Shadow of Fury

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Well, Hello There
Chapter 2 - What an Interesting Way to Meet
Chapter 3 - I Don't Believe We've Met Before
Chapter 4 - Meanwhile....
Chapter 5 - Adventures Part I
Chapter 6 - Adventures Part II
Chapter 7 - Meanwhile...Again...
Chapter 8 - Adventures Part III
Chapter 9 - Adventures Part IV
Chapter 10 - Sputnik Goes Crazy
Chapter 11 - All the Really Bad Stuff Happens
Chapter 12 - To Battle
Chapter 13 - Encounter in the Forest
Chapter 14 - Around the Campfire
Chapter 15 - Interrogation Squared
Chapter 16 - The Beginning of the End
Chapter 17 - The Final Battle Part I
Chapter 18 - The Final Battle Part II
Chapter 19 - Well, This was Fun
Chapter 20 - Epilogue

Chapter 1 - Well, Hello There

A Poorly Concealed Series Of Self InsertsChapter 1 - Well, Hello There

This story begins with a story. Long ago in the magical kingdom of Equestria, there lived six female ponies, who wielded powerful artifacts known as the elements of harmony. But this story isn't about them. This is a story about a maniac, a pegasus, a unicorn, and a changeling. These four all happened to live in Ponyville, where the aforementioned mares(we'll call them the Mane 6 to make things easier) also lived. Yet none of them knew each other. But this anonymity would not last. For soon a series of events would occur which would bring these four closer than any friends ever could be. Besides the Mane 6, of course. This is a tale of war, love, candy, and dinosaurs with jetpacks that shoot lazers out of their mouths. Well, maybe not that last one.

You know what? Let's just get this started.

* * * * * * *

In a small house in Ponyville....

"Ugghh....." the changeling said with a groan. He tossed and turned in his bed. He could smell fire coming from downstairs. He could also hear a high-pitched screaming. 'It's far to early for this' the changeling thought. With another groan of discontentment, he got out of bed.

In his brief month-long stay in Ponyville, he had survived by feeding off of the latent emotions that were abundant in the atmosphere around the small town. When he went out, as rare as it was, he didn't bother disguising himself. That was because all of the ponies knew he was a changeling, and actually welcomed him with open arms when he had assured them that he was an exile and shared no allegiance to Queen Chrysalis. But that wasn't what was on his mind right now. What was on his mind was the source of the smell and screaming.

Standing in the kitchen was a robot. A robot in the shape of a cat. True, the fact that its head was made of a cat's skull, a bunch of wires, a lick, and a promise probably helped give the impression of a cat, but there was also the skeletal tail and clawlike hands too. This was Sputnik. He was the changeling's loyal assistant. Which wouldn't be a problem, if the damned thing could actually DO something correctly. As the changeling looked on, he saw Sputnik dance and scream while lit on fire. The small cat-bot looked as if he were trying to win the affections of some female abomination-of-science while simultaneously trying to juggle. The result was quite amusing.

But the changeling was not in the mood for amusing.

"Sputnik!" He shouted.

The robot turned its skeletal head, and said, unnervingly nonchalantly, "Yes, boss?"

"Why are you on fire?" the changeling noticed a pan with some sort of flammable substance also aflame near the kitchen counter. "And what is that?"

"I was just trying to make cereal, boss!" said the cat-bot in an unusually happy tone.

The changeling was unamused, and levitated a bucket of water and put out both flames.

"Sputnik," he began slowly, "We are currently living off of the charity of enemies of the hive. They should have locked us up on sight. We can't risk them getting the wrong idea about us. We can't risk them thinking that we're up to something."

"But we're not."

"Yes, I know," the changeling conceded. "But do they know that? To them, I'm just another changeling, a creature to be feared and despised. They will never truly trust me, and by extension, you."

"Extension," Sputnik said slowly. "Ex-ten-shun. What a funny word!"

The changeling facehoofed. "Sputnik, I don't think you realize the severity of our situation. After I was exiled, I thought I was doomed. Any sane changeling would. Yet somehow, I survived. And I found you, much to my chagrin."

"What does chagrin mean?" interrupted Sputnik.

"Shut up, I'm trying to be serious."

Sputnik let out a slight "aww" of disappointment.

"Anyways, my point is that it is an amazing gift that I am still alive. And here I am, living with ponies, of all things. Sure, they're not rude or condescending, and they smell better than griffins in any case. But I can still sense their animosity towards us. It's not that they don't like us, I think, but more that they don't trust us. And unless something happens to change that, we will just have to stay here, trying to avoid attention. Which we can't do when you carelessly burn the town to the ground!"

Sputnik looked rather guilty now. "But boss, why don't you just go out and make the ponies trust you?"

The changeling let out a hollow laugh. "As if. How do you suppose I do that?"

"Maybe you could try making friends?"

The changeling thought for a moment. "You know, Sputnik, that may just be the smartest thing you've ever said. I have the tiniest amount of respect for you right now."

"I LIKE TURTLES!" Sputnik suddenly shouted.

The Changeling looked at him awkwardly. "And it's gone." He then turned to open a closet, and pullled out his singular most precious possession.

Out from the closet the changeling pulled out a top hat. He placed it on his head and let out a sigh of contentment.

"Oh hatty, how you brighten my day." his face then turned dead-serious. "Very well. I will make some 'friends' and let it never be said that I, Reaper, Ex-High General of the Changeling Army, can't make a few friends!"

And with that, the changeling known as Reaper walked out the door to prepare for his new life.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Ponyville....

Most ponies would say that Willus Word the unicorn was insane. And most ponies would be right. Nopony really knew why he was so crazy, and nopony had the courage to ask. He seemed fine at first. Then he got his bookstore. It all went downhill from there.

Willus had some sort of strange attatchment to his books. To the point that he would risk his life to save them. There is a library in Ponyville, but Willus never enters. And nopony wnats him to. They know that the combined crazy of Willus and Ponyville's resident librarian could only end in a storm of chaos worthy of Discord himself.

Presently, Willus was pacing inside his house, mumbling to himself.

"Books, books, so many books! What to do with all these books? Read them of course! Why, I could probably read five of them in an hour! Yes, so many books!"

Of course, nopony knew he what he was doing. That was because he was currently in a room called the, "Super-Happy-Fun-Time" Room. Occasionally, Willus would have lapses of sanity. During these lapses, He tried to prepare for future lapses of insanity by putting himself in this room. He also ran his bookstore and tried to be as friendly as possible to the ponies he encountered. He remembered a changeling who came in once asking for books on pony anatomy and history. He thought it odd at first, but decided that as a new resident of equestria, the changeling probably wanted to know as much of his new home as he could. He didn't think more of it after that.

"Oh, but what if something happens to the books? My precious books? Why, what if somepony horribly cruel came and ruined them? No! Don't talk like that Willus! But, Willus, I speak the truth!"

Willus also had a split personality disorder. It was confusing for most ponies, including himself, because both halves of himself shared the same name. Neither was willing to change their name, and so now they were trapped in eternal confusion.

"Why can't you just trust that not all ponies will- Will what, Willus? Burn everything? Destroy all these precious books? MY precious books? OUR precious books? MY precious books?!"

Willus sighed. He hated when he got like this. But the memories of the past were too painful, and his insane half always seemed to win these arguments. True, he tried his best to keep him under control, but sometimes it was just too much. He knew what all the other ponies thought of him. They thought he was a freak. And he was a freak. If only he could show them the real him.

"I AM THE REAL YOU!" he shouted.

"NO!" he responded to himself, "I won't let you be the master of my fate!"

"I AM THE MASTER OF YOUR FATE!"

"No, you're not! GO! I want to make friends for once!"

"Friends? We do not need friends! Only our PRECIOUS books!"

"NO! I will make friends! I will fix all that you have done!"

"You cannot fix what I have done. You cannot even survive without me!"

"Yes I can! Now GO! LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK!"

There was no response.

Just silence.

Willus suddenly felt a little awkward.

"Hello?" he asked.

Still no answer.

Then he laughed. He was free. Until he heard himself in his mind.

'I am not gone. I will simply wait. When you are at your lowest, when you see what all the other ponies think of you, then I will strike.'

And then Willus heard nothing else from his insane half.

Willus laughed again.

Let the darkness of insanity try and take him again. He would show it! He would make friends! He was sure the pink hippo-headed manticore standing next to him would agree! Wait, what?

Willus did a double take where the strange beast had once stood.

"Hmmm... Guess you can take the Willus out of the crazy, but you can't take the crazy out of the Willus." He giggled maniacally a bit, before regaining composure. Then he went to the door, and stepped out. It was time for his new life.

* * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else in ponyville....

The green unicorn walked calmly through the town streets. His name was shamrock. His cutie mark was of a three-leaf clover, with the number 17 in it. He didn't like to explain it. Most ponies would say he was blessed. He would say he was cursed. For him, it was impossible to take a life. This doesn't seem so bad, except that that includes his own. And though he would never admit it to anypony, sometimes, there was nothing he wanted more.

But Shamrock tried not to let anypony else be bothered by his internal struggles. In fact, most ponies would say he tried too much. He was fairly well-known around Ponyville, and all the ponies he knew agreed on one thing. He was too gentlecoltly. To the point that it was kind of annoying. He always seemed to be disgustingly polite, and never took sides in an argument. This resulted in most ponies avoiding him when they could, and in his avoiding them when he could. It wasn't that they didn't like each other, they just didn't like the awkwardness.

RIght now, Shamrock was grocery shopping. A fairly average activity for anypony to partake in. Yet still, he fretted. As he looked at all the smiling ponies around him, he couldn't help but feel out of place. But hunger always drove away anti-sociality, so for now, he would have to just swallow the awkward and get what he needed.

He walked up to the flower stand. As he looked over the various treats that lay before him, he considered what to get. He then moved over to the carrot stand, deciding he should probably watch his weight.

He turned to the owner of the stand. "How much for eight carrots?"

The orange-maned mare was caught off guard. She turned around, as she had apparently been in a deep conversation with a grey pegasus mare. "We'll finish this later," she said with a slight edge in her voice to the aforementioned pegasus, who flew away.

"I'm sorry, that was my roommate. I'm Carrot Top. You wanted eight carrots right?"

"That would be correct," Shamrock replied.

"Well, that would cost ya eight bits! I try to keep things simple."

Shamrock was a little confused. "So the carrots are a bit a piece? That doesn't seem like it would make a large profit."

He thought he heard her mutter, "It doesn't," but before he could ask she simply stated, "It's enough. Now don't worry about my problems, and enjoy your carrots!"

Shamrock began to walk away. "Thanks," he said.

As he walked away from the carrot stand, he sighed. He couldn't help but think back to the mare's conversation with the pegasus. Sure, he hadn't heard any of it, but it must have been nice. It must be nice to have someone to talk to, someone who would listen to your problems without complaint. But he could never have that again. He couldn't risk it. Not after everything that had happened to him.

Then again, why couldn't he? So what if the past was painful? He could move on, right? Right? In truth, he didn't know. But maybe he could try again. Wasn't that the reason he came to Ponyville in the first place? To start a new life? Besides, he could be worse. He could be a babbling maniac, like that Willus character he had seen once before.

Yes, that's it! He would make new friends! Maybe that Willus guy got lonely! Maybe he wasn't too bad! With the start of a smile, Shamrock walked off calmly. Gone were the days of isolation and anti-sociality. Now, he would start his new life.

* * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else in ponyville.....

The golden pegasus walked into Ponyville. This was the first time he had ever stepped hoof into the small town, although he had seen it in the valley below canterlot in his brief stay there. This was Lightning Hawk. Even though he was orphaned at a young age, he didn't let the past bother him. Instead, he was a traveler.

There weren't many places in Equestria that Lightning Hawk HADN'T been in. But, by some mysterious stroke of fate, Ponyville was one of the few places he hadn't been to. And, quite frankly, he was a little bored. Sure, he had seen many great things in his travels, like the Pony of Liberty, the Empire Solar Building, and the Leaning Tower of Pony(he had realized there that his kind wasn't very creative with names). But he had seen all of that before. And he was bored. Gone was the wonder he had felt when he first beheld the wonders of the world, gone was the sense of adventure he got when traversing a mountain. Now, all he wanted to do was settle down. He didn't feel like going on any adventures anymore, but rather, he just wanted to lead a normal life and make a few friends.

As Lightning Hawk walked into Ponyville, he noticed a green unicorn pass by.

"Hello!" the unicorn shouted as he passed.

"Hi!" Lightning shouted back, but before he could say anything more, the unicorn had already left. It appeared as if he were in a hurry to go somewhere.

"Hmmm. Odd." Lightning said to himself.

Lightning continued on his way into Ponyville. Everywhere he looked, he saw something that could only be described as 'quaint'. There were 'quaint' food stalls. There were 'quaint' carriages. And all of the ponies that wandered to and fro, attending their daily activities, were also 'quaint'. Everything was all so 'quaint'. And it was perfect.

If there was any place a pony like Lightning Hawk could settle down, it was here. And besides, maybe he would make a few friends? Indeed, it looked as if Lightning Hawk's life was on the up and up. But that is not always the case.

Just then he heard a noise. Somewhere off in the distance. He squinted, trying to determine what it was. There it was again! Closer this time. Whatever it was, it was loud. And it was headed this way. It went off a third time, unnervingly close now. That's when Lightning, and all the ponies around him, realized what it was.

It was a roar.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Author's Note: Alright, hello Everypony! This is the first story I've ever written, so please excuse any rookie mistakes. This story was meant for my local herd, hence the title, but I do want it to be much more. I know I'm really cryptic about a lot of things in this chapter, but trust me, all will be explained in due time.

For now, I just wanted to say that this story will be worked on a lot. So there will be updates hopefully as quickly as possible. Also, the story takes place in between seasons 2 and 3. As I write this, season 3 has yet to appear, so sorry for any continuity problems that may arise.

Go forth and multiply!

E = mc^2

MLP: FiM is copyright to Hasbro

Any and all references are copyrighted to their respective owners.

Chapter 2 - What an Interesting Way to Meet

Chapter 2

What An Interesting way to Meet

Shamrock was running through town square when he heard the noise. He had been running through town, searching for someone to befriend. That gold pegasus looked promising. But that was all interrupted when he heard the roar. He immediately recognized it.

"No," he said, "Not here."

But unfortunately for him, the beast of his fears had found itself in Ponyville.

As he watched in horror, the ground shook. Then a tree collapsed. Ponies screamed in fright. They ran. And then it appeared.

Standing 15 stories into the sky was a very large, very old, and very angry ursa major.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus had just stepped out the front door when he saw the ursa. At first, he assumed it was just a hallucination caused by any leftover craziness, but realized it was real when he saw ponies running in fear from it. Also, it taking a bite out of a nearby building helped.

He immediately set to work. He ran with the other ponies and tried to calm them down. Unfortunately, few ponies take comfort from a known psychopath.

"What's going on?" He asked a random pony.

"What does it look like? We're under attack!" they shouted back.

'Well that seemed a tad rude,' Willus thought as he watched the pony run off. Now what was he supposed to do?

Luckily for the confused unicorn, things seemed to get brighter right at that moment. In fact, a lot brighter. That would be because of the lightning bolt that had just struck the ursa major. He saw a rainbow-maned pegasus sitting on a cloud, who had apparently been the cause of the lightning. The ursa roared in fury, and swatted the cloud away. The pegasus was sent flying, and she landed next to Willus with a painful-sounding thump. Soon after, an orange coated earth pony wearing a steson showed up.

"Rainbow Dash," she said to the pegasus,"Twilight wants us to group together to fight this thing. And that's not easy when you are out trying to take it down by yourself!"

The pegasus apparently named Rainbow Dash looked offended. "Well, excuse me, Applejack," she said to the cowpony, "I'm afraid I didn't get the memo!"

"Ugh, let's just go!"

And with that, the two mares ran off as well.

Willus, on the other hoof, was fairly confused. Those two mares were going to fight an ursa major? Alone? Just saying it sounded ridiculous. Sure, they had mentioned a third member, but there was no way in tartarus that was enough. Perhaps they could use a little help. He ran in the same direction he thought he saw the two mares go in, and began to make a plan.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Twilight Sparkle shuffled on her hooves anxiously. She, along with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie were waiting in an alley for Applejack and Rainbow Dash. As the ursa rampaged through the town, she needed to come up with a plan. And fast.

"Twilight! We're coming!" She heard Rainbow's voice shout.

'Finally,' she thought. She watched the ursa major as it proceded to knock over a nearby house.

"I don't understand," she said, "Normally ursa majors hate to go anywhere near ponies! Why did this one suddenly just decide to attack us? It doesn't make sense!"

"It doesn't need to make sense, far as Ahm concerned, Twilight," Applejack replied. "What matters is that we stop this thing."

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but how?" Rarity asked.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"I don't know," was all Twilight could say.

For a moment, everypony present felt an uncontrollable fear, and the desire to just join everypony else and flee. But something stopped those ponies. Perhaps it was their incapability to abandon one another. Perhaps it was the urge, the need, to help everypony else get to safety. Whatever it was, those six friends made up their minds then and there that they would stop this thing. No matter the cost.

"Alright everypony. Here's the plan."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And so it was decided. Fluttershy and Rarity were to organize the evacuation efforts. They would help ponies get out of the town, and provide whatever help they could for anypony that needed it. Pinkie Pie would attack the beast with her party cannons, and try to trip it up with the confetti. Applejack would help Pinkie, and use her lasso to try and trip the ursa over. Rainbow would use all of the storm clouds she could find to shoot the ursa with lightning bolts. And finally, Twilight would shoot the ursa major with spells, and provide assistance and guidance to the others.

And so, the ponies waited. And waited. And waited. What was taking this thing so long?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The ursa was taking a long time because of a very annoying pegasus. A golden one, with the cutie mark of a wing made of lightning on its flank. If one has ever been annoyed by a particularly pesky fly, one that could somehow dodge all attempts to swat it, then they would understand how the ursa felt right then.

When Lightning Hawk had realized an ursa major was attacking, he immediately sprung into action. It was as if the universe was sending him some sort of cruel joke. Just as he found the perfect place in which to settle down, what happens? A giant beast of the Everfree attacks. Wonderful. Just wonderful. So, upon seeing this monstrous creature that should've - and did - sent ponies fleeing in terror, he did the logical thing. He flew right up in its face and punched it.

The effect was similar to a bee sting, only from the perspective of the bee. Immediately the ursa major was infuriatd that a lowly pony would even consider attacking it, let alone actually do it. The beast roared its displeasure, and swatted at Lightning. Luckily for him, he saw it coming and was able to dodge it in time.

It was around that time when the other ponies showed up. He didn't know any of them, but seemingly from nowhere, four mares appeared underneath him. One was a pink earth pony, bouncing along with a pink cannon in tow. Another was a rainbow-maned pegasus flying above the rest, bringing with her a whol arsenal of storm clouds. Then there was an orange cowpony wearing a stetson, and finally, a lavender unicorn, who seemed to be leading the group.

"You there!" this last one called. "Stop!"

Lightning looked at the ponies quizically, and flew down to where they were located, a small alley in between two buildings.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be running like the others?" He asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," the rainbow pegasus shot back. "What do you think you're doing? Did you honestly believe you could take on an ursa major by yourself?"

Lightning felt stupid. "Well, yeah, I guess."

The unicorn face-hoofed. "Look, that doesn't matter right now. What matters, girls, is that we have somepony ready and able to help us fight this thing. No matter how flawed his logic might be."

"Um....thank you?"

It was then that they heard a voice.

"Wait! Stop! I want to help too!" Everypony turned their heads to the source of the voice. Running towards them was a brown unicorn colt with a messy, unkempt black mane.

"Who are you?" The cowpony asked.

"Willus Word, at your sevice," he said with a dramatic bow.

As if this random addition wasn't enough, they were suddnly interrupted by another pony. This time, it was the green unicorn from before.

"I want to help as well. Call me Shamrock."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper had just stepped out of his house when he saw the ursa. He groaned in discontent.

"It's gonna be one of THOSE days, isn't it?"

Sputnik walked up behind him, and saw the creature as well.

"OOHH! A giant puppy!" He shouted.

"Here," Reaper said, giving his hat to Sputnik. "Hold this."

Sputnik grabbed the hat and ate it.

Under normal circumstances, Reaper would have been mad, but by now he was used to it.

Reaper turned, and saw town hall. A huge chunk of it was missing. It was an architectural wonder that it was still standing. He walked up to the building, and placed a hoof against it. He pressed his weight against it, and clicked his tongue in approval. It would hold.his weight. He turned to look at the ursa. At present it was swatting at a golden pegasus. What an idiot, fighting an ursa major on his own. Reaper turned back to the ruined city hall. He sighed. Time to show these ponies how to lead a military manoever. He began to walk vertically up town hall.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

While the group of ponies planned their attack, they introduced themselves more formally. They now knew each other's names, and this made planning things a whole lot easier. Which was good, considering the ursa major was approximately three yards away from their hiding place.

And so the plan was put into action. Rainbow and Lightning fired electricity from the clouds at it. Twilight, Willus, and Shamrock fired spells at it. During all this, Applejack and Pinkie Pie attempted to tangle its legs.

The ursa major was not amused. It was difficult to tell if their combined assault was having any effect on the creature. It swiped a starry paw at the nearest pony, Unfortunately for Applejack, 'nearest pony' meant her. Luckily, Shamrock saw it coming. His horn glowed green, and a small glowing orb floated over to Applejack. It was absorbed into her immediately before the paw came down. "Applejack!" Twilight shouted in alarm. When the paw lifted itself back up, everyone feared that they would see their favorite farmer reduced to a bloody pile of flesh and bone, but instead, she stood just where she had been before, albeit she appeared to be incredibly confused.

"What just happened?" She asked.

"I gave you my good-luck charm," Shamrock replied. "It's a spell unique to me. It gives you abnormally good luck for about two hours."

Everyone looked at him blankly. "WHAT?"

"What?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Don't you think that might have been a little helpful to know back when we started?" Rainbow asked sarcastically.

"Well, nobody asked...."

Rainbow face-hoofed.

As the fighting continued, Shamrock began to bless all of the other ponies with his good-luck charm. The ursa major was becoming more obviously infuriated now. Its inability to kill these pesky creatures that were running about its feet was driving it mad. It roared and brought down another paw, this one narrowly missing Lightning Hawk and Rainbow Dash.

And slowly, but surely, the ursa major weakened. And weakened. And weakened. Yet it would not fall.

"At this rate," Willus said, "we're gonna need a star from the sky itself to fall and beat this thing!"

Nopony noticed a small, black dot climbing the town hall in the background.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper finished his ascent of the town hall. He stood on the tip of the spire on top, looking over the epic battle taking place a few miles away. Now, there appeared to be multiple ponies fighting the creature.

"Hmmph. Fools," He muttered. He turned his head up and looked into the sky. "Been a while since i did this. Let's hope I still got it."

Reaper then began to fly up into the sky. Higher and higher he went, until eventually the ursa seemed so small he could hold it in his hoof. Then he drew up his magic, and formed a cocoon.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

To the amazement of everypony present, a cyan light appeared in the sky. Then it grew brighter. And brighter. Until they realized it wasn't getting brighter. It was getting closer.

It was a comet. A great, cyan comet. And it was streaking down towards the ursa major. The thing was weakened to the point of not noticing the growing light until it was right in front of its face. It seemed as if Willus' prophecy had been fulfilled, as a star fell from the sky and struck the ursa major square in the forehead. With a final roar of defiance, the great nocturnal predator collapsed.

As everypony walked up to examine the fallen ursa, it began to disintegrate. As it finally disappeared, a changeling with a cyan backplate fell the short distance to the ground from where it had been sitting (what was once the ursa's head) with a thud.

"Ummm..."He said awkwardly. "Hi?"

Chapter 3 - I Don't Believe We've Met Before

Chapter 3

I Don't Believe We've Met Before

The silence that followed the death of the ursa major was quite possibly the most awkward silence Reaper ever had the displeasure of being part of. As all the ponies stared at the changeling, they began to ask questions mentally. Who was this guy? Where did he come from? Is this the same changeling who lives here? It's hard to tell without the hat.

Reaper never thought he would see the day where he would be happy to see Sputnik, but so it was. The little robot came running up to his master, running through the small crowd of ponies. When he finally reached Reaper, he doubled over, panting dramatically. Then he perked up in a perfect contradiction, and said, "Hi boss!"

"Yes, hello," Reaper replied in an annoyed voice.

"I got your hat!" Sputnik said before shoving his hand in his mouth and pulling out a top hat, in perfect condition. He handed it to Reaper. Once Reaper put it on, there was a noticable chorus of "Ooohhh"s, as the ponies finally realized who he was.

"Now then," he said, "Which one of you came up with the idea to fight an ursa major alone?"

All hooves pointed at Lightning, who shrank away in guilt.

"Good, good. You have my sincerest thanks," Reaper said to the golden pegasus, who was now very confused.

"Thanks? Why?"

"Because if you hadn't attacked the creature in a fool-hardy attempt, and then convinced others to help you, then that thing would still be rampaging through town square."

This did not help Lightning's confusion. It was Shamrock who helped him out.

"What he's trying to say, Lightning, is that he wouldn't have been able to put the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, if we hadn't weakened it ourselves," Shamrock explained.

Fluttershy and Rarity arrived then, followed by a large crowd of ponies.

"We saw the ursa collapse," Fluttershy explained. "Is everypony okay?"

"Everypony's fine, Fluttershy," Twilight answered, "But we wouldn't have been able to stop that monster if it wasn't for these four," she continued, pointing at Shamrock, Lightning, Willus, and Reaper. Sputnik waved.

"Well then," Pinkie suddenly piped, "Do you know what this calls for?"

The four colts looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"A PARTY!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ponyville would remember this party as the biggest Pinkie Party since yesterday. The four colts, along with the mane 6, were provided with medals in honor of their bravery. All of them were promptly eaten by Sputnik, much to everypony's chagrin.The party was at Sugarcube Corner, and everypony was there to celebrate the heroes who had defeated the monster. All four of the colts seemed to have somepony who wanted to talk to them. Although everypony knew they lived in Ponyville, nopony actually knew them in the fullest sense of the term.

Willus was enjoying the return of his sanity. Well, at least part of his sanity. He wasn't hallucinating, and he was able to socialize well enough. At least, he was pretty sure it was well enough. he had never been particularl social, before or after he became insane. Now that he was suddenly thrown into this group of ponies who all seemed to think fondly of him, he wasn't quite sure how to react. So he decided to just wing it. And that seemed to be working. He watched the ponies dancing. Was that what sane ponies did? Well, if he was going to integrate himself back into society, he might as well follow the leader. Willus walked up to the dance floor and began to dance.

Meanwhile, Shamrock was having a truly bizarre time. Fighting the ursa had left him drained of energy, so he consented to just watching the ponies dance rather than join in. He stood by the bowl of punch, drinking from his cup. Suddenly the mare called Raibow Dash wlaked up to him. "Hey," she said, "why aren't you joining the party?"

Shamrock was silent for a few moments, as he thought of an answer that wouldn't sound a little mean.

"I'm not dancing," he started slowly, "because I am tired. Although the lucky charm spell is relatively easy to cast on another pony, casting it on mysel requires tremendous energy. During the battle, I cast it on myself to stay safe, and now I am all worn out. It's not that I don't to dance, you see, it's just that I can't dance.

Rainbow nodded. "I understand, " she said. "Sometimes, after a hardcore workout, I feel the same. And Pinkie's parties, awesome as they are, can really take it out of you."

"Really?" Shamrock was surprised.

"Oh yeah," she continued. "I remember this one time a party lasted throughout the entire night nonstop. Everypony was so tired in the morning they couldn't even make it out the front door."

Shamrock chuckled.

"So anyway," Rainbow said, "the mayor was recruiting some ponies to help rebuild town hall. I'm in charge of the process, and I saw how strong you were while we were fighting that thing, so I was just wondering-"

"You want me to help rebuild town hall,"

"Yeah! That,"

Shamrock smiled. "I'll be there tomorrow morning,"

Rainbow said her thanks and left. Shamrock turned to the dance floor. Willus was there now. He seemed to be dancing, or at least trying. All of the other ponies had gotten off the floor and were looking at him awkwardly. He was reall bad. Shamrock considered going up to him and telling him that. "Nah," he decided. There were some things that were better left unsaid.

During all this, Lightning Hawk was having the time of his life. All the ponies he talked to seemed nice, the dancing was fun(at least until Willus showed up), and the food was great. He couldn't come up with a better way to introduce himself to the town. Presently, he was wandering through the crowds, trying to find something to do. He noticed a game being played nearby. That looked promising. As he walked towards the game, he accidently bumped into somepony, tripped, and fell. "Oh my!" he heard the voice of a mare say.

When Lightning looked up he saw the face of the unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "I'm so sorry! I should have been watching where I was going!"

Lightning stood up, and noticed for the first time how this mare truly looked. And he couldn't help but feel that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her mane seemed to glow from the way the light appeared behind it. The soft aura from her coat accentuated this, and her eyes, for lack of a better word sparkled. Lightning was absolutely dumbstruck, and simply stood staring at her.

"Uhh, hello?"

Lightning snapped out of his trance, babbling incoherent nonsense. Twilight chuckled. "Hey, I'm sorry about what I said during the fight, if that's what's bothering you," she said.

Lightning nodded. He tried to find his voice, but it seemed to have flown away and left him to rot. All he was able to force out was "It's okay."

Twilight felt a little awkward now. "So.....you're new here right? How do you like Ponyville?"

"It's nice," Lightning said. "I came here just trying to make some friends, nothing else," 'Stupid, Stupid!' he thought. 'Now there's no way she'll go for me.' Yet, despite his better judgement, he continued to talk. "I don't have anywhere to stay yet, but I'm just gonna build a cloud house."

"You know, you should stop by the library sometime. I own the place, and I could check out a few books for you on housebuilding."

"That'd be nice," Lightning forced out. He was amazed he had made it this far into the conversation without soiling himself.

"You should come over tomorrow, and I'll give them to you then,"

"Okay,"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You know, Lightning, you seem like a pretty nice guy."

"I know," he said. "It's a bit of a problem."

Twilight laughed, before walking away. Lightning Hawk exhaled, never realizing he had been holding his breath in the first place.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper had never been more bored than he was right then. He stood alone in a corner, watching the ponies, "party," as they called it. Back at the hive, there were no parties, only formal celebrations. He came to the conclusion that these, "parties," must be very similar to the formal celebrations, only without the formal part. He had long since lost track of Sputnik. The little robot had gone off to have fun, or rather, "Make a chair outta cheese," as he said. While the ponies were intially creeped out by Sputnik's skeletal head and the general idea of an undead cat-bot, his charmingl stupid personality combined with his frequent "recon missions,"(which were really just Sputnik getting supplies) resulted in the ponies being used to him by now.

Reaper looke around. In one area of the room, the one called Willus Word seemed to be attempting to dance. He was most certainly not doing a good job of it. In another, Shamrock stood alone, drinking from a cup fruit punch. That certainly wouldn't bring any amusement to Reaper. He turned his head again, and saw something that genuinely bothered him. Standing there, across the room, talking to the mare named Rarity, was the pink pony who had orchestrated this whole party. She seemed to be having a good time. What was her name? Pinkie Pie? Something like that. Her presence wasn't what bothered Reaper. It was what happened next that bothered him.

She turned and looked at Reaper, and then she smiled. That smile. It was so BIG! It didn't even seem physically possible. He would have to remember to check his books on pony anatomy to check if it was. The pink pony waved at him, and Rarity looked at him confusedly. She only shrugged. Reaper shook his head, as if to regain his focus, and continued looking around the room. Then he saw one of the most amusing things of the day. There stood Lightning Hawk, evidently trying to talk to Twilight Sparkle. Key word being try. Reaper was a changeling, and due to this he could sense the emotions coming off of the two. Twilight's emotions were purely platonic, but from Lightning he detected that emotion so precious to his kind, the emotion that sustains them like nothing else. From Lightning he detected love. Reaper smiled wickedly. This would be fun indeed.

Lightning Hawk watched Twilight walk away, when he suddenly felt the presence of another being. He turned to be face-to-face with the changeling in a top hat, Reaper. The changeling had a sly, knowing look on his face. "So," he started slowly, "you and the unicorn, huh? From the brief amount of time that I have known you, I would have guessed the cowpony."

Lightning was confused. "What do you mean, 'me and the unicorn?'"

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean."

"No, I don't!"

Reaper chuckled mischievously. "My, my. Even when I know the truth you deny it."

"What are you trying to say?" Lightning was getting visibly frustrated now. Reaper sighed contentedly.

"I could go on forever, but I think I'll be merciful this time and get to the point." His next words would finalize everything Lightning thought he was feeling.

"You love Twilight Sparkle."

For a moment, there was silence, as Lightning realized the changeling was right.

When he finally spoke, his voice was annoyed. "So what if I do?"

Reaper chuckled some more in satisfaction. "Acceptance is the first step to victory. Remember that, Lightning Hawk."

And with that he walked away.

While that bit of amusement and psychological bullying had been fun, Reaper found himself bored again quickly. But fate would not allow that. Reaper, who was staring at a bit of wall in boredom, suddenly yelped when he heard a voice. "Hi!"

Reaper jumped in the air in shock, before turning to the source of the voice. It was the pink pony from before, Pinkie Pie. She appeared to be confused. "Uhh, Mr. Changeling? Where did you go?"

"What are you talking about? I'm right here!" He said in an annoyed tone.

The pony perked up. "You can turn invisible? That's so cool! If Dashie were here, she would say that made you 20% cooler!"

Reaper was confused. 'Invisible? I'm not invis-' Reaper looked down at his hooves only to discover they weren't there. "Great," he muttered. "It happened again." His horn glowed and Reaper reapeared in front of Pinkie.

"Sorry about that. I just turn invisible whenever I get startled. Involuntary reflex," He said.

Pinkie didn't stop smiling. "So you're a changeling right? I was wondering-"

"Let me guess. You want me to turn into you."

Pinkie let out a dramatic gasp. "How did you know?"

Reaper rolled his eyes. "Because that's all you ponies ever want. When I first came here, everypony would come up to me at random times asking to see my impression of them. It wasn't so bad at first, but it got annoying really fast."

Pinkie's smile never wavered. "Oh, I understand. What's your name?"

"What?"

"Your name. What is it?"

Reaper was shocked. Few, if any, ponies had actually bothered to ask him his name. Why did it matter so much to this pony? "It's Reaper," He said cautiously.

The effect was catastrophic. "Omigosh like the Grim Reaper? That's so cool! I beat when ponies first meet you they're all like 'Ahh, it's the grim Reaper!' but then they actually meet you and they're all like 'hey, this Reaper guy is pretty awesome!' and then-"

Reaper shoved his hoof into Pinkie's mouth to shut her up. He could still hear mumbling. He sighed. "Are you done?" he asked.

Pinkie nodded, and Reaper pulled out his hoof. "Your hoof tastes like cheese! Maybe that's why it has so many holes."

Reaper facehoofed.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Willus was dancing when the cowpony walked up to him. "Umm, beg yer pardon?" She said. Willus turned to look at her. "Yes?"

Applejack felt awkward. "Look, Ah don't know how to say this, partner, but,"

Willus continued to look at her expectantly.

Applejack sighed. "Yer dancin's terrible. And everypony would appreciate it if ya got off the floor."

Willus blinked. "Okay then. That was unexpected. But alright,"

And with that Willus walked awkwardly to the side. Applejack followed.

"Sorry about that," Willus said. "I was jut trying to do what all the sane ponies do,"

"It's alright, Ahm sure you were just doin what you thought was best,"

There was a moment of silence. "Applejack," Willus began slowly, "Can you help me with something?"

"Sure, partner. What is it?"

Willus sighed. "I just got out of a really long, really difficult stage of my life. As you may or may not know, I used to be crazy. Insane. Psychopathic. Cuckoo!"

"Ah get it,"

"Oh, right, sorry. My point is, I'm not exactly sure what a 'sane' pony is expected to do. I mean, how am I supposed to behave? I haven't had a practical thought for as long as I can remember!"

Applejack raised a hoof in a motion for silence. "Don't worry, Willus. If anypony know practical, it's yours truly! Just come on over to the farm tomorrow, and Ah can set ya to work!"

Willus smiled. "Sure, Applejack. I'd like that."

Applejack patted him on the back. "That's the spirit!"

* * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper was certain that this pony's goal in life was to annoy him to death. She hadn't shut up for what felt like the last five hours, but was only forty-five minutes. And no matter what he did, there didn't seem to be any way to stop it. Finally, after all the irrational things Reaper had heard in the last forty-five minutes, one in particular made him lose it.

"Say, you wouldn't mind if i called you Reapy, would you?"

"THAT'S IT! YES, I WOULD MIND!" Reaper shouted at the top of his lungs.

For the first time, Pinkie visibly shrank back in surprise. The brief hesitation didn't last. "But Reapy," she said, "It's so much catchier than your actual name! And besides, ponies might be scared of you at first with a name like that."

Reaper grit his teeth in frustration. "You look stressed, Reapy. You should come over to Sugarcube Corner sometime!"

Reaper gave up. "Sure, why not? It can't be any worse than it is right now. SPUTNIK?"

The little robot appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He was wearing eyeliner and lipstick, and had a chocolate stain on his left cheek. "Yes, my master?"

Reaper looked at the robot's strange appearance awkwardly. "What happened to you?"

"Crazy party, boss!"

Pinkie grinned in pride.

"Whatever. Make a note! I will be in Sugarcube Corner two days from now!"

Reaper turned, and saw Lightning, Willus, and Shamrock joining together in a corner of the room. He walked off to join them.

"Butter....face....Corner! There," Sputnik said, looking at what he wrote. He shrugged. "Mmm, I'm sure master will figure it out," Sputnik then ate the notebook he was writing in. Pinkie giggled.

Reaper walked up to the trio. "What are we talking about?" he said, interrupting their conversation.

"We were just planning for a day for us to get together," Shamrock said.

"And?"

Lightning was still a little shaken. "We all have things planned, so we don't know when we can do this."

"Do not fret, Lightning," said Willus. "I am sure things will work themselves out somehow,"

They all agreed on that. The four colts turned to walk out the door. As they all left on their own seperate ways, Reaper chuckled to himself. 'Yes,' he thought, 'they will make fine friends. And they will certainly do all that I need them to.' Sputnik walked up behind Reaper, just as his master began to laugh. Maniacally laugh. The robot joined in. The pair laughed this way all the way home. It wasn't until they were actually inside that they stopped. When they did, Sputnik spoke.

"Why were we laughing?"

Chapter 4 - Meanwhile....

Chapter 4

Meanwhile....

The young female griffin walked down the hot, steamy corridor. The red, rocky walls seemed to emanate heat, but that didn't bother her. What bothered her was what waited for her at the end of the corridor. Coming from the lit room at the end she could hear footsteps, pacing back and forth. She gulped. She knew who was causing those footsteps. And she knew that they would be very unhappy when they heard what she had to say. She took a few deep breaths before walking inside.

The room itself was part of a large, secret underground structure built into a volcano. The complex was absolutely gigantic. It spread for at least a mile in all directions, and was literally carved out of the igneous stone of the volcano. The secret base had been found by her and a few other griffins a few months ago, and it was now their home. Or the closest thing to home it could get. She didn't know who built it, and she didn't care. All that mattered was that it was there, and it was theirs for the taking.

The room was furnished with an orange couch made of spongy rock, and had a table made from a large mushroom, one of many that had been found growing along the slopes of the mountain. There was a fireplace, of sorts. Rather than a chimney with firewood, it was a well. The well was similar to the kind used for bringing water to the surface, but instead of water it was filled to the brim with lava. It bubbled and crackled, providing a warm, smokeless light for the entire room.

The cause of the footsteps turned to look at the young griffin. He, too, was a griffin, albeit older, male, and twice the size of the younger one. His feathers were snow white, and his coat of fur a deep silver. His eyes were as red as rubies. Some of his feathers shared this red, producing a spotted appearance. He wore steel armor, with the symbol of a red phoenix on its front. His wings were not natural. They were made entirely out of metal. The steel feathers that coated them were as sharp as knives, and made a horrible clicking sound whenever he walked. He never told anybody how he got them, and most were smart enough not to ask. There was a scar on his left eye. This was the same eye that twitched angrily as the younger female entered the room.

"Well?" he asked. "Did it work?"

The younger griffin sighed. "The ursa major was killed," she said.

The older one seethed, trying to contain his rage. After a moment, he only said, "How?"

"There were the bearers of the elements, of course. They attempted to defeat it. In any case they should have been killed, at least a few of them. But there were...complications,"

"What kind of complications?"

"Four colts. I don't know who they are, but they helped the elements to defeat the ursa. I saw it with my own eyes,"

There was a moment of silence as the older griffin simply stared into the lava.

"How many soldiers did we lose angering that thing to the point where it would attack Ponyville?"

The younger griffin shuffled anxiously on her feet. "Five, sir,"

"And how many ponies did it kill before it was defeated?"

She gulped. "Zero, sir,"

"Zero," he repeated, "zero,"

The male continued to look into the lava. "Any news from our 'friend?'"

The younger griffin sighed, relieved that the subject had changed. "Yes, sir. She will be here in two days time, to oversee the final stages of the plan,"

"Oversee?" He said. "Who does she think she is? This is my plan. And I will not let her think that she is in charge. She will learn her place in due time,"

The younger griffin was now shrinking back in fear of what would happen next. Seven more griffins walked in then, all of them male. The larger male took them all in, before returning to the younger one.

"You may leave us, Gilda," he said.

Gilda let out a sigh of relief, before saluting. "Yes, Father,"

Then she ran out into the corridor.

