Button huffed as he dropped his mace to the ground, falling back onto his plot. Coated in sweat, the colt wiped his face with his wrists while Zander stepped up to him. Both warriors were shirtless, fighting in a dirt pit a few dozen meters from an inn outside of Ponyville.

“Dude, that was a good fight,” he said, his chest sporting a large bruise where Button struck. “Thought I was done for.”

“Until… I messed up, and swung too low,” Button said between breaths.

“Hey, we’re both learning here, alright? You’re learning how to fight, and I’m learning that I can apparently jump clean over people. And, well, this too,” he said, motioning to his bare chest.

Button watched as the bruise slowly faded from Zander’s chest, his wound healed completely within seconds. Zander brushed his chest off with a smirk before he reached a hand to Button. The colt took his hand and was helped up to his hooves.

The week had been a rough one for both the men lost from their world, and even Button. Enduring the different types of training they dished out had taken a toll on the brown colt, but he’d pulled through better for it, mentally and quite noticeably physically. Since starting their training, Button had grown six inches taller, his shoulders had widened and thickened, and it was clear that he had gained a decent amount of muscle beneath his fur, his pecs and biceps shaping his torso.

“Alright, let’s go, your mom’s gonna kill us if we miss another meal.”

Zander motioned for Button to follow and they marched back to his house. They were walking back to his home and saw a group of five mares walking through the town towards the adventurers guild. They looked like they'd been through Tartarus, as some of them had torn armor, or were walking around bottomless, or topless. Some of their weapons were destroyed or damaged, had cuts, bruises, and one mare even had an arm missing as she was bleeding through a wrapped stump where her shoulder should be.

“Jesus christ, what the hell happened to them?” Zander asked in shock.

“Guess they were in the Everfree hunting something big,” Button said. “Could have been a Manticore, a Cragadile or even a Hydra, who knows? Don’t think we should bother them.”

From the house, Button’s mom came rushing out to meet the adventurers.

“Goodness, what did you run into?” she asked, stripping her dented steel gloves.

“We… w-we were fighting, a group of Manticores,” a red and yellow mare said, limping. “The pride got too close to a farm down South… we thought, ah, that there’d just be the Manticores, but there were Goblins with the fucking things, riding them like mounts! Had to leave half of our camp back there, Cookie Cutter got surprised by one of the mounts. Got her arm, and we ran.”

“Sol above, did you cover your trail?” Cream Hearts asked, her hands glowing as she tended to the amputee.

“Don’t know, it’s all a haze,” a green Pegasus said. “They might have been behind us when we got out of the forest, but we’ve been on the road for half an hour. Haven’t heard or seen one of the things since.”

“Alright, I’m taking Cookie here to the hospital. Can the rest of you make it on your own or do you need to rest here?”

“I’ll be fine,” the pegasus said. “Just get her some help, please.”

The other mares nodded as they urged Cream to take Cookie away. The former Paladin helped Cookie lay on the ground and knelt over her, clasping her hands in prayer. A golden circle burned into the grass, surrounding the two mares before a blinding flash consumed them, leaving a burnt layer of glass where they were.

Button approached the mares and waved them down.

“Excuse me!” he called out. “Do you need to rest up? We’ve got plenty of beds open!”

The mares turned to see Button and Zander walking up to them and the red and yellow Earth Pony responded first.

“We could… yeah, we could use some rest. Think we’re all a bit weary after that whole thing. Name’s Pepper. This is Bush, Tough Luck and Iron Core,” she said, pointing to the green Pegasus, a bronze and silver Unicorn and a grey and gold Earth Pony.

Button waved and nodded as Zander let his eyes wander. They were all sporting cuts and bruises, and Pepper was limping to keep up with the group and Button. He nearly tripped over himself when he tried to avoid the puddle of Cookie’s blood, but managed to recover and caught up with the last mare in line, Tough Luck.

“Hey, uh, sorry about what happened to you guys,” Zander said.

The mare glanced back at him and glared.

“I don’t need pity from a weird thing like you, alright?” she sneered. “I just need to rest. I’m done with this shit, I can’t… just go away.”

