Season 10: Dawn of a new generation of Harmony

"Alright, Hero, your first session with me is mutual understanding. Or, we could call it empathy." Starlight gestured for Hero to sit on her couch as she sat in her chair. They were both in her office to be discreet in their time. "You know what empathy is, right, Hero?"

"Yeah. It's the ability to feel for others, right?"

"Correct. But it's a bit more nuanced than that. Not only do you feel for others, but you also feel for yourself. You cannot feel empathy if your heart feels nothing."

"Yeah. I guess that makes sense. So, what am I supposed to be feeling?"

"Whatever comes naturally to you. What's in your heart, Hero? That is the real question."

"Well, that would depend on which side you ask; I got myself that feels normal, then there's this, that darkness that's bonded to me." Hero briefly showed off his scarred chest to emphasize his point.

"I'm asking you, not your darkness, silly. I want to know you, Hero. The real you and what your real desires are for Equestria."

"Well, isn't that obvious? I want to save it."

"Deeds alone aren't good enough as many often bribe through deeds. Twilight has once taught me that you're the way you choose to be in life. And she's right."

"So, you're wondering what my choice is, huh?"

"Mhmm." Starlight nodded to affirm Hero's question.

"Well, since darkness was the reason why I'm even in this mess, to begin with, then, no, I will never turn to darkness. I understand why it isn't good, and you shouldn't be like that. So, I choose to be a hero, like my name. I choose friendship over darkness."

"That's a good attitude, Hero. I'm proud of you. You can never allow darkness to conquer you. So, what you feel in your heart are friendship and love?"

"Yeah. That's what I feel. But that darkness feels like it's clawing out like a ferocious monster. I don't even know what's happening to me. I know that I have to get this out of me somehow."

"Everyone has a dark side, Hero. But yours is more difficult to hold back because of that curse. I understand. But always think of friendship and love whenever you feel it might be trying to break free again."

"Yeah. I'll do that, Starlight. I must keep my friends close to my heart, or else who knows what would happen to me."

"I struggled with friends, too. So you're not alone, Hero; your friends will always be there for you, even when all hope seems lost."

"You're right, Starlight. I'll never forget the incredible friends I've made so far."

"I'm glad we had this opportunity to sit down and talk about this, Hero. Every step towards the magic of friendship is a step in the right direction."

"Totally. I couldn't agree more."

"So after our talk here, you'll go to see your teacher, Fluttershy, for your class. Then, we'll recap on a report of what you have learned today, okay?"

"Sure thing, Starlight. I'll be on my way over."

Hero was walking through the town and on his way to the academy as he waved to everybody before he looked towards the center of the town hall again, thinking deeply to himself. Then he saw some Pawns surrounding the town hall while nobody was there. "Oh, come on? I don't have time for this. I'll be late for class. Well, let's get this over with. Come on, then! Let's go!"

Hero charged into the battlefield to fight The Tainted off as he delivered a volley of slashes from his blade onto the group, rending them mostly beaten. All it took was a few final slashes to finish them off. Since they were only Pawns, no hearts came out of them. "Alright then, that was a good warm-up. But now I have to get to my class."

Then, a pillar of darkness rose from the earth as a figure stepped forth to speak to Hero. "Well, hello again, mister Hero. Fancy seeing you here all by yourself. Someone like me could take advantage of that, you know."

"You again. Cozy Glow. What do you want?" Hero turned around to face Cozy Glow and heard her voice behind him.

"Hmph. Well, that was sure a friendly greeting." Cozy had a slightly annoyed look before it gradually became her usual smug look.

"You used those Pawns to lure me over here, right?" Hero pointed an accusatory hoof toward her as she feigned, looking offended.

She gasped in the mock display while she covered her mouth with her forehooves. "How did you know? You're pretty good at that, aren't you?"

"You're planning something. I know it. Well, I want nothing to do with it."Hero lightly stamped his front left hoof down to affirm his statement.

"He's only planning on using you, you know," Cozy stated as a matter of fact.

"Who is? That Yami guy?" Hero further questioned Cozy.

"Who else? The Easter Bunny? Of course, it's Master Yami. For every monster he sends your way, you'll become stronger and be ripe for the picking for him; it could happen at any time if he wanted. Not now because he doesn't know that we're here."

