Twilight Sparkle's Anguish

Chapters

The Hole In The Sky
Stranger In a Strange Land
A Whole Different World
Fighter's Paradise
BFF
The Big Shots
Secrets of The Mega Ring
The Showdown
The REAL Showdown
Science Reality
The Long Distance of Trials
Speed of Sound
Unrivaled
Priorities
The Truth Hurts
Taking The Heat
Indecisive
Caretakers
On Death's Door
Into the Abyss
The Fall
The Collision
The Sacrifice
Twilight Sparkle and Steel Sword
The Underground Corridors

The Hole In The Sky

Two months have passed since the Demon Witch was spirited away. None of the ponies had to worry about losing their lives in any sort of catastrophe at that time. They were grateful for the efforts that the six ponies, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Trailblazer, put into to stop the Demon Witch. All those that were bullied by Trailblazer in the past has forgiven him when they learned that he was involved with saving all of them from certain doom. As for those loyal to Black Hole, they all parted ways, never causing any other pony trouble.

A few of the others found a coltfriend to be with. Rainbow Dash and Soarin' were now together ever since she got accepted into the Wonderbolts, Rarity found her soulmate with another fancy gentlecolt by the name of DiamondBack, and Fluttershy found acceptance with another animal-loving pony named NightWing. Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle were the only two out of the seven that couldn't find a colt of their own. Pinkie Pie remained optimistic that she'd find somepony soon, but Twilight felt left out and sad that she was alone.

It was nighttime now. Trailblazer was with AppleJack that night. They were both outside on a small hill near her barn. The two were cuddling each other like they have been for some time now. Their bond was stronger than ever, unwilling to part.

"I really love you, AppleJack," he said as they were hugging each other.

"Ah love ya too, Trailblazer," she said back.

"Well, I love you even more."

AppleJack smiled and laughed. "Oh, yer so silly!"

They stopped talking for a little bit and continued to hug and cuddle each other, keeping themselves held tightly together. Trailblazer took his right foreleg, wrapped it around her shoulders, and brought her closer to himself. This brought AppleJack's head underneath his chin. She didn't mind this at all, and eased herself towards him more, snuggling underneath it.

"Y'know, sugarcube, if it weren't for you, Ah'd probably still be miserable and zeroed out from the other ponies as a hillbilly. It'd be just me, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applebloom, just barely scraping by."

"Hey, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be a worse pony than I was. In all honesty, I didn't know what it meant to have feelings for another pony until I met you. I feel like, you complete me, you know?"

AppleJack turned her head to the side a little bit, drooped her ears, and blushed.

"Awww, you're cute when you blush."

AppleJack's smile only got bigger at that comment. "Ah also feel like you complete me too. Ah wouldn't trade ya for anythin'. You mean THAT much to me, y'know?"

"You're also my one and only. You're the best special somepony I could ever have."

"Awwww, sugarcube!"

They began to kiss each other for a little bit, eyes closed, and legs around each other.

"Hey, if we both felt empty without each other, then why do you think we felt that way before we knew each other?"

AppleJack stopped for a moment. "Well, in my family, it's just been us four, just sellin' apples and harvestin' them. Now, sure, there's the rest of the apple family, but we all had our own nuclear families to take care of. There's my grandma Granny Smith, my older brother Big Macintosh, my younger sister Applebloom and..." Her words trailed off.

"And... What? Didn't you have a mom and dad?" asked Trailblazer.

At that question, AppleJack started to shed some tears, and then it grew to some soft sobs.

"Oh, no, what's wrong?" asked Trailblazer. He felt guilty, thinking that he made her upset.

"Ah never knew my parents..." she cried. "All Ah know 'bout them is that they had a different job to take care of involvin' their own grandparent's farm. After Applebloom was born, they just, disappeared. Ah don't know where they live, Ah don't know how they're doing, Ah don't even know their names!"

"Oh... I never realized..." Trailblazer couldn't think of anything to say. He never wanted to hurt AppleJack in any way, yet he felt like he just hurt her feelings. Now, he found it hard to apologize in a way that would make it up to her.

"No, it's... okay, ya didn't know..." wept AppleJack. "Ah never talk 'bout them anyways. It just makes it hard for me..." She looked up at Trailblazer, showing some tears streaming from her eyes.

"Well, please know that I wouldn't do anything to make you feel bad. I, I love you too much to hurt you in any way." Trailblazer wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Ah know, but... Thanks anyway..." AppleJack stopped crying, yet still looked sad. "That's another thing. Yer always there to comfort me and be there when Ah need it most."

"Come now, Shh-hh-hh-hh, you're okay..." Trailblazer stroked her mane in an affectionate way and hugged her again. She rested her chin on his right shoulder as she hugged him back.

"But back to the completion feelin's, why didya feel empty before ya met ME?"

"Well, I..." He exhaled. "Really didn't have much for a family to begin with either. Really, I think all I have left is my younger brother and sister..." Trailblazer hung his head. "I know for a fact that my parents are dead..."

"What??"

"And what made it worse... I saw it happen with my very own eyes..." His voice became stuffy.

"You... Watched your parents die?"

"They didn't die... They were murdered."

AppleJack gasped and covered her mouth with her front hooves. "What... Happened?"

"It all happened when my little brother, Blaine, was still an infant. A burglar broke in one night. He was trying to steal some of our pricey goods. My mom and dad got up because they heard him sneaking around the house. I heard it too, and got up myself. I saw that he grabbed one of the kitchen knives and stabbed away at my mother and father, killing them in just a few stabs..."

"That's... Just awful!"

"I was horrified, but I didn't want him to get away with it. He didn't notice me when he fought off my parents, and he went off into the living room to try to find something. I took one of the kitchen knives and crept up behind him. I stabbed him in the back, and then the neck, killing him for killing my parents..." He shut his eyes tight and grimaced.

"That was... Wow, it looks like you had it way tougher than Ah do now... Ah'm truly sorry to hear about your loss."

"It just happened so fast... I don't know why it had to be me. Was it karma? Bad luck? Just the wrong place at the wrong time? I don't know... My sister StarBright walked in after hearing the noise and saw what happened. She, too, was terrified. I told her what happened, and we mourned. Saddest... Moment... We have ever shared together..."

"You and Ah... We have a common discomfort..." AppleJack stroked his mane now. Although Trailblazer didn't care for that at all, he allowed her to do it.

"Don't worry about me... You need more support than I do."

"Can't ya see this, sugarcube?" AppleJack leaned closer to him. "We both have the same kind of feelings and we share the same kind of grief! Ah think we're brought together to be there for each other."

He stopped and looked at her, then at the ground, thinking. "I guess you're right. But I want to keep you happy because... You mean that much to me."

"Oh, hush now..." AppleJack whispered. "We can make each other feel better. It don't matter how."

They hugged each other for yet another time, and rested each other's chins on the other's shoulder. A couple tears fell from AppleJack's eyes, still thinking of her lost parents. But they started to feel better knowing that they had each other.

They never noticed Twilight Sparkle watching them, overhearing everything they said and talked about. She was hiding in a bush in the field, seeing and hearing everything they talked about through a hole in the bush. She looked away from them, and began to cry.

"Look at them... They're there for each other, they care for each other, and they even love each other." Her ears became floppy, and she covered her face with her hooves. "And then there's Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy... They all found a guy, but then there's me, all alone... I can't find anyone..." She laid down and curled herself into a loose ball and wept quietly.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie...?" Twilight Sparkle walked to her place looking for some answers. It was during a sunset that day, and Twilight was feeling left out again.

"Hi, Twilight!" She bounced around towards her, but she noticed that Twilight wasn't feeling well, and she settled down. "What's the matter?"

"It's about how all of the others have a colt they're going out with... I know you're also one out of us six that doesn't have a coltfriend. I... How can you handle it so well?"

"Ohhhh, this is going to be awkward..."

"Don't tell me... You have one now?"

"Well..."

"Oh, Piiiiin-kiiiiiie!" a masculine voice called out from another room in her house.

"In here, Fireworks!"

A colt with a pale yellow coat and a faded blue spiky mane zipped into the room, energetic as ever. He put a hoof around her shoulders as he came in, then noticed Twilight. "Hey, who's this?"

"She's Twilight Sparkle, a friend of mine," said Pinkie.

"Oh, nice! Hey, do you think she could help us with our little experiment?" he asked quickly.

"Well, now isn't the best time for her..." Pinkie turned to look at Twilight, only to see that she was gone. She looked back at Fireworks, who was her new coltfriend. "She's feeling left out and lonely because all of us have coltfriends, and she doesn't. And she's been feeling down because of it."

"Aww, feeling bad is no fun. I wish she knew I wish the best for her."

Twilight Sparkle ran away from her house, feeling insulted. Only recently, Pinkie Pie was also alone, but she only found this pony recently, and it felt so quickly too. She ran back to her library, went upstairs to her room, buried her face into her pillow, and screamed into it. Her loneliness was turning into sadness and frustration, and being singled out only made it worse. She laid in her bed for a little bit, immobile, pondering on her dilemma, then got back up. She let out a deep breath and calmed down. Twilight walked back outside and went to head over to the grocery store. She wanted something sweet to make her feel a little better now.

On the way there, she passed by Trailblazer's house. On the front porch, was him strumming his acoustic guitar and singing along with a song he had playing over his amp.

"...I want to run, through the halls, of my high school. I want to scream, at the top of my, lungs! I just found out, there's no such thing as a real world. Just a lie, you've got to rise, above." he sang.

"Trailblazer?" Twilight walked up to him.

Trailblazer looked at her, then muted his amp that was playing the song, and let go of his acoustic. "Hey, Twilight!" upon a closer look, he noticed that she looked a little upset. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, yeah..." She walked onto the porch and sat down next to him. "You've noticed how I can't find a colt to be with at all, right?"

"Kind of."

"Yeah, that's the thing... There's you and AppleJack, Rarity and Diamondback, Rainbow Dash with Soarin', Fluttershy with NightWing, and now, Pinkie Pie with this one guy named Fireworks. But I'm left out and... I feel unwanted..."

"Oh, don't beat yourself up about it. Seriously, I've seen some ponies that couldn't find their special one until, like, their 30s or 40s."

"That's not the thing. I'm singled out because none of the colts want to be with me. I'm about ready to start begging because... I just feel so alone, and there's nothing I can do to change it..." She sniffled.

"Oh..." Trailblazer looked off to the side, and then back at her. "Here, let's go inside and talk." He picked up his guitar and amp and walked inside. Twilight Sparkle followed him. Trailblazer walked upstairs into his room and put his gear away, then came back down. "Take a seat," he said to Twilight as she sat on his couch. She sat down next to him. "Okay. Go ahead."

"Well, thing is, you all have your special friends, and I just can't seem to find one of my own... Look at you and AppleJack. We know how close you two are, but... I just want to be accepted like that, really, but nopony is avaliable. They're either taken or just plain refuse to be with me. I don't want to be alone, but I'm not given that choice..."

"So what you're saying is, you'd like a close relationship like the rest of us, yet you just simply can't."

"Yeah... Am I really that repelling??"

"I wouldn't think so."

"How was it with you and AppleJack? How did it start to work out between you two?"

"Well, when I first met her, she was feeling unwell because she... Actually, she was feeling like you. Miserable, lonely, and ignored. When I talked to her, we found out that we had a lot of things in common, and the bond just grew stronger ever since."

"Interesting..."

"Maybe if you find somepony that likes what you do, then it can work out from there."

"Yeah, it could." She looked up, showing a small grin. But it slowly dwindled and turned into a frown. "Oh, Lord..."

"What?"

"Who's going to like a student for Princess Celestia and bookworm?"

Trailblazer grumbled. "To be honest, I still think of you as a solid friend, but you may be looking for love in the wrong ways..."

"I must be..." She looked down at herself, sad.

"Oh! I know!" Trailblazer jumped off the couch. "There are a lot of guys in my home city, Tethleon. You might find a coltfriend there."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Chances are, there's somepony there that's alone and could use a marefriend."

"Oh, that'd be great!"

"Hey, would Princess Celestia mind if we use her guards as an escort? It'll be quicker that way."

"I don't think so. It should work. But, I do see what you're saying. I can get a fresh start on getting a stallion in a new place! Thanks, Trailblazer!" She got up and wrapped her forelegs around him, giving him a hug. He simply stood still, not returning it. He looked out his window, and then he immediately became frightened.

"Uh-oh..."

"What?"

AppleJack walked through the front door.

"Hey, Trailblazer..." AppleJack's voice sounded stern, and she squinted at the two. "What's this all about?"

"AppleJack, it's not what I think you think it is," said Twilight, defending Trailblazer.

"She just needs some support and comfort, that's all," said Trailblazer. "Really, it was just us talking."

AppleJack raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that all?" She let out a small laugh, and then stopped. "What was it about, anyways?"

Twilight let out a sigh. "Well, it's about how you two have each other, as coltfriend and marefriend, as well as the other four, but I'm the odd one out. You've noticed, right?"

"Oh, yeah, Ah have... Ah've felt the same way too, Twi'..."

"I just agreed to have her come over to my hometown for a chance at getting one, and that's when she ended up hugging me, that's all that happened," Trailblazer said, in an attempt to convince AppleJack.

"Oh, that's why she needed some comfort, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay, Ah see now. No hard feelin's then... Say, could Ah tag along?"

Twilight and Trailblazer looked at each other. "Why do you ask that?"

"Ah just wanna see what his hometown is like, that's all. After all, we've only skimmed through it when we were all comin' back from the Crawnite Mountains."

"Hmmm, that shouldn't be a problem." Trailblazer looked at Twilight Sparkle. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, I wouldn't mind at all."

"All right, it's settled. We'll go there tomorrow."

"Wait, where will we stay if we have to be there overnight?" asked AppleJack.

"My sister takes care of my original home, so we can stay there."

"Yeah, we've been there before, AppleJack," Twilight filled in.

"All right, sounds good. Anyways, Ah'll letcha go now." She turned around and stood in the doorway, then turned again. "Good luck, Twilight." With that, she left.

Trailblazer let out a relieved exhale. "Dodged a bullet..." he mumbled.

"Well, thanks again, Trailblazer. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Good night, Twilight."

She left his house, and walked back to her library. She got into her bed and slept.

The next day, Two of Princess Celestia's guards carried the three ponies, Twilight Sparkle, Trailblazer, and AppleJack, to Tethleon by chariot. They landed near the front gate, free from running into anything. The three jumped out of the chariot.

"Thanks, guys," said Twilight.

"We'll keep ourselves parked here. Just come back to us when you want to leave," one of them said.

"Okay, first thing's first, let get ourselves set up for an overnight stay at my place," said Trailblazer.

The three ponies made a 15-minute walk into one of the residential areas, and walked towards his home. He knocked on his door and waited.

StarBright answered the door. "Trailblazer! You're back!" She got excited and gave him a hug right away.

"Yeah, I'm back. It's good to see you again, sis."

"And, I see you've brought some friends too."

"I did. You remember Twilight Sparkle and AppleJack, right?"

"Yes."

"Well... Hang on, I'll explain in the other room."

Trailblazer brought StarBright into their living room past the kitchen. "The thing is, I invited Twilight over here to Tethleon because... Her self-esteem is getting low because she can't find a coltfriend."

"I know how she feels..."

"But I brought her here so she can have a fresh slate on her chances of getting a stallion."

"Okay, that's good! But, what about YOUR marefriend?"

"Oh, AppleJack? She's here just to visit."

"All right. Well, I was getting ready to go to the Risong Warriors dojo. She can come along too."

"Sounds good! Let's just get settled here. We might stay around overnight."

Trailblazer walked back into the foyer, while StarBright walked into her bedroom.

"Hey, Twilight. We were just talking about where to go first, and we agreed on going to the Rising Warriors dojo."

"Okay, thanks." said Twilight.

"We'll be ready to go in just a little bit." Trailblazer stood around with the two others in the foyer. Then, he got an idea. He walked over to AppleJack and started to whisper something in her ear. She looked up while she listened. After listening to it for several seconds, she looked surprised, and then she placed a hoof over her mouth. Twilight could see a big smile from behind her hoof. Even Trailblazer was laughing quietly through his sentences. Then, he stopped. AppleJack nodded with a big grin, and started to snicker.

"Okay, don't hint that this is a joke until AFTER you say the whole thing."

"Gotcha," she chuckled.

A little bit later, StarBright walked into the living room. AppleJack walked into it.

"Oh, hi, AppleJack," StarBright said. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, things are great. Ah'm back at the apple farm, lookin' after my brudda, sister, and grandma."

"Okay, that's nice! So, how are things with MY brother?"

"He's just the sweetest! He's strong, looks out for me, and he's AMAZING in bed!"

StarBright's ears immediately drooped, her pupils shrank, and she looked worried. "Good... For, him...?"

Trailblazer let out a small laugh, then quickly put on a straight face.

"Oh yeah. If there's a colt out there that knows how to please a mare, it would be him!"

StarBright's jaw dropped a little bit. "Uhhhhhhhhh..."

"Hey, AppleJack!" Trailblazer walked into the living room. "What are you talking about here?"

"Oh, Ah was just talkin' about how you are SUCH, a great lover!"

"Ohhhh, you've been naughty! Looks like you need a spanking tonight!"

"Okay, stop!" StarBright closed her eyes tightly and raised a hoof to cover them. Her teeth were also grit. "Trailblazer..."

Both of them started to chuckle, and then they burst out laughing. They continued to laugh, then AppleJack fell down and rolled over on her back.

"Oh, I really can't believe you fell for that!" Trailblazer continued to laugh, then had to clutch his stomach from laughing too hard. "You should've seen the look on your face!"

StarBright looked confused, then started to chuckle. "Oh, this was a joke the whole time..."

The laughter quieted down, then stopped. "Yeah, it was."

"Well, I'm just about ready, so we'll go once I'm done." StarBright walked down towards the basement.

Twilight walked into the room that Trailblazer and AppleJack were in. "Does having a sense of humor work when trying to find a guy?"

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe!" said Trailblazer. "It almost always works, because it makes you both feel better." He put a foreleg around AppleJack's shoulders and brought her closer to him. "That's how it worked with AppleJack and I."

"I can see that working. Thanks for the tip," said Twilight.

StarBright came back from the basement. "Okay, I'm ready, are you all ready?"

"Yeah, we're ready," Twilight spoke again.

"All right! Off we go!"

The four walked outside and began to walk to the dojo.

"What the..." Trailblazer looked up at the sky. "What the hell is that?"

"Is there somethin' wrong, Trailblazer?" AppleJack wondered.

"Look over there."

Trailblazer pointed towards the sky. The other three looked up at where he was pointing. There, they saw a black hole in the sky, black in color, a purple center with cracking purple lightning bolts, and a blood-red trim. It had arms around it that swirled like a hurricane, with the purple center of it looking like it's "eye".

"What IS that??" Twilight Sparkle took her mind off of finding a date and paid attention to the hole. "That wasn't here before we came inside!"

A bunch of other ponies in their residential area got outside to observe it. A few were asking around seeing if they saw that void too. For all they knew, they could be hallucinating. But every other pony was seeing the exact same thing. All thoughts on it now suggested that it was genuine.

"I don't like what that thing is one bit..." Trailblazer stopped staring at the hole. "Sorry, Twilight, but it looks like we have to head back and find out what that thing is."

Twilight was disappointed, but she knew that this was of a higher priority. "Yeah, okay..."

"You have to leave already?" said StarBright.

"I'm afraid so..." Trailblazer responded.

"Well, whatever it is, good luck, and stay safe." She headed back to their home and went inside.

The other three ran back to where the guards were. They were looking up at the swirling hole too.

"Boys, we have a problem," said Trailblazer. "We need to go back to Ponyville and find out what this hole in the sky is, pronto!"

"Rodger that. Climb aboard."

The three ponies got back on the chariot. Then the guards got airborne and flew back towards Ponyville. Although this hole was still a mystery, it certainly had to be something hostile.

Stranger In a Strange Land

The three ponies made it back to Ponyville. The hole was still visible from where they were, and a bunch of other ponies were looking at it and discussing it. The hole looked out of place against a clear blue sky, but nothing good could come out of it.

The three landed outside of Twilight Sparkle's library. They jumped out and got inside. Twilight immediately looked through her books that she had floating by, trying to find one that had some answers. Trailblazer and AppleJack looked through them too, trying to find the right book.

"'Outer Space Mysteries and Oddities'?" AppleJack said, lifting a book from the shelf.

"Sure, let's take a look." Twilight grabbed it and flipped through the pages. She got under the B's and got to the part relating to black holes. "I think I found the part relating to what we have here..."

The other two looked at the page she was on. There was an inset photo showing a black hole that looked almost identical to the one in the sky right now.

They heard some knocking on the door. AppleJack walked up to it and opened it. On the other side was Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

"Who's all here right now?" asked Dash.

"If it's about that there hole in the sky, then we're way ahead of y'all," said AppleJack. "Twilight and Trailblazer are in here tryin' to do some research on it."

The four walked inside and saw the other two looking at the book. They both looked up and saw the other four.

"You'll want to hear this..." said Trailblazer. He looked back at Twilight. "You should read that out loud."

"Will do," answered Twilight flatly. She began to read about that hole to the other six ponies in the room.

"Unlike regular black holes, the Sario Hole is not born from a star in space that has ruptured. Instead, it is a strange hole that is caused by a mythical star-shaped stone known as the Sinister Star. This star is imbued with dark powers that can grant one wish with nothing held back. However, after the wish is made. The Sario Hole will appear, and can destroy matter through the power of the Sario Hole caused by it. It is capable of destroying whole planets, and will appear in the sky of the planet where the wish took place. With time, the corresponding planet will be destroyed..." She paused and looked horrified. "...as if it never existed to begin with..."

"So, somepony must've gotten a hold of it and is using it to, destroy the world?" asked Rarity. "This is absurd! W- What else does it say?"

"I'm looking..." Twilight continued to read out loud. "There are also five other star-shaped stones known as the Sacred Stars. If all are gathered, brought to the Sinister Star's holder, or if the controller of the Sinister Star is stopped, then the Sario Hole will diminish, and nothing will be destroyed. Then, the stars will disappear somewhere else."

"So, we just have to look for these Sacred Stars and we'll be able to stop it," Rarity said.

"Yeah, but... Where ARE these things?"

"I think we'll have to ask Peincess Celestia about them," thought Fluttershy.

"Well, here goes nothing..." Twilight's horn glowed, and the princess landed outside the library. She entered it and found the other six inside as well. "Princess, we have a problem..."

"It's about the Sario Hole, isn't it?"

Twilight just about did a double take, but then she realized that it must've already been brought to her attention. "Yeah."

"Well, what did you summon me for?"

"We were doing some research on it, and it's connected to these rocks called Sacred Stars somehow... But we don't know where they are..."

"Well, you won't find them here, that's for sure. You'll have to go to another faraway land called Inyomaid."

"Inyomaid? Never heard of it..." commented Trailblazer.

"Yes, those Sacred Stars are all hidden in that land. To be honest, I've always thought that that place was a little... Suspicious..."

"Suspicious? How so?"

"In Inyomaid, the ponies that live there are technologically advanced, and they have that technology in abundance, compared to Equestria here."

"Okay, so, how are we supposed to get there?" asked Twilight.

"It's overseas. You'll have to get there by boat."

"All right, but... We don't have one..."

"Fortunetly, I do." Princess Celestia's horn glowed, and the image of a motorized boat appeared before them. There was even a small pony standing in front of it for a size comparison. It was practically a small cruise ship modified into a compact size, able to carry all seven of them across and could accompany all seven with housing and other rooms, making it almost a motorized boat house.

"You have THAT?" Rarity was astonished.

"Why, yes! I shall have it prepared for all of you by tomorrow morning. The trip there should take at least 24 hours, so you'll have to pack some belongings before you head off with it... Actually, pack for your whole trip. I'll still get some supplies for all of you in the boat ahead of time, but bring your own stuff along too."

"Will do," said AppleJack.

"Well, I'm going to go get it ready. Good night, everypony." Princess Celestia flew back to her castle after saying that.

"You heard her," said Trailblazer. "Let's pack up and get ready for this Inyomaid place."

They all split and headed back to their homes, packing everything they needed before heading out. Then, they went to bed.

The next morning, all seven of them brought along their backpacks full of supplies and other belongings. They stopped outside of Twilight Sparkle's library and waited. After a few minutes, Princess Celestia flew down at them.

"Follow me," she said.

Celestia guided them to some docks in Ponyville. There, the seven recognized the boat that they would be using just outside of the docks. It was a large one that stood out in size and luxury compared to the majority of fishing boats there.

"Everything will be powered on it's own. It'll guide you to Inyomaid smoothly and surely. I also packed some food for you seven for the trip."

"Thank you, Princess," said Twilight.

"I don't know what lies ahead for you, but you have my honest wishes for a safe trip and a safe time over there. Good luck, everypony." She flew away once she was done saying that.

"Well, what do you say?" Shall we head out?" asked Rarity.

"Yeah!" Trailblazer piped up.

"Let's shove off!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

The seven ponies got on board the ship. When they were all on, it's whistle blew, and it started to run on it's own. It left the docks and headed out to sea. Destination, Inyomaid.

Later that night, Twilight Sparkle was standing out on the ship's deck, in front of the bridge. She gazed upon the seemingly endless sea, mane flowing with the gentle wind blowing around along with the ship's movements, against a starry night sky, along with the Sario Hole. And yet, she looked quite sad. AppleJack noticed her out on the bow from a window, and she walked out to her. Twilight heard a door open and close, and she looked over her shoulder to see AppleJack walking towards her.

"Twilight...?" she wondered. She walked up and stood next to her. "What's wrong? And why are ya out here all alone?"

"I really don't have a choice, do I?" Twilight hung her head. "All this time, the rest of you have a coltfriend to be with, like you and Trailblazer. But no other pony even wants to be around me. The others have their own pony to wait for when we come back, but nopony's going to wish for my safe return... I can't find out why, and I'm afraid that I might be living in a life of rejection and loneliness. If this keeps up, I'll be in despair and could die alone, without anypony around to be with or to care for each other..." A few tears fell from her eyes and into the water below them.

"Well, Ah don't know what to tell ya... Ah truly feel sorry for ya..." AppleJack tried to comfort her.

"Well... Could you tell me how you met Trailblazer?"

"Sure thing. It all started when Ah wasn't feelin' too well. Ah was alone, and Ah felt left out because Ah didn't feel like anypony appreciated me or what Ah did for a livin'. Then, when Trailblazer came along, it turned out that he liked what Ah do and he liked ne too. It just got better from there."

"So, he came from another place, and he liked you and your work, and then you just grew attatched to each other from there..."

"In a nutshell, yeah. But just 'cause my lil' love story ended up that way, don't mean that yers will end up the same way."

"...True..."

"...Do ya want to be alone now...?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I really don't want any of you to see me like this..."

"Understood..." AppleJack walked back into the ship and left her out there. She kept on looking onward, not flinching at anything that came and splashed around. A little bit later, she heard the door open and close again.

"Twilight...?" she heard.

She looked around and saw Trailblazer on the bow with her.

"Hi..." she said meekly.

"Wait, is this that whole, 'I have no coltfriend' thing?"

"Yeah..."

Trailblazer sighed. "I'm sure there's some pony out there that would admire you for any reason, but other than that, I don't know what else to say."

"Trailblazer, please..." Twilight looked at him through tearry eyes, and then ran up and hugged him unexpectedly. He was shocked, and got out of her grip.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" he raised his voice. "What are you doing??"

"Oh, I'm SO sorry! It's just that..." Twilight was finding it hard to talk. "You're the closest friend I have that's a stallion! I... I just..."

"Twilight Sparkle, I know you're better than this!" Trailblazer was becoming stern. "Don't break down in front of me."

"I'm trying not to, but... I JUST want to have a colt to be with that I can call my own..."

"You know full well that I'm with AppleJack."

"I know, but still..." She was still crying a little. "Could you please... Hold me...? At the least...?"

Trailblazer sighed again. "What am I going to do with you..."

"I could really use the comfort..." she wimpered.

Trailblazer looked at her, seeing the emotional pain she was going through. He already felt guilty by thinking of rejecting her request.

"All right... But I'm ONLY doing this as a friend, okay?"

He took both of his forelegs and wrapped them around her shoulders. She reacted by leaning forward on him herself, trying to nuzzle him a little bit around his neck. Her mood gradually got better with him around as he continued to keep themselves attatched to each other. This lasted for a couple minutes until Twilight backed away on her own.

"Feeling better now?" asked Trailblazer.

"Yeah, I am..." Her crying stopped, but she still looked hurt.

"I guess... I really don't want to hurt any other pony's feelings. I think that's just because of what I don't want to be anymore. That's why I decided to say 'yes' back there."

"Well, thank you anyways..."

"You'll make it. It's not the end of the world if you can't find the right unicorn right away." Trailblazer paused and looked at the Sario Hole in the sky. At the sight of it, he would have to eat his words, but he decided not to. "Could I see a smile?"

Twilight looked up at him, cracking a very small one.

"There, that's better."

"I just needed some physical comfort, really..."

"Here, how about we go back inside?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded. Trailblazer led the way back inside and down one floor to the little living room area of the ship, where they saw the rest of the ponies discussing something with each other.

"...And another thing: we don't know if they're going to be hostile towards us," said Rarity.

"But how will we know for a fact?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"I'm afraid that I can't answer that. It might be too late once we find out."

"Boy, this journey is getting fishier by the minute..." AppleJack said. "And we haven't even BEEN there yet!"

"Hey, you never know!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "They could welcome visitors, like us!"

A loud boom was heard from outside, and the boat rocked. All of them yelped and stumbled with the swaying floor, and a couple of them fell completely.

"What was THAT??" Rainbow Dash looked up.

"Here, let's get outside and see for ourselves," Twilight instructed.

All of them ran towards the ship's deck that Twilight and Trailblazer were just on. In the distance, a ship made out of iron was floating towards them. It was directly between them and their intended path.

"Look!" Rainbow Dash got airborne. "It looks like they're coming straight from Inyomaid!"

"Looks like somepony doesn't want us here!" thought Trailblazer.

The ship fired a cannon ball at them. It landed just inches from the bow and into the water, rocking it a little bit more.

"Looks like we won't be able to get around unless we take them out!" Trailblazer ran up to the railing. "Dash! Fly me over there so we can fight them!"

"What?? Do you have a deathwish?" she cried out.

"Trailblazer, what are you THINKIN'!?" AppleJack cried out. "You shouldn't go out there to fight, you'll get slaughtered!"

"You've heard about how pirates go off and kill others!"

"I know they appear in fairy tales too, but this is the real deal!" he reasoned. "It's either us, or them!"

Another cannon ball nearly struck the boat again. It landed in the water on the port side and rocked them again. Dash thought for a moment about the situation they got in.

"All right, fine." She got above Trailblazer and cradled him underneath her. "Let's go!"

With her forelegs around his body right behind his own forelegs, she took off and headed for the iron ship. A fourth cannon ball was fired right at them. She easily dodged it and saw the ship up close. The ponies on that ship didn't bear any typical buccaneer or pirate dress, or anything that made them stand out at all. Instead, they looked like typical ponies, although they were hostile. Just exactly why was unknown. Rainbow Dash got within landing distance and hovered a few feet above the ship's deck away from the enemies. She dropped Trailblazer and landed onto the deck herself next to him. They ran towards the hostiles and got ready to fight. There were only three of them. A bulky yet chubby red earth pony, an average green one, and a unicorn with a purple coat and orange mane with green stripes.

"You know the drill! We can take them on!" yelled Trailblazer.

"Let's go!" Rainbow Dash shouted back.

Trailblazer and the big red one charged at each other, with Trailblazer closing in on him faster than the other one was. Rainbow Dash zipped around at a low altitude at the green pony and unicorn, trying to ram both of them. The unicorn disappeared into thin air, leaving the green one to take the blow. He was rammed into the ship's bridge. Trailblazer and the red one rammed into each other, with neither one of them getting knocked away from each other's inertia. They tried to get the other to back off, but were at a standoff. The red pony started to inch Trailblazer backwards, with him struggling to resist his force. The unicorn fired a ball of energy that had all of the secondary colors he carried, but Rainbow Dash avoided the attack. She got up to the unicorn that fired at her and rammed her into the bridge along with the other green pony. Trailblazer continued to struggle against the red pony he was up against, but then he stopped resisting and ducked. The red pony ran right above him, losing his footing. Trailblazer bucked and knocked him back, charging again with the red pony at his mercy. He kept on trying to regain his footing, but Trailblazer kept his head beneath him, with his forelegs in midair, which were trying to get back on the floor. He kept running forward and to the boat's edge up against the railing. He bucked again, throwing the red pony overboard.

"He's down!" yelled Trailblazer. He turned to face Rainbow Dash, who was taking on both the green pony and unicorn with ease. "Rainbow, I'm going to go sink this ship!"

"Gotcha!" I'll hold these two off for you!"

The other two pirates tried to chase after them, but Rainbow Dash kept on getting between the two, alternating with whoever got a little bit farther than her. Trailblazer found some oil drums and gasoline at the back end of the ship. He ran back at the cannon he saw before they landed on the ship. In one of the containers, he found an incendiary grenade. He aimed the cannon at the canisters and fired it at the liquids. The tanks ruptured and caught on fire. The sound of scraping metal was heard, and then the ignited oil leaked towards the engine.

"It's about to blow!" Trailblazer ran back towards where he last saw Dash and the other two pirates. But they were nowhere to be seen. He looked around frantically to try to spot her, but saw nothing. Unknown to him, they were on the other side of the bridge, where he couldn't see them.

The sound of loud scraping and bending metal caught everypony's attention. They looked up and saw the back end of the ship on fire, growing a little bit.

"Oh, crap! Trailblazer!" she got airborne and looked around for him, but saw nothing. She saw the two pirates disappear with the help of the unicorn's powers. She got a bit higher to find him, but without any luck.

Then, the ship blew.

An eruption of flames rose from the back end of the ship, sending scrapped and burning chunks of metal of various shapes ans sizes in the sky. The explosion sent Rainbow Dash tumbling higher up into the sky. Trailblazer was also blown off the ship, sent skyward, and then rained down into the water along with a bunch of metal chunks. The explosion could be seen from the small cruise ship that the other five were left on. AppleJack looked on at the sinking ship, afraid.

"Oh, no... Trailblazer...!" she squeaked. She covered her eyes with one of her hooves and bared her teeth, upset at the thought of Trailblazer being on that ship.

At the site, Rainbow Dash flew frantically around the sinking ship, which had it's bow sticking up in the air, and was getting swallowed by the surrounding water. All she could see from the wreck was floating pieces of metal that were blown apart by the explosion. Some parts of the water was burning, along with a few scrapped metal pieces.

"Trailblazer!" she called out. Trailblazer!! Traiilblaaaazerrrr!"

No response came.

"Oh, this is bad..." she flew around the site some more, calling out for him. He still didn't respond. Rainbow Dash hovered around, still looking for him, then gave up. She flew back to the boat that the other five ponies were on. It wasn't until after she flew away that Trailblazer resurfaced. He took in a deep inhale and coughed profusely. He looked around at the scene to see oil burning on the water, along with a bunch of floating metal debris around him. He continued to cough hard as she swam onto the biggest piece he could find. The metal chunk dipped a little bit as he climbed onto it. Trailblazer got his whole self onto the broad scrapped piece of metal and laid down on it on his stomach. He laid down with his legs sprawled out and breathed heavily, trying to recover from staying underwater for so long.

"Rainbow Dash...?" AppleJack was afraid. "Where's Trailblazer...?"

"I- I looked around the site where we fought the pirates and tried looking for him. I called out for him and everything..."

AppleJack's pupils shrank. "No... No...! He HAS to be alive! He still has to be there!"

"I... I'm sorry..."

"I don't think we'll be able to find him now in the dark..." said Fluttershy. "Maybe when we reach this Inyomaid place, we can get a rescue squad to look for him..."

"Yeah, sure, PLEASE! Anythin' will work!"

"C'mon, AppleJack..." said Twilight. "Let's take it easy now. I'm sure that he's still out there, but we can't find him like this in the dark..."

"Okay, fine, Ah will..." AppleJack bared a small smile. "Hey, we all know he's tough. Maybe he did make it after all."

"Well, we can summon a rescue once we reach Inyomaid tomorrow morning."

"Yeah..." AppleJack yawned.

"Well, it's pretty late. We should go to sleep."

"Yeah, okay."

The mane six walked back in the boat and into their cabins. Rainbow Dash fell asleep quickly, the other five followed suit.

Trailblazer finally caught his breath. He looked up at the ship passing by. It was completely dark.

"Hey, HEEEY!" he yelled. "Down here! Help me out over here!"

No reaction. The boat continued to float by in the direction it had been going the whole time. No lights turned back on, and it didn't stop.

"Didn't you hear me?!" screamed Trailblazer. "I need some help over here! HELLLLP!"

The boat leisurely floated by.

"Dammit all!" Trailblazer got to the side of the floating metal chunk he was on and began to paddle to try to reach it. The boat continued to drive on the water faster than he could paddle, making him unable to keep up. "Ugghhhh, s---... Now what..." Trailblazer was exhausted. "Well, it looks like I'm going to have to save myself tomorrow..." He laid his head down on the metal slab he was floating on and fell asleep. When he would wake up the next morning, he would try to go after them and reach them in Inyomaid as best as he can.

A Whole Different World

The ship ended up at some docks the next late afternoon. It stationed itself away from most of the other boats and parked itself there. Behind the docks was a relatively big town made up of single-story buildings and houses. The six ponies got off their boat with their backpacks and walked on the wooden walkway. AppleJack carried both her's and Trailblazer's backpack on her back and walked along with her friends, where they met a few other workers in the docks.

"Well, ahoy there, mates! Welcome to Inyomaid!" the first one said. "Where did you all come from?"

"We came from Equestria. It's way out east from here," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Equestria? That's quite a ways from Rautsong here."

"Well, this isn't exactly a vacation we have here... One of the stallions that came with us fell overboard, and we need a rescue squad to go get him."

"Oh, well why didn't you speak up earlier?!" the sailor turned to his friend on his left. "We gotta get a rescue team to go after this colt. Get one assembled."

"Rodger." He pulled out a walkie-talkie, and started to speak into it. "This is Brad speaking. We need a rescue team to go find a colt that's lost at sea." He then turned to look at the six ponies. "Could you fill us in on the details?"

"Ah will." AppleJack stepped forward. "His name is Trailblazer. He has a light-brown coat with a shaggy brown mane."

"Brad to Captain Bridge, we have this mare that claims that this lost pony is a colt by the name of Trailblazer. He also has a brown mane and a light brown coat."

"Affirmative. But we still need a last known position," they all heard a voice radio back.

Brad turned to look back at the six. "Could you tell us where he was last?"

"We were coming straight from Ponyville. Also, we were fightin' some pirates last night that got right in our path. Ya might find him in the midst of floating scrap metal."

"Uh... Captain, she also said that they fought pirates that came straight from this area. Were you aware of any pirates coming from here?"

"Nnnnnno, sir," the same voice said back.

"Strange... Well, just to be safe, he should be somewhere directly between here and a town off in Equestria called Ponyville. She also said that the ship that the pirates had sunk, so some scrap metal should remain in the area he was in last they saw him."

"Okay, we got the details we need. We're going to head out as soon as we're ready."

Brad put away the walkie-talkie. "Okay, a rescue squad is getting prepped right now. They're going to head out once they can."

"Oh, thank ya so much for this!" AppleJack said to him.

"Don't mention it, ma'am. Just leave it to us professionals."

The three sailor ponies walked away, leaving the six on their own.

"They say that the pirates didn't come from here..." said Rarity. "Maybe they were working for someone else?"

"Beats me..." muttered Fluttershy.

The six heard a motor getting revved from inside the harbor. They all looked at it, which was several yards left of their ship. Shortly after hearing that, a speedboat was shooting across the water, with a bunch of ponies on it. All of them had life jackets and red caps. Their boat drove over the water much faster than their small cruise ship could travel.

"That must be them right now," said Rainbow Dash.

"So... Now what do we do?" wondered Twilight.

"Maybe we could be looking for some help and some answers about these Sacred Stars." Pinkie Pie pointed to a building just above the harbor that the rescue squad came out of. "You see that observation building?"

"Might as well," said Rainbow Dash.

All six of them took the winding concrete path and stairs up to the deck. They all walked inside the building to see a diner, a lot like a club room. Inside, they saw some other sailors sitting around some tables and a server behind a counter. They all walked up to him.

"Hello there!" he greeted them with. "What can I get for you all?"

"Oh, we're not hungry right now," said Twilight. "Actually, we came here looking for some answers. See, we're on an expedition to look for some rocks called Sacred Stars. Would you happen to know about them?"

"Sacred Stars? Sorry, I can't say that I've heard of them..."

"Well, do you know any other pony who might know about them?"

The server thought for a minute. "Well, I THINK that there is this one old wizard who lives in Rautsong here. He goes by the name of Merlow. Problem is, I don't know where exactly he lives here."

"So it looks like our first step to finding these Sacred Stars, is finding Merlow."

"Yeah, that seems about right," Rainbow Dash spoke.

"May I ask why you're looking for them?" the server said.

"Well, have you seen the hole in the sky?" Twilight asked.

"The one that showed up just a couple days ago? Yeah."

"Yeah, the thing is, we need to find them in order to stop that from destroying the world."

"What?? What are you trying to say? Are you all trying to play 'hero'?"

"Playing 'hero'?" Rainbow Dash got in his face. "I'll have you know that we were the ones that got rid of the black skies that we heard covered the whole planet! If THAT doesn't make us heroes..."

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight bit her tail and yanked her back. "Shame on you!"

"Wait, it was you six who put a stop to those black skies a couple months ago?"

"Yeah. That's what my brash friend was just saying..."

"Oh, I see now." The server leaned backwards. "But yeah, you'll want to find that mage. He should know what to do."

A rescue worker came in the diner. He noticed the six ponies and walked up to them.

"You're the ones who said that you were missing somepony named Trailblazer at sea?" he asked.

"Yeah...?" AppleJack bit her lip.

"Well, we found him."

"You did?? YES!" AppleJack became rampant. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Yeah, well... He's not doing too well right now."

"What? Whadaya mean by that?" AppleJack immediately grew worried again.

"He's been in the sun for so long. He has burns and came down with sunstroke."

"Oh no..."

"Well, once we get him back here, we'll take him to the hospital and let him recover. I just received a radio message saying that they're bringing him back here to do just that."

"Okay..."

"C'mon, AppleJack. It'll be okay," Rainbow Dash said to her in a soothing voice. "Here, let's all go to this hospital and wait for him."

"Yeah, okay..."

All six of them walked outside and headed into town, looking for the hospital.

After 15 minutes of searching for the hospital, they found it. It was a long single-story building near the edge of the city limits away from the marina that they just came from. There, they saw the rescue squad bring in Trailblazer, taking him to a room to get treated.

"Hey, excuse me. Is it okay if we go in and see our friend, Trailblazer?" Dash asked the receptionist.

"Yes, it is. We just got our equippment deployed in there, so you can go see him," the receptionist told them. "You'll find him in Wing A in room A-105."

"Okay, thanks."

The six ponies walked out of the lobby area and through a brick hallway. At the first ajacent hallway was Wing A. They all walked down it until reaching room A-105, Trailblazer's room.

"Ah know he's hurt and sick..." AppleJack pondered. "But Ah'm afraid to see HOW hurt and sick he is..."

"Come now, dear," said Rarity. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. You DO have that kind of bond after all."

AppleJack closed her eyes and lowered her head a little bit. She came back again. "Yeah, yer right..."

Rarity opened the door. Immediately, they felt a bunch of cool air circulating through the room. In the room, they saw Trailblazer lying on a hospital bed on his back. He had burns all over his body, clearly visible without a blanket over him. He seemed to be asleep.

"Trailblazer, hon'?" AppleJack asked.

"...AppleJack...?" Trailblazer opened his eyes a little bit to see the six ponies in the room. He didn't try to move at all, but his head and neck was still fine.

"Oh, would you look at that," AppleJack looked at his burns. "You've been out in that there sun for too long out at sea... You have burns all over your legs, your sides, your belly... Heck, Ah feel a bit hurt just by lookin' at them."

"Yeah... I can't exactly move too much, or else, it'll hurt..."

"Well, how else are ya feelin'?"

"Oh, jeez... I feel faint, tired, dizzy, got a headache, hurts to move, and my heart's pounding..."

"I can hear it from here," Rainbow Dash commented.

"In short, I feel like crap..."

"Awww, purr sugarcube..." AppleJack put a hoof on his side. Trailblazer's eyes widened and his teeth became clenched. He got hurt just by getting touched. "Ah'll be here for ya. Y'all don't need to worry now." She looked at where she put her hoof against, realizing that she put it right on a burnt part of his body. Trailblazer swatted her hoof off right as she let go, still hurting himself for even lifting his leg to do that. "Oops. Sorry."

"I don't want to sound like a wuss, but..." Trailblazer moaned. "I'm hurt badly..."

"Now, this begs the question..." Rainbow Dash started. "How DID you survive out there when the ship blew apart?"

