THREE WOLVES IN THE FOREST - THE INJURED, THE HIDDEN, AND THE NAIVE.

Rainbow Dash descended from the clouds, landing with a thud in front of the concealed Twilight and Fluttershy. Her expression was stern, her gaze fixed intently on the purple unicorn. "No magic, huh!?" she cried with frustration.

Twilight said nothing in return, trapped in thought and letting the silence hang in the air.

"Rainbow, That was…that was…" Fluttershy muttered.

"Yeah, I know," Rainbow Dash interjected harshly before softening her tone. "Which means Twilight was wrong about her having magic."

Twilight finally spoke up. "No, I wasn't." Rainbow Dash arched a brow, prompting her to continue. "It's not her magic," Twilight continued, "it's Discord’s."

"Come again?" Rainbow Dash asked bitterly.

"It's Discord's magic!" Twilight reiterated. "That claw that saved her didn't just look like his, it was his."

Rainbow Dash let out a groan of frustration. "Is she Discord or not?!"

"She's not, she's not!" Twilight assured, her hooves raised in a placating gesture. "He's...inside her."

Silence reigned as the two pegasi regarded Twilight with bewildered expressions. Then, with a snicker and a smirk, Rainbow Dash chimed, "That's what she said!"

Twilight fixed the rainbow-maned mare with a pointed stare, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Magically! I mean, his magic, and by extension his soul, is inside her!"

"So he's possessing her...?" Rainbow Dash trailed off before her eyes suddenly widened with realization. "Like Daring Doo and the Idol of the Hecatoncheires!"

Twilight's brow furrowed in confusion before the connection clicked. "Like Daring Doo and the Idol of the Hecatoncheires! Yes, exactly!"

"Like…Daring Doo and the Idol of…who???" Fluttershy asked, confused

RainbowDash took upon the mantle of enlightening the timid mare. "Daring Doo and the Idol of the Hecatoncheires. Daring tracks down this mysterious temple that Dr. Caballeron has been searching for and, she finds the Idol of the Hecaroncheires."

"The Idol contained the soul of their dead king," Twilight interrupted. "He was dying and had to abandon his original body. Over centuries he was gathering enough magic to revive himself while hiding away."

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and huffed."I was explaining it!"

"You were going to retell the whole book," Twilight countered.

"No…" Rainbow Dash replied bashfully. "Yes…it's a good book, Fluttershy."

"I'll add it to my list," Fluttershy politely said. Her brow furrowed and she asked, "So if that's Discord’s plan, how do we stop it?"

Twilight's expression turned clinical. "We remove his soul from her body," she stated matter-of-factly. "Which is easier said than done."

Fluttershy frowned. "That sounds…deadly."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure people need their souls, Twilight," Rainbow Dash chimed in, her tone tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well luckily for our friend, she's got two," Twilight said. "The law of self-reflection states that magic is the manifestation of a soul. I know what both their magics feel like, and they're completely different. Discord’s soul no doubt rests inside Dizzy, he must be using her as a way to regain strength in secret."

Rainbow Dash couldn't resist a mocking jab. "Too bad he had to save her flank and reveal himself!"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "It's going to take me quite possibly weeks of study in Canterlot to devise a proper spell. So, for now, we continue as normal—let's not tip Discord off that we know he's there."

Rainbow Dash's expression brightened, a mischievous glint sparking in her magenta eyes. "Can I take Dizzy next, then?"

Twilight considered the request, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Sure, and take your time to think up something good."

Rainbow Dash saluted sharply, her wings flaring with eagerness. "I only need a day."

Fluttershy watched the exchange, her concern never fully abating. While she trusted her friends' judgment, the prospect of tampering with a pony's very soul filled her with a sense of unease. Silently, she vowed to keep a watchful eye, ready to intervene should the situation grow too perilous, even if it would stop Discord.

Adam sat atop the guest room bed in Rarity's home, his gaze drifting towards the window as the encroaching darkness slowly consumed the land outside. The sun set, signaling the end of the day. He had spent the latter half of the day assisting Fast Pace in cleaning up Discord's chaotic aftermath at the Apple family's orchard, followed by some solitary reading in the library. Now, as he settled back into the familiar comforts of Rarity's guest room, he couldn't help but ponder his impact on his gracious hosts.

"Well, don't want to be too much of a burden on Rarity – already done enough today," he murmured, closing the book he had been perusing. A puzzled frown creased his brow. "Do they even have light bills here?"

Adam glanced out the window again and yawned. Adjusting to the circadian rhythm of a child's was strange—it felt demeaning, but at least it was easier to get a proper amount of sleep, a far cry from the haphazard slumber he had endured before.

He massaged the bandage that covered the wound on his leg. The irritating itch that emanated from the injury was a constant source of annoyance. That sticky stuff from the boards was hard to wash out.

"Dumb-ass Big Mac," Adam muttered in frustration. "Should've shown me how to distinguish the boards." He nearly started scratching, but was aware enough to stop—there was a reason dogs were given cones after all. With a final, impulsive slap to the afflicted area, he began his nightly routine: brushing his teeth, washing his face, and tidying the bed.

Once he was done, Adam nestled underneath the covers of the bed and awaited the embrace of sleep. But as he lay there, his mind refused to rest. Thoughts of home plagued his mind. Questions with unknowable answers, like ‘Did his parents know of his absence’ and others.

The thoughts filled Adam's mind endlessly. He may have had the body of a child, but his mind was still the same, and so he was trapped in the juxtaposition of a tired body and an active mind. He lay in the dark, futilely trying to sleep for half an hour until finally using a tried and true method for calming his mind.

It doesn't matter…he grimly thought in resignation. I left them all for this. Just…just forget that life Adam.

Repeating these thoughts like a mantra, he eventually found his sleep.

"Enhance!" Discord yelled from his podium at the center of the lecture hall. He was in the middle of a grand room, dressed as a professor, surrounded by his favorite people in school uniforms. They all had one goal, to investigate a peculiar sight Discord saw while Adam was with Big Mac. Upon the west wall was a screen displaying a slightly cloudy sky. Discord gestured dramatically at a cluster of out-of-place multi-colored pixels. "I said enhance!"

The operator next to him shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, sir, but it's from our perspective. We can't enhance it further."

"So! You're me!" Discord exclaimed, giving himself a sharp rap on the head. "Make it happen!"

"Oi, don't hit me!" came an indignant shout from across the lecture hall, where a multitude of Discord clones in various states of dress observed the proceedings.

"Yeah, ever heard of self-love!" Another one yelled.

With a snap of his fingers, Discord conjured a copy of his own claw, which promptly punched each of the clones, eliciting a chorus of pained yelps and forming large bumps on their heads. “No!” he said.

The screen operator rubbed his sore head. "Sir, you know we need that naive fool to get a clearer picture. We need his memories, not just our own perspective on them."

Discord huffed impatiently. "Well, do you have any way to get him unconscious? Without revealing ourselves, of course."

A Discord clone, in an anime schoolgirl outfit, raised his hand and the professor waved an annoyed paw to signal he could speak. "He's asleep right now, Discord-sama!" the clone announced excitedly.

Discord glanced at a nearby clock, but the hands had drooped down and were lying on the floor. "Oops," he said, snapping his fingers to fix the issue. The clock displayed 8:00 PM.

"I could've sworn he was an insomniac...oh well! No harm in trying." Discord snapped his fingers again, and a portal appeared before him. "Well, well, well, you get a gold star, Discord-chan!" he said, beaming at the schoolgirl-clad clone.

"Yes!" the clone cheered, while the other Discords grumbled in jealousy.

"Now then, come here little Merkur," Discord said as he reached blindly into the portal, searching for his target. He pulled out several useless objects—a potted plant, a rubber duck, a pair of novelty socks—until finally grasping what he assumed was Adam.

Through the portal emerged Adam in his draconequus form, his body now dull and lifeless, and a dead, glossed-over look in his eyes. "Ooh," Discord winced, "having trouble with your sense of self, are we?" Discord cracked his knuckles menacingly, winding up for a punch. But just as his taloned fist dove towards Adam's face, it transformed into a splash of lemonade, drenching the helpless filly.

Immediately, color flooded back into Adam's body and he inhaled sharply, as if emerging from the depths of the ocean. "Again!" he yelled furiously. "I'm going to fucking kill you—" Adam abruptly cut himself off, finally taking stock of his surroundings and the sea of Discord clones that filled the lecture hall.

"Hello!" Every Discord greeted in unison. "You're going to kill who?"

The room fell silent as they waited for a response. Adam remained motionless, his eyes darting frantically between the rows upon rows of Discords, his mind clearly struggling to process the bizarre sight before him.

Discord smiled, not having planned such a reaction but delighted by it nonetheless. He slowly crept up behind the bewildered draconequus, relishing the opportunity to milk the situation for all its worth. With far too much enthusiasm, Discord grabbed Adam by the shoulders, wrenched his head around to stare directly into his eyes, and yelled, “BOO!”

To Discord's disappointment, Adam did nothing but tremble. He held his pose, waiting in vain for a more entertaining reaction. Just as he was about to give up, he felt something touch his feet. Glancing down, he was met with a rather unpleasant sight.

Well...there was certainly more lemonade now.

Every Discord in the room erupted into ravenous laughter. Discord had known that accidentally triggering one of Adam's fears would yield results, but not to this extent. While his clones cackled uproariously, the professor himself basked in the man's sheer terror, feasting upon the terror. "Alright, settle down my handsome 'quus's," he said once the laughter had subsided. "We have an investigation to finish!"