The older male chuckled as his daughter ran off. The brief smile on his face disappeared almost instantly as he turned to the other griffins who he now whared the room with. "Gentlemen," he began, "shall we get down to business?"

The griffins nodded and sat around the large table. The large male spread out a map of Equestria. "I trust we are all familiar with the plan?"

The griffins nodded again. As the larger male began to talk, two younger subordinates struck up a conversation.

"This guy's crazy,"

"What?"

"He's crazy. I mean, who spends all this time thinking up plans for conquest?"

"A general, maybe,"

"Oh, don't get smart with me. I outrank you,"

"No you don't. I outrank you,"

"Oh, right. Whatever. But think about it. Do you really want this guy in charge?"

"I want a strong leader, and he provides that,"

"But have you heard some of the things they say about him? I heard that his wife only married him cuz she had to. And that he's training his daughter to become a military commander,"

"Now that you mention it, I have heard some weird things about him. Like his wings,"

"Yeah, his wings!"

"How did he get them?"

"I heard it was in a fire,"

"I heard he chose to do it to himself,"

"Seriously, who put this psycho in charge?"

The other griffin didn't talk.

"Hey, we're not done here!" the first one said. "What are you even looking a-"

The griffin stopped midsentence. Looking directly at him from across the table was the older male. His ruby eyes seemed to glow like hot coals with suppressed anger, which was made even more intimidating by the fact that his face showed no expression otherwise. The griffin stood, and opened his metal wings.

"So," he began, "you want to know why I'm 'in charge' as you so eloquently put it,"

The younger male gulped and shook his head vigorously. "No, sir. I'm sure it-it's f-for a v-v-very good rea-reason,"

The older male smirked in amusement. Then he laughed. All the other griffins laughed too, albeit very awkwardly. Then, in the blink of an eye, the old male slit the insubordinate's throat in a single, fluid motion of his wings. All of the other griffins stopped laughing and looked on in horror. Then, the older male turned on them. One by one he slashed them with his wingtips, until only one remained. He was the one who was talking the insubordinate. The room was an absolute bloodbath, and the older male turned to the last survivor. In a flash, he was right in front of him. He grabbed him by the throat with his front claws.

"That's why," he said. He dropped the younger male, who sputtered and coughed.

"Yes, Lord Ironfeathers,"

* * * * * * * *

Author's note!

This was a short chapter, and was mostly written just to introduce the villain. I'm going to get to work on the next chapter pretty soon, and that's gonna take a while. That's why I wrote this chapter so quickly, so I could get it out of the way.

Now go forth and multiply!

E = mc2

Chapter 5 - Adventures Part I

(Author's Note: This will be the first of several chapters with musical accompanyment. I will provide a youtube link at the point where the music starts. For the full experience, be sure to follow it!)

Chapter 5

Adventures Part I

Willus walked up the path that lead to Sweet Apple Acres. He went over in his mind the list of things he would probably be doing today. Farm? Yes. Talk? Probably. Think something practical? Now that was doubtful. As he neared the farm, the barn loomed in the distance as if it were mocking him. Each tree seemed to be adorned with a myriad of red eyes as the sunlight reflected off of the apples ornamenting them. He felt as though he were being watched at every moment. This was clearly a good place to regain sanity.

He turned from the slightly disturbing plants and saw Applejack walking toward him. He waved to signal his acknowledgement.

"Hello!" he shouted.

Applejack waved back. "Howdy!"

'Such a funny accent,' Willus thought. As the cowpony walked up to him, Willus noticed that she seemed tired.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Ahm fine," she responded tiredly, "just a little tired is all. That party last night really took it outta me! But don't worry. Ah'll still be able to help ya out."

Willus let out a sigh of relief. "Good! I was worried for a minute there,"

Applejack chuckled a bit, before motioning for Willus to follow her.

When they reached the front porch, Applejack stopped.

"Before we set you to work, Ah should probably introduce you to mah family,"

As she said that she gestured to a large, red stallion working nearby at a tree.

"That over there is mah brother, Big Macintosh," Willus shouted a greeting to the big stallion. He only turned and nodded his head once to signal any acknowledgement before returning to his work.

Applejack blushed a little in embaressment. "He don't talk much," she said. Next, she gestured to an old green mare sitting in a rocking chair, asleep. "That over there's Granny Smith. And somewhere around here is my bothersome sister,"

As she said this, a small, yellow filly with a red mane wearing a large, equally red bow came running up to her. "Applejack! Applejack!" Applejack rolled her eyes.

"What is it?"

The filly looked exasperated. "Do we have any pineapples?" she asked.

Applejack was puzzled. "Pineapples? Why?"

"Doesn't matter," the filly responded. "Me and the girls just really need a pair as soon as possible,"

Applejack looked at her sister suspiciously. "There's a few inside the house. But Ain't you gonna introduce yerself to the nice Mr. Willus who came out here to work for the day?"

The filly noticed the colt for the first time. "Oh, Ahm sorry, mister! Ah didn't see you there! Mah name's Applebloom. Now, if ya'll excuse me, Ah've got two pineapples with mah name on them waiting inside!" And with that, she ran into the house.

"Should I be worried about that?" Willus asked.

"Nah, not unless she starts asking for orange juice," was Applejack's reply. Willus didn't bother trying to figure out what that meant.

"Now, Ah s'pose we aughta set you to work!"

The pair walked into the large barn. Inside were many bales of hay, as well as quite possibly the biggest pile of apples Willus had ever seen. In the corner was a large stack of barrels.

"Now here's whatcha gotta do. In this pile is all the apples we've harvested so far. All kinds of apples are in there. And you, partner, are gonna sort them,"

Willus' pupils became microscopic in fear. "Excuse me?" The pile was absolutely enormous. It was at least twice as tall as him. How could Applejack, scratch that, anypony expect him to be able to do this?

"Now, you better get to work. This will definitely take a while!" And with those final words, Applejack sealed Willus' fate.

"Well, I might as well get started. Let it never be said that I can be defeated by nothing but a pile of apples!" Willus said as Applejack left the barn. He turned to the pile and started sorting.

* * * * * * * * * *

Two hours later, nothing but a pile had defeated Willus. Willus groaned in frustration at the tiny amount of work he had accomplished. He turned the much smaller pile of apples neatly organized by color. Or, neatly organized by his standards at least. There was no way he would ever get this done.

Wait a minute! Maybe the problem was just that keeping all of the apples in one place made their numbers seem larger! Willus turned to the barrels in the corner with a wide grin. Surely things would go much smoother now!

* * * * * * * * * *

Applejack trotted up to the barn. She could have sworn she heard the sound of something crashing. Was Willus okay? The building itself wasn't burned to the ground, so there was at least that. She opened the door to the barn, before gasping at the grisly sight that lay before her.

At least a third of the apples were destroyed. Their pale insides were crushed, and the walls were coated in what looked like raw applesauce. In the center remained the pile of apples Willus must've originally started with, although it was a little smaller now. Strewn about the floor were the remains of many destroyed barrels. In one area, they appeared to be accumulated. In this small heap of barrel debris, Willus' head poked out. He blushed violently when he saw Applejack's face of shock. "Oops?"

* * * * * * * * * *

"Well, Willus, since it seems like busy work might be too much for ya, maybe some manual labor would be the better choice," Applejack said in slight annoyance to the accident-prone colt.

Willus looked at his hooves shamefully. 'Stupid Barrels,' he thought. "FIne. What do you need me to do?"

Applejack turned to the apple tree nearest to her. Surrounding the tree was a ring of buckets. "This here tree's ready for apple-buckin'. Now, before ya ask, cuz Ah know that you were about to, lemme explain what apple-buckin' is. Basically, once a tree's ready, you give it a good kick, like so," she said, kicking the tree hard with her hind legs. With a shake, all of the apples fell out of the tree and perfectly into the buckets. WIllus watched in awe. "Now can ya do that?" Applejack asked.

Willus gulped. "S-Sure. I mean, how hard can it be?" Willus walked up to another tree which also had the ring of buckets. He examined the tree thoroughly. Every crack, every apple, every twig he examined with his scrutinizing eye. Finally, he shrugged. Then he turned around, raised his rear legs, and kicked the tree as hard as he could. "Ha! See? I told you I could do it!" he said, as a sharp crack resonated through the air. Applejack stood in shock. "See? You can even hear the tree cracking!" Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up one of Willus' hind legs. He grabbed it and screamed in pain before doubling over. A single apple fell out of the tree and into a bucket.

* * * * * * * * * *

According to the doctor, Willus' left hind leg had only been sprained, but it sure didn't feel like it. He was supposed to be feeling better in two days time, but until then he was to wait in the hospital. Applejack had helped him limp there, and had only left after everything had been taken care of. WIllus smiled. In the end, everything turned out better than expected!

* * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock entered town hall. This was easy because a large portion of the wall was missing, so he simply walked through the gaping hole and began to look for Rainbow Dash. There were about five other ponies there already. Four of them were fairly bland colts, dressed in hardhats and overalls. He assumed that they were construction workers hired to help. The fifth was the grey, cross-eyed mare from yesterday. Funny how things work out.

He saw Rainbow herself coordinating the construction. She wore a hardhat and a toolbelt, and stood on the ledge of a hole in the ceiling. He waved hello to the mare when she noticed him. She flew down to greet him.

"Hey, Shamrock! Glad you could make it!"

"No problem, Rainbow," Shamrock stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, I kinda feel responsible for all this,"

That surprised Rainbow. "Responisble? Why?"

Shamrock looked at the massive amount of damage the building had sustained. He sighed in sadness. "Think about it," he said, "We fought the ursa, right? As a result, it rampaged. Not to say it wasn't rampaging before, but it was worse afterwards."

Rainbow thought about that for a moment. "Well, yeah. But if we didn't fight it, it would have done even more damage than it already did. We did what we had to!"

Shamrock didn't respond immediately. She was right, he knew. But did the creature have to have died? Couldn't they have just chased it away or something? But, deep down, he knew there was nothing else that could have been done. "You're right," he said, "now, let's get started."

"Right! Now," she said, "For you, I'm thinking we can go ahead and give you some of the heavier lifting. Can you use your magic yet?"

Shamrock tried a simple levitation spell, and failed miserably. "No," he said.

Rainbow rubbed her chin in contemplation. "Well, I guess you'll just have to use your own strength!" Rainbow heard her name get called. "Here, just go get rid of all the extra debris for now. I've gotta go sort this out," She flew towards the source of the voice, leaving Shamrock with a pile of destroyed wood.

Shamrock looked down at the bits and pieces. This may take a while. He looked to where Rainbow had gone off to. She was talking to one of the construction ponies. She wouldn't be giving him anything new to do for a little while, he assumed, based on the raised voices being used in her conversation. He sighed. Might as well get to work.

Before he could get started, he narrowly avoided a falling beam. "What the-" he said in surprise as he looked at the large, wooden plank that had nearly crushed him. He looked up to see the grey pegasus from before standing on a ledge, looking over with a worried expression. "Sorry!" she called. Shamrock looked up at her as she flew down to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Who are you?"

The mare looked a little off-guard. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Derpy! You must be Shamrock,"

Shamrock nodded.

"It's so great to actually meet one of the heroes of Ponyville in person!"

"Heroes of Ponyville?" Shamrock asked in surprise. Had he and the others gotten that famous already?

"Oh, yes! There's you, and Willus, and Lightning Hawk, and Reaper! You're all famous!"

That genuinely surprised Shamrock. It seemed as if things would be changing a lot for the four of them. "Well, that's nice, I guess,"

"It must be! What I would give to be able to spend time with any one of you!" Derpy suddenly stopped as she realised who she was talking to. "Hey," she said, "you wouldn't mind coming over sometime for muffins and tea, would you?"

Shamrock chuckled. "Sure, Derpy. No Problem,"

Derpy squeed in enjoyment before somepony called her. "Hooves, get back to work!" the voice said.

"That's my que! Gotta go now Shamrock, see you tomorrow!"

Shamrock turned back to the pile and began to work.

* * * * * * * * * * *

After an hour of getting rid of debris, Rainbow Dash had another assignment for him. "Alright, Shamrock, do you see the four beams arranged in the center of the room?" she asked, motioning to the support structures in question. "They're what's keeping this building up. You and I need to make sure they're okay so the rest of the team can deal with the rest of the reconsturction. Sound good to you?"

"Seems fine to me,"

"Good, now let's get started.

The pair began to examine each of the support beams individually. The first one seemed to be fine. The second one had a small chip in it, but nothing serious. The third was also fine. As they walked up to the fourth and final beam, they could immediately tell that this would not be the case for this one. There was a large crack going up and through the wooden pole, and it seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

"Well, there's your problem!" Rainbow said jokingly. Shamrock didn't laugh. Rainbow Dash noticed. "Oh, come on! Lighten up, would ya? You don't have to be so serious all the time!"

Shamrock continued to examine the beam. "Rainbow, if this thing collapses, a lot of ponies could get hurt. You don't want that to happen, now do you?"

Rainbow sighed. "No," she said stubbornly. As she said that, she absent-mindedly leaned against the beam. That was the worst thing she could possibly do.

The small amount of weight pressed against the pole caused it to shift. One part slid against the other. At the top, a section of the roof that the beam was supporting gave way. It fell directly towards Rainbow Dash. Shamrock saw it and immediately pushed Rainbow out of the way and caught the piece of ceiling with his bare hooves.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" She asked the straining Shamrock. With a grunt he shoved the debris to the side. "Yeah, I'm fine. Watch where you lean next time,"

"Are you sure? You could have been hurt!"

"I know," he replied. "You just gotta lighten up, Rainbow,"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock stayed and helped with the reconstruction for the rest of the day. Rainbow never seemed to stop apologizing while simultaneously thanking him all throughout. By sunset, town hall had been restored to most of its original status. Rainbow told Shamrock that he wouldn't be needed tomorrow, which was good, considering his plans with Derpy. As Shamrock entered his house, he had to admit, he had more fun today than he had in a long time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning gulped as he walked towards the library. This was quite possibly going to be one of the most important moments of his life. Years from now, he would look back on this moment as a major turning point, and he wanted to make sure he didn't screw this up. He walked up to the library, before hesitating to knock. Just behind this door was the mare of his dreams. What if he went in and seemed to pushy? Maybe he should hold back, and play it safe. But then she might think he was a wimp. He decided that playing it casual was his best bet. He took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

The door was opened by a small purple dragon. That's odd. Lightning was under the impression that Twilight lived by herself. Who was this? "Uhh, is this the residence of Twilight Sparkle?" he asked stiltedly.

The dragon seemed as confused as Lightning. "Yes. Who are you? Are you that Lightning Hawk guy she was telling me about?"

Lightning blinked in surprise. "Yes. She said-"

"That she would get some books on building cloud-houses for you. I know. Come on in! My name's Spike."

Lightning followed Spike inside. Inside was a spacious circular area, with walls that doubled as bookshelves. In the center was a table, with a carved wooden head on it. There was a kitchen nearby, and a staircase that lead to what he assumed was Twilight's bedroom. "Twilight!" the dragon called out. "Twilight! Lightning Hawk is here for you!" Lightning blushed at how that might sound really bad out of context. "Be there in a sec!" he heard come from upstairs. He turned to Spike and asked, "So you're Twilight's....."

"Assistant!" was Spike's enthusiastic reply.

Lightning decided that he needed to scope out all of his possible competition, no matter how unlikely their chances may seem. "So, she's just a friend to you, right?"

Spike thought about it for a little. "More like a big sister, really. But I know what you're doing. You want to know if I have a crush on her, which I don't. I've already got my eyes on somepony else. But that does leave me wondering, do you have a crush on her?"

Lightning actually jumped in surprise at that. "W-wh-what do you m-mean have a c-crush on her? You crazy or something?"

Spike smiled. "Don't worry, man. I got your back."

It was then that Twilight appeared. Lightning was once again blown away by her beauty. As she walked down the stairs, Lightning did his best not to stare. "Hi, Lightning! Sorry about the mess, I was just really busy last night," she said. For the first time, Lightning noticed a table by the window. On it was a burnt-out candlestick, two open books, a map of equestria, and lots of papers with incoherent scribbles on them. "What's this?" he asked.

"Oh, just me trying to figure out where that ursa major came from. After the party, I wasn't tired, so I stayed up a little late working on this."

"Did you find anything?" Lightning inquired, his curiosity piqued.

Twilight sighed in frustration. "No. It doesn't make any sense! The nearest known ursa lair was a full five miles away! How and why would an ursa major be in Ponyville?"

Lightning could see that this problem was bothering the mare. "Well, maybe it happened for a reason."

"Are you saying that somepony led it here?" Twiight asked skeptically.

Lightning shuffled awkwardly. "Well, no. But in my life, I've seen lots of stuff that shouldn't have happened but did anyway. Sometimes there just is no explanation for why or how things happen. They just do. You know what I'm saying?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in contemplation. "You know, I never thought of it that way. But you might be onto something! Maybe that's just it! I've been overthinking it! Just like that time with the Pinkie Sense!"

"The what now?"

"Yes, it all makes sense now! It's not possible! But it happened anyway! Lightning, thanks for helping me with this. You're such a great friend!"

Lightning swallowed sadness. 'Friend?' he thought. 'This is gonna be harder than I thought.'

Luckily, Spike sensed Lightning's plight, and decided to help out. "Well, I'm gonna get the book Lightning came for, 'kay Twilight?"

Twilight nodded, looking over her notes. Lightning turned to see the small dragon winking. Spike then turned to one of the bookshelves, one that just so happened to be placed at the perfect angle to tip and fall over. Spike proceeded to do just what Lightnign feared he would do. "Woops!" he said in an overdramatic fashion, and tipped the bookcase over.

The bookshelf landed with a crash. Lightning gulped. This couldn't end well.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

As Lightning walked out of the library, book in tow, he reflected on how things had gone after the bookshelf fell. Just saying that made it sound like he was speaking of some ancient battle. "After the bookshelf fell." He liked the sound of that.

After the bookshelf fell, Twilight immediately rushed to see if Spike was okay. Seeing that he was, and was in fact the cause of this, she immediately gifted him with a heavy scolding. Spike didn't seem to mind, saying that maybe it "happened for a reason." Twilight apologized to Lightning, and rushed to get him his book. Around then is when they started talking.

It didn't go very well. Twilight could tell that Lightning was hiding something, but refused to show it. She tried to be pleasant throguhout the entire conversation. In fact, the only problems were on Lightning's part. First, there was his stutter. Everytime he looked in those deep purple eyes his tongue seemed to tie itself in a knot. Then, there was the topics. Lightning somehow made a conversation about books sound perveted the moment the words, "I love a good plot," came out of his mouth. The awkward silence that followed was absolutely unbearable. Thank Celestia that Twilight was a good enough sport to laugh a little at that. All in all, it was an absolute train wreck.

Lightning smiled as he walked away from the library. He had done one thing right. She had called him her "friend." That meant he was one step closer to winning her over. Right? Right? He sighed contentedly. In the end, everything turned out better than expected.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper sat in his study. This was what he did most of his days. He sat at his table, and studied. He needed to know everything and anything about the ponies, and he had learned the best way to do that was to do research. Sputnik "helped," but that didn't mean much. His help was simply sitting there, staring at a bit of wall until his master needed him to do something. Reaper didn't mind. More often than not, Sputnik proved useful somehow. Wether it was getting the groceries or making sure nopony entered his house, the stupid little robot was good at his job. Sort of.

Reaper groaned as he finished reading yet another book on equestrian history. "Sputnik?" he called. "I'm going downstairs. Follow me."

"Downstairs," was a phrase that would have sounded bizarre to anypony else. Reaper was on the first floor. What could "downstairs," mean? Reaper walked up to a bookshelf, and searched for a book titled "How to Cook Happiness." It was a changeling book, a red herring. Only Reaper knew the joke behind the title, as he and all changelings knew that you can't cook emotions. He pushed on the book when he found it, and the bookshelf slid to the side with a groan. Reaper looked down a short staircase that led to a dark corridor.

This was "The Downstairs Room," as he called it. he had built it himself not long after he had arrived at ponyville. Down the corridor was a fork, that actually led to two rooms. One was labeled "Room A" and the other "Room B." The two rooms served as an extra deception should anypony find their way down here, as the area was named in a singular fashion. Not that he told anypony about it, any way.

Reaper walked into Room A. Inside was a table, and a corkboard. The table was filled with maps of Equestria, other kingdoms, and unpopulated areas. It was a frustratingly small amount of material to work with. Above the corkboard was a sign that read, "Conspiracy Wall." Sputnik had put that up as a joke. Not surprisingly, Reaper was unamused. On the Conspiracy Wall was a map of the world. Pictures of various changelings lined the map, each with red string connecting them. Red markings were made on the map, certain areas being circled, while others where crossed out. At the top of the map was a picture of Queen Chrysalis. It was labeled #1. Next to that was a picture of a younger, female changeling. That was labeled #2. Reaper stared at the map, and began his work. His work was top secret. As he stared at the map, he began to reminisce about his life, before the exile, before Sputnik, before.....all of it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Before we enter Reaper's flashback, a little background would be useful. The year before Reaper was born, King Osmosis was married to Queen Chrysalis, a noble who had married her way into the royal family. Reaper's father was named General Husk, and he had a wife named Chitin. Chitin was a foot soldier, and she served under her husband. She became pregnant with twins not long before the Queen became pregnant with her child. But this happiness was not to last.

Osmosis had a brother, Prince Mitosis. Mitosis was jealous of his older brother, and believed he should be king. Unfortunately for both families, Mitosis had quite a large following. The year Reaper, and his twin brother, Marauder, were born, civil war was declared by Prince Mitosis. General Husk and his wife were forced to serve. The war started badly for Reaper's family, with his mother as one of the first casualties of battle. Reaper was only a grub then, so looking back, he never really knew her.

Perhaps now would be a good time to explain the changeling life cycle. Changelings are born as grubs, which look like foals, but without horns or wings, no exoskeleton, and legs only half the length of an infant pony. At the age of one and a half, grubs grow their exoskeleton, which gives them their horn, wings, and holed legs. At this stage, called the nymph stage, the nymph looks like what one would expect a young changeling to look. At the age of three, a changeling enters adulthood. This is because new workers are always needed, and the growth of a changeling is greatly accelerated. The changeling remains strong for most of its life. Its exoskeleton is replaced yearly, and only its inner skeleton suffers from the effects of age.

Returning to Reaper, he was only just entering the nymph stage when his brother disappeared. He wasn't killed, wasn't kidnapped. He simply disappeared. He was never found. At the age of two, Reaper's father committed his greatest and final act of valor. During an attack by Mitosis' forces, Husk was able to kill the evil king. This did not come without cost. Before the final battle, Osmosis was killed by a spy and Chrysalis was left a widow with a nymph to be raised. During the battle, Husk lost his left foreleg. The war ended that day.

Husk was greatly rewarded for his valiant courage and sacrifice. He received the medals, and was honorably discharged from service, but there was something special he got as well. His son, Reaper, was to be the Queen's personal student.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A 19-year old Reaper walked down the hall. In his time, he had trained with the Queen in almost every subject needed to be a successful changeling. History, Foreign Languages, Military Strategy, the works. Reaper was trained from the start to be a general, just like his father. When he was 10, another civil war started. It ended the day after it began, thanks to his brilliant strategy. A few more battles with rogue changelings solidified his role as High General. This meant that he was not only the head of the army, but that he was also the Queen's personal military advisor. He was also the only changeling that could get away with refereing to Chrysalis by his pet name, Chryssie.

But that wasn't what was on Reaper's mind right then. What was on his mind was the changeling waiting for him at the end of the hallway. That changeling was the Queen's daughter, Princess Phasmi. They had become good friends during their long years together, but Reaper couldn't help but feel like there was something more. As he entered the room at the end of the corridor, he got a good look at the Princess herself. She was a little taller than him, with larger wings and a slimer build. Being a royal changeling, she was born with the pony-like mane and tail of her paents, as well as the cat-like eyes. Her eyes were a darker green than her mother's, and her hair too. She looked at Reaper with a sly look.

"And how may I help the High General this fine evening?" she asked mockingly.

Reaper smirked. "Her royal highness, also known as 'mother,' to you, has requested an audience. And you know just as well as I do what will happen if we don't attend."

Phasmi laughed. "Do you remember that time we disguised ourselves as manticores, and sent the entire council running?"

Reaper shared the laugh. "Or how about the time we got her drunk during that meeting with some nobles? Queen Chryssie sure got mad then," The pair continued to laugh their flanks off. The two lay in Phasmi's bed, staring at the ceiling.

Reaper was confused. What were these feelings he felt around Phasmi? Was it love? Or, food, as most changelings called it. Love was quite possibly the most well-known emotion to the changeling species. If only they could feed on the emotions left by other changelings, then all of their problems would be solved. But back to Phasmi, how could he love her? They were best friends, after all. And even if he did, how would he even know he loved her?

All of these questions raced through his mind as the princess got up. "Well, I suppose we should get going," she said. As the two walked down the corridor towards the meeting room, Reaper realized that he did love her. He stopped her right before they entered the chamber. "Phasmi?"

"Yes?"

Reaper gulped. "Just go with it,"

And then they kissed.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Two years later, Phasmi and Reaper's relationship was in full swing. Of course this made everybody happy. Few things made the Queen happy, but the sight of her daughter in love with the colt she had intended the entire time for her, that made her happy. And when the Queen was happy, the hive was happy. No matter how bad the situation might be.

And the situation was very bad, indeed. Hunger was at an all time high. Changeling excursions into other countries to steal emotions had become much harder. The griffins were on high alert, and news of their existence was spreading in both the Minotaur kingdom and Saddle Arabia. That left only one feasible option for prey. Equestria.

The changeling hive feared Equestria. To them, it was a place where they would never be welcomed, but more importantly, the most powerful country on the planet. Whoever angered Equestria was surely doomed. And so it was that a very important meeting had to take place between the Queen, her military advisor, and all of the generals of the Changeling Empire.

Reaper met with Chrysalis and his five subordinate generals a month before the invasion of Canterlot. The meeting did not go well.

"You stupid grub!" Reaper shouted at General Silicon, his most respected subordinate. "If you attack Canterlot, you will surely doom us all!"

"Well, I don't hear you coming up with any better ideas!"

"Yeah, you haven't come up with anything better!" General Copperhead helped. Silicon and Copperhead were well-known for working together.

The Queen had had enough. "SILENCE!" she shouted. All eyed turned to the Queen.

"Reaper," she said, "you know that I respect your opinion more than anyling else's, but you must see reason-"

"See reason? Oh, I see reason! And reason tells me, that attacking the capital fo the most powerful nation of the world is absolutely moronic!"

"Let me finish." Chrysalis said through gritted teeth. Reaper shut up, and the Queen regained her composure. "Although I agree that this is most certainly not the best strategy, the fact of the matter is we have no choice. The neares nation that might possibly be oblivious to our presence is an ocean away. There is just no convenient way to bring emotions back to the hive anymore without attacking Equestria! Look, if we can capture the capital in a surprise attack, then perhaps we may be able to conquer the rest of the nation more easily."

Reaper nodded. "Very well, Chryssie. Attack the ponies if you so desire. But if you do," he said, "I will not have any part of it,"

And then Reaper stormed out of the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

One does not need to be reminded of the results of the Canterlot invasion. Reaper and Phasmi themselves were not present. When the Queen returned, half of the army missing, and with barely enough emotions to last the hive a few more months, the reception was a sad and quiet one.

When Reaper and the Queen met again for the first time in a month, the first thing the Queen said was, "Now's the part where you get to say, 'I told you so.'"

Reaper grimaced. "For once, I don't want to."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Discontent spread throughout the hive very quickly. A few changelings began to question the Queen's rule. Why should they follow one who would only lead them to starvation? But there was only one changeling who questioned the Queen that mattered. That was Reaper.

True, his relationship with Phasmi kept him happy. But the Queen's failures were too much to overlook. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he would be a great king! Yes, one for the history books! The one who saved the changeling empire! And with Phasmi as his queen, there would be no stopping him!

And so he began to form a plan.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Queen Chrysalis had decided to adress the hive in a public meeting. There, whe would explain her plans for the changeling race, and the future of the clearly onrushing war. Reaper and Phasmi were present. Reaper had a large grin that he refused to explain to Phasmi. The Queen stood from her throne as the citizens filed into the huge auditorium.

"As I understand, there is some discontent among the masses," she said.

The crowd immediately exploded in a cacophony of noise. She raised a hoof in a gesture for silence.

"I do not, and never have, wanted war. And therefore, I will do everything in my power to prevent it. We have emotions to last us three more months. Then, necessarry actions must be taken. But stay strong, my subjects! We will do everything we can to get emotions! And with my daughter and High General at my side-"

"About that," Reaper interrupted. "My Queen, you know that I respect you more than anyling else in the whole world. But in the name of the Old Kings, you have acted very foalishly."

A gasp shook through the crowd. Chrysalis was shocked.

"You've had your run, but I'm afraid that your time is up. It's time to step aside, and let someling more suited take the throne. Someling like me,"

The crowd gasped a second time. Chrysalis couldn't believe he eyes. "Reaper, what are you doing?" Phasmi whispered harshly.

"Is that a threat?" the Queen asked.

Reaper checked the crowd. They hadn't moved. "Yes. Yes, my Queen, that is a threat. And I am sure that I am not alone among the hive when I say that it's time for a change in leadership."

To Reaper's surprise, not a single changeling had moved to side with him. None of them even made a noise to suggest that they supported him. You see, what Reaper had failed to take into consideration is that the hive loves the Queen. It is this affection for their ruler that keeps the entire political system running. One does not simply take that away.

The Queen's expression was tortured. Phasmi was crying in the corner. "Very well Reaper. If this is what you want, so be it. Face me in mortal combat then."

"Wait, what?"

Chrysalis normally would have smirked, but now was not the time or place. "Surely you knew that challenging a royal was punishable by death? If you wish to have the crown, you will have to kill me first."

Reaper did not take that into consideration. He turned to the crowd. He detected their emotions flowing toward the Queen. He knew that he had already lost.

The fight was brief, and anticlimatic. Reaper was defeated almost instantly. As the Queen charged her magic to deliver the final blow, Phasmi jumped between the fallen Reaper and her mother. "Please, don't!"

"He chose this himself! Out of the way!" The Queen pushed Phasmi out of the way, and prepared to blast Reaper. Reaper shielded his face in anticipation of the killing blow.

The blow never came. Chrysalis sighed. "High General Reaper," she said, "I hereby strip you of your rank, and exile you from these lands forever. You have ten minutes to gather your things. Guards, take him to his quarters,"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper didn't think at all about what he shoved in the chest that he used to contain his only memorabalia. He was going to be leaving. Forever. Yet, he didn't care what he had to remember this place. He shoved things into the chest, and ten minutes later he was standing outside of the Changeling Hive. The Queen, Phasmi, and what seemed like the entire hive were there to witness his exile.

Before Reaper walked into the great unknown, he turned one last time. The Queen bore an expression of regret. And in that moment, he hated her more than anything in the universe. His only hope was that Phasmi would send him some sort of expression, something to suggest that everything would be alright. But what he saw was more hurtful than rage, sorrow, or even happiness at his leaving. As he looked at the beautiful face of the princess, he saw absolutely no expression. Their eyes met for a moment, until Phasmi left without a word. Reaper turned, tears staining his eyes, and began to walk. Then he began to run.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Hunger. Hunger was a horrible, evil thing. During the week following his exile, Reaper felt hunger like never before. Roaming a land, alone, completely devoid of emotion. It was horrible. He realized he had only one hope. He would have to enter Equestria. He would have to lie low, and hope he wasn't killed on sight. When he finally detected a whiff of happiness in the direction of what he assumed was Equestria, he began to walk in that direction.

But unlike scents, or sounds, or any other detectable thing, emotions can be detected quite a long way away from their actual point of origin. It would take another two weeks until Reaper reached his destination.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

It was during the second week of his travels that he found the bunker. He didn't know who built it, or why it was in the middle of a forest, but he did know shelter when he saw it. He entered the building. "Hello?" he called. There was no response.

As he entered the bunker, he quickly figured out that it was a laboratory. Papers and books lay in a disorderly fashion across tables and the floor. They were written in the pony language. He picked one up. "A Study on NecroRobotics," the title read. He flipped through it. Apparently, it was a study(obviously) about how to build a robot from existing organic material. According to the book's author, somepony named Sickle Star, machine and flesh could work together in a beautiful fashion so long as it was powered by magic, and the organic material was already dead. So was that what happened here? Did ponies try to build an undead robot? The blood-stain on the ground seemed to suggest that they had succeeded.

Reaper wandered the lab. There were no latent emotions here, only an eerie atmosphere. It wasn't until he found a room labeled "Controls," that he found something that he would come to loathe.

Inside the room was a small, robotic, cat skeleton. It seemed to be deactivated and unmoving. A large rectangular piece was missing from the back of its skull. Reaper found a rectangular object nearby, with various wires that seemed to fit into the hole. Was this why it was turned off? Reaper thought about it. A robot minion did sound like a neat hing to have around. He put the rectangular piece in.

Unfortunately, Reaper didn't know and would never know that he put the piece in upside-down. The robot immediately sprung to life. "Hi!" it shouted energetically in a high-pitched male voice.

Reaper was surprised. He imagined it would sound more....menacing. "Hello?"

"What's your name?"

"Reaper,"

"Yay! I have a boss!"

"Boss? I would prefer the term 'overlord,'"

"Whatever you say, Boss!"

Reaper was quickly getting annoyed. "What is your name, robot minion?"

"I'm SPUTNIK!"

"SPUTNIK? What does that stand for?"

"Uhhhh.....Super-Powerful-Unbelievably-Technological-Nextgeneration-Intelligence-Kat!"

Reaper blinked. "Cat is spelled with a C,"

"Nuh-uh!"

Reaper was very annoyed.

Throughout his interrogation of this annoying machine he discovered that it possessed no memory of anything other than its name. He resolved the Sputnik wasn't too bad, and allowed the robot to serve its new, "master,"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As the two continued on their journey towards Equestria, Reaper explained his life to Sputnik. He found that the robot's emotions provided no nourishment, so he only kept him around for the sake of long-term benefits.

As the pony town reached visual range, Reaper turned to Sputnik. "Now, what have you learned?"

"The Queen is bad! Ponies are good!"

"Very good, Sputnik. Don't ever forget that,"

"Yes Sir!"

Reaper began to walk towards the town when Sputnik interrupted. "Wait, wasn't there someling else?"

Reaper looked at him blankly. "No, no there wasn't,"

"Yeah, yeah! The Princess, er, um....Phasmi!"

Reaper sighed. "Very well. What do we think of Princess Phasmi?"

"Just as bad as the Queen!"

Reaper looked at the ground sadly. "Yes. Just as bad as the Queen."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper was too weak to make a disguise. Three weeks of walking and listening to the moronic machine had rendered him too exhausted to pull it off. That meant his only hope would be acceptance by the pony community. He gulped as he walked through the town. Ponies stared at him. He tried to keep his cool as he walked up to a stage. The ponies gathered around.

"Attention! Attention, please!"

The ponies all looked at him.

"Hello! As you can see, I'm not from around here! Don't worry, I share no allegiance with the Queen you all fear so much. I'm just here to live out my life. So just don't bother me, I won't bother you, and I think we'll get along just fine."

WIth that, he got off the stage. Over the next couple of days he bought his house, as well as all of the stuff to furnish it. He had sold some of his artifacts from the hive to the local museum, and made more than enough money from that. Ponies didn't seem to mind his presence. One day, while taking a recon stroll, he found a top hat laying on the ground. It was love at first sight. Ever since, Reaper and Hatty were inseperable.

Reaper discovered something horrible. He didn't know where the hive was. It's a horrible thing to not be able to find where you grew up. That was the purpose of the Conspiracy Wall. Here, he palnned his glorius return. After he met Lightning, WIllus, and Shamrock, he knew what he would do. With them at his side, he would raise an army. Then he would go back, and take all that was rightfully his. But first, he had to find it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was here that Reaper's flashback made a bizarre twist, as it went back. Far back. To the day when he first met the Queen. He was 2. His exoskeleton had grown in, and he was enjoying all of the perks taht came with it for the first time. Climbing up walls, using magic, flying. It was a mess. The Queen entered the room of the young Reaper. His brother was already gone by that time. The war had been won, but the cost weighted heavily on her.

"Hello," she said sweetly to the nymph bouncing around the room.

Reaper immediately stopped as he saw the presence of his Queen.

"My Queen!" he said with a firm salute. Chrysalis smiled at the sight. "At ease, soldier," she said.

Reaper sat down and looked up at here with big, quizzical eyes."What are you doing in my room, your Highness?" he asked.

The Queen sighed. "I am going to be your new student, young one. I will teach you all you need to know to survive,"

Reaper seemed excited. "Really? I get to learn from the Queen herself?"

Chrysalis smiled. "Yes, Reaper. We will start this coming monday. Tell me, what would you like to learn about?"

Reaper spared no time in his reply. "I wanna learn how to be general just like Daddy!"

Chrysalis grimaced as memories of the war resurfaced. "Well, we can get to that after we finish the basics,"

"Awww!"

"Now, now. It's time for you to go to bed,"

"But I don't wanna go to bed!"

Chrysalis rubbed his head. "If you don't go to bed, the wait to begin studies will seem much longer. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"No, I guess not,"

Chrysalis tucked Reaper in bed. "Thank you, my Queen," he said.

"Oh, just call me Chryssie," She replied fondly.

Reaper giggled in nymphish glee. "Thank you, Chryssie,"

"Your welcome," Chrysalis was almost out of the room when Reaper called again. "Chryssie?"

"Yes?"

"Can you sing m a lullaby? I can't sleep without it,"

Chrysalis was shocked. She had never sung a lullaby before. She would have to make it up as she went along. "I don't think so," she said.

"Please? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplea-"

"Hush! (Link, copyright Disney) Hush, my little one. You must be exhausted.

Chrysalis: Sleep, my little Reaper,

Let your dreams take wing.

One day when you're big and strong,

You'll serve me, your Queen."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper awoke from his memories with a start, not realizing he had fallen asleep. He woke up Sputnik with a harsh shove, and when asked what was the matter, began to sing.

Reaper: I've been exiled, persecuted,

Left alone with no defense.

When I think of what those two did,

I get a little tense.

But the war is not yet over,

So I don't feel so depressed,

And my dreams these days are splendid,

And they help me get some rest!

The sound of Chryssie's dying gasp!

Her daughter squeeling in my grasp!

Her loyal soldiers' mournful cry!

That's my lullaby!

Now the past I've tried forgetting,

And my foes I could forgive.

Trouble is, I know it's petty,

But I hate to let them live!

Sputnik: So you've found yourself someponies

Who'll chase Chryssie up a tree?

Reaper: Oh, the battle may be bloody,

But that kinda works for me.

The melody of angry brawls!

A counterpoint of painful howls!

A symphony of death, oh my!

That's my lullaby!

My old plan failed, but Reaper's still around!

To take the changeling lands,

Even if they think I'm a killer,

With a lust for being bad!

Sputnik thought about his master's plan for a moment. "I still don't see how this is gonna work, and-Oh! my part's coming up!"

Sputnik: One day when you're strong once more,

Reaper: I will be a king!

Then, in Reaper's mind, and an army of imaginary ponies appeared.

Reaper: The pounding of the drums of war!

My loyal army's mighty roar!

Imaginary Pony 1: The joy of vengeance!

Imaginary Pony 2: Testify!

Reaper: I can hear the cheering!

Imaginary Army: Reaper, what a guy!

Reaper: Payback time is nearing,

And then my flag will fly,

Against a blood-red sky!

All: That's my lullaby!

Chapter 6 - Adventures Part II

Chapter 6

Adventures Part II

Shamrock walked up to Derpy's house. It was still early in the morning, about seven. He had decided to come this early so that he could spend the most amount of time with the mare as possible. He hoped that his coming this early wouldn't be a problem. He knocked on the door.

The door was opened by a small unicorn filly, with a blonde mane and a lavender coat. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Is this Derpy's house?"

The filly's face didn't change as she realized who she was talking to. "Mom! Shamrock's here!

"Be there in a minute!" Derpy's voice called from within.

Shamrock walked into Derpy's house. It was a nice, humble place. It seemed simple enough, and had a warm, cozy atmosphere to it. The cross-eyed pegasus walked up to a table in what he assumed must be the dining room with a tray filled with muffins. "Come on, have a seat!" she said.

Shamrock sat at the table and admired the assortment of muffins. There was absolutely every flavor to be found here, Blueberry, chocolate, poppyseed, bannana-nut, everything! He was impressed. He had no idea the mare was this obsessed with the treats. "That's a lot of muffins," he said in a dumbstruck voice.

Derpy quickly got nervous. "Is that okay? I mean, if you don't like muffins, you don't have to eat them, but I love muffins, and I just thought-"

"It's okay, Derpy. Muffins are fine," Shamrock said, trying to calm the panicking mare.

Derpy calmed down, before turning to the filly. "Dinky, have you introduced yourself to Shamrock yet?" she asked.

The filly looked up at Shamrock. "Hello, sir," she said in a formal, practiced manner, "my name's Dinky Doo. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance,"

"The pleasure is all mine Dinky," He said.

Dinky turned to her mother. "Mother, I really should be off to school. Is my lunch ready?" she asked.

"It's on the counter, little muffin!" Derpy said lovingly. Dinky then said her goodbyes, grapped her lunch and left the house.

Shamrock was surprised by how mature the filly had acted. The way she seemed to act so adult, yet somehow retain the innocence of youth fascinated him. It almost reminded him of - No! He would not go back there again! It was best to just forget the past. It was best to move on. Shamrock felt a heavy depression as he watched Dinky leave.