"Well, when I ignited that gas and oil, I was setting the engine on fire. I ran back towards the bridge, looking for you, but couldn't. Once the ship blew up, I was thrown off it and into the water. A bunch of metal chunks rained down on me and sank. I was swimming around them all to keep myself from getting pinned underwater. Then, I saw the ship itself sinking, and it was directly above me. I almost got trapped under it, but I swam away just in time. I was losing my breath at that time, so I swam back up and found a floating metal chunk to catch it. Then, the ship you were all on floated right past me. I called out, but none of you came."

After hearing that sentence, the other six looked amongst each other, looking a bit guilty.

"So, earlier today, I tried padding out to you by myself, but the sun was getting to me. It was almost unbearable to be on that horribly hot piece of metal while having to rest on it the whole time with the sun beating down on me. That's how I got all these burns. I felt as if I was getting cooked on that thing, it was so hot."

"Oh, my..." Rarity said, cringing.

"So I was out there for several hours until that rescue squad came and brought me here."

"Oh, purr sugarcube..." AppleJack leaned up to his face. "It's good to see that ya made it, but ya didn't get off scott-free. You just take it easy now."

"Yeah, I will."

She planted a kiss on his cheek. Then, a nurse walked into the room.

"Excuse me. Friends or family?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're all his friends." Twilight told the nurse.

"Okay, well, I don't mean to kick you out of this room right now, but we're going to work on him so he can recover from his burns and sunstroke."

"Fair enough," said Rarity. The others walked out of the room to let the nurse and another doctor get in.

"So, who's up for finding this Merlow pony?" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Ah, good thinking," said Twilight. They all walked towards the hospital doors that they came in, but AppleJack stayed behind. "Aren't you coming, AppleJack?"

"No. Ah'm goin' to wait here for Trailblazer."

"But, that won't be until tomorrow!"

"Ah don't care. Ah'm stayin' here for him."

Twilight sighed. "All right, if you insist..."

AppleJack stayed in the waiting room outside of Trailblazer's room. The other five walked back to the lobby that they first ended up in when they entered.

"Excuse me, do you know a pony by the name of Merlow around here?" Twilight wondered.

"Merlow? Yeah, I do. You'll have to go east from here and into the retail store area of Rautsong. He has a blue house with a spinning roof," she informed them.

"A spinning roof?" Pinkie was a bit confused. "That's the first time I'VE heard of one!"

"It's kind of strange. I hear that he rarely leaves his house. I don't really know why... Come to think of it, none of the ponies that live here know why either."

"Reealllly... That IS strange." Twilight commented. "Well, I guess his place shouldn't be hard to find. Thanks for telling us!"

"You're welcome. Oh, and just am FYI..." the receptionist continued. "I just got a memo from one of our doctors. Trailblazer is getting adequate treatment and should be feeling better and ready to check out tommorow afternoon."

"All right! Thanks for letting us know." Twilight turned around. "Okay, let's go."

The five ponies walked out of the hospital to see the sunset. They walked eastbound to the retail area of the city of Rautsong they were in. It was a 10 minute walk there. Rainbow Dash flew into the air to get a better look.

"I see it!" she said.

"I'm not surprised," said Rarity. "A house with a spinning roof WOULD stand out in a place like this."

As Rainbow Dash was airborne, she gave directions to the other four. "Okay, take a left, now, keep going straight for a couple blocks... No, you went too far. Sorry. Take a right, now, another right at that next intersection... And there you are!"

Rainbow Dash swooped down back to them. They all saw the house that matched the description provided by the receptionist, spinning roof and all. Pinkie knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" they heard somepony say.

The door opened, and they all went inside. There were a lot of shelves in the room they entered, lined with a bunch of beakers and vials filled with some liquids bearing various colors, from plain ones to oily resemblances. There was a table with a crystal ball on it. Behind it was a hooded unicorn, with the hood covering his mane rather than the upper part of his face, keeping his eyes visible. The hood extended to a cape that was worn across his back as well. What could be seen of his mane was a gray one with multiple split ends. He also had a mustache that covered most of his mouth. His coat was a navy blue color, and his eyes were gold. Behind him were two pots of burning incense.

"Are you Merlow?" asked Fluttershy.

"Yes, that would be me," he said. "I am the Mage of this town. What can I do for you five tonight?"

"We have two others with us, but, we can tell them about this later. The thing is, we've been brought over here to Inyomaid to search for these, um, things called Sacred Stars..." Fluttershy continued. "Would you happen to know about them?"

"Oh!" Merlow suddenly got excited. "I knew this day would come. You've seen that Sario Hole in the sky, haven't you?"

"But of course," Rarity stepped in. "It's the very reason we're here in this region. We need to find the Sacred Stars to stop whomever has the Sinister Star and prevent that Sario Jole from destroying the world."

"Yes, I thought so. Well, ever since that Sario Hole appeared, a strange gray stallion unicorn with a white cape and indigo mane came here proclaiming that he is the one responsible for making it appear."

"Did you get a name?"

"He called himself 'Steel Sword', from what I gathered. He was apparently proud of getting it to show up, and then told us that it was too late to stop him. After he disappeared, I went to do some research on these stars. There are six in total: one Sinister, the rest, Sacred. According to what I've looked up, when a Sacred Star is found, it'll lead the way to the next one. Once all five of the Sacred Stars have been collected, the way to the Sinister Star and it's weilder will materialize."

"So, it looks like our first step is finding the first one," said Fluttershy. "But..." She looked down, a bit upset. "We don't know know where that first one is at..."

Merlow let out a laugh. "Don't fret, my dear! I have it right here!"

Fluttershy looked up, surprised. "What? You do?"

"Yes, indeed!" He used his magic to open a chest below one of his shelves. A glittering red star-shaped gem with many facets spun above the crystal ball.

"That must be it!" said Twilight.

"Correct! Now..." With the Sacred Star spinning and levitating over the crystal ball, he gazed at it. An image of the entire region of Inyomaid showed up. To the east of Rautsong was a city that surrounded a big arena. The crystal ball image focused on that city. "I see... The second Sacred Star is located somewhere in Sagastrome."

"Sagastrome?" Twilight wondered.

"Yes. It's east of here. In Sagastrome is a big arena where a bunch of Inyomaid's best fighters battle each other to be the Sagastrome Arena champion."

"Heh, sounds like a place where Trailblazer belongs," Rainbow Dash noted. The others spoke in agreement and smiled.

"So, that place is where you'll have to go."

"Great! Thank you for your help, Merlow!" Pinkie Pie jumped.

"Hey, by the by, do you have a place to spend the night?" Merlow asked them.

They looked amongst each other, without answering.

"I'll take that as a 'no'. Well, there's a hotel behind my place called the Plaza Hotel. You can check in there."

"Sounds good." Twilight nodded. "Thanks again for your help."

"Happy to do it! Good night, everypony!"

They all waved good-bye and went to the Plaza Hotel. They checked in into separate rooms and laid down to sleep through the night. They had a big day ahead of them tommorow, with a new adventure unfolding.

Fighter's Paradise

Trailblazer was escorted out of his room, with a lot of white creme covering his body. AppleJack walked towards him, wondering what it was all about.

"Now, sir, you're out of your sunstroke, but keep in mind that the creme we're giving you is to heal those burns. Use it at least twice a day, and they should be gone soon enough," one of the doctors said.

"Yeah, yeah..." said Trailblazer, unenthusiastic. "You won't see me on a metal raft at sea ever again."

The doctor let him go. AppleJack walked up to him.

"Hey, sugarcube..." she said softly. "Feelin' better?"

"Well, I'm not sick anymore, so, that's something. But I still got these burns," he told her.

"Here, let's getcha back in action here."

The two walked back to the lobby to see the other five waiting for them.

"Um, hi, Trailblazer..." Fluttershy started the greeting. "Feeling better now?"

"Well, yes and no," he said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not suffering from sunstroke anymore, but I'm still burnt."

"Oh, I see now..."

"Okay, now then..." Rarity thought. "Do any of us know how to get to this Sagastrome place?"

"Sagastrome?" AppleJack and Trailblazer said this simultaneously.

"Here, let me explain..." said Twilight. "While you two were here, we went to see this wizard by the name of Merlow. And he gave us sone info on these Sacred Stars. When we find one, it'll tell us where the next one is. Merlow had one already, so it pointed to that city. Once we have all five, we can go take on Steel Sword. He's the pony responsible for getting that Sario Hole to show up."

"Hmmmmmm..." Trailblazer closed his eyes and rested a hoof beneath his chin. "Okay, so that's the lecture on the Sacred Stars. Now, what about this Sagastrome place?"

"You're gonna love this... That place has a fighting arena, where ponies from all over this region gather to fight and become number one."

"All right!" laughed Trailblazer. "We ought to get going!"

"Um, my question?" Rarity said. "How are we supposed to get there?"

None of them said anything as they looked at each other.

"I suppose we'll have to ask around."

They began to walk back to their hotel. It seemed like a perfect place to get answers on tourism and transportation.

"Exsuse me. Sir?" Rainbow Dash flew up to the counter. "Is there a way to get from here to Sagastrome?"

"Oh, yes, definetly," the pony said. "Near our hotel is a magnet train that can take you all there in a matter of an hour."

"Oh. Thanks for your help." Rainbow Dash flew back and headed outside with the rest of them. "There's a train near this hotel that can take us directly to that city." She paused. "Now, how did I miss THAT?"

"That must be it over there." AppleJack pointed to a train station that had a sleek metallic train with an aerodynamic shaped car at the ends. They all walked to it to get on.

"Would you like to board the Raut-Strome Magnet Train?" one of the workers said.

"Yes," said Trailblazer.

"All right. It'll cost 15 coins per passenger."

All of them forked over their money to get on board.

"Good. You may board now. We will be leaving shortly." The worker got out of the way to let them pass through the gate. They all got in the same car and took their seats next to each other. As they waited, more ponies got on the train in other cars. Once they the train was fully occupied, the gates closed.

"ALL ABOARD!" the gatekeeper shouted.

The train began to move, and the magnetic force below them took effect. The magnet train accelerated quickly to a speed of 60 miles per hour, and headed towards Sagastrome.

Later that afternoon, they reached a train station in the city of Sagastrome. It stopped in downtown, which had a lot of square buildings that reached at least four stories high. Most of them were small businesses and retail stores, with streets made if concrete. It was almost another Marehattan for them.

"So, how are we going to find this next Sacred Star here?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Look over there! It's an advertisement for the arena here!" Pinkie Pie hopped to the poster she found.

"Yeah? So?"

"Take a look at the trophy!" Pinkie motioned them to take a closer look. On the ad was a picture of the arena in the city, known as the Mega Ring. It was a big building made of concrete with a little sloped glass dome that spanned the whole building. On the foreground was the trophy. It had a wooden base and a slender gold body that widened at the top. Sitting on top of the trophy was a gold star that had an identical resemblance of the Sacred Star Merlow gave them. AppleJack and Trailblazer looked at it curiously, while the other five that were with Merlow last night eyed it intensely.

"Could that really be the next Sacred Star?" Rarity thought.

"Is that what they look like?" asked Trailblazer.

"Well, yeah, they do. But, if that's really it, then..."

"We'll have to fight our way to it?" wondered Pinkie.

"I think so..."

"Well, it looks like we'll have to investigate on this deal," said Twilight. "And to do that, we need to head for the Mega Ring."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!"

The seven walked through the city to look for the arena. It was easy to find, as it stood out in terms of eye-catching decorations in front of the sign and architectural design. The flashy exterior defined the Mega Ring as a place of glitz.

"Wow, they really went overboard with making this place stand out," said Fluttershy. "Uhh, that kind of tells me... that the inside will be the same..."

"Well, one way to find out," said Pinkie.

They found the enterace to the arena and entered a lobby. There was a red carpet that split to two other doors on the sides of the lobby. Between those doors were a set of stairs on both sides that led directly to the upper levels. In front of them was the enterace to the arena for spectators, and below them was a chandelier with many pearl-shaped lights that were hanging and were attatched to it. The whole lobby itself was a light gold with a few fans, security workers, and a couple interviewers that were paired with their own cameramen.

"Move along, folks," one of the interviewers said. "Go watch the fight. You're getting in the way of my upcoming interview with our next champ."

"Riiiiight..." Rainbow Dash said to him. "And this next champ is, who?"

"Go see for yourself. I need to stay here to get an interview with him as soon as he comes out of the ring."

"Whatever..."

All seven of them walked through the doors in front of them and found themselves seeing a mide of a fight. A fat red pony was fighting off a smaller purple unicorn. They were punching each other for a little bit, and then the red one leaned forward and pinned the unicorn. He was crushed under his weight, leaving the big one to be the victor.

"So, this is what my opponent was made of? This guy doesn't have the guts!" he yelled.

The the official walked towards him with a microphone in his hand. "Well, HOW-DEE! That there was a fine whuppin' you put on! So, uh, any thoughts on winning this match?" he leaned the microphone towards the winner.

"What are you thinking? There isn't ANYPONY that can take me on! I'm large and in charge! Any other pony that comes at me will get flattened!" The earth pony known as Grub Gut lifted a hoof straight into the air. "YEEEEAAAH! I, AM, NUMBER ONE!"

The official handed him a trophy that looked exactly like the one they saw on the poster at the train station. Grub Gut hoisted it into the air, and the crowd roared. All seven of them noticed it.

"That must be it! The Sacred Star is right there! But... How are we supposed to get it?" Twilight yelled, trying to speak over the noise.

They all walked out of the arena, where they could hear themselves think. "Well, we now know that the next sacred star is here, but what are we going to do?" pondered Twilight. "I mean, we can't just go and take the thing off..."

"Oh, I gotta laugh..." Trailblazer chuckled. "With me around, we can take on anything. I say we battle our way to the top and then grab it."

"Well, we aren't thieves, that's for sure. I like the way you're thinking, Trailblazer," Rainbow Dash smirked. "Bust a few heads, take a few names, and then, it's ours!"

He nodded, then looked around. "So, where's the manager's office? He must be the guy to talk to."

They all walked to one of the doors on the sides of the room. There was a security guard in front of it.

"This area is reserved for registered combatants in the Mega Ring." the guard said.

"Well, that's the thing... We're lookin' to become fighters here."

"Oh, so you have business with Smash Crash. Okay, you can all head on through. Smash Crash's office is straight down the hall from here. You can't miss it." The guard stepped aside and let them pass. The hallway they entered was gray and dimly lit compared to the bright lobby they were in. There were more security guards standing in front of the doors in the hall. At the end of the hall was a brown door, with yet another security guard in front of it.

"Excuse me, is this the office for registration?" asked Rarity.

"Yes it is. You must have business here, I take it," the guard said.

"Uh-huh..."

"All right, give me a second." The guard turned around and knocked on the door. A call was heard from inside, and the guard opened the door to walk inside. "Mr. Crash, we have a group of fighters that would like to register."

"All righty then. Bring 'em on in," they heard the same voice as the announcer say. The guard motioned the seven ponies to walk inside. There, they saw an office with a mahogany desk, and a laptop sitting on top of it. Behind the desk was the announcer.

"Well, how-DEE!" he said. "Ah'm known 'round these parts as Smash Crash. So, what can Ah do for ya sprouts?"

"Well, first of all, we're looking to become fighters here," said Trailblazer.

"Oh, boy, howdy!" said Smash Crash. "It's good to see some youngin's comin' in to fight... Yep, some fresh new blood in this here dome. But before we talk buisiness, Ah'd like to tell y'all a li'l somethin'." He walked out from behind his desk and into the more spaced area of the room.

"When Ah was just a wee filly, we didn't have nuthin' growin' up. We were poor, mind y'all, but that's just how this rags to riches story goes. Ah dreamed big, and Ah wanted a bright future. That's how this arena got built. Ah worked my tail off to raise some money, and built this place from scratch! So now, here Ah am! A business owner without any signs of retirin'! Y'all see this bod of mine? Ah'm 60 and still goin' strong! This is my career, and Ah'm LIVIN' the life! Ain't NO way that Ah'm gonna stop! Yessiree, Ah dreamed big, worked hard, and in charge!" He turned around to face the group. "Y'all feel the same way?"

Trailblazer jumped a little bit, then looked at the others, then back at Smash Crash. "Uh, yyyeeeahhh... Sure. Big hopes and dreams here."

"That's the spirit! Like Ah said, it's good to see some young able-bodied fighters come in to my business." He walked back to his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. "Lemme just explain this for a sec'... Ya fight, earn money, and rise in ranks with each victory you earn. Ah set the rules for y'all, and if ya meet the standards, you get to fight a higher ranked opponent. Winnin' without meetin' the standards means y'all have to fight a lower ranked opponent. Losin' to a higher ranked opponent lets you keep your rank, but losin' to a lower ranked opponent will lower it. Does this make sense here?"

"Oh yeah, Ah get it, all right," answered AppleJack.

"Loud and clear," said Rainbow Dash.

The rest of them nodded.

"Good. Now then, what Ah just explained is all here on these li'l ol' contracts. Just sign here, and yer good to go."

"Um... I'm not if I can do this..." Fluttershy shuddered.

"Please, dear," said Rarity. "We're all in this together, are we not? Certainly, NightWing would be proud to have a pegasus that can stand up to this challenge."

"I'm in for this, but I'm not signing until we're all clear on this," reasoned Twilight Sparkle.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Well... Okay, I'll go. Don't think that I'm doing this just to give in!"

Trailblazer looked at her skeptically, then shook his head. All of them signed their contracts.

"All right! Good choice, there. You are gonna go BIG, Ah can tell. Now, let me think of a name for your group..." He thought for several seconds. "All right, how about... 'The Devastators'?"

"Hey, that name doesn't sound half bad!" Trailblazer smiled.

"I like it!" said Rainbow Dash.

"It's okay, I guess." said Twilight.

"Uhhhh..." Rarity wasn't amused.

"Perfect! Now then, let's get y'all started!" Smash Crash pressed a button on his desk that was attatched to a small speaker he had. "Say, Sapphire, would ya mind comin' to my office for a sec'?"

A deep blue earth pony showed up a little bit later. "Yes, Mr. Crash?"

"Be a dear and go take these youngin's to their room, please."

"Yes, Mr. Crash," she said. "Follow me, if you will, newcomers."

Sapphire led them back into the hallways outside the ring and went back down the way that they came. They stopped two thirds of the way, where she had a security guard step aside from the door he was in front of. Behind that door was a dingy locker room, with many lockers, a few of them beat up a little bit, a cushioned bench with a spring sticking out of the broken fabric, and at least 10 beds. The walls were a dull gray, and the floor was a checkered gray and dark red.

"You will all be starting off the minor league, of course, since you all have just signed up to become fighters." said Sapphire.

"Figures, but... Does it have to look so... Beat up?" questioned Rarity. "Do they keep the minor league rooms this way to motivate the others to do better?"

Sapphire ignored her question. "Now then, you can reserve a match using the terminal here on the wall." She pointed to a computer monitor she was talking about. There was a screen saver of sort sort on the monitor. Sapphire touched it and got the screen to revert back to a match reservation screen. "You have two options here. The first one is to reserve for your next match, and the other let you view your rank. You can reserve one now if you wish to do so."

"Ehhh, why not?" said Trailblazer. He walked up to the screen. There was text on it, along with two buttons named of the commands Sapphire just mentioned.

"This is the Match Reservation Terminal. What is your command?"

"Reserve a Match"

"View Ranking"

He tapped on the touch screen on the Reserve button.

"One moment please..." There was a buffering circle below the new on-screen text. After a few seconds, Smash Crash showed up on it.

"Well, hey there, Devastators! Ah see that Sapphire is guiding you through the match reservation process. Okay, now, let's see how ya do in yer first match. Here, you'll be fighting... The Shag Bros.! Okay, in this match, Ah want ya to try to finish the match as quickly as you can. Folks are gonna be curious as to what yer made of. Yer the new ones here, after all. So, get in there and take 'em out in a jiffy!" He disappeared, and the match reservation screen reappeared.

"Okay, so your match is reserved. Now, you just have to wait until security comes to escort you."

There wasn't much of a wait. A guard showed up in a matter of 30 seconds.

"Hey, Devastators, your match is ready. Follow me," said the guard.

"Okay, now that security is here, they'll take you to the ring. Smash Crash requested that you finish the match fairly quickly. See if you can do that."

The seven ponies followed the guard outside.

In the ring, the Shag Bros. were already on it, waiting for them. Smash Crash was on stage with them, holding his microphone.

"And now, we are bringing you a new team of fighters! But first, let's have a word with the Shag Bros.!" Smash Crash walked up to the quintuplets, who had creme colored coats with varying styles of manes and tails, all brunette. "So, what are your impressions on these new fighters?"

"What, they think they're going to be some big shots?" the one in front said. "These noobs are gonna gave another thing coming! We'll teach them how harsh it can get here!"

The doors on the opposite side of the ring opened, and the seven ponies walked in.

"And, here come our new set of challengers, The Devastators!"

They all walked up the stage, ready to fight. Smash Crash walked up to them now.

"Here, let me explain a li'l somethin' 'bout how these fights work..."

"HEAD UP!" The lead Shag brother ran and jumped at Trailblazer. He saw him coming and protected himself from the attack. He ran back to his group after making his attack.

"Hey hey hey! What was THAT for?!" yelled AppleJack. "The bell hasn't even rung yet!"

"Oh that? That was just a welcome gift for you wimps!" he bad-mouthed them with.

"Hey, hang on for just a moment, these babies need to get spanked," said Trailblazer to his friends calmly. He turned around to face the Shag Bros. "Awww, would you look at our tiny weaklings we have to pummel! Hi, fellas!" Trailblazer told them in a cutesy voice. It suddenly got stern. "You want a fight, you got one!" He charged at the Shags and rammed the oldest one, and then threw him on the ground near the end of the ring. He turned around to kick the second one that came at him, and then the third one too. He jumped and landed on the fourth one, and tackled the last one. The whole fight took just six seconds. All of the Shag Bros. were dazed and laid down on the floor, injured.

"Uhhhnnnngghhh..." the third one moaned.

"We have a winner! THUHHHHHHHHHH DEVASTATOOORRRRRRS!" shouted Smash Crash.

"You come trying to pull a dirty move like that again, I'll shove your heads right up your asses!" Trailblazer yelled at them.

Smash Crash trotted back to them. "So, what are your impressions on the first bout?"

"That fight?? What a JOKE!" Trailblazer answered him with.

Smash Crash brought his microphone back to him. "Ladies and gentlecolts, what you just witnessed was a thrashin' at it's finest! Shag Brother comes by for a headstart, and, BAM, he single handedly K.O's them in a matter of SECONDS! These ponies are GOIN' places! Let's give it up for, The Devastators!"

Some confetti rained down on them. Trailblazer raised a hoof and pointed at himself. His eyes were closed, he looked smug, and continuously nodded as the cheers were heard.

After the match, Smash Crash and Sapphire met back with them in the locker room.

"Job well done, pardner!" Smash Crash told Trailblazer. "Yer the Trailblazer feller in this group, right?"

"Yeah," he said, happily.

"Good to hear. Anyways, Ah got the names of everypony else in the group." He pointed to each one as he called out their names. "Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, AppleJack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie."

All of them were saying their "yes"'s.

"Now then, Sapphire here will give ya your fight money. Ah'm lookin' forward to your next fight in the ring, and THAT'S sayin' sumthin'!" He left the room after saying that.

"Here's your fight money, everypony," said Sapphire. She handed each of them 10 coins.

"And we're getting paid to fight too?" Trailblazer was feeling better by the second. "Man, I might just live here."

"Feel free to do whatever you'd like when you're not reserved to fight," said Sapphire. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way." She left the room after saying that.

"Now THIS, is going to be fun!" said Rainbow Dash.

"This may be our easiest job yet," said Trailblazer. "Win, earn money, win, earn money... This little quest for this Sacred Star is going to be a breeze!"

BFF

"First time here?" somepony asked in the locker room.

All seven of them looked up to see a saturated yellow pony talking to them.

"Yeah, I'm bettin' it is," he continued. "And we saw how you wiped the floor with those Shag Brothers."

Trailblazer laughed. "I took them all down single-handedly in a matter of seconds!"

"Yeah, those Shags? They've been at the bottom ever since they joined. They're just a bunch of punks. The name's Go Getter."

"I'm Trailblazer."

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Rarity, darling."

"Rainbow Dash!"

"AppleJack."

"Um, Fluttershy..."

"Pinkie Pie!"

"Right. So you guys are all the Devastators. I have a few buds with me too, but you'll see them in battle later. Everyone else in this room has gone out somewhere."

"What, just into town?" wondered Twilight.

"Yeah, off doin' whatever." Go Getter walked over to the bedroom and got into a bed. "I'm hitting the hay, I'm bushed."

"What time is it?"

"Uh, around 10:00," replied AppleJack.

"I guess we could go get sone sleep..."

The others decided to do the same thing, and they chose a bed to sleep in.

Trailblazer was finding it difficult to sleep that night. There was always some other pony doing something, like rolling over, tossing and turning, and making noise that way. He tossed and turned too, but nothing could work. He then saw Twilight leave the bedroom, followed by a sniffle.

Ugh, the things I do to help out those in need, he thought to himself. He was half-awake and yawned, then got out to follow her. She walked out into the locker room and sat down on the white tile floor, ears drooped as usual. He didn't need to be reminded why.

"Twilight..." he said softly. "You've got to pull yourself together..."

"It's not the coltfriend thing. It's that I'm... I'm cold."

Trailblazer instantly knew that she was lying. "Uh-huh. Riiiiiight..."

"...Okay, fine, it is the coltfriend thing. I'm alone and cold and... There's nopony to keep me warm..."

"Oh, I don't like where this is going..."

"It seems like it's just too much to ask. I talk to colts, I let them know about me, and then they say 'no'."

"Well, that's really the worst thing they can do."

"This, has been, the 32nd time that I've been rejected, and counting..." She wiped a tear from her eye. "When will anypony say 'yes'?" she wimpered.

Trailblazer sighed deeply. He still felt sorry for her, but it has been going on for too long.

"May I... Snuggle with you a little bit here...?" she asked.

"Uh, Twilight?" said Trailblazer softly. "I just can't be your backup coltfriend when you need somepony to hug or cuddle with or anything. I just can't see this working."

"Please? This'll be the last time I'll ask, I promise." Twilight's eyes were watering again.

Trailblazer grumbled. "...Fine. You know, just like last time, I'm only doing this as a friend, don't get used to this with me."

He sat down and stayed still. Twilight reached out and threw her front legs over his shoulders and squeezed him. She rested her head over his right shoulder, eyes closed, with a few tear drops landing on his back. Trailblazer rolled his eyes while she wasn't looking, annoyed. Twilight started to snuggle him some more. She rubbed her head up against Trailblazer's neck and shoulder, and got her whole body closer to him.

"I really appreciate you doing this for me.." she said.

Trailblazer auietly muttered something that was barely legible, then spoke up. "Have you even had much connections with any other pony?"

While still holding on to him, she looked at him. "For the most part, I've been reading a lot of books, because I've always wanted to know anything, and studied everything in them... Even as a filly, I've wanted to be the smartest unicorn I could ever be. Sure, I was more social as a filly, until I became a direct student for Princess Celestia..."

"Well, this sounds out of left field, but do you remember anypony that you liked back then?"

"Wellllll... There actually was this one other colt that I liked to play with a lot, named Mineral Mage. But... I've never seen him ever since I went to study under Princess Celestia. I have no way of knowing how he's doing, or where he's at..."

"No class reunions either?"

"No..." Twilight started to whimper again. "We got along so well, and we never tired of each other. We were best friends, and now... He's gone..."

Trailblazer's annoyed state turned into sympathy. "Oh... That is a little disheartening..."

"I really would give anything to have him back... It feels like I never knew how much he meant to me until I lost him..."

Trailblazer looked off to the side, looking a little upset.

"You know, you remind me so much of Mineral Mage. He's almost just like you, only he's a unicorn, like me..."

He wrapped his forelegs around her shoulders, giving her a shoulder to lean on as she cried a little. "C'mon, Twilight. I don't like seeing a friend miserable and suffering like this..."

Twilight sighed. "I try not to show it, but on nights, where anypony would spend some quality time with their special somepony, I have nopony... I guess it... It gets the best of me, and I break down..."

"I know you're in anguish, but you can do better than this," reassured Trailblazer. "Let me ask you this. Do you want to come out in an empty area at night just to cry?"

"Well, no... But I still want the comfort..."

"Well, if you don't let the whole "single" business bother you and make you upset, you won't feel so bad at night. Just don't think about it."

"That's, an interesting way of putting it." Twilight Sparkle let go of Trailblazer and closed her eyes. "I do feel better with you to comfort me tonight, but I'll give it a shot next evening."

"Yeah, it's one in the morning, and I can't sleep."

The two of them walked back to the bedroom side-by-side and went back into their beds. Every other pony was still asleep, but it still felt like neither one of them could get some rest.

The next morning, the fighters got up to reserve another match.

"Hey there, Devastators. Ready to get your hooves dirty?" Smash Crash answered them with.

"It's what I come here for, isn't it?" said Trailblazer.

"That's the spirit! All right, let's see here... You'll be squaring off against, the Precious Metals! Now, in this battle, I want to see you get some aerial shots in there. A big sticky body is nice, but it's still cool to see some airborne beatdowns. Now, get in there, and get your pegasus going!" The call was terminated.

Go Getter walked up to them. "Looks like you guys and my guys are squaring off."

"You're part of the Precious Metals?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh yeah. Now we'll have to wait for us to get in the ring. Hey, best of luck to both of us."

A minute later, two guards came into the room. One of them escorted the Devastators, and the other got a hold of the Precious Metals. Both of the groups came at each other at either side of the ring.

"Fer our next match, we have, the Devastators, off in a fight to the finish with, The Precious Metals!" announced Smash Crash.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll run!" warned Trailblazer.

"Meet my gang! It's on, baby!" Go Getter said back.

"Let's get ready to... BAAATLLLLLLLLE!"

A gong could be heard, signaling that the fight began.

"You still remember the drill? Let's put on a show in the air," reminded Pinkie Pie.

"Leave it to me!" yelled Rainbow Dash. She got up and flew at the other pegasus, a bronze-colored pony. They both started to fight each other, as Trailblazer ran at Go Getter. He jumped onto him and started to bounce on him. He took a few hits until he managed to slide out of the way, where Trailblazer landed on the floor and nearly lost his footing. Pinkie Pie jumped in and hopped around, acting as a hit-and-run fighter. She tried her best to get as much airtime as possible with each hop. Rainbow Dash fought off the bronze opponent and let him plummet back on the ring, unable to fight any longer, and stayed down. AppleJack pitched in and began to buck the silver one. While she did that, Trailblazer got an idea. He winked at Rainbow Dash, still in the air, and then winked back at him. He lifted Go Getter from the ground, and kept himself held upright. He threw him up at her, who then knocked him straight onto the ring. Then, AppleJack got the hint, and started to juggle the silver one with Trailblazer, by kicking him back and forth. After the fifth kick, he was left to fall on the ring, defeated.

"We have a winner! THUHHHHHHHHHH DEVASTATOOORRRRRRS!"

"And THAT is how it's done!" Rainbow Dash praised her friends with.

"That wasn't even close!" chucked AppleJack.

The combatants returned into the locker room and saw Sapphire waiting for them.

"Here's your fight money, everypony," she said, handing out their share of coins. The Devastators got 11, while the Precious Metals only received 10 apiece. "Now then, I must get going." She left the room.

Go Getter walked up to them. "You guys are tough! TOO tough for the minor league, that's how I feel."

"Are you saying that in a positive way...?" asked Rarity.

"Yeah, I am! You guys are the real deal! Hey, how 'bout I show you the crew here?" He walked up to his silver teammate. "All right, how 'bout you introduce yourself?"

"Hey, I'm Super Shine. That was a pretty brutal beatdown you gave us there. Anyways, if you ever see me around the Mega Ring hallway or lobby, just say hi!"

"All right, I can do that," Trailblazer said, showing a small smile.

"And then there's Bronze Age, our pegasus."

"Hey there, Devastators. I gotta learn from you guys sometime, huh? You live up to your name, that's for sure."

"Anyway, that's all I can show you guys. After what we experienced, I don't need to tell you 'good luck' the next time you go give some poor windbag a beating. Anyways, I'm gonna head out for a little bit." Go Getter left the locker room.

"I think I'll do some... Research around here," said Super Shine with a hint of sneakiness in his voice. He left the locker room too.

"So... Now what?" wondered Rarity.

"Ah suppose we can go out into town," said AppleJack. "These here coins are startin' to burn a hole in my saddle bag."

"Hm, that does sound kind of nice," said Trailblazer. "Though I have a feeling that I'll spend a lot of it on food. You know, I could go for, a large roast beef sandwich, a side of curly fries, a can of Mountain Mist Whitewash, and a piece of AppleJack's hot apple pie."

AppleJack smiled and turned her head off to the side. "Just a slice, Trailblazer? Ah've seen ya eat some of my whole ones!"

"Well, maybe drop the burger and curly fries."

She laughed. "Ya gotta be hungrier than THAT!"

They walked outside and found a mall to spend some time in five minutes away from the Mega Ring.

Later that day, they scheduled another match for themselves.

"Hey, Devastators! Fixin' for a fight, aren't ya? All right, ranked 17th in the Mega Ring, the Earth Runners! Okay, in this battle, I want your earth ponies to fight ONLY. The rest of ya just hang tight until they can't fight no more. Since yer opponents are earth ponies, Ah wanna see some rivalry going on in this fight. Now, go out there and show 'em who's boss!" Smash Crash disappeared from the screen after saying his speech.

A guard came just several seconds after the call ended and escorted them to the ring.

"For our next match, we have, The Devastators, versus, the Earth Runners!"

"Let's do this cowpony style!" AppleJack said.

"We don't need special powers to rock!" the lead opponent said.

"Let's get ready to... BAAATLLLLLLLLE!"

The gong rang and the battle began. It was up to Pinkie Pie, AppleJack, and Trailblazer. The two groups of earth ponies charged at each other to fight. Their three opponents put up more of a fight than the other few ponies that they fought before, but they were still not a threat. Trailblazer landed an uppercut with the pony he was fighting, and it did a number to him. He stumbled backwards, clutching his throat. Trailblazer closed the distance again and landed a stomach punch. His opponent knelt down after taking the blow, and then fell down. Pinkie Pie and AppleJack were neck-and-neck with their two opponents, but Trailblazer decided not to interfere. AppleJack bucked, but her opponent punched her back. She retaliated by knocking him over his head and then kicking him. He didn't get back up after receiving that attack. Pinkie Pie then got up and began to bounce all over her adversary. The trampling got the best of him, and he fell.

"We have a winner! THUHHHHHHHHHH DEVASTATOOORRRRRRS!"

"We're on fire!" yelled Pinkie Pie.

"Hell yeah! How do ya like me NOW?" taunted Trailblazer.

"How do ya like THEM apples?!" AppleJack said with her pun.

They returned to the locker room, where Sapphire waited there to pay them all. After giving them their fight money, she left.

Trailblazer laughed happily. "I think we can take on anything!"

The Big Shots

Trailblazer and the other six ponies kept on winning each match they went in every couple days. Their ranks only rose, and their popularity continued to rise. They still didn't reach the Major League quite yet, as they could only schedule a couple fights a day. In the eyes of the media, they were still unworthy of getting any recognition. The interview/photographer partners wouldn't get a scoop on them.

"You guys are called 'The Devastators', yet you're minor leaguers? HA!"

"Move along, little nobodies. My camera doesn't take photos of Minor Leaguers."

Trailblazer simply blew them off, and walked around the arena. Their next battle would be a shot at the major league anyways. They all got back in their rooms and decided to hang out for the night.

"You guys are the bomb!" said Bronze Age. "I haven't seen ANY group of ponies reach their way to the top that fast before."

"We are JUST that good!" Rainbow Dash said with a swag.

"So, what are you fighting here for anyways?"

"Have you seen the hole in the sky?" asked Twilight. "We need to gather some stones to stop it, and supposedly, one of them is on that trophy here."

Bronze Age gave them a blank look, then let out a nervous chuckle. "Have you been reading too many comic books lately?"

"No, this is pretty serious. That Sario Hole will destroy the world."

"Wait, that's a Sario Hole??" he bolted outside to take a good look, then came back a minute later. "Yeah, I remember about that thing now! My grandfather is an astronomer, and he studies stars and their functions. He told me about Sario Holes and how they resembled actual black holes, and the difference being that they're caused by some Sinister Star or something."

"And the Sacred Stars are what we're looking for in order to stop it."

"Wow, you really are heroines and a hero... You have my blessing for good will in your adventure."

"Thanks, bud," said Trailblazer.

"Well, I suppose we should get our rest for the night," said Rarity.

"Yeah, we should, it's getting late..."

"OFF WITH YOU!" they heard a woman shout outside of their room.

Sapphire took Super Shine back into the minor league locker room. "That room is off-limits to combatants! Understood?"

"Yeah, whatever..." an unenthusiastic Super Shine said.

"You keep it up, and you'll be taken off the roster. And another thing, quit following me around all the time like that! It's... creepy!" Sapphire left the room, leaving Super Shine in with the others. Bronze Age flew up to him.

"Dude, you are a MAGNET for trouble!" he told Shine.

"Eh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring 'Queen Nag' in here," he told him.

"Hey, don't sweat it. Also, what's with you following her around the ring? You have a thing for her or somethin'?"

"Shut it! She just happened to catch me behind her!"

"Well, whatever, man."

"Now, if you would please, I'm going to continue my research." Super Shine walked back outside the room. All the other ponies dispersed themselves around the room doing whatever they do. Trailblazer decided to walk out of the locker room and found Super Shine out in the hall.

"Hey, Trailblazer! How are things?" he asked.

"Ah, you know, just kicking some ass," said Trailblazer.

"Yeah, you definitely are good at that..."

"So, uhh, what exactly are you looking up on in this arena?"

"Oh, you came to hear some of the research I've been doing?"

Trailblazer nodded.

"Now, this is great timing! I just got some juicy info on Smash Crash and Sapphire."

"Just on those two?"

"No, I've been looking up a lot of stuff here. Thing is, this place is crawling with secrets here and there. I can share with you what I've gathered if you're curious."

"Sure, I'd like to know."

"All right! Now, I know stuff about the Champion's room, the storage room, a hidden room in the major league locker room, some strange thing that goes on when the pit's empty, and, like I mentioned, Smash Crash and Sapphire.

"Hm, how about you tell me all of them and work your way down?"

"Sure thing, dude. All right, the Champion's room... I've snuck in there once, and I've heard phantom voices in that room."

"Whoa, you mean, like... A ghost??"

"Yeah, that room is speculated to be haunted. Supposedly, those voices are made up of all the ponies that the Champion has beaten."

"Man, don't tell Fluttershy THAT one. It'll be so unnerving for her, it won't be funny."

"Heh heh, yeah. Now, the storage room... Actually, a friend of mine did some research on this one prior to me looking into it... He said that there's a second floor there, but no stairs..."

Trailblazer had a skeptical look after hearing that. "What's the story behind THAT? Lazy architects?"

"That's the thing... There's no stairs leading up to it. He heard some moaning coming from that upper floor, which sounded like some past fighters. It's been dubbed, 'The Mega Ring Graveyard...'"

Trailblazer was a bit shocked. "Whoa, that's kind of creepy..."

"It startled me when I first heard it too... So, moving on to the major league locker room, there's supposed to be a wall there, but no way to get past it. And beyond that wall, lies more bodies..."

"You're kidding!"

"I don't exactly believe it either, but I guess it's still worth noting..."

"Wouldn't the bodies start to smell after some time?"

"Hmmm, good point. But I guess there is one thing about it: Something GOOD has to be lying beyond that wall."

"I would think so too."

"Now, for the empty ring... There are a few speculations onthis particular topic... When it's empty, there is ALWAYS something weird going on in there. It's strange, though... It's closed to the public when it happens. It could be something from working with the light fixtures, or something else really bizarre."

"If it is that way, then that means somepony doesn't want any other pony to see some dirty secret."

"Oooh, that's good! I should try to sneak in there sometime and see for myself! Imagine how the media would flip if we found out that secret."

"Yeah, that DOES sound cool!"

"I'll let you know when I have a little stealth thing going on, and then we can find it out."

"Cool, cool!"

"Yeah! Now, last but not least, Smash Crash and Sapphire. They are an odd pair. Smash Crash is really fit, even though he's past 60. I'm not sure if it's some secret training he does to keep it toned or whatever, but he won't discuss why either... And then there's Sapphire. You know how unicorns have those horns to do some magic? Well, even though Sapphire's just an earth pony, she just, disappears for some unknown reason. I was actually trying to look into it some more earlier tonight, but she caught me lurking behind her."

"Does anypony know exactly how it happens?"

"One can speculate, but what DOES happen is that when he goes around a corner that acts like a blind spot... Well, somepony can be following behind her, and when they go around that corner to keep following her, she's gone..."

"Whoa..."

"I know, there's no confirmation on how, or WHY, that happens."

"Here's something to consider: maybe it's not exactly her that disappears at her own will, but with the help of some other unicorn."

"Another good point, Trailblazer. Sometime, we'll have to go do this research together. Promise me that we'll still be friends after you get into the major league."

"I'm a pony of my word, brother. And you have it."

"Thanks, man. It'll be fun."

The next day was another day. Things were about to change for them. They walked up to the terminal and got ready for their major league shot.

"Howdy, Devastators!" Smash Crash answered. He laughed eagerly. "This is gonna be good, youngin's. You're going to have a chance at the major league! Ranked 10th, is The ShadowBolts! Now here, in this main event, I want to see your pair of pegasi fight their pair of pegasi. It's a match where things get real, and feathers versus feathers is how you'll have to fight. The rest of ya can't go on the ring for this, y'hear? Now, get in there and make me proud!" He disappeared from the screen.

"Just our pegasi?" asked Pinkie Pie. "That means that it's all up to Rainbow Dash and..."

"Fluttershy..." said Trailblazer, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, what if I mess this up? Will we get another chance? I don't want all this pressure!" She cowered against a wall.

"C'mon, Flutters!" said Rainbow Dash. "You don't need to worry, I have your back!" She got Fluttershy back on her feet, ready to enter the ring. "Leave it to me."

"That sounds really dangerous..."

Rainbow Dash walked up to Trailblazer. "You're okay with the standards Smash Crash put up... Right...?"

"I don't need to worry about you, Dashie." He smirked at her, then scowled at Fluttershy. "It's HER that I don't trust."

"Can't you just give her a chance, darling?" asked Rarity.

"Honestly, I'd rather have Twilight do that type transfer spell so I can be that second pegasus in the ring."

"I'm. Going. To. Get. On, that, stage," an angry Fluttershy reassured him with.

"Whatever..."

Security came in to take Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy on stage. The other five got in the stadium to watch the fight. Smash Crash was already on to start the show.

"And now, our main event! A clash of the minor league versus the major league! First off, let's get our challengers in here! Please welcome, The Devastators!"

At the cue, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew onto the ring. Smash Crash walked up to them. "So, how are ya feelin' 'bout this here shot at the major league?"

"I'm ready to get it on!" yelled Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, I think..." Fluttershy responded with.

"These two are rarin' to go! Now, for the major leaguers! The Wings of Night, the ShadowBolts!"

Two dark-toned pegasi flew onto the stage, bearing mean expressions on their faces.

"Only one thing's for sure in this battle: a group of fighters is staying in their soot, or they're going to change places!"

"All right, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash whispered into her ear. "Just think about it. We pull this off and we'll be one step closer to getting that Sacred Star!"

Fluttershy was breating anxiously. "Okay... Yeah, I can do this..." But she was shivering.

"Look at that yellow pony shaking like a plate of jello!" the red hued ShadowBolt said to the green hued one.

"How about you take on that rainbow one, and once I knock the yellow one out, we gang up on the rainbow one?" the green one suggested.

"Heh heh heh... This is going to be too easy, brother."

"Let the battle... BEGIIIIIIN!"

The gong rang, and the two teams were off. The ShadowBolts lunged at them, but Rainbow Dash was the only one that started to fly at the opponents. Fluttershy was spooked, but before she could react and do the same, the green ShadowBolt closed the distance and started to pound her onto the ring. As Rainbow Dash was fighting off the red one quite well, Fluttershy was just a punching bag.

"AAUUUUGH!" yelled Trailblazer at the sight of her getting beaten easily. "Attack back and defend yourself! Don't you know how to do that?!"

She didn't respond, but then, she got thrown into the air by the ShadowBolt, who was getting ready to pound her back onto the ring from the air. As he got above her to drill her, she got out of the way and gave him a weak kick when he lost his timing. He then turned around and retaliated some more, leaving her defenseless.

"...And she is part of our Devastators squad... I really don't see why I even bothered letting her sign that contract." Trailblazer continued to speak negative comments on her combat capabilities and shouted jeers at her as well.
"What the hell is your problem?!"
"Get with the program!"
"Hey, here's something you should try: ACTUALLY FIGHING BACK!"

"Go ahead, hit me! I'll stand still," said the green ShadowBolt, smug.

But he found himself tackled from behind, with Rainbow Dash kicking him to the ground.

"Get her off!" he yelled. He looked to where he saw his red counterpart, but he was knocked out. It was two against one, and Rainbow Dash was going to finish the job. She grabbed him and took him up into the air, keeping him held tightly beneath her. He squirmed to break free, but she kept a firm grip. Then, she drilled him onto the ring, leaving him out cold.