A visible crack ran down Adam's body, as if his very form was shattering like glass. The Discords all ceased their laughter in shock and fear.

"Don't you dare!" Discord bellowed, snapping his fingers. A blindfold materialized over Adam's eyes, and the crack on his body began to seal, repairing the damage. "I need you here! No waking up!"

Once Adam's form was fully restored, Discord asked, "You with us?"

"I-I-um...where am I?" Adam stammered, disoriented.

"In the matrix," Discord quipped. "That doesn't work. You're subconscious ."

Adam relaxed and said, "Thank god…"

"Eh, don't thank that guy. I'm adding this to my blackmail list," Discord said with a chuckle.

Adam flailed blindly in Discord's direction. "Don't you dare tell—" He stopped short, realization dawning. "Wait, you can't."

Discord chuckled, "You sure?"

"You wouldn't," Adam corrected.

"Pff, called my bluff," Discord grumbled.

Adam went to rub his eyes, only to encounter the blindfold. As he reached to remove it, Discord's magic held him back.

"I need to talk with you. Take that off and you wake up," Discord stated firmly.

"Good, because I want to," Adam retorted as he struggled against the telekinetic hold.

Annoyed, Discord snapped his fingers, and Adam's claws transformed into solid stone. "This is more important than your pride."

"Fuck you," Adam spat.

Ignoring the outburst, Discord tapped his head. "There, you can see now. Just ignore my friends, because I'm not removing them." He gestured to the image of the sky displayed on the west wall. "Now what do you see here?"

Adam looked at the screen, searching for anything before getting annoyed and saying, "The sky.”

Discord pushed the filly closer to the screen. "Look a little closer." He pointed to the patch of unexplained pixels. "Specifically, right there, please."

Adam squinted before looking back. "Dead pixels?"

"Perhaps. But I've got a feeling that it's a certain someone and I need your memories," Discord said.

"Do I even have a choice?" Adam asked, reaching up to touch the blindfold.

"Nope!" Discord announced, plunging his fist into Adam's head like a ghostly intruder.

Adam cringed at the numb, invasive sensation of Discord's arm rummaging through his mind, akin to the feeling of a root canal while still partially numbed. It took longer than he would've liked, but Discord finally pulled his arm out. In his hand was a sparkling, star-like light. "Hah! To think I wanted to learn from Luna!" He handed the light to the screen operator who consumed it.

"I didn't just forget that, did I?" Adam asked, holding his head as dizziness washed over him from Discord's intrusive memory extraction.

Discord responded with blatant sarcasm. "Do you remember what happened at the barn?"

"Yes…?" Adam asked, tentatively.

"Then no," Discord stated matter-of-factly. He turned to the screen and raised his arms dramatically. "Behold, my little fool! A perfect projection of your memory."

The assembled Discords erupted into cheers, one even crying out in sheer joy.

"It looks the same," Adam observed flatly.

"Yes, but now we can…" Discord became engulfed in a fiery aura and said with far too much grandiosity, "ENHANCE!"

Slowly, the projection zoomed in on the multicolored splotch, which expanded into a rainbow trail.
"Is that...?" Adam trailed off.

"Indeed it is," Discord confirmed. "Go forward a few frames," he whispered to the operator.

The rainbow swayed through the air, frame by frame, until it slid back to reveal a blue object attached to the end.

"That's Rainbow Dash's butt," Adam stated bluntly.

"Yes! In ultra high-definition!" Discord exclaimed gleefully.

"Perv," Adam mocked.

Discord brushed off the accusation. "Creative," he said dismissively, before beginning to pace in thought. "Now then, if you find a roach in your room, what else is there?"

When Adam could only offer a shrug in response, Discord sighed. "More roaches!" He pointed at Adam, slowly pulling his hand back and extracting a second memory, which the protesting filly was powerless to stop. Discord guided the memory to the eager screen operator, who promptly consumed it.

"Look at those disgusting little roaches!" Discord declared as he turned back to the screen.

On the screen was when Adam had gotten up after falling and looked around to get his bearings. The short scene looped before slowing to a stop "Enhance!" Discord ordered.

The screen zoomed in on a patch of bushes at the edge of the frame, where a lavender hoof could be seen sticking out along with a faint glow emanating from the same bush.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Discord announced. "Either about to check on you or retreating after realizing you're fine; I'm going with the latter. But thanks to your foolishness, she has no doubt seen me."

"And now they're more suspicious of me. So once again, you've made my life harder," Adam complained, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Discord teleported directly in front of the draconequus, looming over him with a look of pure rage. "This is your fault," he growled menacingly. "They're no doubt going to try to get rid of me now."

"Why should I care?" Adam retorted. "You've done nothing to help me, and you're every bit as awful as the ponies say you are."

Discord's eyes narrowed dangerously. "The only one here who has done nothing is you. I brought you into this world, I saved your life. You were going to kill yourself over a stupid test!" he spat. "How fragile must you be?"

Adam glanced away. "It wasn't because of the test."

Discord coiled around Adam like a scarf, his voice taking on a mocking, poetic tone. "Oh, but it is. It exemplifies the abject failure you are, and how you could never fulfill your oath as a Merkur."

"How...how do you know about that?" Adam questioned, bewildered.

"A merchant learns about the market," Discord said cryptically. "The night before you got the results, you so happily repeated that family oath to stay calm. 'To be a Merkur is to shine the brightest' or whatever."

With a theatrical flourish, Discord fell to the ground in a Shakespearean pose of despair. "Such a shame that you're the only dud." He rose and leaned in close, whispering venomously into Adam's ear, "But don't worry, Adam, I'll make you go down in history like you want."

"I-I see through your bullshit!" Adam yelled as he threw Discord off of him.

"I don't think you do, Mr. Merkur," Discord mocked. "You didn't before, you don't now, and you never will. You're nothing but a naive fool who deals with devils. Luckily for you, I'm a nice one."

Suddenly, the entirety of the room was plunged into darkness, and Discord disappeared. "Here's a warning, you help those ponies remove me, and I will take your soul with me."

To emphasize his point, a searing pain shot through Adam's chest, as if someone had driven knives into the right side.

"Tata!" Discord called out, and with an ambient, the blindfold was removed from Adam's eyes.

Adam blinked his eyes open, instantly met with the sensation of warm water cascading over his face. He shot upright, disoriented but finding himself in a familiar setting—Rarity's shower, of all places, being scrubbed clean.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a voice spoke up beside him. Adam turned to see Fast Pace watching him intently.

Adam was speechless. Fast Pace glanced away, an uncomfortable expression crossing his features. "You, uh...you wet the bed and wouldn't wake up," he explained, the words stumbling out awkwardly.

Seated at her desk in the Ponyville weather station, Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow in concentration as she compiled a list of supplies for her upcoming trial. As the second manager, she should have been spending these early morning hours orchestrating schedules and addressing customer requests. Instead, she was overtly planning her own agenda, three days with Dizzy.

Twilight had forgotten a crucial detail within the Daring Doo story that Rainbow Dash remembered—the King needed a new living vessel. That limitation granted Daring time to plan, and it was abundantly clear to Rainbow Dash that Dizzy was intended to be Discord's replacement. Their timeline was distressingly short; Discord needed to be dealt with immediately.

Rainbow Dash's solution was a camping trip to the Everfree Forest. She would pitch the venture to Twilight as an opportunity to test Dizzy's loyalty and obedience. Of course, Twilight would object, but Rainbow would ease her concerns by assuring her they would remain far from the forest's darkest depths.

Her musings were interrupted as a nearby clock chimed twice, signaling the start of the day's weather duties and the end of her procrastination.

The Everfree Forest teemed with untamed, ever-changing life, embodying the raw essence of nature. Yet since its discovery, the forest had long been perceived as a blight by the neighboring ponies. They had recently launched an incursion to subdue the chaos within, their efforts resulting in a devastating loss of life—leaving but a single survivor.

The lone creature tore a chunk of decaying wood from a fallen tree, only to gag and spit it out in disgust at the putrid taste. Need fresh wood! it thought desperately. If it were to enact vengeance upon the ponies, it would first need to regain its strength.

The ponies were a formidable adversary, a fact well understood by this creature's kind. A longstanding, unspoken agreement had emerged over time—they would stay out of pony territory, and in turn, the ponies would refrain from sending their mightiest warriors to hunt them. This fragile ‘peace’ had endured for generations, with only minor transgressions occurring; the bloody wars of old, sparked by the ponies' initial arrival, now a distant memory.

Conflicts were typically resolved through intimidation, neither side willing to spill blood over mere inconveniences. But the ponies had grown increasingly unsatisfied with the lands outside the forest, encroaching ever deeper into its depths. Warnings had been issued, to no avail. The equines persisted, cleaving away the old game trails and transforming them into useless paths that made tracking prey far more difficult.

These transgressions had, of course, angered the forest's denizens. They no longer respected the ponies, viewing any they encountered as fair game. It was only after witnessing his brethren slain, and sustaining mortal wounds himself, that the lone survivor realized the foolishness of this mentality.

The creature limped through the forest, ears pricked and eyes darting warily - an easy target for any predator seeking a meal. For the past month, it had been skulking in the shadows, desperately searching for any fresh wood that could be easily consumed. Its jaw was splintered, a hind leg burned away, and its very soul cracked - all remnants of the brutal battle with the ponies.