"Shamrock?" Derpy asked, snapping him out of his dismal trance. "Huh, what? Sorry, I got lost in thought a minute there,"

"Yeah, I noticed," she said, while somehow remaining completely unsarcastic at the same time.

"So, what do we have planned for today?" Shamrock inquired while munching on a chocolate-chip muffin.

"Well, you came kinda early, so I still gotta do my mail rounds. You don't mind tagging along, do you?"

"Not at all. When do we begin?"

Derpy looked around. "Well, as soon as possible, if I can find my mail bag," She looked around but couldn't seem to find it. She got up from the table, and began to roam the house. Shamrock watched quietly as he ate his muffins.

As Derpy came around to the table for the third time, she stopped and rubbed her chin, puzzled. "Huh, I coulda swore I left it right here," she said, motioning vaguely to the entire house. Shamrock facehoofed. "Do you need any help finding it?" he asked.

Derpy thought for a moment. "I guess it couldn't hurt. We should retrace my steps, go back to all of the places I was yesterday, and see if its in any of those places! And with you with me, it would be an awesome adventure!"

Shamrock worried a little at the lengths he feared he would have to go to retrieve this mailbag. He quickly checked his magic, performing a levitation spell. It had returned to full strength.

"Okay, let's go,"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper nervously approached Sugarcube Corner. Inside that building waited a being so powerful, he was sure that they could defeat a thousand armies single-hoofedly. And now, by whatever freak accident of fate, he was going to visit it. He was of course referring to a particular mare he had met two nights ago. Pinkie Pie.

The only good thing Reaper seemed to be able to draw from the soon-to-occur events was that Sputnik wouldn't be a problem. He had dealt with the stupid robot a while ago. He remembered it like it was only a few minutes ago (proably because it was).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"But, Boss! I wanna go with you to the candy-house!" the cat-bot whined. Reaper was getting ready to go, and had just complimented himself on having gotten this far without the robot noticing his departure when Sputnik appeared. He groaned in frustration.

"Sputnik, you can't go," he said in a tone of finality.

"But why, Boss?"

"Because....." Reaper struggled to come up with a decent excuse. In truth, he simply didn't want to deal with the combined annoyingness of Sputnik and Pinkie.

"Because.....uhh....." This was harder than he thought. Well, the robot was stupid right? It's not like he'd be able to see throught most obvious of lies. Is it? Reaper decided to risk it.

"Because....I need you to stay here! To guard the...uhh...pantry!"

"The pantry, Boss?"

"Yes, the pantry! There's a...a....a pantry-burglar going around! Yes, that's right! A pantry-burglar! And I need you here to make sure we don't get hit! Do you think you can handle that?"

The robot saluted. "Yes, Sir!"

"Good," Reaper slowly backed out of the doorway, making sure Sputnik didn't start having second thoughts. But the robot was busy staring at the pantry. Once Reaper was outside, he slammed the door and ran as fast as he could.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper feared what he would soon be encountering, but he was even more afraid of what would happen if he didn't follow through with it. If he didn't, then Pinkie Pie would surely find him. She would question him as to why he didn't go before. He may be a changeling, but he doubted even the most skilled spies would be able to supply the mare with a good explanation. And then he would be forced to meet her at a later date. In the end, he would only postpone the inevitable. So he might as well get it over with.

Reaper opened the door to the bakery. Inside was a noticably chubby mare working the register. "You must be Reaper," she said once she noticed his arrival. Reaper nodded. The mare smiled. Her smile was a bit too wide, Reaper noticed. "Pinkie will be very happy to see you," Reaper was getting worried. Just then, a tall, thin colt appeared behind the mare. "Is this-?"

"Yes, honey. Yes it is,"

The colts eyes widened, before he pushed Reaper towards the kitchen. "I'm Mr. Cake, and that's my wife, Mrs. Cake. We're so glad to have you with us. Good luck. Go get 'em, tiger!" and with a slap on the back, he threw Reaper into the kitchen.

Reaper turned, to find the door to the kitchen closed. He was now alone, trapped. He turned back, scared of what he would find. He gulped, and saw the one and only, Pinkie Pie.

"Hi, Reapy!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock and Derpy had been walking around for two hours. They had gone first to the town hall, hoping Derpy left her mail bag there. No luck. They had tried various houses Derpy had stopped by, with no success there either. They were currently looking for Derpy's roommate, Carrot Top.

As they walked, they ran into a face they didn't expect to see; Lightning Hawk. He was flying around, gathering clouds together to build a house. "Hey, Shamrock," he called absent-mindedly.

"Hey Lightning! What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm trying to build a house. But I'm not sure if I got the right kind of cloud. Does this look like a cumulonimbus to you?"

Derpy took a slight glance at the cloud. "Oh, no. That's a stratocumulus! You wanna go for the puffier ones, they tend to be better," she pointed out to the golden pegasus.

"Thanks! And you are?"

"I'm Derpy! Shamrock and I were looking for my mailbag. You haven't seen it, have you?"

"I'm afraid not,"

Derpy pouted in disappointment. "Oh well. That's okay,"

It was just then that a brown earth pony colt appeared. He had a darker brown mane and his cutie mark was of an hourglass. "Derpy! Derpy! Come quickly, I need your help!" he yelled in an accent similar to those found in Canterlot.

Derpy sighed. "What is it, Doctor?"

The colt skidded to a halt in front of the pair. "Oh, hello. Who's this?".

Shamrock took in the other colt. He seemed.....odd. As if he were not all there. He reminded Shamrock of Willus.

"I'm Shamrock," he said.

"Ah yes, you. One of the new 'Heroes of Ponyville.' You must be pretty proud of yourself," the other colt replied.

"I guess so,"

"Doctor, I hate to inerrupt," Derpy interjected, "but Shamrock and I have stuff that needs doing,"

"Oh, yes, stuff," The colt who was apparently a doctor said. "You see, Derpy, the thing is, I have some top-secret....stuff... and I would like you to come with me! How about it, Derpy? Just you and me! Derpy and the Doctor! Just like old times!"

"Gee, Doctor, that sounds fun and all, but I really need to get this stuff done,"

"Oh, bugger it all!" he shouted in frustration as he watched Derpy and Shamrock leave to continue their search.

It was then that the mysterious 'Doctor' noticed Lightning Hawk gathering clouds above. He grinned widely. "Hello there!" he called.

Lightning looked down at the bizarre colt. "Uh, hi?"

"How would you like to go on an adventure with me?"

Lightning blinked awkwardly. "Do I know you?"

"Not at all! So how about it?"

Lightning looked at the progress he had made on his house. If what Derpy had told him was true, then he still had a long way to go before he'd be finished. He turned to the other colt. "Well, I kind of have some work to do, but I guess it won't hurt to put it off for a while,"

"That's the spirit! The lazy, procrastinating spirit! I'm the Doctor. Now let's go, I'm gonna have to show you around a bit first,"

Lightning landed. "Show me around? Show me around what? I'm already familiar with Ponyville,"

The colt chuckled. "No, my friend. I'm going to show you around that!" he said, motioning towards a strang object.

It was a box. A big, blue box. It had a sign on the front, and above what looked like the door were the words, "Police Call Box." The Doctor walked up to the door, opened it, and walked inside. Lightning followed quickly, but was shocked by what he found inside. Inside, the box was....bigger. Lightning didn't know how to explain it, it just was. Somehow, this box was bigger on the inside than on the outside. The inside was absolutely gigantic, and covered with lights, panels, and buttons. The Doctor stood next to Lightning, beaming with pride as he took in the pegasus' shocked expression. "Wha-what is this?" he asked after he found his voice.

"This, my dear Lightning Hawk, is the TARDIS! My time machine!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Ohmigosh Reapy, I'm so happy that you made it! Now that you're here we can do all kinds of fun things! We could try baking,-"

'Make it stop,'

"-or making funny faces,-"

'Make it stop,'

"-or playing checkers,-"

'Please make it stop!'

"-or we could play go fish,-"

'I'll do anything to make it stop,'

"-or spin the bottle,-"

'for the love of the hive, I don't know how much more I can take,'

"-or-"

"ENOUGH!"

Reaper had been here for a total of two minutes. TWO MINUTES. And already he was going insane. This stupid.......thing was going to be the death of him. "Enough," he repeated. Pinkie stopped her yapping. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you wanna say something?"

Reaper grit his teeth, a bad habit all changelings were taught not to pick up. But this pony was making him forget years of careful self-training and causing it to resurge. "Yes, I want to say something,"

Pinkie smiled. That irritating smile. Reaper cleared his throat as he prepared to give Pinkie the rant of her life. "I came here because I knew that if I didn't, you would somehow find a way to make me come later. I knew that you would find me and make my life more miserable than it is right now. So, when I say that you're getting on my nerves a little bit, what I'm really trying to say is that you are quite possibly the most immature, annoying, reality-breaking, mind-shattering, hyperactive thing I have ever had the displeasue of having made acquaintance with!" Reaper panted. Pinkie didn't stop smiling. "That being said, you don't care, do you?" Pinkie shook her head, still smiling. Reaper growled, before groaning in annoyance. "Whatever. Let's bake, or something. I guess,"

Pinkie squeed in joy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Baking was stupid. This was the conclusion Reaper had already drawn before going in to Sugarcube Corner. The fact of the matter was, he was a changeling, and changelings had no real need for baked goods. Pony food provided very little, if any, nourishment for a changeling, and they're ability to consume it provides nothing but flavor. So going to any great lengths to prepare food was not only unnecessary, it was downright stupid.

These thoughts, along with many not-as-kind ones directed at Pinkie Pie, were what was going through Reaper's head as the mare gathered the items they would need to bake. Reaper didn't want to bake. Heck, he didn't even know how to bake. He was amazed and a little disappointed that his little rant hadn't gotten him kicked out of the house. That was its whole purpose, anyway. But now he was stuck here, and of all the items Pinkie had listed, only baking didn't sound like some form of bizzarre torture, but not by much.

"So, Reapy, do you know how to bake?"

"That depends. Bake what?"

"Cookies?"

"No,"

"Cake?"

"No,"

"Pie?"

"No,"

Pinkie was begining to get a little frustrated. "Can't you bake anything?"

Reaper rubbed his chin for a moment. "Well.........." Pinkie perked up. "No," Pinkie frowned for a split-second. Her smile quickly returned when she realized something. "Well, I guess I'll just have to teach you!"

Reaper gulped in fear.

"Wanna sing about it?" she said with a huge smile.

Reaper drew in a breath as if to say something before stopping himself. After a second of thought, he said, "No, that'd be stupid and pointless," Pinkie let out a slight 'Aww.'

In the end, they decided on baking cookies. That seemed easy enough. Pinkie told Reaper what to do, and he followed suit. Everything she said, he did. She also never seemed to stop making jokes. Reaper laughed at none of these. Over time, the two finally finished the batter. Reaper noted that the strange substance didn't smell.....natural. Pinkie thought nothing of it. As the pair dolloped batter on the pan, Reaper thought he caught Pinkie frowning. It was out of the corner of his eye, and when he turned, her face was still smiling, as if it had never known anything else. Reaper shrugged. What did he care? He put the pan in the oven, and began to stare intently at the future cookies through the glass.

"Uhh, Reapy?"

"What?"

"Are you gonna stare at the cookies forever? I mean, they take a while to bake and you might get bored,"

"I've stared at things that were much more boring for much longer. I'll be fine,"

"Are you sure? I mean, we could talk, or something, if you want,"

"I'm fine,"

Pinkie sighed. She frowned in frustration before joining him in staring at the cookies bake. This colt was driving her up the walls! Why couldn't she make him smile?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning didn't know what to think. Here he was in a box that was bigger on the inside with a colt who was obviously mentally insane and called himself the Doctor. This sounded like the opening to a bad children's story.

"Well? What do you think?" the Doctor asked.

Lightning struggled to come up with something to say. "It's.......big,"

The Doctor laughed. "Yes, it is big,"

"So....you can travel through time with this?"

"Well, that's what a time machine does. I can travel anywhere in time or space! And now, you're here with me to go on an adventure!"

Lightning thought about it. "Fine. I'l go with you as long as you drop me off not a minute later than we left. Got it?"

"Sure thing, Buddy," he said before stopping himself. "Did I just say buddy? Never let me do that again,"

The Doctor walked up to what must of been the central controls. Lightning figured this out because they appeared to be control panels and they were in the center. He began to push buttons and pull levers. When he finished, he turned to Lightning and said, "You might want to grab onto something," Lightning confusedly grabbed a nearby railing when the interior of the TARDIS was suddenly shaken violently. The shaking lasted for about half a minute until they stopped with a loud bang.

Lightning stood up groggily. He rubbed his head, having hit the back of it on something. "Where are we?" he asked.

The Doctor checked a panel on the central controls. Well, It appears we are on......the moon! Hmm, but it appears we are on your moon 2000 years in the future! Well that's odd. I specifically set the Tardis to send us to the moon Today!"

Lightning, meanwhile, was freaking out a little bit. The moon? That couldn't be good. He'd heard stories of bad ponies being sent to the moon. Why was he on the moon? He wasn't a bad pony! He had to check for himself. He went up to the door of the Tardis, and opened. "No, wait!" he heard the Doctor yell. But it was too late.

Lightning opened the door and.........nothing happened. Lightning turned to the Doctor. "What?" he asked.

The Doctor walked up to the open door. "Fascinating. It appears that, in this universe, the moon has similar conditions to the world around which it orbits! At least, it has an atmosphere that is similar enough for us to breathe. Oh, that is just brilliant!"

Lightning had no idea what the Doctor was going on about. The surface of the moon looked nothing like the surface of Equestria. For one thing, the air was cold. Really cold. Also, the surface had no life. It was nothing but barren, grey rock as far as the eye could see. Except for one thing. In the distance, Lightning could see one abnormality. It looked like a building.

"Doctor, what's that?"

The Doctor squinted his eyes. "It looks like a building. Well, I suppose that makes sense, considering you ponies become a space-faring race around this time,"

"It looks abandoned," Lightning noticed.

"Well, we'll just have to explore, won't we?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It took about an hour for the pair to reach the building. All throughout that time, the Doctor revealed to Lightning how he used to go on adventures with Derpy, but her life in Ponyville caused her to stop going with him. As they reached the building, Lightning took mental notes about it. It was big. It must have been at least as big as a castle. It was also in a state of horrid disrepair. Parts of the roof were missing, and the door was left hanging on its hinges. It creaked open slowly when he pushed it.

Inside, the building was empty. Everything seemed to have been cleared out - and in a hurry, too. "What do you make of this, Doctor?" Lightning asked.

The Doctor took a look inside. He examined a bit of wall, before shifting his gaze to the rest of the room. "It's.....odd, isn't it? One would expect there to be furniture, or at least evidence of whatever was here before. It seems that somepony didn't want this place to be found. Whoever they were, they did a good job of cleaning up, I'll give 'em that,"

Lightning thought he saw a letter peeking out from behind the wallpaper. It appeared to be a letter 'B.' He pulled back the wallpaper. 'Beware,' it said. This was odd. "Doctor?" Lightning called. "Yes, what is -" The Doctor didn't finish his statement as he saw the word written behind the wallpaper. "Quickly, pull the rest of it off," he commanded. Lightning complied, and read what he uncovered. "Beware the Weeping Angel?" he read aloud. The Doctor's eyes grew wide with horror. "Doctor, what does it mean?" he asked.

"Listen to me Lightning. Listen very carefully," Lightning Hawk nodded. "We need to split up. We need to find out as much as possible about this place before we leave. No matter what you do, once you see something out of the ordinary, DON'T BLINK! No matter how hard your body fights it, don't bilnk! Blink and you're dead! Got it?" Lightning nodded. "Now GO!" Lightning took off into the building. "Good luck," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning walked through the ruined hallway. There was an eerie atmosphere to this building, and Lightning didn't like it. All he wanted was to get back to Ponyville, back to building his house, and back to figuring out a way to get Twilight. He turned the corner, and saw, at the end of the hallway, a door. He cautiously walked up to it. Why did the Doctor make him run off by himself? Lightning sighed, and opened the door.

On the other side was a room. The room was fairly small, and empty save for one bizarre object. It was tall, taller than a pony, and seemed to be made of metal. It looked kind of like a giant salt-shaker. It had what looked like a plunger stickint out of it, with another strange object sticking out next to the plunger. At the top of it, a stalk with what looked like an eye at the end of it rested. Lightning didn't dare blink. Was this what the Doctor had warned him about? He pressed a hoof against the strange artifact. Immediately, it began to warm up. "RESTORE," he heard a mechanical voice say. Suddenly, the strange eye-stalk lit up, and it turned to look straight at him. It pointed the strange object next to its plunger and said, "IDENTIFY," Suddenly, Lightning Hawk heard hoofsteps,and the Doctor trotted in. "Oh, no," he muttered once he saw the strange object.

"Doctor, what is it?"

"That's a Dalek,"

"A what?"

The Doctor never got to explain, for the Dalek interrupted. "YOU ARE AN ASSOCIATE OF THE DOCTOR, AND AN ENEMY OF THE DALEKS! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

"Doctor what does it mean?"

"Lightning get out of there!"

But it was too late. The Dalek charged its laser. "EXTERMINATE!"

The last thing Lightning Hawk felt was searing pain as the laser hit him in the chest.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Derpy and Shamrock had been looking for hours. There was no luck with Carrot Top, she had no idea where this thing was. It wasn't in any of the places they checked afterwards, including Sugarcube Corner, where Derpy got her daily muffin. Shamrock thought that something was up with the owners of the place, as they seemed to be acting as if they were hiding something really important. He could have sworn he heard Reaper's voice at one point, but thought nothing of it later, deciding he was imagining things.

Derpy seemed disheartened by the loss of her mailbag. "I just don't know what went wrong," she said sadly.

Shamrock thought deeply as to the whereabouts of the bag. "Derpy, are you sure we've checked everywhere you could have possibly left it?" he asked. Derpy nodded.

"It's okay, Shamrock. You did your best helping me try to find it," She said.

"Well, the day's not over yet. We might as well head back to your house and have some muffins,"

"Yeah, I guess,"

Shamrock began to feel bad for Derpy. This was most certainly not the same mare he had met before. "Hey, cheer up! So what if we didn't find your bag? We tried, didn't we? And we had plenty of fun doing it, too, right?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Derpy said.

"Now how about we get you home, and eat some delicious muffins?"

"Let's do it!"

Half an hour later they entered Derpy's house. As they walked in, both of their jaws hit the floor. Sitting there, in the toaster was Derpy's mailbag. As the pair looked right at it, a million thoughts ran through their heads. How could they have missed it? Why didn't they think to check there? What was it doing in the toaster? Had they really just wasted an entire day looking for this thing only to have left it back where they started?

Derpy and Shamrock looked at each other. Then they smiled. Then they laughed.

Many muffins were consumed that day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There was a ding noise. Maybe it was a bing noise. Or perhaps it went ping. Reaper didn't know. He had spent so long sitting here, staring at the cookies bake that he had no idea what was going through his brain anymore. Pinkie had tried to stay quiet. That lasted about 30 seconds. Afterwards, it was just half an hour of pure annoyance. As the baker's timer went off, Pinkie shut up for the first time in far too long, in Reaper's opinion. "Done!" she chimed happily. Reaper begrudgingly opened the oven.

Now, Reaper had never baked before in his life. He had never seen somepony else bake, and he had no idea how to bake. That being said, even he could determine that something went wrong as he looked at the finished cookies. As he placed the tray on the counter, he asked, "Are they supposed to glow green?"

Pinkie examined the cookies before eating one. Immediately her face contorted in disgust, and she spat them out into a nearby trash can in a fit of coughing. "Are you okay?" Reaper asked.

Pinkie smiled weakly after she had finished. "Well, they're better than that one time Applejack was really tired," she said with a weak laugh. Reaper was unamused.

"It seems to me that these abominations are a health hazard. Perhaps we should get rid of them?"

Pinkie nodded, and Reaper threw the rest of the cookies in the trash can. 'Well, looks like I'm done here,' Reaper thought to himself. After throwing out the defective cookies, he walked towards the door. "Wait, Reapy! Where are you going?" Pinkie called.

Reaper turned confusedly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are we not done baking?"

"Well, yeah, we're done baking, but -"

"Then good day, Miss Pie," Reaper finished. He heard Pinkie groan in annoyance.

Reaper sighed, and turned to Pinkie. The thing about Pinkie was this: Reaper had no idea what she was feeling. With most ponies, Reaper could use his innate changeling abilities to detect their emotions and act upon them. But with Pinkie, Reaper felt like she was purposely hiding them from him. She was doing a good job, too. Everytime Reaper checked, all he could detect was happiness. He could detect another emotion hidden beneath the layer of happiness, but he could never figure out what it was. It bothered him. With a sigh, he turned to Pinkie Pie. "What is it?" he asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"Reapy, it's you!"

Reaper didn't know if this was an insult, but before he could say anything Pinkie continued.

"Or, is it me? No, no, it's definitely you! Yes, You! Why?"

"Why what?" Reaper asked, confused.

"Why can't I make you smile? I can make everypony in all of Ponyville smile! What makes you any different? Please, I have to know!" Pinkie yelled, ending with a slightly-fake sob. Reaper sighed. That was it? She just wanted to make him smile? He growled in annoyance.

"Pinkie, if that was it you should have just told me,"

"Really?"

"Yes! So that way I could tell you what you should have already guessed. I'm a changeling. I don't think like you ponies do. I don't see the point in certain things, and place importance on others. We are incredibly different. So if you wanted to make me smile, nopony could possibly be more unprepared than you! It's not your fault, and I'm sure your very funny to all the ponies, but that's just not the way I think. Do you understand?"

Pinkie nodded sadly.

"Good. Now I'm gonna leave now. I hope you had a good day,"

"Will I ever see you again?"

Reaper half-laughed, half-choked. "If you're anything you claim to be, we'll be seeing each other a lot,"

Pinkie smiled, and Reaper left.

As Pinkie watched Reaper walked to his house, she smiled to herself. He had said that it was impossible for her to make him smile. That was good. Pinkie loved a challenge.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning Hawk woke up right where he was standing. The Doctor wore a facial expression that read as both worried and triumphant. "It works!" he shouted, before grabbing Lightning Hawk and running out the door, slamming it shut. The dalek could still be heard screaming on the other side.

"Doctor, what just happened?" Lightning asked.

The Doctor looked a little guilty. "Lightning Hawk, not to be rude, but you died,"

There was a pause as Lightning processed what he heard. "Oh," he said simply. "Then how am I here now?"

"You see, that's the thing! After you died, I ran back to my TARDIS, and took an epic 2-year journey to get my hooves on the technology neccessary to bring you back to life. I then returned to mere moments after the moment you died, and brought you back! I believe thanks are in order,"

"Thanks, but how are we gonna get outof here? And what's that?"

The Doctor turned to where Lightning was pointing. Standing there, in the hallway, blocking them from freedom, was a statue. It appeared to be of a pegasus in robes, and it was hiding its face in its forehooves, to give the impression that it was weeping. He groaned in annoyance and anger.

"That, Lightning, is a weeping angel. It can only move if you don't look at it, and they are fast. Faster than you can believe. So whatever you do, don't blink. I'm going to walk around it carefully, just make sure you keep your eyes on it, okay?"

The Doctor slowly made his way around the weeping angel. As he got around to the other side, he motioned for Lightning Hawk to come as well. Lightning slowly inched around the statue, and once he was safely with the Doctor, the pair backed away slowly. Suddenly, there was an explosion as the door keeping the dalek from them was blown to smithereens.

"EXTERMINATE!" it shouted as it blew away the door. The dalek was then confronted with a problem; the weeping angel.

As Lightning Hawk and the Doctor watched, the dalek sized up its opponent. The Doctor smiled. "Well, how about that, Dalek? It looks like you're going to be our ticket out of here,"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, DOCTOR?"

"Nothing. But, you don't blink. And now, you're staring right at an organism that can only move when you blink. And if you look away, it will kill you. Thank you, dalek. You've been a tremendous help,"

As the Doctor and Lightning Hawk made their way back to the TARDIS, they could hear the dalek screaming in rage behind them. As they entered, Lightning reflected on the events that had transpired. He had died. Died! "Doctor?" he began.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Why did you come back for me? I mean, you hardly know me. Why would you go through all that trouble just to save my life?"

"Oh, well, that's easy. You don't know it yet, Lightning Hawk, but you are part of something much bigger than yourself. I'm afraid I can't risk this happening again, so I'm going to have to take you back to Ponyville,"

"What do you mean, 'part of something bigger than myself?'"

The Doctor sighed. "I can't tell you. It would mess up the timeline, it would be like telling George Washington everything he would accomplish years befoehand, it just can't be done! And don't ask who that is, you wouldn't understand. Rest assured, something big is going to happen soon to you, and you need to be ready for it,"

The Doctor moved to the control panel and prepared to pull the lever that would send them back. "Wait!" Lightning said. "Can't you just tell me a little bit?"

The Doctor smiled. "If an old friend of mine were here, she would say, 'Spoilers!'"

And with that, the Doctor pulled the lever and sent them back to Ponyville.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As Lightning walked out of the TARDIS and flew towards his house-in-construction, he looked down at one of his hooves. There, on his foreleg, was a small, black mark. It appeared to have been made with a permanent marker. He examined it, not knowing how it got there. He turned back to the TARDIS to hear the Doctor screaming "Not you again!" before shrugging. Whatever it was, it wasn't his problem. With that in mind, he forgot about the mark, and continued to build his house.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"No, please, I don't wanna go! He scares me!" Fluttershy protested as Applejack pushed her towards the hospital.

"Fluttershy, this colt really needs our help," Applejack countered. "Ah don't think paying him a visit will hurt ya. At least, Ah hope so,"

After the events of yesterday, Applejack felt more than a little guilty for Willus hurting himself. She kept telling herself that was stupid, and that she played no part in it, but deep down, she knew that wasn't true. What she was worried about was Willus' state of mind. Something about that colt rubbed her the wrong way, and she intended to find out everything she could to help him. Of course, she couldn't do it by herself, now could she? So she dragged the kindest pony she knew into helping her: Fluttershy.

But a Fluttershy caught was not a Fluttershy had. She was not as eager as Applejack was to help this colt she hardly knew. As a matter of fact, she was entirely against it. There was no way, no way at all that Applejack would get her anywhere near that weirdo. The fact was, he scared her. A lot. And why shouldn't she be scared? He was a psycho! Absolutely crazy! Fluttershy wanted nothing to do with him, but in the end, Applejack knew how to turn her around.

"Fluttershy, Ah don't wanna do this, but you leave me no choice. You know that bunny you've been keeping on a diet?"

"Yes, what about Chubby?"

"If you don't go through with this, Ah'll feed him as many apples as he wants. And you and Ah both know, he's gonna want a lot,"

Fluttershy was shocked. This was a low blow. "Fine," She grumbled angrily, and the two mares walked into the hospital.

It was only another five minutes until the two mares walked into Willus' hospital room. He had it all to himself, and lay in his bed, bouncing a rubber ball off the wall. "Oh, hey Applejack! You must be Fluttershy?" He said once he took notice of their entrance.

"Hey, Willus. We just thought it'd be nice to check up on you. How are you feeling?"

"Well, the doctor said that I should be able to walk tomorrow. Technically, I can walk today, but it might be unsafe, so they're gonna wait until tomorrow to let me out,"

"Well, that's nice," Fluttershy said in a forced voice. She seemed to be trembling a little bit.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Willus said sadly, looking out the window.

Applejack frowned. "What's the matter, partner? Somethin' on yer mind?"

Willus Word sighed. "Applejack, a lot of stuff has happened to me. It's enough to drive a colt mad. Well, it did drive a colt mad, but that's not the point. As I've sat here, staring at the wall, the memories have come flooding back to me. It's a horrible thing,"

Applejack shuffled on her chair anxiously. "Maybe all you need is to share those memories," She suggested. When Willus gave her an odd look, she finished with, "Just sayin',"

"Well, I guess telling you my story wouldn't hurt. Not me at least. I make no promises as to your health after exposure to my past. Are you okay with that?"

Fluttershy mumbled "No," but received a slight kick from Applejack. "Yes! Of course we're okay with that," Applejack said loudly both to mask Fluttershy's impetuance and to convince Willus.

"Very well. I suppose it would be best to start all the way at the beginning, with my birth......"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus Word was born to his parents in Manehatten, 21 years ago. His mother was named Banana Split, and owned a small ice cream parlor. His father was named Latest Press, and owned the local newspaper company. It was his father who introduced Willus to books at an early age. Having only one child, he wanted to ensure that he would be intelligent and creative, and what better way to do that than with books?

And books certainly had the desired effect on Willus. Maybe a little more than was neccessary. Willus never made any true childhood friends, although that didn't make him a social pariah. He simply prefered to spend his time reading than actually having a social life. As he grew up, this didn't change. He attended college in Manehatten, and when he finished he moved to Fillydelphia, a small town that bordered a forest. There, he set up a bookstore, his love for books undying even as an adult.

The events that transpired in Fillydelphia would come to define Willus in ways he could never imagine, nor dared to.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The biggest change to Willus' life once he moved to Fillydelphia was the making of friends. He had two good friends with whom he met almost daily.

The first of these friends was Quill Scratch. Born in Canterlot, his accent, mannerisms, and behaviour screamed of one from that famous city - if they were perhaps a bit daft. While it was true, he was not the sharpest knife in the box, and he seemed incapable of logic at times, he had a good heart that more than made up for his occasional clumsiness. He was loyal and provided an interesting viewpoint of life, so he was more than Willus would ask for in a friend.

The second friend Willus had would prove to be much more important. Her name was Morticia. Morticia was a zebra. She claimed to be 237 years old, but to Willus and Quill, she didn't look a day over 50. Or 49, as she made them say. Willus and Quill didn't know much about her, and she refused to reveal much about her past. She was very intelligent, and knew many herbal potions and remedies. Once she was able to cure the common cold. But there was always a hint of mystery to her, and always she seemed to know something her friends didn't.

The three friends would meet at Willus' house often, for tea and cookies. There, they would discuss various topics, each bringing a different viewpoint due to their different backgrounds. And that was what made Willus so happy. Both of his friends shared his love for books and knowledge, and because of this their friendship remained strong. It wasn't until Willus' 20th birthday that things started to go wrong.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was here that Willus paused in his storytelling. He frowned in concentration as he remembered the past. "Are you okay?" Applejack asked, "You can stop if you wanna,"

Willus shook his head. "No, I need to tell somepony my story. No matter how hard it may be,"

And with that, he continued.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus' 20th birthday was a big deal for him and his friends. The three friends met at his house, like usual, to celebrate. It was what occured at that fateful meeting that would prove to be Willus' downfall.

It started out pleasant enough. The three friends met, sat down, and ate their cookies and drank their tea. After all of the expected "Happy birthday!"s were shared, the friends got around to talking.

"So, WIllus, you're finally legally an adult! How's that working out for you?" Quill asked.

"Oh, it's great!" Willus replied. "I still haven't tried drinking hard cider, but there's a first time for everything!"

Morticia had remained silent throughout the conversation. Clearly, something was troubling her. "Is something wrong?" Quill asked.

Morticia didn't respond immediately, still deep in thought. When she did respond, she said it in a tone that suggested she was hiding something. "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine,"

Willus and Quill looked at each other, then her oddly. "Morticia, I know when somepony's gaffing me about," Quill said. "And right now, I'd bet my knackers you're gaffing us about!"

Neither Willus nor Morticia had the slightest idea how Quill invented those words. Willus decided it would be better if he stepped in. "Look, Morticia, we're all friends. Whatever's bothering you won't get in the way of that. Can't you just tell us?"

Morticia looked at her friends, then sighed. "Do you really want to know?" The two colts nodded eagerly. "Fine, but don't sa I didn't warn you!

"As you are aware, I often dabble in witchcraft. That's how I've lived to be 237-"

"So you say,"

"Shut up, I'm talking,"

Quill made a noise of annoyance.

"As I was saying, I often dabble in witchcraft. Recently, I've found some interesting tomes on fortunetelling,"

"Fortunetelling? I like where this is going," WIllus said.

"So did I, but there's a catch! If you haven't realised already, seeing into the future comes at a price. If you don't like what you see, you won't be able to do anything to stop it. Trying to stop may actually cause it to happen, anyway. So, I've been more than a little hesitant to try it out,"

"Well, that's not a problem!" Willus said. "You could just read my fortune!"

Both Quill and Morticia were surprised at that. "What? Why?" they asked simultaneously.

Willus shrugged. "Well, I'm 20 now. I might as well find out what the future has in store,"

"But what if the future is horrible?"

"Well, why don't we just do the near-future? Something along the lines of, I don't know, a few weeks from now?"

Morticia considered this option for a while. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt too much," she said.

"Great! Now when do we start?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The actual rocess of fortunetelling was pretty simple. Morticia simply created a special herbal brew, and left it to simmer in a large pot. Then, she pricked Willus so as to acquire a drop of blood (a process Willus whined through a lot). Finally, she added some extra ingredients, and looked into the pot. Supposedly, the one whose blood was in the pot's future would be revealed, and Morticia had mixed the herbs so that it would only reveal something that would happen two weeks from now.

Willus and Quill watched Moricia's face anxiously, trying to read it, and figure out what she was seeing. Suddenly Morticia's eyes grew wide, and she gasped at what she saw. She quickly backed away from the pot, fear and sadness mixed plainly on her face. "What is it?" Willus asked. "What did you see?"

For a while, Morticia was quiet. When she finally spoke, she addresed Willus. "What would happen if you lost all of your books?" she asked.

Willus was surprised at the question. "Well, I would probably go crazy without my books. Why?"

Morticia sighed. "Because, If what I saw is correct, something terrible is going to happen to your books in exactly two weeks,"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The weeks leading up to the fateful day saw the change of Willus. During the week and six days in between when Willus heard his fortune and when it would come true, supposedly, he started to act.......strangely. Now, Willus was never the perfect image of normality to begin with, but now he was acting increasingly paranoid. He would take every book he saw and go out of his way to protect it. At first, this wasn't a problem, but as the days went on, more and more ponies began to be troubled by Willus' interruptions. Interruptions for the sake of books, no less, they would think.

Morticia changed too. She was becoming even more reclusive. Quill had no idea what she was doing, and the only time he visited her in an attempt to make her convice Willus she had lied, and when he did that he was kicked out immediately. Nopony knew what she was up to, much less why she was acting differently. Then, the fateful day Willus was waiting for arrived.

He woke up at midnight, and stayed up throughout the wee hours of the morning. During the day, he stayed at his bookstore, never leaving for anything. Nopony entered the store that day. Willus remembered the wait as being very boring. Nothing happened. Until the clock struck eleven, that is.

Once it was eleven o'clock, Willus heard hoofsteps. Not long after, somepony entered through the front door. They wore a cloak, and Willus was unable to discern who they were. They didn't do much. They simply wandered the store, browsing through the books. It wasn't until they pulled out a match to relight their pipe that Willus realised what was going to happen. "No, wait!" he shouted, but it was too late. The match slipped from the unknown pony's grasp. It fell to the ground. It was almost absurd, how quickly the bookstore went up in flames. But it did. Willus barely esaped with his life.

Willus lost everything in that fire. His home, his books, everything. All that worked was his clock, witch chimed at the stroke of twelve. Midnight. The prophecy had been fulfilled. Willus tearfully looked at the fire, everything burning horribly. Then he saw the pony in the cloak, only there was something different about them. They had removed the hood, and Willus could clearly see their face. And there, smiling in the flames, stood Morticia. She laughed, and ran away.

Willus couldn't believe it. He ran, trying to follow her into the forest. Something broke inside Willus that night. And at the same time, something else was born. Suddenly, Willus noticed that he had two voices in his head. The second voice seemed so calm, so sure of who they were. And yet, Willus knew that they were insane. He fought the madness for a long time.He fought for two days, slowly losing the battle against the voice. At one point, he saw Quill through the trees. He was with two colts, both wearing clean white coats. They were coming for him. It wan't until he rounded a corner and saw Morticia standing there, an evil smirk on her face, that he finally gave in. Then he began to sing. (Link)

Willus: Remember when you ran away

And I got on my knees and begged you

Not to burn them because I'd go berserk?

Well

You burned them anyhow

And then the days got worse and worse

And now you see I've gone completely out of my mind!

And

They're coming to take me away,

Haha!

They're coming to take me away,

Hoho!

Heehee!

Haha!

To the bunny farm,

Where life is beautiful all the time,

And I'll be happy to see those nice young colts

In their clean,white coats,

And they're coming to take me away!

Haha!

You thought it was a joke

And so you laughed,

(You laughed!)

When I had said that losing books would make me flip my lid,

Right?

You know you laughed,

I heard you laugh!

You laughed, and laughed,and laughed, and then you left,

But now you know I'm utterly mad!

And

They're coming to take me away,

Haha!

They're coming to take me away,

Hoho!

Heehee!

Haha!

To the happy home,

With trees and flowers and chirping birds

And basket weavers

Who sit and smile and twiddle their manes and tails,

And they're coming to take me away,

Haha!

I cooked your food,

I cleaned your house,

And this is how you pay me back

For all my kind, unselfish, friendly deeds?

Huh?

Well, you just wait!

They'll find you yet,

And when they do,

They'll put you in the ASPCA

You mangy mutt!

And

They're coming to take me away,

Haha!

They're coming to take me away,

Hoho!

Heehee!

Haha!

To the bunny farm,

Where life is beautiful all the time,

And I'll be happy to see those nice young colts

In their clean,white coats,

And they're coming to take me away!

Haha!

Afterwards, WIllus continued to mumble his song at Morticia's hooves. She still had that evil grin on her face, but now Willus was smiling insanely too. When Quill finally arrived with the colts from the Canterlot Insane Asylum, they found Willus mumbling and singing to a pile of rocks.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Over the next nine months, Willus was held in the Canterlot Insane Asylum, or CIA. Quill left after Willus had been put into custody, and Willus would never hear from him again. He never figured out why Morticia did what she did, but he did decide on one thing. He would find her, and he would have revenge. At least, that's what the second voice wanted. The original Willus wanted nothing to do with it, he just wanted to leave the Asylum and start over. But this was easier said than done. But the heads of the Asylum failed to realise one thing. Willus may have been crazy, but he was not stupid. And so, through bickering and hallucinations, both Willuses began to form a plan - together.

Finally, at the end of the ninth month, Willus put his plan into action. Somepony of importance had arrived to inspect the Asylum, Willus knew not who, nor cared, but that meant that all of the guards would be busy, "protecting" them. Willus waited at his designated table once it was lunchtime, and munched on his hay sandwich. Finally, when nopony was in the room, leaving him alone with all of the other crazies and a security camera, Willus put his plan into action. The grand masterpiece of a plan that had taken him nine months to complete - he threw his mashed potatoes at the camera and ran out the door.

Sure, it was simple, but it worked. He escaped into canterlot, made his way to the local train, bought a ticket with some money he "borrowed" from a sleeping old gentlecolt in the park, and within the hour he found himself in Ponyville. Here, he would start again. He bought a house with the rest of his money, and then opened his one duffel bag. Inside were books, all of the books he could find at the CIA. Over the next three months, he would collect more books, and open his bookstore in Ponyville. His birthday came and went, until a month later, when the ursa attacked and his life was changed forever.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"And you know the rest," Willus finished. Applejack and Fluttershy were both silent, not sure how to react to Willus' story. He had certainly been through a lot. Fluttershy no longer felt afraid of this colt, but instead felt pity for him.

"Well, partner, Ah understand now why you need our help, and Ah'll be more than happy to oblige. If there's anything ya need, just tell me," Applejack said. She walked towards the door. Fluttershy remained in her seat, thinking, when suddenly she had an idea.

"Wait! WIllus, you want to be normal right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Beause I have an idea! We could get you a pet!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow at that. "Fluttershy, Ah don't know if WIllus is responsible enough for a pet. No offense, Willus,"

"None taken," He said.

But Fluttershy was not easily dissuaded. "Oh, but Applejack! I'm sure we could find something for him! And besides, maybe having a little friend around will help him get better?"

Willus and Fluttershy both looked at Applejack with big eyes. "Please?" they said together.

Applejack sighed. "Fine, but don't say Ah didn't warn you, 'Shy. Now let's go, Big Mac needs help on the farm,"

Fluttershy walked with Applejack out the door, taking a moment to wave goodbye to Willus. He smiled. It was nice to have such good friends again.

Chapter 7 - Meanwhile...Again...

Chapter 7

Meanwhile...Again...

Ironfeathers sat in his throne room, contemplating his next course of action. She would be arriving today. And when she arrived, there was no doubt that things would be sped up. His plan to conquer equestria was simple, but that's why it would work. He only feared that She would over-complicate things.

As he sat pondering the future, and dreaming deliciously destructive plans for domination, he didn't notice Gilda walking in to the room. She stood silently for a moment, not wanting to disrupt her father, before piping up. "You wanted to see me, father?"

"Yes, dear. Sit down,"

Gilda obeyed, seating herself opposite of her father.

"Now, I know you and I have never really bonded. I still remember the time you ran away to that pony city, Cloudsberg-"

"Cloudsdale,"

"Cloudsdale, and it took us a whole year to find you. I have to admit, I'm still a little impressed. Do you know what you have? You have the will to act. And that is more valuable than anything right now,"

Gilda nodded, not sure where he was going,

"That being said, I've recently felt as though you and I could spend more time together as I teach you everything it takes to be a general. So, I've devised a series of Father-Daughter activities for the two of us to partake in during your studies,"

"That's great," Gilda said stiltedly.

