Of course, Irradiance couldn’t imagine another adventure without the help of his fellow ponies in Canterlot.

After the short conversation with Dragon Lord Amber and Princess Twilight, Irradiance and Leviathan dismissed themselves to collect Marigold, Hibiscus, and Cobalt.

“At least now I’ll be able to visit!” Leviathan happily stated as he watched his partner prepare a few saddle bags, anxiously counting and recounting the amount of rations he was loading into each. The Changeling had tried to help but Irradiance was firm in his ways and any outside help was seen as hostile at this moment. Leviathan had learned to simply watch from afar, red eyes gleaming.

“Yeah,” Irradiance laughed drily, “Great circumstances to visit under. ‘Hey, guys! I’m back in town but uh oh! Irradiance is having all of the magic sucked out of him by the hour! How about we all go back into the Everfree Forest and face another enemy!’” The purple Unicorn groaned, attempting to pick up a few empty bottles and move them out of the way with magic before, once again, the purple magic fizzled out and one of the glasses shattered on the ground. The stallion turned around to look at the Changeling, looking almost pathetic as he pouted. “Leviathan?” He whined, gesturing toward the shattered glass that littered the room now.

“Wow,” The Changeling shook his head humorously, picking up the shards with his own magic easily, disposing of them in a nearby trash can in the corner of Irradiance’s room. “It’s incredible how quickly your magic is weakening. Do you think it’ll come and go in waves?” Irradiance just shrugged, slinging the now fully-packed saddlebag over his back, ditching the usage of magic entirely.

“I hope. I’d hate to be useless on this trip! My magic was the whole reason we defeated Lilith in the first place! What if I need awesome magic to defeat Luster Dawn, too?” Leviathan stepped forward and nudged Irradiance’s muzzle with his own, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“Stop stressing. Hibiscus is a talented Unicorn and if we need magic that direly, she’ll be able to help out. You aren’t alone in this, Irradiance.” The Changeling King always knew what to say.

With a sigh, the purple stallion decided to move away from the stressful topic, “You’re right. Let’s go get the others.”

Exiting the Unicorn’s room once more, Irradiance and Leviathan made their way down to the city of Canterlot, choosing to fly rather than walk to speed up the trip. Irradiance hopped onto the Changeling’s back with ease, riding smoothly down the path and landing in front of Hibiscus’ home, which was found right near the University of Friendship. Stepping off his partner’s back, Irradiance knocked on the wooden door with a crystal hoof, still glittering despite the lack of magic.

“Coming!” Said a voice from within the small home. Irradiance had visited a few times before. Her house was a pale pink color, with a tiled roof and several large windows spanning the walls. Many of them were stained glass with no design, simply colored panes of glass. It made her home feel all the more magical. The door swung open, revealing a pink Unicorn with her hair tied up and face flushed, “Oh!” Hibiscus’ eyes darted between the two stallions before her as shock and then recognition filled her face. Her cheeks reddened further. “Irradiance! Leviathan!” She embraced the pair quickly. “Wow! I had no idea you were coming to visit, Your Majesty!” She joked, bowing exaggeratedly at the Changeling.

Leviathan waved a hoof quickly, cheeks reddening. He still hadn’t gotten used to his new title and tried to have his friends use it as little as possible. “Just call me Leviathan, Hibiscus!” He rushed out, wings fluttering within their beetle-like sheath.

Another voice came from within the small house, “Who’s at the door?” Another figure appeared, face just as flushed and hair mussed up. “Lev!” Cobalt embraced the Changeling in a hug even tiger than Hibiscus had, grinning ear to ear. Irradiance quickly inferred what he’d just walked in on and it was his turn for his cheeks to redden.

“Hibiscus!” He exclaimed, looking between the blue and pink ponies, “Are we… interrupting?” He gestured with a hoof and Hibiscus giggled at the suggestion.

“No, no, we’re, uh. Finished,” Irradiance felt his stomach turn. How did he not realize they’d coupled up? He would interrogate the Unicorn later. There were larger things at hand (hoof) that needed to be dealt with.

“Oh, yeah!” Oh, Cobalt. The blue Pegasus’s wings fluttered impatiently, and he failed to realize the embarrassment that his friend was feeling as he admitted their relationship to the stallions at their door, “Hibiscus and I have been dating for, like, a month now!”