Hatred now consumed the creature, a novel and consuming emotion it had never experienced before. There was disappointment and anger, certainly, but this creature had never needed hate. It was a feeling that clouded judgment, risking survival for the sake of eventual catharsis. Yet now, it was utterly consumed by it, especially the loathing it felt towards the purple pony. That equine had nearly killed it, leaving its soul in its current shattered state.

As the beast moved, it left a trail of viscous green fluid in its wake - the magic of its very soul leaking out through the brambled gash in its chest and onto the forest floor. Distracted and disoriented, it took a misstep onto a rock, stumbling and causing a section of its front leg to snap. A roar of anguish tore through the forest as it collapsed into a pool of its own magical essence.

The beast laid in agony, slowly acclimatizing to the pain. It whimpered as it knew what it must do. The creature closed its eyes and sank its teeth into the splintered leg. The agony was excruciating, but it needed to penetrate the break to infuse the remaining magic in its soul to facilitate hasty repair. An eternity passed as its damaged jaw strained to apply enough force. But slowly, mossy growth filled the break, and the pain in its leg faded—only to be replaced by a raging, painful fire burning within the core of its being.

I can't do this anymore! it cried out internally, straining to resist and accept the inevitability of its demise.

Once the healing was complete, the creature desperately limped to a nearby tree, sinking its teeth into the thick bark. But no matter how much the creature tried, it couldn't pierce the tree's bark and consume the holy flesh and nectar within. "Always a failure, runt!" echoed a taunting voice in its mind—the epithet the pack had bestowed upon it, a fitting title for one so ordained by the alpha as a disappointment.

Sap trickled from its eyes as the timberwolf lamented its inability to save its pack.

He and his timberwolf kin had been stalking new prey—a peculiar black and white equine that had taken up residence in the forest years prior. The intruder was a perpetual trespasser and was deemed worthy of being hunted for sustenance. They had attempted to claim the equine's life, but it proved a cunning trickster, evading them mere minutes into the chase through the use of strange magics.

The next time they encountered the creature, it was at its den. His brothers wished to uncover the secrets behind the equine's trickery, but they discovered something far more concerning—the black and white equine could communicate with the stone-clad alphas of the ponies—worrisome.

War was coming, they knew. The ponies would undoubtedly resume their aggressive hunts. The creature had not experienced one before, none of his kind had in generations, only knowing from the stories passed down.

And so they prepared. Every male and female, save for the honored mother and the young, were conscripted. They formed a company of twenty timberwolves, ready to assert their dominance over the ponies.

The wolves had a simple plan: the strong would form the frontline, while the weaker members would pick off any stragglers. He was among the weaker of the pack. They awaited the ponies' approach, eager to witness the opposing army enforce their might. The coming battle would be forever immortalized in timberwolf myths, like those of the past. The display of honor, tactics, and sheer willpower would inspire future generations to no longer fear the equines.

But when the ponies came, they came without honor. What he had seen was a clear declaration of dishonor upon his kin. The ponies had only sent three—three females.

A rustling in the bushes behind the wounded timberwolf alerted him to the presence of another predator, drawn by his anguished cries. Without hesitation, he mustered every ounce of strength in his three remaining legs and bolted, desperate to reach the safety of his pack's resting place. The familiar scent of his kin would ward off this new threat, as it had the others.

Faster and faster the wolf went, the risk of further injury ever increasing. His very soul rebelled against the movement, pulsing bolts of searing pain through his body. He could hear his pursuer growing ever closer outpacing the wolf's three legs. With one final warning step, the beast revealed itself. Time seemed to freeze as the timberwolf witnessed his pursuer pounce from the brush—a manticore.

The hulking beast soared at lightning speed, pinning the timberwolf to the ground. The wolf convulsed in terror underneath its weight but he knew he had to remain still. Manticores were carnivorous hunters, driven by the desire for flesh. As long as he did not provoke the beast, it would likely lose interest and seek out other prey.

However, the manticore did not relent. Its focus shifted to the wolf's chest, and overwhelming dread filled the timberwolf as he realized the creature's true hunger. It was not flesh it sought, but magic. With careful precision, the beast peeled away the wolf's protective branches. It hurt like tartarus for the wolf, as piece by piece was removed. There was no need for such cruelty, the manticore was having fun collecting its meal—savoring the wolf’s anguish.

With one final, slow, and agonizing tug, the last branch that shielded the timberwolf's soul broke off, casting a green light onto the manticore. It licked its lips and reared back, appraising the meal it was about to have. But the moment the manticore went to dive, an object dove straight through its head, leaving a thin trail of blood in the air.

The wolf stared in stunned silence as the manticore's motionless body. After a long, tense moment, the creature finally toppled over, and the timberwolf allowed himself to relax, if only slightly. But his respite was short-lived, for he was suddenly reminded of the presence of his unexpected savior.

The sound of ravenous feeding reached his ears, and he looked over to see a monstrous creature consuming the manticore's severed head. Panic gripped the timberwolf and he hastily backed away, every fiber of his being screaming to flee.

The Everfree Forest was teeming with many terrifying and powerful beings, but none inspired the level of abject fear in the timberwolves like the enigmatic Black-Horror. The bird-like creature was the embodiment of pure, unfathomable darkness, its plumage the color of the void itself. Its eyes glimmered like distant stars, and the blood that stained its form resembled swirling crimson galaxies.

The Horror ceased its feeding, raising its head to lock eyes with the timberwolf. The wolf was paralyzed by terror, unable to look away, while the monster gazed upon him with a curious, almost contemplative air. Slowly, it tilted its head, as if pondering whether the wolf would be its next victim.

The timberwolf's heart raced as the Black-Horror placed a claw upon the manticore and stepped atop the corpse, its massive wings unfurling. Was the wolf next?

With a bone-chilling screech that echoed through the Everfree, the Horror spread its dark wings, revealing a set of claws beneath, finally spurring the terrified wolf into a desperate, frantic flight.

Scootaloo and Applebloom navigated the rows of supplies and equipment at 'Cut's and Hatchet's Adventure Gear,' searching for the necessary provisions to embark on a training expedition into the Everfree Forest. Their goal was to hone their skills, preparing to defend Ponyville from Discord.

"Applebloom, it'll be fine!" Scootaloo dismissed her friend's concerns.

"No, it ain't!" Applebloom argued. "'Ponyville Protector' might make a nice cutie mark, but this is too far."

Scootaloo pulled a Firestarter kit from one of the shelves. "Rainbow Dash and the others have already cleared out all the nasty monsters," she asserted. "Besides, I'm not crazy enough to go deep into it."

"That ain't the problem," Applebloom insisted. "My sis says the filly's fine—she even helped Big Mac fix up the treehouse just yesterday!"

Scootaloo blew a dismissive raspberry. "Just trying to cover himself and look good."

Applebloom sighed, knowing Scootaloo would not be easily dissuaded. "Fine, what are we even gonna train on?" she asked.

"I dunno, baby timberwolves?" Scootaloo suggested nonchalantly.

Applebloom regarded her friend with a look of slight disbelief. "Now that's just mean!"

Scootaloo shrugged and continued tossing supplies into a cart. "Shouldn't have been born timberwolves."

"And that's just wrong!" Applebloom chastised.

"Hey, if you've got a problem, then don't come," Scootaloo said, though her tone lacked any real conviction.

"I wouldn't, but I ain't gonna leave you in there alone," Applebloom replied.

Scootaloo turned and presented the most heart-melting puppy-dog eyes she could muster. "Daww, you love me!" she mocked.

Applebloom pulled her friend into a warm hug. "Of course I do."

Scootaloo tried in vain to struggle out of the earth pony's sturdy embrace. "Ew, get off me. No sappiness!"

Applebloom relinquished her grip, flashing a smug smirk. "I'm only doing this under one condition," she declared.

"I'm not giving you more hugs," Scootaloo quickly interjected.

"You're soft, but not that soft," Applebloom retorted. "I want a guard to come with us."

Scootaloo huffed in exasperation. "No guard's gonna let us go."

"Don't worry," Applebloom assured. "I know one who will."

"Stick close to me, alright," Rainbow Dash commanded, her voice stern yet laced with excitement. With a powerful flap of her wings, she cleared away the brush obstructing their path. "We may have cleared out most of the dangers, but the Everfree Forest is always unpredictable."

Dizzy followed closely behind, apprehension evident in her tone. "If it's so dangerous, why are we going through it?"

Rainbow Dash flashed a knowing smirk. "Because anywhere else is too easy!"

Even though they were barely half a mile into the forest's depths, the terrain was already proving challenging. Uneven ground peppered with rocks and thorny bushes were constant obstacles—but Rainbow Dash was no stranger to the adversity. A future Wonderbolt needed to be hardy and resilient after all.

Dizzy, on the other hoof, was seemingly unaccustomed to such rugged conditions. A litany of complaints had been spilling from her lips—"My legs hurt! Are we there yet? I don't want to get cut by thorns!"—a constant stream of whining that Rainbow did her best to tune out.

"I want to see what you're made of, kid," Rainbow Dash continued, "and the outskirts of the Everfree are perfect."

"You're an idiot," Dizzy retorted bluntly. "We could've, I dunno, hiked and camped in the completely normal forest nearby, but no."

"Pshh, nuh uh!" Rainbow Dash scoffed, effectively silencing the filly's protests due to bewildered incomprehension.

With a quiet "Whatever" from Dizzy, the two pressed onward—Rainbow Dash gliding effortlessly while the young filly trudged along on foot. The pegasus couldn't help but wonder if Dizzy would be capable of flight with her own wings. Perhaps, once Discord was dealt with, she could show the filly a few tricks—if she proved herself cool enough, of course.