"I'm glad to see your so optimistic! Now, to start off, I'm going to have you do something very special for me,"

Before Ironfeathers could continue, an armed soldier walked in. "My lord, She's here," he said simpy.

Ironfeathers scowled. "Very well. Before you go, soldier, do tell me, how many days' travel is it from here to Ponyville?" he asked.

"Three days, my lord,"

Ironfeathers nodded. "Thank you. Now, do show yourself out before I decide to stretch my wings,"

The soldier knew exactly what he meant, and saluted quickly before leaving the room.

"I'm sorry I have to cut this short, dear, but I'm afraid I have some work that needs attending,"

Gilda perked up. "So I can leave?"

"Yes," he said. Gilda smiled, until her father resumed talking."But let me tell you what I need you to do first. You see, I need you to take a squad down to Ponyville. Once you're there, lay the town to waste. With any luck, that will demoralize the bearers of the elements and their ursa-killing friends, and leave us unoposed,"

Gilda sighed, before saluting her father and leaving to gather the forces she would need. Ironfeathers smiled as he watched his daughter leave, before returning to his usual scowl once she was out of sight. Now it was time to get to work.

Ironfeathers walked through the underground facility. It was truly a marvel. The volcanic rocks glowed orange, providing the entire system with light and rock. Ironfeathers had no idea whether the volcano was active or not, nor did he care. Geology was a petty thing, serving only as a distraction from conquest. He passed the main atrium, which was absolutely gigantic. An entire army could fit in there. And it did. All 6,000 of Ironfeathers' soldiers could fit in this single room, with room to spare. He continued on past a geyser, which spewed out hot gasses periodically. He finally reached the entrance, which stood at the top of a small cliff. Outside were two guards, who saluted upon making visual contact with their superior.

Ironfeathers stood at the edge of the cliff, and looked down. At the base of the cliff was a carriage, surrounded by diamond dogs, who seemed to be carrying it on their backs. Ironfeathers scowled, knowing who was inside. The door to the carriage opened, and the diamond dogs bowed submissively as a cloaked figure stepped out. The figure removed their hood, and addressed the griffin. "Hello, Ironfeathers,"

"Hello, Morticia,"

The zebra witch smirked, sensing Ironfeathers' anger. Ironfeathers hated her. He really did. But beggars can't be choosers, and when this witch appeared out of the blue with a plan to conquer equestria, while asking nothing in return, the oppurtunity was too good to pass up. She had offered strategy, and an army of diamond dogs. Ironfeathers didn't know or want to know why the dogs were so loyal to her, but the fact remained that their burrowing capabilities made them a powerful force. Combined with his griffin army, surely Equestria would fall. But that didn't change the fact that Ironfeathers hated Morticia with a burning passion Every time she talked, Ironfeathers could sense a double-meaning. And if there was one thing which he hated(Though there were many, many more), it was deception.

As the witch walked inside the base followed by her escort of diamond dogs, Ironfeathers noticed that she was carrying a pouch. "What's in the bag?" he asked suspciously.

Morticia gave the bag to a diamond dog, who took off with it in his paws. "Just a little something-special I've taken the liberty of creating for our operation," She said. "Now, you have sent the squad to ponyville, correct?"

"Yes, they will be leaving shortly,"

"Good. My master will be most pleased with that," Ironfeathers growled. He hated when she got like this. Always going on about her cryptic, "Master," as if he were watching at all times. It made him uneasy, though he would never admit it.

"All of the preparations we've made are falling into place. With how smoothly things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if we were able to conquer Equestria without complication!"

Morticia scowled. "Do not be too sure of yourself, griffin. The universe has a tendency of breaking expectations,"

Ironfeathers rolled his eyes. Luckily for him, Gilda arrived right then, wearing armor and with a squad of soldiers in tow. "Father, I'm off to Ponyville," she said.

Ironfeathers smiled evilly. "Good. Now run along, I want you to be back in time to receive your mother when she arrives,"

Gilda saluted, then left with her battalion.

Morticia and Ironfeathers stood at the edge of the cliff, staring off in the direction of Ponyville. Soon, It would all begin. And soon, Equestria would be theirs.

Chapter 8 - Adventures Part III

Chapter 8

Adventures Part III

Reaper woke up groggily. Despite the use of the term, "waking up," this did not imply that he opened his eyes. It was far to early to waste precious energy doing something so dangerous. Once he opened his eyes, there was no way he would go back to sleep. And right now, all he wanted was sleep. Last night, when he arrived home, he had been so tired from his day with Pinkie Pie that he never made it to his bedroom. He had collapsed on his couch and practically passed out. It was on this uncomfortable, lumpy couch that Reaper lay now. Suddenly he smelled something. At first, he panicked, expecting it to be the smell of smoke from a fire(undoubtedly caused by Sputnik). However, his nerves were quickly calmed as he took more deep breaths. The smell was strange. It smelled.......sweet.

Reaper began to worry again, but not as badly as before. What was this strange smell in his house? Why did it smell so good? Reaper came to a horrible realization. He would have to open his eyes. Slowly, cautiously, Reaper opened his eyes, to be greeted by........................Pinkie Pie. "Hi!" She said. Reaper yelped in fear, cloaking involuntarily.

Pinkie looked around confusedly. "Reapy, I think you did your cloakey-thingey again," she said. For a moment Reaper considered simply staying invisible and throwing Pinkie out, but instead decided for a more diplomatic approach. He decloaked, before addressing the pink nuisance herself.

"Pinkie," he started calmly, "What in the name of the old kings are you doing in my house?"

Pinkie simply smiled. "Oh, that's easy! After what you told me yesterday, about how I couldn't make you smile cuz you're a changeling and I'm a pony and we're too different for me to make you smile, I started thinking about how to make you smile,"

Reaper's scowl grew just a little bigger. 'Glad to seeI got my point across,' he thought.

"So I started thinking about what's made everyone else I know who isn't a pony smile. And then I realised, the answer is food!"

Reaper facehoofed. "Pinkie, I'm a changeling. I feed on emotions. Your pony food is less than useless to me. How did you even get in here?"

At that point, Sputnik popped up behind Pinkie Pie, and waved hello to his master. Reaper's eye twitched. "Don't answer that, I figured it out,"

But Pinkie would not be so easily dissuaded. "Reapy, come on!" she said. "Can't you at least try it?"

Reaper scowled. "Fine, I will subject myself to trying whatever horrid confection you wish for me to taste,"

Pinkie squeed in delight, before leading Reaper to his seat at the table. At his seat was a plate with a stack of strange, circular pastries with grid patterns throughout them. Syrup had been drizzled all over the stack. He sniffed it cautiously, before levitating a fork and plunging it into the strange food.

Pinkie watched anxiously as Reaper slowly brought the treat to his mouth. The tension was so great that Pinkie thought she could eat it. Finally, the forkful of food entered the changeling's mouth. He chewed slowly. Suddenly, Reaper's eyes widened in shock. "This is actually really good! What is this treat called?"

Pinkie delayed in her response because she was annoyed. Despite being seemingly happy, Reaper still failed to smile. She stayed silent for a moment, before realizing what he asked. "Oh, those are called waffles,"

Reaper chewed on the waffle. "I enjoy these, 'waffles,' very much," he said with an irritatingly flat face. "I desire more!"

Pinkie smiled a little. She had at least won in that respect. She began work on the next set of waffles, while Reaper continued to munch on his waffle.

Reaper suddenly felt a disturbance. He reached up to his head and confirmed his suspicions. His hat! Where was his hat? Panicking, he quickly turned his head to and fro, searching the room for it. Finally, he found the desired object resting on a coat hanger - conveniently placed next to the stove.

What followed all happened in slow motion for Reaper. Sputnik was walking around, being stupid. Pinkie slowly bounced towards the stove, eyes closed happily as she bounded along. Sputnik noticed an insect crawling along the floor, and began to chase it. Pinkie reached for a pan. Sputnik bumped into the coat hanger. Reaper watched in horror as the hat fell on top of the stove. Pinkie turned on the stove, never opening her eyes and noticing the precious piece of headwear.

Reaper's eye twitched in absolute shock and disbelief as his most prized possession went up in flames. Pinkie opened her eyes, noticing her fatal mistake. Sputnik, too, realized what had happened. Both waited anxiously for Reaper to react, but for a long time, he simply sat silently, watching the ashes that were once his top hat burn. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Reaper spoke.

"GET. OUT."

And with that, he threw both Pinkie and Sputnik out of his house.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper lay slumped against his front door, not knowing what to do. The loss of his prized hat still weighed heavily on him. What would he do now? The hat was more than just an article of clothing, it was his way of showing his departure from the hive. It was all that separated him from being a monster or a friend in the eyes of the ponies. And now it was gone. Suddenly, an envelope fell through the mail slot. Reaper opened it, and began to read.

Dear Reapy,

I know you're mad since you lost your hat, but I just wanted to say that I'm really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, reallly, really, really really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really,really, really really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really,really, really really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, sorry!

So, to make it up to you, I was thinking that maybe you should visit my friend Rarity's place. She works at Carousel Boutique, and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to make you a new hat. Again, I'm really, super-duper sorry!

-Love, Pinkie Pie

Reaper threw the letter away in disgust. He lay against the door, a scowl on his face, contemplating his situation. Was it worth it? He didn't have enough money to pay for what he assumed was the price necessary. Damn. He'd have to figure it out later, but it was clear that he had no choice but to go to this Rarity's workplace and get a new hat. He sighed, before opening the door and cloaking. He couldn't risk being spotted and mistaken for a changeling spy. Then, he began to head in the direction of Carousel Boutique.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus arrived at Fluttershy's cottage at around noon. He honestly didn't know what to expect out of today, and doubed Fluttershy would be able to find a suitable pet for him. It wasn't that he disliked animals or anything like that, it was just that he didn't think he would be any good at keeping them. Willus was used to books. He liked books. He loved books. Books didn't move, didn't need to be fed, didn't make a mess. He was certain having a pet would challenge all of that.

Fluttershy opened the door upon hearing him knock on it. "Oh, hi Willus! I'm so glad you could make it," she said quietly.

"Don't mention it," he said, "I'm just glad you want to help!"

"Well, come in, then. We should probably get started,"

Willus was struck by how cozy Fluttershy's house felt. The very building itself seemed to radiate a kind of airy, natural warmth. The entire room emanated a feeling, similar to lying down in the grass on a sunny day. All kinds of animals, from rabbits and squirrels to birds and mice, scurried around the house, traveling to and fro from their respective dwellings.

The first animal to walk up to Willus was a very angry looking bunny, who hopped up to fluttershy and forced a cookbook into her hooves. Willus never saw what page it was on, but Fluttershy's reaction told him enough. "I'm sorry, Angel, but I have somepony over who needs my help right now. I'll make this for you later, okay?" Angel merely huffed, before hopping away to go do whatever it was that he did when he wasn't with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy led Willus to her backyard, which had a path leading to the Everfree Forest. Animals were frolicking in the soft grass, but suddenly perked up when Fluttershy entered the area. All of the animals present then lined up for her to address them. Present were a ferret, a bunny, a bear, a snake, and a squirrel. Fluttershy walked up to the group of critters and turned to Willus. "These are all the little critters who want to be pets, at lest I think so," she said worriedly, before doing a quick head count. "Wait," she said worriedly, "one is missing!"

It was then that a small sparrow appeared, hopping up behind the bear. Willus was surprised to see that the bird had only one wing, with bandages covering the area where the other wing should be. "Oh, there you are Terrence!" Fluttershy said upon his arrival. "I was wondering where you went,"

Willus looked over the animals present, and addressed them, although one might argue he was talking more to himself. "Alright, which of you is least likely to hurt my books?" He looked at the bear and the snake. "Okay, you two are definitely out," With audible "aww"s of disappointment, the two walked(slithered) away. Fluttershy, however, tried to console them. "It's okay, I'm sure somepony will want you," Afterwards, the pair disappeared into the everfree forest.

The remaining animals began to shuffle about worriedly. "Now, you have all been selected as being eligible to be my pet," Willus said to the remaining critters. "Unfortunately, there are four of you, and only one will be my pet. So, to narrow things down, we're going to have a series of games. Whoever wins will be my companion! Now who's ready?" The animals began to get even more worried. The rabbit started sweating profusely.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy merely looked on and facehoofed. It was Rainbow Dash all over again. She sighed, and decided to go get a cup of her "Special Cider," which she kept for just these kinds of occasions. It was going to be a very long day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning Hawk stood outside of Twilight's house, a bouquet of daisies in tow. He had picked them up from a florist on his way to the library. Because mares liked flowers. And Twilight was a mare. Therefore she must like flowers. And if she liked flowers, she would like him for getting her flowers. It was absolute genius, he had to admit. At least by his standards. He was, after all, the pegasus who thought punching an ursa major in the face was a good idea.

Lightning took a deep breath, then opened the door. "Twilight? Twilight?" he called into the library. Instead of Twilight, however, Spike appeared. Lightning felt disappointed. "Sorry, Lightning. Twilight's not here today. She went off to Canterlot to talk with Princess Celestia. Guess that's what happens when she's your teacher," he said with a slight tone of annoyance. "She'll probably be back tonight,"

Lightning, however, would not brush this aside so easily. "Wait, did you just say Princess Celestia? As in THE Princess Celestia?" he asked.

"Yeah, so?" Spike asked in a bored tone.

"So? SO?" Lighting shouted, panicking. "This changes everything! Now she's WAY out of my league! I mean, she was out of my league before, but NOW! It's just a lost cause at this point. I mean, how can I, some random pegasus, possibly hope to win over the heart of Princess Celestia's personal student?!"

Spike, however, was not worried. "Dude, don't worry. You're a great guy! So what if she happens to be studying under the most powerful pony in all of equestria? That's more of a con than a pro,"

"But won't she have higher standards then? And if she's used to Canterlot, then the chances that she'll like me are even lower!" Lightning continued to panic.

Spike was getting a little frustrated. "Look, I don't think your getting what I'm trying to say. You're a fantastic colt with a great personality. What more would twilight want?"

"Money, power, fame," Lightning responded, counting off the obvious things.

Spike thought for a moment. "Point taken. But still, it's not like she's the most popular mare in the world, especially when it comes to colts. She'd be just as surprised as anypony to find out she has a secret admirer,"

Now it was Lightning Hawk's turn to think. "But even if that's true," he said, "how would I even go about telling her how I really feel about her?"

At this, Spike became visibly more excited. "Well, then. Looks like somepony might need a little help with romance. I'm happy to tell you you've come to the right dragon,"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. I've spent plenty of time reading books on how to pick up mares. If anyone knows how to do it, it's me,"

"Has it ever worked?"

Spike blushed. "Well, you see, here's the thing. I've never gotten around to actually trying to use them," he said. Lightning rolled his eyes. "But, hey! There's a first time for everything, right?"

Lightning sighed. It wasn't like he had anything else to do today. "Fine. Go ahead, teach me,"

"Great!" Spike said enthusiastically. "Now we can start with those flowers of yours,"

Lightning looked down at the bouquet of daisies he held in his hoof. "What about 'em?" he asked.

"Twilight hates flowers," Spike said, crushing Lightning's previous notions. "Especially daisies," That was just insult to injury.

"But I was a genius-" Lightning mumbled sadly to himself.

"If you really want to impress her, you're going to have to do something awesome. But not too awesome, otherwise you'll just look like Rainbow Dash. It also needs to be a favor to her in some way, otherwise she won't notice,"

"But I thought you just said my personality was enough?"

Spike sighed disappointedly. "Lightning, if you're going to do something, always do it in style," he said simply. Spike then began tapping a claw to his chin as he tried to think of something for Lightning to do.

"Aha! I got it!" He suddenly shouted.

"What? What is it?" Lightning asked.

Spike grabbed Lightning by the hoof and began to lead him towards the door. "I'll explain on the way. For now, you just need to help me find a chainsaw!"

Lightning gulped. It was going to be one of those days.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The invisible Reaper stood outside of a building labeled "Carousel Boutique." This had to be the place. He took a deep breath, took a look around to ensure that nopony was present, decloaked and knocked on the door.

Rarity opened the door to be met face to face with a changeling. She screamed, "Changeling!" at the top of her lungs before giving it the hardest punch to the jaw she could muster. She smiled in satisfaction as the insectoid was sent sprawling on the floor. "Ha! Try and disguise yourself as moi would you? Well, I'm afraid you chose the wrong mare!"

Reaper's head was spinning. Who would have thought that such a ladylike mare could pack such a wallop. "Crazy mare," he mumbled loudly. "It's me, Reaper! Remember? Ponyville's resident changeling?"

Rarity blinked for a moment. Suddenly, realisation hit her. "Reaper! Oh, dear me! I'm so sorry, but without your hat to set you apart, I thought you were just an ordinary changeling!" Rarity helped the dazed changeling back up as he rubbed his aching jaw. "Speaking of which, whatever happened to it?" she asked. "Funny you should ask," Reaper replied in a grumpy tone as she led him inside and shut the door.

Reaper told her everything that had transpired. Pinkie, the waffles, Sputnik, and finally, the tragic fate of Hatty. He finished by explaining how Pinkie had left the letter for him, followed by his unseen trek to her boutique. "And that's why I need a new hat," he said, out of breath from both his storytelling and the beating he took. Rarity thought for a moment, mulling over the information she had just taken in.

"Well, luckily for you, today's a quiet day here at the boutique, so I can probably have it finished within a few hours," she said.

"Really?" Reaper asked, suddenly perking up.

"Of course, dear. Now that'll be thirty bits,"

Reaper's face fell from surprised to a more natural scowl. His horn glowed, and a small bag teleported in front of him. he opened the bag, revealing it to contain fifteen bits. Great.

"That may be a problem...." He said, "I only have fifteen bits,"

"Oh, that's alright dear! You can just pay me the rest with a favor," Rarity replied.

Reaper was shocked. "Really? Why?"

"Well, I'm not the Element of Generosity for nothing!"

Now, Reaper was no fool. During the course of his research into the ponies he now surrounded himself with, he had learned all about the Elements of Harmony. He knew about Twilight Sparkle, her friends(Pinkie and Rarity among them), and the adventures they had gone on. If they could defeat not one, but two Gods, could they not help him take back the empire so swiftly taken from him?

Rarity's voice broke him out of his brief trance. "Of course, I am running a business here, and I do need to keep it going, so your favor will have to be business related. You wouldn't mind, would you?" she asked.

Reaper hardly noticed, nor cared. "Yes, yes, whatever. As long as I get my hat back,"

Rarity smiled, then left to prepare whatever it was she wanted Reaper to do. He simply waited, wondering what it could be. Whatever it was, it couldn't be that bad, right? Right?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper felt an excruciating itch in his side. Normally, he would scratch it, but at present that was simply not possible. He was under oath to not move, and no matter how much he may have wanted to, he could not. The reason for that was incredibly embarassing. He thanked Celestia- that was who ponies thanked, right?- that noling he knew was here. For Reaper, once the mighty high general of the Changeling Empire, was now standing in a fluffy, red dress.

Rarity took in every ounce of her captive model. "Alright," she said, "now Applejack,"

Reaper hissed softly in annoyance, before shifting. In a flash of cyan fire, the changeling was replaced with a very annoyed-looking farmer. "How's this?" Applejack asked in Reaper's voice, a combination that nearly caused Rarity to die of laughter. BUt a lady must be self-contained, of course, so she held it in. "That's fine, dear. Red isn't her color anyway," Reaper returned to his natural form, before asking, "Is that it?"

"Sweet Celestia, no! We still have the rest of my friends to go through!"

Reaper groaned, and prepared to shift into his next form. "Very well," he grumbled. It mattered not how many ponies he must impersonate in this infernal clothing. No price was too high for his top hat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus stared at the obstacle course he had constructed. He didn't like to brag, but damn. That was one finely made obstacle course. It was so good, in fact, even HE wasn't entirely sure what surprises it contained. It was that good. He was that good.

The ferret, rabbit, squirrel, and one-winged sparrow stood behind the designated starting line. Willus walked up to them, and began to speak. "Alright, listen up, critters! In this obstacle course are a series of challenges similar to things that my pet will encounter on a day-to-day basis. Your reaction to these challenges will dictate everything - and I mean everything! - that helps you. This is the only test. If you fail, you fail. Now good luck,"

After this inspirational pep-talk, that animals each prepared to run the course. The squirrel and ferret looked down at the one-winged sparrow. 'Loser,' they both seemed to express through their faces. The sparrow chirped sadly.

Fluttershy watched from a distance, sipping from her mug of Special Cider. She couldn't help but notice that she was feeling a growing sense of anger inside. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but it seemed to be that everytime somepony came to her for a pet, they had to make it some sort of sick competition. It was horrible. Fluttershy would have said something, but judging from how fuzzy she was feeling, she would probably say something far meaner than intended. And so, Fluttershy watched, silently seething, hoping for the best.

Willus watched the animals line up. They each took their respective postitions, their little muscles tensed as they prepared to prove their worth. Willus blew his whistle and they shot off. All except for Terrence the one-winged sparrow, who hopped forward a few paces before tripping.

The first obstacle was a series of collapsed bookshelves. The three mammals adeptly scurried underneath the tilted structures, making sure not to bump into one and cause it to fall. They passed easily, and continued on to the next obstacle. However, Terrence stopped once he reached these. Instead of running past them, he turned around, and found a rock of considerable size. With great difficulty, he pushed this rock towards the bookshelves, until it finally reached a position in which it supported all of them. With a tap of his taloned foot, the bookshelves sat upright.

The next obstacle was more intimidating. This was Trial By Fire. A path of smoldering rocks lay between the critters and their next destination, and there were only two ways to cross. Either by taking the inferno of a road in front of them, or traversing the rough terrain around it. Obviously, all thee opted for the second option, and after a short space were on their way to the next obstacle. When Terrence reached the road, he paused. With a chirp that probably translated to "YOLO," Terrence hopped across quickly through the burning coals. Upon reaching the other side, he realised that he had been deceived, and that the heat was just an illusion. Curtosy of Willus' magic no doubt. He advanced to the third and final obstacle.

This was quite possibly the most difficult obstacle of them all. Between the critters and the finish line was a great, steaming, pit filled to the brim with mashed potatoes. As they reached it, all four animals stopped and stared at the thing, perplexed. On the sidelines, Fluttershy, too, was confused. "Hey, Willus?" she said, not noticing how drunk her voice had become. "Under what circ-*hic*-circumstances would a pit of mashed potatoes be *hic* day-to-day?"

Willus looked at her in a manner that was both surprised and confused. "Don't judge me," he said simply, before asking, "How many of those have you had to drink?" while gesturing to her mug of Special Cider.

Fluttershy closed one eye, while using the other to thoroughly examine her mug. Willus didn't know it, but she was actually giving it The Stare. "Uhhh," she said, "Six? I think. Maybe *hic* seven,"

Willus began to feel awkward. "Don't you think that's a little much?" he asked quietly.

"Nah, nah, *hic* it's cool," Fluttershy said uncharacteristically. Willus gulped, and turned back to the competing critters. He really hoped they would be done soon.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning and Spike stood before a large block of solid wood, Lightning with a chainsaw in tow. "Are you sure about this?" he asked Spike.

"Of course, I am. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Remind me, why am I doing this again?"

Spike rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I already told you. If you wanna win over Twilight you have to impress her. And If you want to impress her, all you have to do is carve an exact replica of her out of wood with a chainsaw!" he said as if his plan were the obvious conclusion. "If you say so," Lightning replied unsurely, before lifting the chainsaw and revving it up.

He was about to make the first cut when he was interrupted by a certain robotic cat falling out of the tree next to him. Sputnik landed with a metallic thud as he hit the ground. "Hi!" he said cheerily.

Lightning and Spike looked at him oddly. "Hey, aren't you Reaper's robot? Uhh...Sputnik right?" Lightning asked.

Sputnik merely made a "mmhmm" sound to answer Lightning's question. "What were you doing in that tree?" Spike asked.

"Oh, well, this morning, I was with Master, and the Pinkie Cake was there tooo. And I saw a bug, and then I did a little dance," Sputnik said, showing of his moves at the same time. "But then I knocked Master's hat into a fire, and then he gots real mad at me and Rose Pie! So then he kicked us outs the house, and I saw this tree! And I sayed, 'Hi Tree,' but it just ignored me. So I gots real mad just like Boss, so I jumped up on the tree and started beatin it, like this!" Sputnik proceeded to lunge at the tree, but merely bounced off. "And that's how Equesria was made!"

Lightning and Spike were at a loss for words. "Well, I don't really doubt him," Spike said simply, deciding to leave the topic at that.

"So what you guys up to?" Sputnik asked, apparently forgetting the insulting tree.

"Well, Lightning over here was gonna make a statue to win over Twilight," Spike said, ignoring Lightning Hawks gestures to stop talking. 'Great, why don't you just tell everyone?' Lightning thought angrily.

"Ooh! Ooh! Can I help?"

Spike and Lightning hesitated. "Well...."

"I know all abouts the ladies! I can help you get the mare you want!"

At this, Spike huffed. "You? Know all about the ladies? Ha! When pigs fly,"

It was right at that moment that a pig flew overhead, apparently launched at high velocity. It whizzed through the air for a moment, before being caught by a pegasus who happened to be nearby. There was a silence among the three on the ground. "Well, this is awkward," Lightning said.

Sputnik groaned in annoyance. "Well, if you guys don't believe me, I'll just have to tell you my wise wards,"

"Don't you mean 'words'?"

"Nope. 'Wards',"

Sputnik then leaned next to Spike's ear(or hole or whatever he has) and whispered something. "Dear sweet Celestia! That's amazing!" he said. Sputnik nodded in an 'I told you so' fashion.

"What? What's amazing?" Lightning asked, feeling left behind.

Spike and Sputnik looked at each other, both knowing what to do.

(Link) "If you wanna get Twilight, you just gotta act stupid!" they said in unison.

Lightning Hawk was confused. "Act stupid? In what universe does that make sense?"

"Opposites attract, right? So if you act like an idiot, Twilight will like you for sure!"

"I still don't get it,"

Sputnik and Spike groaned. "Look, let me explain it to you," Sputnik said.

Sputnik then jumped in front of Lightning Hawk, grabbed the chainsaw he held in his hooves, and threw it nonchalantly behind him. Then he began to sing.

Sputnik: Put down that chainsaw and listen to me,

It's time for us to join in the fight!

It's time to let your fillies

grow up to be cowcolts,

It's time to let the bedbugs bite!

You better put all your eggs in one basket,

You better count your chickens before they hatch,

You better sell some wine

before its time,

You better find yourself an itch to scratch!

Spike: You better take all the books that you can,

when the librarian's not around!

Stick your head in a microwave

and get yourself a tan!

Sputnik: Talk with your mouth full!

Bite the hand that feeds you!

Bite off more than you can chew!

What can you do?

Dare to be stupid!

Take some wooden nickels,

Look for the mailmare,

Get your mojo working now!

I'll show you how!

You can dare to be stupid!

You can turn the other cheek,

You can just give up the ship.

Spike: You can eat a bunch of hay-fries

then forget to leave a tip!

Both: Dare to be stupid!

Come on and

dare to be stupid!

It's so easy to do!

(Dare to be stupid!)

We're all waiting for you!

Sputnik: Let's go!

This musical number had not helped Lightning however. "This still doesn't make any sense! Am I supposed to try and just be lovably idiotic and hope she likes it?"

"That's exactly what we're saying!" Spike said. "It's genius, isn't it?"

"Whatever floats your boat..."

Sputnik: It's time to make a mountain

out of a molehill,

so can I have a volunteer?

There's no more time for crying over spilled milk,

now it's time for crying in cider!

Settle down,

Raise a family,

Join the PTA,

Buy some sensible shoes,

Then say, "What the hay?"

Then party til your broke

And they drag you away,

It's okay!

Both: You can dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: It's like spitting on a fish!

Spike: It's like barking up a tree!

Both: It's like I say you gotta buy one if you wanna get one free!

Lightning was starting to get it. "Yes," he said, motioning for them to continue.

Spike: Why don't you dare to be stupid?

Sputnik: It's so easy to do!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: We're all waiting for you!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Spike: Burn a candle at both ends,

Look a gift horse in the mouth!

Mashed potatoes

can be your friends!

Sputnik: You can be

A coffee achiever,

You can just live in the woods,

And leave it to beavers!

The future's up to you!

So what you gonna do?

Both: Dare to be stupid!

Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: What did I say?

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Tell me, what did I say?

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: It's alright!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: We can be stupid all night!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Come on, join the crowd!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Shout it out loud!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: I can't hear you!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Okay, I can hear you now!

Spike: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Let's go, Dare to be stupid!

Both: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Dare to be stupid!

Both: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Dare to be stupid!

Both: Dare to be stupid!

Sputnik: Dare to be stupid!

Both: Dare to be stupid!

Spike and Sputnik finished their song, panting from exhaustion. "So? What do you think?" Spike asked.

"Well, the idea has some merit," Lightning said. Spike and Sputnik grew excited. "But no. I think I'll just stick to doing things my way,"

One could actually here the duo deflate in dissapointment. "Are you kidding?" Spike asked. For whatever reason, Sputnik actually cheered, but that was probably because he was a moron. Spike groaned. "Well, if you're not gonna take our expert advice, can you at least ask somepony else?"

"Like who?"

"I don't know, Rarity seems like she reads a lot of romance novels,"

Lightning considered it for a moment. "Yeah, sure. Why not?" he decided.

"Good," Spike said grumpily, and the trio made for Carousel Boutique, Sputnik singing all the way.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper sat in a chair next to Rarity's front desk, happy to be out of that damned dress. Rarity was sitting not far away, working on his new hat. He had made sure to specify that it be exactly the same as his old one, so as not to feel uncomfortable when he wore it. As he sat there, not sure if he wanted to risk reading a magazine, two mares walked in. One was a mint colored unicorn, and the other was a cream colored earth pony. Luckily, Rarity quickly explained that the changeling sitting across from her was indeed Reaper, and not a spy. This prevented the mares from freaking out, after which Rarity properly greeted them.

"So how have you been, Lyra and Bon-bon?"

Reaper nearly groaned. If there was one thing he hated about ponies it was their idle chit-chat. Shouldn't Rarity focus on his hat instead?

"Oh, we've been fine, just a few minor issues," said the mint one. Lyra, if Reaper was correct.

"Oh really? Do tell. That is, if it's not too intrusive, of course," Reaper wanted to barf. 'Please don't,' he thought.

But Reaper's desires were clearly going to be ignored. "Oh, of course not. It's just," Lyra looked at Bon-bon awkwardly. "Are you okay with.....?"

"Yeah, sure," Bon-bon replied.

Lyra thanked her, before continuing. "You see, Bon-bon's been kinda out of it lately. Neither of us know why, she just feels kinda.......sad? Is that what you told me?"

Bon-bon nodded, before adding, "More of worthless, really. It's weird, I just get these sudden bouts of depression, and I don't know why,"

It was all Reaper could do to not facehoof. These two mares were quite possibly the stupidest beings he had encountered in the last two minutes. Was it really that hard to figure out what was wrong with this, 'Bon-bon?' Not that he cared. He was just observing. Angrily. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Rarity said, breaking Reaper out of his rage-filled trance. "It's too bad Ponyville doesn't have a psychiatrist. I'm sure all of your problems would be solved,"

"Yeah, I know, right?" Bon-bon replied. "If only I had somepony to help me understand these emotions I'm going through,"

Alright, now Reaper was a little curious. He didn't care, but he was curious. He tapped into his sixth sense, which detected emotions. From Bon-bon he noted a lot of sadness. As a matter of fact, she positively reeked of it. It was disgusting, in a way, and pitiful in another. He probed the pony with his sense, trying to determine the cause of such a foul "odor," although it was difficult to apply such a word to an emotion.

Now, Reaper was no mind reader, but he was still able to connect emotions with abstract thoughts and ideas. Let's see...the sadness seemed to be emanating from thoughts about her....past? It was frustratingly vague, but it would have to satisfy him for now. It's not like he cared or anything. Reaper sat for a little while, trying not to pay attention.

"Isn't it weird that I can't even figure out what I'm feeling?" Bon-bon said. Celestia-dammit.

Reaper groaned loudly, getting the three mare's attention. "Excuse me?" Lyra asked.

"I can't take it anymore! Do you know what it's like to be able to feel everything another being is feeling, but not want any of it? Do you?" The mares shook their heads. "Well, I can tell you it sucks! Now, with that out of the way, I must ask, how was your fillyhood?"

All three mares present were slightly unsettled by Reaper's mood swing, but Bon-bon decided to humor him nonetheless. "Well, my mom owned a candy store, and my dad was an architect. Both of my parents wanted me to follow in their footsteps, but I guess I could only have one cutie mark, right?" Bon-bon hoped the joke would help alleviate the tension. Reaper didn't laugh, his stony expression barely changed by his stating, "Go on."

"Well, I eventually got mine in candy-making. I still run the store I got it in, and Lyra shares a room with me,"

"Go on,"

"I guess my dad never got over the fact that I never became an architect. He never really took mom's job seriously, and I think he secretly hated the fact that I followed in her hoofsteps,"

"And do you think he still harbors these emotions?"

It was then that Rarity realized what Reaper was doing, before even he did himself. He was psychoanalyzing her! Rarity didn't know why Reaper had taken it upon himself to do this, but that didn't matter.

"Well, I guess so. I haven't talked to either of my parents ever since they moved to Manehatten,"

"And how long ago was that?"

"Six years ago. They left me here when I was fifteen. I guess they thought that I was mature enough to handle myself,"

"And do you ever feel like they abandoned you?"

"Well, I don't think my mom would have done something like that,"

"But your father?"

Bon-bon hesitated. "Well, maybe," she said slowly.

Reaper nodded, saying "I've determined the source of your problem,"

"You have?"

"Yes. It's actually rather clear now,"

"Then what is it?" Lyra asked, her patience being tried.

"Must I spell it out for you ponies? Clearly, Bon-bon still feels hurt by the possibility that her father abandoned her. Emotions that you had pressed down are now resurging at unpredictable intervals, causing you to feel depression. Duh,"

This, however, did not satisfy Bon-bon. "That's nice to know, but how do I fix this?"

Reaper was admittedly lost for the answer to that. He decided to just make something up to satisfy the mare. "Well, do you like your current life?"

"Yes, I wouldn't give it up for the world!"

"Then screw your father. What does he know?"

Bon-bon was surprised how simple the answer was. But this changeling was right. Screw her dad! It was her life and she was going to live it the way she wanted to!

"Thanks Mr. Reaper! You've helped me more than you can possibly imagine!"

Reaper merely grumbled something along the lines of "Your welcome," but it was too quiet for anypony to be certain. "Wait," Lyra suddenly said, "Something's been bothering me recently too,"

Reaper's left eye twitched. "And that would be?" he asked. Supid ponies with their stupid problems. Why couldn't they just figure it out themselves?

"Well, I also have these weird feelings around certain ponies. I can't really describe it, but-"

"Your homosexual," Reaper interrupted.

There was an awkward silence in the room, all three mares shocked at how matter-of-factly Reaper had said those words. Lyra was the first to speak. "Hey! You're right! I'm homosexual! I'm a filly-fooler!" Reaper merely grinned smugly. 'Thank you sixth sense for sparing me any trouble,' he thought. "Thank you so much for showing me this! I guess I should get right to it!"

Reaper didn't know what Lyra was referring to, but he didn't want to. Now it was Rarity's turn to speak up, having remained silent throughout nearly the whole conersation. "Girls, what did you come in here for again?"

Lyra and Bon-bon looked at each other in confusion. "I don't remember," Bon-bon said. "Huh, guess we got carried away,"

"Well, thanks for stopping by anyway," Rarity replied.

Lyra and Bon-bon left, thanking Reaper again for his help, to which he grunted in response. Rarity then chose to address Reaper over what had happened. "That was a very kind service you made for those two," she said.

Reaper snorted. "You didn't have to put up with the combined stench of their emotions,"

Rarity wasn't sure how to take that, so she just continued on. "All the same, you were very good at what you did. I think you should go on to be a psychiatrist,"

"A psychiatrist? Me? As if. Besides, shouldn't my hat be done by now?"

Rarity looked down at her work. The hat was finished, but Reaper needn't know that. She planned to stall him further, when she was suddenly startled by a tapping noise from her window. She turned to see Sputnik, Spike, and Lightning Hawk standing outside. "Just a moment," she told Reaper, "I have to use the ladies' room,"

Rarity opened the window. "What do you want? I'm in the middle of something!" she said in a hushed tone.

"We need help with something, and you're the only pony we know that might be able to help," Spike said.

"Well then? Spit it out!"

Lightning gulped. "Well, you see, there's this mare-"

"Say no more, dear, I'll tell you exactly what to do," Rarity interrupted.

"Really?"

"Yes, it's quite simple really. All you have to do is be yourself!"

"That's what I said," Spike piped up.

"Ignore him," Lightning said. "So that's all?"

"Yes, dear, it's that simple!" Rarity then turned her attention to Sputnik. "Hey, aren't you Reaper's robot?"

"Mmmhmmm," he replied in a stupid tone.

"Then come closer, I need you to do something for me,"

Rarity leaned out the window, and began to whisper into Sputnik's ear. He would periodically go "uh-huh" every once in a while, signifying that he was paying attention. When she was done, Rarity leaned back in and said, "Now be quick, this is your most important assignment ever!" Sputnik took off running to fulfill his duty, leaving Spike and Lightning Hawk in the dust.

"Well, thanks for the help," Lightning said, before leaving.

Rarity returned to find Reaper tapping his hoof impatiently. "Well? Is it almost finished?" he asked.

"Your hat is ready,"

Reaper snatched the hat from her hooves and began to kiss it as if it were his own child. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" he said.

"Not a problem dear. Now, are you sure you don't want to be a psychiatrist?"

"Positive," Reaper replied without looking up from his hat.

Rarity sighed. "Very well dear. I hope you have a good day!" But Reaper was already gone.

Rarity closed the door Reaper had left open, chuckling to herself. She could already picture his face when he found her little 'surprise.'

* * * * * * * * * * *

As Reaper trotted up to his house, he found Rarity's surprise. Above his front door was a sign that said, written in bold red letters, "Reaper's Seyekiatry." Sputnik stood at the door, putting up an open/closed sign, when he noticed his master. "Hi Boss! Do ya like it?"

Reaper merely hissed. "Rarity...." Whatever. Fine. She won. He would take this stupid job, and help the stupid ponies with their stupid lives and their stupid problems. It wasn't like he had any more money to live off of anyway. Maybe something good would come from this after all.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared. "Hi Reaper," she said softly, trying not to anger him.

"Hello, Pinkie," he replied flatly.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked timidly. Fluttershy would have been proud had she not been inebriated far away.

Reaper paused for a moment, considering Pinkie's question. "Well, I suppose it was just an accident...."

Pinkie squeeled in joy, before boucing away happily. Reaper had to admit that the sight made him feel better, for whatever reason.

Reaper looked up at Sputnik's sign once again. "Come, Sputnik. We have work to do," And with that he went inside.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Boy, things had really escalated quickly. To Willus, it seemed like they had gotten out of hoof incredibly fast. He tried to remember how this had all started.

He was able to trace it back to right after the critters had finished the obstacle course. The placings were - The ferret in first, the squirrel in second, the bunny in third, and the one-winged sparrow at a pitiful fourth. The ferret had seemed to be gloating about his victory to the other three animals. Fluttershy had downed her tenth cup. The ferret then hopped on Willus' back. The weight was annoying, but Willus was sure he'd get used to it. That's when things got weird.

Fluttershy started to mumble something about "Not right," and "Unfair." Willus wasn't too sure what she had said exactly, but whatever it was it seemed to fuel her anger. Suddenly a pig appeared. Willus assumed it had followed them from Fluttershy's cottage, but that hardly mattered. Fluttershy suddenly hoisted the pig over her head and shouted, "Bring me your virgins!" at the top of her lungs. The pig, squeeling in absolute horror, was then thrown violently in Willus' direction. Luckily, Fluttershy was far too drunk to aim properly and the pig was sent flying into the distance to interrupt somepony else's adventure.

And so began what he wished he could describe as an epic battle, but was really more of a cowardly-fleeing-type situation. Drunkenshy was clearly not in a good mood, although Willus had no idea why. Was this really the timid mare he had met the day before? Oh, if only Applejack were here, she would know what to do. As Willus dodged a large rock hurled at him, he turned to the previously competing animals, which were now hiding behind a tree. "Can't you guys do something?" he shouted.

The first to react was the ferret. Perhaps cocky because of his victory, he simply charged Drunkenshy head-on. Bad Idea. Drunkenshy lifted the little ferret and let out a fierce battle cry. The poor little creature was absolutely horrified. Drunkenshy then threw the ferret behind her as if he were a piece of garbage. "Who challenges me next?" she shouted.

The next challenger happened to be the squirrel. Unlike the ferret, the second-placer was not so eager to fight. The squirrel reluctantly climbed a tree, before lobbing an acorn at Drunkenshy. The nut bounced off of her head with a conk-ing sound. Drunkenshy's eyes nearly turned red with pure rage. "Oh no you didn't!" Drunkenshy then slammed her body headfirst into the tree, breaking it in two. The squirrel ran away.

"Cowards!" Willus shouted at the now departed animals, while hypocritically hiding behind a bush. He turned to the rabbit. "Looks like it's your turn," he said. The rabbit gulped loudly before hopping off to face its inebriated mistress. It stood before Drunkenshy, who then gave it The Stare. Dear, sweet, Celestia. That Stare. That all-encompassing, univers-shattering Stare! Its awe and horror caused the rabbit to collapse and have a seizure. Drunkenshy laughed maniacally.

