My Little Spark: The Movie

Chapters

Prologue
The Friendship Festival
Invasion
Beyond Equestria
A Friend Among Enemies?
On the Ship
A Lost Civilization, Found Again
Fallout
Raid on Canterlot
The Final Battle
Celebration

Prologue

Canterlot, the center of Equestria, a sprawling city of ponies and Mobians alike, and the current battlefield between three supersonic beings. Two blue streaks race up and around the side of a tower, followed by one of light blue, firing bolts of electricity at the blurs. Scaling down the building, they reach the streets below, dodging carts, electricity, and explosions.

Time slows down, revealing a blue hedgehog with a peach stomach, arms, and muzzle, wearing red shoes with gold buckles on the sides and white gloves, his right with a golden ring on his ring finger, and a silver bracelet with a green orb on his left wrist.

Next to him is a similar being, rather, only its head has quills that are styled upward and the rest is pale skin. It wears a black t-shirt with a blue symbol in the shape of his head, navy blue jeans, a navy blue scarf with two stripes of pink and lilac running through the middle with a ring at the end, and red shoes similar to the hedgehog, rather, the buckle is atop the shoe. The light blue blur behind them is shown to be a very angry yeti with a staff crackling with rainbow colors and blue electricity.

So. You’re probably wondering: why are two handsome speedsters being chased by a crazed yeti with a stick bent on world domination, right? I feel like I’ve been running my whole life, or at least most of it. Is this too much for you? Am I going too fast? Yeah, it’s kinda what I do. You know what, let’s back it up real quick.

Events and images flash by, too fast to comprehend before stopping to reveal a sprawling city of white skyscrapers with green tops, flush with plant life and pathways connecting all the buildings to each other. The city is placed between a beach, forest, and massive plains, where a blue blur zips by, heading towards the ocean.

This is Sparkicity. It had everything, open plains, sandy beaches, and sleek white towers that seemed more nature-like than Spark-made. It’s home to the alien race I am part of, known as the Sparks, a highly advanced, extremely clean civilization with powers that ranged from strength to flight. I was born with extraordinary powers that made even the most powerful of my race pale in comparison, and was told to keep them a secret, and like any teenager, I didn’t exactly listen.

The blur lessens to show an anthropomorphic hedgehog in his early teens, with blue quills for hair and wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He runs down the beach, taking a hard right into the city and down the bustling streets of hover cars, then up one of the many pathways leading to the skyscrapers. He follows the paths to the tallest building, running into one of the apartments, and gives a violet female hedgehog who was cooking a surprise hug. Her violet quills spark purple in surprise, dancing off of a navy blue scarf with pink and purple highlights and a golden ring at the end, calming down after seeing the sudden attacker hugging her waist.

That’s my mom, Aurora. She took care of me after my dad went missing when I was a kid, and we were together through thick and thin. Since so many of my kind wanted my powers, we were forced to move from place to place, sometimes even leading others who came along with us.

“Hey there, Tionic!” Aurora says, putting her free hand on her son’s head. “How was your run today? Eventful as usual?”

“Nah, it was pretty boring,” Tionic says, then reaching into his quills. “But I did find you this!”

He pulls out a yellow, nine-sided flower, and presents it to his mother. She was about to accept it when she sees a glint coming from the doorway. Looking up, she sees multiple robots of varying shapes and sizes getting ready to fire at them.

“GET DOWN!” Aurora shouts, tackling Tionic to the floor before slamming the door shut with her foot. A second later, shots of red energy blast through the door, walls, and windows. The flower Tionic had is disintegrated, unlucky to be in the way of an energy bolt. The robots converge on the apartment, ready to tear it down to get to their targets.

But the window on the other side of the house shatters as Aurora jumps out, Tionic in her arms. She channels her powers and a pair of purple electric wings sprout from her back. Aurora flies out over the city, dodging blast after blast, but her luck runs out as one hits her side, and the two go spiraling down into the forest. She tucks her body around Tionic, and her quills lengthen, surrounding them to cushion the fall. Aurora rolls for a few yards before untucking, she and Tionic tumbling to a stop. She quickly gets up, looking back to the sky to see the robots closing in on them, and she turns to her son.

“Listen closely, Tionic,” Aurora says, reaching into the bag at her side, pulling out, and throwing a portal ring, which expands to reveal a dark forest in the dead of night. She takes off her scarf, wrapping it around Tionic’s neck before hugging him tightly and kissing his forehead as she pulls away. “You have a power that I’ve never seen before. That means there will always be someone who wants that. Take these rings – they will be your most prized possession. If you are ever found out, use one. Never! Stop! Running! Now go!”

Nodding reluctantly, Tionic jumps through and dashes into the forest. Looking back, he sees his mother holding back the robots. This makes Tionic rethink what he was doing, and doubles back to the swirling portal, dropping the bag of rings in the process.

“Mom!” Tionic shouts, holding an arm out in hopes of reaching Aurora in time. “NOOO!”

“Good luck, Tio,” Aurora smiles sadly, gazing at her son for the last time as a tear trickles down her cheek. “I love you.”

Before Tionic can go back through the portal, something explodes on the other side, knocking him back. With his head swimming from the explosion, Tionic slowly gets back to his feet. He sees the portal’s energies dissipate into the air, and displaced smoke billowing into the air. He starts to hyperventilate, gripping his mother’s scarf and falling to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Unable to take it anymore, Tionic looks up to the night sky and screams in anguish.

Lionsgate
&
Paramount Pictures
Present

In Association With
Hasbro
&
Sega Sammy Group

An Allspark Pictures
&
Original Film
Production

My Little Spark: The Movie

The Friendship Festival

—Six years later, outskirts of Dodge Junction—

Right by the main road to Dodge Junction, hidden behind a rockface is a police car, where a brown Mobian dog sits idly, bored out of his mind. He was assigned here to keep an eye out for speeders that regularly blast past this part of Equestria, thanks to its flat landscape that stretches on for miles. He’s been sitting for hours, and not one vehicle, carriage, or even pegasus has come down the dirt road, much to his annoyance.

“C’mon, not even one?” He complains, looking up and down the road. He shakes his hand after holding the speedometer for so long. Boredom kicks in, and he acts like he’s catching speeders, whipping the radar across the dashboard only to smack the side of his face with the radar gun.

“I'm bored!” He exclaims, resting his head against the headrest. The radio crackles and a male voice speaks as the dog pulls the microphone over.

“Tom, do you read me? Are you there?”

“No, Wade, I’m actually on a yacht in Adabat,” Tom says jokingly, setting the microphone down briefly before picking it back up. “With Rihanna.”

“Omg, that’s amazing!” Wade exclaims. “Send pics!”

“No, Wade, I’m at the speed trap.”

“Already?! How did you get back so fast? Adabat’s on the other side of the world!”

“Hold on, I think I’ve got something,” Tom says, pulling out the radar gun and aiming it out the window. He homes in on a meerkat crossing the road in the crosshairs, and the radar beeps, reading 10 mph. “Hey, buddy! Where’s the fire? Got kids living around here?!”

The meerkat looks at him, a confused look adorning its face as Tom sets the radar back in its place.

“I thought it was kinda funny,” Tom chuckles. “Sorry.”

“Tom, we need you down on Mane Street,” Wade says urgently. “There's a violent shoot-out between the bartenders and the local gang.”

Hoping to get some taste of the action, Tom guns the engine, dirt flying out from under the tires as the car pulls out and heads north.

“Just kidding, a vulture stole a bagel,” Wade says. “But they do need it back.”

Just as Tom pulls away, three hawks on Speed Gear zip by in the opposite direction, bearing down on the unsuspecting meerkat still in the road. As they’re about to hit it, a blue streak blitzes in front of them and whisks the meerkat away without them noticing. Nearby, a blue creature holds the rescued meerkat up to his face, tapping its nose with a finger.

“Whoa, there, little guy!” He says, his emerald eyes staring kindly into the meerkat's. He wears a black shirt with a blue symbol in the shape of his head in the center, blue jeans, and ragged, mismatched shoes. A navy blue scarf with purple and magenta stripes wraps around his neck and dangles behind him, the golden ring at the end shimmering in the daylight. Compared to the rest of his attire, his scarf doesn't look a day old, and the cloth has been well taken care of. “What are you, some kind of adrenaline junkie? Might wanna be careful around these parts - they can get really dangerous!”

He sets the meerkat down, patting its head and scratching the back of its ear, much its pleasure. After that, he zips off toward the railroad track and follows them north, avoiding any train coming down the single line.

He reaches Ponyville minutes later and takes a right into the Everfree forest, dodging trees and foliage. Heading down a familiar path, it leads to a large hill with a tunnel dug into the bottom. He dives through, curling into a ball, and lands on a blue beanbag placed in the middle of a cave filled with various items strewn around. A piano sits in the corner, a cassette player lies on a table, a makeshift hammock hangs from the ceiling, and a workout bench is placed near the beanbag.

What were you expecting? A dirty little Spark, dumpster diving and struggling to survive? Think again, bud, ‘cause I am living my best life on Equus. I’ve got a library…

Tionic flips through Issue #1 of the Power Ponies comic, speed-reading the entire series stacked up on his right and putting the finished ones on his left.

…a home gym…

He bench presses a massive scrap of metal, curls some barbells, and practices karate and kung fu with his afterimage, and thanks to his speed, he looks like he does all of them simultaneously.

…a personal grand piano…

Tionic plays one of Beethooven’s best music pieces, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, on the piano, but faster and with much more vigor.

…and a state-of-the-art security system.

He pulls out a pair of nunchucks, whipping them around masterfully before clocking himself in the face.

“OW!”

He lets go of the nunchucks, one flying across the room and knocking a brown leather bag off its hook, spilling out golden rings and a piece of paper on the floor.

Hearing the rings hit the floor, Tionic rushes over to the spilled bag of rings, scooping them back into the bag. He picks up a ring and the paper, showing a map of multiple worlds surrounding his own, all except two crossed or scribbled out in red ink. He throws the ring, opening a portal to a world full of mushrooms.

If I’m ever discovered, I’ll follow Mom’s instructions and use my rings to travel to another world, a nice, safe little world filled only with mushrooms. Gross, smelly mushrooms.

“I hate mushrooms.”

But enough about that. The town I live near is Ponyville, the greatest place on Equus. These are my people and dare I say, I am their mysterious space creature. When I first saw the Mobians, I honestly thought I was back in my world - they were so similar to the Sparks. But over time and watching, I realized they were a completely different species. The ponies are covered in technicolor fur that do not exist in nature, yet they do here. Maybe the innate magic of this world has something to do with that?

Well, one specific group of ponies and a hedgehog caught my eye more than the others. Many call them the Heroes of Equestria and Mobias, but I call them the Mane Seven since they’re always seen together.

Fluttershy Breeze, the Element of Kindness and a soft-spoken mare. While she’s timid around strangers, she does have a side to her that you do not want to mess with – not even Discord, the Lord and Spirit of Chaos, would cross that line. She has a unique ability to speak to animals, so she knows how to help any critter when they come to her sanctuary.

Applejack Smith. She is the Element of Honesty, the hard worker of the bunch, and the one who runs Sweet Apple Acres alongside her brother, Macintosh Smith, or just Big Mac, her little sister, Applebloom, her grandmother, Granny Smith, and her marefriend, Silverlay Sparkle. Her connection with the Element of Honesty makes her a walking lie detector, so she’ll know when someone’s lying and call them out.

Rarity Belle. Element of Generosity and Fashionista extraordinaire. Her skills as a designer are on par, if not better, with most designers out there, and she knows how to whip up some of the most fantastic clothing that compliments the customer perfectly. She’s quite the fighter she wants to be, and she will not hesitate to put any ‘ruffians,’ to put in her terms, in their place when they get out of line. She’s secretly an incredible archer, but she doesn’t want the others to know yet. Her generous nature knows no bounds, especially regarding her friends.

Pinkamaine Diane Pie, or just Pinkie Pie. As the Element of Laughter, this party-planning mare raises more questions than any self-respected scientist ever could in a lifetime. She pops out of places she clearly can’t fit in, pulls party cannons out of her HAIR, stretches her body in physically impossible ways, and has this thing called ‘Pinkie Sense’ that lets her see an incoming threat before it even happens. I’ve even overheard that she has ‘presets’ indicating different things. I think she knows I’m here, but strangely enough, she hasn’t said anything to her friends. Is she planning something, or— hold up, did she just wave to me?

Okaaayyy… Rainbow Ashely Dash. The Element of Loyalty, wife to Sonic, surrogate big sister to Scootaloo, Equus’ fastest flier, and currently trying out for the Wonderbolts, a team of highly skilled pegasi of incredible acrobatic prowess. I’ve watched some of her training sessions from afar, and I’ll say this: she has what it takes to be a part of the team. She loves adventure, and being married to a hero of Mobias means she gets to go on them practically every week. She gets herself in trouble more times than I care to count, and half those times, she’s needed saving.

‘Sonic’ Olglive Maurice the Hedgehog. Fastest thing alive, adoptive big brother to Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, and happily married to Rainbow Dash. He’s probably the only one who’s faster than me, but since I’m in hiding, I can’t exactly have a race with him to test that theory. He, along with the girls and Tails, kicks the butt of an evil genius by the name of Doctor Eggman regularly. I swear, are all speedsters (besides me) literal danger magnets?

Spike Sparkle the Dragon. Adoptive little/ big brother, son, and personal assistant to Twilight. His dragon fire doubles as a weapon and messaging tool, as any scroll consumed by his flames is sent to Princess Celestia and vice versa. He’s a wonderful big brother to Nyx, and alongside her, he is an official member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the most dangerous group of fillies in the world, as their antics usually end up with something exploding or being covered in pine needles and sap. Spike and Nyx are the voices of reason, but that doesn’t mean something doesn’t explode because of them every Tuesday.

And last but certainly not least, my favorite pony, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Bookworm extraordinaire, a mother, sister, and bearer of the Element of Magic. When I came here four years ago, she wasn’t an alicorn, but a unicorn with magical abilities so great that Princess Celestia took her under her wing as her student. She later moved to Ponyville and met her best friends. About a year ago, she finished a spell from a very accomplished unicorn from centuries ago, and she ascended to alicornhood! After being crowned as the Princess of Friendship, it’s been a bumpy two years. But since then, she’s grown a lot, dealing with Tirek, her new home/castle, the Mirror Portal, Eggman, Starlight twice, and her constant panic attacks about being worthy as a Princess, teacher, mother, and sister. I wish I could hug her and tell her everything will be alright.

Then there’s the only one pony in the town who’s onto me, and she calls me the Pale Devil!

Lyra holds out a crude drawing of a strange creature with pale skin and blue hair, showing it to everyone in the restaurant. Bon-Bon groans in despair, downing her cup of apple cider in one gulp.

“I almost caught him last night!” Lyra insists, inciting giggles from the kids and fillies. Rainbow Dash rolls around on the floor, unable to hold in her laughter. Sonic looks at the picture in confusion, wondering why it seems so familiar yet disgusts him simultaneously. Twilight, Spike, Nyx, and Silverlay just roll their eyes.

Say hello to Lyra Heartstrings, or as everyone likes to call her, Crazy Lyra!

Lyra gallops into a forested clearing, watching as a blue blur zips over them, the bear traps she laid out snap shut on air. Running deeper in, she doesn’t notice one of her traps, and she trips it.

We have a lot of fun together!

“I know you’re out there, you devil! And I know you’re real!”

“Nooo, I’m not!”

Basically, we’re like a family… even though we’ve never met before.

“You don’t think your prolonged isolation has made you a bit crazy, perhaps?” Tionic says in a nasal voice, sitting in a swivel armchair inside a locked office and wearing a pair of reading glasses.

“No, you’ve got me all wrong, Doc! I’m perfectly fine,” he says normally, in a therapy chair.

“And yet, despite all of these so-called ‘friends’ of yours,” Doc. Tionic says, taking off the glasses. “Deep down…”

“…you are still rather lonely?”

—Three months later, Canterlot—

Today is a special day. It’s the day of the very first Friendship Festival, being held by Princess Twilight Sparkle. A few months ago, she decided she wanted to show that Equestria and Mobias weren’t the only places she wanted to spread the magic of friendship. So, Twilight asked Princess Celestia and Luna if she could host it. They agreed, and three months of planning later, the day arrived. Everyone pours into Canterlot, and even some Wisps floating about that want to join the festivities.

“Excuse me, coming through!” Spike says, hopping around ponies and Mobians, trying not to drop the scrolls he carries. He grabs onto the dangling leg of a nearby Hover Wisp, which floats up in surprise. “Important princess assignments coming through!”

“Wow, everyone from Manehatten to Station Square is here!” exclaims a cream Mobian fox with white highlights.

“I know, right?” an orange Earth pony agrees. “We almost couldn’t book a stable with how packed it was!”

On one of the watchtower’s roofs, a figure looks over the city, admiring the scene below.

“Wow, Twilight outdid herself with this one, didn’t she?” Tionic whistles, holding a hand to block the sun’s rays and glancing over the entirety of Canterlot. Ever since he heard the rumors about the Friendship Festival, he wanted to participate in some way, so he came up with a plan. Tionic wears a cowboy hat, oversized sunglasses, and a plaid button-up shirt over his usual black one. He even did his quills up into a ponytail. If he couldn’t interact directly, he could at least do it indirectly. “Man, I can’t wait for this party to start!”

Up in the air near the castle, two flyers hover around, taking in the full scale of the celebration.

“Princess Twilight must have her hooves full with this festival!” a white pegasus says. “There’s so much I can see from here; it’s ridiculous!”

“Are you kidding?” an orange Mobian hawk with pale highlights says, twirling around her friend. “She’s smart, organized, and cool under pressure. There’s nothing she can’t handle!”

Inside the hallway leading up to the throne room is the princess herself, seemingly in a meditative trance.

“Oooooohhhhhhmmmmmyyy Faust, I can’t handle this!”

…or not.

“Nothing is working!” Twilight groans. “Argh, you have to get it together. Just go in there – and ask! This is your Friendship Festival.”

“What’chu talking about?” Spike wonders, walking in on the other side of the hallway and setting the scrolls he carried near Twilight.

“I’m about to ask three of the most royal princesses of Equestria for a huge favor!” Twilight explains. “What if they reject me?”

“It’ll be fine,” Spike assures. “Just remember the most important thing.”

“Smile?!”

“Eh, no,” Spike deadpans, a little creeped out by the grin. “You’re a princess too, Twilight. Plus, you know them personally! You were Celestia’s student for years, Cadance was your filly-sitter, and you saved Luna from Nightmare Moon and made great friends with her! This is nothing different than asking a friend for a favor.”

“Right,” Twilight sighs and turns to open the massive double doors to the Throne Room. “Well, here goes nothing.”

Opening the doors, she trots into the throne room, where Celestia, Luna, and Cadance wait for her. Twilight swallows her nerves and gathers the courage to speak.

“Good morning, princesses,” Twilight says, greeting Celestia, Luna, and Cadance as they approach her. “And thank you for seeing me. I have an idea to make our friendship festival the most wonderful celebration Equestria and Mobius have ever seen!”

“Yes, Twilight, we are very excited!” Celestia says with a smile. “This is an amazing festival you have put together. I can not wait to see how it turns out!”

“Ponies and Mobians have been arriving from all over all morning!” Cadance reveals. “It’s incredible to see so many coming together for this.”

“I’d like it if it were to see us,” Luna says, pointing out something on her mind. “But Songbird Serenade might be the bigger attraction,”

“Yes, she is the ‘mane’ event,” Twilight says, chuckling at her little pun. “And to make it extra special, I could use your help. Spike?”

He pulls over a whiteboard from the side, rolling it in front of the princesses as Twilight trots over.

“Songbird’s performance is not scheduled to start until after sunset,” Twilight begins, drawing out various diagrams as she speaks. “And based on my precise calculations, to get the very best lighting from the stage, Princess Celestia, I was hoping you could keep the sun 28.1 degrees to the south, and Princess Luna, could you raise the moon 62 degrees to the north at the same time, it would reflect the sunlight from the other side and really bring the entire stage perfectly!”

“I -” Luna tries, but Twilight quickly interrupts her.

“But wait, there’s more!” she exclaims. “Cadance, if you could use your crystal magic to create an aurora above the stage, the sun and the moon would shine through it and create a truly amazing light show!”

“Presenting, Songbird Serenade!” Spike says, holding out a cardboard cutout of the singer from behind the board and climbing on top to fling a healthy amount of gold dust into the air. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, woah!”

Spike falls on his back, and Twilight opens her wings with a strained look, hopeful that she convinced the princesses to help with her plan. “Ta-da!”

“So, you’re saying you want us to move the sun and the moon, for the party?” Luna simplifies with a deadpan expression.

“Well, I’d do it myself,” Twilight says, chuckling as she looks away. “But I don’t have your magic.”

“Twilight,” Celestia says, raising her former student’s gaze to hers with a hoof. “Each of us uses our magic to serve Equestria in our own way. You are the Princess of Friendship; you already have all the magic you need.”

“Soooo…” Twilight ventures. “Is that a no?”

“Sky’s cleared and ready for the party!” Rainbow Dash exclaims, checking the skies for any clouds she missed. She spots a group of them slowly blowing in over the horizon, taking note to deal with those when she has a second.

Pinkie Pie makes various balloon animals of different sizes, her current one in the shape of a certain Draconeques. Once she’s done with it, the balloon pops, gushing air out and knocking her over from the gust. “Whoa!”

Fluttershy directs various birds and Flickies in a beautiful music piece of whistles and tweets. All of that is interrupted by a red balloon shooting through, scattering the birds.

“Watch out, guys!” Pinkie exclaims, chasing after the Discord ballon. “Out of control balloon!”

“I think it’s you who’s out of control, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy chides, going over to gather the frightened birds and Flickies that took off. Sonic’s up on stage, hooking up speakers and wires to a DJ stand setup nearby, when Pinkie zips through, spinning him around. The cables he’s holding fly into the correct ports, as well as the ones he hadn’t gotten to, as Pinkie rushes by.

“Yo, careful there, Pinks!” Sonic shouts, and notices all of the speakers plugged up and ready to go. “Oh, and thanks for getting these speakers ready!”

“No problem!”

“Hey, y’all!” Applejack shouts, towing a cart of apple products from her farm and holding a mug. She ducks underneath the screaming blur of pink that flies over her. “Anypony up for a free sample of my family’s apple cider?”

This catches Rainbow’s attention, and she zips over the Applejack, grabbing the mug of cider.

“Thank you!” she exclaims, downing it in a single gulp and placing the cup back in Applejack’s hoof on the return trip. “Loved it!”

Applejack then notices Rarity, who’s meticulously making sure that one of the gems was perfectly placed on a bow on the side of the stage.

“Wow, Rarity,” Applejack says, looking to the rest of the empty catwalk, then back to the singular ribbon Rarity completed. “It’s a fine job you’re doing there. You might not get done ‘till after the concert.”

“Now, darling, anypony can do fine,” Rarity says. “Twilight asked me, so clearly she’s going for fabulous. And fabulous takes time!”

“Fabulous takes forever!” Rainbow groans, and then a mischievous grin crosses her face. “But awesome…”

She blitzes off, sending Fluttershy spinning and tangling her up in excess amounts of ribbon. Raimbow’s rainbow trail wraps around the catwalk, leaving behind many mutilated ribbons that wouldn’t be passing any beauty contests anytime soon.

“…can get it done in one second flat! Faster if I do my Sonic-Rainboom!”

“AAH! N-n-no, no, no!” Rarity gasps, horrified by Rainbow’s absolute massacre. “Don’t you dare, Rainbow Dash! It’s ruined enough already!”

“Oh, come on, it’s fine!”

“I got it, Rares!” Sonic shouts from the stage, blitzing around the catwalk, quickly fixing Rainbow’s mess and appearing behind her on stage. “And no, it was not ‘fine,’ Skittles. Didn’t you take that ribbon-tying lesson from Rarity for that reason specifically?”

“How’d you know about that?!” She exclaims, her face flushed red. Sonic laughs and locks his wife in a headlock, giving her a noogie while she struggles to escape. They spot Spike and Twilight trotting over to them, her nose buried in a scroll.

“Okay, just two hundred things left to do, and we’re ready!” she mutters, reviewing the list again to ensure she didn’t miss anything.

“Hey, Twilight!” everyone says, and Sonic stops noogying Rainbow.

“Hello, Spike!” Rarity says, waving to the baby dragon.

“Uh, hi, Rarity,” Spike stutters nervously, a slight blush on his cheeks.

“How’d it go with the princesses?” Applejack asks. “They like your idea?”

“I bet they loved it!” Pinkie shouts, still chasing the runaway balloon.

“Not exactly,” Twilight sighs, putting down the scroll. “They think I need to make this perfect without their magic.”

“And they are absolutely right, darling,” Rarity says, nodding in agreement. “This festival is your brilliant idea, and we know you are up to the task.”

“What if I’m not?!” Twilight exclaims, one of her panic attacks coming in full swing. “What if Songbird Serenade hates the stage? Or nopony makes a new friend? If I fail at the festival, then who am I?!”

“Twilight, look at me!” Pinkie exclaims, grabbing Twilight’s face. “This will be the biggest celebration Equestria or Mobias has ever seen! As the Princess of Friendship, you CAN NOT fail! This day will define who you are! The pressure is intense, and it’s almost too much for a single pony to handle! AAHHH!”

“But you have us!” She chirps, bouncing back to the others. “So stop worrying!”

“Way to relieve the pressure off of Twilight, Pinks,” Sonic says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I bet she feels so much better.”

Applejack:
It’s time to show ‘em what you’ve got!

‘Oh, you have got to be kidding me,’ Tionic inwardly groans atop one of the pillars in the courtyard, slapping his face in annoyance. “Another spontaneous Heart song? Really, Applejack?”

Heart songs happen when anyone, and I mean anyone, takes the innate magic in the area and casts a sort of spell with it. Even non-magic users like Mobians can do it if they have the timing down. Everyone nearby will suddenly know the lyrics to a song that’s never existed before and move in perfect sync with strangers. I’ve even been victim to one or two of these Heart songs, but luckily, I was in the background, so no one noticed me.

Rarity:
It’s time to go and get things done

Fluttershy:
You don’t have to do it on your own.

Pinkie Pie:
‘Cause you’ve got friends right here to make it fun!

Everyone:
We got this
You got this
We got this together

Rainbow drags Twilight into the air, Spike hanging onto her tail for dear life.

Rainbow Dash:
Sometimes the pressure gets you down
And the clouds are dark and gray
Just kick them off and let the sunshine through

Sonic takes advantage of the nearby clouds next to the mountain, using a series of Homing Attacks to bounce from cloud to cloud until he lands next to Twilight.

Sonic:
And scary as it seems
More help is on the way
'Cause friends have friends that wanna help out, too

The Wonderbolts blow the clouds away, and Rainbow catches Sonic before he falls too far, hanging from her front hooves.

Everyone:
We got this
You got this
We got this together

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

In a small animal pen, Fluttershy holds a small bird on her hoof, coxing it to repeat what she said but with birdsong.

Fluttershy:
You got this
We got this together

Harry the bear comes in behind, giving both his signature bear hug. This squeezes Twilight but barely affects Fluttershy.

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

Everyone:
'Cause you got us to pick up the slack
We got this
We got this together

Rarity:
Pay attention to the details
Every gem evenly spaced
Make the colors perfect

Rarity places all heart-shaped gems perfectly along the stage, and Tionic chuckles. ‘Leave it to a song to get Rarity to do something that took her fifteen minutes to do just one; now do everything in less than four seconds.’

Spike:
Taking one or two to taste

Rarity:
Inside and out
Beautiful throughout
Generosity is what we're all about

Spike:
You got this

Rarity:
You got this

Everyone:
We got this together

Twilight takes flight to overlook the festival she hoped would go well. Tionic watches from the roof of the watchtower, smiling as she flies around Canterlot.

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

But that is more than just a crown
It's a promise to bring ponies together
I am the Princess of Friendship
And never let any pony down

A massive bowl surrounded by cooking supplies sits in a courtyard near the banquet. Pinkie, wearing a track headband and wrist guards, pedals on a bicycle inside, but the wheels are replaced with a single mixer strapped to it, mixing the massive amount of batter.

Pinkie Pie:
We 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

Everyone:
You've got this
We got this together
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:
The weather

Applejack:
The banquet

Rarity:
The style

Fluttershy and Sonic:
And music

Twilight:
All will be in perfect harmony!

Behind Twilight, a massive party cannon fires confetti and a giant five-layer cake high in the air. Twilight notices the shadow from the cake, but by the time she sees where it’s going to land, it’s too late.

SPLOOCH
SPLOCH
SPLICH
SPLACH
SPLECH

The unbaked cake lands right on her, keeping a solid shape for a second before melting into a mound of batter and frosting. The crowd gathered gasps, some cringing at the sight - Tionic being one of them.

“Ugh,” Twilight groans, pulling her head out of the batter as a lit candle lands perfectly on her horn. “Pinkie!”

“Oopsie!” She squeaks, popping from the barrel of the cannon. “Guess my Easy-Bake Party Cannon needs a little more fine-tuning!”

“I think it’s gonna need a little more than just a ‘fine-tuning,’ Pinks!” Sonic shouts, gesturing to her cannon and the ‘cake.’ “If this was uncooked any further, someone might get salmonella poisoning!”

“I’ll get on that right away, sir!” Pinkie salutes, diving into the cannon.

Invasion

“Is it really her?!” A commotion in the crowd draws everyone’s attention as a pale pegasus, flanked by two agents pushing through the crowd, trots up to the clearing. “It is! It is!”

“Hiya! I’m looking for the pony in charge?” She says, looking around. “I need to set up for my sound check.”

Her mane and tail are two-toned, one side black, the other blonde. A large pink bow sits behind her head, and her mane covers her eyes entirely. She wears a black one-piece with two gold buttons on her collar. She poses in several positions perfect for the camera ponies that pop up in quick succession.

“Songbird Serenade!” Twilight exclaims, pulling herself out of the cake batter. “Um, I was just about to check on you! I’m Princess Twilight, and I’m sorry about the mess. I’m usually not so…”

“Caked in… cake?” Songbird suggests, chuckling. She was about to say something else when a clap of thunder interrupted her, drawing everyone’s attention to the skies. Ominous, dirty clouds roll in from the south, blocking the sunlight and casting a shadow over Canterlot.

“What the..?” Tionic frowns, raising an eyebrow. He spots a tower closer to the crowd, and sticking to the alleyways, he blitzes over to get a better vantage point. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

“Storm clouds?!” Twilight exclaims. “I ordered perfect weather! Rainbow, what’s going on here?!”

“Uh, I don’t think those are storm clouds,” She says nervously.

“That looks like engine smoke,” Sonic says, narrowing his eyes. “Looks like ol’ Eggy couldn’t resist to crash this party of yours, Twilight.”

But to his surprise, what emerges from the cloud isn’t an Eggman creation, but a bright blue symbol, followed by a large, metal ship held by a balloon.

“Ooh! I think those are the clowns I ordered!” Pinkie exclaims, bouncing a little. The bottom of the ship collides with three towers, destroying them. Everyone backs away as the rubble crashes to the ground, and some debris crushes a clown stand. “Or definitely not the clowns I ordered.”