Breaking the prolonged silence, Rainbow Dash posed an abrupt question. "So, you enjoy being alive and stuff?"

Dizzy looked at her, dumbfounded. "Who the hell asks a question like that?"

"What else am I going to ask?" Rainbow Dash complained with a shrug. "This is, like, our first time hanging out, dude."

"Something normal. 'How was your day?'" Dizzy suggested mockingly.

"No way! Small talk is a bunch of nothing," the pegasus refuted. "At least my question tells me something important."

"Sure," Dizzy conceded with a nonchalant wave of her claw, "but that's not something you just go up and ask someone." She quirked a brow expectantly. "Why don't you tell me how much you enjoy life first?"

Puffing out her chest with pride, Rainbow Dash landed and raised her head confidently. "My life is awesome! I'm the best flier in all of Equestria, the element of loyalty, and I can do this!" She proceeded to twist her head around, flicking her tail up and deftly catching it between her teeth with a muffled "Mosht poniesh don't have the flecshibility or tail strengsh to pull thish off!"

Dizzy regarded the display with a decidedly unimpressed and faintly perturbed expression. "Neat...I guess life is...fine."

The pair emerged into a sizable clearing, its well-trodden appearance a clear indication of frequent use by campers. Discarded items like charcoal remnants and crumpled food wrappers littered the area.

"This is pretty...messy," Dizzy commented after a curious survey. "I thought you guys would be a little more, um, eco-friendly."

Rainbow Dash offered a nonchalant shrug. "Sometimes me and AJ miss a few things." She slipped off the saddlebags she'd been carrying and began unpacking their campsite, gesturing for Dizzy to assist.

It didn't take long to get everything set up, and through the course of their tasks, Rainbow Dash gleaned a few insights about the filly that aligned with what Rarity and Fast Pace had mentioned. Eventually, all that remained was collecting firewood. Rainbow made a point of informing Dizzy of their need loudly enough for any eavesdroppers—namely Twilight and Fluttershy, whom she knew were secretly observing—to overhear.

"Alright, kid, stay close to camp while you're looking. I'm gonna go search over there," she said, pointing vaguely off into the distance.

"Yeah," Dizzy replied, with a grumbled "I'm not a kid" under her breath.

Rainbow Dash regarded the filly contemplatively before muttering to herself, "Okay, she might be like me." A nagging voice in the back of her mind warned against leaving Dizzy unattended— she might prove every bit as troublesome as Rainbow herself had been at that age. However, she trusted that her friends would be able to keep a watchful eye until it was time to set her true plan into motion.

Trotting into the brush, Rainbow Dash quickly took to the air once she was out of sight, putting significant distance between herself and the campsite to ensure neither Dizzy nor her observers could follow. Now alone, she could begin the first step of her scheme.

There were many rules governing the use of magic in the Everfree Forest, chief among them a strict prohibition on weather manipulation. When a pony created any form of weather, the Everfree would latch onto and synchronize with it—as though the forest itself were embracing the change. A single dark cloud could spawn a localized storm, with the intensity escalating exponentially the more clouds were pony-made.

This unique property was perfect for providing Rainbow's plan with an airtight alibi. While the Ponyville weather team took great pains to keep their scheduled precipitation clear of the forest's borders, the occasional rogue cloud would sometimes slip through undetected and take root within the Everfree. Luckily for Rainbow, she had coordinated a light drizzle over Ponyville to begin in just an hour's time.

With a few deft flaps of her wings, Rainbow Dash expertly wove the air currents around her, coalescing a small rain cloud no larger than an apple through sheer force of will. "Okay, little guy, seed me a good distraction," she whispered conspiratorially before giving the ominous puff a gentle toss skyward.

Step one was complete. Now all she had to do was wait for the oncoming storm.

"Celestia! Can we take a break!" Scootaloo whined.

Applebloom gave her friend a teasing shove forward. "You're the one who wanted to train in the Everfree."

"Yeah, but, like… never mind," Scootaloo trailed off.

The two fillies had procured themselves a chaperone willing to escort them into the Everfree Forest; Junior Guard Copper Claws. He was a bright navy thestral, tall for his age, and had a copper-colored mane; clad only in the unadorned steel breastplate issued to local guards—thin animal hide protecting the rest of him. Applebloom knew of him due to his father, who often assisted the Apple family with the occasional Everfree monster.

"Don't you guys c-come in here all the time?" Copper asked hesitantly from behind them. "You should be used to this, no?"

"We only stayed on the paths, not act like fools and go off it," Applebloom huffed, side-eyeing Scootaloo.

"So you don't know what you're doing," he commented dryly.

"Don't be a scaredy cat!" Scootaloo taunted, whirling to face him. "If you're gonna be a real guard, you gotta be brave. At least braver than us fillies!"

The young guard's expression hardened. "Hey! Junior Guards are real Guards," he protested, his stutter exacerbating his indignant tone.

"Doesn't sound like it to me!" Scootaloo proclaimed. "You're sixteen and yet more scared than a filly!"

"That's just my stutter!" Copper shot back defensively.

Applebloom jabbed her friend's shoulder. "Lay off him, Scoots."

Scootaloo sighed. "Sorry, Copper," she sincerely apologized. "You're just not very guard-like."

When she had first laid eyes on the colt, Scootaloo had been distinctly unimpressed. Copper Claws didn't exude the aura of an imposing sentry; he seemed to be in a constant state of anxious surveillance, poised to bolt at the first sign of danger.

"Yeah..." Copper agreed, a hint of self-reproach in his tone. "But that's no excuse. You should watch what you say."

They continued through the Everfree for a few more minutes before Copper abruptly halted their progress. "This is far enough. If you guys want to stay off the path, we're going to keep parallel to it."

"But we haven't even found any monsters yet!" Scootaloo complained.

The young guard remained indignant. "I told you, you're not training on-on monsters! This whole idea of yours is crazy!"

Scootaloo crossed her forelegs defiantly. "Then why'd you even go along with it?"

"You'd go anyway if I didn't come!" Copper explained with frustration. "Everyone knows how stubborn you are."

"You could've just told my sister to stop us," Applebloom pointed out pragmatically.

Copper paused in realization. "I didn't think—of that…"

"Well, it's too late now!" Scootaloo declared haughtily. She extracted a makeshift sword, little more than a modified stick, from beneath her wing with her mouth. "Training time!"

Without further preamble, the filly strode up to a nearby tree and began whacking it enthusiastically, punctuating each exaggerated strike with dramatically bellowed battle cries.

Applebloom and Copper watched the display for a moment before the former shrugged and joined her friend's antics. The two fillies went to town on the hapless tree trunk, 'training' with wild, unrestrained fervor as though their lives depended on it.

Copper struggled to stifle an amused chuckle at their overblown zeal. While he didn't want to be rude, the fact was the fillies had no formal training in swordsmanship. Their sloppy techniques would get them injured, especially wielding ill-suited 'swords' without proper handles.

"Hey," he called out to capture their attention. "Why don't I show you-you guys some super secret guard techniques?"

Scootaloo looked at him with sparkles in her eyes. "Yesh, pleash!" She agreed enthusiastically through her stick.

Copper couldn't help but smile at her eagerness. "Okay then, first you're holding it all wrong."

The sky had turned a somber gray since the timberwolf runt's desperate escape. He limped as swiftly as his mangled body would allow, but his exposed soul trembled agonizingly against the forest elements and the vibrations of his movements. Each step he took was agonizing and slowly chipped away at the wolf's willpower. He wanted to give up, to embrace the eternal rest; but he refused, for a peaceful sleep could only be achieved with his kin.

The forest opened into a clearing, the air thick with the stench of rotting wood. Piles of moss-covered branches and trunks dotted the ground—the remains of his brothers and sisters. So many had perished so that the foolish ponies could persist in their perverse mockery of life.

Despite his excruciating pain, the runt paid his respects to each of his fallen kin, his final farewell. He would approach each corpse and solemnly bow his head before moving to the next. Unbeknownst to the grieving wolf, with his back turned, the eyes of those he visited became alight with a sickly green glow.

At last, he came upon the final and most esteemed body—that of the Alpha. The great leader's corpse was the most savagely mangled of them all, barely recognizable as a timberwolf amidst the mutilated detritus—a grim monument to the ponies' senseless deforestation. The Alpha had been a mighty warrior, first to charge into battle and last to fall, fighting to the bitter end. And so, it was only fitting that one so grand had earned such a gruesome death.

The runt’s soul cracked as the end approached. He did the deepest show of respect for the alpha. In a gesture of deep reverence, he laid his neck atop the Alpha's remains, where the leader's jaws had once rested. The runt's tears flowed freely as he silently whimpered his farewells, embracing the cold inevitability of death.

He closed his eyes, his breathing slowing as the world grew colder and colder still

…

But death did not embrace the timberwolf runt. Slowly, warmth filled his body and his pain numbed ever slightly. Light pierced through his eyelids, compelling him to see what was happening. Where his chest and that of the Alpha's corpse had been joined, where the wolf's cracked soul should have touched its former leader's essence, a brilliant emerald radiance now shone.

Arising from the Alpha's remains were minuscule fragments of its lingering soul—minuscule splinters that persisted and had been slowly decaying. Tendrils of verdant magic connected these shards to the runt's own fractured spirit, mending the grievous crack.