Willus was beginning to panic. He turned to his last hope, Terrence the one-winged sparrow. Yeah, he was doomed. "Well," he said shakily, "You're all that's left! G-Go get 'em!" The little bird chirped in determination, saluting with his single wing. He then hopped off to meet his destiny.

Dunkenshy looked down at the bird. "Ha! You dare face me?" she shouted. The sparrow was unperturbed. As she brought a hoof down to deal a swift and crippling blow, the bird darted to the left, dodging the attack. He then hopped left, then right, then up, landing on Drunkenshy's back. He then proceeded to pinch her at the base of the neck with his small talons. The mare let out a gasp of shock, her eyes rolling over as she slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Willus let out a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. The bird hopped off of Fluttershy's unoncsious body, and looked up a Willus hopefully. "You did good," Willus said, not trying to get the bird's hopes up. After all, he didn't win the obstacle course, did he? But Willus felt bad. All the other critters had failed him when it really mattered, but this one hadn't. Maybe there was something to him after all. "Say, Terrence, right?" The sparrow chirped affirmatively. "How would you like to be my pet?"

The little bird hopped for joy. "That's great!" Willus said, lifting Fluttershy with his magic. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship!" Willus walked off into the sunset, with his new pet hitching a ride on his back.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Fluttershy would not wake up until the next morning. When she did, she would have a splitting headache and no memory of what had happened. She vowed never to drink alcohol ever again. She broke that vow a few hours later.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning Hawk was at a loss for what to do. After Sputnik had ditched them to go whatever it was he left to go do, Lightning and Spike had returned to the library to see if they could find any books that would help the golden pegasus in his romantic plight. None had proven useful. Lightning let out a groan of annoyance.

"What am I going to do?" he said. Spike lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Well, there's the tried and true 'Fake-Your-Death' method, but we'd need that chainsaw again. And a shed. And ketchup,"

Lightning didn't even bother asking what he meant by that. "Do you think Rarity was right?" he asked. "Should I just be myself and hope that works?"

Spike was silent for a little while. "I think that only you know the answer to that," he replied eventually. "Nopony can win her over for you, so in the end, it's up to you to decide how you want to do that,"

Lightning nodded. "It's been a long day," he said. "I think I'll head home and think this over,"

As Lightning got up and opened the door, he found himself walking into Twilight Sparkle. Both bounced off of each other and landed flank-first on the ground. "Oh, hi Lightning! Sorry I was out all day, did you need something?"

Once again, Lightning felt himself be hypnotised by her huge, gorgeous eyes. "Uhh...."

"Cat got your tongue?"

"No! I mean, yes! Wait, what? I mean, I did need something, but Spike already helped me with that," Spike waved in the background.

"Oh, well that's nice," Twilight replied. "How is your new home? Did the book help?"

"Yeah, yeah, it helped a lot," Lightning said, slowly creeping his way around Twilight and out hte door. "Look, I hate to end the conversation so abruptly, but I really have to go,"

"Oh, that's okay. Go on ahead now!" Lightning flew away, breathing a sigh of relief for not screwing anything up.

Once he was out of sight, Twlight closed the door, leaving her alone with Spike. "So how did it go?" he asked.

Twilight sighed. "Princess Celestia gave me some very frustrating information. She told me some stuff, but I'm not sure what it means,"

"What did she say?"

"She said that something big was coming, and that I needed to be prepared to do what was neccesarry. It was really weird, like she was holding something back from me. I had never seen her that sad before. It was almost as if she were........afraid,"

"Afraid? What could possibly scare Princess Celestia?"

Twililght paused as she considered the question.

"I don't know, Spike. And I don't think I want to find out,"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock sat at his dining table, munching on a bowl of cereal. He stared straight ahead, focused entirely on the flavor of his breakfast. Suddenly, knocking on his door broke him out of his food-induced stupor. "Who could that be?" he asked himself.

Shamrock opened the door to reveal Derpy. "Hey Shamrock! I was doing my rounds, but I just happened to finish right next to your house! So I thought I'd pay you a visit. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not! Come in, please,"

Derpy walked inside, and left her empty mailbag by the door. "So how are things with you?" she asked, taking a seat opposite from where Shamrock was once again eating.

"Fine. How's Dinky?"

Derpy smiled. "She's fine. She takes school very seriously. I say a little too seriously," Both chuckled.

"You know, I hope you don't mind my asking," Shamrock said, "But who's her.....you know...."

"Father?"

Shamrock nodded, and Derpy sighed. "He was such a great colt. He didn't care about how clumsy I was, or how my eyes looked. He used to always say I had the best eyes. But then he got some horrible disease. He knew he wouldn't make it. He made sure to spend his last moments with me and Dinky count. She was just a foal then. He....he....passed not long after," Derpy's eyes began to water.

"I understand. You don't have to say more," Shamrock said.

"You know, it's funny. Last night, I was talking to Dinky, and she said she hoped her dad was like you,"

There was a pause, as Shamrock processed the information.

"What about you?" Derpy asked. "What's your story?"

Shamrock then became uncomfortable. "Are you sure you want to know? Derpy, there are things I've done......things I'm not proud of......things nopony should have to do....Are you sure?"

Derpy's curiosity was only piqued. "Yes, I'm sure,"

Shamrock took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll tell you my story. But you may not be so enthusiastic by the end of it,"

* * * * * * * * *

Shamrock was born to a normal family in Manehatten. His family was fairly normal, and he lived a normal life. He attended a normal school. He had normal friends. Well, that part was a lie. They were much better than normal. As a matter of fact, they were pretty much Shamrock's whole life. He was quite the popular colt growing up. In total, he had seventeen friends. This, combined with his exceptional good luck, resulted in his cutie mark - a four leaf clover with a 17 in the center.

All was fine for Shamrock until he left for college. He attended college in Canterlot, and graduated as a stellar student. Happy to have acquired such prestige, he returned home expecting praise. But what he found was nowhere near what he had hoped for. Upon returning home, he found that his friends were not the same ponies they were before. They had all changed, for the worse. Even his parents were hostile and snooty now, and he had no idea why.

Shamrock's life had been turned on its head. For as long as he could remember, he had been entirely dependent on his friends, and now they had rejected him. What was he to do?

What he was to do would change his life forever. Shamrock decided that Equestria was no longer the place for him. He looked to the north, and saw hope in the land of the minotaurs. He had graduated with flying colors, and he knew how to work in the city. Surely nothing could go amiss if he were to immigrate, right?

Wrong. The minotaur kingdom of Minos was in tough times. An economic depression as ravaging the country, and prejudice against other races was not helping to fix the problems. The bulls in charge were both too arrogant and too blind to see that help would only come from foreign influence. Times were hard enough if you were a minotaur, but if you were a pony?

Life was hell.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The first time Shamrock killed to eat was when he was 20. It was the middle of the Minosan winter. This far north, the cold was absolutely brutal. Shamrock was on the streets, penniless and begging for food. Few were willing to give their hard-earned bread to an outsider. As the blizzard raged on, the green colt took refuge next to a blazing trash can. He tried in vain to warm his hooves, when he spotted a clearly wealthy bull walking through the alley. He wore a luxurious, warm-looking cape, and carried with him a loaf of bread.

Shamrock felt his mouth water, his coat tingle in anticipation of the apparent warmth. The bull gave him a slight glance, before moving on his way. "Another hobo," he muttered. "Damn immigrants,"

Shamrock felt a growing rage inside of him. Who was this bull to judge him? He was poor, put in this place by bad chance and choices. This bull knew nothing. He felt himself get up, and begin walking towards the bull from behind. The bull never saw it coming.

Shamrock hit him in the back of the head. Hard. The minotaur was knocked unconscious instantly. But Shamrock's rage soon got the better of him. He pounded into the bull's head over and over and over, until a pool of red blood stained the snow. Shamrock looked down, shocked at what he had done. How could he have done this? He began to hyperventilate, fearing that someone had seen him. He looked around in a panic, but saw no one.

Shamrock returned to the corpse at his hooves. This ws absolutely horrible. He had killed in cold blood, quite literally given the temperture. But, that cloak did look very warm, and that bread was still edible. Shamrock forced the meager meal into his mouth. With a final glace around, he ran. And never looked back.

* * * * * * * * *

Shamrock was tortured by that first murder for his whole life. Never again would he be able to sleep soundly. Not that he slept much those days.

Shamrock became a master thief. He had decided quickly that murder was not the way to go. He only wished to return to Equestria, but for that he needed money. And so began a long month of avoiding law enforcement as he tiptoed into the homes of the wealthy at night. He got very, very good at it. He got off without a hitch every time. He became well known as the thief who struck in the night, and the police were always after him. And when they figured out that he had killed the nobleman bull, it got even worse. But still, there were never any problems. Except that one night. That one final night.

Shamrock had already collected all the money he would need to leave, minus a small, insignificant amount. It was hardly anything, equivalent to about five bits. All he needed was to pull off one last heist, and he was homefree.

It went badly. The police were waiting for him, as his reputation had grown significantly in the time he had been doing this. He got the money he needed, and ran. He evaded the cops for as long as he could. He bought his ticket to Equestria, and boarded the train. The head officer arrived just as the train was leaving.

"I swear," he shouted, "On the blood of my father, on the blood of my sons, I will find you, Shamrock!"

* * * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock arrived in a small village in Equestria, and immediately set out on his own. For a week or two he wandered, until one day when he came upon something that would change his life yet again.

As he wandered through the forest, he thought he heard a young filly scream. He was a little unnerved, but decided it was just a figment of his imagination, and continued on his way. Then it came again, louder this time, and more urgent. This time, Shamrock was sure it was real. Shamrock rushed to the source of the voice.

What he found shocked him as much as it angered him. A little filly, with a gold coat and a dark blue mane, was hiding under a log. Attacking her, trying to shake her from her hiding place, was an ursa minor. The great blue star bear was evidently upset that its current meal was so difficult to acquire. "Help!" The young filly kept shouting, causing the ursa to roar in annoyance.

Shamrock couldn't believe it. Of all things for an ursa minor to attack, it chose a filly? That didn't even make sense. And that made him angry. With a mighty battle cry, he charged the ursa.

The battle was brief. The ursa minor was inexperienced, and relied too much on intimidation. It was no match for the combination of Shamrock's skill and luck. The ursa exploded in a classic ursa death mere moments after engaging Shamrock. With the predator defeated, he returned his attention to the filly. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Mmhmm," she whimpered.

"What were you doing all the way out here?"

"Lost," she mumbled.

"Do you have any parents?"

The filly shook her head.

Shamrock was at a loss for what to do. Clearly this filly was out on her own, and had no one to care for her. She seemed so innocent, yet so tragic. He assumed that her parents must have died, probably recently, but he wasn't sure. He was almost surprised at how little that bothered him. But Death didn't bother him any more. He was numb to Death. In this filly, he saw a chance at redemption. He had done things that nopony should ever have to do, and he wanted to make up for it. Perhaps by adopting this filly, he somehow could.

He took the filly under his wing, and named her Sapphie, for her dark blue mane. She claimed to not have a name, and if she ever ahd one she didn't remember it. The pair of them lived happily for a long time. He built a shack in the woods, a humble home. They lived out their lives, happy to be away from the rest of reality. But, as was a continuing theme with Shamrock, that was not to last.

One day, everything was fine. The birds were singing. The sun was shining. The ground was shaking. Wait, that's not supposed to happen. Shamrock rushed outside of his humble abode to see a sight that would cause most to soil themselves. Sapphire had been playing outside, chasing butterflies. Now she lay dead, reduced to a bloody pulp, at the claws of an ursa major. On that day, Shamrock learned that ursas not only had a sense of justice, but more importantly of revenge. And that had led this ursa, mother of the ursa he had killed, to kill his adoptive daughter.

The battle that ensued was long and exhausting. This ursa was no fool, and knew very well how to fight. Shamrock was nothing to it, even with his astonishing luck. On that day he learned how to perform his Lucky Charm spell, using it on himself. In the end, that won him the battle, but he had suffered heavy blood loss, and at least three of his bones were broken.

Shamrock collapsed on the ground, wishing to be dead.

* * * * * * * * *

But fate would have none of that, and in the end, Shamrock was to live. Not only that, but Shamrock was changed. The initial Lucky CHarm spell he had performed on himself had an unitentional side-effect: He could no longer kill. Something that didn't seem so bad, except for one thing. He only wished to kill himself.

With nothing left to accomplish, Shamrock gave up, and moved to nearby town by the name of Ponyville. There, he tried to have a noral life. But that was hard, bogged down with the weight of his past. So he decdided to give it all up - to act as though the pst had never happened. It was no small feat, but he managed.

And then the other ursa attacked Ponyville. Now, his life was changing again, and he didn't know how to respond. And now, for the first time, his fate would lie in the hooves of others.

* * * * * * * * *

And so Shamrock concluded his story, both the good and the bad. He took a deep breath, and waited for Derpy to respond. He waited. And waited. And waited some more. "Well? Aren't you going to tell me I'm a horrible pony, and I should never have done those things?" He finally asked, his patience run out.

"No. I'm not," Derpy said simply. This caught Shamrock completely off-guard.

"You're not? Why?"

"Because you did what you had to do. Nopony can judge you, and nopony should judge you. What you did wasn't particularly good, but you had no choice. And I understand that," she said sagely.

Shamrock was pleasantly surprised at her understanding. "Thank you, Derpy," he said. "Most ponies wouldn't react like you would,"

Derpy smiled warmly. "I'm not Most Ponies," she said simply.

Derpy stayed with Shamrock until he finished his breakfast, before returning home. In all his years, Shamrock was never more glad to have a friend.

* * * * * * * * * *

Reaper awoke to the sound of urgent knocking on his door. He groaned, and looked at his clock. 5:34 in the morning. The knocking came again. This had better be worth it.

Reaper got up and slowly walked towards his door. He thought he smelled something again, but found this to simply be Sputnik cooking. It was too early for Reaper to realize what a horribly dangerous thing that was. He opened the door, revealing Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

"What do you want? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Reaper asked angrily.

"We hate to disturb you, Mr. Reaper," Mr. Cake said warily. "But there's something we want to ask you, and we needed to be pretty early for this to go unnoticed,"

"And why does it matter if it's noticed?"

"If all goes well, it won't," Mrs. Cake interjected.

Reaper hissed softly. "You have my attention," he said.

"Well, here's the thing. We have two foals, which are quickly growing up. You know about that, right?"

Reaper nodded.

"Well, since they're growing up so fast, we realized that they would need to be seperated, and given seperate rooms. We can't do that right now, though, because Pinkie is living with us. Do you follow?"

Reaper nodded.

"Here's where you come in. We were wondering if, maybe, if you don't mind, Pinkie could move in with you? She'd still have her job at Sugarcube corner, and she's great around the house. We just need more room than we can possibly have with her around, y'know?" Mr. Cake concluded.

Reaper thought for a moment. He took a deep breath, before saying, "No,"

"But-"

Mr. Cake was interrupted by the slamming of Reaper's door.

Reaper sighed, before hearing Sputnik's high-pitched voice. "Guess who made waffles!" he shouted, causing the changeling to wince.

"Well, I'm already up. I may as well have some breakfast," he reasoned.

He sat down at the table, and began to unhesitatingly stuff his face with food. Bad idea. Reaper nearly choked as he coughed out the horrid pastry. "These are horrible! How did you make these?"

"They've gots peanutes and soap in 'em!" Sputnik replied cheerily.

"These are the worst things I've ever had the displeasure of tasting. Pinkie Pie's were so much-" Reaper stopped mid-sentence. He then rushed to the door, to find the Cakes had not gone far. "Wait!" he shouted, as he ran to them.

"I've changed my mind," he said between short breaths, panting.

The Cakes looked at each other and smiled.

* * * * * * * *

"Well, Sputnik, it looks like we're gonna have a new roommate now," Reaper said. "I'm going down to the study to make some precautions. When our new guest arrives, see to it she doesn't destroy anything,"

Sputnik saluted to his master as he walked away. Neither Reaper nor the robot noticed, but Sputnik's normally light blue eyes flashed red.

Chapter 9 - Adventures Part IV

Chapter 9

Adventures Part IV

Octavia and Vinyl Scratch(or DJ PON3) were the best of friends. They were roomates, and even if they didn't see eye-to-eye musically speaking, that didn't stop them from looking out for each other. That said, this didn't mean that they never had a few arguments. And on this day, theirs had gotten pretty heated.

"I'm telling you, Tavi, dubstep is SO much better than classical music," Vinyl said.

Octavia rolled her eyes. "Maybe in another dimension. Besides, I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

Vinyl smirked. "Tavi. Tavi. Tavi. Tavi. Tavi," She didn't stop, causing Octavia to growl.

"Real mature," she said. "Either way, your wrong. Classical music has far more elegance than your conglomeration of sound could ever have,"

That made Vinyl stop. "At least my music is way easier to play than yours!"

"So?"

"I'm just sayin. If classical weren't so hard to play, maybe more ponies would like it. Actually, nah," she said, dismissing the thought as impossible.

Octavia now felt a little offended. "Maybe it's that difficulty that draws ponies to it," she replied. "Did you ever think of that?"

Vinyl merely shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't think many ponies would be that interested in old, stuffy music,"

Now Octavia was very offended. "I'll have you know that this 'Old, stuffy music,' is far more refined than anything you could create. Besides, if nopony liked it, then how is it still around?"

Unfortunately for Octavia, Vinyl had yet to drink her morning coffee. This meant that she was in a more easily agitated mood than usual. "Well, all sorts of bad stuff is still around. Justin Beaver, Trot Direction, Rebecca Clop, to name a few,"

Octavia felt her face blush in pure anger. "How DARE you compare my music to the likes of them!" She shouted. VInyl immediately knew she had crossed a line. "Octavia, I'm so sorr-"

"No, Vinyl! That was too far and you know it!"

"But, Tavi, I-"

"Don't 'But, Tavi,' me! I swear, Vinyl, you can be the worst pony sometimes! I mean, first you missed my concert the other day, then you stole my date the day after! And you didn't even do anything with him, you just had a one-night stand!"

"Octavia-"

"I've had it! Honestly, Vinyl, I can't take it anymore!"

Octavia got up, grabbed her cello which happened to be packed next to the door, and opened it.

"Octavia, where are you going?" Vinyl asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"I'm going to see if I can live with my sister. Goodbye, Vinyl,"

And without another word, Ocavia slammed the door and left to find her sibling. Vinyl was left alone. She didn't fight the tears when they came.

* * * * * * * * * *

Willus was having a nice day. He got up in the morning, he had a nice breakfast, and on top of all that, he had his new pet Terrence to cheer him up. But with Willus' luck, a nice day could never last, now could it?

Willus had decided that he would head into town, as he needed to pick up some groceries. Big mistake.

As Willus walked through the town square, he noticed Applejack standing at her booth, selling apples. She looked tired and frustrated, and for a moment, Willus wondered why. The answer made itself clear in the form of three fillies. One was Applejack's younger sister, Applebloom. One was a white unicorn filly, with a lavender and pink mane. The last was an orange pegasus filly with a purple mane. He decided to check on the cowpony and see how she was doing.

"Hey, Applejack! What's up?"

Applejack took notice of Willus with a grunt. "Hey, Willus. Not much,"

"You okay?"

"Ahm fine," she said, clearly not. "It's just, Fluttershy was supposed to take care of these three today, but she darn went and cancelled on me! Poor thing, told me she had a terrible headache,"

Willus shuffled awkwardly, knowing full well why she had it. "That's rather unfortunate," he said, trying to sound polite. And innocent.

"So now, I'm stuck takin care of my li'l sis and her friends, while trying to sell apples no less!"

Willus didn't know why he did what he did next, but he did it anyways. "You know, I'm free pretty much.....always. Why don't you just let me take care of the fillies?" he offered.

Applejack, however, had no desire to subject Willus to such cruel torture. "Are ya sure? They can be kind of a hoof-full sometimes,"

WIllus looked down at the three fillies, who simply smiled benignly. How bad could these innocent little fillies be? "I'm positive, AJ. Besides, I kind of owe you, what with you trying to help me and all,"

Applejack smiled, blushing. "Shucks. Don't mention it," she said.

Applejack then turned to her burden. "Girls, Ahm gonna leave you in Mr. Willus' care now, okay?"

"Okay, sis! No problem!" Applebloom chimed.

Applejack then left, pushing away her cart. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity, as she knew what Willus was up against. Willus, meanwhile, decided it would probably help to learn a bit about his new cargo. "So, what are your names? I know you, Applebloom, but what about you two?" he asked, gesturing to the other two fillies.

The unicorn was the first to reply. "I'm Sweetie Belle," she said. "I'm Rarity's little sister!"

Willus took a mental note. There weren't many things he feared, but the resident fashionista of Ponyville was one of them.

The pegasus spoke up next. "I'm Scootaloo!" she said. "And we're.."

Suddenly, all three spoke in unison. "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" they shouted, nearly destroying WIllus' eardrums.

It was then that Willus discovered his fatal mistake. He had volunteered to take care of fillies. Little fillies. Little fillies who get hopped up on sugar to the point that their brains operate on higher levels of existence, and their super-sensory nerves subject them to a fantasy world that exceeds that of an adult on the most powerful narcotics known to science.

Basically, Willus' day was going to be really weird.

* * * * * * * * * *

Living with Pinkie was like living with a tiger: best accomplished with iron bars seperating it from you. Unfortunately for Reaper, such was not the case. And so, he had to devise a way to keep the mare in line. What he came up with was simple, but it would get the job done. Earlier, he had discussed with the mare the situation.

"Pinkie," he had said, "If you're going to live with me, there need to be some ground rules,"

"Okie-dokie-loki!"

"Rule 1: Don't go in the study,"

"Uh-huh,"

"Rule 2: Don't go in the study,"

"Isn't that rule 1?"

"Yes. Your point?"

Pinkie didn't know how to respond.

"Exactly. Rule 3: No loud noises in the morning,"

"Uh-huh,"

"Rule 4: No parties at the house. Have them somewhere else,"

Pinkie then loudly went, "Awwww!"

Reaper flinched. It was still only nine-o'clock, and he had woken up early. "Rule 3?"

Pinkie groaned. "Fine. Anything else?"

"Just one. Rule 5: Don't go in the study,"

Pinkie rolled her eyes.

That had not been long ago. Since then, Pinkie had made herself comfortable in her new room. It was lucky that Reaper happened to have a bedroom he wasn't using, and Pinkie seemed to enjoy it. Of course, some changes had to be made. According to Pinkie, Reaper's house was - how did she put it? - "Boring." Reaper had no idea what she meant by that? True, his house lacked any evident decoration beyond what was absolutely necessarry, but so what? He didn't bother trying to stop her redecoration spree, however. If he was going to be a psychiatrist now, he would need to ensure that the ponies he treated were as comfortable as possible.

Suddenly, Reaper heard a knocking at his door. In the name of the queen, the ponies just couldn't get enough of him this morning, could they? He opened the door to reveal the most blandly-colored mare he had seen in his life. "Can I help you?" he asked.

The mare looked slighly intimidated. "I'm so sorry to bother you, sir, but is Pinkie Pie here? I went to Sugar Cube Corner, but the cakes told me she moved here,"

Reaper scowled. Was this going to become a common occurence now that the pink mare lived with him? He hoped not. "Pinkie!" he called. "Somepony's wants to see you!"

Pinkie appeared next to Reaper in a physics-breaking flash, suddenly embracing the other mare.

"Tavi! It's been so long, sis!" she exclaimed.

Reaper's eye twitched. "Sis?" he asked. "As in sister?"

Pinkie and the other mare nodded, and Reaper's mind exploded. There were two of them? One was enough, how could he possibly handle two?

"Come in!" Pinkie chimed, closing the door behind the other mare.

"I should probably introduced myself," she said. "I'm Octavia, resident classical musician of Ponyville, and Pinkie's little sister," she said with the utmost poise and elegance. Reaper responded with gibberish, as his mind worked furiously to comprehend the possibility of Pinkie having siblings. "Please tell me there aren't more of you," he said to Pinkie.

"Oh, no! There's five of us total. Me, Blinky, Inky, Tavi, and Clyde! But we don't talk about Clyde," she finished with a shudder.

Reaper sat down, eyes wide with disbelief. Pinkie and Octavia continued their conversation.

"So, Tavi, how ya been? We haven't seen each other in so long, tell me everything!"

Octavia suddenly became downcast. "That's what I came her for," she said.

"What happened?"

"Vinyl and I got in a really bad fight. I left, and now I don't have a place to stay. So that's why I'm here. You don't think I could stay here for a while, do you? Just until I get back on my hooves, I wouldn't want to impose,"

Reaper's head shot up. Live her? With him? No! He had too many residents in his home as it was! He cleared his throat loudly to get their attention.

"Well, I don't have a problem with it, but this isn't my house," Pinkie said, looking at Reaper.

Octavia now tried to convince him. "Can I please stay with you, sir? I promise I won't be a problem, I just need somewhere to sleep!"

Reaper was annoyed. There was no way he would ever let her live here. She would simply have to find lodging elsewhere. Actually, Reaper suddenly got an idea. He was a psychiatrist now, wasn't he? Perhaps if he simply helped her solve her problem, then she could go back to her home, and leave him alone! It was a win-win situation! Reaper grinned like an eagle that had spotted a mouse. Of course, his services weren't exactly cheap....

"Perhaps there is another solution...."

* * * * * * * * *

Derpy had decided to visit her friend Vinyl Scratch that day. The reason for this was that, after her visit with Shamrock, she couldn't help but feel the need to reconnect with all of her old friends. And foremost of thsoe was Vinyl.

Vinyl had always been kind to Derpy as a filly, not like the bullies at their school. Vinyl always stood up for her, and Derpy decided that it was high time to return the favor. But Derpy did not expect to hear the sound of sobbing from behind Vinyl's door when she actually arrived. Derpy let herself in, worried for her friend. "Vinyl?" she called.

Vinyl was sitting at the table, her violet sunglasses folded beside her. She was crying her eyes out into her hooves, and didn't seem to notice Derpy's entrance.

"Vinyl?" she repeated. The DJ looked up this time, her eyes stained from the tears.

"Derpy?" She asked. "Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Who else?" Derpy said with a smile, trying to cheer her friend up.

Vinyl smiled a bit, but it didn't last long.

"What happened?" Derpy asked.

Vinyl told her everything. She told of what had happened before, and how she had gotten into a fight with Octavia that morning. She told of how Octavia had left to live with her sister, and how horrible she felt.

"Derpy, what am I going to do?" she asked.

Derpy didn't know. Suddenly, she got an idea.

"Vinyl, I'll be right back!" she said.

"Where are you going?"

Derpy stopped briefly before walking out the door.

"To a friend," she said.

* * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock opened the door when he heard it knock, and wasn't surprised to see Derpy at all.

"I need your help," she said.

* * * * * * * * * *

Willus didn't know how much more he could take. These fillies just didn't know when to shut up. It was driving him insane! And with him, that was quite a feat. Applejack was right - they were more than a hoof-full. He should have listened to her, then he wouldn't be in this mess. He groaned as they arrived at his bookstore.

Terrence chirped as the door opened, and hopped off to greet his master. Willus took his post behind the desk, and began to read a book. "Do whatever you want," he said disinterestedly to the fillies.

No other words could have made Applebloom happier. She grinned mischievously, before turning to here friends. "Come on, girls!" she said, "Let's see if we can find any books that'll help us get our cutie marks!"

"Wait, didn't we already try that at Twilight's?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo groaned. "Sweetie Belle, not every place that has books is gonna have the same ones!"

Sweetie Belle blushed, feeling stupid. "Oh, right,"

Applebloom tried to make her feel better. "Don't worry, Sweetie! We'll find something here, Ahm sure!"

"Yeah! Maybe we'll even get book-keeping cutie marks!"

Sweetie Belle grinned with newfound excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go look!"

Meanwhile, Willus was starting to have a nervous breakdown. He had experienced these many times before, and he could tell that it was barely starting. It was in its infancy, and had started only as doubt. Doubt in the self-restraint of these fillies. Doubt that they would be able to control themselves around his books. His books. His precious books. What horrible things might they do if he didn't pay attention? He began to observe the fillies carefully.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a hard time finding what they were searching for. Every book on cutie marks was frustratingly vague - saying things like, "A pony gets their cutie mark when they're ready," or, "A pony cannot rush getting a cutie mark." It was really quite annoying.

Applebloom groaned. "None of these books are helpful!" she exclaimed.

Sweetie Belle closed the book she was reading. "Well, I found something for Scootaloo," she said.

Scootaloo suddenly perked up. "Really? Lemme see!"

Sweeite Belle showed her the cover. It was titled, "The Farmer's Guide to Proper Chicken Breeding." Applebloom laughed, while Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "That joke stopped being funny a long time ago!"

Sweetie chuckled. "That's what you think!"

Willus continued to watch as his paranoia began to set in. Terrence chirped in concern, but the unicorn colt ignored him, too deep in his thoughts to notice. What were those fillies doing? Was it dangerous? It looked dangerous. For the books, of course. Had it not been for Applejack, Willus would have hardly cared about these three nuisances. Scootaloo slammed a book shut with a groan. There! Right there! That was definite proof they couldn't be trusted, right? Willus' eye twitched, and Terrence chirped again.

Sweetie Belle began to notice Willus' strange glares. "Girls, do you think we should be worried about him?"

Applebloom and Scootaloo gave him a glance, before returning to their books. "Nah," they said in unison.

"Would Applejack have let him watch us if she didn't trust'im?" Applebloom added.

Sweetie Belle shrugged, before continuing the search for a book.

Willlus' paranoia was beginning to reach its climax, but he didn't notice. These three fillies were a problem. A big problem. Had they no respect for books? Clearly that must be the case. If they had no respect for books, then something had to be done, right? He couldn't have them continue being a threat, now could he?

Willus was snapped out of his psychopathic thoughts by Terrence, who now was pecking at Willus' idle left hoof. Willus shook his head, suddenly realising the horrible things he almost did. "Thanks, Terrence," he said to the bird, who merely chirped happily. The unicorn sighed in relief, thinking the worst was over.

He had no idea how wrong he was.

* * * * * * * * *

If there was one thing Reaper hated(although there were many, many more), it was ponies who couldn't figure out their own emotions. This may seem unfair, and Reaper did make exceptions for cases of love, hate, etc. But it was inability to make the simple decision of being angry ot not that truly agravated him. So it should be no surprised that his latest "patient," was causing him great amounts of stress.

"Let's try this again," Reaper said. "Why exactly do you think Vinyl would have done all of these things that led to where you are now?"

Octavia lay in a big reclined chair, staring at the ceiling. Reaper sat next to her, leaning forward with fake interest in his wooden seat. Pinkie had left by now, off to help at Sugar Cube Corner, no doubt. "Well, Vinyl's always been...headstrong. She doesn't think things through before she does them,"

"And does that annoy you?"

"Well, yes it annoys me! It always has! I'm sure it was only a matter of time before something like this happened, and here we are!"

Octavia's stubborn attitude was not good. If Reaper had any hope of keeping her out of his house, he had to ensure that she would forgive her friend. At this rate, it would take all day to get her to change her mind. That was time Reaper simply did not have, so he would have to attempt something more direct.

"But don't you think you would be used to this by now? After all, you've lived with this mare for how long?"

"Three years,"

"Three years. So you mean to tell me that for three years, you have been able to put up with her. What makes now so different?"

Octavia didn't say anything for awhile.

"It does sound silly, doesn't it?" Reaper continued.

"Well, when you put it like that," Octavia replied.

The ex-general grinned. He had her right where he wanted her. "See? Clearly, Vinyl has every reason for you to forgive her. Sure, she said some bad things, but aren't you the bigger mare?"

"I am,"

"Are you really going to let something small like this ruin a friendship of three years?"

"I..."

"Are you?"

"I...."

Reaper leaned in closely to Octavia, his squinted eyes and disapproving scowl providing a very intimidating image. "Answer the question," he said flatly.

Octavia began to feel uncomfortable. She sighed. "No," she finally said with a tone of defeat.

Reaper sat back in his chair, content with his victory.

"See?" he said. "Isn't it better to just forgive her? Besides, I'm sure she feels pretty awful right now,"

Octavia's eyes widened. "Oh, Celestia, what have I done?" she exclaimed, before grabbing her things and running out the door. "Thank you for the help, Mr. Reaper, but I need to go fix this!" And with that she left.

Reaper was left dumbstruck in his chair.

"You forgot to pay!" he called out, but Octavia was already out of earshot.

Reaper grumbled. "Nevermind....," He said sadly.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Little did Reaper and Octavia know, but Shamrock, too, was trying to help somepony. Derpy had explained to him the situation with Vinyl, and he had agreed to help Derpy help her. Any friend of Derpy's was a friend of his. So when he arrived at Vinyl's house, he was ready and willing to help.

"Vinyl," he said, as the three each drank from cups of coffee. "Could you please explain to me why you did what you did?"

Vinyl sighed. "I dunno. I guess I just thought it would be funny. I must've gotten carried away. I didn't mean for things to get so out of hoof,"

Shamrock in no way approved of what happened, but he did not judge Vinyl for what she did. However, he knew that this would not be an easy thing to make Octavia forgive.

"Do you think there is anything we could do to make Octavia forgive you?"

Vinyl shrugged. "She seemed pretty upset in the morning. I don't think there's much that I could do,"

Shamrock thought deeply. How were they going to get out of this? Suddenly, an idea came to him. "Vinyl, friendship is all about give and take, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so,"

"So, if you really want to make Octavia forgive you, you have to do something that shows how much you really care,"

"Like what?"

Shamrock leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Vinyl's eyes widened behind her shades. "No. No way! There's a reason I don't do that kind of stuff!"

"Come on, Vinyl! This is what you need to do, I'm sure of it!"

"No! I mean, I don't even know how!"

"We'll figure it out. It can't be that hard can it?"

Derpy was lost as to what was going on. "Wait a minute, what did you suggest, Shamrock?"

The two unicorns looked at each other, before Shamrock addressed Derpy.

"I thought that it might be a good idea if Vinyl tried playing some classical music," he said tentatively.

Derpy stifled a giggle, before struggling to contain her laughter. She failed. As the grey pegasus rolled on the floor, laughing her plot off, Vinyl Scratch seethed. "See? Even Derpy knows that I can't do it! It's just impossible!"

Shamrock was not one to be dissuaded so easily. "Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. You just have to try, Vinyl,"

Vinyl gazed into Shamrock's eyes. "Do you really think so?"

"I know so,"

The DJ sighed. "Fine. I'll do it,"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Everything was fine and dandy until the books started talking. For a while, Willus was sure he was imagining things - which he was. But Willus had a vivid imagination, and they had very persuasive voices. Willus probably would have done something stupid, if his natural body systems hadn't taken over. Not sure of how to react to a hallucination, Willus' mind responded in the only way it knew how - by having a seizure.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were alerted to this by Terrence suddenly chirping panicedly. They didn't know exactly how to react at first, considering that their caretaker was having a seizure. As the three fillies surrounded the older colt, they began to discuss their next course of action.

"What should we do, girls?" Sweetie asked.

"Should we help him?" Scootaloo added.

"How?"

"I don't know! Have you ever seen somepony have a seizure?"

Both of the others shook their heads.

"Wait! Ah have an idea!" Applebloom exclaimed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Applebloom finished sucking the last drops from her milkshake. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had already finished, and with a satisfied sigh, Applebloom spoke. "That was good!"

"Applebloom, how was that supposed to help in any way?" Scootaloo asked.

"It wasn't, Ah just wanted a milkshake," Applebloom replied matter-of-factly.

"But seriously, girls, we need to do something!" Sweetie continued, looking down at the unicorn they were supposed to help.

"Well, how do you girls usually deal with problems?" Applebloom asked.

"Usually I ask Rainbow Dash for help," Scootaloo said.

"That's no good, she's in Cloudsdale today!" Sweetie replied.

"Well, what do you do, Miss Dictionary?"

The unicorn filly tapped her chin. "Sing a song about it?"

The disgusted looks her companions gave was answer enough.

"And you, Applebloom? What do you usually do?"

"Usually, I just hit the problem with a hammer til it goes away," she said.

The other two contemplated the idea for a moment. "Well, I think it's our best bet," Scootaloo said. Sweetie nodded in agreement.

Shrugging, Applebloom produced a hammer from her saddlebag. "Here goes nothing," she said.

Willus had never felt a more excruiating pain in all of his life. Over and over, he felt a horrendous banging on his skull. It felt as if something were going to break. Yet despite this suffering, he was saved. It was this pain precisely that brought him out of his hallucination-induced seizure.

Groggily, Willus came to. "What happened?" he asked.

"You had a seizure, mister. But don't worry, Applebloom saved ya!" Scootaloo chimed.

Willus couldn't believe it. These annoying little nuisances had saved him? "Why?" he asked.

"Well, you're supposed to take care of us! Besides, Ah know that you're friends with Applejack! She'd be pretty upset if anything happened to you!"

Willus was at a loss for words. He got up, noticing a slightly annoyed glare from Terrence. He was about to say something when Applejack walked in. "Sis!" Applebloom exclaimed.

The three fillies nearly tackled Applejack with their combined hugging power, but still she stood. "Hey, girls. How did it go?"

"Oh, we had the best time! Willus is the best foal-sitter ever!"

"I am?" Willus asked himself.

"They weren't too much trouble, Ah hope?" Applejack asked him.

Willus looked down at the three fillies, each of them smiling adorably at him. With a warm grin, Willus replied "Nah,"

Applejack nodded, before returning. "Come on, you three. We better get you home,"

"Bye Willus!" They all called to him as they left.

Willus waved goodbye, feeling happy. Suddenly, he had an idea.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Vinyl scratch sat on the stage she had hastily set up. In the center was a seat, which was next to a cello. There was a full surround-sound system set up. Everything was perfect. And DJ PON3 was nervous.

Vinyl had only been nervous once before in her life, and that was on the day she got her cutie mark. She remembered that day well. She was just a filly, a late bloomer, like the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Her sister was supposed to play music for a school play, but she had gotten sick. Vinyl was forced to take her place. She wasn't sure of herself going in, but decided to do it anyway. It was the best decision she had ever made in her life.

And now Vinyl was nervous again. She had taken a few moments before to try and figure out how to play this thing, but it didn't help. Classical music was still as alien to her as the surface of Mars.

By now, a crowd had gathered. They probably were confused. Why was DJ PON3 going to play classical? Where was Octavia? Had something happened? Was it just a publicity stunt?

Vinyl took a deep breath, and looked at the time. 7:oo. It was time. She walked out onto the stage, greeted by a wild applause. She looked to the side. Offstage were Derpy and Shamrock, both with an encouraging look on their faces. With a final sigh, Vinyl resigned herself to her fate. As the crowd's applause died down, Vinyl began to play.

If cats could play the cello, they'd hate it too.

Octavia was panting, out of breath from running all the way here with a cello strapped to her back. She couldn't believe it! Vinyl was actually trying to play classical music! And failing miserably at that. And yet, Octavia knew that this was Vinyl's way of apologizing. The earth pony was touched.

Octavia felt tears of happiness form in her eyes, but she quickly blinked those away. However, the crowd did not feel the same way. Very quickly, boos were being thrown at the DJ. Vinyl stopped playing,shrugging. She knew that she was bad, and didn't deny it. Suddenly, Octavia appeared on stage.

"Vinyl, I'm so sorry for being mad at you! Can you ever forgive me?"

Vinyl happily embraced her friend. "No, I'm sorry! It's my fault all this happened, please forgive me!"

"Oh, Vinyl. You know I could never stay mad at you!"

"How about we celebrate? Yeah, let's go to Las Pegasus, you and me! Just the two of us!"

"I'm game if you're game!"

And so the two friends ran off together to pack. Shamrock watched, smiling, when suddenly Reaper decloaked next to him. "Well, it seems everything turned out better than expected," the changeling said.

Shamrock eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

Reaper chuckled. "Now why would you ever think that?"

Shamrock smiled, before punching the changeling in a friendly manner. "Damn bug,"

Reaper awkwardly returned the gesture. "Dumb pony,"

The pair chuckled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to attend to," Reaper said, before cloaking.

Shamrock called out to him. "You know, you don't have to cloak every time you go out! It's not like you'll be arrested or anything,"

An invisible voice replied. "Force of habit,"

"And how did you pick that habit up?"

There was no reply. Reaper had gone.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lightning Hawk had been shopping when he bumped into Twilight. Literally. "Oh, hi, Lightning! Fancy seeing you here!" she said, still in a good mood despite having fallen on her flank.

Lightning was equally surprised. "Hey, Twilight. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. So what's up?" She said, standing up.

"Not much. I was just looking for some stuff to decorate my new house," He said, beginning to feel himself feel nervous already.

"Well, I'm not really doing anything right now. Wanna hang out?"

Lightning began to panic mentally. Was she asking him out? No, she was far too relaxed for that. "Yeah, sure, if it's okay with you," he blurted out.

Twilight sat on a bench, before gesturing for Lightning to join her. "So, I've been wondering," she started. "Where do you come from? I mean, if you don't mind telling, of course,"

"N-n-no of course not!" Lightning stammered.

He thought back, remembering his life story.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lightning Hawk was born to a normal family. He was an only child. Unfortunately for him, both of his parents died when he was very young, only 2 years old. He had since forgotten their names.

Orphaned so early, Lightning Hawk was forced to learn to take care of himself. He never placed himself in an orphanage, instead deciding to turn his life into a search for adventure. And that's exactly what it was. He traveled, never staying in one place for more than a week.

He traveled everywhere. Manehatten. Fillydelphia. Las Pegasus. Canterlot. Cloudsdale. Virtually any city one could mention, Lightning had visited it. Every landmark, every national treasur, he had seen it. He grew up, absorbing experiences from each of the places he visited. Be it hiding from the cops after stealing donuts in Chicacolt, or gambilng against the most legendary poker sharks in Las Pegasus. Be it touching everything in the Canterlot museum, because he didn't play by the rules, or tasting pure, unfiltered rainbow in Cloudsdale.