Zander glared at the mare but held his tongue, considering that she’d seen her friend dismembered. They followed along to the inn Cream Hearts’ husband ran, with the stallion walking out to meet the group. He was about as tall as Zander, with brown fur and a deep blue mane. He wore a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black pants and was stained with splatterings of food.

“Sorry to see you all have a horrible trip. But, wait… wasn’t there another stallion with you?” he asked.

The mares looked to the ground as they tried to walk past them, tears flowing from Iron Core’s chin as she choked back a sob.

“Colteater plants caught him while he was casting Homeward Bound,” Bush said. “We couldn’t pull him out in time.”

The mares walked inside as Button’s father closed the door behind them. Button and Zander stood there, Button solemn in his stillness and Zander shocked.

“Holy shit, dude,” he said. “The Hell happened?”

“Like I said, Everfree. It’s not a place that anypony can just walk through. Plants can gobble you up, Goblins can steal your stuff or kill you in your sleep, not to mention the different kinds of monsters that live in there too.”

“Why the fuck would anyone even go in there then? Just wall the thing off or burn it down, I say.”

“It’s not that easy,” Button said, his voice hushing as he got closer to Zander. “The place is rife with Chaos magic, and I mean everything in it. The plants are practically sapient, as if the entire thing’s an extension of Their will. Wall it off, it grows inside the walls and makes them tumble/ Burn it down, it lets out spores by the millions and seeds even farther out, and sometimes those spores can make plants grow inside ponies who breathe it in. It’s constantly expanding, inch by inch every few days. The best we can do is go in there and root out some problem creatures and make them relocate farther South, but even then… well, you saw what happened,” Button finished, waving at the door.

“Fuck, man. Thought this place was a nice and sexy paradise and then this shit happens?” Zander said, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I’ve seen how you’ve been looking at those mares that come and go around here, and I think this is Sol and Artemis’ means of telling you to knock it off. I’m sorry, but you came here with a magic medallion that lets you transform and heal, and that means you’re supposed to do something more important than sitting here and eyeing mares all the time.”

Zander nodded as he turned away from Button.

“I get it, dude, I get it. Just… I gotta take a walk.”

Zander wandered off and around the inn’s exterior. Looking out over the distance, the greenery of the forest hummed with a dark aura as the wind swept leaves around. In some of the bushes, Zander could see movement, small forms pattering back and forth.

‘Guess this place is a lot more serious than we thought,’[/] he thought. ‘If we’d ended up anywhere else, who knows what would’ve happened. We could be gutted by Goblins, or eaten by some kind of monster. Jesus, there was so much blood… Glad we woke up here, we’d have been fucked otherwise. If we screwed up back home, I’d be put on probation or something, but here, we could actually fucking die.’

Behind the inn, he saw a pair of white scaled legs sticking out from the dirt, a tail thrashing around.

“Sam?” he called out.

The legs and tail swung around, the clawed end of the tail scooping up a patch of dirt and throwing it at Zander, though it fell short by a foot or two.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming!”

Zander walked up and smacked Sam’s legs to get him to stop. Once he ceased flailing, Sam straightened his legs out and Zander grabbed him by the ankles. He pulled with all of his might until the dragonman popped out like a carrot. He coughed and spit up some dirt before he flipped over, laying on his back.

“Wow… she can kick really hard,” Sam gasped.

“Dude, did Button’s mom do this to you?”

“Uh… yeah, yeah she kinda got carried away, but I think I’m alright. Just gotta wash the dirt out of my everything.” He said, while trying to rub some dirt off. “When you and Button went off to train, Mrs. Heart wanted us to practice our magic and stuff. Mike went off to shoot some birds and I think Matt took that as an insult, so he went inside with some books and hasn’t come out since.”

“And you were buried because of what again?”

“She wanted me to show her my fire control, you know, since I’m a dragon and stuff, but I don’t know how to do that. I told her, and she said that a dragon’s fire usually flares up when they’re in danger, so she beat me up to try and get me to, uh… ‘ignite’, she called it. Long story short, I didn’t light up so she got serious, and I turned into a statue for a bit.”