"And, there you have it, folks!" Smash Crash shouted. "The Devastators pulled off a victory against the ShadowBolts! Congratulations, Devastators! You are now in the Major League!"

Loud cheers rang out in the arena, for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

After the fight, all seven of them got back in their minor league locker room to greet the two as they came in. They came back inside, led by Sapphire.

"Here's your cut, Devastators," she said, giving them 15 coins each. "Now then, follow me. Smash Crash would like to have a word with you."

All seven of them followed her outside into the hallway, and into Crash's office. When she came inside, Smash Crash jumped and then hastily put away a piece of paper he was looking over into a desk drawer.

"S-Sapphire!" he said, a bit shaken.

"I've brought the Devastators here for you, sir," she said.

"Mind your manners, Sapphire. We KNOCK around these parts!"

"I'm terribly sorry, sir..."

"Aw, don't worry now, Ah'll let it slide. Now then... Devastators, yer a dang SIGHT! Ah said that you'd all go big, and dang, Ah LOVE it when Ah'm right! As a little thank ya gift for makin' me proud, here's a little pocket change for y'all." Smash Crash handed each of them 40 coins.

"Whoa, we can just... TAKE 'em?" AppleJack was surprised.

"Yeah, of course!"

"Now, THIS here is what Ah'm talkin' 'bout!"

"So, now that Ah got that taken care of... Sapphire, be a dear and take these ponies to the major league locker room, wouldya?"

"I will, sir. Follow me again, Devastators."

All of them were escorted to the major league locker room, which was closer to Smash Crash's office than the minor league locker room. There, they found themselves in a much cleaner brighter room with no vandalism and wear and tear on any of the furniture or lockers. "Here in the major league, the bouts will be harder, and you can only fight with the minimum amount of opponents on the opposite side. For instance, if one team has five and the other has three, only three of the five ponies on the bigger team can enter the ring and fight. I trust that you understand, right?"

"Yeah, we're good," said Pinkie.

"Very well. Now then, I must be off." She walked out of the room. The other ponies in the room looked tough and unfriendly.

"Ya know, it probably wouldn't hurt to show some kindness 'round these parts..." AppleJack commented.

Just then, a big chubby pony barged into the room. It was the champion they saw earlier, Grub Gut.

"All right, you wimps, listen up! I've been hearing about some group of idiots tearing up the place." He turned around and saw the seven new major leaguers. "It you guys! Yeah, you're the ones stealing the spotlight from me!"

"How did you get in here? Aren't there any regualtions in this place?" wondered Rarity.

"Show up fighting me, and you'll be in a world of hurt! That's not a threat, it's a promise!" He walked out of the room.

"Oh dear, looks like we angered him just by being here..." Rarity said.

"Hey, we can't help it if we're THAT good!" taunted Trailblazer. "We need that Sacred Star." He walked up to the terminal and got ready to prepare another match. He saw a blinking envelope in the top right-hand corner of the screen. "Huh, what's this?"

The other six crowded up to the terminal and saw it. Trailblazer tapped the envelope, and an animation played where it expanded into a piece of paper, taking up the entire screen.

"If you want the Sacred Star, heed my instructions.

-from R"

"R? Who's R?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know, but it looks like he or she knows about it, and it must be in this place too..." answered Twilight. "Wait, is that all it said?"

"Yeah... I guess we can't do anything about it now, except to wait."

They scheduled their next match and got prepared to fight sone more, wondering what was left to come from this 'R'.

Secrets of The Mega Ring

"Okay, now stand still, how about, we have your pegasi hover above the group, yes, just like so, and, let's have Trailblazer stand in the center as the mares fan out behind him... Okay, now, Trailblazer, rotate your body just a little bit to your right... No, your other right. There. Now, can all of you try to look tough? All right, there we go! Hold those poses, and..."

The cameraman took a picture of the Devastators, who were getting a poster of themselves ready for advertisement. Around the city, and especially around and in the Mega Ring, posters of major league teams and the Grub Gut champion were scattered around those areas. Now, they were getting theirselves advertised.

"All right, looking good! I'll just make a few finishing touches here, and you should see yourselves all around the lobby!"

"Hey, how cool is this?" asked Trailblazer. "We're making a name for ourselves here!"

"So, while you're getting your posters ready, how about we hit you all up for interviews?" the interviewer pony paired with his photographer asked.

"Oh, I'd like one for sure!" Trailblazer said, eager.

"Great! Let's not waste too much time. We're going to air this sometime on our TV network, so you can see yourselves on the big screen sometime."

"Man, I love this place..." Trailblazer answered once more.

"Let's start with you, ma'am. The orange one."

"Ah'm in, partner."

The interviewer and his camerapony took her into another room. And he got ready to ask her some questions.

"From the special Mega Ring TV venue, we're hosting an interview with each of the members of the Devastators team! Okay then, I'd like to ask you something." He turned and got his microphone up to her. "How do you plan on using your fight money?"

"Ah could fix a buncha things 'round my farm, such as renovations, gettin' a new and improved plow for my big brutha, and fixin' my grandma's hip," answered AppleJack.

"Thank you." He came up with another question. "How do you train for fights?"

"Ah've been workin' on my farm, workin' my legs, buckin' apples, and doin' all kinds of labor. That's what made me strong!"

"Thank you for the interview." The filming stopped, and Trailblazer was brought into the room. The interviewer said the same thing when starting AppleJack's interview, then got to the questions.

"How confident are you in claiming the title of the Mega Ring Champion?"

"I guarantee it! Any other pony that sees me in the ring will be reminded!"

"I see..." "He thought for a moment. "Do you have a marefriend?"

"Awwww, my little sweet apple, AppleJack... If she and I were any closer, we'd tie the knot."

"Thank you for the interview. We're looking forward to your next appearance on Mega Ring TV."

Rainbow Dash was called next.

"You're quite a fast pegasus!"

"Well, I'm not named 'Rainbow Dash' for nothing!"

"How are the fights?"

"Easy!"

"I see..."

Rarity came next.

"Do you ever worry about your mane getting messed up in the bouts?"

"But of course! But if somepony does that, I'll show them why they SHOULDN'T have messed with it!"

"I see... Your dreams of the future?"

"I'd love to be a model, showing off my looks as well as my very own outfits!"

"Thank you for your time."

Fluttershy's turn.

"You took quite a beating from that one ShadowBolt. What do you have to say on your behalf?"

"I forgive him. But I know I can do better than that..."

"What's one of your hobbies?"

"I take care of woodland creatures. It's like my job."

"Okay then, thanks for the interview."

Pinkie Pie.

"Where do you get all of your energy?"

"Feel good, party hard, and eat LOTS of sugar!"

"There doesn't seem to be ANYPONY in the ring that can top your dodging abilities!"

"Weird... I'm not giving my dodges the whole 100%..."

And last, Twilight Sparkle.

"On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your magic spells compared to the other unicorn fighters here?"

"I've learned my magic from the best! It's a 10 for sure!"

"What's life like outside of the ring?"

"Quite lonely, actually. I'm still looking for a coltfriend, so, I'm open."

"Thank you all for your interviews. And that's all for adrenaline-driven Mega Ring TV! Good-bye, everypony, and keep on fighting!"

The interviews ended, and the seven Devastators walked back into their locker. Another message was sent to them while they were gone. AppleJack walked up to it and opened the virtual envelope.

"Smash the hollow wall in the major league locker room.

-from R"

"There's a hollow wall in this room, huh?" wondered Pinkie Pie. "Well, let's go look for it."

"Whoa whoa, hold up now." Trailblazer said. "I'll be right back."

The other six looked at him, confused as to why they were told to wait. Trailblazer left the room and went to the minor league door, seeing a security guard in front of it.

"Excuse me. Is Super Shine in here?"

"Super Shine? I haven't seen him in a while, sorry."

"Well, do you know where he went?"

"I can't say that I have..."

"Nawwww..."

"I'll let you know when he comes back in the room, okay?"

"Okay, thanks..." He walked back into the major league room and got back with his friends. "I was going to tell Super Shine that this was part of the search for some secrets around this ring, but he's not around."

"What... Secrets?" said Twilight.

"Oh, there's some rumors about this place being haunted, so Super Shine and I were going to look into it and find out ourselves."

"H-Haunted?" Fluttershy shuddered.

"Yeah, haunted. But at the same time, it could be some hoaxes."

"Did he say anything about what we're looking into right now?" said Pinkie. "This wall?"

"Uh-huh."

"So, we get to take care of some unsolved mysteries! This is going to be fun!" Pinkie Pie started to knock on all of the walls in the room. "Let's get going!"

"Uh, this sounds like asking for trouble..." Fluttershy kept her distance from the walls, while the other six walked along the bare ones and knocking on them. This went on for five minutes, all without luck.

But Rainbow Dash seemed to find it. "Hey, come over here! This wall sounds different from the others!"

They all converged on the wall, knocking on it themselves. "Yeah, this here wall's different from the others," AppleJack confirmed.

"I concour," Rarity said.

Trailblazer rammed the wall, but nothing happened. He tried again harder, but nothing happened again. He got up to it once more and kicked it. The wall remained unbroken.

"I think this is going to have to be a group effort," he suggested.

"Here, let's try this first..." said Rarity. "Twilight, shall we?"

They both started to combine their magic powers and charged their railbeam attack. The wall was blasted away, revealing a dark room on the other side.

"What do you think's in there?" Asked Twilight.

"I dunno, but one way to find out." Trailblazer walked into the room, disappearing into it.

"Do you see anything in there?" Rainbow Dash called.

"No, it's... It's too dark. Could either Twilight or Rarity come here and brighten this place up?"

"Here, I'll help you." Twilight walked into the room and brought light to it with her unicorn magic. On the floor was a thin three-ring binder, with a picture of a star on it acting as a cover. The rest of them walked inside and took a look. Twilight opened the binder to see what was inside. There were reports on the Sacred Stars and their powers, claiming that they're the only things capable of stopping the Sinister Star.

"This is news on the Sacred Stars!" said Twilight. "Somepony must've been doing research on them in private!"

They looked at it some more, but the rest of the info in the binder was made up of trivia.

"Still, it seems really strange that that certain somepony kept it LYING around... I mean, there's a desk there, and some shelves. Why wasn't it arranged over there?"

"Well, it kind of tells us that the Sacred Star is here, at least."

Trailblazer picked it up and carried it with him. They walked out of the sealed room and saw Sapphire standing in front of the locker enterance.

"Devastators, what did you just do?? It's highly inappropriate to be bashing down our walls, hm?" She walked over to Trailblazer and snatched the Sacred Star binder from him.

"Hey, what gives?" he asked.

"I'll be confiscating this, thank you very much." Sapphire walked out of the room with the binder.

"Well, way to rain on a parade, lady," Rainbow Dash said, annoyed.

"Ah don't like what she did either," AppleJack said in agreement. "This is important!"

"Geh... I think I take my anger out on these next ponies that we're set to fight," Trailblazer said. He got up to the terminal and scheduled their next match.

After their victory and pay, another message showed up on the screen.

"Go to the back end of the Mega Ring souvenir shop outside of the ring.

-from R"

"Well, she could've told us what to look for back there..." said Rarity. "So be it."

"Souvenir shop, souvenir shop..." Pinkie Pie muttered. "Is there even a souvenir shop around here?"

They looked amongst each other cluelessly, making the answer a "no".

"Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea of not knowing what we're going there for. It could be a trap, and we have a Sacred Star to claim." Once Trailblazer finished saying that, he requested to reserve a match.

"Match reservations for The Devastators are currently suspended." read the on-screen text.

"What??" Trailblazer was in disbelief. "But why? This never showed up before!"

"Do you think R is behind this?" thought Fluttershy.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure on if he or she is, but it's pretty likely." He looked down at the floor. "I don't like it, but... Let's find that souvenir shop."

The seven ponies walked out of the arena and back outside. To their right was a small building. They walked up to it and saw that it was the shop R was talking about.

"This must be it," said AppleJack. "On the back side, right?"

"Yeah." Twilight walked up to the side and stopped at the corner. She braced herself for what could be around it, and took a quick peek around it. There was no pony around it. "There's no one here..."

"Really?" Pinkie trotted up to it and saw for herself. No one was behind the building except for them. "You're right, Twilight!"

"Well, then what are we supposed to do here?" asked Trailblazer.

Rainbow Dash flew above them and looked around the area. Then, she noticed something shining on the ground.

"Look at this!" She got towards the shine and examined it more closely. On the ground was a key with a tag on it, labeled, "For The Devastators".

"This key must've been here recently..." thought Twilight. "Somepony must've left it here for us a little bit ago."

"I'm thinking that this R is responsible for it," said Rarity.

"I was just about to say the same thing."

They took the key back to their locker room. Trailblazer checked the terminal for any updates. There was now a new message for them.

"Find the switch in the storage room.

-from R"

"Oh, the storage room!" Trailblazer got a bit excited. He ran up to the minor league locker room again and spoke with the guard. "Did Super Shine make it back yet?"

"Sorry, he hasn't been here all day," the guard said. "Come to think of it, none of the Precious Metals have been around lately."

"How long is 'lately'?"

"About, a couple days, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah, like they just, disappeared."

"Oh, this is bad..."

"I'll talk to the other guards and see if they know of their whereabouts, okay?"

"Okay... Thanks..." Trailblazer grew uneasy at the thought of them falling prey to the mysteries that Super Shine wanted to reveal. He walked back to the major league locker room and met back with his friends. "Let's go find that storage room. Chances are, it'll be interesting to see what's there."

They all walked back in the hallway, headed towards the opposite side of the ring. On the way there, they saw Sapphire discussing something to another security guard in front of a locked metal door.

"So, you double-checked the place, and didn't find anyone?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I swore that I heard something from inside, but the place was intact."

"Well, okay then. But do not discuss this incident with any of the other employees, or I'll have your job."

The security guard walked away from all of them. Sapphire turned around, and did a double-take, noticing the Devastators watching them.

"Trailblazer! What are you and your teammates doing here?! Clearly, you should keep out of matters that is none of your business!" Sapphire stormed away after saying that.

"Jeez, lady... Chill," Rainbow Dash muttered.

Trailblazer took the key and inserted it into the knob. The key fit, and they got inside. There were a few metal crates along with some cardboard boxes kept in the corners.

"Sure looks like a storage room..." thought Trailblazer. "But what are we supposed to do here?"

"I think we ought to see if R said anything," suggested Twilight Sparkle. "He might hold an answer."

They all walked back out of the room and into their locker room. Upon checking the terminal, a new message was sent to them.

"Find the floor switch under the boxes.

-from R"

Without saying anything, they all walked back into the storage room and started looking under all of the crates and boxes. Trailblazer and AppleJack did a lot of pushing while Twilight and Rarity lifted them from off the floor using their magic. Rarity lifted a crate and saw a small blue button underneath it.

"Dears, I do believe I found that switch."

She stepped on it. At first, nothing happened, but then, a spiral staircase started to slowly descend from the ceiling. It made a gentle stop on the floor.

"So this must be that second floor Super Shine talked about that one time..." mumbled Trailblazer. He climbed up the spiral staircase, with the other six following him. On the second floor were more wooden crates stacked on each other up against the walls. To their left was a locked door. To their right, they heard a discussion going on between two ponies. They gathered around a vent with a couple slits on it, allowing them to see what was going on as well as hear it. The room below them was Smash Crash's office. There, they saw Smash Crash and Sapphire talking to each other.

"...So ya didn't find any hide or hair of somepony foolin' around in there?" asked Smash Crash.

"No, sir..." Sapphire said. "There was nothing in there out of the ordinary."

"Eh, it's okay. Nuthin' we really need anymore in there anyways... Say, by the way, do ya know what happened to those Precious Metal fellers?"

"I think not, sir. I suspect that they left or retired without letting us know about it, but as far as I'm concerned, they've disappeared. Because of this, I've deleted their spaces off of our rosters. I've also done the same with all of the other few teams that went missing too."

"Well, damn... Seems like able-bodied fighters are now a dyin' breed... And these disappearances... Ah've been hearing some security dummy saying that the Mega Ring's cursed!"

"I highly doubt such a possibility, sir. But they are indeed strange." Sapphire began to walk away and headed towards the door.

"Say, another thing, Sapphire... Yer a fine manager and all, but ya just plump disappear at times. Where do ya go anyways?"

"Uh... Mr. Crash, I know that you are my boss, but I don't think that it's anything you need to know about."

"Awww, didn't mean to scare ya. Ah know that yer not a troublemaker anyhow, so don't worry about it."

"All right, sir."

"Now, lemme ask ya this: Ever heard of a Sacred Star?"

Sapphire's expression nearly turned into one of shock. "N-No, sir. I can't say that I have."

"Well, allright then. Yer excused."

Sapphire walked out of the room without saying anything.

"PSST! Did ya catch that?" AppleJack whispered. "Y'all saw how Smash Crash brought up that Sacred Star business out of nowhere! But it sounded like Sapphire really did know about it!"

"I'm getting the feeling that Smash Crash, Sapphire, the missing fighters, and the Sacred Star are connected..." Rarity proposed her thoughts for the others to hear. "But... How?"

"I think we'll have to let R let us know how..." said Twilight. "Let's get out of here before somepony catches us here."

They left the room and went back down the stairs. They left the storage room and went back into their locker room. Upon checking the terminal again, there was yet another message for them to read.

"Keep sticking your nose in there it doesn't belong, and you are D-E-A-D M-E-A-T."

"Whoa, that doesn't sound like our R buddy!" said Trailblazer. "And... Of course there's no return address..."

"We may have to be careful now..." said Rarity. "Keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious."

They all spoke in agreement, getting ready for their next fight. Now two unknown messengers were trying to direct them. R, leading them to the Sacred Star, and the other, warning them. It sounded like an empty threat, but the disappearances of some fighters suggested otherwise.

The Showdown

"We have a winner! THUHHHHHHHHHH DEVASTATOOORRRRRRS!"

Rounds of applause and cheers rang out in the arena as Twilight Sparkle and Rarity pulled off a victory against two other unicorns.

"Pfft, please..." Twilight said, smug.

"What did they expect?" Rarity smirked as well.

They were taken back to the locker, where Sapphire paid all seven of them their fight money, then left. Their rank was now at two. There was one more fight to win to get a chance at the title.

"Well, lookee here..." said Trailblazer as he was in the middle of checking their ranks. "Another letter came for us... Might be R again..." He opened it and read it out loud. "Find the key behind the souvenir shop.

-from R"

"We have another key to find. Again, behind the souvenir shop."

They easily made their way to the same shop and found another key lying on the ground with a tag on it. Just like before, it read, "For The Devastators". They picked it up and headed back to their locker room. Another letter was waiting to be opened.

"Just like clockwork... Ahem... Unlock the door on the second floor of the storage room.

-from R."

"Allrighty then, R," said AppleJack. "Might be somethin' REEEEEAAL interestin' back there..."

They headed back to the storage room. Once they got back up with that spiral staircase, they saw the door to their left. It was locked with a big padlock.

"This must be it," said Pinkie. She unlocked the padlock and opened it. As they walked inside, more wooden crates were lined along the walls. There was a big crate in the back corner, along with a few smaller square crates stacked on each other.

"There's nothing in here..." said Twilight. "Nothing but more crates."

"Not quite, dear..." Rarity sniffed the air. "Does something smell in here? I'm picking up some sort of stench."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash started to smell, and caught it. "Oh yeah, I caught it too."

Trailblazer walked towards the big crate, and started catching whiffs. "Ech... It looks like it's coming from behind these crates."

"All right, stand back. Let Rarity and I handle it," Twilight instructed.

As the other five got behind the two unicorns, they charged their railbeam attack, and struck the crate. It blew into pieces, which scattered around the room. Twilight shrieked and Rarity gasped simultaneously.

"What?? What's gotten y'all so riled up?!" AppleJack raised her voice.

"Look!" Twilight looked frightened as she beckoned the others. They all looked at what was behind the crates, and they too, were shocked and yelped. Several shriveled up ponies were lying in a pile. Most of them lost their muscle mass, and looked dyslexic from it too. Nearly all of their ribcages could be seen. Literally, skin and bones. All of them were alive, but in an incredibly weak state, unable to move around to get comfortable.

"Oh my God, what happened?!" asked Trailblazer.

"Trail... blazer...?" a familiar voice groaned.

He gasped. "Super Shine?" He took another look and saw his head sticking out of the pony pile. "Oh God, Super Shine! What the hell happened??"

"Trailblazer... Don't... Go in the... Ring, when... It's empty..." He moaned.

"Why? Why?? Stay with me!"

"Oohhhhhhhhhhh..." Super Shine lacked the strength to continue talking. Trailblazer noticed the other two Precious Metals in the pile, Go Getter and Bronge Age. They remained silent.

"Oh my God... Have you seen anything LIKE this??" Rainbow Dash asked, knowing the answer.

"Who could've done this??" Fluttershy said, shivering heavily. "How could he have done this?? This... It's unthinkable!"

"It's sort of beyond belief. Who's gonna believe that there are a bunch of shriveled bodies in this here storage room??" AppleJack thought.

"Were they, like... DRAINED? Look at them!" Pinkie Pie said. "They're nothing but bones!"

"I don't think we can do anything for them..." said Rarity. "Don't you worry, you poor things... We'll find out who's responsible for this!"

A few of them turned their heads to face them, but could only go by just a little bit. They moaned just by trying to turn them.

"We'd better get going. Maybe we'll find more clues as we advance," said Trailblazer.

"Yeah, I'm with you on that," said Twilight.

They all turned around to see Sapphire peeking at them from the partially opened door. As soon as she saw that they all noticed her, she backed off quickly and closed the door.

"Hey, that was Sapphire!" Trailblazer sprinted to the door and opened it back up, but she was gone. "What the hell, she's gone!"

The other six ran out of the room and saw that she was gone. They spread out to all of the corners of the storage room, on the second and first floor. She was nowhere to be seen.

"But... She was JUST here!" AppleJack looked around thoroughly along with the rest of them. Around each corner, behind some crates, she couldn't be found. "How? How did she do that??"

"What's going on in this place?" Rainbow Dash said as she gave an aerial view of the room. "This is crazy!"

"Hang on, we shouldn't discuss it here," reasoned Twilight. "Let's go back to our room."

Upon getting back into their room, they talked it over some more.

"Super Shine said that he wanted to discover some secrets in this stadium..." Trailblazer was filling them all in on what Super Shine told him one night. "We've found the truth behind three of them: the hidden room in this locker room, the second floor of the storage room, and what made all those moans on that second floor."

"Did he have anything else to share with you?" questioned Twilight, a bit worried.

"Yeah... He said that there was some controversy behind the ring when it's empty, and about Smash Crash and Sapphire."

"Well, don't leave us in suspense! What about it?"

"He said that there's something REALLY odd that happens when it's empty, almost as if it HAS to be kept secret from the public. And he's told me that Smash Crash has been fit almost all his life, despite being over 60 years old, and that Sapphire's been disappearing every so often too."

They looked at each other silently. In their minds, they tried putting the pieces together, but still, something wasn't adding up.

"I think..." Twilight said. "I think that the Sacred Star is the final piece to this puzzle, and the key to solving these mysteries..."

"It has to be," said Trailblazer. "We'd better get that star before anything else happens to any other fighter here." He scheduled the next match, a 1-against-1 versus the highest-ranked major leaguer, Dark Wizard. Twilight was called to fight, and she entered the ring to do just that.

After her victory against him, they all got paid again by Sapphire. She left without saying anything else.

"Take a gander at this..." AppleJack checked the rankings of all the fighters. They were ranked One. The next battle was the title match against Grub Gut.

"If we get that trophy..." Fluttershy said. "Then the Sacred Star is ours."

"Yeah, it will be."

The white envelope showed up on the corner of the screen again.

"Could that be R?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Could be..." AppleJack opened the letter and read it.

"This is your final warning! Quit searching for the Sacred Star! If you keep it up, you'll wish you'd never show your face in the ring!"

"Oh, great. It's our angry pen pal again..." said Rainbow Dash. "Still, he knows about the Sacred Star. What could THAT mean?"

"Hold on now..." Twilight started to think some more. "You know that champion here? Grub Gut? He barged in here one time and told us not to fight him in the ring, didn't he?"

Rarity thought for a moment. "Yeah, he DID!" She gasped. "You don't think... HE'S the one behind those threatening letters, is he?"

"He just might be..." said AppleJack. "Hey, he has the Sacred Star on the trophy too! I think... That coward want us to become the champion!"

"That all makes sense!" yelled Trailblazer. "...But..."

"But what, sugarcube?"

"What about those weakened fighters tossed aside in the storage room? How are we supposed to know if he's the one behind that?"

"Hmmm, good point..."

"Well, if that's the case, we'll have to fight the truth out of him."

"Tommorow, the title match for champion can be scheduled to fight Grub Gut," said Pinkie.

"Yes... Well, I'm going to get a good night's sleep. It's almost 10 at night."

"Yeah, me too."

With that, they all got into the bedroom and started to sleep. It was going to be a big day tommorow.

In the afternoon, Trailblazer began to schedule the next match. As usual, Smash Crash answered the request.

"Well, howdy, Devastators!" he greeted. Then, he laughed excitedly. "This is it for you guys! Yer next match is the Title match! That means, you'll be going up against... The champion, Grub Gut! Now here, he's his own team, so only one of ya's gonna go up to fight him. Ah don't have any special rules for ya this time, just go and fight for the trophy!" He faded away from the screen.

"Just leave it to me," said Trailbazer. "I can get the job done."

"No need to worry with you, sugarcube!" cheered AppleJack. "Make me proud!"

"Get to it!" yelled Dash.

"We'll cheer for you on the sidelines, Trailblazer. Make him beg for mercy!" Twilight let out her battle cry with a hint of evil in her voice.

They left the locker room to get in the stadium as spectators. A little bit later, a guard came into the room to escort Trailblazer.

"Match time. Come with me," he said.

Trailblazer followed the security guard, but he started to go in the opposite direction.

"Hey, wait a minute here," he said. "The ring is the other way."

"Oh, this? You just go this way because it's a special match."

The guard led him to the opposite side of the ring, but didn't take him into the other enterance. Instead, he took him to the opposite minor league locker room, and took him in there.

"You just wait here."

Trailblazer was confused. No guard has ever taken them to a room prior to going in the ring.

Back in the stadium, the stage was set for the championship battle. The other six had their seats near the ring, waiting for the fighters to show up.

"And now, today's main event!" Smash Crash announced. "The fight to decide who will become the Mega Ring Champion is about to begin! First to enter the ring, the Hulk of Bulk, GRUUB GUUUUHHHHHHT!"

At that signal, Grub Gut walked in from one of the stadium's double doors. A lot of cheers were heard throughout the stadium as he walked onto the ring. Smash Crash walked up to him for a quick interview.

"So, what do ya have to say 'bout your challenger?" he asked.

Grub Gut blew a loud razzberry. "He's gonna be in a world of hurt. I'll crush his puny body!"

"But Champion! These guys have climbed the ranks faster than you've ever have. They even broke records on how fast they could finish a fight, and how fast they've climbed those ranks too! What do you have to say 'bout THAT?"

"Hey, shut it! There's only one champion, and that's ME! I'll show him who's boss!"

"Big talk coming from our champion, fillies and gentlecolts!" He turned around to face the opposite side of the ring. "And now, our challenger! Representing, the Merciless Soldiers, please welcome, our Devastator!"

The crowd cheered some more, but the doors on Trailblazer's end didn't open.

"Hold the phone, folks. What in the hell is goin' on here?"

"I'll tell you what's going on! He fears getting squashed like a bug!" Grub Gut laughed obnoxiously.

"Ah'll tell ya this, folks. If he doesn't show up, he'll end up a-forfeiting the match!"

The six were wondering what exactly was going on. They were as confused as any other pony.

"What's this all about?" asked Rarity. "Why isn't he here?"

"This is strange..." thought Twilight. "...But we can't give up that Sacred Star! I'm going to see what the deal is here. Save my spot, please." She got out of the ring and into the hallway, looking for him.

Back in the minor league locker room, Trailblazer was growing impatient.

Okay, that guy is SO late! he thought. Screw his rules, I'm getting on that ring!

He walked back up to the door, but it wouldn't open. He tried harder, but he found out that it was locked from outside.

"Hey," he said out loud. "I'm trapped in here!" He pounded on the door, shouting. "Hey, help me! I need to get out of here!" The pounding turned into loud slamming. "HELP! I can't miss the title match!"

Twilight Sparkle walked through the hallway that was outside the stadium, wondering where he was. He wasn't back in the locker room they've all stayed at. She kept on walking around to look for him, and went to the opposite side of the ring, where Grub Gut entered. She heard the loud thrashing against one of the doors, but it had no security guard in front of it.

"Hey! Get, me, out of here!" Twilight heard.

"Trailblazer?" she wondered.

"Twilight! Is that you!?"

"Yeah, it is. What are you doing in there!?"

"I'm wondering the same thing! That damn security guard locked me in here!"

"What?? Why?

"This is no time for a game of 20 Questions! The Sacred Star is at stake!"

"All right, no argument there." She turned the deadbolt to unlock the door, and heard it unbolt. Trailblazer popped out of the room.

"Thanks. Now I gotta hurry! I'll see you after the match!" Trailblazer yelled back as he ran to his predetermined stadium enterance. After seeing him run away, Twilight ran back to the lobby and made her way through a bunch of fans to get back in her seat with her friends.

Just then, the doors on the opposite side opened, and Trailblazer walked into the stadium.

"Look at that, fillies and gentlecolts! Stridin' into the ring late like he owns the place! Let's give it up for, Trailblazer, representing the Merciless Soldiers, THUHHHHHHHHHH DEVASTATOOORRRRRRS!"

The crowd roared as Trailblazer slowly made his way on the stage, savoring the moment, waving at the crowd as he passed them. He walked on the stage, ready to face off against Grub Gut.

"Listen to that there crowd hootin' and hollerin' for our Devastator! This is goin' to be one HELL of a fight! All right! Without further ado, let the battle... BEGIIIIN!!"

The gong was struck, and they were called to fight.

"All right, tough guy!" shouted Trailblazer. "You think you're so smug as champ, but enjoy it while you still can!"

"Heh heh heh... You should've stayed locked up all safe and sound!" said Grub Gut.

"What...? What's that supposed to mean?? Don't tell me that it was you that got that guard to lock me in that room!"

"Ding, right! I warned you not to go in the ring, and now, you're gonna face the consequences!"

"So it was YOU that sent those threatening letters about the Sacred Star!"

Grub Gut looked clueless. "Wait, what? What, letters...? And what's a Sacred Star?"

"Huh?"

"Wait, no, I don't care! I'm gonna crush you!"

"It's ON!"

Trailblazer and Grub Gut charged at each other. Trailblazer jumped just before making contact and started to bounce on him. He tried getting out from underneath him, but Trailblazer kept on pounding him from his big size. When he landed, Grub Gut took a swing at him, but the brown earth pony swiftly ducked, and then tripped the fat red one. The distance reopened as Trailblazer ran back to his corner, waiting for Grub Gut to pick himself up. He tried chasing him, but Trailblazer was much faster than him. In the time it took Grub Gut to complete one lap around the stage, Trailblazer would've completed three of them. He then started to tease the champ by standing in place, letting him catch up. Once they got back to each other, Grub Gut started to make more swings at him. Each punch was dodged as Trailblazer continued to tease him with some quick comments at each punch.

"Nice aim!" "Dummy!" "Slowpoke!" "Ace reflexes!" "Denied!" "Wah-haa!" "Too slow!" "Punk!" "Ohwhat'sup?" "WHUNunununun..."

When Grub Gut finally had enough, he tried landing a hammer swing at him with both forelegs, but once he punched the ground, Trailblazer was already behind him, and gave him a hard kick with his forelegs.

"Nice hustle, Tons-O'-Fun! Next time, eat a salad!" he taunted. Rainbow Dash snickered at that comment.

Grub Gut was becoming increasing frustrated and angry at the fact that not a single hit struck his opponent yet. He charged again, but he got out of the way at the last second.

"Over here!" Trailblazer teased yet again. He was off to Grub Gut's right, and saw that he charged again. Trailblazer dodged again. "I am owning you, you fatty fat, McFat- Fatty, FAT fat!"

Grub Gut growled deeply, and then chased him again. This time, he finally got a hold of Trailblazer, grabbed him by his chest, and threw him into the ground. He readied himself for a body slam, but Trailblazer rolled out of the way just as he landed. As he was down, he took the opportunity and kicked him at his side again. When he was getting himself picked up, he jumped back on Grub Gut and started punching him. He jumped back off to get more distance again. He noticed that Grub Gut was panting.

"What's the matter, Thunder Thighs?"

He let out a weakened war cry, and charged at Trailblazer again. He jumped on top of him again, giving him a kick with each bounce. Grub Gut swayed from side to side, dizzy, trying to get focused. Trailblazer simply walked up to his side, pushed him, and he fell over, landing with a loud thud. His mouth hung open, and he didn't get back up.

"I think you've come down with a case of Being-Too-Fat-itis!" teased Trailblazer one last time.

"And this here battle is OVER!" yelled Smash Crash. "This was, without a doubt, one of the greatest bouts in the history of the Mega Ring! The challenger has won the battle! Congradulations, Devastators! You are now, the Mega Ring Champions!"

Confetti rained down on him, and the stadium roared with applause and cheers. Trailblazer stood on his hind legs and started beating his chest.

"YEAAAAUHAAAAAAGH!" he screamed as he was standing. After that, he stopped beating his chest and stood back on all fours. He took his right foreleg and pointed towards the ceiling and started to headbang, which lasted for several seconds.

After the fight, everypony headed back to their rooms. Sapphire showed up to them once more.

"That was quite a beating you dished out, Trailblazer," she said.

"Did I look worried?! Was there EVER a doubt?!" he asked rhetorically. "It was with my pleasure!"

"Anyways, two things. One, your fight money." Sapphire handed them 50 coins apiece.

"Look at all this cash!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "We could go swimming in it all by now!"

"And two, to your new room."

Sapphire directed them past Smash Crash's office and past the storage room. At the end, a wooden door was in place, and Sapphire walked into it. Beyond that door was the Champion's room. It was just the same size as the other locker rooms, but it was all one big spacious room now, rather than being separated into a locker area, and a bedroom area. The room was lined with red carpeting. Seven canopy beds were lined along the wall on their left. At the corner of that left wall was a dining area, with two tables for them. At the right back corner was an area separated from the rest of the room with red-brown tiles. A hot tub was surrounded by those tiles. On wall to their right was a living room area, complete with a dark-brown leather couch and white marble coffee table. Standing on that coffee table was the trophy.

"From now on, you will be using this room for future fights. The match registration will still be the same as always. Anyways, enjoy your time spent here." Sapphire left the room.

The REAL Showdown

"All RIGHT, TRAILBLAZER!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "You destroyed that fatso!"

"That wasn't even close!" he cheered back.

Twilight and AppleJack joined Rainbow Dash in giving him pats on the back and rubbing his head in celebration. He had an eye closed and smiled with his mouth open as they praised him.

"Hold on, everpony," said Rarity. "I think it's too soon to celebrate."

The cheers stopped, letting Rarity talk.

"You all heard what that fatuous Grub Gut said, right? It really sounded like he didn't know what the Sacred Stars were."

"Hm, yeah," thought Trailblazer. "He DID sound clueless on it, so... What now?"

"Well, we know of two other ponies here that know about it: Smash Crash and Sapphire," added Twilight.

"So... What do we make of the trophy?"

"Let me take a closer look at it," said Rarity. "I'm your jewel specialist."

Trailblazer let out a short laugh. "Heh, yeah, okay! Go ahead, Diamond Girl!"

Rarity walked up to the trophy and took a look at the Sacred Star planted on it. Then, she looked shocked.

"This isn't a Sacred Star at all!" she yelled. "It's just shiny glass! A fake!"

"What?!" they all called back.

"Yes, it's an imitation!"

"Oh, for crying out loud, we went through all that for nothing!!"

"Hey, calm down, man!" said Rainbow Dash. "Think about it: since we didn't get the Sacred Star by becoming the champions, then maybe R has more instructions for us."

Trailblazer was breathing quickly and angrily, but he started to slow down. It then turned into deep breaths, and then stopped.

"Better?"

He grumbled quietly.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

Rainbow Dash took a look at the terminal. Another letter showed up for them to read, and she opened it.

"Sneak into Smash Crash's office via ventilation duct, and find his dirty secret.

-from R"

"A vent??" said Rarity. "Oh, please!"

"What, this?" Fluttershy flew up to a sealed vent cover. "I think we can all fit in there."

"Oh yeah, it's big enough, all right," AppleJack mentioned.

"So, his dirty little secret will be revealed," said Pinkie. "This sounds fun! Let's go!"

"This had better be good," said Trailblazer sternly.

Twilight Sparkle loosened the bolts on the vent using her magic, and took off the cover. All of them climbed up to the duct and walked through it. It was only a short distance from the champion room to Smash Crash's office, as they could see the opposite side from their enterance.

"Shh!" whispered Twilight. "We don't want to get his attention!"

They quietly snuck up to the cover and heard him speak out loud.

"Dear journal,

Today's main event was a blast! Trailblazer mopped the floor with Grub Gut and laid a real dang smackdown! But you know what, as long as I have this here power... Uh, THAT, then I ain't never gettin' old."

"What's this 'that' thing?" whispered Fluttershy.

"Shh!" Twilight said.

"But you know what? At the same time, Ah gotta be watchin' my back here... Trailblazer REALLY hammered Grub Gut back there... Y'know, diary Ah'm thinkin' that... Nah, that ain't possible! With THAT, I can just suck out his energy and make it mine! Those youngins will last me a LONG time!"

The seven ponies heard a door open and close.

"Hey, Smash Crash, the Ring's empty now," they heard. It must've been a security guard.

"All right then. Ya know the drill when Ah'm in there."

"Yes, sir."

They heard some footsteps leave the room, and the door closed. Nopony was in there now.

"We got a chance now," said Twilight. She unscrewed the nails and took off the cover. It was Smash Crash's office, but they were all alone in there.

"So, where do you think his 'dirty secret' is?" asked Pinkie.

"We'll have to look around, dear," Rarity answered.

As Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash searched the cabinets on the right side of the room, AppleJack and Trailblazer looked around on his desk. Trailblazer was looking through sons files on his laptop, while AppleJack searched through the drawers.

"Find anything?" asked Rainbow.

"No..." Trailblazer said as he was searching through a bunch of subfolders on the explorer. "You'd think that you'd find it here on this laptop..."

"You just never know..." AppleJack looked through some drawers on the right side of the desk, and then came across a blue piece of paper. She grabbed it and placed it on the desk for all of them to see. "Whada y'all make of THIS?"

She motioned for the others to look at what she found. All of them got close and examined it.

Then, Twilight piped up. "These are blue prints!"

"They're what now?"

"These are sheets of paper that define parts of machinery and what they do. Look, that's the stage, so, supposedly, it's underneath the ring!"

"Whoa, now, that's CRAZY!"

"And look at this!" Twilight pointed to a small drawing on the blueprint. "That must be the Sacred Star!"

"Wait, so the Sacred Star is powering that machine?" Trailblazer asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

Smash Crash walked back into the room, and jumped, shocked that the Devastators got into the room.

"Holy Hell, how'd y'all get in here?! Well, slap me and call me slow, yer lookin' at my secret paper!" he yelled.

"Enough with this, ya two-faced fraud!" AppleJack shouted at him. "Whadya do to all them fighters?!"

"Oh, Hell no, this ain't good at all! Yer on to me!" Smash Crash sprinted out of the room.

"After him!" Rainbow Dash let out her battle cry. All of them ran out of his office and into the hallway. From there, they ran to a ring enterance and saw a security guard step out of the way for them. They entered the stadium and stopped when they got on the stage, where Smash Crash stood in the very center of it.

"Ah warned ya not to go lookin' for that Sacred Star! Now that y'all know my secret, yer gonna have to take an' ol' dirt nap!"

"Wait, so it was YOU that sent us those threatening letters?" asked Pinkie.

"Dang right!" he yelled back. The stage started to rumble, and the seven stepped back. A shaft in the ring opened, and he disappeared into the floor. After a short delay, a tightly-woven cage-like machine rose from the stage. There was a control pad next to him near the cage. Shining on top of the cage was a sparkling star-shaped gold colored diamond.

"Look! The REAL Sacred Star!" shouted Twilight.

"Shut yer traps! Ah'll use MY Sacred Star however I damn please!"

The star glowed, and white beams started to flow towards him from the bottom two corners. His size doubled, growing bigger from inside his cage. Then his muscle mass increased as size grew. Then the process stopped, three times his original size.

"HEEEEEEEE-YAWWW!" he yelled. Smash Crash's voice was very thick now.

"WHOA!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Crash got huge!"

"That's right!" he roared. "Ah've been drainin' energy from all them ponies with his beauty!" Smash Crash imitated a slurping sound before continuing. "And now that ya know, y'all have to die!"

"Let's get this guy!" yelled Rainbow Dash.

"I'm sick of this freak..." said Twilight, disdainfully.

Smash Crash dug a hoof into the floor, and ripped out a part of it. He hoisted it above his head, ready to throw it.

"Holy crap, rock!" warned Dash. At the sight of it, all of them scattered, avoiding the flying concrete slab once it was thrown. Trailblazer ran around the outer part of the stadium, hoping to avoid getting noticed by the souped-up boss. But to his dismay, Smash Crash was focused on him. Although he couldn't run nearly as fast as Trailblazer, he kept up the pursuit, chasing where he was going, rather than following him. Twilight and Rarity prepared their railbeam attack, thankfully while he was chasing Trailblazer. Their attack power grew and grew, and it rose to their maximum amount. When Trailblazer got out of their way, they fired it at Smash Crash, shich exploded upon impact. He ended up stumbling backwards from it, nearly tripping from the blast. He then started to chase after the two unicorns. Twilight made her escape by teleporting away from him, leaving Rarity to run away on her own. Rainbow Dash flew at him from the side as he wasn't looking, then rammed his head by flying directly against where he was going, striking his face in doing so. Now Rainbow Dash was his target. He ripped out another chunk of the floor, ready to throw it.

"Rock!" Dash warned again. She flew into the upper levels of the stadium, out of his line of sight. But he had his rock next to him. He faked them all out by going through the motion of throwing the rock, but didn't let go. He spun, and then side armed it towards Fluttershy. She shrieked as she got knocked back on impact, and then laid down on the ground, immobile.

"Fluttershy!!" yelled Rainbow Dash. She got back down from cover to take her up to the upper levels, where Smash Crash couldn't reach them. Dash saw as she began to bleed out. She grabbed her and flew her back up to where she was. She laid her on a flat surface. Upon inspection of her hooves, she saw that they were covered in Fluttershy's blood. But she knew that this was no time to clean anything, and shook her.

"Fluttershy!" she called again. "We don't have time for this!"

Her eyes opened, and she looked very afraid. "What's happening? How are we supposed to best that guy??"

"Hold still, I need to heal you!"

While the fight continued to rage on below them, she looked at where she was bleeding. Rainbow Dash recoiled when she saw that almost her entire back was scraped up badly.

"Oh, you are LUCKY to survive THIS," mumbled Rainbow Dash.

"What??" asked Fluttershy, looking more shocked.

"Nothing, let me patch you up."

As she was wrapping her back with bandage, Smash Crash began to target Pinke Pie. She ran around, keeping him occupied. As Trailblazer and AppleJack were chasing him, in hopes of getting a few close-range shots in, he turned around and faced the two in pursuit of him. With a quick swing of his right foreleg, he punched Trailblazer and sent him flying, landing underneath a part of the upper spectator seating area.

"OWW, Son of a- THAT HURT!" he yelled as he quickly picked himself up. AppleJack fled from Smash Crash as he targeted Trailblazer. He ran away like usual. As they distracted him, Twilight and Rarity stood off to the side, charging their next attack.

"Hey, Devastators!" he yelled, ripping out a third part of the floor. "CATCH!" He threw it at Trailblazer, who was running away in a straight line. He turned his head and noticed the flying rock closing in on him. It couldn't be avoided because there was no opportunity to react, and landed right on him. Trailblazer fell on the floor, letting out a cry of severe pain.

"Ah'm gonna flatten you into a pancake!" yelled Smash Crash as he ran at the incapacitated Trailblazer.

"Oh, no ya don't!" whispered AppleJack. She chased after Smash Crash, trying with all of her might to catch up and stop him. Just before he reached him, AppleJack took a leap of faith and landed right on his head. She covered his eyes with his hooves, and started to punch his eyes and face too.

"Gah! Get off!" Smash Crash reached for his head, but the overgrowth of his muscular dystrophy kept him from reaching it. "Ah said, get OFF!" He stumbled around, trying to grab her and pull her off as AppleJack continued to beat him around his face. He stumbled around uncontrollably, trying to swat, grab, or push her off with his oversized forelegs, making him struggle and wander aimlessly around the stadium. His balance was taken away because of his efforts to rip her off.

"Okay, you're good! Let go, A.J!" called Twilight.

AppleJack jumped off of his head, and Twilight and Rarity fired their railbeam attack again. Just like before, it exploded upon colliding with him. He flapped his foregs around after it, and then fell to the floor.