Lightning always thought that he would never run out of things to do - that is, until Neighagra Falls. It was there that, for the first time, Lightning encountered something he had never met before. Boredom. Any normal pony would think that skydiving under the largest waterfall in Equestria was exhilirating, but Lightning Hawk was not any normal pony. It was a strange experience, to fall towards the earth while feeling nearly no emotion.

After that day, Lightning began to stop taking pleasure in travel. He began to feel an increasing urge to get away from it all, to start over. That's why he came to Ponyville. He had thought that he might escape adventure by coming here. He was wrong.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Twilight nodded, soaking in the information she had just received. "Wow. It must've been horrible to have been orphaned so young," she said.

Lightning shrugged. "To be honest, I really can't remember my parents. I guess that's what time does to you," he said.

Twilight placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "I'm glad we're friends, Lightning. You're a great colt,"

Lightning blushed, when suddenly Twilight noticed the moon. "My, look at the time! I should probably get back home before Spike gets worried,"

Lightning waved goodbye as Twilight walked away, feeling completely lovestruck. It was true. He really, truly was in love. As the mare of his dreams left, Lightning came to a conclusion - he was going to ask her out. What could possibly go wrong? Yes, he would do it tomorrow!

Lighting grinned, as he realized that there still was some adventure out there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Applejack opened her front door to find Willus standing with a book. "Oh, hey Willus. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I wanted to give Applebloom this book. I think she might like it,"

Applejack was surprised, but pleasantly so. "Applebloom! Somepony's here for you!"

The filly in question arrived relatively quickly. "Willus? What are you doing here?" she askd.

"I came to give you this book," he said simply.

"Really? Thanks!" Applebloom said. She grabbed the book, and took it from Willus, examining the cover. "A Filly's Guide to Carpentry? Well, maybe I can get a carpenter's cutie mark! Oh, the girls are gonna love this!" She said, before running back to her room to read it.

As for Willus, never had anything so simple been so difficult. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and Applejack patted him on the back. "Thank you, Willus. Ah'm sure that wasn't easy for ya,"

Willus nodded, breathing deeply. "It was worth it," he said.

Applejack smiled. "Ah appreciate it,"

Willus was about to leave, before turning back to the cowpony. "Applejack, there's something I've been meaning to ask you,"

"Shoot!"

Willus shuffled awkwardly, not sure how to form the question. "Well, I was just wondering. If Applebloom is your sister, and Big Mac is your brother, and Granny Smith is your grandmother......where are your parents?"

Applejack's smile left faster than you could say "uncomfortable."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!" Willus said, suddenly feeling bad.

"No, no. It's a perfectly reasonable question," Applejack said, waving away his doubt with a dismissive hoof.

"It was a long time ago. Applebloom was just a filly. There was a fire in the barn, and they couldn't get out. Mac and Ah had to take over control of the farm, and the rest is history," She told the short story as it was, but Willus could sense that she was keeping her emotions at bay.

"I'm sorry," Willus said.

"Don't be," She responded. "What's past is past. Mac and Ah have run this farm practically alone ever since, and we'll keep doing it as long as we need to,"

There was a pause, until Willus said sheepishly, "You don't have to,"

Applejakc raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I could help, I'm sure of it! Sure, maybe not physically, but I'm not bad at math! Maybe I could help run your sales, and I'll even sell apples in my bookstore!"

Applejack smiled. "Thanks, Willus. Ah'd like that,"

Applejack hugged him, causing him to nearly blush. As the two sat on the porch, they stared up at the evening sky. Two shooting stars streaked by, leaving a sparkling trail.

Chapter 10 - Sputnik Goes Crazy

Chapter 10

Sputnik Goes Crazy

"SPUTNIIK!" Reaper raged. Once again, the undead robot had succeeded in angering his changeling master. This time, the robot had dropped a stack of plates. The shattered remains were strewn about the floor, the stupid robot barely registering his master's rage. Sputnik giggled like a moron.

"Yes, boss?" he asked.

"Sputnik, why are you so inept? Why can't you do anything right?" Reaper asked, exasaperated. Pinkie was at work, so he was alone with the robot.

"I dunno," the catbot chimed honestly. Reaper facehoofed.

"This is the fifth time this week, Sputnik. Can't you at least try to not ruin everything you touch?"

"But I do, boss!"

"Well, that's not good enough!" Reaper shouted, losing his temper.

What happened next was a blur. Angered by Sputnik's stupidity, Reaper lashed out. With a forceful kick of his front leg, he hit Sputnik squarely in the chest. The robot fell backwards, hitting his head against a cabinet. Something fell out of place, and the robot powered down. Reaper stood, shocked by what he had just done.

"Sputnik?" he asked. No response.

"Sputnik?" Still no answer.

"By the old kings, what have I done?" he exclaimed, rushing to the disabled robot.

The problem became evident quickly. A chip in the back of Sputnik's head had fallen out. As Reaper examined the chip, he began to wonder. Was this really so bad? Sure, Sputnik was dead for all intents and purposes, but so what? Reaper could live without the constant nuisances the robot brought, right? After all, it was just a piece of machinery, and could be discarded as easily as any other. Now that he thought about it, Reaper kind of liked the idea of not having to deal with Sputnik anymore!

That is, until he noticed something else. "Well, would you look at that!" he said aloud to himself. "This damned thing's been upside-down the whole time!"

Could that be the explanation for Sputnik's stupidity? Would plugging this chip back in, only right-side-up, result in him working as he should? Reaper considered the idea. As he looked back at the mess, he decided to try it out. Someone would have to clean this up, anyway, and he sure as heck didn't want to do it. Even if Sputnik remained stupid, he at least could do that. Reaper turned the chip over, and plugged it back in to the robot.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a whirring and beeping, Sputnik powered back up. But something was different this time. Sputnik's eyes no longer glowed their soft blue, but instead and intense red. "Sputnik?" Reaper asked cautiously. The robot turned its head, and stared him directly in the eyes.

"Yes, master?" he said. Sputnik's voice had changed as well, being deeper and more threatening rather than high-pitched and grating.

Reaper could feel the excitement build in his chest. Had Sputnik finally been fixed? There was only one way to find out. "What is your purpose, Sputnik?"

"To assist my master in carrying out his mission, master,"

"And what is my mission?"

"The death and destruction of the royal family of the changeling hive, and to bring doom to all who oppose you. Yay," he finished flatly.

Reaper nearly squeeled for joy. It had worked! "Come, Sputnik. I believe this is the start of something grand,"

Sputnik saluted, and followed his master into the study. Deep in his core processors, however, Sputnik began to plan.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning stood at Twilight's door, preparing himself. Nothing could go wrong, now. His life depended on it. He knocked on the door.

Spike answered. "You know, Lightning, I don't think you could have worse timing," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Twilight left a minute ago. Said she was gonna go be with her friends. I think Rainbow Dash wanted to show them a new stunt or something,"

Lightning Hawk facehoofed, angered by his bad luck. "Alright, thanks," he said, before leaving.

"Good luck!" Spike called out to him.

As Lightning walked through town, searching for Twilight, he began to rethink his strategy. If she was with her friends, there was no way he would have the courage to ask her out in front of them. He would have to try again tomorrow.

Lightning passed by Willus' bookstore, and happened to notice a sign on the front door. "Now Selling Sweet Apple Acres Apples!" it said. As Lightning's stomach growled, he decided that he may as well pay his slighly insane friend a visit.

A little bell rang as he opened the door to the bookstore. "Hey Lightning!" Willus said, not looking up from a book he was reading.

"Hey, Willus. How's it goin'?"

"Fine,"

"How much for an apple?"

"2 bits,"

"Seems a little expensive,"

"2 bits, Lightning,"

Lightning sighed, before placing the coins on the table. "Why are you selling apples now, anyway? Aren't you scared someone will stain a book or something?"

Willus shuddered just at the thought. "Yes, but I'm willing to risk it,"

"Why?"

"Because a friend was willing to risk me,"

Lightning didn't know what Willus meant by that, but decided not to ask. He had things to do, anyway. "Going after Twilight again?" Willus asked. "You know, I think you actually have a chance,"

"What do you mean, 'have a chance?'"

"Oh, don't play dumb. We all know you have a crush on her. Well, all of us except Twilight herself, that is,"

Lightning's eye twitched. "How? I've done such a good job keeping it secret!"

Willus laughed. "Whatever lets you sleep at night,"

Now slightly bothered, Lightning decided it was time to take his leave. Taking a bite out of his apple, he exited the store to continue his search. Willus watched him leave. "So, how much you wanna bet he fails miserably?" he asked Terrence. Terrence offered a sack of coins, a gambling glint in his eye.

* * * * * * * * *

"Now that you're functioning correctly, Sputnik, things are going to be a little different around here," Reaper monologued. "I'm going to have you study this map, and I want you to determine where the changeling hive is located,"

Sputnik saluted. "Yes, my master!"

Reaper exited the room, leaving Sputnik alone with his work.

Analyzing.....

Error! Insuficient Data.

Sputnik, after observing the map for an hour, had come up with nothing. He left the room under the study to report his findings(or lack thereof) to his master.

Reaper sat at his dining table, reading a book as he ate some waffles Pinkie had left ready for him. "Master, there is insuficient data for me to produce a meaningful conclusion," Sputnik reported, saluting Reaper.

"That is unfortunate. I had been hoping you could save me a lot of work," Reaper looked down at his waffles, suddenly remembering something. "Until I have further instructions, I want you to go down to the market and get some supplies. We are running low on waffle mix, and if we lose that, all is lost!"

Sputnik saluted, before walking up to the door.

Analyzing....

Result: Obstruction preventing access.

Conclusion: Remove obstruction.

Out of nowhere, a long, thin arm appeared out of Sputnik's back. It was tipped with a disproportionately large, cylindrical cannon. The cannon hummed with energy, before firing and completely decimating the door in front of it.

"Sputnik! What was that for?"

"I have successfuly destroyed the obstruction. Praise me! Praise me!"

"No, Sputnik, that was a door! Gah, even when you work correctly you cause problems!" Reaper exclaimed. "Great, now I'm going to have to go get a carpenter to replace that thing!"

"Is this not a stellar performance?"

"No, Sputnik, its not!" Reaper facehoofed. "Just go to the market before you cause me any more problems,"

Sputnik saluted. "Yes.......sir,"

* * * * * * * * * * *

Sputnik wandered the market, waffle mix and other groceries contained. The robot thought back to Reaper, and his bizarre reaction to such a resounding victory over Sputnik's enemy, the door.

Analyzing......

Case Designate: Reaper.

Intelligence Level: Sub-par.

Performance Level: Sub-par.

Threat Level: High.

Result: Master?

Analyzing.....

Analyzing....

Result: Threat.

Conclusion: Remove Threat.

* * * * * * * * *

Reaper sat reading the newspaper, searching it for any advertisements for carpenters. Suddenly, he noticed Sputnik's sillhouetted form in what was left of the doorway. "Ah, you're back. What took you so long?" he asked, not looking up.

Sputnik did not reply, but instead produced the cannon once again. He aimed it directly at Reaper's head. The changeling took notice just in time, and teleported behind the robot just in time. The superheated orb completely destroyed the table Reaper had been sitting in. Reaper reappeared quickly, a look of shock on his face. "Sputnik, you idiot! What are you doing?"

The robot didn't answer, merely turned around and charged its cannon again. Reaper was able to teleport to safety again. "Why are you attacking your master? I demand to know!"

This time, the catbot spoke. "Your plan is stupid. You are stupid. Everything you've done is stupid. You are a threat to the mission, and you must be terminated,"

Reaper growled. "You forget who fixed you! I could just as easily return you to your moronic state!"

The robot was not fazed. "Combat mode, activate," It said aloud. Suddenly, a second arm toting a cannon appeared. Four long, spidery legs emerged from his back, lifting the torso up to three times its original height. Held up by these long legs, Sputnik's actual arms and legs dangled uselessly. Both of his cannons charged up yet again.

Reaper's left eye twitched in fear. "Time for me to take my leave!" he exclaimed to himself, before running for his life.

* * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock was having a nice day. He was sitting in the shade of a tree, leaning against the trunk. It sure was nice. Nothing could ruin it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Scratch that. Almost nothing.

Shamrock looked up, annoyed slightly by this new interruption. What he saw was one of the most bizarre sights he had seen all day. Reaper the changeling was running from Sputnik, who for some reason had red eyes and spider legs, not to mention two cannons. The changeling in a top hat looked absolutely horrified, an emotion Shamrock never thought he would see him express.

"Help me!" Reaper shouted as he passed by, although not to anypony in particular. Shamrock tapped a hoof to his chin, considering the idea. Should he help Reaper? Or should he just stay here, in the shade? Well, the grass sure was awfully comfortable. Reaper could take care of himself.

Suddenly, he heard a mare scream, "They're headed for the post office!"

Post office? Derpy would be there! Now worried, Shamrock got up and began to give chase.

The grass was starting to itch, anyway.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Derpy clocked out, happy to have finished a long day's work. After this, she would go and pick up Dinky. Then maybe they could go and have some muffins together. Derpy squeed at the idea. Today was going to be a great day.

That was when Reaper burst in through the door. "No time to explain, just hide me!" he shouted at Derpy. Derpy was thoroughly confused.

"What? Why?"

Reaper groaned. "There's no time! Just do it!"

Before anything else could be said, the door was blown off of its hinges. Through the smoke pierced two glowing red eyes. As it cleared, the smoke revealed Sputnik in full combat form.

"Is that why?" Derpy asked, shaking a little bit.

Reaper gulped and nodded.

Both pony and changeling jumped out of the way just in time to dodge another blast from Sputnik's cannons. That's when Shamrock showed up. At the sight of both Derpy and Reaper in danger - but mostly Derpy - he got angry. As he felt the familiar rage well up inside of him again, he charged the robot, thinking he could catch Sputnik off-guard.

He was wrong. Sputnik spun around, smacking Shamrock out of the sky with the broad side of his left cannon.

Analyzing....

Case Designate: Shamrock.

Current Status: Hostile.

Possible Motive: Assisting Threat.

Result: Shamrock = Threat.

Conclusion: Remove Threat.

Sputnik aimed his cannon at Shamrock this time, charging it for fire. Reaper hissed, and teleported next to Shamrock. Mere seconds afterwards, the changeling teleported again, this time with the green colt in tow. Both reappeared next to Derpy, the changeling panting from the exertion. "Thanks for the save," Shamrock said.

"Don't mention it,"

Sputnik turned its attention back to its three targets. "Time to run?" Derpy asked.

"Yep," Reaper and Shamrock said in unison.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lightning had found Twilight. Sort of. She and her friends were watching Rainbow Dash do some sort of stunt in the air. Whatever it was, Lightning wasn't paying attention. They were in the park, and he was standing behind them at a distance. He stood there, trying to come up with a way to approach her.

Suddenly, he heard somepony scream. He turned around, and saw Reaper, Shamrock, and Derpy running towards the park. Behind them was Willus' bookstore, and it seemed like there was something going on. Suddenly, the door was blasted down, and from the wreckage came a much more intimidating version of Sputnik.

What was going on?

* * * * * * * * * *

Willus' day had been going just fine until they showed up. Reaper, Shamrock and Derpy had charged through his back door without so much as a "hello," then ran out the other. That's when Sputnik showed up, although he had changed considerably. He had fired one of his cannons and blew the front door off of its hinges. The robot disappeared through the smoke as abruptly as he had appeared.

Willus examined the carnage that had resulted from the blast. Suddenly, he found a book. One book. It had been completely ruined, nothing but a burnt cover now.

One book had been destroyed.

One book.

Just one book.

Willus' eyes both twitched. It was on, now.

"I'm coming for you, Sputnik!" He shouted in pure rage.

But the robot had already gone off to accomplish whatever its motives were.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Twilight was having a great time with her friends when Reaper, Shamrock, and Derpy appeared. All of them looked as if they were afraid for their lives. "What's going on, guys?" she called out.

"Homicidal robot on a rampage!" Reaper called back, not even giving her a glance as he passed by.

"What does he mean by that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Ah think we're about to find out!" Applejack said, pointing at a swiftly approaching Sputnik.

Sputnik had not expected the threat to have multiplied so quickly. Now Reaper had seemed to have gathered all of his friends in one place. This warranted a new strategy.

Analyzing....

Analyzing.....

Result: Threat has multiplied.

Conclusion: All threats must be terminated.

Sputnik pointed his cannons at the group of ponies and prepared to fire.

Before he could, he was hit viciously in the back. He was sent tumbling, but his long, spidery legs quickly regained their footing. The assailant was none other than Lightning Hawk. The golden pegasus had suddenly realized his folley in attacking the robot as it fired a blast from its cannon at him.

Lightning barrel-rolled out of the way and landed next to the group that had now assembled in the park. "Care for an explanation?" he asked Reaper.

All eyes stabbed into the changeling. "I fixed him," he said with a hint of shame.

"Fixed him? You call this fixing?" Twilight said exasperatedly.

"What? How was I supposed to know he was a homicidal maniac?"

"That doesn't matter right now. Reaper, is there any way we can set him back the way he was?" Shamrock asked.

Reaper struggled to think. "There was a chip, in the back of his head. It was upside down before, but I turned it right-side-up. If we flipped it back over, we should be able to return him to his previous state,"

Before more could be said, the robot had renewed its assault. All of the ponies scattered, leaving Reaper alone. "Wait, come back!" he shouted.

"Don't worry, I have an idea!" Twilight called back.

'Great. Just great,' Reaper thought, before running again. Sputnik gave chase.

Reaper was scared out of his mind. He had never been especially brave, but he was no coward. That being said, he certainly wouldn't mind right about now if somepony else could distract the robot from his goal. He ran, until suddenly he came to a wall. Dead end. Reaper gulped, before trying to climb it. The wall, however, was to slick for him to get a decent grip. He tried to fly over it, but in his fear his wings had snapped shut and refused to open.

Reaper turned at the sound of the metallic clinking of Sputnik's spider-legs. Reaper backed up against the wall. Whatever Twilight was planning, now would be a really good time to do it. But, alas, none of the ponies were anywhere in sight. Reaper gulped. Sputnik was literally two feet in front of him. "S-Sputnik...y-you were my servant once. R-Remember?" Reaper hoped he might be able to reach some part of the moron under the killer.

"Yes," Sputnik said flatly. "I didn't like it," Both cannons were then aimed at Reaper's head and began to charge up.

Before they could fire, a black blob was launched seemingly from nowhere, hitting Sputnik in the eyes. The robot screamed as it tried to remove this contaminant from its eyes. "Now, Willus!" Twilight called, hiding up in a tree holding a large pen.

"With pleasure," Willus practically growled. He tackled the robot to the ground and removed the chip in the back. Sputnik stopped struggling. Willus then flipped it over. "Here goes nothing,"

He reinserted the chip, this time upside-down.

Systems Restarting......

Loading....

Restart complete.

Analyzing....

Result: The cow jumped over the moon.

Conclusion: Cheese = Potato.

Sputnik lay face down on the floor. "Hi floor!" he exclaimed, as his eyes returned to the light blue coloring everypony was used to.

All who were there breathed a sigh of relief. "So that was your plan? Squirting him in the face with ink while somepony else fixed him?" Reaper asked Twilight.

The unicorn shuffled awkwardly. "Well, it worked right?"

Reaper looked at Sputnik, who had proceeded to run around in a circle for no reason. "Yes. I suppose it did."

* * * * * * * * * *

Gilda stood at the base of a tree, her squad of griffons in tow. One of them came down from above the canopy, before saluting her. "Ponyville is not far, milady. We can begin the attack whenever you are ready,"

Gilda nodded. "Take a rest. We will attack tomorrow at noon,"

The soldier nodded, leaving Gilda alone with her thoughts.

Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day.

Chapter 11 - All the Really Bad Stuff Happens

Chapter 11

All the Really Bad Stuff Happens

Lightning Hawk lay on a cloud, watching the sky. Yesterday had certainly not gone as planned. The random attack by a deranged robot had gotten in the way of him asking out Twilight. Normally, he would try and ask her out again today. But today was Friday, and that meant it was time to take a break.

For as long as he could remember, Lightning Hawk had designated Friday as "Break Day," meaning that he simply refused to do anything on this day. Sometimes he didn't even think, merely lay on a cloud and watch the sky above him. It was a good way for him to clear his thoughts, not to mention great stress relief.

Normally, nopony would bother him. Most wouldn't even notice the pegasus on a cloud. But Ponyville was anything but normal, and the day had other plans for him. Applejack pushed along her cart underneath the cloud Lightning was laying on. Suddenly, a barrel full of apples fell off, spilling its contents all over the floor. "Rats!" Applejack exclaimed, before looking up and noticing Lightning Hawk.

"Lightnin'? Partner? Mind lendin' me a hoof here?" she called out.

Lightning was shaken out of his stupor, and looked over the edge of his cloud at the farmer. He was significantly surprised that she had noticed him. "Kinda. Today's Friday. I don't work on Fridays,"

"But Ah just need you to help me clean this up!" Applejack pleaded.

"Sorry, but no can do,"

Applejack grumbled before setting herself to picking up the apples herself. "Good-fer-nothin' lazy bum!" she mumlbed under her breath. As she began to pick up the fallen fruits, both the pegasus and the farm pony heard something. It was the sound of somepony screaming.

This was enough to make Lightning turn over, as he tried to get a view of what was going on. Applejack squinted under her hat, trying to make out what was happening. "Ah'm gonna go help them," she said aloud. "But don't let that get in the way of your Friday," she added with poorly concealed sarcasm. Lightning rolled his eyes, before spreading his wings and joining on the path to Town Square.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

It all happened so fast. Fluttershy was so confused. What was going on? Why was this happening? As the pony cowered under a table, her head still pounding from yesterday's hangover, she tried to remember how it had all happened.

Everypony was surprised to suddenly hear the raspy voice of Gilda again. Nopony ever thought she would return, but obviously that was no longer the case. The griffon made her return all the more obvious by rudely shoving anypony in her way. She was followed by two other male griffons, each in full battle armor. The armor had the image of a red phoenix on the chestplate, and each one carried a long spear.

Rainbow Dash was the first of Fluttershy's friends to notice the trouble. "Gilda!" she shouted, flying straight up to the griffon. In less than two seconds she had gotten from her starting position to less than an inch from her ex-friend's face. "You have some nerve showing your beak back here!"

Gilda only smirked. "Oh really, Rainbow Trash?" she shot back. "Don't tell me you're still mad about the last time we met?"

"What do you want, Bird-brain!"

Gilda feigned offense. "Is that really the best you got?"

"I said, what do you want?!" Rainbow repeated, more forcefully.

By this time, a significant crowd of ponies had appeared on the scene, including the rest of the Mane 6. Well, the rest of the Mane 6 minus Applejack, who was previously occupied. Willus emerged from his store, alerted by all of the ruckus. More and more griffons appeared, each similarly armored, seemingly from nowhere as their numbers began to taint the sky.

Gilda smirked. "Payback," she said simply, before snapping her talons. On que, the griffon soldiers immediately attacked. They descended quickly, attacking without strategy or discrimination. Some of them carried torches, which they used to set buildings ablaze.

Ponies began screaming and running, and the soldiers gave chase. It was then that Flutershy rushed to hide, and her friends attacked the invading griffons. Sort of. Twilight and Willus defended the book store with their spells, while Rainbow Dash took on the opponents with her bare hooves from the air. Pinkie fired her party cannon, while Rarity provided cover for the ponies who were fleeing.

Not long later, Reaper and Shamrock showed up. Shamrock immediately set to work fighting off the griffons, while Reaper paused. He turned to the nearest griffon, before speaking in chirps and hisses. "What exactly is going on?" he asked.

For a moment, both the griffon and the pony he was fighting(which happened to be Pinkie Pie) stopped. "You speak Griffon?" Pinkie asked.

"You don't?" Reaper replied non-chalantly.

"We are attacking for the glory of our Lord, the High and Mighty Lord Ironfeathers. He has decreed that the Bearers of the Elements must be dealt with," The soldier replied in his native tongue.

Reaper nodded. "Very well," he said coolly, before punching the griffon in the face.

The fighting continued, before a soldier approached Gilda. "Milady, we cannot continue the fight for much longer. We must retreat soon," he told her.

Gilda considered the carnage around her, taking in the fiery mayhem. "Fine. But let's take some souveniers. I would hate to forget a night like this," The female nodded to two figures hiding under a bench, and the soldier understood the command.

Dinky and Spike suddenly felt themselves being ripped from their hiding place by a pair of strong claws. Both of them screamed as they were roughly shoved in a bag held by another griffon soldier. "Dinky!" screamed Derpy, who had been looking for her daughter.

"Spike!" shouted Twilight, momentarily distracted from helping Willus.

It was then that Lightning Hawk and Applejack arrived. Fluttershy was still cowering. Twilight and Derpy were trying to work their way towards Gilda, but seemed to be stopped by a griffon soldier everytime they grew near. Rainbow Dash was fighting in the sky. Shamrock was clobbering any soldiers unfortunate enough to get near him. Willus was beginning to panic, having lost Twilight's support. Reaper and Pinkie were using an overturned table as cover and systematically firing the party cannon. And Rarity had fainted somewhere along the line. It was absolute chaos.

"Well, this was fun, Rainbow Trash!" Gilda taunted, the bag containing her captives slung over her shoulder. "I'll be sure to tell Pops all about how easy this was. Oh, and if you value the lives of your dweeb friends," she said, gesturing to the bag. Muffled cries continued to escape from within. "Then you won't come following us,"

Rainbow Dash tried to charge Gilda, but was knocked back with the butt of one of the soldier's spears. She landed among her friends with a thud, just as the soldiers began to retreat. Cackling, Gilda took to the skies, followed by her legion. Within moments, they had disappeared.

Fireponies arrived quickly and minimized the damage. Nopony had been seriously hurt in the mayhem. Tears filled Derpy's eyes as the smoke cleared from the charred remains of buildings.

Chapter 12 - To Battle

Chapter 12

To Battle

Shamrock took in the devastation that had been left in the wake of the marauding griffins. It was really quite horrible. The burnt skeletons of buildings stood sillhoueted against the noon sky. The sound of commotion filled his ears as ponies mingled about, trying to ensure that their loved ones were alright.

Derpy was sitting on a bench, crying her eyes out. Twilight was pacing nervously back and forth nearby. Willus kept stealing furtive glances to assure himself that his books were okay. Fluttershy nervously shifted her weight from one hoof to the other. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Hawk looked equally angry. Reaper was aggravatingly non-chalant. Applejack seemed deep in thought. Rarity was laying on her fainting couch. And even Pinkie Pie was affected, actually sitting still for a prolonged period of time.

"I just don't understand it!" Twilight exclaimed. "Why would Gilda come back to Ponyville? And why would she kidnap Dinky and Spike?"

"Maybe she wanted to get back at us?" Fluttershy suggested timidly.

"Yeah, but didn't it seem a li'l extreme?" Applejack replied.

Rainbow Dash seethed. "I don't care. She'll pay for what she did!"

Lightning piped up then. "Can someone please explain to me who she is and why she's angry with you all?"

"Yeah, I'm a little confused, too," Willus said. Shamrock added immediately after, "I am as well," Reaper remained silent.

"Gilda is this absolutely brutish griffon who stopped by here a few years ago. She was once friends with Rainbow, but-" Before Rarity could finish, she was interrupted.

"-But then we found out she was a good-for-nothing jerk who liked pushing other ponies around!" Rainbow shouted.

The faces everypony gave her were enough to tell her to calm down. "Sorry," she muttered.

Finally, Reaper spoke up. "I was able to gather at least a little information during the brawl," he said. "I briefly spoke to one of the enemy soldiers. He said something about a 'Lord Ironfeathers.' Does the name ring any bells?"

All of the ponies shook their heads. "What we really need to decide is what to do now," Lightning said.

"What do you mean?" Applejack asked.

"Well, if we follow them, we might be able to save them,"

"And if we follow them, we also run the risk of them being hurt,"

"That's a risk we're gonna have to take!" Twilight said in a determined fashion.

All eyes turned to Derpy. "Do you want to do this?" they asked her.

Derpy turned, her crossed eyes filled with the pure rage of a thousand suns. "Yes!" she shouted in a furious voice.

"Then its settled," Reaper said. "We meet back here in an hour. Make sure you have everything you need, we'll probably be gone for a while,"

Rainbow Dash huffed. "Is there something you wanna say, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.

"No. I just was wondering when we would get jumped by changelings while we travel," she said calmly.

"Excuse me?" Reaper said, offended.

"Well, you obviously don't really care about Dinky or Spike, do you? You just wanna lead us into a trap so your bug-buddies can get the jump on us and suck us dry!"

Reaper hissed. "Are you insinuating that I am a spy?"

"So what if I am?"

The two were practically butting heads at this point. It took Willus getting between them to stop the confrontation from getting worse. "Stop, both of you! We get nowhere if we fight with each other!"

Reaper scowled. "Meet back here in an hour," he said flatly, before turning and leaving without a word.

The ponies watched him leave. Rarity gave Rainbow an angry glare. "I'll got get him," she said, after the changeling had disappeared from view. The unicorn trotted off after the changeling, leaving the others behind with a slightly uncomfortable air. With the exception of Pinkie, the others all admitted that Rainbow had a point. They didn't know much about Reaper, so there was definitely a risk involved with anything involving him.

With this awkward situation dealt with, the group dispersed, each member leaving to go prepare for the days ahead.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

About twenty minutes after the group had seperated, Lightning Hawk knocked on the door to Twilight's house. Again. This was starting to get a little old. Was he going to do this all his life?

When Twilight opened the door, he was once again blown away by her beauty, even in this less than desirable situation. On second thought, that was okay. "Hey, Lightning. You ready?" she asked.

Lightning looked down at the extent of his luggage, a small saddlebag. "Yup,"

"Is that all your taking?" Twilight asked, surprised.

Lightning nodded. "Over the years, I've gotten used to traveling light,"

Twilight nodded, before sighing. "You're worried, aren't you? About Spike?"

Twilight nodded again. "Don't worry!" Lightning said comfortingly. "I'm sure he can take care of himself. He seemed like a sturdy little dragon when I met him," He put a hoof comfortingly on her shoulder.

Twilight smiled. "You're right," she said. "I'm sure he'll be fine. It's just.....he's kinda like a little brother to me -"

"I know. I understand how worried you are,"

Twilight gave him a thankful look. "Thanks, Lightning. You're a great friend,"

Lightning winced inwardly. Everytime he heard the word "friend," he felt as though he were a million miles away from where he wanted to be. "No problem," he said.

Twilight sighed. She walked back inside, and looked over all that she was taking. In her saddlebag was a book of combat-based magic, a map, and a few quills and scrolls. She finished her luggage by placing a hay sandwich in the bag, before closing it shut.

"Alright, I'm ready," she said.

"Let's get going," Lightning replied, and the pair exited out the door, which Twilight locked shut afterwards.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus rummaged through his things, trying to decide what to take. He had never really had a reason to fight before, but something told him he would have to learn how to quickly. He levitated a few books on the subject into his saddlebag.

Oh, how he hated the idea of leaving behind his books. They would be all alone, defenseless against the cruelty of the world. He turned to Terrence, who sat on his perch, watching Willus. "You can take care of the book store yourself, right?"

The bird chirped positively. "And you can feed yourself, right?"

Terrence cocked his head to one side. "You're right, stupid question,"

Willus turned back to his saddlebag. He honestly couldn't think of anything else to pack. His entire life was books. Beyond that, he was pretty much covered. He looked up, and noticed the small rack of apples near his register. Well, he might get hungry, after all. Willus packed two apples into the saddlebag before strapping it shut and putting it on.

Willus walked out the front door, not bothering to lock it. Terrence would take care of that. He stepped out, nearly bumping into Applejack and Fluttershy. "Oh, hey girls. You ready?" he asked.

"Yes. We just came by to check on you!" Fluttershy said. Willus was surprised at how quickly Fluttershy had gotten comfortable around him.

"Got everything ya need, partner?" Applejack asked.

Willus nodded.

"Let's go!" he said. And so the trio left to the designated meeting place.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper stared at the map on his Conspiracy Wall in Room A. He hummed a tune to himself as he examined the landscape around Ponyville. If he were a warlord out to conquer the world, where would he put his base?

The answer seemed obvious. Not far from Ponyville was an extinct volcano, named Mount Molten. It hadn't erupted for over a century, which meant that it must be stable. Perhaps stable enough that one could build a base on it.

Before Reaper could think further, he was startled by Rarity's voice. "Reaper? What is all this?"

Reaper looked at her in utter surprise. "Rarity? How did you get down here?" he asked.

"Sputnik left the door open," Reaper facehoofed. "You haven't answered my question. What is all this?"

"That is none of your concern,"

Rarity walked up to the map, and examined the photos of changelings that surrounded it. Her eyes stopped on the picture of Chrysalis. "Is that the changeling queen?"

"Perhaps,"

Rarity glared at him for his evasive response, before turning her attention to another picture, this time the one of Phasmi. "And who is this?" she asked, pulling it off.

Reaper snatched the photo from her hoof. "Give me that! She is none of-"

"None of my concern? Like everything else down here?"

But Reaper wasn't paying attention. He was staring once more into the photo of Phasmi. He had forgotten how beautiful she was. For a moment, the changeling's eyes softened. "Who is she?" Rarity asked again. Reaper's face once again turned into a scowl as he forced his gaze away from the picture. "She doesn't matter any more,"

Rarity couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the changeling. "I'm your friend, Reaper. You can tell me anything that's on your mind, don't worry!"

Reaper scowled at her, before turning. "Let's go. The others are waiting,"

Rarity sighed, before following him out of the room. Reaper locked the door to Room A, before opening Room B.

Inside was a small room. A chest lay at the end of it - Reaper's chest of mementos. He lifted this chest with his magic, and carried it out with him. As they exited the secret underground, Rarity began to feel a mix of suspicion and worry for Reaper. If he detected it, he didn't show it. He slid the bookshelf into place over the secret passage, and the pair left to rejoin the others.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Derpy had just finished packing her bags when Shamrock arrived at her house. "Ready to go?" he asked upon her opening the door. Derpy nodded, her breath shaky. "Y-yeah. Lemme just get my things," she said.

Shamrock walked inside, grimly noting how different everything felt without Dinky.

Derpy lifted a heavy-looking saddlebag onto her back, grunting with the effort. The bag rustled with a metallic jingle. Shamrock eyed her suspiciously. "Derpy," he said slowly, "What's in the bag?"

"Nothing," Derpy replied evasively.

Shamrock cocked an eyebrow. "Derpy...."

Derpy tried her best to avoid eye contact, but that wasn't the easiest thing to do when said eyes would cross at random. Shamrock continued his interrogative stare. "What's in the bag?" he repeated.

"Nothing, I told you!" Derpy exclaimed.

"So you wouldn't mind if I gave it a look?"

"Umm...."

But Derpy had no say in the matter. Without further ado, Shamrock levitated the bag over to himself, causing Derpy to let out a small, futile, "Hey!" of surprise. Shamrock opened the bag, revealing a large assortment of knives, forks, and other sharp cooking utensils. "Derpy, what is this?" Shamrock asked.

Derpy didn't respond. "Derpy, why do you have all of these in your bag? You weren't going to -" Shamrock stopped himself, unable to bring himself to even suggest the idea.

Derpy was quiet for a while, her eyes tearing up. "They took my Dinky," was all she said, softly.

Shamrock was silent for a while, hardly capable of believing that such a lighthearted mare could be so dark. "Derpy.....killing is never the answer..." Shamrock said slowly, like a parent disappointed with a child who had misbehaved.

Derpy still said nothing, her eyes only tearing up more. "I know you feel horrible, and angry, and all of that," Shamrock continued. "But this.....this is not the way,"

And that's when Derpy broke down. She began to sob violently, and hugged Shamrock tightly. Shamrock felt a little bad, and hugged her back. "I understand," he said simply. Derpy kept crying. That's whent the door swung open.

"Derpy! I came as quick as I could! Are you alright?"

Shamrock and Derpy looked up to see the Doctor standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?"

Derpy shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. "No, Doctor, its okay,"

"Ah, well," he said. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yes, Doctor, I'm fine," Derpy lied. Suddenly, her face lit up as she came up with an idea. "Wait, Doctor, you have a TARDIS! Can't you-"

The Doctor raised a hoof, gesturing for silence. "I'm sorry, Derpy, but you know I can't do that,"

"But time can be rewritten-"

"Not this time. Certain things have to happen, Derpy,"

Derpy's eyes began to water again. "I'm sorry. But trust me, everything is going to be fine," he said, shooting her a smile.

Derpy smiled weakly. "Thanks," she said, before returning her attention back to Shamrock. "I guess I'd better pack my bags again, huh?"

Shamrock smiled and nodded. Derpy gave him a hug, before disappearing into her room to repack.

The Doctor nodded at Shamrock. "Good day, Shamrock," he said.

Shamrock returned the gesture. "Likewise,"

And with that the Doctor disappeared out the door. Shamrock thought he heard a whirring, wheezing noise, but cast the idea aside as simply the product of his imagination.

Later, Derpy returned with a newly packed saddlebag. The pair left her house, locking the door behind them.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

An hour later, all eleven of the group had regrouped at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Each and every one of them had gathered whatever they thought they would need. Rainbow eyed Reaper suspiciously, but he just ignored her. "Where's your crazy robot friend?" she asked.

"Sputnik will not be joining us for this mission," Reaper replied flatly, not even giving her a glance. She huffed.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Everypony ready?"

There were murmurs of agreement.

"Then let's go,"

And without another word, the ten ponies (and one changeling) disappeared into the forest.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gilda walked through the forest briskly, a soldier carrying the struggling bag beside her. Muffled sounds of resistance emanated futilely from within. The rest of the group tried to keep pace with her. She looked up at the sky. Sundown. By now, the Bearers of the Elements would be hot on their trail.

Gilda continued walking until she came upon a figure. "Your father sent me to assume control of the remainder of this operation," Morticia said, removing her hood. "Has the attack gone as planned?"

Gilda nodded. "It worked perfectly. And, we got a little something special for our troubles!"

She gestured to the soldier next to her, who tossed the sack to the zebra witch. An "oof!" of surprise escaped the bag.

Morticia opened the bag, and peeked in. "Finally! Air! I don't think this dragon has showered!" a voice said from within. Morticia scowled, before closing it again. She walked up to Gilda and slapped her violently across the face with the back of her hoof. "You foal!" she said. "Your mission was to deter them from coming, NOT to give them a reason to attack!"

Gilda rubbed her sore cheek with one claw. She seethed inwardly, but said nothing. The griffons around her tensed, not sure whether they should attack. Gilda panted, before regaining her composure. "No matter. Leave me some soldiers, and return to your father. I will clean up this mess you've made,"

Gilda scowled, and pointed to a small group of soldiers. "You! Stay with her!"

The soldiers saluted, albeit with slight hesitance. "And how exactly are you going to clean this, 'mess that I made?'" Gilda asked.

A large pack of diamond dogs appeared from the ground, surrounding Morticia. Behind her, two glowing yellow eyes pierced the darkness at a height nearly twice her own. The witch smiled wickedly.

"I have my ways."

Chapter 13 - Encounter in the Forest

Chapter 13

Encounter in the Forest

The troup of ponies moved silently through the Everfree forest. Reaper led the group, followed closely by Twilight. Both of them held on end of a map with their magic, and blazed a trail for the others to follow. Fluttershy was next in line, followed by Lightning Hawk, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Applejack, Willus, Shamrock were after, and Derpy brought up the rear.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Twilight asked, tugging the map closer to her face.

Reaper hissed. "Of course I do! Do you think I would be navigating if I didn't?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Reaper hissed again, clearly annoyed by the unicorn. "Just stick close. We don't want anypony getting lost, now do we?"

Behind them, Lightning Hawk was having issues of his own. What was Twilight saying to Reaper? He wasn't trying to compete with Lightning, was he? Lightning began to panic mentally - Reaper could change his appearance to whatever Twilight desired. Surely that made him at least a blip on her radar, right?

Lightning breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the pair were yelling at each other. Sure, Reaper could look however he wanted, but there was no changing the fact that the insectoid was as prickly as a porcupine.

Meanwhile, Willus and Applejack were having a discussion of their own. "These trees sure are fascinating! Back home, we never had any interesting botany for me to study!" Willus said.

Applejack gave him a slightly confused look. "You study botany?"

Willus shrugged. "Not just botany. I like to dabble in a bit of everything,"

"And how is that gonna help us now, Ah wonder?"

Willus thought for a moment. "Well, if we run out of food, I can identify which plants are safe to eat. Right?"

Applejack chuckled. "For a guy who knows so much, ya'd think at least some of it would be helpful," she said.

"Well, that's what happens when you spend your whole life around books," Willus replied, taking Applejack's joke lightly. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he stopped.

"Uh, Willus? Partner? Are you okay?" Applejack asked.

"Books," he said, as if in a trance, before screaming. "My books! I just realized! I left my books! Alone! In the care of a disabled bird!"

Applejack facehoofed. Just when they where making progress. She put a hoof on his shoulder. "Calm down, Willus. You know that Terrence can take care of the store,"

"But what if-"

"No. No 'what ifs.' Just calm down, and let's get this overwith,"

Willus smiled, calming down. "Thanks, AJ. You're right,"

Applejack returned the smile, and the pair continued walking.

Behind them, Shamrock began to purposefully lag behind, in order to walk side-by-side with Derpy. "You okay?" he asked.

