My Little Pony: The Human Nine's Adventures In Equestria and Earthby PikachuSkittyChaptersChapter 3: Special: Return to EarthChapter 4: A Boyfriend for SarahChapter 5: Trade YaChapter 6: Crystal Princess EsteemChapter 7: Gaunlet of FireChapter 8: Fluffle Puff and the Human NineChapter 9: To Where and Back AgainChapter 10: The Harmonic Nine: The MovieChapter 11: The Queen and the FillyChapter 12: Make New Friends/Boyfriends But Keep DiscordChapter 13: Rainbow Dragon RoadtripChapter 14: Halloween SpecialChapter 15: Shimmer's First Day at SchoolChapter 16: The Good, the Bad, the Ponies and HumansChapter 1: The Cutie MapChapter 2: Castle Sweet Castle and the Search for a New PurposeChapter 3: Special: Return to EarthRen’s POV Huh...where am I? What is this place…? I found myself in a sparkling void with a blue background and white stars all around the place. “Hello…?” I called out. “Ren?” “Corporeal Loodan?” Huh? I turned around and I saw Mason, Carrie, Jack, Jamie, Skye, Rantaro, Nicole, Kaede, Flutters, Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Celeste and Lulu. “Woah…. What are you all doing here?” I asked them all. “We don’t really know..” Jamie said nervously. “I was patrolling the dream realm when I saw you and the other humans having a shared dream. I figured something was up so I gathered my sister, Twilight and her friends and entered your shared dream.” Luna explained to us. Shared dream..? “A shared dream?” I repeated. Luna nodded and explained, “All of you are having the same dream together. This could be a sign of great importance.” But what could be that important that all of us were needed here. Suddenly, we heard footsteps and we saw Astral Twilight…! Kodiak’s POV Woah... what's Astral Twilight doing here? "What's going on Ren?" I asked my best friend. "I'm not sure..." Ren replied. “Good, you have all answered my summonce.” she said. Oh…. so she must have caused the shared dream. “Your summonce? For what?” Mason asked the Tree of Harmony. “I have something very important to tell all of you..” Astral Twilight said. “.... It is time for Ren and the others to return back to Earth….” We gasped in shock…. Okay… that was not expected. “R-Return… you mean…” Mason stammered. “Yes, it is time for you all to return to Earth and stop the Dusk-7 virus once and for all.” Astral Twilight said. “B-But how the hell are we supposed to get back home?” Jack questioned. “Come to the Cave of Harmony, everypony and I shall do the rest…” Astral Twilight said before she stomped her hoof and sent out a beam of magic at the nine of us and then everything turned white… Ren's POV …. ….. Gah! I shot up in bed with a small cry, shocking Kodiak awake. “Huh? Ren? What is it….?” he asked me. I caught my breath after a minute before I answered him…. “W-We’re going home, boy…” I said to him and his eyes widened in shock and surprise. “R-Really?” he asked me. “Y-Yeah. The Tree of Harmony said it was time for us to return and stop Void and his virus once and for all…” I replied. “..... I just…. Wonder what we’ll find when we get back…” Jonas, Lillie, mom, dad…. Would they still be okay…? Either way, I quickly got my clothes on and packed my Hacking Gun and hoverboard and I met with the others in the living room where they all held grim expressions. “So…. we’re… going back home for the first time, huh..?” Kaede said grimly. “Y-Yeah…. Wonder if any of our family are still alive…” Jamie said, clutching his notebook tightly. “Yeah… I mean… our home is probably in ruins…” Kaede added. “Wonder if anyone survived… I mean, we were asleep for 1,000 years like Sarah. God knows what could have happened.” Yeah… who knows what could have happened on Earth. “Well…. I guess.. We better get to the Tree, right…?” I asked everyone and they reluctantly nodded. Knock Knock Huh? Who could that be? I opened the door and found Twilight, the Mane 5, Celeste, Lulu, Cadence and Shining Armor at the door all with saddlebags on them! “What the-? Twilight, girls, Princesses, Shining Armor, what are you all doing here?” I asked them all in shock. “You think we’re really gonna let you all go home and face down Void and his virus without us?” Applejack smirked. “Yeah! If you’re going, we’re goin’ with you! Right girls?” Rainbow added. “Oooh! I’m nervouscited!” Pinkie squealed. “You do know that’s not a real word, right?” Applejack questioned her. Oh girls….. They’ve been with us through everything so far… and now they’re gonna help us save our home… “You’ve done so much for Equestria. Now it's’ time for us to return the favor.” Cadence added with a caring smile. “Yeah, I’m not gonna let one of my own go into battle without me.” Shining Armor smirked, looking at Mason. “D-Do you all have your pets with you?” Fluttershy asked everyone. We all nodded and Snow came beside Nicole, who rubbed him happily. “Great…” “Alright everypony, let’s go to the Tree of Harmony.” Celeste said and we all nodded. Wonder what we’ll find once we return home… those shadow creatures that we saw in our dreams before… if our families are even alive after all this time… there are just so many questions… and I hope some of them have happy answers. Finally, we arrived at the Castle of the Two Sisters and we entered the Cave of Harmony where we found Sarah and surprisingly Discord in front of the Tree of Harmony! “Sarah! Discord!” Sarah and Discord turned around, “Hello everypony.” Sarah greeted. “We were wondering when you would show up.” Discord added. “What are you two doing here?” Rainbow asked the two. “Uh hello? Who do you think has the power to get all of you back to Earth?” Discord asked, shocking us. “You two are gonna get us back home?!” I exclaimed to them. Sarah and Discord nodded. “We can combine our powers and open a portal back to our homeland.. Earth. When you’re ready just give the word…” Sarah said. We all looked at each other with a mixture of nervousness, excitement and worry. Who knows what will be on the other side of that portal when we enter it… but… we have to.. For our families. “We’re ready…” the nine of us said together and Sarah and Discord nodded. They joined hands and hoof and Sarah horn glowed very brightly as did the Tree of Harmony. Discord’s eyes glowed white as well and the two blasted two strong beams of magic at the center of the Tree of Harmony where a gigantic portal opened up! Wow….. Sarah and Discord stopped, “Come along now…” Sarah said before she walked through the portal along with Discord. I was still worried… would we ever be able to come back to Equestria again? Can Twilight and the others return once this is all over? What will happen… guess we have to go in to find out. “You heard Sarah, let’s go everypony..” I called them all and they all nodded and we all walked into the portal and were blinded by the bright light. …. …. …. When we opened our eyes…. Oh….my…. God….. the area around us… was almost barren…! We were all on a city street and there were meteors large and small honeycombed all over the streets and area nearby. Houses were completely destroyed, cars were burned down… and there was no sign of life. “Oh my stars..!” Rarity exclaimed. “How horrid!” “Horrid doesn’t even come close to describing this catastrophe..” Luna said, looking grimly at the destruction. “Alright, first we have to find Ren and the others family, so they’ll know they’re alright. Ren. do you know where your family lives?” Twilight asked, looking at Ren. “Oh uh… actually…” I looked around at the area and at the damaged buildings… “I lived right on this street…! MOM! DAD! JONAS! LILLIE!” I immediately bolted towards my house which was a few blocks down. “Wait up, Coral Loodan!” Skye exclaimed from behind. Oh please, tell me they’re still alive. Please, please, please… Ha.. Ha.. Ha.. finally.. My house… Oh… god… About half of the house was destroyed on one side in the front door looking to be busted in. Twilight and the others caught up and followed me inside. “Mom! Dad! Lillie! Jonas!”I called inside of the house, which was ransacked. Probably by the angry mob. The couches in the living room were flipped over, the TV was broken beyond repair where there was a small burning flame in the kitchen which was also destroyed with food all over, the refrigerator flipped on its side and the table smashed to pieces. “I can’t believe your own people would do this..” Applejack said, looking grimly at the destruction. Me either…. “Hey everypony, up here..!” Huh? Sarah? We all heard her voice upstairs and raced up and found her in the hallway where our bedrooms were. I checked all of their bedrooms…. But no sign of them.. “No…” I whispered, fearing the worst. “Newbie what did you find?” Jack asked and Sarah levitated us a small business card. It said. “Davenport Industry…” The rest of the card was burnt so we couldn't read anything else. “Davenport… isn’t that the last names of your two papas, Newbie?” Jack asked. Sarah nodded, “Yeah.. my two papas must have been here.. Too…” “So what does that mean?” Shining Armor asked. “It probably means that either her two papas came and took Ren's family to safety or something else..” Celestia stated. “Okay so where should we go next?” Rainbow asked us all. “I wanna find my gang, Skittles.” Jack stated. “Alright, then, to Austin, Texas, Discord..!” Sarah called. “As you wish, honey.” and with one snap of his fingers, Discord teleported us to Austin, Texas. Jack gasped in shock, seeing his hometown in ruins..! The buildings were barely standing, some were completely gone while others had about half of them destroyed. The meteors were also honeycombed across the entire area. “Dad.. Mom..” he said before he bolted down the road. “Wait up, fatty!” Rainbow called as she flew after him and we all followed. We made it to Jack’s house… or what was left of it. It was in a similar condition to my house. Jack grunted as we all went in search of any sign of his mom or dad. “Mom! Dad!” Jack called but he didn’t get a reply. “Dammit.. Where are they..?” Jack grumbled to himself. “Is there any other place your gang would hang out, Jack?” I asked him. “Y-Yeah, our hideout in the desert..” Jack replied. “One desert teleport, coming up.” Discord said and he snapped his fingers and we were in the desert. “Which way, Jack?” Sarah asked him. “This way…” Jack said and we followed him for about thirty minutes until we came to his gang’s hideout… we saw meteors around the hideout and the Boys! Dad! Mom!” Jack called again, scanning the ground for any sign of where his gang could have gone. “Ugh… there’s nothing here!” he yelled in annoyance and hurt. “Hey! Another card..!” Pinkie Pie called, showing us another card that said ‘Davenport Industry..” “You folks again, Newbie?” Jack questioned. “Indeed.. I remember, one of my papas always made business cards for promotion..” Sarah said looking at the card. “So you think your papas gathered Jack’s parents and gang too?” Twilight inquired. “It’s a possibility..” Sarah said. “But we have to check on their other families too.” “C-Can we c-check on mine.. Please…?” Jamie asked nervously. Sarah nodded, “Of course, Discord..?” “Oooh.. I’m on it..” Discord said and we soon reappeared in Beverly Hills, California. The entire city looked totally desolate and abandoned. Buildings were condemned and cars were in the street either on fire or crushed. Meteors were also honeycombed all over. “So where’s your mansion, Jamie..?” I asked him. “O-Over there..” Jamie pointed to a large building a couple blocks away. We all raced over and Jamie was the first to enter his mansion. “I-I remember.. One of my sisters Molly, saying something about a emergency bunker..” Jamie said. Emergency Bunker? Hmmm…. “I think I found it…!” Applejack called, pointing to a small hatch in the floor. I opened it and Celestia and Luna lit their horns and we followed them inside. The bunker looked like any other bunker I’ve seen; having some food and water… but.. There was dust everywhere, meaning someone hasn't been in here for years. Rarity coughed at the dust, “Goodness… whoever used to be in here, isn’t not here anymore..” “Oh….” Jamie said with worry. “Hey.. another one of Sarah’s fathers’ business cards. They must have been here too, Jamie.” Twilight said, showing us another business card. Jamie sighed in relief, hoping his big family was alright. “Kaede… what about you…?” Sarah asked, earning a surprised look from Kaede, “Do you wanna see your family..?” “Eh… no thanks… they never really cared about me in the first place so… they probably won’t now..” Kaede said sadly. Oh Kaede…. “Um.. Discord.. Can we go see if Elena and our family is okay?” Mason questioned Discord. “Rightio..!” and he suddenly teleported us to England in front of a large castle like-home. “That’s where we lived with Elena and the Ortega Family..” Carrie said. Mason nodded and we carefully walked through the destroyed gates, seeing the other meteors around the area. Mason carefully opened the door, which fell off of its hinges and onto the ground. “Woah….” Mason said with grief, seeing the extensive damage done to the inside of the castle. It was totally ransacked. “Elena! Cartar! Isla!” Mason called out but he didn’t get any response. “Let’s get searching there must be something here..” Twilight said and we all agreed and searched every inch of the castle… but we didn’t find anything as to where the Ortega family could have gone too. “Find anything..?” I called as we all regrouped. “Nothing..” Twilight said sadly. “I just found another one of my papas business cards..” Sarah said. “This can’t be just a coincidence…” “You think you're papas took all of our families to safety, Sarah?” Kaede asked. “Hmm… they were both geniuses, so they would probably have been prepared for an apocalypse like situation. There is a high chance, but the question is where exactly did they take everyone who managed to survive all of this…?” “It would have to be someplace where few people would know about.” Luna said. “Indeed sister. The hiding place would have to be hidden extremely well for them to survive this long..” Celestia said. “The question is where..?” Suddenly, a bright glow came and we saw Astral Twilight once more. “The Tree of Harmony?” Twilight gasped in awe. “Hello everyone….” she greeted. “What are you doing here?” I asked it. “I am here to guide you to where your families are located..” she said. What?! “Y-You know where my papas took them to?” Sarah asked her mentor. Astral Twilight nodded, “Yes Sarah. I can teleport you all there so you can reunite with them..” she stomped her hoof and she teleported us all to an extremely large, barren field. There were no sign of plant or animal life anywhere! “Oh my goodness…!” Fluttershy gasped in horror, seeing no animals or plants near and far. Astral Twilight started to walk away from us and she turned to us, “Follow me…” We all looked at each other but we trusted the Tree of Harmony through the barren land for almost an hour.. “Does anypony else notice that we haven’t ran into those shadow creatures?” Rainbow asked. “That’s the only good thing about this, Skittles.” Jack claimed. “I must agree with Jack.” Nicole said. “This is the only upside to our.. Destroyed world…” I have to agree with Nicole… no shadow creatures, that’s the only thing good about this.. I mean.. All our homes are gone and our families are… God knows where… Then, Astral Twilight stopped at something…a small hatch? “What the hell..?” Jack asked. Then, she turned to us… “What you seek.. lies beneath you all…” Astral Twilight said. Lies beneath us..? “The rest is up to you all now… keep hope and light in your hearts and you will succeed in restoring you home.” Astral Twilight then stomped her hoof and sent a beam at Sarah and made her glow…. And turn into her real form.. A human. As a human, Sarah was 18 years old with long, black, shoulder length hair with a rainbow stripe in the center of it, just like her mane did. She wore a white shirt with an alicorn on it and she wore jeans and a pair of black sneakers. All in all… she looked… hot. “Wow…. nice look, Newbie…” Jack stated. Sarah nodded at him. “Thanks..” She then bent down and knocked on the hatch. We waited for a minute before it moved and opened a little and pair of eyes appeared and asked, “Who are you…?” Sarah grinned at the voice, “.... Dad…” The pair of eyes widened and the hatch opened some more… revealing Donald Davenport..! “S-Sarah….” he said in shock. Sarah smiled and tears started to come out, “Daddy…” Donald teared up and the two of them hugged each other with such joy and relief. “I-I thought you were gone forever…” Donald said to her. “It’s okay dad…. We’re home…” Sarah said. Donald then wiped his tears and saw the rest of us. “Ren, Jack, Rantaro, Nicole, Jamie, Skye, Carrie, Mason, Kaede and…. Several… ponies..?” Donald stated. “They’re a long story…” I said to him, pointing at Twilight and the others. “So… can we come in…?” “Of course… your families have been waiting for all of you…” Donald said and she climbed back down the hatch, “Come on..” he called. Sarah was the first one to climb down while Twilight and the others either flew or were carried down into the hatch as we all followed Donald. When we made it to the ground we all saw a gigantic metal cave that looked like some kind of lab.. Kinda. There was a cyber desk and some screens on one side while the other side contained some beds. There were about five more tunnels that extended from the center. “What the hell is this place?” Rantaro asked. “This… is where the ones who survive now live until we can find a way to end this crisis.” Donald said. I was amazed by this. Donald and his brother created this entire… underground world? "Amazing..." Shining Armor gasped in awe. "Yeah." Twilight added. "Uh... Donny....?" Huh? Is that? We turned and we saw his brother, Douglas Davenport coming into the main room, "Who are the ponies?" Sarah smiled and walked over to her second father, "Hi daddy..." Sarah grinned. "Sarah.... is that you...? You're a pony too..?" Douglas asked in awe. Sarah nodded and Douglas smiled and bend down and the two shared a hug with each other. Awww.... finally... Sarah's reunited with her family again. "H-How did you get here?" Douglas asked. "We started searching for our families at our houses which were completely or almost destroyed by the meteors and we found your business cards at each house, so we figured you guys took them somewhere safe." I explained to them. "Ha! And you said that was a stupid thing to do." Donald bragged, earning a sigh from his brother. "Anyway, we were all lead here to this... underground sanctuary.." I finished and asked the dreaded question.. "So.... are our families... here?" Donald and Douglas looked at each other and nodded, "Follow us.." Donald said and he and his brother went down the first tunnel to the far right. Me and the others looked at each other with worry as we followed the duo down the metal hallway. We all came out to a fork that held three large doors on the far side. Donald went over to the first large door, "Your families are in here..." Donald said before he cracked the door open. "Everyone.... I have something for you all..." Donald called out. I held my breath as a large group of about 50 people came out of the room and when they laid their eyes at us, their eyes widened as well as our own... J-Jonas... Lillie... Mom... Dad....! T-They were all here.... Our families... we here....! I...I couldn't believe it.... t..they were all here... "Mom... Dad... Jonas... Lillie..." I gently called. Third Person POV "R-Ren...." Ren's father gaped in utter shock while his mother started shedding tears, "Y-You're alive...!" Ren, himself shed tears at that moment, "I-I am..." he said. Ren's father, mother, Jonas and Lillie all rushed towards him and he rushed towards them and they came into one heartwarming group hug, shedding tears of joy. Fluttershy couldn't help but shed tears of her own at her boyfriends reunion with his family after all this time. Jamie's 30 sisters bombarded him with hugs, kisses and look overs while Jamie tried to calm them all down. "Girls, girls, I'm alright.. r-really..?" Jamie stammered to make them back off a little. "Jamie, what happened to you.." one of his elder sisters, Karli, asked him. "It's a very, very long story..." Twilight said as she came up to him, much to the girls surprise. "Whose the purple pony, Jamie?" one of his younger sisters, Lilly, asked him. "T-This is Princess Twilight Sparkle... she's my... girlfriend.." Jamie replied with a blush. "Girlfriend?!" His 30 sisters squealed with joy before they bombared him and Twilight with congratulations and hugs. Jack, meanwhile, reunited with his father, Ryutaro Yamaki, and his mother, Midori Yamaki. "Oh honey, we're so happy you're back.." Midori said with tears in her eyes. Ryutaro patted him on the back, "Now where did you get off to all this time?" he asked. "It's a long story... dad...." Jack stated as Rainbow Dash came over, "Relax, I've been keeping an eye on, fatty." "I'm not fat! I'm husky, Skittles!" Jack exclaimed at the rainbow haired pegasus but before the two could get into another argument. "Uh... whose the floating horse?" one of Jack's gang members said. "HEY! I'm no horse! I'm a pony! A pegasus pony, bub!" Rainbow exclaimed at him. "I see you picked a spirited one, my boy.." Ryutaro smirked at his son. "We are not dating.." Jack and Rainbow deadpanned at him but Midori squealed, "Aww... my son finally found himself someone to love..." "MOOOOOM!" Jack whined with a blush on his face. Mason and Carrie, on the other hand, were reunited with the Olena Royal Family. "Elena...." Mason smiled with joy. "Oh Mason, Carrie, thank goodness you're alright..." Elena said with joy as she hugged the two of them. Carter and Isla cme up to the siblings with tears in their eyes, "We were heartbroken when we thought the worst had happened to you, but now you both are alive and safe and sound." Hugo, Mason's rival just sighed irritably, "Great, he's back.." "Excuse me, young man but you should be grateful Mason and Carrie are well and safe." Rarity scolded him. "And what are you suppose to be?" Hugo questioned. "I am a unicorn, by the name of Rarity and I would apperciate it if you would treat my Mason with respect..!" she exclaimed at him, shocking Carter and Isla. "Mason... whose is that...?" Carter asked. "That is Lady Rarity, she's a very good friend of mine along with the others. And she's.... my girlfriend now.." Mason explained with a blush. "Girlfriend?" Elena questioned and Rarity came over, "Afraid so, darling. Mason loved you deeply when he was in this world but when a horrible creature named Void said that he unleashed his Virus on Earth, he thought the worse had happened to you." she explained. "When Void turned me into an evil creature, Mason's love helped me break away from his control..." Elena smiled at the pair as Rarity nuzzled Mason and Mason rubbed her mane happily. Kaede was approached by her two step-sisters and step-mother. Kaede glared at the three humans who treated her like servant when she was here, but... it softened seeing remorse and guilty faces. "H-Hey... Kaede.... you're.... well..." her Step mother stated. "Uh... yeah..." Kaede said before the three of them just walked away from her, much to her confusion. Skye was approached by her parents who were about 6'1. Her mother had red hair that went down to her shoulders and she wore an army green camo shirt with army patterned pants and shoes. Her father had short hair, like Donald and he was wearing army jeans with a lime green shirt as well. "Skye, our dear daughter." "You're safe." they both smiled as they hugged their daughter, who hugged them back. Rantaro.... was approached by an adult man who wore a fedora like he did and he had a small beard as well. He wore a white shirt underneath his black jacket and he wore black jeans and shoes as well. He matched the photo that Rantaro had in his phone. "...... Hi dad...." Rantaro stated. Rantaro's father, Carl, looked at his son, "H-Hi son.....you've grown up...." Rantaro just nodded. After that, everyone gathered around and Sarah explained to them, the new arrivals, "These ponies are from Equestria, where Ren and all the others, including myself were teleported to. The four alicorns are Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight. Celestia and Luna are the Rulers of Equestria while Cadence is the Ruler of the Crystal Empire along with her husband, Shining Armor. Twilight is the Princess of Friendship and these are her friends; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. And this is Discord, one of the three fathers who created me." Ren and the others families were amazed to see the ponies and Discord in the flesh. "Unbelievable.." Ren's father replied in awe. "So.... what happened to you... all of you were presumed dead after that explosion at the lab..?" Donald questioned. "I can explain..." A familiar voice came and appeared Astral Twilight. "WOAH! Whose the sparkling...?" Ryutaro questioned. "That is Astral Twilight.. otherwise known as the Tree of Harmony, a powerful tree that keeps control of the Everfree forest in our world. It is also Sarah's surrogate mother.." Luna explained, much to her papas, save for Discords', shock. "Indeed. After the explosion I teleported all of them here where they all rested for 1,000 years, through to you all it might have been two or three years since then. During that time, I sent Sarah on her journey to spread light and hope to defeat her brother Void and guide Ren and the other humans in the right direction. Sarah's final battle with Void came and in the end, Sarah destroyed him, making sure his evil powers would never set forth in the world again and Ren and the others, save for Skye, Rantaro and Nicole, had unlocked their hidden powers that the meteorites and Sarah gave to them all. Together, they all shall finish Void's Dusk-7 Virus once and for all. So that you all can live in peace once more." "But.. how...?" Douglas asked. "We've tried everything but nothing works against those Dusk-7 monsters. They're too strong." "Only because they feed off of hopelessness and despair; emotions of dark. Only when countered by the emotions of light; hope and love, can they all be defeated once and for all and your planet shall be free once more...." And with that Astral Twilight disappeared. "Hope and love...?" Donald asked. "Two very powerful emotions that can make great good happen." Princess Celestia said. "I've seen the Magic of Love and the Magic of Hope first hoof cause of my niece and Sarah. They both defeated great enemies using their magic and I believe that together with the Elements of Harmony, we can all free your land from this Dusk-7 Virus." Ren and the others families looked at each other with hope in their eyes now. "So... how can we spread out that much magic across the entire planet?" Douglas asked. "Alicorn Magic is extremely powerful, able to accomplish things Unicorn Magic cannot do. Combined with the Elements of Harmony, Twilight and her friends along with Ren and the others shall rid your planet of the virus that has plagued it for so long." Celestia said before she opened her saddlebag and revealed all of the Elements of Harmony. Jamie's 30 sisters cooed in awe at the magical artifacts as Celestia placed them on their respective wielders. Donald and Douglas went to the computers and did a scan of the whole planet. "Alright... the entire planet is suffering from the virus, except for our little patch of land.." Donald said. "You'll have the expel a whole lot of magic for it to reach the entire planet." "Count on it.." Rainbow exclaimed. Twilight and the others nodded. "Alright then.... let's do it.." Donald smiled. Sarah peeked out of the hatch door and saw nothing for miles. No Dusk-7 creatures. "It's clear.." she said and she levitated herself out of the hatch and Twilight and all of the others followed, including Ren and the others families and all the other people who had managed to survive the disaster which was about 100 people, excluding the families. Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, Cadence, Ren, Jamie, Jack, Mason, Carrie and Kaede stood in a large circle with Sarah in the center. Sarah closed her eyes and her Element of Faith glowed brightly and she levitated into the air. Her Element sent out magical lines that attached themselves to Twilight and the others hearts. Twilight and the others levitated into the air as well with their Elements of Harmony glowing, Cadence activated her magic and Ren and the others activated their power. They formed a large circle in the air around Sarah and they shined very brightly as they were consumed in a giant bubble filled with the Magic of Love and Hope. The large amount of magic spread and touched every part of the world, destorying any Dusk-7 virus infected monsters from the world, restoring the world to when humans didn't arrive on the planet. Vast fields, forest, rainforest, savannahs, arctic lands, swamps, marshes, everglades. It was all restored to it former glory and all of the animals were brought back to life as well, having unfortunately perished in the disaster. Finally, the crushed and demolished buildings and cars disappeared and the destroyed city was replaced with vast fields and forests. Ren and the others families as well as the people were gawked at the restoration of their homeworld and the Princesses and Discord smiled proudly as the group levitated down and took a look at the aftermath of their powers. The people cheered proudly as the blue skies were finally back and their world was finally free. Sarah and the Mane Six powered down their Elements and Cadence and the others stopped their magic. "Holy crap baskets...." Ren gasped. "It's like we were never here.... the wide open fields... the forests... we restored it to a time when humans didn't arrive... when the world belonged to the animals.." Kaede gasped, seeing the vast number of wild animals roaming the fields and forests. "Incredible...." Ren's mother gasped in awe. "Looks like... we all to start rebuilding civilization..." Donald gasped in awe. Ren and the others were happy that their world was fully restored to it former glory and beauty. "So... Ren... everyone.... are you... gonna stay here..?" Twilight popped the question to all of them. Ren and the others looked at each other. They finally had their family back and their former home was restored... but... they had another family in Equestria... with Twilight and the others.. there was so much to explore in Equestria. "How about I just give you nine these...?" Discord smiled and he snapped his fingers and gave Ren and the others special bracelets. "What are these for..?" Ren asked Discord. "One touch and they'll allow you to return here so you can be with your families whenever you want to." Discord smiled and Ren and the others smiled. "Thank you Discord..!" Ren exclaimed and Discord smiled. "Of course.." Discord smiled. "So.... everyone wanna start over...?" Donald asked everyone and they all cheered happily. Epilogue.... Chapter 4: A Boyfriend for SarahRen's POV "Okay, just hold still Kodiak..." Just one more spot and it's finally complete. We spent all morning to noon time at the pool before drying off and began doing other activities, and this is one of them which I suggested. Painting, obviously. I was busy painting a portrait of Kodiak and I was nearly done. The others in the meantime were in the living room minding their own business. Kaede and Rarity talking about fashion while Mason stood next to them with his eyes closed in deep thought. Jack, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were having an arm wrestling competition with either showing off their brute strength, Twilight and Jamie were taking notes with each other on facts between their two worlds, Fluttershy was near me watching me paint which I didn't mind while Rantaro and Nicole were busy minding their own business sitting down on the couches with bored looks, well I don't know about Nicole because she just has that neutral look on that face like she isn't showing any fear at all. But I was almost done with Kodiak's portrait. Just need the final touch of it and...boo-yeah! "Done!" "About time!" Kodi sighed in relief as he gotten out of his pose and walked over to the portrait, seeing it him with a bright smile with his tongue out as he looked at the sky upwards. "Ooh, I look good!" The others, except Rantaro and Nicole, stopped what they were doing and came over to see my portrait, impressing them with my artwork while they felt amazed by its designs. "You can say that again!" Kaede complimented. "You know Ren, your art skills are really improving." "You think so?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. "It looks so peaceful." Fluttershy smiled before asking "So have you been selling any artwork lately?" "Not much, but I know that one day that a bunch of ponies are gonna come in and admired by artwork." I assured with a grin. "You sure have a lot of confidence there partner." Applejack smiled, admiring a bit of my confidence. "Well I wouldn't say 'confidence', I would say 'optimistic'." I shrugged before hearing loud knocking on the door. "Huh, now what?" Jack asked irritably as we walked over to the door, only to be met by no one. "Huh?" Jack looked down and saw a bouquet of flowers with a note attached to it. He picked them up and brought them in. "What's with the flowers?" I asked. "I don't know, they were just left on the doorstep." Jack stated. "Hey, what's with the note?" Kaede asked. She went over and read the note: To the one who shines above all the rest, Sarah "Uh.... so,,,, what exactly does this mean exactly?" Sarah asked confused at to what the note protrayed. "Isn't it obvious darling?" Rarity cooed. Sarah blinked twice, "What's obvious?" "Sarah, you've been getting flowers and chocolates for the past week and now you've got a little note. You serious don't know what this means?" I asked her incredelously. "No.... I don't...." Sarah said blankly, causing some of us to comically fall down. She cannot be serious... but then again, she was raised a in a top secret lab by scientists, Nicole and Discord, so I guess I can't exactly blame her not knowing everything that we know. "It means you have a secret admirer darling~" Rarity sang. "What's that?" Sarah exclaimed. "A secret admirer?" I added. "Is bascially someone who really really likes you and wants to go out with you on a date, but they're too scared to come out and say it to your face so they use things like flowers, chocolates and notes to express their feelings." "Oh....." "Now who could be your secret admirer?" Applejack asked. "I don't know, the note doesn't have a name on it." Kaede stated. "So how are we gonna find out whose Sarah's secret admirer?" Rainbow questioned. "We'll just have to wait until he sends something else." Mason said. "Yeah, so I can tell him to back off!" Jack exclaimed. "Jack!" Kaede scolded. "Hey, I'm her father. That's my job!" Donald stated. "Big D!" Kaede scolded again. Oh boy, Jack and Big D are in their 'protect Sarah' modes and that can't be good.. for the admirer. I forgot to tell you Donald and Douglas decided to come back with us after we freed Earth from the Dusk-7 Virus along with Tasha. They decided that it was time they spent some more time with Sarah to make up for the years of absence. "Donny, let the girl have some first love." Douglas said, coming to his side. "It'll be good for her." "But what if he's bad news?" Donald questioned. "Now, now you two, we don't know exactly what kind of boy this admirer is. We should wait to see what kind of boy is Sarah's admirer before you two go and knock him into next week." Nicole explained. Jack and Big D sighed and agreed with me. "Fine." "Good." I said. "Now we wait." The Next Day I was walking with Sarah through with Kodiak and Pikachu by our side. "So whose this secret admirer I've been hearing about?" Kodi teased. Sarah rolled her eyes with a small blush. "Kodi, I told you we don't know who he is." "All that we know is that he likes Sarah." I pointed out. That's when Sarah turned around, "Oh, hello." We all turned to see a male stallion. A quite handsome stallion at that. He was a unicorn and he had light golden fur and a slick black mane and tail and his cutie mark was a picture of a wolf. He was blushing while holding another bouquet of flowers in his magic. "Umm.. hello.. Queen Sarah. Hehehe." he greeted nervously. "Hi, I'm guessing you're my secret admirer?" Sarah asked. The stallion nodded and levitated the flowers to her. "T-These are for you." Sarah smiled, "Thank you." "So.. um.. Queen Sarah... i-if you h-have some free time... um... would you.. um... go out with me?" the stallion asked, rubbing his leg. Sarah grinned at the stallion. "Yes, I'll go on a date with you... um.. I didn't get your name." "M-My name! I-It's Aura Moon." "Aura Moon." The stallion smiled happily. "I-I'll come by at six." "I'll be waiting." Sarah said and the stallion walked away happily. "Looks like someone has a date tonight." I teased. Sarah smiled. "I guess I do." Then Kodi's ears perked up, "What is it boy?" I asked. He walked over to a rather large bush. Wait. That bush was not here before. I pulled apart the bush to reveal. "Girls, Jack, Douglas, Big D! What are you doing in there?" It was true. The girls, Jack, Douglas and Big D were wearing bush hats while crouching in the bush. "Umm... nothing." Twilight said. "Spying on Sarah to see her admirer." Applejack admitted. "Applejack!" Rarity scolded. "Hey, I'm the Element of Honesty. I never tell a lie!" Applejack defended. "We just wanted to make sure the stallion is right for newbie." Jack said. "Yeah, pretty boys like him either want her for her money or popularity." Big D added. "Guys, he was stammering when he was asking her out on a date.." Kodi pointed out. "He stammered more than Jamie and acts as shy as Fluttershy. I don't think he's the kind of guy to deceive Sarah." "He asked you out?!" Douglas exclaimed. "Yes, she's going out at six tonight." Kodiak smiled. Rarity and Kaede squealed again. "Oh, we must get you ready for your big day!" Rarity levitated Sarah in her magic. "To my boutique!" and the girls rushed off with a bewildered Sarah in Rarity's magical grasp. "Hey! Wait!" We all sweat dropped as they left. "What the fudge was that about?" Jack asked. "Just girls getting her ready for her date." Douglas said. "Hmm... I don't know there's something about that stallion that I don't like. I just feel it." Big D said. "Donny, relax. If Sarah wants to go out on a date then let her." "Oh look whose talking you never dated anyone beside a computer program!" "Hey Data Stream was the love of my life." "You were in love with a computer program?" Kodi asked in a deadpan voice. "That's sad. And I don't even have a date." Jack stated. "Oh gee, I wonder why?" Rantaro said. "Maybe it's because you fat and aggressive." A tick mark appeared on Jack's head. "Hey! Watch it! Before I beat you down!" he exclaimed. "Boys, calm down." Mason scolded. "Fighting is not gonna solve anything." Jack growled and turned away from Rantaro. "So what do we do now?" he asked. "What else? Go see how the girls are doing with Sarah." Douglas stated. We all looked at each other and shrugged. We went to Carousal Boutique and I knocked on the door. "Come in!" Rarity's singing voice came. We entered the boutique. "Hey Girls, where's Sarah?" I asked. Rarity and Kaede snickered. "Come on out darling." Rarity called and out came Sarah wearing a gorgeous dress. It was hot pink and yellow with curles on the ends and near her waist. She had a hot pink belt around her waist and she was wearing golden shoes as well. As Rarity would say, she looked smashing. We were all jaw dropped at her. She had her hair in a bun and she was wearing a golden star pink behind her ear and was still wearing her crown. "So.. how do I look?" She asked nervously. "You look..... Awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed. "You look fine, sugarcube." Applejack stated. "You're gonna knock his hooves off when he sees you." Sarah blushed a little. "Hehehe." Big D and Jack approached her, "You'll be careful tonight, honey?" Big D asked. "Yes dad. I'll be fine." "Are you sure, newbie?" Jack inquired. Sarah giggled, "Yes, how about this, I bring Pikachu and Zoura with me. They can watched over me and Aura Moon." Big D and Jack looked at each other and nodded, then they turned back to Sarah. "Alright.. they can go." Sarah smiled and hugged her dad and Jack. "Thank you." "Now let's take this dress off, Sarah. You have four hours till your date." Kaede said. Sarah nodded and she and Kaede went in the back. Big D and Jack sighed. "She'll be fine, you two." Mason said. "I know, I know, it's just .... sigh." Big D said. "She's growing up so fast." "I know and she'll be fine on her own." I reassured. Big D and Jack still looked unsure about this. Even with their confident looks I could feel something was bothering at them from within. POV Ends Four hours had passed and it was time for my date. Rarity dropped off my dress at my castle and six o'clock and at 5:30pm I got ready for my date. Ren and the everyone else came to see me off. After I got my dress on it was five minutes to six o'clock. "So where is he taking you for your date?" Pinkie asked. "It's nothing too big, we're just gonna go to Sugarcube Corner." I answered. Rarity gasped happily, "Awww.... that's so sweet." Jack scoffed. "Cheap bastard." "Jack, we don't know if he's wealthy or not. Don't make assumptions." Mason scolded. Jack growled and crossed his arms across his chest. "Still." Knock Knock Knock "Eeeeeee! He's here!" Pinkie squealed. Ren opened the door and Aura Moon walked in wearing a tuxedo with golden ampules and black shoes on. "H-Hello P-Princess... r-ready to go?" Aura asked nervously. I nodded, "I'm ready. Pikachu, Zoura, come on!" Pikachu and Zoura leaped onto my shoulders. Aura Moon didn't mind them at all. In fact, he found them kinda cute. Either way, we both headed out and we walked to Sugarcube Corner. Aura opened the door and let me go in first, like a gentlemen. After that, Aura went to the counter where Ms. Cake was present. "Hello, what can I get you?" she asked. "Two p-pieces of cake and a m-milkshake please." Aura said, stammering a little bit. "Coming right up." We went over to our seats and sat down. Pikachu and Zoura leaped onto the table. "So Aura Moon, how long have you been living in Ponyville?" I asked him. "Actually I don't live in Ponyville." Aura replied. "Then where do you live?" Aura rubbed his hooves nervously, "It's complicated." That's when Ms. Cake came up with our order. "Here you go." I noticed the milkshake had two straws in it. I saw Ms. cake giving me a wink as she walked away, making her blush a little. I picked up my fork and I started eating the cake. "So Aura, what kind of spells do you know?" "Umm... only basic spells like levitation and transfiguration, things like that." Aura replied. We both stared at the milkshake wanting a drink but... "... Y-You can drink first." Aura stammered. "N-No you go first." I replied. "No you." "No you." "How about we do it... together?" "O-Okay." We both slowly moved towards the straws and we closed our eyes and took a sip out of the milkshake. When we were done we removed our lips from the straws and opened out eyes. We looked at each other blushing and giggled. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see three bruly looking stallions. They were all wearing biker outfits like Jacks. One stallion had a Mohawk and a scar over his left eye. The second one had a short hair and scratches on his face and the last one was wearing jewelry on his ear and he also had a scare on his eye but it was his right eye and not his left. The three of them came over to our table, making Aura flinch a little. "Hey there little lady?" the leader stallion started. "You wanna go out with me?" I could smell his bad breath and it almost made me throw up but I held it in. "Sorry. uh.. boys, but I already have a date." I replied. Aura then stood up and gently grabbed my hand. Pikachu and Zoura leaped onto my shoulders again. He took me outside and the three stallions followed, "Come on S-Sarah, let's g-go back to the home-ship." The three stallions' eyes widened at the word 'castle'. "Sarah? As in Queen Sarah?!" the second stallion exclaimed. "Umm.. yes." I said nervously. I saw the boys smiling at each other and then they turned to me with devious smirks. Aura came in front of me. "Stay away from her!" Aura exclaimed. The two following stallions laughed. "No can do, whimp. This Queen is coming with us." The leader stallion stated. All three of the ponies suddenly changed into large black wolves! Holy! I did not see that coming at all! Okay... now I'm scared. "And there's nothing you can do about it." the leader wolf said. Hmm... reminds me of the telepathy ability from pokemon. Aura stared at the wolves intensely as they circles us. I whimpered a little and I heard Aura suddenly growling like a dog and his eyes turned red. "Aura?" (Skip to 1:00) Just then, he instantly turned into a large wolf with light brown fur. He was growled and he roared at the three stallions as he stood in front of me. This was so unexpected. I did not expect my date to turn into a wolf to defend me! Aura pounced onto the leader wolf which was twice the size as the other two wolves. The two wolves bit each other and slashed each other with their claws ferociously. The other two wolves came charging in. "Aura!" I cried. Aura saw them coming and launched himself at them, knocking them both to the ground. Grass flung into the air as the three wolves fought viciously. Finally, Aura clawed the two wolves in the face, nearly scratching their eyes, making them blind. The wolves backed off as the lead wolf approached. "Stay away from the Princess." Aura demanded with a snarl. The lead wolf snarled. "This isn't over." he declared and he and his followers ran away into the night. Aura changed back into his pony self and walked up to me. "Are you okay Sarah?" he asked. "Y-Yeah, I'm good." I replied. "Holy...!" Me and Aura turned around to see Ren, the others, the Mane 6 and my dads staring at us with shocked, surprised and amused expressions. "... Looks like the cat's out of the bag now." Arua said nervously. "Hehehe." Ren's POV Holy cow! What did we just see?! Aura literally changed into a wolf! This so reminds me of Twilight: New Moon! Aura is Jacob! Oh my God! Okay.. okay.. sigh... calm down Ren. Let's just ask him a few questions so we can find out more about him." "Alright you little... changing.. bastard. Why didn't you tell us you could change into a wolf?" Jack interrogated. Aura flinched a little under Jack, Douglas and Big D's stares. "Because if I told you then I feared my pack would hear about this." "Your pack?" I asked. "Yes. I live in a clan of ponies who are... like me. And it's against our pack law to date a human." Aura explained. "But why are you dating Sarah?" Carrie asked. "Since Sarah was an artificial human, its technically a loophole in dating an artificial human, so I can date her." Aura added. "Okay but who were those other ponies?" Mason questioned. "They're... part of my pack. They think since they're bigger and stronger they can date the better female, which in this case is Sarah." "So you fought them to keep her to yourself?" I inquired. Aura nodded. Jack crossed his arms over his chest as did Douglas and Big D. Aura looked at them nervously. "... Well..." Douglas started. "Since it's clear you're not a dirty bastard I guess you're okay in my book." Jack claimed. "Really?" Aura asked. "Yeah. You did protect Sarah which is what we always try to do when something happens. Now we know she'll have someone to protect her when we can't be there." Big D said. Aura and Sarah smiled. He hugged her father and Jack. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." she said. The three boys laughed. "Your welcome, honey." Douglas said. The rest of us smiled at the loving scene. "So what do we do now?" Ren asked. "Your date was ruined by those three stallions." Kaede added. Rarity suddenly came up to Sarah. "I have just the thing." and she dragged her out of the home-ship. "Woah!" "Hey!" Aura cried. All of us followed the two females to Rarity's boutique where we saw a small round table with a blue cloth and two lit candles on it. There were two plates with a simple steak and mashed potatoes dinner. "Uhhh, what's going on here?" I asked. Rarity levitated Aura over and placed him in one of the chairs and Sarah in the other. "Consider this a date do-over." Rarity said. Sarah and Aura were speechless but they did blush at one another. "Now, now, everyone let's give these two some privacy." Rarity said as she shooed us out of the shop and let Sarah and Aura have their date do-over in peace. Chapter 5: Trade YaSarah's POV As we were just arriving at Rainbow Falls, Pinkie couldn't help but squeal out loud from the window in excitement. "Ahhhh! Yes! Best day ever!" She pulled herself away from the window and looked at us. "We're all going to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange!" At that moment, the train came to a stop and began letting ponies out. Applejack was the first one to walk out so she could get her cart out of the way. Outside, she began making sure everything that belonged to the others was inside of the cart. As for the others, they were able to stretch their legs on the platform next to the train while Pinkie Pie continued to jubilantly talk. "And not just going – we're accompanying a Queen and Princess on an official royal duty!" She mentioned us as Twilight was retrieving her box of books. "Please, it's not that big of a deal." Twilight brushed off lightly, as well as hinting back at her dislike of being treated more than any other pony. "There always has to be a princess at the Exchange." She explained as we began walking towards the main part of Rainbow Falls. "Last year was Princess Cadence. This year it's Sarah and Me. It's just a formality. I'm sure none of the other ponies will even notice we're here." We suddenly heard a large cheer of a crowd. On the other side of the tunnel, a banner unfurled before us as confetti immensely dropped from above. "Wow, look over there! It's the prince and princess!" One of the ponies from the crowd shouted out. "Oh, this is amazing!" Another exclaimed. The unexpected festivities left mostly Twilight paralyzed in surprise. While I was pretty startled as well, it didn't affect me as much. "Could be wrong…but…" Applejack began to say. "I think it's still pretty new to them." She mentioned with a teasing and slightly smug grin. Twilight laughed nervously as she forced herself to place on a welcoming and thankful grin for the crowd. After managing to share the endurance of all that attention, Twilight and I were able to have a breather once we pulled out of that mess. It was more of a mental mess, not a physical mess, to clarify. "Hold on a second." Applejack brought up. "You said there always has to be a princess at the Exchange. Why does it have to be the both of you this year?" She questioned. "I thought it would be something like you being this year and Sarah being next year." "Yeah and Sarah is a Queen so that would mean only you have to be at the exchange." Ren pointed out as well, he was holding some mint comic books in his hands. "Well, Sarah and I both agreed that we are a team." Twilight almost proudly recalled. "Whatever we're tasked with, we both talk over and make a choice together. The both of us are just as important as each other." She clarified, glancing over to me. "Ooh." Applejack understood. "Oh, my goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed at the sight of what appeared to be a cupid bunny that was coincidentally pointing a heart arrow at both Fluttershy and me. "You said it!" Rarity exchanged, observing herself wear an elegant hat in a mirror. "The Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange is simply divine. You can get anything you want here!" "I can see.." Kaede said, looking at a beautiful flora hat. "If'n you got the goods to trade for it." Applejack made an almost doubting point. Nevertheless, Rarity completed her trade for another hat and joined us back in the group. Ren and the others had some stuff to trade for the exchange as well and I had my saddlebag with me with some things that I would want to trade. Snowflake, Pikachu and Zoura joined me for the exchange today. After a few seconds, we heard something small trip and fall, causing us to look back. "Nooo!" Spike cried out at the sight of something in front of him beginning to make its way to a small muddy puddle. However, Twilight quickly grabbed ahold of it with her magic and returned it back to Spike. "Thanks, Twilight. Whew. One ding, nick or dent, and this Power Ponies comic book wouldn't be in perfect mint condition anymore." He explained his reaction. "And if you want to trade for a mint comic, you gotta have a mint comic." "That's a fact." Ren smiled. "That's nice…" I was only able to comment before ponies caught sight of us and began murmuring in excitement, giving us unneeded attention once again. Twilight quickly trotted to my side, placed a hoof on me, and gestured me with her head that we should get going. Then, she walked in a fast pace while I followed calmly behind. "I guess a pony who's here on official princess business has to expect a little fussin'." Applejack mentioned. "I don't really see why." Twilight wondered as she reached her stand and began preparing her books. "I know we're royalty and all, but all we're supposed to do is settle disagreements over whether a trade is fair or not. And since the rule is that a trade is fair as long as both ponies get what they want, there's never been a disagreement. So there's really no reason for anypony to treat us as anything special." Twilight noticed a small little filly that appeared before us excitedly. "Hi!" She warmly greeted. "Can I help you?" The filly grinned brightly and turned to surprisingly pull out a couple of photos of Twilight and me, appearing to want our autographs. This led Twilight to sigh, pull out a quill, and sign the pictures. "There's a pony here who's got a signed first edition of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue, and I'm gonna get it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed out loud as Twilight did her signing. "I've been able to get first editions of all of the Daring Do books, except this one!" Once Twilight finished, she lent me her quill so I could autograph my signature as well. "Nopony's ever put together a whole set, and I'm gonna be the first! If it hasn't been traded yet... It's the only one in all of Equestria!" The filly couldn't help but hug us both before she hopped off in joy. "So Flutters, what do you have to trade?" Ren asked his girlfriend. "I did want to trade this bear call I've got for a bird whistle…" She pulled out a small wooden whistle from beneath her wing. "Then I'll help you get your bear call whistle." Ren smiled. "Oh, thank you Ren." Fluttershy smiled. "Meanwhile, I'll help Skittles get her puny book." Jack stated. "Great! Let's go!" Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed ahold of Jack dashed out of the area. "Well, I'm off to take a gander at some of the vintage stalls." Applejack mentioned next after pulling her bag out of the cart holding the others' stuff. "Did you say vintage?" Rarity asked in piqued interest and grabbed ahold of her saddlebag to join Applejack on her trot. "Why, old and rare items are so in style right now! I'm hoping to get a vintage item as well…" Her voice trailed off as she grew further away from us. "I'm also off to find a nice piece of minty-ness to exchange for this bad boy." Spike held up his comic before walking off happily. As Twilight removed the last of her books from the box to place on the stand, Pinkie stood behind in a confused state. "Um, shouldn't your Queen and Princessness be headed to the royal box seats?" She asked and pointed towards the other side of the Exchange. "We may be the Queen and Princess on duty, but I don't think that means we have to sit up there all alone doing nothing." Twilight responded. "Ever since I became a princess, Celestia's been sending me more books to read than ever. The library's overflowing, so I figured while we're here, I might as well trade away some books I don't need anymore!" She presented a reasonable point while placing away the cardboard neatly. "Mm-hm!" Pinkie happily agreed. "I guess I should go take a look around too! Bye!" She waved swiftly and bounced off. As Twilight continued carefully angling and perfecting the sight of her books, she turned to me as she still noticed me standing behind her. "If you want, you can go check out the area too. You don't have to stay by me the whole time." "Well... if you're sure." I said. "Yes, Sarah, now go.. this'll be nice for you.." Twilight smiled and I nodded. Snowflake, Pikachu, Zoura and I went off through the exchange to find something that would catch our eyes to trade for. "See anything, you three?" I asked my friends. Pikachu and Zoura looked over the stalls, but didn't see anything that they would like. However, Snowflake suddenly perked up as we approached the Rare Creatures tent. "What is it Snowflake?" I asked and Snowflake walked inside of the tent. It had some lights in it, showing what was inside of the cages. Snowflake came to nine cages specifically and what was inside made us all gasp. Inside the cages..... were dragons like Snowflake...! The first one was about 30 feet long and bipedal but this one had an overbite, nasal horn, a break like upper beak and a tail covered in spines. It had a crown of spikes on its head as well. This dragon was a teal with tints of pink, purple and yellow on its wings and body and it had a pale underbelly. This dragon was known as a Deadly Nadder. The second one was also 30 feet long but it had three tails with stingers on them as well as a set of pincers which made it resemble a scorpion. It also had two ear appendages on its head. This dragon was brownish with orange stripes on its wings and a yellow underbelly. One tail was brown, one was yellow and the other was light yellow. This one was called a Triple Stryke. The third one was about 61 feet long with two pairs of long horns along with double clawed wings, a snake-like neck and a snake-like tail with frills on it. This dragon was a mixture of purple, yellow and magenta and it was known as a Monstrous Nightmare. The fourth dragon was 31 feet long and had two pairs of wings! It’s face had two long spines that branch off their brow to the side and it had a "smashed" face, kind of like an owl. It also had a three-finned tail and also had many spines down their back and a large "crown" on its head. This dragon was blue with dark blue spots. It has shades of lavender and white on its wings, tail and head and it was known as a Stormcutter. The fifth dragon was 20 feet long and a bipedal dinosaur-like dragon with small arms and two claws at the end of each limb. It had a short thick neck and a small head. Its upper jaw resembles a beak of a parrot, while the lower jaw is more round and full of small teeth. It had three spikes on its head, which are asymmetrically placed. It’s wings had a claw on each of them. It had only a few sharp spikes on its back, and it has a long tail that ends with a large fin. This dragon was a darker blue color with red patterns on its back, wings, and tail. Its spikes are also dark blue and it is known as a Titan Wing Dramillion. The sixth dragon was about 66 feet long and had two heads and a split tail. This one was the strangest looking out of all of them. It looked almost like Zweilous only much bigger. This one was a blue-hued green base color with darker splotches over its body and wings. It had a yellow nasal horn and blue leaf-like spines on its necks and back and it was larger compared to the other dragons. This dragon was called a Titan Wing Hideous Zippleback. The seventh dragon was 60 feet long with purple eyes, a horn on snout, sharp spines and spikes on the edge of wings. It also a long, slender neck, as well as metal-like, reflective scales. It has a long ledge on the top of its snout and a short, stumpy one on the bottom. Its body is covered in metal armor with two talons on each foot. The dragon is completely silver and it was called a Razorwhip. The eighth dragon was the most surprising. This dragon looked a lot like Winter, but it was jet black with lighter spots and it had two sets of tail fins; one on the tail and the other near the base of the tail. It looked like the mixture of a cat, dog and gecko. It also appeared to have a rougher texture than Winter. This dragon was known as a Night Fury. "Woah...." All of the nine dragons perked up at the sight of me and warbled happily, "Hey... it's okay you nine, I'll get you out of here.." I vowed to them. "Ah, interested in those nine huh?" a pony running the tent, who was a big earth pony who was brown with an eyepath over his right eye and he wore a bracelet with spikes on its on his front, left hoof said as he came over to me. "I found these nine all trapped in nets. They were injured, but nothing serious, so I brought them here to see if anypony would know where they came from or give them a home." the pony stated. "Well, I would like to trade for these nine, please?" I asked the pony. "Seeing that you have a dragon yourself, I would say yes, but you'll have to give me something very valuable." the pony bargained and I opened my saddlebag and I levitated a large silver diamond out of it. "Like this..?" I asked with a small smile. "Woah...." the pony's eyes sparkled at the big gem. "Exactly like that. It's a trade, Miss..." "Sarah Gem..." "Miss Sarah Gem. These nine are all yours." the pony smiled before he unlocked the cages and let the dragons out. "Looks like you nine found a home afterall." The nine dragons cooed and nuzzled the pony in thanks for caring for them after all this time. They came over to me and Snowflake warbled at us. "It's alright, you nine. I know nine people who would love to have you." I smiled at them and they smiled back. Hehehe.... they're gonna freak when I show them these guys. The Traders exchange was a great experience for me, cause I got some more things. I got a silver sword with a golden handle, a large heart shaped shield and some silver shoes, like Princess Luna's. Many hours passed until it was time for us to go back to Ponyville. We all met at the train station where the group saw what I got. "Awesome, shoes, Newbie." Jack smirked. "Yeah, they look just like Princess Luna's." Twilight added. "And nice sword and shield." "Thanks, but I got a lot more than them." I smirked. "Huh?" Ren asked before I whistled and the eight dragons I got came soaring over the train station and landed in front of all of us. Twilight and the girls gasped in awe and shock while Ren and the others gaped, "No... WAY!" Ren exclaimed, "A Night Fury, Deadly Nadder, Razorwhip, Titan Wing Hideous Zippleback, Monstrous Nightmare, Stormcutter, Triple Stryke and a Titan Wing Dramillion!" "Sarah... where did you get them from?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "At the rare beast tent. I told them I have the perfect home for them." I smiled. "With whom?" Twilight asked and I looked at Ren and the Human Nine whose eyes widened. "No way, Newbie.." Jack breathed. "Yep... these guys are yours..." I presented and Ren cheered, "Awesome! Thanks Sarah!!" "Now based on your personalities I decided that Ren, you get the Night Fury. Mason and Carrie, you get the Stormcutter. Rantaro and Nicole you get the Hideous Zippleback. Jack, you get the Monstrous Nightmare. Skye, you get the Razorwhip, Kaede, you get the Deadly Nadder and Jamie, you get the Triple Stryke." I explained as the respective dragons went to the new riders. "Incredible...!" Kaede gasped, feeling the Nadders snout. The Nadder squawked gently at her. "This is the best gift ever, Newbie." Jack smiled, rubbing his Monstrous Nightmares' snout. "Your welcome. It's... just my way of saying thanks.... for being my friends... through all of this.." I said to them. "Of course, Sarah. You've risked your life many times for us. It's the least we can do." Ren smiled at me and the others nodded. "So.... are you guys gonna take the scenic route back to Ponyville?" Rainbow smirked, looking at the dragons. Ren and the others looked at each other and smiled. I know the answer to that. "WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!" Ren exclaimed as he and his Night Fury divebombed below and shot back up at the speed of light. "R-Ren.. c-careful..!" Fluttershy exclaimed holding onto Ren tightly. Ren giggled, "Relax Flutters, this is fun!" "Hell yeah!" Jack exclaimed on his Monstrous Nightmare as it lit himself on fire and breathed out a stream of it. "Hahah! This is awesome, you maggots! Now I really am the General!" Skye exclaimed from her Razorwhip who roared happily for its new rider. "This is... different.." Nicole said, holding on to the left Zippleback's horns as Rantaro held onto the right horns. "Yeah...." Rantaro stated. "T-This is great...!" Jamie and Twilight smiled as they rode on the Triple Stryke. "This dragon is simply divine, just like my Spikey Wikey and Mason." Rarity smiled as she and Kaede rode on her Deadly Nadder. "Aww... thanks..." Mason blushed as he, Carrie, Pinkie and Applejack rode on the Stormcutter dragon happily. "Hahaha, who wants to race back to the home-ship?" I called, from Snowflake's back and everyone cheered, accepting the challenge and we all raced back to Ponyville, with our new dragon friends in tow. To Be Continued... Chapter 6: Crystal Princess EsteemSarah's POV One day, Twilight, Ren, Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Mason, Carrie, Kade, Skye and I were at the Crystal Empire. Twilight and Cadence did their childhood dance together. “Sunshine Sunshine, ladybug awake, Clap your hooves and do a little shake.” They hugged each other and Cadence said, “It’s been too you long, Twilight. Thank you all for coming out the Crystal Empire.” “How could we possible turn down an invite to the official dedication of the Court of the Crystal Princess?” Twilight asked. “In your honor too?” “No way, we’d pass up the chance.” Ren added. “Yeah, its seems a bit silly though, making a big fuss and all.” Cadence said modestly with a smile. “It’s not silly! You’ve been an amazing leader and Protector of the Empire ever since it reappeared.” Twilight added. “Why shouldn’t the Crystal Ponies honor you?” “Never mind all that now. There’s two days until the dedication, what do you wanna do in the meantime?” Cadence asked. And here it comes… “I’ve been thinking about it and I may have come up with a thing or two.” Twilight said unrolling a really, really long scroll. “A thing or two, huh?” Rantaro asked sarcastically. “Let’s see we’ve barely scratched the surface of the magnificent library and I believe a new exhibition opened up about the history of the empire or - unless there's something you already had planned.” Twilight said. “Well… there is one thing I’ve always wanted to do…” Cadence said. Sometimes Later “When you said you wanted to do something different, I didn't think it’s would mean walking around the market incognito.” I whispered to Cadence. Cadence and I were wearing jackets and other accessories. Cadence had a sun hat to hide her mane and a scarf too. I was wearing sunglasses and a yellow jacket. “Are you sure these disguises will work?” Twilight asked Cadence. “We’re in an Empire that had been missing for 1,000 years. We’ll fit right in.” “If you say so.” I claimed. “Of course I’m sure.” Cadence replied. “And I’m sure you three look ridiculous.” Rantaro grumbled. “Rantaro!” Kaede scolded. “What? I’m telling the truth.” Rantaro replied. We walked around the marketplace when suddenly, “Strange pony and human, come here!” We tensed for a moment and turned to see a pony waving to us. We went over to the stand. “You two are new the empire, no?” the stallion asked. He was light green with a darker green mane. “No! I mean yes, I’m Sa- I mean Glimmer and this is Candlewick. And Twiggy” I said. I swear I heard Rainbow, Jack and Mason facepalm. “For new visitors, this fabric is only five bits.” he offered. “Where are you journeying from?” “Ponyville! No I mean-” “Ah The home of Queen Sarah Gem. She who is noble! Wise! Respectful! Brave!” Then he looked at Twilight, “Do you know Queen Sarah?” “Uh, yes, I’ve met her once before.” I said nervously. “For Princess Twilight, two bits.” he offered again. “So what brings you to the Crystal Empire?” “We’ve come for the Dedication of the Court of the Crystal Princess.” ‘Candlewick’ replied. “Yes, Princess Cadence, she’s lovely isn’t she?” he asked. “Thank you but we must be going.” Cadence suddenly pushed me away from the stand. “What just happened?” I asked her. “Nothing I- I just wanna keep moving.” Cadence stammered. “Explain to me why again we’re doing this?” I asked Cadence. “Whenever I walk through the marketplace as myself, everypony stops what they’re doing and bows and get tongue tied. I just want to see the Crystal Empire as it really is and interact with the subjects but without all the pretension.” Cadence explained. But being the Crystal Princess is what you’re meant to be. Your true self.” Ren spoke up. “How would you feel if everypony bowed to you in Ponyville?” Cadence asked. “I feel that pain everyday.” I grumbled. “... Hmm… I see your point.” Ren said. “Let’s look around some more.” Twilight added. “Thank Twilight, I mean Twiggy.” We went past a couple stand until we found on that had costumes…. Of the princesses of Equestria, including Twilight, Cadence and I. “It’s weird, but I guess kind of nice, knowing that fillies look up to us enough to dress up like us.” Twilight said. “Oooohh, it’s so embarrassing.” I said with a blush on my face. I still wasn’t used to all the attention Princesses get and new children want to dress like me? "Oh come on Corporeal Gem, it's not that bad." Skye reassured. “Oh, Sarah, it’s not that bad. It’s cute.” Mason said. “How would you feel if Carrie dressed up like you?” I asked. “... I see your point.” Mason said. “Hey!” Carrie exclaimed. We looked at the Celestia Costume which said Sun Princess. The Luna Costume had Moon Princess. My costume had said Friendship Princess and the Cadence Costume had… Pretty Princess? “Why does Cadence’s costume say Pretty Princess?” Kaede asked. “Really couldn’t they have called it Crystal Princess or something?” Jamie asked. “Maybe because… it’s unauthorized?” Twilight suggested. Some fillies came over to the stand. “I see you’re looking at the Pretty Princess costume our best seller.” the stand pony said. I notice Cadence walking away, looking a bit down. There was another stand with pony/human figures. “Look it’s the Princesses!” One filly cried. “I want Celestia and Luna so I can raise the sun and moon.” Another filly said. “I want Princess Sarah so I can wield the Element of Faith.” Another added. “I want Princess Cadence and Shining Armor so I can live happily ever after.” a filly squealed. My friends almost fell down and Cadence slumped. “I think I’ve seen enough of the market. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Cadence said before she dashed off. “Candlewick, wait up!” I called as I raced after her along with the others. That Night We were in Cadence’s bedroom. “Is that really all they think of me as - a pretty Princess?” Cadence asked, holding a pillow to her chest. "Absolutely not!" Ren exclaimed. "I'm sure they see you as more than just being a pretty Princess." “Ren's right!” Twilight replied. “I’m sure they view you with great pride and reverence. But just express it in an odd way when your not around.” “I guess…” “Twilight’s right. They do look up to you and see more than a Pretty Princess.” Kaede added with a smile. "Yeah, you're caring, kind and brave." Carrie added. Cadence just slumped onto her bed, “If you all don’t mind, I’d like to go to sleep now.” “Alright, goodnight.” Twilight and the rest of us exited the room. “Do you think she’ll be okay, big brother?” Carrie asked. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” Mason reassured and I hoped he was right. The Next Morning I was sleeping peacefully in my room without a care in the world.....until the blaring sound of a trumpet sounded in my ear! GAH! I fell put of my bed and found myself staring at a royal guard, "Your presence in the throne room is requested immediately." the guard said. You could have just tapped me awake. Anyway, I headed to the throne room and found Ren and the others. "You all got call to the throne room too?" "Yeah, wonder what Cadence wants?" Carrie asked. "Sarah, everyone." We turned and saw Shining Armor coming towards us, "Shining Armor, what's going on? Why is Cadence summoning us during her morning meetings?" Twilight asked. "Cadence didn't summon you all. I did." Shining Armor replied. "She's not acting like herself. Something is wrong and I need your help." We went to the throne room to find Cadence in her throne. Her mane was a bit messy and had some bags underneath her eyes. "Cadence, I hate to say this but, you look terrible. You're still not upset about what happened at the marketplace, are you?" Twilight asked. "Well, maybe a little." Cadence replied. Cadence got up and started walking towards a window, "Actually a lot. I don't think I slept at all last night." "Cadence, you're blowing this out of proportions. "And I though? What if Celestia and Luna just put me here as a figurehead? Made me the Crystal Princess because I am an alicorn and they feel obliged to do so?" Cadence asked sadly. "Shining Armor is more than capable of protecting empire on his own." "That’s not true." Ren exclaimed. "No offense, Shining Armor." "None taken." Shining Armor replied. "You're the one who saved the Crystal Empire when Sombra came back." Twilight added. "Yes you may have needed some help but we all need help sometimes." "But it was you who saved the Crystal Heart, not me." Cadence pointed out. "Well technically it was Spike, Ren and Kodi, which just proves my point. That we all helped you save the Crystal Empire but you were the driving force and you deserve to be here." "Hell yeah." Jack agreed. "Twilight's right, Princess Cadence." Jamie added. Cadence gave a small smile, "Thanks everyone." and then a royal guard came into the room, "Please forgive me for the interruption but we have some subject awaiting counsel with you to settle a dispute." the guard said. "Please give us a few more minutes and then send them in." Cadence stated. The guard nodded and headed off. "Well get out of your way and let you go on with your Princess duties." Twilight said as she began to take her leave. "Come on guys." "No, please stay everyone. The dispute resolutions don't take too long and since you're already here..." "It's only a matter of time before the ponies in Ponyville start coming to my castle for those kinds of things.” I finished. "Alright, we'll stay." "Thanks." Cadence said. The guard sent the two bickering stallions in and Cadence flinched in fear and actually turned away in fear! "Oh dear." Kaede said. Shining Armor winced as the two kept arguing. "Cadence, aren't you going to say something?" Twilight asked her sister-in-law." Cadence turned around and we saw her sweating nervously, "Well, the solution will be.... determined by Queen Sarah!" "What?" I cried. But I got right to a solution, "Well..... why don't you team up to offer limited edition of custom costumes made from his fabric and then split the profit between the two of you?" I proposed and the two stallions looked at each other. "That's not a half bad idea." "That may drum up business for the both of us." The two stallion then took their leave after thanking me. Ren turned to Cadence, "Cadence, what just happened?" "I don't know. When I saw those ponies from the marketplace, it reinforced how they don't take me seriously." Cadance said sadly. "That they just see me as a pretty Princess." "That's not true." Mason said. "Yeah, big brother's right." Carrie added, "You're more than a pretty Princess." "We are ready for the second dispute." The guard said and this time two more stallions came in and this time... they were royal guards. "Charming Cavaliar, Gallant Gallop, what are you doing?" Shining Armor asked, shocked to see the two guards. The two guards were upset with each other over something odd and Shining Armor sighed and took the two away in his magic, "I'll handle this Cadence." We were worried about Cadence at this point. And when some schoolponies came in and asked her to join a party, Cadence suddenly bolted and saw Sarah would take over. Something is definitely wrong with her! This can't be good......"Something's definitely wrong, she's losing her confidence." I said. "Newbie's right. She's down in the dumps for sure." Jack stated. "She's losing confidence in herself to rule the Crystal Empire." Twilight said with worry. "So what can we do?" Carrie asked. "H-Hopefully, she'll snap out of this.... maybe..." Twilight winced. The Next Day It was the day of the Dedication Celebration and Cadence lost more and more of her confidence and things got worse. "This is worse than we thought." Shining Armor said. "Now she's talking about rejecting the formal name of the court! I'm afraid she thinking of renouncing the throne!" Renouncing the throne?! Oh man, can things get any worse? "Renouncing the throne! Oh man!" Ren winced, seeing how bad this was. "This can't be happening..." Mason said with great worry. "What are we going to do?" I asked. "Cadence never acted like this before." Then some crystal ponies came over, "There's a slight rumor that something is going on with Princess Cadence." a pony said. "Indeed, I saw her this morning. Its as if all the love and light has been drained from her." another pony said. "Does the Crystal Heart look a bit dull to anypony else?" another pony asked and we looked at the Heart and saw that it was not as shiny and glistening as it once was. "That is true, but I'm sure its nothing." Jack said. "Come on everyone, let's go back and see if there's anything we can do." Shining Armor suggested. We all agreed and went back inside. "Otherwise the dedication today is gonna be a compete disaster." Hours Later It was time for the Dedication Ceremony, "Any luck you guys?" Twilight asked. "No she's very very blue almost like she's depressed." Kaede said. "Yeah, Private Cadence, is nothing short of glum." Skye added. "She would barely speak to me." Shining Armor said with worry clear in his voice. "And now I present the Crystal Princess-!" A pony called and everyone cleared a path for Princess Cadence.... who was nowhere to be seen?! All the ponies began chattering in worry, "Where is she?" Kaede asked. "I don't know." I replied. This can't be a good sign. The pony cleared his throat. "I repeat, the Crystal Princess..!" and then Cadence appeared... in bad shape. Everyone gasped in horror. She had wet makeup on underneath her eyes, like she had been crying. "Oh man, she looks worse than before!" Jamie whispered. We all nodded in agreement. Cadence stood in front of everypony and said, "Crystal Ponies, it is a great honor to be standing here before you for the Dedication of the Court of the Crystal Princess. But this is an honor I am not sure I deserve." Oh man! This is really, really bad! "Guys look!" Twilight called. "The Crystal Heart!" We saw the Heart was getting clearer and clearer like it was... "The crystal Heart is fading!" Carrie cried. "Fading?!" Jamie exclaimed. "H-How can that be?!" "Maybe because Cadence is losing all the love and light within herself because she's doubting herself as Ruler of the Crystal Empire?" Twilight suggested. "No time for that, nerd. We have to do something before it disappears forever!" Jack exclaimed and he was right, without the Heart, the Empire is defenseless! "Twilight, any ideas?!" I asked her frantically. "Think Twilight Think....!" Twilight looked at all the Crystal Ponies and gasped. "That's it!" then she addressed Cadence. "Cadence, the Crystal Ponies don't look up to you just because you're pretty. They look up to you because your kind, thoughtful, accessible and accepting of everypony. Because you are full of love and light which makes them feel that way. And it doesn't make you any less of a positive influence than Celestia, Luna, Sarah or even me. You just inspire them in a different way, and you have been since you came here. I should know. Because these are the reasons I have always looked up to you and have been inspired by you." Twilight declared. Shining Armor had tears in his eyes at her speech as did I and Cadence, "Is that true Twilight..? I inspire you?" Cadence asked. "Ever since I was a filly." Twilight replied. "You inspire me too, Cadence." Shining Armor said. "And us too." I added and the rest of our friends nodded in agreement. "And all of them." Twilight said looking at all the Crystal Ponies. Cadence and Twilight shared a hug, "Thank you Twilight." they separated and Cadence addressed the crowd, "Thank you, Ponies of the Crystal Empire. Thank you for inspiring me! And while this area may not be know as the Court of the Crystal Princess, it truly belongs to all of you." All the ponies cheered and the love and light from them transferred into the Crystal Heart, restoring it and sending the rainbow lights into the sky once more. Later We were all walking through the fair and Cadence was looking happier than ever. "It feels good to feel like me again, without so much self-doubt and second guessing." Cadence said. "We're just glad you're back, Cadence." I smiled. "Thought I'm sure everyone questions their own identity and purposes sometimes. " Jamie stated. "I'm just glad you all were around when it happened to me." Cadence smiled at us. Some Crystal Ponies and foals approached us and the two in front bowed to Cadence, "Please get up girls, that's not necessary." Then we saw the costume stand and saw that Princess Cadence costume now said Crystal Princess instead of Pretty Princess. "Twilight? You got it changed?" Cadence asked in shock. "Maybe..." Twilight grinned. "After all that is your true identity." "Yes it is." Cadence said and we all smiled at our friend and Crystal Princess. Chapter 7: Gaunlet of FireSarah's POV Hi there, It's been a while since we last talked. As you know, I defeated my brother, Void and now I'm finally living peacefully in Equestria with my friends. I have to admit, it is kinda weird for me to relax since all I ever did when Void was around was spread friendship and love. But now.... well... I'm trying this 'raising Pokemon' thing with Ren and others, let's just hope this works out. But for now, Twilight and I were having some quality time with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. “I'm so glad you two could come!” Twilight happily told the royal sisters. “Of course. We so rarely get a chance to relax and just visit.” Luna returned. “Especially after everything that had just happened.” “I couldn’t agree more.” Twilight tried to think nothing of it but more on being prepared for when she strikes next. “There's usually some crisis we have to deal with. Somepony always needs our help. But today—“ Celestia agreed with both princesses as she spoke until being interrupted by Rarity and the others’s cry for help. "Twilight!" "Newbie!" Oh dear, wonder what could be wrong. The group then burst in with Rarity holding a glowing Spike. "Bookworm, somethings' wrong with your dragon here!" Jack exclaimed as Rarity put Spike on the table. "Spike, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, having never seen this with Spike ever. “I don't know! Nngh!” Spike grunted as he scratched himself. “All of a sudden, my scales just started glowing and... burning!” “Little is known about dragon culture, but this is a phenomenon we've seen before. It is the call of the Dragon Lord.” Luna calmly spoke from her observations. “Dragons glow whenever the Dragon Lord has need of them in the Dragon Lands.” Celestia explained to them. “Great... H-How do I make it stop?!” Spike replied as he still itches like crazy. “The only way to end the summons is to answer it. You must journey to the Dragon Lands and see what is expected of you.” Luna told him with a raised hoof. “B-B-But the Dragon Lands are full of... dragons!” Rarity stammered at this response. “And they're ghastly creatures!” She further exclaimed before quickly turning to Spike apologetically upon realizing that she unintentionally insulted Spike. “Oh, oh, not you, of course, Spikey-wikey. But remember that rotten Garble?” She corrected of what she meant who nervously gulps when his name was brought up. “How could I forget? He would have burnt us to a crisp if you guys weren't there.” Spike recalled. “We were lucky we managed to get out of there in time.” Twilight also recalled. “If I have to go to the Dragon Lands, would you guys come with me?” Spike asked the two ponies and Ren and the others. "Of course Spike." Kaede smiled. "Yeah!" Carrie grinned. "As long as we don't have to turn into our dragon forms again." Ren stated, but I smirked at them. "I can arrange that, hehehehe..." "Newbie! Don't you even-!" POOF! Hehehehe, I do have a mischievous side curtsy of Discord. "DARN IT!" Jack exclaimed as he was back in his dragon form, along with Ren and the others, "Alright!" Ren smiled. "Let's go!" “Be very careful. The Dragon Lands are particularly dangerous for ponies. It would be wise to be discreet.” Princess Celestia warned them to be cautious. "Oh please, just wait until they see Torch and the others." Ren scoffed, pointing out Torch and the gang's other dragons coming into the room. "We will" Twilight replied to assure her mother-like mentor. “Ooh! I'm sure I still have the dragon costume we used the last time we snuck into the Dragon Lands!“ Rarity replied as she squealed in delight and clapped her hooves together. “I think we might want something a little more practical this time.” Twilight suggested that they need something more that blends in more. “And if that fails then they’ll be walking away thinking twice about messing with some ponies friends.” She then said with determination to stand her ground against Garble they next they cross paths like that again. "And so much for a day of relaxation with the other princesses." "Then, come on, let's go..." I said and we all set off for the Dragon Lands. Later at the Dragon Lands, Ren, the gang, their dragons, Spike and I sat up on top of the rock to which serves as Twilight and Rarity’s disguise where Rarity is peering her eyes from the top and Twilight peers her eyes from the bottom. “Hmmm... Well, it may be practical, but this disguise isn't flattering in the slightest!” Rarity complained and sneered with a glare. “It's not supposed to be flattering. It's supposed to blend in!” Twilight retorted as she urged the unicorn to quite her whining. “Shh!” Spike whispered to them from up top as the glowing dragons are gathered together and walking around. “Hey-hey, look! It's our old friend Sparkle-warkle.” Garble, the big and red muscular dragon said, as he walked up wasting no time in taunting the young dragon. “It's Spike.” Spike corrected the arrogant dragon. “Are you sure your pony friends didn't give you a pony name?” Garble further taunting with his eyebrows showing girly eyebrows “It's nice to see you too, Garble.” Spike sarcastically returned with crossed arms. “I didn't say it was nice to see you. It's not. I don't like you. Was I not clear about that?” Garble blatantly missed his sarcasm as he flicks Spike off of the rock and sits on it causing Twilight and Rarity to feel a little cramped by the extra weight. Torch snarled at Garble, "Oh what do you want? Think you can beat me?" Garble smirked. Torch snorted out smoke before he set himself on fire, greatly intimidating Garble. "Wah!" "Hahahah! Don't mess with the Monstrous Nightmare, loser!" Jack snorted. "What the-? Jumbo? What are you doing back here? Along with Burn, Rune, Blaze and Torch?" Garble questioned. "That's none of your buisness... Garble." I spoke up. "Ugh, you again, pony? What are you doing here? This place is for dragons' only." Garble grumbled, placing a claw on Sarah's head. That did not settle well with Slice, who whacked Garble away. "Hahaha! Good boy!" Skye smiled. Then, a large shadow loomed over all of the dragons as a giant blue dragon with dark gray armor and orange eyes loomed on his throne. "That's the Dragon Lord, ruler of all dragons in Equestria..." I whispered to the group. “Dragons of Equestria, hear me!” The dragon leader announced through a shouting and commanding tone. “I have been Dragon Lord for longer than many of you can remember, and my reign has been extraordinary! Agree with me!” He then shouted and commanded the dragons to make utters and cheers of agreement. “Torch! Torch! Torch! Torch!” The dragons chanted as the giant dragon raised his hand to gesture them to be silent now. “Who is that?” Spike asked Garble who flew back over to where Spike was sitting. “It's Dragon Lord Torch, dummy.” Garble scoffed as if it was a stupid question. “No, next to him.” Spike corrected as he was pointing to the light blue scaled dragon in flight by his side. “That's his daughter, Princess Ember.” Garble answered. “I wouldn't even look at her if I were you, unless you want Torch to eat you!” He warned otherwise as he pointed a finger in Spike’s face who nervously gulps in response. “This is fascinating! Dragons are notoriously reckless, but they do whatever the Dragon Lord says!” Twilight whispered to Rarity as she observes the Dragon Lord’s speech. “Unfortunately, according to dragon law, it is time for me to step down. Sad, I know.” The dragon lord announces both begrudgingly and somewhat solemnly. “Be sad!” He commanded the dragons to do so when he doesn’t get the reaction he was expecting again who then cries tears of sadness. “This is why I have summoned you – to compete for the throne in the Gauntlet of Fire!” He then announced much to the dragon’s excitement while Spike sweats and shakes nervously. “Whomever has the strength and fortitude to retrieve this blood-stone scepter from the heart of the flame-cano will be crowned Lord of the Dragons!” He then announced as he held up said scepter and then flicked into a hollow and crystallized structure to which to which it releases a huge red wave of magic that causes every dragon to stop glowing. “When the scepter disappeared, the dragons stopped glowing! We are learning so much!” Twilight whispered in amazement as she writes it all down in her journal as Rarity itches up a sneeze due the feather pen she was holding tickling her nose but thankfully Twilight quickly placed a hoof on her nose before she could let loose one that could have blown their cover. “The Gauntlet is dangerous, for I designed it myself! Only dragons with my ferocity, strength, and determination will be able to finish. We will gather at the cliff when the sun is at its peak!” The Dragon Lord announced to the dragons as they all cheer in agreement. “I don't want to be Dragon Lord or dragon toast, and I stopped glowing, so let's sneak out of here!” Spike proposed and whispered to Twilight and Rarity seeing that he no longer feels required to stick around as he pushes the rock away. "Spike, wait. Let's just see what he really wants." I whispered to the little dragon, who sighed but obeyed. Ember set off in the gauntlet’s direction only to be stopped by her father when he caught her in his hand. “Where do you think you're going?” The Dragon Lord questioned. “To prepare for the Gauntlet.” Princess Ember replied. “No, you're not. You're not much bigger than that runt I just sent home!” The Dragon Lord refused and dismissed her much to her frustration. “But I'm smarter than most of these boulder-heads and you know it!” Ember protested as she flew up to his eye level. “Being smart won't help you win this Gauntlet!” The Dragon Lord dismissed as they faced each other eye to eye. “It was designed for a big, strong dragon to win, because it takes a big, strong dragon to lead! Besides, I said no!” He then shouted in his daughter’s face blowing her back a little. “I hate when he does that!” Ember growled in anger at her father’s condescending behavior as she flew off. Having watched the scene from above had sparked some anger in Twilight’s eyes as she and her friends watch as the many dragons chatter in preparation for the Gauntlet. “Ha. When I become Dragon Lord, I will make burps an official greeting!” The purple dragon declared. “Ha, you? Please! When I win, I will pillage Equestria for all their pillows. Why should these ponies be comfortable while we sleep on rocks?” The brown dragon smugly declared. “That's nothing! When I'm in charge, the first thing I'll do is get revenge on those puny ponies!” Garble declared as he pounded his fists together. “They'll regret they ever crossed Garble! We'll take whatever we want from Equestria and burn the rest!” He told the others as they walked off with him. Oh no.....! “Oh, my gosh!” Twilight spoke in shock hearing this announcement of what this could mean for the fate of Equestria. “Ooh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope that burping dragon wins!” Rarity expressed her dismay hoping one of the least worst to come out on top. "Yeah, I agree. They've got bad plans for Equestria." Kaede agreed. “None of them can win! Equestria is in big trouble if any of them are in charge!” Spike pointed out that none of them are qualified. "Then, what can we do?" Carrie asked in fear. “There's only one thing to do, and only I can do it! I have to win the Gauntlet of Fire!” Spike determinedly declared much to Rarity’s discomfort. “What do you mean you have to win the Gauntlet?” Rarity questioned Spike of why he is changing his initial stance on competing. “It's the only way to protect Equestria from the dragons.” Spike justified as he explained himself. “You heard them! They have horrible plans for ponies if they win! So somehow, I have to do it!” "Not just you Spike, we all have to win." Ren pointed out referring to himself and the others. "We can't let Equestria suffer at the hands of those dragons!" "Yeah, Corporal Loodan is right. We have to win this Gauntlet together." Skye agreed. "Come on, you maggots!" We all nodded, "Twilight, Rarity, stay here, okay?" I asked and the two girls nodded while the rest of us headed to the edge of a cliff where all the dragons were. "Hey! What are you doing competing here pony?" Garble snarled, pointing me out. "This is for dragons only, so beat it!" "Just because I'm a pony doesn't mean I don't have the heart of a dragon, buster!" I replied, getting all up in his face. Brat. "She can compete." Dragon Lord Torch announced, much to Garble's shock. "The pony is a trusted old friend of mine." "Seriously?!" Garble exclaimed. "Seriously?!" Everyone else added. "Indeed. All dragons are welcome to compete, but they do so at their own peril! Flying to Flame-cano Island is the first of many challenges you will face in your quest to find the bloodstone scepter!" Torch said before he held up a scepter with a blood red jewel in it and tossed it to Flame-cano that was guarded by large dragons with catapult like tails and powerful geysers. Kaede, got onto Skystorm, while Jack got onto his Monstrous Nightmare, Carrie and Mason got onto Comet, the Stormcutter. Skye got onto Slice, her Razorwhip, Ren got onto Eclipse, his Night Fury and Jamie got onto Striker, his Triple Stryke dragon while I got Spike onto my back, "Ready Spike?" "Ready Sarah." he smiled. "NOW GO!" The Dragon Lord said and we were off like lightning. I was in the front weaving in and out of the huge geysers that were caused by large sea snakes from below. Skystorm, and the other dragons easily weaved through the geysers not getting hit at all. Wish it could be said for the other dragons. "Woah, they're doing great!" Ren commented the dragons expert dodging skills. "Well, they are some of the best flyers in the world." I smirked before we came near Flame-Cano where the dragons launched large boulders at us. "Slice, you deal with this!" Skye called and her Razorwhip roared and sliced the boulders coming our way with her tail with great ease while Striker smacked the ones that were coming from behind down, with one hitting Garble, who was not happy about this. "Grrr....." "Hahaha, this'll be a piece of cake!" Jack smirked. "Gah!" Suddenly, one dragon, who was wearing golden armor got hit by one of the boulders and was sent crashing down. "I got her!" I called and I swopped down and grabbed her before landing underneath the large cave that lead into Flame-cano. "You okay?" I asked. The dragon grunted and took off the helmet to reveal, "Princess Ember!” “What do you think you're doing?” Ember ungratefully asked me. Yeah, she's had a small rebellious streak like all dragons did. “Only saving your ungrateful scales!” Kaede replied. “Whatever. I don't care as long as none of you get in my way.” Ember replied she as she takes back her helmet. “I have a Gauntlet to win.” “But I thought your dad said that—“ Spike pointed out as he thought. “I don't care what my dad said!” Ember shouted back angrily. “I'll show him and every dragon who thinks I'm just a little princess there are better things than being big and strong!” "Maybe we can help you with that, Ember." I offered, much to her surprise. "Really?" Ember questioned. "I am a friend of your dads' remember. If I can help you then you can help me." I grinned. Ember sighed, "Fine Sarah, you were always good friends with my dad." I smiled. "Come on, let's a shake a leg, you maggots! We got a gauntlet to win!" Skye exclaimed from Slice. We all nodded and together we flew into the cave as one. first we had to get through a section of the cave that had moving large rock stalagmites and stalactites. "Crap baskets!" Ren whimpered. "Oh please!" I scoffed. "This is so easy! Charge!" and I flew in with blinding speed easily dodging the rocks with speed and grace. "Hahaha, come on gang, some of you got Strike Class dragons!" Ren and the others looked at each other and nodded before they and their dragons, along with Ember flew through the rocks with the dragons using their dodging skills to make it through. Next we had to get through a section with large crystals that were shooting from everywhere. Luckily, Slice used her tail and easily protected us from getting impaled. Gotta love the Razorwhip! Finally, we made to the final part of the cave that had a small mount of crystals, "The Blood Scepter!" Ren smiled with joy. “We made it! I can't believe We're the only dragons to make it this far!” He said feeling very accomplished. “You're not!” Garble called out from behind with fuming anger. “And I'm not losing to a puny pony-loving dragon like you!” He added as he pointed a finger in Spike’s face and grabbed him by the top scales. "Striker, tails!" Jamie called and his Triple Stryke grabbed Garble with his middle tail and grabbed Spike with his left tail. Strike threw Garble with his middle tail and gently put Spike down. "Hey!" Garble growled. "Spike do for the scepter, now!" I ordered and Spike nodded before he made a break for the scepter. Ember helped Striker deal with Garble, who had cornered him with his fire breath. Striker and Ember kept him there with Strike raising his three tails as a threat. “I'm sick and tired of you three helping each other! Dragons don't do helping! Ponies don’t do helping!” Garble angrily told Ember. "Well these dragons do!" Ember retorted in response. Meanwhile, Spike climbed up the rock formation leading up to the scepter before he grabs ahold of it as he marvels in amazement of it. As soon as he grabs it and hold it up it releases a huge a huge burst of red magic through the Dragon Lands. "Alright Spike, he got it!" Carrie cheered happily. “What? You?! You have the scepter?!” Garble spoke in confusion unable to comprehend all of this. “But that means that you're...” “The Dragon Lord. Dragon Lord Spike.” Ember finished as she and the other dragons placed a hand on their hearts as they bow in respect to him. “Dragon... Lord... Spike...” Garble reluctantly bowed with a groan. “That's right!” Spike confidently said before giving them a command. “Uh... Now, go start your long journey home. And give every dragon you see on the way a hug. Don't tell them why.” “Awww! But that'll be super embarrassing!” Garble protested. “I command you to do it!” Spike again ordered him to which he reluctantly does so to a nearby huge blue dragon. “I can't believe this...” He grumbled before setting off home. “Dragon Lord Spike. Hm, has a nice ring to it.” Ember complimented as he walked up to her. “Dragon Lord Ember sounds a lot better.” Spike told her as he held her the scepter. “What? No. You're the Dragon Lord now.” Ember tried to decline. “The Dragon Lord is whoever brings the scepter back to your father!” Spike insisted. “My place is in Equestria with my friends. Besides, you'll make a great leader. I was just doing this to protect the ponies. But I know you'll protect them just as well as I would have.” “You sure about this?” Ember questioned him. “Absolutely.” Spike assured her yes in response. “Well, you'll have at least one friend here too.” Spike happily responds by hugging her. “What are you doing?” She asked in confusion by his gesture. “It's called a hug!” Spike answered. “Oh. I don't know if I like it. But... okay.” Ember somewhat awkwardly answers but accepts as Spike tights his hug as Ember pats him on the head while blushing. Later as the dragons all made their way back, Twilight flying with Rarity and Spike in tow flies over to watch from afar as Ember presents her father the scepter in hands. “Ember? You?!” The Dragon Lord spoke in surprise to see her come out on top of the challenge as he had not expected her to win at all. “I know you didn't think I could do it, but I did.” Ember responded while standing her ground against her father. “I expressly told you not to do it, because you're not—!” The Dragon Lord tried to protest only to be cut off. “I'm not big and strong. I know. But you know what? I won anyway. So maybe it takes more than just being big and strong to be a good Dragon Lord!” Ember further defended herself as she continued to stand up to him. “I was wrong, Ember.” The Dragon Lord admitted after swallowing his pride. “You might not be big, but you are strong and smart, and perhaps that counts for more than I thought. And you will make an excellent leader.” He then smiled as she flew up to his nose. “Thanks, dad.” Ember greatly appreciated what her father said before turning to the other dragons. “Agree with him!” She commanded as they look at each other surprised. “Just kidding! That's not gonna be my thing.” Ember jokingly assured them she was just messing with them as her father laughs in amusement. “Dragons, hear me! I present to you our new Dragon Lord, Ember!” The Dragon Lord presented their new official leader as every dragon cheers for her as she flies up and waves to everyone including Twilight, Rarity, and Spike from afar. “Hm? What is the meaning of this?!” The Dragon Lord asked in confusion as Garble clung onto the Dragon Lord’s nose. “I can't tell you!” Garble replied in embarrassment as Ember laughed at him. “You did well, Spike. With Ember as Dragon Lord, the ponies will be safe.” Twilight smiled as we headed back to Ponyville together. "Thanks for helping me, everyone." Spike smiled. "Of course." Kaede smiled. "Yeah, you're one of my soldiers, little dragon." Skye grinned. "It was pretty cool, being a Dragon Rider for a short time, though." Ren chuckled. "We should ride them more often rather than walking." "I agree!" Jack grinned. I chuckled at my friends. Yeah, like I said before now that Void is gone, I still continue to spread friendship throughout Equestria and beyond, with the help of my friends. And that's all I could ever ask for now. And I couldn't be happier. Chapter 8: Fluffle Puff and the Human NineThird Person POV Today, we find Sarah and her friends looking at the two little Pokemon eggs she got from Discord a couple weeks ago. "I can't believe Discord gave you these two eggs." Jack scoffed. "They probably got something horrible in them." "Private Yamaki, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions." Skye scolded. "Oh come, you know what Discord is capable of. He's always trying to trick and prank us." Mason added. "But he's also Newbie's father, bodyguard brat." Jack put in. "I don't think he would want to harm his own daughter. Not even my old man does that." Mason sighed, annoyed. "Fine..." Suddenly, the group heard something crashing from the lower floor. "What the-? What was that?" Ren asked. "It came from one of the lower floors." Skye stated. "Let's go you maggots." Everyone nodded and the group headed into the elevator together. Ren stood there in the center of the elevator, Kaede and Kodiak standing next to me on each side, Carrie held her brother's arm, who kept his serious look on his face, Jack leaned against the elevator's walls with a chilled and relax look on his face while Jamie felt nervous as he held against the notebook real hard in his arms, Rantaro was busy on his iPhone 7 and Nicole was keeping quiet while she looked at her iPad, not feeling nervous or excited at all to explore the new areas. When the door opened again, the group exited and went into the mall area of the Home-Ship where they heard the crashing again and out of the book store came a big ball of pink fluff. "Huh? Pink Fluff?" Ren questioned. The pink ball of fluff started to move and.... let out a raspberry? Sarah chuckled, "I know who this is..." Sarah went over to the ball of pink fluff. "Oh Fluffle Puff?" "FLUFFLE PUFF?!" Ren and the others exclaimed in shock. Fluffle Puff got up with a happy gasp before she tackled Sarah happily to the ground and nuzzled her, making her laugh. "Okay, how'd the hell did she get in here?!" Jack exclaimed before he got a face full of Fluffle Puff. "AGH!" Rainbow laughed at Jack as Fluffle Puff nuzzled his face, "Gah! Get off me you pink pony loon!" Fluffle Puff gave him two raspberries. "That means 'No' in Fluffle Puff language." Sarah translated making Jack groan irritated. "Aw, come on Jack. How can you be mad at such a cute, fluffy pony?" Fluttershy cooed, rubbing Fluffle Puffs' fur, making her gasp happily with a squeal. Jack growled again before Fluffle Puff scurried off of his face. "Annoying pony..." Fluffle Puff went over to Sarah and nuzzled her, "Hehehe, okay Fluffle Puff, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked her fluffy pony pal. Fluffle Puff gave Sarah a series of raspberries. ".......Okay..... what did she say?" Twilight questioned. "She said that she wants to hang out with us; to make new friends." Sarah smiled happily, earning a sweat drop from everyone. "Well.... okay Fluffle Puff..... room for one more I guess..." Ren said nervously with a small smile. "So what do you wanna do next?" Sarah asked Fluffle Puff. Fluffle Puff smiled before she dashed off for a second and returned..... with a chainsaw! "WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! What the hell!" Jack exclaimed in shock as the group backed off. "What's with the chainsaw!" "I think she wants to build something." Sarah guessed and Fluffle Puff nodded, making us all sweat-drop. "Seriously?" Ren asked in surprise, which Sarah nodded, "Or...." Ren suggested as he carefully took the chainsaw from Fluffle Puff, "I can teach you on being a gamer like me." "Please don't." Kaede said with a nervous smile before something caught her eye. "Hey you guys, what's that?" The group looked over to see what was on the shelf, which caused Ren to gasped in shock. I-it couldn't be...! It's... "Kingdom Hearts III!" Ren exclaimed in excitement before immediately running over to a stand and picked out the game, holding into the air with an excited look on his face. "Oh my god! I've been waiting for years for this game to come out, and the other fans I know from Youtube were excited for the game, including that teaser trailer I've seen a couple of years ago." "Kingdom Hearts III?" Carrie asked curiously. "What's that?" Ren turned back with a gasp and asked "You guys seriously never heard of that game before?!" "Should we?" Mason questioned with a raised brow. "I had. It's one of those excited games that fans been dying to get." Rantaro explained. "I know a guy who knows how to bootleg some movies and videogames." "You're kidding, right?" Jack questioned, sneering at him. "No, he's telling the truth..." Nicole stated, causing Rantaro to feel a bit irritated by that. "You just like calling out whenever I'm telling the truth or not? I tell the truth most of the time." Rantaro smirked at her, but she glanced away and stated "No you don't...you like lying to conceal yourself and your past in a veil of lies." Everyone, save for Sarah and Fluffle Puff blinked in surprise upon hearing that as Kaede stated "Well...she's not wrong there." "Come on you guys, we're all friends here." Ren said with a soft smile. "We all need to get along here." "Tch...whatever." Jack said before letting out a small burp, which gotten a smile on his face. "But overall, I'm getting hungry. Hopefully that food court has some automatic food makers like that One Round arcade room from the last floor." With that, he began taking his leave while the rest of the group stayed behind. "Lucky..." Kodi groaned with a pout, causing me to scratch him underneath. "Well I guess maybe a quick bite. We can eat over by the food court for dinner." Ren offered, which the others seemed to agreed. "Yay!" Kodi and Carrie cheered. "Meow!" Rosy cheered alongside them while Kaede scratched underneath her chin while she rested in her arms. "Sounds to me Rosy agrees with that." Kaede giggled. "Well...I see why not we should eat. Need a break from cooking for a while." Mason smiled. "Y-yeah...I wouldn't mind trying a food court out..." Jamie meekly smiled. Soon after, they decided to take a little break and ate some food over by the many food courts like Subway, McDonald's, Burger King, Papa Johns, Dominoes, and Golden Coral. Turns out, Jack was right for once because the food was being made automatically and they enjoyed eating. I had a veggie burger. Rantaro ordering a cheeseburger, Jack eating many types of food he got from the buffet, Jamie simply eating a normal Italian Bread sandwich with teriyaki, lettuce, and tomatoes by the side. Carrie and Mason were eating some pizza, along with Kaede and Rosy. Kodi was busy eating some plain cheese pizza, much to his joy. "You know, this pizza taste so good." Kodi barked happily before I wiped away the smudges of his face. "Though I've taste pizza before and they kinda taste somewhat similar." Fluffle Puff smiled with a small gasp at the salad she got and she dug in face first, throwing small things of lettuce into the air, "Wow.... she's worst than Jack.." Jamie quipped with a sweat-drop, earning him a light punch on the shoulder by Jack, "I heard that nerd." "Ow!" Sarah was gingerly touching s McDonald's Big Mac, Chicken Nuggets and French Fries that she wanted to try, "Go on Sarah, they're delicious." Ren smiled meekly. Sarah, trusting Ren's words, ate the Big Mac first and it tasted good in her liking. “Hmm... tastes good..” “Great.” Ren smiled. Fluffe Puff gasped happily and hugged Sarah and she smiled and hugged Fluffle Puff back. “She’s one weird pony loon.” Jack said. “Yes, but it makes her unique like me. And that’s alright.” Sarah smiled and Fluffle Puff nuzzled Sarah happily. Chapter 9: To Where and Back AgainOne night, Carrie, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie were in the forest at night, each wearing explorer clothes. "This was a great idea. We can get our cutie marks as zoologists!" Apple Bloom exclaimed cheerily. "Zoo-what? No, we're getting them in being jungle adventurers!" Scootaloo reminded. "But girls, are you sure we should be out here?" Carrie asked. "I mean, we are trespassing in Fluttershy's backyard." "And I don't think Fluttershy's backyard can be considered "The Jungle". "She's right." Carrie nodded before smiling softly, "Also, did you know that the study of ponies is called 'Hippology'?" "I don't think we look much like hippos..." Scootaloo stated, glaring at the two. "Also, where did you even learn that?" "Jamie did!" Carrie smiled softly. "Of course he did..." Scootaloo face-hoofed herself. "Speaking of which, where's Skye?" Apple Bloom asked curiously. "She couldn't make it in time." Carrie shook her head. "She said that she was...busy watching a movie at the movie theaters." "What?!" Scootaloo yelled, feeling upset by that. "How could she?! Man, she's gonna miss out on earning our cutie-marks!" "But Carrie can't get one." Sweetie Belle pointed before earning a glare from the pegasus filly and exclaimed, "Did you forget how two of Rainbow Dash's friends, Ren and Jamie, earned their cutie-marks too! This could be something big that we can do! We can even help both Carrie and Skye to earn their cutie-marks too!" "Mm...Thanks you guys." Carrie smiled softly, clapping her hands together. "But I'm not sure if I can get my own Cutie-Mark like Ren and Jamie did." "Don't say that!" Apple Bloom smiled. "We'll be glad to help you along the way because..." The three fillies bumped their rumps together before exclaiming "WE'RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" "Mm! Yeah! Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Carrie laughed happily before hearing some creaking sound before they turned around to see a bunch of wild animals approaching them. "Huh? Hey, what's wrong with some of Fluttershy's animals?" "Huh?!" The three fillies turned over and widened their eyes to see the creepy green eyes on the animals' faces. "Umm... wait what's that group of animals with glowing eyes doing staring at us?" Sweetie Belle asked. "But that's what I said-" Carrie was about to finish that sentence till the animals pounced at them, scaring the girls before they all screamed in fear... "NOOOOOO!" The Next Day Ren's POV Another day, another good day in the town of Ponyville. I've brought over my art portraits so that I can sell out much to the others. "Man...that was so worth it at the end." Oh yeah, I forgot that I brought both Skye and Kodiak with me. Skye apparently stayed overnight to watch one of her favorite animated movies, Princess Mononoke. "Ha ha! I love it at the end! That's the mark of a true warrior! If only wish the other girls would have seen it!" "You've really enjoyed that movie, didn't you?" I asked, smiling at her. "Ha ha, of course Corporeal Loodan! I loved that movie to the very end!" Skye grinned. "Thank you again for ever suggesting that idea to me!" "Well...It was the least I can do for that offer I gave out to help me sell these paintings." I shrugged before finding a good spot right around the streets of Ponyville. "Do you think they might love these?" Kodi asked curiously. "I mean, they really look nice, but they don't seem to be fond." "What do you mean?" I asked in confusion before seeing him point his paw over at some of the ponies, and I took noticed that some of them were...acting weird. Some of them had these big bulging green eyes, making me feel a little creeped out by. Huh...He wasn't kidding, they aren't even paying attention to my paintings. It isn't the paintings itself, right? "Mm...Meh, I'm sure they're just being jerks to not admire this." Skye shrugged, checking over a certain painting of flowers. "Although, I feel as though this is just too plain in my taste, but either way, it's gotten my interest..." "Really?" Kodi asked, sniffing the flower vase portrait. "Well...it smells weird, but the design looks really nice." "Well I did use paint." I shrugged. "Mm...Well it needs more...what would Sergeant Pinkie Pie would say...'Pizzazz'?" Mm...Pizzazz...I don't know...Do I? I mean, I guess it is her opinion so maybe? "... and then she just left like that." At that instant, I turned around and saw the Mane Six and the others chatting about something walking past some of the townsfolk. "Yes, even Carrie was acting weird." Mason frowned. "I didn't know why, but she wouldn't explain why she was outside and I can't seem to talk to her like I have always been..." "Hrm...Those three fillies and your sister of yours are sure acting funny." Applejack agreed. "Hey guys!" I called. "What's going on?" "Scootaloo has been acting strange." Rainbow stated. "Applebloom too." Applejack added. "And Sweetie Belle and Carrie as well." Rarity nodded. "We're not sure what's been going on with those three." "Indeed..." Mason nodded. "Carrie has never acted...this way. It's almost suspicious..." "Everypony in town has been acting strange." Twilight said. "What was that? I wasn't listening." Rainbow said, earning a deadpanned look from the purple unicorn. "Rainbow! Twilight, my sister and her crew are being as peculiar as everypony else around here! Something not right." Applejack exclaimed, glaring hard at Rainbow Dash who smiled sheepishly at the farm pony. "Ummm...Hey has anyone seen Cheerlie? I just heard she didn't show up to the schoolhouse." Fluttershy asked, feeling concern. "Huh? No." I shook my head. "Sorry Flutters, but I haven't seen her at all today. I just came here to sell these paintings for potential buyers, but so far..." I looked around the crowd, seeing them all giving us each weird glances. "Nopony seems....interested." "And the Cakes didn't open Sugarcube Corner this morning." Pinkie chirped. "At first I thought maybe thy were planning a birthday party because Ms. cakes birthday is in 43 days and that's cutting it way close to just be staring in on ordering supplies..." Pinkie glanced away with a smile. "...But when I asked about it, they just looked at me like I was crazy." Everyone sighed at Pinkie's claim, shaking their heads. Although, they're right about about everyone is acting strange all of a sudden. What's going on? Why is everypony around town acting so...weird. First the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Carrie are acting weird, and now everypony...? "Everypony is acting so bizarre! More and more ponies by the hour!" Twilight looked over at the corner, seeing more ponies staring right at us. "What in Equestria is going on?" "Um...guys?" Kodi called, whimpering at the sight of the people. I took noticed of what he was looking at and saw the crowd of ponies coming around us all looking really strange with green eyes like they were possessed or something. "Umm maybe we should move somewhere more.. secure." Jamie said nervously. "Or maybe how about I get rid of the crowd?" Jack cracked his knuckles. "Trust me, I've dealt with crowds like them when I'm with the police." "Uh...I think we should go with Jamie's suggestion." I frowned. "Fighting won't solve everything, you know that Jack." "Says you." Jack rolled his eyes. "Quick! To the library!" Twilight cried out, only earning a pout from Rainbow Dash. "That's your solution for everything." Rainbow Dash huffed. "Quick! Retreat!" Skye dashed ahead and we followed after her before we all gotten inside of the house, and Pinkie slammed the door behind us and we all caught our breath. "So is everyone else weirded out by this?" Kaede gulped, making sure the door was locked. "What the hell is wrong with them?" Jack questioned. "I mean, I've heard of angry crowds, but what the hell did we do to piss them off?" "Wait... this is all too familiar." Twilight said. "Acting strange like they were... replaced?!" "You lost me." Rainbow rose a brow. "Me too." Jack nodded. "Wait...You don't mean..." At that moment, I suddenly realized just where Twilight was going with this. Ponies being replaced and acting weird like they aren't acting like themselves as we see everyday...This is... "Changelings...!" Jamie widened his eyes. Rarity let out a gasp before exclaiming, "Of course the Royal Wedding! Princess Cadence was replaced by a changeling!" "The Queen Changeling and she went all evil on everypony." Applejack gritted her teeth in anger. "Oooh...The wedding...Yeah...Well, I don't remember much after I had Pinkie's tutti-frutti sherbet sugar punch. It made the day a bit of a blur..." Rainbow Dash frowned. "Heh heh...That and you and I had that belching contest after eating all of that sherbet." Jack smirked. "Which I won." "N-Nopony asked you fatty!" Rainbow growled. "I-I mean...it was so...good that I forgotten much of what happened...Okay?!" "That's because I use seven parts of sugar to every one part Tutti!" Pinkie grinned. "Wait a minute, you all went to a wedding and you already know the enemy?!" Skye blinked. "Yeah, it was before you woken up from your pod." Jamie nodded. "The Changelings...aren't exactly a species we would've think..." Twilight walked over to a shelf full of books and searched through it before pulling one of the books out of the shelf and said, "Hmph. Lucky for you, I kept a journal of what happened." She opened the book and showed us a page with a changeling on one and a replaced pony on the other with the exact face we've seen on everypony else. "According to me and Jamie's extensive note-taking, , the changelings are back...and this time, they must be after Ponyville." "O-Oh no..." Jamie gulped. "Are they here...for revenge?" "No duh if you guys might've pissed them off!" Skye exclaimed angrily. "Look soldiers, we're gonna need to fight back against them if we're to take them all on!" "Wait!" I called, stopping her from opening that door. "You really shouldn't open that!" "Oh yeah? And why's that Corporeal Loodan?" Skye rose a brow before opening it, and right in front of her were the townsfolk glaring down at her with their big bulging green eyes. Eventually, she slammed the door shut with widened eyes and deep breaths before giving us a sheepish grin. "Okay, point taken." "Well anyway...We need to warn Princess Celestia right away!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "She'll get rid of them quick!" "Right! Spike! Take a letter!" Twilight called to her assistant dragon, who was upstairs and doing something with the stacks of papers he had before seeing him take a quill. "Right!" Spike grinned before he began writing down the note. "So now what?" Kaede wondered. "We're trapped in here till we get a response from the princess..." "Mm...The most thing we can do is just stay here and wait till those guys are gone." I suggested. "Well I'm sure those Changelings might...leave, right?" Fluttershy smiled assuredly. "I-I mean...they can't stay in that place forever, right?" Three rewrites and a spell check later... "Oh my...they really haven't leave." Yeah...These guys just love staying around, don't they? "Okay Twilight, I'll send it right away!" "It's about damn time!" Jack yelled, nearly spooking Spike with his loud voice. "What the hell have you've been doing while we sat on our butts and done nothing?!" "Relax Jack, what's important is that Spike's finished with the letter." Twilight reassured. "Send it to Celestia, Spike." "No problem!" Spike winked before blowing it with his flames. We waited till five minutes later, he regurgitated a scroll out of his body. "Now that's what I call service." Pinkie pointed out before Twilight opened the letter with her magic. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I'm sorry but your precious Princesses are unavailable. I've captured them in their in my new kingdom, the Badlands! If you're stupid enough to try and rescue them, be my guess. Hahahaha...! Signed Queen Chrysalis" she read aloud before widening her eyes, flabbergasted by this. "Oh no! Celestia! Luna?!" "That bug queen got them too! Oh come on!" Jack exclaimed, annoyed. "Well looks like we're on our own for this. It's clobbering time." Rainbow said, clapping her hooves. "You read my mind, Skittles." Jack added, cracking his knuckles. "I've been waiting all day for a fight." "We need to do something or we're gonna be toast." I stated. "Literally." Skye nodded before grabbing her remote. "As general, I say we fight now!" "My sister is missin' and if those things are responsible we need to find out what's goin' on." Applejack stated, snorting angrily. "Yeah." Mason added, taking out his staff. "They took my sister and the Princesses and they shall pay for what they have done. I guess Chrysalis thinks it's a funny joke to do that, and now she's gonna learn the consequences of her actions." "We can't just go out there!" Jamie cried out, pointing to the window of the weird ponies outside trying to crawl inside. "They'll know we aren't Changelings! We need a plan." "WAAAAAAIIIIT!" Pinkie cried, surprising us. "What Pinkie?" I asked, a little alarmed by her yelling. "... Where's Sarah, Ran and Nikki?" And that's when we realized a certain unicorn and two humans were missing. How did we not notice that? "Oh no! Ya'll don't think the changelings got her?!" Applejack cried. "Hopefully not." Twilight frown in worried. "But still, Ponyville is infested with these crappy bugs. We got to find newbie." Jack stated. "Umm.. I'm already here." a voice said and that's when Sarah, Snowflake, Pikachu and Zoura appeared before us, shocking me. "Woah! Where did you come from?" I exclaimed in shock. "Invisibility spell, duh. I used it to get in here." Sarah answered. "How? The door is locked?" Kaede asked. "I came in through Twilight's balcony window." Sarah added, pointing over to the window. "But what if-" "I made sure of that it was closed and none of those Changelings came in and saw." Sarah reassured calmly. "Well.. thank goodness you're alright and not replaced Sarah." Applejack said with relief. "Yeah, now we can charge right in and save our friends and the Princesses." Rainbow pumped her hooves together with a cocky smirk. "Uh...guys...I don't feel good..." Spike groaned before puffing his cheeks out and spitting out something out of his body, revealing a green orb. “What the-? That never happened before.” Twilight muttered, examining it. “Huh...I don’t remember eating.” Spike scratched the back of his head. “Is that an egg?” Fluttershy asked. “Is it from the Princess?” Twilight hoped. "But Twilight, she never done something like this..." Jamie pointed out. "So who-" Before Jamie had the chance to finish, a voice spoken through the orb. A voice that we all shivered and grew fearful upon recognizing it. “Not a Princess, but a Queen.” I gasped, along with the others before we saw what was on the orb....It can’t be...I mean, I know that we would meet her again, but not like this! It's... “That bastard again!” Jack yelled. "Queen Chrysalis..." Nicole muttered, narrowing her eyes at the sight of the Changeling Queen. "How is she back?!" Kaede covered her mouth in shock. "My my my, you didn’t have trouble seeing through my minions huh? Clever. I’m sure you’re clever enough to notice some friends are missing?” Of course...She planned this entire thing, so they must've done something to them! “Where’s my sister?!” Mason exclaimed in anger. "And where are the Princesses?!" Twilight added before Chrysalis smirked before moving to the side and we saw the Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Sombra, Radiant Hope, CMC’s and Carrie in a large cocoons. The CMC's and Carrie were trapped together while the others were hanging above her throne. "I believe this is what you're looking for?" Chrysalis presented, taunting us with her a smirk on her face. “How do we know that’s the real them?” Rantaro asked. "For all we know, those could be your precious babies disguised as them?" Yeah, there's no possible way that it's them. "Maybe this will help us get out Cutie-Marks?” Applebloom smiled, not feeling frighten by any of this. “In what? Being fillynapped?" Scootaloo questioned incredulously. Sweetie and Carrie sighed, slumping their heads down. “That’s them.” Jack deadpanned, groaning at the sight of them. “Like I said in the letter, I have them all in the Badlands, our new kingdom. You can come and collect them if you.... dare.” Chrysalis offered. "If not, then I'll simply suck away all of their love. I can already sense how special they must be to you whelps." “Oooh, that bastard has gone too far!” Jack yelled, growling angrily at the Changeling queen. “Well this is obviously a trap.” Rainbow huffed. "Until then, weaklings..." Chrysalis smirked before the orb signaled off. So Chrysalis has them in her new castle in the Badlands? This all sounds so suspicious, and maybe a trap...but... "Ngh!" Whoa! M-Mason?! "Mason darling! Calm down!" Rarity cried out, pulling Mason with her magic before he could destroy much of the orb. "Where is she?! Don't you play mind games with me, Chrysalis!" Mason cried out in anger. "Mason, dude! Stop!" I called out. "Stand your ground, Private Hunter!" Skye added. After a few deep breaths, he slowly began calming himself down. "R-Right...I am sorry for you all to see me like this...but..." Mason looks down sadly. "Carrie...Sweetie Belle...Apple Bloom...Scootaloo..." "Shh...It's okay." Rarity shushed him, nuzzling against his chest. "I understand how you feel...and we will get them back." "Rarity's right." Sarah nodded. "Hang on tight Mason, Carrie and the others will be safe. Chrysalis is expecting us to arrive there in three days so that she can take us down herself." "Arrogant to the end." Rantaro sighed. "Jeez, I guess her botched plan on beating us before back at Canterlot and her second attempt taught that stupid bug nothing." Then who's gonna go to the changeling kingdom and save them?” Fluttershy asked. “Duh, we are.” Rantaro rolled her eyes. "Who else? Besides, I got no choice in the matter..." "You really want to go Rantaro?" I asked. "My business is gonna be put on hold what with these guys recovering." Rantaro sighed. "So whatever..." Well...that's...something I never expected you to respond. "Still no one with me that this is a trap?" Rainbow Dash called. "Can it Skittles." Jack snorted. "We all probably know that it's a damn trap, but we can't sit on our behinds and let them get away with this crap!" "I hate to agree with the brute, but he is correct." Rarity's agreeing with Jack? Well this situation really has turned for the worse. "Sweetie Belle needs my help! I'm going with him!" "Same!" Applejack grunted. "Even if its a trap, I've got to save my sister!" "Me too!" Mason agreed. "I'm not gonna sit around and just let my sister get hurt by that vile bug queen! We need to act fast!" “And we don’t even know where to go.” Kaede stated. "I mean, we don't even know where this badlands location could be." She's right? It could be anywhere...so where could we even start? "Ummm... I know where it is..." a familiar voice we heard before she saw Thorax coming out of the bushes. "Thorax! Oh thank goodness." Fluttershy smiled, hugging the reformed changeling. Thorax gave us a caring smile. "Wait... how do you we know you're not another changeling pretending to be Thorax?" Twilight questioned suspiciously. "You were there when I defended Sarah against Queen Chrysalis when they captured your siblings." Thorax stated. "Sarah unleashed her Roar of Harmony on Chrysalis that sent her and the others away." ".... It's Thorax..." Nicole and Rantaro replied in unison. "Yep." the others added. "What are you doing out here?" Nicole questioned. "I came to make sure you all were okay." Thorax said. "When I saw the replaced ponies, I knew it had to be bad news. Are you alright?" "We're fine, but Chrysalis and her changelings are back and they've captured, Carrie, the Crusader's, the Princesses, Sombra and Radiant Hope and are holding them in the Badlands. Do you know where the Badlands are?" I asked. "Yes, it's outside of Equestria. In a barren wasteland." Thorax stated. "Ah, yes, I know where that is." Sarah said. "I can guide you all there." Sarah smiled, "But......" But.. what? Sarah...? Why was she looking at Thorax? "Thorax, you're wings... they're different.." Sarah pointed out. Oh... woah, they are different... instead of being transparent, they were crystal like and shimmering. "I guess they do." Nicole and Rantaro looked at his glowing wings, "Hmm... that's definitely a change." Rantaro stated. "Interesting.. I'll have to study this.." Nicole added, adjusting her glasses. "Study them later, Nicole, we've got friends to save." Rainbow reminded. Just then, Discord appeared, "Oh did I hear another rescue mission?" he asked excitedly. Twilight sighed, "Yes Discord, we're going to rescue the Princesses and our friends from Chrysalis in the Badlands." "Ooooh! Count me in!" Discord smiled before he donned on some travel gear on himself and us and with a snap of his fingers were were in the Badlands on a large piece of land, "Odd, I was trying to take us right to the Princesses." Discord said before he pulled up a rock, "But there is no Princesses." "Umm... I have a pretty good idea where they might be...." Kaede said nervously pointing to a large Changeling Hive in the middle of the wasteland. "Holy crap baskets...." I muttered. "I hoped to never see that place again. Now what?" Thorax asked. "Easy, we go in blast them all with Newbie and the bookworms' magic and we come out with the Princesses and the little ones, easy." Jack smirked. "You guys can't use magic here. Nothing except Changeling Magic works here. Chrysalis ancient throne is made of a powerful rock that soaks up outside magic the same way Changelings soak up love. Its how she keeps the Hive safe." Thorax explained. What?! So our magic is ineffective here! Oh great.... "Oh great, now what?" Rainbow asked. "Without Magic I have no idea." Twilight admitted. "So somepony better think of something and think fast." "Oh wait, I know." Sarah said before she lit her horn and our dragons appeared. "Ren and the gangs' dragons? How can they help?" Rainbow asked, skeptical. "Skittles, they're fire breathing dragons, one of which can kill with a sting with its tail. With them, if any Changelings come after us, they can defend us, like how Snowflake defended me the last time." Sarah smiled. ......Fair Point. "Alright then, let's go..." Twilight said. We nodded and we walked towards the Changeling Hive, staying out of sight of the guards while the guard armored changeling drones were distracted without them noticing. “Okay, we’re clear,” Thorax said, as he lead the group inside through a small hole. Oh my... god.... there were few hole changing positions all over the place and we saw a lot of green glowing cocoons. They saw a few holes changing positions everywhere and saw a lot of green glowing cocoons. “Ugh, it’s simply ghastly, darling. How do they even keep this place clean?” Rarity said. “It’s kinda how Chrysalis likes it,” Thorax said. “Okay. For once, I am definitely glad you came. I don’t think we’d be able to find our way out without you,” I said. “Ya said it,” Applejack said. “You definitely wouldn’t,” Thorax said, pointing at the hole that they came in from closing. “Seriously?!” Rainbow Dash asked. “Um, where’s the way out?” Fluttershy asked. “It’s a changeling hive. It shifts and changes like we do, and we’re the only ones who can navigate it. It's total chaos for non-changelings,” Thorax said, as he continued to lead the way. "Well I wouldn't call it total chaos." Discord disagreed. “So, are you sure we can some of our magic back when we destroy that so-called throne?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If Thorax is right, then yes. But if not, we’ll have to come up with another way,” Twilight said. “Well, that’s reassuring, darling,” Rarity said. “And how are we supposed to destroy the throne when we find it?” Kaede asked. "Well, Deadly Nadders' fire is the hottest of all dragons and can melt solid rock in seconds, so Skystorm can melt the throne with ease once we find it." I explained with a smile. "Excellent." Twilight smiled. “Well, I don’t suppose you brought something we can use like something useful?” Spike asked. "I just brought my dinosaurs." Sarah said, showing her dinosaur cards but with out her magic she couldn't summon the bracer to summon them into battle mode. "Well.... they could work... if you figure out another way to summon them." Applejack said. “Okay, now that we’re done gossiping, can we move on please? The sooner we find the Princesses and our friends and destroy the throne, the sooner we go home,” Twilight said. We all nodded and continued to follow Thorax as we trotted up the stairs. “Um, guys? I think we’re lost,” Thorax said, as they found out they were now in the middle of nowhere. “Oh, great! This is so boring!” Rainbow Dash said. “Oh, I hope my little sister is still okay. She could be anywhere,” Rarity said. “We’ll keep looking,” Twilight said. “That’s good, because I’d rather not just sit here and wait for the changelings to just come right here and soak up all of our love or whatever gross thing it is they do,” Skye said. “Thorax! Your wings! Were they like that after your first battle with Chrysalis?” I asked. “Actually, yeah. They were, but I’ve recently shared some love with animals instead of feeding off their love, and it kinda made me end up like this. And I think I haven’t been hungry since I’ve met all of you,” Thorax said. “But changelings are always hungry." "So... you're not hungry anymore than...?" Kaede asked and Thorax realized, "Huh... I guess... after you guys accepted my friendship, I might’ve forgotten about the whole feeding thing." "Which caused your wings to change." Sarah added. “Well, I think you look smashing with those sparkles on your wings, darling!” Rarity said. “Really? Well, thank you,” Thorax said. “Well, at least it can’t get any worse, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Nope! Not even close! Hehehehe!” Pinkie Pie said, until her giggle suddenly echoed. The changelings suddenly heard the echo and started to come out and hiss. “Oops, sorry,” Pinkie Pie said. “It’s alright, darling. But at least you didn’t wake them up, so we should be fine,” Rarity said. They suddenly heard a sound of distant humming with a little buzzing. “Um... W-What’s that?” Kaede asked. “That doesn’t... sound good,” Fluttershy said. “It’s a changeling patrol! Run!” Thorax said, and then they all started running as a swarm of angry changelings chased after us. "Torch, blast them!" Jack called and his Monstrous Nightmare roar and flame up, scaring the crap out of the changelings before he launched a fireball at them, forcing them to retreat. "Hahahaha, see ya crappy bugs!" Jack exclaimed with a toothily grin. “I can’t believe that actually worked!” Twilight said. “Great Torch." However, Snowflake and Slice snarled seeing another group of changelings coming right at us! “Maybe not!” Rainbow Dash said. “RUN!” Twilight said, as we ran from the angry changelings. They suddenly ran through a few tunnels while a few changelings kept chasing them one another. When they got back together, they suddenly found a safe place to hide. “We can’t keep this up any longer! If we do, then we’ll end up like the changelings,” Rainbow Dash said. “You mean... trapped in one of... those... disgusting and revolting cocoons?!” Rarity shuddered. “I’m with ya, Rare,” Applejack said. “Oh, Carrie. Where are you?” Mason said. “I don’t know, but we’ll find her.” Applejack said. “Yes, darling. But between seeing ourselves and those horrible changelings, the castle will be crawling with guards soon,” Rarity said. “But if we do manage to find a way to destroy the throne, we’ll still have a chance to get our magic back and stop Chrysalis. We could still take her on and the entire changeling army and save our friends!” Twilight said. Skystorm sniffed the ground and squawked to the rest of us, "Skystorm, what's wrong?" Kaede asked. The Deadly Nadder roared again before she dashed down a tunnel. "Skystorm!" We all chased after the Deadly Nadder and we found her.... in Chrysalis' throne room! Above her throne room, we saw Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Sombra, Radiant and Carrie and the CMC's in their own coccons. "Carrie!" Mason gasped in horror. "This has got be it..." Twilight whispered until we heard buzzing sound of changeling wings. Oh no.... and then changeling slime was splat on the girls forelegs and our shoes, and a recognizable evil laugh was heard. “One puny band of heroes all by their selves,” a voice said. A pair of forelegs appeared and climbed over Celestia's cocoon. It was Queen Chrysalis, as she crawled like an insecure with her joints cracking, and then rotated her head. “Oh, how will I ever prevent this daring rescue?” Suddenly, her entire army of Changelings appeared and rushed us, but Skystorm and Slice breathed their fire in a circle, keeping them back while Torch and the others snarled at them. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Twilight Sparkle and her little band of friends, and I see you’ve brought some fresh meat. Your sole pupil, I presume?” Queen Chrysalis asked evilly, until she chuckled. “Honestly, I didn’t think you were worth of replacing with one of my drones.” “You’ll never get away with this!” Jack exclaimed as he struggled. “Oh, but I already have. Nopony is coming to save you lot or help rescue the little friends. Your pathetic attempt was futile, and now you will join your friends after we have taken over your world!” Chrysalis said. “Oh, yeah! Well, Thorax is still out there! How would you feel?!” Twilight asked. “Don’t you dare mention that traitor’s name in my kingdom!” Chrysalis hissed. “He was a pathetic and insolent fool to leave and even more of a fool to return! But when I find him, he’ll learn his lesson about just what happens to those who betray the hive!” "I am not afraid of you anymore!" Huh? We all turned and saw Throax standing on Chrysalis' throne. "Thorax!" Chrysalis hissed and the other changelings hissed at the so called traitor. "You're not afraid of me anymore! I'm your Queen, you should always be afraid of me!" "No I don't!" Thorax said in his assertive tone, looking Chrysalis dead in the eye. "I used to afaird of you because I didn't think there was another way for us to live, but Nicole, Rantaro and their friends showed me another way to survive. Through friendship we can gather the love we need without taking it from others. They risked their lives to protect me and now I'll do the same for them!" Wow......! Never thought he could say.... that before. At that moment, Thorax blasted a huge beam of love at Chysalis, sending her crashing into a wall and Thorax was the love enveloped him into a cocoon. "..... Thorax...?" Fluttershy called. Then the cocoon broke opened and.... HOLY CRAP! Thorax was now a taller changeling with light lime green chitin with a brilliant gamboge tint on his chest, a dark azure carapace with a moderate emerald green underside, moderate blue violet wings and dark fuchsia elytra on his back, moderate rose eyes, and brilliant light orange beetle-like mandibles on his head. Everypony in the throne was shocked. "What... the.... hell....!" Jack exclaimed. "It appears sharing his love allowed him to metomorphozised, like a butterfly." Nicole deduced. “See?! This is what happens when you give love freely instead of taking it! Why don’t you try it out for a change?!” I said, showing how Thorax got his new look. The drones then thought for a moment and then decided to share their love with each other and Chrysalis’ throne started to crack and she was now afraid. After all that love was shared, the top of the hive exploded, leaving so much debris and rubble. Sarah turned off the force field and then she and Thorax saw a beautiful sight The changelings landed and got new forms in colors of cyan, brilliant green, sea green, light lime green, and greenish yellow, causing them to like their new looks. Twilight and the others went to Starlight and Thorax for a group hug. They then saw Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Sombra, Radiant Hope, Carrie and the girls. "Carrie!" Sweetie Belle!" Scoots!" Applebloom!" Carrie and the CMC's turned and saw their respective elder siblings coming over to them, "Big Brother!" "Rarity!" Rainbow Dash!" "Applejack!" They all hugged each other tightly, "Oh thank goodness you girls are alright." Applejack said. "I'm okay Applejack." Applebloom said and we all smiled at the scene. But the moment was ruined when we heard rubble crumbling, and it was Queen Chrysalis, and she hissed at us, but she frowned seeing that she was greatly outnumbered. "It's over Chrysalis, you've lost this round once more, so do everyone a favor a just surrender." Sarah snarled. “There is no revenge you could ever conceive of that will come close to what I will exact upon you one day, Sarah Gem!” she said angrily, and then she fell backwards and fled. "Hmph, good riddance for a long time, I hope." Jack grumbled. "You and me both." I agreed. “Thorax, as the new leader of the changelings, I look forward to discussing how we can improve our relationship in the future." Celestia said and Thorax bowed to the Sun Princess. "However, for the moment, perhaps it is best that we leave the Changeling Kingdom to the changelings,” "So how are we gonna get back home?" Kaede asked. "I got this." Discord smiled and with a snap of his fingers we were all back in Twilight's castle. "Hopefully, that's the last time we'll hear of Chrysalis for a while. That bug never learns." Rantaro said. "Some people or creatures just refused to accept change. Thats how some things are." Sarah stated. "But whatever she throws at us next, we'll be ready for her." "You got that right, Newbie." Jack smirked. "Heck yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "We'll always stop her and other bad guys, no matter what!" "Yeah, Protectors of Equestria!" Twilight and the rest of us declared and the Princesses smiled proudly at all of us. Chapter 10: The Harmonic Nine: The MovieIn the magical land of Equestria, there are four powerful Princesses. One for the day. One for the night. One for family and then there’s me, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. It is my royal duty to make sure everyone in Equestria feels like they belong. It’s a lot of live up to. I mean, Princess? Luckily I have amazing friends who are there for me no matter what. I know with my friends by my side, I can be the Princess everyone wants me to be. But some things you just can’t prepare for. Now on with the main movie plot! Twilight’s POV I was in the halls of the Canterlot Palace, being calm. “Ooommm… Oooommm… My goodness! I can’t handle this!” I stated in a panicked tone. “Alright, alright.. Get it together. Just go in there and ask. This is your Friendship Festival. Everyone’s happiness rest in your hands.” … Yeah that pep talk to myself did not do anything to help me. “Ooooh.” I groaned. The door opened and out came Spike, my dragon assistant. “Alright, Twilight, I have all your charts and graphs.” “Oh thank goodness, you’re here Spike. I’m just so nervous about this meeting.” I said. “What are you talking about?” Spike asked. “I’m about to ask the most royal ponies in Equestria a huge favor. What if they reject me?” I asked. “I’ll be fine. Just remember the most important thing.” “... Smile?” I suggested, giving him and large a somewhat creepy smile. “Uh..no.” he said. “You’re a Princess too.” “...Right!” I said. I took a deep breath and pushed opened the doors to the throne room, seeing the three Princesses. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. “Good morning, Princesses. Thank you all for seeing me. I have an idea that I think will make our Friendship Festival the most wonderful celebration Equestria has ever seen!” “Yes, Twilight! We are very excited!” Celestia said. “Ponies have been arriving from all over all morning.” Cadene added. “I'd like to think it's to see us, but Songbird Serenade might be the bigger attraction.” Luna stated. “Yes, she is the... "mane" event!” I giggled a little. “And to make it extra special, I could use your help. Spike?” Spike rolled out a large white board and as I talked Spike drew out everything. “Songbird Serenade's performance is not scheduled to start until after you begin the sunset. And based on my precise calculation, to get the very best lighting for the stage, Princess Celestia, I was hoping you could make sure the sun stays about 28.1º to the south, and, Princess Luna, if you could raise the moon 62º to the north at the same time, it would reflect the sunlight on the other side and really frame the entire stage perfectly!” “I…” Luna stuttered. “But wait! There's more! Cadance, if you could use your crystal magic to create an aurora above the stage, the sun and the moon will shine through it and create a truly amazing light show!” “Presenting Songbird Serenade!” Spike cheered holding a little stick with Songbird Serenade’s sticker on it. “Ta-da…” “So you're saying you want us to move the sun and the moon for the party?” Luna asked. “Well, I'd do it myself, except I don't have your magic.” I laughed nervously. Princess Celestia came up to me, “Twilight, each of us uses our powers to serve Equestria in our own way. You are the Princess of Friendship. You already have all the magic you need.” “So... that'd be a no?” I questioned. Ren’s POV Meanwhile the Mane 5, Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Kaede, Mason, Carrie and I were getting everything ready for the Friendship Festival. Rainbow Dash had finished clearing the clouds. “Skies clear and ready for the festival.” She zipped down and saw Rarity and Kaede placing diamonds on the ribbons. Pinkie and Carrie were blowing up balloons for the party. Jamie and I were making sure everything was in tip top shape. Nicole and Rantaro were laying against the stage out of the way. Applejack and Mason came over with Applejack halling a large barrel of apple cider. “Anypony up for some free samples of my family's apple cider?” she asked aloud. Rainbow and Jack grinned and zipped over, “Thank you.” and zipped back. “Love’d it.” Applejack and Mason admired Rarity and Kaedes’ work. “Wow, Rarity. It's a fine job you're doin' there. 'Course it might not get done 'til after the concert.” “Yeah, Songbird Serenade will love it.” Mason added. “Mason and Applejack anypony can do "fine". Twilight asked us, so clearly, she's going for fabulous, and fabulous takes time.” Rarity said. “Fabulous takes forever!” Rainbow whined, “But''awesome ``...” Rainbow flew past the stage, putting the diamonds on the ribbons in a sloppy manner. She returned to Rarity and Kaedes’ side. “...can get done in four seconds flat! Faster if I do my sonic rainboom!” “Aah! No, no, oh no! Don't you dare, Rainbow Dash! It looks wretched enough already.” Rarity exclaimed. “Oh come on, you purple loon, it's fine!” Jack grunted, folding his arms. “If you were raised in a barn! Ahem, no offense, Applejack.” Rarity said. “None taken. Especially since I wasn't raised in a barn. My family just happens to have a barn. Where I was born. And... spent most of my formative years…” “Raised in a barn!” Jack, Nicole and Rantaro said quickly in unison. Then, Twilight came over with Spike holding a list with my hands, “Okay, just two hundred and eighteen things left to do and we're ready.” “Hey Twilight.” We all greeted. “So how’d it go with the Princesses? Did they like your idea?” Applejack asked. “I bet they loved it!” Pinkie called out in the background. Twilight sighed, “Not exactly. They think I can make today perfect without their magic.” “And they are absolutely right.” Kaede said. “Yeah, this festival was you brilliant idea and we all know your up the task.” Rarity encouraged. However, as usual, Twilight still wasn’t convinced. “But what if I'm not?! What if Songbird Serenade hates the stage?! Or nopony makes a new friend?! And if I fail at the festival, then who am I?!” That’s when Pinkie grabbed her face and literally smashed it against hers. “Twilight, look at me! This will be the biggest celebration Equestria has ever seen! As the Princess of Friendship, you cannot fail! This day will define who you are! The pressure is intense! It's almost too much for any single pony to handle!” She then screamed and ponies nearby gasped. “Too far, Pinkie. Too far.” I said. “Yep.” Jamie agreed. Twilight blinked twice and Pinkie hopped off of me. “But you have us. So stop worrying.” she said. Music started playing as Twilight smiled nervously and Applejack and Mason helped her up. (Applejack and Mason) It's time to show 'em what you've got (Rarity and Kaede) It's time to go and get things done (Fluttershy and Jamie) But you don't have to do it on your own (Pinkie Pie and I) 'Cause you've got friends right here to make it fun (All) We got this, you got this We got this together Rainbow grabbed me and took me into the sky. (Rainbow Dash) Sometimes the pressure gets you down And the clouds are dark and grey Just kick them off and let the sun shine through And scary as it seems, more help is on the way 'Cause friends have friends that wanna help out, too (Rainbow Dash and Wonderbolts) We got this, you got this We got this together (Crowd) It's the Festival of Friendship And we can get it done A festival that they won't forget A party to be proud of A day of games and fun Just you wait and see A magic day in perfect harmony (Fluttershy and Jamie) You got this (Bird) [whistles melody] (Fluttershy, Jamie and bird whistle) We got this together (Applejack) With friends and family, you are never alone If you need help, we've got your back You can be honest, let your problems be known (Applejack and Apple family) 'Cause you got us to pick up the slack We got this (Big McIntosh) Eeyup! (Apple family) We got this together (Rarity and Kaede) Pay attention to the details Every gem even-spaced Make the colors perfect (Spike) Takin' one or two to taste He took one of the gems and at them (Rarity) Inside and out, beautiful throughout Generosity is what we're all about (Spike) (mouthful) You got this (Rarity and Kaede) You got this (Rarity, Kaede and Spike) We got this together I flew into the sky, overlooking the area. (Twilight) Today needs to be perfect, it all comes down to me I don't know if I'm ready For all the things they need me to be I am the Princess of Friendship But that is more than just a crown It's a promise to bring creatures together And never let anybody down! (Pinkie Pie and I) We've got an awful lot to bake Each pony needs a piece of cake Oh, wait! There's something better we can do We're gonna need some more supplies To make a really big surprise She'll be so shocked She's sure to love it, too! You got this! We got this together! (All) It's the Festival of Friendship Together we are one A day we will never forget And now everything is ready So when the day is done (Rainbow Dash and Jack) The weather (Applejack and Rantaro) The banquet (Rarity and Nicole) The style (Fluttershy and Carrie) And music (All) All will be in perfect harmony! Suddenly, I heard a loud ‘POP’ sound behind me. I turned around and look up… only to be consumed by giant cake pieces. “Oh dear!” Rarity exclaimed. Twilight’s popped my head out, “Pinkie!” and a lit candle landed on my head. Pinkie and Ren popped out of her cannon, “Oops sorry, guess my large party cannon needs a little more fine tuning.” Pinkie admitted. Twilight only groaned. Then Sarah came over with Snowflake and her pokemon friends. “Another Pinkie invention?” she asked. “Yep.” I stated. Twilight walked out of the cake and cleaned myself just as ponies were whispering. “Songbird Serenade, is it really her?” “It is, It is.” Through the crowd came two bodyguard ponies and in the middle was a beige pegasus pony with a tan and black mane and tail. The mane covered her eyes and she was wearing a black jacket. “Hi, I’m looking for the pony in charge.” she asked. Cameras flashed and she did a few poses. “I need to get ready for my soundcheck.” “Woah.” I gasped. It was the first time, The gang and I had met a pop star in Equestria. She sounded like the singer sia. “Songbird Serenade!” I called. “Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m the pony in charge.” “Ah good-” Before she could continue, there was a sound of thunder. We all looked up and saw dark clouds coming over and filling the air. “Storm clouds?” Carrie asked. “Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked. “Uh, I don't think those are storm clouds.” Rainbow said. “Yeah. I have a bad feeling about those clouds.” Mason said. “Me too.” Rantaro said. Sarah and Snowflake, Pikachu and the others narrowed their eyes at the storm cloud and Sarah returned her Pokemon friends to their pokeballs. Then a weird-looking airship came out of the cloud. [img] https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/4/46/The_Storm_King%27s_airship_appears_MLPTM.png/revision/latest?cb=20170629194616[/img] “Ooh! I bet those are the clowns I ordered!” Pinkie cheered, but when the ship got closer she added, “...Or definitely not the clowns I ordered.” The airship was stationed right in front of us and broke of the thin pillars. A walk path came out and out came a small hedgehog carrying a loudspeaker and a mic. The hedgehog cleared his throat and said, Ponies of Equethtria, we come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty...Storm King! Sarah narrowed her eyes a little as the rest of my friends started in concern and suspicion. The hedgehog continued, “And now, to deliver the evil, evil methage, put your hooves together for Commander Tempeeeetht!” We heard footsteps and out came a unicorn mare wearing gray armor. She had a scar over her left eye and… she had a broken horn! Most of the ponies gasped, ”What the hell?” Jack asked. “Is that a unicorn?” Twilight asked. “I think so, but what happened to her horn.” Spike asked. “It looks like it was cut off or something.” I stated. That’s when Celestia, Luna and Cadence came down, “Tempest, is it? How may we help you?” “Oh I’m so glad. How about we start with your complete and total surrender.” Tempest said. Okay. She’s bad news and the rest of the gang knew it too. Twilight decided to step forward with caution. “Um.. Hi there. Princess of Friendship. Not exactly sure what's going on, but I know we can talk things out.” I swear I heard Jack and Rainbow facepalm. “Oh goodie.” Tempest said. “All four Princesses.” Then Tempest noticed Sarah, “Hmm.. and another Alicorn too. “ she began to walk down the walkway. “Here’s the deal ladies, I need your magic. Give it up nicely please, or else we make it difficult for everyone.” “And why should we cower before you?” Luna asked. “There’s one of you and hundreds of us.” Tempest chuckled, “I was hoping you’d choose ‘Difficult’.” That’s when more airships came in and large Storm creatures came out and landed in the area. Ponies screamed and ran for their lives. “Holy crap!” Jack exclaimed. Carrie hugged her brother in fear. “Crap baskets!” I added. Tempest leaped into the air and threw an obsidian orb at Celestia. “Celestia!” Ren cried. Cadence stepped in front of her aunts and used a shield to protect them, but the orb broke through and hit her, “YAAHHH!” she cried. Twilight gasped in horror as she was turning into a statue. “Oh my goodness!” Rarity cried. “Holy crap!” Jack added. “Not good!” Kaede added. “Cadence!” Celestia cried. “Agh! I can’t stop it!” Cadence cried. Tempest started running through the panic crowd. Celestia turned to Luna, “Luna, quick go South beyond the Badlands.” she started. Tempest threw another obsidian orb. “Seek help from the Queen of the hippo-” she didn’t finish when the orb hit her turning her into a statue. “Celestia! No!” I cried. Luna gasped and made flew into the air, but Tempest threw another orb at her. It struck her and she turned into and statute mid-air and Twilight used her magic to catch her. “Ugh. Luna!” she cried. Tempest launched two more orbs at Twilight and Sarah?. “Newbie!” “Twilight!” Rainbow and Jack swiftly flew and ran in and grabbed Twilight and Sarah before the orbs hit them. “Over here, you guys!” I said. Sarah, Carrie, Nicole, Rantaro, Jack, Jamie, Kaede and I along with Kodi and the girls were near the bridge. Me and Mason dashed through the Storm creatures and made it onto the bridge along with the others, but our path was blocked by two other Storm Creatures. We stopped and Twilight fired her magic, but one of them bounced it off with a shield hitting the ground and breaking the bridge beneath us. “AAAAHHHH!” We all screamed but at the last second, Sarah changed into a large bird and caught all of us on her back and she flew us far from Canterlot. Third Person POV Grubber and two Storm Creatures looked over the edge. “Which one of you guyth ith goin' down there?” The Storm Creatures growled, “ I would, but I just had a hearty meal, and I will think and I will thide-cramp. I'm very big-boned. I think quick.” Ren’s POV Sarah landed on the ground and now we all were now hiding under a fallen tree, miles from Canterlot which was now surrounded by the dark clouds and had more airships coming in. I was standing by the water while my friends were under the fallen tree. “Everyone alright?” I asked. “Yeah… I think so.” Carrie said a little dazed from the fall. “We just got our butts kicked by the worst party crashers ever!” Kaede said. “We got to go back there and fight that unicorn bastard!” Jack said. “Jack, you saw those goons. You seriously want to go back?!” Mason exclaimed. “That’s suicide!” “So now what?.” Kaede said. “We can’t hide here forever.” “And let’s be honest, we can’t go back. Look at what they did to the Princesses. We have to keep them from Twilight and Sarah.” Applejack said. “Yeah Applejack’s right. We all saw what she did to the Princesses, she’ll do the same to Twilight and Sarah too, so we can’t ignore that fact..” Mason said. “So what do we do now?.” Jamie said. Meanwhile, Twilight was thinking about what Princess Celestia said. “The Queen.” “Yeah the Queen.” Pinkie cheered. “Uh… what Queen?” “Celestia told Luna to find the Queen of the Hippo- something. Luna can’t, so I have to.” Twilight said. “Hippos? Serious?” Rainbow asked. “Celestia meant Queen of the Hippogriffs.” Sarah said. “Hippogriffs?” I asked. Sarah nodded, “They are half pony, half eagle creatures and Queen Novo is the Queen.” “They’re somewhere south, past the Badlands.” Twilight added. “That means we’ll have to leave Equestria.” Fluttershy said. Leave Equestria. Oh boy! “I’m not even packed.” Rarity said. “I understand you’re scared and nobody else has to go, but I have to find Queen Novo. She might be our only hope.” Twilight said. Twilight began walking when Jack came in front of me, “Well you’re not doing this alone and getting all the glory. Wherever you go, we go. We’re in this together.” Rainbow said with a grin. “We’re not letting you do this quest alone.” I came up with, “We got your back.” “Indeed.” Kaede added. “Count me in!” Mason added. “I’m ready to save Equestria!” Carrie said. “Yeah.” Jamie added. “I guess, we’ll help too.” Nicole added, speaking for Rantaro and herself. “Yeah, we’re all behind you, Twilight.” Spike said. “Do you know where they are Sarah?” Sarah nodded, “Snowflake, Pikachu and I have encountered Novo before during our travels. I can lead you there.” “Now let’s get moving.” I said, “Lead the way, Sarah.” Sarah nodded and with that we walked through the forest for the Badlands on our quest to save Equestria. Third Person POV In Equestria, the Storm Creatures had captured all the ponies and muzzled them and forcing them to walk, connected with chains. Other were placed in cages. Tempest was on the balcony of the palace. She walked inside where the three Princess Statues were. Each were on a corner of a four petaled flower. “All this power wasted on parties when there are far greater uses.” There was a small coldon in the middle of the room and one Storm Creature came in holding an orb that was ringing. “Well? Answer it!.” Tempest ordered. The Storm Creature poured the liquid into the caldron and out came and image of the Storm King. “Where am I supposed to be looking? I never understand how this spell works. Tempest!” The Storm King called. “Over here, Your Excellency..” Tempest called. “Where?” “Over here.” “Huh?” “No. No, right. Look right.” “My right?” “Yep.” “Oh. There you are. Here's the deal. I'm in the middle of a big rebrand here. "The Storm King" is tracking well as "intensely intimidating", but you know what? I need to back it up. You know what I need to back it up with? A storm! That would be great! You promised me magic that could control the elements, and right now, I'm holding a what? A branch. A twig. Bleh!” “Uh, that would be the Staff of Sacanas, Your Excellency, and it will channel the magic of the four rulers of this land. You'll soon have the power of a hundred armies.” “So that would be a yes on your locking down the five Pegacornicuseses, or whatever you call them?” “Give me three days. I'll have everything ready for your arrival.” The Storm King's’ voice then turned ominous, “Remember, Tempest. Only I have the power to make you whole. Make this twig work, and you'll get your reward. Fail me, and your horn won't be the only thing that's broken.” “It won't be a problem.” And the Storm King suddenly turned upbeat, “Great! I'm ready to power up, crash and bash, and be the biggest, baddest bugaloooooo…” and the spell finished. “Thorry, bad thpell thervice. You want me to call him back?” Gruber asked. “Do you have the Princess?” “Well, uh, funny thtory. It kinda theemth like she... she might've like, you know, got away... a little bit. I know you're dithappointed, but I got one word for you: "thpongecake".” Tempest zapped Grubber with her electricity. “I need all five for the staff to work.” Tempest growled. “Hey, I know! I want the Thtorm King to fix that crazy horn as badly as you do. It lookth like a crackly chipped tooth on the top of your head. And you know you don't look good in hatth.” She sharply turned towards him. “Those Alicorns are not gonna keep me from getting my horn back! Prepare my ship!” Grubber freaked but he went to prepare her ship. Tempest returned to her calm demeanor. “Please. How far could two little ponies get on her own?” Tempest asked. Ren’s POV Now we were in the Badlands Desert. There were no clouds in the sky and just sand everywhere. The heat and humidity was unbearable. We were sweating profusely and walking slow. Rantaro was trying to fan himself but it barely worked. Jacks’ shirt was all sweaty. I looked like I was at the point of dropping down to the ground, along with Jamie. "I...can't...take it...anymore..." Jamie complained. “Soo… hot…” Jack groaned. “Tell.. me… about it.” I added. “How… much… farther?” Jack asked. The only one who didn’t seem to be affected was Sarah and Snowflake. “Sarah… Snowflake… how come you… two aren’t.. Affected?” I asked, panting. “Snowflake and I have grown used to the desert heat.” Sarah explained. “Hey… when did this… road get here?” Kodi asked in a tired voice. “A road..?” Twilight said. “Where there’s a road.. There’s a-” she gasped in joy as we came over a sandy hill and they smiled. Up ahead was a town. https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/jadensadventures/images/a/a6/Klugetown.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180502180039 “A city.” Pinkie smiled. “We are doing it you guys.” “You know what they say. Where there’s a city. There’s a spa!” Rarity exclaimed. “Who says that?” Rainbow asked. “Cause you’ve forgotten, we’re on a mission to save Equestria.” Applejack said. “I can multitask.” Rarity grumbled. Seeing the town, must have given my friends an extra boost of energy because they started walking a bit faster. We entered the town and saw there were pig creatures and some vendors too. Carrie looked around and saw cages with animals in them. One pig creature dropped a barrel, “I got it.” Twilight said and Twilight used my magic to lift it up. “ Hey! No magic around my merchandise!” the pig creature exclaimed, frightening us a little and we scurried away while Jack and Rainbow snarled at the pig creature. “This place gives me the creeps.” Mason said. Carrie held onto her brother tightly. “Me too.” Jamie said. “Just stick together.” Twilight said. “Be careful who you talk to. And try to blend in.” Suddenly a vendor creature came up to us, “How much for the red wolf?” “Huh?” We all asked. “The red wolf.” the vendor said again, pointing to Kodiak, “I’m not a wolf, I’m a dog?!” he exclaimed. “Uh, sorry Kodi isn't for sale.” I said. “I want the small girl. I'll give ya two storm bucks for it!” another vendor said. “My sister is not for sale either!” Mason growled. The various other creatures started to surround us, saying multiple bids. Jack got in front of us for protection. We were cornered against a wall, but before any of them could touch us, Sarah came forth. “Excuse me, back away from my friends please?” The creatures seemed to widen their eyes at the sight of her, like they knew her already. “If you don’t you’ll have to deal with my friend. Oh Snowflake~” Snowflake growled at the creatures and they scattered. “Hehehe, still the same as always.” Sarah chuckled. “Thanks Sarah.” I praised. Suddenly, we heard more laughter and clapping. “Who's there?!” Mason exclaimed. “I see you haven’t changed much, have you Sarah?” Out of the shadows came an anthropomorphic cat leaped in front of us. He wore a red robe and had a blue ring on his tail. “Who are you?” Kaede asked. “This is Capper, one of my friends.” Sarah said. Capper and Sarah shook paws and hooves. “And I see Snowflake is still the same, huh?” Snowflake purred at the sight of him. “These are all my friends from Equestria, Capper.” Sarah said. Capper turned to us “Hello there everyone Capper’s the name and charming's’ my game.” Capper said. “Nice to meet you, Capper.” Pinkie greeted until Twilight pulled her aside, “I don’t think we should trust him. He acts like Rantaro.” Then Mason came up, “I agree with Twilight.” “Maybe we should, I mean we could use a friend out here.” Pinkie stated. Capper suddenly came over, “You know what, the little female is right. And if I do say so myself….” “He better not sing.” Jack grunted. “You know he is.” I replied. Jack growled. (Capper) This town is not a nice place For little fillies all alone There are lots of twists and corners That could lead to the unknown Let me guide your way And I'll be sure to help you through You could really use a friend out here And luckily for you... I'm the friend that you need When you're lost and don't know what to do I'm your pal, your amigo Useful and resourceful, too And my help, you'll concede Is a plus guaranteed You can call and I'll come running Just follow my lead 'Cause I'm the friend you need! (Klugetown Wool-Seller) He's a friend Scaly Klugetowner: Quite a friend! (Klugetowners) He's a friend indeed! (Capper) You need a bud to spot the danger A pal to stop the creep A chum and not a stranger to assist You need a bro who is cunning That can help you take the leap A friend who knows what's lying in the mist Don't fear these darkened alleys They're scary, yes, I know Why, you could use a friend To protect you wherever you go And such a dazzling beauty Covered in dirt and muck But now your fate is changing Now you are in luck 'Cause I'm the friend that you need When you're lost and don't know what to do I'm your pal, your amigo Lookin' out for friends like you And my help, you'll concede Is a plus guaranteed Just call and I'll come running We'll say it's agreed… 'Cause I'm the friend you need! (Me and the others) He's a friend Kaede: Quite a friend! (All) He's a friend indeed! Capper led us into his home. There were shelves with bottles on it and it looked like a hodgepodge of some sort. “ Welcome ponies and humans. Apologies for the state of my litter box. I wasn't expecting guests.” “Gross.” Mason stated. “Y'all sure you want the Hippogriffs?” Capper asked. “Yes Capper.” Sarah stated. “Right, now let’s see what we have here.” Capper said. Third Person POV Tempest, Grubber and some Storm Creatures were walking through Klugetown. The creatures of Klugetown were screaming and running away. “You really think the ponieth got thith far?” Grubber asked. Tempest saw one of Sarah’s feathers on a stand, “ Oh, they're here. Attention! A little purple pony passed this way. Tell me where she is…” “..or thumpin real bad's going to happen.” Grubber added. “You think we're gonna fall for this again? I don't know what kinda scam you're workin' with Capper and the rest of your friends, but--” One fish creature stated. “Friends?” Tempest asked. “Poison or no poison, you're gonna pay!” Tempest didn’t flinch instead she knocked the fish creature down and threw him onto the ground! “Ohhhh, Fishman juth got dropped!” Grubber said. Tempest approached the fish creature. “Now… about this… Capper.” she lit her horn, emphasizing she was serious. Ren’s POV Meanwhile, while Sarah was looking through some of the books, Rarity was with Capper and she fixed a button on his robe. “ Here you go. I do apologize. If we were back home, I could've done something truly fabulous.” she said. Capper looked at her with suspicion, “Okay... What's the catch?” “Nothing. After all that you've done for us, consider it a "thank you".” Rarity admitted, surprising Capper since nobody ever thanked him for anything. “Oh. Uh, don't thank me. Really.” Snowflake nudged him. “Guys!” Twilight called. She placed a map on the table. “I found the map. The map says they live on Mount Aris. “Mount Aris? Where’s that?” I asked. “Maybe it’s that large mountain out the window.” Rantaro stated, nonchalantly, pointing out the window. We went over to the window and saw the mountain in the distance. “That’s it!” Twilight exclaimed. “We’ve got to get to the mountain.” “You need an airship! And lucky for you, I can get you a ride.” Capper said. “No, no, Capper, you’ve done enough. We can take it from here.” Sarah reassured. Suddenly, the door was busted down and certain hornless unicorn came in, slowly. “Hehehe… silly ponies and humans.” Tempest said. “Tempest.” Twilight said in fear. My friends gasped in shock and fear. “Trusting strangers? Big mistake. Big…” Tempest said. “Huge!” Grubber added. The two slowly walked towards us. “Ummm… any ideas, guys?” I asked nervously. Sarah suddenly used her magic to make a small cloud of dust in the room, which Tempest, stopped with her electricity. We all climbed on the windmill outside. “Go, Go!” Twilight cried before she flew out the window. “Get her now!” Tempest ordered and the Storm Creatures went to work. “You’re gonna be scared now, humans.” Grubber said. We were on a single windmill when one of the Storm Creatures held on part of the windmill. Kaede and Carrie screamed. Sarah, Twilight and Rainbow went over and pushed one of the blades of the windmill with all my might. The struggle broke the device holding the windmill and hitting the Storm Creature in the face. We all screamed in fear as the windmill dislodged itself and started rolling through town. “I'm... gonna... be... sick!” Applejack said. “Me.. too!” I added. The rest were screaming and panting. We all leapt off and rushed across a platform which was getting destroyed by the windmill. Then we leaped into a small entryway. “We have to get there to the docks!” Twilight said. We all rushed up the stairs just as the ship was leaving. “Hurry!” Rainbow rushed ahead and grabbed the rope and pulled it, allowing us friends to walk along the rope, like tightrope walkers. Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Mason and Carrie walked across it. “Don’t look down.” Jamie said to himself. I went next, but Kaede saw the Storm Creatures coming and she leaped onto it, pulling Rainbow and she slipped off. “WAAAHH!” “Oh no!” Mason cried. “Kaede!” Everyone cried. “I’m coming!” Sarah jumped and dove for Kaede and luckily caught her before she hit some rocks. She flew her over to the airship and they landed roughly on it. “Sarah, you okay?” Ren asked. “Yeah, I’m alright.” she reassured. “Shhh!” Nicole snapped. We were behind some large crates and hear some voices. “Did you hear something?” Boyle asked. Squabble squawked. "Eh, probably just the rats. If we find 'em, we'll eat 'em.” Boyle said. Jamie gulped nervously, “Rats?” “Let’s just stay quiet.” Sarah whispered. Hopefully, these guys would be friends to us. Third Person POV Capper was brought before Tempest and Grubber. “Now... where are they going?” she asked, charges her horn up. Capper got up, “Okay. No need for violence. Uh, they're headed…” The button Kaede sewed on sparkled reminding Caper about her generosity. He winced and suddenly got an idea, “They headed east! Yeah, to... to Black Skull Island. So, uh, glad I could be of service to His Majesty, the Storm King. I'll just be on my way.” The Storm Creatures blocked his way. “When I get my Princess. Until then, your fate is still... up in the air.” Tempest said. “Oh, you're gonna go in the thkiff! Which with a boat! Thpethifically, a air-boat!” he laughed. The Storm Creatures brought Capper abroad, “We make a great team. I love it how you aid high fate with "up in the air", and then I said, "you're gonna be in the air on an airboat!" POV Ends Meanwhile, on the airship, We peeked over the crates and saw the anthropomorphic parrots. “What do you think? Should we ask them to take us?” Jamie asked. “No way!” Mason whispered. “They’re pirates for God’s sake.” Jacks’ stomach growled and he patted his gut, “Pirates or not, I’m starving.” Mason rolled his eyes, “You’re always hungry.” “Sue me!” Jack exclaimed softly. “Actually, I’m kinda hungry too.” I admitted, rubbing his stomach. “Me too” Jamie added. “Me three.” Kaede said. Suddenly, Boyle picked up and crate, exposing us. ”Looks like a pack of stowaways.” Mullet said. “What are we s'posed to do with 'em?” Lix Spittle added. “What say the book, Captain Celaeno?” Mullet asked. Captain Celano, an tanish parrot with green feathers and a green prosthetic leg as a some sort of crystal, came over with a book in her hands, “Storm King's rule book says, '' throw them overboard." “Huh?” We all exclaimed. The parrots moved forward, ready to grab us. Ren, Jack and Mason got ready to fight when Captain Celano saw Sarah and Snowflake and the pokemon, “Wait a minute… Sarah…?” Celano said. “Good to see you again, Celano.” Sarah greeted. Celano laughed and she and Sarah hoof/claw bumped. “Where have you been all this time, missy?” Celano said with a smirk. “I’ve been in Equestria, with my new friends.” Sarah pointed to us. “Well any friend of yours is a friend.” Lix Spittle said. “And we were about to have lunch, come on.” We were suddenly in a room, eating pudding with the parrots. “Whoa whoa whoa! So you were about to toss us overboard and you stopped for a lunch break?” Jack questioned, getting a ‘Shut up’ expression from Kaede and I . “Storm King only allows one break a day for meals, then it's back to hauling goods.” Boyle said. “So you're delivery guys?” Kaede asked. “And gals. These uniforms aren't exactly doing us any favors.” Celano said. “Then can you deliver us to Mount Aris?” Twilight asked. “Sorry. We do what the Storm King orders or we suffer his wrath.” Celano stated. Well, that was a bust. “Right. Still going overboard.” “Eh, it's nothing personal. Pudding?” Lix Spittle said. “You weren't always delivery birds, were you?” Jack asked. “Yeah, what about before the Storm King?” I added. “Yeah. We used to be much more adventurous.” Celano moved a flag with the Storm King’s picture on it and it showed a skull and crossbones picture. “Whoa! You used to be pirates?!” Ren exclaimed. “Um, we prefer the term "swashbuckling treasure hunters".” Mullet suggested. “So... pirates.” Rainbow deadpanned. Squabble squawked. “You birds have a choice to make. You could let some cloven-hoofed Storm King tell you how to live your life, or…” Jack said. I tore the Storm King picture down, revealing the pirate symbol, “You could be awesome again!” “Jack, Rainbow, this isn’t a good time for a-” Twilight tried to say but. Too Late. (Rainbow and Jack) I know the world can getcha down (Twilight) -song. (Rainbow and Jack) Things don't work out quite the way that you thought Feeling like all your best days are done Your fears and doubts are all you've got But there's a light, shining deep inside Beneath those fears and doubts so just squash 'em Rainbow then pulled off the Storm King poster off. And let it shine for all the world to see That it is time, yeah, time to be awesome! (The rest of us san Twilight, Rantaro and Nicole) Ah, ah, ah, ah - awesome! It's time to be so awesome! Ah, ah, ah, ah - awesome! It's time to be so awesome! (Captain Celaeno) You’ve no idea how hard it’s been This dull routine we’ve been forced to so Rainbow took her pirate hat and placed it in her hands. (Rainbow and Jack) Don't let them rob you of who you are Be awesome, it's all up to you (Captain Celaeno) I feel the light, stirring deep inside It's like a tale still yet to be told (Everyone) And now it's time to break the shackles free And start living like the brave and the bold The pirates put on their regular clothing and we came out on the deck It's time to be awesome! Let loose, be true - so awesome! It's time to be awesome! Go big, be you - so awesome! Mullet grabbed Rainbow and was swinging on a rope with her (First Mate Mullet) We used to soar through the clouds in the skies Lix helped Twilight with the map and Rainbow put a pirate hat on her. (Lix Spittle) Elaborate schemes we would love to devise Boyle handed Caleno and treasure chest and show Rarity the gem. (Boyle) We rescued our treasure and stored it away (Captain Celaeno) Saving those gemstones for a rainy day! (Pirates and Humans) We see that light filling up our skies (Rainbow and Jack) So take the Storm King's orders and toss 'em (Pirates and Humans) 'Cause it's the time to let our colors fly (Captain Celaeno) Hey scallywags, it's time to be awesome! (Pirates and Humans) Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Now at the wheel, Captain Celaeno said, “Come on, let’s show these little humans how it’s done!” Her crew mates pulled some ropes and the ship revealed colorful rainbow wings in the side. My friends gazed in awe at them. “Wicked!” Jack said. “I knew you had it in you.” Rainbow said “And Now for the finished touch.” Rainbow flew up high into the air and Pinkie chanted, “Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom!” Twilight said, “No, no, no, no, no!” Rainbow dove down and she performed the Sonic Rainboom and circled the ship. “Woah..” Celeano gasped. Twilight groaned and facepalmed. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’m sure no one else saw it.” Rainbow said. But then Snowflake and Pikachu growled at something and we saw a Storm King airship. “Ugh. Storm guards. Looks like they found you.” Celaeno said. “Tempest!” Jamie cried. “Secure the rigging, lock down the cargo. Everyone prepare to be boarded!” Celaeno said. Mullet ushered up to the cargo hold of the ship. “Do you think she saw my Sonic Rainboom?” Rainbow asked innocently. “Are you kidding me?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Sorry, hehe.” Rainbow said nervously. Mason looked upset with her. “Oh relax, brat. She didn’t mean it.” Jack said. Mason sighed and shook his head. We all felt the ship lunge to the right, making us all fall on top of each other. Then we heard the sound of Tempests shoes hitting the floor. “We have to get off this ship, before Tempest figures out we’re here!” Twilight hissed. “We helped them get their mojo back. They are not going to give us up.” Jack said. “I wouldn’t bet on it.” Rantaro scoffed, tilting his hat. Jack growled at him. “Guys stop it. Right now we have to get off this ship.” Kaede said. “How? We’re thousands of feet in the air.” I pointed out. “I hope they’re alright.” “I’m sure they are. T-They’re tough.” Jamie reassured. Twilight looked around the cargo hold and saw an open crate and a flag and some rope. I got an idea, “I got this.” Third Person POV On the ship, Tempest was interrogating the pirate crew. “Now, I'm gonna count to three, and if you don't tell me where they are, your ship is going down. One…” Twilight gave the flag to Rainbow , “Hold this!” “What are you doing?!” Rainbow asked. Twilight flipped the lever. “...two…” Celeano knew she couldn’t let her and her crews’ new friends be captured by Tempest and she clenched her sword. “Oh, this is inteeenth!” Grubber said. “Three!” Kaede and Pinkie’s scream was heard from the cargo hold. Tempest and the Storm Creatures turned towards the source, “What?” Captain Celaeno gasped when she realized that Sarah must have opened the cargo latch. Ren’s POV Okay so Twilight opened the cargo hatch and now we were all falling from the sky. “I’m gonna kill you, Twilight!” Jack exclaimed. “Oh for the Celestia’s sake!” Rarity screamed as well. Fluttershy whimpered as he looked down at the incoming ground. “I can’t look!” he covered his eyes in fear. Rantaro pressed his hat against his head to keep it on. Kaede and Carrie hugged Mason in fear. Nicole… well… she didn’t really do anything, she didn’t even scream, which was weird. Kodi cried out “AAAAHHH HATING THIS!” Kodi exclaimed. Anyway, Sarah whistled and familiar roars came and we saw our dragon friends flying towards us. "Eclipse!" "Torch!" "Inferno." "Skystorm!" "Dusk and Dawn!" "Comet!" "Striker!" "Slice!" The dragons caught all of us on their backs, much to our relief. "Sarah, how'd they-?" I questioned. "They were following us from the beginning, but I told them to keep their distance, knowing Tempest would use them like landmarks for us." Sarah explained. Our dragons cooed at us. “That was fun, can we do it again?” Pinkie asked. “Next stop, Mount Aris!” Rainbow called. The dragons roared and flew towards Mount Aris. “We’re home free dudes and chicks!” Jack cried. We all cheered happily as we made our way to Mount Aris. Third Person POV Meanwhile, Tempest and the Storm Creatures were searching the ship for Sarah and company. Grubber came up to her, “ There'th no ponieth. But I found this. It's a... kind of a cupcake... with thprinkleth... Oh, yeah, and I found this, too.” he held up the map that Sarah and company left behind Tempest looked at the map, “Huh.” “Wow, this is a real artitht!” “Looks like they're heading to Mount Aris.” “Really? Mou- Mount Aris? I... Well, that's my mis— I didn't know that... Mount Ari... My bad, I didn't... That's my... I'm sorry, I'm very very sorry.” Capper said. “Now, about your betrayal…” Then Tempest zapped the ship. Ren’s POV Meanwhile, me and the gang landed the crate at the bottom of Mount Aris and we had to walk all the way up to the top. “Here is it. Mount Aris.” Ren said. We walked into Mount Aris and saw houses that looked like bird cages. The area was dead silent. The houses were destroyed or broken and there wasn’t any sign of hippogriffs anywhere. “This place looks like a ghost town.” Jack said. “Yeah, wonder what happened here.” I questioned. “The Storm king happened here.” Sarah said. “He invaded this land years ago.” “And where did the Hippogriffs go to?” Twilight asked. Sarah urged us to follow her and she guided us through the cave to the edge of the village where we saw a large ocean. Sarah changed into a large pheonix once more. ”Get on my back and I’ll show you.” What is she talking about? Anyway, we all got onto her back and she and our dragons flew out to the sea, far from Mount Aris and we saw a large cloud of steam and the dragons flew over it, revealing a gigantic collapsed volcano caldera! “Holy crap baskets!” I exclaimed in shock. “What is that..?” Twilight asked. “You’ll see..” Sarah said as she and the dragons flew into the caldera. Inside the caldera were large stalagmites on the bottom. Snowflake cooed in awe at the area and the dragons flew through a tunnel that had a blue glow to it. When we came out, we were in awe seeing a gigantic forest filled with many stalactites and stalagmites that are completely overgrown with various sorts of mushrooms. “It’s beautiful...!” Applejack gasped. “Wait until you all see this..” Sarah smirked before she and the dragons flew down and flew out of the mushroom forest and came into the Hidden World..! Many colors of coral are mixed with bioluminescent elements and we could see they have grown from the floor of the cavern to the roof in tall columns. The coral was attached to scintillating crystals that adorn the huge cavernous spaces and antechambers with water dripping down from them. We also saw a gigantic myriad of dragons as well! There were so many that we couldn’t even begin to count all of them! Wait… this can’t be… “Oh my god.” I whispered. “It can’t be… are we..?” Skye asked. “Yep. Welcome to the Hidden World.” Sarah declared. I couldn’t believe it! We’re actually in the Hidden World. The one from the HTTYD Movie! Oh my god! I had no words! It really does exist in Equestria. Music started playing and Sarah began singing as she and the dragons flew around the Hidden World. (Sarah) Welcome to the Hidden World A wondrous mystic place Where dragons live in harmony Its what they all embrace So if you need healin' Shelter free of sorrow and strife You will be welcomed Welcome to this sacred kingdom Boulder, Tidal, Stoker, Strike Are brought together here And animals from near and far Live in peace and without fear So if you need healin' Shelter free of sorrow and strife You will be welcome Welcome to this sacred kingdom Respect for fellow animals Is all you need to stay (All you need to stay) But no one living here Would want it any other way So if you need healin' Shelter free of sorrow and strife Know you are welcome Welcome to the Hidden World You know you are welcome Welcome to this sacred kingdom Sarah landed on an island that had some crystals on it and glowing plant life. We all dismounted and looked around. “Woah.. this place is huge.. How are we going to find the Hippogriffs in this place?” Twilight fretted. Sarah changed back into her unicorn self. “Follow me.” Sarah lead us to a large lake and she jumped in. “Come on.” We waded in the water with her and she used her magic to give us water helmets to help us breath underwater. “Why do we need these?” I asked. “You’ll see.” Sarah said. She used her magic and changed herself into a sea pony and we dove under water. We swam through the water and we reached another city. All the buildings were simply like Greek buildings, with stone columns for fences and walling, open roofs. It was surprisingly brighter down here too with all the glowing corals and underwater angler lights. There were mermares and mer-ponies everywhere. “Woah…” We all gasped. Then.. “Sarah..!” A yellow blur came and hugged Sarah. We saw that it was another sea pony and it was yellow with blue fins and a red rose in her hair. “Hi Princess Skystar.” Sarah said. “It’s so good to see you again. I am totally taking you to my mom.” Skystar said. “Come on. You guys can come too. Hehe.” We all sweat dropped. She was as giddy as Pinkie Pie. We entered the palace and swam into the throne room. We saw a large sea pony. She was white with purple fins and tail fins and she had light blue fins on the ends of arms. “Queen Novo, we have some visitors.” Skystar called. “Princess Skystar, if it’s another sea dragon, I don’t want-” When she saw us, she gasped. “Princess Skystar, what have you done! You know surface dwellers are not allowed here. Guards!” Four seapony guards came in with glowing laces. We gasped and whimpered a little. Okay... this is not very welcoming..... Sarah then spoke up, “Now, now Novo, remember what I said.” Novo’s eyes widened at the sound of her voice. “You have to give strangers a chance?” Novo smiled at the sight of her and they both swam towards each other and hugged. “It’s wonderful to see you again, old friend.” Novo said. “You too.” Sarah said. Novo then looked at us, “And who are they?” “They’re with me Novo. They need to find the Hippogriffs in order to save Equestria from the Storm King.” Sarah explained. “Do you know what happened to them?” Twilight asked. “Why of course I know, I’m the Queen. I know everything.” Novo said. “Oh, it’s such a good story.” Princess Skystar said as she suddenly appeared. “Don’t you dare tell them!” Novo said. But the seapony told them anyway. “Once upon a time, like, a while ago, the Hippogriffs did live on Mount Aris.” Novo was not pleased, “Did I not say don't tell them? But hey, I'm just the queen. Don't mind me.” “Fine! I can't tell you!” Skystar grunted, “But if I could tell you, I'd say that that horned beast did show up to steal their magic!” “Seriously?” Novo groaned. “But, to keep it out of his clutches, their brave and majestic leader, Queen Novo, hid them deep underwater where he could never go! We are... Well, we were the Hippogriffs! Ta-da! “Skystar laughed and came over to us and whispered, “But I totally did not tell you that!” “Well, I guess the pearl is out the oyster now. I am Queen Novo.” Woah… that’s… awesome! “Hold on now. Lemme get this straight. When the Storm King came, you just abandoned your entire city and fled?” Applejack asked. “We didn't flee! We swam! Y'know, in order to flee.” Skystar replied. Same thing! “But... how?” Twilight asked. “Oh! Can we show them? Huh? These are the first guests we've had in, like, foreveeerrr! Can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we?” Skystar asked. “Well I should make sure it still works.” Novo said. They swam pas a jellyfish that released a small glowing pearl. Skystar grinned. “Careful now.” Novo said. Novo spread the pearls magic towards us and it turned out legs into tails with fins on the end. For Snowflake, it turned her legs into four fins and gave her grills to breathe. “Woah!” Ren exclaimed. “Awesome!” Mason said. “These fins are divine!” Kaede and Rarity squealed. “Hey bodyguard, I’ll race you to that coral!” Jack challenged Mason. “You’re on!” “Come on Jamie, try it!” Kaede said. “Hehe, yeah.” Jamie said shyly. “This is amazing. We can use the pearl to change everyone back in Equestria into something to defeat the Storm King’s army.” Twilight said swimming up to Novo. “Of it could end up in his greedy claws.” Novo said seriously. “But-?” “Honey, I’m sorry about your home. I truly am. But my duty as Queen is to protect my subjects. The pearl.” Novo gave the pearl back to the jellyfish and then sat in her seat. “Isn’t going anywhere.” “We came all this way, and you can’t just stay down here. Trapped forever. There’s so much you’re missing.” Twilight urged. “We are 100% okay with that.” Novo said. Then a red jellyfish came up, “Yes Jamal?” Novo asked. The jellyfish chattered, “Oh. Time for my seaweed wrap.” Novo then swarm off. “Yes, a massage, too. Mama needs her deep tissue.” We all swam up to her, “So that’s it? We left home for nothing?” Applejack asked. “What are we gonna do?” Jamie asked. “She doesn’t seem willing to help us.” “Let me and Snowflake, go talk to her.” Sarah suggested. “I’ve known her for longer so I should be able to convince her otherwise.” Sarah and Snowflake then swarm off. Sarah’s POV We swam to the place where Novo was about to get her massage and we came in. “Novo?” “Oh hi Sarah, came to join me?” Novo asked. “Not exactly.” I said. “Novo, I know you do not want to deal with the Storm King again because of what happened.” Novo’s face turned hurt. “But sooner or later, you have to deal with your past.” “How can I?” Novo asked. I swarm up to her. “I can sense that you want to help, but you’re scared because of what happened in the past. Me and my friends can help you face the Storm King and you can take back you future instead of hiding down here.” ][u] We've come this far together The last step's up to you Your spirit has been broken But I’m here to help you heal You-oo-oo-oo Remember what makes you "you" Recall what is real and true That's all you need to do Remember what makes you "you" “I remember when I first came here.. During my travels..” I said. Flashback Sarah and Snowflake were staggering though the Sea of Clouds. They were both exhausted and hungry from their travels. Finally, Sarah and Snowflake both collapsed from their exhaustion and hunger. “Mom, over here!” Skystar called. Queen Novo flew over and gasped, “Bring them in quickly..” she called and her Hippogriff subjects carried Sarah and Snowflake to Mount Aris. Soon, Sarah woke up and was face to face with Skystar and Queen Novo. “Ooh… where am I?” Sarah asked groggily. “You’re in Mount Aris, young one. My name is Queen Novo and this is my daughter, Princess Skystar.” Queen Novo introduced. Skystar waved to her. “Snowflake..? Where is she..?” Sarah asked. “She’s alright young one.” Novo said and Snowflake came in and the two hugged each other. “Oh, Snowflake. I’m so glad you’re alright.” Sarah said. Sarah then looked at Novo and Skystar. “Thank you for saving us.” “It’s what a Queen does. Help others in need, even when you don’t know them.” Novo said. “Well, if you want to.. Maybe we can be friends.. Allies..?” Sarah asked. “Hmm… well… alright. We can be friends. Whenever you need me, I’ll be here for you.” Novo promised. Sarah smiled and Snowflake purred happily. End of Flashback You see it's always been there Those special qualities You helped me when needed And you gained a friend in me You-oo-oo-oo Remember what makes you "you" Recall what is real and true That's all you need to do Remember what makes you "you" Novo smiled at Sarah, “I remember that day. “Novo said. “I did helped you.. Even when I didn’t know you… and in the end.. We became allies.” Sarah nodded and Novo turned to her but before she could say anything else we both heard music and we both swarm out and saw our friends doing a large musical with the other sea ponies. Novo came up and smiled at her daughter and she brought her into the dance number. Ren’s POV A few minutes ago After Sarah left to go and speak with Queen Novo, Skystar suggested to us, “Oh, my gosh! Best... idea! You can stay with us! Forever!.” Skystar laughed. “There are so many things we can do! We can make friendship bracelets out of shells and... picture frames outta shells and... decorative wastebaskets out of shells... Oh, I have so many projects that involve shells, haha! Now I have someone new to share them with! I mean, aside from my friends, Shelly and Sheldon. Right? Shelly?” We all just stared at her awkwardly. “That sounds lovely, Skystar, but you must realize, we can't stay.” Kaede said. “We have to get back to our friends.” Mason added. Skystar suddenly turned sad, “Oh, no. Of course. Of course. Heh. Of course you have your own friends back home. It's fine. It's fine. Heh. Shelly and Sheldon get jealous anyways. Heh. It's probably for the best. ”She sighed. “Yeah, I'll just, um...I'll get Mom to, uh, turn you back so you can go home.” she swam away, leaving Pinkie feeling bad. “I know we have to go, but you guys saw how disappointed Princess Skystar was. Couldn't we stay for just a little longer?” “Pinkie we just don’t have time.” Applejack said but Twilight stated. “No, no, no, Pinkie’s right.” “Say what now?” Rainbow asked. “Well we still need a plan to get back. A few minutes won’t make a huge difference and if there’s anypony who can cramp a lifetime of fun in the blink of an eye, its’ Pinkie Pie.” Twilight said and Pinkie smiled. “Go and show Skystar the best time ever.” “I won’t let you down.” Pinkie said. And Twilight urged the rest of us to go. “I’m counting on it.” We swarm ahead and found Skystar and Pinkie began singing. (Pinkie) Hey, now, don't be sad I know we cannot stay But we've got a couple minutes And a little time to play (Skystar) I know you have important things So it's okay, just go (Pinkie) But we can still pick one small, little thing To do with you, y'know! One small thing doesn't seem like a lot One small thing, work with the time you've got Soon, one small thing becomes two After two, perhaps another few Then one small thing is not so small One small thing can be the biggest thing of all (Skystar) All right now, since you're here Let's see what we can do Swim with the flow until you go Together, me and you (Pinkie) I've got necklaces for every fish So what else do ya got? (Skystar) Well, we could play the bubblefish You'll like this one a lot! (Pinkie and Skystar) One small thing, it's a good place to start One small thing, and we don't seem so far apart Soon, one small thing leads to more It's so much more than there was before Just one small thing, and you will see The start of something big for you and me (Pinkie) One small thing (Seaponies) Just one small thing (Skystar) Or a tall thing (Seaponies) Just one tall thing (Jamie) Or a sing thing (Seaponies) Just one sing-y thing (Kaede) Or a bling thing (Seaponies) Just one bling-y thing (Me) A conga thing (Seaponies) Yeah, a conga thing (Jack) Or a longah thing (Seaponies) Just one longah thing (Pinkei) A blue thing, true thing, you thing (ooh-ooh) (Skystar) A whee thing, sea thing, me thing (ooh-ooh-ooh) (Pinkie and Skystar) So many things and everything until our time is done There's one small thing for each and everyone! Then we saw Novo and Sarah coming up and the Seaponies bowed to Novo. (Skystar) One small thing, so much we can create You and me, we started something great It's so amazing, look around At all the happy sights and sounds One small thing is big, it's true You did this all for us I just wish there was one small thing An extra special kind of thing Skystar brought her mother into the musical and Sarah smiled. (Skystar and the Seaponies) That we could do for you One small thing! Queen Novo laughed and Skystar smiled. “Oooh.” My friends came around me and they laughed as well. “Yeah!” “Well I guess there is one small thing we can do.” Novo said. “Ahhh.” Pinkie gasped with hope. Maybe we can save Equestria. Suddenly, an alarm sounded and Spike puffed up in fear. “The pearl alarm!” a pony cried. Pearl alarm? We swarm back to the throne room and saw Twilight in the jellyfish tentacles trying to take the Pearl of Transformation?! Novo gasped before she swarm up and took the pearl, “No, please.” Twilight begged. “All of this so you could come in and steal the pearl?” Novo assumed. Then she pulled Skystar to her, “This is why we don’t allow strangers into our home.” Novo then turned to us, “You don’t deserve to be one of us.” Novo growled. Sarah then came up beside her, “Novo don’t please.” Sarah said. “Sorry Sarah.” Novo sighed. Sarah sighed and Novo used the pearl to change us back and then.. We kinda got banished from the kingdom. We breathed the surface and climbed onto the shore. “What were you thinking?! I mean stealing their pearl?!” Applejack exclaimed, outraged. “It was the only way to save Equestria.” Twilight said. “Except it wasn’t. The queen was going to say yes. We did what you told us and that’s when she realized that we were ponies worth saving and Sarah tried to help too.” Pinkie then gasped. “Unless… you didn’t want us to show her the best time ever. You just wanted us to distract her!” We all gasped. “I never would have done it, but this isn't Equestria! We can't just dance around with con artists, make rainbooms in the sky and expect everything to work out! It's not enough! We are not enough!” Twilight defended. “No, Twilight! We stuck together! We were gonna get the help we needed! The only thing that stopped us... was you!” Pinkie said. “And now thank to you, you may have ruined Sarah’s friendship with Queen Novo!” “Well, I'm doing the best I can! It's all on me. I'm the one Tempest wants. I'm the last Princess!” Twilight said. “You're the only one who doesn't trust her friends!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Well, maybe, I would've been better off without friends like you!!!” Twilight exclaimed with her horn sparking! Pinkie gasped in horror and Twilight just realized what she said. Pinkie walked away heartbroken, “Pinkie.. I-” Pinkie sniffled. “I just can’t talk to you right now.” Pinkie said and she walked away and the rest of us followed except for Spike and Sarah. Third Person POV Spike followed Twilight to a cliffside and saw her very sad. “Twilight? It's okay. You'll figure it out.” he encouraged but Twilight started crying. “No. I can't. I ruined everything. There's no chance to save Equestria now. It's all my fault.” Twilight sobbed some more. “Spike..?” She turned around and gasped seeing a Storm Creature holding Spike. “Look out!” Spike muffled and then twilight was suddenly pushed out of the way just as a cage came over someone. Twilight looked and saw it… Sarah! “Sarah!” Twilight exclaimed. “GO! TWILIGHT! NOW!” Sarah yelled before she managed to blast the Storm Creature and sent both Twilight and Spike onto the rocks below as she was taken into the ship. Sarah rammed and kicked the bars but they were really thick and it was no use. Sarah sighed and saw Tempest walking towards her. She gasped, “Oh.. the Queen of Harmony with no friends and now you have no way out.” “Why are you doing this? You’re a pony, just like Twilight and her friends.” Sarah stated. Tempest lit her horn and pressed it against the cage. Sarah gasped in fear. “I’m nothing like them. I’m more than they’ll ever be.” Ominous music started playing and Tempest broke into song. (Tempest Shadow) It's time you learned a lesson It's time that you understand Don't ever count on anybody else In this or any other land I once hoped for friendship To find a place among my kind But those were the childish wishes Of someone who was blind Open up your eyes See the world from where I stand Me, among the mighty You, caged at my command Open up your eyes Give up your sweet fantasy land It's time to grow up and get wise Come now, little one, open up your eyes We all start out the same With simple naive trust Shielded from the many ways That life's not fair or just But then there comes a moment A simple truth that you must face If you depend on others You'll never find your place [instrumental] And as you take that first step Upon a path that's all your own You see it all so clearly The best way to survive is all alone Open up your eyes See the world from where I stand Me, among the mighty You, caged at my command Open up your eyes And behold the faded light It's time to grow up and get wise Come now, little one, open up your eyes Open up your eyes! Sarah was horrified by what Tempest said, “I’m so sorry you felt so alone.” she said. “I saw the truth. My ‘friends’ abandoned me when times got tough. Looks like I’m not the only one.” Tempest said. Tempest scoffed. “Face it Queen, friendship has failed you too.” “Friendship didn’t fail me. I still have my friendship and you can have it too. You still have a chance at friendship.” Tempest growled and charged up her horn. “Enough with your lies, pony!” she bellowed. “I don’t need a friend after what friendship did to me.” she hissed before walking away from my cage. Now Sarah’s only hope was Twilight and the others. Ren’s POV We were all sitting on the beach, clueless about what to do next. “This whole journey was such a mistake.” Fluttershy said. “All we wanted was somepony to help us.” Applejack sighed, “You think.. Maybe it's time we talk to Twilight?” “Hell no. You heard. She doesn’t need us.” Jack scoffed. Suddenly, we heard Spike and Twilight yelling. “She.. been… taken…!” and they ran towards us. “What? Rainbow exclaimed. “Sarah’s been taken. Tempest! She grabbed her and took her on her ship!” Twilight exclaimed. “And it's all my fault!” We all gasped. Sarah…. No! Who knows what the Storm King and Tempest will do to her. “We gotta get her back!” Rainbow said. “How? We’ll never catch up.” Fluttershy said. “And we got no way to defeat those monsters.” Applejack added. Oh man.. What can we do to save her…? “Well, good thing I happen to know of a group of mighty heroes that could handle this easily!” a familiar voice said and we turned around to see Capper. “Well! Look what the cat dragged in! Himself!” Rarity groaned. “These heroes have faced the Storm King's army and escaped! I've seen them tackle the streets of the roughest towns, break out of the tightest situations, and inspire others to join their cause!” Carrie and Kaede awed but Rantaro said, “He’s talking about us, idiots.” Carrie and Kaede groaned. “They even escaped certain doom at the hooves of Commander Tempest!” Capper added proudly. “Yeah. That was pretty great.” Jack said. “Are you kidding?” another voice came as we saw Captain Celaeno and her crew. “That was awesome!” she exclaimed. Squabble squawked. “Figured you could use a claw!” Boyle said. “ We're on board to help you fight the Storm King! Just not on board our... actual ship.” Caleano said. “That crazy unicorn sunk it. But you got back our argh! And we're ready to kick some booty.” Boyle added. He and the other pirates laughed. The water behind them started to bubble and out came Skystar and Novo in their hippogriff forms. Skystar had light blue feather and her body was yellow. Her front claws and back hooves were light brown. Novo had purple feather with two blue strands and her body was white while her front claws and hooves with light tan. She wore a light blue necklace around her neck. “Is that what I think it is?” Capper asked in shock. Following Novo and Skystar was about two hundred dragons. Nightmares, Zipplebacks, Gronckles, you name it. Skystar and Novo landed, “Hello. Us again.” Skystar said. “We wanna help too.” Skystar came over to the group. “Cause you know one small thing can make a really big difference.” “Alright ya’ll. I think our course is clear. Ya’ll ready to do think thing?” Capper called. “We’re coming Sarah.” Kaede said. Everyone else cheered as they all mounted the dragons and flew towards Equestria. Sarah’s POV Back in Equestria, I rolled through Canterlot in my cage, being pulled by two ponies. I saw buildings were destroyed and almost all the ponies in cages. Those who weren’t were forced to march, shackled and wearing muzzles. It horrified me to see this. I was rolled into the palace and my cage was set down in the empty corner of the flower marking on the ground. Grubber closed the door as the shackled ponies left. “Tempest, don’t do this. Don’t give the Storm King-” “Your magic? Did you think you'd keep it all to yourself? Time to share. I'd love for everybody out there to know what I can really do.” she said. That’s when the Storm King came in. “Ooh, fascinating! What can you really do?” he asked. Tempest and Grubber bowed to him. “ Your bidding, of courth, Your Mighty One.” Grubber quickly got up and ran out of the throne room. He walked over to my cage, “Bidding's good. I like bidding! Um, what are you supposed to be?” “I’m the Queen of Harmony.” I replied. “Oh. That's nice.” he went over to Tempest, “Why is this one still moving? Where is the pony Princess?” Tempest replied with, “She and her friends put up a bit of a fight, but she's alone now. She won't be a problem and her magic will do just fine.” “Yeah. So, speaking of problems, this place, it seems a little too—oh, I don't know—cute!!! I don't like cute! I never did like cute! Doesn't really go with my whole "big bad powerful magic guy" thing, does it?! Deliver the punchline, Tempest, because this has gotta be a joke!” The Storm King placed the staff into the center of the flower marking and the magic from Equestria and the Princesses. The magic drained happened to me and my element, “NO!” The Storm King laughed, “Check out the light show.” When it was done, the Storm King yanked the staff out. “Wow, wow.” My legs felt very weak and I collapsed in my cage. “Let's get this storm started! Ooh, hey, that's good. I should trademark that.” He turned to my cage and he blasted me, sending me onto the balcony and breaking my cage. “Ugh!” The Storm King came out, “Not bad. Actually, kinda first rate. What else does it do?” Tempest came up, “ Your Excellency, you promised to restore my horn and give me—” “Deh-deh-deh-deh-deh, okay. Hang on.” He moved his staff and he was amazed when he saw the sun and moon moving, “ You gotta be kidding me! I can move the sun?! A ha ha! Wow! Now this is what I'm talkin' about! Ha ha! Time to play! Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday! Day and night! Day and night! Day night! Day night! Day night! Sunrise, sunset!” I could only watch in horror, “Guys, where are you?” Ren’s POV Me and my friends were camouflaged against some Changewing dragons as we snuck into Canterlot. “Oh man, look at this place?” I whispered. “This is horrible.” Kaede said. “Hope Sarah’s alright.” “Let’s keep moving.” Mason said. The Changewing moved towards the middle of the capital. “Now guys?” I asked. “Now.” Jack said and the changewings revealed themselves and spit acid at the Storm Creatures, who yelped in pain and ran away. Caleano and her crew came and started fighting the Storm Creatures. The other dragons flew in and rammed, bashed and fire at them as well. “Head for the castle, we’ll hold them off.” Caleano said. We dismounted the changewings, “Come on!” Mason cried as we rushed for the castle. Capper and us made it to the entrance when we were met by the wall of Storm Creatures. “Uh-oh.” I said. Just then, “Hey aren't you a fire breathing dragon?” Capper asked Spike. Spike smiled and Capper used him as a Flamethrower and blasted the Storm Creatures and they ran away. “Hahaha.” Capper laughed. “That’s the way!” Jack added. Suddenly, thunder cracked through the sky and high winds. “Move those legs, humans and ponies!” Capper cried as we ran for cover. The Storm Creatures were lifted into the air! We took cover behind a sturdy building. “Great now what?” Jack groaned. “We have to break through it. That’s the only way we’ll get to Sarah.” Jamie said. Are you friggin serious?! We have to flying faster than Midnight to break through that wind.” Jack said. “And how the hell are we gonna do that?” Pinkie gasped, suddenly remembering something, “Excellent question, Private Jack.” Skye and Pinkie said putting on a daredevil helmet. “Why do I regret asking, how?” Jack said nervously. Sarah’s POV Minutes Earlier I saw my friends and their dragons on the castle grounds. “What? How?” Tempest growled. “It’s the magic of-” The Storm King interrupted. “Yeah, yeah! Friendship, and flowers, and ponies, and bleh! I'm so totally over the cute pony thing. This... ends... now!” He raised his staff and a large tornado came in and surrounded the palace. Me and Tempest gazed in horror. “Now I truly am the Storm King! And the entire world will bow to my ba-ba-ba-boom, baby!” he declared. Tempest went over to him, “ Yes, yes, you are every bit as powerful as I promised, Sire, now, restore my horn and I swear to use my magic to serve you!” The Storm King laughed and pushed Tempest aside, “Who cares about your dinky little unicorn horn?!” Tempest was shocked, “: But... we... we had an agreement!” “Get with the program! I used you! It's kind of what I do!” The Storm King fired his staff at Tempest and she retaliated with her electricity, pushing them both back. The Storm King against the wall and Tempest was hanging on with one hoof on the rim of the balcony. I gasped. Tempest struggled to hang on but lost her grip, but I grabbed her, “Hold on!” I called. Tempest looked at me, shocked, “Why are you saving me?” “Because this is what friends do.” I replied with a smile. Tempest looked at my hand and she smiled at me. I pulled her onto the ground. The Storm King suddenly appeared in front of us, pointing his staff at us. “Awwww! Isn't that just so sweet!” he laughed. “Yeah. See ya!” I gulped nervously. Ren’s POV “You sure about this?” Mullet called. “Just do it!” I cried. “Thank you!” We were all tightly packed inside the giant party cannon me and Pinkie made. “Aha, why are we doing this again?” Jack growled. “To get to Sarah, that’s why.” Mason said. We heard Squabble squawked and we were launched out of the cannon, screaming the whole way until we crashed into the Storm King and rolled across the floor. “Never do that again!” Jack yelled. “Awesome!” I cried. “Guys!” We turned and saw Sarah coming towards us. “Sarah, you’re alright.” We all hugged her happy she was alright. “The Storm King took the magic of Equestria into his staff.” she said. “You mean the one that’s going out of control, now.” Rantaro deadpanned, pointing at the broken staff that was sparking magic. We all gasped in horror as the staff blasted the ceiling causing it to complete break, exposing us to the storm. “I have to get control of it!” Sarah called. “Go, you got this Sarah!” Kaede said. “No… we got this… together.” We all stood together, ready to get the staff. Mason lassoed a large rock and Sarah spread her wings. It was her first, then me, Jamie, Jack, Carrie, Nicole, Rantaro, Kaede, Snowflake, Kodi, Mason, Twilight, Pinkie, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack. Sarah flapped her wings and we were lifted into the air, trying to get the staff. “The staff belongs to me.” The Storm King hissed, climbing the rubble to grab the staff first. Sarah reached for the staff with all her might. “Mine! Mine!” The Storm King leaped for the staff just as Mason walked out a little, extending our reach. “NO!” Sarah cried. She grabbed the staff, the Storm King crashed into the window, exposing us to the Storm and Sarah was pulled out of my grasp and into the storm! “Sarah! NOOOOOOO!” I cried. Everything went quiet as the storm calmed, revealing sunlight and we slowly descended to the ground. We all looked at the sky, trying to find any sign of Sarah. “Look!” Nicole said. There, descending to the balcony with the staff in her hands was Sarah, looking a little frazzled. “YEAH!” I cried. “Alright!” Mason cried. “That’s our girl!” Jack added. “Eeeh, group hug.” Kaede said. We all hugged Sarah in one big group hug, relieved she was alright. Just then, we saw and heard Tempest running towards us with her horn charging up. Mason and Jack got in front to protect us, suddenly she jumped over us, yelling, “NO!” and she was hit with an obsidian orb that nearly hit us! The Storm King and Tempest were caught in the smoke and the Storm King statue fell off the balcony while we acting quickly and used the staff to catch Tempests’ statue. We placed it on the ground, “Woah… I can’t believe she did that.” Jack said. “I can.” Sarah said. “You showed her the Magic of Friendship, didn’t you?” Kaede smirked. “Yes.” We used the staff to turn her back to her normal self. She gasped and looked at us and she smiled. “Now what?” Jamie asked. We all looked at each other and Sarah looked at Tempest. “Now ... we fix everything.” She and Tempest walked into the throne room and Sarah place the crystal of the staff into the small hole, releasing all the magic back into Equestria. The Princesses were restored. “Twilight.” Celestia called. “Princesses.” The four of them hugged each other while the staff continued to restore Equestria. That night, Spike was on stage with glass on. “Fillies and gentlecolts, get ready for a little...Songbird Serenade!” Everybody cheered loudly for the singer. Our new friends stayed for the event. “And now to celebrate the fact that we’re all still here in one piece. Give it up for Queen Sarah and her friends!” The spotlight shone on us and the ponies cheered for us. “Alright!” “Way’d a go guys!” “Yeah!” The three Princesses came and bowed and Sarah bowed back. The lights went out and Songbird Serenade perform her song. The ponies cheered and Jack fisted pumped Celeano while Rarity made Capper a black cape and a top hat. “Ooooh.” Capper said. “And perfection~.” Rarity and Kaede sang. Pinkie and Skystar were laughing with each other. Novo smiled at her daughter. Songbird Serenade looked at me for a moment and she flew off and I turned around and saw Tempest all alone. I flew over to her and landed a few feet from her. “That’s one thing that never changes around her; a party.” “Well, I hope you’ll stay. More friends are definitely merrier.” I proposed. “But um… my horn.” she said. “You know.” I said. Tempest turned to me, “You’re horn is pretty powerful. Just like the pony it belongs to.” “I did tell you that I wanted to show everypony in Equestria what I could do right?” She walked a few feet and shot electricity into the air making fireworks. We both looked at each other and smiled. Pinkie came up with the others. “Nice touch Tempest.” “Actually that’s not my real name.” Tempest revealed. “Not your real name?” Ren asked. “Oooh, what is it?” Pinkie asked. Tempest whispered into here ear. “It’s Fizzlepop Berrytwist.” Pinkie gave a huge gasp, “Alright that is the best name EVER!” Tempest looked at her weird, while the rest of us rolled our eyes. Typical Pinkie. Chapter 11: The Queen and the FillySarah's POV I was walking back to my castle in the freezing rain. The rain didn’t bother me, in fact, I loved it. “Ahh, nothing like some rain to make you feel good.” Now I know, rain usually makes people sad, but for me it makes me happy. I loved to play in it when my dad let me. I was busy skipping in the streets when I passed an alleyway and heard a small whimper. I stopped and froze for a moment. I went to the mouth of the alleyway. “Hello…?” I called. I didn’t hear a response, except for a whimper again. I carefully walked down the alleyway, following the whimpering sounds and I came to a dumpster. I looked behind it and saw a small cardboard box. I looked inside the box and gasped. Inside was a small filly. It was pure white with a light pink and aquamarine mane and tail. It’s body looked really dirty and she was curled up in a ball whimpering but what mostly shocked me was that the filly wasn’t a unicorn, pegasus or earth pony. It was an alicorn! “Oh my god.” I whispered. The filly must have heard me because it opened its eyes and gave a small scream. “Oh… it’s alright.” I cooed. The little filly whimpered and started shaking and not just because of the freezing rain. I approached the box and kneeled down. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” I added. The filly stopped shaking but instead she shakily got up on her hooves. That’s when I heard a loud gurgle from the little one’s stomach. “Oh dear, you must be starving.” The filly whimpered and shakily walked over to me and buried her head in my chest, whimpering. “Oh, come here.” I carefully picked the little filly into my arms and I partly covered her with my jacket. I quickly teleported to my room in the home-ship and closed the door. I placed the filly on the floor. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” The filly’s stomach did the talking for her by letting out a loud gurgle. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I replied with a smile, “I’ll go in the kitchen and make you something to eat.” I made my way to the kitchen when I realized I never introduced myself to the filly. “My name is Sarah Gem, by the way.” then I went into the kitchen and in a few minutes, returned to the filly with a bowl of oatmeal. I placed the oatmeal on the table and put the small filly in one of the chairs. I handed the filly a small spoon “Here you go, this will get you full and warmed up.” The filly took the spoon and took a small spoonful of the oatmeal. She seemed to like it because she started devouring the oatmeal. “Poor thing, she must have been starving for who knows how long. Wonder what happened to her?” The filly soon had the bowl completely clean and had a small bulging stomach. “Well, now that you've had something to eat, I think It's best that I gave you a bath.” I said to her. I took the little filly to the bathroom and realized she had not said anything since I found her. But I decided to let her talk to me when she was ready. I entered the bathroom and closed the door. I placed the small filly beside me and started to fill her tub with warm water. When It was the perfect level for the small filly, I lifted her up and tried to put her in the bath. The filly, however, resisted by holding my neck tightly. “It's okay, sweetheart, It's just water. There's no need to be afraid” I said gently to the scared filly. The poor filly began to kick and scream refusing to trust my words and let me bathe her. Knowing I could not convince her to go into the bath alone, I had no other choice but to use the alternative option, “Alright, have it your way, If you won't take a bath alone, I guess I'll have to come in with you.” I said to the filly before getting into the bath with her in my arms. The filly screamed in terror as the water came in contact with her body. He then stared splashing me and struggled to get out of the bath and I just sat there keeping a gentle but tight grip on her . After a few seconds of me remaining completely still, the filly finally calmed down, “There, there. See? The water is not going to hurt you.” I said to her in soft gentle voice. Now that she was calm, I bathe the filly, getting all the dirt and mud out of her mane, tail and body. The scratches weren’t bad and looked to have healed. After that, I dried myself and the filly off. I looked at the clock and saw it was ten at night. I let out a yawn and the filly let out a quiet yawn. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go to bed.” I said. I picked up the little filly and went to my room. I tucked the filly in and magically replaced my clothes with my pajamas. The filly looked surprised. I climbed into the bed, next to the filly and placed and arm around her. The filly looked at me and smiled. “Sweet dreams, little one.” I said and we both fell asleep. However, a few hours later, I heard some rustling in the bed. I opened my eyes and I saw the filly wrestling with the bed covers. She then screamed louder than before. I knew that she was having a nightmare. “M-Momma!” She screamed at the top of her lungs while crying heavily. I immediately scooped the filly in my arms and cradled her close. The fully opened her eyes instantly and started to scream again. However, she screams stopped when she realized I was holding her. She looked at me with fresh tears forming in her eyes. The filly buried her head into my chest and cried heavily. I nuzzled the small filly, trying to calm her down. A rumble of thunder and lightning struck once again outside, making the filly scream and cry harder while shaking in fear. I began to gently rock her while making soft gentle shushing noises. “Shhh...Don't worry. I'm here...Shhh” I hushed as the filly continued to cry. I then started to softly sing a soft lullaby to the crying filly. “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” “Drifting off to sleep leave the exciting day behind you” “Drifting off to sleep let the joy of dreamland find you” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” The filly stopped crying as I held him and continued to rock her. I gave her a tender loving smile. The filly snuggled into my chest, and laid her head against my neck. Tears formed in my eyes but I brushed them away and kissed the filly on the forehead. I placed the filly back into the covers and I placed them over her and me and we both slept through the night. The next morning, I woke up and gave a small yawn. I turned towards the filly who woke up as well. “Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?” I asked. The filly nodded. “Are you hungry?” I asked, earning another nod. I smiled and kiss the little filly on the head, “I’ll go and get us some breakfast.” I climbed out of bed and magically put on my clothes. When I got ready to walk out the door, “Shimmer Glow.” I turned back towards the filly, who was looking a bit nervous. “M-My name is S-Shimmer Glow.” she repeated. She voice was very soft like Fluttershy’s. “Nice to meet you Shimmer Glow.” With that, I went to the chicken and made the foal some oatmeal. I went back and placed on the bed, Here you go sweetie.” “Thank you Sarah.” Shimmer thanked and she dug into the oatmeal. “It’s really good.” she said. I couldn’t help but giggle. The little filly had oatmeal all over her face. I grabbed a napkin and wiped her face. Once the oatmeal was gone, I asked. “Shimmer, I have some friends who would like to meet you, would you like to met them?” “Y-Yes.” “Great!” I exclaimed softly. I picked up Shimmer and I took her to the living room where Twilight and the others were. "Alright so why did you call us all here, newbie?” Jack asked. “You can come out now.” I called out. Shimmer came out from behind me and shyly clung to my right leg. “Awwww.” all the girls said while the boys were surprised. “Whose the little darling?” Rarity asked. “This is Shimmer Glow. She’s a little filly I’m looking after.” I answered. “Well she’s very cute.” Ren said, walking towards us. Shimmer whimpered and hugged my leg even tighter. “She’s little very shy around new people.” I added. Ren stopped walking and kneeled down. “Hey there.” Shimmer looked at him, “I’m Ren Loodan, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Shimmer looked at me and I nodded. Shimmer looked back at Ren and let go of my leg. She slowly walked over to him, “... Promise?” she asked in her soft voice. “Aww… I promise, little one.” Ren reassured. Shimmer walked over and placed her head in his chest. “Awwww…” the girls cooed again. I introduced Shimmer to the others. It went well, even Pinkie Pie didn’t approach her all excited she approached her calmly, surprising everyone. However, when some of them tried to touch her, she’s shy away. And she was intimidated by Jack’s size and ran behind me. “Was it something I said?” he asked. “I think she’s a bit.. Ahem.. intimidated by your size, Jack.” Rarity said. And when it came to Twilight, Shimmer backed away from Twilight while whimpering. She then laid on the floor and cried heavily. I immediately scooped her up into my arms, “Shhh...It's okay Shimmer...Shhh...” I said to the little filly gently, trying to calm her down. She buried my face into my chest fur and continued to cry. “Sarah, can I hold Shimmer Glow for a few minutes?” Twilight suddenly asked me. I was a bit hesitant because I did not know how Shimmer would react since I was the only one so far that could calm her down. But I decided to let Twilight hold the little filly. Twilight motioned to her with a hoof to follow her. The group went to a room with a fireplace and two chairs. Twilight sat in one of the them and held out her hooves. I placed Shimmer Glow gently in Twilight's hooves and she cradled her close to her. Shimmer continued to cry becoming scared of being in the hooves of someone else besides mine. Twilight began to rock her ever so gently while making a soft hushing sound. Shimmer’s crying continued until Twilight started to hum a soft song in her ear. Shimmer’s crying reduced to sobs as Twilight continued to gently rock her and hum the soft song in her ear. Twilight finished humming her song and continued to rock her. Shimmer’s sobs turned to sniffles. Twilight rocked her gently and once more made a soft hushing sound. After a few minutes, Shimmer fell asleep in Twilight's forelegs. She gave her a small kiss on the forehead and said to her sweetly, gently, and quietly, “Sweet dreams little one.” Twilight continued to hold Shimmer while the other and I looked at her in amazement. “Twilight, that was amazing!” Rainbow said quietly not wanting to wake up Shimmer Glow, “how did you do that?” Twilight just smiled and said, “This was the same thing I did for Spike when I first started taking care of him. I actually still do it for him now when he's scared at night or when he has nightmares.” Twilight explained to the gang before looking down and smiling gently at the filly she was holding. I let out a sigh, and gave her friend a gentle smile. I knew Twilight was going to be a great mother someday. Looking outside I saw the sun had set, and it had become dark out. Without waking up the sleeping filly she was holding, Twilight gave Shimmer back to me. Me and Twilight each gave Shimmer a loving smile as he snuggled into my warm and soft chest fur. “Have a good night Sarah, we’ll be at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow.” she said with a cheerful smile “You too Twilight and girls. See you all tomorrow.” I said. “Bye Sarah.” Twilight and the girls replied as the left. "So where is the little one going to stay?" Skye asked me. "She'll stay in my room until I come up with a plan for her." I decided and the other agreed. With how young Shimmer was, there was no way I could leave her alone. I returned to my room and placed Shimmer in the bed and I climbed beside him, giving her a kiss on her forehead, earning a smile of her little face and we both fell asleep. The next morning, sunlight shined into the window, waking my and Shimmer up. We both let out a yawn. “Good morning, Shimmer Glow.” “Morning Sarah.” “Are you hungry?” Shimmer nodded, rubbing her growling stomach. “Alright sweetheart, let’s go make you some breakfast. I picked up Shimmer and placed her on my head, earning a little giggle from the filly. I went to the kitchen and Shimmer watched as I made some pancakes for both of us. I couldn't help but feel sad for Shimmer. While she was a very polite and sweet filly, I could tell she was very scared and had a broken heart. It also broke my heart to sad how upset she was last night when she met Twilight. It brought a tear to my eye to even wonder how long Shimmer has been without a family. After that, we went to the dining room and I placed both plates on the table. “Alright, sweetie, breakfast time.” Shimmer nodded and stood on my head. She started to flutter her wings and she shakily flew off my head and landed on the floor clumsily. “Hehe, trying to fly huh?” I teased. Shimmer nodded then went to the table and began eating her pancakes along with myself. When we were finished, I put the two plates in the sink in the kitchen and returned to the dining room. However when I returned, I saw Shimmer still sitting at the table, but she was sniffling. Worried about her, I went over to her and saw small tears rolling down her cheeks. "Shimmer, sweetheart, what's wrong?" I asked the little filly with worry filling my voice. Shimmer looked up at me with tears still streaming down her cheeks, "Y-you've *sniff* been s-so *sniff* n-nice to me." Shimmer sobbed "N-nopony has ever b-been *sniff* so n-nice to m-me." I felt my heart ache seeing the little colt so upset. I sat down next to Shimmer and put her on my lap. I stroked gently stroke her side with my hand as Shimmer continued to cry. "S-Sarah *sniff* d-do you think I'm a f-freak?" Shimmer asked me. I nuzzled her cheek before saying, "Of course I don't think that sweetheart, why in Equestria would you think such a thing?" I stroked her side as began to tremble like leaf and his crying began to grow even harder. "M-my *sniff* d-daddy *sniff* c-calls me a *sniff* f-freak" Shimmer sobbed I let out a gasp of shock. I had thought both of her parents were dead. Shimmer’s crying grew harder and louder as she looked into my eyes "M-my momma *sniff* d-died when she h-had m-me. D-daddy *sniff* s-says it's all m-my *sniff* f-fault." Shimmer cried Hearing him say that made my heart break in two. Shimmers’ mother had died giving birth to her, but how could her father say such a thing? "D-daddy y-yells at m-me, *sniff* h-hits me, *sniff* c-calls me n-names, and *sniff* s-scares me with s-storm clouds" Shimmer sobbed before burying her head into my soft chest fur. She cried into my chest. She was still speaking but she was crying so hard that I couldn't understand what she was saying. With tears streaming down her face, I wrapped my arms around Shimmer and held her trembling body close to her. Now I know the reason why Shimmer was so scared. I closed her eyes and kissed the top of Shimmers’ forehead. I felt so bad for the poor little filly that she was holding in her forelegs. As I held her close, I noticed something underneath her little wings. Carefully not to disturb the crying filly, I carefully moved on of her wings. What I saw made me gasp in shock. There were several bruises underneath her wings some of them were turning purple. How could a father do such a thing to his own daughter? How could he beat her, insult her, and frighten her with the one thing she’s scared to death of? I looked down at Shimmer who was still crying. I kissed her gently on the forehead and began making a soft hushing sound to calm the little filly down. Her crying reduced to sobs and then to sniffles as she brought her head out of my chest fur. She looked into my eyes as I smiled down at her lovingly and gave her a small nuzzle.” Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father did all those awful things to you sweetheart. But please believe me when I say it's not your fault your mother died. I promise you it's not your fault." Shimmer said nothing but gave me a sad smile while a few tears still streamed down her cheeks. I gently brushed the tears with her hoof before pulling Shimmer back into a soft and loving embrace. Shimmer closed her eyes and smiled, letting me know that she was calm and relaxed. I gave Shimmer a gentle smile before asking, "Do you feel better sweetheart?" Shimmer said nothing and gave me a small soft smiling at her. I scooped up the little filly and placed her on my shoulder. She gently grabbed around me neck as I walked out the door. "I'll take care of you, Shimmer. I promise." Soon we made it to Sugarcube Corner, "Ready, sweetie?" I asked. Shimmer nodded and we walked in. We saw Ren and everyone else at the tables. "Hey Sarah, Hey Shimmer." Ren said. "Are you feeling better?" Shimmer nodded. "Shimmer, darling. Applejack, Rainbow and I brought some friends you'd want to meet." Rarity said. Shimmer was showed three more fillies: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Howdy, Shimmer. I'm Applebloom." "I'm Sweetie Belle." "And I'm Scootaloo." "Together we are...THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" All three fillies shouted making Shimmer cover his ears. Taking his hooves off his ears, Shimmer said the three very softly, "It's nice to meet you all!" We all smiled at the happy scene with the four fillies. Applebloom seemed interested in her wings and horn. "Looks like she's getting better." I said. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement still smiling at the little fillies. Everything was pleasant until a look of sadness came across my face. "Sarah, are you alright?" Twilight asked. "Guys... I found the reason why Shimmer was so scared." I stated. "Why?" Ren asked. "Shimmer's mother died giving birth to her and her father abused her." I answered, lowering my head a little. Everyone gasped in horror. "He abused her?!" Kaede cried. I sadly nodded, "Her father yelled at her and insulted her. He called Shimmer a freak, and the poor little one asked me earlier if I thought she was a freak. He told Shimmer that is was her fault that her mother had died. But the worst thing, I found out was that her father has physically beaten her. I found several bruises underneath her little wings." I shed some tears while the others had faces in a mixture of shock, concern and anger. "That's horrible." Mason said. "No wonder she was scared of us at first." Carrie added. "That bastard!" Jack exclaimed in anger. "If I ever see him, I'll beat the hell out of him." "Jack, not important right now." Kaede stated. Twilight sat there and gave the filly beside a sad smile. However was curious about something. She didn't understand why Shimmer broke down and cried when he first saw her. She needed to know what was wrong with her. "Sarah, can you call Shimmer over here. I want to ask her something." I nodded and called for Shimmer. The little filly walked over, "Yes?" "Twilight has something she wants to ask you." Twilight knelt down to Shimmer's Level to speak with her, "Shimmer, when you first saw me you started crying. Is it okay to ask If there's something wrong with me?" Shimmer quickly shook his head before saying, "No, Twilight there's nothing wrong with you. It's just you look a lot like my Momma." Everyone in the room was silent as Shimmer continued to speak. "I had a picture of my Momma in my room. It was a picture of her before I was born. She was very pretty." Shimmer said before she started whimpering and tears began to form in her eyes. "Th-that p-picture was all I h-had of her. B-but then my daddy t-took the p-picture away from m-me and b-broke it. H-he s-said I was a f-freak and I d-didn't deserve that p-picture." Shimmer fell to the floor and cried. I pulled her close and stroked the back of her mane softly, silently hushed him as everyone looked on with sadness. I stroked the back of his mane for a few more minutes before pulling Shimmer back and said, "Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father has done all of this to you. But can I ask you something sweetie?" Shimmer nodded, "Why were you all alone when I found you?" I could feel Shimmer trembling as she closed her eyes tightly with tears still pouring out. "I-I-I r-ran away." Shimmer sobbed softly. She immediately buried her face in my chest and let his tears soak her shirt, "P-Please Sarah, d-don't send me back to my d-daddy! I d-don't wanna go b-back!" she wailed. I wrapped my arms around and stroked her side. "Shhh...It's alright Shimmer, sweetheart. I'm not going to send you back to your father." I said to the filly softly and sweetly. She Immediately wrapped her little forelegs around my neck and cried more tears, but this time they were tears of joy. "Oh, th-thank you!" She cried as I stroked her back with hoof. Everyone watched on with tears of happiness in their eyes, including Rainbow Dash and the CMC. Pinkie Pie began to bounce with glee while shouting, "WOO! I'm gonna throw Shimmer Glow the best "Welcome To Ponyville." party EVER!" Everyone laughed after they heard this even Shimmer. "I think I have a better idea, for Shimmer." I said. "What is it, Sarah?" Kaede asked. I looked at Shimmer, "Shimmer, I know that you don't want to go back with your father and since you don't have any parental figures right now. I was wondering if... I could adopt you?" Shimmer's eyes widened in shock as well as the others. "Sarah, are you sure?" Carrie asked. "Yes." I replied, proudly. Shimmer grinned big and leaped into my arms, shouting, "Momma, Momma." I could tell her answer was yes. Ren and the others cheered for Shimmer. "OH, OH, OH we can be her aunts and uncles now! YEAH!" She bounced around in room, very excited. "Of course, If that's alright everyone." It didn't take long for all of my friends for to say yes and tackle me into a group hug. Shimmer Glow fluttered her little wings. "I have a new Momma, Yeah!" she nuzzled my cheek and I kissed her on her little forehead. "And I'm going to be the best mother ever." Jack's POV "Uncle Jack, Uncle Jack." Ugh..... who the? Grr... whose waking me up during my nap. I opened my eyes and was met with the bubbly filly Sarah adopted. "Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack." "Ugh.. what do you want, kid?" I asked groggily. Shimmer giggled and leaped onto my gut. "Come play with me." Play? Ugh.. why now? I just want to sleep. I covered myself up with the blanket with a tired grunt, "Please, Uncle Jack?" I lowered the covers and saw her giving me the 'puppy dog' eyes and I sighed and grumbled, "Fine... I'll play with you." "Yeah!" She cheered and leaped off my stomach and out of my room. Ugh.... seriously, why is she always waking me up. I mean seriously, she did this for the forth time this week! Sigh... anyway, I got up anyway and put on my clothes. I came out of my room and found the little filly sitting at the dining room table with the others. “Oh hey Jack! Rantaro!” I looked over to see Ren waving at us with a smile. “Good morning.” “Hey.” I said firmly before heading over to the small dining room where he and that little girl, Carrie, were busy eating some eggs and pancakes some OJ. Even their pets were busy eating some on their own food in their small bowls “Ah, good morning.” We turned to see Mason and Kaede walking in, each carrying two plates filled with food on their hands. “I see you are awake. Good morning Jack.” “Sup.” I smiled. Shimmer Glow was eating her breakfast when newbie came in. "Momma!" she exclaimed. She fluttered her little wings as Sarah came over and hugged her. "Aww... you're fully of energy, aren't you?" she cooed. Shimmer nodded, "Uncle Jack and I are gonna play together." she grinned. "Oh are you now?" Newbie looked at me with a smirk. I growled while blushing a little. Sarah laughed, "Are you done with your breakfast?" Shimmer showed Sarah we clean plate. "Good, now go and wash up." Shimmer nodded and merrily skipped down the hallway. Good thing, newbie showed her where the bathroom was when she showed the home-ship to her. "So Jack, you're gonna play with Shimmer?" Mason asked with a smirk. I growled at him, "The brat woke me up again for the forth time this week! Why can't she just leave me alone?!" "Jack, she loves being with her new family. She's never had any love before us. You should be proud that she wants to play with you. Beside, you are her Uncle." Sarah explained to me. I sighed and soften up my expression, "Alright newbie. I'll play with her for you." "Good cause I need you to baby sit her." Okay, that I did not expect. "What? Babysit?!" I exclaimed. "Yes, I got called away to Canterlot for the morning and I want you to babysit Shimmer while I'm away." "What? Take care for that brat, by myself?!" I exclaimed in shock. "No way!" "Come on Jack, you'll have us there to help you and the dragons." Ren reassured. "We'll help you care for them." Still... didn't want to..... ut I am her friend and as annoying as those brats are, if she wants me to care for them then I guess I have to. After all, I'd never leave a friend hanging. "Alright newbie, I'll take care of her." Sarah smiled, "Thanks Jack." Shimmer then came out of the bathroom and over to us. "Shimmer." "Yes Momma? "Mommy has to go to Canterlot for her Princess duties. So Jack and the others will be in charge of you while I'm gone, alright?" "Yes Momma." "Be on your best behavior." "Yes Momma." she leaped into Sarah arms and hugged her while Sarah hugged her back. Even though I don't like mushy stuff, this was pretty sweet. Sarah placed Shimmer down. "I'll be back by tonight. Bye guys." and with that she teleported to Canterlot. Shimmer giggled and pawed at my leg. "Can we play now, Uncle Jack?" I sighed, "Yes." "Yeah!" She grabbed my hand with her tiny hooves and dragged me to over to the living room. She had me sit on the couch. "Okay... so what do you want to do." My answer was received when she came up to me with a makeup kit. If there's one thing I hate. It's girly stuff and that includes make up. "Hehehe, play dress up." Shimmer smiled innocently. I grimaced while I heard Skittles laughing in the background. "Be quiet, Skittles." I growled. "You guys can join in to." Shimmer cheekily grinned. Ren and the other boys expressions fell at that offer. "Oh.. um.. Actually..." Ren stammered. "Please?" Shimmer asked them with her cute little eyes. Ren, the nerd, Mason and Rantaro all sighed reluctantly and nodded their heads. Shimmer cheered. I swear she uses her cuteness as a weapon. Anyway, Shimmer suddenly broke into a song as she... well... as she put it.. dolled us up. (Skip to 0:27) Damn... that girl could sing for a young filly. Anyway, now we had makeup on our faces while Shimmer giggled and Twilight and the girls either had their jaws dropped or were laughing. "They are so adorable. HAHAHA!" Rainbow teased. When she tried to blow dry my hair, I screamed as well as Ren and tired to run away from her, but she caught us. Darn it. Next she put a mask on our faces and cucumbers on our eyes and then she put lip gloss on us. UGH! Why?! After that she made us wear wings. Grr... Skittles was laughing the whole time. Then she made us put on fancy outfits for boys and when we were done we looked like we were going to a fancy party. Ugh. Twilight and the girls giggled. "Sigh... why are we doing this again?" Ren asked. "You're her new uncles and you have to spend time with her." the purple loon stated. We all groaned. Shimmer couldn't stop clapping her hooves. "Yeah, this is fun!" Speak for yourself. Knock Knock Knock Whose at the door now? Twilight opened the door with her magic, revealing... newbie?! Oh no. "Hey guys, how was baby-" When she saw us, she immediately busted out laughing. "Oh man.... that's hilarious! Hahahah!" she laughed. I tried to stop from blushed with embarrassment but failed as well as the other boys. "Sarah, what are you doing back so soon?" Twilight asked. "The meeting didn't take as long as I thought." Sarah replied. "What was the meeting about?" Applejack asked. "The Princess just wanted to know more about element. That's all." Sarah replied nonchalantly. Sarah then approached Shimmer. "Did you have fun, Shimmer?" "Yes, Momma. I made the boys pretty." Shimmer cooed. Sarah giggled, "Yes, yes you did. Now you can make them normal, okay honey?" "Yes Momma." With that Shimmer removed all her.... dress up things and we were back to our normal selves. Thank God. Shimmer giggled and leaped into my arms. "Wah?" With that, she hugged my chest. "Thank you, Uncles." she said. I softened my expression while looking at the bubbly filly. "No problem." I said. Shimmer giggled and fluttered into her mother's arms. "Come on, honey, back to our room." "Okay Momma." With that newbie carried Shimmer back to her room. Sigh... this was the weirdest day I ever had. POV Ends Chapter 12: Make New Friends/Boyfriends But Keep DiscordSarah's POV I was walking back to my castle in the freezing rain. The rain didn’t bother me, in fact, I loved it. “Ahh, nothing like some rain to make you feel good.” Now I know, rain usually makes people sad, but for me it makes me happy. I loved to play in it when my dad let me. I was busy skipping in the streets when I passed an alleyway and heard a small whimper. I stopped and froze for a moment. I went to the mouth of the alleyway. “Hello…?” I called. I didn’t hear a response, except for a whimper again. I carefully walked down the alleyway, following the whimpering sounds and I came to a dumpster. I looked behind it and saw a small cardboard box. I looked inside the box and gasped. Inside was a small filly. It was pure white with a light pink and aquamarine mane and tail. It’s body looked really dirty and she was curled up in a ball whimpering but what mostly shocked me was that the filly wasn’t a unicorn, pegasus or earth pony. It was an alicorn! “Oh my god.” I whispered. The filly must have heard me because it opened its eyes and gave a small scream. “Oh… it’s alright.” I cooed. The little filly whimpered and started shaking and not just because of the freezing rain. I approached the box and kneeled down. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” I added. The filly stopped shaking but instead she shakily got up on her hooves. That’s when I heard a loud gurgle from the little one’s stomach. “Oh dear, you must be starving.” The filly whimpered and shakily walked over to me and buried her head in my chest, whimpering. “Oh, come here.” I carefully picked the little filly into my arms and I partly covered her with my jacket. I quickly teleported to my room in the home-ship and closed the door. I placed the filly on the floor. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” The filly’s stomach did the talking for her by letting out a loud gurgle. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I replied with a smile, “I’ll go in the kitchen and make you something to eat.” I made my way to the kitchen when I realized I never introduced myself to the filly. “My name is Sarah Gem, by the way.” then I went into the kitchen and in a few minutes, returned to the filly with a bowl of oatmeal. I placed the oatmeal on the table and put the small filly in one of the chairs. I handed the filly a small spoon “Here you go, this will get you full and warmed up.” The filly took the spoon and took a small spoonful of the oatmeal. She seemed to like it because she started devouring the oatmeal. “Poor thing, she must have been starving for who knows how long. Wonder what happened to her?” The filly soon had the bowl completely clean and had a small bulging stomach. “Well, now that you've had something to eat, I think It's best that I gave you a bath.” I said to her. I took the little filly to the bathroom and realized she had not said anything since I found her. But I decided to let her talk to me when she was ready. I entered the bathroom and closed the door. I placed the small filly beside me and started to fill her tub with warm water. When It was the perfect level for the small filly, I lifted her up and tried to put her in the bath. The filly, however, resisted by holding my neck tightly. “It's okay, sweetheart, It's just water. There's no need to be afraid” I said gently to the scared filly. The poor filly began to kick and scream refusing to trust my words and let me bathe her. Knowing I could not convince her to go into the bath alone, I had no other choice but to use the alternative option, “Alright, have it your way, If you won't take a bath alone, I guess I'll have to come in with you.” I said to the filly before getting into the bath with her in my arms. The filly screamed in terror as the water came in contact with her body. He then stared splashing me and struggled to get out of the bath and I just sat there keeping a gentle but tight grip on her . After a few seconds of me remaining completely still, the filly finally calmed down, “There, there. See? The water is not going to hurt you.” I said to her in soft gentle voice. Now that she was calm, I bathe the filly, getting all the dirt and mud out of her mane, tail and body. The scratches weren’t bad and looked to have healed. After that, I dried myself and the filly off. I looked at the clock and saw it was ten at night. I let out a yawn and the filly let out a quiet yawn. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go to bed.” I said. I picked up the little filly and went to my room. I tucked the filly in and magically replaced my clothes with my pajamas. The filly looked surprised. I climbed into the bed, next to the filly and placed and arm around her. The filly looked at me and smiled. “Sweet dreams, little one.” I said and we both fell asleep. However, a few hours later, I heard some rustling in the bed. I opened my eyes and I saw the filly wrestling with the bed covers. She then screamed louder than before. I knew that she was having a nightmare. “M-Momma!” She screamed at the top of her lungs while crying heavily. I immediately scooped the filly in my arms and cradled her close. The fully opened her eyes instantly and started to scream again. However, she screams stopped when she realized I was holding her. She looked at me with fresh tears forming in her eyes. The filly buried her head into my chest and cried heavily. I nuzzled the small filly, trying to calm her down. A rumble of thunder and lightning struck once again outside, making the filly scream and cry harder while shaking in fear. I began to gently rock her while making soft gentle shushing noises. “Shhh...Don't worry. I'm here...Shhh” I hushed as the filly continued to cry. I then started to softly sing a soft lullaby to the crying filly. “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” “Drifting off to sleep leave the exciting day behind you” “Drifting off to sleep let the joy of dreamland find you” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” The filly stopped crying as I held him and continued to rock her. I gave her a tender loving smile. The filly snuggled into my chest, and laid her head against my neck. Tears formed in my eyes but I brushed them away and kissed the filly on the forehead. I placed the filly back into the covers and I placed them over her and me and we both slept through the night. The next morning, I woke up and gave a small yawn. I turned towards the filly who woke up as well. “Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?” I asked. The filly nodded. “Are you hungry?” I asked, earning another nod. I smiled and kiss the little filly on the head, “I’ll go and get us some breakfast.” I climbed out of bed and magically put on my clothes. When I got ready to walk out the door, “Shimmer Glow.” I turned back towards the filly, who was looking a bit nervous. “M-My name is S-Shimmer Glow.” she repeated. She voice was very soft like Fluttershy’s. “Nice to meet you Shimmer Glow.” With that, I went to the chicken and made the foal some oatmeal. I went back and placed on the bed, Here you go sweetie.” “Thank you Sarah.” Shimmer thanked and she dug into the oatmeal. “It’s really good.” she said. I couldn’t help but giggle. The little filly had oatmeal all over her face. I grabbed a napkin and wiped her face. Once the oatmeal was gone, I asked. “Shimmer, I have some friends who would like to meet you, would you like to met them?” “Y-Yes.” “Great!” I exclaimed softly. I picked up Shimmer and I took her to the living room where Twilight and the others were. "Alright so why did you call us all here, newbie?” Jack asked. “You can come out now.” I called out. Shimmer came out from behind me and shyly clung to my right leg. “Awwww.” all the girls said while the boys were surprised. “Whose the little darling?” Rarity asked. “This is Shimmer Glow. She’s a little filly I’m looking after.” I answered. “Well she’s very cute.” Ren said, walking towards us. Shimmer whimpered and hugged my leg even tighter. “She’s little very shy around new people.” I added. Ren stopped walking and kneeled down. “Hey there.” Shimmer looked at him, “I’m Ren Loodan, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Shimmer looked at me and I nodded. Shimmer looked back at Ren and let go of my leg. She slowly walked over to him, “... Promise?” she asked in her soft voice. “Aww… I promise, little one.” Ren reassured. Shimmer walked over and placed her head in his chest. “Awwww…” the girls cooed again. I introduced Shimmer to the others. It went well, even Pinkie Pie didn’t approach her all excited she approached her calmly, surprising everyone. However, when some of them tried to touch her, she’s shy away. And she was intimidated by Jack’s size and ran behind me. “Was it something I said?” he asked. “I think she’s a bit.. Ahem.. intimidated by your size, Jack.” Rarity said. And when it came to Twilight, Shimmer backed away from Twilight while whimpering. She then laid on the floor and cried heavily. I immediately scooped her up into my arms, “Shhh...It's okay Shimmer...Shhh...” I said to the little filly gently, trying to calm her down. She buried my face into my chest fur and continued to cry. “Sarah, can I hold Shimmer Glow for a few minutes?” Twilight suddenly asked me. I was a bit hesitant because I did not know how Shimmer would react since I was the only one so far that could calm her down. But I decided to let Twilight hold the little filly. Twilight motioned to her with a hoof to follow her. The group went to a room with a fireplace and two chairs. Twilight sat in one of the them and held out her hooves. I placed Shimmer Glow gently in Twilight's hooves and she cradled her close to her. Shimmer continued to cry becoming scared of being in the hooves of someone else besides mine. Twilight began to rock her ever so gently while making a soft hushing sound. Shimmer’s crying continued until Twilight started to hum a soft song in her ear. Shimmer’s crying reduced to sobs as Twilight continued to gently rock her and hum the soft song in her ear. Twilight finished humming her song and continued to rock her. Shimmer’s sobs turned to sniffles. Twilight rocked her gently and once more made a soft hushing sound. After a few minutes, Shimmer fell asleep in Twilight's forelegs. She gave her a small kiss on the forehead and said to her sweetly, gently, and quietly, “Sweet dreams little one.” Twilight continued to hold Shimmer while the other and I looked at her in amazement. “Twilight, that was amazing!” Rainbow said quietly not wanting to wake up Shimmer Glow, “how did you do that?” Twilight just smiled and said, “This was the same thing I did for Spike when I first started taking care of him. I actually still do it for him now when he's scared at night or when he has nightmares.” Twilight explained to the gang before looking down and smiling gently at the filly she was holding. I let out a sigh, and gave her friend a gentle smile. I knew Twilight was going to be a great mother someday. Looking outside I saw the sun had set, and it had become dark out. Without waking up the sleeping filly she was holding, Twilight gave Shimmer back to me. Me and Twilight each gave Shimmer a loving smile as he snuggled into my warm and soft chest fur. “Have a good night Sarah, we’ll be at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow.” she said with a cheerful smile “You too Twilight and girls. See you all tomorrow.” I said. “Bye Sarah.” Twilight and the girls replied as the left. "So where is the little one going to stay?" Skye asked me. "She'll stay in my room until I come up with a plan for her." I decided and the other agreed. With how young Shimmer was, there was no way I could leave her alone. I returned to my room and placed Shimmer in the bed and I climbed beside him, giving her a kiss on her forehead, earning a smile of her little face and we both fell asleep. The next morning, sunlight shined into the window, waking my and Shimmer up. We both let out a yawn. “Good morning, Shimmer Glow.” “Morning Sarah.” “Are you hungry?” Shimmer nodded, rubbing her growling stomach. “Alright sweetheart, let’s go make you some breakfast. I picked up Shimmer and placed her on my head, earning a little giggle from the filly. I went to the kitchen and Shimmer watched as I made some pancakes for both of us. I couldn't help but feel sad for Shimmer. While she was a very polite and sweet filly, I could tell she was very scared and had a broken heart. It also broke my heart to sad how upset she was last night when she met Twilight. It brought a tear to my eye to even wonder how long Shimmer has been without a family. After that, we went to the dining room and I placed both plates on the table. “Alright, sweetie, breakfast time.” Shimmer nodded and stood on my head. She started to flutter her wings and she shakily flew off my head and landed on the floor clumsily. “Hehe, trying to fly huh?” I teased. Shimmer nodded then went to the table and began eating her pancakes along with myself. When we were finished, I put the two plates in the sink in the kitchen and returned to the dining room. However when I returned, I saw Shimmer still sitting at the table, but she was sniffling. Worried about her, I went over to her and saw small tears rolling down her cheeks. "Shimmer, sweetheart, what's wrong?" I asked the little filly with worry filling my voice. Shimmer looked up at me with tears still streaming down her cheeks, "Y-you've *sniff* been s-so *sniff* n-nice to me." Shimmer sobbed "N-nopony has ever b-been *sniff* so n-nice to m-me." I felt my heart ache seeing the little colt so upset. I sat down next to Shimmer and put her on my lap. I stroked gently stroke her side with my hand as Shimmer continued to cry. "S-Sarah *sniff* d-do you think I'm a f-freak?" Shimmer asked me. I nuzzled her cheek before saying, "Of course I don't think that sweetheart, why in Equestria would you think such a thing?" I stroked her side as began to tremble like leaf and his crying began to grow even harder. "M-my *sniff* d-daddy *sniff* c-calls me a *sniff* f-freak" Shimmer sobbed I let out a gasp of shock. I had thought both of her parents were dead. Shimmer’s crying grew harder and louder as she looked into my eyes "M-my momma *sniff* d-died when she h-had m-me. D-daddy *sniff* s-says it's all m-my *sniff* f-fault." Shimmer cried Hearing him say that made my heart break in two. Shimmers’ mother had died giving birth to her, but how could her father say such a thing? "D-daddy y-yells at m-me, *sniff* h-hits me, *sniff* c-calls me n-names, and *sniff* s-scares me with s-storm clouds" Shimmer sobbed before burying her head into my soft chest fur. She cried into my chest. She was still speaking but she was crying so hard that I couldn't understand what she was saying. With tears streaming down her face, I wrapped my arms around Shimmer and held her trembling body close to her. Now I know the reason why Shimmer was so scared. I closed her eyes and kissed the top of Shimmers’ forehead. I felt so bad for the poor little filly that she was holding in her forelegs. As I held her close, I noticed something underneath her little wings. Carefully not to disturb the crying filly, I carefully moved on of her wings. What I saw made me gasp in shock. There were several bruises underneath her wings some of them were turning purple. How could a father do such a thing to his own daughter? How could he beat her, insult her, and frighten her with the one thing she’s scared to death of? I looked down at Shimmer who was still crying. I kissed her gently on the forehead and began making a soft hushing sound to calm the little filly down. Her crying reduced to sobs and then to sniffles as she brought her head out of my chest fur. She looked into my eyes as I smiled down at her lovingly and gave her a small nuzzle.” Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father did all those awful things to you sweetheart. But please believe me when I say it's not your fault your mother died. I promise you it's not your fault." Shimmer said nothing but gave me a sad smile while a few tears still streamed down her cheeks. I gently brushed the tears with her hoof before pulling Shimmer back into a soft and loving embrace. Shimmer closed her eyes and smiled, letting me know that she was calm and relaxed. I gave Shimmer a gentle smile before asking, "Do you feel better sweetheart?" Shimmer said nothing and gave me a small soft smiling at her. I scooped up the little filly and placed her on my shoulder. She gently grabbed around me neck as I walked out the door. "I'll take care of you, Shimmer. I promise." Soon we made it to Sugarcube Corner, "Ready, sweetie?" I asked. Shimmer nodded and we walked in. We saw Ren and everyone else at the tables. "Hey Sarah, Hey Shimmer." Ren said. "Are you feeling better?" Shimmer nodded. "Shimmer, darling. Applejack, Rainbow and I brought some friends you'd want to meet." Rarity said. Shimmer was showed three more fillies: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Howdy, Shimmer. I'm Applebloom." "I'm Sweetie Belle." "And I'm Scootaloo." "Together we are...THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" All three fillies shouted making Shimmer cover his ears. Taking his hooves off his ears, Shimmer said the three very softly, "It's nice to meet you all!" We all smiled at the happy scene with the four fillies. Applebloom seemed interested in her wings and horn. "Looks like she's getting better." I said. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement still smiling at the little fillies. Everything was pleasant until a look of sadness came across my face. "Sarah, are you alright?" Twilight asked. "Guys... I found the reason why Shimmer was so scared." I stated. "Why?" Ren asked. "Shimmer's mother died giving birth to her and her father abused her." I answered, lowering my head a little. Everyone gasped in horror. "He abused her?!" Kaede cried. I sadly nodded, "Her father yelled at her and insulted her. He called Shimmer a freak, and the poor little one asked me earlier if I thought she was a freak. He told Shimmer that is was her fault that her mother had died. But the worst thing, I found out was that her father has physically beaten her. I found several bruises underneath her little wings." I shed some tears while the others had faces in a mixture of shock, concern and anger. "That's horrible." Mason said. "No wonder she was scared of us at first." Carrie added. "That bastard!" Jack exclaimed in anger. "If I ever see him, I'll beat the hell out of him." "Jack, not important right now." Kaede stated. Twilight sat there and gave the filly beside a sad smile. However was curious about something. She didn't understand why Shimmer broke down and cried when he first saw her. She needed to know what was wrong with her. "Sarah, can you call Shimmer over here. I want to ask her something." I nodded and called for Shimmer. The little filly walked over, "Yes?" "Twilight has something she wants to ask you." Twilight knelt down to Shimmer's Level to speak with her, "Shimmer, when you first saw me you started crying. Is it okay to ask If there's something wrong with me?" Shimmer quickly shook his head before saying, "No, Twilight there's nothing wrong with you. It's just you look a lot like my Momma." Everyone in the room was silent as Shimmer continued to speak. "I had a picture of my Momma in my room. It was a picture of her before I was born. She was very pretty." Shimmer said before she started whimpering and tears began to form in her eyes. "Th-that p-picture was all I h-had of her. B-but then my daddy t-took the p-picture away from m-me and b-broke it. H-he s-said I was a f-freak and I d-didn't deserve that p-picture." Shimmer fell to the floor and cried. I pulled her close and stroked the back of her mane softly, silently hushed him as everyone looked on with sadness. I stroked the back of his mane for a few more minutes before pulling Shimmer back and said, "Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father has done all of this to you. But can I ask you something sweetie?" Shimmer nodded, "Why were you all alone when I found you?" I could feel Shimmer trembling as she closed her eyes tightly with tears still pouring out. "I-I-I r-ran away." Shimmer sobbed softly. She immediately buried her face in my chest and let his tears soak her shirt, "P-Please Sarah, d-don't send me back to my d-daddy! I d-don't wanna go b-back!" she wailed. I wrapped my arms around and stroked her side. "Shhh...It's alright Shimmer, sweetheart. I'm not going to send you back to your father." I said to the filly softly and sweetly. She Immediately wrapped her little forelegs around my neck and cried more tears, but this time they were tears of joy. "Oh, th-thank you!" She cried as I stroked her back with hoof. Everyone watched on with tears of happiness in their eyes, including Rainbow Dash and the CMC. Pinkie Pie began to bounce with glee while shouting, "WOO! I'm gonna throw Shimmer Glow the best "Welcome To Ponyville." party EVER!" Everyone laughed after they heard this even Shimmer. "I think I have a better idea, for Shimmer." I said. "What is it, Sarah?" Kaede asked. I looked at Shimmer, "Shimmer, I know that you don't want to go back with your father and since you don't have any parental figures right now. I was wondering if... I could adopt you?" Shimmer's eyes widened in shock as well as the others. "Sarah, are you sure?" Carrie asked. "Yes." I replied, proudly. Shimmer grinned big and leaped into my arms, shouting, "Momma, Momma." I could tell her answer was yes. Ren and the others cheered for Shimmer. "OH, OH, OH we can be her aunts and uncles now! YEAH!" She bounced around in room, very excited. "Of course, If that's alright everyone." It didn't take long for all of my friends for to say yes and tackle me into a group hug. Shimmer Glow fluttered her little wings. "I have a new Momma, Yeah!" she nuzzled my cheek and I kissed her on her little forehead. "And I'm going to be the best mother ever." Jack's POV "Uncle Jack, Uncle Jack." Ugh..... who the? Grr... whose waking me up during my nap. I opened my eyes and was met with the bubbly filly Sarah adopted. "Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack." "Ugh.. what do you want, kid?" I asked groggily. Shimmer giggled and leaped onto my gut. "Come play with me." Play? Ugh.. why now? I just want to sleep. I covered myself up with the blanket with a tired grunt, "Please, Uncle Jack?" I lowered the covers and saw her giving me the 'puppy dog' eyes and I sighed and grumbled, "Fine... I'll play with you." "Yeah!" She cheered and leaped off my stomach and out of my room. Ugh.... seriously, why is she always waking me up. I mean seriously, she did this for the forth time this week! Sigh... anyway, I got up anyway and put on my clothes. I came out of my room and found the little filly sitting at the dining room table with the others. “Oh hey Jack! Rantaro!” I looked over to see Ren waving at us with a smile. “Good morning.” “Hey.” I said firmly before heading over to the small dining room where he and that little girl, Carrie, were busy eating some eggs and pancakes some OJ. Even their pets were busy eating some on their own food in their small bowls “Ah, good morning.” We turned to see Mason and Kaede walking in, each carrying two plates filled with food on their hands. “I see you are awake. Good morning Jack.” “Sup.” I smiled. Shimmer Glow was eating her breakfast when newbie came in. "Momma!" she exclaimed. She fluttered her little wings as Sarah came over and hugged her. "Aww... you're fully of energy, aren't you?" she cooed. Shimmer nodded, "Uncle Jack and I are gonna play together." she grinned. "Oh are you now?" Newbie looked at me with a smirk. I growled while blushing a little. Sarah laughed, "Are you done with your breakfast?" Shimmer showed Sarah we clean plate. "Good, now go and wash up." Shimmer nodded and merrily skipped down the hallway. Good thing, newbie showed her where the bathroom was when she showed the home-ship to her. "So Jack, you're gonna play with Shimmer?" Mason asked with a smirk. I growled at him, "The brat woke me up again for the forth time this week! Why can't she just leave me alone?!" "Jack, she loves being with her new family. She's never had any love before us. You should be proud that she wants to play with you. Beside, you are her Uncle." Sarah explained to me. I sighed and soften up my expression, "Alright newbie. I'll play with her for you." "Good cause I need you to baby sit her." Okay, that I did not expect. "What? Babysit?!" I exclaimed. "Yes, I got called away to Canterlot for the morning and I want you to babysit Shimmer while I'm away." "What? Take care for that brat, by myself?!" I exclaimed in shock. "No way!" "Come on Jack, you'll have us there to help you and the dragons." Ren reassured. "We'll help you care for them." Still... didn't want to..... ut I am her friend and as annoying as those brats are, if she wants me to care for them then I guess I have to. After all, I'd never leave a friend hanging. "Alright newbie, I'll take care of her." Sarah smiled, "Thanks Jack." Shimmer then came out of the bathroom and over to us. "Shimmer." "Yes Momma? "Mommy has to go to Canterlot for her Princess duties. So Jack and the others will be in charge of you while I'm gone, alright?" "Yes Momma." "Be on your best behavior." "Yes Momma." she leaped into Sarah arms and hugged her while Sarah hugged her back. Even though I don't like mushy stuff, this was pretty sweet. Sarah placed Shimmer down. "I'll be back by tonight. Bye guys." and with that she teleported to Canterlot. Shimmer giggled and pawed at my leg. "Can we play now, Uncle Jack?" I sighed, "Yes." "Yeah!" She grabbed my hand with her tiny hooves and dragged me to over to the living room. She had me sit on the couch. "Okay... so what do you want to do." My answer was received when she came up to me with a makeup kit. If there's one thing I hate. It's girly stuff and that includes make up. "Hehehe, play dress up." Shimmer smiled innocently. I grimaced while I heard Skittles laughing in the background. "Be quiet, Skittles." I growled. "You guys can join in to." Shimmer cheekily grinned. Ren and the other boys expressions fell at that offer. "Oh.. um.. Actually..." Ren stammered. "Please?" Shimmer asked them with her cute little eyes. Ren, the nerd, Mason and Rantaro all sighed reluctantly and nodded their heads. Shimmer cheered. I swear she uses her cuteness as a weapon. Anyway, Shimmer suddenly broke into a song as she... well... as she put it.. dolled us up. (Skip to 0:27) Damn... that girl could sing for a young filly. Anyway, now we had makeup on our faces while Shimmer giggled and Twilight and the girls either had their jaws dropped or were laughing. "They are so adorable. HAHAHA!" Rainbow teased. When she tried to blow dry my hair, I screamed as well as Ren and tired to run away from her, but she caught us. Darn it. Next she put a mask on our faces and cucumbers on our eyes and then she put lip gloss on us. UGH! Why?! After that she made us wear wings. Grr... Skittles was laughing the whole time. Then she made us put on fancy outfits for boys and when we were done we looked like we were going to a fancy party. Ugh. Twilight and the girls giggled. "Sigh... why are we doing this again?" Ren asked. "You're her new uncles and you have to spend time with her." the purple loon stated. We all groaned. Shimmer couldn't stop clapping her hooves. "Yeah, this is fun!" Speak for yourself. Knock Knock Knock Whose at the door now? Twilight opened the door with her magic, revealing... newbie?! Oh no. "Hey guys, how was baby-" When she saw us, she immediately busted out laughing. "Oh man.... that's hilarious! Hahahah!" she laughed. I tried to stop from blushed with embarrassment but failed as well as the other boys. "Sarah, what are you doing back so soon?" Twilight asked. "The meeting didn't take as long as I thought." Sarah replied. "What was the meeting about?" Applejack asked. "The Princess just wanted to know more about element. That's all." Sarah replied nonchalantly. Sarah then approached Shimmer. "Did you have fun, Shimmer?" "Yes, Momma. I made the boys pretty." Shimmer cooed. Sarah giggled, "Yes, yes you did. Now you can make them normal, okay honey?" "Yes Momma." With that Shimmer removed all her.... dress up things and we were back to our normal selves. Thank God. Shimmer giggled and leaped into my arms. "Wah?" With that, she hugged my chest. "Thank you, Uncles." she said. I softened my expression while looking at the bubbly filly. "No problem." I said. Shimmer giggled and fluttered into her mother's arms. "Come on, honey, back to our room." "Okay Momma." With that newbie carried Shimmer back to her room. Sigh... this was the weirdest day I ever had. POV Ends Chapter 13: Rainbow Dragon Roadtrip 🎵I got your message🎵 🎵The sun is shining🎵 🎵And the open road is calling our names🎵 🎵My bag is packed so🎵 🎵Are you ready?🎵 🎵'Cause to lose this day would be a shame🎵 🎵There's a rainbow waiting🎵 🎵A song is playin'🎵 🎵And I can't wait to hit the road with you🎵 🎵There's a rainbow waiting🎵 🎵And we got rainbow roadtrippin' to do! Hi, I'm Sarah, the Princess of Friendship. Today, Rainbow and I got an invite to a place called Dragon Hope Hallow for a Rainbow Dragon Festival where Rainbow and I would be the guest of honor along with Snowflake. Me and my friends all packed what we needed and were placing them in my car. My dad and Douglas were coming along too, cause it would be fun for them to come. I saw Pinkie and Rainbow rushing towards the car while Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and the others were there already. They both fell on the ground in shock seeing the rest of us. "Alright, I was forth." Rainbow said. "Well I was fifth." Pinkie said. "Technically, you both were last." Rantaro said. "T-That's not even- But I beat you!" Rainbow argued. Mason intervened. "You both are still late. We have to leave soon or will miss the festival." "Don't worry, we wouldn't have left with out you." Fluttershy reassured. "Afterall darling, Rainbow, Sarah and her Fury dragons are the guests of Honor at the Rainbow Dragon Festival." "Alright.. is everyone ready?" I asked. "Hey, where the purple bookworm and the nerd?" Jack asked. We then noticed Twilight and Jamie were not present. "Oh, there they are." Pinkie quipped, pointing down the street. "We're coming! We're coming!" Twilight's voice rang. Twilight and Jamie were running towards us with Spike following behind us and they made it. "We have to pack a few books." "Wait, wait, wait, you're bringing work to a festival?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Yeah, leave those books here, it's suppose to be a non-stop party." Pinkie squealed in joy. "Reading is fun, it's relaxing and rewarding and-" Jamie started, but I took his and Twilight's books in my magic and gave them to Spike. "can wait until we come back from the Festival." "Did you bring Striker, Jamie?" Jamie nodded and his Triple Stryke landed next to him. I turned to Ren and the others. "Did you guys bring your dragons too?" Ren and the others nodded and their dragons landed near the car. "And they are bringing their dragons... why?" Rainbow asked, confused. "Hello, it's called the Rainbow Dragon Festival for a reason." Rainbow stated. "You have to bring dragons to a dragon festival." "Yeah, Rainbow's right." Twilight said. "Yeah, yeah, come on, come on, let's go!" My dad said. His brother rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You guys heard my dad, let's go!" I exclaimed. Everyone cheered and we all piled into the car. I sat at the driver's seat while my dad had the passenger seat. Douglas sat with Ren, Jack, Twilight and Rantaro in the front. Jamie, Nicole, Applejack, Rarity and Kaede were in the middle. Mason, Carrie, Fluttershy and Pinkie sat in the back while Rainbow would fly outside with our dragons. (Trust me, my car is bigger on the inside than on the outside.) We all buckled in and I started the engine. "Everyone ready?" I asked everyone. "You bet!" Ren exclaimed. "Let's go!" Mason added. "The off we go!" I pressed the gas and put the car in flying mode. The car's leaped off the ground and the wheel turned inward and hovered. A steering fin came out on the trunk and two wings came out in the middle and the car flew off in the sky with our dragons and Rainbow following behind. "Have fun everyone!" Spike called to us. We flew over valleys, mountains and rivers on the way. "Didn't somepony mention a spa in, uh, where is it we're going again?" Rarity asked. Rainbow knocked on the window and I rolled the window's down so she could speak to us, "Hope Hollow... or as I'd like to call it, Rainbow and Sarah fan central." Rainbow said. Applejack and Mason sighed, "You're gonna be like this the whole way, aren't ya?" Applejack asked. "You know it. I mean look at this letter. They love me and Sarah there." Rainbow said. I took the letter in my magic and gave it to my dad. "Dear Rainbow Dash and Queen Sarah Gem, Thank you for being our guests at this years' famous Dragon Hope Hollow Rainbow Dragon Festival. The many members of your fan club are looking forward to your visit. You and your friends will be staying at our luxury Rainbow Dragon Resort and Spa where your every will be care too." My dad read aloud. "Oh I called that a challenge, I have so many wills." Rarity said, battering her eyes. Jack rolled his eyes. "Fan club? Oooh." I groaned. "Now now Sarah, it may just be a few ponies in this fan club." Douglas said. "Or it may be the entire town to be your fan club." Pinkie cheered. I squeaked. "Don't worry Sarah, you'll be fine. Remember, you have us." Snowflake reassured. "Right... right... okay..." I breathed calmly. "Oh look there's a butterfly garden. "Fluttershy said. "Hmm, you know it's strange that we've never heard of this festival before." Twilight said. "Y-Yeah, especially since everything in the town is so well known." Jamie added. Rainbow looked at the letter. "At this years' festival, you can eat treats and the traditional Rainbow Bakery booth. Sing your favorite Rainbow and Dragon themes songs at the karaoke competition." "Baking booth and Karaoke! Ahhh!" Pinkie cheered. "It's like they got into my soul." Then Mason got the letter. "And try our famous Rainbow trout catch and release activity." "Catch and release?" Jack whined. "Awww... I wanted to eat it." "Jack!" Kaede scolded covered Fluttershy's ears so she would not hear that. "Oh... hehe... sorry." "Now that sounds right up my river." Applejack said. "Plus we get to see the mayor give Rainbow, Sarah, Snowflake and Moonshine a reward. I call dibs on the cheering section." Pinkie said pulling out her party cannon which she activated, making confetti go all over the inside of the car. We all laughed. Classic Pinkie. "An award for what exactly?" Rarity asked. Rainbow shrugged. "Showing up, general coolness, hehe all of the above." Rainbow gloated. "Well we're so glad you invited us along." Twilight said. "Yeah, it's gonna be one long party! Which starts now!" "Yeah!" Shimmer cheered. I turned to see Shimmer next to me "Hehe, Hi Shimmer.... WAIT! SHIMMER GLOW?!" I exclaimed. Everyone was shocked to see the tiny filly. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Douglas asked. "I snuck in with my invisibility spell, heheh." Shimmer giggled innocently. We all looked at each other and back at the little filly. "What do we do with her?" Ren asked. "We can't turn back. We're too far from Ponyville. Looks like she's staying." I said. Shimmer cheered and hopped into my lap. I giggled and rolled my eyes at the tiny filly as I drove. Hours passed and it was getting dark, close to night time. "Shouldn't we be there by now?" Rainbow asked. "I thought so too, maybe we should have turn left at the last cloud instead of right." Applejack said. "Oh, it's getting darker by the minute." Fluttershy said. The sky was getting darker. Then Pinkie appeared in front of me, "I spy with my little eye a Rainbow!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We're not doing that again." Rainbow groaned. "No an actual Rainbow." Pinkie said. We all looked and saw a large Rainbow ahead. "Woah... cool." Ren gasped. "We're heading right for it!" Rarity exclaimed in fear. "Don't worry, we'll pass right through it. No rainbow's are solid." Rainbow reassured. Moonshine flew ahead and touched it with his claw... it did not faze through it. "Not this one guys! It looks like a billboard!" he called back. The billboard started to rock and then leaned towards us. "Lookout newbie!" Jack exclaimed. Acting quickly, I turned the car around but the billboard caught the back steering fin, making us go down with the billboard. "AAAAAAAHHH!" We all screamed. "We're gonna crash!" Applejack exclaimed. However, our dragons flew down to the car and blasted the part of the billboard that caught the car and the car hovered again. "Phew..." we all sighed in relief. "Thanks you guys." I said before I drove the car to the ground and I landed her, making her go back to her land mode. The billboard crashed onto the ground and broke. We all exited the car and looked around. "Where are we?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie Pie found a sign that said, "Welcome to Dragon Hope Hollow, home of the famous Rainbow Dragon Festival." "We've arrived, but there's nopony here to greet us." Rarity said. "Good thing too, we kinda destroyed their town sign." Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash, does the letter say where our hotel is?" Fluttershy said. "Uh.." Rainbow took the invite and read it. "The middle of town." "Hmm.. doesn't help much without knowing where the middle is." Jamie said. "L-Let's start looking." We all agreed and my friends started walking while I slowly drove the car into the town. When we got to the town we saw that it looks rundown. Some windows were boarded up, some of the buildings had cracks and holes in them and there was nopony outside. It was like a ghost town. "Hmm.. funny you'd think a big luxury resort would be easier to spot." Applejack stated. "Yeah, it seems like the whole town has shut down." Pinkie said. We made it to the center, "Oh look, there's somepony." We looked towards one building and saw a pony coming out. Twilight trotted over, "Hello." The pony turned to reveal she had a curly, mane and tail. "Oh." "Maybe you can help us, we're here for the Rainbow Dragon Festival." Twilight said. "The Rainbow Dragon Festival?" she asked. "Yeah you know where I'm the guest of honor." Rainbow smirked. "And newbie and the dragons." Jack deadpanned. "Right them too." "Oh for crying in the mud, what has Sunny done now?" she mumbled to herself, catching Nicoles' attention. "What was that?" "Oh, uh, you best talk to Mayor Skies about that." she said. "Great, and where would we find him?" Ren asked. "City hall, but it's closed until tomorrow don't cha know. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked. "Yes, were looking for the Hope Hallow Luxury Resort." My dad spoke. "Oh, that's this building right here." she opened the door, "Come in." I exited the car and followed the others inside the hotel. "Hotel Hope, also know as the town information center and library. My name is Petunia Petals by the way. I'm the librarian here and the information guide and the hotel manager, historian, chief, portrait painter-" "Um, I'm Rainbow Dash and this is everypony." Rainbow Introduced. We all gave our greetings to Petunia. "Hello everypony, just wait one minute and I'll take you to the room." "Uh, the room?" Kaede asked. "There's only one." Petunia said. "One?" Ren asked. Petunia nodded. "Make's it easier to find." she said as she got the key. She led us upstairs and unlocked the door. When we went in the room looked a little back. There were some cracks in the walls, old bed and dust in some area. "H-How rustic and charming." Rarity said, trying not the scream. "I couldn't help noticing there are only three beds." Rainbow pointed out. One bed broke, "Okay four." Petunia claimed, "There's a pop out one too." she went over to a wall and gave it a good kick and a bed come out of it, stirring up some dust. "There she is. You'll be all fresh and ready to see the mayor in the morning." she went over to the door. "Night." and exited the room, leaving us in the room. "Did anypony notice something strange about Petunia?" Twilight asked. "Other than the fact that she called this place the royal sweet." Rarity jabbed. "Hard to tell in this light but she looks a little... gray didn't she?" Applejack stated. "Probably from all the dust." Rarity grumbled. "And I didn't notice any dragons around here either." I spoke up. "Yeah, Sarah's right. Even at night, there are suppose to be dragons roaming around, so why aren't there?" Kaede wondered "Sorry everypony I didn't know what I was getting you all into." Rainbow apologized. Twilight grinned and put a hoof on her shoulder. "The most important thing that we are all together." "So.... how are all of us suppose to sleep in this one room?" Ren asked. "I don't think t-that's possible." Kaede said. "Great, now what the hell do we do?" Jack asked. "Don't worry I got this." I smirked. I flew out of the window and went to the car. I opened the truck and pulled out a small cube with a string attached to it. I placed it near the car and pulled the string. In an instant and large tent appeared. My friends looked out the window and gawked at the tent. "Hehehe, I like to be prepared." I giggled. "DIBS!" Jack exclaimed and he raced out of the room. "Hold it, fasto!" Rantaro exclaimed and he dashed outside too.They both rushed into the tent while I laughed, "Oh boys. There's room for a few more, you guys. Come on." Sarah called. Ren and the others came outside and climbed into my tent. "Nice Sarah." Ren praised. "Yeah, nice going newbie." Jack said. I blushed a little. "Hehehe, it's really nothing." "Yeah right, kid. This tent is like a real hotel." Rantaro smirked. "I agree, let's get some shall we?" Douglas asked. We all agreed and we along with our dragons entered the rooms and we all fell asleep. Dreamscape I found myself in the Dreamscape and I looked around when I saw Astral Twilight. "Tree of Harmony? What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised. "I am here to tell you of a task you must complete, Sarah." Astral Twilight said. "A Task? What is it?" "You must solve the mystery of Hope Hallow." "The mystery of Hope Hallow? What mystery?" "You'll find out in the morning. I must go now... sweet dreams Sarah Gem." With that Astral Twilight disappeared and the void wavered... End of Dreamscape I gasped as I woke up with a shock. "Sarah, are you alright?" Snowflake asked. Snowflake looked at me with some concern. "Y-Yeah... but I have something to tell you... everyone in the morning." I said. "Right now... we should get some sleep." Snowflake nodded and fell asleep while I laid my head on the pillow. "What is the mystery of Hope Hallow... maybe it has something to do with why Petunia was gray.. I yawned. "I'll think about it in the morning." and with that I fell asleep. The next morning, me and the gang had breakfast and I told them what the Tree of Harmony told me. "Soo, there's a mystery here in Dragon Hope Hallow?" Ren asked. "Yes and the Tree said I have to solve it." I replied. "And I think it has something to do with why Petunia was gray." "Yeah... that was weird." Jamie said. "I agree." My dad said. "Let's see how the girls are." We all agreed and finished our breakfast and went outside to find the girls coming out of the hotel and walking through town. We saw that ponies staring at the girls. "Why is everypony staring at us?" Fluttershy wondered. "Maybe they recognize Rainbow Dash?" Applejack suggested. "Or Princess Sarah, but mostly me." Rainbow said. "No... I think they're staring because we're the only part of this town that isn't... gray." Rarity realized. "What do you mean, loon?" Jack asked. "Look around." Rarity said we did and saw the whole town was gray! "All the colors here are gone!" "That's strange. It's just like what I noticed with Petunia last night, Everything's mostly gray." Twilight added. We saw Petunia at a booth, "Hello." she waved to us and we waved back. "Except the stuff that's grayer." Applejack added. "I thought it was strange but-" Fluttershy started. "This is so weird." Rainbow cut in. Another pony walked by with a confused look, "And from the way they're gawking at us, it appears they think we're the odd ones." Rarity said. "Ain't that the truth." Jack grumbled. "I wonder what caused this?" Twilight asked. "We can ask the mayor." Applejack said. "Yeah if we ever find him." Rainbow said. We started walking through the town to see if there was any sign of the Mayor when two foals skidded in front of us. One was a colt wearing a dull red hoodies while the other had a beanie and shirt on in the same color. They were both without cutie marks too. When they spotted Sarah and Rainbow, they scurried back, hid behind a building and whispered to each other. "That was weird." I remarked. "Yeah..." Ren added. "Looks like you found your mystery, Sarah." Ren said to me. "Mystery?" Twilight repeated. "The Tree of Harmony spoke to me last night and said I had to solve a mystery here in Dragon Hope Hallow which is why all the color is gone." I explained. "And why there are no dragons here, except for ours." Then we spotted two ponies that looked like they came from Manhattan. The stallion look a little old while the mare looked young. "Don't pout, dear. It'll wrinkle your withers." the mare said. "I'm not pouting, sweetums, but I am hurt by your comment. I thought the pie I baked was quite tasty." The stallion added. "I didn't say it wasn't." "You didn't say it was." The two bumped into an elderly stallion that had shape similar to Granny Smith. "Watch where you're goin'! You don't own the sidewalk, ya know?!" he growled and walked off. "Well I never." The stallion said. They laid their eyes on us and they gawked at us before walking away. "Huh?" we all said. Suddenly, I spotted my car near a tool shop and a pony was working on the bent. There was stallion with a short mane and tail that were fainted gray. He turned and spotted us, "Well, stuff me in an olive and call me a pimento! It's the Rainbow Dash and Queen Sarah Gem! Ya made it! Uh, it is.. you, isn't it?" "Yes, it's us." I replied. Snowflake and Midnight came beside us. "And these must be the Light and Night fury I've heard you have, hehe... wish there were more here." "What was that?" I asked. "Nothing." the pony answered quickly. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." Twilight introduced, walking up, "And you are.." "Sunny Skies." The pony replied. "Sunny Skies, the mayor o' this lovely town, and pleased as a poplar tree to meetcha!" "We're very sorry about your rainbow billboard, Mr. Mayor. It was dark and—" Fluttershy apologized but was cut off by Sunny. "Oh, don't give it a second thought. That old thing needed repair anyway. I haven't used it since... uh... well, never mind. Uh, a-a-anyway, once your car fins' fixed up, Torque can take care of the billboard. Everypony, meet Torque Wrench, our town handypony. She offered to repair your car fin for ya." Torque Wrench was a mare with a fainted red mane and tail wearing working clothes like a handyman. Torque lifted her mask, "He volunteered me." and placed it back down. "She'll have it fixed in a jiffy." Sunny said. " If, by "jiffy", ya mean "this will take all day"." Torque grumbled. "Sooo ya got in last night. I wish I'd known. I would've been here to greetcha. Uh, where'd y'all stay?" Mayor Skies asked. "At the "Luxury Hotel". Rarity said. "Petunia Petals let us in." Applejack added. "Oh, well, of course she did. She's somethin', I'll tell you what. I'd be lost without her. I mean, uh, th-the town would be." Mayor Skies stammered, showing a faint blush on his cheek. "Mayor, I hope you don't mind my asking, but is there a reason your town is... faded?" Jamie asked. The Mayor suddenly looked nervous. "Oh! Heh. Ya spotted that, did ya? Well, it's a... long story. Uh, why don't I show you the town highlights first?" he quickly walked away while the rest of us were confused. "Huh?" "Hmm... seems like he's not telling us something." Nicole said. "How'd you figure that?" Mason asked. "I saw it in his eyes." Nicole replied, not taking her eyes off of the IPad. "I agree with the chick. He knows something. We just have to get it out of him." Jack stated. "You are not harming him, Jack." Ren said. "... Fine." Jack grumbled. "Come on, let's follow the mayor." I suggested. My friends agreed and we followed the Mayor. He showed us the Outdooor Spa. The 'water' looked more like mud. Twilight asked him about the activities from the brochure and he showed us the Bakery Booth.... which was not present. "Or... will be. We're... still settin' up, but we gotta lotta great things planned." Mayor Skies said. Fluttershy asked about the butterfly garden and he brought us over to some bushes.... that had pictures of butterflies on it. "So none of the butterflies are actually..." "Real? Oh, no. Uh, what with the flowers not havin' color and all, the butterflies don't really come around much anymore." Sunny explained. Applejack and Mason asked about the fishing and he showed us a pool with a Sea Shocker dragon inside of it. Sea Shocker: It was 52 feet long and has a 17 feet tall with a 50 foot long wingspan. Seashocker looks similar to a blue Manta Ray which is more noticeable when seen in a bird's eye view. It has two heads and has large a wingspan of 15 meters (50 feet) with two small flippers in front of it, giving it the appearance of a blue colored Manta Ray. The dragon also has small spikes lining its spine and the top of its heads. Their dorsal fins are very sharp and dense, functioning as amazingly powerful blades that are capable of slicing thick sea ices and even the most solid floes. Its necks are incredibly short. In total, the Seashocker's body shape strongly resembles that of a Manta Ray, with wings that extend perfectly straight out. This natural arrangement ensures great speed in the air or beneath the waves of an icy ocean. The dragon hissed at Sunny making him leaped back. "Woah, what the-?" Jack exclaimed. "The Sea Shocker can produce electricity, making very dangerous." I explained as I walked over to it. The Sea Shocker growled at me, but I held out my hand. "Easy, big fella. I'm not here to hurt you." I cooed. The Sea Shocker stared at me for a moment and until it calmed down and placed it's nose in my hand. "Woah... she's good." Mayor Skies cooed. "That's our Queen." Mason smirked. Then Pinkie approached the Mayor. "Um, so no big deal – well, actually, okay, yes, kind of a big deal – but the brochure also mentioned a karaoke contest?" she asked. "Right here!" He pointed to a stage that looked worn down and the sign fell. "The Seas Shocker doubles on Harmonic." Sunny said. The Sea Shocker growled, sparking electricity. It was obvious that he did not play harmonica that was for sure. Twilight spoke with the Mayor, "I don't understand. Your Rainbow Festival isn't quite as you described." Rainbow came up, "And the resort hotel wasn't what it was cracked up to be either." "Cept for all the cracks." Applejack added. "None of these things are as pictured in your brochure." Rarity added, displeased. "Well, maybe I exaggerated a little, but I-I'd intend on havin' everythin' ready. It's just kinda hard gettin' anypony excited about anythin' in this town anymore! Ugh. I didn't think ya'd come if ya knew the truth." Mayor Skies said. "The Truth?" Twilight asked. "That there is no Rainbow Festival. right?" Nicole guessed and Mayor Skies nodded. The girls gasped in shock. "No Rainbow Festival?!" Applejack repeated. "No fan club?!" Rainbow added. "That goodness." I silently sighed in relief. "Believe me, I didn't mean to—" Mayor Skies started and Rainbow cut in, " Bring us here for nothing?!" " If ya just let me—" Sunny stammered. "We should just leave this very moment!" Rarity suggested. "Girls!" I exclaimed, and the girls fell quiet. "Maybe we should let the mayor explain." Mayor Skies cleared his throat. "Uh, guess I should start at the beginnin'. A long time ago, when my Grandpa Skies was mayor, Hope Hollow was different. They used to call this town "The End of the Rainbow", 'cause everything you'd ever want, you could find right here." He thought back to when his Grandpa was Mayor. Back then, the town was drastically different. Ponies were chatting with each other and socializing with other and most importantly, there was color in the whole town. Dragons filled the skies and walked with their pony friends. Next door neighbors chatting over white-wood fences Stoppin' on the street to say hello When friends did well, we sang their praises Brought soup to comfort them when they felt low That was our town at the end of the rainbow No pots of gold or buried treasure Just everypony looking after each other The truest riches cannot be measured It was a lesson that had kept us together In our town at the end of the rainbow To honor the town, his Grandpa held a festival every year and made a device called the Rainbow Generator that made colors appear in the sky as the town gathered around the area to see the colors and remind everyone that they were stronger together. His Grandpa passed it down to his father and then to Sunny Skies and it was his turn to make the colors in the sky. It filled his heart with such please to see everypony and dragon gathered around for the festival. He thought it would never end.... until it did. To honor our fine town, my Grandpa Skies decided To throw a party each and every year They planed for weeks, cooked for days, celebrated fifty ways So everypony would gather here In our town at the end of the rainbow Grandpa made a gizmo called the Rainbow Generator To paint the sky with lots of colors shining bold and bright To remind us all together we are greater And darkness never wins against the coming of the light Grandpa passed it on to Dad, then it was my turn To make the pretty rainbows in the sky It filled my heart with pride to see Our whole town gathered gratefully Where we were sure there would never be An end to the rainbow Nopony had time to spend with each other and as the years went by, the ponies spirits diminished. The dragons began to leave the town as well. Sunny knew he had to do something so he fixed up the Rainbow Generator with his magic to make a bigger and better Rainbow for the town. But when he presented it to the town, the generator sparked and blew up creating an explosion and it removed all the color in the town... which brings us to the present. Then fences went up, we lost track of our neighbors Every year passing, dimming spirits all around The happy days came to an end Nopony had time to spend together in the town I thought I knew exactly what the festival needed A bigger, better rainbow would surely make them see it But the extra magic was too much for the Rainbow Generator And I'm who brought the rainbow to an end That's how our town, our little pony town That's how our town saw the end of the rainbow When he was done explaining, we all felt bad for him and Pinkie cried, "That is the saddest story-song I've ever heard!" "Tell me about it." Kaede agreed. "But what happened to the dragons, why did they suddenly leave?" "I don't know. I tried for a long time to get everypony interested in the Festival again. To remember what it's like to come together as a community and share the fun. But nopony even bothered listenin'. That's why I wrote to you two, Rainbow Dash and Princess Sarah. You two were my last hope. I figured if a pony and human of your stature came to town, it would get everypony excited about puttin' on the Festival again. I mean, "Rainbow"'s even part o' your name! And you have an amazing way with dragons." " Mmm, yeah, I can see that." Rainbow said. "Yeah." I added. "Mr. Mayor, what kind of magic did you use on the Rainbow Generator?" Twilight asked. "Oh, I'm not sure. I didn't know what I was dealin' with. I only wanted to help. But instead, I sucked all the color outta the town. That billboard and the Sea Shocker were the only things that didn't change. To me, they are a reminder of what we can be. Keeps the "Hope" in "Dragon Hope Hollow". Mayor Skies said. "Hmmm. If I could find out the type of magic you used, I might be able to reverse the spell." Twilight proposed. "Ya mean, you're gonna stay?" The girls nodded. "Hell yeah." Jack said. "Heh. Nothin' we like better than a challenge, 'specially when it comes to helpin' ponies." Applejack said. "You bet." Mason added. "You don't know how clam-happy this all makes me! Thank you kindly!" Sunny praised. "We'll do whatever we can to bring back your Rainbow Festival." Twilight stated. "I won't fib to ya, it won't be easy. It's gotten so nopony even talks to each other anymore." Sunny grimaced. "Mmm, it might be tough, but we have a little experience bringing ponies together." Twilight said. We all nodded then Pinkie Pie came up to him. "Yay! This is exactly like planning a party! Only bigger, 'cause it's a festival! [giggles] Which means more cupcakes! Whoo-hoo! Ooh. Ah! I've got a date with the Bakery Booth! Ha-ha!" and she zipped over to the Bakery. Fluttershy and Jamie came up, "Umm, we better follow her." Fluttershy said. Jamie agreed and they both followed the bouncy Earth Pony. "Hmmm, an overall stylistic look to unify the sentiment of the celebration. That's what this festival needs." Rarity said. "Ya mean like a rainbow?" Sunny asked. "Yes, darling, yes, yes, but more complex, more thematic, something like—" she spotted some clothing in the distance. "Ooh! something like that! Formidable!." she walked over with Kaede following her, "Wait for me Rarity." she called. "The biggest challenge is getting your town interested in a Rainbow Festival when everything's so... gray. I think if we can bring the color back, it'll solve everything." Twilight said. ": Yah, I'm with ya there, but—" Sunny started but Twilight turned to Rainbow, "Rainbow Dash, I need your help." Twilight walked away with Jamie following her. Rainbow approached Mayor Skies, " Mr. Mayor, seriously, is there a fan club?" "Oh, you betcha! They're around... somewhere." Rainbow groaned and followed Twilight, "Hey wait for me, Skittles." Jack called as he followed the rainbow pegasus. Applejack then came up with the Mayor. "Any tools I can borrow, your Honor? I'm gonna spruce up that billboard to let everypony know this here Rainbow Festival's back in business!" "Oh, that's music to my ears! Torque Wrench, let's get our guest tooled up, whadaya say? She's gonna put our rainbow back up." Mayor Skies said to Torque. "Oh, yippee." Torque said sarcastically. "Nicole, Rantaro, what are you two going to do?" Mason asked. "Don't know, look around, see if there's anything I can use to make some money." Rantaro said. "And I'll just follow me." Nicole said. Mason sighed at those two. Either way, he went off with Applejack to fix the sign. Petunia came up to Sunny, "Heh-heh." Sunny jumped and stammered, "Oh! Uh, if ya don't mind, I, uh, I have a speech to work on. See ya 'round." and he quickly walked off. Applejack and Mason knew something was going on between Sunny and Petunia... but what was it? Jack's POV So was with Newbie, Skittles, the purple bookworm and the nerd outside of the city on a large cliffside. "So what's the plan?" Skittles asked Twilight. "If magic caused this, maybe magic can solve it." the purple bookworm lit her horn and cast a spell over the town.... but it didn't work and the town was still gray. The bookworm sighed, "Oh, I was afraid of that. I've never seen any magic like this before." "Me either." Jamie stated. Then Skittles stepped up, "Heh. Let me try. I mean, "Rainbow's part of my name, right?" Skittles flew high into the air and came down quick above the town and shot back up making a Sonic Rainboom that glowed across the town, but it did not return the color either. Skittles landed near us. "Ugh. Yeah, that's all I got." Twilight sighed, "Thanks for trying. I guess I need to do more research." We all heard wooshing and we saw the two foals from before flying. It was the two foals from before. " Look out!" the colt said. "No you look out." the filly said. They both then crashed into each other and they began to fall out of the sky. Twilight gasped and Newbie spread her wings and flew towards them. She caught the two and placed them on the ground. "Are you two okay?" she asked. "Yeah, we're okay." the colt said. The colt and filly then looked mad at each other. "Why did you zig in front of me like that?" the colt asked. "I didn't zig! You zigged! I zagged!" The filly replied. "That's no excuse for—!" Skittles got in between them, "Guys, guys, hold on! It was just an accident." The two foals looked ashamed, "An accident that happened in front of you." the colt added. "Ugh, I'm so embarrassed. All of our lives, we've been wanting to meet you, and—" the filly said. "Wait. So you're the fan club?" I asked. The two foals looked surprised, "You've heard of us?" the colt asked. "Barley's the president." the colt said. "Pickle's the assistant president." the filly added. "Well, what do you know? The mayor was telling the truth about something!" "Anyway, you're my brother's favorite Wonderbolt!" Pickle claimed "And my sister's favorite Princess, too!" Barrel claimed. Newbie blushed at that. "He knows all your best moves!" Pickle stated. "So does she!" Pickle added. "We practice all of 'em, every day!" Barrel said. Then she rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed, "But we really can't do them." "Go ahead. Ask them." Barrel said to Pickle. "Okay... um.. do you think maybe... you could give us a lesson? Just a tiny one? Show us some of your moves?" Pickle asked. "Of course." Newbie said with a smile. "Heh. Well, you promise to listen and work hard and practice?" Skittles asked them. "Yes." the twins stated. "Heh, tell you what. If I like what I see, the three of us will put on a show at the Rainbow Festival." Skittles added. The twins gasped. "There's still a Rainbow Festival?" Pickle asked. "And we're gonna perform in it?" Barrel added. "You bet." I said to them with a toothily grin. "I think the whole town should know there's a couple of future Wonderbolts living here. C'mon! We got work to do!" Rainbow stated then flew off. "Did you hear what she said?" Pickle asked Barrel. "She called us future Wonderbolts." Barrel said and then the twins flew off pass the windmill. "Woah... look!" the nerd said. We looked and saw that one of the fins was blue! "It turned blue? How? I thought all the color was drained from the Rainbow Generator." "Me too... we have to look more into this, Jamie." Twilight said. "Come on." Twilight and the nerd went back to town while I stayed with Skittles and newbie. I found them on another hill with the twins stretching. "All right, rookies. Show me what you got." Rainbow said. The twins flew into the sky and flew side by side. "Okay... Break!" The twins tried to do multiple flips together but they lost their balance in the air. "Whoa!" The twins managed to catch themselves before they hit the ground. "Fancy flying is something you have to work up to. Even I didn't become "Rainbow Dash" in one day." "Yeah and I didn't learn how to fly fast either, took me about three years." Sarah admitted. "Everypony's got to learn the basics before they can show off." Rainbow added. "And you know everything about showing off." I smirked. "Be quiet, fatty!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Make me, Skittles." I challenged. "Are you two like... dating? Cause you argue like couple." Barrel asked, making Skittles and I blush. "No, absolutely not!" she exclaimed. Newbie giggled at us, "Anyway...you'll get there. But first, let's start with a single flip." Newbie said and she took of again and the twins followed. "Woah..." I saw that the patch of grass the twins were on and turned green. A couple hours passed until we went back to the town and saw all the others. The twins flew over head and the ponies gasped in awe. "Hey, they're pretty good." Torque said. "They've been practicing their tails off for the big show." Newbie claimed. "What big show?" Torque asked. "The Rainbow Festival." Rainbow replied. The Fashion loon then appeared with a cart full of accessories. " You're all here! Wonderful! You can help us set up our cart. Kerfuffle's official Rainbow Festival accessories." By her side was a pony who had a prosthetic back right leg. I'm guessing that was Kerfuffle. The girl admired all the accessories. "These are amazing." Newbie said. "So beautiful." Fluttershy added. "Oh, but don't worry. I know where the colors are supposed to be. An orange scarf for Applejack, red leggings fer Fluttershy. The pink flower lei is for, well, you-know-who." Kerfuffle said handing out the clothing. "And look at my purple kerchief. Isn't it divine?" Rarity asked. "The blue goggles are fer Rainbow Dash. And somethin' very special for Princess Sarah. Wing bling! In every shade of the rainbow, don'tcha know?" Kerfuffle handed Newbie wing covers that were in fainted colors of the rainbow. "Kerfuffle, thank you. This is amazing." "Kerfuffle, this is amazing! Everypony, you've done great work." Twilight said and Jamie sighed, "I just wish I could've done my part. I hate to admit it, but we're stuck. We don't know how to make the town's color come back." "But it is coming back." Newbie said. "Right Jack?" "Yeah, the windmill fan and the grass got some colors back and everything else look." I said. The stand ad clothes regained some of their colors. "What's happening?" Fluttershy asked. "Something magical." Kaede said. "But how... it wasn't the generator. So something else must have drained the town's color. We have to figure this out." Twilight and Jamie rushed off to the library again. "Has anypony seen Nicole and Rantaro?" Pinkie suddenly asked. "Now that you mention it, I haven't." Rainbow said. "They're probably doing their own thing." I grumbled. "I'll go look for them. Don't want them to miss out on all the fun." Newbie spread her wings and flew off to find the broker and chick. POV Ends I flew over the town to see if I could spot Nicole and Rantaro which was pretty easy since they have a two headed dragon by their side. I found them near a lake. "Nicole, Rantaro." I called as I landed. "Oh hello." Nicole said. "What are you two doing out here?" I asked. "Nothing." Rantaro said. "Just found this." Rantaro unfolded his hand and revealed... one of my mother's rings. This one had a blue water drop crystal in the center. "Wh-Where did you find this?" "I think we came across the Water Unicorn while we were out here and he asked us to give it to you." Nicole stated. The ring magically floated onto my horn. Now I had three of my mother's rings. "Thanks. Now come, everything's almost ready for the festival." "No thank you. I don't so well with big crowds." Nicole said. "And that's gonna waste my time." Rantaro grumbled, but their dragons wouldn't hear it. It grabbed the two and carried them back. "Hey put us down!" Rantaro exclaimed. I laughed as the dragons carried it two reluctant owners back to the festival. When we went back to the festival, I saw ponies regaining their color. "Looks like the color is coming back." I said. I saw Twilight, Jamie, the Mayor and Petunia on the stand on the stairs. I approached the four of them "Hey Twilight, Hey Jamie, did you find out what caused the color to drain?" I asked. "Yes." Twiight showed the Mayor three pictures. "These photos from the library explain everything. Once I realized they were out of order, it proved that the town's colors got dim before you turned on the Generator." "Boy howdy, am I glad to hear that! But then, what did cause it?" Sunny asked. " It's called "Hopeless Magic". Everypony was already giving up each other, losing hope. Then, when the Generator blew up, it must have been the last straw. It took all the hope out of the town for good, along with the color. But now there's a different kind of magic. Of everypony coming together again. Just the way you wanted it, Mayor." " Whadaya know? There is still a Rainbow Festival." Torque said. "Hell yeah!" Jack exclaimed, rubbing his gut. "And we'd better get it started. This town's been waiting long enough." Twilight said. Torque presented everyone the repaired Rainbow Generator, "The Generator's workin' again, Mr. Mayor, just the way your grandpa built her." " Heh. I just hope my speech lives up to the occasion." Sunny said. I cleared my throat and announced, "Attention, please! Welcome to the brand new Hope Hollow Annual Rainbow Festival! And here's the pony who made it all possible – Mayor Sunny Skies!" Sunny stepped up to the podium and stated, " I am as proud as a two-tailed peacock to see you all here today to once again celebrate our little town at the end of the rainbow. And I can't give enough thanks to Rainbow Dash, Princess Sarah...Fluttershy... Pinkie... Rarity and everyone else...my grandpa started this festival to celebrate us, the ponies of Hope Hollow. It's you who brought friendship back to our town, and all the bright colors that come with it. We just have to always remember to reach a hoof out to our neighbors, to respect and listen and talk to each other. You never know what just sayin' "hello" to somepony can do. So, without further ado..." He turned on the generator and it made gorgeous colors in the sky. The crowd gasped happily. "Amazing." Kaede gasped. Petunia approached Sunny. "That was a beautiful speech, Sunny." "What? Oh, no, uh, that wasn't my speech." Sunny stated. "Uh, but, uh, then what have you been writin' all day?" Petunia asked. " Well, uh, another speech. I mean, it's for later, but... Oh, flapjacks. I guess now is as good a time as any." he sighed and got down on one knee.... wait... is he gonna..."Petunia, you've never given up on me or the town. You always had hope when we had none, and I can't imagine a day without you. You're the pony who brings color into my life. Petunia Petals, will you marry me?" "Of course, ya silly goose!" Petunia replied. The girls all cheered happily for the new couple. Snowflake, Moonshine, Rainbow, the twins and I performed in the skies and me and Rainbow did a double Sonic Rainboom in the sky, the crowd went wild and the dragons roared in joy. "Heh. Now this is something I'm proud to be a guest of honor for!" Rainbow said. Then many roars were heard and we saw multiple dragons coming towards the town. "Hey the dragons are returning." I said. Fluttershy spotted some butterflies too. " And it looks like there's a butterfly garden after all." Pinkie laughed, "Now that's a party!" and what could make it better... breaking into a song. (All) We're living in color/with dragons (Twilight) Step out of the shadows and into the light Where it's bright and you might see all the colors you are (Rainbow) Or any dragon you wanna have A color to be And wear them bright like a shining star (Rarity and Kaede) Why just be black and white? No need to hide all those colors inside (Fluttershy and Jamie) 'Cause when they shine up bright It just feels right (All) To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons (Applejack and Mason) Make up any colors that you can devise Mix 'em up, watch the joy as it multiplies (Kerfuffle) Make a rainbow and you will see How together we are like (All) One when we harmonize (Rarity and Kaede) Why just be black and white? No need to hide all those colors or dragons (Fluttershy and Ren) 'Cause when they shine so bright It just feels right (All) To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons (Fluttershy) Hello, my friend is a yellow Tracker (Me) Tidal's what you get when you're feeling violet (Moody Root) Red is the part where your heart starts to glow (Kerfuffle) In the mood, indigo, Boulder Class (Rainbow and Jack) Blue is the sky spinnin' high as Sharp Class (Applejack and Mason) Orange can amaze, bringin' days Stoker sunny (Mrs. Hoofington) Green is serene, do not Fear, feel new (Pinkie and Carrie) Feel all the living colors (All) There's a rainbow in you Now we're living in color/with dragons Yeah, we're living in color/with dragons Now we're living in color/with dragons Yeah, we're living in color/with dragons We all gathered in the car and I started the engine and I put the car in drive. Before we left I gave Sunny and Petunia a hug before I got back into the driver's seat. Our dragons flew beside us and the car began to hover and flew off back to Ponyville. We're all living in color/with dragons (living in color/with dragons) We're all living in color/with dragons We're all living in color/with dragons (living in color/with dragons) We're all living in color/with dragons We're all living in... color/with dragons! Chapter 14: Halloween SpecialRen's POV Tonight was Nightmare Night, the night where youth run around Ponyville asking for treats. But tonight would be different because.. "You're not going!" I exclaimed to Sarah. We were all at her castle in our costumes. Twilight was dressed as a Knight, Fluttershy was a batpony, Applejack was a lion, Rainbow was an astronaut, Rarity was a mermaid and Pinkie was disco roller skater. I was dressed like a vampire, Kaede was a cat, Carrie and Mason were dogs, Jamie was dressed like a scientist and Nicole, Rantaro and Jack.... um... they didn't dress up as anything. We were at Twilight's castle now and we were trying to convince her to go trick or treating with us. "Please come with us, Sarah." Carrie said. Sarah sighed, "Sorry guys, but Shimmer's sick so I have to stay with her. She can't go out for Nightmare Night as she's really sad about it." "A-choo!" a tiny sneeze was heard. "Can we go see her?" Twilight asked. Sarah nodded and she lead us to Shimmer's room where we found her in her bed which was littered with tissues and there was a bucket near the side of her bed. Shimmer herself was a bit red in the face, she had bags under her eyes and she was awfully sweaty (probably a fever). "Mommy?" she groaned. Sarah went over to Shimmer and came to her bedside, "Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" "Awful and icky." Shimmer groaned. "And sad cause I can't -cough, cough- go out." Sarah cooed and placed a cool washcloth on her head. "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie." Sarah said. "But you have to stay in bed to get better, okay?" "Y-Yes Mommy." Shimmer said and she then fell asleep. "I'll take care of Shimmer while you guys enjoy the night, I'll be fine." Sarah said to us. We nodded reluctantly and left Sarah's Castle. "Poor Shimmer." Rainbow said. "To be tonight of all nights." "Yeah, poor sugarcube will miss out on all the fun." Applejack added. "Wish there was something we could do to help." I said. "Perhaps there is a way For the young filly to enjoy this night from day." I know that rhyming voice anywhere. We all turned and saw Zecora coming towards us. "I couldn't help but over hear About the young filly that had fallen ill There is a cure that is quite near And make the filly better at will." "Zecora that's fantastic!" Rarity exclaimed. "So where is it?" Zecora pointed to the Everfree Forest which looked scarier because it was nighttime. "Oh great." Rainbow gruffed. "Pfft.. we can handle that. So what's the cure, zebra?" Jack asked. "To make the cure You need two ingredients that is for sure The plant that is much like poison oak But it's results are like a joke And a drop of magic from the loved one Shall cure the filly, this is no pun." "Poison Joke, Uggghh!" I groaned. "What's wrong with that?" Rantaro asked bluntly. "The last time, Ren had an encounter with Poison Joke, it turned him feminine." Pinkie said. "AAAAHHH!" I screamed in complete embarrassment. I wanted to keep that secret for as long as possible, but Pinkie blew it. Jack burst out laughing, "You got... turned into a girl! What a whimp. Hahahaha!" I growled in embarrassment, "Let's go already." We all walked through the Everfree Forest and came across and large patch of Poison Joke plants. "Yeah, we found the plants." Carrie said. She went to pick one when I blocked her way, "Carrie, don't. If you touch them, they'll play a joke on you." I said. "So how the hell are we suppose to pick them?" Jack asked. Twilight lit her horn and she picked on of the Poison Joke flowers. "There we go." she said. "Now we need a drop of Sarah's Magic." Suddenly... "AAAHHHHH!" "What was that?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "That was Sarah's scream!" Applejack added. Oh man, what happened now? We all rushed out of the forest and into Ponyville where we saw ponies running away from something and soon we saw it. The dinosaur was a hadrosaur like Blossom, but lacked the large crest on its head. It was pink on its legs and the top of its body, while the rest of its body was tan. It's bill was a blackish color that looked like it was burnt. It also had a small spine on its back that had tan and pink stripes running down it. "Woah.. A Maiasaura!" Jamie identified. "Hey look what it's got on it's back!" Rainbow called. We all looked at the dinosaurs' spine and saw. "Shimmer!" I cried. "Maiasaura, give me back my daughter!" We heard and saw Sarah flying over to us, but the Maiasaura roared and smacked Sarah with her tail, sending her crashing into a house. "Sarah!" We all rushed over and helped Sarah to her feet. "Where did this thing come from?" Applejack asked. "It's card must have been activated by the grass around here." Sarah replied. "But how did it get the kid?" Rantaro asked. "It snuck in while I was away from the castle and took Shimmer while she was sleeping." Sarah explained. Jack cracked his knuckles, "Well let's get the kid back then." "Jack, wait, the Maiasaura will not give up Shimmer easily. It's name means Good Mother for a reason." Jamie informed. "Then we'll have to force her to give the kid up then." Rantaro said. Maiasaura roared and started walking on all fours through Ponyville. The ponies all ran and screamed in fear as the giant hadrosaur walked through town. "Come on, let's take care of this thing already." Jack growled irritably. "Wait boys... listen..." Sarah said. "Listen?" I asked. Sarah nodded and we all listen closely and heard a tiny roar nearby. "What's that?" Fluttershy asked. The Maiasaura went behind Town Hall and we followed. There we saw a little baby Maiasaura and the Maiasaura placing Shimmer next to it. The baby cuddled up against Shimmer. "Awww..." the girls cooed. "Well what do ya know, it want to care for her too." Applejack said. Then the Maiasaura got up and reared up with leaves swirling around it and it launched them at Shimmer and made her glow green. Shimmer's eyes opened and she stood up. "Mommy?" Sarah's eyes lit up with joy. "Shimmer." Shimmer giggled and leaped into Shimmer's arms. "How are you feeling?" "Better mommy." Shimmer said. "Can go trick or treating with everyone now?" Sarah giggled at her small grin, "Alright, we can all go." "Yeah!" Shimmer hugged my neck and Sarah giggled. "But Sarah, you and Shimmer don't have costumes." Rainbow reminded. "Don't worry darling, I've got hat covered." Rarity levitated and placed two costumes on Sarah and Shimmer. Sarah looked like Princesses Celestia and Shimmer looked like Princess Luna completed with their necklaces and their shoes as well. "Aww... that's adorable." Twilight cooed. Shimmer was bouncing up and down with excitement. Suddenly, Sarah's Element started glowing green. "Please... send us back. Back to where we came from." a voice said. We all looked at Maiasaura and her baby. "We want to go back home please?" I smiled at them, "We can do that. Send them back into the card, Sarah." Sarah smiled. "Alright then they'll be together forever." Sarah pressed the her Element and the pair was turned back into their card. We all smiled at the card, knowing that the two would be together forever. "Now let's go trick or treating!" Pinkie squealed. "Yeah." Shimmer cheered as well. Halloween like music started playing. "Another song?" Mason sighed. "Yeah, singing!" Pinkie cheered. "Looks like we have no choice." I sighed with a smile. (Sarah) Once a year comes fall there's a party on my block Everybody wears a costume and we totally rock (We totally rock!) Astronaut, cowboy, ballerina, or bee Caveman or gorilla or somebody from TV So come on everybody throw those costumes on Grab your bag and head on out before the candies all gone (Doorbell rings) (All) Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Give me something sweet to eat Everybody's out and I'm so excited Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Ghosts and goblins in the street Halloween is here and your all invited Trick or treat! (Sarah) We might try to scare folks and they just might scare us too The ghosts will all scream (Gil Boo!) And as we walk up the steps where the jack-o-lantern glows Just before I knock on the door (Fluttershy: I feel nervous) (Jamie: Man, I don't know) It's true things might get spooky when the door swings open wide But it's all good fun No need to run Sit back and enjoy the ride (All) Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Give me something sweet to eat Everybody's out and I'm so excited Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Ghosts and goblins in the street Halloween is here and your all invited Trick or Treat! We all laughed together after the song ended. "Now that's a Halloween song!" I exclaimed with joy. "Hehe. Best Halloween ever!" Shimmer exclaimed. We all chuckled together at the bright little filly. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? Third Person POV Twilight, the Mane 6, Ren and the other humans were racing through a hall way in the Castle of the Two Sisters to the throne room. Princess Luna was there and there was a big hole in the wall behind her showing the sun. A smoky, black creature appeared. “Greetings Tantabus, I am ready, do your worst.” The Tantabus used it power and Luna grunted in pain. Sarah and the others burst into the throne room. “Luna’s turning into Nightmare Moon, again!” Twilight cried. Luna was consumed by dark energy and she changed into her alter ego: Nightmare Moon. Carrie whimpered at the sight of her while Mason growled. “Holy!” Jack exclaimed. Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Kaede, Mason and Carrie have never actually seen Nightmare Moon before and now they have. “Well we have the cure for that!” Rainbow said. “Sarah!” Sarah nodded and her Element shimmered and glowed brightly. Nightmare Moon growled and turned to see the Tantabus doing something. The smoke creature opened a window and escaped into the Dreamscape. “No, it’s gone!” Sarah then blasted Nightmare Moon with the power of her Element and she was changed back into Princess Luna. Everyone cheered happily now that they had their Princess back… Luna gasped as she woke up. “My dream ended happily? … That cannot happen!” she cried. POV Ends One day I was walking to Rarity’s boutique with Snowflake. Today, my and I decided to clean all of ours pets at Rarity’s. I had a brush for Snowflake. We entered the room, “Good Morn-AH! Zombie!” Everyone looked a mess! They all had bags underneath their eyes, their hair and manes were messy and they looked wiped. “Thanks for the compliment.” Ren grumbled and let out a large yawn. “What happened to you all? You look horrible.” Snowflake stated. “We didn’t sleep well last night.” Jamie groaned. “Why not?” I asked. “We all nightmares.” Kaede stated. “They all had a blue smoke monster in it.” “A blue smoke monster?” I repeated. “Yeah, it came into all of our dreams and turned them into nightmares.” Fluttershy said with a shiver. “Odd… I saw that thing too but it didn’t turn my dream into a nightmare.” I stated. Everyone gawked at me. “What?” “That blue smoke hand thingy was in your dream too?! And it didn’t turn it into a nightmare? What is going on?” Ren asked. “I don’t know but I do know who will. Princess Luna.” I smirked. “Spike?” “Yes ma’am.” Spike said and he whipped out a scroll and quill. “Dear Princess Luna, last night my friend and I encounter and dark blue smokey monster in our dreams. We’re hoping you may know something about this and can help us. Please respond to this, Sincerely, Queen Sarah Gem” “Got it!” Spike rolled up the scroll and sent it. One second later Luna burst in, “Which of you saw the creature of blue smoke in your nightmare?” She asked. “Damn that was fast.” Jack stated, shocked. “We all did.” Ren answered. “So you’ve encounter the smoke monster too?” Twilight asked. “The Tantabus is a creature of my nightmares. It escaped from my slumbers yesterday.” Luna started. “But how did it get into ours?” Fluttershy asked. “The Tantabus is like a parasite. My dreams must no longer be enough for it. Now it seeks others to infect and corrupt. It must have learned of you all from seeing you in my dream.” “Wait, Wait, Wait, so what your saying is you dreamt about all of them and not me?” Spike said and whimpered like a puppy. “Eh, so smokey gave us bad dreams. No buggy.” Rainbow said nonchalantly. "Yeah, what's the worse that smoky thing can do?" Jack added. Luna shook her head. “I knew the Tantabus was growing stronger but I didn’t realize that power would be enough to enable it to escape my dream. If it’s power grows, it could very well find a way into the real world. It could turn all of Equestria into a living nightmare.” Luna explained. Oh… my… god. Turn Equestria into a nightmare! That can’t be good at all. “Okay okay I take it back that does sound bad. Really bad.” Rainbow said. “Ain’t that the truth.” Jack added. “But wait, the Tantabus got into Sarah’s dream too, so how come it didn’t turn her dream into a nightmare?” Ren asked. Luna looked shocked and turned to me. “The Tantabus didn’t turn your dream into a nightmare?” “It did try but I don’t think it worked for some reason.” I claimed. "Sounds like something prevented the Tantabus' dark powers." Kaede said. “But what could have prevented its powers from working?” Luna questioned. My element glowed faintly and Twilight realized, “It was her Element of Faith!” “Her Element? How?” Rantaro asked. “Yes, we all know that the Element protects Sarah from dark magic and power. Those powers must still work even when Sarah's asleep so when the Tantabus entered her dream, her Element prevented it from using it's dark magic and from corrupting her dream.” Twilight explained. “My Elements protects me in my sleep?!” I exclaimed. "Cool." “Lucky.” Mason grumbled. “If this is true then I will need your assistance Sarah to help me track the Tantabus.” Luna stated to me. I nodded at her. “Right.” That Night “I prepared everything perfectly.” I said to Luna. We entered my bedroom which had many extra beds for my friends. Pinkie hopped onto one of the beds. “Oooh, it’ll be like a Princess sleepover.” she said. “Speaking of Princess, shouldn’t Princess Celestia help you Luna?” Ren asked. “There is nothing my sister can do. She has no power in the realm of sleep.” Luna replied. “Only I can moved from dream to dream. I’m afraid nopony can help me tonight, except for Sarah.” “Even us?” Mason asked. “Especially you.” Luna added. “You have all suffered so much because of me. You all may only slumber while Sarah and I hunt for the Tantabus, if I am right, Sarah’s Element shall have a powerful effect on the Tantabus, making it weaker that way I can confined it once more.” Then Luna felt something pulling her mane and she saw that it was Spike, “I know you said that nopony can help you tonight, but I’m no pony.” He went over to one of the beds. “I’m gonna stay up and keep an eye on you guys.” “Aww, thanks Spike.” Twilight said. All my friends then fell asleep. Luna took my hand in her hoof and we both hovered in the air and Luna’s horn gained white lines and those white lines attached themselves to each of my friends heads. Luna detected the Tantabus in Rarity and Kaede’s dream first. Luna and I entered to find that the Tantabus had make pretty dresses into monsters. I wield my magic and turned them all back into normal dresses. “Where’d it go?!” I exclaimed. “It has leaped into another dream.” Luna said. “We must follow it.” “Right.” I said. Me and Luna left Rarity’s dream and entered Fluttershy and Ren’s dream and found them to be attacking my and monster bunny rabbit…. Really? Anyway, Luna swooped in and grabbed them and placed them on top of a tree. “Oh thanks for the save, Luna.” Ren said. My Element glowed and it blasted the monster changing it back into Angel bunny. “Angel.” Fluttershy squealed. We spotted the Tantabus entering Rainbow and Jack’s dream and followed it. The Tantabus changed their dream into a area with flowers singing and playing flutes…. How is this a nightmare? Rainbow and Jack screamed. “Oh stop screaming.” I rolled my eyes and I blasted the whole area turning it back into a battlefield. Jack and Rainbow sighed, “Thanks newbie.” Jack said. Sarah nodded. The Tantabus entered Pinkie’s and Carrie’s dream next and it turned cakes into monsters. “Ewww.” Pinkie said. Luna and I blasted the cakes, dissolving them and saw the Tantabus leaving this dream. Finally, the Tantabus entered Twilight and Jamie’s dream. They were both reading library books together when the Tantabus entered and turned the books into monsters. They flew towards them and pestered them like flies. “No, Ahhh!” Jamie cried. Luna and I landed and I growled at the Tantabus and the Tantabus headed right for me. I charged the Tantabus and the Tantabus ... Entered my Element of Harmony. I felt my heart hurting really bad and I fell to the ground, grunting. “Sarah!” Luna cried. I grunted as my Element sparked and detached itself from my head along with my other items in my possession. I cried aloud as the Tantabus’s dark magic infected me and everything went black…. Jamie’s POV This is bad. The Tantabus has infected Sarah and now she was consumed by its dark magic. Now she was changed into a version of Nightmare Moon! “Oh no!” Twilight cried. Nightmare Sarah laughed as it escaped from this dream and vanished. “NO!” Luna cried. I woke up in a shock as well as the others. “What happened? Are you guys okay?” Spike asked us. Fluttershy shuddered, “That was awful. I never want to have that nightmare again!” “Same here.” Jack said with shiver. “But Luna and Sarah caught it, right?” Applejack asked. “No… something worse happened..” I gasped. “What happened?” Pinkie asked. “The Tantabus infected Sarah and changed her into Nightmare Moon.” Twilight said sadly. “WHAT?!” Everyone exclaimed. Luna descended down. “I’m afraid this is true my friends.” “No…” Kaede gasped. “How could that thing get Sarah?” Jack asked. “It infected her Element of Faith forcing it to come off of her head and without it’s magical protection, it took control of her.” Luna explained. “Oh no!” Fluttershy said. “What happens now.” “The Tantabus must be draining Sarah’s magic. If it completely drains her, it will enter the waking world.” Luna answered. “Umm… kinda like that?” Ren whimpered pointing outside. We all looked outside and saw Nightmare Sarah in the sky. “The Night shall last forever, hahahaha!” she laughed. “Oh man, how are we gonna save her?” Spike asked. “We have to remove the Tantabus from Sarah. That way it will lose it’s power.” Twilight said. “But how are we even going to get close to that thing?” Ren asked. Sarah’s Element and Scepter of Harmony glowed brightly and they floated over Nightmare Sarah in the sky. "What the hell are they doing?" Jack asked. Nightmare Sarah saw the two artifacts near her. "What is this?" The two artifacts blasted Nightmare Sarah and she screamed in pain. The Tantabus flew out of Sarah's body and while the Element continued to purify Sarah, the scepter casted a spell that trapped the Tantabus in a magic proof box. Finally, Sarah was fully purified and she floated down to the ground where we approached her. "Sarah? Wake up." Ren said. "Come on newbie, wake up." Jack added. Sarah groaned and she opened her eyes, "Ugh... wh-what happened?" "The Tantabus infected you in Twilight and Jamie's dream, gaining enough power to come into this world and it changed you into a version of Nightmare Moon." Ren explained. Sarah widened her eyes in shock. "But don't worry, your scepter and Element captured the Tantabus so it can not use it's dark powers." "i'm sorry for making you suffer because of me, Sarah." Luna said, shedding some tears. The Tantabus suddenly grew bigger inside the cage. "Guys, that Tantabus is getting bigger!" Spike cried. "It's feeding off her guilt." Ren stated. "But why would it be doing that?" Rantaro asked. "Because... because..." "You created the Tanabus to give yourself the same nightmare every night to punished yourselves for what you did as Nightmare Moon so you would never forgive yourself for how much Equestria suffered because of you." Nicole guessed and Luna reluctantly nodded. We were all shocked and horrified. "Luna, why can't you forgive yourself?" Ren asked. "Because I'm still the same pony I was before!" Luna exclaimed. "No you're not." Twilight said. "Yeah, you fought Chrysalis when she hurt your sister." Mason stated. "And Nightmare Moon would have want the Tantabus to turn Equestria into a nightmare, you're doing everything you can to stop it. Don't you see, that proves you're not the same pony you were then. We all trust you Luna. Do you trust us enough to believe we're right?" Twilight stated. Luna shed a tear and smiled. "... I do." The Tantabus suddenly shrank down to a small size and entered Luna's necklace, making it no more. "Thank you... thank you all." Luna said. We all smiled at her and gave her one big hug. Luna spread her wings. "Thank you everyone, now I must return to Canterlot to look after everypony's dreams. I wish you all a goodnight and sweet dreams." We all waved goodbye as Luna flew back to Canterlot in the beauty of the night. Chapter 15: Shimmer's First Day at SchoolThe beautiful sun of Princess Celestia had began to rise over the horizon. The sun's warm light shined through the windows of my castle. It's been three months since I had adopted Shimmer, and today was going to be her first day of school. I entered the room and went over to Shimmer Glow. "Shimmer, It's time to wake up sweetheart." I said sweetly She stirred in the bed for a minute and opened her eyes. She let out a soft yawn and used her little hooves to rub her eyes. Then, she looked at me, "Good Morning Momma." "Good morning sweetheart, are you ready for your first day of school?" "I-I don't know Momma." Shimmer replied nervously. "What if the other foals are mean to me?' I gently stroked her mane to calm her trembling. "Don't worry sweetie." Fluttershy said gently "I promise the other kids won't be mean. Besides Auntie Carrie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo will be there with you." She gave me a little smile. She was happy to hear that her friends and Auntie Carrie would be there, "Okay Momma." Shimmer said softly "Now let's go have some breakfast before you go to school." I said happily We went downstairs to have some breakfast. I made Shimmer some delicious oatmeal and made myself some toast. When they finished, I made Shimmer a daisy sandwich and some fresh apple juice for lunch and put them in a small bag. Before I could do anything else, a knock on the front door was heard. Me and Shimmer went over to see who was at the door. When they opened it, We were greeted with the smiles of Carrie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. "Good morning Sarah, good morning Shimmer" Applebloom said happily Shimmer and I smiled at the three fillies and little girl. "Good Morning girls, how are you?" I asked them softly "We're great Sarah!" Scootaloo said cheerfully. "We were just wondering if we could take Shimmer with us to school with us." Sweetie belle said innocently while pointing at a wagon that was attached to a scooter. I looked at the three fillies and then at Shimmer. "Shimmer, would you like the girls to take you to school with them?" I asked her. Shimmer simply nodded her head. I quickly went into the kitchen to grab Shimmer's lunch. When I came back, I gave Shimmer her lunch. She put her lunch on the ground and she fluttered up to me and wrapped her little forelegs around my neck. I hugged her back. "You just listen to your teacher and be careful okay?" I said to Shimmer sweetly. "I will Momma, I love you." Shimmer said as she kissed my cheek. I gave her a loving smile and kissed her on the forehead. "Girls, can I talk to you for a moment." The CMC's and Carrie came over to me. "What is it, Sarah?" Carrie asked me. "I've been helping Shimmer with her magic, but she still has little magic surges once in a while." I started. "Just keep an eye on her and her magic for me, please." "No problem, Sarah." Scootaloo replied. "Yeah, we'll keep an eye on the little one." Applebloom added. I smiled at the four of them. "Thanks girls. Now hurry along or you'll be late." The girls nodded and Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Shimmer climbed into the wagon. Scootaloo got onto her scooter and buzzed her little wings. The scooter then took off towards Ponyville as I watched it disappear. Carrie's POV I was running after the scooter thought Ponyville. As Shimmer and the CMC flew through the streets of Ponyville, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at Shimmer and could see a worried expression on her face. "What's the matter Shimmer? Are you nervous about your first day?" Sweetie Belle asked her friend curiously Shimmer nodded his head and Applebloom put her hoof on her shoulder "Don't worry Shimmer, you'll love it at our school, and you'll love our teacher!" Applebloom said happily "Yeah, Miss Cheerilee's Awesome!" Scootaloo said as she kept her eyes on the road in front of her. "Yeah, she's really sweet, just like your mom." I added. Shimmer smiled at the three fillies and nodded his head. When they arrived at the school, We saw all of the other colts and fillies going inside and he saw a mulberry earth pony mare greeting the children. Shimmer got out of the wagon along with the rest of us and went up to the pony by the door. "Good Morning girls, who's this young filly ?" The mare asked the three fillies. Scootaloo stepped and put a foreleg around Shimmer. "This is our friend, Shimmer Glow, she's a new student here." Scootaloo said while smiling at her teacher. The mare looked at the young filly and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Shimmer Glow, I'm your teacher Miss Cheerilee." Shimmer gave the teacher a shy smile and said, "It's nice to meet you Miss Cheerilee." "Alright kids let's go inside." Cheerilee said to happily. Cheerilee walked inside and the four friends followed her. When they were inside, Me, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle went to their seats while Cheerilee placed a hoof on Shimmer's shoulder. When everyone was seated, Cheerilee approached the class and made a motion to Shimmer Glow telling him to follow her. "Alright my little ponies let's settle down." Cheerilee said to the students. The students went silent and looked at their teacher who placed her hoof on Shimmer's shoulder. "Everyone we have a new student joining us today. This is Shimmer Glow." Cheerilee said before looking at Shimmer. "Shimmer, would you like to say something to the rest of the class?" Shimmer looked around and saw smiles on almost every colt and filly in the classroom. Cheerilee smiled at Shimmer and said, "Come on Shimmer you can do it." Letting out a deep sigh, Shimmer opened her mouth and said nervously, "H-Hi everypony, i-it's nice to m-meet you all." The class smiled at the young filly. Some of them waved at him and Diamond Tiara shook her head in anger. Cheerilee placed a gentle hoof on Shimmer's shoulder and said, "Thank you Shimmer, now go find your seat. You can sit anywhere you like. Shimmer looked around and saw an empty seat next to me. Shimmer went over to the seat and sat down. With all of her student's situated Cheerilee began her lesson. After a few hours it was time for lunch and recess. We all ate lunch happily. when they finished Scootaloo trotted up to him. "Hey Shimmer, do you want to practice flying a bit?" Scootaloo asked him with a smile on her face. "O-Okay." Shimmer said. Shimmer prepared her wings. Scootaloo hopped into the air and hovered for about a minute before coming back down. Shimmer flapped her little wings and actually hovered in the air like a normal pegasus. I clapped for her. "Good Shimmer." Shimmer blushed, "Mommy has been teaching me." Shimmer pulled out a book with a magic symbol on it. "And she's been teaching me some basic spells too, since I'm still young." "Like what?" Sweetie Belle said. "Yeah, show us." I encouraged. "Okay." Shimmer lit her horn and blasted a small rubbed ball turning it into a kitten and then back. "Woah." We gasped. Shimmer then lifted the ball in her magic and brought it over to us. "Woah... even I'm still having trouble with levitation." Sweetie said. "And Mommy taught me this." Shimmer's horn glowed brightly and she teleported around the school yard several times then back in front of us. "Awesome!" I said. "You're a natural just like your Mother." Shimmer blushed, "Hehehe, thank you." Me and the girls smiled at her when.... "Well, Well, Well, looks like we have another blank flank loser in the school." Diamond Tiara said rudely. Oh great what does she want? She is not ruining Shimmer's first day. Scootaloo's glare did not leave her face as she said to the tiara wearing filly, "What do you want Diamond Tiara, can't you go annoy somepony else." Diamond Tiara just laughed at Scootaloo. Diamond Tiara has always been cruel to the Cutie Mark Crusaders because they were not as rich as her, and also because they didn't have their cutie marks. Even when she wasn't picking on them she was snobby and rude towards everypony else. She was also spoiled and could get away with anything because of her father was one of the richest ponies in Ponyville. "I just wanted to talk to the new runt." Diamond said cruelly. She looked at Shimmer and was shocked to see her wings and her horn. "An alicorn, now that's a first." she scoffed. "Whose your mother? Or do you even have one to call your own?" she laughed. Shimmer just blinked, "My Mommy is Sarah." Diamond Tiara stopped laughing at stared at Shimmer in shock, "You mean...... Princess Sarah Gem?!" Shimmer nodded. "Yes." "Sarah's been helping Shimmer with her flight and magic so don't make her upset or else." I stated. "Or else what?" Diamond challenged. "Or else you'll have a magic surge on your hooves." Sweetie Belle stated. "Um.... c-can you please leave my friends alone, please?" Shimmer said nicely. "Be quiet you little runt!" Diamond snapped, scaring Shimmer and Shimmer's horn lit up and she sent a small beam of magic to the ground, just missing Diamond Tiara. "Oops." Shimmer said. "What did you do?!" Diamond exclaimed dramatically. "Sorry?" Shimmer said with a head tilt. "I'm telling Ms. Cheerliee." Diamond said and she ran back to the school. Oh no, this can't be good. But Shimmer didn't seem scared at all. She just shrugged and went back to her lunch. "Shimmer, are you okay?" I asked her. "Yes, I'm okay." Shimmer said. "How come you don't look scared or sad?" Applebloom asked. "Mommy said just ignore foals like her. If they mess with you, then they are just jealous." Shimmer shrugged. Me and the CMC's looked at each other for a moment when... "Shimmer Glow?" Huh? We turned and saw Ms Cheerliee coming towards us. "Yes Ms. Cheerliee?" Shimmer asked. "Diamond Tiara says you struck her with your magic, is this true?" Cheerliee asked. Shimmer shook her head, "No. She just scared me and my magic activated. Mommy says that happens cause I'm still young." Cheerliee nodded. "Okay Shimmer, just be careful with it alright?" "Yes Ms. Cheerliee." Shimmer said sweetly. Cheerliee smiled at her. "Now come on, back to class everypony." With that, we all went back to school. POV Ends I was busy cleaning in the kitchen when I heard the door open, "Mommy? Mommy." I came out to see Shimmer Glow, "Hey sweetie, how was your first day?" Shimmer giggled, "It was great Mommy. Ms. Cheerliee is nice like you, Mommy." I smiled at the little filly and rubbed her head, "I'm glad you had a good first day. Now you can make some new friends too." "Yeah." Shimmer cheered and she hugged my neck again. "I love you Mommy." "I love you too, Shimmer." I said back with a big smile on my face. Chapter 16: The Good, the Bad, the Ponies and HumansOne day we were all on a train heading to the Canter Creek. “A trip to the untamed West, I can’t believe we’re all going. This will be a great entry in my journal about our travels through Equestria.” Twilight said. “I hope it’s rustic charming, like my book! Though the town in the book is rather primitive, we should stop at a larger town for some accouterments.” Rarity said. “Accountre-what?” Pinkie asked. “This ain’t no joy ride y'all. We’re heading out there because my Grand uncle, Chili Pepper has up and disappeared. The townsfolk have asked my family to come and help them out while he’s gone. They mention some kind of trouble. Probably a drought. Who has a farm in the desert. Sheesh.” Applejack said. “What the name of the farm?” I asked. “Rancho Bronco, Sounds more like a two bit operation. O’ Chili Pepper never really did have any sense Granny Smith called him ‘Two turns short of a pepper mill’.” “It must be important if the name of the town is on a sign.” Kaede said. “Mentions what? The sand? What can they possibly grow there?” Mason asked. “Not apples. That’s for sure. Give me topsoil and a day.” Applejack added. Applejack pulled her hat off of Rainbow Dash, “I don’t wanna go to school today.” she said groggily. Then the conductor called, “Last stop! Welcome to Canter Creek everypony.” We were all excited and saw a brown earth pony with a tanish mane and tail. He was wearing a yellow vest with a yellow star pin on it. “You must be Sheriff Tumbleweed.” Applejack said. “And you must be Applejack, We’ve been expecting you nice to make your acquaintance.” Tumbleweed greeted. Rainbow and Twilight were busy taking Rarity’s bags out of the train. “Isn’t this supposed to be Spikes’ job?” Rainbow asked. “He’s at the Pony Trek Convention in Las Pegasus this week.” Twilight stated. “Come on, I can take you to the ranch, Applejack and you can introduce me to your friends on the way.” Tumbleweed said. We all followed Tumbleweed and Applejack through the desert to the ranch. The ranch was huge. “What in Equestria was Chili Pepper thinkin’!” Applejack exclaimed, looking at the side of the ranch. “You Grand Chili Pepper started this place from the ground up now it's the central hub for trade these days. The whole town is built out of what ponies do here…. There’s a natural spring over near the main house ...the ranch grows, hay, cotton, potatoes and all kinds of peppers. That pony sure does love his namesake.” Tumbleweed stated. “Woah…” I gasped. Sarah and Snowflake looked around the ranch as well Tumbleweed gave Pinkie, “A Wendigo Ghost Pepper, the hottest peppers in Equestria.” and her face blew up with fire and we all winced at her pain. “Delicious can I have another one?” she asked. “Woah.. she’s tough.” Tumbleweed said. We all nodded. Tumbleweed showed us the town and we entered an empty bar. “So without Grande Chili Pepper there’s nopony to run the town? How come nopony has stepped up?” Twilight asked. Tumbleweed sighed, “There’s the kicker. I’m sure you have noticed all the Wanted posters?” “I was wondering about them.” Sarah spoke up. “I knew they were important.” Pinkie exclaimed. Then Tumbleweed showed us a wanted poster with a large bull on it. “These are the Cattle Rustlers. They’re a gang of outlaws that are terrorizing this town. Every week they come into town, demanding supplies, and food… then they disappear into the mountains.” Tumbleweed said. “That’s bullying!” Kaede said. “Yeah, those maggots!” Skye added. “The whole place is in a mess without a leader. No pony wants to take over the ranch because most ponies are convinced that Longhorn, the leader of the bunch, has run Chili Pepper out of town and the same could be done to them.” “Nopony in my family would give in to a bunch of hollow horned bandits!” Applejack exclaimed. “Every pony in this town is afraid of a cow?” Jack asked then laughed, “What wimps.” “Jack, be nice.” Kaede scolded. “Shaddup.” Jack said. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble, “What is that?” Kaede asked. “Oh no.. not now.” Tumbleweed said. We all came out of the empty bar and saw a gang of bulls… riding goats? “It’s the Cattle Rustlers. They’re back everypony. Get down and Hide!” Tumbleweed cried. “Longhorn, I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you back in my town again.” Tumbleweed growled, looking at the leader. “You did say that, didn’t you?” Longhorn asked. Then he flicked him hard into a wooden pole saying, “I didn’t listen.” “You little ponies all know the drill, fill the saddlebags with all the food, water and whatever else that’ll fit in them. Hurry it up and nopony gets hurts.” Longhorn said, as the ponies filled the saddlebags. “Why I oughta.” Applejack growled “Hey, you bunch of yellow-bellied, brisket cowards!” “What did you call me pony?” Longhorn growled. “Ya heard me!” Applejack yelled. “Scaring folks and robbing them blind. How dare you!” “You don’t scare me. I have a fancy magical unicorn on my side. Sarah! Do your magic thing all over these poor saps.” Then Longhorn pushed her and she went flying hard into a shed. “Applejack!” Mason cried. He and Twilight ran over and saw the dazed Earth Pony. “Hey! Pink on someone your own size!” Jack growled, cracking his knuckles. “And what can you do to me, whimp?” Longhorn challenged. Jack’s face turned red with anger but then Sarah stepped up to Longhorn. “What do you want little pony? Have anything for me?” Longhorn smirked. “No, but I will say. Return the ponies products.” Sarah said bravely. “And what if I don’t? What are you gonna do about it?” Longhorn smirked at Sarah. Snowflake zipped in and grabbed the bag.”HEY!” Longhorn growled. Sarah then grabbed him by the arm and swung him far out of town. The other cattle rustlers were shocked and followed their leader. Jack laughed, "Look at 'em go!" "Woah... you threw him like it was nothing." I said to Sarah in awe. "No big deal." Sarah shrugged. "But Sarah, what if they come back with a vengeance?" Carrie asked, nervously. "Well.. then I'll be ready for 'em." Sarah said boldly. That Night... The cattle rustlers were outside of town and Longhorn was discussing what happened to his group, “That new unicorn stood up to me and stole from me?! She could be trouble.” Longhorn said. “That no good Chili Pepper has been gone for months with him out of the way and no deed to the ranch to be found and we don't need anypony ruining my plans.” he growled looking over the town. “Oh no, here comes the monologue.” a cattle rustler said. “Whoever controls Rancho Bronco controls Canter Creek. I plan on that being me.” Longhorn said. “So we scare off the new pony.” another cattle rustler said. “Ha, That’ll be easy.” another one said. “Very easy.” Longhorn said. Back at the Ranch.. “And without a deed to the ranch, the whole town is in limbo.” Twilight said. “Possession is 9/10ths of the law out here. Chili Pepper didn't leave a deed or let anyone know his wishes if we.. er.. Not here anymore.” Tumbleweed said. “Oh no! Are you saying he’s sleeping with the fishes!” Pinkie exclaimed. “No. He just packed up his things and left one day. He didn’t leave anything about where he was going or when he was coming back.” “And no pony will take charge cause of Longhorn and his gang?” Applejack said. “Longhorn has scared everypony stiff. He wants the ranch to himself. He thinks it’s his ticket for money and power around here. With Chili Pepper gone, it’ll be considered abandoned in due time. Longhorn has been camped out in the land long enough, he could claim rights to it. He’ll take it by force if he has to but I think he wants it legal… ish.” “So while he's waiting for the town to be considered abandoned, he;stealing from the ponies! That’s horrible!” Kaede said. “It can’t be that hard to chase them off. We’ve faced worse.” Rainbow said nonchalantly. “We sure will. You can count on us Tumbleweed. We’ll get those lily-livered rustles outta here.” Applejack promised. Anypony else here a ruckus?” PInkie asked. Snowflake growled and rushed outside with us following and we gasped to see the barn on fire and Longhorn! “Shame about your barn, Ma’am. It’s be terrible if anything else happened while you were staying here.” Longhorn said. Applejack was very angry. “Get back here.. You.. twerp.” she called in anger. “Very menacing.” Jack rolled his eyes. “The barn we need to put out the fire!” Tumbleweed said. “Everypony grab buckets!” “No need!” Sarah called. “I got this.” “How?” I asked. Clouds began to roll in behind her and she gave a loud lion roar and the clouds behind her turned into roaring lions! The wind from the roar hit a clouds and turned it into a rain cloud that drenched the barn and put out the fire! “Holy Crap Baskets!” I exclaimed. "It can make rain clouds too?!" “That’s something new, newbie!” Jack added with the same tone. “That was awesome!” Rainbow added. “All that fro fro magic and power and you aren’t going to us it to bust up those cows?!” Applejack exclaimed. “Bulls.” Fluttershy corrected. “I will not use my magic to harm creatures, Applejack. That is not the way to end this confrontation.” Sarah said. Applejack threw her hat on the ground. “Meadow Muffins!” she exclaimed. “Is this the kind of thing Chili Pepper was puttin’ up with?” she asked. “No wonder he went and ran off! Burnin’ down a ponies’ barn. That ain’t right.” Applejack said. “Yeah, this is harassment!” Jamie added. “Well what are we gonna do about it?” Mason asked. “We bust them up, that’s what?” Jack said cracking his knuckles. “Jack, you saw how they flicked Applejack, they could do something worse to you.” Twilight reasoned. “We’ll get the ranch through this Applejack.” Rarity said. “Yeah as long as we’re together.” Pinkie added. “If Longhorn pulls out half the stops he did when he after Chili Pepper, things’ll get worse fast.” Tumbleweed said. “I'll call a town meeting in the morning everypony needs to hear about what happened.” The next morning everypony was gathered at the Town Hall and everypony was worried, “What do you think he's gonna do next? My farm is right up against the ranch. I can’t afford for anything else to happen.” One earth pony said. “Blazing Saddles, we’ll do everything we can do to stop the Cattle Rustlers before things go too far… but we need to work together.” Tumbleweed addressed. “Tumbleweed’s right.” Applejack said. “We need to work together to save Rancho Bronco. Longhorn thinks he can take this town, well we’ll show him that he won’t take this town without a fight! Let’s show these bullies that they can’t take our town!” The townsponies cheered and that morning everypony had made barriers at the entrance of the town. Twilight placed a sticky trap if the barriers failed. “When the Cattle Rustlers trip the trap, theses barrels of gallons of sticky syrup will roll down the hill and crash into them. Then the feathers will fall on the syrup and they’ll look like big chickens. Chickens. Then they spring the trap. The Barell rolls, right?” Twilight explained. “I hope all those naked chickens are alright.” Fluttershy replied. The barriers was a fence that was made from pointy wood with barbed wires wrapped around them. “I sure hope this works.” Tumbleweed prayed. Then somepony yelled, “Longhorn’s a comin!” Tumbelweed was biting his hat anxiety. “Don’t worry, Tumbleweed, if the fence doesn’t stop them, Twilight’s fancy sticky trap will.” Applejack said. “Chicken spring roll!” Twilight called. “Here they come.” Fluttershy said. And he and his rustlers came with a vengeance and they brushed past the barriers and Twilight’s sticky trap! Then Pinkie actually breathed fire on them (which I guessed was from another ghost pepper) but even that didn’t stop them! Longhorn was angrier than ever. “Little ponies! You know the drill.. Food and water.. In the bags now!” he bellowed. The ponies began filling them up. “Fill em up.” Longhorn said. But once again, Snowflake snatched the bag. Longhorn growled and saw Sarah approaching him. “Back off little pony unless you want trouble.” Longhorn threatened but Sarah wasn't scared. “The only trouble around here is you, Longhorn and I suggest you and your rustlers leave this land and the ponies alone.” Sarah said in a determined voice. Longhorn got right up in her face. “You wanna challenge me little unicorn pony?” “If that’s what you want, then I’ll challenge you… for the ranch!” Sarah declared. Everyone one, including us gasped at the challenge! Longhorn snorted in her face, “If that’s how you wanna play it, punk. Then fine… tomorrow. High Noon. Be ready.” Longhorn said. “I will be.” Sarah said. Longhorn and his rustlers then rode away from town. We all immediately confronted her. “Sarah, have you lost your pests lovin mind?!” Applejack said. “You can’t fight Longhorn and his rustlers. They’ll tear you apart!” Tumbleweed added. “I am not letting them continue this act of harassment any longer.” Sarah said. “But Sarah-" Twilight started but was cut off when Sarah raised her hoof, "I'll be fine, Twilight. I've face worse foes than Longhorn." "Oh yeah. Name one?" Jack asked. "Void." Sarah replied with a deadpanned expression. "... Alright that counts." Jack stated. "I'll be fine." Sarah reassured. "Alright, I hope you know what you're doin sugarcube." Applejack said. "I do." Sarah smiled. High Noon Longhorn stood at one side of town while Sarah stood on the other. The two stepped forward while all of us stared in worry and concen. The two stopped ten feet apart from each other. "Ready...?" he asked. "... Yes." A moment of silence followed.. before... they both said..."Draw!" Longhorn charged Sarah and she just stood there.. before, "DINO-SLASH, STEGOSAURUS, SHAKE HIM UP!" Quake came down and roared. Longhorn skidded to a stop and landed on Quake's face. Quake growled. "Hey, that's cheating!" Longhorn said. "You said we'd be fighting. You didn't say exactly what we'd be fighting with." Sarah said. Quake lifted Longhorn into the air and smacked him with his tail, sending him miles and miles away from Rancho Brancho! "Nice distance!" Rainbow called. Quake roared and the rest of Longhorn's gang of cattle rustlers head for the hills. The ponies of Rancho Brancho cheered happily. Sarah returned Quake to his card. "That's the way Newbie." Jack commented with a laugh. "I don't think you'll ever see them again." Rainbow said, nudging Tumbleweed. "Thank you kindly, Sarah." Tumbleweed said. "I'm was happy to help you, Tumbleweed." Sarah said. "You won't have to deal with them anymore." Tumbleweed smiled big and the townsponies cheered. That Night, Pinkie Pie threw a large party for everyone. While everyone was partying, Sarah just watched from the sidelines, leaning against a building pole. "Hey Sarah, come and join the party." Rainbow called. "Hell yeah, its all about you tonight." Jack laughed. Sarah sighed, "Alright." and she came over and joined in as we all partied into the night. Chapter 1: The Cutie MapRen's POV It's been three weeks since Twilight gained her Castle of Friendship and since Sarah became the Queen of Harmony. Twilight had moved into her new castle along with Spike. The castle was absolutely gorgeous in the inside. It had many, many rooms like the Princesses palace. Speaking of which we were entering the throne room now, “Let’s go through this one more time.” Twilight began as she rubbed her hoof under her chin causing Rainbow Dash to groan to aggravation as apparently Twilight has talked about this multiple times now. “We've been over it like a million times, Twilight! We unlock the chest, defeated Tirek and Sarah defeated Void and you got this sweet castle! End of story!” Rainbow Dash quickly told Twilight of what had just happened in a quickly summed up fashion. “Yeah, bookworm, there’s not much to it.” Jack said as he sat on his throne. “Yes, but why?” Twilight acknowledged but can’t help but question why she isn’t getting all of this so sudden after turning herself around. “We don’t know why. I said. “I dunno, sugarcube. Maybe it's just your new house and there ain't nothin' more to it than that.” Applejack answered as she moved to sit in her chair. As soon as she did the cutie mark on her chair glowed. The others and I sat in their thrones and we our cutie marks started to glow as well. Hmm... wonder what's going on with the chairs. Probably nothing. “I must say, speaking strictly on aesthetics, there really doesn't need to be more to it. It's all simply divine!” Rarity added as she sat down on her chair causing the cutie mark on her chair to glow too while saying all that’s important is that the Twilight they all know and loved is back. “I agree with Twilight. And Rarity. And Applejack. And Rainbow Dash. And Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy chimed in as she sat down on her chair with her cutie mark on her chair glowing too. “Oh, and probably Spike.” Fluttershy added as if she almost forgot to include as she turned to him who is still sleeping and snoring on his chair. “As princess, I’ve been chosen to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria and Sarah has been chosen to spread harmony across Equestria as well as the Queen.” Twilight continued to speak her mind as she paces around the center of the room. "Twilight, stop worrying about it." Sarah said to her "But Sarah, the Tree, aka your surrogate mother, obviously sees you as some kind of student to it, so why would it want us to sit in a castle in Ponyville? It doesn't make any sense.” She concluded as she sat down on her chair causing her cutie mark to glow along with the mark on her chair. Everypony takes notice when the cutie marks on the chair glow as the beams of light they produced all shined onto the star in the center of the room causing crystal rocks to form as a crystal table starts to appear from the center of the room causing Spike to awaken from hearing this who then looks surprised at the sight that had just formed in the middle of the room. “Is that new? I like it.” Spike commented just as surprised as everypony in the room. “HOLY HELL!” I yelled. “The chairs made a friggin map!” Jack added in shock. It’s beautiful..” Kaede said. Nicole and Rantaro looked at the map with their calm expressions. Spike walked on the table and looked around it as what they are seeing is a map of all of Equestria. “This is incredible! It's got all of Equestria!” Spike commented in amazement. “Hi, Mom and Dad!” Pinkie happily commented as she looked at her parent’s rock farm house. Spike at that moment would end up stepping on the model house causing Pinkie’s eyes to water up as if she thought her parents were killed. Suddenly, our cutie marks and the Mane Six’s cutie marks on their flanks and they glow as projected images of them circling around Twilight’s cutie mark and they hovered above the map from where Ponyville is to some town near the mountains. Twilight, wanting a better look, used her magic to drag Spike off the table so she can examine this. “But if this is Ponyville, why are our cutie marks over there?” Fluttershy commented wondering what this meant. “I don't know.” Twilight honestly answered. “But it seems like the map wants us to find out. The Tree, Sarah, this castle, and now the map. How can we not follow it?” She questioned her friends. “We must investigate that unmarked area.” I suggested. “Y'know what?” Rainbow Dash flew in close examining some places on the map. “There's a ton of room for dangerous adventure along that route. Count me in!” She quickly put her hoof forward to join Twilight on this trip. “Me too!” Jack exclaimed, rubbing his gut. “Aw, shoot, I reckon you're right.” Applejack responded in agreement. “Fine, I’ll come along to for protection.” Mason added. “Well, I was planning on organizing my baking sheets, but okay!” Pinkie answered sounding reluctant at first before happily agreeing too. “Very well.” Rarity reluctantly agreed too with a smile as she and Pinkie turn to Fluttershy expecting her answer wanting her to come along to with Rainbow Dash joining them as well. “Um, maybe I'll just stay here with Spike.” Fluttershy nervously responded not wanting to come. “Awesome!” Spike happily responded as he wore a drinking hat and a foam finger. “Me and Big Mac have a huge weekend ahead of us talkin' hoofball, and... and trading hoofball cards, and arguing about hoofball stats...” Hearing all this causing Fluttershy to make weirded out expressions as she sees is signing herself up for activates that only guy and stallions would like. “O-o-on second thought, m-m-maybe I'd better go with them. In case they need me.” Fluttershy quickly answered to show that she has changed her mind as she turns to Rainbow Dash who smiles in response to her answer. “Eh, seems like a waste of time to me.” Rantaro stated, but Sarah hovered a bag of coins in front of him which he happily took. “Nevermind!” Nicole just sighed at his behavior. Soon, we were all on our way to the unmarked area. We all exited the train as it backs away to depart from the dead end stop as Twilight looks the map she made herself for a moment before rolling it up and walking ahead in the direction of the nearby town with us right behind her. We crossed a wooden bridge and then reached our destination, a small village down below the mountains. “That's it! That's the place on the map!” Twilight pointed out as Rarity fumbled with the dust in her hair. “Looks like a small village.” I stated, seeing how small the village looked. “Right. Let's get down there and find the spa.” Rarity spoke prepared to head on down before being stopped by Twilight who magically teleports in front of her. “Wait.” Twilight stopped Rarity in her tracks with a hoof on her chest. “We don't know why the map sent us here. We shouldn't just walk right in. It could be dangerous.” “Yes!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in excitement at the mention of danger she thrives of engaging in it. “Stay behind me, everypony! I'm on it!” Pinkie spoke as she stood on her rear hoof while placing her front hoofs in front of Twilight and Rarity with a serious expression. “Careful, Pinkie!” Applejack called out to Pinkie as she rolled down the mountain and ducked to a nearby rock as she peeks from the corner who motions the others to follow her lead as she stealthily makes her way to town by ducking under nearby rocks while the others walk up behind her as she scoots herself under a huge rock before she and the others peeked at the village as they now got a closer look. “This is where the map sent us? It looks like the most boring place in Equestria.” Rainbow Dash commented as they watch every pony chatting and walking around. “It's just an ordinary village full of ordinary pony folk.” Applejack voiced her thoughts. “It could certainly use a few more architectural flourishes. Or any architectural flourishes.” Rarity commented seeing that the village could use some more fashionable taste of decoration. “I think it's lovely.” Fluttershy responded seeing there is no problem with what she is seeing. “I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. I know smiles. And those smiles? They're just not right.” Pinkie suspiciously commented at the sight of the continuously smiling ponies. “I agree.” Twilight shared the same suspicion as she eyed the marks on everypony’s flanks. “Look at the cutie marks.” She pointed out that everypony had equal signs on their flanks. “Okay, that's weird.” Rainbow Dash commented in agreement with Twilight. “Equal sign cutie marks?” Kaede said with confusion. “An entire village with the same cutie mark? How can that be?” Twilight questioned the very possibility of that. “I bet there's some sort of horrific monster behind it.” Rainbow Dash suggested as she watched the village from afar. “What makes you say that?” Twilight asked. “'Cause fighting a horrific monster would be super-awesome!” Rainbow Dash excitedly dreamed of. “I reckon we just ought to head into town and talk to some locals, find out what's goin' on.” Applejack suggested. “Great idea, AJ. Let's go!” Rainbow Dash said and raced off. Pinkie Pie was still frowning. “Those smiles are bad news.” We started walking into the strange village. Boy, this just gives me bad memories when my home country was part of the USSR. All of the ponies still keep up their friendly smiles as they approach us. “Welcome.” A gray earth stallion with brown eyes greeted. “Welcome.” A female Pegasus mother with two fillies by her side greeted. “Welcome.” A blue unicorn pony with green eyes greeted. “Welcome.” A pink unicorn with pink eyes and pigtails greeted. “Welcome.” A blue pony with gray eyes and mane greeted. “Welcome.” A brown pony with a blonde mane and pigtails greeted as her children walked with her. “Welcome.” The fillies walking with their mother greeted. “This must be the most pleasant place in Equestria!” Fluttershy positively commented as she flew by as another peagsus with gray fur and a white mane flew up to greet her. “Welcome!” Fluttershy giggled at the friendly greeting. “Ugh. Thanks a lot, map.” Rainbow Dash groaned in boredom. “Welcome! Pardon my forwardness, but are you an Alicorn?” A light blue furred unicorn greeted as he approached the group and questioned Twilight and Sarah who grinned humbly. “That there's the Princess of Friendship and the Queen of Harmony!” Applejack introduced them to him. “Well, you've certainly come to the right place for friendship.” He further greeted the alicorn. “What brings you to town?” A white pony with a matching mane and blue eyes questioned Moonshine. “We're not entirely sure.” Twilight honestly answered. “I see. Well, all are welcome here in our little village.” The white stallion further welcomed the six before introducing themselves as he directs a hoof towards himself and at the pony next to him. “My name is Double Diamond, and this is Party Favor. “Howdy, Double Diamond. I'm Applejack, and this here's Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Sarah Gem, Ren, Kaede, Jamie, Jack, Rantaro, Nicole, Carrie, Mason and Skye." Applejack introduced the whole group by pointing her hoof at each pony around her. Double Diamond them looked down at Twilight's cutie mark. “And you all have your own unique cutie marks.” Double Diamond observed her and Pinkie’s cutie marks. “If you don't mind, has there been any sort of... trouble here, lately?” Twilight quickly questioned. “Trouble? Why, I don't think we've ever had trouble in our little village.” Double Diamond answered while still smiling. “It's true. You'll see. Hm.” Party Favor added in agreement. “Perhaps you'd care to speak to our founder Starlight Glimmer.” Double Diamond offered as they lead her in her direction. “I wish everypony in Equestria was as friendly as these ponies are.” Fluttershy hopefully wished as she faced her friends. “I've got my eye on them. Something's rotten in... whatever the name of this village is that we're.” Pinkie suspiciously told her as she saw the smiling ponies following them. “Agreed.” Twilight agreed with Pinkie in the same tone. “Something is definitely suspicious around here and I think this pony we are about to meet is behind this.” “Yes, those ponies eyes were filled with unhappiness.” Nicole said. “Like they've been brainwashed.” Double Diamond and Party Favor approached a door and both knock on it at the same time. “Starlight, we have some new visitors.” Double Diamond told the pony inside as all eight ponies walk inside. “Be ready to fight. We don't know what's gonna come through that door.” Rainbow Dash warned Applejack in a whispered tone as the pony opened the door in front of them and out from the room is a pink unicorn with a purple mane with light blue streaks and blue eyes. “Welcome! I'm so pleased to have you here.” Starlight happily greeted the Mane Seven. Rainbow Dash groaned in disappointment as if she was expecting somepony more dangerous. “This is Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Sarah Gem, Ren, Skye, Jack, Jamie, Rantaro, Nicole, Kaede, Carrie and Mason.” Double Diamond introduced the Mane Seven to Starlight as she inspects Twilight and Sarah closely. “Forgive my bluntness, but I'm assuming its Princess Twilight and Sarah? We don't get many Alicorns around here.” Starlight questioned Sarah, who still grins nervously. "Ha! Sarah’s not just an alicorn. She's the Queen of Harmony." Rainbow bragged, earning a hard nudge from Applejack. "Ow!" "A Princess and a Queen what an honor." Starlight stated. “Yes, but "Twilight and Sarah" are fine.” Twilight humbly and nervously responded. “So! How did you hear of our little village?” Starlight eagerly questioned while still smiling a little creepier this time. “It's kind of a long story. Let's just say we found it on a map.” Twilight explained the short and straight to the point way. “Technically, it's a Tree-chest-castle-map!” Pinkie Pie happily added before her face turned back to her suspicious face as she moved away from Starlight. “Well, however you found us, we're happy to have you! We're happy to have any pony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time.” Starlight spoke with pleasure in her voice as the group eyed each other in confusion by what she meant. “Say what?” Applejack questioned out of confusion. “Oh, indeed. Starlight said. “That's what's so unique about our village, you see. Around here, we don't flaunt our special talents because we don't have any special talents to flaunt.” “Is that why you all have those cutie marks?” Twilight asked, pointing to her Equal Sign on her flank. “Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of the village!” Starlight said, grinning just like the ponies outside. She stepped forward towards the door as she addresses everypony in town. “Heads high, ponies! Marching proud! All together now! Every one of you! No pony left behind!” Starlight Glimmer marched throughout town wanting everypony still smiling to follow her lead as she begins to sing. "Life is so grand in Our Town We're always filled with cheer We never have to look around To know that we're all here.” Starlight sang as she marched forward and then turned towards all of us as the town ponies circle around us. “In Our Town, in Our Town We don't have to wait To find out that our destiny Is just to emulate.” The towns ponies sang as they marched around us. Sarah watched this and she felt something was definitely wrong here.. but she couldn't place her hoof on it. “Let's see those big, happy smiles!” Starlight instructed everypony to continue keeping up their wide smiles. “Life is a smile in Our Town Our cutie mark's the same Because we do not separate Ourselves by more than name.” Starlight sang as the town ponies marched into single file formation. “In Our Town, in Our Town We dare not compete Winning only breeds the worst Ego-filled conceit.” The town ponies sang as two Pegasus ponies flew up to Rainbow Dash to lower her back down to the ground leaving her exasperated and insulted that these ponies see competition for ponies with overinflated egos and that it brings out the worst in ponies win or lose. “You see? Now everypony wins!” Starlight told Rainbow to encourage her that her approach to friendship is better this way leaving Rainbow uncomfortable with that idea. “Life is a joy in Our Town We're all equal here No one is superior And no one shakes in fear.” Starlight sang as she marched upfront and used her magic to make sure one of the mares has her mane tied up pig-tail style which Twilight took notice of. “In Our Town, in Our Town We work as a team You can't have a nightmare If you never dream.” The town ponies sang they marched in rows of four in front of the Mane Seven. “Other ponies argue Do you ever wonder why?” Starlight sang as she trots around Pinkie and Fluttershy as the former is more warm-welcoming while the latter is still frowning very suspicious at their smiles. “When you think your talent's special You don't see eye-to-eye.” “There's just too many differences That lead to disarray But when you learn to act as one It's like a holiday.” Starlight sang as the town ponies danced around. “In Our Town, in Our Town We don't complicate When you learn to simplify Life is oh, so great.” The town ponies sang as Fluttershy started dancing to the tune to which Pinkie which frowns at her to get her stop to which Fluttershy recoils in submission. “Join in our utopia Come out of the dark Banded by equality By our cutie mark!” The town ponies sang as they formed up in single file and row and row formation with the peagsus ponies flying through with an equal sign banner. “You're kidding, right? Give up our cutie marks? No way!” Rainbow Dash laughed off the very idea. “Rainbow Dash, don't be so rude.” Fluttershy scolded her. “I don't think we should judge them. They all seem perfectly happy with their choice.” “Don't believe their smiles, Fluttershy.” Pinkie quickly warned Fluttershy against trusting them. “I'm sorry, I guess we're just a little confused by all of this.” Twilight politely told Starlight. “We have no judgments here in our village. Each of us was confused once as well, blinded by the false promise of our cutie marks.” Starlight assured Twilight nopony holds any judgement on them. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Is she for real?” Rainbow Dash questioned as if all of this is a huge joke which earned her a glare from Twilight. “When we were sent to this village, we assumed it was to help in some way. But, well, it doesn't seem like you need any help.” Twilight explained her reasons for visiting while still politely smiling. “Have you considered perhaps that you might have been sent here so we could help you?” Starlight suggested as she placed a hoof on Twilight's chest. “After all, nopony has ever come to our village and wanted to leave. Why should you be any different?” She questioned the Mane Seven who look at each other in confusion. “But that is entirely your choice. Please enjoy our little corner of Equestria. We're all quite fond of it. No doubt you will be as well. Double Diamond, please help our guests with whatever they might need.” Starlight instructed him to help them feel accommodated for their visit. “Of course.” Double Diamond obliged to Starlight’s request who continues grinning at the Mane Seven who all look uneasy by this gesture as Starlight trotted off. As we walked forward with Double Diamond right behind us, more town ponies greeted them while still sporting the same smiles. “A cutie mark is a representation of a pony's unique talents and skills. How is it possible to—“ Twilight questioned the very possibility of all of this before being interrupted by Rarity’s gasping. “What in the name of Equestria is that?!” Rarity exclaimed as she pointed a hoof at ragged brown cloaks. “Welcome! Care to sample some local fashion? We've got cloaks this month!” The brown stallion offered to which Rarity resisted the urge to throw up. “Wha— Ooh, er, perhaps another time, good sir, thank you.” Rarity awkwardly and politely told him as she nervously backed away as the group proceeded to sit on a nearby table “No wonder nopony's wearing anything!” She whispered to her friends. “Really, girls!” Fluttershy scolded the girls in a hushed tone. “They may do things a bit differently than we're used to, but that's no reason to be rude.” “No, the reason to be rude is that they all keep staring at us!” Rainbow Dash commented feeling the need to correct Fluttershy. “Need something?” Double Diamond asked the Mane Seven from a table. “Uh, no! We're good!” Moonshine politely told him before turning back to the girls in a hushed tone. “Fluttershy's right. If we're going to get to the bottom of why the map sent us here, we'll need the help of these ponies.” “I think we ran off to the end of Equestria before we even knew what that map was!” Applejack complained that this is all a waste of time. “If we were at the end of Equestria, we'd be sitting on a big 'A'!“ Pinkie Pie giggling joked as she raised her hooves up. “Get it?” "Girls, the my surrogate mother is a whole lot smarter than it looks. It made my Element and saved my, Ren and the others lives by teleporting us to Equestria. Do you really think it would send us here for no reason?" Sarah pointed out. The girls looked at each other and they had to agree. The Tree of Harmony has done so much for Sarah and all of us. We shouldn't really doubt its ability. "Sarah’s right. There's something definitely wrong here." Twilight agreed. “Is this a bad time?” The waitress pony who had been listening to their conversation politely chimed in. “We shouldn't be bickering like this in front of our new friends. Really, Applejack, you're almost as bad as Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy continued to defend the villagers while scolding Applejack. “Don't drag me into this!” Rainbow Dash objected to Fluttershy’s comment. “Is your friendship ending?” The waitress questioned as she faced Rarity. “What the hell does that mean?” Jack asked. “Are you crazy?! We'd never let a disagreement get in the way of food!” Pinkie Pie energetically exclaimed. “O-kay, well, my name is Sugar Belle.” The waitress introduced herself and used her magic to lift up a notepad ready to take their order. “What can I bring you? We have: muffins... “ The group expected more items off the menu to be offered but her awkward silence clues them in that muffins are the only thing she can offer. “Then I guess we'll take six muffins!” Twilight told her. “Make that twelve!” Pinkie Pie eagerly exclaimed as her friends gave her weird looks. “What? I'm hungry!” She defended herself. “Come on, girls. We've got to stick together. It doesn't matter what happened before, we're here now.” Twilight spoke to her friends in a hushed tone to ensure nopony else is eavesdropping on their conversation. “I guess you're right.” Applejack accepted. “And the sooner we figure out why, the sooner we can go home.” At that moment Sugar Belle came back with a plate of muffins she placed in the center of the table. “Forgive me for overhearing” Sugar Belle mentioned. “But just a moment ago you were disagreeing, and now it sounds like you're... agreeing.” “Uh-huh...” Applejack responded with crossed hooves. “Well, you had such differing opinions – and cutie marks.” Sugar Belle continued to speak with confusion. “We have differing opinions all the time, darling.” Rarity answered as if it is no surprise to them. “But you look like you're friends.” Sugar Belle pointed out. “We are friends. A simple disagreement wouldn't change that.” Twilight positively responded which led to Sugar Belle smiling nervously at that statement before frowning as she again speaks her mind. “I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time understanding. Different talents lead to different opinions, which lead to bitterness and misery.” She explained before turning her frown back into a smile. “So... why aren't you bitter and...?” Sugar Belle is quickly interrupted when Pinkie Pie chokes and spits out a muffin she had just ate “Blech!” She quickly corrects herself by faking a smile to feign politeness. “Mmmm... good...” “It's all right.” Sugar Belle assured Pinkie she holds nothing against her for not liking her muffins. “I know I'm not a very good baker.” She admitted. “At least, I know I'm not any better than anypony else in the village.” She took a glance behind her directed at Double Diamond and quickly darted back with a sense of anxiety. “Well, I... hope you enjoy our little village!” She began walking inside the shop as Pinkie loudly scraped the bits and pieces of muffin off her tongue. Sugar Belle quickly stopped between Twilight and Pinkie to address before. “Come inside before you go! Meet me downstairs!” Sugar Belle told them in distress before sporting a grin before heading inside. “Okay, that was weird too.” Rainbow Dash commented as she stretched out her hoof across the table. “Let's all sit here and eat these muffins and act normal.” Twilight instructed the others in a hushed tone as she eyed everypony around them suspiciously. “I think we're being watched.” She points out to everypony still wide smiling at them while doing their daily business. “You think?” Rainbow Dash sarcastically replied. “No, not like that!” Twilight corrected. ”I mean somepony here doesn't want us talking to Sugar Belle.” She added as she pointed her eyes at Double Diamond who is watching them while biting into a muffin. “I got an idea.” Applejack offered an idea. “But you gotta eat all of them muffins, Pinkie.” “Me?! Why me?!” Pinkie protested. “You got a stronger stomach than any of us, and that filly in there might be our best chance at findin' out what the hay is goin' on round here.” Applejack reasoned with her who reluctantly sees her point as she proceeds to bite into and eat all of the muffins and by the time she finally manages to eat them all her face is now sickly green. “I can't believe you ate all our muffins, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack announced as the others look at everypony with forced smiles. “We'd best go inside and get some more!” The group immediately head downstairs per Sugar Belle’s instructions. “Nice work, Pinkie.” Twilight commended Pinkie as they headed downstairs as Pinkie Pie bounced downstairs with a balloon belly. “I've accidentally eaten cardboard tastier than that...” Pinkie sadly commented over being forced to literally stomach in all of those muffins. “Hello? Sugar Belle?” Twilight called out. “Thank you for coming!” Sugar Belle spoke up as she emerged from the dark and sported another wide smile. “Why did you want us to come down here?” Twilight asked. “So nopony could see what's about to happen.” Sugar Belle answered with a smirk as some of the ponies gathered around them ominously causing Twilight to ready her horn to attack in self-defense until Party Favor leaned in like a fan pony. “Are you really the Princess of Friendship?” Party Favor questioned. “Do you know Princess Celestia?” Night Glider questioned as she leaned in towards Twilight. “I love your cutie mark!” Sugar Belle commented as she touched Pinkie’s flank. Night Glider looked at Ren and the other’s cutie marks. “Wow, how did you nine humans get those cutie marks like that. I thought only ponies could.” “How can you be friends with different cutie marks? Don't you end up hating each other?” Night Glider questioned as she flew in front of Rarity and Fluttershy. “Oh, look at this one! This one's great too!” Sugar Belle commented on Fluttershy’s cutie mark as she touched her flank. “I'd love to have my special talent back even just for a day! Make something besides those disgusting muffins...” She added sounding depressed. “So what's stopping you? Go get your cutie marks back.” Rainbow Dash responded wondering why it’s so hard to do so. “Daydreaming is one thing, but you mean actually having it put back on? That seems extreme.” Party Favor answered as he spoke. "I was still afraid to go near them. “I'm not sure Starlight would like that. She wants us all to be happy in our sameness.” Sugar Belle mentioned. “How do you take somepony's cutie mark anyway?” Twilight asked. “The cutie unmarking is a beautiful experience!” Night Glider answered and recalled. “Starlight uses the Staff of Sameness to magically take them away and replace them with these.” She explained as she pointed towards the equal sign marks on her and the other’s flanks. “But nopony should keep you from your cutie mark. It represents such an essential part of who you are.” Twilight spoke from experience. “Yeah, it like taking away what made you special.” Jamie added. “No one should keep you from that.” Kaede added. “Oh, we're not kept from them.” Night Glider quickly responded. “They're in the vault up in the caves. We can visit them any time we like to remind us of the heartache of a life with special talents.” "Wait... how come you don't have a cutie mark?" Double Diamond asked, pointing to Sarah’s blank flank. "Oh, I don't know. I guess I didn't figure out my special talent yet." Sarah replied honestly. "But don't your friends hate you cause you don't have a cutie mark?" Night Glider asked. "Of course not! Just because she doesn't have a cutie mark doesn't mean we'd stop being friends with her." Rainbow stated. “Yeah, Skittles it right. So Newbie does have cutie-patootie mark, we’re still friends with her.” Jack added. "Yeah, Sarah is just as special as the rest of us, even if she doesn't have a cutie mark." Pinkie added. The three ponies looked at each other, confused. After a moment of thinking Twilight asked them. “Can we visit this cave?" Soon, we were lead into a mountain cave behind the village and down a tunnel. Once they got to the end of it, they all gasped seeing a large vault with multiple cutie marks locked inside of it. "Behold! Our cutie mark vault!" "I've never seen anything like it!" Twilight exclaimed in shock. "And here is the Staff of Sameness. It was one of the great Mage Meadowbrook's nine enchanted items. We are incredibly fortunate to have it here. This is the tool that allows us to free ourselves from our marks! I'm curious – how did the subject of the vault come up?" Starlight asked. "Oh, I was just wondering why everypony had the same cutie mark. Ponies can still be friends with different cutie marks like my friends." Sarah stated. "Well, w-we certainly didn't intend to cause any disruptions to your charming little—" Rarity said nervously. "Good. Let's just make sure of that, shall we?" Starlight Glimmer questioned as some ponies came out of the shadows. "It's a trap!" Twilight exclaimed. I took out my Hacking Gun at the ponies while Mason and Jack readied their fists. She teleported out of the circle and readied her magic but Starlight used her Staff and blasted Twilight, holding her in place and forcefully removing her cutie mark! "Twilight!" Sarah cried in horror as she fell to the ground. The Starlight did the same with her friends! Removing their cutie marks by force and locking them in the vault! “Aw. I don't blame you for what you tried to do here today. You've spent your whole lives thinking those marks are a good thing.” Starlight gloated still trying to make the whole situation still sound positive. “You can’t do that, you maggot!" Skye exclaimed. “Give them back!” Twilight demanded. “Well, now you can spend the rest of your lives here with us! And we'll teach you just how much better life can be without your cutie marks!” Starlight responded as she put her staff away as the ponies who gathered inside of the cave gather around them. "Not I have anything to say about it..!" Sarah growled as she readied her magic. Starlight blasted her with the Staff of Sameness too.. However Sarah’s Element of Hope activated and created a shield around her! "What?!" Starlight growled. Sarah then unleashed a shockwave, knocking Starlight and the other ponies back. Sarah quickly flew over and blasted the pieces of glass with her friends cutie marks and they returned to their owners, returning their abilities and talents to them. Starlight got up and snarled in anger at what Sarah did. Sarah then took off her Element of Hope and threw at Twilight who caught it in her magic, "Guys! Get out of here!" Sarah called. "What?! But Sarah..!" Twilight exclaimed but Sarah yelled, "GOOO!" before Starlight struck her with magic, freezing her in place. Twilight knew she had no choice and she teleported all of us out of the cave. "I've done a lot to give these ponies friendship and you're not going to ruin it!" Starlight yelled at her before she took out a jar. Suddenly, Sarah felt a strong and painful tug in her horn and she grunted and groaned in pain as Starlight removed her magic and placed it in the jar! Whens she was done, Starlight dropped her on the floor. Sarah felt so weak that she could barely keep her eyes open. "You may not have a cutie mark, but you will be valuable to my cause..." Starlight said with an evil smirk before everything went black for Moonshine. Starlight Glimmer carried an unconscious Sarah into one of her buildings and just dropped her on the floor. Starlight smiled evilly at her as she gazed at the jar filled with her stolen magic. "Foolish Alicorn, challenging my philosophy? Hehehe... big mistake." Starlight used her magic to create a chain and tied it around Sarah’s left back hoof and attached it to a stack in the house. "Hehe... still.. I'm sure those 'strangers' will come and rescue you, but they won't get far, cause I'll be ready for them.. and once I have their cutie marks all of Equestria will know what I'm trying to accomplish." Starlight then walked out of the building and slammed the door shut and ordered two ponies at the door to guard it. "Perfect... now..." Starlight looks at the jaw with Moonshine's magic inside of it. "Let's see just how powerful her magic is..." Ren's POV We were hiding outside of the village, over looking it from a hilltop. "Alright girls, I think that made it pretty clear about why the map sent us here.." Twilight said to her friends. “That was friggin obvious!” Jack yelled. “That brat took our cutie marks and tried to force us to join her village!” "Yeah, Starlight Glimmer is forcing everypony to give up their cutie marks so they can have her version of 'friendship'." Applejack stated. "If it weren't for Sarah steppin' in like that, we would have been in the same situation." "Oh... I hope she's alright." Fluttershy cooed with worry. “I’m sure she’s fine..” Rantaro dismissed. “Rantaro, Sarah gave her Element to Twilight, that was her only protection against Starlight. Without it, who knows what she did to her.” "Yeah, let's go get her back!" Rainbow exclaimed, but before she could fly into town, Twilight caught her by the tail. "Rainbow! You can't just barge into town like that. Starlight might have some kind of trap waiting for us." Twilight scolded. "Twilight's right. We need a way to figure out if Sarah is alright." Applejack stated. "But how..?" Suddenly Discord appeared, "Oh for Scorpan's sake, why didn't you call me when you found a pony causing her own kind of chaos?" he whined. “What the-?!” I exclaimed. "Discord? What are you doing here?!" Twilight exclaimed, shocked to see the Spirit of Chaos. "Oh isn't eavesdropping not the way you figure out what your dear friends and daughter are doing?" Discord questioned with an innocent look earning a 'No!" from all of us. "Oh well." Discord shrugged. "If you want to see from all the way out here, then.." Discord snapped his fingers and he made some binoculars appear. "These should help..." Twilight took the binoculars in her magic and looked through them. "Woah... these have X-Ray vision, I can see right through the buildings.." she said in awe. She looked into the building that was guarded by two ponies and gasped, "Sarah..!" "Twilight, what's wrong?" Applejack asked. "Sarah’s unconscious in one of the buildings and..." Twilight then looked at the building at the end of the village and saw Starlight Glimmer holding a jar with magic inside. "Now let's see just what this Queens magic can do. With such power, I'll be able to remove the cutie marks of everypony all over Equestria and everypony will understand my version of harmony.. hahaha...!" Starlight laughed evily, making Twilight gasped in utter shock. "What is it?" Rainbow asked. "Starlight Glimmer stole Sarah’s magic! And she's going to use to so she can take the cutie marks of everyone in Equestria!" Twilight exclaimed and the rest of us gasped in horror. “Oh dear..” Discord said in worry. “Discord, what’s wrong?” I asked. “Well since Sarah’s magic is taken that also means that the power we used to create her is stolen as well. The meteorites’ power is like her life force. If the power is out of her for too long well... “ Discord moved a finger across his neck. “Wait, wait… you mean… Sarah will die if she doesn’t get her magic and power back!” I exclaimed in horror. Discord nodded and the group was horrified and knew this was more serious than ever. "We gotta stop her!" Rainbow exclaimed, knocking her hooves together. "But how? That pony probably got a hole bunch of ponies on the lookout for us." Applejack reminded me. "We need a sneaky way to get in, save Sarah and get out, while showing everypony that what Starlight is doing is wrong..." Sarah’s POV Uhh.... w-what...? I began to come to and I felt a major headache. "Ugh...." I tried to move my legs but they felt like jelly. I weakly lifted my head. W-Where am I...? All I remember is... the Cutie Mark Cave and.... just then I heard the door opened and I saw Starlight Glimmer with a tray on it with an apple and some water. Her.... "Hello Queen Sarah... I decided to bring you some food.." Starlight stated in a nice voice, but Sarah didn't buy it. "G-Give me... back my.. magic..." I growled as she weakly staggered to her feet. "Hello Princess... I decided to bring you some food.." Starlight stated in a nice voice, but I didn't buy it. "G-Give me... back my.. magic..." I growled as I weakly staggered to her hooves. "I'm afraid you're in no shape to make demands." Starlight smiled wickedly and I turned and saw the chain on her my hoof. "You... can't keep.. me here... forever..." I stammered, trying to sound as serious as I could. "Oh.. I think I can.." Starlight smirked. "Without your magic, my guards at the door, there's no way you're leaving.." "My... friends will.. come for me..." I replied. "Ah yes those strangers. All different ponies and those... other creatures who believe that they were something special with their cutie marks." Starlight growled with an angry expression. "They don't have any real friendships. They are just blinded by their cutie marks." "Their friendship.... is real... and their cutie marks and differences make their friendships stronger." I replied, gaining a little strength back. "This coming from the pony who doesn't have a cutie mark! Let alone a Alicorn Queen! Your friends would be ashamed that you don't have a cutie mark and yet you stand up for those who do!" Starlight yelled at me. "My friends would never be ashamed of me. They would be proud that I'm standing up for what I believe in even if it means going against what you have to say.." I growled at Starlight. Starlight had enough and blasted me sending me slamming into the back wall. "Ugh..!" the impact made the glass of water spill onto Starlight's flank.. revealing her actual cutie mark! It was a stream of blue magic that was attached to a purple star! "You still have your cutie mark..." I narrowed her eyes at her. Starlight gasped,"Oh shoot." "If you say everypony is supposed to be equal in this town? Why do you still have your cutie mark?" Starlight sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. That was my fault. I should have been more careful." She neatly folded the towel and placed it on top of a flat surface. "It looks like I'll have to find some sort of spell in one of my books that'll wipe your memory of what just happened here. Maybe it'll wipe your whole memory. Who knows." "Wha…what?" I stammered. "Forgive me. But if you're to stay, I must do it for the sake of the village." She brought out some makeup and covered her cutie mark. Then, she brought out a stencil and used the makeup to brush back on her fake cutie mark. Afterwards, she prepared to continue leaving. "Don't worry. I'll wait until our little mess is over and done with." She opened the door and walked out. However, she peeked in before completely leaving. "Remember, don't try anything dumb, okay? I'd really hate to end up having to take some drastic measures." She shut the door and locked it. I knew for sure now! It wasn't the staff that took away the ponies cutie marks. It was her magic! "I.. have to get this info to Twilight and my friends... but how...?" I pondered before I spotted a piece of paper and a pencil. I was able to reach it, despite being chained up and I wrote down a message on the paper before I folded it into a paper airplane. "How can I get this to Twilight and my friends...?" I wondered before... a small mailbox came floating over to me that said 'Please place inside for Twilight Sparkle'. I blinked at it, confused as to how this managed to get in here, but seeing that it may be my only chance, I placed the letter inside and the mailbox vanished in a bright flash, and I hoped that it would get to her friends. Ren's POV Meanwhile, the mailbox poofed up in front of Twilight and her friends. "I can't believe that actually worked, Discord." Twilight said, taking the letter out of the box. "Well of course it worked. I made it.." Discord bragged. The girls, save for Fluttershy and Pinkie, rolled their eyes as Twilight read the letter out loud. "Guys, Starlight Glimmer's cutie mark is fake! She covered it up with makeup. It was her magic that was used to removed your cutie marks before I stepped it. It was never the staff. You have to get the townsponies to realize this. Use Water, it'll wiped off the make up easily." “That lying bastard!” Jack said. “She deceived everyone.” Nicole narrowed her eyes. "I knew something was wrong with her!" Twilight exclaimed. "That mare was nothing but a faker!" Applejack added. "Yeah, and now she has our friend and her magic captive. We've gotta do something now before we lose our friend forever!" Rainbow added. "Hmm... I think I know what we can do..." Twilight smirked while looking at Discord. Sarah's POV Soon, I was being lead out of the building by Starlight with all of the townsponies watching. "I trust that you've made your decision, Princess?" Starlight asked with a smirk. But I just narrowed my eyes and looked away. "No? Hmm.. maybe another day will help change your mind.." "Stop!" a voice came and everypony saw the all my friends walking into the village. "Ah.. so the strangers have returned, huh?" Starlight smirked. "Yeah, we're here for our Queen and her magic.." Rainbow growled, "So give 'em up!" "Yeah, you can't force anypony to give up their cutie marks or what makes them special. It doesn't work like that." Applejack added with a glare. "What are you talking about, we're all equal here." Starlight stated innocently. "Well except for you six. Those cutie marks have blinded you of real friendship." "No they don't, Starlight." Twilight stated. "Cutie marks make our friendship stronger. It doesn't matter if we're different what matters is that we're all friends which is what really matters." Starlight laughed mockingly, "My village is a place of equality and friendship. Friendship that is stronger than whatever you six have." "Equality, you say...?" a voice came before a small dark cloud came above Starlight. "Well what do you have to say about this..?" and then it started to rain on Starlight. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she got soaked. Then the cloud stopped its small downpour and Starlight shook herself clean and everypony in the village gasped, seeing her real cutie mark! Starlight noticed then and widened her eyes extremely in shock as she covered her flank with her tail. "Wha... What are you looking at?! They're the problem, not me!" She said pointed towards the Twilight, Ren and the others and laughed nervously. "You lied to us…?" Party Favor questioned with an expression of devastated shock. "How could you?" Night Glider asked. "You said cutie marks were evil!" Double Diamond joined in. "You said special talents led to pain and heartache!" "They do! Don't you see?! Look at them!" She was clearly desperate now. "Look at what they're doing to us! We were perfectly fine and happy before they came to town!" "Then why?" Sugar Belle grew the confidence to confront Starlight. "Why did you take ours and not give up your own?" "I..." Starlight Glimmer was sweating now. "I-I-I…" Her eyes clenched shut and her eyebrows furrowed. Tension squeezed out from her face before she reopened her eyes. "I had to, you fools! How could I collect your cutie marks without my magic?!" "But the staff has all the magic we need!" Night Glider retorted. "The staff is a piece of wood I found in the desert!" Starlight Glimmer finally confessed. "It's my magic that makes all this possible! You'd all still be living your miserable lives thinking you're better than everypony else if it weren't for my magical abilities! I brought you friendship! I brought you equality! I created harmony!" "The only thing you created was your own version of Communism." Nicole said with her eyes narrowed. "You lied to us!" Party Favor answered back. "So what? E-Everything else I said is true! The only way to be happy is if we're all equal!" She stated that last part with confidence as if everything would go back the way it was. "Except for you." Sugar Belle pointed out. Starlight was prepared to shoot a fiery glare back at this pony before Moonshine stepped forward and spoke up. "Everypony has unique talents and gifts, and when we share them with each other, that's how rea—" "QUIET!" Starlight Glimmer bellowed out, only to receive a tackle from me! I kicked Starlight away from my friends and she skidded across the ground. "You can't have a cutie mark, Starlight! Either we're all equal, or none of us are!" Sugar Belle asserted. Everypony slowly began surrounding Starlight, leading her to anxiously turn her head around to see her becoming cornered. Starlight Glimmer's eyes began shooting daggers at me. Uh oh! Her eyes closed shut and a bubble began to form around her. Her horn glowed with magic, and we were soon pushed aside, giving her space to run through. Starlight then shot another ray of magic at me and everything went black for me! Ren's POV Holy cow! Starlight blasted Sarah with her magic and knocked her unconscious before she carried her in her magic and ran in the direction of the building she had been keeping her. "Sarah!" I exclaimed in horror. “Newbie!” Jack exclaimed in horror. "You ponies get your cutie marks! We'll handle this!" Twilight directed the others and followed behind. As soon as the ponies reached the door, Jack, Mason, Applejack and Rainbow began banging the sturdy wood loudly, "Open the door, Starlight!" Applejack exclaimed. We could hear things being moved around and shuffled inside. "You think you can come to my village and take everything I worked so hard for and destroy it just like that?!" Starlight's voice angrily sounded through. "Let's see how you like it when I take something from you!" "Not if we have anything to say about it.." Rainbow Dash flew backwards and she used her speed to kick down the door. the girls immediately galloped inside and searched for any sign of Starlight. "Where are they?!" Fluttershy asked with worry "Look! Up here!" Twilight called from up the stairs. We all came upstairs and entered a bedroom. However, the bed had been merely thrown to the side and revealed some kind of secret escape in the floor. "Come on.." Twilight said and we all rushed through the escape door and they came out on the other side of the tunnel, outside of the village near a path towards snowy mountaintops. "Look!" Rainbow Dash pointed out in midair. "She's headed for the pass!" Twilight added. "If she gets into those mountains, we'll never see her and Sarah!" Rainbow spread out her wings. "We need to stop her!" We all familiar roar and saw a Light Fury flying over head with two pokemon on her back. "Snowflake..!" The girls cried happily. The Light Fury cooed at us before we saw her flying over to where Starlight was running. "Come on..." Twilight called. "Wait for us..!" the girls turned and saw Party Favor, Sugar Belle, Double Diamond and Night Glider running and flying towards them, joining the chase, now with their cutie marks and colors restored. Starlight ran down the path and saw Snowflake flying towards her, "Back off Dragon!" she growled and fired a blast of magic but Pikachu countered with Thunderbolt. Starlight growled and Snowflake fired a plasma blast in front of her, causing her to fly back and she fell on the ground. Snowflake blocked her path and snarled at her as we all blocked the backway. "All of you! Nopony move! One step and I'm sending this little filly down this cliff, and I can promise you she'll never be found again!" Starlight Glimmer aggressively threatened, holding Sarah off of the path along with the jar of her stolen magic. "Don't try any magic either." She added, eyeing especially at the ones with horns. "I can promise you won't have enough time to help the Queen before she disappears never to be seen again." "Think about what you're doing, Starlight!" I exclaimed. "What are you getting out from doing this? You do anything to her, you'll surely find yourself being banished from Equestria! Is that what you want?" She scoffed loudly. "You think I care about banishment? You want to know how hard I worked to raise that village you all so easily destroyed in a matter of minutes?! I had to go through so much! I had to lose so much to get to where I was, and you all took that away from me! If anypony should be banished, it's you all! I won't be satisfied until I see the look on your faces when you lose something so dearly like I did!" and then she let Sarah and her jar of magic fall! "Sarah!" Twilight gasped in horror but Snowflake and Rainbow dove down at great speed and Snowflake grabbed Sarah in her claws while Rainbow caught the jar with her magic. "Gotcha!" Rainbow smiled as she and Snowflake flew back up to us and placed Sarah and her magic on the ground. "Is that how you treat somepony who gave you a loving and unjudging home?!" Starlight angrily asked Double Diamond, Party Favor, Sugar Belle and Night Glider who stood at the front of the group. "You always said we had to be equal." Double Diamond answered back. "But what I realized is that we had to be equal on your terms. Not something that everypony agreed on!" "Yeah!" Night Glider added in. "We were always scared of thinking of something and being punished by you for it! If you ask me, that's not equal at all! Just like Queen Sarah said." Aggressively tightening and scrunching her eyes, Starlight proceeded to fire a spell towards these four ponies. However, Twilight immediately jumped in front them and protected them all with a strong steady magical barrier. "Wh– I studied that spell for years!" Starlight argued to this surprise. "How can you—?" "I studied magic for years too!" Twilight countered. "But what I didn't know then was that studying could only take me so far. Each of my friends has taught me something different about myself! It was their unique gifts and passions and personalities that helped bring out the magic inside of me! I never would have learned that I represent the element of magic without these guys! And I certainly wouldn't be here to stop you now!" Starlight blocked out the lecture coming from Twilight's mouth and rolled her eyes. "Spare me your sentimental nonsense! I gave these ponies real friendships they never could've had otherwise!" “What you gave them was a false life to live under, Starlight Glimmer.” Nicole said with a narrowed look. “You forced them into your own version of Communism, where everyone was the same under your rule. But you failed at that.” "How do you know that?!" Double Diamond exclaimed. "You never even gave us a chance!" Completely outraged by this, Starlight fired up a shield-looking aura around her, making everypony back away. But with a snap of his fingers, Discord made Starlight disappear? What the-? "Discord, what did you do?" I asked him. "I simply put her in Tartarus. Hehehe. In a magic proof cage if I may add.." Discord smirked. "We just have to hope that when she's had a chance to think it over, she realizes that you all have taught her something." Twilight stated. "It's you who have taught us something." Party Favor said as he approached Twilight. "We all came to this village because we were searching for something missing from our lives. We thought Starlight had given it to us, but now... now it seems it was in front of us all along. It's us!" He regrouped with the other three and they all shared a group hug. "Does that mean you'll stay in the village?" Twilight asked. "It's our home. I'm not going anywhere." Night Glider responded both firmly and proudly. "This is a chance for all of us to get to know each other again for the very first time!" Double Diamond smiled. "And I finally have a chance to bake something besides terrible muffins!" Sugar Belle exchanged gleefully. Everypony laughed aloud. Snowflake cooed, nudging her unconscious friend. "Okay girl.." Twilight smiled and Rainbow nodded before she smashed the jaw holding Sarah's magic and it flowed back into her horn. Sarah stirred as she opened her eyes, "W-What…?” “Easy Newbie..” Jack said as he helped her up. “How are you feeling?” I asked. “I.. I think I’m okay…” Sarah said, rubbing her head. Snowflake, Pikachu and Zoura came over to her and nuzzled her. Twilight chuckled, "She's just fine." Back in the village, the group saw all the villagers, smiling and enjoying the small party they put together in celebration. "Now those are real smiles." Pinkie Pie described as the villagers enjoyed the party. Soon enough, a sound emerged from everyone and they saw their cutie marks glowing and shimmered as well. "I'll never get used to that…" Applejack admitted. “I don’t think any of us will..” Mason said. "I think it's divine." Rarity sweetly objected. "Does that mean that the map is calling us somewhere else?" Fluttershy questioned Twilight. "I have a feeling it means our work here is done." Twilight settled with. "Looks like you were right, Twilight. The map did have a reason for sendin' us here." Applejack brought up. "We brought real friendship to these here ponies. Guess that's why you're the Princess of Friendship." She ended with a wink. "But the map didn't send me. It sent us." Twilight humbly included. "You're a part of me, all of you. And there's no doubt you're a part of my mission to spread friendship too." The rest of them squealed and giggled as she shared a group hug. "We don't have to go home right away, do we?" Pinkie Pie asked. "That Sugar Belle can bake!" Discord then popped up, “Oh goodie! Some quality time with my dear old daughter, how about that.” he smiled. The group sighed at his presence. "I don't see any harm in staying for a little while longer." Twilight mentioned. The girls cheered as they all entered the town to enjoy the festival. To Be Continued... Chapter 2: Castle Sweet Castle and the Search for a New PurposeThird Person POV Outside of Fluttershy’s cottage, Fluttershy was doing cleaning up her giving her animal companions pets with Sarah and Twilight helping out as she is currently cleaning a muddy ferret by brushing water and soap onto him trying to make sure Fluttershy’s pets are squeaky clean just like Fluttershy asked of her while Fluttershy at the same time is giving a goat a bath too. Sarah gave some of the squirrels a good brushing and Twilight then brushed Harry the Bear’s teeth clean before helping Fluttershy dry one of the pigs with a towel by rubbing his back clean with the two using their teeth to do it together. Even though the two got covered in mud and dirt in the process they both managed to get the job done in no time and it was worth getting their fur and manes dirty over in the end. "Phew!” Fluttershy said in relief as she wipes away the sweat from her forehead. “Thanks for helping me get them so fresh and clean, Twilight and Sarah." "No problem, happy to do it!" Twilight happily responded as she thought nothing of her good deed. "Your welcome, Fluttershy. It's a change from my studying and training." Sarah smiled. "You probably can't wait to get back to your castle and the home-ship and take your own bath, huh?" Fluttershy mentioned noting her fur and mane is all dirty. Sarah's eyes slightly widened, "Uh.. don't you have any other animals that I can help you with?" and Twilight's eyes widened hearing this before quickly changing her expression to a eager expression. "Aren't there more animals that need cleaning?" Fluttershy arched an eyebrow at Sarah and Twilight's eagerness to stay as she expressed an eager grin. "I think you and I are the only ones left, and I can't wait to get the mud out of my mane." Fluttershy answered as she placed a hoof on her mane. Twilight grew anxious wanting to stay a longer when she noticed Angel Bunny behind her and quickly pushed him into a mud puddle with her back leg. " “Oh, no! Angel got dirty!" Twilight spoke with faux surprise. “I'd better stay longer to help give him a bath too!" "And I'll help too..!" Sarah added before the two immediately tended to Angel with another eager smile as they began scrubbing the bunny behind the ears in the bucket of soapy water after placing him in the bucket of warm water and soap. Fluttershy out of kindness and politeness could stand by and comply with her wishes after buying her lie although she does find something a little off with this. By the time sunset falls down, Sarah and Twilight are still muddy and cleaning Angel rubbing him squeaky clean with a towel while Fluttershy had the time to clean herself up. "Thank you ever so much for staying to give Angel a bath too, but, um... I think he's dry." Fluttershy politely told them and the pair finally complied and removed the towel off of the annoyed bunny as his fur became as puffy as a result of the excessive drying. Fluttershy looked at the clock, "Goodness! It's gotten late! You really didn't have to stay all day. Not that we don't appreciate it. Isn't that right?" Fluttershy asked the two. The bunny only grunted in annoyance while Sarah and Twilight levitated two feather dusters and started cleaning the bird houses inside the cottage. “I for one am exhausted." She then faked a yawn "Plus, I really need to rest up for that big pancake breakfast tomorrow. And I'm sure you have to get the castle ready, Twilight." Fluttershy added seeing that Twilight is still focused on sweeping the dust off inside the cottage. "And I'm sure Ren and the others will want your help getting some things from the home-ship, Sarah." Twilight and Sarah both suddenly stopped, "N-No the castle's fine..." "N-No I-I'm sure Ren and the others can get everything without me.... but why don't Twilight and I go and see if Pinkie Pie needs help with the pancakes?" "Excellent idea Sarah." Twilight agreed with the two mares flew out of the cottage and headed towards Sugarcube Corner. End of POV Ren's POV The next morning, everyone was at Twilight's Castle for the big pancake breakfast and let me tell you, they were delicious! I put blueberries and whipcream on mine and really enjoyed it and so did everyone else. "You did an excellent job on these pancakes, Pinkie Pie." I commented. "Hell yeah, they're the best." Jack said, with a plate of 25 pancakes on it... don't ask. "Thanks, Twilight and Sarah stayed up all night helping me make them. I kept thinking we found the right one, but they insisted I make even more of them. And more. And more and more and more. It was like they never wanted to-" "Leave?" Fluttershy guessed. "Exactly! Eventually we ran out of time, so we went with 'Every Berry, every chip surprise'." Pinkie said before she leaned over to Rarity, "The surprise is I lost a measuring spoon in the batter. Somepony is gonna get a very special pancake!" Rarity and Kaede looked at their pancakes before they inspected theirs. "Up all night huh? Is that why they're so.. uh... out of it?" Rainbow asked, pointing to Twilight and Sarah, who were both asleep while sitting up. The two looked a mess! Their manes were really messy with bits of dirt, leaves and twigs in it, not to mention they both sported some scratches on their faces. "Um, I don't mean to sound unappreciative, but has anypony else noticed that Twilight has been a little too helpful lately?" Fluttershy asked everyone. "Now that you mention it, they were lendin' a hoof at Sweet Apple Acres the other day and stuck around 'til near midnight. Dug up fifty tree-plantin' holes when all I needed was ten." Applejack said. "They both spent an entire afternoon rearranging a single gem drawer at the boutique. An entire afternoon!" Rarity added. "You think that's weird? They raced me, like, a hundred times the other day. And lost every time! They just kept goin'! Best out of ten, best out of twenty, best out of a hundred! I mean, I know hanging out with me is awesome, but it was like Twilight and Sarah would rather keep losing than—" Rainbow Dash started "Leave?" Fluttershy finished. "Yeah. Who does that?" Rainbow asked before we saw Twilight and Sarah faceplant into the pancakes, still asleep. "Well Sarah hasn't been coming back to the home-ship while Twilight was doing all of those things, for no reason at all?" I added. "I mean, we know that she was raised in a lab but before she defeated Void, she was happy to be in her room, but now its' like she doesn't want to be in the home-ship anymore." "Yeah, something's going on with Newbie." Jack added. "Sounds like they both have been avoidin' somethin'. Soon as they wake up, we're gonna find out what." Applejack said and while she was talking, Pinkie flipped her plate and ate all of the pancakes.... before she coughed out the measuring spoon she lost in the batter, which landed in Rarity's pancakes. Well... better that Pinkie found it rather than one of us I guess. "I win!" Pinkie exclaimed, which woke up Sarah and Twilight, "Whose there?!" "Huh?! I'm pancake! I mean, awake..." We all looked at each other and nodded, "Uh, Twilight? Sarah? Is there somethin' you wanna tell us?" Applejack asked. "W-What do you mean?" Sarah asked us. "You two have been acting weird for the past week. Twilight, you kept helping your friends, which is good, but you keep stalling so you don't go home. And Sarah you haven't been coming back to the home-ship for the past week." Mason explained before Rarity came over. "You know how much we appreciate all you do for us, and we simply adore having you around... but... we worry you two might be... ahem... avoiding something else?" Twilight sighed, "Has it been that obvious?" We all slightly nodded at Twilight and Sarah. Twilight sighed, “I've been... the thing is... I know it's silly, but I... I've been avoiding... this place.” She hesitantly and honestly answered as she raised her hoof around the room. Hearing this causes Rarity to gasp at Twilight for saying that. “Why in Equestria would you want to avoid such a gorgeous castle?” She asked Twilight as she raised a hoof to around their surroundings. “Yeah.” Pinkie added agreeing with Rarity. “This place has everything!” She said as she raised her hoof and jumped up into the air. “Big tall ceilings that make you feel tiny! Shiny new floors that are cold to the touch! Brrr!” She said as she looked at her reflection in the floor, placed the side of her head on the floor before shivering from its chills. “And it even has loooong empty hallways!” She added as her voice and last spoken word echoes throughout the hallways. “The castle is amazing.” Twilight spoke not even denying its beauty. “But it just...” She added with a sigh as she briefly faced Pinkie “…It doesn't feel like home.” She finished as she laid her head onto the table looking a little depressed. "And... well.... I just... don't feel like there's any point of me staying in the home-ship with you guys." Sarah admitted. No point anymore? "What do you mean by that?" I asked Sarah, confused and slightly worried. Sarah sighed, "Ever since I first came in contact with you, I've lived in the home-ship as a way for me to help guide you guys, uncover your past and to defeat Void. Now that everything's been settled... I just don't see what else I can do here, like I've lost my purpose here.." Oh Sarah. "You haven't lost your purpose here, Sarah. You just need to find something new besides training and studying magic, that's all." Rainbow smiled. "And as for you Twilight. You simply need to decorate, darling. Make this space your own!” Rarity added. "It's just so daunting! Look how big it is! I-I don't even know where to start!" Twilight expressed before placing her head on the table (good thing Rarity moved the pancakes out of the way). "But what else could there possibly be for human-turned-pony like me?" Sarah questioned. “I was raised in lab and barely exposed to all of the activities you guys know. I didn’t know what Ice Cream was. What could there possibly be for me?” "We'll just go and find you something to do, a new hobby for you, Sarah." "And Twilight, you can start by letting us do it for you. We will make this the castle of your dreams while you go to the Ponyville spa for some much needed rest and relaxation." Kaede and Rarity added. "I'm saying this with love, but... " Rarity held up a mirror to Twilight, "Have you looked in a mirror lately? I've never seen you look this... mmmm..." "Frazzled?" Fluttershy put in. "Yes! That is absolutely the word I was going to use." Rarity said with a smile. "Well... I guess I might as well give it a try." "Ooh, I guess I do need a little help. And so does my castle. And I just know you'll do a great job, because nopony knows me better than you." Sarah and Twilight conceded. "We'll make this place feel cozier than hot cider on a rainy day." Applejack promised. Rainbow Dash gasped, "There's gonna be cider?!" earning her a deadpanned look from Applejack, "Uh, I mean, let's decorate!" "Oh, no! Did I miss the pancakes?!" a voice came and we saw Spike entering the room, throwing a blanket to the side, "I sleep like a baby under that cold, cavernous ceiling." "Spike, I'm so glad you're here!" Rarity smiled. "Really?" Spike asked. "Yes! You're taking Twilight to the spa!" Rarity smiled. "Great! I've been meaning to get my claws done!" Spike smiled before he started chewing a pancake but he noticed the looks the girls were giving him, "Oh, you mean now." And with that, after grabbing some more pancakes, Spike lead Twilight out of the room. "Come on Newbie, let's find you a new hobby in the meantime." Jack said with a toothy grin. "Alright..." Sarah said and we lead Sarah out of the room to find her something new to do now that she fulfilled what she came here to do. End of POV "Come on, y'all! We've got work to do!" Applejack smiled before the girls got to work while singing a song together. [Rainbow Dash] Let's all work together To make this castle shi-i-ine [Rarity] Once we add some sparkle It'll feel, it'll feel, it'll feel... [All] It'll feel divine [Applejack] Crates of apples an' bales o' hay Just makes ya feel at home [Fluttershy] Furry friends and some popinjays So she won't be alone [All] And we'll make, and we'll make, and we'll make This castle a home [Pinkie Pie] There's nothing like balloons and confetti To greet you every time you walk through the door [Rainbow Dash] She'll need this and those Posters of all my heroes How could anypony awesome ever ask for more? [All] And we'll make, and we'll make, and we'll make A home she'll adore [Rarity] Bright curtains of flowing silk and lace [Rainbow Dash] This picture of me winning a race [Pinkie Pie] Party cannons to give her a surprise [Applejack] Hoes and rakes and some more garden supplies [Fluttershy] Getting hugs from this nice, big, friendly bear [Rarity] Decorate with some gemstones bright and rare [Rainbow Dash] More of this and that [Pinkie Pie] Don't forget the party hats [Rainbow Dash] How could anypony awesome ask for more than that? [Applejack] Let's all work together [Fluttershy] To show that we have shown [Rarity] Princess Twilight Sparkle [All] How we make, how we make, how we make This castle a home How we make, how we make This castle a home How we make, how we make This castle a home! Ren's POV Now... what can we have Sarah do as her new hobby? That's what I was thinking about as we walked through Ponyville, searching for something that Sarah could do now that Void is defeated and that we recovered our lost memories. "How about you make dresses like Rarity does?" Kaede suggested. "Dresses....? Uh..." Sarah trailed, thinking about it and at the same time, sounded unsure about making dresses. "It's not that hard to make a dress." Kaede reassured. "Yes, but I'm not really experienced with making dresses." Sarah said gently. "Maybe you can keep the weather in check like Skittles does." Jack added. "Or be part of the Wonderbolts?" "Hmm.... maybe..." Sarah said. “Or maybe you could invent things? Davenport and Douglas are brilliant inventors. Maybe you could learn from them and make some inventions of your own.” Jamie suggested. “Hmmm.... that is true.... I could learn how to make things... things that could help ponies and other creatures. Like how my fathers created me.” Sarah said. "And you can do something like Fluttershy does, care for animals, but with you it could relate to Pokemon, since you have Pikachu and Zoura already." "Care for Pokemon.....I think I like that idea." Sarah smiled. "I like caring for others and guiding others to become stronger." "So its settled then, you can learn to invent things like your dads and you can start caring for Pokemon as your new hobbies.” I said happily. "Doesn't she need more than two Pokemon to begin caring for them?" Rantaro questioned, tilting his fedora. Oh right.... "Don't worry, I'm sure Sarah will find some more Pokemon soon." Carrie reassured. We all agreed, knowing Sarah was full of surprises before... "Well, if its more Pokemon you're looking for Sarah, dear." a voice came before a certain Lord of Chaos poofed in front of us with a present box with a rainbow bow on it. "Then I have just the thing for you." "Discord, what are you doing here?" I asked him. "Shouldn't you be annoying the girls?" Jack asked, annoyed at his mere presence. "And interupt their castle decorating plan, oh heavens no." Discord said. "Either way, I overheard you all trying to find Sarah a new purpose in life now that her previous goals have been accomplish, which is why I got her this with a few surprises in it." Discord put the box on the ground and Sarah curiously opened it, revealing two Pokemon eggs inside of it! "Pokemon eggs?!" I exclaimed in joy and surprise. How did Discord manage to get his claws on two Pokemon eggs. One Pokemon egg was light blue with a black stripe in the center while the other egg was white with a red and yellow stripe in the center as well. Odd... wonder what Pokemon they could be? Sarah gently took the eggs out with her magic. "I think you'll find these two Pokemon to be very helpful." Discord smiled. "T-Thanks Dad." Sarah smiled at Discord. Even now I still couldn't believe that Discord is actually her father, but there was no denying it given their past and history with each other. Discord did give Sarah her powers afterall and helped create her in the first place. “Your welcome, my daughter, now if you’ll excuse me I have to play a little prank of Celestia. Hehehe!” And with that he snapped his fingers and vanished. “Remind me why and how he’s Newbie’s father again?” Jack deadpanned looking at us. Trust me.... that explanation is long and a bit confusing. "What kind of Pokemon are inside?" Carrie asked. "We won't know until they hatch." I replied to her with a smile. “Now come on let’s go see how the girls are doing.” Everyone agreed and we went back to the Castle of Friendship where we found Spike and the girls, leading Twilight to the throne room. When the girls opened the door, we all saw a large chandelier handing over the Dutie Map with gem ornaments hanging down from them. “The ornaments on the chandelier are reminders of all the fun we had together.” Flutters said. “This one shows your Welcome to Ponyville party at the Golden Oak Library, welcoming you to Ponyville.” Pinkie added. “And the time we shared doubts after the Grand Galloping Gala.” Flutters smiled. “We were hoping that looking at your beautiful old mementoes would inspire you to make new ones.” “And the best part of it is, it’s made from the roots of the Golden Oak Library, so you’d never forget where you came from.” Rarity and Applejack added. Twilight turned to the girls with tears of joy in her eyes. “It’s exactly what the castle needed.” She and girls came together in a group hug. “And I am ready to make new memories here with all of you.” “Glad to hear it, Twilight.” I smiled at her. “Y-Yeah... me too...” Sarah added, rubbing the two Pokémon eggs in her hooves, ready to make new memories with all of us too.