“So Mike and Matt are practicing their stuff too?”

“Yeah, Mike’s been doing really well with his Ghost gun. He’s trying to do some spinning things with it, but he shot Mrs. Heart’s bra off by accident, so he’s trying to avoid her for now. Matthias set some things on fire and then froze them to put it out, but when he figured out how to undo both, he kind of… that,” Sam said, pointing behind Zander.

He turned around to see a tool shed blown open, with the roof stuck on the roof of the inn and the walls littered across a garden.

“Jeez… real good thing we didn’t start off in the forest,” Zander said.

“Yeah, this has been pretty fun. So, what’s up?”

“Nothing, just a lot on my mind,” Zander said. “I’m starting to think this world isn’t just all sunshine and rainbows.”

“Well. yeah, there’s unicorns too,” Sam added. “And Minotaurs, pegasi, griffons, it’s a pretty wild place.”

“That's not what I mean,” Zander said in annoyance. “When I was on my way back with Button, I saw some of the adventurers look pretty beat up, and one of them had an arm missing,”

“Isn't that like a lot of adventure games back home?” Sam asked him.

“Point is, I need to think about what I say when I meet someone,” Zander said. “I think we all should.”

“I guess,” Sam said with a sigh. “Why don’t we see how the guys are doing right now? I need to clean myself off.”

“Sure,” Zander added as he got up and walked with Sam. “So where are Mike and Mathias anyways?”

“Right now, they’re both currently at the archery range,” Sam said as he pointed towards the archery range that was a good distance away from the inn. “Let’s go see how they’re doing.”

\\\//////

Matthias thrust his hands out, one holding a red rune and the other holding a blue circle. From the circles launched a series of red and blue bolts. The red ones impacted and burst into flames on contact, the blue ones exploding into a fizz of electricity. They scattered around the targets, only one or two of the twelve shots actually hitting a target while the rest dotted the floor. While he growled at the spell’s randomness, Mike spun his Silver Ghost around his finger before he held it up, firing six shots from the hip. One shot landed on an inner ring of a target, two more grazed the edges of their targets, and the other three missed entirely, kicking up dirt and hay.

“Ugh, this is hopeless!” Matthias said, punching his book. “Why can’t these damn things shoot straight!?”

“Not everyone gets it on the first day,” Mike said as he reloaded. “I’m still trying to get used to the kick back this thing gives off. Not to mention the heat it gives off from each shot.”

Mike took a rock and slid it into the chamber, sliding it back into the gun as he took a hip-firing stance once more.

“Yeah yeah, I get it,” Matthias said, magic circling his hands once more.

They fired simultaneously, four shots ringing from Silver Ghost while Matt pelted the field with arcane fire. The last two shots each of them fired, however, smacked into one another mid-air. They burst apart, sending the heated pebbles flying into a shield laying against a log. Soaring past the two, Mike and Matt heard screaming from the bullets’ direction.

“Watch where you fucking aim!” Zander yelled in annoyance.

“Geez, I thought my head was gonna get blown off,” Sam added.

“Shit, you guys alright?” Matthias said as he and Mike rushed over to them.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Mike said. “Our shots bounced off of one another.”

“Take turns then! Could have fucking killed me!”

“Well, that tickled,” Sam said, prying the bullet off of his chest. “How durable am I?”

“Dragon scales are incredibly dense,” Mathias brought up. “We can worry about that later, we’re still trying to learn how to use our skills.”

“Well try to not kill us with them! Fuck, why the Hell were we the ones given this kind of power?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m pretty sure we’re the last people who should have gotten this sort of stuff,” Sam said. “I broke a lot of pots in their inn when I figured out how to move my tail.”

“That reminds me, how’d training with Cream Heart go?” Mike asked. “Last I checked I saw you flying backwards over our heads.”

“Got buried for a few minutes, but she left to help some mare who lost an arm.”

“Wait, lost an arm!?” Matt said in a panic. “Wha- how the Hell did that happen!?”

“They went into that forest and got ambushed. Said that they lost a guy from their team too,” Zander said, pointing at the Everfree.