"Oh, oh NOOOOOO!" he yelled as she fell. His muscle mass shrinked below what he normally had upon the initial greeting to get signed up, showing that he was nothing but a shriveled wizened old pony.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh..." He moaned. "Great fight there, Devastators... Great fightin'..."

"You can always tell a cowpony, but ya can't tell 'em much," AppleJack taunted him with. She ran back to where Trailblazer was knocked down at, and saw as he was still going to make it. "How bad are ya?" she asked, giving him a hoof to get picked up with.

"Ugh, I- I'm going to be fine," he said, unsure of how bad of a condition he was in. "I think I can walk this off..."

"Here, let's getcha back up." AppleJack gave him a hoof to get picked up with. He grabbed it and was put back on his feet.

"That's what I owe you now," said Trailblazer once he got revived.

"Hey, don't worry about it, sugarcube."

While Fluttershy slowly descended and cringing with each beat of her wings, and Trailblazer limping back on the stage, the other five walked back onto it to look at the wrinkled and thin Smash Crash, no longer buff anymore.

"So, it's finally over here..." they all heard.

The seven turned around to the enterance that they've always been walking into from for their fights. Sapphire was standing in front of those large double doors.

"Sapphire??" called AppleJack.

"I owe all of you an apology... I'm so sorry to have put you all through so much trouble."

"Whadaya mean by that?"

"You see, Long ago, my brother, Emerald, came here to fight and support our family. But when he just, disappeared all of a sudden, I wanted to investigate, by becoming a manager for this Mega Ring. And that's when I saw Smash Crash transform with the power of the Sacred Star. I had given up hope... But then, I saw you fight, and thought that you had a chance. So, I decided to guide you all through every nook and cranny to see for yourself what you were up against."

"...Wait, so, that R person..." Twilight thought.

"Yes, I was R." She walked up on the stage and then to Smash Crash. "Now, sir..." She slapped herself, and suddenly became assertive. "No! You are NOT my boss! Smash Crash, what did you do to my brother?! You know EXACTLY who I'm talking about! EMERALD!"

Smash Crash moaned. "Well, Ah've been workin' for Steel Sword, usin' the Sacred Star that Ah had as bait. Anypony that tried to get it got their energy drained by me. Since Ah leeched their strength, Ah only became tougher and tougher, preparin' to keep the Sacred Star away so that Steel Sword's plan would carry through. An' Emetald... He found out about my energy-suckin' machine, and Ah had to lock him away, just like the others..."

"...So he is in that pile as well..."

"Yeah..."

"Well, then, I'll be taking THAT, then."

The Sacred Star levitated down towards her, and it got held in front of her. "You seven, come with me."

All of them followed her back outside of the ring and into the second floor of the storage room. She walked back into the door where all of the unhealthy ponies were sealed away at.

"Now then, your strength shall return to you..."

The Sacred Star began to float above the pony pile. It glittered a lot, with a lot of the glitter raining back down on them. Slowly and all at once, the once shriveled up former fighters started to regain their muscle mass and weight. All of their sizes returned to normal, where they all began to walk out of the corner and back in the open. Among the ponies in the crowd, Trailblazer recognized the Percious Metals, including Super Shine.

"Guys, you guys, are the best..." said Go Getter sincerely. "Really, thanks a million."

"Trailblazer... Damn..." said Super Shine. "I never thought you all could pull it off."

"It looks like you became a victim of your own research," said Trailblazer, smirking.

"Yeah, you'll never see that happen to me again."

"Sapphire?" In the crowd, all of them noticed a forest green pony with a sap green mane, finally seeing her again.

"EMERALD!" Sapphire ran up to her brother, and then hugged him tightly. "Oh, I missed you SO much!"

"You know, all this time, I thought that she was just some typical cranky bossy manager..." Rainbow Dash said quietly. "I guess she really just wanted to have her brother back..."

Sapphire and Emerald let go of each other, and then turned to face the Devastators, as they were called. "Now then, You have retrieved the Sacred Star and I got my brother back... So now, the Sacred Star is yours."

"And this party is, OVER!" yelled Rainbow Dash in praise. They grabbed the Sacred Star, which floated above them for a bit, and then Trailblazer grabbed it and put it in one of the pockets of his backpack.

"Now that Smash Crash will be out of the picture, controversy here in the Mega Ring should end," said Sapphire.

"Glad to hear that, Sapphire," said Twilight.

With that, they all walked out of the storage room, almost ready to take a load off for the evening.

The next day, the media was all over the story on the Sacred Star incident in the Mega Ring. Many different journalists, interviewers, and cameramen were swarming the Mega Ring to get the scoop, gathering as much details as possible for the top story of the night. The Devastators, as they were called in the stadium, Sapphire, and many other fighters were gathered around the lobby. Twilight Sparkle told the crowd what thru were doing with the Sacred Stars, and about the Sario Hole.

"So, your quest will take you elsewhere now, I take it," said Sapphire.

"Yeah. We need those Sacred Stars to get rid of it."

"Well, if that's what you are all called to do, then I will not stop you."

"Hey, Big T?" said Go Getter. "Us Precious Metals are gonna get back in the ring, now that Smash Crash is taken care of!"

"Hey, wait, there's something about this research that hasn't been addressed yet..." thought Super Shine. "Sapphire, how can you disappear all the time?"

"Oh, the vanishing? I have a unicorn that makes me invisible whenever I ask her to cloak me."

"Oh, so it's an INVISIBILITY thing you had!"

"Yes. I assume now that you'll behave yourself now?"

"Uh-huh. Nothing left to find out here, mystery's solved."

"Now then, I shall assume position of Mega Ring Executive. Devastators, if you ever come to visit us sometime, we will REALLY look forward to it."

"Oh, I think you'll see me back here once we hake care of our unfinished business..." said Trailblazer with a small grin. He turned around to his friends. "Let's head back to Rautsong."

"I'm with you there," said Rarity.

With their second Sacred Star in their possession, they made their way back to the train station, and got on board to return to Merlow.

Science Reality

"...So, yeah, we had Smash Crash in place, guarding the Sacred Star held there, but those ponies that we fought earlier on our ship? They beat him." said a small indigo pony with red mane, to her boss.

"Interesting..." said Steel Sword.

The three minions that were fought Trailblazer and Rainbow Dash on the now sunken pirate ship were reporting to Steel Sword. Red Rover, the big red one, Pack Rat, the small green one, and Hat Trick, the green, orange, and purple one. Steel Sword listened to the news that was gathered after the discovery of the energy draining machine. He had a dull metallic colored coat, with a faint light blue mane.

"Yeah, these guys already know about the Sinister Star you hold, boss," said Pack Rat. "And they just got themselves another Sacred Star, even after our buddy Smash Crash used it to his advantage. They're strong, all right... Maybe strong enough to close the Sario Hole you created."

"Save your breath, Pack Rat," Steel Sword reassured him with. "It is too late to stop the process of this world's destruction. Not even I can stop it. Once it's gone, I can replace this world, with a far better one."

"So, what your saying is that these guys that are getting all these Sacred Stars, are trying to keep this world BAD?" questioned Red Rover.

"You COULD say that... They might even have their own reasons for keeping this world the way it is... But their thoughts are quite irrelevant."

"So, what do you want us to do about these guys then?"

"Until we learn where they're headed next, stay put. I shall have you report back here once we have info."

"All right, will do, Steel Sword!" said Hat Trick. With that, all of them walked away and back into their own chambers, leaving Steel Sword and the small mare beside him alone in the room. She looked down and sighed.

"Does something trouble you, Clear Night?" asked Steel Sword.

"It's weird... You've had strong feelings toward that one filly, and now that she's gone, you're going to get rid of the world. Wouldn't you think that she'd be destroyed in the process?"

Steel Sword shook his head. "She is gone, I assure you that this is true."

"Well, if you're positive on that... Hey, wasn't she the one you wished for?"

"This is also true. I wished for her to return to me, and it never got granted. So now, since she's gone, I'll replace this world."

"I see now..."

"Clear Night? I wish to be alone now."

"Okay, Steel Sword." Clear Night left the room, and Steel Sword looked down at the ground, remembering playtime in elementary with his lost sweetheart. And then as they grew older, they grew more attatched. But then, she vanished, never to be seen again. In his depression, he read some books, just like his loved one did. And then he learned about the effects of the Sario Hole, and the Sinister Star's powers. Of course, he was not aiming to replace the world: he's getting rid of it, once and for all.

"Ah, so you have returned!" announced Merlow as the seven came back into his home. "I can tell by the looks on your faces that it went well."

"And it did," said Pinkie Pie. "Why don't you show him what we got, Trailblazer?"

After she said that, he reached into his backpack and pulled out the gold Sacred Star.

"Yes, you have all done well."

"Hey, Merlow?" wondered Trailblazer. "From what Twilight told me before we went to Sagastrome, getting a Sacred Star will show us where the next one will be. So, how do we find that out?"

"Here, just give it to me, and I'll find out where the next one is."

He let the gem float above the crystal ball, and then Merlow gazed at it. In the ball, he saw the northwest part of Inyomaid. The city of Mutait, a figurative concrete jungle, was what he saw location-wise. And another image appeared. It was another trophy, with a green glittering Sacred Star resting on the top of it.

"It seems that the next Sacred Star is located in the city of Mutait," Merlow informed them with.

"What's it like over there?"

"It is the most technologically advanced city in this region. Skyscrapers that are made of metal make up almost all of it. And about that place... They've used that technology to it's full potential. There, they hold furious races in yet another arena, even getting changing landscapes to have different tracks. One time, you're racing through a landscape like the city itself, but when the next race comes, you find yourself racing through an artificial desert."

"Whoa!"

"And that's not all. Most of the tracks aren't just flat or have bumpy parts; they even have inverted loops and in-line twists! ...I am also confident in saying that some of the courses come with gimmicks. And also, the image of the Sacred Star that I just saw, had it on another trophy. It looks like you're going to have to race against them to get it."

"So, we're racing against a bunch of other ponies, in roller coaster-like race tracks..." thought Trailblazer, who then suddenly grew eager. "Oh my God, it's Christmas! How do we get there?!"

"That same train station you went to that took you to Sagastrome also has a train to take you to Mutait."

"And after my frontrunning spree there, we'll come back with that Sacred Star in no time!"

"Are you really that confident in your racing abilities?" asked Rarity.

"Why shouldn't I? I'm Trailblazer! It's in my name! I'll just blaze right by them!"

"Well said, Mr. Blazer! Well, good luck during your stay there!"

All seven of them made their way back to the train station they were at, looking to go to Mutait.

"Sorry there, folks..." one of the attendance workers said. "The station down at Mutait is having some problems."

"Huh? Like what?" wondered Fluttershy.

"For some reason, power isn't going into the train or the tracks there. Right now, we have some engineers working on it, but for now, there's no transportation going on between here and there."

"Looks like we're spending the night..." said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, that hotel is right next to this train station, so we can just go there," Twilight reminded her.

"Yeah, right."

They walked back into the hotel to check back in. The money that they earned back at the Mega Ring made them easily get themselves rooms.

While they were still at the front desk, Trailblazer looked off to the side, then at a flyer of the hotel they were at. "Hey, do you guys offer some sort of therapeutic massaging, or whatever it's called, around here?"

"Yes, it should say so right there," the pony behind the counter said.

He took a look at Fluttershy's back, then back at the flyer. "How about you get one for Fluttershy here?"

The other six, including Fluttershy, were surprised at this action. This was the first time he had ever done something nice for her.

"That'll run you 20 coins. Sound good?"

Trailblazer handed him the money.

"Okay! We'll get a masseuse ready for her."

"You... You really mean it!" Fluttershy was just as surprised as the rest of them. "Why the sudden change?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He looked at the floor with a hoof underneath his chin, thinking. "...Hell if I know. I just, felt like it. Actually, since you look really hurt, I figured that it would do you some good."

"Wow... That's... Really nice of you."

"Yeah, yeah..." he said unenthusiastically.

"Well, I guess for the time being, we should rest here," Rainbow Dash mentioned.

As Fluttershy was taken to another room for her massage, The rest of them got into their rooms. They noticed AppleJack and Trailblazer going into the same one.

"Wait, you two have the same room?" Pinkie asked.

"Well, yeah," said AppleJack. "We can share a room,"

"Hey, take a load off, AppleJack," Trailblazer said from inside. "How about you get a little "massage" here, from me?"

The others noticed that he sounded promiscuous. "Where are you going with this?" Twilight Sparkle sounded a bit worried.

"Now THAT sounds nice!" AppleJack smirked and walked into the room they were staying in. "Oh... Whoa-ho! That tickles!" they all heard her say from inside.

"Oh, you know you like it," Trailblazer said back.

More and more suggestive comments came from both of them, and the others backed away slowly into their own rooms. Once they were away, the couple started to snicker. They weren't making bodily contact to each other at all.

"They really think we're getting it on!" he said through quiet laughter.

"Ah wish we could see the looks on their faces. Ah bet they're priceless!"

Later that night, Fluttershy came back to her room, looking dreamily content.

"How did it go, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, I feel like the pain just melted away! I'm going to get a good sleep tonight."

"Oh, now why didn't I think of getting that for myself?"

"Well, maybe next time, you can try it."

"Well, I suppose I should get some sleep too."

The next day, the seven got their continental breakfast, and headed back to the train station.

"Hiya, is that train ready, as good as can be?" Pinkie Pie squealed. "You know, to get to Mutait."

"Yes, the train is good to go now. It'll cost 15 per passenger," the same attendant said.

All of them forked over the coins.

"Okay, just climb on board, and we'll get ready to depart."

After around a 20 minute wait for all of the other passengers to get on board, the train set off on the magnetized rails, and headed for their next city.

After a two hour ride, all of the ponies departed and looked around. The train ended up going underground, making the station more of a subway atmosphere. Sleek metallic walls made up most of the subway, with lights along the walls near the ceiling. There was a set of stairs at the end of the loading dock, and the seven climbed up it. Bright white walls made up most of the big hallway they ended up in. Lit up posters were aligned on the walls, with one of them catching their attention.

"Look at this!" Rainbow Dash flew up to it. "Here's an advertisement we're looking for."

All of them took a look at the poster. On it was a part of a track that some ponies were racing on. The background was made up of brightly lit up buildings, which was assumed to be what the rest of the city would look like. There was bold blue text near the top that read, "Max-V Grand Prixs". A small trophy resembling the one that they saw earlier back at Merlow's place was seen in the bottom right-hand corner.

"Looks like that crystal ball of Merlow's is right," said Trailblazer. "But how do we get to that arena?"

"How about we try asking around?" advised Twilight.

Upon reaching the exit of the building that they were in, which led to the downtown part of the city, they saw towering steel skyscrapers above them. Many of them had lights that flashed every several seconds. On their level, they saw a concrete sidewalk, but with curbs that were lit up in blue. The streets had separator lines that also lit up like the skyscrapers around them, and the traffic there was mostly made up of delivery ponies for various companies.

"We'd better hurry," said Twilight.

"Why do you want to hurry? This is awesome!" said Trailblazer, looking around curiously. "This is like some sci-fi city that's actually real. Already, I love it here!"

Without responding, they made their way on the right side of the street on their right and walked out of the downtown area. There was a fairly large resturaunt that had a close resemblance of a casino, and walked inside. They saw that it was crowded; the most spacious area they saw was behind the counter where a bartender stood.

As they all walked inside, trying to ask what was going on, they noticed a furious old gambler hobbling up to some other pony in the crowd. He held a canned alchoholic beverage of sone sort in his right hoof, and grabbed and shook the pony by his chest with the other.

"What a scam! Bets for 700 coins?! HUH?!" he yelled, causing a small scene. "What can I do with this, ONE coin?!"

Another pony walked up to him and swatted his drink in the air. Trailblazer saw this and zipped through the thick crowd, ducking right past them. He dove for the drink and caught it right-side up. The gambler saw this and helped pick him back up, and grabbed his drink back.

"Hey. That was a great display you put there, lad," he said.

"Uh, thanks?" Trailblazer said back.

"And a pretty fast one too! Say, how about you enter the bet race for me?"

"Wait, what? But I just-"

"Please!" The gambler cut him off. "Consider it an old pony's last request."

"Just calm down, grandpa."

"We will shortly be closing registration for the next Max-V bet race," they all heard over some loudspeakers.

"Go! The next race is going to start!" The gambler grabbed him and hastily took Trailblazer down to some lower levels.

"Hey, where are you taking me?!"

The other six tried running after him, but the door leading to them was shut and locked.

"Oh great! Now what are we going to do?" Rainbow Dash saw that things weren't going so smoothly.

"Hey, look!" AppleJack pointed to where the crowd gathered around. There were windows that they could see through. The crowd was too thick there, so they went up to the second floor. There were more windows, but they weren't as crowded. The six ponies walked up to it to see a lime green track made up of 90 degree angles, with no banks or inversions. However, they could see a couple slopes on the course. Guardrails made up of bright green lights were also in place, with vivid red posts a few feet apart from each other. Near where they were above, they saw the same old pony that took Trailblazer with him talking to one of the officials. It appeared to be that he was making a big wager on him, but they couldn't tell what exactly they were saying. After the talk, Trailblazer was put on the track, behind 10 other ponies that were already on before the starting line. Another mare was placed behind him shortly afterwards, and the stage was set.

The electric banner that acted like the starting line had some bold white text on it, which read "READY?" All eyes were on that banner, both from the spectators and the contestants. The block letters faded, remained blank for a little bit, and then began the countdown. As the numbers were read, a voice was heard over the loudspeakers.

"Three... Two... One... Go!"

The 12 ponies on the course began to run, following where the course took them. The first curve was to the right, which took them to a quick left turn. From there, they made a u-turn and made their way to a left turn. They found themselves racing on a long straightaway, which led to another u-turn. On that straightaway, the main six noticed Trailblazer getting past almost all of the pack. He took the upcoming u-turn, which had a straightaway with a shallow slope that went up several feet above the main track. At the end of it came a left turn for them. It led to a steeper slope that took them back level with the rest of the track. At the last u-turn, they found themselves racing back to the lap line, with Trailblazer leading the pack. On the electric banner, the text now read, "TWO LAPS TO GO."

After the pony in last place crossed the line, the text read "FINAL LAP", ready for the next time the participants came by. During all the corners of the race, Trailblazer continued to lead the group, but he began breaking away at all of the straighter parts. The rest of the pack were fighting amongst themselves to try to get ahead of each other, but weren't able to keep up with him. After he crossed the lap line again, he was about two and a half seconds ahead of them. His lead only grew with the same path and straightaways that they came across, up to four seconds ahead of the 2nd place holder. The banner now read "FINISH", showing that once he crossed it, he had completed all three laps. He finished the race strong, and stood still after crossing the finish line, standing prominently on his side. The others crossed it, only around a second or half seconds apart.

"Looks like he's havin' fun down there," said AppleJack, as the spectators cheered, with a couple of them whistling.

Most of the gamblers in the resturaunt-casino weren't pleased with the results, seeing how the ones that they bet on to win couldn't pull it off. The contestants walked back into the reaturaunt area, and went through it to enter another spacious room, which was the more casino-type area, where the wages were claimed there.

The old gambler grabbed two bags of coins from one of the tellers. He then walked back to Trailblazer with a big grin on his face.

"Ha haa, great job out there, son! I got myself 900 coins out of that deal!" he said.

"Uh-huh..." said Trailblazer.

"Now, I gotta repay you for winning that race. Here's your share!" He tossed one of the bags at Trailblazer. "450 coins, just for you! Take it!"

"Whoa, really??"

"Go ahead! You made me happy, and you earned it."

Trailblazer's eyes were open wide. He slowly reached for the bag, anticipating some tomfoolery. But, once he grabbed the bag, the old pony nodded.

"Well, this was a pleasant surprise. Thanks!" he said, bearing a smile.

"You know, you ought to enter the REAL races of the Max-V arena, where they hold sone REAL grand prixs!"

"And, where is that?"

"It's in the heart of the city, and it's got a big white dome over it, you can't miss it. There are some signs on the streets, they'll tell you where to go."

"All right then."

The seven ponies walked out of the building.

"If THAT, was what I'm up against during the bet race, I can't wait to see what's up here," Trailblazer commented.

"It looks like this next chore will be a snap, just like in Sagastrome!" Rainbow Dash responded.

They all stopped and looked north. In the distance, a tall wide building with a white shallow dome on it could be seen, amongst more tall buildings.

"There it is! Let's go."

They walked along the street that led to the dome, ready to get themselves another Sacred Star. All the while, Trailblazer hopped and shook as his excitement for the "roller coaster races" grew, eager to race.

The Long Distance of Trials

It was nighttime by the time they all reached the stadium. There were a few offices near the enterance, but beyond the ticket check was the stadium, possibly with a course getting worked at the moment. There wasn't a way to get in the arena area though, as it was closed.

"How are we supposed to be a part of these races?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"I'm quite certain that these offices hold some answers," Rarity coughed.

"Found it!" Pinkie bounced towards a door with a plack on it that read, "Licenses".

"Wait, 'Licenses'?" Rarity wondered. "But what about registering?"

"That's the subtitle!" Pinkie sang.

She and the others looked up again to see a plack above it that read, "Registrations".

Rarity squinted. "Oh..."

Twilight knocked on the door to see if a pony was in there.

"You may come in," they heard a colt say from inside.

They opened the door to see a pudgy creme colored unicorn sitting behind a brown mahogany desk.

"Welcome, how may I help you seven?"

"Well, we were looking at becoming racers for your program here..." Twilight opened with.

"Well, you've come to the right office for that," he said. "But right now, we don't schedule any qualification runs at this hour."

"Oh..."

"But, we do have them mostly during the day. How about I schedule you all for a 1 o'clock qualification run?"

"We'd appreciate that."

"Good. Well, stop by tommorow, and we'll show you all how it's done here."

"Thanks. Oh! Is there a place to stay around here?"

The unicorn laughed. "There are high-ranked hotels around this Max-V Stadium. We DO get a lot of tourists that want to watch these races. I'm sure that you can find a place around here."

"All right, thanks again."

"You're welcome. Just come by tommorow at one, and we'll get you all going."

"Yep, thanks."

"You're welcome."

The seven ponies left the stadium and looked around. Sure enough, there were several hotels around the stadium. Most of them were in a certain lot near it, where a few others were off on individual blocks. Some of them had Max-V designs on them.

"I think we just need to get sone rooms, that's all we need right now."

"Hey, don't worry about cost, Twilight," said Trailblazer. "That old guy gave me a lot of cash by betting on me, so... Hang on, let me do some math here."

"You got, 450? Out of that guy?"

"Yeah. You can have it, I have enough as it is."

"So that's 450, by six... 75."

"Are you sure? That was pretty quick."

"I'm certain."

"Well all right." Trailblazer seperated the coin bag he got into six piles. He then counted 75 for them and handed them all to the others.

"Cool!" Rainbow Dash said.

They found the biggest one in the block and walked inside. A female receptionist greeted them.

"Good evening! Looking to stay here?"

"Yeah." said Trailblazer.

"Okay, it'll be 35 coins per night."

All seven of them paid the receptionist.

"All right. Now, how would you like your rooms arranged?"

"Well, she and I will be in a room together, and I guess the other five will have their own." He turned around to look at the others. "Right?"

"Uh... Yyeaaahhh..." Fluttershy said, a little suspicious.

"Okay, I'll get your room keys."

Twilight turned to face the young couple. "No... You aren't thinking of doing... THAT again, are you?"

"Uhhh..." AppleJack looked off to the side, but Trailblazer turned his head to face her, and winked. "I don't know..." She said, in a tone making the answer seem like a "yes". She smirked as well.

"Here you go!" The receptionist came back with six room keys and laid them on the counter.

"Well, now, all that's left is the qualification and we'll be good to go," said Pinkie, bouncing. "Are you as excited as I am, Trailblazer?"

"I'm more excited than you are, Pinkie!" He trembled and hopped around in place.

"What?? That's not possible!" Twilight said, hiding a smile.

"Or, is it...?" Pinkie stuck her head right next to Twilight as she asked that question, then pulled it back.

All of them headed towards their rooms, putting their backpacks down for the night. Convenientally, their rooms were right next to and across from each other's.

"So, AppleJack..." said Trailblazer, sidling up to her. "How about a dip in the hot tub with me?"

"Oh, you know the answer to that already," she said back, leaning on his side. She took her hat off and put it on the bed, and they left for the pool.

Twilight Sparkle stayed out of sight from them, and followed them to the pool area. She still tried to keep herself hidden to listen in on anything they had to say.

Trailblazer got inside the hot tub, waiting for AppleJack to step in.

"Come on, AppleJack," he said. "Relax."

She smiled and stepped in. Twilight kept her back on the wall around the corner, keeping herself out of their line sight. What she didn't see was the two hugging and nuzzling some more. It only felt like it was another one of their cuddle sessions, and she started to back away.

"Hey, AppleJack? Have you noticed that Twilight's been acting a bit strange lately?"

Twilight went straight back into the corner to hear the conversation.

"Oh, as ever," AppleJack said. "One time on that cruise ship we all took, she wanted me to tell her how you and Ah met."

"Is she really that desperate?"

"Yeah..."

"Ugh, I told her one night that it's not too big of a deal if she's still single."

"And how did she take that?"

"It's hard to tell. But I THINK she's not taking it too seriously now."

"Hmmm, Ah guess Ah'm one to talk."

"How so?"

"Ah felt the same way before Ah met ya..."

"Miserable and desperate?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I guess you took it better than she is... Or, was... I think she just has to suck it up for now."

Twilight walked away and went back to her room. The jealousy of seeing Trailblazer and AppleJack together feeling so content with each other was making her sadness come back to the surface. But Trailblazer's words repeated themselves.

"Just don't think about it, and it won't bother you," they rang.

She tried not thinking about it, but she still heard the two in the hot tub together, and it only made the tension worse for her at that moment. Then, she began to take control of her emotions again and calmed down, letting out a deep breath. She knew that someday, that perfect somepony and her would cross paths, but it seemed to be going on for too long to be true.

The next day, the seven walked back into the stadium for the qualification. The registration unicorn they saw yesterday night was standing in front of an enterance to the arena.

"Come on in. You're on schedule," he said.

They followed him through the door. There, they saw a giant arena with multiple small tracks, which had some inversions and other obstacles on them.

"Let's get started here," he said. He took them into a room with a bunch of metallic boots.

"Our tracks are designed to have magnetic qualities with these boots. You'll be able to stick to the courses with these worn on."

"Question," said Rainbow Dash. "If we have wings, then does that make us exceptions to wearing any boots?"

"No, and you cannot fly over these tracks either. We don't want them to be flying over gaps or anything, trying to take shortcuts."

"Well, THAT sucks!" She hovered over the floor, with her forelegs folded.

"And we have belts they have to wear as well."

Rainbow Dash grumbled.

The unicorn waited for all of them to get their metallic boots on.

"Okay, now..."

He flipped a switch on the wall, and then, glowing green lights shone from them.

"The magnetism should work. Let's test it before we head on."

A panel from the floor ejected a square metal piece. It was in place by a single metal rod, which split and curved out so that it met at the panel's sides.

"Step on here, please."

"WILL DO." Trailblazer stepped onto the metal platform. It started to rotate and flip on it's own, but he stuck to the same side that he stepped on. He could be literally standing on a ceiling or a wall if allowed.

"Okay, you're good to go." the unicorn said.

He motioned for the other six to cone on ome-by-one for their test. All of them were checked and ready. The pudgy unicorn put a belt over Fluttershy's and Rainbow Dash's waists, keeping their wings stuck to their sides.

"Now that the magnetism check is complete, we'll take you to the test tracks."

The seven followed the pony to a tall wall. With a press of a button, it slid towards the tracks, separating into steps for them to climb and get on. They got on the first part, which was a simple track that curved up above them, and back down. The part of the track above them was inverted, meaning that no cornering was needed. It was labeled "Basic Inversion".

"Okay, your first objective is to run this course in one lap," he told them. All of the others were on the track, ready to go.

"Ready... Go!"

At that signal, all seven of them ran the course, going up the vertical curve, ran upside-down, and then took the opposite inverted curve to get back down.

"Good, but that was just too easy." The unicorn took them to a levitating platform, which was just on the edge of where they stepped on the track, and it floated to the second track, named "Vertigo Corners".

"You should see that this track is more complex. Here, you'll be turning on walls and ceilings."

All seven of them got on the track, with Trailblazer showing a big grin.

"And... Go!"

They all started to run on the upright straightaway, but it then sloped up to a wall. They ran into a right curved corner and took it. Up ahead was a mix of a corner and a slope, making it a twist in the road. They took that and ended up upside down. More turns came their way, and they took them all as if they were still right-side up. There was a straightaway that became an in-line twist, which they took. A half corkscrew turn came their way, making them right-side up again, and took them back to the starting gate. Five of them had to wait for Rarity and Fluttershy to catch up at the starting line for a few moments.

"Looks like you're all handing this well."

"Handling?" said Trailblazer. This is FUN!"

AppleJack walked up to Rainbow Dash. "So is this what it feels like to be a pegasus!"

"Yeah!" she answered. "I bet you're jealous, aren't ya?"

AppleJack let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, a little bit."

"Well, I for one am NOT liking this one bit!" Rarity said in a fit. "I am NOT fit for racing, and my mane's getting a bit messy!"

Trailblazer groaned and rolled his eyes.

"All right, now on to the third track." All of them took the same floating platform and went onto a track called "Pipe and Tunnel".

"Here, we have what are called pipes and tunnels." said the unicorn. "Pipes are cylinders that you all race against on the outside, where tunnels are cylinderss that you all run on from the inside. Once you complete your lap, I'll take you to the next track."

"Now THIS is going to be fun!" exclaimed Trailblazer.

At the trainer's signal, they all started to run on the beginning straightaway. Then, they all got on a pipe, running on it from almost all sides. There was a pigtail on the pipe, which they all took. The bottom part of the pipe split into a fork, separated by guardrails, forcing them to get back right-side up. The course banked to the right, and led to a tunnel. There, they all got inside and ran through it. A couple were running on the sides, where Trailblazer and Rainbow Dash raced on the ceiling part of the tunnel. Much like the pipe they all got off of, the area on the ceiling separated into a fork, and led the inverted ponies back onto level ground. Another banked turn to the right took them back to the start.

"Getting the hang of it?" the unicorn asked.

"I wish I could do this all the time!" Pinkie Pie hopped.

The next track that they all got onto was titled "Track Helpers and Hazards".

"You'll see some boost platforms scattered on the tracks, and they'll give you a small speed boost. As for the hazards... You won't see them too often, but rock clumps will slow you down, and ice patches will make you lose traction."

The seven trainees ran on the track. They all easily ran across the boost panel, which sped them up for a second, and then took a left corner. On the outside half of it was a patch of built-in rock clumps, which they avoided. But ahead of them laid a waving road with the entire portions covered in ice. The waves went from left to right multiple times, making turning around them a bit difficult for all of them. Though they still pulled through, Rarity and Fluttershy slipped and fell a couple times. Again, the other five waited for them to catch up back at the start.

"Awwww, that was a bit rough..." Fluttershy thought.

"Hang in there, this next course is the last one. Pass this, and you're qualified!" The trainer took them to a bigger track, titled "Jumps and Falls".

"Another helper we might have on the tracks are jump pads. These will force you to jump over certain areas and either back on the track, or to a higher section. As for falls, you just run off the ledge and land back on the track."

"That sounds a bit dangerous..." said Twilight.

"Oh, it's no big deal. You could run off a ledge and fall 100 or even 1,000 yards, and the boots you're wearing will guarantee you a safe and gentle landing."

They all began to run on the starting path, where a jump pad took up the whole track. Right upon stepping on it, they were forced up in the air 20 yards above the track, with a one second hangtime. Upon landing back on, their descent slowed down to a slight hover above the track, while still moving with the inertia from their running prior to taking the jump pad. They landed back on gently and continued running. Up ahead was another jump pad, this time, leading them to an elevated area. They all ran across it and crossed the gap. After a left turn, an identical gap was ahead of them, which they all took. They did this three more times, and then got parallel with the starting gate. A ledge was before them. Trailblazer and Rainbow Dash ran over it and fell down to the track below. Just as the trainer said, they hovered just before landing, and then landed softly on the track. The other five followed suit, experiencing it for themselves. They followed the u-turn back to the starting gate, where the trainer waited for them.

"Well, you passed all of the trials. You're qualified."

"YyyyYYESSS!" Trailblazer pumped his hoof, excited as ever. "When's the next Grand Prix?!"

"We have one starting tommorow. If you want to participate in this, you'll have to sign up now."

"Oh."

"First, let's get your licenses made."

They got out of the arena and into another office in the lobby. A camera on a tripod was set up along with a white background. The unicorn took their pictures individually, and a small device next to the camera ejected a plastic card for each of them.

"There you go! Now that you're registered, you can sign up."

"Count me in!" yelled Rainbow Dash.

"Sign me up!" Trailblazer said a split second later.

The other five looked at them in surprise.

"Just once, I wanted to beat Trailblazer at saying that they're ready to race."

He scoffed at that.

The unicorn went back into his office, pulling out a clipboard.

"What a coincidence. We have seven spots available for this next grand prix."

"Well, hold up, now," AppleJack said. "How many of us are racin' at a time?"

"30."

"30??"

"Yes."

"Well, that's takin' us back to that Iron Pony competition. Remember that, Rainbow?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Ah still can't believe that Twilight won that..."

Twilight Sparkle hid a smile and let out a quiet laugh.

"The grand prix starts tommorow at 5 p.m," the trainer said. "But before that, I should explain to you how these work."

"We're listening," AppleJack said.

"There are three grand prixs total. We'll start you off on the beginner cup since you've just started. If you get an overall spot between 1st and 15th in a grand prix, you can enter the intermediate grand prixs. Clear that, and you can go into the expert one, and get a shot at claiming championship."

"Do we get paid?"

"Depending on how well you do in a grand prix, you'll earn a lot. Not so well, not so much."

"I'm in there," said Trailblazer.

"I'll do it," Rainbow Dash piped up, then grimaced, seeing how she got beat again. "Crap."

"That's all I have to say. Any questions?"

None of them answered.

"All right. We'll see you tommorow."

All of them took off their boots and headed back to the hotel.

The next evening, all of them got inside the stadium, but they were escorted to a participant exclusive area, where they waited to get on. Then, they heard an announcer over a loudspeaker.

"Fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome to the Max-V Beginner Grand Prix!"

At that que, an official motioned for all 30 ponies to enter the stadium, where the crowd began to cheer for them. As they walked towards the folding stairs, they saw the track. It looked short and simple, with a trivial ledge and a half vertical loop that ended out as an in-line twist that were the most distinguishing features. They all walked on the track, but were positioned in the back of the pack. Giant sheets of glass rose from the floor and closed over the course area once they were all on. Literally, they were now in a glass box. The road was made up of gray metal, with the guardrails having red bars and a blue and gray vertical pipe holding it together every few feet. All of the racers got onto the track, with the seven in the last places.

"Let the race begin!" they heard over the same loudspeaker.

All of them looked at the electric banner with the same white bold text across a sky-blue background, waiting for the countdown.

"Three... Two... One... Go!"

All 30 contestants took off. Trailblazer began running past the other racers, along with Rainbow Dash and AppleJack. Ahead of them was a simple standard right turn. They took it along with the others and got on a small straightaway. Ahead of the was a boost panel, which they saw most of the others running across. They took the panel and sped up for a little bit, taking the next right turn. Ahead of them was another boost panel just before a ledge. All of them took it and landed on the track below them. Ahead of them was a wide turn only slightly going off to the right. At this point, Trailblazer and Rainbow Dash got towards the pack in the single-digit placements. Ahead of them, the slight right turn turned into a slightly tighter left turn, making the road straightened out. It then became a half vertical loop, making all of them upside down. It then became an in-line twist, turning themselves back upright. On this straightaway, two boost panels were ahead of them, straight from each other. All of the racers were easily able to cross it, and were headed back to the lap line. Trailblazer got ahead of the whole pack, with Rainbow Dash in 3rd, AppleJack in 4th, and Pinkie Pie in 6th. On the second lap, Trailblazer began to take advantage of the extra room he had and hugged the inside corners, getting even farther ahead. Rainbow Dash and AppleJack began to do the same, putting them as the top three placeholders. Trailblazer broke away by running across the next few boost panels and hugging the inside corners more. By the time he reached the vertical loop, Rainbow Dash was trailing by four seconds, AppleJack by four and a half seconds from him. The race continued onto the final lap, where he got a strong lead. Rainbow Dash was still in 2nd, AppleJack in 3rd, Pinkie in 4th, and Twilight in 7th. They all continued to run, trying their best to keep up, and trying to get ahead of their opponents. The results came in, with Trailblazer taking 1st place. He stopped a little bit ahead of the finish line to catch his breath, but stood smiling as well. A little bit later, the other ponies crossed the line, taking their spots as well. In the stadium, a scoreboard was attatched to the wall above the crowd. Scores were shown tallied up there. Trailblazer earned himself 30 points, Rainbow Dash got 29, AppleJack with 28, and Pinkie Pie with 27. Twilight ended up in 8th place, earning 22 points, Fluttershy in 13th, getting 17 points, and Rarity in 15th, getting 15.

"Hell, if we keep this up, we'll get that Sacred Star in no time!" Trailblazer said.

He and Rainbow Dash pounded their hooves against each others, and they did the same with AppleJack too. They were the best canidates for the top places already, and they knew that thus novice cup was too easy for them.

Speed of Sound

Once all 30 contestants left the track that they just raced on, a shaft opened below it, and it lowered into the shaft and below the floor. They heard some machinery below them, and then a new track rose from the shaft. This one had a big pool of water that spanned the width of the giant glass box that they were just in. Much to the seven ponies' surprise, parts of the race course went underwater.

"This is going to be fun!" laughed Trailblazer.

"Well, I suppose that it'll be soothing to view a clear subbmerged landscape," said Rarity.

All of them got on the track, ready to race. Trailblazer was set to start in last place at the starting gate, Rainbow Dash in 29th, AppleJack in 28th. Rarity in comparison was going to start in 15th.

The countdown began, and they took off when they all heard "Go!" They got past the electric banner and ran down a domed tunnel. It led them all to an inward banked right turn, then to a small straightaway, and then over an inward banked left turn. They all ran up a slope that took them back above the surface, where a banked right u-turn took them to another straightaway. A boost panel was placed right before a ledge. Most of the racers were able to run across it, gaining more velocity to gross the gap. As they were crossing the gap, Trailblazer caught up with Rarity. along with AppleJack. The gap took them back underwater, which had a long curve to the right. At the end of it was a sharp S-turn to the left and back. A couple of the racers ended up running against the wall. The rest of them got ahead to another right turn, with a slope with three quick boost panels in quick succession. At the end of it was a big jump, with the starting gate below them. Trailblazer jumped off at the very edge of it to get more air, landing ahead of the pack. Pinkie Pie did the same, landing ahead of the crowd too. Trailblazer began leading the pack again, with Pinkie and Rainow Dash behind him. Just like the last time, he kept on the inside part of the track, shaving off more time. The others began to do the same, but they weren't able to catch up. On the straightaway leading back above the surface, he ran straight for the corner, rather than along with the track, or at the inside or outside edge. All of the others followed the same pattern, trying to keep up. This carried over to the last lap, winning his second consecutive race in the Max-V Novice cup.

Trailblazer earned himself 60 points so far, AppleJack and Rainbow Dash were tied for 2nd, and Pinkie Pie still carried third. But the others just seemed to go with the flow.

The next course was a desert themed one. Once the previous course went under, a winding road with sand rose from the floor. An indigo pyramid was also in place, and a part of the road went through it. A few stands were in place away from the track, and it had red lights shining on the track. They were emitting heat to give it a desert atmosphere.

They all got on, and got ready on the countdown. A boost pad was in front of the banner, which all of the easily crossed. A left turn was before them, which led to another boost right before a ledge. All of them took the gap, and ran on a long thin straightaway. It gradually widened as they got into the pyramid. A large and gentle corner rose with a small incline, which got them back out. A pigtail came and got them on another straightaway. The road banked to the outside as they ran over that small "hill", with the inside edge higher than the outside. Then, the road became uneven, with the inner edge raised, and the outer edge, lowered. They ran across it like the rest of the track, taking the upcoming left turn, and the road leveled out on the next straightaway, which took them to the lap line. Like before, Trailblazer got ahead of the pack once again, and ran the course out ahead of all the other ponies, finishing 1st.

"Ugh, this desert simulation is not good for my mane OR coat!" Rarity said as she finished in 23rd place.

"Or, you could take it like a PONY," AppleJack said to her, showing her orneriness.

"Why did I ever agree to race here...?" Rarity said, a bit upset.

"One more race to go!" yelled Twilight.

Trailblazer chuckled quietly. "I'll just blaze right by them."

The next track was one that looked like an electric plant. Sprinklers were set up above the track, putting them in a stormy setting. There were two loops on the track. One of them was vertical, the other, horizontal. The vertical one was right at the start. At it's end was the road, which steadily inclined towards it's left side, giving the impression that the racers were running on a wall. That led to the horizontal loop, which wrapped around the vertical one. The track then twisted upside-down, and the racers found themselves racing right above the starting gate. An outward folded straightaway was ahead of that area, and they saw a slope that sloped upwards, then back down, and twisted back right-side up. The straightaway that they were now on as they ran for the starting gate was folded inward, a mirrored version of the part of the track directly above them. Trailblazer got an early lead and kept it for the entire race.

"Baby, THAT is how that's done!" Trailblazer hollered, smiling from ear to ear.

All of the racers got off of the track. The results showed Trailblazer with a perfect score of 120. AppleJack and Rainbow Dash got 2nd and 3rd, while Pinkie Pie got 6th, Twilight in 8th, Fluttershy in 16th, and Rarity in 20th.

"Does this mean that I won't be able to run with the rest of you in the next Grand Prixs?" asked Fluttershy.

"Maybe if you pulled some weight at all, you would," mumbled Trailblazer.

"What?"

"According to the rules, you have to get 15th or better to get in the tougher grand prixs," he spoke up.

"Tch! Oh..."

"Don't feel bad, dear..." Rarity cooed. "I didn't make it either."

"Though, I have to say, a top three finish for us! That's REALLY good!" cheered Twilight.

"Well, that was just the Novice cup. Wait until we get into the Intermediate or even Expert cup!" said Rainbow Dash.

Another road rose from the floor, this time, just a flat oval, with three pegasi carrying a chariot for three.

"The award ceremony is going on now!" one of the officials said. "You three, come with me." He beckoned Trailblazer, AppleJack, and Rainbow Dash to come with him, and took them to a tunnel in the road. The pegasi stopped in the tunnel, waiting to pick up the three victors.

"Okay, you get on the bronze end, the orange one on the silver part, and, you, the colt, get on top," he instructed.

All three of them got on the chariot, which resembled an award podium. The pegasi pulling the chariot got back airborne and flew just a few inches above the track. As the crowd saw the top finishers, the entire stadium began to cheer them on. In the center of the track, a hemispherical platform was levitating in place, with three more levitating platforms over it. Once the chariot pegasi completed one lap of the oval, they took them to the levitating award podium they saw earlier. All three of them got on their respective platforms, celebrating their victories as they listened to the roaring crowd, praising them for their accomplishment. Trailblazer stood on his hind legs, beating his chest and pumping his hooves, AppleJack was rampant most of the time, and Rainbow Dash hovered over her platform, spinning and pointing to herself, trying to draw the crowd's attention. Three simple trophies were handed to them. Rainbow Dash took the bronze one, AppleJack with silver, and Trailblazer grabbed the gold. More celebrating came from them after taking their trophies for the rest of the ceremony.

After the ceremony ended, Trailblazer was called by a camera crew.

"Hey, come with us, please. We'd like to hit you up for an interview," one of the cameramen said.

"Oh, hell yeah, I'm in," said Trailblazer.

The camera crew took him to a corner of the stadium, where the media got ready to record. It was a platform hovering just off of the floor, with many t.v monitors at the back end of the stand. Trailblazer and the interviewer got in position on the platform.

"Okay, we're going live in five, four, three, two, one."

After the countdown ended, a fanfare played, and the giant monitor in the stadium that displayed the scores of the racers now was showing an image of a holographic sphere, along with the name of the organization, zoomed out from the top right corner of the screen, and stayed in place after that. There were two spinning rings around the sphere, and a vocal clip could be heard once the whole logo was displayed. "Max-V T.V."

After that, one of the pegasus cameramen panned himself around the platform, showing Trailblazer and the interviewer, recording the live broadcast.

"From the special Max-V GP venue, we're broadcasting an interview with the grand prix champion. Okay then, I'd like to ask you a few things."

The interviewer turned to face Trailblazer, who was surprisingly calm at this live interview. "Do you have a message to all of your T.V fans out there?"

"I have T.V. fans?" asked Trailblazer. "But I JUST joined as a racer the other day... Oh well, here's something. Have fun, live life, make the best of it, and grow strong. You only have one life, so make it good."

"Thanks for your words of enthusiasm, Champion! Now, what do you think was the key to your victory?"

"Ever heard of the Rising Warriors? I came from Equestria, and in my hometown, Tethleon, we had a little organization under that name. All of us ponies were trained to handle do-or-die stuations, and that made us both strong, and fast!"

"Thank you. One last thing: What are sone of your hobbies?"