Derpy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. The pair continued on in silence for a while, before Derpy opened her mouth once more. "Shamrock, you can't kill, right?"

Shamrock nodded, not sure where she was going.

"So, how are you going to fight? Especially when your opponent is trying to kill you?"

Shamrock thought for a moment. "I don't really know, Derpy. I guess I'll just have to fight without killing," he said.

Derpy nodded again. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense,"

Before anything else could be said, however, Fluttershy shrieked. All eyes turned to the object of her shock and fear. Charging at the group from the side was a small squad of five griffon soldiers, armed with swords and lances. Immediately, Fluttershy shrank back in fear, as the next events unfolded before her eyes.

In a flash of cyan and rainbow, Rainbow Dash had sped forward, landing a hard kick to the face of the griffon leading the squad. Twilight blasted the one nearest to him with her magic. Shamrock charged forward, the ground pounding beneath his hooves. The remaining three griffons gritted their beaks, and took defensive stances.

By this time, the others had reacted. All had taken up a stance, ready to fight. Except for Fluttershy, who wimpered in the background. Reaper turned invisible, Pinkie and Rarity tried (and failed) to look intimidating, and Applejack pulled out her lasso. Lightning and Derpy flared their wings, while Willus' horn began to glow threateningly.

The three griffins almost looked intimidated for a moment. Almost. But then they grinned. A predatory grin enough to send chills down most of the ponies' spines. That's when the attack happened. Not from the front, but from beneath them.

Twilight and Rarity suddenly found their legs being grabbed, as thick paws erupted from the ground. Their matted grey fur barely stood out from the dusty ground, but it was detectable. They were able to break free, quickly backing away. Behind them, more paws erupted, these tunneling out.

Diamond dogs.

As the pack surfaced behind the group, the ponies began to reposition. They formed a circle, each of them back to back, with Fluttershy hiding in the center. More and more diamond dogs erupted from the ground, each with their claws extending hazardously from their paws. More griffins appeared, surrounding the group. Finally, behind the diamond dogs appeared a figure, similar to a pony wearing a cloak. The figure passed through the pack of diamond dogs, before stopping. "Greetings, ponies," they said in a female voice. Willus thought he recognized it.

"It can't be," he muttered.

The figure removed her cloak, revealing herself to be Morticia. Willus gasped dramatically. "As I understand it, you are going to try and stop that which is in motion. I'm afraid I cannot allow this," she said, looking at her hoof as she waved it disinterestedly. Shamrock would have none of it.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"And what have you done with Spike and Dinky?" Twilight added.

Morticia chuckled evilly. "Your friends are safe, for the time being. But diamond dogs are notorious for their appetites, so I wouldn't count on it for long," Twilight and Derpy's faces contorted with rage, but a growl from one of the dogs stopped them from doing anything. "I am Morticia, and I am afraid it is not a matter of what I want, but rather what we want,"

Applejack and Fluttershy gasped now, recoginizing the name from Willus' story. "My accomplice and I have a very specific vision for your Equestria - one without you. So, I'm afraid you'll all have to die. Now, I must go. Lord Ironfeathers hates to be kept waiting. But don't worry! I'll leave my favorite pet here to keep you entertained,"

And with an evil grin, Morticia disappeared in a titanic cloud of smoke. From the smoke pierced two glowing yellow eyes, as their owner lumbered forward.

The ponies gasped as the thing appeared. It was a diamond dog - but not one like the others. It was huge, at least three times as tall as Shamrock, the tallest pony present. Its furry arms were like tree trunks, and its scythe-like claws raked the ground. The dog had a leash with spikes jutting out of it, as though it weren't intimidating enough. Then it roared. And then everything went to Tartarus.

On que, the dogs and griffins charged the group. Rainbow and Lightning immediately flew forward, each engaging an opponent with their bare hooves. Willus and Twilight blasted two diamond dogs down with their magic. Shamrock tackled one to the ground, before being attacked by two griffins. Derpy flew after them, trying to support Shamrock. Pinkie and Rarity were being pushed back, but luckily a well timed lasso from Applejack caught a diamond dog by the neck and threw it into the oppressing griffins. "Thanks!" Rarity called out.

"Don't mention it!" Applejack called back, her attention now focused on the hulking diamond dog. Shamrock appeared next to her, as did Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. "Everypony else is busy. We're the only ones who can take it down," Rainbow said.

"Not quite," a voice said behind them. Rainbow turned, and saw nothing.

Suddenly, the hulk grabbed its nose and whimpered. A small trickle of blood was flowing from it. Evidently, a well-aimed rock had hit it in the sensitive organ. Then, as if by magic, sand levitated in a large cluster, before being launched into its face. The beast was blinded, before a buzzing noise was heard. Reaper decloaked as he sent a flying kick into the hulk's neck.

The four ponies took advantage of the situation immediately. Rainbow joined Reaper in the air, and bicycle-kicked the hulk in the face. Pinkie and Applejack each grabbed one end of her lasso, before running in circles around the thing's legs. Finally, Shamrock tackled it in the chest, knocking it over.

All five came to a stop and admired their handiwork. "Well, that was easy," Pinkie said.

In response to her statement, a massive paw lifted up. Then so did the other. Slowly, the hulk began to pull itself up. With a single motion, it cut the rope keeping its feet bound, and roared in rage at the ponies. Rainbow sighed. "You just had to say something, didn't you?"

Meanwhile, Lightning was having his own battle. He had just been able to deal with two griffins, when a diamond dog attacked. He hovered back, dodging its blows. He quickly punched out, hitting it between the eyes. The eyes. Why were the eyes yellow? He just realized that the hulk, who his friends were currently combating, wasn't the only dog with glowing yellow eyes. This one did too. As the dog was launched back, he looked around at some of the others. They all did! Why was that?

Lightning Hawk could not dwell on it for long, however, as more griffons attacked. They never seemed to give up, did they? All throughout the clearing, everpony fought. Each and every one of them put their all into the fight. All but Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was hiding in a bush. All this fighting. She hated it. Fluttershy hated violence. Why did their adventures always seem to result in it lately? Fluttershy was so busy cowering that she didn't notice Morticia watching the battle nearby.

Morticia could see that this was a losing battle. Good. That was what she had intended. She knew that before she could defeat her opponents, she must first understand them. That had been the goal of all of this - to force them into combat so she could study their tactics. She was almost impressed.

Almost.

Still, they were sloppy and inexperienced. Dealing with them would not be difficult, when the time came. And then there was Willus. Morticia thought she had dealt with him years ago. What was he doing here? No matter. He would not be a problem. Suddenly, she heard a whimper near her. Morticia looked down from the stump she stood on, and saw Fluttershy cowering in a bush. She grinned evilly. Gilda had been a fool, but now, when reapplied, her strategy held merit.

Morticia fished in her pocket, before producing a vial of fine, green powder. She opened it and emptied it in her hooves, careful to hold her breath. Carefully, she tossed the dust into the bush. There was a coughing sound, followed by a sigh as her target lost consciousness. Perfect. Morticia gestured to a dog near her, who pulled the unconscious Fluttershy out of the bush. "I believe it is time we made our leave," she said.

The fight was getting harder for all of the ponies. They would not be able to last much longer. Suddenly, a whistle sounded through the air. The dogs, hulk, and griffins all reacted immediately, retreating towards the noise. The fight was over. The ponies panted, until Rarity spoke.

"Has anypony seen Fluttershy?"

Chapter 14 - Around the Campfire

Chapter 14

Around the Campfire

The group panted, looking around for their friend. "Fluttershy?" Rainbow called, worried.

""Shy? Where are ya?" Applejack joined in.

No response. No response save a hoarse, hacking laughter from behind the group. The ponies turned, to reveal a lone griffin soldier, left behind by his comrades, blood flowing from his nostrils.

"You stupid ponies! Your friend is long gone by now!"

Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared before him, roughly grabbing him by the neck. "What do you mean gone? Where is my friend!"

The griffin only laughed, which quickly devolved into a fit of coughing. "Why, the mistress took her of course!" he said in between coughs.

Rainbow growled, before punching the griffin hard in the face. The soldier collapsed in the dirt, knocked out cold. Her friends appeared behind her, taking him in. "Well, at least we have a hostage, too," Lightning piped up futilely. "That's something, right?"

But all knew that it was a hollow victory. Their opponents obviously cared little for the life of this expendable soldier, especially when they had three hostages of their own. A collective sigh ran through the group. Willus looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. We should make camp," he said.

"But what about Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.

"There's nothing we can do, at least not now," Shamrock replied. "We're more good to her if we have enough energy to save her in the future,"

Twilight bit her lip. "Everypony, I don't like it either, but Shamrock has a point. It'd probably be best if we just made camp for the night and started again in the morning,"

The ponies looked at each other, unsure. Finally, they set to work making camp.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

After about an hour's work, the group sat on logs surrounding a campfire. The soldier they had captured had been tied to the tree. The fire crackled and simmered in the darkness, and each of the group had their sleeping mats unrolled behind them. Applejack pulled out some apples from her bag, which were distributed to everyone in the group. Everyone except for Reaper, who silently fed on the emotions around him.

"So, anypony got a plan for when we finally find this guy?" Lightning asked absent-mindedly, chewing his apple.

Rainbow smacked her hooves together. "Personally, I wanna make him pay for taking Fluttershy! A good one-two will teach that creep to mess with us!"

Twilight put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, as if trying to calm her down. "We should probably let the Princess know, first, before we do anything,"

"Twilight," Rainbow groaned. "We don't have time for that! We gotta react on our own here!"

Reaper hissed. "React how? I saw how you performed today. Your combat was sloppy, it was almost embarassing. You wouldn't last five minutes in the changeling army!"

Rainbow growled, giving him a glare. "Yeah? I didn't see you do much!"

Reaper hissed back, but Willus piped up to prevent further argument. "Guys, stop!"

Reaper leaned back in his seat, straightening his top hat. "Regardless, I have decided that action is neccesarry to improve your combat potential," His horn glowed as his box levitated towards him. "This is my little box of mementos. Things I kept after I left the Hive. And I'm going to give some of these things to you,"

The ponies watched eagerly as Reaper opened the box, like fillies on Hearth's Warming Eve. "Let's see," he muttered to himself, as he pulled out the first item.

It was a long, thin, katana. "Reaper, where did you get that?" Applejack asked, it's steely glint reflecting off of her green eyes in the firelight. Reaper chuckled.

"Infiltration. I posed as a griffin general once, and he happened to own one of these things. Used by the ancient samurai ponies of the east, so I hear. Once they knew who I was, I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a little souvenier,"

He looked at Applejack. "This is a weapon that requires the utmost balance, precision, and skill to use effectively. Try as I might, I lack these qualities. But you, on the other hoof," he gestured at her lasso, which lay neatly folded at her side. "You should be able to use it effectively,"

He levitated the katana towards her, the hilt pointed towards her. Applejack eyed the foreign weapon awkwardly for a moment, before taking it in her mouth. She was surprised to find that it not only felt natural to hold it, but right. "Reaper, how am Ah s'posed to figure out how to use this?"

Reaper shrugged. "Figure it out," before rummaging through his chest once more. The ponies were distracted by Applejack's new weapon.

"Gee, Applejack, I can totally see you as a samurai!" Rainbow Dash said.

"If you were a samurai, what would your samurai name be? Samurai Applejack?" Willus asked.

Applejack gave him a look. "Nah," she said flatly.

Reaper pulled out the next item. This was a burlap sack, evidently stuffed with something. Painted on the front was a feather with an explosion behind it. With a glow of his horn, he pulled out a quill from the bag. "These are fun. Explosive quills. They match the magical signature of whoever picks them up, so they can only be detonated by that pony. Once you have one, it's just a matter of pointing the right way,"

He threw the quill behind him, and it exploded with cyan magic about fifty yards away. The explosion was small, but the ponies could still feel its force. He tossed the bag to Willus. "Those are for you," he said.

Twilight, however still had questions. "Wait, why would anypony make quills that explode?"

Reaper rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? When you have infiltrators in the field, they need something to get them out of sticky situations. Something that nopony would see coming,"

Twilight couldn't argue with the simplistic logic. "Why have I never heard of these?"

There was a scream, and all turned to see a now very charred Willus. "There was a problem with... premature detonation," Reaper said embarassedly. Willus glared at him.

Reaper now pulled out a jar filled with green, semi-clear liquid. "Ugh, why do I even have this?" he muttered, before shoving it back in.

"Wait, what was that!" Rarity asked.

Reaper shuddered. "If you're not a female changeling, you really don't want to know,"

All of the ponies gave him looks of disgust. Lightning's face turned green, and he ran into the bushes. The retching sound that followed was proof enough that his body couldn't take it.

Reaper smiled sheepishly. "Let's move on, shall we?"

He pulled out the next item, something the ponies were familiar with. "Night-vision goggles!" Pinkie pie exclaimed, excited. Reaper flinched at the sudden noise, but didn't lose his demeanor.

"Yes, Pinkie. Night-vision goggles,"

"Ooh! Ooh! Can I have them? Please? Pretty please?"

Reaper's face contorted with annoyance. "Fine! I was going to give them to you anyway,"

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Pinkie said, grabbing the goggles and putting them on. Reaper scowled.

"Moving on,"

The next item he pulled out was a skintight, black suit. "This is a nice little gem. It's called a Morph Suit. Another souvenier from the griffins, something they cooked up to try and combat us changelings," he said.

"What does it do?" Rarity asked.

Reaper grinned. "I'll show you! Put it on,"

Rarity gave him a look. "That garrish thing? I wouldn't be caught dead in it!"

Reaper scowled. "Put it on. Now is not the time for this,"

Rarity sighed, before slipping into the suit. "Alright, now what?"

"Now, focus on somepony. Every single detail. Let's do... Fluttershy. Imagine every little detail about Fluttershy,"

"Okay," Rarity replied hesitantly, before closing her eyes and concentrating. Slowly but surely, she began to change. First, her white coat changed to a yellow beige. Then, her mane changed appearance, and she grew wings.

The ponies gasped as suddenly, Rarity was replaced with Fluttershy.

"What? What's everypony looking at?" Rarity asked.

Reaper grinned, pulling a mirror in front of her face. "Oh, my..."

"Truly something, isn't it? unfortunately, the suit is a one-time use. But we needed a Fluttershy suit, anyway,"

"What? Why?"

Reaper waved a hoof dismissively, returning to his chest. "I'll explain in the morning,"

Rarity was not satisfied, but didn't argue further. Reaper continued to rummage, before sighing. "Looks like there's nothing else. I'll let you know if I find anything else useful,"

The ponies nodded, Lightning barely recovering from earlier. "Anyways, Willus, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Rainbow Dash said.

Willus smiled. "Go ahead!"

"That mare from earlier, the zebra. You seemed to recognize her. Who is she?"

Applejack's eyes widened, as she realized fully the trauma behind that particular mare. She gave Willus a look. "You don't have to-" she started to say.

"No, no, they deserve to know," Willus said. And then he began to tell his life story.

Everypony there was blown away as he explained everything. Morticia. The book store. The asylum. His escape. Everything. Nopony could believe their ears. "Wow, Willus, that's horrible!" Rarity said.

Willus shrugged. "It's okay. At least it let me meet all of you!"

The ponies smiled. Reaper frowned. Lightning cleared his throat. "Well, if we're gonna start telling stories..."

And then he told his life story, too. And when he was finished, Shamrock piped up. "I guess I have to, too, now, huh?" Derpy smiled at him.

"Go ahead. It's okay," And then he told his story. The reactions were wide and varied, but everypony couldn't help but sympathize with him. All eyes expectantly turned to Reaper.

Reaper was not paying attention. He was looking at something he had found in his box of mementos. He had pulled it out so he could get a better look at it. "How did this get here?" he mumbled to himself.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing!" he said surprisedly, trying to hide it. It didn't work. Twilight pulled the object from his grasp with her magic, and the rest crowded around it to get a look.

It was a picture, frame and everything. The picture showed Queen Chrysalis in the center, smiling. Next to her was a younger, similar looking, female changeling. On the other side of the Queen stood a young, male drone, dressed in ceremonial armor. "Reaper, what is this?"

Reaper frowned, clearly uncomfortable. "It doesn't matter,"

"I think it does matter! Is that the queen? Reaper, we need explanations. Now,"

Reaper squirmed like a turtle flipped on its back. "Fine," he finally said.

"All you need to know is that back at the hive, I held a position of very high power. I was high general, meaning I was in charge of all military departments, and-"

"Ha!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "I bet you were the guy who decided trashing Canterlot was a good idea!"

Reaper hissed, his face filled with anger and pain. "As if! That was a fool's gamble, and she knew it! Why didn't she listen to me? When had I ever been wrong? Why, if I had my way-" Reaper suddenly stopped, noticing the awkward stares he was getting.

"Rest assured, that was the past. Chryssie can rot for all I care,"

The ponies all stared at him awkwardly for a moment, before looking down at the picture again. Even Rainbow Dash felt a little bad. Why wouldn't he open up? "Hey Reaper," Rainbow said. "You never told us about this other mare. Who is she?"

Reaper took the picture back with his magic, before throwing it into the fire. The flames crackled and popped, eagerly enveloping their new fuel. "Someling who used to care," Reaper said grimly.

Awkward silence resounded after that. After a while, Lightning Hawk cleared his throat, ending the silence. "So, anyways, now what?" he asked.

Applejack shrugged. "We should probably start gettin' to bed, now. We better be well and rested if we're gonna set out again tomorrow morning,"

"Yeah, especially now that we have something else to worry about, now," Twilight added, gesturing to the captured griffin with her head.

"What if they come back during the night?" Rarity asked.

"I'll take first watch," Reaper said, not really paying attention.

"Then we better get to sleep. Good night, everypony," Twilight said, before settling down in her mat. In a few moments, all of the ponies were asleep, leaving one lovesick changeling alone with the fire and his thoughts.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Deep in the bowels of Mount Molten, Morticia sat staring into a boiling cauldron. Noxious fumes fillled the room she was in, but she didn't care. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts. As she expected, Ironfeathers had been infuriated by his daughter's failure. He would probably kill her soon, she reasoned. It wasn't as if blood relation had stopped him before. However, he had been delighted to see her capture of the one called Fluttershy. With this leverage, dealing with the elements would be much easier.

But that wasn't what worried her. What worried her was the sudden, inexplicable recurrence of Willus. Hadn't she dealt with him long ago? Morticia thought back, remembering the events that lead up to where she was now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

One hundred and ninety-eight years ago, Morticia was a young, successful zebra witch. Deep in the heart of her homeland, she became well-known in her village for the apparent miracles she was able to work on the sick and wounded. Truly, her knowledge of magic was seemingly limitless. Key word being seemingly.

One day, the forty-year old mare got in an accident. A tree fell over, crushing her nearly to death. She barely escaped with her life. She had helped everypony who needed her, but when the time came that she herself needed help, nopony could. It took two years for her to recover. Once she did, she became increasingly paranoid. Everything became a threat in her eyes, and she began the search for immortality.

Reminded too frequently of her ordeal from the still-present pain and scars, she searched feverishly for an answer. And one day she found one, albeit from an odd source.

She had found an artifact in th jungle near her village. The strange statuette radiated with dark magic, a force most were either wise or oblivious enough to know not to mess with. Morticia was very wise, but that didn't stop her. No, instead she activated the artifact, although to this day she didn't know how. From the artifact came a strange being.

He never revealed his name to her. Nor did he even take a physical form. But he did promise her one thing - eternal life. And in return, all he asked for was for the mare to return the favor later. It was an amazing deal. Morticia took the offer without hesitation.

For the next 197 years, she traveled, living out her now unnaturally long life. She became even more acquainted with the dark arts of black magic, and eventually she met Willus. She had liked Willus, to be perfectly honest. He had seemed like a fine colt. But one day, after his birthday party, her master had returned. He said that the time was drawing near, and her service would be necessarry. To begin, Willus would have to be driven insane. She had hesitated at first, but in the end, she did the job.

After that was accomplished, her next goal was to gather an army. This was easy. With a simple potion, she was able to drug an entire village of diamond dogs into working for her. The process was simple, only a matter of slipping a mind-control potion into their water supply. After she had assumed direct control, she began to experiment.

It didn't take long for her to make the first diamond hulk. Unfortunately, the transformation process resulted in most of her test subjects suffering from a severe case of death. It took a while for a diamond hulk to actually live beyond a day, and even longer to get past a week. Eventually, she got to a more workable lifespan. It was then she made her next appointment.

She met with Lord Ironfeathers. He was an egotistical psychopath if ever there was one. However, Morticia's master had deemed him and his operation important to the plan, so she didn't ask too many questions. She didn't have to see him too much, only checking on him occasionally. Until the plan started to accelerate, that is.

* * * * * * * * * * *

And that was how Morticia had gotten to where she was. Was she guilty for what she did to Willus? Was she guilty for any of the things she did? Of course not. Right? No. She had a job to do. She could not allow such delusions to cloud her judgement. Morticia got up, and walked to the pen where she kept the diamond hulks. More pairs of eyes than she could count opened, glowing yellow, at the sound of her hoofsteps.

Morticia grinned wickedly.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper sat, staring into the fire. He sighed. Stupid ponies. He stared, when he suddenly was alerted by movement in the corner of his eyes. He quickly turned to face the intruder, only to be disappointed by the fact that it was only Pinkie. The mare had gotten out of her sleeping mat, and was now moving towards him. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

Pinkie nodded. "You know, all that sugar you eat is probably the reason," he continued.

Pinkie smiled, sitting down next to Reaper and joining him in gazing into the fire. "Reapy, why are you so scared to tell us about your past?" Pinkie asked.

Reaper tensed, but didn't react. Pinkie could sense that Reaper wasn't going to open up. She sighed. "You know, just because your past wasn't happy doesn't mean your future can't be," she said.

Reaper and Pinkie looked at each other. As they did, Reaper began to think. What was with this mare? Why did she care? Ever since she had met him, all she had tried to do was make him happy. Why? What did it matter to her if he was happy? Why did she care? In fact, she was the only being who had ever really cared about him. At least, the only one since....

Reaper realized that whether he liked it or not, Pinkie mattered to him. And he smiled.

If it were anypony else, Pinkie would have exploded with happiness. But it was late, and she didn't want to wake her friends. So she just smiled back warmly. Reaper's smile was fleeting though. "Well, I suppose I will go to sleep now. You take over the watch, it's best if you put those goggles to good use," he said.

As Reaper lay down to sleep, he felt happier than he had in a very long time.

Chapter 15 - Interrogation Squared

Chapter 15

Interrogation Squared

The next morning, the group was discussing what to do with their captive griffin.

"Clearly, we need to find out exactly how close we are to their base of operations," Shamrock said.

"We also haven't figured out a way to get in," Twilight added.

"Or why they're even doing this," Willus said.

"Interrogation seems like the only logical solution. Who wants to do it?" Reaper said.

"I do!" Rainbow said immediately, stamping her hoof on the ground. "I wanna teach him a lesson for helping that creep who's behind all this!"

The others were slightly worried by their enthusiasm. "Maybe it would be best if somepony helped you. Anypony else volunteer?" Twilight asked.

Everypony looked at each other, trying to see who would volunteer. "Sure, I'll do it," Lightning said.

"Besides, the rest of us need to learn how to use our new stuff," Applejack said, balancing her katana with her tail.

"Then let's get to it!" Rainbow said, far too eager to start.

As the pair walked towards where they left the griffin, Lightning chatted excitedly.

"So if we're both gonna interrogate him, what would that be?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would it be two interrogations for the price of one? Or an interrogation within an interrogation?"

Lightning's eyes widened. "I know! Interrogation squared!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Let's just do this, okay?"

Lightning nodded, ready to begin. "Just sayin," he muttered.

* * * * * * * * * *

The griffin sat tied against a rock. He glared at his captors, whose sillohuettes were iluminated by the sunlight behind them. Rainbow Dash's wings were flared for intimidation, while Lightning seemed more laid back - almost bored. The griffin shuffled, trying to get comfortable.

"Well? What do you want? If it's information, you won't get any from me!"

Rainbow Dash roughly grabbed him by the neck. "Listen, buddy, you helped the freaks who took our friend. That really, really, really pisses me off," Rainbow said slowly. "We're gonna ask you a few questions, and you will answer them. That is, if you want to stay a colt,"

The griffin's eyes widened for a moment, before he thought of something. "Ha! Your punishment couldn't possibly be as bad as what my lord would do to me if I talked! Try me!"

Rainbow inwardly cursed, frustrated that her threat didn't work. She considered a different route. "Your, 'Lord.' You and the other griffins have brought him up before. Who is this guy? I demand anwers!"

The griffin shrugged. "Even if I wished to tell you, there's not much I could say,"

"Tell me anyway!" Rainbow slapped him as hard as she could across the face.

"Alright! Crazy mare..." he said, wishing he could rub his stinging cheek. Unfortunately, all of his limbs were bound tighter than he could possibly imagine.

"All I know is that he's crazy. We all know he's crazy. But he's smart - he knows how to plan things out, get things done. He has plans for your Equestria, big plans. I don't know them myself, but I can assure you that they will come to light," He said.

Rainbow scowled, her eyes narrowing. Lightning put a hoof on her shoulder. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the griffin.

Rainbow was silent for a moment, before glancing back at her friends in the background. "Five minutes," she said, before leaving.

Lightning pulled up a rock, and sat on it. "Listen, buddy, if I were you, I'd forget any of the things you may or may not owe your lord...lord...what's his name again?"

The griffin scowled. "Lord Ironfeathers. Learn it well, for it shall be the sound of your doom,"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah, sure. So, what's your name?"

The griffin shuffled more. "Excuse me?"

"Your name. What is it?'

"Dustbeak...." the griffin mumbled quietly.

LIghtning snickered. "Really? Wow, I honestly expected something more intimidating!"

Dustbeak the soldier scowled. "Shut up," he said simply.

Lightning sighed. "Look, we can do this in one of two ways. My way, or her way," he said, gesturing to the waiting Rainbow Dash.

"Do you truly think she intimdates me?" Dustbeak asked.

Lightning laughed, before stopping suddenly. "Oh, wait, you actually thought that she was the 'bad cop?'" he said. He laughed again. "No, no, no. She's the 'good cop.'"

"Am I supposed to believe that you're the 'bad cop?'"

Lightning chuckled. "Not quite. You see, I'm a colt who's seen a lot and done a lot. I don't want to hurt you. But..."

Lightning leaned in and whispered what he would do into Dustbeak's ear.

Rainbow Dash's ears perked up when she heard the griffin scream. "All right! All right! I'll talk!"

Rainbow quickly trotted up. Lightning grinned smugly. "How?"

"I'll never tell," he said.

The griffin was shaking uncontrollably. "So, you'll tell us what we want to know?" Rainbow asked him.

He nodded. "Yes, yes, whatever! I'll tell you everything! After all, it's not like he can stop me, right?"

Dustbeak had no idea how wrong he was. Suddenly, next to him, a black hole surrounded by purple flames appeared from the ground next to him. He began to be sucked towards the hole. He kicked and screamed, trying to escape his fate. Lightning and Rainbow both grabbed him, but whatever the hole was, it was stronger. Finally, he was yanked from their grip and pulled screaming down the hole. He disappeared behind the purple flames, before the hole closed and disappeared with a pop.

Lightning and Rainbow sat panting.

"Well," Lightning said, not sure how to react. "So much for getting some answers,"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fluttershy sat chained to a chair in a room. The walls emanated with heat, but it was not comforting in the slightest. "Hello?" she called out, hoping somepony could hear her.

The stone door to the room slammed open. An albino, male griffin walked in, with wings made of metal. "Ahh, I see our guest is awake," he said, voice full of malice.

"Where am I?" Fluttershy asked, whimpering.

The griffin chuckled. "You're in my base, dearest! I do trust the journey here was not too taxing?"

Fluttershy whimpered more. "I...I...guess so. I don't really remember much..."

The griffin waved a claw dismissively, sitting down opposite of her. "Enough with the pleasantries. My companions brought you here for one simple reason - to provide insight into your friends,"

He chuckled maniacally. "Yes, you shall provide me with all of the answers I seek," he monologued to himself. "And then, I, Lord Ferdinand Ironfeathers, shall be able to complete my plan to rule the world!"

For a moment, Fluttershy forgot her fear, as she stifled a giggled. "Ferdinand? What are you, a florist?"

Ironfeathers' face contorted with rage. "How dare you! Before you were born, I was being trained to conquer! You are in no place to mock me, prisoner!"

Fluttershy flinched, but decided to try and avoid showing her fear. She decided to try and take the attention off of her for a moment.

"But, things don't add up. Why do you want to take over the world so badly?"

Ironfeathers' wings rustled, producing a metallic scratching noise as the bladed feathers rubbed against each other. "Why? Why?" he asked, almost to himself. For a moment, his face seemed worried. Then a psychopathic grin lit it up.

"Why not? I have the means. I have the methods. The world is my plaything! I will not just be a ruler, I will be a god!"

Fluttershy was beginning to question the psychological stability of this guy. Then she began to question why it took so long for her to question that.

She was still confused, however. "But still, why attack us? Why now?"

Ironfeathers scowled with impatience. "Fine, if you insist," he said.

"I am not above explaining a little backstory. You see, dear, way back in the day, I held a position of great power in the Griffin hierarchy. I was a general, and my clan was legendary for our militaristic prowess! My father's father's father's father was famous for winning wars, a legacy each of his sons carried. As you can imagine, I was practically trained since birth to lead, to conquer,"

"We fought a silent war when we discovered the changeling espionage. No surprise that the bugs would try and overthrow us. Luckily, we were able to root them out, and any spies we found were exterminated," He laughed sadistically. "Try and steal our emotions, would they?" He laughed some more, before continuing his monologue.

"After we dealt with the changelings, I realized that we were being perceived as weak. Too weak. Before we knew it, another nation would come in and wage war! I would not let that happen. I approached the high council with a plan. We would take Equestria. After all, your country is the most idealistic I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. Conquest would be chick's play - a simple matter a buffoon could strategize for. Yet, the council rejected my plan. They said I was too 'Radical,' and 'Violent,' for their tastes. Idiots!"

Ironfeaters slammed a clawed fist on the table, causing Fluttershy to flinch. "But they don't matter, do they? No, I would show them! I had an army, completely loyal to me and my name! Yes, you were wondering that, weren't you? How did I get an army if the council rejected me? Well, it's quite simple really. Griffin soldiers do not take oaths of loyalty to the country, just to their commanders. This allows wars to be one without bureaucracy getting in the way. So, I took my soldiers, I took my daughter, and I found this magnificent base! And then I thought, why stop with Equestria? Why not show the council who was really in charge? Why not show the whole world who was in charge? Ever since, my partners and I have plotted your downfall. Within a matter of days, Equestria will burn, and from the ashes I shall rise, like a phoenix!"

"The world will be subject to my every fantasy, my ever whim! I can picture it now!" He wrapped an arm around the bound mare, gesturing grandiosely with the other one. "Isn't it glorious?"

Fluttershy mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"Not really," she said, louder this time.

Ironfeathers' face contorted with rage again, as he growled. His metallic wings spread reflexively, glinting in the dim light. He slapped Fluttershy across the face, his talons leaving light scratches on her cheek. "Ignorant wretch!" he shouted.

He forced the door open again, revealing two soldiers waiting outside. Both looked terrified by the sudden rage he had been consumed by. "I'm done with her for now. Take her to her cell!"

Both of the soldiers saluted, before entering. They grabbed Fluttershy, before dragging her away. Ironfeathers watched. "A wise griffin once said, 'Some just want to watch the world burn.' Well, I suppose we better get ready for the pyrotechnics."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Well, now what?" Willus asked with good reason.

Their hostage was gone - where, nopony knew. Somehow, their enemy had established a fail-safe to prevent them from revealing too much information. Twilight sighed.

"I don't think we have many options. Once we get there, we either try and force our way in or sneak our way in. Neither will be easy,"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," a female voice said. A sillhouted form appeared, walking towards the group.

"Who are you?" Rainbow asked. "Why should we trust you?"

"Because," the griffin said. "The one who you are trying to defeat is my husband."

Chapter 16 - The Beginning of the End

Chapter 16

The Beginning of the End

All eyes were glued to the female griffin. "His wife?" was all the group was able to manage out.

The female griffin chuckled. Her fur coat was deep tan, and her feathers were as white as snow. The only other color in her feathers was the occasional spot of purple, as well as the purple around her deep golden eyes. They could tell she was in her later years, but she had certainly aged well.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Rainbow interrogated, hovering over her friends defensively.

The female griffin only smiled. "Like I said, I am his wife. My name is Minerva. And I am here to help you," she said.

Reaper cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "You could be lying. How do we know whether or not to trust you?" he said.

Minerva merely brushed past him, unfazed. "I could say the same of you, changeling," Reaper hissed softly, but said nothing more.

"I may be his wife, but do not think it is by choice," she continued, not bothered by the interruptions. "Long ago, when I was young, I was an elegant girl. I had friends, family, and a life that couldn't be better. And then he came," her words were filled with venom. "He, for whatever reason, decided that I should be his wife. I was only 22 at the time, and he was a full 16 years my senior. But that didn't stop him. He wanted me, and tried everything to win me over. It didn't work. However, my parents had other ideas. They knew he had a high standing in society, so they forced me to marry him. It was an unhappy marriage, but there was nothing I could do. For a while, at least,"

"Eventually, I met a boy. We were very much in love. Ironfeathers may have been as powerful as he was, but he was ignorant. He never knew of our affair. But then, one day, I became pregnant. I had always refused him the bed, so he knew that the chick was not his," Minerva paused, staring into the forest, her eyes showing she was clearly far away. "He found my lover. It had not been long after the....accident that resulted in his metal wings,"

"Wait, the guy we're facing has metal wings?" Lightning interrupted. Twilight nudged him with her elbow and glared. "Don't interrupt," she said.

"He had been so angry when he found him. I...I'm not quite sure what happened. I wasn't there. All I know is, whatever happened, it was the inspration for him to weaponize his wings. The next day, they found my lover's body. He didn't even get a funeral," Minerva was finishing her story. "But Ironfeathers chose to spite me even more. He made me go through with the pregnancy, so that the chick would serve as a constant reminder of the pain I had endured. When the egg hatched, he named her Gilda,"

As the tale ended, the ponies were filled with shock. "Wait, Gilda's your daughter?" Rainbow asked. "That must be why she's working with Ironfeathers! Now that I think about it, I never did meet her parents,"

Minerva smiled. "You must be Rainbow Dash. I remember the day Gilda told me about you. She had been so excited to make her first friend,"

Rainbow felt a twinge of sorrow, as she remembered the days when she and Gilda had been friends.

Minerva continued talking. "Gilda has been persuaded to work under her adoptive father. I am certain it was against her will, but she does it anyway. Most likely out of fear. Understand this, ponies. I am not here to stop my husband on his maniacal rampage - I am here to save my daughter,"

There was a moment of silence, before Twilight Sparkle approached her. "We'll make you a deal. If you help us deal with Ironfeathers, we'll help you with your daughter," she said. Minerva smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that. Why would I have shown myself if otherwise?" she said.

"That makes sense," Shamrock said. "But how can you help us beat Ironfeathers?"

Minerva paced past him, before speaking. "Ironfeathers sent for me. Apparently, he wanted me to be present in his 'hour of victory.' He sent his second-in-command, and closest friend, to get me,"

"And where is he now?" Lightning asked.

"He is currently suffering from a severe case of death. But Ironfeathers doesn't need to know that, now does he?"

"What are you proposing?" Reaper asked.

"It's simple. You, my friend, are a changeling. If you can pull off a disguise identical to Ironfeathers' second, you and I can infiltrate his base undetected," She said.

Reaper shook his head. "You underestimate how difficult it actually is to make a disguise. A good one can't just be made willy-nilly! I need to understand how he looks, how he acts, even how he breathes! I need to fully understand all the subtle intricacies of his actions, or else the disguise will fall apart," he said.

Minerva waved him off. "Don't worry, I'll walk you through the disguise,"

Shamrock suddenly raised a hoof. "Wait, are we really doing this?"

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know, it's just...We're really going to do this, aren't we? We're going to take down Ironfeathers, aren't we?"

Everypony nodded. Many of them sighed. They had made it far. They had fought and struggled, but they were here, now. And now, it was time to end it.

"Then let's get planning," Shamrock said.

Minerva drew a crude image of Ironfeathers' volcano base in the sand. Twilight pointed to the underbelly of the mountain. "This is Mount Molten, right? If it is, we might be able to wake it up," she said.

Willus' eyes lit up with recognition. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Wake it up?" Lightning asked, feeling left behind.

Twilight nodded. "You see, Mount Molten is a dormant volcano. This means that it hasn't erupted for some time. However, it doesn't mean that it can't erupt. In theory, if somepony were to cast the right spell in the heart of the volcano, we could set off a chain reaction that would result in the volcano erupting,"

Rainbow nodded. "Once the spell is cast, how long would they have to get out?" she asked.

Twilight sighed. "Not long. A few minutes, at most,"

"Sounds like your gonna need a quick getaway. I volunteer," Lightning said.

Rainbow gave him a look. "Are you sure? We both know that I'm faster, maybe it's better if I go," she said.

Twilight shook her head. "No, Rainbow, we need you and the others on the front lines. If Ironfeathers attacks, we need ponies who can fight ready for him," she said.

Rainbow nodded. "I guess that makes sense,"

Twilight turned to Rarity. "Since you have the Fluttershy costume, you and Pinkie will go save the hostages. Sound good?"

Rarity and Pinkie nodded.

"Then it's settled," Reaper said. "Minerva and I will cause a distraction, while Pinkie, Rarity, Twilight, and Lightning infiltrate the base. The rest will stay outside, ready to fight. Any questions?"

Willus raised his hoof. "Can I join the infiltration team?" he asked.

Everpony gave him an odd look. "Why?" Twilight asked.

Willus shuffled awkwardly, before turning to Applejack. "AJ, if anypony understands, it's you. It's Morticia. I...I just need to know. I need to know why she did what she did," he said.

Applejack gave him a compassionate look. "Willus...Ah know you need to know, but don't you think it's risky? Having that many ponies sneaking around at once?"

"Oh, no, don't worry! I would break off from the group as soon as we got in!"

Twilight nodded. "Lightning and I wouldn't seperate as well," she said.

Applejack pouted, before turning to Reaper, who merely shrugged. "Then sure, Ah guess it's okay," she said.

Willus smiled, glad that it was settled.

Shamrock slapped a hoof on his back. "Looks like we have a plan, then!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ironfeathers and Morticia sat at the edge of a cliff. They watched the sunrise, each consumed by their own thoughts. "My wife should have been here by now," Ironfeathers finally said, breaking the silence.

Morticia rolled her eyes. "Calm yourself. I am sure she is just dead or something," she said nonchalantly.

Ironfeathers half huffed, half chuckled. "Probably. Oh well," he said.

Both watched the sun continue to rise. "Poetic, isn't it?" he said.

Morticia gave him a look out of the corner of her eye. "What do you mean?"

Ironfeathers smiled, his metallic wings shuffling noisily. "The sun rises on a new age, a new year. Just as the Phoenix rises from its ashes, I have risen to a new level. Soon, the world will be mine, and there isn't a thing that can be done to stop me!"

Morticia said nothing, simply nodding. Ironfeathers smiled sadistically.

"It's almost a shame that the ponies who try and stop us won't live to see their dreams crushed."

Chapter 17 - The Final Battle Part I

Chapter 17

The Final Battle

Part I

Minerva and a disguised Reaper approached the entrance to Mount Molten. Reaper was disguised as a tall, bulky griffin. He was dark, chocalate brown in coat color, with golden feathers. He awkwardly shuffled his wings, trying to get used to how the body moved.

"Are you sure this will work?" he asked.

MInerva nodded. "Of course it will, it's not like you have to do anything. Remember, he's mute, so you won't have to say a word,"

Reaper still disliked the idea. He had never been particularly good at infiltration. The one mission he had ever been sent on had been in the Griffin kingdoms - and it didn't end well. After being captured, it took two far more professional infiltrators to break him out, and he had suffered severe psychological torture. There was a reason he was a general, after all.

Minerva and Reaper neared the entrance. A guard stopped them. "Halt! Who goes there?" he asked.

"Did Lord Ironfeathers not inform you that his wife was coming?" Minerva asked.

The guard blinked, recognizing her. "Lady Minerva! My apologies, I did not recognize you!"

"Don't worry soldier. Now, may we come in?"

The soldier saluted, before opening the door. As his back was turned, he never noticed Reaper raise his "claws." Reaper brought them down with great force, instantly knocking the guard out. He uncaringly tossed the guard off the side of the cliff, into the Everfree forest below.

"It's safe, come out," he whispered.

Immediately, Lightning Hawk, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie (with night-vision goggles), Willus, and Rarity (Disguised as Fluttershy) appeared. "Ready?" Lighting asked.

All of the others nodded, before entering the volcano.

Immediately, Rarity and Pinkie ran in one direction, Willus in another, and Lightning and Twilight in yet another. Reaper sighed as he and Minerva approached an auditorium, from which the sounds of an army were coming from.

"Shall we begin?" He said to himself.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Applejack flipped the katana with her tail restlessly, as she and the others waited on the outskirts of the volcano. There were enough trees to provide cover, but a mere ten paces from there and it was nothing but barren rock.

The perfect place for an ambush.

Shamrock eyed her sword warily. "Are you sure you know how to use that?" he asked.

Applejack nodded. "Of course Ah know how to use it! It's not complicated. It's a sword, not a fancy canterlot thingamajig. What's to understand about 'Swish, Swish, Stab?'"