Matthias started to breathe erratically and sat down, leaning against a barrel as he strained his hands through his hair.

“I thought… I just thought this was some kind of weird sex-crazed world, and now you’re telling me that we could actually, legitimately fucking die!?”

“... yeah, yeah we can die, Matt,” Zander said. “I saw them when they came in, they’re inside now and they’re… kinda fucked up. Don’t bother them with petty shit,” he said, emphasizing his last words while staring at Sam.

Sam looked away and Mike set down his revolver, leaning on another barrel.

“We can die, but we’re gonna be careful, right?” Mike said. “We’ve played plenty of games, seen plenty of stuff in books and movies. We know the cliches and how things like this work, so-”

“We’re not in a game! We’re not in a movie, fuck we’re probably not even in a decent book!” Matthias said, pounding a fist into the side of his barrel. “We have no idea what we’re doing, we have no idea what we should do, everyone who could help is too busy to give a shit and we’re a liability to whoever’s dumb enough to take us in!”

“Yeah, you might be but I actually know how to fight!” Zander said. “I told you to learn how to use a knife and get into a scrape or two to learn, even offered to teach you some stuff myself! But nooo, you’re too good for that!”

“Because I didn’t need to learn about how to fight like some wannabe gangster!”

CRACK

“SHUT UP!”

They stopped their yelling and looked at Sam, whose tail had gripped a log and splintered it. His face was etched with a somber gaze as he clenched his fists.

“Why are we even fighting!?”

“Because we’ve got no idea-”

“No!” Sam said, cutting off Matthias. “It doesn’t matter! None of us had any idea what we were doing when we signed up for college, and we still made it three years in! Not one of us knew what it’d be like living in a house without parents, and we’ve done great! None of us had any idea how to live with complete strangers, and we’re friends! Best friends, whether you like it or not!” he said, pointing at Zander. “No one ever has any idea what they’re doing when they start, that’s the point! We’re gonna mess up, we’re gonna get hurt, and we’re gonna learn from it no matter what. We haven’t even started any actual adventuring and you’re already at each other’s throats!”

Sam sighed and leaned back against the wall, his tail throwing the cracked log.

“Look, the point is that we’re here now, and we’ve got to accept it. We’re heroes in some prophecy, fine. We have strange powers? People would kill to do what we’ve been doing for the past week. We have a chance that no one else in our world has, and you guys are just gonna complain about how much we’re underprepared? That’s what life is! Getting thrown into situations you’re not prepared for and doing the best with what you’ve got. If I gave up when mom and dad threw me onto the streets, I’d be dead right now. So stop fighting, because we’ve got a lot more worthwhile things to fight out there,” he pointed to the Everfree, “than we’ve got here,” he finished, motioning to the four of them.

A moment passed in silence between the group before Zander spoke.

“Alright, fine. Guess you’re right.”

Zander turned to Matthias and offered a hand.

“Sorry man, guess you’ve got a lot of shit backed up too?”

Matthias took a deep breath as he accepted the hand, letting Zander pull him up.

“Yeah, I’m sorry too. I just… I’ve been trying to focus on this stuff all week and I don’t think I’ve even started to get a grip on it.”

Matthias turned to the range and waved his hands towards the untouched targets and scorched dirt.

“I tried focusing like it’s the Force, shouting spell names, picturing it in my head and focusing, all those stupid tropes about how magic people shoot things, and nothing’s worked. Plus, trying to get that bird form up is still kinda wonky.”

“Well, you can’t really force it,” Zander said before he flashed into a white wolf. “Gotta just let it out on its own.”

The two started talking about their transformations, discussing how they channel it while Mike approached Sam, patting him on the shoulder.

“Thanks for that man,” Mike said with a smile.

“Hey, no worries,” Sam said. “Just didn’t want to see them fighting. We’ve got more to worry about than petty little stuff like this, so I just want them to remember that.”

A clap snapped the guys to attention and they turned to see a smiling Button Mash, who was trying to fight back tears.

“I’ve never heard anything so beautiful in my life,” he said, wiping at his eyes.