The ship settles into place, hissing before a gangplank drops from the side, revealing a small figure silhouetted by the smoke inside. Walking out, everyone sees a tiny Equusian hedgehog holding a blue box with the same logo on the ship, walk down the gangplank and place it down at the end. The box opens, letting a tube extend and expand into a megaphone, and the creature takes the microphone hanging from the side.

“Ponies of Equestria!” He says, his amplified voice echoing through the city. He pauses momentarily when he sees the Mobians, reeling back slightly. “And… whatever you weirdos are, we come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty Storm King!”

A banner drops down from the side of the ship’s balloon, depicting a yeti with horns traced with blue lines, wearing a chestplate with presumably his logo and a black cape. The crowd starts to murmur, their nerves on end.

“Wow, this is horrendous,” Sonic mutters, shaking his head disappointedly. “Eggman gives better entrance speeches than this tiny tike, and I’ve heard all of them.”

“And now, to deliver the evil, evil message!” The hedgehog continues, and he gestures back to the ship’s entrance. “Put your hooves together for Commander Tempest!”

Another figure comes through the haze in the ship, showing a unicorn mare wearing black body armor. Her right eye has a scar running over it, but everyone’s attention is drawn to her horn – or lack thereof. It’s been shattered down to a nub, but magic sparks from it, little wisps of blue mana popping from it like fireworks.

“Is that… a unicorn?” Twilight squints, eyeing the broken horn.

“I think so, but what happened to her horn?” Spike wonders. “It looks like it was shattered.”

Before the topic can be questioned further, Cadance, Celestia, and Luna land between the newcomers, placing themselves between them, the ponies, and the Mobians.

“Tempest, is it?” Celestia says, her gaze stern. “How may we help you?”

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked,” Tempest grins menacingly. “How about we start with your complete and total surrender?”

“PFFFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Sonic busts out laughing, shocking everyone as they stare at him in varying degrees of horror and confusion. Tionic questions the hedgehog’s mental state, but chalks it up to him smashing his head against Eggman’s robots one too many times. Tempest glares daggers at Sonic as he laughs, grizzling her teeth as her horn sparks to life.

“What’s so funny?” She growls. “Do you have a death wish?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just, *SNRK*, that was just way too corny not to laugh at,” Sonic chuckles, slowly regaining his composure. He walks in front of the princesses and folds his arms, grinning. “That has got to be the worst threat I have ever heard in my life, and I’ve heard some bad ones over the years.”

“Who do you think you are?” Tempest demands, walking down the gangplank. “What are you, for that matter? You don’t look like any creature I’ve ever seen before.”

“I’m Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!” He pronounces, jabbing a thumb at himself. “By the way, have you been living under a rock or something? There was a whole world colliding event years ago. Equus and my world, Mobias, combined to make one super planet. How have you not noticed any of that?”

“That would explain the sudden appearance of those weird animals we’re using in the ships,” Tempest muses. This visibly takes aback all of Canterlot, and Fluttershy and Sonic grit their teeth in anger. Tempest shrugs. “Oh well, I suppose that doesn’t matter right now.”

“Well, that’s just great,” Sonic growls, clenching his fists. “Eggman stops using Flickies to power his machines, then somepony else comes along and does it all over again. Now I’m gonna make sure this invasion of yours goes straight down the drain!”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Tempest chuckles, reaching the bottom. “Although you already have, you are no match for the full night of the Storm King’s army.”

“Mare, please,” Sonic scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I deal with planetary threats and evil geniuses every month, so this Storm King of yours is just a normal Tuesday for me.”

“As if you could do that,” Tempest says, thinking she’s calling his bluff. Sonic shrugs, smirking, while Tempest turns to the princesses. “Here’s the deal, ladies, I need your magic. Give it up nicely, or we make it difficult – for everypony!”

“And why should we cower before you?” Luna asks. “There’s one of you and hundreds of us!”

“I was hoping you would choose difficult,” Tempest grins, and hairy, bulky creatures emerge from the ship, wielding shields and spears. Four more vessels emerge from the haze, and more guards jump down and surround the crowd. Panic sets in as everyone runs in fear, and the princesses look around in shock, trying to find a way out of this. Tempest notices this, and she takes advantage of their confusion and jumps into the air.

A green, crystalline orb emerges from the pouch on her side, and she kicks it at the princesses. They gasp, and Cadance jumps in front, putting up a shield. But instead of bouncing off, the orb drills into the shield, and green energy from the orb cancels out Cadance’s magic. She can’t hold it back, and it hits her, shattering in a cloud of green smoke.

“Cadance!” Celestia exclaims. She, Twilight, Luna, and Sonic watch in horror as black crystals consume her body and turn the Princess of Love to stone.

“Okay, that’s it!” Sonic growls, revving his feet. “You’re going down!”

“Sonic, don’t!” Celestia exclaims, pulling him back with her magic. He tries to protest, but the dire look on her face says otherwise. Sonic nods and runs the other way to help the others. Celestia then turns to her sister. “Luna, head south, beyond the Badlands! Get help from the Queen of the Hippo-!”

Before she can finish her sentence, another orb hits her, and Celestia turns to stone in a few moments. Luna gasps, and she runs off, blasting back a creature before taking off. She gets a reasonable distance away before Tempest snipes her out of the sky with a well-aimed orb. Luna plummets to the ground as she turns to stone, punching through the stage roof. She would’ve been pulverized had Twilight not caught her in her magic, saving Luna from certain death.

“Luna!” Twilight exclaims, but while concentrating on keeping the lunar god from hitting the ground and shattering, she doesn’t see Tempest send another orb her way. But someone who watched the whole situation escalate does, and he blitzes down the tower and streaks toward her.

“TWILIGHT!” She looks up in confusion, and to her horror, she finally sees the orb beelining for her. An electric blur whisks her away as another pony jumps in front of them. The globe shatters, engulfing the pony and turning them to stone.

“Easy as pie,” Tempest chuckles, trotting over to admire her handiwork.

“Ooh, I love pie,” The hedgehog says, drooling at the thought. As the green smoke clears, it shows not Twilight but Derpy encased in stone. She had galloped over to save Twilight and take the orb for herself – a true hero. The hedgehog doesn’t notice the difference, even when the purple party hat falls off Derpy’s head. “Oh, you totally got the last princess!”

“That’s not the princess!” Tempest growls, her temper rising as she turns on him. “Grubber, find her now!”

“Gyeep!” He exclaims, and scrambles to carry out her orders. “Guys, we need to get the princess!”

Back with Twilight, Tionic carries her over and around the Storm Guards littering the courtyard. A close call with a fist knocks his sunglasses and hat off, and Twilight sees who saved her.

“What the -?!” She gasps, staring at her savior. “Who are you? What are you?!”

“There’s no time for that!” He exclaims, setting her down. “Just run!”

“Over here, y’all!” Applejack exclaims, waving the pair over to the rest of the Mane Seven. Tionic rushes over, surprising everyone as he decks any Storm Guards that get in the way halfway across the courtyard, clearing a path for him and Twilight.

“C’mon!” Rainbow shouts, rushing toward one of the exits leading to a bridge spanning one of the rivers cutting through the city. “This’ll take us out of Canterlot!”

Right as they reach halfway, two Storm Guards drop down from the other side, blocking their escape. Twilight gathers her mana and fires at them, but to her shock, the mana bolt bounces off the shield and hits the bridge. It detonates the center, sending them flying. Without a way to defy gravity, the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic plummet into the rushing waters below.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”

Debris, ponies, dragon, hedgehog, and Spark splash into the water, and avoiding the rubble, everyone breaches the surface. Sonic struggles to do so, but Rainbow swims over and wraps his arm around her neck, keeping him afloat.

That’s when they saw the waterfall they were fast approaching. The current is too strong for them, and they fly over and fall to the lake far below Canterlot. Above the waterfall, Grubber and two Storm Guards look down, trying to spot the ones they were chasing, but to no avail.

“Which one of you guys is going down there?” Grubber asks, one of the guards grunting in response. “I would, but I just had a hearty meal, and I will sink.”

They start to head back, but Grubber spots something close to the edge of the bridge. Embedded into the concrete is a glowing blue quill, which crackles with electricity occasionally. He stares in awe at it, amazed by how cool it looked.

"Ooh, I bet this would look good on Tempest!" He exclaims, pocketing the quill before catching up to the Storm Guards.

Far down the river, the Mane Seven and Spike drag themselves onto a bank a few miles downstream and finally take a breather underneath a dead tree over an entrance into the forest.

“Everypony okay?” Applejack wonders, pulling her hat out of the river and slapping it onto her head.

“I’m going to smell like river water for the next month,” Sonic groans, shaking water out of his quills. “But I’m fine.”

“We just got our cupcakes hoofed to us by the worst party crasher ever!” Pinkie exclaims, her happy demeanor diminished.

“We gotta go back there and fight!” Rainbow says, throwing a few punches.

“You saw the size of those… goons!” Spike exclaims. “You seriously want to go back?!”

“So now what?” Applejack asks. “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 gotta be there for Twilight.”

“By the way, where’s that guy that saved her?” Sonic questions, wringing water out of his gloves. “Wasn’t he with us when the bridge collapsed?”

They don’t have to wonder for long as another voice sings very familiar lyrics comes from the other side of the tree trunk.

Rolling around at this speed of sound
Got places to go, got to follow my rainbow!
Can’t stick around, got to keep moving on
Guess what lies ahead, only one way to -!

The figure stops, realizing it has an audience. Everyone turns to look at their visitor, and their jaws hit the ground. Tionic, holding a brown bag in his left hand and a small ring in his right, locks eyes with the Mane Seven and Spike.

“Uuuuhhh… meow?”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

“AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Twilight instinctively fires a sleep spell at Tionic, hitting his left thigh.

“Ow!” He exclaims, and staggers as the spell immediately takes effect. He struggles to power through it and keep his eyes open, but the last thing he sees is Canterlot off in the distance, billowing clouds of smoke. “W-what the… Canter… lot?”

He drops the ring he was holding, which rolls forward before dropping on its side. The ring expands, showing an aerial view of the city, making everyone’s jaw drop even further, if that was possible. Tionic collapses, dropping the bag into the portal, and it lands on a balcony. The portal slowly closes as Tionic reaches out in an attempt to get it, but it closes, and the sleep spell finally takes over as he falls asleep. Silence reigns supreme before Sonic breaks it.

“Was that really the best way to thank the one who saved you?”

Beyond Equestria

On the outskirts of the Everfree forest, the Mane Seven and Spike trudge down a worn path heading south. They traveled for hours, distancing themselves from Canterlot. Multiple patrols had come by over the hours looking for them, but luckily, they weren’t spotted, even with their strange ‘cargo,’ who was waking up from his impromptu nap.

“Uuuggghhh…” Tionic groans, rubbing his forehead. He notices a magenta aura surrounding him, and he traces back to its owner. “T-Twilight?”

“EEP!” She exclaims, stopping the flow of mana into the levitation spell holding Tionic in the air, and he lands on his back with a grunt. “Oh geez, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to drop you!”

“It’s alright,” Tionic assures, slowly getting up as he rubs his backside. “I’ll be fi-”

“You’re not here to abduct us, are you?” Pinkie Pie interrupts, pressing her face up to his. “Because I’m not in the mood to be probed right now.”

“Pretty sure you abducted me,” Tionic deadpans.

“…fair point,” Pinkie Pie says, backing away. Tionic gets up, dusting himself off, but he realizes he’s missing something.

“Wait, where are…?…!” Tionic gasps, looking around frantically. “My rings! Where are my rings?!”

“You mean that bag that fell through that weird portal earlier?” Spike ventures, pointing back towards Canterlot, which is nothing more than a speck at that point.“’cause it’s way back in Canterlot on a balcony.”

“Oh, horseapples…” Tionic groans, gripping his head. “This is bad, this really, really bad.”

“No kidding, genius,” Spike mutters, rolling his eyes.

“What’s so important about some rings?” Sonic wonders, gesturing to a group of Stamina Rings floating nearby. “Plenty float around the place, so why are you worried about one bag of ‘em?”

“Those aren’t Stamina Rings; they’re portal rings,” Tionic explains. “It’s how any advanced civilization travels from worlds, and mine are now stuck on the balcony somewhere in Canterlot.”

“Okay, dude, start talking!” Rainbow demands, having had enough of being confused. “Who are you? What are you?”

“First off, my name is Tionic,” He says, annoyed by the demand. “And I’m part of a race known as ‘Sparks,’ which are surprisingly similar to Mobians for some odd reason. Also, I’m in big trouble. My rings are missing; someone’s most likely after me now, and I can’t escape.”

“You’re in big trouble?!” Twilight shrieks. “We were ran out of Canterlot because of an invading army; the princesses were turned to stone, and now we have to look for this queen of hippos since Luna can’t do that anymore!”

“I’ve heard they’re surprisingly grateful for their size!” Pinkie pipes up. “But they’re always hungry.”

“Hungry?” Spikes says worriedly.

“Hippos?” Applejack finishes. Tionic and Sonic snort in amusement. Looks like they were the only ones who understood the context.

“They’re somewhere South, past the Prancing Plains,” Twilight explains, worrying Fluttershy and sending Rarity into a frenzy about not being packed for a trip. Everyone rolls their eyes. “I understand you’re scared, but I have to find this queen. She might be our only hope.”

“Um… hello? Super sonic hedgehog, right over here?” Sonic says, pointing to himself. “Literally dealt with Eggman for most of his life? I could easily go in there, beat Tempest and her army, and save the princesses without breaking a sweat.”

“True, but is that really what Princess Celestia wanted?” Tionic muses, rubbing his chin. “Had she chosen to ask you for help, she would have done so, but she didn’t. Instead, she deliberately told you not to attack and told Luna to find this queen. Wouldn’t that mean that she wanted specific help with a threat that they possibly have dealt with before?”

The Mane Seven and Spike stare at Tionic in shock. Very few have been able to shoot down one of Sonic’s plans so easily, yet here was this guy doing it like he’s been at it his whole life.

“That’s… a surprisingly solid theory there, Tionic,” Twilight says, thinking over it. “That means this queen has something that we don’t, and that’s why Celestia wanted her help.”

“It’s what I do,” Tionic chuckles. “Leading others in the right direction is something I picked up from my mom.”

“My, she must be proud of you, darling!” Rarity compliments.

“Heh heh… yeah, s-she is,” Tionic chuckles nervously. This doesn’t go unnoticed by the group, but they let it slide for the moment. “Anyway, let’s go find this queen. I’m not sitting around and waiting for that army to find us.”

“Wait, you’re coming with us?” Applejack asks.

“Well, of course,” Tionic says, folding his arms across his chest. “Since I lost my rings, and you guys are trying to help save Canterlot, it sounds like you could use some help in the long run,” He then gestures to his legs. “Also, my legs, which would normally be classified as lethal weapons, feel like spaghetti noodles. I’m not going anywhere on my own right now.”

Twilight squees in embarrassment, and Sonic walks over to the Spark.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Sonic says, putting Tionic’s arm around his shoulder. “I think we were due for a road trip, amiright?”

“Yepperoo!” Pinkie says, bouncing away from them. “Come on, you guys! Let’s go!”

“South is that way,” Spike points in the opposite direction.

“I knew that!” Pinkie giggles, bouncing backward before turning around. “Hey, who wants to play ‘Eye Spy’?”

Everyone groans; they know this will be a long road trip, and now they had Pinkie starting games that would last forever.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” Pinkie exclaims, and she looks around. “I spy with my little eye something… orange! No guesses? It’s you, Applejack!”

“Hopefully, she doesn’t start singing ’99 Bottles of Coke,’” Sonic whispers to Tionic, who chuckles at that. “We don’t need this trip to last longer than it already will.”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea, Sonic!” Pinkie pops beside him and startles Tionic. “That’ll make this trip go by way faster! C’mon girls, Spike, you gotta join in!”

“Wait, what?!” Sonic exclaims, his eyes widening. “Nonononono, Pinkie, don’t -!”

But it’s too late, and the Mane Six and Spike start belting the ridiculously long song. “99 bottles of Coke on the wall! Take one down, and now you’re left with 98 bottles of Coke on the wall!”

“NOOOOOOOO!” Sonic shouts to the sky, and Tionic laughs at him. The others joined in the laughter as well before continuing to sing.

Back in Canterlot, everyone has been captured or put in cages. Ponies are restrained with their muzzles and wings clamped shut, and any unicorn has an inhibitor placed on the horn, preventing them from using magic of any kind. The Mobians get off lucky, only having their feet and hands chained, but some get harsher treatment. Storm Guards patrol the city, searching for stragglers and trashing any party supplies. On the balcony of the throne room, Tempest watches with distaste.

“All this power wasted on parties when there are far greater uses,” Tempest sighs. Ringing draws her attention to two Storm Guards coming up behind a cauldron placed in the center of the throne room. One holds a glowing potion bottle in its paws, the sound coming from it. “Well? Answer it!”

The guard uncorks the bottle and pours the contents into the cauldron before both back up quickly. The mist rises, and a hologram of the figure depicted on the banner comes into view, presumably the Storm King, though only his torso is visible.

“Where am I supposed to be looking?” He mutters, trying to figure out what he is doing. “I never understand how this spell works. Tempest!”

“Over here, Your Excellency,” Tempest says, guiding the tyrant in the right direction.

“Where?”

“Over here.”

“Huh?”

“No. No, right. Look right.”

“My right?”

“Yep, there you go.”

“Oh, there you are,” The Storm King says, and he gets to business. “Here's the deal. I'm in the middle of a big re-brand here. ‘The Storm King’ is tracking well as ‘intensely intimidating,’ but you know what? I need to back it up. You know what needs to back it up? A storm! 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,” Tempest says, but the Storm King doesn’t seem interested, messing with the staff instead.

“Mm-hmm?”

“… It will channel the magic of the four rulers of this land.”

“Mm-hmmmm?”

“And you’ll soon have the power of a thousand armies.”

“So that would be a ‘yes’ on locking down the four Pegacornicuseses, or whatever you call them?”

“Alicorns,” Tempest corrects. “Give me three days. I'll have everything ready for your arrival.”

“Good. Now, remember, Tempest,” The Storm King says ominously. “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.” She assures.

“Great!” The Storm King exclaims, though a little warbled. “I'm ready to power up, crash and bash, and be the biggest, baddest bugaloo000-!”

He glitches out, and the call ends abruptly. Grubber stands behind the cauldron and shrugs.

“Sorry, bad spell service,” He says, approaching from the other side. “You want me to call him back?”

“Do you have the Princess?” Tempest fires back, making Grubber hesitate.

“Well, uh, funny story,” He chuckles nervously. “It kinda seems like she... she might've like, you know, got away... a little bit. I know you're disappointed, but I got one word for you: ‘spongecake.’”

He presents a cake to her, hoping that she would take it. But instead of taking it, Tempest fires a mana bolt at the cake, detonating it in Grubber’s paw.

“‘Disappointed’ is an understatement!” Tempest growls, her horn crackling. “I need all four for the staff to work!”

“Hey, I know! I want the Storm King to fix that crazy horn as badly as you do.” Grubber backs up, and he remembers something. “Ooh! But I did find this.”

He pulls out and presents a blue quill from his pocket, which glows brightly and occasionally sparks. Tempest’s eyes widen in surprise; she can feel the power radiating off the quill in huge spurts. “Where did you get that?”

“While we were chasing those ponies, that tall blue dude, not the short one, dropped this from his hair,” Grubber explains, handing the quill to her. “At least, I think it was hair. Anyway, I thought it would look cool on ya, so I brought it along.”

“Omoshiroi,” Tempest says in a foreign language, eying the quill for a moment before sticking her tongue out. She touches the quill to her tongue, and her head spasms out for a second.

“Uh, Tempest?” Grubber asks worriedly, “You okay?”

He’s slightly confused when Tempest offers to try it for himself, but it doesn’t last long as she shakes it off.

“Prepare my ship at once!” Tempest commands, and Grubber salutes before taking off. “We have a princess to capture.”

She stares out the window, gazing across Canterlot and the land of Equestria.

“I wonder how far one little pony and her friends could get alone?”

In two days? Deep in the heart of the Badlands and hundreds of miles from any known civilization far.

The Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic trudge through the insane heat of the desert, each sweating profusely. The girls’ manes are all over the place, and their fur is matted from the incredible amount of sweat they generate. Tionic and Sonic’s quills stick out in every direction, and Sonic had gotten so hot that he even took off his gloves, letting his peach, clawed fingertips breathe. Tionic had his scarf draped over his shoulder. Spike, despite being a dragon and being able to swim in lava, was gasping and sweating buckets.

“There's sand in my... everything... Heh... saving... Equestria... hehehehehehe…” Pinkie chuckles demonically. She spots a skull in the sand and picks it up. “Oh! Look! Maybe this guy knows which way to go! What's that, friend? We're lost? HahahaheheheheEEE!”

Pinkie face-plants in the sand, and her hair deflates like a balloon. Tionic looks back at her worriedly and goes over to pick up the mare to make sure she doesn’t end up like that skull she found.

“We could be going in... circles! Endless... sand...” Spike moans, and he collapses in the sand too. “Nothing for miles... but sand... and this rock... and this cactus... and this roooooooooaaaaaad...this rooooooad...?”

“Hmm…? A road?” Twilight perks up. “Where there's a road, there's a...!”

They reach the top of the dune, and the sight that greets them blows them away. The path, surrounded by abandoned buildings and other wood-based structures, leads to a city, if it could be called that, which towers over a cliff edge, flying ships docking and departing from it.

The buildings are either old, defying physics or stacked on top of each other like building blocks. Cranes and wires run from building to building, and a windmill peeks out from within. The dust and sand everywhere give the place a look of neglect and disrepair despite there being many creatures coming and going.

“Whoa!” Rainbow gawks.

“Cool!” Sonic grins, surveying the place. “This place looks like it was designed for parkour!”

“What is that?” Rarity wonders.

“Oooh! A city!” Pinkie exclaims, perking up as if she wasn’t almost dead a moment ago, and hops off Tionic’s back. “We’re doing it, you guys!

“You know what they say: where there's a city, there's a spa!” Rarity giggles, and she picks up the pace.

“Who says that?” Rainbow asks.

“‘Case you forgot, we're on a mission to save Equestria, Marshmellow!” Tionic says, catching up with her.

“I can multitask,” She says back, picking up the pace.

Entering the city, the group finds themselves in a marketplace, with vendors and tents set up everywhere and creatures of every shape and size meandering about, browsing for something to buy or trade.

“Storm King bobbleheads!” One shouts, holding out said bobblehead to the group, hoping to get a sale from one of them. They walk on, ignoring his cries. Further in, more vendors try their luck with them, but Tionic and Sonic always steer them clear.

“Hey!” Another vendor calls out to Twilight. "You with the horn, you selling?"

"Keep walking," Tionic mutters to her, not making eye contact with the vendor. Twilight gulps and nods, doing the same. They reach another part of the marketplace, filled with cages holding animals of every shape and size, including Flickies. Fluttershy shrinks behind Sonic, and he growls silently, gritting his teeth as he forces himself to keep moving.

“Oh...” Fluttershy slows down for a moment, eying the caged animals and Flickies worriedly, saddened that they were captured and being sold against their will. When the birds squawk even louder, she soon finds out that having the ability to understand animals isn't always a good thing, especially when they get mouthy. “Ooh!”

She hightails it out of there and catches back up with the others, who reach another part of town, most likely the entertainment district, evident by the neon signs hanging by windows and the sides of the buildings. Twilight then takes a chance to possibly get some information with a turtle loading barrels into his cart nearby.

“Hi there!” Twilight says, startling the turtle, causing the barrels to collapse and spill onto the road. “Oh, I'm sorry! Here, lemme help you with -"

As Twilight levitates the barrels back onto the cart, the turtle scowls at her, making her hesitate momentarily.

“No magic around my merchandise!” He snaps, causing Twilight to drop the barrels. He then chases the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic away, and they stop in the middle of an intersection to take a moment to relax.

"Sheesh, this place is pleasant," Sonic grumbles. "It's gonna be impossible to get any help if this is how everyone acts."

As Sonic complains about the town's hospitality, Tionic looks around the intersection, hoping to spot something useful. His eyes are drawn to a large sign depicting 'Klugetown Pit' hanging above a western-style swinging door. An idea pops into his head, and he turns to the others.

“I’ve got an idea,” Tionic says and jabs a thumb toward the establishment. “How ‘bout we try that bar over there? Bars always have somebody with information on practically everything.”

“Aren’t bars dangerous?” Fluttershy whimpers, a little scared. “I’ve heard they can get pretty violent at times.”

Tionic shakes his head. “Unless you start a bar fight, no. Which better not be any of your bucket lists. Sonic, Rainbow, I’m looking at you,” He narrows his eyes at them, and they look away, trying to act innocent. “Then not really. Just stay close and let me do the talking; I might be able to get something on this Queen of Hippos we're looking for.”

“Or maybe a black eye?” Rainbow grins cheekily, and she heads toward the entrance.

“I’ll be fine!” Tionic protests as he follows her, the rest filing behind them. They’re unaware of a cat in a red trench coat overhearing their conversation, and he takes an interest in this.

“Hmmm... Very interesting...” He murmurs, and a plan starts to form in his head. He then walks to the window to watch what happens outside the bar.

A Friend Among Enemies?

The bar is packed to the brim, with patrons and creatures of every kind talking and drinking, and some even enjoying the games the place offers. The Mane Five are visibly nervous, and Spike sticks close to Twilight. Sonic and Rainbow, on the other hand, aren’t phased at all and look around the bar. Tionic leads the group toward the bar, and upon reaching it, he turns to the others.

“Alright, just to be safe, do not talk to anyone else,” Tionic warns, eying a few tough-looking individuals sitting nearby. “You guys hang out here while I see what I can find.”

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” asks Sonic.

“Positive,” Tionic nods, then his expression hardens as he locks his gaze on the speedsters. “And remember, don’t start a bar fight.”

“Okay, we heard you the first time!” Rainbow groans, rolling her eyes. “Sweet Celestia, you sound like Tails!”

“You two are danger magnets, so don’t give me that,” Tionic points out. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

With that, he leaves the Mane Seven at the bar and walks over to some creatures to ask them if they know anything about this queen.

“Might as well order something while we wait,” Sonic shrugs, taking a seat. “Lessee what they got on the menu. Hey, waiter! Can we get some menus over here?”

The waiter gives each of them one, and they browse the options. It only takes one look at the drinks section for Applejack’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“Wait, they’ve got Sweet Apple Acres cider here?!” Applejack exclaims, amazed to see the beverage here. “Hoo-wee! Ah knew our cider was popular, but ah didn’t think it would make it out here!”

“I know what I’m ordering!” Rainbow says, grinning happily. Once everyone had decided on a drink, they flipped the menu over to check out the food they had, and boy, did they have a lot to offer.

“Chilidogs?! They have chilidogs here?!” Sonic exclaims, stars in his eyes. Then, something catches his eye, and he looks over to Twilight. “Ooh! I think you’ll like this, Twilight! They’ve got hayburgers, too!”

“They do?!” Twilight’s head snapped to the menu again, and sure enough, hayburgers were on it. A few minutes later, the waiter takes their orders, and their food and drinks are swiftly brought over.

As they happily munch on their food, Twilight spots Tionic out of the corner of her eye, and she turns her head to see him talking with a group of menacing-looking Klugetowners, each wearing a symbol she couldn’t make out on their clothes. She can’t hear what he’s saying, but Tionic suddenly bursts out laughing alongside the gang members.

“Girls, Sonic, do you think Tionic’s hiding something?” says Twilight, not taking her gaze off Tionic as he continues talking with the gang.

“Nope,” says Sonic, scarfing another chilidog down his throat. “What makes you think that?”

“There’s something about him that doesn’t feel right,” Twilight grumbles, managing to tear her gaze off Tionic and direct it back at her friends. “Also, I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, but he seems familiar to me, but I don’t know why.”

“Maybe it’s because he’s been secretly watching us for almost four years, hiding out in a burrow in the Everfree Forest, and we all caught glimpses of him during some of our Heart Songs that he got caught up in?” As usual, Pinkie spouts something that makes no sense to her friends as they stare at the mare.

“…yeah, I don’t think that’s it, Pinkie.” Rainbow deadpans, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, you never know!” Pinkie exclaims. “It could be true!”

“I don’t know if I can trust him just yet,” says Twilight. “He might seem like a great guy, but what if he’s up to something?”

“Twi, why would he do that?” asks Applejack. “He saved yer life, and he’s helpin’ to find this queen yer lookin’ for.”

She gestures back to Tionic, who’s still talking to the gang. It looked like his talking had brought in more creatures, as he was now talking to others who had joined them. But he had a troubled look on his face, and his frown only grew deeper as they continued to converse.

“If he was lyin’ ‘bout somethin’, ah’d know,” Applejack says, pointing to herself. “But he’s said nothin’ but the truth since we met him. Just give Tionic a chance, alright?”

“…okay,” Twilight agrees, though a little reluctantly. “I will, but I’m keeping an eye on him.”

As she says this, she notices Tionic shake one of the member’s hands with a sigh. He pats one on the back, and he walks back over to the Mane Seven an Co.

“Hey there, Tionic,” Sonic greets, noticing his frown. “I’m guessing from the look on your face you could find anything?”

“Nope,” Tionic groans, plopping onto the seat next to Sonic. “They heard rumors of a queen of some sort, but that’s all I could find out. I’m starting to think this ‘Queen of Hippos’ doesn’t exist. But I did meet some great guys over there.”

He gestures to the gang he was talking to earlier and waves to them, and they wave back. But before he could say anything else, they suddenly freeze, terrified looks crossing their faces. Tionic raises an eyebrow in confusion, but heavy footsteps draw his attention behind him, and he comes face to face with what is scaring them.

A large blue shark-fish hybrid stands before Tionic, his yellow eyes glaring at him. Red gills run up the side of his head, and a fin extends to its full height on his head, as well as his tail fin flexing to intimidate. A jagged scar runs down the middle of his face, and his scowl shows four sharp, yellowed fangs protruding from his lips.

“Hey, you,” The shark fish growls, showing more of his teeth as he glares at Tionic and the Mane Seven. “The name’s Mori, and I’m the one who calls the shots around here. I don’t like your kind around here, so I suggest you get out before I make you.”

“Our kind?” Rarity scoffs, insulted by the comment. “My, how rude.”

“N-no, it’s okay, w-we we’re just leaving!” Twilight stammers, quickly getting down from her seat and gesturing for her friends to do the same. Before she could get any farther, Tionic puts a hand on her shoulder, making her stop and look at him in confusion.

“It’s alright, Twilight,” Tionic says, winking at her. He faces the shark fish, grinning.

“Pop-quiz, hotshot,” He says, matching Mori’s glare. “You’re threatening two supersonic beings, an overpowered alicorn, a dragon, and five very capable mares. In what world do you think you can take us on, huh?”

In response, Mori reels his fist back and throws it at Tionic. To Mori’s surprise, Tionic merely angles his head to the right, and the fist doesn’t connect. He chuckles as he steps away from the extended fist, a cocky grin plastered to his face.

“Nice try, but that’s not gonna-!” Before Tionic can continue, another fist suddenly flies at him, and he narrowly ducks below it. “Wuh-oh!”

