well, it's their beliefs, now come on, I'll show you all the inside." Walker said, and they go forward, they see another thick book, this one had Leviathan on the front cover, along with two paintings on the wall, the left painting had vulcan tails and gills on it, while the right painting had guns on it, and a statue of Leviathan was between the two paintings, "What? It's basically the same design." Rainbow Dash said, "All three of them have the same basic layout." Walker replied, "Were you able to read the books, Walker?" Princess Celestia asked, "No." Walker replied, "Well, I guess we might as well see the last temple, then." Starlight Glimmer said, "Alright, that's the uphill path, I'll just teleport there, see you all back at the paths." Walker replied, and he teleports away, Twilight Sparkle casts a spell to teleport herself and the others back. Walker waits at the top of the uphill path and he sees everybody appear, they walk up the uphill path and get tired quickly, they reach the end and pant, "Alright, this way." Walker said, and he leads them. Everybody walks and they see cliffs to their sides and paintings of eagles, "What are those?" Yona asked, "They're just decorations, let's keep going." Walker replied, and they do, they arrive at a gold temple shaped like an eagle, and there were eagles perched on the wings of the temple, they open their wings and screech, Ocellus whimpers, "It's alright, they're saying hello." Fluttershy said, and she flies up to them, the eagles rub their heads on her and she pets them, "Thank you for welcoming us, that was really nice of you all." Fluttershy said, the eagles screech more and she flies back, "You never welcome me like that, Grampa Gruff." Gallus said, "You don't deserve it." Grampa Gruff replied, "What's this temple called, Walker?" Princess Celestia asked, "The Temple of Ziz." Walker replied, surprising everybody, they have never heard of such a name, "Well, let's go." Walker said, and they do. Everybody enters the temple's beak and they see the last temple, it was all gold inside, there was a statue of Ziz to be worshiped, they see two paintings, a podium in front of the statue that had a thick book on it with Ziz on the front cover, the left painting had vulcan wings on it, and the right painting also had guns on it, "Wait, look, that weapon there." Sweetie Belle said, and they look at the right painting and see the pistol, it was shaped just like the one Walker usually uses, "Yeah, the gun my dad and grandad use are designed after the one in this world, so is my sword." Walker said, "Well, that's nice to know, Walker, but I'd like to see where that last path leads." Princess Celestia replied, and they all go back. Everybody arrives back at the paths and they all see the southern path had no picture on it, "Where does that path lead?" Sweetie Belle asked, "The blacksmith area, it's where all of their weapons and armor are made." Walker replied, "What's it like?" Sandbar asked, "Really hot." Walker replied, "Why does this path have no symbol?" Yona asked, "Because it doesn't lead to a temple." Walker replied, "Does this path have a name?" Princess Luna asked, "Well, if I had to take a guess, probably Path to the Fire, since the other three paths represent earth, water, and air." Walker replied, "Oh, I get it, each path represents one of the four elements of nature." Twilight Sparkle said, "Yes, now come on, let's go." Walker replied, and they go. Everybody walks and they enter a hallway that was carved out of a cliff, "Wow, a crevice made by hand instead of one naturally made." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all walk, the crevice was long, but paintings begin to appear on the wall, "*gasp* Wow, more paintings." Silverstream said, "I don't know what they mean." Walker replied, "Well, judging from the paintings and since they are wearing out as we go farther in, I assume it's their history, and this is how they record it." Twilight Sparkle said, and they keep walking and looking at the paintings until they arrive at a door shaped like a helmet the vulcans wear, Walker lifts up the door and it went up like a visor, "Whoa, a door that acts like a helmet, that is so cool." Rainbow Dash said, and they enter. Everybody enters the blacksmith area and they see the vulcans making weapons with the fire, rocks, anvils, and hammers, "*pant* *pant* Yona hot." Yona said, and Walker quickly leads them and everybody sees wall carvings in the shape of helmets around the areas and Walker leads them to a dead end in the back, "This is where I was when I first arrived here." Walker said, "Wow, Walker, this is a nice place." Cheerilee said, Walker smiles, "Well, thank you, Walker, we'll go see the last area now." Twilight Sparkle said, and she teleports herself and everybody back, and they go to Sprinter while Walker watches them while smiling, "Alright, Yomi's small, this way." Sprinter said, and he leads them. Sprinter teleports to the entrance of the fortress and everybody went to him, they walk on the ground and see more onis around, "Ooh, look." Pinkie Pie said, and everybody saw the onis, their chests were bigger than the ones who came to Equestria, "Those are the female onis." Sprinter replied, "What? But they look just like the males." Rarity said, the female onis snicker while Rarity looks at them, "What? What is this?! They are wearing the same ugly black pants with metal pads and boots as the males." Rarity said, "Every oni wears that." Sprinter replied, "Well, tell them to change, they really could use some senses in fashion." Rarity said, "Well, let's go, this world is small." Sprinter said, and he leads them into the stronghold. Everybody enters the stronghold, it was dark red and black inside of it, the double doors close and Ocellus screams when she looks at it, they all look and see oni skulls were in the doors, "Are those skulls?!" King Thorax asked, "Yes." Sprinter replied, Silverstream feels them and screams, "They're real!" Silverstream said, Pinkie Pie screams while others look on with shock, "Come on, let's just go, there isn't much." Sprinter said, and he leads them to a round floor with stairs in front of them, to their lefts, and to their rights, the stairs to their rights went up while the stairs in front of them and to their lefts went down, "This is their arena, this is where you have to fight them to prove yourselves to them." Sprinter said, "I can see that, look at all of that blood on the floor." Princess Ember replied, they all look and everybody was uncomfortable, "Actually, that's from the ceiling." Sprinter said, they look up and several scream while Princess Celestia exclaims with her front right hoof over her mouth, there were dead onis hanging from the ceiling with nooses around their necks, "What is this?!" Rarity asked, "Other creatures from other worlds tend to attack the onis, those corpses are meant to scare them." Sprinter replied, "Scare them? It looks like they kill their own kind." Princess Ember said, "They do sometimes, come on now, the blue onis are this way." Sprinter replied, and he leads them upstairs. Everybody arrives upstairs and they see the blue onis practicing with their weapons, "Ah, Sprinter, good to see you again." a blue oni said, "It's always a pleasure to see you guys." Sprinter replied, the blue oni chuckles, "Wait, what are you guys doing?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and she saw the onis with flesh, bones, and organs, "Putting the spoils of battle to good use, their flesh is our food, blood is our drink, and we use their bones and organs to make new weapons and armor." the blue oni replied, the natives from Sprinter's world have shocked faces, "What is that pile there?" Gallus asked while he points at it, the blue oni looks back and sees it, he turns around, "Those are trophies, when we kill our enemies, we keep their heads as trophies." the blue oni replied, Applejack exclaims with shock while Pinkie Pie screams, "Why don't you red and blue onis live together for?" Sandbar asked, "Because we're at war, but other threats have forced us to suspend the war." the blue oni replied, "What do you all wish to achieve through the war?" Princess Celestia asked, "To be the ones who live the world, and have others do what we say, and have those who disobey or resist be killed." the blue oni replied, Rarity gasps at what they say while Twilight Sparkle looks on with disbelief, "Well, that's about all there is to them, the red onis live downstairs." Sprinter said, and they go back to where the three stairs were at and go down the stairs that was in front of them, "Oh, this hot environment is ruining my mane." Rarity said, Sprinter looks back and sees several of the female ponies messing with their manes, he turns around continues to lead them. Sprinter leads them downstairs and everybody sees the red onis training, they were strong enough to rip off limbs and crush heads with their bare hands, scaring the natives from Sprinter's world, "Sprinter, always a pleasure to have you here." a red oni said, "Thanks, I'm just showing them around, I just showed them the blue onis." Sprinter replied, "I see, well, there is really nothing different about us." the red oni said, and the world's natives see the red onis eating dead blue onis, drinking their blood, making weapons and armor from their bones and organs, and they had severed heads as trophies from the battles they have won, "Why do you all fight in the war for?" Princess Luna asked, "Because they wish to rule us with an iron fist, we don't want rulers, we value our freedom to do what we want, no law means more fun, more fighting, more destruction, more killing, we like Yomi being the anarchic state it is." the red oni replied, "What?" Spike asked, "They wish for tyranny, we wish for anarchy." the red oni replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't side with either of you." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, that's all here, I'll lead you all down the last set of stairs." Sprinter said, and they leave. Everybody walks and they see skulls and bones in the walls for decoration, making everybody uncomfortable, they go down the last set of stairs and they see lava to the sides, "No wonder why it's so hot here." Spike said, the others pant except for Sprinter, he leads them to a dead end, "This is where I first appeared when I came to this world." Sprinter said, "Another dead end?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, now come, I'll show you all the fortress, there's only one room we can enter, but watch your feet on the bridge." Sprinter replied, and they head back, but they stop before they head back when they see two statues of a pony, "Who was that again?" Applejack asked, "That's me." Sprinter replied, "Why did you get a statue for?" Princess Luna asked, "Because my way of thinking is similar to theirs, and it made them realize that there are some outsiders that like their way of thinking, now come, let's go to the fortress." Sprinter replied, and they all go. Everybody arrives outside and walk across the bridge, several exclaim in pain, "What the?" Starlight Glimmer asked, and they look at the bridge, "Wait, is this bone?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes." Sprinter replied, "This hurts." Silverstream said, "Then fly, come on now." Sprinter replied, and they arrive at the fortress, everybody saw the dead onis hanging from it and the waterfalls of blood to the sides, everybody was uncomfortable, they also feel discomfort from looking at the blood red sky and black clouds, but they ignore them enter the fortress. Sprinter leads everybody in and they see Champion Lucius sitting in a black throne up ahead, the top of the throne had a big oni's skull on it, and the throne was outlined with bones, there was a black bridge in front of them and orange lava under it, "Sprinter, are you here for a rematch?" Champion Lucius asked, "Not yet." Sprinter replied, Champion Lucius chuckles, "Your country is in a civil war." Princess Celestia said, "Yes, I am aware." Champion Lucius replied, "Why aren't you doing anything?" Princess Luna asked, "I have no power or authority over my subjects." Champion Lucius replied, "What?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Then why are you the ruler?" Princess Cadence asked, "It is just a title, it only means I am the strongest oni in the world, whoever kills me will inherit the title as champion." Champion Lucius replied, "WHAT KIND OF RULING SYSTEM IS THIS?!" Pinkie Pie asked, "It's their way, Yomi has a meritocratic style of ruling." Sprinter replied, "Then how do they all deal with criminals?" Princess Luna asked, "Vigilante justice." Champion Lucius replied, "What?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "There is no law enforcement in Yomi, so we use vigilante justice to deal with them, even though us onis are at war, the one thing we all value is revenge." Champion Lucius replied, "WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "No!" Princess Celestia said sternly as she walked to him, "I will not allow revenge in my land, this is a land of friendship and forgiveness, revenge only makes things worse." Princess Celestia said, "How about someone taking justice into their own hands?" Champion Lucius asked, "I will not allow vigilante justice, either." Princess Celestia replied, "Well, that's everything in this world." Sprinter said, "Good, cause this is ruining my mane." Rarity replied, and they all head back to Equestria. The world's natives go back and Princess Ember, Grampa Gruff, King Thorax, Prince Rutherford, and General Seaspray head home, and Twilight Sparkle begins making plans on how to spread friendship to the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Um, Twilight, I don't think doing this is a good idea." Spike said, "We have to, Spike, it's our job to spread friendship wide out." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I mean, she did bring friendship to my world, maybe she can do it again." Sunset Shimmer said, "Alright, according to my research on them, the vulcans will be the easiest ones, since they seem to like art and look like a peaceful race." Twilight Sparkle said, "That, and Rarity's already coming up with new outfits for them to wear." Spike replied, "I hope they try them, that dull gray color of their armors is a little hard on my eyes." Twilight Sparkle said, and they continue making plans. Twilight Sparkle continues to make plans until a bloodcurling screech was heard outside, she runs outside with Sunset Shimmer and Spike, they run outside and see Yomi was being attacked by an army of liches, Chrysaor was being attacked by the Undead, and Aerostia was getting attacked by the Possessed, the possessed harpies have grown beaks and had blue electricity on their boomerangs. The possessed harpies throw their boomerangs and they paralyze whoever they hit, the harpies shoot yellow beams out of their hands to destroy the possessed harpies and Runner absorbs their souls, he was also fighting them, he cuts one possessed harpy in his abdomen and black bladed tentacles come out and swing around to slash the others, Runner teleports to him and cuts his head off with his sabre, his body falls while Runner absorbs his soul and the soul that possessed him. Walker summons the souls of dead vulcans to help fight off the Undead, he teleports around and shoots them with his pistol, he also cut whoever was close to him with his sword, the ground erupts and about thirty more Undead come out, he gets ready to fight them but he sees unicorn zaps appear and destroy the skeletons, he looks back and sees the unicorns in Ponyville helping him, he goes back to fighting the Undead. Sprinter uses a broadsword the onis use and he hits the liches, he also uses a rifle like the ones from Chrysaor to shoot the liches and destroy them, the liches all let out bloodcurling screams that hurt the ears of the world's natives. Some of the harpies, vulcans, and onis have light blue glows in their eyes' and they are possessed, but the onis grunt and hold their arms' out, the possessed soul is shot out of their bodies, they take the forms of light blue and transparent onis, they attack them but the onis destroy them easily with their fire and lightning magic, and Sprinter absorbs their souls. The harpies fight their own kind and they transform from each wound to adapt to fighting, the unicorns in Ponyville shoot them with zaps and hold them back, their boomerangs have yellow lightning on them and they throw them, several harpies are hit and they become paralyzed, "What the?" Rainbow Dash asked, "So their lightning causes paralysis, too." Twilight Sparkle said, and several unicorns fire zaps at the Possessed, while the Pegasi and earth ponies also join in the fights. The vulcans shoot yellow beams out of their hands' and they cure the possessed vulcans, "Hey, look, the vulcans really can cure possession." Starlight Glimmer said, the others look and see it, they look on with surprise while Walker shoots the souls exorcised out of them and absorbs them when they turn into floating flames. Yellow lightning appears in Aerostia, it disappears and a bipedal vulture-like creature appears, light blue flames appear in Chrysaor, a blue bipedal lizard-like creature appears armed with a rapier and a round shield, red-orange fire appears in Yomi and a quadrupedal creature appears, it had the body of a horse and the head and neck of a snake, it also had horns all over its head, "What are those?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I don't know, but they look like creatures from other worlds." Twilight Sparkle replied, "You Spirit worshipers have escaped us long enough, all of you harpies die today." the vulture-like creature said, everyone realize it was a male, "In the name of the Anti-Spirit cult, you all die today." the lizard-like creature said in a deep male voice, the people in Ponyville ask with confusion, "Anti-Spirit cult?