He wore a set of grey armor with light blue cloth wrapped around his wrists, resembling a Roman Centurion, though he had a d-pad crest carved into the shoulder guards. At his hip was a mace made from sapphires, its grip wrapped in black leather, and on his back was a round shield, coated with silver and sported his mom’s mark on it.

“Hey, you look about ready,” Zander said, morphing out of his wolf form.

“Yeah, and I feel great too!” Button said, patting his chest with a fist. “I came out here to say thanks again, and I heard Sam’s speech. I’ve gotta say, even if you guys don’t know why you’re here, I’m confident when I say that I’m sure it’s because of your friendship.”

Zander gave him a dead glare.

“Really dude? Our ‘friendship’?”

“It may be weird to see in work, but I could see clear as day the bonds you’ve forged. Keep that bond tight, it’ll be your best weapon against Chaos.”

“I believe the best weapon against Chaos is around 132mm wide on treads, but I’m biased so what would I know,” Sam said.

“Ah! I understood that!” Button said, smiling as he tapped a finger to his temple.

Sam made a finger gun motion at Button while Mike holstered his Ghost and Matthias packed away a spell tome he’d laid out on a barrel.

“Armor’s looking good, did you have to refit again?” Zander asked, slugging Button’s shoulder.

“Yeah, actually!” Button said, tightening his belt. “It’s so weird, since I started training with you guys I think I hit puberty again!”

“Wait, ‘again’?” Mike asked. “How old are you, exactly?”

“Almost 20, why?”

“Wow, you did not look 20 when we met you, seriously,” Zander said. “Still, good to see our training paid off.”

“Yeah, but don’t you think it’s kinda weird that he bulked up and grew half a foot after only a few days of training?” Matt said, hauling a bag of books over his shoulder.

“Eh, we’re in a magical fantasy land,” Sam said. “Probably something to do with some clown god of montages or something sped up the process.”

“Well either way, it’s gonna be interesting to see how this pays off at the exam,” Button said. “Speaking of which, you guys studied last night for yours, right?”

The guys exchanged looks before nodding.

“Yeah, totally.”
“Read it front to back.”
“Memorized everything, dude.”
“Not a single page, no.”

Everyone turned to Sam who simply shrugged.

“I never remember anything if I cram and study. Usually I do better without studying.”

Three of them facepalmed while Button smiled.

“Well, I believe in you guys no matter what! You’ll do great. I just hope I don’t get a bad matchup for my physical exam.”

The guys nodded and moved out, taking the main road to Ponyville.

\\\//////

“So how do you think the test is going to go for us, since we’re new here?” Mike asked as he and the guys walked through the town.

“Well,” Button started, “you’re probably going to be seated in different rooms to make sure you don’t cheat. Then they’re going to make sure you’re not enchanting anything, then they’ll assign you to a desk and provide you with the test materials.”

“I’m guessing some students tried to cheat?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, they get expelled and are barred from ever adventuring again,” he added with a shudder. “Even going far as to notify every other guild throughout the lands.”

“Sheesh, no pressure, huh?” Matthias scoffed.

“What if we fail or get caught and want a redo?” Zander said.

“Well, you could appeal for a Repentius, where you accept an enchanted branding into your chest and take the tests again under oath.”

“And by brand, you mean…”

“They scar your chest with a burning mark of Styx, the Betrayer, and enchant it with lie detection and guilt. They say that if you’re branded with it, you won’t be able to lie again, and if you do, your heart will burst into flames and burn you alive, inside out.”

“Jesus Christ,” Matt said.

“Bloody hell, man,” Mike said in shock. “Does anybody that takes that challenge actually complete it, or just cut their losses and leave?”

“There were a few who went through with it. Some of them managed to earn their place back in their Guilds. Most died from the challenges, but a few of them actually became some of the best heroes out there.”

“Well, that’s interesting,” Sam said. “Know any of them?”

“They say one of them actually visits the town with a party, but I don’t think I’ve seen her. Even mom doesn’t know her name, just that they studied under the School of Sol. Although, some ponies that fail the first time around just give up. I had some old classmates who dropped out recently. One works in the Guild as a barber, and the other’s a gardener. Gotta say, they’re pretty happy.”