The fist slams into a patron’s face who was unlucky enough to be standing behind Tionic when he dodged, and they stumble back into the waiter, causing her to drop her tray of drinks onto another patron. Soaked from the various liquids, they punch the waiter for that, and before they know it, a full-blown bar fight explodes between everyone.

“What’d you say about not starting a bar fight?!” Sonic chastises, dodging a fist. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure you said not to!”

“To be fair, they started it!” Tionic exclaims back, then notices Mori in front of him. “Heh, bring it!”

He obliges, but Tionic jumps over him while rapidly punching Mori’s face as he sails over him. Tionic lands behind him, blowing on his fists like they were smoking. He turns around, expecting to see Mori on the ground, but to his disappointment, he’s not, and he’s even more livid than ever. Mori charges at Tionic, arms outstretched and ready to strangle him. As he’s about to grab him, time slows to a standstill, and Tionic stands in front of him, amused.

“Really?” Tionic questions his still attacker. He was about to move when something out of his eye caught his attention. His eyes widen when he sees Sonic and Rainbow moving normally, shocking him and them both.

“Wait, how are you two moving?!” Tionic exclaims. “You’re supposed to be at a standstill!”

“Us?!” Rainbow questions. “I was about to ask you how you’re moving so fast!”

“It’s my powers doing this,” Tionic quickly explains. “But that doesn’t explain how you two are unaffected!”

“I’m naturally this fast,” Sonic says, then points to Rainbow. “Dashie has trained to keep up with me over the years, and her awareness has gotten this good.”

“Oh, I see,” Tionic nods, looking around the bar. A mischievous grin grows on his face, and he looks at his fellow speedsters. “How ‘bout we have a little fun with these guys, eh?”

“Oh-ho-ho!” Sonic chuckles, rubbing his hands together. “I’m starting to like you more and more, Tionic!”

All three split off, ready to cause untold amounts of mayhem to the brawlers with their speed. But before they do that, they spot the Mane Five and Spike huddled together by the pool table, surrounded by Klugetowners. Sonic pulls down the hats of a few, covering their eyes while Rainbow hooks some underwear to a light fixture hanging above the pool table.

Tionic pushes the girls and Spike back to the bar, placing the food and drinks they ordered in front of them. He runs over to the edge, where he spots a waitress tripping and dropping her tray of hotdog hamburger hybrids. He plucks one out of the air and tries it, instantly falling in love with the taste that greets his taste buds before gobbling up the rest, letting out a belch once he’s done.

With Sonic, he’s taken to decorating a pig and turtle being head-locked by a shark with a bottle of ketchup and mustard until they are empty. Tionic scribbles on the shark’s face, dancing a jig with sparklers behind him before placing them in his ears.

Rainbow zips in and out of the bathroom and whirls around a hedgehog about to throw a barrel at a gopher as she mummifies them in toilet paper. She admires her work momentarily before meeting back up with the boys. They all grab a streamer hanging from the walls and weave in and out between legs and limbs, not missing anyone.

Tionic runs on the ceiling, twirling a lasso tied to the end above his head and tangling it in a ceiling fan. He takes to the wall, grabs a bear head, and jumps over brawlers back to Mori. He dunks it on his head and flips back in place, Sonic and Rainbow doing the same. Tionic grabs a plaid tablecloth, holding it out to the side like a bullfighter before letting time flow normally.

Everything happens at once. The fan pulls on the streamers and, being tangled in everyone’s limbs, yanks their feet out from under them, crashing to the floor simultaneously. Fists are thrown, some hitting unintended targets or nothing at all. The stretched underwear hooked on the light fixture snaps back, taking the light with it as it slams into their owners, toppling them down as they yell out in pain. And finally, Mori charges Tionic but misses as Tionic moves out of the way.

“Olé!” He exclaims, watching the fish crash through the glass and into the street. Patrons lie on the ground groaning in pain, streamers are everywhere, and someone struggles to move due to the amount of toilet paper wrapped around him before tripping over someone else and falling flat on his face.

The Mane Five and Spike look around in bewilderment, wondering what happened and why everyone was on the floor. The speedsters zip next to them, smug looks on their faces as they look at their work proudly.

“So, do you think we should get out of here?” Sonic suggests.

“Definitely,” Twilight nods, heading for the exit. Everyone followed suit and quickly burst out of the bar, leaving behind the disaster the speedsters caused.

“Did you see how much toilet paper I used?!” Rainbow exclaims. “Whoever goes next is gonna have nothing to wipe with!”

Sonic and Tionic laugh in agreement, but it’s short-lived when they skid to a stop. Somehow, they had managed to get surrounded, and there was no way out.

“Girls, Spike, huddle up! Sonic, Rainbow, take a place around them!” Tionic orders, moving a finger in a circle above him before taking a spot himself. “Crap, I didn’t think we’d get mobbed that fast!”

To make things even worse, everyone in the bar had barged out into the street and joined the crowd. Mori was already closing in on Tionic, bear head in hand - er, fin. But before the crowd could get any closer, a cat wearing a patchy red trench coat gets between Tionic and Mori, surprising them both.

“Back up, everyone! Back it up! Y'all in some serious danger!” He exclaims, waving his arms out to disperse the crowd a little. “Now, you didn't touch any of them, did you? Just look at all those colors! You think that's natural? They're infected with ‘pastelis coloritis’.”

The crowd gasps, backing away from the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic in fear. Miffed by that outright lie, Applejack confronts the cat. “Now, you listen here, fella, there ain't -!”

“As long as you don’t have purple splotches,” The cat interrupts, secretly dipping the tip of his tail into some berry juice and flicking it at someone next to him, who just so happens to be Mori. “You’ll be fine. Uh oh!”

He gestures to Mori, who starts panicking when he sees the purple splotches while the crowd backs away. “What do I do?!”

“Enjoy your last moments. Oh, and don’t touch anyone,” He says nonchalantly. “Because parts will fall off.”

“Me parts!” That strikes home. Everyone gathered zips away from the ponies, fearing they might catch the dreaded ‘pastelis coloritis’ and lose their ‘parts,’ leaving them alone in the deserted street.

“Well, all right,” The cat purrs, turning around to face the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic.

“Gotta admit, that was real smooth right there, dude!” Sonic compliments, and the cat nods in agreement.

“And quite charming,” Rarity giggles. Spike huffs in annoyance, annoyed that his crush was flirting with the cat.

“Capper's the name, charming’s my game,” He introduces, bowing slightly. “I overheard you asking around earlier about hippos. Thought I would lend a paw to you new bloods.”

“Um, can you give us a second?” Twilight asks, and Capper shrugs. She gestures for the others to huddle up for a moment.

“I don't know if we should trust him,” She mutters. “There’s something about him that doesn’t feel right.”

“Give him a chance, Twilight,” Tionic says. “Who knows, maybe he’s a great guy! And if it does come down to it, we’ll be fine.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaims. “We could definitely use a friend out here!”

“Little Cotton Candy Hair is right,” Capper says as he inserts himself into the huddle. “Having a friend in Klugetown is necessary if you want to survive. Follow me, I’ll bring you to my place.”

Capper gestures for them to follow him, and they quickly follow behind the cat. Twilight, however, lags behind a little, still wary if she should trust this individual to help them. Tionic notices this, so he slows down enough so Twilight can walk next to him.

“Don’t trust Capper, do ya, Twilight?” He asks, surprising her as she has been too focused on watching Capper. She is about to say something, but Tionic beats her to the punch. “I understand trusting a stranger is hard, and it’ll take time for them to earn that trust. But you shouldn’t distance yourself and keep thinking he’s up to something – that’ll make you paranoid about everything and give you unnecessary anxiety.”

Twilight stops and thinks momentarily, Tionic’s words echoing around in her head. ‘I guess he’s right. I am acting kind of paranoid about all of this. Maybe I’ll give this cat a chance…’ Twilight’s train of thought is interrupted when Tionic places a hand on her shoulder, causing her to glance at Tionic.

“Remember, Twilight,” He says, squeezing her shoulder. “You’ve got seven dependable friends to count on if something goes wrong, so don’t worry about it. Now let’s catch up with your friends, alright?”

Twilight nods, giving a small smile in response. The two of them quickly matched the pace of the Mane Six and Capper, and luckily, none of them noticed them disappearing for a moment. Capper leads the Mane Seven and Co. through the streets of Klugetown, avoiding encounters with anycreature and taking shortcuts when possible.

Soon, they reach the windmill, and Capper gestures them inside. Before he heads inside himself, he quickly looks around and spots a small raccoon wearing a tiny top hat, sitting by the entrance, bundled up in a coat and scarf.

“Here,” He says, pulling a piece of paper from his coat and tucking it into the raccoon’s scarf. “Tell Verko, ‘My place, twenty minutes.’ I’ve got something that will magically erase all of my debt.”

Before the Mane Seven and Co. could suspect something was amiss, Capper rejoins them and leads through the inside and up top. Reaching it, he opens a trapdoor in the floor and hops through.

“Welcome, my little ponies, to my little manor,” He says. Various items lie on shelves and in glass door cabinets around the place, ranging from plates to paintings, and even a gramophone sits on a table, ready to play music.

“Ooh! A sort of roco, hobo, Bohemian hodgepodge!” Rarity says, though she’s careful with her choice of words, as she’s not exactly the biggest fan of how Capper’s place looks and doesn’t want to insult him.

“Apologies for the state of my litter box,” He says. “I wasn't expecting guests.”

“Ooh! So many fun breakables!” Pinkie exclaims, eyeing the hanging bottles from the ceiling. Twilight spots a bookshelf placed underneath the stairs and, being a natural bookworm, heads over to browse the books on the shelf, hoping to find something important while the Mane Six and Co. talk with Capper.

“Hey, Capper,” Tionic says, grabbing the cat’s paw for a handshake. “I just wanna say thanks for the help. If you hadn’t come along when you did, I’m not sure what would’ve happened!”

“Yeah, uh, it was no problem!” He says, ending the handshake before plopping down in a sofa chair next to the gramophone. “Now, y’all sure you want the Hippos?”

“Yessirree!” Pinkie confirms. “The Queen of the Hippos!”

“So, not like the Queen of the Lions, Tigers, and Bears?” Capper suggests.

“Oh, my!” Fluttershy giggles. “She sounds pleasant!”

Twilight, however, has tuned out their conversation as she continues looking through the books and various cat-related items. One book in particular catches her eye – a brown book with bronze corners and a picture of a cropped map of the Badlands on the front. The four cardinal directions are placed below it, and some designs look like wings. Twilight instantly recognizes that the book may hold the answers she needs.

Back at the market, a massive commotion erupts when Storm Guards arrive and start flinging barrels and upending stalls, searching for something, or somepony.

“Please! Please! I don't know anything!” A shark vendor exclaims, shaking in fear as a Storm Guard lumbers to his stall. In one quick motion, it swipes all of his products off the table and flips the table they were on out of the way to get face-to-face with the shark and growl. “Ah!”

In the middle of the chaos, Tempest and Grubber stroll down the street, watching the guards terrorize the Klugetowners as they search for their target.

“You really think the ponies got this far?” Grubber questions, munching on a caramel apple.

“Oh, they're here, alright,” says Tempest, her eyes sliding right to lock onto a curly pink strand of hair caught by a piece of wood from a broken barrel nearby. She then addresses the crowd. “Attention! A little purple pony passed this way. Tell me where she is...”

“…or something real bad’s gonna happen.” Grubber finishes, pointing his snack at the crowd. Then, one individual lumbers out of the crowd, towering above the pair and making Grubber squeak in fear and slide behind Tempest.

“You think we're gonna fall for this again?” Mori growls, showing more of his yellowed, crooked teeth. “I don't know what kinda scam you're workin' with Capper and the rest of your friends, but—“

“Friends?" Tempest raises an eyebrow as she tests the word, still not taking her gaze off Mori.

“Poison or no poison, you're gonna pay!” He throws a hefty right hook at Tempest, but she easily ducks underneath the blow and bucks Mori’s gut hard. He stumbles away, clutching his throbbing abdomen as he groans from the pain. Before Mori can recover, Tempest sweeps his feet out from under him and drops an axe kick to his gut again to slam him to the ground, making him gag, and his eyes bulge. Not giving Mori a second, Tempest grabs his tail with her mouth and jumps an impressive height for a unicorn while dragging the fish shark along. Using Mori’s considerable size to her advantage, Tempest swings him around twice before throwing him to the ground, dust exploding from the impact.

“Ohhhh, Fishman just got dropped!” Grubber exclaims, having enjoyed the display of skill and agility.

“Now...” Tempest says, climbing onto Mori’s back, making him whimper in fear as she activates her magic and lets the mana spark and fizzle. “...about this... ‘Capper’.”

Back at the windmill, Capper, Tionic, and the Mane Six are in Capper’s room talking and laughing. They’re currently listening to Sonic talk about one of the adventures he had as a kid, his story amusing Capper.

“Stop playin’ me, a sonic boom?” Capper scoffs, getting off of his bed. “There’s no way any creature can go that fast, especially not with legs as small as yours!”

“Despite my looks, I can break the sound barrier anytime, anywhere!” Sonic grins as he strokes his ego. “Plus, I’m not the only one who can do it! Dashie over here can do it too, but when she does it, she creates a massive rainbow shockwave from the epicenter, and it’s called the ‘Sonic Rainboom!’”

“You wanna see it?” Rainbow exclaims, quickly flapping her wings and getting airborne. Before she can get anywhere, Capper quickly intervenes.

“Nonono! I don’t need you ‘Sonic-Rainbooming’ up in my place, thank you very much,” Capper exclaims. He feels a tug pull on his left sleeve, now covered in a light-blue aura, as it brings his arm out and forward. “Woah, hey, hold up now.”

“Here you go,” Rarity says, sewing up the hole in his sleeve and adding two golden buttons to Capper’s coat. “I do apologize; if we were back home, I could’ve done something truly amazing.”

“Okay…” Capper says hesitantly, narrowing his eyes. “What’s the catch?”

“After all you’ve done for us, consider it a thank you,” Rarity giggles. Capper stares at the button, guilt building up inside him. “Speaking of which, Tionic, I have something for you as well.”

“Me?” Tionic points to himself. “What for?”

“Well, you saved Twilight from Tempest earlier,” Rarity states. “You even kept Sonic from doing something reckless back in the forest. Also, I’ve noticed your rather… unique choice of footwear.”

“True on all fronts,” Tionic sighs, raising a leg behind him and eyeing the holes in the shoe, his pale, dirty feet visible. “I think I wore them and the socks out a couple hundred miles ago.”

“That’s why I made you these,” Rarity smiles, hovering a pair of shoes over to Tionic. “Again, I must apologize, but with limited supplies, it’s the best I can do for you. I’ll swap the buckles out for power rings once this is over to ensure they never wear out again.”

They are bright red shoes with a white stripe down the middle, which stop halfway down the shoe. Two white fasteners are placed on both sides at an angle, held together by a golden buckle like Sonic’s. As a bonus, he even got a new pair of built-in socks since his last pair had long since died.

“Woah-ho-ho!” Tionic gapes, his eyes sparkling. He pulls his old ones off, tossing them aside, and quickly puts on the new pair. Tionic pulls a few moves to break into them, getting a feel for them. “Alright, looking good!”

“Guys!” A voice exclaims, and everyone turns to see Twilight trotting in with a map in her magical grasp. She places it down on the table, and they all gather around. She then points to a mountain with two eagle-like ponies drawn on both sides. “We've been looking for the wrong queen! We don't need the Queen of the Hippos, we need the Queen of the Hippogriffs - part pony, part eagle!”

“Oh. Oh, the Hippogriffs!” Capper exclaims, snapping his fingers as he remembers what they are, but a troubled look crosses his face. “Well, the problem with that is... no one knows exactly where they are. They haven’t been seen for decades.”

“Says here they're on the top of Mount Aris!” Twilight counters, gesturing to the top of the map again.

“You mean the mountain right outside the window?” Pinkie asks, pointing out the window toward the obvious mountain poking out of the smoky haze far off in the distance.

“Objects in windows may be less mountainous than they appear,” Capper says, shrugging. “In my defense, I don’t clean my windows as often as I should, so they get pretty grimy. Plus, there hasn’t been any activity on that mountain for a long time, so who knows if anyone’s there.”

“In any case,” Twilight folds the map up and trots toward the door. “Let's go, everypony.”

“Wait!” Capper yowls, zipping in front of the door. “Hold up! You can't make it by y'allselves. You’ll need an airship! And lucky for you, I can get you a ride.”

“I think we can get there on our own.” Twilight pushes Capper aside and goes to open the door. Opening it, she’s met with the less-than-pleasant sight of a naked mole rat wearing a black tuxedo, a droopy top hat, and copper, leather-bound goggles that cover his eyes.

“Here's Verko!” He exclaims, making Twilight backpedal in surprise. He turns to Capper, walking up and poking him in the chest. “These ponies better shoot rainbow lasers out their eyes if they're gonna settle your debt! Brought the big cage. Let's load 'em up!”

The Mane Six gasp, and Sonic quickly gets in front of them. Tionic glares at Capper, clenching his fists as his powers come to life. To his surprise, instead of seeing a smug smile on the cat’s muzzle, he sees Capper frowning and biting his lip. It would seem that Capper was having second thoughts about this arrangement.

“You were... You were going to sell us?!” Rarity gasps. Capper doesn’t make eye contact and stares at the floor, struggling with the thoughts tumbling in his head.

“I knew it!” Twilight growls. “We gotta get outta here!”

Before she can go anywhere, familiar laughing from outside the door makes her and the Mane Five’s eyes shrink in horror, and the two speedsters place themselves between them and the mare who had been chasing them down.

“Tempest?!” Twilight gasps, stepping back in shock as she stares at the crackling mana from Tempest’s broken horn.

“Silly little ponies,” She chuckles, making Spike hide behind Twilight and Fluttershy to put a lampshade over her head. “Trusting strangers, now are we? Big mistake. Big...”

“Huge!” Grubber finishes, waving his arms out wide to emphasize.

“Hoo-hoo! My goodness!” Verko exclaims, grabbing Tempest’s face. “Well, look at you, with your scary broken horn and scowly eyes. What tricks do you know, my little pony-wony?”

She responds by showing the mole rat her magical strength for a few seconds, electrocuting and frying him to a crisp.

“N-not bad...” Verko weakly says, coughing out smoke and collapsing to the floor, leaving The Mane Seven and Co. in Tempest’s line of sight.

“Get her now!” Tempest commands and multiple Storm Guards charge into the room, ready to capture Twilight.

“Twilight! You, Spike, and the girls run out the window!” Tionic exclaims, pointing to it as a blade goes by. “Sonic and I will keep Tempest and her goons busy!”

“But what about you?!” She exclaims, staying behind while her friends leave through the window and clamber onto the windmill’s blades.

“We’ll be fine!” Tionic assures. “Now go!”

Twilight hesitantly nods, but she does as he says and bolts out the window to follow Spike and the girls. Tionic then stands next to Sonic.

“Alright, Sonic,” Tionic says, putting up a fighting stance alongside his fellow speedster. “You wanna take the goons while I deal with Tempest?”

“Sure, why not,” Sonic shrugs before grinning. “Just save some for me later on!”

“I can’t guarantee that, but alright!” Tionic exclaims before Sonic Spindashes into all of the Storm Guards and sends them flying out the door and windows. One guard manages to stay in the room, and seeing the Mane Six hanging onto a windmill blade, he grabs it, stopping it from moving. Twilight and Rainbow quickly get into position and start pushing in the other direction, flapping their wings hard.

With a creak and a groan, the blade the Storm Guard was holding cracks off, and the windmill spins uncontrollably from Twilight’s and Rainbow’s efforts. The next blade hits him in the face, knocking him back into the room, but only for a second as Sonic kicks him back out the window, only for another blade to send him flying.

Being an old structure, the bolts holding the windmill in place come loose and out of the metal bracket, letting the mill separate from the building and crash to the ground. Since it was still spinning when it hit the ground, the mill bounced down the street while the Mane Six and Spike held on for dear life.

“Ah’m! Gonna! Be! Sick!” Applejack exclaims, trying to hold down her lunch. Back at Capper’s place, Tionic and Tempest face each other, neither relenting as they keep eye contact.

“Get out of my way, whatever you are,” Tempest growls as her magic fizzles from her horn. “My business is with the princess, not you.”

“Sorry, can’t do that,” Tionic shakes his head, then offers a deal. “How ‘bout you leave us alone while we try to stop your boss from taking over Equestria?”

“Not happening,” Tempest scowls. “Now, I suggest you surrender before you really get hurt. You are no match for somepony like me.”

“You sure you want to test that, Tempest?” Tionic grins, his powers jumping from his quills. “You should be the one surrendering, not me.”

“Confidence!” Tempest scoffs. “A fool’s substitute for intelligence and experience.”

“Oh, yeah?” Tionic grins as he clenches his fist. “If that’s the case, then try to keep up.”

He crouches down slightly, tensing his muscles. His body flickers slightly, and the next thing Tempest knew, she was on the other side of the street, her muzzle throbbing from the hit she inexplicably took.

‘Did he hit me?!’ Tempest wonders, groaning as she gets to her hooves, shaking the dust and stars from her head. ‘From over there?! He hasn’t even moved! Is he moving that fast, or is it something -!’

She never finishes the thought as Tionic disappears and reappears right in front of her, a toothy grin plastered on his face showing his sharp canines, making her backpedal in shock from his sudden appearance. But Tempest doesn’t let it surprise her for long and quickly retaliates, firing a bolt of crackling mana at Tionic point blank. To her surprise, the mana bolt phases through him and strikes a barrel by the door she flew out of, splinters and colorful lights going everywhere.

“What’s the matter, Tempest?” Tionic taunts, folding his arms across his chest. “My confidence too much for you?”

“Shut up!” Tempest exclaims and decides to go for a melee attack, swinging her back leg in hopes of knocking him off his feet. Unfortunately for her, Tionic jumps over the leg sweep and connects his leg to Tempest’s muzzle, sending her flying into a stall. Fed up with this, she sends a shockwave of magic out, obliterating the booth and anything around it. Tempest flings multiple mana bolts at Tionic, but he easily dodges and ducks under each one, angering his attacker more. “Argh! Hold still, you pest!”

“How ‘bout ‘no’!” He says, cupping his hands around his mouth and splitting his legs apart to let several more bolts fly underneath him.

“How are you moving this fast?!” Tempest exclaims, her anger getting the best of her as she bucks some nearby barrels at her opponent in quick succession. “Nopony can move that fast without a speed spell or some outlying source!”

“Nope, it’s all natural,” Tionic says, knocking away the barrels with well-placed kicks. “By the way, there is somepony that can go this fast without a spell.”

“You’re lying,” Tempest says, thinking she’s calling his bluff. “You must be using some kind of spell to move and react that fast.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Tionic shrugs, and his expression darkens. “Also, this fight is over.”

“What are you talking abou-?”

Just like before, Tionic disappears, and Tempest finds herself lying on her back. Tionic stands above her, his fist drawn back and crackling with electricity, poised to strike. Tempest tries to think of a way to escape this situation, but even with years of training and mastery of various combat arts, she cannot see a way to escape Tionic’s grasp due to his speed. All she can do is lie there and sigh in defeat, knowing that she may not come out of this alive.

“Well?” Tempest groans, closing her eyes due to the sudden surge of pain rippling through various parts of her body. “What are you waiting for? Do it.”

“Mmmm… nah.”

“What?” Her eyes slam open in shock to stare at her would-have killer. “Y-you’re not going to kill me?”

“Why would I kill somepony who doesn’t deserve to die?” Tionic says, his powers dimming as he backs off Tempest. “You aren’t a bad pony, Tempest, but I can see you’re misguided. Are you sure the path you’ve chosen is the one you want?”

“Of course it is!” She exclaims, struggling to get to her hooves. She manages to stay upright, and she levels her gaze at Tionic. “I am loyal to the Storm King, and I serve under his orders! That’s not going to change.”

“Suit yourself,” He shrugs, then turns around. He glances back for a moment. “Just remember what I asked you, alright?”

“Hmph, as if I would ever keep a promise to you,” Tempest scoffs, clutching her left arm. “You’ll regret letting me go.”

“Sure I will,” Tionic says, rolling his eyes as he crouches into a runner’s starting position, his powers showing.

“Wait!” Tempest exclaims, making Tionic stop in his tracks. “What, no, who are you?”

He chuckles, standing back to his full height, and faces Tempest.

“The name’s Tionic,” He grins, jabbing a thumb at his chest. “Tionic the Spark!”

And with that final note, he blitzes into Capper’s house and comes out with another blue blur following his electrical one in the direction the windmill bounced off.

On the Ship

Meanwhile, the Mane Six had just escaped the windmill of death and were rushing through the building they jumped into from the collapsing scaffolding the windmill destroyed. Twilight spots the docks, and she can see a ship docked close by.

“We have to get there!” She exclaims, pointing to the ship. It wouldn’t be there for long, as it looked like it was about to set sail. “To the docks! Hurry!”

Taking a left up a flight of stairs, they maneuver through various alleyways and streets, sometimes having to double back when they hit a dead end. Through some trial and error, the Mane Six find their way to the docks, but to their dismay, the ship they were headed to was already departing from the port.

Speeding ahead, Rainbow bites down on a rope dangling from the ship's side and swings back. She plants her hooves on the deck and clenches her teeth, holding the rope as it goes taut. Rarity, Applejack, and Spike quickly make their way onto the tightrope, praying to Faust not to lose their balance and fall.

“That's it,” Applejack says, pushing Rarity ahead when she hesitates for a moment. “Don't look down now!”

Fluttershy hovers close behind them, though her flight is a little shaky as she tries her hardest not to freak out and let her wings snap to her side. Spike is close behind Applejack, though compared to them, his balance is all over the place, and he nearly tips over multiple times.

“Yay! Tightroping!” Pinkie exclaims, jumping just behind Spike. With the sudden addition of weight and not being able to anticipate it, Rainbow is yanked over the edge. Spike manages to grab the rope as Rainbow pulls it back up, but Pinkie isn’t so lucky.

“Pinkie!” Twilight screams, diving off the dock. She pumps her wings hard, trying to gain enough speed to catch her friend. But as she watches Pinkie plummet closer and closer to the ground below, Twilight realizes that she isn’t going to make it. She was going to watch one of her closest friends splatter all across the rocks below, and she wasn’t able to save –

*BOOM*

The air around Twilight shakes as an electric blur blasts down the cliff side, the shockwave making her lose her balance and forcing her to level out to avoid hitting the ground herself. She watches the blur lessen at the bottom as it catches Pinkie, revealing Tionic holding the pink mare bridal style as he screeches to a halt. Whipping around, he boosts back up the cliff and pushes off the edge, making Twilight’s jaw drop as he soars through the sky and lands on the ship. Shaking away the shock, Twilight follows suit and quickly ascends to the ship.

Her landing wasn’t as graceful as Tionic’s, but before she could take a breather, a lasso wrapped around the purple alicorn and yanked her behind some crates on deck. Afraid she was being captured, Twilight gathers her mana to fling a spell at her would-be captors but calms down when she sees it’s just her friends. She sees Pinkie sitting next to Tionic, uncharacteristically still and staring straight ahead while Tionic holds a hand on the mare’s back.

“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaims, rushing over and pulling her into a tight hug, which snaps Pinkie out of it. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine!” Pinkie smiles, returning the hug. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, happy that she hadn’t been traumatized by her near-death experience. She ends the hug but keeps her hooves on Twilight’s shoulders. “It wasn’t your fault that I fell; it was mine. You couldn’t have done anything to change that. Even so, I still have other great friends to count on in instances like that, like Tio!”

Tionic visibly twitches from the nickname; every muscle in his body tenses as his quills light up. Everyone looks at Tionic worriedly, wondering what made the Spark react like this. He nearly snaps, but when Pinkie hugs him, his powers fade away as he relaxes and slowly returns the gesture.

“I never leave anyone hanging,” Tionic says, composing himself before separating. Suddenly, a thought pops into his head, and a curious look crosses his face. “Wait, you consider me your friend?”

“Of course, silly!” Pinkie giggles, but her expression then falls. “You do want to be my friend… right?”

“!” Tionic’s heart nearly explodes from the guilt. Seeing a sad pony was not something for the faint of heart, and he didn’t want to see one of the happiest ponies in Equestria not happy. “Y-yes, of course I do!”

“Really?!” Pinkie’s happy demeanor instantly returns as Tionic nods in response. She opens her muzzle to say something else, but a claw is shoved into her mouth as Spike shushes her. He points to two bird-like silhouettes close by, most likely some of the crew of the ship they stowed away on.

“Did you hear something?” The tall one asks the gangly one. He gets a couple of squawks in response, and he shrugs.

“Eh, probably just the rats,” He says, gesturing for his companion to follow him. “If we find 'em, we'll eat 'em.”

“Rats?” Sonic repeats, annoyed he was being called that degrading name so many others gave him if they didn’t know what a hedgehog was. Rainbow puts a hoof on his shoulder. Sonic huffs indignantly and crosses his arms.

—Klugetown Docks, Tempest’s Ship—

Capper is thrown roughly onto the deck, two burly Storm Guards right behind him to prevent any attempt at escaping. A shadow draws his attention upward, and his ears splay against his head when he sees who stands above him.

“Alright, cat... where are they going?” Tempest demands, her horn crackling. This makes Capper quickly stand up for fear of garnering Tempest’s wrath.

“Woah, woah, woah, no need for violence,” Capper says, hoping to diffuse the situation. He looks out on the horizon, looking for the mountain the Mane Seven and Co. mentioned. “They’re headed...”

The golden button on his coat catches a beam of light, reflecting into his eye. Looking down at it, he remembers the generosity Rarity displayed without asking for anything in return. At that moment, Capper knows what he must do, even if the repercussions would be drastic if Tempest found out.

“…they’re headed east! Yeah, to... to Black Skull Island,” He says hastily, pointing off toward said island. He chuckles nervously as he backs away from Tempest. “Glad I could be of service to His Majesty, the Storm King. I'll, uh, just be on my way – Yowl!”

The two guards close the gap between their shoulders, and Capper stops just before hitting the walls of muscles blocking his way.

“Only when I get my Princess,” Tempest says, then she trots over to her ship's gangplank. “Until then, your fate is still... up in the air.”

“Oh, you're gonna go in the skiff!” Grubber says, turning to follow Tempest. “Which is a boat! Specifically, an airboat!”

The Storm Guards shove Capper forward, and he reluctantly obliges as they follow close behind. He gulps, his ears flat against his head as he boards the ship.

—The Cargo Ship, somewhere in the dark skies above the Badlands—

On the ship, Applejack, Rainbow, and Sonic watch some of the crew moving crates and reorganizing, keeping an eye out in case something comes up. One of the crew lets out a belch and scratches his backside, making Rainbow gag and Sonic cringe.

“What d’ya think, Twilight?” Applejack asks, turning to the princess. “Should we ask ‘em to take us?”

“Last time we trusted somepony, they tried to sell us!” Twilight hisses, putting down the map she was looking over. “We can’t let them know we’re here.”