"I play the guitar. I've played in concerts, and even composed a few instrumental songs of my own."

"Thank you for the interview." The interviewer took his microphone back and faced the camera. "That's all the time we have for tonight, fillies and gentlecolts. Thank you for joining us. We'll see you all in the next grand prix!"

The interview ended, and the spectators were beginning to leave the stadium.

"Let's keep this up!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "We did well out there!"

"Yeah... Wooo, I'm a bit tired from all that running," said Trailblazer.

"Well, with all that runnin' it's kinda like survival of the fittest," AppleJack thought.

"I say we hit the hay..." said Twilight. "I'm exhausted..."

"Yeah..." said Rarity. "We don't have to get up to do anything, so sleeping in will feel good."

All of them got out of the stadium and worked their way towards the lobby. One of the workers stopped them.

"Hey, wait up. You forgot your cuts!" he said. "Follow me."

He took them into the offices and into a room with an accountant waiting for them.

"Based on your performances, you'll get paid on how well you did," she said. She walked up to the back end of the room with a bunch of cabinets. They were arranged with three rows and 10 columns. The accountant pulled out bags of coins from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 16th, and 20th cabinets and handed them to the racers.

"How much is in here?" asked Trailblazer.

"3,000 for the champion, 2,900 for the 2nd place holder, 2,800 for 3rd, and so on and so forth."

"Whoa, then that means, I got... 2,400!" Pinkie Pie jumped. "We are RICH! She started to hop around wildly. "Just imagine all the parties I can host, and how many ponies I can provide for! Allthesnacks,desserts,games,everything'sgoingtobeaBLAST! Oh, and Fireworks, too! HeandIaregoingtohaveSOOOOO much fun!"

Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof into her mouth. "A simple "Wow, we're rich" would've done fine."

"Sorry, got a little carried away."

Twilight cocked her head to the side. "A LITTLE?"

The accountant cleared her throat. "Hey, just a little heads-up, this place is going to close for the night in 10 minutes."

"All right, fine, we're leaving," said Twilight.

The seven ponies got out of the stadium and headed back to their hotel. As they walked past a corner of the building, they didn't notice Hat Trick observing them as they discussed what their impressions of the grand prix was like. He quietly vanished in the shadows, unnoticed by any of them.

"...And so, I've observed their abilities as they raced. They are quite fast..." said Hat Trick to Steel Sword.

"How so?" he asked.

"It took the orange and sky blue one several seconds to catch up with the brown colt after he crossed the finish line."

Steel Sword placed a hoof over his chin, thinking. "So, they must be after a Sacred Star there... Okay, here's what I want you to do: don't engage until any one of them is about to grab it. Once you get it, take it away."

"Your wish is my command, sire," he said back.

"Good. Also... Pack Rat! Report!"

The green pony hustled into the throne room. "Yes, my lord?"

"Get in their next Grand Prix and try to slow them down. If they manage to beat you, let Hat Trick handle it. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" they both said.

"Good. Now, go."

Pack Rat ran out of the castle, while Hat Trick vanished, ready to do their duty.

One week passed since Rainbow Dash, AppleJack, and Trailblazer got the top three finish in the Novice cup. During that time, they signed up for the Intermediate cup, and Trailblazer won that too. Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle couldn't get in the upcoming Expert Cup, leaving the three others to take it on themselves.

After the interview, the seven ponies regrouped and headed back to the hotel.

"It's all up to you three now," said Rarity.

"You'll get the Sacred Star, won't you?" asked Twilight. "It's not called the Expert cup for nothing..."

"Twi', yer talkin' to the fastest athletes in Ponyville!" boasted AppleJack.

"We got this in the bag!" taunted Trailblazer. "Did you see those leads I had!"

"Yeah, I did. Why was I even worried?" laughed Twilight.

A tremor shook the earth below them.

"Whoa whoa!" yelled Pinkie.

"Keep steady!

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy got airborne, where the others stood their ground, keeping themselves standing. After only several seconds, the tremors stopped.

"Everypony okay?" asked AppleJack.

"Look! The Sario Hole!" Pinkie Pie looked and pointed at the hole in the sky, which doubled in it's own size.

"It's gotten bigger..." said Twilight.

"I'm not blind," said Trailblazer, sternly.

"Anypony know how much time we have left?" she asked.

They looked around at each other, not answering it.

"It may not be much. We'll have to pretend like we don't have much after all."

"Yeah, this isn't good at all..."

The pressure to keep the world from it's impending destruction was getting tense. They walked back into their hotel that they were staying at, trying to keep hope alive as they anticipated the Max-V Expert cup.

Unrivaled

The next Grand Prix for them was about to go underway. All of them waited in the preparation area, waiting in line to get their magnetized boots and belts.

"So, what do you think our opposition will be like?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, from that there reputation of this Expert cup, Ah bet everypony will be able to keep up with us," AppleJack told her.

"Pffth... They need to make a Pegasus edition."

"Hey, if I get ahead, I can stay ahead," bragged Trailblazer.

"If you say so..."

"But if you can, that next Scared Star is ours," said AppleJack.

"Whoa whoa!" Rainbow Dash spoke up and got their attention, then pointed to a smaller green pony in the crowd. "Trailblazer, does that pony look familiar?"

He turned to look where she was pointing at, and he too, saw the green pony.

"Yeah... Wait, yeah! That's one of the pirates we fought!"

"What is he doing here?!"

"What now?" AppleJack cocked her head to the side, wondering who they were talking about.

"I'll explain," Trailblazer looked at her. "Back when Rainbow Dash and I got on that pirate ship, we fought a few pirates. One of them is right there."

AppleJack lowered an eyebrow. "Huh... Then what's he doin' here?"

"Well, my guess goes to causing trouble."

They waited for a couple minutes for the opening ceremony to begin. After that, the announcer made his que.

"Fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome to, the Max-VEEEEEE, Expert Cuuuuuuuup!"

The stadium was packed with spectators, who started to cheer to get the grand prix going. The platform to take all the racers on the track lowered down to the floor at the waiting area, and all 30 climbed on. It then rode back to the starting gate, where some officials got in position to take the racers to their positions.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, the contestants! The Solo Surgeon, Dr. Bloodflow!"

At that cue, one worker got the said pony onto the track in the 1st place position.

"The Law, Flying Phoinex!"

Another pony was put in position behind Dr. Bloodflow.

"The Hard-Hitting Farmer, AppleJack!"

She was placed 3rd, behind Phoinex.

"The Prism of Speed, Rainbow Dash!"

Likewise, she followed suit.

"The Rising Warrior, Trailblazer!"

He got behind Rainbow Dash.

"The Scurrying Scamperer, Pack Rat!"

The green pony that Rainbow Dash and Trailblazer fought got in position behind Trailblazer. He turned around to face Pack Rat. As the announcer called off more racers to be put on the track, the two ponies began to talk to each other.

"So, that's what we address you as, huh?" he said, giving the green pony an unimpressed look.

"Yeah, but I can't let you guys take the Sacred Stars," said Pack Rat. "This world is for Steel Sword."

"Looks like he brainwashed you good. You do know that guys like him want the world for themselves, right?"

"I'm fully aware of that," Pack Rat said, trying to get in Trailblazer's face. "That's why we're supporting him. He's gonna get rid of this bad world and replace it with a good one."

"You just don't get it, do you?"

"Speak for yourself."

"Try again, shortstop."

"Exactly. A pony that's stuck on your own opinion is too stuck up to believe that this world is full of bad things."

"I don't have to take that from a spineless shrimp," Trailblazer talked back, getting in his face. "At least I can think for myself and can take hits. You're just a whiny wuss."

"We'll see who's a wuss at the end of this grand prix."

"I'm looking at him right now."

"Fillies and gentlecolts! Let the Expert Cup Grand Prix begin!" the announcer said.

All eyes were on the lap line banner, waiting for the countdown to begin. A sliding door that spanned the entire course enterance opened from the center, revealing the course. It was like the city landscape, which was going to be challenging. They all saw a curving road with waves ahead of them, that led to a tunnel. It was anypony's guess what was beyond that. Trailblazer bent his head to both of his sides, cracking his neck as he waited for the countdown.

After a minute of waiting, it began. As they all heard "Go!", all of them went off. Trailblazer started to get ahead of the others for his early start. Pack Rat caught up quickly, but couldn't run as fast as Trailblazer. AppleJack and Rainbow Dash ran ahead of the small green pony as well. As all 30 of them ran on the winding track, they jumped down into the tunnel. There was a steep downhill slope, but that didn't affect them. They ran down it just like it was flat terrain. The slope stopped, curved to the right, and sloped upward. Ahead of them were mines.

"Mines!" Trailblazer instinctively warned. He started to run around them, avoiding contact.

"Mines??" The rest of the pack was more crowded, and Rainbow Dash got caught up in it. The shoving around in the crowded space set off some of the mines. No explosions took place from them. Instead, they knocked ponies off of their balance and tripped them from the splash range. By the end of the sherade, none of the mines were left. Trailblazer ran some more, keeping his frontrunning going. AppleJack and Pack Rat chased him. At the end of the tunnel, he jumped onto a curve to the right. Another curve was ahead of them beyond a gap, going to the left. Yet another gap was beyond that one too. He got across all of them, reaching another right-angle turn to the right, with yet another gap. He jumped over it, with the pack in hot pursuit. There was another right angle right turn, which led to a small straightaway with icy edges. He kept himself in the middle as he ran to the next smooth left corner. A small boost panel was ahead of him, which would lead him to two u-turn paths. The upper one was higher and had a sharper turn. The lower one was not as tight, and would probably waste time. With a leap of faith, he jumped as soon as he crossed the boost panel and dove across the deep gap, and made it to the higher quicker road. Most of the other ponies just a second behind him managed to cross the boost panel, landing on the higher road with him. The other few that couldn't landed on the lower slower road. Both roads led to the lap line, but the sharper u-turn one got them there faster. At the end of the higher road, there was a gap between them and the road to the lap line. He jumped and barely made the cut, then went up the uphill slope, and got back on level ground to the lap line. There was a small gap between Trailblazer and AppleJack as they crossed the lap line. Pack Rat continued to chase the two, along with several others racing behind him, including Rainbow Dash. Trailblazer continued to lead, trying to extend it as he hugged the corners. There were no mines to worry about when he got in the tunnel, and he ran over the gaps and curves that came up. He continued his usual business as he ran through the rest of the track, keeping in 1st place the rest of the race. As the results came in, AppleJack took 2nd, Pack Rat in 3rd, and Rainbow Dash in 6th.

"Hey, AppleJack, mind if I borrow your hat?" asked Trailblazer. Without waiting for an answer, he took it off of her head and placed it on his own. Then, he spoke in the same southern American accent AppleJack spoke in. "What in Sam Hill were ya thinkin', youngin? This here is just gonna keep happenin' and happenin'."

"Shut up!" Pack Rat yelled. "There's three races left, you know!"

"Oooohh, yer tryin' to say that luck will be on your side the rest of the grand prix. How intimidatin'."

All the racers got off the track and waited for the next track to appear. The next track was a volcano-themed one. A hologram of viscous lava flowed underneath the course. No heat emanated from the "lava", but there were red lamps that stood on some stands on the edges of the track, making the atmosphere on the course hot. The course itself sloped up and down almost on each straightaway, and there were no guardrails on the majority of the track.

"Holy..." AppleJack said, looking intently at the course.

"I guess this is more of an endurance place," said Rainbow Dash. "Please tell me that's not real lava."

"Of course it's not," an official said. "It's just a hologram. If you were to fall off, you'd land on a giant air-filled pillow. Of course, that also means disqualification of the course, resulting in a course score of a zero."

As they all got on the lava track, the countdown began again. The race began, starting off by barely inching to the left, as the course began to immediately slope upwards. At the crest, it sloped back down, then back up. The course sloped back down for two more times, and then ended with a tight level left turn. On the next straightaway, bumps that resembled moguls spanned the width of the road, stumbling a few of the racers. Trailblazer made his way towards the upper part of the pack, getting in 6th place, where he saw Rainbow Dash and Pack Rat ahead of him. After crossing the moguls, more slopes got in their way. Some of the racers were going so fast that they lifted off when going over the crests. A few more came, and then at the last hill, the track didn't slope back down. This time, it became level, then gradually sloped back up. A ledge was ahead of them, and two boost panels on both sides of the slightly rising hill were in place. Half of the racers decided not to take the risk, but Trailblazer got the benefits. With it, he caught up to Rainbow Dash and Pack Rat, who were in front of all of them. At the edge, Trailblazer leaped, and found himself taking a 10-story fall to the next road, which would eventually take them back to the lap line. While making a nosedive, the boots still guaranteed a gentle landing. He continued to run on the road, which had guardrails on them, and got past Pack Rat and Rainbow Dash. Ahead of them was a jump pad, but ahead of that was even more moguls, with steeper crests and troughs than the ones on the opposite side of the track. The racers ran around them, and two more boost panels were on the sides. The three leading the pack ran across them, and found themselves on a narrowed part of the track. It got back to it's initial width as they made their way towards the lap line.

Trailblazer and Rainbow Dash kept themselves in 1st and 2nd place throughout the remainder of the race. AppleJack got up to 5th, and Pack Rat ended up in 8th, due to losing his footing over the steep moguls on the second lap.

"Okay, you aren't even good enough to call a rival," Trailblazer told Pack Rat.

The smaller green pony didn't answer him. For him, he was failing the mission, whereas Trailblazer and the main six were succeeding in theirs.

Priorities

It was yet another successful run for Trailblazer, AppleJack, and Rainbow Dash. While those two got caught up in the pack in the end of the other two races, Trailblazer managed to win the Expert grand prix, although not winning on each course. On one of the sky-themed courses, he slipped on sone ice in the middle of the final lap and ended up in 3rd. Pack Rat on the other hand, ended up in 6th place overall, AppleJack in 4th, and Rainbow Dash in 3rd.

This grand prix closing ceremony ended in a different way. While the other 29 participants stood off to the side of the track near the lap line, Trailblazer was instructed to run a casual victory lap. Once he completed it, confetti rained down on the track, and he stood tall and in his usual prominent manner, off to his side with his right foreleg hanging in midair.

"Our Champion!" the announcer called out. "TRAAAAILBLAAAAZER!"

The spectators shouted out more cheers and praises as Trailblazer started to headbang a little bit. A set of stairs folded down from a tall podium on the opposite side of the track. A worker beckoned him to walk up those stairs.

"The Max-V Comittee will now present the Champion's trophy," the announcer rang out.

Trailblazer made his way up the stairs and saw the third Sacred Star on the trophy. He got a grip on the trophy and hoisted it in the air, celebrating by looking at the roaring crowd and headbanging some more.

AppleJack and Rainbow Dash looked at it, knowing that their work was done in this city. Pack Rat knelt down, looking very disappointed in himself.

"What the... Why...?" he asked, looking down at the floor and shaking his head.

Up in the middle of the starting gate, an unremarkable ball of light appeared and disappeared, revealing a unicorn made up of secondary colors. Pack Rat quickly looked up at the unicorn.

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked. "Did they get you a little too good here?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Pack Rat yelled at him.

"Whoawhoawhoa." Trailblazer put the trophy down and looked at the unicorn. "Just you are you, barging in like this?"

The unicorn laughed softly. "If you must know, I am, Hat Trick, your greatest magician! Remember that name well." The last sentence was said sternly.

"Oookaaaaayyy... But why are you here?"

"Ahhh, it's because of that Sacred Star you hold. I cannot let you have it."

"Well too bad. I earned it, and we're gonna keep it."

"Hmmm, how about we make things interesting. Say, let's see HOW much you want it."

His horn glowed, and he, the Sacred Star, and Twilight Sparkle disappeared from the stands in the same fashion that he entered with. Trailblazer stammered and looked around urgently, noticing that his trophy that the Sacred Star rested upon was gone. He ran back on the track and grew worried.

"Oh no, oh no, oh hell no..." he said. AppleJack and Rainbow Dash trotted up to him, trying to make out what to do

"I'd like to deck that guy. He's asking for trouble!" said Rainbow Dash.

"O-kaaaaaayyyy, you can come in now...!" they all heard Hat Trick's voice echoing.

A rift opened, hovering just inches above the track. On the other side, there was imagery that made out a cave, with stalagmites and rock tunnels. Even a racing track was present in the rift.

"Well, here goes nothing..." said Trailblazer.

"Wait, stop!" AppleJack yelled, trying to stop him.

He jumped through it, and the rift closed behind him, leaving the other five to wonder what was going on, as well as the rest of the racers and spectators.

Beyond that rift was a brightly lit cave, with a racing track that winded through it. He walked through the cave and reached the lap line, where Hat Trick waited for him.

"Trailblazer!" he heard Twilight shout.

Trailblazer looked around, then up. Above him was a part of the circuit, which was broken, creating a ledge. Twilight Sparkle was suspended in the air, with her body tied up by a rope that hung from the ceiling. On the adjacent side was the trophy, hanging around in the same manner. Below them were some sharpened stalagmites.

"I'm giving you a choice," said Hat Trick. "It's either the Sacred Star, or your friend here."

Before Trailblazer could ask where he was, he disappeared again. Twilight Sparkle screamed.

"Now what?" Trailblazer yelled. He looked up at her, and saw an axe, with a magical aura around it. It was sidewinging away in the air, inching towards the ropes that Twilight and the Sacred Star were dangling by.

"Hurry!" she yelled.

"She's right," they heard Hat Trick say. "Time's running out."

Trailblazer began to run on the path, running on the starting straightaway. He reached the end of it and made a sharp right turn. Beyond that corner was a big domed area, with more parts of the track winding through it. Another straightaway that curved slightly to the left was ahead of him. He ran across it, but then, some stalactites fell onto the track, creating gaps. This startled him, and he looked up at the ceiling. Hat Trick was levitating in the center of the spacious room, responsible for causing the track to fall apart.

"Now THIS, is going to be so, much, FUN!" he shouted.

Oh, hell... thought Trailblazer. This isn't going to be pretty...

He sprinted across the course, avoiding the gaps. Up ahead of him was another right turn. He took it and got into the tunnel, only to find a u-turn ahead of him. The path took him back into the domed area, where Hat Trick observed his progress. With another sweep of his magic, he hurled some boulders at the track, causing parts of the next straightaway he was crossing to get blocked or break off in chunks. One of the bigger ones landed inches behind Trailblazer, breaking off part of the track that it collided with. A few others landed on the track itself, blocking parts of the circuit. He simply got out of the way and ran through the openings. One more big one landed before the mouth of the next opening, breaking the circuit. Without thinking, Trailblazer leapt over the gap and landed on the next part of the track. It sloped downwards a little bit, and then banked towards the inside with a right turn ahead of him. It then banked to the opposite side, with a banked left u-turn. Up ahead, Trailblazer could see some stalagmites sticking out from the track, narrowing the course a little bit. From the right, splitting the center, and then on the right again. With another left turn, he got back in the domed area, with the last straightaway sloping upwards.

"Now, for the main event!" yelled Hat Trick.

With a clap of his hooves, the course started to fall apart behind him. He quicy peeked behind him to see that the track was crumbling and falling. The rate of it falling apart was slightly faster than Trailblazer's pace could muster. With a sense of urgency, he hustled up the slope and out of the domed area, with the fragile track in hot pursuit. Once he reached the peak, he found himself level with where Twilight and the trophy were held. As he ran towards it, he saw her on the opposite side of the gap, untied.

"Go, get the trophy!" she yelled.

Trailblazer was confused as to how she got there, but he kept running towards the gap. Just as soon as the track collapsed underneath him, the axe cut apart the rope that held the trophy and the Sacred Star resting on it. He jumped and stretched his legs out to grab it. He caught the trophy and landed on the opposite side of the circuit, where Twilight was. He landed hard on his side, cradling the trophy. He looked up and got back on his feet.

"C'mon, let's go!" he ordered. Twilight used her magic to carry the trophy through the air, following Trailblazer back down. Ahead of them was a gap with a medium drop. He jumped and cleared it, but Twilight slipped. Her magic inertia sent the trophy over the gap, but she fell down. Her belly struck the edge of the lower gap hard, and she tried grabbing onto the course, inching towards the spikes below her.

"Heeelp!" she yelled desperately.

Trailblazer turned around, seeing as she was hanging onto the edge for dear life. He ran towards her to get her up.

"Here, let me help you up." He took his hooves and let her grab onto them. She hung on as she was dragged back onto the track.

"Thanks, Trailblazer," she said, shaky.

They both ran down a pigtail that spiraled twice and back down where the starting area was. Twilight rested the trophy back down on the floor, upright.

"Now, we all like surprises..." they heard Hat Trick say. "Let's see what your priority was."

He appeared right in front of them to see what Trailblazer picked. Much to his own surprise, he saw both Twilight and the trophy with Trailblazer.

"What?!" he yelled. "But how? How did I lose at my own challenge??"

Without hesitation, Trailblazer rammed him, and then gave him a hard kick with his hind legs. The unicorn let out a cry of major pain, stumbled, and fell.

"Oh, take it like a colt, wuss," Trailblazer said sternly. "That was just a gift for trying to mess with me."

"And I shall. I will... Accept! Defeat." Hat Trick said, as he got up. He held onto his chest, straining to talk. "Next time, you'll be mine..." He created a rift to get back to Mutait, and then disappeared.

"Is I good, or is I good?" Trailblazer said, smiling.

"Hey, Trailblazer?" Twilight said. He looked at her, and she smiled. "Thank you."

"Well... How did you get out of those ropes? I saw that he had you tied good." wondered Trailblazer.

"What happened was, when you were running on that track, I swung myself back and forth with the track. As I gained momentum, I saw that the angle of the rope I was tied to would hit the axe early. So, I kept going. Once it got cut, I landed on the opposite side of the track from where you were coming from. After that, I untied myself, waiting for you to come."

He looked at the unicorn, in awe. "That... Was pretty cool."

"Still, you're my hero!" Twilight snuggled up to Trailblazer's side and planted a kiss on his cheek. He was shocked at her action, but then, he thought that it wasn't right to scold her after saving herself in the first place, and welcomed the gesture.

"Yeah, all right. You're welcome." He turned around to look at the rift. "What do you say about getting out of here?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded, and they both walked through the rift. Just as soon as they walked through it, it disappeared behind them. They were welcomed by the audience after the rescue Trailblazer made. The other five saw the safe return and cheered themselves, stomping their hooves too.

"Oh my God, Trailblazer! Yer safe!" AppleJack ran up to him and held him tightly.

"I knew we could count on you, 'blazer!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "What did you have to do there?"

"I raced through a cave with a track that was falling apart," he replied. "In a way, it was kind of fun."

"Oooooooooohh!" Pinkie Pie said curiously. "That WOULD be fun! A track that fell apart as you raced on it?!" She gasped loudly. "We ought to suggest this to this commitee!"

"Hold your breath, dear," said Rarity. "We can all see that Twilight Sparkle is back, and the Sacred Star in this area has been obtained. Our work here is done."

After the celebration in the stadium, the racers were escorted out of the stadium and to the offices, where they got their paychecks. Trailblazer carried the trophy with him out of the building, with a big grin on his face.

"Okay, you have to admit, how cool, was THAT?" he asked the main six.

For the ones that did well in the races, they responded in favor of the Max-V Grand Prixs, while the ones that did poorly had a low opinion of it.

"Well, whatever," he said as all seven of them walked towards the Mutait train station. "Mission accomplished."

All of them took the train back to Rautsong. It was near midnight by the time they made it back in that city, so they checked back into the hotel and hit the hay.

"WHAT??" spat Steel Sword in utter disbelief. "You are having a joke with me! Please tell me that this is a joke!"

"I'm afraid not, sire," said Hat Trick.

The two minions that went against Trailblazer and his friends were back in Steel Sword's throne room. None of them were in good moods.

"Unbelievable!"

"So, now what?" asked Pack Rat.

"Get out of my sight! Both of you!"

Without saying anything, the two minions backed away slowly out of his room, somewhat ashamed at their failure.

"Well, now what are we going to do about these ponies?" asked Clear Night.

"I know just who to send..." chuckled Steel Sword. "I now summon, Red Rover!"

Some footsteps were heard in the castle, growing louder with each tread. Then, Red Rover burst through the double doors.

"Ready for duty, my lord!" he shouted. "What will I be doing?"

"Find out where these ponies are headed, and keep them from getting the next Sacred Star."

"Now, I just want to be sure, do you want them, dead, or alive?"

"Either or."

"Dead it is! Red Rover, OUT!"

He barged out of the room with his stomping treads and ran off.

"Be careful, my dear adversaries..." Steel Sword chuckled again.

The Truth Hurts

After their stay in the hotel in Rautsong, the seven ponies made their way to Merlow's place to show them the next Sacred Star they collected from Mutait.

"A bit of a rough ending there, wasn't it?" he asked?

"What??" asked Rarity. "How do you know of our rough conclusion?"

The wizard laughed. "Mutait has the technology to broadcast their races to the entire region! I watched your progress from here!" He reached behind his curtain and pulled out a box with a screen on it.

"That's a television set, isn't it?" Trailblazer said.

"A television set?" a few of the others wondered.

"Right. Watch." He turned the power on on the T.V. After a brief delay, the screen showed some ponies racing on the same desert course that they all raced on in the Novice Cup. "This is how I observed your progress."

"Okay, that makes sense now."

"Anyways, do you have that Sacred Star with you?"

"Yeah." Twilight reached into her saddle bag and pulled out the green gem they got in Mutait.

"Good. Let's see where you'll be going to next."

He lifted the star above his crystal ball and peered at it. "Let's see here..." A moment later, a volcano appeared in the crystal ball. At it's base was a heavily guarded white building with square windows. Over the vent of the volcano was a blue Sacred Star.

"Ummm..." thought Rainbow Dash. "Is that thing telling us that our next Sacred Star is at a volcano?"

"Indeed, it is," answered Merlow.

"And what was that building there for?"

"This is Mt. Terabolt. And that building you're talking about is the Terabolt Research Facility. What they do there is create new products that use heat, such as thermal pads, heatproof items, and study the effects of intense heat on those products. Technically, it's a research center for producing and testing retail items.

"So, they live at the base of a volcano, use it's heat to test some inventions, and then make their money that way?" Pinkie Pie wondered.

"Pretty much," said Merlow.

"Well, knowing my luck, we'll have to end up going INTO that volcano in order to grab the next Sacred Star," said Trailblazer, rolling his eyes.

"Well, don't stress yourselves out. You can always..." Merlow began.

An earthquake interrupted him. A few small boxes fell to the floor from Merlow's shelves.

"Hang on!" Rarity shouted.

Trailblazer dove under the table that the crystal ball was on. Fluttershy dove after him, and saw that he was sitting upright with his front hooves holding the table's "ceiling". Several seconds later, the tremors subsided.

"Is everypony okay?" they heard AppleJack ask.

"I'm fine," said Rainbow Dash.

"No cuts or scratches on me!" Pinkie Pie called in a sing-song voice.

"What about the rest of the town?" wondered Twilight.

All of the ponies got out of the house to see if there was any damage. But what caught their attention was the Sario Hole.

"Did that thing get bigger??" Rarity thought out loud.

Many other ponies got out on the streets to see for themselves what the quake was about. Sure enough, their attention was drawn to the Sario Hole. Before the tremors, it doubled in it's own small size. Now, it took up nearly a third of the sky from their field of view.

"Yeah, it DID!" Rarity exclaimed, answering her own question.

"I was going to tell you that you should take it easy with your search, but I'm afraid that that's no longer an option..." said Merlow.

"Time is of the essence," Rarity said back. "There has to be a way to get to Mt. Terabolt quickly, right?"

"Like always, you can take the trains you've been riding and get there using that. But there's no railroad that you can take to go directly there in one trip."

"Well, what do we do about that?"

"Take the train to either Sagastrome or Mutait. From there, you have the option to go to Mt. Terabolt."

"Oh. Well, that shouldn't be much of a hassle."

Fluttershy looked at the others and saw their saddlebags. She then realized that she forgot it back in Merlow's house. "Wait, before we go, I need to go grab my saddlebag," she said softly.

" Well, go get it then," Rainbow Dash told her.

Fluttershy walked back into the house to grab her bag. On the floor next to it was a slip of paper. She gazed at it curiously to see that it was a reciept for the T.V. Merlow got.

She squinted at the finer print on it near the top. Along with the store name, the date of the purchase was on it too. Upon further inspection, it showed that the purchase for the T.V was only yesterday.

"Wait, if he said that he's been watching all of our races, then how can he if he didn't even..."

"What's taking you so long, Fluttershy??" Her train of though got cut off when an annoyed Trailblazer called out to her.

She darted out of the house with her saddlebag on her. "Sorry... It's just that..."

Trailblazer looked at her a bit skeptically. "It's just, what?"

"I saw something odd in there," she said. "I don't think..."

"It must not've been important," said Rainbow Dash. "The thing is, are we ready to go?"

"Ah'm ready, y'all ready?" AppleJack replied.

"Yes," came the reply from the others. Fluttershy did not answer.

"I don't think we can trust this pony," she whispered under her breath, unable to be heard by the other six. "We have been lied to."

All of them walked towards the train station that they've been taking throughout the journey. Right as they were walking past their hotel, Twilight grimaced and shut her eyes tight.

"You okay, Twi'?" asked Pinkie.

"It's Celestia," she answered. "She's trying to talk to me."

"Huh?"

"Can all of you hear me?" they heard.

"Are- Are you all hearing this too?" Pinkie asked again.

"I am," Rarity told her.

"Yeah," Trailblazer answered.

The others nodded.

"We're good, Princess," Twilight said.

"All right. I'll need your utmost attention, all of you." they heard Celestia say. "I was doing some research on the Sario Hole that you're trying to close, when we were hit with an earthquake."

"You had one too?" Twilight asked her.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"We got one over here too."

Princess Celestia paused. "So, this quake could be felt from over here too... This situation is growing dire. How far are you in your quest to stop it?"

"We have three of them so far." Twilight looked at the other ones. "Right?"

"There's the one Merlow had..." Fluttershy said.

"And we got one in Sagastrome, and a third one in Mutait," Trailblazer added. "We're now on our way towards the fourth one."

"Ah, you are doing well then. Keep up the good work, you ponies."

"Wait, Princess?" Twilight spoke up again. "You said that you have something to tell us about the Sacred Stars?"

"Oh, right. Thank you for reminding me." Celestia cleared her throat. "There was this old tome that I found when I looked for anything on these jewels, and this book contained more information than a summarized statement of each and every cosmic body. It turns out that one cannot make a wish for evil intentions."

"Wait, evil intentions?" Trailblazer interrupted. "Look, I know that we've met and fought some selfish people before, but this whole 'destroying the world' thing is overkill!"

"Exactly. If this planet gets destroyed, then that's bad enough. That's why these Sacred Stars are meant to grant wishes that aren't directed towards bad outcomes."

"Okay, yeah, but... The world's going to be gone if we're too late."

"I should also mention that the ponies in ancient Inyomaid created these stars for emergency uses, such as protection from a natural disaster. But the Sinister Star became a product of those selfish thoughts. So, because of this, they made these stars scatter everytime the Sario Hole disappeared."

"I guess we now know some insight on these stars we're looking for, but was the history lesson necessary?"

"Maybe not, but the origin on why these things are around is what I just told you all. Maybe a few of you wanted to know anyways."

"Like Twilight Sparkle?"

The princess paused again. "Yes, like Twilight Sparkle. But anyways, if your adversary used a wish for any reason, it must've been a good wish. You might be stopping a good cause."

Rainbow Dash started to wonder what the wish was. The others started to do the same.

"Anyways, the wish or it's importance doesn't compare to the urgency we're facing with this Sario Hole. That pony obviously is not putting any effort into collecting the Sacred Stars themselves. Keep up the good work on gathering them. Best of luck... All of you." Celestia terminated the telepathy call.

"I guess we shouldn't be wasting any time here," Rarity said. "But if we weren't in such a situation, then I can think of plenty of reasons to dwaddle."

Trailblazer raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "What, are you afraid of breaking one drop of sweat?"

"Trailblazer, that's the exact thing that makes my coat look and smell bad, so, yes."

"Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Hey y'all. We could've been there and back by now," AppleJack said, right before Trailblazer finished his sentence.

Rarity turned to look away, blushing angrily. All of them walked back to the train station they all used before, paid for their tickets, and got on.

Their first stop of the two-way trip was at Sagastrome. The train that would take them to Mt. Terabolt wasn't far from where they were dropped off, and immediately got on that train. It was another hour long trip for them towards Mt. Terabolt. At their departure, they got off and headed right up the stairs from the loading/unloading dock. Upon getting out of the station itself, they saw a town amongst them.

"Is this Mt. Terabolt?" Twilight asked.

"I can see the volcano," said Rainbow Dash as she got airborn to get a better view.

In the distance, a volcano was way in the back of the town. At the foot of it was a building that matched the description of the one Merlow saw in the crystal ball. The town was made up of a lot of square or rectangular buildings, mostly single story ones.

"Let's go," said Trailblazer. "We've got quite a walk ahead of us."

It took the group at least a half hour until they reached the research center. Along the way, Rainbow Dash kept getting the urge to fly over to that lab. She got reminded by AppleJack that they had to stay together for this, to which the pegasus folded her forelegs and hovered grumpily low above the ground upon hearing the response.

"So, is there some sort of visitor enterance here?" wondered Twilight.

"There had better be," said Trailblazer sternly. "We didn't take any trains to waste any money; we came here for the Sacred Star, and some answers."

AppleJack shot a confused look at him. "Are you, okay, Trailblazer?"

"Mmm, I'm fine. But I don't want to have my leg pulled."

She looked at the other five, still a bit confused.

"Here we go!" He saw a sign on the front end of the building labeled "Visitors Enterance", with a thin arrow pointing to the right. The walked to the right side of the building to see a glass door with a sign over it with the same label.

They entered the building to see a faded blue circular desk in the middle of a white tile floored room. A couple ponies in lab coats walked around in the lobby too.

"Welcome to the Mt. Terabolt Product Testing Research Center," the female receptionist greeted them with. "Did you all come here for a tour?"

"Wait, a tour...?" Fluttershy asked.

The other six looked at each other for a second. Then, Trailblazer spoke up.

"Yeah, we did," he said.

"We did?" Fluttershy was still not understanding.

Trailblazer turned around, showing a small scowl. "Yes. We are. To learn where the 'jewel' is." He said this softly and winked.

Fluttershy looked out of the cornesr of her eyes, still not getting the hint. His scowl got bigger. He then put on a smile and turned to face the mare behind the desk. "Yes, we all came for the tour."

"All right, let me get a few volcanologists in here," she said. She pressed a button on the desk, which must've called for a few ponies to report.

"Trailblazer, what are you doing?" Twilight whispered at him.

"We came here for a Sacred Star. If we go through this place, then we might find some ponies who know about it," he whispered back.

Fluttershy's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, the 'JEWEL'!" she whispered at them.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Okay, now I get it."

"Pfft... Took ya long enough."

"Hey, I heard that."

"And...?"

Fluttershy groaned and gave him a dirty look.

"Can you two get along?" demanded Twilight.

"Are these the visitors?" somepony asked.

"Yes, they are."

The group turned around to see four ponies, two earth, and two unicorns, in white lab coats.

"Well, hell-O, there!" the tangerine-colored unicorn greeted them with.

"Hey, hi!" Trailblazer said.

The unicorn stopped. "I was TALKING to the little lady."

"Oh, darling..." said Rarity, smiling.

"No, not you."

Rarity immediately frowned. "Excuse me??"

"Her!"

The tangerine unicorn lifted his right hoof and pointed at Twilight Sparkle. She lifted her own hoof and pointed at herself, a bit confused. "Me?"

"Yeah!"

She chuckled. "Aww, it's nice of you to think of me that way."

"Well hold on, aren't we taking a tour?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"I thought so too..." said Trailblazer.

"So, how are you?" the unicorn asked Twilight.

She smiled. "Well, a lot better now. We came here to know and understand how you make all this stuff."

"Well, you came to the right place. We have a lab with all this materials we test."

"And do you study the sediments of rocks, and test it on your products?"

"Yeah, as well as test other stuff for heatproofing them against our products."

"And can they sustain temperatures over 3,000 degrees?"

"Right, with all the molecules striking the surfaces..."

"And it's all because of the heat that speeds them up."

The unicorns beamed. "Rock Solid," he said.

"Twilight Sparkle," came the reply.

"Anyways, how do you like..."

"Hey y'all. We came here for a tour of this fancy place," AppleJack said, interrupting Rock Solid.

"She's right, Rock," one of the earth ponies told him. She turned around and beckoned them all. "Let's go."

"Yes, let's," the other unicorn said.

The four researchers led them to the back of the room where a lot of merchandise was shelved. "This is where we keep our products for sale. As you can all see. These items also get shipped to other places around Inyomaid, and overseas."

They then got led to the research area where the products got made. "Over here, we have some research undergoing how we can use this heat-induced stuff and turn it into products that can help out ponies like yourselves." The tour guide went into one of the rooms, and then beckoned the seven to come inside. "These..." he said, "Are heat pads that can relieve aches and pains. How they work is that they emit heat onto, for example, your back. This can make the muscles in your back relax, relieving you of the pains. They are much easier to use rather than buying over-the-counter pain pills again and again.

They got led into another room with some rubber hoof covers. "These, are heat-resistant gloves that can keep you from getting burnt by nearly any heat source. Much like your small intestines, these gloves have a microscopic villi-like surface, therefore increasing the surface area of the glove. The surface area of these are quintuple the amount of regular rubber gloves. You could actually stick your hoof in lava for any amount of time, and you won't feel a thing!"

They were all led to several other rooms with products that they had manufactured, where they got led back to the lobby. "Do any of you have any questions?"

"I do," said Trailblazer. "Do any of you know of a star-shaped gemstone that is said to reside in this volcano?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked! I forgot about the treasure we got one day." The ponies all followed him to a room on the second floor. "We found this blue star thing while testing some heatproof items while in the volcano one day..." He stopped to open the door and looked inside. Then, he panicked. "What, it's gone!"

"What??" Twilight Sparkle ran into the room, the other six followed suit. What they saw of a display case was cut away glass, with a small pedestal and two small spotlights.

"And no alarms got tripped either! How did this happen??"

"Oh, looking for this?" a cocky voice spoke up.

They all looked around at each other. "Who said that?" Rock Solid asked.

A buff red pony jumped in from the ceiling of the hallway, breaking off chunks of it. Trailblazer recognized him.

"Hey, I remember you!" he shouted. "I fought you on that ship!"

"And I remember you too!" the red pony replied. "You can call me Red Rover." He held up the shining blue Sacred Star. "See this Sacred Star? I can't let you guys have it."

"Like hell we can't!" Trailblazer ran towards him and jumped towards the broken ceiling. Rainbow Dash flew up towards him, but he disappeared in a quick flash.

"What??" Trailblazer pulled himself onto the roof and tried to figured out what happened.

"Where did he go?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"Red Rover is right," a strange voice came from nowhere. "You cannot have those Sacred Stars."

All the ponies at the scene looked around and asked if it was any one of them, all without answers.

"Could somepony explain what's going on??" one of the researchers asked hastily.

One moment later, another flash appeared right before them. As soon as it appeared, it diminished, and a levitating unicorn floated above the roof of the research facility. He sported a dull gray coat and a faded light blue mane. The color of his eyes matched his mane. All eyes were on him.

"You are far too late to stop the Sario Hole!" he announced.

"You??" Twilight shouted at him. "Wait, YOU'RE the one who caused the Sario Hole to appear! Steel Sword!"

"I'm actually surprised! You DO know my name after all!" Steel Sword said back. "But the moment that I summoned the hole was the moment that decided the world's fate. And it's fate, is destruction."

"But you must not want us to get the Sacred Stars, and they are the only things that can close the Sario Hole!"

Steel Sword laughed at Twilight mockingly. "You honestly think that those rhinestones can save the world? I laugh at your foolishness!"

"But... Why?? Why do you want to destroy this world?"

The unicorn was puzzled at why she wanted to know his motive. "Considering that the world's destruction is imminent, I will share the reason with you." He hung his head, and his voice suddenly came from booming and valiant, to a more solemn tone. "The world we have holds no meaning, nor joy. Life doesn't matter in such a world. That realization came that way when I was seperated from that filly called Twilight..."

Twilight Sparkle rapidly shook her head, shocked at what Steel Sword just said. "Twilight...?"

"But that is all I have to reveal!" His mood came back as it was in his initial appearance. He gradually began to float higher in the air. "Go ahead and collect them if you dare! I will seal you all to your doom along with the planet!" Steel Sword laughed maniacally as he continued to levitate. At the end of his laughter, he dissapeared in his flash that was used for his enterance, leaving the ponies in awe and confusion.

"That gem he found... That was called a Sacred Star?" a researcher asked. "What was with that unicorn? We need answers!"

Twilight continued to look at the last place she saw Steel Sword. Her shock kept her paralyzed.

Could that have been... She thought. No... Impossible! Something just didn't add up!

But in the back of her mind, quiet nagging doubts flooded her head. Was it really the one she was friends with long ago, or some other pony that they never knew?

Taking The Heat

"This is not right! It just isn't a coincidence that those two thugs showed up when you all did. We need answers! NOW!"

The tour guide scientist cornered the seven into the back of the hallway, pressuring the seven travelers.

"And we're gonna! Don't get your panties in a bunch," said Trailblazer, disdainful at the tour guide's prejudice. "You want to give us a chance to talk here?"

"I want to know what's going on! Now, tell us!"

He scowled at the tour guide. "Keep that attitude up..."

"Please tell us what the hell is going on, I said 'please'."

Trailblazer stopped and looked to the side, and grumbled something to himself.

"Look, I'll explain..." Twilight said. "We're looking for these crystals called Sacred Stars, and that crystal that got stolen is one of them."

"How do you know that?"

AppleJack looked at the tour guide skeptically. "Out of all the ponyfolk we've met, YOU would be the ones that would know 'bout them."

"And why should I believe you?"

"AppleJack is the most honest pony you'll ever meet," Trailblazer answered, defending AppleJack.

"Plasma Beam, they're right about this," said Rock Solid. "Those things have been around ever since ancient Inyomaid. You know, I bet they're trying to close that Sario Hole."

"Is that what that purple hole's called?"

"Yeah."

The tour guide known as Plasma Beam stopped and thought for a moment. "Well, I don't like this whole deal one bit, but I'm going to look into it." He walked back downstairs to study the topic.

Twilight was still a bit rudely awakened by the fact of Steel Sword's motive, but she had to put it behind her. She shut out the memory as a trivial topic and got back in the present.

"Look, I'm sorry about our tour guide," Rock Solid continued. "He's quite a pessimist when something doesn't go his way."

"That guy, was like my dad," Trailblazer muttered, still frowning.

"Well anyways, I do know the history of the Sacred Stars we have in this region, and I do know that you need them to get rid of that Sario Hole."

"Yeah, that's what we're here for," Twilight responded. "We noticed the hole when we were all back in Ponyville, but we were told that in order to stop it, we needed the Sacred Stars."

"Now, Ah reckon Red Rover took it into that there volcano y'all have back there," said AppleJack. "It seems to make the most sense, but it's still just a guess."

"Here, let me take a look in the survelience room. Come with me."

They all followed Rock Solid into a room with many monitors. One of them was a heat-scanning one of the volcano. Among all of the red, yellow, pink, and white lines, near the vent were a few blue and green ones.

"According to this live view, a pony is in the vent of the volcano," Rock Solid said. "Might be Red Rover."

"All right, thanks," said Trailblazer.

"You stay safe, you seven," Rock Solid said. Then, in a softer voice, "Especially you, Twilight."

Twilight was flattered. She smiled and blushed. "Awwww, why, thank you! And don't worry about me. I will."

All of them left the research facility to scale the mountain.

"Wait... Here, let's make it easier," said Rainbow Dash. She wrapped her forelegs around AppleJack's body and got ready to give a skyride.

"Yeah, that'll help, just give me a moment..." Fluttershy got a hold of Rarity, and they lifted off. Rather than scaling the volcano, they were going to just fly to the top. They were dropped off on the top, and the two pegasi flew back down.

"Ooh, ooh, me next, me next!" Pinkie Pie said, hopping in place.

Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie, and Fluttershy got Twilight Sparkle, carrying them both to the top to join AppleJack and Rarity. Rainbow Dash flew back down to carry Trailblazer up to them.

As they all gazed down the vent, Trailblazer muttered something quietly and angrily.

"Is there somethin' botherin' ya, Trailblazer?" AppleJack asked him. "'Cause it sure does sound like it."

"That tour guide should've been a better listener," he said. "And he was acting a lot like my dad when he rudely pressured us. If I could, I'd punch that guy's teeth right down his ugly throat." He jumped onto the ledge inside the vent and started to head towards the bottom. "That ought to keep his big mouth shut."

AppleJack turned around and looked at Rainbow Dash, both unsure on why Trailblazer was speaking so rudely. "Do ya know what's wrong with him?" she asked the pegasus.

"I wish I did..." she answered. "And why is he this mad?"

Without answering each other, the six followed him on the ledge. There were many other ledges below them of varying sizes, creating some terraces two feet vertically apart from each other. They all climbed cautiously down the steps, trying hard not to lose their footing. A fall would send them plummeting down a 15 story drop to the bottom, either killing them from the fall or into a magma bath.