“And what about you, Button?” Matthias said. “When we first met you didn’t seem thrilled to be an adventurer.”

Button looked up at the clouds as he slowed down, taking a deep breath.

“I don’t want to be tied to my mom’s legacy,” he said as he turned to the guys. “I want to be an adventurer, I really do, but I want it to where it can be with my own name, and not tied to my mom. I’ve seen plenty of assholes that mooch off their family legacy and all it does is turn them into cocky jackasses that think they're better than everyone else because of their lineage.”

“That’s dedication, man,” Mike added. “Gotta give you props.”

“So when do things start-”

“They’re coming back!!” a local shouted, getting the town's attention. The guys heard this as well and saw several ponies that weren’t injured walking towards the guild.

“The hell’s going on?” Zander asked.

Most ponies ran towards the town center, near the Guild. Button and the guys followed the masses, standing back as the crowd gathered around the Guild’s main entrance. In front of the building was a familiar group of mares and dragonesses. In the midst of the group was a giant gemstone, faded in color but it looked as if it was shaped like a giant deformed face. Applejack punched the gem and it cracked apart, breaking into a pile of gems before the crowd went wild with cheers and applause.

“Okay, what’s actually happening right now?” Mike asked.

“They killed it! They slayed an Amethyst Golem!” Button screamed as he jumped up and down excitedly.

“The Hell’s an Amethyst Golem?” Zander asked. “And why’s everyone so cheery about it?”

“Those monsters are extremely rare and powerful automatons brought to life in the Age of Chaos. They’re walking mountains that want to destroy anything in their path, and this one was spotted coming here a month ago. And they killed it!”

The guys looked over the girls again, seeing them wave back to the crowd. Rainbow was basking in the glory alongside Rarity, both posing for the ponies. Twilight and Sunset were examining pieces of the amethysts, with Barb and Ashe writing something down in their own books. Fluttershy and Starlight were talking to some other townsfolk while Pinkie had already started drinking.

“Jeez, they don’t even have a scratch on them,” Mike said.

“Well done, well done indeed!” the Mayor said as she strolled out of the Guild, clapping. “I’m certain I speak for everypony when I tell you lot that we’re immensely grateful for your assistance. And with these gems, not only can we afford repairs for the roads and bridges, but we can share the excess wealth with the ponies of this town!”

This got the ponies screaming once more, the applause thundering as they hollered for the team.

Suddenly, the noise died down as a single clap rang in the air.

“I’m very glad you managed this task so easily, my subjects.”

Everypony threw themselves to the ground, getting on their knees and bowing towards the Guild entrance, where even the mares of Twilight’s party kneeled before a massive white pony in a skimpy outfit that barely covered her privates. She was walking out of the Guild’s doors, her wings and voluptuous assets bouncing with every stride.

“What’s going on?” Mike asked in confusion.

“Princess Celestia has arrived, you have to bow,” Button hissed.

“Dude, I usually wouldn’t, but I think we’re kind of out of our element so yeah,” Zander whispered, getting on his knees.

“Got it,” Sam said before falling over and curling up.

Matthias and Mike shared a look before they nodded, both of them flattening themselves against the dirt as they bowed.

“We thank you for your guidance, as a loving mother of Equestria, and as the fire in the sky, Avatar of Sol, Queen Celestia,” everypony said at once.

Queen Celestia smiled and bowed her head a little. She looked out over the crowd, scanning the ponies until she saw the sight of a white and purple tail wagging in the air.

“Hey, she’s looking over here,” Sam said. “Hi!” he called, waving his clawed tail.

Zander punched Sam in the back of the head, forcing his face into the dirt as his tail went rigid before falling over.

“Are you trying to get us fucking executed!?” Zander whisper-screamed.

A tense quiet reigned over the crowd as they silently cursed at whoever dared to speak to the Queen in such a way. Twilight and her party openly gawked in shock that someone would be so bold as to speak like that in front of Queen Celestia. The Queen herself, however, was staring at them with a blank look.

Queen Celestia cleared her throat before speaking.

“Whoever you are, would you and your friends kindly rise?”