Chapter 3: Special: Return to EarthRen’s POV Huh...where am I? What is this place…? I found myself in a sparkling void with a blue background and white stars all around the place. “Hello…?” I called out. “Ren?” “Corporeal Loodan?” Huh? I turned around and I saw Mason, Carrie, Jack, Jamie, Skye, Rantaro, Nicole, Kaede, Flutters, Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Celeste and Lulu. “Woah…. What are you all doing here?” I asked them all. “We don’t really know..” Jamie said nervously. “I was patrolling the dream realm when I saw you and the other humans having a shared dream. I figured something was up so I gathered my sister, Twilight and her friends and entered your shared dream.” Luna explained to us. Shared dream..? “A shared dream?” I repeated. Luna nodded and explained, “All of you are having the same dream together. This could be a sign of great importance.” But what could be that important that all of us were needed here. Suddenly, we heard footsteps and we saw Astral Twilight…! Kodiak’s POV Woah... what's Astral Twilight doing here? "What's going on Ren?" I asked my best friend. "I'm not sure..." Ren replied. “Good, you have all answered my summonce.” she said. Oh…. so she must have caused the shared dream. “Your summonce? For what?” Mason asked the Tree of Harmony. “I have something very important to tell all of you..” Astral Twilight said. “.... It is time for Ren and the others to return back to Earth….” We gasped in shock…. Okay… that was not expected. “R-Return… you mean…” Mason stammered. “Yes, it is time for you all to return to Earth and stop the Dusk-7 virus once and for all.” Astral Twilight said. “B-But how the hell are we supposed to get back home?” Jack questioned. “Come to the Cave of Harmony, everypony and I shall do the rest…” Astral Twilight said before she stomped her hoof and sent out a beam of magic at the nine of us and then everything turned white… Ren's POV …. ….. Gah! I shot up in bed with a small cry, shocking Kodiak awake. “Huh? Ren? What is it….?” he asked me. I caught my breath after a minute before I answered him…. “W-We’re going home, boy…” I said to him and his eyes widened in shock and surprise. “R-Really?” he asked me. “Y-Yeah. The Tree of Harmony said it was time for us to return and stop Void and his virus once and for all…” I replied. “..... I just…. Wonder what we’ll find when we get back…” Jonas, Lillie, mom, dad…. Would they still be okay…? Either way, I quickly got my clothes on and packed my Hacking Gun and hoverboard and I met with the others in the living room where they all held grim expressions. “So…. we’re… going back home for the first time, huh..?” Kaede said grimly. “Y-Yeah…. Wonder if any of our family are still alive…” Jamie said, clutching his notebook tightly. “Yeah… I mean… our home is probably in ruins…” Kaede added. “Wonder if anyone survived… I mean, we were asleep for 1,000 years like Sarah. God knows what could have happened.” Yeah… who knows what could have happened on Earth. “Well…. I guess.. We better get to the Tree, right…?” I asked everyone and they reluctantly nodded. Knock Knock Huh? Who could that be? I opened the door and found Twilight, the Mane 5, Celeste, Lulu, Cadence and Shining Armor at the door all with saddlebags on them! “What the-? Twilight, girls, Princesses, Shining Armor, what are you all doing here?” I asked them all in shock. “You think we’re really gonna let you all go home and face down Void and his virus without us?” Applejack smirked. “Yeah! If you’re going, we’re goin’ with you! Right girls?” Rainbow added. “Oooh! I’m nervouscited!” Pinkie squealed. “You do know that’s not a real word, right?” Applejack questioned her. Oh girls….. They’ve been with us through everything so far… and now they’re gonna help us save our home… “You’ve done so much for Equestria. Now it's’ time for us to return the favor.” Cadence added with a caring smile. “Yeah, I’m not gonna let one of my own go into battle without me.” Shining Armor smirked, looking at Mason. “D-Do you all have your pets with you?” Fluttershy asked everyone. We all nodded and Snow came beside Nicole, who rubbed him happily. “Great…” “Alright everypony, let’s go to the Tree of Harmony.” Celeste said and we all nodded. Wonder what we’ll find once we return home… those shadow creatures that we saw in our dreams before… if our families are even alive after all this time… there are just so many questions… and I hope some of them have happy answers. Finally, we arrived at the Castle of the Two Sisters and we entered the Cave of Harmony where we found Sarah and surprisingly Discord in front of the Tree of Harmony! “Sarah! Discord!” Sarah and Discord turned around, “Hello everypony.” Sarah greeted. “We were wondering when you would show up.” Discord added. “What are you two doing here?” Rainbow asked the two. “Uh hello? Who do you think has the power to get all of you back to Earth?” Discord asked, shocking us. “You two are gonna get us back home?!” I exclaimed to them. Sarah and Discord nodded. “We can combine our powers and open a portal back to our homeland.. Earth. When you’re ready just give the word…” Sarah said. We all looked at each other with a mixture of nervousness, excitement and worry. Who knows what will be on the other side of that portal when we enter it… but… we have to.. For our families. “We’re ready…” the nine of us said together and Sarah and Discord nodded. They joined hands and hoof and Sarah horn glowed very brightly as did the Tree of Harmony. Discord’s eyes glowed white as well and the two blasted two strong beams of magic at the center of the Tree of Harmony where a gigantic portal opened up! Wow….. Sarah and Discord stopped, “Come along now…” Sarah said before she walked through the portal along with Discord. I was still worried… would we ever be able to come back to Equestria again? Can Twilight and the others return once this is all over? What will happen… guess we have to go in to find out. “You heard Sarah, let’s go everypony..” I called them all and they all nodded and we all walked into the portal and were blinded by the bright light. …. …. …. When we opened our eyes…. Oh….my…. God….. the area around us… was almost barren…! We were all on a city street and there were meteors large and small honeycombed all over the streets and area nearby. Houses were completely destroyed, cars were burned down… and there was no sign of life. “Oh my stars..!” Rarity exclaimed. “How horrid!” “Horrid doesn’t even come close to describing this catastrophe..” Luna said, looking grimly at the destruction. “Alright, first we have to find Ren and the others family, so they’ll know they’re alright. Ren. do you know where your family lives?” Twilight asked, looking at Ren. “Oh uh… actually…” I looked around at the area and at the damaged buildings… “I lived right on this street…! MOM! DAD! JONAS! LILLIE!” I immediately bolted towards my house which was a few blocks down. “Wait up, Coral Loodan!” Skye exclaimed from behind. Oh please, tell me they’re still alive. Please, please, please… Ha.. Ha.. Ha.. finally.. My house… Oh… god… About half of the house was destroyed on one side in the front door looking to be busted in. Twilight and the others caught up and followed me inside. “Mom! Dad! Lillie! Jonas!”I called inside of the house, which was ransacked. Probably by the angry mob. The couches in the living room were flipped over, the TV was broken beyond repair where there was a small burning flame in the kitchen which was also destroyed with food all over, the refrigerator flipped on its side and the table smashed to pieces. “I can’t believe your own people would do this..” Applejack said, looking grimly at the destruction. Me either…. “Hey everypony, up here..!” Huh? Sarah? We all heard her voice upstairs and raced up and found her in the hallway where our bedrooms were. I checked all of their bedrooms…. But no sign of them.. “No…” I whispered, fearing the worst. “Newbie what did you find?” Jack asked and Sarah levitated us a small business card. It said. “Davenport Industry…” The rest of the card was burnt so we couldn't read anything else. “Davenport… isn’t that the last names of your two papas, Newbie?” Jack asked. Sarah nodded, “Yeah.. my two papas must have been here.. Too…” “So what does that mean?” Shining Armor asked. “It probably means that either her two papas came and took Ren's family to safety or something else..” Celestia stated. “Okay so where should we go next?” Rainbow asked us all. “I wanna find my gang, Skittles.” Jack stated. “Alright, then, to Austin, Texas, Discord..!” Sarah called. “As you wish, honey.” and with one snap of his fingers, Discord teleported us to Austin, Texas. Jack gasped in shock, seeing his hometown in ruins..! The buildings were barely standing, some were completely gone while others had about half of them destroyed. The meteors were also honeycombed across the entire area. “Dad.. Mom..” he said before he bolted down the road. “Wait up, fatty!” Rainbow called as she flew after him and we all followed. We made it to Jack’s house… or what was left of it. It was in a similar condition to my house. Jack grunted as we all went in search of any sign of his mom or dad. “Mom! Dad!” Jack called but he didn’t get a reply. “Dammit.. Where are they..?” Jack grumbled to himself. “Is there any other place your gang would hang out, Jack?” I asked him. “Y-Yeah, our hideout in the desert..” Jack replied. “One desert teleport, coming up.” Discord said and he snapped his fingers and we were in the desert. “Which way, Jack?” Sarah asked him. “This way…” Jack said and we followed him for about thirty minutes until we came to his gang’s hideout… we saw meteors around the hideout and the Boys! Dad! Mom!” Jack called again, scanning the ground for any sign of where his gang could have gone. “Ugh… there’s nothing here!” he yelled in annoyance and hurt. “Hey! Another card..!” Pinkie Pie called, showing us another card that said ‘Davenport Industry..” “You folks again, Newbie?” Jack questioned. “Indeed.. I remember, one of my papas always made business cards for promotion..” Sarah said looking at the card. “So you think your papas gathered Jack’s parents and gang too?” Twilight inquired. “It’s a possibility..” Sarah said. “But we have to check on their other families too.” “C-Can we c-check on mine.. Please…?” Jamie asked nervously. Sarah nodded, “Of course, Discord..?” “Oooh.. I’m on it..” Discord said and we soon reappeared in Beverly Hills, California. The entire city looked totally desolate and abandoned. Buildings were condemned and cars were in the street either on fire or crushed. Meteors were also honeycombed all over. “So where’s your mansion, Jamie..?” I asked him. “O-Over there..” Jamie pointed to a large building a couple blocks away. We all raced over and Jamie was the first to enter his mansion. “I-I remember.. One of my sisters Molly, saying something about a emergency bunker..” Jamie said. Emergency Bunker? Hmmm…. “I think I found it…!” Applejack called, pointing to a small hatch in the floor. I opened it and Celestia and Luna lit their horns and we followed them inside. The bunker looked like any other bunker I’ve seen; having some food and water… but.. There was dust everywhere, meaning someone hasn't been in here for years. Rarity coughed at the dust, “Goodness… whoever used to be in here, isn’t not here anymore..” “Oh….” Jamie said with worry. “Hey.. another one of Sarah’s fathers’ business cards. They must have been here too, Jamie.” Twilight said, showing us another business card. Jamie sighed in relief, hoping his big family was alright. “Kaede… what about you…?” Sarah asked, earning a surprised look from Kaede, “Do you wanna see your family..?” “Eh… no thanks… they never really cared about me in the first place so… they probably won’t now..” Kaede said sadly. Oh Kaede…. “Um.. Discord.. Can we go see if Elena and our family is okay?” Mason questioned Discord. “Rightio..!” and he suddenly teleported us to England in front of a large castle like-home. “That’s where we lived with Elena and the Ortega Family..” Carrie said. Mason nodded and we carefully walked through the destroyed gates, seeing the other meteors around the area. Mason carefully opened the door, which fell off of its hinges and onto the ground. “Woah….” Mason said with grief, seeing the extensive damage done to the inside of the castle. It was totally ransacked. “Elena! Cartar! Isla!” Mason called out but he didn’t get any response. “Let’s get searching there must be something here..” Twilight said and we all agreed and searched every inch of the castle… but we didn’t find anything as to where the Ortega family could have gone too. “Find anything..?” I called as we all regrouped. “Nothing..” Twilight said sadly. “I just found another one of my papas business cards..” Sarah said. “This can’t be just a coincidence…” “You think you're papas took all of our families to safety, Sarah?” Kaede asked. “Hmm… they were both geniuses, so they would probably have been prepared for an apocalypse like situation. There is a high chance, but the question is where exactly did they take everyone who managed to survive all of this…?” “It would have to be someplace where few people would know about.” Luna said. “Indeed sister. The hiding place would have to be hidden extremely well for them to survive this long..” Celestia said. “The question is where..?” Suddenly, a bright glow came and we saw Astral Twilight once more. “The Tree of Harmony?” Twilight gasped in awe. “Hello everyone….” she greeted. “What are you doing here?” I asked it. “I am here to guide you to where your families are located..” she said. What?! “Y-You know where my papas took them to?” Sarah asked her mentor. Astral Twilight nodded, “Yes Sarah. I can teleport you all there so you can reunite with them..” she stomped her hoof and she teleported us all to an extremely large, barren field. There were no sign of plant or animal life anywhere! “Oh my goodness…!” Fluttershy gasped in horror, seeing no animals or plants near and far. Astral Twilight started to walk away from us and she turned to us, “Follow me…” We all looked at each other but we trusted the Tree of Harmony through the barren land for almost an hour.. “Does anypony else notice that we haven’t ran into those shadow creatures?” Rainbow asked. “That’s the only good thing about this, Skittles.” Jack claimed. “I must agree with Jack.” Nicole said. “This is the only upside to our.. Destroyed world…” I have to agree with Nicole… no shadow creatures, that’s the only thing good about this.. I mean.. All our homes are gone and our families are… God knows where… Then, Astral Twilight stopped at something…a small hatch? “What the hell..?” Jack asked. Then, she turned to us… “What you seek.. lies beneath you all…” Astral Twilight said. Lies beneath us..? “The rest is up to you all now… keep hope and light in your hearts and you will succeed in restoring you home.” Astral Twilight then stomped her hoof and sent a beam at Sarah and made her glow…. And turn into her real form.. A human. As a human, Sarah was 18 years old with long, black, shoulder length hair with a rainbow stripe in the center of it, just like her mane did. She wore a white shirt with an alicorn on it and she wore jeans and a pair of black sneakers. All in all… she looked… hot. “Wow…. nice look, Newbie…” Jack stated. Sarah nodded at him. “Thanks..” She then bent down and knocked on the hatch. We waited for a minute before it moved and opened a little and pair of eyes appeared and asked, “Who are you…?” Sarah grinned at the voice, “.... Dad…” The pair of eyes widened and the hatch opened some more… revealing Donald Davenport..! “S-Sarah….” he said in shock. Sarah smiled and tears started to come out, “Daddy…” Donald teared up and the two of them hugged each other with such joy and relief. “I-I thought you were gone forever…” Donald said to her. “It’s okay dad…. We’re home…” Sarah said. Donald then wiped his tears and saw the rest of us. “Ren, Jack, Rantaro, Nicole, Jamie, Skye, Carrie, Mason, Kaede and…. Several… ponies..?” Donald stated. “They’re a long story…” I said to him, pointing at Twilight and the others. “So… can we come in…?” “Of course… your families have been waiting for all of you…” Donald said and she climbed back down the hatch, “Come on..” he called. Sarah was the first one to climb down while Twilight and the others either flew or were carried down into the hatch as we all followed Donald. When we made it to the ground we all saw a gigantic metal cave that looked like some kind of lab.. Kinda. There was a cyber desk and some screens on one side while the other side contained some beds. There were about five more tunnels that extended from the center. “What the hell is this place?” Rantaro asked. “This… is where the ones who survive now live until we can find a way to end this crisis.” Donald said. I was amazed by this. Donald and his brother created this entire… underground world? "Amazing..." Shining Armor gasped in awe. "Yeah." Twilight added. "Uh... Donny....?" Huh? Is that? We turned and we saw his brother, Douglas Davenport coming into the main room, "Who are the ponies?" Sarah smiled and walked over to her second father, "Hi daddy..." Sarah grinned. "Sarah.... is that you...? You're a pony too..?" Douglas asked in awe. Sarah nodded and Douglas smiled and bend down and the two shared a hug with each other. Awww.... finally... Sarah's reunited with her family again. "H-How did you get here?" Douglas asked. "We started searching for our families at our houses which were completely or almost destroyed by the meteors and we found your business cards at each house, so we figured you guys took them somewhere safe." I explained to them. "Ha! And you said that was a stupid thing to do." Donald bragged, earning a sigh from his brother. "Anyway, we were all lead here to this... underground sanctuary.." I finished and asked the dreaded question.. "So.... are our families... here?" Donald and Douglas looked at each other and nodded, "Follow us.." Donald said and he and his brother went down the first tunnel to the far right. Me and the others looked at each other with worry as we followed the duo down the metal hallway. We all came out to a fork that held three large doors on the far side. Donald went over to the first large door, "Your families are in here..." Donald said before he cracked the door open. "Everyone.... I have something for you all..." Donald called out. I held my breath as a large group of about 50 people came out of the room and when they laid their eyes at us, their eyes widened as well as our own... J-Jonas... Lillie... Mom... Dad....! T-They were all here.... Our families... we here....! I...I couldn't believe it.... t..they were all here... "Mom... Dad... Jonas... Lillie..." I gently called. Third Person POV "R-Ren...." Ren's father gaped in utter shock while his mother started shedding tears, "Y-You're alive...!" Ren, himself shed tears at that moment, "I-I am..." he said. Ren's father, mother, Jonas and Lillie all rushed towards him and he rushed towards them and they came into one heartwarming group hug, shedding tears of joy. Fluttershy couldn't help but shed tears of her own at her boyfriends reunion with his family after all this time. Jamie's 30 sisters bombarded him with hugs, kisses and look overs while Jamie tried to calm them all down. "Girls, girls, I'm alright.. r-really..?" Jamie stammered to make them back off a little. "Jamie, what happened to you.." one of his elder sisters, Karli, asked him. "It's a very, very long story..." Twilight said as she came up to him, much to the girls surprise. "Whose the purple pony, Jamie?" one of his younger sisters, Lilly, asked him. "T-This is Princess Twilight Sparkle... she's my... girlfriend.." Jamie replied with a blush. "Girlfriend?!" His 30 sisters squealed with joy before they bombared him and Twilight with congratulations and hugs. Jack, meanwhile, reunited with his father, Ryutaro Yamaki, and his mother, Midori Yamaki. "Oh honey, we're so happy you're back.." Midori said with tears in her eyes. Ryutaro patted him on the back, "Now where did you get off to all this time?" he asked. "It's a long story... dad...." Jack stated as Rainbow Dash came over, "Relax, I've been keeping an eye on, fatty." "I'm not fat! I'm husky, Skittles!" Jack exclaimed at the rainbow haired pegasus but before the two could get into another argument. "Uh... whose the floating horse?" one of Jack's gang members said. "HEY! I'm no horse! I'm a pony! A pegasus pony, bub!" Rainbow exclaimed at him. "I see you picked a spirited one, my boy.." Ryutaro smirked at his son. "We are not dating.." Jack and Rainbow deadpanned at him but Midori squealed, "Aww... my son finally found himself someone to love..." "MOOOOOM!" Jack whined with a blush on his face. Mason and Carrie, on the other hand, were reunited with the Olena Royal Family. "Elena...." Mason smiled with joy. "Oh Mason, Carrie, thank goodness you're alright..." Elena said with joy as she hugged the two of them. Carter and Isla cme up to the siblings with tears in their eyes, "We were heartbroken when we thought the worst had happened to you, but now you both are alive and safe and sound." Hugo, Mason's rival just sighed irritably, "Great, he's back.." "Excuse me, young man but you should be grateful Mason and Carrie are well and safe." Rarity scolded him. "And what are you suppose to be?" Hugo questioned. "I am a unicorn, by the name of Rarity and I would apperciate it if you would treat my Mason with respect..!" she exclaimed at him, shocking Carter and Isla. "Mason... whose is that...?" Carter asked. "That is Lady Rarity, she's a very good friend of mine along with the others. And she's.... my girlfriend now.." Mason explained with a blush. "Girlfriend?" Elena questioned and Rarity came over, "Afraid so, darling. Mason loved you deeply when he was in this world but when a horrible creature named Void said that he unleashed his Virus on Earth, he thought the worse had happened to you." she explained. "When Void turned me into an evil creature, Mason's love helped me break away from his control..." Elena smiled at the pair as Rarity nuzzled Mason and Mason rubbed her mane happily. Kaede was approached by her two step-sisters and step-mother. Kaede glared at the three humans who treated her like servant when she was here, but... it softened seeing remorse and guilty faces. "H-Hey... Kaede.... you're.... well..." her Step mother stated. "Uh... yeah..." Kaede said before the three of them just walked away from her, much to her confusion. Skye was approached by her parents who were about 6'1. Her mother had red hair that went down to her shoulders and she wore an army green camo shirt with army patterned pants and shoes. Her father had short hair, like Donald and he was wearing army jeans with a lime green shirt as well. "Skye, our dear daughter." "You're safe." they both smiled as they hugged their daughter, who hugged them back. Rantaro.... was approached by an adult man who wore a fedora like he did and he had a small beard as well. He wore a white shirt underneath his black jacket and he wore black jeans and shoes as well. He matched the photo that Rantaro had in his phone. "...... Hi dad...." Rantaro stated. Rantaro's father, Carl, looked at his son, "H-Hi son.....you've grown up...." Rantaro just nodded. After that, everyone gathered around and Sarah explained to them, the new arrivals, "These ponies are from Equestria, where Ren and all the others, including myself were teleported to. The four alicorns are Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight. Celestia and Luna are the Rulers of Equestria while Cadence is the Ruler of the Crystal Empire along with her husband, Shining Armor. Twilight is the Princess of Friendship and these are her friends; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. And this is Discord, one of the three fathers who created me." Ren and the others families were amazed to see the ponies and Discord in the flesh. "Unbelievable.." Ren's father replied in awe. "So.... what happened to you... all of you were presumed dead after that explosion at the lab..?" Donald questioned. "I can explain..." A familiar voice came and appeared Astral Twilight. "WOAH! Whose the sparkling...?" Ryutaro questioned. "That is Astral Twilight.. otherwise known as the Tree of Harmony, a powerful tree that keeps control of the Everfree forest in our world. It is also Sarah's surrogate mother.." Luna explained, much to her papas, save for Discords', shock. "Indeed. After the explosion I teleported all of them here where they all rested for 1,000 years, through to you all it might have been two or three years since then. During that time, I sent Sarah on her journey to spread light and hope to defeat her brother Void and guide Ren and the other humans in the right direction. Sarah's final battle with Void came and in the end, Sarah destroyed him, making sure his evil powers would never set forth in the world again and Ren and the others, save for Skye, Rantaro and Nicole, had unlocked their hidden powers that the meteorites and Sarah gave to them all. Together, they all shall finish Void's Dusk-7 Virus once and for all. So that you all can live in peace once more." "But.. how...?" Douglas asked. "We've tried everything but nothing works against those Dusk-7 monsters. They're too strong." "Only because they feed off of hopelessness and despair; emotions of dark. Only when countered by the emotions of light; hope and love, can they all be defeated once and for all and your planet shall be free once more...." And with that Astral Twilight disappeared. "Hope and love...?" Donald asked. "Two very powerful emotions that can make great good happen." Princess Celestia said. "I've seen the Magic of Love and the Magic of Hope first hoof cause of my niece and Sarah. They both defeated great enemies using their magic and I believe that together with the Elements of Harmony, we can all free your land from this Dusk-7 Virus." Ren and the others families looked at each other with hope in their eyes now. "So... how can we spread out that much magic across the entire planet?" Douglas asked. "Alicorn Magic is extremely powerful, able to accomplish things Unicorn Magic cannot do. Combined with the Elements of Harmony, Twilight and her friends along with Ren and the others shall rid your planet of the virus that has plagued it for so long." Celestia said before she opened her saddlebag and revealed all of the Elements of Harmony. Jamie's 30 sisters cooed in awe at the magical artifacts as Celestia placed them on their respective wielders. Donald and Douglas went to the computers and did a scan of the whole planet. "Alright... the entire planet is suffering from the virus, except for our little patch of land.." Donald said. "You'll have the expel a whole lot of magic for it to reach the entire planet." "Count on it.." Rainbow exclaimed. Twilight and the others nodded. "Alright then.... let's do it.." Donald smiled. Sarah peeked out of the hatch door and saw nothing for miles. No Dusk-7 creatures. "It's clear.." she said and she levitated herself out of the hatch and Twilight and all of the others followed, including Ren and the others families and all the other people who had managed to survive the disaster which was about 100 people, excluding the families. Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, Cadence, Ren, Jamie, Jack, Mason, Carrie and Kaede stood in a large circle with Sarah in the center. Sarah closed her eyes and her Element of Faith glowed brightly and she levitated into the air. Her Element sent out magical lines that attached themselves to Twilight and the others hearts. Twilight and the others levitated into the air as well with their Elements of Harmony glowing, Cadence activated her magic and Ren and the others activated their power. They formed a large circle in the air around Sarah and they shined very brightly as they were consumed in a giant bubble filled with the Magic of Love and Hope. The large amount of magic spread and touched every part of the world, destorying any Dusk-7 virus infected monsters from the world, restoring the world to when humans didn't arrive on the planet. Vast fields, forest, rainforest, savannahs, arctic lands, swamps, marshes, everglades. It was all restored to it former glory and all of the animals were brought back to life as well, having unfortunately perished in the disaster. Finally, the crushed and demolished buildings and cars disappeared and the destroyed city was replaced with vast fields and forests. Ren and the others families as well as the people were gawked at the restoration of their homeworld and the Princesses and Discord smiled proudly as the group levitated down and took a look at the aftermath of their powers. The people cheered proudly as the blue skies were finally back and their world was finally free. Sarah and the Mane Six powered down their Elements and Cadence and the others stopped their magic. "Holy crap baskets...." Ren gasped. "It's like we were never here.... the wide open fields... the forests... we restored it to a time when humans didn't arrive... when the world belonged to the animals.." Kaede gasped, seeing the vast number of wild animals roaming the fields and forests. "Incredible...." Ren's mother gasped in awe. "Looks like... we all to start rebuilding civilization..." Donald gasped in awe. Ren and the others were happy that their world was fully restored to it former glory and beauty. "So... Ren... everyone.... are you... gonna stay here..?" Twilight popped the question to all of them. Ren and the others looked at each other. They finally had their family back and their former home was restored... but... they had another family in Equestria... with Twilight and the others.. there was so much to explore in Equestria. "How about I just give you nine these...?" Discord smiled and he snapped his fingers and gave Ren and the others special bracelets. "What are these for..?" Ren asked Discord. "One touch and they'll allow you to return here so you can be with your families whenever you want to." Discord smiled and Ren and the others smiled. "Thank you Discord..!" Ren exclaimed and Discord smiled. "Of course.." Discord smiled. "So.... everyone wanna start over...?" Donald asked everyone and they all cheered happily. Epilogue....
Chapter 4: A Boyfriend for SarahRen's POV "Okay, just hold still Kodiak..." Just one more spot and it's finally complete. We spent all morning to noon time at the pool before drying off and began doing other activities, and this is one of them which I suggested. Painting, obviously. I was busy painting a portrait of Kodiak and I was nearly done. The others in the meantime were in the living room minding their own business. Kaede and Rarity talking about fashion while Mason stood next to them with his eyes closed in deep thought. Jack, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were having an arm wrestling competition with either showing off their brute strength, Twilight and Jamie were taking notes with each other on facts between their two worlds, Fluttershy was near me watching me paint which I didn't mind while Rantaro and Nicole were busy minding their own business sitting down on the couches with bored looks, well I don't know about Nicole because she just has that neutral look on that face like she isn't showing any fear at all. But I was almost done with Kodiak's portrait. Just need the final touch of it and...boo-yeah! "Done!" "About time!" Kodi sighed in relief as he gotten out of his pose and walked over to the portrait, seeing it him with a bright smile with his tongue out as he looked at the sky upwards. "Ooh, I look good!" The others, except Rantaro and Nicole, stopped what they were doing and came over to see my portrait, impressing them with my artwork while they felt amazed by its designs. "You can say that again!" Kaede complimented. "You know Ren, your art skills are really improving." "You think so?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. "It looks so peaceful." Fluttershy smiled before asking "So have you been selling any artwork lately?" "Not much, but I know that one day that a bunch of ponies are gonna come in and admired by artwork." I assured with a grin. "You sure have a lot of confidence there partner." Applejack smiled, admiring a bit of my confidence. "Well I wouldn't say 'confidence', I would say 'optimistic'." I shrugged before hearing loud knocking on the door. "Huh, now what?" Jack asked irritably as we walked over to the door, only to be met by no one. "Huh?" Jack looked down and saw a bouquet of flowers with a note attached to it. He picked them up and brought them in. "What's with the flowers?" I asked. "I don't know, they were just left on the doorstep." Jack stated. "Hey, what's with the note?" Kaede asked. She went over and read the note: To the one who shines above all the rest, Sarah "Uh.... so,,,, what exactly does this mean exactly?" Sarah asked confused at to what the note protrayed. "Isn't it obvious darling?" Rarity cooed. Sarah blinked twice, "What's obvious?" "Sarah, you've been getting flowers and chocolates for the past week and now you've got a little note. You serious don't know what this means?" I asked her incredelously. "No.... I don't...." Sarah said blankly, causing some of us to comically fall down. She cannot be serious... but then again, she was raised a in a top secret lab by scientists, Nicole and Discord, so I guess I can't exactly blame her not knowing everything that we know. "It means you have a secret admirer darling~" Rarity sang. "What's that?" Sarah exclaimed. "A secret admirer?" I added. "Is bascially someone who really really likes you and wants to go out with you on a date, but they're too scared to come out and say it to your face so they use things like flowers, chocolates and notes to express their feelings." "Oh....." "Now who could be your secret admirer?" Applejack asked. "I don't know, the note doesn't have a name on it." Kaede stated. "So how are we gonna find out whose Sarah's secret admirer?" Rainbow questioned. "We'll just have to wait until he sends something else." Mason said. "Yeah, so I can tell him to back off!" Jack exclaimed. "Jack!" Kaede scolded. "Hey, I'm her father. That's my job!" Donald stated. "Big D!" Kaede scolded again. Oh boy, Jack and Big D are in their 'protect Sarah' modes and that can't be good.. for the admirer. I forgot to tell you Donald and Douglas decided to come back with us after we freed Earth from the Dusk-7 Virus along with Tasha. They decided that it was time they spent some more time with Sarah to make up for the years of absence. "Donny, let the girl have some first love." Douglas said, coming to his side. "It'll be good for her." "But what if he's bad news?" Donald questioned. "Now, now you two, we don't know exactly what kind of boy this admirer is. We should wait to see what kind of boy is Sarah's admirer before you two go and knock him into next week." Nicole explained. Jack and Big D sighed and agreed with me. "Fine." "Good." I said. "Now we wait." The Next Day I was walking with Sarah through with Kodiak and Pikachu by our side. "So whose this secret admirer I've been hearing about?" Kodi teased. Sarah rolled her eyes with a small blush. "Kodi, I told you we don't know who he is." "All that we know is that he likes Sarah." I pointed out. That's when Sarah turned around, "Oh, hello." We all turned to see a male stallion. A quite handsome stallion at that. He was a unicorn and he had light golden fur and a slick black mane and tail and his cutie mark was a picture of a wolf. He was blushing while holding another bouquet of flowers in his magic. "Umm.. hello.. Queen Sarah. Hehehe." he greeted nervously. "Hi, I'm guessing you're my secret admirer?" Sarah asked. The stallion nodded and levitated the flowers to her. "T-These are for you." Sarah smiled, "Thank you." "So.. um.. Queen Sarah... i-if you h-have some free time... um... would you.. um... go out with me?" the stallion asked, rubbing his leg. Sarah grinned at the stallion. "Yes, I'll go on a date with you... um.. I didn't get your name." "M-My name! I-It's Aura Moon." "Aura Moon." The stallion smiled happily. "I-I'll come by at six." "I'll be waiting." Sarah said and the stallion walked away happily. "Looks like someone has a date tonight." I teased. Sarah smiled. "I guess I do." Then Kodi's ears perked up, "What is it boy?" I asked. He walked over to a rather large bush. Wait. That bush was not here before. I pulled apart the bush to reveal. "Girls, Jack, Douglas, Big D! What are you doing in there?" It was true. The girls, Jack, Douglas and Big D were wearing bush hats while crouching in the bush. "Umm... nothing." Twilight said. "Spying on Sarah to see her admirer." Applejack admitted. "Applejack!" Rarity scolded. "Hey, I'm the Element of Honesty. I never tell a lie!" Applejack defended. "We just wanted to make sure the stallion is right for newbie." Jack said. "Yeah, pretty boys like him either want her for her money or popularity." Big D added. "Guys, he was stammering when he was asking her out on a date.." Kodi pointed out. "He stammered more than Jamie and acts as shy as Fluttershy. I don't think he's the kind of guy to deceive Sarah." "He asked you out?!" Douglas exclaimed. "Yes, she's going out at six tonight." Kodiak smiled. Rarity and Kaede squealed again. "Oh, we must get you ready for your big day!" Rarity levitated Sarah in her magic. "To my boutique!" and the girls rushed off with a bewildered Sarah in Rarity's magical grasp. "Hey! Wait!" We all sweat dropped as they left. "What the fudge was that about?" Jack asked. "Just girls getting her ready for her date." Douglas said. "Hmm... I don't know there's something about that stallion that I don't like. I just feel it." Big D said. "Donny, relax. If Sarah wants to go out on a date then let her." "Oh look whose talking you never dated anyone beside a computer program!" "Hey Data Stream was the love of my life." "You were in love with a computer program?" Kodi asked in a deadpan voice. "That's sad. And I don't even have a date." Jack stated. "Oh gee, I wonder why?" Rantaro said. "Maybe it's because you fat and aggressive." A tick mark appeared on Jack's head. "Hey! Watch it! Before I beat you down!" he exclaimed. "Boys, calm down." Mason scolded. "Fighting is not gonna solve anything." Jack growled and turned away from Rantaro. "So what do we do now?" he asked. "What else? Go see how the girls are doing with Sarah." Douglas stated. We all looked at each other and shrugged. We went to Carousal Boutique and I knocked on the door. "Come in!" Rarity's singing voice came. We entered the boutique. "Hey Girls, where's Sarah?" I asked. Rarity and Kaede snickered. "Come on out darling." Rarity called and out came Sarah wearing a gorgeous dress. It was hot pink and yellow with curles on the ends and near her waist. She had a hot pink belt around her waist and she was wearing golden shoes as well. As Rarity would say, she looked smashing. We were all jaw dropped at her. She had her hair in a bun and she was wearing a golden star pink behind her ear and was still wearing her crown. "So.. how do I look?" She asked nervously. "You look..... Awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed. "You look fine, sugarcube." Applejack stated. "You're gonna knock his hooves off when he sees you." Sarah blushed a little. "Hehehe." Big D and Jack approached her, "You'll be careful tonight, honey?" Big D asked. "Yes dad. I'll be fine." "Are you sure, newbie?" Jack inquired. Sarah giggled, "Yes, how about this, I bring Pikachu and Zoura with me. They can watched over me and Aura Moon." Big D and Jack looked at each other and nodded, then they turned back to Sarah. "Alright.. they can go." Sarah smiled and hugged her dad and Jack. "Thank you." "Now let's take this dress off, Sarah. You have four hours till your date." Kaede said. Sarah nodded and she and Kaede went in the back. Big D and Jack sighed. "She'll be fine, you two." Mason said. "I know, I know, it's just .... sigh." Big D said. "She's growing up so fast." "I know and she'll be fine on her own." I reassured. Big D and Jack still looked unsure about this. Even with their confident looks I could feel something was bothering at them from within. POV Ends Four hours had passed and it was time for my date. Rarity dropped off my dress at my castle and six o'clock and at 5:30pm I got ready for my date. Ren and the everyone else came to see me off. After I got my dress on it was five minutes to six o'clock. "So where is he taking you for your date?" Pinkie asked. "It's nothing too big, we're just gonna go to Sugarcube Corner." I answered. Rarity gasped happily, "Awww.... that's so sweet." Jack scoffed. "Cheap bastard." "Jack, we don't know if he's wealthy or not. Don't make assumptions." Mason scolded. Jack growled and crossed his arms across his chest. "Still." Knock Knock Knock "Eeeeeee! He's here!" Pinkie squealed. Ren opened the door and Aura Moon walked in wearing a tuxedo with golden ampules and black shoes on. "H-Hello P-Princess... r-ready to go?" Aura asked nervously. I nodded, "I'm ready. Pikachu, Zoura, come on!" Pikachu and Zoura leaped onto my shoulders. Aura Moon didn't mind them at all. In fact, he found them kinda cute. Either way, we both headed out and we walked to Sugarcube Corner. Aura opened the door and let me go in first, like a gentlemen. After that, Aura went to the counter where Ms. Cake was present. "Hello, what can I get you?" she asked. "Two p-pieces of cake and a m-milkshake please." Aura said, stammering a little bit. "Coming right up." We went over to our seats and sat down. Pikachu and Zoura leaped onto the table. "So Aura Moon, how long have you been living in Ponyville?" I asked him. "Actually I don't live in Ponyville." Aura replied. "Then where do you live?" Aura rubbed his hooves nervously, "It's complicated." That's when Ms. Cake came up with our order. "Here you go." I noticed the milkshake had two straws in it. I saw Ms. cake giving me a wink as she walked away, making her blush a little. I picked up my fork and I started eating the cake. "So Aura, what kind of spells do you know?" "Umm... only basic spells like levitation and transfiguration, things like that." Aura replied. We both stared at the milkshake wanting a drink but... "... Y-You can drink first." Aura stammered. "N-No you go first." I replied. "No you." "No you." "How about we do it... together?" "O-Okay." We both slowly moved towards the straws and we closed our eyes and took a sip out of the milkshake. When we were done we removed our lips from the straws and opened out eyes. We looked at each other blushing and giggled. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see three bruly looking stallions. They were all wearing biker outfits like Jacks. One stallion had a Mohawk and a scar over his left eye. The second one had a short hair and scratches on his face and the last one was wearing jewelry on his ear and he also had a scare on his eye but it was his right eye and not his left. The three of them came over to our table, making Aura flinch a little. "Hey there little lady?" the leader stallion started. "You wanna go out with me?" I could smell his bad breath and it almost made me throw up but I held it in. "Sorry. uh.. boys, but I already have a date." I replied. Aura then stood up and gently grabbed my hand. Pikachu and Zoura leaped onto my shoulders again. He took me outside and the three stallions followed, "Come on S-Sarah, let's g-go back to the home-ship." The three stallions' eyes widened at the word 'castle'. "Sarah? As in Queen Sarah?!" the second stallion exclaimed. "Umm.. yes." I said nervously. I saw the boys smiling at each other and then they turned to me with devious smirks. Aura came in front of me. "Stay away from her!" Aura exclaimed. The two following stallions laughed. "No can do, whimp. This Queen is coming with us." The leader stallion stated. All three of the ponies suddenly changed into large black wolves! Holy! I did not see that coming at all! Okay... now I'm scared. "And there's nothing you can do about it." the leader wolf said. Hmm... reminds me of the telepathy ability from pokemon. Aura stared at the wolves intensely as they circles us. I whimpered a little and I heard Aura suddenly growling like a dog and his eyes turned red. "Aura?" (Skip to 1:00) Just then, he instantly turned into a large wolf with light brown fur. He was growled and he roared at the three stallions as he stood in front of me. This was so unexpected. I did not expect my date to turn into a wolf to defend me! Aura pounced onto the leader wolf which was twice the size as the other two wolves. The two wolves bit each other and slashed each other with their claws ferociously. The other two wolves came charging in. "Aura!" I cried. Aura saw them coming and launched himself at them, knocking them both to the ground. Grass flung into the air as the three wolves fought viciously. Finally, Aura clawed the two wolves in the face, nearly scratching their eyes, making them blind. The wolves backed off as the lead wolf approached. "Stay away from the Princess." Aura demanded with a snarl. The lead wolf snarled. "This isn't over." he declared and he and his followers ran away into the night. Aura changed back into his pony self and walked up to me. "Are you okay Sarah?" he asked. "Y-Yeah, I'm good." I replied. "Holy...!" Me and Aura turned around to see Ren, the others, the Mane 6 and my dads staring at us with shocked, surprised and amused expressions. "... Looks like the cat's out of the bag now." Arua said nervously. "Hehehe." Ren's POV Holy cow! What did we just see?! Aura literally changed into a wolf! This so reminds me of Twilight: New Moon! Aura is Jacob! Oh my God! Okay.. okay.. sigh... calm down Ren. Let's just ask him a few questions so we can find out more about him." "Alright you little... changing.. bastard. Why didn't you tell us you could change into a wolf?" Jack interrogated. Aura flinched a little under Jack, Douglas and Big D's stares. "Because if I told you then I feared my pack would hear about this." "Your pack?" I asked. "Yes. I live in a clan of ponies who are... like me. And it's against our pack law to date a human." Aura explained. "But why are you dating Sarah?" Carrie asked. "Since Sarah was an artificial human, its technically a loophole in dating an artificial human, so I can date her." Aura added. "Okay but who were those other ponies?" Mason questioned. "They're... part of my pack. They think since they're bigger and stronger they can date the better female, which in this case is Sarah." "So you fought them to keep her to yourself?" I inquired. Aura nodded. Jack crossed his arms over his chest as did Douglas and Big D. Aura looked at them nervously. "... Well..." Douglas started. "Since it's clear you're not a dirty bastard I guess you're okay in my book." Jack claimed. "Really?" Aura asked. "Yeah. You did protect Sarah which is what we always try to do when something happens. Now we know she'll have someone to protect her when we can't be there." Big D said. Aura and Sarah smiled. He hugged her father and Jack. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." she said. The three boys laughed. "Your welcome, honey." Douglas said. The rest of us smiled at the loving scene. "So what do we do now?" Ren asked. "Your date was ruined by those three stallions." Kaede added. Rarity suddenly came up to Sarah. "I have just the thing." and she dragged her out of the home-ship. "Woah!" "Hey!" Aura cried. All of us followed the two females to Rarity's boutique where we saw a small round table with a blue cloth and two lit candles on it. There were two plates with a simple steak and mashed potatoes dinner. "Uhhh, what's going on here?" I asked. Rarity levitated Aura over and placed him in one of the chairs and Sarah in the other. "Consider this a date do-over." Rarity said. Sarah and Aura were speechless but they did blush at one another. "Now, now, everyone let's give these two some privacy." Rarity said as she shooed us out of the shop and let Sarah and Aura have their date do-over in peace.
Chapter 5: Trade YaSarah's POV As we were just arriving at Rainbow Falls, Pinkie couldn't help but squeal out loud from the window in excitement. "Ahhhh! Yes! Best day ever!" She pulled herself away from the window and looked at us. "We're all going to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange!" At that moment, the train came to a stop and began letting ponies out. Applejack was the first one to walk out so she could get her cart out of the way. Outside, she began making sure everything that belonged to the others was inside of the cart. As for the others, they were able to stretch their legs on the platform next to the train while Pinkie Pie continued to jubilantly talk. "And not just going – we're accompanying a Queen and Princess on an official royal duty!" She mentioned us as Twilight was retrieving her box of books. "Please, it's not that big of a deal." Twilight brushed off lightly, as well as hinting back at her dislike of being treated more than any other pony. "There always has to be a princess at the Exchange." She explained as we began walking towards the main part of Rainbow Falls. "Last year was Princess Cadence. This year it's Sarah and Me. It's just a formality. I'm sure none of the other ponies will even notice we're here." We suddenly heard a large cheer of a crowd. On the other side of the tunnel, a banner unfurled before us as confetti immensely dropped from above. "Wow, look over there! It's the prince and princess!" One of the ponies from the crowd shouted out. "Oh, this is amazing!" Another exclaimed. The unexpected festivities left mostly Twilight paralyzed in surprise. While I was pretty startled as well, it didn't affect me as much. "Could be wrong…but…" Applejack began to say. "I think it's still pretty new to them." She mentioned with a teasing and slightly smug grin. Twilight laughed nervously as she forced herself to place on a welcoming and thankful grin for the crowd. After managing to share the endurance of all that attention, Twilight and I were able to have a breather once we pulled out of that mess. It was more of a mental mess, not a physical mess, to clarify. "Hold on a second." Applejack brought up. "You said there always has to be a princess at the Exchange. Why does it have to be the both of you this year?" She questioned. "I thought it would be something like you being this year and Sarah being next year." "Yeah and Sarah is a Queen so that would mean only you have to be at the exchange." Ren pointed out as well, he was holding some mint comic books in his hands. "Well, Sarah and I both agreed that we are a team." Twilight almost proudly recalled. "Whatever we're tasked with, we both talk over and make a choice together. The both of us are just as important as each other." She clarified, glancing over to me. "Ooh." Applejack understood. "Oh, my goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed at the sight of what appeared to be a cupid bunny that was coincidentally pointing a heart arrow at both Fluttershy and me. "You said it!" Rarity exchanged, observing herself wear an elegant hat in a mirror. "The Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange is simply divine. You can get anything you want here!" "I can see.." Kaede said, looking at a beautiful flora hat. "If'n you got the goods to trade for it." Applejack made an almost doubting point. Nevertheless, Rarity completed her trade for another hat and joined us back in the group. Ren and the others had some stuff to trade for the exchange as well and I had my saddlebag with me with some things that I would want to trade. Snowflake, Pikachu and Zoura joined me for the exchange today. After a few seconds, we heard something small trip and fall, causing us to look back. "Nooo!" Spike cried out at the sight of something in front of him beginning to make its way to a small muddy puddle. However, Twilight quickly grabbed ahold of it with her magic and returned it back to Spike. "Thanks, Twilight. Whew. One ding, nick or dent, and this Power Ponies comic book wouldn't be in perfect mint condition anymore." He explained his reaction. "And if you want to trade for a mint comic, you gotta have a mint comic." "That's a fact." Ren smiled. "That's nice…" I was only able to comment before ponies caught sight of us and began murmuring in excitement, giving us unneeded attention once again. Twilight quickly trotted to my side, placed a hoof on me, and gestured me with her head that we should get going. Then, she walked in a fast pace while I followed calmly behind. "I guess a pony who's here on official princess business has to expect a little fussin'." Applejack mentioned. "I don't really see why." Twilight wondered as she reached her stand and began preparing her books. "I know we're royalty and all, but all we're supposed to do is settle disagreements over whether a trade is fair or not. And since the rule is that a trade is fair as long as both ponies get what they want, there's never been a disagreement. So there's really no reason for anypony to treat us as anything special." Twilight noticed a small little filly that appeared before us excitedly. "Hi!" She warmly greeted. "Can I help you?" The filly grinned brightly and turned to surprisingly pull out a couple of photos of Twilight and me, appearing to want our autographs. This led Twilight to sigh, pull out a quill, and sign the pictures. "There's a pony here who's got a signed first edition of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue, and I'm gonna get it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed out loud as Twilight did her signing. "I've been able to get first editions of all of the Daring Do books, except this one!" Once Twilight finished, she lent me her quill so I could autograph my signature as well. "Nopony's ever put together a whole set, and I'm gonna be the first! If it hasn't been traded yet... It's the only one in all of Equestria!" The filly couldn't help but hug us both before she hopped off in joy. "So Flutters, what do you have to trade?" Ren asked his girlfriend. "I did want to trade this bear call I've got for a bird whistle…" She pulled out a small wooden whistle from beneath her wing. "Then I'll help you get your bear call whistle." Ren smiled. "Oh, thank you Ren." Fluttershy smiled. "Meanwhile, I'll help Skittles get her puny book." Jack stated. "Great! Let's go!" Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed ahold of Jack dashed out of the area. "Well, I'm off to take a gander at some of the vintage stalls." Applejack mentioned next after pulling her bag out of the cart holding the others' stuff. "Did you say vintage?" Rarity asked in piqued interest and grabbed ahold of her saddlebag to join Applejack on her trot. "Why, old and rare items are so in style right now! I'm hoping to get a vintage item as well…" Her voice trailed off as she grew further away from us. "I'm also off to find a nice piece of minty-ness to exchange for this bad boy." Spike held up his comic before walking off happily. As Twilight removed the last of her books from the box to place on the stand, Pinkie stood behind in a confused state. "Um, shouldn't your Queen and Princessness be headed to the royal box seats?" She asked and pointed towards the other side of the Exchange. "We may be the Queen and Princess on duty, but I don't think that means we have to sit up there all alone doing nothing." Twilight responded. "Ever since I became a princess, Celestia's been sending me more books to read than ever. The library's overflowing, so I figured while we're here, I might as well trade away some books I don't need anymore!" She presented a reasonable point while placing away the cardboard neatly. "Mm-hm!" Pinkie happily agreed. "I guess I should go take a look around too! Bye!" She waved swiftly and bounced off. As Twilight continued carefully angling and perfecting the sight of her books, she turned to me as she still noticed me standing behind her. "If you want, you can go check out the area too. You don't have to stay by me the whole time." "Well... if you're sure." I said. "Yes, Sarah, now go.. this'll be nice for you.." Twilight smiled and I nodded. Snowflake, Pikachu, Zoura and I went off through the exchange to find something that would catch our eyes to trade for. "See anything, you three?" I asked my friends. Pikachu and Zoura looked over the stalls, but didn't see anything that they would like. However, Snowflake suddenly perked up as we approached the Rare Creatures tent. "What is it Snowflake?" I asked and Snowflake walked inside of the tent. It had some lights in it, showing what was inside of the cages. Snowflake came to nine cages specifically and what was inside made us all gasp. Inside the cages..... were dragons like Snowflake...! The first one was about 30 feet long and bipedal but this one had an overbite, nasal horn, a break like upper beak and a tail covered in spines. It had a crown of spikes on its head as well. This dragon was a teal with tints of pink, purple and yellow on its wings and body and it had a pale underbelly. This dragon was known as a Deadly Nadder. The second one was also 30 feet long but it had three tails with stingers on them as well as a set of pincers which made it resemble a scorpion. It also had two ear appendages on its head. This dragon was brownish with orange stripes on its wings and a yellow underbelly. One tail was brown, one was yellow and the other was light yellow. This one was called a Triple Stryke. The third one was about 61 feet long with two pairs of long horns along with double clawed wings, a snake-like neck and a snake-like tail with frills on it. This dragon was a mixture of purple, yellow and magenta and it was known as a Monstrous Nightmare. The fourth dragon was 31 feet long and had two pairs of wings! It’s face had two long spines that branch off their brow to the side and it had a "smashed" face, kind of like an owl. It also had a three-finned tail and also had many spines down their back and a large "crown" on its head. This dragon was blue with dark blue spots. It has shades of lavender and white on its wings, tail and head and it was known as a Stormcutter. The fifth dragon was 20 feet long and a bipedal dinosaur-like dragon with small arms and two claws at the end of each limb. It had a short thick neck and a small head. Its upper jaw resembles a beak of a parrot, while the lower jaw is more round and full of small teeth. It had three spikes on its head, which are asymmetrically placed. It’s wings had a claw on each of them. It had only a few sharp spikes on its back, and it has a long tail that ends with a large fin. This dragon was a darker blue color with red patterns on its back, wings, and tail. Its spikes are also dark blue and it is known as a Titan Wing Dramillion. The sixth dragon was about 66 feet long and had two heads and a split tail. This one was the strangest looking out of all of them. It looked almost like Zweilous only much bigger. This one was a blue-hued green base color with darker splotches over its body and wings. It had a yellow nasal horn and blue leaf-like spines on its necks and back and it was larger compared to the other dragons. This dragon was called a Titan Wing Hideous Zippleback. The seventh dragon was 60 feet long with purple eyes, a horn on snout, sharp spines and spikes on the edge of wings. It also a long, slender neck, as well as metal-like, reflective scales. It has a long ledge on the top of its snout and a short, stumpy one on the bottom. Its body is covered in metal armor with two talons on each foot. The dragon is completely silver and it was called a Razorwhip. The eighth dragon was the most surprising. This dragon looked a lot like Winter, but it was jet black with lighter spots and it had two sets of tail fins; one on the tail and the other near the base of the tail. It looked like the mixture of a cat, dog and gecko. It also appeared to have a rougher texture than Winter. This dragon was known as a Night Fury. "Woah...." All of the nine dragons perked up at the sight of me and warbled happily, "Hey... it's okay you nine, I'll get you out of here.." I vowed to them. "Ah, interested in those nine huh?" a pony running the tent, who was a big earth pony who was brown with an eyepath over his right eye and he wore a bracelet with spikes on its on his front, left hoof said as he came over to me. "I found these nine all trapped in nets. They were injured, but nothing serious, so I brought them here to see if anypony would know where they came from or give them a home." the pony stated. "Well, I would like to trade for these nine, please?" I asked the pony. "Seeing that you have a dragon yourself, I would say yes, but you'll have to give me something very valuable." the pony bargained and I opened my saddlebag and I levitated a large silver diamond out of it. "Like this..?" I asked with a small smile. "Woah...." the pony's eyes sparkled at the big gem. "Exactly like that. It's a trade, Miss..." "Sarah Gem..." "Miss Sarah Gem. These nine are all yours." the pony smiled before he unlocked the cages and let the dragons out. "Looks like you nine found a home afterall." The nine dragons cooed and nuzzled the pony in thanks for caring for them after all this time. They came over to me and Snowflake warbled at us. "It's alright, you nine. I know nine people who would love to have you." I smiled at them and they smiled back. Hehehe.... they're gonna freak when I show them these guys. The Traders exchange was a great experience for me, cause I got some more things. I got a silver sword with a golden handle, a large heart shaped shield and some silver shoes, like Princess Luna's. Many hours passed until it was time for us to go back to Ponyville. We all met at the train station where the group saw what I got. "Awesome, shoes, Newbie." Jack smirked. "Yeah, they look just like Princess Luna's." Twilight added. "And nice sword and shield." "Thanks, but I got a lot more than them." I smirked. "Huh?" Ren asked before I whistled and the eight dragons I got came soaring over the train station and landed in front of all of us. Twilight and the girls gasped in awe and shock while Ren and the others gaped, "No... WAY!" Ren exclaimed, "A Night Fury, Deadly Nadder, Razorwhip, Titan Wing Hideous Zippleback, Monstrous Nightmare, Stormcutter, Triple Stryke and a Titan Wing Dramillion!" "Sarah... where did you get them from?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "At the rare beast tent. I told them I have the perfect home for them." I smiled. "With whom?" Twilight asked and I looked at Ren and the Human Nine whose eyes widened. "No way, Newbie.." Jack breathed. "Yep... these guys are yours..." I presented and Ren cheered, "Awesome! Thanks Sarah!!" "Now based on your personalities I decided that Ren, you get the Night Fury. Mason and Carrie, you get the Stormcutter. Rantaro and Nicole you get the Hideous Zippleback. Jack, you get the Monstrous Nightmare. Skye, you get the Razorwhip, Kaede, you get the Deadly Nadder and Jamie, you get the Triple Stryke." I explained as the respective dragons went to the new riders. "Incredible...!" Kaede gasped, feeling the Nadders snout. The Nadder squawked gently at her. "This is the best gift ever, Newbie." Jack smiled, rubbing his Monstrous Nightmares' snout. "Your welcome. It's... just my way of saying thanks.... for being my friends... through all of this.." I said to them. "Of course, Sarah. You've risked your life many times for us. It's the least we can do." Ren smiled at me and the others nodded. "So.... are you guys gonna take the scenic route back to Ponyville?" Rainbow smirked, looking at the dragons. Ren and the others looked at each other and smiled. I know the answer to that. "WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!" Ren exclaimed as he and his Night Fury divebombed below and shot back up at the speed of light. "R-Ren.. c-careful..!" Fluttershy exclaimed holding onto Ren tightly. Ren giggled, "Relax Flutters, this is fun!" "Hell yeah!" Jack exclaimed on his Monstrous Nightmare as it lit himself on fire and breathed out a stream of it. "Hahah! This is awesome, you maggots! Now I really am the General!" Skye exclaimed from her Razorwhip who roared happily for its new rider. "This is... different.." Nicole said, holding on to the left Zippleback's horns as Rantaro held onto the right horns. "Yeah...." Rantaro stated. "T-This is great...!" Jamie and Twilight smiled as they rode on the Triple Stryke. "This dragon is simply divine, just like my Spikey Wikey and Mason." Rarity smiled as she and Kaede rode on her Deadly Nadder. "Aww... thanks..." Mason blushed as he, Carrie, Pinkie and Applejack rode on the Stormcutter dragon happily. "Hahaha, who wants to race back to the home-ship?" I called, from Snowflake's back and everyone cheered, accepting the challenge and we all raced back to Ponyville, with our new dragon friends in tow. To Be Continued...
Chapter 6: Crystal Princess EsteemSarah's POV One day, Twilight, Ren, Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Mason, Carrie, Kade, Skye and I were at the Crystal Empire. Twilight and Cadence did their childhood dance together. “Sunshine Sunshine, ladybug awake, Clap your hooves and do a little shake.” They hugged each other and Cadence said, “It’s been too you long, Twilight. Thank you all for coming out the Crystal Empire.” “How could we possible turn down an invite to the official dedication of the Court of the Crystal Princess?” Twilight asked. “In your honor too?” “No way, we’d pass up the chance.” Ren added. “Yeah, its seems a bit silly though, making a big fuss and all.” Cadence said modestly with a smile. “It’s not silly! You’ve been an amazing leader and Protector of the Empire ever since it reappeared.” Twilight added. “Why shouldn’t the Crystal Ponies honor you?” “Never mind all that now. There’s two days until the dedication, what do you wanna do in the meantime?” Cadence asked. And here it comes… “I’ve been thinking about it and I may have come up with a thing or two.” Twilight said unrolling a really, really long scroll. “A thing or two, huh?” Rantaro asked sarcastically. “Let’s see we’ve barely scratched the surface of the magnificent library and I believe a new exhibition opened up about the history of the empire or - unless there's something you already had planned.” Twilight said. “Well… there is one thing I’ve always wanted to do…” Cadence said. Sometimes Later “When you said you wanted to do something different, I didn't think it’s would mean walking around the market incognito.” I whispered to Cadence. Cadence and I were wearing jackets and other accessories. Cadence had a sun hat to hide her mane and a scarf too. I was wearing sunglasses and a yellow jacket. “Are you sure these disguises will work?” Twilight asked Cadence. “We’re in an Empire that had been missing for 1,000 years. We’ll fit right in.” “If you say so.” I claimed. “Of course I’m sure.” Cadence replied. “And I’m sure you three look ridiculous.” Rantaro grumbled. “Rantaro!” Kaede scolded. “What? I’m telling the truth.” Rantaro replied. We walked around the marketplace when suddenly, “Strange pony and human, come here!” We tensed for a moment and turned to see a pony waving to us. We went over to the stand. “You two are new the empire, no?” the stallion asked. He was light green with a darker green mane. “No! I mean yes, I’m Sa- I mean Glimmer and this is Candlewick. And Twiggy” I said. I swear I heard Rainbow, Jack and Mason facepalm. “For new visitors, this fabric is only five bits.” he offered. “Where are you journeying from?” “Ponyville! No I mean-” “Ah The home of Queen Sarah Gem. She who is noble! Wise! Respectful! Brave!” Then he looked at Twilight, “Do you know Queen Sarah?” “Uh, yes, I’ve met her once before.” I said nervously. “For Princess Twilight, two bits.” he offered again. “So what brings you to the Crystal Empire?” “We’ve come for the Dedication of the Court of the Crystal Princess.” ‘Candlewick’ replied. “Yes, Princess Cadence, she’s lovely isn’t she?” he asked. “Thank you but we must be going.” Cadence suddenly pushed me away from the stand. “What just happened?” I asked her. “Nothing I- I just wanna keep moving.” Cadence stammered. “Explain to me why again we’re doing this?” I asked Cadence. “Whenever I walk through the marketplace as myself, everypony stops what they’re doing and bows and get tongue tied. I just want to see the Crystal Empire as it really is and interact with the subjects but without all the pretension.” Cadence explained. But being the Crystal Princess is what you’re meant to be. Your true self.” Ren spoke up. “How would you feel if everypony bowed to you in Ponyville?” Cadence asked. “I feel that pain everyday.” I grumbled. “... Hmm… I see your point.” Ren said. “Let’s look around some more.” Twilight added. “Thank Twilight, I mean Twiggy.” We went past a couple stand until we found on that had costumes…. Of the princesses of Equestria, including Twilight, Cadence and I. “It’s weird, but I guess kind of nice, knowing that fillies look up to us enough to dress up like us.” Twilight said. “Oooohh, it’s so embarrassing.” I said with a blush on my face. I still wasn’t used to all the attention Princesses get and new children want to dress like me? "Oh come on Corporeal Gem, it's not that bad." Skye reassured. “Oh, Sarah, it’s not that bad. It’s cute.” Mason said. “How would you feel if Carrie dressed up like you?” I asked. “... I see your point.” Mason said. “Hey!” Carrie exclaimed. We looked at the Celestia Costume which said Sun Princess. The Luna Costume had Moon Princess. My costume had said Friendship Princess and the Cadence Costume had… Pretty Princess? “Why does Cadence’s costume say Pretty Princess?” Kaede asked. “Really couldn’t they have called it Crystal Princess or something?” Jamie asked. “Maybe because… it’s unauthorized?” Twilight suggested. Some fillies came over to the stand. “I see you’re looking at the Pretty Princess costume our best seller.” the stand pony said. I notice Cadence walking away, looking a bit down. There was another stand with pony/human figures. “Look it’s the Princesses!” One filly cried. “I want Celestia and Luna so I can raise the sun and moon.” Another filly said. “I want Princess Sarah so I can wield the Element of Faith.” Another added. “I want Princess Cadence and Shining Armor so I can live happily ever after.” a filly squealed. My friends almost fell down and Cadence slumped. “I think I’ve seen enough of the market. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Cadence said before she dashed off. “Candlewick, wait up!” I called as I raced after her along with the others. That Night We were in Cadence’s bedroom. “Is that really all they think of me as - a pretty Princess?” Cadence asked, holding a pillow to her chest. "Absolutely not!" Ren exclaimed. "I'm sure they see you as more than just being a pretty Princess." “Ren's right!” Twilight replied. “I’m sure they view you with great pride and reverence. But just express it in an odd way when your not around.” “I guess…” “Twilight’s right. They do look up to you and see more than a Pretty Princess.” Kaede added with a smile. "Yeah, you're caring, kind and brave." Carrie added. Cadence just slumped onto her bed, “If you all don’t mind, I’d like to go to sleep now.” “Alright, goodnight.” Twilight and the rest of us exited the room. “Do you think she’ll be okay, big brother?” Carrie asked. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” Mason reassured and I hoped he was right. The Next Morning I was sleeping peacefully in my room without a care in the world.....until the blaring sound of a trumpet sounded in my ear! GAH! I fell put of my bed and found myself staring at a royal guard, "Your presence in the throne room is requested immediately." the guard said. You could have just tapped me awake. Anyway, I headed to the throne room and found Ren and the others. "You all got call to the throne room too?" "Yeah, wonder what Cadence wants?" Carrie asked. "Sarah, everyone." We turned and saw Shining Armor coming towards us, "Shining Armor, what's going on? Why is Cadence summoning us during her morning meetings?" Twilight asked. "Cadence didn't summon you all. I did." Shining Armor replied. "She's not acting like herself. Something is wrong and I need your help." We went to the throne room to find Cadence in her throne. Her mane was a bit messy and had some bags underneath her eyes. "Cadence, I hate to say this but, you look terrible. You're still not upset about what happened at the marketplace, are you?" Twilight asked. "Well, maybe a little." Cadence replied. Cadence got up and started walking towards a window, "Actually a lot. I don't think I slept at all last night." "Cadence, you're blowing this out of proportions. "And I though? What if Celestia and Luna just put me here as a figurehead? Made me the Crystal Princess because I am an alicorn and they feel obliged to do so?" Cadence asked sadly. "Shining Armor is more than capable of protecting empire on his own." "That’s not true." Ren exclaimed. "No offense, Shining Armor." "None taken." Shining Armor replied. "You're the one who saved the Crystal Empire when Sombra came back." Twilight added. "Yes you may have needed some help but we all need help sometimes." "But it was you who saved the Crystal Heart, not me." Cadence pointed out. "Well technically it was Spike, Ren and Kodi, which just proves my point. That we all helped you save the Crystal Empire but you were the driving force and you deserve to be here." "Hell yeah." Jack agreed. "Twilight's right, Princess Cadence." Jamie added. Cadence gave a small smile, "Thanks everyone." and then a royal guard came into the room, "Please forgive me for the interruption but we have some subject awaiting counsel with you to settle a dispute." the guard said. "Please give us a few more minutes and then send them in." Cadence stated. The guard nodded and headed off. "Well get out of your way and let you go on with your Princess duties." Twilight said as she began to take her leave. "Come on guys." "No, please stay everyone. The dispute resolutions don't take too long and since you're already here..." "It's only a matter of time before the ponies in Ponyville start coming to my castle for those kinds of things.” I finished. "Alright, we'll stay." "Thanks." Cadence said. The guard sent the two bickering stallions in and Cadence flinched in fear and actually turned away in fear! "Oh dear." Kaede said. Shining Armor winced as the two kept arguing. "Cadence, aren't you going to say something?" Twilight asked her sister-in-law." Cadence turned around and we saw her sweating nervously, "Well, the solution will be.... determined by Queen Sarah!" "What?" I cried. But I got right to a solution, "Well..... why don't you team up to offer limited edition of custom costumes made from his fabric and then split the profit between the two of you?" I proposed and the two stallions looked at each other. "That's not a half bad idea." "That may drum up business for the both of us." The two stallion then took their leave after thanking me. Ren turned to Cadence, "Cadence, what just happened?" "I don't know. When I saw those ponies from the marketplace, it reinforced how they don't take me seriously." Cadance said sadly. "That they just see me as a pretty Princess." "That's not true." Mason said. "Yeah, big brother's right." Carrie added, "You're more than a pretty Princess." "We are ready for the second dispute." The guard said and this time two more stallions came in and this time... they were royal guards. "Charming Cavaliar, Gallant Gallop, what are you doing?" Shining Armor asked, shocked to see the two guards. The two guards were upset with each other over something odd and Shining Armor sighed and took the two away in his magic, "I'll handle this Cadence." We were worried about Cadence at this point. And when some schoolponies came in and asked her to join a party, Cadence suddenly bolted and saw Sarah would take over. Something is definitely wrong with her! This can't be good......"Something's definitely wrong, she's losing her confidence." I said. "Newbie's right. She's down in the dumps for sure." Jack stated. "She's losing confidence in herself to rule the Crystal Empire." Twilight said with worry. "So what can we do?" Carrie asked. "H-Hopefully, she'll snap out of this.... maybe..." Twilight winced. The Next Day It was the day of the Dedication Celebration and Cadence lost more and more of her confidence and things got worse. "This is worse than we thought." Shining Armor said. "Now she's talking about rejecting the formal name of the court! I'm afraid she thinking of renouncing the throne!" Renouncing the throne?! Oh man, can things get any worse? "Renouncing the throne! Oh man!" Ren winced, seeing how bad this was. "This can't be happening..." Mason said with great worry. "What are we going to do?" I asked. "Cadence never acted like this before." Then some crystal ponies came over, "There's a slight rumor that something is going on with Princess Cadence." a pony said. "Indeed, I saw her this morning. Its as if all the love and light has been drained from her." another pony said. "Does the Crystal Heart look a bit dull to anypony else?" another pony asked and we looked at the Heart and saw that it was not as shiny and glistening as it once was. "That is true, but I'm sure its nothing." Jack said. "Come on everyone, let's go back and see if there's anything we can do." Shining Armor suggested. We all agreed and went back inside. "Otherwise the dedication today is gonna be a compete disaster." Hours Later It was time for the Dedication Ceremony, "Any luck you guys?" Twilight asked. "No she's very very blue almost like she's depressed." Kaede said. "Yeah, Private Cadence, is nothing short of glum." Skye added. "She would barely speak to me." Shining Armor said with worry clear in his voice. "And now I present the Crystal Princess-!" A pony called and everyone cleared a path for Princess Cadence.... who was nowhere to be seen?! All the ponies began chattering in worry, "Where is she?" Kaede asked. "I don't know." I replied. This can't be a good sign. The pony cleared his throat. "I repeat, the Crystal Princess..!" and then Cadence appeared... in bad shape. Everyone gasped in horror. She had wet makeup on underneath her eyes, like she had been crying. "Oh man, she looks worse than before!" Jamie whispered. We all nodded in agreement. Cadence stood in front of everypony and said, "Crystal Ponies, it is a great honor to be standing here before you for the Dedication of the Court of the Crystal Princess. But this is an honor I am not sure I deserve." Oh man! This is really, really bad! "Guys look!" Twilight called. "The Crystal Heart!" We saw the Heart was getting clearer and clearer like it was... "The crystal Heart is fading!" Carrie cried. "Fading?!" Jamie exclaimed. "H-How can that be?!" "Maybe because Cadence is losing all the love and light within herself because she's doubting herself as Ruler of the Crystal Empire?" Twilight suggested. "No time for that, nerd. We have to do something before it disappears forever!" Jack exclaimed and he was right, without the Heart, the Empire is defenseless! "Twilight, any ideas?!" I asked her frantically. "Think Twilight Think....!" Twilight looked at all the Crystal Ponies and gasped. "That's it!" then she addressed Cadence. "Cadence, the Crystal Ponies don't look up to you just because you're pretty. They look up to you because your kind, thoughtful, accessible and accepting of everypony. Because you are full of love and light which makes them feel that way. And it doesn't make you any less of a positive influence than Celestia, Luna, Sarah or even me. You just inspire them in a different way, and you have been since you came here. I should know. Because these are the reasons I have always looked up to you and have been inspired by you." Twilight declared. Shining Armor had tears in his eyes at her speech as did I and Cadence, "Is that true Twilight..? I inspire you?" Cadence asked. "Ever since I was a filly." Twilight replied. "You inspire me too, Cadence." Shining Armor said. "And us too." I added and the rest of our friends nodded in agreement. "And all of them." Twilight said looking at all the Crystal Ponies. Cadence and Twilight shared a hug, "Thank you Twilight." they separated and Cadence addressed the crowd, "Thank you, Ponies of the Crystal Empire. Thank you for inspiring me! And while this area may not be know as the Court of the Crystal Princess, it truly belongs to all of you." All the ponies cheered and the love and light from them transferred into the Crystal Heart, restoring it and sending the rainbow lights into the sky once more. Later We were all walking through the fair and Cadence was looking happier than ever. "It feels good to feel like me again, without so much self-doubt and second guessing." Cadence said. "We're just glad you're back, Cadence." I smiled. "Thought I'm sure everyone questions their own identity and purposes sometimes. " Jamie stated. "I'm just glad you all were around when it happened to me." Cadence smiled at us. Some Crystal Ponies and foals approached us and the two in front bowed to Cadence, "Please get up girls, that's not necessary." Then we saw the costume stand and saw that Princess Cadence costume now said Crystal Princess instead of Pretty Princess. "Twilight? You got it changed?" Cadence asked in shock. "Maybe..." Twilight grinned. "After all that is your true identity." "Yes it is." Cadence said and we all smiled at our friend and Crystal Princess.
Chapter 7: Gaunlet of FireSarah's POV Hi there, It's been a while since we last talked. As you know, I defeated my brother, Void and now I'm finally living peacefully in Equestria with my friends. I have to admit, it is kinda weird for me to relax since all I ever did when Void was around was spread friendship and love. But now.... well... I'm trying this 'raising Pokemon' thing with Ren and others, let's just hope this works out. But for now, Twilight and I were having some quality time with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. “I'm so glad you two could come!” Twilight happily told the royal sisters. “Of course. We so rarely get a chance to relax and just visit.” Luna returned. “Especially after everything that had just happened.” “I couldn’t agree more.” Twilight tried to think nothing of it but more on being prepared for when she strikes next. “There's usually some crisis we have to deal with. Somepony always needs our help. But today—“ Celestia agreed with both princesses as she spoke until being interrupted by Rarity and the others’s cry for help. "Twilight!" "Newbie!" Oh dear, wonder what could be wrong. The group then burst in with Rarity holding a glowing Spike. "Bookworm, somethings' wrong with your dragon here!" Jack exclaimed as Rarity put Spike on the table. "Spike, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, having never seen this with Spike ever. “I don't know! Nngh!” Spike grunted as he scratched himself. “All of a sudden, my scales just started glowing and... burning!” “Little is known about dragon culture, but this is a phenomenon we've seen before. It is the call of the Dragon Lord.” Luna calmly spoke from her observations. “Dragons glow whenever the Dragon Lord has need of them in the Dragon Lands.” Celestia explained to them. “Great... H-How do I make it stop?!” Spike replied as he still itches like crazy. “The only way to end the summons is to answer it. You must journey to the Dragon Lands and see what is expected of you.” Luna told him with a raised hoof. “B-B-But the Dragon Lands are full of... dragons!” Rarity stammered at this response. “And they're ghastly creatures!” She further exclaimed before quickly turning to Spike apologetically upon realizing that she unintentionally insulted Spike. “Oh, oh, not you, of course, Spikey-wikey. But remember that rotten Garble?” She corrected of what she meant who nervously gulps when his name was brought up. “How could I forget? He would have burnt us to a crisp if you guys weren't there.” Spike recalled. “We were lucky we managed to get out of there in time.” Twilight also recalled. “If I have to go to the Dragon Lands, would you guys come with me?” Spike asked the two ponies and Ren and the others. "Of course Spike." Kaede smiled. "Yeah!" Carrie grinned. "As long as we don't have to turn into our dragon forms again." Ren stated, but I smirked at them. "I can arrange that, hehehehe..." "Newbie! Don't you even-!" POOF! Hehehehe, I do have a mischievous side curtsy of Discord. "DARN IT!" Jack exclaimed as he was back in his dragon form, along with Ren and the others, "Alright!" Ren smiled. "Let's go!" “Be very careful. The Dragon Lands are particularly dangerous for ponies. It would be wise to be discreet.” Princess Celestia warned them to be cautious. "Oh please, just wait until they see Torch and the others." Ren scoffed, pointing out Torch and the gang's other dragons coming into the room. "We will" Twilight replied to assure her mother-like mentor. “Ooh! I'm sure I still have the dragon costume we used the last time we snuck into the Dragon Lands!“ Rarity replied as she squealed in delight and clapped her hooves together. “I think we might want something a little more practical this time.” Twilight suggested that they need something more that blends in more. “And if that fails then they’ll be walking away thinking twice about messing with some ponies friends.” She then said with determination to stand her ground against Garble they next they cross paths like that again. "And so much for a day of relaxation with the other princesses." "Then, come on, let's go..." I said and we all set off for the Dragon Lands. Later at the Dragon Lands, Ren, the gang, their dragons, Spike and I sat up on top of the rock to which serves as Twilight and Rarity’s disguise where Rarity is peering her eyes from the top and Twilight peers her eyes from the bottom. “Hmmm... Well, it may be practical, but this disguise isn't flattering in the slightest!” Rarity complained and sneered with a glare. “It's not supposed to be flattering. It's supposed to blend in!” Twilight retorted as she urged the unicorn to quite her whining. “Shh!” Spike whispered to them from up top as the glowing dragons are gathered together and walking around. “Hey-hey, look! It's our old friend Sparkle-warkle.” Garble, the big and red muscular dragon said, as he walked up wasting no time in taunting the young dragon. “It's Spike.” Spike corrected the arrogant dragon. “Are you sure your pony friends didn't give you a pony name?” Garble further taunting with his eyebrows showing girly eyebrows “It's nice to see you too, Garble.” Spike sarcastically returned with crossed arms. “I didn't say it was nice to see you. It's not. I don't like you. Was I not clear about that?” Garble blatantly missed his sarcasm as he flicks Spike off of the rock and sits on it causing Twilight and Rarity to feel a little cramped by the extra weight. Torch snarled at Garble, "Oh what do you want? Think you can beat me?" Garble smirked. Torch snorted out smoke before he set himself on fire, greatly intimidating Garble. "Wah!" "Hahahah! Don't mess with the Monstrous Nightmare, loser!" Jack snorted. "What the-? Jumbo? What are you doing back here? Along with Burn, Rune, Blaze and Torch?" Garble questioned. "That's none of your buisness... Garble." I spoke up. "Ugh, you again, pony? What are you doing here? This place is for dragons' only." Garble grumbled, placing a claw on Sarah's head. That did not settle well with Slice, who whacked Garble away. "Hahaha! Good boy!" Skye smiled. Then, a large shadow loomed over all of the dragons as a giant blue dragon with dark gray armor and orange eyes loomed on his throne. "That's the Dragon Lord, ruler of all dragons in Equestria..." I whispered to the group. “Dragons of Equestria, hear me!” The dragon leader announced through a shouting and commanding tone. “I have been Dragon Lord for longer than many of you can remember, and my reign has been extraordinary! Agree with me!” He then shouted and commanded the dragons to make utters and cheers of agreement. “Torch! Torch! Torch! Torch!” The dragons chanted as the giant dragon raised his hand to gesture them to be silent now. “Who is that?” Spike asked Garble who flew back over to where Spike was sitting. “It's Dragon Lord Torch, dummy.” Garble scoffed as if it was a stupid question. “No, next to him.” Spike corrected as he was pointing to the light blue scaled dragon in flight by his side. “That's his daughter, Princess Ember.” Garble answered. “I wouldn't even look at her if I were you, unless you want Torch to eat you!” He warned otherwise as he pointed a finger in Spike’s face who nervously gulps in response. “This is fascinating! Dragons are notoriously reckless, but they do whatever the Dragon Lord says!” Twilight whispered to Rarity as she observes the Dragon Lord’s speech. “Unfortunately, according to dragon law, it is time for me to step down. Sad, I know.” The dragon lord announces both begrudgingly and somewhat solemnly. “Be sad!” He commanded the dragons to do so when he doesn’t get the reaction he was expecting again who then cries tears of sadness. “This is why I have summoned you – to compete for the throne in the Gauntlet of Fire!” He then announced much to the dragon’s excitement while Spike sweats and shakes nervously. “Whomever has the strength and fortitude to retrieve this blood-stone scepter from the heart of the flame-cano will be crowned Lord of the Dragons!” He then announced as he held up said scepter and then flicked into a hollow and crystallized structure to which to which it releases a huge red wave of magic that causes every dragon to stop glowing. “When the scepter disappeared, the dragons stopped glowing! We are learning so much!” Twilight whispered in amazement as she writes it all down in her journal as Rarity itches up a sneeze due the feather pen she was holding tickling her nose but thankfully Twilight quickly placed a hoof on her nose before she could let loose one that could have blown their cover. “The Gauntlet is dangerous, for I designed it myself! Only dragons with my ferocity, strength, and determination will be able to finish. We will gather at the cliff when the sun is at its peak!” The Dragon Lord announced to the dragons as they all cheer in agreement. “I don't want to be Dragon Lord or dragon toast, and I stopped glowing, so let's sneak out of here!” Spike proposed and whispered to Twilight and Rarity seeing that he no longer feels required to stick around as he pushes the rock away. "Spike, wait. Let's just see what he really wants." I whispered to the little dragon, who sighed but obeyed. Ember set off in the gauntlet’s direction only to be stopped by her father when he caught her in his hand. “Where do you think you're going?” The Dragon Lord questioned. “To prepare for the Gauntlet.” Princess Ember replied. “No, you're not. You're not much bigger than that runt I just sent home!” The Dragon Lord refused and dismissed her much to her frustration. “But I'm smarter than most of these boulder-heads and you know it!” Ember protested as she flew up to his eye level. “Being smart won't help you win this Gauntlet!” The Dragon Lord dismissed as they faced each other eye to eye. “It was designed for a big, strong dragon to win, because it takes a big, strong dragon to lead! Besides, I said no!” He then shouted in his daughter’s face blowing her back a little. “I hate when he does that!” Ember growled in anger at her father’s condescending behavior as she flew off. Having watched the scene from above had sparked some anger in Twilight’s eyes as she and her friends watch as the many dragons chatter in preparation for the Gauntlet. “Ha. When I become Dragon Lord, I will make burps an official greeting!” The purple dragon declared. “Ha, you? Please! When I win, I will pillage Equestria for all their pillows. Why should these ponies be comfortable while we sleep on rocks?” The brown dragon smugly declared. “That's nothing! When I'm in charge, the first thing I'll do is get revenge on those puny ponies!” Garble declared as he pounded his fists together. “They'll regret they ever crossed Garble! We'll take whatever we want from Equestria and burn the rest!” He told the others as they walked off with him. Oh no.....! “Oh, my gosh!” Twilight spoke in shock hearing this announcement of what this could mean for the fate of Equestria. “Ooh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope that burping dragon wins!” Rarity expressed her dismay hoping one of the least worst to come out on top. "Yeah, I agree. They've got bad plans for Equestria." Kaede agreed. “None of them can win! Equestria is in big trouble if any of them are in charge!” Spike pointed out that none of them are qualified. "Then, what can we do?" Carrie asked in fear. “There's only one thing to do, and only I can do it! I have to win the Gauntlet of Fire!” Spike determinedly declared much to Rarity’s discomfort. “What do you mean you have to win the Gauntlet?” Rarity questioned Spike of why he is changing his initial stance on competing. “It's the only way to protect Equestria from the dragons.” Spike justified as he explained himself. “You heard them! They have horrible plans for ponies if they win! So somehow, I have to do it!” "Not just you Spike, we all have to win." Ren pointed out referring to himself and the others. "We can't let Equestria suffer at the hands of those dragons!" "Yeah, Corporal Loodan is right. We have to win this Gauntlet together." Skye agreed. "Come on, you maggots!" We all nodded, "Twilight, Rarity, stay here, okay?" I asked and the two girls nodded while the rest of us headed to the edge of a cliff where all the dragons were. "Hey! What are you doing competing here pony?" Garble snarled, pointing me out. "This is for dragons only, so beat it!" "Just because I'm a pony doesn't mean I don't have the heart of a dragon, buster!" I replied, getting all up in his face. Brat. "She can compete." Dragon Lord Torch announced, much to Garble's shock. "The pony is a trusted old friend of mine." "Seriously?!" Garble exclaimed. "Seriously?!" Everyone else added. "Indeed. All dragons are welcome to compete, but they do so at their own peril! Flying to Flame-cano Island is the first of many challenges you will face in your quest to find the bloodstone scepter!" Torch said before he held up a scepter with a blood red jewel in it and tossed it to Flame-cano that was guarded by large dragons with catapult like tails and powerful geysers. Kaede, got onto Skystorm, while Jack got onto his Monstrous Nightmare, Carrie and Mason got onto Comet, the Stormcutter. Skye got onto Slice, her Razorwhip, Ren got onto Eclipse, his Night Fury and Jamie got onto Striker, his Triple Stryke dragon while I got Spike onto my back, "Ready Spike?" "Ready Sarah." he smiled. "NOW GO!" The Dragon Lord said and we were off like lightning. I was in the front weaving in and out of the huge geysers that were caused by large sea snakes from below. Skystorm, and the other dragons easily weaved through the geysers not getting hit at all. Wish it could be said for the other dragons. "Woah, they're doing great!" Ren commented the dragons expert dodging skills. "Well, they are some of the best flyers in the world." I smirked before we came near Flame-Cano where the dragons launched large boulders at us. "Slice, you deal with this!" Skye called and her Razorwhip roared and sliced the boulders coming our way with her tail with great ease while Striker smacked the ones that were coming from behind down, with one hitting Garble, who was not happy about this. "Grrr....." "Hahaha, this'll be a piece of cake!" Jack smirked. "Gah!" Suddenly, one dragon, who was wearing golden armor got hit by one of the boulders and was sent crashing down. "I got her!" I called and I swopped down and grabbed her before landing underneath the large cave that lead into Flame-cano. "You okay?" I asked. The dragon grunted and took off the helmet to reveal, "Princess Ember!” “What do you think you're doing?” Ember ungratefully asked me. Yeah, she's had a small rebellious streak like all dragons did. “Only saving your ungrateful scales!” Kaede replied. “Whatever. I don't care as long as none of you get in my way.” Ember replied she as she takes back her helmet. “I have a Gauntlet to win.” “But I thought your dad said that—“ Spike pointed out as he thought. “I don't care what my dad said!” Ember shouted back angrily. “I'll show him and every dragon who thinks I'm just a little princess there are better things than being big and strong!” "Maybe we can help you with that, Ember." I offered, much to her surprise. "Really?" Ember questioned. "I am a friend of your dads' remember. If I can help you then you can help me." I grinned. Ember sighed, "Fine Sarah, you were always good friends with my dad." I smiled. "Come on, let's a shake a leg, you maggots! We got a gauntlet to win!" Skye exclaimed from Slice. We all nodded and together we flew into the cave as one. first we had to get through a section of the cave that had moving large rock stalagmites and stalactites. "Crap baskets!" Ren whimpered. "Oh please!" I scoffed. "This is so easy! Charge!" and I flew in with blinding speed easily dodging the rocks with speed and grace. "Hahaha, come on gang, some of you got Strike Class dragons!" Ren and the others looked at each other and nodded before they and their dragons, along with Ember flew through the rocks with the dragons using their dodging skills to make it through. Next we had to get through a section with large crystals that were shooting from everywhere. Luckily, Slice used her tail and easily protected us from getting impaled. Gotta love the Razorwhip! Finally, we made to the final part of the cave that had a small mount of crystals, "The Blood Scepter!" Ren smiled with joy. “We made it! I can't believe We're the only dragons to make it this far!” He said feeling very accomplished. “You're not!” Garble called out from behind with fuming anger. “And I'm not losing to a puny pony-loving dragon like you!” He added as he pointed a finger in Spike’s face and grabbed him by the top scales. "Striker, tails!" Jamie called and his Triple Stryke grabbed Garble with his middle tail and grabbed Spike with his left tail. Strike threw Garble with his middle tail and gently put Spike down. "Hey!" Garble growled. "Spike do for the scepter, now!" I ordered and Spike nodded before he made a break for the scepter. Ember helped Striker deal with Garble, who had cornered him with his fire breath. Striker and Ember kept him there with Strike raising his three tails as a threat. “I'm sick and tired of you three helping each other! Dragons don't do helping! Ponies don’t do helping!” Garble angrily told Ember. "Well these dragons do!" Ember retorted in response. Meanwhile, Spike climbed up the rock formation leading up to the scepter before he grabs ahold of it as he marvels in amazement of it. As soon as he grabs it and hold it up it releases a huge a huge burst of red magic through the Dragon Lands. "Alright Spike, he got it!" Carrie cheered happily. “What? You?! You have the scepter?!” Garble spoke in confusion unable to comprehend all of this. “But that means that you're...” “The Dragon Lord. Dragon Lord Spike.” Ember finished as she and the other dragons placed a hand on their hearts as they bow in respect to him. “Dragon... Lord... Spike...” Garble reluctantly bowed with a groan. “That's right!” Spike confidently said before giving them a command. “Uh... Now, go start your long journey home. And give every dragon you see on the way a hug. Don't tell them why.” “Awww! But that'll be super embarrassing!” Garble protested. “I command you to do it!” Spike again ordered him to which he reluctantly does so to a nearby huge blue dragon. “I can't believe this...” He grumbled before setting off home. “Dragon Lord Spike. Hm, has a nice ring to it.” Ember complimented as he walked up to her. “Dragon Lord Ember sounds a lot better.” Spike told her as he held her the scepter. “What? No. You're the Dragon Lord now.” Ember tried to decline. “The Dragon Lord is whoever brings the scepter back to your father!” Spike insisted. “My place is in Equestria with my friends. Besides, you'll make a great leader. I was just doing this to protect the ponies. But I know you'll protect them just as well as I would have.” “You sure about this?” Ember questioned him. “Absolutely.” Spike assured her yes in response. “Well, you'll have at least one friend here too.” Spike happily responds by hugging her. “What are you doing?” She asked in confusion by his gesture. “It's called a hug!” Spike answered. “Oh. I don't know if I like it. But... okay.” Ember somewhat awkwardly answers but accepts as Spike tights his hug as Ember pats him on the head while blushing. Later as the dragons all made their way back, Twilight flying with Rarity and Spike in tow flies over to watch from afar as Ember presents her father the scepter in hands. “Ember? You?!” The Dragon Lord spoke in surprise to see her come out on top of the challenge as he had not expected her to win at all. “I know you didn't think I could do it, but I did.” Ember responded while standing her ground against her father. “I expressly told you not to do it, because you're not—!” The Dragon Lord tried to protest only to be cut off. “I'm not big and strong. I know. But you know what? I won anyway. So maybe it takes more than just being big and strong to be a good Dragon Lord!” Ember further defended herself as she continued to stand up to him. “I was wrong, Ember.” The Dragon Lord admitted after swallowing his pride. “You might not be big, but you are strong and smart, and perhaps that counts for more than I thought. And you will make an excellent leader.” He then smiled as she flew up to his nose. “Thanks, dad.” Ember greatly appreciated what her father said before turning to the other dragons. “Agree with him!” She commanded as they look at each other surprised. “Just kidding! That's not gonna be my thing.” Ember jokingly assured them she was just messing with them as her father laughs in amusement. “Dragons, hear me! I present to you our new Dragon Lord, Ember!” The Dragon Lord presented their new official leader as every dragon cheers for her as she flies up and waves to everyone including Twilight, Rarity, and Spike from afar. “Hm? What is the meaning of this?!” The Dragon Lord asked in confusion as Garble clung onto the Dragon Lord’s nose. “I can't tell you!” Garble replied in embarrassment as Ember laughed at him. “You did well, Spike. With Ember as Dragon Lord, the ponies will be safe.” Twilight smiled as we headed back to Ponyville together. "Thanks for helping me, everyone." Spike smiled. "Of course." Kaede smiled. "Yeah, you're one of my soldiers, little dragon." Skye grinned. "It was pretty cool, being a Dragon Rider for a short time, though." Ren chuckled. "We should ride them more often rather than walking." "I agree!" Jack grinned. I chuckled at my friends. Yeah, like I said before now that Void is gone, I still continue to spread friendship throughout Equestria and beyond, with the help of my friends. And that's all I could ever ask for now. And I couldn't be happier.
Chapter 8: Fluffle Puff and the Human NineThird Person POV Today, we find Sarah and her friends looking at the two little Pokemon eggs she got from Discord a couple weeks ago. "I can't believe Discord gave you these two eggs." Jack scoffed. "They probably got something horrible in them." "Private Yamaki, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions." Skye scolded. "Oh come, you know what Discord is capable of. He's always trying to trick and prank us." Mason added. "But he's also Newbie's father, bodyguard brat." Jack put in. "I don't think he would want to harm his own daughter. Not even my old man does that." Mason sighed, annoyed. "Fine..." Suddenly, the group heard something crashing from the lower floor. "What the-? What was that?" Ren asked. "It came from one of the lower floors." Skye stated. "Let's go you maggots." Everyone nodded and the group headed into the elevator together. Ren stood there in the center of the elevator, Kaede and Kodiak standing next to me on each side, Carrie held her brother's arm, who kept his serious look on his face, Jack leaned against the elevator's walls with a chilled and relax look on his face while Jamie felt nervous as he held against the notebook real hard in his arms, Rantaro was busy on his iPhone 7 and Nicole was keeping quiet while she looked at her iPad, not feeling nervous or excited at all to explore the new areas. When the door opened again, the group exited and went into the mall area of the Home-Ship where they heard the crashing again and out of the book store came a big ball of pink fluff. "Huh? Pink Fluff?" Ren questioned. The pink ball of fluff started to move and.... let out a raspberry? Sarah chuckled, "I know who this is..." Sarah went over to the ball of pink fluff. "Oh Fluffle Puff?" "FLUFFLE PUFF?!" Ren and the others exclaimed in shock. Fluffle Puff got up with a happy gasp before she tackled Sarah happily to the ground and nuzzled her, making her laugh. "Okay, how'd the hell did she get in here?!" Jack exclaimed before he got a face full of Fluffle Puff. "AGH!" Rainbow laughed at Jack as Fluffle Puff nuzzled his face, "Gah! Get off me you pink pony loon!" Fluffle Puff gave him two raspberries. "That means 'No' in Fluffle Puff language." Sarah translated making Jack groan irritated. "Aw, come on Jack. How can you be mad at such a cute, fluffy pony?" Fluttershy cooed, rubbing Fluffle Puffs' fur, making her gasp happily with a squeal. Jack growled again before Fluffle Puff scurried off of his face. "Annoying pony..." Fluffle Puff went over to Sarah and nuzzled her, "Hehehe, okay Fluffle Puff, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked her fluffy pony pal. Fluffle Puff gave Sarah a series of raspberries. ".......Okay..... what did she say?" Twilight questioned. "She said that she wants to hang out with us; to make new friends." Sarah smiled happily, earning a sweat drop from everyone. "Well.... okay Fluffle Puff..... room for one more I guess..." Ren said nervously with a small smile. "So what do you wanna do next?" Sarah asked Fluffle Puff. Fluffle Puff smiled before she dashed off for a second and returned..... with a chainsaw! "WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! What the hell!" Jack exclaimed in shock as the group backed off. "What's with the chainsaw!" "I think she wants to build something." Sarah guessed and Fluffle Puff nodded, making us all sweat-drop. "Seriously?" Ren asked in surprise, which Sarah nodded, "Or...." Ren suggested as he carefully took the chainsaw from Fluffle Puff, "I can teach you on being a gamer like me." "Please don't." Kaede said with a nervous smile before something caught her eye. "Hey you guys, what's that?" The group looked over to see what was on the shelf, which caused Ren to gasped in shock. I-it couldn't be...! It's... "Kingdom Hearts III!" Ren exclaimed in excitement before immediately running over to a stand and picked out the game, holding into the air with an excited look on his face. "Oh my god! I've been waiting for years for this game to come out, and the other fans I know from Youtube were excited for the game, including that teaser trailer I've seen a couple of years ago." "Kingdom Hearts III?" Carrie asked curiously. "What's that?" Ren turned back with a gasp and asked "You guys seriously never heard of that game before?!" "Should we?" Mason questioned with a raised brow. "I had. It's one of those excited games that fans been dying to get." Rantaro explained. "I know a guy who knows how to bootleg some movies and videogames." "You're kidding, right?" Jack questioned, sneering at him. "No, he's telling the truth..." Nicole stated, causing Rantaro to feel a bit irritated by that. "You just like calling out whenever I'm telling the truth or not? I tell the truth most of the time." Rantaro smirked at her, but she glanced away and stated "No you don't...you like lying to conceal yourself and your past in a veil of lies." Everyone, save for Sarah and Fluffle Puff blinked in surprise upon hearing that as Kaede stated "Well...she's not wrong there." "Come on you guys, we're all friends here." Ren said with a soft smile. "We all need to get along here." "Tch...whatever." Jack said before letting out a small burp, which gotten a smile on his face. "But overall, I'm getting hungry. Hopefully that food court has some automatic food makers like that One Round arcade room from the last floor." With that, he began taking his leave while the rest of the group stayed behind. "Lucky..." Kodi groaned with a pout, causing me to scratch him underneath. "Well I guess maybe a quick bite. We can eat over by the food court for dinner." Ren offered, which the others seemed to agreed. "Yay!" Kodi and Carrie cheered. "Meow!" Rosy cheered alongside them while Kaede scratched underneath her chin while she rested in her arms. "Sounds to me Rosy agrees with that." Kaede giggled. "Well...I see why not we should eat. Need a break from cooking for a while." Mason smiled. "Y-yeah...I wouldn't mind trying a food court out..." Jamie meekly smiled. Soon after, they decided to take a little break and ate some food over by the many food courts like Subway, McDonald's, Burger King, Papa Johns, Dominoes, and Golden Coral. Turns out, Jack was right for once because the food was being made automatically and they enjoyed eating. I had a veggie burger. Rantaro ordering a cheeseburger, Jack eating many types of food he got from the buffet, Jamie simply eating a normal Italian Bread sandwich with teriyaki, lettuce, and tomatoes by the side. Carrie and Mason were eating some pizza, along with Kaede and Rosy. Kodi was busy eating some plain cheese pizza, much to his joy. "You know, this pizza taste so good." Kodi barked happily before I wiped away the smudges of his face. "Though I've taste pizza before and they kinda taste somewhat similar." Fluffle Puff smiled with a small gasp at the salad she got and she dug in face first, throwing small things of lettuce into the air, "Wow.... she's worst than Jack.." Jamie quipped with a sweat-drop, earning him a light punch on the shoulder by Jack, "I heard that nerd." "Ow!" Sarah was gingerly touching s McDonald's Big Mac, Chicken Nuggets and French Fries that she wanted to try, "Go on Sarah, they're delicious." Ren smiled meekly. Sarah, trusting Ren's words, ate the Big Mac first and it tasted good in her liking. “Hmm... tastes good..” “Great.” Ren smiled. Fluffe Puff gasped happily and hugged Sarah and she smiled and hugged Fluffle Puff back. “She’s one weird pony loon.” Jack said. “Yes, but it makes her unique like me. And that’s alright.” Sarah smiled and Fluffle Puff nuzzled Sarah happily.