The wolf had inadvertently triggered an ancient timberwolf ritual—one only to be performed by the greatest of heroes or the most vile of heretics. He reared back in futile protest, knowing himself unworthy of such an honor. Only those who had proven themselves to the pack and earned the sacred favor of the Honored Mother could be granted the gift—the opportunity to ascend and become the glorious Bramble Wolf, a mantle not even the Alpha had attained.

A Bramble Wolf was a powerful warrior formed through the consumption of fellow timberwolves' souls. Such an act was never undertaken lightly, for those subsumed would know no afterlife, their very essences absorbed into the host to facilitate an incredible surge of power—It was why full consent was necessitated. But the power that could be achieved was great enough to drive some timberwolves to betray their kin for the transformation.

As the emerald glow faded with the last of the Alpha's soul fragments being drawn in, the runt balled himself into a tight knot, shaking violently with abject disgust. He had committed an atrocity far worse than any mere failure. He had consumed and denied an afterlife to the very soul he most admired.

The wolf lay there, consumed by sorrow for what seemed like an eternity until all that remained was emptiness. Rising unsteadily, he surveyed his surroundings with still-drying eyes. The corpses of his brothers and sisters stared back accusingly, their sunken sockets filled with judging malice. The wolf lowered his head into the earth, begging for forgiveness. But the corpses, of course, did not assuage his fear.

From the rotting bodies, glimmers of ethereal light began to manifest—soul fragments drifting upwards as if being offered to the wretched beast he had become. Pain pulsed through the runt as he stared at the soul fragments. The absorption of the Alpha's fragmented essence had barely sealed the fracture in his own soul, but if he consumed what remained of his fallen kin, he could potentially restore the soul completely. He could even devour their physical remains, rebuilding his mutilated form into one of immense power.

And if he was restored, he would have the strength to exact vengeance upon the ponies.

As if in grim counterpoint to his dark contemplations, a steady drizzle began to fall, the gentle pattering soothing his tormented mind. Closing his eyes, he could envision the path stretched out before him, the destination to which it inevitably led. When he opened them once more, he found himself staring at the facsimile of tears, formed by the rain streaking, down his brothers' and sisters' remains.

The false weeping gave him pause, sowing seeds of doubt over the grim road ahead. Yet the drifting soul fragments drifted near as if offering reassurance and encouragement to proceed.

Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, the runt steeled his resolve. Turning towards the shattered body of his former Alpha, he began to ravenously gnaw into the putrid, rain-soaked flesh. The flavor was that of sin. But it was sin that would become holy honor through vengeance.

Adam poked at the dancing flames of a campfire with a stick. Despite the steady drizzle that had been falling for nearly half an hour, the enchanted flames somehow remained defiantly alive. Rainbow Dash had explained to him earlier that the magical firestarter she used created a special mana fire, resistant to the elements.

"Of course, it's rainbow-colored too," Adam mumbled under his breath with bemusement as he watched the multicolored flames dance upon the damp logs.

Suddenly, Adam was cast into shadow, like night had taken over day. Turning, he saw a simple cloth overhang, shielding him from the drizzle. Rainbow Dash peaked over the cover, her coat glistening from the rain, and said "One for you!" She then, In a great show of skill, flicked her wing and a second canopy revealed itself from under it, shooting into the air. It unfurled and landed perfectly beside Adam. "And one for me!" she cheered before disappearing and reappearing under the new canopy. Adam leaned away as she shook herself dry like a dog.

"Now I know Rarity has been feeding you ‘gourmé’ meals every day," Rainbow Dash began, using her wing to unclasp a satchel hanging at her side. "But you're going to learn what us normal ponies eat." She pulled out a large bag of puffy white marshmallows and set it between them.

Adam eyed the treat dubiously and sarcastically said, "Ponies eat marshmallows every day?"

"Of course not, but like, Rarity hates potentially messy food. And with how much you whine..." Rainbow Dash let the sentence hang.

"I don't whine. Those were reasonable complaints," Adam justified.

"Sure," Rainbow Dash said over-sarcastically as she grabbed her own stick.

As the two sat in silence, roasting their dinner within rainbow flames, Adam was reminded of the trips he and his family would take to keep their bonds strong. In a world where tradition had died, family had crumbled, and greed overruled empathy, having that solid foundation was an undeniable advantage. The Merkurs fostered an environment where risks could be taken, support was guaranteed, and guides were there to help them understand the world and their purpose.

Now though, Adam was without that. He was, in every meaning of the phrase, lost in the world. Lost and adrift with no guide, no safety net to catch his inevitable mistakes, and a purpose little defined. Is this how everyone else lived? Was this Alex’s life? He thought to himself.

"Hey, uh, you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tapped Adam on the shoulder.

He flinched at the unexpected touch, eyes snapping up to meet hers with concealed suspicion. Why did she care? Throughout the trip, Adam was waiting for the betrayal. What other reason could there be for them venturing so deeply into these perilous woods, alone with the pony who had ruthlessly attacked him upon their first meeting?

"Ye-" Adam started to reply, only to be cut off by a sharp stinging in his hand. "Shit!" He yelped in surprise, reflexively dropping his stick.

Rainbow Dash erupted into laughter at Adam’s misfortune. His cheeks burned red as he looked for the source of the pain. Upon the ground, every inch smoldering away was his stick—he must have let it burn down while lost in thought.

"Why didn't you say anything!?" He growled at the cackling pegasus.

"Sorry, sorry," Rainbow Dash managed through her giggles. "You just had such a serious face and well…heh…I guess I should've said something."

"Yeah, you should've," Adam grumbled as he nursed his hand.

With one last snort of laughter, Rainbow reached into the satchel at her side and withdrew a small tube, tossing it towards him. "Here, this burn cream should help."

But Adam made no move, fixing her with a piercing stare instead. "Why are you doing this?" He demanded, bitterly.

Rainbow blinked owlishly at him. "What?"

"You hate me," Adam accused. "Why are you doing this?"

For a moment, Rainbow Dash’s expression melted into one of genuine hurt. "I don't hate you!" She quickly said. "I was just doing what I thought was right. Discord could do anything and I thought maybe you were him."

Adam scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Oh, so you just attack everyone you like?"

"No!" Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof. “Look…i'm-i'm sorry for attacking you, okay?" she said sincerely before taking upon a stern tone. "But protecting Ponyville, protecting my friends, always comes first. And I won't apologize for that."

The two stared at each other for some time before Adam conceded with a sigh. "Fair enough," he said. "I would've done the same…"

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked with some surprise, donning a smile soon after. Reaching out, she gently brushed his inflamed hand with the edge of her wing. "Let me see that," she murmured.

Wordlessly, Adam extended his hand, looking to the side as she deftly squeezed a dollop of the medicine—soothing the burn with deft strokes of her hoof. "I really am sorry," she reiterated, her tone subdued.

Adam responded with a noncommittal grunt. Once she had finished her aid, Rainbow Dash glanced around before retrieving a fresh, unburnt stick and passing it to him with a conspiratorial wink. "Here, try not to singe yourself again this time, kid."

They returned to roasting their marshmallows in somewhat companionable silence, the gentle patter of rainfall providing a soothing backdrop. Adam was surprised by just how oozy and molten the insides of pony marshmallows proved to be. When he took that first tentative bite of one, the sugary treat practically burst apart in his mouth. The marshmallow's gooey innards oozed out in a sweet, sticky eruption. No wonder Rarity disliked them; despite his best efforts, every few roastings would result in an inexplicable explosion of fluff, showering him with bits of charred, melted sugar.

"I heard you want to learn magic," Rainbow Dash said out of the blue. "Ever thought about learning how to fly?"

Adam raised an arm, flexed the appendage, and eyed the feathers sprouting from it. "A bit, I guess," he admitted with a slight shrug.

Rainbow Dash perked up. "Then how about I teach you!" she said enthusiastically.

"You?" Adam echoed."Um, sure, whatever."

Rainbow Dash was utterly affronted, rearing back with an indignant huff. "Yes, me! And where's your enthusiasm, huh?"

Another lazy shrug. "I'm more interested in bending reality than flying, bite me."

"You don't think I bend reality?” scoffed Rainbow Dash. “Buddy, I break the sound barrier like it's nothing! Flying's just as magical as magic—er, spell casting."

"Sure you can," Adam dismissed.

Rainbow merely tsked and shook her head. "When this is all over, I'll prove it to you." She roasted a few more treats with him before rising to her hooves. "I gotta go take a leak. Don't go anywhere."

Adam waved her off absently as she disappeared into the brush, continuing to char his marshmallows alone for quite some time—long enough that he began to wonder just what in Celestia's name Rainbow had eaten that morning to warrant such an extended absence.

An ominous rumble came without warning. The distant thunder drew Adam’s gaze skyward. He watched as a ring of dark clouds emanated outwards, their underbellies trailed by electric coils. The hell!? He thought as he watched with fear and awe as the ring’s edge approached him, bringing with it a torrent of heavy rain.

The deafening roar as the downpour reached him was indescribable—it was as if the very heavens had opened to drown the earth in a biblical flood. Adam flinched violently, instinctively trying to flee, and instead tripped over his own feet, landing hard on his stomach with an "oof!" Rain as heavy as golf balls pelted his prone form as the dark ring passed overhead in mere seconds, the bizarre onslaught leaving as quickly as it had arrived.