While they were trying to figure out what to do, Sonic noticed Tionic sitting alone between some crates out of the corner of his eye, staring out into the clouds above with a solemn look. He walks over to him, catching the Spark’s attention as he approaches.

“Hey, Tionic, are you alright?” Sonic wonders, sitting beside the Spark. “You don’t look like someone who just saved a life. What’s got you in a bundle?”

“It’s nothing, really,” Tionic forces a smile, but Sonic raises a doubtful brow. The Spark hesitates to speak, but after a few seconds, he sighs as he gives in. “It’s just… now that I’ve been discovered by another organization bent on world domination, I have to leave again once I get my rings back.”

“Leave Equus?” Sonic repeats, his brow going even further up his forehead. “Why would you want to do something like that? And what do you mean by ‘again’?”

Unbeknownst to them both, Twilight noticed the two of them chatting together. Despite hating the idea, she decided to get closer and eavesdrop on the pair, putting herself beside the crate Tionic sat against. Despite saving her and Pinkie’s lives and holding Tempest off while they escaped, she couldn’t find the ability to trust him yet.

“My powers have kept me running for well over a decade now,” Tionic starts, grimacing as old memories flow to the forefront of his mind. “It didn’t matter how hard I tried to hide them; someone would find out and try to take it for themselves, forcing me to flee to another world. And every time, I’ve thought, ‘Maybe I can make a life here,’ ‘Maybe it’ll be different this time!’ It’s always ended up with me fleeing and others getting hurt.”

He sighs, his ears drooping against his head. “I’ve never been able to interact with anyone, much less form any bond. I’ve just had myself, and if I’m being honest, you guys are the first ones I’ve talked to in years.”

Sonic’s eyes slam open in shock, blown away by the fact that he and the girls were the first ones Tionic had interacted with in so long. On the other side of the crate, Twilight covers her muzzle with her hooves, muffling the sudden gasp that nearly escaped her throat.

He’s been on the run for how long?! And he’s been doing all that while isolated and with no one to talk to?!

The purple alicorn’s heart pangs from the guilt and sorrow welling up inside - she just wanted to hug Tionic and never let go of him, to tell him that everything would be alright. But what comes next, she could never prepare for.

“It’s kinda funny though. Pinkie is the only one who has considered me a real friend in my nineteen years of life. Ironic that I get something I’ve always wanted only to have it taken away soon after.”

Twilight’s eyes shrink to pinpricks as the dams burst, all of the pent-up emotion flowing freely from her eyes. She barely chokes back a sob, managing to avoid drawing attention and risking exposing herself to the speedsters. Hearing about Tionic’s past changed her view of him, and she regretted ever thinking he had some ulterior motive.

“But, after all of this?” Tionic lays his head back and closes his eyes. “And what’s happened today? I can’t help but wonder, ‘What if my mom was wrong?’ Maybe I could have a life here. Maybe… maybe I don’t have to-!”

Suddenly, one of the crates keeping them out of sight is removed by one of the crew, and everyone is instantly on guard.

‘Crap!’ Tionic thinks, quickly standing and getting in a defensive stance. ‘They must’ve snuck up on us while I was talking to Sonic! I was too focused on the conversation, and that bird walked over without me realizing!’

“Hey, guys,” The burly green bird calls out, grinning as his co-workers walk over. “Come check this out.”

“Looks like a pack of stowaways,” Says another green bird, but a little smaller and wearing an eyepatch on his right eye.

“What’re we supposed to do with ‘em?” Wonders a chubby pink bird, scratching her chin with a fork. The gangly bird pops his head out from between some crates, his blue tongue hanging out of his metal beak as he squawks. His eyes don’t align properly, like Derpy’s, but one still focuses on the group.

“I say we tie ‘em up,” Applejack cringes.

“We cut their wings off!” Rainbow freezes, and Sonic growls as he stands between the crew and his wife.

“No, we pluck their feathers and quills!” Twilight reels back, and Sonic and Tionic instinctively place a hand on their quills, growling at them and daring the birds to see what would happen if they tried.

“We scar them!” Rarity screeches in horror.

“Emotionally!” Fluttershy whimpers, shrinking back even further as her hair wraps around her.

“Wait, wait, what say the book,” says the bird with the eyepatch, turning around. “Captain Celaeno?”

Another bird walks up to the group, most likely the captain. She stands taller than everyone, and she has a slight height advantage over Tionic, though only by an inch or two. One noticeable feature about her is the wooden peg leg that replaces her left leg from the knee down and the squeaky ankle brace on her right. She holds a binder with the Storm King emblem on the front, full of papers and tabs.

“The Storm King’s rule book says…” Celaeno opens the binder, flipping through the pages until she finds the page she was looking for. “Throw them overboard.”

The eyepatch bird pulls a rope hanging nearby, and a gangplank extends from the ship's edge. Tionic shudders, his quills raising in fear and making his head seem much bigger.

“W-wait, wait, wait, i-isn’t this a little much?” He stammers, hoping to reason with the birds as they herd them closer to the gangplank. “I-I mean, we’re thousands of feet in the air; throwing us overboard would mean certain death when we hit the ground!”

“That’s the idea,” chuckles the burly bird, sending a shiver down Tionic’s spine. As they’re about to push them off and send them plummeting to their doom, a whistle placed atop a clock hung on the mast lets out a long, low toot that stops the crew in their tracks.

“Alright, that’s lunch!” Captain Celaeno shouts, and before they could even process what happened, everyone was below deck and seated at a long table, bowls of brown mush with seeds placed before them.

“Excuse me, what?!” Tionic shouts, confused by the insane turn of events. One second, they were about to go overboard; the next, they were eating lunch (if it could even be called that) with their would-be captors.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up,” Sonic says, holding his hands up. “You were about to toss us overboard, and you stopped for a lunch break?!”

“Storm King only allows for one break a day for a meal,” Captain Celaeno explains, poking at her ‘food’ with a spoon. “Then it’s back to hauling goods with no pay or compensation.”

“Sweet Faust, the way you’re being treated breaks so many union and labor laws; I don’t even know where to begin,” Tionic groans, rubbing his forehead. He pokes the bowl of sludge in front of him, and it jiggles in the bowl. “And this so-called ‘food’ your employer is feeding you would have OSHA raining hell on them and shut down the company and any other branches they run faster than they could say ‘Supercalifragilisticexpealydocious.’”

“Yeah, but I don’t think they want to deal with the legal issues that would come with a tyrannical tyrant bent on world domination,” The burly bird, Boyle, points out. “So we’re stuck doing this for the rest of our lives.”

“So, you’re delivery guys?” Rainbow wonders.

“And gals,” Captain Celaeno sighs, pulling at her uniform. “These uniforms aren’t doing us any favors.”

“Then can you deliver us to Mount Aris?” Twilight asks, hopeful that this turn of events could benefit them.

“Sorry,” Captain Celaeno shakes her head, rolling her eyes. “We do what the Storm King orders… or suffer his wrath.”

“Sooooo...” Sonic drawls. “Still going overboard then?”

“It’s nothing personal,” Shrugs the chubby pink bird; her name is Lix Spittle. “Pudding?”

“There’s pudding?” Rarity is hopeful that there’s some actual food on the ship, but she’s sorely disappointed and disgusted when it turns out to be more sludge. There’s a moment of silence as the birds go back to eating, and the Mane Seven and Co. are left to look around the room they’re in. Then, something behind a Storm King poster catches Tionic’s eye, and he speaks up.

“Were you always delivery birds?” He wonders, eyeing the clothen material behind the poster. “What about before the Storm King?”

“We used to be much more adventurous,” Captain Celaeno sighs, pulling back the poster to reveal a tattered black flag with a skull and crossbones in the middle.

“OOO, I met that guy in the desert!” Pinkie exclaims.

“Woah,” Rainbow stares in awe. “You used to be… pirates?!”

“Um, we prefer the term ‘swash-buckling treasure hunters,’” The eyepatches bird, Mullet, says.

“So, pirates,” Sonic summarizes, then chuckles. “Heh, you guys kinda remind me of the Babylon Rouges. They’re a trio of birds like you, except you’re not as ego-driven as them or causing mayhem with two sets of gems from two different dimensions.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Captain Celaeno smiles. “Thanks, Blue, but we can’t go back to that life now. Like I said earlier, if we don’t follow the Storm King’s orders-”

“-you face his wrath, yeah, we get it,” Rainbow groans before getting smacked upside the head by Sonic. Rubbing the back of her head, she looks around the table at the crew, and a thought pops into her head.

“You birds have a choice to make,” She says, pounding a hoof on the table. “You can let some cloven-hooved king tell you how to live your lives,” She hovers over to the Storm King poster and rips it off the wall, gesturing to the skull and crossbones. “Or, you could be awesome again!”

I know the world can get you down

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding!” Tionic groans, gripping his face as he finally voices his annoyance with the Heart Songs. Twilight was about to stop Rainbow from continuing, but she pauses when she hears Tionic groan, looking back at him in confusion. “I know you guys like to sing, but this is the third one this week!”

Rainbow either didn’t hear him, or she just didn’t say anything and kept singing.

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

She jumps on a wooden mug, splashing Twilight in the process. Tionic chuckles and offers her a napkin. Rainbow then pulls back a tarp to reveal a portrait of Captain Celaeno hanging there, a few shelves of treasure next to it, and a map stuck to the wall with a dagger. A chest and trunk lie on the floor, filled with whatever pirate-related stuff there could be.

And let it shine for all the world to see
That it is time, yeah, time to be awesome

The Mane Six join in on the song, flinging the bowls that had magically been emptied away. Tionic and Twilight don’t join in, but walk away in annoyance.

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 joins in, and she swipes away her ‘food’ as well.

You've no idea how hard it's been

It's time to be awesome!

She gets out of her seat and approaches the wall of pirate stuff, eyeing her portrait in the middle.

This dull routine we've been forced to do

Rainbow Dash pops up beside her, holding the same hat she wore in the picture and presenting it to the captain.

Don't let them rob you of who you are
Be awesome, it's all up to you

Captain Celaeno holds the hat close, reminiscing about the years of freedom she and her crew once had.

I feel the light stirring deep inside It's like a tale still yet to be told

She rips off the bandana and puts her hat back on, once again assuming the role of a pirate captain.

It's time to be awesome!

Rainbow Dash and Captain Celaeno join in together in song, and the rest of the crew toss their bandanas in the air.

And now it's time to break the shackles free
And start living like the brave and the bold!

The chest is opened to reveal outfits stuffed inside, and each of the crew grabs their respective items.

It's time to be awesome!

Boyle reconnects a metal claw to his arm, fully completing his look.

Let loose, be true, so awesome!

Squabble puts on his yellow and orange inner tube, and the rest of the crew put on their outfits, finally looking like a true pirate crew.

It's time to be awesome!

Captain Celaeno kicks open the door to the deck and bound out, followed by the Mane Six. Rainbow, Sonic, and Rarity each have pirate hats on, Pinkie wears a pink bandanna with purple spots on it, Applejack has an eye patch, and Fluttershy has a blue and white striped cloth wrapped around the base of her mane. Spike… well, Spike isn’t wearing anything, but he has a yellow feather in his claw.

Go big, be you, so awesome!

Mullet swings from a rope tied to the lookout, holding Rainbow in his grasp as she grins from ear to ear.

We used to soar through the clouds in the skies

Twilight and Tionic are back over by the crates, with Twilight trying to draw the fastest way to Mt. Aris. He chuckles when Pinkie starts drawing on the map, and Lix plucks the feather Twilight was using out of her magical grasp to write something as well. Spike and Fluttershy sit on the other side of the map, watching the two draw.

Elaborate schemes we would love to devise

Rainbow zips by, her namesake trailing behind her as deposits the hat she wore on Tionic’s head, which he doesn’t notice.

Boyle carries a chest out from storage and spins it across the deck, the front stopping just in front of Captain Celaeno and Rarity. The captain opens the chest, revealing the amount of treasure expected to be in a treasure chest.

We rescued our treasure and stored it away

Captain Celaeno pulls out a cyan gem the size of her talon, presenting it to Rarity as she marveled at the gem. Rarity wasn’t sure why, but the gem looked familiar, like she’d seen it many times before.

Saving those gemstones for a rainy day

Sonic’s and Rainbow’s eyes widen in shock when they spot the gem, recognizing it and the power radiating off it instantly.

“How the heck did they get their talons on a Chaos Emerald?!” Rainbow hisses to Sonic. He shrugs, and without anyone noticing, he swipes the Cyan Emerald after Captain Celaeno puts it down, and quickly tucks it into his quills for safekeeping.

“That’ll come in handy later,” Sonic mutters and he and Rainbow join the others with the pirates at the bow of the ship.

We see that light filling up our skies

Rainbow Dash flies up beside Captain Celaeno, and plucks the manual out of her talons…

So take the Storm King's orders and toss 'em!

…and tosses it overboard. Everyone joins in the next verse.

'Cause it's the time to let our colors fly

Captain Celaeno turns to her crew, raising a talon into the air as they cheer.

Hey, scallywags, it's time to be awesome!

Spike drums on some of the crates, sounding pretty good for wooden boxes. Squabble joins in, but he uses his head to hit the crates before falling over, most likely from the concussion he gave himself.

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

“Come on!” Captain Celaeno exclaims, whirling the wheel around to change their course. “Let's show these little ponies how it's done!”

Her crew untied some ropes tied to the sides and pull, causing the metal casing of the balloon above to shift and open up. Massive, rainbow-colored wings open from the sides, and a plumage pops up on top, making the balloon look like an eagle spreading its wings and taking flight. Then, an opening in the clouds shines sunlight onto the wings, giving the ship more life and color as everyone gawks at the sight. Celaeno and her crew stand proud as they

“Awesome!” Rainbow exclaims, happy to see the delivery birds turned pirates get their mojo back. “I knew you had it in ya! And now for the finishing touch!”

She rockets high above the ship, going higher and higher until she believes she’s gone high enough. Whipping around, she dives back to the ship, using gravity to help her go faster.

“Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom! Rainboom!” Pinkie chants, grinning as she recognizes the stunt Rainbow was going to pull. This makes Tionic raise an eyebrow in confusion; Sonic’s jaw drops, and Twilight is sent into a tizzy.

As Rainbow gains more and more speed, a Mach cone appears in front of her, rainbow lights racing across it from the small shockwaves that come faster and faster as she descends.

“Rainboom? Wait, isn’t that…?” Tionic’s eyes shrink when he remembers. “Oh, Tartarus.”

“Nononononono!” Twilight exclaims, pulling on her mane as she sees the Mach cone sharpen further and stretch behind Rainbow.

“RAINBOW, STOP!” Sonic shouts in panic. “THAT’S GONNA ALERT-!”

*BOOM*

“-Tempest… damnit, Dash.”

A massive rainbow shockwave erupts from where she broke the sound barrier, expanding and pushing back the cloud cover around the ship. Rainbow streaks under the ship, her namesake trailing behind her as she pulls up to circle it.

“Aw, yeah!” She cackles, looking back to see the amazed looks on the pirates’ faces.

Somewhere nearby, Tempest’s ship was cruising along the clouds, oblivious that their target was only a few hundred meters away. Grubber is at the helm, about to chomp down on a cake, when a flash of rainbow light and a small boom makes him drop the cake. He looks around for the source, and his jaw drops when he spots a ship off the port side, a rainbow shockwave silhouetting it, pushing back the clouds as a rainbow trail wraps around it.

“Looka that rainbow! Looka that rainbow! Whoa, that's so cool!” Grubber exclaims, pointing to the spectacle. Everyone on board is in awe of the sight, and even Tempest takes a moment to admire the rings of color. But her astonishment lasts only a moment, as her military attitude quickly kicks back in.

“Yeah, cool of them to alert us to their location,” She grins. “Funny, though,” She turns to Capper, making him wring his paws. “They don't seem to be heading to Black Skull Island.”

“Like ‘ha ha’ funny or... haha...” He chuckles nervously. Tempest doesn’t wait for an answer, and she shoves Grubber off the helm, spinning the wheel hard left. She stops the spinning and shoves the throttle all the way. The ship takes a sweeping left as the back blast of the ship propels it forward and closes the distance.

Back on Celaeno’s ship, she and Rainbow are sword dueling with each other. Celaeno’s crew and four of the Mane Seven watch the two enjoying themselves, happy to see their captain and friend happy. The only ones who weren’t were Sonic, Twilight, and Tionic, who had various expressions of annoyance, dread, and caution, respectively.

“Nice!” Rainbow exclaims, ending the mock fight with a final clash of swords. She offers Celaeno a hoof bump, which she gladly returns. But the moment is cut short when a ringing bell catches everyone’s attention, and Squabble starts to squawk like crazy.

Looking up, they see him hanging from the rigging, frantically pointing off the starboard. Turning, they see the Storm King’s emblem glowing through the clouds, and soon after, Tempest’s ship plows through the clouds.

“Storm guards!” Celaeno growls. “Looks like they found you!”

“No, it’s Tempest!” Twilight exclaims, her eyes shrinking and her ears flopping against her head. Tionic stares at the incoming ship, a slight frown adorning his lips as tiny sparks of electricity emit from his quills.

“Secure the rigging!” Celaeno orders, and her crew gets to work. “Lock down the cargo! Everyone, prepare to be boarded!”

Boyle ushers the Mane Seven and Co. into the cargo hold, dropping the door once they all made it down. They all huddled together, with Sonic, Tionic, and Rainbow placing themselves between their friends and the entrance.

“You think she saw my Sonic Rainboom?” Rainbow grins sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

“You think?!” Twilight, Sonic, and Tionic exclaim, and Sonic immediately whacks Rainbow upside the head for the second time that day.

“We’re having a talk when this is over, Ashley,” Sonic growls, making Rainbow freeze as her coat stood on end. Before the hedgehog could say anything else, a harpoon punctured the ship's side, presumably fired from Tempest’s airship. The resulting impact knocks everyone off their feet and hooves, throwing them against the wall and piling each other on top of one another.

On deck, Captain Celaeno watches as the Storm ship reels itself closer to her own, the dirty brown smog flowing around it once it stops, making the ship look even more menacing. She takes a defensive stance when Tempest, Grubber, and two Storm Guards jump to the deck, but the glare from Tempest makes her falter slightly.

"Where is the Princess?” Tempest demands, slowly trotting across the deck before Celaeno’s crew.

“‘Princess’?” Captain Celaeno repeats, walking over to a clipboard on one of the nearby crates. She traces a talon down the list of cargo the ship was carrying, looking for anything related to the query. “Prin-Cess, Prin-Cess... Nope. All we're hauling is Storm King merchandise.”

Squabble squawks, holding up a Storm King bobblehead as if to confirm what his captain said was true.

“You do realize that if you were to shelter fugitives, the Storm King would be quite....” Tempest pauses, letting the pressure increase as her horn crackles with mana. “Explosive.”

Captain Celaeno gulps, and her crew looks at her, hoping she would have a solution to this. Back in the hold, Twilight looks up through the cracks of the deck, slowly backing up as she listens in on the conversation being held above her.

"We have to get off this ship before they tell Tempest we're here!” Twilight hisses as she turns around, the urgency in her voice apparent.

“We helped them get their mojo back!” Rainbow hisses back, assuring the purple alicorn that there is nothing to worry about. “They're not gonna give us up!”

Twilight groans, and she looks around at her friends. Rarity is in full-on panic mode, breathing heavily as she looks around erratically. Spike lays a claw on her hoof, which calms Rarity down, though only slightly. Fluttershy lies behind a crate, shivering in fright, while Sonic pets her mane, hoping to alleviate some of the stress his wife’s childhood friend was experiencing. Applejack lies against another crate, sighing in defeat as she pulls her Stetson over her eyes. Tionic stares at the trapdoor, his gaze not leaving it as his powers occasionally spark across his body. Pinkie, as usual, isn’t fazed and is searching through an open-top crate filled with Storm King merch. She spots something buried below the merch, but upon reaching for it, she loses her balance and falls inside headfirst. “Whoa!”

Twilight sighs, then looks around the cargo hold, hoping to see if there was something she could use to escape. There are a lot of items lying around, but the coil of rope sitting on a box and the giant Storm King banner hanging from the ceiling catches her eye. She looks back at the crate Pinkie fell into, and her mind quickly formulates a plan. She grins, knowing just what to do. “I've got this!”

“Now, I'm going count to three, and if you don't tell me where they are, your ship is going down,” Tempest warns as she and two Storm Guards slowly move closer to Captain Celaeno. “One...”

In the cargo hold, Twilight grabs the spool of rope and the banner, handing it to Tionic. “Hold this!” She then dumps the crate's contents into a corner and places it in the middle of the room.

“What are you doing?” Tionic looks at the cloth and rope in his hands, attempting to figure out what Twilight was up to. He notices her magical aura surrounding the lever controlling the drop bay, and he sees everyone standing on top of the trapdoor. His pupils shrink to pinpricks, and his ears flop to his head as he realizes her plan. “Wait, don’t pull that -!”

“...two...”

"Oh, this is intense!” Grubber grins, his gaze flickering between the two groups as they face each other off. Captain Celaeno tightens her grip on her sword, ready to fight for her new friends’ safety. Dash had helped give them their mojo back after it was taken away from them years ago, and Celaeno was going to repay that favor by keeping Tempest and the Storm Guards at bay if she had too.

“Three!” Before she could act on her word, a series of fading screams erupted from below deck, drawing Tempest’s attention to the trapdoor behind her that led to the cargo bay. Celaeno sighed a silent breath of relief, her grip relaxing on her sword, relieved to know her new friends escaped.

“Oh, for Celestia's sake!!!” Rarity exclaims as she and everyone else plummet through the clouds. Everyone was screaming in fear, sans Twilight, Rainbow, and Sonic. He looks bored as he puts his hands behind his head and reclines in the air, utterly unfazed by the sudden turn of events. Rainbow snaps her wings open, straining to keep them straight as she drastically reduces her speed. Once she slows her descent enough to fly normally, Rainbow quickly dives down to her husband.

Seeing her dive at him, Sonic smirks, positioning himself before reaching for her hoof and latching onto it. Using his momentum, Sonic quickly swings around and grabs Rainbow’s other hoof, and just like when Tails carries him, he hangs beneath her, firmly gripping her hooves.

With the other members of the friend group, Pinkie’s screaming quickly turns to laughter, somehow finding pleasure in her plummet through the skies. “Whee!”

Fluttershy watches her friend worriedly before turning her gaze downwards. Seeing the ground fast approaching stops her from flapping her wings to stop her descent. Instead, her wings cover her eyes, and she tucks herself into a ball, her hair wrapping around her again. “I can't look!”

“YAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!” But Tionic is the most terrified, screaming like a little filly. He flails his arms and legs frantically as he spins uncontrollably, hoping to slow his descent enough to gain some semblance of direction and stop this spinning hell he was stuck in. With an intense amount of fear and emotion coursing through his mind, his powers bolt to life, leaving a trail of electricity behind him as he tumbles through the air. “IhatethisIhatethisIhatethisIHATETHIS!!!”

Rarity’s screaming stops when she notices a mirror falling beside her. She takes a moment to inspect herself before continuing her screaming, and Applejack, watching the whole thing as she holds onto her Stetson, rolls her eyes.

Seeing the ground getting closer, Twilight decides there’s no better time than now to enact her plan. Diving down, she ignites her magic and grabs everyone out of the sky with her magic, quickly pulling them closer to her as she flies over to the crate. Rainbow flies just to the side of it, keeping her speed even with the falling container as Twilight places her friends inside. Tionic quickly puts his back to the side wall and latches onto the edge, terror etched on his face.

"What in the hay is she up to?” Applejack wonders, watching Twilight grab the rope and the banner from before. Twilight folds all four corners of the banner to each other before wrapping the rope around it, creating a web of rope that holds tight.

“I don’t know, but I hope she hurries it up!” Tionic exclaims, gripping the edge hard enough to splinter the wood. He glances over the edge to see the ground fast approaching, and his grip tightens even more as he clenches his eyes shut. “‘Cause we’re gonna be pancakes in a few seconds!”

Hearing the urgency in Tionic’s voice, Twilight kicks it up a notch and flies around the makeshift basket, tying the rope securely and ensuring it wouldn’t budge. She then hops into the crate and grabs Spike, squeezing his stomach hard and making green flames spew out of his mouth.

She directs the stream of fire into the empty cavity of the banner, the hot air quickly expanding it until it reaches its limit. The makeshift hot-air balloon generates enough heat difference and lift to quickly slow the descent, barely nicking the tip of a pine tree before leveling out. The balloon stabilizes, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

Seeing that the balloon was stable, Rainbow drops Sonic into the basket and lands next to him, who eyes Spike resting over the edge, panting from the immense amount of flame he wasn’t used to expending in such a short amount of time.

"Thank goodness,” Rarity sighs, happy that the nightmare was over.

"Phee-yew! Quick thinkin', Twilight!” Applejack compliments. “Ah wouldn’t have thought you would make a hot-air balloon midair, but you did it!”

“Yahoo! Ha, ha!” Twilight exclaims, reveling in her victory. Not only had they escaped Tempest, but they also managed a midair save and now, with their own mode of transportation, were well on their way to Mt. Aris.

“That was fun!” Pinkie exclaims, popping up between them. “Can we do it again?

“NO!”Tionic screams, making everyone jump and turn to him. They’re shocked to see Tionic crouched on the floor, trembling something fierce. His breathing is erratic and shaky, and his face is drained of almost all color. He still hasn’t let go of the edge of the makeshift basket, or what’s of it, anyway, since he crushed it with his bare hands.

“Whoa! Tionic, are you alright?!” Sonic exclaims, kneeling next to the pale Spark and putting a hand on his shoulder. “What happened to you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“What makes you think I’m alright?!” Tionic exclaims, making everyone flinch. “I just had a near-death experience and almost became one with the earth! It doesn’t help that I don’t do well with heights, either!”

“You’re afraid of heights?!” Twilight exclaims, her ears flopping against her head in shame. “Oh geez, I’m so sorry! If I had known that, I wouldn’t have done that the way I did!”

“I-it’s alright,” Tionic stammers, slowly regaining his composure. “It was a good plan, I’ll give you that,” He sighs. “Just warn me next time, okay?!”

“I will,” Twilight nods, and turns to Rainbow. “Hey, Rainbow, think you can give us a push?”

“You got it!” She salutes, hopping out of the basket and maneuvering behind the basket to push. “Next stop, Mount Aris!”

Back on the ship, Storm Guards sift through crates and rooms, some even throwing a barrel or two like a certain gorilla. Tempest is staring down Capper, Celaeno, and her crew, slowly backing them to the port side. Grubber walks between them from the cargo hold, holding a cupcake and a piece of yellowed paper.

“There's no ponies,” He says, then looks at the baked good. “But I found this. It's a... kind of cupcake... with sprinkles... Oh, yeah, and I found this, too.”

He shows the paper to Tempest, which turns out to be the map Twilight was using to calculate a route to Mt. Aris.

Taking the map, she examines it before her eyes widen when she realizes what this is. Grubber, however, admires the pink drawing next to The mountain. “Wow, this is a real artist!”

“Looks like they're heading to Mount Aris,” Tempest calmly says, though there’s a cold edge to her voice, sending shivers down the ones she was cornering.

“Wait, really?” Capper says, attempting to feign innocence. It doesn’t work. “M-Mount Aris? I... huh, I guess my ears have degraded further than I thought. I-I’m sorry I gave false information... Mount Aris... My bad, I didn't... That's my bad, really. I'm sorry, I'm very, very sorry.”

“Now, about your betrayal...” Her horn lights up, crackling faster and faster as Capper, Celaeno, and her crew step back in fear of what is to come. Tempest releases the pent-up magic, letting it fly across the ship and destroy anything in its path with an explosion akin to a firework. Her magic rips through the ship, tearing through wood and metal like it was nothing and comprising the ship’s structural integrity when one bolt pierces the hull.

She, along with Grubber and the Storm Guards, quickly boarded their ship, disengaging from Celaeno’s ship and putting some distance between them. Capper and the pirates breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the worst was over – it wasn’t.

Tempest takes one last look at Capper and the pirates before a wicked smile crosses her face. Her gaze shifts up, and the pirates follow it, and to their horror, they realize what Tempest is looking at. She charges her mana for one last attack and fires the massive bolt at the balloon keeping the ship aloft. The last thing Capper and the pirates see is a wall of fire and color before everything goes black.

Author's Note

Welp, after a week of just going at it, it’s finally done. This is the halfway point, and it’s only downhill from here on out. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure that this story doesn’t take as long as it’s ’sequel’ to finish. :twilightblush:

Now, if you have any suggestions or find something wrong, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear the feedback so I know what to fix and where to improve. I want to make this story one you and I like. Thanks! :twilightsmile:

A Lost Civilization, Found Again

As sunlight pierces through the dark clouds, it bathes the base of a massive, out-of-place mountain overlooking the ocean, so tall that it scrapes the bottom of the cloud layer. It’s surrounded by rocky outcroppings that stretch far up and down the coastline, which transitions to grassy hills the closer it got to the beach.

A path is carved through them to the mountain, and the huge stone wings emerging from the back of it cover the sides, leaving the front open for the path to crisscross it to the top. The Mane Seven and Co. have made good progress scaling it, they now being just a few hundred meters from the top. Tionic has taken the lead, followed by Twilight and Spike, Sonic, Rainbow, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and finally Rarity.

“We just had to crash the balloon at the bottom of the mountain!” She complains, and she dramatically falls to her side, groaning in frustration. “That’s it! I simply cannot, even, go another step further! The bad guys have won! I’m so sorry!”

‘Drama queen,’ Tionic thinks, rolling his eyes. He glances down at the outcroppings, spotting a mangled mess of wood, rope, and fabric close to the path, and a shiver runs down his back. ‘At least we walked out of that mess.’

“Enough with the theatrics, Rares!” Sonic shouts down over the edge. “We’re almost there!”

She groans. “You already said that!”

“No, we’re actually here now!”

Reaching the top, Tionic, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow, and Sonic see a marvel of stonework before them. Walls cover the entrance of the city in a protective barrier, each of them with intricate designs carved into them. The actual entrance is an opening with two bird-like stone monoliths facing each other, their heads aimed downward like they were watching whoever came into the city.

“This is it!” Twilight exclaims, trotting toward the entrance as the rest of her friends reach the top. “We’re finally here, guys!”

“Well, I'll be,” Applejack chuckles as she gazes up at the towering monoliths. “Hippogriffs, here we come!”

“Time to rest my hooves!” Rarity says, sighing in relief as she catches up with the others.

However, their enthusiasm quickly disappears when they enter the city and look around. The place looks abandoned and overgrown, the aviary-inspired buildings cracked and falling apart. Trees grow out of collapsed walls and roofs, and foliage scales the walls and the stone street. The fog creates an eerie feeling in the city, making it look even more desolate.

“Are we sure this is the right place?” Rarity wonders, eying a cracked pot covered in cobwebs. A spider skitters out, and she quickens her pace to rejoin the others.

“Hello?!” Applejack calls out, only getting her echoed voice back. “Is anypony home?!”

“No Hippogriffies here!” Pinkie says, looking through a window. She then pops up behind a building and then another a few times, moving all around the city. “Or here! Or here! Or here or here or here! Waaaaaiiit!” She drops down in front of Twilight, lifting a small rock before putting it down. “Nope! This place is emp-ty!”