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Time to die, anyone who sees Spirit as a good deity, neutral deity, or knows of him must die." the creature in Yomi said in a very deep male voice, and they attack. Runner and the harpies fight the vulture-like creature and he takes guns off of his back, he fires them and hits several of the harpies, Runner teleports to him and tries to cut him with his sabre, the vulture laughs and fires at Runner, he teleports away and then teleports back and slits his throat, he falls to the ground and his soul appears, Runner shoots it with his pistol to destroy its body form and absorbs it when it was a light blue flame. Walker fires his pistol at the lizard-like creature, he blocks it with his shield and then swings his sword around, it sends out light blue waves of fire that burn whatever it touched, the vulcans fly up and fire their guns at him, he blocks them all with his shield, Walker teleports to him and manages to do a diagonal slash from his right hip to his left chest, he snickers and Walker sees several things slithering in his body, "Fool, you released them." the lizard-like creature said, and snakes crawl out of his body, Walker teleports away and shoots a stream of dark blue and orange fire out of his front right hoof to burn the snakes. The lizard-like creature continues to block the bullets with his shield and Walker changes his sword to a sledgehammer, he hits the shield and it flies out of his hand, the lizard-like creature swings his rapier around and sends waves of fire around, Walker aims his pistol and shoots him in the head, snakes crawl out of the hole in his head and slither on the ground, Walker makes dark blue flames spin around him counterclockwise and goes to the snakes to burn them, the souls of the lizard-like creature and the snakes appear, Walker changes his sledgehammer to a broadsword and swings it around, their souls become light blue flames and Walker absorbs them. The creature in Yomi shoots fire out of its mouth and Sprinter teleports away to dodge it, the onis go around it and the red onis smash the knees of its hind legs while the blue onis slash the knees of its front legs, it screams and falls, a red oni goes onto its back and rips its neck off with his right hand, its soul appears and Sprinter shoots it with his pistol and absorbs it when it was a floating light blue flame. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter go back to Ponyville and sees the others looking at them, "What was that just now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Um..." Walker, Runner, and Sprinter said, "Answer me! What is this Anti-Spirit cult?" Twilight Sparkle asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis walk to her, "They are creatures from the other worlds, there are some worlds and cultures that see Spirit as an evil deity, so they all came together and formed the cult, their goal is to destroy all worlds and people that do not see Spirit as an evil deity." Elder Hephaestus replied, "See Spirit as an evil deity?" Princess Luna asked, "Yes, what Spirit's alignment is depends on your point of view, he's good to some, evil to several, and neutral to the rest." Elder Hephaestus replied, "He seems pretty neutral to me." Princess Celestia said, the others nod in agreement, "How do you all view him?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "He is our god of death." a male harpy replied, "He's the grim reaper." a female vulcan said, "A neutral deity just doing his job." a red oni said, "Why didn't you three mention them earlier?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Because this world doesn't know about Spirit or the Void's existence, they have no reason to come here." Runner replied, "I still would like to know about them." Twilight Sparkle said, "It's probably better that you don't, if you worship or respect Spirit in any way in your culture, they will hunt you all down, and won't stop until your kind is extinct." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Plus, Spirit did warn you." Walker said, "When?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "When he said it will bring other creatures to this world." Walker replied, "Oh, so that was what he meant." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, we'll be back, we have to bring the souls to The Judge." Sprinter said, and he opens a portal and he goes in it with Walker and Runner and it closes, another portal opens and the three come out and it closes, "Well, since you all are here, I'd like to try to share our culture with you guys, come along." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go together. Twilight Sparkle leads the harpies, vulcans, and onis to the School of Friendship and they see Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Snails waiting for them, "Alright, this is a sport we do for fun called buckball, the earth pony kicks it, the Pegasus deflects it, and the unicorn holds the goal up, you all need to do the same thing, one harpy, one vulcan, and one oni." Twilight Sparkle said, Alexia, a male vulcan, and a blue oni go forward while the others sit. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter sit together and they see Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart sitting in the crowd, "Hi, Walker." Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said, "What are you all doing here?" Walker asked, "We like buckball, so we came to watch, too." Scootaloo replied, and they watch. Alexia, the vulcan, and the blue oni get together and watch, "Alright, here we go." Pinkie Pie said, and she bucks the ball, Alexia holds her right hand out and catches the ball, she throws it back and Fluttershy deflects it back with her tail and Pinkie Pie kicks it again, Alexia catches it again and throws it again, Fluttershy catches the ball with her wing, she throws it down and the vulcan kicks it with his left foot, Fluttershy tries to catch it, but she gets hit and flies in the air, she hits the wall and falls, "Okay, um, you all might need to switch." Twilight Sparkle said, and they do. Fluttershy flies back and Pinkie Pie bucks the ball, the oni catches it and throws it, Alexia catches it and throws the ball, Fluttershy deflects it again and Pinkie Pie bucks it, the oni jumps and hits it back with his left hand, Fluttershy sees it coming and it hits her, but she becomes electrocuted and paralyzed, she falls to the ground, "Stop! That's cheating." Rainbow Dash said, the blue oni snickers, "Wait until she recovers." Twilight Sparkle said, and Fluttershy does, Alexia, the vulcan, and the oni switch places. Alexia kicks the ball and Fluttershy deflects with her tail, the vulcan catches it with his left hand and throws it back, Pinkie Pie kicks it and it goes forward, the vulcan catches it easily and throws it back, the three shake their heads and the blue oni leaves and a red oni replaces him. Pinkie Pie bucks the ball and the vulcan catches it and throws it back, but Fluttershy misses and it hits the bucket and destroys it, "We need a new bucket." Rainbow Dash said, and it was replaced. The vulcan and red oni switch places and Pinkie Pie bucks the next ball, the red oni catches it easily and throws it, Fluttershy tries to deflect it, but she grunts when the ball hit her and she flies through the air, she catches on fire and screams. The Pegasi quickly get rain clouds and douse the fire, she pants heavily and begins to whimper, the others look back and saw the harpies, vulcans, and onis had bored faces, "Aren't you four having fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, Alexia, the vulcan, the red oni, and the blue oni shake their heads, "Are you not entertained?" Pinkie Pie asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis in the crowd shake their heads. Sprinter stands up and walks down to the field, "Everyone, clear the area, I'll give them a show." Sprinter said, and they do, "Ooh, I can't wait." Pinkie Pie said, "Champion Lucius." Sprinter said, a tornado of spinning red fire and blue lightning appears, it disappears and Champion Lucius was in front of him, he was sitting in his throne, "Sprinter, I assume I know why you called for me." Champion Lucius said, "Yes, I wish to spar with you." Sprinter replied, the onis cheer while the world's natives become nervous, "*chuckle* I have waited long for this day, let's see if you're still as good as you were the last time we fought." Champion Lucius said, and the two get ready. Sprinter summons a sword in his front right hoof and a pistol in his front left hoof, he fires bullets at Champion Lucius and he just moves side-to-side in his throne and dodges the spiritual bullets, Sprinter puts his front right hoof on the ground and four light blue heads come out and fly to Champion Lucius, he grabs them with his hands and squashes them. Sprinter teleports to him and tries to slash him, but Champion Lucius disappears, causing some to gasp, Sprinter looks around and hears Champion Lucius appear behind him, he quickly turns around and tries to slash him, Champion Lucius holds his left arm out with his palm open and claws apart, a round barrier made out of red fire and blue lightning appears in front of Champion Lucius and he and Sprinter enter a deadlock, Champion Lucius disappears again and Sprinter looks around, Champion Lucius appears in Sprinter's left blind spot and punches him in his left cheek with his left fist, he disappears and reappears in Sprinter's right blind spot and punches him in his right cheek with his right fist, he disappears and reappears behind Sprinter, he was about slam his fists onto the back of Sprinter's head, but he blocks his fists with his sword, he teleports to behind Champion Lucius and slashes the back of his neck with his sword, which did not faze him, making some of the world's natives uneasy. Champion Lucius disappears and reappears above Sprinter, he goes down with his feet on Sprinter's back, he teleports away before he hits the ground and Champion Lucius lands on the ground, putting a crater in it, Sprinter appears in the air and behind Champion Lucius, he tries to slash the back of his neck, but Champion Lucius puts his arms behind his head and blocks the slash with his gauntlets, he teleports to Sprinter's right blind spot and punches him in his right cheek with his right fist, he grunts and falls onto the ground, he puts a crater in the ground and slides across it. Sprinter tries to get up but Champion Lucius holds his right hand up and a purple aura comes out Champion Lucius' hand and lifts up Sprinter, "Wait, he has telekinesis?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Wow, this is the first time I've ever seen anyone use telekinesis without using a horn." Twilight Sparkle said, "Wait, you all hear something?" Starlight Glimmer asked, they listen and hear crackling and Sprinter grunting, they look and see blue electricity in Champion Lucius' telekinesis, the unicorns gasp, "What the? His telekinesis is electrified?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have never seen such telekinesis." Princess Celestia said, Champion Lucius continues to hold up Sprinter and chuckles, he brings Sprinter towards himself and punches him with his right fist, Sprinter slides across the ground while the blue electricity stays around him, "I see, so his lightning induces paralysis as well." Princess Luna said, "Still, telekinesis and lightning together, that kind of scares me." Twilight Sparkle replied, Champion Lucius teleports to Sprinter and begins punching, kicking, and stomping him while he was paralyzed. The paralysis wears off and Sprinter teleports away, Champion Lucius quickly turns around and holds his right hand out with his palm open and claws separated, he shoots red fire and blue lightning out of each of his five claws, Sprinter teleports away but the ten beams fly in the air and go after him, "What?! They're homing?!" Silverstream asked, Sprinter continues to teleport around and dodge the ten homing projectiles, he teleports to in front of Champion Lucius and the ten projectiles hit him, but he was unharmed and absorbs them into himself, he holds his arms out and lets out a grunt and an explosion of fire and lightning appears around him. Sprinter teleports away and fires bullets from his pistol at Champion Lucius, he moves to his sides and dodges them easily, he teleports to his throne and sits in it, two spheres float up into the air, the left sphere was red, and the right sphere was blue. The red sphere flies forward and homes on Sprinter, he teleports away when it was just about to hit him, the red sphere hits the ground and changes to a pillar of fire, the fire goes after Sprinter, he runs around until the pillar of fire disappears. The blue sphere goes towards Sprinter next and he teleports into the air when it was about to hit him, the blue sphere hits the ground and the entire field becomes electrified, Sprinter keeps teleporting around to stay in midair, Champion Lucius teleports to him and punches him with his right fist to send him into the electricity, but Sprinter teleports back up and tries to slash Champion Lucius, but he teleports back to his throne and the electricity disappears. Sprinter teleports to Champion Lucius and slashes him a few times, everybody watches but they see his wounds heal, "Wait, did his cuts just heal?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It looks that way." Princess Cadence replied, Sprinter teleports away and fires his pistol at Champion Lucius and hits him in his chest and a shot to his head, Champion Lucius snickers and his bullet wounds heal and the spiritual bullets fly out of his body and back at Sprinter, he lies down on his abdomen to dodge them, "Wait, he is regenerating." Gallus said, "That's not fair! How is he supposed to win against him?" Smolder asked, "Who knows, but I'm sure Sprinter has a way." Sandbar replied, Champion Lucius teleports to Sprinter and stands on his back, he snickers while he lets his weight bury Sprinter into the ground. Sprinter changes to his spirit form and Champion Lucius holds his right hand out with his palm open and claws apart and Sprinter changes back to his body form, "Wait, did he just change Sprinter back to his regular form?" Sunset Shimmer asked, "Yes, there are some creatures in the other worlds that know a spell to change us back to our body forms if we're in our spirit forms." Walker replied, "What spell would that be?" Rarity asked, "We don't know." Runner replied, Champion Lucius teleports to him and Sprinter makes the dark blue flames spin around him counterclockwise and runs to Sprinter, he snickers since the fire did nothing to him, he tries to grab Sprinter through the dark blue flames but he does feel anything and the dark blue flames disappear, Sprinter appears in the air and behind Champion Lucius, he goes down and slashes Champion Lucius' spine with his sword, the pain did not faze him, "Wow, he sure has a pain tolerance." Applejack said, "Don't you?" Walker asked, "I'd be screamin' if that happened to me." Applejack replied, "What about you, Rainbow Dash?" Walker asked, "Yeah, I'd be screaming in pain, too." Rainbow Dash replied, Champion Lucius teleports back to his throne and sits in it. Sprinter teleports to him and begins slashing him with his sword, he does three slashes and was about to slash him again, but Champion Lucius holds his left fist up with his middle claw and index claw raised and blocks the sword, he snickers and disappears. Champion Lucius appears to Sprinter's left and he looks, he holds his arms out to the sides and red fire and blue lightning appear around him, "So, he can do it, too." Princess Celestia said, "Wait, what is that appearing on the ground?" Princess Luna asked, they look and see red and blue circles appear and move around on the ground. The circles move around in random directions and pillars of fire come out of the red circles while pillars of lightning come out of the blue circles, "Pillars of fire and lightning, Sprinter will have to watch his step from now on." Princess Luna said, Sprinter teleports around to dodge the circles and tries to hit Champion Lucius, he teleports around as well and always appeared in Sprinter's blind spots or behind him, the two teleport around and do not land a hit for a few minutes until Champion Lucius appears behind Sprinter while in midair and grabs his neck with his right hand, he proceeds to choke him while he catches on fire and gets electrocuted and paralyzed at the same time, "What? That's not fair." Silverstream said, "Yeah, how is he supposed to escape that?" Ocellus asked, Sprinter continues to get burned and electrocuted while he and Champion Lucius fall to the ground, they arrive on the ground and Champion Lucius continues to choke him. Sprinter endures the attack while thinking of something, he tries to move but could not. Champion Lucius lets go of him after a while and sees Sprinter fall, everybody watches with worry and the paralysis disappears, Champion Lucius looks at him and Sprinter did not respond, he teleports to behind Champion Lucius and slashes the back of his head while in midair, the onis cheer while Champion Lucius turns around and smiles. Champion Lucius takes his gauntlets off and makes the bones on his pants and boots fly off, and his entire body becomes engulfed in red fire and blue lightning, "This doesn't look good." Rainbow Dash said, Champion Lucius teleports and appears behind Sprinter, he tries to punch Sprinter in his back, but he teleports into the air to dodge the pillars of fire and lightning, Champion Lucius punches the ground with his right fist and an explosion appears around him, a trail of fire and lightning goes to Sprinter and explodes when it was under him, he teleports away while a big pillar of fire and lightning comes out of the explosion. The world's natives reel back in shock, "What the?!" Princess Luna asked, "He's even stronger without his armor?