"And I'm supposed to believe you, right?" Hero had a look that displayed disbelief in what she was saying as she shrugged it off.

"I don't care if you believe me or not. I just wanted to lead you with a trail of breadcrumbs into the little plan he's got for you. I'm just looking out for you like a friend would." Cozy glow calmly disregarded Hero with a wave of her right forehoof.

"Gee, thanks. Your concern is touching, but I can look out for myself. Thank you very much." Hero snapped back defiantly against her coddling.

"Oh, but please continue to get strong. It'll be all the better for you to protect your friends. If they truly mean anything at all to you, that is."

"I'm done with this conversation. I'm leaving now. Get out of here, or I'll get my friends and return here."

"You don't have to worry about a thing, mister Hero. I'll take my leave. Buh, bye." Cozy summoned her dark pillar to escape as it closed up, and The Tainted were now gone.

"What was that just now? Why was she so interested in trying to warn me? Who's side is she even anyway? Well, I'll have to worry about that after class. I'll have to inform Starlight when I get back to her." Hero then made it to the entrance of the Friendship Academy doors and was ready to enter.

"Captain Celaeno, Sir. We're reaching port. What shall we do once we dock?" Her first mate Mullet asked her as he used the eyeglass to spot the port from a distance while standing beside Celaeno.

"Just your standard resupply and resting stop. Lix is upset that we're running out of ingredients to give her." Celaeno then adjusted her pirate's hat as she looked at her crew with pride. Age did catch up with them, but not by much.

"Some more ordinance also wouldn't hurt, captain," Boyle stated as he checked their provisions to find they were close to running out. Squabble just squawked in agreement as they were nearing the Klugetown pier.

"Then prepare to dock, Mullet. We're going to rest here for a while. Boyle, anchor the Phoenix so she doesn't move until we return."

"Aye, aye, captain." Boyle then tied a sturdy rope to the anchor, and the steel ring bolted to the ship as he dropped it in the water.

"About time we get more supplies. If this continued for much longer, I'd have to consider Squabble for the menu." As their companion squealed in panic, Lix mused as she consoled him, "Relax, Squabble. I'd never do that to you, and you know it."

"Yarr. It's great to be back again in Klugetown. I'm going to the tavern to see if that rum mixed with fermented birdseed is still here. I hope it did not diminish; otherwise, I'd be disappointed." Mullet said as Celaeno's crew joyfully entered the town to relax and resupply.

Hero made up to Fluttershy's door to her classroom to open it to find that he was almost late. Seeing this a close shave, he made for his assigned seat and waited for class to begin. Very soon, Fluttershy came in to greet everyone. "Hello there, everypony. It's wonderful to see you all made it, especially you, Hero."

"Yeah, of course, I'd make it here." Hero pumped his chest adamantly with his left forehoof.

"I knew you would, Hero," Fluttershy replied with that tender smile that could only have come from her.

Fluttershy walked around to her desk to oversee the classroom; she cleared her throat and got ready to speak, "Okay, class, thank you all for joining today. This week's lesson is about mercy and its importance, understanding what it is, and what usually happens if you don't use it."

"Mercy is essential. It is, without a doubt, one of the biggest strengths. It is compassion; it is kindness. It's too easy to be ruthless. Can anypony or creature give me a good example of what mercy is and how it can be used to mend friendship or even make it?"

"Like if you're in a fight to the death, and it's either they or you, and they have no intention of showing mercy, what do you do about that?" One student asked as he raised his hoof to be acknowledged.

"That is an excellent question, Silver Speed, and it's also a difficult situation; I pray that nopony or creature should ever have to deal with something like this in their lives. In times like that, showing mercy means your heart is stronger than theirs if they cannot and will not show any."

"Darkness is a powerful force I've seen firsthand and fought against with my new friend Hero. Together, we all have a friendship that darkness cannot understand; that is why we will always win." The class seemed enamored with Fluttershy's heartfelt speech: "So believe me when I say that it's hard to show mercy; it is. But, we must have harmony in our hearts."