Sam didn’t hesitate to get back up, Zander following after him alongside Mike and Matt. Matt looked down at Button, who subtly shook his head before Zander grabbed him by the mane, pulling him up.

“Hello ma’am,” Sam said, waving. “You are extremely tall.”

“I am aware, thank you,” she said. “Would you care to come here?”

The guys carefully stepped around the still bowing ponies, who glared at them as they passed. Once the guys made it to the center, they stood in awe at the presence of the giant mare. Not only did she stand far more massively than any other pony or creature they’d seen yet, but she also radiated like the Sun itself. Warmth, kindness and affection that reminded most of them of how a mother shows their love.

“I assume that you four are new to this world, correct?” she asked.

“Uh, yes we are. Your majesty,” Mike said, bowing his head.

“I see. I will need to discuss certain matters with you four in private soon. Please make whatever arrangements you need to so you may leave town. Just ask Twilight Sparkle for a portal to Canterlot and I’ll have you all brought to me personally.”

“Wait, if you need to tell us something why not tell us now?” Zander said.

Queen Celestia looked over the crowd carefully before answering.

“You’ll have your answers when you arrive at my palace. Until then, I’ve unfinished business with my apprentices. If you’d be so kind as to stand aside, I’d be grateful.”

The guys exchanged looks before backing away, walking towards the doors of the Guild as Queen Celestia approached Twilight’s group.

“My students, please rise.”

Twilight and Sunset rose and stepped up to her.

“It’s good to see both of you in such good health. This Golem would have been a terrifying threat, I’m sure, and I’m glad to know that the problem is solved.”

“Of course, Queen Celestia,” Twilight said. “We planned our attack for a few days while watching its movements. I studied the residues it left behind to figure out its health and what it could be weak to while Sunset and the girls worked on scouting a good place to ambush it so we could-”

The Avatar of Sol raised a hand to silence Twilight. The purple mare stopped talking the moment it was raised, but Celestia still wore a warm smile.

“I’d love to hear of your thrilling hunt, but for now, I have another special assignment for you and your friends.”

“Of course, my Queen,” Sunset said, fist raised over her heart. “However we can serve, we will.”

“I know, Sunset. All I ask is that you protect these fine gentlecolts until they come to Canterlot,” she said, motioning to the guys.

Twilight and Sunset blinked in shock, Sunset’s hand lowering as Twilight’s mane popped a single curled hair.

“Um… I-I’m sorry for asking, my Queen, but… why?”

“Everything will become clear when we’re in Canterlot, my sweet students,” the Sun Queen said as she hugged the two alicorns. “I can’t talk out here in the open about it,” she whispered to them. “There could be spies watching us. Protect them.”

With that, she pulled away with a large smile and kissed both of the mares on the forehead, beneath their horns.

“You’ve all made me so proud. Not just you and your friends, Twilight, but all of you wonderful ponies of Ponyville. I know how much you’ve all been dreading the Golem, but you’ve persevered through much worse before, and I know you’ll keep this town standing for far longer than this. Please, celebrate! Stand up and let your cheers ring through the day and night!”

The ponies stood up and cheered, applauding the Queen as she spread her wings. A gust swept through the town as she pumped her wings, taking to the sky as a golden aura surrounded her. Encased in her golden light, she soared off, towards the city perched on the mountain’s side in the distance.

Many ponies were starting to celebrate already, some corking open wine and champagne while others opened their doors to invite friends and neighbors in. As the guys watched, the group of high-ranked mares approached them, standing a good distance away with stern gazes directed at them.

“Well, it sure was fun hanging out with you guys, but I can’t miss my exam so I gotta go, bye!” Button said as he ran away.

“Traitor!” Zander screamed. “I hope you fucking fail!”

“Don’t listen to him, do your best!” Sam called out.

Barb coughed into her fist, drawing their attention once more. Sam simply smiled at them.

“Hey all! What’s up?”

Author's Note

I know I said that shit would hit the fan, but my friend who is helping me with this story has something planned for that part and it's going to take awhile to set it up. Sorry to leave you all in suspense, but you can rush story telling.