Chapter 9: To Where and Back AgainOne night, Carrie, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie were in the forest at night, each wearing explorer clothes. "This was a great idea. We can get our cutie marks as zoologists!" Apple Bloom exclaimed cheerily. "Zoo-what? No, we're getting them in being jungle adventurers!" Scootaloo reminded. "But girls, are you sure we should be out here?" Carrie asked. "I mean, we are trespassing in Fluttershy's backyard." "And I don't think Fluttershy's backyard can be considered "The Jungle". "She's right." Carrie nodded before smiling softly, "Also, did you know that the study of ponies is called 'Hippology'?" "I don't think we look much like hippos..." Scootaloo stated, glaring at the two. "Also, where did you even learn that?" "Jamie did!" Carrie smiled softly. "Of course he did..." Scootaloo face-hoofed herself. "Speaking of which, where's Skye?" Apple Bloom asked curiously. "She couldn't make it in time." Carrie shook her head. "She said that she was...busy watching a movie at the movie theaters." "What?!" Scootaloo yelled, feeling upset by that. "How could she?! Man, she's gonna miss out on earning our cutie-marks!" "But Carrie can't get one." Sweetie Belle pointed before earning a glare from the pegasus filly and exclaimed, "Did you forget how two of Rainbow Dash's friends, Ren and Jamie, earned their cutie-marks too! This could be something big that we can do! We can even help both Carrie and Skye to earn their cutie-marks too!" "Mm...Thanks you guys." Carrie smiled softly, clapping her hands together. "But I'm not sure if I can get my own Cutie-Mark like Ren and Jamie did." "Don't say that!" Apple Bloom smiled. "We'll be glad to help you along the way because..." The three fillies bumped their rumps together before exclaiming "WE'RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" "Mm! Yeah! Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Carrie laughed happily before hearing some creaking sound before they turned around to see a bunch of wild animals approaching them. "Huh? Hey, what's wrong with some of Fluttershy's animals?" "Huh?!" The three fillies turned over and widened their eyes to see the creepy green eyes on the animals' faces. "Umm... wait what's that group of animals with glowing eyes doing staring at us?" Sweetie Belle asked. "But that's what I said-" Carrie was about to finish that sentence till the animals pounced at them, scaring the girls before they all screamed in fear... "NOOOOOO!" The Next Day Ren's POV Another day, another good day in the town of Ponyville. I've brought over my art portraits so that I can sell out much to the others. "Man...that was so worth it at the end." Oh yeah, I forgot that I brought both Skye and Kodiak with me. Skye apparently stayed overnight to watch one of her favorite animated movies, Princess Mononoke. "Ha ha! I love it at the end! That's the mark of a true warrior! If only wish the other girls would have seen it!" "You've really enjoyed that movie, didn't you?" I asked, smiling at her. "Ha ha, of course Corporeal Loodan! I loved that movie to the very end!" Skye grinned. "Thank you again for ever suggesting that idea to me!" "Well...It was the least I can do for that offer I gave out to help me sell these paintings." I shrugged before finding a good spot right around the streets of Ponyville. "Do you think they might love these?" Kodi asked curiously. "I mean, they really look nice, but they don't seem to be fond." "What do you mean?" I asked in confusion before seeing him point his paw over at some of the ponies, and I took noticed that some of them were...acting weird. Some of them had these big bulging green eyes, making me feel a little creeped out by. Huh...He wasn't kidding, they aren't even paying attention to my paintings. It isn't the paintings itself, right? "Mm...Meh, I'm sure they're just being jerks to not admire this." Skye shrugged, checking over a certain painting of flowers. "Although, I feel as though this is just too plain in my taste, but either way, it's gotten my interest..." "Really?" Kodi asked, sniffing the flower vase portrait. "Well...it smells weird, but the design looks really nice." "Well I did use paint." I shrugged. "Mm...Well it needs more...what would Sergeant Pinkie Pie would say...'Pizzazz'?" Mm...Pizzazz...I don't know...Do I? I mean, I guess it is her opinion so maybe? "... and then she just left like that." At that instant, I turned around and saw the Mane Six and the others chatting about something walking past some of the townsfolk. "Yes, even Carrie was acting weird." Mason frowned. "I didn't know why, but she wouldn't explain why she was outside and I can't seem to talk to her like I have always been..." "Hrm...Those three fillies and your sister of yours are sure acting funny." Applejack agreed. "Hey guys!" I called. "What's going on?" "Scootaloo has been acting strange." Rainbow stated. "Applebloom too." Applejack added. "And Sweetie Belle and Carrie as well." Rarity nodded. "We're not sure what's been going on with those three." "Indeed..." Mason nodded. "Carrie has never acted...this way. It's almost suspicious..." "Everypony in town has been acting strange." Twilight said. "What was that? I wasn't listening." Rainbow said, earning a deadpanned look from the purple unicorn. "Rainbow! Twilight, my sister and her crew are being as peculiar as everypony else around here! Something not right." Applejack exclaimed, glaring hard at Rainbow Dash who smiled sheepishly at the farm pony. "Ummm...Hey has anyone seen Cheerlie? I just heard she didn't show up to the schoolhouse." Fluttershy asked, feeling concern. "Huh? No." I shook my head. "Sorry Flutters, but I haven't seen her at all today. I just came here to sell these paintings for potential buyers, but so far..." I looked around the crowd, seeing them all giving us each weird glances. "Nopony seems....interested." "And the Cakes didn't open Sugarcube Corner this morning." Pinkie chirped. "At first I thought maybe thy were planning a birthday party because Ms. cakes birthday is in 43 days and that's cutting it way close to just be staring in on ordering supplies..." Pinkie glanced away with a smile. "...But when I asked about it, they just looked at me like I was crazy." Everyone sighed at Pinkie's claim, shaking their heads. Although, they're right about about everyone is acting strange all of a sudden. What's going on? Why is everypony around town acting so...weird. First the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Carrie are acting weird, and now everypony...? "Everypony is acting so bizarre! More and more ponies by the hour!" Twilight looked over at the corner, seeing more ponies staring right at us. "What in Equestria is going on?" "Um...guys?" Kodi called, whimpering at the sight of the people. I took noticed of what he was looking at and saw the crowd of ponies coming around us all looking really strange with green eyes like they were possessed or something. "Umm maybe we should move somewhere more.. secure." Jamie said nervously. "Or maybe how about I get rid of the crowd?" Jack cracked his knuckles. "Trust me, I've dealt with crowds like them when I'm with the police." "Uh...I think we should go with Jamie's suggestion." I frowned. "Fighting won't solve everything, you know that Jack." "Says you." Jack rolled his eyes. "Quick! To the library!" Twilight cried out, only earning a pout from Rainbow Dash. "That's your solution for everything." Rainbow Dash huffed. "Quick! Retreat!" Skye dashed ahead and we followed after her before we all gotten inside of the house, and Pinkie slammed the door behind us and we all caught our breath. "So is everyone else weirded out by this?" Kaede gulped, making sure the door was locked. "What the hell is wrong with them?" Jack questioned. "I mean, I've heard of angry crowds, but what the hell did we do to piss them off?" "Wait... this is all too familiar." Twilight said. "Acting strange like they were... replaced?!" "You lost me." Rainbow rose a brow. "Me too." Jack nodded. "Wait...You don't mean..." At that moment, I suddenly realized just where Twilight was going with this. Ponies being replaced and acting weird like they aren't acting like themselves as we see everyday...This is... "Changelings...!" Jamie widened his eyes. Rarity let out a gasp before exclaiming, "Of course the Royal Wedding! Princess Cadence was replaced by a changeling!" "The Queen Changeling and she went all evil on everypony." Applejack gritted her teeth in anger. "Oooh...The wedding...Yeah...Well, I don't remember much after I had Pinkie's tutti-frutti sherbet sugar punch. It made the day a bit of a blur..." Rainbow Dash frowned. "Heh heh...That and you and I had that belching contest after eating all of that sherbet." Jack smirked. "Which I won." "N-Nopony asked you fatty!" Rainbow growled. "I-I mean...it was so...good that I forgotten much of what happened...Okay?!" "That's because I use seven parts of sugar to every one part Tutti!" Pinkie grinned. "Wait a minute, you all went to a wedding and you already know the enemy?!" Skye blinked. "Yeah, it was before you woken up from your pod." Jamie nodded. "The Changelings...aren't exactly a species we would've think..." Twilight walked over to a shelf full of books and searched through it before pulling one of the books out of the shelf and said, "Hmph. Lucky for you, I kept a journal of what happened." She opened the book and showed us a page with a changeling on one and a replaced pony on the other with the exact face we've seen on everypony else. "According to me and Jamie's extensive note-taking, , the changelings are back...and this time, they must be after Ponyville." "O-Oh no..." Jamie gulped. "Are they here...for revenge?" "No duh if you guys might've pissed them off!" Skye exclaimed angrily. "Look soldiers, we're gonna need to fight back against them if we're to take them all on!" "Wait!" I called, stopping her from opening that door. "You really shouldn't open that!" "Oh yeah? And why's that Corporeal Loodan?" Skye rose a brow before opening it, and right in front of her were the townsfolk glaring down at her with their big bulging green eyes. Eventually, she slammed the door shut with widened eyes and deep breaths before giving us a sheepish grin. "Okay, point taken." "Well anyway...We need to warn Princess Celestia right away!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "She'll get rid of them quick!" "Right! Spike! Take a letter!" Twilight called to her assistant dragon, who was upstairs and doing something with the stacks of papers he had before seeing him take a quill. "Right!" Spike grinned before he began writing down the note. "So now what?" Kaede wondered. "We're trapped in here till we get a response from the princess..." "Mm...The most thing we can do is just stay here and wait till those guys are gone." I suggested. "Well I'm sure those Changelings might...leave, right?" Fluttershy smiled assuredly. "I-I mean...they can't stay in that place forever, right?" Three rewrites and a spell check later... "Oh my...they really haven't leave." Yeah...These guys just love staying around, don't they? "Okay Twilight, I'll send it right away!" "It's about damn time!" Jack yelled, nearly spooking Spike with his loud voice. "What the hell have you've been doing while we sat on our butts and done nothing?!" "Relax Jack, what's important is that Spike's finished with the letter." Twilight reassured. "Send it to Celestia, Spike." "No problem!" Spike winked before blowing it with his flames. We waited till five minutes later, he regurgitated a scroll out of his body. "Now that's what I call service." Pinkie pointed out before Twilight opened the letter with her magic. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I'm sorry but your precious Princesses are unavailable. I've captured them in their in my new kingdom, the Badlands! If you're stupid enough to try and rescue them, be my guess. Hahahaha...! Signed Queen Chrysalis" she read aloud before widening her eyes, flabbergasted by this. "Oh no! Celestia! Luna?!" "That bug queen got them too! Oh come on!" Jack exclaimed, annoyed. "Well looks like we're on our own for this. It's clobbering time." Rainbow said, clapping her hooves. "You read my mind, Skittles." Jack added, cracking his knuckles. "I've been waiting all day for a fight." "We need to do something or we're gonna be toast." I stated. "Literally." Skye nodded before grabbing her remote. "As general, I say we fight now!" "My sister is missin' and if those things are responsible we need to find out what's goin' on." Applejack stated, snorting angrily. "Yeah." Mason added, taking out his staff. "They took my sister and the Princesses and they shall pay for what they have done. I guess Chrysalis thinks it's a funny joke to do that, and now she's gonna learn the consequences of her actions." "We can't just go out there!" Jamie cried out, pointing to the window of the weird ponies outside trying to crawl inside. "They'll know we aren't Changelings! We need a plan." "WAAAAAAIIIIT!" Pinkie cried, surprising us. "What Pinkie?" I asked, a little alarmed by her yelling. "... Where's Sarah, Ran and Nikki?" And that's when we realized a certain unicorn and two humans were missing. How did we not notice that? "Oh no! Ya'll don't think the changelings got her?!" Applejack cried. "Hopefully not." Twilight frown in worried. "But still, Ponyville is infested with these crappy bugs. We got to find newbie." Jack stated. "Umm.. I'm already here." a voice said and that's when Sarah, Snowflake, Pikachu and Zoura appeared before us, shocking me. "Woah! Where did you come from?" I exclaimed in shock. "Invisibility spell, duh. I used it to get in here." Sarah answered. "How? The door is locked?" Kaede asked. "I came in through Twilight's balcony window." Sarah added, pointing over to the window. "But what if-" "I made sure of that it was closed and none of those Changelings came in and saw." Sarah reassured calmly. "Well.. thank goodness you're alright and not replaced Sarah." Applejack said with relief. "Yeah, now we can charge right in and save our friends and the Princesses." Rainbow pumped her hooves together with a cocky smirk. "Uh...guys...I don't feel good..." Spike groaned before puffing his cheeks out and spitting out something out of his body, revealing a green orb. “What the-? That never happened before.” Twilight muttered, examining it. “Huh...I don’t remember eating.” Spike scratched the back of his head. “Is that an egg?” Fluttershy asked. “Is it from the Princess?” Twilight hoped. "But Twilight, she never done something like this..." Jamie pointed out. "So who-" Before Jamie had the chance to finish, a voice spoken through the orb. A voice that we all shivered and grew fearful upon recognizing it. “Not a Princess, but a Queen.” I gasped, along with the others before we saw what was on the orb....It can’t be...I mean, I know that we would meet her again, but not like this! It's... “That bastard again!” Jack yelled. "Queen Chrysalis..." Nicole muttered, narrowing her eyes at the sight of the Changeling Queen. "How is she back?!" Kaede covered her mouth in shock. "My my my, you didn’t have trouble seeing through my minions huh? Clever. I’m sure you’re clever enough to notice some friends are missing?” Of course...She planned this entire thing, so they must've done something to them! “Where’s my sister?!” Mason exclaimed in anger. "And where are the Princesses?!" Twilight added before Chrysalis smirked before moving to the side and we saw the Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Sombra, Radiant Hope, CMC’s and Carrie in a large cocoons. The CMC's and Carrie were trapped together while the others were hanging above her throne. "I believe this is what you're looking for?" Chrysalis presented, taunting us with her a smirk on her face. “How do we know that’s the real them?” Rantaro asked. "For all we know, those could be your precious babies disguised as them?" Yeah, there's no possible way that it's them. "Maybe this will help us get out Cutie-Marks?” Applebloom smiled, not feeling frighten by any of this. “In what? Being fillynapped?" Scootaloo questioned incredulously. Sweetie and Carrie sighed, slumping their heads down. “That’s them.” Jack deadpanned, groaning at the sight of them. “Like I said in the letter, I have them all in the Badlands, our new kingdom. You can come and collect them if you.... dare.” Chrysalis offered. "If not, then I'll simply suck away all of their love. I can already sense how special they must be to you whelps." “Oooh, that bastard has gone too far!” Jack yelled, growling angrily at the Changeling queen. “Well this is obviously a trap.” Rainbow huffed. "Until then, weaklings..." Chrysalis smirked before the orb signaled off. So Chrysalis has them in her new castle in the Badlands? This all sounds so suspicious, and maybe a trap...but... "Ngh!" Whoa! M-Mason?! "Mason darling! Calm down!" Rarity cried out, pulling Mason with her magic before he could destroy much of the orb. "Where is she?! Don't you play mind games with me, Chrysalis!" Mason cried out in anger. "Mason, dude! Stop!" I called out. "Stand your ground, Private Hunter!" Skye added. After a few deep breaths, he slowly began calming himself down. "R-Right...I am sorry for you all to see me like this...but..." Mason looks down sadly. "Carrie...Sweetie Belle...Apple Bloom...Scootaloo..." "Shh...It's okay." Rarity shushed him, nuzzling against his chest. "I understand how you feel...and we will get them back." "Rarity's right." Sarah nodded. "Hang on tight Mason, Carrie and the others will be safe. Chrysalis is expecting us to arrive there in three days so that she can take us down herself." "Arrogant to the end." Rantaro sighed. "Jeez, I guess her botched plan on beating us before back at Canterlot and her second attempt taught that stupid bug nothing." Then who's gonna go to the changeling kingdom and save them?” Fluttershy asked. “Duh, we are.” Rantaro rolled her eyes. "Who else? Besides, I got no choice in the matter..." "You really want to go Rantaro?" I asked. "My business is gonna be put on hold what with these guys recovering." Rantaro sighed. "So whatever..." Well...that's...something I never expected you to respond. "Still no one with me that this is a trap?" Rainbow Dash called. "Can it Skittles." Jack snorted. "We all probably know that it's a damn trap, but we can't sit on our behinds and let them get away with this crap!" "I hate to agree with the brute, but he is correct." Rarity's agreeing with Jack? Well this situation really has turned for the worse. "Sweetie Belle needs my help! I'm going with him!" "Same!" Applejack grunted. "Even if its a trap, I've got to save my sister!" "Me too!" Mason agreed. "I'm not gonna sit around and just let my sister get hurt by that vile bug queen! We need to act fast!" “And we don’t even know where to go.” Kaede stated. "I mean, we don't even know where this badlands location could be." She's right? It could be anywhere...so where could we even start? "Ummm... I know where it is..." a familiar voice we heard before she saw Thorax coming out of the bushes. "Thorax! Oh thank goodness." Fluttershy smiled, hugging the reformed changeling. Thorax gave us a caring smile. "Wait... how do you we know you're not another changeling pretending to be Thorax?" Twilight questioned suspiciously. "You were there when I defended Sarah against Queen Chrysalis when they captured your siblings." Thorax stated. "Sarah unleashed her Roar of Harmony on Chrysalis that sent her and the others away." ".... It's Thorax..." Nicole and Rantaro replied in unison. "Yep." the others added. "What are you doing out here?" Nicole questioned. "I came to make sure you all were okay." Thorax said. "When I saw the replaced ponies, I knew it had to be bad news. Are you alright?" "We're fine, but Chrysalis and her changelings are back and they've captured, Carrie, the Crusader's, the Princesses, Sombra and Radiant Hope and are holding them in the Badlands. Do you know where the Badlands are?" I asked. "Yes, it's outside of Equestria. In a barren wasteland." Thorax stated. "Ah, yes, I know where that is." Sarah said. "I can guide you all there." Sarah smiled, "But......" But.. what? Sarah...? Why was she looking at Thorax? "Thorax, you're wings... they're different.." Sarah pointed out. Oh... woah, they are different... instead of being transparent, they were crystal like and shimmering. "I guess they do." Nicole and Rantaro looked at his glowing wings, "Hmm... that's definitely a change." Rantaro stated. "Interesting.. I'll have to study this.." Nicole added, adjusting her glasses. "Study them later, Nicole, we've got friends to save." Rainbow reminded. Just then, Discord appeared, "Oh did I hear another rescue mission?" he asked excitedly. Twilight sighed, "Yes Discord, we're going to rescue the Princesses and our friends from Chrysalis in the Badlands." "Ooooh! Count me in!" Discord smiled before he donned on some travel gear on himself and us and with a snap of his fingers were were in the Badlands on a large piece of land, "Odd, I was trying to take us right to the Princesses." Discord said before he pulled up a rock, "But there is no Princesses." "Umm... I have a pretty good idea where they might be...." Kaede said nervously pointing to a large Changeling Hive in the middle of the wasteland. "Holy crap baskets...." I muttered. "I hoped to never see that place again. Now what?" Thorax asked. "Easy, we go in blast them all with Newbie and the bookworms' magic and we come out with the Princesses and the little ones, easy." Jack smirked. "You guys can't use magic here. Nothing except Changeling Magic works here. Chrysalis ancient throne is made of a powerful rock that soaks up outside magic the same way Changelings soak up love. Its how she keeps the Hive safe." Thorax explained. What?! So our magic is ineffective here! Oh great.... "Oh great, now what?" Rainbow asked. "Without Magic I have no idea." Twilight admitted. "So somepony better think of something and think fast." "Oh wait, I know." Sarah said before she lit her horn and our dragons appeared. "Ren and the gangs' dragons? How can they help?" Rainbow asked, skeptical. "Skittles, they're fire breathing dragons, one of which can kill with a sting with its tail. With them, if any Changelings come after us, they can defend us, like how Snowflake defended me the last time." Sarah smiled. ......Fair Point. "Alright then, let's go..." Twilight said. We nodded and we walked towards the Changeling Hive, staying out of sight of the guards while the guard armored changeling drones were distracted without them noticing. “Okay, we’re clear,” Thorax said, as he lead the group inside through a small hole. Oh my... god.... there were few hole changing positions all over the place and we saw a lot of green glowing cocoons. They saw a few holes changing positions everywhere and saw a lot of green glowing cocoons. “Ugh, it’s simply ghastly, darling. How do they even keep this place clean?” Rarity said. “It’s kinda how Chrysalis likes it,” Thorax said. “Okay. For once, I am definitely glad you came. I don’t think we’d be able to find our way out without you,” I said. “Ya said it,” Applejack said. “You definitely wouldn’t,” Thorax said, pointing at the hole that they came in from closing. “Seriously?!” Rainbow Dash asked. “Um, where’s the way out?” Fluttershy asked. “It’s a changeling hive. It shifts and changes like we do, and we’re the only ones who can navigate it. It's total chaos for non-changelings,” Thorax said, as he continued to lead the way. "Well I wouldn't call it total chaos." Discord disagreed. “So, are you sure we can some of our magic back when we destroy that so-called throne?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If Thorax is right, then yes. But if not, we’ll have to come up with another way,” Twilight said. “Well, that’s reassuring, darling,” Rarity said. “And how are we supposed to destroy the throne when we find it?” Kaede asked. "Well, Deadly Nadders' fire is the hottest of all dragons and can melt solid rock in seconds, so Skystorm can melt the throne with ease once we find it." I explained with a smile. "Excellent." Twilight smiled. “Well, I don’t suppose you brought something we can use like something useful?” Spike asked. "I just brought my dinosaurs." Sarah said, showing her dinosaur cards but with out her magic she couldn't summon the bracer to summon them into battle mode. "Well.... they could work... if you figure out another way to summon them." Applejack said. “Okay, now that we’re done gossiping, can we move on please? The sooner we find the Princesses and our friends and destroy the throne, the sooner we go home,” Twilight said. We all nodded and continued to follow Thorax as we trotted up the stairs. “Um, guys? I think we’re lost,” Thorax said, as they found out they were now in the middle of nowhere. “Oh, great! This is so boring!” Rainbow Dash said. “Oh, I hope my little sister is still okay. She could be anywhere,” Rarity said. “We’ll keep looking,” Twilight said. “That’s good, because I’d rather not just sit here and wait for the changelings to just come right here and soak up all of our love or whatever gross thing it is they do,” Skye said. “Thorax! Your wings! Were they like that after your first battle with Chrysalis?” I asked. “Actually, yeah. They were, but I’ve recently shared some love with animals instead of feeding off their love, and it kinda made me end up like this. And I think I haven’t been hungry since I’ve met all of you,” Thorax said. “But changelings are always hungry." "So... you're not hungry anymore than...?" Kaede asked and Thorax realized, "Huh... I guess... after you guys accepted my friendship, I might’ve forgotten about the whole feeding thing." "Which caused your wings to change." Sarah added. “Well, I think you look smashing with those sparkles on your wings, darling!” Rarity said. “Really? Well, thank you,” Thorax said. “Well, at least it can’t get any worse, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Nope! Not even close! Hehehehe!” Pinkie Pie said, until her giggle suddenly echoed. The changelings suddenly heard the echo and started to come out and hiss. “Oops, sorry,” Pinkie Pie said. “It’s alright, darling. But at least you didn’t wake them up, so we should be fine,” Rarity said. They suddenly heard a sound of distant humming with a little buzzing. “Um... W-What’s that?” Kaede asked. “That doesn’t... sound good,” Fluttershy said. “It’s a changeling patrol! Run!” Thorax said, and then they all started running as a swarm of angry changelings chased after us. "Torch, blast them!" Jack called and his Monstrous Nightmare roar and flame up, scaring the crap out of the changelings before he launched a fireball at them, forcing them to retreat. "Hahahaha, see ya crappy bugs!" Jack exclaimed with a toothily grin. “I can’t believe that actually worked!” Twilight said. “Great Torch." However, Snowflake and Slice snarled seeing another group of changelings coming right at us! “Maybe not!” Rainbow Dash said. “RUN!” Twilight said, as we ran from the angry changelings. They suddenly ran through a few tunnels while a few changelings kept chasing them one another. When they got back together, they suddenly found a safe place to hide. “We can’t keep this up any longer! If we do, then we’ll end up like the changelings,” Rainbow Dash said. “You mean... trapped in one of... those... disgusting and revolting cocoons?!” Rarity shuddered. “I’m with ya, Rare,” Applejack said. “Oh, Carrie. Where are you?” Mason said. “I don’t know, but we’ll find her.” Applejack said. “Yes, darling. But between seeing ourselves and those horrible changelings, the castle will be crawling with guards soon,” Rarity said. “But if we do manage to find a way to destroy the throne, we’ll still have a chance to get our magic back and stop Chrysalis. We could still take her on and the entire changeling army and save our friends!” Twilight said. Skystorm sniffed the ground and squawked to the rest of us, "Skystorm, what's wrong?" Kaede asked. The Deadly Nadder roared again before she dashed down a tunnel. "Skystorm!" We all chased after the Deadly Nadder and we found her.... in Chrysalis' throne room! Above her throne room, we saw Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Sombra, Radiant and Carrie and the CMC's in their own coccons. "Carrie!" Mason gasped in horror. "This has got be it..." Twilight whispered until we heard buzzing sound of changeling wings. Oh no.... and then changeling slime was splat on the girls forelegs and our shoes, and a recognizable evil laugh was heard. “One puny band of heroes all by their selves,” a voice said. A pair of forelegs appeared and climbed over Celestia's cocoon. It was Queen Chrysalis, as she crawled like an insecure with her joints cracking, and then rotated her head. “Oh, how will I ever prevent this daring rescue?” Suddenly, her entire army of Changelings appeared and rushed us, but Skystorm and Slice breathed their fire in a circle, keeping them back while Torch and the others snarled at them. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Twilight Sparkle and her little band of friends, and I see you’ve brought some fresh meat. Your sole pupil, I presume?” Queen Chrysalis asked evilly, until she chuckled. “Honestly, I didn’t think you were worth of replacing with one of my drones.” “You’ll never get away with this!” Jack exclaimed as he struggled. “Oh, but I already have. Nopony is coming to save you lot or help rescue the little friends. Your pathetic attempt was futile, and now you will join your friends after we have taken over your world!” Chrysalis said. “Oh, yeah! Well, Thorax is still out there! How would you feel?!” Twilight asked. “Don’t you dare mention that traitor’s name in my kingdom!” Chrysalis hissed. “He was a pathetic and insolent fool to leave and even more of a fool to return! But when I find him, he’ll learn his lesson about just what happens to those who betray the hive!” "I am not afraid of you anymore!" Huh? We all turned and saw Throax standing on Chrysalis' throne. "Thorax!" Chrysalis hissed and the other changelings hissed at the so called traitor. "You're not afraid of me anymore! I'm your Queen, you should always be afraid of me!" "No I don't!" Thorax said in his assertive tone, looking Chrysalis dead in the eye. "I used to afaird of you because I didn't think there was another way for us to live, but Nicole, Rantaro and their friends showed me another way to survive. Through friendship we can gather the love we need without taking it from others. They risked their lives to protect me and now I'll do the same for them!" Wow......! Never thought he could say.... that before. At that moment, Thorax blasted a huge beam of love at Chysalis, sending her crashing into a wall and Thorax was the love enveloped him into a cocoon. "..... Thorax...?" Fluttershy called. Then the cocoon broke opened and.... HOLY CRAP! Thorax was now a taller changeling with light lime green chitin with a brilliant gamboge tint on his chest, a dark azure carapace with a moderate emerald green underside, moderate blue violet wings and dark fuchsia elytra on his back, moderate rose eyes, and brilliant light orange beetle-like mandibles on his head. Everypony in the throne was shocked. "What... the.... hell....!" Jack exclaimed. "It appears sharing his love allowed him to metomorphozised, like a butterfly." Nicole deduced. “See?! This is what happens when you give love freely instead of taking it! Why don’t you try it out for a change?!” I said, showing how Thorax got his new look. The drones then thought for a moment and then decided to share their love with each other and Chrysalis’ throne started to crack and she was now afraid. After all that love was shared, the top of the hive exploded, leaving so much debris and rubble. Sarah turned off the force field and then she and Thorax saw a beautiful sight The changelings landed and got new forms in colors of cyan, brilliant green, sea green, light lime green, and greenish yellow, causing them to like their new looks. Twilight and the others went to Starlight and Thorax for a group hug. They then saw Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Sombra, Radiant Hope, Carrie and the girls. "Carrie!" Sweetie Belle!" Scoots!" Applebloom!" Carrie and the CMC's turned and saw their respective elder siblings coming over to them, "Big Brother!" "Rarity!" Rainbow Dash!" "Applejack!" They all hugged each other tightly, "Oh thank goodness you girls are alright." Applejack said. "I'm okay Applejack." Applebloom said and we all smiled at the scene. But the moment was ruined when we heard rubble crumbling, and it was Queen Chrysalis, and she hissed at us, but she frowned seeing that she was greatly outnumbered. "It's over Chrysalis, you've lost this round once more, so do everyone a favor a just surrender." Sarah snarled. “There is no revenge you could ever conceive of that will come close to what I will exact upon you one day, Sarah Gem!” she said angrily, and then she fell backwards and fled. "Hmph, good riddance for a long time, I hope." Jack grumbled. "You and me both." I agreed. “Thorax, as the new leader of the changelings, I look forward to discussing how we can improve our relationship in the future." Celestia said and Thorax bowed to the Sun Princess. "However, for the moment, perhaps it is best that we leave the Changeling Kingdom to the changelings,” "So how are we gonna get back home?" Kaede asked. "I got this." Discord smiled and with a snap of his fingers we were all back in Twilight's castle. "Hopefully, that's the last time we'll hear of Chrysalis for a while. That bug never learns." Rantaro said. "Some people or creatures just refused to accept change. Thats how some things are." Sarah stated. "But whatever she throws at us next, we'll be ready for her." "You got that right, Newbie." Jack smirked. "Heck yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "We'll always stop her and other bad guys, no matter what!" "Yeah, Protectors of Equestria!" Twilight and the rest of us declared and the Princesses smiled proudly at all of us.
Chapter 10: The Harmonic Nine: The MovieIn the magical land of Equestria, there are four powerful Princesses. One for the day. One for the night. One for family and then there’s me, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. It is my royal duty to make sure everyone in Equestria feels like they belong. It’s a lot of live up to. I mean, Princess? Luckily I have amazing friends who are there for me no matter what. I know with my friends by my side, I can be the Princess everyone wants me to be. But some things you just can’t prepare for. Now on with the main movie plot! Twilight’s POV I was in the halls of the Canterlot Palace, being calm. “Ooommm… Oooommm… My goodness! I can’t handle this!” I stated in a panicked tone. “Alright, alright.. Get it together. Just go in there and ask. This is your Friendship Festival. Everyone’s happiness rest in your hands.” … Yeah that pep talk to myself did not do anything to help me. “Ooooh.” I groaned. The door opened and out came Spike, my dragon assistant. “Alright, Twilight, I have all your charts and graphs.” “Oh thank goodness, you’re here Spike. I’m just so nervous about this meeting.” I said. “What are you talking about?” Spike asked. “I’m about to ask the most royal ponies in Equestria a huge favor. What if they reject me?” I asked. “I’ll be fine. Just remember the most important thing.” “... Smile?” I suggested, giving him and large a somewhat creepy smile. “Uh..no.” he said. “You’re a Princess too.” “...Right!” I said. I took a deep breath and pushed opened the doors to the throne room, seeing the three Princesses. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. “Good morning, Princesses. Thank you all for seeing me. I have an idea that I think will make our Friendship Festival the most wonderful celebration Equestria has ever seen!” “Yes, Twilight! We are very excited!” Celestia said. “Ponies have been arriving from all over all morning.” Cadene added. “I'd like to think it's to see us, but Songbird Serenade might be the bigger attraction.” Luna stated. “Yes, she is the... "mane" event!” I giggled a little. “And to make it extra special, I could use your help. Spike?” Spike rolled out a large white board and as I talked Spike drew out everything. “Songbird Serenade's performance is not scheduled to start until after you begin the sunset. And based on my precise calculation, to get the very best lighting for the stage, Princess Celestia, I was hoping you could make sure the sun stays about 28.1º to the south, and, Princess Luna, if you could raise the moon 62º to the north at the same time, it would reflect the sunlight on the other side and really frame the entire stage perfectly!” “I…” Luna stuttered. “But wait! There's more! Cadance, if you could use your crystal magic to create an aurora above the stage, the sun and the moon will shine through it and create a truly amazing light show!” “Presenting Songbird Serenade!” Spike cheered holding a little stick with Songbird Serenade’s sticker on it. “Ta-da…” “So you're saying you want us to move the sun and the moon for the party?” Luna asked. “Well, I'd do it myself, except I don't have your magic.” I laughed nervously. Princess Celestia came up to me, “Twilight, each of us uses our powers to serve Equestria in our own way. You are the Princess of Friendship. You already have all the magic you need.” “So... that'd be a no?” I questioned. Ren’s POV Meanwhile the Mane 5, Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Kaede, Mason, Carrie and I were getting everything ready for the Friendship Festival. Rainbow Dash had finished clearing the clouds. “Skies clear and ready for the festival.” She zipped down and saw Rarity and Kaede placing diamonds on the ribbons. Pinkie and Carrie were blowing up balloons for the party. Jamie and I were making sure everything was in tip top shape. Nicole and Rantaro were laying against the stage out of the way. Applejack and Mason came over with Applejack halling a large barrel of apple cider. “Anypony up for some free samples of my family's apple cider?” she asked aloud. Rainbow and Jack grinned and zipped over, “Thank you.” and zipped back. “Love’d it.” Applejack and Mason admired Rarity and Kaedes’ work. “Wow, Rarity. It's a fine job you're doin' there. 'Course it might not get done 'til after the concert.” “Yeah, Songbird Serenade will love it.” Mason added. “Mason and Applejack anypony can do "fine". Twilight asked us, so clearly, she's going for fabulous, and fabulous takes time.” Rarity said. “Fabulous takes forever!” Rainbow whined, “But''awesome ``...” Rainbow flew past the stage, putting the diamonds on the ribbons in a sloppy manner. She returned to Rarity and Kaedes’ side. “...can get done in four seconds flat! Faster if I do my sonic rainboom!” “Aah! No, no, oh no! Don't you dare, Rainbow Dash! It looks wretched enough already.” Rarity exclaimed. “Oh come on, you purple loon, it's fine!” Jack grunted, folding his arms. “If you were raised in a barn! Ahem, no offense, Applejack.” Rarity said. “None taken. Especially since I wasn't raised in a barn. My family just happens to have a barn. Where I was born. And... spent most of my formative years…” “Raised in a barn!” Jack, Nicole and Rantaro said quickly in unison. Then, Twilight came over with Spike holding a list with my hands, “Okay, just two hundred and eighteen things left to do and we're ready.” “Hey Twilight.” We all greeted. “So how’d it go with the Princesses? Did they like your idea?” Applejack asked. “I bet they loved it!” Pinkie called out in the background. Twilight sighed, “Not exactly. They think I can make today perfect without their magic.” “And they are absolutely right.” Kaede said. “Yeah, this festival was you brilliant idea and we all know your up the task.” Rarity encouraged. However, as usual, Twilight still wasn’t convinced. “But what if I'm not?! What if Songbird Serenade hates the stage?! Or nopony makes a new friend?! And if I fail at the festival, then who am I?!” That’s when Pinkie grabbed her face and literally smashed it against hers. “Twilight, look at me! This will be the biggest celebration Equestria has ever seen! As the Princess of Friendship, you cannot fail! This day will define who you are! The pressure is intense! It's almost too much for any single pony to handle!” She then screamed and ponies nearby gasped. “Too far, Pinkie. Too far.” I said. “Yep.” Jamie agreed. Twilight blinked twice and Pinkie hopped off of me. “But you have us. So stop worrying.” she said. Music started playing as Twilight smiled nervously and Applejack and Mason helped her up. (Applejack and Mason) It's time to show 'em what you've got (Rarity and Kaede) It's time to go and get things done (Fluttershy and Jamie) But you don't have to do it on your own (Pinkie Pie and I) 'Cause you've got friends right here to make it fun (All) We got this, you got this We got this together Rainbow grabbed me and took me into the sky. (Rainbow Dash) Sometimes the pressure gets you down And the clouds are dark and grey Just kick them off and let the sun shine through And scary as it seems, more help is on the way 'Cause friends have friends that wanna help out, too (Rainbow Dash and Wonderbolts) We got this, you got this We got this together (Crowd) It's the Festival of Friendship And we can get it done A festival that they won't forget A party to be proud of A day of games and fun Just you wait and see A magic day in perfect harmony (Fluttershy and Jamie) You got this (Bird) [whistles melody] (Fluttershy, Jamie and bird whistle) We got this together (Applejack) With friends and family, you are never alone If you need help, we've got your back You can be honest, let your problems be known (Applejack and Apple family) 'Cause you got us to pick up the slack We got this (Big McIntosh) Eeyup! (Apple family) We got this together (Rarity and Kaede) Pay attention to the details Every gem even-spaced Make the colors perfect (Spike) Takin' one or two to taste He took one of the gems and at them (Rarity) Inside and out, beautiful throughout Generosity is what we're all about (Spike) (mouthful) You got this (Rarity and Kaede) You got this (Rarity, Kaede and Spike) We got this together I flew into the sky, overlooking the area. (Twilight) Today needs to be perfect, it all comes down to me I don't know if I'm ready For all the things they need me to be I am the Princess of Friendship But that is more than just a crown It's a promise to bring creatures together And never let anybody down! (Pinkie Pie and I) We've got an awful lot to bake Each pony needs a piece of cake Oh, wait! There's something better we can do We're gonna need some more supplies To make a really big surprise She'll be so shocked She's sure to love it, too! You got this! We got this together! (All) It's the Festival of Friendship Together we are one A day we will never forget And now everything is ready So when the day is done (Rainbow Dash and Jack) The weather (Applejack and Rantaro) The banquet (Rarity and Nicole) The style (Fluttershy and Carrie) And music (All) All will be in perfect harmony! Suddenly, I heard a loud ‘POP’ sound behind me. I turned around and look up… only to be consumed by giant cake pieces. “Oh dear!” Rarity exclaimed. Twilight’s popped my head out, “Pinkie!” and a lit candle landed on my head. Pinkie and Ren popped out of her cannon, “Oops sorry, guess my large party cannon needs a little more fine tuning.” Pinkie admitted. Twilight only groaned. Then Sarah came over with Snowflake and her pokemon friends. “Another Pinkie invention?” she asked. “Yep.” I stated. Twilight walked out of the cake and cleaned myself just as ponies were whispering. “Songbird Serenade, is it really her?” “It is, It is.” Through the crowd came two bodyguard ponies and in the middle was a beige pegasus pony with a tan and black mane and tail. The mane covered her eyes and she was wearing a black jacket. “Hi, I’m looking for the pony in charge.” she asked. Cameras flashed and she did a few poses. “I need to get ready for my soundcheck.” “Woah.” I gasped. It was the first time, The gang and I had met a pop star in Equestria. She sounded like the singer sia. “Songbird Serenade!” I called. “Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m the pony in charge.” “Ah good-” Before she could continue, there was a sound of thunder. We all looked up and saw dark clouds coming over and filling the air. “Storm clouds?” Carrie asked. “Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked. “Uh, I don't think those are storm clouds.” Rainbow said. “Yeah. I have a bad feeling about those clouds.” Mason said. “Me too.” Rantaro said. Sarah and Snowflake, Pikachu and the others narrowed their eyes at the storm cloud and Sarah returned her Pokemon friends to their pokeballs. Then a weird-looking airship came out of the cloud. [img] https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/4/46/The_Storm_King%27s_airship_appears_MLPTM.png/revision/latest?cb=20170629194616[/img] “Ooh! I bet those are the clowns I ordered!” Pinkie cheered, but when the ship got closer she added, “...Or definitely not the clowns I ordered.” The airship was stationed right in front of us and broke of the thin pillars. A walk path came out and out came a small hedgehog carrying a loudspeaker and a mic. The hedgehog cleared his throat and said, Ponies of Equethtria, we come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty...Storm King! Sarah narrowed her eyes a little as the rest of my friends started in concern and suspicion. The hedgehog continued, “And now, to deliver the evil, evil methage, put your hooves together for Commander Tempeeeetht!” We heard footsteps and out came a unicorn mare wearing gray armor. She had a scar over her left eye and… she had a broken horn! Most of the ponies gasped, ”What the hell?” Jack asked. “Is that a unicorn?” Twilight asked. “I think so, but what happened to her horn.” Spike asked. “It looks like it was cut off or something.” I stated. That’s when Celestia, Luna and Cadence came down, “Tempest, is it? How may we help you?” “Oh I’m so glad. How about we start with your complete and total surrender.” Tempest said. Okay. She’s bad news and the rest of the gang knew it too. Twilight decided to step forward with caution. “Um.. Hi there. Princess of Friendship. Not exactly sure what's going on, but I know we can talk things out.” I swear I heard Jack and Rainbow facepalm. “Oh goodie.” Tempest said. “All four Princesses.” Then Tempest noticed Sarah, “Hmm.. and another Alicorn too. “ she began to walk down the walkway. “Here’s the deal ladies, I need your magic. Give it up nicely please, or else we make it difficult for everyone.” “And why should we cower before you?” Luna asked. “There’s one of you and hundreds of us.” Tempest chuckled, “I was hoping you’d choose ‘Difficult’.” That’s when more airships came in and large Storm creatures came out and landed in the area. Ponies screamed and ran for their lives. “Holy crap!” Jack exclaimed. Carrie hugged her brother in fear. “Crap baskets!” I added. Tempest leaped into the air and threw an obsidian orb at Celestia. “Celestia!” Ren cried. Cadence stepped in front of her aunts and used a shield to protect them, but the orb broke through and hit her, “YAAHHH!” she cried. Twilight gasped in horror as she was turning into a statue. “Oh my goodness!” Rarity cried. “Holy crap!” Jack added. “Not good!” Kaede added. “Cadence!” Celestia cried. “Agh! I can’t stop it!” Cadence cried. Tempest started running through the panic crowd. Celestia turned to Luna, “Luna, quick go South beyond the Badlands.” she started. Tempest threw another obsidian orb. “Seek help from the Queen of the hippo-” she didn’t finish when the orb hit her turning her into a statue. “Celestia! No!” I cried. Luna gasped and made flew into the air, but Tempest threw another orb at her. It struck her and she turned into and statute mid-air and Twilight used her magic to catch her. “Ugh. Luna!” she cried. Tempest launched two more orbs at Twilight and Sarah?. “Newbie!” “Twilight!” Rainbow and Jack swiftly flew and ran in and grabbed Twilight and Sarah before the orbs hit them. “Over here, you guys!” I said. Sarah, Carrie, Nicole, Rantaro, Jack, Jamie, Kaede and I along with Kodi and the girls were near the bridge. Me and Mason dashed through the Storm creatures and made it onto the bridge along with the others, but our path was blocked by two other Storm Creatures. We stopped and Twilight fired her magic, but one of them bounced it off with a shield hitting the ground and breaking the bridge beneath us. “AAAAHHHH!” We all screamed but at the last second, Sarah changed into a large bird and caught all of us on her back and she flew us far from Canterlot. Third Person POV Grubber and two Storm Creatures looked over the edge. “Which one of you guyth ith goin' down there?” The Storm Creatures growled, “ I would, but I just had a hearty meal, and I will think and I will thide-cramp. I'm very big-boned. I think quick.” Ren’s POV Sarah landed on the ground and now we all were now hiding under a fallen tree, miles from Canterlot which was now surrounded by the dark clouds and had more airships coming in. I was standing by the water while my friends were under the fallen tree. “Everyone alright?” I asked. “Yeah… I think so.” Carrie said a little dazed from the fall. “We just got our butts kicked by the worst party crashers ever!” Kaede said. “We got to go back there and fight that unicorn bastard!” Jack said. “Jack, you saw those goons. You seriously want to go back?!” Mason exclaimed. “That’s suicide!” “So now what?.” Kaede said. “We can’t hide here forever.” “And let’s be honest, we can’t go back. Look at what they did to the Princesses. We have to keep them from Twilight and Sarah.” Applejack said. “Yeah Applejack’s right. We all saw what she did to the Princesses, she’ll do the same to Twilight and Sarah too, so we can’t ignore that fact..” Mason said. “So what do we do now?.” Jamie said. Meanwhile, Twilight was thinking about what Princess Celestia said. “The Queen.” “Yeah the Queen.” Pinkie cheered. “Uh… what Queen?” “Celestia told Luna to find the Queen of the Hippo- something. Luna can’t, so I have to.” Twilight said. “Hippos? Serious?” Rainbow asked. “Celestia meant Queen of the Hippogriffs.” Sarah said. “Hippogriffs?” I asked. Sarah nodded, “They are half pony, half eagle creatures and Queen Novo is the Queen.” “They’re somewhere south, past the Badlands.” Twilight added. “That means we’ll have to leave Equestria.” Fluttershy said. Leave Equestria. Oh boy! “I’m not even packed.” Rarity said. “I understand you’re scared and nobody else has to go, but I have to find Queen Novo. She might be our only hope.” Twilight said. Twilight began walking when Jack came in front of me, “Well you’re not doing this alone and getting all the glory. Wherever you go, we go. We’re in this together.” Rainbow said with a grin. “We’re not letting you do this quest alone.” I came up with, “We got your back.” “Indeed.” Kaede added. “Count me in!” Mason added. “I’m ready to save Equestria!” Carrie said. “Yeah.” Jamie added. “I guess, we’ll help too.” Nicole added, speaking for Rantaro and herself. “Yeah, we’re all behind you, Twilight.” Spike said. “Do you know where they are Sarah?” Sarah nodded, “Snowflake, Pikachu and I have encountered Novo before during our travels. I can lead you there.” “Now let’s get moving.” I said, “Lead the way, Sarah.” Sarah nodded and with that we walked through the forest for the Badlands on our quest to save Equestria. Third Person POV In Equestria, the Storm Creatures had captured all the ponies and muzzled them and forcing them to walk, connected with chains. Other were placed in cages. Tempest was on the balcony of the palace. She walked inside where the three Princess Statues were. Each were on a corner of a four petaled flower. “All this power wasted on parties when there are far greater uses.” There was a small coldon in the middle of the room and one Storm Creature came in holding an orb that was ringing. “Well? Answer it!.” Tempest ordered. The Storm Creature poured the liquid into the caldron and out came and image of the Storm King. “Where am I supposed to be looking? I never understand how this spell works. Tempest!” The Storm King called. “Over here, Your Excellency..” Tempest called. “Where?” “Over here.” “Huh?” “No. No, right. Look right.” “My right?” “Yep.” “Oh. There you are. Here's the deal. I'm in the middle of a big rebrand here. "The Storm King" is tracking well as "intensely intimidating", but you know what? I need to back it up. You know what I need to back it up with? A storm! That would be great! You promised me magic that could control the elements, and right now, I'm holding a what? A branch. A twig. Bleh!” “Uh, that would be the Staff of Sacanas, Your Excellency, and it will channel the magic of the four rulers of this land. You'll soon have the power of a hundred armies.” “So that would be a yes on your locking down the five Pegacornicuseses, or whatever you call them?” “Give me three days. I'll have everything ready for your arrival.” The Storm King's’ voice then turned ominous, “Remember, Tempest. Only I have the power to make you whole. Make this twig work, and you'll get your reward. Fail me, and your horn won't be the only thing that's broken.” “It won't be a problem.” And the Storm King suddenly turned upbeat, “Great! I'm ready to power up, crash and bash, and be the biggest, baddest bugaloooooo…” and the spell finished. “Thorry, bad thpell thervice. You want me to call him back?” Gruber asked. “Do you have the Princess?” “Well, uh, funny thtory. It kinda theemth like she... she might've like, you know, got away... a little bit. I know you're dithappointed, but I got one word for you: "thpongecake".” Tempest zapped Grubber with her electricity. “I need all five for the staff to work.” Tempest growled. “Hey, I know! I want the Thtorm King to fix that crazy horn as badly as you do. It lookth like a crackly chipped tooth on the top of your head. And you know you don't look good in hatth.” She sharply turned towards him. “Those Alicorns are not gonna keep me from getting my horn back! Prepare my ship!” Grubber freaked but he went to prepare her ship. Tempest returned to her calm demeanor. “Please. How far could two little ponies get on her own?” Tempest asked. Ren’s POV Now we were in the Badlands Desert. There were no clouds in the sky and just sand everywhere. The heat and humidity was unbearable. We were sweating profusely and walking slow. Rantaro was trying to fan himself but it barely worked. Jacks’ shirt was all sweaty. I looked like I was at the point of dropping down to the ground, along with Jamie. "I...can't...take it...anymore..." Jamie complained. “Soo… hot…” Jack groaned. “Tell.. me… about it.” I added. “How… much… farther?” Jack asked. The only one who didn’t seem to be affected was Sarah and Snowflake. “Sarah… Snowflake… how come you… two aren’t.. Affected?” I asked, panting. “Snowflake and I have grown used to the desert heat.” Sarah explained. “Hey… when did this… road get here?” Kodi asked in a tired voice. “A road..?” Twilight said. “Where there’s a road.. There’s a-” she gasped in joy as we came over a sandy hill and they smiled. Up ahead was a town. https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/jadensadventures/images/a/a6/Klugetown.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180502180039 “A city.” Pinkie smiled. “We are doing it you guys.” “You know what they say. Where there’s a city. There’s a spa!” Rarity exclaimed. “Who says that?” Rainbow asked. “Cause you’ve forgotten, we’re on a mission to save Equestria.” Applejack said. “I can multitask.” Rarity grumbled. Seeing the town, must have given my friends an extra boost of energy because they started walking a bit faster. We entered the town and saw there were pig creatures and some vendors too. Carrie looked around and saw cages with animals in them. One pig creature dropped a barrel, “I got it.” Twilight said and Twilight used my magic to lift it up. “ Hey! No magic around my merchandise!” the pig creature exclaimed, frightening us a little and we scurried away while Jack and Rainbow snarled at the pig creature. “This place gives me the creeps.” Mason said. Carrie held onto her brother tightly. “Me too.” Jamie said. “Just stick together.” Twilight said. “Be careful who you talk to. And try to blend in.” Suddenly a vendor creature came up to us, “How much for the red wolf?” “Huh?” We all asked. “The red wolf.” the vendor said again, pointing to Kodiak, “I’m not a wolf, I’m a dog?!” he exclaimed. “Uh, sorry Kodi isn't for sale.” I said. “I want the small girl. I'll give ya two storm bucks for it!” another vendor said. “My sister is not for sale either!” Mason growled. The various other creatures started to surround us, saying multiple bids. Jack got in front of us for protection. We were cornered against a wall, but before any of them could touch us, Sarah came forth. “Excuse me, back away from my friends please?” The creatures seemed to widen their eyes at the sight of her, like they knew her already. “If you don’t you’ll have to deal with my friend. Oh Snowflake~” Snowflake growled at the creatures and they scattered. “Hehehe, still the same as always.” Sarah chuckled. “Thanks Sarah.” I praised. Suddenly, we heard more laughter and clapping. “Who's there?!” Mason exclaimed. “I see you haven’t changed much, have you Sarah?” Out of the shadows came an anthropomorphic cat leaped in front of us. He wore a red robe and had a blue ring on his tail. “Who are you?” Kaede asked. “This is Capper, one of my friends.” Sarah said. Capper and Sarah shook paws and hooves. “And I see Snowflake is still the same, huh?” Snowflake purred at the sight of him. “These are all my friends from Equestria, Capper.” Sarah said. Capper turned to us “Hello there everyone Capper’s the name and charming's’ my game.” Capper said. “Nice to meet you, Capper.” Pinkie greeted until Twilight pulled her aside, “I don’t think we should trust him. He acts like Rantaro.” Then Mason came up, “I agree with Twilight.” “Maybe we should, I mean we could use a friend out here.” Pinkie stated. Capper suddenly came over, “You know what, the little female is right. And if I do say so myself….” “He better not sing.” Jack grunted. “You know he is.” I replied. Jack growled. (Capper) This town is not a nice place For little fillies all alone There are lots of twists and corners That could lead to the unknown Let me guide your way And I'll be sure to help you through You could really use a friend out here And luckily for you... I'm the friend that you need When you're lost and don't know what to do I'm your pal, your amigo Useful and resourceful, too And my help, you'll concede Is a plus guaranteed You can call and I'll come running Just follow my lead 'Cause I'm the friend you need! (Klugetown Wool-Seller) He's a friend Scaly Klugetowner: Quite a friend! (Klugetowners) He's a friend indeed! (Capper) You need a bud to spot the danger A pal to stop the creep A chum and not a stranger to assist You need a bro who is cunning That can help you take the leap A friend who knows what's lying in the mist Don't fear these darkened alleys They're scary, yes, I know Why, you could use a friend To protect you wherever you go And such a dazzling beauty Covered in dirt and muck But now your fate is changing Now you are in luck 'Cause I'm the friend that you need When you're lost and don't know what to do I'm your pal, your amigo Lookin' out for friends like you And my help, you'll concede Is a plus guaranteed Just call and I'll come running We'll say it's agreed… 'Cause I'm the friend you need! (Me and the others) He's a friend Kaede: Quite a friend! (All) He's a friend indeed! Capper led us into his home. There were shelves with bottles on it and it looked like a hodgepodge of some sort. “ Welcome ponies and humans. Apologies for the state of my litter box. I wasn't expecting guests.” “Gross.” Mason stated. “Y'all sure you want the Hippogriffs?” Capper asked. “Yes Capper.” Sarah stated. “Right, now let’s see what we have here.” Capper said. Third Person POV Tempest, Grubber and some Storm Creatures were walking through Klugetown. The creatures of Klugetown were screaming and running away. “You really think the ponieth got thith far?” Grubber asked. Tempest saw one of Sarah’s feathers on a stand, “ Oh, they're here. Attention! A little purple pony passed this way. Tell me where she is…” “..or thumpin real bad's going to happen.” Grubber added. “You think we're gonna fall for this again? I don't know what kinda scam you're workin' with Capper and the rest of your friends, but--” One fish creature stated. “Friends?” Tempest asked. “Poison or no poison, you're gonna pay!” Tempest didn’t flinch instead she knocked the fish creature down and threw him onto the ground! “Ohhhh, Fishman juth got dropped!” Grubber said. Tempest approached the fish creature. “Now… about this… Capper.” she lit her horn, emphasizing she was serious. Ren’s POV Meanwhile, while Sarah was looking through some of the books, Rarity was with Capper and she fixed a button on his robe. “ Here you go. I do apologize. If we were back home, I could've done something truly fabulous.” she said. Capper looked at her with suspicion, “Okay... What's the catch?” “Nothing. After all that you've done for us, consider it a "thank you".” Rarity admitted, surprising Capper since nobody ever thanked him for anything. “Oh. Uh, don't thank me. Really.” Snowflake nudged him. “Guys!” Twilight called. She placed a map on the table. “I found the map. The map says they live on Mount Aris. “Mount Aris? Where’s that?” I asked. “Maybe it’s that large mountain out the window.” Rantaro stated, nonchalantly, pointing out the window. We went over to the window and saw the mountain in the distance. “That’s it!” Twilight exclaimed. “We’ve got to get to the mountain.” “You need an airship! And lucky for you, I can get you a ride.” Capper said. “No, no, Capper, you’ve done enough. We can take it from here.” Sarah reassured. Suddenly, the door was busted down and certain hornless unicorn came in, slowly. “Hehehe… silly ponies and humans.” Tempest said. “Tempest.” Twilight said in fear. My friends gasped in shock and fear. “Trusting strangers? Big mistake. Big…” Tempest said. “Huge!” Grubber added. The two slowly walked towards us. “Ummm… any ideas, guys?” I asked nervously. Sarah suddenly used her magic to make a small cloud of dust in the room, which Tempest, stopped with her electricity. We all climbed on the windmill outside. “Go, Go!” Twilight cried before she flew out the window. “Get her now!” Tempest ordered and the Storm Creatures went to work. “You’re gonna be scared now, humans.” Grubber said. We were on a single windmill when one of the Storm Creatures held on part of the windmill. Kaede and Carrie screamed. Sarah, Twilight and Rainbow went over and pushed one of the blades of the windmill with all my might. The struggle broke the device holding the windmill and hitting the Storm Creature in the face. We all screamed in fear as the windmill dislodged itself and started rolling through town. “I'm... gonna... be... sick!” Applejack said. “Me.. too!” I added. The rest were screaming and panting. We all leapt off and rushed across a platform which was getting destroyed by the windmill. Then we leaped into a small entryway. “We have to get there to the docks!” Twilight said. We all rushed up the stairs just as the ship was leaving. “Hurry!” Rainbow rushed ahead and grabbed the rope and pulled it, allowing us friends to walk along the rope, like tightrope walkers. Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Mason and Carrie walked across it. “Don’t look down.” Jamie said to himself. I went next, but Kaede saw the Storm Creatures coming and she leaped onto it, pulling Rainbow and she slipped off. “WAAAHH!” “Oh no!” Mason cried. “Kaede!” Everyone cried. “I’m coming!” Sarah jumped and dove for Kaede and luckily caught her before she hit some rocks. She flew her over to the airship and they landed roughly on it. “Sarah, you okay?” Ren asked. “Yeah, I’m alright.” she reassured. “Shhh!” Nicole snapped. We were behind some large crates and hear some voices. “Did you hear something?” Boyle asked. Squabble squawked. "Eh, probably just the rats. If we find 'em, we'll eat 'em.” Boyle said. Jamie gulped nervously, “Rats?” “Let’s just stay quiet.” Sarah whispered. Hopefully, these guys would be friends to us. Third Person POV Capper was brought before Tempest and Grubber. “Now... where are they going?” she asked, charges her horn up. Capper got up, “Okay. No need for violence. Uh, they're headed…” The button Kaede sewed on sparkled reminding Caper about her generosity. He winced and suddenly got an idea, “They headed east! Yeah, to... to Black Skull Island. So, uh, glad I could be of service to His Majesty, the Storm King. I'll just be on my way.” The Storm Creatures blocked his way. “When I get my Princess. Until then, your fate is still... up in the air.” Tempest said. “Oh, you're gonna go in the thkiff! Which with a boat! Thpethifically, a air-boat!” he laughed. The Storm Creatures brought Capper abroad, “We make a great team. I love it how you aid high fate with "up in the air", and then I said, "you're gonna be in the air on an airboat!" POV Ends Meanwhile, on the airship, We peeked over the crates and saw the anthropomorphic parrots. “What do you think? Should we ask them to take us?” Jamie asked. “No way!” Mason whispered. “They’re pirates for God’s sake.” Jacks’ stomach growled and he patted his gut, “Pirates or not, I’m starving.” Mason rolled his eyes, “You’re always hungry.” “Sue me!” Jack exclaimed softly. “Actually, I’m kinda hungry too.” I admitted, rubbing his stomach. “Me too” Jamie added. “Me three.” Kaede said. Suddenly, Boyle picked up and crate, exposing us. ”Looks like a pack of stowaways.” Mullet said. “What are we s'posed to do with 'em?” Lix Spittle added. “What say the book, Captain Celaeno?” Mullet asked. Captain Celano, an tanish parrot with green feathers and a green prosthetic leg as a some sort of crystal, came over with a book in her hands, “Storm King's rule book says, '' throw them overboard." “Huh?” We all exclaimed. The parrots moved forward, ready to grab us. Ren, Jack and Mason got ready to fight when Captain Celano saw Sarah and Snowflake and the pokemon, “Wait a minute… Sarah…?” Celano said. “Good to see you again, Celano.” Sarah greeted. Celano laughed and she and Sarah hoof/claw bumped. “Where have you been all this time, missy?” Celano said with a smirk. “I’ve been in Equestria, with my new friends.” Sarah pointed to us. “Well any friend of yours is a friend.” Lix Spittle said. “And we were about to have lunch, come on.” We were suddenly in a room, eating pudding with the parrots. “Whoa whoa whoa! So you were about to toss us overboard and you stopped for a lunch break?” Jack questioned, getting a ‘Shut up’ expression from Kaede and I . “Storm King only allows one break a day for meals, then it's back to hauling goods.” Boyle said. “So you're delivery guys?” Kaede asked. “And gals. These uniforms aren't exactly doing us any favors.” Celano said. “Then can you deliver us to Mount Aris?” Twilight asked. “Sorry. We do what the Storm King orders or we suffer his wrath.” Celano stated. Well, that was a bust. “Right. Still going overboard.” “Eh, it's nothing personal. Pudding?” Lix Spittle said. “You weren't always delivery birds, were you?” Jack asked. “Yeah, what about before the Storm King?” I added. “Yeah. We used to be much more adventurous.” Celano moved a flag with the Storm King’s picture on it and it showed a skull and crossbones picture. “Whoa! You used to be pirates?!” Ren exclaimed. “Um, we prefer the term "swashbuckling treasure hunters".” Mullet suggested. “So... pirates.” Rainbow deadpanned. Squabble squawked. “You birds have a choice to make. You could let some cloven-hoofed Storm King tell you how to live your life, or…” Jack said. I tore the Storm King picture down, revealing the pirate symbol, “You could be awesome again!” “Jack, Rainbow, this isn’t a good time for a-” Twilight tried to say but. Too Late. (Rainbow and Jack) I know the world can getcha down (Twilight) -song. (Rainbow and Jack) Things don't work out quite the way that you thought Feeling like all your best days are done Your fears and doubts are all you've got But there's a light, shining deep inside Beneath those fears and doubts so just squash 'em Rainbow then pulled off the Storm King poster off. And let it shine for all the world to see That it is time, yeah, time to be awesome! (The rest of us san Twilight, Rantaro and Nicole) Ah, ah, ah, ah - awesome! It's time to be so awesome! Ah, ah, ah, ah - awesome! It's time to be so awesome! (Captain Celaeno) You’ve no idea how hard it’s been This dull routine we’ve been forced to so Rainbow took her pirate hat and placed it in her hands. (Rainbow and Jack) Don't let them rob you of who you are Be awesome, it's all up to you (Captain Celaeno) I feel the light, stirring deep inside It's like a tale still yet to be told (Everyone) And now it's time to break the shackles free And start living like the brave and the bold The pirates put on their regular clothing and we came out on the deck It's time to be awesome! Let loose, be true - so awesome! It's time to be awesome! Go big, be you - so awesome! Mullet grabbed Rainbow and was swinging on a rope with her (First Mate Mullet) We used to soar through the clouds in the skies Lix helped Twilight with the map and Rainbow put a pirate hat on her. (Lix Spittle) Elaborate schemes we would love to devise Boyle handed Caleno and treasure chest and show Rarity the gem. (Boyle) We rescued our treasure and stored it away (Captain Celaeno) Saving those gemstones for a rainy day! (Pirates and Humans) We see that light filling up our skies (Rainbow and Jack) So take the Storm King's orders and toss 'em (Pirates and Humans) 'Cause it's the time to let our colors fly (Captain Celaeno) Hey scallywags, it's time to be awesome! (Pirates and Humans) Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Now at the wheel, Captain Celaeno said, “Come on, let’s show these little humans how it’s done!” Her crew mates pulled some ropes and the ship revealed colorful rainbow wings in the side. My friends gazed in awe at them. “Wicked!” Jack said. “I knew you had it in you.” Rainbow said “And Now for the finished touch.” Rainbow flew up high into the air and Pinkie chanted, “Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom!” Twilight said, “No, no, no, no, no!” Rainbow dove down and she performed the Sonic Rainboom and circled the ship. “Woah..” Celeano gasped. Twilight groaned and facepalmed. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’m sure no one else saw it.” Rainbow said. But then Snowflake and Pikachu growled at something and we saw a Storm King airship. “Ugh. Storm guards. Looks like they found you.” Celaeno said. “Tempest!” Jamie cried. “Secure the rigging, lock down the cargo. Everyone prepare to be boarded!” Celaeno said. Mullet ushered up to the cargo hold of the ship. “Do you think she saw my Sonic Rainboom?” Rainbow asked innocently. “Are you kidding me?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Sorry, hehe.” Rainbow said nervously. Mason looked upset with her. “Oh relax, brat. She didn’t mean it.” Jack said. Mason sighed and shook his head. We all felt the ship lunge to the right, making us all fall on top of each other. Then we heard the sound of Tempests shoes hitting the floor. “We have to get off this ship, before Tempest figures out we’re here!” Twilight hissed. “We helped them get their mojo back. They are not going to give us up.” Jack said. “I wouldn’t bet on it.” Rantaro scoffed, tilting his hat. Jack growled at him. “Guys stop it. Right now we have to get off this ship.” Kaede said. “How? We’re thousands of feet in the air.” I pointed out. “I hope they’re alright.” “I’m sure they are. T-They’re tough.” Jamie reassured. Twilight looked around the cargo hold and saw an open crate and a flag and some rope. I got an idea, “I got this.” Third Person POV On the ship, Tempest was interrogating the pirate crew. “Now, I'm gonna count to three, and if you don't tell me where they are, your ship is going down. One…” Twilight gave the flag to Rainbow , “Hold this!” “What are you doing?!” Rainbow asked. Twilight flipped the lever. “...two…” Celeano knew she couldn’t let her and her crews’ new friends be captured by Tempest and she clenched her sword. “Oh, this is inteeenth!” Grubber said. “Three!” Kaede and Pinkie’s scream was heard from the cargo hold. Tempest and the Storm Creatures turned towards the source, “What?” Captain Celaeno gasped when she realized that Sarah must have opened the cargo latch. Ren’s POV Okay so Twilight opened the cargo hatch and now we were all falling from the sky. “I’m gonna kill you, Twilight!” Jack exclaimed. “Oh for the Celestia’s sake!” Rarity screamed as well. Fluttershy whimpered as he looked down at the incoming ground. “I can’t look!” he covered his eyes in fear. Rantaro pressed his hat against his head to keep it on. Kaede and Carrie hugged Mason in fear. Nicole… well… she didn’t really do anything, she didn’t even scream, which was weird. Kodi cried out “AAAAHHH HATING THIS!” Kodi exclaimed. Anyway, Sarah whistled and familiar roars came and we saw our dragon friends flying towards us. "Eclipse!" "Torch!" "Inferno." "Skystorm!" "Dusk and Dawn!" "Comet!" "Striker!" "Slice!" The dragons caught all of us on their backs, much to our relief. "Sarah, how'd they-?" I questioned. "They were following us from the beginning, but I told them to keep their distance, knowing Tempest would use them like landmarks for us." Sarah explained. Our dragons cooed at us. “That was fun, can we do it again?” Pinkie asked. “Next stop, Mount Aris!” Rainbow called. The dragons roared and flew towards Mount Aris. “We’re home free dudes and chicks!” Jack cried. We all cheered happily as we made our way to Mount Aris. Third Person POV Meanwhile, Tempest and the Storm Creatures were searching the ship for Sarah and company. Grubber came up to her, “ There'th no ponieth. But I found this. It's a... kind of a cupcake... with thprinkleth... Oh, yeah, and I found this, too.” he held up the map that Sarah and company left behind Tempest looked at the map, “Huh.” “Wow, this is a real artitht!” “Looks like they're heading to Mount Aris.” “Really? Mou- Mount Aris? I... Well, that's my mis— I didn't know that... Mount Ari... My bad, I didn't... That's my... I'm sorry, I'm very very sorry.” Capper said. “Now, about your betrayal…” Then Tempest zapped the ship. Ren’s POV Meanwhile, me and the gang landed the crate at the bottom of Mount Aris and we had to walk all the way up to the top. “Here is it. Mount Aris.” Ren said. We walked into Mount Aris and saw houses that looked like bird cages. The area was dead silent. The houses were destroyed or broken and there wasn’t any sign of hippogriffs anywhere. “This place looks like a ghost town.” Jack said. “Yeah, wonder what happened here.” I questioned. “The Storm king happened here.” Sarah said. “He invaded this land years ago.” “And where did the Hippogriffs go to?” Twilight asked. Sarah urged us to follow her and she guided us through the cave to the edge of the village where we saw a large ocean. Sarah changed into a large pheonix once more. ”Get on my back and I’ll show you.” What is she talking about? Anyway, we all got onto her back and she and our dragons flew out to the sea, far from Mount Aris and we saw a large cloud of steam and the dragons flew over it, revealing a gigantic collapsed volcano caldera! “Holy crap baskets!” I exclaimed in shock. “What is that..?” Twilight asked. “You’ll see..” Sarah said as she and the dragons flew into the caldera. Inside the caldera were large stalagmites on the bottom. Snowflake cooed in awe at the area and the dragons flew through a tunnel that had a blue glow to it. When we came out, we were in awe seeing a gigantic forest filled with many stalactites and stalagmites that are completely overgrown with various sorts of mushrooms. “It’s beautiful...!” Applejack gasped. “Wait until you all see this..” Sarah smirked before she and the dragons flew down and flew out of the mushroom forest and came into the Hidden World..! Many colors of coral are mixed with bioluminescent elements and we could see they have grown from the floor of the cavern to the roof in tall columns. The coral was attached to scintillating crystals that adorn the huge cavernous spaces and antechambers with water dripping down from them. We also saw a gigantic myriad of dragons as well! There were so many that we couldn’t even begin to count all of them! Wait… this can’t be… “Oh my god.” I whispered. “It can’t be… are we..?” Skye asked. “Yep. Welcome to the Hidden World.” Sarah declared. I couldn’t believe it! We’re actually in the Hidden World. The one from the HTTYD Movie! Oh my god! I had no words! It really does exist in Equestria. Music started playing and Sarah began singing as she and the dragons flew around the Hidden World. (Sarah) Welcome to the Hidden World A wondrous mystic place Where dragons live in harmony Its what they all embrace So if you need healin' Shelter free of sorrow and strife You will be welcomed Welcome to this sacred kingdom Boulder, Tidal, Stoker, Strike Are brought together here And animals from near and far Live in peace and without fear So if you need healin' Shelter free of sorrow and strife You will be welcome Welcome to this sacred kingdom Respect for fellow animals Is all you need to stay (All you need to stay) But no one living here Would want it any other way So if you need healin' Shelter free of sorrow and strife Know you are welcome Welcome to the Hidden World You know you are welcome Welcome to this sacred kingdom Sarah landed on an island that had some crystals on it and glowing plant life. We all dismounted and looked around. “Woah.. this place is huge.. How are we going to find the Hippogriffs in this place?” Twilight fretted. Sarah changed back into her unicorn self. “Follow me.” Sarah lead us to a large lake and she jumped in. “Come on.” We waded in the water with her and she used her magic to give us water helmets to help us breath underwater. “Why do we need these?” I asked. “You’ll see.” Sarah said. She used her magic and changed herself into a sea pony and we dove under water. We swam through the water and we reached another city. All the buildings were simply like Greek buildings, with stone columns for fences and walling, open roofs. It was surprisingly brighter down here too with all the glowing corals and underwater angler lights. There were mermares and mer-ponies everywhere. “Woah…” We all gasped. Then.. “Sarah..!” A yellow blur came and hugged Sarah. We saw that it was another sea pony and it was yellow with blue fins and a red rose in her hair. “Hi Princess Skystar.” Sarah said. “It’s so good to see you again. I am totally taking you to my mom.” Skystar said. “Come on. You guys can come too. Hehe.” We all sweat dropped. She was as giddy as Pinkie Pie. We entered the palace and swam into the throne room. We saw a large sea pony. She was white with purple fins and tail fins and she had light blue fins on the ends of arms. “Queen Novo, we have some visitors.” Skystar called. “Princess Skystar, if it’s another sea dragon, I don’t want-” When she saw us, she gasped. “Princess Skystar, what have you done! You know surface dwellers are not allowed here. Guards!” Four seapony guards came in with glowing laces. We gasped and whimpered a little. Okay... this is not very welcoming..... Sarah then spoke up, “Now, now Novo, remember what I said.” Novo’s eyes widened at the sound of her voice. “You have to give strangers a chance?” Novo smiled at the sight of her and they both swam towards each other and hugged. “It’s wonderful to see you again, old friend.” Novo said. “You too.” Sarah said. Novo then looked at us, “And who are they?” “They’re with me Novo. They need to find the Hippogriffs in order to save Equestria from the Storm King.” Sarah explained. “Do you know what happened to them?” Twilight asked. “Why of course I know, I’m the Queen. I know everything.” Novo said. “Oh, it’s such a good story.” Princess Skystar said as she suddenly appeared. “Don’t you dare tell them!” Novo said. But the seapony told them anyway. “Once upon a time, like, a while ago, the Hippogriffs did live on Mount Aris.” Novo was not pleased, “Did I not say don't tell them? But hey, I'm just the queen. Don't mind me.” “Fine! I can't tell you!” Skystar grunted, “But if I could tell you, I'd say that that horned beast did show up to steal their magic!” “Seriously?” Novo groaned. “But, to keep it out of his clutches, their brave and majestic leader, Queen Novo, hid them deep underwater where he could never go! We are... Well, we were the Hippogriffs! Ta-da! “Skystar laughed and came over to us and whispered, “But I totally did not tell you that!” “Well, I guess the pearl is out the oyster now. I am Queen Novo.” Woah… that’s… awesome! “Hold on now. Lemme get this straight. When the Storm King came, you just abandoned your entire city and fled?” Applejack asked. “We didn't flee! We swam! Y'know, in order to flee.” Skystar replied. Same thing! “But... how?” Twilight asked. “Oh! Can we show them? Huh? These are the first guests we've had in, like, foreveeerrr! Can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we, can we?” Skystar asked. “Well I should make sure it still works.” Novo said. They swam pas a jellyfish that released a small glowing pearl. Skystar grinned. “Careful now.” Novo said. Novo spread the pearls magic towards us and it turned out legs into tails with fins on the end. For Snowflake, it turned her legs into four fins and gave her grills to breathe. “Woah!” Ren exclaimed. “Awesome!” Mason said. “These fins are divine!” Kaede and Rarity squealed. “Hey bodyguard, I’ll race you to that coral!” Jack challenged Mason. “You’re on!” “Come on Jamie, try it!” Kaede said. “Hehe, yeah.” Jamie said shyly. “This is amazing. We can use the pearl to change everyone back in Equestria into something to defeat the Storm King’s army.” Twilight said swimming up to Novo. “Of it could end up in his greedy claws.” Novo said seriously. “But-?” “Honey, I’m sorry about your home. I truly am. But my duty as Queen is to protect my subjects. The pearl.” Novo gave the pearl back to the jellyfish and then sat in her seat. “Isn’t going anywhere.” “We came all this way, and you can’t just stay down here. Trapped forever. There’s so much you’re missing.” Twilight urged. “We are 100% okay with that.” Novo said. Then a red jellyfish came up, “Yes Jamal?” Novo asked. The jellyfish chattered, “Oh. Time for my seaweed wrap.” Novo then swarm off. “Yes, a massage, too. Mama needs her deep tissue.” We all swam up to her, “So that’s it? We left home for nothing?” Applejack asked. “What are we gonna do?” Jamie asked. “She doesn’t seem willing to help us.” “Let me and Snowflake, go talk to her.” Sarah suggested. “I’ve known her for longer so I should be able to convince her otherwise.” Sarah and Snowflake then swarm off. Sarah’s POV We swam to the place where Novo was about to get her massage and we came in. “Novo?” “Oh hi Sarah, came to join me?” Novo asked. “Not exactly.” I said. “Novo, I know you do not want to deal with the Storm King again because of what happened.” Novo’s face turned hurt. “But sooner or later, you have to deal with your past.” “How can I?” Novo asked. I swarm up to her. “I can sense that you want to help, but you’re scared because of what happened in the past. Me and my friends can help you face the Storm King and you can take back you future instead of hiding down here.” ][u] We've come this far together The last step's up to you Your spirit has been broken But I’m here to help you heal You-oo-oo-oo Remember what makes you "you" Recall what is real and true That's all you need to do Remember what makes you "you" “I remember when I first came here.. During my travels..” I said. Flashback Sarah and Snowflake were staggering though the Sea of Clouds. They were both exhausted and hungry from their travels. Finally, Sarah and Snowflake both collapsed from their exhaustion and hunger. “Mom, over here!” Skystar called. Queen Novo flew over and gasped, “Bring them in quickly..” she called and her Hippogriff subjects carried Sarah and Snowflake to Mount Aris. Soon, Sarah woke up and was face to face with Skystar and Queen Novo. “Ooh… where am I?” Sarah asked groggily. “You’re in Mount Aris, young one. My name is Queen Novo and this is my daughter, Princess Skystar.” Queen Novo introduced. Skystar waved to her. “Snowflake..? Where is she..?” Sarah asked. “She’s alright young one.” Novo said and Snowflake came in and the two hugged each other. “Oh, Snowflake. I’m so glad you’re alright.” Sarah said. Sarah then looked at Novo and Skystar. “Thank you for saving us.” “It’s what a Queen does. Help others in need, even when you don’t know them.” Novo said. “Well, if you want to.. Maybe we can be friends.. Allies..?” Sarah asked. “Hmm… well… alright. We can be friends. Whenever you need me, I’ll be here for you.” Novo promised. Sarah smiled and Snowflake purred happily. End of Flashback You see it's always been there Those special qualities You helped me when needed And you gained a friend in me You-oo-oo-oo Remember what makes you "you" Recall what is real and true That's all you need to do Remember what makes you "you" Novo smiled at Sarah, “I remember that day. “Novo said. “I did helped you.. Even when I didn’t know you… and in the end.. We became allies.” Sarah nodded and Novo turned to her but before she could say anything else we both heard music and we both swarm out and saw our friends doing a large musical with the other sea ponies. Novo came up and smiled at her daughter and she brought her into the dance number. Ren’s POV A few minutes ago After Sarah left to go and speak with Queen Novo, Skystar suggested to us, “Oh, my gosh! Best... idea! You can stay with us! Forever!.” Skystar laughed. “There are so many things we can do! We can make friendship bracelets out of shells and... picture frames outta shells and... decorative wastebaskets out of shells... Oh, I have so many projects that involve shells, haha! Now I have someone new to share them with! I mean, aside from my friends, Shelly and Sheldon. Right? Shelly?” We all just stared at her awkwardly. “That sounds lovely, Skystar, but you must realize, we can't stay.” Kaede said. “We have to get back to our friends.” Mason added. Skystar suddenly turned sad, “Oh, no. Of course. Of course. Heh. Of course you have your own friends back home. It's fine. It's fine. Heh. Shelly and Sheldon get jealous anyways. Heh. It's probably for the best. ”She sighed. “Yeah, I'll just, um...I'll get Mom to, uh, turn you back so you can go home.” she swam away, leaving Pinkie feeling bad. “I know we have to go, but you guys saw how disappointed Princess Skystar was. Couldn't we stay for just a little longer?” “Pinkie we just don’t have time.” Applejack said but Twilight stated. “No, no, no, Pinkie’s right.” “Say what now?” Rainbow asked. “Well we still need a plan to get back. A few minutes won’t make a huge difference and if there’s anypony who can cramp a lifetime of fun in the blink of an eye, its’ Pinkie Pie.” Twilight said and Pinkie smiled. “Go and show Skystar the best time ever.” “I won’t let you down.” Pinkie said. And Twilight urged the rest of us to go. “I’m counting on it.” We swarm ahead and found Skystar and Pinkie began singing. (Pinkie) Hey, now, don't be sad I know we cannot stay But we've got a couple minutes And a little time to play (Skystar) I know you have important things So it's okay, just go (Pinkie) But we can still pick one small, little thing To do with you, y'know! One small thing doesn't seem like a lot One small thing, work with the time you've got Soon, one small thing becomes two After two, perhaps another few Then one small thing is not so small One small thing can be the biggest thing of all (Skystar) All right now, since you're here Let's see what we can do Swim with the flow until you go Together, me and you (Pinkie) I've got necklaces for every fish So what else do ya got? (Skystar) Well, we could play the bubblefish You'll like this one a lot! (Pinkie and Skystar) One small thing, it's a good place to start One small thing, and we don't seem so far apart Soon, one small thing leads to more It's so much more than there was before Just one small thing, and you will see The start of something big for you and me (Pinkie) One small thing (Seaponies) Just one small thing (Skystar) Or a tall thing (Seaponies) Just one tall thing (Jamie) Or a sing thing (Seaponies) Just one sing-y thing (Kaede) Or a bling thing (Seaponies) Just one bling-y thing (Me) A conga thing (Seaponies) Yeah, a conga thing (Jack) Or a longah thing (Seaponies) Just one longah thing (Pinkei) A blue thing, true thing, you thing (ooh-ooh) (Skystar) A whee thing, sea thing, me thing (ooh-ooh-ooh) (Pinkie and Skystar) So many things and everything until our time is done There's one small thing for each and everyone! Then we saw Novo and Sarah coming up and the Seaponies bowed to Novo. (Skystar) One small thing, so much we can create You and me, we started something great It's so amazing, look around At all the happy sights and sounds One small thing is big, it's true You did this all for us I just wish there was one small thing An extra special kind of thing Skystar brought her mother into the musical and Sarah smiled. (Skystar and the Seaponies) That we could do for you One small thing! Queen Novo laughed and Skystar smiled. “Oooh.” My friends came around me and they laughed as well. “Yeah!” “Well I guess there is one small thing we can do.” Novo said. “Ahhh.” Pinkie gasped with hope. Maybe we can save Equestria. Suddenly, an alarm sounded and Spike puffed up in fear. “The pearl alarm!” a pony cried. Pearl alarm? We swarm back to the throne room and saw Twilight in the jellyfish tentacles trying to take the Pearl of Transformation?! Novo gasped before she swarm up and took the pearl, “No, please.” Twilight begged. “All of this so you could come in and steal the pearl?” Novo assumed. Then she pulled Skystar to her, “This is why we don’t allow strangers into our home.” Novo then turned to us, “You don’t deserve to be one of us.” Novo growled. Sarah then came up beside her, “Novo don’t please.” Sarah said. “Sorry Sarah.” Novo sighed. Sarah sighed and Novo used the pearl to change us back and then.. We kinda got banished from the kingdom. We breathed the surface and climbed onto the shore. “What were you thinking?! I mean stealing their pearl?!” Applejack exclaimed, outraged. “It was the only way to save Equestria.” Twilight said. “Except it wasn’t. The queen was going to say yes. We did what you told us and that’s when she realized that we were ponies worth saving and Sarah tried to help too.” Pinkie then gasped. “Unless… you didn’t want us to show her the best time ever. You just wanted us to distract her!” We all gasped. “I never would have done it, but this isn't Equestria! We can't just dance around with con artists, make rainbooms in the sky and expect everything to work out! It's not enough! We are not enough!” Twilight defended. “No, Twilight! We stuck together! We were gonna get the help we needed! The only thing that stopped us... was you!” Pinkie said. “And now thank to you, you may have ruined Sarah’s friendship with Queen Novo!” “Well, I'm doing the best I can! It's all on me. I'm the one Tempest wants. I'm the last Princess!” Twilight said. “You're the only one who doesn't trust her friends!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Well, maybe, I would've been better off without friends like you!!!” Twilight exclaimed with her horn sparking! Pinkie gasped in horror and Twilight just realized what she said. Pinkie walked away heartbroken, “Pinkie.. I-” Pinkie sniffled. “I just can’t talk to you right now.” Pinkie said and she walked away and the rest of us followed except for Spike and Sarah. Third Person POV Spike followed Twilight to a cliffside and saw her very sad. “Twilight? It's okay. You'll figure it out.” he encouraged but Twilight started crying. “No. I can't. I ruined everything. There's no chance to save Equestria now. It's all my fault.” Twilight sobbed some more. “Spike..?” She turned around and gasped seeing a Storm Creature holding Spike. “Look out!” Spike muffled and then twilight was suddenly pushed out of the way just as a cage came over someone. Twilight looked and saw it… Sarah! “Sarah!” Twilight exclaimed. “GO! TWILIGHT! NOW!” Sarah yelled before she managed to blast the Storm Creature and sent both Twilight and Spike onto the rocks below as she was taken into the ship. Sarah rammed and kicked the bars but they were really thick and it was no use. Sarah sighed and saw Tempest walking towards her. She gasped, “Oh.. the Queen of Harmony with no friends and now you have no way out.” “Why are you doing this? You’re a pony, just like Twilight and her friends.” Sarah stated. Tempest lit her horn and pressed it against the cage. Sarah gasped in fear. “I’m nothing like them. I’m more than they’ll ever be.” Ominous music started playing and Tempest broke into song. (Tempest Shadow) It's time you learned a lesson It's time that you understand Don't ever count on anybody else In this or any other land I once hoped for friendship To find a place among my kind But those were the childish wishes Of someone who was blind Open up your eyes See the world from where I stand Me, among the mighty You, caged at my command Open up your eyes Give up your sweet fantasy land It's time to grow up and get wise Come now, little one, open up your eyes We all start out the same With simple naive trust Shielded from the many ways That life's not fair or just But then there comes a moment A simple truth that you must face If you depend on others You'll never find your place [instrumental] And as you take that first step Upon a path that's all your own You see it all so clearly The best way to survive is all alone Open up your eyes See the world from where I stand Me, among the mighty You, caged at my command Open up your eyes And behold the faded light It's time to grow up and get wise Come now, little one, open up your eyes Open up your eyes! Sarah was horrified by what Tempest said, “I’m so sorry you felt so alone.” she said. “I saw the truth. My ‘friends’ abandoned me when times got tough. Looks like I’m not the only one.” Tempest said. Tempest scoffed. “Face it Queen, friendship has failed you too.” “Friendship didn’t fail me. I still have my friendship and you can have it too. You still have a chance at friendship.” Tempest growled and charged up her horn. “Enough with your lies, pony!” she bellowed. “I don’t need a friend after what friendship did to me.” she hissed before walking away from my cage. Now Sarah’s only hope was Twilight and the others. Ren’s POV We were all sitting on the beach, clueless about what to do next. “This whole journey was such a mistake.” Fluttershy said. “All we wanted was somepony to help us.” Applejack sighed, “You think.. Maybe it's time we talk to Twilight?” “Hell no. You heard. She doesn’t need us.” Jack scoffed. Suddenly, we heard Spike and Twilight yelling. “She.. been… taken…!” and they ran towards us. “What? Rainbow exclaimed. “Sarah’s been taken. Tempest! She grabbed her and took her on her ship!” Twilight exclaimed. “And it's all my fault!” We all gasped. Sarah…. No! Who knows what the Storm King and Tempest will do to her. “We gotta get her back!” Rainbow said. “How? We’ll never catch up.” Fluttershy said. “And we got no way to defeat those monsters.” Applejack added. Oh man.. What can we do to save her…? “Well, good thing I happen to know of a group of mighty heroes that could handle this easily!” a familiar voice said and we turned around to see Capper. “Well! Look what the cat dragged in! Himself!” Rarity groaned. “These heroes have faced the Storm King's army and escaped! I've seen them tackle the streets of the roughest towns, break out of the tightest situations, and inspire others to join their cause!” Carrie and Kaede awed but Rantaro said, “He’s talking about us, idiots.” Carrie and Kaede groaned. “They even escaped certain doom at the hooves of Commander Tempest!” Capper added proudly. “Yeah. That was pretty great.” Jack said. “Are you kidding?” another voice came as we saw Captain Celaeno and her crew. “That was awesome!” she exclaimed. Squabble squawked. “Figured you could use a claw!” Boyle said. “ We're on board to help you fight the Storm King! Just not on board our... actual ship.” Caleano said. “That crazy unicorn sunk it. But you got back our argh! And we're ready to kick some booty.” Boyle added. He and the other pirates laughed. The water behind them started to bubble and out came Skystar and Novo in their hippogriff forms. Skystar had light blue feather and her body was yellow. Her front claws and back hooves were light brown. Novo had purple feather with two blue strands and her body was white while her front claws and hooves with light tan. She wore a light blue necklace around her neck. “Is that what I think it is?” Capper asked in shock. Following Novo and Skystar was about two hundred dragons. Nightmares, Zipplebacks, Gronckles, you name it. Skystar and Novo landed, “Hello. Us again.” Skystar said. “We wanna help too.” Skystar came over to the group. “Cause you know one small thing can make a really big difference.” “Alright ya’ll. I think our course is clear. Ya’ll ready to do think thing?” Capper called. “We’re coming Sarah.” Kaede said. Everyone else cheered as they all mounted the dragons and flew towards Equestria. Sarah’s POV Back in Equestria, I rolled through Canterlot in my cage, being pulled by two ponies. I saw buildings were destroyed and almost all the ponies in cages. Those who weren’t were forced to march, shackled and wearing muzzles. It horrified me to see this. I was rolled into the palace and my cage was set down in the empty corner of the flower marking on the ground. Grubber closed the door as the shackled ponies left. “Tempest, don’t do this. Don’t give the Storm King-” “Your magic? Did you think you'd keep it all to yourself? Time to share. I'd love for everybody out there to know what I can really do.” she said. That’s when the Storm King came in. “Ooh, fascinating! What can you really do?” he asked. Tempest and Grubber bowed to him. “ Your bidding, of courth, Your Mighty One.” Grubber quickly got up and ran out of the throne room. He walked over to my cage, “Bidding's good. I like bidding! Um, what are you supposed to be?” “I’m the Queen of Harmony.” I replied. “Oh. That's nice.” he went over to Tempest, “Why is this one still moving? Where is the pony Princess?” Tempest replied with, “She and her friends put up a bit of a fight, but she's alone now. She won't be a problem and her magic will do just fine.” “Yeah. So, speaking of problems, this place, it seems a little too—oh, I don't know—cute!!! I don't like cute! I never did like cute! Doesn't really go with my whole "big bad powerful magic guy" thing, does it?! Deliver the punchline, Tempest, because this has gotta be a joke!” The Storm King placed the staff into the center of the flower marking and the magic from Equestria and the Princesses. The magic drained happened to me and my element, “NO!” The Storm King laughed, “Check out the light show.” When it was done, the Storm King yanked the staff out. “Wow, wow.” My legs felt very weak and I collapsed in my cage. “Let's get this storm started! Ooh, hey, that's good. I should trademark that.” He turned to my cage and he blasted me, sending me onto the balcony and breaking my cage. “Ugh!” The Storm King came out, “Not bad. Actually, kinda first rate. What else does it do?” Tempest came up, “ Your Excellency, you promised to restore my horn and give me—” “Deh-deh-deh-deh-deh, okay. Hang on.” He moved his staff and he was amazed when he saw the sun and moon moving, “ You gotta be kidding me! I can move the sun?! A ha ha! Wow! Now this is what I'm talkin' about! Ha ha! Time to play! Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday! Day and night! Day and night! Day night! Day night! Day night! Sunrise, sunset!” I could only watch in horror, “Guys, where are you?” Ren’s POV Me and my friends were camouflaged against some Changewing dragons as we snuck into Canterlot. “Oh man, look at this place?” I whispered. “This is horrible.” Kaede said. “Hope Sarah’s alright.” “Let’s keep moving.” Mason said. The Changewing moved towards the middle of the capital. “Now guys?” I asked. “Now.” Jack said and the changewings revealed themselves and spit acid at the Storm Creatures, who yelped in pain and ran away. Caleano and her crew came and started fighting the Storm Creatures. The other dragons flew in and rammed, bashed and fire at them as well. “Head for the castle, we’ll hold them off.” Caleano said. We dismounted the changewings, “Come on!” Mason cried as we rushed for the castle. Capper and us made it to the entrance when we were met by the wall of Storm Creatures. “Uh-oh.” I said. Just then, “Hey aren't you a fire breathing dragon?” Capper asked Spike. Spike smiled and Capper used him as a Flamethrower and blasted the Storm Creatures and they ran away. “Hahaha.” Capper laughed. “That’s the way!” Jack added. Suddenly, thunder cracked through the sky and high winds. “Move those legs, humans and ponies!” Capper cried as we ran for cover. The Storm Creatures were lifted into the air! We took cover behind a sturdy building. “Great now what?” Jack groaned. “We have to break through it. That’s the only way we’ll get to Sarah.” Jamie said. Are you friggin serious?! We have to flying faster than Midnight to break through that wind.” Jack said. “And how the hell are we gonna do that?” Pinkie gasped, suddenly remembering something, “Excellent question, Private Jack.” Skye and Pinkie said putting on a daredevil helmet. “Why do I regret asking, how?” Jack said nervously. Sarah’s POV Minutes Earlier I saw my friends and their dragons on the castle grounds. “What? How?” Tempest growled. “It’s the magic of-” The Storm King interrupted. “Yeah, yeah! Friendship, and flowers, and ponies, and bleh! I'm so totally over the cute pony thing. This... ends... now!” He raised his staff and a large tornado came in and surrounded the palace. Me and Tempest gazed in horror. “Now I truly am the Storm King! And the entire world will bow to my ba-ba-ba-boom, baby!” he declared. Tempest went over to him, “ Yes, yes, you are every bit as powerful as I promised, Sire, now, restore my horn and I swear to use my magic to serve you!” The Storm King laughed and pushed Tempest aside, “Who cares about your dinky little unicorn horn?!” Tempest was shocked, “: But... we... we had an agreement!” “Get with the program! I used you! It's kind of what I do!” The Storm King fired his staff at Tempest and she retaliated with her electricity, pushing them both back. The Storm King against the wall and Tempest was hanging on with one hoof on the rim of the balcony. I gasped. Tempest struggled to hang on but lost her grip, but I grabbed her, “Hold on!” I called. Tempest looked at me, shocked, “Why are you saving me?” “Because this is what friends do.” I replied with a smile. Tempest looked at my hand and she smiled at me. I pulled her onto the ground. The Storm King suddenly appeared in front of us, pointing his staff at us. “Awwww! Isn't that just so sweet!” he laughed. “Yeah. See ya!” I gulped nervously. Ren’s POV “You sure about this?” Mullet called. “Just do it!” I cried. “Thank you!” We were all tightly packed inside the giant party cannon me and Pinkie made. “Aha, why are we doing this again?” Jack growled. “To get to Sarah, that’s why.” Mason said. We heard Squabble squawked and we were launched out of the cannon, screaming the whole way until we crashed into the Storm King and rolled across the floor. “Never do that again!” Jack yelled. “Awesome!” I cried. “Guys!” We turned and saw Sarah coming towards us. “Sarah, you’re alright.” We all hugged her happy she was alright. “The Storm King took the magic of Equestria into his staff.” she said. “You mean the one that’s going out of control, now.” Rantaro deadpanned, pointing at the broken staff that was sparking magic. We all gasped in horror as the staff blasted the ceiling causing it to complete break, exposing us to the storm. “I have to get control of it!” Sarah called. “Go, you got this Sarah!” Kaede said. “No… we got this… together.” We all stood together, ready to get the staff. Mason lassoed a large rock and Sarah spread her wings. It was her first, then me, Jamie, Jack, Carrie, Nicole, Rantaro, Kaede, Snowflake, Kodi, Mason, Twilight, Pinkie, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack. Sarah flapped her wings and we were lifted into the air, trying to get the staff. “The staff belongs to me.” The Storm King hissed, climbing the rubble to grab the staff first. Sarah reached for the staff with all her might. “Mine! Mine!” The Storm King leaped for the staff just as Mason walked out a little, extending our reach. “NO!” Sarah cried. She grabbed the staff, the Storm King crashed into the window, exposing us to the Storm and Sarah was pulled out of my grasp and into the storm! “Sarah! NOOOOOOO!” I cried. Everything went quiet as the storm calmed, revealing sunlight and we slowly descended to the ground. We all looked at the sky, trying to find any sign of Sarah. “Look!” Nicole said. There, descending to the balcony with the staff in her hands was Sarah, looking a little frazzled. “YEAH!” I cried. “Alright!” Mason cried. “That’s our girl!” Jack added. “Eeeh, group hug.” Kaede said. We all hugged Sarah in one big group hug, relieved she was alright. Just then, we saw and heard Tempest running towards us with her horn charging up. Mason and Jack got in front to protect us, suddenly she jumped over us, yelling, “NO!” and she was hit with an obsidian orb that nearly hit us! The Storm King and Tempest were caught in the smoke and the Storm King statue fell off the balcony while we acting quickly and used the staff to catch Tempests’ statue. We placed it on the ground, “Woah… I can’t believe she did that.” Jack said. “I can.” Sarah said. “You showed her the Magic of Friendship, didn’t you?” Kaede smirked. “Yes.” We used the staff to turn her back to her normal self. She gasped and looked at us and she smiled. “Now what?” Jamie asked. We all looked at each other and Sarah looked at Tempest. “Now ... we fix everything.” She and Tempest walked into the throne room and Sarah place the crystal of the staff into the small hole, releasing all the magic back into Equestria. The Princesses were restored. “Twilight.” Celestia called. “Princesses.” The four of them hugged each other while the staff continued to restore Equestria. That night, Spike was on stage with glass on. “Fillies and gentlecolts, get ready for a little...Songbird Serenade!” Everybody cheered loudly for the singer. Our new friends stayed for the event. “And now to celebrate the fact that we’re all still here in one piece. Give it up for Queen Sarah and her friends!” The spotlight shone on us and the ponies cheered for us. “Alright!” “Way’d a go guys!” “Yeah!” The three Princesses came and bowed and Sarah bowed back. The lights went out and Songbird Serenade perform her song. The ponies cheered and Jack fisted pumped Celeano while Rarity made Capper a black cape and a top hat. “Ooooh.” Capper said. “And perfection~.” Rarity and Kaede sang. Pinkie and Skystar were laughing with each other. Novo smiled at her daughter. Songbird Serenade looked at me for a moment and she flew off and I turned around and saw Tempest all alone. I flew over to her and landed a few feet from her. “That’s one thing that never changes around her; a party.” “Well, I hope you’ll stay. More friends are definitely merrier.” I proposed. “But um… my horn.” she said. “You know.” I said. Tempest turned to me, “You’re horn is pretty powerful. Just like the pony it belongs to.” “I did tell you that I wanted to show everypony in Equestria what I could do right?” She walked a few feet and shot electricity into the air making fireworks. We both looked at each other and smiled. Pinkie came up with the others. “Nice touch Tempest.” “Actually that’s not my real name.” Tempest revealed. “Not your real name?” Ren asked. “Oooh, what is it?” Pinkie asked. Tempest whispered into here ear. “It’s Fizzlepop Berrytwist.” Pinkie gave a huge gasp, “Alright that is the best name EVER!” Tempest looked at her weird, while the rest of us rolled our eyes. Typical Pinkie.