"Okay, where is he..." said Trailblazer, scanning the area he was level with. There were a few piles of rocks along several of the ledges, but no sign of Red Rover.

"Excuse me for this, but..." Rarity spoke up. "Could we have Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy hover below us? I'd really hate to have ourselves fall and perish due to carelessness. Perhaps you two could catch us, just to be safe...?"

"Hm, good idea, Rarity," Twight said.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy got airborne and hovered below all of them. Dash flew a bit below Fluttershy to get a look at the bottom of the volcano. In a pool of magma, a rock floated above it. It was shaped like a cone, but with irregular ledges that acted like more terraces. On the flat top of the cone-shaped rock was the Sacred Star, embedded in a transparent crystalline rock, which stuck out from the top of the rock by a few feet.

"I see it!" she shouted.

Three of them got eager to get down to the base inside the volcano along with Rainbow Dash.

"Still, no sign of Red Rover..." thought Trailblazer. "This feels like a trap."

Twilight Sparkle stayed behind. Fluttershy did the same.

"Hey, everyone! Stop for a minute!" Twilight yelled at them. But Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and AppleJack kept going towards the rock along with Rainbow Dash.

"We're almost there, Twilight!" Dash yelled back.

"Is her memory THAT bad?" Trailblazer asked Twilight. "Or is she just THAT naive?"

"Don't get me started," she answered back.

A couple rocks fell and rolled towards the magma pit below them. A bigger one flew past them and down towards the other four.

"What the-!" Trailblazer and the other two turned to see where the bigger one flew from. There, they saw Red Rover, standing on a rock pile that he just emerged from.

"Watch out!" Twilight yelled down to the others.

The four that were down near the Sacred Star didn't know what they were referring to. Rainbow Dash turned around and looked up to see a pony-sized rock falling towards her. Without a chance to react, the rock struck her, to which she let out a cry of severe pain. The inertia of the rock knocked her onto the cone boulder, unconscious.

"Rainbow Dash!" AppleJack yelled after seeing what happened.

Then, Rarity looked at the lava pool, and she put a hoof over her mouth.

"That rock's sinking!!" she screamed.

All the other ponies saw that ths bottom of the cone rock Rainbow Dash was lying on started to sink into the lava. With urgency peaking, the cowpony jumped on the rock and began to climb it to rescue Rainbow Dash.

The three near the top saw what was going on, shocked, knowing that they were in a terrible situation.

"I've got to get down there!" shouted Trailblazer. "Fluttershy, you come help too!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" replied Fluttershy, tense as ever.

"Wait, what about me?!" Twilight looked around, a bit afraid.

"Just distract that guy as much as you can!"

Trailblazer and Fluttershy headed towards the magma pool to help out the others. Just as Twilight tried to think of what to do, Red Rover landed right on the ledge she was standing on directly in front of her. This surprised her, but she managed to duck and avoided his hoof that swung at her. It collided with the rocky wall, breaking off a few chunks of it. Twilight gained some distance and started to fend him off with some magic.

While she did that, Trailblazer and Fluttershy reached the sinking cone rock. AppleJack had already reached Rainbow Dash and the trapped Sacred Star, to which they found her kicking the crystal, trying to break it. Fluttershy grabbed Rainbow Dash's body and flew her to safety.

"Hey!" yelled Trailblazer, catching Rarity's and Pinkie Pie's attention. "Get back up and help out Twilight! She needs it!"

They both looked up at Twilight Sparkle, struggling to fight Red Rover.

"Oh yeah, will do!" Pinkie hopped back up the ledges.

"Yes, certainly!" Rarity answered at the same time, as she began to teleport her way back up.

Trailblazer then jumped onto the sinking rock, and helped out AppleJack in kicking apart the crystal.

"We gotta hustle!" he yelled.

"Get goin'!" AppleJack yelled back.

Both of them worked at breaking the crystal. As they did that, Twilight was about to get knocked off. Red Rover smiled as he lifted his hoof to shove her off. Then, an ivory beam struck his foreleg, burning the part of the coat it connected to. Twilight turned to see where it came from, and saw Rarity on one of the lower ledges. Pinkie Pie jumped in and attacked Red Rover from behind.

As they fought Red Rover on top, the cone rock's peak the two earth ponies were standing on was about to go under. They kept up the pace at getting the Sacred Star trapped in the crystal. One last kick from AppleJack freed the star. It levitated and spun in place above them once it came undone.

"Got it!" Trailblazer got control of it and threw it above them near a ledge. It floated in place over there now. But at that point, the lava was only a moment away from submerging the rock they stood upon.

"Let's get off this thing!" Trailblazer jumped and landed onto a thin ledge that jutted out from the rock wall. AppleJack gained speed and jumped too, just before the cone rock sunk beneath the lava. She didn't quite land entirely on the thin ledge, and slipped. She hung on using her front hooves, as the rest of her body was dangling above the lava below her. Then, she felt her hooves starting to slip.

"Oh no-!" she yelped, panicking. A hoof slipped, and the other was doing the same. Her cry for help got his attention.

"TRAILBLAZER!!" screamed AppleJack quickly as the other hoof slipped. Trailblazer reached her and caught her by it, nearly losing his balance by doing so. He got steady once again, making sure that his feet were anchored in place on the thin ledge.

"I gotcha, I gotcha, just hang on," he said. Trailblazer gently pulled her back up, trying to keep himself steady. A hasty move would send both of them into the lava. After several seconds, AppleJack was back up and able to stand on her own on the ledge. She carefully got back onto the ledges near the rock wall, breathing uneasily.

"That... Was scary..." she panted. She was quite shaken at the near-death experience.

"Hey, you're still okay, right?" Trailblazer asked, a bit shaky himself.

"Yeah... Ah am..."

"All right. Save thanking me for later. We got to get back up and get rid of Red Rover."

Both of them ran up the terraces to join the fight between them and Rover. While they ran up to the vent, Trailblazer grabbed the Sacred Star and tucked it away in his saddle bag. After this, they resumed running back up the ledges. Though by the time they got there, Red Rover was down.

"Taken care of," Pinkie Pie told them.

Both of them paused and looked at her. "Inpressive," Trailblazer said.

"Well, hold on now..." AppleJack spoke up. "Where's Rainbow?"

"Oh, crap, Rainbow Dash." Trailblazer climbed out of the vent to see if Fluttershy took her outside. She was lying near the vent with Dash lying on her backside, still unresponsive.

"Anything?"

"I can't tell...!" Fluttershy's voice was harsh and shaky.

Trailblazer walked up to her, and laid the side of his head down on Rainbow Dash's chest to listen for a heartbeat, and to feel her chest rising and falling. He then placed his right hoof on the side of her neck.

"She still has a pulse, and is still breathing," he confirmed once he stood back up straight. Fluttershy and the others let out a sigh of relief. "Now we just need a way to wake her up."

"Umm, maybe the ones back at that lab, might have something?"

"How about we get some water and give her a little wake-up call?"

"Oh, they had better have some...!" She grew a little nervous at this, but she flew and carried Trailblazer over to the lab. There, he found a watering hose on the side of the building, with a bucket near it as well. He grabbed the hose and poured water into the bucket, only heavy enough for him to toss it out. Fluttershy then flew him back to the other five to try to wake Dash up.

"Okay, this ought to do the trick." Trailblazer said as he walked over to Rainbow Dash with the bucket. He lifted it, and threw some water at her face. Upon connection, she gagged, sat up, and coughed.

"What-? What is this??" she asked with a raised voice.

"It's working!" Twilight said. "Do it again!"

He lifted the bucket and splashed her face again. She reacted by getting back up and reached for it, but Trailblazer pulled it away. "What was THAT for??" she shouted.

"You awake now?" asked Trailblazer.

"Yeah, so?!"

"Rainbow Dash... That rock knocked you out cold... We were only trying to help you out," said Fluttershy meekly.

"Yeah, you had us worried," Twilight added. "For a while, we thought that you weren't going to wake up again."

Rainbow Dash stopped and thought for a moment. "You mean, you thought that I was... Dead??"

"Well, you would've been if it weren't for AppleJack and Fluttershy."

Dash walked over to the vent to look down the pit, and she saw the cone rock that they worked on was absent. With her back turned to the others, they could see a few cuts and bruises on her back. "Did that thing... SINK into the lava?"

"Yeah."

Her pupils shrunk. "That... Is a scary thought..." she said, shivering.

"Well, we all got out of here alive, so, I'm thankful for that," Rarity said. Then, she got concerned. "Wait a minute, what about the Sacred Star??"

"I got it, I got it," parroted Trailblazer. He reached into his saddle bag and pulled out the blue crystal that they got from the sunken boulder, showing it to her. "This whole experience was a LITTLE too close though..."

"But we still made it," Rainbow said. She got up to fly, but she immediately touched down. "OW, owww, my back...!"

"That must've been from that rock Rover threw atch'ya," AppleJack thought.

Trailblazer pulled out one of his first aid kits and walked over to her. "Hey, don't fret, now. Where does it all hurt?" Upon closer inspection, there were a few scrapes on her back, and on her shoulders. Another cut was present just below her wing on her left side.

"Back, shoulders, and left side," she said.

"Right, now. Stay still, I'll take care of you." Trailblazer got out some bandages and cotton swabs to wipe a little bit of blood away, and cleansed the wounds. Rainbow Dash cringed, feeling that it stung, but she kept in place. After that, he used the bandages and closed the cuts and scrapes.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of pain relief. "Really. Thanks."

"It's all good. Just take it easy for now."

Twilight looked at Fluttershy. "I guess that leaves you in charge of taking us back down."

"Don't worry, I can do it," she answered softly.

Once all seven of them got back to the base of the volcano, where the lab was, the first four ponies that they met at the start of the tour greeted them.

"You're all okay!" one of the earth ponies said.

"Yeah, we are." Trailblazer did not say anything else with any fanfare.

"Well, what about that jewel thing?" Plasma Beam asked.

Trailblazer reached into his bag and showed them the Sacred Star they recovered in Mt. Terabolt.

"All right! I knew you could do it!" Rock Solid praised.

"While you ponies were getting that star, I looked into the ancient times of our land, and I now know why you need them," said the tour guide. "So, if you're going to get rid of the Sario Hole, then I won't stop you. You'll need those jewels more than we do."

A tremor shook them all for a little bit. This startled the seven travelers, but this was anticipated by now.

"Well, we'd better keep going. That hole's not going to patch itself up!" Pinkie said.

"Yes. You'd best keep going." The seven walked towards the exit and headed out the door. "Good luck!" Plasma Beam yelled just before it closed behind them.

The seven began their journey back to Rautsong to spend the night.

Back in the lab, Rock Solid looked a bit down.

"I'm going to miss Twilight Sparkle..." he said softly.

Indecisive

All seven ponies got back on the train to get back to Rautsong. It was a tiring trip for them. They got to Mt. Terabolt and got the Sacred Star in it, all in one day.

As the train stopped in Rautsong, they all got out and ready to call it a day.

"Well, we'll sleep good tonight," said Trailblazer. "It's been a long day for us today."

"Yeah, I'm tired too," said Pinkie Pie.

"You ARE?"

"Well, it wasn't easy bouncing UP the ledges..."

He opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped and thought something else. "Well, I guess that makes sense. It's easier to go downhill than uphill in, almost everything."

All of them got back into their rooms, ready to go to bed. As usual, AppleJack and Trailblazer shared their room.

"Hey, Trailblazer?" AppleJack said. "Thank you for savin' me back at that volcano."

He chuckled at this. "I can't lose my favorite mare, can I?"

AppleJack smiled and laughed at this. "Stop!"

"No, I mean it. I'm sure you still know how I feel about you."

"Yeah, Ah know that. Same here."

The others still found it strange that they were sharing a same room along with the same bed, but nothing suggestive came from either of them.

Twilight caught one last glimpse of the couple before going into her room for the night. Rather than them resting with their heads on the pillows, Trailblazer was laying on his side taking up both pillows, asleep. AppleJack was also lying on her side, and was using Trailblazer's belly as a pillow. Together, they were lying perpendicularly to each other on the bed. Twilight Sparkle left the room without disturbing either of them, and also without any reaction on her part. She got into her room and hit the hay.

However, during that night, Twilight began to dream about the unicorn he met in the research facility.

Rock Solid.

It was one of the best things that happened to her recently. Just today, those two had some things in common right off the bat; booksmarts, common knowledge, and similar studies. She was even wished a safe return from the volcano, something that the rest of her friends had long before she did.

Then, she realized that she didn't say good-bye when they had to leave. Immediately, she felt as if she rudely brushed him off. Her dream started to turn into a nightmare, putting her back in the cycle of rejection she almost became accustomed to.

The next pony that showed up to her in her dream was Trailblazer. Again, like before, she found herself in tears, all alone. He walked by, to wonder what was going on. Again, she asked to snuggle with him, to which Trailblazer considered going and hiding stuff behind AppleJack's back.

Then, she recalled the time that she hung on a ledge, trying to keep herself from falling into the pit of spikes. Trailblazer came to her rescue, and kept her from getting skewered. To this, when they got rid of Hat Trick, she kissed him on the cheek. Going further back, he made her feel comfortable and wanted on her lonely nights.

The next colt that showed up was the foal she used to play with, Mineral Mage. Again, he was almost a carbon copy of Trailblazer, yet a bit more mellow.

And then, his face morphed into the visage that was the unicorn they encountered at the lab. Steel Sword. The verbal lashes they made at each other was still fresh in her memory; the most vivid being his motive. "The world contained no fun nor joy without his 'Twilight' pony..."

Her mind became flooded with What If questions. "What if that was REALLY Mineral Mage?" "What if it was another pony who's name started with the word "Twilight"? What if it still WAS Mineral Mage, yet he didn't bother to recognize her?

At this moment, she immediaty woke up. She was breathing a bit rapidly, and her body was a little sweaty. She wiped her brow and paused, still thinking some more about her dramatic ups and downs.

Rarity was in the adjacent room, hearing some pounding on the wall. She got up and wondered what the noise was, but quickly put her head back down on the pillow. Upon the noise continuing, she got up and walked over to that room. Using her unicorn magic, she walked into the hall and slid the card key into the slot on the handle. Once confirmed, she opened it and walked inside. There, she saw Twilight Sparkle banging her head against the wall Rarity's room was adjacent to. This startled Twilight, and she looked up at Rarity.

"I think we're all trying to get some rest here," she said, irritated. "Would you please stop?"

"I... I just can't..." said Twilight.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, you can."

"I wish I could... All this is just bottling up inside, and I just can't think straight."

"Like what?"

"I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm the odd one out in terms of relationship status."

The ivory unicorn stopped to think. "Oh, well, I have."

"And now, I just can't decide."

"Decide?"

"I just can't... I mean, it's just..." Twilight groaned. "I have a feeling that Steel Sword is a pony I knew a long time ago. And that means that I'm fighting a friend that I once cared for."

"He DID call you by name... I think..." Rarity tried to put the pieces together. "But he just said 'Twilight'... Maybe he could be referring to another mare, like, Twilight Glitter, or, Twilight Starburst."

"Well, how am I supposed to know for sure?"

Rarity bit her lip. "What about the others?" she asked, trying to get moving in the discussion.

"Rock Solid. We seemed to get along almost instantly. He even wished me to stay safe, something I couldn't have before."

"What about Princess Celestia?"

"She wants the best for all of us, not just from somepony I could live with and marry or something."

Rarity grimaced. "Okay then..."

"And the third..." Twilight shook her head and banged it lightly against the wall again. "No, NO, it just isn't right!"

"Would you cut out the headbanging?" she scolded. "You'll wake the rest of us up."

"I'm sorry, it's just..." Twilight let out a small cough. "I just can't see myself being forgiven if I say this..."

"By whom?"

"AppleJack, Trailblazer, and, even myself."

"Why? ...Oh no, it involves them, doesn't it?"

Twilight Sparkle silently nodded. "Can you keep a secret?"

Rarity recoiled. "Well... You know how I feel about keeping things from friends."

"Please, Rarity. I... I really think I need to vent."

She sighed. "If you insist..."

"Okay, here goes..." The young unicorn struggled to spit it out, but she pulled through. "You see, Trailblazer has been around for me every time I've been feeling bad."

Rarity was confused. "Okay, but... That's, really not something either of you should be ashamed of. You are in need, and he helped you."

"That's not it, Rarity. Every time I was feeling alone at night, he was there to comfort me. When I just about lost my life back at Mutait, he saved me. I'm... Starting to grow attatched to him..."

"Hmm? How so?"

"I... I think... All he's done to make me happy, and to show that I shouldn't give up hope... He's been taking care of me, and... I think..." But she found the last part hard to say.

"Twilight, this had better not be what I think it is..."

Her pupils shrinked, and she swallowed hard, looking more worried than before. "I think... I'm in love, with..." Then, she whispered, "Trailblazer."

"Twilight, no!" Rarity jumped her, forcing the other to back away. She got a hold of Twilight Sparkle and shook her a bit violently. The distressed unicorn's ears became floppy again. "You CANNOT be saying things like that. It's just not right!"

"What am I supposed to do?? He's there when I need him, and he takes care of me."

"Even if that IS true, it doesn't work! You should NOT be saying, or even THINKING of that. You know just as well as the rest of us that Trailblazer is far too committed into his relationship to turn his back towards AppleJack."

Twilight looked down. "I'm not saying that I want him to break up with AppleJack so he can be with me..."

"I'm not saying you are. But if you keep these feelings up for him, it WILL happen."

"But he's just the only one readily available for me. Why can't I...!" Twilight covered her head with her hoof and shook her head. "Oh, I'm so confused!"

"Twilight, you just have to accept the fact that he won't love you back. Like I said, he and AppleJack are together, and you shouldn't change that. You could jeopardize both of your friendships with them if you admit your secret towards either one of them."

Twilight looked down at the floor, a bit ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry that I even bothered to try to get it off my chest..."

"I'll keep this secret, but you have to keep it to yourself from the rest of us, understood?"

"...Yes..."

"Good. Now, go get some sleep. I'm quite certain that you need it."

Rarity left her room and got back into her own to continue sleeping. Twilight Sparkle stayed up for a little bit, pondering on all of the things that went on. She was emotionally bombarded with thoughts of loneliness and then acceptance. She couldn't make heads or tails out of which was going to keep going. Eventually, she fell asleep, but still not feeling well.

Outside her room below the window sill, Hat Trick was levitating below it. He heard the entire discussion about Twilight's dilemma, and then smirked.

My! He thought. Those two had quite a deep discussion. Clearly, this could involve Steel Sword in some way. Now, I wonder if he'll have just as deep as one.

He vanished into thin air, and made his way back to their castle.

"Where is Red Rover?" asked Steel Sword, seeing that only Pack Rat and Hat Trick were around when reported, along with Clear Night, who was always by his side.

"You don't think he was, killed, do you?" she asked.

"Oh, dear, you know Red Rover is a burly one. I highly doubt that possibility."

"Hat Trick, you know just as well as any other pony that there are things out there that can instatly kill us. Point-blank shotgun blasts, getting necks cut..." Steel Sword informed.

"Well, where would he have to be in order for that to happen?" asked Hat Trick.

Steel Sword used his unicorn magic to try to find out. "He's at Mt. Terabolt!"

"Well, then, I shall go and retrieve him. Won't that sound good?"

"Actually, have him still go after those seven Sacred Star hunters."

"Well, your wish is my command then." Hat Trick motioned to leave, but he stopped and placed a hoof under his chin. "Say, by the way, before I go, do these two names ring a bell? 'Mineral Mage', and, 'Twilight Sparkle'?"

Steel Sword nearly jumped. "What?? Whuh- uh, why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was eavesdropping on them, trying to get some useful info on what they were trying to do next, when I heard about the purple unicorn saying something about, herself, and some other pony by the other name..."

The gray unicorn remained silent, and a bit shaken.

"But, I guess I should'nt be paying attention to the ramblings of such trivial topics. Anyways, I shall be on my way." With that, Hat Trick left the room in a flash. Pack Rat also left the room, leaving Steel Sword and Clear Night alone.

"You know, maybe that really IS the unicorn you cherished when you were younger!" she said. "I don't think it's too late. You can reverse the Sario Hole if you'd like."

He simply shook his head and hung it. "She is gone, I am certain of that. And the Sario Hole cannot be closed, not even by me."

Clear Night looked down. "Yeah, um, I guess I just forgot about all that for a moment."

"It's all right. You're excused." Steel Sword disappeared in a shadowy swirl, and left. Clear night let out an unhappy sigh, and walked out of the throne room.

"My my, that was QUITE deep for a small discussion."

Hat Trick reappeared in the room as he talked to himself. "So, you two WERE connected a long time ago. Well then, I guess I should prepare for our little finale, and to get rid of those pests for good. THIS is going to be good!" He disappeared again, leaving the castle and going off to Rautsong.

"You're all back so soon?" Merlow asked as the group walked into his place. "THAT was quite quick!"

"Yeah, but it was a close shave there." Trailblazer pulled out the next Sacred Star and showed him the jewel.

"All right then, one more to go!" Merlow took the blue Sacred Star and held it above his crystal ball. From what he gazed at, the center of the region showed up. An underwater cave appeared, and a white gleaming Sacred Star appeared to him.

"Hmmmmmm..." said Merlow, trying to get the message on what he was shown.

"What is it?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"The last Sacred Star is in the underwater cave of Lake Oxpow."

"An underwater cave?" Pinkie Pie still was curious.

"Well, yes." Merlow paused. "To be honest, I really don't know much about that lake, never mind the cave..."

"But we're going underwater for it..." Twilight grew uneasy. "Oh no..."

"What's the matter?"

"I'm not a good swimmer... I almost drowned a few months ago."

"Oh, well..." Merlow cleared his throat. "What to do?"

"We'll find a way down there so all of us get there," said Trailblazer. "We've made it this far. So let's all get it."

"Good thinking!" Merlow replied.

"So, how do we get there?"

"You'll have to go there on foot. There's some woods that surround the lake all around it's perimiter."

"So, we could just go from here and to that lake?"

"Absolutely. Now remember: it's not exactly a tourist attraction. You're on your own when you're trying to get it up there."

"Are we all okay on this?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm game," said Trailblazer.

"Why, yes," Rarity answered.

"Sure, let's do it," AppleJack said.

"So, you're all going now?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash, covering the other six's answers.

"All right then. Good luck!"

After that, they left his house and took off to head for Lake Oxpow. Fluttershy stopped before completely leaving his place. She turned around and looked at Merlow, almost glaring at him.

"What?" he asked.

Fluttershy did not respond. She slowly turned around and walked away, keeping eye contact on him until the house blocked her field of view.

"Wait a minute, we didn't bring no tents with us this time, did we?" AppleJack asked as they all left Merlow's place.

"Aw, nah. Ah reckon we didn't," answered Trailblazer, imitating her southern accent.

"Now, is there a store we could all take a gander at here?"

"There ought to be," said Rainbow Dash.

"Found it!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

The rest of them looked off in the direction they all heard Pinkie. On the other side of the street, a few buildings away, an outdoors store was available.

"I guess that's Pinkie for you..." Fluttershy said.

There was a good selection of tents for them. With the money they made at Mutait, they bought tents for themselves and headed off for Lake Oxpow.

Hat Trick showed up to Red Rover back at Mt. Terabolt. He was still lying in the crater on one of the upper ledges, out cold.

"What do we have here?" he asked upon arrival. He touched down next to him, and then used his magic to wake him up. Red Rover opened his eyes and shook his head in an effort to wake himself up.

"Hat Trick?!" he raised his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"What are YOU doing HERE?" Hat Trick asked back.

"Enough with the parroting and answer my question!"

"Well, I came here after you failed to report to us the other day, and I see that-"

"Wait... How long was I out of it?"

"At least 24 hours."

Red Rover looked around to see that he was still in the crater of Mt. Terabolt.

"I'd say that they beat you good."

The colt growled back at the unicorn.

"Now now, I'm not here to pick on you. Rather, I'm here with a message for you, from Steel Sword."

He paused. "A message from the boss, huh...? Okay, shoot."

"He wants you to find them again and try to ambush them once more."

"Hmmm... Well, I would, but there's one small problem."

"And that is?"

Red Rover turned around and looked at the crater walls. "I have no idea where they're headed next."

Hat Trick laughed. "Oh, Red Rover, do you really think I would let you go on your mission cluelessly?"

"Honestly, I do."

"Hm! Surely you jest! I snuck into the town they tend to stay in overnight, and learned that they're headed for Lake Oxpow, in the center of Inyomaid."

The red stallion cocked his head to his left side. "Huh. Good intel there... Well, if that's Steel Sword's order, I'll go do it."

"Yes. Now, would I lie to you?"

Red Rover shot an unsure look at the unicorn. "Well, maybe you haven't, but, you sure are strange..."

Hat Trick scoffed. "That's just your own opinion."

"Pfft, whatever..." Red Rover climbed out of the crater and headed down the volcano. He cut away from the town and started to head through the moderately thick woods that surrounded Lake Oxpow. Hat Trick disappeared again and reported back to their castle.

"Do any of you know how long it's going to take for us to reach this lake?" asked Rarity.

"Well, if I were to guess, if it took us an hour for us to get from one town to another by these trains at 60 miles per hour... And if Lake Oxpow is in the center of this region... And assuming that our walk speed is 3 miles per hour..." Twilight said, thinking out loud.

"...Then it'd be faster for us to reach the lake by flying." Rainbow Dash slowly flew behind them all, annoyed that she had to wait up for the other six.

Twilight paused after she finished her interruption. "...Yeeeaaahhhh, or that."

There was no set path for any of them to follow. A vast area of spaced out trees was what they had to walk through. The woods got a little bit thicker as they progressed through them though.

"Where in the hell are we..." said Trailblazer. He looked around at the surroundings, but didn't see anything else in the area except for more trees. "Well, just like Merlow said, it is really vacant... Wait, are we the only ones in these woods right now?"

"Well, it looks like it," Fluttershy said as she walked along with the others.

A trunk snapped. All of them heard the noise, but couldn't locate where the source was.

"You think that was just a coincidence?" asked Rarity.

"Yeah, must've been."

They continued into walk forward, but another trunk falling noise was heard. This time, it was closer.

"Okay, where is that coming from??" Trailblazer looked around to see where the falling trunk was.

But as he looked around, the falling trunk that they were all looking for showed itself. It was a standard-sized trunk, with a 2 and a half-foot diameter. It crashed down, landing right on Trailblazer.

Caretakers

"OWW!" yelled Trailblazer as the trunk crashed down on him.

"Trailblazer!" AppleJack shouted once the trunk landed on him. She ran up to him and started to lift the trunk off of him. Twilight said the same thing, but yielded when the cowpony reached him first.

"God- dammit, son-of-a, BITCH!" He began to lift the trunk off of himself, but AppleJack was more able to get it off. She lifted it off, carried the end away, and dropped it.

"Are you still okay??" she asked him urgently.

"A damn tree fell on me," answered Trailblazer with a snide tone of voice.

"C'mon, yer gonna be okay! Easy, easy...!" She helped Trailblazer in picking himself up, trying not to hurt him even more.

"Here, take this." Twilight used her magic to pull out her first-aid kit and gave it to him once he got back on his feet. Trailblazer took the kit and started to use the gauze to stop the bleeding caused by the bark scraping his body.

"S---. Gotta heal my ass," he said as he started to patch up himself.

The other six looked at each other, a bit confused.

"Was he trying to be funny, or what?" Pinkie wondered.

Rainbow Dash cracked a small smile, and AppleJack followed suit. Though the cowpony's smile was a bit forced.

"Phew. Better," said Trailblazer.

"Are you sure you're still okay, darling?" asked Rarity, a bit concerned. "Because I don't want to see you push yourself too hard now."

"I'm with Rarity, here," Fluttershy added. "Are, you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine. I've worked with worse situations in a, worse condition before." His voice cracked with a little bit of pain in the middle of it. Then, under his breath, he whispered, "Something doesn't feel right..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Because I still think you broke something."

"Do I look like I have any broken bones?"

"Um, no?"

"Then I'm fine. Let's go."

"All right then..."

They continued to walk farther into the woods, trying to keep up the pace with each other. Occasional chatter came as they walked.

"Do, any of you have any... bug spray?" asked Rarity, as she got bit by mosquitos.

"...Oooooh, you could try covering yerself with mud," said AppleJack.

The fashionista recoiled. "What?!"

"Actually, that's true," Twilight answered. "Mud can repel mosquitos."

"So, what'll it be, Rarity? The mud, or that there imported mud ya get all the time?"

Trailblazer started laughing. "Look at you, AppleJack. Giving Rarity some crap!"

Rarity reacted by turning around and grimacing.

After five more minutes of walking, the woods started to become less thick. A lake got into their field of view.

"That must be Lake Oxpow!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "We made it!"

"You see that rock in the middle of it?" Fluttershy said. "That, um, must be the cave."

All of them reached the clearing around the lake. There, they saw a tall wide rock with multiple holes at the top of it. It's perimeter was around half of a standard football field. Trailblazer turned around.

"Now, before we jump in and try to find the enterance, I just want to be clear on this: I know I can swim, but raise your hoof if you can swim too."

The ones that did raise their hooves were AppleJack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.

"Okay, so that leaves Twilight and Rarity off."

"We aren't leaving them behind, are we?" wondered Rainbow Dash.

"No," he answered. "I'm thinking we'll have them hang on to us."

"May I just, stand guard out here?" asked Rarity. "I'd rather not slow you down, and to get my mane wet... Truly."

"Come on, Rarity. You can always fix it later," said Fluttershy as she hovered over her. "We'll get it back good as new when we get back."

"Well, Fluttershy..." She let out a frustrated huffy sigh. "I suppose..."

"Are you ready, Twilight? I'm going to need to use your magic when we're underwater," Trailblazer said.

"Well, I hope so..."

"Are you still concerned about something?"

"What if I start suffocating?"

"Just tap me on the shoulder if you feel like you're about to pass out, okay?"

"...Okay."

"All right." Trailblazer walked into the water until he started to paddle to keep afloat. "Get up to me and ride on my back."

Twilight walked up to him, and then got on his back, like he instructed. "Where do you want me to hold on?"

"Just keep your forelegs around my chest."

"Your chest? Well..."

"What?"

"What if they slip and end up around your neck?"

"....On second thought, put them under my shoulders."

"Hm? Oh, yeah, they shouldn't end up around your neck for any reason." As told, she put her forelegs under his shoulders and anchored them around his chest. Trailblazer began to swim to the rock with Twilight Sparkle hanging on.

"Everything okay so far?" he asked her.

"I'm good."

Twilight felt a sense of security around him. As he carried her across the water, she saw him as the guardian that wasn't going to let her drown. She wanted to admit it, but Rarity was keeping a promise. She had to keep quiet about it too.

As Fluttershy carried Rarity across the water, the others walked in and started to swim out to the rock along with Twilight and Trailblazer. Together, they swam through the lake until reaching the big wide rock in the middle.

"All right. There's only one way to find the enterance to this underwater cave," Rainbow Dash said. "We're gonna have to dive and look for it."

"She's got the right idea," AppleJack agreed.

"All right, Twilight," Trailblazer was speaking. "When we're down there, we'll want to see where the enterance is, as well as where we're going."

"And you need my magic to do that."

"Yep."

"I thought so. Leave it to me then, I got your back."

Trailblazer turned around to face the water, but he stopped and realized that Twilight just said a pun.

"Um, yeah, no pun intended."

"Whatever."

With a deep breath from all of them, they dove underneath the water. Twilight utilized her magic and lit up the water they were swimming through. Trailblazer kept diving using the breaststroke, and saw the base of the rock that they saw earlier. He started to swim around it, but couldn't see a hole to get into the rock.

Twilight tapped Trailblazer on his shoulder, which told him that she couldn't hold her breath much longer. He swam straight back up and reached the surface, taking a deep inhale as he surfaced. Twilight did the same. A moment later, the others came back up to breathe in.

"Find anythin'?" wondered AppleJack.

"I know I reached the bottom..." said Rainbow Dash.

"I did too..."

"What about you, Pinkie?"

"I found it!" she answered in her usual sing-song voice.

"Nice!" said Trailblazer. "How about you lead the way!"

"Okie-dokie-lokie! Say, you ALL did know that I was going to do that even without you asking, right?"

"Eh, kind of."

"Maybe you and I need to hang out together more." Once she took in a big gulp of air, she dove again.

"Pinkie! Wait for us!" Trailblazer dove under the surface again to track her down, with the other five following them.

With Pinkie Pie leading the way, she swam to a hole in the rock. She pointed to it and went through it. Once she was in the hole, she started to swim upwards, disappearing from view. Twilight's light shone for the others to see where she went. With the others close to them, they went through the hole and swam up the passage. The light provided by Twilight showed them the walls of the cavern enterance. Upon swimming up, they saw Pinkie's hind legs floating below the surface. The other six swam up to meet up with her. Once they surfaced, they saw the underwater cave for themselves. In the area they surfaced at, there was a small pool of water that was their enterance and exit to and from the cave. They then looked down a wide corridor with a room in the back end. That room was in the shape of a perfect circle. At it's very far end, there was a plate on the wall with a strange inscription on it. At their distance, it was hard to tell what it read or if it was actual writing.

"So, what do we make of that there plate on the wall?" AppleJack asked as she climbed out of the pool.

"I still say it's worth checking out," Pinkie answered.

The rest of them climbed out to walk down the hall and get a closer look. Twilight climbed off of Trailblazer's back and walked off to the room as well.

"I'm sure that with my magic, we'll be able to..."

A tremor shook them again. It felt like another Sario Hole earthquake, but it was much more violent than before.

"Hold steady!" Rainbow Dash warned. She got airborne to avoid the earthquake, leaving the others to try to withstand it. Fluttershy got airborne along with Dash.

Trailblazer tried to run for the room at the end of the hall for more space, but the rock walls and floor shook on him as well as against the others. As he ran, a part of the floor shook against him, causing him to lose his balance. He tripped and fell, and then tried to quickly get back up on his own. Just then, a part of the ceiling collapsed, and many rocks fell on top of him. A few boulders landed on him as well. Light poured in from the hole of the ceiling that fell down.

"TRAILBLAZER!" AppleJack shouted at the rock pile. All of them could hear him yelling and writhing in pain.

"AAAAAOOWW, get these rocks off of me!! Get 'em off!!" came the muffled cries for help.

The earthquake stopped as soon as the rock pile settled. Immediately, all of them started to frantically take the rocks off and get Trailblazer out of it. When they got him out, they noticed that he was lying on his side, cringing, and bleeding.

"Oh my God, Trailblazer!" AppleJack ran up and began to pick him up.

"Ow ow OW, son-of-a-!" Trailblazer tried to get her to let go, but any movement that involved the use of pectoral muscles hurt him. "Let go!"

She turned to face him, and then set him back down on the ground. Once set back down, he moaned again.

"Okay, now, he's WAY more hurt than usual..." Twilight's horn glowed and she used her magic to try to get an x-ray read on him. Upon using it, she noticed that half of his ribs were shattered. She jumped and looked scared at this. "Oh my..."

"What, what is it, Twi'??" AppleJack pressured her to get an answer.

"It's worse than I thought..." she answered with.

"What??"

"Half of his ribcage is fractured."

The rest of the ponies yelped and exclaimed in surprise ans shock. AppleJack's pupils and her ears shrunk and became laid back simultaneously. Freight and worry gripped her. "Oh, no, Trailblazer! Oh, why...?"

Short, rapid breaths came from him as he tried to tolerate the pain.

"You hang in here, darling, I need to help you out," Rarity reached into her saddlebag to pull out a first-aid kit, but didn't see one. "Um, Fluttershy, you wouldn't happen to have a health kit on you, would you?"

As she looked into the saddlebag of her own, the others looked into their saddlebags to find a first-aid kit. However, none were found.

"Oh, don't tell me... We don't have a first-aid kit at all??" Rainbow Dash looked amongst the others as she asked that.

Twilight looked into her own to find one, but also didn't have one either. "No... None at all," she said as soon as she was done looking.

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!" wheezed Trailblazer.

"I wish I could say that..."

"Oh, no... HELL no...!"

"Well, what are we supposed to do?? We can't just leave him here like this!" AppleJack yelled, nearly panicking.

"Here, let's get him into the other room," Twilight instructed. She lifted him into the air with her magic and walked into the circular room with the tablet in the back. The rest followed her into it to see what was in the room as well. Twilight looked around the room, but only found right angles at the places where the floor and walls connected.

"So, where are we going to put him?" Pinkie asked.

"I think one of you is going to have to be a headrest for him... Any volunteers?"

"Ah'll do it," responded AppleJack.

"Fair enough."

AppleJack laid down on the floor next to a wall and stayed there. Twilight then gently laid Trailblazer back on the ground, on his back, with his head resting on AppleJack's side.

"Ah sure hope Ah'm comfy enough for ya, sugarcube..." The cowpony was full of concern for his wellbeing.

"You're fine, AppleJack... It's, this, broken chest I have that is, REALLY getting to me..." Trailblazer said.

It hurt AppleJack to see him this injured and unwell. "If only Ah could do somethin' to help ya..."

"Really, you're doing all that you can..." He then coughed and moaned in pain again. AppleJack then rested her chin on her forelegs. She knew that they were going to stay there for a while.

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Rainbow Dash asked the group. "I mean, ANYTHING?"

"I don't know..." Twilight looked at Trailblazer again, and then looked back up. "Maybe Princess Celestia can help."

"Okay, well... Go ahead then."

Twilight's horn glowed in a unique way. She tried contacting the princess through telepathy, just like she did for them back in Rautsong.

"C'mon, c'mon..." Twilight said, wishing for the call to get through.

"Twilight...?" she heard.

Yes! she thought. "Princess Celestia? Can you hear me?"

"Certainly," answered Celestia.

"Okay, good. Look, we're in a really bad situation here..."

"And what is the issue?"

"Trailblazer is suffering a life-threatening injury, and we don't have any supplies to heal him."

"I see..."

"Perhaps you have something to help us out?"

Princess Celestia paused before replying. "I DO have this potion called the Vial of Vigor."

"Will that help him?"

"Why, yes. The Vial of Vigor will restore anypony's stamina, as well as heal any and all physical injuries they've sustained."

"Oh, whoa... Okay, anyways, could we have one of those vials?"

"Usually, I keep them as emergency rations for my guards here..."

Twilight grew worried again.

"...But you are in more of a need than they ever will be, and you're all trying to keep the world from being destroyed... In that case, I can spare you a potion for him."

"You can?! Oh, thank you so much, Princess!"

"I'm willing to give him this potion, but there's a small problem."

"A... Problem?"

"How am I going to deliver it? And where should it be dropped off at?"

"Uh..." Twilight turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "Maybe you should listen in on this." She allowed the telepathy call to be heard by Rainbow Dash, who was now part of the discussion.

"Princess?" wondered Dash.

"Can you hear me?" she asked her.

"Yeah."

"Okay, then. Here's the thing... You're the fastest flier I know. So, that should leave you to be the one responsible for the delivery of this potion."

"Rainbow, this potion is quite potent, and it will be able to heal Trailblazer," added Twilight.

"Okay, but, what should I do about it?" wondered Dash.

"I need to know where it'll be picked up. I was hoping that we'd be able to agree on a location."

"Hmmmm..." Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. "How about the Ponyville docks?"

"Well, now, let's think for a moment... Do you know where it is from your location?"

"I do. Really."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"And, I have faith that you'll be able to make it here and back in time. I'll get one of my servants to deliver the potion to you there. Do you find this acceptable?"

"Yeah."

"All right, it's settled. Meet him there and get the potion from there."

"Will do!"

"Very good. Celestia, out."

The call ended between the three.

"Help is on the way, Trailblazer! Just hang in there," Twilight told him.

"Ugh, I'll try..." he responded with.

Rainbow Dash flew out of the hole in the ceiling left by the rocks that tumbled on the colt. Then, she stopped to look at the sky.

"Ummm, guys?" she said. "You might, want to see this..."

The rest of the ponies, excluding AppleJack and Trailblazer, walked up to the hole to see what was out there. From what they saw, the Sario Hole took up two-thirds of the sky.

"Oh, my, that thing's enormous!" exclaimed Rarity.

"Time's running out..." Fluttershy added, tense as ever. "You had better hurry, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." She continued to fly out of the hole and into the open, where she could fly back to Ponyville and get the potion. Upon her exit, she spotted Red Rover on the ground.

"Ain't it a beaut?" he asked her, smug.

"You! I remember you! You're that guy who threw that rock at me at the volcano!"

"Yeah, that was a pretty good throw on my part!"

Rainbow Dash glared at him, then turned around and looked back into the hole. "Hey, Fluttershy? I need you here."

"What? Why?"

"Get over here, c'mon!"

Fluttershy flew out of the cave to see what was going on.

"Okay, I need you to distract this guy while I go get the potion."

"What??"

Before she could get an answer, Rainbow Dash took off as fast as she possibly could.

"So, what's going on in there?" Red Rober asked in his usual smug manner. "Mind if I take a look?"

Fluttershy got the hint. "No, I can't let you in!"

The red pony immediately got the hint. "Well then, let's see HOW badly you want to keep me out of there! Now, put 'em up!"

On Death's Door

"Do, any of you hear something going on outside?" Rarity asked.

The others listened up for the noise.

"I hear Fluttershy... Yelling? Is she yelling?" Twilight Sparkle looked up the hole to listen in.

"I hear her yelling too," Pinkie Pie answered. She gained momentum and bounced up at the hole. When she reached the wall, she jumped off of them and got up on the surface, observing what was going on.

At the edge of the water, Fluttershy and Red Rover were in a scuffle. Rover was easily shoving Fluttershy aside and whacking her away. At one point, she flew up into the air, safe from his punches.

"Are you really that much of a coward?" he called up to her. "I've had steaks tougher than you!"

"You can't hit me when I'm up here!" yelled Fluttershy, not bothering to defend herself.

"True, but you can't stop me either!" The red earth pony jumped into the water and began to swim at the rock that the others were staying in.

"Urk!" Fluttershy clenched her teeth, realizing her mistake. She flew back to where Rover was and distracted him some more.

"Would, you, bug off already!" he yelled at her.

"You go away, and STAY away!" she shouted back.

Fluttershy attempted to flap around him, and then started to push him back away from the rock. While they fought some more, she managed to wrap her legs around him, then lifted him out of the water. She strained to keep herself airborne with the heavy pony she was carrying fighting to get out of her grasp, only managing to fly a couple yards above the water. When she got above land, she swung backwards, then tossed him a couple feet in front of herself, to which he landed and toppled onto the ground.

"Oops! Sorry!" she called at him, holding her hooves in front of her mouth.

"Sorry?!" Red Rover was confused. "You really don't get fighting at all, do you?"

"Uhh..."

"Oh, never mind!" He began to force her out of the way to get back into the water. Fluttershy backed off, only to try to pluck him back out.

Back at the rock, Pinkie Pie watched as Fluttershy fought off Red Rover. She jumped back down into the hole and saw the others. AppleJack still laid down with Trailblazer resting on her back, still gasping for air, wheezing. With a broken ribcage, it would be difficult not to get hurt while breathing.

"Man..." he moaned. "It has been a REALLY long time, since I have felt, this pathetic."

"Wait, what was the other time?" Pinkie asked him.

"My dad emotionally abused me when he was still around." He let out a strained groan. "Oh, God, I am seriously screwed up."

"Trailblazer," Rarity spoke up. "We aren't going to leave you behind." She looked up at Twilight, who was studying the plate on the wall. "Twilight, dear, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking a look at this inscription on this wall," she answered.

"Well, are you deciphering anything?"

"Why, yes." Twilight continued to look at the writing. "From what I'm seeing here, this tablet tells the story of the Sacred Stars and their usage in the past. In every single Sario Hole appearance, a group of ponies, different ones from each time it showed up, put a stop to the Sario Hole and the Sinister Star that caused it. However, each group of ponies had to have a sense of teamwork and implicit trust between all of them. Otherwise, their efforts would be in vain."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity walked up to her to take a look at the plate itself. "So, we must be the ones next in line, and we all have to have strong bonds with each other... Otherwise, we won't be able to save the world." She looked around at the others. "We should be good, shouldn't we? I mean, we're all parts of the Elements of Harmony. Naturally, we ALL are like one with each other!"

"Ahem," AppleJack motioned to the injured colt on her back.

"Oh, right. But still! You trust us, don't you, Trailblazer?"

"Yeah, yeah... URK!" He let out a major exertion, then became irritated. "I am sick, and tired... Of being sick... And tired."

"I'm not leaving you behind, Trailblazer," Twilight told him, a little stern. She then noticed a dripping red fluid flowing from the left side of his chest. "Oh, God... You're bleeding."

"I don't have time to bleed." Trailblazer gently touched his side, trying not to put any pressure on it, then lifted his hoof in front of him to see. "Oh, crap... I am bleeding."

"Oh, Rainbow Dash had BETTER get to Ponyville and back!" said Twilight, worried about his condition.

Rarity and Pinkie stood near the hole in the ceiling, trying to make out what was going on between Red Rover and Fluttershy.

"How do you think she's holding out out there?" Rarity asked.

"I can check." Pinkie bounced back up the hole and onto the rock, seeing that the two were in the water, struggling to push the other around. She jumped back down the hole. "They're in a stalemate right now."