“A month!?” Leviathan and Irradiance both exclaimed, eyes nearly popping out of their heads. “How did we not know?” Irradiance added, still in awe. Hibiscus just shrugged, still giggling.

“We never really tried to hide it, we just never outwardly said anything!” Cobalt nodded along, pulling the shorter pony closer to him. They seemed quite happy.

Leviathan refocused the group, “Okay, that’s excellent to hear, but we actually came here for a reason,” He looked toward Irradiance who nodded quickly. “Irradiance is facing some difficulties with his magic. It’s draining.”

Hibiscus gasped, holding a hoof up to her muzzle, “What? How?”

Irradiance shook his head, “Have you ever heard of Princess Luster Dawn?” Hibiscus thought for a moment.

“I don’t know,” She admitted. “Maybe?” Irradiance nodded.

“She, like Princess Luna, felt jealousy as she entered the role of ruling alongside Princess Twilight and the darkness overtook her. She became some cruel version of herself, and Twilight had no solution other than to banish her like Celestia had done with her sister.”

“No way,” Cobalt said, mouth agape. “Was she in that tree?”

“Precisely,” Irradiance nodded at the inference, “When I absorbed her magic, it, like, freed her. And now she’s slowly regaining that magic–”

“By taking it from you?” Hibiscus finished. Irradiance nodded once more. The pink Unicorn just stared, brows furrowed, “That’s terrible!”

“And so we’re here to get you so we can go into the forest and find Luster Dawn,” Leviathan explained to the ponies. “We need to find out what she wants and how we can help her so Irradiance can get his magic back and this can all go away. Amber is already waiting at the castle. I’m sure we’ll leave once everyone’s together again.”

Hibiscus nodded, turning to her friend and then back to the pair standing at her door. “Should I pack?” Irradiance nodded.

“I already have some supplies packed, but I don’t think I’ll be able to help out using my magic,” He lowered his head slightly, ears pushed back in embarrassment.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Hibiscus waved off the handicap. “Marigold is plenty helpful and she’s only an Earth Pony! You’re our friend, Irradiance. Magic or no magic, we’ll help out.”

Cobalt nodded as well, chest puffed out, “Yeah! You rock even if your magic is super cool! We can head over to Marigold’s once Hibiscus and I pack up some stuff from inside. She’s usually working at the apothecary below her apartment.”

Leviathan spoke up, “How about you stay here with Cobalt and Hibiscus, and I’ll go and get Marigold and meet you all back at the castle?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Hibiscus decided. She looked toward the purple stallion, “If this trip hinges on Luster Dawn siphoning your magic away, it’s smart to leave as soon as we can, right?” Irradiance nodded slowly, realizing the logic to that.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay, Leviathan you can go get Marigold and explain it to her and then head back to the castle. I’ll help you guys pack and we’ll meet you back there.” The Changeling nodded, zipping off into the city to fetch the final group member.

The trio stood in silence for a moment before Cobalt gestured for Irradiance to come inside, closing the wooden door behind the stallion. The house was nice and always smelled as though something was baking in the oven, even though Hibiscus nor Cobalt’s talent was anything related to food. It must have been some potion or spell cast on the house to make it smell excellent.

“How long do you think the trip will take?” Hibiscus asked, heading toward a cabinet and rifling through her magic supplies and other items that lie within.

“Hmm, not as long as the trip to the edge of the forest. How long did it take you guys to find my cottage?” Irradiance thought back to the first time he’d met the pair of ponies. It felt so far away!

“Like, thirty minutes?” Cobalt suggested. Hibiscus nodded in agreement. “It didn’t take long for us to make it to where you were. Just a while to get lost.” The trio shared a small laugh at the memory.

“The Element Tree I came into contact with was just a bit farther, so it might take a day, maximum. Bring enough supplies for two, just in case things go wrong,” Irradiance decided to err on the side of caution. Hibiscus seemed to agree, already overpacking her saddlebags before slinging them over her back. Another bag was packed for Cobalt (did he keep stuff here? Had they moved in together yet? Irradiance would need to ask this as they trekked into the forest) and the trio was finished with their preparation.

“Onwards to the Canterlot Castle!” Cobalt said with a flourish, slamming the door behind him a little too hard.

“Hey!” Hibiscus exclaimed. “Careful!” The Pegasus winced.