"Yeah! Preach it, Fluttershy! Darkness will never win, no matter how hard it tries." Hero broke the momentary silence with his confident quip. Silver Speed then noticed Hero's pulsing chest and decided to ask him.

"Hey, dude-- Hero, right? What's up with your chest, man? Doesn't that, like.. hurt?" He was understandably puzzled.

"No. It doesn't. But it feels... well, how can I describe what darkness feels like to you?" Everyone gasped in shock. "No, that doesn't mean I'll explode; it's more like I was cursed to have this problem."

"Dang, bro, that kinda sucks to go through. Sorry, man. So how are you handling that, anyways?"

"Believe me, it's not easy; I must go through friendship classes to control this thing in my chest. It feels like it's trying to eat away at me and break free." This concerned the class until Fluttershy spoke in Hero's favor.

"Well, I know you're stronger than that, Hero. You'll never allow the darkness within you to control you. I may not have known you long, but I know you have a good heart. Hero can be seen as an example of inner strength and a pillar of resistance against evil. He, like myself, had been chosen as an Element of Harmony."

"Yeah. I'll never allow it to win. Never. You guys can count on that. I'll show darkness that it cannot have my heart." His classmates cheered him on confidently, "I may not be perfect, and I'm not, but I will do my best to work with harmony." After the thirty minutes of the class were up, it was time for school to let out for the day as Hero waved goodbye to his classmates.

As Hero walked up to the Friendship Castle, he knew he needed to inform Starlight that Cozy Glow was there, even if she only antagonized him. If that mare were still around Ponyville, the other residents would be in great danger. He reached the entrance to the castle and pushed open the doors. The first person he saw was Smolder, and she quickly greeted him. "Yo, Hero. So how went the class?"

"It was pretty good. I honestly enjoyed it there. I do have something I need to tell Starlight, though."

"And what would that be, bud?" Smolder quizzically raised an eyebrow toward him as she was intently listening.

"Before Class started, I just had to fight off a swarm of Tainted, and then Cozy Glow also showed up to harass me for some reason."

"Ugh. Her again? What is that little weasel up to this time?"

"Beats me. But whatever it is, she will not be able to do it. Not on my watch." Hero shot back a stern look to Smolder's annoyed look upon hearing such unfortunate news.

"Do what you gotta do, bud. You know where to find her." Smolder then gestured with a swift nod from her head towards the staircase leading up to the castle's peak, where Starlight resided. Hero climbed the steps and went down a few corridors past some rooms that appeared to be empty. It didn't take very long for him to end up at the entrance to Starlight's Office.

He gingerly knocked with his forehoof as his hoof rattled up against the mahogany wood door as she spoke to usher him in, "Come in, come in." Hero walked in to see her face light up upon seeing a friendly face; "Hero. Welcome back. Please sit and tell me how the class went for you?"

"Hey, Starlight, yeah, everything went great..." He sat down as Starlight saw his face and looked serious momentarily.

"Hero. I know that look in your eyes; what happened?"

"Before I went to class, a group of Tainted showed up to attack the Town Square, so I fought them off. No biggie, right? But then Cozy Glow showed up. She used those pawns to bait me over to her."

"You're kidding me?"

"I wish I was. She was trying to warn me about what Lord Yami wanted to do with me; she said she looked out for me like a friend would." This made Starlight chuckle.

"Right, sure she was. Hero, you must be careful around her; that mare is always up to no good." Starlight admonished with a concerned look after her chuckling subsided. She's always been known to backstab anyone who's worked either for her or with her."

"So, Yami is only using me to get at my darkness. The very thing he forced into my chest. But why? Cozy said that the more monsters he sends my way, the more I defeat and the stronger I'll get. And when he's ready, then he'll come for me. I would need to be ready for when he does."

"Agreed, Hero. I don't know why she would divulge his plans or if it'll even matter, as I'll assume this Yami guy must be counting on the fact that his enemies would eventually figure his plan out. I just received a letter from Twilight after returning to her castle. It was from Capper. He's a good friend; you'll know him when you see him. He's an orange Abyssian with purple hair, green eyes, and a red coat; he sounds shady, I know, but trust me, he's cool."

"So, is anybody coming with me this time, or am I soloing it?"