Chapter 11: The Queen and the FillySarah's POV I was walking back to my castle in the freezing rain. The rain didn’t bother me, in fact, I loved it. “Ahh, nothing like some rain to make you feel good.” Now I know, rain usually makes people sad, but for me it makes me happy. I loved to play in it when my dad let me. I was busy skipping in the streets when I passed an alleyway and heard a small whimper. I stopped and froze for a moment. I went to the mouth of the alleyway. “Hello…?” I called. I didn’t hear a response, except for a whimper again. I carefully walked down the alleyway, following the whimpering sounds and I came to a dumpster. I looked behind it and saw a small cardboard box. I looked inside the box and gasped. Inside was a small filly. It was pure white with a light pink and aquamarine mane and tail. It’s body looked really dirty and she was curled up in a ball whimpering but what mostly shocked me was that the filly wasn’t a unicorn, pegasus or earth pony. It was an alicorn! “Oh my god.” I whispered. The filly must have heard me because it opened its eyes and gave a small scream. “Oh… it’s alright.” I cooed. The little filly whimpered and started shaking and not just because of the freezing rain. I approached the box and kneeled down. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” I added. The filly stopped shaking but instead she shakily got up on her hooves. That’s when I heard a loud gurgle from the little one’s stomach. “Oh dear, you must be starving.” The filly whimpered and shakily walked over to me and buried her head in my chest, whimpering. “Oh, come here.” I carefully picked the little filly into my arms and I partly covered her with my jacket. I quickly teleported to my room in the home-ship and closed the door. I placed the filly on the floor. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” The filly’s stomach did the talking for her by letting out a loud gurgle. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I replied with a smile, “I’ll go in the kitchen and make you something to eat.” I made my way to the kitchen when I realized I never introduced myself to the filly. “My name is Sarah Gem, by the way.” then I went into the kitchen and in a few minutes, returned to the filly with a bowl of oatmeal. I placed the oatmeal on the table and put the small filly in one of the chairs. I handed the filly a small spoon “Here you go, this will get you full and warmed up.” The filly took the spoon and took a small spoonful of the oatmeal. She seemed to like it because she started devouring the oatmeal. “Poor thing, she must have been starving for who knows how long. Wonder what happened to her?” The filly soon had the bowl completely clean and had a small bulging stomach. “Well, now that you've had something to eat, I think It's best that I gave you a bath.” I said to her. I took the little filly to the bathroom and realized she had not said anything since I found her. But I decided to let her talk to me when she was ready. I entered the bathroom and closed the door. I placed the small filly beside me and started to fill her tub with warm water. When It was the perfect level for the small filly, I lifted her up and tried to put her in the bath. The filly, however, resisted by holding my neck tightly. “It's okay, sweetheart, It's just water. There's no need to be afraid” I said gently to the scared filly. The poor filly began to kick and scream refusing to trust my words and let me bathe her. Knowing I could not convince her to go into the bath alone, I had no other choice but to use the alternative option, “Alright, have it your way, If you won't take a bath alone, I guess I'll have to come in with you.” I said to the filly before getting into the bath with her in my arms. The filly screamed in terror as the water came in contact with her body. He then stared splashing me and struggled to get out of the bath and I just sat there keeping a gentle but tight grip on her . After a few seconds of me remaining completely still, the filly finally calmed down, “There, there. See? The water is not going to hurt you.” I said to her in soft gentle voice. Now that she was calm, I bathe the filly, getting all the dirt and mud out of her mane, tail and body. The scratches weren’t bad and looked to have healed. After that, I dried myself and the filly off. I looked at the clock and saw it was ten at night. I let out a yawn and the filly let out a quiet yawn. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go to bed.” I said. I picked up the little filly and went to my room. I tucked the filly in and magically replaced my clothes with my pajamas. The filly looked surprised. I climbed into the bed, next to the filly and placed and arm around her. The filly looked at me and smiled. “Sweet dreams, little one.” I said and we both fell asleep. However, a few hours later, I heard some rustling in the bed. I opened my eyes and I saw the filly wrestling with the bed covers. She then screamed louder than before. I knew that she was having a nightmare. “M-Momma!” She screamed at the top of her lungs while crying heavily. I immediately scooped the filly in my arms and cradled her close. The fully opened her eyes instantly and started to scream again. However, she screams stopped when she realized I was holding her. She looked at me with fresh tears forming in her eyes. The filly buried her head into my chest and cried heavily. I nuzzled the small filly, trying to calm her down. A rumble of thunder and lightning struck once again outside, making the filly scream and cry harder while shaking in fear. I began to gently rock her while making soft gentle shushing noises. “Shhh...Don't worry. I'm here...Shhh” I hushed as the filly continued to cry. I then started to softly sing a soft lullaby to the crying filly. “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” “Drifting off to sleep leave the exciting day behind you” “Drifting off to sleep let the joy of dreamland find you” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” The filly stopped crying as I held him and continued to rock her. I gave her a tender loving smile. The filly snuggled into my chest, and laid her head against my neck. Tears formed in my eyes but I brushed them away and kissed the filly on the forehead. I placed the filly back into the covers and I placed them over her and me and we both slept through the night. The next morning, I woke up and gave a small yawn. I turned towards the filly who woke up as well. “Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?” I asked. The filly nodded. “Are you hungry?” I asked, earning another nod. I smiled and kiss the little filly on the head, “I’ll go and get us some breakfast.” I climbed out of bed and magically put on my clothes. When I got ready to walk out the door, “Shimmer Glow.” I turned back towards the filly, who was looking a bit nervous. “M-My name is S-Shimmer Glow.” she repeated. She voice was very soft like Fluttershy’s. “Nice to meet you Shimmer Glow.” With that, I went to the chicken and made the foal some oatmeal. I went back and placed on the bed, Here you go sweetie.” “Thank you Sarah.” Shimmer thanked and she dug into the oatmeal. “It’s really good.” she said. I couldn’t help but giggle. The little filly had oatmeal all over her face. I grabbed a napkin and wiped her face. Once the oatmeal was gone, I asked. “Shimmer, I have some friends who would like to meet you, would you like to met them?” “Y-Yes.” “Great!” I exclaimed softly. I picked up Shimmer and I took her to the living room where Twilight and the others were. "Alright so why did you call us all here, newbie?” Jack asked. “You can come out now.” I called out. Shimmer came out from behind me and shyly clung to my right leg. “Awwww.” all the girls said while the boys were surprised. “Whose the little darling?” Rarity asked. “This is Shimmer Glow. She’s a little filly I’m looking after.” I answered. “Well she’s very cute.” Ren said, walking towards us. Shimmer whimpered and hugged my leg even tighter. “She’s little very shy around new people.” I added. Ren stopped walking and kneeled down. “Hey there.” Shimmer looked at him, “I’m Ren Loodan, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Shimmer looked at me and I nodded. Shimmer looked back at Ren and let go of my leg. She slowly walked over to him, “... Promise?” she asked in her soft voice. “Aww… I promise, little one.” Ren reassured. Shimmer walked over and placed her head in his chest. “Awwww…” the girls cooed again. I introduced Shimmer to the others. It went well, even Pinkie Pie didn’t approach her all excited she approached her calmly, surprising everyone. However, when some of them tried to touch her, she’s shy away. And she was intimidated by Jack’s size and ran behind me. “Was it something I said?” he asked. “I think she’s a bit.. Ahem.. intimidated by your size, Jack.” Rarity said. And when it came to Twilight, Shimmer backed away from Twilight while whimpering. She then laid on the floor and cried heavily. I immediately scooped her up into my arms, “Shhh...It's okay Shimmer...Shhh...” I said to the little filly gently, trying to calm her down. She buried my face into my chest fur and continued to cry. “Sarah, can I hold Shimmer Glow for a few minutes?” Twilight suddenly asked me. I was a bit hesitant because I did not know how Shimmer would react since I was the only one so far that could calm her down. But I decided to let Twilight hold the little filly. Twilight motioned to her with a hoof to follow her. The group went to a room with a fireplace and two chairs. Twilight sat in one of the them and held out her hooves. I placed Shimmer Glow gently in Twilight's hooves and she cradled her close to her. Shimmer continued to cry becoming scared of being in the hooves of someone else besides mine. Twilight began to rock her ever so gently while making a soft hushing sound. Shimmer’s crying continued until Twilight started to hum a soft song in her ear. Shimmer’s crying reduced to sobs as Twilight continued to gently rock her and hum the soft song in her ear. Twilight finished humming her song and continued to rock her. Shimmer’s sobs turned to sniffles. Twilight rocked her gently and once more made a soft hushing sound. After a few minutes, Shimmer fell asleep in Twilight's forelegs. She gave her a small kiss on the forehead and said to her sweetly, gently, and quietly, “Sweet dreams little one.” Twilight continued to hold Shimmer while the other and I looked at her in amazement. “Twilight, that was amazing!” Rainbow said quietly not wanting to wake up Shimmer Glow, “how did you do that?” Twilight just smiled and said, “This was the same thing I did for Spike when I first started taking care of him. I actually still do it for him now when he's scared at night or when he has nightmares.” Twilight explained to the gang before looking down and smiling gently at the filly she was holding. I let out a sigh, and gave her friend a gentle smile. I knew Twilight was going to be a great mother someday. Looking outside I saw the sun had set, and it had become dark out. Without waking up the sleeping filly she was holding, Twilight gave Shimmer back to me. Me and Twilight each gave Shimmer a loving smile as he snuggled into my warm and soft chest fur. “Have a good night Sarah, we’ll be at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow.” she said with a cheerful smile “You too Twilight and girls. See you all tomorrow.” I said. “Bye Sarah.” Twilight and the girls replied as the left. "So where is the little one going to stay?" Skye asked me. "She'll stay in my room until I come up with a plan for her." I decided and the other agreed. With how young Shimmer was, there was no way I could leave her alone. I returned to my room and placed Shimmer in the bed and I climbed beside him, giving her a kiss on her forehead, earning a smile of her little face and we both fell asleep. The next morning, sunlight shined into the window, waking my and Shimmer up. We both let out a yawn. “Good morning, Shimmer Glow.” “Morning Sarah.” “Are you hungry?” Shimmer nodded, rubbing her growling stomach. “Alright sweetheart, let’s go make you some breakfast. I picked up Shimmer and placed her on my head, earning a little giggle from the filly. I went to the kitchen and Shimmer watched as I made some pancakes for both of us. I couldn't help but feel sad for Shimmer. While she was a very polite and sweet filly, I could tell she was very scared and had a broken heart. It also broke my heart to sad how upset she was last night when she met Twilight. It brought a tear to my eye to even wonder how long Shimmer has been without a family. After that, we went to the dining room and I placed both plates on the table. “Alright, sweetie, breakfast time.” Shimmer nodded and stood on my head. She started to flutter her wings and she shakily flew off my head and landed on the floor clumsily. “Hehe, trying to fly huh?” I teased. Shimmer nodded then went to the table and began eating her pancakes along with myself. When we were finished, I put the two plates in the sink in the kitchen and returned to the dining room. However when I returned, I saw Shimmer still sitting at the table, but she was sniffling. Worried about her, I went over to her and saw small tears rolling down her cheeks. "Shimmer, sweetheart, what's wrong?" I asked the little filly with worry filling my voice. Shimmer looked up at me with tears still streaming down her cheeks, "Y-you've *sniff* been s-so *sniff* n-nice to me." Shimmer sobbed "N-nopony has ever b-been *sniff* so n-nice to m-me." I felt my heart ache seeing the little colt so upset. I sat down next to Shimmer and put her on my lap. I stroked gently stroke her side with my hand as Shimmer continued to cry. "S-Sarah *sniff* d-do you think I'm a f-freak?" Shimmer asked me. I nuzzled her cheek before saying, "Of course I don't think that sweetheart, why in Equestria would you think such a thing?" I stroked her side as began to tremble like leaf and his crying began to grow even harder. "M-my *sniff* d-daddy *sniff* c-calls me a *sniff* f-freak" Shimmer sobbed I let out a gasp of shock. I had thought both of her parents were dead. Shimmer’s crying grew harder and louder as she looked into my eyes "M-my momma *sniff* d-died when she h-had m-me. D-daddy *sniff* s-says it's all m-my *sniff* f-fault." Shimmer cried Hearing him say that made my heart break in two. Shimmers’ mother had died giving birth to her, but how could her father say such a thing? "D-daddy y-yells at m-me, *sniff* h-hits me, *sniff* c-calls me n-names, and *sniff* s-scares me with s-storm clouds" Shimmer sobbed before burying her head into my soft chest fur. She cried into my chest. She was still speaking but she was crying so hard that I couldn't understand what she was saying. With tears streaming down her face, I wrapped my arms around Shimmer and held her trembling body close to her. Now I know the reason why Shimmer was so scared. I closed her eyes and kissed the top of Shimmers’ forehead. I felt so bad for the poor little filly that she was holding in her forelegs. As I held her close, I noticed something underneath her little wings. Carefully not to disturb the crying filly, I carefully moved on of her wings. What I saw made me gasp in shock. There were several bruises underneath her wings some of them were turning purple. How could a father do such a thing to his own daughter? How could he beat her, insult her, and frighten her with the one thing she’s scared to death of? I looked down at Shimmer who was still crying. I kissed her gently on the forehead and began making a soft hushing sound to calm the little filly down. Her crying reduced to sobs and then to sniffles as she brought her head out of my chest fur. She looked into my eyes as I smiled down at her lovingly and gave her a small nuzzle.” Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father did all those awful things to you sweetheart. But please believe me when I say it's not your fault your mother died. I promise you it's not your fault." Shimmer said nothing but gave me a sad smile while a few tears still streamed down her cheeks. I gently brushed the tears with her hoof before pulling Shimmer back into a soft and loving embrace. Shimmer closed her eyes and smiled, letting me know that she was calm and relaxed. I gave Shimmer a gentle smile before asking, "Do you feel better sweetheart?" Shimmer said nothing and gave me a small soft smiling at her. I scooped up the little filly and placed her on my shoulder. She gently grabbed around me neck as I walked out the door. "I'll take care of you, Shimmer. I promise." Soon we made it to Sugarcube Corner, "Ready, sweetie?" I asked. Shimmer nodded and we walked in. We saw Ren and everyone else at the tables. "Hey Sarah, Hey Shimmer." Ren said. "Are you feeling better?" Shimmer nodded. "Shimmer, darling. Applejack, Rainbow and I brought some friends you'd want to meet." Rarity said. Shimmer was showed three more fillies: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Howdy, Shimmer. I'm Applebloom." "I'm Sweetie Belle." "And I'm Scootaloo." "Together we are...THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" All three fillies shouted making Shimmer cover his ears. Taking his hooves off his ears, Shimmer said the three very softly, "It's nice to meet you all!" We all smiled at the happy scene with the four fillies. Applebloom seemed interested in her wings and horn. "Looks like she's getting better." I said. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement still smiling at the little fillies. Everything was pleasant until a look of sadness came across my face. "Sarah, are you alright?" Twilight asked. "Guys... I found the reason why Shimmer was so scared." I stated. "Why?" Ren asked. "Shimmer's mother died giving birth to her and her father abused her." I answered, lowering my head a little. Everyone gasped in horror. "He abused her?!" Kaede cried. I sadly nodded, "Her father yelled at her and insulted her. He called Shimmer a freak, and the poor little one asked me earlier if I thought she was a freak. He told Shimmer that is was her fault that her mother had died. But the worst thing, I found out was that her father has physically beaten her. I found several bruises underneath her little wings." I shed some tears while the others had faces in a mixture of shock, concern and anger. "That's horrible." Mason said. "No wonder she was scared of us at first." Carrie added. "That bastard!" Jack exclaimed in anger. "If I ever see him, I'll beat the hell out of him." "Jack, not important right now." Kaede stated. Twilight sat there and gave the filly beside a sad smile. However was curious about something. She didn't understand why Shimmer broke down and cried when he first saw her. She needed to know what was wrong with her. "Sarah, can you call Shimmer over here. I want to ask her something." I nodded and called for Shimmer. The little filly walked over, "Yes?" "Twilight has something she wants to ask you." Twilight knelt down to Shimmer's Level to speak with her, "Shimmer, when you first saw me you started crying. Is it okay to ask If there's something wrong with me?" Shimmer quickly shook his head before saying, "No, Twilight there's nothing wrong with you. It's just you look a lot like my Momma." Everyone in the room was silent as Shimmer continued to speak. "I had a picture of my Momma in my room. It was a picture of her before I was born. She was very pretty." Shimmer said before she started whimpering and tears began to form in her eyes. "Th-that p-picture was all I h-had of her. B-but then my daddy t-took the p-picture away from m-me and b-broke it. H-he s-said I was a f-freak and I d-didn't deserve that p-picture." Shimmer fell to the floor and cried. I pulled her close and stroked the back of her mane softly, silently hushed him as everyone looked on with sadness. I stroked the back of his mane for a few more minutes before pulling Shimmer back and said, "Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father has done all of this to you. But can I ask you something sweetie?" Shimmer nodded, "Why were you all alone when I found you?" I could feel Shimmer trembling as she closed her eyes tightly with tears still pouring out. "I-I-I r-ran away." Shimmer sobbed softly. She immediately buried her face in my chest and let his tears soak her shirt, "P-Please Sarah, d-don't send me back to my d-daddy! I d-don't wanna go b-back!" she wailed. I wrapped my arms around and stroked her side. "Shhh...It's alright Shimmer, sweetheart. I'm not going to send you back to your father." I said to the filly softly and sweetly. She Immediately wrapped her little forelegs around my neck and cried more tears, but this time they were tears of joy. "Oh, th-thank you!" She cried as I stroked her back with hoof. Everyone watched on with tears of happiness in their eyes, including Rainbow Dash and the CMC. Pinkie Pie began to bounce with glee while shouting, "WOO! I'm gonna throw Shimmer Glow the best "Welcome To Ponyville." party EVER!" Everyone laughed after they heard this even Shimmer. "I think I have a better idea, for Shimmer." I said. "What is it, Sarah?" Kaede asked. I looked at Shimmer, "Shimmer, I know that you don't want to go back with your father and since you don't have any parental figures right now. I was wondering if... I could adopt you?" Shimmer's eyes widened in shock as well as the others. "Sarah, are you sure?" Carrie asked. "Yes." I replied, proudly. Shimmer grinned big and leaped into my arms, shouting, "Momma, Momma." I could tell her answer was yes. Ren and the others cheered for Shimmer. "OH, OH, OH we can be her aunts and uncles now! YEAH!" She bounced around in room, very excited. "Of course, If that's alright everyone." It didn't take long for all of my friends for to say yes and tackle me into a group hug. Shimmer Glow fluttered her little wings. "I have a new Momma, Yeah!" she nuzzled my cheek and I kissed her on her little forehead. "And I'm going to be the best mother ever." Jack's POV "Uncle Jack, Uncle Jack." Ugh..... who the? Grr... whose waking me up during my nap. I opened my eyes and was met with the bubbly filly Sarah adopted. "Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack." "Ugh.. what do you want, kid?" I asked groggily. Shimmer giggled and leaped onto my gut. "Come play with me." Play? Ugh.. why now? I just want to sleep. I covered myself up with the blanket with a tired grunt, "Please, Uncle Jack?" I lowered the covers and saw her giving me the 'puppy dog' eyes and I sighed and grumbled, "Fine... I'll play with you." "Yeah!" She cheered and leaped off my stomach and out of my room. Ugh.... seriously, why is she always waking me up. I mean seriously, she did this for the forth time this week! Sigh... anyway, I got up anyway and put on my clothes. I came out of my room and found the little filly sitting at the dining room table with the others. “Oh hey Jack! Rantaro!” I looked over to see Ren waving at us with a smile. “Good morning.” “Hey.” I said firmly before heading over to the small dining room where he and that little girl, Carrie, were busy eating some eggs and pancakes some OJ. Even their pets were busy eating some on their own food in their small bowls “Ah, good morning.” We turned to see Mason and Kaede walking in, each carrying two plates filled with food on their hands. “I see you are awake. Good morning Jack.” “Sup.” I smiled. Shimmer Glow was eating her breakfast when newbie came in. "Momma!" she exclaimed. She fluttered her little wings as Sarah came over and hugged her. "Aww... you're fully of energy, aren't you?" she cooed. Shimmer nodded, "Uncle Jack and I are gonna play together." she grinned. "Oh are you now?" Newbie looked at me with a smirk. I growled while blushing a little. Sarah laughed, "Are you done with your breakfast?" Shimmer showed Sarah we clean plate. "Good, now go and wash up." Shimmer nodded and merrily skipped down the hallway. Good thing, newbie showed her where the bathroom was when she showed the home-ship to her. "So Jack, you're gonna play with Shimmer?" Mason asked with a smirk. I growled at him, "The brat woke me up again for the forth time this week! Why can't she just leave me alone?!" "Jack, she loves being with her new family. She's never had any love before us. You should be proud that she wants to play with you. Beside, you are her Uncle." Sarah explained to me. I sighed and soften up my expression, "Alright newbie. I'll play with her for you." "Good cause I need you to baby sit her." Okay, that I did not expect. "What? Babysit?!" I exclaimed. "Yes, I got called away to Canterlot for the morning and I want you to babysit Shimmer while I'm away." "What? Take care for that brat, by myself?!" I exclaimed in shock. "No way!" "Come on Jack, you'll have us there to help you and the dragons." Ren reassured. "We'll help you care for them." Still... didn't want to..... ut I am her friend and as annoying as those brats are, if she wants me to care for them then I guess I have to. After all, I'd never leave a friend hanging. "Alright newbie, I'll take care of her." Sarah smiled, "Thanks Jack." Shimmer then came out of the bathroom and over to us. "Shimmer." "Yes Momma? "Mommy has to go to Canterlot for her Princess duties. So Jack and the others will be in charge of you while I'm gone, alright?" "Yes Momma." "Be on your best behavior." "Yes Momma." she leaped into Sarah arms and hugged her while Sarah hugged her back. Even though I don't like mushy stuff, this was pretty sweet. Sarah placed Shimmer down. "I'll be back by tonight. Bye guys." and with that she teleported to Canterlot. Shimmer giggled and pawed at my leg. "Can we play now, Uncle Jack?" I sighed, "Yes." "Yeah!" She grabbed my hand with her tiny hooves and dragged me to over to the living room. She had me sit on the couch. "Okay... so what do you want to do." My answer was received when she came up to me with a makeup kit. If there's one thing I hate. It's girly stuff and that includes make up. "Hehehe, play dress up." Shimmer smiled innocently. I grimaced while I heard Skittles laughing in the background. "Be quiet, Skittles." I growled. "You guys can join in to." Shimmer cheekily grinned. Ren and the other boys expressions fell at that offer. "Oh.. um.. Actually..." Ren stammered. "Please?" Shimmer asked them with her cute little eyes. Ren, the nerd, Mason and Rantaro all sighed reluctantly and nodded their heads. Shimmer cheered. I swear she uses her cuteness as a weapon. Anyway, Shimmer suddenly broke into a song as she... well... as she put it.. dolled us up. (Skip to 0:27) Damn... that girl could sing for a young filly. Anyway, now we had makeup on our faces while Shimmer giggled and Twilight and the girls either had their jaws dropped or were laughing. "They are so adorable. HAHAHA!" Rainbow teased. When she tried to blow dry my hair, I screamed as well as Ren and tired to run away from her, but she caught us. Darn it. Next she put a mask on our faces and cucumbers on our eyes and then she put lip gloss on us. UGH! Why?! After that she made us wear wings. Grr... Skittles was laughing the whole time. Then she made us put on fancy outfits for boys and when we were done we looked like we were going to a fancy party. Ugh. Twilight and the girls giggled. "Sigh... why are we doing this again?" Ren asked. "You're her new uncles and you have to spend time with her." the purple loon stated. We all groaned. Shimmer couldn't stop clapping her hooves. "Yeah, this is fun!" Speak for yourself. Knock Knock Knock Whose at the door now? Twilight opened the door with her magic, revealing... newbie?! Oh no. "Hey guys, how was baby-" When she saw us, she immediately busted out laughing. "Oh man.... that's hilarious! Hahahah!" she laughed. I tried to stop from blushed with embarrassment but failed as well as the other boys. "Sarah, what are you doing back so soon?" Twilight asked. "The meeting didn't take as long as I thought." Sarah replied. "What was the meeting about?" Applejack asked. "The Princess just wanted to know more about element. That's all." Sarah replied nonchalantly. Sarah then approached Shimmer. "Did you have fun, Shimmer?" "Yes, Momma. I made the boys pretty." Shimmer cooed. Sarah giggled, "Yes, yes you did. Now you can make them normal, okay honey?" "Yes Momma." With that Shimmer removed all her.... dress up things and we were back to our normal selves. Thank God. Shimmer giggled and leaped into my arms. "Wah?" With that, she hugged my chest. "Thank you, Uncles." she said. I softened my expression while looking at the bubbly filly. "No problem." I said. Shimmer giggled and fluttered into her mother's arms. "Come on, honey, back to our room." "Okay Momma." With that newbie carried Shimmer back to her room. Sigh... this was the weirdest day I ever had. POV Ends
Chapter 12: Make New Friends/Boyfriends But Keep DiscordSarah's POV I was walking back to my castle in the freezing rain. The rain didn’t bother me, in fact, I loved it. “Ahh, nothing like some rain to make you feel good.” Now I know, rain usually makes people sad, but for me it makes me happy. I loved to play in it when my dad let me. I was busy skipping in the streets when I passed an alleyway and heard a small whimper. I stopped and froze for a moment. I went to the mouth of the alleyway. “Hello…?” I called. I didn’t hear a response, except for a whimper again. I carefully walked down the alleyway, following the whimpering sounds and I came to a dumpster. I looked behind it and saw a small cardboard box. I looked inside the box and gasped. Inside was a small filly. It was pure white with a light pink and aquamarine mane and tail. It’s body looked really dirty and she was curled up in a ball whimpering but what mostly shocked me was that the filly wasn’t a unicorn, pegasus or earth pony. It was an alicorn! “Oh my god.” I whispered. The filly must have heard me because it opened its eyes and gave a small scream. “Oh… it’s alright.” I cooed. The little filly whimpered and started shaking and not just because of the freezing rain. I approached the box and kneeled down. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” I added. The filly stopped shaking but instead she shakily got up on her hooves. That’s when I heard a loud gurgle from the little one’s stomach. “Oh dear, you must be starving.” The filly whimpered and shakily walked over to me and buried her head in my chest, whimpering. “Oh, come here.” I carefully picked the little filly into my arms and I partly covered her with my jacket. I quickly teleported to my room in the home-ship and closed the door. I placed the filly on the floor. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” The filly’s stomach did the talking for her by letting out a loud gurgle. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I replied with a smile, “I’ll go in the kitchen and make you something to eat.” I made my way to the kitchen when I realized I never introduced myself to the filly. “My name is Sarah Gem, by the way.” then I went into the kitchen and in a few minutes, returned to the filly with a bowl of oatmeal. I placed the oatmeal on the table and put the small filly in one of the chairs. I handed the filly a small spoon “Here you go, this will get you full and warmed up.” The filly took the spoon and took a small spoonful of the oatmeal. She seemed to like it because she started devouring the oatmeal. “Poor thing, she must have been starving for who knows how long. Wonder what happened to her?” The filly soon had the bowl completely clean and had a small bulging stomach. “Well, now that you've had something to eat, I think It's best that I gave you a bath.” I said to her. I took the little filly to the bathroom and realized she had not said anything since I found her. But I decided to let her talk to me when she was ready. I entered the bathroom and closed the door. I placed the small filly beside me and started to fill her tub with warm water. When It was the perfect level for the small filly, I lifted her up and tried to put her in the bath. The filly, however, resisted by holding my neck tightly. “It's okay, sweetheart, It's just water. There's no need to be afraid” I said gently to the scared filly. The poor filly began to kick and scream refusing to trust my words and let me bathe her. Knowing I could not convince her to go into the bath alone, I had no other choice but to use the alternative option, “Alright, have it your way, If you won't take a bath alone, I guess I'll have to come in with you.” I said to the filly before getting into the bath with her in my arms. The filly screamed in terror as the water came in contact with her body. He then stared splashing me and struggled to get out of the bath and I just sat there keeping a gentle but tight grip on her . After a few seconds of me remaining completely still, the filly finally calmed down, “There, there. See? The water is not going to hurt you.” I said to her in soft gentle voice. Now that she was calm, I bathe the filly, getting all the dirt and mud out of her mane, tail and body. The scratches weren’t bad and looked to have healed. After that, I dried myself and the filly off. I looked at the clock and saw it was ten at night. I let out a yawn and the filly let out a quiet yawn. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go to bed.” I said. I picked up the little filly and went to my room. I tucked the filly in and magically replaced my clothes with my pajamas. The filly looked surprised. I climbed into the bed, next to the filly and placed and arm around her. The filly looked at me and smiled. “Sweet dreams, little one.” I said and we both fell asleep. However, a few hours later, I heard some rustling in the bed. I opened my eyes and I saw the filly wrestling with the bed covers. She then screamed louder than before. I knew that she was having a nightmare. “M-Momma!” She screamed at the top of her lungs while crying heavily. I immediately scooped the filly in my arms and cradled her close. The fully opened her eyes instantly and started to scream again. However, she screams stopped when she realized I was holding her. She looked at me with fresh tears forming in her eyes. The filly buried her head into my chest and cried heavily. I nuzzled the small filly, trying to calm her down. A rumble of thunder and lightning struck once again outside, making the filly scream and cry harder while shaking in fear. I began to gently rock her while making soft gentle shushing noises. “Shhh...Don't worry. I'm here...Shhh” I hushed as the filly continued to cry. I then started to softly sing a soft lullaby to the crying filly. “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” “Drifting off to sleep leave the exciting day behind you” “Drifting off to sleep let the joy of dreamland find you” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to lay your sleepy head” “Hush now, Quiet now” “It's time to go to bed” The filly stopped crying as I held him and continued to rock her. I gave her a tender loving smile. The filly snuggled into my chest, and laid her head against my neck. Tears formed in my eyes but I brushed them away and kissed the filly on the forehead. I placed the filly back into the covers and I placed them over her and me and we both slept through the night. The next morning, I woke up and gave a small yawn. I turned towards the filly who woke up as well. “Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?” I asked. The filly nodded. “Are you hungry?” I asked, earning another nod. I smiled and kiss the little filly on the head, “I’ll go and get us some breakfast.” I climbed out of bed and magically put on my clothes. When I got ready to walk out the door, “Shimmer Glow.” I turned back towards the filly, who was looking a bit nervous. “M-My name is S-Shimmer Glow.” she repeated. She voice was very soft like Fluttershy’s. “Nice to meet you Shimmer Glow.” With that, I went to the chicken and made the foal some oatmeal. I went back and placed on the bed, Here you go sweetie.” “Thank you Sarah.” Shimmer thanked and she dug into the oatmeal. “It’s really good.” she said. I couldn’t help but giggle. The little filly had oatmeal all over her face. I grabbed a napkin and wiped her face. Once the oatmeal was gone, I asked. “Shimmer, I have some friends who would like to meet you, would you like to met them?” “Y-Yes.” “Great!” I exclaimed softly. I picked up Shimmer and I took her to the living room where Twilight and the others were. "Alright so why did you call us all here, newbie?” Jack asked. “You can come out now.” I called out. Shimmer came out from behind me and shyly clung to my right leg. “Awwww.” all the girls said while the boys were surprised. “Whose the little darling?” Rarity asked. “This is Shimmer Glow. She’s a little filly I’m looking after.” I answered. “Well she’s very cute.” Ren said, walking towards us. Shimmer whimpered and hugged my leg even tighter. “She’s little very shy around new people.” I added. Ren stopped walking and kneeled down. “Hey there.” Shimmer looked at him, “I’m Ren Loodan, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Shimmer looked at me and I nodded. Shimmer looked back at Ren and let go of my leg. She slowly walked over to him, “... Promise?” she asked in her soft voice. “Aww… I promise, little one.” Ren reassured. Shimmer walked over and placed her head in his chest. “Awwww…” the girls cooed again. I introduced Shimmer to the others. It went well, even Pinkie Pie didn’t approach her all excited she approached her calmly, surprising everyone. However, when some of them tried to touch her, she’s shy away. And she was intimidated by Jack’s size and ran behind me. “Was it something I said?” he asked. “I think she’s a bit.. Ahem.. intimidated by your size, Jack.” Rarity said. And when it came to Twilight, Shimmer backed away from Twilight while whimpering. She then laid on the floor and cried heavily. I immediately scooped her up into my arms, “Shhh...It's okay Shimmer...Shhh...” I said to the little filly gently, trying to calm her down. She buried my face into my chest fur and continued to cry. “Sarah, can I hold Shimmer Glow for a few minutes?” Twilight suddenly asked me. I was a bit hesitant because I did not know how Shimmer would react since I was the only one so far that could calm her down. But I decided to let Twilight hold the little filly. Twilight motioned to her with a hoof to follow her. The group went to a room with a fireplace and two chairs. Twilight sat in one of the them and held out her hooves. I placed Shimmer Glow gently in Twilight's hooves and she cradled her close to her. Shimmer continued to cry becoming scared of being in the hooves of someone else besides mine. Twilight began to rock her ever so gently while making a soft hushing sound. Shimmer’s crying continued until Twilight started to hum a soft song in her ear. Shimmer’s crying reduced to sobs as Twilight continued to gently rock her and hum the soft song in her ear. Twilight finished humming her song and continued to rock her. Shimmer’s sobs turned to sniffles. Twilight rocked her gently and once more made a soft hushing sound. After a few minutes, Shimmer fell asleep in Twilight's forelegs. She gave her a small kiss on the forehead and said to her sweetly, gently, and quietly, “Sweet dreams little one.” Twilight continued to hold Shimmer while the other and I looked at her in amazement. “Twilight, that was amazing!” Rainbow said quietly not wanting to wake up Shimmer Glow, “how did you do that?” Twilight just smiled and said, “This was the same thing I did for Spike when I first started taking care of him. I actually still do it for him now when he's scared at night or when he has nightmares.” Twilight explained to the gang before looking down and smiling gently at the filly she was holding. I let out a sigh, and gave her friend a gentle smile. I knew Twilight was going to be a great mother someday. Looking outside I saw the sun had set, and it had become dark out. Without waking up the sleeping filly she was holding, Twilight gave Shimmer back to me. Me and Twilight each gave Shimmer a loving smile as he snuggled into my warm and soft chest fur. “Have a good night Sarah, we’ll be at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow.” she said with a cheerful smile “You too Twilight and girls. See you all tomorrow.” I said. “Bye Sarah.” Twilight and the girls replied as the left. "So where is the little one going to stay?" Skye asked me. "She'll stay in my room until I come up with a plan for her." I decided and the other agreed. With how young Shimmer was, there was no way I could leave her alone. I returned to my room and placed Shimmer in the bed and I climbed beside him, giving her a kiss on her forehead, earning a smile of her little face and we both fell asleep. The next morning, sunlight shined into the window, waking my and Shimmer up. We both let out a yawn. “Good morning, Shimmer Glow.” “Morning Sarah.” “Are you hungry?” Shimmer nodded, rubbing her growling stomach. “Alright sweetheart, let’s go make you some breakfast. I picked up Shimmer and placed her on my head, earning a little giggle from the filly. I went to the kitchen and Shimmer watched as I made some pancakes for both of us. I couldn't help but feel sad for Shimmer. While she was a very polite and sweet filly, I could tell she was very scared and had a broken heart. It also broke my heart to sad how upset she was last night when she met Twilight. It brought a tear to my eye to even wonder how long Shimmer has been without a family. After that, we went to the dining room and I placed both plates on the table. “Alright, sweetie, breakfast time.” Shimmer nodded and stood on my head. She started to flutter her wings and she shakily flew off my head and landed on the floor clumsily. “Hehe, trying to fly huh?” I teased. Shimmer nodded then went to the table and began eating her pancakes along with myself. When we were finished, I put the two plates in the sink in the kitchen and returned to the dining room. However when I returned, I saw Shimmer still sitting at the table, but she was sniffling. Worried about her, I went over to her and saw small tears rolling down her cheeks. "Shimmer, sweetheart, what's wrong?" I asked the little filly with worry filling my voice. Shimmer looked up at me with tears still streaming down her cheeks, "Y-you've *sniff* been s-so *sniff* n-nice to me." Shimmer sobbed "N-nopony has ever b-been *sniff* so n-nice to m-me." I felt my heart ache seeing the little colt so upset. I sat down next to Shimmer and put her on my lap. I stroked gently stroke her side with my hand as Shimmer continued to cry. "S-Sarah *sniff* d-do you think I'm a f-freak?" Shimmer asked me. I nuzzled her cheek before saying, "Of course I don't think that sweetheart, why in Equestria would you think such a thing?" I stroked her side as began to tremble like leaf and his crying began to grow even harder. "M-my *sniff* d-daddy *sniff* c-calls me a *sniff* f-freak" Shimmer sobbed I let out a gasp of shock. I had thought both of her parents were dead. Shimmer’s crying grew harder and louder as she looked into my eyes "M-my momma *sniff* d-died when she h-had m-me. D-daddy *sniff* s-says it's all m-my *sniff* f-fault." Shimmer cried Hearing him say that made my heart break in two. Shimmers’ mother had died giving birth to her, but how could her father say such a thing? "D-daddy y-yells at m-me, *sniff* h-hits me, *sniff* c-calls me n-names, and *sniff* s-scares me with s-storm clouds" Shimmer sobbed before burying her head into my soft chest fur. She cried into my chest. She was still speaking but she was crying so hard that I couldn't understand what she was saying. With tears streaming down her face, I wrapped my arms around Shimmer and held her trembling body close to her. Now I know the reason why Shimmer was so scared. I closed her eyes and kissed the top of Shimmers’ forehead. I felt so bad for the poor little filly that she was holding in her forelegs. As I held her close, I noticed something underneath her little wings. Carefully not to disturb the crying filly, I carefully moved on of her wings. What I saw made me gasp in shock. There were several bruises underneath her wings some of them were turning purple. How could a father do such a thing to his own daughter? How could he beat her, insult her, and frighten her with the one thing she’s scared to death of? I looked down at Shimmer who was still crying. I kissed her gently on the forehead and began making a soft hushing sound to calm the little filly down. Her crying reduced to sobs and then to sniffles as she brought her head out of my chest fur. She looked into my eyes as I smiled down at her lovingly and gave her a small nuzzle.” Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father did all those awful things to you sweetheart. But please believe me when I say it's not your fault your mother died. I promise you it's not your fault." Shimmer said nothing but gave me a sad smile while a few tears still streamed down her cheeks. I gently brushed the tears with her hoof before pulling Shimmer back into a soft and loving embrace. Shimmer closed her eyes and smiled, letting me know that she was calm and relaxed. I gave Shimmer a gentle smile before asking, "Do you feel better sweetheart?" Shimmer said nothing and gave me a small soft smiling at her. I scooped up the little filly and placed her on my shoulder. She gently grabbed around me neck as I walked out the door. "I'll take care of you, Shimmer. I promise." Soon we made it to Sugarcube Corner, "Ready, sweetie?" I asked. Shimmer nodded and we walked in. We saw Ren and everyone else at the tables. "Hey Sarah, Hey Shimmer." Ren said. "Are you feeling better?" Shimmer nodded. "Shimmer, darling. Applejack, Rainbow and I brought some friends you'd want to meet." Rarity said. Shimmer was showed three more fillies: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Howdy, Shimmer. I'm Applebloom." "I'm Sweetie Belle." "And I'm Scootaloo." "Together we are...THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" All three fillies shouted making Shimmer cover his ears. Taking his hooves off his ears, Shimmer said the three very softly, "It's nice to meet you all!" We all smiled at the happy scene with the four fillies. Applebloom seemed interested in her wings and horn. "Looks like she's getting better." I said. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement still smiling at the little fillies. Everything was pleasant until a look of sadness came across my face. "Sarah, are you alright?" Twilight asked. "Guys... I found the reason why Shimmer was so scared." I stated. "Why?" Ren asked. "Shimmer's mother died giving birth to her and her father abused her." I answered, lowering my head a little. Everyone gasped in horror. "He abused her?!" Kaede cried. I sadly nodded, "Her father yelled at her and insulted her. He called Shimmer a freak, and the poor little one asked me earlier if I thought she was a freak. He told Shimmer that is was her fault that her mother had died. But the worst thing, I found out was that her father has physically beaten her. I found several bruises underneath her little wings." I shed some tears while the others had faces in a mixture of shock, concern and anger. "That's horrible." Mason said. "No wonder she was scared of us at first." Carrie added. "That bastard!" Jack exclaimed in anger. "If I ever see him, I'll beat the hell out of him." "Jack, not important right now." Kaede stated. Twilight sat there and gave the filly beside a sad smile. However was curious about something. She didn't understand why Shimmer broke down and cried when he first saw her. She needed to know what was wrong with her. "Sarah, can you call Shimmer over here. I want to ask her something." I nodded and called for Shimmer. The little filly walked over, "Yes?" "Twilight has something she wants to ask you." Twilight knelt down to Shimmer's Level to speak with her, "Shimmer, when you first saw me you started crying. Is it okay to ask If there's something wrong with me?" Shimmer quickly shook his head before saying, "No, Twilight there's nothing wrong with you. It's just you look a lot like my Momma." Everyone in the room was silent as Shimmer continued to speak. "I had a picture of my Momma in my room. It was a picture of her before I was born. She was very pretty." Shimmer said before she started whimpering and tears began to form in her eyes. "Th-that p-picture was all I h-had of her. B-but then my daddy t-took the p-picture away from m-me and b-broke it. H-he s-said I was a f-freak and I d-didn't deserve that p-picture." Shimmer fell to the floor and cried. I pulled her close and stroked the back of her mane softly, silently hushed him as everyone looked on with sadness. I stroked the back of his mane for a few more minutes before pulling Shimmer back and said, "Shimmer, I'm so sorry your father has done all of this to you. But can I ask you something sweetie?" Shimmer nodded, "Why were you all alone when I found you?" I could feel Shimmer trembling as she closed her eyes tightly with tears still pouring out. "I-I-I r-ran away." Shimmer sobbed softly. She immediately buried her face in my chest and let his tears soak her shirt, "P-Please Sarah, d-don't send me back to my d-daddy! I d-don't wanna go b-back!" she wailed. I wrapped my arms around and stroked her side. "Shhh...It's alright Shimmer, sweetheart. I'm not going to send you back to your father." I said to the filly softly and sweetly. She Immediately wrapped her little forelegs around my neck and cried more tears, but this time they were tears of joy. "Oh, th-thank you!" She cried as I stroked her back with hoof. Everyone watched on with tears of happiness in their eyes, including Rainbow Dash and the CMC. Pinkie Pie began to bounce with glee while shouting, "WOO! I'm gonna throw Shimmer Glow the best "Welcome To Ponyville." party EVER!" Everyone laughed after they heard this even Shimmer. "I think I have a better idea, for Shimmer." I said. "What is it, Sarah?" Kaede asked. I looked at Shimmer, "Shimmer, I know that you don't want to go back with your father and since you don't have any parental figures right now. I was wondering if... I could adopt you?" Shimmer's eyes widened in shock as well as the others. "Sarah, are you sure?" Carrie asked. "Yes." I replied, proudly. Shimmer grinned big and leaped into my arms, shouting, "Momma, Momma." I could tell her answer was yes. Ren and the others cheered for Shimmer. "OH, OH, OH we can be her aunts and uncles now! YEAH!" She bounced around in room, very excited. "Of course, If that's alright everyone." It didn't take long for all of my friends for to say yes and tackle me into a group hug. Shimmer Glow fluttered her little wings. "I have a new Momma, Yeah!" she nuzzled my cheek and I kissed her on her little forehead. "And I'm going to be the best mother ever." Jack's POV "Uncle Jack, Uncle Jack." Ugh..... who the? Grr... whose waking me up during my nap. I opened my eyes and was met with the bubbly filly Sarah adopted. "Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack." "Ugh.. what do you want, kid?" I asked groggily. Shimmer giggled and leaped onto my gut. "Come play with me." Play? Ugh.. why now? I just want to sleep. I covered myself up with the blanket with a tired grunt, "Please, Uncle Jack?" I lowered the covers and saw her giving me the 'puppy dog' eyes and I sighed and grumbled, "Fine... I'll play with you." "Yeah!" She cheered and leaped off my stomach and out of my room. Ugh.... seriously, why is she always waking me up. I mean seriously, she did this for the forth time this week! Sigh... anyway, I got up anyway and put on my clothes. I came out of my room and found the little filly sitting at the dining room table with the others. “Oh hey Jack! Rantaro!” I looked over to see Ren waving at us with a smile. “Good morning.” “Hey.” I said firmly before heading over to the small dining room where he and that little girl, Carrie, were busy eating some eggs and pancakes some OJ. Even their pets were busy eating some on their own food in their small bowls “Ah, good morning.” We turned to see Mason and Kaede walking in, each carrying two plates filled with food on their hands. “I see you are awake. Good morning Jack.” “Sup.” I smiled. Shimmer Glow was eating her breakfast when newbie came in. "Momma!" she exclaimed. She fluttered her little wings as Sarah came over and hugged her. "Aww... you're fully of energy, aren't you?" she cooed. Shimmer nodded, "Uncle Jack and I are gonna play together." she grinned. "Oh are you now?" Newbie looked at me with a smirk. I growled while blushing a little. Sarah laughed, "Are you done with your breakfast?" Shimmer showed Sarah we clean plate. "Good, now go and wash up." Shimmer nodded and merrily skipped down the hallway. Good thing, newbie showed her where the bathroom was when she showed the home-ship to her. "So Jack, you're gonna play with Shimmer?" Mason asked with a smirk. I growled at him, "The brat woke me up again for the forth time this week! Why can't she just leave me alone?!" "Jack, she loves being with her new family. She's never had any love before us. You should be proud that she wants to play with you. Beside, you are her Uncle." Sarah explained to me. I sighed and soften up my expression, "Alright newbie. I'll play with her for you." "Good cause I need you to baby sit her." Okay, that I did not expect. "What? Babysit?!" I exclaimed. "Yes, I got called away to Canterlot for the morning and I want you to babysit Shimmer while I'm away." "What? Take care for that brat, by myself?!" I exclaimed in shock. "No way!" "Come on Jack, you'll have us there to help you and the dragons." Ren reassured. "We'll help you care for them." Still... didn't want to..... ut I am her friend and as annoying as those brats are, if she wants me to care for them then I guess I have to. After all, I'd never leave a friend hanging. "Alright newbie, I'll take care of her." Sarah smiled, "Thanks Jack." Shimmer then came out of the bathroom and over to us. "Shimmer." "Yes Momma? "Mommy has to go to Canterlot for her Princess duties. So Jack and the others will be in charge of you while I'm gone, alright?" "Yes Momma." "Be on your best behavior." "Yes Momma." she leaped into Sarah arms and hugged her while Sarah hugged her back. Even though I don't like mushy stuff, this was pretty sweet. Sarah placed Shimmer down. "I'll be back by tonight. Bye guys." and with that she teleported to Canterlot. Shimmer giggled and pawed at my leg. "Can we play now, Uncle Jack?" I sighed, "Yes." "Yeah!" She grabbed my hand with her tiny hooves and dragged me to over to the living room. She had me sit on the couch. "Okay... so what do you want to do." My answer was received when she came up to me with a makeup kit. If there's one thing I hate. It's girly stuff and that includes make up. "Hehehe, play dress up." Shimmer smiled innocently. I grimaced while I heard Skittles laughing in the background. "Be quiet, Skittles." I growled. "You guys can join in to." Shimmer cheekily grinned. Ren and the other boys expressions fell at that offer. "Oh.. um.. Actually..." Ren stammered. "Please?" Shimmer asked them with her cute little eyes. Ren, the nerd, Mason and Rantaro all sighed reluctantly and nodded their heads. Shimmer cheered. I swear she uses her cuteness as a weapon. Anyway, Shimmer suddenly broke into a song as she... well... as she put it.. dolled us up. (Skip to 0:27) Damn... that girl could sing for a young filly. Anyway, now we had makeup on our faces while Shimmer giggled and Twilight and the girls either had their jaws dropped or were laughing. "They are so adorable. HAHAHA!" Rainbow teased. When she tried to blow dry my hair, I screamed as well as Ren and tired to run away from her, but she caught us. Darn it. Next she put a mask on our faces and cucumbers on our eyes and then she put lip gloss on us. UGH! Why?! After that she made us wear wings. Grr... Skittles was laughing the whole time. Then she made us put on fancy outfits for boys and when we were done we looked like we were going to a fancy party. Ugh. Twilight and the girls giggled. "Sigh... why are we doing this again?" Ren asked. "You're her new uncles and you have to spend time with her." the purple loon stated. We all groaned. Shimmer couldn't stop clapping her hooves. "Yeah, this is fun!" Speak for yourself. Knock Knock Knock Whose at the door now? Twilight opened the door with her magic, revealing... newbie?! Oh no. "Hey guys, how was baby-" When she saw us, she immediately busted out laughing. "Oh man.... that's hilarious! Hahahah!" she laughed. I tried to stop from blushed with embarrassment but failed as well as the other boys. "Sarah, what are you doing back so soon?" Twilight asked. "The meeting didn't take as long as I thought." Sarah replied. "What was the meeting about?" Applejack asked. "The Princess just wanted to know more about element. That's all." Sarah replied nonchalantly. Sarah then approached Shimmer. "Did you have fun, Shimmer?" "Yes, Momma. I made the boys pretty." Shimmer cooed. Sarah giggled, "Yes, yes you did. Now you can make them normal, okay honey?" "Yes Momma." With that Shimmer removed all her.... dress up things and we were back to our normal selves. Thank God. Shimmer giggled and leaped into my arms. "Wah?" With that, she hugged my chest. "Thank you, Uncles." she said. I softened my expression while looking at the bubbly filly. "No problem." I said. Shimmer giggled and fluttered into her mother's arms. "Come on, honey, back to our room." "Okay Momma." With that newbie carried Shimmer back to her room. Sigh... this was the weirdest day I ever had. POV Ends
Chapter 13: Rainbow Dragon Roadtrip 🎵I got your message🎵 🎵The sun is shining🎵 🎵And the open road is calling our names🎵 🎵My bag is packed so🎵 🎵Are you ready?🎵 🎵'Cause to lose this day would be a shame🎵 🎵There's a rainbow waiting🎵 🎵A song is playin'🎵 🎵And I can't wait to hit the road with you🎵 🎵There's a rainbow waiting🎵 🎵And we got rainbow roadtrippin' to do! Hi, I'm Sarah, the Princess of Friendship. Today, Rainbow and I got an invite to a place called Dragon Hope Hallow for a Rainbow Dragon Festival where Rainbow and I would be the guest of honor along with Snowflake. Me and my friends all packed what we needed and were placing them in my car. My dad and Douglas were coming along too, cause it would be fun for them to come. I saw Pinkie and Rainbow rushing towards the car while Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and the others were there already. They both fell on the ground in shock seeing the rest of us. "Alright, I was forth." Rainbow said. "Well I was fifth." Pinkie said. "Technically, you both were last." Rantaro said. "T-That's not even- But I beat you!" Rainbow argued. Mason intervened. "You both are still late. We have to leave soon or will miss the festival." "Don't worry, we wouldn't have left with out you." Fluttershy reassured. "Afterall darling, Rainbow, Sarah and her Fury dragons are the guests of Honor at the Rainbow Dragon Festival." "Alright.. is everyone ready?" I asked. "Hey, where the purple bookworm and the nerd?" Jack asked. We then noticed Twilight and Jamie were not present. "Oh, there they are." Pinkie quipped, pointing down the street. "We're coming! We're coming!" Twilight's voice rang. Twilight and Jamie were running towards us with Spike following behind us and they made it. "We have to pack a few books." "Wait, wait, wait, you're bringing work to a festival?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Yeah, leave those books here, it's suppose to be a non-stop party." Pinkie squealed in joy. "Reading is fun, it's relaxing and rewarding and-" Jamie started, but I took his and Twilight's books in my magic and gave them to Spike. "can wait until we come back from the Festival." "Did you bring Striker, Jamie?" Jamie nodded and his Triple Stryke landed next to him. I turned to Ren and the others. "Did you guys bring your dragons too?" Ren and the others nodded and their dragons landed near the car. "And they are bringing their dragons... why?" Rainbow asked, confused. "Hello, it's called the Rainbow Dragon Festival for a reason." Rainbow stated. "You have to bring dragons to a dragon festival." "Yeah, Rainbow's right." Twilight said. "Yeah, yeah, come on, come on, let's go!" My dad said. His brother rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You guys heard my dad, let's go!" I exclaimed. Everyone cheered and we all piled into the car. I sat at the driver's seat while my dad had the passenger seat. Douglas sat with Ren, Jack, Twilight and Rantaro in the front. Jamie, Nicole, Applejack, Rarity and Kaede were in the middle. Mason, Carrie, Fluttershy and Pinkie sat in the back while Rainbow would fly outside with our dragons. (Trust me, my car is bigger on the inside than on the outside.) We all buckled in and I started the engine. "Everyone ready?" I asked everyone. "You bet!" Ren exclaimed. "Let's go!" Mason added. "The off we go!" I pressed the gas and put the car in flying mode. The car's leaped off the ground and the wheel turned inward and hovered. A steering fin came out on the trunk and two wings came out in the middle and the car flew off in the sky with our dragons and Rainbow following behind. "Have fun everyone!" Spike called to us. We flew over valleys, mountains and rivers on the way. "Didn't somepony mention a spa in, uh, where is it we're going again?" Rarity asked. Rainbow knocked on the window and I rolled the window's down so she could speak to us, "Hope Hollow... or as I'd like to call it, Rainbow and Sarah fan central." Rainbow said. Applejack and Mason sighed, "You're gonna be like this the whole way, aren't ya?" Applejack asked. "You know it. I mean look at this letter. They love me and Sarah there." Rainbow said. I took the letter in my magic and gave it to my dad. "Dear Rainbow Dash and Queen Sarah Gem, Thank you for being our guests at this years' famous Dragon Hope Hollow Rainbow Dragon Festival. The many members of your fan club are looking forward to your visit. You and your friends will be staying at our luxury Rainbow Dragon Resort and Spa where your every will be care too." My dad read aloud. "Oh I called that a challenge, I have so many wills." Rarity said, battering her eyes. Jack rolled his eyes. "Fan club? Oooh." I groaned. "Now now Sarah, it may just be a few ponies in this fan club." Douglas said. "Or it may be the entire town to be your fan club." Pinkie cheered. I squeaked. "Don't worry Sarah, you'll be fine. Remember, you have us." Snowflake reassured. "Right... right... okay..." I breathed calmly. "Oh look there's a butterfly garden. "Fluttershy said. "Hmm, you know it's strange that we've never heard of this festival before." Twilight said. "Y-Yeah, especially since everything in the town is so well known." Jamie added. Rainbow looked at the letter. "At this years' festival, you can eat treats and the traditional Rainbow Bakery booth. Sing your favorite Rainbow and Dragon themes songs at the karaoke competition." "Baking booth and Karaoke! Ahhh!" Pinkie cheered. "It's like they got into my soul." Then Mason got the letter. "And try our famous Rainbow trout catch and release activity." "Catch and release?" Jack whined. "Awww... I wanted to eat it." "Jack!" Kaede scolded covered Fluttershy's ears so she would not hear that. "Oh... hehe... sorry." "Now that sounds right up my river." Applejack said. "Plus we get to see the mayor give Rainbow, Sarah, Snowflake and Moonshine a reward. I call dibs on the cheering section." Pinkie said pulling out her party cannon which she activated, making confetti go all over the inside of the car. We all laughed. Classic Pinkie. "An award for what exactly?" Rarity asked. Rainbow shrugged. "Showing up, general coolness, hehe all of the above." Rainbow gloated. "Well we're so glad you invited us along." Twilight said. "Yeah, it's gonna be one long party! Which starts now!" "Yeah!" Shimmer cheered. I turned to see Shimmer next to me "Hehe, Hi Shimmer.... WAIT! SHIMMER GLOW?!" I exclaimed. Everyone was shocked to see the tiny filly. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Douglas asked. "I snuck in with my invisibility spell, heheh." Shimmer giggled innocently. We all looked at each other and back at the little filly. "What do we do with her?" Ren asked. "We can't turn back. We're too far from Ponyville. Looks like she's staying." I said. Shimmer cheered and hopped into my lap. I giggled and rolled my eyes at the tiny filly as I drove. Hours passed and it was getting dark, close to night time. "Shouldn't we be there by now?" Rainbow asked. "I thought so too, maybe we should have turn left at the last cloud instead of right." Applejack said. "Oh, it's getting darker by the minute." Fluttershy said. The sky was getting darker. Then Pinkie appeared in front of me, "I spy with my little eye a Rainbow!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We're not doing that again." Rainbow groaned. "No an actual Rainbow." Pinkie said. We all looked and saw a large Rainbow ahead. "Woah... cool." Ren gasped. "We're heading right for it!" Rarity exclaimed in fear. "Don't worry, we'll pass right through it. No rainbow's are solid." Rainbow reassured. Moonshine flew ahead and touched it with his claw... it did not faze through it. "Not this one guys! It looks like a billboard!" he called back. The billboard started to rock and then leaned towards us. "Lookout newbie!" Jack exclaimed. Acting quickly, I turned the car around but the billboard caught the back steering fin, making us go down with the billboard. "AAAAAAAHHH!" We all screamed. "We're gonna crash!" Applejack exclaimed. However, our dragons flew down to the car and blasted the part of the billboard that caught the car and the car hovered again. "Phew..." we all sighed in relief. "Thanks you guys." I said before I drove the car to the ground and I landed her, making her go back to her land mode. The billboard crashed onto the ground and broke. We all exited the car and looked around. "Where are we?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie Pie found a sign that said, "Welcome to Dragon Hope Hollow, home of the famous Rainbow Dragon Festival." "We've arrived, but there's nopony here to greet us." Rarity said. "Good thing too, we kinda destroyed their town sign." Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash, does the letter say where our hotel is?" Fluttershy said. "Uh.." Rainbow took the invite and read it. "The middle of town." "Hmm.. doesn't help much without knowing where the middle is." Jamie said. "L-Let's start looking." We all agreed and my friends started walking while I slowly drove the car into the town. When we got to the town we saw that it looks rundown. Some windows were boarded up, some of the buildings had cracks and holes in them and there was nopony outside. It was like a ghost town. "Hmm.. funny you'd think a big luxury resort would be easier to spot." Applejack stated. "Yeah, it seems like the whole town has shut down." Pinkie said. We made it to the center, "Oh look, there's somepony." We looked towards one building and saw a pony coming out. Twilight trotted over, "Hello." The pony turned to reveal she had a curly, mane and tail. "Oh." "Maybe you can help us, we're here for the Rainbow Dragon Festival." Twilight said. "The Rainbow Dragon Festival?" she asked. "Yeah you know where I'm the guest of honor." Rainbow smirked. "And newbie and the dragons." Jack deadpanned. "Right them too." "Oh for crying in the mud, what has Sunny done now?" she mumbled to herself, catching Nicoles' attention. "What was that?" "Oh, uh, you best talk to Mayor Skies about that." she said. "Great, and where would we find him?" Ren asked. "City hall, but it's closed until tomorrow don't cha know. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked. "Yes, were looking for the Hope Hallow Luxury Resort." My dad spoke. "Oh, that's this building right here." she opened the door, "Come in." I exited the car and followed the others inside the hotel. "Hotel Hope, also know as the town information center and library. My name is Petunia Petals by the way. I'm the librarian here and the information guide and the hotel manager, historian, chief, portrait painter-" "Um, I'm Rainbow Dash and this is everypony." Rainbow Introduced. We all gave our greetings to Petunia. "Hello everypony, just wait one minute and I'll take you to the room." "Uh, the room?" Kaede asked. "There's only one." Petunia said. "One?" Ren asked. Petunia nodded. "Make's it easier to find." she said as she got the key. She led us upstairs and unlocked the door. When we went in the room looked a little back. There were some cracks in the walls, old bed and dust in some area. "H-How rustic and charming." Rarity said, trying not the scream. "I couldn't help noticing there are only three beds." Rainbow pointed out. One bed broke, "Okay four." Petunia claimed, "There's a pop out one too." she went over to a wall and gave it a good kick and a bed come out of it, stirring up some dust. "There she is. You'll be all fresh and ready to see the mayor in the morning." she went over to the door. "Night." and exited the room, leaving us in the room. "Did anypony notice something strange about Petunia?" Twilight asked. "Other than the fact that she called this place the royal sweet." Rarity jabbed. "Hard to tell in this light but she looks a little... gray didn't she?" Applejack stated. "Probably from all the dust." Rarity grumbled. "And I didn't notice any dragons around here either." I spoke up. "Yeah, Sarah's right. Even at night, there are suppose to be dragons roaming around, so why aren't there?" Kaede wondered "Sorry everypony I didn't know what I was getting you all into." Rainbow apologized. Twilight grinned and put a hoof on her shoulder. "The most important thing that we are all together." "So.... how are all of us suppose to sleep in this one room?" Ren asked. "I don't think t-that's possible." Kaede said. "Great, now what the hell do we do?" Jack asked. "Don't worry I got this." I smirked. I flew out of the window and went to the car. I opened the truck and pulled out a small cube with a string attached to it. I placed it near the car and pulled the string. In an instant and large tent appeared. My friends looked out the window and gawked at the tent. "Hehehe, I like to be prepared." I giggled. "DIBS!" Jack exclaimed and he raced out of the room. "Hold it, fasto!" Rantaro exclaimed and he dashed outside too.They both rushed into the tent while I laughed, "Oh boys. There's room for a few more, you guys. Come on." Sarah called. Ren and the others came outside and climbed into my tent. "Nice Sarah." Ren praised. "Yeah, nice going newbie." Jack said. I blushed a little. "Hehehe, it's really nothing." "Yeah right, kid. This tent is like a real hotel." Rantaro smirked. "I agree, let's get some shall we?" Douglas asked. We all agreed and we along with our dragons entered the rooms and we all fell asleep. Dreamscape I found myself in the Dreamscape and I looked around when I saw Astral Twilight. "Tree of Harmony? What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised. "I am here to tell you of a task you must complete, Sarah." Astral Twilight said. "A Task? What is it?" "You must solve the mystery of Hope Hallow." "The mystery of Hope Hallow? What mystery?" "You'll find out in the morning. I must go now... sweet dreams Sarah Gem." With that Astral Twilight disappeared and the void wavered... End of Dreamscape I gasped as I woke up with a shock. "Sarah, are you alright?" Snowflake asked. Snowflake looked at me with some concern. "Y-Yeah... but I have something to tell you... everyone in the morning." I said. "Right now... we should get some sleep." Snowflake nodded and fell asleep while I laid my head on the pillow. "What is the mystery of Hope Hallow... maybe it has something to do with why Petunia was gray.. I yawned. "I'll think about it in the morning." and with that I fell asleep. The next morning, me and the gang had breakfast and I told them what the Tree of Harmony told me. "Soo, there's a mystery here in Dragon Hope Hallow?" Ren asked. "Yes and the Tree said I have to solve it." I replied. "And I think it has something to do with why Petunia was gray." "Yeah... that was weird." Jamie said. "I agree." My dad said. "Let's see how the girls are." We all agreed and finished our breakfast and went outside to find the girls coming out of the hotel and walking through town. We saw that ponies staring at the girls. "Why is everypony staring at us?" Fluttershy wondered. "Maybe they recognize Rainbow Dash?" Applejack suggested. "Or Princess Sarah, but mostly me." Rainbow said. "No... I think they're staring because we're the only part of this town that isn't... gray." Rarity realized. "What do you mean, loon?" Jack asked. "Look around." Rarity said we did and saw the whole town was gray! "All the colors here are gone!" "That's strange. It's just like what I noticed with Petunia last night, Everything's mostly gray." Twilight added. We saw Petunia at a booth, "Hello." she waved to us and we waved back. "Except the stuff that's grayer." Applejack added. "I thought it was strange but-" Fluttershy started. "This is so weird." Rainbow cut in. Another pony walked by with a confused look, "And from the way they're gawking at us, it appears they think we're the odd ones." Rarity said. "Ain't that the truth." Jack grumbled. "I wonder what caused this?" Twilight asked. "We can ask the mayor." Applejack said. "Yeah if we ever find him." Rainbow said. We started walking through the town to see if there was any sign of the Mayor when two foals skidded in front of us. One was a colt wearing a dull red hoodies while the other had a beanie and shirt on in the same color. They were both without cutie marks too. When they spotted Sarah and Rainbow, they scurried back, hid behind a building and whispered to each other. "That was weird." I remarked. "Yeah..." Ren added. "Looks like you found your mystery, Sarah." Ren said to me. "Mystery?" Twilight repeated. "The Tree of Harmony spoke to me last night and said I had to solve a mystery here in Dragon Hope Hallow which is why all the color is gone." I explained. "And why there are no dragons here, except for ours." Then we spotted two ponies that looked like they came from Manhattan. The stallion look a little old while the mare looked young. "Don't pout, dear. It'll wrinkle your withers." the mare said. "I'm not pouting, sweetums, but I am hurt by your comment. I thought the pie I baked was quite tasty." The stallion added. "I didn't say it wasn't." "You didn't say it was." The two bumped into an elderly stallion that had shape similar to Granny Smith. "Watch where you're goin'! You don't own the sidewalk, ya know?!" he growled and walked off. "Well I never." The stallion said. They laid their eyes on us and they gawked at us before walking away. "Huh?" we all said. Suddenly, I spotted my car near a tool shop and a pony was working on the bent. There was stallion with a short mane and tail that were fainted gray. He turned and spotted us, "Well, stuff me in an olive and call me a pimento! It's the Rainbow Dash and Queen Sarah Gem! Ya made it! Uh, it is.. you, isn't it?" "Yes, it's us." I replied. Snowflake and Midnight came beside us. "And these must be the Light and Night fury I've heard you have, hehe... wish there were more here." "What was that?" I asked. "Nothing." the pony answered quickly. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." Twilight introduced, walking up, "And you are.." "Sunny Skies." The pony replied. "Sunny Skies, the mayor o' this lovely town, and pleased as a poplar tree to meetcha!" "We're very sorry about your rainbow billboard, Mr. Mayor. It was dark and—" Fluttershy apologized but was cut off by Sunny. "Oh, don't give it a second thought. That old thing needed repair anyway. I haven't used it since... uh... well, never mind. Uh, a-a-anyway, once your car fins' fixed up, Torque can take care of the billboard. Everypony, meet Torque Wrench, our town handypony. She offered to repair your car fin for ya." Torque Wrench was a mare with a fainted red mane and tail wearing working clothes like a handyman. Torque lifted her mask, "He volunteered me." and placed it back down. "She'll have it fixed in a jiffy." Sunny said. " If, by "jiffy", ya mean "this will take all day"." Torque grumbled. "Sooo ya got in last night. I wish I'd known. I would've been here to greetcha. Uh, where'd y'all stay?" Mayor Skies asked. "At the "Luxury Hotel". Rarity said. "Petunia Petals let us in." Applejack added. "Oh, well, of course she did. She's somethin', I'll tell you what. I'd be lost without her. I mean, uh, th-the town would be." Mayor Skies stammered, showing a faint blush on his cheek. "Mayor, I hope you don't mind my asking, but is there a reason your town is... faded?" Jamie asked. The Mayor suddenly looked nervous. "Oh! Heh. Ya spotted that, did ya? Well, it's a... long story. Uh, why don't I show you the town highlights first?" he quickly walked away while the rest of us were confused. "Huh?" "Hmm... seems like he's not telling us something." Nicole said. "How'd you figure that?" Mason asked. "I saw it in his eyes." Nicole replied, not taking her eyes off of the IPad. "I agree with the chick. He knows something. We just have to get it out of him." Jack stated. "You are not harming him, Jack." Ren said. "... Fine." Jack grumbled. "Come on, let's follow the mayor." I suggested. My friends agreed and we followed the Mayor. He showed us the Outdooor Spa. The 'water' looked more like mud. Twilight asked him about the activities from the brochure and he showed us the Bakery Booth.... which was not present. "Or... will be. We're... still settin' up, but we gotta lotta great things planned." Mayor Skies said. Fluttershy asked about the butterfly garden and he brought us over to some bushes.... that had pictures of butterflies on it. "So none of the butterflies are actually..." "Real? Oh, no. Uh, what with the flowers not havin' color and all, the butterflies don't really come around much anymore." Sunny explained. Applejack and Mason asked about the fishing and he showed us a pool with a Sea Shocker dragon inside of it. Sea Shocker: It was 52 feet long and has a 17 feet tall with a 50 foot long wingspan. Seashocker looks similar to a blue Manta Ray which is more noticeable when seen in a bird's eye view. It has two heads and has large a wingspan of 15 meters (50 feet) with two small flippers in front of it, giving it the appearance of a blue colored Manta Ray. The dragon also has small spikes lining its spine and the top of its heads. Their dorsal fins are very sharp and dense, functioning as amazingly powerful blades that are capable of slicing thick sea ices and even the most solid floes. Its necks are incredibly short. In total, the Seashocker's body shape strongly resembles that of a Manta Ray, with wings that extend perfectly straight out. This natural arrangement ensures great speed in the air or beneath the waves of an icy ocean. The dragon hissed at Sunny making him leaped back. "Woah, what the-?" Jack exclaimed. "The Sea Shocker can produce electricity, making very dangerous." I explained as I walked over to it. The Sea Shocker growled at me, but I held out my hand. "Easy, big fella. I'm not here to hurt you." I cooed. The Sea Shocker stared at me for a moment and until it calmed down and placed it's nose in my hand. "Woah... she's good." Mayor Skies cooed. "That's our Queen." Mason smirked. Then Pinkie approached the Mayor. "Um, so no big deal – well, actually, okay, yes, kind of a big deal – but the brochure also mentioned a karaoke contest?" she asked. "Right here!" He pointed to a stage that looked worn down and the sign fell. "The Seas Shocker doubles on Harmonic." Sunny said. The Sea Shocker growled, sparking electricity. It was obvious that he did not play harmonica that was for sure. Twilight spoke with the Mayor, "I don't understand. Your Rainbow Festival isn't quite as you described." Rainbow came up, "And the resort hotel wasn't what it was cracked up to be either." "Cept for all the cracks." Applejack added. "None of these things are as pictured in your brochure." Rarity added, displeased. "Well, maybe I exaggerated a little, but I-I'd intend on havin' everythin' ready. It's just kinda hard gettin' anypony excited about anythin' in this town anymore! Ugh. I didn't think ya'd come if ya knew the truth." Mayor Skies said. "The Truth?" Twilight asked. "That there is no Rainbow Festival. right?" Nicole guessed and Mayor Skies nodded. The girls gasped in shock. "No Rainbow Festival?!" Applejack repeated. "No fan club?!" Rainbow added. "That goodness." I silently sighed in relief. "Believe me, I didn't mean to—" Mayor Skies started and Rainbow cut in, " Bring us here for nothing?!" " If ya just let me—" Sunny stammered. "We should just leave this very moment!" Rarity suggested. "Girls!" I exclaimed, and the girls fell quiet. "Maybe we should let the mayor explain." Mayor Skies cleared his throat. "Uh, guess I should start at the beginnin'. A long time ago, when my Grandpa Skies was mayor, Hope Hollow was different. They used to call this town "The End of the Rainbow", 'cause everything you'd ever want, you could find right here." He thought back to when his Grandpa was Mayor. Back then, the town was drastically different. Ponies were chatting with each other and socializing with other and most importantly, there was color in the whole town. Dragons filled the skies and walked with their pony friends. Next door neighbors chatting over white-wood fences Stoppin' on the street to say hello When friends did well, we sang their praises Brought soup to comfort them when they felt low That was our town at the end of the rainbow No pots of gold or buried treasure Just everypony looking after each other The truest riches cannot be measured It was a lesson that had kept us together In our town at the end of the rainbow To honor the town, his Grandpa held a festival every year and made a device called the Rainbow Generator that made colors appear in the sky as the town gathered around the area to see the colors and remind everyone that they were stronger together. His Grandpa passed it down to his father and then to Sunny Skies and it was his turn to make the colors in the sky. It filled his heart with such please to see everypony and dragon gathered around for the festival. He thought it would never end.... until it did. To honor our fine town, my Grandpa Skies decided To throw a party each and every year They planed for weeks, cooked for days, celebrated fifty ways So everypony would gather here In our town at the end of the rainbow Grandpa made a gizmo called the Rainbow Generator To paint the sky with lots of colors shining bold and bright To remind us all together we are greater And darkness never wins against the coming of the light Grandpa passed it on to Dad, then it was my turn To make the pretty rainbows in the sky It filled my heart with pride to see Our whole town gathered gratefully Where we were sure there would never be An end to the rainbow Nopony had time to spend with each other and as the years went by, the ponies spirits diminished. The dragons began to leave the town as well. Sunny knew he had to do something so he fixed up the Rainbow Generator with his magic to make a bigger and better Rainbow for the town. But when he presented it to the town, the generator sparked and blew up creating an explosion and it removed all the color in the town... which brings us to the present. Then fences went up, we lost track of our neighbors Every year passing, dimming spirits all around The happy days came to an end Nopony had time to spend together in the town I thought I knew exactly what the festival needed A bigger, better rainbow would surely make them see it But the extra magic was too much for the Rainbow Generator And I'm who brought the rainbow to an end That's how our town, our little pony town That's how our town saw the end of the rainbow When he was done explaining, we all felt bad for him and Pinkie cried, "That is the saddest story-song I've ever heard!" "Tell me about it." Kaede agreed. "But what happened to the dragons, why did they suddenly leave?" "I don't know. I tried for a long time to get everypony interested in the Festival again. To remember what it's like to come together as a community and share the fun. But nopony even bothered listenin'. That's why I wrote to you two, Rainbow Dash and Princess Sarah. You two were my last hope. I figured if a pony and human of your stature came to town, it would get everypony excited about puttin' on the Festival again. I mean, "Rainbow"'s even part o' your name! And you have an amazing way with dragons." " Mmm, yeah, I can see that." Rainbow said. "Yeah." I added. "Mr. Mayor, what kind of magic did you use on the Rainbow Generator?" Twilight asked. "Oh, I'm not sure. I didn't know what I was dealin' with. I only wanted to help. But instead, I sucked all the color outta the town. That billboard and the Sea Shocker were the only things that didn't change. To me, they are a reminder of what we can be. Keeps the "Hope" in "Dragon Hope Hollow". Mayor Skies said. "Hmmm. If I could find out the type of magic you used, I might be able to reverse the spell." Twilight proposed. "Ya mean, you're gonna stay?" The girls nodded. "Hell yeah." Jack said. "Heh. Nothin' we like better than a challenge, 'specially when it comes to helpin' ponies." Applejack said. "You bet." Mason added. "You don't know how clam-happy this all makes me! Thank you kindly!" Sunny praised. "We'll do whatever we can to bring back your Rainbow Festival." Twilight stated. "I won't fib to ya, it won't be easy. It's gotten so nopony even talks to each other anymore." Sunny grimaced. "Mmm, it might be tough, but we have a little experience bringing ponies together." Twilight said. We all nodded then Pinkie Pie came up to him. "Yay! This is exactly like planning a party! Only bigger, 'cause it's a festival! [giggles] Which means more cupcakes! Whoo-hoo! Ooh. Ah! I've got a date with the Bakery Booth! Ha-ha!" and she zipped over to the Bakery. Fluttershy and Jamie came up, "Umm, we better follow her." Fluttershy said. Jamie agreed and they both followed the bouncy Earth Pony. "Hmmm, an overall stylistic look to unify the sentiment of the celebration. That's what this festival needs." Rarity said. "Ya mean like a rainbow?" Sunny asked. "Yes, darling, yes, yes, but more complex, more thematic, something like—" she spotted some clothing in the distance. "Ooh! something like that! Formidable!." she walked over with Kaede following her, "Wait for me Rarity." she called. "The biggest challenge is getting your town interested in a Rainbow Festival when everything's so... gray. I think if we can bring the color back, it'll solve everything." Twilight said. ": Yah, I'm with ya there, but—" Sunny started but Twilight turned to Rainbow, "Rainbow Dash, I need your help." Twilight walked away with Jamie following her. Rainbow approached Mayor Skies, " Mr. Mayor, seriously, is there a fan club?" "Oh, you betcha! They're around... somewhere." Rainbow groaned and followed Twilight, "Hey wait for me, Skittles." Jack called as he followed the rainbow pegasus. Applejack then came up with the Mayor. "Any tools I can borrow, your Honor? I'm gonna spruce up that billboard to let everypony know this here Rainbow Festival's back in business!" "Oh, that's music to my ears! Torque Wrench, let's get our guest tooled up, whadaya say? She's gonna put our rainbow back up." Mayor Skies said to Torque. "Oh, yippee." Torque said sarcastically. "Nicole, Rantaro, what are you two going to do?" Mason asked. "Don't know, look around, see if there's anything I can use to make some money." Rantaro said. "And I'll just follow me." Nicole said. Mason sighed at those two. Either way, he went off with Applejack to fix the sign. Petunia came up to Sunny, "Heh-heh." Sunny jumped and stammered, "Oh! Uh, if ya don't mind, I, uh, I have a speech to work on. See ya 'round." and he quickly walked off. Applejack and Mason knew something was going on between Sunny and Petunia... but what was it? Jack's POV So was with Newbie, Skittles, the purple bookworm and the nerd outside of the city on a large cliffside. "So what's the plan?" Skittles asked Twilight. "If magic caused this, maybe magic can solve it." the purple bookworm lit her horn and cast a spell over the town.... but it didn't work and the town was still gray. The bookworm sighed, "Oh, I was afraid of that. I've never seen any magic like this before." "Me either." Jamie stated. Then Skittles stepped up, "Heh. Let me try. I mean, "Rainbow's part of my name, right?" Skittles flew high into the air and came down quick above the town and shot back up making a Sonic Rainboom that glowed across the town, but it did not return the color either. Skittles landed near us. "Ugh. Yeah, that's all I got." Twilight sighed, "Thanks for trying. I guess I need to do more research." We all heard wooshing and we saw the two foals from before flying. It was the two foals from before. " Look out!" the colt said. "No you look out." the filly said. They both then crashed into each other and they began to fall out of the sky. Twilight gasped and Newbie spread her wings and flew towards them. She caught the two and placed them on the ground. "Are you two okay?" she asked. "Yeah, we're okay." the colt said. The colt and filly then looked mad at each other. "Why did you zig in front of me like that?" the colt asked. "I didn't zig! You zigged! I zagged!" The filly replied. "That's no excuse for—!" Skittles got in between them, "Guys, guys, hold on! It was just an accident." The two foals looked ashamed, "An accident that happened in front of you." the colt added. "Ugh, I'm so embarrassed. All of our lives, we've been wanting to meet you, and—" the filly said. "Wait. So you're the fan club?" I asked. The two foals looked surprised, "You've heard of us?" the colt asked. "Barley's the president." the colt said. "Pickle's the assistant president." the filly added. "Well, what do you know? The mayor was telling the truth about something!" "Anyway, you're my brother's favorite Wonderbolt!" Pickle claimed "And my sister's favorite Princess, too!" Barrel claimed. Newbie blushed at that. "He knows all your best moves!" Pickle stated. "So does she!" Pickle added. "We practice all of 'em, every day!" Barrel said. Then she rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed, "But we really can't do them." "Go ahead. Ask them." Barrel said to Pickle. "Okay... um.. do you think maybe... you could give us a lesson? Just a tiny one? Show us some of your moves?" Pickle asked. "Of course." Newbie said with a smile. "Heh. Well, you promise to listen and work hard and practice?" Skittles asked them. "Yes." the twins stated. "Heh, tell you what. If I like what I see, the three of us will put on a show at the Rainbow Festival." Skittles added. The twins gasped. "There's still a Rainbow Festival?" Pickle asked. "And we're gonna perform in it?" Barrel added. "You bet." I said to them with a toothily grin. "I think the whole town should know there's a couple of future Wonderbolts living here. C'mon! We got work to do!" Rainbow stated then flew off. "Did you hear what she said?" Pickle asked Barrel. "She called us future Wonderbolts." Barrel said and then the twins flew off pass the windmill. "Woah... look!" the nerd said. We looked and saw that one of the fins was blue! "It turned blue? How? I thought all the color was drained from the Rainbow Generator." "Me too... we have to look more into this, Jamie." Twilight said. "Come on." Twilight and the nerd went back to town while I stayed with Skittles and newbie. I found them on another hill with the twins stretching. "All right, rookies. Show me what you got." Rainbow said. The twins flew into the sky and flew side by side. "Okay... Break!" The twins tried to do multiple flips together but they lost their balance in the air. "Whoa!" The twins managed to catch themselves before they hit the ground. "Fancy flying is something you have to work up to. Even I didn't become "Rainbow Dash" in one day." "Yeah and I didn't learn how to fly fast either, took me about three years." Sarah admitted. "Everypony's got to learn the basics before they can show off." Rainbow added. "And you know everything about showing off." I smirked. "Be quiet, fatty!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Make me, Skittles." I challenged. "Are you two like... dating? Cause you argue like couple." Barrel asked, making Skittles and I blush. "No, absolutely not!" she exclaimed. Newbie giggled at us, "Anyway...you'll get there. But first, let's start with a single flip." Newbie said and she took of again and the twins followed. "Woah..." I saw that the patch of grass the twins were on and turned green. A couple hours passed until we went back to the town and saw all the others. The twins flew over head and the ponies gasped in awe. "Hey, they're pretty good." Torque said. "They've been practicing their tails off for the big show." Newbie claimed. "What big show?" Torque asked. "The Rainbow Festival." Rainbow replied. The Fashion loon then appeared with a cart full of accessories. " You're all here! Wonderful! You can help us set up our cart. Kerfuffle's official Rainbow Festival accessories." By her side was a pony who had a prosthetic back right leg. I'm guessing that was Kerfuffle. The girl admired all the accessories. "These are amazing." Newbie said. "So beautiful." Fluttershy added. "Oh, but don't worry. I know where the colors are supposed to be. An orange scarf for Applejack, red leggings fer Fluttershy. The pink flower lei is for, well, you-know-who." Kerfuffle said handing out the clothing. "And look at my purple kerchief. Isn't it divine?" Rarity asked. "The blue goggles are fer Rainbow Dash. And somethin' very special for Princess Sarah. Wing bling! In every shade of the rainbow, don'tcha know?" Kerfuffle handed Newbie wing covers that were in fainted colors of the rainbow. "Kerfuffle, thank you. This is amazing." "Kerfuffle, this is amazing! Everypony, you've done great work." Twilight said and Jamie sighed, "I just wish I could've done my part. I hate to admit it, but we're stuck. We don't know how to make the town's color come back." "But it is coming back." Newbie said. "Right Jack?" "Yeah, the windmill fan and the grass got some colors back and everything else look." I said. The stand ad clothes regained some of their colors. "What's happening?" Fluttershy asked. "Something magical." Kaede said. "But how... it wasn't the generator. So something else must have drained the town's color. We have to figure this out." Twilight and Jamie rushed off to the library again. "Has anypony seen Nicole and Rantaro?" Pinkie suddenly asked. "Now that you mention it, I haven't." Rainbow said. "They're probably doing their own thing." I grumbled. "I'll go look for them. Don't want them to miss out on all the fun." Newbie spread her wings and flew off to find the broker and chick. POV Ends I flew over the town to see if I could spot Nicole and Rantaro which was pretty easy since they have a two headed dragon by their side. I found them near a lake. "Nicole, Rantaro." I called as I landed. "Oh hello." Nicole said. "What are you two doing out here?" I asked. "Nothing." Rantaro said. "Just found this." Rantaro unfolded his hand and revealed... one of my mother's rings. This one had a blue water drop crystal in the center. "Wh-Where did you find this?" "I think we came across the Water Unicorn while we were out here and he asked us to give it to you." Nicole stated. The ring magically floated onto my horn. Now I had three of my mother's rings. "Thanks. Now come, everything's almost ready for the festival." "No thank you. I don't so well with big crowds." Nicole said. "And that's gonna waste my time." Rantaro grumbled, but their dragons wouldn't hear it. It grabbed the two and carried them back. "Hey put us down!" Rantaro exclaimed. I laughed as the dragons carried it two reluctant owners back to the festival. When we went back to the festival, I saw ponies regaining their color. "Looks like the color is coming back." I said. I saw Twilight, Jamie, the Mayor and Petunia on the stand on the stairs. I approached the four of them "Hey Twilight, Hey Jamie, did you find out what caused the color to drain?" I asked. "Yes." Twiight showed the Mayor three pictures. "These photos from the library explain everything. Once I realized they were out of order, it proved that the town's colors got dim before you turned on the Generator." "Boy howdy, am I glad to hear that! But then, what did cause it?" Sunny asked. " It's called "Hopeless Magic". Everypony was already giving up each other, losing hope. Then, when the Generator blew up, it must have been the last straw. It took all the hope out of the town for good, along with the color. But now there's a different kind of magic. Of everypony coming together again. Just the way you wanted it, Mayor." " Whadaya know? There is still a Rainbow Festival." Torque said. "Hell yeah!" Jack exclaimed, rubbing his gut. "And we'd better get it started. This town's been waiting long enough." Twilight said. Torque presented everyone the repaired Rainbow Generator, "The Generator's workin' again, Mr. Mayor, just the way your grandpa built her." " Heh. I just hope my speech lives up to the occasion." Sunny said. I cleared my throat and announced, "Attention, please! Welcome to the brand new Hope Hollow Annual Rainbow Festival! And here's the pony who made it all possible – Mayor Sunny Skies!" Sunny stepped up to the podium and stated, " I am as proud as a two-tailed peacock to see you all here today to once again celebrate our little town at the end of the rainbow. And I can't give enough thanks to Rainbow Dash, Princess Sarah...Fluttershy... Pinkie... Rarity and everyone else...my grandpa started this festival to celebrate us, the ponies of Hope Hollow. It's you who brought friendship back to our town, and all the bright colors that come with it. We just have to always remember to reach a hoof out to our neighbors, to respect and listen and talk to each other. You never know what just sayin' "hello" to somepony can do. So, without further ado..." He turned on the generator and it made gorgeous colors in the sky. The crowd gasped happily. "Amazing." Kaede gasped. Petunia approached Sunny. "That was a beautiful speech, Sunny." "What? Oh, no, uh, that wasn't my speech." Sunny stated. "Uh, but, uh, then what have you been writin' all day?" Petunia asked. " Well, uh, another speech. I mean, it's for later, but... Oh, flapjacks. I guess now is as good a time as any." he sighed and got down on one knee.... wait... is he gonna..."Petunia, you've never given up on me or the town. You always had hope when we had none, and I can't imagine a day without you. You're the pony who brings color into my life. Petunia Petals, will you marry me?" "Of course, ya silly goose!" Petunia replied. The girls all cheered happily for the new couple. Snowflake, Moonshine, Rainbow, the twins and I performed in the skies and me and Rainbow did a double Sonic Rainboom in the sky, the crowd went wild and the dragons roared in joy. "Heh. Now this is something I'm proud to be a guest of honor for!" Rainbow said. Then many roars were heard and we saw multiple dragons coming towards the town. "Hey the dragons are returning." I said. Fluttershy spotted some butterflies too. " And it looks like there's a butterfly garden after all." Pinkie laughed, "Now that's a party!" and what could make it better... breaking into a song. (All) We're living in color/with dragons (Twilight) Step out of the shadows and into the light Where it's bright and you might see all the colors you are (Rainbow) Or any dragon you wanna have A color to be And wear them bright like a shining star (Rarity and Kaede) Why just be black and white? No need to hide all those colors inside (Fluttershy and Jamie) 'Cause when they shine up bright It just feels right (All) To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons (Applejack and Mason) Make up any colors that you can devise Mix 'em up, watch the joy as it multiplies (Kerfuffle) Make a rainbow and you will see How together we are like (All) One when we harmonize (Rarity and Kaede) Why just be black and white? No need to hide all those colors or dragons (Fluttershy and Ren) 'Cause when they shine so bright It just feels right (All) To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons To be living in color/with dragons We'll be living in color/with dragons (Fluttershy) Hello, my friend is a yellow Tracker (Me) Tidal's what you get when you're feeling violet (Moody Root) Red is the part where your heart starts to glow (Kerfuffle) In the mood, indigo, Boulder Class (Rainbow and Jack) Blue is the sky spinnin' high as Sharp Class (Applejack and Mason) Orange can amaze, bringin' days Stoker sunny (Mrs. Hoofington) Green is serene, do not Fear, feel new (Pinkie and Carrie) Feel all the living colors (All) There's a rainbow in you Now we're living in color/with dragons Yeah, we're living in color/with dragons Now we're living in color/with dragons Yeah, we're living in color/with dragons We all gathered in the car and I started the engine and I put the car in drive. Before we left I gave Sunny and Petunia a hug before I got back into the driver's seat. Our dragons flew beside us and the car began to hover and flew off back to Ponyville. We're all living in color/with dragons (living in color/with dragons) We're all living in color/with dragons We're all living in color/with dragons (living in color/with dragons) We're all living in color/with dragons We're all living in... color/with dragons!