“But... Celestia... the map,” Twilight says, looking around for something, anything. “They have to be here!”

“Wait, didn’t Capper mention there hasn’t been any activity here for decades?” Tionic wonders, eyeing a building that was about to collapse. “That would explain why the place looks like a ghost town.”

“A g-g-g-g-ghost town?!” stammers Fluttershy, her eyes shrinking in fear. She nearly goes skyward when she feels something touch her shoulder, but she quickly calms when she sees it’s just Rainbow laying a hoof on her shoulder and not some corporeal entity.

“Flutters, ghosts don’t exist,” She says, hoping to soothe her old friend’s nerves. “There’s no need to be afraid of something that -!”

Distant humming echoes through the city, the sound bouncing around the place and making it hard to tell where it was coming from. Fluttershy squeaks and clamps into a ball, trembling like a leaf hanging onto a branch.

“…the universe just had to prove me wrong, huh?” She questions with a bored expression. Sonic rolls his eyes as he walks over to the two mares.

“You do realize that you’ve seen real ghosts, right?” Sonic deadpans, jabbing at Rainbow’s shoulder. He kneels to Fluttershy’s level and slowly rubs her pink mane. “Or did you forget that trip to that old mansion I told you about when I was the Werehog? Also, I believe a certain plumber and his brother would disagree with you.”

“…okay, you’ve got a point.”

“It sounds like it’s coming from…” Tionic closes his eyes as his ears twitch and swivel around. He locks onto the humming and his eyes snap open, and he points toward a building built into the side of the mountain blocked by some rubble. “…over there!”

Heading over, they scale the rocks to find a way in, which Twilight does and gestures to the others to follow her. Lighting her magic, she heads in to discover a spacious cave behind the rubble, and the humming gets louder. Once everyone joins her, they head further in, and when they reach the end of the cave, they see something amazing.

The rubble transitions to a room in the shape of a dome, with designs and glyphs etched and painted into the stony material. Two horse heads are placed on either side of the massive room, the water flowing from its back giving it the illusion that it had a flowing mane. The water splashes into a pool, and stairs lead from the entrance and into the water. Another set of stairs is on the other side, leading to a balcony that overlooks the pool. In the middle of the pool sits a large, glowing pink flower, where the source of the humming was coming from.

As the group descend the stairs, the glow turns out to be a figure of some sort, but they were too far to tell what exactly. Unfortunately, Pinkie stepped on a fragile part of a step, sending the piece tumbling down the steps.

The figure’s head snaps up in alarm as it gasps. “What was that?!” The figure exclaims, before diving into the water.

“Hey, wait up!” Pinkie exclaims, bouncing down the stairs and jumping into the pool after it. “Cannonball!”

“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaims, rushing down the steps and wading into the water. The others follow suit, but Sonic and Tionic stay on the step right above the water and watch from there. After a moment, Pinkie then resurfaces and spits out some water. “She's gone!”

Then something flushes, making everyone look around in confusion while Twilight just groans.

“Now what?” The flower in the middle rises and closes before disappearing underwater. Like pulling a plug in a sink, the water drains down the opened hole and drags the girls and Spike in.

“Girls, Spike!” Tionic exclaims, diving into the water. “Grab ahold of each other! I’ll pull you out!”

They do so, and he dives into the swirling water. Tionic quickly latches onto Rarity and starts swimming toward the edge. Despite pulling six ponies and a dragon, he manages to get some headway, but the pull of the water is too strong and it pulls them back into the vortex.

“Oh, I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?” Sonic groans. He wills himself to move and jumps in the water. The cold water shocks him as it seeps into his quills, but he doesn’t dwell on it. He grabs Tionic’s arm, but before he can do anything, Pinkie reaches the center and gets pulled down the spout, dragging everyone along with her.

“I knew I should’ve stayed at home today!” Spike exclaims before he’s pulled under. Everyone is sent tumbling down the spout, their sense of direction lost in the chaos. It comes to a halt when they’re dumped into an underwater cave, the water stagnant and unmoving. Everything is plunged into darkness as something blocks the light from entering the water cave, and in their shock, everyone had swallowed a lot of water, greatly diminishing the amount of time they could hold their breath.

Even though they were underwater, they could still hear the dreaded music playing as if they were wearing headphones. Twilight’s lungs burn from the lack of oxygen, but she can only float there and watch her friends drown through dimming consciousness. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Tionic struggling to reach her, his movements slowing down. With a last push, he propels himself forward and grabs her hoof. The last thing she saw was Tionic giving her a small smile before her eyes roll back into her head and everything fades to black…

…

“GAAAAAASP!!!”

Twilight takes a deep breath of air as a bubble appears around her head, and the pain in her lungs slowly fades. She then hears a series of strange sounds before the audible hacking of her friends reaches her ears. With her eyes now focused, Twilight can see that her friends all have the same air bubble around their heads and are taking deep breaths.

“Way to leave it to the last minute, Twilight!” Sonic exclaims, slowly getting his breath back after his coughing fit. “It’s not like I wasn’t traumatized enough by water!”

“I didn't make these bubbles!” Twilight says, poking her bubble. “I don’t know a water-breathing spell, since they’re so rare to come by!”

“Then…” Fluttershy pants. “…who did?”

“I don’t know, but what I do know,” Rarity says, pointing to Twilight and Tionic. “Is that Tionic hasn’t let go of Twilight’s hoof.”

Looking down, everyone can see that Tionic is holding her hoof, and as soon as they realize what they were doing, they quickly let go and pull their arms back.

“S-s-sorry!” Tionic exclaims, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I-I kinda just… reached out… and, uh, y-you were the closest.”

“No, i-it’s alright,” Twilight mumbles, her face in a similar color of red. “I didn’t mind…”

Despite her mumbling, Tionic had heard her loud and clear. But before he could process what Twilight said, something swims behind them, spooking the others as they huddle together. Tionic’s embarrassment is quickly replaced with caution, and he swims in front of Twilight, glaring into the darkness. His quills light up, bathing the area in a soft blue glow.

“Who’s there?!” Tionic exclaims into the inky darkness. “If you come out, I promise you won’t get hurt!”

Out of the gloom, a ball of light materializes in the water, mesmerizing the group. The light is alive, moving in ways that appear to be those of a cautious creature. Twilight swims ahead but stops when Tionic places a hand on her shoulder.

“Be careful, Twilight,” He mutters, and she nods before turning to the orb again.

“Hello?” She ventures, curious if this orb of light could speak. “We're looking for the Hippogriffs.”

To her surprise, it responds. “How do I know I can trust you?” The apprehension in its voice, which she could tell was female, was evident. Not only that, it was apparent that it was the same one of the figure singing back at the pond.

“Please,” Twilight pleads, hoping this creature could somehow help them find the Hippogriffs. “The Storm King invaded our land, and we need their help.”

“The Storm King?!” It exclaims, and it swims forward, revealing itself to be a butter-yellow merpony with a turquoise mane and tail fin. She has red, gossamer-like wings, fading to her skin color close to where the joint connected. The light was a strand of her mane that emitted it, and above the fins on the sides of her head is a type of floral hair tie, but with a pink coral. A red necklace hangs from her neck, housing a brilliant pearl. Her turquoise eyes are wide with excitement as she circles the group. “I'm so glad I saved you guys! I'm totally taking you to my mom!”

“Would your mom know where we can find the hippogriffs?” Twilight asks, but instead of answering, the newcomer grabs her left hoof and pulls her alongside her. Acting fast, Sonic grabs Applejack and Rarity, Rainbow grabs Fluttershy and Pinkie, and Tionic gestures to Spike to climb on his back. Seeing what they were doing, Rarity holds onto Fluttershy’s tail, Pinkie grabs Tionic’s leg, and Tionic latches onto Twilight’s right hoof.

The newcomer giggles. “My mom might have an idea of where the hippogriffs are! Oh, and my name’s Skystar!”

“Well then, it’s nice to meet you, Skystar!” Tionic grins. “Thanks for the save earlier. We would’ve drowned had you not come along when you did.”

“You’re welcome, uh…” Skystar stops. “…wait, I don’t think I got your names.”

“Right, we almost drowned a minute ago, so introductions weren’t as important,” Tionic chuckles. “Anyway, the mare you’re dragging is Twilight…”

“Nice to meet you!”

“…the dragon on my back is Spike….”

“What’s up?”

“…the one holding my leg is Pinkie Pie…”

“Hi there!”

“…behind her is Rainbow Dash…”

“Fastest flier in Equestria, at your service.”

“…then Fluttershy…”

“H-hello…”

“…Rarity…”

“A pleasure, Darling.”

“…Sonic…”

“Yo!”

“…Applejack…”

“Howdy, partner!”

“…and I’m Tionic.”

“Oh, you guys have some cool names!” Skystar giggles, and she surges forward. Her grin grows when the cave starts to widen. “Ooh, we’re almost there!”

Skystar lets go of Twilight’s hoof, leaving her and the others to swim on their own as she surges ahead. The group let go of each other to swim on their own, except Sonic, who just latches onto Rainbow for dear life. His wife just rolls her eyes, chuckling at the way Sonic acted as she wraps her hooves around her husband’s midsection. When the group rounds a corner, they’re greeted by a sight to behold – an expansive underwater cavern that could easily fit two Canterlot Castles inside and still have more than enough space to move around.

At the top of the cavern hangs a coral palace that looked like it had been meticulously grown over decades in such a way to create this wonder of nature. The bottom holds up the largest building here, a bulb-like room with two extensions underneath that glows a soft pink. This was most likely the throne room, and where the queen of these ‘seaponies’ resided.

As the Mane Seven and Co. stare in awe at the sight, merponies watch them from the floor of the cavern, cautious of the creatures that they’d never seen before. They follow Skystar to the underside of the bulb and go through the hole, which leads to the throne room.

It’s made entirely out of coral, with various shades of pink, orange, and purple, everywhere. Three blue jellyfish with incredibly long stingers float on both sides of the room, and another near the roof is a larger white variant that holds a mass of blue tentacles on the inside. In front of the entrance they swam through, two lines of purple coral that lead to a purple throne shaped like an open flower, and a gold bottom.

On it lies a pure white seapony with a purple tail and back fins, light blue hoof and ear fins, a very light baby blue collar, and a magenta mane that fades to purple at the end. Three light blue strands protrude from her forehead, the largest two emitting light and a golden crown sits in front of them. She looks bored, as her eyes are closed and her head resting on her hoof.

“Mother, look what I found!” Skystar exclaims, swimming up next to her.

“Is it another shell?” Her mother asks, cracking an eye open a little. She rubs her head and sighs.

“Mm-mm,” Skystar shakes her head.

“Because I am telling you if it is another shell, I am—!” Skystar’s mother gasps when she lays eyes on the Mane Seven and Co. “Princess Skystar, what have you done?! You know surface dwellers are forbidden here! Guards!”

The group gasps as five spear-wielding guards surround them in an instant. Tionic swims in front of Twilight, and Sonic and Rainbow take a spot around their friends.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Tionic exclaims, slapping a spear away from his face only for it to return even closer. He rips the spear out of the guard’s hooves and snaps it in half. The guard flinches at this, and the glare Tionic was giving him wasn’t helping his nerves. “Take it easy! We haven’t done anything to you!”

“No, no, n-no! M-M-Mom, please!” Skystar begs, trying to calm her mother down before things got out of hoof. “It’s not like that! The Storm King is trying to destroy their home, too!”

“We need to find the Hippogriffs,” Twilight explains. “Do you know what happened to them?”

“Well, of course I know, I'm the queen,” Skystar’s mother says, placing a hoof on her chest. “I know everything.”

“Oh, oh, it's such a good story!” Skystar says excitedly, swimming up to a wall between the blue jellyfish.

“Don't you dare tell them!” Her mother warns, glaring at her daughter, but her warning falls flat.

“Once upon a time, like, a while ago, the Hippogriffs did live on Mount Aris,” Skystar begins, waving a hoof over the wall. It reacts to her hoof as a picture of Mt. Aris appears, a few griffon-like creatures surrounding the mountain, presumably hippogriffs.

“Did I not say don't tell them?” Her mother groans, holding her head in her hooves. “But hey, I'm just the queen. Don't mind me.”

“Fine, I can't tell you!” Skystar humphs, but then circles the next section. “But if I could tell you, I'd say that that horned beast did show up to steal their magic!” Another picture appears, this time of the Storm King. Though it was just a picture, the gaze sent shivers down the Mane Six’s backs, while Sonic and Tionic’s quills bristle from instinct.

“Seriously?” Novo deadpans as she returns to her throne.

“But, to keep it out of his clutches, their brave and majestic leader, Queen Novo, hid them deep underwater where he could never go!” She circles the next one, and a hippogriff with a striking resemblance to Skystar’s mother appears. The last one she circles reveals the underwater cave they were in, the seaponies, or hippogriffs, as they had realized by now, drawn around the castle. “We are... well, we were the Hippogriffs! Ta-da!” She then swims close to the group, holding a hoof to the side of her cheek. “But I totally did not tell you that!”

“Well, I guess the pearl is out the oyster now,” Her mother sighs, and gestures to herself. “I am Queen Novo, leader and ruler of the Hippogriffs.”

“Hold on, now,” Applejack swims up a little to gain their attention. “Lemme get this straight. When the Storm King came, ya just abandoned yer entire city and fled?”

“I think I can tell you why, Applejack,” Tionic pipes up, and all eyes turn to him. He locks his gaze with Novo’s as he speaks. “The way I see it, you care deeply for your subjects, Queen Novo. So when the Storm King came and threatened to take over, you had two options – stay and fight the invading army, or escape somewhere the army couldn’t find you.” Tionic mentally pats himself on the back as Novo’s eyes widen ever so slightly, indicating that his suspicions were right.

“Seeing that you didn’t want to lose any of your subjects, you chose the latter option and fled here via the water caves,” Tionic gestures out the window back to the cave entrance. “When the army arrived, they discovered a city with no one there and quickly lost interest. But I’m guessing you felt it wasn’t a good idea to go back to the surface and risk being invaded again, so you stayed here and built a home for your kind.”

The throne room sits in silent awe for a moment. Everyone stares at the Spark, marveling at his ability to quickly piece together what happened with so little information. Queen Novo’s shock soon turns to admiration as a smile graces her face.

“I will admit, I didn’t expect you to guess what happened so perfectly,” She says, her smile turning to a grin. “Your looks defy the wisdom you hold, creature.”

“Thank you, your MajesteeEEE,” Tionic forgets he’s underwater and does a front flip instead of a bow. Everyone chuckles as he rights himself and clears his throat. “Anyway, I take pride in my talents, and I don’t know where I’d be today without them.”

“I know a good leader when I see one,” Novo praises. “Keep this up, and you may be a ruler sooner than you think.”

“Pfft, yeah, I’m not cut out for running a nation,” Tionic chuckles, imagining himself sitting on a throne wearing a golden crown and velvet cape, a scepter in his hand. The thought makes him snort. “Yeah, nope. Anyway, enough about me. What I’d like to know is how you became seagriffs. Last time I checked, no living being can just change their body structure as you did.”

“Oh! Can we show them?” Skystar exclaims, stars in her eyes as she turns to her mother. “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?”

“Well,” Queen Novo chuckles at her daughter’s eagerness as she swims up to the roof where the white jellyfish floated. “I suppose I should make sure it still works.”

Novo and Skystar swim around the jellyfish, and just like the murals that appeared on the wall, it reacts to the seagriffs’ presence. The blue tentacles inside extend in a spiral, and the end opens to let a peach pearl radiating power sink into Novo’s waiting hooves. She places a hoof on top and rubs it once, stirring the power inside to come out. Skystar squeals at the sight, watching as the waves of peach energy roll off the pearl and bath the Mane Seven and Co.

The effects are immediate. The bubbles around their heads pop as the magic flows over them, changing their bodies in an instant to better suit the environment they were in. The girls’ back legs and tails fuse into merpony tails, and a stabilizing fin appears on their backs with their Cutie Marks emblazoned on both sides and glowing. Gills form just underneath their necks, and anypony with wings now had translucent ones, perfect for balance and moving well underwater.

But for Tionic and Sonic, it was different. There was no noticeable change to their bodies, except for the gills on their necks. Instead, blue, see-through platforms appear under their feet, and when Sonic lifts a foot, the platform disappears and reappears when he sets it down. The speedsters essentially had their own track under their feet and could run anywhere underwater now, the only limit being obstacles getting in their way.

“These fins are divine!” Rarity exclaims, admiring her new fins and scales, loving the beautiful sheen her mane gave off in the light.

“Hey, Applejack!” Rainbow exclaims, catching the farmer’s attention before she points to an outcropping of coral nearby. “Race ya to that coral!”

“Yer on!” Applejack exclaims, and swims off after Rainbow.

“Woo-hoo!” Pinkie cheers, looping around Fluttershy as if she was born a merpony. “Ooh! Try it, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy giggles nervously, opting to float in the water. “Yay.”

“Guys? Guys?!” And Spike… well, he was turned into a pufferfish, and slowly floating upward. “What is...” He sucks in water, expanding to a ridiculous size. “...happening?!”

“Aw, so cute!” Fluttershy gushes, giggling as Spike struggles to figure out how to control himself.

Sonic, however, stood unmoving from his spot since the transformation, staring off into the nonexistent distance and mumbling to himself.

“I can move underwater as if I were on land, and I’m breathing literal water,” He mutters, his eye twitching. “I don’t know if I should feel happy, terrified, or both at the same time.”

“I think it’s awesome!” Tionic exclaims, looping around the hedgehog before stopping in front of him, a glint in his eye. “Now let’s see if I can be the first thing alive to break the sound barrier underwater!”

That snaps Sonic out of it, and his competitive attitude comes back in full swing as a cocky grin crosses his face.

“Oh, I’m not letting you take that title!” He exclaims, leaning down. Two platforms form under his hands, so revving up a Peel-Out was much easier. The platforms blink in and out of existence, creating a light show beneath his feet. “Try to keep up!”

And just like that, Sonic became the first thing alive to break the sound barrier underwater, closely followed by Tionic. The shockwaves from the double Water Boom weren’t as extreme as on land, but they still shook the cave and knocked loose rocks free from the ceiling. They loop around the cavern a few times but stop when they realized they were creating a whirlpool. They of course get a few glares from the Hippogriffs, and all they could do was chuckle nervously before zipping back to the throne room.

“This is amazing!” Twilight exclaims, swimming over to Novo, her gaze not leaving the pearl. “With this, we could transform everypony at home into something powerful enough to face the Storm King's army!”

“Or it could end up in his greedy claws!” She growls, holding the pearl closer to herself.

“But...”

“Honey, I'm sorry about your home. Truly, I am,” Novo says solemnly, but her face shifts into a glare. “But my responsibility is to protect my subjects. The pearl...” She holds it up, and the blue tentacles suck it back up. “Is not going anywhere.”

“But we've come all this way!” Twilight exclaims, hoping to reason with the queen. “And you can't just hide down here, trapped forever! There's so much you're missing!”

“We are one hundred percent okay with that!” She snaps. Chittering draws her attention as an orange squid with blue fins swims up to her, a few pieces of seaweed draped on one arm like a butler would a white cloth. “Yes, Jamal?”

Jamal chitters for a moment, her face lights up. “Ooh! Time for my seaweed wrap,” She swims out of the room via the open sides, and there are more chitters from Jamal as he follows. “Yes, a massage, too. Mama needs her deep tissue.”

With Novo gone, Twilight stares at the jellyfish holding the pearl, and her friends swim/walk over to her side.

“So that's it?!” Applejack exclaims, pushing her hat back down on her head before it floats off. “We left home for nothin'?”

“Oh, my gosh! Best... idea!” Skystar exclaims, and gestures to herself. “You can stay with us! Forever!” The Mane Seven and Co. cringe at the thought, but Skystar doesn’t notice their expressions. “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, and Sheldon?” She holds up a pink and purple oyster shell in her hooves, googly eyes stuck to the tops. She shakes the shells respectively as she snorts, holding them out. “Get it?”

“She is one letter away from getting hit by a lawsuit from Nintendo,” Sonic mutters to no one in particular, a bored look on his face.

“That sounds lovely, darling,” Rarity says, gently pushing ‘Shelly’ and ‘Sheldon’ back. “But you must realize, we can't stay.”

“We've got our own families ta git back to,” Applejack explains. “We’d be abandoning ‘em if we stayed here.”

“Oh,” Skystar’s expression falls, but she forces it back to a cheery one. “Of course, of course. Heh. Of course you have your own friends back home. It's fine. It's fine! Shelly and Sheldon get jealous anyways. It's probably for the best. Yeah, I'll just, um... I'll get Mom to, uh, turn you back so you can go home.”

They watch as the young princess swims off, her expression nothing like how it was a few moments ago.

“I know we have to go, but you guys saw how disappointed Skystar was?” Pinkie asks. “Couldn't we stay for just a little longer?”

Applejack sighs. “Pinkie, we just don't have time for—”

“No, no, no,” Twilight suddenly says. “Pinkie's right.”

“Say what now?” Rainbow utters, wondering if she heard right. Tionic locks his gaze on the princess, and his mind starts running through the possibilities. Looking up, he realizes what Twilight is planning to do and quietly slinks behind one of the blue jellyfish.

“Well, we still need to come up with a plan to get back,” Twilight explains, pulling Pinkie aside. “A few minutes won't make a huge difference. And if there's anypony who can cram a lifetime of fun into a blink of an eye, it's Pinkie!”

She squees from the compliment.

“So, go ahead and show Skystar the best time ever!”

“I won't let you down!” Pinkie exclaims, saluting before swimming off to find Skystar.

“I'm counting on it,” Twilight nods, and watches her friends leave. Right as they’re out of sight, she turns around and swims back to where the pearl was, but what she didn’t see was Tionic come out from behind the coral he hid behind and follow her. She’s about to go for the pearl when Tionic zips in front of her, making her jump back in surprise.

“Twilight, I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m not gonna let you do it," Tionic frowns, folding his arms. “This is a stupid idea, and you know it!”

“Tionic, please move!” Twilight begs, trying to get around him. “This is the only way to save Equestria!”

“By stealing a magical artifact from a hidden civilization?!” Tionic sidesteps in her way again and places a hand on her chest to hold her back. “Do you have any idea what that would do to the relationship between Equestria and Seaquestria?!”

“I’m only borrowing it!” Twilight exasperates, flailing her hooves in an attempt to reach the pearl. “I’ll put it back after I save Equestria with it!”

“And what are you gonna use it for?” Tionic shoots back. “Turn all of Equestria into seaponies and relocate them to the sea?! That’s just a nationwide evacuation, and you’ll be upending countless lives because you think ‘this is the only way’! And what about the Storm King? He’ll still be around after that, and he’ll continue to come after you and threaten everyone in the process until he gets what he wants. As far as I know, that pearl doesn’t have a weapon system.”

“But I -!” Twilight starts, but what Tionic said made her stop and think for a moment. The points he was making made sense, and she was beginning to see the error in her decision. “I... I didn’t think that far ahead...”

“Exactly, you weren’t thinking,” Tionic frowns, then sighs. “Look, there are so many other ways to save Equestria and defeat the Storm King, but this isn’t one of them. You need to think through things fully before deciding which option is the best one.”

“You’re still growing as a princess, Twilight,” He continues, kneeling and placing a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “You’re going to make mistakes, but you’ve got to remember that you aren’t the only one who’s doing the saving – you have friends to turn to. Just look at what Pinkie’s done already.”

Tionic gestures out of the room, and they spot Pinkie, the girls, Sonic, and what seems like every hippogriff in the city doing a dance routine together, fish and lights all around them. Even Queen Novo was with them, swimming through the water with her daughter in perfect harmony.

“She’s already made friends with all of the hippogriffs, and it looks like she’s even convinced Queen Novo to help us,” Tionic smiles, watching everyone having a great time together. “You see? We don’t need some pearl to save Equestria, you already have the one thing you need – your friends.”

Twilight looks back out the window, and giggles. “You’re really good at this, aren’t you?”

“Talking others out of dumb ideas and giving pep talks comes with the package deal of a leader,” Tionic smirks, standing up. “And leaders have to stick together, right?”

“I guess you’re right,” She says slowly, but she was still hesitant. “Maybe we should join the girls and Sonic, it seems like they’re having—”

She never finishes. The room turns red, and an alarm starts to blare, shocking the pair. Without warning, tentacles wrap around Twilight, trapping her and restricting her movements. What makes it worse was that these were stinging tentacles, excreting poison and shocking Twilight.

“AAAGGHH!” She screams. The poison was not only a paralyzing agent, but it also melted her fins off, rendering them useless and putting her in extreme pain.

“Twilight!” Tionic shouts. He dashes to the tentacles holding her and pulls, despite the shocks coursing through his nervous system and the smell of burning flesh reaching his nose. “Hold on, I’ll get you out of this!”

Right as he says that, Novo, Skystar, Sonic, the girls, and a multitude of hippogriffs come into the room. Novo’s grim expression hardens, and her frown deepens into a scowl.

“All of this so you could sneak in and take the pearl?!” She exclaims and swims over to deactivate the alarm.

“No!” Tionic shouts, still trying to pull the tentacles off Twilight, still enduring the poison. “She didn’t even touch the damn thing! Your faulty security system was activated for no reason, other than us being in here!”

“That ‘faulty’ system can detect the intentions of anyone in the room,” Novo growls, pulling the orb out of its cradle. The lights stop and the tentacles retract, leaving Twilight to sink to the floor. Tionic catches her, and Sonic, Spike, and the girls swim/run over to them. “Meaning, if somegriff has intentions to steal the pearl, it will slowly creep up on the perpetrator and capture them without notice.”

“Wait, what?” Tionic freezes, and the pieces click. He slowly turns to Twilight. “You… you were still gonna steal it… even after I talked to you about how it was a bad idea?!”

She tries to look away, but the poison had fried her nerves and she can only shut her eyes. Tionic is conflicted, mad that Twilight was about to betray him, but worried about the state she was in. His powers show up as those emotions built up inside, but this time, electricity bounces from his lit quills.

“This is why we don't bring strangers into our home!” Novo says to Skystar, then she glares at Twilight and the others, who have conveniently gathered together. “You don't deserve to be one of us.”

She aims the pearl at them, and a bright flash of peach-colored light envelopes the group.

Author's Note

2 chapters in one month? That can’t be right. Do I have too much time on my hands now? :rainbowhuh:

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this next installment to the story!

(Also, comments and constructive criticism is encouraged)

Fallout

—Mt. Aris, Base of the Mountain, Beach—

Air bubbles pop off the water's surface, and after a few moments of bubbling, the Mane Seven, Spike, and Tionic breach the surface, gasping for air and coughing up water. To their relief, they see that no one is missing as they look around. Spotting the beach, they all swim toward it. After reaching shallower water, Rainbow lets go of Sonic. He jumps out of the water and dive-bombs the beach.

"Land!" Sonic exclaims, his tail wagging hard as he hugs the sand. "I don't care if it's sand and I get bad traction on it, but it's land!"

"Drama hog," Rainbow coughs, hacking up the leftover water in her lungs before collapsing beside him.

"Do you know what it's like to nearly drown dozens of times in water levels?" Sonic questions. He doesn’t get a response. "Yeah, didn't think so."

"Twi, what were ya thinkin'?" Applejack asks, wringing her hat out before shaking the seawater off her body. "Ah mean, stealin' their pearl? What did ya think would happen?!"

"It was the only way to save Equestria," Twilight sighs, brushing a strand of her mane out of her face. Tionic, whose face was planted in the sand, groans in frustration as he picks himself up.

"Did you completely forget about our conversation five minutes ago?!" He exclaims, brushing off the sand from his face and clothes. "I explicitly told you that wasn't our only option, and yet you were still going to go with your original plan?!"

"Plus, the Queen was going to say yes!" Pinkie adds. "We did what you told us, and that made her realize we were ponies worth saving!"

Her eyes widen in shock as she realizes what Twilight was planning. "Unless... You didn't really want us to show her the best time ever! You just wanted us to distract her!"

Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy gasp, the pieces clicking all at once. Sonic growls, glaring daggers at Twilight.

"I never would have done it, but this isn't Equestria!" She explains, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. "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!"

"No, Twilight, we stuck together!" says Rainbow, jabbing a hoof at her chest. "We were gonna get the help we needed! The only thing that stopped us was you!"

"I'm doing the best I can!" Twilight groans, falling back on her flank. "It's all on me. I'm the one Tempest wants. I'm the last Princess!"

"It's not all on you, Twilight!" Sonic points out. "You're not the only one threatened by this, and neither is this just your responsibility!"

"You're also the only one who doesn't trust her friends!" Pinkie exclaims. "Do you not trust your friends enough to do that?!"

"Maybe I would've been better off without friends like YOU!" Twilight snaps, flaring her wings and magic. Her eyes widen in horror as she realizes what she said. Pinkie gasps, her hair visibly losing most of its poofiness. Fluttershy whimpers, and the other's jaws drop. Twilight wants to take it back, but the damage has already been done. "Pinkie, I-"

"I-I just can't talk to you right now," She sniffles as she walks off. The girls and Sonic follow her, giving Twilight various glares and scowls as they pass her. The worst was Sonic's, as he gave her a look of sadness and disappointment. Spike stays by her side, but Tionic is the only one who hasn't moved. He just stood there, his jaw ridged and fists clenched so hard they turned white.

"Twilight. Sparkle," Tionic growls slowly, his eyes darkened by shadow. When Twilight turns to him, she was the only one to see his face covered in shadow, his irises glowing a menacingly bright blue. They pierce through the shadow and bore into her eyes, making her flinch. "What. The. Hell. IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

"Wha-?!" She's taken aback by his explosion of anger, and her ears flop against her head. Tionic's echoing shout stops the Mane Six in their tracks, and they turn back to them.

"You're taking it out on them?!" Tionic exclaims, his voice carrying a deadly edge to it. "You were the one who was trying to steal the pearl, not them! Why are you blaming your closest friends?!"

"I-I'm not blaming them for this!" Twilight stammers, attempting to alleviate the anger she could feel radiating off Tionic. "Even if we got help from the hippogriffs or tried to find another way, it would've been too late! The Chaos Emeralds are spread around the planet, so Super Sonic is off the list, and the Elements are locked in the Tree of Harmony! That pearl was the quickest option we had!"

"We can go Super, but we just need fourteen hundred rings to do it," Sonic mutters, rolling his eyes. Rainbow punches his shoulder in response.

"You don't need some gems and trinkets to take down that yeti!" Tionic exclaims. "You had the power to do just that already, but you threw them away!"

"Then why don't you use your powers, huh?!" Twilight yells back, irritated that this was getting nowhere. "Actually, why didn't you use them to save the princesses? Why didn't you stop Tempest?! How come you've held back when you could've solved the problem -?!"

"My mom is dead because of my powers!" Tionic roars, his powers lighting himself and the beach up. Sonic, Spike, Twilight, and the girls gasp. Tears well up in the girls' and Spike's eyes, and though he tries to hide it, tears nip at Sonic's eyes, too. The beach falls silent, and nothing but the howling wind and the crackle of electricity is heard. "I have been on the run for six years since then, Twilight. Ever since I learned about my powers, they've been nothing but a curse! Every time I've used them, someone has gone after them, and it's ended up with others getting hurt or killed, my mom included! I am NOT going to use them only to lose you too, damnit!"