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, that armor he wears is not to protect himself in battle, it is to conceal his true powers." Runner replied, "What?! That's ridiculous!" Princess Cadence said, "Yeah, he's already strong enough with it." Rainbow Dash said, "Still, wearing armor to conceal your powers, I've never heard of such a thing." Princess Celestia said, Champion Lucius teleports around and tries to hit Sprinter in his blind spots and his back, he teleports faster than before, and each hit that Sprinter blocked made an explosion happen, he continues to block Champion Lucius' attacks but has trouble, he falls onto the ground and sees the pillars of fire and lightning appearing in random places, so he teleports around to dodge them. Red and blue spheres form in midair and they home on Sprinter, he runs around to dodge them and they hit the ground, he teleports into the air whenever a blue sphere hit the ground and electrified it. Champion Lucius appears in the air and holds his arms out with his hands open and facing upwards, beams of fire and lightning come out of his claws and home on Sprinter, he teleports around while panting and he sees Champion Lucius appear on the ground, the entire field caught on fire and became electrified. Sprinter teleports onto the ground and begins to spin counterclockwise in midair, he lets out a grunt and changes to a form that looked like an alicorn made out of dark blue flames, and had bat-like wings on the sides, and he was as tall as Princess Celestia. The world's natives gasp at what they saw, "You three can change into alicorns?" Rarity asked, "Not exactly, it just resembles an alicorn, it's a spiritual form." Runner replied, "It looks better in person than seeing it in a flashback." Sunset Shimmer said, Sprinter walks towards Champion Lucius and everybody sees the fire and lightning had no effect on him, he flies up and flaps his wings and sends waves of dark blue flames to Champion Lucius, he catches on fire, but he holds his arms out to the sides and extinguishes them. Sprinter fires his pistol and a big dark blue flame appears and hits Champion Lucius, it explodes when it hits him, the smoke disappears and Champion Lucius was unharmed. Sprinter lands and walks to Champion Lucius, he swings his sword around and cuts the grass, the swings of his sword also sends out waves of dark blue flames that explode on impact when they touch something. Champion Lucius puts his wrists together and fires a big blast made out of red fire and blue lightning, Sprinter fires a blast of dark blue fire out of his horn and the two enter a deadlock, but the two were equal and cancel one another out after a few seconds. Champion Lucius uses telekinesis on Sprinter and he was burned and electrocuted this time, but it had no effect on him, Sprinter opens his mouth and shoots dark blue fire out, he also shoots dark blue flames out of his eyes, Champion Lucius catches on fire but it does not harm him, Sprinter does a diagonal slash with his sword and cuts Champion Lucius from the left side of his neck to the right side of his chest, he grunts and changes back while Sprinter's spiritual energy runs out and he changes back, and all of the circles, pillars of fire and lightning, spheres, and homing projectiles disappear. Sprinter gets burned and electrocuted for a short time until Champion Lucius falls to his knees and he stops using telekinesis on Sprinter, he is paralyzed for a few seconds and could move again, he stands up while struggling and Champion Lucius teleports back to his throne and sits in it and uses his telekinesis to put his gauntlets back on and the bones back onto his pants and boots. Sprinter and Champion Lucius pant heavily and were sweating, "Impressive, Sprinter, you're still as good as you were when I first fought you when you were four years old." Champion Lucius said, "I've kept my body in shape over the years." Sprinter replied, Champion Lucius smiles, "Even if you are old, I still have to use my full power against you, it is rare for me to need it, I am impressed." Champion Lucius said, Sprinter chuckles, "I'll be in my fortress if you need me, you and your family are always welcome." Champion Lucius said, and an explosion of fire and lightning appears and he and his throne disappear. Walker and Runner teleport to Sprinter and check him, "I'm fine, I need time to recover." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner smile, he pants a bit more and looks at the harpies, vulcans, and onis, "Were you all entertained?" Sprinter asked, the onis nod while smiling, the vulcans shrug, the harpies shake their heads, "He attacks you in your blind spots and from behind, how dishonorable." Adetokunbo said, the harpies nod, "It's how they fight, Adetokunbo." Sprinter said, "Still, fight like that in our world, and we'd have them executed." Adetokunbo replied, "You'll have to beat us in a fight first." a blue oni said, "That shouldn't be too hard." a female harpy replied, the onis snicker, "Well, if you all are done, I'd like to try to spread friendship to you guys." Twilight Sparkle said while she trots to them, "Very well, since we taught Walker, Runner, and Sprinter about our culture, I guess we should learn theirs." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Thank you, now come on down from the bleachers and down here." Twilight Sparkle said, and they go to her. Twilight Sparkle waits for the harpies, vulcans, and onis to come down to her, "Okay, everycreature, since the last ones didn't work, let's try something else, I'm going to see how you all do with reading books." Twilight Sparkle said, the harpies and onis look at her with confusion, "Book?" Alexia asked, "You know, an object used to write down and record history." Echidna replied, "Not just history, we also write stories for fun." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you act out the stories?" a male vulcan asked, "Sometimes, we just read most of the time." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I see." the male vulcan said, "Here, give it a try, go on and read." Twilight Sparkle said, and she gives them books with her telekinesis. The vulcans open them while the harpies and onis did not know what to do, they watch the vulcans and copy them, the harpies and vulcans just look on, they hold the books and show it to Twilight Sparkle, "Is something wrong?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We do not know this writing language." a female harpy replied, "How about you vulcans?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Even though it is forbidden to touch of the Books of Behemoth, Leviathan, and Ziz, the language written in them is completely different from this." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you onis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We do not know what a book is or how to read." a red oni replied, "So, you all are illiterate." Twilight Sparkle said, "What do you mean by illiterate?" a blue oni asked, Twilight Sparkle just takes the books back, "Alright, since you all don't know how to read or our reading language, let's try something I think you all know how to do: cooking." Twilight Sparkle said, and she gathers sticks together and Spike lights a fire with his fire breath. Rainbow Dash puts a pot on the fire and puts grass in it, a red oni touches grass with his left hand and burns it, "No, this fire cooks it slowly, so it doesn't burn." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you not use fire for blacksmithing?" Elder Hepheasestus asked, "No, we use magic, unicorns make things with magic, Pegasi make things with clouds, and earth ponies carve things with rocks." Twilight Sparkle replied, the harpies, vulcans, and onis throw things into the pot and it cooks. The harpies, vulcans, and onis watch and wait, Rarity trots to them with outfits while they watch, "I have made outfits for you females if you all are interested." Rarity said, and they look at her outfits, "What is that thing you wear below your waist there?" Alexia asked, "It's called a skirt, the entire outfit is called a dress." Rarity replied, "What its function?" a female red oni asked, "It looks good on you girls." Rarity replied, "Looks impractical." a female vulcan said, "Excuse me?" Rarity asked, "Look at it, it's closed in the front, we can't run with that if we are attacked." Echidna replied, "It is also touching the ground, we have to hold it up to move." Athena said, "What about you all who can fly?" Rarity asked, "It looks like it will slow us down with extra weight." a female harpy replied, "Tell me, how do you all make those straps around your sides and outer thighs?" Rarity asked, "They're strips of flesh that were worked on to be made into leather." Alexia replied, "What?! That is very disgusting." Rarity said, "Well, we need some way to hold our boomerangs onto ourselves." Adetokunbo replied, "What about you vulcans, what do you all use to make your armors?" Rarity asked, "Rocks available throughout Chrysaor, they are shaped the way they are through blacksmithing." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Why is yours gold?" Rarity asked, "It is made from different material." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What about you onis, how do you all make your outfits?" Rarity asked, "The metal pads are created by the black rocks in Yomi, lightning is used to make it into metal, and then put over fire to be made into its silver color." a female blue oni replied, "But what about your pants and boots?" Rarity asked, "Enemy remains." a male red oni replied, "What? But you all eat your victims, which is disgusting, as well." Rarity said, "Our pants and boots are made out of their skin." a female red oni replied, the world's natives scream in shock, "We also have them put in hot areas to burn them and make them the black color they are." a male blue oni said, "How utterly repulsive, I have never heard of clothes made from one's skin." Rarity replied, "It is our way." another female blue oni said, "I don't care if it's your way or not, you onis are barbarians! Even the dragons and griffons are more civilized!" Rarity replied, "That's their culture." another male blue oni said, Rarity scowls at them. Attacks are heard and everybody goes over to look, they see liches and souls of the dead attacking Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi, the harpies, vulcans, and onis go back to their homes to defend them while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleports to them to help them. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter fire their guns at the souls of the dead while the harpies, vulcans, and onis fight the liches and destroy them very easily, the three get together and Sprinter opens a portal to the Void and the three enter, they come back out and saw it was almost dark, "We should call it a day, those souls of the dead and other creatures appear a lot at night." Runner said, the others agree and they all head home, Walker has supper and goes to bed with Runner and Sprinter joining him a few hours later. Walker wakes up in the middle of the night sensing something off, he closes his eyes and his vision becomes dark blue, he teleports outside and sees a lot of dead pony and animal souls in Ponyville, he looks and sees a bipedal humanoid in Twilight Sparkle's castle, he teleports there and closes his eyes and changes his vision back to normal, he sees Spike laying in bed with his eyes wide open, Walker looks and sees a Shadow walking slowly towards Spike with its head twitching, Spike sweats as it comes near him, Walker summons his pistol in his front left hoof and shoots the Shadow in the head and destroys it. Spike inhales deeply while Walker absorbs its soul, "You alright, Spike?" Walker asked, Spike nods, "Okay, see you tomorrow." Walker said, and he opens a portal to the Void and enters, he gives the Shadow's soul to The Judge and opens a portal to his home and it closes, he goes back into his bed and sleeps.
Day 15Morning comes and Walker has breakfast with Runner and Sprinter, knocking is heard at the door and Walker opens the door and he sees Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, "Hi, Walker." the three fillies said together, "What are you three doing here?" Walker asked, "Well, if you want to, we can act as your sisters." Sweetie Belle replied, "Um..." Walker said, "It will mean more friends and less loneliness." Walker's Optimist said, "It will mean more mouths to feed and less space for you to move around." Walker's Pessimist said, "Sorry, but I must decline." Walker said, "Oh, come on, Walker, please?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I'm sorry, but I have to say no." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders groan with disappointment, "You three can come in, though, we let visitors here." Walker said, "Yay!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders said, and they enter with him. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle and look at Walker's paintings, "Wow, can ya paint us one day, Walker?" Apple Bloom asked, "I'll think about it." Walker replied, the Cutie Mark Crusaders smile, "You three hungry?" Sprinter asked, "No, we had breakfast already, thank you." Sweetie Belle replied, "What brings you three here?" Runner asked, "Well, we wanted to hear about you guys' travels." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, um, maybe when you three are older, some of the things we encounter in the Void are not for the faint of heart." Runner said, "Like the onis?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Worse. Much worse." Sprinter replied, Walker finishes breakfast and he washes his dish, "School's out again today because of you and your family, Walker." Scootaloo said, "Wow, I thought we'd go back today." Walker replied, "One question, did you all choose Walker for the student exchange program deliberately?" Runner asked, "No, he really was chosen at random, nopony thought you all would have thought he and his family had connections to the afterlife." Sweetie Belle replied, "Well, I'll be back, I'm going to go see Champion Lucius really quickly." Walker said, "You know, I actually kind of wished he would've trained you and Runner in combat when I was younger." Sprinter replied, "No thanks, dad, I don't like the onis' methods of fighting." Runner said, "What were the first three worlds you three went to in chronological order?" Scootaloo asked, "Aerostia, Chrysaor, Yomi." Walker said, "Chrysaor, Aerostia, Yomi." Runner said, "Yomi, Chrysaor, Aerostia." Sprinter said, "Why did Spirit only allow y'all to go to them worlds for?" Apple Bloom asked, "Because they were the ones who saw Spirit as either good or neutral the most, they were the safest worlds for us to go to." Runner replied, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, "Well, I'll be leaving now, I'll be back in a few minutes." Walker said, and he goes outside and heads to Yomi. Champion Lucius sits in his throne and was sleeping, Walker appears in his fortress and Champion Lucius opens his eyes, "Walker, what brings you here?" Champion Lucius asked, "Just wanted to make sure you're alright." Walker replied, "*chuckle* I am fine, I have already fully recovered." Champion Lucius said, "I'm also here to see if you have any information, I learned that there are actually several people in my world who know about the Void." Walker replied, "Yes, Zecora has not been around recently, perhaps you should go look for her, her home is in the Everfree Forest." Champion Lucius said, "Who is this Mother Nature?" Walker asked, "An old friend of Celestia, you shouldn't worry about it, and Arcana, well, let's just say she has a connection to Celestia as well." Champion Lucius replied, Walker wonders what the connection was, "You should get going, Walker, maybe you can find Zecora, and be prepared for a future fight." Champion Lucius said, "What fight?" Walker asked, "Grogar is coming." Champion Lucius replied, "Who's Grogar?" Walker asked, "You will know soon enough, but if you wish to find Zecora, you should get going now." Champion Lucius replied, Walker agrees and teleports back to Ponyville. Walker teleports to Fluttershy's cottage and heads to the Everfree Forest, "Walker, wait." Fluttershy said while she was running, Walker turns around and looks at her, "It's dangerous in there, why are you heading there?" Fluttershy asked, "I'm going to look for Zecora." Walker replied, "Now that you mention it, she hasn't been around, let's look for her together." Fluttershy said, and they enter the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy leads the way while Walker looks around, the souls of the animals come to see him and Timberwolf souls attack them, Walker shoots them with his pistol and absorbs their souls, "Wow, Walker, you didn't seem scared." Fluttershy said, "Well, they're souls, most of them get destroyed after one hit." Walker replied, "Are the animals judged, too?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes." Walker replied, Fluttershy begins to tear up, "What's wrong, Fluttershy?" Walker asked, "To think that those cute and furry little creatures receive damnation and be punished in the afterlife, that is so sad." Fluttershy replied, "I see your point, but there are good and evil animals, too." Walker said, "But still." Fluttershy replied, and they continue through the forest. Walker and Fluttershy arrive at Zecora's house and see a lot of souls around her home, "Wow, Zecora has a lot of visitors." Fluttershy said, and she knocks on her door, "Zecora?" Fluttershy asked, there was no answer, she opens the door and sees Zecora was not home, but shes a circle of white candles around a skeleton, Fluttershy whimpers and Walker enters the home, he sees the candles and skeleton, "What happened here?" Walker asked a nearby soul, "The zebra did a ritual shortly after the ponies in Ponyville discovered your family's powers, she performed a ritual to contact her ancestors and went to the afterlife." the male earth pony soul replied, "What is that skeleton there?" Fluttershy asked, "That's her skeleton." a female unicorn soul replied, "*gasp* Is she...?" Fluttershy asked, "No, she's just exploring the afterlife, when she is done, her flesh will return." a male Pegasus soul replied, "Well, we should go, Fluttershy, we now know where Zecora's at, I have to head home." Walker said, "Okay, bye, Walker." Fluttershy replied, and he teleports to his home. Walker arrives at his home and sees the Cutie Mark Crusaders were still there, "You took longer than I thought." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, Fluttershy and I went to go look for Zecora together." Walker replied, "How is she?" Sweetie Belle asked, "She performed a ritual to enter the afterlife." Walker replied, "Wait, performed a ritual?" Apple Bloom asked, "You don't need to have contact with Spirit directly to enter the afterlife, rituals can be performed and shamans can enter the afterlife through other means without dying." Runner replied, "What's a shaman?" Sweetie Belle asked, "A person who has access to spirits." Sprinter replied, "Say, are y'all three shamans?" Apple Bloom asked, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter shake their heads, "We are soul collectors, when someone dies, it is our job to go to their world and collect their souls so it may be judged and sent to the afterlife, if all three of us are unavailable, then Spirit himself will collect the soul." Runner replied, "Why can't he just collect all of them?" Apple Bloom asked, "There's too many." Walker replied, "That, and we made a deal, it is the duty of the males on the paternal side of our family to serve him." Sprinter said, "What will happen if y'all's family tree comes to an end?" Apple Bloom asked, the three think about it, "Now that you mention it, I don't know." Sprinter replied, "It is simple." Spirit said from behind Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, they turn around and see Spirit in the form of a colt that looked just like Walker, "Ah didn't see ya there, Spirit." Apple Bloom said, "I just appeared." Spirit replied, "Oh." Apple Bloom said, "So, what will happen if our family tree does come to an end?" Walker asked, "I will just call you and the males from your paternal side of the family back to continue to be soul collectors, those that are willing, if they don't want to, I'll just send them back to the afterlife." Spirit replied, "That's it?" Walker asked, "Yes." Spirit replied, "Why weren't the other worlds open to our ancestors?" Runner asked, "There were not that many souls to collect back then, but worlds got more populated over time, that is why I opened the worlds to you three." Spirit replied, "Why can't we go?" Sweetie Belle asked, "You've seen how different three of them are, several worlds are unwelcoming." Spirit replied, "Still, I wanna explore." Sweetie Belle said, "It's unwise to have three kids go alone." Runner replied, "But Walker is going to the Void on his own." Scootaloo said, "To places he knows that are safe, when we go to a new place or a dangerous place, all three of us go together." Sprinter replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, "I'll be going now, I have souls to collect." Spirit said, and he fades away, "Are you two going to do your jobs today?" Scootaloo asked, "It depends, we have to help the harpies, vulcans, and onis if they get attacked." Runner replied, "Well, I can try to get the onis to try to teach you guys." Sprinter said, the Cutie Mark Crusaders look at him as if he was crazy, "Well, I'll give it a try." Sprinter said, and he leaves his home. Sprinter walks to Yomi and the onis go to him, "I need your help today, I recently got a job as a combat instructor." Sprinter said, the onis snicker, "Good, I was hoping you all could teach my students today, let's go." Sprinter said, and he leads them. Sprinter has his class gather around the School of Friendship and the onis were there to help him, "Alright, everyone, the onis will be your opponents today, so good luck against them, who wants to go first?" Sprinter asked, his students look on and sweat, "I'll go, I mean, Princess Ember was able to take them." Smolder said while she walks forward, she gets ready to fight them and a male red oni runs to her right while a male blue oni runs to her left. Smolder tries to punch the blue oni with her right fist, but he grabs it with his right hand and begins to squash her hand, the red oni goes into her left blind spot and punches her in her neck with his right fist, Smolder exclaims and falls to her knees, the blue oni lets go of her hand and goes behind her and punches her in the back of her head with his right fist, she grunts and falls over, "Next." Sprinter said, and a unicorn stallion goes forward. The unicorn fires magic from his horn at the red oni and he strafes to his right, the blue oni kicks the stallion in his right side with his right foot and screams, he almost falls and the red oni kicks him in his left jaw with his left foot and he slides across the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, Gallus walks forward, the onis run to his blind spots and were about to punch him, Gallus flies up and makes the two punch one another, "So long, suckers." Gallus said, and he flies to the red oni and begins kicking in his face with his feet, the red oni lets out annoyed grunts but was mostly unfazed, he grabs Gallus' feet and uses his fire magic to set Gallus on fire, he screams while the blue oni grabs his shoulders from behind and uses his lightning magic to electrocute him, the two put him down and Gallus groans in pain while laying on the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, and an earth pony mare walks forward, she whimpers in fear at seeing the two onis, the red oni punches her in her left jaw with his right fist and she slides across the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, and Yona goes forward, she charges to the blue oni while screaming, he strafes to his left and goes into Yona's blind spot, he kicks her in her abdomen with his right foot and Yona grunts while falling over, the red oni runs to behind her and hits her on the back of her head with the bottom of his fists, Yona screams and becomes unconscious, "Next." Sprinter said, and Silverstream flies forward while sweating, the two onis run to her and Silverstream screams while flying away, she goes into the water and changes to a seapony, the blue oni puts his right hand in the water and electrifies it with his lightning magic, Silverstream screams while being electrocuted, she floats back up while groaning in pain, "Next." Sprinter said, and Ocellus walks forward slowly, she changes to a bugbear and flies to them, she tries to grab the two onis but they go behind her and the red oni punches it in its spine with his right fist, it roars and falls over, the red oni jumps onto its back and runs across it and punches it in the back of its head with his right fist and Ocellus changes back while laying on the ground, "Next." Sprinter said, and Sandbar walks forward, he gets cold feet and the blue oni quickly runs to him and goes behind him and hits him on the back of his head with the bottom of both of his fists, Sandbar screams and falls over. Sprinter and the two onis look and see the other students run away, Sprinter faces his students, "One important rule in fighting from Yomi: never attack your opponent from the front, always attack them in their blind spots or the back." Sprinter said, "No!" Rainbow Dash said while she and Applejack run to him, "Those are cheap shots!" Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, that ain't fair." Applejack said, "Well, when you fight the onis, expect cheap shots, the Anti-Spirit cult uses cheap shots as well." Sprinter replied, "That's it, come on, Applejack, let's take them on together." Rainbow Dash said, and the two walk to the two onis, "I'll take the blue oni, you handle the red one." Rainbow Dash said, and the two run to them. The blue oni runs to Rainbow Dash's right blind spot and tries to punch her with his right fist, Rainbow Dash quickly turns around and faces him, she flies back to dodge his fist, she flies forward and punches him in his abdomen with her front right hoof, he was unfazed, "Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked while she looks at him, the blue oni snickers and punches her in right jaw with his left fist, she grunts and slides back a bit, Rainbow Dash feels the area where she was hit, "It's not too bad." Rainbow Dash said, she sees the blue oni strafing to her right and she watches him while he tries to get into her blind spot, he runs to her and begins strafing to her left, he strafes to her right again and she keeps turning to face him while flying in the air, he ducks and goes under her, he grabs her hind hoofs and uses his lightning magic and electrocutes her, Rainbow Dash screams, she falls onto the ground and tries to stand while groaning, the blue oni stomps on her back with his right foot and knocks her back down, she screams as she falls to the ground. Applejack watches the red oni and sees him strafing to her left, she watches him easily since he was slow at running and easy to track, he tries to punch her in her face with his left fist and Applejack ducks and dodges it easily, she turns around and bucks him in abdomen, "Huh?" Applejack asked while she looks back, she sees her kick did not hurt him, the red oni snickers and punches her in her face with his left fist, Applejack exclaims while she slides forward on the ground a few inches. Applejack struggles to stay up and not fall, she regains her composure after a few seconds and turns around, "Hmph, it is rare for another species besides my own to still be standing after one hit." the red oni said, Applejack focuses and sees him strafing to her right, she faces him and he aims down and tries to punch Applejack in her sternum with his right fist, she jumps and kicks him in his face with her hind right hoof, the red oni looks to his right after getting hit but quickly turns back, the red oni tries to punch Applejack with his left fist but Applejack ducks and punches the red oni in his face with her front left hoof, it did no harm to him, the red oni then hits Applejack on the back of her neck with his left elbow, she exclaims and falls to the ground, she growls and tries to get back up, but the red oni jumps onto her back and Applejack screams when he lands on her, "You're lucky that this is just a test, if this was a real fight, I would've landed on your head." the red oni said, Applejack wobbles around and the red oni loses his balance and falls, Applejack gets up after struggling a little and was ready to keep fighting. Rainbow Dash watches the blue oni carefully and dodges each hit, she sees that while he was the faster of the two onis, he was not as fast as her, and Rainbow Dash dodges his attacks easily, she looks for openings and hits him in his chest, abdomen, and armpits, each attack did not faze him, he jumps and goes behind Rainbow Dash, he kicks her in the back of her head with his right foot and Rainbow Dash grunts, but did not fall, she turns around and flies to him and tries attacking him, he was not fazed, "Is that really your strongest?" the blue oni asked, Rainbow Dash looks at him with shock and he punches her in her left jaw with his right fist, Rainbow Dash grunts and slides back a little. Applejack focuses on the red oni and sees him running to her, she gets ready to defend herself and counter his attack, but he jumps and lands behind her, he turns around and grabs her hind hoofs, he throws her into the air and Applejack screams, she hits the ground and a crater appears, she stands up while grunting and faces the red oni, he runs to her and jumps in the air and tries to kick her with both of his feet, she ducks and runs to behind him, the red oni lands on his feet and turns around, and sees Applejack jump and lift her hind right leg up, she hits the red oni on the top of his head with the bottom of her hind left hoof, he looks down from the force but quickly composes himself, Applejack looks on with shock to see he was still unfazed, he punches Applejack in her face and slides across the ground while grunting, she stands up and Rainbow Dash grunts as she falls next to her to her right. Rainbow Dash stands up and she and Applejack look at the two onis, "Let's try switchin' around." Applejack said, and she goes after the blue oni while Rainbow Dash flies to the red one. Rainbow Dash flies to the red oni and he was ready to punch her, he tries to punch her with his left fist and Rainbow Dash flies around and dodges him easily, she tries punching and kicking him multiple times but it did nothing, the red oni tries hitting her several times but Rainbow Dash dodges all of them easily, the red oni tries to punch her with his right fist and Rainbow Dash flies to her right to dodge it, but the red oni quickly pulls his fist back and punches Rainbow Dash with his left fist, Rainbow Dash screams as she flies through the air, she flaps her wings and does a flip in the air, she flies to him again and tries attacking him again, "Wow, you're weak when compared to the other one." the red oni said, Rainbow Dash looks at him with disbelief and he punches her in her face with his left fist while she was distracted, Rainbow Dash screams and she hits the ground this time and slides across it. The blue oni moves around quickly and hits Applejack several times, "This ain't too bad, them punches feel like regular ant bites." Applejack said, the blue oni continues attacking her and Applejack tries to buck him, but he moves too fast to get hit, so Applejack punches him with her front left hoof and hits his abdomen, he lets out a small grunt and continues to focus, Applejack jumps and kicks him with his hind hoofs and hits him in his chest, he grunts a little but did not slide back, Applejack tries to hit him again, but the blue oni keeps switching directions of strafing around her and begins hitting her in her blind spots and back, Applejack exclaims and falls over. Rainbow Dash and Applejack groan and were on the ground, "What do you two think?" Sprinter asked, "I think they both have potential." the blue oni replied, the red oni nods, "Well, let's take a break." Sprinter said, and the two onis go back while the people they fought continue to recover. Runner teaches his students and the souls of the dead were running with them again, they finish a lap and the foals pant, "Why don't the creatures from the other worlds join us for?" a filly asked, "Well, those three worlds don't have track, and only the onis run, the harpies and vulcans usually just fly." Runner replied, "The onis can't fly?" a colt asked, "No, but they can jump really high, and their ruler can teleport." Runner replied, the foals look at him while speechless, "Come on, let's keep running, we're behind on schedule." Runner said, and they all stretch a little and run again, Runner runs with no problem but his students and the dead souls running with them pant after finishing their next run, "Runner, do you have any hobbies outside of your career?" another colt asked, "Reading about the royal guards, I'm a big fan of anything related to honor and chivalry." Runner replied, "Did your wife know about the Void?" another filly asked, "Actually, no, I never told her about it." Runner replied, "That's wrong, Runner." a third filly said, "I know, but if I did, she wouldn't believe me." Runner replied, the foals become speechless, "Yeah, I'd have a hard time believing that, too." a third colt said, "It wasn't just me, my dad never told my mom about it, either." Runner replied, "Do you still wish you had a daughter, Runner?" a fourth filly asked, "Sometimes, but I'm happy to have Walker." Runner replied, "I don't know if you'd be able to handle raising two kids on your own." a fourth colt said, "I would try my best, and remember, my dad's also around to help me." Runner replied, "Still, that's so sad, they never get to have a mother's love." the first filly said, "I didn't get a mother's love, either, but remember, my dad didn't get a father's love, either." Runner replied, the foals remember seeing Sprinter's childhood, "Well, let's continue." Runner said, and he runs with the foals following him. Walker was at Sweet Apple Acres and plays tag with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, they run around and Walker was it, he runs around and sees the souls of Bright Mac and Pear Butter watching them, he keeps running and the Cutie Mark Crusaders run away from him. Walker runs faster and runs after Scootaloo, "Tag!" Walker said, and he runs away with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle while Scootaloo runs after them, she runs after them and touches Apple Bloom, "You're it." Scootaloo said, and she, Walker, and Sweetie Belle run away from her, Apple Bloom runs after them and touches Sweetie Belle, "Yer it." Apple Bloom said, and she, Walker, and Scootaloo run away from her, Sweetie Belle runs after them and touches Walker, "Tag, you're it." Sweetie Belle said, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders run away from him. Walker runs after them and was getting bored already, he shoots a black skeletal hand out of his front right hoof and at a plant in the ground, Walker goes near it and was in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the three turn around and run away from him, Walker makes the skeletal arm come out again and he grabs a wagon wheel and goes to it and he was to their lefts, the three turn to their rights and run away, he sees the three running to the barn, Walker makes the skeletal arm come out again and grabs the roof and he goes into the air and through the sky, "Woo-hoo!" Walker said while he was in the air, the Cutie Mark Crusaders stop running and see him land on the roof, "What's wrong?" Walker asked, "Ah wanna swing around." Apple Bloom replied, "Me too." Sweetie Belle said, "And I can't fly, that looks fun." Scootaloo said, Walker thinks for a minute and teleports back down to them, "Grab onto me." Walker said, and they do, Walker shoots the skeletal arm out of his front right hoof again and swings in the air while Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle hold onto him tightly, "Whee." Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said together, they go through the air while Walker grabs things with his skeletal arm and they swing around through the air and have fun. Twilight Sparkle walks to Chrysaor and goes to go see the vulcans, "Excuse me." Twilight Sparkle said, the vulcans face her, "You all know a spell to cure people from being possessed, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yes, but we do not know if we can teach it to you." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Please, you must try, we don't have any countermeasures against the souls of the dead." Twilight Sparkle said, "You got Walker, Runner, and Sprinter to deal with them." Elder Hephaestus replied, "They're not always around to deal with them." Twilight Sparkle said, "Hmm, true." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Please, Elder Hephaestus, I need to learn the spell so I can cure the possessed ponies without killing them." Twilight Sparkle said, "Well, those three do help us a lot with the Possessed, Undead, and Anti-Spirit cult, I guess it's time I return the favor and help their land." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Thank you, Elder Hephaestus, this means a lot to me." Twilight Sparkle said, and he leads her to their home. Twilight Sparkle sees Elder Hephaestus cast the spell by shooting a yellow blast out of his right hand, Twilight Sparkle watches and tries to cast the spell with her horn, "Do you not shoot magic out of your hoofs?" Elder Hephaestus asked, "No, it has to be cast with our horns." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I see, maybe we should try having a soul possess a dead body." Elder Hephaestus said, and a vulcan soul goes into the ground, it bursts open and a decaying corpse of the bear and boar hybrid animal comes up. Twilight Sparkle was uneasy at seeing the decaying corpse but composes herself, she tries to cast a spell but changes the animal into a big pumpkin, "Oh, um, give me time to warm up." Twilight Sparkle said, and she casts a few spells, most of them were telekinesis and teleporting spells, she teleports back, "Alright, I think I'm ready." Twilight Sparkle said, and she tries to cast the spell, she ends up giving the pumpkin wings, she tries again and casts another spell, she makes the pumpkin grow bird legs, Twilight Sparkle rolls her eyes and tries again, she makes the pumpkin grow a mouth and teeth, "Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle said, and she tries again, she changes the pumpkin to a turnip, Twilight Sparkle begins to seethe, "No need to get angry, it will only make things worse." Elder Hephaestus said, "Can I see the spell again?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Elder Hephaestus shoots a yellow blast out of his right hand and at the turnip, the soul is forced out of the turnip, it floats back in and possesses it, "Didn't you guys write it down?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, my parents created the spell and passed it to me orally, I did the same to the others, we did not record it." Elder Hephaestus replied, "Why not?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Some creatures of the Anti-Spirit cult would want to learn it so they can force the soul possessing someone out so they can take over for themselves and spy on us and the other creatures who worship Spirit." Elder Hephaestus replied, Twilight Sparkle becomes speechless while she did see his point, "Let's continue." Elder Hephaestus said, and Twilight Sparkle casts several spells, each spell did something different, the vulcans were impressed at some of Twilight Sparkle's spell, they were mostly impressed by her spell to freeze people in place, "Maybe you should take a break and try again." Elder Hephaestus said, and she does. Twilight Sparkle rests for twenty minutes before trying again, she tries again and casts another spell that makes herself change to a seapony, "Hmm, you might have to practice a bit more, creating the spell to force the spirits possessing things out took my parents decades to make." Elder Hephaestus said, "Yeah, you're probably right, I'll try again another time." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she leaves and goes to Yomi. Champion Lucius sits in his throne and his fortress' doors open, he looks and sees Twilight Sparkle come in, "Twilight Sparkle, what brings you here?" Champion Lucius asked, "I want to learn your telekinesis." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Don't you have telekinesis of your own?" Champion Lucius asked, "Yes, but it's not electrified like yours, so I'm wondering if you're using some kind of advanced magic." Twilight Sparkle replied, "No, it is a natural ability for the oni tribe I am from." Champion Lucius said, "Wait, you're not the two onis fused together into one?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No, far from it, the red and blue onis now are the only oni tribes left, the rest were destroyed by our world's civil war, I am the last remaining member of my tribe." Champion Lucius replied, "How did onis as strong as you go extinct?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We were attacked by either even stronger onis or overpowered by a big number of weaker onis." Champion Lucius replied, "Oh, well, can I learn your telekinesis?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Twilight Sparkle, remember, the magic of Yomi is different from Equestria's, that goes for every world, you should know that after seeing the humans." Champion Lucius replied, "Still, if I can learn it, then I wish to study it." Twilight Sparkle said, "The lightning in my telekinesis comes from inside of my body." Champion Lucius replied, "Oh, well, can you try to teach me?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I don't think I can." Champion Lucius replied, "I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I was wondering how paralyzing telekinesis was possible." Twilight Sparkle said, "Perhaps you should cast magic and spiritual energy together." Champion Lucius replied, "I don't know how to use spiritual energy." Twilight Sparkle said, "Oh right, it is invisible and unknown in your world, and Equestria doesn't have Spirit in any of their cultures." Champion Lucius replied, "So, how is spiritual energy used?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is used by gathering it inside of your body and making it take its shape based off of your imagination, that is how Walker, Runner, and Sprinter form their weapons, those four special powers of theirs are from Spirit himself." Champion Lucius replied, "But how does one gain the ability to use it in the first place?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Meditation, it increases your willpower to not only resist possession, but the ability to use spiritual energy." Champion Lucius replied, "Meditation, I'll have to give it a try." Twilight Sparkle said, "Do you have anything else to ask?" Champion Lucius asked, "Actually, yes, how did you know Princess Celestia when you came to Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I have my ways." Champion Lucius replied, Twilight Sparkle becomes unhappy with his answer, "That is all I have to say, if you're still wondering about Zecora, go see Fluttershy, she and Walker have found out what has happened to her." Champion Lucius said, Twilight Sparkle just turns around and walks out of his fortress. Everybody in Ponyville goes on with their days and everybody stops what they were doing when they see Zecora arrive into the town, "Zecora? Where were you?" Rainbow Dash asked, "While I was not here, in the afterlife, I was there." Zecora replied, "Why did you perform the ritual to go there for, Zecora?" Fluttershy asked, "Wait, what ritual?" Applejack asked, "While my kind cannot see the souls, we are well taught about their roles." Zecora replied, "So, why did you go to the afterlife for?" Fluttershy asked, "My family has long been dead, and them, I miss, being able to see them again made me feel such bliss." Zecora replied, "Oh, so you went to go see your family." Twilight Sparkle said, Zecora nods, "Wait, what is going on over there?" Twilight Sparkle asked, and she runs to the grass in front of the School of Friendship. Sprinter and the onis continue to instruct their students, the onis attack the students from their blind spots and knock them down, they pant and Yona gets back up, "Yona... can... keep going." Yona said, "You all went up against two onis, let's see how things are when you're up against three." Sprinter said, and three red onis walk forward. Yona charges to them and two red onis went to her left while the the third one goes to her right, the first red oni punches her in her jaw with his left fist from her left blind spot, the second red oni punches her in her jaw with his right fist from her right blind spot, Yona screams as she gets pushed to her sides by the force of the punches, the red oni goes behind her and slams the bottom of his fists onto Yona's neck, she screams and falls over, "See, when up against two onis, you have a chance, but when you're up against three onis, you're screwed." Sprinter said, he looks and sees his students were all groaning and on the ground, "One more thing, if this was a real fight, the onis would be ganging up on you and attacking you from all directions when you're down on the ground like that." Sprinter said, some of his students exclaim and scream in shock and look at him, "Enough!" Twilight Sparkle said while she ran to the area, "That's enough, I will not have my students be endangered when learning basic combat!" Twilight Sparkle said, "Can any of you stand up for another round?" Sprinter asked, "No! These fights are over!" Twilight Sparkle said angrily, "It's not over until all of your opponents are dead." a male red oni replied, "NO!!" Twilight Sparkle yelled angrily, she hears groaning and sees Sprinter's students were in a lot of pain, "You're supposed to be teaching them basic combat, Sprinter." Twilight Sparkle said, "I am." Sprinter replied, "What part of your job tells you to teach them cheap shots?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I'm not teaching them cheap shots, I'm teaching them to be prepared for it." Sprinter replied, "Ugh, just end the class for today, Sprinter, you think it'll be best to let Rainbow Dash teach them a few things." Twilight Sparkle said, "Alright, go home, everyone." Sprinter said, and his students struggle to get up but manage to, they walk home while Sprinter looks around and sees the ponies, harpies, and vulcans have gathered around to see what Twilight Sparkle was mad about, he sees Walker and Runner within the crowd, "Come on, Runner and Walker, let's call it a day." Sprinter said, and the two walk to him. Everybody gets ready to head home and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter see white mist appear in front of them, the ground freezes and a bipedal creature who looked like a black skeleton appears, it was wearing blue armor that covered its entire body, a helmet that left its face exposed and had white downwards horns on its sides, it wielded a sword in its left hand and a shield in its right hand, both were made out of ice, "I have finally found you three, receivers of Spirit's powers, the Anti-Spirit cult has demanded your deaths." the creature said, and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter summon swords in their front right hoofs and pistols in their front left hoofs. The creature swings his sword around and sends out a light blue wave, the three duck and they look back and see the wave freeze whatever it touched, the three quickly turn around and shoot him with their pistols, but he blocks the bullets with his shield, Sprinter changes his sword to a sledgehammer and teleports to the creature, he swings the hammer and hits the shield and cracks it, Walker and Runner change their swords to sledgehammers and teleport to him, Runner hits his shield next and cracks it even more, Walker hits the shield next and breaks it. The creature slashes his sword horizontally and Walker grunts as he got hit, he falls to the ground and the creature jumps and tries to stab his sword into Walker, but he teleports away before the sword hits him, the creature stabs the sword into the ground and freezes the area around him. The harpies, vulcans, and onis join in to fight the creature and the harpies throw boomerangs and scratch his armor, he tries to swing his sword around but a male vulcan grabs the sword with his left hand and breaks it in half, the creature uses his ice magic and fix his sword and make another shield appear, a blue oni tries electrocuting him by grabbing him from behind, it did nothing, the creature swings around and gets the blue oni off, a red oni jumps onto him from behind and uses his fire magic on him, but their magics cancel out one another. Elder Hephaestus flies forward and punches the creature several times, he grunts after each punch and was on his knees after a few punches. The creature was on his knees and Walker, Runner, Sprinter, the harpies, vulcans, and onis get ready to kill him, "No! Stop!" Twilight Sparkle said while she and Starlight Glimmer run to the creature, "Don't kill him, you all are supposed to forgive and offer him his friendship." Twilight Sparkle said, the harpies boo while the vulcans and onis jeer at her, shocking her, "Enough! You guys aren't going to offer him friendship?" Twilight Sparkle asked, the harpies, vulcans, and onis shake their heads, "Why won't you harpies offer friendship?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "He tried to strike a downed opponent, he fights with dishonor." Adetokunbo replied, Twilight Sparkle stares them with disapproval before turning her attention to the vulcans, "What about you vulcans, what's your reason?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "We find it to be an act of stupidity." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What? No, it's not, look at me, I used to be a bad pony, I was offered forgiveness and friendship, and I'm now helping others." Starlight Glimmer said, "We still find such an act to be idiotic." Elder Hephaestus replied, "What abot you onis, why do you all refuse to offer friendship?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is considered surrendering to the enemy in our culture, which is considered cowardly and shameful." a blue oni replied, "Is it really that big of a deal?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It is punishable by death." a red oni replied, "WHAT?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You heard us, if we forgive him and offer him friendship, we will be labeled cowards and bring shame onto ourselves, which in turn will cause our own kind to hunt us down and kill us." the blue oni replied, Twilight Sparkle look at him with her eyes and mouth wide open. Starlight Glimmer holds her front right hoof out to the creature, "We are naturally friendly creatures who forgive our enemies, we have no connection to Spirit in any way, I'd like to welcome you to Equestria." Starlight Glimmer said, the creature looks at her and reaches out to her slowly with his right hand, he grabs her hoof and snickers, he pulls her forward and forms an ice dagger in his left hand and stabs her in the back of her neck, Starlight Glimmer screams in pain, "It doesn't matter if you have no knowledge of Spirit or him in your culture, anyone who gets in our way must be killed, and every member of their species must be killed until extinct, their world then must be destroyed, and all of their fauna hunted until extinction, that is the way of the Anti-Spirit cult." the creature said, Elder Hephaestus flies to him and punches his head off with his right fist from behind and Runner absorbs his soul. Starlight Glimmer lays on the ground and was unresponsive, "Quick, somepony get her to the hospital!" Twilight Sparkle said, and two Pegasi grab her and fly away, "Ugh! The harpies only befriend those who fight fair, the vulcans see befriending your enemy as an idiotic move, and the onis will be labelled cowards and killed by their own kind. How am I supposed to spread friendship to people like these?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, everybody just left while Twilight Sparkle vents. Runner goes to the Void and gives the soul to The Judge, he comes back to Ponyville and heads home with Walker and Sprinter, the three enter their home and close the door, they hear footsteps in their bedroom and the three close their eyes' and their visions become dark blue, they see three light blue figures moving, they were bipedal, the three summon their swords and pistols and sit at the table. The three close their eyes' and reopen them to make their visions normal, they hear the intruders coming and were behind them, the three quickly turn around and fire a bullet from their pistols, but they hear a crack and a clang, the three see their intruders, they were all wearing one-piece long-sleeve jumpsuits and featureless metal masks that covered their entire faces, and wore mid-calf length boots, the three see a few differences, the one behind Walker was wearing bronze colored clothes, and the intruder's hands and feet seemed to be made out of brown rock, the one behind Runner was wearing silver colored clothes, and it had a metallic right arm and left leg, and while its left eye was silver and normal, its right eye was completely red and robotic, and the one behind Sprinter was wearing gold colored clothes, and its body seemed to be made out of gold crocodile skin, but the intruder's right index finger, middle finger, pinky, left ring finger, middle finger, and right eye were gold and transparent. The three let out battle cries and tries to attack the three, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter realize all three of them were males, the three run around in a circle around them while screaming, the bronze one attacks Walker, the silver one attacks Runner, and the gold one attacks Sprinter. Walker dodges the bronze intruder's punches and he put craters in the wall, Walker looks and sees green wind around each of his fists, Walker jumps and kicks the bronze intruder in his face with his hind right hoof and cracks his mask, the bronze intruder continues trying to hit Walker, but he runs under his fist and the intruder chases him. Runner blocks the silver intruder's punches with his front forelegs, he jumps and kicks Runner in his chin with his left foot, Runner grunts and slides back a few millimeters, the silver intruder lets out another battle cry and tries to do a knifehand strike with his right hand, Runner blocks it with his front left foreleg and the silver intruder jumps back. Sprinter ducks under the gold intruder's punches and punches back when he rises back up, the gold intruder's mask protects his face, Sprinter looks at the gold intruder's body and sees the gold and transparent parts of his body acted normally, he jumps and tries to kick him with his hind right leg, the gold intruder blocks it with his right forearm, Sprinter then kicks him in the face with his hind left leg and cracks his mask, the two move around and punch and kick one another until the three intruders were all in one place while fighting and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter shoot them with their pistols, the three grunt and fall over. The three intruders groan in pain while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter pant, "Who are these three?" Walker asked, "I don't know, but they're likely members of the Anti-Spirit cult." Runner replied, "First thing tomorrow, we leave Ponyville." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner nod in agreement, they hear groaning and see the three intruders getting up, the three shot dark blue and orange fire out of their front right hoofs to burn them, they fall back down and stop moving. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter look at them and the three look out the window to see if anypony was watching them and wondering what the noises were, but no one was there, the three hear walking behind them and quickly turn around, they see the three intruders walking to them, the top halves of their jumpsuits burned off, and their masks were destroyed, they see the gold and silver intruders looked like humans and had crocodile-like skin, the bronze intruder was made completely out of brown rocks and had blue water come out of his bullet holes, the silver intruder had metal prosthetics for his entire right arm, his chest, and he had an artificial heart, the three realize he was a cyborg, and the gold intruder had gold and transparent legs, his left leg was missing below the knee, and his right leg was missing below the thigh, and a gold and transparent mandible, "What the?" Walker asked, "I see, so one uses magic, one uses technology, and one uses spiritual energy." Runner said, "Focus, you two, here they come." Sprinter said, and the three run around them in a counterclockwise circle while letting out battle cries. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter watch them carefully, the three intruders jump and try to kick them, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport away and the three intruders run to them. Walker fights the bronze intruder and he tries punching Walker several times, he dodges them and sees the bronze intruder have green gusts of wind appear around his arms, he tries punching again and was faster, Walker dodges several of them until he is hit in his left jaw by the intruder's right fist, he grunts and falls over, the bronze intruder leans down and grabs Walker's neck with his hands, he begins to choke him while Walker gags, he lifts him up and looks at him while chuckling, Walker changes his sword to a hammer and begins hitting the bronze intruder on the back of his head, the bronze intruder groans a bit and blue water falls from his head and he falls over, Walker sees him crawling towards him and he shoots him in the head four times, each shot made him go in the air and he falls over dead after the last shot, his skin changes back to normal, but the lower half of his right arm, his left hand, and the lower of half of his right leg remain as rocks, he had bronze crocodile-like skin, and the water from his body changes to red blood. Runner holds the silver intruder's hands back and he shoots red beams from his robotic eye, Runner strafes side-to-side to dodge them, he aims directly at his face and he teleports to behind the silver intruder, he turns around and tries to slash him with his right arm's claws, Runner stabs him in his artifcial heart with his sword and he groans, but the silver intruder stands his ground and limps towards him, Runner panics and begins shooting him in his heart, he still limps towards him while black oil and red blood leak out, Runner panics more and begins aiming his pistol at his head, he fires several shots and he stops in place, he hears him powering down and his red eye turns off and he falls over dead, Runner sighs in relief. Sprinter and the gold intruder wrestle with one another and Sprinter was on the ground, he kicks the gold intruder in his groin and he grunts in pain and loses his grip, Sprinter stands up and was behind him, the gold intruder turns around and sees his two allies were dead, he looks at them and a tear falls from his left eye, Sprinter looks back and sees the two dead intruders, the gold intruder screams in rage and runs towards him with his arms out to the sides, Sprinter aims his pistol at his head and fires it into the center of his forehead, he ducks under his right arm and the gold intruder stops running and falls over dead, the gold and transparent parts disappear and his amputations could be seen clearly. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter look at the three dead intruders and their souls come out of their bodies to attack them, the three fire their pistols and destroy their body forms and Walker absorbs the bronze intruder's soul, Runner absorbs the silver one, and Sprinter absorbs the gold one, "Let's go to bed, we'll give the souls to The Judge in our dreams." Sprinter said, Walker and Runner nod and the three go to their beds and sleep.
Day 16Walker, Runner, and Sprinter were in the Void in their dreams and were meditating, they finish after sometime and go to The Judge and gave him the three souls, The Judge looks at the one Walker gave him, "Male, from the world Unifer." The Judge said, "You two know that world?" Walker asked, "Nope, don't know that one." Runner replied, "Me neither." Sprinter said, The Judge checks the other two souls, "These two are from that world as well." The Judge said, "Are they members of the Anti-Spirit cult?" Runner asked, "Yes." The Judge replied, "Alright, let's train for the rest of the night, we pack up and leave when we wake up." Sprinter said, the two nod and they go back to the temple and meditate together. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter wake up the next morning and the three start packing up, they pack up their things and head outside, the residents of Ponyville tell them to wait and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle run to them, "What are you three doing?" Sweetie Belle asked, "We're moving." Walker replied, "What? Why?" Scootaloo asked, "We got attacked by the Anti-Spirit cult yesterday evening, they found us, we have to leave before more of them show up." Runner replied, "What? Let me see them." Twilight Sparkle said, and the three bring the three intruders outside, the people in Ponyville gasp, "Wait, you three didn't offer to their friends?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "They were there to kill us!" Walker replied, "You didn't bother to hear them out?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Princess Twilight! They would've killed us if we didn't fight back, and you saw what happened to Starlight Glimmer when she tried to offer friendship." Walker replied, "But the Anti-Spirit cult is made up of many different types of creatures, right? You should try giving them a chance." Twilight Sparkle said, Walker glares at her. Fighting was heard and everybody saw the Undead in Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi, the harpies, vulcans, and onis fight them and destroy them all, "As we said, we have to move, but we'll still come here for school and work." Sprinter said, "I have to remove the harpies, vulcans, and onis as well." Spirit said, the others look at the three worlds and see him in front of them, "Due to the Possessed and Undead being common in their worlds, I have to separate them from this world for your safeties." Spirit said, "No, please, Spirit, I still want to spread friendship." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Maybe another time, when you have a better understanding of the other worlds." Spirit said, Twilight Sparkle looks down, Spirit uses his powers to separate Aerostia, Chrysaor, and Yomi from Ponyville and everything was back to normal, "I bid you all farewell." Spirit said, and he disappears, "Well, we should get going as well." Princess Luna said, and she flies away with Princess Celestia, "Well, if that's everything, I'll be going back home then." Sunset Shimmer said, and she goes to Twilight Sparkle's castle and through the mirror, "Princess Twilight, the spell." Walker said, "Oh, right." Twilight Sparkle said, and she undoes the spell she cast on Walker and the souls of the dead become invisible again, "Well, let's go." Sprinter said, "Guys, wait." Silverstream said while she runs to them, "You three are leaving, right?" Silverstream asked, "Yeah, why?" Walker asked, "Well, I was wondering if you three could find the king of my kind." Silverstream replied, "The king of the hippogriffs? Why?" Runner asked, "Well, you see, he's my uncle, and he died while protecting us from the Storm King, and I miss him so much, I was hoping you three could find his soul for me." Silverstream replied, "We'll see what we can do." Sprinter said, "Thank you, I hope you three can find him." Silverstream replied, "Alright, let's go." Sprinter said, and he walks out of Ponyville with Walker and Runner. It was a normal day in Ponyville and the foals go to school, the souls could no longer be heard conversing, "I miss Walker already." Sweetie Belle said, "Me too." Scootaloo replied, the other students agree, "Give him time, class, he said he'll come back here after his family is done moving." Cheerilee said, "Ah want him back now." Apple Bloom said, the students agree, "Just wait a bit, hopefully, they will be back soon." Cheerilee replied, and class continues. Runner's and Sprinter's students all do what they were taught and missed their teachers already and wished for them back, Runner's students keep running and stretching while Sprinter's students fought one another to learn self-defense, "It's different without Runner." a filly said, "Yeah, there's no one to lead us or teach us." a colt replied, "And those souls are not here to run with us." a second filly said, "Our class feels empty without them." a third filly replied, "Well, I guess we're not running today." a second colt said, and they go home. Sprinter's students try to fight one another and learn new things, "It's no fun without Sprinter." Gallus said, "Well, look on the bright side, no more cheap shots and low blows." Sandbar replied, "That's true, I'm still bummed out I didn't get to teach Walker how to meditate, though." Ocellus said, "Well, maybe when they come back here after moving." Smolder replied, "Friends go on without Yona, Yona still recovering from yesterday." Yona said, "Okay, we'll be here when you're ready." Silverstream replied, and they all continue to train on their own while Yona sits and recovers from fighting the onis yesterday. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter go back to their old home and unpack, they lived in the middle of the woods with no neighbors, "We had to move back here, granddad?" Walker asked, "Well, I think it's a better option than going in a cave." Sprinter replied, "It is the safest place now, just remember to keep a low profile here, Walker." Runner said, "Yes, dad." Walker replied, and he has salad for breakfast and heads outside. Walker walks around the woods and sees Genghis was there as well, he walks to him, "Here to train, Walker?" Genghis asked, "Yeah, what are you doing back here, though?" Walker asked, "Well, since you and your family aren't in Ponyville anymore, I'd figured that I should come back here as well." Genghis replied, "Ah." Walker said, "Well, let's train." Genghis said, and he makes sixteen targets appear again. Walker does the wall jump again and messes up near the top again, he tries again and actually passes that time, "Yes." Walker said, "What do you think made you pass that? Practicing enough times, or did you just get lucky?" Genghis asked, "It feels like I got lucky." Walker replied, "Then you have to do it again." Genghis said, Walker rolls his eyes and does it again and passes, "Oh maybe it was practice after all." Walker said, "Would you like to continue training?" Genghis asked, "No, I'd like to take it easy today." Walker replied, "*chuckle* Very well." Genghis said, and he goes back home, and he, Runner, and Sprinter teleport. Ponyville was a regular day and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to the outskirts of Ponyville and walk in, they come and the people in Ponyville greet them, the three went to where they usually went for their days, "WALKER!!" the students said excitedly, "Hi, guys." Walker replied, and they run to hug him, he hugs them back and they let go, Walker sits in his seat, "Where did you go, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "My family and I just moved back to our old home." Walker replied, "Where is it?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Why do you want to know?" Walker asked, "I was thinking about visiting you." Sweetie Belle replied, "My old home is very far away from here." Walker said, "Where do you live?" Sweetie Belle asked, "In the middle of the woods." Walker replied, "Where are the woods located?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Southern Equestria, close to the Bone Dry Desert." Walker replied, "Oh, that is far." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah." Walker replied, "Walker, Sweetie Belle, it's work time." Cheerilee said, and the two work, Sweetie Belle sees Walker was irritated as always due to the voices of the souls of the dead distracting him, but he works. Runner and Sprinter go back to their jobs and everybody was happy, Runner runs with his students and they end up running around where Sprinter teaches self-defense, "Son, careful, your students might end up getting hit by mine." Sprinter said, and Runner and his students run farther away from him and his students, Sprinter teaches his students basic grabs and grapples and throws some of the students over his shoulders, the two teach their students and they all have fun. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna run Canterlot and the ponies start screaming, the two head out to the balcony and see skeleton ponies attacking Canterlot, objects with light blue outlines floating around in the air and being thrown at their subjects, and ponies with light blue flames in their eyes', "What is going on?" Princess Luna asked, they see their subjects being attacked by an unseen force and Princess Celestia realizes what was going on, "We need Sprinter and his family here, I'll send a letter." Princess Celestia said, and she goes back to her throne room and begins writing. Twilight Sparkle and Spike visit the hospital and go see Starlight Glimmer, she was unconscious in the bed, "How is she?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "She was bleeding a lot when we took the dagger out, we had to stitch up the wound and put a bandage on it, her heart's been stable so far." Nurse Redheart replied, "Is she going to be okay?" Spike asked, "At this rate, yes." Nurse Redheart replied, "Where is the dagger?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "It melted last night." Nurse Redheart replied, "That's too bad, I was hoping to study its properties." Twilight Sparkle said, Spike hiccups and burps with fire coming out, a letter appears and he reads it, "It's from Princess Celestia, she said the souls of the dead are invading Canterlot, she needs Walker, Runner, and Sprinter there now." Spike said, "Let's go get them." Twilight Sparkle replied, and the two go to get them. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter arrive in Canterlot and see the ponies being possessed and others attacked, Twilight Sparkle casts a spell on Walker's eyes and the souls of the dead become visible, everybody sees them attacking the others, "You all go on, we'll deal with them." Runner said, "No, we deal with them together." Twilight Sparkle replied, and they see the royal guards get overwhelmed and possessed by the souls of the dead and they go to Canterlot Castle. Twilight Sparkle teleports herself and the others to Canterlot Castle and they see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna firing zaps at the possessed ponies to subdue them, "Where is the leader?" Princess Luna asked, chuckling was heard and an earth pony soul as tall and muscular as Big Macintosh appears, "Looking for me, Celestia and Luna?" the stallion asked, "Dad?" Sprinter asked, the others realize it was Jumper, "Step aside, Equestria's mine." Jumper said, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity fire destructive spells at him and his army, but their zaps go through them, "What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "You cannot harm what is already dead." Jumper said, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna back away in fear, "Go, Equestria's ours to conquer." Jumper said, and they begin to invade Canterlot, "We'll deal with the souls, we leave the Possessed, Revived, and skeletons to you guys." Walker said, and they all go. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter fight the souls and destroy several of them with one hit, Runner fights them directly with his sword while Walker and Sprinter stand in the back and shoot them, much to Runner's dismay, he continues to fight the souls of the dead with his sword and absorbs them when they turn into floating flames, the souls float and possess the objects around them and fly up and go to Walker and Sprinter, the two shoot them and Walker dodges a vase that was thrown at him by rolling to his right. The souls run and fly to Walker and Sprinter and Sprinter teleports to behind the souls of the dead and shoots them in the back and absorbs them, they turn around and go to him and Walker shoots them from behind, and Runner runs around and attacks the invading souls with his sword, they finish and see all of the souls were gone, "That was easy." Walker said, "It's just beginning." Sprinter replied, and they see the others struggling, "Let's go." Runner said, and they teleport around to help the others. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity fire magic from their horns to deal with the Possessed and skeletons, the royal guards go to them and attack them with their spears, and Twilight Sparkle is forced to cast restraining spells on them. Rainbow Dash fights the skeletons and destroys most of them with one punch, one tries to sneak up on Applejack from behind and she bucks him and destroys the skeleton, destroying the skeletons releases the souls possessing them and they would attack them directly, "How are we supposed to fight this?