Chapter 14: Halloween SpecialRen's POV Tonight was Nightmare Night, the night where youth run around Ponyville asking for treats. But tonight would be different because.. "You're not going!" I exclaimed to Sarah. We were all at her castle in our costumes. Twilight was dressed as a Knight, Fluttershy was a batpony, Applejack was a lion, Rainbow was an astronaut, Rarity was a mermaid and Pinkie was disco roller skater. I was dressed like a vampire, Kaede was a cat, Carrie and Mason were dogs, Jamie was dressed like a scientist and Nicole, Rantaro and Jack.... um... they didn't dress up as anything. We were at Twilight's castle now and we were trying to convince her to go trick or treating with us. "Please come with us, Sarah." Carrie said. Sarah sighed, "Sorry guys, but Shimmer's sick so I have to stay with her. She can't go out for Nightmare Night as she's really sad about it." "A-choo!" a tiny sneeze was heard. "Can we go see her?" Twilight asked. Sarah nodded and she lead us to Shimmer's room where we found her in her bed which was littered with tissues and there was a bucket near the side of her bed. Shimmer herself was a bit red in the face, she had bags under her eyes and she was awfully sweaty (probably a fever). "Mommy?" she groaned. Sarah went over to Shimmer and came to her bedside, "Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" "Awful and icky." Shimmer groaned. "And sad cause I can't -cough, cough- go out." Sarah cooed and placed a cool washcloth on her head. "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie." Sarah said. "But you have to stay in bed to get better, okay?" "Y-Yes Mommy." Shimmer said and she then fell asleep. "I'll take care of Shimmer while you guys enjoy the night, I'll be fine." Sarah said to us. We nodded reluctantly and left Sarah's Castle. "Poor Shimmer." Rainbow said. "To be tonight of all nights." "Yeah, poor sugarcube will miss out on all the fun." Applejack added. "Wish there was something we could do to help." I said. "Perhaps there is a way For the young filly to enjoy this night from day." I know that rhyming voice anywhere. We all turned and saw Zecora coming towards us. "I couldn't help but over hear About the young filly that had fallen ill There is a cure that is quite near And make the filly better at will." "Zecora that's fantastic!" Rarity exclaimed. "So where is it?" Zecora pointed to the Everfree Forest which looked scarier because it was nighttime. "Oh great." Rainbow gruffed. "Pfft.. we can handle that. So what's the cure, zebra?" Jack asked. "To make the cure You need two ingredients that is for sure The plant that is much like poison oak But it's results are like a joke And a drop of magic from the loved one Shall cure the filly, this is no pun." "Poison Joke, Uggghh!" I groaned. "What's wrong with that?" Rantaro asked bluntly. "The last time, Ren had an encounter with Poison Joke, it turned him feminine." Pinkie said. "AAAAHHH!" I screamed in complete embarrassment. I wanted to keep that secret for as long as possible, but Pinkie blew it. Jack burst out laughing, "You got... turned into a girl! What a whimp. Hahahaha!" I growled in embarrassment, "Let's go already." We all walked through the Everfree Forest and came across and large patch of Poison Joke plants. "Yeah, we found the plants." Carrie said. She went to pick one when I blocked her way, "Carrie, don't. If you touch them, they'll play a joke on you." I said. "So how the hell are we suppose to pick them?" Jack asked. Twilight lit her horn and she picked on of the Poison Joke flowers. "There we go." she said. "Now we need a drop of Sarah's Magic." Suddenly... "AAAHHHHH!" "What was that?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "That was Sarah's scream!" Applejack added. Oh man, what happened now? We all rushed out of the forest and into Ponyville where we saw ponies running away from something and soon we saw it. The dinosaur was a hadrosaur like Blossom, but lacked the large crest on its head. It was pink on its legs and the top of its body, while the rest of its body was tan. It's bill was a blackish color that looked like it was burnt. It also had a small spine on its back that had tan and pink stripes running down it. "Woah.. A Maiasaura!" Jamie identified. "Hey look what it's got on it's back!" Rainbow called. We all looked at the dinosaurs' spine and saw. "Shimmer!" I cried. "Maiasaura, give me back my daughter!" We heard and saw Sarah flying over to us, but the Maiasaura roared and smacked Sarah with her tail, sending her crashing into a house. "Sarah!" We all rushed over and helped Sarah to her feet. "Where did this thing come from?" Applejack asked. "It's card must have been activated by the grass around here." Sarah replied. "But how did it get the kid?" Rantaro asked. "It snuck in while I was away from the castle and took Shimmer while she was sleeping." Sarah explained. Jack cracked his knuckles, "Well let's get the kid back then." "Jack, wait, the Maiasaura will not give up Shimmer easily. It's name means Good Mother for a reason." Jamie informed. "Then we'll have to force her to give the kid up then." Rantaro said. Maiasaura roared and started walking on all fours through Ponyville. The ponies all ran and screamed in fear as the giant hadrosaur walked through town. "Come on, let's take care of this thing already." Jack growled irritably. "Wait boys... listen..." Sarah said. "Listen?" I asked. Sarah nodded and we all listen closely and heard a tiny roar nearby. "What's that?" Fluttershy asked. The Maiasaura went behind Town Hall and we followed. There we saw a little baby Maiasaura and the Maiasaura placing Shimmer next to it. The baby cuddled up against Shimmer. "Awww..." the girls cooed. "Well what do ya know, it want to care for her too." Applejack said. Then the Maiasaura got up and reared up with leaves swirling around it and it launched them at Shimmer and made her glow green. Shimmer's eyes opened and she stood up. "Mommy?" Sarah's eyes lit up with joy. "Shimmer." Shimmer giggled and leaped into Shimmer's arms. "How are you feeling?" "Better mommy." Shimmer said. "Can go trick or treating with everyone now?" Sarah giggled at her small grin, "Alright, we can all go." "Yeah!" Shimmer hugged my neck and Sarah giggled. "But Sarah, you and Shimmer don't have costumes." Rainbow reminded. "Don't worry darling, I've got hat covered." Rarity levitated and placed two costumes on Sarah and Shimmer. Sarah looked like Princesses Celestia and Shimmer looked like Princess Luna completed with their necklaces and their shoes as well. "Aww... that's adorable." Twilight cooed. Shimmer was bouncing up and down with excitement. Suddenly, Sarah's Element started glowing green. "Please... send us back. Back to where we came from." a voice said. We all looked at Maiasaura and her baby. "We want to go back home please?" I smiled at them, "We can do that. Send them back into the card, Sarah." Sarah smiled. "Alright then they'll be together forever." Sarah pressed the her Element and the pair was turned back into their card. We all smiled at the card, knowing that the two would be together forever. "Now let's go trick or treating!" Pinkie squealed. "Yeah." Shimmer cheered as well. Halloween like music started playing. "Another song?" Mason sighed. "Yeah, singing!" Pinkie cheered. "Looks like we have no choice." I sighed with a smile. (Sarah) Once a year comes fall there's a party on my block Everybody wears a costume and we totally rock (We totally rock!) Astronaut, cowboy, ballerina, or bee Caveman or gorilla or somebody from TV So come on everybody throw those costumes on Grab your bag and head on out before the candies all gone (Doorbell rings) (All) Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Give me something sweet to eat Everybody's out and I'm so excited Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Ghosts and goblins in the street Halloween is here and your all invited Trick or treat! (Sarah) We might try to scare folks and they just might scare us too The ghosts will all scream (Gil Boo!) And as we walk up the steps where the jack-o-lantern glows Just before I knock on the door (Fluttershy: I feel nervous) (Jamie: Man, I don't know) It's true things might get spooky when the door swings open wide But it's all good fun No need to run Sit back and enjoy the ride (All) Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Give me something sweet to eat Everybody's out and I'm so excited Trick or Treat, trick or treat! Ghosts and goblins in the street Halloween is here and your all invited Trick or Treat! We all laughed together after the song ended. "Now that's a Halloween song!" I exclaimed with joy. "Hehe. Best Halloween ever!" Shimmer exclaimed. We all chuckled together at the bright little filly. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? Third Person POV Twilight, the Mane 6, Ren and the other humans were racing through a hall way in the Castle of the Two Sisters to the throne room. Princess Luna was there and there was a big hole in the wall behind her showing the sun. A smoky, black creature appeared. “Greetings Tantabus, I am ready, do your worst.” The Tantabus used it power and Luna grunted in pain. Sarah and the others burst into the throne room. “Luna’s turning into Nightmare Moon, again!” Twilight cried. Luna was consumed by dark energy and she changed into her alter ego: Nightmare Moon. Carrie whimpered at the sight of her while Mason growled. “Holy!” Jack exclaimed. Jack, Jamie, Nicole, Rantaro, Kaede, Mason and Carrie have never actually seen Nightmare Moon before and now they have. “Well we have the cure for that!” Rainbow said. “Sarah!” Sarah nodded and her Element shimmered and glowed brightly. Nightmare Moon growled and turned to see the Tantabus doing something. The smoke creature opened a window and escaped into the Dreamscape. “No, it’s gone!” Sarah then blasted Nightmare Moon with the power of her Element and she was changed back into Princess Luna. Everyone cheered happily now that they had their Princess back… Luna gasped as she woke up. “My dream ended happily? … That cannot happen!” she cried. POV Ends One day I was walking to Rarity’s boutique with Snowflake. Today, my and I decided to clean all of ours pets at Rarity’s. I had a brush for Snowflake. We entered the room, “Good Morn-AH! Zombie!” Everyone looked a mess! They all had bags underneath their eyes, their hair and manes were messy and they looked wiped. “Thanks for the compliment.” Ren grumbled and let out a large yawn. “What happened to you all? You look horrible.” Snowflake stated. “We didn’t sleep well last night.” Jamie groaned. “Why not?” I asked. “We all nightmares.” Kaede stated. “They all had a blue smoke monster in it.” “A blue smoke monster?” I repeated. “Yeah, it came into all of our dreams and turned them into nightmares.” Fluttershy said with a shiver. “Odd… I saw that thing too but it didn’t turn my dream into a nightmare.” I stated. Everyone gawked at me. “What?” “That blue smoke hand thingy was in your dream too?! And it didn’t turn it into a nightmare? What is going on?” Ren asked. “I don’t know but I do know who will. Princess Luna.” I smirked. “Spike?” “Yes ma’am.” Spike said and he whipped out a scroll and quill. “Dear Princess Luna, last night my friend and I encounter and dark blue smokey monster in our dreams. We’re hoping you may know something about this and can help us. Please respond to this, Sincerely, Queen Sarah Gem” “Got it!” Spike rolled up the scroll and sent it. One second later Luna burst in, “Which of you saw the creature of blue smoke in your nightmare?” She asked. “Damn that was fast.” Jack stated, shocked. “We all did.” Ren answered. “So you’ve encounter the smoke monster too?” Twilight asked. “The Tantabus is a creature of my nightmares. It escaped from my slumbers yesterday.” Luna started. “But how did it get into ours?” Fluttershy asked. “The Tantabus is like a parasite. My dreams must no longer be enough for it. Now it seeks others to infect and corrupt. It must have learned of you all from seeing you in my dream.” “Wait, Wait, Wait, so what your saying is you dreamt about all of them and not me?” Spike said and whimpered like a puppy. “Eh, so smokey gave us bad dreams. No buggy.” Rainbow said nonchalantly. "Yeah, what's the worse that smoky thing can do?" Jack added. Luna shook her head. “I knew the Tantabus was growing stronger but I didn’t realize that power would be enough to enable it to escape my dream. If it’s power grows, it could very well find a way into the real world. It could turn all of Equestria into a living nightmare.” Luna explained. Oh… my… god. Turn Equestria into a nightmare! That can’t be good at all. “Okay okay I take it back that does sound bad. Really bad.” Rainbow said. “Ain’t that the truth.” Jack added. “But wait, the Tantabus got into Sarah’s dream too, so how come it didn’t turn her dream into a nightmare?” Ren asked. Luna looked shocked and turned to me. “The Tantabus didn’t turn your dream into a nightmare?” “It did try but I don’t think it worked for some reason.” I claimed. "Sounds like something prevented the Tantabus' dark powers." Kaede said. “But what could have prevented its powers from working?” Luna questioned. My element glowed faintly and Twilight realized, “It was her Element of Faith!” “Her Element? How?” Rantaro asked. “Yes, we all know that the Element protects Sarah from dark magic and power. Those powers must still work even when Sarah's asleep so when the Tantabus entered her dream, her Element prevented it from using it's dark magic and from corrupting her dream.” Twilight explained. “My Elements protects me in my sleep?!” I exclaimed. "Cool." “Lucky.” Mason grumbled. “If this is true then I will need your assistance Sarah to help me track the Tantabus.” Luna stated to me. I nodded at her. “Right.” That Night “I prepared everything perfectly.” I said to Luna. We entered my bedroom which had many extra beds for my friends. Pinkie hopped onto one of the beds. “Oooh, it’ll be like a Princess sleepover.” she said. “Speaking of Princess, shouldn’t Princess Celestia help you Luna?” Ren asked. “There is nothing my sister can do. She has no power in the realm of sleep.” Luna replied. “Only I can moved from dream to dream. I’m afraid nopony can help me tonight, except for Sarah.” “Even us?” Mason asked. “Especially you.” Luna added. “You have all suffered so much because of me. You all may only slumber while Sarah and I hunt for the Tantabus, if I am right, Sarah’s Element shall have a powerful effect on the Tantabus, making it weaker that way I can confined it once more.” Then Luna felt something pulling her mane and she saw that it was Spike, “I know you said that nopony can help you tonight, but I’m no pony.” He went over to one of the beds. “I’m gonna stay up and keep an eye on you guys.” “Aww, thanks Spike.” Twilight said. All my friends then fell asleep. Luna took my hand in her hoof and we both hovered in the air and Luna’s horn gained white lines and those white lines attached themselves to each of my friends heads. Luna detected the Tantabus in Rarity and Kaede’s dream first. Luna and I entered to find that the Tantabus had make pretty dresses into monsters. I wield my magic and turned them all back into normal dresses. “Where’d it go?!” I exclaimed. “It has leaped into another dream.” Luna said. “We must follow it.” “Right.” I said. Me and Luna left Rarity’s dream and entered Fluttershy and Ren’s dream and found them to be attacking my and monster bunny rabbit…. Really? Anyway, Luna swooped in and grabbed them and placed them on top of a tree. “Oh thanks for the save, Luna.” Ren said. My Element glowed and it blasted the monster changing it back into Angel bunny. “Angel.” Fluttershy squealed. We spotted the Tantabus entering Rainbow and Jack’s dream and followed it. The Tantabus changed their dream into a area with flowers singing and playing flutes…. How is this a nightmare? Rainbow and Jack screamed. “Oh stop screaming.” I rolled my eyes and I blasted the whole area turning it back into a battlefield. Jack and Rainbow sighed, “Thanks newbie.” Jack said. Sarah nodded. The Tantabus entered Pinkie’s and Carrie’s dream next and it turned cakes into monsters. “Ewww.” Pinkie said. Luna and I blasted the cakes, dissolving them and saw the Tantabus leaving this dream. Finally, the Tantabus entered Twilight and Jamie’s dream. They were both reading library books together when the Tantabus entered and turned the books into monsters. They flew towards them and pestered them like flies. “No, Ahhh!” Jamie cried. Luna and I landed and I growled at the Tantabus and the Tantabus headed right for me. I charged the Tantabus and the Tantabus ... Entered my Element of Harmony. I felt my heart hurting really bad and I fell to the ground, grunting. “Sarah!” Luna cried. I grunted as my Element sparked and detached itself from my head along with my other items in my possession. I cried aloud as the Tantabus’s dark magic infected me and everything went black…. Jamie’s POV This is bad. The Tantabus has infected Sarah and now she was consumed by its dark magic. Now she was changed into a version of Nightmare Moon! “Oh no!” Twilight cried. Nightmare Sarah laughed as it escaped from this dream and vanished. “NO!” Luna cried. I woke up in a shock as well as the others. “What happened? Are you guys okay?” Spike asked us. Fluttershy shuddered, “That was awful. I never want to have that nightmare again!” “Same here.” Jack said with shiver. “But Luna and Sarah caught it, right?” Applejack asked. “No… something worse happened..” I gasped. “What happened?” Pinkie asked. “The Tantabus infected Sarah and changed her into Nightmare Moon.” Twilight said sadly. “WHAT?!” Everyone exclaimed. Luna descended down. “I’m afraid this is true my friends.” “No…” Kaede gasped. “How could that thing get Sarah?” Jack asked. “It infected her Element of Faith forcing it to come off of her head and without it’s magical protection, it took control of her.” Luna explained. “Oh no!” Fluttershy said. “What happens now.” “The Tantabus must be draining Sarah’s magic. If it completely drains her, it will enter the waking world.” Luna answered. “Umm… kinda like that?” Ren whimpered pointing outside. We all looked outside and saw Nightmare Sarah in the sky. “The Night shall last forever, hahahaha!” she laughed. “Oh man, how are we gonna save her?” Spike asked. “We have to remove the Tantabus from Sarah. That way it will lose it’s power.” Twilight said. “But how are we even going to get close to that thing?” Ren asked. Sarah’s Element and Scepter of Harmony glowed brightly and they floated over Nightmare Sarah in the sky. "What the hell are they doing?" Jack asked. Nightmare Sarah saw the two artifacts near her. "What is this?" The two artifacts blasted Nightmare Sarah and she screamed in pain. The Tantabus flew out of Sarah's body and while the Element continued to purify Sarah, the scepter casted a spell that trapped the Tantabus in a magic proof box. Finally, Sarah was fully purified and she floated down to the ground where we approached her. "Sarah? Wake up." Ren said. "Come on newbie, wake up." Jack added. Sarah groaned and she opened her eyes, "Ugh... wh-what happened?" "The Tantabus infected you in Twilight and Jamie's dream, gaining enough power to come into this world and it changed you into a version of Nightmare Moon." Ren explained. Sarah widened her eyes in shock. "But don't worry, your scepter and Element captured the Tantabus so it can not use it's dark powers." "i'm sorry for making you suffer because of me, Sarah." Luna said, shedding some tears. The Tantabus suddenly grew bigger inside the cage. "Guys, that Tantabus is getting bigger!" Spike cried. "It's feeding off her guilt." Ren stated. "But why would it be doing that?" Rantaro asked. "Because... because..." "You created the Tanabus to give yourself the same nightmare every night to punished yourselves for what you did as Nightmare Moon so you would never forgive yourself for how much Equestria suffered because of you." Nicole guessed and Luna reluctantly nodded. We were all shocked and horrified. "Luna, why can't you forgive yourself?" Ren asked. "Because I'm still the same pony I was before!" Luna exclaimed. "No you're not." Twilight said. "Yeah, you fought Chrysalis when she hurt your sister." Mason stated. "And Nightmare Moon would have want the Tantabus to turn Equestria into a nightmare, you're doing everything you can to stop it. Don't you see, that proves you're not the same pony you were then. We all trust you Luna. Do you trust us enough to believe we're right?" Twilight stated. Luna shed a tear and smiled. "... I do." The Tantabus suddenly shrank down to a small size and entered Luna's necklace, making it no more. "Thank you... thank you all." Luna said. We all smiled at her and gave her one big hug. Luna spread her wings. "Thank you everyone, now I must return to Canterlot to look after everypony's dreams. I wish you all a goodnight and sweet dreams." We all waved goodbye as Luna flew back to Canterlot in the beauty of the night.
Chapter 15: Shimmer's First Day at SchoolThe beautiful sun of Princess Celestia had began to rise over the horizon. The sun's warm light shined through the windows of my castle. It's been three months since I had adopted Shimmer, and today was going to be her first day of school. I entered the room and went over to Shimmer Glow. "Shimmer, It's time to wake up sweetheart." I said sweetly She stirred in the bed for a minute and opened her eyes. She let out a soft yawn and used her little hooves to rub her eyes. Then, she looked at me, "Good Morning Momma." "Good morning sweetheart, are you ready for your first day of school?" "I-I don't know Momma." Shimmer replied nervously. "What if the other foals are mean to me?' I gently stroked her mane to calm her trembling. "Don't worry sweetie." Fluttershy said gently "I promise the other kids won't be mean. Besides Auntie Carrie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo will be there with you." She gave me a little smile. She was happy to hear that her friends and Auntie Carrie would be there, "Okay Momma." Shimmer said softly "Now let's go have some breakfast before you go to school." I said happily We went downstairs to have some breakfast. I made Shimmer some delicious oatmeal and made myself some toast. When they finished, I made Shimmer a daisy sandwich and some fresh apple juice for lunch and put them in a small bag. Before I could do anything else, a knock on the front door was heard. Me and Shimmer went over to see who was at the door. When they opened it, We were greeted with the smiles of Carrie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. "Good morning Sarah, good morning Shimmer" Applebloom said happily Shimmer and I smiled at the three fillies and little girl. "Good Morning girls, how are you?" I asked them softly "We're great Sarah!" Scootaloo said cheerfully. "We were just wondering if we could take Shimmer with us to school with us." Sweetie belle said innocently while pointing at a wagon that was attached to a scooter. I looked at the three fillies and then at Shimmer. "Shimmer, would you like the girls to take you to school with them?" I asked her. Shimmer simply nodded her head. I quickly went into the kitchen to grab Shimmer's lunch. When I came back, I gave Shimmer her lunch. She put her lunch on the ground and she fluttered up to me and wrapped her little forelegs around my neck. I hugged her back. "You just listen to your teacher and be careful okay?" I said to Shimmer sweetly. "I will Momma, I love you." Shimmer said as she kissed my cheek. I gave her a loving smile and kissed her on the forehead. "Girls, can I talk to you for a moment." The CMC's and Carrie came over to me. "What is it, Sarah?" Carrie asked me. "I've been helping Shimmer with her magic, but she still has little magic surges once in a while." I started. "Just keep an eye on her and her magic for me, please." "No problem, Sarah." Scootaloo replied. "Yeah, we'll keep an eye on the little one." Applebloom added. I smiled at the four of them. "Thanks girls. Now hurry along or you'll be late." The girls nodded and Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Shimmer climbed into the wagon. Scootaloo got onto her scooter and buzzed her little wings. The scooter then took off towards Ponyville as I watched it disappear. Carrie's POV I was running after the scooter thought Ponyville. As Shimmer and the CMC flew through the streets of Ponyville, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at Shimmer and could see a worried expression on her face. "What's the matter Shimmer? Are you nervous about your first day?" Sweetie Belle asked her friend curiously Shimmer nodded his head and Applebloom put her hoof on her shoulder "Don't worry Shimmer, you'll love it at our school, and you'll love our teacher!" Applebloom said happily "Yeah, Miss Cheerilee's Awesome!" Scootaloo said as she kept her eyes on the road in front of her. "Yeah, she's really sweet, just like your mom." I added. Shimmer smiled at the three fillies and nodded his head. When they arrived at the school, We saw all of the other colts and fillies going inside and he saw a mulberry earth pony mare greeting the children. Shimmer got out of the wagon along with the rest of us and went up to the pony by the door. "Good Morning girls, who's this young filly ?" The mare asked the three fillies. Scootaloo stepped and put a foreleg around Shimmer. "This is our friend, Shimmer Glow, she's a new student here." Scootaloo said while smiling at her teacher. The mare looked at the young filly and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Shimmer Glow, I'm your teacher Miss Cheerilee." Shimmer gave the teacher a shy smile and said, "It's nice to meet you Miss Cheerilee." "Alright kids let's go inside." Cheerilee said to happily. Cheerilee walked inside and the four friends followed her. When they were inside, Me, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle went to their seats while Cheerilee placed a hoof on Shimmer's shoulder. When everyone was seated, Cheerilee approached the class and made a motion to Shimmer Glow telling him to follow her. "Alright my little ponies let's settle down." Cheerilee said to the students. The students went silent and looked at their teacher who placed her hoof on Shimmer's shoulder. "Everyone we have a new student joining us today. This is Shimmer Glow." Cheerilee said before looking at Shimmer. "Shimmer, would you like to say something to the rest of the class?" Shimmer looked around and saw smiles on almost every colt and filly in the classroom. Cheerilee smiled at Shimmer and said, "Come on Shimmer you can do it." Letting out a deep sigh, Shimmer opened her mouth and said nervously, "H-Hi everypony, i-it's nice to m-meet you all." The class smiled at the young filly. Some of them waved at him and Diamond Tiara shook her head in anger. Cheerilee placed a gentle hoof on Shimmer's shoulder and said, "Thank you Shimmer, now go find your seat. You can sit anywhere you like. Shimmer looked around and saw an empty seat next to me. Shimmer went over to the seat and sat down. With all of her student's situated Cheerilee began her lesson. After a few hours it was time for lunch and recess. We all ate lunch happily. when they finished Scootaloo trotted up to him. "Hey Shimmer, do you want to practice flying a bit?" Scootaloo asked him with a smile on her face. "O-Okay." Shimmer said. Shimmer prepared her wings. Scootaloo hopped into the air and hovered for about a minute before coming back down. Shimmer flapped her little wings and actually hovered in the air like a normal pegasus. I clapped for her. "Good Shimmer." Shimmer blushed, "Mommy has been teaching me." Shimmer pulled out a book with a magic symbol on it. "And she's been teaching me some basic spells too, since I'm still young." "Like what?" Sweetie Belle said. "Yeah, show us." I encouraged. "Okay." Shimmer lit her horn and blasted a small rubbed ball turning it into a kitten and then back. "Woah." We gasped. Shimmer then lifted the ball in her magic and brought it over to us. "Woah... even I'm still having trouble with levitation." Sweetie said. "And Mommy taught me this." Shimmer's horn glowed brightly and she teleported around the school yard several times then back in front of us. "Awesome!" I said. "You're a natural just like your Mother." Shimmer blushed, "Hehehe, thank you." Me and the girls smiled at her when.... "Well, Well, Well, looks like we have another blank flank loser in the school." Diamond Tiara said rudely. Oh great what does she want? She is not ruining Shimmer's first day. Scootaloo's glare did not leave her face as she said to the tiara wearing filly, "What do you want Diamond Tiara, can't you go annoy somepony else." Diamond Tiara just laughed at Scootaloo. Diamond Tiara has always been cruel to the Cutie Mark Crusaders because they were not as rich as her, and also because they didn't have their cutie marks. Even when she wasn't picking on them she was snobby and rude towards everypony else. She was also spoiled and could get away with anything because of her father was one of the richest ponies in Ponyville. "I just wanted to talk to the new runt." Diamond said cruelly. She looked at Shimmer and was shocked to see her wings and her horn. "An alicorn, now that's a first." she scoffed. "Whose your mother? Or do you even have one to call your own?" she laughed. Shimmer just blinked, "My Mommy is Sarah." Diamond Tiara stopped laughing at stared at Shimmer in shock, "You mean...... Princess Sarah Gem?!" Shimmer nodded. "Yes." "Sarah's been helping Shimmer with her flight and magic so don't make her upset or else." I stated. "Or else what?" Diamond challenged. "Or else you'll have a magic surge on your hooves." Sweetie Belle stated. "Um.... c-can you please leave my friends alone, please?" Shimmer said nicely. "Be quiet you little runt!" Diamond snapped, scaring Shimmer and Shimmer's horn lit up and she sent a small beam of magic to the ground, just missing Diamond Tiara. "Oops." Shimmer said. "What did you do?!" Diamond exclaimed dramatically. "Sorry?" Shimmer said with a head tilt. "I'm telling Ms. Cheerliee." Diamond said and she ran back to the school. Oh no, this can't be good. But Shimmer didn't seem scared at all. She just shrugged and went back to her lunch. "Shimmer, are you okay?" I asked her. "Yes, I'm okay." Shimmer said. "How come you don't look scared or sad?" Applebloom asked. "Mommy said just ignore foals like her. If they mess with you, then they are just jealous." Shimmer shrugged. Me and the CMC's looked at each other for a moment when... "Shimmer Glow?" Huh? We turned and saw Ms Cheerliee coming towards us. "Yes Ms. Cheerliee?" Shimmer asked. "Diamond Tiara says you struck her with your magic, is this true?" Cheerliee asked. Shimmer shook her head, "No. She just scared me and my magic activated. Mommy says that happens cause I'm still young." Cheerliee nodded. "Okay Shimmer, just be careful with it alright?" "Yes Ms. Cheerliee." Shimmer said sweetly. Cheerliee smiled at her. "Now come on, back to class everypony." With that, we all went back to school. POV Ends I was busy cleaning in the kitchen when I heard the door open, "Mommy? Mommy." I came out to see Shimmer Glow, "Hey sweetie, how was your first day?" Shimmer giggled, "It was great Mommy. Ms. Cheerliee is nice like you, Mommy." I smiled at the little filly and rubbed her head, "I'm glad you had a good first day. Now you can make some new friends too." "Yeah." Shimmer cheered and she hugged my neck again. "I love you Mommy." "I love you too, Shimmer." I said back with a big smile on my face.
Chapter 16: The Good, the Bad, the Ponies and HumansOne day we were all on a train heading to the Canter Creek. “A trip to the untamed West, I can’t believe we’re all going. This will be a great entry in my journal about our travels through Equestria.” Twilight said. “I hope it’s rustic charming, like my book! Though the town in the book is rather primitive, we should stop at a larger town for some accouterments.” Rarity said. “Accountre-what?” Pinkie asked. “This ain’t no joy ride y'all. We’re heading out there because my Grand uncle, Chili Pepper has up and disappeared. The townsfolk have asked my family to come and help them out while he’s gone. They mention some kind of trouble. Probably a drought. Who has a farm in the desert. Sheesh.” Applejack said. “What the name of the farm?” I asked. “Rancho Bronco, Sounds more like a two bit operation. O’ Chili Pepper never really did have any sense Granny Smith called him ‘Two turns short of a pepper mill’.” “It must be important if the name of the town is on a sign.” Kaede said. “Mentions what? The sand? What can they possibly grow there?” Mason asked. “Not apples. That’s for sure. Give me topsoil and a day.” Applejack added. Applejack pulled her hat off of Rainbow Dash, “I don’t wanna go to school today.” she said groggily. Then the conductor called, “Last stop! Welcome to Canter Creek everypony.” We were all excited and saw a brown earth pony with a tanish mane and tail. He was wearing a yellow vest with a yellow star pin on it. “You must be Sheriff Tumbleweed.” Applejack said. “And you must be Applejack, We’ve been expecting you nice to make your acquaintance.” Tumbleweed greeted. Rainbow and Twilight were busy taking Rarity’s bags out of the train. “Isn’t this supposed to be Spikes’ job?” Rainbow asked. “He’s at the Pony Trek Convention in Las Pegasus this week.” Twilight stated. “Come on, I can take you to the ranch, Applejack and you can introduce me to your friends on the way.” Tumbleweed said. We all followed Tumbleweed and Applejack through the desert to the ranch. The ranch was huge. “What in Equestria was Chili Pepper thinkin’!” Applejack exclaimed, looking at the side of the ranch. “You Grand Chili Pepper started this place from the ground up now it's the central hub for trade these days. The whole town is built out of what ponies do here…. There’s a natural spring over near the main house ...the ranch grows, hay, cotton, potatoes and all kinds of peppers. That pony sure does love his namesake.” Tumbleweed stated. “Woah…” I gasped. Sarah and Snowflake looked around the ranch as well Tumbleweed gave Pinkie, “A Wendigo Ghost Pepper, the hottest peppers in Equestria.” and her face blew up with fire and we all winced at her pain. “Delicious can I have another one?” she asked. “Woah.. she’s tough.” Tumbleweed said. We all nodded. Tumbleweed showed us the town and we entered an empty bar. “So without Grande Chili Pepper there’s nopony to run the town? How come nopony has stepped up?” Twilight asked. Tumbleweed sighed, “There’s the kicker. I’m sure you have noticed all the Wanted posters?” “I was wondering about them.” Sarah spoke up. “I knew they were important.” Pinkie exclaimed. Then Tumbleweed showed us a wanted poster with a large bull on it. “These are the Cattle Rustlers. They’re a gang of outlaws that are terrorizing this town. Every week they come into town, demanding supplies, and food… then they disappear into the mountains.” Tumbleweed said. “That’s bullying!” Kaede said. “Yeah, those maggots!” Skye added. “The whole place is in a mess without a leader. No pony wants to take over the ranch because most ponies are convinced that Longhorn, the leader of the bunch, has run Chili Pepper out of town and the same could be done to them.” “Nopony in my family would give in to a bunch of hollow horned bandits!” Applejack exclaimed. “Every pony in this town is afraid of a cow?” Jack asked then laughed, “What wimps.” “Jack, be nice.” Kaede scolded. “Shaddup.” Jack said. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble, “What is that?” Kaede asked. “Oh no.. not now.” Tumbleweed said. We all came out of the empty bar and saw a gang of bulls… riding goats? “It’s the Cattle Rustlers. They’re back everypony. Get down and Hide!” Tumbleweed cried. “Longhorn, I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you back in my town again.” Tumbleweed growled, looking at the leader. “You did say that, didn’t you?” Longhorn asked. Then he flicked him hard into a wooden pole saying, “I didn’t listen.” “You little ponies all know the drill, fill the saddlebags with all the food, water and whatever else that’ll fit in them. Hurry it up and nopony gets hurts.” Longhorn said, as the ponies filled the saddlebags. “Why I oughta.” Applejack growled “Hey, you bunch of yellow-bellied, brisket cowards!” “What did you call me pony?” Longhorn growled. “Ya heard me!” Applejack yelled. “Scaring folks and robbing them blind. How dare you!” “You don’t scare me. I have a fancy magical unicorn on my side. Sarah! Do your magic thing all over these poor saps.” Then Longhorn pushed her and she went flying hard into a shed. “Applejack!” Mason cried. He and Twilight ran over and saw the dazed Earth Pony. “Hey! Pink on someone your own size!” Jack growled, cracking his knuckles. “And what can you do to me, whimp?” Longhorn challenged. Jack’s face turned red with anger but then Sarah stepped up to Longhorn. “What do you want little pony? Have anything for me?” Longhorn smirked. “No, but I will say. Return the ponies products.” Sarah said bravely. “And what if I don’t? What are you gonna do about it?” Longhorn smirked at Sarah. Snowflake zipped in and grabbed the bag.”HEY!” Longhorn growled. Sarah then grabbed him by the arm and swung him far out of town. The other cattle rustlers were shocked and followed their leader. Jack laughed, "Look at 'em go!" "Woah... you threw him like it was nothing." I said to Sarah in awe. "No big deal." Sarah shrugged. "But Sarah, what if they come back with a vengeance?" Carrie asked, nervously. "Well.. then I'll be ready for 'em." Sarah said boldly. That Night... The cattle rustlers were outside of town and Longhorn was discussing what happened to his group, “That new unicorn stood up to me and stole from me?! She could be trouble.” Longhorn said. “That no good Chili Pepper has been gone for months with him out of the way and no deed to the ranch to be found and we don't need anypony ruining my plans.” he growled looking over the town. “Oh no, here comes the monologue.” a cattle rustler said. “Whoever controls Rancho Bronco controls Canter Creek. I plan on that being me.” Longhorn said. “So we scare off the new pony.” another cattle rustler said. “Ha, That’ll be easy.” another one said. “Very easy.” Longhorn said. Back at the Ranch.. “And without a deed to the ranch, the whole town is in limbo.” Twilight said. “Possession is 9/10ths of the law out here. Chili Pepper didn't leave a deed or let anyone know his wishes if we.. er.. Not here anymore.” Tumbleweed said. “Oh no! Are you saying he’s sleeping with the fishes!” Pinkie exclaimed. “No. He just packed up his things and left one day. He didn’t leave anything about where he was going or when he was coming back.” “And no pony will take charge cause of Longhorn and his gang?” Applejack said. “Longhorn has scared everypony stiff. He wants the ranch to himself. He thinks it’s his ticket for money and power around here. With Chili Pepper gone, it’ll be considered abandoned in due time. Longhorn has been camped out in the land long enough, he could claim rights to it. He’ll take it by force if he has to but I think he wants it legal… ish.” “So while he's waiting for the town to be considered abandoned, he;stealing from the ponies! That’s horrible!” Kaede said. “It can’t be that hard to chase them off. We’ve faced worse.” Rainbow said nonchalantly. “We sure will. You can count on us Tumbleweed. We’ll get those lily-livered rustles outta here.” Applejack promised. Anypony else here a ruckus?” PInkie asked. Snowflake growled and rushed outside with us following and we gasped to see the barn on fire and Longhorn! “Shame about your barn, Ma’am. It’s be terrible if anything else happened while you were staying here.” Longhorn said. Applejack was very angry. “Get back here.. You.. twerp.” she called in anger. “Very menacing.” Jack rolled his eyes. “The barn we need to put out the fire!” Tumbleweed said. “Everypony grab buckets!” “No need!” Sarah called. “I got this.” “How?” I asked. Clouds began to roll in behind her and she gave a loud lion roar and the clouds behind her turned into roaring lions! The wind from the roar hit a clouds and turned it into a rain cloud that drenched the barn and put out the fire! “Holy Crap Baskets!” I exclaimed. "It can make rain clouds too?!" “That’s something new, newbie!” Jack added with the same tone. “That was awesome!” Rainbow added. “All that fro fro magic and power and you aren’t going to us it to bust up those cows?!” Applejack exclaimed. “Bulls.” Fluttershy corrected. “I will not use my magic to harm creatures, Applejack. That is not the way to end this confrontation.” Sarah said. Applejack threw her hat on the ground. “Meadow Muffins!” she exclaimed. “Is this the kind of thing Chili Pepper was puttin’ up with?” she asked. “No wonder he went and ran off! Burnin’ down a ponies’ barn. That ain’t right.” Applejack said. “Yeah, this is harassment!” Jamie added. “Well what are we gonna do about it?” Mason asked. “We bust them up, that’s what?” Jack said cracking his knuckles. “Jack, you saw how they flicked Applejack, they could do something worse to you.” Twilight reasoned. “We’ll get the ranch through this Applejack.” Rarity said. “Yeah as long as we’re together.” Pinkie added. “If Longhorn pulls out half the stops he did when he after Chili Pepper, things’ll get worse fast.” Tumbleweed said. “I'll call a town meeting in the morning everypony needs to hear about what happened.” The next morning everypony was gathered at the Town Hall and everypony was worried, “What do you think he's gonna do next? My farm is right up against the ranch. I can’t afford for anything else to happen.” One earth pony said. “Blazing Saddles, we’ll do everything we can do to stop the Cattle Rustlers before things go too far… but we need to work together.” Tumbleweed addressed. “Tumbleweed’s right.” Applejack said. “We need to work together to save Rancho Bronco. Longhorn thinks he can take this town, well we’ll show him that he won’t take this town without a fight! Let’s show these bullies that they can’t take our town!” The townsponies cheered and that morning everypony had made barriers at the entrance of the town. Twilight placed a sticky trap if the barriers failed. “When the Cattle Rustlers trip the trap, theses barrels of gallons of sticky syrup will roll down the hill and crash into them. Then the feathers will fall on the syrup and they’ll look like big chickens. Chickens. Then they spring the trap. The Barell rolls, right?” Twilight explained. “I hope all those naked chickens are alright.” Fluttershy replied. The barriers was a fence that was made from pointy wood with barbed wires wrapped around them. “I sure hope this works.” Tumbleweed prayed. Then somepony yelled, “Longhorn’s a comin!” Tumbelweed was biting his hat anxiety. “Don’t worry, Tumbleweed, if the fence doesn’t stop them, Twilight’s fancy sticky trap will.” Applejack said. “Chicken spring roll!” Twilight called. “Here they come.” Fluttershy said. And he and his rustlers came with a vengeance and they brushed past the barriers and Twilight’s sticky trap! Then Pinkie actually breathed fire on them (which I guessed was from another ghost pepper) but even that didn’t stop them! Longhorn was angrier than ever. “Little ponies! You know the drill.. Food and water.. In the bags now!” he bellowed. The ponies began filling them up. “Fill em up.” Longhorn said. But once again, Snowflake snatched the bag. Longhorn growled and saw Sarah approaching him. “Back off little pony unless you want trouble.” Longhorn threatened but Sarah wasn't scared. “The only trouble around here is you, Longhorn and I suggest you and your rustlers leave this land and the ponies alone.” Sarah said in a determined voice. Longhorn got right up in her face. “You wanna challenge me little unicorn pony?” “If that’s what you want, then I’ll challenge you… for the ranch!” Sarah declared. Everyone one, including us gasped at the challenge! Longhorn snorted in her face, “If that’s how you wanna play it, punk. Then fine… tomorrow. High Noon. Be ready.” Longhorn said. “I will be.” Sarah said. Longhorn and his rustlers then rode away from town. We all immediately confronted her. “Sarah, have you lost your pests lovin mind?!” Applejack said. “You can’t fight Longhorn and his rustlers. They’ll tear you apart!” Tumbleweed added. “I am not letting them continue this act of harassment any longer.” Sarah said. “But Sarah-" Twilight started but was cut off when Sarah raised her hoof, "I'll be fine, Twilight. I've face worse foes than Longhorn." "Oh yeah. Name one?" Jack asked. "Void." Sarah replied with a deadpanned expression. "... Alright that counts." Jack stated. "I'll be fine." Sarah reassured. "Alright, I hope you know what you're doin sugarcube." Applejack said. "I do." Sarah smiled. High Noon Longhorn stood at one side of town while Sarah stood on the other. The two stepped forward while all of us stared in worry and concen. The two stopped ten feet apart from each other. "Ready...?" he asked. "... Yes." A moment of silence followed.. before... they both said..."Draw!" Longhorn charged Sarah and she just stood there.. before, "DINO-SLASH, STEGOSAURUS, SHAKE HIM UP!" Quake came down and roared. Longhorn skidded to a stop and landed on Quake's face. Quake growled. "Hey, that's cheating!" Longhorn said. "You said we'd be fighting. You didn't say exactly what we'd be fighting with." Sarah said. Quake lifted Longhorn into the air and smacked him with his tail, sending him miles and miles away from Rancho Brancho! "Nice distance!" Rainbow called. Quake roared and the rest of Longhorn's gang of cattle rustlers head for the hills. The ponies of Rancho Brancho cheered happily. Sarah returned Quake to his card. "That's the way Newbie." Jack commented with a laugh. "I don't think you'll ever see them again." Rainbow said, nudging Tumbleweed. "Thank you kindly, Sarah." Tumbleweed said. "I'm was happy to help you, Tumbleweed." Sarah said. "You won't have to deal with them anymore." Tumbleweed smiled big and the townsponies cheered. That Night, Pinkie Pie threw a large party for everyone. While everyone was partying, Sarah just watched from the sidelines, leaning against a building pole. "Hey Sarah, come and join the party." Rainbow called. "Hell yeah, its all about you tonight." Jack laughed. Sarah sighed, "Alright." and she came over and joined in as we all partied into the night.
Chapter 1: The Cutie MapRen's POV It's been three weeks since Twilight gained her Castle of Friendship and since Sarah became the Queen of Harmony. Twilight had moved into her new castle along with Spike. The castle was absolutely gorgeous in the inside. It had many, many rooms like the Princesses palace. Speaking of which we were entering the throne room now, “Let’s go through this one more time.” Twilight began as she rubbed her hoof under her chin causing Rainbow Dash to groan to aggravation as apparently Twilight has talked about this multiple times now. “We've been over it like a million times, Twilight! We unlock the chest, defeated Tirek and Sarah defeated Void and you got this sweet castle! End of story!” Rainbow Dash quickly told Twilight of what had just happened in a quickly summed up fashion. “Yeah, bookworm, there’s not much to it.” Jack said as he sat on his throne. “Yes, but why?” Twilight acknowledged but can’t help but question why she isn’t getting all of this so sudden after turning herself around. “We don’t know why. I said. “I dunno, sugarcube. Maybe it's just your new house and there ain't nothin' more to it than that.” Applejack answered as she moved to sit in her chair. As soon as she did the cutie mark on her chair glowed. The others and I sat in their thrones and we our cutie marks started to glow as well. Hmm... wonder what's going on with the chairs. Probably nothing. “I must say, speaking strictly on aesthetics, there really doesn't need to be more to it. It's all simply divine!” Rarity added as she sat down on her chair causing the cutie mark on her chair to glow too while saying all that’s important is that the Twilight they all know and loved is back. “I agree with Twilight. And Rarity. And Applejack. And Rainbow Dash. And Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy chimed in as she sat down on her chair with her cutie mark on her chair glowing too. “Oh, and probably Spike.” Fluttershy added as if she almost forgot to include as she turned to him who is still sleeping and snoring on his chair. “As princess, I’ve been chosen to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria and Sarah has been chosen to spread harmony across Equestria as well as the Queen.” Twilight continued to speak her mind as she paces around the center of the room. "Twilight, stop worrying about it." Sarah said to her "But Sarah, the Tree, aka your surrogate mother, obviously sees you as some kind of student to it, so why would it want us to sit in a castle in Ponyville? It doesn't make any sense.” She concluded as she sat down on her chair causing her cutie mark to glow along with the mark on her chair. Everypony takes notice when the cutie marks on the chair glow as the beams of light they produced all shined onto the star in the center of the room causing crystal rocks to form as a crystal table starts to appear from the center of the room causing Spike to awaken from hearing this who then looks surprised at the sight that had just formed in the middle of the room. “Is that new? I like it.” Spike commented just as surprised as everypony in the room. “HOLY HELL!” I yelled. “The chairs made a friggin map!” Jack added in shock. It’s beautiful..” Kaede said. Nicole and Rantaro looked at the map with their calm expressions. Spike walked on the table and looked around it as what they are seeing is a map of all of Equestria. “This is incredible! It's got all of Equestria!” Spike commented in amazement. “Hi, Mom and Dad!” Pinkie happily commented as she looked at her parent’s rock farm house. Spike at that moment would end up stepping on the model house causing Pinkie’s eyes to water up as if she thought her parents were killed. Suddenly, our cutie marks and the Mane Six’s cutie marks on their flanks and they glow as projected images of them circling around Twilight’s cutie mark and they hovered above the map from where Ponyville is to some town near the mountains. Twilight, wanting a better look, used her magic to drag Spike off the table so she can examine this. “But if this is Ponyville, why are our cutie marks over there?” Fluttershy commented wondering what this meant. “I don't know.” Twilight honestly answered. “But it seems like the map wants us to find out. The Tree, Sarah, this castle, and now the map. How can we not follow it?” She questioned her friends. “We must investigate that unmarked area.” I suggested. “Y'know what?” Rainbow Dash flew in close examining some places on the map. “There's a ton of room for dangerous adventure along that route. Count me in!” She quickly put her hoof forward to join Twilight on this trip. “Me too!” Jack exclaimed, rubbing his gut. “Aw, shoot, I reckon you're right.” Applejack responded in agreement. “Fine, I’ll come along to for protection.” Mason added. “Well, I was planning on organizing my baking sheets, but okay!” Pinkie answered sounding reluctant at first before happily agreeing too. “Very well.” Rarity reluctantly agreed too with a smile as she and Pinkie turn to Fluttershy expecting her answer wanting her to come along to with Rainbow Dash joining them as well. “Um, maybe I'll just stay here with Spike.” Fluttershy nervously responded not wanting to come. “Awesome!” Spike happily responded as he wore a drinking hat and a foam finger. “Me and Big Mac have a huge weekend ahead of us talkin' hoofball, and... and trading hoofball cards, and arguing about hoofball stats...” Hearing all this causing Fluttershy to make weirded out expressions as she sees is signing herself up for activates that only guy and stallions would like. “O-o-on second thought, m-m-maybe I'd better go with them. In case they need me.” Fluttershy quickly answered to show that she has changed her mind as she turns to Rainbow Dash who smiles in response to her answer. “Eh, seems like a waste of time to me.” Rantaro stated, but Sarah hovered a bag of coins in front of him which he happily took. “Nevermind!” Nicole just sighed at his behavior. Soon, we were all on our way to the unmarked area. We all exited the train as it backs away to depart from the dead end stop as Twilight looks the map she made herself for a moment before rolling it up and walking ahead in the direction of the nearby town with us right behind her. We crossed a wooden bridge and then reached our destination, a small village down below the mountains. “That's it! That's the place on the map!” Twilight pointed out as Rarity fumbled with the dust in her hair. “Looks like a small village.” I stated, seeing how small the village looked. “Right. Let's get down there and find the spa.” Rarity spoke prepared to head on down before being stopped by Twilight who magically teleports in front of her. “Wait.” Twilight stopped Rarity in her tracks with a hoof on her chest. “We don't know why the map sent us here. We shouldn't just walk right in. It could be dangerous.” “Yes!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in excitement at the mention of danger she thrives of engaging in it. “Stay behind me, everypony! I'm on it!” Pinkie spoke as she stood on her rear hoof while placing her front hoofs in front of Twilight and Rarity with a serious expression. “Careful, Pinkie!” Applejack called out to Pinkie as she rolled down the mountain and ducked to a nearby rock as she peeks from the corner who motions the others to follow her lead as she stealthily makes her way to town by ducking under nearby rocks while the others walk up behind her as she scoots herself under a huge rock before she and the others peeked at the village as they now got a closer look. “This is where the map sent us? It looks like the most boring place in Equestria.” Rainbow Dash commented as they watch every pony chatting and walking around. “It's just an ordinary village full of ordinary pony folk.” Applejack voiced her thoughts. “It could certainly use a few more architectural flourishes. Or any architectural flourishes.” Rarity commented seeing that the village could use some more fashionable taste of decoration. “I think it's lovely.” Fluttershy responded seeing there is no problem with what she is seeing. “I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. I know smiles. And those smiles? They're just not right.” Pinkie suspiciously commented at the sight of the continuously smiling ponies. “I agree.” Twilight shared the same suspicion as she eyed the marks on everypony’s flanks. “Look at the cutie marks.” She pointed out that everypony had equal signs on their flanks. “Okay, that's weird.” Rainbow Dash commented in agreement with Twilight. “Equal sign cutie marks?” Kaede said with confusion. “An entire village with the same cutie mark? How can that be?” Twilight questioned the very possibility of that. “I bet there's some sort of horrific monster behind it.” Rainbow Dash suggested as she watched the village from afar. “What makes you say that?” Twilight asked. “'Cause fighting a horrific monster would be super-awesome!” Rainbow Dash excitedly dreamed of. “I reckon we just ought to head into town and talk to some locals, find out what's goin' on.” Applejack suggested. “Great idea, AJ. Let's go!” Rainbow Dash said and raced off. Pinkie Pie was still frowning. “Those smiles are bad news.” We started walking into the strange village. Boy, this just gives me bad memories when my home country was part of the USSR. All of the ponies still keep up their friendly smiles as they approach us. “Welcome.” A gray earth stallion with brown eyes greeted. “Welcome.” A female Pegasus mother with two fillies by her side greeted. “Welcome.” A blue unicorn pony with green eyes greeted. “Welcome.” A pink unicorn with pink eyes and pigtails greeted. “Welcome.” A blue pony with gray eyes and mane greeted. “Welcome.” A brown pony with a blonde mane and pigtails greeted as her children walked with her. “Welcome.” The fillies walking with their mother greeted. “This must be the most pleasant place in Equestria!” Fluttershy positively commented as she flew by as another peagsus with gray fur and a white mane flew up to greet her. “Welcome!” Fluttershy giggled at the friendly greeting. “Ugh. Thanks a lot, map.” Rainbow Dash groaned in boredom. “Welcome! Pardon my forwardness, but are you an Alicorn?” A light blue furred unicorn greeted as he approached the group and questioned Twilight and Sarah who grinned humbly. “That there's the Princess of Friendship and the Queen of Harmony!” Applejack introduced them to him. “Well, you've certainly come to the right place for friendship.” He further greeted the alicorn. “What brings you to town?” A white pony with a matching mane and blue eyes questioned Moonshine. “We're not entirely sure.” Twilight honestly answered. “I see. Well, all are welcome here in our little village.” The white stallion further welcomed the six before introducing themselves as he directs a hoof towards himself and at the pony next to him. “My name is Double Diamond, and this is Party Favor. “Howdy, Double Diamond. I'm Applejack, and this here's Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Sarah Gem, Ren, Kaede, Jamie, Jack, Rantaro, Nicole, Carrie, Mason and Skye." Applejack introduced the whole group by pointing her hoof at each pony around her. Double Diamond them looked down at Twilight's cutie mark. “And you all have your own unique cutie marks.” Double Diamond observed her and Pinkie’s cutie marks. “If you don't mind, has there been any sort of... trouble here, lately?” Twilight quickly questioned. “Trouble? Why, I don't think we've ever had trouble in our little village.” Double Diamond answered while still smiling. “It's true. You'll see. Hm.” Party Favor added in agreement. “Perhaps you'd care to speak to our founder Starlight Glimmer.” Double Diamond offered as they lead her in her direction. “I wish everypony in Equestria was as friendly as these ponies are.” Fluttershy hopefully wished as she faced her friends. “I've got my eye on them. Something's rotten in... whatever the name of this village is that we're.” Pinkie suspiciously told her as she saw the smiling ponies following them. “Agreed.” Twilight agreed with Pinkie in the same tone. “Something is definitely suspicious around here and I think this pony we are about to meet is behind this.” “Yes, those ponies eyes were filled with unhappiness.” Nicole said. “Like they've been brainwashed.” Double Diamond and Party Favor approached a door and both knock on it at the same time. “Starlight, we have some new visitors.” Double Diamond told the pony inside as all eight ponies walk inside. “Be ready to fight. We don't know what's gonna come through that door.” Rainbow Dash warned Applejack in a whispered tone as the pony opened the door in front of them and out from the room is a pink unicorn with a purple mane with light blue streaks and blue eyes. “Welcome! I'm so pleased to have you here.” Starlight happily greeted the Mane Seven. Rainbow Dash groaned in disappointment as if she was expecting somepony more dangerous. “This is Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Sarah Gem, Ren, Skye, Jack, Jamie, Rantaro, Nicole, Kaede, Carrie and Mason.” Double Diamond introduced the Mane Seven to Starlight as she inspects Twilight and Sarah closely. “Forgive my bluntness, but I'm assuming its Princess Twilight and Sarah? We don't get many Alicorns around here.” Starlight questioned Sarah, who still grins nervously. "Ha! Sarah’s not just an alicorn. She's the Queen of Harmony." Rainbow bragged, earning a hard nudge from Applejack. "Ow!" "A Princess and a Queen what an honor." Starlight stated. “Yes, but "Twilight and Sarah" are fine.” Twilight humbly and nervously responded. “So! How did you hear of our little village?” Starlight eagerly questioned while still smiling a little creepier this time. “It's kind of a long story. Let's just say we found it on a map.” Twilight explained the short and straight to the point way. “Technically, it's a Tree-chest-castle-map!” Pinkie Pie happily added before her face turned back to her suspicious face as she moved away from Starlight. “Well, however you found us, we're happy to have you! We're happy to have any pony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time.” Starlight spoke with pleasure in her voice as the group eyed each other in confusion by what she meant. “Say what?” Applejack questioned out of confusion. “Oh, indeed. Starlight said. “That's what's so unique about our village, you see. Around here, we don't flaunt our special talents because we don't have any special talents to flaunt.” “Is that why you all have those cutie marks?” Twilight asked, pointing to her Equal Sign on her flank. “Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of the village!” Starlight said, grinning just like the ponies outside. She stepped forward towards the door as she addresses everypony in town. “Heads high, ponies! Marching proud! All together now! Every one of you! No pony left behind!” Starlight Glimmer marched throughout town wanting everypony still smiling to follow her lead as she begins to sing. "Life is so grand in Our Town We're always filled with cheer We never have to look around To know that we're all here.” Starlight sang as she marched forward and then turned towards all of us as the town ponies circle around us. “In Our Town, in Our Town We don't have to wait To find out that our destiny Is just to emulate.” The towns ponies sang as they marched around us. Sarah watched this and she felt something was definitely wrong here.. but she couldn't place her hoof on it. “Let's see those big, happy smiles!” Starlight instructed everypony to continue keeping up their wide smiles. “Life is a smile in Our Town Our cutie mark's the same Because we do not separate Ourselves by more than name.” Starlight sang as the town ponies marched into single file formation. “In Our Town, in Our Town We dare not compete Winning only breeds the worst Ego-filled conceit.” The town ponies sang as two Pegasus ponies flew up to Rainbow Dash to lower her back down to the ground leaving her exasperated and insulted that these ponies see competition for ponies with overinflated egos and that it brings out the worst in ponies win or lose. “You see? Now everypony wins!” Starlight told Rainbow to encourage her that her approach to friendship is better this way leaving Rainbow uncomfortable with that idea. “Life is a joy in Our Town We're all equal here No one is superior And no one shakes in fear.” Starlight sang as she marched upfront and used her magic to make sure one of the mares has her mane tied up pig-tail style which Twilight took notice of. “In Our Town, in Our Town We work as a team You can't have a nightmare If you never dream.” The town ponies sang they marched in rows of four in front of the Mane Seven. “Other ponies argue Do you ever wonder why?” Starlight sang as she trots around Pinkie and Fluttershy as the former is more warm-welcoming while the latter is still frowning very suspicious at their smiles. “When you think your talent's special You don't see eye-to-eye.” “There's just too many differences That lead to disarray But when you learn to act as one It's like a holiday.” Starlight sang as the town ponies danced around. “In Our Town, in Our Town We don't complicate When you learn to simplify Life is oh, so great.” The town ponies sang as Fluttershy started dancing to the tune to which Pinkie which frowns at her to get her stop to which Fluttershy recoils in submission. “Join in our utopia Come out of the dark Banded by equality By our cutie mark!” The town ponies sang as they formed up in single file and row and row formation with the peagsus ponies flying through with an equal sign banner. “You're kidding, right? Give up our cutie marks? No way!” Rainbow Dash laughed off the very idea. “Rainbow Dash, don't be so rude.” Fluttershy scolded her. “I don't think we should judge them. They all seem perfectly happy with their choice.” “Don't believe their smiles, Fluttershy.” Pinkie quickly warned Fluttershy against trusting them. “I'm sorry, I guess we're just a little confused by all of this.” Twilight politely told Starlight. “We have no judgments here in our village. Each of us was confused once as well, blinded by the false promise of our cutie marks.” Starlight assured Twilight nopony holds any judgement on them. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Is she for real?” Rainbow Dash questioned as if all of this is a huge joke which earned her a glare from Twilight. “When we were sent to this village, we assumed it was to help in some way. But, well, it doesn't seem like you need any help.” Twilight explained her reasons for visiting while still politely smiling. “Have you considered perhaps that you might have been sent here so we could help you?” Starlight suggested as she placed a hoof on Twilight's chest. “After all, nopony has ever come to our village and wanted to leave. Why should you be any different?” She questioned the Mane Seven who look at each other in confusion. “But that is entirely your choice. Please enjoy our little corner of Equestria. We're all quite fond of it. No doubt you will be as well. Double Diamond, please help our guests with whatever they might need.” Starlight instructed him to help them feel accommodated for their visit. “Of course.” Double Diamond obliged to Starlight’s request who continues grinning at the Mane Seven who all look uneasy by this gesture as Starlight trotted off. As we walked forward with Double Diamond right behind us, more town ponies greeted them while still sporting the same smiles. “A cutie mark is a representation of a pony's unique talents and skills. How is it possible to—“ Twilight questioned the very possibility of all of this before being interrupted by Rarity’s gasping. “What in the name of Equestria is that?!” Rarity exclaimed as she pointed a hoof at ragged brown cloaks. “Welcome! Care to sample some local fashion? We've got cloaks this month!” The brown stallion offered to which Rarity resisted the urge to throw up. “Wha— Ooh, er, perhaps another time, good sir, thank you.” Rarity awkwardly and politely told him as she nervously backed away as the group proceeded to sit on a nearby table “No wonder nopony's wearing anything!” She whispered to her friends. “Really, girls!” Fluttershy scolded the girls in a hushed tone. “They may do things a bit differently than we're used to, but that's no reason to be rude.” “No, the reason to be rude is that they all keep staring at us!” Rainbow Dash commented feeling the need to correct Fluttershy. “Need something?” Double Diamond asked the Mane Seven from a table. “Uh, no! We're good!” Moonshine politely told him before turning back to the girls in a hushed tone. “Fluttershy's right. If we're going to get to the bottom of why the map sent us here, we'll need the help of these ponies.” “I think we ran off to the end of Equestria before we even knew what that map was!” Applejack complained that this is all a waste of time. “If we were at the end of Equestria, we'd be sitting on a big 'A'!“ Pinkie Pie giggling joked as she raised her hooves up. “Get it?” "Girls, the my surrogate mother is a whole lot smarter than it looks. It made my Element and saved my, Ren and the others lives by teleporting us to Equestria. Do you really think it would send us here for no reason?" Sarah pointed out. The girls looked at each other and they had to agree. The Tree of Harmony has done so much for Sarah and all of us. We shouldn't really doubt its ability. "Sarah’s right. There's something definitely wrong here." Twilight agreed. “Is this a bad time?” The waitress pony who had been listening to their conversation politely chimed in. “We shouldn't be bickering like this in front of our new friends. Really, Applejack, you're almost as bad as Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy continued to defend the villagers while scolding Applejack. “Don't drag me into this!” Rainbow Dash objected to Fluttershy’s comment. “Is your friendship ending?” The waitress questioned as she faced Rarity. “What the hell does that mean?” Jack asked. “Are you crazy?! We'd never let a disagreement get in the way of food!” Pinkie Pie energetically exclaimed. “O-kay, well, my name is Sugar Belle.” The waitress introduced herself and used her magic to lift up a notepad ready to take their order. “What can I bring you? We have: muffins... “ The group expected more items off the menu to be offered but her awkward silence clues them in that muffins are the only thing she can offer. “Then I guess we'll take six muffins!” Twilight told her. “Make that twelve!” Pinkie Pie eagerly exclaimed as her friends gave her weird looks. “What? I'm hungry!” She defended herself. “Come on, girls. We've got to stick together. It doesn't matter what happened before, we're here now.” Twilight spoke to her friends in a hushed tone to ensure nopony else is eavesdropping on their conversation. “I guess you're right.” Applejack accepted. “And the sooner we figure out why, the sooner we can go home.” At that moment Sugar Belle came back with a plate of muffins she placed in the center of the table. “Forgive me for overhearing” Sugar Belle mentioned. “But just a moment ago you were disagreeing, and now it sounds like you're... agreeing.” “Uh-huh...” Applejack responded with crossed hooves. “Well, you had such differing opinions – and cutie marks.” Sugar Belle continued to speak with confusion. “We have differing opinions all the time, darling.” Rarity answered as if it is no surprise to them. “But you look like you're friends.” Sugar Belle pointed out. “We are friends. A simple disagreement wouldn't change that.” Twilight positively responded which led to Sugar Belle smiling nervously at that statement before frowning as she again speaks her mind. “I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time understanding. Different talents lead to different opinions, which lead to bitterness and misery.” She explained before turning her frown back into a smile. “So... why aren't you bitter and...?” Sugar Belle is quickly interrupted when Pinkie Pie chokes and spits out a muffin she had just ate “Blech!” She quickly corrects herself by faking a smile to feign politeness. “Mmmm... good...” “It's all right.” Sugar Belle assured Pinkie she holds nothing against her for not liking her muffins. “I know I'm not a very good baker.” She admitted. “At least, I know I'm not any better than anypony else in the village.” She took a glance behind her directed at Double Diamond and quickly darted back with a sense of anxiety. “Well, I... hope you enjoy our little village!” She began walking inside the shop as Pinkie loudly scraped the bits and pieces of muffin off her tongue. Sugar Belle quickly stopped between Twilight and Pinkie to address before. “Come inside before you go! Meet me downstairs!” Sugar Belle told them in distress before sporting a grin before heading inside. “Okay, that was weird too.” Rainbow Dash commented as she stretched out her hoof across the table. “Let's all sit here and eat these muffins and act normal.” Twilight instructed the others in a hushed tone as she eyed everypony around them suspiciously. “I think we're being watched.” She points out to everypony still wide smiling at them while doing their daily business. “You think?” Rainbow Dash sarcastically replied. “No, not like that!” Twilight corrected. ”I mean somepony here doesn't want us talking to Sugar Belle.” She added as she pointed her eyes at Double Diamond who is watching them while biting into a muffin. “I got an idea.” Applejack offered an idea. “But you gotta eat all of them muffins, Pinkie.” “Me?! Why me?!” Pinkie protested. “You got a stronger stomach than any of us, and that filly in there might be our best chance at findin' out what the hay is goin' on round here.” Applejack reasoned with her who reluctantly sees her point as she proceeds to bite into and eat all of the muffins and by the time she finally manages to eat them all her face is now sickly green. “I can't believe you ate all our muffins, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack announced as the others look at everypony with forced smiles. “We'd best go inside and get some more!” The group immediately head downstairs per Sugar Belle’s instructions. “Nice work, Pinkie.” Twilight commended Pinkie as they headed downstairs as Pinkie Pie bounced downstairs with a balloon belly. “I've accidentally eaten cardboard tastier than that...” Pinkie sadly commented over being forced to literally stomach in all of those muffins. “Hello? Sugar Belle?” Twilight called out. “Thank you for coming!” Sugar Belle spoke up as she emerged from the dark and sported another wide smile. “Why did you want us to come down here?” Twilight asked. “So nopony could see what's about to happen.” Sugar Belle answered with a smirk as some of the ponies gathered around them ominously causing Twilight to ready her horn to attack in self-defense until Party Favor leaned in like a fan pony. “Are you really the Princess of Friendship?” Party Favor questioned. “Do you know Princess Celestia?” Night Glider questioned as she leaned in towards Twilight. “I love your cutie mark!” Sugar Belle commented as she touched Pinkie’s flank. Night Glider looked at Ren and the other’s cutie marks. “Wow, how did you nine humans get those cutie marks like that. I thought only ponies could.” “How can you be friends with different cutie marks? Don't you end up hating each other?” Night Glider questioned as she flew in front of Rarity and Fluttershy. “Oh, look at this one! This one's great too!” Sugar Belle commented on Fluttershy’s cutie mark as she touched her flank. “I'd love to have my special talent back even just for a day! Make something besides those disgusting muffins...” She added sounding depressed. “So what's stopping you? Go get your cutie marks back.” Rainbow Dash responded wondering why it’s so hard to do so. “Daydreaming is one thing, but you mean actually having it put back on? That seems extreme.” Party Favor answered as he spoke. "I was still afraid to go near them. “I'm not sure Starlight would like that. She wants us all to be happy in our sameness.” Sugar Belle mentioned. “How do you take somepony's cutie mark anyway?” Twilight asked. “The cutie unmarking is a beautiful experience!” Night Glider answered and recalled. “Starlight uses the Staff of Sameness to magically take them away and replace them with these.” She explained as she pointed towards the equal sign marks on her and the other’s flanks. “But nopony should keep you from your cutie mark. It represents such an essential part of who you are.” Twilight spoke from experience. “Yeah, it like taking away what made you special.” Jamie added. “No one should keep you from that.” Kaede added. “Oh, we're not kept from them.” Night Glider quickly responded. “They're in the vault up in the caves. We can visit them any time we like to remind us of the heartache of a life with special talents.” "Wait... how come you don't have a cutie mark?" Double Diamond asked, pointing to Sarah’s blank flank. "Oh, I don't know. I guess I didn't figure out my special talent yet." Sarah replied honestly. "But don't your friends hate you cause you don't have a cutie mark?" Night Glider asked. "Of course not! Just because she doesn't have a cutie mark doesn't mean we'd stop being friends with her." Rainbow stated. “Yeah, Skittles it right. So Newbie does have cutie-patootie mark, we’re still friends with her.” Jack added. "Yeah, Sarah is just as special as the rest of us, even if she doesn't have a cutie mark." Pinkie added. The three ponies looked at each other, confused. After a moment of thinking Twilight asked them. “Can we visit this cave?" Soon, we were lead into a mountain cave behind the village and down a tunnel. Once they got to the end of it, they all gasped seeing a large vault with multiple cutie marks locked inside of it. "Behold! Our cutie mark vault!" "I've never seen anything like it!" Twilight exclaimed in shock. "And here is the Staff of Sameness. It was one of the great Mage Meadowbrook's nine enchanted items. We are incredibly fortunate to have it here. This is the tool that allows us to free ourselves from our marks! I'm curious – how did the subject of the vault come up?" Starlight asked. "Oh, I was just wondering why everypony had the same cutie mark. Ponies can still be friends with different cutie marks like my friends." Sarah stated. "Well, w-we certainly didn't intend to cause any disruptions to your charming little—" Rarity said nervously. "Good. Let's just make sure of that, shall we?" Starlight Glimmer questioned as some ponies came out of the shadows. "It's a trap!" Twilight exclaimed. I took out my Hacking Gun at the ponies while Mason and Jack readied their fists. She teleported out of the circle and readied her magic but Starlight used her Staff and blasted Twilight, holding her in place and forcefully removing her cutie mark! "Twilight!" Sarah cried in horror as she fell to the ground. The Starlight did the same with her friends! Removing their cutie marks by force and locking them in the vault! “Aw. I don't blame you for what you tried to do here today. You've spent your whole lives thinking those marks are a good thing.” Starlight gloated still trying to make the whole situation still sound positive. “You can’t do that, you maggot!" Skye exclaimed. “Give them back!” Twilight demanded. “Well, now you can spend the rest of your lives here with us! And we'll teach you just how much better life can be without your cutie marks!” Starlight responded as she put her staff away as the ponies who gathered inside of the cave gather around them. "Not I have anything to say about it..!" Sarah growled as she readied her magic. Starlight blasted her with the Staff of Sameness too.. However Sarah’s Element of Hope activated and created a shield around her! "What?!" Starlight growled. Sarah then unleashed a shockwave, knocking Starlight and the other ponies back. Sarah quickly flew over and blasted the pieces of glass with her friends cutie marks and they returned to their owners, returning their abilities and talents to them. Starlight got up and snarled in anger at what Sarah did. Sarah then took off her Element of Hope and threw at Twilight who caught it in her magic, "Guys! Get out of here!" Sarah called. "What?! But Sarah..!" Twilight exclaimed but Sarah yelled, "GOOO!" before Starlight struck her with magic, freezing her in place. Twilight knew she had no choice and she teleported all of us out of the cave. "I've done a lot to give these ponies friendship and you're not going to ruin it!" Starlight yelled at her before she took out a jar. Suddenly, Sarah felt a strong and painful tug in her horn and she grunted and groaned in pain as Starlight removed her magic and placed it in the jar! Whens she was done, Starlight dropped her on the floor. Sarah felt so weak that she could barely keep her eyes open. "You may not have a cutie mark, but you will be valuable to my cause..." Starlight said with an evil smirk before everything went black for Moonshine. Starlight Glimmer carried an unconscious Sarah into one of her buildings and just dropped her on the floor. Starlight smiled evilly at her as she gazed at the jar filled with her stolen magic. "Foolish Alicorn, challenging my philosophy? Hehehe... big mistake." Starlight used her magic to create a chain and tied it around Sarah’s left back hoof and attached it to a stack in the house. "Hehe... still.. I'm sure those 'strangers' will come and rescue you, but they won't get far, cause I'll be ready for them.. and once I have their cutie marks all of Equestria will know what I'm trying to accomplish." Starlight then walked out of the building and slammed the door shut and ordered two ponies at the door to guard it. "Perfect... now..." Starlight looks at the jaw with Moonshine's magic inside of it. "Let's see just how powerful her magic is..." Ren's POV We were hiding outside of the village, over looking it from a hilltop. "Alright girls, I think that made it pretty clear about why the map sent us here.." Twilight said to her friends. “That was friggin obvious!” Jack yelled. “That brat took our cutie marks and tried to force us to join her village!” "Yeah, Starlight Glimmer is forcing everypony to give up their cutie marks so they can have her version of 'friendship'." Applejack stated. "If it weren't for Sarah steppin' in like that, we would have been in the same situation." "Oh... I hope she's alright." Fluttershy cooed with worry. “I’m sure she’s fine..” Rantaro dismissed. “Rantaro, Sarah gave her Element to Twilight, that was her only protection against Starlight. Without it, who knows what she did to her.” "Yeah, let's go get her back!" Rainbow exclaimed, but before she could fly into town, Twilight caught her by the tail. "Rainbow! You can't just barge into town like that. Starlight might have some kind of trap waiting for us." Twilight scolded. "Twilight's right. We need a way to figure out if Sarah is alright." Applejack stated. "But how..?" Suddenly Discord appeared, "Oh for Scorpan's sake, why didn't you call me when you found a pony causing her own kind of chaos?" he whined. “What the-?!” I exclaimed. "Discord? What are you doing here?!" Twilight exclaimed, shocked to see the Spirit of Chaos. "Oh isn't eavesdropping not the way you figure out what your dear friends and daughter are doing?" Discord questioned with an innocent look earning a 'No!" from all of us. "Oh well." Discord shrugged. "If you want to see from all the way out here, then.." Discord snapped his fingers and he made some binoculars appear. "These should help..." Twilight took the binoculars in her magic and looked through them. "Woah... these have X-Ray vision, I can see right through the buildings.." she said in awe. She looked into the building that was guarded by two ponies and gasped, "Sarah..!" "Twilight, what's wrong?" Applejack asked. "Sarah’s unconscious in one of the buildings and..." Twilight then looked at the building at the end of the village and saw Starlight Glimmer holding a jar with magic inside. "Now let's see just what this Queens magic can do. With such power, I'll be able to remove the cutie marks of everypony all over Equestria and everypony will understand my version of harmony.. hahaha...!" Starlight laughed evily, making Twilight gasped in utter shock. "What is it?" Rainbow asked. "Starlight Glimmer stole Sarah’s magic! And she's going to use to so she can take the cutie marks of everyone in Equestria!" Twilight exclaimed and the rest of us gasped in horror. “Oh dear..” Discord said in worry. “Discord, what’s wrong?” I asked. “Well since Sarah’s magic is taken that also means that the power we used to create her is stolen as well. The meteorites’ power is like her life force. If the power is out of her for too long well... “ Discord moved a finger across his neck. “Wait, wait… you mean… Sarah will die if she doesn’t get her magic and power back!” I exclaimed in horror. Discord nodded and the group was horrified and knew this was more serious than ever. "We gotta stop her!" Rainbow exclaimed, knocking her hooves together. "But how? That pony probably got a hole bunch of ponies on the lookout for us." Applejack reminded me. "We need a sneaky way to get in, save Sarah and get out, while showing everypony that what Starlight is doing is wrong..." Sarah’s POV Uhh.... w-what...? I began to come to and I felt a major headache. "Ugh...." I tried to move my legs but they felt like jelly. I weakly lifted my head. W-Where am I...? All I remember is... the Cutie Mark Cave and.... just then I heard the door opened and I saw Starlight Glimmer with a tray on it with an apple and some water. Her.... "Hello Queen Sarah... I decided to bring you some food.." Starlight stated in a nice voice, but Sarah didn't buy it. "G-Give me... back my.. magic..." I growled as she weakly staggered to her feet. "Hello Princess... I decided to bring you some food.." Starlight stated in a nice voice, but I didn't buy it. "G-Give me... back my.. magic..." I growled as I weakly staggered to her hooves. "I'm afraid you're in no shape to make demands." Starlight smiled wickedly and I turned and saw the chain on her my hoof. "You... can't keep.. me here... forever..." I stammered, trying to sound as serious as I could. "Oh.. I think I can.." Starlight smirked. "Without your magic, my guards at the door, there's no way you're leaving.." "My... friends will.. come for me..." I replied. "Ah yes those strangers. All different ponies and those... other creatures who believe that they were something special with their cutie marks." Starlight growled with an angry expression. "They don't have any real friendships. They are just blinded by their cutie marks." "Their friendship.... is real... and their cutie marks and differences make their friendships stronger." I replied, gaining a little strength back. "This coming from the pony who doesn't have a cutie mark! Let alone a Alicorn Queen! Your friends would be ashamed that you don't have a cutie mark and yet you stand up for those who do!" Starlight yelled at me. "My friends would never be ashamed of me. They would be proud that I'm standing up for what I believe in even if it means going against what you have to say.." I growled at Starlight. Starlight had enough and blasted me sending me slamming into the back wall. "Ugh..!" the impact made the glass of water spill onto Starlight's flank.. revealing her actual cutie mark! It was a stream of blue magic that was attached to a purple star! "You still have your cutie mark..." I narrowed her eyes at her. Starlight gasped,"Oh shoot." "If you say everypony is supposed to be equal in this town? Why do you still have your cutie mark?" Starlight sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. That was my fault. I should have been more careful." She neatly folded the towel and placed it on top of a flat surface. "It looks like I'll have to find some sort of spell in one of my books that'll wipe your memory of what just happened here. Maybe it'll wipe your whole memory. Who knows." "Wha…what?" I stammered. "Forgive me. But if you're to stay, I must do it for the sake of the village." She brought out some makeup and covered her cutie mark. Then, she brought out a stencil and used the makeup to brush back on her fake cutie mark. Afterwards, she prepared to continue leaving. "Don't worry. I'll wait until our little mess is over and done with." She opened the door and walked out. However, she peeked in before completely leaving. "Remember, don't try anything dumb, okay? I'd really hate to end up having to take some drastic measures." She shut the door and locked it. I knew for sure now! It wasn't the staff that took away the ponies cutie marks. It was her magic! "I.. have to get this info to Twilight and my friends... but how...?" I pondered before I spotted a piece of paper and a pencil. I was able to reach it, despite being chained up and I wrote down a message on the paper before I folded it into a paper airplane. "How can I get this to Twilight and my friends...?" I wondered before... a small mailbox came floating over to me that said 'Please place inside for Twilight Sparkle'. I blinked at it, confused as to how this managed to get in here, but seeing that it may be my only chance, I placed the letter inside and the mailbox vanished in a bright flash, and I hoped that it would get to her friends. Ren's POV Meanwhile, the mailbox poofed up in front of Twilight and her friends. "I can't believe that actually worked, Discord." Twilight said, taking the letter out of the box. "Well of course it worked. I made it.." Discord bragged. The girls, save for Fluttershy and Pinkie, rolled their eyes as Twilight read the letter out loud. "Guys, Starlight Glimmer's cutie mark is fake! She covered it up with makeup. It was her magic that was used to removed your cutie marks before I stepped it. It was never the staff. You have to get the townsponies to realize this. Use Water, it'll wiped off the make up easily." “That lying bastard!” Jack said. “She deceived everyone.” Nicole narrowed her eyes. "I knew something was wrong with her!" Twilight exclaimed. "That mare was nothing but a faker!" Applejack added. "Yeah, and now she has our friend and her magic captive. We've gotta do something now before we lose our friend forever!" Rainbow added. "Hmm... I think I know what we can do..." Twilight smirked while looking at Discord. Sarah's POV Soon, I was being lead out of the building by Starlight with all of the townsponies watching. "I trust that you've made your decision, Princess?" Starlight asked with a smirk. But I just narrowed my eyes and looked away. "No? Hmm.. maybe another day will help change your mind.." "Stop!" a voice came and everypony saw the all my friends walking into the village. "Ah.. so the strangers have returned, huh?" Starlight smirked. "Yeah, we're here for our Queen and her magic.." Rainbow growled, "So give 'em up!" "Yeah, you can't force anypony to give up their cutie marks or what makes them special. It doesn't work like that." Applejack added with a glare. "What are you talking about, we're all equal here." Starlight stated innocently. "Well except for you six. Those cutie marks have blinded you of real friendship." "No they don't, Starlight." Twilight stated. "Cutie marks make our friendship stronger. It doesn't matter if we're different what matters is that we're all friends which is what really matters." Starlight laughed mockingly, "My village is a place of equality and friendship. Friendship that is stronger than whatever you six have." "Equality, you say...?" a voice came before a small dark cloud came above Starlight. "Well what do you have to say about this..?" and then it started to rain on Starlight. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she got soaked. Then the cloud stopped its small downpour and Starlight shook herself clean and everypony in the village gasped, seeing her real cutie mark! Starlight noticed then and widened her eyes extremely in shock as she covered her flank with her tail. "Wha... What are you looking at?! They're the problem, not me!" She said pointed towards the Twilight, Ren and the others and laughed nervously. "You lied to us…?" Party Favor questioned with an expression of devastated shock. "How could you?" Night Glider asked. "You said cutie marks were evil!" Double Diamond joined in. "You said special talents led to pain and heartache!" "They do! Don't you see?! Look at them!" She was clearly desperate now. "Look at what they're doing to us! We were perfectly fine and happy before they came to town!" "Then why?" Sugar Belle grew the confidence to confront Starlight. "Why did you take ours and not give up your own?" "I..." Starlight Glimmer was sweating now. "I-I-I…" Her eyes clenched shut and her eyebrows furrowed. Tension squeezed out from her face before she reopened her eyes. "I had to, you fools! How could I collect your cutie marks without my magic?!" "But the staff has all the magic we need!" Night Glider retorted. "The staff is a piece of wood I found in the desert!" Starlight Glimmer finally confessed. "It's my magic that makes all this possible! You'd all still be living your miserable lives thinking you're better than everypony else if it weren't for my magical abilities! I brought you friendship! I brought you equality! I created harmony!" "The only thing you created was your own version of Communism." Nicole said with her eyes narrowed. "You lied to us!" Party Favor answered back. "So what? E-Everything else I said is true! The only way to be happy is if we're all equal!" She stated that last part with confidence as if everything would go back the way it was. "Except for you." Sugar Belle pointed out. Starlight was prepared to shoot a fiery glare back at this pony before Moonshine stepped forward and spoke up. "Everypony has unique talents and gifts, and when we share them with each other, that's how rea—" "QUIET!" Starlight Glimmer bellowed out, only to receive a tackle from me! I kicked Starlight away from my friends and she skidded across the ground. "You can't have a cutie mark, Starlight! Either we're all equal, or none of us are!" Sugar Belle asserted. Everypony slowly began surrounding Starlight, leading her to anxiously turn her head around to see her becoming cornered. Starlight Glimmer's eyes began shooting daggers at me. Uh oh! Her eyes closed shut and a bubble began to form around her. Her horn glowed with magic, and we were soon pushed aside, giving her space to run through. Starlight then shot another ray of magic at me and everything went black for me! Ren's POV Holy cow! Starlight blasted Sarah with her magic and knocked her unconscious before she carried her in her magic and ran in the direction of the building she had been keeping her. "Sarah!" I exclaimed in horror. “Newbie!” Jack exclaimed in horror. "You ponies get your cutie marks! We'll handle this!" Twilight directed the others and followed behind. As soon as the ponies reached the door, Jack, Mason, Applejack and Rainbow began banging the sturdy wood loudly, "Open the door, Starlight!" Applejack exclaimed. We could hear things being moved around and shuffled inside. "You think you can come to my village and take everything I worked so hard for and destroy it just like that?!" Starlight's voice angrily sounded through. "Let's see how you like it when I take something from you!" "Not if we have anything to say about it.." Rainbow Dash flew backwards and she used her speed to kick down the door. the girls immediately galloped inside and searched for any sign of Starlight. "Where are they?!" Fluttershy asked with worry "Look! Up here!" Twilight called from up the stairs. We all came upstairs and entered a bedroom. However, the bed had been merely thrown to the side and revealed some kind of secret escape in the floor. "Come on.." Twilight said and we all rushed through the escape door and they came out on the other side of the tunnel, outside of the village near a path towards snowy mountaintops. "Look!" Rainbow Dash pointed out in midair. "She's headed for the pass!" Twilight added. "If she gets into those mountains, we'll never see her and Sarah!" Rainbow spread out her wings. "We need to stop her!" We all familiar roar and saw a Light Fury flying over head with two pokemon on her back. "Snowflake..!" The girls cried happily. The Light Fury cooed at us before we saw her flying over to where Starlight was running. "Come on..." Twilight called. "Wait for us..!" the girls turned and saw Party Favor, Sugar Belle, Double Diamond and Night Glider running and flying towards them, joining the chase, now with their cutie marks and colors restored. Starlight ran down the path and saw Snowflake flying towards her, "Back off Dragon!" she growled and fired a blast of magic but Pikachu countered with Thunderbolt. Starlight growled and Snowflake fired a plasma blast in front of her, causing her to fly back and she fell on the ground. Snowflake blocked her path and snarled at her as we all blocked the backway. "All of you! Nopony move! One step and I'm sending this little filly down this cliff, and I can promise you she'll never be found again!" Starlight Glimmer aggressively threatened, holding Sarah off of the path along with the jar of her stolen magic. "Don't try any magic either." She added, eyeing especially at the ones with horns. "I can promise you won't have enough time to help the Queen before she disappears never to be seen again." "Think about what you're doing, Starlight!" I exclaimed. "What are you getting out from doing this? You do anything to her, you'll surely find yourself being banished from Equestria! Is that what you want?" She scoffed loudly. "You think I care about banishment? You want to know how hard I worked to raise that village you all so easily destroyed in a matter of minutes?! I had to go through so much! I had to lose so much to get to where I was, and you all took that away from me! If anypony should be banished, it's you all! I won't be satisfied until I see the look on your faces when you lose something so dearly like I did!" and then she let Sarah and her jar of magic fall! "Sarah!" Twilight gasped in horror but Snowflake and Rainbow dove down at great speed and Snowflake grabbed Sarah in her claws while Rainbow caught the jar with her magic. "Gotcha!" Rainbow smiled as she and Snowflake flew back up to us and placed Sarah and her magic on the ground. "Is that how you treat somepony who gave you a loving and unjudging home?!" Starlight angrily asked Double Diamond, Party Favor, Sugar Belle and Night Glider who stood at the front of the group. "You always said we had to be equal." Double Diamond answered back. "But what I realized is that we had to be equal on your terms. Not something that everypony agreed on!" "Yeah!" Night Glider added in. "We were always scared of thinking of something and being punished by you for it! If you ask me, that's not equal at all! Just like Queen Sarah said." Aggressively tightening and scrunching her eyes, Starlight proceeded to fire a spell towards these four ponies. However, Twilight immediately jumped in front them and protected them all with a strong steady magical barrier. "Wh– I studied that spell for years!" Starlight argued to this surprise. "How can you—?" "I studied magic for years too!" Twilight countered. "But what I didn't know then was that studying could only take me so far. Each of my friends has taught me something different about myself! It was their unique gifts and passions and personalities that helped bring out the magic inside of me! I never would have learned that I represent the element of magic without these guys! And I certainly wouldn't be here to stop you now!" Starlight blocked out the lecture coming from Twilight's mouth and rolled her eyes. "Spare me your sentimental nonsense! I gave these ponies real friendships they never could've had otherwise!" “What you gave them was a false life to live under, Starlight Glimmer.” Nicole said with a narrowed look. “You forced them into your own version of Communism, where everyone was the same under your rule. But you failed at that.” "How do you know that?!" Double Diamond exclaimed. "You never even gave us a chance!" Completely outraged by this, Starlight fired up a shield-looking aura around her, making everypony back away. But with a snap of his fingers, Discord made Starlight disappear? What the-? "Discord, what did you do?" I asked him. "I simply put her in Tartarus. Hehehe. In a magic proof cage if I may add.." Discord smirked. "We just have to hope that when she's had a chance to think it over, she realizes that you all have taught her something." Twilight stated. "It's you who have taught us something." Party Favor said as he approached Twilight. "We all came to this village because we were searching for something missing from our lives. We thought Starlight had given it to us, but now... now it seems it was in front of us all along. It's us!" He regrouped with the other three and they all shared a group hug. "Does that mean you'll stay in the village?" Twilight asked. "It's our home. I'm not going anywhere." Night Glider responded both firmly and proudly. "This is a chance for all of us to get to know each other again for the very first time!" Double Diamond smiled. "And I finally have a chance to bake something besides terrible muffins!" Sugar Belle exchanged gleefully. Everypony laughed aloud. Snowflake cooed, nudging her unconscious friend. "Okay girl.." Twilight smiled and Rainbow nodded before she smashed the jaw holding Sarah's magic and it flowed back into her horn. Sarah stirred as she opened her eyes, "W-What…?” “Easy Newbie..” Jack said as he helped her up. “How are you feeling?” I asked. “I.. I think I’m okay…” Sarah said, rubbing her head. Snowflake, Pikachu and Zoura came over to her and nuzzled her. Twilight chuckled, "She's just fine." Back in the village, the group saw all the villagers, smiling and enjoying the small party they put together in celebration. "Now those are real smiles." Pinkie Pie described as the villagers enjoyed the party. Soon enough, a sound emerged from everyone and they saw their cutie marks glowing and shimmered as well. "I'll never get used to that…" Applejack admitted. “I don’t think any of us will..” Mason said. "I think it's divine." Rarity sweetly objected. "Does that mean that the map is calling us somewhere else?" Fluttershy questioned Twilight. "I have a feeling it means our work here is done." Twilight settled with. "Looks like you were right, Twilight. The map did have a reason for sendin' us here." Applejack brought up. "We brought real friendship to these here ponies. Guess that's why you're the Princess of Friendship." She ended with a wink. "But the map didn't send me. It sent us." Twilight humbly included. "You're a part of me, all of you. And there's no doubt you're a part of my mission to spread friendship too." The rest of them squealed and giggled as she shared a group hug. "We don't have to go home right away, do we?" Pinkie Pie asked. "That Sugar Belle can bake!" Discord then popped up, “Oh goodie! Some quality time with my dear old daughter, how about that.” he smiled. The group sighed at his presence. "I don't see any harm in staying for a little while longer." Twilight mentioned. The girls cheered as they all entered the town to enjoy the festival. To Be Continued...
Chapter 2: Castle Sweet Castle and the Search for a New PurposeThird Person POV Outside of Fluttershy’s cottage, Fluttershy was doing cleaning up her giving her animal companions pets with Sarah and Twilight helping out as she is currently cleaning a muddy ferret by brushing water and soap onto him trying to make sure Fluttershy’s pets are squeaky clean just like Fluttershy asked of her while Fluttershy at the same time is giving a goat a bath too. Sarah gave some of the squirrels a good brushing and Twilight then brushed Harry the Bear’s teeth clean before helping Fluttershy dry one of the pigs with a towel by rubbing his back clean with the two using their teeth to do it together. Even though the two got covered in mud and dirt in the process they both managed to get the job done in no time and it was worth getting their fur and manes dirty over in the end. "Phew!” Fluttershy said in relief as she wipes away the sweat from her forehead. “Thanks for helping me get them so fresh and clean, Twilight and Sarah." "No problem, happy to do it!" Twilight happily responded as she thought nothing of her good deed. "Your welcome, Fluttershy. It's a change from my studying and training." Sarah smiled. "You probably can't wait to get back to your castle and the home-ship and take your own bath, huh?" Fluttershy mentioned noting her fur and mane is all dirty. Sarah's eyes slightly widened, "Uh.. don't you have any other animals that I can help you with?" and Twilight's eyes widened hearing this before quickly changing her expression to a eager expression. "Aren't there more animals that need cleaning?" Fluttershy arched an eyebrow at Sarah and Twilight's eagerness to stay as she expressed an eager grin. "I think you and I are the only ones left, and I can't wait to get the mud out of my mane." Fluttershy answered as she placed a hoof on her mane. Twilight grew anxious wanting to stay a longer when she noticed Angel Bunny behind her and quickly pushed him into a mud puddle with her back leg. " “Oh, no! Angel got dirty!" Twilight spoke with faux surprise. “I'd better stay longer to help give him a bath too!" "And I'll help too..!" Sarah added before the two immediately tended to Angel with another eager smile as they began scrubbing the bunny behind the ears in the bucket of soapy water after placing him in the bucket of warm water and soap. Fluttershy out of kindness and politeness could stand by and comply with her wishes after buying her lie although she does find something a little off with this. By the time sunset falls down, Sarah and Twilight are still muddy and cleaning Angel rubbing him squeaky clean with a towel while Fluttershy had the time to clean herself up. "Thank you ever so much for staying to give Angel a bath too, but, um... I think he's dry." Fluttershy politely told them and the pair finally complied and removed the towel off of the annoyed bunny as his fur became as puffy as a result of the excessive drying. Fluttershy looked at the clock, "Goodness! It's gotten late! You really didn't have to stay all day. Not that we don't appreciate it. Isn't that right?" Fluttershy asked the two. The bunny only grunted in annoyance while Sarah and Twilight levitated two feather dusters and started cleaning the bird houses inside the cottage. “I for one am exhausted." She then faked a yawn "Plus, I really need to rest up for that big pancake breakfast tomorrow. And I'm sure you have to get the castle ready, Twilight." Fluttershy added seeing that Twilight is still focused on sweeping the dust off inside the cottage. "And I'm sure Ren and the others will want your help getting some things from the home-ship, Sarah." Twilight and Sarah both suddenly stopped, "N-No the castle's fine..." "N-No I-I'm sure Ren and the others can get everything without me.... but why don't Twilight and I go and see if Pinkie Pie needs help with the pancakes?" "Excellent idea Sarah." Twilight agreed with the two mares flew out of the cottage and headed towards Sugarcube Corner. End of POV Ren's POV The next morning, everyone was at Twilight's Castle for the big pancake breakfast and let me tell you, they were delicious! I put blueberries and whipcream on mine and really enjoyed it and so did everyone else. "You did an excellent job on these pancakes, Pinkie Pie." I commented. "Hell yeah, they're the best." Jack said, with a plate of 25 pancakes on it... don't ask. "Thanks, Twilight and Sarah stayed up all night helping me make them. I kept thinking we found the right one, but they insisted I make even more of them. And more. And more and more and more. It was like they never wanted to-" "Leave?" Fluttershy guessed. "Exactly! Eventually we ran out of time, so we went with 'Every Berry, every chip surprise'." Pinkie said before she leaned over to Rarity, "The surprise is I lost a measuring spoon in the batter. Somepony is gonna get a very special pancake!" Rarity and Kaede looked at their pancakes before they inspected theirs. "Up all night huh? Is that why they're so.. uh... out of it?" Rainbow asked, pointing to Twilight and Sarah, who were both asleep while sitting up. The two looked a mess! Their manes were really messy with bits of dirt, leaves and twigs in it, not to mention they both sported some scratches on their faces. "Um, I don't mean to sound unappreciative, but has anypony else noticed that Twilight has been a little too helpful lately?" Fluttershy asked everyone. "Now that you mention it, they were lendin' a hoof at Sweet Apple Acres the other day and stuck around 'til near midnight. Dug up fifty tree-plantin' holes when all I needed was ten." Applejack said. "They both spent an entire afternoon rearranging a single gem drawer at the boutique. An entire afternoon!" Rarity added. "You think that's weird? They raced me, like, a hundred times the other day. And lost every time! They just kept goin'! Best out of ten, best out of twenty, best out of a hundred! I mean, I know hanging out with me is awesome, but it was like Twilight and Sarah would rather keep losing than—" Rainbow Dash started "Leave?" Fluttershy finished. "Yeah. Who does that?" Rainbow asked before we saw Twilight and Sarah faceplant into the pancakes, still asleep. "Well Sarah hasn't been coming back to the home-ship while Twilight was doing all of those things, for no reason at all?" I added. "I mean, we know that she was raised in a lab but before she defeated Void, she was happy to be in her room, but now its' like she doesn't want to be in the home-ship anymore." "Yeah, something's going on with Newbie." Jack added. "Sounds like they both have been avoidin' somethin'. Soon as they wake up, we're gonna find out what." Applejack said and while she was talking, Pinkie flipped her plate and ate all of the pancakes.... before she coughed out the measuring spoon she lost in the batter, which landed in Rarity's pancakes. Well... better that Pinkie found it rather than one of us I guess. "I win!" Pinkie exclaimed, which woke up Sarah and Twilight, "Whose there?!" "Huh?! I'm pancake! I mean, awake..." We all looked at each other and nodded, "Uh, Twilight? Sarah? Is there somethin' you wanna tell us?" Applejack asked. "W-What do you mean?" Sarah asked us. "You two have been acting weird for the past week. Twilight, you kept helping your friends, which is good, but you keep stalling so you don't go home. And Sarah you haven't been coming back to the home-ship for the past week." Mason explained before Rarity came over. "You know how much we appreciate all you do for us, and we simply adore having you around... but... we worry you two might be... ahem... avoiding something else?" Twilight sighed, "Has it been that obvious?" We all slightly nodded at Twilight and Sarah. Twilight sighed, “I've been... the thing is... I know it's silly, but I... I've been avoiding... this place.” She hesitantly and honestly answered as she raised her hoof around the room. Hearing this causes Rarity to gasp at Twilight for saying that. “Why in Equestria would you want to avoid such a gorgeous castle?” She asked Twilight as she raised a hoof to around their surroundings. “Yeah.” Pinkie added agreeing with Rarity. “This place has everything!” She said as she raised her hoof and jumped up into the air. “Big tall ceilings that make you feel tiny! Shiny new floors that are cold to the touch! Brrr!” She said as she looked at her reflection in the floor, placed the side of her head on the floor before shivering from its chills. “And it even has loooong empty hallways!” She added as her voice and last spoken word echoes throughout the hallways. “The castle is amazing.” Twilight spoke not even denying its beauty. “But it just...” She added with a sigh as she briefly faced Pinkie “…It doesn't feel like home.” She finished as she laid her head onto the table looking a little depressed. "And... well.... I just... don't feel like there's any point of me staying in the home-ship with you guys." Sarah admitted. No point anymore? "What do you mean by that?" I asked Sarah, confused and slightly worried. Sarah sighed, "Ever since I first came in contact with you, I've lived in the home-ship as a way for me to help guide you guys, uncover your past and to defeat Void. Now that everything's been settled... I just don't see what else I can do here, like I've lost my purpose here.." Oh Sarah. "You haven't lost your purpose here, Sarah. You just need to find something new besides training and studying magic, that's all." Rainbow smiled. "And as for you Twilight. You simply need to decorate, darling. Make this space your own!” Rarity added. "It's just so daunting! Look how big it is! I-I don't even know where to start!" Twilight expressed before placing her head on the table (good thing Rarity moved the pancakes out of the way). "But what else could there possibly be for human-turned-pony like me?" Sarah questioned. “I was raised in lab and barely exposed to all of the activities you guys know. I didn’t know what Ice Cream was. What could there possibly be for me?” "We'll just go and find you something to do, a new hobby for you, Sarah." "And Twilight, you can start by letting us do it for you. We will make this the castle of your dreams while you go to the Ponyville spa for some much needed rest and relaxation." Kaede and Rarity added. "I'm saying this with love, but... " Rarity held up a mirror to Twilight, "Have you looked in a mirror lately? I've never seen you look this... mmmm..." "Frazzled?" Fluttershy put in. "Yes! That is absolutely the word I was going to use." Rarity said with a smile. "Well... I guess I might as well give it a try." "Ooh, I guess I do need a little help. And so does my castle. And I just know you'll do a great job, because nopony knows me better than you." Sarah and Twilight conceded. "We'll make this place feel cozier than hot cider on a rainy day." Applejack promised. Rainbow Dash gasped, "There's gonna be cider?!" earning her a deadpanned look from Applejack, "Uh, I mean, let's decorate!" "Oh, no! Did I miss the pancakes?!" a voice came and we saw Spike entering the room, throwing a blanket to the side, "I sleep like a baby under that cold, cavernous ceiling." "Spike, I'm so glad you're here!" Rarity smiled. "Really?" Spike asked. "Yes! You're taking Twilight to the spa!" Rarity smiled. "Great! I've been meaning to get my claws done!" Spike smiled before he started chewing a pancake but he noticed the looks the girls were giving him, "Oh, you mean now." And with that, after grabbing some more pancakes, Spike lead Twilight out of the room. "Come on Newbie, let's find you a new hobby in the meantime." Jack said with a toothy grin. "Alright..." Sarah said and we lead Sarah out of the room to find her something new to do now that she fulfilled what she came here to do. End of POV "Come on, y'all! We've got work to do!" Applejack smiled before the girls got to work while singing a song together. [Rainbow Dash] Let's all work together To make this castle shi-i-ine [Rarity] Once we add some sparkle It'll feel, it'll feel, it'll feel... [All] It'll feel divine [Applejack] Crates of apples an' bales o' hay Just makes ya feel at home [Fluttershy] Furry friends and some popinjays So she won't be alone [All] And we'll make, and we'll make, and we'll make This castle a home [Pinkie Pie] There's nothing like balloons and confetti To greet you every time you walk through the door [Rainbow Dash] She'll need this and those Posters of all my heroes How could anypony awesome ever ask for more? [All] And we'll make, and we'll make, and we'll make A home she'll adore [Rarity] Bright curtains of flowing silk and lace [Rainbow Dash] This picture of me winning a race [Pinkie Pie] Party cannons to give her a surprise [Applejack] Hoes and rakes and some more garden supplies [Fluttershy] Getting hugs from this nice, big, friendly bear [Rarity] Decorate with some gemstones bright and rare [Rainbow Dash] More of this and that [Pinkie Pie] Don't forget the party hats [Rainbow Dash] How could anypony awesome ask for more than that? [Applejack] Let's all work together [Fluttershy] To show that we have shown [Rarity] Princess Twilight Sparkle [All] How we make, how we make, how we make This castle a home How we make, how we make This castle a home How we make, how we make This castle a home! Ren's POV Now... what can we have Sarah do as her new hobby? That's what I was thinking about as we walked through Ponyville, searching for something that Sarah could do now that Void is defeated and that we recovered our lost memories. "How about you make dresses like Rarity does?" Kaede suggested. "Dresses....? Uh..." Sarah trailed, thinking about it and at the same time, sounded unsure about making dresses. "It's not that hard to make a dress." Kaede reassured. "Yes, but I'm not really experienced with making dresses." Sarah said gently. "Maybe you can keep the weather in check like Skittles does." Jack added. "Or be part of the Wonderbolts?" "Hmm.... maybe..." Sarah said. “Or maybe you could invent things? Davenport and Douglas are brilliant inventors. Maybe you could learn from them and make some inventions of your own.” Jamie suggested. “Hmmm.... that is true.... I could learn how to make things... things that could help ponies and other creatures. Like how my fathers created me.” Sarah said. "And you can do something like Fluttershy does, care for animals, but with you it could relate to Pokemon, since you have Pikachu and Zoura already." "Care for Pokemon.....I think I like that idea." Sarah smiled. "I like caring for others and guiding others to become stronger." "So its settled then, you can learn to invent things like your dads and you can start caring for Pokemon as your new hobbies.” I said happily. "Doesn't she need more than two Pokemon to begin caring for them?" Rantaro questioned, tilting his fedora. Oh right.... "Don't worry, I'm sure Sarah will find some more Pokemon soon." Carrie reassured. We all agreed, knowing Sarah was full of surprises before... "Well, if its more Pokemon you're looking for Sarah, dear." a voice came before a certain Lord of Chaos poofed in front of us with a present box with a rainbow bow on it. "Then I have just the thing for you." "Discord, what are you doing here?" I asked him. "Shouldn't you be annoying the girls?" Jack asked, annoyed at his mere presence. "And interupt their castle decorating plan, oh heavens no." Discord said. "Either way, I overheard you all trying to find Sarah a new purpose in life now that her previous goals have been accomplish, which is why I got her this with a few surprises in it." Discord put the box on the ground and Sarah curiously opened it, revealing two Pokemon eggs inside of it! "Pokemon eggs?!" I exclaimed in joy and surprise. How did Discord manage to get his claws on two Pokemon eggs. One Pokemon egg was light blue with a black stripe in the center while the other egg was white with a red and yellow stripe in the center as well. Odd... wonder what Pokemon they could be? Sarah gently took the eggs out with her magic. "I think you'll find these two Pokemon to be very helpful." Discord smiled. "T-Thanks Dad." Sarah smiled at Discord. Even now I still couldn't believe that Discord is actually her father, but there was no denying it given their past and history with each other. Discord did give Sarah her powers afterall and helped create her in the first place. “Your welcome, my daughter, now if you’ll excuse me I have to play a little prank of Celestia. Hehehe!” And with that he snapped his fingers and vanished. “Remind me why and how he’s Newbie’s father again?” Jack deadpanned looking at us. Trust me.... that explanation is long and a bit confusing. "What kind of Pokemon are inside?" Carrie asked. "We won't know until they hatch." I replied to her with a smile. “Now come on let’s go see how the girls are doing.” Everyone agreed and we went back to the Castle of Friendship where we found Spike and the girls, leading Twilight to the throne room. When the girls opened the door, we all saw a large chandelier handing over the Dutie Map with gem ornaments hanging down from them. “The ornaments on the chandelier are reminders of all the fun we had together.” Flutters said. “This one shows your Welcome to Ponyville party at the Golden Oak Library, welcoming you to Ponyville.” Pinkie added. “And the time we shared doubts after the Grand Galloping Gala.” Flutters smiled. “We were hoping that looking at your beautiful old mementoes would inspire you to make new ones.” “And the best part of it is, it’s made from the roots of the Golden Oak Library, so you’d never forget where you came from.” Rarity and Applejack added. Twilight turned to the girls with tears of joy in her eyes. “It’s exactly what the castle needed.” She and girls came together in a group hug. “And I am ready to make new memories here with all of you.” “Glad to hear it, Twilight.” I smiled at her. “Y-Yeah... me too...” Sarah added, rubbing the two Pokémon eggs in her hooves, ready to make new memories with all of us too.