Twilight gasps softly, bringing a hoof to her muzzle as her tears well up. She knew Tionic cared, but to that extent? "T-Tio… I…”

"Don't. Call me that." Tionic growls, his tone sending chills down Twilight's spine. His powers crackle across his scarf as he clenches it tightly. Teardrops hit the sand as tears well up in Tionic's eyes. “Ever. Again."

Without a second thought, he blasts past Twilight, shattering the sound barrier in an explosion of electricity and wind. Sand flies everywhere, creating a dust cloud and obscuring everyone's vision momentarily.

Once it settles, the Mane Six look back at Twilight, and they turn to go after Tionic, leaving her and Spike alone. After all that, it became too much for Twilight, and she finally broke down. All the stress and emotion from the past few days catches up to her, and she just lets it go.

"Twilight?" Spike says softly after a moment, laying a claw on her shoulder. "It's okay, you'll figure it out."

"No, I can't!" Twilight cries, sobs wracking her body. "I-I ruined everything! I pushed away my friends, and I-I hurt Tionic! There's no chance to save Equestria now. It's all my fault! It’s all… my… fault…”

Twilight falls to her knees and lets everything out onto them, not caring if Spike saw the sorry state she is in. She's unsure how long she cried, but she forces herself to look up when the purple alicorn realizes she no longer feels Spike's claw on her side. "Sniff… Spike?"

"Twilight, look out!" Spike tries to warn, but his warning is muffled by a Storm Guard's paw and comes too late. Twilight immediately charges up a spell, but to her horror, a cage closes up around her and traps her.

"What?!" Twilight exclaims, firing the spell. To her horror, the mana bolt dissipates on contact with the bars, meaning they were made of a magic-absorbing material. She feels the cage being lifted into the air and sees a chain drawing into the open bottom of one of the Storm King's ships. "No, no, no, no, no! Noooooo!"

"Twilight, help!" Spike struggles against the guard's grip, trying to free himself. But the guard's grip is firm, and manages to keep a hold of Spike.

"Spiiiiiike!!!" Twilight screams, trying to reach out the cage's bars, but it's evident it's futile. Spike manages to free his snout and bites down on the Storm Guard's hand as hard as he can. His sharp teeth immediately puncture the skin and draw blood, making the guard scream in pain and drop the dragon. Spike clambers to his feet and runs after the rapidly rising cage, but he quickly runs out of space and can only watch as his surrogate sister and mother is taken away.

"Twiliiiiiight!!!"

—Somewhere above Equestria, Tempest's Ship—

Down in the brig, Twilight's cage hung above a mesh of metal above what looked like lava, but she hadn't felt any heat from it, and the ship hadn't gone up in flames, so it was safe to assume it was just for ascetics, same as the puffs of steam that occasionally rose from it. Twilight fires bolt after bolt at her cage, hoping to break the bars. But to her frustration, the mana bolts still fizzle out on contact. She's about to fire the largest bolt yet when hoofsteps draw her attention to the other side of the room.

"Aww, the 'Princess of Friendship,' with no friends!" A voice chuckles, and Twilight sees Tempest slowly making her way over to the cage. "And no way out."

"Why are you doing this?!" Twilight exclaims, hoping to get some answer from her captor. "You're a pony, just like me!"

A bolt strikes the cage's bars, making Twilight yelp as she backpedals, and Tempest slams a hoof on the cage.

"I'm nothing like you!" Tempest shouts, her expression full of rage and making Twilight flinch. Tempest quickly composes herself, letting her hoof slowly slide down the bar to the floor. "I'm more than you'll ever be."

She circles the cage, watching Twilight follow where she is before she starts to sing.

It's time you learned a lesson
It's time that you understand
Don't ever count on anypony else
In this or any other land

Tempest walks away from the cage and stares at nothing, her gaze lost in thought.

I once hoped for friendship
To find a place among my kind

Her voice had a spark of hope, but she extinguished it as fast as it appeared.

But those were the childish wishes
Of someone who was blind

She turns around in perfect sync with another gush of steam from below, giving the following line of her song more power behind it.

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

Tempest places a hoof under Twilight's chin, forcing her to look at her captor's cerulean eyes. Behind them, Tempest relives a past long forgotten, one of fillyhood innocence, and naivety. Three fillies play with a ball together - a blue filly with a dark blue mane and tail, a sea green filly with a sky blue mane and tail, and a younger Tempest with her horn intact and no scars. The three pass the ball around with their magic; the yellow, blue, and magenta auras mingle as the ball circles in the air.

We all start out the same
With simple naive trust

Young Tempest accidentally puts too much magic behind her toss, and the ball flies off. It bounces into a boarded-off cave surrounded by danger signs, each telling anypony who came close to turn the other way. One depicts a blue bear, which would most likely be what lies inside the cave that Young Tempest and her friends approached.

Shielded from the many ways
That life's not fair or just

Reaching the mouth of the cave, her friends are nervous to be this close to the cave. One of them gestures for Young Tempest to go in and retrieve the ball, and being the bravest of the bunch, she does.

But then there comes a moment

Young Tempest quickly finds the ball and picks it up with her magic, but the looming figure that appears from the darkness makes her drop it. The creature that came out of the gloom was no mere bear but a cranky Ursa Minor that had been awakened from its nap. Young Tempest's magic swiftly changes to an offensive sell, but before she can let it fly, the Ursa Minor swings a massive paw at her head-

A simple truth that you must face

-and shatters her horn.

If you depend on others
You'll never find your place

Later on, Young Tempest is on the outskirts of a village, now sporting the scar across her eye and shattered horn her older self has. The two friends she was playing with before the attack are playing with the ball she managed to retrieve, and when it rolls to a stop in front of her, they gesture for her to join them.

Young Tempest tries to use her magic, but without her horn to focus her mana, she gets sparks and a slightly smoking ball. She tries again, forcing her magic through her stump of a horn. This time, an energy field appears, but it only lasts a second before it collapses in on itself, the mana too wild and unfocused. Afraid of Young Tempest and her unstable magic, the two fillies take the ball and run away from her, joining a yellow filly and playing with them instead.

Young Tempest watches as the trio runs off, giggling and laughing, tears nipping her eyes as she walks down a path leading away from the village.

And as you take that first step

Her walk turns to a trot, then a canter before she gallops as fast as she can, holding tears back as she races away.

Upon a path that's all your own
You see it all so clearly

Reaching a hill that overlooks the area, Young Tempest looks back at the village she called home, lingering on the memories she once held dearly. Making her decision, she clenches her eyes and trots away. When she opens them, they're full of determination, resentment, and, most prominently, hatred for the ones she called 'friends' for abandoning her.

The best way to survive is all alone

Finished reliving her past, Tempest turns away and trots up the stairs. Reaching the platform it leads to, she looks back at Twilight.

Open up your eyes
See the world from where I stand
Me, among the mighty
You, caged at my command

Tempest walks over to a lever and pulls it, making the cage jump as the mechanism holding the chain reels it in, raising Twilight to her level.

Open up your eyes
And behold the faded light

Tempest grabs the bars and pulls the cage closer to her, grinning as she sees the fear in Twilight's eyes.

It's time to grow up and get wise
Come now, little one, open up your eyes

Tempest lets go, allowing the crane above deck to do its work as she watches the cage rise.

Open up your eyes!

The light blinds Twilight for a moment, forcing her to shield her eyes as they had gotten used to the dim lighting of the brig. Once they focus, she wishes they hadn't.

Looking across the aerial view of Equestria, she can see plumes of smoke rising from the villages and towns that had been attacked, and she instantly recognizes Matterhorn Mountain in the distance, Canterlot barely visible under the haze of smoke and shadow above it and the mountain it resided on.

Twilight stares, unable to take her eyes off the city as the ship draws closer to it. She snaps out of it when metal hoof guards clanking on the metal deck reach her ears, and she sees Tempest walk out from the brig.

"I'm so sorry you felt so alone," Twilight sympathizes, feeling sorry for the scarred unicorn.

"I saw the truth," Tempest says. "My 'friends' abandoned me when times got tough, and it looks like I'm not the only one. Face it, Princess, Friendship has failed you, too."

"No, friendship didn't fail me," Twilight murmurs, turning away and lying on the cold metal floor of the cage. A tear falls from the alicorn's eye, splattering in the shape of a broken heart. "I failed friendship."

—Mt. Aris, base of the mountain, Beach—

Tionic stares out across the water, his scarf billowing in the breeze that blows by occasionally. After his outburst, he ran until he felt he'd gotten far enough away, stopped there, and sat down on a rock face that reached out over the water.

He didn't notice Sonic and the girls approaching where he sat or when they called out his name. Seeing that they were getting nowhere, Rainbow nudges Sonic ahead.

“Go talk to him, babe,” She encourages. “You two seem closer than the rest of us, so maybe he’ll open up to you.”

Sonic looks at Tionic and turns back to his wife and nods. He jumps onto the boulder, and slowly walks over to the Spark.

"Tionic?" Sonic says, stopping a few feet behind the Spark. "You wanna talk?"

"…" Tionic says nothing for a moment, then he speaks. "Have you… ever lost someone close to you?"

"Well…" Sonic plops down beside Tionic and leans back, racking his brain. "There was someone a few years back. His name was Chip. He lost his memories when we first met, probably due to me landing on him after my unplanned skydive from space." He chuckles at the memory. "So, I promised to help him get them back. This was just after ol' Egghead cracked Mobias apart to use the energy of Dark Gaia, an ancient deity sealed in the core. We didn't know it then, but Chip was actually its counterpart, Light Gaia, destined to seal Dark Gaia away again."

"We had so much fun traveling the world together, seeing new places, meeting new people, getting his memories back; it was a blast! When we finally defeated Perfect Dark Gaia, I fell unconscious, and Chip threw me out while he stayed in the core. It… it hurt having to say goodbye. Still does, actually. But he did give me something to remember him by as a parting gift."

Sonic reaches into his quills and pulls out a silver bracelet, designs etched into the precious metal, a green orb holding the two ends together. "'I will always be with you. As part of the earth you tread,'" He recites with a sad smile, remembering Chip's final promise. "As much as I miss the little guy, I know he's with me, no matter what."

Unbeknownst to them, a small, see-through figure appears next to Sonic, smiling as it places a paw on his shoulder. Sonic runs a thumb over the bracelet, relishing his memories of Chip. Instead of putting it back in his quills, Sonic slips it over his left wrist, smiling as warmth runs through his body like someone is hugging him. "I'm guessing losing your mom felt like that?"

"Yeah, except hundreds of times worse," Tionic sighs. "I understand you couldn't do anything about it. Light Gaia, or Chip, as you call him, couldn't come with you and had to stay. I had all the power to save my mom, but I turned and ran away like a coward."

"Did she tell you to run?" Sonic asks, and Tionic reluctantly nods. "Then that means you were just listening to what your mom said. She wanted to keep you safe from harm so you could have a life to live. You aren't a coward, Tionic, and neither are your powers a curse."

"Then why is it that everywhere I go, someone gets hurt?!" He exclaims, gripping his head. "I tried to stay hidden, but something always found me. It didn't matter in the end."

"You either just had bad timing, were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or fate was just kicking you in the ass," Sonic shrugs before his expression turns bored. "And I'm speaking from experience, so don't say that's not true."

Tionic laughs a little, and Sonic smiles. He could see the Spark opening up little by little. "Just like me once before, you were young at the time, and you didn't know there were other options."

"I know that now," Tionic groans. "But even if I knew that then, I had to stay true to my mom's word and play it safe."

"You mentioned earlier that maybe your mom was wrong about hiding your powers," Sonic says. Tionic nods in response, curious as to where the hedgehog was going with this. "Well, I think you're right. It's yours alone to control; no one should ever take that away from you. This is also from experience; power doesn't choose what it will be used for. It's the user that decides how it's used. So if you use it to run, that's what it'll do. But if you use it for something else, like protecting others…"

Sonic trails off, hoping that Tionic will finish it. For a moment, he thought the Spark wouldn't answer, but the slight smile on his face squashes that doubt. Tionic stands up, looking across the water. "…then it'll protect others. You're right, Sonic. I've used my powers to run for so long that I forgot I could use it for other purposes. Well, no longer – I'll use them to protect and fight for what I care about!"

"Yeah, there you go!" Sonic grins, standing alongside Tionic and giving him a fist bump. "That's the spirit! I knew you had it in you, buddy!"

"You two are so cute together," Rarity giggles, and the girls nod in agreement as they approach from behind.

"Oh, please, what?" scoffs Sonic.

"We are not." Tionic denies.

"No, we're not cute."

"We are a couple of loose cannons just living by our own rules."

"Exactly."

"Oh, really?" Rainbow smirks, skeptical about that answer.

"Yes," Sonic nods. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"And our rules include expressing heartfelt emotion," Tionic adds.

"If you say so," Rainbow shrugs, rolling her eyes. Before she can say anything else, Spike comes barreling down the beach. "Spike? What are you-?"

"She's been! Taken!"

"Huh?!"

"Twilight's been taken!" He exclaims. "Tempest! She grabbed her! And took her on her ship!"

"What?!" Tionic roars, startling everyone as massive arcs of thunder explode from his quills. "Tempest got Twilight?!"

"We gotta get her back!" Sonic growls, slamming a fist into his palm.

"But how?" Fluttershy asks, her ears flat against her head. "Not all of us can run or fly as fast as you, Rainbow, or Tionic! We won't be able to keep up!"

"Good thing I happen to know of a group of heroes that could handle this easily!" A voice says from across the beach. Turning, Tionic, Spike, and the Mane Six see a familiar cat in a red trench coat standing on a boulder. Capper slides down it, and the girls scowl at the cat.

"Well!" Rarity huffs. "Look what the cat dragged in! Himself!"

"Hey, hold on, Rarity," Tionic says, holding a hand out before turning to the cat. "Let's hear him out for a second. You got something to say, Capper?"

"Yeah, I do," He sighs, rubbing his forearm. "I just wanna say I'm sorry for trying to sell you guys. I was desperate to get rid of my debt, and when I saw you guys, the instincts I've garnered over the years told me this was my big opportunity. But after Rarity fixed up my coat and didn't want anything in return, I felt bad deceiving you. When Verko came to collect my 'debt payment,' I really regretted doing it. I don't expect you to forgive me right away, but I do ask for us to start over again."

No one says anything for a moment. Then Tionic walks up to Capper, making him nervous about what the Spark would do to him, and the fact that he was still emitting electricity didn't help. Tionic stops before him, staring at the cat as he shifts from paw to paw. But to Capper's and everyone else's surprise, the Spark extends an open hand to him.

"Apology accepted," Tionic grins, and his powers dim. "I knew there was some good in you."

"Thank you," Capper nods, accepting the handshake. "And I hope you don't mind if I brought some friends I picked up along the way."

He gestures behind him, and to the Mane Six and Co’s surprise, Captain Celaeno and her entire crew walk over the ridge. Rainbow grins and flies over, happy to see the pirate birds perfectly fine and in one piece after Tempest and her crew boarded their ship. "You guys are alright!"

"Gonna take more than an angry unicorn to stop us!" says Boyle, giving Rainbow a high claw-hoof. "Plus, we figured you could use a claw!"

"We're on board to help you fight the Storm King!" says Captain Celaeno, then she scratches her head. "Just not on board our... actual ship."

"That crazy unicorn sunk it," Mullet grumbles, and he turns to Rainbow. "But you got back our argh, and we're ready to kick some booty!"

Boyle and other pirates laugh heartily at the little joke, but bubbling draws their attention to the water, and a golden glow shimmers from below. Everyone, sans Tionic and Sonic, gasps at the sight. Then somepony, or somegriff, bursts out of the water and elegantly lands next to them.

"Is that what I think it is?" asks Capper, his eyes widening.

"Eyup," Sonic grins and Tionic nods with a smirk. "That's a hippogriff, alright."

"Hellooooooo!! Me again!" Princess Skystar giggles, now sporting a beak and feathers instead of scales and fins. "I'm gonna get so grounded, but I talked things over with Shelly and Sheldon, and they pointed out that you were just trying to help your friends."

"Awwww!" Pinkie gushes, and she gives Skystar a grateful hug. "Thanks, Skystar!"

"So I wanna help too, 'cause ya know... one small thing..." Princess Skystar drops down to a whisper. "Can make a really big difference!"

"That's it, right?" Spike wonders, looking around. "We didn't make friends with anypony else?"

"Not that I know of," Sonic shrugs. "But Pinkie does have a habit of making friends with everyone, so who knows."

"All right!" Capper grins, eying the group gathered. Our course is clear. Y'all ready to do this thing and save Equestria?"

"Yeah! We're coming Twilight!" Pinkie exclaims, and everyone cheers. "As soon as we bake up a plan – literally!"

Author's Note

This chapter was actually done a month or two prior to publishing. It was just something I wanted to do before I got the other chapters done, since I like to do some of the really big parts of stories first, then build around them.

Alright, I hope you enjoyed reading this! See ya next chapter! :twilightsmile:

Comments are still encouraged!

Raid on Canterlot

Canterlot has definitely seen better days. Cages full of miserable ponies, Mobians, and Wisps litter the streets, and Storm Guards stand vigil beside many of them. Some guards have a few ponies and Mobians chained up and muzzled, some being led somewhere, and others being forced to cater to the guards' every whim.

Despite the glumness, singing permeates the streets. Songbird Serenade voices her predicament, singing lyrics that fit the situation she and everyone else in the city are in.

I am here and I see your pain
Through the storms, through the clouds, the rain
I'm telling you, you cannot esca-

A Storm Guard bangs on her cage, startling her. The guard growls in incomprehensible language, but she can tell it wants her to shut up. The singer sighs and returns to staring at the floor of her cage. But the clank of wheels draws her attention back up, and what she sees shocks her.

Tempest Shadow, followed by two chained earth ponies pulling a cage surrounded by four Storm Guards, slowly walks down the street. But it was the one inside the cage that surprised her the most – it was the last princess, Twilight Sparkle.

The two of them make eye contact (somehow), and neither says a word, but the message is clear, at least that’s what Twilight thought. She averts her gaze away, unable to hold eye contact any longer. Songbird watches until the envoy disappears around a corner.

They soon reach the castle and are permitted entry when the drawbridge comes down. They make their way through the winding halls and get to the throne room in a few minutes. The doors open, and two Storm Guards step aside to let Tempest and her prisoner by. The four guards escorting the envoy step to the side, falling in line with the other two, while Tempest leads the earth ponies in front of the throne, where the frightened and horrified statues of the other three princesses stand.

When Twilight looks at the captured princesses, she can hear ghostly screams coming from them, and she cringes, knowing that she failed them. Her cage was taken off the cart and placed on the right, closest to the throne. Two of the four guards from the convoy lead the earth ponies out of the throne room, and Grubber closes the doors behind them. In a last-ditch effort, Twilight tries to convince Tempest to stop this.

“Tempest, don't do this. Don't give the Storm King—”

“Your magic?” She interrupts, scoffing. “Did you think you'd keep it all to yourself? It’s time to share it, and the power your friend has, too.”

Grinning, she pulls out Tionic’s quill from her pocket, and Twilight gasps in horror when she recognizes it.

“That’s Tionic’s quill!” She exclaims, her ears splayed against her head. “Where did you get that?!”

“Where else?” Tempest grins slyly. “He kindly dropped this for us, and I believe His Excellency will enjoy this gift from him.”

“Enjoy what?” A voice asks from the throne. Turning, those present see the Storm King sitting on the throne, twirling the Staff of Sacanas. Tempest faces the king and goes rigid, Grubber kneels out of fear, and the guards straighten their postures. The Storm King stops spinning his staff and gets out of the seat.

Twilight shivered, but she was unsure if it was because of how menacing the yeti was in pony or the sudden drop in temperature as he came closer. Grubber’s nerves get the best of him, and feeling that he has no place here, he turns around and makes a beeline for the doors. Once they close, the Storm King rolls his eyes and sighs.

“Man, it’s hard to find lackeys that don’t run when you just stand up,” He mutters and turns back to his right-hand mare. “Anyway, what did you say I would enjoy?”

“This,” She presents Tionic’s quill to him. “A quill from a creature with extraordinary powers. This one quill alone could power our ships forever, and I believe the creature it came from, Tionic, has a whole head of them.”

“Oooooh, so there’s more power for me to take?” The Storm King exclaims, plucking the quill out of Tempest’s hoof. “Wow, I can feel the power coming off this thing! I wonder if this staff can take it?”

He holds the quill up to the staff’s crystal, and the reaction is instantaneous. The crystal absorbs it, and electricity crackles along the length of the staff and up the Storm King’s arm, raising his fur slightly.

“Ooh, yeah, baby!” He cackles, firing a bolt and nearly hitting Twilight’s cage, making her recoil. “Now I’ve got the lightning to back up the thunder!”

“With this power, you will be completely unstoppable!” Tempest proclaims. “You’ll have no problem taking over Equestria now!”

“Yeah, you got that right!” The Storm King agrees. Looking around, he frowns. “But 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!”

He slams the staff into the ground, which coincidentally has a hole the perfect size for inserting it. The staff crackles momentarily before light blue lines light up the four-sided flower on the floor, right underneath the captured princesses. Trails of energy travel up their bodies and to their horns, activating their magic and making their eyes glow the same color before their magic is shot out from their horns.

“N-no!” Twilight exclaims, trying to fight it, but her hooves are stuck to the floor, and the same happens to her as her magic is taken from her. It felt just like when Tirek took her magic that first time, if not worse.

The Storm King laughs in awe as the magic condenses into a crackling ball of blue energy above the staff. “Woah, check out the light show!”

And he was right; as mana was drawn from the environment itself, it flowed through the princesses, taking on the same coloring as their magic before being pulled into the staff. All across Canterlot, wisps of blue light are drawn from the buildings themselves, dulling their color as the magic converges on the throne room.

Once all the power disappears into the staff, the Storm King yanks it out of the floor and stops the flow of magic. The Staff of Sacanas glows brightly, crackling slightly as the Storm King fawns over its immense power. After having her magic forcefully sucked from her, all Twilight could do was collapse on the cage floor, too weak to do anything. The color in her eyes dulls, and her cutie mark disappears from her flanks.

“Alright, let’s get this storm started!” The Storm King exclaims, and a thought pops into his head. “Ooh, hey, that's good. I should trademark that.”

He activates the staff, and electricity crackles around him as he faces Twilight’s cage. With his newfound speed, he zips behind and takes aim at her. A massive bolt jumps from the crystal and strikes the cage, shattering it entirely and sending Twilight screaming through a window onto the balcony. After slamming onto the concrete like that, her head reels from the pain, and her eyes can barely focus on anything.

“Not bad,” The Storm King comments, climbing through the hole in the wall. “Actually, kinda first rate. What else does it do?”

Tempest quickly trots up behind him, and she attempts to get his attention. “Your Excellency, you promised to restore my horn and give me-!”

“Eh-deh-deh-deh-deh-deh,” He interrupts, holding a claw out dismissively. “Okay, hold on, I need to see something.”

The Storm King aims the staff out, and to his surprise, the sun follows wherever he points it. He moves the staff a few more times, and the ball of hydrogen follows along with it, much to his pleasure.

“You gotta be kidding me! I can move the sun?! A-ha-ha! Wow!” He moves to the edge of the balcony, heading toward Twilight. She covered her face with her hooves, bracing for whatever came next. But nothing happens, as the Storm King simply steps over her like she isn’t even there.

Twilight’s eyes begin to focus a little, and once her eyes come into focus, she looks at Tempest as if to ask, ‘Are you sure about this?’ but Tempest just looks away, avoiding eye contact as she trots over to the Storm King’s side.

“Now this is what I'm talking about! Time to play!” He holds the staff out to the sky and, flicking it to the right, causes the sun to zip across the sky and the moon to come out. He flicks it to the left, and the sun replaces the moon again before he starts to whip the celestial bodies across the sky faster and faster.

All across Equus and Mobias, ponies and Mobians watch in confusion, horror, and dumbfoundment as the sun and moon move at ludicrous speeds. Religious groups start praying to whatever deity they worship like there was no tomorrow, astronomers faint on the spot, and scientists have gone stir crazy, as any sense of logic they thought they had regarding the sun and moon has been thrown out the window, and in some cases, literally. “Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday! Day, night! Day, night! Day night! Day night! Day night! Sunrise, sunset, Dawn, dusk!”

The Storm King dances a little jig, cackling like a maniac as day and night flip-flop every second. Twilight manages to find strength and slowly stands to her hooves as she looks around worriedly. She notices something shimmer by the rubble for a second, and when she turns to it, she spots a brown leather bag with golden rings spilling out the opening.

‘Tionic’s rings!’ Twilight thinks, her eyes widening. ‘So this is where they landed when he dropped them. I need to get them before Tempest or the Storm King notice…’

Slowly, Twilight moves over to the bag and sweeps the spilled rings back into the bag. She flinches when the rings clink together, but the Storm King is too busy messing with the sun and moon to notice, and his cackling drowns out the clinks of the rings, so Tempest doesn’t hear them. Sighing a silent sigh of relief, she picks up the rest of the rings but one and tightens the top shut. Twilight tucks the bag under her wing, securing it and keeping her wing looking somewhat natural to not draw attention. Picking up the ring she left out, she slips it over her horn, and to her delight, it’s a perfect fit.

‘That’ll be useful in an emergency,’ She thinks, adjusting her mane to cover the ring. She looked out over the city, but the constant day-night shift was messing with her eyes, making it hard to make out anything. Her ears splay against her head as she watches the chaos unfold, unable to do anything. ‘Oh, I really messed up, didn't I?.’

A few hours earlier, back at Mt. Aris…

The Mane Six, Spike, Tionic, Capper, Skystar, and the pirates sit together on the beach, each trying to think of a way to save Twilight and the princesses. Sonic paces in a circle, unable to sit still while the others watch him wear a groove into the sand. They’d been there for the better part of an hour and still hadn’t found a good idea.

“But how are we supposed to get into Canterlot?” Capper asks, addressing the main problem. “Even if we find a way to save the princesses, we can’t do anything if we can’t get inside.”

“Any of you got some ideas?” Tionic asks, looking around the group. “‘Cause I’m open to suggestions at this point.”

“Ooh, I know!” Lix exclaims, snapping her claws. “Let’s use our ship to airdrop you in! They wouldn’t see that coming!”

“Two problems with that,” Celaeno sighs, resting a claw on her scabbard. “One, they would see us miles away and shoot us down before we’d get close enough to drop in. And two, we don’t have a ship anymore, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“Why don’t we just go in guns blazing?” Rainbow wonders, throwing a few jabs at the air. “We could easily take down the whole army before they realize what’s happening!”

“Brute force isn’t a good idea,” Tionic says, shooting that idea down before it got off the ground. “There are way too many enemies to take the city by force, and with how small our group is, we’d be captured within moments, even with the powerhouse players we’ve got.”

“We’ll never save Twilight now!” Spike groans, flipping on his back and dragging his claws down his face. “Oh, Nyx won't be happy when she hears this.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Spiky!” Pinkie assures, bouncing over to the dragon and wrapping a hoof around his shoulder. “Once we figure something out, I bet it’ll be a piece of cake!”

“Piece of cake, huh?” Tionic chuckles but stops. Something Pinkie said got the gears in his head turning, and an idea quickly formed. A moment later, his eyes widen, and he snaps his fingers. “Wait, that’s it! Pinkie, you’re a genius!”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“What, that you’re a genius?” Spike asks, raising an eyebrow.

“No, Pinkie.”

“Aaaanyway, I was thinking we could use a massive, hollowed-out cake to get inside the city,” Tionic explains, but his smile quickly morphs into a frown. “Only problem is, that massive cake cannon Pinkie used earlier is back in Canterlot. Without it, we won’t be able to make our cover, and I doubt we’d be able to make a cake large enough to house a group of nine with a conventional oven in time to stop the Storm King.”

“Oh, you mean my Easy-Bake Party Cannon?” Pinkie says, reaching into her mane. “No worries, I’ve got it right here!”

Everyone’s confusion instantly turns to shock when Pinkie pulls the massive cake cannon from her mane, though the girls, Spike and Sonic, don’t seem too fazed by it.

“Holy-!” Tionic exclaims, his jaw dropping to the ground. He and the others they’d met were in varying states of shock after seeing the party mare pull something out that clearly shouldn’t fit in her mane. “How did you-?!”

“Don’t,” The Mane Six and Spike state, and Sonic lays a hand on Tionic’s shoulder. “Just don’t. You shouldn’t go down that rabbit hole and give yourself an aneurysm over it.”

“Jeez, she would be terrifying if Equestria ever went to war,” Tionic mutters, staring at Pinkie’s mane and tail. He shakes off the shock, and his serious attitude retakes control. “Okay then, looks like we have our cover. Since we need this to look as legit as possible, you girls will have to haul that cake with the rest of us inside.”

“What?!” Rarity screeches. “Absolutely not! I will not do any such thing! I’ve been chained up before, and I hated every moment!”

“Rarity, how do you think the guards will react if they see pirates, a hippogriff, Sonic and I waltzing around?” He explains, hoping to reason with the fashionista. Please, you and the girls are the only ones who can do this.”

She scoffs, raising her head. She tries to act tough, but the pleading looks of her friends make it hard. “Ugh!” She groans, finally giving in. “Fine, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!”

“Thank you, Rarity. Also, you may want to mess up your mane and tail to make it more convincing.”

“WHAT?!”

At the city entrance, two guards wielding spears and shields stand vigilant, having been ordered to ensure nopony got in or out. The clank of wheels catches their attention, and they see a massive, light blue, three-tier cake with dark blue frosting adorning the edges. Each layer has a picture drawn into it: the top has hearts, the middle has the Storm King’s symbol, and the bottom has ponies with clamps on their necks. On top of the cake is Spike, breathing a constant stream of green flames while keeping his pose as still as possible.

The cart is hauled by the Mane Five, each in chains and looking miserable. Rainbow and Rarity are the closest to the cart; in front of them are Applejack and Fluttershy, and Pinkie is front and center. They’re led by Capper, who is wearing a cook’s apron and hat and holding an official-looking piece of paper with the Storm King’s emblem on the back.

Naturally, the guards are cautious, as seeing a cake being rolled up and led by a cat isn’t something you’d come across very often. They move their shields together to close the gap between them, preventing anyone from getting by.

“Capper, you can smooth talk your way out of practically any situation, right?”

“Give me a good reason to do it, and I’ll get what you want in no time.”

“Good, we’ll need you to work your magic with the guards if we’re to get in. Think you can manage that?”

“Oh, I’ll get us in there.”

“Uh, yeah, I got a delivery here for a Mister ‘The Storm King’,” Capper says, tapping the paper in his paws. “I was given explicit instructions to bring this here cake to this here castle's throne room.”

The guards look at each other, and after a second, they brandish their weapons at the cat, but he isn’t intimidated by it.

“All right,” Capper shrugs, sauntering back to the others. “Then can one of ya go tell your boss he's not getting his ‘congratulations on subduing defenseless pastel ponies’ cake? 'Cause I don't wanna be the one responsible for the big guy missing his special dessert. You know what I'm saying!”