"Is she hurt?"

"No, she's not."

Twilight walked over to Trailblazer and AppleJack, checking on him. "How are you feeling...?"

"How do you think?" he asked her.

"No need to be rude, you know, but I guess you're still not feeling well."

"Sorry. It's just, I'm not a big fan of lying around like... a deadbeat. I'd, rather be the supporter, than the supported." He let out another shrill moan, then lightly bellowed, just by trying to move himself for better comfort.

"Hey DON'T, move!" Twilight said. "You're going to hurt yourself even more if you do that!"

Trailblazer looked at his chest, then reluctantly laid his head on AppleJack's back again. "Jesus, I am seriously fubar!"

"Fubar?"

"It means... Well, Screwed-Up Beyond All Recognition. The 'Screwed' is actually in place of a, stronger word, if you know what I-"

"OOOHHHHHHHH."

"Yeah, THAT word..." He hissed and breathed in harshly. "C'mon, Trailblazer. You're better than this. You can pull through!" he whispered to himself.

"Do, you, NOT, get tired?!" Red Rover yelled as he got dunked in the water for yet another time.

"I CAN'T let you in there!" Fluttershy yelled back. She carried him out of the water for yet another time, and tossed him at a tree trunk.

"Oww!" he said, rubbing his head. "Jeez, you're acting like you have an injured friend in there!"

Fluttershy gasped. "How do you know??"

Red Rover gave her a confused look, then became smug again. "Because you just told me so!"

She put her forelegs in front of her mouth. "Oops."

"Hm, and that was just a shot in the dark...! But yeah, easy pickings!" Rover charged at her again, trying to bowl her over. She resisted harder than before, knowing that with a motive, Rover was more determined to get in the rock. Now, Fluttershy had to try even harder to keep him out.

"I can hear the fray from out here..." Rarity commented, looking straight up the hole in the ceiling.

"So can I..." Twilight laid down next to Trailblazer, keeping an eye on him. "How bad is it now...?"

"D'uhhh, ouughh, this is really getting to me..." he strained to talk.

She then put a foreleg on his neck to check his pulse.

"Your heart rate has dropped... And I feel safe in saying that that's not a good thing."

"Gah, every, thing, hurts."

"Oh, I know it hurts, but you have to stay with us." Then, Twilight's face showed a small scowl. "What is taking Rainbow Dash so long?"

"Just talk to Celestia again. "I'm sure she might have an update," assured Rarity.

"Well, I had hope she'd have one." Her horn glowed again, showing her trying to contact Celestia.

"Is that you again, Twilight?" she heard.

"Yes, yes it is!" she answered. "I wanted to ask you, has Rainbow Dash reached Ponyville to get that Vial of Vigor?"

"Actually, I gave it to her 10 minutes ago," Celestia answered her with.

Twilight shook her head rapidly, then looked surprised. "Whoa, already??"

"Yes."

"Wow, she's making great progress!"

"Yes, well, what happened was, I decided to show up and give it to her myself, rather than have my servant deliver that potion. She would recognize me better than any other pony that I forgot to describe."

"Okay, that's good. But, we're running out of time. I don't think Trailblazer will be able to sustain his injury much longer."

AppleJack raised her head in a frightened manner and looked at Twilight Sparkle. "Oh, please tell me that yer playin' a joke on me!"

"AppleJack, this is no laughing matter. I'm concerned too, just like you are."

AppleJack turned her head a little bit more to face Trailblazer. "Are ya gonna make it??"

He coughed and wheezed, straining as he did so. "I gotta call uncle here..." he opened his eyes and squinted in bewilderment. "Oh God... Even my vision's getting screwed up."

"Wait, you can't see right??"

"That, and I feel faint, and like I'm going to throw up..."

Twilight turned around to look away from them. "Can I still get in touch with Rainbow Dash now??"

"I'm sure you can," said the princess.

Twilight attempted to reach her, in hopes of getting to give her an update.

"Rainbow Dash?" she asked.

No response came.

"Rainbow Dash."

"Twilight?" she heard Rainbow Dash say.

"Oh, thank God I could reach you. But, you have to listen to this, okay?"

"What is it?" the pegasus asked.

"Trailblazer is starting to see some hypovolemia."

"Hypovolemia?"

"It means he's lost a lot of blood. I think he's going into shock too. If this keeps up, he'll..." But she couldn't bring herself to say "that one" last word.

"...Oh..."

"So, look, you have to hustle, okay??"

"I'll come back, on the double!"

"All right, then... Please do."

Twilight stopped the call.

"Well, girls, it's been nice knowing you all..." Trailblazer began to say.

"Trailblazer," said AppleJack in a stern voice. She took in a loud sniffle. "Don't ya DARE die on me!"

"I don't think I have that option, AppleJack..." He struggled to breathe in, then out. "This just, sucks. I'm about to die in a cave like some run-of-the-mill civilian. Now I just feel... Pathetic..."

They were all silent for a few moments, reflecting on the moments they had with him, and each other.

"If there's anything you'd like to say before I go... You should say it now..." he said, breaking the silence in the cave.

"I love ya, Trailblazer. I'll miss ya forever..."

"I'll always love you too, AppleJack..."

Rarity slowly walked up to Twilight. "Now might be your last and only chance, dear..."

Twilight let out a deep sigh. "Trailblazer, I just want you to know... After all that you've done for me, by making me feel better when I was hurt, and when you saved me... I just want you to know, that... I..." But she just couldn't seem to say the last few words. The thought of getting chewed out by a saddened and enraged AppleJack if his death ensued seemed to be just the thing that Rarity forewarned her about; the friendship between them could be gone.

"Outta my way, coming through!" they all heard somepony say.

All of them looked up at the hole, recognizing the voice as the rash Pegasus that all of them have heard plenty of times before.

"Rainbow Dash?!" Pinkie yelled.

Sure enough, she flew down the hole and landed back in the cavern they were holed up in. She quickly reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small, brown, translucent bottle. It was filled with a semi-viscous liquid.

"I'm here, I have the Vial of Vigor," she said. "Celestia told me that he has to drink this whole bottle."

"All right, then, give it to me. Let's not waste time here." Twilight plucked it from Rainbow Dash with her magic and twisted the cork off. She then forced Trailblazer's mouth to open so that she could pour the liquid down into his mouth. He swallowed, then licked his lips.

"Did it work? ...Did it?!" AppleJack asked anxiously.

"Nothing's happening..." Twilight said. "But we couldn't have been too late, we just couldn't have!!"

There was no reaction from his part for a moment. The main six watched with tension.

"HOOOMPH!" Trailblazer's eyes widened. He placed one hoof over his mouth and the other on his stomach. "Bleagh, oh, GOD!" He got up and stumbled, letting out some harsh coughs and gags, almost as if he was ready to vomit. AppleJack stood back up, in awe, then in gratitude.

"Oh, it worked! Oh, thank GOD it worked!" she yelled, happier than ever.

"Oh, GOD!" Trailblazer yelled, gagging again. "That aftertaste was TERRIBLE! So bitter and sour, my God!" He hacked again, trying to hold back the bad taste. Then, he stopped, and looked at himself. He was able to stand again, no moment caused any pain, and his chest didn't hurt. He could now breathe easily without hurting himself with each one.

"Holy, Trailblazer, you're okay!" Twilight and AppleJack got up and started a group hug. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity joined in as well.

"I don't know how that stuff worked, but when it worked, it WORKED!" shouted Trailblazer, a bit shocked at the potency of the liquid he ingested.

"All right, sugarcube. Ah'm so glad yer okay, but please don't scare me like that again, y'hear?" AppleJack said.

"I don't think I had that choice. None of us saw that collapsing ceiling coming down..."

"Trailblazer..."

"It was bad, but it's all good now." He turned to face AppleJack. "I'll do my best not to. I didn't want to be in that situation under any circumstances."

"All right, Trailblazer, Ah get it now, but Ah believe ya."

They all held their hug for another moment, but then dispersed in the circular room.

"Now, you said that Fluttershy was fighting Red Rover outside the lake, right?"

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie hopped.

"Well then, how about we see how they're doing?"

Into the Abyss

Red Rover threw a sucker punch at Fluttershy and then kicked her to a nearby tree. She crashed into it, and then fell to the ground on her side, dazed.

"Finally, with you out of the way, I can get in and see what's going on," said Red Rover as he looked down at her. He then looked at the rock, but then got surprised. Trailblazer was standing at the lake edge, giving him a mean look.

"So, I really don't appreciate you beating on Fluttershy there," he said sternly. "Wait, was it you that was responsible for dropping that tree on me?"

"Uh... Yeeeaaaaaahh...?"

"Oh, really," Trailblazer said, a little bit surprised. "Well then, I don't appreciate that either."

He charged at the red pony, while Rover braced for the impact. Trailblazer stopped just before making a collision. Rover looked up to see what he was waiting for, only to see Trailblazer right in front of him. He got punched right on the nose. Red Rover stumbled backwards, clutching his muzzle with his right hoof. Trailblazer then ran up and kicked him to the ground, to which Rover landed with a loud thud. He got back up and ran towards Trailblazer, but he got jumped again. Trailblazer landed blows all over, taking advantage of faking Rover out. Another kick against his side knocked him down to the ground.

"Jesus, why so serious??" he yelled.

"Are you going to get out of here, or what!?" Trailblazer yelled back.

Red Rover picked himself up quickly. "All right, fine, I will! My God!" He turned around and ran away without looking back.

"Pfft. That guy can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk," Trailblazer said softly to himself. He turned to his right and saw Fluttershy shaking her head. He walked up to her and examined her.

"What do we have here?" he asked.

"T-Trailblazer?? But I thought-"

"Hey, Rainbow Dash came with the potion, and you fended off Red Rover long enough. So, how bad did he hurt you?"

"That mean Rover just wouldn't give up. I think he's the kind of pony that would kick one as the other one was down."

"Yeah, he's a thug, all right. Now, let me take a look at you..." Trailblazer looked all around her body, but found only a couple bruises. "Oh, hell, I've seen worse! You're gonna be fine!" He picked her up and got her back on her feet.

"Okay... Thanks," breathed Fluttershy.

As Rainbow Dash pulled Pinkie Pie out of the cave, Trailblazer ran up to her and stopped her.

"Whoa whoa whoa," he said.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We can't pull out now, we still have a Sacred Star to find here."

She and Pinkie Pie looked back at the rock that they got out of. "Oh, right. Whoops."

"It's fine, let's just go back in."

Rainbow carried Pinkie back in, while Fluttershy flew Trailblazer back to the hole that was part of the ceiling that collapsed on him.

"Hold on, aren't we gettin' out of here?" asked AppleJack.

"Not for now. We still need to get the Sacred Star here," Trailblazer answered her with.

"Oh, right. Ah guess Ah fergot 'bout it with that, well, business..."

"Oh, yes, very much so. But... Where could it be?" Rarity asked.

"Hey, I just want to take a closer look at this plate on the wall." Trailblazer walked up to the writing on the wall at the far end of the room, and looked at it. AppleJack walked up to his side to see it for herself as well, knowing that they couldn't look at it beforehand due to the collapsing incident.

"Just like Twilight said..." Trailblazer mumbled, eyeing the tablet. "All these past heroes had to have a bond that brings them together. It also looks like they all had to be present and alive when they stopped it. And seeing how you six represent the Elements of Harmony, that brings you all together that way." He paused, then looked down, upset. "Now I just made myself feel like the odd one out."

"Aww, don't worry 'bout it none, sugarcube..." AppleJack said to him. "You would be the seventh one in my book, if only there WAS a seventh one..."

Trailblazer let out an unhappy sigh, then got back to the tablet. "Anyways, with that aside, it looks like we're the next set of heroes."

"Like I already said before you two got a chance to look at it," said Twilight.

"Yeah, right." Trailblazer knocked on the plate casually as he looked at her, but he heard an echo upon impact. He then quickly looked back at the writing. "Wait a minute... This part of the wall is different from the others."

"Huh?"

"The wall's hollow here."

"There could be something back there, but, do you really think we should break something like this?" Twilight asked. "I mean, this thing is technically an artifact."

"Hm, you're right. Well... What to do..."

As he started to ponder, the plate glowed from the inside. This immediately made it the center of attention. From what they saw, the plate sunk down into the wall, and then slid off to the side, inside the rock walls. Behind the now removed stone tablet, was a white Sacred Star.

"Well, wouldya look at THAT," said AppleJack.

"That's the last Sacred Star!" exclaimed Rarity. "And it's ours!"

"We're al most home free...!" Fluttershy called out. "I can't believe it, we're actually going to do this!"

"Well, yeah, it's great and all that we got this Sacred Star, but..." Twilight thought.

"But what?"

"Why did it open just now? I don't see any switch or button or lever or something to cause it to move out."

"I think the real question here is, 'Why does it matter?' We have the last Sacred Star in our hooves!" Rainbow Dash shouted with glee.

"And it's ours for the takin'!" AppleJack reached into the hole and pulled the star out of it.

"Okay. Now that we got this last star, we can head back to Merlow's place." said Trailblazer. "Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy? You have the honors."

"You got that right." The two pegasi flew them all out of the hole, just to see that evening was upon them. Once they all got back on the ground outside the lake, they looked at the sky, and the Sario Hole that was occupying it.

"We might want to set up our camp. We're gonna spend the night," said Trailblazer.

"Yeah, we're not going to make it to Merlow's place at this time," Pinkie added. She dug into her saddlebag and pulled out her tent bag. It unzipped itself as it was flung into the air, and then unfolded into a tent in a matter of a second. It landed back on the ground with stakes planted into the ground as well.

Trailblazer looked at her with awe, then opened his mouth to ask. "Uhh,"

"Don't question it, Trailblazer," said AppleJack. "If ya do, you'll find yerself more confused than before."

"What a fun little college course her antics would be," joked Trailblazer in response.

When the night hit, and all of the ponies were sleeping in their individual tents, Twilight began to think even more about her condition.

In her dream, the colt she liked as a filly was separated from her. After those events, she lived a life without him. Then, when it came to the present, Steel Sword reappeared in her dream. A flashback came, with them all at the research facility. The happening that was her talking to Steel Sword played back in her memory, right from her perspective. And his words echoed back into her memory as well: "Joy and happiness was voided without 'Twilight'".

The more she thought, the more anxious she got. Steel Sword's appearance was only slightly different from Mineral Mage's. The visuals and repeated quote seemed to be more than a coincidence.

Twilight abruptly woke up. She stared at the tent ceiling for a while, and then got out of her tent. She walked outside to think some more.

The rustling canvas woke Trailblazer up. With his tent between Twilight's and AppleJack's tents, he could easily pick up the noise. He got out of his sleeping bag, quietly unzipped his tent, and poked his head out, only to see Twilight Sparkle sitting down with her back turned on him. She seemed to be staring blankly into the vista around her.

"Oh, no..." said Trailblazer, softly. He shook his head and got back into his tent to try to continue sleeping. To his surprise, Twilight was not hoping for comfort from him, or even weeping to herself. This time, he knew something was really amiss. He got back outside and walked up to her, trying to figure out what was going on.

Upon getting a look at her face, she looked quite worried instead of sad, or even with a blank stare. Trailblazer wanted to know what was going on.

"Hey, Twilight," he said once he sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"It's Mineral Mage," she answered. "Do you remember that name?"

"Yeah, you told me about him back in Sagastrome."

"Right, well, the thing is... I can't help but think that he's still alive somewhere..."

"Wait, if I remember correctly, you said that he was, gone... Was your definition of 'gone' at that time, 'dead'?

"Yeah, but it was a vague term. It could've meant that he was missing, or away, or, with another mare."

"Don't you think that you would've heard about him passing away, or something?"

"Well, I guess you're right. But let's get back on topic here..."

"Right, right... Well, what gave you the impression that he's still around here?"

"He and Steel Sword..." Twilight swallowed before answering. "Look almost identical. His coat, his mane, his mane style, his eye color... He's almost a cutout."

"That's quite the observation. But still, you might want to consider this."

"What is it?"

"There are only so many colors in this world, and only so many color combinations. You said that you met Mineral Mage when both of you were in Canterlot, correct?"

"Yeah?"

"And this Steel Sword pony is in Inyomaid, which is where we all are now."

"Let me guess... Just because they share a similar color scheme, doesn't make them identical... Right?"

"Yeah, exactly. Also, what really defines a pony's identity, is his or her cutie mark. Do you know what he had for one?"

"Actually, he didn't have his at the time either."

"Oh... Well, I guess we'll scratch that."

"Uh-huh..."

"But like I said: I've seen plenty of ponies that share a similar color scheme as mine. But they're not me. See what I'm saying?"

Twilight looked back straight ahead of herself, thought, then looked back at Trailblazer. "Yeah, I do."

"Okay. So. You say that these two ponies share similar color schemes, but they're not identical."

Twilight thought a little more before responding. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Mineral Mage and Steel Sword ought to be two separate ponies after all." She let out a nervous giggle. "What was I thinking?"

"Okay then. But let's shelve the thought that he's still around now, okay? That Sario Hole is what we need to take care of."

"All right, I will," Twilight lied.

They both got up on all fours again.

"Hey, Trailblazer?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for talking to me. I feel a lot better now."

Trailblazer showed a small smile. "Yeah, you're welcome."

They both headed back into their tents to get to sleep for the rest of the night.

"Good night, Trailblazer..." said Twilight, meekly.

He stopped halfway into his tent, then backed up outside to look at Twilight. "Yeah, good night, Twilight." After saying that, he got back into his tent, zipped it back up, and laid back down in his sleeping bag to sleep.

Twilight got in her own tent as well, but stayed up. She neglected to tell Trailblazer that back at Mt. Terabolt, Steel Sword knew her name. That was the crucial clue to whether it was truly Mineral Mage under another name, or just some other villain. It was more than just a coincidence to her now.

The next day, the seven ponies packed their tents and headed back out of the woods that surrounded Lake Oxpow. In the mid-afternoon, they got back to Merlow's place.

"Welcome back! How did everything go back there?" asked Merlow once they all got inside.

"Unpleasant," Trailblazer said.

"Oh, is that so..." the unicorn answered back. "I was wondering how you were doing once that earthquake hit yesterday..."

"I was on the verge of dying because of that..."

Merlow recoiled. "OH MY! That, really WAS a terrible time you had there then!"

"Well, I'm fine now, so, the past is in the past, and we should get going."

"Are you okay with this?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now..."

"Well, if you say so..."

"Anyways, I think you'll need to see this now." Trailblazer turned to face AppleJack. "AppleJack?"

The cowpony reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the white Sacred Star. It floated up above the table where Merlow's crystal ball rested upon.

"Excellent! Now, the way to Steel Sword's lair should be opened! We just need to know where, and how." Merlow let the gemstone float above the crystal ball. The imagery that showed up was all five Sacred Stars, forming the shape of a perfect pentagon. They glowed and revealed black double doors, right outside of Merlow's enterance to his house.

"So, we need all the stars to open that black door of death..." said Rainbow Dash.

"That's welcoming," said Trailblazer, sarcastically.

Fluttershy giggled, and the rest of the six started to chuckle after the comment.

"Wait, where are the other ones we collected?" Rarity wondered.

"I have them in storage right here," Merlow said. He opened a foot locker that he had in the back of the room, and the other four Sacred Stars floated out of it.

"Great! Now let's get the black door of death revealed!" Twilight joked.

All of them walked outside and faced Merlow's place. He held up the Sacred Stars above him. The stars rotated in a circle, gradually getting faster. Then, as they continued to rotate, they all started to transform their horizontal rotation into a vertical one. They slowly stopped spinning around each other, and then stopped when they formed a pentagon. In the center of the shape, black double doors emerged from the ground. It stopped once it was completely unearthed, and the Sacred Stars started to levitate freely.

"The black door of death has been revealed!" Merlow said, playing along with the joke Rainbow Dash started. He gazed at the door, then at the hole in the sky. "Prepare for the fight for the fate of the planet, and then come back."

"Good idea, Merlow." Rainbow Dash turned around to face the other six. "Let's get ourselves some supplies."

"And some first-aid kits," Trailblazer said, with an indifferent look on his face.

"Oh, yeah, definitely."

Six of them walked away to shop around for supplies that they needed. Twilight Sparkle stayed behind, silently staring at the Sario Hole.

"Is there something bothering you, Twilight?" wondered Merlow.

"It's, well..." stuttered Twilight. "Do we have to stop Steel Sword specifically to close the Sario Hole?"

Merlow lowered his head and closed his eyes. "The Sario Hole was opened, and Steel Sword is the one responsible for it. So, stop him we must. But why do you ask?"

"It's just that, I feel like I knew him from..." But she bit her lip and didn't finish her sentence.

"Did something happen between you and Steel Sword?"

"N- No, nothing happened! I'm fine, really. Well anyways, I'd better get some stuff myself." Twilight trotted off towards the shops and browsed around with the rest of her friends.

After all of them gathered all the supplies that they felt they needed, they all gathered back at Merlow's place again. The sage looked up at the Sario Hole.

"Beyond that door is the path to Steel Sword's lair. He is hidden somewhere in that void we call a Sario Hole." Merlow turned around and faced the group. "Are you all ready?"

Six of them said their "Yes"'s, while Twilight Sparkle still looked worried.

"Twilight, if you don't feel okay, then feel free to stay behind," suggested Merlow.

"No, I'll... I'll go in! I shouldn't leave my friends behind here. Besides, they'll need my magic to get through the place."

"Then I will not stop you. Head on through once you're ready."

Twilight looked once more at the Sario Hole, the imminent threat to the world. She then looked down with her eyes closed, then looked at the black double doors with determination, exhaling through her nostrils. "I'm going in."

"Let's do this," said Trailblazer. He walked up to the doors, and they opened on their own once he got near. One by one, they walked through. When they all got on the other side, the doors closed on their own as well. Leaving them to figure out what they were up against. The fate of the planet was in their hands, and there was no room for error.

The Fall

On the other side of the door, the seven ponies saw the looming castle that was Steel Sword's lair. They stood on a flat ebony surface that seemed to resemble cobblestones, which led to the castle.All around them was the familiar cracking purple bolts, swirls of black, purple and blood red, and strange scribbled shapes that appeared, spun around, and disappeared with no rhyme or reason. All of them looked around to view the scenery they were seeing, in awe and bewilderment.

"Are, we in the Sario Hole?" wondered Rarity.

"Merlow said that we were going into the Sario Hole," said Pinkie Pie. "And it SUUUUUUURE looks like it."

"This place... It feels so surreal..." Trailblazer said as he looked around. "Then again, this very place we stand in has the power to destroy entire planets... I can also feel some sort of power emanating from all around us, and another power coming from inside the castle." Then, he looked bewildered. "That can't be Steel Sword himself, can it?"

"It had better not be," responded Twilight. She looked around with the others, then at the towering castle before them. "Anyways, we should get going. We're running out of time."

"Yeah, and don't die either," said Trailblazer. "And not 'just because'."

"Huh? What so you mean?"

"Back at Lake Oxpow, when I got a look at that tablet, all the heroes that took care of the Sario Hole before us had to be alive. If any of them perished, the bond between them was broken, and then they wouldn't have been able to close the hole."

Twilight thought for a moment. "I thought I saw that on that carving too."

"All right, now. We watch out for each other, keep each other safe, protect each other, and we'll be just fine." He pulled out one of the Sacred Stars tucked away in his saddle bag. "When we reach this Steel Sword guy, we pull these out, and put a stop to that Sinister Star." He put it back in the bag.

"All right. Y'all ready for this?" AppleJack asked.

"Yeah, let's do it," said Trailblazer.

"I'm in!" Rainbow Dash said.

The others were saying "Yes" as well, with Twilight delaying her answer. Fluttershy remained silent.

"Fluttershy?"

"Fine, I'm good," she finally answered.

"All right then. Let's roll."

All of then made their way to the giant double doors and entered. What they saw was a foyer with no doors on the ground floor. Rather, there were stairs on both sides of the foyer that led to the second floor, which led to a door.

As Rainbow Dash got ahead of the rest of them, she flew her way up to the door and opened it. Beyond that door was a hallway with no signs of danger.

"Come on, now. Don't keep me waiting!" she said.

"Can't you see that the rest of us don't have wings?" asked Trailblazer. They caught up to her and got ready to move on. "Still, I REALLY wish I was a pegasus, or a unicorn at least..."

"Yeah, wings are awesome," replied Rainbow Dash, smirking.

Trailblazer grimaced in response.

"Me first!" Pinkie Pie said, hopping. She trotted across the floor, but then, a set of spikes arranged in a square rose from the center of the floor she was just about to walk over. She got surprised, jumped backwards, and started to fall on her back. Trailblazer jumped on his hind legs and caught Pinkie with his forelegs. He, too, was a bit shocked. The spikes stayed in place, then slowly retracted back into the floor.

"This hallway is a deathtrap..." said Fluttershy.

"I still don't think it's a problem for us fliers." Rainbow Dash flew up to the low ceiling, but yet another square set of spikes shot out from it. She immediately jerked back to the floor once that happened.

"Jeez! What is WITH this room?!"

Trailblazer put Pinkie Pie down and carefully walked up to the spot where the first set of spikes shot out from.

"What are you doin'??" shouted AppleJack.

He ignored her and got near the area that the spikes shot up from. They came straight out of the ground. Then, he stepped back, and the spikes retracted back into the floor. Trailblazer then walked to the right side of the room, and inched himself forward. Another set of spikes erupted from the floor. He then stepped back again, and the spikes sunk back in.

"I'm beginning to see how this room works now..." he walked up to the left side of the hallway and slowly stepped forward.

"Trailblazer, no!" Twilight shouted.

He walked up to the space beyond where the previous spikes shot up from. Slowly, he braced himself for any spikes, but none came. He then put his hoof down on the floor where a patch of spikes was anticipated, but none came. He walked across the small area, all without any spikes erupting from the floor.

"It looks like this hallway has a little trick to it," said Trailblazer. "From what I've deduced, there's a fixed path we have to take, and if we wander off of it, we'll get shish-kebabbed."

Twilight Sparkle swallowed, then slowly followed Trailblazer's path. Just like before, no spikes came from the part of the floor he just walked over. "Huh!" she said, astonished.

"All right then, sugarcube," AppleJack said, with a hint of a warning tone of voice. "Be careful now."

As the other five followed the path single-file, Trailblazer walked towards the end of the hallway cautiously. He stayed in the center for a little bit until another set of spikes shot up from the floor. He turned to the right, got to the right side of the hall, and then continued forward. A moment later of walking, the next set of spikes rose from the floor. He started to walk around them, but then another set sprang up on the adjacent side. When he got to the left side, he stepped forward, and reached the door to the next room.

"That wasn't so hard," said Trailblazer softly.

He opened the door that led to the next door and entered. The others followed him in. Ahead was another long corridor. AppleJack threw a rock across the floor to test it, but nothing happened.

"I don't think there's any gimmicks in here..." she said.

Rainbow Dash flew to the next door, opened it, and went through it.

"Dash, hold up!" said Trailblazer.

The door that they just came through opened. Rainbow Dash came in from it. She looked around, and the other six looked back at her, all of them confused.

"Wha...? But I just, went through THAT door, how am I BEHIND you guys?" she asked.

Trailblazer went through it himself, and he too, ended up coming through the previous door, just like Rainbow Dash did.

"Ohh-kaaayyyy, this is strange..." he commented.

"How are we supposed to get through this room?" asked Rarity. "The thought of being stuck here is... Well, unsettling..."

Twilight looked up at the ceiling. Above them was a ledge that spanned the width of the hallway they were in.

"Do you think we could find anything up here?" she thought. "I don't know, but it beats winding up here all the time."

"I'll go take a look," said Fluttershy. She flew up to the upper ledge to see a shorter door than the ones they ran into so far, then flew back down. "There's a door here. I think it's the one we NEED to get through."

"Oh, this castle had better not be a maze..." said Trailblazer.

"I hear you. I end up getting lost in those things..." said Rarity.

"We'll get through. We got through the Tenebres Temple and back just fine, remember?" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, yeah, we did."

"Anyways, let's get up on that ledge. That door up there has got to lead somewhere else other than back here."

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy carried them all up to the ledge above them. Once they all got back on, they found themselves on the opposite side, only to see that they were on an upper ledge, with a floor below them. It looked just like the same room they came from.

"What the f-" thought Trailblazer. "Didn't we just get out of this room?!"

"Yeah, I thought so too," said Twilight. "Unless..."

"Yes...?" wondered Rarity.

"This IS a different room, and these guys are trying to trick us into thinking that we're back in the same room."

"Well, Ah guess there's no harm in checkin' it all out..." AppleJack commented.

Twilight teleported down to the lower floor and went through the door that they would've had to go through in the last room. For a few seconds, she did not return, but she came back.

"This door goes through!" she said.

"Oh. Good." Trailblazer lept down to the floor below them and met her in front of the door. The rest of the ponies met them back there too. "Now then..." He went through the door, and saw a wider, yet much longer hallway than the ones that they have already went through. A large flight of stairs was before them, and they began to climb up them. Pinkie Pie hopped up the flight, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew up them, all at the same pace of the other four. When they were near the top, they saw another set of double doors.

"Jeez, is this whole castle made up of double doors?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Sure seems like it," said Rarity. "What terrible decor, I must say. Black exterior and interior, constant double doors... Disgusting."

Trailblazer and AppleJack shot a skeptical look at her while she wasn't looking, then at each other, and chuckled for a little bit.

"What," Rarity barked.

"Nuthin'," said AppleJack, trying to hide her grin.

Once they all reached the double doors, Twilight walked in and began to look around.

"It looks like just a big empty room..." she said. She looked at the single door at the other end of the room, and noticed a dotted orange line near it which spanned the width of the whole room. She looked behind herself and noticed the same dotted line, a few yards away from the door they just came through. "You see these lines near here and the other door?" she asked all of them.

"Yeah, but, what about it?" Trailblazer wondered.

"Well, let's find out then!" Pinkie shouted.

"Let's not, okay?"

"What? Can't you stick around to play?" a voice said to them.

"That voice!" said Rainbow Dash, alert like the others. "Red Rover!"

Just as Dash predicted, Red Rover fell down from above and landed with a thud in the center of the room.

"Oh, God, you again?!" said Trailblazer. "You just don't know when to give up, do you?"

"Maybe I don't, but I'm not going to sit around as you waltz around Steel Sword's castle!" he shouted.

"You do realize that you're just going to get beat again, right?" said Trailblazer softly.

"I'm going to stop you here! I don't care what it takes!" Rover said.

"History repeats itself," Trailblazer whispered. It became apparent that Rover was just hearing himself shout at them.

"Bring it on, ya trouble maker!" AppleJack shouted at Red Rover as she took a step forward.

"AppleJack?" Trailblazer said. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Oh, darn right Ah do!" she responded.

"Well, I don't want to see you get hurt..."

"Oh please! Ah've seen you beat this boy like a rented mule. Ah can take this guy one-on-one."

"If that's what you want then..." Trailblazer stepped back and motioned the rest to do the same.

"C'mon, 'blazer," said Rainbow Dash, ready to reassure him. "AppleJack can beat this guy with a hoof tied behind her back. You shouldn't have to worry about her!"

"Well, I'm sure she can. It's just that... I don't want to see her get hurt. At all."

"Ah'll be fine, sugarcubes. Don' worry 'bout me!"

"What, your boyfriend is all concerned! I'm impressed! You've managed to make a friend, Trailblazer!" mocked Red Rover.

"I don't have to take that from a weaking and a coward like you," Trailblazer jeered back.

This enraged Rover. "Why don't you come over here and say that to my face, tough guy!"

"Okay!" Trailblazer ran at Rover, and Rover backed away and covered his head with his front hooves, lowering himself to the floor as he did so. "I don't have to take that from a weaking and a coward like you." He then trotted back to the group.

"Gah, enough already!" Red Rover charged at AppleJack and swung at her, attempting to punch her in the face, but she ducked, got back up once his hoof was retrieved, and slugged him back. He retaliated by decking her, which left her lying on her back. Rover quickly got up to her and tried to stomp her, but AppleJack reacted faster. She caught Rover's hoof that just about stomped her on her underside, and pushed it out of the way. Red Rover then tried jumping on her, but she rolled over and out of the way. She got back on her feet, and kicked him at his side. He fell on his side from the blow, and AppleJack stepped back, waiting for him to get back up.

"Come on!" AppleJack yelled. "You want us not to pass, now show me how badly ya want us stopped!"

Red Rover realized that she was using his own words against him, and got back up, quickly shaking his head. He looked at the cowpony, scowling, and then charged at her. She got out of the way at the last moment, bucked, and kicked him again. He stumbled backwards and recovered, then ran at her again. He swung his foreleg at her again, trying to land a punch, but AppleJack avoided the attack. Rover tried to kick her, but ended up missing. AppleJack got on his left side, swung at his face, and then reared up to kick him once more. Her attack connected, and he fell on his side once again.

"Yeeeeeeeee-HAWWW!" taunted AppleJack, rampant once she knocked him down. "How ya like them apples NOW? MMM!"

Red Rover was irate. His expression looked manic and angry. He picked up speed to ram AppleJack yet another time, but she ended up dodging once more. He quickly turned around, and charged her again. She had a very small window of opportunity to evade the next charge, but managed to do so. Red Rover turned around again, and grabbed her. AppleJack tried to get out of his grip, but Rover got up on his hind legs, and threw her towards a wall. She landed near it and rolled around from her momentum until stopping half a foot from the wall. She got back up and saw Rover, charging at her and trying to bash her into the wall. AppleJack dove to her right, making Rover crash into the wall instead of sandwiching her into it. She took this opportunity and punched him on his nose. Red Rover stumbled backwards and clutched his muzzle.

"Ow, dammit!" he yelled. "Why is it always the nose?!"

AppleJack reared up and kicked him right at his neck, then at his head. Red Rover kept on stumbling backwards at the blows, and AppleJack kept on whaling on him. Rover finally got towards the middle of the room, and fainted, moaning and groaning in pain.

"Oh, shut up," taunted AppleJack, with a smirk on her face.

"AppleJack!" Trailblazer called out. "Damn!"

The other five started to cheer for AppleJack along with Trailblazer.

"Well played!" Rarity announced.

"THAT'S how it's done right!" praised Twilight Sparkle.

"There you GO!" Trailblazer walked up to AppleJack and put a hoof over her shoulder. "THAT'S my girl!"

AppleJack couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, stop!"

"No, really, way to put it all out there!"

The seven ponies got back to business and ready to move on, but Red Rover got back on his feet. He held his head and wobbled a little bit, with his eyes shut tight and his teeth grit, groaning. He then quickly shook his head and regained his focus, and looked at the group.

"This, sucks. Big time," he said, resentfully. "Well, I guess I have to let you pass..." A smirk grew on his face, looked towards the ceiling, and then stomped on the floor twice with both of his forelegs. The seven ponies looked up towards it, and saw that the ceiling started to fall apart.

"Let's see if you can pass if these rocks will let you!" Red Rover shouted. "You just walked into your very..." Suddenly, a four-sided star-shaped flash of light covered him, and he disappeared into thin air.

"What, what?? What's going on?!" Pinkie Pie looked around, confused as the rest of them.

A chunk of the ceiling fell on Rainbow Dash. It crashed on top of her, and she let out a painful yelp. A couple more landed on her spread out wings.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight gasped. She took the rocks off using her magic, and Rainbow Dash got back up.

"I... I think I got paralyzed!" she yelled, a bit frightened. "I can't use my wings!!" Her fear turned into panic as she looked at her wings, which now only hung limply at her sides. She could not tuck them back in.

"Ah, crap. This isn't any good!" Trailblazer said as he looked at Dash's status. He looked back up at the ceiling, now seeing as giant boulders started to fall from the ceiling. "Oh, S---! Hurry! MOVE!" he warned.

AppleJack got Rainbow Dash to lie on her back as she carried her to the door on the other end of the collapsing room. Dash held on as the seven began to sprint to the next door. A boulder the size of a two-story house landed right in front of Pinkie Pie and Rarity. They were shocked, and jumped backwards to the door that all of them came from. At this point, the other five were already on the opposite side of the room.

"Wait, where's Pinkie and Rarity?!" Twilight asked.

"What are they doing on the other side of the room!?" Trailblazer shouted.

Just then, the floor between the orange dotted lines collapsed, resembling a large trapdoor. More and more boulders fell down, but neither of them could get across.

"Fluttershy! Get over there and bring those two back here!" demanded Trailblazer.

"WHAT?!" she asked.

"Just do it!"

Without thinking, Fluttershy flew over to the other side, nearly getting crushed by a falling rock. She tried to pick them both up by carrying them by her front legs on both sides, but they were too heavy to handle. Fluttershy struggled to carry them across the gap, but then, the entire span of the ceiling started to collapse. Panic gripped her, she screamed, and dropped both Pinkie Pie and Rarity.

"What are you doing!?" yelled Trailblazer.

All of them could hear Pinkie and Rarity screaming for help as they fell down the gap, which both became fainter as they fell. Fluttershy dove into the door on the opposite side where the other four were, and got into the other room. The door was slammed shut just before the entire ceiling caved in. They could hear the rocks tumbling and crashing into each other from the other side. After 15 seconds, the noise died down.

"Pinkie Pie! Rarity!" shouted Twilight. She walked up to the door that they just came from, and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Nothing...!" she shivered. "I can't go back in!"

Trailblazer looked shocked. Then, he grew angered, and leered at Fluttershy.

"Oh, my, God, I cannot even express how mad I am at you right now!"

The Collision

"What's WRONG with you!?" Trailblazer shouted at Fluttershy. "You couldn't bring those two over here, and save them?!"

Fluttershy submitted to the ground as she got yelled at, with eve contact on him, ears drooped, and was shivering with fear.

"Answer me!"

"I panicked!" she squealed. "If I held on, I would go down too!"

"You had plenty of time to bring Pinkie and Rarity over here! I could tell!"

"How?? You're just an earth pony!"

"Maybe so, but I've flown before." Trailblazer turned away from her for a moment, then got back in her face. "Did you just care about yourself too much? Is that it?!"

"'Blazer, give it a rest!" Rainbow Dash pitched in. "She did what she could!"

"I don't think so, but look at what happened. We are screwed!"

"How?!" Twilight Sparkle shouted at him.

"Don't you get it, it was RIGHT on that tablet in Lake Oxpow!" he reasoned. "If any of us died, then our efforts are compromised! And one of them had a Sacred Star with them!"

The remaining four looked in their saddle bags for them, but Fluttershy was without one. "Oh, Pinkie must've had it! Or, maybe Rarity!"

"And how do you expect that we stop that Sinister Star, without all five Sacred Stars?! We explicitly need all five to stop it, and now, we're screwed!"

Fluttershy's expression turned into a mix of shock and guilt.

"See, Fluttershy?! You failed to help all of us out, and you failed to rescue those two, and now, we're doomed. Thanks a lot." Trailblazer turned his back towards her again.

"Trailblazer..." Fluttershy started to say. "I never knew-"

"Gah, jeez," he said quietly, then, abruptly became loud. "Should've never trusted you to do ANYTHING for us!" He turned right back at her, and starting to stomp his right hoof rhythmatically on the ground right next to her cowering head. "Worst, mistake, I ever, made, in my mo-ther f---ing life!!"

"TRAILBLAZER!" Twilight yelled, just as shocked as the others. "Language!"

"Does it look like I care?!" he yelled. He then blew a razzberry at Fluttershy, then waved at her in a "Forget you" motion. He turned away from her yet again.

For a moment, all of them were silent. Then, Fluttershy started to cry. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle got close to comfort her. AppleJack walked up to the stallion.

"Trailblazer..." said AppleJack. "Ah don't think ya know Fluttershy enough to judge her like that."

"What, that she's timid, shy, cowardly, and looks after little animals more than anyone else?"

"...Well, that's not entirely true..." AppleJack walked in front of him to talk face-to-face. "Sure, she may not have steely nerves, and she's not as strong as you and Ah, but... If you think 'bout it, she did what she could. If she still hung on, we would've lost all three of them."

"I can think of two other ponies that I would've wanted to see survive first."

"Hey, that's an awful thing to say!"

Trailblazer turned his head to his left side, thinking, then looked towards the floor. He pondered on what he said, then scoffed and shook his head. "She might as well get used to it."

AppleJack stepped to the side, looking at the others, and shrugged.

"You did what you could, Fluttershy," Twilight said to her, trying to ease her emotional pain. "I think he's just mad about how an order of his didn't work out."

"I let you all down..." said Fluttershy. "I let everypony down."

"Well..."

"C'mon, Flutters'," Rainbow Dash spoke up again. "Maybe we ought to keep going. There's no sense in staying here and getting nothing accomplished."

"Yeah, let's go," Trailblazer said, scowling. "Let's get to Steel Sword's room, try to stop him, and I can prove to you that we are done for without all the Sacred Stars." He looked at the door that they just went through, looking a bit upset. "I guess we'll have to mourn later... If we just gave up here, those two would've died for nothing."

"But you were just saying that our only option was to give up!" Twilight yelled. "Now you're saying that we should press on??"

"Well, I just realized that it's better knowing what will come rather than spend the rest of our lives wondering..."

The others grimaced, still distraught about Fluttershy getting yelled at.

"I just can't believe it..." Twilight said. "Rarity and Pinkie are gone..."

Rainbow Dash let out an unhappy sigh, and Fluttershy did the same.

"Let's just go..." Trailblazer spoke up. He walked through the next door and proceeded on his own.

"Ah oughta put some sense into him..." AppleJack told the other three. She began to walk forward and follow him. The last three decided to do the same, not wanting to be left behind.

"I didn't want to drop them... I feel like I betrayed them..."

"Fluttershy, listen," said Twilight. "There would be no sense in losing all three of us."

"But I still left them behind... I feel like I can't get over it..."

"It's okay, Fluttershy..."

"No... No, it's not. I've been keeping secrets from him too."

"Who, Trailblazer?"

Fluttershy backed her head away. "Yes, well, NO! I mean... No wait, no. It was from all of you."

Right when AppleJack caught up to him, she turned around and listened up. "What now? Yer lettin' a cat out of it's bag?" What about?"

"Hey, Trailblazer?" Twilight called to him. "You might want to hear this..."

He stopped and turned around. "Oh, this is going to be be-yOOtiful. I JUST know it."

He walked up to the other three along with AppleJack.

"I changed my mind!" she yelped. "I don't want to say it!"

"You already brought it up," said Twilight. "You might as well say it."

All eyes were on Fluttershy, waiting for an answer. She spun around to see all of them wanting for one from herself. Then, she sighed and hung her head.

"It's Merlow... I think he's been lying to us..."

"How so?" wondered Rainbow Dash.

"After our trip from Mutait, when I went back to grab my saddlebag, I saw a piece of paper on the floor next to mine..."

"...O-kayyy, but, what about it?"

"It was a reciept for the T.V."

"...Aannnnd...?"

"Well, I saw the purchase date... And it was... Only one day before we came back from Mutait!"

The other three mares looked at each other skeptically.

"Is that it?"

"No, remember how he also told us that he watched our entire progress while we were there?"

They looked at each other again.

"If he was aware of our progress while we were out there, then, why was that T.V purchased only one day before we came back to him? How could he know how we were doing the entire time if he did not have the T.V to do so?" Twilight Sparkle said. Then, she gasped. "He must be hiding something from us!"

"That liar!" Trailblazer, mad and frustrated as ever, stomped both of his front hooves against the ground a few times, then let out a loud grunt. "First, we get lied to, then, Fluttershy screws us all over, and only NOW does she tell us that we have been lied to! Why didn't you tell us this before?!"

She said nothing. She laid back down on the ground, covered her face with both of her hooves, and shivered some more. "I didn't know if any of you would believe me!"

"We could've addressed the situation while we still could!"

"Would you quit yellin' at her, Trailblazer?!" AppleJack yelled back at him.

He didn't stop. "Now, we'll never know what he was hiding from us, will we? This is just going to come back and bite us. I JUST know it!"

Fluttershy lifted a hoof from her face to look at him. "Well, now what do we do..."

"Oh, get lost!"

Her pupils shrank, and she looked horrified. Then, when Trailblazer walked away from her, she dropped her hoof back down over her face, curled up in the fetal position, and cried bitterly.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle laid down next to her while AppleJack walked up to him and discuss the situation some more.

"Fluttershy..." Twilight was saying once more. "I know he said some really hateful things, but, I know him enough that he's not the kind of pony that hates other friends, even if he looks down on them."

"Did you not see the look in his eyes?? Did you not hear the tone of voice he used??"

"I did, and I know he's putting the blame on you, but, all I'm seeing is that his emotions are getting the best of him. That's his anger talking, not Trailblazer himself.

Fluttershy let in a loud sniffle. "Then how do you explain how he treated me when we were at Mt. Terabolt?!"

She paused to think, and to get an answer. "Okay, yes, I know he insulted you while we were waiting on the tour guides, but didn't he trust you to be his escort when we had to wake Rainbow Dash up?"

"...Yes, that's true..."

"Oh, and he also helped ward off Red Rover from you and even helped you back up when you were down at Lake Oxpow. Didn't he?" Rainbow Dash pitched in, backing up Twilight's point.

"He did, but... It all seems like he's only looking at the bad and not the good... After, I left... Pinkie and Rarity behind...!"

While those mares tried to get Fluttershy to regain her confidence, the cowpony and guitarist discussed the situation even further.