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Ah don't know, but we can at least deal with the skeletons and possessed people." Applejack replied, the souls punch them from their blind spots and knock them down. Pinkie Pie throws pies at them and she was somehow able to hit the souls, she dashes away and comes back with her party cannon, "Party!" Pinkie Pie said with excitement and fires it, some of the souls get blasted away. Fluttershy whimpers while she stands in front of a unicorn soul who was about to attack her, "Um, is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Fluttershy asked, the unicorn zaps her and she yelps as she flies through the air and falls, she tries to get up and the souls gang up on her and attack her from all directions, Fluttershy grunts and cries while the souls beat her up, one flies into her and possesses her, her eyes have light blue fire come out of them and she flies around while smiling menacingly. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity cast restraining spells on the Possessed, they all grow arms out of their shoulders and try to undo the magic around them, so they grow bigger in size and the magic restraining them grows along with it, they see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna casting various spells in hopes one will undo their possessions, "Anything so far?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "No." Princess Luna replied, and Twilight Sparkle tries, they could not undo the possessions while they modified the bodies of the possessed ponies, Pegasi souls fly to them to attack them and the unicorn souls shoot magic at Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity, zaps hit the four, they grunt and fall over, they see the souls coming to fight them, "Walker, Runner, and Sprinter deal with this every day?" Rarity asked, "I think so." Twilight Sparkle replied, they see the souls coming to them to attack. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter appear and slash the souls with their swords, but they did not become flames after one hit, "It's been a long time, Sprinter." one Pegasus soul said, "You know them, dad?" Runner asked, "Unfortunately, yes, most of these souls were in the gang Jumper led when he was alive." Sprinter replied, the three fight the souls and they shoot them while they block their sword attacks and they turn into flames and the three absorb them. Green fire appears in their sights and they look to the lefts, they see Spike using his fire breath in hopes of attacking the souls, but while his fire did have some effect on the skeletons, it went through the souls without harming them, the ponies gag from the smell of the burning bones. Spike is tackled from his left and he grunts, he falls over and sees Fluttershy, "Fluttershy?" Spike asked, "No." Fluttershy replied with her own voice and a male voice, "No, she's possessed." Twilight Sparkle said, "Fluttershy! Nooooooo!" Pinkie Pie said, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to her and were about to stab their swords into her, "No!" Twilight Sparkle said while she casts telekinesis to pull Fluttershy away, "You three can't do that! She's a bearer of an Element of Harmony." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm sorry, Princess Twilight, but the only way to free her now is to kill her." Runner replied, "No, it can't be." Twilight Sparkle said, "She's right, there has to be another way." Princess Luna said, "Say hello to your new friend." Fluttershy said, and she flies forward and tries to punch Twilight Sparkle with her front hoofs, but Rarity casts telekinesis to restrain her, "Reinforcements." Sprinter said, they all look and see more souls of the dead coming to invade them, the ponies stop fighting since they see there were hundreds of dead souls coming to invade them, "Genghis, we need you now!" Walker said, running is heard souls come from their rights, they all look and see Genghis running into battle with his solders behind him, they attack the invading souls, Genghis walks to Walker, Runner, and Sprinter, "Having all the fun without me?" Genghis asked, "Never." Runner replied, Genghis chuckles and he runs back to lead his army to fight the invading army. Rainbow Dash and Applejack punch and kick the skeletons and destroy them, the remaining skeletons fall and the souls possessing them come out, one flies into Rainbow Dash's back and tries to possess her. Rainbow Dash grunts while she resists the possession and the others look at her, Rainbow Dash continues to grunt, "Get... out... of... my... body!" Rainbow Dash said while she continues to resist, she begins to scream and then let out a loud grunt while standing on her hind legs and holding her front legs out, the soul trying to possess her is shot out of her body, Walker and Runner look on with surprise at seeing that Rainbow Dash's willpower was strong enough to resist possession, "Ha! In your face! Nopony is going to take control of me!" Rainbow Dash said, "A little help here, y'all?" Applejack asked, and Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to them fight the souls, the three get overwhelmed, so they summon dark blue flames around themselves that spin counterclockwise around them and teleport around, they burn the souls and they turn into light blue flames and three absorb them into themselves, they all go back to the others. The others look and see the possessed Fluttershy trying to break from her magical bonds, "You'll be through when I get you all." Fluttershy said, the three look and see Genghis' army fighting the invading souls, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter teleport to fight them, Runner fights the opponents directly with his sword while Walker and Sprinter shoot the invading ponies who were fighting Genghis' army in the back of their heads, Sprinter looks back and sees Jumper was leading them from the very back, "Grandson, I leave them to you and Runner, I'm going to go see Jumper." Sprinter said, "Okay." Walker replied, and Sprinter runs to him. Sprinter runs to Jumper and he sees him coming, "You're still alive, Sprinter, I thought you'd be dead by now." Jumper said, "I've kept my body in shape." Sprinter replied, Jumper scoffs and teleports away. Sprinter looks around and Jumper appears behind him and tries to slash him with a sword in his front right hoof, Sprinter holds the sword over his own back and behind himself and blocks it, Jumper teleports again and appears on Sprinter's back while having his front legs wrapped around his neck, Sprinter gags while he swings around to get Jumper off, he did not, so he teleports and appears behind him and in the air, he slashes the back of his head with his sword, Jumper grunts and quickly turns around and does a horizontal slash with his sword, Sprinter falls from the gravity and the sword misses him, Jumper punches him with his front left hoof, Sprinter grunts and he falls over and slides on the ground, he stands back up, Jumper holds his front legs up and the pony souls willing to obey him appear around him, he holds his front right hoof out and they go to attack Sprinter. Sprinter shoots them with his pistol and destroys their body forms with one hit, the flames float away. Jumper teleports away and appears behind Walker, Sprinter teleports to behind him and tries to attack him, but Jumper appears in front of Walker and tries to make Sprinter attack him, Sprinter stops and teleports away, he appears in front of him, Sprinter teleports to him and was about to slash him with his sword, but he teleports away and sees he was about to hit Runner, "Dad!" Runner said, and Sprinter manages to stop himself mid-motion, Jumper appears behind Walker and grabs him with his front right hoof, he grunts and struggles to break free, he teleports to behind Runner and grabs him with his front left hoof, Jumper appears in front of Sprinter while holding Walker and Runner, Sprinter appears behind him and tries to slash him, but he teleports away, Sprinter shoots his pistol at Jumper and he teleports away again, he appears in front of Sprinter and holds Walker out in hopes Sprinter will hit him, he jumps and tries to slash Jumper, he holds Walker up and puts him in the way, "GRANDDAD!!" Walker yelled, but he ends up putting a small cut on the left side of his neck, Jumper teleports and kicks Sprinter in his back with his hind right hoof, he grunts and falls. Jumper chuckles at seeing Sprinter was unwilling to harm Walker and Runner, the two try to teleport away from him, but he teleports to them and grabs them again, "Pathetic, Sprinter, you always were a softie, you refuse to harm your own offspring, and look at what you have produced, a son who cares about honor and loving only one mare, and a grandson who cares about visual arts, these two should be warriors and muscular, you have tainted our bloodline with weak ponies, if I knew this would happen, I would've killed you myself years ago." Jumper said, "It's your own fault, Jumper." Sprinter replied, "Hmm?" Jumper asked, "You created me when you raped my mom." Sprinter said, "She was a strong warrior, perfect for producing a strong offspring who would grow up only knowing fighting and killing, you should've done the same to your son, and he should've done the same to your grandson." Jumper replied, Sprinter teleports to him and slashes his front right knee with his sword, Jumper grunts and drops Walker, he teleports to his left blind spot and slashes his front left knee, Jumper grunts again and drops Runner, "Let's transform." Sprinter said, and the three and Jumper float in midair and spin counterclockwise, they let out grunts and they all take on alicorn-like forms made out of dark blue flames. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter walk towards Jumper and the three begin slashing him with their swords, he blocks each slash with ease and teleports behind him, he makes a second sword appear in his front left hoof, he slashes the three with both of his swords, the three teleport to behind him and shoot him with their pistols, he cuts each bullet with his swords and flies up, he flaps his wings and sends waves of dark blue fire out. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter fly up and shoot beams of dark blue fire out of their horns, he blocks them with his swords and dark blue flames appear around him and spin counterclockwise. Jumper teleports to behind them and the three grunt in pain, their voices were distorted, the three fly up and shoot bullets at his head, he swings his swords around and cuts them, sending waves of fire out, the three teleport around to dodge them, the four grunt and float back down and change back to their normal forms. Jumper teleports to Sprinter and tries to slash him with both of his swords, Sprinter blocks them with his sword and the two enter a deadlock, "Walker, now, teleport behind him and shoot him in the back of his head." Sprinter said, Runner looks at him with shock while Walker did what he was told and shoots Jumper in the back of his head with his pistol, he screams and falls over. Jumper pants while Walker, Runner, and Sprinter walk to him, he sees the others coming as well, "I knew I should've killed you, Sprinter, but I didn't because I hoped your son and grandson would be fighters like you, but they didn't, you ruined our bloodline." Jumper said, "No, he did not, you abused him and hurt him, you didn't give him any love or affection from what we have seen from his memories, if anything, he made his family bloodline better." Princess Celestia said, "I was a better parent than he ever was." Jumper replied, "No, you weren't, you're a horrible parent, no parent should ever try to sacrifice their own children and grandchildren." Twilight Sparkle said, "Lies, I beat Sprinter to make him strong." Jumper replied, "No, you didn't, you beat me and abused me to fuel your own sadism, you smiled every time I cried and was in pain." Sprinter said, Jumper becomes speechless, "I've had enough of you, Jumper, I'll raise Runner and Walker to my own accord, you have no place in our family." Sprinter said, "Why did these ghosts attack me for?" Jumper asked, "You tried to conquer your own country, that makes you a traitor." Genghis replied, "What?" Jumper asked, "You heard me." Genghis replied, Jumper begins to recover and stand up, Sprinter shoots him in the head with his pistol, he changes to floating light blue flame and absorbs his soul. Everybody looks at Genghis and sees him with his army, "Who are they?" Walker asked, "The ponies from the army I was raising, they remained loyal to me, even after death." Genghis replied, they hear grunts and look back and see the possessed ponies and Fluttershy, "Any of you have ideas?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Death's the only way to free them." Genghis replied, "No, we already said, we're not doing that." Princess Celestia said, "You think Zecora might know a ritual or something?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Well, it's worth a try, I'll be back." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she teleports away. Everybody waits and Twilight Sparkle teleports back with Zecora, she sees the Possessed and examines them, "Ya got anything, Zecora?" Applejack asked, "Indeed, I do, there is a ritual that I can apply, and at my home, I have the supplies." Zecora said, "Let's go." Twilight Sparkle said, and they do while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stay behind to clean up Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle teleports herself and everyone to Zecora's hut and Zecora instructs them non-verbally to lay the Possessed on the floor, Zecora places white candles around the Possessed and lights them up, "Form a circle, close your eyes, and join hoofs, to keep the Possessed ensnared, quickly now, as we do not have time to spare." Zecora said, and they do. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Zecora form a circle around the lit candles and join hoofs and close their eyes', Zecora begins to chant in a foreign language the ponies did not understand, the flames on the candles fly up and form a barrier of fire around the Possessed. Fluttershy and other possessed ponies try to break through the barrier, but the fire burns them and sends them back, they continue to try to break through while Zecora continues to chant, Fluttershy grows two black skeletal tentacles with light blue flames around them out of her back and they try to break through the fire barrier, the other Possessed grow wings and second heads to shoot light blue fire out of, but Zecora continues to chant and the fire goes into the Possessed, they screech and scream while the parts the Possessed grew out of the bodies disappear. The candle flames extinguish themselves and everypony opens their eyes', Fluttershy and the other ponies groan, "What happened?" Fluttershy asked, "Fluttershy? Are you there?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, Pinkie Pie runs to hug her, "Yes, she's back." Pinkie Pie said, "Get back!" Runner said, the souls that possessed the ponies appear and he, Walker, and Sprinter shoot them with their pistols to destroy their body forms, the change to floating flames and the three absorb them, Sprinter opens a portal with his mind and he enters it with his son and grandson. Fluttershy gets surrounded by her friends and hug her, "What happened, everypony?" Fluttershy asked, "You got possessed by a ghost." Applejack replied, "Oh, so that's what happened, I heard a stallion in my head and he said he was a friend who wanted to help me, so I let him enter." Fluttershy said, "That's why you got possessed in the first place." Rainbow Dash replied, "Come on, let's get these guys home." Twilight Sparkle said, and they all leave Zecora's hut. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter were back in their old home after giving the souls to The Judge and the three Aggressives laugh while clapping, "You three showed them!" Sprinter's Aggressive said, "Yeah, you three fought good." Runner's Aggressive said, "If only we could've seen Jumper's face when he received damnation." Walker's Aggressive said, the three chuckle and Walker begins to paint a new picture while Runner reads a book, and Sprinter starts making lunch for all three of them. A few hours pass after the three have lunch and they hear knocking at their door, Walker opens it and sees Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Princess Cadence, "Walker!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders said happily and hug him, he hugs them back and they let go, "How did you three find this place?" Walker asked, "Princess Cadence flew around and found it for us, we wanted to see ya again." Apple Bloom replied, "Yeah, your house really is far away from Ponyville." Sweetie Belle said, "Can we enter?" Princess Cadence asked, and Walker lets them in, "Wow, your home is small." Scootaloo said, "So, what brings you all here?" Runner asked, "We wanted to say hi to Walker and play with him some more." Sweetie Belle replied, "I'm also here to foalsit Walker, when I have the time, I'll try to come here and act as his surrogate mother." Princess Cadence said, "Well... thank you, all of you." Walker said, the four visitors smile, "You four hungry?" Sprinter asked, they all nod and Sprinter makes a salad for them, "Is this all you eat, Sprinter?" Apple Bloom asked, "Most of the time." Sprinter replied, "What do you guys eat if you're still hungry?" Scootaloo asked, "More vegetables." Runner replied, "Seriously, you three should eat more, here, I brought more cookies." Princess Cadence said, and she takes them out of her saddlebag, "Yay!" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said, and she gives one to them and Walker, "You two want a cookie?" Princess Cadence asked, "No, it's fine." Runner replied, "Yeah, no thanks." Sprinter said, "Wow, these are good, did you make these yourself, Princess Cadence?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yes, I did, they're fresh out of the oven, too." Princess Cadence replied, and they eat them, "Thank you, Princess Cadence." Walker said, "You're welcome." Princess Cadence replied, "Can we play tag again, Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Don't travel out too far or be too loud." Runner said, "I'll be watching them." Princess Cadence replied, and they go outside and play tag while Princess Cadence watches the four foals, they run around in the woods while Princess Cadence flies around and keeps an eye on all four of them. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Walker play tag around Walker's house and the four have fun, Runner and Sprinter walk outside after about thirty minutes pass, "Come on, let's go back to Ponyville, dad and I still have classes to teach." Runner said, and Walker, Runner, Sprinter, and Princess Cadence teleport there, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hold onto them to teleport with them. Walker, Runner, Sprinter, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Princess Cadence arrive in Ponyville and Runner and Sprinter go teach their classes while Walker continues to play with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, and Princess Cadence watches them, the souls of the dead ponies and animals reappear and the townsponies welcome them back, Runner and Sprinter teach their classes and Walker decides he needs to take a break after playing tag for about an hour. Walker decides to sit and he meditates with Optimist, Pessimist, Passive, Aggressive, Body Walker, Mind Walker, Spirit Walker, and Emotion Walker around him, Spirit Walker glows brighter, "Walker?" Ocellus asked, Walker opens his eyes slowly and sees her, "Is it okay if I try to teach you a few things on meditation?" Ocellus asked, "Sure." Walker replied, and Ocellus sits to his left and meditates with him and floats, "Let go of all of your negative thoughts and only have happy and positive energy inside of you, Walker." Ocellus said, "Actually, my meditation is supposed to get rid of all thoughts." Walker replied, "Well, try to make yourself feel happy, it'll boost your confidence." Ocellus said, and the two meditate together, Ocellus floats while Walker does not, "Do you feel the positive energy flowing through you, Walker?" Ocellus asked, "No." Walker replied, "Try to think of your happiest memory, Walker, let it make you feel happy, and then when it does, forget it, but keep the positive energy in you." Ocellus said, Walker thinks about painting and feels happy, he puts it out of his mind but the happy feeling goes away with it, "The positive energy disappeared with the memory." Walker said, "Oh, well, keep trying, you're on the right track." Ocellus replied, and he tries, Mind Walker's electricity crackles while Emotion Walker's flames rise a little, he inhales through his snout and exhales through his mouth, he opens his eyes after about ten minutes, "I think that's enough for me now." Walker said, "Alright, I'll remain here and keep meditating." Ocellus replied, and Walker walks away. Walker walks around Ponyville and sees Princess Celestia flying, she lands in front of him, "There you are, Walker, I've been looking for you." Princess Celestia said, "Another problem?" Walker asked, "No, I've got something for you to read, I think it will help you." Princess Celestia replied, and she gives him a book, he looks at the title, "Internal harmony?" Walker asked, "Yes, while making friends is important for everybody, I believe what you need to do is achieve balance between your passive and aggressive behavior, along with your positive and negative outlook on life, see, look at them." Princess Celestia replied, and Walker does, he sees Aggressive and Pessimist were glowing a little brighter than Passive and Optimist, "See, what you need to do is achieve balance and have all four of them glow equal to one another, when you do, you will be a balanced pony, I will try to help you however I can, good luck, Walker." Princess Celestia said, and she flies away. Walker sits and reads the book, "You will make yourself smarter if you start now." Optimist said, "You will put yourself to sleep." Pessimist said, and Walker reads, he reads about internal balance and was almost falling asleep, he sees Princess Cadence to his right and she reads with him, "Walker." Runner said, Walker gets startled and sees Runner and Sprinter in front of him, "We're done for today." Runner said, "I have to go take care of Flurry Heart, see you three later." Princess Cadence and they say bye to her, she kisses Walker on his forehead and flies away, the three teleport home. Walker, Runner, and Sprinter have dinner and they wash the dishes together, Walker decides to paint while Runner begins reading the book Princess Celestia gave him, and Sprinter exercises, the three go on with their days until they feel tingling in their heads, "Walker, Runner, Sprinter, I have souls for you three to get in a new world, I'll open the portal when you three come to the Void." Spirit said telepathically, and he ends the contact, "I wanna go now." Walker said, Runner and Sprinter chuckle, "Alright, but remember, Walker, don't get too excited." Runner said, "It is also a new world, so all three of us stay together at all times." Sprinter said, he opens a portal to the Void with his mind and the three enter, the portal closes and the three go to explore the new world.
Day 1It was 3:00 AM in Equestria and a new student was going to attend Cheerilee's class the next day as an exchange student, a colt walks into Ponyville that night, he had a sky blue coat, a short white mane and tail, and pale yellow eyes, he did not have a cutie mark yet. The colt walks around town and looks around, he walks slowly to his home and looks around nervously, he sees his home and enters it, he closes the door and enters while sweating, he looks around while panting a little heavily, he lays down on the floor and goes to sleep while still having cold sweat go down his body. The next day comes and the colt wakes up, he was still covered in sweat and sighs with relief, he gets up and heads to school. Cheerilee's class was loud and the students conversed, the door opens and Cheerilee enters with the new student coming in behind her, he stands at the front of the class with Cheerilee, "Alright, class, settle down, we have a new student today, go on and introduce yourself." Cheerilee said, the new student's eyes dart around the room and he sweats a lot, the students notice it, "Um, hi, my name is Walker, I'm four years old, um... I'm going to be a track runner like my father and paternal grandfather when I get older, I like art, I paint and study architecture in my free time as a hobby. Any questions?" the colt asked, "Are you alright?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, you seem so nervous." Scootaloo said, "Sorry, I'm still new here." Walker replied, "Um, you mentioned your father is a professional track runner, right?" Pipsqueak asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "What does your mother do?" Pipsqueak asked, "My mother's dead." Walker replied, the class looks at him with stunned silence, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Walker, but please go on, do you have anymore questions for him?" Cheerilee asked, "Who's lookin' after ya?" Apple Bloom asked, "My dad and granddad." Walker replied, "Your mommy's daddy?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No, my paternal granddad, my dad's dad." Walker replied, "What about your maternal grandparents?" Sweetie Belle asked, "They died before mom and dad married." Walker replied, "How about your dad's mom?" Scootaloo asked, "She's dead, too." Walker replied, the foals look at him with widened eyes', "Anymore questions?" Walker asked, the foals notice Walker trying to keep himself together, they were silent, "I guess they're done, Walker, you can sit in that empty desk next to Sweetie Belle there." Cheerilee said, and Walker walks to the only empty desk in the class, he sits while Sweetie Belle looks to her left and smiles at Walker. Class starts and everypony begins working, Walker, exhales sharply while he tries to concentrate, he writes and does his work while he glares at the paper. Sweetie Belle looks to her left and sees Walker had a very irritated facial expression, she notices him getting more and more angry as he worked, but he finished quickly and put the pencil down, he sighs with his eyes closed while shrugging, Sweetie Belle notices he was no longer irritated and went back to work. Walker looks around class and looks upward, his head moves from side-to-side slowly as if he was tracking something, he then begins looking around nervously and Sweetie Belle looks at him again, Walker seemed nervous as he looked around, she saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looking at him as well, "Walker?" Sweetie Belle asked, he looks at her, "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah." Walker replied, "You don't seem okay." Sweetie Belle said, "Just... getting used to my new surroundings." Walker replied while sweating profusely, "Okay." Sweetie Belle said, and they all work until it was time for lunch. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walk together and see Walker walking alone, they all have lunch and Walker sits alone, which the others notice, Walker eats quickly and leaves the cafeteria and goes to the bathroom. Lunch continues and Walker did not come back out of the bathroom, the foals get worried and Pipsqueak, Truffle, Snips, and Snails go to the colts' bathroom to check on him, the four gasp and exclaim with shock and the others hear them, "He's gone!" Snails said, the foals look and their eyes' and mouths open wide, the four walk back and see the others, "You guys didn't see him?" Button Mash asked, "He's not in there." Snails replied, the foals look at one another, "Maybe he's wandering around the school." Cotton Cloudy said, "No, I've been watching, he never came out." Pipsqueak replied, the foals look on with confusion, "Come on, let's finish our lunches." Snips said, and they do, they all have lunch and go back to class, the students look into the colts' bathroom and see Walker was not there, and all of the stalls were open, they look forward and head to class. The students arrive back in class and they sit, they all get back to work and see Walker was behind the last foal in their line, surprising the foals, "Where were you?" Pipsqueak asked, "Um..." Walker said as his eyes dart across the room and he sweats, "Is something the matter, class?" Cheerilee asked, "He left the cafeteria and never came back." Truffle replied, "Did you go to the bathroom, Walker?" Cheerilee asked, "Yes." Walker replied, "We checked the bathroom, and he wasn't in there." Snips said, "Oh. Walker, did you wander around the school?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah." Walker replied nervously, "Do not wander around the school after you finish your lunch, Walker, your school may have allowed it, but I don't allow it here, now take a seat." Cheerilee said, and Walker did. The foals work and Walker was irritated again as he works, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle watch him, Sweetie Belle looks at Scootaloo and raises her eyebrows, Scootaloo shakes her head while shrugging while Apple Bloom just shrugs, Walker finishs his classwork and then puts his head down, he stays like that until the bell rings, "Class is dismissed, see you all tomorrow, no homework today." Cheerilee said, and they all head home. Walker heads home and trots as fast as he can, he arrives home and streamers go off, "Surprise!" Pinkie Pie said, Walker looks and sees it was a welcoming party, "Welcome to our town, exchange student." Mayor Mare said, and the party starts. Walker walks around and sees a lot of games and treats to try, he decides to pin the tail on a donkey while blindfolded, he stumbles around and holds his front left hoof out, he feels a foal in front of him eventually and tries to put the tail on, the filly yelps. Walker tries again and walks around a bit, he feels what is ahead of him with his front right hoof, he feels a pony in front of him, he moves his hoof around and realizes it was somepony's face, "It's me, Walker." Sweetie Belle said, "Oh, sorry." Walker replied, and he keeps wandering around, he feels a flank and tries to pin the tail, he hears Button Mash scream. Pinkie Pie runs to Walker and takes the blindfold off of him, "Come on, Walker, let's try another game before you end up hurting everypony." Pinkie Pie said, and he looks around, "Is there a piñata anywhere?" Walker asked, "I got one!" Pinkie Pie replied, and she hangs up a piñata shaped like Princess Celestia. Walker begins hitting the piñata while the foals cheer, "Say, what's he like in class?" Applejack asked, "Weird." Sweetie Belle replied, "Weird? How so?" Rarity asked, "He seems mad while he's working, and he's looking around the class all the time." Scootaloo replied, "He's probably just nervous about being in a new environment, he'll probably calm down after a few days." Twilight Sparkle said, they see Walker hitting the piñata and letting the other foals take turns, they all cheer and have fun, they break the piñata and the foals cheer as the candy fall, "Wait, um, where is the kid's parents?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Now that you mention it, I don't see his guardians anywhere." Fluttershy replied, "They told me to go on ahead and come here on my own, they'll catch up here." Walker said, "When did you come into Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Last night." Walker replied, Fluttershy gasps, "Walker, you should know better than not to travel out alone in the middle of the night, it's too dangerous for kids to be out so late all by themselves." Fluttershy said, "To be honest with you, I'm not safe anywhere." Walker replied, "Yes, you are, you're in your new home, and home is the safest place for anypony, and you have the bearers of the Elements of Harmony in this town, you're super duper safe here." Pinkie Pie said, Walker just looks at her, "Come on, Walker, try to enjoy yourself, we've got a lot of sweets and activities to do." Twilight Sparkle said, and Walker goes around. Walker looks around and sees the party cake, it catches his attention and he runs to it, he gets a piece of the cake and eats it, "Hmm, this is good." Walker said, Pinkie Pie smiles proudly, he finishes the cake and looks around, "Thank you, but I've had enough fun." Walker said, "What? But the party's just starting." Pinkie Pie replied, "I'm sorry, but I need to unpack my things." Walker said, "Muffin?" Derpy asked, "Thanks." Walker replied as he takes one and eats it, "Thanks for the party, but I need to settle down." Walker said, "Aw, you all heard him, the party's over, everypony." Pinkie Pie said, the ponies groan with disappointment but did what Pinkie Pie said and they all leave. Walker cleans up the streamers and confetti and decides to look around the house, he closes all the curtains in his house, he also locks the door and he sits on the floor while he waits for his guardians to come with his and their things. Apple Bloom has dinner with her family, "Somethin' weird happened with Walker today." Apple Bloom said, "What do ya mean weird?" Granny Smith asked, "He went into the bathroom during lunchtime, and he never came out, so four colts went into the bathroom to check on him, and he was gone." Apple Bloom said, "Gone, as in?" Granny Smith asked, "He wasn't in there." Apple Bloom replied, her family's attention is caught, "What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, "You didn't check with them?" Granny Smith asked, "It's the colts' bathroom, so Ah can't enter." Apple Bloom replied, "Still, keep an eye on him, Apple Bloom, that is mighty fishy right there." Applejack said, and they all have dinner. Scootaloo was outside and seeing Rainbow Dash, "Have you noticed anything strange about Walker, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked, "No. Why?" Rainbow Dash asked, "It's just that... when we were at school today, Walker went into the bathroom and never came out, so four colts went in to check on him, and he wasn't in there." Scootaloo replied, Rainbow Dash's eyes widen, "Let me get this straight, you all had lunch, he went into the bathroom, never came out, so four colts went to go check on him, and he was gone?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yes." Scootaloo replied, "That's weird, I explored the entire school once, there are no secret doors or passages built into it." Rainbow Dash said, "There's more, when we went back into class, we were in a single file line, and Walker was in the very back, we didn't notice him until we sat." Scootaloo replied, Rainbow Dash becomes speechless, "I don't know what to say, keep an eye on him, and tell me if you see anymore strange things happen." Rainbow Dash said, Scootaloo nods, "You should head home, you shouldn't worry your aunts." Rainbow Dash said, "Okay, bye, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied, and she walks home while Rainbow Dash flies to her home. Sweetie Belle was getting ready for bed while Rarity was closing the shop, she walks to her, "Rarity, something weird happened at school today." Sweetie Belle said, "What is it, darling?" Rarity asked, "It's Walker, he went to the bathroom and wasn't in there when a few colts went to go check on him." Sweetie Belle replied, "Surely, he just left when you all weren't looking." Rarity said, "No, they watched the whole time, he never came out." Sweetie Belle replied, "What? Now, obviously, he can't teleport, he's an earth pony, he has to have a secret." Rarity replied, "Do you have any ideas?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I can't say, I'll need to see for myself, off to bed now, darling." Rarity replied, and Sweetie Belle goes to bed.
Day 3The next day comes and nothing out of the ordinary happens, Walker, Runner, and Sprinter enter their home and close and lock the door, the three go to the back of the house where there were no windows. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle go over to the home to see Walker, the three look through a window, "I don't think they're home." Scootaloo said, "They have to be, they entered the house, Ah saw 'em." Apple Bloom replied, Sweetie Belle knocks on the door three times, "Walker, it's me, Sweetie Belle, your classmate." Sweetie Belle said, there was no answer, "Walker? Can you hear me?" Sweetie Belle asked, there was no answer, "Come on, let's check the back door." Scootaloo said, and the three go but see there was no back door, there were no other windows either, "What in tarnation?" Apple Bloom asked, "This is weird, there's only one door and two windows, but it looks like they somehow left." Sweetie Belle said, "No, we can't see all of the rooms, maybe they're in one of them." Scootaloo replied, "No, they would've answered when I knocked on the door." Sweetie Belle said, "So, they ain't home?" Apple Bloom asked, "It seems that way." Sweetie Belle replied, "What in the world?" Scootaloo asked, "Come on, let's just go home." Sweetie Belle said, and they head home and nothing happens for the rest of the day.