He stops right before Pinkie, and she glumly looks up at the cat. He holds up three claws that only the girls can see and counts down. Once he closes his fist, he jabs a thumb back, and simultaneously, the guards step aside. Pinkie’s face lights up, and Capper winks at her before facing the guards.

“Thank you kindly, fellas. Imma be sure and put in a good word for the both of you.” He slightly leans back to the cake, lowering his voice so the guards can’t hear him. “We’re in, just a little farther.”

He leads the girls ahead, nodding to the guards as he passes. The guards watch them pass by, and seeing Pinkie so happy raises their suspicions. Applejack notices the glares the guards are giving the bubbly mare, and she sees the happy look on her face.

“Pinkie, quit lookin' so happy!” Applejack hisses, worriedly watching the guards. “Ya ain't foolin' nopony!”

“Oh! Okay!” Pinkie whispers, nodding slightly. Her face immediately falls, and the guards, though confused, shrug it off and think nothing of it as they return to their posts. Capper and the Mane Five continue down the road, drawing closer and closer to the castle. They pass through the marketplace, where chained ponies and Mobians litter the grounds, each with Storm Guards watching them. In the pie stall, Grubber eyes the many delicacies on the counter, seeing which one looks the best.

“Mmm, pie!” He sighs, inhaling the sweet scent of breaded crust and the delicious insides. He was debating between apple pie and cherry pie when he spotted the massive cake the Mane Five were hauling go by. “Oh, hello, cake!”

He runs over to the slow-moving cart, clambering onto the back. “Ooh! Don't mind if I do!”

Grubber digs a good-sized chunk of cake with his paw and shoves it into his mouth. His tastebuds explode with sugary sweetness, and he groans in satisfaction.

“Mmm! That's some gourmet-level icing!” He goes for another scoop but freezes when he looks at the first spot he took from. A red eye stares back at him. “Wait, who puts eyeballs in filling?” The eye blinks, and Grubber panics, realizing something is wrong. “Guards!”

Squabble pops out of the cake and yanks Grubber inside, and the hole closes on itself. But it was too late, as every Storm Guard in the area converged on Capper and the Mane Five.

“Uh-oh,” Capper gulps. “Plan B?”

“If we’re ever discovered, we’ll need one of you to signal us. Dash, can you handle that?”

“You can count on me!”

“The jig is up!” Rainbow exclaims, and she kicks the base of the cart. Time crawls to a standstill when the cake explodes, and Celaeno and her crew jump out, each brandishing their weapon of choice. Behind them on the cart, Sonic revs a Spindash, and Tionic charges his powers next to him, electricity crackling off him and bouncing off Sonic.

“THE CAKE IS A LIE!!” Tionic shouts, laughing like a maniac as time flows normally, and he and Sonic boost off, slamming into a group of guards. Somewhere in the castle, a certain alicorn statue twitches despite being encased in stone. Back in the marketplace, the Storm Guards are getting their butts handed to them. Despite their numbers, none of them is a match for a pirate crew, a hippogriff, three supersonic beings, three ponies, and Pinkie Pie.

Everyone is quick to get to work, each dealing with guards in their own way. Boyle uses his hook to snag spears out of guards’ hands and throw them away, giving way for him to conk them upside the head. The few that stay upright are easily punched in the face or gut, knocking them out.

Skystar dodges a few spears thrown at her, and she spots a line guard nearby. She swoops down and easily picks up a guard before flinging him at four others who try to corner Spike. Still, his emerald fire keeps them at bay long enough for the falling guard to knock them over like bowling pins, evident from the sound of pins being knocked over coming from somewhere.

Squabble jams his inner tube over a guard, squeezing his arms together and preventing him from using the weapons he dropped. Despite her size, Lix is quick on her claws and gets behind a guard to kick a guard in the back with her claw. He screams in pain, holding his punctured backside while Lix jumps over him and brings her pot down on his head with a clang. His head vibrates briefly before he hits the pavement face-first, and Lix laughs at the sight.

Sonic, Rainbow, and Tionic work in perfect sync, and the speedsters make quick work of the majority of the guards. Tionic and Rainbow round a few together, punching and bucking them close together while Sonic revs a Spindash before launching himself at them, sending them flying. Not wasting a second, Sonic uncurls and bleeds enough speed to make a sharp drift, easily turning around before boosting back into the fray.

Meanwhile, Applejack shows why she’s a master with a rope, binding a guard’s arms together and yanking him down to the ground. She gallops around him a few times, ensuring she got his legs before giving a mighty tug, which flips the guard on his back and lets Applejack finish tying him down.

A group of guards charges at Applejack, but a pink ribbon held up by Rarity and Capper at ankle level trips them, and before they can recover, Rarity tightly wraps the ribbon around them. She ties it off with a bow, and she admires her handiwork. “Lovely!”

Elsewhere, Pinkie presents a blue box with a pink ribbon to a guard. “Surprise!” She exclaims before zipping away. The guard opens it to see Pinkie pop out of the box with a pink cupcake in hoof. “Double surprise!”

She smashes the cupcake on his face, splattering pink frosting on the building behind and making the guard drop the box. She hops out of it and, standing on her back hooves, flings more cupcakes at him from somewhere. The guard desperately tries to block them, but he can only do so much when multiple sugary projectiles are coming at him at insane speeds, and he’s pressed against the building before he collapses. Despite it only being cupcakes, anyone who didn’t have any context would tell you that this might as well be a murder scene, considering the limp guard on the floor, the way the frosting hits the wall, the maniac look on Pinkie’s face and crazed laughter from her as she did all this. “Whee!”

Fluttershy, as usual, hides and avoids getting into any fights. She’s about to run for a nearby alleyway when a large shadow covers her form, making her freeze as her breathing quickens and her ears flatten against her head. Turning around, her eyes shrink to pinpricks when she sees a guard reeling a fist back to attack her.

“EEK!” She screams, clenching her eyes shut and curling into a ball, her hair automatically covering her. She waits for the pain to come but hears a loud crack, and something heavy hits the ground. Peeking out from her hair, she sees Tionic scowling at the unconscious guard, his foot planted in its face. Tionic’s powers spark around him, and he snorts before backflipping off the guard and landing next to Fluttershy, making her flinch.

“You alright?” He asks, kneeling to Fluttershy’s level and patting the ball of pink hair. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Fluttershy slowly uncurls, looking around before she shakes her head. “N-no, he didn’t. I think you stopped him right before he was about to. Thank you, Tionic.”

“You’re welcome, Fluttershy,” He grins, standing as his powers turn back on. “Now, how ‘bout we get you with the others? They’ll keep you safe.”

She nods, but something creeping up behind Tionic catches her eye. Looking behind him, her eyes widen in horror when she sees two Storm Guards ready to skewer the Spark with their spears.

“Tionic, look out!” Fluttershy screams, pointing behind him. Tionic turns to see what she is pointing to, but her warning comes too late. The spears were inches from his torso, and time slowed as his eyes shrank in horror.

‘No!’ His mind screams, watching as they draw closer and closer. ‘I can’t move out of the way! If I did, Fluttershy would just take my place! No matter what happens, one of us will-!’

LASER!

As the tips of the spears touch Tionic’s shirt, two beams of cyan energy bounce off the guards’ wrists, snapping them before slamming into their faces. The guards are sent crashing into a wall, and the lasers careen off behind Fluttershy and Tionic before stopping. They flash as Cyan Wisps exit their bodies, revealing Sonic and Rainbow crouched in their place. The Wisps give them a fist/hoofbump before flying away to help someone else escape or fight.

“Sonic, Rainbow!” Tionic smiles and lets out a sigh of relief as he wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. “Thanks for the save! I thought I was gonna be a Spark kebob there for a second!”

“Anything for a friend!” Sonic winks, giving him a thumbs up. He then gestures for them to follow, and Rainbow grabs Fluttershy’s hoof, making her squeak as the prismatic mare boosts off. “Now, c’mon! The others are waiting for us!”

Tionic nods, and he falls in step with the hedgehog. “By the way, were those Wisps earlier?” He asks, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve seen them around Canterlot and Ponyville a few times, but I didn’t know they could do that!”

“Yeah, they were,” Sonic nods, confirming Tionic’s suspicions. “I helped save their planet a few years back, and a bunch stayed behind. What you saw was one of their abilities, but I’ll explain later – we’ve got a city to take back and a king to dethrone!”

They spot a large group of guards charging toward them, and they both grin. Sonic jumps and spins midair, charging a Dropdash, while Tionic stops and curls up, attempting a Spindash. When Sonic hits the ground, Tionic releases, and the two blitz off, slamming into the guards and knocking them over like bowling pins. They reach the end of the street and grab onto light posts, swinging around to keep their momentum as they head back to the market.

Celaeno parries and attacks with her sword, easily keeping the guard she was fighting from finding an opening to attack. She watches Tionic and Sonic slam guards into the ground and buildings left and right, thinning the crowd to a manageable level.

“Head for the castle!” Celaeno shouts to her new friends, knocking the spear out of a guards’ hands and kicking it away with her peg leg. “My crew and I will hold them off!”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Tionic salutes, sliding under the wild swing of a guard as he focuses his powers. Reeling his electrically covered fist back, he springs up and uppercuts the guard, a loud *CRACK* echoing through the market as it’s jaw breaks, knocking him high above the buildings. Tionic waves to the others to follow him as the guard falls headfirst behind him, its head embedded deep in the cobblestone street. “Alright, everyone, let’s go!”

Everyone follows Tionic out of the marketplace, leaving the pirates to handle the guards themselves. As they go further into the city, Canterlot Castle comes into view, and Tionic gazes at it.

‘Almost there,’ He thinks and focuses his determined expression ahead. ‘Just hang on Twilight, we’re coming.’

They spot the stairs leading to the courtyard, but as they climb them, a whole platoon of guards charges around the corner and up the stairs after them. Skystar sees them and scowls as she turns to the approaching enemies.

“Keep going!” She shouts back, and Tionic nods, giving her a thumbs up. Skystar pulls out her pet shells from her mane as her friends keep going, a determined glare on her face. “Shelly? Sheldon?”

Skystar throws the two of them, chattering like crazy as they home in on a guard’s face and latch on his eyes, making him scream in pain and try to remove the clamps. He loses his balance and falls down the stairs, taking a few others with him. The princess then swoops in and picks up another guard, and with a well-timed release, launches him at a group of guards attempting to rush past her, sending them tumbling heads over tails down the stairs.

The Mane Six and Co. quickly reach the top of the stairs, but they’re met with a less than pleasant surprise – the courtyard is filled with Storm Guards, all fully equipped and ready to capture them.

“Uh-oh,” Capper gulps, stepping back a little. Applejack and Rainbow crouch before them, and Sonic and Tionic step forward, grinning as they crack their knuckles.

“Ooh, this is gonna be fun!” Sonic chuckles, crouching into a runner’s stance. Tionic follows suit, and the both of them rev their feet for a Super-Peelout. They look at each other, nodding before blitzing in different directions. The speedsters bounce off guards and walls like pinballs, knocking them down or flying over the edge, never to be seen again.

Back with the girls, a few guards that slipped past the bouncing hedgehogs try to corner them. As Capper looks around, his attention is drawn to Spike, and an idea pops into his head. “Hey, aren’t you a fire-breathing dragon?”

Spike looks at Capper, confused as to why he’d ask that now of all times, but he realizes what the cat was implying. He grins toothily, pushing fire through the sides of his mouth. Capper picks the dragon up, holding his arms and tail to keep his aim steady. Spike readies his flames, and when he feels Capper angle his tail down, he releases it. Green flames fly from his mouth, and the heat drives the guards back. Some try to block the fire with their shields, but the heat is so intense that it almost melts the shield to slag, forcing the guards to drop them and shake their burned hands to cool off.

“This is my flammenwerfer!” Capper cackles, whipping the stream of emerald fire at the Storm Guards, driving them farther back. One trips, and to his comrades’ horror, he’s consumed by the fire and disappears without a trace. “It werfs flammen!”

On the balcony overlooking the courtyard, the Storm King, Tempest, and Twilight watch in anger, shock, and awe as the guards are mowed down by fire and quill.

“What?!” Tempest gawks, her jaw dropping to the floor. “How?!”

“It's...” Twilight starts, grinning as tears nip her eyes. “It's the magic of...”

“Yeah, yeah! Friendship, and flowers, and ponies, and bleh!” The Storm King interrupts, wrapping an arm around Twilight and Tempest. He lets go of them, clenching the Staff of Sacanas. “I’m so totally over the cute pony thing. This... ends... now!”

He raises the staff, firing a bolt of electrically fused mana into the sky, striking the dirty clouds above and causing them to rumble. The clouds start to move, spiraling around the mana bolt and converging on the Storm King. His eyes glow blue as the clouds grow closer, and lightning flashes from the staff to the budding storm.

Down below, the Mane Party had dealt with most of the guards, and the ones left behind were turning tail and running from the flames of Spike and the quills of the bouncing speedsters. As Capper sweeps Spikes's flames across the floor, the swirling clouds above catch his attention, and he stops his barbecuing spree.

“Uh-oh,” Capper gulps, letting go of Spike and letting him jump down. “That can’t be good.”

“Oh really?” Spike deadpans, looking at the cat with a bored expression. “What gave it away, genius?”

Strong gusts of wind buffet the courtyard when the tornado fully forms, and it’s enough to make Sonic and Tionic lose their footing and slam into each other. The two speedsters fall on their backs, groaning in pain as they rub their aching heads from the impact.

“Move them hooves and feet, everyone!” Capper exclaims, running towards the stairs. Sonic and Tionic quickly shake the pain away and scramble away just as the tornado touches down. They run back down the stairs and into the city, but the wind is still powerful even from there.

“How are we supposed to get up there?!” Rainbow exclaims, struggling to keep herself steady. “Sonic and Tionic might be able to, but I don’t think I can break through that without getting some speed built up!”

“Sonic!” Tionic calls out, catching the hedgehog’s attention. “Do you think you can run fast enough counterclockwise to slow the tornado down?”

“Oh, now you’re talking my language!” Sonic cheers, pumping a fist. He revs up for another Super-Peelout, but right as he’s about to release, a White Wisp flies over to him and enters his body, giving the red figure eight underneath him a white aura. He chuckles as the Wisp’s power flows through him, feeling his feet move faster and faster. He grins, saying, “Gotta go fast!”

-and breaks the sound barrier several times on launch. He runs up the stairs and circles the courtyard hundreds of times within seconds, a blue tornado with red-tinged, white shockwaves at the bottom quickly forming. Sonic runs faster and faster, becoming nothing but a blue, white, and red blur. His tornado surrounds the Storm King’s, and the two clash with a might rivaling the strongest hurricane's strength.

The wind whips everywhere, buffeting everyone in the city and flinging anything not part of the ground off the mountain. Sonic’s tornado easily cancels out the Storm King’s, slowing it down to a manageable level. Tionic runs back to the courtyard, getting as close as he dares to the whirlwinds, and calls out to Sonic.

“Alright, that’s good, Sonic!” Tionic shouts, cupping his hands over his mouth to carry it over the roaring wind. “Keep that up for a minute. I’ve got an idea of how to get up there!”

“You got it!” Sonic shouts back, and he locks his speed at a constant to keep his tornado going. The boost from the Wisp runs out as the White Wisp exits his body, but he doesn’t slow down for a second. Seeing Sonic had it under control, Tionic runs back down and to the others. “Pinkie, do you still have that cannon?”

She instantly sees what Tionic is planning and nods, grinning as she pulls out the massive cannon from her mane again. “Excellent idea, Tionic!”

Back on the balcony, the Storm King revels in the power flowing through him and the wind whipping around his storm. He laughs like a madman, enjoying every moment of his display of power to Equestria.

“Now I truly am the Storm King!” He exclaims as thunder and lighting flash across the whirlwind. He doesn’t notice that the wind has died substantially, nor does he see the blue tornado beneath his slowing it down. “And the entire world will bow to my ba-ba-ba-boom, baby!

“Yes, yes, you are every bit as powerful as I promised, Sire,” Tempest says hurriedly, trotting up beside the yeti king. “Now, please restore my horn, and I swear to use my magic to serve you!”

“Pfft!” The Storm King scoffs, grabbing Tempest’s muzzle and shaking it. He lets go and flicks her horn as he walks by. “Who cares about your dinky little unicorn horn?!”

“What?!” Tempest gasps, her eyes slamming open in shock. “B-but... you… you said you would restore my horn once I gave you the power you desired!”

“Get with the program!” He chuckles darkly. “I used you! It's kind of what I do!”

He aims the staff at Tempest and fires three bolts, but she easily dodges them, thanks to her training. She fires her attack simultaneously with her former leader, and the two attacks explode, knocking them off their feet and hooves. The Storm King was thrown to the wall, knocking the air out of his lungs as he fell to the ground, but Tempest wasn’t so lucky. Due to how powerful the tornado was, she was lifted off her hooves and would’ve been thrown off the side of the mountain had she not grabbed hold of the railing. But she could only hold on for so long as her grip slowly weakened.

Twilight gasps at the sight. The purple alicorn looks back and forth between Tempest and the Storm King, debating whether she should take the staff and save Equestria - or Tempest. To her, the choice was obvious.

Tempest tried to pull herself back, but her strength was waning. The scarred unicorn tries one last time, but it's all she can give, and she watches in horror as her grip fails. At that moment, Tempest regretted every decision she made up to this point. But to her shock, she stops moving when purple hooves wrap around her own, keeping her from falling to her death.

“Hold on!” Twilight exclaims, and she adjusts her grip on Tempest.

“Why are you saving me?!” She exclaims, doing precisely what she was told, and wraps her other hoof around Twilight’s. “After everything I did to you?!”

“Because this is what friends do.”

Using all her strength, Twilight yanks Tempest back onto the balcony, and they collapse on their sides. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as Tempest looked back at her savior. The moment is ruined when the Storm King speaks, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Awwww! Isn't that just so sweet!” He laughs and aims the staff at them. “Yeah. See ya.”

“NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!”

The Storm King turns around to find the source of the shout, only to have an electric fist pile-driven into his face with the force of a flying SABOT round. The punch's force launches him through the window, shattering it as he crashes back into the throne room, surrounded by glass shards and rubble from the crater his body created on impact. Tionic lands gracefully, followed by Sonic landing right behind him and the pony pile of the girls and Spike flying over the railing and tumbling to a stop. They had used Pinkie’s Easy-Bake Cannon to launch themselves through the tornado and couldn’t have had better timing.

“Tionic?!” Twilight exclaims, scrambling to her hooves as her friends untangle themselves. “Girls, Sonic, Spike, you came back! I’m sorry about what I said, and Tionic, I’m so sor-!”

“Save it for later, Twilight,” Tionic snaps, his sharp tone making Twilight flinch as her ears splay against her head. “We have other problems to deal with right now.”

He gestures to the new hole in the throne room, and growling from inside indicates that the Storm King is back up, and he isn’t happy. The Staff of Sacanas sparks violently in his claw, and his eyes glow brightly, illuminating the murderous glare he gave his attackers.

Author's Note

Here we go, it's time for the Mane Party and Tionic to dethrone a king! Who will win? How will our heroes prevail? Stay tuned to find out next chapter, ‘The Final Battle!’

As usual, comments are encouraged and appreciated! :twilightsmile: Hope you enjoyed reading this and can't wait for the next chapter to come out!

The Final Battle

"You have just made a BIG mistake, pest."

Tionic holds his ground as the Storm King clambers out of the rubble, the Staff of Sacanas glowing brightly as arcane and electric power course through it and its user. Everyone sans the speedsters flinched from the glare he gave them, but Tionic returned it with an equally sharp glare as his powers crackled to life.

"Have I?" Tionic growls, his fists crackling with power. "Or am I just standing against you and your twisted ways?"

Without warning, the tyrannical king thrusts the staff at the group and fires a bolt at Fluttershy, believing her to be the weakest and easiest to take out of the group. On instinct, the buttercream pegasus covers her face with her hooves and clenches her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to come, but it doesn't. Opening her eyes, Fluttershy's jaw drops at what she sees, and she isn't the only one.

Tionic stands in front of her, shielding her from the attack. But it wasn't that he had taken the blow for her; it was the fact that he was holding the bolt of alicorn mana in the palm of his hand. His powers crackle along the surface, keeping the orb of pure magic in his hand like a baseball, not a ball of condensed alicorn magic that could level a mountain range. The Mane Seven stared in amazement, and the Spark was shocked, too, but for a different reason.

When the bolt had been fired, his body and arm moved on its own, grabbing the bolt before it could hit its intended target. Gazing at the orb in his hand a moment longer, he smirks and tosses it up. Catching it, he chuckles as he tosses it again, and instead of tossing it up again, Tionic slams his left fist into his right palm, destroying the orb in a shower of sparkles and electricity. Streams of yellow, dark blue, and light blue flow from his fist and fly behind the Storm King, where the petrified alicorns stand. The streams are absorbed by their respective owners, and small cracks appear along the statue’s horns. A stream of magenta magic flies to Twilight and back into her horn, rejuvenating her slightly as her eyes gain a little color, and her Cutie Mark becomes barely visible on her flank.

Seeing this, Tionic looks at his crackling hands before grinning once more. Clenching them, he looks up at the Storm King and gets into a boxing stance, right arm guarding his face, left arm in front of him, and his legs in similar spots. Tionic smirks, and he gestures to the tyrant with his left hand to 'come and get me.'

The Storm King falls for Tionic's taunt, and he does precisely what the Spark wanted. The Storm King fires a volley of bolts at him, hoping one of them would hit. Tionic just smirks and tenses his muscles. Once the first bolt was close enough, he thrust his right arm forward and hit it midair, destroying it in a shower of sparkles and four more streams of alicorn magic. He hits the next bolt with his left fist and repeats the process until the volley is dealt with. More cracks appear on the statues, and Twilight can feel her magic slowly returning. Now, her magic could regenerate with how much she had.

Enraged that his attacks weren't working, the Storm King pulls a wild card and fires in all directions. The Mane Seven's and Tionic's eyes widen in shock, but his powers crackle even more as he steels himself for the onslaught. Speeding his awareness up, Tionic jumps to the closest bolt and punches it. He sidesteps to the next closest and does it again, ensuring no bolt gets past his guard. Sonic and Dash also help, though they have trouble reflecting the bolts away.

To the others, what they saw was something comparable to what one would see through the eye of a telescope. The destroyed bolts look like new galaxies and universes being created, spreading outwards in a flurry of electric waves and sparkles that dot them like stars before the magic returns to their rightful owners and further cracks the imprisoned alicorns' prisons. The blurs of blue act as the space around them, and the bolts deflected by Sonic and Dash look like shooting stars flying through space. The balcony is bathed in blue light, giving the already beautiful but deadly spectacle an extra layer of beauty comparable to the best works of art in Equus' history. Twilight's heart races as she watches Tionic move, a definitive shade of pink creeping into her cheeks. She can barely keep her wings from popping open as she watches the spectacle unfold.

It fades too quickly when the Storm King sends a shockwave from the staff to blow away the light show, knocking Sonic and Rainbow away and tripping Tionic. He hits the ground hard, groaning as he slowly gets back up. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the Storm King fire another bolt, this time at -

"TWILIGHT, LOOK OUT!!" Tionic screams, but his warning comes too late. Even as he slows time down, Tionic knows it's too late to get Twilight to safety. Even with his speed, he wasn't fast enough to stop the bolt before it collided, so he did the only thing he could and launched himself at the purple alicorn.

Tionic shoves Twilight to the side and takes her place before bracing himself for the pain. His eyes are blinded by the sudden flashbang, and he can barely hear Twilight scream his name over the explosion and ringing in his ears. He's vaguely aware of the pain that shoots through the left side of his torso before everything goes black.

Tionic's senses slowly returned to him, and he instantly wished they hadn't. Pain shoots up his torso, and his head pounds like crazy and disorients him profusely. He can feel the hard concrete under his back and hear muffled sounds reach his ears. Cracking his eyes open to find the culprit, the light burns his retinas to ash, and he slams them closed again. Slowly rolling over, he tries to open his eyes again, and he does so with success. Colors and shapes blur together as he looks up, but as they slowly come into focus, he notices a moving blur of blue in front of him. As things come into focus, Tionic can see Sonic replace the blue blur, his face full of worry.

"Sonic…?" Tionic groans. Another wave of pain shoots up his left side, and he clutches it as he lies on his good side. "Ugh… my side is killing me…"

"Yeah, you took a pretty nasty hit there, dude," Sonic grimaces, eyeing Tionic's side. The scorched skin takes up most of his left side, reaching just past his rib cage and slightly around his back and stomach. "Now, hold still. I'm gonna try to heal this a bit."

Reaching into his quills, Sonic pulls out the Cyan Chaos Emerald and holds it above the scorched area. He mutters something under his breath and concentrates on the Chaos energies, directing it into Tionic's wound. There's a flash of cyan light, and Tionic feels a wave of strong but soothing energy wash over his body, and the pain begins to fade away. Looking at his side, he's shocked to see the scorched skin crumble away and be replaced with scar tissue. Sitting upright, Tionic is surprised to see that the pain has completely disappeared, and the pounding in his head has been reduced to a mild beat. His new scar flashes once, and Tionic tentatively runs a hand over it, and he’s shocked to feel no pain.

"What the heck was that?!"

"A healing technique I picked up from a knuckle-headed friend of mine," says Sonic, stashing the Emerald away before pulling the Spark to his feet. "By using Chaos Control, it's possible to heal any wound. I never use it often, so the best I could do was scar it over."

"Well, it's better than nothing," Tionic shrugs, twisting his torso to ensure nothing feels off. He smiles, holding his fist over to the hedgehog. "Thanks, Sonic. I owe you one."

Sonic chuckles, and fist bumps the outstretched fist. "Anytime, dude."

"Wait," Tionic's eyes widen as he looks at the balcony. "Where's the Storm King?"

"Right here," The speedsters whirl around in surprise as the tyrant floats down to hover a few meters from them. "Can I give you one genius piece of advice? Don't run. It'll only hurt more if you do. And it's bad for your joints, they proved that!"

Tionic nearly growls when light reflecting off a gold surface draws his eye downward. He sees one of his portal rings by his foot, and upon looking around, he spots the bag and more lying about the area.

'My rings?' Tionic internally raises an eyebrow. 'How'd they get here?'

When Tionic shoved Twilight out of the way of the blast, the ensuing shockwave and her recent struggle to keep her wings shut made her lose her grip on the bag of rings, and they'd flown over the edge with him. If anything, this was a lucky break, as Tionic could use them now. The Spark nudges Sonic and jerks his head down, and Sonic also sees the rings. Tionic nods to him and refocuses his attention on the Storm King. "Alright, you wanna get fast?" His powers activate. "Then let's get fast."

In a blur of afterimages, Tionic and Sonic pick up all the dropped portal rings, put them back in the bag, and boost off into Canterlot.

"The hard way it is," The Storm King grins, and he chases after them at equal speeds. He quickly catches up and starts firing at Sonic and Tionic, forcing them to sidestep bolt after bolt, all while jumping over carts and cages left behind as they try to outpace the Storm King. Time slows to a standstill again, and Tionic speaks up.

So here we are again – we've been through so much together! Now you understand why there's a psychotic yeti with a stick brimming with stupid amounts of power chasing after our supersonic blue Spark and hedgehog. Wanna know how it ends? Yeah. Us too.

"How is this even possible?!" Tionic exclaims as time moves again, sliding underneath a tour cart with a landscape photo of Prance on the side, saying 'Viva la Prance!' as it's blown up. "No one's caught up to me before!"

"Not even before Dash and I?" Sonic asks, jumping off a building and over another bolt, striking a familiar pose, and sliding down another building back to the street.

"Nope, no one even came close," Tionic answers, pulling out a ring and tossing one to Sonic. He pulls another ring out and throws it. "Which makes it even harder to figure out what to do."

—Paris, Prance—

The Eiffoal Tower stands majestically over the Victorian-age buildings of Prance, seemingly connecting to the sky itself. On a nearby viewing platform used for tourists to take photos of the tower, a Mobian mime tries to entertain a little unicorn filly and her mother, acting like he's stuck inside an invisible box, but he doesn't seem to succeed in that task. Suddenly, the filly's face lights up as he sweeps his arms in an arch, but not for the reason the mime would think. A golden ring appears behind him, following his hands perfectly and showing three blurs coming right for them.

"Coming through!" Sonic shouts, jumping over the mime.

"'Scuse us!" Tionic exclaims.

"Sacré bleu!" exclaims the mime, breaking the façade he was putting up and the number one rule of mimery – never speaking under any circumstance. The filly and her mother duck down in time to avoid getting hit by the Storm King as he zips by.

"Excusez-moi, monsieur!" the Storm King pardons, returning his attention to the two speedsters. He sees another portal open up, and ducking through that one, he finds himself flying over the Great Wall of Chun-nan.

"Here we go, room to open it up!" Sonic grins, both speedsters pouring more speed on. But even with miles and miles of road, the Storm King still keeps up with them.

"We can't lose him!" Tionic growls, throwing another ring, this time going to the Bone Dry Desert. He and Sonic stumble momentarily because the sand is harder to grip, but they push forward. A massive skull jutting out of the sand catches their attention, and they head towards it, dodging bolt after bolt from the Storm King. They're forced to stop when he gets in front of them, and sand flies everywhere as they slide to a stop. Eyeing the sand, an idea pops into Tionic's head.

"If ya can't beat 'em…" Tionic grins, looking at Sonic.

"…blind 'em!" Sonic finishes, catching his drift. The two speedsters boost over to the Storm King and run in a tight circle, creating a massive dust tornado that surrounds him.

"ACKPUTH!! Sand… everywhere!" The Storm King sputters, spitting sand and shielding his eyes from the pelting particles. He barely notices two blue blurs through his squinted eyes and the dust devil heading up the skull.

"You're not allowed up there!" He shouts, aiming himself in the right direction. "It's one of the eight wonders!"

The Storm King pushes through the dust devil and spots Tionic throwing another ring, this time to Canterlot. The tyrant charges the Staff of Sacanas, electricity and mana pouring into the crystal before firing. The bolt hits right behind them, knocking them off their feet and sending them flying through the portal.

Back in Canterlot, the ring appears in the courtyard, and soon after, Sonic and Tionic fly through. Though disoriented momentarily, Sonic quickly rights himself and slides to a stop at the courtyard's edge. Thanks to years of experience being thrown around and blasted by Eggman and his forces, that bolt didn't do much to him. Tionic, however, isn't so lucky to have that. Combined with his previous injury and not being used to getting hit like that, he slams into the concrete, bouncing before sliding to a stop on his stomach.

His pouch of rings slides off to the side, stopping just in front of Twilight and the girls. The alicorn quickly picks it up, pulling a ring from it. A low rumble comes from the still-open portal above the courtyard, drawing everyone's attention as the Storm King slowly floats through.

"I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did against me," He says to Tionic, grinning maniacally. "So I'll grant you just one mercy before you die by my hands! Any last words, pest?"

"Screw you…" Tionic groans, struggling to get up. He manages to get his arm under himself but lacks the strength to stay up and collapses. "You piece of…"

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart long from limb!" The Storm King chuckles, charging the staff for a final attack. "Say goodbye!"