"You oughtta take a look at this through her own shoes, not yours!" AppleJack raised her voice at Trailblazer.

"And YOU ought to see the severity of what she burdened us with."

She let out an irritated sigh. "Ah was a fool to think that you two had SOME kinda friendship."

"How so?"

"Didn't you need Fluttershy to take ya for a joyride when we needed water to get Dash woken up?"

"I HAD to use her because she was the only one I could turn to. If Rainbow Dash was available, I wouldn't hesitate to trust her with a task that involved flight."

"And what 'bout back at Lake Oxpow? Ah saw you helpin' her out when she couldn't get up herself! Ah SAW ya!"

"Pfft, she got kicked around, left with a few bruises, and she was down because of THOSE?! I had reason why I couldn't move back there!"

"Yeah, okay, but, she still fought Red Rover for ya! And did ya 'ppreciate her doin' that for you??"

"Oh, please... When I got back outside, I had to finish the job for her! I think from Red Rover's perspective, he wasn't at 100%, but from what Fluttershy saw, the beating SHE got was overkill."

"...But..."

"Face it, Fluttershy is an incompetent coward, unfit for any heavy duty we end up tackling. You saw how poorly she did back at Mutait and Sagastrome! Hell, she didn't even fight or run that much at all! You know why? Because she can't!"

AppleJack hung her head, looking frustrated.

"We've wasted too much time talking. Let's go."

As Trailblazer resumed walking towards the next room, AppleJack stayed in place. She waited for just a couple seconds until the other three walked up to her.

"Trailblazer went ahead without us, didn't he..." said Rainbow Dash.

"Yep..." replied AppleJack. "But Ah guess there's no point in lolligagging anyways..." Then, she shook her head. "Ah wish Trailblazer wasn't so hard on Fluttershy now..."

"We feel the same way," said Rainbow Dash.

As they entered the next room, they saw a spiral staircase that led upward. It looked as if it covered at least two floors. Just as they got in, they caught a glimpse of Trailblazer climbing up them.

"I'd give anything to have Pinkie Pie and Rarity back... Really." Fluttershy kept her head hung.

At that sentence, Trailblazer stopped his progress on the stairs to listen in.

"I JUST want him to forgive me...!"

Once he heard that, he turned his head away a little bit, and felt guilty as well as upset. He put more thought into what he said to her, but then he shook his head, thinking that it was her responsibility to take care of Pinkie and Rarity, and she failed to do so. He then started to climb back up the stairs until reaching it's top floor. In the room he just entered was a small square room with a simple door that led to another room deeper into the castle. He then entered the next room, and paused.

Back downstairs, the four mares hiked up the spiral staircase that Trailblazer just climbed.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

"What is it, Twilight?" she asked back.

"How are your wings anyways?"

"I, for some reason, can't feel them very well."

"Wait, if you said you thought you got paralyzed, then how can you feel them?"

"I dunno..." She tried to tuck them back at her sides, but they only reached halfway, and fell back down.

"You're not paralyzed, Rainbow Dash. I think it's that you're just numb."

"Well, that's a relief, but, still I want to be able to use my wings now! Then, I wouldn't have to climb up these stairs!"

"It'll do ya some good, Dash," said AppleJack. "Yer all sky an' no surface."

"It's better than all surface and no sky," Rainbow Dash mouthed back.

The four ponies reached the top of the stairs, and then got into the next room. There, they saw Trailblazer scanning the room that they all got in. Fluttershy shuddered.

"Jeez, this room is givin' me the heeby-jeebies..." AppleJack commented.

"It's like a deva-vu... Look at this!" ordered Trailblazer. "Same kind of room, same dimensions... Same everything."

"W-we might g-go d-down again...!" stammered Fluttershy.

"Not if we can help it."

"'We'?" asked Rainbow Dash, as she sat upright with her forelegs folded.

"Dash..." said Twilight.

Just then, a small green pony fell from the ceiling and landed in the center of the room, much in the same fashion as Red Rover did in the previous room.

"Pack Rat!" Rainbow Dash yelled, glaring at him.

"I've been telling you, 'Don't cross my path!'" Pack Rat yelled back.

"Since when??" shouted Trailblazer. "You never told us that, you little brat, you're making stuff up!"

"You might as well give up! I'm NOTHING like the last times we fought!"

"This punk needs to learn some manners," Trailblazer told the other remaining four.

"You listen here!" barked Rainbow Dash. "You might as well step out of the way and save me the trouble of beating you down!"

"You tell 'em, Rainbow!" cheered AppleJack.

Pack Rat growled deeply. "I'm not going to stand for this!" he charged at Rainbow Dash to slam her, but she hopped out of the way almost effortlessly. Once he stopped running and ended up a foot behind her, he turned to face her. Even without Rainbow Dash looking, she quickly jutted out her right foreleg and punched him square in the nose. To this, he recoiled and clutched it, then shook his head. He ran after Rainbow Dash once more, but he missed. She began to leap around, teasing the smaller green pony each time he almost collided with her. After the sixth failed attempt, Rainbow Dash stood still, tempting Pack Rat to tackle her. He did so, but she stuck out her hoof again, stopping him, and then gave him a strong kick with her hind legs. After recieving the blow, he rolled around and laid still.

"I TOLD you that you should've saved me the trouble of getting you out of the way, but nooooooooooohhh..." taunted Rainbow Dash.

"Wow... That actually lasted longer than I thought it would," Twilight thought out loud.

Pack Rat struggled to get up, but ended up lying on his back. "It just can't be... Was I really destined to fail...?"

"Yer ego was just as big as yer mouth, buster," AppleJack piped up.

Pack Rat sat upright, with an upset look on his face, and drooped ears. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He just let out an unhappy sigh, shook his head, and hung it.

Just then, a rumbling got their attention. It was just like the one encountered in the last fight after AppleJack beat Red Rover.

"Uh, we should get going," reminded Twilight.

"Let's get a move on," agreed Trailblazer.

All of them walked past Pack Rat without looking back. Except for Fluttershy. Once she walked past him, she stopped, turned around, and looked at him.

"Pack Rat... You should seek shelter too. It's not safe here."

"Why do you care?!" he mouthed back with a stuffy voice.

"Just find someplace safe, okay? Please?"

Pack Rat folded his forelegs and turned away from her in a pouty manner. He then looked back, and looked mad again.

"If I've been led down the wrong path, and if this is as good as I'm going to do... Then..." He shut his eyes tight and clenched his teeth, shaking a bit violently. "I don't care anymore! You're going down with me!"

Pack Rat tackled Fluttershy and attatched himself onto her back. Fluttershy found her wings pinned to her sides, and unable to get back on her feet. She called out for help, but as soon as she did, Pack Rat put one of his hooves over her mouth. She was muted and immobilized. She shook and struggled to get herself free from the grasp, but her struggles were of no use.

Pack Rat looked up and saw the moment he has waited for. Boulders from the ceiling started to hail down on them. At this sight, Fluttershy violently shook and fought to get out of his grip. This, however, did get her mouth free.

"Help me!" she screamed at the door that her friends just went through.

"It's too late now!" yelled Pack Rat.

Just like in the last room, the door opened up below them. It was another giant trapdoor. Once it opened up, the both fell down the pit. Just as soon as it opened, and the two ponies fell down, it closed on them, leaving no rocks to fall on them.

"Say 'Good-bye', Fluttershy!" yelled Pack Rat.

Back in the room that Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, AppleJack, and Trailblazer were now in, they waited in the room to wait for the noise and falling rocks to die down. Once it did, they looked amongst each other to observe their progress.

"Hold on... Where did Fluttershy go?" asked Twilight.

Trailblazer's dull expression immediately turned into one of freight. He turned around and walked to the door they just came from and tried to open it. It did not budge.

"Fluttershy?" he called out to her.

No response came.

Trailblazer tried even harder to open the door, but it remained shut.

"Fluttershy, are you there??" he called again.

Silence.

"Okay, this isn't funny, Fluttershy, now holler back at me," he shouted anxiously.

No reply.

Trailblazer tried to yank the doors open, but they did not open. He tried even harder to get them open, but without any luck. "Fluttershy?? Fluttershy!" he called out. He then started to bang on the door. "Answer me!!"

She did not answer.

Trailblazer slowly turned around, revealing a look of extreme guilt. He collapsed and sat down, leaning his back on the door that led to the deathtrap that claimed Fluttershy.

"Oh, God... What have I done..." he said.

The Sacrifice

Trailblazer sat down in a slumped manner against the door. He watched as the other three closed in on him a little bit, glaring at him. He knew that they were furious.

"Way to go, Trailblazer!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "Not only did you treat Fluttershy like dirt, she ended up dying feeling that way!"

"You ought to be ASHAMED of yourself!" Twilight Sparkle said. "I thought I made it clear that you should've at LEAST tried to get along, but you didn't. Instead, you did the opposite. How would you like it if some other pony did the same to you, and you ended up dying feeling that way?!"

Trailblazer shut his eyes tight, grimaced, and shook his head.

"Yeah, you wouldn't like it either, would you?" Twilight swiped her head to look away from him, held it there, then turned right back to face him. "That's a new low for you, Trailblazer! You're despicable!" She turned around again and walked away to head deeper into the castle.

"All that business you had back there, was NOT cool." Rainbow Dash turned away from him too.

Trailblazer had his head hung for a few moments. He then looked up at AppleJack, who also was giving him a halfway-mean look.

"Trailblazer..." she said, as she started to glare. "Ah thought you were better than that."

Trailblazer's expression showed a small amount of shock, and then became one of grief again. Once AppleJack walked away from him, he looked back on the ground, ashamed at himself, and drooped his ears.

"Fluttershy..." he said softly. "All those things I said..." He sniffled.

"Git over here already!" AppleJack yelled at him.

Trailblazer jumped and got back on his feet without thinking, and then trotted towards the other three mares, keeping his head low.

"Keep up with us or we WILL leave you behind," warned Twilight.

He let out an unhappy sigh and said nothing else. Twilight began to lead the way deeper into the castle. The others followed her, with Trailblazer staying behind.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. "How are your wings now?"

Rainbow Dash tried to flap them. Little by little, she was able to lift herself off the floor for a couple feet, then fell back down.

"They're coming back," said Dash. "I'll should be back at 100% soon enough."

"Okay, because we need you to get all of us across this chasm."

The three mares stood a few feet away from a gap that spanned the width of the room.

"Look at these edges here," Rainbow commented. "They're not chipped away or anything. They're all flat."

"So, this must've been intentional." Twilight said as she examined the edges. "Still, we don't know how much time we have left before this Sario Hole destroys us all..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on feeling my wings again." Rainbow Dash flapped and flapped her wings to get herself able to fly again. After around 15 seconds, she could fly just like new. "The numbness is gone!"

"Great! Now carry us over to the other side."

She started with Twilight Sparkle, carried her across the chasm, and dropped her off on the other side. She did the same thing with AppleJack. After dropping her off, she turned around and flew back, but stopped. As she hovered in mid-air, she saw Trailblazer, with his head hung low and turned to his right side.

"C'mon, Rainbow Dash," said Twilight, a bit haughty.

Rainbow Dash groaned. "Do I HAVE to?" she pouted.

Twilight let out a huffy sigh, used her magic, and lifted him off the floor of the other side, levitated him over the gap, and dropped him off next to all of them.

"I guess we're keeping you then," Dash told Trailblazer. She forced his head to make eye contact with herself, and suffixed her last statement with "...For now."

As they walked through the next corridor, the three mares led the way, while Trailblazer continued to follow them from a distance like a lost puppy. He then caught up to them to try to talk.

"AppleJack, I know you're mad at me..." he began to say.

"Ah really, don' wanna hear it," came her reply.

"AppleJack, the four of us are all that matters now."

"Trailblazer. You really crossed the line with your attitude against Fluttershy."

"What is it going to take..."

"Oh, ya REALLY wanna know?" AppleJack spun around and faced him. "Ya wanna know what'll make it all better?"

"What."

"Drop DEAD."

Trailblazer recoiled, shocked at what she just said, then hung his head in his recent usual manner. "I guess I deserved that..."

Twilight turned her head to look at the two, and bit her lip. She saw that Trailblazer was remorseful, and he wanted to make things right. But the damage has already been done. She shook her head and continued forward.

Once they reached the end of the hallway, they went through the next door. What lay ahead of them in the next room was another long hallway, but what looked like exhaust pipes were sticking out from the walls, pointing around in the room at various degrees. They stopped and waited for anything to happen. After a few seconds, embers spewed from all of the pipes simultaneously, and then flames erupted towards the room. They observed the flames lasting for around five seconds, and then quickly stopped.

"I'm not sure if there's another pattern here," said Twilight as she observed the flames from the pipes. "I guess when those flames are let loose, you just have to find a place that they're NOT aiming at."

"Step slow, an' watch yerselves now, y'all," AppleJack reminded them all.

They took a few paces through the room, keeping themselves close to the walls. As soon as some sparks came, all of them dodged or ducked for space that was not going to get incinerated, and shielded themselves from the heat that radiated from the flames that threatened to burn them all. On the first run through the hallway, AppleJack had to dive to the ground, lying flat on it, and held her hat down on her head for cover. Trailblazer seemed to not put too much effort into his evasion; his pursuit for cover seemed to be taken absentmindedly. After the flames died down, they got back up and headed for the exit again. Just like before, the pipes sparked again, and they dove for areas that weren't in the torch's way. Rainbow Dash stood on her hind legs and pressed her back against the wall to avoid the next wave they were in. After they extinguished themselves again, the three mares sprinted for the next doorway in the hall. Trailblazer lazily jogged behind them, just barely passing the area where the flames engulfed.

"We all made it back in one piece?" AppleJack asked.

"It looks like it." Twilight looked amongst them all for a moment, then abruptly raised her voice. "Trailblazer, were you WANTING to get burned in there??"

"What's the use..." he replied in his gloomy manner. "It feels like I got rid of Fluttershy myself... I've gone against my own orders, and my own self..."

She groaned, then whispered to herself, "It's like talking to a brick wall..."

They opened the next door and saw a staircase that resembled a strata, leading upwards in one direction, leveled, and went upwards in the opposite direction for the same amount of steps.

"Jeez... I know this is a castle, but, wouldn't this guy know better than to have constant stairs. I wouldn't mind a steady slope, or an escalator of some sort," pondered Twilight as they worked their way up the stairs.

"It's a good workout. Twi'," AppleJack said. "Those hindquarters ain't gonna stretch themselves, y'know."

"Nor are these wings," Rainbow Dash piped up.

"An', here we go again... Y'know. Rainbow, ya got legs. Use them!"

"I have wings, so, I'm using THEM."

"Somehow, Ah feel like Ah liked you better then your wings WERE numb."

Trailazer let out an unhappy sigh. 'Look at them,' he thought. 'They're turning on each other. If this keeps up, it'll have the magnitude of a pack of wolves.' He looked down at the floor they first walked on and thought some more. 'Fluttershy...' he thought some more. 'Why was I so hard on you...?'

It took a full minute to climb up all of them, where they reached the next door. In the next room, they saw a room in the same size as the last two rooms where they lost Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Only here, the chasm was already present, and a rope bridge with wooden planks connected the two sides.

"Oh, no, not this again..." said Twilight. "Okay, just... Watch your backs. We don't need any more casualties."

"Mmm hmm hmmm, you arrived after all," came a familiar voice.

"That sounds like Hat Trick!" Twilight yelled.

As predicted, Hat Trick appeared in a flash in his usual manner, standing on the midpoint of the bridge.

"You get out of our way!" Twilight warned, crouching as if she was ready to pounce.

"You'll get pummeled if you stay in it!" AppleJack said.

"Now, step aside!" added Rainbow Dash.

Trailblazer remained silent.

"Well, aren't we hot-blooded now? I suppose that's something to admire... Anyways, as you wish, I will get out of your way."

Twilight Sparkle raised an eyebrow at him, but, just as she was about to speak, he disappeared in his star-shaped flash. He reappeared on the other side of the bridge, readying his next spell.

"Let's see if you can get over here on THIS side! That is, if the rocks will let you!"

With his horn glowing, the ceiling started to crumble, and debris began to fall on them. Some were making impact with the bridge, threatening to tear it down. With the ceiling falling on them, Hat Trick disappeared.

"Oh, God! Run run RUN!" Twilight demanded.

All four of them began to run across the bridge, but some rocks fell on the bridge itself, cutting parts of the rope. One of the edges was about to get loose, which would cause the bridge to tip over on it's side.

"Oh, this is bad!" said Rainbow Dash. "What are we gonna do??"

Twilight stammered, fearful for their lives. "Just hang on to something!"

A boulder fell and damaged the bridge. The mares stuck their hooves between gaps in the planks, bracing themselves for it to break and leave them hanging on vertically. Twilight shut her eyes tight, anticipating them to sway to the next side into the face of the edge. But nothing happened. She opened one of her eyes to see what went on, then looked around. The bridge didn't sway to it's side as expected, but stayed in it's place. She wondered why this was so. Then, she turned around to look at the side they came from.

Trailblazer held a supporting rope in his mouth.

"Trailblazer, what are you doing?!" she shouted.

"Go, just GO!" he yelled back through his clenched teeth. It was clear that he struggled to support their weight on the bridge, but he stopped it from swaying and sending all of them plummeting to their deaths. Then, he mumbled to himself, "Oh, God, I'm an idiot."

The mares looked at each other for a second, then headed back for the door on the other end of the room.

"What about YOU??" AppleJack called to him.

"What ABOUT me??" he mouthed back.

A sense of guilt swept her at that response.

"The ceiling! It's collapsing!" Twilight pointed at the ceiling, seeing that several boulders were falling.

One of the big rocks was falling towards Trailblazer. He looked up at it, then dove out of the way before it could crush him. With the rock in place, it held the supporting rope in place. The bridge still swayed on it's side, but Trailblazer could get across. Without thinking, he started to run across it.

Twilight and AppleJack were in the next room, with Rainbow Dash walking into it next. She turned around to observe Trailblazer running across the bridge. Then, a boulder fell on the bridge, separating it in two. The bridge was split between him and their destination, leaving it to collapse.

"OH SHIT!" yelped Trailblazer as he began to fall. Rainbow Dash gasped at the sight, and saw as he fell down the chasm. Then, she ran back to the edge, jumped, and dove for him.

"Rainbow Dash, where are you going?!" screamed Twilight.

As Dash flew down to retrieve him, the entire ceiling along with even more boulders fell down on the room. The two that made it through closed the door right before the rocks could fill the room. Many more sounds of rocks colliding with each other were heard for another 12 seconds. Fear gripped both of the survivors.

"Trailblazer! Rainbow Dash! Answer us!" Twilight yelled at the door.

"Holler back at me, Trailblazer! You too, Rainbow Dash!" mimicked AppleJack. "Answer back if you can hear me!"

Neither one of them responded.

AppleJack walked back to the door to open it back up, but it was locked.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Trailblazer!"

No reply from either of them came.

Twilight Sparkle wobbled, stepped backwards, and had to sit down to keep herself from fainting. "Tell me it isn't so... We lost them..."

"Trailblazer..." AppleJack's eyes began to water. "Oh, God, what have Ah done to ya..."

Twilight Sparkle and Steel Sword

"We're the only two left...!" commented Twilight. "What was Rainbow Dash THINKING?!" She turned to her side and saw a distraught AppleJack. She was sitting down, swayed around a little bit, and looked ready to cry.

"Trailblazer said some nasty things to Fluttershy... But Ah was just downright CRUEL to him!" She then collapsed, and let out a whimpering cry.

"I can't believe it either!" said Twilight, tearing up too. "First, Pinkie and Rarity, then Fluttershy, and now, Trailblazer and Rainbow Dash! They're... Gone."

"Oh, how could Ah... How could Ah be so cruel to him?!"

"What do you mean?"

"Trailblazer was mad at Fluttershy for failin' to bring them over the chasm, then we get mad at him after the way he scolded Fluttershy, but..."

"I don't think you were as cruel to him as he was to Fluttershy."

"No, Ah was meaner." AppleJack's voice was heavy and stuffy, along with her talking through her sobs. "Sure, Fluttershy got yelled at, but... Ah wished death upon Trailblazer, and- AND... It came true!" She curled up into a loose ball as she laid on the floor. "How could Ah just, throw away the stallion that actually cared for me?!"

"And he even gave his life to save ours...!" Twilight said, also shocked. "Even when I scolded him too!" Her eyes began to water too.

"There's Pinkie Pie... The one pony that was so random, funny, and never was a sour puss..." AppleJack said, reminiscing.

"Also Rarity, the overreactive fashionista, but was also a good designer and a generous unicorn..." Twilight added.

"Then came Fluttershy, the timid, quiet animal lover that was the kindest one you'd ever meet..."

"...And just now, we lost Rainbow Dash... That young naive Pegasus that would never leave our side."

"And... T-Trailblazer...! He was the pony that had so much in common with me, yet, I told him that... I wanted him to die!"

Twilight was in the same boat as AppleJack. She got AppleJack off the ground and provided a shoulder for her to lean on. Then, they hugged each other, trying to tell themselves that they cared.

"Ah wish Ah could go back in the past and keep this all from happenin'... And to keep myself from sayin' those awful things to him..."

"AppleJack..." Twilight let in a loud sniffle. "I'm going to miss him as much as you do... They are ALL going to be missed..."

"Ah just wasn't thinkin' worth a bit... An' Ah'm sure he wasn't when he hollered at Fluttershy either..."

A couple more tears fell from their eyes as they mourned, regretting all the things that they said to their former friends. Just as they were doing that, a loud rumble got their attention. They both looked up and braced themselves for anything, but it was just a tremor.

"We're runnin' outta time here..." said AppleJack.

Twilight let out a loud sigh. "Yeah... I suppose we'll have to mourn later..."

"Don't you reckon we should get a move on?"

"Yes." Twilight Sparkle swallowed hard, then let out a deep breath. "Let's go."

They both got up and continued to head deeper into the castle. Their walk was more cautious and slower than it was before.

"Ah just wish he knew that what Ah said to him after Fluttershy was gone, wasn't what Ah REALLY thought about him..." AppleJack said with a stuffy voice.

"I think I could tell that he was remorseful for his actions too," added Twilight.

The cowpony moaned with grief. "Ah just wish he knew that Ah was sorry..."

At that thought, Twilight began to think about what the afterlife held for the deceased. Would they know what their friends truly felt about them? Would they know their deepest darkest secrets? If that was the case, then Trailblazer would see that she had a crush on him, which was something she wanted to keep from him until the bitter end.

"Know what Ah mean, Twi'?"

The unicorn shook her head and paid her attention back to AppleJack. "Yeah... But, you know, maybe now they're all, watching us. And then they would know that you were sorry. I suppose you could say that they would know that I am sorry too..."

AppleJack looked ready to throw herself back on Twilight's shoulder, but then she took a deep breath, then calmly exhaled. "Okay... Ah can do this... Ah don't think Trailblazer would want to see me this miserable..."

Twilight's face twitched a little bit. All this reminded her of were the times that Trailblazer took care of her and lifted her spirit when she felt bad over her dilemma of being single. And, at the same time, her feelings towards him came back to memory. She shook her head again and refocused on themselves in the castle. "Yeah, he doesn't want anypony to feel bad... Unless, they hated him, of course."

"Yeah, and he'd kick that hater so hard, that brute would find himself in next week!" AppleJack tried to find a light in their darkest hour, and began to chuckle. However, this brought her back to her mood of melancholy. "But that's not gonna happen no more... No, sir..."

"...Hey, A.J?" said Twilight. "Maybe you should think of it this way: All of our friends, even Trailblazer, are watching us right now, and cheering us on to get our job done."

She stopped and thought for a moment. "...Yeah... They're all... With us... In, spirit..." Tears began to fall, but she stopped herself. "Let's not let them down." Her next deep breath seemed to stammer, but she got a hold of herself again.

"I know he met a lot to you..." Once she said that, Twilight remembered how she felt about him. The urge to admit that she also loved Trailblazer in some way was overwhelming. For all she knew, it would be their last moments together. But another thought came. Rarity's words came back to her mind, telling her that it would ruin their friendship together if she told AppleJack so. "I have a feeling that you meant a lot to him too..."

Another tremor hit, interrupting their discussion.

"Time is of the essence..." she said after it stopped.

"It sure is..." AppleJack sighed. "Enough chit-chat, here..."

After another minute of walking, they reached the door at the end of the hallway. They went through it and found themselves in a room with a giant staircase. The ceiling had to be 100 yards from them.

"Ya think we made it to the end?" asked AppleJack.

"A staircase this big has to lead to something good," reasoned Twilight. "The throne room has GOT to be at the end of these stairs."

They climbed the staircase, which was a bit tiring. Neither of them said anything to each other as they walked up the flight. As they were reaching the top, the staircase got narrower. Once they reached the top, a giant set of double doors was before them. It stood about 20 feet tall.

"Again with the double doors??" said AppleJack once she saw them. "Now AH'M gettin' sick of lookin' at 'em!"

"Ditto."

Both of them stood quietly in front of it. They pondered on what they would have to face once they passed through, as if it was their own calm before the storm.

"It looks like it's our point of no return..." said Twilight Sparkle.

AppleJack gazed at the top of the door, then swallowed hard. Then, she looked down, and exhaled. "Okay... Ah can do this. We can do this..."

"The fate of the world rests with us..." said Twilight. "We came this far... Now let's cross this last mile. You ready for this?"

"Yeah, Ah'm ready," replied AppleJack. "Let's do this."

Twilight nodded. Then, they both opened the double doors and entered. The next room they were in was undoubtedly the throne room. Another small staircase was in the back of the room, which led to a pedestal, and the throne. On that throne sat Steel Sword, and sitting right next to it was a small mare, Clear Night.

"Welcome one, and welcome all!" he greeted the two with. "You stand before the lusterous and elusive, Steel Sword!"

"Steel Sword!" AppleJack yelled. "Ah remember you back at Mt. Terabolt, tryin' to tell us that we have no hope, well, yer lookin' RIGHT at it!"

"Oh, how could I forget that?" he said. "Though I REALLY am impressed! You managed to make it THIS far! However, you seem to have lost your other friends!"

"That doesn't matter!" Twilight Sparkle stepped forward. "We came here to stop you, and that's just what we'll do!"

"I'm afraid that's out of the question! You should know that you need all five Sacred Stars to stop me. But I only see two. Most unfortunate, for you!"

"You listen here-" AppleJack started to say.

"Hey, A.J?" Twilight interrupted her. "Let me talk to him." She turned back towards Steel Sword. "We're not going to let our planet get destroyed, and that's that!"

"Your Sacred Stars are lacking. In essence, you've come to witness the death of this world!"

Twilight was a bit repulsed. "But why... Why do you want go destroy the world? What will that solve??" A thought struck her. "Answer me, Mineral Mage!"

Steel Sword discontinued his boasting and looked down at himself. "You know that answer just as much as I do, Twilight Sparkle. There was no joy without you. Nothing seemed to work without you around... So, I took the Sinister Star and made my wish, just to get rid of the one thing that took you away... The world."

"But... That's not the solution! Getting rid of a problem doesn't mean it'll be solved!"

"Is that so? I actually thought you would know. Getting rid of the world means that there's nothing to enjoy, or suffer from. And that is just what I'm here for."

Twilight looked up at him, distraught at how his mind was working.

"I, Steel Sword, have called upon myself that I shall rid the world, destroying all there is to enjoy or suffer from!"

"Mineral Mage... My own Mineral Mage..." pondered Twilight. "I don't know what has gotten into you, but we have come here to put a stop to your plot!"

"I'm surprised to see you go for it, considering that your efforts were in vain." Steel Sword turned to look at the mare that sat next to him. "Clear Night? I shall handle these two ALONE."

Clear Night looked up at him, a bit shocked. "Steel Sword?"

"Go, Night. Do NOT, make me repeat myself," he said sternly.

Clear Night looked at him some more, then hung her head, letting out a sigh. "Okay, I'll leave you alone." She jumped down from the pedestal and walked into a different room at the side of the room.

Then, the pedestal that the throne rested on rumbled, and then fell into the floor. A sliding floor closed over it once it was into the floor, leaving Steel Sword standing in the middle of the room.

"Now, this will be the last fight the world will ever see!"

He disappeared into thin air, then reappeared right in front of the two ponies. Twilight shot a purple beam at him with her horn, but it was deflected with Steel Sword's own magic. He retaliated with a beam of his own, which was a black-and-purple color. Twilight jumped right out of the way and shot another beam at him. He shot back, connecting the two beams together. As they struggled to influence their magic to strike their opponent, AppleJack ran around them and closed in on Steel Sword. He wasn't paying attention to her, but when she closed the distance to ram into him, a barrier was in place around him. It felt as if she ran right into a wall, and the recoil was strong. Steel Sword's concentration on Twilight stopped, and the beam Twilight fired bounced off the barrier around him too. He lifted AppleJack off the floor and threw her back to Twilight Sparkle. She got right back up, but instead of looking vengeful, she looked shocked.

"Well, this just ain't fair," she said. "He's protected!"

"Are you aware of how this battle will end now?" he yelled.

Steel Sword then used his magic to unleash a shock wave around the room, with him at it's epicenter. Both of them jumped when the wave was about to strike, avoiding it. He teleported again, then appeared in mid-air. Steel Sword then let out a time-twisting spell, causing Twilight and AppleJack to slow down as he wasn't affected. Both of them tried to run in their slow motion state, but Steel Sword appeared right in front of AppleJack and decked her. She was knocked back and fell in slow motion too. He then charged at Twilight and rammed her. She too fell backwards. After seven real time seconds, the spell wore off, and they both fell back down.

"Oh, God, what are we going to do??" Twilight asked anxiously.

"We just gotta catch 'em off guard," AppleJack said softly. "While you distract him, Ah'll run in from behind and whack him. He won't see me comin'."

"Well, this had better work..."

Twilight tried to lift him around with some magic of her's, but it did not affect him. With a loud grunt, she stomped her hoof and blasted him with a stronger energy blast, yet it was deflected again.

"What's it gonna take, Mineral Mage!" yelled Twilight, angrily.

"It's far too late for any of that!" Steel Sword yelled back.

AppleJack was charging right at him again, trying to attack his back. She stopped right behind him and proceeded to kick him. Just like before, the shield protected him. Steel Sword noticed, and he turned around to chase her. Twilight used this opportunity to charge another spell and launched it at Steel Sword. The barrier absorbed it instead. Once Steel Sword got a hold of AppleJack, he launched her right back at Twilight Sparkle. She tried to dodge her, but AppleJack was zeroed in on her, and they toppled over each other.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk," mocked Steel Sword. "Is that all you two got? I expected more potency from those that swore to stop me!"

"Mineral Mage... Why does it have to end this way...?" said Twilight softly.

"Twilight!" shouted AppleJack. "Y'know that there Sinister Star?! THAT'S what's protectin' him!"

Twilight recoiled. "Oh, I should've known! ...But what are we going to do?! We only have two Sacred Stars."

"It's time to end this!" bellowed Steel Sword. "I shall delete this world as if it was never there before! Consider yourselves lucky; you get to witness the death of our so-called precious world!"

His horn glowed, and the black gemstone known as the Sinister Star rose above him. A dark aura started to flow into it, and the star started to shake and tremble. Lightning sparks started to emanate as it's shaking gradually grew more violent.

Both mares looked at it, and there was nothing they could do.

"Could this be...?" said Twilight, anticipating the worst. "Is this, really THE end...?"

The Underground Corridors

Just then, a voice they recognized as their own friend's voice was heard from behind.

"Oh, what?? Are you giving up THIS early?!" it said.

Both Twilight Sparkle and AppleJack nearly jumped once they heard this. Once they turned around, they saw their friend that just spoke, and they knew it belonged to their own little alpha-male.

Trailblazer.

"Trailblazer?!" Both of them were shocked.

At the sight of this, Steel Sword stopped putting power into the Sinister Star and paused. "Interesting... There were other survivors..."

Trailblazer walked up to them. "C'mon, you NEVER gave up this easily when you're trying to clear an apple orchard by yourself, or learning how to cast a new spell!"

"So, if you're alive, then..."

"Come on in, girls!"

Trailblazer waved his foreleg towards himself. The double doors opened, and in came the rest of their friends: Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

"Oh my God, you're all alive!" The two mares were overjoyed as they all ran towards each other, gathering for a big group hug. This went on for about half a minute until they all dispersed loosely amongst each other. Trailblazer even had a foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulders.

"But... How did you all survive? We thought that all this time, you were all, well, goners!"

"Here, allow me to explain," Rarity stated. As she started her explanation, a flashback came back to her and Pinkie Pie's memory.

Pinkie Pie and Rarity were dropped by Fluttershy, let go to fall into the abyss that they thought would never be able to come out of, never to see the light of day again.

"What are you doing?!" they heard Trailblazer scream.

Both of them were screaming as they saw the rocks chase them as they fell down their shaft.

"Hold me!" yelled Pinkie Pie. She wrapped her forelegs tightly around Rarity. In turn, she brought herself closer to her and held on, with her eyes shut tight, as they both braced themselves for the landing.

While Pinkie Pie was looking at the rocks that were falling towards them, she saw as the ceiling shut on itself after they passed through it. No boulders could reach them now. As she kept eye contact on the ceiling, they felt themselves land. Unexpectedly, it was a soft landing, and they sunk a little bit into the surface they were on. As they bounced on their jiggling surface, they could hear the boulders crash down on the ceiling that closed on them after they passed through. The noise subsided as they watched the ceiling, anticipating it to cave in, allowing the rocks to crash on them. It stayed put.

Rarity opened an eye, then looked around. No rocks fell on them. She let go of Pinkie Pie and walked around on their cushiony floor.

"Are we... Still alive?" she wondered.

"I... Don't know..." Pinkie Pie answered, trying to fathom what they just went through. She was just as astonished as Rarity was. Then, she got an idea, and shoved Rarity aside.

"Pinkie!" she scolded. "That was most certainly rude of you!"

"But, didn't you feel that?" she asked.

"Of course I felt that, how could I NOT..." Rarity stopped herself once she realized Pinkie Pie's real intention. "If I felt that, then, we MUST be alive!"

"Bingo!" Pinkie called out.

Then, Rarity got anxious again. "Oh, dear! What if we're trapped in here forever?!"

"Rarity!" Pinkie yelled in her ear. As she picked at it after the noise, Pinkie continued. "Maybe there's a door here in this room! If someone got trapped in here by mistake, they could walk back out and back into the main floor."

"It's a trapdoor we fell through, did you not notice that?"

"Then how do you explain that?" Pinkie Pie pointed towards a cleanly cut rectangular hole in the wall, which led deeper into the castle in the direction that they were initially traveling in. Rarity was a bit shocked, and a bit in disbelief.

"Pinkie, sometimes, I can't stand you, but... I'm glad to have you around!"

The party animal was a little confused. "Just for pointing out a hole in the wall?"

"Well, it means that we can move forward! And I have the confidence to move forward now too!"

As Rarity trotted towards the hole, Pinkie Pie watched her for a little bit, shrugged to herself, and then followed her.

"Just how exactly long IS this hall?" wondered Pinkie.

"What did you expect from a hallway with a basement resemblance?" Rarity asked back. "Tsk!"

"Hey look!" Pinkie pointed towards the next big room. They walked in to see another big inflatable bubble in the room.

"Were we too late?" wondered Rarity. "Did we miss one of our friends?"

"Maybe we should wait for a little bit," suggested Pinkie.

Both of them looked at the ceiling for a solid five minutes. While Rarity got a bit distracted with her mane, and shifting around, Pinkie kept eye contact on the ceiling the whole time.

"I wonder if they're making better progress than we are..." Rarity thought out loud.

"I'm not sure, but it wouldn't hurt to find out..."

Just then, a deep rumbling from above shook the room.

"Maybe not after all!" shouted Rarity.

"Take, coverrrrrrrrrr!" yelled Pinkie Pie. They both darted to the hallway that they just came from and hid in it.

"Wait, we need to get to the other side!" Rarity called out. "If these rocks fall in this room, we'll be trapped in this hall!"

"Oh, good idea! Let's go!"

They both got out of the corridor that they came from, ran past the giant cushion, and into the next hallway. They stayed underneath it, anticipating the rocks to fall into the room. As they braced themselves, they heard the rocks fall, but it seemed to be that the rocks were stopped somehow. For several seconds, they waited for some rocks to fall, but none came. Slowly, both of them got out from their shelter.

"You'd think the rocks would be here by now..." Pinkie thought out loud.

The trapdoor on the ceiling opened. This startled the two, but no rocks fell from it. Instead, Fluttershy flew down.

"Fluttershy??" they both asked.

"Pinkie Pie? Rarity??" she asked back. "Goodness, you're both okay!"

The two mares converged around Fluttershy's landing spot.

"Oh, dear, you too!?" Rarity said.

Fluttershy did a double take to the trapdoor she fell through, then looked back. "Yeah..." She then looked shocked and recoiled. "Oh. dear, I still can't believe that I dropped you two!"

Pinkie and Rarity looked at each other, then back at her. "I can forgive you for that..."

This surprised Fluttershy. "You can??"

"We're both alive, we're unharmed, and look! We can both see each other again!"

Fluttershy showed a small smile, but then it turned into a frown. "If only Trailblazer could forgive me that easily..."

"Huh?"

She turned around. "He really yelled at me after I dropped and left you two behind. And he was just, LIVID at me for that..."

"How so?"

"He yelled at me, got in my face, put the blame on me, and even brought me to tears..."

Pinkie and Rarity looked at each other. "I guess I can see why he was mad, but, he had NO right to make you feel so... Terrible..."

"But I still wish I could show him that I am sorry, and that he would forgive me..."

"You don't have to be sorry for that!" jumped Pinkie Pie.

"What?"

"Yeah! We're still okay! We're alive! If you were sorry for leaving us behind, well... The answer to that is in the flesh!"

The other two thought for a moment.

"Huh!" Rarity huffed, astonished. "Nice observation!"

"Hey, you're right, Pinkie!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? We need to catch up with the others!"

"I suppose we should go then," said Fluttershy.

With that, all three of them continued down the path that Pinkie and Rarity were going down, into another narrow hallway deeper in the castle.

"I wonder how Trailblazer is doing right now..." Fluttershy said.

"How do you think he feels?" Pinkie asked her.

"Well, to the others above us, we're considered dead. He must feel awful..."

"...He might..."

"But if he doesn't..."

"He shouldn't, I assure you that," said Rarity. "If not, then that's a real reason to hate him."

The small talk continued through their winding hall. All of it consisted of the condition of their friends and their situation.

Just then, they heard a falling yell from up head.

"Another trapdoor room! Wait, who do you think's falling?" Pinkie asked.

"We must investigate!" called Rarity.

All of them ran through the hallway until they saw the giant inflatable pillow thing that was in the other rooms. Then, they saw a pony make impact on the cushiony thing. Rainbow Dash followed, but stopped herself from landing on the cushion.

"Ooomph!" they heard.

"Where are we...?" the pegasus wondered.

"Rainbow Dash??" called Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie?" she called back.

The other three caught up with Rainbow Dash to regroup. Just then, the other pony climbed off the giant pillow and landed on the floor.

"Now where am I?" he asked.

"Trailblazer!" Fluttershy called out.

"Fluttershy?" he asked.

He converged with with the others, but then grew hesitant, and hung his head. "I guess it's too late for apologies... We must be in some sort of afterlife chamber now."

Fluttershy was confused. "...Huh?"

The others were just as confused too.

"I mean, we all must've fallen 20 stories. None of us could've survived that."

"And what about me?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Trailblazer started at her for a moment. "Of course. You would've been able to stop yourselves at any time... Wait... AM I alive?"

He punched himself in his chest, then let out a shrill moan. Fluttershy was a bit startled once she saw that. "What did you do that for??"

"Yes! I felt pain! I am alive!" He got up and looked at the mares. "Then that means... So are all of you...!"

"Indeed," Rarity said.

Trailblazer's expression turned from a pained and bewildered one into a look of great sorrow. "Oh, God, Fluttershy...!"

"...Is there something wrong?" she asked him.

Trailblazer's ears drooped. He tackled Fluttershy and gave her a tight hug. "OH, GOD, FLUTTERSHY! I am SO sorry!!" His eyes were on the verge of watering. "I should've never treated you so poorly! Forgive me, for I was an asshole!"

"You're, choking... Me...!" gagged Fluttershy.

"I don't even know how I can forgive myself for all that! The blaming, the yelling, the misery I put you through! Pinkie Pie and Rarity are okay, so I can't be mad at you for that, and... I just feel so awful for treating you like dirt!"

"Let, go!" Fluttershy squeaked.

Trailblazer quickly released his grip around her. "It was terrible. I thought I was going to live the rest of my life knowing that I made you feel terrible after we thought you passed away!"

Rainbow Dash looked at him in awe. "Whoa... I guess you really did care after all..."

Trailblazer let out a loud huffy sigh, still ashamed at himself. "I still can't get over how badly I made you feel, and I don't expect you to forgive me..."

Fluttershy was also in awe, and a bit worried herself. "Trailblazer, while anypony would say that how you treated me was very poorly, I can still forgive you for that."

"What??"

"Look, I know that I shouldn't have panicked, but, Rarity and Pinkie Pie are safe and sound after all! And what you said about me and to me wasn't very nice at the least, but it's good to see that you know it wasn't right... You obviously have a lot of remorse..."

Trailblazer still looked worried.

"...So, I can forgive you for that, but you have to forgive yourself first..."

He looked down at himself some more.

"And when I caused that trouble back at Rarity's and Pinkie's trapdoor, I apologize for that too."

"If I caused more trouble to you, then why are you asking ME to forgive you?"

"Because we BOTH weren't right. We BOTH didn't do our parts. And we both need to forgive each other for our misdeeds."

Trailblazer looked off into the other parts of the room, then down at himself again, thinking.

"So. What do you say?"

He looked up, showing an upset frown. It then slowly grew to a weak smile, and then a stronger one. He walked up to Fluttershy and hugged her gently.

"Apology accepted!" she answered.

"Ditto," replied Trailblazer.

"Awwww, there there..." cooed Rarity. "It truly is good to see you two make amends."

The two ponies let go of each other again.

"Though, I have to ask... What happened to you while I was down here?"

"It was horrible..." Trailblazer became upset again. "I felt as bad as you did when I yelled at you. No, let me rephrase that; I was HATED by Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and even AppleJack."

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash looked and felt guilty. "We hated him because we thought you kicked the bucket... AppleJack even told Trailblazer to 'drop dead'!"

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, she did! And look at what happened!"

Fluttershy looked shocked. "And here I thought Trailblazer was hard on me!"

"...I wonder how they feel about us now..."

"They must feel awful! Oh, those poor dears..." said Rarity.

"I guess we should get out of here and prove them wrong," said Trailblazer.

"Yeah, let's do it!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

All of them got to the next hallway and resumed going deeper into the castle.

"I have to ask, Fluttershy," began Trailblazer. "What ever happened to that Pack Rat brat?"

"It was odd!" she answered. "As I was being held down by him, and we fell through the trapdoor, he just, disappeared after a few seconds of falling."

"Just, into thin air?"

"Yeah. There was a white flash in his place, and he vanished!"

"Now why would that happen?" wondered Rainbow Dash.

"I'm not sure. But, he's gone. What else can I say?"

"I guess we're better off getting back with Twilight and AppleJack than discussing it."

"Noted," said Trailblazer. "Let's keep moving."

"...And then we walked up to a trapdoor in the ceiling which led to a grand staircase, and that staircase led to this very room!" Rarity said, finishing the explanation.

"That explains everything, I guess..." said Twilight Sparkle.

"Hey, uh... Trailblazer...?" AppleJack meekly walked up to him. "Ah have to apologize... 'Should've never told you to..." She swallowed. "...Drop dead... Ah feel awful for that..."

Trailblazer looked at Fluttershy, then back at AppleJack. "It was perfectly understandable for you all to be mad at me... But, is there a reason to be mad at me now?"

"You have no idea how upset you made me when ya fell down that hole back there..."

"I forgive you, AppleJack."

She sniffled. "Wha...??"

"It wasn't right for me to yell at Fluttershy, but I know the feeling of sending somepony to misery just before their demise too. It turns out that we're all okay after all. So..." He lifted a foreleg to welcome her embrace. "The past is the past. Can we forgive each other?"

AppleJack still felt guilty, but she saw that he was remorseful and forgiving. "Ah don't know how ya could forgive me after that, but..." A smile grew on her face, and she threw herself forward to receive Trailblazer's hug. "Yes. Yes, allrighty, surgarcube."

As AppleJack snuggled against his neck, Trailblazer turned his head to make eye contact with Fluttershy. She winked at him, and Trailblazer winked back.

Steel Sword observed the scene for a moment, pondering on his own antics. "Could I be, wrong...? Is there really hope?"

"Trailblazer...?" Twilight spoke up. "I should apologize for what I did too... It was wrong for me to yell at you like that too..."

"We're not perfect, Twilight," said Trailblazer. "I wouldn't like the misery as much as any other pony."

"Well... Can you forgive me too?"

"I sure can."

Twilight was also shocked at his forgiveness, but then accepted it. "I don't know what to say... But..." She also smiled. "Thank you...!"

After that, the space that they occupied began to glow around them.

"What's happening??" asked Rainbow Dash.