Gasping and sputtering, Adam rolled onto his back and looked a the sky once more. The clouds had returned to grey, but now rare arcs of multi-colored energy streaked across them. He realized that a lightning strike was coming, but before he could look away the entire sky flashed blinding white. The last thing Adam saw was an ever-branching, electric chain of unmeasurable size crawl across the sky. His world was plunged into white and his eyes stung as the boom of a lightning strike sounded. But, bizarrely, the noise was cut off by a sound that could be described as a bulb burning out.

Adam covered his eyes and yelled in shocked pain. He rubbed and blinked in a desperate bid to restore his eyesight. "What the fuck!" He shouted, voice cracking. He continued his attempts to recover his vision, the occasional 'What the fuck' interlaced between attempts. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash help, I can't see!"

But his cries for aid went unanswered. Pulse thundering in his ears, Adam slowly rose to unsteady feet and began blindly groping for the safety of his canvas shelter. Why had he tried to run? The thought reverberated hollowly as his searching hands finally found the solid surface of one of the tent's legs...only for an unseen force to seize him violently by the scruff and yank him airborne.

"Are you guys really, really sure you want to train in the rain?" Copper Claws asked, concern in his tenor voice. "If it gets worse, we're heading home straight away—and I don't want to hear any complaints about the rain, understood?"

Scootaloo huffed, stabbing the tip of her makeshift wooden sword into the damp earth. "For the last time, yes Copper! We're not stopping."

"I dunno, Scoots," Applebloom's chimed. "Granny's gonna be madder than a caged ursa-major if I come home soaked through."

"It's fine," the pegasus filly dismissed with a casual flick of her tiny wings. "Those clouds aren't gonna get any worse than this drizzle."

Copper scrutinized the steel gray sky, squinting against the steady patter of raindrops. "If you say so..." His words trailed off into an uneasy silence as his gaze landed upon an ominous bank of thunderheads rapidly approaching from the distance, rippling outward in an unnatural ring. "What in Equestria is that!?"

"Uhh…" uttered Scootaloo as she saw the sky. "Rainbow Dash never taught me about that," she said with a mixture of awe and apprehension.

The clouds crossed over everyone in a heartbeat and drenched them all with rain. Sputtering and shaking off the shock of the abrupt downpour, they craned their necks to stare up at the clouds, which had vibrantly colored electricity dancing across them.

Scootaloo was the first to react, realization dawning as she felt the familiar tingle of meteorological magic rapidly building in the electrically charged air. “Look away!" she cried urgently, clamping her eyes shut and turning her face away just as the atmosphere seemed to crescendo to a blinding flash of light.

The concussive boom of the lightning strike shook the very ground beneath their hooves, cutting off with a mysterious, muffled fizzle. For a span of seconds that felt like an eternity, the world fell eerily silent but for the patter of rain landing across their coats.

Scootaloo opened her eyes first, blinking rapidly against the spots in her vision. "Is...is everyone okay?" she called out in a hushed tone as if her voice could set off another strike.

"Y-yeah..." Applebloom managed a shaky reply as she cantered over to her friend's side, visibly shaken but unhurt. “What was that?”

"A really big lightning strike, or, more like a failed one," Scootaloo explained with confusion of her own. "You didn't look at it did you?"

Applebloom shook her head and then pointed at Copper Claws with a, “But, um…”

The guard stallion swayed unsteadily where he stood, laboriously rubbing at his eyes with shaking hooves as if struggling to clear his vision. "Crap baskets..." he groaned, voice tight with evident pain and disorientation.

"Copper, what's wrong?!" Applebloom called as she rushed over to the colt and pulled him gently down into a sitting position.

"He looked at the flash," Scootaloo realized with a mixture of pity and disappointment. "Didn't anypony ever tell you not to stare at lighting?'

"I just—" he hissed through gritted teeth, "—I just glimpsed it, and now...now I can't see anything at all."

Scootaloo scoffed. "Some guard you are! How could you be stupid?"

"I didn't know!" the stallion shot back hotly, his sightless eyes narrowed despite the tremors still rippling through his frame.

"You're a thestral!" Scootaloo exasperatedly retorted.

As the two fell into bickering recriminations, Applebloom found herself scanning their surroundings with a mounting sense of unease. Something had changed about the forest and it took her a moment to realize what…

It was silent. Utterly silent.

"You two shut yer traps!" she hissed urgently, cutting off their argument with a stamp of her hoof. "We gotta get outta here, now!"

"Applebloom's right," Copper agreed, as he hauled himself back to unsteady hooves with her support. "I'm in no condition to defend you guys and that strike is a bad omen."

"Well clearly," Scootaloo snarked, but there was an undercurrent of real fear tempering her bravado. Closing her eyes in concentration, she spun in a slow circle muttering, ”North…?” She stopped and extended a hoof in a seemingly random direction. "H-home is...um, that way?"

Applebloom donned a worried frown. "You don't sound so sure about that, partner.”

"Who's half bird here?" came a peevish retort.

With a tired sigh, Copper tapped Applebloom. "Point me towards Canterlot," he commanded.

Applebloom turned the stallion towards the distant mountain that held the city. "There."

Copper tilted his head back and forth in thought before extending a foreleg, gesturing over the treetops. "Ponyville should be behind me and to the left. Let's move, quickly."

Discord lounged lazily upon an ornate throne, surveying his surreal environment in boredom—a coliseum-mixed-theatre. Towering stacks of barrels surrounded him, while a campfire crackled before his feet. In front of him was a CRT TV, its screen displaying a white screen with the sound of Adam saying 'what the fuck' repeatedly

Reaching into one of the nearest barrels, the draconequus fished out a handful of corn kernels before flinging them directly at the malfunctioning TV with a sneer. "How long is it going to take you to fix this blasted thing!?"

A copy of Adam's human self, dressed in an assortment of animal pelts that were partially stitched to his skin, peeked from behind the TV with an irritated huff. "I just started, you impatient jackass! You wanna try instead?”

"I don't know the first thing about how this pitiful mind of yours functions," Discord sneered, idly conjuring an oversized pretzel to dip first into a barrel of caramel before rolling it through the kernels. "That's precisely why I summoned you, Mr. Subconscious. To handle the grunt work."

"Then shut up insufferable trash and let me concentrate in peace!" the shambling effigy retorted, ducking back out of view to continue its tinkering.

Discord responded with a mocking face before roasting his confection over the campfire. A stray thought flickered through his mind as the kernels began to pop. I forgot how nice this was, I should do this more once I’m free.

"Is all that excess really necessary?" the subconscious groused, agitated by the distracting sounds and smells. "The snacking, I mean?"

“What else is there to pass the time?" Discord countered, petulance in his tone as he prepared his treat. "I'd make this drab little purgatory far more engaging, but I'm sorely limited until you fall asleep and give me more real estate. At least you're a weirdo and it's so easy to improve things," He said as he reached out and grabbed a length of floating lumber. Engraved on the lumber were the words 'wood-plant-hard-burnable.' With a snap of his fingers, he summoned a marker and crudely wrote over the words with 'giant-pretzel-delicious-salty'.

Adam's unique headspace, the living embodiment of his subconscious, was one of the strangest metaphysical realms Discord had ever encountered. Most minds were chaotic maelstroms overflowing with the detritus of a lifetime's worth of passing thoughts and impulses. This one, however, was militantly ordered and structured—every new object that bloomed into existence came pre-labeled with its defining properties and traits, right down to the very wooden planks that formed the ground beneath their feet. It mildly disturbed Discord.

Even the avatar he had summoned for company within Adam's mind was incessantly defined. But rather than the words being etched into its being, it wore dozens of necklaces—resembling an occult ritualist.

"I don't think this thing is actually broken," the subconscious mused, its voice muffled as it continued its fruitless attempts at repairing the television set. "I just can’t see…."

Discord scrutinized the screen for a moment, the muffled sounds of Adam's panicked cries issuing forth in an endless, confounding refrain. "Well then, time for a more analog approach," he decided with a snap of his fingers.

In an instant, the avatar suddenly froze, limbs seizing as its eyes blew wide with shock and dismay. "Whatthefu—?! What did you do?! Why can't I control myself?!"

"I'm simply having you mimic the real Adam's actions for the time being," Discord explained with an unconcerned wave of his paw, ignoring the litany of curses and protests that tumbled from his unwilling actor.

"You could've just made another copy of me, dick!" The avatar fumed as it reflexively began pawing at unseeing eyes, groping blindly at the empty air around it.

"If Adam was asleep, indeed I could," Discord mused, "but for right now, I'm cutting corners.”

"Why are you cutting corners?" The avatar asked, angrily, as he continued his reenactments "You have magic."

"I-" Discord’s words froze in his throat as the subconscious effigy was abruptly wrenched skyward, rising at high speeds until it vanished from view entirely. For several seconds, Discord could only gape at the space it had previously occupied before a scowl settled across his features.

“Well…that’s not good.”

Snapping his fingers briskly, one of his popped out of his scull before vanishing. After a moment's scrutiny, his scowl deepened into a snarl of impotent rage.

High above the clouds, Discord’s eye formed and invisibly tethered itself to Adam with magic—racing through the heavens at breakneck speed. If the spectral orb was experiencing such dizzying momentum, then the same was true for its unwitting anchor as well. Peering through the scrying spell he had created, Discord bore witness to a shocking sight: Adam, thrashing wildly, clutched in the grip of a cerulean pegasus as she took him higher and higher into the stratosphere with every beat of her wings.

What in Aurora's name is Featherbrains doing!? Discord yelled internally. Panic and outrage warred within him as he watched the struggling filly get dragged ever upward against his will. A hundred different spells flickered through Discord’s consciousness to stop the scene, but each would set him back too far.