"Coming my way?" He whirls around, barely registering the deadly glare of a purple alicorn before Twilight jumps through the newly opened ring portal and smashes her hoof into his face, breaking his nose with a satisfying *CRACK*.

Everyone watches in shocked awe as the Princess of Friendship tussles with the Storm King, each fighting over the Staff of Sacanas. Twilight manages to get a few good hits in, but her size compared to the Storm King puts her at a disadvantage. Having had enough, the Storm King backhands Twilight off him and grabs her by the hair, dangling her in front of him as she reels from the hit.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He growls, bringing Twilight up to his face – big mistake. Twilight uppercuts his jaw, snapping his head back and forcing the Storm King to drop her. While he stumbles from the sneak attack and clutches his jaw, Twilight sweeps his legs out from under him, knocking him down onto his stomach. She then pins his left arm to his back and holds it there, threatening to snap the Storm King's arm if he tries anything.

"I'm the Princess of Friendship, you son of a -AGH!"

She had forgotten that the Storm King had two arms for a moment, and he jabbed his right elbow into Twilight's chest. She reels from the sudden loss of oxygen, and the Storm King rolls onto his back to grab Twilight again and toss her away. The Mane Six and Spike rush over to Twilight, hoping she isn't hurt too badly. Holding his nose, the Storm King snaps it back into place and stands up. He licks the blood dribbling past his lip and wipes the rest with the back of his right hand.

"Why?" He asks, rolling his left shoulder before gesturing to Tionic. "Why would you throw your life away for this… thing?! That's why I don't have friends. The next thing you know, you're somebody's best stallion, and they want to have the wedding out of town like anybody has anything better to do!" He picks up the Staff of Sacanas, and the crystal crackles with power as he stares into it. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes – you were about to die. WOAH!"

A bolt of light-blue magic barely misses his head, burning the fur around his ear. The Storm King quickly finds the attacker – a pink unicorn from the crowd.

"That's our princess you're messing with!" exclaims Starlight, her horn aglow with magic, ready to fire another spell. Lyra then comes in, standing upright and carrying a chainsaw from… wherever she got it from, revving it.

"And our Pale Devil, as everypony can see, is a very real creature and not at all invented by me!" She exclaims with not one bit of craziness in her gaze. Bon-Bon tries to convince Lyra to put the chainsaw down, but she ignores her marefriend's request.

The Mane Seven and Co. then realize they haven't heard Tionic speak up since the Storm King tried to attack him, and they turn around. Tionic lies behind them, the only thing moving being his quills waving slightly in the wind. The Mane Seven and Co.'s eyes widen in horror as they realize what happened. Whatever the Storm King hit him with before going through the portal had done more than just injure Tionic – it had killed him.

"No…" Twilight whispers, her lip quivering as tears form in her eyes. She hesitantly steps toward him, and her ears fold against her head as the crushing realization hits her. "No… nononononono, please no, you can't be… I never got to apologize…"

But denying what reality is doesn't change anything, and something inside Twilight audibly shatters. She lets out a bloodcurdling scream, and her legs give out from underneath her. Tears stream from her clenched eyes as she cries to the heavens. The girls and Spike gather around their sobbing friend, hoping to do something, anything, to help her, but all they can do is hug her tightly as she cries. Sonic stands still and clenches his fists, his eyes darkened by shadow as he trembles. After a few minutes, the Storm King rolls his eyes and speaks up.

"I don't mean to be indelicate here, but," He says with a bored expression, folding his arms while keeping a hold on the staff. "Somepony should get some ice. Keep the body fresh."

No one says a word. Only the quiet sobs of Twilight and the wind whistling through Canterlot are heard.

"He's just a silly alien!" He exasperates, gesturing to Tionic. "He didn't belong here!"

Twilight's eyes snap open and lock on the Storm King with such fury that he floats back a few feet. She rubs her bloodshot eyes with the back of her hoof, clearing her vision and drying the soaked fur on her cheeks.

"That 'alien' knew more about being a pony than you ever will," Twilight growls, gritting her teeth as she slowly gets up. Spike helps her up, and she stands to her full height, flaring her wings to intimidate the Storm King. Her friends follow suit and stand beside her, each glaring at the false king with enough hatred to kill.

"He saved Twilight from turning into stone when I wasn't fast enough," says Rainbow, flaring her wings as she lists off one of the many things Tionic had done for them in the past few days. "He could've let it happen, but he didn't and risked his life to save her."

"He came along with us to find help despite having no need to do so," Rarity continues, her magic glowing brightly from her horn. "He was generous enough to give his time and energy to make sure we stayed safe while we traveled."

"He kept me from making the brash decision to come back here and fight," Sonic adds, bristling his quills. "He saw that it would be safer to find allies, and allies are what we found – a hippogriff, pirates, and a sneaky cat that helped us fight your army and get us here."

"He saved me from becoming a pink pony pancake when I fell off the dock back in Klugetown," says Pinkie, pulling out her portable party cannon from her mane. "I just wish I could've thanked him for that, but now I can't, thanks to you!"

"He knew that Capper wasn't lyin' when he apologized for tryin' ta sell us for money," says Applejack, pulling a rope from underneath her hat. She readjusts it before slinging the rope around her hoof. "He could see the cat was bein' true to his word and easily forgave 'im."

"He helped us get into Canterlot safely," Fluttershy says with a determination that shocks her friends. She flares her wings and stares the Storm King down, her Stare sending shivers down his spine. "And he saved all of us earlier, too! Had he not, I wouldn't be here with my friends or be able to tell you how big of a bully you are!"

"That Spark's name was Tionic," Twilight finishes, brushing the last of her tears away as she glares at the Storm King. "He was a hero. This was his home. And he was our friend."

*KRAKOOOM*

A bolt of blue lightning erupts from where Tionic lies, electricity striking the concrete and cracking it as it illuminates the courtyard. The Storm King holds a hand out, trying to block out the blue light, unaware of what happened. The Mane Seven look back in shock to see not a body, but the silhouetted form of Tionic slowly standing up, neon blue electricity jumping from his body and flapping scarf as steam rises from the ground around him. Standing fully upright, his eyes slide open, and his neon blue irises lock onto the Storm King, making him freeze. Twilight's face lights up, grinning from ear to ear as tears of happiness fall from her eyes. Looking at the Storm King, she grins before turning back to Tionic.

"He's all yours," Twilight nods to him, rubbing her tears away once more before turning to everyone at the sidelines and gesturing for them to move. "Everypony get back!"

She and her friends spread out to hold the crowd back to a safe distance, keeping an eye on the Spark and the Storm King as they stare each other down.

"I think you have something that belongs to me," Tionic says, raising his fist. Clenching it, a bolt jumps from it and strikes the Staff of Sacanas, surprising the Storm King as he loses his balance and tries to regain it. To his horror, he sees the crystal dim and cracks as Tionic's power is forcefully pulled from the staff. As it returns to the Spark, Tionic sighs in relief, clenching his fists as he feels the electricity flow through him and make him stronger. "This is my power. And I've had enough of using it to run away from my problems. From this point onward, I'm using it to protect. My. FRIENDS!"

The Storm King glares at him with rage, clenching the Staff of Sacanas tightly. Summoning the alicorn magic still inside, it flows from the staff and swirls around him, coating him in a veil of multicolored light as it grows stronger and stronger. Tionic crouches into a runner's starting position, left foot back, right foot forward. He looks up, locking his neon blue eyes with his opponent-

-and the battle begins.

The Storm King erratically fires a tremendous amount of electricity and magic in his opponent's general direction, bolts breaking the concrete and flinging it all over the place. Tionic easily dodges the incoming blasts and rubble, sidestepping to the left before running again. He jumps over and under multiple projectiles, landing on a pillar before launching himself at the Storm King.

Tionic bounces off him, landing on the pillar opposite, and immediately throws himself again. He slams off the Storm King's face, uses his momentum to grab onto another pillar, and flings himself back at his opponent. Tionic skids to a stop and rushes the Storm King again, not letting him recover. Tionic bounces off the pillars and rubble faster and faster, turning into a sparking blue blur that slams into the Storm King harder and harder. The Spark moves so fast that the trials of electricity he leaves behind can't dissipate quickly enough, and they accumulate into a massive ball of blue light, making it look like a star had been brought down to the courtyard.

With a final volley of attacks, Tionic bounces off the Storm King one last time and skids to a halt, just in front of the Mane Seven hanging by the sidelines. Looking back, he flashes a grin at them and gives them a thumbs-up before turning back to his opponent. The Storm King groans in pain, barely hanging on after getting hit hundreds, if not thousands of times by a ball of lightning.

"Oh, now you've done it!" He grunts, holding onto the Staff of Sacanas like a crutch with the last bits of strength he had left. "You're going down!"

"Guess what, ya shiny Sasquatch?" Tionic taunts. "I'm not leaving Equestria, and neither am I letting you take over it!"

"If I can't have Equestria for myself, then nopony can!" The Storm King roars, jumping back to the edge of the courtyard. He calls upon the staff's power again in an all-out gamble of power. Raising it, a gargantuan ball of crackling, multicolored magic forms at the tip, bathing the city in blues, yellows, pinks, and purples.

To her horror, Twilight can feel that the amount of mana bleeding off the unstable attack alone could wipe Canterlot off the face of Mt. Canterhorn. But the full attack would level Equestria, if not all of Equus, leaving Mobius as the planet's sole survivor. The Storm King swings the staff down and fires the attack, creating a beam quintuple in size compared to the previous ones.

Tionic, however, isn't even fazed by the size of the attack and simply smirks. He draws even more power from within and directs it to his feet before pushing off. The sound barrier breaks on launch, and he curls into a ball before jumping. The two powerhouses meet midway, and what happens next will be told for years.

Tionic plows through the death beam of crackling alicorn magic like it wasn't even there. His powers destabilize the mana ahead and behind him, making it float into the air harmlessly. He cuts through the beam and slams into the Staff of Sacanas at full speed, shattering the crystal and staff.

No longer contained, all of the magic is released in a ball of light, consuming Tionic and the Storm King. The ball detonates in a deafening shower of colors, pushing back the dirty clouds to let in the rays of the sunset. Magic flows back into the environment itself, coating the whole city in a sheen of blue as multicolored ribbons of light guide them.

A colored smoke trail follows Tionic's curled form as he's launched high above the castle, while another follows the Storm King over the courtyard's edge. All the alicorn magic flows back into their owners, instantly shattering their stony prisons and invigorating Twilight back to full strength. Her Cutie Mark reappears on her flank, and her dulled eyes regain their lavender hue.

Back up in the sky, Tionic does various tricks and flips in the air, white sparkles following his form as he falls. He guides his body close to the castle roof and reaches for the flagpole mounted on the edge. Grabbing onto the flagpole, he swings around a few times, bringing his momentum down to a non-lethal level before letting go. He does a few more aerial tricks and lands like any superhero would, letting his powers dim as he stands triumphantly. The courtyard erupts into cheers, and the Mane Seven and Spike rush over to Tionic, the first to reach him being Twilight.

"Tionic!" She exclaims, tackling him and knocking the air out of his lungs with an "Oof!" Twilight is quickly followed by six others piling on them, making Tionic lose his balance and fall backward, taking the girls and Spike with him. They erupt into laughter, hugging the Spark and not letting go. Sonic walks up beside Tionic, smirking as he raises his fist for a fist bump, which the Spark gladly returns.

"How?" Twilight asks after a few moments. She pulls away from him and sits on her haunches, the others backing away to give them room. "I thought you died! We thought you died!"

"I'm not sure," Tionic shrugs, unable to answer clearly. "All I can remember is blacking out and then hearing you say I was your friend, and something practically yelled at me to get up. Right after that, I felt my power surge with more strength than I realized I had afterward."

"I guess that doesn't matter right now," Twilight starts to cry again, and she wraps her hooves around him. "I-I'm just glad you're alive, Tionic."

"So am I, Twilight," He smiles, pulling her into a warm embrace that she practically melts into. "So am – Tempest?!"

The unicorn charges at them, hopping over rubble with her horn sparking like crazy. Sonic, Rainbow, Applejack, and Tionic place themselves before Twilight, Spike, and the girls. But to their shock, she jumps over them and into the path of an oncoming stone orb.

What they hadn't seen was the Storm King managing to save himself from falling to his death by digging his claws into the side of Canterlot and climbing back up. Upon reaching the lip, he pulled out an emergency stone orb, took aim at the friends, and threw it, hoping to take them out. The only one who had noticed this was Tempest, and after her change of heart, she decided there was only one thing to do – save them.

"NOOOO!!" She shouts, and the orb shatters against her, covering her and the Storm King in the green smoke and turning them to stone. In his shock, he lets go of the edge and falls backward alongside Tempest, her momentum carrying her off the platform.

But the only one who falls is the Storm King, as Twilight encases Tempest in her magic, saving her from being shattered. The Storm King plummets faster and faster to the ground, and from that height and at the speed he was going, hitting it completely pulverizes him, reducing him to pebbles and dust that sprays all over the grass. It was over – the Storm King was finally gone, and Equestria was safe again. Until Eggman cooked up another world-conquering scheme, that is.

Twilight pulls Tempest back into the courtyard and gently sets her down, careful she wouldn't tip over. Tionic smiles as he walks over to Tempest, laying a hand on her head as the others come closer.

"Whoa!" Rainbow gapes, eyeing the now statued Tempest. "I can't believe she did that!"

Tionic and Twilight looked at each other momentarily, nodding before speaking simultaneously. "We can."

Tionic lets his powers dance across the surface of the statue, each one cracking the stone as the magic is removed. Twilight also allows her magic to wash over Tempest, and she casts a spell. The cracks of the statue glow and then connect, letting the pieces fade away from the edges to release Tempest. She gasps, taking in the air stolen from her lungs as she reorients herself. She spots the Mane Seven and Tionic around her, and she looks down in shame, hoping to avoid their gazes. Tionic rolls his eyes and places a hand on her head, causing her to look up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Told ya you weren't a bad pony," He smirks, ruffling what little mane she had. Tempest scoffs, batting this arm away with a hoof and looking to the side. Tionic chuckles, but his attention is drawn to Twilight as his bag of rings levitates toward him.

"Thank you very much," Holding a hand out, he expects the bag to be dropped onto it, but Twilight pulls it away.

"Don't scare us like that again," She warns, giving the Spark a playful glare.

"You know I can't promise that," Tionic cheekily smiles. Twilight rolls her eyes and places the bag of rings in his waiting hand. He tightens the string around the opening and puts his arm through the loop to lay it on his shoulder. Once he's sure it won't go anywhere, he turns to the purple alicorn. "Hey, what happened to the princesses after I destroyed the staff? Are they still encased in stone or…?"

Twilight's eyes widen, and she gasps in shock. "I completely forgot about them!" She looks up to the balcony leading to the throne room and lights her horn for a teleportation spell. She must have put too much power into the spell because she brought everyone along.

After they recovered from the vertigo and were dumped onto the floor by the mass teleportation, they saw that the throne room had been completely fixed, fallen pillars and walls put upright, and rubble and stone returned to where they belonged. And in the middle of it all, stood Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, all needing clarification as to how they had gotten from the courtyard below and into the throne room without their recollection. The magenta flash of light draws their attention to the arriving group, and Celestia smiles brightly as she spots her former student in running to them.

"Twilight!" She exclaims, trotting over to hug Twilight. Luna and Cadance also follow suit, each grateful to be freed from their stoney prison and that their fellow royalty and family are safe. As they end the embrace, one figure catches Celestia's eye.

"Twilight, who is this?" She gestures to Tionic. "I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, right!" She grabs his hand with her magic and pulls him over. "Princesses, I'd like you to meet our new friend, Tionic the Spark. He's the one who single-hoofedly took down the Storm King and returned our magic!"

"Really?" Celestia raises an eyebrow as she looks the Spark up and down. Her staring makes him sweat a little, but it fades away when the solar diarch bows to him. Luna and Cadance follow suit as Celestia speaks. "Tionic the Spark, we are eternally grateful for what you have done. You have saved our world from what seemed to be certain doom and fought for it valiantly."

"Thank you, princesses," Tionic bows back, following the princess' lead once they rise. "But I wasn't alone. I had help from my friends." He looks at the Mane Seven and Spike, his eyes glistening as he says that word. "These past few days have shown me how much I've been missing, and after being lost for so long… with you guys, I feel like I'm finally home."

Everyone was moved by his words, some more so than others. Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie had all burst into happy tears. Dash struggled not to cry, and the rest were smiling brightly. Twilight brushes away the few tears that had escaped, and she wraps her hooves around Tionic’s chest. He wraps his arms around her as well, reveling in the embrace. Unable to hold herself back, Pinkie tackles the two and knocks them down. Tionic and Twilight laugh as they recover, and Pinkie joins in. It stops abruptly when the rest of the Mane Seven jump in, including Sonic, but more laughter erupts from the impromptu pony pile. Tionic gazes at his new friends smiling faces, and he realizes how lucky he is. He squeezes Twilight a little more, and she responds in turn. A tear rolls down his cheek and lands on the ring at the end of his scarf, and the ring softly glows pink.

"Thank you. Please take care of my son…"

Author's Note

One more chapter to go! I’m surprised by how well this turned out. Hope you enjoy! :twilightsmile:

As always, comments are appreciated.

Celebration

Hours later, Celestia’s sun had gone below the horizon and made way for her sister’s moon to shine down on the crowded courtyard, the lavender skies reaching as far as the eye could see. There were barely any signs that a foreign army had occupied Canterlot for a few days, the only things noticeable were the broken pillars with their tops broken off. The Main Seven, Capper, Captain Celaeno’s crew, and Princess Skystar stand in the middle of the crowd of partygoers that wait eagerly for the show to start and the chance to see Songbird Serenade perform on stage.

The speakers on stage screech slightly as Spike coughs into the mike to catch everyone’s attention, and once he’s sure everyone was listening, he speaks.

“Mares and gentlemen, before we get started with tonight’s show, there’s something that needs to be addressed,” says Spike. “As you know, Canterlot was recently invaded by the Storm King’s army, and the Heroes of Equestria and Mobias made their way to find the elusive Queen of the Hippogriffs to ask for help.”

“Just before they set out on this adventure, they met a new friend that had just saved Princess Twilight Sparkle from being turned to stone,” He watches as the spotlight swings around and lands on a particularly tall, blue-quilled figure. “Tionic? Come up to the stage, will ya?”

Surprised by the sudden callout, it takes the Spark a moment and a nudge from Twilight to realize that he was wanted on stage. Shaking his stupor away, he jumps over the crowd and lands on stage next to Spike. He greets the crowd with a wave as Spike speaks again.

“As you have heard, this is Tionic the Spark, and he’s the one who defeated the Storm King in one-on-one combat and returned the princess’s magic to them,” He says with a massive grin. “So let’s give a round of applause to the newest Hero of Equestria as our thanks!”

The courtyard erupts in thunderous applause, cheering for the newly christened hero. Tionic smiles, and then an idea pops into his head. He kneels next to Spike and taps his shoulder.

“May I?” He points to the mike in Spike’s claw. He nods and hands the mike over before the Spark stands back up. “Thank you, everyone. But I wasn’t the one to defeat the Storm King, despite how brutally I beat him. The one who actually did the deed was his former right-hand mare, Tempest Shadow.”

As the spotlight lands on the scarred unicorn standing at the edges of the crowd, they collectively groan, and many voice their grievances in varying degrees. She chuckles nervously as she weaves her way up to the stage, the various glares from ponies, Mobians, and even the Wisps floating around make her ears fall flat against her head.

“Okay, cut it out!” commands Tionic, and the murmuring lessens to a bearable level. Once Tempest climbs on stage, Tionic gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Now I know you’re not happy, but bear with me. After the Storm King betrayed her, she realized that what she was doing wasn’t the path that she wanted to go down. When the Storm King threw a Capture Orb at us, she sacrificed herself to save Twilight, her friends, and me from being turned to stone. If it weren’t for her jumping in when she did, Equestria would still be threatened by the Storm King. I would like to give Tempest my thanks for saving us, and I think you should too!”

Holding the microphone under his arm, he starts clapping for Tempest. He’s quickly joined by the Mane Seven in the crowd, then the pirates, Skystar, Capper, and even the princesses. They don’t clap alone for long. It starts as a slow trickle, but the crowd slowly starts to clap as well, and before long, everyone is clapping for Tempest, a few even whistle. Tempest looks around the applauding in awed shock, barely able to comprehend what she was seeing and hearing. Just a few hours ago, she’d been their enemy, and now they were thanking her for saving them. She could only look down at her hooves with an embarrassed smile, and Tionic chuckles, patting her back before he hands the mike back to Spike.

“Okay, everyone!” Spike says, flicking a pair of shades on. “This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Get ready for a little Songbird Serenade!”

Said pegasus stands in the middle of the stage, her wings flared proudly as she looks around the cheering crowd before her. Making sure the microphone next to her mouth works, she speaks.

“And now, to celebrate the fact that we're all still here in one piece, give it up once more for Princess Twilight, her friends, and our new supersonic hero, Tionic!”

The spotlight lands on the group of mismatched friends, and the crowd cheers wildly for them. Photo Finish snaps picture after picture of the group, making sure to get everyone in the frame. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance watch from a nearby balcony, and each bows their heads to Twilight before she does the same. The spotlight shuts off, drowning them in darkness as a piano on stage starts to play.

Songbird Serenade:

I know you, you're a special one
Some see crazy where I see love
You fall so low but shoot so high
Big dreamers shoot for open sky

Lights flash on above the singer as six choreographers pop out from behind her and begin the dance as yellow, blue, and orange lights follow their movements. A purple light shines on Songbird as she sings, and she continues to dance alongside the others.

Songbird Serenade:

So much life in those open eyes
So much depth, you look for the light

Rainbow Dash, Sonic, and Celaeno give each other a three-way fist bump, grinning triumphantly for their most recent victory. Rarity levitates a black cloak with lavender edges around Capper’s shoulders, and he bows as the alabaster unicorn places a matching black top hat on his head.

“And perfection!”

Songbird Serenade:

But when your wounds open, you will cry

Skystar and Pinkie Pie hug each other as they laugh, but when she sees a familiar figure flying in from above, her face lights up.

“Mom!” She leaps into her mother’s outstretched claws and hugs her tightly. Four other hippogriffs land behind the pair, and they look around in awe at the party going on around them.

“You are so grounded!” laughs Novo, nuzzling her daughter’s cheek. She can feel Skystar freeze in her grip, making her laugh even more as she tightens the hug.

Songbird Serenade:

You'll cry out now and you'll question why

On stage, six birds fly out with practiced efficiency from behind the rising platform that holds a perch that Songbird balanced on. The platform looks almost like a cake, the white layer on top seeming to drip down over the edge. Four rows of hearts in varying sizes wrap around the side and light up in tune with the beat. The birds flying about hold banners of the main colors of the rainbow in their beaks, and Fluttershy watches proudly as they loop back around to the stage.

Songbird Serenade:

I can see a rainbow
In your tears as they fall on down
I can see your soul grow
Through the pain as they hit the ground

Songbird launches herself off her perch in a flurry of sparkles, and she levels out before flying over the crowd, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Songbird Serenade:

I can see a rainbow
In your tears as the sun comes out
As the sun comes out

Her gaze locks with Twilight’s (again, somehow) and she nods to her. As Twilight watches the singer fly off, she notices Tempest standing alone by the outskirts of the courtyard, before she turns and walks away.

Twilight nudges Tionic, jerking her head in Tempest’s direction. He nods, and as Twilight opens her wings, the Spark jumps over the crowd, leaving a trail of electricity for Twilight to follow. As they land, the only indication that Tempest knew they were there was the slight turn of her head and flick of an ear.

“Well, that's one thing that never changes around here,” She chuckles dryly. “The party.”

“Well, I hope you'll stay,” says Twilight. Tempest’s eyes widen in surprise, but she doesn’t turn around to face the pair. “More friends are definitely merrier.”

Tempest sighs, and she looks at the jagged edge of her broken horn. “But, um... what about my horn?”

“You know, your magic is still pretty powerful,” Tionic smiles, resting a hand on her neck. “Just like the pony it belongs to.”

She smiles at Tionic’s gesture, and then an idea pops into her head. “You know, I did tell you I wanted to show everypony in Equestria what I could do, right?”

She trots to the side as her horn crackles to life. Gathering her mana, she casts the spell she had used to destroy things for years into the sky. The bolt leaves a jagged trail of power behind it as it rises, and it seems to disappear before an explosion of color and magic overtakes the nighttime sky. Right as it fades, a stream of magic shoots out from the middle of the explosion and creates another burst of color. The spell continues to repeat this process, which bathes Canterlot in blues, greens, and purples, as its caster, Tionic, and Twilight watch the fireworks show play out.

No one could see it since she was wearing her armor, but Tempest’s flank flashes white as a sundae silhouetted by three firework explosions appears there. After being lost for so many years, Tempest finally found who she was meant to be.

Songbird Serenade:

I can see a rainbow
In your tears as they fall on down
I can see your soul grow
Through the pain as they hit the ground

“Nice touch, Tempest!” Pinkie calls out from the crowd as she and the Mane Five walk over.

Tempest scuffs the ground and she chuckles nervously. “Actually, that's not my real name.”

“Oooh! What is it?!”

Tempest looks around nervously, hoping no one was close by to hear what she was about to say. Not that it’d be easy, since the party raging on in the background would drown it out. She leans over to Pinkie’s ear and holds a hoof to the side of her mouth before whispering her answer. “It's ‘Fizzlepop Berrytwist’.”

Pinkie Pie takes a long, drawn-out gasp as her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates and fill to the brim with stars. Tempest looks away in awkward shame and she preps herself for the teasing, but as you know… “Okay! That is the most awesome name,ever!”

It never comes. Tempest relaxes, and a satisfied smile crosses her muzzle as she leans into the side hug from the pink mare.

“That’s Pinkie, folks!” Sonic laughs, and soon everyone, even Tempest, joins in on the laughter as Songbird continues to sing in the background.

Close to midnight, the party starts to wind down, with ponies and Mobians going back to their homes or hotels and clocking out for the night. Songbird had wrapped up with a final song hours ago, and partygoers had been slowly leaving ever since.

Of the group of heroes, Captain Celaeno and her crew were the first to leave, saying that now they were free, they wanted to get back into the open skies as soon as possible. Capper left with them, and after giving his thanks to Rarity, they headed back to Klugetown via a ship donated by Celestia from the Royal Navy as thanks for helping save Equestria.

Queen Novo, Princess Skystar, and the other hippogriffs were next to leave, but they left a little later since Novo was talking to Celestia, Luna, and Cadance for a good while. After they flew off south, that left the Mane Eight and Spike alone. They decided to help clean up the remnants of the party, and thanks to their coordination and the insane speed of Sonic, Rainbow Dash, and Tionic, they were able to get everything cleaned in record time. They were about to head over to the station to take the Midnight Express back to Ponyville when Tionic taps Twilight’s shoulder.

“Hey, Twilight?” He rubs the back of his head as he looks around. “Can we talk for a minute? Preferably somewhere quiet?”

“Sure!” She gestures behind them where a flight of stairs leads up into the city. “The Royal Gardens aren’t too occupied this time of night, so they should do nicely.”

“Alright then,” He nods and faces the Mane Six and Spike. “I promise I won’t keep her for too long. Just wait for us at the station and we’ll meet y’all there in a few minutes. Lead the way then, princess.”

They all nod in understanding, and after saying a quick goodbye, Twilight and Tionic cross the courtyard and climb up the stairs into the city. It takes a few minutes of silent, but comfortable walking to reach the entrance to the gardens, but they find a hill nearby that overlooks the plains stretching for miles below the mountain.

“So,” Twilight settles down on the grass, tucking her legs underneath her and readjusting where her wings sat at her sides. She waits as Tionic plops down on her left side and gets comfortable before speaking again. “What’s up?”

“About what happened back at the beach,” He starts, his ears folding back as he stares at the grass between his feet. “I just want to apologize for how I acted then. If it wasn’t obvious, I’ve bottled my emotions up after my mom died, and being alone for years didn’t exactly help my mental state. So when you got mad at Pinkie, that was the final straw, and I took my anger out on you when I shouldn’t have, making things even worse than it already was.”

“It’s alright, Tio. I…” Her eyes widen in shock as she slaps a hoof to her mouth. “Oh! I-I’m so sorry, I-I forgot you you don’t like-!”

“It’s alright, Twilight,” Tionic interrupts, chuckling sadly. He leans back, propping himself on his elbows as he looks up at the starry expanse above them. “The reason why I got so aggressive back then is because it’s the nickname my mom called me, and it’s one of the few things I have left of her besides her scarf.”

“So that’s why you clutched it then,” Twilight muses, holding a hoof to her chin. “Thank you for that, but you’re not the only one who needs to apologize. I do too.”

“You?” Tionic arches an eyebrow as he looks at the purple alicorn. “Why do you need to apologize?”

“When we first met, I actually thought you were up to something,” Twilight says nervously, rubbing the back of her neck as she averts her gaze away. “Even after you saved me from Tempest, I wanted to find out more about your actual intentions, so I eavesdropped on you and Sonic’s conversation back on the ship.”

“Wait, you heard all that?”

“Yes, I did, and I’m really sorry for thinking the way I did, Tionic,” Twilight’s ears flop against her head as she faces him with a guilty look. “Going through what you did, and losing your mom must’ve been really hard, and I made that even worse by pressuring you to use your powers when I didn’t understand why you didn’t want to. I’m sorry for that, and I hope you can forgive me.”

She holds his gaze for a second more, but her nerves force her to look back at the ground underneath her. Tionic smiles, and he places a hand on Twilight’s back, just below her neck. She faces the Spark with a confused look, and he chuckles.

“I already have, Twilight,” He says, slowly rubbing her back. “It’s not easy to keep me angry for long.”

“I can see that,” Twilight giggles, holding a hoof to her muzzle. “I know we got off on the wrong hoof, but, um, can we start over? As friends?”

“Yeah, I’d like that, Twilight,” He smiles and holds out his left hand to seal the deal. “Friends?”

“Friends. Thank you Tionic,” Instead of shaking his outstretched hand, Twilight wraps her hooves around Tionic and hugs him, surprising him, but not for long.

“No, thank you,” Returning the embrace, Tionic wraps his arms around her barrel and pulls her onto his lap. She squeaks as he squeezes her, enticing a giggle from him. As the Spark holds her like that, Twilight can’t help but feel safe in his arms, like nothing would happen to her as long as she stayed there. “And please,”

Tionic pulls away, and Twilight looks up to see him gazing into her eyes with the warmest smile she’d seen him give, and her heart starts to flutter. She was glad it was fairly dark, or else Tionic would see the red tint her cheeks were starting to take on as her face heated up.

“Call me Tio.”

Author's Note

I don’t know where the heck this spurt of energy came from, but I ain’t complaining. A bare bones script to base off of hours prior is now a full-fledged chapter. Amazing.

Welp, after months of writing, I can proudly say that My Little Spark: The Movie, is officially complete! :pinkiehappy:

There will be a few things later down the line, like a new picture card that isn’t something drawn on paper, and an epilogue if I’m feeling like it.

I hope all of you who read this story loved it as much as I do!

Until next time, everypony! :twilightsmile:

-Real AllBridge