Shamrock shrugged. "Fair enough,"

Rainbow Dash shuffled on her hooves in anticipation. The fact that it was only going to be the four of them against an entire army was not lost on her. Anxious, she continuosly opened and folded her wings, watching the entrance. She knew that sooner or later, they would come pouring out of there. She gulped. She only hoped the others would be back in time to help.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus rushed through hallway after hallway, being careful not to make too much noise. He didn't want to alert any guards to his presence. Speaking of which, where were all the guards? He had been running, searching for a solid amount of time, and had not seen even one guard. It was beginning to unnerve him.

He turned the corner, only to be met by the entrance to a room. Inside, he could see a large cauldron. This must be the place. He walked in, looking around. Suddenly, he felt a poweful blow hit him in the back of the head, launching him through the weak wall into a small auditorium.

"What's this? An intruder?" a female voice taunted.

Willus pulled himself up, glaring towards the sound of the voice. Lo and behold, there was Morticia, clad in her cloak. "Morticia," he spat out, glowering with anger at her. "Why? Why did you do it?"

Morticia merely smirked. "Do what, my dear? I choose to remember things in order of importance. You appear to have...slipped my mind,"

Willus' rage was evident by her taunt, causing her evil grin to widen. "You know what you did,"

"Do I?"

"You ruined my life! Everything I had, gone in a flash! Why? I demand an answer!"

Morticia chuckled. "My, my. So exigent. I'm afraid you will never know, however. I cannot afford to let you ruin what is currently in motion,"

And with that, she threw something at Willus. Willus jumped out of the way, barely avoiding a dark, inky cloud that appeared where he once was. The cloud lingered for a moment, before sinking into the ground. Willus, let out a small sigh of relief. Morticia threw off her cloak, revealing a belt with more vials of the inky death underneath. Willus magically grabbed his explosive quills, ready to fight. Morticia smirked again.

"Are we ready?"

And then the battle begun.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Minerva and Reaper walked into the giant auditorium. Inside was what looked like the entire griffin army. They appeared to be celebrating, all eating some sort of food. Seated in a throne, elevated above them, was Lord Ironfeathers. Standing next to him was Gilda. Minerva and Reaper spread their wings, and approached the tyrant.

"Hello, dear," Minerva said, getting his attention. Ironfeathers turned to them, and smiled a false smile.

"Minerva, dear! I did so want you to be here! I am glad to see that you have not failed me, Sour Claw," he said to Reaper.

Reaper nodded, saluting silently. Well, this wasn't so bad. As long as he didn't have to do anything, this should be easy.

"I came as fast as I could, just as soon as our friend here told me," Minerva said, trying to sound sweet. "Now, what exactly is going on right now?"

Ironfeathers looked down at the ruckus below. "The soldiers are having a party. A celebration, for our soon-to-be victory," he said.

"You always did try and find ways to boost morale," Minerva added.

Ironfeathers grinned. "Do you remember the music that was playing the night we met?"

"How could I forget? It was the most famous piece of Griffin music ever created,"

Reaper could sense Minerva grow a little angry, but didn't show it. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Dear, we should sing it, here and now! For the army!"

"Well, if you insist,"

"I shall get the equipment personally!" Ironfeathers said, before leaving.

Reaper pulled Minerva closely to him the moment Ironfeathers was out of sight. "Listen, I just realized. You can't sing!"

Minerva cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Remember how I was captured by griffins?" Minerva nodded. "Well, their torture had a lot of psychological side effects on me. Things like remembering to leave the toilet seat up, cloaking involuntarily, and most importantly, singing the song they used to torture me. Which happens to be the most famous piece of Griffin music ever created,"

Minerva's eyes widened. She was about to say something, When Ironfeathers appeared. "Shall we, dearest?" he said, gesturing to the stage.

"Look, just try and control yourself! We can't afford to lose our cover!" She whispered. Reaper felt stressed, as she approached the stage where her husband waited.

* * * * * * * * * *

Fluttershy sat bored in her cell. Easily the worst part about being held captive was the boredom. She sighed heavily, staring at the ceiling. The guard at her cell door seemed bored as well, and sat waiting. Eventually, another appeared. With three mugs of some unknown drink.

"This is all I was able to get from the party," he said.

The first guard growled. "Why do the others get to party and we have to get stuck here guarding the stupid ponies?"

The second shoved a drink into his talons. "Do you wanna be the guy who explains how they escaped to Ironfeathers?"

The first one sighed. "No,"

"Then shut up and enjoy your drink,"

Both took sips from the drink, arousing Fluttershy's curiosity. "Is that alcoholic?" she asked.

The second guard nodded. "Yes. Why?"

Fluttershy pointed at the third mug. "Can I have some?"

The first guard shrugged. The second passed the mug through the bars. "Here, though I think you'll find it's stronger than anything you've ever had,"

Fluttershy downed it in one gulp.

"Strong? This is flatter than water,"

The griffins' beaks hit the floor. "How did you do that?" the first asked.

Fluttershy shrugged. "Practice makes perfect," she said.

It wasn't long before the other griffins finished their drinks. Now thoroughly inebriated, they spoke drunkenly to the sober Fluttershy.

"Y'know *hic*, all I'm sayin is *hic* that we should get payed somethin, *hic* amiright?" the first griffin said.

The second griffin nodded, a stupid smile plastered on his face. "Yeah, yeah, totally!" he said.

Fluttershy just watched, slightly worried. "Oh my," she muttered.

Suddenly, a voice called out. "Yoo-Hoo!"

"Whazzat?" the second guard said confusedly. Both looked up to see Fluttershy at the end of the hallway, waving at them? They squinted their eyes, not believing what they saw.

"Man, are we really drunk enough to let her get away?" the first asked.

"I dunno, but let's get her! Ironfeathers'll kill us if we don't!"

"Yeah!" Both took after the second Fluttershy, leaving the first Fluttershy very confused.

That's when Pinkie appeared. "Hey 'Shy! How ya been?"

"Pinkie? What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? Busting you out!" Pinkie said, before opening the door.

"How'd you open it?" Fluttershy asked.

"I unlocked it!" Pinkie said, despite clearly never doing so. Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow, but was used to Pinkie enough by this point to know better than to question it. "What are those things on your head?"

"Oh, these are my new night-vision goggles! Reapy gave them to me!"

Fluttershy was about to say something, but was interrupted. "Where are Dinky and Spike?"

"I think I heard a guard say they were down the hall," Fluttershy said, pointing in the desired direction.

"Then let's go!" Pinkie said, before bounding away.

Fluttershy sighed. If only she had more to drink...

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lightning and Twilight ran down another hallway, Twilight in the lead. They continued until they reached a circular chamber, with many hallways leading out of it.

"Where now?" Lightning asked.

"One of these leads to the core, so we need to go down that one. The question is, which of these is it?"

A passing guard entered through one of the hallways and noticed them. "Hey, stop!" he yelled.

Before he could say anything else, a loud smack echoed through the air. In a flash, Lightning had flown right up in his face and punched him, knocking him out cold. "We better pick one quickly, before more of these guys show up," he said. Twilight nodded, before analyzing the different paths.

"I think this is the right one...No, wait, it's this one...Or...Maybe this one?"

Lightning groaned. "How are we gonna know which one is the right one?"

Twilight shrugged. Lightning sighed.

"Look, just pick one and let's go!"

Twilight looked at the various halls, sweat visible on her forehead. "Uhh....this one!" she said, pointing at a random hallway. Both ponies ran down it as fast as they could. They ran, until they heard something. "You hear that?" Lightning asked. Twilight nodded. "Almost like a bubbling noise. And is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?"

They both grinned as they rounded the corner into a room.

They stood on a ledge, and 100 feet below them was a massive pool of boiling lava. They looked up, and saw the caldera of Mount Molten. They looked at each other and smiled widely.

They had found the core.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Minerva grabbed a microphone from Ironfeathers, smiling falsely. "Shall we, my dear?" he asked.

Minerva nodded, getting up onto the stage, as the music began to play.

Minerva: There's a fire goin on,

But the party's just begun,

So keep your focus looking at me tonight,

So the world's about to end,

Gonna party with my friends,

And ain't nopony gonna say it's not right.

And I know

Nothing's gonna stand in my way,

No matter what the ponies may say,

Just don't turn around and keep lookin straight.

And I see

Everybody's starting to yell

How the world around you's going to Hell.

I'm here to tell you all it's just fate.

I'm a distraction!

Of pure satisfaction!

Keep your eyes all on me,

For what you're gonna see,

Will redefine the height of attraction!

I'm a distraction!

And I'm ready for action!

So the world's gonna blow,

Stop complaining and go

To the show!

There's explosions in the sky,

And the neighborhood is fried,

But you don't have to join them all in the fuss.

Act like nothing's goin wrong,

And just keep playin my song,

Until there's nothing left around here but us...

Ironfeathers: And I know,

Something's gonna happen tonight,

All the stars around us start taking flight,

But there's something that invites me to stay.

Cause I'm drawn

To the rythm of the music they play,

And we're all gonna die anyway,

So enjoy it while you can, come what may.

Minerva/Ironfeathers: We're a distraction!

Of pure satisfaction!

There's a war goin on,

But in here we've all won,

Cause nopony is slowing the traction!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Twilight closed her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could. Her horn glowed as she cast the spell. Lighting watched in horrror and fascination as the lava began to bubble and burst loudly, beginning to rise. "We better get out of here!" he said, and the two ponies ran off.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus and Morticia grit their teeth as explosions of magic and toxic ink rocked the air around them. Willus dodged another ink bomb, before throwing another explosive quill at her. Morticia flinched from the near explosion, but otherwise appeared unaffected. Beads of sweat trickled down both of their foreheads as the battle raged on.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Both: Take a step,

Come inside,

Buy a stub,

Ride the ride

of your life!

Ironfeathers: Nothing ever will come from saying never,

So join the fun wherever it is.

There's a power

that's growing by the hour

I'm positive I don't want to miss.

I'm a distraction!

Both: We're a distraction!

Of pure satisfaction!

Keep your eyes all on me,

For what you're gonna see

Will redefine the height of attraction!

I'm a distraction!

And I'm ready for action!

Minerva: So the world's gonna blow,

Stop complaining and go,

Just start watching the show,

Cause there's no more to know,

Here we go!

Ironfeathers: I'm a distraction!

Minerva: He's a distraction!

Both: We're a distraction!

Reaper: WE'RE A DISTRACTION!!

A loud gasp shout through the auditorium. Ironfeathers looked horrifically confused, and Minerva looked scared. Reaper slapped himself. "He spoke!" someone in the audience shouted.

"Sour Claw doesn't talk!" Another added.

Ironfeathers' face devolved into rage. "Imposter!" he shouted. He threw a knife that had been laying on one of the banquet tables nearby and flung it at Reaper. The blade only grazed his shoulder, but it was enough. His disguise was dropped immediately.

Reaper gulped. "Time to go?" he asked.

Minerva nodded. "Let's," she said.

As the two fled, Ironfeathers roared in rage. "My own wife has deceived me! I hate to be deceived!" He turned to some nearby soldiers. "You three! After them!" The three saluted before running after them. Ironfeathers then glared at his army. "Well then? What are you waiting for? They're here! This invasion begins now! And am I the only one who thinks there was a double meaning to that damned song?!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Applejack gritted her teeth as she saw the army come pouring out of the mountain. There were just so many! She began to have doubts about whether or not they could win, but she quickly swallowed those away. Her grip on her katana tightened as she watched the army grow in size. "Wait for it," Shamrock ordered.

The army continued to grow, until it had reached its maximum size. An entire army, standing at the rocky, barren base of a volcano, ready to invade. Applejack's muscles tensed, as she though of all the pain and misery they would cause if she and her friends didn't stop them here and now. The immense task seemed insurmountable.

"Wait for it," Shamrock repeated.

The army began to spread out. Clearly, the distraction had run its course, and the time to attack would be soon. She glanced at Shamrock and the rest of the small force, all of whom were sweating profusely. Where were the others? There was no way they would be able to hold their own like this. "Wait for it," Shamrock said again.

Applejack was tensed, poised and ready to strike like a rattlesnake. An unwary griffin soldier walked near their hiding place. Shamrock blinked. "Now!" he shouted.

And all tartarus broke loose.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pinkie and Fluttershy rounded the corner, finding a cell. Inside were Spike and Dinky. "Pinkie? Fluttershy? What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"We're here to get you outta here!" Pinkie said, while Fluttershy picked the lock.

"But what about all the griffins?" Dinky asked.

"Don't worry, Reapy and that nice griffin we found are distracting them so we can get you out!"

Dinky and Spike looked confused. Pinkie groaned. "Look, it'll all make sense in context!" She said. The two captives shrugged and exited, as Fluttershy opened the cell door .

The room shook and rocked, and a small, glowing fissure appeared in the floor of the cell where Spike and Dinky had just been. "Now seems like a good time to get back with the others!" Fluttershy said. The rest nodded their agreement. They turned and ran out into the hallway.

As they got exited the room, Pinkie crashed into a black blur. As she shook her head to clear her vision, she was met by a very confused and almost frightened Reaper. "Pinkie? What -"

"Reapy? Weren't you supposed to distract them?"

Reaper smiled awkwardly. "About that..."

Minerva appeared behind him. "We need to go. Our pursuers appear to be growing in number,"

"By how much?" Fluttershy asked.

Minerva looked around the corner, seeing an angry mob of soldiers streaking towards them. "You don't want to know. Now let's get out of here before this whole place blows!"

"Blows? As in, Kaboom?" Spike asked.

"No time to explain, let's just go!" Pinkie shouted, and the group tore off.

They ran, partially from the fiery volcano, partially from the mob chasing them, until they reached an exit. As they walked out, they saw their friends engaged in combat. Reaper turned to Fluttershy, Dinky, and Spike. "Get them out of here," he said.

Fluttershy nodded, before grabbing the two and flying off.

"Wait! I wanna help!" Spike shouted, but to no avail.

Pinkie watched them fly off, before noticing something. "Hey, where's Rarity?"

At that moment, a second fluttershy was thrown at them. She crashed into a surprised Reaper, and both fell on the ground with a loud thud. They picked themselves up, Rarity tearing off the Fluttershy costume as though it were poison. "Never again!" she shouted. Reaper rolled his eyes, but said nothing. She had played her part, after all.

The group then turned to the battle that was beginning to take place before them. There was no way their friends could win on their own. Deep breaths were taken, and they entered the fray.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Willus and Morticia continued their battle. Both of them fought with everything they could, as though their life depended on it. In all likelihood, it probably did. An explosion of ink hit the wall next to Willus, making him flinch. He held his breath, not daring to allow the dark concotion to enter his nostrils. He blindly stumbled out of the cloud, only to trip and fall face-first.

He landed at Morticia's hooves. She grinned, but there was no warmth in her smile. Just cold, grim, evil. "So, this is how it ends? A pity. I honestly expected more from you, Willus," she said.

Willus looked up at her, accepting his fate. "Before you kill me, can I at least have some last words?"

"Last words? Why would I allow that?"

"Because a good villain would kill me now. But a great villain would let me have last words,"

Morticia tapped her hoof to her chin. She considered whether or not there was anything he could do, or if it would bring any harm to The Plan. She decided it didn't, not realizing Willus slowly levitating an explosive quill behind her.

"I suppose," she said.

Willus grinned, and fired the quill directly behind her. The explosion was powerful enough to launch the zebra witch over him, causing her to crash into a wall. She slumped to the floor with a groan, cursing herself for falling for such a simple trick. She glared up at Willus, a small crack in the floor opening up. Orange-red light filtered through, illuminating her face with rage. "You will pay dearly for that!" she said.

And the battle raged on.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Shamrock and Derpy fought back to back. Diamond dogs poured in from every angle, jumping down with their incredible leaping skills and erupting from the earth beneath them. Derpy breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Fluttershy carrying Spike and DInky away from the battle. The respite was brief, however, as she dodged the massive paw of a diamond dog immediately after.

Suddenly, the dogs surrounding them were pushed back, as if by a large burst of wind. Pinkie, Minerva, Reaper, and Rarity appeared, the latter pair's horns glowing. "Where are Twilight and Lightning?" Reaper asked.

"I think there still in there. They need to get out soon, the volcano's becoming unstable!" Shamrock shouted back, punching a griffin soldier in the face.

"Where's Willus?" Applejack asked.

"Last I saw, he was still going after Morticia!" Rarity said, dodging a sword, and blasting its weilder with her magic.

"He better get out soon, that thing's gonna blow!"

But before anypony else could express their worry for Willus, a huge pack of diamond hulks appeared. Jaws hit the floor. Just one of these monsters had been a huge problem, but all of these? Reaper grinned, grabbing a sword from a fallen griffin. Applejack readied her lasso, while Raibow and Derpy flared their wings. Shamrock and Rarity's horns glowed, and Pinkie pulled out her party cannon.

Their chances looked grim. Like that had stopped them before.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Morticia and Willus continued battling, cracks in the floor and walls becoming more and more frequent. The battle was fierce, neither willing to back down. Morticia fought for The Plan. Willus fought for his friends. Both refused to accept defeat. But fate does not like ties.

Suddenly, a massive fissure appeared beneath Morticia's rear hooves. With explosive force, her entire half of the room was torn out, falling into a growing bubbling lake of lava. The lava continued to rise, as it reached closer to the top. Morticia was left hanging, holding on to the bit of rock that she could with her forehooves. Willus gasped before rushing towards her.

He grabbed ahold of her hoof, and tried to pull her up. Morticia was shocked by the gesture, but Willus had something to say. "Why? Tell me, Morticia, I need to know! Why did you do it?"

Morticia looked up at him. Tears stained her eyes, partially from the smoke billowing around her, partially from the memories of her friendship with Willus. "I can't tell you, Willus...Even if I wanted to, I can't..."

"Why? Why can't you?"

Morticia sighed. "There is something in motion far bigger than you can possibly imagine. Far more grandiose than simply conquering the world," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't say more, He'll know that I failed," she said cryptically, never noticing the purple flames that were inching their way towards her.

"Who will know that you failed? Morticia, you can tell me!"

Morticia suddenly felt the purple flames touch her. They were cold, as cold as ice. They wrapped around her rear legs, grabbing her like tentacles. She looked at Willus, tears in her eyes as she realized what would happen next. "Willus, why did you try and save me?" she asked, choking up.

"Because I believe there is still good in you. And what do you mean 'try?' I'm not going to fail!"

Morticia smiled sadly. "I hope you're right. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything," she said.

Before another word could be spoken, the purple flames yanked her from the rock, out of Willus' grasp.

"Morticia! No!" he shouted, as she fell towards the lava. The fiery liquid engulfed her silently, and Willus watched as the mare who was once his friend die. He shut his eyes hard, and looked away. He smelled smoke, and realized it was time to go. He turned and ran, tears streaming down his cheeks.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The group of friends fought against the never-ending waves of enemies. Diamond dog after griffin after diamond dog attacked them, each seemingly with more energy and bloodlust than the last. As Rainbow beat a dog's face, she noticed something. The dog's eyes suddenly stopped glowing yellow, and returned to normal. The dog looked around confusedly. As Rainbow Dash looked around, she saw that all of the diamond dogs and hulks had suffered the same effect. Their mind control was gone.

The griffin soldiers seemed just as worried as the dogs. The dogs seemed afraid. Blown away by the sheer scope of danger they were in, the dogs did what they do best - ran. Or dug, in their case. Mere moments after they regained mental control, they escaped to the underground that they loved so much, leaving the griffins to fend for themselves.

The soldiers seemed almost scared, now that they had to fight their opponents alone. They gulped, fear welling up in their stomachs. Suddenly, a lone clapping sounded out over the battlefield.

"Well, well, I must certainly say that this is a surprising turn of events!" a voice said.

Everypony looked up to a ledge, to see its source.

There stood Ironfeathers, Gilda by his side, with a sword in claw.

Chapter 18 - The Final Battle Part II

Chapter 18

The Final Battle

Part II

For a moment, the fighting stopped, as all eyes looked up at Ironfeathers.

"I can honestly say that I never would have considered the lot of you a genuine threat, let alone a force as effective as you've proven to be!" he said. "I mean, you actually killed the witch!"

A few gasps shot through the crowd, some from griffins, some from ponies. Willus emerged from the volcano, and a few of his friends shot him glares. What had happened?

"Oh yes, I figured it out. How else do you explain the fact that her Diamond Dog army has retreated with their tails between their legs? She was killed. In cold blood. By one of you. You see, that's the problem with you ponies. So high and mighty with your morals, but when push comes to shove, you're just as bad as the rest of us! You disgust me!" he shouted from his ledge, causing Gilda to flinch.

"We may not be perfect, but at least we try to maintain peace!" Shamrock retorted. "You're just mad! Just because things aren't the way you want them, you think that gives you the right to try and hurt the rest of us! And frankly, that just makes me sick!"

Ironfeathers laughed. "Sick? You ponies are nothing more than a plague upon the land, something that defiles all that it touches and destroys all in its path. And do you know what is the worst part of it all? You don't even have the decency to do it through warfare. You have to use your passive-aggressive tactics of 'love and tolerance!' You hypocrites!"

He then turned his attention to Minerva. "And you betrayed me for them? Of all things, you chose ponies over me?" he asked.

Minerva didn't show any emotion. "I didn't do it for the ponies, I did it for my daughter! She deserves better than your darkness!"

"My 'darkness' is the brightest light she has ever seen! Isn't that right, dear?" he asked Gilda, although the way he stated the question made it seem as though there was only one correct answer.

Gilda nodded in a forced, rehearsed manner. "Yes, sir!" she said. To the trained ear, fear was evident in her voice.

"See? Now how could you wish to break a daughter's connection to her father?" His mocking tone was full of spite and venom.

Minerva looked sadly at Gilda. "Gilda, please. I beg of you. Stop this madness. We can leave, right now, and just walk away from all of this!"

Gilda looked at her father, then her mother, then her father again. The glare he gave her was all she needed to see. "I'm sorry, mom, but that's not gonna happen," she said.

Minerva closed her eyes sadly, not wanting to speak more.

Ironfeathers then turned to Reaper. "You, changeling. Why do you fight? Does your kind not wish to conquer Equestria as much as I do? Perhaps if you abandoned the ponies now, an agreement could be reached that is mutually beneficial?"

Reaper glanced at the ponies surrounding him, before letting out a slightly amused laugh. "You're a bigger idiot than I thought. Do you honestly believe I would be here today if I owed any kind of allegiance to the hive?" he asked.

Ironfeathers' face contorted with rage. "You will regret that, insect!" he shouted.

Reaper felt a hoof place itself on his shoulder. "Thank you," Pinkie mouthed silently. He made no expression, but didn't openly scold her. That was more than could be expected of him most of the time, at least.

"Very well," Ironfeathers continued. "You have all sealed your fates. Kill them," he said, with a gesture to his army.

And so the battle began again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Twilight Sparkle and Lightning Hawk flinched as another explosion of lava burst from the wall in front of them. "This place won't last much longer!" Twilight observed, trying to remember the way out.

"You don't say?" Lighting chided . Twilight rolled her eyes, knowing that the sarcasm was just his way of masking his fear.

"Do you remember the way out?" she asked, beginning to sweat from the heat.

"Uhh...I thought that was your job," Lightning said pathetically.

Twilight groaned, facehoofing. Suddenly, she began coughing, as smoke began to enter her lungs. "We better hurry up and get out of here soon, or we're toast!" she said.

Lightning nodded, and the pair ran down a hallway. There! At the end, they could see the outside! Only one problem. With a violent combustion, a river of lava flowed out of a crack and onto the ground, blocking off their passage. Twilight smirked. "Not a problem! I'll just teleport us over there!" Twilight's horn glowed, but then she coughed some more.

She groaned. "It's getting harder to breathe...I can't concentrate!" She coughed some more. They turned around, to see if they could escape a different route, only to be met by a slowly approaching wall of lava.

Lightning began to panic. How were they going to get out of there? The situation seemed bleak. Lighting truly believed he was going to die. He gulped. Time to come clean. "Twilight?" he asked.

Twilight seemed deep in concetration, as she tried to come up with a solution. "Yeah?" she asked, not even giving him a glance.

"I love you," he said. "I've loved you ever since I first saw you. I don't think we're gonna make it, but if we do, would you...maybe...go on a date with me?"

Twilight froze in absolute shock. She turned and looked at Lightning, who smiled awkwardly. She smiled warmly, and almost sadly. Then, her smile turned to an angry frown. "You dolt!" she shouted.

"Wha-?" Lighting asked, thrown off guard.

"You have wings! You can just *cough* fly us out of here!"

Twilight seemed like she was about to kill him. Lightning opened his wings, barely remembering that he even had them. Wow, Spike and Sputnik were right. He really was an idiot! He smacked himself, before grabbing twilight by the waist. With a flap of his wings, the two fo them flew over the lava in their path. Another spurt of lava exploded from the walls behind them. Then another explosion, then another!

The pair of them shot out of the tunnel like a rocket, a large explosion of fire and lava following them. The battling griffins and ponies paused for a moment as they saw the pair fly into the air in shock. Lighting looked down at Twilight, everything seeming to go in slow motion. The light from the flames made her look positively angelic.

But Lighting Hawk didn't have time to admire her, as he flew down towards their friends. Twilight kicked a griffin in the back of the head as they descended, instantly knocking him out. The pair landed next to Rainbow Dash. "About time the two of you showed up. Any ideas?" she asked.

Twilight shrugged. "We're outnumbered, out-weaponed, and out-matched! I honestly don't know what to do!" she said.

Rainbow shrugged as well, hardly caring for stats. "Lightning, you're with me! We're gonna deal with an old friend of mine!"

"Wait, but-"

"No buts! Now let's go!"

Lightning pouted, turning to look at Twilight. She didn't show any expression. "Go! We can handle ourselves!" she said.

Lighting sighed, before following Rainbow towards a familiar griffin. Minerva watched them fly towards her daughter, before picking up a spear from an unconscious soldier. "What are you doing?" Derpy asked.

"Getting my daughter back, " Minerva responded, a look of determination in her eye, before she took to the skies as well.

Willus sighed shakily, his back to Applejack. "Things going well?" he asked, unusually calmly.

Applejack shrugged, deflecting a blow from a griffin's sword with her Katana. "Eh, the usual. Just an ordinary Friday," she said.

Willus blasted a soldier in the face with his magic. "Well, that's good," he said.

"Think we stand a chance?" she asked.

Willus shrugged. "Probably not. We'll probably die, in all likelihood,"

Applejack sighed. "Yeah, Ah guess so. Just in case we don't make it, Ah'm glad I got to know you, Willus,"

Willus smiled. "Me too," he said.

Shamrock punched another Griffin in the face, feeling the satisfying crunch of his beak breaking. "How are you holding up?" he asked Derpy, throwing the question over his shoulder.

Derpy viciously beat the living snot out of a soldier. "THAT'S. FOR. MY. BABY!" she shouted.

Shamrock's eye twitched. "All right then. Keep up the good work," he said, before returning to the battle at hoof.

Reaper, Pinkie, and Rarity also battled fiercely. Rarity was firing magic blasts, while Pinkie fired her party cannon. Only Celestia knew how she got it. Reaper constantly disappeared and reappeared, taking down various griffins as he did so. Of all who were fighting, he was the only one intentionaly using lethal force. None of the griffins saw his vicious black blade coming. It either materialized from mid-air, or suddenly appeared in a rapidly disintegrating illusion that they thought was a comrade. Reaper hadn't had this much fun in ages.

Lighting, Minerva, and Rainbow battled in the air, dodging attacks mid-flight while simultaneously dealing with their opponents. Finally, they approached their goal. Gilda hovered, a sword in claw, waiting for them. "Let's make this quick," she taunted, before charging at them.

Lighting looked at Rainbow, who merely shrugged. "If you insist," he said.

In a yellow and rainbow-colored flash, both ponies practically disappeared. They fought in tandem, like a swarm of insects. One would fly up and punch Gilda, before disappearing. Then, in a split-second, another would appear and deliver their own blow. Then the other would return and repeat the process. It didn't take long before Gilda was knocked unconscious. The limp griffin fell, before being caught by her mother, who began to fly back towards the others.

Suddenly, a rumble was felt. All eyes turned to the volcano as a large plume of fire and lava burst from its summit. Then....silence.

There was a pause.

"That's it?" A voice rang out from the crowd.

Twilight groaned in despair. "No, no, no, no! The explosion should have been far bigger than that!"

Ironfeathers laughed. "You see? Your pitiful attempts to stop me have failed! Surrender now, and I will make your deaths painless!"

The group of friends looked at each other, the enemy army backing away briefly. Despite their best efforts, they had hardly made a dent in their numbers and were already exhausted. Twilight took notice of the unconscious Gilda, who had been moved safely behind them. "We have your daughter! Unless you want something bad to happen to her, you better listen to what we have to say!"

Ironfeathers noticed for the first that his adoptive daughter was being held hostage. He scoffed. "Do I look like I care? Kill her, if you want! She's not even mine. She is easily replaced," he said, to the shock of everpony.

But no one was more shocked than Gilda. The griffin had woken up not long ago, although nopony noticed. She was awake long enough to hear what her father had to say. And it made her mad.

"What! After all that's happened, all we've been through, do you mean it was all just a lie?" she screamed, rage obvious in her voice. She quickly strode up to the front of the group glaring at her father. Everyone instantly became uncomfortable.

Ironfeathers was surprised by the sudden snap. "Gilda? Darling! Please, forget what I just said. I was just bluffing, of course!"

"Sure you were, and the sky is green!" she shot back.

"Now, Gilda, listen to me, I'm your father-"

"You're not my real father!"

An awkward silence hung over the battlefield, no one knowing quite how to react.

"Very well," Ironfeathers said with a heavy sigh. "You have made your decision," he said.

He raised his claw as he prepared to gesture to his army from his perch, when Shamrock shouted. "Wait!"

"What is it?" Ironfeathers asked, clearly annoyed.

"Even if you kill us," he said. "Others will rise to stand up to your tyranny!"

"Oh really? I'd like to see them try. But enough talk! Soldiers, destroy-"

"YYEEEEEEEHHOOOOOO!!!"

A high-pitched metallic screech echoed through the air. Everyone looked up at a figure flying in from the horizon. "Is that-?" Lightning asked.

"It can't be!" Applejack said.

"It is," Reaper said. "May Celestia have mercy on us all,"

Approaching from the direction of the rising sun was Sputnik, riding an eagle. It was quite majestic, actually. Until the eagle got fed up, that is, and threw Sputnik off of it. The robot landed in front of Reaper with a loud crack, but got up apparently fine. "Hey boss! How's it goin?" he said.

A million questions raced through everypony's head right then, but it wasn't the time for questions. It was the time for action. And Reaper had an idea.

"Sputnik?"

"Yes?"

"I have a job for you,"

"Ooh! What is it?"

"Weapons mode: activate," he commanded.

On que, Sputnik's spidery legs and large cannons appeared, ready to do their work. "Ooh! How long have I had these, boss?" Sputnik asked, clearly still an idiot.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You tell us. Now, if you can get a good shot in at the volcano, you might be able to complete the chain reaction!"

"Okidoki!"

Before anything else could be said, Ironfeather's roared over the interruption. "Enough! Destroy them!" The army came to life, charging at the group. But Sputnik didn't care. To his programming, they were just an obstacle in the way of his goal. So he would simply deal with them accordingly.

Sputnik disappeared into the army, a whirling metal ball of stupidity and destruction. Any griffin foolish enough to get in his path was thrown away or shot in the face. Ironfeathers' eyes began to widen as he realized what was happening. The ponies began to cheer him on from the sidelines. Sputnik approached nearer to an opening in the side of the volcano. Everything went in slow motion as he took aim with both cannons. They began to glow with pure energy, before firing a massive blast into the heart of the volcano.

The chain reaction was activated, and Mount Molten began to bubble with renewed ferocity. Ironfeathers turned around, his metal wings beginning to glow from the heat. He realized what was going to happen next, closed his eyes, and accepted oblivion.

"Get down! She's gonna blow!" Rainbow shouted.

Everypony jumped into a nearby trench, including Sputnik, who had returned quite quickly.

A deafening explosion ensued, a massive plume of lava and fire briefly burning brighter than the morning sun.

Chapter 19 - Well, This was Fun

Chapter 19

Well, This was Fun

Everypony stayed hidden for a few moments after the explosion. All of their ears were ringing, and the smell of smoke burned their nostrils. After a few tentative moments, Derpy looked over the trench.

She was greeted by an amazing sight. Most of the volcano was gone, its summit mostly vaporized in the titanic blast. Small streams of lava trickled down its slopes slowly, as a massive pillar of smoke snaked through the air. Most of the griffin army was picking itself up off of the ground, at least the ones lucky enough to survive the blast.

The group pulled themselves out of the trench, taking the sight in. The griffins looked at where Ironfeathers had once stood. The whole are had been decimated. Nothing was left, just charred ground. Silence hung over the air for a long time, until it was finally broken.

Gilda flew above everyone, before hovering in place. "Well, seeing as Dad is dead, that makes me the next in my bloodline. Which means that all of you answer to me now," she said, commanding authority.

The griffin soldiers looked at each other confusedly, searching for confirmation that what she said was true. Unfortunately, they quickly realized, she was right. "What would you have us do, Lady Gilda?" one soldier asked.

Gilda turned and looked at the group that had, for whatever reason, spared her life.

"You're free to go," she said simply, staring Rainbow Dash straight in the eye.

A wave of disbelief shot through everyone present, not just the soldiers. They lingered for a moment, not knowing what to do.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go!" Gilda shouted, causing them to flinch. Slowly, they began to leave. A few minutes later, the rocky field was left empty, save for the group of friends and Gilda.

"Thank you," Minerva said. "I am glad you were able to bury your father's hate with him,"

Gilda said nothing, simply staring at the volcano, her back to the rest. "Yeah," she said after a while.

Silence hung for a while more, before Gilda spoke again. "I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have done any of those things. Things just got way out of control," she said.

Minerva placed a comforting claw on her daughter's shoulder. "It's okay. Do not fret. You have made the right decision. Now, what say we return home?"

Gilda didn't say anything, but instead turned and looked at Rainbow Dash again. The pair stared at each other for a while, before Gilda sighed. "Let's go," she said.

Within moments, both of the griffins were gone. Rainbow sighed deeply, only to be interrupted by the metallic moron. "Did I do it right, boss?" Sputnik asked.

Reaper still stood in shock. "Yes. You did. Tell me, Sputnik, how exactly did you get here?"

"Oh well, you see, Boss, after you guys left, I just kinda stayed at home, laying around. Then I had some potatoes! And then I decided to go buy a chair, because I was really, really sleepy, but the guy at the chair store said I couldn't eat chairs, and I told him that I could do whatever I want because I'm a fairy princess! But then he kicked me out of the store, so I decided to come find you so you could buy me a chair, Boss! So then, I climbed that mountain near Ponyville, and I found a nice birdie named Ms. Eagle! But Ms. Eagle wasn't really happy when I started riding her. Ah well, it doesn't matter. So anyway, I rode Ms. Eagle all the way over here, until she got really fed up with me and threw me off. And that's how I got here!"

Everypony else didn't know how to react. Reaper, however, had grown used to this kind of stupidity. "Understood. At least you came when you did," he said simply, ending the conversation. He wandered off to take in the scenery, needing time to think.

"So..."Lightning said awkwardl y to Twilight. "About what I said in there....it's okay if you say no. I mean, I was just thinking out loud, and if you say no I totally understand, and-"

"Lightning!" Twilight said, shutting him up. He stopped, looking worried.

Twilight smiled. "Of course I'll go out on a date with you. All you had to do was ask!"

Lightning smiled nervously. "R-Really?"

Twilight nodded, hugging him.

Willus and Applejack watched the happy event unfold, smiling. "Guess there is such a thing as true love," Applejack said.

Willus nodded. "Yeah, I guess,"

Applejack noticed the slightly sad tone of voice Willus had. "Everything alright, Partner?" she asked.

Willus sighed. "When I found Morticia, we fought. Eventually, the erupting volcano caused her to slip, but I caught her. I demanded answers. She told me that something else was going on, something bigger than just conquering the world. She also said she was sorry,"

Applejack placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Ah'm sure she was. And what she said may seem troublesome, but don't fret about it. Ah'm sure everything's gonna be just fine,"

Willus smiled. "I'm sure it is,"

Suddenly, a yell shot through the air. "Mom!"

It was followed by "Twilight!"

All eyes turned, to see Dinky and Spike rushing out of the forest, Fluttershy behind them.

"Dinky!" Derpy shouted, rushing towards her filly.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted in kind, breaking from her hug to embrace her assistant.

"I was so worried!" They both said simultaneously, weirding out everyone else.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh! We're both fine!" Dinky said.

Shamrock approached the mother-daughter pair. "Well, I'm glad to see everypony's okay,"

Dinky tackled the larger stallion with a hug. "Thanks for saving us, Mr. Shamrock!"

Shamrock didn't know how to react at first. Finally, he smiled, ruffling the filly's mane. "No problem kiddo," he said.

Reaper sat away from everypony else, thinking. Suddenly, Rainbow approached him. "You're hurt," she said flatly.

Reaper looked down, to see a fair-sized cut on his shoulder. Blue blood trickled down it. "I suppose I am. What do you care?"

Rainbow sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right, I had no reason to be so untrusting of you," she said.

Reaper merely huffed. "You had every reason not to trust me. Had the tables been turned, I doubt I would have been any better,"

Rainbow was surprised, but didn't mention it. "Well, I'm glad you're on our side," she said, before leaving.

Reaper nodded, before turning to Sputnik. "Sputnik?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Take a note,"

Sputnik pulled out his notepad and pen, ready to write. "I had originally planned to use these ponies to build an army, with which I would conquer the hive," Reaper dictated. "In light of recent events, I can honestly say that that will never happen. This plan is clearly inefficient, and I will have to rethink my strategy,"

Sputnik paused. "Any reason, Boss?"

Reaper sighed, looking at Pinkie Pie and the other ponies. "No reason," he said.

A few minutes later, the happy band of friends began the long journey home.

Chapter 20 - Epilogue

Chapter 20

Epilogue

Reaper, Shamrock, and Willus sat at their table at the cafe, eating lunch. Shamrock ate a hay sandwich, Willus was eating some apples. Reaper ate waffles, despite his friends insisting that it wasn't something you eat for lunch.

"So, how've things been for you guys?" Shamrock asked.

Willus smiled, taking a bite out of an apple. "Good, good. I've really been able to raise money for the apple family by selling their fruits in my shop! And, I daresay I've started enjoying them more myself!"

"What about you, Reaper?"

The changeling shrugged. "Everything's fine, I suppose. Appointments have been coming in regularly. It almost surprises me how many ponies have deep-rooted psychological trauma here," he said.

Willus chuckled. "Almost?"

Reaper huffed. "Everyone's a little crazy, aren't they?"

Shamrock and WIllus laughed.

"Say, Reaper, maybe sometime you should give me one of those psycho-appointments of yours!" Willus said.

Reaper's eye twitched.

"Willus, there aren't enough bits in the world to make me even consider saying yes to that," he said flatly.

Willus pouted, while Shamrock laughed.

"What about you, Shamrock? How have things been for you?" Reaper asked.

Shamrock shrugged. "Good. I've been walking Dinky to school, and helping Derpy out with some of the heavier packages. I might even get a job at the post office!"

"Well, that's good for you! You must be happy!" Willus said.

Reaper smirked. "Not as happy as our friend over there, I bet," he said, gesturing to a table behind Shamrock.

Across the cafe were Lightning and Twilight, apparently having a great time. They were laughing as they ate, although the three colts couldn't tell exactly why. They grinned.

"I never doubted for a moment he would get her someday," Willus said.

Shamrock and Reaper nodded.

Suddenly, Sputnik appeared, rushing towards Reaper.

"Boss! Boss!" he shouted.

Reaper groaned. "Can't I have one day of peace? Just one day? Is that too much to ask?"

Willus and Shamrock chuckled at the changeling's misfortune.

"Boss! Boss! You gotta see this!" he said, shoving a newspaper in Reaper's face.

"What? What is it?" he asked angrily, pulling the newspaper off of his face. His face was unreadable as he read the front page. Willus and Shamrock tried to get a good luck at it, but couldn't.

Suddenly, Reaper smiled. He smiled a cruel, predatory grin of pure hate. "Sputnik, I want you to go to Rarity's and buy all the red yarn you can. We're going to need a lot,"

"On it, boss!" the robot said, before running off.

"Wait, Reaper, what's going on?" Shamrock asked, confused.

Reaper stood, pushing in his chair and tucking the newspaper away. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to cut this short, Gentlecolts," he said, before tossing a coin of bits on the table, not bothering to even see if it contained the right amount.

"I have business to attend to,"

Shamrock and Willus were confused. "What just happened?" Willus asked.

"You tell me," Shamrock said.

Suddenly, a blur flashed by them. It stopped, revealing Rainbow Dash with a newspaper.

"Hey guys, have you seen Reaper?"

"Yeah he just left. He saw today's newspaper, then said that he had business to attend to. Do you have any idea what's going on?" Willus asked.

Rainbow shook her head. "No, but I don't think it's anything good,"

"What could possibly have him so worked up?" Shamrock asked.

Rainbow gave him the newspaper. "See for yourself," she said.

Shamrock and Willus were surprised by what they saw. The headline read:

"CHANGELING SPY CAPTURED! REVEALS LOCATION OF HIVE!"

All of the ponies looked in the direction Reaper had left.

"So what do you think is going to happen next?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, this is just the beginning," Shamrock said.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reaper frantically worked in the Downstairs Room. He connected lines, until finally he had it.

The location of the hive.

He grinned.

"I'm coming home," he said.