Mercifully, it seemed Rainbow's ascent finally reached its peak as her frenzied wingbeats slowed to a hover, the pair coming to a stop far above the swirling cloud banks. For a long, tense moment everything was quiet. Discord studied Rainbow's expression like a hawk, searching for any hint of her intent. What could possibly be going through that bird-brained skull of hers? He questioned.

His brow furrowed as realization crept in with a wave of relief. Of course...she's merely taking him to safety, away from that terrible storm, he thought. The draconequus chuckled, internally chastising his lapse of faith in one of Equestria's greatest ‘heroes.’ Brash and moronically impulsive she may be, but Rainbow Dash was still a pony at her core, and he knew with certainty that the ponies of this day and age were no killers.

Visibly steeling herself with a deep breath, Rainbow Dash turned her intense gaze upon the squirming filly clutched tight in her forelegs. "This...is for you," she declared, each word stated with steel certainty.

Adam's panicked flailing stilled, and in bewilderment, he yelled out a single name. "R-Rainbow Dash!?"

And then, with no further preamble, she opened her hooves and let him go.

"What the fuck!" Discord yelled within Adam’s mind space. His outrage echoed throughout the theatre as Adam plummeted like a stone, his shrill screams rapidly fading amid the rushing wind.

This...this was unacceptable. If Adam died here, then Discord himself would be dragged down into oblivion alongside. He had witnessed death before, confronted the specter of his own demise one too many over the eons, but never had it felt so close before. He had an agreement to uphold and he wasn’t sure if he had fulfilled it yet—the wrath he could face was going to be worse than the coming death.

Adam plummeted through the cloud and Discord realized there was no choice—he would have to burn through a significant portion of his carefully rationed magic reserves to avert this catastrophe. Teeth grinding in fury, he thrust out a hand and channeled his magic, projecting a shimmering yellow barrier around the plummeting filly. The hastily constructed spell would disperse Adam's momentum across a wide area upon impact, preventing his fragile form from being obliterated against the earth.

However, it was woefully insufficient for what was going to happen before Adam’s impact. As the transparent barrier took shape, Rainbow Dash burst through the cloud cover above in a screaming dive, homing in on her target with undeniable lethal intent. She saw the barrier and wore a confident smirk—one who had cast off all lingering doubts or hesitation. Her speed was rapidly accelerating as she folded her wings flush against her body, converting every ounce of velocity into destructive, piercing force.

More than enough to effortlessly puncture the conjured barrier and reduce Adam to a smear of organic matter against the ground.

Cursing, Discord poured more magic into reinforcing the protective sphere. He layered it in sturdier and sturdier plates of force until it had solidified into an opaque bubble in hopes of deflecting Rainbow Dash.

As the distance continued collapsing, Adam's blind eyes blinked open at last, struggling to focus upon his rapidly approaching executioner. A soup of emotions played across his features in those final moments. Shock and confusion melted into hollow resignation and weary resentment, drained of all urgency as if he'd already accepted his fate.

How dare you?! How dare you pathetic, feeble-minded child act like you saw this coming! Discord's fury reached a peak as his rage manifested into a fire around him inside the theatre of Adam’s mind. If the fool had simply listened to Big Macintosh's advice then none of this would be happening. Now, robbed of all alternatives, Discord was forced to waste what little magic remained at his disposal just to ensure his own survival.

The gap shrank to a mere quarter mile as Rainbow Dash readied herself for the killing blow. There would be no chance for a course correction, Discord was sure of it—she was committed now, her lethal velocity rendering her as unstoppable as a railgun shot.

"NO!" Discord's voice cracked as the two trajectories converged to impact, Adam's pristine barrier standing as the sole obstacle against total oblivion.

But at the last possible nanosecond, some unforeseen happening of luck, Rainbow Dash missed. Rather than smashing through the sphere in a cataclysmic impact, her body passed within an inch, the outstretched edge of one wing grazing the pulsing barrier with a resonant "CRACK!" of displaced air.

Just like that, she had blown past in a kaleidoscope of light and color, continuing her screaming plummet toward the canopy in a long, shallow arc as the momentum she couldn't shed bled away.

Discord collapsed bonelessly back onto his throne, a full-body shudder traveling his body as relief slowly sank in.

That...had been entirely too close.

But Discord didn't have time for a reprieve, as a sudden tugging sensation rippled through his ethereal form before he was magically wrenched free from Adam's mindscape entirely. "What the!?"he sputtered in shock as his spectral form blazed into corporeal existence beside the encased filly. However, he didn't dwell on the unexpected dislocation, Adam's safety took precedence, and thankfully the reinforced barrier still held firm around his form.

Discord found himself accelerating rapidly groundward, an invisible force seeming to drag him towards the forest floor far faster than Adam. He looked downward to see a shimmering magical tether that had lashed itself around his tail, anchoring him to Rainbow Dash—the pegasus still divebombing.

Gritting his teeth, Discord immediately set to work tugging and clawing at the mystical chain in a desperate bid to sever the connection before impact. But his efforts were in vain—the relentless downward force only seemed to accelerate until, with a deafening boom, he slammed into the earth like a meteor.

A shallow crater barely larger than Discord's sprawled form blossomed outward from the point of impact, flinging clods of dirt and shattered rock in all directions as every fiber of his being seared with agonizing pain. Even as a semi-corporeal amalgam of condensed magic, the sheer transfer of kinetic energy lancing through his form was overwhelming.

"It worked," Rainbow Dash triumphantly proclaimed from afar in the clearing.

Discord looked up from the crater depths and glared at the pegasus. The pest was trying to end his existence? A vain effort, one that would ultimately earn her nothing...yet one that had cost him all the same.

Shielding Adam and deflecting the suicidal divebomb had drained his already low reserves to the dregs. He couldn't afford to lose any more of his rapidly dwindling magic, not if he still intended to follow through on his grand scheme. And he knew just the way to lull the overeager mare into a false sense of victory—faking his demise.

With only a bit of effort, Discord allowed the cohesion of his physical form to destabilize, its composite elements rapidly breaking down to vapor...or so he attempted to feign, in any case. But rather than seamlessly transitioning back into Adam's subconscious plane, his corporeal avatar persisted in place, refusing to dissipate despite his exertions.

"What foolishness is this?" he growled as he slowly hauled himself to his feet, loose dirt falling from his fur and scales. "What have you done, you stupid harpy?"

But before the pegasus could muster a response, a deafening crack split the air as Adam's barrier finally impacted the ground. The shimmering sphere fractured and violently detonated in an all-consuming wave, the tremendous energies it had contained being safely vented in a single catastrophic eruption.

Loose earth, gravel, and vegetation were swept up in a billowing shockwave that created a cloud of debris rushing outward in an ever-expanding dome. At its center lay Adam, unharmed, who warily looked around himself. He shook off his disorientation with a dry, inperciptleble chuckle that slowly grew in volume. He was entranced despite having just narrowly cheated death yet again.

"What...the hell...is going on?!" Adam wheezed between nervous chuckles.

"The consequences of your actions!" Discord roared back.

"The death of Discord!" Rainbow Dash corrected. With a stomp of a hoof and haughtiness in her voice, she said, "You've got two choices, Discord! Either fight me or let the filly you need die!"

Discord was in no mood for heroics. "Ultimatums?” He growled dangerously. “Who do you think you are?" With a flex of his will, a yellow aura engulfed Rainbow Dash in an iron grip. Yet rather than locking her in place like he wanted, Rainbow was able to freely thrash and strain against her bindings, a testament to the degree to which Discord's power had been weakened. Undeterred, he dragged her struggling body towards him until their faces were mere inches apart, his burning glare meeting her own defiant scowl. “I assure you, I am not so weak to accept ultimatums,” Discord said with venom.

Despite the circumstances, Rainbow Dash shined an arrogant, cocksure smile. “Twilight, says otherwise. You're barely stronger than an ant.”

A low rumble came from Discord’s throat as his patience peaked. "Want to test that?" He said as Rainbow Dash felt increasing pressure upon her windpipe.

Rainbow Dash's struggle doubled from fear. In a desperate bid, she wrenched her jaws apart to their fullest extent before snapping them shut with every ounce of crushing force her equine musculature could muster.

Her teeth punched through Discord's form like a hot knife through butter, rending away an apple-sized chunk from his muzzle. An ungodly howl of pure agony ripped from the depths of his being as he instinctively recoiled, releasing his telekinetic grasp and sending the pegasus tumbling to the ground.

With a thud, Rainbow Dash spat out the small chunk of flesh she had taken. She stared at the spectral carving in horror, not expecting such an easy cleave. The ethereal cut rapidly began dissolving into smoke and vapor before her, and she sighed in relief as she understood more of the draconequu’s nature.

Discord cradled his ruined muzzle, the torn edges ragged and dripping with a shimmering, mercurial substance that seemed to shift between solid and liquid states. Gone was the illusion of proper flesh and musculature—all that remained was a cup-like indentation seemingly scooped from the very fabric of his being, exposing the white-silver substance that comprised his ethereal form's true nature.

His eyes shot to Rainbow Dash, every ounce of fury channeled into the crimson orbs. The pegasus subconsciously recoiled, Discord’s gaze piercing her and awakening the primal recognition of unbridled malice radiating from his violated visage. His wrath for all to see—something no pony was ever meant to behold by his own edict.