"That depends on who's available. You could try asking around. I recommend you get help, as the darkness should never be underestimated. Ask around here, then check with Twilight; get all your help before you go to Klugetown. That's a rough place even without the darkness."

"Got it. You can count on me, Starlight." Hero then made his way out after hugging Starlight, to which she returned with mutual compassion before he left her office and the castle to search for help. He then saw the academy and decided to go there.

After entering the academy, he sought out Silverstream when he saw her walking out of her room, which also served as the academy's counselor's room. "Hey! Silverstream, you got a minute?"

"Oh, hey, Hero; of course, I do. What's up?"

"I'm heading to Klugetown by Twilight's request to meet someone named Capper. You wanna come with me so I do go alone?"

"Sure thing. After we fought that gigantic gooey monster here, I might need some outside time again. So, do you have anybody else you wanna bring with you?"

"Well, I suppose you and two others might work if everyone else is busy." Hero said as he and Silverstream prepared to go to Canterlot to speak with Twilight to see if she'd come along; their first stop was Canterlot Train Station from Ponyville's.

Once they arrived, they sought out Twilight, who was happy to speak with them. "Hello, you guys; so nice to see you, so I see Starlight received the letter I gave her."

"Yeah, Silverstream and I wanted at least two more to accompany us. I was hoping you would, along with one other person. Is there anybody you could recommend that would be familiar with that place since I'm new to it?"

"Hmm. I do know of someone, but I doubt she'd be happy ever to return there."

"Who do you mean, Twilight?" Hero asked her as she spoke with a slightly saddened tone.

"Tempest Shadow."

"You mean that mare we saw causing trouble at Mount Aris?"

"Not that Tempest, Hero; the one that's with me. You also never met her yet, have you?" Twilight gave a curious look to him as he shook his head.

"No, I don't think I have."

"Well, no time like the present. I assure you, she's a wonderful pony. Strict, but wonderful." They met with Tempest Shadow as Twilight summoned her into the Throne Room.

"You summoned for me, Twilight? What can I do for you?" This was that same mare; no questioning it. But she looked older than the one Hero saw at Mount Aris. Her horn was broken, her eyes were not haunting yellow, and she appeared kinder than the other.

"Yes, Tempest, or would you rather be called by your real first name?"

"Either is fine, Twilight. So I'll assume that I'm here because of him?"

"Yes, you were vaguely informed about Hero here."

"I was."

"Right. Good. Then I feel that you must know that he and I have thought that you'd be perfect to choose to come with us to answer a distress call from Klugetown."

"That ratty dump of a city?" Tempest looked frustrated as she was more than familiar with that place and its sullied reputation; "fine. But I'm only doing this for you, Twilight."

"Thank you, Tempest; your help is always appreciated. Now, then, I'll leave you two to get acquainted. Meet me at the Canterlot Station with Silverstream when you're ready, and we'll be waiting."

"Of course." Tempest saw Twilight and Silverstream leave as she turned her attention to Hero." So, we finally meet, huh? You've made quite a reputation for yourself. Not in a wrong way, mind you."

"Well, I don't want to be rude and say that my first encounter with you wasn't very... ideal. But that was a different version of you, I guess."

"I'm just as surprised at hearing that as you are, to be honest. So, do you want me to assist you in Klugetown? Are you aware of just how dangerous it is there?"

"I don't have a choice; I have to answer a distress call from there by someone named... Capper."

"Yes, I know who that is," Tempest replied with a huff; she had nothing against him, but he wasn't her idea of a friend. "Well, I suppose now that we've introduced ourselves, let's move on and catch up with Twilight and Silverstream."

"Yeah. Good idea." Hero nodded in agreement as they left the castle to join Twilight and Silverstream at Canterlot Station; the team boarded the train scheduled to drop at Klugetown. In the distance, they could see the silhouette of the town's buildings as they approached the port.

"Woah. This place looks kinda cool." Hero looked in awe as he saw the town for the first time. The city was beyond The Badlands and revealed a massive open sea past the port; it heavily inspired sailor town vibes mixed with an urban marketplace. The train neared its stop, and they soon arrived at the Klugetown Train Station. They exited the train to see Capper waiting at the ticket booth, his back leaning against the wall and waving to them.