“Sorry!”

Once more, Irradiance walked back to the castle. He must have lost at least ten pounds after the constant back and forth from the city to the castle itself. Usually, a carriage would allow him a quicker journey, but the stallion had been adamant about no unnecessary royal treatment. He regretted that statement now.

“Amber!” Hibiscus exclaimed once they’d made their way into the castle, entering the throne room and seeing the Dragon Lord herself waiting for the remaining ponies to arrive.

“Hibiscus! Cobalt! It’s great to see you!” The golden Dragon embraced the ponies eagerly. “I never thought I’d miss ponies so much until after meeting you all,” She smiled warmly at the group of ponies. It was a nice sight to behold, the growth of the Dragon Lord. Irradiance didn’t linger too long on the feeling, though.

“We should leave, shouldn’t we?” Princess Twilight nodded from behind Amber.

“Yes. I’ve already readied a carriage to take you to the edge of the forest, though my guards are not prepared to escort you through,” The purple Alicorn looked upon the small group with admiration, “I’m sure you’re entirely capable of navigating the forest on your own, though.”

Leviathan grinned, “That we are, princess! Irradiance knows his way to and past his cottage, Amber knows the perimeter of the Dragonlands, and anywhere within sight of the Red Hive is easily navigable by myself.”

Twilight looked upon the group with pride, smiling brightly, “Then, by all means, allow my guards to escort you out! I will remain here so this is my final goodbye until your return. Please, be safe.”

Irradiance looked at his teacher with confidence, “We will be, Twilight.”

With a resolute nod from Princess Twilight, the group made their final preparations to leave. The carriage awaited them just beyond the castle gates, white and gold motifs feeling strange to the purple stallion as he recalled the deep colors of the forest he was once so familiar with. Even his coat had taken on a brighter hue, now, no longer dusted with dirt from living inside of his forest cottage.

As the Unicorn looked upon his friends, Irradiance felt a surge of hope wash over him. Despite his weakening magic, he knew he wasn't alone. His friends were his strength, and together, they could face any obstacle.

The group made their way to the carriage, each step filled with purpose. Spearhead and Canon Ball eagerly waved to the ponies and other creatures, urging them to return safely. Irradiance had truly become quite a celebrity in Canterlot! And by association, so had all of his friends. Should any of them not return, the city would be devastated! Irradiance shook even the idea of the reality from his mind before it could spiral any further.

“Are you alright?” Leviathan nudged his partner lightly, not calling attention to the rest of the group.

Irradiance nodded with a shy smile, “I’m okay. Let’s just hurry,” He could feel the magic seep away with every step closer to the forest. Could Luster Dawn drain him quicker as his distance from her decreased? He should have asked Twilight…

As they boarded the carriage, Irradiance took a moment to look back at the castle. He’d just come here and found his place in Equestria, no longer subjected to any pain or foolish bullying from Unicorns his age. He was a true student of the Princess now and he had purpose. And now that purpose was to defeat another villain. Oh well.

The carriage ride was smooth. The cityscape of Canterlot soon gave way to the rolling hills and dense forests. A nostalgic sight. The familiar scent of pine and earth filled the air as the ponies approached the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Hibiscus leaned over to Irradiance, her eyes filled with concern she was unable to hide, “We’re here for you, Irradiance. You defeated Lilith in the hive, and that was just on your own! I know you can defeat Luster Dawn.”

“Because you have us, this time!” Marigold chimed happily, lifting a hoof in excitement. She might have missed the forest more than Irradiance, which felt a bit ironic.

Irradiance nodded and smiled, grateful for the support of his friends. “Thank you, guys. I couldn't do this without you all. Especially with no magic this time.”

As the carriage came to a halt at the forest's edge, the group disembarked, their hooves crunching on the dirt path that had formed over the years of ponies venturing in and out (though coming out wasn’t as common). The Everfree Forest loomed before them, a maze of trees and shadows. It was oddly comforting to Irradiance. He stepped forward. He had to find Luster Dawn and fix his magic. Breathing in, the pine scent filled Irradiance’s nostrils and he smiled. “Okay,” He breathed to the rest of the group, beginning his trek to the Element Tree, “Let’s go.”

Author's Note

sorry for the hiatus! work and school and family have been crazy! i feel like an ao3 author with the random stuff happening in life rn. enjoy!