Dark ideas roiled through Discord’s mind. To simply brutalize the mare without restraint or mercy; rend the earth to swallow her whole into an unmarked tomb. Then, as she panicked in her prison, he would ignite the sealed grave—instantly turning the hapless pegasus' resting place into a roiling kiln of atomic fire, immolating her essence down to the last whimpering ember.

And yet, once again, Rainbow Dash regained her composure and showed no fear. "Come on, Discord, fight back!" She taunted, flailing out her wings in dominance. "Oh wait, you don't have the juice to!" She flashed the smuggest grin she could muster and said, "How much did I push back your resurrection, huh?"

The pegasus words were a mistake, as Rainbow Dash's prior actions became recontextualized for Discord. "How do you know that?" He growled.

"Pft, does it matter?" Rainbow Dash haughtily deflected.

For a tense moment, Discord simply stared at her, his expression unreadable. When at last he spoke, his voice was deathly calm.

"Not...anymore."

Then, in a blur of motion, the draconequus propelled himself forward. He crossed the distance between him and Rainbow Dash instantly and by the time she registered his movement, his claws were already extended in a slashing arc aimed squarely at her.

Instinct took over and in a burst of speed, Rainbow Dash narrowly dodged the attack—Discord's talons carving through the air where she once stood. The attempted assault left the draconequus open for easy retaliation, which Rainbow Dash immediately took advantage of. She charged forth, a hoof ready to slam into his spine.

Discord acted quickly and lashed his tail in a spin, catching Rainbow Dash off guard and flinging her in a helpless tumble, slamming her back-first into the trunk of a tree. He looked upon his opponent with satisfaction as she dropped to the ground. Rainbow Dash let out several choked coughs as she recovered—a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her muzzle where she must have inadvertently bitten her tongue.

To the dissatisfaction of Discord, the mare once again rose and stood definitely as though the blow never hit. “Is that”—she spat out a glob of blood—” all you got?”.

Rather than responding in kind, Discord simply raised his paw to his chin in false thought. "Too slow..." he mused. "The 'Supersonic' Rainbow Dash...reduced to a mere snail's pace. I have to wonder..." His gaze sharpened with a taunting smile, "That light show, it was yours, wasn’t it? Too taxing?"

"It...it was the forest!" Rainbow shot back with as much bravado as she could muster, squaring her shoulders despite the visible wince of pain the motion elicited.

"Ah, I see..." Discord chuckled darkly. He was able to parse her insinuation. The Everfree had taken a majority of her magic in order to empower the lightning. "And yet you still choose to antagonize me. You really are a fool, you know. "

Adam nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his gaze ping-ponging between the seething form of Discord and the battered Rainbow Dash. Tension saturated the air, laden with the threat of imminent violence as the two adversaries insulted each other.

I…should just go, Adam thought, and yet made no move to do so. Part of him knew he should simply turn and flee back to the safety of Ponyville while he still could. Angering the reality-warping draconequus who had already demonstrated dominion over his very soul would be outright suicide. And yet his fear snuffed out when he looked at Rainbow Dash, her courageous refusal to back down in the face of danger striking an unconscious chord of respect within him—even if she did try to kill him.

Before rational thought could reassert itself, Adam’s feet carried him forward in a silent charge, the dueling pair so laser-focused on one another that they failed to notice his stealthy approach until it was too late. With a muffled "oof!" of surprise, Discord toppled gracelessly onto his back as Adam's shoulder impacted against his flank, the draconequus' eyes widening with shock.

For a heartbeat, a deathly hush fell across the warzone as Discord swiveled his baleful glare towards his progeny, restrained fury emanating from him. Adam could practically feel the oppressive psychic pressure radiating from that hateful stare, and a part of him wondered if he hadn't just made a terrible mistake. I...I really should've just left, he thought.

“How dare!” Discord growled in fury. He quickly clenched his paw and Adam felt an unknown force course through his body, creating the numb feeling of a wakening limb.

Yet whatever the draconequus had sought to ensnare him with seemed to achieve no effect. A look of confusion flitted across Discord's face as he glared back at Adam, swiftly replaced by fury as he whipped his head towards the grinning pegasus across the way.

"What treachery is this!?" he roared, shaking with unbridled rage. "What have you done to him, you overgrown chicken!?" He lunged from the ground to the pegasus.

But before he could touch Rainbow Dash, she flipped into the air and delivered a back hoof atop Discord’s skull, creating a thunderous crack.

Stumbling away from the collapsing draconequus, she turned to face Adam with a look of renewal. "You need to get out of here now!" she barked. "And whatever you do, don't you dare take off the necklace!"

"I—uh—okay...?" Adam could only sputter back, caught flat-footed by the abrupt shift in situation and sudden torrent of disjointed instructions.

“Oh! And sorry for dropping you!” Rainbow Dash added as he began to back away.

Adam stopped his retreat in confusion, not expecting the apology. “S-sure,” he said before turning and breaking into a run. "If you die, that's on you!" he yelled.

With little choice, Adam plunged headlong into the depths of the Everfree Forest, his ragged breathing mixing with the crunch of snapping twigs and muted squelches as he slogged through the soaked, root-tangled undergrowth. His unfamiliar gate added difficulty to his escape.

Only when his muscles finally reached exhaustion did Adam stop, and as he caught his breath, Adam slowly became aware of the silence surrounding him. Not so much as a birdsong or rustling of branches disturbed the absolute quiet that had settled in the Ever Free.

Unnerved, he straightened his posture and forced himself to concentrate through the lingering mental fog of adrenaline and burning lactic acid.

"What necklace?" he mumbled with confusion, Rainbow's parting words echoing back through his mind. Adam cautiously groped at his throat, digging through the white plush of feathers and down that covered it. There, nestled within, was a cool, metallic weight—smooth edges and intricate carvings tracing their way around it.

With some difficulty, he managed to tug a bit of the necklace into visibility. It was ornate and golden, etched with impossibly smooth curves. At its center, seared directly into the lustrous metal, sat a crimson gemstone that ended in a point and presumably grew bigger at its top based on the shape.

What in the actual hell is this thing? Adam wondered, snorting in contemplation. For a second, the impulse to wrench the bizarre necklace free and get a proper look at the artifact burned within him. But just as swiftly as that urge had blossomed, the memory of Rainbow's warning flickered through his consciousness like a slap across the face.

"It's...it's what protected me," he finally muttered under his breath, answering his internal query as he allowed the necklace to once again resettle against the bare skin of his throat. "Whatever crazy power this thing has, it kept Discord's magic from affecting me somehow..."

A small, grim smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he surveyed the trees surrounding his isolated patch of clearing. “Maybe she doesn’t hate me…”

But the momentary sense of satisfaction proved fleeting as a new, far more pressing concern rapidly asserted itself. "Where the hell am I?"

A tremor seemed to ripple through the very fabric of the Everfree Forest as the Wolf completed his gruesome ritual. Ribs heaving with exertion, he sucked in a deep, rattling breath before unleashing a violent torrent of partially digested viscera.

The putrid mound steamed faintly in the shadowed glade, wisps of greenish miasma floating skyward from the pile as it slowly cooled. There was a scant amount of little mass from his kin—barely enough to tend to the Wolf's most grievous injuries. With a sickeningly green glow, the last of the holes in the wolf's chest knitted together.

Beneath his torn hindleg, wooden splinters spontaneously burst forth and spiral outward into a simple, quickly calcifying spiral—the freshly regenerated scaffolding of his new hind leg.

Heaving himself upright with a grunt of effort, the newly ascended Bramble Wolf turned a critical eye upon his rejuvenated form. Power, both terrible and intoxicating, thrummed through his very being. Yet despite the surge of vigor, despite the sensation of its sinews straining with unholy vitality...something felt incomplete, hollow—a grave dissonance between the legends of its kind and his own fledgling apotheosis.

According to the ancient legends, a Bramble Wolf at its full puissance should tower over even the mightiest equine, a gargantuan juggernaut of brastlewood easily double their size. This newfound manifestation, however, had gained scarcely more than a few inches upon his previous self, barely eclipsing the average pony in stature.

Experimentally, the Bramble Wolf took a measured step toward the nearest tree. Rearing back upon his newly reconstituted haunches, he extended one massively taloned forelimb in a slashing arc, focusing every iota of his considerable might behind the arcing blow.

Despite his exertions, the strike did little more than peel away a fresh layer of bark, leaving the trunk's heartwood defiantly intact and oozing sap. A hissed exhalation of frustration escaped through the creature's maw as he drank to the pitiful extent of the damage.

No matter, he told himself as the last vestiges of his kin's reclaimed biomass were finally purged from his churning gullet. For now, this will suffice.

The Bramble Wolf's ears twitched and swiveled as a sudden charge built in the air around it—a shift in the forest that the wolf could only sense due to his ascension. Instinctively, he closed his eyes and cast his gaze inward, focusing his new extrasensory perception upon finding the source of the unnatural distortion.

High overhead, arcing lances of foreign magic were being spread through the sky, the very air seeming to ripple and thicken as the energy bled into the atmosphere. Then, in a blinding cyclone of incandescent fury, a maelstrom of arcane power detonated—its searing radiance blazing white-hot before winking out in a vacuum of utter silence.

When the event ended, one indisputable truth remained seared into his synapses:

There were ponies and they were his.

Author's Note

~~I had to split up the chapter to stay somewhat on schedule. I'll be posting part 2 with the proper title when's it done, and then combining the two, as they were meant, a week later.~~

Fused the two parts into one as planned. As, always, yell at me if there's an error, even an insignificant one.

Enjoy this sketch of Adam/Dizzy. I'm refining the design.